What are we reading?

Squirrel Ninja

Right now, I'm reading Hermann Hesse's Pictor's Metamorphosis and Other Fantasies. It's a collection of his fairy tales. So far it's not bad.

Samba

i just finished reading alice in wonderland and the picture of dorian gray. (despite having a good idea behind it, dorian gray is a dumb book)

now im reading The Graveyard Book by neil gaiman, because i keep hearing his name on here, im reading two books by PG wodehouse (ive just opened these ones) and the sandman comics.

i guess im looking for authors with really interesting styles, any suggestions?

joshgotro

Noahnaut wrote: »

I just finished John C. Wright's "The Golden Age" trilogy yesterday. Spectacular, philosophical space-opera. Really wonderful. It actually had a good ending, which is a miracle in any novel that's over 1000 pages long.

Single novel split into three books?

Grid System

I've decided to try reading multiple books at the same time. Going to continue with Catch-22, and I've started Rainbow's End. It reminds me of Oryx and Crake a bit, though the narrative is much more straightforward and it has a greater focus on the little techie details.

DarkHawke

I've given up on Sanderson's Warbreaker. Might pick it up at another time. Maybe I'm mildly ADHD obsessed or something, but if I'm a quarter of the way through the book and there's no clear antagonist there's something wrong with the book. For me a book needs a conflict with a human, not an institution, and the first quarter of the book lacks anything of the kind, even though there's plenty of action.

So bleh. Lets see if David Gemmell's King Beyond The Gate does any better. Knowing Gemmell I suspect it will.

Fattronicus

So a towards the top of the page Erikson's "Malazan Book of the Fallen," series is referenced and I saw in another reading thread that some people were liking it quite a bit. My Dad got me book 8 from his workplace randomly and I thumbed through it and some of what I read seemed pretty cool but I have extreme fear of any fantasy series going over 3 or 4 books. Wheel of Time burned me so bad. Does the story at least move a little bit with Erikson?

cj iwakura

I'll be reading the fourth V:TM clan novel soon.



It's one of my favorites. Hesha's such a delightfully manipulative snake.

A Dabble Of Thelonius

Fattronicus wrote: »

So a towards the top of the page Erikson's "Malazan Book of the Fallen," series is referenced and I saw in another reading thread that some people were liking it quite a bit. My Dad got me book 8 from his workplace randomly and I thumbed through it and some of what I read seemed pretty cool but I have extreme fear of any fantasy series going over 3 or 4 books. Wheel of Time burned me so bad. Does the story at least move a little bit with Erikson?

I'm up to book 4 and so far they have all been self contained stories. So it moves along nicely. I'm realy enjoying the series so far.

Fattronicus

A Dabble Of Thelonius wrote: »

Fattronicus wrote: »

So a towards the top of the page Erikson's "Malazan Book of the Fallen," series is referenced and I saw in another reading thread that some people were liking it quite a bit. My Dad got me book 8 from his workplace randomly and I thumbed through it and some of what I read seemed pretty cool but I have extreme fear of any fantasy series going over 3 or 4 books. Wheel of Time burned me so bad. Does the story at least move a little bit with Erikson?

I'm up to book 4 and so far they have all been self contained stories. So it moves along nicely. I'm realy enjoying the series so far.

Well that's good to know. I'll pick up book one then after I finish up Karen Miller's "Godspeaker," trilogy.

A Dabble Of Thelonius

Just be prepared to not know what the fuck is going on. There is literally a whole worlds worth of characters and plots.

Also, people told me that the first book is bad compared to the rest. I wouldn't go that far, it's pretty good on it's own, but the second and third have blown it away.

Fattronicus

As long as the story is moving along at a decent clip I should be ok. I just remember getting halfway through book 4 of "The Wheel of Time," and wanting to smash my head against the wall because it seemed like I was getting nowhere fast with an increasing cast of characters that were pretty bland at that point. That was a real disappointment seeing as how the first three books were paced quite well imo.

I also saw some love for Dan Simmons' "Hyperion," series so I'm off to grab book one of that as well.

zenpotato

Fattronicus wrote: »

A Dabble Of Thelonius wrote: »

Fattronicus wrote: »

So a towards the top of the page Erikson's "Malazan Book of the Fallen," series is referenced and I saw in another reading thread that some people were liking it quite a bit. My Dad got me book 8 from his workplace randomly and I thumbed through it and some of what I read seemed pretty cool but I have extreme fear of any fantasy series going over 3 or 4 books. Wheel of Time burned me so bad. Does the story at least move a little bit with Erikson?

I'm up to book 4 and so far they have all been self contained stories. So it moves along nicely. I'm realy enjoying the series so far.

Well that's good to know. I'll pick up book one then after I finish up Karen Miller's "Godspeaker," trilogy.

I wouldn't entirely say they're independent of each other, but they stand alone pretty well. I'd still start with the first one.

And even when you do, it almost feels like you jumped in to an in-progress series. I don't love them, but I find myself getting in to them, and if I didn't like them I probably wouldn't be reading 1000 page paperbacks.

There's very much an element of "I'm reading someone's RPG campaign, aren't I?" with the Malazan books though.

Michael H

I'm reading "The Terror" by Dan Simmons, who wrote one of my most favorite-est books of all time, "Hyperion". About 200 pages in, I'm really enjoying The Terror.

I thought it was a pretty lame title at first, but it turns out it's the name of the ship.

EmptyGlass

I'm reading the complete works of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Valley of Fear, and The Adventure at Wysteria Lodge.

I'm really enjoying it. My step-father is a big fan and I finally relented and picked it off the shelf. I'm glad I did.

Fattronicus

Michael H wrote: »

I'm reading "The Terror" by Dan Simmons, who wrote one of my most favorite-est books of all time, "Hyperion". About 200 pages in, I'm really enjoying The Terror.

I thought it was a pretty lame title at first, but it turns out it's the name of the ship.

I just saw this book at my local library while I was looking for "Hyperion." Seemed kind of dry from the little bit I skimmed but the premise sounds like all kinds of awesome. Went to Barnes and Nobles to pick up "Hyperion," and just finished the priest's story today. Pretty interesting start to say the least.

Michael H

Fattronicus wrote: »

Michael H wrote: »

I'm reading "The Terror" by Dan Simmons, who wrote one of my most favorite-est books of all time, "Hyperion". About 200 pages in, I'm really enjoying The Terror.

I thought it was a pretty lame title at first, but it turns out it's the name of the ship.

I just saw this book at my local library while I was looking for "Hyperion." Seemed kind of dry from the little bit I skimmed but the premise sounds like all kinds of awesome. Went to Barnes and Nobles to pick up "Hyperion," and just finished the priest's story today. Pretty interesting start to say the least.

I suppose it depends on what part you catch the book at. I don't find it dry, but I also enjoy reading about the details of 19th century arctic expeditions.

The only thing that kind of bugs me is that no two chapters are chronologically next to each other - he jumps around a lot within the plot. He'll casually throw in that "character x died three months ago", which makes me flip back in a panic, wondering how I could have missed such a plot point. In reality, Simmons was dropping that in as a hook because he'll then go back in time in the next chapter or two and detail what he mentioned earlier.

edit: Regarding Hyperion, I'm sure you'll feel compelled to pick up the sequel, which is worth reading. I wasn't too keen on the Endymion books, though.

Grid System

The Terror has a lot to recommend it, but unless you're the sort of person to be impressed by the things it does particularly well (accurate depictions of the lives of seamen and polar explorers, and a healthy dose of psychological horror), it may leave you slightly underwhelmed. That was more or less my experience, anyway. I understand that it's a very well-crafted novel, but it didn't resonate with me the same way Hyperion did. That one had me by the balls pretty much from the first page.

Raharl

I'm reading "The Old Man and the Sea" just cause I never had. It was decent, but so very short.

Also starting on Larry King's memoir. I expected to be bored, but the guy's hilarious. He was married like 8 times, I didn't expect that from old man CNN.

DouglasDanger

I just finished Sword of the Lictor, the third part of the Book of the New Sun. It was really great.

minustheory

I just finished reading 99 Drams of Whiskey by Kate Hopkins which I thoroughly enjoyed. Although I'm afraid I spent too much money trying to recreate a lot of the author's experiences.

I don't have anything next in my to read queue, but I was recently recommended The Dresden Files by a couple of people. Anyone else follow that recommendation?

A Dabble Of Thelonius

The Dresden Files are great light reading. Great action and pacing. Cool characters and concepts, and the books just keep getting better. You can really tell see the series improve going just from book one to book three.

I'd heartily recommend them for some "just for fun" reading.

Retox

I'm about halfway through "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski. I find the book to be awesome and frustrating in equal measure.

minustheory

Retox wrote: »

I'm about halfway through "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski. I find the book to be awesome and frustrating in equal measure.

I've heard great things about it, but I don't know if I could personally put up with the typography.

Grid System

I recently started A Game of Thrones. It's... captivating.

Michael H

Grid System wrote: »

I recently started A Game of Thrones. It's... captivating.

I get lambasted by my friends all the time because I never got past the first book. The constant shifting of focus from character to character every chapter was really distracting for me. Does that bother anyone else or am I just being difficult?

Grid System

No, I'd say that's fair enough. I could see it being annoying.

DarkHawke

Focus-shifting is okay if you have strong characterization and don't introduce too many characters at once - the problem I had early in GoT was just the sheer number of them and getting everything straight.

Still haven't read past the first book though. Mainly because I'm always a little apprehensive of getting into really big series when they're still unfinished.

Michael H

DarkHawke wrote: »

Still haven't read past the first book though. Mainly because I'm always a little apprehensive of getting into really big series when they're still unfinished.

You never know when they'll go all Robert Jordan on you...

SarcasmoBlaster

Just started Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa.

sgt scruffian

Just finished reading Nick Hornby's How to Be Good after waking up four and a half hours ago and grabbing the book in an attempt to go back to sleep. My plans failed.

The book is as well written and imaginative as all of Hornby's stuff, but surprisingly more depressing. Having read A Long Way Down (a book about four suicidals who meet at the top of a building they plan to throw themselves off of) and come away with a sense of happiness and hope, it's odd to say that How to Be Good left me feeling entirely depressed. There are certainly lessons and morals to be learned from the book and when applied to myself and my life, I believe there are a great deal of good things to take away from it. The story itself and the characters who inhabit it, however, are very sad.

It's a worthwhile read, but I wouldn't pick it up if you're already feeling down and out.

minustheory

sgt scruffian wrote: »

Just finished reading Nick Hornby's How to Be Good after waking up four and a half hours ago and grabbing the book in an attempt to go back to sleep. My plans failed.

The book is as well written and imaginative as all of Hornby's stuff, but surprisingly more depressing. Having read A Long Way Down (a book about four suicidals who meet at the top of a building they plan to throw themselves off of) and come away with a sense of happiness and hope, it's odd to say that How to Be Good left me feeling entirely depressed. There are certainly lessons and morals to be learned from the book and when applied to myself and my life, I believe there are a great deal of good things to take away from it. The story itself and the characters who inhabit it, however, are very sad.

It's a worthwhile read, but I wouldn't pick it up if you're already feeling down and out.

I'm generally a big fan of Hornby having had enjoyed most of his work, but I've found that with How to Be Good and then Slam they're just a little too on the down side for me. Maybe it's that I'm a father now, but I can't get as into the depressing books as I used to.

Fattronicus

Hyperion is a pretty awesome book. I've been slowly digesting it. Just finished up with Sol's story and what a bummer that was. Now I'm reading the detective's story and I can't wait to find out what the deal is with the Shrike. That thing is bad ass.

Dr. Face

I recently read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Amazing book, but holy shit is it depressing. Hope the movie adaptation does it justice. Moved onto Otherland series, just about to finish book 1. Judging the the size of the rest of the books this series will take a bit to finish.

Question: I read the first 3 Shannara books (Terry Brooks) not long ago but took a break from the series before I went on. I liked them, but am wondering if the whole prequel thing for the subsequent books worked. Are they as good as the first series?

Endless_Serpents

We are reading Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff.

learntofly

John Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps!

Grid System wrote:

I recently started A Game of Thrones. It's... captivating.

Everyone, everywhere, should read A Song of Ice and Fire. That guy is a dick to his characters.

Qingu

Fattronicus wrote: »

Hyperion is a pretty awesome book. I've been slowly digesting it. Just finished up with Sol's story and what a bummer that was. Now I'm reading the detective's story and I can't wait to find out what the deal is with the Shrike. That thing is bad ass.

I just read Hyperion not too long ago. I actually kind of hated it when I started reading it but I thought each story got progressively better than the last (with the exception of the poet, which I hated more than anything).

I still need to read the sequel. And I will be extremely pissed off if it ends up a deus-ex-machina "make up your metaphysics as you go along" shitfest like Battlestar Galactica.

matisyahu

Been on a tear lately...

Just finished-- Perks of Being a Wallflower (bad), The Road (awesome), City of Glass by Paul Auster (will have to reread to wrap my head around some of it, but enjoyed it overall). Had to put down China Mieville's Perdido Street Station I found it so intolerable. I gave it a hundred pages but couldn't take anymore tiresome descriptions of architecture or synonyms for mucus. He really didn't allow the narrative to flow.

Currently reading George Saunders' story collection, In Persuasion Nation, which is great at some points, funny throughout, but occasionally I just don't know how to react when he veers in to ooOoOoh spooky cautionary tale territory.

Bloodshed

Finished: (Past few months)

Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert A. Heinlein (Really wish I had picked this up years ago, loved it)
The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide - Douglas Adams (I make a point to read this series every year)
Lord of the Rings - J.R.R.Tolkien (I have the massive red book version that is a pain to carry around)
Space Wolf Omnibus - William King
Blood Angel Omnibus - James Swallow
The Dark Tower series - Stephen King (If I pick up one, I just have to finish the series again)
The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

Currently reading:

The Silmarillion - J.R.R.Tolkein (This one always takes me a while)
Confessions of an Economic Hitman - John Perkins
Across the Nightingale Floor - Lian Hearn
The Soul Drinkers Omnibus - Ben Counter


Waiting list: (Some of which are on Pre-Order)

The Gathering Storm - Jordan/Sanderson
The Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss
Divine Comedy - Dante Alighieri
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
The Runaways - Ruth Thomas (It sounds silly, but I read this book when I was very young, perhaps 7 or 8, and a few weeks ago I saw it in a used book store and picked it up for maybe $3. I figured it was worth it to go back and read a book that encouraged my eventual love of reading, so many years later, though I suspect it will be like watching a cartoon you loved 20 years ago. Greatly disappointing.)

Edit: About 6 months ago I got into these Lee Child novels. I never thought I could get into Mystery/Thrillers, but a co-worker loaned me a copy of The Killing Floor and I couldn't put it down, since then we have slowly been picking the books up and passing them around, and I've been suggesting them to damn near everybody. If Mystery/Thriller is your bag, hit your library up and try one on for size.

DouglasDanger

The book of the new sun continues to be awesome. Nearing the end of the last volume. I am thinking of buying one of those guides about it, because there is definitely some wild shit going on in the... undertext? There is a lot going on that the narrator doesn't tell you, from what I have gathered.

Bogart

Indeed. There are several books about it you can pick up, one of which Wolfe wrote himself - The Castle of the Otter. It's most commonly available as part of the collection Castle of Days.