What book(s) are you reading?

[MrAngryFace]

I hadnt even heard of him- i've read some Gibson but not a lot tbh, but I respect his work- so when I saw his quote on the book im like sure- i'll give it a go.

[Mandark]

racist

[Cormacaroni]

Awesome-o casts 'Reductio ad absurdum' for 0pts damage

[chronovore]

If that's all you're getting out of it so far, Awesome-o, quit now and enjoy some Terry Brooks.

[Cerveza mas fina]

What's this song of youth stuff?

[chronovore]

Re-reading Palahniuk's Choke, it's quite good. I'm getting more out of it than the last time I read it.

Has anyone here seen the movie? It's Sam Rockwell, so I'm a little hopeful, but I didn't even know the movie existed until last week, so it is either really bad, or an art-house release, or both.

[recursivelyenumerable]

I started on Perdido Street Station.

I'm not very far in, but from what I gather, a winged dude rides a barge into a massive shitpile of a city. Then a large black man who works as a science professor spends some time fucking a woman who has the head of a beetle. Then this beetle lady rides a chocobo taxi to a river area that's all sorts of fucked up.

I'd probably stop here if I hadn't been told that the book gets really good later on.

tbh, if you don't like it after the first handful of chapters I doubt you'll like the rest either. I mean there's more plot and action and stuff later on, but I think the world, society etc. is the big attraction so if you're not feeling that, you probably won't get a ton out of the book.

[MrAngryFace]

What's this song of youth stuff?

cyberpunk/future stuff- very cool so far.

[Dickie Dee]

re-reading Dune after many years and I forget what the consensus is on how far to go. Obviously only stick to Frank Hubert's stuff but I seem to remember people saying the first 2 are the most worthwhlie (those are what I've read originally)

[Atramental]

[Phoenix Dark]

Somehow I got the entire Wheel of Time series on my kindle. I read the first two books over the course of some long waiting periods during the past few days.

People say that George R.R. Martin needs an editor? Holy shit, he has nothing on Robert Jordan. You could literally tell the exact same stories using 30% as many words. The biggest issue is that he doesn't know how to just cut to the next scene. Every single event that happens needs to be described in painstaking detail.

Also, his prose is pretty mediocre most of the time.

tbh, if you don't like it after the first handful of chapters I doubt you'll like the rest either. I mean there's more plot and action and stuff later on, but I think the world, society etc. is the big attraction so if you're not feeling that, you probably won't get a ton out of the book.

I did like the world a lot. I'm taking the book on an upcoming plane ride, and I definitely plan to finish it.

Hmm. I had heard the first couple WoT books were good, then it veered off into nothingness.

Personally I like highly descriptive fantasy novels so Jordan's excesses in that area probably wouldn't annoy me.

[Great Rumbler]

It didn't annoy back in my teenage years, I do know that. I read through the first 7-8 books at least twice, probably more than that.

[Eric P]

really short (about 200 pages of actual work, 100 of notes), really interesting stuff.

[MrAngryFace]

Over halfway through. I think its a good book. I think it's weakest when it shifts between the hard facts of large scale networking and the authors "pie in the sky" thoughts on the nature of the Internet and what it means to blah blah blah- SHADDUP HIPPIE but all of that aside- a good book that will probably teach you something.

[Great Rumbler]

I finished the book I was reading today, recommend what I read next:

Count Zero - William Gibson
The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury
The Fall of Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Software - Rudy Rucker
Gardens of the Moon - Steven Erikson
The Third Policeman - Flann O'Brien
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Perdido Street Station - China Meiville
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami

[Phoenix Dark]

Anything except Gardens Of The Moon. May I suggest Perdido Street Station

[Cormacaroni]

I finished the book I was reading today, recommend what I read next:

Count Zero - William Gibson
The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury
The Fall of Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Software - Rudy Rucker
Gardens of the Moon - Steven Erikson
The Third Policeman - Flann O'Brien
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Perdido Street Station - China Meiville
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke

I've read everything but 'Software' and 'The Illustrated Man', and let me assure you that by far the strangest and most interesting book on that list is The Third Policeman

[Great Rumbler]

I forgot that I had one more book in my reading queue:

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami

Makes it an even ten.

[Madrun Badrun]

Gardens of the Moon, sucks but its worth it for the other books in the series.

[Cormacaroni]

I forgot that I had one more book in my reading queue:

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami

Makes it an even ten.

My Kindles, let me show you them - I have over 300 lined up, many of which I paid for!

[Eric P]

I finished the book I was reading today, recommend what I read next:

Count Zero - William Gibson
The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury
The Fall of Hyperion - Dan Simmons
Software - Rudy Rucker
Gardens of the Moon - Steven Erikson
The Third Policeman - Flann O'Brien
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Perdido Street Station - China Meiville
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami

Canticle for Leibowitz is one of my favorite books but I also love Jonathan Strange

those are my suggestions

[CajoleJuice]

I will second that Canticle for Leibowitz is pretty great (the only one I have read on that list, though).

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I LOVE Jonathan Strange. Hardboiled Wonderland is also great. Skip Software and Gardens of the Moon.

[MrAngryFace]

gardens of the moon is an odd book- its KIND of important for knowing what the hell is going on in Book 3, but really Deadhouse gates is where shit gets awesome. So I dunno. Read it once and never again I suppose. I mean book 3 first ganoes scene just starts talking about 'inside the sword' and all kinds of shit you just cant even begin to connect until you've read gardens

[Eric P]

i finished this last night and i absolutely cannot say enough nice things about it.
absolutely wonderful short stories in a variety of genres.
Cormac, Eel  and Treesong should definitely become familiar with him if they're not already.


A classic I've never read but damn if it isn't great so far.
it's nominally about a damaged soldier undergoing psychiatric care, but it's really a lot deeper and darker than that.  I'm about 25% of the way done and it's really put together well, similar to Dracula in that it tries to take a factual and scientific stance to something that has no place in "natural" life.  Think of it as the proto Silence of the Lambs (book not movie).

[Joe Molotov]

(Image removed from quote.)

i finished this last night and i absolutely cannot say enough nice things about it.
absolutely wonderful short stories in a variety of genres.
Cormac, Eel  and Treesong should definitely become familiar with him if they're not already.

I like Robert Bloch and I like that cover, so far so good.

[Eric P]

that story is fucking hilarious. 

edit: whoops link removed.

if you google the author and abominable snowman you can find the story fairly easily

[MrAngryFace]

Finished my book on things that are real and important- back to SPACE MARINES

[fistfulofmetal]

reading the Sprawl trilogy. some minor spoilers maybe:

Finished Neuromancer awhile back. enjoyed it a lot but i had some issues following the plot from time to time. especially later on during the climax. that was probably by design since things were getting weird in the story.

finished Count Zero last thursday. i enjoyed the three character plot structure. another case of having some trouble following the plot. specifically not getting how Marly's side played into the overal plot. I understand it now but at the time i didn't. my issue, really. I liked how it alluded to the events from the first book and how they changed the landscape of things. also liked the appearance of Finn.

Reading Mona Lisa Overdrive now. early on. Molly is back. woo-hoo.

[Eric P]

finished Some of Your Blood and am reading Maddow's Drift.

Oh that wacky Saint Ronnie.

[Great Rumbler]

Since everyone basically recommended a different book, I started reading The Fall of Hyperion, since that was kind of what I was leaning towards anyway. Really good so far, picks up nicely from the previous book left off and introduces a few new things to keep it all going. One thing I really like about the Hyperion books is how detailed the universe is, all the little nuances and new terms the book casually uses, without feeling overwhelming.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Since everyone basically recommended a different book, I started reading The Fall of Hyperion, since that was kind of what I was leaning towards anyway. Really good so far, picks up nicely from the previous book left off and introduces a few new things to keep it all going. One thing I really like about the Hyperion books is how detailed the universe is, all the little nuances and new terms the book casually uses, without feeling overwhelming.

like Dune, feel free to stop after the first two books!

[Great Rumbler]

Fall of Hyperion wraps up the pilgrims' story, so that's where I'll stop.

[MrAngryFace]

(Image removed from quote.)

Finished my book on things that are real and important- back to SPACE MARINES

Finished. Fantastic Warhammer 40k novel.

[Dickie Dee]

I thought Rise of Endymion was second best after Hyperion, it ended on a strong note.

[Cormacaroni]

I enjoyed all four books, but I think it was smart to make the distinctions between the 2 pairs of books obvious, rather than marketing them as parts 1-4 of the same story. They're quite different but equally valid, I think.

[Dickie Dee]

True.

It made me really sad to find out his last book was a full-on Teatard dystopia. This was just after reading The Terror and loving it.

[Cormacaroni]

Yeah, I ignored his last one for that reason. Loved The Terror too.

I really need to try again with the Olympos books. The various threads were just so far apart for most of it that I couldn't force my way through it, although they were all interesting enough by themselves.

I just did a massive re-read of Julian May's Pliocene Exile/Galactic Milieu books, which I loved when I was a kid. I first read them when I was about 10 and must have read the first 4 9 or 10 times back then. I can still basically recite every line of dialog in my head before it comes up. I have no idea if they hold up for new readers (old sci-fi is always problematic - these were from the 80s) but man, they were fun as hell.

[Madrun Badrun]

started reading this. 

my god its a sexy book on the inside.  pages aren't glossy, and they are thick.  coloured, pretty diagrams.  Makes reading so much nicer.

[Positive Touch]

Fandom: Jurassic Park

“what are those?” Lunge Claw asked pointing at her breasts.

“they’re called ‘nipples’,” She replied, “they’re for feeding human babies, mostly because human babies don’t have…teeth.” Sarah then realized that was flirtatious question and not out of curiosity.

Lunge Claw laughed, “didn’t expect that from a dinosaur, did ya?”

“You little reptilian pervert,” Sarah blushed, “I don’t whether to kill you or kiss you.”

So many thoughts ran through their heads at that moment, most of them revolved one question: a human and a dinosaur, in love?

By nightfall, Sarah was lying down underneath lunge claw, lunge claw had his penis unsheathed and held it close to her vulva.

“I’m ready,” Sarah said.”

[Great Rumbler]

[Phoenix Dark]

Fandom: Jurassic Park

“what are those?” Lunge Claw asked pointing at her breasts.

“they’re called ‘nipples’,” She replied, “they’re for feeding human babies, mostly because human babies don’t have…teeth.” Sarah then realized that was flirtatious question and not out of curiosity.

Lunge Claw laughed, “didn’t expect that from a dinosaur, did ya?”

“You little reptilian pervert,” Sarah blushed, “I don’t whether to kill you or kiss you.”

So many thoughts ran through their heads at that moment, most of them revolved one question: a human and a dinosaur, in love?

By nightfall, Sarah was lying down underneath lunge claw, lunge claw had his penis unsheathed and held it close to her vulva.

“I’m ready,” Sarah said.”

[Robo]

 

[Great Rumbler]

"Didn't expect that from a dinosaur, did ya?" is going to be my new catchphrase.

[MrAngryFace]

Out this next week- grabbed it today from the bookstore. Cool so far- nice n different.

[chronovore]

The Stress of Her Regard. So far, not my favorite Tim Powers book by a longshot. But it is improving now that they're in Venice.

[Cormacaroni]

I fucking LOVE Stress of Her Regard. Byron, the Shelleys, Lamia...it's a romantic lit fantasy dream of a book. Scary too!

I dove into Lev Grossman's The Magicians the other day. Good stuff so far, looking forward to the supposedly-superior sequel.

[Eric P]

i couldnt' even get past the back cover for The Magicians.

[Cormacaroni]

it is very much Harry Potter for hipsters

[Groogrux]

I finally finished A Dance With Dragons tonight.  Some really good cliff hangers in that one.  Can't wait for the next - whenever that comes out.

Against my better judgement and at the recommendation of a few friends, I'm going to start the Hunger Games trilogy.  I hear it only takes a few days to burn through all three of them so at my reading pace, I should be done within 2-3 weeks.

Don't know what I'm going to read after that...  I may start looking into re-reading the Primal Blueprint or something like that in the meantime.

[fart]

fart read book PFFSTTTHT 8D

[MrAngryFace]

(Image removed from quote.)

Out this next week- grabbed it today from the bookstore. Cool so far- nice n different.

Finished he main story. Deeeeepressing.

[Eric P]

As far as I can tell this was not written for "young adults" so I don't know what the deal is.

that's funny, i thought you were reading a fantasy book.

BOOM

NAILED IT

[Phoenix Dark]

As far as I can tell this was not written for "young adults" so I don't know what the deal is.

that's funny, i thought you were reading a fantasy book.

BOOM

NAILED IT

SMH

[Verdigris Murder]

As far as I can tell this was not written for "young adults" so I don't know what the deal is.

that's funny, i thought you were reading a fantasy book.

BOOM

NAILED IT

I will bless that joke with lol. But.

TB has a point, Rothfuss starts basically transferring his unrequited love somewhere in first book, and goes overboard in book two. It's a fun read, if you factor in MASSIVE empowerment, and serious lack of the essential pairing words with pictures skill it's a fun read.
If it was a cheese, it'd probably be ripe Brie.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

it is very much Harry Potter for hipsters

I really loved The Magicians, but then the way I chose to read and interpret it was perhaps more self-aware than it was intended. I dunno.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

As far as I can tell this was not written for "young adults" so I don't know what the deal is.

that's funny, i thought you were reading a fantasy book.

BOOM

NAILED IT

I will bless that joke with lol. But.

TB has a point, Rothfuss starts basically transferring his unrequited love somewhere in first book, and goes overboard in book two. It's a fun read, if you factor in MASSIVE empowerment, and serious lack of the essential pairing words with pictures skill it's a fun read.
If it was a cheese, it'd probably be ripe Brie.

The empowerment issues in the first two books are so extreme that I'm fairly certain Kvothe is an INSANELY unreliable narrator. I can't imagine ACTUALLY writing a fantasy series where the main character is so handsome, and smart, and clever, and talented, and and and ... maybe I am not smart enough to envision fantasy novels.

[Eric P]

I am reading Caliban's War, volume 2 in The Expanse.  It is a high fantasy book where the fantasy setting is "space."  That's not really true, but it's a science fiction book which takes fantasy tropes and inverts them for a sci-fi space opera setting.  This entire book is like Consider Phlebas and I mean that in a complimentary way.

I've been reading a tear of horror and classic proletariat fiction so it's kind of nice to just go back and read some pew pew everyone once in a while

[MrAngryFace]

Mostly for work. Its a great book- but I suspect most who read it will go 'WELL THATS COMMON SENSE! PSSSHAWWW' when in reality while its common sense, most people dont exercise any of it. So its best to read through this book from the perspective of someone who is currenty doing NOTHING to lead change- then you spend more time thinking up ways you can put the lessons into practice.


Trying to read CLASSICS so when people ask what ive read I can say Steinbeck and not just DAN ABNETT. Plus I love Steinbeck's writing style- gives me a literary boner.

[CajoleJuice]

Trying to read CLASSICS so when people ask what ive read I can say Steinbeck and not just DAN ABNETT. Plus I love Steinbeck's writing style- gives me a literary boner.

you sold out, MAF