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[joeyjoejoeshabadoo]

Finished this a week or so ago:

I really enjoyed it and looking forward to the rest of the series.

Got these two on Friday:

I'm about half way through Shutter Island and absolutely loving it. If things go as planned I should be done with it my the end of the week then it's on to Fool Moon.

 

[Fleet of Foot]

Finished this a week or so ago:

I really enjoyed it and looking forward to the rest of the series.

I don't normally insult what other people like but I just have to ask...what did you like about this book? I read it not long ago and thought it was really, really awful.

The story and the characters were ridiculous. The writing is bad. I hated it.

 

[BaronLundi]

Just finished

Very very good read on a rehashed subject. Limited to french speakers for the moment but it will be translated, no doubt (Jonhatan Littell's agent bought the international rights)

Finishing :

Starts to grow on me, looking forward to the end.

Coming up next :

(being a Wire fan and all that)

 

[FnordChan]

Re: Storm Front by Jim Butcher

I don't normally insult what other people like but I just have to ask...what did you like about this book? I read it not long ago and thought it was really, really awful.

The story and the characters were ridiculous. The writing is bad. I hated it.

You didn't address this to me, but as I'm a fan of the series I figure I'll jump into the fray anyway.

I've enjoyed the hell out of the Dresden Files books, from Storm Front onward. I freely admit that Butcher doesn't really hit his stride until three or four books into the series, but I certainly liked the earlier novels enough to read 'em all in short order, one after the other. I like the supernatural noir angle, I think his take on the supernatural is, if not wildly original, is entertaining (especially later in the series when different factions are all playing off each other), and I particularly like his characters. Harry Dresden is a curmudgeonly underdog and I've had a great time rooting for him and the rest of the good guys over the course of the series. I don't think anyone or anything in the series is overly ridiculous, unless that's just your reaction to the genre in general. Finally, I think Butcher does a great job of putting his characters through the grinder and writing fast paced action, all of which give his books a great page turner quality.

And there you have it. Admittedly, I have a terrible weakness for serial genre fiction, but I've really gotten into the Dresden Files books and have been busy turning others onto it as well. I think the folks I know who are fans would agree that Butcher's ability to write likable characters who are constantly having to fight their way out of deep shit against long odds (usually at full tilt while all hell is breaking loose around them) is what really sells the books and keeps them coming back for more. One friend of mine recently said that she'd be happy to read one of the Dresden Files books a year for as long as Butcher cares to put them out, which I think speaks to their addictive nature. While I don't expect everyone to dig on the series and certainly don't fault you for bouncing off of Butcher's writing, I'm right there with her.

FnordChan

 

[Darb]

am about to tackles this:

One of my absolute favorites. Each section is so different from one another yet connected in sometimes very subtle ways.

EDIT: messed up quoting.

 

[Flizzzipper]

Just finished
Coming up next :

(being a Wire fan and all that)

That book is great.

 

[[KoRp]Jazzman]

Just picked up A Game of Thrones finally on the Kindle (How can you go wrong for like $3 for that size of a book?), and as you can all imagine I have to say its amazing. I had heard alot of people saying how awesome it was growing up, but I never had any interest as I was kind of addicted to everything Tolkien, but It was actually the Song of Fire and Ice Thread here on GAF that finally convinced me. First book to really get me hooked in a long time. Im not really sure its going to hold up for the remainder of the other books, but for the low price and how well the first book is written, Im sold already.

 

[flyover]

Children_of_Dune.jpg

I'm reading Heretics of Dune right now. I've read the first four books several times, but never even started Heretics before.

I guess I always just figured there's not much else to say, once you've written a book about

Spoiler

a 3000-year-old giant worm ruling the universe

(beginning of God Emperor of Dune spoiler). But, so far, I'm liking Heretics.

 

[picko]

I'm reading "Shade of Grey" by Jasper Fforde. Terrific book so far and well up to his previous efforts.

 

[Blackace]

Finished up The Lies of Locke Lamora. I have to say that I was really impressed with this book. The characters were fun, the plot was tense, and the world was well realized. Once the endgame begins, everything kicks into high-gear and ends with an amazing series of events. Locke really shines in the finale.

Hard to believe but book 2 is even better!

 

[Musashi Wins!]

I read Homicide a long time ago, before The Wire haha, I remember it being a good read.

I love the idea of the Butcher novels, but I'd have to agree the writing is atrocious. Maybe he gets better later in, but it's hard to know where to jump into a series and it's hard to enjoy them when they let a writer get competent as he goes. I'm a sucker for the Noir / Supernatural mash-up if it works. He seems to be pumping the paycheck machine.

 

[crowphoenix]

Knew you'd like that one.

I'm glad you recommended it a couple months back. I probably would have missed it otherwise.

Hard to believe but book 2 is even better!

That's what I like to hear. I couldn't find it anywhere in town, so I plan to pick it up later this week when I go to Baltimore.

 

[Mifune]

One of my absolute favorites. Each section is so different from one another yet connected in sometimes very subtle ways.

The three book paperback boxed set just came in the mail. This packaging is NICE.

 

[Jarlaxle]

I just finished "The Ghost King" by R.A. Salvatore. It was a pretty good read and better than the past couple books of his. A return to form and I'm excited to see where he brings Drizzt in the future.

Just started reading "The Blade Itself" by Joe Abercrombie as per GAF recomendations. I'm enjoying it so far but only about 70 pages in.

 

[aidan]

Hard to believe but book 2 is even better!

No. I enjoyed RSURS, but it lacked the direction of TLOLL, the pacing was all messed by the huge tangent-at-sea portion in the middle and it was too predictable (one of TLOLL's strengths). It's a good book, but not as good as its predecessor.

 

[Government-man]

Thick as the bible. Feels like I'm reading the script to a ten season show set in the 19th century.

 

[Manics]

Dove right in after finishing up Red Mars. Great start to this one and I'm sure to love it.

 

[Chorazin]

One of my favorite (if not THE favorite) books from last year, Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim just came out on Kindle, so if you have one at least check out the free sample!

 

[Vipershark]

 

[Mr. Miyato]

About 2/3 in and it's one of the best books I've ever read.

 

[Alucard]

I really loved the experience of Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, but I didn't think it had much of a point to make. :-\ Which I suppose is the point of post-modern literature.

 

[Alucard]

Dove right in after finishing up Red Mars. Great start to this one and I'm sure to love it.

What is the premise of these books? Is it essentially about colonization and the challenges associated with settling on a new and uninhabited world?

 

[bengraven]

My Kindle should be here tomorrow!

I'm sending tons of books and samples to it right now. I have a feeling this will be like the Steam christmas sale in that I'll never find the time to finish them all. However, it's easier to take that tiny machine around than a heavy PC tower.

I already picked up every work of Dickens, Lovecraft, Twain...paid 99c for some versions based on reviews of the Kindle editions, though I'm sure many of the free books have horrible formatting. We'll see how it goes, I'm just very excited.

I need to find a book to put on there, a modern book, that I actually want to read.

 

[finowns]

I don't normally insult what other people like but I just have to ask...what did you like about this book? I read it not long ago and thought it was really, really awful.

The story and the characters were ridiculous. The writing is bad. I hated it.

Fleet of Foot, my friend, I assume that you read the first book and gave up on the series?

This saddens me because, Storm Front is by far the weakest book in the entire series; I also found the plot confusing, and the writing weak. Fool Moon the book after SF is much better, and like Fnord said, the series hits its stride with Grave Peril and Summer Knight (especially Summer Knight because Butcher really flushes out the Dresden Universe).

Its like my favorite series or I would not be trying to persuade you. I had to try!


Finished:

The Trilogy has been good so far.



Just started reading this:

 

[KingGondo]

My Kindle should be here tomorrow!

I'm sending tons of books and samples to it right now. I have a feeling this will be like the Steam christmas sale in that I'll never find the time to finish them all. However, it's easier to take that tiny machine around than a heavy PC tower.

I already picked up every work of Dickens, Lovecraft, Twain...paid 99c for some versions based on reviews of the Kindle editions, though I'm sure many of the free books have horrible formatting. We'll see how it goes, I'm just very excited.

I need to find a book to put on there, a modern book, that I actually want to read.

Love my Kindle, I've already read 5-6 books since Christmas.

I've heard Under the Dome by Stephen King is good, it's on my Kindle and I'm looking forward to reading it... Another "modern book" I read and loved, although it's not exactly leisure reading: The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Even if you're religious, it's absolutely worth reading. Also, I'm dying for Amazon to put more Cormac McCarthy on the Kindle, I really want to read Blood Meridian.

I've actually been reading a ton of Lovecraft on the Kindle, just finished "The Call of Cthulhu" last night, and it's some great stuff. Definitely some racist undertones, but he's still really good at steadily building spellbinding suspense and a sense of dread... "The Color From Space" was good too, wouldn't be surprised if Stephen King's The Tommyknockers was directly influenced by it.

 

[Chorazin]

My Kindle should be here tomorrow!

I'm sending tons of books and samples to it right now. I have a feeling this will be like the Steam christmas sale in that I'll never find the time to finish them all. However, it's easier to take that tiny machine around than a heavy PC tower.

I already picked up every work of Dickens, Lovecraft, Twain...paid 99c for some versions based on reviews of the Kindle editions, though I'm sure many of the free books have horrible formatting. We'll see how it goes, I'm just very excited.

I need to find a book to put on there, a modern book, that I actually want to read.

One of us! One of us! Welcome to the Kindle Krew, good sir!

Check the Kindle Best Sellers section on Amazon at least once a day. Tons of books are free on there, and sometimes are just free for a day or two, especially first books of older series.

If you like vampires (like, awesome vampires, not sparkly tween romance vampires) I'm pretty sure Already Dead: A Novel is still free on Kindle, and I highly recommend it, it was a pretty excellent read.

 

[Funky Functionality]

Looking around locally for a copy of Amy Hempel's Tumble Home. A friend recommended it and I found some excerpts online, and I'm surprised I'd never heard of her before. Good stuff.

Last book I picked up was The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Haven't started it yet and my expectations are low, though it has received a number of glowing reviews. Plot seems very basic, but the premise is interesting--very Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The story is told from the perspective of Enzo, a dog whose owner (a racing driver) gets pummeled with adversity. The dog reflects on the nature of humanity, drawing parallels to racing. Being a dog lover and a huge fan of motorsports, it seems an enjoyable combination. I'll find out soon.

 

[KingGondo]

One of us! One of us! Welcome to the Kindle Krew, good sir!

Check the Kindle Best Sellers section on Amazon at least once a day. Tons of books are free on there, and sometimes are just free for a day or two, especially first books of older series.

If you like vampires (like, awesome vampires, not sparkly tween romance vampires) I'm pretty sure Already Dead: A Novel is still free on Kindle, and I highly recommend it, it was a pretty excellent read.

Downloaded Already Dead, thanks.

 

[Sanskrit]

Recently finished:

Totally awesome.

Currently reading:

La Divina Commedia in Swedish (I live in Sweden), written in verse. Quite interesting, actually. This book as a movie = win

 

[lakesideflight]

been reading this since september, almost half way. Hopefully I'll finish before school's done with, but I've been pretty busy.

 

[Uhtred]

http://img.infibeam.com/img/6b5dbe4b/925/1/9780884271925.jpg


I have to read this by Sunday, anyone know of a good site to rip notes???
I need to do a book report. Nothing big just 1 page.

 

[bengraven]

I'm talking to my wife about the Apple tablet via IM and text, I kind of want one, and she remarked that I should maybe open the box that just arrived at home before I want the "other expensive" box that arrived today.

My Kindle is here! She told me at the beginning of my shift however, so I've been having to wait for 9 hours to get home. 4 more hours and I'm home and it's in my hand!

Love my Kindle, I've already read 5-6 books since Christmas.

I've heard Under the Dome by Stephen King is good, it's on my Kindle and I'm looking forward to reading it... Another "modern book" I read and loved, although it's not exactly leisure reading: The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Even if you're religious, it's absolutely worth reading. Also, I'm dying for Amazon to put more Cormac McCarthy on the Kindle, I really want to read Blood Meridian.

I've actually been reading a ton of Lovecraft on the Kindle, just finished "The Call of Cthulhu" last night, and it's some great stuff. Definitely some racist undertones, but he's still really good at steadily building spellbinding suspense and a sense of dread... "The Color From Space" was good too, wouldn't be surprised if Stephen King's The Tommyknockers was directly influenced by it.

Haha, awesome. I actually just finished CoC in my paper copy of "American Supernatural Tales" and downloaded the first few chapters God Delusion last night!

GAF hivemind indeed.

I almost bought God and Greatest Show, but I want to read the first few chapters of each and see if I'm going to be that into Dawkin's narrative first.

Oh and as for Cormac, yes, I was thinking of where to start with him. I have The Road in paperback and haven't started it yet, but after that I might start with the "Meridian" trilogy.

One of us! One of us! Welcome to the Kindle Krew, good sir!

Check the Kindle Best Sellers section on Amazon at least once a day. Tons of books are free on there, and sometimes are just free for a day or two, especially first books of older series.

If you like vampires (like, awesome vampires, not sparkly tween romance vampires) I'm pretty sure Already Dead: A Novel is still free on Kindle, and I highly recommend it, it was a pretty excellent read.

*bows* Thank you thank you! Downloading Already Dead now then. I could go for a great vampire book, especially one that's free!

 

[Firebug2K9]

this thread lol...its longer then some of the books ive read lately

 

[afternoon delight]

The three book paperback boxed set just came in the mail. This packaging is NICE.

For thirty dollars, I can't believe the amount of detail and attention paid to the packaging. It's worth it AND amazing. Have you tried reading the sections out of order? I heard more than a few mention they have, and I was thinking about doing it the next go around in the fall.

Just finished these up:

Dante's Divine Comedy: The Inferno - All the video game talk got me to read it again since it had been a few years. As usual, I was entranced by the narrative and the scenes he describes - unique if anything at all. I don't think it's nearly as dense as others, but I also skip most of the structural/technical aspects of the poetry and focus on the themes/metaphors/etc.

Sandman: Doll's House and Brief Lives - First time I've ever picked up a Sandman volume and all I can say is: wowowowowow. His setup of characters and lore is so natural and wonderful that it makes it such a pleasure to read. I know I'm reading them out of order, but I plan on getting the collections after I read the smaller parts. The beginning story in Brief Lives with Despair's memory behind the mirror made my mind explode.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For - First time reading this as well. It's absolute fun - plain and simple. I mean, Marv and Dwight together make the story in just one chapter, let alone what follows. Never knew about Miller's narrative structures and the intertwining aspect - downright cool.

 

[WTFing]

Shame on me but it's the first time I'm reading this:

 

[Salazar]

The best books I've read in the past few weeks on Kindle have been:

Redmond O'Hanlon's 'Trawler' and 'Into the Heart of Borneo'.

http://www.amazon.com/Trawler-ebook/dp/B002RI9JO6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A24IB90LPZJ0BS&s=digital-text&qid=1264641822&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Into-Heart-Borneo-ebook/dp/B002RI9L4Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1264641773&sr=8-3

Also, you should consider Edmund Gosse's 'Father and Son'. It's free, and it is probably the most acute, interesting, and blissfully well-written study of religion's workings in the mind and family life. It is remarkable.

http://manybooks.net/titles/gosseedmetext01ftrsn10.html

 

[bengraven]

this thread lol...its longer then some of the books ive read lately

What, are you reading Chick tracts?

These threads have been tons longer. And I should note they are always my favorite GAF threads.

 

[manofmandango]

 

[Bebedora]

I just started 'The Lovely Bones' last night. People I know seem pretty divided about it, 1/2 love it and 1/2 are 'meh'

 

[bengraven]

30 minutes to go until I'm home with my Kindle.

 

[Blackace]

Got to agree here. The flashbacks to the early Gentlemen Bastard days nicely anchored the first book. The second really wanted something like that to hold the whole thing together.

It's not a bad book, but it doesn't hold up to the first one.

I can't fully agree. While I really loved the first book, basically made me put Scott Lynch on my buy first ask questions later list, I have to say the characters in 1 weren't nearly as fleshed out. I really enjoyed the growth of the two main characters and the different characters introduced in the 2nd. I feel it is better but it really is splitting hairs.

 

[crowphoenix]

Finished On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan.

It's an absolutely fantastic book. It is a deep character study of two very flawed individuals on their wedding night in the early 60s. The book delves far into the history and society that created this flawed husband and wife pair. The writing is superb, and surprisingly enough, the book remains as easy to read as it is slightly unsettling.

However, there is a flaw with the book. The ending.

Spoiler

The book does so much throughout the first 190 pages to make casting blame say as much about the reader as the character. If the reader blames Flo, they haven't been paying attention to her problems, trying to understand them, or being considerate of her. If the reader blames Edward, they are blaming a normal guy for expecting and wanting a normal relationship.

To end at the point where no blame could have been cast would have suited the book far better in terms of being a pure character study. However, McEwan goes farther, and the last few pages show the next several decades of Edward's life.

This has the adverse effect of turning the book from a character study to a rather heavy handed parable condemning inaction. And as we can only see Edward's life, we feel compelled to blame him for the events and for the collapse of his life into mediocrity.

In fact, the only hint of what happened to Flo during these years was a small news paper clipping, of sorts, telling us that she had achieved her life's dream and occasionally looks forlornly at a specific seat in the venue she plays in.

It, in a way, ties the story together too neatly, and as a result, loses much of the rough edges that made the book feel so real.

In summary, I feel the ending undoes much of what made the book a good character study by turning the book into a parable.

 

[Undeux]

http://img.infibeam.com/img/6b5dbe4b/925/1/9780884271925.jpg


I have to read this by Sunday, anyone know of a good site to rip notes???
I need to do a book report. Nothing big just 1 page.

Probably a thread where people are talking about books they've finished isn't the best place to ask.

 

[replicashooter]

been reading this since september, almost half way. Hopefully I'll finish before school's done with, but I've been pretty busy.

How does this correspond with whats actually going on in the world now in terms of all the bankruptcies etc.. in the way of life imitating art imitating life?

Nearly finished:

And I feel like I've been conned as Dawkins spends most of his time talking about religious texts and the like and not the whole God experience/reasoning.

 

[Anarchistry]

Reading it for English, but I am thoroughly enjoying it.

 

[junesongprovider]

Currently reading:

Areas of My Expertise - John Hodgman
Hodgman is one of the best comedy writers I've come across in a long time. Full of dry wit and nonsense. Loving it so far.

Just finished:

Understanding Comics - Scott McCloud
Really great insight into what makes comics work. Interesting as hell.

 

[Maklershed]

How does this correspond with whats actually going on in the world now in terms of all the bankruptcies etc.. in the way of life imitating art imitating life?

I know you didn't direct the question towards me but it doesn't really touch that topic. It's more about man's ability/desire to work and basically how greed isn't a bad thing, it's the fuel of capitalism and its what makes the world turn.

It's a good book but as I mentioned to a friend, it seems like it was written by an extremely scared person during the McCarthy era who was trying to hard to prove that they aren't communists. :lol

 

[BaronLundi]

Such an interesting and fun book. Very insightful and accurate look at the medium.

The sequel (reinventing comics) is worthwile although not as gripping.

 

[sparky2112]

How does this correspond with whats actually going on in the world now in terms of all the bankruptcies etc.. in the way of life imitating art imitating life?

I'll bite: it doesn't. Rand believed, first and foremost, that the most perfect system is one in which everyone works toward their own self-interest to the exclusion of everything else - the system thus winding up in equilibreum. Government regulation was anethema to her. Well, lo and behold, systems without sufficient regulation DO NOT reach equilibrium, and we're all living through the fallout at the moment.

Or something like that.

 

[Neuromancer]

I like it but seems to be very different from the movie (in a good way).