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[turnbuckle]

Started reading the Hunger Games after wrapping up the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy and the awful, awful The Lost Symbol. I liked The Davinci Code and Angels and Demons several years ago, but his 2 page per chapter and bullshit science wear on me. The only thing I like about his writing is the random historical information and descriptions, but he throws so much bogus material into the mix it's hard to separate fact from fiction. Acceptable for fiction novels, but not when the book is prefaced by saying everything is real.

 

[Vagabundo]

In my Book Queue currently:

Just beyond Elder Snow's church some of the men turned back to take a parting look at Providence lying outspread under the early spring stars. Steeples and gables rose dark and shapely, and salt breezes swept up gently from the cove north of the Bridge. Vega was climbing above the great hill across the water, whose crest of trees was broken by the roof-line of the unfinished College edifice. At the foot of that hill, and along the narrow mounting lanes of its side, the old town dreamed; Old Providence, for whose safety and sanity so monstrous and colossal a blasphemy was about to be wiped out.
H.P. Lovecraft
"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward"

(got this one for 1c on amazon.co.uk, 1c!!! delivery was 3 Euro...)`

You can understand why a system would seek information - but why in hell does it offer information? Why do we strive to be understood? Why is a refusal to accept communication so painful?
"I'm Too Big But I Love To Play" in Ten Thousand Light-Years From Home (1973)

 

[brianjones]

i had kind of a random question for the book readers here

when you guys come across a word you don't know do you look it up? either immediately or make a note of it?

or is figuring out the context of it good enough?

the kindles built in dictionary is pretty handy

 

[Helmholtz]

i had kind of a random question for the book readers here

when you guys come across a word you don't know do you look it up? either immediately or make a note of it?

or is figuring out the context of it good enough?

the kindles built in dictionary is pretty handy

Usually context is good enough for me. However if the word is essential to my understanding of the sentence I might look it up.

 

[Maklershed]

i had kind of a random question for the book readers here

when you guys come across a word you don't know do you look it up? either immediately or make a note of it?

or is figuring out the context of it good enough?

the kindles built in dictionary is pretty handy

If its a hard copy book I just kind of ignore it. If its on my kindle, I check it out with the dictionary tool.

 

[aidan]

Just finished:

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal. Link to my review:

It might be a cliche, but it seems almost impossible to avoid commenting on Mary Robinette Kowal’s debut novel, Shades of Milk and Honey, without referring to Jane Austen and her classic works of literature. It’s a comparison encouraged by Kowal (who cites Austen as an inspiration for the novel) and her publishers, but lifts expectations to sky-high proportions. For those unfamiliar with Austen the draw of the novel is more likely the melding of classic period literature with the fantastic in the form of glamour, a type of soft magic used by high-society to decorate their homes and enhance theatre. It wouldn’t be unfair of a reader to think of the novel as Beauty and the Beast told from the perspective of the Beast, a play on the classic tale that Kowal herself subverts with some tongue-in-cheek within in the pages of Shades of Milk and Honey; or, if you’re feeling very coy, you might describe it as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies without the zombies.

Ostensibly, because of the inclusion of glamour, Shades of Milk and Honey is a Fantasy novel. The ultimate compliment I can payho the novel, however, is that it succeeds even more greatly on its merits as a period drama. The true strength of the novel is protagonist Jane Ellsworth and her often funny, sometimes sad struggles as she tries to juggle her way through the myriad relationships and politics of a well-to-do noble daughter in 19th century England.

Now reading:

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan.

 

[sadaiyappan]

I'm going to start reading Song of Ice and Fire. Mostly because I saw the Gaf thread about it.

 

[Yasser]

Charles Bukowsi - Women. Loving it so far.

i read post office after hearing nothing but good things and i don't think i've ever been so disappointed, i was actually angry by the end that i wasted time on the book and vowed never to touch anything by him again

 

[snacknuts]

I just finished reading The Catcher in the Rye for the first time. Loved it.

 

[turnbuckle]

i had kind of a random question for the book readers here

when you guys come across a word you don't know do you look it up? either immediately or make a note of it?

or is figuring out the context of it good enough?

the kindles built in dictionary is pretty handy

There have been a few times where I used context to understand a word only to learn later that the definition I concocted was way off (sometimes embarrassingly so) :lol

I used to keep a pencil and notepad handy when I came across words I didn't know but didn't feel like looking up at the time. Then I started using my phone to look up the words. With the kindle I just look it up right away by pointing to the word and seeing its definition.

 

[coldvein]

i had kind of a random question for the book readers here

when you guys come across a word you don't know do you look it up? either immediately or make a note of it?

or is figuring out the context of it good enough?

the kindles built in dictionary is pretty handy

generally i read with a little notebook/pencil. write down words i don't know, look them up (in a dictionary). gotta expand that vocabulary!

 

[nakedsushi]

i had kind of a random question for the book readers here

when you guys come across a word you don't know do you look it up? either immediately or make a note of it?

or is figuring out the context of it good enough?

the kindles built in dictionary is pretty handy

If it's on my kindle, I definitely look it up. If I can figure it out on context, I ignore it. If it's really weird and interesting and from a physical book, I usually write it down on my bookmark. I keep a reading journal at home, so if I'm reading at home, I usually jot down unfamiliar words and thoughts about the book.

 

[brianjones]

gotta expand that vocabulary!

thats what i was thinking.. never really looked up words in the past but im gonna make more of an effort.

 

[infiniteloop]

Just started reading the Discworld novels, about 1/3 way through Mort.

 

[wrowa]

Finished Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde yesterday. Even though the people in this book are determined and judged by their perception of colour, the characteristics of this dystopian society don't differ very much from the ones by Huxley or Orwell, which is a tad disappointing. To a huge part the book also feels like it's just a very long introduction, it's not until shortly before the book ends that the plot really starts kicking in.

But in the end, I greatly enjoyed reading the book. Especially the ending was great. Now there's just one real problem: The sequel is supposed to be released in 2014. That's fucking 4 years from now. That's a frustrating long time.

 

[Dead Prince]

I'm finishing up Deathly Hallow. Should be done with it by tonight. Starting December going to finish reading Zombies Survival Guide and start on this

Not really a book reader but with the Kindle I've been enjoying it ;D

 

[Keen]

Currently:

So far so good

 

[FnordChan]

Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

I've been meaning to pick this up for a while now. I met the author at NASFiC this year; she was very cool and I got the feeling she'd put all manner of research into writing that sort of Jane Austen riff. I'd already head good things about the novel from a friend of mine - he bought the last copy Kowal had on hand off her on the spot - so it's been on my to-read list for a while, but I keep forgetting to snag a copy. Hopefully if it's sitting on my shelf starring at me I'll move it up the queue.

FnordChan

 

[Iceman]

Moby Dick..

never have before. Still early.

 

[charsace]

I've only just started reading this. So far the book is told from the perspective of 2 characters; a super hero and a super villian. I like it so far though.

Finished this over the weekend and fucking loved it. I don't understand why I didn't hear about it when its so good. I looking for books that are similar if anyone has any suggestions.

 

[Guileless]

I'm thinking about getting my dad some books for his kindle for Christmas. What would you recommend if he's read a lot of Tom Clancy and other books like that? Mainly newer stuff that he probably doesn't have.

The Mitch Rapp series by Vince Flynn.