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What are you reading? (September 2013)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
Maklershed
Member
Reading "Dust" as well.
Your avatar makes me realize I want a Portal movie and I want Natlie Portman to be in it. And not just as a robot voice.
On the last book of Shift Omnibus. It's been a chore to read...
It is very repetitive. The characters in this book are introduced to similar places/situations as Wool and all of them go through the same sort of thought process. None of them really have any differentiating characteristics so it makes it difficult for me to care about any of them.
It is very repetitive. The characters in this book are introduced to similar places/situations as Wool and all of them go through the same sort of thought process. None of them really have any differentiating characteristics so it makes it difficult for me to care about any of them.
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
I put on some ambient winter and blizzard sounds and it makes the read even more immersive. Highly recommend reading with ambient sound in general.
I really enjoyed that book. I read it in Fernie, BC during a crazy cold snap so it really hit me well.
Mackenzie 92
Member
I put on some ambient winter and blizzard sounds and it makes the read even more immersive. Highly recommend reading with ambient sound in general.
lol reminded me of when I read that. it was the dead of winter and my heater wasn't working, so I was freezing my ass off, had 3 pairs of long johns on and was in my bed huddled beneath blankets. made it very easy to visualize everything and really feel it haha
Maklershed
Member
Does anyone know where to find print versions of The Star Wars Dark Horse comics online to purchase? I tried Amazon but no luck. And you can only buy the digital version straight from Dark Horse.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Ebay? not sure. No luck with your local comic stores? They might be able to special order them for you.
I just think of that as the Stephenson ending. As much as I love his work the only book of his I read whose ending didn't feel rushed was The Baroque Cycle.
sparky2112
Member
sparky2112
Member
Yeah, 3,000 pages give you room to wrap things up.
The Terror seems like something I should enjoy, given my love for all things wintery/extreme cold/survival/etc etc, perhaps I'll get around to it sometime this winter. And speaking of Dan Simmons, has anyone read Flashback? that seems really cool.
I bought the amazon daily as well, "The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow", seems like something I'd enjoy it.
I bought the amazon daily as well, "The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow", seems like something I'd enjoy it.
I'll bear that in mind but would like to try another of his, any in particular you would recommend?
Ha! No, Stephenson to Hardy Boys to Wolf Hall. Talk about your literary whiplash...
Heh
I read a ton of Hardy Boys books 20-25 years ago now and have been curious what they were actually like now, I couldn't help myself. Pretty sure I got caught reading it on the train though which made me feel a bit dumb.Wolf Hall was 99p on Kindle for a day a while ago and I have no knowledge of it whatsoever other than I've heard half the people who start it give up and the remainder love it. Apparently the style is pretty weird but they told me that about Infinite Jest and How Late it Was, How Late which are both in my top all-time top five so I'm quietly hopeful of something really special.
Ha, true though I tend to find length a plus so long as the writings good.
Hmm, I think I would recommend The Baroque Cycle. More so since you just finished Cryptonomicon, as it has some nice little continuity nods. Be forewarned however, the 3000 page comment above isn't an exaggeration. It's three books of about 1000 pages each. The first ones titled Quicksilver.
If your looking for something shorter and you haven't read them already then Snow Crash or The Diamond Age are both good. Of the two Snow Crash has the better ending.
Really? Personally I found those sections to be the most interesting parts. I think I would have enjoyed reading Goldstein's book more then 1984 if it was real. =P
PaleFolklore
Member
So when I was in school I rarely read the books assigned so I've been working through a lot of them just to see what I might have missed out on. Just finished up 1984/Animal Farm and enjoyed them both for the most part. Although the sections with Goldstein's book in 1984 were an absolute bore. Now I'm reading Fahrenheit 451 and enjoying it quite a bit. I really like Bradbury's style of writing so far.
G-Bus
Banned
Started reading the Wheel of Time series a month or two ago. New Spring was on sale at a bookstore that was closing down for $2 so figured why not. Friend of mine has been bugging me to read the series for a while now. I was told I made a bit of an oops in regards to reading the prequel before anything else but I haven't noticed it spoiling anything of importance yet.
Currently a couple chapters in on the 3rd book in the series, Dragon Reborn. Definitely enjoyed Eye of the World more than anything I've read in the series. Some one told me it starts to go downhill after The Great Hunt?
Anywho, stoked a still got quite a few books to get through in the series. Feels good man.
Currently a couple chapters in on the 3rd book in the series, Dragon Reborn. Definitely enjoyed Eye of the World more than anything I've read in the series. Some one told me it starts to go downhill after The Great Hunt?
Anywho, stoked a still got quite a few books to get through in the series. Feels good man.
TheWarrior
Banned
It depends if you are a Brandon Sanderson fan, then the best is yet to come.
It's a cool series to read, Jordan built one hell of a world, I found a couple of the books to be a chore at the time, but looking back I actually have good memories of the series. I spent a lot of time with those characters.
Thanks man! I've downloaded the samples of all of those.
I just finished this a week or two ago. Very good series and I would recommend to anyone and not just fantasy fans. Spoilers with ending here:
I'm not sure if it was entirely the writing or my own experiences and the writing that did it but I found the ending extremely overwhelming. I haven't cried in probably three or four years but as I was reading the last two and a half pages I couldn't stop crying. My wife came home and saw me crying (it was late at night) and I had to read her the last two pages. I couldn't make it all the way through and kept getting choked up. The parts where the son wanted to destroy the letters his father had written to his dead mother and how his wife told him she'd leave him if he did. That reminded me so much of when my father passed and he made me promise not to have my mother come to the funeral (they had recently seperated) but my aunts and everyone telling me that he was gone now and that greif is for the living. The very end where the son was giving the eulogy for Otah and at the end just put down his speech and said, "I loved my father. I miss him" and then walked off. That shit hit me like a ton of bricks and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Very beautiful writing.
Moving onto some lighter stuff. I decided to go onto my yearly guilty pleasure:
Salvatore has gone up and down over the years but after over 20 years of reading this series, it still feels like coming home. Love the characters and probably always will. I actually think this book (as ridiculous as the premise is) is one of his better ones and I felt the same with the last.
Syracuse022
Member
This series of threads is seriously one of my favorite resources on GAF.
Just finished:
Eye-opening peek into the culture of North Korea. Beautiful imagery abounds. This book has really stuck with me - I can't stop thinking (and talking) about it.
One of the Game of Thrones TV writers. I thought the premise (a group of friends spend their last night together before one is incarcerated) sounded interesting and found the ending quite well executed.
Reading now:
On deck:
Just finished:
Eye-opening peek into the culture of North Korea. Beautiful imagery abounds. This book has really stuck with me - I can't stop thinking (and talking) about it.
One of the Game of Thrones TV writers. I thought the premise (a group of friends spend their last night together before one is incarcerated) sounded interesting and found the ending quite well executed.
Reading now:
On deck:
TheWarrior
Banned
I just finished this a week or two ago. Very good series and I would recommend to anyone and not just fantasy fans. Spoilers with ending here:.I'm not sure if it was entirely the writing or my own experiences and the writing that did it but I found the ending extremely overwhelming. I haven't cried in probably three or four years but as I was reading the last two and a half pages I couldn't stop crying. My wife came home and saw me crying (it was late at night) and I had to read her the last two pages. I couldn't make it all the way through and kept getting choked up. The parts where the son wanted to destroy the letters his father had written to his dead mother and how his wife told him she'd leave him if he did. That reminded me so much of when my father passed and he made me promise not to have my mother come to the funeral (they had recently seperated) but my aunts and everyone telling me that he was gone now and that greif is for the living. The very end where the son was giving the eulogy for Otah and at the end just put down his speech and said, "I loved my father. I miss him" and then walked off. That shit hit me like a ton of bricks and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Very beautiful writing.
I absolutely agree with your statements here. The series really affected me, especially by the 4th book.
I think the first pages of book 4 had me choked up hearing about Otah's letters, then the ending when they were discovered and read, tearjerking moments. These books actually made me want to be better to my wife and my parents.
Maybe I should stick with one book instead of reading like four or five at the same time :/ I might actually finish one for a change.
Oh and of course Calvino for the book club...
I miss reading these books. I'm probably the only guy ever so into them, but they're just so good.
I'm thinking of starting Mr. Monster next. Can't decide what else to read and I'm not a Serial Killer was pretty good. Oh, and he has the goddamn parrot in that one.
Yeah I know. Your enthusiastic praises got me into reading those books in the first place
There is a new one out that, according to your 50/50 challenge list, you haven't read yet though.
Dr. Zoidberg
Member
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
I'm about 40% in and I'm really enjoying it. I started reading ERB before the John Carter movies came out. Read the first several Carter novels, and the other day I decided to take a chance on Tarzan since I enjoyed the first 3 Carter books. My only exposure to Tarzan was the Disney animated movie and some vague recollection of the Johnny Weissmuller versions I probably watched on TV as a kid. I expected the Disney version to be way off from the book but in fact it's not that bad. There are plenty of changes, but it's no travesty. When I first started reading ERB I was surprised how fun and readable it was given the age of the material (almost 100 years old).
You have to be mindful of the time it was written in, though. There are some things that would be considered quite un-PC, and probably racist today, so if you're sensitive to those types of things you may want to avoid. I'm having a blast, though.
I'm about 40% in and I'm really enjoying it. I started reading ERB before the John Carter movies came out. Read the first several Carter novels, and the other day I decided to take a chance on Tarzan since I enjoyed the first 3 Carter books. My only exposure to Tarzan was the Disney animated movie and some vague recollection of the Johnny Weissmuller versions I probably watched on TV as a kid. I expected the Disney version to be way off from the book but in fact it's not that bad. There are plenty of changes, but it's no travesty. When I first started reading ERB I was surprised how fun and readable it was given the age of the material (almost 100 years old).
You have to be mindful of the time it was written in, though. There are some things that would be considered quite un-PC, and probably racist today, so if you're sensitive to those types of things you may want to avoid. I'm having a blast, though.
Oh, I've been recently reading books on North Korea so this sounds perfect!This series of threads is seriously one of my favorite resources on GAF.
Just finished:
Eye-opening peek into the culture of North Korea. Beautiful imagery abounds. This book has really stuck with me - I can't stop thinking (and talking) about it.
Right now I'm going through Factory Girls. It's great and I love how the author doesn't remove herself completely from the stories she's reporting on.
One of the best American humorists out there. If you like this, try reading "The Dog of the South" or "Masters of Atlantis." That last one is his best work, IMO.
The Expanse series is heading to television!
http://www.deadline.com/2013/09/alcon-tv-group-acquires-the-expanse/
More here as well http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/iron-man-writers-enter-sci-fi-mystery-tv-project-for-alcon-the-expanse-1200598499/
Sounds like it's in great hands.
http://www.deadline.com/2013/09/alcon-tv-group-acquires-the-expanse/
More here as well http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/iron-man-writers-enter-sci-fi-mystery-tv-project-for-alcon-the-expanse-1200598499/
Sounds like it's in great hands.
Having read Evertt Fox's translations, I can't really agree that that's the most interesting thing.
KuwabaraTheMan
Banned
I'm really going through House of Chains at a fast rate. This series has me completely captivated now. I'm about half way through and the scene where
It makes me happy to know that I still have so much to go through in this series.
Interesting. I feel like the series could make a really interesting TV show (and the first book in particular would work really well). Although this just reminds me of how disappointed I was by what I read of the third book (still haven't gotten around to finishing it, so maybe it gets better in the second half).
Fiddler is talking to Tenul, and he starts going on about Duiker was just amazing emotionally. Especially coming right after Fiddler hearing about the deaths of Whiskeyjack and the Bridgeburners. That scene and Felisin finding out here brother is alive have been two of my favorite scenes so far.
Interesting. I feel like the series could make a really interesting TV show (and the first book in particular would work really well). Although this just reminds me of how disappointed I was by what I read of the third book (still haven't gotten around to finishing it, so maybe it gets better in the second half).
You can't just drop that on me and leave! You gotta tell me what else is interesting so I can pay attention for it!
This book's really big yo. I might not end up reading it twice.
Finished Barbara Hambly's Darwath series, The Time of the Dark, The Walls of the Air, and The Armies of Daylight.
This was actually a re-read from years ago. They don't hold up as well in retrospect, but they're still enjoyable. Also made me wonder if Pitch Black, the first Riddick movie was inspired by the books. The enemy in the series has a lot in common with the creatures from that movie.
This was actually a re-read from years ago. They don't hold up as well in retrospect, but they're still enjoyable. Also made me wonder if Pitch Black, the first Riddick movie was inspired by the books. The enemy in the series has a lot in common with the creatures from that movie.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Yeah I know. Your enthusiastic praises got me into reading those books in the first place
There is a new one out that, according to your 50/50 challenge list, you haven't read yet though.
Yeah, but I'm saving that for when I go on vacation two weeks from now
The Artful Dodger
Member
I'm thinking of getting into the Russian writers, an endeavour I've always avoided. Although I have read a bit of Bulgakov, next I think will be Chekov, then Gogol ( and eventually Tolstoy, Dostoesvky, and Solzhenitsyn) any suggestions of which of his works I should start with?
Burger
Member
Flashback was good and enjoyable. The Terror however is one of my favourite books of all time. I think I was reading it on holiday and I couldn't put it down, it was fascinating. Made me read a lot more about the North Passage and the quest to find it.
Aw shit.
I would have preferred a high-budget movie production, but this is still pretty awesome.
books i have finishes the end of august and yesterday:
aka, city of dreaming books.
it was really really good. i loved reading it.
and finished yesterday:
liked it too, and have to get the third one.
right now i'm reading Dagobert Duck - Sein Leben seine Milliarden (i think its the life and times of scroodge mcduck ). i'm readig one or two chapters a day. still need to pick a book from my backlog to read.
aka, city of dreaming books.
it was really really good. i loved reading it.
and finished yesterday:
liked it too, and have to get the third one.
right now i'm reading Dagobert Duck - Sein Leben seine Milliarden (i think its the life and times of scroodge mcduck ). i'm readig one or two chapters a day. still need to pick a book from my backlog to read.
How does this fare in comparison to other Dan Simmons books? I loved the two Hyperion books, some of the best SciFi I have ever read. Then I read the Endymion books and they were just plain aweful. Later I gave Ilium and Olympos a try and found them little more than decent.
I put on some ambient winter and blizzard sounds and it makes the read even more immersive. Highly recommend reading with ambient sound in general.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Paul Antony Jones' Extinction Point series, both books, are part of the Kindle daily deal. Just $0.99 each.
AngmarsKing701
Member
I had to slog through this one. I thought it was pretty slow. In one of the earlier threads this year, maybe a month or two back, there was a brief discussion of it. You'll see on this page some folks who enjoyed it.
Maklershed
Member
Whoa sweet! Now I wish I hadnt read it so I can go into it fresh.
Probably one of Murakami's most normal novels (outside of Norwegian Wood) and yet completely crazy and mind bending. When I say normal, I mean it's probably one I would actually recommend people who may not like some of Murakami's stuff to read. There aren't any lulls in the story, with the main character wandering around with seemingly nothing happening. I still have about 100 pages left to go though.
Sounds good, guess I'll bump Flashback up on my list and read it sooner than later. The premise sounds really awesome to me. And as mentioned before, I think I'll wait until the dead of winter to read The Terror
Ehhh,, the TV format certainly lends itself towards having a much more fuller adaptation. I'm excited!
Bah! Now you can be an elitist and argue the books are better
Either way, I'm excited to see how it turns out.I was actually thinking of getting the other daily "The Walk". I figure I already read one book this year called The Walk, it would be interesting to read another book called the exact same thing
Tragicomedy
Member
I'm halfway through the second book and I can only say, HECK YEAH!
I was actually thinking of getting the other daily "The Walk". I figure I already read one book this year called The Walk, it would be interesting to read another book called the exact same thing
I was thinking about getting it as well. Anyone read it?