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Maklershed · Oct 1, 2015

Maklershed · Oct 1, 2015

Q: What is ths post? What do you mean book of the month?

A: Just a fun idea to spotlight one particular book in a month upon which GAF readers can focus their attention. This won't be like a regular book club where goals or set or discussion is necessary (but it's encouraged). If you even choose to read the book, read at your own leisure, share your thoughts if you like. Have fun.

In honor of Halloween, here are this month's books ...

Ship of Fools

Ship of Fools by Richard Paul Russo

The Sad Tale of the Brother's Grossbart

The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart by Jesse Bullington

Drood

Drood by Dan Simmons

Dedication Through Light · Oct 1, 2015

Its so fanficy light novely. Good lead character design. Reading since the novelist askedme to review it.

zahran · Oct 1, 2015

fakefaker · Oct 1, 2015

Happily reading Twelve Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley P. Beaulieu.

AngmarsKing701 · Oct 1, 2015

Still reading Mitchell Hogan's A Crucible of Souls

ImpalingNarwhal · Oct 1, 2015

David Markson's Wittgenstein's Mistress. Can't recommend it enough. It's terrific.

Tomorrow I'm starting a Harry Potter series reread. I've been looking forward to it for five years now.

Necrovex · Oct 1, 2015

ImpalingNarwhal said:
David Markson's Wittgenstein's Mistress. Can't recommend it enough. It's terrific.

Tomorrow I'm starting a Harry Potter series reread. I've been looking forward to it for five years now.

Those first two books, particularly the second, are rough. Good luck with your reread!

SamastahSukhino · Oct 1, 2015

Currently reading the monk who sold his ferrari.

Gamerman1 · Oct 1, 2015

Warhammer... Gotrek and Felix - Slayer
Then Forgotten Realms Companions Codex series by R.A Salvatore

batbeg · Oct 1, 2015

Reading A Dance With Dragons. I'd last read ASoIaF when A Feast of Crows came out so reread the series the last couple of months. I find it a little frustrating how many new characters and threads are being started as it feels like bloat and procrastination though I still consistently enjoy it. Still wish things would develop quicker ala the first two novels.

nailbombxx · Oct 1, 2015

I've been rereading some old favorites by Edgar Alan Poe as well as many I've never read before. The Tell-Tale Heart, The Masque of the Red Death, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Cask of Amontillado, The Premature Burial... All absolutely fantastic. Is there anything more fitting for October than Poe's gothic romanticism?

Number45 · Oct 1, 2015

Amazon continue to thwart my attempts to buy a Kindle version of The Martian that doesn't have Matt Damon on the cover. It's never going to change back is it? :'(

Nymerio · Oct 1, 2015

Still reading Karen Memory. Still not really feeling it. It's ok but nothing more.

TestMonkey · Oct 1, 2015

Finished Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett. Not a typical Discworld novel. When I opened it up and saw a map I knew it would be different and I was right. The flow is very different from the other books and many of the cast do uncharacteristic things but I'm okay with it. Pratchett feels like he was trying to tie up lots of loose ends while he still could. Good on him. Don't know when I'm going to read Shepherd's Crown. A little bit of the Discworld is still out there and I take comfort in knowing that so I'm going to hold off.

Starting The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall. Have heard good things.

Saphirax · Oct 1, 2015

It's that time of the year! Putting the Iliad aside to finish:

Started It almost a year ago, but only managed to read 300 pages or so. Now is the perfect time to continue.

Read plenty of good impressions/reviews about the Gormenghast trilogy; I'm excited to give it a go.

RepairmanJack · Oct 1, 2015

My reading has completely stalled. I've tried starting about 4 different books and only make it a few percent in each time.

Pickman · Oct 1, 2015

Made the mistake of starting with the first book of the last trilogy of the Fitz and the Fool book series. Thought it was neat that the first book in a series was talking about a retired Assassin and only referencing his exploits in a casual back story kind of way, letting my mind fill in what might have happened then.

Then I found out there were actual books to read where it did happen.

So now I've got 6 books to read before I start the 8th. Fml. At least I like the writing.

Ledhead · Oct 1, 2015

Currently reading:

Dark Tower 7
Call of Cthulu and other weird stories (I think that's the name of the book. Just a collection of Lovecraft stuff)

His Majesty · Oct 1, 2015

Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett. Enjoyed all his previous works but sadly this one has been disappointing. Very one dimensional characters (almost caricatures) and the overarching plot also takes a dive after the first third of the novel. At the end the book just hops from one event to another giving me the impression of a rushed job.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Decided to reread one of my favourite books of all time since it has been a while. Halfway and I am once again falling in love with Owen Meany.

And on the to-read list is Fool's Quest, part two of the third trilogy involving Fitz.

Pickman said:
Made the mistake of starting with the first book of the last trilogy of the Fitz and the Fool book series. Thought it was neat that the first book in a series was talking about a retired Assassin and only referencing his exploits in a casual back story kind of way, letting my mind fill in what might have happened then.

Then I found out there were actual books to read where it did happen.

So now I've got 6 books to read before I start the 8th. Fml. At least I like the writing.

The Liveship Traders trilogy is not really required to start book eight as it mainly stands on its own. Still a good read though.

npm0925 · Oct 1, 2015

Finishing up Augustus by John Williams. It's interesting that Augustus is portrayed as an enlightened leader who sacrificed his person for his country when his closest modern analogue is Kim Jong-un of North Korea (both worshiped as gods, both conducted purges of rivals, both with absolute hereditary power, etc.). I wonder how much of the surviving historical record is propaganda. The book is very skillfully written, though, especially those portions from the perspective of the poet Horace.

Next, I plan to read Tales of the Dying Earth by Jack Vance. It reputedly had a large influence on the work of Gene Wolfe and the development of Dungeons & Dragons.

Maklershed · Oct 1, 2015

Still reading and nearing the end of last month's book of the month. Lots of feels, lots of thoughts swirling through my head on this one ..

Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Leovy

sparky2112 · Oct 1, 2015

ImpalingNarwhal said:
David Markson's Wittgenstein's Mistress. Can't recommend it enough. It's terrific.

Tomorrow I'm starting a Harry Potter series reread. I've been looking forward to it for five years now.

That's quite the...range of reading there.

His Majesty said:
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Decided to reread one of my favourite books of all time since it has been a while. Halfway and I am once again falling in love with Owen Meany.

<3 I'm not a re-reader, but Owen Meany is on my list to re-do one day...

Stumpokapow · Oct 1, 2015

As anyone who has ever done a book club knows, when someone doesn't read the book, the correct response is to shame them by calling them a turd 💩. Today, that person is icarus "I'm down for whatever" daedelus, Q.U.E.E.N. Turd of the Turd Club. I have to say first off that If I didn't love and respect her, I wouldn't do this to her. Anyway, she was required to read Guns, Germs, and Steel (something I should note she already read years ago according to her GAF posts, and so she probably could have faked it and claimed to have re-read it for this) or The Mote in God's Eye. Has anyone seen her post impressions of these books? I haven't. You can't see the invisible. BURN. YA BURNT.

You might be thinking "hey, man, that's harsh". She's been busy. Of course she has. We all have. Someone's gotta chop the wood and sow the fields. There's only so much time in a day. It's a pretty unreasonable thing to expect a person to read such long, tough books in only a week or two... wait, she got her book recommendation mid-July? She's had two and a half months to get this done?!?!? She took part in a 17 person book club and she's one of only 2 who didn't finish? That she gave me a personal guarantee that she'd finish and post her impressions here?

shame shaaaame shaaaaaaaaaame 💩

Perhaps the books were too challenging for icarus. When she signed up for this, she did say--in her own words--"I can't guarantee that I will finish what you recommend me. Ideally, softball me with a light 150 page novella." In lieu of reading either of her actual two assignments, she can read something more her speed:

Description:

Britney Spears makes success look simple. As Brit will tell you, though, success is hard work--you need talent, belief in yourself, and someone else who believes in you. For Britney, that person has always been her mother, Lynne Spears, who is not just Britney's mama but also her best friend.

At 144 pages, this heroic crown of flyover diarrhea 💩 is just under her limit and well suited for icarus "turd 💩" daedelus.

Necrovex · Oct 1, 2015

Completed my read of "The Trouble of Africa: Why Foreign Aid Isn't Working." I decided it would be a valuable investment to read a conservative side of foreign aids to developing nations, and many critics praised this particular work, so this was ideal to challenging my beliefs. I'd say this book did a terrific job in proving its thesis and without jargon.

The writer, Robert Calerisi, was in international development for about 30 years, mainly at the World Bank, when he wrote this book in 2006. Some information is dated (written nine years ago), but the main points and core details are valid.

Calerisi listed three main points of why foreign aid is a mess in Africa: (Traditional) culture, corruption, and political correctness. Corruption is his biggest focus but he ties his other two points well into the larger picture.

The most interesting chapter involved political correctness and discussing how westerners still feel immense guilt about colonization. He argues colonization did not do as much damage as people are led to believe (he did mention a few countries were damaged greatly, Zaire, but the majority did not suffer any worse than other prior colonized countries, India). I should clarify he didn't say colonization was good, but there were some benefits to it such as technology and advanced medication.

He focuses a few chapters on his experiences with the World Bank and discusses a few countries that showed great potential before tumbling off a cliff, Tanzania and the Ivory Coast (he states the former still holds potential to succeed). He also discusses his time in central Africa and the troubles with six different countries: Chad, Central African Republic, Gabon, Cameroon, Republic of Congo,and Gueina.

One of my biggest criticisms I have is his quickness on his solutions. His whole book focuses on the current problems with foreign aid to Africa, and after deconstructing how poorly both Westerners and Africans have handled this situation, he spends a quick chapter explaining his solutions. This chapter feels it could have gone for another hundred pages to expand and explain each points, but instead it felt rushed. Some of his solutions appear radical like merging the World Bank, IMF, and UNDP together, but others seem quite reasonable like promoting the free press, internationally supervision of elections, making head officials and senior officials making their bank accounts open to the public, and focusing on counties dedicating its resources on reducing poverty.

I agree with his main thesis. The current way westerners offer foreign aid to Africa is flawed. Shoving money into the continent will not fixed its problems. Many countries' governments are corrupt and are unwilling to fix their core issues. These nations should not receive money without international involvement. Many countries have become lesser over the prior decades, so an outside approach should be examined and at least discussed. The countries doing well should be allowed to continue their ways with minimal supervision.

Before I end this post, I recognize being a foreign aid worker myself, I am somewhat jaded, so I have some bias to agree with him. Also this book was copyrighted in 2006. I'd love another recommendation of a creditable writer focusing on this topic for this decade. I'd like to see what has changed since Calerisi published his work.

PieCake motivated me to write out this post. I'll try to do this more with my nonfiction. I may do it with fiction, but that is still TBD. Sorry about the grammar in advance and lack of elegancy. Typing on a phone, with this long of a post, is already true hell.

On another note, I am reading a terrific book about the HIV epidemic in Africa, how colonization pushed the disease to enter the mainstream population, and how to overcome it. Marvelous thus far!

TanookiTom · Oct 1, 2015

I just finished Jonathan Franzen's Purity.
It was a good read, but ultimately left me feel underwhelmed compared to Freedom and The Corrections. Enjoyed reading his perspective on the East German society and I think he did a pretty good job summing up how today's 20-somethings feel with the main character, but other than that...?

Now back to a classic - Berlin Alexanderplatz. Never managed to finish that one...

ShaneB · Oct 1, 2015

RepairmanJack said:
My reading has completely stalled. I've tried starting about 4 different books and only make it a few percent in each time.

Same, bit of a rut now. Started The Right Stuff, but dropped it when I just couldn't get into it and felt I just wasn't in the mood for it. Debating a few different things now.

His Majesty said:
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Decided to reread one of my favourite books of all time since it has been a while. Halfway and I am once again falling in love with Owen Meany.

sparky2112 said:
<3 I'm not a re-reader, but Owen Meany is on my list to re-do one day...

Yup, wonderful book, one of my favourites.

Also it's not quite a Halloween/October book, but I'll certainly recommend The Child Thief and its sort of companion/sequel book Red Winter by Dan Smith. Hope people saw my comments when I was reading them both, but certainly lots of terrifying moments and plenty of edge of my seat type of reading. Really intense moments in both.

Haly · Oct 1, 2015

I don't blame her, Stump.

Gun Germs and Steel was dryer than the West Coast last month.

(╯°□°）╯彡💩💩💩💩💩

RepairmanJack · Oct 1, 2015

ShaneB said:
Same, bit of a rut now. Started The Right Stuff, but dropped it when I just couldn't get into it and felt I just wasn't in the mood for it. Debating a few different things now.

I seem to go through phases between games, tv, and books and I can never seem to dive into more than one at a time. Right now I seem to be between Games to TV, so I will probably transition back to books after a while. My brain seems to only be able to invest in one medium at a time.

FUBAR McDangles · Oct 1, 2015

I started reading two books, one for on the go and one for before bed.

Before bed was Where the Bodies are Buried, which 20 pages in has thus far failed to capture my attention. I will probably put it aside for now.

My on the go book is a gag recommendation, Fairyland. I'm screwed with the classic kindle mix up representation of slow progress due to the whole trilogy counting as one book, but I'm probably 1/4 through the first book and I'm loving it. Definitely has a lighthearted feel but isn't directly made for tweens or whatever.

Going to try and read a horror themed novel, but I don't have too many of those in my stack of books that I have yet to read.

Jimothy · Oct 1, 2015

Pretty fantastic so far. I've heard a lot of complaints about the Jamaican dialect James uses for large sections of the book but I've found those sections are actually way better written than the ones from the white people's POV...okay maybe not better written but more authentic. Also after reading this book I'm convinced "bombocloth" is the best curse word in any language.

ShaneB · Oct 1, 2015

RepairmanJack said:
I seem to go through phases between games, tv, and books and I can never seem to dive into more than one at a time. Right now I seem to be between Games to TV, so I will probably transition back to books after a while. My brain seems to only be able to invest in one medium at a time.

Fair enough, I'm the same way. Still know I've read a fair bit, but my summer reading habits were cut into by watching more baseball and how much golfing I've done. And work has been hectic so I've just as likely been looking to sleep on my lunch break instead of reading. And my reading in bed generally doesn't work out for the better.

Deleted member 125677 · Oct 1, 2015

that is some high level cyber bullying by stump! *bows*

Haly said:
I don't blame her, Stump.

Gun Germs and Steel was dryer than the West Coast last month.

I have some objections to the book, and the general project of Big History, but I think it was very well written. I read it as suggested reading during my first year as a history student though, so it could be that it was only relatively less dry than all the other stuff we read.

Jimothy · Oct 1, 2015

ShaneB said:
Fair enough, I'm the same way. Still know I've read a fair bit, but my summer reading habits were cut into by watching more baseball and how much golfing I've done. And work has been hectic so I've just as likely been looking to sleep on my lunch break instead of reading. And my reading in bed generally doesn't work out for the better.

Life is setup to prevent you from reading. I basically cram all of it into my two days off from work because those days are the only ones where I feel like I can actually become invested in what I'm reading. I try to read on the subway to work sometimes but my train ride is only 10 minutes each way so I average about 20 measly pages every workday. It's maddening.

Sun Bather · Oct 1, 2015

Just finished The Stranger by Camus. Now thinking about starting Pale Fire, but haven't decided yet.

0.1.1.2.3.5.8.13.21.34.55 · Oct 1, 2015

War Eagle · Oct 1, 2015

Enjoyed book one, and I hear book two (this one) is even better. I am three chapters in. The series is called Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne. Book three of the trilogy out in March 2016.

Sectorseven · Oct 1, 2015

Getting into a Star Wars mood with the upcoming movie, but so far this book has been kinda boring. Supposedly it was commissioned as a potential lower budget sequel for Star Wars, had it under-performed. Consequently it's reflected in the story with a much smaller scope. It was also written in a time before the OT canon had been fleshed out, giving it a somewhat unique perspective on the franchise. It's interesting as a curiosity and a "what could have been" alternate reality, but it's not the most exciting read and I wouldn't recommend it to the casual fan.

obin_gam · Oct 1, 2015

I started reading In The Heart Of The Sea: The Tragedy Of The Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick.

It's the story that inspired Melville to write Moby Dick and it takes it even further by telling how the crew survived the sinking by turning to cannibalism.

It's weird, the actual story is from before Mby Dick, but the book feels like a bootleg version of said. The genius writing of Herman Melville is so good that makes every other book about whaling "not as good as" it. This on also talks about the logistics of whaling and stuff, and while it is still interesting it is also like "yeah but Melville told it better".

I havent gotten to the cannibal parts yet, I'm just 5 chapters into it, so I'm hoping Philbrick will get his due in that part.

Maklershed said:
Drood

Drood by Dan Simmons

Drood is great - have fun in opium induced nightmare-London!
After you've read that check out The Terror if you havent already

sparky2112 · Oct 1, 2015

Sectorseven said:
Getting into a Star Wars mood with the upcoming movie, but so far this book has been kinda boring. Supposedly it was commissioned as a potential lower budget sequel for Star Wars, had it under-performed. Consequently it's reflected in the story with a much smaller scope. It was also written in a time before the OT canon had been fleshed out, giving it a somewhat unique perspective on the franchise. It's interesting as a curiosity and a "what could have been" alternate reality, but it's not the most exciting read and I wouldn't recommend it to the casual fan.

As a little kid, I was always suspicious that both the Star Wars and Close Encounters novelizations were credited to Lucas and Spielberg, respectively. Oh, how naive I was. But I Wikipediaed Foster, and by gum, you're absolutely right. I remember reading the book in '77 or '78 and thinking, 'Wow, this is really watered down Star Wars.', which, it turns out, is exactly what it was supposed to be. Thank the Force for giant box office receipts...

obin_gam said:
It's the story that inspired Melville to write Moby Dick and it takes it even further by telling how the crew survived the sinking by turning to cannibalism.

Boy, the movie looks amazing. Can't wait to see it...

LordAmused · Oct 1, 2015

An hundred pages in and it is good, very good. Much better beginning than Fall of Giants, in my opinion.

Maybe it's because Follett doesn't have to introduce many "new" characters as it mostly follows the same families.

Peru · Oct 1, 2015

9781609451349_custom-12281789eeef67a30679f8ea75b7b482dbe86792-s400-c85.jpg

Well. The first book was great - this one is stupendous, so far. It's not hyperbole to say it causes a physical reaction - some chapters leave me trembling. Ferrante herself writes as if constantly on the verge of combusting, just barely holding it together for a cool delivery. Edge of your seat stuff about the finer frustrations of a friendship, suffocating on society's norms, creativity, and more, with piercing insight.

Christoff Yurievich · Oct 1, 2015

sparky2112 said:
<3 I'm not a re-reader, but Owen Meany is on my list to re-do one day...

Why not? For example, consider "The Westing Game". If you read it once, you will miss all the clues throughout the book as well as various comments and asides that make much more sense on your subsequent read-through.

sparky2112 · Oct 1, 2015

Peru said:
Well. The first book was great - this one is stupendous, so far. It's not hyperbole to say it causes a physical reaction - some chapters leave me trembling. Ferrante herself writes as if constantly on the verge of combusting, just barely holding it together for a cool delivery. Edge of your seat stuff about the finer frustrations of a friendship, suffocating on society's norms, creativity, and more, with piercing insight.

It's pretty crazy that this series generates the wild reactions it does, given that they're translations. I need to dig in...

allegate said:
Why not? For example, consider "The Westing Game". If you read it once, you will miss all the clues throughout the book as well as various comments and asides that make much more sense on your subsequent read-through.

Trust me, I know. I know enough about Infinite Jest to have seen TONS of things I missed on my first read during the two stalled re-reads I've tried to make. I'll get there eventually. Nobakov: 'There is no reading, only re-reading.'

Peru · Oct 1, 2015

sparky2112 said:
It's pretty crazy that this series generates the wild reactions it does, given that they're translations. I need to dig in...

Yeah, the first book sort of puts the pieces on the board and with the 2nd it's s an all out attack. Love that we're getting some genuine literary hypes from unpredictable places.

FlowersisBritish · Oct 1, 2015

Started J. by Howard Jacobson. Not far in, but it has probably the best little analogy story for setting up themes I've seen in awhile.

Gonna try and make a real effort to try and participate in these threads.

sparky2112 · Oct 1, 2015

FlowersisBritish said:
Gonna try and make a real effort to try and participate in these threads.

Lots of contemporary lit fans around here, so you're in good company.

fierrotlepou · Oct 1, 2015

Really good so far.

Jag · Oct 1, 2015

LordAmused said:
An hundred pages in and it is good, very good. Much better beginning than Fall of Giants, in my opinion.

Maybe it's because Follett doesn't have to introduce many "new" characters as it mostly follows the same families.

Enjoy book 2. It is as enjoyable as the first. Unfortunately 3 falls far short. Overall I'll recommend the series for historical fiction lovers, but it does use the typical Follett Formula(tm) that's in almost all of his books.

Piecake · Oct 2, 2015

I just got done with this and it was very good. I think the real achievement of this book is that it successfully re-orients all of the death and suffering to is proper place (no idea how to word that better). What I mean is that when I think about Nazi atrocities and murder I first think of European Jews and then Russian civilians. When I think of Soviet murder and atrocities, I think of class enemies, political rivals, arbitrary selection, etc, and when I think of the Eastern Front I think of German and Russian Deaths.

This conception is rather misleading because the vast majority of suffering, genocide, murder, rape, starvation, deportation, etc etc occurred in what Synder calls the Bloodlands, which is the area between Germany and Russia, so Poland, Belarus, the Baltic states, and Ukraine. And the Soviet soldiers that fought in WWII, the majority of those were from the above mentioned regions, just like the majority of battles and death were fought in the above mentioned regions.

I also did not know much about Stalin's atrocities, so this book definitely shed some light on it. The atrocities were targeted towards specific ethnic groups, and most often peasants, than I knew.

One issue that I had with the book is that while the reader of the audiobook had a nice, calming voice, he spoke quite fast. This made it difficult for me to pay as much attention as I should have because the narration easily bled together. I think that is probably the main reason why I thought the book was great, not absolutely fantastic.

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