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What are you reading? (October 2017)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
AngmarsKing701
Member
Finally finished To Green Angel Tower Part 2. This wraps my re-read of Memory, Sorrow & Thorn, the epic trilogy by Tad Williams.
A few comments. First, I started this re-read because Williams is returning to the fabled land of Osten Ard, and I was excited to dive back in. Second, I read MS&T back when it was first being published, and it was the first fantasy I read after Tolkien, so it has a special place in my memory.
This is where I tell you nostalgia is a helluva thing. I've read--and written--A LOT of fantasy since reading MS&T. Williams became the impetus for many others who would tread the epic fantasy path, including GRRM who has often claimed MS&T was the inspiration behind ASoIaF. And you can certainly see much of the elements of ASoIaF in MS&T.
But I will also say that while this coming of age story delivers a satisfying finale to an epic tale, there are struggles along the way. On the positive end, Simon is an endearing protagonist whose growth from scullion to knight is enjoyable to read. This is clearly "the hero's journey" and is done with impeccable care. The Sithi are wonderfully alien in their elf-like immortal personas. The world of Osten Ard, from the wild Thrithings to the noble Nabbanai to the trolls and the Wrannamen feels lived in and steeped in a history--with its own mysteries lying beneath--that one feels as though you could open a history book to read its past. Much like Middle Earth, Osten Ard is a living, breathing world, with a history of conflict and an extended peace just lying in wait for the right moment to have that history come back and bite it.
On the negative side, however, the trilogy suffers from what many epics tend to suffer from: bloat. As much as Williams wanted to tell a mirror story of Simon's in Miriamele, the fact is she's not as interesting a character, and her adventures could have been clipped to shorten the massive third tome to a more consumable size. That and I think Williams simply did not have a firm grasp of how to write from the perspective of a young female character. I'm certainly not saying I do, but Miriamele's story does not come across as believable as Simon's and therefore there is an inconsistency in the writing that takes the reader--me at least--out of the tale. It's not until Miriamele and Simon are traveling together again, later in the series, that things tend to come together, but even then the sections written from Miriamele's viewpoint suffer when compared to Simon.
The other thing that almost got me laughing at one point is the number of times Williams ends a chapter or section with someone being knocked out or blacking out for some reason. Between that and the number of captures/escapes we get, the series tends toward going too long and getting a little silly when that's not its intent.
In short, Simon comes across as earnest and likable. Miriamele comes across as cross and bitchy. They do not have chemistry, and yet we're told they do. They claim to love one another, but it's said more than felt.
Overall, I think I probably rated this a 5/5 when I thought back on it with rose-colored glasses, but having re-read it 25 years after it was published, it's more of a 3 or 3.5 out of 5 now. I think Dragonbone Chair is the best in the series, but then so much of the focus is Simon and worldbuilding that it just feels like sliding a hand into a warm glove.
I'm still interested in diving into the bridge book and then the new trilogy set in Osten Ard, but some of my ardor for it has run dry given it's taken as long as a year to re-read the original trilogy. I will likely read a few other things first, before diving back in.
Next for me, given it's October and I like to read "scary" things during this time of year, will be Joyland by Stephen King.
A few comments. First, I started this re-read because Williams is returning to the fabled land of Osten Ard, and I was excited to dive back in. Second, I read MS&T back when it was first being published, and it was the first fantasy I read after Tolkien, so it has a special place in my memory.
This is where I tell you nostalgia is a helluva thing. I've read--and written--A LOT of fantasy since reading MS&T. Williams became the impetus for many others who would tread the epic fantasy path, including GRRM who has often claimed MS&T was the inspiration behind ASoIaF. And you can certainly see much of the elements of ASoIaF in MS&T.
But I will also say that while this coming of age story delivers a satisfying finale to an epic tale, there are struggles along the way. On the positive end, Simon is an endearing protagonist whose growth from scullion to knight is enjoyable to read. This is clearly "the hero's journey" and is done with impeccable care. The Sithi are wonderfully alien in their elf-like immortal personas. The world of Osten Ard, from the wild Thrithings to the noble Nabbanai to the trolls and the Wrannamen feels lived in and steeped in a history--with its own mysteries lying beneath--that one feels as though you could open a history book to read its past. Much like Middle Earth, Osten Ard is a living, breathing world, with a history of conflict and an extended peace just lying in wait for the right moment to have that history come back and bite it.
On the negative side, however, the trilogy suffers from what many epics tend to suffer from: bloat. As much as Williams wanted to tell a mirror story of Simon's in Miriamele, the fact is she's not as interesting a character, and her adventures could have been clipped to shorten the massive third tome to a more consumable size. That and I think Williams simply did not have a firm grasp of how to write from the perspective of a young female character. I'm certainly not saying I do, but Miriamele's story does not come across as believable as Simon's and therefore there is an inconsistency in the writing that takes the reader--me at least--out of the tale. It's not until Miriamele and Simon are traveling together again, later in the series, that things tend to come together, but even then the sections written from Miriamele's viewpoint suffer when compared to Simon.
The other thing that almost got me laughing at one point is the number of times Williams ends a chapter or section with someone being knocked out or blacking out for some reason. Between that and the number of captures/escapes we get, the series tends toward going too long and getting a little silly when that's not its intent.
In short, Simon comes across as earnest and likable. Miriamele comes across as cross and bitchy. They do not have chemistry, and yet we're told they do. They claim to love one another, but it's said more than felt.
Overall, I think I probably rated this a 5/5 when I thought back on it with rose-colored glasses, but having re-read it 25 years after it was published, it's more of a 3 or 3.5 out of 5 now. I think Dragonbone Chair is the best in the series, but then so much of the focus is Simon and worldbuilding that it just feels like sliding a hand into a warm glove.
I'm still interested in diving into the bridge book and then the new trilogy set in Osten Ard, but some of my ardor for it has run dry given it's taken as long as a year to re-read the original trilogy. I will likely read a few other things first, before diving back in.
Next for me, given it's October and I like to read "scary" things during this time of year, will be Joyland by Stephen King.
LordAmused
Member
Still plowing through A Column of Fire by Ken Follett. Gooooood stuff.
Still plowing through A Column of Fire by Ken Follett. Gooooood stuff.
Good to hear you're liking it! I love his work.
I started The Blood of Elves, which I THINK is the first full novel in the Witcher series. I know that there were some short story collections that proceeded this, but I'm not the biggest fan of short stories (novellas or longer for me).
So far, it is decent. Nothing mindblowing, but my interest has been held. I think that I am about a third of the way through the book.
I have never played more than a few minutes of any of the Witcher games, despite having all of them on PC (1 and 2 might as well have been free). Maybe this will motivate me to finally taking The Witcher 3 out of my backlog.
So far, it is decent. Nothing mindblowing, but my interest has been held. I think that I am about a third of the way through the book.
I have never played more than a few minutes of any of the Witcher games, despite having all of them on PC (1 and 2 might as well have been free). Maybe this will motivate me to finally taking The Witcher 3 out of my backlog.
Oh man, I know, random person on the internet, but you should reconsider. The Last Wish is the best of the whole thing. The series is great, too, but I felt the authors style worked much better in the shorter, more concise format.
Yeah, I finished Half a King, and at the end there was a little sample of the next book.
Read through it and was sold on it, so I picked it up from Google Play books and will read it sometime in December most likely (right now I'm winding up for NaNoWriMo so won't have time to read until December).
Well, 78 Nobel Laureates down, 36 to go.
I'm not likely to be reading anything more by Oe, though, as I thought this was dull and unpleasant. There's some interesting material in there about postwar Japanese attitudes toward successful Koreans who stuck around in the country after being brought there as wartime slave labour, but otherwise I didn't much care for this.
Finished The Killing Moon a lot faster than I expected to partially because I am going on holiday next week and am travelling light so wanted to just take my kindle and partially because I got hooked on it the more
Really enjoyed it, look forward to reading the sequel although it felt like Jemisin wrapped everything up neatly. The only sequel I've read of hers was the second Hundred Thousand Kingdoms book and it was a real step down from the first one, so hopefully that's not the case here.
Next up I'm reading The Black Tides of Heaven by Jy Yang.
mad Ehiru went. Didn't expect him to go full Reaper by the end.
Next up I'm reading The Black Tides of Heaven by Jy Yang.
Funyarinpa
Member
Read Antigone for school. Nice play with some relatable messages as someone living in Turkey.
I just reached Part 2 of The Erstwhile which I began reading as soon as finished The Vorrh.
The Erstwhile is a direct sequel continuing several of the storylines from The Vorrh, almost immediately after that book ends, while also introducing new characters and storylines that further shape Catling's world and the greater plot at hand.
This shit is really good, if you enjoyed The Vorrh but haven't read this I suggest you get to it, it doesn't miss a beat.
If you haven't read The Vorrh I urge you to remedy that ASAP. Catling's prose and imagery is exquisite and his truths cut deep.
I think the short stories are better than the saga, TBH, and some of them lay important groundwork for the saga i.e. Yenniffer and Geralt's meeting and young Ciri's introduction.
Plus they're just a lot of fun. You get some entertaining Monster of the Week stories. You should reconsider.
The Shining by Stephen King.
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.
The book is much better than the film. Ruined the movie for me.
Don't get me wrong, the movie is fucking gorgeous, atmospheric and solid in its own right. But it's a shallow adaptation.
I'm currently reading "Hard Times", by Charles Dickens, per my SO recommendation. She thinks that I'm not going to like it since it is not my type of book (it certainly is not, I like the most history, science and science fiction). But I read a while ago "A tale of two cities" and really enjoyed it, and now I'm giving this one a try.
At the same time, I'm reading volumen 28 of NatGeo History collection (in spanish), on the french and Napoleonic revolutions.
Even though two people before me already urged you to reconsider, I'll do it as well. The two short story books are way better than the first book of the saga. In fact, I probably would have dropped the series after Blood of Elves if I hadn't read the short stories first and therefore was convinced the rest of the saga would reach those same heights. Which it mostly does in book 2/3 and most of 5.
sparky2112
Member
I'm looking for a suggestion for an Audible audiobook on self-improvement. Something to help with creating habits, not procrastinating, and overall improving myself. I have one free credit right now so what would you guys suggest? I'm currently browsing through the most popular books.
Maklershed
Member
Finished The Pillars of the Earth (fantastic!) and The Gangsters (meh) so now on to two new books. Going with the eerie theme for Halloween.
Kindle
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Hard Copy
The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd
Kindle
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Hard Copy
The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd
sparky2112
Member
Almost done with this:
Novak was Toby on the U.S. version of The Office, as well as a writer, director and exec producer.
This book is the real deal. The guy's imagination is just freakish. A Comedy Central Celebrity roast of Nelson Mandela? Sure! A story about John Grisham's comically erroneously titled new novel? Why not? Your average U.S. young woman on a dinner date with (unbeknownst to her) and African warlord? Yep.
Despite the craziness, there are some emotionally devastating stuff (usually in the form of a pointed sentence) that just hits out of nowhere.
Novak has serious skills.
Novak was Toby on the U.S. version of The Office, as well as a writer, director and exec producer.
This book is the real deal. The guy's imagination is just freakish. A Comedy Central Celebrity roast of Nelson Mandela? Sure! A story about John Grisham's comically erroneously titled new novel? Why not? Your average U.S. young woman on a dinner date with (unbeknownst to her) and African warlord? Yep.
Despite the craziness, there are some emotionally devastating stuff (usually in the form of a pointed sentence) that just hits out of nowhere.
Novak has serious skills.
Then an argument can be made that it IS your type of book.
Yeah, I guess you are right ^^. What I really meant is that my default mode is to read non-fiction and science fiction books. I don't usually read "normal" fiction books. It is very rare.
I just discovered this guy Edward French on youtube. Incredible reading voice, very professional and evocative. He has just under 1,000 subs, I have no idea why he has so few because this guy is legit. Like, Wayne June quality (although June's voice is singular)
Lots of classic horror and sci fi stories!
https://www.youtube.com/user/FrenchEdward06
This one is really good:
The Thing In The Cellar by David H. Keller
Lots of classic horror and sci fi stories!
https://www.youtube.com/user/FrenchEdward06
This one is really good:
The Thing In The Cellar by David H. Keller
Taking a break from Blood of Elves. The first half was coherent and interesting but then it made a weird cut and now we're seemingly back in mini-stories land. I don't understand this storytelling style at all.
On a positive note I've started Uprooted, which has been predictable but enjoyable and an easy read for the first story part. Question is where it goes now.
On a positive note I've started Uprooted, which has been predictable but enjoyable and an easy read for the first story part. Question is where it goes now.
MrOogieBoogie
BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
100 pages into this behemoth, and my god the level of backstabbing and violence is already well beyond GoT levels. What the hell.
I'm still not sure if the book's portrayal of Japanese samurai culture is "racist" or not. There are times when I'm like... "Whoa now."
US kindle version of Cards of Grief by Jane Yolen is $1.99 at the moment. Couldn't help but pick it up at that price.
Mackenzie 92
Member
I actually sort of like the meandering rumor mill style plot revelations. I am around 3/4s of the way though. I guess I will try to pick up The Last Wish at some point, since people feel strongly about it.
Yeah. Looks like it has gone back up unfortunately.
Finished up The Trees by Ali Shaw and I couldn't believe how lulling the writing was. Everything felt so calm and serene, even when the worst butchery was going on. If you're looking for a book to fall asleep to, this might be a good one to get.
I'm in the mood for something ghostly so up next is Experimental Film by Gemma Files.
I'm in the mood for something ghostly so up next is Experimental Film by Gemma Files.
I haven't read Shogun, but it's apparently fairly authentic. It takes place during the Sengoku period, and there was an awful lot of backstabbing and violence going on. One of the motives proposed for Toyotomi's invasion of Korea was that he couldn't control his vassals and his soldiers so he needed a war to keep them occupied. I would imagine that the book is more toned down than it was in reality.
It was like that in China as well - political intrigue in Chinese history novels are way more nuanced and involved than what you'd find in a Song of Ice and Fire. I just finished a novel about the later life of Wu Zetian and her successors and the intrigue in it is vastly more complex than I've seen in any English-language novel.
In a similar note, I'm currently reading the Grandmaster Strategist by Follow the Crowd, and it's a similar kind of book about dynastic succession, war, intrigue, and martial arts. Unlike most of the books I've been reading, it has an English fan translation that's supposed to be pretty good, but the translation stopped about 85% into the book and might not ever be completed.
Maklershed
Member
Finished Bird Box and on to book 12 in the Harry Bosch series - Echo Park.
Echo Park by Michael Connelly
Echo Park by Michael Connelly
Ravensmash
Member
Remains of the Day really is something special.
Flying through it too.
Flying through it too.
Funyarinpa
Member
Rereading Isaac Asimov's Foundation. I'm really underwhelmed about the characters from my first two reads (only one woman in the whole book and she's a nagging, materialistic wife) but I hope the concept grabs me more this time around. Had been disappointed with Foundation and Empire also, but I'll see what I think I'll think once I reread that also (and then read Second Foundation for the first time).
PhoenixSFT
Member
Moving much faster than Way of Kings, I'm hoping to finish it before Oathbringer. I should have had it done by now, but I was advised to read Warbreaker first.
Funyarinpa
Member
Opinions on Paul Auster's "4 3 2 1"? I normally wouldn't be interested but it's a relatively affordable English read here and I love the compact format of the paperback.
Ravensmash
Member
I've not read it, but it got fantastic reviews. The layout of the prose puts me off though - isn't it just one continuous sentence?
I've finished Remains of the Day and have to say that it's one of the most enjoyable reads I've had recently.
It's short but the text flows really beautifully, that I couldn't help but just get caught up in it.
I wanted a Gaiman read so I'm trying Neverwhere at the moment (in a paperback too!) and really enjoying this so far. Forgot how funny Gaiman can be.
Funyarinpa
Member
Funnily enough I wanted to see if my local bookstores had Ishiguro in stock, and Remains of the Day (going by the title) was the one I found most interesting but I couldn't find a copy.
Auster really tends to overexplain sometimes (I don't need half a page to understand that children in a poor family are pressured into getting into work early) which puts me off, but the setup seems decent enough. Not really expecting much after reading that a local writer here thinks Auster is really overhyped.
Hope you enjoy Neverwhere!
Vincent Alexander
Member
I'm going to try and start participating in here more since I read all the time. But I have no one to talk to about reading stuff and such
I picked this up while on a business trip a week or so ago as I'd seen the TV show. I did not expect the book to be so thick! But I'm really liking it so far. I've never read anything by Susanna Clarke, but umm...she's kind of an awesome writer? There are so many lines of description that I've tried committing to memory because I loved them so much.
I picked this up while on a business trip a week or so ago as I'd seen the TV show. I did not expect the book to be so thick! But I'm really liking it so far. I've never read anything by Susanna Clarke, but umm...she's kind of an awesome writer? There are so many lines of description that I've tried committing to memory because I loved them so much.
If you haven't seen it, definitely watch the film adaptation starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. Magnificent.
Jennifer Egan's previous novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, so that was always going to be a tough act to follow. Manhattan Beach is a detour into historical fiction, set in Depression/World War II-era New York City. It's a bit scattered, in truth, with a lot of individually interesting elements that I never thought quite added up to a whole. But there's plenty of good stuff here, and Egan's prose style is eminently readable. There's some very nice writing in handling our main character Anna's attempts to become a naval yard diver, which involves joining a training program which is a bunch of white guys and one black guy; Egan has some perceptive comments about how the two outsiders try to avoid each other, lest they be tagged as a unit. There's a fairly big plot twist that is surprising but which leads to what feels like a weird extended tangent from what the novel was about up to that point.
(love that cover)
"and eventually they were rescued by, oh, let's say...Moe"
It's hard to avoid this book since there so many references in pop culture, so before going in I already knew what to expect. That being said, I was still surprised by some of the graphic content here. Just imagine reading this book in the 50's, expecting some adventure novel about a bunch of boys exploring an island. Some of the turns are pretty disturbing.
A criticism I've seen is that the characters are stereotypes, but I don't fully agree. Ralph for instance is a flawed leader. He was once chosen by the others, but uses that as his panic button every time he's challenged. He doesn't see that things are changing and petulantly clings to his election, something most of the 'littluns' don't even remember. The conch is a symbol of that: a desire for order that is ultimately meaningless.
When Jack comes to raid the camp, he leaves with Piggy's glasses but doesn't care about the conch. The glasses are useful to him, the conch is just a symbol of a bygone era... which gets destroyed alongside Piggy.
Piggy then isn't just there to feel sorry for. There were times where I genuinely found him annoying and insufferable, which was undoubtedly Golding's intent. He's obviously intelligent, but he has a knack for yammering and whinging as well.
Jack felt like the closest character to a stereotype, but I still found his struggle with Ralph interesting. For one because some things that Jack stands for, can be useful for their survival. He wants to hunt, but Ralph constantly blocks his desire to, even though he should see the benefits. With some smarter and more agressive leadership, Jack could be used as nothing but a food gathering tool. It just happens that Jack was more of an alpha male who could sway the masses with a carrot on a stick.
Then there's Simon, arguably the most tragic character. His vision leads to one of the most important segments in the book, but this acquired knowledge also
allows him to be fearless and reveal the 'beast' for what it is
his demise is at the hands of children who still have a delirious and blind belief in the beast and jump at any shadow... which turns out to be Simon himself. He'd seen the light, but the others were still in the dark.
Even though the contrast between a desire for order and the rule of chaos was a bit simplistic, I still loved the conflict. If Ralph and Piggy were better at manipulating, they probably could've used Jack as a tool.
Those are my two cents, but I bet most of you are tired of discussing this book since it's pretty much required reading in America, but not over here. Anyway, if anyone has any must read articles or insight on the book, feel free to link them to me. Heart of Darkness is one my favorite books, so I had a feeling I'd like this one as well.
Next book is going to be Fall of Hyperion. Best read that before I forget the events of the first book.
TwntyOneTwlv
Member
I've got three books going right now -
Hardcopy
Kindle
Audio
I'm really liking all three.
Hardcopy
Kindle
Audio
I'm really liking all three.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Earthcore by Scott Sigler is on sale today for $0.99
Fun read, well worth a buck
EARTHCORE by Scott Sigler
Fun read, well worth a buck
EARTHCORE by Scott Sigler
TheChewyWaffles
Member
Read it all the way through. Didn't really grab me, but I finished it because I thought it was going somewhere.
