Tralfamadore64
Banned
I had a few things I was starting on at the beginning of the semester (Your Inner Fish and Chomsky on Anarchism), but because school's been intense I've throttled back to something mindless and Halloween appropriate:
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
What are you reading? (October 2011)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
I know nothing about Morrison save the titles of a few of her books and that she is acclaimed. I really should pick something up by her and read it; I think it would be one of the most unfiltered (by prior expectations / knowledge, that is) reading experiences that I've had in quite a few books.
I decided to start reading A Room with a View, and I just finished the first half. It's not very long (~190 pages, excluding the endnotes), so I'll finish tonight.
Edit: Don't want to double post, but I finished the above novel last night. I liked it, but I can't see myself rereading it. I'm going to start Lolita today.
I decided to start reading A Room with a View, and I just finished the first half. It's not very long (~190 pages, excluding the endnotes), so I'll finish tonight.
Edit: Don't want to double post, but I finished the above novel last night. I liked it, but I can't see myself rereading it. I'm going to start Lolita today.
Finished reading From Hell. What an amazing book. Definitely more than the sum of its already amazing parts. It's just so layered and the amount of research provides for an incredible versimilitude, making it all seem terrifyingly plausible. Art was incredible too - really sombre and beautifully detailed. Feels like two really talented guys at the top of their game just getting together to make the best possible comic they can.
Probably my favourite Alan Moore book and definitely in my top five comics.
I also reread Nineteen Eighty-Four and read Much Ado About Nothing. I feel kind of silly reviewing either of them lol. The latter was due to recently seeing it at the Globe which was awesome, book really brought back the experience.
I'm now reading Inherent Vice. I've been wanting to read Pynchon for a while and was told this was a good entry level book. Only a couple of chapters in but liking it so far.
Edit:
I always forget nonfiction. Also read An Intoduction to Buddhism.
The author's goal seems to be to lay down the basics of his belief without trying to convert the reader. As such it's a great concise guide to Buddhism, but it also comes across as a little dogmatic and there are a lot of concepts laid down as fact that aren't really explored. "Quick and dirty" seems to sum it up well.
Great description. But I would suggest starting with A Call for the Dead and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold as they're easier books than Tinker Tailor (mainly thanks to their short lengths, rather than being a great deal less complex), and I think the former provides a better introduction to George Smiley and some of the other recurring characters.FnordChan said:
Kuraudo said:
I'm now reading Inherent Vice. I've been wanting to read Pynchon for a while and was told this was a good entry level book. Only a couple of chapters in but liking it so far.
This might be a good place for me to start. I am interested in reading his books, but I don't want to simply jump into Gravity's Rainbow.
I finished Lolita, which was a wonderfully unsettling (and occasionally quite funny) read, though it honestly didn't make me quite so viscerally uncomfortable as The Killer Inside Me did. I think it's just that one narrator seemed so much more profoundly disturbed than the other and it's even less pleasant being in the psychopath's head than in the pedophile's. I read the Everyman's Library edition, but when I reread I think I'll try to read the Vintage Classics' edition with annotations.
I read The Little Prince, both the Katherine Woods and Richard Howard translations. I had read beforehand about which translation to read, and most every review seemed to prefer the Woods translation... but my library had both and since it is such a short read I got both. I also preferred the Woods translation, though the changes Howard made didn't ruin my enjoyment of it by any means.
Not sure what comes next. I have The Good Soldier Svejk, but I'm just not feeling like reading it at the moment.
Good prose, bad propaganda (in that it generally ascribes moral failings to capitalism, not structural ones--Jorge becoming a scab is really the only thing I can think of that could fall into the latter). It's no wonder that it was largely unsuccesful in its mission. (Thanks for the FDA though.)Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
If I told you it was full of filler would that sway your opinion?Mumei said:
Finished The Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb. Good stuff, should've finished it earlier. I read only two books (a year+ ago), decided i didn't like the end of the second one and didn't get the third... until a couple of weeks back (read the first two books again of course).
Interesting world, interesting characters though Prince Regal is a tad one dimensional and FitzChivalry (the protagonist and narrator) is rather whiny at times.
Absolutely recommended fantasy.
Also, reading The Black Company chronicles by Glen Cook at the moment. No opinion yet, though the writing style is different from anything i've read before. Not sure if i like it or not...
And read Peter F. Hamilton's newest short story collection Manhattan in Reverse. I normally don't care about short stories but i liked the first one in the collection, Watching Trees Grow, and the ones about Commonwealth Saga character Paula Myo.
I wonder what his next book is going to be...
Interesting world, interesting characters though Prince Regal is a tad one dimensional and FitzChivalry (the protagonist and narrator) is rather whiny at times.
Absolutely recommended fantasy.
Also, reading The Black Company chronicles by Glen Cook at the moment. No opinion yet, though the writing style is different from anything i've read before. Not sure if i like it or not...
And read Peter F. Hamilton's newest short story collection Manhattan in Reverse. I normally don't care about short stories but i liked the first one in the collection, Watching Trees Grow, and the ones about Commonwealth Saga character Paula Myo.
I wonder what his next book is going to be...
Fanboydestroyer
Member
I'm now reading Inherent Vice. I've been wanting to read Pynchon for a while and was told this was a good entry level book. Only a couple of chapters in but liking it so far.
You should totally read Gravity's Rainbow next.
Damn. I'm enjoying the hell out of Retribution Falls. Tearing through it at the moment and I already have the second book waiting on my Kindle.Burger said:
On the other hand, I couldn't finish the first Mistborn novel out of general distaste for Sanderson's writing style, so what do I know.
Tawney Bomb
Member
Just finished A Storm of Swords and loved it! I am going to give the series a rest, book 6 is no where in sight.
Going to start Salem's Lot tomorrow.
Going to start Salem's Lot tomorrow.
AngmarsKing701
Member
Finally finished Lord Foul's Bane. Thought it was decent, though some of the writing is weak. Donaldson overuses the word "seemed" so much that it was distracting.
Nevertheless, I started into The Illearth War, the next book in the series.
Nevertheless, I started into The Illearth War, the next book in the series.
nakedsushi
Member
luxarific said:All zombies, all the time.
Nice. I added it to my to-read list too after my co-worker wrote a great review of it. I'm in a zombie mood for October too.
I've only read the first, which is a fast and entertaining enough read. However, I hear from a lot of people that the quality goes down in the last two, especially the quality of the prose, so maybe you don't want to pick them all up at once. But yeah, pick up the first one and see if you like it. It's obviously aimed at a teenage audience, but a cool concept nonetheless.UraMallas said:
I have midterms this week so I have to put this to the side, even though I got a signed copy in what I hope is not Sir Terry's last tour in the United States. (They gave us bookplates since he can't sign it in person on account of the Alzheimer's.) Still can't believe I got to meet my favorite author ever since I was eleven. That and he hit on me, which was... weird but appropriately hilarious. For all the shit he must be going through, he's still such an upbeat and funny person. I'm going to miss you Sir Terry.
_Isaac said:
Good to hear. I saw it at the grocery store for $6 in that dinky little books section they have, so I got it on a whim.
Cyan said:
That feeling that I'm missing out on endless layers of symbolism always bothers me, so I end up reading stuff afterwards trying to figure out if whatever I thought I comprehended was actually, you know, there.
Also: If on a winter's night a traveler for November!
... Though I imagine there might be a good argument for 1Q84? I don't know.
sadaiyappan
Member
Recommend a book.
Just finished "The Name of the Rose" (Il nome della rosa). Eco's works are so sophisticated and intelligent, it puts most other authors works to shame. He is really giving his life blood when he writes a book. Yesterday, after finishing the book, I once again felt totally "empty", it was kinda sad to finish the book and to never hear again about William and Adson.
In some way Eco reminds me of Thomas Mann, another powerful writer who always puts in so much effort into his works, it sometimes seems a bit over the top, as if they want to prove something.
I think I will continue right with "Foucault's Pendulum" (Il pendolo di Foucault). Anyone know if it lives up to other works of his?
In some way Eco reminds me of Thomas Mann, another powerful writer who always puts in so much effort into his works, it sometimes seems a bit over the top, as if they want to prove something.
I think I will continue right with "Foucault's Pendulum" (Il pendolo di Foucault). Anyone know if it lives up to other works of his?
I thought it was quite bad. Despite being about kids fighting to the death there was not a single awkward ethical decision for the main character to make. The plot had no surprises, and worse than that, halfway through the book it's made abundantly clear exactly what the result of the competition is going to be. Add in the contrivance of providence gifts from outside the arena and you're not exactly feeling the tension.UraMallas said:
On the plus side, the kindle edition I read had unusually few spelling and formatting errors. Good on them for that.
I just finished Jo Walton's Among Others and I thought it was absolutely wonderful. As I mentioned earlier, it's about a precocious 15 year old girl who, recovering from recent and lingering trauma, has been shipped off to a boarding school where she does not fit in. It's an epistolary novel structured as our heroine Mori's diary, where she offers disparaging commentary about the school, steady revelations about exactly what happened to her, and matter-of-fact descriptions of magic and fairies that you're not sure whether or not to take at face value.
However, the real heart of Among Others is in it's depiction of a young woman who loves SF and fantasy. The novel is set in 1979 and has Mori voraciously reading period authors like Silverberg, Delaney, Zelazny, Le Guin, and Heinlein, as well as earlier authors like her beloved Tolkien. Over the course of the novel Mori discovers new authors to read (with specific descriptions of the titles she's reading at any given time), learns about the wonders of the interlibrary loan system and, eventually, meets a SF book group and other fans. While Mori has challenges to overcome and there is a loose plot happening in the background, that's all somewhat secondary; Among Others is a really novel about the love of reading.
It's also a semi-autobiographical novel. Mori is the same age Jo Walton was in 1979, she's reading the same books Walton was reading at the time, they're both from Wales and share the same love for the landscape there, and so forth. When Walton conveys the fierce joy at discovering new novels, new authors, and, especially, others to share this joy with, she does so in a very personal, detailed way. A lot of this resonated strongly with me, as I recalled reading the SF selection in my small hometown library and discovering the SF club when I first got to college. I was only a year or two older than Mori when I first read Zelazny's Amber novels, and I remember being equally blown away by them. Among Others captures the feeling of discovery from a time when detailed bibliographies and use recommendations weren't readily available online, when tracking down an out of print book was a serious challenge, and when you largely had to find and meet other SF fans in person.
I'm not saying Among Others is going to be for everyone. I've seen reviews where people are baffled at what the fuss is all about and I wouldn't argue very strongly with criticisms that there isn't a lot of plot for Walton to hang her biography onto. Still, I loved it and strongly identified with the coming of age aspects of the novel which, as Walton says, is not for fifteen year olds so much as for people who were once fifteen. If anything I've mentioned reminds you of your childhood, I'd strongly recommend checking it out. For anyone who's curious, there's an excerpt available online that gives a solid idea of what the book is like.
While Mori didn't namecheck C.J. Cherryh, Downbelow Station was published in 1981 just after the events of Among Others, so when I found myself looking for the next book to read last night I was inspired to pick this up off the shelf and give it another go. I bounced off Downbelow Station many years ago, but hopefully this time I'll be more into it.
FnordChan
Maklershed
Member
GAF Recommends!Sadaiyappan said:
History Books
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books
Post-apocalpytic Books
Books of 2010
Forgotten Sci-Fi Novels
Lengthy Books
Space Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Fantasy Books
Summer Reading
Dresden's Favorite Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Sci-Fi Novel Series
Modern Fantasy and Hidden Gems
Must Read Books That Came Out in the Past 10 Years
Fantasy Recommendations
Scary Books
A girl also recommended me this series and I read them a couple months back. They are okay, not nearly as good as my friend let them on to be. In fact, I'd say the whole story was pretty average. (some aspects below while others slightly above)
As much as fans of the series protest against, it really felt like twlight-lite in way too many areas.
rainking187
Member
luxarific said:All zombies, all the time.
Is this good? I've already ordered it, so I guess it doesn't really matter, but it seems like the ratings on Amazon are pretty mixed.
AngmarsKing701
Member
AngmarsKing701 said:
Also, Robert B Parker's last Spenser novel, Sixkill, just came in for me at the library. So I'll polish that off in a couple days, then return to Donaldson.
Karakand said:Good prose, bad propaganda (in that it generally ascribes moral failings to capitalism, not structural ones--Jorge becoming a scab is really the only thing I can think of that could fall into the latter). It's no wonder that it was largely unsuccesful in its mission. (Thanks for the FDA though.)
If I told you it was full of filler would that sway your opinion?
Not particularly!
I ended up starting it last night; I'm almost through part 1.
8BitsAtATime
Member
Starting 1Q84 tonight...after that I'll tackle all the Sherlock Holmes stuff
nakedsushi
Member
Another GAF-suggested winner:
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré
This was my first spy novel so I was in over my head for most of it. The terminology made this a hard read. But I stuck with it and the pay-off was great. My mind has been thoroughly blown by the plot, but the best part were the characters. They seemed so normal and human.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré
This was my first spy novel so I was in over my head for most of it. The terminology made this a hard read. But I stuck with it and the pay-off was great. My mind has been thoroughly blown by the plot, but the best part were the characters. They seemed so normal and human.
nakedsushi
Member
aidan said:
I just read your review and it convinced me to skip the last book and just move on to this. There are so many great books I want to read this year, I can't waste my time on another huge book that doesn't start till 3/4 of the way in, which is what I felt with the 2nd Mistborn Book.
About Tiger's Wife: it's been getting lots of good reviews, but even though I'm mildly curious, not sure if I'll read it. How do you feel about magical realism? For some reason, even though I read fantasy and some pretty out there UF or Paranormal stuff, I can't deal with magical realism.
finally finished THE MAGUS by John Fowles. What a trippy mindfucking beautiful tragic hopeful EPIC. Everybody, everybody should read it. A few small gripes.. it makes TONS of references to authors and literature that i'm not familiar with. it also references alot of mythology, some of which i know, some of which i don't. there is also a fair amount of french and latin dropped throughout the book, some of which i understand, most of which i don't. story dragged a little tiny bit in the middle but overall it was totally engrossing. after certain sessions of reading the magus i'd want to go out into the concrete real world because the world of the magus is so strange and surreal.
one more thing: the last line of the book is in latin. it goes
. google translate is telling me that in english it means
which doesn't make a TON of sense to me, but again much of this book didn't make a ton of sense to me. is that an accurate translation, latin-heads?
one more thing: the last line of the book is in latin. it goes
cras amet qui numquam amavit quique qmavit cras amet
tomorrow, who never had loved and who loved tomorrow
Maklershed
Member
coldvein said:
Cannot help you with the Latin, but I agree that this is a great book that should be read much more widely than it is! I really want to read more like it, but have no idea how to search or even if something like it exists. Murakami might come close in some ways... reality versus unreality, questions of identity and self, strange, convoluted mysteries, and so on. Still, The Magus is unlike anything else I have read.
I finished The Good Soldier Svejk yesterday. While there were some very funny bits, it dragged a lot. After that I read The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship Of Her Own Making, which was wonderful. I also got the sequel to The Habitation of the Blessed, The Folded World so I can read another book of Valente's soon. She really doesn't get enough attention here.
And I'm currently reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
And I'm currently reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.
nakedsushi
Member
Finished this first volume last night. Pretty good so far. I just wish the female characters weren't so lame.
The Walking Dead, Book One by Robert Kirkman
The Walking Dead, Book One by Robert Kirkman
nakedsushi
Member
Got done with another quick read.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Moving stuff. I couldn't stop crying near the end. I think it would have been one of my favorite books if I had read it as a teenager. Now I'm old and jaded.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Moving stuff. I couldn't stop crying near the end. I think it would have been one of my favorite books if I had read it as a teenager. Now I'm old and jaded.