[Ceebs]

The Death Cure by James Dashner Well. I guess that's that. It wasn't bad exactly, just... disappointing. I mean, really? The entirety of the first and second books were just a waste of time? Along with the bulk of this one? Yikes. Why didn't they just round up all the immunes and send them to the island or whatever to begin with? Could've had a lot more than 200 there, if 1% of the population was immune. Eh. Plus, I hate plot-induced stupidity, a crutch that Dashner relies on too much. Oh well. Next up: Guns of the South.

I never finished the first book. It felt like it was going nowhere and the characters were just boring.

[kruis]

Reading GAF I need some help here. I've suddenly gotten the itch to read a great book that sucks me in again, the last book I read was The Count of Monte Cristo back in November and I absolutely loved it. Now I'll admit I'm not much of a reader but every once in a while a book just completely captures me though usually it's not from me actively looking for a book to read, honestly this might be the first time I do this, so I don't know where to start. I mean I read manga but that's different from an old fashioned book, so I'm open to suggestions. My favorite books would be The Count of Monte Cristo, How to Kill a Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, the Great Gatsby. Though I really enjoy fantasy stories of all kinds I don't think I'm looking to read anything too medieval-ish. I just want a great book with a great universe or characters. Anybody who reads a lot have a recommendation? I was thinking of maybe reading King Solomon's Mines or even the Romance of the Three Kingdoms or the Faded Sun Trilogy.

How about Charles Dickens? Nicholas Nickleby, Bleak House, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Little Dorrit ... all great reads.

Or try "Locksmith" by Sarah Waters, a recent novel that's firmly Dickensian. Other personal favorites are "An Instance of the Fingerpost" and "Stone's Fall" by Iain Pears, nice fat multifaceted historical novels.

[Cyan]

I never finished the first book. It felt like it was going nowhere and the characters were just boring.

Good decision.

[DesertEater]

Reading GAF I need some help here. I've suddenly gotten the itch to read a great book that sucks me in again, the last book I read was The Count of Monte Cristo back in November and I absolutely loved it. Now I'll admit I'm not much of a reader but every once in a while a book just completely captures me though usually it's not from me actively looking for a book to read, honestly this might be the first time I do this, so I don't know where to start. I mean I read manga but that's different from an old fashioned book, so I'm open to suggestions. My favorite books would be The Count of Monte Cristo, How to Kill a Mockingbird, Fahrenheit 451, the Great Gatsby. Though I really enjoy fantasy stories of all kinds I don't think I'm looking to read anything too medieval-ish. I just want a great book with a great universe or characters. Anybody who reads a lot have a recommendation? I was thinking of maybe reading King Solomon's Mines or even the Romance of the Three Kingdoms or the Faded Sun Trilogy.

Check out Catch-22 by Joseph Heller or Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.

I recently finished reading Feminism is For Everybody by Bell Hooks.
It was mentioned last month, I think, here.
A really interesting read.

Currently reading Resistance, Rebellion, and Death by Albert Camus,
and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

[eattomorro]

You can't go wrong with underwater zombies!

[Ratrat]

So awful.

And finished:

awesome as expected. Its tragic only the first sequel has been translated to english.

[eattomorro]

Felidae looks awesome, thanks for sharing.

[Mike Works]

Finally reading:



Just over half way through the book and I think I'm going to write like McCarthy from now on. It's just so awesome.

[sankt-Antonio]

... I'm reading Carl Sagan's "Contact", the "Song of Fire and Ice" saga and Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel". I like reading multiple books at the same time. But i guess these are all old hats for most of you.

[Ashes1396]

Finally reading: Just over half way through the book and I think I'm going to write like McCarthy from now on. It's just so awesome.

don't forget speech marks!

[AShep]

So awful.

Is any Follett any good? I read The Third Twin recently and thought it was horrible.

[Buckethead]

Just finished:





"God, No!" by Penn Jillette

Not so much an Atheism/religion book as it is about Penn's life.

Some of the stories make you laugh. Some make you cry. Some make you cringe.

Definitely recommended.




Currently Reading:





"The Moral Landscape" by Sam Harris

[Ratrat]

Is any Follett any good? I read The Third Twin recently and thought it was horrible.

I enjoyed Pillars of the Earth. But this book has tainted those memories and I'm never reading him again.

[Ceebs]

This might amuse a few of you:



Railsea:

On board the moletrain Medes, Sham Yes ap Soorap watches in awe as he witnesses his first moldywarpe hunt: the giant mole bursting from the earth, the harpoonists targeting their prey, the battle resulting in one’s death and the other’s glory. But no matter how spectacular it is, Sham can't shake the sense that there is more to life than traveling the endless rails of the railsea–even if his captain can think only of the hunt for the ivory-coloured mole she’s been chasing since it took her arm all those years ago. When they come across a wrecked train, at first it's a welcome distraction. But what Sham finds in the derelict—a series of pictures hinting at something, somewhere, that should be impossible—leads to considerably more than he'd bargained for. Soon he's hunted on all sides, by pirates, trainsfolk, monsters and salvage-scrabblers. And it might not be just Sham's life that's about to change. It could be the whole of the railsea.

[Ratrat]

I like his writing. :(


Usually.

[Keen]

I like his writing. :( Usually.

He's very hit or miss (mostly hit) with me. Love PSS and the Scar, can't finish Iron Council, despite trying twice. Liked City & the City a lot, also liked Kraken.

Haven't tried Embassytown and I'm probably going to await more reviews of Railsea bedore giving it a shot.


Finished the Dragon Factory, which was pretty crap. Now on to: God's War by Kameron Hurley

[BenjaminBirdie]

Finished off those lovely but oh so ponderous Games Of Thrones books and dove straight into Patrick DeWitt's immaculate and genuinely hilarious The Sisters Brothers. The perfect thing to read after those kinds of books. A brilliant, staggeringly well wrought breath of fresh air.

17 Stars out of 5 and I'm only at 31%.

[Jarlaxle]

Has the amount of eyebrow raising gotten to you yet? I was hooked on the first book too, but Sanderson's obsession with everyone raising their eyebrows all the time was driving me nuts.

I just finished Mistborn yesterday. I loved it but you really fucked me over here. I don't know why I didn't see it at first but now every couple of pages I see whatever character raising their eyebrow and I keep thinking back to this post.

Starting The Well of Ascension today.

[gcubed]

Just finished Enders Game yesterday, FANTASTIC. I've heard that Speaker is completely different though, i really want to continue reading, but with a big change i may wait a book or two.

I was thinking of going on to Hyperion.

[nakedsushi]

He's very hit or miss (mostly hit) with me. Love PSS and the Scar, can't finish Iron Council, despite trying twice. Liked City & the City a lot, also liked Kraken. Haven't tried Embassytown and I'm probably going to await more reviews of Railsea bedore giving it a shot. Finished the Dragon Factory, which was pretty crap. Now on to: God's War by Kameron Hurley

Gah, I hate his writing. I've tried to start PSS, and the City & City because the plot seems like something I would enjoy, but couldn't get more than a few chapters in because of the writing. A very strong "I want to punch him in the face" feeling. Also, I hate author photos. It screws up my perception of the book entirely when I'm preoccupied by how an author looks.

Also, about the Sanderson's eyebrow thing. I've never noticed it but I'm glad I finished the Mistborn trilogy because I don't think I'd be able to un-notice it now. Once I noticed that Mehville loves the word "crosshatch" I began to see it in every other page.

[Arment]

I continue to love the character that is Caine. Such an asshole. :lol

[omgkitty]

I'll be reading this as soon as it comes in this week:



I already own the hardback edition, but never got around to it, and it's way too big to handle. I much prefer paperback editions.

[Keen]

Gah, I hate his writing. I've tried to start PSS, and the City & City because the plot seems like something I would enjoy, but couldn't get more than a few chapters in because of the writing. A very strong "I want to punch him in the face" feeling. Also, I hate author photos. It screws up my perception of the book entirely when I'm preoccupied by how an author looks. Also, about the Sanderson's eyebrow thing. I've never noticed it but I'm glad I finished the Mistborn trilogy because I don't think I'd be able to un-notice it now. Once I noticed that Mehville loves the word "crosshatch" I began to see it in every other page.

[Cyan]

There's a man with enough moral clarity to slaughter peaceful protestors by the thousands.

[BenjaminBirdie]

I'll be reading this as soon as it comes in this week: I already own the hardback edition, but never got around to it, and it's way too big to handle. I much prefer paperback editions.

w h o a

Special Edition?

US?

[aidan]

Now reading The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin. Wonderful world and characters that stray far outside of the traditional faux-medieval-England that dominates so much of High- and Epic Fantasy. Characters are interested and varied and the magic system is unusual. Good stuff all-around and a fitting follow-up to Jemisin's original trilogy (though completely unrelated.) Highly recommended so far.

[omgkitty]

w h o a Special Edition? US?

It's just the standard US paperback release. I think it is considered special and it will eventually be combined into a single paperback (I'll probably buy that one too haha). Here's the press release for it:

“1Q84,” the 925-page Haruki Murakami novel whose translucent jacket dazzled design aficionados upon its release last year, will receive special treatment with its paperback publication next month. The book will be published as a three-volume set on May 15, a spokesman for Vintage said on Tuesday. John Gall, the art director for Vintage, designed the paperbacks to be visible through a clear plastic box, fitting together to create one image. The list price is $29.95, and Vintage will initially print 50,000 copies. “1Q84,” which sold 210,000 copies in hardcover, will eventually be released as a single paperback.

[BenjaminBirdie]

It's just the standard US paperback release. I think it is considered special and it will eventually be combined into a single paperback (I'll probably buy that one too haha). Here's the press release for it:

ZOINKZ

[Keen]

There's a man with enough moral clarity to slaughter peaceful protestors by the thousands.

His raptor like gaze alone could kill dozens!

[thomaser]

Once I noticed that Mehville loves the word "crosshatch" I began to see it in every other page.

If you ever read Dan Simmons' Hyperion-books, be prepared to see "gossamer" EVERYWHERE.

[BenjaminBirdie]

If you ever read Dan Simmons' Hyperion-books, be prepared to see "gossamer" EVERYWHERE.

Hope you like your smoke "greasy," Games Of Thronesers!

[Jarlaxle]

There's a man with enough moral clarity to slaughter peaceful protestors by the thousands.

It's funny you say that. I only see a man who has an intense phobia of chickens.

[hyp3rlink]

Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut

[Sappy113]

This series is evolving into something very, very good. I love how the the different PoVs slowly start to interact and weave together in a meaningful way.

Took the pic link from your blog, Aidan, hope that's cool.

[aidan]

This series is evolving into something very, very good. I love how the the different PoVs slowly start to interact and weave together in a meaningful way. Took the pic link from your blog, Aidan, hope that's cool.

No problemo. Glad you're enjoying the series as much as I am.

[Donthizz#]

Reading Left hand of God, highly enjoying it...

[Snowman Prophet of Doom]

How strange is it that I'll probably have read all of Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter in like 5-6 total sessions by this time tomorrow? It seems like I usually see it described as a dense book that takes a long time to read, but like much in the realm of so-called "popular science," I think that it's pretty easy to read (save for my non-mathematical mind needing to slow down and figure out some of the reasoning once in a while). Perhaps it's because I see relatively little point in sitting down to work out the little mini-exercises throughout, since the book works far more on the theoretical level than on the practical level? Or perhaps it's just that I took a course in propositional calculus my freshman year, so some of what he's talking about I already kind of intuitively know? I dunno.

It's good, BTW. I don't know that I think it's worth nearly the gushing that it seems to get (though I still have about 300 pages left, so perhaps it all ties together in a mind-blowing way), for I don't think Hofstadter is nearly the writer or the thinker that, say, Steven Pinker - another Academic umbrella'd under the term "cognitive science" - cognitive scientist - is, but I'm learning a lot about logic, science, philosophy, etc.

[PhoenixSFT]

Finished off those lovely but oh so ponderous Games Of Thrones books and dove straight into Patrick DeWitt's immaculate and genuinely hilarious The Sisters Brothers. The perfect thing to read after those kinds of books. A brilliant, staggeringly well wrought breath of fresh air. 17 Stars out of 5 and I'm only at 31%.

Good to hear The Sisters Brothers is good, I may just pick that up next once I finish Christopher Moore's Sacre Bleu.

[Maklershed]

After watching the recent Masterpiece production of Great Expectations (did anyone else find Gillian Anderson sexy as hell as Miss Havisham?) I've decided to finally read the book ...


Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

[Dutch Mafia]

"The Fault In Our Stars" by John Green

[Mumei]

I started reading Three Kingdoms.

... I'm having a lot of trouble with Chinese names / naming conventions. But I hope it'll click!

[Ceebs]

Good to hear The Sisters Brothers is good, I may just pick that up next once I finish Christopher Moore's Sacre Bleu.

So good. It took a bit longer to pull me in than his other stuff, but it was fantastic the rest of the way. Please say you got the physical version and not an ebook.

[Attackthebase]

I started reading Three Kingdoms. ... I'm having a lot of trouble with Chinese names / naming conventions. But I hope it'll click!

Tried reading that high school, I got distracted and stop reading it. I've been meaning to go back to it for some time now. I love the Dynasty Warrior lore, so I probably would dig Three Kingdoms. Let me know how you like it.

[nakedsushi]

If you ever read Dan Simmons' Hyperion-books, be prepared to see "gossamer" EVERYWHERE.

Crap, I was just about to start up Hyperion for the first time. THANKS A LOT.

[Draconian]

I just got to the part where Kvothe moves to Vintas.

Hopefully I'll be able to get through it soon if I keep reading at a steady pace. Rothfuss's prose really helps.

[beelzebozo]

fugg

yes

It’s of some interest that the lively arts of the millenial U.S.A. treat anhedonia and internal emptiness as hip and cool. It’s maybe the vestiges of the Romantic glorification of Weltschmerz, which means world-weariness or hip ennui. Maybe it’s the fact that most of the arts here are produced by world-weary and sophisticated older people and then consumed by younger people who not only consume art but study it for clues on how to be cool, hip - and keep in mind that, for kids and younger people, to be hip and cool is the same as to be admired and accepted and included and so Unalone. Forget so-called peer-pressure. It’s more like peer-hunger. No? We enter a spiritual puberty where we snap to the fact that the great transcendent horror is loneliness, excluded encagement in the self. Once we’ve hit this age, we will now give or take anything, wear any mask, to fit, be part-of, not be Alone, we young. The U.S. arts are our guide to inclusion. A how-to. We are shown how to fashion masks of ennui and jaded irony at a young age where the face is fictile enough to assume the shape of whatever it wears. And then it’s stuck there, the weary cynicism that saves us from gooey sentiment and unsophisticated naivete. Sentiment equals nativete on this continent.

[Cyan]

fugg yes

Infinite Summer 2012.

Believe.

[PhoenixSFT]

So good. It took a bit longer to pull me in than his other stuff, but it was fantastic the rest of the way. Please say you got the physical version and not an ebook.

I got the eBook, didn't even realize it had paintings and everything. My Kindle Fire's showing up tomorrow though, so I'll see if it'll be in color on that. Maybe I'll just buy the physical copy, I can never support Moore enough!

[Jintor]

Still slogging my way through the Portable Atheist, but might put it on hold to read some goddamn fiction

[Ceebs]

I got the eBook, didn't even realize it had paintings and everything. My Kindle Fire's showing up tomorrow though, so I'll see if it'll be in color on that. Maybe I'll just buy the physical copy, I can never support Moore enough!

Not only that, the text is printed in blue ink as well.