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[Angst]

Don't know how good it is but since I've seen it mentioned a few times in this thread I thought I'd mention that Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon is a $1.99 Kindle Daily Deal today.

I started reading this a couple of weeks ago but only made it 25% through before stopping. Really uninspired writing IMO.

 

[Woorloog]

Finished re-read of A Song of Ice and Fire.
Martin is really good writer, can't think of many others who write so immersive text.

Next up... i don't know. Science fiction, i think, but good science fiction is hard to come by. Especially when i've read almost all of superb scifi.

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

Don't know how good it is but since I've seen it mentioned a few times in this thread I thought I'd mention that Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon is a $1.99 Kindle Daily Deal today.

I finally finished it a few months ago and it was one of the best books I've ever read. So gleeful, full of ideas and an enthusiasm for all of them that I rarely see matched in even much less ambitious works. It's also very funny.

 

[Monroeski]

I'll take the opposite stance on this one. Despite numerous warnings, I'm currently reading the series in the chronological order it was written. I'm about six novels in so far, and there is clearly some value added to sticking with the sequence they were written.

The first two books were a little slower, perhaps, but they introduce characters and themes that reappear in the later books. I don't think there are any deal breakers if you start elsewhere, but there are lots of little moments I appreciate more from hitting them in order.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend against reading the first two books completely, but I would recommend against judging the entire series by those first two books. They're so different than the rest of the series you can't really form a decent opinion on the rest of the books from those two IMO.

 

[Charrettizard]

How is the Bond series anyways? Worth reading?

 

[sgossard]

How is the Bond series anyways? Worth reading?

The first one (Casino royale) is a quick fun read, you should try it.


This is what I've read in the past month or so

The 4th book is Whatever happened to alternative nation?

Currently reading

And it's great thus far. I'm almost done with it.

I liked Snow Crash by Stephenson, what would be a good book of his to read next? Is any book of his similar to Pattern recognition by Gibson?

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

I liked Snow Crash by Stephenson, what would be a good book of his to read next? Is any book of his similar to Pattern recognition by Gibson?

His books are all pretty different, but I think the one you'd like the most is Diamond Age. Take a look at plot synopsis for them all though, and pick up whatever sounds the coolest.

 

[Maklershed]

One of my favorite books ever, and highly recommended!

I'll buy that for a dollar! (and ninety nine cents)

Purchased.

 

[Tragicomedy]

I wouldn't necessarily recommend against reading the first two books completely, but I would recommend against judging the entire series by those first two books. They're so different than the rest of the series you can't really form a decent opinion on the rest of the books from those two IMO.

You're likely spot on there...I haven't progressed far enough to know how they hold up, but I will say the first six novels have all been very enjoyable.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

In the mood for some fantasy


Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence


Saw this recommended in another thread

Weapons Of Choice by John Birmingham

 

[Head of Vengarl]

Are we allowed to talk about manga/comics in here?

I recently got back into reading manga (haven't really read it in like 7 years) when I found out that there are iPhone apps that let you read it for free. I've been reading History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi:

It's a humorous manga with a good enough story to keep you wanting more. I like how it isn't so over-the-top like Dragon Ball Z or Naruto, where characters have powers that let them blow up entire cities/countries/planets. It's just exaggerated martial arts, and a lot of the stuff is pretty accurate from my memories of learning Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai, and Jiu Jitsu.

My biggest gripe is how blatantly perverted it is. I mean I get it, a lot of mangas do it — but I'm not 13 anymore and it creeps me out when one of the characters who's supposed to be 16 has the body of a 25-year-old pornstar, with almost every panel of her having some angle that shows off her ass or tits. I guess that's just more of a general Japanese manga gripe though, and I can ignore it for the most part.

 

[LukeTim]

Fantastic book. Recommended.

 

[Krowley]

How is the Bond series anyways? Worth reading?

I'll second the recommendation for Casino Royale. I haven't read the rest of the series other than The Man with the golden gun, which I barely remember, but I plan to.

Casino Royale is not only quick and fun, but also kind of bizarre and probably not what you're expecting. Bond is a very different guy in the books, very unsympathetic in some ways, and the whole story is more psychological than I expected.

Also, Fleming's writing style grows on you.

 

[Dresden]

Are we allowed to talk about manga/comics in here?

I recently got back into reading manga (haven't really read it in like 7 years) when I found out that there are iPhone apps that let you read it for free. I've been reading History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=521310

 

[W1SSY]

It has been a long time since I found a book that I just get engrossed in and lose track of time but that has been true with The Wise Man's Fear by Rothfuss. I easily read for four hours without realizing how much time had passed and am about 10% away from finishing it.

 

[nakedsushi]

A lot of people started recommending this to me this month, so I gave it a try. It's a pretty short read and full of helpful information.


Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
I think any woman and man in a leadership or who wants to be in a leadership position should read this.

 

[Dresden]

Read through John Green's Paper Towns tonight - whole time I thought to myself, these are high school kids? They have zany names like "Radar" and "Q" and listen to the fucking Mountain Goats! Maybe I'm just old now.

It's really a story about moving on, but there's never a price for moving on. Moving on in this case means a shift of surroundings but with all the safety of the old intact. Not a fan of this one.

Continuing my YA odyssey with The Book Thief.

 

[Nymerio]

Finished Sweet Silver Blues yesterday.

I think I may have a thing for supernatural detective novels . Though I don't know yet if I'll stick with the series for now or if I'll read something else.

How are the Drizzt Do'Urden books if you don't know anything about D&D? The only thing remotely related to D&D I had contact with were the Neverwinter Nights games and Baldurs Gate 2. I'm asking because I've recently read about the Neverwinter MMO and the name came up and I remember someone here mentioning the books.

 

[Nymerio]

Oh, I actually played Icewind Dale. Guess that'll be where I start.

 

[Fjordson]

Just real quick am kinda intrigued here...What did you like about it? Or not. Is it anything like Pratchett? Also isnt Glen Cook the Black Company guy (haven't read either Pratchett or Cook). Seems like a real change of pace if so.

It is indeed the same Glen Cook of Black Company fame.

I'm also interested in trying out that Garrett PI series if they're even half as good as his Black Company books. That's a fantastic series.

 

[Fjordson]

Much obliged. Am kinda in the mood for a new fantasy series, something sorta pulpy (there's that word again) but with a bit of weight on its bones.. though not 'weight' in the same way as Steven Erickson, say. Was thinking of starting on either Cook or Gemmell's stuff.

Yeah, that P.I. series could be a good fit.

I also recommend anyone who's into fantasy to read the Black Company series, though they're not at all pulpy.

 

[Nymerio]

Well I can't say much as I've only read the first(?) book so far. Dunno if any of the characters are recurring but the series is still ongoing as far as I can tell. It's a quick read though if you just want to check it out.

If you haven't read anything by Glenn Cook I'd recommend reading the Black Company books. Really amazing stuff.

Edit: What I liked about it: The book seemed really focused on the detective part and less on the fantasy stuff and it has that noir thing going for it that I really like.

 

[Mastadon]

Finally finished Lonesome Dove, which was amazing. I hear the sequels and prequels aren't on the same level though? I'll probably give them a miss if that's the case.

Currently reading The Twelve Chairs

 

[Almyn]

Still making my way through the Dresden Files. I actually feel like i'm close to giving up on this series, Mostly because I just don't really like Harry Dresden all that much. He is too much of a good guy, If that makes sense. I like the world, But Dresden is such a goody two-shoes it's hard to stomach sometimes. Maybe I'll pick this up again after I read something else, I am only about 25% through this book. There is one plot point I am interested in however and I'd love a non spoilery yes or no answer from someone who is caught up with the series.

Spoiler

Does harry succumb to Lasciels temptations? I assuming things are going that way, And that he will dig up the coin. But you never know.

 

[severin]

Just started:

Just ordered:

Heard good things about them both.

 

[PersonaX]

Really captivating, it reads like a novel even though it's all researched and based on facts, journal entries, interviews etc.

Next in line (they are all non-fiction):

The Monster of Florence

Douglas Preston fulfilled a lifelong dream when he moved with his family to a villa in Florence. Upon meeting celebrated journalist Mario Spezi, Preston was stunned to learn that the olive grove next to his home had been the scene of a horrific double murder committed by one of the most infamous figures in Italian history. A serial killer who ritually murdered fourteen young lovers, he has never been caught. He is known as the Monster of Florence.

Fascinated by the tale, Preston began to work with Spezi on the case. Here is the true story of their search to uncover and confront the man they believe is the Monster. In an ironic twist of fate that echoes the dark traditions of the city's bloody history, Preston and Spezi themselves became targets of a bizarre police investigation.

Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit

During his twenty-five year career with the Investigative Support Unit, Special Agent John Douglas became a legendary figure in law enforcement, pursuing some of the most notorious and sadistic serial killers of our time: the man who hunted prostitutes for sport in the woods of Alaska, the Atlanta child murderer, and Seattle's Green River killer, the case that nearly cost Douglas his life.

As the model for Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs, Douglas has confronted, interviewed, and studied scores of serial killers and assassins, including Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, and Ed Gein, who dressed himself in his victims' peeled skin. Using his uncanny ability to become both predator and prey, Douglas examines each crime scene, reliving both the killer's and the victim's actions in his mind, creating their profiles, describing their habits, and predicting their next moves.

Now, in chilling detail, the legendary Mindhunter takes us behind the scenes of some of his most gruesome, fascinating, and challenging cases -- and into the darkest recesses of our worst nightmares.

The Jigsaw Man

Forensic psychologist Paul Britton asks himself four questions when he is faced with a crime scene: what happened: who is the victim: how was it done, and why? Only when he has the answers to these questions can he address the fifth: who is responsible? An intensely private and unassuming man, Britton has an almost mythic status in the field of crime deduction because of his ability to 'walk through the minds' of those who stalk, abduct, torture, rape and kill other human beings. What he searches for at the scene of a crime are not fingerprints, fibres or blood stains - he looks for the 'mind trace' left behind by those responsible; the psychological characteristics that can help police to identify and understand the nature of the perpetrator. Over the past dozen years he has been at the centre of more than 100 headline-making investigations, from the murder of Jamie Bulger to the abduction of baby Abbie Humphries, the slaying of Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common, the pursuit of the Green Chain rapist and the Heinz baby food extortionist, the notorious Gloucester House of Horror and most recently, the murder of Naomi Smith. Told with humanity and insight, The Jigsaw Man is Paul Britton's absorbing first-hand account of those cases, and of his groundbreaking analysis and treatment of the criminal mind. It combines the heart-stopping tension of the best detective thriller with his unique and profound understanding of the dark side of the human condition.

I'm really into this sort of stuff...

 

[kazooie___]

 

[Verdre]

How are the Drizzt Do'Urden books if you don't know anything about D&D? The only thing remotely related to D&D I had contact with were the Neverwinter Nights games and Baldurs Gate 2. I'm asking because I've recently read about the Neverwinter MMO and the name came up and I remember someone here mentioning the books.

You don't need to know anything about D&D to read the Drizzt books. They're not terrible, but even though they're somewhat serious they have a sort of cartoon feel about them.

The Icewind Dale trilogy was actually the first thing Salvatore wrote even though it's the second in the series and it doesn't stand up very well, in my opinion. But other than that the quality seems pretty consistent, but they never manage anything more than middling. They're best read when you first get into fantasy.

Spoiler

Does harry succumb to Lasciels temptations? I assuming things are going that way, And that he will dig up the coin. But you never know.

Nope. There's another point in the series where he does give in to one of bad guys, but like you said, he's too much of a good guy for it to matter.

 

[Kenka]

Currently:

Excerpt from Amazon:

Billionaire oil trader Marc Rich for the first time talks at length about his private life (including his expensive divorce from wife Denise); his invention of the spot oil market, which made his fortune and changed the world economy; his lucrative and unpublicized dealings with Ayatollah Khomeini’s Iran, Fidel Castro’s Cuba, war-ravaged Angola, and apartheid South Africa; his quiet cooperation with the Israeli and U.S. governments (even after he was indicted for tax fraud by Rudy Guiliani) and near-comical attempts by U.S. officials to kidnap him illegally.

This sure-to-make-headlines book is the first no-holds-barred biography of Rich, who was famously pardoned by Bill Clinton, and resurfaced in the news during the confirmation hearings of Attorney General Eric Holder. The King of Oil sheds stunning new light on one of the most controversial international businessmen of all time.

 

[Nymerio]

Still making my way through the Dresden Files. I actually feel like i'm close to giving up on this series, Mostly because I just don't really like Harry Dresden all that much. He is too much of a good guy, If that makes sense. I like the world, But Dresden is such a goody two-shoes it's hard to stomach sometimes. Maybe I'll pick this up again after I read something else, I am only about 25% through this book. There is one plot point I am interested in however and I'd love a non spoilery yes or no answer from someone who is caught up with the series.

Spoiler

Does harry succumb to Lasciels temptations? I assuming things are going that way, And that he will dig up the coin. But you never know.

Non spoilery yes or no answer, how does that work exactly? Mild spoiler about the next book (White Night):

Spoiler

That particular plot line resolves, one way or another, in the next book though

As for goody little two-shoes Dresden: He'll get more radical in the later books, especially during and after Changes and stuff he does during that book hasn't completely played out yet. I'd stick with it if I were you, but I was already into it by the point I got to Proven Guilty.

 

[Kallor]

Malazan: Book 4. What an epic series so far, loving it more with each book.

 

[Almyn]

Non spoilery yes or no answer, how does that work exactly?

I simply wanted a yes or a no to the question I asked. I worded it badly If the story was going the way I was hoping I would have probably just pushed on forward with this book. I was interested in what could have happened.

 

[Kawl_USC]

This and Caves of Steel are two of my favorite books and honestly I probably liked them more than the Foundation series though he seems more popular for that one.

The fact that his three laws have pretty much been adopted by most stories with AI and robots is pretty sweet.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Finally finished Lonesome Dove, which was amazing. I hear the sequels and prequels aren't on the same level though? I'll probably give them a miss if that's the case.

Dead Man's Walk is fantastic and my favorite. Streets of Laredo is pretty great as well.

 

[Nymerio]

Fuck it, I just bought Redshirts on a whim after seeing it here. After that I'll go back to Garret P.I. (maybe)

 

[phisheep]

Going to start the Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake. It's been a series I've wanted to read since the mini-series came out long ago. I feel old now.

I must have read that three or four times many years ago. It is a truly wonderful book to wallow in - take your time, enjoy the moments (among them some stunningly sensuous and horrifying ones), don't read it too fast and definitely don't skip over descriptive bits like the room of roots.

It's a treasure.

 

[Krowley]

Finally finished Lonesome Dove, which was amazing. I hear the sequels and prequels aren't on the same level though? I'll probably give them a miss if that's the case.

Not on the same level but well worth reading anyway. Great books actually. The prequels especially.

 

[Jintor]

I'm really struggling with Dostoyevsky :<


Notes from Underground; The Double by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

I mean, it's clear that the uncomfortableness I am experiencing stems from an intention to create those feelings because both stories are more or less about people who hate themselves and know it, but that doesn't make it any easier to read.

 

[Gordon0Freeman]

Just bought Wool for 15 bucks. Is it amazing?

 

[FelixOrion]

No. Serious Literary Works only.

...seriously though, I don't see why not, though you might get more discussion in the monthly comics thread. Not sure if there's an equivalent manga thread, or if they talk manga in there as well as western comics.

oh cyan of course there is

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=521310

 

[Fjordson]

Just bought Wool for 15 bucks. Is it amazing?

Some might not think it's quite that good, but I think it's definitely worth reading at any rate. Great set of stories.

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Some might not quite think it's that good, but I think it's definitely worth reading at any rate. Great set of stories.

I loved it when I read it, but the more I think about it the less I like it. And the Shift series really turned me off of the universe.

 

[Fjordson]

I loved it when I read it, but the more I think about it the less I like it. And the Shift series really turned me off of the universe.

Interesting. I've read the Wool omnibus twice now and still love it. I think those stories are really great.

Haven't read any of the Shift books, though. Partially because of what you mentioned and because I've heard mixed opinions on them from people I know.

 

[Nymerio]

Just bought Wool for 15 bucks. Is it amazing?

It was one of the books I liked the most when I read it last year. I found the setting to be really unique.

 

[Last Visible Dog]

There's a lot of love for Joe Abercrombie here.

This is fresh from his blog ...

"The thing that’s of particular interest to me about this project, and probably will be of some interest to you as well, is the method of distribution. Mainly – that we’re giving it away to anyone with an internet connection.


Yes, you heard me right. We’re serialising it, free, at www.firstlawcomic.com.


The first twelve pages are up there now. You can go look at them. For nothing. And there’ll be new pages added every monday, wednesday, and friday, if things go according to plan, for years to come. And you’ll be able to look at those too. For nothing. The hope is, that when we’ve finally completed this project, there’ll be well over a thousand pages of high quality First Law graphic novel up online. For nothing."


.

 

[DagsJT]

I thought "The Blade Itself" was pretty great so I'll check out the graphic novel too. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Narag]

In the Heat of the Night by John Dudley Ball

This was pretty great. I am sort of embarrassed for thinking this wasn't as good as I thought it'd be at the beginning when the racism was almost comical in its presentation. Turns out it was part of a larger examination of the matter as a whole as it transitioned from racism born via ignorance to larger institutionalized racism and general maliciousness and I got the book I wanted.

 

[Iph]

Dune trilogy. Finished the second book today and started the third.

 

[omgkitty]

 

[Nappuccino]

This is what I've read in the past month or so

How was Drive? I've been tempted to pick it and its sequel up forever.