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What are you reading? (December 2015)
- Thread starter Maklershed
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This looks good and bittersweet. Will definitely check it out at some point as I need some non-genre fiction.
Recently reread Billy Budd, Sailor for some brief reading. I'm a fan of Melville's writing, but this didn't really resonate with me the second time around. It has been years since I last read it and I remember wholly enjoying it the first go, but there's something about rereading it that has sucked a lot of the tension out of the trial.
Just started Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. Only ~50 pages in but it seems promising and the sisters' predicament is moving at a reasonable pace. I've especially enjoyed the details given to the cityscape; really helps paint a strong mental picture.
Also planning on shortly starting Soul on Fire, a biography of Peter Steele. Type O Negative is my favorite band so I'm excited for this.
Just started Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. Only ~50 pages in but it seems promising and the sisters' predicament is moving at a reasonable pace. I've especially enjoyed the details given to the cityscape; really helps paint a strong mental picture.
Also planning on shortly starting Soul on Fire, a biography of Peter Steele. Type O Negative is my favorite band so I'm excited for this.
That looks like the best cover art of all time. I'll check this out too. I need to put some book money aside for buyin' stuff.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Might be an odd request, but can anyone recommend me some buddy cop action thriller comedy novels in the vein of Lethal Weapon or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang? Basically a Shane Black film in novel form?
Atraveller
Banned
I've finished the Foundation trilogy, good stuff. How are the prequels and sequels? It's not another Dune situation is it?
Well, they are by Asimov, unlike Dune's "prequels" and "sequels", which are not written by Frank Herbert, and despite the authors claims that they're based on Frank's notes, they feel like poor fanfiction.
That said, i often see people disliking Foundation prequels and sequels. Personally i liked them, though they have their flaws. And Asimov did admit writing some of them for the money...
They tie to the Robots series quite a bit. This may be one reason some dislike them.
(There's also this "Second Foundation Trilogy" or some such, that isn't written by Asimov. It is apparently a Dune-situation.)
Atraveller
Banned
Thanks for the reply, I'll read from my backlog for now.
Uprooted, Naomi Novik. The synopsis and short length (435 pages) sounded appealing to me. It's apparently a young adult fantasy, which I didn't realize going in (the YA part), but I'm digging it.
The Slow Regard of Silent Things, Patrick Rothfuss. I've barely scratched the surface but it seems unorthodox.
The Slow Regard of Silent Things, Patrick Rothfuss. I've barely scratched the surface but it seems unorthodox.
Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth are worth reading, I wouldn't bother with Prelude or Forward though, even though written by Asimov I found them dull. Never tried the other Foundation novells written by Benford, Brin and Bear.
I love you.
I havent done an update in a while due to my readings of bottom of the barrel fantasy novels that I was too embarrassed to post and my re-read of a bunch of American history books in my attempt to actually remember American history, but I just finished listening to this.
This was really really good, and gave me a much better understanding of the period.
Currently, I am listening to this:
And it is fascinating. If you want to understand how fucked up our banking system was before the federal reserve and why goldbugs and people who want to abolish the federal reserve are nutters, then this is a good place to start.
This was really really good, and gave me a much better understanding of the period.
Currently, I am listening to this:
And it is fascinating. If you want to understand how fucked up our banking system was before the federal reserve and why goldbugs and people who want to abolish the federal reserve are nutters, then this is a good place to start.
Maklershed
Member
I think I forgot to update. I finished Ancient Shores the other day and moved right on to book 2 - Thunderbird
Thunderbird by Jack McDevitt
Thunderbird by Jack McDevitt
Sweet! I've loved all your stuff so far. Purchased!HELLO EVERYBODY
So my novel THE MACHINE, which was shortlisted for the Arthur C Clarke Award in 2014, is currently $.99 on the Amazon store for your Kindles. It is my favourite of the books I have thus far written, and it's really quite fucked up dark literary SF. If that floats your boat...
It looks like this:
And some people said this about it:
‘James Smythe’s THE MACHINE is the kind of breathtaking conceptual SF long absent from the genre.‘ The Guardian
‘With his flair for speculative fiction, (Smythe) cooks up something pretty extraordinary’ – Dazed and Confused
‘Smythe preys on modern fears… to weave a story that balances creeping dread with deadpan humour. Smythe’s nook isn’t so much about the big shocks as about offering a creepily persuasive vision of our own future’ – Metro
‘A technical tour de force of virtuoso writing that explodes off the page. Guaranteed to make the longest flight pass faster.’ – Daily Mail, Best Summer Books round-up
‘Reminiscent of Ian McEwan at his most macabre, it is fiction that demands to be taken seriously. The Machine uses violence and unshielded emotion to precise and devastating effect, reeling the reader towards… a conclusion that feels both utterly shocking and grimly inevitable’ – Will Wiles, author of Care of Woooden Floors
‘A book about memory, about the impossibility of making the future match the past, and the danger of following a desire too far’ – Matt Haig, author of The Radleys
‘Like Ballard, Smythe understands, and ruthlessly demonstrates, the nightmare that results when our fantasies are realised. The result is at once terrifying and moving’ – Sam Byers, author of Idiopathy
<Self promo ends>
Completed The Alchemist. Very quick, accessible read. I felt it was idealistic garbage promoting one to follow their dream disregarding any personal responsibility. Have a family? Screw them, they are in the way of one's Personal Legend! I am in a pragmatic mood these days, which certainly had an effect on my opinion on this story.
Now I am reading 11/22/63 (22/11/63 for those weird people), and The Social Animal. Figured it was time to finally read a King book and to return to some nonfiction.
Now I am reading 11/22/63 (22/11/63 for those weird people), and The Social Animal. Figured it was time to finally read a King book and to return to some nonfiction.
So, what does reading gaf think about journalist's books? Reading Shock Doctrine atm, and as usual with books like this written by journalists, it seems like at 500+ pages she's spending more time grinding an axe than relating information to the reader to interpret. I mean I have little doubt that Friedman-esque economics have wrecked havok on developing nations during the Cold War and the aftermath of it, but I can't help but feel as if I'm getting an incomplete picture designed entirely to evoke a certain emotional response from me.
I get this a lot out of books like this, including the various books on Putin that I've read that have been written by journalists, and I'm just wondering how much I should take with a grain of salt, you know?
I get this a lot out of books like this, including the various books on Putin that I've read that have been written by journalists, and I'm just wondering how much I should take with a grain of salt, you know?
I don't really have advice (especially since I haven't read many books about the effects of different economic policies / philosophies), but I also have that nagging feeling with books like that.
So I was thinking about starting the Anthony Ryan's "Raven's Shadow" trilogy, starting with Blood Song which I see is very highly rated -- but then it looks like trilogy gets worse and then the final book is a disappointment (going by Goodreads).
Has anyone read all 3? I'd hate to start a trilogy, especially one that begins on such a strong note, and then have it end in a bad way.
Has anyone read all 3? I'd hate to start a trilogy, especially one that begins on such a strong note, and then have it end in a bad way.
^^ I haven't read all three, but the first one is very well executed traditional fantasy, the second one is poorly executed traditional fantasy. It's unlikely I'll read the third.
...
For anyone interested, a thing in the Guardian on why Jane Austen is so fab.
I agree in that when I read 'Chavs: The Demonisation of the Working Class' by Owen Jones (a columnist for the Guardian) even though I agreed with him, I really thought he was cherry-picking the data he used, and I wanted it to be less biased. But yeah, writers write with an agenda, including the books I've read by scientists. (I only read the first few chapters of The Shock Doctrine before I had to return it to the library, but it seemed to describe exactly how the UK Tory government is using the excuse of the financial crisis to destroy public institutions here.)
...
For anyone interested, a thing in the Guardian on why Jane Austen is so fab.
I agree in that when I read 'Chavs: The Demonisation of the Working Class' by Owen Jones (a columnist for the Guardian) even though I agreed with him, I really thought he was cherry-picking the data he used, and I wanted it to be less biased. But yeah, writers write with an agenda, including the books I've read by scientists. (I only read the first few chapters of The Shock Doctrine before I had to return it to the library, but it seemed to describe exactly how the UK Tory government is using the excuse of the financial crisis to destroy public institutions here.)
That is bad ass. I thought Nabokov loved Austen, though? Mumei halp
Yeah I always make a point of promoting how thoroughly she changed the face of english language literature because it's not pointed out often enough by others.
I'll take this opportunity to point again to Elena Ferrante writing about Austen and anonymity.
And a recent piece in the Economist on Ferrante and the Brontë sisters.
He was a dick about women writers but changed his tune after reading Mansfield Park
I'll take this opportunity to point again to Elena Ferrante writing about Austen and anonymity.
And a recent piece in the Economist on Ferrante and the Brontë sisters.
He was a dick about women writers but changed his tune after reading Mansfield Park
Currently reading The Shadow of the Torturer (the first book of The Book of the New Sun) by Gene Wolfe. Pretty dense. And so far a lot of things don't seem to make much sense to me. And the fact that English isn't my native language probably makes that a little bit worse.
But I heard good things about it and it's still interesting me. I just hope that in the end everything will fall in its place.
By the way, does anyone know any books that are similar to Bloodborne? I know the game is inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, but that guy has written quite a lot and I have no idea where to start.
cheezcake
Member
Annihilations by J. Vandermeer and some Stephen King have lovecraftian elements, but IMO just get the complete collection of Lovecraft and read it the short stories in the order presented. I'm still working through it myself, At the Mountains of Madness and Dagon are highlights so far if you just want to try a couple short stories.
Ugh. I hate you. I almost picked up Ferrante's books yesterday, but (having a limited budget) I decided to go with a few more eclectic things. I'm not saying I regret the purchases I made, since they were also great, but now I want both even more.
Not that his essential condescension went away entirely. <_<
foomfoom415
Member
Catching up on some recent reads.
While I enjoyed Red Rising, the first book in the trilogy, I'm not sure what brought me back to read the second one. I tend to give YA books a chance but the formulaic structure always seems to wear thin by the end of the first entry, and Red Rising didn't exactly break this mold. I'm glad I did come back, though. I think the series is carried quite a bit by the author's strong prose, and perhaps it was this, in combination with some high praise from some trusted reviewers that made me pick up Golden Son. I'm glad I did. I heartily enjoyed the read, and while it's not done anything in a particularly unique way or brought anything new to the YA table, it's a well-crafted space opera version of Spartacus and I'm looking forward to the third entry next year.
I wish I could figure out what lead me to stick this one in my library so I could bust some heads. It's poorly-written, the setting trite, and its characters behave in nonsensical ways and make bafflingly-bad decisions. It's like they're characters in a TV series that needs to stretch 6 episodes worth of conflict over a full 24 episode season. I can't fathom why this book needs a sequel. If not for the meandering plot, surely this shit show could have been wrapped up in a single, unremarkable, forgettable novel.
What an absolutely mind-blowing trilogy. A superbly crafted universe that feels sufficient futuristic and alien, while at the same time being completely accessible as you need it to be if you are willing to work at it. It delves deep into so many high-level concepts including mathematics, theoretical physics, the nature of the self and community, while telling a beautiful, thought-provoking story that is entirely wrapped up by the end. I cannot sing this trilogy's praises enough. It's almost absurd that this represents the author's first 3 novels. I can't wait to see more from him.
I'm a bit at a loss of what to read next.
While I enjoyed Red Rising, the first book in the trilogy, I'm not sure what brought me back to read the second one. I tend to give YA books a chance but the formulaic structure always seems to wear thin by the end of the first entry, and Red Rising didn't exactly break this mold. I'm glad I did come back, though. I think the series is carried quite a bit by the author's strong prose, and perhaps it was this, in combination with some high praise from some trusted reviewers that made me pick up Golden Son. I'm glad I did. I heartily enjoyed the read, and while it's not done anything in a particularly unique way or brought anything new to the YA table, it's a well-crafted space opera version of Spartacus and I'm looking forward to the third entry next year.
I wish I could figure out what lead me to stick this one in my library so I could bust some heads. It's poorly-written, the setting trite, and its characters behave in nonsensical ways and make bafflingly-bad decisions. It's like they're characters in a TV series that needs to stretch 6 episodes worth of conflict over a full 24 episode season. I can't fathom why this book needs a sequel. If not for the meandering plot, surely this shit show could have been wrapped up in a single, unremarkable, forgettable novel.
What an absolutely mind-blowing trilogy. A superbly crafted universe that feels sufficient futuristic and alien, while at the same time being completely accessible as you need it to be if you are willing to work at it. It delves deep into so many high-level concepts including mathematics, theoretical physics, the nature of the self and community, while telling a beautiful, thought-provoking story that is entirely wrapped up by the end. I cannot sing this trilogy's praises enough. It's almost absurd that this represents the author's first 3 novels. I can't wait to see more from him.
I'm a bit at a loss of what to read next.
Rug Monkey
Member
nailbombxx
Member
That's going to be tough, from what I've read Wolfe uses a ton of archaic words for things in that series that even most native English speakers do not know their connotations.
Currently reading The Shadow of the Torturer (the first book of The Book of the New Sun) by Gene Wolfe. Pretty dense. And so far a lot of things don't seem to make much sense to me. And the fact that English isn't my native language probably makes that a little bit worse. But I heard good things about it and it's still interesting me. I just hope that in the end everything will fall in its place.
This question has come up frequently in some spots of the internet since Bloodborne was released. Bloodborne's concepts and atmosphere would make an incredible horror/fantasy novel in the right hands.
But I'll give you a recommendation that I've seen before, I haven't read it yet but it may be what you're looking for.
Michael Cisco - The Narrator
One redditor described it as Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy meets Bloodborne. That alone is enough for me to be 100% intrigued. Do not expect an easy read though, Cisco has a reputation for being dense, bizarre and sureal.
Switch Back 9
a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
Blood Meridian is my favourite book and Bloodborne is one of my favourite games. I will definitely be checking this out.
Finished reading The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. Rather enjoyable read, the fact that Addison could have taken more typical turns with the story but chose to stay on track was refreshing. But lord was it hard to keep up with all the names, stations, areas etc.
Reading House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski now, annoyingly hard to read because of the random cuts inbetween describing the Navidson Record and Johnny's reflections. Quick glances at pages further in when opening the book are just making me dizzy. Finding both parts enjoyable otherwise.
Reading House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski now, annoyingly hard to read because of the random cuts inbetween describing the Navidson Record and Johnny's reflections. Quick glances at pages further in when opening the book are just making me dizzy. Finding both parts enjoyable otherwise.
AHA-Lambda
Member
Almost finished the first book of 1Q84, tbh it's really become a slog and cba finishing the trilogy. 400 pages and little has really happened.
Having read few novels outside of high school for my own personal enjoyment these past five years, I'll admit I enjoyed The Bone Clocks not only for its actual content but also because I rediscovered the joy of reading. That feeling of really digging into a book and seeing ideas realised is something I've neglected and over these holidays I'm gonna try read a lot more. Next up is a fat fantasy series my friend recommend, the first of which I think is called the Name of the Wind.
Quote
Member
I'm a huge fan of Andreas Eschbach's The Carpet Makers, so I thought i'd read his latest book Lord of All Things.
The reviews give this book a lot of shit, but I quite enjoyed it. I do agree with most that the page count could have been cut down a bit with some better editing but I had a hard time putting it down from the first chapter. Something about being all-powerful seems to captivate me and this is more about that process and it's trials.
Anyways, it's free on Kindle Unlimited, so give it a shot if you find the description interesting.
whatevermort
Member
You'll get lots of people saying about other Mitchell novels to read, so here's the first - read Slade House, his newest. It's heavily related to The Bone Clocks, while also being totally standalone, and it's really quite about storytelling, so I suspect it'll be right up your alley.
Just finished four books this past week.
The first was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty. I really wanted to like this book because I absolutely love her Ask A Mortician channel on Youtube, however it kinda let me down. Her stories about her time at her first crematory job were interesting, but I didn't like the wave she tried to weave those experiences in with her childhood and then with history lessons about death and dying. The whole thing felt a bit jumbled. That said I hear she's writing another book and I'd be willing to give it a shot.
Next was Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. This was another book that I had high hopes for because of all the good things I heard about it, but for some reason it just didn't click with me. I couldn't identify or sympathize with any of the characters and the questions it raised about what separates humans from robots weren't that compelling imo. I also didn't find the writing to be anything special either.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath came next and I got the same feelings I felt toward the last book. Despite Esther's descent into deeper and deeper depression, I just could not get myself to care about the story. Luckily, I did like Plath's writing style and found the book very easy to read.
The last book that I finished was The Trial by Franz Kafka. I had started this book back in the summer and just never got around to finishing it. This may sound weird, but I think I liked the idea of the book rather than the book itself. I enjoy Kafka's writing style, but there were parts of this book that I found terribly boring.
Currently I'm about 100 pages from finishing Middlemarch by George Eliot. I'm really enjoying it so far and because I've been reading a little bit here and there over the past couple weeks, it's going to be sad to depart with the characters. I'm also halfway through Jane Eyre, which I'm also enjoying, and I just started Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.
The first was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty. I really wanted to like this book because I absolutely love her Ask A Mortician channel on Youtube, however it kinda let me down. Her stories about her time at her first crematory job were interesting, but I didn't like the wave she tried to weave those experiences in with her childhood and then with history lessons about death and dying. The whole thing felt a bit jumbled. That said I hear she's writing another book and I'd be willing to give it a shot.
Next was Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. This was another book that I had high hopes for because of all the good things I heard about it, but for some reason it just didn't click with me. I couldn't identify or sympathize with any of the characters and the questions it raised about what separates humans from robots weren't that compelling imo. I also didn't find the writing to be anything special either.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath came next and I got the same feelings I felt toward the last book. Despite Esther's descent into deeper and deeper depression, I just could not get myself to care about the story. Luckily, I did like Plath's writing style and found the book very easy to read.
The last book that I finished was The Trial by Franz Kafka. I had started this book back in the summer and just never got around to finishing it. This may sound weird, but I think I liked the idea of the book rather than the book itself. I enjoy Kafka's writing style, but there were parts of this book that I found terribly boring.
Currently I'm about 100 pages from finishing Middlemarch by George Eliot. I'm really enjoying it so far and because I've been reading a little bit here and there over the past couple weeks, it's going to be sad to depart with the characters. I'm also halfway through Jane Eyre, which I'm also enjoying, and I just started Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.
Thanks! I think short stories in that genre are definitely what I'm looking for more than books of 1000 pages. I'll try to look for collections that contain the stories you mentioned.
Yep, I've seen the strangest words that I have to look up sometimes. There's apparently a dictionary for his books called the Lexicon Urthus (which is more expensive than the story books themselves). But google translate knows a lot as well, as do some wiki pages.
Thanks for your suggestion as well. I'll keep it in mind. Although, I'm probably gonna have to read something lighter after I finish The Book of the New Sun!
But I'll give you a recommendation that I've seen before, I haven't read it yet but it may be what you're looking for.
Michael Cisco - The Narrator
One redditor described it as Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy meets Bloodborne. That alone is enough for me to be 100% intrigued. Do not expect an easy read though, Cisco has a reputation for being dense, bizarre and sureal.
This is available right now as part of the latest StoryBundle: https://storybundle.com/fiction
I enjoyed the bell jar. Was a good quick read.
Two of my favorite books right there - favorite Middlemarch character? Been a few years since I read it, need to give it a re-go. Like you say you're drawn so intimately into the lives of this very believable community across all layers of society it feels odd to leave them behind.
I tore through a few last month which is quite unlike me. Since October I've done:
1984
The Colour Of Magic
Casino Royale
Live and let Die
Animal Farm
Currently on Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) as recommended/lended to me by my dad. Only about 3 chapters in so I have zero idea where this one's going.
1984
The Colour Of Magic
Casino Royale
Live and let Die
Animal Farm
Currently on Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) as recommended/lended to me by my dad. Only about 3 chapters in so I have zero idea where this one's going.
I'm reading this too. A slow start, but I aleady like it.
I've started finding free, older classic ebooks for my ereader instead of going to the library.
Mary Garth is easily my favorite. She funny, sarcastic, and just a good person in general. I like that she's devoted to her family and that she makes Fred work to win her hand in marriage.
Have you read any other George Eliot? If she has anything else like Middlemarch, I'd love to read it.
Love Mary Garth.
Yeah I'm a fan of Eliot. I'd go with The Mill on the Floss next for sure. Hits you hard emotionally but just as smart.. Daniel Deronda is a work of staggering intellectual ambition but I'd wait a bit with that, it's a little heavier to move through.
nailbombxx
Member
Very tempted.
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