TwntyOneTwlv
Member
Finished up And On That Bombshell... today, which is a book about Top Gear written by the script editor who had been with the show since before the reboot. I liked it a lot. I'd say it's required reading if you're a fan.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
What are you reading? (March 2016)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
- Status
"And that is not Milton's Eve, Shirley."
"Milton's Eve! Milton's Eve! I repeat. No, by the pure Mother of God, she is not! Cary, we are alone; we may speak what we think. Milton was great; but was he good? His brain was right; how was his heart? He saw heaven; he looked down on hell. He saw Satan, and Sin his daughter, and Death their horrible offspring. Angels serried before him their battalions; the long lines of adamantine shields flashed back on his blind eyeballs the unutterable splendour of heaven. Devils gathered their legions in his sight; their dim, discrowned, and tarnished armies passed rank and file before him. Milton tried to see the first woman; but, Cary, he saw her not."
"You are bold to say so, Shirley."
"Not more bold than faithful. It was his cook that he saw; or it was Mrs. Gill, as I have seen her, making custards, in the heat of summer, in the cool dairy, with rose-trees and nasturtiums about the latticed window, preparing a cold collation for the rectors—preserves and 'dulcet creams;' puzzled 'what choice to choose for delicacy best; what order so contrived as not to mix tastes, not well-joined, inelegant, but bring taste after taste, upheld with kindliest change.'"
"Milton's Eve! Milton's Eve! I repeat. No, by the pure Mother of God, she is not! Cary, we are alone; we may speak what we think. Milton was great; but was he good? His brain was right; how was his heart? He saw heaven; he looked down on hell. He saw Satan, and Sin his daughter, and Death their horrible offspring. Angels serried before him their battalions; the long lines of adamantine shields flashed back on his blind eyeballs the unutterable splendour of heaven. Devils gathered their legions in his sight; their dim, discrowned, and tarnished armies passed rank and file before him. Milton tried to see the first woman; but, Cary, he saw her not."
"You are bold to say so, Shirley."
"Not more bold than faithful. It was his cook that he saw; or it was Mrs. Gill, as I have seen her, making custards, in the heat of summer, in the cool dairy, with rose-trees and nasturtiums about the latticed window, preparing a cold collation for the rectors—preserves and 'dulcet creams;' puzzled 'what choice to choose for delicacy best; what order so contrived as not to mix tastes, not well-joined, inelegant, but bring taste after taste, upheld with kindliest change.'"
Started Jurassic Park today. I used to be a huge dinosaur buff as a kid, I probably watched the movie and the sequel hundreds of times, knew hundreds of dinosaur names by heart and wanted to become a palaeontologist. Despite all that, I never read the book.I’m now righting that wrong. I’m only 40 pages in but already loving it. Knowing nothing about the differences between the book and the movie, I was already surprised to read the compy sequence which I guess the opening of The Lost World (the movie) was based on. Really looking forward to dig in a little more this weekend.
I'll add it to the list. Almost done with A Crown of Swords. 7 more Wheel of Time to go still.
I am two thirds of the way through the Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham.
It took me a couple of chapters to get into the book, but I am hooked now. I like how Abraham gets you to sympathize with the various viewpoints, only to have them take a political stance or do something that is actually pretty reprehensible.
I think I saw that at least Aidan has read the final book in the series already. The the quality hold up?
Also, this is my 12th novel of 2016. I have a feeling that my 35 novel goal on Goodreads was too conservative.
It took me a couple of chapters to get into the book, but I am hooked now. I like how Abraham gets you to sympathize with the various viewpoints, only to have them take a political stance or do something that is actually pretty reprehensible.
I think I saw that at least Aidan has read the final book in the series already. The the quality hold up?
Also, this is my 12th novel of 2016. I have a feeling that my 35 novel goal on Goodreads was too conservative.
Yep. Loved the last book. It maintains its measured pace and tone throughout, the characters always surprise you, and the resolution to many of the plot's conflicts are interesting and atypical for epic fantasy. Good stuff all around. Geder, Cithrin, and Clara are all stars.
Good to hear. I guess I am in for the other 4 novels then.
I liked the Expanse books, so I should have gotten on Abraham's fantasy stuff sooner.
How is the Long Price Quartet?
On to this now:
Great choice - that's my favorite book of all time.
Finished The Belgariad by David Eddings. It was wonderful. Recommend the whole series despite the middle of the final book being a bit of a slog.
On to my first David Gemmell book: Winter Warriors. So far so good! Love the clarity of his writing, as well as the humanness of his characters.
On to my first David Gemmell book: Winter Warriors. So far so good! Love the clarity of his writing, as well as the humanness of his characters.
Christoff Yurievich
Member
Started "The Library at Mount Char" by Scott Hawkins today after seeing it recommended here and on another board. So far it's pretty good, and the idea behind it is unique enough that my mind is racing with possibilities.
Side note: I tried to talk to my wife once about that, trying to guess where the writer is going while you're reading, and she thought it was the strangest thing. Isn't that normal to do while reading, well, just about anything?
Finished "Necropolis" by Michael Dempsey finally. It's about a future where the dead come back to life due to a virus and instead of being zombies - thankfully - they age backwards. It's a novel enough concept married to a not-quite-hard-boiled detective story. The beats aren't hidden well enough so some of it's an exercise in patience waiting for the writer to stop feeling clever. And then some of the obvious red herrings don't come to fruition and it leaves you wanting. About a 3.5 book, but goodreads and their lack of half stars made me give it a 4. It's not so bad that I'd do that to it.
Side note: I tried to talk to my wife once about that, trying to guess where the writer is going while you're reading, and she thought it was the strangest thing. Isn't that normal to do while reading, well, just about anything?
Finished "Necropolis" by Michael Dempsey finally. It's about a future where the dead come back to life due to a virus and instead of being zombies - thankfully - they age backwards. It's a novel enough concept married to a not-quite-hard-boiled detective story. The beats aren't hidden well enough so some of it's an exercise in patience waiting for the writer to stop feeling clever. And then some of the obvious red herrings don't come to fruition and it leaves you wanting. About a 3.5 book, but goodreads and their lack of half stars made me give it a 4. It's not so bad that I'd do that to it.
Finally finished the Tears of Blood series by M R Forbes. Figured I might as well run through them as I was looking for some cheap fantasy and the first 3 books were free on Amazon awhile back. Key points of the story were nice, ending was a bit of a dick (even as much as it was leading up to it) and the writing and sequencing was pretty subpar. Overall above average if you're looking for a quick fantasy romp.
Probably onto a The Man Who Spoke Snakish or something with a bit more substance next. Maybe start on a bunch of Yukio Mishima books.
Probably onto a The Man Who Spoke Snakish or something with a bit more substance next. Maybe start on a bunch of Yukio Mishima books.
I read the first book in the series and thought it was OK. It didn't give me a strong desire to continue the series.
pitcairn55
Member
I'm reading all of Dickens novels, in choronological order. Nicholas Nickelby (his third) is my favourite so far.
One thing you never really see when they dramatise Dickens on TV is the prejudice. The anti-semitism in Oliver Twist is off the chart, and every single married woman in all the books I've read so far is a ballbuster, it seems. It's a bit off-putting, to be honest, even when you allow for fact that the books were written 180 odd years ago.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Just finished Cronin's The Passage. 4/5 stars. I really enjoyed it but like many books of this length, it could've used a bit more editing. The setup here is really long and there are times where it feels a bit too expository in nature (especially in the beginning). Despite that, a fantastic story and at some point I'll pick up The Twelve.
But not yet.
Next up:
I've heard great things about this one. I have the ppb version of this and the 2nd in the series. Obviously I've seen quite a bit of discontent in here about the books following Lies.
But not yet.
Next up:
I've heard great things about this one. I have the ppb version of this and the 2nd in the series. Obviously I've seen quite a bit of discontent in here about the books following Lies.
ClosingADoor
Member
Finished Alice a few days ago.
Awesome book. Takes the story of Alice, but puts it in a different world with some horror elements. She is a patient in a psychiatric hospital, meets the Hatter there (or Hatcher as he is called here), escapes and then goes into this messed up city to find the Rabbit who has hurt her earlier and is the reason for her suffering. Reminds me of the American McGee Alice games, so if you liked those, definitely read this.
Now on to some science fiction with Aurora. Half way through and it's a nice read, although I don't understand most of the science babble in it.
Awesome book. Takes the story of Alice, but puts it in a different world with some horror elements. She is a patient in a psychiatric hospital, meets the Hatter there (or Hatcher as he is called here), escapes and then goes into this messed up city to find the Rabbit who has hurt her earlier and is the reason for her suffering. Reminds me of the American McGee Alice games, so if you liked those, definitely read this.
Now on to some science fiction with Aurora. Half way through and it's a nice read, although I don't understand most of the science babble in it.
I want to live in the timeline where my wife is NOT a ball buster.
I haven't been posting about what I've been reading much, so here's a rambling update:
I started reading Doom Patrol last night, per the suggestions of icarus and quinkles. I actually bought the stupidly expensive omnibus months ago, and when I was at the library today I found out that the library has a copy of the omnibus, too! If anybody lives in Indianapolis and wants to read Doom Patrol, there you go. It is as mindfucky weird as I had been led to believe, and Jane is the best. I have also been reading The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. We don't know if Sir John Mandeville was actually the author, but we do know that whoever wrote it has a rather vivid imagination when it comes to the odd cultural practices of other peoples. It is relatively nonjudgmental for the fourtheenth-century; there's even an entire chapter about the Muslim faith that isn't completely awful and seems - grading on a bit of a curve here - well-informed enough. I've also got a chapter to go on Shakespeare as Literary Dramatist, which is really quite fascinating if you're interested in the whole debate over whether Shakespeare was writing for the stage or for the page, or whether seeing Shakespeare versus reading Shakespeare represents the more authentic (or should that be "authentic"?) experience. I know that oftentimes in topics about Shakespeare, people insist that seeing him is the only proper experience. I hadn't realized that this privileging of performance over text in interpretation was as contestable as it seems to be. In any case, the author makes a pretty compelling case that in fact Shakespeare did both, but that the longer versions of the plays that we have actually represent intentionally literary texts that were never meant to be staged in their entirety, and he presents quite the web of supporting evidence in making his case. I am a little over halfway through reading The Qur'an. It's odd; despite being brought up nominally Christian I have never read The Bible. I know the bowdlerized versions of some of the stories, and some of the excerpts that were quoted in church when I was still going, but that's about it. I'm reading Tarif Khalidi's translation, which has been praised but seems to aim more at poetic appreciation than a deep dive; there's almost nothing in the way of interpretive assistance or annotation.
Also, I picked up New Thinking in Islam: The Jihad for Freedom, Democracy, and Women's Rights from the library earlier today; I'm interested in reading about these currents in Muslim thought and particularly how they interact with verses that at least from my perspective seemed to militate against the direction of "freedom, democracy, and women's rights."
I haven't read The Name of the Wind so I can't compare, but I can't say I agree with your argument that it is light on plot, since quite a bit happens (though some of what happens technically you don't know about yet or its significance isn't apparent). I don't think that you misread of it, though; my guess is that you expected the plot to advance more than it did. It helps if you think of it as a quarter of a book; it was never meant to stand on its own as a complete thing.
I started reading Doom Patrol last night, per the suggestions of icarus and quinkles. I actually bought the stupidly expensive omnibus months ago, and when I was at the library today I found out that the library has a copy of the omnibus, too! If anybody lives in Indianapolis and wants to read Doom Patrol, there you go. It is as mindfucky weird as I had been led to believe, and Jane is the best. I have also been reading The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. We don't know if Sir John Mandeville was actually the author, but we do know that whoever wrote it has a rather vivid imagination when it comes to the odd cultural practices of other peoples. It is relatively nonjudgmental for the fourtheenth-century; there's even an entire chapter about the Muslim faith that isn't completely awful and seems - grading on a bit of a curve here - well-informed enough. I've also got a chapter to go on Shakespeare as Literary Dramatist, which is really quite fascinating if you're interested in the whole debate over whether Shakespeare was writing for the stage or for the page, or whether seeing Shakespeare versus reading Shakespeare represents the more authentic (or should that be "authentic"?) experience. I know that oftentimes in topics about Shakespeare, people insist that seeing him is the only proper experience. I hadn't realized that this privileging of performance over text in interpretation was as contestable as it seems to be. In any case, the author makes a pretty compelling case that in fact Shakespeare did both, but that the longer versions of the plays that we have actually represent intentionally literary texts that were never meant to be staged in their entirety, and he presents quite the web of supporting evidence in making his case. I am a little over halfway through reading The Qur'an. It's odd; despite being brought up nominally Christian I have never read The Bible. I know the bowdlerized versions of some of the stories, and some of the excerpts that were quoted in church when I was still going, but that's about it. I'm reading Tarif Khalidi's translation, which has been praised but seems to aim more at poetic appreciation than a deep dive; there's almost nothing in the way of interpretive assistance or annotation.
Also, I picked up New Thinking in Islam: The Jihad for Freedom, Democracy, and Women's Rights from the library earlier today; I'm interested in reading about these currents in Muslim thought and particularly how they interact with verses that at least from my perspective seemed to militate against the direction of "freedom, democracy, and women's rights."
I haven't read The Name of the Wind so I can't compare, but I can't say I agree with your argument that it is light on plot, since quite a bit happens (though some of what happens technically you don't know about yet or its significance isn't apparent). I don't think that you misread of it, though; my guess is that you expected the plot to advance more than it did. It helps if you think of it as a quarter of a book; it was never meant to stand on its own as a complete thing.
crazyrabbits
Banned
Picked up a 50th anniversary copy of John La Carre's "Spy Who Came In From The Cold" from a thrift store in pristine condition. Been meaning to get into his work.
I know what he means. He means that there is a clear line from beginning to end, some kind of goal to achieve or path to be walked. In that sense he's right. Most of the people Severan meets and challenges he faces are disconnected from each other thematically. Even if, underneath the story, there is a vast, complex web that ties everything together but this isn't "plot" per se. I discussed it with dresden a long time ago when I was reading it and he agreed that there is a theme park-ness to Book of the New Sun.
Severan is a bit of a chick magnet but he isn't a very sexual person as far as I remember.
Severan is a bit of a chick magnet but he isn't a very sexual person as far as I remember.
Hm, well I just meant if you started plotting the story of the tetralogy out as "these are the major plot points you would include in a synopsis", then there's a good twenty or thirty items on the list for the first book, which seems like plenty for such a short book. I just think that it doesn't feel like as much as it is, because it moves about a quarter of the way through a larger story, and the expectation is that it was going to complete one story. I hope what I'm saying is making sense; I think that the impression that it is plot-light is caused by that perspective.
Though you are also right about the disconnectedness; I've always liked Larry McCaffery's description of it as "an epic adventure that unfolds as a series of sensuously rendered, fabulous micro-quests and mock summaries of cultural artifacts reminiscent of Borges or Calvino." I haven't read Borges, but I see the Calvino.
post updates pls
I am only five or six issues in, but I am questioning my ability to talk about it with much in the way of coherence already!
Do you mean that Severian and whatshisface are both narrators that state where the story will end up at the outset to sort of frame the rest of the books? I don't remember exactly how that went in The Book of the New Sun, but it sounds familiar. That's where the similarities between the two end, as far as I can tell.
To the theme park nature on the book, that's true for the setting, Severian seems to always be on the move. However, the characters are fairly conventional, they have their arcs and relationships despite disappearing for long stretches. Severian is the linchpin for all of them, but they did not feel like they were only furthering him and his journey when I read it. Part of that is down to how well written they are, but I think there's enough glue there. The central theme of the book, to me anyway, is the gradual reveal of what has to be one of the best "worlds" in all of fantasy and sci fi and it's not a stretch to say they all contribute to that directly. Think about Baldanders and Dr. Talos, how fucking cool was that?
I only got like halfway or so through Name of the Wind, so maybe I missed something, but I don't see the comparison at all. They're both first-person with some level of unreliability, but that's about it.
I can totally get being unsure if you want to continue after Shadow of the Torturer. It's not a complete story and it doesn't even try to be. I can't promise you'll love it if you keep going all the way through, but it worked for me.
I can totally get being unsure if you want to continue after Shadow of the Torturer. It's not a complete story and it doesn't even try to be. I can't promise you'll love it if you keep going all the way through, but it worked for me.
I don't think I got it when I was reading it and maybe I still don't. But now that its done I get the impression it's a episodic/journal type collection of events that aren't really connected. He'll hop around to different towns executing people and bedding the next most beautiful woman in the world. If its like The Witcher - The Last Wish or Lost Odyssey then I might enjoy the rest. And I honestly didn't get any of the Sf/Dying sun stuff until I checked the wiki, but maybe I wasn't paying attention.
The Name of the Wind comparison was just the closest thing I could think of with regards to the style of prose and slow pacing.
The Name of the Wind comparison was just the closest thing I could think of with regards to the style of prose and slow pacing.
Collection of short stories and commentary introductions by Alfred Bester.
Just finished "The Four Hour Fugue." I love his descriptions of synaesthesia, like in "The Stars My Destination"
He mentions that Harlan Ellison was a close friend in some of the intros, which is very entertaining to me.
Yeah, many of the connections between characters and events don't become apparent until late in Book of the New Sun (some not until the sequel/coda novel). And some really are disconnected from everything, just there for color or obscure reference or symbolism.
The SF side of it is heavily backgrounded initially, coming through only slowly as the story progresses. One of the reasons for this is that the main character takes the world as it is. A rocket ship being used as a tower seems normal to him, or aliens, or whatever else. So there won't always be an immediate moment of recognition for the reader.
It's definitely not a story like The Witcher or similar. Not a traditional fantasy, or bildungsroman, or even quest. It's very much its own thing.
Ah, I see.
I have it on my shelf, but I'm not really willing to put forth the effort to wade through mid-1600s English. Especially since I don't really like poetry.
Yes this is the best explanation. You treat Book of the New Sun like an account of historical events, and you're playing the role of archaeologist digging through ancient literature.
Given that you seem to be enjoying the Dragon's Path and liked the Expanse I think it's definitely worth giving the Long Price quartet a shot. It's my favourite of his works but it's quite different to the more traditional epic fantasy fare of the Dagger and the Coin (which I like lots but not as much as the Long Price). I like the way the books are structured and the way successive ones build on everything that's come before. I've mentioned it in previous threads but it has one of the most apt series titles I can think of.
nailbombxx
Member
If I can get myself into the flow of a poem I'm fine, but if I can't then it's pretty much done even if I find the subject interesting.
House of Leaves. Truant (I think) warns early in the book that scenes from the manuscript start to parallel his life and may possibly leak into the readers life, and I have to say, yes, this has been the case for me, to the point where I have started jotting down notes to possible literay references. Things like descriptions of colors that I find eerily similiar to descriptions in Pnin. Descriptions of banana trees onthe patio of an apartment, similar to the beginning of Gravity's Rainbow (Pynchon is mentioned the next page over along with Melville and Lovecraft who I have in my queue). Mentions of Myst a game I've recently dabbled with. I'm not sure a if it's the encyclopedia scope of the book, but it is eerie. Really enjoyed the labyrinth structure of the chapter talking about mazes, having to backtrack and try to find footnotes that might be sideways and span multiple pages. It's a neat use of form, and also a neat critique on academia.
It's neat for the literary allusions to other myths and mashing the ethereal with worldly concepts of heaven, but yeah it can be pretty dense, especially if you dont have an annotated version.
Well, you can conceptualize it as both a quest or a bildungsroman; I mean he sets off on a quest and it is a story of his "psychological and moral growth," though it just so happens that his journey includes a scene that is fairly Eucharistic!
And yeah, it isn't a traditional fantasy; it's actually a science fiction novel disguised as a fantasy novel. The Urth of the New Sun is when the curtain is pulled back on this.
I don't know if you'd call it a "framing" of the story, but it is even presented as such with the "A Note on the Translation," at the end of each book. There's even discussion of units of time or distance, and cultural commentary besides. You're supposed to be reading a translation of Severian's journal, essentially.
You know, I'm just going to say that that is a rather odd purchase for someone who isn't into poetry!
Elon Musk biography (Kindle edition) is $2 on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KVI76ZS/?tag=neogaf0e-20
EDIT: Today only.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KVI76ZS/?tag=neogaf0e-20
EDIT: Today only.
My copy of 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke from Folio Society came in today. Man, I love these things! They look so nice. I'm still trying to decide whether I want to use this copy to read or to buy a cheaper edition that I care less about.
I've never actually read this book but it's been on my list for awhile. Probably gonna start on it after I finish The Girl Who Played with Fire.
Front Cover:
The streaks around the face is actually holographic. Has a cool effect.
Spine:
2001 and A Space Odyssey in silver while Arthur C. Clarke is holographic.
Book in slipcase:
In book illustration(1 of 7):
I've never actually read this book but it's been on my list for awhile. Probably gonna start on it after I finish The Girl Who Played with Fire.
8BitsAtATime
Member
Got myself a refurbished Kindle Keyboard for $18. I'm loving it.
Right now I'm reading The Hourglass Novellas: Blackhand. It's a very easy read.
Right now I'm reading The Hourglass Novellas: Blackhand. It's a very easy read.
crazyrabbits
Banned
I still have a Kobo Mini lying around my basement somewhere. Haven't picked it up in years. Always preferred physical to ebooks.
I made it a point last year to read 20 books and got through it, so I'm pushing myself to do 25 this year. I've also been reading Chuck Palahniuk's "Survivor", and it's quite interesting.
Every few years I try to take a swing at one of the major classics I haven't read, and I think I was riding high on Mike Carey's Lucifer at the time.
I did the same thing with The Canterbury Tales after reading a few books inspired by it.
I am not a big enough literature and linguistics buff to bother with Middle English, or the transition period between that and Modern English. Once we get to the late 18th century (and especially the 19th century), English literature becomes a lot more readable.
For now, those books sit on my shelf along with several hundred other books. Maybe I will try them again in a decade or two. Maybe my daughter will when she gets older.
oh shit. can't pass that up
Eh. Well, Early Modern English (Milton, Shakespeare) is far more easy to read than Middle English. Just compare Chaucer and original spelling Shakespeare:
just pretend the "u"s are generally "v"s and get used to the long s (ſ
and occasional extra letters and it's perfectly clear. Compare with Chaucer:And Milton:
I think anyone who can read Modern English reasonably well can read passages like those of Shakespeare or Milton and get what they're saying; it's the Middle English that seems like it has more of a barrier to entry. And actually most of the Early Modern English writing you're going to read is going to be updated with modern spelling and lettering conventions (... I always pronounce "ſ" as "f", because it is an abomination); you'll see that same sonnet look more like this:
And you can read that!
All this said, I actually started with The Odyssey first, and then The Divine Comedy, and then Faust. Maybe reading translations from another language would be an easier foot into the door of epic poetry for you. I also really, really liked Ovid's Metamorphoses. It's a profoundly influential work and quite the tour of Greek mythology. I read the Charles Martin translation, which people who know more than me say is really good; I enjoyed it but it was written ten years ago and maybe there's a better one now.
- Status