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What are you reading (April 2011)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
I've read Revelation Space twice. So damn good. Also read Chasm City, which was similarly great, and the two longer shorts Diamond Dogs and Turquoise Days. Got the rest of works from that universe sitting on my shelf waiting to be read, plus a copy of House of Suns I stumbled upon for real cheap. I'd like to dive into those, and so many of the other sci-fi novels on my shelves but they're not insignificant commitments.kinn said:
So yeah, I recommend Alastair Reynolds to other people.
Tawney Bomb
Member
Currently, I'm reading The Name of the Wind, as soon as I finish that, which I'm pretty much done with, I'll be starting A Storm of Swordsto prepare for the summer.
Nappuccino
Member
Jerk said:
Done.
Also: fuck you Joyce.
I'd recommend his short story Collection the Dubliners.
Much simpler stuff (since its short stories)
LocoMrPollock
Banned
Tigel said:
I've gone back to it after a 6 months break; 150 pages left or so. I think it's my favourite of the series, so far.
Mine too. Not sure why it gets a lot of hate.
Adam Blade
WWKC
Just finished it. Meh.
bitoriginal
Member
It's amazing, but his prose is hard to read sometimes, as there is a distinct lack of punctuation and it's a bit like poetry.
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
So I finished Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye about a week ago (had to read it for a class). Yeah, I'm sticking with "big meh" as my review of it. Maybe a small handful of decent prose passages but mostly very banal and lacking in any interesting characterization otherwise. It's also exceedingly predictable. So, yeah, not recommended.
Kraftwerk said:
Page 150, and It's getting hard to read further. I'm still going to soldier on 50 more pages. God I hope it gets better ;__;
The best portion of this book is the appendix in the back giving a short recap of the Culture/Idiran War. The main plot itself is pretty inconsequential and really drags on. The appendix serves as a better introduction to the Culture series than the actual plot of Consider Phlebas.
Also, the other Culture novels are much better in terms of plot and writing quality.
Guileless
Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
Finished a couple of books over the weekend:
In Command of History: Churchill Fighting and Writing the Second World War by David Reynolds
Long and very thorough examination of how Churchill crafted his memoirs and an examination of what they said and left out (for example the Ultra secret was still secret and so he couldn't talk about it.) The metaphor one of his collaborators used was that Churchill was head chef for a grand meal and directed the kitchen. He did not write every word, but he oversaw everything. I haven't read any of his actual memoirs yet but I will one day. The main thesis of the book is that by publishing first and having access to so many primary documents, Churchill shaped all future historiography of the war and in effect fought the war twice.
Embedded by Dan Abnett
When journalist Lex Falk gets himself chipped into the brain of a combat soldier, he thinks he has the ultimate scoop - a report from the forbidden front line of a distant planetary war, live to the living rooms of Earth. When the soldier is killed, however, Lex has to take over the body and somehow get himself back to safety once more... broadcasting all the way.
I wanted to try some military sci-fi and this sounded like a novel concept. It was just published in this country. The UK spelling of words (surplus u's, etc) doesn't seem right coming out of a dudebro's mouth, and I was confused if some words were UK slang or words the author made up to describe future concepts. But other than that, it was a good read and the Kindle version is pretty cheap.
In Command of History: Churchill Fighting and Writing the Second World War by David Reynolds
Long and very thorough examination of how Churchill crafted his memoirs and an examination of what they said and left out (for example the Ultra secret was still secret and so he couldn't talk about it.) The metaphor one of his collaborators used was that Churchill was head chef for a grand meal and directed the kitchen. He did not write every word, but he oversaw everything. I haven't read any of his actual memoirs yet but I will one day. The main thesis of the book is that by publishing first and having access to so many primary documents, Churchill shaped all future historiography of the war and in effect fought the war twice.
Embedded by Dan Abnett
When journalist Lex Falk gets himself chipped into the brain of a combat soldier, he thinks he has the ultimate scoop - a report from the forbidden front line of a distant planetary war, live to the living rooms of Earth. When the soldier is killed, however, Lex has to take over the body and somehow get himself back to safety once more... broadcasting all the way.
I wanted to try some military sci-fi and this sounded like a novel concept. It was just published in this country. The UK spelling of words (surplus u's, etc) doesn't seem right coming out of a dudebro's mouth, and I was confused if some words were UK slang or words the author made up to describe future concepts. But other than that, it was a good read and the Kindle version is pretty cheap.
Erico said:
Since my last post it has got much more interesting. One thing that annoys me about his writing style is that
He introduces a character, then tells you everything about them in good to great detail. Then BAm the next page he kills the character. It has happened like a bunch of times now in the first 200 pages. Seems very pointless.
Other than that it is 'good' for now.
Lone_Prodigy
Member
The Hunger Games. The Stephenie Meyer endorsement on the cover and the grammar mistakes on the first page almost turned me off, but it's been pretty enjoyable thus far.
José Mourinho
cocknose
Just read Stride Toward Freedom and The Measure of a Man by MLK, Jr. I have Strength and Love and Why We Can't Wait on the way from Amazon.
I'm trying to read up on prominent historical figures. Anybody care to recommend some interesting people / texts on said people?
I'm trying to read up on prominent historical figures. Anybody care to recommend some interesting people / texts on said people?
beelzebozo
Jealous Bastard
liked this and wanted to share:
--------------------------------------------------
"Two Hearts" by Brian Doyle
Some months ago my wife delivered twin sons one minute apart. The older is Joseph and the younger is Liam. Joseph is dark and Liam is light. Joseph is healthy and Liam is not. Joseph ha a whole heart and Liam has half. This means that Liam will have two major surgeries before he is three years old.
I have read many pamphlets about Liam's problem. I have watched many doctors' hands drawing red and blue lines on pieces of white paper. They are trying to show me why Liam's heart doesn't work properly. I watch the markers in the doctors' hands. Here comes red, there goes blue. The heart is a railroad station where the trains are switched to different tracks. A normal heart switches trains flawlessly tow billion times in a life; in an abnormal heart, like Liam's, the trains crash and the station crumbles to dust.
So there are many nights now when I tuck Liam and his wheezing train station under my beard in the blue hours of night and think about his Maker. I would kill the god who sentence him to such awful pain, I would stab him in the heart like he stabbed my son, I would shove my fury in his face like a fist, but I know in my own broken heart that this same god made my magic boys, shaped their apple faces and coyote eyes, put joy in the eager suck of their mouths. So it is that my hands are not clenched in anger but clasped in confused and merry and bitter prayer.
I talk to God more than I admit, "Why did you break my boy?" I ask.
I gave you that boy, he says, and his lean brown brother, and the elfin daughter you love so.
"But you wrote death on his heart," I say.
I write death on all hearts, he says, just as I write life.
This is where the conversation always ends and I am left holding the extraordinary awful perfect prayer of my second son, who snores like a seal, who might die tomorrow, who did not die today.
--------------------------------------------------
"Two Hearts" by Brian Doyle
Some months ago my wife delivered twin sons one minute apart. The older is Joseph and the younger is Liam. Joseph is dark and Liam is light. Joseph is healthy and Liam is not. Joseph ha a whole heart and Liam has half. This means that Liam will have two major surgeries before he is three years old.
I have read many pamphlets about Liam's problem. I have watched many doctors' hands drawing red and blue lines on pieces of white paper. They are trying to show me why Liam's heart doesn't work properly. I watch the markers in the doctors' hands. Here comes red, there goes blue. The heart is a railroad station where the trains are switched to different tracks. A normal heart switches trains flawlessly tow billion times in a life; in an abnormal heart, like Liam's, the trains crash and the station crumbles to dust.
So there are many nights now when I tuck Liam and his wheezing train station under my beard in the blue hours of night and think about his Maker. I would kill the god who sentence him to such awful pain, I would stab him in the heart like he stabbed my son, I would shove my fury in his face like a fist, but I know in my own broken heart that this same god made my magic boys, shaped their apple faces and coyote eyes, put joy in the eager suck of their mouths. So it is that my hands are not clenched in anger but clasped in confused and merry and bitter prayer.
I talk to God more than I admit, "Why did you break my boy?" I ask.
I gave you that boy, he says, and his lean brown brother, and the elfin daughter you love so.
"But you wrote death on his heart," I say.
I write death on all hearts, he says, just as I write life.
This is where the conversation always ends and I am left holding the extraordinary awful perfect prayer of my second son, who snores like a seal, who might die tomorrow, who did not die today.
Or more accurately the finnish translation:
My first english novel that bought in finnish in a long, long time. Funny, since this was written by a finn. I went with the translation mostly because the hard scifi aspect scared me a bit. I don't like looking up words that end up being made by the author. And it turned out to be the right choice. Also, way better cover.
Description from Amazon:
Jean le Flambeur is a post-human criminal, mind burglar, confidence artist and trickster. His origins are shrouded in mystery, but his exploits are known throughout the Heterarchy - from breaking into the vast Zeusbrains of the Inner System to steal their thoughts, to stealing rare Earth antiques from the aristocrats of the Moving Cities of Mars. Except that Jean made one mistake. Now he is condemned to play endless variations of a game-theoretic riddle in the vast virtual jail of the Axelrod Archons - the Dilemma Prison - against countless copies of himself. Jean's routine of death, defection and cooperation is upset by the arrival of Mieli and her spidership, Perhonen. She offers him a chance to win back his freedom and the powers of his old self - in exchange for finishing the one heist he never quite managed . . . The Quantum Thief is a dazzling hard SF novel set in the solar system of the far future - a heist novel peopled by bizarre post-humans but powered by very human motives of betrayal, revenge and jealousy. It is a stunning debut.
About halfway through, and I'm loving it. At first it was a bit daunting with a barrage of new scifi terms for various gadgets and concepts with little to no explanation given. But it's a surprisingly easy read when you get into the flow of the story and the characters. The explanations of the important concepts come up naturally in the story as it progresses. It's the first book in a trilogy (a deal for which he got from a 24 page sample, apparently) so the real story is just beginning to take shape. And so I return to reading.
Here's a more detailed review, which I liked:
http://www.locusmag.com/Reviews/2010/09/gary-k-wolfe-reviews-hannu-rajaniemi/
Adam Blade
WWKC
mike23 said:
For one, it was greatly hyped but didn't deliver. The writing was very cliched at times and the story was very pedestrian.
lol @ the awkwardly written relationship between the siblings
Also, good to see more people realizing how much of a hack Abercrombie is.
I read this as well. I was really happy to see a strong, active female protagonist in a popular young adult novel. And the pacing was really brisk too which helped make my flights seem a lot shorter. But otherwise, I don't think I liked it enough to continue on with the series.Lone_Prodigy said:
I bought the book when it first came out, but for some reason I stopped at around Chapter 3l and never picked it up again. I don't know if it's because Terry Pratchett is my favorite living author and I don't want to ever run out of books of his to read or what. I couldn't finish I Shall Wear Midnight either. Oh Terry, I don't want you to go.Santiako said:
Also read The Handmaid's Tale which I'm not sure what to think of. I absolutely loved Atwood's The Blind Assassin so my expectations might have been too high. It was basically post-apocalyptic fiction with a heavy feminist and anti-religious (at least dogmatic) slant. I could see why it would win awards, since feminism isn't something you usually find in science fiction. But I found the story and the writing to just be adequate.
Although I really liked framing the story as an anonymous text being studied years after the fall of the regime, that was a neat little gimmick.
I'll continue reading Atwood with Oryx and Crake, another of her "science fiction" works. (Of course, she prefers to call it speculative fiction because we all know that science fiction can't be literary.)
Pau said:
Also read The Handmaid's Tale which I'm not sure what to think of. I absolutely loved Atwood's The Blind Assassin so my expectations might have been too high. It was basically post-apocalyptic fiction with a heavy feminist and anti-religious (at least dogmatic) slant. I could see why it would win awards, since feminism isn't something you usually find in science fiction. But I found the story and the writing to just be adequate.Although I really liked framing the story as an anonymous text being studied years after the fall of the regime, that was a neat little gimmick.
Just finished this and really enjoyed it. It had been sitting on my shelf for years, not even sure where it came from, so it was a pleasant surprise.
Next up
Its been a while since I read anything World War 2 related and this seems like an easy read.
Attackthebase
Member
Fjordson said:Finished the Black Company. I loved it. Will definitely check out the next omnibus edition soon. Now starting:
Been holding off for a few months, but with the series in full swing and ADwD coming in July I figured it was time.
Probably the first book I'll read when school ends!
Guileless
Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
2011 Pulitzers were just announced. Anyone read any of these? I remember somebody posting that they were reading the Washington biography.
FICTION - "A Visit from the Goon Squad" by Jennifer Egan (Alfred A. Knopf)
DRAMA - "Clybourne Park" by Bruce Norris
HISTORY - "The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery" by Eric Foner (W. W. Norton & Company)
BIOGRAPHY - "Washington: A Life" by Ron Chernow (The Penguin Press)
POETRY - "The Best of It: New and Selected Poems" by Kay Ryan (Grove Press)
GENERAL NONFICTION - "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer" by Siddhartha Mukherjee (Scribner)
FICTION - "A Visit from the Goon Squad" by Jennifer Egan (Alfred A. Knopf)
DRAMA - "Clybourne Park" by Bruce Norris
HISTORY - "The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery" by Eric Foner (W. W. Norton & Company)
BIOGRAPHY - "Washington: A Life" by Ron Chernow (The Penguin Press)
POETRY - "The Best of It: New and Selected Poems" by Kay Ryan (Grove Press)
GENERAL NONFICTION - "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer" by Siddhartha Mukherjee (Scribner)
sparky2112
Member
Mifune said:
Same thing that Oscar Wao winning it meant. A very good book, no doubt, but king of the hill for the entire year?!? For that matter, I just read Olive Kitteridge (had to - my friend is now friends with the author) and that too was, while very good, a little like...huh?
Maklershed
Member
We need something controversial. Lets read an Anne Coulter book!Cyan said:
(excuse me .. I just threw up in my mouth)
Tim the Wiz
Banned
beelzebozo
Jealous Bastard
Esnel Pla said:
the book i recommended? you would very much enjoy it.
The Affinity Bridge and The Osiris Ritual by George Mann.
http://www.amazon.com/Affinity-Bridge-Newbury-Hobbes-Investigations/dp/0765323222/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303434582&sr=8-1
Silly, but pretty damned entertaining.
http://www.amazon.com/Affinity-Bridge-Newbury-Hobbes-Investigations/dp/0765323222/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303434582&sr=8-1
Silly, but pretty damned entertaining.
Edmond Dantès
Dantès the White
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
The Chef said:Just finished this:
Words can not describe how incredible this book is.
Now reading book 2 which is looking like its going to be just as good as book 1:
Hey I am the exact same. Finished the 1st book like a week and a half ago. I'm on roughly like 250 in the sequel.
Best new piece of Adult Fantasy I've read since the turn of the century.