Author Topic: What book(s) are you reading? (Read 684897 times)

Saint Cornelius · « **Reply #660 on:** June 02, 2010, 12:54:29 PM »

I've finished these in the last couple of weeks...

I'm currently reading these:

(I had been looking forward to reading this trashy book for months but after reading "Our Band Could Be Your Life" I'm just not interested in hair metal)

CajoleJuice · « **Reply #661 on:** June 02, 2010, 01:06:32 PM »

Quote from: mojovonio on June 02, 2010, 01:01:01 PM

(Image removed from quote.)
but the characters are incredibly one-dimensional.

So the show is pretty faithful.

Saint Cornelius · « **Reply #662 on:** June 02, 2010, 01:20:02 PM »

Quote from: mojovonio on June 02, 2010, 01:12:52 PM

Oh and his sister is apparently really hot in the book, but I just think of her ugly ass in the show whenever I read about her.

It's really kinky that Michael C. Hall ended up marrying his sister

Saint Cornelius · « **Reply #663 on:** June 02, 2010, 01:23:30 PM »

I think he's an incredible actor! Compare him to Peter Krause, who is Nate Fisher in everything he plays (he was even Nate Fisher in Sports Night)

Saint Cornelius · « **Reply #664 on:** June 03, 2010, 05:37:28 PM »

Quote from: Saint Cornelius on June 02, 2010, 12:54:29 PM

(Image removed from quote.)
(I had been looking forward to reading this trashy book for months but after reading "Our Band Could Be Your Life" I'm just not interested in hair metal)

okay, ever since I read about the egg burrito, I can't put this fucking filthy book down

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #665 on:** June 03, 2010, 09:19:49 PM »

Jake Adelstein has been popping up on my Facebook feed recently - we have friends in common. I think all this stuff about living in hiding from the Yakuza has blown over! Looking forward to meeting him at some point.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #666 on:** June 03, 2010, 09:27:37 PM »

This just turned up in the post:

A true story about US soldiers in Vietnam as 'advisors' prior to declaration of war, somewhat fictionalized and illustrated by 83-yr comics legend Joe Kubert. It looks insanely gorgeous. Cross-posting in comics thread.

Mr. Gundam · « **Reply #667 on:** June 03, 2010, 09:30:01 PM »

My wife got me Tokyo Vice for Christmas. Great book.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #668 on:** June 03, 2010, 10:56:49 PM »

Just got it on Kindle. You fuckers are costing me money!

Madrun Badrun · « **Reply #669 on:** June 03, 2010, 10:58:38 PM »

J. L. Austin

muckhole · « **Reply #670 on:** June 03, 2010, 10:59:42 PM »

Quote from: Cormacaroni on June 03, 2010, 10:56:49 PM

Just got it on Kindle. You fuckers are costing me money!

Just grabbed it for my eReader too. Looks good.

chronovore · « **Reply #671 on:** June 08, 2010, 09:43:04 PM »

Just finished John Dies in the End, a digital edition which may have been scraped when it was available for free on the author's site. I don't know if the print edition is any different, but "Wong" needs an editor. The overall ride is fun, but the first half, up through the end of the Vegas tomfoolery is the best part. After that, it's like he's trying to pull some short stories together into a cohesive narrative. Fortunately, the characters are well-rendered and enjoyable, the humor stays reasonably high, and thanks to the title there is a sense of tension sustained throughout the book, even after the story fails to continue to be scary.

I can't help but think that this would have made a better version of the Supernatural TV series, Bill and Ted Go to Hell, or possibly with minor revisions it could be most of Season 4 of The Mighty Boosh.

Since it has apparently been optioned and will be made into a cheesy movie by the same guy that did Bubba Ho-Tep, I'll just look forward to that. Trimming this bitch down to ninety minutes will take it from the woolly muff of an aging stripper down to the beautiful "Dorito" patch of a San Bernadino pornstar.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #672 on:** June 08, 2010, 10:38:04 PM »

So, I'm midway through 'Tokyo Vice'. I have to say, for a former reporter, this guy can't write for shit. The narrative is compelling enough but the prose is awful. All the dialog suffers from translation from Japanese (perhaps unavoidably) and he doesn't seem to know what a simile is, judging from clunkers like this:

'She could milk a customer like a dairymaid with a fecund cow'

No, milking is not a useful simile for milking

Despite that, I'm still enjoying it, though it probably helps that I'm familiar with most of the news stories already and it's fun seeing the underside of them.

Fresh Prince · « **Reply #673 on:** June 09, 2010, 12:54:43 AM »

Quote from: Father_Mike on June 03, 2010, 10:58:38 PM

(Image removed from quote.)

J. L. Austin

Madrun Badrun · « **Reply #674 on:** June 18, 2010, 12:27:26 PM »

O shit, just got to the part explaining the "chairmaker" in Use of Weapons. Holyshit. Great book.

Barry Egan · « **Reply #675 on:** June 18, 2010, 12:30:13 PM »

Quote from: Father_Mike on June 03, 2010, 10:58:38 PM

(Image removed from quote.)

J. L. Austin

fuck yea! Seriously love that book so fucking much.

Eric P · « **Reply #676 on:** June 18, 2010, 12:41:52 PM »

what i've learned so far: no one likes jack white

etiolate · « **Reply #677 on:** June 18, 2010, 02:27:26 PM »

I liked Drop City myself.

OptimoPeach · « **Reply #678 on:** June 23, 2010, 03:11:29 PM »

For those of you that have read them: Collapse or Guns, Germs, and Steel? If both, what order? Does it even matter?

Trying to rekindle my appetite for nonfiction, and The World Is Flat didn't really do the trick

OptimoPeach · « **Reply #679 on:** June 23, 2010, 03:30:00 PM »

Thanks

tiesto · « **Reply #680 on:** June 23, 2010, 11:28:14 PM »

Quote from: OptimoPeach on June 23, 2010, 03:11:29 PM

For those of you that have read them: Collapse or Guns, Germs, and Steel? If both, what order? Does it even matter?

Trying to rekindle my appetite for nonfiction, and The World Is Flat didn't really do the trick

Guns, Germs, and Steel first, then Collapse (at least, that's how I read them). Although not as "scientific" as GGS, Collapse isn't nearly as dry. After Collapse, "The World Without Us" is a good followup if you're still in the nonfiction mood, it's a different author but pretty reminiscent of Diamond's style.

I am reading this now:

Eric P · « **Reply #681 on:** July 11, 2010, 08:50:19 AM »

a collection of essays from people like Diderot, Proudhon, Conrad, Goldman and the like. it's intersting reading

chronovore · « **Reply #682 on:** July 11, 2010, 11:18:58 AM »

Deadhouse Gates! I picked that up a bit ago, and have been meaning to read it.

In the meantime, I'm reading Abarat: Clive Barker writes young adult fiction for Disney. Just the whole idea seems so absurd that it should be in a dream. But it's decent enough for YA fiction, with the usual Barker silkiness.

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #683 on:** July 11, 2010, 07:50:27 PM »

I went to HPB and picked up:

Madrun Badrun · « **Reply #684 on:** July 11, 2010, 07:52:27 PM »

Classy

chronovore · « **Reply #685 on:** July 13, 2010, 01:16:09 AM »

Quote from: Kosma on July 11, 2010, 11:20:29 AM

Lol Ive been halfway through Abarat for like 3 months now

Hah! I've been making steady progress through it lately.

Madrun Badrun · « **Reply #686 on:** July 13, 2010, 01:38:21 AM »

Seems a bit slow in comparison to Use of Weapons

Eric P · « **Reply #687 on:** July 13, 2010, 07:25:55 AM »

yes

but i recently wrapped Consider Phlebas, which i considered to be better than both of those.

i liked the main character who was virulently opposed to The Culture from a philosophical standpoint

Madrun Badrun · « **Reply #688 on:** July 13, 2010, 11:26:17 AM »

I always here that Consider Phlebas is considered to be boring in comparison. I guess I'll check it out now.

Eric P · « **Reply #689 on:** July 13, 2010, 11:36:16 AM »

i dunno there are several great set pieces and also some philosophical discussions

i consider it a bit subtler than Use of Weapons or Player of Games (esp Player of Games).

Groogrux · « **Reply #690 on:** July 21, 2010, 05:13:57 PM »

Just started reading it last night. Hooked so far. I've never watched the show either.

Madrun Badrun · « **Reply #691 on:** July 21, 2010, 05:21:18 PM »

I finished Player of Games last weekend. Good stuff. It definitely picked up once he actually got to the empire. I loved the way he handled describing the games as they were being played.

currently reading

Eric P · « **Reply #692 on:** July 21, 2010, 05:36:48 PM »

the game language is all wrong but it's a great look into how men fuck up the little tests that are relationships

CajoleJuice · « **Reply #693 on:** August 05, 2010, 04:07:48 PM »

Will buy.

And only 864 pages? Will seem short after Europe: A History and The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (other history books I have to finish/read).

CajoleJuice · « **Reply #694 on:** August 05, 2010, 04:16:03 PM »

Quote from: The Business on August 05, 2010, 04:12:37 PM

It's only about 600 when you take out the endnotes and it reads fast.

Sounds good. Kinda like how Europe: A History is 1392 pages, but more like 1200. But that reads fairly slow, at least for me. It's just sooooo dense. Just names and locations thrown at you in rapid succession in some paragraphs. But after months of not reading it or splitting time with other books, I'm really into it now and will probably finish it up in a couple of weeks.

Eric P · « **Reply #695 on:** August 05, 2010, 04:28:59 PM »

i read that book when it first came and found it to be a good cursory overview. the Barbary pirates stuff was really interesting to me

Olivia Wilde Homo · « **Reply #696 on:** August 05, 2010, 07:01:50 PM »

Quote from: Eric P on August 05, 2010, 04:28:59 PM

i read that book when it first came and found it to be a good cursory overview. the Barbary pirates stuff was really interesting to me

I believe I purchased that book from you a couple of years ago.

Dickie Dee · « **Reply #697 on:** August 05, 2010, 07:10:59 PM »

The Barbary War is such a bizarre little chapter in US history. I wonder if there's a definitive book on it.

Eric P · « **Reply #698 on:** August 05, 2010, 07:13:04 PM »

Quote from: T EXP on August 05, 2010, 07:01:50 PM

Quote from: Eric P on August 05, 2010, 04:28:59 PM
i read that book when it first came and found it to be a good cursory overview. the Barbary pirates stuff was really interesting to me

I believe I purchased that book from you a couple of years ago.

thank you for ensuring i didn't have to eat shoe stew

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #699 on:** August 24, 2010, 11:09:05 PM »

chronovore · « **Reply #700 on:** August 25, 2010, 10:50:35 AM »

I finally muddled through Abarat. It was OK, the ending clearly indicating more of the series to come. Clive is better when he's not holding himself back; there were some questionable but luscious turns of phrase in places, where I thought "this is YA fiction? will they get it?" but whatevs. Probably pick up the next one at some point.

I need to get away from YA fiction for a bit. I also finished the first two Percy Jackson books. They're very fast, light reads, and pretty funny. The chapter headings are always a treat. The books are loads better than that crap movie.

So I'm working on Elmore Leonard's Road Dogs now. It's Dutch, so I know what to expect, and I'm already hooked.

Howard Alan Treesong · « **Reply #701 on:** August 25, 2010, 03:55:28 PM »

Quote from: Genghis Cohen on August 25, 2010, 03:49:41 PM

I just finished Matter, which is without question Iain Banks' best culture book. wowowowow is all I can say.

ehy Cohen guess what?

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

October. GET HYPE.

Howard Alan Treesong · « **Reply #702 on:** August 25, 2010, 03:59:29 PM »

It's cool you like Matter so much ... I'd place it in the upper-middle, just after Use of Weapons and Player of Games, but ahead of the rest. I did not like Consider Phlebas much at all so I'm surprised to see it get so much love from you guys. In the end, though, the books are all so good that it's just kind of what themes and characters appeal to you over others.

Have you read Inversions? It's, like, 0.05% Culture by weight but still pretty fucking awesome.

EDIT: Actually, if you liked Matter, you should definitely check it out - it has the same sort of "medieval culture in an SF universe" vibe, though it's like 99 parts medieval to 1 part SF.

Howard Alan Treesong · « **Reply #703 on:** August 25, 2010, 04:07:45 PM »

I am reading Japanese SF in translation from Haikasoru, Viz's new imprint. (The name is Japanese for "High Castle" which is a pretty great meta-joke.)

All You Need is Kill

Like a B+ ... an A premise with an A- first half and B- conclusion. It's Starship Troopers meets Groundhog Day. I don't really need to say anymore. If that sounds like something you'll like, you'll enjoy the book, but you'll probably be disappointed with the conclusion as well. Like most horror novels, this one really falls apart once we move from the "mystery" phase to the "answer" phase.

The Stories of Ibis

This one, on the other hand, is blowing me away. About half done so far. This is Clifford Simak's City with robots instead of dogs. A robot-dominated future where the few remnant humans don't even remember how things ended up the way they are, and a benevolent AI (Ibis, or "AIBISU" in Japanese) who finds one of the remaining humans and tells him a series of chronological short stories that explain how things ended up the way they did. But, like City, it does this not by detailing wars or conflicts, but by highlighting emotional turning points in ordinary people that the reader can use to understand how things continued moving in this direction.

Once I finish Ibis I want to read something big, meaty and European. Debating between 2666 and Shadow of the Wind.

CajoleJuice · « **Reply #704 on:** August 25, 2010, 04:34:28 PM »

I'm still reading Europe: A History. I'll definitely be done by next weekend, though!

Skidmark · « **Reply #705 on:** August 26, 2010, 08:23:41 AM »

The Beginnings of Western Science: The European Scientific Tradition in Philosophical, Religious, and Institutional Context, 600 B.C. to A.D. 1450

http://www.amazon.com/Beginnings-Western-Science-Philosophical-Institutional/dp/0226482316

Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance

http://www.amazon.com/Hegemony-Survival-Americas-Dominance-American/dp/0805074007

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #706 on:** August 26, 2010, 07:09:18 PM »

I'm about 200/800 into it, book is pretty sweet so far.

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #707 on:** August 27, 2010, 01:40:10 AM »

I'm reading that too, Joe. He writes very well and the plot just screams 'MOVIE BLOCKBUSTER' but cliches abound, particularly in the character backgrounds. Must every single character in a horror novel have some horrible dark past?

Tieno · « **Reply #708 on:** August 27, 2010, 02:52:06 AM »

Saw the movie a few months ago, loved it. Colleague of mine lent me her copy.

Tieno · « **Reply #709 on:** August 27, 2010, 02:57:28 AM »

Kosma, have you seen Long Way Around yet?

Madrun Badrun · « **Reply #710 on:** August 27, 2010, 11:15:43 AM »

Just started Flatland. Looks to be fun.

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #711 on:** August 27, 2010, 04:19:17 PM »

Quote from: Cormacaroni on August 27, 2010, 01:40:10 AM

I'm reading that too, Joe. He writes very well and the plot just screams 'MOVIE BLOCKBUSTER' but cliches abound, particularly in the character backgrounds. Must every single character in a horror novel have some horrible dark past?

I guess that's alright though...

spoiler (click to show/hide)

...since everyone dies 1/4th of the way through the book. Now it's getting all Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome with this lone, isolated city built by refugee children and shit.

[close]

Howard Alan Treesong · « **Reply #712 on:** August 27, 2010, 05:16:44 PM »

Has anyone here read anything by David Mitchell?

Cloud Atlas seems pretty interesting to a meta-structure nerd like myself, and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet ... well, I was into Dejima before it was cool, man.

Olivia Wilde Homo · « **Reply #713 on:** August 27, 2010, 08:57:08 PM »

The Private Life of Chairman Mao

Good read and read it a couple of times already, just about done with it a third time. Can't really find anything that jumps out at me to buy for books so I'm just re-reading for now.

etiolate · « **Reply #714 on:** August 27, 2010, 09:33:48 PM »

I can't get myself to settle down on a book. Maybe it is because I reading as research more than ejnoyment, or maybe because I know I will be reading non-stop within a month.

Barry Egan · « **Reply #715 on:** August 27, 2010, 09:41:57 PM »

I have a sweet spot for good pop psych

Cormacaroni · « **Reply #716 on:** August 27, 2010, 10:58:54 PM »

I have Cloud Atlas on my shelf, but haven't gotten very far into it. From reviews, the structure sounds unique so pretty keen to get stuck in. I never have time to sit down and read (or do anything else) these days.

cool breeze · « **Reply #717 on:** August 27, 2010, 11:00:59 PM »

Now that classes are starting up again I need to find some books to be reading. Will probably go through this thread to find recommendations.

tiesto · « **Reply #718 on:** August 28, 2010, 12:20:50 AM »

Bought a few books today:

Poland becoming a world power

(really curious to why Friedman says this... will they start exporting hot girls?

)

Not sure which one to read first, I think I might do "The Next 100 Years", been eying that one for a while.

Treesong - Shadow of the Wind is a pretty enjoyable book, it's my g/f's favorite book of all time.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I thought it wrapped up a bit -too- neatly at the end and a lot of the exposition is from characters feeding you long blocks of flashback text

[close]

Eel O'Brian · « **Reply #719 on:** August 28, 2010, 02:13:56 AM »

Written in 1907, when a lot of the old west figures were still alive. Hough rode with Pat Garrett for research. Early deconstruction of the western outlaw myth. He's a good writer, reserving most of the flowery language for the introduction. In that introduction, he pretty much calls the reader a pussy if they've never thought about killing a man

News:

Author Topic: What book(s) are you reading? (Read 684897 times)