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What are you reading? (October 2012)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
Life sucks and then you die.
Became one of my all time favorites. There aren't really highs or lows in this book it's rather monolithic sad story about your everyday man who doesn't speak up for himself.
You had to have been knowingly asking for this.
You had to have been knowingly asking for this.
I kinda did.
Guileless
Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
I spend almost as much time reading book reviews as I do reading actual books. Sometimes though I make impulse buys based on skimming the back cover language or even just the cover.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Picked this up today since I had a gift card
The Twelve by Justin Cronin
Wasn't a huge fan of the The Passage, but it was good enough that I want to see where this one goes. Not gonna start it till I finish Great North Road, which is typical Hamilton with a lot of fat that could be trimmed, the good bits are making it worth it, but it's probably gonna take me the rest of the month to get through it.
The Twelve by Justin Cronin
Wasn't a huge fan of the The Passage, but it was good enough that I want to see where this one goes. Not gonna start it till I finish Great North Road, which is typical Hamilton with a lot of fat that could be trimmed, the good bits are making it worth it, but it's probably gonna take me the rest of the month to get through it.
Still haven't finished A History of Western Philosophy by Bertand Russel, god this book is long.
So I read a short Japanese novel named A Lollipop or a Bullet. The novel starts with a pretty big shocker: A 13 year old girl's mutilated corpse discovered in the mountains on the first page.
The rest of the novel is about the protagonist reminiscing about the murdered girl, who is the daughter of a former star who beats her, and claims that she's a mermaid. She acts like a child younger for her age basically. Meanwhile the protagonist is mature for her age, due to her poverty and aspires to go the army as soon as she graduates from middle school.
Basically, the protagonist craves bullets i.e things that are useful in the real world, while the other girl uses lollipops, or in other words things that help her cope with the cruel real world.
The novel is a downward, never ending spiral to the foregone conclusion of the death of the girl, and is pretty depressing with hefty themes like domestic violence, sexual perversion, murder ect. It's a bit too overwrought and maudlin to be nearly as effective as it could have been though, and the writing comes off as trying too hard at times. Purple prose in all it's glory.
It does have a consistent theme throughout the book which was in a way poignant, but those faults rendered it to just an okay book in the end.
It apparently has been adapted to a manga. At least, that's all it gives me when I google the book's title in English.
So I read a short Japanese novel named A Lollipop or a Bullet. The novel starts with a pretty big shocker: A 13 year old girl's mutilated corpse discovered in the mountains on the first page.
The rest of the novel is about the protagonist reminiscing about the murdered girl, who is the daughter of a former star who beats her, and claims that she's a mermaid. She acts like a child younger for her age basically. Meanwhile the protagonist is mature for her age, due to her poverty and aspires to go the army as soon as she graduates from middle school.
Basically, the protagonist craves bullets i.e things that are useful in the real world, while the other girl uses lollipops, or in other words things that help her cope with the cruel real world.
The novel is a downward, never ending spiral to the foregone conclusion of the death of the girl, and is pretty depressing with hefty themes like domestic violence, sexual perversion, murder ect. It's a bit too overwrought and maudlin to be nearly as effective as it could have been though, and the writing comes off as trying too hard at times. Purple prose in all it's glory.
It does have a consistent theme throughout the book which was in a way poignant, but those faults rendered it to just an okay book in the end.
It apparently has been adapted to a manga. At least, that's all it gives me when I google the book's title in English.
Finished this last night; as someone who began reading Marvel books in the early 80s, and was pretty much unaware of a lot of the behind the scenes stuff, I found this pretty interesting. Have to assume Marvel wasn't especially happy about it, given the total lack of any images in the book.
In the last few days I've read a few things:
Frank Miller's Daredevil run
Bendis' Daredevil run
Italo Calvino's The Baron in the Trees
Charles Baudelaire's La Fanfarlo
The first three were amazing, and the Daredevil comics definitely lived up to the hype. La Fanfarlo, well, at least it was short.
Frank Miller's Daredevil run
Bendis' Daredevil run
Italo Calvino's The Baron in the Trees
Charles Baudelaire's La Fanfarlo
The first three were amazing, and the Daredevil comics definitely lived up to the hype. La Fanfarlo, well, at least it was short.
Finished
LOVED the last chapter; there was something quite awe-inspiring about the content of the chapter "there is grandeur in this view of life"
Now Reading
100 pages into it - the humor, characterization and writing is so good, but ultimately I find the story to be so sad, in fact I'm almost dreading reading the whole thing, because I inevitably know what is going happen at the end.;_;
LOVED the last chapter; there was something quite awe-inspiring about the content of the chapter "there is grandeur in this view of life"
Now Reading
100 pages into it - the humor, characterization and writing is so good, but ultimately I find the story to be so sad, in fact I'm almost dreading reading the whole thing, because I inevitably know what is going happen at the end.;_;
Seems like I'm always reading several books at the same time... Right now I'm reading these:
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Umberto Eco - The Cemetary in Prague
Aeschylus - Prometheus Bound
Nikanor Teratologen - Assisted Living
Sadly I don't really have time for any of them. But Assisted Living is pretty crazy. Here's a review: http://www.vice.com/read/nikanor-teratologen-s-rolodex-of-atrocities
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Umberto Eco - The Cemetary in Prague
Aeschylus - Prometheus Bound
Nikanor Teratologen - Assisted Living
Sadly I don't really have time for any of them. But Assisted Living is pretty crazy. Here's a review: http://www.vice.com/read/nikanor-teratologen-s-rolodex-of-atrocities
Seeing that Ico is mostly an abstract game in its storytelling, this is a GREAT book to delve deeper into it. It's a novelization of the game, and (50% in so far) done extremely well. A love letter to a fantastic work of art. Exploring Yorda's past is really interesting, and something I hadn't thought of before.
Will start Reality Is Broken next.
In the Empire of Dreams by Dianne Highbridge
A bunch of vignettes about expats, mostly English teachers, in Japan. Pretty enjoyable so far, but no real linkage as far as I can tell.
Burger
Member
Just finished my book of the year.
Astonishingly well-written, funny, poignant. I don't know what could top it.
I'm reading this now based on your recommendation. I'm about 90% through and it's definitely not resonating on the same level. Most of the stories are interesting enough, but I'm not finding it very humorous, but it is well written and entertaining I suppose.
Onto The Twelve next.
show me your skeleton
Member
got four on the go at the moment, not because i'm some kind of reading genius but more because i have a terrible attention span & jump between things often. pretty awful way of reading but i'm sure i'll go back to the ones i like the most & give them more attention.
anyway:
& finally this beaut, which turned up today:
anyway:
& finally this beaut, which turned up today:
Read these the past few weeks:
All good to great. The Psion series is a good indie series.
Blinding Knife was amazing. Sucks that I have to wait for the next one now.
I'm so glad that Amazon came out with the Kindle and made it easy for people to self publish. I find so many great books through it that would never have been published. Plus it feels good to pay 2.99 and know that the writer is getting 70% of that.
Lastly, my body is ready for this next month.
Oh, and I've fallen a bit behind on my challenge.
All good to great. The Psion series is a good indie series.
Blinding Knife was amazing. Sucks that I have to wait for the next one now.
I'm so glad that Amazon came out with the Kindle and made it easy for people to self publish. I find so many great books through it that would never have been published. Plus it feels good to pay 2.99 and know that the writer is getting 70% of that.
Lastly, my body is ready for this next month.
If it doesn't get delayed
Oh, and I've fallen a bit behind on my challenge.
nakedsushi
Member
Oh, and I've fallen a bit behind on my challenge.
Me too. I'm like 4 books behind!
Finished Mindy's book last night.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
The book was laugh out loud funny in a few places, but only mildly amusing in most. I enjoyed the stories of her growing up as an awkward Indian kid and her family life. I also liked that she didn't get too self-deprecatory. I think it's hard to be a comedian and write a book about yourself because readers expect it to be as funny as your usual writing and are often disappointed when it doesn't live up to hyped up standards.
My favorite sections were about men and how easy they have it (Kiehls, Bumble & Bumble, a Jcrew Jacket, and bam, they look good) and about how friggin long it takes them to put on their shoes!
gregor7777
Banned
Red Mars.
I've been meaning to read this for awhile and with MSL in the news it seems topical.
I'm about 1/3 through and I really like it. It's not overly technical, but it does a decent job of detailing the science behind Mars colonization.
So far, would recommend.
Oooooo I want.
Guileless
Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
I finished Existence by David Brin. I had not planned on reading sci fi, and haven't read any in a while, but it showed up and the premise was enough to get me give it a chance. Basically: if there are so many stars in the galaxy, why have we never uncovered one scintilla of intelligent life elsewhere?
If that question intrigues you, its worth a look with these caveats: it is over 500 pages long and has a lot of subplots that will interest you to varying degrees.
If that question intrigues you, its worth a look with these caveats: it is over 500 pages long and has a lot of subplots that will interest you to varying degrees.
Tim the Wiz
Banned
Finished the new Joe Abercrombie, Red Country, a mash-up of fantasy and the Western. Quite clearly a homage to McMurtry, Leone and The Searchers, and very enjoyable, as well as a canny deconstruction of the frontier. Probably his finest work next to The Heroes.
And the way Logen Ninefingers is treated is pretty much Unforgiven on steroids, make no bones about it.
Grenouille
Member
I'll be happy if I manage to read 20 books this year (I'm very slow :/).
I want to read this, but I've been waiting for the mass market paperback version. Length and subplots are generally a good thing? I'm getting the impression you thought it dragged.
Koroviev
Member
This is a terrible reading year for me. I've hardly finished anything.
Returning to One Hundred Years of Solitude since I can't seem to focus enough to comprehend Pale Fire. Lolita feels much more accessible and is one of my favorite novels, if not my favorite novel. But it's probably just me.
Easystride
Member
Reading:
The magic system is confusing me a little bit, but I like the characters. Looking forward to finishing it.
The magic system is confusing me a little bit, but I like the characters. Looking forward to finishing it.
Maklershed
Member
Finished The Blade Itself. Fantastic. Can't wait to continue with the series but I'm gonna take a real quick breather and blast through The Sisters Brothers first.
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
Oh man, that sounds so great. Though I'm only on The Blade Itself so I'm going to try and finish the trilogy before I move on to his standalone books.
Wow, already done? I'm such a slow reader =[ only 60% through Blade Itself at the moment.
And I also have Sister Brothers on my Kindle. It was an Amazon deal for like $2.99 recently.
Maklershed
Member
Every time I tried to stop I'd glance at the first page of the next chapter and I say "ohh this is __insert character's name __ chapter, I wonder whats going on with him/her. I'll just read a little more." Lather, rinse, repeat.
Mackenzie 92
Member
Ah, really? Best Served Cold is probably my favorite in the series. I really loved Monza and I just really enjoy revenge tales. Heroes was pretty good too, you might like that better if you enjoyed the first 3 books.
Can't wait for Red Country.
Koroviev
Member
Reminds me of several Murakami novels, lol.
In the Empire of Dreams by Dianne Highbridge
Just finished, liked it quite a bit. Not sure whether to start poking into my non-fiction reading, go for a Gibson, or just buckle down and study law until I'm needed...
Guileless
Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
In a few places, but the book is 500 pages and I still read it fairly quickly. I'm no sci-fi connoisseur but I enjoy reading high concept sf every once in a while. (The last such book I read was Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson, and I liked that too). I will say you'll get your money's worth even at hardcover prices.
I read quite a few different books at once these days.
I just finished reading:
11/22/63 by Stephen King
I think this was actually a little overrated by most people. The romance is some of the clunkiest shit I've ever read. King doesn't write romance well, and too much of this book is spent focusing on it. There are great moments in the book, too, and overall I enjoyed it, but it could have been better if somebody trimmed some of that shit out.
The Axeman Cometh by John Farris
This is a horror novel that's kind of a mind fuck, sort of like a David Lynch movie in book form. There are problems with the weird structure, elements that don't work, and at one point I almost stopped reading it, but it's short, and I plowed on through. The payoff is pretty creepy, I think. It might be a little too abstract for some people. Nothing is what it seems, and I'm still not sure I understand everything that happened. I'm not even sure what parts actually happened and what parts didn't. Also, it's really trashy, the writing is a mixed bag, but there is more to this book than meets the eye. I think it's worthwhile.
Wheel of Time Book 5: The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan
This was a reread. I'm trying to get to the end of the series so I can read the last book when it comes out. I'm several books behind (I think I stopped at book 8 or 9). This one was worse than I remembered. It still has plenty of good stuff mixed with the bad, but the pacing was terrible. Jordan tries to describe every little thing. I don't need to know what every person in the scene is wearing, or what every house looks like, and I don't need to follow the characters for every step of their journey. All that detail pays off at times, I guess. You certainly never fail to really see the world he's describing. The reading experience is quite vivid, but it slows the pacing too much. If you cut all the filler out, this would be a hell of a lot better.
===============================
Currently I'm reading:
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill
This guy is apparently Stephen King's son, and so far I'm impressed. I'm about halfway through this now, and it's creepy as hell. The pacing is great. The characters are great. The story is much more interesting than you'd initially think based on the simple premise. Very good stuff. So far, at least.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
I've been hearing about this forever, and finally decided to dive in. I'm very early right now, but so far, I like it. Sort of reminds me of Clive Barker. If it holds up, I'll have to check out some of his other stuff.
Wheel of time Book 6: The Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan
Rereading this. It's holding up pretty well and I'm about halfway through. The pacing problems aren't nearly as bad as in book five. If I remember correctly, the pacing issues come back in the next two books, but this one seems a little better.
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
I'm rereading this. I want to go through the whole series from beginning to end, and I wanted to read them in the order they were written in (rather than Chronological order, like I tried to do, and failed, last time). This is an excellent Fantasy novel, fast paced and riveting, even if it is a kid's book. I really love Lewis's writing style.
Doc Savage 01: The Man of Bronze by Lester Dent (AKA Kenneth Robeson)
I just recently discovered these. Apparently, Doc savage was one of the most popular characters of the pulp adventure books back in the day, and the series helped inspire superman. This is fun as hell, but the writing is soooooooooo bad... I've rarely seen anything that can compare to it, to be honest. In every chapter, I bust out laughing at least 3 or 4 times, either at the craziness of the plot, or the ungodly insanity of the prose, but it's short and really action packed, and so bizarre that it's impossible to predict what will happen next. I'll probably read more of these.
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
This has all sorts of disturbing political elements: hardcore racism, sexism, and pretty much everything you would expect from a book in this setting, written at this time, with this theme. Tarzan is really kind of a fucking maniac in this book. He kills people all the time in brutal fashion, and without any good reason most of the time, and never feels bad about it. And the apes that raise him aren't chimps, like in most of the movies. Instead, he is raised by a tribe of sasquatches, basically, and lives in a world that is so far removed from actual, real-life, Africa that the book is essentially a fantasy novel. As far as pulp novelists go, Burroughs had much more actual skill as a writer than most and knew how to spin a pretty good story. Certainly, this is a good deal better written than the Doc Savage novel, for example. It's fun, and short, but obviously, you have to look over some of the disturbing elements.
I just finished reading:
11/22/63 by Stephen King
I think this was actually a little overrated by most people. The romance is some of the clunkiest shit I've ever read. King doesn't write romance well, and too much of this book is spent focusing on it. There are great moments in the book, too, and overall I enjoyed it, but it could have been better if somebody trimmed some of that shit out.
The Axeman Cometh by John Farris
This is a horror novel that's kind of a mind fuck, sort of like a David Lynch movie in book form. There are problems with the weird structure, elements that don't work, and at one point I almost stopped reading it, but it's short, and I plowed on through. The payoff is pretty creepy, I think. It might be a little too abstract for some people. Nothing is what it seems, and I'm still not sure I understand everything that happened. I'm not even sure what parts actually happened and what parts didn't. Also, it's really trashy, the writing is a mixed bag, but there is more to this book than meets the eye. I think it's worthwhile.
Wheel of Time Book 5: The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan
This was a reread. I'm trying to get to the end of the series so I can read the last book when it comes out. I'm several books behind (I think I stopped at book 8 or 9). This one was worse than I remembered. It still has plenty of good stuff mixed with the bad, but the pacing was terrible. Jordan tries to describe every little thing. I don't need to know what every person in the scene is wearing, or what every house looks like, and I don't need to follow the characters for every step of their journey. All that detail pays off at times, I guess. You certainly never fail to really see the world he's describing. The reading experience is quite vivid, but it slows the pacing too much. If you cut all the filler out, this would be a hell of a lot better.
===============================
Currently I'm reading:
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill
This guy is apparently Stephen King's son, and so far I'm impressed. I'm about halfway through this now, and it's creepy as hell. The pacing is great. The characters are great. The story is much more interesting than you'd initially think based on the simple premise. Very good stuff. So far, at least.
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
I've been hearing about this forever, and finally decided to dive in. I'm very early right now, but so far, I like it. Sort of reminds me of Clive Barker. If it holds up, I'll have to check out some of his other stuff.
Wheel of time Book 6: The Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan
Rereading this. It's holding up pretty well and I'm about halfway through. The pacing problems aren't nearly as bad as in book five. If I remember correctly, the pacing issues come back in the next two books, but this one seems a little better.
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
I'm rereading this. I want to go through the whole series from beginning to end, and I wanted to read them in the order they were written in (rather than Chronological order, like I tried to do, and failed, last time). This is an excellent Fantasy novel, fast paced and riveting, even if it is a kid's book. I really love Lewis's writing style.
Doc Savage 01: The Man of Bronze by Lester Dent (AKA Kenneth Robeson)
I just recently discovered these. Apparently, Doc savage was one of the most popular characters of the pulp adventure books back in the day, and the series helped inspire superman. This is fun as hell, but the writing is soooooooooo bad... I've rarely seen anything that can compare to it, to be honest. In every chapter, I bust out laughing at least 3 or 4 times, either at the craziness of the plot, or the ungodly insanity of the prose, but it's short and really action packed, and so bizarre that it's impossible to predict what will happen next. I'll probably read more of these.
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
This has all sorts of disturbing political elements: hardcore racism, sexism, and pretty much everything you would expect from a book in this setting, written at this time, with this theme. Tarzan is really kind of a fucking maniac in this book. He kills people all the time in brutal fashion, and without any good reason most of the time, and never feels bad about it. And the apes that raise him aren't chimps, like in most of the movies. Instead, he is raised by a tribe of sasquatches, basically, and lives in a world that is so far removed from actual, real-life, Africa that the book is essentially a fantasy novel. As far as pulp novelists go, Burroughs had much more actual skill as a writer than most and knew how to spin a pretty good story. Certainly, this is a good deal better written than the Doc Savage novel, for example. It's fun, and short, but obviously, you have to look over some of the disturbing elements.
Dragoon En Regalia
Member
I just finished The Darfsteller by Walter M. Miller Jr.
What a wonderful novelette. It's a great piece of speculative fiction in its own right, but the way that Walter tackles the inherent positives and negatives of method acting through Thornier's character was more than moving. I just read a unique mix of science fiction, claustrophobic thriller, and a good deal of psychological horror that's genuinely unnerving. Who would want to act on stage with wax model versions of your former co-workers? That's fucking scary, man.
I've been reading stories like these from Isaac Asimov's Hugo Winners anthologies, and it's been a fun introduction to more obscure sci-fi styles, subjects, and authors. Alongside that, I'm working on William Gibson's Neuromancerand, yes, I love it just as much as I love this novelette.
What a wonderful novelette. It's a great piece of speculative fiction in its own right, but the way that Walter tackles the inherent positives and negatives of method acting through Thornier's character was more than moving. I just read a unique mix of science fiction, claustrophobic thriller, and a good deal of psychological horror that's genuinely unnerving. Who would want to act on stage with wax model versions of your former co-workers? That's fucking scary, man.
I've been reading stories like these from Isaac Asimov's Hugo Winners anthologies, and it's been a fun introduction to more obscure sci-fi styles, subjects, and authors. Alongside that, I'm working on William Gibson's Neuromancerand, yes, I love it just as much as I love this novelette.
Did I miss a recent sci-fi thread? I'd like to read it!
i_am_ben
running_here_and_there
I'm a bit too lazy to read these days but I recently listened to the audiobook of 'Perdido Street Station' and found it absolutely amazing.
I'm very annoyed I didn't read it before reading 'the scar' (which is equally fantastic). Although the two aren't related, I think I would have appreciated the scar's lead character wanting to go home to New Crobuzon even more given I pretty much fell in love with the city in 'Perdido Street Station'.
There are some pacing issues and tangents but I enjoyed the book so much I didn't care. The audio book (Especially on 2x speed which was still very clear and understandable) irons out these issues even more.
I read quite a few different books at once these days.
I just finished reading:
11/22/63 by Stephen King
I think this was actually a little overrated by most people. The romance is some of the clunkiest shit I've ever read. King doesn't write romance well, and too much of this book is spent focusing on it. There are great moments in the book, too, and overall I enjoyed it, but it could have been better if somebody trimmed some of that shit out.
Really? How did you find it clunky? I thought it was one of the best romance stories I've ever read and was pleasantly surprised by it.
I just think he failed to infuse the story with enough overall conflict during that section, and he spent too much time on it. The tension just died for a really long time, and I felt like I was reading a life-time movie. And everything was nostalgia soaked, and overly sentimental. Things were too happy for too long, with the character directing his play, and being a super-teacher, and joining the community, and helping heal the mentally bruised girlfriend, and etc... I can enjoy stuff like that sometimes. I love Frank Capra movies, for example. But the romance in this was no better (or worse) executed than the romance stuff in Salem's Lot, or The Stand, or in the Dark Tower books. It didn't matter in those books because it wasn't much of a focus, but here it was totally central.
I will say, despite the fact that I didn't enjoy reading most of it, that the romance actually paid off a little bit at the end of the book. The last scene where he dances with her as an old lady was kind of moving, and when she got shot by Oswald I cared about her character a lot more than I would have otherwise. So I guess I can't say it totally failed. I'm just not sure it was worth the price.
Also, I was really, really enjoying the thriller aspects of the story in Derry, and then when he got to Texas, the book totally changed gears on me, and everything started moving like an iceberg. As soon as it got back to being a fast-paced time-travel thriller during the section where he starts spying on Oswald, I got back into the story.
I will say, despite the fact that I didn't enjoy reading most of it, that the romance actually paid off a little bit at the end of the book. The last scene where he dances with her as an old lady was kind of moving, and when she got shot by Oswald I cared about her character a lot more than I would have otherwise. So I guess I can't say it totally failed. I'm just not sure it was worth the price.
Also, I was really, really enjoying the thriller aspects of the story in Derry, and then when he got to Texas, the book totally changed gears on me, and everything started moving like an iceberg. As soon as it got back to being a fast-paced time-travel thriller during the section where he starts spying on Oswald, I got back into the story.
Ahh, see that's what I loved so much. I really had NO IDEA what to expect from this book and was very surprised at the story. I agree with you about it being so central - so much in fact that I wouldn't classify this as a thriller or a sci-fi time travel book... it really is a love story and everything else is just extra on top of that.
I do think there were some of the thriller/creepy aspects that just didn't pay off due to the focus on love story. I actually got goose bumps when he was at the football game when they were cheering JIM LA and the connection to the ticket man came to him. But the payoff for that was very minimal
I do think there were some of the thriller/creepy aspects that just didn't pay off due to the focus on love story. I actually got goose bumps when he was at the football game when they were cheering JIM LA and the connection to the ticket man came to him. But the payoff for that was very minimal
sparky2112
Member
I read quite a few different books at once these days.
I just finished reading:
11/22/63 by Stephen King
I think this was actually a little overrated by most people. The romance is some of the clunkiest shit I've ever read. King doesn't write romance well, and too much of this book is spent focusing on it. There are great moments in the book, too, and overall I enjoyed it, but it could have been better if somebody trimmed some of that shit out.
Bless you. Overly windy, overly sentimental, clearly not subject to much (any?) editing. Still, good plot, and typical fluid King writing - just way too much of it. King, at heart, is a bit of a goon, and he writes romance as a bit of a goon.
bengraven
Member
I have all of these from the library:
...because I'm
1) in the mood for prehistoric alternate history
2) committing the biggest writer's sin and reading similar books to one I'm plotting.
Also:
I kind of want to read all of them. I've already started reading Dinosaur Summer (god damn it's great...) and The Gap (it's pretty much what I expected: fairly dull writing but great concepts...the second the actual magic showed up suddenly it was just another low fantasy pre-history story like GOT and Conan, so I'll stick with DS for now).
...because I'm
1) in the mood for prehistoric alternate history
2) committing the biggest writer's sin and reading similar books to one I'm plotting.
Also:
I kind of want to read all of them. I've already started reading Dinosaur Summer (god damn it's great...) and The Gap (it's pretty much what I expected: fairly dull writing but great concepts...the second the actual magic showed up suddenly it was just another low fantasy pre-history story like GOT and Conan, so I'll stick with DS for now).
Just finished these two.
Pretty slow paced and quite a bit of exposition in parts, but overall quite good and some pretty interesting sci-fi concepts.
Interesting concept, 100 teenagers in a contest where you are shot in the head if you don't maintain over 4 MPH walking. Last one standing is the winner. Does a good job of getting across the physical and mental strain of walking non-stop for several days. Pretty quick read.
I kind wish he had written another book in this Alternate version of America. He gives some small hints about the state of things, but doesn't go into the world outside of the long walk in any detail at all. Seems The Hunger Games may have taken some inspiration from this.
Right now reading:
Reading The Long Walk got me in the mood for some more King, and this is one of the few I haven't read.
Pretty slow paced and quite a bit of exposition in parts, but overall quite good and some pretty interesting sci-fi concepts.
Interesting concept, 100 teenagers in a contest where you are shot in the head if you don't maintain over 4 MPH walking. Last one standing is the winner. Does a good job of getting across the physical and mental strain of walking non-stop for several days. Pretty quick read.
I kind wish he had written another book in this Alternate version of America. He gives some small hints about the state of things, but doesn't go into the world outside of the long walk in any detail at all. Seems The Hunger Games may have taken some inspiration from this.
Right now reading:
Reading The Long Walk got me in the mood for some more King, and this is one of the few I haven't read.
I'm about half way through The Scar by China Mieville and I think I'm done. The world is really interesting, but I just find the story/characters are boring. I don't think I'm going to read Perdido Street Station now.
I think I'm going to finally start reading A Game of Thrones.
I think I'm going to finally start reading A Game of Thrones.
Finished reading Those Across the River. This book is pretty great; keeps you guessing who 'those' are. I was surprised to find out what they are, as the way it is written you'll guess numerous things (yes, and of course some will guess correctly first time). Very cleverly written - I loved it!
Hang in there, dude. It gets very, very good.
Burger
Member
I am a huge Perdido St Station fan, I fucking love that book.
I didn't enjoy The Scar though, precisely for the reasons you mentioned. Read PSS though, it's super great!