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[B_Rik_Schitthaus]

Neuromancer.(Up to chapter 5)
Good but so much techno-babble.

 

[WJD]

Just started reading the Colour Purple for the first time. It's interesting to say the least.

 

[ultron87]

About halfway through Game of Thrones. I must admit that it has mostly lived up to the hype.

My next book is either Neuromancer or The Diamond Age.

 

[GroteSmurf]

About 400 pages read of The feast of Crows. Not really loving it but still interesting enough to read on. Maid of Tarth chapters are boring as hell though....

 

[HiroProtagonist]

What Hemingway novel should I start with? Perhaps his most accessible?

I know your asking for a novel, but have you read The Old Man and the Sea? If not, I’d start with that. It’s a novella, so you could probably finish it during a poo. From there I’d go to The Sun Also Rises.

Read Tobias Wolff. It's Hemingway but better.

Yeah, it’s like Sophie's Choice, but without the Nazis or the need to choose between the two.

About 400 pages read of The feast of Crows. Not really loving it but still interesting enough to read on. Maid of Tarth chapters are boring as hell though....

That book made me want to go to Wal-mart and slap a baby.

Was GRRM’s editor just so happy to get a final copy that he just left it all in? The pacing was off, it was painfully bloated, oh and nothing happened! I get that he was setting up a chess board, but Jesus Christ, what is more boring than watching someone set up a chess board? Ech.

 

[jon bones]

I know your asking for a novel, but have you read The Old Man and the Sea? If not, I’d start with that. It’s a novella, so you could probably finish it during a poo. From there I’d go to The Sun Also Rises.

duly noted - i'll take book advice from a guy with a Snow Crash name

 

[KingGondo]

About halfway through Game of Thrones. I must admit that it has mostly lived up to the hype.

My next book is either Neuromancer or The Diamond Age.

As soon as you finish A Game of Thrones, your next book will be A Clash of Kings. Guarantee it. The first three books of this series go from Great, to Awesome, to HOLY SHIT AMAZING.

 

[YYZ]

still reading a clash of kings. So far it's great, as good as the first. needs more Daenerys, I'm at the part of the book, about a third of the way through, where there's no Jon or Daenerys for a while.

 

[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

should i read Angels & Demons and his new book when it comes out? I enjoyed Da Vinci Code

If you enjoyed Da Vinci Code I don't see why not. Angels and Demons is a slightly better adventure and it is mindless fun. The ending is your typical Dan Brown cop out but, again, if you enjoyed Da Vinci Code it really wouldn't matter.

 

[Alucard]

If you enjoyed Da Vinci Code I don't see why not. Angels and Demons is a slightly better adventure and it is mindless fun. The ending is your typical Dan Brown cop out but, again, if you enjoyed Da Vinci Code it really wouldn't matter.

Pshaw. Obviously, you've never been to bed with a yoga instructor. *cringe and barf*

 

[Alucard]

That's just the way he writes. Stay away from Faulkner if you didn't like that.

The story is an allegory, so the simple language was particularly fitting and effective, I thought. The only other book he's written in that style is No Country for Old Men (also a great book and yes, better than the movie!). The rest are far more detailed and dense.

I didn't hate his writing. It just took a few pages to accept it, and if I look at the book as an existentialist allegory on the very nature of things, then, as someone else pointed out, I can see the lack of punctuation mirroring the narrative. Essentially, rules are man-made, and nothing really has shape until we say it does. This goes for ethics, morals, and everything else in the novel. I got the sense that existence was meaningless, and it is only human stubbornness and imagination that gives life to anything. That sounds bleak, but it also means that we can shape the world however we see fit, if we drop the idea that there are pre-described ways of seeing things. Of course, the way the boy continues to react to his father's actions provides an opposing viewpoint to this theory. He seems to instinctively feel that some things are right, and some are wrong. So, who do we listen to? The experienced and worn father, or the innocent and pure child?

 

[Xenon]

I am Re-reading Game of Thrones, almost at the end. With all the characters and details he throws in, I am still picking up a lot of things I missed the first time.

 

[littleorphanfunk]

very very good

 

[malingenie]

I am reading a Game of Thrones. Devouring it, really. Please be careful with spoilers (I know a 12 year old book WTF). It reminds me a little of the Amber Chronicles (A MUST READ if you like fucked up fantasy) because of the family intrigue and plotting.

 

[Like the hat?]

Andromeda Klein by Frank Portman

 

[Jarlaxle]

I just finished Danielewski's, House of Leaves. I really enjoyed that book. I'm going to have to read it again one day as it seems the type of book that you can discover more meaning on a second read. Very enjoyable and interesting narrative style.

I then finished reading the graphic novel: Planet Hulk and World War Hulk. Planet Hulk was fantastic. Planet Hulk was a great read. I never really cared about his character before but this was a really good self-contained story.

I now just started The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. So far it's alright but I really hope Tolkein gets some proceeds from these books as so far it seems almost a direct copy of LOTR.

 

[ultron87]

As soon as you finish A Game of Thrones, your next book will be A Clash of Kings. Guarantee it. The first three books of this series go from Great, to Awesome, to HOLY SHIT AMAZING.

I think I'd rather stretch out the awesome by reading a book or two in between. And besides, I'm pretty sure I can finish Neuromancer in a few days.

 

[jon bones]

Didn't even start the first book, but I have a feeling I will want to read through the series without stopping so I just bought this on my lunch break. Can any GAFfers attest to this series? I'm not huge on fantasy, but I love ASOIAF.

The first Hemingway book I read was a A Farewell to Arms and I loved it.

I know your asking for a novel, but have you read The Old Man and the Sea? If not, I’d start with that. It’s a novella, so you could probably finish it during a poo. From there I’d go to The Sun Also Rises.

Hemingway's lean style makes pretty much everything anything accessible (based on what I've read, at least).

I really enjoyed In Our Time (a collection of thematically connected short stories), for what it's worth.

Thanks! I think I will order The Old Man and the Sea and the Collected Short Stories of Hemingway to start!

 

[Ravager61]

Didn't even start the first book, but I have a feeling I will want to read through the series without stopping so I just bought this on my lunch break. Can any GAFfers attest to this series? I'm not huge on fantasy, but I love ASOIAF.

I'm currently on the 3rd book, and I have enjoyed the series very much so far. I can't say its up to ASOIAF quality, but the characters are great, the story is intriguing, and Abercrombie is a pretty good writer. I think you'll be satisfied.

 

[AlternativeUlster]

The first Hemingway book I read was a A Farewell to Arms and I loved it.

I 2nd this. Top 10 novels of all time for me and I almost didn't read it because I wasn't a fan of Old Man and the Sea.

 

[aidan]

Didn't even start the first book, but I have a feeling I will want to read through the series without stopping so I just bought this on my lunch break. Can any GAFfers attest to this series? I'm not huge on fantasy, but I love ASOIAF.

It's fuck awesome. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Undeux]

It's fuck awesome. You won't be disappointed.

Any idea where you can get the first book? Seems like it may be out of print, even though the second and third books are available.

 

[aidan]

Any idea where you can get the first book? Seems like it may be out of print, even though the second and third books are available.

They're all still in print and selling very well. They should be available at bookstores, but if not Amazon has copies.

 

[Undeux]

They're all still in print and selling very well. They should be available at bookstores, but if not Amazon has copies.

Weird, when I searched for it I only came across Amazon pages that said they were out of copies. Thanks for the link!

 

[My Name Is Luke]

Just finished reading through Frankenstein late last night for my AP English assignment, I didn't really like it at first but it picks up at about half way and I became really hooked into it.

Now on to my 6 essays!

 

[stupei]

Finished rereading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and independent of that I've been inspired to reread the Harry Potter series. Realized that despite being a big fan of the series, I haven't read the earliest books more than the one time and am interested in seeing how it all fits together now with a little more time and perspective.

So I started The Sorcerer's Stone on the train in to work this morning. I always seem to forget how playful Rowling's prose can be. Almost tempted to go straight from reading Harry Potter to a reread of His Dark Materials just to see how they juxtapose with each other, but I have far too much still unread and should probably try something new once I'm done with these seven.

 

[jon bones]

I 2nd this. Top 10 novels of all time for me and I almost didn't read it because I wasn't a fan of Old Man and the Sea.

duly noted, my friend couldn't stop talking about 'for whom the bell tolls' so i want to ease into some hemingway after trying my hand at the other big 'mericans (Vonnegut, Kerouac, Steinbeck, etc)

It's fuck awesome. You won't be disappointed.

I'm currently on the 3rd book, and I have enjoyed the series very much so far. I can't say its up to ASOIAF quality, but the characters are great, the story is intriguing, and Abercrombie is a pretty good writer. I think you'll be satisfied.

I wasn't expecting ASOIAF level quality, just an decently well written (prose at least as good as Dune) epic fluff adventure to go on for a few weeks. This seems like it!

Any idea where you can get the first book? Seems like it may be out of print, even though the second and third books are available.

Amazon page is really messed up for book 1 but it's available if you click 'paperback' after clicking the link for book 1 - also there are two publishers: PYR and Gollenzc make sure you get the same version for all three books! I have PYR and they are larger (which I prefer) and the second book has some fancy foil shit on the cover which I totally dig.

also, i really REALLY love these covers. old decrepit scrollwork with bloodstains and runesigns - i said before that i'm not huge into fantasy novels but this shit is kinda badass.

 

[Jugendstil]

I also ordered this based on a NPR review.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103930835

I finished this a couple of weeks ago, I enjoyed it. Very dark, but funny too. You can definitely tell the author didn't think much of children.

 

[Cimarron]

Eclipse :Twilight Saga

It sucks. But I was curious and read the first book to see what all the fuss was about and hated it. I hated New Moon as well. Like a bad relationship that you have invested too much time in already I am determined to see this until the end to see how this plays out. I am not expecting much.

Am I the only one who doesn't like Edward? Also is it too much to ask the damn woman to describe the fight scenes? *hopes Jacob gets an opportunity to beat Edwards ass*

 

[Caspel]

GAF!!! Tell me if I did well with spending $26. Went to Barnes & Nobles today and decided to check out the bargain section and there were four books/graphic novels that were already on my wanted list at Amazon and thought I couldn't pass up the deals.

Stephen King & Marvel's - "The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Reborn"
- Retail price: $26; Price I paid: $5.98

Stephen King & Marvel's - "The Dark Tower: The Long Road Home"
- Retail price: $26; Price I paid: $5.98

Michael Chabon's - "The Yiddish Policemen's Union"
- Retail Price: $28; Price I paid: $6.98

Robert Jordan's - "Knife of Dreams"
- Retail Price: $28; Price I paid: $6.98

Total Retail Price: $108; Total Price I paid (excluding tax): $26.

Question is, are the quality books? I've yet to start the Wheel of Time series, although I do own 4 of the books already (3 in hardcover, 1 in paperback).

Any opinions on any of the purchases I made today? I'm still reading "The Game of Thrones", so my time is still pretty well spent at the moment, but I'll get to these readings soon enough.

 

[Lafiel]

Just finished reading this.

Why didn't i read this earlier? this is exactly the kind of space opera, i have been craving for a while, it's plot-driven, very large on the plot-scale, and the writing while simplistic goes straight-to-the-point and makes it very accessible and readable. Going start reading the next in the series 'Foundation and empire' later today, cant wait.

 

[Salazar]

'U.S.!' by Chris Bachelder.

Upton Sinclair keeps being exhumed and reanimated, keeps writing moralist novels and attending union meetings, and keeps being assassinated. Terrific satire.

 

[BorkBork]

Just finished reading this.

Why didn't i read this earlier? this is exactly the kind of space opera, i have been craving for a while, it's plot-driven, very large on the plot-scale, and the writing while simplistic goes straight-to-the-point and makes it very accessible and readable. Going start reading the next in the series 'Foundation and empire' later today, cant wait.

The original trilogy is my favorite sci-fi series ever. The Second Foundation is awesome sauce with its ending. Enjoy!

 

[Blackace]

Quit while you are ahead

pffft hater

 

[Blackace]

Didn't even start the first book, but I have a feeling I will want to read through the series without stopping so I just bought this on my lunch break. Can any GAFfers attest to this series? I'm not huge on fantasy, but I love ASOIAF.

Get every book you can by him.... very good writer, I have high high hopes for him

 

[mujun]

pffft hater

You don't think it just degenerated into overcomplicated, silly pap by about the 7th or 8th book?

I've read the first eight books twice and wish I had never bothered.

 

[Night_Trekker]

I didn't hate his writing. It just took a few pages to accept it, and if I look at the book as an existentialist allegory on the very nature of things, then, as someone else pointed out, I can see the lack of punctuation mirroring the narrative. Essentially, rules are man-made, and nothing really has shape until we say it does.

That's an interesting way of looking at it. I suppose you could make a case that since the same basic worldview lies behind all of his novels, this is the reason for his writing style. I doubt it, but it's an interesting idea.

This goes for ethics, morals, and everything else in the novel. I got the sense that existence was meaningless, and it is only human stubbornness and imagination that gives life to anything. That sounds bleak, but it also means that we can shape the world however we see fit, if we drop the idea that there are pre-described ways of seeing things.

Of course, the way the boy continues to react to his father's actions provides an opposing viewpoint to this theory. He seems to instinctively feel that some things are right, and some are wrong. So, who do we listen to? The experienced and worn father, or the innocent and pure child?

My take on the novel is similar: The Road is an allegory about life and death and existence (all of McCarthy's work is about the same basic subject matter). McCarthy conceived of the story when taking a vacation with his youngest son (who he fathered at a relatively old age, which possibly has a parallel to the father's slow, inevitable death by sickness).

You bring a child into the world with only one certainty about that child's existence--that your child will die someday--and that hopefully your child will live to see you die... and at that point will be alone in the world. If you were being completely objective about it, how could you choose to become a parent when humanity at large is so very clearly bloodthirsty and domineering by nature? (And I think his characterization is dead on in that regard--were the world to end in fire tomorrow, I don't doubt for a second the "blood cults" would begin to form.) Ideas about God and an afterlife are nice, but nobody can be certain about anything like that (far from it, in fact).

The father does what any father would do: he kills to protect his son when necessary, and he takes great pains to steel him against a ravenous, endlessly hostile universe while somehow also trying to protect his growing mind from the unimaginable human cruelty they encounter, to foster an irrational hope (one face of the multifaceted "fire" image) he knows will be the only thing to keep the boy alive when he himself no longer can. Isn't this the same irrational hope that keeps people believing in God, or humanity, or some higher "divine" truth or ideal that must somehow function as a counter-argument against the murder and rape and torture that is both our history (see: Blood Meridian) and our undeniable future?

But the son's role is no less crucial. The father keeps his son's naivety and compassion from getting them killed, but the boy reminds the father not to stray too far from that "light" they both carry. Move too far in either direction and they might as well join the mother or the cannibals.

The ending is seen as a cop-out by some, but I don't agree. Yes, it's very convenient for the tracker and his family (a playmate and a potential mate for the boy, as well as a mother figure!) to show up and take him under their care, but this isn't McCarthy ending the book on a high note to give the reader a nice, fuzzy feeling. McCarthy is pledging his belief in human goodness (however rare it may be in comparison to everything else humanity has to offer) and hope (however irrational or pointless it may be). At the end of the novel the world is still gone, and inevitable oblivion still awaits them on the road ahead. There are no answers, easy or otherwise, to be found. And they're they're still carrying the fire.

Perhaps that's all obvious, but once I start talking about this book (or anything else McCarthy has written), I just lose it :lol

 

[Fleet of Foot]

Question is, are the quality books? I've yet to start the Wheel of Time series, although I do own 4 of the books already (3 in hardcover, 1 in paperback).

Buying book 11 of a series before even starting book 1 is not the best idea. I've read book 1 of that series and it was...ok. I then started book 2 and didn't make it past the first 100 pages, where all the characters still haven't left the first town and nothing happens. So boring. I would be very surprised if you ever crack open that book 11.

 

[Caspel]

Buying book 11 of a series before even starting book 1 is not the best idea. I've read book 1 of that series and it was...ok. I then started book 2 and didn't make it past the first 100 pages, where all the characters still haven't left the first town and nothing happens. So boring. I would be very surprised if you ever crack open that book 11.

Haha, well for books such as The Wheel of Time, I usually read in my spare time at home/in the office. So I tend to buy them in hardcover, thus, I determined that if and when I do get to book 11, I didn't want to pay the high amount of $$ when I could just get it for $7, cheaper than it would be in softcover.

It'll be quite sometime before I reach book 11, but I thought a $7 investment would be much better than having to buy it for full price down the road. It may not be worth $7 though after I begin my journey through the series.

 

[hey_monkey]

Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth (wonderful, wonderful stories)
Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian (re-read)
Steven Millhauser's In the Penny Arcade

I have a book for each place I read right now. :lol

 

[tim1138]

About 3/4 of the way through it, its science fiction in the Douglas Adams vein and has been an enjoyable read.

 

[otake]

I'm reading "A feast for Crows" by George RR Martin.

It's good but not what I expected at all......

 

[jon bones]

I'm reading "A feast for Crows" by George RR Martin.

It's good but not what I expected at all......

why do you say that?

Get every book you can by him.... very good writer, I have high high hopes for him

excellent! he's got the trilogy and a hardcover self-contained book, right? i think i will pick that up when it goes softcover

lots of positive feedback from GAFfers who share similar book tastes, so i am amped to start but sad to lead Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarity...

 

[Alucard]

That's an interesting way of looking at it. I suppose you could make a case that since the same basic worldview lies behind all of his novels, this is the reason for his writing style. I doubt it, but it's an interesting idea.

My take on the novel is similar: The Road is an allegory about life and death and existence (all of McCarthy's work is about the same basic subject matter). McCarthy conceived of the story when taking a vacation with his youngest son (who he fathered at a relatively old age, which possibly has a parallel to the father's slow, inevitable death by sickness).

You bring a child into the world with only one certainty about that child's existence--that your child will die someday--and that hopefully your child will live to see you die... and at that point will be alone in the world. If you were being completely objective about it, how could you choose to become a parent when humanity at large is so very clearly bloodthirsty and domineering by nature? (And I think his characterization is dead on in that regard--were the world to end in fire tomorrow, I don't doubt for a second the "blood cults" would begin to form.) Ideas about God and an afterlife are nice, but nobody can be certain about anything like that (far from it, in fact).

The father does what any father would do: he kills to protect his son when necessary, and he takes great pains to steel him against a ravenous, endlessly hostile universe while somehow also trying to protect his growing mind from the unimaginable human cruelty they encounter, to foster an irrational hope (one face of the multifaceted "fire" image) he knows will be the only thing to keep the boy alive when he himself no longer can. Isn't this the same irrational hope that keeps people believing in God, or humanity, or some higher "divine" truth or ideal that must somehow function as a counter-argument against the murder and rape and torture that is both our history (see: Blood Meridian) and our undeniable future?

But the son's role is no less crucial. The father keeps his son's naivety and compassion from getting them killed, but the boy reminds the father not to stray too far from that "light" they both carry. Move too far in either direction and they might as well join the mother or the cannibals.

The ending is seen as a cop-out by some, but I don't agree. Yes, it's very convenient for the tracker and his family (a playmate and a potential mate for the boy, as well as a mother figure!) to show up and take him under their care, but this isn't McCarthy ending the book on a high note to give the reader a nice, fuzzy feeling. McCarthy is pledging his belief in human goodness (however rare it may be in comparison to everything else humanity has to offer) and hope (however irrational or pointless it may be). At the end of the novel the world is still gone, and inevitable oblivion still awaits them on the road ahead. There are no answers, easy or otherwise, to be found. And they're they're still carrying the fire.

Perhaps that's all obvious, but once I start talking about this book (or anything else McCarthy has written), I just lose it :lol

No worries. I actually enjoy long posts that speak about themes and philosophies related to a piece of literature. I honestly wish more people would take the time to dissect a novel and to post their interpretations of it, like you have done here.

One of my disappointments with these "what are you reading" threads, is that people will often post a simple book cover and not give any idea as to what the book is about, if they're enjoying it, why they're enjoying it, and what it's saying in relation to humanity. It's also my problem with music threads, where album covers are posted, often without the name of the band and album title, as if the image is supposed to say it all. I appreciate that you have taken the time to articulate your thoughts on the book, and have not only made a simple two to three sentence post that re-iterates the plot and nothing more.

What did you think of the boy

Spoiler

being left with a group of travelers who had a religious mother? I have read reviews that have said the book promotes belief in God because of this ending, but I think it almost promotes the exact opposite, especially since the boy is said to have spoken with his father, as opposed to speaking with God.

 

[otake]

why do you say that?

POV's for Cersei and Brienne, to name two. I enjoy the Cersei POV's just for the madness factor, but Brienne........ I dunno. I never expected so many random character POV's either.

Who would have expected an Asha POV?

 

[Janken]

I read Foundation a few weeks ago and what a fantastic book it was! Now I have to get the rest of the books as soon as possible!

I'll start with The Book Thief when I end The Time Traveler's Wife. What a great novel!

 

[jon bones]

POV's for Cersei and Brienne, to name two. I enjoy the Cersei POV's just for the madness factor, but Brienne........ I dunno. I never expected so many random character POV's either.

Who would have expected an Asha POV?

Ah, that's totally understandable. Didn't see any of that coming but it's all working towards the second arc of the story, the first 'build up' book since Game of Thrones.

Love the Ironmen in the book, though - straight up PIRATES.

 

[depward]

Neuromancer.(Up to chapter 5)
Good but so much techno-babble.

Reading this on my Kindle. So far, really enjoying it.

 

[otake]

Ah, that's totally understandable. Didn't see any of that coming but it's all working towards the second arc of the story, the first 'build up' book since Game of Thrones.

Love the Ironmen in the book, though - straight up PIRATES.

agreed. it's good, just unexpected and not what I wanted after the previous books' ending.

 

[jon bones]

agreed. it's good, just unexpected and not what I wanted after the previous books' ending.

oh god the epilogue of 'storms' is a total mind fuck

just imagining the season 3 finale of the HBO show :lol can you possibly imagine?