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[Mifune]

I guess this guy won a Nebula, but to be honest, this book ain't that great. Look, Bacigalupi is clearly a smart, imaginative writer. Much of his world building and ideas about a post-fossil-fuel universe are sound. But I just wish he would have hitched his good ideas to a plot and characters I could possibly care about. As is, every turgid page of this I turn I wish was the last.

My first taste of Auster and certainly not my last. This portrait of a group of Brooklyn squatters during these hard economic times is totally captivating. Auster has a way of investing himself so completely in the internal lives of his characters and their families that leads to passages of almost unbearable poignancy.

He doesn't pull any punches. His writing here isn't glib or clever or cute. He tackles issues of mortality and aging with grace and honesty. I've read a lot of quite good books this year written by young sardonic authors, so this older, wiser take on similar subject matter has been endlessly refreshing.

Highly recommended.

 

[nakedsushi]

I guess this guy won a Nebula, but to be honest, this book ain't that great. Look, Bacigalupi is clearly a smart, imaginative writer. Much of his world building and ideas about a post-fossil-fuel universe are sound. But I just wish he would have hitched his good ideas to a plot and characters I could possibly care about. As is, every turgid page of this I turn I wish was the last.

I felt the same about Windup Girl. Great world (I guess it's considered GreenPunk?) but the characters were flat and the story wasn't interesting at all. I didn't even care about any of the side plots.

 

[Monocle]

Galahad at Blandings by P.G. Wodehouse (Which I probably would have finished by now if I hadn't been sidetracked by the wonderful first season of A Bit of Fry & Laurie—currently available on Netflix streaming.)

And yesterday I read Bertrand Russell's bracing essay, An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish.

 

[Burger]

I guess this guy won a Nebula, but to be honest, this book ain't that great. Look, Bacigalupi is clearly a smart, imaginative writer. Much of his world building and ideas about a post-fossil-fuel universe are sound. But I just wish he would have hitched his good ideas to a plot and characters I could possibly care about. As is, every turgid page of this I turn I wish was the last.

I had a different experience by listening to the audiobook. It was original, exciting, the characters were well differentiated, fleshed out, and all had their own personalities shining through. The narration was excellent however, and I imagine that helped significantly.

 

[Mifune]

I felt the same about Windup Girl. Great world (I guess it's considered GreenPunk?) but the characters were flat and the story wasn't interesting at all. I didn't even care about any of the side plots.

I'm so glad you agree. I've read a ton of rave reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, and was beginning to think I just didn't get it.

The actual windup girl is sorta interesting but her beaten-down-servant storyline is about as trite as they come. And I could do without the million character flashbacks to their villages being ravaged.

 

[Night_Trekker]

Finally finished Cities of the Plain, the last of McCarthy's books I hadn't read. Great book. I still think The Crossing is the best of The Border Trilogy, but it was an excellent, if bittersweet, ending to the series. I hope McCarthy has a few more books left in him.

 

[CiSTM]

bought these today

 

[jstevenson]

about. freaking. time.

 

[leroy hacker]

Does anyone have any recommendations on good noir/crime novels? It's a genre I'm not especially familiar with, but would like to get in to.

Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe novels such as The Big Sleep or The Long Goodbye are among the greatest classics of the genre.

 

[sparky2112]

about. freaking. time.

I love how this guy can't even write his 'big' novels by himself anymore. Back in the day, I was a huge fan, but it all kinda when wrong/corporate somewhere...

 

[Hugbot]

Does anyone have any recommendations on good noir/crime novels? It's a genre I'm not especially familiar with, but would like to get in to.

I'm partial to Mickey Spillane, any of his Mike Hammer novels are going to be pretty classic noir. I like The Big Kill and Kiss Me Deadly, but there's no real order you need to read them in.


Also, re-reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The Beautyful Ones are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah this month.

 

[jstevenson]

I love how this guy can't even write his 'big' novels by himself anymore. Back in the day, I was a huge fan, but it all kinda when wrong/corporate somewhere...

beggars can't be choosers.

 

[charsace]

Finished reading this today. I think that I beat my record in reading speed on this. Didn't even skim that much either. Her writing's just very simple and easy to read.

Loved it and thought it was a wonderful way to end this series. I wish every girl who's ga-ga about twilight would read this book instead. It has:

- strong female characters who kick ass and aren't dependent on men at all
- HEALTHY relationships and young people putting out instead of some overly moral, convoluted device that prevents them from doing the horizontal tangle
- a refreshing take on the paranormal genre

But best of all, even the main character is flawed. I like it when not everyone is perfect, but learns how to make do with their shortcomings.



You could buy a lot of paperbacks for the price of a Kindle and honestly, that's what kept me from buying a Kindle all these years, but now that I've had one for a few months, I have to say that it's allowed me to read a lot more books than I did before. Most of it is convenience. It's lighter than most 700+ books I'd otherwise have to carry around, and it's easy to use with one hand (or even no hand if you prop it up on a table), which means I can be doing other stuff (like eating) at the same time. Also, I think at least for new releases, ebooks are cheaper if not the same price as a book, if you buy from Amazon or the other online big booksellers. Also, if you read books in the public domain, then it's free. And a lot of publishers are finally *getting* ebooks and putting out short, cheap novellas like here: http://www.angryrobotstore.com/category-9.html



It's weird. I just don't get all the love for Murakami. I read this book as an intro to him, since it's the most "normal" book he has and just hated his style and his characters. While reading this book, I just wished all the characters would stop whining and kill themselves. End their misery and mine so I don't have to continue reading. Read his After Dark too and thought it was trash.



For a quick read, I'd recommend:

It's a great, YA novel (1st in a series) about a girl impersonating a boy and getting a job on an animal blimp thing. Adventures ensue.

For something with more meat in it, I'd recommend:

It's not strictly steampunk, but has steampunk elements. It's neo-Victorian and there are all sorts of weird technology and gadgets. I'd say it's a mix of cyber meets steampunk.

Finished Vampire Academy too. Only thing I kind of didn't like was Victor's

Spoiler

death. I knew the author would bring that story thread to an end, but the way it was done wasn't as grand as I was hoping it would be. I understand that the conclusion with the huge reveal was epic, but I wanted something a little more grander for Victor. Could have kept him alive instead.

 

[nakedsushi]

Finished Vampire Academy too. Only thing I kind of didn't like was Victor's

Spoiler

death. I knew the author would bring that story thread to an end, but the way it was done wasn't as grand as I was hoping it would be. I understand that the conclusion with the huge reveal was epic, but I wanted something a little more grander for Victor. Could have kept him alive instead.

Spoiler for last book of Vampire Academy:

Yeah I thought the same with Victor's

Spoiler

death too, but the more I thought of it, the more it makes sense. I guess an epic battle against Victor would just be *too* much going on. What huge reveal were you talking about? When Lissa & Rose's bond broke? I gues that part didn't really bother me, but what happened to Adrian and what he said kind of did. What did he mean when he said the contract was over? I must have forgotten it from the last book. But I agreed that it seemed like the minor characters (Eddie, Sydney) were kind of forgotten at the end. I guess it's to set up for the next series?

 

[demon]

what are people's thoughts and feelings on Wild Sheep Chase? I want to get into another Murakami book and that's the only one my local used book store has.

 

[Salazar]

what are people's thoughts and feelings on Wild Sheep Chase? I want to get into another Murakami book and that's the only one my local used book store has.

Didn't like it as much as his others. Read Oe instead.

 

[thomaser]

what are people's thoughts and feelings on Wild Sheep Chase? I want to get into another Murakami book and that's the only one my local used book store has.

One of my favourite books! Definitely recommended, but only if you don't need your books to make sense. It's very, very bizarre.

 

[charsace]

Spoiler for last book of Vampire Academy:

Yeah I thought the same with Victor's

Spoiler

death too, but the more I thought of it, the more it makes sense. I guess an epic battle against Victor would just be *too* much going on. What huge reveal were you talking about? When Lissa & Rose's bond broke? I gues that part didn't really bother me, but what happened to Adrian and what he said kind of did. What did he mean when he said the contract was over? I must have forgotten it from the last book. But I agreed that it seemed like the minor characters (Eddie, Sydney) were kind of forgotten at the end. I guess it's to set up for the next series?

Spoiler from book 3:

Spoiler

I think he's referring to the end of book 3 when he agreed to back her financally. He joked that he should get a serious shot in regards to dating her. For me the big reveal was that Tasha was the killer. I really liked her character.

 

[nakedsushi]

Spoiler from book 3:

Spoiler

I think he's referring to the end of book 3 when he agreed to back her financally. He joked that he should get a serious shot in regards to dating her. For me the big reveal was that Tasha was the killer. I really liked her character.

More spoilers from Vampire Academy:

Spoiler

Oh, I thought it was that, but I also thought that agreement was cancelled a while ago, like after she came back. I do think that Rose really lead him on and treated him pretty poorly =/ The Tasha thing was such a cop-out. It wasn't one of those GOOD mysteries where you can kind of see hints about it throughout the books. Instead, it seemed like a "Uh oh, I don't want readers to guess right that it's Daniella so I'm just going to pick a random character and give her some weak motivations." Tasha being the killer and her antagonism towards Rose seemed VERY out of character.

 

[Az987]

Any thoughts on Materhorn or Pathfinder?

 

[theBishop]

Finishing this:

Just starting this:

Has anyone read this? I've seen it recommended a few places and it sounds great:

 

[charsace]

More spoilers from Vampire Academy:

Spoiler

Oh, I thought it was that, but I also thought that agreement was cancelled a while ago, like after she came back. I do think that Rose really lead him on and treated him pretty poorly =/ The Tasha thing was such a cop-out. It wasn't one of those GOOD mysteries where you can kind of see hints about it throughout the books. Instead, it seemed like a "Uh oh, I don't want readers to guess right that it's Daniella so I'm just going to pick a random character and give her some weak motivations." Tasha being the killer and her antagonism towards Rose seemed VERY out of character.

Vampire Academy spoilers:

Spoiler

I was pissed off about how Rose treated Adrian. He did a lot for her. Despite what she said to him she did use him. He was like her pet.

That's why it surprised the shit out of me. It was out of character. She didn't seem like the type that cared about what went on at court or the type to do something like she did to Rose out of jealousy. I wish Mead would have just went with Adrian's mother.

 

[Salazar]

Just starting this:

Win. Charismatic man. Not so much as Zizek, though :lol

 

[demon]

Has anyone read this? I've seen it recommended a few places and it sounds great:

Read it a couple months ago. I liked it, although maybe not as much as I thought I would have. GAF hyped it up quite a bit. The story takes place some time in the future (it's never mentioned and I can't remember if I ever pieced it together...maybe 20-30 years) when the US is on the brink of falling apart and society (in the US at least) has devolved into a real-life version of Facebook. The main character is in his late 30s and is one of the few literate intellectuals left and he's struggling to survive in a world that's abandoned his old-fashioned ways and views him as a dinosaur. He falls in a love with a hot young korean chick who's sort of half-way between him and the new facebook-come-to-life world, but....well considering the title of the book and the dynamic between the two right from the get-go it's not really giving much away to say that it doesn't quite work out. A lot of the book is basically IM transcripts and phone conversations between side characters, and they read like AIM conversations between 13 year old girls sometimes. But it works....kind of. It gets a bit sluggish in the middle but picks up in a sort of unexpected way towards the end. Not as amazing as some people made it out to be, but it's worth a read.

 

[theBishop]

Win. Charismatic man. Not so much as Zizek, though :lol

I saw him at CUNY a few months ago. Good times

 

[junesongprovider]

Has anyone read this? I've seen it recommended a few places and it sounds great:

I legitimately loved it. Admittedly, I didn't go in with a bunch of hype, so I had zero expectations. But I thought it was great. (I'm actually probably going to go post it in the Book of the Year OT)

And yeah, large sections of the book do read like they're coming from 13 year old girls, but they kinda are (I think the girls are actually 16-18). If anything, I'm amazed by how well Shteyngart pulls of the teenage girl voice. But those parts do integrate really well, thematically if not stylistically, with the narrative.

A lot of it really was super sad, and it had the effect at times of making me feel like an old man at 21 ("those damn kids and their cell phones and their internets!"). But I'm pretty sure that was the desired effect.

Absolutely recommended.

 

[junesongprovider]

I love the Dresden Files so much. I have only read up through Dead Beat at this point, but I can honestly say it only gets better, even after the crazy werewolf shenanigans.

 

[Jayayess1190]

Anybody know of any books like Hatchet and the other books in the series?

 

[Salazar]

Anybody know of any books like Hatchet and the other books in the series?

The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe is certainly a novel about a man who finds himself in a bewildering, terrifying, physically and emotionally arduous situation :lol
It is also goddamned superb.

 

[KdoubleA]

Currently reading Paladin of Souls for the first time:

I loved the Curse of Chalion, and this one seems pretty good so far.

 

[KidDork]

Finished

I really enjoyed this book. Brett made his variation on the traditional medieval fantasy world--that here, demons rise from the ground each night to attack anything living, with humans having only wards to protect them--very compelling. Little touches--like putting up little iconic images at the beginning of each chapter to indicate which characters are to be featured--were fun as well. Pretty good pacing, good characters, and some effective world building. Yeah, I really liked this.

Now, it's on to this, which I have failed to finish once before:

I didn't mind The Eye of The World, but Jordan's simplistic characterizations really grated on my nerves. My father in law, seeing that I had the book, went out and bought me the next six, thinking I'd be overjoyed with the gift. So now I feel compelled to read them, because he's really a great guy and it feels ungrateful not to. Maybe I need a drinking game for every time Egwene pulls her braid or Rand starts to whine....:lol

 

[jufonuk]

(Re-reading World War Z)

that book is excellent cannot wait for the film, though it will not make as much as an impact as the book..didn't know it was by mel brooks' son though.

mine are

I am enjoying this so far, but I dont know what it is when i read a book with facts and figures I kinda have to force my self to get into it more, if it is more narative driven i enjoy it more, even if it is chock full of facts and figures

and just finished:

after I met my son and took him to school I had some time and went to the local library and started reading this during times I would drop him off and pick him up, luckily each time it was there except for one when it got moved (by me, I couldn't find it lol, so in the end I rented it out and finally read it all, a great book)

great lead up to the main event but it jsut ends so suddenly, I guess a sequel is in the works

getting around to re-reading:

such and informative book on the subject and written in a great narrative way.

 

[ClassyPenguin]

I checked this out from the library since I've seen a lot of people one here reading it

 

[Lafiel]

Finished - Dresden Files - Changes by Jim Butcher - Feels good to be all caught up with the series now. Can't wait for the next book in march

Spoiler

argh @ that ending though. It made me go WHAT THE HELL?

Now Reading - Young miles by Lois McMaster Bujold - 120 pages in so far. And this is some really awesome stuff. Miles is so awesome:lol

 

[Xater]

I love how this guy can't even write his 'big' novels by himself anymore. Back in the day, I was a huge fan, but it all kinda when wrong/corporate somewhere...

I am just surprised that he still writes at all.

 

[sparky2112]

I am just surprised that he still writes at all.

I'm sure the book is good and all, but let's be honest: not only did he not write it himself, but the book is like freakin' 14-point font with 2-inch margins!!!. This is really a 400-ish page book parading as a 900-ish page book. How is this really any different than any of the Op-Center stuff? I mean, besides having his 'staple' characters in it?

I'm not pointing the finger at Clancy alone - other writers are doing the same kinda thing these days, but it smells a little too much like a money machine to me; hand some guy a 6-page outline, call it a 'major' novel (versus a straight-to-paperback), and watch the money roll in. Meh.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

30 Years War ~ C. V. Wedgwood

I bought this to fill in gaps of my knowledge, and it's a masterpiece of historical accounts.

 

[Karakand]

http://austrianeconomists.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451eb0069e2011570c1b096970b-pi

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.

Dude the book has a pirate that steals gold in it it's impossible to take seriously.

Not that you shouldn't make a go at it still, just try and pretend like people don't actually take it seriously. (At least it doesn't have zombies like the Bible, just a zombified economy.)

 

[Nymerio]

Started

Surprised how good it is. Im kinda getting a Pratchett vibe from this. Really funny too...

 

[Ratrat]

Started

Surprised how good it is. Im kinda getting a Pratchett vibe from this. Really funny too...

I got this, glad to hear its good as Im pretty burnt out on fantasy and would love to see Yahtzee rip the genre into shreds(Im assuming he does).

 

[nitewulf]

Does anyone have any recommendations on good noir/crime novels? It's a genre I'm not especially familiar with, but would like to get in to.

Basically you need to check out all novels by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Chandler is the better writer, perhaps the most technically gifted writer of the last century, but I'm partial to Hammett.

Hammett

The Maltese Falcon

The Glass Key (Miller's Crossing is based on this)

Red Harvest (Yojimbo, Last Man Standing)

The Continental Op (collection of stories featuring his nameless protagonist, The Continental Operative)

Raymond Chandler

The Big Sleep

Farewell My Lovely (my personal favorite)

The High Window

The Long Goodbye

The Lady in the Lake

and also his short story collections

Library of America has great volumes for both authors and pretty much collects all their short and long form work.

Ross Mcdonald is the most literary of them all. He transcends the genre. His works are layered and very emotional, not as raw as Hammett or Chandler's.

Ross Mcdonald

The Chill

The Moving Target

The Galton Case

The Way Some People Die

The Ivory Grin

The Underground Man

Pretty much all his novels are very readable and of good quality.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

Hey guys don't forget to include your Books of the Year:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=415079

 

[exfixate]

Does anyone have any recommendations on good noir/crime novels? It's a genre I'm not especially familiar with, but would like to get in to.

I just finished a college course on that exact subject, so I'll provide you with the books I read over the semester.

The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett
Farewell, My Lovely, Raymond Chandler
Devil in a Blue Dress, Walter Mosley
Double Indemnity, James M. Cain
The Black Dahlia, James Ellroy
The Killer Inside Me, Jim Thompson
Galveston, Nic Pizzolatto
Winter’s Bone, Daniel Woodrell
Motherless Brooklyn, Jonathan Lethem

I found them all to be well-worth a read, but I thought The Killer Inside Me was very entertaining and written from an interesting perspective.

 

[BanShunsaku]

Just started:

Already enjoying it, I think I'm really going to love this book.

 

[Maklershed]

Good news everyone - Hyperion is finally getting a Kindle edition. Unfortunately it looks like it won't be available until May 2011.

 

[BigAT]

Basically you need to check out all novels by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Chandler is the better writer, perhaps the most technically gifted writer of the last century, but I'm partial to Hammett.

Thanks a ton, as well as to everyone else that chipped in with some recommendations. I've got quite a comprehensive list put together now, probably going to pick up a few of them sometime tomorrow.

 

[BanShunsaku]

Good news everyone - Hyperion is finally getting a Kindle edition. Unfortunately it looks like it won't be available until May 2011.

That's weird, for me it has been available to buy since August.

I'm in Australia though, so that may make a difference.

 

[coldvein]

Good news everyone - Hyperion is finally getting a Kindle edition. Unfortunately it looks like it won't be available until May 2011.

this is why e-readers are definitely not for me..

 

[goldlion054]

Norwegian Wood.

I quiver, genuflect, sob, rend my garments with shame that I am only reading it now. Glorious book.

Because you are the only one who hasn't read it yet mayne. Glorious indeed

 

[nakedsushi]

Finished this last night in bed:



A slow start, but the mystery really picks up towards the last quarter of the book. What started off as a generic who-dunnit really gets spicy at the end. I liked the chaste, Victorian era contrasted with the not-so-innocent solution of the who-dunnit.

A very likable main character, decent supporting characters, and an almost unbelievable man-of-many talents love interest makes for a fast read. Even though I filed this into the romance shelf, there was very little heaving bosoms and naughty bits. I'd give it a rated PG if it were a movie.

The only thing that I didn't like was how for the first 75% of the book, nothing really happens except for boring planning and planning of investigation, and then at about the 80% mark, the ball starts rolling FAST and all sorts of devious things come into play.

I recommend this for a quick weekend read.


Also finishing up this today (stole it at a White Elephant exchange):


It's my first "business" book and it's actually quite enjoyable and un-douchey as business books go. Most of the mini-chapters in this book can be gleaned off the Signal vs. Noise blog, but it's nice to have it all bound together in a book like this. A lot of good advice for small startups and even for just regular ol' engineers like me who don't really want to know the specific details of running a business. Not every piece of advice in the book will be relevant to what you're working on, but Rework in general has sound opinions on Getting Sh*t Done.