Support NeoGAF

[Maklershed]

Join www.goodreads.com and join the NeoGAF Group.

Online Book Stores

http://www.bookdepository.com/ Free shipping World Wide, cheap.
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/ Free shipping Word Wide, cheap.

Blogs

Sci-Fi & Fantasy
http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com/
http://aidanmoher.com/blog/
http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/

Free Audio Books

http://podcastle.org/ Free Fantasy audio books.
http://www.archive.org/details/audio All sorts of stuff.

Shelved Threads
What are you reading? (November 2010)

What are you reading? (October 2010)
What are you reading? (September 2010)
What are you reading? (August 2010)
What are you reading? (July 2010)
What are you reading (June 2010)
What are you reading?(May 2010)
What are you reading? (April 2010)
What are you reading? (March 2010)
What are you reading? (February 2010)
What are you reading? (January 2010)
What are you reading? (December 09)
What Are You Reading (November '09)
What are you reading? (October 09)
What are you reading? (September 09)
What are you reading? (August 09)
What are you reading? (July 09)
What are you reading? (June 09)
What are you reading? (May 09)

If you have some good links post them and i will put them in.


!!BOOK CLUB!!

??? <-- anyone know what the book is this month?

 

[Maklershed]

Working on The Gates of Fire.

 

[O.DOGG]

This and a bunch of Japanese textbooks.

 

[Scuba Steve]

 

[KingGondo]

OH YEAH

And I'm determined to finally read:

over my Christmas vacation in Maine. Been putting it off because I keep telling myself I'll re-read the entire series when A Dance With Dragons has a release date. Eff it.

 

[Koshiba]

Just finished reading this and finishing up..

I'm not sure what I'll begin reading after that.. I'm kinda itching to read more Otherland or A song of ice and fire but I need to get the money to get the books. I could read the rest of LOTR but I think I need a bit of a break after finishing The Hobbit and Fellowship.

 

[afternoon delight]

These three for the month:

 

[teruterubozu]

Just finished these 2:

 

[Dead Prince]

Half way with this

Then reading this.

 

[Roude Leiw]

^good ones.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

About 400 pages in and though it might be premature I am already feeling like this will be one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. The writing is truly excellent and Patrick does a skillfull job of introducing you to this world and all its wonder without resorting to boring explanations. You are just a fly on a wall throughout the book and each scene is painted with perfect detail. I love the characters and the story I just hope beyond all hope that the rest of the books can keep up this pace.

Working on The Gates of Fire.

I loved that book.

 

[aidan]

Just finished:

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal. Link to my review:

It might be a cliche, but it seems almost impossible to avoid commenting on Mary Robinette Kowal’s debut novel, Shades of Milk and Honey, without referring to Jane Austen and her classic works of literature. It’s a comparison encouraged by Kowal (who cites Austen as an inspiration for the novel) and her publishers, but lifts expectations to sky-high proportions. For those unfamiliar with Austen the draw of the novel is more likely the melding of classic period literature with the fantastic in the form of glamour, a type of soft magic used by high-society to decorate their homes and enhance theatre. It wouldn’t be unfair of a reader to think of the novel as Beauty and the Beast told from the perspective of the Beast, a play on the classic tale that Kowal herself subverts with some tongue-in-cheek within in the pages of Shades of Milk and Honey; or, if you’re feeling very coy, you might describe it as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies without the zombies.

Ostensibly, because of the inclusion of glamour, Shades of Milk and Honey is a Fantasy novel. The ultimate compliment I can payho the novel, however, is that it succeeds even more greatly on its merits as a period drama. The true strength of the novel is protagonist Jane Ellsworth and her often funny, sometimes sad struggles as she tries to juggle her way through the myriad relationships and politics of a well-to-do noble daughter in 19th century England.

Now reading:

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan.

 

[VistraNorrez]

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

 

[Fireblend]

 

[Kraftwerk]

These three for the month:

That is going to be my next read. One of my classmates just finished it and he absoluteness loved it.

 

[afternoon delight]

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Maybe possibly his best book. I feel he has some of his best material in here, especially the French class essay.

That is going to be my next read. One of my classmates just finished it and he absoluteness loved it.

Yeah, I hope it's good. Weird seeing it mentioned so frequently lately, I thought it was new. Turns out, it's almost fifty years old. Rereleased editions or something?

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

You know we should really do a Books of the Year OT

 

[Drewsky]

and

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Just finished:

Am Currently:

All three are MUST READS.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I'm almost done with part 2 of 3. I'm definitely enjoying it and all references to the dark tower are always fun. Definitely a different read than Hearts in Atlantis was.

 

[Guileless]

I've been wasting time reading free samples on my Kindle the last month. It's addictive.

Since it's cold and it gets dark at 5 now, I'm reading a massive dead tree copy of The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. First 100 pages are good.

 

[Maklershed]

You know we should really do a Books of the Year OT

Would it be to say what our favorite book was that we read this year?

 

[Lazy]

Getting starting on The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I enjoyed the first two in the series, but I think there are better crime/mystery novels out there. Can I please get some recommendations?

 

[Salazar]

Nicholson Baker's The Mezzanine.
Alberto Manguel's The Library at Night.
P.G. Wodehouse's Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves - audiobook, while I box.
Patrick O'Brian's The Nutmeg of Consolation: Aubrey et Maturin.

 

[Adam Blade]

Just finished:

While enjoyable, the quartet is weaker than MST and much, much weaker than Otherland. I'd like for him to take a break from fantasy for a while and do some more SF.

 

[nakedsushi]

Finished reading Flatland for our bookclub:

Short, quirky novel. There were parts of it I didn't like and could have skipped over, but it's definitely one of those eye-opening novels. Not really life-changing, but it definitely made me think differently about the 4th dimension.

Won this in a giveaway so I'm reading it:

The bookcover is what caught me. I'm about 20% thru right now, but so far, the story itself is not living up to the book cover. The writing feels very pre-YA-ish mostly because it's based on a 12 year old girl, and the author tends to ramble a lot when setting up the world. She does a lot of "telling, not showing" which makes the book feel amateurish. Hope it gets better!


(Disclaimer: I work at Goodreads)

We just put up our end of year awards for 2010, so if you're a Goodreads member, don't forget to vote!
2010 Goodreads Choice Awards

 

[nakedsushi]

Just finished:

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal. Link to my review:

Weird, I didn't even realize you're Aidan Moher. Funny when different internet-world people cross-over.

 

[Kola]

 

[Mgoblue201]

And after that:

 

[bob_arctor]

Getting "True Grit" for X-Mas. Seeing movie first though I know Coen Bros. will make it almost a scene by scene translation judging by No Country For Old Men.

Currently running through John LeCarre's "Smiley's People". This after finishing up my Henry Miller run. Dude says cunt more than anyone ever.

 

[Neuromancer]

(Re-reading World War Z)

 

[coldvein]

just finished best american travel writing 2010, moving on to consider the lobster by david wallace.

still looking for recommendations on some good gritty/survival/cannibal WINTER reading. help me out gaf.

 

[Dresden]

Fascinating read so far.

 

[Sweedishrodeo]

 

[coldvein]

best book of all time in the house.

 

[Laekon]

I'm only about 250 pages in so I still have a long way to go. So far it’s so predictable that it’s not even funny. I’m reading it because it’s considered such an influential book to fiscal conservatives but there has to be some big change for me to take this seriously.

 

[aidan]

Just finished:

Shadowmarch Series

While enjoyable, the quartet is weaker than MST and much, much weaker than Otherland. I'd like for him to take a break from fantasy for a while and do some more SF.

I've got Shadowheart in the mail. I thought Shadowplay was weak but the series really stepped up a notch with Shadowrise. Looking forward to finishing off the series!

Williams' current project is pretty different than what he's worked on before:

In the series, “Doloriel is an angel. He doesn’t know who he used to be back on Earth, but now he works as an afterlife investigator for the Heavenly Host, making sure the souls being judged haven’t inflated their claims. It’s a minor job, but a cool one, since it means he often gets to go back to Earth to investigate, wearing a body and calling himself Bobby Dollar—or Bobby D. Doloriel’s latest assignment as Bobby D is supposed to be routine: figure out what happened to a recently disappeared soul, finish the paperwork, and make it look good for the folks upstairs. But a series of not-so-coincidental encounters—including one with a terribly attractive demon named Sennaie—makes him sure that there’s more at stake here than one missing soul.

“Knowing that he’s in over his head, Bobby D tries to pull out, but his bosses won’t let him. Somehow, his identity—more specifically, his identity from his former life back on Earth—is the key to the entire mystery, and he has to find out who he was before he becomes an unwitting pawn in a game of power that could end in the destruction of the entire human race.”

Weird, I didn't even realize you're Aidan Moher. Funny when different internet-world people cross-over.

:lol Yep, same guy! If you think it's weird for you, it's even stranger for me to be recognized outside of my blog.

 

[Maklershed]

I'm only about 250 pages in so I still have a long way to go. So far it’s so predictable that it’s not even funny. I’m reading it because it’s considered such an influential book to fiscal conservatives but there has to be some big change for me to take this seriously.

Nope, it's pretty much a thousand pages of "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD I'M NOT A COMMUNIST!!" and "Captains of Industry are God like creatures who, while creating a product/service, can be trusted to do what's right for the greater good. Meanwhile, their employees who ask for reasonable wages and safe working conditions are dregs!".

 

[Choabac]

I'm reading Hamlet. We only read Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet in high school.

The book that I have has detailed notes on the bottom half of the page. I'm not sure if I should read the play from start to finish and then read the notes, or I should read the notes as I go along? It basically destroys the flow when I do that, but it does make more sense.

Since everyone else is posting pictures:

 

[An-Det]

Towers of Midnight, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. I've been taking my time with it, but I'm loving it so far.

 

[Lear]

I have three books on the go at the moment

 

[Guileless]

After Russia won hosting rights to the 2018 World Cup, I wanted to read about some evil oligarch villans so I got The Defector by Daniel Silva on my Kindle. It's a direct sequel to the last book in the Gabriel Allon series. The oligarch was comprehensively bested in the last book, so now he's on the rampage.

Damn long samples ending on a cliffhanger.

 

[finowns]

Been reading this series:

Felix Castor is an exorcist/PI in London. Recently in the Castor universe people have been coming back from the dead. The general public seems aware and they hire exorcist to get rid of ghosts.

It's pretty dark and has a large cast of characters that Castor has to deal with. I have read the first two and really enjoyed them.

 

[Vard]

Maybe possibly his best book. I feel he has some of his best material in here, especially the French class essay.


Yeah, I hope it's good. Weird seeing it mentioned so frequently lately, I thought it was new. Turns out, it's almost fifty years old. Rereleased editions or something?

Yea, TLS had a new edition come out earlier in the year. Apparently it was really hard to come by before then.

I'm still reading Lolita, which I'll probably finish today. Nabokov is an amazing author. I heard his son is going to publish a ton of the love letters that he wrote to his wife soon!

 

[Adam Blade]

I've got Shadowheart in the mail. I thought Shadowplay was weak but the series really stepped up a notch with Shadowrise. Looking forward to finishing off the series!

Williams' current project is pretty different than what he's worked on before:

Wow, that blurb sounds totally different. It's interesting to see him traverse so many different genres.

At any rate, I think you'll enjoy the ending of the series.

Spoiler

Tinwright is still a worthless character.

<- no major spoiler

 

[charsace]

Can anyone recommend some good paranormal urban series? Besides Sookie I haven't run into many others that good much less decent.

 

[nakedsushi]

Can anyone recommend some good paranormal urban series? Besides Sookie I haven't run into many others that good much less decent.

What did you like about Sookie? That may help narrow it down.

I really like the Parasol Protectorate series, which starts off with:

It's a little steam punk in that it has a Victorian London setting, but it doesn't get really steampunk till the 2nd book. I like the lead character a lot more in this than in Sookie. Sookie seems a little too naive and always getting rescued.

This one is more YA than Sookie, but I think it's also a lot better with a kick-ass main character. The title of the books and covers are cheesy, but the stories and character interactions are okay. I wish a lot more people read this than Twilight:

 

[charsace]

What did you like about Sookie? That may help narrow it down.

I really like the Parasol Protectorate series, which starts off with:

It's a little steam punk in that it has a Victorian London setting, but it doesn't get really steampunk till the 2nd book. I like the lead character a lot more in this than in Sookie. Sookie seems a little too naive and always getting rescued.

This one is more YA than Sookie, but I think it's also a lot better with a kick-ass main character. The title of the books and covers are cheesy, but the stories and character interactions are okay. I wish a lot more people read this than Twilight:

Thanks for the parasol recommendation.

I read the Vampire Academy series. Its way better than Twilight, which is poorly done IMO. Twilight's writer is just a terrible writer period.

Its just hard to find good urban paranormal works though. I've started reading the October Daye series from the writer of Feed, and I thought the first book was good. The problem I am having is that most urban paranormal works are too erotic.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

Couple books.

I know people give this author/book crap sometimes, but I am not sure why. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Loving it so far, I like the National Treasure style stuff, anyone have suggestions for more books like National Treasure?

Also, started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

 

[TheKaeptain]

Towers of Midnight, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. I've been taking my time with it, but I'm loving it so far.

Forgive my ignorance but are these books good? I tend to stray from Fantasy.