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What are you reading? (July 2016)

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Piecake

Member
21pppQJKrbL._SL500_.jpg


I've tried several times with this book in the past. I like to read about the movements of young culture thought, and at the time when I originally picked this up (at least two, maybe four years now), I was facing a crisis of faith and hoped to gain some understanding of the two sides. Unfortunately, as with the previous attempts, the writers in this book come off quite abrasive. At least in the first two chapters, it's less about understanding why they made the decision to become atheist, more about why God isn't real and with hints of bashing theism.

I've now made it through the third chapter at least, and I'm going to try to continue, but unless something dramatic changes in the later chapters I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Especially not to someone who was in my position.

Agnosticism is where its at.
 

X-Frame

Member
I'm very glad I stuck it out with Red Rising, after the first 30% slog I am enjoying it a lot more.

I really don't know what it was about the first 30% that put me off it so much though ..
 

exYle

Member
I'm very glad I stuck it out with Red Rising, after the first 30% slog I am enjoying it a lot more.

I really don't know what it was about the first 30% that put me off it so much though ..

Well, because it was boring. The synopsis of the book tells you that Darrow will infiltrate the gold society, so you spend the first third just waiting for it to happen. Even then, there's still all that setup with the carving and the training. Once he gets to the Institute is when things finally pick up.

Golden Son and Morning Star are both very enjoyable reads, much better than RR. Pierce Brown does cheat a little with the first-person perspective, though.
 

brawly

Member
I'm very glad I stuck it out with Red Rising, after the first 30% slog I am enjoying it a lot more.

I really don't know what it was about the first 30% that put me off it so much though ..

Once the
tranformation
begins it's amazing.
 

Piecake

Member
... Well, that certainly has not been my experience of self-identified agnostics.

Really? Huh, interesting. I don't get into religious conversations in person, but I really only have seen religious-atheist fights online. Though I admittedly don't really care about the debate and don't have much interest so I certainly don't go looking for stuff like that.

I thought it would be a natural conclusion for agnostics that if you admit that you don't know and either could be right then you wouldn't get all high and mighty and judgmental about other people's choices considering that you don't know and they could be right. Guess I assumed too much.
 

X-Frame

Member
Well, because it was boring. The synopsis of the book tells you that Darrow will infiltrate the gold society, so you spend the first third just waiting for it to happen. Even then, there's still all that setup with the carving and the training. Once he gets to the Institute is when things finally pick up.

Golden Son and Morning Star are both very enjoyable reads, much better than RR. Pierce Brown does cheat a little with the first-person perspective, though.

Awesome! Good to know that the books only keep getting better. And you're right, definitely was just bored out of my mind at the beginning.

Once the
tranformation
begins it's amazing.

Yup! I agree.
 

Mumei

Member
I started reading the last book in the Fairyland series today, and I'm very happy with it. I felt like the first two books were basically perfect, but the third and the fourth felt like they both slipped from the previous installment. So, I am pleased to report that, at least by my estimation, the final installment has me quite pleased thus far.

Really? Huh, interesting. I don't get into religious conversations in person, but I really only have seen religious-atheist fights online. Though I admittedly don't really care about the debate and don't have much interest so I certainly don't go looking for stuff like that.

I thought it would be a natural conclusion for agnostics that if you admit that you don't know and either could be right then you wouldn't get all high and mighty and judgmental about other people's choices considering that you don't know and they could be right. Guess I assumed too much.

I think the smugness manifests in different ways. When atheists are smug, it tends to be about either their estimation of their own intellectual abilities or their belief in the lack of lack on intellectual acumen of religious people. When religious people are smug, it's either about things specifically relating to their religion (e.g. salvation), or about the comparatively weak understanding of the fine details of their religion's edifice of theological thought that atheists generally don't engage with.

When agnostics are smug, it tends to manifest itself in ignorance about the positions of both religious people and atheists. I think of smug agnostics as being sort of similar to reflexive moderates who believe that every political debate is the fault of "both sides."

Basically, smug agnostics are the David Broders of the world.
 

TTG

Member
As a smug high and mighty agnostic, I would probably tell you the ability to reserve judgement is invaluable and you are clearly too stupid and vain to be so certain about such a topic. I would then go on to make fun of atheists for going after some really low hanging fruit and generally trying to prove people wrong in a vociferously teenagey way and the religious for trying to attribute some truly ridiculous qualities to God like benevolence that so obviously clash with reality.

See? Totally possible to jump in the middle of it and be as obnoxious as everyone else.
 

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
Finished up Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking which was great. Told me lots of what I already knew, but some nice discussions about the actual research out there, and various philosophies on how introverts can function in modern society.

Started up Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds. Love his novels, and with the third of the trilogy dropping in paperback at the end of August, time to kick this trilogy off. Figure I'll finish the first this week, read one or two other things, read the second, read one or two other things, and be ready for the finale.
 

Mumei

Member
Barnes & Noble has a 24% off coupon today if you enter the code BNFIREWORK at check out. I don't know if there are limitations or whatever, but I used it to get the Taschen volume of Velázquez: The Complete Works for $85. I thought about getting the Klimt volume, too, but I decided I'll get that another time.

As a smug high and mighty agnostic, I would probably tell you the ability to reserve judgement is invaluable and you are clearly too stupid and vain to be so certain about such a topic. I would then go on to make fun of atheists for going after some really low hanging fruit and generally trying to prove people wrong in a vociferously teenagey way and the religious for trying to attribute some truly ridiculous qualities to God like benevolence that so obviously clash with reality.

See? Totally possible to jump in the middle of it and be as obnoxious as everyone else.

You're good.
 
I just started Strange Animals by Chad Kultgen. A philosophy graduate student gets pregnant, and uses her threat of abortion as the basis of her dissertation topic (basically Christians pay up or baby gets aborted). While Kultgen can be scummy at times, his books are a guilty pleasure of mine. I actually think his book The Lie is pretty good (reminded me of Brett Easton Ellis' Rules of Attraction), and Men, Women, & Children was a lot better than the movie that was based on it.

Decent. Was hoping for a bit more honestly. Great premise but weakened in the second half for me with the typical apocalypse survivors internal conflict story line. I've ready every Joe Hill except NOS4A2 and I still think 20th Century Ghosts is his best work.

I also was let down by The Fireman. The book felt like it never went anywhere important, and the places it did go I've read before. When the internal conflict started to build I was still on board, but after the book than went to several chapters about
John and Harper on the island
it never became interesting to me again. From that point on I was reading just to finish it, I no longer enjoyed it.

I really want to like Joe Hill (and I do, and I feel bad writing anything bad about him), but I think his books have gotten worse with every release. 20th Century Ghost > Heart-Sharped Box > Horns = NOSFA2 > The Fireman. I know some think NOS4A2 is his best book, and while I find it good, I just didn't love it. I still think Joe Hill has a great novel in him. Maybe next time.
 
I just started Strange Animals by Chad Kultgen. A philosophy graduate student gets pregnant, and uses her threat of abortion as the basis of her dissertation topic (basically Christians pay up or baby gets aborted). While Kultgen can be scummy at times, his books are a guilty pleasure of mine. I actually think his book The Lie is pretty good (reminded me of Brett Easton Ellis' Rules of Attraction), and Men, Women, & Children was a lot better than the movie that was based on it.



I also was let down by The Fireman. The book felt like it never went anywhere important, and the places it did go I've read before. When the internal conflict started to build I was still on board, but after the book than went to several chapters about
John and Harper on the island
it never became interesting to me again. From that point on I was reading just to finish it, I no longer enjoyed it.

I really want to like Joe Hill (and I do, and I feel bad writing anything bad about him), but I think his books have gotten worse with every release. 20th Century Ghost > Heart-Sharped Box > Horns = NOSFA2 > The Fireman. I know some think NOS4A2 is his best book, and while I find it good, I just didn't love it. I still think Joe Hill has a great novel in him. Maybe next time.

I've only read NOS4A2 and I was pretty meh about it. Maybe I'll try Heart-Shaped Box at some point but frankly I have so many other books to read that if an author doesn't grab me with their first work I'm unlikely to go back. At least not soon anyway.
 

Ruruja

Member
I'm currently reading Fahrenheit 451. It's a book I've always seen mentioned around and it's completely different to how I imagined it. I'm enjoying it so far, 60% in.

I'm also about to finish book 3 of the Alex Hunter series - The Green Hell. Probably the weakest one yet in my opinion, but a decent read.
 
Finished Mary Roach's Bonk. Pretty good. Chalk human sexuality up as another facet of Homo Sapienism that we don't fully understand and can't bring our quantifiable skills fully to bear on the puzzle.

Now reading this:

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This novel was a hot topic last year when a reviewer in Harper's speculated that it was Pynchon writing under a pseudonym. This touched off a rather intense search for the real author, which I believe was narrowed down to a teacher in Hawaii (I think). Anyway, it's a rather zany, slyly heartfelt look at America through the lens of a brink-of-failure community college in a dying old cattle town. It's focus is academia, but it casts a wider net than that, just by virtue of the school's administrators, almost all of whom are locals.

I'm halfway through, so we'll see where it ends up, as the fall semester just started at 'Cow Eye Community College'. The new-hire team-building exercise is a group
castration of a calf
, if that tells you anything...
 
I'm currently reading Fahrenheit 451. It's a book I've always seen mentioned around and it's completely different to how I imagined it. I'm enjoying it so far, 60% in.

I'm also about to finish book 3 of the Alex Hunter series - The Green Hell. Probably the weakest one yet in my opinion, but a decent read.
That reminds me, there are a lot of classic books I need to read one day. Definitely F 451. Dracula, more Holmes besides Hounds of the Baskerville and more Lovecraft besides Mountains of Madness, In Cold Blood, etc.

Finished Mary Roach's Bonk. Pretty good. Chalk human sexuality up as another facet of Homo Sapienism that we don't fully understand and can't bring our quantifiable skills fully to bear on the puzzle.
Nice to see another Roach fan. Currently reading Grunt myself
 
I'm currently reading Fahrenheit 451. It's a book I've always seen mentioned around and it's completely different to how I imagined it. I'm enjoying it so far, 60% in.

In all honesty it's actually one of my favorite books that I've ever read in high school, along with Flowers For Algernon.
 
Just checked my Goodreads "read" list and noticed that I've finished books on July 4th three years in a row now.

Dat holiday reading and relaxing time.
 
In all honesty it's actually one of my favorite books that I've ever read in high school, along with Flowers For Algernon.
Night and Lord of the Flies for me

And if we're counting summer reading lists, Laurence Bergreen's Over The Edge of the World, for sparking my love for historical nonfiction
 
Not Flowers to Algernon nor Fahrenheit 451 did much to me. Same with most books I read, really

By the way, I finished reading Battle Royale Remastered (Battle Royale retranslation) today- was very bored and ended up reading half of the ~650 page book lol. Every bit as great as I remember the original BR to be which is my favorite book, save for the lack of character development (which, given the scope of the novel, is excusable). The translation was nothing special but had a few lines that hit hard, and had a couple obvious errors.

Really want to get my hands on the Angel's Border spinoff manga now...

Was thinking of starting Earthsea Quartet (loved the first book which I read last summer) but that's too hefty since I'll be very busy for the rest of July. I'll see if I can get anything with me for some lighter reading
 

catbird

Neo Member
I try to read at least 10 books each summer. I'm a little behind so far. I've only read three:

1. Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal (I read this in English as a kid; I'm re-reading the series in Spanish as an exercise to improve my Spanish fluency)
2. Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo (in English)
3. Silas Marner by George Eliot

I started reading Brave New World but... I don't know. It doesn't interest me much. I'll probably finish it just because.

On deck, I ordered The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood. Read some excerpts from Isherwood in a literature class, so I am excited to read a full novel. (I know The Berlin Stories is a compilation of two novels).

I also ordered Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado which was highly recommended to me.
 

Haly

One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough coffee.
Was thinking of starting Earthsea Quartet (loved the first book which I read last summer) but that's too hefty since I'll be very busy for the rest of July. I'll see if I can get anything with me for some lighter reading

Short story anthologies are good for this.

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
The Birthday of the World by Ursula K. Le Guin
 
Does anyone have suggestions for realistic fiction by Middle Eastern or African authors that have seen English translations? I'm looking for a different perspective and approach entirely from what I normally read.
 

Zombine

Banned
I really can't put American Gods down. Completely fell in love with
Zorya Vechernyaya and the other Slavic gods. Loved the poker game that Shadow had with Czernogbog. Essie Tregowan's story was fantastic as well.
 

Drake

Member
Finished Red Country by Joe Abercrombie. It was good, not a good as the other First Law stuff, but that's a pretty high bar he set.

Started Leviathan wakes by James SA Corey and yeah....I can't put it down. Loving this book so far. I haven't read any SciFi in ages, so I'm enjoying the change of pace.

Also bought White Sand (the cosmere graphic novel) by Brandon Sanderson. I'll probably read that on my lunch break at work. SUPER excited to start that one.
 

Voror

Member
Just finished a reread of Bujold's Five Gods novels. Will be starting the Penric novellas tomorrow which I imagine will be finished quickly. It was nice reading the novels again as I enjoy the world and characters.

I do wonder if she will ever write the books for the Mother and Father, which given that the other novels had a God that was focused on except for those two.
 

Switch Back 9

a lot of my threads involve me fucking up somehow. Perhaps I'm a moron?
Finished Red Country by Joe Abercrombie. It was good, not a good as the other First Law stuff, but that's a pretty high bar he set.

Started Leviathan wakes by James SA Corey and yeah....I can't put it down. Loving this book so far. I haven't read any SciFi in ages, so I'm enjoying the change of pace.

Also bought White Sand (the cosmere graphic novel) by Brandon Sanderson. I'll probably read that on my lunch break at work. SUPER excited to start that one.

The Heroes is his best work, as far as I'm concerned. Maybe not "best" because that implies I'm critiquing the book on some kind of literal merit, but it's definitely my favourite. I did really enjoy the whole Western theme of Red Country though.

I hope he goes back to writing adult fiction in that universe again soon.
 

Cade

Member
I finished The Ruins and it left me similarly empty as The Deep, but with less cool lore/ideas. Kind of felt like someone dissected a Stephen King book and put it back together without knowing why King books are good. It was scary and had some good gory fucked-up parts but just... not super compelling.

Also, FUCK Amy.

---
I need to finish another book soon cause I'm getting off-track. And I need to start another book cause nothing is grabbing me really. Might start Foundation actually.
 
Short story anthologies are good for this.

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
The Birthday of the World by Ursula K. Le Guin
Thanks! I have several books in my backlog, though. Will go with one of those.
 
Finished The Last Policeman I ended up liking it more toward the end but I still thought the main character was an idiot that really didn't solve much until a sudden aha! moment near the end. The sister stuff seems a little intriguing but not sure if it's enough to continue the series.

Next up: The Way of Kings

This will probably take me a while.
 

Jag

Member
Saw a bunch of Hyperion reading here and realized I never picked it up back in the day. Pretty good so far.
 

kswiston

Member
The Heroes is his best work, as far as I'm concerned. Maybe not "best" because that implies I'm critiquing the book on some kind of literal merit, but it's definitely my favourite. I did really enjoy the whole Western theme of Red Country though.

I hope he goes back to writing adult fiction in that universe again soon.

A couple of years ago he mentioned that his rough plan was to do another first law trilogy, but that it wouldnt start until 2017 at the earliest. Now that the Shattered sea trilogy (and touring) is done and we got the short stories collection, I have to imagine that is next on his plate.
 
51rTOIhQBIL._SX333_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg


Extremely hardcore history book about decades leading to a human disaster. I've never realized that the crisis leading to the war in june-august was so complex, so shaded by so many history and conflicts.

883501.jpg


The original English title is "Fall of Giants".

It's my first Follett novel and I'm enjoying it by what it is: entertaining reading.
 
Saw a bunch of Hyperion reading here and realized I never picked it up back in the day. Pretty good so far.

This reminds me I still, somehow, never read the second book. It's not even like I didn't like the first book, I loved it! I just didn't have it at the time and then just went on and forgot. I need to fix this with probably a reread of the first.
 

lt519

Member
Saw a bunch of Hyperion reading here and realized I never picked it up back in the day. Pretty good so far.

I only got through the first 1/4 of it or so and then put it down. Didn't really grab me, but I might have to give it a second chance.
 
Reading Stefan Zweig's "Decisive Moments In History" solely because it was published in "flapback" format in Turkey, and I collect all books in Turkish in that format so I figured why not give it a try. Just got to the second "miniature". I normally hate history, and this book isn't much of an exception. Somehow it is readable though.
 

Pau

Member
Just finished a reread of Bujold's Five Gods novels. Will be starting the Penric novellas tomorrow which I imagine will be finished quickly. It was nice reading the novels again as I enjoy the world and characters.

I do wonder if she will ever write the books for the Mother and Father, which given that the other novels had a God that was focused on except for those two.
It certainly sounds like she will! And there are multiple Penric novellas? :O
 

Voror

Member
It certainly sounds like she will! And there are multiple Penric novellas? :O

That's good. I believe the second just got released either in June or maybe May. Quite recent though. Finished the first and started the second and they are fun so far with the second especially being a treat with some references.

What surprised me a bit was a section in the back which is sort of an introduction to her various series, but in it she outlined the timeline of the Five Gods books which wasn't at all what I thought it was with The Hallowed Hunt taking place furthest back with the Penric novellas around a 150 years later and then 100 years after that til Curse of Chalion. I never really caught on that there was that big a time difference given the change in setting.
 
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