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What are you reading? (September 09)
- Thread starter Undeux
- Start date
This thread's actually been huge for my reading. I see at least a few things every month that interest me, then if I like a book I look at it on Amazon and see what other books that author's written, or what other similar books people seem to like. I'd say if you're getting started again, check out what people post in here and see if anything sounds good. It's a great launching point.Kastro said:
Currently reading Steven Erikson - Memories of Ice
So far the series has failed to live up to all the hype, but still an interesting story.
I usually find books to read from threads like this, book forums, Amazon's lists, and goodreads.
But I certainly agree with you on books being one of the hardest things to get good recommendations on. I usually have to dig and dig through everything to find something that actually catches me.
So far the series has failed to live up to all the hype, but still an interesting story.
I usually find books to read from threads like this, book forums, Amazon's lists, and goodreads.
But I certainly agree with you on books being one of the hardest things to get good recommendations on. I usually have to dig and dig through everything to find something that actually catches me.
The Adventures of Kavilier and Clay is an amazing book, loved it through and through.
I am reading The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. I am not religious but this book is pretty damn entertaining and teaches me alot about the Bible (in all its different forms)
I am reading The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. I am not religious but this book is pretty damn entertaining and teaches me alot about the Bible (in all its different forms)
I forgot to post in the August thread...oops!
Anyhow, for this month I'm reading...
Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad - David Haward Bain
It's pretty good so far. Bain takes a route alot like Robert Caro of describing all the people, large and small, who are affected by the subject. Unfortunately, he's no Caro and its a bit of a trudge to read through.
The Impossible Will Take a Little White: a citizen's guide for hope in a time of fear - edited by Paul Rogat Loeb
Got this from my program supervisor when exiting the AmeriCorps*VISTA program. I've been reading roughly an essay every day or so. The essays are phenomenal and truly inspiring, and Loeb's commentary is great.
Should I get through Empire Express, next up for September will be W.E.B. DuBois: The Fight for Equality and the American Century, 1919-1963 by David Levering Lewis and In Search of Lost Time (vol 4) Sodom and Gomorrah by Marcel Proust (D.J. Enright translation).
I sometimes look through things/people that interest me on wikipedia and see if any of the sources turn out to be decent books. Sources that inspired authors you like might be a good starting point, too. Found some decent books that way.
Anyhow, for this month I'm reading...
Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad - David Haward Bain
It's pretty good so far. Bain takes a route alot like Robert Caro of describing all the people, large and small, who are affected by the subject. Unfortunately, he's no Caro and its a bit of a trudge to read through.
The Impossible Will Take a Little White: a citizen's guide for hope in a time of fear - edited by Paul Rogat Loeb
Got this from my program supervisor when exiting the AmeriCorps*VISTA program. I've been reading roughly an essay every day or so. The essays are phenomenal and truly inspiring, and Loeb's commentary is great.
Should I get through Empire Express, next up for September will be W.E.B. DuBois: The Fight for Equality and the American Century, 1919-1963 by David Levering Lewis and In Search of Lost Time (vol 4) Sodom and Gomorrah by Marcel Proust (D.J. Enright translation).
Kastro said:
I sometimes look through things/people that interest me on wikipedia and see if any of the sources turn out to be decent books. Sources that inspired authors you like might be a good starting point, too. Found some decent books that way.
sharkmuncher
Member
Makes me wish I knew more about Chicago
Kastro said:
Thats exactly why I treasure my favourite books so much. Its kinda hit and miss. Of course you go for themes you might be interested in, but the theme alone doesn't make a good read. If you find an author you like, he still might be very inconsistent over the years. And recommendations also only help to a certain point. Thats also why you gotta have the balls to let go of a book when you realise you dont really dig it.
But then, when you find a book you're really getting into, its absoultely amazing!
Alx
Member
I have just finished "20 years later" by Alexandre Dumas for the second time (it's the sequel to the 3 Musketeers), and I noticed while reading it that the first time was... 20 years ago. It was a strange feeling...
I really liked it, it's easy to read, but there are subtleties that you miss when you are a teenager.
I also read again "Neverwhere" (Neil Gaiman) while spending a few days in London, it was a wonderful experience.
I really liked it, it's easy to read, but there are subtleties that you miss when you are a teenager.
I also read again "Neverwhere" (Neil Gaiman) while spending a few days in London, it was a wonderful experience.
Fragamemnon
Member
Reading three books this month. Maybe will read one more if I get through them, but there's a lot of pages to trek through and that's kinda doubtful given my free time. I've included board game pairings because I feel that no good history book is complete without a good game alongside it to really bring some of the aspects of the history to life. Hope you don't mind!
This one's a real keeper. Right up there with Catton and McPherson in terms of readability, and with a keenly analytical-and decidedly judgemental-look at the Maryland Campaign and all of the principal actors.
Game Pairings: Unreleased ACW board game I am playtesting, Glory III from GMT, In Their Quiet Fields II, Gamers/MMP.
I have..let's just say "quirky" views about colonization, I feel that this book isn't telling the entire story but it sure is a page turner. As a bonus, my Belgian wife and I trade barbs over atrocities in the Congo vs. the rapacious Manifest Destiny era in the US.
Game Pairing: Sort of a stretch here, but Angola! if you have it, else preorder it from MMP so Starkweather doesn't have to axe the game for the rest of us.
Haven't gotten far into this, but it's very readable even for someone like me who hasn't had a proper European History class in well over a decade. This was a harrowing and brutal time for Europe, and the author really knows how to vividly portray that while keeping all of the key actors and events laid out in a easy to read manner.
Game Pairing: Under the Lily Banners (GMT) for beginners, Gustav Adolf the Great: With God and Victorious Arms (GMT) for a more advanced serving of Musket and Pike.
This one's a real keeper. Right up there with Catton and McPherson in terms of readability, and with a keenly analytical-and decidedly judgemental-look at the Maryland Campaign and all of the principal actors.
Game Pairings: Unreleased ACW board game I am playtesting, Glory III from GMT, In Their Quiet Fields II, Gamers/MMP.
I have..let's just say "quirky" views about colonization, I feel that this book isn't telling the entire story but it sure is a page turner. As a bonus, my Belgian wife and I trade barbs over atrocities in the Congo vs. the rapacious Manifest Destiny era in the US.
Game Pairing: Sort of a stretch here, but Angola! if you have it, else preorder it from MMP so Starkweather doesn't have to axe the game for the rest of us.
Haven't gotten far into this, but it's very readable even for someone like me who hasn't had a proper European History class in well over a decade. This was a harrowing and brutal time for Europe, and the author really knows how to vividly portray that while keeping all of the key actors and events laid out in a easy to read manner.
Game Pairing: Under the Lily Banners (GMT) for beginners, Gustav Adolf the Great: With God and Victorious Arms (GMT) for a more advanced serving of Musket and Pike.
Jugendstil
Member
Just finished:
Popism: The Warhol Sixties - Andy Warhol and Pat Hackett
Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami
Finishing:
Forbidden Colors - Yukio Mishima
Reading:
Our Lady of the Flowers - Jean Jenet
Popism: The Warhol Sixties - Andy Warhol and Pat Hackett
Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami
Finishing:
Forbidden Colors - Yukio Mishima
Reading:
Our Lady of the Flowers - Jean Jenet
I have jumped on the GAF bandwagon and started reading this one. The font is actually pretty huge, and each paragraph is very spaced out, so I'm already 130 pages into it. Honestly, I will likely finish it by tomorrow. So far, so good. It's pretty much what I expected, and I do enjoy the writing style. I'm an ESL teacher, so not seeing apostrophes on contractions such as don't is a little bothersome, but I think I get why he makes some of the choices he does. I also like how he constantly refers to being "in" the road, instead of "on" the road, as if it's this all-encompassing entity that sucks a person into itself. Curious to see where this is all headed.
I posted this in the August thread, but I will re-post it here. I finished this yesterday...
Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb
I felt a mix of emotions while completing this book, and closing the door on the Farseer Trilogy. While Fitz's struggles and pain are once again the focal point of the story, it is what Hobb does with the supporting cast that will make you love or loathe this conclusion. Personally, I was left with a sense of respect for an author that does not guide her narratives into the expected places.
At the beginning of the story, Fitz is a ghost of his former self, and his rehabilitation into the world of the living is one of the hilights of the book. As he regains his strength and steels his focus to killing Regal, we once again follow him through numerous difficulties, and heaps of emotional anguish. Along the way, he meets a couple of new characters that leave a lasting impression on the reader. Starling and Kettle are great additions to this series, and I felt they often added a needed lightness to the book.
My only real complaint about this story is that it felt extremely drawn out, and that the conclusion, despite tying up most loose ends, left me with a sense of anti-climax. That could simply be that Hobb spent a good deal of time building up my disdain for certain characters, or my curiosity about other parts of the story, only to explain them all away in a few brief paragraphs. I felt that Royal Assassin shared a similar problem.
Regardless of its sometimes slow pacing, and despite this book requiring a fairly large commitment at 757 pages, the journey is worth it. The lessons I took away from it were largely centred around different ways of showing love, and the nature of personal sacrifice. It is not a perfect tale, but the lasting impression is one of reverence for Hobb's ambitious scope and imagination. 8/10.
Just finished:
It was good, but dragged a bit in places.
Also just finished:
Entirely forgettable, unfortunately. The characters are paper-thin, and the vampires are basically mindless zombies. It's a page-turner, but if I decide to read the other two they're coming from the library.
Now reading:
Absolutely fantastic so far. Just finished the Priest's tale, the Bikura journals were mind-blowing.
Is Fall of Hyperion worth reading?
It was good, but dragged a bit in places.
Also just finished:
Entirely forgettable, unfortunately. The characters are paper-thin, and the vampires are basically mindless zombies. It's a page-turner, but if I decide to read the other two they're coming from the library.
Now reading:
Absolutely fantastic so far. Just finished the Priest's tale, the Bikura journals were mind-blowing.
Is Fall of Hyperion worth reading?Reading Alastair Reynold's The Prefect
And then Glen Cook's newly re-collected Dread Empire triology:
If you're interested in Glen Cook, but haven't been able to find the out of print Black Company books, look again -- they've done a series of re-releases, combining multiple books into single TPB volumes.
And then Glen Cook's newly re-collected Dread Empire triology:
If you're interested in Glen Cook, but haven't been able to find the out of print Black Company books, look again -- they've done a series of re-releases, combining multiple books into single TPB volumes.
Kastro said:
This thread is a good start. Just doing some random web browsing on book sites, or even checking people's amazon lists can yield some rewarding finds. It also depends on what you're into. I mostly read science fiction and fantasy novels, and occasionally dip outside of that, but I definitely have developed particular tastes when it comes to reading. You need to find out what yours are.
KingGondo said:Just finished:
Now reading:
Absolutely fantastic so far. Just finished the Priest's tale, the Bikura journals were mind-blowing.
It depends who you talk to. I personally found The Fall of Hyperion a real chore to get through, especially after the first book, which was admittedly pretty fantastic. The pacing is just so different from the first book, and I just wasn't as drawn into the world as I was the first time around. Of course, the second book is pretty much a necessity, since Hyperion itself ends just as the journey really begins. Have fun! I hope you like the whole ride more than I did.
eternaLightness
Member
Found some books for $1 at Half Price Books awhile ago.
Started The Street Lawyer by John Grisham first. He's also done things such as The Pelican Brief and Runaway Jury Have only a few chapters left. Will finish it up later today. Pretty good legal thriller.
Also picked up these two. The first I plan on starting after I'm done The Street Lawyer.
Started The Street Lawyer by John Grisham first. He's also done things such as The Pelican Brief and Runaway Jury Have only a few chapters left. Will finish it up later today. Pretty good legal thriller.
Also picked up these two. The first I plan on starting after I'm done The Street Lawyer.
Fragamemnon
Member
besada said:
Thanks for the tip on this-I haven't read anything Cook's done since the original Black Company trilogy, this looks like great gritty fun to read. Just ordered it off amazon.
muttyeah416
Member
Since school is starting on Thursday, here's a stack of my summer reading:
The Cheese Monkeys, Chip Kidd
China Underground, Zachary Mexico
When You Are Engulfed In Flames, David Sedaris
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, Haruki Murakami
Exit Wounds, Rutu Modan
Local, Brian Wood
now i'm working on:
and
The Cheese Monkeys, Chip Kidd
China Underground, Zachary Mexico
When You Are Engulfed In Flames, David Sedaris
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, Haruki Murakami
Exit Wounds, Rutu Modan
Local, Brian Wood
now i'm working on:
and
So glad people are reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay!!! INCREDIBLE READ.
Right now I am 3/4 of the way through this and I fucking love it. I love BEAT culture, jazz, LSD, traveling, America, friends, sex... I can't believe it took me so long to take my friends recommendation.
I will break for a few comics:
Fables, vol 12
The Hedge Knight, vol 1
Transmetropolian, vol 7
Right now I am 3/4 of the way through this and I fucking love it. I love BEAT culture, jazz, LSD, traveling, America, friends, sex... I can't believe it took me so long to take my friends recommendation.
I will break for a few comics:
Fables, vol 12
The Hedge Knight, vol 1
Transmetropolian, vol 7
Cyan said:
Yeah, I think that if I go back to this series in the future, I might just stop after the first book, which I felt was the best of the bunch. I actually loved numerous parts of the other two books in the series; namely, almost everything involving Kettricken in Royal Assassin, and everything involving Starling in Assassin's Quest.
This was actually the longest fantasy collection I have read. I honestly have never gone through The Lord of the Rings. Do all long fantasy series share this problem of events feeling far too drawn out? It's why I have been steering clear of J.R.R. Martin's books, and why I have never bothered to invest the time into Tolkien's trilogy, despite adoring the films based on his books.
ClosingADoor
Member
Just finished:
In the end the series went a bit downhill for me. Apparently, the dude who first manages an empire of tons of planets
Starting on this when it arrives, hopefully tomorrow or the day after:
In the end the series went a bit downhill for me. Apparently, the dude who first manages an empire of tons of planets
is more stupid then a street kid who becomes king by luck and overthrows the other government. Didn't help that the old ruler seems to be making stupid mistake after mistake.
Starting on this when it arrives, hopefully tomorrow or the day after:
Barbacoatl
Banned
Missed the august thread too, so here's a small pile of books
-Thomas Bernhard autobiography
-Selected essays by Walter Benjamin volume 2
and a jewel, Bruno Schulz' stories and drawings
-Thomas Bernhard autobiography
-Selected essays by Walter Benjamin volume 2
and a jewel, Bruno Schulz' stories and drawings
Nearly done this:
It's a fantastic read and starts near the end of the movie: Revenge of the Sith. Nice interwoven plot threads and action and the story of vader's fall and rise is much more well done than what was shown in Revenge of the Sith. It's told from both Vader's eyes and the eyes of a group of jedi on the run following Order 66. It's quickly joining Darksaber, the Courtship of Princess Leia and The New Rebellion as my favorite one-off star wars books.
It's a fantastic read and starts near the end of the movie: Revenge of the Sith. Nice interwoven plot threads and action and the story of vader's fall and rise is much more well done than what was shown in Revenge of the Sith. It's told from both Vader's eyes and the eyes of a group of jedi on the run following Order 66. It's quickly joining Darksaber, the Courtship of Princess Leia and The New Rebellion as my favorite one-off star wars books.
MattyGrovesOrMe
Member
If you're into Bruno Schulz, I recommend Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass - at least that's the english title.Trip Warhawkins said:Missed the august thread too, so here's a small pile of books
-Thomas Berndhard autobiography
-Selected essays by Walter Benjamin volume 2
and a jewel, Bruno Schulz' stories and drawings
I'm Reading:
-Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture - Alex Galloway (2006)
-Games of Empire: Global Capitalism & Video Games - Nick Dyer-Witheford & Greig de Peuter (2009)
-Culture & Materialism - Raymond Williams (1980)
Danne-Danger
Member
Two short stories I really liked from one of his collections were The Picture in the House and The Outsider, both are pretty straightforward by Lovecraft standards.CiSTM said:
As for me I finished reading Ubik and really liked it all the way to the end. I'm feeling a bit burnt-out from my sci-fi binge now so I'm having a bit of trouble choosing where to go next. Right now I'm leaning back and forth between Snow Crash (which I don't think I have the energy to go through right now), Dune Messiah (loved the original) and Aniara (would be nice to read a book in Swedish for once...).
I think I'll go with Dune.
Barbacoatl
Banned
The book includes itMattyGrovesOrMe said:
Recently finished Star Trek Deep Space Nine: The neverending sacrifice.
I read alot of ST books, a few are quite good, many are average but fun, and a few are terrible.
But this one in particular is truly fantastic. Anyone who is a DS9 fan needs to read this.
It takes place from the handover of ds9 to starfleet through the entire timeline of the series, up until a little after some of the post series novels. Following a cardassian child whose family believes is killed, and is then adopted by a bajorian family. The novel starts with him getting sent back to cardassia for the first time with his bloodfather. It gives fans of DS9 an amazing insight into the major events of the series from a different perspective. As well as a really interesting look into cardassian society and mentality.
I read alot of ST books, a few are quite good, many are average but fun, and a few are terrible.
But this one in particular is truly fantastic. Anyone who is a DS9 fan needs to read this.
It takes place from the handover of ds9 to starfleet through the entire timeline of the series, up until a little after some of the post series novels. Following a cardassian child whose family believes is killed, and is then adopted by a bajorian family. The novel starts with him getting sent back to cardassia for the first time with his bloodfather. It gives fans of DS9 an amazing insight into the major events of the series from a different perspective. As well as a really interesting look into cardassian society and mentality.
Running through the entire "Little Books, Big Profits" series -
Haven't started that specific one yet, but I didn't want to post a pic of all 7 so I just picked one at random. They're not really all that detailed, and don't have much that I didn't get from my MBA, but they're short, easy to read, and as I get farther away from my degree without actually holding a finance job they're great as a refresher. Found 6 of the books at a used book store for cheap, now just looking for the last one.
Next up after those is either
or
Haven't started that specific one yet, but I didn't want to post a pic of all 7 so I just picked one at random.
They're not really all that detailed, and don't have much that I didn't get from my MBA, but they're short, easy to read, and as I get farther away from my degree without actually holding a finance job they're great as a refresher. Found 6 of the books at a used book store for cheap, now just looking for the last one.Next up after those is either
or
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
I posted this in the August thread but I just finished it and would love to know if anyone on gaf read it:
I loved every second of the book and now that I have had a couple days to really reflect on the
horribly depressing ending I think it just might be one of the most powerful works of fiction I have
ever read. What did you guys think?
Just started this:
I loved every second of the book and now that I have had a couple days to really reflect on the
horribly depressing ending I think it just might be one of the most powerful works of fiction I have
ever read. What did you guys think?
Just started this:
Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk
The Lie by Chad Kultgen
Like Kastro though I would also fucking appreciate it if some of you can point me towards some books i might like lol. I find Chuck Palahniuk sense of humor amazing(love his gritty, very sexual, and frank writing) But he is the only author I know of the dark comedy style. I think it would help if I tell you some of my favorite movies which I would like to read something similar. I love the life aquatic with steve zissou, rushmore,(basically any wes anderson movie), kiss kiss bang bang, cohen brother movies like the big lebowski, fargo, burn after reading, etc. I also wouldn't mind books about college-ish comedy romance like garden state and nick and norahs infinite playlist(i am aware that is actually a book too) and real love depictions like movies such as
500 days of summer. I also read all the harry potters which i absolutely love so yeah lol, i guess you can use that too.
Cyan said:It's a common problem in trilogies, and thus a common problem in fantasy, although it's usually the middle book that feels drawn out. Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy is a good example of this--excellent first book, good last book, occasionally tedious middle book. The problem is that the middle of a story is never as compelling as the beginning or end.
You should probably never read the Wheel of Time series.
I'm starting to be of the mind that a book should never really exceed any more than 400 pages, max.
I mean, I really enjoyed reading Dune, but it took me forever, and after about 300 pages, I was waiting for it to wrap up. I think I have a pretty decent attention span and have finished long books, but I don't think I enjoy them as much as I should, or as much as something shorter and tighter like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or Fahrenheit 451. Maybe I'm doing it wrong. Haha.Just finished:
I don't exactly know what I read, but at least I can say I read it.
Now that I'm done with that beast, I've decided to go back to the Russians. Since I've already read most of Dostoyevsky's works, I'm moving on to Tolstoy.
It's a big book, but it should be good. Hopefully I can finish it by the end of the month.
I don't exactly know what I read, but at least I can say I read it.
Now that I'm done with that beast, I've decided to go back to the Russians. Since I've already read most of Dostoyevsky's works, I'm moving on to Tolstoy.
It's a big book, but it should be good. Hopefully I can finish it by the end of the month.