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What are you reading? (May 09)
- Thread starter Undeux
- Start date
The_Inquisitor
Member
Not the most intellectual piece I have read obviously, but not terrible so far.
Sniper McBlaze
Member
I was very surprised when this booked was the first book to ever make me cry. I actually had to put it down and not read more for that day.
vandalvideo
Banned
I am reading Run For Your Life by James Patterson. Good book. Kinda Death Noteish in a way, only realistic.
PantherLotus
Professional Schmuck
I'm in the final chapters of Robin Hobb's Tawny Man trilogy (the third trilogy in the same world). One of my favorite series ever.
Looking for recs for my next series, possibly reading Otherland again.
Looking for recs for my next series, possibly reading Otherland again.
Sniper McBlaze
Member
Fritz said:
The dog thing. The "In a week the dog was dead." just hit me hard. The trouble Robert went through and all he got was to hold the dog for a short time with tears running down his cheek. Such a bittersweet moment.
Hari Seldon
Member
Janken said:
Read it in published order. Don't read the prequels first. From wikipedia:
I think you can get the first 3, collectively known as the "Foundation Trilogy" in 1 book.
Hari Seldon
Member
PantherLotus said:
I have never read Robin Hobb but have wanted to. Where should I start?
Hari Seldon said:
1. The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, Assassin's Quest)
2. The Liveship Traders Trilogy (Ship of Magic, The Mad Ship, Ship of Destiny)
3. The Tawny Man Trilogy (Fool's Errand, Golden Fool, Fool's Fate)
The Liveship Traders is a bit separate from the other two, but if you like the first trilogy, I'd recommend reading it as well.
Hari Seldon
Member
Finished the Mistborn Trilogy in April. I liked it.
I'm currently listening to the audible rendition of:
Which is the 3rd and final book of Conn Iggulden's historical fiction trilogy regarding Genghis Khan. The 1st book and this book are awesome, the 2nd was a little slow.
I'm currently listening to the audible rendition of:
Which is the 3rd and final book of Conn Iggulden's historical fiction trilogy regarding Genghis Khan. The 1st book and this book are awesome, the 2nd was a little slow.
Hari Seldon
Member
Uncle said:
Thank you saving this information for future purchasing!
Thanks! But from what I've found so far, the trilogy edition seems to be quite rare and expensive...Hari Seldon said:
Also, Salazar, I haven't read The Name of the Rose. Would you still recommend it? What about the other novels by Eco? I know him for his work on semiotics, basically, so I don't know if all of his fiction is really worth it, since there appears to be divergent opinions about it. The general consensus is that his novels are good, so I guess I will read them all, eventually.
tekumseh
a mass of phermones, hormones and adrenaline just waiting to explode
I've dug out some oldies I haven't read for several years, but which I recall enjoying quite a lot:
About Francis Ouimet's improbable, if not impossible, win in the 1913 US Open against Harry Vardon.
Herbert Asbury's fantastic tome about the history of the earliest street gangs and territories in New York City. Such vivid and immersive storytelling...
Louis Bayard's fabulous murder mystery revisit to the life of Dickens' Tiny Tim, set 20 years after the events of A Christmas Carol. It's a terrific recalibration of a character most of us probably felt we knew. Highly recommended!
About Francis Ouimet's improbable, if not impossible, win in the 1913 US Open against Harry Vardon.
Herbert Asbury's fantastic tome about the history of the earliest street gangs and territories in New York City. Such vivid and immersive storytelling...
Louis Bayard's fabulous murder mystery revisit to the life of Dickens' Tiny Tim, set 20 years after the events of A Christmas Carol. It's a terrific recalibration of a character most of us probably felt we knew. Highly recommended!
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
I'm in the mood for a really good revenge book off the top of your head do you guys have any suggestions?
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
Uncle said:
Excellent recommendation unfortunately I have already read it. Thanks though man.
Well, I finally finished reading The Fall of Hyperion today. Here is my rough review.
Dan Simmons is an incredibly gifted writer. He knows how to paint a scene, create atmosphere, and develop his characters. He also knows how to build a massive universe and create meaningful interactions between its characters. Where he faulters with The Fall of Hyperion is the plot structure.
I enjoyed the distinct stories in Hyperion. Simmons did an incredible job of drawing the reader into numerous different short stories, and tied them all together wonderfully. However, in this fast-paced sequel, characters disappear for fifty pages at a time, and while Simmons' goal of pushing the narrative forward to a culminating point is admirable, the execution falls flat. There are simply too many things happening at one time, and it leaves the reader sometimes feeling frustrated. Just when you start to get involved in one particular scenario, Simmons jumps away from it for dozens of pages. It's an exercise in buildup and a lack of payoff, repeated over and over. When the various climaxes occur, they feel a little underwhelming.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. As I mentioned, Simmons is a fantastic writer. I just wish the structure of this book didn't feel so disjointed, which made it a bit of a chore to get through. There are numerous references to authors and books that Simmons obviously enjoys, but they sometimes felt forced and distracted me from the messages that Simmons was attempting to accentuate. The most frustrating part is that I didn't feel enough questions had been answered by the end of the book. I'm not sure if I'm willing to put in more time into the Endymion series to anwer them, if reading those books is going to be as arduous as getting through this sequel to a fantastic first chapter.
This isn't a book for everybody, but when it's good, it's very good. It's a shame that it's so inconsistent. 3.5/5.
Dan Simmons is an incredibly gifted writer. He knows how to paint a scene, create atmosphere, and develop his characters. He also knows how to build a massive universe and create meaningful interactions between its characters. Where he faulters with The Fall of Hyperion is the plot structure.
I enjoyed the distinct stories in Hyperion. Simmons did an incredible job of drawing the reader into numerous different short stories, and tied them all together wonderfully. However, in this fast-paced sequel, characters disappear for fifty pages at a time, and while Simmons' goal of pushing the narrative forward to a culminating point is admirable, the execution falls flat. There are simply too many things happening at one time, and it leaves the reader sometimes feeling frustrated. Just when you start to get involved in one particular scenario, Simmons jumps away from it for dozens of pages. It's an exercise in buildup and a lack of payoff, repeated over and over. When the various climaxes occur, they feel a little underwhelming.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. As I mentioned, Simmons is a fantastic writer. I just wish the structure of this book didn't feel so disjointed, which made it a bit of a chore to get through. There are numerous references to authors and books that Simmons obviously enjoys, but they sometimes felt forced and distracted me from the messages that Simmons was attempting to accentuate. The most frustrating part is that I didn't feel enough questions had been answered by the end of the book. I'm not sure if I'm willing to put in more time into the Endymion series to anwer them, if reading those books is going to be as arduous as getting through this sequel to a fantastic first chapter.
This isn't a book for everybody, but when it's good, it's very good. It's a shame that it's so inconsistent. 3.5/5.
Musashi Wins!
FLAWLESS VICTOLY!
Picked up some stuff today.
Perhaps one of the most poetic philosophers I've ever read. I can become so hypnotized by his use of language that I have to reread sections to get at the concepts.
I have no knowledge about this book but a few sections seemed interesting to me in the store and I got it for half price because I bought this,
I had picked up a different translation recently, but the way the French was presented was irritating me. This seems solid so far.
Perhaps one of the most poetic philosophers I've ever read. I can become so hypnotized by his use of language that I have to reread sections to get at the concepts.
I have no knowledge about this book but a few sections seemed interesting to me in the store and I got it for half price because I bought this,
I had picked up a different translation recently, but the way the French was presented was irritating me. This seems solid so far.
PantherLotus
Professional Schmuck
Uncle said:
I would recommend reading all of them, in order. The last series has more than several major plotlines (if not the last half of the book) that are dependent upon knowing what happened during the Liveship Traders. Speaking of which, I haven't read much seafaring/piracy novels, but these are simply excellent.
Btw, thanks to the person above, I will read Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn next. Otherland is my favorite series ever, but I mostly read fantasy anyway.
If you like fantasy, I recommend David Eddings (start with Pawn of Prophecy).
It's sort of a history of religious "crazy-think" (my descriptor), from the Zealots of Jerusalem in the 60s BC to Al Qaeda of today. Aslan as always makes an engaging guide. Seriously, the dude can write. I really look forward to reading his fiction someday (he's an assistant professor of creative writing so it's gotta happen).
PantherLotus said:
I have no interest in the liveship traders, but at the end of the Assassin trilogy I was well glad it was over. Man did that story drag at the last half of the book. It ended well, but the start-up to the conclusion was unbearable.
I'm now halfway through Forest Mage (2/3 of Robin Hobbs's new Soldier's Son trilogy) and thinking of quitting that book also. Once again it drags. Somehow Hobb paints a convincing and surprisingly real fantasy world (with believable characters), but lacks in delivering excitement.
Oh yeah, finished today The Gap into Power: A Dark and Hungry God Arises by Stephen Donaldson (of the Thomas Covenant books).
on to!
The Gap into Madness: Chaos and Order
Ollie Pooch
In a perfect world, we'd all be homersexual
just finished the first book (shadow on the glass) and starting this one tonight.
i don't often get pulled into fantasy-type stuff but i find this one pretty gripping. enjoying it a lot
My comics dropped in the mail yesterday, do they count? Recently read:
- Astonishing X-Men #29
- Captain America #48, #49
- Thor #601
I can't recommend Cap and Thor enough, two of the best titles on the market - you need to read these!.. I wish I could afford to buy more comics each month but the shipping cost is killing it for me, I guess I'll have to stick to paperbacks for now..
Recently read:- Astonishing X-Men #29
- Captain America #48, #49
- Thor #601
I can't recommend Cap and Thor enough, two of the best titles on the market - you need to read these!.. I wish I could afford to buy more comics each month but the shipping cost is killing it for me, I guess I'll have to stick to paperbacks for now..
I started reading The Man in the High Castle last night. Ever since having my mind and senses blown away by A Scanner Darkly, I've really wanted to read more by Philip K. Dick. I'm so glad someone got this for me as a Christmas gift. I'm 50 pages into the first novel, and it's starting to get really good.
Robert Childan just found out that his handicrafts may all be fakes, and that the man who visited his store lied about his customer waiting on a ship, which was blown up long ago.
HarryHengst
Member
i adore this book. it's such a rich description of life in a medieval abbey and Eco really knows his medieval theology and philosophy. <3
Janken said:
Fortunately, Asimov's original Foundation trilogy is readily available as individual trade paperbacks or used mass market paperbacks. Go wild.
BruceLeeRoy said:
You should follow the fine example of others in this thread and read Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination. It's top notch science fiction about a society where teleportation is commonplace and a man named Gully Foyle, left for dead in outer space, is determined to have his revenge. It's a bit like a SF Count of Monte Cristo. When you're done with that, be sure to read Bester's other major novel, The Demolished Man, about a world policed by telepathic cops and a man determined to commit murder.
I recently finished Donald Westlake's early novel Killy. It's about a college student in a work study program with a major Union who winds up going out with his mentor to a town where the company has things wrapped up tight in an attempt to bust it open. Things get complicated when foul play becomes involved and pretty soon our protagonist realizes that the world isn't what he thought it was. I didn't enjoy this as much as 361 but it was still a damn fine read, with some interesting twists along the way and an ending I wasn't expecting. Recommended.
Inspired by Tim the Wiz giving Total War a go, I went back to the Survivalist series for volumes 12 and 13. They continue to be a hoot, in a Male Harlequin sort of way. John Thomas Rourke is the biggest Marty Stu to ever walk the face of the post apocalyptic Earth and it's always a hoot to see people fawn over him while he has internal monologues about his beloved Detonics Combat Master .45 ACP pistols, which are, of course, Metalifed and Mag-na-ported. By this point in the series our hero has jumped ahead 500 years into the future thanks to the miracle of cryogenic technology. Unfortunately, even after virtually all of humanity was wiped out, there are still Commies and South American Nazis to contend with. Like I said, it's a hoot.
I just started reading Kit Whitfield's Benighted this morning. It's about a world where lycanthropy is the norm and our heroine is a regular human working for a government agency that helps keep the werewolves from rampaging during the full moon. I'm all of ten pages in so I dunno what the plot is going to be like, exactly, but the setup is certainly intriguing.
FnordChan
Witchfinder General
punched Wheelchair Mike
Not an easy read but fascinating thus far.
AndresON777
shooting blanks
A book gaf will love
Just started it, pretty interesting
Just started it, pretty interesting
Probably 1/3 the way through this. So far it's good, kind of like his previous books so far in the whole serial killer thing and trying to figure out who it is or what exactly is going on. Very well written of course. Have a good hunch who it is, given how he usually develops his books, but I'm thinking he may be stringing me along on a bait just to blow my mind at the end. :lol Right now it seems too easy to figure out.
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
FnordChan said:
Damn that sounds great Ill definitely pick that up thanks man.
Monroeski said:
Sounds up there with Game Boys thanks.
Danne-Danger
Member
Barely started it, but the first few stories have been good so far.
Duane Cunningham
Member
I bet a lot of people on GAF would really like this. It's about how in Japan, baseball is a ritualistic, almost zen-like activity with a huge emphasis on team effort, and explicit disapproval of individual glory. There's a phrase that literally translated means "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down", and this epitomizes the Japanese approach. American players who move to Japan to play, experience culture shock, and hilarity ensues.
The book is well presented and entertaining, and provides a lot of insight to the Japanese thought process in a way that anyone who has played, say, Metal Gear Online with Japanese players will find familiar.
CajoleJuice
Member
That's really interesting to me, but due to the baseball aspect, not due to me being a Japanophile. Thanks!
Musashi Wins!
FLAWLESS VICTOLY!
Duane Cunningham said:
I bet a lot of people on GAF would really like this. It's about how in Japan, baseball is a ritualistic, almost zen-like activity with a huge emphasis on team effort, and explicit disapproval of individual glory. There's a phrase that literally translated means "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down", and this epitomizes the Japanese approach. American players who move to Japan to play, experience culture shock, and hilarity ensues.
The book is well presented and entertaining, and provides a lot of insight to the Japanese thought process in a way that anyone who has played, say, Metal Gear Online with Japanese players will find familiar.
I read this a while ago because of a great love of baseball and I would also recommend it, fun read!
Musashi Wins!
FLAWLESS VICTOLY!
Awesome. Report back!
Robert Olmstead - Far Bright Star
Got an advance copy. Having never read anything by this author, I thought the blurb on the back sounded interesting.
I'm very glad I read it. At first I thought Olmstead's style was a bit odd, but it's very fitting and he uses it wonderfully to tell a stunning story of war, delirium, and human nature.
His style masterfully evokes the delirium the main character goes through as he's left wandering the desert.
Summary:
Got an advance copy. Having never read anything by this author, I thought the blurb on the back sounded interesting.
I'm very glad I read it. At first I thought Olmstead's style was a bit odd, but it's very fitting and he uses it wonderfully to tell a stunning story of war, delirium, and human nature.
His style masterfully evokes the delirium the main character goes through as he's left wandering the desert.
Summary: