Hey gaf weird post, but did anyone else ever read another gaffer's book that he distributed for free to this thread a while back that was basically the movie Identity with a little bit of The Sphere mixed in? The only thing I really remember was that it had a character that was an /obvious/ Riddick stand in and that the ending was pretty grotesque, involving self mutilation.
I always wanted to thank the dude for the free book, but by the time I read it I couldn't remember what his tag was here.
Finished Edgar Cantero's Meddling Kids after liking his Supernatural Enhancements a fair bit. He definitely makes up too many words, which can grate after a while, but nobody can say his style isn't unique. Fun romps, both of them, though I give the edge to Meddling Kids.
Still slowly making my way through The Killing Moon.
I'm enjoying it, just haven't had much time to read as of late. Plan on reading this, then the Fifth Season before settling on one to read the sequels of. I should probably also read the third of the Inheritance trilogy. Really liked those first two books.
I've got about 50-60 pages left in To Green Angel Tower Part 2. This is the final stretch on my re-read of the epic Memory, Sorrow & Thorn trilogy by Tad Williams. It's taken me a year to re-read the entire trilogy, with occasional breaks to read something else.
Definitely gonna take a break from Osten Ard and read something shorter for a little while before diving back in.
Done. Liked it quite a bit, maybe not quite as much as some do. It's a 'quiet' novel - small in scope, limited in purpose, but beautifully told. As a related aside, I find it interesting that the adjective 'overwritten' is slung around, but its usage is reserved in cases where a writer like Williams is as clearly in charge of it (the writing) as he so clearly is.
If you're the type that needs to be shown and not told, 1) your reading world is stunted, and b) you should run from this book as if it's trying to eat you.
I know something of this novel's recent revival from the out-of-print pile, but I'd like to maybe learn more about that.
Oh, and maybe it was early 20th century manners, etc., but
his marriage to Edith had disaster written all over it from their first meeting. If I could have yelled at him on the page, I would have. Also, it was quite the gut-punch the few times that Edith referred to Katherine as 'your little co-ed' and Stoner doesn't even bother to correct her.
WOW.
Oh, and my youngest son is a current student at the University of Missouri, so the pillars and Jesse Hall were top-of-mind the entire read. I could totally envision the entire thing.
Almost done with the first of four volumes in Alasdair Grey's "Lanark: A Life in Four Books". Very, very strange dystopian book with sci-fi and fantasy elements. Reminds me a little of Kafka, perhaps a little of 1984. Everything is strange, including the characters. But it's also really engrossing, and I'm going to go straight on to the next volume.
J.Y. Yang's two debut novellas have been advertised in some quarters as being readable in either order, but The Red Threads of Fortune is quite clearly the second installment of the "Tensorate" series, being chronologically after the events of The Black Tides of Heaven, events it spoils and/or presumes reader understanding of to a degree. While one could theoretically read this without having read the earlier novella, I'm not sure why you'd want to. The marketing of these books should really be clearer on this point, as it would improve reader enjoyment.
As to Red Threads itself, this is the superior of the two, building effectively on the story of the first and taking it in more interesting and imaginative directions (not to say the first wasn't imaginative, by any means). This story is much more compact than its predecessor, which allows for it to dig more into the specifics of its dramatic scenario than the frequent timeskips in Black Tides. Mokoya's character arc in this is well-realized, and the other characters from the first are well-developed on the margins. While the specifics of Mokoya's arc are perhaps not new, there's little truly new under the sun; and on that score, Yang does indeed get to some ideas in her worldbuilding there are at least rare in genre fiction.
I do have some questions about how these characters will function going forward in future stories, since the ending of this novel would seem to
grant Mokoya essentially the power to shape the future as she wants, which you'd think would be a game-ender in any confrontation
I'm really digging it so far. Jack's stream of consciousness is very well done. Loving it. I'm becoming a pretty rabid King fan as of late with the excellent show Mr. Mercedes to accompany my reads.
All I can say is that I really liked the Orphans trilogy (which starts with Echoes of Earth) back in the day. I quite liked most of what Williams & Dix wrote together.
Decided to read Half a King by Joe Abercrombie because of the talk of his series in the past thread. Had the copy since I bought it on sale a while back.
So far I'm finding it enjoyable, although a bit more simplistic (in prose and depth) than I thought. Hopefully it picks up. I'm around 40 pages in.
Just as an update, I'm about 170 pages in, and the book does in fact get better somewhere around the 40-50 page mark. However, there are moments that feel a bit thrown in, or rather, less developed than I'd like, but the quick pace of the book and the strengths of some of the other moments keep it as a fun read.
In some instances, the writing is a little bit uneven. There are moments that are described beautifully, and yet, there are moments when the description is very light and it doesn't quite describe the scene properly. And yet, the narrative is a bit too on-the-nose at times; he will tell you exactly how the main character feels, many times, instead of letting you put the pieces together. Overall, though, it's not terrible, and is fun. There is some optimism in the writing in terms of character relations.
I can see this being a good book for young people, as it introduces reading and a world of fantasy in a quick-paced novel. I'm not sure if I will read the entire series, but I may pick up the second book since people are saying it gets better and is the best in the series.
It would be disappointing for people expecting the depth of writing normally found in a fantasy series like A Song of Ice and Fire, but for a light read, it's enjoyable.
I'm really digging it so far. Jack's stream of consciousness is very well done. Loving it. I'm becoming a pretty rabid King fan as of late with the excellent show Mr. Mercedes to accompany my reads.
Yeah it's a fun book for sure. "Officious little prick" is one of my favorite book openings ever. Just totally encapsulates that character in three words right from the opening in a way that would take some authors 500 pages to do.
Also, despite what some literary hacks might say, there's no shame in a King love. I'll go on a King binge every now and again and read 3 or so books of his in a week and have a blast doing so. Dude just knows how to write characters and dialog very well. You catch love for one and it's easy for it to carry you to the finish line just based on that.
Just finished reading The Fifth Season and loved it but I think I'll probably end up a little bored if I jump into the 2nd of the trilogy straight away.
So I'm looking for something very different and possibly shortish as a bit of a break before I start The Obelisk Gate. Any suggestions?
The third John dies at the end book, loved the first two and enjoying the new one so far. If you enjoyed the others definitely check it out. Fun, lighthearted, horror-ish book. Perfect vacation reading
I was listening to mostly NYC/Detroit rock in the early 2000's so this book was always going to be in my wheelhouse. My favorite sections of the book center around Karen O and the guys from TV on the Radio, of which there was not nearly enough of. If I had a complaint it would be the borderline hero worship of The Strokes, who in a lot of ways had the least interesting/most cliched career of all the bands talked about in the book. Still I think this is a great read just for the descriptions of early 2000's New York and how the rock scene transitioned from Manhattan to Brooklyn.
I'm currently about halfway through Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami
Reading Murakami is very comforting experience for me. There's something very soothing about the description of his characters doing very mundane things, like making a bowl of spaghetti for lunch, or go to a coffee shop to discuss old records with a friend.
Edit: Didn't realize Samsa In Love was in this collection
I highly recommend Samsa In Love for anyone who wants to see what the author is capable of in the medium. I'm enjoying this book in the same way I enjoy having a home cooked chicken dumpling soup on a cool fall night. It's really hitting the spot.
It was alright. I enjoyed it enough but the middle (the story within the story) could feel like a slog and went on and on. At times I was really into it and other times it was a chore to read. It's not a long book...but at times feels like it. Not sure I would recommend it.
Almost done with :
I am absolutely loving this book. It's short and super unique. I saw it recommended on a 'What are you reading' thread a few months back. I was unsure at first, but I am fully invested in the world building and how the story is being presented.
The third John dies at the end book, loved the first two and enjoying the new one so far. If you enjoyed the others definitely check it out. Fun, lighthearted, horror-ish book. Perfect vacation reading
I loved JDatE, but I felt exhausted after reading it. It was like an assault on crazy plot twists. It was a really fun read though.
Is the second one just as nuts or does it calm down some?
I am absolutely loving this book. It's short and super unique. I saw it recommended on a 'What are you reading' thread a few months back. I was unsure at first, but I am fully invested in the world building and how the story is being presented.
Wrapped up The Hundred Names of Darkness by Nilanjana Roy today. Wasn't as strong as the first book of this duality, but it was still very enjoyable and a fine conclusion. Gonna start The Trees by Ali Shaw next. It's a book I've wanted to read since the first time I saw its cover.
I just finished The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. I have my criticisms, but ultimately I had a hard time putting it down. Basically, if Mistborn was good(no offense to Sanderson fans).
I bought and finished We are Legion (We are Bob), which seems to always be on sale on Kindle/Audible.
If internet/pop culture/nerd humor isn't a hard pass for you (think of something along the lines of the Martian, or John Scalzi's work in terms of jokes), it's actually pretty good.
Bob, a Software Engineer/sci fi nerd, purchases cryo-freezing for his brain after death and is hit by a car the next day. He wakes up over a century later to find out that he is now an AI that will be used in a von Neumann probe. The jokes are on the cheesy side, and the plot is meandering, but the book has some good science fiction scenarios included. Especially when he starts to fulfill his duties as a von Neumann probe.
I also finished Midnight Tides, book 5 in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, a few days back. Someone here said that it was one of their favourite entries in the series, and I agree. Even if it is missing all of the popular characters from the first 4 novels. Part of me wants to go on to book 6 in the Malazan series, but that will probably cause me to miss my reading goal for the year (36 books for the year), especially with Oathbringer in November.
I loved JDatE, but I felt exhausted after reading it. It was like an assault on crazy plot twists. It was a really fun read though.
Is the second one just as nuts or does it calm down some?
I can see this being a good book for young people, as it introduces reading and a world of fantasy in a quick-paced novel. I'm not sure if I will read the entire series, but I may pick up the second book since people are saying it gets better and is the best in the series.
Yeah, Half the World deserves a chance even if one did not like its predecessor. It's still clearly YA, but I think the difference in quality between the two books is so evident that they may very well come from different series.
Reading Murakami is very comforting experience for me. There's something very soothing about the description of his characters doing very mundane things, like making a bowl of spaghetti for lunch, or go to a coffee shop to discuss old records with a friend.
I've wondered if it's just the translation, but you always get the feeling that everything is going to be OK. Even when there is chaos in the plot, there is still a sense of calm. I haven't come across any other authors that do it quite as well.
I think that someone who enjoys the elements and themes typical of Robert Langdon novels may also be interested to see them in a more complex work, of superior literary value. But I see your point, I for one say that they are books both alike and very different.
I've wondered if it's just the translation, but you always get the feeling that everything is going to be OK. Even when there is chaos in the plot, there is still a sense of calm. I haven't come across any other authors that do it quite as well.
Yup. Most of the violence that happens in his novels are pretty matter of fact affairs. His characters are always mildly shocked destruction and violence in their lives, but usually these events are just a means to find some sort of deeper understanding about their inner selves. That really really shows in the story "Kino," which I enjoyed quite a bit.
As a want-to-be writer, who is obsessed with music and loves the small joys of drinking coffee, having a drink, and opening a book - reading Murakami is about as natural as a cat lapping up a saucer of milk under a dual moon sky.
Man, I really enjoyed that. So unique and interesting. It was so short, yet I got so much out of it. I do wish it was a tad longer. I am really bummed that she never attempted sci-fi again. Any idea why? Any of her other adult books worth a read?
I'm too lazy to actually do it but pretend like I edited that "Pretzels is the same" bit from the Eric Andre show to have all of Dan Brown's books and posted it instead of this sentence I just wrote.
My second Dickens book. I liked Great Expectations back in school so I thought yeah why not. Need a change from all the fantasy worlds Ive jumped through recently.
So...broad question, but is there a good book that explains....societies in general?
Maybe it'd help if I explained why I'm looking for it. There is an appendix of a book I'm reading that has the author go into detail about his six different currencies in his world. It mostly goes over my head, but I recognize it as something I'm gonna have to learn to make my own fictional world's currency system into one that's realistic and believable.
I'm trying to get something a primer for...everything. Just anything that goes into the making of a society, so that I know that it's atleast an aspect of society I need to work out how it works. Is there a good book like that?
So...broad question, but is there a good book that explains....societies in general?
Maybe it'd help if I explained why I'm looking for it. There is an appendix of a book I'm reading that has the author go into detail about his six different currencies in his world. It mostly goes over my head, but I recognize it as something I'm gonna have to learn to make my own fictional world's currency system into one that's realistic and believable.
I'm trying to get something a primer for...everything. Just anything that goes into the making of a society, so that I know that it's atleast an aspect of society I need to work out how it works. Is there a good book like that?
I'd think just reading about general history & different periods of it should get you a pretty decent primer on what kind of societies have existed, how they & their financial sides worked, what kind of issues they've had, what has been the driving force for change during different periods of time and how things have evolved/advanced through the ages in different parts of the world.
I'd think just reading about general history & different periods of it should get you a pretty decent primer on what kind of societies have existed, how they & their financial sides worked, what kind of issues they've had, what has been the driving force for change during different periods of time and how things have evolved/advanced through the ages in different parts of the world.
That would probably be great if you want to particularly write a story set in Rome or a fictional setting that is similar, but if you want to learn about different types of societies & finances, you could probably read 15 books about different times & locations & specific subcjets in history that amount to that page count and give you a wider view of things than put all your focus on Rome.
And of course if you want to learn about money in particular or some other specific topic and how it has historically advanced (i.e. how women's stature has changed in society throughout the times), there are books about very specific things in history as well. Like, if you want to learn about money & its history, a quick search came up with "The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World" by Niall Ferguson that might be of some use to you (there seems to be an accompanying documentary if you don't necessarily need to have it in written form or want to skim through it and get a look at what the book is about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsrtB5lp60s)
I think that someone who enjoys the elements and themes typical of Robert Langdon novels may also be interested to see them in a more complex work, of superior literary value. But I see your point, I for one say that they are books both alike and very different.
Dan Brown's Robert Langdon books are potato chips to Foucault Pendulum's potato wallpaper paste, they do indeed share some elements.
Now I just need to find something suitably heavy to pair with the Brizzle, it can't all be chips. Any ideas? What's a giant, difficult book you love? I heard Silverblatt rave about The Familiar series the other day by Danielewski, but that's crazy.
Dan Brown's Robert Langdon books are potato chips to Foucault Pendulum's potato wallpaper paste, they do indeed share some elements.
Now I just need to find something suitably heavy to pair with the Brizzle, it can't all be chips. Any ideas? What's a giant, difficult book you love? I heard Silverblatt rave about The Familiar series the other day by Danielewski, but that's crazy.
So, I guess you've read it already, and possibly didn't like it.
Anyway, the heaviest books I've read are probably Monte Cristo and L'Homme Qui Rit by Victor Hugo. Boy, those were some chores. Needless to say I didn't particularly like either.
I wanted to read something bizarre, and this one definitely fits the bill. The story is odd, yet it's detailed in a mysterious way. I like the author's approach. It's certainly not something I've ever read before. This one is the meatiest of the three, sitting at roughly 700 pages.
You know, I've never actually read this one before, seeing as I should have, it being an all time classic and all. I thoroughly enjoy Herbert's attention to detail. He writes in a very efficient way, and manages to express and convey deep and very thoughtful insight into the world that he develops.
It's safe to say that story wise, this is nothing like Blade Runner. So far this has been...quite interesting. Dick writes in a very peculiar way. I'm very excited with this one, since it is the book that laid the foundation to so many great stories. It's a fast read, so it should fly by.
Currently reading Casino Royale. Never read any of Flemings Bond books before, so I figured Id start with the first. Its pretty interesting so far, even though its difficult for me to read it without thinking about what Bond has come to mean since it was written.
I really liked it but boy is it a depressing read.
Definitely going to read more Steinback.
Now reading Children of Time. Only 60 pages in but what a fantastic read. My arachnophobia is kicking in though so we'll see if I have to abandon quickly...
Halfway through Provenance by Ann Leckie but put it down - not drawn in by the central mystery/problems - may come back to it. Started James Islington's The Shadow of What Was Lost - Book 1 of a Fantasy Trilogy.
I could totally envision the entire thing.
