Easystride
Member
Reading The Maltese Falcon and I can hardly put it down. I need more books like this in my life soon since I will finish it shortly.
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What are you reading? (June 2011)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
LocoMrPollock
Banned
Can anyone recommend a book that is about a group of people hunting a serial killer, or something similar? Something set in a different time period would be a bonus.
I read The Alienist and its sequel, both of which were great and am in the mood for more.
I read The Alienist and its sequel, both of which were great and am in the mood for more.
Salvor.Hardin
Banned
Half way through, and it's already quite frankly one of the best novels I've ever read.
Granger Danger
Member
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0312924585/?tag=neogaf0e-20LocoMrPollock said:
Maklershed
Member
LocoMrPollock said:
Our first GAF book club book, Child 44, fits that description. A group of people in Russia around the time of WW2 hunt a serial killer who preys on children. It was decent but nothing to write home about. You might be interested in it though.
Other than some Hunter S. Thompson poems and essays, this and Les Miserables were my favorite pieces of literature we had to read in high school.Salvor.Hardin said:
LocoMrPollock
Banned
I think I meant to get that and forgot about it. Will definitely check it out.
TheChewyWaffles
Member
I think I've already mentioned it, but I'm slogging through A Feast For Crows. 33% in...definitely harder to read than the first 3.
TheChewyWaffles
Member
Joe said:I started reading LOTR: Fellowship Of The Ring this month (I've never read any of the books or seen any of the movies). I only finished the first 2 chapters but I always find myself wanting to get home so I can read a little more. Sucks I'm such a slow reader
The book adaptations of Jackson's trilogy are OK. The movies are far superior, though.
Harry Potter
Banned
Awful
BamYouHaveAids
Member
In what way? More advanced language or is it just more poorly written/boring? Just finished Game of Thrones.BigNastyCurve said:
LocoMrPollock
Banned
Gvaz said:
Joe Abercrombie - First Law Trilogy and Best Served Cold and The Heroes. If you can get past the first book which is a little slow and underwhelming, the others are all pretty great.
Glen Cook - The Black Company Chronicles. Really cool books that follow a group of mercenaries in a dark fantasy world.
Patrick Rothfuss - Name of the Wind and Wiseman's Fear.
On the sci-fi side, I'd recommend:
Orson Scott Card - Ender's Saga
Peter F Hamilton - Commonwealth Saga and Void Trilogy. Massive scale space opera that rivals G.R.R.M. in characters, depth and setting. Lots of POVs.
All that I can think of of the top of my head, but those will keep you busy for quite some time.
Emonga said:
Pretty terrible lists.
I already need to finish pandora's star and judas unchained so I can go and read temporal and evolutionary void.
I have Joe and pat on the backburners, and orson scott card. I have started reading Black company but I hate Cook's prose in the first book, so much. I find it very hard.
As to those two lists, I already have 95% of that in my backburners, or I've already read them.
Also wheel of time is in my backburner but I hear his descriptions are rather excessive, which isn't really fun.
I have Joe and pat on the backburners, and orson scott card. I have started reading Black company but I hate Cook's prose in the first book, so much. I find it very hard.
As to those two lists, I already have 95% of that in my backburners, or I've already read them.
Also wheel of time is in my backburner but I hear his descriptions are rather excessive, which isn't really fun.
LocoMrPollock
Banned
Gvaz said:
I had the same problem with Cook when I first started. He gets better about halfway through the first book, and then the second is great and he just keeps getting better.
I wouldn't go near Wheel of Time, personally. I wasted a good amount of time on the first book before throwing in the towel and apparently it gets worse.
Anyway, yeah, seems like you're pretty set for awhile.
Also for Scifi, I forgot about Greg Bear, almost everything he writes is great. And I also really enjoyed The Heechee Saga, by Frederik Pohl. It starts out with Gateway and they are all good and quick reads.
BigNastyCurve said:
I know it's kinda cliched, but it was definitely true for me: I appreciated AFFC a *lot* more on a reread. I think I was just somehow too focused on what was missing on the first read.
I'm on what's technically my third read through in prep for Dance, and I really have enjoyed it more.
nakedsushi
Member
S1lent said:
Pretty interesting look at the lives of migrant workers in China.
Yeah! I liked that book too. One thing I liked about it was that it provided a different view of the people working in factories and it wasn't judgemental at all. If you liked this book, I recommend trying out some of Peter Hessler (her husband who's also a writer)'s books too.
A little over the halfway mark now and loving it. Something just clicked, I guess.
Yeah. I think the latter half of Diplomatic Immunity almost captured the same tension of the earlier Miles novels, but even that ended... disappointingly? I think the problem is that Miles is old now (as old as 39 can be, anyways) and he's settled into the good life. It might be better for Bujold to move away from him, but even then I'm not sure if she can recapture the magic of the earlier books.Cyan said:Had pretty much the same reaction. Punch to the gut. Almost inevitable though, given the theme of the book.
I've felt for the last couple of books that Miles is getting kind of played out. I hate to say it, since he's one of my favorite characters in fiction, but there's just not that much left for him to do. Bringing him into this kind of smaller mystery story doesn't enlarge the mystery so much as it shrinks him. And I hate to see that.
On the plus side, the next book is apparently Ivan-focused. Which should be a blast.
I hope the Ivan book is great, I love the dude.
But man, he's like 40 now, too.thoughthorizon
Member
A classic.
Marsipolami
Member
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Very short so ought to finish it to day. Enjoying it.
Shadow and Betrayal by Daniel Abraham
Getting through it, slowly, slowly. Sometimes very good, sometimes dull as f*ck.
Kabuki Quantum Lover
Member
Learning ActionScript 3.0 by Shupe & Rosser. Utterly compelling.
I started Thomas Mann's "Buddenbrooks" on May 2nd, and I've only reached page 200 almost two months later. Haven't read much due to exams and a couple of time-heavy games on the DS. Anxious to finish it and start something else, but there are 350 pages to go. It's a great book so far, so I could probably finish it in a week if I just put in an effort and stopped playing DQVI for a while...
LocoMrPollock
Banned
subversus said:
That sounds pretty interesting and different. Yet another book added to my growing backlog.
Finally got approved on GAF today and there's no new Juniors thread to post in
Ahh well, this'll have to do! Hi all!
I'm just finishing this one up;
And I'll probably follow straight into;
Thinking of taking a break from fantasy/sci-fi so any suggestions for interesting, quirky fiction would be much appreciated!
Ahh well, this'll have to do! Hi all!
I'm just finishing this one up;
And I'll probably follow straight into;
Thinking of taking a break from fantasy/sci-fi so any suggestions for interesting, quirky fiction would be much appreciated!
Ashes1396 said:
I'm putting in a way, way early recommendation (also nautical) for the following month:
http://www.amazon.com/Trawler-Journey-Through-North-Atlantic/dp/1400078105/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309158406&sr=8-1
I recommend a glossary link or something similar for your book club thread, Cyan. The book is great but can almost be disorienting with the heavy nautical terminology and I don't think every edition has a glossary.
This was lifted from goodreads:
1. Flying jib
2. Jib
3. Fore topmast staysail
4. Fore staysail
5. Foresail or Fore course
6. Fore topsail
7. Fore topgallant
8. Main staysail
9. Main topmast staysail
10.Middle staysail
11.Main topgallant staysail
13.Mainsail or Main course
14. Main topsail
15. Main topgallant
16. Mizzen staysail
17. Mizzen topmast staysail
18. Mizzen topgallant staysail
19. Mizzen sail
20. Spanker
21. Mizzen topsail
22. Mizzen topgallant
This was lifted from goodreads:
1. Flying jib
2. Jib
3. Fore topmast staysail
4. Fore staysail
5. Foresail or Fore course
6. Fore topsail
7. Fore topgallant
8. Main staysail
9. Main topmast staysail
10.Middle staysail
11.Main topgallant staysail
13.Mainsail or Main course
14. Main topsail
15. Main topgallant
16. Mizzen staysail
17. Mizzen topmast staysail
18. Mizzen topgallant staysail
19. Mizzen sail
20. Spanker
21. Mizzen topsail
22. Mizzen topgallant
Cyan said:Heh. No dream! That was one of the suggestions, but we decided to go with Patrick O'Brian instead.
The Count will be on the nomination list for the following month.
Glad to hear to confirmation that I'm not clinically insane.
I'm not in for this one, but if I can influence the powers that be, you got to help me out in july/august, with a short story collection or two. They're impossible to read in a week. When do we nominate a book? Cause I want to put in Dubliners by James Joyce.
Got pulled away from Under The Dome by this macabre little gem.
It's a YA novel about a kid who through horrific circumstances has to go live with his father in rural Iowa, and discovers that his father has a very ghastly occupation. Kraus' writing is superb, and I'm staying up way too late on work nights to finish just one more chapter.
Vanillalite
Ask me about the GAF Notebook
Dead Prince
Banned
i haven't even started on Mira Grant's Deadline :\
too many distractions <3
But i ended picking up Dan Wells I Am Not A Serial Killer
Kinda boring really. but then again i'm on chapter 4 lol.
too many distractions <3
But i ended picking up Dan Wells I Am Not A Serial Killer
Kinda boring really. but then again i'm on chapter 4 lol.
Didn't care for it. I had the same problem with the book that I had with the movie: the protagonist is such a nasty, annoying fuck that I had a hard time connecting to what was going on. And he's not unlikable in an interesting way, either. This book's plotting was confusing as hell at times, too. Strangely enough, I do want to continue with the series.
Life A User's Manual - Georges Perec
I hesitate to rave about a book before I finish it, but this is AMAZING. It's not always easy or enjoyable, but when it is, it's one of the best things I've ever read. Takes place in a single moment in time at a Paris apartment building. Jumps from room to room of the joint, telling the stories of its inhabitants. Often takes the form of lengthy descriptions of the items in said rooms, but the items say so much about their owners that it's always fascinating. The whole thing is very Borges-like, with its love of puzzles and stories within stories. Can't recommend it enough, as long as you're into unconventional, slightly experimental literature.