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What are you reading? - August edition

W

Witchfinder General

punched Wheelchair Mike
New month, new books.

The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives - Nick Turse

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'Bout half-way through. Nothing too surprising in there but frightening all the same. My only real complaint thus far is that there is no index citing references for all of his facts and quotes like in other books.

EDIT:

Also, I'm flicking through this for an assignment:

The Penguin Book of Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings - Kevin Crossley-Holland

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J

jon bones

hot hot hanuman-on-man action
I haven't figured out what I'll be reading for leisure but I'm into this right now:

Frank Fabozzi's Duration, Convexity and Other Bond Risk Measurements

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V

vatstep

This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
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Girlfriend got me an advance copy of this from her B&N. It's his first novel; it's funny at times, but mostly pretty bad. Might be because I don't read a lot of fiction, though.

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Plan on starting this when I'm finished with the Klosterman; I've enjoyed her other books, so I'm sure this one will be great (albeit depressing), too.
 
F

FnordChan

Member
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I'm around halfway through Havana Bay, the fourth of Martin Cruz Smith's Arkady Renko novels. Renko, the Soviet detective introduced in Gorky Park in 1981, is now a post-Soviet detective who has come to Havana...well, for a variety of reasons, but the plot centers on a missing friend (of sorts) from the earlier novels. Renko finds himself investigating in a hostile environment (with much of Cuba happily taking any given opportunity to condemn the Russians for abandoning them after the fall of the Soviet Union) which is as entrancing as it is incomprehensible. As in previous novels, Smith does a wonderful job of capturing the feel of communism teetering on the edge of collapse, populating the environment with fascinating characters and writing his hero with even darker humor than usual. I'm digging the hell out of it.

I also just finished all four of Jim Butcher's Codex Alera books to date. As I may have mentioned in previous reading threads, these fantasy novels don't have the most inventive starting point - You mean to tell me that the unassuming young man we meet early in the first book may have hidden strengths, a mysterious background, and go on to become the main character and a major mover and shaker? I am astonished! - but the plots are as fast paced and tense as his Dresden Files series, the characters are plenty of fun (even if the poor hero is burdened with more than his fair share of cliches) and the world building is pretty decent. I liked 'em enough to buy the fourth book in hardcover and will be shelling out for the fifth as soon as it's released in november.

FnordChan
 
E

eznark

Banned
Just finished Soon I Will Be Invincible. Pretty good, kinda lame ending. Entertaining enough to read in a few hours though.

Just starting Then We Came to the End, I want to see if it really is "the catch-22 for office workers."
 
R

Ryu

Member
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About 50 or so pages in. It's not bad so far if you like those espionage/Bourne type stories with a bit of a religious twist.

Does anyone have any recommendations for US government/tactical/covert operations books like Rainbow Six or the Bourne books? Trying to look for some good ones, but I have no idea who the big authors are of these types of stories or where to even begin.
 
V

vatstep

This poster pulses with an appeal so broad the typical restraints of our societies fall by the wayside.
Cosmic Bus said:
No, it's probably because you're reading a Chuck Klosterman book. ;)
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Haha. Good point.
 
E

Eric P

Member
Ryu said:
Does anyone have any recommendations for US government/tactical/covert operations books like Rainbow Six or the Bourne books? Trying to look for some good ones, but I have no idea who the big authors are of these types of stories or where to even begin.
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I would like to suggest David Morrell. Not QUITE what you're looking for, but very close.

I'd specifically say start with The Brotherhood of the Rose.

let me finish this training and i'll come back and elaborate
 
M

Mifune

Mehmber
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Great of course, but not nearly as tight as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

FnordChan - Damn, you're tearing through those Renko books. I have to say that Havana Bay was my least favorite, but it made Wolves Eat Dogs that much more amazing.
 
F

FnordChan

Member
Mifune said:
Great of course, but not nearly as tight as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
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It took me a while to get in to The Honourable Schoolboy, but once I did I really enjoyed it's atmosphere. Despite being the middle book in the Smiley trilogy, it's rather different from the other two novels. If you've never read it, you'll find that Smiley's People is much more similar to TTSS.

FnordChan - Damn, you're tearing through those Renko books. I have to say that Havana Bay was my least favorite, but it made Wolves Eat Dogs that much more amazing.
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I've read reviews that generally state the same thing, and while I'm really enjoying it at the moment it's hard to say how I'll rank Havana Bay when it's done. Either way, I'm having a great time with the series and will likely be following up with Wolves Eat Dogs in short order.

FnordChan
 
M

Mifune

Mehmber
FnordChan said:
It took me a while to get in to The Honourable Schoolboy, but once I did I really enjoyed it's atmosphere. Despite being the middle book in the Smiley trilogy, it's rather different from the other two novels. If you've never read it, you'll find that Smiley's People is much more similar to TTSS.
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Yeah, I love everything that takes place outside of London. Some of the Smiley chapters feel...unnecessary? Especially the epic one where he meets with the Cousins. Le Carre doesn't write Americans nearly as well as he writes Brits, which is to be expected I guess.

When Havana Bay stays focused on its characters and Cuban setting, it's great, I'm all in. But I found that that book strayed. Not gonna say more than that until you finish.
 
U

Undeux

Member
Mifune said:
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Great of course, but not nearly as tight as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
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I just started this last week. I'm only around 100 pages in, but I'm liking it so far... definitely has a different feeling than Tinker Tailor, though.

Also reading:

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I want to like it, but I'm having a tough time with it so far. I think I'm just going to have to work through it until I start to understand what's going on. The fact that characters have multiple names always gets me confused when I'm reading Russian novels.
 
S

sparky2112

Member
eznark said:
Just starting Then We Came to the End, I want to see if it really is "the catch-22 for office workers."
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Don't know about Catch-22, but it IS brilliant. I don't know that I've ever been so tempted to turn a book over and start it again after flipping the last page...
 
S

SoulPlaya

more money than God
Undeux said:
I just started this last week. I'm only around 100 pages in, but I'm liking it so far... definitely has a different feeling than Tinker Tailor, though.

Also reading:

51HTBHQVPJL._SL500_BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg


I want to like it, but I'm having a tough time with it so far. I think I'm just going to have to work through it until I start to understand what's going on. The fact that characters have multiple names always gets me confused when I'm reading Russian novels.
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STICK WITH IT!!!! Great novel, probably my favorite.
 
T

thomaser

Member
TwEgfSqhtQFqecBygCw2H9jRrhFMSbCGc6cgv7


This is the last time I post this cover, promise! FINALLY finished it today. Started it April 14th. The only book I've spent more time on finishing is the Bible, which took twice as long again. Anyway, Genji is the quintessential classic from the Japanese court-life ca. 1000AD. Imposing, impressive, rich and powerful men in perfumed cloaks recite poetry, lament the sorrows of life, break into houses at night to fuck terrified girls (and marry them afterwards), play the biwa or the flute or Go, write letters, wish they were monks, and dazzle onlookers with their superb elegance. Meanwhile, beautiful and stylish women hide behind blinds, screens or curtains, recite poetry, shiver with fright when lords visit at night to fuck them (and marry them afterwards), lament the sorrows of life, wish they were nuns, play the biwa or the flute or Go, write letters, and dazzle onlookers with their supreme dignity. Much of it is very beautiful, and some of the love-stories are great. Especially all those that revolve around people running around at night, breaking in places, trying to fuck someone while not being seen. Other parts are very sad and heartbreaking, like all the women who just wither and die because they hate themselves so much. It's a very complex book with hundreds of characters who are mostly referred to by title, and the titles change all the time, so it's basically impossible to keep track of who's who, even if the footnotes and various lists do a great job easening things. Enjoyed it overall, but can't really recommend it unless you're obsessive about reading "the classics", like I am.

Next up... probably The Crucible or Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. I've also started "A Social History of the Media - From Gutenberg to the Internet" to prepare for my studies this fall.

w518aF9v+ooNp7SvNz0HkRu1mdTNDcFh
 
K

Kawaii

Member
Currently reading Life of Pi and have just finished Flatland, A short history of nearly everything and The Curious incident in the night.
 
O

On The Edge of Insanity

Member
'Death In The Afternoon' by Ernest Hemingway. It has been my crapper book for the last month or so, but having finished Hunter S Thompson's first letters collection it has now been bumped up to sunbathing reading.
 
D

Duderz

Banned
dagZ said:
Watchmen
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Pretty much the best book ever.

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I'm a little over 100 pages in, and I'm just not enjoying it like pretty much everyone else is. Ignatius is pretty much the most annoying character ever.
 
H

Hadji

Banned
"Al-Tamyeez fee bayaan inna math-hab al-asha'ira laysa ala math-hab al-salaf al-azeez"

Some Arabic books tend to have long titles like this one.
 
N

newsguy

Member
Damn, just looked up the audiobook for World War Z:

Narrator: Max Brooks, Alan Alda, Rob Reiner, John Turturro

Nice.
 
D

DiddyBop

Member
disappeared said:
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i was disappointed with the road when i started reading it,but it all came together at the end and i appreciated the first 3/4 of the book a lot more. a very realistic and gritty look into what could realistically happen in the future.
 
S

Spoit

Member
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Glen Cook's Garret PI series, which started out kind of like a fantasy pulp detective story, but in the last half dozen books or so has taken a turn for the weird magic stuff. Pretty good series to take up the time while I'm waiting for the next Dragera or Dresden files books.
 
N

npm0925

Member
I gave up on A Storm of Swords and am now reading Game Boys, a book about a team of professional Counter-Strike players.
 
K

Kola

Member
Karakand said:
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Nice cover. Escher always reminds me of "City in the Sky" in Twilight Princess. Miyamoto's got a good taste.

What I'm currently reading is a take on French existentialism.

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Chittagong

Chittagong

Gold Member
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It starts of great, and I really wanted to like it. However, to me it gets really disappointing after the first hundred or so pages as Frayn starts to extensively ponder the way we make decisions using a tedious honey/jam bread choice. He seems to get stuck for way too long in trying to explain why we can't really know anything, decide anything etc. But instead of inspiring examples and anecdotes he comes across as just pointlessly babbling.

EDIT: this Amazon review summarizes my thoughts perfectly

1.0 out of 5 stars Pure yawn, May 14, 2007
By Dr. Hugh C. Palfrey "profhit" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

Frayn is an OK playwright and novelist. I enjoyed Copenhagen and Headlong (though I thought Spies was sentimental drivel in a manner akin to this tome). But this is sheer, pure and pathetic nonsense. The Washington Post reviewer (Colin McGinn) got it about right, but the previous reviewers on Amazon have it wrong. The average reader will learn nothing useful of cosmology, particle physics, neuroscience and even philosophy (except that it's a huge waste of time) from this long-winded, completely unedited (it seems) and vacuous volume. If you want to learn something about physics, read Brian Greene or Frank Close. If you want a general summary then read Bill Bryson (a vastly superior writer, as tacitly acknowledged by Frayn himself). I learned more philosophy from 1 page of AC Grayling's 90-page total destruction of Wittgenstein ("The world is everything that is the case" - yo, Ludwig) than 100 pages of this long-drawn-out excrescence. An earlier reviewer compared Frayn favorably with Richard Dawkins. GMAB - Dawkins is a superb, succinct and accurate scribe while Frayn simply cannot express any thought in less than 1000 words. Avoid like the plague.
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