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[Fireblend]

Still working my way through Los Renglones Torcidos de Dios (The Twisted Lines of God)

It's about a detective named Alice that enters a mental hospital pretending to be a patient with paranoid traits, in order to investigate a series of murders at the request of one of her clients and the hospital's director himself... or that's what she thinks. Maybe she's actually crazy after all, and that story's part of her delusion... I'm enjoying it, but it has a really slow first half. I'm hoping the second half will pick up and it seems to be doing just that from what I've been reading.

The author actually entered a mental hospital pretending to be a patient himself, and at some points documents his own experiences within the place, even showing cryptic notes he found in his room at the time. It's interesting.

Anyway, as soon as I'm done with it I'll be picking something up from the batch that just arrived:

Pretty excited about all of them.

 

[Chipotle]

Just finishing off The Fatal Eggs by Bulgakov and about to start Altai by Wu Ming which I'm sure I'll love.

 

[Nezumi]

I would not recommended skipping a book. It's the continuity and knowledge of the little details and character progression that make the series great. Plus the books are short enough to just power through.

I was just gonna write this. Yes, book 2 isn't that good, but it is still important for character development and interaction, not to mention that some reoccurring characters are introduced here. I'm gonna say what I always say in that discussion. Read till the end of book three. If you still don't like it by that time the series just isn't for you, which is totally fine.

 

[ShaneB]

Are the Dresden books funny at all, or is it more serious in tone? I'm sure I'd like them as I've mentioned before, but I can't help but see a comparison to Ghostbusters, the "only man in town" sort of connection.

 

[Maklershed]

On the hard copy side of things I finished N0S4A2 and started The Mike Hammer Collection


The Mike Hammer Collection: Volume I by Mickey Spillane

 

[Tragicomedy]

Are the Dresden books funny at all, or is it more serious in tone? I'm sure I'd like them as I've mentioned before, but I can't help but see a comparison to Ghostbusters, the "only man in town" sort of connection.

I'd say awkwardly funny? Nothing that will make you laugh out loud or anything, but there's definitely some cheese tossed purposefully into the dialogue to elicit a chuckle. The first two books weren't funny.

It's either that or just drop the series. *shrug*

I've read the first two, and I'm not sure it's worth sticking it out. I've heard the same positive stuff about the rest of the series, but Dresden is fairly annoying character. He always has the exact potion, magic spell, or ability needed to overcome any given situation. It's incredibly handy, that.

I get the impression that Butcher writes himself into a corner, creates an instant way out, and *poof* Dresden saves the day.

I might read the third book to see what all the fuss is about, but it's taking the back seat to better written stuff right now. The Expanse, for starters.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

On the hard copy side of things I finished N0S4A2 and started The Mike Hammer Collection

How was NOS4A2? I liked Heart Shaped Box well enough, even though it freaked me out, but never got around to Horns.

 

[survivor]

Halfway through Beautiful Ruins. Seems like an alright love story, I'm a sucker for the time skip finding lost love thing that the story is going for.

 

[Dresden]

I'm gonna disagree with everyone here. Unless being increasingly over the top means better. Maybe Butcher's writing improves marginally as the series goes along, but the actual stories don't. On the whole, I thought Butcher managed to keep the quality of the books pretty even, which is impressive enough for such a large series.

Way over the top. It's weird seeing the dude go from wizard to Jesus, and the creep stuff gets worse as it goes.

If I ever recommended the series again (and I probably never will), I'd just suggest reading books 4~7 (good pulpy fun) and stopping there. The repetition and Butcher's poor writing really gets on you after a while.

 

[Ashes]

Right. Here we go. I could never finish the bell jar for obvious reasons (it's a sad book). But I intend to do just that today. Start to finish. Well here goes nothing.

The Bell Jar, By Victoria Lucas ( Sylvia Plath)

 

[Maklershed]

How was NOS4A2? I liked Heart Shaped Box well enough, even though it freaked me out, but never got around to Horns.

It was fun. Very Stephen Kingish of course. Nothing too deep but it entertained and kept my attention. I gave it a 3 out 5 on goodreads.

 

[ZaCH3000]

Great Expectations.

It's a slow start but I was hooked after 35 pages. I think it takes time to adjust to Dickens writting style.

I'm on chapter 20 and incredibly intrigued.

 

[ShaneB]

I'd say awkwardly funny? Nothing that will make you laugh out loud or anything, but there's definitely some cheese tossed purposefully into the dialogue to elicit a chuckle. The first two books weren't funny.

I might read the third book to see what all the fuss is about, but it's taking the back seat to better written stuff right now. The Expanse, for starters.

Gotcha. I'll check out the first book at least some day.

How did you like the Expanse novella's? I need to check those out, perhaps I'll throw them in during a re-read of the series before book 4 next year.

 

[Akahige]

Finished The Wind from Nowhere by J.G. Ballard , pretty stupid little disaster novel, I can see why the author dismissed it.

Now Starting:

 

[Tragicomedy]

If I ever recommended the series again (and I probably never will), I'd just suggest reading books 4~7 (good pulpy fun) and stopping there. The repetition and Butcher's poor writing really gets on you after a while.

Coming from a poster with the name "Dresden," this speaks volumes.

 

[Tragicomedy]

Gotcha. I'll check out the first book at least some day.

How did you like the Expanse novella's? I need to check those out, perhaps I'll throw them in during a re-read of the series before book 4 next year.

The first one (The Butcher of Anderson Station) is a must-read in my opinion. It provides a lot of insight into Colonel Fred Johnson and his motives throughout the series. He's a great character so that additional info is really welcome. It's also only 38 pages so you'll finish it in under an hour.

I haven't finished the second one (Gods of Risk) yet, but it strikes me as significantly less essential so far. It's a very periphery look at what's happening in a Martian neighborhood between the second and third main novels. About the only positive so far is that Bobbie Draper has made a couple of quick appearances. I think my enjoyment will directly correlate with how involved she becomes in the story, but that doesn't seem promising. It's only 76 pages, so for the sake of completion I'm going to finish it up tonight or tomorrow morning.

 

[Dresden]

Slowly going through "Dirty Work" by Larry Brown right now. Two shattered Nam vets talking to each other - gritty as fuck.

Coming from a poster with the name "Dresden," this speaks volumes.

You know, I didn't start reading the books until 2010 or so, well after my registration. Not that I mind much, though.

 

[ShaneB]

The first one (The Butcher of Anderson Station) is a must-read in my opinion. It provides a lot of insight into Colonel Fred Johnson and his motives throughout the series. He's a great character so that additional info is really welcome. It's also only 38 pages so you'll finish it in under an hour.

I haven't finished the second one (Gods of Risk) yet, but it strikes me as significantly less essential so far. It's a very periphery look at what's happening in a Martian neighborhood between the second and third main novels. About the only positive so far is that Bobbie Draper has made a couple of quick appearances. I think my enjoyment will directly correlate with how involved she becomes in the story, but that doesn't seem promising. It's only 76 pages, so for the sake of completion I'm going to finish it up tonight or tomorrow morning.

Ah ok, sounds good to me. Anything that fills in the universe is interesting enough for me to check out.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Regarding Butcher's Dresden Files, I read the first one and couldn't get what all the fuss was about. Moved on to other authors and just never considered going back to it.

I tried a sample of his fantasy series - Codex Alera IIRC - and it didn't grab me either. Not sure whether it's his style or what, but there's nothing there to grab me.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I'm a huge fan of the Amber novels and would recommend reading all of 'em. That said, here's the deal with the Amber series: the first five novels are better than the second five and instead of plowing through all ten at once you should probably take a break between the two halves of the series. The original series was written between 1970 and 1978 and has a solid conclusion. If you're into it - and, I don't see why you wouldn't be - at some point you should read the second series, written between 1985 and 1991, with the understanding that they're rather different in tone and have more of a stopping point than an ending.

I'll keep that in mind, thanks. I always value your opinion in these threads.

Enjoy The Way of the Kings. It was one of my favorites last year and I honestly think it gets better as it goes along and really leaves you with a great taste with the final 75 pages or so. Can't wait for the next one.

 

[Jeff-DSA]

I'm reading A Storm of Swords. I just go to...

Spoiler

The ambush wedding where Robb and Catelyn are murdered along with many of Robb's men. I'm guessing that Arya wasn't killed by Clegane, but merely knocked out. We'll see. I just finished that chapter and needed to stop, because I was pretty much in shock.

Insane. I have no idea where things go from here, but I'm really enjoying it.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

I'm reading A Storm of Swords. I just go to...

Spoiler

The ambush wedding where Robb and Catelyn are murdered along with many of Robb's men. I'm guessing that Arya wasn't killed by Clegane, but merely knocked out. We'll see. I just finished that chapter and needed to stop, because I was pretty much in shock.

Insane. I have no idea where things go from here, but I'm really enjoying it.

It's one of those events that you read it and then you say "What the fuck? Did I actually just read that?" So you read it again. And you say "Holy fuck I really did read that."

So you put the book down for a little while and think about that.

 

[Jeff-DSA]

It's one of those events that you read it and then you say "What the fuck? Did I actually just read that?" So you read it again. And you say "Holy fuck I really did read that."

So you put the book down for a little while and think about that.

Haha, yeah, I actually did flip back and read the last few pages of that part again.

 

[Piecake]

Going to pimp Blood Song again. I just finished it, and damn, that was one good book. Definitely one of the better fantasy novels that ive read. eagerly awaiting the next one.

 

[Zona]

Either way, I'll wait, there's no way I'm watching the TV show version before the book.

Heresy!

Though I may just commit one of my own right now. I just finished A Clash of Kings and well I liked it well enough I think... I think I prefer The Wheel of Time. Don't get me wrong, so far G.R.R. Martin's writing is superb, but his world is failing to capture me the same way Jordan's did. It may just be that I like my fantasy a bit higher then Martin writes but the Westlands calls to me more then Westeros.

What both authors make me long for though is one good book set before the fall of the old, glorious empire. It seems like all fantasy takes place in some fallen age where the kingdoms of men and the powers of old are fading. I really want a book set at, or even better, just before the heights of the past. Just once I want to see the world at it's peak of splendor and glory, not a shadow of it's former self.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Picked up Brothers Karamazov. Be reading that for the majority of this month, possibly into next month.


Shout out to Piecake for the Recommendation. Here we go.

 

[Narag]

The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin

That was pretty good. Humorous book by about an OCD guy and how it affects his life. For as funny as the dry humor could be though, it was equally as sad that the main character could easily perceive the relationships of those around him but never his own.

 

[Bazza]

Just finished The Last Continent,

Spoiler

quite liked the Discworld spin on Australia, want the best Rincewind book but i laughed my way through it, I hope luggage is a little more involved in the next Rincewind book been a bit underused the last few books i think.

Started Carpe Jugulum at lunch time, Looks like

Spoiler

Granny Weatherwax is gonna be putting the beatdown on some vampires if the first few pages are anything to go by.

looking forward to it.

 

[Maklershed]

Finished Cyberstorm this morning. Started slow but had a good 2nd half. Ended up enjoying it.

And about Cyberstorm .. ShaneB, did you know

Spoiler

apparently there's a series set in the far future and it involves Vince (the guy that created mesh net)?

I'm very curious as to what that's about.

Anywho, now on my Kindle I'm starting Clandestine. I mistakenly posted that I was reading this at the beginning of the month when in actuality I had been reading Brown's Requiem.


Clandestine by James Ellroy

 

[ShaneB]

Finished Cyberstorm this morning. Started slow but had a good 2nd half. Ended up enjoying it.

And about Cyberstorm .. ShaneB, did you know

Spoiler

apparently there's a series set in the far future and it involves Vince (the guy that created mesh net)?

I'm very curious as to what that's about.

Indeed! The Complete Atopia Chronicles. It sounds pretty cool, and nice and cheap too, so I picked it up ages ago after finishing CyberStorm, I'll get around to reading it someday.

 

[Ashes]

Finished the Bell Jar.


/gonna take a break from reading. Or read a happier book. :/

Anyone know of a short novel that's kinda not so depressing?

 

[ShaneB]

Finished the Bell Jar.


/gonna take a break from reading. Or read a happier book. :/

Anyone know of a short novel that's kinda not so depressing?

Hector and the search for Happiness. Good quick read that is funny.

 

[FnordChan]

I'll keep that in mind, thanks. I always value your opinion in these threads.

Thanks! Just be sure you disregard my opinion whenever I start going on about 1970s men's adventure novels, 'cause I can't justify those in the slightest.

Enjoy The Way of the Kings. It was one of my favorites last year and I honestly think it gets better as it goes along and really leaves you with a great taste with the final 75 pages or so. Can't wait for the next one.

I'm now over 700 pages in and Sanderson well and truly has his hooks in me. I'm sure I'll be jumping on the hardcover of Words of Radiance as soon as it drops in March of next year.

FnordChan

 

[Blitzzz]

So The Ocean at the End of the Lane really was a quick read.

This was my first Gaiman book and it was different than what I was expecting. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was already an established fan. Heavily fantastical/magical themed books are not what I usually look for. The plot and characters were ok but just didn't feel as fleshed out as it could have. I would loved to have seen more interaction between the narrator and Lettie.

I also couldn't stop feeling like there was some underlying grand metaphor for life that I was missing.

 

[Haly]

So The Ocean at the End of the Lane really was a quick read.

This was my first Gaiman book and it was different than what I was expecting. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was already an established fan. Heavily fantastical/magical themed books are not what I usually look for. The plot and characters were ok but just didn't feel as fleshed out as it could have. I would loved to have seen more interaction between the narrator and Lettie.

I also couldn't stop feeling like there was some underlying grand metaphor for life that I was missing.

It's not a great book to start out with when you're just getting into Gaiman.

Try Stardust or Neverwhere, and then, if you like them, go through his bibliography, and then revisit Ocean at the End of the Lane.

 

[Ashes]

Hector and the search for Happiness. Good quick read that is funny.

Thank you kindly.

 

[Akahige]

Yes go for Neverwhere or Smoke and Mirrors which is a short story book.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

I just finished with House of Chains. I think that was the best of the Malazan books so far. The whole book just felt like it tied together perfectly in an even stronger way than the first three, and it did a great job of making me sympathize with just about every character. I think it was the most thematically strong of all the books so far, and the one with the biggest sense of change and broader thematic moments, even if didn't have the iconic moments that the climax of Memories of Ice did (but I think I liked the final chapters even better).

 

[OfWhiteSkinOnRedLeather]

Going to start A Betrayal in Winter by Daniel Abraham within the next few days.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

About 100 pp into The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers and I'm loving it. Sometimes you pick up a book that's been on your shelf for 15+ years and you wonder "why the hell didn't I read this sooner."

Spoiler

shame

 

[Mackenzie 92]

About 100 pp into The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers and I'm loving it. Sometimes you pick up a book that's been on your shelf for 15+ years and you wonder "why the hell didn't I read this sooner."

Spoiler

shame

keeps getting better too

 

[Fireblend]

Finished The Twisted Lines of God. Copy-pasting my goodreads review, in case anyone was curious:

Somewhat disappointing. The concept is great and the fact that the author admitted himself into a mental facility to do research for the book is very encouraging, and we do get some good glimpses of what it is like to be in a mental hospital in rural Spain, but this book suffers from quite a number of issues. First, the main character is arrogant beyond belief, has no flaws and is apparently the most intelligent person in the novel, surpassing the intellect of probably all other characters combined, including the hospital staff. Every slightly intelligent character in this book exists for the sole reason of being able to recognize how superior and likable and charming she is and eventually become her ally in humiliating everyone else.

The plot is all over the place, with twists that happen for no reason, subplots that get resolved immediately without any sense of progression and two halves that read like two different books, the second one approaching the whodunnit genre almost comically. The author also seems to find it appropriate to use the main character's voice to express what I believe to be very biased opinions on homosexuality, psychology and Spain's social issues, making this a not as universal read as it could be. It kept me interested, for what it's worth, but I really was expecting something else, as the premise did sound very appealing and throughout the novel I caught some glimpses of what it could have been.

On to The Shining!

 

[Empty]

recently finished this

probably the weakest ishiguro i've read (everything except the unconsoled), which is a shame as i really wanted to love a book set in shanghai in 1930s as it's such an interesting place. it's about an english detective who is haunted by the dissapearance of his parents when he was a kid in shanghai and as an adult tries to find out what happens to them.

ishiguro is so incredibly skilled at using the first person perspective to explore how people singularly percieve the past, the biases that cloud our understanding of events and the way that small events in the past can haunt us long afterwards. pretty much all his books i've are basically about this, people filtering through their mis-understanding and delusions of the past and becoming obsessed by it in very sad ways, and he writes about it with such fluency. unfortunately this book is weak structurally and falls apart when it moves to shanghai, filled with plot contrivances, a detective plot that's very dull and a few messy attempts to tackle stuff about the run up to the second world war. the central idea of how this one event of losing his parents dominates his entire perception of life, to the point where he pushes everything away to follow it, isn't tackled anywhere near as elegantly or with the nuance as in his best works like remains of the day or an artist of a floating world either. oh well.

now i'm reading through this

a collection of short stories where each one starts with a scientific fact then extrapolates it into these wonderfully playful and silly human stories. so it'll talk about how the moon used to orbit closer to the earth then have a story about the people who used to waiut till it got closest then visit it by ladder from a boat and extract gooey cheese from it. the writing is just magical, both very inventive and giving you a real sense of wonder at the universe and people within it.

 

[Mumei]

I'm gonna disagree with everyone here. Unless being increasingly over the top means better. Maybe Butcher's writing improves marginally as the series goes along, but the actual stories don't. On the whole, I thought Butcher managed to keep the quality of the books pretty even, which is impressive enough for such a large series.

I've read the first two, and I'm not sure it's worth sticking it out. I've heard the same positive stuff about the rest of the series, but Dresden is fairly annoying character. He always has the exact potion, magic spell, or ability needed to overcome any given situation. It's incredibly handy, that.

I get the impression that Butcher writes himself into a corner, creates an instant way out, and *poof* Dresden saves the day.

I might read the third book to see what all the fuss is about, but it's taking the back seat to better written stuff right now. The Expanse, for starters.

Way over the top. It's weird seeing the dude go from wizard to Jesus, and the creep stuff gets worse as it goes.

If I ever recommended the series again (and I probably never will), I'd just suggest reading books 4~7 (good pulpy fun) and stopping there. The repetition and Butcher's poor writing really gets on you after a while.

Yep.

I only read Full Moon and Storm Front, and I thought that the creep stuff was bad enough there. The series was strongly recommended to me by a friend who had said it was the best thing he ever read (... he hasn't read much outside of the way of middle of the road genre fiction). I decided to give it a chance, but honestly there's only so much thinly veiled nerd wish fulfillment I can take.

a collection of short stories where each one starts with a scientific fact then extrapolates it into these wonderfully playful and silly human stories. so it'll talk about how the moon used to orbit closer to the earth then have a story about the people who used to waiut till it got closest then visit it by ladder from a boat and extract gooey cheese from it. the writing is just magical, both very inventive and giving you a real sense of wonder at the universe and people within it.

Cosmicomics was the first Calvino book I read. I think my favorite story was Without Colors. I read the Weaver translation, and looking at the table of contents I don't think my edition was complete. I'll have to try to find the one you're reading!

 

[LoneTraveler]

Decided to take a short break from the ASOIAF series and am now reading

It didn't really capture me at first but it's gotten better. I'm liking it.

 

[bengraven]

I think it was recommended here on GAF, but I'm halfway through:

I'm loving it. It's fucking insane and only by the setting is it a "gothic western". It reads like Cormac McCarthy and Douglas Adams came together to write a story about a gothic house in the old west and took a shit ton of peyote and jerked off over a weekend.

Had a friend who does NOT read Westerns and does NOT like a more simple style of writing and she abhorred it.

 

[Dresden]

It didn't really capture me at first but it's gotten better. I'm liking it.

I remember liking Absurdistan more, but Shteyngart's work is all kinda samey after a while.

 

[Krowley]

I think it was recommended here on GAF, but I'm halfway through:

I'm loving it. It's fucking insane and only by the setting is it a "gothic western". It reads like Cormac McCarthy and Douglas Adams came together to write a story about a gothic house in the old west and took a shit ton of peyote and jerked off over a weekend.

Had a friend who does NOT read Westerns and does NOT like a more simple style of writing and she abhorred it.

Thanks for posting this. Just looked into it and it sounds totally insane. Exactly the sort of thing I'm in the mood for at the moment.

 

[sparky2112]

Still. Still really good, still a little too 'pat' - i.e. the mini-stories wind up a little too neatly. I think it's hard to tell the story of a city, and Rutherford does so through its inhabitants, which you almost have to, but the city kinda (sometimes) gets lost in all the drama of individual lives. Then again, if I wanted a straight-up history of the city, I'd be reading non-fiction, wouldn't I?

 

[bengraven]

Thanks for posting this. Just looked into it and it sounds totally insane. Exactly the sort of thing I'm in the mood for at the moment.

Let me know what you think. It's pretty short and each chapter is like 2 pages. It's an afternoon read.