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What are you reading? (May 09)
- Thread starter Undeux
- Start date
Cosmic Bus said:
That's a wonderful collection. I bought my copy at Bette's Books, Stephen King's hometown bookstore.
I just finished reading Lee Child's Nothing to Lose (which is the worst of the Reacher series so far), and am concurrently reading Simon and Burns's The Corner.
Finished Lawrence Block's final Keller novel earlier this week, which was slow for a Keller story, but enjoyable.
Musashi Wins!
FLAWLESS VICTOLY!
ElectricBlue187 said:check out my lovely little map of the road http://www.flexiblemaps.com/archives/113
lately i've been reading State of the Art
it has it's moments.
I read Use of Weapons recently and it was fantastic. I was wondering if the series can maintain the sort of movement it's had so far. I could stop where I'm at and think the man a genius of scifi.
Broseybrose
Member
for either the 3rd or 4th time... Murakami's tied right up there with Salinger for my #1 favorite author.
tyguy20204
Member
nitewulf said:
Runaway, by Alice Munro.
Dubliners, by James Joyce.
Our Story Begins, by Tobias Wolff
The Burning Plain and Other Stories, by Juan Rulfo
But I'll agree, Nine Stories is pretty great, especially "For Esme - With Love & Squalor" which is pretty much perfect.
BuckRobotron
Member
Just finished. Short, but spread out by reading small amounts here and there whenever visiting the local B&N.
Half done. Been reading a couple chapters at a time, no rush.
Recently started. Has priority right now.
The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling by Henry Fielding. Written ca. 1750, very dry-witty and satirical, and quite experimental for its time. Fun if you can stomach the sometimes very long-running sentences.
By the way, how do you people find all those good cover-images? I only get the small "look inside"-images from Amazon... I can't go in to see the front page and so on since I use Opera, that might be the problem.
ElectricBlue187
Member
Musashi Wins! said:
I've read the whole series (except for Excession and Look To Windward) and I think you should definetly read The Player of Games if you want to see Banks at the top of his game. Banks is always 'good' though if not all of his novels are 'great'. You can't beat the Culture for high concept sci-fi imo.
Alice Munro is sorta hit and miss w/ me, sometimes too feminist. Surprised not to see a Carver collection in your list! As for 9 Stories, I think my fav. is Just Before the War w/ the Eskimos and Pretty Mouth, & Green my Eyes. The guy just had a way of writing...too bad the bastard stopped...tyguy20204 said:
ElectricBlue187
Member
Snaku said:
so you liked the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" style of storytelling :lol
I sat in stunned silence after finishing Hyperion, such an amazing book
but WTF at the ending.
SaggyMonkey
Member
Currently reading this one:
thetechkid
Member
ElectricBlue187
Member
Snaku said:
We're off the see the wizard, and then the preview of the next book which basically begins "I have no idea what happened to the people in the last book"
:/
:/
tyguy20204
Member
nitewulf said:
I can agree with that sentiment of Alice Munro. Runaway is pretty great, though. And Carver I do also enjoy.
I wonder if it's true that Salinger has kept writing, storing away his manuscripts somewhere, and that his estate will release them when he dies? I haven't really followed what's going on with Salinger lately, but I remember that always being the big rumor, or at least something that he might've said at one time. Would be sort of neat if it turned out to be the case.
MrToughPants
Brian Burke punched my mom
Reading Dune for the first time, i'm about 170 pages into it.
Ordered The Haunted Lands Trilogy, Memoirs of a Vampire and Vampire of the Mists.
Ordered The Haunted Lands Trilogy, Memoirs of a Vampire and Vampire of the Mists.
Musashi Wins!
FLAWLESS VICTOLY!
ElectricBlue187 said:
I've read the first three, Consider Phlebus, Player of Games and Use of Weapons. I thought they were uniformly excellent and all different in their focus. I can't think of any high theory genre writers that outclass him. I think Use of Weapons I found most effecting, though I don't say it easily. I did read however that it was his personal favorite (from whenever the interview was) of the Culture series.
Tim the Wiz
Banned
Well, I went on a Dresden Files reading binge over the past week. Got through Summer Knight (book 4) finally, and as FnordChan promised and prodded, Butcher opens up the world in new and unexpected ways. I think I stopped someway through Summer Knight because I was getting a bit tired of the formulaic detective genre set-up that I was so used to after reading too much Agatha Christie. However, much to my pleasant surprise, the direction the series heads in after that novel is fantastic.
Butcher really starts to explore the potential of his world, characterization becomes stronger and a few revelations begin to creep in. Moreover, what makes the series so enjoyable - fast pace, witty asides, Harry pulling yet another Houdini - remains. So, a week and several books later, I find myself waiting for book twelve next year alongside with what should be most of the fantasy fiction reading community.
Also finished Market Forces by Richard K Morgan - boy, does he wear his heart on his sleeve here - which is a good read, but not his best. I think he states his case on the social and political dangers of unchecked capitalism better with his creation of the world the Kovacs novels reside in. There is a consistent sense of purpose and momentum in the novel, though, making it no surprise that it begun its life as a film script.
Petrodor by little-known Australian author Joel Sheperd was also an enjoyable read. It's the second in an unexpectedly intelligent series that centers on Sasha, a female warrior who models herself on the rational ideals of a foreign, almost alien, race, and the barbarian toughness of the nation of whom she is royalty. Once a pampered princess, she leaves her comfortable life at an early age to train under her nation's most formidable warrior, but is written off by the world at large as merely his plaything. As you'd expect, she goes through the novels attempting to prove her worth, but her journey is more a foil than anything else to explore a world similar to Crusades-era medieval Europe, containing its familiar players - ruthless, ambitious royalty and high-handed, power-drunk Church - and conflicts, with an elevated emphasis and fantastical twist on their "heretical" enemy.
Still reading Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges, I usually operate slower with collective works to be honest, and halfway through re-reading Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. War & Peace continues to be an ongoing commitment. And I've also got to get back onto the ridiculous masochistic action extravaganza that is Total War by Jerry Ahern; I couldn't help but laugh out loud at some of the dialogue ten pages in. Admittedly, there's a lot more on ice at the moment.
Butcher really starts to explore the potential of his world, characterization becomes stronger and a few revelations begin to creep in. Moreover, what makes the series so enjoyable - fast pace, witty asides, Harry pulling yet another Houdini - remains. So, a week and several books later, I find myself waiting for book twelve next year alongside with what should be most of the fantasy fiction reading community.
Also finished Market Forces by Richard K Morgan - boy, does he wear his heart on his sleeve here - which is a good read, but not his best. I think he states his case on the social and political dangers of unchecked capitalism better with his creation of the world the Kovacs novels reside in. There is a consistent sense of purpose and momentum in the novel, though, making it no surprise that it begun its life as a film script.
Petrodor by little-known Australian author Joel Sheperd was also an enjoyable read. It's the second in an unexpectedly intelligent series that centers on Sasha, a female warrior who models herself on the rational ideals of a foreign, almost alien, race, and the barbarian toughness of the nation of whom she is royalty. Once a pampered princess, she leaves her comfortable life at an early age to train under her nation's most formidable warrior, but is written off by the world at large as merely his plaything. As you'd expect, she goes through the novels attempting to prove her worth, but her journey is more a foil than anything else to explore a world similar to Crusades-era medieval Europe, containing its familiar players - ruthless, ambitious royalty and high-handed, power-drunk Church - and conflicts, with an elevated emphasis and fantastical twist on their "heretical" enemy.
Still reading Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges, I usually operate slower with collective works to be honest, and halfway through re-reading Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. War & Peace continues to be an ongoing commitment. And I've also got to get back onto the ridiculous masochistic action extravaganza that is Total War by Jerry Ahern; I couldn't help but laugh out loud at some of the dialogue ten pages in. Admittedly, there's a lot more on ice at the moment.
D
Deleted member 1235
Unconfirmed Member
I'm reading 'infinite jest'
it seems interesting but I'm thinking of putting it down until I go on vacation. really needs some time, the language in it is very... descriptive I guess. takes a dude 5 pages to walk down a hallway and put on a shirt and you know by the time he's done that what he thinks of the relationship between his brother and mother and whats for dinner with them later...
I kind of like it but doesn't suit itself to 15 minute reads while in the train.
it seems interesting but I'm thinking of putting it down until I go on vacation. really needs some time, the language in it is very... descriptive I guess. takes a dude 5 pages to walk down a hallway and put on a shirt and you know by the time he's done that what he thinks of the relationship between his brother and mother and whats for dinner with them later...
I kind of like it but doesn't suit itself to 15 minute reads while in the train.
I've been trying to get anyone and everyone to read the Hyperion series, but for those of you who do, I pray that you read Endymion and Rise of Endymion as well. Quite frankly, The Rise of Endymion is the single greatest ending to a series that I have ever read. It is brutal and yet so unbelievably satisfying.
And sniffle...just the mentions to Ender's Game and Speaker For the Dead (forget all the other books...Card milked it too hard, but those two were splendid.)
And even seeing reference to Stranger In a Strange Land is so great.
Currently, I'm reading a Heinlein book called, "Another Door to Summer".
It's great so far, but I just began it. It is a stretch for many of my favorite sci-fi books as they were written in the '50s, but many of the stories still hold water.
I'm a sci-fi dork to the hilt, so I tend to hit up things regarding it, but if you haven't ever read Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa...it is truly my favorite book. I read it at least once a year just for shits and giggles.
Have a great one always, people. Great thread.
And sniffle...just the mentions to Ender's Game and Speaker For the Dead (forget all the other books...Card milked it too hard, but those two were splendid.)
And even seeing reference to Stranger In a Strange Land is so great.
Currently, I'm reading a Heinlein book called, "Another Door to Summer".
It's great so far, but I just began it. It is a stretch for many of my favorite sci-fi books as they were written in the '50s, but many of the stories still hold water.
I'm a sci-fi dork to the hilt, so I tend to hit up things regarding it, but if you haven't ever read Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa...it is truly my favorite book. I read it at least once a year just for shits and giggles.
Have a great one always, people. Great thread.
I just recently read Ilium and Olympos by Dan Simmons. I am a greek myth dork. I absolutely love the Iliad and the Odyssey to the point of obsession.
As such, it is one of the weaker narratives that Dan Simmons has done, but it is a masterful book if you like Homer, Shakespeare, or Faust.
I read about 3 hours a day because my job sucks, so eh, but I am very limited and tend to get far too into individual authors.
But, just saying, if you like the Iliad, it is great fun to read Ilium.
As such, it is one of the weaker narratives that Dan Simmons has done, but it is a masterful book if you like Homer, Shakespeare, or Faust.
I read about 3 hours a day because my job sucks, so eh, but I am very limited and tend to get far too into individual authors.
But, just saying, if you like the Iliad, it is great fun to read Ilium.
Future PhaZe
Member
Looking forward to finishing what has been an amazing trilogy so far.
MilesWebber
Member
Found the only copy at Borders last week.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Mardil said:
It's good.
Have you read the Shadow saga? It's been so long since I read the original Ender sequels. I loved the shit out of Xenocide (once you get through the first hundred or so pages) but found Children of the Mind to be kind've underwhelming. I say you move on to the Homecoming series afterward if you like the Ender sequels.
Scullibundo said:
The Shadow Saga pissed me off greatly for The way it treated Peter Wiggin. To my mind, the great part of Ender's game or even his mentions in Speaker For the Dead was that Peter Wiggin was easily as brilliant as Ender, but he was truly a bit off in regards to empathy...In my mind, Peter Wiggin was a badass, but also a bit of a psychopath.
I hated the Shadow saga for it made all the Wiggins seem like little bitches. Oh, it was actually Bean and not Ender at battle school; oh it was actually the battle school kids that helped out Peter Wiggin. Bah, bah I say.
Also, if anyone does truly enjoy Card, I would truly recommend the Alvin Maker series. That is a truly truly fun series. If I were pitching it to hollywood execs I would call it X-men meets United States historical fiction!
Haha...doh.
Have a great one all. READ ALL FOUR OF THE HYPERION BOOKS! JUST DO IT!
Scullibundo said:
I've had more than a few people tell me that the Homecoming series by Orson Scott Card is actually a sci-fi retelling of the Book of Mormon. I have no idea if that is true or not, but as I throroughly enjoyed the Homecoming series, perhaps I should give the Book of Mormon a shot.
Or not.
CajoleJuice
Member
YES. That's how I felt about it at some points too. I just never thought of expressing it that way.Noss said:
Noss said:
I might one day. It's taken me far too long to finish the second book. :-\ There is so much that is happening, and so much of it that I still don't understand. It's kind of frustrating. But yeah, I'll finish up The Fall of Hyperion today and will likely read the Endymion books later on. I'm honestly kind of burned out on this world right now, and just want to move on to something else. Four Novels of the 1960s by Philip K. Dick is calling my name.
For my comparative literature class. I hated the first book or so, but it's grown on me. If you're going to read The Aeneid, I would highly recommend Robert Fagles' translation. Between this and The Odyssey, I have decided to eventually read each all of his books.
Not bad. If you liked the game, I can't imagine you wouldn't enjoy the book. Notably, the book is NOT a video game adaptation...the book came first, and it shows. I'm reading it on my Kindle.
The introduction video in The Witcher is explained in detail as the first short story within the book.
Tieno
Member
Bryson describes graphically and in layman's terms the size of the universe, and that of atoms and subatomic particles. He then explores the history of geology and biology, and traces life from its first appearance to today's modern humans, placing emphasis on the development of the modern Homo sapiens. Furthermore, he discusses the possibility of the Earth being struck by a meteor, and reflects on human capabilities of spotting a meteor before it impacts the Earth, and the extensive damage that such an event would cause. He also focuses on some of the most recent destructive disasters of volcanic origin in the history of our planet, including Krakatoa and Yellowstone National Park. A large part of the book is devoted to relating humorous stories about the scientists behind the research and discoveries and their sometimes eccentric behaviours. Bryson also speaks about modern scientific views on human effects on the Earth's climate and livelihood of other species, and the magnitude of natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and the mass extinctions caused by some of these events.
BigGreenMat
Member
nyong said:
For my comparative literature class. I hated the first book or so, but it's grown on me. If you're going to read The Aeneid, I would highly recommend Robert Fagles' translation. Between this and The Odyssey, I have decided to eventually read each all of his books.
Try reading it in it's original Latin. The only true way.
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
Got back from a little vacation so I finally had some time to finish:
Really liked it. Probably one of the more easier to read Tom Clancy novels though like anything I read by him I skim a lot of pages. Great revenge story though.
This was great stuff. Kane does a great job conveying the passion of his protagonists and being that I spent about 3 years of my life hopelessly addicted to CS it was like coming home.
I am about halfway through and I forgot how great King can write. The characters and the setting are really well written and its starting to get creepy as hell. Hopefully it keeps up the momentum.
I saw this yesterday and was thinking of picking it up. How is it?
Really liked it. Probably one of the more easier to read Tom Clancy novels though like anything I read by him I skim a lot of pages. Great revenge story though.
This was great stuff. Kane does a great job conveying the passion of his protagonists and being that I spent about 3 years of my life hopelessly addicted to CS it was like coming home.
I am about halfway through and I forgot how great King can write. The characters and the setting are really well written and its starting to get creepy as hell. Hopefully it keeps up the momentum.
Monroeski said:Just started -
I saw this yesterday and was thinking of picking it up. How is it?
Right now I'm with Foucault's Pendulum.
Also, I haven't yet read the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov (please, don't kill me) and I don't know in which order I should read them. In the order they were published? First the prequels and then the others? Could you help me?
Thank you!
Also, I haven't yet read the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov (please, don't kill me) and I don't know in which order I should read them. In the order they were published? First the prequels and then the others? Could you help me?
Thank you!
