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Maklershed · Jan 1, 2014

Maklershed · Jan 1, 2014

Please make sure to visit the 'GAFs Top 5 Favorite Books Read in 2013' thread here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=740485

Join www.goodreads.com and join the NeoGAF Group.

Make sure to visit this month's GAF Book Club thread owned and operated by everyone's favorite moderator, Cyan! The book for January 2014 is ...

The Quiet American by Graham Greene

The Quiet American by Graham Greene

krpiper · Jan 1, 2014

This will be good to read through as I am attempting the 50 books 50 movies challenge in 2014

coldvein · Jan 1, 2014

hey i am reading WARLOCK by Oakley Hall and this book is a MOTHER FUCKER!!!!!

if you have ever had any interest in reading a western you should read this book. i typically think of westerns as being dime-store cheese type stuff but daaaaaaamn this book is amazing. READ IT. im serious. but i know you wont because i dont have a picture of the cover to post

Blizzard · Jan 1, 2014

I'm currently reading the Lies of Locke Lamora.

I thought Lies was going to be some weird word or mean something special, but nope, it's about Locke Lamora and a bunch of lies he tells.

It's pretty addictive. I'm about 400/700 pages in.

Jintor · Jan 1, 2014

coldvein said:
hey i am reading WARLOCK by Oakley Hall and this book is a MOTHER FUCKER!!!!!

if you have ever had any interest in reading a western you should read this book. i typically think of westerns as being dime-store cheese type stuff but daaaaaaamn this book is amazing. READ IT. im serious. but i know you wont because i dont have a picture of the cover to post

Warlock by Oakley Hall

coldvein · Jan 1, 2014

there it is!

i've got maybe 50 pages left, ill probably finish before midnight. will probably end up as my book of the year 2013. reminds me alot of the Once and Future King. Trust me this book is the real deal.

Sabotage · Jan 1, 2014

Body & Soul: Human Nature & the Crisis in Ethics by J.P. Moreland

ShaneB · Jan 1, 2014

coldvein said:
hey i am reading WARLOCK by Oakley Hall and this book is a MOTHER FUCKER!!!!!

if you have ever had any interest in reading a western you should read this book. i typically think of westerns as being dime-store cheese type stuff but daaaaaaamn this book is amazing. READ IT. im serious. but i know you wont because i dont have a picture of the cover to post

I'm always looking to expand on reading more Westerns, so I'll be sure to check this out eventually. edit: doesnt seem to be an ebook of it. Lame =/ I added Wide Open to my to-read list as well, seems like it could be fantastic.

Just want to thank reading-gaf as well for a great 2013 in reading, finding new books and sharing what I've read. Everything I read in 2013.

wsoxfan1214 · Jan 1, 2014

Double Down. About the 2012 elections. Pretty interesting thus far.

Clegg · Jan 1, 2014

Just finished The Cold Commands by Richard Morgan.

Big Spoilers:

Not sure whether or not I like the reveal of this being the Altered Carbon universe several thousand years into the future. Takeshi Kovacs as a disembodied AI god was pretty cool tho.

lastflowers · Jan 1, 2014

Reading both:

and

Forsaken82 · Jan 1, 2014

First book of the year for me is going to be Leviathan Wakes.

B.K. · Jan 1, 2014

I'm about a third of the way through Wild Cards I.

lightus · Jan 1, 2014

Still working through The Way of Kings. Almost done though, only 200ish pages. Absolutely loving the world.

AngmarsKing701 · Jan 1, 2014

Starting 2014 with Hugh Howley's Wool.

StalkerUKCG · Jan 1, 2014

Dune
1984
Necronomicon (Lovecraft)
Expanded Sherlock stories

^that is what is on my list to start soon.

I read hardly anything last year. Mainly just short stories like The Curious case of Dr Jykll which i really enjoyed.

Going to look into some of those highly acclaimed Sci Fi series this year too.

Tragicomedy · Jan 1, 2014

Blizzard said:
I'm currently reading the Lies of Locke Lamora.

I thought Lies was going to be some weird word or mean something special, but nope, it's about Locke Lamora and a bunch of lies he tells.

It's pretty addictive. I'm about 400/700 pages in.

Let me know what you think about this when you finish. I have all three of the series on my Kindle and I'm considering giving them a go this year.

Freezasaurus · Jan 1, 2014

Andromeda's Choice by William C. Dietz.

The follow-up to 2012's Andromeda's Fall.

Piecake · Jan 1, 2014

I am reading The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt by Toby Wilkinson

So far I am not that impressed. He tries to do a narrative history of the entire four thousand years of Ancient Egyptian history, but doesn't do it by telling interesting and important stories in each period, but by telling little snippets what each ruler did. So far, it feels like I have read a lot but have learned very little.

I also don't find it very interesting since his 'analysis' argues against a rose-tinted egyptologist straw-man. I like one of his lines where he said that some argued that the Egyptians were happy to build pyramids for their ruler as a sign of their devotion, but that was actually not the case. No shit? Who honestly would think otherwise. His other spiel is that the Old Kingdom was all powerful and had complete control over the economy, which just makes no fucking sense.

I have only finished the Old Dynasty section, so hopefully it will get better once we get more sources because right now his stories are too cursory to be interesting and his analysis is pathetic.

The Culture Vulture · Jan 1, 2014

Halfway through The Night Circus....not really feeling it, kinda disappointing.

Mumei · Jan 1, 2014

I would like to announce that I will not be reading The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt by Toby Wilkinson.

But I am reading No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women by Estelle Freedman and Marriage, a History: from Obedience to Intimacy or How Love Conquered Marriage by Stephanie Coontz.

Narag · Jan 1, 2014

Need to get back to reading. Some stuff I finished last month:

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

Expected YA historical fiction, got YA historical fiction.

Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon

Enjoyable. May not continue with this series but will check out more Elizabeth Moon.

The Wolf Gift: The Wolf Gift Chronicles by Anne Rice

Kinda liked it as it was more introspective than expected but felt weird about all the contemporary stuff put in that might make it feel dated before long though. Might be the point though.

Tragicomedy · Jan 1, 2014

I'm on my first ever triple, tackling The Quiet American, Casino Royale, and Dust (Silo saga) at the same time.

mike23 · Jan 1, 2014

Who read the most books last year? I finished at 131 new ones.

OfWhiteSkinOnRedLeather · Jan 1, 2014

mike23 said:
Who read the most books last year? I finished at 131 new ones.

Jesus. I read six books last year. lol And five of them were by Daniel Abraham.

Speaking of, still on Leviathan Wakes.

Tragicomedy · Jan 1, 2014

mike23 said:
Who read the most books last year? I finished at 131 new ones.

Glaurungr - 258/50 books | 67/50 movies. Good luck touching that.

I had 57 and was super happy with that number.

fakefaker · Jan 1, 2014

Still plugging away at The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk. It's a book so larger than life, it'll take two years for me to read it.

TheCrazyGuru · Jan 1, 2014

In the middle of:

Finished The Influence by Bentley Little a day before January, but was still pretty good (I've read most of his books), but a bit formulaic like his other books.

Maklershed · Jan 1, 2014

^Nice

Kindle

She is the Darkness by Glen Cook

Hard copy

The Mike Hammer Collection: Volume I by Mickey Spillane

Mackenzie 92 · Jan 1, 2014

I finished with 85 for the year. Had a few graphic novels mixed in that buffed my final number a bit.

I don't think I'll be doing a challenge again this year, just because it feels like I'm rushing through everything.

Anyhow, my goal this year is to work in more non-fiction and history books.

Starting with this

The History Buff's Guide to the Civil War: The best, the worst, the largest, and the most lethal top ten rankings of the Civil War by Thomas R. Flagel

Also reading this

The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort

Plasticine · Jan 1, 2014

I couldn't really get into Laymon's Cellar, which is disappointing. I'll try to revisit it later. I'm moving on to:

I read it years ago, and really admired it. I just got a nice trade paperback edition and thought I'd give it another read. If I enjoy it as much as I remember, I'll probably go on a Kiernan binge.

NekoFever · Jan 1, 2014

I read 46 books on a target of 40 last year, so I was pretty happy with that. Not setting a target this year, though, because I found having to hit targets sucked a lot of the fun out of it.

That said, it's 1/1 and I'm 35% of the way through my first book of the year already...

It's good so far. Funny how this is such a quick read after how long it took me to read Dune. The original had quite an abrupt ending so it feels like this is almost an epilogue.

coldvein · Jan 1, 2014

somebody can read 258 books a year? good lawad

fortunate enough to not have to work, i take it?

SolKane · Jan 1, 2014

Christmas presents:

Pretty good so far, the Bergen book however relies heavily on paraphrasing of the source material so I'm not getting a whole lot out of it that's not available in the second book. He's a very good writer, however.

Freeza Under The Shower · Jan 1, 2014

coldvein said:
somebody can read 258 books a year? good lawad

fortunate enough to not have to work, i take it?

not all books are 300 pages and up.

If comparing goodreads counts, most people prefer short stories or shorter novels to say, big sciency books. Like the ones I read...

TetraxShards · Jan 1, 2014

Starting the year with a return to the Iron Druid:

and reading a Christmas present:

Epcott · Jan 1, 2014

Bought the book last month, but never had a time to start it, so I loaned it to my mom (loves Dune, Song of Ice and Fire and Battlestar Galactica).

Found the book on Audible last week and have been listening to it while at work.
Interesting book so far. I have to admit, the gender associations really got me.

Salvor.Hardin · Jan 1, 2014

It was a bit of a tough start. I was expecting something more along the lines of Rubicon by Tom Holland but Robin Lane Fox definitely provides a more academic account, which I've begun to appreciate now that I'm 100 pages in. I've always wanted to know more about Alexander, and by all accounts, this is the definitive guide for this generation.

While it can take a while to get acquainted with the players and geography involved, the pace picks up considerably once the introductions are made.

Nymerio · Jan 1, 2014

Started with the Wheel of Time series:

Incandenza · Jan 1, 2014

I just finished up:

S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst

This is definitely one of the most unconventional books I've read in a while. For those who don't know, the novel is meant to emulate an old library book written by a mysterious author, and it's filled with marginalia and inserts (postcards, newspaper clippings, etc.) from two characters who are analyzing it. The conversations between the two annotators are by far the most compelling part of the story; they were really interesting and the relationship between them felt natural. The fictional work itself, Ship of Theseus, has some fun ideas and setpieces but I don't think it would quite work on its own without everything else surrounding it. The overarching conspiracy/mystery that ties everything together is the weak point, I think; while it was fun to watch the characters get way into it, I never found it all that exciting myself.

But overall I think it's definitely more than the sum of its parts. I got pretty engrossed in it, and it's absolutely stunning to look at. Even in its slower moments, I was still excited to turn the page so I could see what the next set of handwritten notes or physical insert was going to look like.

thomaser · Jan 1, 2014

51PW6dqKOPL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Snuff by Terry Pratchett.

Probably ten years since I last read a Discworld novel. Still funny and clever! I think Pratchett tries too hard to be clever at times, leading to unnecessary confusion. But on the other hand, Discworld IS a confusing place, so he gets a pass.

Piecake · Jan 1, 2014

Salvor.Hardin said:
It was a bit of a tough start. I was expecting something more along the lines of Rubicon by Tom Holland but Robin Lane Fox definitely provides a more academic account, which I've begun to appreciate now that I'm 100 pages in. I've always wanted to know more about Alexander, and by all accounts, this is the definitive guide for this generation.

While it can take a while to get acquainted with the players and geography involved, the pace picks up considerably once the introductions are made.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703791904576075760889881174

You might find that interesting. Its an article by Tom Holland on all of the Alexander Biographies. The Robert Lane Fox one doesnt seem all that impressive from that since it seems like the Fox characterizes Alexander as an idealist with noble goals who wanted to spread the far superior ideas of Hellenism to the barbaric Near East.

If that is true, I don't think that makes a whole lot of sense considering that Alexander basically ruled as a Persian King after his conquest

ShaneB · Jan 1, 2014

Just like last year, I'll set my challenge low and adjust as needed. I'll be avoiding any sort of longer book if I set it too high to start and rushing to meet a number.

The Culture Vulture · Jan 1, 2014

thomaser said:
Snuff by Terry Pratchett.

Probably ten years since I last read a Discworld novel. Still funny and clever! I think Pratchett tries too hard to be clever at times, leading to unnecessary confusion. But on the other hand, Discworld IS a confusing place, so he gets a pass.

$1.99 on Kindle today.

Piecake · Jan 1, 2014

Well, finally signed up for a goodreads account. I set my goal at 100. Duh duh daa

We will see if I get it done.

AngmarsKing701 · Jan 1, 2014

Quite a few Sanderson books on sale as part of the Kindle daily deal, including pre-order for Words of Radiance.

Professor Chaos · Jan 1, 2014

I'm still plodding through:

That quote on the front by the Guardian is sheer hyperbole, a vastly overrated novel imo.

justjohn · Jan 1, 2014

2014 is the year I start cracking on Russian novels.

Just started on the The Brothers Karamazov.

suzu · Jan 1, 2014

mike23 said:
Who read the most books last year? I finished at 131 new ones.

Whoa! I managed to squeeze in 26 books read (but my goal was a lofty 50 lol).

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