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The Reading Room

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Posts

  • DalbozDalboz Resident Puppy Eater Right behind you...Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Shurakai wrote: »
    Reading through Equal Rites (A discworld novel) at the moment. I am thoroughly impressed. I thought a book without Rincewind and Twoflower may be boring and mundane, but I love Esk. She is such a kyoot ikkle she-wizard.

    It's been a long time since I've read it, but Equal Rites didn't tickle my fancy as much as some of the other Discworld books. Have you read anything else without Rincewind and Twoflower? If you haven't read any of the Night Watch books I highly recommend them.

    Small Gods, dude. Small Gods.

    Dalboz on
  • Manning'sEquationManning'sEquation Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Manning'sEquation on
  • zipidideezipididee Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Working on Reapers Gale in the Malazan series by Steven Erikson. Good stuff so far but a little slow.
    I'm not sure where he's going with the malazans, they don't really seem to have a mission at the moment.
    Plus most of the book so far has been a giant cocktease about the fight between Icarium, Karsa, and Rulad.

    zipididee on
    *ching ching* Just my two cents
  • SalSal Damnedest Little Fellow Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    I'm about to start The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman. Hopefully it will be better than the last book I read.

    Sal on
    xet8c.gif


  • bowtiedsealbowtiedseal Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Irond Will wrote: »
    Anyone have any recommendations for plane reading? I'm going to Spain so it's going to be a long flight. I'm a huge fan of Salman Rushdie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Dorothy Parker, and David Sedaris to name a few and a pretty avid and fast reader, so I'll need several books if I can't fall asleep.

    Recently read On Beauty by Zadie Smith and enjoyed it. Not currently reading anything because I'm leaving in four days and not ready to go at all.

    You have awesome taste, Seal. You could try some James Thurber or Vonnegut for light reading, Nabokov for something denser. I assume you've read Catch 22.

    edit: Oh yeah - Irvine Welsh is good. Try Trainspotting or Glue.

    Thanks! I picked up two of the David Mitchell books that were recommended to me on page 1 today, and I will definitely look into the authors you mentioned. I think my brother might have a copy of Trainspotting so if he does I'll snag it from him. I've always wanted to read Nabokov, I just haven't had the time yet.

    bowtiedseal on
  • HelysianHelysian Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    reading Zoli and hating it to hell, but I promised someone I would read it to inform me what gypsies are really like instead of having a over romanticized view of them.

    I still think they're pretty dam cool, they're like the jews, except better.


    I'm trying to break out of only reading school assigned books and so far isn't going well. I really liked Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried and Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and Erich Maria Remarque's (sp?) All Quiet on the Western Front but haven't found anything that has caught my interest too much.

    Anyone have any recommendations?

    Helysian on
  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Dalboz wrote: »
    Shurakai wrote: »
    Reading through Equal Rites (A discworld novel) at the moment. I am thoroughly impressed. I thought a book without Rincewind and Twoflower may be boring and mundane, but I love Esk. She is such a kyoot ikkle she-wizard.

    It's been a long time since I've read it, but Equal Rites didn't tickle my fancy as much as some of the other Discworld books. Have you read anything else without Rincewind and Twoflower? If you haven't read any of the Night Watch books I highly recommend them.

    Small Gods, dude. Small Gods.
    I will chime in for Small Gods. Also, the entire Watch series.

    Quid on
  • RaakamRaakam Too many years... CanadalandRegistered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Sal wrote: »
    I'm about to start The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman. Hopefully it will be better than the last book I read.

    I didn't like it - a lot of his "theories" aren't substantiated at all. It's just opinions and very little substance behind it. Lemme know what you think.

    Raakam on
    My padherder
    they don't it be like it is but it do
  • Mai-KeroMai-Kero Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    I finished Lullaby from Pahlahniuk today.

    I'm not sure if I liked it or not.

    Mai-Kero on
  • Rabid_LlamaRabid_Llama Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    I just started Spook Country by William Gibson. I loved Neuromancer, but this could be quite different.

    Rabid_Llama on
    /sig
    The+Rabid+Llama.png
  • JinniganJinnigan Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    I am reading:

    YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY IS MADE OUT OF MEAT

    it is a collection of the qwantz.com dinosaur comics





    this is awesome

    Jinnigan on
    whatifihadnofriendsshortenedsiggy2.jpg
  • SolventSolvent Econ-artist กรุงเทพมหานครRegistered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Irond Will wrote: »
    ...I assume you've read Catch 22...

    I'm trying to read Mrs Dalloway on the recommendation of a friend. She usually puts me on to good things, but this one keeps putting me to sleep...

    So often when I wake up I've been re-reading Catch 22 actually, and I'm covering (or re-treading) a lot more ground there than I am with Mrs Dalloway.

    Solvent on
    I don't know where he got the scorpions, or how he got them into my mattress.

    http://newnations.bandcamp.com
  • elevatureelevature Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Solvent wrote: »
    Irond Will wrote: »
    ...I assume you've read Catch 22...

    I'm trying to read Mrs Dalloway on the recommendation of a friend. She usually puts me on to good things, but this one keeps putting me to sleep...

    So often when I wake up I've been re-reading Catch 22 actually, and I'm covering (or re-treading) a lot more ground there than I am with Mrs Dalloway.

    I hate Mrs Dalloway so much. Technically it's brilliant, Woolf was incredibly talented, but it's still the most boring book I've ever read. I'm taking a class on Woolf this year and I can see myself needing a whole lot of coffee to get through it.

    elevature on
  • BlackDragon480BlackDragon480 Bluster Kerfuffle Master of Windy ImportRegistered User regular
    edited August 2007
    elevature wrote: »
    Solvent wrote: »
    Irond Will wrote: »
    ...I assume you've read Catch 22...

    I'm trying to read Mrs Dalloway on the recommendation of a friend. She usually puts me on to good things, but this one keeps putting me to sleep...

    So often when I wake up I've been re-reading Catch 22 actually, and I'm covering (or re-treading) a lot more ground there than I am with Mrs Dalloway.

    I hate Mrs Dalloway so much. Technically it's brilliant, Woolf was incredibly talented, but it's still the most boring book I've ever read. I'm taking a class on Woolf this year and I can see myself needing a whole lot of coffee to get through it.


    Ah, that takes me back to AP English my senior year in high school. I suprised even my self by pulling a 5 on the exam, and for all the Woolf and Austin I had to read and write essays on, all I used was:

    imageDB.cgi?isbn=9780764544576

    It's still the only class I've ever used them in.

    And to stay on topic, right now I'm plowing my way through Chris Nicholl's Leonardo da Vinci: Flights of the Mind.

    BlackDragon480 on
    No matter where you go...there you are.
    ~ Buckaroo Banzai
  • nexuscrawlernexuscrawler Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Ya notcie even in contemporary lit classes Wolfe is totally ignored?

    nexuscrawler on
  • elevatureelevature Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    elevature wrote: »
    Solvent wrote: »
    Irond Will wrote: »
    ...I assume you've read Catch 22...

    I'm trying to read Mrs Dalloway on the recommendation of a friend. She usually puts me on to good things, but this one keeps putting me to sleep...

    So often when I wake up I've been re-reading Catch 22 actually, and I'm covering (or re-treading) a lot more ground there than I am with Mrs Dalloway.

    I hate Mrs Dalloway so much. Technically it's brilliant, Woolf was incredibly talented, but it's still the most boring book I've ever read. I'm taking a class on Woolf this year and I can see myself needing a whole lot of coffee to get through it.


    Ah, that takes me back to AP English my senior year in high school. I suprised even my self by pulling a 5 on the exam, and for all the Woolf and Austin I had to read and write essays on, all I used was:

    imageDB.cgi?isbn=9780764544576

    It's still the only class I've ever used them in.

    And to stay on topic, right now I'm plowing my way through Chris Nicholl's Leonardo da Vinci: Flights of the Mind.

    I've studied Dalloway in two literary theory classes, so I know it inside and out by now, but I'm dreading having to read even more of her bland, plotless crap.

    elevature on
  • Evil MultifariousEvil Multifarious Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    My roommate has all the Sandman graphic novels

    All of them

    I am reading them

    It is delicious

    Evil Multifarious on
  • RaakamRaakam Too many years... CanadalandRegistered User regular
    edited August 2007
    I just started Spook Country by William Gibson. I loved Neuromancer, but this could be quite different.

    Idoru is really quite good too, by the way.

    Raakam on
    My padherder
    they don't it be like it is but it do
  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Can I get everyone's opinion on some Ayn Rand? Specifically Atlas Shrugged. After reading up on BioShock, it seems that its plot draws a lot from Rand and it got me interested. A friend of mine kept telling me that The Fountainhead was amazing, but I was doubtful. So would anyone recommend some of her works?

    Grey Ghost on
  • GooeyGooey (\/)┌¶─¶┐(\/) pinch pinchRegistered User regular
    edited August 2007
    I'm re-reading The Mythical Man Month!

    Because I'm that cool!

    Gooey on
    919UOwT.png
  • Evil MultifariousEvil Multifarious Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Can I get everyone's opinion on some Ayn Rand? Specifically Atlas Shrugged. After reading up on BioShock, it seems that its plot draws a lot from Rand and it got me interested. A friend of mine kept telling me that The Fountainhead was amazing, but I was doubtful. So would anyone recommend some of her works?

    Bioshock is more of a cautionary tale about the dangers of Rand's philosophy of objectivism

    Most people on this forum only read Rand's work in order to grain credibility in their hatred for her

    From what I hear, she isn't really a very good writer anyways

    The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged are the two big ones, I'd say read one and see if you like them before trying anything else

    Evil Multifarious on
  • DoctorArchDoctorArch Curmudgeon Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Currently reading The color of magic for the first time, as well as a little Bourne Identity and a re-reading of I, Robot.

    I've got Susanna Clarke's collection of short stories on hold for me at the library. Joy!

    DoctorArch on
    Switch Friend Code: SW-6732-9515-9697
  • SinWithSebastianSinWithSebastian Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    I just got started on One Billion Years Before The End of the World by the Strugatski brothers, unfortunately I don't know if that's the English name as well. I had forgotten how well they manage to capture the feeling and essence of everyday existence.

    SinWithSebastian on
  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Can I get everyone's opinion on some Ayn Rand? Specifically Atlas Shrugged. After reading up on BioShock, it seems that its plot draws a lot from Rand and it got me interested. A friend of mine kept telling me that The Fountainhead was amazing, but I was doubtful. So would anyone recommend some of her works?
    Ayn Rand books essentially revolve around the philosophy that a person should put theirselves before others which will thus make society better. Her books by are decidedly average from what I hear.

    Quid on
  • KalkinoKalkino Buttons Londres Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    I've been going through the Ian Banks catalogue, having grown to love his work with his sci fi Culture series.
    Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
    Some forgettable Greg Bear books (Eon and Eternity)
    Paul Auster = The New York Trilogy

    Kinda missing out on non fiction though, although I am reading a word document version of a work about Hungary 1920-21, specifically about the effect of the refugees on domestic politics - really interesting period, and knew to me as well, but it is incredibly hard to read 180 pages of a Word document.

    Planning to sign up to the British Library this week, so that should give me a better range of non fiction, i hope.

    Kalkino on
    Freedom for the Northern Isles!
  • Target PracticeTarget Practice Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    My roommate has all the Sandman graphic novels

    All of them

    I am reading them

    It is delicious

    Pedant Alert: They're not graphic novels. They're trade collections. Possibly you could refer to The Sandman as a whole as one "graphic novel", but not each individual volume.

    Unless you're talking about the spinoffs and such, I guess. (I have Sandman Vols 1-5 and 7 and both of the Death spinoffs. Why don't I have Vol. 6? Because it wasn't at the same store I found all those used at, and for some reason it always seems to be the one the comics store doesn't have when I go there.)

    Target Practice on
    sig.gif
  • ClevingerClevinger Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    I just finished When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro, and it was a lot different than what I was expecting after a friend told me about it. Nevertheless, I liked it.

    For those who've read a lot of Ishiguro, what did you think of The Unconsoled? I'm considering picking it up next.

    Clevinger on
  • CheeriosCheerios Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Can I get everyone's opinion on some Ayn Rand? Specifically Atlas Shrugged. After reading up on BioShock, it seems that its plot draws a lot from Rand and it got me interested. A friend of mine kept telling me that The Fountainhead was amazing, but I was doubtful. So would anyone recommend some of her works?

    Im lazy, so il just sum up the general view of her work into a mathematical equation.


    Pretentious author + shallow philosophy + mediocre writing talent = worthless books to read

    Cheerios on
  • MurphyMurphy Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Archgarth wrote: »
    I've got Susanna Clarke's collection of short stories on hold for me at the library. Joy!
    It is both awesome and awful. Awesome, because, yay, more Susanna Clarke. Awful, because there isn't nearly enough to sate me.
    Clevinger wrote:
    For those who've read a lot of Ishiguro, what did you think of The Unconsoled? I'm considering picking it up next.
    I have tried to read The Unconsoled three times now. I keep losing interest pretty early in, though. It came highly recommended by a friend whose opinion in books I really trust, but man. Tough to get through.

    If you haven't read Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro, I'd suggest that one first. It's excellent. So haunting.

    Murphy on
  • ClevingerClevinger Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Yeah, I've read Never Let Me Go and loved it as well.

    I also need to pick up Remains Of The Day, which seems to be practically everyone's favorite of his.

    Clevinger on
  • MurphyMurphy Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    I have Remains of the Day in my "To Read" pile. I'm going out of town next week and won't have internet access, so I might just bring it with me (along with a few other books I've been meaning to get to).

    Murphy on
  • JAEFJAEF Unstoppably Bald Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Finished Feast For Crows recently. A decent read but the entire book sort of left me nonplussed as opposed to A Storm of Swords which was a crazy ride with an end that left me a smidge wowed. Also blew through A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs at the behest of a close friend of mine. Certainly an interesting read. Kind of amusing to see what science fiction was like in the very early 1900s.

    Trying to finish Deathly Hallows right now. It's really awful. I usually enjoy simple reads but.. man, slogging through this. 300 pages and I feel like nothing has happened, and there are 300 more. Rowling you bitch.

    JAEF on
  • FallingmanFallingman Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    I'm at a loss... I've just finished a book and cant decide what to go with next. I'm in the middle of ASOIAF and the Dresden books, but aren't in the mood for either of those.

    I watched the Bourne Ultimatum recently so would be interested in a good, action packed spy book if anyone has any reccomendations? (I've read Ludlums books)

    Alternatively a good Post Apocalyptic story would interest me?

    help?

    Fallingman on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • JacobkoshJacobkosh Gamble a stamp. I can show you how to be a real man!Moderator mod
    edited August 2007
    Fallingman, if you're in the mood for a decent thriller I can recommend Greg Rucka's 'Atticus Kodiak' books: Keeper, Finder, Smoker, and Shooting at Midnight. They're about a professional bodyguard-for-hire who's brought in to protect the most sensitive clients from terrorists and assassins: an abortion doctor, a key witness in a billion-dollar tobacco suit, that sort of thing.

    They're fun summer reading but also pretty well written and very thoroughly researched - you'll have fun and might learn some cool factoids in the process.

    Jacobkosh on
  • GoodOmensGoodOmens Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Finally finished the Baroque Cycle again. I found it a very satisfying read. I enjoy the way Stephenson varies the 3rd person narrative. He switches it up enough to make different "scenes" feel new and fresh, but remains true enough to the characters and overall story that it doesn't interrupt how the books unfold.

    I truly, truly wish that I could enjoy the Baroque Cycle, but it just doesn't get me interested. There's no particular reason, no aspect that I especially dislike...just, meh.

    Just finished "Pattern Recognition" by William Gibson, and started "The Immortal Game: A History of Chess," which I'm halfway through since last night so I'm glad I didn't pay for it. After that, I suppose I'll be reading for my classes.

    GoodOmens on
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  • EchoEcho ski-bap ba-dapModerator, Administrator admin
    edited August 2007
    Fallingman wrote: »
    Alternatively a good Post Apocalyptic story would interest me?

    The Vampire Earth books by E.E. Knight were OK, if a bit pulpy.

    Vampires from outer space oh my

    Echo on
  • LibrarianThorneLibrarianThorne Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    Reading through Necropolis, the third in the Gaunt's Ghosts series of Warhammer 40,000 novels by Dan Abnett.

    I'm thinking I'm going to finish reading the Hobbit next week. To my shame, I've read the Lord of the Rings but when I tried to read the Hobbit, oh, five years ago I just couldn't get into it. Perhaps I'll have a better go of it this time.

    LibrarianThorne on
  • Mai-KeroMai-Kero Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    So Wednesday's "Read a book while at work since it's my last week" was Slaughterhouse Five.

    A bit of a change-up after Lullaby and Crooked Little Vein.

    Also better than both.

    Today's will be The Picture of Dorian Grey.

    Crooked Little Vein turned out to be basically a novel version of Bad Signal. Bits of hilarity punctuating the most terrifying stuff Ellis could find. It's basically The Internet: In Book Form.

    Mai-Kero on
  • FallingmanFallingman Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    jacobkosh wrote: »
    Fallingman, if you're in the mood for a decent thriller I can recommend Greg Rucka's 'Atticus Kodiak' books: Keeper, Finder, Smoker, and Shooting at Midnight. They're about a professional bodyguard-for-hire who's brought in to protect the most sensitive clients from terrorists and assassins: an abortion doctor, a key witness in a billion-dollar tobacco suit, that sort of thing.

    They're fun summer reading but also pretty well written and very thoroughly researched - you'll have fun and might learn some cool factoids in the process.

    hmm, that sounds interesting. I'll check them out, thanks!
    Echo wrote:
    The Vampire Earth books by E.E. Knight were OK, if a bit pulpy.

    Is that the one they've made into the Will Smith movie?

    EDIT:
    Bah! both need to shipped from the states if I use Amazon.

    Fallingman on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • nexuscrawlernexuscrawler Registered User regular
    edited August 2007
    GoodOmens wrote: »
    Finally finished the Baroque Cycle again. I found it a very satisfying read. I enjoy the way Stephenson varies the 3rd person narrative. He switches it up enough to make different "scenes" feel new and fresh, but remains true enough to the characters and overall story that it doesn't interrupt how the books unfold.

    I truly, truly wish that I could enjoy the Baroque Cycle, but it just doesn't get me interested. There's no particular reason, no aspect that I especially dislike...just, meh.

    I think the dealbreaker with the Baroque cycle was if you found the characters interesting. the plot was pretty minimal and major plot points happened off scene with barely a mention. But the flavor and characterization of the prinicipal characters was excellent. Jack remains one of my fondest literary characters. Waterhouse was interesting too. i found Eliza's chapters to be somewhat of a chore at times because for lots of the series she's realy an awful bitch.

    The third book kinda ticked me off because the time lapse seems to have lost like half the minor characters many who died without any closure at all.

    nexuscrawler on
This discussion has been closed.