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Maklershed · Sep 1, 2017

Maklershed · Sep 1, 2017

Kindle

The Onion Field by Joseph Wambaugh

Hard Copy

Blood Royal: A True Tale of Crime and Detection in Medieval Paris by Eric Jager

NipplesAndToes23 · Sep 1, 2017

Was reading Jem and the Holograms vol 3 this morning. I also have vol.4 to read and am reading Batman: Night of the Owls. It's a struggle to get through sometimes. It's definitely not as fun to read as the Jem comics. In the Court of Owls movie the Talons didn't speak and I think I liked them better that way.

MrOogieBoogie · Sep 1, 2017

Crap, forgot the last thread was ending, so I hope it's okay I repost my last message just in case people were interested in the series:

After a strong positive first impression, I'm really starting to sour on Miles Cameron's The Red Knight.

I feel like I'm hardly making progress when I read this thing, which isn't a good sign. After a month and change I'm still only 80% done or so, and this is supposed to only be a 600-page book? Does anyone know the word count of this thing because I suspect the print must be tiny in the paperback.

Anyway, it's just SO monotonous. It's the same idea recycled chapter after chapter after chapter and the villain is completely dumb and it's like, oooooookay, moooooove it aloooong.

Ugh.

I'm gonna take a long-needed break from fantasy after this. I've been burned on a few books I've read in the genre lately and this one hasn't been as satisfying as I expected.

Ravensmash · Sep 1, 2017

So I started Neuromancer again.

Am I just being stupid or is it quite a difficult read?

Even the general descriptions seem quite vague and unclear to me.

Farside · Sep 1, 2017

Ravensmash said:
So I started Neuromancer again.

Am I just being stupid or is it quite a difficult read?

Even the general descriptions seem quite vague and unclear to me.

It's the style and the jargon. All surface... it's one of my favorite books, but it is a tough read.

Stalled out on Swing Time by Zadie Smith... no idea what to read next.

Ravensmash · Sep 1, 2017

Farside said:
It's the style and the jargon. All surface... it's one of my favorite books, but it is a tough read.

Stalled out on Swing Time by Zadie Smith... no idea what to read next.

I'm feeling it's one of those books where I really should just 'let go' and not try to overthink it.

I love the setting, I just don't like the feeling of not knowing what the heck is happening.

I'll get halfway through a paragraph and then realise it's referring to something completely different.

Farside · Sep 1, 2017

Cyberpunk sf and postmodernism are closely related. So experimentation, fragmentation, and ambiguity are dominant methods of the style. Just go with it is good advice...

It's a great book-- the coining of the term cyberspace, and it has one of the best opening lines in all of fiction.

I'm going to read it again now. lol

TheXbox · Sep 1, 2017

Halfway through Fagles' Odyssey translation. I'm a little surprised at how many of the iconic scenes and characters are contained in the space of a couple of books; the cyclops, the sirens, the land of the dead, etc.

Ravensmash said:
So I started Neuromancer again.

Am I just being stupid or is it quite a difficult read?

Even the general descriptions seem quite vague and unclear to me.

It's a tough motherfucker. I had to reread the first quarter of the book before I could go on and finish it.

Evil Monkey DTT · Sep 1, 2017

I'm trying to finish steven kings it, I've made it so far but I still have alot of book left.

Goldenroad · Sep 1, 2017

Decided to start reading my first Stephen King book. I wanted to read one that I had no bias going into from having already seen a film/tv adaptation. I settled on The Stand. So I guess I'm reading The Stand for the rest of the year.

Geist- · Sep 1, 2017

Just started this book, I'm going in blind so I hope it's good.

Ravensmash · Sep 1, 2017

TheXbox said:
It's a tough motherfucker. I had to reread the first quarter of the book before I could go on and finish it.

Glad I'm not alone in finding it difficult!

Farside said:
Cyberpunk sf and postmodernism are closely related. So experimentation, fragmentation, and ambiguity are dominant methods of the style. Just go with it is good advice...

It's a great book-- the coining of the term cyberspace, and it has one of the best opening lines in all of fiction.

I'm going to read it again now. lol

Yeah, I will continue - the more I read, the more I'm beginning to get the style.

I love the concept of cyberpunk - so any other recommendations for after would be welcomed.

I've read Altered Carbon (which I think fits into the genre) already and that was a damn good read.

Edit:

Goldenroad said:
Decided to start reading my first Stephen King book. I wanted to read one that I had no bias going into from having already seen a film/tv adaptation. I settled on The Stand. So I guess I'm reading The Stand for the rest of the year.

I just finished Needful Things which was my first full King novel. Absolutely loved it although I don't think it'd classify as one of his more creepy works.

Damn good characterisation though. Fantastic book.

proto · Sep 1, 2017

Geist- said:
Just started this book, I'm going in blind so I hope it's good.

One my most recent faves. Leckie is fantastic at weaving the core thematic questions of her book into her plot.

Townrenegade · Sep 1, 2017

I'm starting to read the game of thrones books. I've always loved the tv series so I figured I would see what I miss by not reading the books.

Protome · Sep 2, 2017

About half way through The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley. I'm enjoying it but it's not blowing me away or anything. It doesn't really do much original but i'm interested in seeing where it ends up and if nothing else it's really really easy to read.

Planning on reading The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin next but we'll see.

Alcotholic · Sep 2, 2017

Oh man. Its too soon for another thread.

Jeff6851 · Sep 2, 2017

Finishing up The Gunslinger finally. 124 pages left.

I was gonna read Hyperion next but I bought End of Childhood, Stranger in a Strange Land and Foundation today so I'll probably read EoC first because it's only 200 pages.

WAR recon zero · Sep 2, 2017

Reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. Big book. 15% done, good stuff so far but the guys really has a hardon architecture lol.

Rereading It inspired by the GAF thread. I hardly remember it (it was like 10 year ago) and I think I am more mature now. 11% through. King is my favorite author

moustascheman · Sep 2, 2017

I'm starting Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente. It seems fairly interesting so far, especially since all the descriptions that I've read online say that it mixes the Koschei the Deathless fairy tale with the russian revolution.

EverythingShiny · Sep 2, 2017

I'm reading a couple of different things; I'm re-reading IT (probably won't finish it before the movie comes out), finishing up Letter 44, and about to start a book by Kealan Patrick Burke. His novella Sour Candy was fantastic and I highly recommend it to horror fans.

Ravensmash said:
I just finished Needful Things which was my first full King novel. Absolutely loved it although I don't think it'd classify as one of his more creepy works.

Damn good characterisation though. Fantastic book.

He's one of the very best at character. Needful Things definitely isn't one of his creepiest, but it's a great book. Are you going to read more of his?

Donthizz# · Sep 2, 2017

Started reading Dreaming void by Peter F Hamilton. Good stuff

AngmarsKing701 · Sep 2, 2017

I passed the halfway point of To Green Angel Tower Part 2, the final book of the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn "trilogy" by Tad Williams in my epic almost year-long re-read of the series. Definitely enjoying it, but I see where modern criticism comes in on this one. Williams was still a relatively young writer and his portrayal of women (Miriamele) was ... dubious ... at best. Still a top-tier fantasy, and I'm glad I'm re-reading it before jumping in to his new trilogy set in Osten Ard... but there have been points where it's been a struggle.

Also, and I'll beg GAF's pardon for it but also offer my thanks, for many of you continue to be my best fans, I'm running a huge sale on Knight's Journal over the Labor Day holiday.

Knight's Journal I for $1.99
Knight's Journal II for $1.99

That's the first two collections of the series (novellas 1-6 in the GAF Writing Challenge for 2017) for just $4.

And that's that.

Farside · Sep 2, 2017

Ravensmash said:
I love the concept of cyberpunk - so any other recommendations for after would be welcomed.

Some of these are precusors, some cyberpunk proper (though critics argue that Gibson is the only writer of cyberpunk proper):
Bester- The Stars My Destination
Rudy Rucker- Software
Bethke- Cyberpunk (It's a short story)
Gibson anything, obviously
Sterling- Schismatrix Plus; Mirrorshades (not all is cyberpunk in this anthology, but you'll get the idea pretty quickly)
Tiptree- The Girl Who was Plugged In
Effinger- When Gravity Fails
Delany- Empire Star
Stevenson- Snow Crash

Postcyberpunk:
Doctorow- Makers
Stross- Accelerando
Stevenson- The Diamond Age

Happy reading...

IndoAssassin · Sep 2, 2017

Right now I am making my way through the Knightfall omnibus.

Maklershed · Sep 2, 2017

AngmarsKing701 said:
I passed the halfway point of To Green Angel Tower Part 2, the final book of the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn "trilogy" by Tad Williams in my epic almost year-long re-read of the series. Definitely enjoying it, but I see where modern criticism comes in on this one. Williams was still a relatively young writer and his portrayal of women (Miriamele) was ... dubious ... at best. Still a top-tier fantasy, and I'm glad I'm re-reading it before jumping in to his new trilogy set in Osten Ard... but there have been points where it's been a struggle.

Also, and I'll beg GAF's pardon for it but also offer my thanks, for many of you continue to be my best fans, I'm running a huge sale on Knight's Journal over the Labor Day holiday.

Knight's Journal I for $1.99
Knight's Journal II for $1.99

That's the first two collections of the series (novellas 1-6 in the GAF Writing Challenge for 2017) for just $4.

And that's that.

I have to get back on the Knights Journal track. I love reading medieval/fantasy stuff this time of year while sipping hard cider.

fakefaker · Sep 2, 2017

Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier

I'm a little over half way through it and it's great!

AngmarsKing701 · Sep 2, 2017

Maklershed said:
I have to get back on the Knights Journal track. I love reading medieval/fantasy stuff this time of year while sipping hard cider.

Thanks!

Best time to do it! Dirt cheap entertainment!

Seriously, just finished the 8th Entry, hard at work on the 9th. Can't believe I agreed to write 30K novellas every month, but I'm having a blast and the few people who have read it are enjoying it... and the mystery behind the legendary characters these guys turn out to be.

Whew. 8 down. 4 to go!

Funyarinpa · Sep 2, 2017

Reading the first volume of the Feynman Lectures on Physics. So far it's mostly a retread of concepts I already know (as an aspiring physics major graduating HS this year, though, it's still helpful). That said, I love Feynman's approach to things. He lays out theories and facts very elegantly. The odd remark makes me puzzle over it for minutes at a time, but overall it's clear and concise. I'm reading it on a Kobo (poor man's Kindle), and I'm actually really satisfied with the quality of the ebook. About 20% through.

Edit: nvm about the question

Jeff6851 · Sep 2, 2017

Funyarinpa said:
Reading the first volume of the Feynman Lectures on Physics. So far it's mostly a retread of concepts I already know (as an aspiring physics major graduating HS this year, though, it's still helpful). That said, I love Feynman's approach to things. He lays out theories and facts very elegantly. The odd remark makes me puzzle over it for minutes at a time, but overall it's clear and concise. I'm reading it on a Kobo (poor man's Kindle), and I'm actually really satisfied with the quality of the ebook. About 20% through.

Now, a question.

Some Kindle books are apparently on sale. I'd heard people here praise Greg Egan before, and Diaspora sounds interesting. But Hyperion is on sale also and I've been wanting to reread it for some time (my paper copy is in pretty bad condition so I won't read it on that one).

I can get either Diaspora for 3 bucks, or I can get Hyperion for a reread (2 bucks). Which would you prefer?

Ohhh, I graduated last year with a BS in Physics, hope you have fun. Introductory mechanics and E&M are different beasts in college than high school and a lot of people are discouraged by it so keep learning. As long as you have basic concepts down (x and y vectors are independent of each other, conservation laws, etc) you'll do fine

Funyarinpa · Sep 2, 2017

Jeff6851 said:
Ohhh, I graduated last year with a BS in Physics, hope you have fun. Introductory mechanics and E&M are different beasts in college than high school and a lot of people are discouraged by it so keep learning. As long as you have basic concepts down (x and y vectors are independent of each other, conservation laws, etc) you'll do fine

Thanks!

Protome · Sep 2, 2017

fakefaker said:
Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier

I'm a little over half way through it and it's great!

I absolutely love this cover art.

moustascheman said:
I'm starting Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente. It seems fairly interesting so far, especially since all the descriptions that I've read online say that it mixes the Koschei the Deathless fairy tale with the russian revolution.

That's exactly what it does and it's pretty damn great at it. Hope you enjoy it, it's one of my favourites.

Necrovex · Sep 2, 2017

Going through a few novels right now:

My main Kindle novel is Evicted. It's a piece of nonfiction that won the Pulitzer prize last year. I work in social security, so a lot of the personal stories involved are often folks I interact with at work (the disability crowd). The author does a fantastic job weaving the narratives together, some seeming like fiction but that's because I have never lived in such a situation (even in my Peace Corps days, I had a huge safety net if I couldn't hold it together). I see how this book garnered so many accolades.

I continue my newly-found love for audiobooks with Mistborn. I heard the graphic audio was worth listening, and I seldom sit down to read through fantasy these days. So I decided it was time to listen to this majestic series in my car and in my downtime. I am loving the production, but more importantly, I am engaged with the narrative and characters. I see how some people disliked how similar certain characters were with future Sanderson's novel, with Ven being the obvious detractor. But you know what? I don't mind. I am captivated by the world building and the overall flow the story. Yes, Sanderson's prose is basic, but when it is combined with such stunning production values for the graphic audio, that's perfectly fine with me.

I also completed It last week. Holy fuck that was a solid piece of literature, and I quite enjoyed the ending. King did a terrific job building up Derry's world and history.

mu cephei · Sep 2, 2017

Just want to pimp All That Man Is by David Szalay. It was pretty fine. First book in a while I looked forward to reading as soon as I got home from work.

(from last month's thread)

Peru said:
There's definitely a vagueness to it, like the profession in general at the time. Read literature of the 17/1800s and there's an awful lot of "doc says it looks bad, let's hope for the best", "oh she bore up well through it all", and try-and-fail attempts that often paint the doctors as gamblers or buffoons or at best a comforting voice of (some) reason.

Same goes for Sense & Sensibility. Elinor's read of the situation seems very reasonable, but then Marianne gets worse, and then she gets better again, and the doc has no clue!

Her hypochondriacs are hilarious but you do understand why people would be nervous back then.

Tertius Lydgate in Middlemarch is an interesting example of a doctor in 1800s literature who grapples with those questions, mocks the lack of professional standards, and seeks a more modern path.

It's not so much that a doctor might be depicted as not knowing what is happening - for sure this is an accurate representation of doctors of the time. I do recall finding the doctor in Middlemarch to be interesting for the reasons you give - though I think his wife's material demands swamp his ambition? - and also the doctor in Madame Bovary (that foot >.<)

What I find interesting is how Jane Austen - or authors generally I suppose - describe things they don't understand or are unfamiliar with. In a way (to get a little sff-y) I find myself thinking of it as how an alien might describe some aspect of human culture, some thing that might be familiar to us but not to them. In the case of illness in Austen specifically, because of the way it is described it becomes unfamiliar to me, too, in such a way the fear and worry about what is going on is magnified.

Sean C · Sep 3, 2017

WAR recon zero said:
Reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. Big book. 15% done, good stuff so far but the guys really has a hardon architecture lol.

I believe Follett's love of cathedral architecture was part of the inspiration for writing it. Pillars is his best work, in my opinion.

Steinbeck states his ambition in the opening paragraph, to try to capture the feeling of the titular location via a series of mostly unconnected vignettes about the local residents. Since he's a brilliant writer, it's generally an amusing read, though a lot of the vignettes are so short that they don't feel like they amount to much.

TTG · Sep 3, 2017

*opens fresh window in Firefox*

Ah, this one will be devoid of Goodreads clutter, this is the way to manage things

*later that night there are now 7 Goodreads tabs open in new window*

Goddammit!

Finished Dark Star by Alan Furst. I would thank again the poster who recommended him to me first here, but I forgot your name. Anyway, Furst writes espionage set all over Europe in years leading up and through WWII. The research is so good and in depth you could as well call it historical fiction, but it's about spies.

The first book in the series is superb and if you're interested you should definitely go read that before this one(which is second in the same series). If anything, I think better of it looking back, considered changing my rating to 5 actually, it's really good. My only knock on it was how dense and slow it tended to default to and by contrast this one is... plodding. Our main character is a Soviet journalist drawn into service by a certain faction of USSR's military police and it goes from there. Mostly, it's him carried by the tide of prewar politics, a Polish Jew trying to survive the Stalin purge and Nazi Germany. The one battle he gets to witness first hand is a real highlight, it makes me wish for an entire book on various battlefields. This is very good, supremely competent writing, but how slow and grim it is is hard to bear. The first book had a wider scope, a lot more characters and settings jumping around, Dark Star doesn't benefit from those changes in rhythm. It also had a lot more memorable scenes. So, not quite as good, but I'll probably go back to this series later, maybe choosing something faster based on reviews.

kswiston · Sep 3, 2017

AngmarsKing701 said:
Thanks!

Best time to do it! Dirt cheap entertainment!

Seriously, just finished the 8th Entry, hard at work on the 9th. Can't believe I agreed to write 30K novellas every month, but I'm having a blast and the few people who have read it are enjoying it... and the mystery behind the legendary characters these guys turn out to be.

Whew. 8 down. 4 to go!

I bought the second collection. I think that I bought the first collection during a sale you had a few months back. I need to make some time to start reading them though!

240k words in 8 months is quite impressive!

Bluemongoose · Sep 3, 2017

Well of Ascension by Sanderson . It's the second mistborn book. Love the world.

fakefaker · Sep 3, 2017

Finished up Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard by Jonathan Auxier tonight, and other than a couple quibbles about the ending I really liked this kid's story.

A Planet for Rent by Yoss will be my first sci-fi written originally in Spanish by someone in Cuba then translated into English. Should be good!

Farside · Sep 3, 2017

I started re-reading Neuromancer.

Li Kao · Sep 3, 2017

Still looking for my next reading. The glimpse I took at Theatre of the Gods by Matt Suddain made it look hilarious, but I'm not sure I'm up for it, a little afraid of the more sci fi elements of the pitch. Or the Peter Pan vibe for that matter, a whole ship crewed with children, urghh...
May be coming back to familiar grounds and read some horror, again. Hemlock Grove's pitch is certainly interesting. Modern Gothic ? I'm totally ok with that. The French version of The Library at Mount Char just come out, very interested in it too, but I feel in safer grounds with Hemlock Grove, Char is more Gaimany / out there if I recall my attempt at reading it in English, and while I love weird to death I crave for a more straight horror right now. Then again there are supposed Lovecraft vibes, and I'm really cool with that too.

SofNasciment- · Sep 3, 2017

Right now I'm reading "Vindolanda" by Adrian Goldsworthy. He is well known military historian so that gives a kind of certainty to know that what is in the book was really true (not the story or characters, but the setting, clothes, tactics, etc...) or possible.

I'm enjoying it, a bit rough around the edges sometimes but very absorbing on others. And the battle scenes are very cool. Certainly worth a shot for anyone who wants to read a novel set in Ancient Rome (in northern britain to be more precise).

Mau ® · Sep 3, 2017

About halfway through "House of Leaves".

npm0925 · Sep 3, 2017

Based upon the description of it in last month's thread, I picked up a used copy of Blood Royal from Amazon for about $5 shipped. It purports to be a medieval murder mystery, but that's just some sensationalist nonsense to increase sales. The mystery is quickly solved by following what amounts to an almost literal breadcrumb trail leading to the likeliest suspect. What it is, however, is a fascinating and well-written depiction of pre-renaissance Paris in the readable style of Erik Larson. It has inspired me to 1) look into the Crusader Kings PC game, and 2) read more history.

What is the best place to start on the War of the Roses?

WAR recon zero · Sep 3, 2017

Any of you buying Blood Sweat and Pixels?

AngmarsKing701 · Sep 3, 2017

kswiston said:
I bought the second collection. I think that I bought the first collection during a sale you had a few months back. I need to make some time to start reading them though!

240k words in 8 months is quite impressive!

Thanks! Hope you enjoy them! Will love to hear your impressions.

Jeff6851 · Sep 3, 2017

Ok all, just finished The Gunslinger and need a book to hold me over till my birthday (9/29) when I start The Way of Kings.

I'm thinking Hyperion or Childhood's End. I could also do The Man in the High Castle, The Hobbit, Slaughterhouse Five, etc.

RoninChaos · Sep 3, 2017

Working through Grant Morrison's batman run and trying to finish up a few books. I don't know why I start so many things at once. I can't finish them or lose my place. Lol

bob_arctor · Sep 3, 2017

Your House Is On Fire, Your Children All Gone by Stefan Kiesbye

Paper Girls vol 1 by Brian K Vaughan

The Iron Heel by Jack London

Uzumaki by Junji Ito

More_Badass · Sep 3, 2017

I'm currently reading Cagan's Demon Haunted World, and have Billions and Billions, as well Dawkins' Greatest Show on Earth for afterwards

Stephen King'a Misery and Roberto Saviano's Gomorrah are my tonally different sidereads

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