Supposedly the main character is a sad sack and he stays that way? I convinced a friend to read it hearing it was good, and he didn't like it, though we don't really have the same taste in books.
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What are you reading? (September 2014)
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Supposedly the main character is a sad sack and he stays that way? I convinced a friend to read it hearing it was good, and he didn't like it, though we don't really have the same taste in books.
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Tragicomedy
Member
Snow Crash is always the correct answer. Always.
Lolita is the best out of that lot.
I remember the Corrections being pretty good, but it's been a few years.
I have The Bone Clocks as well, but I've been too busy
The Gunslinger is the start of a long term investment into a gigantic seven-book series with no payoff.
nakedsushi
Member
Finished:
Soulminder by Timothy Zahn
Great philosophical and moral ideas wrapped up in this speculative fiction (What if your soul could be trapped in a machine when you died and then restored to your body so that you could be alive again?). The writing was only average and dipped to below-average in some spots. That's always my issue with Zahn. He has such great ideas for stories, but execution is lacking.
Oishinbo, Volume 2 - Sake by Tetsu Kariya
The weaker volume of the bunch that I read. Very repetitive and didactic once it got to the sake chapters.
Soulminder by Timothy Zahn
Great philosophical and moral ideas wrapped up in this speculative fiction (What if your soul could be trapped in a machine when you died and then restored to your body so that you could be alive again?). The writing was only average and dipped to below-average in some spots. That's always my issue with Zahn. He has such great ideas for stories, but execution is lacking.
Oishinbo, Volume 2 - Sake by Tetsu Kariya
The weaker volume of the bunch that I read. Very repetitive and didactic once it got to the sake chapters.
Orbis Tabula
Member
Yeah, that's quite a list you have. I'm reading Lolita right now and it's really good, so I'd recommend that. I also liked the Magicians, but I'm not sure it's for everyone.
You are not alone.
Oishinbo, Volume 2 - Sake by Tetsu Kariya
The weaker volume of the bunch that I read. Very repetitive and didactic once it got to the sake chapters.
I enjoyed Oishinbo at first, but the conflict between the son and dad got old pretty quick, mainly because there was virtually no nuance or change in it; the dad was a one note character who crapped on the son every time he appeared and was never wrong; the son grumbled and moved on to the next beat down. Interesting stuff on food though.
I read one of the trio of initial Peter Capaldi Doctor Who novels, The Blood Cell. Seemed like the writer didn't have enough of a grasp on Capaldi's portrayal (understandable really, since he probably hadn't seen it yet), and it veered into pretty grisly stuff at the end, stuff that would never in a million years make it onto a televised episode, which was unusual. It was fine overall, nothing special.
bengraven
Member
All finished and what a ride. I didn't expect to love these books so much.
I expected more typical fantasy and I got very little of that until the ending of the third book, which I swear was written in the 70s (in a good way) and sent forward in time. Other than a few types of "magic" that come into play every chapter or so, plus a dragon and some mindless not-undead people, it's very low fantasy. Think GRRM.
The characters are all unique and feel real, with the exception of the main villain, who is a stereotype of the evil aristocrat, ambitious-no-matter-what. But even he has a few quirks, a bit of character history, to set him apart. His fate was not what I expected, but felt fair.
Every person is treated fairly, even when they're not. How do I mean? They are written as human beings - every one has faults, quirks, moments they regret, the hero himself, Fitz, most of all. While he occasionally feels a bit Mary Suish at first, with how easily he becomes this beloved but still outcast character who is able to fix any situation and stumble into the solutions to all problems, as he grows up and becomes a teenager you see where his lucky breaks end and the hero, the human, has to come out. He whines, he overlooks things that hurt people he loves though we're screaming at the page to look, look, look. But he acts his age and pays for it. He ends fairly.
I loved the books, mostly because of the emotional ride we went through with Fitz, the Fool, Molly, Burrich, Verity, Bettricken, Starling, etc. I ended up dreaming about these people, unable to sleep until I finished the last pages.
Great books.
I looooooooove The Magicians.
Well considering that The Way of Kings is something else I debate reading, but hold off in fear of the sheer size of it, knowing The Blade itself is indeed straightforward does work for me.
About half way reading through this. Check it out if you like psychological thrillers. Exciting stuff so far.
So excited for the movie in a couple weeks.
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
Great books.
I'll never get the love for this series. Finished all six and I can safely say I've never retroactively hated a book series more. It left such a sour taste in my mouth that whenever someone fawns over it I want to sit them down and tell them how they have terrible taste (IMO). Unfortunately I lack the articulate ability of literary critics so I can't properly explain my reasons behind this other than saying these books suck and Hobb writes absolutely terrible male leads. Her lead in Forest Mage is basically Fitz and ends up in a very similar situation at the end of the series.
Boooooooourns.
FINALLY started this, I've been waiting for a cheap edition to show up at my bookstore. After reading "The War That Ended Peace" I feel it's the next necessary step in my World War 1 catalogue, as the events detailed here directly follow those of MacMillan's book. Pretty excited.
Oh my goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood! This is so amazing that I almost want to make a thread for it right now.
Doesn't come out until next summer.
Does George RR Martin put a quote on every book? Is that why he doesn't finish books?
That GRRM quote gives me the weirdest boner. I will be doing everything I can to get my hands on this asap.
That last book just left me an emotional wreck. It kind of just snuck up on me.
Conscience Falls
Member
I read, The Art of Racing in the Rain.
I emotionally imploded and rain began to coat my cheeks. So, that happened.
I emotionally imploded and rain began to coat my cheeks. So, that happened.
I say go with Snow Crash. That book is a blast.
Absolutely wonderful book.
Snow Crash, hands down... Snow Crash...
Tragicomedy
Member
sparky2112
Member
It's a warrior. ON A DINOSAUR.
bennywhatever
Member
Just read that last month - great book. It's not overly complex or anything, and quite farfetched, but so good. Lots of laughs, tear-jerks, and cool racing info. Just a great book all around.
The author did a great job making you REALLY hate his in-laws.
whatevermort
Member
And that's the worst sort of quote. Doesn't say it's actually good - just describes what it is. Means nothing and wholly irrelevant.
Authors quote books they haven't read.
sparky2112
Member
Yeah, well a warrior on a giant chicken would be a tougher sell.
thequickandthedead
Member
Almost halfway through Cormac McCarthy's The Road. God, this is mind-numbingly boring.
I'll pipe up and recommend The Gunslinger. The Dark Tower is one of my favorite fantasy series. Very different than any other epic fantasy you'll find, and the lore is actually deeply tied to the rest of King's books. You can almost think of the series as the center of his entire fictional universe.
Some people dislike certain story turns in the later books for reasons that I can't explain without spoiling things. All I'll say is that several things occur that you'll either love or hate... A lot of people hate the last few books, but make no mistake, plenty love them too. I thought everything was great and loved the way it ended up.
The first book is a bit different than the rest of the series because it was written when King was in his early 20s, but it's kind of neat, and very short. Things really start to get awesome in book 2.
Also, personally, I didn't really enjoy Snow Crash. It's well written, funny, and has some cool ideas, but it takes such an extremely absurdist tone that it was hard to really get involved in any of the characters. I reached the halfway point and realized I could care less what happened next. I also tried to read The Magicians and ended up putting it down very early on because I thought the main character was incredibly annoying and I felt like he didn't behave like a real person.
Conscience Falls
Member
Hell, I wanted to eat a pepper and take a moment on their carpet by the halfway point of the novel.
One of the few books I have read over the past few years that I could not put down. Ripped through it in a day or so. I have that empty feeling only achievable after experiencing a great story.
Read the gunslinger recently, didn't think much of it. Was ok, but not all that interesting. Is the 2nd book better?
whatevermort
Member
Well, yeah. It's really irritating, because most people will just bite based on the name recognition. Everything I've blurbed I've read, because why would you not? And I hope that those who've blurbed my books have read them as well. That's just rubbish behavior, otherwise.
whatevermort
Member
It's totally different. Really, it's excellent - takes the setup of the first and adds so much extra weirdness it's silly. It's not just a weird-fiction western any more.
I hated The Gunslinger, LOVED the rest of the series.
Tragicomedy
Member
Is that you, Nicholas Sparks???
Among the books I've read there have certainly been a good few where they were hard to put down, and a sense of whatever I read next could not compare. A good and bad feeling I suppose!
The second book is so different it feels like it was written by a totally different writer. And there's a reason for that.
The Gunslinger was published in 1982, but he actually started writing it in the early 70s or late 60s. The second book was published in 1987 when King was a much more mature writer, and it shows.
Personally, I thought book 2 was MUCH better, and the series basically stays awesome from there on. The only book I have a slight issue is Wolves of The Calla, which drags in the middle.
You'll probably enjoy the rest of the series. It's great and incredibly different from The Gunslinger.
That being said, Gunslinger is one of my favourite books of all time. It was so weird and bleak and almost dream-like in spots. It's been a long time since I've read it so maybe this comparison doesn't hold up, but I remember it feeling similar to Gene Wolfe at times. It's like this odd, surreal prologue to the real Dark Tower series that starts with The Drawing of the Three.
I have a question, BookGaf.
I'm looking to enrich my vocabulary and communication skills. The only books I've read in my life are all fantasy books with the type of language you don't really use in a daily life.
I've seen YouTubers recommend Robert Greene, but I wanted to get a little bit more advice.
I'm looking to enrich my vocabulary and communication skills. The only books I've read in my life are all fantasy books with the type of language you don't really use in a daily life.
I've seen YouTubers recommend Robert Greene, but I wanted to get a little bit more advice.
Read Christopher Paolini.
and communication skills.
Don't read Christopher Paolini.
Conscience Falls
Member
I'm going to have to say bad as I have moved on to reading the third novel in The Strain trilogy. I also have Gone Girl and Nos4atu to read, although I may wait until after the film to read Gone Girl.
Earlier this month: Read a disgusting amount of words from the web serial Worm and stopped Schismatrix at the same point I dropped it last time. Worm is an incredibly long-winded, and shitty, YA story. Couldn't bring myself to give a crap about anything in Schismatrix, again. Ugh
Maklershed
Member
I have a question, BookGaf.
I'm looking to enrich my vocabulary and communication skills. The only books I've read in my life are all fantasy books with the type of language you don't really use in a daily life.
I've seen YouTubers recommend Robert Greene, but I wanted to get a little bit more advice.
Read Perfidia with a Kindle. I'm encountering all sorts of words with which I'm not familiar.
TheFightingFish
Member
I have a question, BookGaf.
I'm looking to enrich my vocabulary and communication skills. The only books I've read in my life are all fantasy books with the type of language you don't really use in a daily life.
I've seen YouTubers recommend Robert Greene, but I wanted to get a little bit more advice.
The various collections of David Foster Wallace's essays are really good for vocab. Plus just really good in general.
Try something like Consider the Lobster or A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again.
Zombie James
Banned
Haven't started it yet but I'm glad I finally own this:
Not my picture and I didn't get the hardcover, but when I saw this at my local bookstore and saw the price I couldn't resist this 900 page beast. I've been wanting to get into Lovecraft for a good long while.
Not my picture and I didn't get the hardcover, but when I saw this at my local bookstore and saw the price I couldn't resist this 900 page beast. I've been wanting to get into Lovecraft for a good long while.
Just started reading this. It's been a while since I've read something short that I'll actually be able to finish in a timely manner. Blade Runner is one of my favorite films and I figured it was finally time to read this. It's very interesting to see the differences between the novel and script. What fascinates me the most is the obsession with animals that isn't really discussed in the film, outside of the scenes with the snake and owl.
Finished this last night, and honestly don't know what to think. I mainly read it because I love the movie so much, and knew it was very different and didn't have too much in common. For most of the book I was enjoying it, but it kind of fell apart at the end. The whole Mercerism thing really confused me. I see it sort of as a euphemism for religion but maybe it's not? Is Dick condemning it or for it?
It's shown that Mercer was never real, just some guy filmed in a studio, but then Deckard, who didn't much care for Mercer in the first place, is then shown being talked to by Mercer, or maybe in his mind he is. He then becomes Mercer.
The ending just kinda fell off a cliff too.
He kills both the Baty's in the span of about a paragraph. No build up at all really, even though the book talks about Deckards apprehensions towards Roy right before this. Then he goes home, finds out his goat is dead, and he flies off into the desert where he decides that he is Mercer.
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