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Kevin Klemme
March 09, 2020
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Kevin Klemme
January 27, 2020
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Kevin Klemme
August 12, 2019
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oliverkinne
December 19, 2023
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December 14, 2023
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Mycelia Board Game Review

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oliverkinne
December 12, 2023
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oliverkinne
December 07, 2023
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River Wild Board Game Review

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oliverkinne
December 05, 2023
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oliverkinne
November 30, 2023
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Jackwraith
November 29, 2023
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oliverkinne
November 28, 2023
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Spitfireixa
October 24, 2023
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oliverkinne
October 17, 2023
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October 10, 2023
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Outback Crossing Review

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What BOOK(s) are you reading?

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07 Feb 2018 09:03 #263086 by lj1983
"Into the Storm" by Taylor Anderson, first in his "destroyermen" series. its about a WWI era destroyer that is on the run from the Japanese in WWII, goes through a storm and ends up in an alternate reality earth. Ticks a couple boxes for me, with the military angle, tech/time travel ish stuff, some alien-style encounters. Fairly light, but its been a good read so far with likeable characters and good action sequences. I'm a big fan of things like 1632 and Dies the Fire, and this is fairly close to that theme and styles of righting.

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07 Feb 2018 10:13 - 07 Feb 2018 14:01 #263094 by Gary Sax
I have a lot of audiobook time these days because of my commute, so I started listening to Dance with Dragons alongside the excellent book on the French Revolution I'm reading. Boy, did I not give Dance with Dragons a fair shake. It's very good and I was completely meh on it the first time I read it. The problem is that it's a major geographical and thematic shift. It isn't about feudalism and the high politics of succession, but about social revolution and other political systems in the rest of the world... in preparation for a return to break westeros.

Feast for Crows fits into this too, since it's mostly about the devastating effects of the war on the small folk. That was so jarring to me when I first read it that I definitely didn't give Dance (or Feast) a fair shake whatsoever. Part of me thinks that there's a smarter version of this where George RR Martin ends the first 3-4 books which wrap up much of the political goings on in westeros and then starts another trilogy, in continuity with the first three, to make it clear how big a break this book is from the rest.

There are so many good scenes in the book but they aren't like scenes from the first trilogy where people in finery talk Important Politics. I just listened to the scene where Mormont and Tyrion meet the former slave in the merchant inn in Volantis, which ends in perfectly sinister fashion where she basically inexplicably gives help to these doofuses and says something to the effect of "when you meet the dragon queen tell her that the slaves of Volantis are waiting and she should come soon." Real good, given that she has just been telling them all about local politics between high and mighty types and hasn't clued you in at all that she holds a deep fire to murder the entire ruling class from her time as a slave.

FWIW, the TV series does 0 justice to any of this. To its credit, it doesn't even try and cuts most of it out entirely. You wouldn't know anything about this part of the series if you hadn't read the books and that's probably ok. But you'd definitely be missing out; the TV series definitely makes the Song of Ice and Fire books seem dumber, or a the very least vastly less subtle and sophisticated in theme, than they actually are.
Last edit: 07 Feb 2018 14:01 by Gary Sax.
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07 Feb 2018 10:57 #263104 by hotseatgames
I'm reading the Horus Heresy book "Burning of Prospero" (or is it Prospero Burning?) and even after about 1/3 of the way, it's not doing much for me. It's kind of boring and I keep waiting for it to get rolling. I expect more from Dan Abnett.

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07 Feb 2018 11:15 #263110 by Shellhead

Gary Sax wrote: I have a lot of audiobook time these days because of my commute, so I started listening to Dance with Dragons alongside the excellent book on the French Revolution I'm reading. Boy, did I not give Dance with Dragons a fair shake. It's very good and I was completely meh on it the first time I read it. The problem is that it's a major geographical and thematic shift. It isn't about feudalism and the high politics of succession, but about social revolution and other political systems in the rest of the world... in preparation for a return to break westeros.

Feast for Crows fits into this too, since it's mostly about the devastating effects of the war on the small folk. That was so jarring to me when I first read it that I definitely didn't not give Dance (or Feast) a fair shake whatsoever. Part of me thinks that there's a smarter version of this where George RR Martin ends the first 3-4 books which wrap up much of the political goings on in westeros and then starts another trilogy, in continuity with the first three, to make it clear how big a break this book is from the rest.

There are so many good scenes in the book but they aren't like scenes from the first trilogy where people in finery talk Important Politics. I just listened to the scene where Mormont and Tyrion meet the former slave in the merchant inn in Volantis, which ends in perfectly sinister fashion where she basically inexplicably gives help to these doofuses and says something to the effect of "when you meet the dragon queen tell her that the slaves of Volantis are waiting and she should come soon." Real good, given that she has just been telling them all about local politics between high and mighty types and hasn't clued you in at all that she holds a deep fire to murder the entire ruling class from her time as a slave.

FWIW, the TV series does 0 justice to any of this. To its credit, it doesn't even try and cuts most of it out entirely. You wouldn't know anything about this part of the series if you hadn't read the books and that's probably ok. But you'd definitely be missing out; the TV series definitely makes the Song of Ice and Fire books seem dumber, or a the very least vastly less subtle and sophisticated in theme, than they actually are.


Great points. I personally enjoyed Feast and Dance on first read, though not quite as much as Storm of Swords. They are indeed a shift in focus, not just geographically but also thematically. I especially enjoyed Feast for exploring the aftermath of war and how it devastated the common folk, and Dance goes into some touchy issues involving slavery. And you're right, the show largely ignores the more interesting and unique scenes in these two books, aside from some scenes involving either the Hound or Missandei and Grey Worm.
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07 Feb 2018 11:41 - 08 Feb 2018 12:48 #263120 by ThirstyMan
I'm reading Alan Moore's Jerusalem. It is a quite incredible book of vast scope.

The descriptive beauty of a man meeting a real angel while painting the ceiling of St Paul's Cathedral and consequently going mad was so stunning, I was in tears.

This may be one of the best books I have ever read. Moore is a master.

Yes, the same one involved in Watchmen and From Hell.
Last edit: 08 Feb 2018 12:48 by ThirstyMan.
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08 Feb 2018 13:12 #263219 by Dr. Mabuse

Jackwraith wrote: SPQR: A history of ancient Rome by Mary Beard.
She spends a lot of time dismissing a lot of legends that have grown up around the history by examining actual physical evidence..

Hey, I was just about to list this too! Great read!
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25 Feb 2018 22:51 - 25 Feb 2018 22:52 #264000 by jeb
Replied by jeb on topic What BOOK(s) are you reading?
MEDDLING KIDS by Edgar Cantero.

A Scooby Gang reunites as adults to solve their greatest mystery—why they stopped solving mysteries!

It takes Cthluhu turns and it is so SO BAD. I was really annoyed by this book, but I felt like I had to bear it to get word out to you. Take the "I'm-so-clever" diction* of Neal Stephenson (whom I love) and combine with the schlocky laziest writing form ever, the ready for the screen script:
NICK: What? I thought you were a zombie.
ANDY: Nope, I am not a zombie. I am a character in a book who's author has decided to forego normal rules of grammar.
NICK: Wow, really? Even for folks just talking?
ANDY: Yes, sadly. But enjoy how "woke" he is about gender norms.
NICK: I do enjoy it, and doesn't he handle my mental health issues well?
ANDY: Indeed!

JFC it's so bad you want to scream. Someone out here is going to read it and really like it and then I have to change my mental image of you.

*Example: A zombie opens its "mouth at a thylacine angle." Do you know what a thylacine is? It's the scientific name for the extinct Tasmanian tiger, which could open its mouth pretty wide. WHY THE FUCK DO THIS?
Last edit: 25 Feb 2018 22:52 by jeb.

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25 Feb 2018 23:29 #264003 by Shellhead

jeb wrote: MEDDLING KIDS by Edgar Cantero.

A Scooby Gang reunites as adults to solve their greatest mystery—why they stopped solving mysteries!


I gave this book to my sister for her birthday last year. I never got around to asking her if she liked it.

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26 Feb 2018 10:00 - 26 Feb 2018 10:01 #264019 by Black Barney
Just ordered a new book from wordery.com. Haven't read a book in a long time, haven't bought a book in even longer. Can't wait.
Last edit: 26 Feb 2018 10:01 by Black Barney.

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26 Feb 2018 10:12 #264023 by Disgustipater
^^ That sounds like an ad posing as a review
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26 Feb 2018 10:28 #264028 by Black Barney
lol, so true. I'm just missing the hotlink.

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26 Feb 2018 11:12 #264037 by jeb
Replied by jeb on topic What BOOK(s) are you reading?

Shellhead wrote:

jeb wrote: MEDDLING KIDS by Edgar Cantero.

A Scooby Gang reunites as adults to solve their greatest mystery—why they stopped solving mysteries!


I gave this book to my sister for her birthday last year. I never got around to asking her if she liked it.

This is why she never calls.
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26 Feb 2018 12:12 #264045 by Cranberries
Our local used book store kind of sucks. I regularly sell them surplus books that I pick up at the library sales, and I swear the last time I went there the only stuff that caught me eye were books I had sold them. I would hate to run a used bookstore. You basically have four categories of books to sell:

1. New, hot stuff that you price close to the same as the chain charges, and which is gone in a day
2. "Good" books that give you a warm glow, but nobody every buys them
3. Premium used books that you can't find enough copies of that sell well, like the first book of Dune
4. Good books that are so popular you have five copies

They have a shelf in the front of ostensibly hand picked decent books, but the stock hasn't rotated in a month and most of it sucks.

If I win the lottery I'm going to open a used bookstore with the sole goal of having it be an awesome, money losing venture.
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26 Feb 2018 12:35 #264047 by hotseatgames

Disgustipater wrote: ^^ That sounds like an ad posing as a review


Black Barney is a Russian Troll
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26 Feb 2018 12:56 #264049 by jeb
Replied by jeb on topic What BOOK(s) are you reading?

hotseatgames wrote:

Disgustipater wrote: ^^ That sounds like an ad posing as a review


Black Barney is a Russian Troll

DUH

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