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[meme]

My first Sherlock Holmes book! And Sherlock isn't there...

Spoiler

most of the time

.

 

[Vinci]

[IM]http://images.quebarato.com.br/photos/big/C/4/5345C4_1.jpg[/IM]

My first Sherlock Holmes book! And Sherlock isn't there... [spolier]most of the time[/spoiler].

My friend, just get the Collected Sherlock Holmes book if it's available in your area. Really, Holmes is an addiction. Feed it.

 

[meme]

My friend, just get the Collected Sherlock Holmes book if it's available in your area. Really, Holmes is an addiction. Feed it.

I bought both the Hound of Baskervilles and "A Vampira de Sussex" (don't know how you call it around there), should start reading right after I finish this one. Really digging so far

 

[Asbel]

How is Holmes' story different from an Agatha Christie book? I'm going through those right now and I like the focus on the psychology of the murderer.

 

[MehsterChief]

Delillo's book about 9/11. Definitely not his best work, but still very interesting to read. His prose and his characters are simply great and among the best in contemporary fiction.

 

[meme]

How is Holmes' story different from an Agatha Christie book? I'm going through those right now and I like the focus on the psychology of the murderer.

I think Sherlock Holmes book don't put much focus in the characters, they just give you small tips about each one, leading you to think that everyone has the potential to be "the culprit". The book gives a lot of details about scenes and the enviroment, though, and that's reaally neat In the Hound of Baskervilles, you'll see everything through Watson's view.

 

[Ecto311]

Gettin ready to teach my baby to brew some beer, shoot guns, and draw manga.

 

[gdt]

Re-reading Prelude To Foundation right now.

 

[Fanboydestroyer]

Reading Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. If there are any Sci-Fi fans out there who for some reason haven't read this book, you MUST read it. It is so freaking good. I only have like 150 pages left to go I think. But I was hooked from the first chapter. It is that good. Sometimes I check the inside back cover just to stare at Robert Charles Wilson's picture. And I think "What a wonderful man you are."

 

[Musashi Wins!]

Just finished Matter by Iain M. Banks. I didn't realise there was a whole series of these and that this was the latest, but oh well

Wow, you should start at the beginning, for the first 3 or so you are in for the biggest treat.

Just read Davidson's two works. Preferred the short story collection. He's a rough and florid storyteller featuring boxers and madness much like Thom Jones. The novel is a bit predictable and shocking, but a couple of his stories are sublime.

An interesting and mostly intelligent journey through MMA. Unusual book for the subject. He has sort of a worshipful and earnest way of talking about teachers and fighters that goes off the rails when he visits the world of dog fighting. It's not only repugnant, but he offers some weak ass justifications to excuse his continued fawning tone about something pretty horrid.

Just started this, a gift. The author is the co-author of the first 3 Broken Sword games. Pretty funny, similar to a Douglas Adams book.

 

[Captain Blood]

Reading clash of kings like a lot of people here. I will probably move to Best Served Cold since it appears to get the NeoGAF seal of approval.

 

[gofreak]

Wow, you should start at the beginning, for the first 3 or so you are in for the biggest treat.

Yeah, it seems I've a lot to catch up on! I wonder if Matter will be his last in the series... it was the first new one in 8 years.

But yeah, I'm gonna go look for Consider Phlebas tomorrow.

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

Still reading The Dragon Keepers by Hobb, slowwwwwww. Nearish to the end now and things are starting to kick off so yeah next book looks like its going to have all the good stuff.

Think she needs to go back to the first person narative, the books where much deeper then if only because of the perspective, although i do guess writting in the first person is a lot more taxing.

The Painted Man by Peter V Brett is next for me still.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

Just finished reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This was by far the best of the books in the series so far. Mind you, that might have been because I also loved the movie version. The bits with Voldemort are much more fleshed out - to great effect.

I also get the impression that a lot of wizards have attitudes that would be well at home in the Old South.

Just started Order of the Phoenix. I'm just waiting for the story to ramp up.

 

[bengraven]

Woops, had to fix a broken image.

 

[My Name Is Luke]

Right now I'm reading Frankenstein for my AP English assignment, which is a pain because I've had a copy of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead on my bookshelf for about a year which hasn't been touched. Also I really want to check out some more Scott Pilgrim, I read the first one a few months back but couldn't get any of the others.

 

[aidan]

Thanks for that. I've been meaning to read this one since reading an interview with the author, but kept forgetting the name.

The Warded Man is fantastic. Speaking of interviews, I did one with Brett not too long ago that you might enjoy.

 

[mosaic]

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson.

My fourth time and it hasn't gotten stale. There's always something to laugh at or to nod at.

I'm probably a lucky minority that enjoys the movie and book equally.

 

[Salazar]

'Jake's Thing' by Kingsley Amis.
'If not now, when ?' by Primo Levi.
'Generation Kill' by Evan Wright (not terribly good).
'The Discomfort Zone' by Jonathan Franzen.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

I am into video game books this month.

I finished:

And started:

Reach was really good.

 

[Asbel]

I think Sherlock Holmes book don't put much focus in the characters, they just give you small tips about each one, leading you to think that everyone has the potential to be "the culprit". The book gives a lot of details about scenes and the enviroment, though, and that's reaally neat In the Hound of Baskervilles, you'll see everything through Watson's view.

Alright, I'd pick up Holmes right now if I wasn't in the middle of the Christie books. Need another genre in between mystery books.

Currently finishing up The Gunslinger here and I'm sorry to say, it hasn't been very interesting to me. Very slow build up to the meeting with the man in black that it never got me excited for. :/

 

[lakesideflight]

Just started

 

[hamchan]

Half way through A Game of Thrones and WOW, it has been fucking awesome so far.

 

[big ander]

I am reading Children of the Mind.

I read Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead a while ago, and now just recently read Ender in Exile and Xenocide. I'm going to read the Shadow quartet after this.
So far I'm enjoying the latter books in the Ender series. They've got moral dilemmas at the core, but they're still really exciting.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Almost exactly halfway through Infinite Jest. Woo-hoo! Eat it, Infinite Summer reading schedule!

It continues to amaze.

Yeah, I'm demolishing that sked. I can't help it.

 

[the_painted_bird]

About halfway through. What about this is good?

If you are halfway through and haven't discovered what is attractive about the book then just put it down, please.

McCarthy only has two books written in that same "simplistic" style (as far as I know... I have yet to read The Border Trilogy), and the other is No Country for Old Men. His descriptions of the scenery and weather are not included without a reason.

I have read the Border trilogy and would recommend it to all McCarthy fans. I have dedicated much of my time to McCarthy books and I really love his style... probably my favorite author who is alive. Outer Dark is one of his bleakest works, which I love, also it is written quite 'simple' (I'd go as far as to call it Modern.)

As for Vonnegut recommendations- Galápagos is my personal favorite.
The implementation of Mandarax 'narration' was so inspiring.

 

[How About No]

The Art of War by Niccolo Machiavelli. Nonfiction. Boringer than it sounds. Obtusely written, as it was written by a guy from 16th century Italy. Has the guys advice about building a militia and how great the Romans were.

I also recently found out that Machiavelli is supposed to be a character in Assassins Creed 2!

 

[Salazar]

Boringer than it sounds. Obtusely written, as it was written by a guy from 16th century Italy.

I've not had occasion to quote someone's name at them before.

 

[FilthyLies]

The whole internet seems to love this series, so I gave

a shot. Nothing I can say about it that hasn't been said already, but I very much enjoyed it and put a hold on Clash of Kings at my local library.

 

[BlueTsunami]

I just finished "Martian Time-Slip" by Philip K. Dick. Awesome, awesome. He can really convey underlying emotions from all his characters. You end up empathizing with a lot of the characters.

I also love how (in a lot of his stories) your placed in these imaginary scenarios, kind of lulled into the story somewhat and then he throws that "out of this world", surreal excitement in partway through. From reading his past work, you expect it but it still excites.

He's also very good at conveying neurosis and delusions. Reading up a bit on his life, its no surprise why.

 

[Big-E]

Just a couple pages short of finishing Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. Dear Lord what an engaging and deep read. The amount of reference is simply mind boggling. Might need to reread this down the road to get even more out of it. For my next read, I have never read anything sci fi or fantasy but i am going to try Dune and A Game of Thrones to see how I like it.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

finished reading 'Mad, Bad and Dangerous?' (as seen in an earlier thread). Fun stuff.

 

[CajoleJuice]

I just finished "Martian Time-Slip" by Philip K. Dick. Awesome, awesome. He can really convey underlying emotions from all his characters. You end up empathizing with a lot of the characters.

I also love how (in a lot of his stories) your placed in these imaginary scenarios, kind of lulled into the story somewhat and then he throws that "out of this world", surreal excitement in partway through. From reading his past work, you expect it but it still excites.

He's also very good at conveying neurosis and delusions. Reading up a bit on his life, its no surprise why.

Did you read the life timeline in the back of those collections? Crazy.

Also, if you haven't picked up the PKD Reader, you really should. He had so many awesome ideas.

 

[aidan]

Nice interview.

I think I've stumbled on your blog before; never realized it was run by a GAFer!

Thanks man. My blog is pretty popular, so I figured at least a couple members of Fantasy-GAF had probably run across it. A lot of the fantasy covers in these threads are hotlinked from there!



I'm currently about 2/3rds through:

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson.

 

[Mr.City]

Just about to start it

 

[Wollan]

Starting

today.

 

[JustAnotherOtaku]

So GAF, I'm looking at getting back into reading something other than manga (nothing wrong with that, just fancy something to go along side it ) and would welcome opinions on where to start. I'm most interested in trying some crime novels, maybe something along the lines of the Agatha Christie books? Would that be a good place to start or are there any others I should check out? Thanks!

 

[DubloSeven]

 

[KdoubleA]

I really don't wanna finish it because then I'll have to wait like all the others

This has become one of my favorite series of novels ever!

 

[Vinci]

So GAF, I'm looking at getting back into reading something other than manga (nothing wrong with that, just fancy something to go along side it ) and would welcome opinions on where to start. I'm most interested in trying some crime novels, maybe something along the lines of the Agatha Christie books? Would that be a good place to start or are there any others I should check out? Thanks!

Sherlock friggin' Holmes. Holmes. Read it, love it.

 

[aidan]

Whoa, that cover is sweet. International version?

Yep, it's from the recently release/forthcoming (?) UK edition. More covers from the rest of the trilogy HERE.

 

[thomaser]

Just finished Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility". Ok romance-story, but flawed. The main character, Elinor, is simply far too perfect to be believable. Irritatingly so. 19yo women don't behave like that, high class or not! Very elegantly written, though.

Now, started on the first book in Cormac McCarthy's "Border" trilogy: "All the Pretty Horses". The shift in style from Sense and Sensibility is jarring to say the least. Austen is ultra refined, McCarthy is raw. But both are beautiful. Challenging to read, since you have to concentrate like a laser beam on his run on, comma-less sentences to make sense out of them.

 

[Undeux]

My advice: if you're getting bored of the non-plot chapters, skim them. You won't be missing much of anything most of the time, but it makes the book so much easier to handle.

 

[X26]

Just finished:

Started out slow but by the end it really is a terrific book

Starting:

Loved the first book in the trilogy, and will pick this up tomorrow

 

[Future PhaZe]

Fate of the Jedi: Omen

Just finished it. Better than Outcast due to the fact that it has a plot at least worth remembering. Still pretty meh overall and reads like a good fanfic.

Best Served Cold

Just about to start this. I suspect it'll be the best new fantasy novel I read until A Dance with Dragons or The Wise Mans Fear if it's as good as the First Law series.

Starting

today.

Wow...pretty hot cover. Not sure if it's the one you had but I would have liked to have gotten that one. Anyway Storm is likely the best you'll read in a while. Shit hot.

 

[Peronthious]

Only A Game turned me on to this, which I'm surprised I haven't heard of before since I'm an engineering student. Very interesting analysis of how and why good design works.

Should be done with that soon, and next on the docket I've got The Butlerian Jihad. I loved all of the Herbert Dune novels and have only read one of the ones by his son, House Harkonnen, which I thought was alright for fan service. Butlerian Jihad from what I've heard seems about the same, but the universe will be fun to get back into.

 

[DubloSeven]

My advice: if you're getting bored of the non-plot chapters, skim them. You won't be missing much of anything most of the time, but it makes the book so much easier to handle.

I'm not that far into it, and I just hit that chapter about the man falling from the boat. I thought it was great. Granted, it was only short, but I don't think it was superfluous at all.

However, for all I know, that could be touched upon again later.

 

[Count Dookkake]

.

 

[JAVK]

.

 

[Salazar]

Something that will keep my attention.

Exciting Scandinavian book: check.