Mackenzie 92
Member
Yeah gotta be careful with some of those self-published books. I usually only buy them if they're a buck.
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What are you reading? (August 2013)
- Thread starter Maklershed
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Yeah gotta be careful with some of those self-published books. I usually only buy them if they're a buck.
Incandenza
Banned
Ehh... it's not an incredible ending but I wouldn't call it a shit one. It relies on some deus ex machina type infodump business but the character resolution is totally satisfying. The final moments are excellent. It's practically a triumph compared to The Stand with (major spoilers)
God casting Bigby's Striking Fist or whatever
underage orgy
Tragicomedy
Member
I love the main books in the Expanse series, but I haven't read the short stories, but I'm sure they're pretty good too. If you're looking to pad your book count, by all means read em!
The completionist in me wants to get the "full" story so I'll probably give them a go. I'm skeptical of how well connected they are to the overall plot, but since I can probably finish them in around an hour or two it's no real skin off my back either way.
I saw enough people in this thread (you included) singing praise for the series that I'm really eager to read it.
Started reading this as well and will probably read through it before I really start on The Curse of Chalion (although I do like Bujold's style after just the first few pages)
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
It reintroduces the characters from Shadow of the Wind so it's already miles better than book 2. I heard it adds details and closure to book 2 as well, which is good since the interpretive ending was one of my major gripes with it.
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
It reintroduces the characters from Shadow of the Wind so it's already miles better than book 2. I heard it adds details and closure to book 2 as well, which is good since the interpretive ending was one of my major gripes with it.
Well, it was only 3 bucks, so not too bad
I deal with addiction myself, so I've been trying to find stories that deal with that subject and find inspiration and whatnot. Like I said, I want to find out what happens at least, and the past few chapters dealt with a character I found a bit too brash and abrasive for my liking, so I'll stick with it in either case.The short stories expand on things mentioned in the main books, so you wouldn't really be missing anything, but I'm sure they're neat reads too to get some extra backstory on those events.
What I liked about the 3 books is that they all felt quite different in a sense, LW had that Noir/Detective/Dead Spacey element, CW delved a bit more into the politcal side of things and some larger scale action sequences, and AG got a bit more into space exploration mystery and perhaps a touch of faith, etc, as well as some fun action.
I think with a book as obscurely crafted as TSATF, it's best not to worry over details. I'd just go with the flow - there is a point where everything starts to come together. I'm glad it hasn't put you off Faulkner altogether however.
I've read both Child of God (which I loved) and The Road, which was okay. No Country for Old Men sits somewhere between the two. I still have Suttree sitting in my backlog as well.
Yeah, I loved it too. The whole series is great IMO. The only book that's let me down a little bit so far is book four. Book five was a great return to form.
If you're looking at pure quality and consistency, I think ASOIAF really is the best epic fantasy series out there. There are a few well known series that I've never read, but nothing I've read can match it, not when you look at all the different facets.
Books four and five cover the same time period but deal with different sets of characters. Apparently they were meant to be a single book but got split up due to length. Some people have come up with a reading order that combines the books together, which might make the issues with book four go away.
I'm thinking of doing a reread eventually, and reading the last two this way. You might want to try reading them that way yourself on your first go-through because book four can be kind of frustrating, mainly because some major character story-lines are ignored completely.
Since y'all are talking about URBAN FANTASY I might as well pimp this again.
Twenty Palaces is a (dead) series of books about a guy named Ray Lilly. Ray Lilly is a "wooden man", a mortal decoy whose job is to distract supernatural predators while their infinitely more powerful sorcerer partner/owner dispatches the threats. Ray's partner is a sorceress named Annalise, a member of the mysterious and magical Twenty Palaces. Annalise does not like Ray at all, because Ray did something in the past that she hasn't forgiven him for. Ray serves as Annalise's "wooden man" as a kind of repentance for his mistake.
Good points:
- Ray is not and does not become an all powerful sorcerer at any point in the books. He's mostly mortal, with only a single offensive spell to his name. He survives through resourcefulness. No swiss army knife magic here.
- Annalise is a brusque no-nonsense character. If you're looking for charming and buxom femme fatales that want to bone the protagonist you'll be left wanting. She believes in brute force and tends to solve problems explosively.
- The mythos is by and large original. The only tired fantasy trope here are the lycanthropes, and they aren't a really major part of the story.
- The horror elements are pretty horrific, with a Lovecraftian bent to some of the predators. For example, in the opening scene, there's a kid who catches fire and then bursts into a mass of wriggling worms which Annalise promptly blows up.
Bad points:
- The series is dead, thanks to lackluster sales of all the books. I can't imagine why. It's probably because of the cheesy covers, or maybe it was just too grimdark for mass consumption.
- Ray is kind of a one trick pony which is unavoidable because the author didn't want him to become some kind of uber spell slinger.
Twenty Palaces is a (dead) series of books about a guy named Ray Lilly. Ray Lilly is a "wooden man", a mortal decoy whose job is to distract supernatural predators while their infinitely more powerful sorcerer partner/owner dispatches the threats. Ray's partner is a sorceress named Annalise, a member of the mysterious and magical Twenty Palaces. Annalise does not like Ray at all, because Ray did something in the past that she hasn't forgiven him for. Ray serves as Annalise's "wooden man" as a kind of repentance for his mistake.
Good points:
- Ray is not and does not become an all powerful sorcerer at any point in the books. He's mostly mortal, with only a single offensive spell to his name. He survives through resourcefulness. No swiss army knife magic here.
- Annalise is a brusque no-nonsense character. If you're looking for charming and buxom femme fatales that want to bone the protagonist you'll be left wanting. She believes in brute force and tends to solve problems explosively.
- The mythos is by and large original. The only tired fantasy trope here are the lycanthropes, and they aren't a really major part of the story.
- The horror elements are pretty horrific, with a Lovecraftian bent to some of the predators. For example, in the opening scene, there's a kid who catches fire and then bursts into a mass of wriggling worms which Annalise promptly blows up.
Bad points:
- The series is dead, thanks to lackluster sales of all the books. I can't imagine why. It's probably because of the cheesy covers, or maybe it was just too grimdark for mass consumption.
- Ray is kind of a one trick pony which is unavoidable because the author didn't want him to become some kind of uber spell slinger.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Well, it was only 3 bucks, so not too bad
Requiem for a Dream is pretty great. Seems like I read another good one too, but can't remember it right now.
BenjaminBirdie
Banned
You can doubt it. 11/22's ending was fantastic.
I'm not a very harsh critic so I'm sure I'd be okay with it. I didn't even mind the ending of The Stand, which a lot of people hate. I mean it could have been a lot better, but the journey is good enough to let me look over it.
I'll read it eventually I'm sure but first I wanna read through all the books featured in The Dark Tower Series. May take me awhile.
Maklershed
Member
Going to the annual book sale tomorrow in Hershey. Love this sale. I go every year. Huge selection of books - $1.50 for paperback and $2.50 for hard cover. I try to limit myself but I end up buying around $60+ worth of books each year.
EverythingShiny
Member
The Culture Vulture
Member
Yeah I just finished Under The Dome...ending was weaksauce.
Half way through John Dies At The End....crazy read and am looking forward to watching the movie on Netflix when I'm done.
Anyone who hasn't read The Long Ships by Frans Gunnar Bengtsson is truly missing out on one of the most enjoyable books ever. Finished it last night and was glad I could go along the journey with these characters.
And to continue with the sailing theme, started Quintessence by David Walton.
And to continue with the sailing theme, started Quintessence by David Walton.
Tawney Bomb
Member
Finished Abaddon's Gate.
Resuming 11/22/63. May start The First Law series.
Resuming 11/22/63. May start The First Law series.
Mackenzie 92
Member
And to continue with the sailing theme, started Quintessence by David Walton.
Long Ships is great. Might be time for a reread.
Also that sounds pretty interesting. Added to my list.
Wiktor
Member
Yeah. A bane of majority of discovery writers.
Maklershed
Member
The kindle versions of Their Eyes Were Watching God; Manhunt; and Alas, Babylon are all on sale for $2.99 today on Amazon. Buy them!
Also, Undaunted Courage is a $1.99 daily deal.
Also, Undaunted Courage is a $1.99 daily deal.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Professor Chaos
Member
This was a big influence on the Wire, and it's similar in lots of ways, like having the point of view of a cop and one of their targets. It's pretty realistic, and there's lots of street slang, which didn't pose a problem. Check it out. I loved it.
This was a big influence on the Wire, and it's similar in lots of ways, like having the point of view of a cop and one of their targets. It's pretty realistic, and there's lots of street slang, which didn't pose a problem. Check it out. I loved it.
Thanks ill def check it out
AngmarsKing701
Member
Added to my Kindle wish list as well, which is now getting disturbingly long.
I don't think it was contempt for the reader. You are intentionally supposed to be confused. You learn more and piece things together as you go onto the other viewpoints. It's a complete piece and needs to be experienced as one to fully grasp it. By checking a wiki before reading it entirely you did yourself a disservice. Just my opinion. I think if you could just get to the second section which I believe was Quentin's, you would probably enjoy it much more.
I agree to an extent. Checking wiki was definitely a mistake. If there was any chance of me enjoying the book,they were kind of ruined, at least for a while. And I would say that anybody else who wants to read this book should resist the urge. Either finish it, or put it down. The whole design of the book appears to depend on being confused in the beginning, and if you ever want to pick the book back up and try again, you won't be able to appreciate the full experience once you look behind the curtain.
And I don't mean to totally shit on the book, not exactly. Some people really enjoy books like this, and I myself don't necessarily require an author to explain every little thing. It's okay to be dropped into something and asked to fend for yourself as a reader. I've read enough fantasy and science fiction where the openings (and sometimes 100s of pages) are really confusing to be accustomed to that.
This book, however, took that to extremes IMO. The very idea of opening a book with this kind of scenario was really pushing it. If an author decides to design a book in this way, and continue along these lines for about a quarter of the book's length (or thereabouts), he or she should not be surprised when some readers decide they aren't going to read to the end. Which is why I use the word contempt... Clearly Faulkner could care less whether people finish this book or not. He had an artistic vision in mind and he put it out there, and the readers be damned. If they like it, great. If not, fuck 'em. That's the way it felt to me, reading it.
I decided to hold Faulkner to the same standard in terms of entertaining and or engaging me as a reader that I would for an author of popular/genre fiction, because, in the end, it's all the same shit to me. I kept asking myself, If I had picked up any other book without the name Faulkner on it, and it presented me with this kind of opening, would I keep reading? The answer was a definite no.
sparky2112
Member
Oh, you have NO idea. My Amazon wish list is like 27 pages. For serious.
Next pay check, buy them ALL, then you have a nice library!
2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke
That was better than I expected. For some reason, I had it in my head that it wouldn't be too good going in. I was thrown off initially as apparently it's more sequel to the film than the first book hence a relocation of everything to Jupiter rather than Saturn.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Just about done The Crippled God. Has anyone read the Malazan books by Ian C. Esslemont? Are they work a read, if you're a fan on the Malazan universe?
Worth it if you are a big fan of the universe, but he is definitely not on the same level as Erikson. He seems to get better book by book. My favorite is Orb, Sceptre, Throne, but i haven't read his newest. Some huge stuff that happens in the books, particularly concerning the Malazan Empire and the Crimson Guard.
I found Guns, Germs and Steel in my Kobo so I decided to read it since I don't recall the last time I bothered with a non-fiction book outside of school textbooks. 20% into the book so far, pretty interesting. My history knowledge is fairly limited to only certain regions so a lot of the stuff I'm reading is all new material to me.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Has anyone here read any Charles Stross? If so, is he good? Where to start?
Was just looking through Hugo Award candidates and he's got a few books on the list.
Was just looking through Hugo Award candidates and he's got a few books on the list.
Mackenzie 92
Member
This is pretty good.
Halting State by Charles Stross
Also have Saturn's Children, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
READ THIS.
Read that a while back, was pretty good. Liked the concept, and getting all those glimpses into different lives and also liked Rhiannon.
The Artful Dodger
Member
Re-reading this in Spanish. Last time I read it was when I was 16 and I remember it being a very difficult book at the time. I'd like to think my vocabulary has improved since then.
Anyone who's read it in English want to tell me what their experience with it is?
I'll PM you, because some folks are reading it this month I believe and I don't want to spoil it for them.
Really looking forward to reading this. Def on my List.
I'm actually planning to read: "A People's History of the US" during my road trip coming up. If I finish that I'll move on to "Uncle
Tom's Cabin" and then Bram Stoker's "Dracula". There's so much good, old literature I need to catch up on.
Also, when did Amazon implement the policy that you needed a credit card on your account to download free books? I don't remember having an issue with this in the past, but as of late it's been giving me trouble.
Tom's Cabin" and then Bram Stoker's "Dracula". There's so much good, old literature I need to catch up on.
Also, when did Amazon implement the policy that you needed a credit card on your account to download free books? I don't remember having an issue with this in the past, but as of late it's been giving me trouble.
Ventilaator
Banned
I've been reading Lovecraft short stories.
They are all really short, but long enough and written in a way that by the end I'm totally ready to read a few hundred more pages of whatever he just started. So... any good full novels of Lovecraftian horror you could recommend?
They are all really short, but long enough and written in a way that by the end I'm totally ready to read a few hundred more pages of whatever he just started. So... any good full novels of Lovecraftian horror you could recommend?
The Artful Dodger
Member
I haven't read any of his longer works but you might want to check out The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allen Poe, it's his only Novel, and there are some odditites about it, plot holes and the like but it's really fantastic if you get through it.
I really enjoy Lovecraft, it's always great to hear someone else is enjoying his works.
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