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[TimeEffect]

So, I want to read the GoT books but I'm caught up on all seasons, and I just feel like I'm wasting my time for now. Think I may give it a pause and try something else. Perhaps the Book Thief. How is that?

I have only read a short collection of books. I'd say my favourites include Thousand Splendid Suns, A Fine Balance, Of Mice and Men... hoping Book Thief is good. I believe I prefer historical fiction as a genre, not a huge fan of fantasy, though I feel I've spoiled my own fun, as I've watched the shows/movies for GoT and LoTR, which seems to take out from the overall enjoyment of discovering things myself in the book.

There is at least hope for GoT since the TV series is ongoing and I can stop watching it, but I got halfway into LoTR book before I gave up from frustration of knowing what happens.

 

[Tenrius]

So, I want to read the GoT books but I'm caught up on all seasons, and I just feel like I'm wasting my time for now. Think I may give it a pause and try something else. Perhaps the Book Thief. How is that?

I have only read a short collection of books. I'd say my favourites include Thousand Splendid Suns, A Fine Balance, Of Mice and Men... hoping Book Thief is good. I believe I prefer historical fiction as a genre, not a huge fan of fantasy, though I feel I've spoiled my own fun, as I've watched the shows/movies for GoT and LoTR, which seems to take out from the overall enjoyment of discovering things myself in the book.

There is at least hope for GoT since the TV series is ongoing and I can stop watching it, but I got halfway into LoTR book before I gave up from frustration of knowing what happens.

If you like historical fiction, try The Name of Rose. It's an excellent historical mystery about a secluded monastery. Also, ASOIAF is worth reading regardless of you watching the series IMO.

 

[Monocle]

There's so much more to the ASOIAF books than you see in the show. The way each chapter is written from the perspective of a single character gives you loads of insight into who they are and how they think. Besides that, the show cuts out all sorts of great content and alters the stories and in some cases the personalities of important characters. As great as the adaptation is, ASOIAF in its full breadth and complexity truly is unfilmable. This series is so rich. Nobody who enjoys the show should miss out on the books.

 

[Fjordson]

Yeah, ASOIF is definitely still worth reading even if you've seen the show. The show does a nice job I think of translating the books, but it can't compare in depth and characters. Being able to observe the thoughts of each POV character adds a lot and takes away the need for all the information dialogue that the show has out of necessity.

 

[Maklershed]

Definitely read ASOIAF even if you've seen the shows. Its totally worth it.

Fjordson - I stare at your avatar for like a minute every time I see it. :b

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Definitely a fun series, but the characters are made of balsa wood.

Yeah, would have to agree with you on that.




Gave up on that You book for now, kinda regret that purchase, but might come back to it.

Read this


Hector and the Search for Happiness by François Lelord

Good little book, enjoyed it.



Started this last night and loving it.


Time and Again by Jack Finney

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

World Book Night! I just finished successfully giving away 20 copies of Fahrenheit 451. Anybody else involved?

 

[cozo]

finished "the yellow birds", which was a solid first effort though awkwardly over-written in parts

reading pulphead now. fun book. JJS writes like a more generous joan didion, refracted through george saunders & DFW. don't get all the ~hype~ but it does read well

also re-committed to plowing through CV wedgwood's book on the thirty year war. she is a fantastic writer: every sentence sparkles. takes a lot of concentration to digest all the details though

 

[nakedsushi]

Finished:


Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

It was alright. The writing was great and I liked the twist at the end, but then the twist was ruined by over-explaining.

 

[Fjordson]

Definitely read ASOIAF even if you've seen the shows. Its totally worth it.

Fjordson - I stare at your avatar for like a minute every time I see it. :b

Haha, I can relate brother. J. Jones just has that effect on people.

 

[harSon]

First post in this thread. I've been lurking it for some time as a means of compiling recommendations. I started reading regularly again for the first time in years. I purchased a Nook a few months back to force the issue since I'm the type of person who will read just to justify the cost of purchase, but I've only JUST taken it out of the box a week or so ago Lol. I've finished two novels and am currently in the process of reading another. They're all Science Fiction thus far, which isn't surprising considering I'm in the middle of a Sci Fi kick in general.

Finished:

Altered Carbon

Really dug the concept of 'sleeving' and the social implications that such a practice would have, ie. the presence of an immortal elite. The novel wasn't exactly high brow, and was very much a high concept science fiction action film in novel form (Seriously, adapt it into a movie already Hollywood), but I really enjoyed it. I'm a fan of combining science fiction and mystery/crime, so I definitely felt at home reading this novel. The narrative is a bit convoluted with the amount of twists, turns and double crossings that Morgan attempts to inject into, but it's not nearly enough to detract one's overall enjoyment of it. Oh, and Takeshi Kovacs is a complete bad ass.

*** out of ****

Ender's Game

I've been hearing about this damn novel forever, but I've been out of reading for so long that I never got the chance to pick it up. Despite the glowing praise, the fact that the author is an asshat coupled with the plot description coming off as something beyond generic and B-Grade, I could never bring myself to read Ender's Game. I've rectified the issue. This is one of those books that can be knocked out in a single session. Partially because it's not terribly long, but mostly due to the fact that it's the very definition of a page turner. It's almost like a 'Mature' YA novel in terms of its narrative and sensibilities, but such a labeling is a disservice. The underlying plot isn't terribly unique, the character's IMO, aren't anything north of serviceable, and from a sheer writing standpoint, the words on the page aren't exactly high brow... and yet the complete package is immaculate. I guessed

Spoiler

the 'twist' a while before it happened,

but that didn't really degrade my overall enjoyment. Good novel overall!

*** 1/2 out of ****

Reading:

Ready Player One

I'm not exactly a child of the 80's considering I was born at the tail end of the decade ('88), but due to my parents monetary constraints growing up, a lot of the stuff I played with and enjoyed were hand me downs from older siblings, so my childhood was very much '80s. I'm only two chapters into the novel so far, but from the little I've read it seems interesting enough. Similar to Ender's Game, the writing doesn't come off as terribly high brow, but I'm 100% alright with that. Hopefully I end up enjoying it!

 

[Krowley]

Just finished reading:

The Shining by Stephen King
This is the second time I've read this book. The last time was back when I was a teenager. After rereading it, I still hold that this is one of the weakest of his truly classic novels. It's pretty great, but falls short of books like Salem's Lot, Pet Cemetery, It, The Stand, and the Dark Tower series. Also, it's one of the few books where I think the movie was actually better. The biggest problems with the book are too much exposition and back-story in the early chapters, some weak characters (primarily the mother) and an ending that doesn't quite live up to the buildup.

Circle of Friens by Maeve Binchy
My sisters and my mom are fans of Maeve Binchy, and they convinced me to give this a try. I liked it pretty well. She does a good job fleshing out the little Irish town where the story is centered so that it feels like a living, breathing place. She writes excellent characters and the plot was very melodramatic in a good way, with rags to riches moments and dramatic coincidences. It does a good job getting you to root for the characters. The only thing I can hold against it is the way it constantly drifts from one mini-plot to another, which makes the whole thing feel a little unfocused. Also, the way it is structured sort of reminded me of a soap opera with lots of little scenes ending with cliff-hangers and then jumping to another set of characters--not exactly a bad thing but kind of different. Overall, it was a great slice of life book, a change of pace from what I normally read, and I might read more of her books in the future.

 

[nakedsushi]

I just started reading this:


You by Austin Grossman

So far, it's what I expected. There's a lot of exposition, but I like that Grossman doesn't over-explain the technical parts of game design. He assumes you know what he's talking about, for the most part. The writing is at least better than Ready Player One.

I am getting tired of the stereotypical description of women in the game/tech industry. Either they're too fat, too thin, with bad skin and oversized shirts, or have some weird Rastafarian or colored hair and piercings. There are normal looking women doing tech too!

 

[TripOpt55]

I finished A Feast for Crows yesterday and ordered A Dance with Dragons. Looking forward to it as I missed some of the characters that didn't appear in A Feast for Crows.

 

[Krowley]

I finished A Feast for Crows yesterday and ordered A Dance with Dragons. Looking forward to it as I missed some of the characters that didn't appear in A Feast for Crows.

Yeah, Feast of Crows is the weakest book so far. I thought A Dance with Dragons was a good bit better.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

I just started reading this:


You by Austin Grossman

So far, it's what I expected. There's a lot of exposition, but I like that Grossman doesn't over-explain the technical parts of game design. He assumes you know what he's talking about, for the most part. The writing is at least better than Ready Player One.

I am getting tired of the stereotypical description of women in the game/tech industry. Either they're too fat, too thin, with bad skin and oversized shirts, or have some weird Rastafarian or colored hair and piercings. There are normal looking women doing tech too!

I'll see what you think once you finish it, might go back to it.

 

[DagsJT]

I finished A Feast for Crows yesterday and ordered A Dance with Dragons. Looking forward to it as I missed some of the characters that didn't appear in A Feast for Crows.

See, ordering books. I read Game Of Thrones paperback and was desperate to read the next book so much that I went out and bought a Kindle and downloaded the second book. I didn't want to wait until i next went to a book shop or for a parcel to arrive.

Turns out Game Of Thrones changed it all as I've read a ridiculous amount since buying the Kindle, mainly due to ease of getting books now.

 

[TripOpt55]

Yeah, Feast of Crows is the weakest book so far. I thought A Dance with Dragons was a good bit better.

Cool. I'm excited to start it!

See, ordering books. I read Game Of Thrones paperback and was desperate to read the next book so much that I went out and bought a Kindle and downloaded the second book. I didn't want to wait until i next went to a book shop or for a parcel to arrive.

Turns out Game Of Thrones changed it all as I've read a ridiculous amount since buying the Kindle, mainly due to ease of getting books now.

I was so disappointed to have no book to read last night. And I will be again tonight. I wish I would have ordered it ahead of time. I figured I could pick it up locally, but the price difference online was too much to ignore.

 

[KidDork]

Just finished reading:

The Shining by Stephen King
This is the second time I've read this book. The last time was back when I was a teenager. After rereading it, I still hold that this is one of the weakest of his truly classic novels.

I read it back when I was a teenager as well, but can't tell you at all how it differs from the film. (Which I just watched again on the weekend. Still brilliant.) Most of King's early work stayed with me, but not this one. I remember where I was when I read Night Shift and the week I spent reading Salem's Lot, but The Shining just kind of came and went. The Stand remains my favourite King novel of all time. If only Kubrick had filmed that one as well. Sigh.

 

[Lumiere]

Just finished:

and thought it was great. Really enjoying Mary Stewart's Merlin's trilogy - thanks to those who recommended it! Look forward to picking up The Last Enchantment once I'm done with the books I've already borrowed this month.

Now reading:

I love Le Guin, and this is interesting enough so far, although I've already read some of these stories in other collections.

 

[Wiktor]

Finished:

Overall enjoyed it a lot, but not as much as the first one. The book has two arcs and the prequel one is pretty weak, it gets truly interesting near the end, but doesn't have room to grow there. The author should have expanded that part and limit everything else. The current time-line arc was great though. Especially the ending made na laugh and cheer for how much of a bastard Jorg is. Definitely one of my favorite fantasy characters of all time.

Now starting:

Heard great things about it

 

[Laekon]

Now starting:

Heard great things about it

I just finished it and thought it was good. Does anyone know how the rest of the series is?

 

[Nymerio]

Deadly Quicksilver Lies

I'm loving this series so much right now. The Goddamn Parrot crying rape almost had me rolling on the floor. This series can be so funny when it wants to.

 

[Ratrat]

Cool. I'm excited to start it!



I was so disappointed to have no book to read last night. And I will be again tonight. I wish I would have ordered it ahead of time. I figured I could pick it up locally, but the price difference online was too much to ignore.

And when your done you can join the rest of the fan base in our 5-year wait!


Finished I am Legend last night, and what the fuck at its ending, or more correctly the Will Smith's film ending.

 

[ShaneB]

I just finished it and thought it was good. Does anyone know how the rest of the series is?

Caliban's War is awesome. Eagerly awaiting Abbadon's Gate to see how it all wraps up.

 

[jtb]

Started and finished The Virgin Suicides while I was banned. Brilliant book, wish I had read it earlier (though I'm glad I read it before I saw the Sofia Coppola adaptation which just does not compare in any way)

Onto Middlesex (also Jeffrey Eugenides)

 

[bengraven]

Hey guys, sending those books on Friday! Sorry, work and anxiety related issues dropped that priority for a bit, but I don't want to let anyone down so I'm going to work through them for tomorrow.



Off-topic:

I'm sitting at work reading The American West by Dee Brown (a collection of his essays) and a girl gets this frustrated look on her face.

"Ew," she said, "I hated that movie".
"Wwwwwhich one?" I asked, very slowly and cautiously.
"That movie, the one," she said, pointing at the cover.
"I..."
"The one with Will Smith, the West movie...it was really bad".

She then wanted to know if the book was better than the movie.

 

[Fuzz Rez]

Finally saw the wonderful film that is Werckmeister Harmonies. Movie is based on one of my all time favorites so I decided to start reading it again. I'm already 200 pages in and it's still good as ever.

 

[Maklershed]

A bunch of decent looking biography and history books are on sale today on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.ht..._t=1401&pf_rd_p=1536380382&pf_rd_i=1000677541

 

[MutantCyborg]

Can anyone recommend me a book? I'm looking for something set in a fantasy world (more along the lines on Lotr) or a highly regarded book(any genre) around 200 to 300 pages. I'm trying to get back into reading and everyone. Know is screaming at me to read Game of Thrones but I don't want to dive into a 1000 page book right away.

Thanks

 

[Tenrius]

Can anyone recommend me a book? I'm looking for something set in a fantasy world (more along the lines on Lotr) or a highly regarded book(any genre) around 200 to 300 pages. I'm trying to get back into reading and everyone. Know is screaming at me to read Game of Thrones but I don't want to dive into a 1000 page book right away.

Thanks

That's quite a broad request you have there! 200-300 pages is kinda short though, especially for epic fantasy (because you have to build a world and everything, which alone takes up a lot of space). As for "highly regarded", I recently really enjoyed The Unbearable Lightness of Being. It's more or less short (314 pages according to its goodreads page), but keep in mind that it's a rather dark, depressing and thought-provoking book.

I'm also inclined to recommend some of the Kurt Vonnegut's work, like Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five. And then there's also Philip Dick, particularly Ubik, or perhaps you could start reading The Dresden Files with its first book, Storm Front. They are all around 300 pages long. Finally, consider reading Dragons of Autumn Twilight. It's a bit longer that you want, but it's a pretty decent fantasy book. Somewhat generic, but really easy to read.

You might be better off just checking out a list of some kind, actually. Here's quite a few of them: http://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/fantasy

 

[J-Roderton]

Game Of Thrones. Verrrrrrrrrry late on the scene, I know.

 

[ShaneB]

Can anyone recommend me a book? I'm looking for something set in a fantasy world (more along the lines on Lotr) or a highly regarded book(any genre) around 200 to 300 pages. I'm trying to get back into reading and everyone. Know is screaming at me to read Game of Thrones but I don't want to dive into a 1000 page book right away.

Thanks

I guess it's my go to recommendation, but check out Ready Player One maybe. It's a short read and while not exactly what you want in terms of "lotr fantasy", it does fantasy/sci fi/gaming/whatever else, and I just found it fun. It was the first book I read after getting an eReader, so it certainly has the bias of getting me back into reading more as well.

and yes, reading through ASoIaF is daunting, I'm slowly making my way through them

 

[LadyRiven]

Game Of Thrones. Verrrrrrrrrry late on the scene, I know.

I've also just started reading Game of Thrones. It's going to take me awhile but I'm very glad I did!

I recently read The Perks of Being a Wallflower and it instantly became one of my all time favorite novels.

At the moment, in addition to GoT, I'm reading a novel by a friend of mine called The Dream Sanctum. It's a pretty imaginative fantasy story about a dream world and it's good for all ages. If you'd like to read it, you can download it for free here.

I'm looking forward to Haruki Murakami's latest novel being translated, and also for the new Neil Gaiman coming out soon.

 

[bengraven]

Can anyone recommend me a book? I'm looking for something set in a fantasy world (more along the lines on Lotr) or a highly regarded book(any genre) around 200 to 300 pages. I'm trying to get back into reading and everyone. Know is screaming at me to read Game of Thrones but I don't want to dive into a 1000 page book right away.

Thanks

Stardust?

 

[survivor]

Can anyone recommend me a book? I'm looking for something set in a fantasy world (more along the lines on Lotr) or a highly regarded book(any genre) around 200 to 300 pages. I'm trying to get back into reading and everyone. Know is screaming at me to read Game of Thrones but I don't want to dive into a 1000 page book right away.

Thanks

How about Life of Pi? I found it to be an easy read and it's only 326 pages so it kinda fits your requirement.

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

Can anyone recommend me a book? I'm looking for something set in a fantasy world (more along the lines on Lotr) or a highly regarded book(any genre) around 200 to 300 pages. I'm trying to get back into reading and everyone. Know is screaming at me to read Game of Thrones but I don't want to dive into a 1000 page book right away.

Thanks

Foundation by Issac Asimov is a great read. Easy, quick and very exciting epic sci-fi with great sequels. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is another fantastic book, at under 200 pages. One of the greatest dystopian novels ever written.

 

[Seanspeed]

Re: Leviathan Wakes

I just finished it and thought it was good. Does anyone know how the rest of the series is?

There's only one other book so far, Caliban's War. The next one comes out in June, I believe.

I thought Caliban's War was excellent, just like the first book. Its got some great new characters and there's really hardly a moment's rest from beginning to end. I'd say more, but really, just read it. You liked the first book, you'll most likely like this one, too. Its a no-brainer.

I've been getting on with

Not very far into it so far, but I'm in love with it already. The writing feels so effortlessly perfect.

 

[eattomorro]

I've gotten a couple chapters into the 2nd book of the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake and decided to take a break from it since it was getting a little long in the tooth for me. It's a love/hate relationship...

Decided to go full fun and crazy and instead read Major Karnage by Gord Zajac. So far it's pretty entertaining!

 

[Tim the Wiz]

Lord Vorpatril's Alliance is proving yet again that Bujold has completely lost it. Nearly done but have no energy to continue; it became clear at the halfway point that this (just like Cryoburn) should not have been a full novel.

Yeah, I came to basically the same conclusion. She doesn't seem to have it in her to put her characters through the wringer like she used to.

Hopefully, the end of Cryoburn is a sign she'll be throwing Miles back into the deep end. The series has definitely taken a turn into fan service territory.

 

[Kallor]

Starting:

5th book and it has been a pretty fantastic series so far. Dat 4th book climax.

 

[Ceebs]

Got my latest stack of things from Amazon today.

Not sure which one I will pick up first. Leaning towards the fantasy book for some light weekend reading.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Got my latest stack of things from Amazon today.

Not sure which one I will pick up first. Leaning towards the fantasy book for some light weekend reading.

Fun book. I really liked it.

 

[phisheep]

I've gotten a couple chapters into the 2nd book of the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake and decided to take a break from it since it was getting a little long in the tooth for me. It's a love/hate relationship...

I love the Gormenghast trilogy, but it is something you've got to sink yourself into up to the eyeballs. Book 2 in particular has some really spectacular stuff in it.

Have you read Mr Pye yet?

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

Got my latest stack of things from Amazon today.

Not sure which one I will pick up first. Leaning towards the fantasy book for some light weekend reading.

Just picked up Don Quixote a couple days back myself.

For those that have read it, is there anything I need to know or should keep in mind before I jump in?

Thanks

 

[Nezumi]

Finnaly finished this (English title is Runners). I honestly don't know what to make out of this book. I get the whole parts where the books deals with the constant moving around of the modern day person. But I really didn't get how the constant mentioning of plastination fitted into it. Reall strange book that also dragged on at times. It was one of two books I got as a present when I applied for an internship at a little publishing house. The second being:

English title is Dark Matter or Free Fall in the US. Started it yesterday. Not sure if I like her writing style much but this one appears to at least have a story.

 

[MutantCyborg]

That's quite a broad request you have there! 200-300 pages is kinda short though, especially for epic fantasy (because you have to build a world and everything, which alone takes up a lot of space). As for "highly regarded", I recently really enjoyed The Unbearable Lightness of Being. It's more or less short (314 pages according to its goodreads page), but keep in mind that it's a rather dark, depressing and thought-provoking book.

I'm also inclined to recommend some of the Kurt Vonnegut's work, like Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five. And then there's also Philip Dick, particularly Ubik, or perhaps you could start reading The Dresden Files with its first book, Storm Front. They are all around 300 pages long. Finally, consider reading Dragons of Autumn Twilight. It's a bit longer that you want, but it's a pretty decent fantasy book. Somewhat generic, but really easy to read.

You might be better off just checking out a list of some kind, actually. Here's quite a few of them: http://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/fantasy

I guess it's my go to recommendation, but check out Ready Player One maybe.

Stardust?

How about Life of Pi?

Foundation by Issac Asimov

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll try and check all of them out today. I am having trouble keeping intrest in a book when starting out, so thats why I wanted to limit it to 2-300ish pages, but every book you guys suggested look great! Thanks again!

 

[bengraven]

Re: Leviathan Wakes


There's only one other book so far, Caliban's War. The next one comes out in June, I believe.

I thought Caliban's War was excellent, just like the first book. Its got some great new characters and there's really hardly a moment's rest from beginning to end. I'd say more, but really, just read it. You liked the first book, you'll most likely like this one, too. Its a no-brainer.

I've been getting on with

Not very far into it so far, but I'm in love with it already. The writing feels so effortlessly perfect.

One of the best novels I ever read.

It's the best sense of "journey" I've read in a VERY long time.

 

[Alpende]

I started reading Cloud Atlas. And it is amazing, I keep reading it although I have stopped for a while and really need to get back. Not being a native English speaker some words in that book are completely unknown to me and makes it harder to read but it's interesting as well because I learn a thing or two.

Right now I'm halfway through the first Somni story. My favourite one is the Frobisher story the Cavendish story is fun as well. I saw the movie before and the Zachary story in the movie was interesting as well, so I'm excited to see how the book handles that.

I also read I Am Legend and that was enjoyable as well. Entirely different than the movie so that was a nice surprise. The last couple of chapters / pages are tense, I kept reading until I finished.

 

[Wiktor]

Finnaly finished this (English title is Runners). I honestly don't know what to make out of this book. I get the whole parts where the books deals with the constant moving around of the modern day person. But I really didn't get how the constant mentioning of plastination fitted into it. Reall strange book that also dragged on at times. It was one of two books I got as a present when I applied for an internship at a little publishing house. The second being:
.

Ah..yes. The common problem with modern polish mainsteam literature - it's all nonsense ramblings without any story.
For actual good story one needs to go to fantasy/SF/crime novels.