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[nakedsushi]

About the video game Stalker:

Yeah, I'd say definitely. I think it's meant to mirror

Spoiler

the long-term damage and dangers of nuclear weapons, with a sci-fi twist.

The videogames based loosely on the story made that metaphor literal by setting it inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

That's kind of disappointing. I was hoping that it would follow the book more, and be more like a scavenger hunt or something. Sounds like it's not?

 

[Piecake]

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

I really didnt like it all that much, but for 2 bucks, why not?

I didnt think the plot was very interesting and felt that the main characters personality was more of a gimmick than anything. It just never felt 'real' to me and I simply couldnt get invested in the book.

 

[Sleepy]

The Corrections is quite good. I am also reading Every Love Story is a Ghost Story-- the DFW-- biography, which falls heavily into what DFW hated-- a biography of the intentional fallacy.

 

[Silas Lang]

Reading Heart of Darkness and The Red Badge of Courage over the break.

 

[Sleepy]

What's the best Don DeLillo book?

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

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

Well, The Body Artist has one of the best opening scenes in contemporary fiction, but it falls apart quickly after that. His best is likely to cause arguments, but you cannot go wrong with White Noise. It's probably his most well-known book. Underworld is good, as well; however, you should probably work up to that one by getting a sense of his themes, style, etc in his shorter works. I am quite partial to Ratner's Star. And American is good, if dated. Oh, and Mao II-- notice the difficulty? I think the best place to start is White Noise.

 

[thomaser]

Well, The Body Artist has one of the best opening scenes in contemporary fiction

So does Underworld That first chapter is a tour de force.

I've read White Noise and Underworld, and vastly preferred the latter.

 

[markhimself46]

Just finished reading House of Leaves--great experience. It took me awhile to read but definitely glad I did. I really enjoyed it.

I'm not getting Building Stories until Christmas so I'll have to wait a few days.

Read this gem of a book that I highly recommend to everyone. It's incredible.

Damon Lindelof's forward in the book sums it up perfectly: "it's the best episode of The Twilight Zone that was never produced."

 

[Pachimari]

I probably haven't read a book for a decade but I started this week with Norwegian Wood and I'm now at chapter 3. I really love it so far. I also got Metro 2033, The Vampire Diaries (I know, guilty pleasure) and will order After Dark by Murakami as well. Got 1Q84 on Kindle but I'm gonna get that as hardcover. Am I in for a treat?

 

[Sleepy]

So does Underworld That first chapter is a tour de force.

Not if you hate baseball. And Point Omega is better than Underworld. And Libra, too.

 

[Easystride]

I probably haven't read a book for a decade but I started this week with Norwegian Wood and I'm now at chapter 3. I really love it so far. I also got Metro 2033, The Vampire Diaries (I know, guilty pleasure) and will order After Dark by Murakami as well. Got 1Q84 on Kindle but I'm gonna get that as hardcover. Am I in for a treat?

I know a lot of people hate on 1Q84, but I really liked it aside from a few chapters in book 3. Norwegian Wood is also very good. Haven't read the others.

 

[Mumei]

I read a bit more of Le Guin's Four Ways to Forgiveness, but I started Cornelius L. Reid's Bel Canto: Principles and Practices which is fascinating.

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.

Indeed! I also read The Folded World, which didn't seem quite as effortlessly inventive as The Habitation of the Blessed, though I suppose that was to be expected considering it is in the same setting, and Yume no Hon which ... I don't know. I think that sometimes she can go a bit metaphor-happy and I think it is really apparent that it was one of her earliest efforts. Her later work is better.

And Palimpsest was also great. I really liked its conceit, and I really loved how it featured The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. I read Palimpsest first so it was fun reading that and then reading Fairyland next to find out what book November had been reading.

 

[Pachimari]

I know a lot of people hate on 1Q84, but I really liked it aside from a few chapters in book 3. Norwegian Wood is also very good. Haven't read the others.

I thought there were a lot of hype around those books on GAF? It even had its own thread. I liked the first chapter of it but I'm gonna go get it in Danish instead.

 

[Photosynthesis]

Indeed! I also read The Folded World, which didn't seem quite as effortlessly inventive as The Habitation of the Blessed, though I suppose that was to be expected considering it is in the same setting, and Yume no Hon which ... I don't know. I think that sometimes she can go a bit metaphor-happy and I think it is really apparent that it was one of her earliest efforts. Her later work is better.

And Palimpsest was also great. I really liked its conceit, and I really loved how it featured The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. I read Palimpsest first so it was fun reading that and then reading Fairyland next to find out what book November had been reading.

I have Labyrinth, which I think I'm going to give a shot, although, apparently, she goes a little overboard with the imagery on that one. I'd love to read Palimpset, only heard good things.

Also, can I recommend you a book? I've just almost finished re-reading Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones, which is still my favorite book ever. If you are interested in a subtle, complex and clever fantasy retelling of Tam Lin coupled with a beautiful coming-of-age story, you should give it a try! I'm trying to spread the love.

 

[Maklershed]

Finished Roadside Picnic and starting The Old Man and the Wasteland


The Old Man and the Wasteland by Nick Cole

 

[Eaten By A Grue]

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.

Wow this is a blast from the past. As a kid this series was second to the Hobbit and LOTR for me. In elementary school I read all the Redwall series the books over and over again until they were completely worn out. What I did not own I borrowed all the time from the library. The first book, Redwall, was definitely my favorite. What really sucks is that Brian Jacques died last year :-(

 

[Jintor]

Redwall was probably one of my favourite series growing up. Not sure if I can go back to it, but definitely a huge influence.

 

[Lanark]

So does Underworld That first chapter is a tour de force.

I've read White Noise and Underworld, and vastly preferred the latter.

I've only read White Noise by DeLillo, and I enjoyed that book a lot less than I thought I would. I had to force myself to finish it.

Do you think there's any chance I'd like Underworld? Pretty much all my favorite authors love DeLillo, so I almost think I should too, but White Noise was such a disappointment.

 

[Sleepy]

I would think if you didn't like White Noise Underworld would be torture.

 

[Eaten By A Grue]

Just finished:

Now reading:

I was not too thrilled with Undersea. I could see what the author was going for, but by the end it read like a predictable cheap Hollywood action movie. I think I did not get into it because I never really got attached to the characters. They were a little bland and uninteresting. I am picking up Cloud Atlas because I want to read the book before seeing the movie whenever it comes out on blu-ray. I have a bad feeling that the movie is not going to do the book justice. Recently I finished all of the Hyperion Cantos books so I am trying to get through these single books I have on my backlog before getting into another epic series again.

 

[thomaser]

Not if you hate baseball. And Point Omega is better than Underworld. And Libra, too.

Heh, I really don't like baseball... it's boring in every way. But that chapter really gave me a glimpse into why so many people are obsessed with it. And it's the first time I have ever almost understood that... "sport".

 

[thomaser]

I've only read White Noise by DeLillo, and I enjoyed that book a lot less than I thought I would. I had to force myself to finish it.

Do you think there's any chance I'd like Underworld? Pretty much all my favorite authors love DeLillo, so I almost think I should too, but White Noise was such a disappointment.

Hard to say if you'll like it, but I definitely found it much more interesting than White Noise (which I still liked, by the way). You might not think the same, though: I'm one of those who tends to focus on the parts I like and forget the ones I don't, so I end up enjoying most of what I read in one way or another. But Underworld was really impressive in that big, all-encompassing way. It does have stretches that can feel boring or pointless, like the books by David Foster Wallace, so don't expect to be entertained ALL the way.

 

[Sleepy]

Heh, I really don't like baseball... it's boring in every way. But that chapter really gave me a glimpse into why so many people are obsessed with it. And it's the first time I have ever almost understood that... "sport".

Okay, I get that. And some of Underworld was very good. Not the place to start...like skipping Crying of Lot 49 and going right to Gravity's Rainbow-- it can be done, but why would you?

It does have stretches that can feel boring or pointless, like the books by David Foster Wallace

 

[FilthyLies]

I love DFW but you must admit that you weren't enthralled with every single page of Infinite Jest.

 

[Sleepy]

I love DFW but you must admit that you weren't enthralled with every single page of Infinite Jest.

Yes, but not boring or pointless, though.

 

[berg ark]

I'm thinking about picking up Collapse by Jared Diamond.

Has anyone read it? I've heard from a few people that it's not as good as GGS. Collapse fails to convey a larger argument and rather goes into miniscule detail in some rather special cases. It makes it dry and dull. Can anyone confirm? I loved GGS but I'm not willing to put out for 500 pages if it doesn't deliver.

 

[Setre]

About halfway through:

It started off slow but has gotten really good. I've never done drugs, or gotten drunk/smoked a cigarette for that matter, so seeing a person descend into a drug addict is rather fascinating. He also paints a fascinating picture of what life in Hong Kong is like for a non-native.

 

[Easystride]

Picked up Theft of Swords. Has anyone read it? I got a few books in my backlog I have to finish first.

 

[Izick]

So I was at the bookstore, and I almost bought a Dragonlance book (it was more of a collection of books), but I decided against it as I didn't know if it was the true beginning, and I didn't want to buy a book before I finish the current SoIaF book I'm on.

Anyway, I didn't look into it a ton, but it was a fairly thick paperback with a yellow cover to it. It had an opening about a mage, I think...I know it had a page dedicated to giving quick, 1-2 sentence descriptions of the protaganists. It talked of a like 5-7 warriors, and I remember that Raistlin guy and his twin brother were mentioned. So the little that I read (I was kind of rushed), it seemed that these old adventurers were meeting up again, so that's why I didn't think it was the true beginning.

Does anyone have any idea what book I'm talking about. Would be much appreciated if you did.

 

[Narag]

So I was at the bookstore, and I almost bought a Dragonlance book (it was more of a collection of books), but I decided against it as I didn't know if it was the true beginning, and I didn't want to buy a book before I finish the current SoIaF book I'm on.

Anyway, I didn't look into it a ton, but it was a fairly thick paperback with a yellow cover to it. It had an opening about a mage, I think...I know it had a page dedicated to giving quick, 1-2 sentence descriptions of the protaganists. It talked of a like 5-7 warriors, and I remember that Raistlin guy and his twin brother were mentioned. So the little that I read (I was kind of rushed), it seemed that these old adventurers were meeting up again, so that's why I didn't think it was the true beginning.

Does anyone have any idea what book I'm talking about. Would be much appreciated if you did.

Sounds like Dragons of Autumn Twilight , If it was Tanis heading to Solace, it should be the first.

 

[Izick]

Sounds like Dragons of Autumn Twilight , If it was Tanis heading to Solace, it should be the first.

I think you're right, but it was this:

Dragonlance Chronicles Trilogy: A Dragonlance Omnibus

At least that's what the cover looked like (the one with the dragon and red-robed wizard). And what's with those insane prices? I saw it at the bookstore for like 5$! I would go back but the store is like over an hour away, and it wouldn't be worth it just for that.

So is that the true beginning of the series? Is it even any good? What's the best parts of this series?

 

[Narag]

I think you're right, but it was this:

Dragonlance Chronicles Trilogy: A Dragonlance Omnibus

At least that's what the cover looked like (the one with the dragon and red-robed wizard). And what's with those insane prices? I saw it at the bookstore for like 5$! I would go back but the store is like over an hour away, and it wouldn't be worth it just for that.

So is that the true beginning of the series? Is it even any good? What's the best parts of this series?

Yeah, those are the first three Dragonlance books first published in the mid 80s. They're ok, probably better off as some sort of introduction into fantasy than something to visit after being exposed to anything more substantial.

They're unfortunately very evocative of the game and its ruleset at the time, authors seemed to have a distinct bias towards Raistlin & Caramon as their parts were generally better than the rest, the second book is just bizarre as anything neat is something that happened in flashback and isn't explored until in future books, but I seem to recall liking the ending.

$5 and quick reads though might scratch an itch cheaply enough. Amazon price might be an instance of it being out of print is all.

 

[Guileless]

I finished the novel Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. It appeared on several Top 10 lists for 2012 and I enjoyed it. This would be a good book for Europeans (or even coastal Blue Staters) to read to have a better perspective on the "Muricans" who voted for Dubya. I got it as a Kindle deal, not sure if it's still on sale.

 

[phisheep]

I'm thinking about picking up Collapse by Jared Diamond.

Has anyone read it? I've heard from a few people that it's not as good as GGS. Collapse fails to convey a larger argument and rather goes into miniscule detail in some rather special cases. It makes it dry and dull. Can anyone confirm? I loved GGS but I'm not willing to put out for 500 pages if it doesn't deliver.

I've read it through maybe three times now, and it's one of the books I will never get rid of.

Doesn't have the same sort of huge thematic basis that GGS has - but the details themselves are compelling and thought-provoking. Needs to be read fairly slowly to take it all in, not a book to be rushed. Chilling opening chapter.

Certainly I'd recommend it.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

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.

Spoiler

So it's like* the book of the new urth ?

 

[Nymerio]

Kinda. But even though I liked Prince of Thorns, I'd say they're far inferior to the Urth books.

 

[Easystride]

Finished Elantris.

Started:

 

[Labombadog]

Just finished Clash of kings earlier this week and then started and finished Ender's Game.

Both were fantastic books.

Currently reading: 1984

 

[twilitesparklemotion]

Very, very slowly.

Working through part two even slowli...er.

If I get it for Christmas.

 

[qizah]

I bought a few books last month for pretty cheap on the Kobo store:

• ASOIAF: A Feast for Crows
• The Great Gatsby
• 1984
• Animal Farm
• The Hobbit

I've also got a couple for free:

• The Time Machine
• A Tale of Two Cities

I haven't read any of these before, so I'm looking forward to getting through a few of them this holiday and onward into next year. I've just recently started getting into reading more, so I decided I should probably read some novels that are considered classics.

Right now I'm reading A Feast for Crows as I've been addicted to the ASOIAF series! Once I'm done I'll move onto something else. I also got John Dies at the End by David Wong as a birthday gift. It sounds pretty strange, however I read a bit of it already and it's fairly interesting.

 

[DagsJT]

Finished "The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey and now started "The Redbreast" by Jo Nesbo.

 

[Diatribe1974]

Right now. Great book.

 

[twilitesparklemotion]

Oh, man. You know what I want to read? The new Snicket. Has anyone read that?

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Right now. Great book.

If I wanted to get into the Warhammer 40k stuff, where would I even start?

 

[Celegus]

If I wanted to get into the Warhammer 40k stuff, where would I even start?

The picture you quoted doesn't load at work, but Eisenhorn is a faaaaantastic place to start in Warhammer 40k.

 

[Narag]

If I wanted to get into the Warhammer 40k stuff, where would I even start?

Still scratching the surface myself but Dan Abnett stuff seems like a good choice as is the Horus Heresy stuff.

 

[KidDork]

Still scratching the surface myself but Dan Abnett stuff seems like a good choice as is the Horus Heresy stuff.

Seconded. The Horus Heresy gives a good grounding for the Warhammer universe. Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts books were my introduction to the world, and I owe the man a drink for that.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Started this last night. Nearly half way through. Very intriguing. Kinda hard to put down. I've never read a book by Jon Ronson before, but this is a great glimpse into the world of psychopaths. Sometimes funny, but sometimes actually pretty disturbing.

 

[Dresden]

If I wanted to get into the Warhammer 40k stuff, where would I even start?

Ciaphas Cain. Flashman-lite in Space.

 

[gdt]

Just started

Not very far in yet. Lots of time jumps so far.

 

[Setre]

Finished Eating Smoke and now I have a dilemma on which book to start next. Maybe you wonderful people can help me out? Here are my choices:

This Book is Full of Spiders
Before They Are Hanged
The Stainless Steel Rat
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon*

*Little note here. I've only read two other books by King; Cell and The Gunslinger, neither of which I liked. Hoping I'll like this one and it'll spur me into wanting to read more King.