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[lightus]

Currently I'm reading:

I don't write at all but I find it interesting to see the author's methods. It's very easy to read (no technical jargon) and provides a lot of insight.

I would like to hurry up and finish so I can start my next book:

I really liked the first one, so looking forward to starting this.

 

[Krowley]

Right now reading:

Reading The Long Walk got me in the mood for some more King, and this is one of the few I haven't read.

It's easily one of his top five best (as long as you count the Dark Tower as one giant novel, cause there are three or four of those that might be better) But it's just a little behind The Stand, and IT, and The Dark Tower.

It might be my favorite vampire book ever. These aren't the sweet and fuzzy kind of vampires.

 

[Grenouille]

Finished GRRM's Fevre Dream

Abner Marsh is such a charismatic protagonist, even with all his cussing - so much better than any of the vampires and their repetitive stare fights.
The epilogue is perfect.

Now I'm starting 'Salem's Lot.

 

[Koroviev]

Started reading the English translation of Paprika. It's interesting to see how it fleshes out the various relationships and motivations. The translation is serviceable. I might actually finish this one! Probably going to keep reading One Hundred Years of Solitude as well.

 

[Nymerio]

I'm about half way through The Scar by China Mieville and I think I'm done. The world is really interesting, but I just find the story/characters are boring. I don't think I'm going to read Perdido Street Station now.

I think I'm going to finally start reading A Game of Thrones.

Haha, this is spot on. I read three of his books and I really love the world with it's various phenomena like the scar but goddamn are the stories and characters boring.

 

[Loxley]

I'm only four chapters in but I already fucking love it. Despite the fact that I was born in 1988 and grew up in the 90's, I still get the majority of the references (thankfully). Also, as someone who plays MMO's, it's clear that Cline does/has as well, and it's awesome to see him discuss various aspects of them (player freedom, premium versus "freemium", economy, etc).

This is shaping up to be one of my favorite books I've read it a long time, and that's coming from someone who is not a big sci-fi fan.

 

[Yen]

Cat's Cradle. Still haven't fallen in love with Vonnegut.

 

[Koroviev]

Cat's Cradle. Still haven't fallen in love with Vonnegut.

I loved Slaughter-House Five. I found Cat's Cradle to be amusing, but it didn't really resonate with me.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Interesting concept, 100 teenagers in a contest where you are shot in the head if you don't maintain over 4 MPH walking. Last one standing is the winner. Does a good job of getting across the physical and mental strain of walking non-stop for several days. Pretty quick read.

I kind wish he had written another book in this Alternate version of America. He gives some small hints about the state of things, but doesn't go into the world outside of the long walk in any detail at all. Seems The Hunger Games may have taken some inspiration from this.

My favorite King book. I think it was Emerson who recommended it to me in this thread. Really loved it.

 

[nakedsushi]

Just finished this and can't recommend it enough to gaffers:


Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

It's like one part Shadow of the Wind and one part Ready Player One. Thankfully, the writing is slightly better than Ready Player One's. If you love reading but can't put down your smartphone, you'll probably like this book. It's a fun little romp that mixes what I like about fantasy together with what I like about scifi into a contemporary book.

My very favorite part is the laste sentence:

The right exact book, at exactly the right time.

 

[thomaser]

Finished Robert B. Parker's Promised Land. A very easily read and quite enjoyable detective-novel, but the plot is not very believable. Heavy with discussions and problems regarding men/women relationships, sexism and machismo, so it's a literature teacher's wet dream.

Next up on the American Detective Novel syllabus: Walter Mosley's Devil in a Blue Dress. An African-American author writing about an African-American detective. Another literature teacher's wet dream.

 

[BanShunsaku]

Picked this up at the airport the other day.

I was originally tossing up between this and Great North Road - I've never read any Peter F Hamilton before though, where would be a good place to start?

 

[Jintor]

Crimes Against Humanity by Geoffrey Robertson

I really liked The Justice Game, but this book is probably going to be finished in 2013 :/

I'll sideline it while I read other stuff, chip away at it I guess.

 

[Monroeski]

http://imageshack.us/a/img96/1199/readyplayeronepaperback.jpg[IMG]

I'm only four chapters in but I already fucking love it. Despite the fact that I was born in 1988 and grew up in the 90's, I still get the majority of the references (thankfully). Also, as someone who plays MMO's, it's clear that Cline does/has as well, and it's awesome to see him discuss various aspects of them (player freedom, premium versus "freemium", economy, etc).

This is shaping up to be one of my favorite books I've read it a long time, and that's coming from someone who is not a big sci-fi fan.[/QUOTE]

Somebody else best summed up why I didn't like that book at all when they called it "reference porn."

 

[deadbeef]

Currently listening to "The 500" by Matthew Quirk. Pretty boring political thriller.

Reading "All The Shah's Men: An American Coup & the Roots of Middle East Terror" by Stephen Kinzer about the coup in Iran against Mossadegh with Mohammad Reza Shah. Pretty interesting stuff. Heard about it on Dan Carlin's Common Sense podcast

 

[GundamBanshee]

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It by David Wong

I've only just started Spiders. It's prequel, John Dies at the End, was amazing so I'm really excited to read it.

 

[Captain Tuttle]

Running Ransom Road by Caleb Daniloff.

A friend of mine from college, how he beat his fiendish alcohol and drug addictions by running, finally completing a number of marathons. Basically it's the story of a man and his struggles to forgive himself. I really enjoyed it and read it in one sitting.

 

[Guileless]

Just finished this and can't recommend it enough to gaffers:


Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

This is on my list, I've read a lot of positive reviews that made it sound like a potential GAF reading thread mainstay.

 

[aidan]

Just finished this and can't recommend it enough to gaffers:


Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

It's like one part Shadow of the Wind and one part Ready Player One. Thankfully, the writing is slightly better than Ready Player One's. If you love reading but can't put down your smartphone, you'll probably like this book. It's a fun little romp that mixes what I like about fantasy together with what I like about scifi into a contemporary book.

My very favorite part is the laste sentence:

The right exact book, at exactly the right time.

Sounds great. Too bad the Kindle version is $15.00...

 

[jdl]

I have some Lovecraft on the burner, but Neuromancer is calling me.

 

[Maklershed]

Sounds great. Too bad the Kindle version is $15.00...

?!!!

I remember the good ol days when $9.99 was the ceiling.

 

[Lafiel]

Finished

Pretty damn good. Probably my second favorite vonnegut out of the three I've read. (slaughterhouse five, cat cradle) Such a depressing ending though, but fitting all the same.

Now Reading

Only read about three chapters of this so far; it's not bad, I am finding D.H lawrence vague use of language make it hard to read through at times though, they are some sections of the novel where I'm unsure how a event flowed from one to the another.

Most powerful part of the novel for me, that's really stood out to me - is how it realistically *makes* sense why

Spoiler

ms morel and mr morel are together as a couple

and it gives such a powerful context to their current relationship.

Looking forward to seeing it develops into the main thrust of the plot that is detailed on the back-cover of the novel.

 

[BrokenFiction]

What a journey. I've read every Malazan book up through Dust of Dreams, which I just finished. I've also read Esslemont's first two (Night of Knives and Return of the Crimson Guard - Stonewielder sits on the shelf waiting). Erikson has put together an amazing series that I can't even begin to assilimate yet.

But now...now. The Crippled God awaits. Let's bring this bad boy home.

 

[nakedsushi]

Sounds great. Too bad the Kindle version is $15.00...

This is one time I recommend the hardcover. The embossing is neat and the book jacket GLOWS in the dark.

 

[aidan]

This is one time I recommend the hardcover. The embossing is neat and the book jacket GLOWS in the dark.

Now that sounds like it's worth fifteen bucks!

 

[Burger]

I was originally tossing up between this and Great North Road - I've never read any Peter F Hamilton before though, where would be a good place to start?

I would say the read The Commonwealth Saga which is Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained. Extremely entertaining!

The Night's Dawn (...Dysfunction ...Alchemist ...Naked God) is a fucking load of reading. Over a thousand pages each, at about 1.2 million words total. It's worth it, but I thought the payoff at the end was a little... disappointing. It could have never lived up to my expectations, but it was a little like LOST really.

Just skip The Void Trilogy. I read it, but it wasn't great.

Looking forward to reading Great North Road though.

 

[deadbeef]

Sounds great. Too bad the Kindle version is $15.00...

I am seeing it listed for $11.99, a little better. Maybe you're not in the U.S. though.

 

[zon]

A book about slavery by Dick Harrison. In Swedish, though.

Only link I could find with a large cover: http://www.adlibris.com/bookbrowser/default.aspx?culture=SV-SE&isbn=9186297082&shop=1

It covers slavery from ancient times up to the renaissance. Very interesting reading so far.

 

[Fjordson]

I'm barreling towards the end of The Blade Itself. It's really, really good at this point. Not sure why it took me so long to pick up a Joe Abercrombie book.

 

[bengraven]

I bought three gorgeous oversized paperbacks of First Law for a Secret Santa thing two years ago. I loved them so much the guy did not, in fact, get them. They look great on my shelf, but I've tried reading it three times and still just can't get into it.

I got as far as Logan carrying that kid to that magician's village and that was it.

Love Glotka and Logan, but the other guy, the preppy soldier, kills the pace for me. It feels like Captain Kirk at Starfleet Academy or something.

 

[Maklershed]

I got as far as Logan carrying that kid to that magician's village and that was it.

Oh man you definitely have to give it more of a go than that. That's barely the start of Logen's story. And you didn't even get to the bad ass wizard dude yet. Although you're almost there.

 

[Screaming_Gremlin]

Finished Reading.

Cloud Atlas - I read this for the Idle Thumbs Book Club. It took me a bit to get into it, but once it clicked with me I couldn't put it down (although spending several days in various airports due to traveling helped). The book was already popular, but with the movie coming out I imagine a lot of people are somewhat familiar with it, but it is really six different stories. Each written in a different style and genre. Honestly, I am still putting my thoughts together on it, but needless to say I really enjoyed it.

Ender's Game - This was always one of my favorite books growing up and I still find time to read through it again at least once or twice a year.

Currently reading...

Earth Abides - I was on a post apocalyptic streak earlier this year and had this book recommended to me. I'm about 20% of the way in and I have to say this is probably one of the few books of this style that actually has a bit of optimism included in it, although obviously that might change the farther I get into it.

 

[Monroeski]

Earth Abides - I was on a post apocalyptic streak earlier this year and had this book recommended to me. I'm about 20% of the way in and I have to say this is probably one of the few books of this style that actually has a bit of optimism included in it, although obviously that might change the farther I get into it.

I think I picked up a cheap used copy of that fairly recently to re-read. Last read it some time in high school, remember it being pretty good.

 

[bengraven]

Oh man you definitely have to give it more of a go than that. That's barely the start of Logen's story. And you didn't even get to the bad ass wizard dude yet. Although you're almost there.

I enjoyed the chapter, the reveal, etc, and I love the character of Glotka, but like I said, there is the occasional chapter that really drags me down. The first Logen chapter was way too bloated, for example.

That said, one question: those things that attack Logen in the beginning of the story - are they human or are their names ("flathead" or "snakehead" I think?) fitting for their race?

 

[Verdre]

I enjoyed the chapter, the reveal, etc, and I love the character of Glotka, but like I said, there is the occasional chapter that really drags me down. The first Logen chapter was way too bloated, for example.

That said, one question: those things that attack Logen in the beginning of the story - are they human or are their names ("flathead" or "snakehead" I think?) fitting for their race?

Definitely not human. Very late in the first book their origin is revealed as being created by the Maker in his war

 

[Mattdaddy]

Just a heads up to anyone who is a fan of Joe Abercrombie (First Law Trilogy, The Heroes, Best Served Cold), his next stand alone in that universe is released tomorrow in Europe and Nov 5th or 12th for US. (Cant remember)

It's called Red Country and its a styled after old westerns ala clint eastwood, but its set in the first law universe. It features the return of one of the most badass badasses in literature

Spoiler

The Bloodynine!!

I might make a thread this weekend, just been too busy. But thats a head up. Fans of GRRM style fantasy should check it out. Sex violence and swords, oh my.

Edit - Honestly had no idea the conversation was about abercrombie up above lolol. Everything I just said might be beaten, sorry.

 

[Nymerio]

I was hoping you meant Nicomo Cosca :/. I love that guy.

 

[Diseased Yak]

Definitely not human. Very late in the first book their origin is revealed as being created by the Maker in his war

I pictured them in my head as kind of a goblin or kobold-type monster/demon. Faster and deadlier than the LOTR goblins though.

I read Best Served Cold after finishing the trilogy and loved it, and now I'm about to start on The Heroes. Love Joe Abercrombie's writing!

 

[bengraven]

Definitely not human. Very late in the first book their origin is revealed as being created by the Maker in his war

Ah, okay, because you get no indication of what they look like. I just kept picturing these mute tribal humans. It's so strange that since that chapter is extremely over-written and yet he doesn't actually give us an idea of who this enemy is.

Abercrombie's writing improved a lot over the course of the trilogy. But yeah, I think you should keep going a bit further. At least to the first sighting of the Bloody Nine.

Oh I will. I already want to try for a third or fourth time, but after I'm done with my current backlog.

 

[Mattdaddy]

I was hoping you meant Nicomo Cosca :/. I love that guy.

He's in it too And I believe he has a fairly large role. And yeah he's probably my second favorite

I bought three gorgeous oversized paperbacks of First Law for a Secret Santa thing two years ago. I loved them so much the guy did not, in fact, get them. They look great on my shelf, but I've tried reading it three times and still just can't get into it.

I got as far as Logan carrying that kid to that magician's village and that was it.

Love Glotka and Logan, but the other guy, the preppy soldier, kills the pace for me. It feels like Captain Kirk at Starfleet Academy or something.

Not to beat a dead horse, but definitely keep going. I was the same way, it was a slow start. I actually stopped reading early on cause I didn't get into it, then I started again and couldnt put it down. Once the adventure starts, it really takes off. One of my favorite series.

 

[dBOL]

Continuing with the Wheel of Time in anticipation of the final installment in January. I'm on pace to finish in time, even though the book I am on is by far the worst in the series, I might just skim through it.

 

[bengraven]

He's in it too And I believe he has a fairly large role. And yeah he's probably my second favorite



Not to beat a dead horse, but definitely keep going. I was the same way, it was a slow start. I actually stopped reading early on cause I didn't get into it, then I started again and couldnt put it down. Once the adventure starts, it really takes off. One of my favorite series.

I think the first time I tried reading it I got through the first two chapters. Second time: five chapters. The third time I probably covered the first...fourth? of the book.

I'm not going to stop next time. I'll force myself to go on. I had to do it with Game of Thrones (tried twice) and as anyone in the GRRM threads knows...I finished.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

I think the first time I tried reading it I got through the first two chapters. Second time: five chapters. The third time I probably covered the first...fourth? of the book.

I'm not going to stop next time. I'll force myself to go on. I had to do it with Game of Thrones (tried twice) and as anyone in the GRRM threads knows...I finished.

Fist book is definitely the slowest, it picks up steam in the end and then the followups are all great.

 

[BanShunsaku]

I would say the read The Commonwealth Saga which is Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained. Extremely entertaining!

The Night's Dawn (...Dysfunction ...Alchemist ...Naked God) is a fucking load of reading. Over a thousand pages each, at about 1.2 million words total. It's worth it, but I thought the payoff at the end was a little... disappointing. It could have never lived up to my expectations, but it was a little like LOST really.

Just skip The Void Trilogy. I read it, but it wasn't great.

Looking forward to reading Great North Road though.

Thanks for this, I'll give Pandora's Star a shot first.

 

[Maklershed]

Abercrombie's writing improved a lot over the course of the trilogy. But yeah, I think you should keep going a bit further. At least to the first sighting of the Bloody Nine.

Yes! I got goosebumps during that part.

 

[Fjordson]

I'm so excited to check out Red Country. I freaking love westerns. Though I think I need to read the rest of the trilogy, as well as The Heroes and Best Served Cold before I even get to it.

Regarding The Blade Itself, I got past the part where Bayaz takes them into you know where. That house. What a great sequence. And since a lot of the background lore is still somewhat mysterious to everyone other than Bayaz and Yulwei it seems, the reader is also a bit out of the loop and it made for a really interesting chapter.

 

[SebastianAlexander]

I'm only four chapters in but I already fucking love it. Despite the fact that I was born in 1988 and grew up in the 90's, I still get the majority of the references (thankfully). Also, as someone who plays MMO's, it's clear that Cline does/has as well, and it's awesome to see him discuss various aspects of them (player freedom, premium versus "freemium", economy, etc).

This is shaping up to be one of my favorite books I've read it a long time, and that's coming from someone who is not a big sci-fi fan.

I just finished this book last night - i LOVED it!!

 

[SebastianAlexander]

is anyone reading this?

is it ANY good?

 

[nakedsushi]

^--- I started reading it but stopped because I couldn't get the Harry Potter voice out of my head. It reads very British-like. I may pick it up again after a few more books get knocked off my to-read list.

 

[Cheebo]

^--- I started reading it but stopped because I couldn't get the Harry Potter voice out of my head. It reads very British-like. I may pick it up again after a few more books get knocked off my to-read list.

Hahaha same thing, I kept reading though. It's pretty decent. But man I couldn't get the harry potter voice out of my head either.