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What are you reading? (November 2010)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
Cyan said:
Awesome, awesome, awesome. Thanks for linking to the transcriptions of those first two chapters!
I recently finished reading Side Jobs and it was a nice way to check in with Harry Dresden while waiting for the next book to come out in April. I'd already read a fair number of the short stories previously, but it's nice to have 'em all together like this, and the stories I hadn't read were pretty solid. As for the post-Changes teaser, well, I guess the emphasis there is on "tease", but it's a nice bone for Jim Butcher to throw to his fans.
I'm currently about 1/3 of the way through Retribution Falls and enjoying it quite a bit in a steampunk air pirates sort of way. I'd seen a lot of positive reviews that compare this to Firefly, and they're not far off - assuming most of the crew has Jayne's sense of morality. Well, upping the rouge factor certainly makes things a lot of fun, even if the bunch isn't as lovable as your average Joss Whedon cast. I'm digging it and am already pleased to know that there's more where this came from waiting in the wings when I'm done.
FnordChan
i've actually had that on my amazon wishlist for what must be well over a year now since it being recommended to me (by you i think?) after i finished a fortress besieged (probably also recommended by you?). frustratingly my backlog is pretty substantial at this point and i can't justify buying more books unless they're dirt cheapSalazar said:
thetechkid
Member
The Road is the stupidest book ever, about half way through it and ever page I hate it more.
Finished up the second Sandman Slim novel: Kill the Dead. It was a good Zombie novel to be honest. Definitely looking forward to the next one in the series.
I'm 70% of the way through The Magicians and I'm not in like with it at the moment. The beginning was ok, but it shot through 5 years of magic school at super speed and that was the part I was looking to most. Then the author managed to make me hate almost every character in the span of about 10 pages and then hammered it in to where I am now and I expect it to continue.
afternoon delight
Member
Holy fuck that is an amazing find, thank you so much for the link. I saw one of Lawrence's quotes on the back cover, but did not know of the essay.
Had never even heard of this, going on the library list of things to read. :lol
I love reading. I'm so glad I'm able to find time to do so every day.
Regarding Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding:
I went ahead and ordered the UK paperback edition from Amazon. If you search for Retribution Falls on Amazon it'll try to sell you on pre-ordering the US edition, which isn't due out until April 2011. Fortunately, Amazon has 1 copy of the UK edition left in stock for $13 or so, and if someone snatches it before you can there are third party sellers with prices starting at $8 plus shipping. Alternately, used copies of the UK trade paperback edition start at three bucks plus shipping.
FnordChan, now halfway through Retribution Falls and still enjoying it very much
finowns said:
I went ahead and ordered the UK paperback edition from Amazon. If you search for Retribution Falls on Amazon it'll try to sell you on pre-ordering the US edition, which isn't due out until April 2011. Fortunately, Amazon has 1 copy of the UK edition left in stock for $13 or so, and if someone snatches it before you can there are third party sellers with prices starting at $8 plus shipping. Alternately, used copies of the UK trade paperback edition start at three bucks plus shipping.
FnordChan, now halfway through Retribution Falls and still enjoying it very much
nakedsushi
Member
Took a break from Ted Chiang's short stories and got started on another book of short stories on a recommendation of someone else:
Seems to be a collection of fantasy short stories that are really weird and whimsical. Reading them before bed reminds me of being a child and having fairy tales being read to me.
Protip: Seems like all of Lord Dunsany's stuff is available for free as an ebook on Amazon.
[edit]
Oh yeah, finished a short story (novella?) by Brandon Sanderson. I really liked the first Mistborn and wanted to give another story of his a try without having to commit to one of his massive books. Firstborn was the answer.
It's a great space-operaish story that feels much longer than it is. I finished it in two sittings, but it's definitely doable in one sitting. The story and twist was great, but I thought the ending was a cop-out and fell short. It was a very "tadaaaa! (silence)" moment.
Seems to be a collection of fantasy short stories that are really weird and whimsical. Reading them before bed reminds me of being a child and having fairy tales being read to me.
Protip: Seems like all of Lord Dunsany's stuff is available for free as an ebook on Amazon.
[edit]
Oh yeah, finished a short story (novella?) by Brandon Sanderson. I really liked the first Mistborn and wanted to give another story of his a try without having to commit to one of his massive books. Firstborn was the answer.
It's a great space-operaish story that feels much longer than it is. I finished it in two sittings, but it's definitely doable in one sitting. The story and twist was great, but I thought the ending was a cop-out and fell short. It was a very "tadaaaa! (silence)" moment.
The first chapter (Mac) in the 42th Parallel kinda prepared me for the worst, politics-wise. Like Dos Passos was trying to convince me that just about everyone during that time was pining for the international workers' revolution. But that's kinda faded into the background now. Really dig J Ward Morehouse as the embodiment of the form US politics took on during that era. Business-minded (businessminded), commanding respect and awe, a bit unctuous.Karakand said:
ItWasMeantToBe19
Banned
Finished The Blind Assassin. Extremely well written book, but sometimes it was just a bit too sad for my tastes since literally nothing positive happens in the entire book. Had to have had the best twists ever for a work of fiction though considering the staggering number, though to get there the writer put in a lot of deliberate confusion which was kind of annoying.
DesertEater
Member
Since I haven't read Alice's Adventure in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass I'm thinking of getting it.
Can someone tell me which version to look for.
Can someone tell me which version to look for.
DesertEater said:
You want to make sure you get an edition that has the original illustrations by John Tenniel. A few minutes poking around on Amazon suggests that the Bantam Classics edition contains all the original illustrations and is a bargain at $4 new. I saw some of the comments mentioned that the Kindle edition is missing the illustrations and doesn't have proper formatting of the poetry, so you probably want to grab a print copy at the moment.
If you enjoy Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, I'd suggest you revisit them at some point in the future with Martin Gardner's wonderful annotated edition, which provides a ton of historical detail, period references, and even some explanations of some of the more esoteric gags. I wouldn't recommend starting with this edition for your first reading, but if you're intrigued and would like to know, there you go.
FnordChan in NeoGAF Land
BlueTsunami
there is joy in sucking dick
I just took out The Name of the Wind from my local library and God, how can one cover be awesome and the other be so horrible?
vs.
I got the second one btw, the librarian gave me a look smh
vs.
I got the second one btw, the librarian gave me a look smh
DesertEater
Member
Thanks a lotFnordChan said:
nakedsushi
Member
Stayed up late last night (this morning?) waiting for this to get updated on the Kindle store. Finished the Jim Butcher short story in it so far. It was my first Dresden story. Not sure if I liked it or not. It was entertaining, but didn't really catch me.
milkyjay20
Member
thetechkid said:
cormac mccarthy is a dumb sentimental hick too good for quotation marks.
i'm reading "drood" by dan simmons. gud.
Freyjadour
Member
Reading...
on my brand new Kindle 3!
I wouldn't mind starting a Malazan OT. Maybe when I get more free time.
on my brand new Kindle 3!
I wouldn't mind starting a Malazan OT. Maybe when I get more free time.
Tim the Wiz
Banned
Freyjadour said:
Part of the best sequence (Deadhouse Gates-Memories of Ice-House of Chains-Midnight Tides) in the series and its major focus, Karsa Orlong, makes for a fantastic change of pace. Enjoy. As for a Malazan OT, you still have time 'till The Crippled God comes out next Feb.
ClassyPenguin
Banned
Checked this out before going to work and they didn't have Hitch-22, so I got this.
BlueTsunami
there is joy in sucking dick
Freyjadour said:
You should! I wouldn't mind starting up the series after I finish my current read.
Freyjadour
Member
Tim the Wiz said:
Yeah, that's why I held off. I wanted to be done by then, but I was sidetracked by a reread this summer.
BlueTsunami said:
If there's interest I'll try, but I'm sure there are others who are probably just waiting for The Crippled God whereas I'm just finishing up House of Chains. I'll happily participate either way!
TheKaeptain
Banned
You're right. That cover sucks.BlueTsunami said:I just took out The Name of the Wind from my local library and God, how can one cover be awesome and the other be so horrible?
Finished up Michael Connolly's The Poet. Unexpectedly clever. The book was published in 1996, and the lines about how it takes four minutes to download a photo from the Internet to your computer make me smile, for some reason.
Have moved onto this now:
I like how so far Brett isn't falling into the first time author trap of piling action scene upon action scene to keep the reader interested, or at least distracted. He reminds me of Rothfuss in that way. Everyone seems pleasantly cynical and intelligent, which I like. His variation on the medieval fantasy world is also interesting. So far, so good.
Have moved onto this now:
I like how so far Brett isn't falling into the first time author trap of piling action scene upon action scene to keep the reader interested, or at least distracted. He reminds me of Rothfuss in that way. Everyone seems pleasantly cynical and intelligent, which I like. His variation on the medieval fantasy world is also interesting. So far, so good.
thetechkid
Member
Gotta do a research paper on it...finowns said:
Agree.demon said:
Somehow my teacher finds it to be the best book in the last decade, and who the fuck uses quotation marks now days? Those are so 15tth century.milkyjay20 said:
I feel bad for you, also the subtitle should be "A work so terrible you'll want to burn the book after you discover its a fucking retarded."canocha said:
BlueTsunami
there is joy in sucking dick
Damn, "Name of the Wind" starts out amazing. Only 200 pages in and there's been a good amount of affective moments. The telling of the legend that is Kvothe and world building is also very interesting. I don't think I've enjoyed such a book for a while now, Kvothe is such an endearing character and I think thats whats connecting with me.
Timber said:
I read one book by Dos Passos more than 25 years ago, I remember liking it a lot (then again I also liked John Brunner's Stand On Zanzibar which was directly inspired by Dos Passos most famous novels) but I can't remember what the book was... I've got to read more of him. I'd love reading more about the US during the jazz age and the depression. Such a fascinating period. I've become a fan of movies from that period, so I want to read some of the best novels published during that time frame too.
Any suggestions (beside The Great Gatsby of course)?
Just ordered Novels 1920-25 and the USA Trilogy btw.
Maklershed
Member
No he's really dumb because his books are turned into popular movies. Didn't you know that?Mifune said:
ClassyPenguin
Banned
That cover of The Road is terrible.
My roommate has a hard-on for revolutionaries so he lent me this:
My roommate has a hard-on for revolutionaries so he lent me this:
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