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What are you reading? (March 2012)

Ermac

Proudly debt free. If you need a couple bucks, just ask.
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Really like it. I think Gaf would too.
 

Mumei

Member
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Really like it. I think Gaf would too.

I was at the library last month and I saw the front cover of some book review thing (I can't remember the publication) that had that book prominently featured. So I went to a nearby computer to see if they had it. And they did. I don't remember precisely how many reservations it had then, but it currently stands at 135 reservations.

Good Lord.

(They have more on order.)
 

Karakand

Member
Quoting myself from page 1. Anyway, finally went for The Tin Drum, and I enjoy it very, very much. It's almost a little overwhelming in its awesomeness, as if it was written just for my tastes. Only 10% in so far, hope the rest keeps up the high quality!

thanks for letting me know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i already started another book :mad:
 

SpiffyG

Member
http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb446/bookstalker/inline-susan-cain-quiet-book-front-1.jpg[IMG]

Really like it. I think Gaf would too.[/QUOTE]
Oooh, I looked this up on Amazon and it sounds fascinating! Now it's next on my list. I'm currently reading a couple of books a friend let me borrow:

[IMG]http://i.minus.com/iQLuywCCksfZl.jpg

and

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Ceebs

Member
Oooh, I looked this up on Amazon and it sounds fascinating! Now it's next on my list. I'm currently reading a couple of books a friend let me borrow:

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This was the first BEE book I ever read. I made it about 2/3 of the way through twice before stopping. I only finished it after falling in love with Rules of Attraction.
 

SpiffyG

Member
This was the first BEE book I ever read. I made it about 2/3 of the way through twice before stopping. I only finished it after falling in love with Rules of Attraction.
Why'd you stop, twice nonetheless? My first book by Mr. BEE was Less Than Zero. I finished it thinking it was a waste of my time. Then I read American Psycho and friggin' loved it. So I'm giving this one a shot.
 

Salazar

Member
http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb446/bookstalker/inline-susan-cain-quiet-book-front-1.jpg[IMG]

Really like it. I think Gaf would too.[/QUOTE]

Going to hear her talk at Oxford in a few weeks. Good to hear that the book is solid.
 

Ceebs

Member
Why'd you stop, twice nonetheless? My first book by Mr. BEE was Less Than Zero. I finished it thinking it was a waste of my time. Then I read American Psycho and friggin' loved it. So I'm giving this one a shot.

To me it has a huge shift in tone once you get past the first part of the book. Maybe I just wanted more of that at the time.
 

Karakand

Member
Ahh, sorry :( But you'll have something to look forward to later! If you like strangeness and magical realism, that is.

If MR existed in a vacuum I probably wouldn't hate it so much.

Gonna read it anyway. :p I regret that I have but 24 hours a day to give for my country.
 
Finished The Mirage and as requested my quick thoughts on it.

It did not live up to the hype sadly. It's like a more self aware pop culture version of The Man in the High Castle. It tries a bit too hard and everything has a "oh that's cute or slightly clever" feel to them, but none of it really hits home. It's probably worth a read if you are choosing between this and another generic sci-fi or fantasy novel, but if you are only reading great books put it on the backburner.

Hmm better put that purchase off for awhile. Thanks for the review.
 

8bit

Knows the Score
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This book needs a soundtrack by Daft Punk. Loving it tons.

Just finished this, not quite my favourite Stephenson book but close. I think that's Diamond Age.

Anyway, any suggestions in a similar vein to this? Amazon suggested something called Ready Player One that seems vaguely interesting from the sample. After Reamde & 1Q84 in succession I thin I'd prefer something a bit lighter if possible and don't really want to throw myself into Anathem right now.
 

Ermac

Proudly debt free. If you need a couple bucks, just ask.
I've never read Stephenson before, what's the best one to start with?
 

Arment

Member
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Blazing through these books. On the last one finally (actually 85% through it, so I'll finish tonight). Now I can get my 25 year time skip and read...

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I'm starting to notice a trend with these covers.
 

Mifune

Mehmber
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Wes Anderson-esque quirkfest about a family of performance artists. Mom and Dad are more focused on their art than their writer son and actress daughter. It's pretty amusing until you realize -- oh wait! I'm supposed to care about these people -- then it collapses under the weight of all the tics and quirky cuteness.


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Really engrossing story of a disappeared silent film star and the depressed college professor who spends the years after the death of his wife and daughter researching and writing about him. Auster writes so cleanly and crisply about this world and its film legacy that it's easy to forget that the whole thing is made up.


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DeLillo's take on the espionage thriller...sorta. He's still more focused on the inner lives of the shooters than the shooting itself, and his dialogue is all kinds of absurd. I kind of love this guy's 70s work, and while this book is pretty slight, it's a lot of fun.


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Somehow I've gotten this far in life without reading any Kafka. And shame on me! The Metamorphosis is pretty much perfect, taking an absurd premise (guy turns into a bug overnight) and milking it for more humor, emotion, and philosophy than I would have ever thought possible.
 

Quake1028

Member
Fight Club's price is in response to it being 25 cents on the Android Market. I think there are 5 more days to go so we should see 5 more 25 cent titles.
 

H3xum

Member
10149142.jpg

Wes Anderson-esque quirkfest about a family of performance artists. Mom and Dad are more focused on their art than their writer son and actress daughter. It's pretty amusing until you realize -- oh wait! I'm supposed to care about these people -- then it collapses under the weight of all the tics and quirky cuteness.

You had me at Wes Anderson.
 

demon

I don't mean to alarm you but you have dogs on your face
Instead of posting the same damn book I posted three weeks ago, any advice on how to read faster? I'm getting pretty frustrated with myself. Part of the problem I'm sure is that I never read voluntarily until after college, and didn't start reading for enjoyment regularly until a few years ago, so my general reading speed is sub-par. I also have a difficult time retaining what I read without re-reading a passage two or three times per page, and I have some serious ADD that keeps me from being able to keep my eyes on the page for more than two minutes at a time. halp
 
Instead of posting the same damn book I posted three weeks ago, any advice on how to read faster? I'm getting pretty frustrated with myself. Part of the problem I'm sure is that I never read voluntarily until after college, and didn't start reading for enjoyment regularly until a few years ago, so my general reading speed is sub-par. I also have a difficult time retaining what I read without re-reading a passage two or three times per page, and I have some serious ADD that keeps me from being able to keep my eyes on the page for more than two minutes at a time. halp

The only thing I can recommend is starting with books that you find highly interesting and that are 'easy to read'. Maybe try some young adult if you haven't already, as the good stuff moves fast and can be a lot of fun.

What are you reading right now?
 

demon

I don't mean to alarm you but you have dogs on your face
The only thing I can recommend is starting with books that you find highly interesting and that are 'easy to read'. Maybe try some young adult if you haven't already, as the good stuff moves fast and can be a lot of fun.

What are you reading right now?

Right now I'm reading Rubicon. Although to my credit I've gone periods of several days without touching it (rough couple weeks). The ADD thing applies more to non-fiction books that aren't so easy to digest, but my reading speed in general just kinda sucks.
 

Karakand

Member
Instead of posting the same damn book I posted three weeks ago, any advice on how to read faster? I'm getting pretty frustrated with myself. Part of the problem I'm sure is that I never read voluntarily until after college, and didn't start reading for enjoyment regularly until a few years ago, so my general reading speed is sub-par. I also have a difficult time retaining what I read without re-reading a passage two or three times per page, and I have some serious ADD that keeps me from being able to keep my eyes on the page for more than two minutes at a time. halp

Read books that were originally serialized.

Keep a notepad with you when reading and jot down characters, concepts, summaries.
 

H3xum

Member
Instead of posting the same damn book I posted three weeks ago, any advice on how to read faster? I'm getting pretty frustrated with myself. Part of the problem I'm sure is that I never read voluntarily until after college, and didn't start reading for enjoyment regularly until a few years ago, so my general reading speed is sub-par. I also have a difficult time retaining what I read without re-reading a passage two or three times per page, and I have some serious ADD that keeps me from being able to keep my eyes on the page for more than two minutes at a time. halp

The quickest book I ever read was Adam Carolla's In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks.

49% of that is because he's the funniest man on the planet, but the other 51% was because I share similar beliefs as him, that's what you need to find in a book. You don't have to force yourself to like the books posted in this thread, everyones opinion differs, find out what you like first then you can compare and contrast against things listed here
 
Read books that were originally serialized.

Keep a notepad with you when reading and jot down characters, concepts, summaries.

good suggestion

The quickest book I ever read was Adam Carolla's In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks.

49% of that is because he's the funniest man on the planet, but the other 51% was because I share similar beliefs as him, that's what you need to find in a book. You don't have to force yourself to like the books posted in this thread, everyones opinion differs, find out what you like first then you can compare and contrast against things listed here

And this. don't be afraid to not finish a few books either, as your searching for something you love. Chances are as you read more, your tastes will broaden, or your mood will change, and a book that didn't hold your interest in the past will suddenly become utterly engrossing.
 

bengraven

Member
Already bought, but how does it compare to the movie?

Honestly? The book and movie are incredibly close. Other than a few scenes added to the movie and a few that are exclusive to the book, they both follow each other well.

Oh but the book does have a two page epilogue.
 

sgossard

Member
Wow, first Fight Club, then Kitchen Confidential. Which of my favorite books is next amazon? Generation X or Trainspotting?
 

KidDork

Member
I've never read Stephenson before, what's the best one to start with?

Icarus-daedelus has it right: Start with Snow Crash. I still smile when I think of the name of the lead character.

Its a Testament to the quality of Stephenson's writing that I didn't realize just how bat shit insane the plot of that novel was until I finished and attempted to describe it to someone else. I did love it so. Only thing I missed is... well Ill call them Stephensonism's like the Capt Crunch bit in Criptocominom. Or All of Anathem.

It's like he's reining himself in a bit in places. Like you can tell he could go off on a twenty page tangent about something, but he realizes that the plot is already spinning the reader's brains enough.
 

Goody

Member
Reading Mortimer Adler's introduction to The Great Books of the Western World, The Great Conversation, and then starting the books proper, going by the suggested ten year reading plan.

I'm halfway tempted to make a GAF thread for it, but probably won't.
 
Ugh, finally finished this book:


The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

It got chosen as our work bookclub book, which is the only reason I forced myself to finish it. The beginning started off shaky and the characters did not feel like genuine Koreans at all. More like Americans paid to play North Koreans or something. Then the middle got boring and heavy handed. But the plot finally picked up near the end and that was pretty good. But not worth having to slog through the middle, IMO.
 

bloodydrake

Cool Smoke Luke
Just about Finished book II of the Grimnour Chronicles Spellbound.
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Really enjoying it.
Its basically The X-men in an alternate reality 30's Noir setting.
Instead of mutants, its with people that can tap into a mysterious power that was discovered in 1850 which allows them to use Magic.. The majority of the actives(as they are called) can only manifest a single form of magic.

Jake Sullivan the main protagonist of the story is a Heavy..someone that can manipulate gravity..he's also an ex con that got drafted by Hoover to catch other actives to earn his early parole before joining the Grimnour Society.
Larry Really keeps knocking them out of the park.

Think Under the Dome is next up tho long books like that are always abit of a daunting task to start.
 

cametall

Member
I recently finished Ender's Game which was an amazing book. Will probably read Ender's Shadow soon.

I am currently reading the first book of Drizzt's origin. It's my first R A Salvatore book. It is OK but nothing that has hooked me to the character so I don't know if I will read any more of Drizzt's stuff.

Next up is A Talent for War (Alex Benedict Series).
 

Keen

Aliens ate my babysitter
Pushing Ice is seriously good, and seriously bleak!


Reading Changes by Jim Butcher now.
 
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