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What are you reading? (July 2012)

lightus

Member
I finished Wizard and Glass, which I ended up loving. I'm fully back on board with that series and will start on Wolves of the Calla in the next month or so. No more six-year gaps between them.

Not going to read Wind Through the Keyhole next? It comes right after Wizard and Glass. Warning: it is more of Roland's past.
 
Following the hype, Game of Thrones of A Song of Ice and Fire series.

For now I'm reading it at a slow pace, 1 chapter per day. It's quite heavy to read imho.

Edit : corrected, I don't know why but A Song of Fire and Ice sounded better in my head.
 

Kud Dukan

Member
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Only a few chapters into it but, so far, it's fascinating. I'm not American, and don't know a lot of American history beyond the broad strokes, so I'm expecting to learn quite a bit about this era while reading this.
 

NZer

Member
Needing: A Sci-fi book about living on a space ship

Needs to be: Kindle compatable
Would like it to be, but it's not necessary: Scary or with thick atmosphere and more Star Trek sci-fi than Mass Effect. Something more believable, I guess.

The best story I've read about living on a spaceship in the novella 'Paradises Lost', the last story in Ursula K Le Guin's The Birthday of the World, which is available on Kindle for $7.99.

Broadly, it is set on a spaceship travelling to a distant planet to settle on, a journey so long it will take several generations. The novella explores the society that develops on the ship, which include "middle" generations who will be born on the ship and die on the ship, their main job to produce a next generation.
 

Mgoblue201

Won't stop picking the right nation
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Only a few chapters into it but, so far, it's fascinating. I'm not American, and don't know a lot of American history beyond the broad strokes, so I'm expecting to learn quite a bit about this era while reading this.
After finishing this book, you'll also know more about the Civil War than most Americans and have a better grasp of the characteristics that made Lincoln so great. I suppose it's only natural for a country to venerate its presidents, but unfortunately Lincoln's popularity has come at the expense of his cabinet, which was just as interesting as the man himself.
 

Lamel

Banned
Halfway through The Republic by plato. It really has me thinking that Plato is sort of an idiot making straw man arguments.

Kind of want to stop...but I won't let the book beat me.
 

Fjordson

Member
Tigana is so good so far. Quite an interesting twist to the main plot early on that I wasn't expecting and I love the setting.
 

IronRinn

Member
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Amazon said:
What’s the point in solving murders if we’re all going to die soon, anyway?

Detective Hank Palace has faced this question ever since asteroid 2011GV1 hovered into view. There’s no chance left. No hope. Just six precious months until impact.

The Last Policeman presents a fascinating portrait of a pre-apocalyptic United States. The economy spirals downward while crops rot in the fields. Churches and synagogues are packed. People all over the world are walking off the job—but not Hank Palace. He’s investigating a death by hanging in a city that sees a dozen suicides every week—except this one feels suspicious, and Palace is the only cop who cares.

The first in a trilogy, The Last Policeman offers a mystery set on the brink of an apocalypse. As Palace’s investigation plays out under the shadow of 2011GV1, we’re confronted by hard questions way beyond “whodunit.” What basis does civilization rest upon? What is life worth? What would any of us do, what would we really do, if our days were numbered?

Don't know if anyone else posted about this. Read it in one sitting over the weekend. Very well done. I like how the world gets drip fed to you and the hooks at the end are pretty great. Looking forward to the next two books.
 
I also found a copy of Greg Bear's The Forge of God in a charity shop for £1, so I grabbed that because I enjoyed Halo: Cryptum. I have no clue whatsoever about the content or what it's like, so I'll be going into that blind once I finish The Forever War.



Not a great book on its own, but what it really does is set the stage for the amazing sequel Anvil of the Stars.
 

leroidys

Member
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Currently reading this. I recently finished Sputnik Sweetheart. It was great, but the last Murakami novel that I had not read. Now that there are no more novels to look forward to, it has me strangely depressed and hopeless.
 

Kaladin

Member
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Don't know if anyone else posted about this. Read it in one sitting over the weekend. Very well done. I like how the world gets drip fed to you and the hooks at the end are pretty great. Looking forward to the next two books.

I bought that after reading about it and seeing that the kindle edition was $3 but I haven't started it yet. The premise sounds awesome and I'm glad they deliver.


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I'm currently about 100 pages into Anne Rice's The Wolf's Gift. It's a page turner and so far it's great. Anne Rice has a gift for internal monologues from supernatural beings.
 

Dresden

Member
Finally got around to buying Matterhorn, hope it's as good as it's supposed to be.

Still going slowly through I HOTEL, which has been a very interesting read. I ended up just searching for the five Monarchies of God novels in my city library, and will start those once I get through Yamashita's novel.
 

Error

Jealous of the Glory that is Johnny Depp
I finished Wool 2 today and holy crap did not see that coming. the twists come out of nowhere in these short novels but then you look back and it all make sense, superb writing.
 

Jintor

Member
I think you would want to pick up a copy of tokyo vice its about an american who move japan and becomes a reporter, and works with all of the criminal on goings in Tokyo and the surrounding area. Its a true story and there is a kindle version. Oh and its written by Jake Adelstein

Thanks for the advice! But I've already read it.

I'm getting a stack from Bookdepository so I guess I'll choose something off the thread to get...

On an off note, I finished two Kindle quick reads the past week, The Spiral Tattoo and Dragon Precinct. They're both basically police procedurals set in fantasy worlds, but neither were very good, although Spiral Tattoo was the more interesting of the two. Grabbing a sample for The Last Policeman. That's an ace cover, and it sounds interesting, too!
 

Fjordson

Member
13330370.jpg


Don't know if anyone else posted about this. Read it in one sitting over the weekend. Very well done. I like how the world gets drip fed to you and the hooks at the end are pretty great. Looking forward to the next two books.

Whoa, sounds awesome.

This thread is really bad for someone already struggling with a backlog :lol so many books I want to read!
 
I finished Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. It was an easy and fun read. Really enjoyed it, but didn't find it scary like most did. I found it to be pretty fucked up though, but never "OMG IM CREEPED OUT". Great book though.

Now reading The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolf. Seems pretty good so far. Only a few pages in though.
 

FnordChan

Member
Do you guys prefer hardback or softback?

There are certain authors who I will buy in hardcover, simply because I absolutely do not want to wait for the paperback edition, usually because it's a novel in a series I enjoy. At the moment I have the next series books from Lois Bujold, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, and Jim Butcher either pre-ordered or, in Butcher's case, ready to be pounced upon the moment a pre-order is available. Sometimes I'll track down an older hardcover edition of a book I particularly like - I recently did this for an omnibus edition of Le Carre's Smiley trilogy - but for the most part if I buy a hardcover it's because I have to read the book as soon as possible. Ah, the pleasures of serial fiction addiction!

FnordChan
 

Taborcarn

Member
I've recently finished The Snowman by Jo Nesbo in hardcover. It's been on my TBR list for a while, but I saw it still on the new releases shelf at the library last week so I picked it up. I enjoyed it, kind of a cross between Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch books and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
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Also finished The Rook by Daniel O'Malley in audiobook. The premise reminded me a bit of the X-Men, only more British and state-sponsored. To me it seems to be setting up for a franchise, or at least a sequel.
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Also recently finished The Stand by Stephen King. I really liked it, but also was a bit disappointed. This book was always described to me as King's absolute, undisputed greatest work, and I don't know if it can live up to that kind of hype. Now I want to try and find the TV mini-series to compare.
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I'm now starting Redshirts by John Scalzi (on audio, narrated by Wil Wheaton) and The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson.
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finowns

Member
The post just below your has the answer:



Short, very fast. Unlike anything else you've read. I recently wrote/gushed at length about it.

Dribble of Ink is your site? I read your review of Blood of Ambrose a while ago; I disagreed (it has stuck with me as you can see). Have you changed your mind on the series with the subsequent books?
 

Nezumi

Member
Since I bought a Kindle a few months back I've been reading quite a lot again (had almost completly switched to audiobooks before that).

Finished:

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel- Susanna Clarke:

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I liked it but not as much as I wanted to. Mostly it was the narrating voice which kind of got on my nerves. The whole wanting to sound like a book from old times felt forced to me. Which is sad because the actual story was really great.

Way of Kings- Brandon Sanderson:

Sanderson-Way-of-Kings.jpg


Probably one of the best Fantasy novels I've read in a long time if not ever. I can not say how much I loved that book. I nearly read through it in about three or four days and had to stop myself from reading because I didn't want it to end. Any recommandations for a book which I might enjoy as much as this?

Warbreaker- Brandon Sanderson:

warbreaker-sanderson.jpg

Since I was on a Sanderson trip and it is available for free. Can not hold water to Way of Kings but is still a really good book. I like Sanderson's writing a lot. He is good at creating characters that interest me.

Kitchen Confidential- Anthony Bourdain:

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A fun read. If you like No Reservations give it a go. Was weired though, I actually read the whole book in Tony's voice...

Pending:

Ullyses- James Joyce:

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I tried, I really wanted to like this, but I think that (for me at last) it is impossible to read this book without some secondary literature right next to it. It is just so god damn constructed, that you just keep wondering " Why did he use that phrase? Is there a menaning to this or that...?" And while I can admire that on a level of literary studies it is not so enjoyable if you just want to read... but maybe I will get some secondary literature and finish it someday.

The Mists of Avalon- Marion Zimmer Bradley:

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When I was little my mom read this to me. Not the whole thing mind you but some parts. Later when I was around twelvish I starded reading it myself and never finished it. Not sure if it just got boring or if it was just too big a book for me at the time. Well when (if) I finish it this time I will know.

Currently Reading:

Crime and punishment- Fyodor Dostoevsky:

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Good read so far. I wish I spoke Russian so I could read the original. I don't know about the Englisch translation but the German one (the old one, there is a new one but it was not for free... yeah I'm cheap, I know) sounds a bit cheesy sometimes. I just wonder if for someone who speaks Russian, compared to contemporary Russian the language in the book sounds oldish, too. But storywise a great book so far which actually keeps on suprising me. Have read about 20% (damn you Kindle for not having numbered pages), and I don't know, so far this could be a Cohen movie or somthing. Really excited how this will go on.
 

aidan

Hugo Award Winning Author and Editor
Dribble of Ink is your site? I read your review of Blood of Ambrose a while ago; I disagreed (it has stuck with me as you can see). Have you changed your mind on the series with the subsequent books?

Yeah, A Dribble of Ink is mine. A lot of people seem to like Blood of Ambrose, but it just didn't work for me. I haven't continued on with the series, though what I hear about the subsequent books suggests that I might enjoy them more. I just received Enge's latest, A Guile of Dragons, which does look interesting.
 
I switched completly to e-books, but before that I did prefer softback. Only bought hardback when I could not wait for the softback version to come out (newest Pratchett novels for instance).

This man echoes my sentiments exactly. Now I use my iPad when reading indoors, and my Kindle when reading outdoors, or when there is a glare around.
 
My friend wants a fiction book that is sub 200 pages. It can be military, suspense, psychological thriller or all of those combined.

Any recommendations?
 

FnordChan

Member
My friend wants a fiction book that is sub 200 pages. It can be military, suspense, psychological thriller or all of those combined.

Any recommendations?

If your pal considers a crime novel to fall under the suspense category, I'd recommend The Hunter, the first novel in Richard Stark's Parker series. While The Hunter is the first of many of Parker's adventures as an amoral professional criminal, it stands alone very well, is one hell of a hard boiled kick in the teeth, and the University of Chicago reissue clocks in at 198 pages. Also, for anyone looking for an ebook version, the Kindle edition is currently on sale for four bucks.

FnordChan
 
If your pal considers a crime novel to fall under the suspense category, I'd recommend The Hunter, the first novel in Richard Stark's Parker series. While The Hunter is the first of many of Parker's adventures as an amoral professional criminal, it stands alone very well, is one hell of a hard boiled kick in the teeth, and the University of Chicago reissue clocks in at 198 pages. Also, for anyone looking for an ebook version, the Kindle edition is currently on sale for four bucks.

FnordChan

I forgot to mention that she doesn't read much and needs something pretty easy to read. Is this new reader friendly?

edit: And thanks for the suggestion!
 

FnordChan

Member
I forgot to mention that she doesn't read much and needs something pretty easy to read. Is this new reader friendly?

I'd say that this is pretty friendly for someone who doesn't read a lot, in that the language is somewhat stripped down and things are very fast paced. On the other hand, it's a very hard-boiled sort of crime novel, the main character, Parker, is very much an anti-hero, and this is a revenge story with some moderately rough moments in it, so it may not be to her taste. Or, then again, it may be just the thing! The Amazon link I gave above has the first few pages of the book available to read, so I'd suggest that your friend give those a go and see if it catches her fancy.

FnordChan
 
I'd say that this is pretty friendly for someone who doesn't read a lot, in that the language is somewhat stripped down and things are very fast paced. On the other hand, it's a very hard-boiled sort of crime novel, the main character, Parker, is very much an anti-hero, and this is a revenge story with some moderately rough moments in it, so it may not be to her taste. Or, then again, it may be just the thing! The Amazon link I gave above has the first few pages of the book available to read, so I'd suggest that your friend give those a go and see if it catches her fancy.

FnordChan

Thanks FnordChan! I will totally let her know to check it out. :)
 
I finished Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. It was an easy and fun read. Really enjoyed it, but didn't find it scary like most did. I found it to be pretty fucked up though, but never "OMG IM CREEPED OUT". Great book though.

Now reading The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolf. Seems pretty good so far. Only a few pages in though.



Oh thanks man, now I feel like a total wuss haha.

Anyway, finished up Containment.
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It didn't hook me right away, but once it did about 1/4 of the way through, I couldn't put it down. Really enjoyed it.

Started this up
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And also working on Rubicon and Crime and Punishment.
 

Fjordson

Member
Do you guys prefer hardback or softback?
I always go for the Kindle version if it's available. Definitely prefer that over physical copies these days.

If that's not an option, then usually paperback. Hardcovers look great and are nice to own, but I have too much shit in my house at this point :lol not the best idea for me to keep collecting. And paperbacks are easier to read if I'm out of the house.
 
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