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[Sleepy]

Just finished:

If you have not read these essays, I would recommend it. "Deciderization 2007: A Special Report" is excellent and has one of the greatest lines in a Wallace essay, IMO. His book reviews were the only stinkers for me.

On to:

My wife hated this book, which actually makes me want to read it, as she has shit taste in literature.

 

[nakedsushi]

The Fault in Our Stars is wildly different than something I'd normally read (teen cancer love story), but hey, I'm always up for trying something new. My wife enjoyed it and wanted to know what I thought. The first 100 pages were a little questionable simply due to the writing style... felt a little too pretentious and show-offy, and I just could not imagine 16 year olds talking like that. Really killed any kind of immersion. He did tone it down after the first 100 pages though, and I enjoyed it much more for that reason. In fact, when he's not trying to flaunt his cleverness and big words, he's a very good writer, especially with dialogue.

I had the same concern with this book too. Overall, I enjoyed it, but yeah, I was pretty incredulous that the teenagers really talked like that outside of Gilmore Girls.

 

[Celegus]

I had the same concern with this book too. Overall, I enjoyed it, but yeah, I was pretty incredulous that the teenagers really talked like that outside of Gilmore Girls.

Haha, glad it wasn't just me then. My wife didn't have a problem with it, so I thought maybe I just wasn't used to the genre and that was normal. I mean, if someone talked like that from the first time I met them, I would just stare at them blankly and wonder where the hidden camera is.

 

[WeAreStarStuff]

+

 

[Nezumi]

Who here would be interested in reading If on a winter's night a traveler... by Italo Calvino for the book club?

Me!

 

[Monroeski]

Who here would be interested in reading If on a winter's night a traveler... by Italo Calvino for the book club?

It's not really at the top of my backlog list but I do own a copy of it so I would probably be in. Have to finish Anna Karenina first, though, and I've got a pretty long way to go on that.

 

[Deified Data]

Red Country is proving to be a bit slower-paced than Abercrombie's past works. I can't really get myself to read more than a couple chapters a night.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Red Country is proving to be a bit slower-paced than Abercrombie's past works. I can't really get myself to read more than a couple chapters a night.

Well, it is a western.

 

[a secret-boss]

yearly reading

 

[Ceebs]

I finished The Name of the Wind two weeks ago (which I both absolutely loved and devoured) and just started this. This is a pretty large read and I'm enjoying it so far even if there does seem to be quite a bit of set up. I'm only 200 pages into this beast but looking forward to spending some more time with it. Sanderson hasn't let me down yet.

I have been reading this and it suffers from the exact problem I feared it would. I can't be assed about certain characters storylines at various points, which just so happens to be when he wants to bombard me with chapters about that character.

Halfway through it though and it still feels like nothing but setup outside of the slave story which is the only one that feels like it is going anywhere.

 

[rando14]

I have been reading this and it suffers from the exact problem I feared it would. I can't be assed about certain characters storylines at various points, which just so happens to be when he wants to bombard me with chapters about that character.

Halfway through it though and it still feels like nothing but setup outside of the salve story which is the only one that feels like it is going anywhere.

Stick with it, it really picks up in the second half

 

[Piecake]

I didn't say he couldn't finish it. I'm just worried it's going to be a slogfest by the time we get into books 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. 10,000 pages is a shit-ton of story.

My impression is that it will be sort of a 'world' story. So while we might not get a tight plot, the world and characters will be fleshed out really well and eventually all tie together. If my guess is right, I would be perfectly fine with it since I really don't care too much about plot. What sucks me in are the characters, their relationships, and anything else i find interesting (the world and magic system in this are quite interesting, i think)

Who here would be interested in reading If on a winter's night a traveler... by Italo Calvino for the book club?

That's the only Calvino book that i liked. Loved it actually

 

[KidDork]

Took a break from my Malazan reading to give this a try.

Finding it a little slow to get going. Reacher reminds me of a nicer Parker so far. Which just made me think perhaps I should just go re-read those again.

 

[Maklershed]

On the hard copy side I finished An Idiot Abroad and started The Dispossessed


The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

 

[Mumei]

Have you read LeGuin before?

 

[Blood Diamonds]

I'm reading-

And

Both are pretty good.

 

[yonder]

Just finished these two:

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Saw the movie a few weeks ago and ordered the graphic novel the next day. Love them both.

The Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe. Been meaning to read this for years, and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Yeah, it was funny, but after a while Adams' humour would become grating for some reason. The plot and the characters were not that enjoyable either. To be clear, I enjoyed it, but I was expecting it to become a favourite. Maybe I was just overhyped?

Anyway, now I'm moving onto Hyperion - another one I've been meaning to read for years.

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

Fun read. While there's a lot to take away from the book, I can't help but feel the tactics explored in the book would make for awesome game mechanics for an Android/iOS game.

 

[Fjordson]

Have you read LeGuin before?

I haven't D= what should I read first? I have a few of her books on my "to-read" list but that thing is like 180 books long at this point. Trying to pick out something now that I"m nearing the end of Last Argument of Kings.

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

I haven't D= what should I read first? I have a few of her books on my "to-read" list but that thing is like 180 books long at this point. Trying to pick out something now that I"m nearing the end of Last Argument of Kings.

Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness of one of my favourite scifi/fantasy books of all time. So good.

 

[Maklershed]

Have you read LeGuin before?

I have not. I'm in for some good stuff I presume?

 

[teruterubozu]

Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness of one of my favourite scifi/fantasy books of all time. So good.

Beautiful prose. It's like reading a dream.

 

[Photosynthesis]

Just finished:

Lovely story. Would totally read to my (hypothetical) children.

Currently reading:

 

[GabDX]

 

[FillerB]

The Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe. Been meaning to read this for years, and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Yeah, it was funny, but after a while Adams' humour would become grating for some reason. The plot and the characters were not that enjoyable either. To be clear, I enjoyed it, but I was expecting it to become a favourite. Maybe I was just overhyped?

The books/humor start going downhill after book 3 with book 5 being especially bad. And yeah, the series is great but still massively overhyped.

 

[Dr.NoiseWater]

How is that book? It sounds interesting.

 

[Dr.NoiseWater]

Did anyone ever read Brian Jacques books growing up? His books were a huge influence in my interest in fantasy. I think this was the first book I read of his series. However, at the moment I am reading Dale Carnegie's book. I'm reading it for work but it is still a pretty awesome read.

 

[Celegus]

The Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe. Been meaning to read this for years, and I have to say I was a bit disappointed. Yeah, it was funny, but after a while Adams' humour would become grating for some reason. The plot and the characters were not that enjoyable either. To be clear, I enjoyed it, but I was expecting it to become a favourite. Maybe I was just overhyped?

Completely agreed. I read it a few years ago and was pretty into it at first, but it just dragged on so much and the humor got very old very fast. I wanted to like it, but it just wasn't very good.

 

[EVOL 100%]

How is that book? It sounds interesting.

Was intrigued myself so I looked up. It seems like it's Western Philosophy for Dummies of some sort.

An ideal introduction for the casual reader and a beneficial reference for the student, The Philosopher's Handbook features the writings of some of the world's most influential philosophers. Based on the premise that all human beings are curious about their existence, Rosen's collection brings together primary excerpts from the works of prominent thinkers such as Plato, Nietzsche, Descartes, Machiavelli, and Kant. Experts in each field have carefully selected the sources and provided brief introductions to help readers gain insight into the readings. Newly revised in order to emphasize its broad appeal, The Philosopher's Handbook is a solid introduction to Western philosophy for all inquiring minds.

I'd like to get this although the 'revised for broad appeal' bit makes me a bit wary. I hope that doesn't mean watered down.

 

[Dr.NoiseWater]

Was intrigued myself so I looked up. It seems like it's Western Philosophy for Dummies of some sort.



I'd like to get this although the 'revised for broad appeal' bit makes me a bit wary. I hope that doesn't mean watered down.

Ahhh.... Machiavelli. Might = Right

 

[Mumei]

I haven't D= what should I read first? I have a few of her books on my "to-read" list but that thing is like 180 books long at this point. Trying to pick out something now that I"m nearing the end of Last Argument of Kings.

I think you could start with anything and be happy - The Word for World is Forest, Four Ways to Forgiveness, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Dispossessed, The Left Hand of Darkness, and so forth - but personally I think her two best are the latter two.

I really enjoyed BorkBork's essays on her Earthsea Cycle as well, though, so if you end up reading A Wizard of Earthsea (and the following two books in particular), I'd go find his account and read his essays. He's our biggest LeGuin fanboy, I think.

Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness of one of my favourite scifi/fantasy books of all time. So good.

Beautiful prose. It's like reading a dream.

Absolutely!

I have not. I'm in for some good stuff I presume?

Yes, you are. She has absolutely beautiful writing and she has this way of developing a setting where at first I think it seems a bit overly simplistic and lacking nuance or realism or... something that just sort of bothers me a bit, but as she continues it becomes increasingly rich and complex. In my copy of Left Hand of Darkness, there is an essay she writes about science fiction and it really describes her approach well and gives you a good idea what you are in for when choosing to read any of her science fiction. I just love the way she chooses to express her ideas.

I also think her books are real growers - the sort of books where even if you didn't enjoy them as much as another book while in the actual act of reading them, your esteem for them seems to grow; I would contrast this to fun but sort of forgettable books that are really enjoyable in the moment, but don't stay with you in the same way.

Lovely story. Would totally read to my (hypothetical) children.[/QUOTE]

<3

The first Valente story I read was her first book in her A Dirge for Prester John series, The Habitation of the Blessed. I absolutely loved it - but I think that The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is definitely her best.

Needless to say, lacking children of my own, I have instead bugged friends of mine who do have children to get them to read it.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Beautiful prose. It's like reading a dream.

Great writer. Earthsea trilogy, Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed and I also liked The Lathe of Heaven.

 

[Nezumi]

Finished audiobook version of:

I almost gave up on the book because of its somewhat slow start. I'm glad I didn't because it just got better and better the more you got to know the characters. Even though some of my favorites scenes were the Ninefingers vs. "Civilization" ones (I can't help imagening that man as some giant bad ass puppy), my favorite character by far was Glokta. I loved how he was all bitter, cynical and twisted but still manged to keep some sense of justice. He especially shines when put against Jezal. Needless to say I jumped straight into:

Four hours in and it is delivering so far. Happy I didn't give up on Abercrombie.

 

[teruterubozu]

Great writer. Earthsea trilogy, Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed and I also liked The Lathe of Heaven.

I like the Lathe of Heaven too, her ode to Philip K. Dick.
Apparently they went to the same high school - makes you wonder who their English teacher was.

 

[Dr.NoiseWater]

I actually met the man once, got to talk to him a bit at a book-signing. Really sweet man, clearly loved storytelling and loved what he did. Also had an awesome accent.

Meeting him must have been awesome. I can't remember the exact order of the books, but I think I made it all the way to Pearls of Lustra. I keep telling myself I am going to read all of the series, but sadly my imagination is getting shittier as I grow up. I don't know what it is. I find it harder and harder to stay interested in the personification of animals.

Which reminds me, I was reading in another thread about video game addiction and one of the symptoms is a decrease in imagination. I hope video games have not done this to me because I am not an addict and I want the best of both worlds.

 

[nakedsushi]

I think you could start with anything and be happy - The Word for World is Forest, Four Ways to Forgiveness, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Dispossessed, The Left Hand of Darkness, and so forth - but personally I think her two best are the latter two.

I really enjoyed BorkBork's essays on her Earthsea Cycle as well, though, so if you end up reading A Wizard of Earthsea (and the following two books in particular), I'd go find his account and read his essays. He's our biggest LeGuin fanboy, I think.

I couldn't get into her fantasy series (Earthsea) no matter how many times I put it down and restarted it, but I love her speculative fiction. I read The Left Hand of Darkness first instead of The Dispossessed (still haven't read it) and was kind of disoriented for a bit, but quickly got "it" and ended up really loving the book. Is the Dispossessed a little easier to start with?

Also, if you want to talk about dreamy, as a previous poster mentioned:


The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin

This was probably the first book of hers that I read. It's like a really really good Twilight Zone episode.

 

[Fjordson]

Thanks for the insight, y'all. I think I'll try Left Hand of Darkness first.

 

[Trent Strong]

What's the best Don DeLillo book?

 

[nakedsushi]

Finished! Thanks for the recommendation (and the tip off on the Kindle version deal), posters of this thread.


Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky

Loved the atmosphere, the writing, and the ending. For those who read the book (spoiler about the Zone):

Spoiler

is the Zone just a metaphor for nuclear fallout? It seems like that was probably on a lot of Russians' minds during the 70s.

 

[dream]

What's the best Don DeLillo book?

Well, Underworld, I guess. But I like The Body Artist a lot.

 

[Trent Strong]

Well, Underworld, I guess. But I like The Body Artist a lot.

The Body Artist, eh? I'll have to check it out.

 

[Devil Theory]

Just finished this.

It was okay, however Morrison needs to vastly improve his environmental descriptions. It was very difficult to imagine the world he was attempting to create and often used repetitive phrases or words and it got old, quick. Especially if you aren't familiar with the base theme of the book.

I did enjoy the concept though, and I would like to see another one expanded on, specifically

Spoiler

why the surface became poisonous and uninhabitable to begin with.

I started this right after, and am currently about 50% in:

 

[DieUnbekannte]

I haven't updated here in a while. At the moment I'm reading Shadowplay from Tad Williams. I'm 30% in and really like it so far. It's interesting how the story continues. I'm tempted to read the third one immediately after I've finished this one but I think I'm going to squeeze Norwegian Wood from Murakami in.
Before that I read several other books like Furies of Calderon from Jim Butcher. He created an absolutely fascinating world based upon the ancient Rome - looking forward to reading the second novel. After that I read Divergent from Veronica Roth. I wasn't sure what to expect and wasn't really convinced I should read it, but I had the chance to borrow it from a friend so I gave it a try. I have to admit it was a good book - maybe I'm going to read the sequel soon. After that it was once again discworld-time, so I chose "the amazing Maurice and his educated rodents" -

Spoiler

funny new interpretation of the Pied Piper of Hamelin

 

[Quake1028]

$1.99 for the Kindle Daily Deal. What say you, GAF?

 

[Ashes]

I didn't really like it myself, but some people do. I hear the sequel is better, but I'm not prepared to invest any more time in the series.

It's easy to read though, and every chapter is equal in length at about 1000 words iirc. It jumps back and forth in time telling how the main protagonist came to be how he is. Pretty formulaic for me, and neither the prose nor the story saved it. It's just an alright book, that some people seem to like.

 

[Photosynthesis]

<3

The first Valente story I read was her first book in her A Dirge for Prester John series, The Habitation of the Blessed. I absolutely loved it - but I think that The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is definitely her best.

Needless to say, lacking children of my own, I have instead bugged friends of mine who do have children to get them to read it.

Yes! Another Valente fan! I liked her Orphan's Tales series as well. She has such gorgeous writing.

Also, she coming out with a sequel to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. I am super excited.

Stealth Edit: Speaking of Le Guin, I saw her give a talk at my college two years ago. She was great.

 

[Verdre]

$1.99 for the Kindle Daily Deal. What say you, GAF?

I agree with Ashes. Alright is a good way to describe it. It's a bit like if Artemis Fowl was evil and leading a band of killers. Certainly worth the gamble that you might like it for that price.

 

[Nymerio]

$1.99 for the Kindle Daily Deal. What say you, GAF?

I'm one of the people who liked it. The plot my not be outstanding but I really like the setting.

Spoiler concerning the setting:

Spoiler

It's set in some kind of post apocalyptic future. Some of the castles are actually not castles at all but refitted buildings from the past. One was even a parking garage. There are still nuclear weapons and guns around, but the knowledge how to use these has for the most part been lost. Some AIs from the past still exist.

For that price it's absolutely worth to try it.

 

[DagsJT]

I thought Prince Of Thorns was pretty good. I liked the main character, story wasn't amazing though.

 

[fierrotlepou]

Just started reading The Tropic of Cancer

Kind of hard to get into, it's completely different from anything I've read before.

After this I might try reading some Nietzsche, starting with Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Any opinions on Nietzsche?