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What BOOK(s) are you reading? ARCHIVE
23 Aug 2010 18:52 #72115
by Not Sure
Replied by Not Sure on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
Alright, book thread! I love book thread like Barnes loves videogames.
The last few things I read:
Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union followed by Mieville's The City and the City.
Double dose (though unintentional) of modern takes on the Chandler-style hardboiled detective novel. The contrast between reading these back-to-back based on arbitrary library hold times made them both more enjoyable, I think. I like Chabon's writing in this book much more than I usually do, since he'd toned down his thesaurus-heavy style to suit the material. A very good piece of alt-history detective fiction, but since I'm not Jewish I think a bunch of it flew by me like A Serious Man did.
Mieville's book was also enjoyable, but it was very slow to start. His hook of the two cities wasn't always as coherent as I'd expect, and the whole setting sort of felt like an allegory to EU politics. Regardless, there's an excellent detective novel buried in there, and it really starts to pick up speed toward the end.
After those two it was some candy reading: Throne of Jade, the second of the Naomi Novik "dragons in the Napoleonic Wars" books. This one wasn't as good as the first, there was too much pipe-laying and not enough interest, with action scenes sort of shoehorned in. I'll give the third one a try, but if it doesn't pick up this series is dead to me. (and probably belongs in the "Things you wouldn't defend publicly" thread anyway.)
Currently re-reading On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers, as the last time the book thread surfaced he was discussed, and I realized I hadn't read this one in years.
The last few things I read:
Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union followed by Mieville's The City and the City.
Double dose (though unintentional) of modern takes on the Chandler-style hardboiled detective novel. The contrast between reading these back-to-back based on arbitrary library hold times made them both more enjoyable, I think. I like Chabon's writing in this book much more than I usually do, since he'd toned down his thesaurus-heavy style to suit the material. A very good piece of alt-history detective fiction, but since I'm not Jewish I think a bunch of it flew by me like A Serious Man did.
Mieville's book was also enjoyable, but it was very slow to start. His hook of the two cities wasn't always as coherent as I'd expect, and the whole setting sort of felt like an allegory to EU politics. Regardless, there's an excellent detective novel buried in there, and it really starts to pick up speed toward the end.
After those two it was some candy reading: Throne of Jade, the second of the Naomi Novik "dragons in the Napoleonic Wars" books. This one wasn't as good as the first, there was too much pipe-laying and not enough interest, with action scenes sort of shoehorned in. I'll give the third one a try, but if it doesn't pick up this series is dead to me. (and probably belongs in the "Things you wouldn't defend publicly" thread anyway.)
Currently re-reading On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers, as the last time the book thread surfaced he was discussed, and I realized I hadn't read this one in years.
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24 Aug 2010 08:54 #72150
by Columbob
Replied by Columbob on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
jay718 wrote:
They do mention Cthulhu a couple of times in the book though. I thought it was a fun book, although it could have been 100 pages shorter IMO, a bit too meandering.
Right now I'm slogging through China Mieville's 'Kraken.' I think this guys writing's just not for me. I had to put down both 'Perdido Street Station' and 'The City & the City,' and I thought the Lovecraftian aspects to this one would grab me, but 140 pages in and I'm scanning the shelves for the next book. Maybe it's the cheesy ass pictures of him on the covers that don't let me get into it, or the fact that he didn't name Lovecraft in his list of inspirations for the book, I don't know. I feel like I should like this guys stuff, but I just don't.
They do mention Cthulhu a couple of times in the book though. I thought it was a fun book, although it could have been 100 pages shorter IMO, a bit too meandering.
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24 Aug 2010 10:48 #72162
by gorm
Replied by gorm on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
Columbob wrote:
Just finished this last week and that was my feeling exactly - good, fun read that could have used a bit of trimming.
Steve G.
jay718 wrote:
Right now I'm slogging through China Mieville's 'Kraken.' I think this guys writing's just not for me. I had to put down both 'Perdido Street Station' and 'The City & the City,' and I thought the Lovecraftian aspects to this one would grab me, but 140 pages in and I'm scanning the shelves for the next book. Maybe it's the cheesy ass pictures of him on the covers that don't let me get into it, or the fact that he didn't name Lovecraft in his list of inspirations for the book, I don't know. I feel like I should like this guys stuff, but I just don't.
They do mention Cthulhu a couple of times in the book though. I thought it was a fun book, although it could have been 100 pages shorter IMO, a bit too meandering.
Just finished this last week and that was my feeling exactly - good, fun read that could have used a bit of trimming.
Steve G.
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24 Aug 2010 10:57 #72163
by Dr. Mabuse
Replied by Dr. Mabuse on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
I read Joe Abercrombie's " Best Served Cold" earlier this summer. I read his " The First Law" trilogy last summer so this was a great follow-up.
I truly dig his writing style for the most part but in "BSC" I felt there were some passages that were very same-y to the TFL series. In particular his gruesome descriptions of torture which kinda loses is shock value after awhile. Other than minor quibbles I truly enjoy the world he's created with his four books. His characters may tread dangerously close to their genre stereotypes (barbarians, assassins etc.) but Abercrombie has the ability to bring out the human-ness of nearly each character that you become lost in who they are as opposed to what they are.
I'm currently working my way through an uneven collection of modern Lovecraft inspired short stories, which was published by Dark Horse Comics surprisingly.
I truly dig his writing style for the most part but in "BSC" I felt there were some passages that were very same-y to the TFL series. In particular his gruesome descriptions of torture which kinda loses is shock value after awhile. Other than minor quibbles I truly enjoy the world he's created with his four books. His characters may tread dangerously close to their genre stereotypes (barbarians, assassins etc.) but Abercrombie has the ability to bring out the human-ness of nearly each character that you become lost in who they are as opposed to what they are.
I'm currently working my way through an uneven collection of modern Lovecraft inspired short stories, which was published by Dark Horse Comics surprisingly.
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24 Aug 2010 11:30 - 24 Aug 2010 11:40 #72164
by jay718
Replied by jay718 on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
Columbob wrote:
I know man, that just makes it worse. Dagon as well. He lists Wells and Verne and even fucking Pop Will Eat Itself in the acknowledgements, but not Lovecraft. My real beef is the writing though. I can't stand the dialogue, and I'm having a tough time justifying turning each page. I may just have to put this one down for the time being.
Just read a review of 'Finch' which was mentioned above. Sounds pretty good; think I might have to put off Lord Fouls Bane for a bit if I can get my hands on it. Plus I had no idea Donaldson had written more of these. Has anyone read any of the last chronicles of Tommy Covenant?
I read that Dark Horse anthology 'Lovecraft Unbound' a while back too. There's a few really good ones in there. I got a whole pile of Cthulhu mythos inspired fiction from a buddy, (High Seas Cthulhu, Hard Boiled Cthulhu, The Strange Cases of Rudolph Pearson, etc.) and they all stink so far with the exceptions of this and Shadows Over Baker Street, an anthology of Lovcraft inspired Sherlock Holmes stories. Neil Gaiman's superb 'A Study in Emerald' appears in both.
They do mention Cthulhu a couple of times in the book though.
I know man, that just makes it worse. Dagon as well. He lists Wells and Verne and even fucking Pop Will Eat Itself in the acknowledgements, but not Lovecraft. My real beef is the writing though. I can't stand the dialogue, and I'm having a tough time justifying turning each page. I may just have to put this one down for the time being.
Just read a review of 'Finch' which was mentioned above. Sounds pretty good; think I might have to put off Lord Fouls Bane for a bit if I can get my hands on it. Plus I had no idea Donaldson had written more of these. Has anyone read any of the last chronicles of Tommy Covenant?
I read that Dark Horse anthology 'Lovecraft Unbound' a while back too. There's a few really good ones in there. I got a whole pile of Cthulhu mythos inspired fiction from a buddy, (High Seas Cthulhu, Hard Boiled Cthulhu, The Strange Cases of Rudolph Pearson, etc.) and they all stink so far with the exceptions of this and Shadows Over Baker Street, an anthology of Lovcraft inspired Sherlock Holmes stories. Neil Gaiman's superb 'A Study in Emerald' appears in both.
Last edit: 24 Aug 2010 11:40 by jay718.
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24 Aug 2010 11:37 #72166
by Pat II
Replied by Pat II on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era - James McPherson.
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25 Aug 2010 00:34 #72239
by billyz
Replied by billyz on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
I finished re-reading A SONG OF FIRE AND ICE or whatever the fuck, and Martin has succeded in convincing me that he doesn't suck as writer- he just paces his major plotline v e r y slowly.
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25 Aug 2010 00:45 #72240
by Not Sure
Replied by Not Sure on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
billyz wrote:
You have to fill all those books somehow, you know.
I finished re-reading A SONG OF FIRE AND ICE or whatever the fuck, and Martin has succeded in convincing me that he doesn't suck as writer- he just paces his major plotline v e r y slowly.
You have to fill all those books somehow, you know.
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25 Aug 2010 12:28 #72275
by jay718
Replied by jay718 on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
billyz wrote:
Just re-read those myself recently, and I actually enjoyed them more the second time around. I think I read the last two in less than a week and a half or so; I just couldn't put them down.You're right on about the pacing though. The fourth book left out three of the main POV's entirely while introducing several new ones! I thoroughly enjoyed the POV's of the Ironborn and the Dornishmen, and thought it did a lot to flesh out the story and the world in general, but lordy there's been a lot of fleshing out. I really hope this guy finishes the series before he dies. With each photo I see of him I grow more and more skeptical...
I finished re-reading A SONG OF FIRE AND ICE or whatever the fuck, and Martin has succeded in convincing me that he doesn't suck as writer- he just paces his major plotline v e r y slowly.
Just re-read those myself recently, and I actually enjoyed them more the second time around. I think I read the last two in less than a week and a half or so; I just couldn't put them down.You're right on about the pacing though. The fourth book left out three of the main POV's entirely while introducing several new ones! I thoroughly enjoyed the POV's of the Ironborn and the Dornishmen, and thought it did a lot to flesh out the story and the world in general, but lordy there's been a lot of fleshing out. I really hope this guy finishes the series before he dies. With each photo I see of him I grow more and more skeptical...
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25 Aug 2010 16:08 #72285
by Bernie
Replied by Bernie on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
Reading a few books right now. Scar night, The Lies of Locke Lamora and just started the audio book of The fires of Heaven (which i have read). Not far into Scar Night as its my in the car book but like it so far. Really enjoying Lies, only 140 pages in though.
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25 Aug 2010 16:19 #72287
by san il defanso
Replied by san il defanso on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
Lies of Locke Lamora is a great book. I love to read fantasy novels that can't be directly traced to Tolkien.
I'm not as big a reader as I'd like to be, but I did get some good stuff in this summer. I read Stephen King's The Stand and really enjoyed it aside from the sodomy involving firearms. I also read Watership Down for the first time, and was surprised at how excellent it was. I definitely plan on re-reading that one.
In my King mode, I'm now slowly working my way through The Gunslinger. It's not bad, although I don't think I could take a whole seven installments of this. Hopefully the rest of The Dark Tower becomes a little less opaque as it goes on.
I'm not as big a reader as I'd like to be, but I did get some good stuff in this summer. I read Stephen King's The Stand and really enjoyed it aside from the sodomy involving firearms. I also read Watership Down for the first time, and was surprised at how excellent it was. I definitely plan on re-reading that one.
In my King mode, I'm now slowly working my way through The Gunslinger. It's not bad, although I don't think I could take a whole seven installments of this. Hopefully the rest of The Dark Tower becomes a little less opaque as it goes on.
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25 Aug 2010 16:28 #72288
by Not Sure
Replied by Not Sure on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
SanIlDefanso wrote:
The big version? Wait, I'm old. Do they even sell the old cut-down edition anymore? I enjoyed it when I read it shortly after the monster "author's cut" came out.
Don't worry, after he figures it out a bit it gets there faster. Well, for a seven-book-cycle version of fast. But The Gunslinger was originally written a decade or so before the rest of them. (again, old. Didn't he re-write it more recently? Haven't read it in twenty years.)
I read Stephen King's The Stand
The big version? Wait, I'm old. Do they even sell the old cut-down edition anymore? I enjoyed it when I read it shortly after the monster "author's cut" came out.
In my King mode, I'm now slowly working my way through The Gunslinger. It's not bad, although I don't think I could take a whole seven installments of this. Hopefully the rest of The Dark Tower becomes a little less opaque as it goes on.
Don't worry, after he figures it out a bit it gets there faster. Well, for a seven-book-cycle version of fast. But The Gunslinger was originally written a decade or so before the rest of them. (again, old. Didn't he re-write it more recently? Haven't read it in twenty years.)
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25 Aug 2010 16:32 #72289
by san il defanso
Replied by san il defanso on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
Yeah, I read the big 1150-page version. I don't think the shorter version is actually being printed anymore.
I'm actually reading the revised version of The Gunslinger. As he explains in the forward, he went through and cleaned it up quite a bit, to make it more in line with the other books. It's not a long one, and if that's the prologue to the real meat of the story, that's fine. It's just a somewhat disorienting book for as slight as it appears to be.
I'm a little surprised at how much I enjoy his writing. He's not really much of a wordsmith, but he does have a good sense of story and character, and that's something I'm more interested in anyway.
Oh, and I intend to re-read Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind before the sequel, The Wise Man's Fear comes out early next year. We'll see when I get around to that.
I'm actually reading the revised version of The Gunslinger. As he explains in the forward, he went through and cleaned it up quite a bit, to make it more in line with the other books. It's not a long one, and if that's the prologue to the real meat of the story, that's fine. It's just a somewhat disorienting book for as slight as it appears to be.
I'm a little surprised at how much I enjoy his writing. He's not really much of a wordsmith, but he does have a good sense of story and character, and that's something I'm more interested in anyway.
Oh, and I intend to re-read Patrick Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind before the sequel, The Wise Man's Fear comes out early next year. We'll see when I get around to that.
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31 Aug 2010 22:55 #72787
by ubarose
Replied by ubarose on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
I just received "Galahad - Enough of his life to explain his reputation." I love the internet, you just think of something, and bamm, you can have it.
I came across this book when I was like 12 years old in a tiny library in VT. There wasn't much of a selection. Most of the books were rather old. They kept the "naughty" books locked up in an old china cupboard, which I found rather humorous, as these books looked just as old and boring as all the other books in the library, just a bit more worn. I found Galahad, while poking around among the unimprisoned books. The title struck me as so funny so I laughed out loud.
If you find the title, "Galahad - Enough of his life to explain his reputation" funny, then we share the same sense of humor, and I feel a bit sorry for you, because it means you often get odd looks when you laugh, as other people tend to be bewildered as to why you find such things funny. And it's no use trying to explain it to them. The librarian didn't share my sense of humor.
I started reading "Galahad" in the library, but never got to finish it. The librarian made me leave, because I was laughing too much and disturbing, well, I'm not sure who I was disturbing, as there didn't seem to be anyone else in the library at the time. I wasn't allowed to check the book out because it was in the adult section (which is not the same thing as the naughty books in the cupboard section) , and being only 12, I was restricted to the only checking out books from the children's section.
The other day this book came to mind, and I looked it up, and there it was. Only $3 plus $2.99 shipping. So now it is mine, and I am reading it, and I can laugh all I want in the privacy of my room, without getting odd looks from anyone.
I came across this book when I was like 12 years old in a tiny library in VT. There wasn't much of a selection. Most of the books were rather old. They kept the "naughty" books locked up in an old china cupboard, which I found rather humorous, as these books looked just as old and boring as all the other books in the library, just a bit more worn. I found Galahad, while poking around among the unimprisoned books. The title struck me as so funny so I laughed out loud.
If you find the title, "Galahad - Enough of his life to explain his reputation" funny, then we share the same sense of humor, and I feel a bit sorry for you, because it means you often get odd looks when you laugh, as other people tend to be bewildered as to why you find such things funny. And it's no use trying to explain it to them. The librarian didn't share my sense of humor.
I started reading "Galahad" in the library, but never got to finish it. The librarian made me leave, because I was laughing too much and disturbing, well, I'm not sure who I was disturbing, as there didn't seem to be anyone else in the library at the time. I wasn't allowed to check the book out because it was in the adult section (which is not the same thing as the naughty books in the cupboard section) , and being only 12, I was restricted to the only checking out books from the children's section.
The other day this book came to mind, and I looked it up, and there it was. Only $3 plus $2.99 shipping. So now it is mine, and I am reading it, and I can laugh all I want in the privacy of my room, without getting odd looks from anyone.
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01 Sep 2010 07:57 #72795
by billyz
Replied by billyz on topic Re:What BOOK(s) are you reading?
All this talk of NEMO'S WAR had me wanting to read 20000 Leagues Under The Sea. Thanks to the kindle app on my ipod touch, it only cost me .99c!
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