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Maklershed · Feb 1, 2014

Maklershed · Feb 1, 2014

Make sure to visit the GAF Book Club thread for February 2014

The book of the month is Blindness by Jose Saramago

Blindness by José Saramago

Kindle Edition
Nook Edition
Paperback

The Culture Vulture · Feb 1, 2014

Finished Jurassic Park and started Blindness for the February Book Club.

Jezabel · Feb 1, 2014

Reading ken folletts "winter of the world" sure it's contrived and cheesy as fuck but I'm really enjoying it

kazebyaka · Feb 1, 2014

Finished "The Fires of Heaven" by Robert Jordan and started "Lord of chaos"
5 out of 14 are down, a lot more to go.

Maklershed · Feb 1, 2014

What I'm reading ...

Kindle

Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon

Hard copy

The Associate by John Grisham

Nintyb · Feb 1, 2014

I just started The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Very interesting read thus far.

Trying to get back into reading at least a couple novels a month so I'll be visiting this thread for good recommendations.

Lumiere · Feb 1, 2014

The Vorkosigan saga is becoming so hard to put down! I've just finished Brothers in Arms (reading in internal chronological order), started Mirror Dance and I'm tempted to go pick the next two or three novels at the library today...

I have also been reading Dangerous Women, which I picked up mainly for the ASOIAF novella. I've liked most stories so far, although some of them don't seem to fit the collection theme that well.

ShaneB · Feb 1, 2014

Nintyb said:
I just started The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Very interesting read thus far.

Trying to get back into reading at least a couple novels a month so I'll be visiting this thread for good recommendations.

Read 'Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend' =)

Still deciding what to read after finishing The Coalwood Way. I'll likely just start the third book and wrap it all up since I enjoy them, but I figure I'll soon be craving a Football book to start the offseason.

obin_gam · Feb 1, 2014

On audiobook as I commute to and from work

I have about 9 hours left, quite slow and beginning to become very uninteresting. But I'll stick through it.

Futureman · Feb 1, 2014

Just about to finish "Yiddish Policemen's Union."

Man, Chabon is so awesome.

Protein · Feb 1, 2014

The writing is really good.

justjohn · Feb 1, 2014

Comrades by Robert Service. It's about the history of communism from its conception to it's eventual collapse. Great book if you really want to know why this ideology got so popular and why it eventually didn't work.

X-Frame · Feb 1, 2014

About 30% done with this, and enjoying it so far. It's a good chance of pace for me after all the space opera and epic fantasy's last month.

The Golem and the Jinni

lightus · Feb 1, 2014

Horray, new month!

I finally finished The Terror by Dan Simmons a couple days ago. I loved the atmosphere and I felt I learned a lot. I would have given it a 4.5 out of 5 but there were some parts that were both unnecessary and uninteresting. If Dan had reduced the book by about 150-200 pages it would have made for a much better book. As it is though, I felt it was a 3.5 ( I rounded up to 4 stars on goodreads due to the lack of half stars).

Next up is:

Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey

I really enjoyed the last two books. Hoping this one keeps the trend.

bishopp35 · Feb 1, 2014

Finished

I kinda liked it , It is a thriller with a superhuman/x-men backdrop. It is similar to the like the show Alphas where the powers were "realistic" and muted. The book was somehow predictable and forgettable as a thriller and as a mutant story , but the backdrop was compelling enough for me to finish it. It is the kinda of book where a movie adaption can easily surpass the source material.

And now I'm moving to

Some critics loved the worldbuilding (it won the Nebula award and as nominated for the Hugo) but I have read some online reviews that said the book is plotless. The mixed reaction has piqued my interest.

obin_gam · Feb 1, 2014

X-Frame said:
About 30% done with this, and enjoying it so far. It's a good chance of pace for me after all the space opera and epic fantasy's last month.

The Golem and the Jinni

Looks intriguing. What's it about?

Ð¯AW · Feb 1, 2014

Got advance copy of Thomas Pikett's latest book Capital in the Twenty-First Century. I'm not too keen on economics but my friend told me to read and I'm doing best I can. When this hits the shelves in US/UK it's going to get some intense press. Really interesting book so far.

What are the grand dynamics that drive the accumulation and distribution of capital? Questions about the long-term evolution of inequality, the concentration of wealth, and the prospects for economic growth lie at the heart of political economy. But satisfactory answers have been hard to find for lack of adequate data and clear guiding theories. In Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty analyzes a unique collection of data from twenty countries, ranging as far back as the eighteenth century, to uncover key economic and social patterns. His findings will transform debate and set the agenda for the next generation of thought about wealth and inequality.

Piketty shows that modern economic growth and the diffusion of knowledge have allowed us to avoid inequalities on the apocalyptic scale predicted by Karl Marx. But we have not modified the deep structures of capital and inequality as much as we thought in the optimistic decades following World War II. The main driver of inequality--the tendency of returns on capital to exceed the rate of economic growth--today threatens to generate extreme inequalities that stir discontent and undermine democratic values. But economic trends are not acts of God. Political action has curbed dangerous inequalities in the past, Piketty says, and may do so again.

A work of extraordinary ambition, originality, and rigor, Capital in the Twenty-First Century reorients our understanding of economic history and confronts us with sobering lessons for today.

Nyt had good review of it (includes links to other reviews)
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/opinion/capitalism-vs-democracy.html?_r=0

Nymerio · Feb 1, 2014

Kawl_USC said:
I think the best way to think about this, or at least I think the intention of Jordan with the whole skewed power of the sexes, was to flip the roles that happened during the actual past. If you flip women with men there, society wasn't that far away from expecting women to be helpless to walk more than three steps with out a man. I agree that Jordan takes it far and exaggerates to an extreme, but it is an interesting approach at least in my mind. I think he definitely had a point in that the reactions of most people who read the series are so strong towards women, but a lot of people just don't think twice about how women were treated as completely dependent in the past.

Now, as the men clearly show themselves to be competent, fantastically so for many (Lan, Rand (sometimes), Matt, etc) it becomes more absurd for the women to always act as if they know best and try to tell men what to do, but again I think that was part and parcel of Jordan's attempt to flip traditional gender roles.

Speaking of absurdities:

The thing where Min rescues Siuan and Leane is ridiculous. They were the two highest placed Aes Sedai and you'd think they'd maybe have some inside knowledge that is exclusive to the highest ranked Aes Sedai. Instead they get treated like they are some runaway kids or something. I understand they can't do any fancy magic tricks anymore but that does not in any way invalidate what they were and what they could bring to the table as such.

Mumei said:
Nope.

Five volumes, one novel. Best Chinese novel ever!

hmm this doesn't seem to be available on the german kindle store

Ratrat · Feb 1, 2014

And Stephen Frys 2nd autobiography.

shadow_shogun · Feb 1, 2014

Just finished

Now reading

9781595586438_custom-6b2e7f684e487f613a4a347b73583e98e66c09fa-s2-c85.jpg

Very interesting and eye opening read.

bishopp35 · Feb 1, 2014

ЯAW;99230084 said:
Got advance copy of Thomas Pikett's latest book Capital in the Twenty-First Century. I'm not too keen on economics but my friend told me to read and I'm doing best I can. When this hits the shelves in US/UK it's going to get some intense press. Really interesting book so far.

Nyt had good review of it (includes links to other reviews)
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/opinion/capitalism-vs-democracy.html?_r=0

As an economist I'm salivating to read this book , I think that inequality will be "theme" for the academy and the book is coming at a good time to influence some new papers.

iiicon · Feb 1, 2014

I finished No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women yesterday. Erudite, exhaustive in scope and immensely readable. I have a passing familiarity with some of the topics covered in this book because I've taken a few sociology courses in my university years and I try to keep up somewhat with modern feminist issues, so this wasn't entirely new ground for me, but to have over two hundred years of feminist and proto-feminist history displayed in such a concise manner is a revelation. It really hammers home how the struggle to combat a variety of forces, not just patriarchy, is an international and interconnected affair. There is no one true answer or approach; reform comes from efforts both transnational and grassroots, and everything in between.

I'm also reading Kyung-Sook Shin's Please Look After Mom, which is an excellent companion piece as it examines the (often overlooked) effects mothers have on our lives.

fakefaker · Feb 1, 2014

The Curious Case of the Clockwork Man by Mark Hodder.

Tragicomedy · Feb 1, 2014

I'm reading Blindness for the book club. Absolutely love the writing style so far.

That post about the Vorkosigan saga is going to make me jump back into them. I mistakenly started with Falling Free, which was good but totally disconnected from the rest of the series.

RatskyWatsky · Feb 1, 2014

Anyone know of any good books that are similar to Crimson Skies (I know there are Crimson Skies books, but I don't know if they're any good) or Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow? Like, with dogfighting planes and stuff?

sparky2112 · Feb 1, 2014

Tragicomedy said:
I'm reading Blindness for the book club. Absolutely love the writing style so far.

You and I have very similar tastes, which is cool. I read Blindness a few years ago and loved it. Can totally see why he won the Nobel.

yyzjohn · Feb 1, 2014

Pretty good so far.

AngmarsKing701 · Feb 1, 2014

yyzjohn said:
Really big picture of Wool

Pretty good so far.

Just finished reading Wool this afternoon. 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. The world building and the unraveling of the mystery are top tier.

Going to move into Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell.

Plan is to bounce back and forth between Howey and Cornwell for a bit.

Piecake · Feb 2, 2014

ЯAW;99230084 said:
Got advance copy of Thomas Pikett's latest book Capital in the Twenty-First Century. I'm not too keen on economics but my friend told me to read and I'm doing best I can. When this hits the shelves in US/UK it's going to get some intense press. Really interesting book so far.

Nyt had good review of it (includes links to other reviews)
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/opinion/capitalism-vs-democracy.html?_r=0

Yea, I saw that NYT's review and it got me interested in it. Can't say I have ever read an economics book that wasn't a textbook, so it might be an interesting experience

X-Frame · Feb 2, 2014

obin_gam said:
Looks intriguing. What's it about?

I'm terrible at summaries, so I'll just link what I found on GoodReads.

GoodReads said:
Helene Wecker's dazzling debut novel tells the story of two supernatural creatures who appear mysteriously in 1899 New York. Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a strange man who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York Harbor. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian Desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.

Struggling to make their way in this strange new place, the Golem and the Jinni try to fit in with their neighbors while masking their true natures. Surrounding them is a community of immigrants: the coffeehouse owner Maryam Faddoul, a pillar of wisdom and support for her Syrian neighbors; the solitary ice cream maker Saleh, a damaged man cursed by tragedy; the kind and caring Rabbi Meyer and his beleaguered nephew, Michael, whose Sheltering House receives newly arrived Jewish men; the adventurous young socialite Sophia Winston; and the enigmatic Joseph Schall, a dangerous man driven by ferocious ambition and esoteric wisdom.

Meeting by chance, the two creatures become unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures, until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful menace will soon bring the Golem and the Jinni together again, threatening their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

Marvelous and compulsively readable, The Golem and the Jinni weaves strands of folk mythology, historical fiction, and magical fable into a wondrously inventive and unforgettable tale.

H.Protagonist · Feb 2, 2014

Almost done with it, but:

While I find the writing style a little overwrought, it was really interesting. Wish there had been more of a focus on H.H. Holmes, but it's pretty thorough. Recommend it for any history buffs and serial killer aficionados.

rudieboy77 · Feb 2, 2014

ЯAW;99230084 said:
Got advance copy of Thomas Pikett's latest book Capital in the Twenty-First Century. I'm not too keen on economics but my friend told me to read and I'm doing best I can. When this hits the shelves in US/UK it's going to get some intense press. Really interesting book so far.

Nyt had good review of it (includes links to other reviews)
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/opinion/capitalism-vs-democracy.html?_r=0

I thought this was a re issue of Marx for a moment.

I am at the end of Turncoat book 11 in the Dresden Files, only a couple mote and I'm caught up.

H.Protagonist · Feb 2, 2014

Mmmm... reconsidering the Dresden series. Dropped it once, but might have to pick it up again due to lack of other desirable options.

There's also book 3 of the Gentlemen Bastards series. Anyone read it yet? Loved the first book, but didn't really care for the second one... Is it worth getting?

Mackenzie 92 · Feb 2, 2014

RatskyWatsky said:
Anyone know of any good books that are similar to Crimson Skies (I know there are Crimson Skies books, but I don't know if they're any good) or Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow? Like, with dogfighting planes and stuff?

Nothing specific comes to mind, but Steampunk is probably the closest genre.

You might check out this list and see if anything jumps out at you

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/618.Best_Steampunk_Books

This one sounds kinda interesting

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

rudieboy77 · Feb 2, 2014

H.Protagonist said:
Mmmm... reconsidering the Dresden series. Dropped it once, but might have to pick it up again due to lack of other desirable options.

There's also book 3 of the Gentlemen Bastards series. Anyone read it yet? Loved the first book, but didn't really care for the second one... Is it worth getting?

IMO the Dresden books didn't take off for me until Summer Knight, so book 4.

Fusebox · Feb 2, 2014

X-Frame said:
About 30% done with this, and enjoying it so far. It's a good chance of pace for me after all the space opera and epic fantasy's last month.

The Golem and the Jinni

Did you get this on the Kindle daily deal? I did, haven't read it yet.

I just finished The Atlantis Gene - problem is it took me until halfway through to realise it sucked but by then I figured I may as well finish it.

Now I'm reading the First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie and I'm absolutely loving it. Hammered through the first book and about 10% into the second. I'm enjoying it as much as ASOIAF but unlike ASOIAF my favourite characters haven't been dropping like flies.

Narag · Feb 2, 2014

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

Fun book that read like one would expect a Douglas Adams book to read.

The Diamond Smugglers by Ian Fleming

Non-fiction, more journalistic work by Fleming that's basically him relating the story of a guy instrumental in disrupting diamond smuggling in Africa, written after Diamonds Are Forever. It's really dry but there's some wonderful novelty in Fleming relating an actual spy's work direct from the source.

terrisus · Feb 2, 2014

Well, my wife wanted to go to the library today, so I went along with her and picked up The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer.

complete-canterbury-tales-geoffrey-chaucer-john-h-fisher.jpg

Also, the other day I discovered that Meditations by Marcus Aurelius was free on Kindle, and so got that as well.

I'm probably not going to actually get around to reading either of them. Way too much schoolwork. =(

Mumei · Feb 2, 2014

I finished reading The Great Hunt today, and I've started Natsume Soseki's The Gate. I haven't read Soseki since freshman year of high school, when I read Kokoro, which is still one of my favorite books.

Wheel of Time is still fun, though I don't really have any character that I really like. I'm more interested in what is going to happen than what happens to any particular character, if that makes sense. Maybe I'm just being overcautious in not wanting to be disappointed by someone I get attached to. I do sometimes have literary attachment issues, after all.

Syf · Feb 2, 2014

Just finished Welcome to Camp Nightmare and I'm about to start The Haunted Mask.

RatskyWatsky · Feb 2, 2014

Mackenzie 92 said:
Nothing specific comes to mind, but Steampunk is probably the closest genre.

You might check out this list and see if anything jumps out at you

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/618.Best_Steampunk_Books

This one sounds kinda interesting

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

Thank you! I'll look through that list and see if anything jumps out at me.

Somax · Feb 2, 2014

Finished Hyperion, started Fall of Hyperion immediately.

The first book was awesome, even if I liked differently the different sub-stories (the detective and the scholar were my favorites, the soldier and the consul I appreciated much less).

The second one started very well, I'm around 1/5th in... let's see where the story will go from there.

crimsonheadGCN · Feb 2, 2014

I am close to finishing:

Just another 100 pages left on the eBook.

Then I'll start reading:

Nezumi · Feb 2, 2014

Finished:

Definitly the strangest of the books so far. Was a bit on the fence about the new perspective, mostly because I missed the bantering between Vlad and Loiosh. But in the end I really liked it and look forward to the next one.

Currently reading:

Been some months since I read the first book, but luckily it only takes a few pages to get drawn back into the world, the characteres and the story. So far I'm enjoying it quite a lot.

So far the basic structure of the plot seems rather similar to The Warrior's Apprentice. But I do really enjoy Miles as a character and the whole structure of Barrayaran society and politics is really interesting.

Dash_ · Feb 2, 2014

Remembrance of Things Past: Swann's Way

It's slow. Very, very slow. Proust sure doesn't like his full stops.

phoenixyz · Feb 2, 2014

Somax said:
Finished Hyperion, started Fall of Hyperion immediately.

The first book was awesome, even if I liked differently the different sub-stories (the detective and the scholar were my favorites, the soldier and the consul I appreciated much less).

The second one started very well, I'm around 1/5th in... let's see where the story will go from there.

Just don't read Endymion after it. You would most probably regret it.

disappeared · Feb 2, 2014

Rum Punch. Really enjoying Leonard's character dialogue. Reminds me a bit of Hubert Selby Jr.'s writing.

Professor Chaos · Feb 2, 2014

H.Protagonist said:
Almost done with it, but:

While I find the writing style a little overwrought, it was really interesting. Wish there had been more of a focus on H.H. Holmes, but it's pretty thorough. Recommend it for any history buffs and serial killer aficionados.

Your post just reminded me that I wanted to read this. I think Ken Levine said that this was a big influence on Bioshock Infinite.

ShaneB · Feb 2, 2014

The Kindle daily 'Out Stealing Horses' sounds like something I would really like, so I think I'll pick that up.

RatskyWatsky said:
Anyone know of any good books that are similar to Crimson Skies (I know there are Crimson Skies books, but I don't know if they're any good) or Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow? Like, with dogfighting planes and stuff?

To respond to this from the last thread... Cyan said "This is pretty much the raison d'etre of the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. Cardboard-thin characters and a straightforward plot, but the space battles are well done. The first book in the series is Dauntless." I guess that could apply

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