Started this:
It's a brilliant book which was written in 60s but captures the spirit of our time perfectly. Also it shits on Matrix.
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What are you reading? (November 2011)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
It's a brilliant book which was written in 60s but captures the spirit of our time perfectly. Also it shits on Matrix.
Ogedai_Khan
Member
Revisiting the revised edition of the very first fantasy novel I read.
I remember buying Magician: Apprentice as a kid and shortly buying Magician: Master after saving up my allowance.
I remember buying Magician: Apprentice as a kid and shortly buying Magician: Master after saving up my allowance.
Following up with
loved the mistborn trilogy so this was a must buy for me. Mildly concerned though, because it sounds like the characters are all nerfed with regards to abilities and the magic system was great in the mistborn trilogy.
This isn't true at all. They're all restricted to only two metals, but if anything, Sanderson's stepped up his creativity and produces some of the finest action/magic scenes he's written. Don't worry.
I'm about a third of the way through and enjoying it so far. Bizarre book. I love how such absurd events are mentioned in such a brief, matter-of-factly manner...it's a pretty funny book actually.
I definitely see myself reading more Lem in the near future. I've had Memoirs Found in a Bathtub on my wishlist for quite a while.
Yeah, he's pretty awful when it comes to endings, which is probably why so many of his books wind up being so long. It really is the journey that matters in these books and just watching these cool characters go through really weird situations.
About 130 pages in (UK edition, think it's probably further in the US judging by page counts) and
not only is Jake dicking about in post-It Derry, but he ran into Beverley and Richie. Reading "Beep, beep, Richie" again put a huge grin on my face.
So good.
Adam Blade
WWKC
... I'm kind of surprised at this.
I was let down by this book more than anything. I enjoyed it, but it just didn't have the same verve/oomph that the original trilogy did. And totally "eh" at that ending.
Finished Starcraft Heaven's Devils and I, Mengsk some time ago. Devils was very good for a video game book, i was very suprised by that i actually like it a lot. I, Mengsk is all right fro 2/3rds and the rest is... bad. Too many time skips. OK "backround" book but nothing special.
Also reading Glen Cook's Black Company. Still. Actually, i haven't touched it since i last wrote about it here. Ah well, maybe someday. Just like Conan the Barbarian Chronicles, which is sitting on the self for over 6 months already.
Started the Wheel of Time again. The last book is coming on the second half of 2012 or so according to Sanderson. This gives me 6 months or so finish the series, though i'll probably read it in a couple of months. Reading them chronologically (of course), started from The New Spring prequel.
Also need to get Halo: Glasslands and Mistborn: Alloy of Law but i haven't seen either one here yet. Will check tomorrow or Friday.
Also reading Glen Cook's Black Company. Still. Actually, i haven't touched it since i last wrote about it here. Ah well, maybe someday. Just like Conan the Barbarian Chronicles, which is sitting on the self for over 6 months already.
Started the Wheel of Time again. The last book is coming on the second half of 2012 or so according to Sanderson. This gives me 6 months or so finish the series, though i'll probably read it in a couple of months. Reading them chronologically (of course), started from The New Spring prequel.
Also need to get Halo: Glasslands and Mistborn: Alloy of Law but i haven't seen either one here yet. Will check tomorrow or Friday.
I'm in my second month of reading Infinite Jest. Is that normal? I usually consider myself a pretty fast reader, even in English (which is my second language), but I can only read so much of it per day. It's a great book so far (about 90% through), but I really have to work my way through.
I haven't read Infinite Jest, so I can't comment on that in particular, but I do sometimes come across a book that I just can't make myself sit down and read for long periods and I seem to read significantly slower than usual.
But not today!
I finished Love in the Time of Cholera:
I really loved the voice of the novel. It has a lot of memorable imagery and passages and bits of magical realism.
I also read (what little there was to read of) Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Watercolor Impressions
To be honest, I liked it better than the manga. The manga felt a bit too preachy and a bit too weird towards the end for me.
And now I'm reading Frankenstein, which I am about 3/4 of the way through.
But not today!
I finished Love in the Time of Cholera:
I really loved the voice of the novel. It has a lot of memorable imagery and passages and bits of magical realism.
I also read (what little there was to read of) Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Watercolor Impressions
To be honest, I liked it better than the manga. The manga felt a bit too preachy and a bit too weird towards the end for me.
And now I'm reading Frankenstein, which I am about 3/4 of the way through.
I also read (what little there was to read of) Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Watercolor Impressions
I get a kick reading all Miyazaki comments on his own drawings. "I had no idea why I drew this!" "I hate this one, this is nothing like Nausicaa in my mind!" "They pressured me to whip something up, I don't remember anything about it!"
Such a work-obsessed perfectionist.
Just anecdotal evidence: Yes, from the discussions I have had with other readers, it seems to be normal to take a few months reading that book. My first reading took three months, as I, like you, could only read so much at a time. Too much to digest, keep track of, to read quickly. The Pale King was significantly quicker, until the bar conversation--yikes. Gravity's Rainbow is another book that takes a while to read the first time.
Anyone read Jo Nesbo? And my wife keeps bugging me to read The Millenium Trilogy. Thoughts on both? Or should I just wait for the Fincher adaptation of TGwtDT?
Yeah, that was pretty funny. Nearly everything was something he was forced to do, something he didn't like, etc. He didn't seem happy with a lot of his cover work. I agree with his favorite, though:
It's such a perfect picture for Nausicaa.
Anyway, I finished Frankenstein. I get this weird feeling that I have either spoiled myself on the entire book (which isn't hard) or that I have read it at some point in the past, because I felt a lot of nostalgia reading it.
I started reading Neil Gaiman's Death: The High Cost of Living and read through about 2/3rds of it.
Since it is Thanksgiving, I'll try to read Nabokov's Mary since it is barely over 100 pages and I might be able to finish it!
Maklershed
Member
Normal for that particular book or in general? I know when I'm not in love with a book it takes me awhile to get through it sometimes .. which is what I'm going through right now with Babbitt. I've been working on it for two months now. Thinking about ditching it altogether and just going to Stephen Kings new one.
(battlefield 3 and skyrim are also not helping in my reading speed this month)
I would say normal for Infinite Jest. Wallace's style is dense, persnickey, and filled with vocabulary straight out of the OED that no normal person has seen, or heard of, before. Throw in his complicated plot structure and multiple characters and you have to go slow to get it all.
Dwight Schrute
Member
If you like fantasy and can read french, get :
and
Two of the finest fantasy books I ever read.
and
Two of the finest fantasy books I ever read.
nakedsushi
Member
Finally got started on the Chronicles of Amber with this one:
Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny
It was good, but I'm not sure what the big deal with this series is. Everyone is always raving about it. Maybe I missed the boat by not reading this while I was a teen?
Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny
It was good, but I'm not sure what the big deal with this series is. Everyone is always raving about it. Maybe I missed the boat by not reading this while I was a teen?
bloodydrake
Cool Smoke Luke
Listening to Guillermo Del Toro's The Strain book 1 read by Ron Perlman..really enjoying it great new vampire/zombie apocalypse story.
They even made a series of live action video trailersfor the book that looks like a movie featuring Roy Dotrice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssJKd9Q7muE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTwJUbAZL0c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgFDxJdSpTI&feature=related
They even made a series of live action video trailersfor the book that looks like a movie featuring Roy Dotrice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssJKd9Q7muE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTwJUbAZL0c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgFDxJdSpTI&feature=related
AngmarsKing701
Member
Just completed The Illearth War, book two in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenenant. Onto book three, The Power That Preserves.
HiroProtagonist
Member
Because of the Hunger Games trailer at the beginning of the month I decided to read the book (I know), and it was alright...not bad, even. It was like Battle Royale (The movie, I haven't read the book), but with characters that have motivations beyond simple survival. It's super short, so if you're on the fence know that it only takes about a day to read.
Currently I'm reading 'The Long Ships' because of Fjordson's comments on it last month.
The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson
So far, so good. If Michael Chabon's glowing (understatement) introduction is anything to go by, I can expect great things to come.
Currently I'm reading 'The Long Ships' because of Fjordson's comments on it last month.
The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson
So far, so good. If Michael Chabon's glowing (understatement) introduction is anything to go by, I can expect great things to come.
Finished:
Thought it was pretty bad. Picked it up on a whim after seeing it in the library, and read through it quickly thanks to its short length... it's a very uneasy piece of work, the verses not surviving the transition to prose, and there's a cheap, tacky feel to it all, especially the extraneous bits of narration that he added onto the story.
Rereading Underground by Haruki Murakami - I've always been fond of it and figured I could use a refresher before starting 1Q84. Enjoying it again.
Thought it was pretty bad. Picked it up on a whim after seeing it in the library, and read through it quickly thanks to its short length... it's a very uneasy piece of work, the verses not surviving the transition to prose, and there's a cheap, tacky feel to it all, especially the extraneous bits of narration that he added onto the story.
Rereading Underground by Haruki Murakami - I've always been fond of it and figured I could use a refresher before starting 1Q84. Enjoying it again.
nakedsushi
Member
Finished:
Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
It was alright. It's about a woman who wakes up each day, not remembering anything in her past. She keeps a diary and one day, she sees a note that she wrote in it that says "Don't trust Ben" (her husband).
I guessed the twist about a quarter of the way into the book, but that didn't stop me from reading it. The way it's presented (as a series of letters in the protagonist's diary) kept me turning the page.
Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
It was alright. It's about a woman who wakes up each day, not remembering anything in her past. She keeps a diary and one day, she sees a note that she wrote in it that says "Don't trust Ben" (her husband).
I guessed the twist about a quarter of the way into the book, but that didn't stop me from reading it. The way it's presented (as a series of letters in the protagonist's diary) kept me turning the page.
Finished:
Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
It was alright. It's about a woman who wakes up each day, not remembering anything in her past. She keeps a diary and one day, she sees a note that she wrote in it that says "Don't trust Ben" (her husband).
I guessed the twist about a quarter of the way into the book, but that didn't stop me from reading it. The way it's presented (as a series of letters in the protagonist's diary) kept me turning the page.
Reminds me of Soldier of the Mist's premise (Mercenary in the Persian Empire's army wakes up each day not remembering the past, keeps a journal).
Lasthope106
Member
This is how I get to use my Kindle Touch for the first time.
Nice choice, man! Love that book.Currently I'm reading 'The Long Ships' because of Fjordson's comments on it last month.
The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson
So far, so good. If Michael Chabon's glowing (understatement) introduction is anything to go by, I can expect great things to come.
Blue Ninja
Member
Felt like bad fan-fiction at first (even though the author specifically stated she isn't a fan), but it's growing on me.
rainking187
Member
Felt like bad fan-fiction at first (even though the author specifically stated she isn't a fan), but it's growing on me.
I don't really understand why you'd get someone that's not a fan of the series to write a book in it.
Blue Ninja
Member
I'd need to find her quote on the thing, but from what I understood, she wanted to approach it as "pure" as possible. She believes that if you're writing a novel for a property you shouldn't be too over-excited for it, or it turns into fan-fiction fanwank.
Ironically, that's exactly the feeling this novel gave me at first. Just random shit she throws around in there like
nanomachines, new MJOLNIR armor, Forerunner improvements to engines
Got a long bus ride tomorrow so I'm bringing this to keep me entertained. I've never read anything by Chabon, but a professor said it was one of the best books she's read in recent years, and I do love my comics, so I'm coming in with a lot of expectations.
You are in for a treat, one of my favourite books ever. My eyes watered up at points and it's just so darn epic in scope. Great book.
PhoenixSFT
Member
Blurgh, it takes half that book to actually get through character development and get to the main mystery.
BUT! Once it's set up, the story moves fast, and the sequel hits the ground running because you already know who's who.
Leading up to Christmas I read a lot of children's and young teens books, and then I give the best of the lot to my niece and nephew and some friends with kids for Christmas. Those books that don't make the cut I donate, so it's all good.
Right now I'm reading:
The Mostly True Story of Jack - Kelly Regan Barnhill
and has been really good so far, as the mystery grabs you in the first few chapters. I also just finished, and I'm really glad it is going to be a trilogy or something, but this was great:
The Emerald Atlas - John Stephens
Not really appropriate for this thread, but if anyone needs a "can't miss" series for a young reader, then have no doubts about the "Fablehaven" series (5 books) by Brandon Mull. Anyway... after the holidays I will go back to the Song of Ice and Fire series, where I will begin with book 3.
Right now I'm reading:
The Mostly True Story of Jack - Kelly Regan Barnhill
and has been really good so far, as the mystery grabs you in the first few chapters. I also just finished, and I'm really glad it is going to be a trilogy or something, but this was great:
The Emerald Atlas - John Stephens
Not really appropriate for this thread, but if anyone needs a "can't miss" series for a young reader, then have no doubts about the "Fablehaven" series (5 books) by Brandon Mull. Anyway... after the holidays I will go back to the Song of Ice and Fire series, where I will begin with book 3.
it's the best book ever, take your time with it. took me forever, too.
More updates!
Finished:
Marcovaldo: or the Seasons in the City, Italo Calvino
The Journey to the East, Hermann Hesse
Reinventing Comics: How Imagination and Technology Are Revolutionizing an Art Form, Scott McCloud
Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader. Neil Gaiman
Marcovaldo is probably the least interesting of the Calvino books I've read. I've been finding that I just have no interest in books that are about a moronic Everyman whose stupidity gets him into trouble. It wasn't all bad; there were some genuinely funny and interesting stories, but a lot of them just left me bored. I didn't like The Journey to the East much. I enjoy Hermann Hesse's prose, but I found the whole thing rather bizarre. I'm afraid I either didn't get the point or my rejection of some of the elements (for instance, disagreeing with the notion that any of the things he had done were wrong or that he had any reason to submit to the judgment of the League) prevented me from getting something. I don't know, but it wasn't for me.
Reinventing Comics was pretty good (I love Scott McCloud's comics-about-comics), but I thought that it was rather dated compared to Understanding Comics since it was dealing with speculation about how comics were going to be affected by digitization, the internet, new generation of artists, etc. and it was published in 2000. Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader was fine. I saw someone comparing it to The Wake chapters in Sandman, where people from the character's life would get up and tell a story or an anecdote or something about him. I didn't care much for the ending, and the stories were serviceable, though I did like the art quite a bit. I'm not much of a Batman comics fan (or at least I haven't read many) and even I recognized a lot of the references being made.
Currently reading:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
I'm finding this a bit odd. One of the reviews on the back of the copy I have from the library says "Atwood takes many trends which exist today and stretches them to their logical and chilling conclusions." I'm just not sure I see what trends the reviewer is talking about. It isn't that I am unable to conceive of a society in which women are exist essentially as chattel whose sole value is in their ability to bear children and who are not given the right to education or personal autonomy or the ability to move freely. That's something that has occurred in the past and still does in some areas; I just don't see what those trends that the reviewer was talking about.
Or maybe the reviewer was just wrong and I'm letting myself be thrown unnecessarily. <_<
Finished:
Marcovaldo: or the Seasons in the City, Italo Calvino
The Journey to the East, Hermann Hesse
Reinventing Comics: How Imagination and Technology Are Revolutionizing an Art Form, Scott McCloud
Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader. Neil Gaiman
Marcovaldo is probably the least interesting of the Calvino books I've read. I've been finding that I just have no interest in books that are about a moronic Everyman whose stupidity gets him into trouble. It wasn't all bad; there were some genuinely funny and interesting stories, but a lot of them just left me bored. I didn't like The Journey to the East much. I enjoy Hermann Hesse's prose, but I found the whole thing rather bizarre. I'm afraid I either didn't get the point or my rejection of some of the elements (for instance, disagreeing with the notion that any of the things he had done were wrong or that he had any reason to submit to the judgment of the League) prevented me from getting something. I don't know, but it wasn't for me.
Reinventing Comics was pretty good (I love Scott McCloud's comics-about-comics), but I thought that it was rather dated compared to Understanding Comics since it was dealing with speculation about how comics were going to be affected by digitization, the internet, new generation of artists, etc. and it was published in 2000. Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader was fine. I saw someone comparing it to The Wake chapters in Sandman, where people from the character's life would get up and tell a story or an anecdote or something about him. I didn't care much for the ending, and the stories were serviceable, though I did like the art quite a bit. I'm not much of a Batman comics fan (or at least I haven't read many) and even I recognized a lot of the references being made.
Currently reading:
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
I'm finding this a bit odd. One of the reviews on the back of the copy I have from the library says "Atwood takes many trends which exist today and stretches them to their logical and chilling conclusions." I'm just not sure I see what trends the reviewer is talking about. It isn't that I am unable to conceive of a society in which women are exist essentially as chattel whose sole value is in their ability to bear children and who are not given the right to education or personal autonomy or the ability to move freely. That's something that has occurred in the past and still does in some areas; I just don't see what those trends that the reviewer was talking about.
Or maybe the reviewer was just wrong and I'm letting myself be thrown unnecessarily. <_<
I think Karen Traviss is famous for her fanfiction wanking of Mandalorians in Star Wars novels. Lol. I don't even read them and I've heard about it. What an odd person.
Around 185 pages now and finally getting into it. Salander is pretty cool. Because of Fincher's film, I have David Craig and Rooney Mara in my head for the characters-- I don't know if that is a good or a bad thing...
Heh. Well, I was reading a translation, so obviously it isn't going to be the same experience as reading it in the original language. Still, I liked Cosmicomics and If on a winter's night a traveler much, much more. And I wasn't really especially interested in Marcovaldo going into it; I sort of grabbed it on a whim while I was at the library (I was looking for The Baron in the Trees or Invisible Cities or The Nonexistent Knight and the Cloven Viscount or his collection of Italian folktales; but they had Marcovaldo, so I decided to give it a try).
I pictured Stieg Larsson as Blomkvist, since the character seems to just be a completely unflawed version of himself, the one chivalrous gentleman in a world full of bigoted arseholes and a few old, impotent men. It didn't stop the first book being a decent thriller, but it made the (horribly bloated) second quite unbearable.
Mike Works
Member
Highly recommended collection of short stories that focus on satire and darkish humor. Really intriguing and funny.
I finished The Handmaid's Tale. I ended up liking it a lot, even if I still don't find it particularly plausible. It was rather demoralizing and depressing, but that seems to be the point of a novel like that.
I am going to read Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire and Neil Gaiman's Black Orchid next. I am particularly interested in Pale Fire, though I haven't decided how I'm going to read it.
I am going to read Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire and Neil Gaiman's Black Orchid next. I am particularly interested in Pale Fire, though I haven't decided how I'm going to read it.
Just finished reading Anne of Green Gables. Pretty fun novel. Every chapter was isolated and was about a random adventure of Anne, but it was still very entertaining read. I'm thinking of reading the sequel, but I have a feeling I won't like it. Anne is already grown up and I don't know if I will like her as much as young Anne.
Anyway I'm moving on to Ready Player One. I heard it has great gaming references from the 80s.
Anyway I'm moving on to Ready Player One. I heard it has great gaming references from the 80s.
DarkChronic
Member
Same here, I'm really enjoying it so far.
Hey guys, bit of a random request. I sort of went on an spontaneous Indiana Jones binge this weekend (yes, including that fourth movie that shall not be named), and I'm kind of yearning for a book that has a similar tone and concept; adventurous treasure/historical artifact hunting or something relatively similar. This can actually be fiction or non-fiction, since I also enjoy history quite a bit. That said I do enjoy the fantastical liberties that the Indiana Jones movies take with history.