Topic: What are you currently reading? (Read 485127 times)

BeoPuppy · « **Reply #850 on:** 15 Aug 2013, 09:57 »

Best book about infanticide ever!

... I didn't like it much, to be honest.

Case · « **Reply #851 on:** 08 Sep 2013, 18:20 »

Neil Gaiman:
* The Graveyard Book
* Neverwhere

Damn brilliant bastard. Can't even figure out what it is he does so damn good.
But he does.

Kim Stanley Robinson:
* 2312
I didn't think it possible for 'classic' SF to be that much (odd & highly intelligent) fun to read in 2013, but it is.

Charlie Stross
* 'Halting State'
Best near future SF since Neuromancer, IMHO.

Blue Kitty · « **Reply #852 on:** 08 Sep 2013, 19:00 »

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke. I heard it was good from tumblr of all places so I decided to check it out. It's pretty good so far.

I'm also reading Pariah by Bob Fingerman, mainly cause I wanted to read something by him after I read Maximum Minimum Wage.

Blyss · « **Reply #853 on:** 12 Sep 2013, 11:16 »

World War Z - good stuff so far.

Grognard · « **Reply #854 on:** 12 Sep 2013, 11:48 »

"Yellow Eyes" by John Ringo.

for about the 6th time.

ev4n · « **Reply #855 on:** 13 Sep 2013, 06:22 »

Library just dumped on me the following ebooks:
Mercy Thompson series books 1-5
Gone Girl
2xAgatha Christie

Plus I'm rereading Robin Hobb's Assassin series.

My head is spinning

Thrillho · « **Reply #856 on:** 14 Sep 2013, 09:24 »

Quote from: Grognard on 12 Sep 2013, 11:48

"Yellow Eyes" by John Ringo.

for about the 6th time.

I much prefer "Blonde Hair" by George McCartney.

Grognard · « **Reply #857 on:** 15 Sep 2013, 13:53 »

can't find that publication.

only thing I'm turning up on Amazon is a textbook on Modernist tradition and conservative thought.

Here's the book I mentioned:
http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Eyes-Posleen-John-Ringo/dp/1416555714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379278451&sr=1-1&keywords=%22Yellow+Eyes%22++Ringo

ev4n · « **Reply #858 on:** 16 Sep 2013, 06:57 »

Please tell me you got the joke, Grognard.....

Grognard · « **Reply #859 on:** 16 Sep 2013, 08:01 »

Pilchard123 · « **Reply #860 on:** 16 Sep 2013, 10:58 »

cf. The Beatles

There's a rather contrived Latin pun in here as well.

ev4n · « **Reply #861 on:** 16 Sep 2013, 12:52 »

John Ringo and George McCartney
John Lennon
Ringo Starkey
George Harrison
McCartney, Paul

Blyss · « **Reply #862 on:** 17 Sep 2013, 11:27 »

So, I just finished reading 'World War Z' and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but while it's a lot different than movie, that didn't really diminish my enjoyment of the movie. I saw a couple of places where they obviously made reference to the book, and I get that making an action movie is probably going to sell a lot more tickets than a 'mockumentary'. I do hope, however, that one day someone really makes a movie based on the actual book, and not just loosely interpreted. I think it could be very well done, and would make for a hell of a social commentary.

"Tell it to the whales," indeed.

Barmymoo · « **Reply #863 on:** 17 Sep 2013, 15:07 »

cI'm reading Young Men in Spats by PG Wodehouse. I just finished My Life in Black and White by Kim Izzo, and before that The New Moon with the Old by Dodie Smith. Next up is The Children by Edith Wharton, followed by a collection of short stories by Virginia Woolf (I am reading my library books in intellectual order).

Grognard · « **Reply #864 on:** 17 Sep 2013, 19:14 »

VBScript, Step by Step: by Microsoft.

this CE stuff can be a pain.

Pilchard123 · « **Reply #865 on:** 18 Sep 2013, 12:53 »

Quote from: Barmymoo on 17 Sep 2013, 15:07

I'm reading Young Men in Spats by PG Wodehouse.

IDK if you've read much of his stuff, but even he recommended that you read it in small doses to avoid becoming angry at the inanity. It's good, but not all at once.

Barmymoo · « **Reply #866 on:** 18 Sep 2013, 14:07 »

I've dipped into it - my last employers had quite a few volumes so I'd read them when the baby was either asleep or quietly building towers (the two year old was too interested in what I was doing to let me sit with a book, ever). I find the inanity amusing! I know several of the sort of people he's parodying.

94ssd · « **Reply #867 on:** 19 Sep 2013, 04:10 »

American Dervish by Ayad Ahktar.

It was the "summer reading" book for freshmen at my university. And after the author came and spoke at opening convocation I decided I wanted to read it.

ev4n · « **Reply #868 on:** 20 Sep 2013, 06:14 »

Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn.

The characters have gotten into my head. That said, I'm finding them bizarre and unrealistic at times, though I suspect that's just me.

Barmymoo · « **Reply #869 on:** 20 Sep 2013, 12:18 »

Not just you - I had a look on Amazon and there are hundreds of reviews with the same criticism. I've heard of it but not read it; I might pick it up if I see it in the library just to see whether I agree with you.

ev4n · « **Reply #870 on:** 20 Sep 2013, 13:06 »

Thanks, I don't want to peek until I"m done.

Reading as an ebook from the library, fwiw.

EDIT: In general, unrealistic (to me) characters is one of my biggest literary turn-offs.

Barmymoo · « **Reply #871 on:** 20 Sep 2013, 15:43 »

Oh, me too. I've read a couple of chapters of books with a promising plot and given up because the characters are so badly written that I just can't get engrossed in the story. It's a fairly crucial skill for writers.

ev4n · « **Reply #872 on:** 01 Oct 2013, 07:14 »

So Gone Girl wound up having that kind of modern artificial/clever, everyone-has-a-hard-luck-story feel* that I abhor. Overall, well written and engrossing, but not for me.

Spent some time in urban fantasy. Butcher's Cold Days continued to strengthen my belief that the series has jumped the shark. Also, he is so, so screwed. Book essentially made things worse for him, not better, imo. Plus, been reading some Mercy Thompson stuff. Light and airy.

*I'm sure lit types have a term for it. I only studied 1.5 courses worth of lit in uni, so I'm ignorant.

lepetitfromage · « **Reply #873 on:** 01 Oct 2013, 07:47 »

Nick got me Rant by Palahniuk for my birthday! I started reading it last week and it is so twisted and disgusting and wonderful.

Thrillho · « **Reply #874 on:** 01 Oct 2013, 12:57 »

Reading Who I Am by Pete Townsend.

IT'S A BARREL OF SHITTIN' LAUGHS

Allie_Allie · « **Reply #875 on:** 01 Oct 2013, 12:57 »

I'm currently reading, "Amor En Tiempos de Colera (Love in the Time of Cholera)" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "Rayuela (Hopscotch)" by Julio Cortazar, and "El Hombre Mediocre (The Mediocre Man)" by Jose Ingenieros.

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #876 on:** 17 Oct 2013, 21:09 »

"Brainstorm: The Flaws in the Science of Sex Differences", Rebecca Jordan-Young.

She takes a keen rigorous look at the literature on sex-related brain development and leaves it in tatters.

Thrillho · « **Reply #877 on:** 18 Oct 2013, 10:58 »

I read Pete Townshend's book. Here's what I thought: http://geneticallymodifiedhughes.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/who-is-pete-townshend-anyway/

Aimless · « **Reply #878 on:** 18 Oct 2013, 11:26 »

Reading "Republic of Thieves" right now! A couple of negative early reviews made me very nervous, but I'm more than half-way through the book and still loving it. It is, in several ways, very different from the first two books. I'm kinda digging those differences, even though I loved the others

I think some reviewers have been put off by the difference in plot and by the Locke-Sabetha story. I see where they're coming from, but I feel like the plot rightly takes a back-seat to the characters and their relationships this time 'round... and I feel Lynch is doing justice to those characters. As before, Lynch's writing is unique, skilful, fluid, unobtrusive in a way different from that of many of my favourite writers. In this book, the writing is more restrained, more focused and freer from flights of fancy.

There is of course still time for last-minute disappointment, but I reckon I'm going to end up enjoying this one more than "Red Seas Under Red Skies".

94ssd · « **Reply #879 on:** 21 Oct 2013, 19:48 »

Smoke and Mirrors by Dan Baum, interesting book about the War on Drugs and how it failed so horribly.

Blue Kitty · « **Reply #880 on:** 21 Oct 2013, 19:50 »

After watching the Hobbit for the 3rd or 4th time I've decided to read the book.

pwhodges · « **Reply #881 on:** 21 Oct 2013, 23:37 »

Just remember that unlike The Lord of the Rings it's unashamedly a children's book. It's also quite small, which makes filming it on the same scale as LotR a bit unexpected (and requiring substantial additional material, I gather).

ackblom12 · « **Reply #882 on:** 21 Oct 2013, 23:41 »

Yeah, it's using a fair amount of material from The Silmarillion to flesh things out.

Blyss · « **Reply #883 on:** 22 Oct 2013, 13:03 »

Ender's Game. I've always been interested, but never read it.

Edguy · « **Reply #884 on:** 28 Oct 2013, 05:45 »

Just started on the Malazan Book of the Fallen series, by Steven Erikson. Pretty heavy reading to start with!

94ssd · « **Reply #885 on:** 29 Oct 2013, 15:50 »

Muhammad: A Very Short Introduction by Jonathan Brown for my Arabic class. It actually is rather short and (although there isn't much in there I don't know from previous classes) informative.

LeeC · « **Reply #886 on:** 01 Nov 2013, 22:36 »

Ravenor. A trashy sci-fi novel about a warhammer 40k potent psychic inquisitor confined to a hovering wheelchair, encased in a life support system. the first few chapters where rough to get through, I'm in part two now and it has gotten quite exciting. His crew are an interesting group. Favorite characters other than the named one is Patiences Kys - a self proclaimed "non-people person" telekenetic psychic, Nayle - a gruff merc (makes me think of wolverine with guns), and Kara Swole - a bodacious former acrobat turned merc. Most of the other characters are quite fun too. The first planet they were on was beyond depressing. I think its safe to say if I was living in those slums I would have turned to drugs and ate my own gun three times over.
$:-\$

update: finished it. Not bad. William King is the best story teller for 40k stuff so far, but dan abnett who wrote this didn't do half bad. Switching perspectives from person to person kind of got confusing towards the end but all in all its not a bad bit of sci-fi in the warhammer 40k universe.

LeeC · « **Reply #887 on:** 18 Nov 2013, 18:19 »

Just finished "Angles of Fire" by William king (see above) it is the first of the Macharius trilogy. My god I love this author. If you like 40k, you gonna love this! Its all done from the first person perspective of a Baneblade driver. You learn so much about the guard, war on a planetary scale, hives, heretics, Macharius, battles of faith. It was just awesome. If you are familiar with 40k and love the lore, I'd recommend this as a buy or borrow from a friend. 400 pages so you can get through it fairly quickly when you get sucked in.

LTK · « **Reply #888 on:** 19 Nov 2013, 10:31 »

I read Novice to Master by Soko Morinaga. It's an autobiographical account of the spiritual development of a Zen master. It's very light reading - I finished it in three sittings - but fascinating nonetheless. I find some of his revelations very relatable; on some of them I know I've had similar thoughts. For example, early in the book he describes how his master showed him the surprising efficiency and ingenuity in how to do something as simple as sweeping a floor. I realised something similar when I was working a summer job at a plantation: even though the work is menial and not intellectually stimulating in any way, there is a great deal of skill involved in maximising the efficiency with which you do it. This is not at all what the book is about but it still stood out to me.

There are a lot of other teachings that really resonated with me in the book. I'm suddenly very interested in learning more about Zen.

LeeC · « **Reply #889 on:** 20 Nov 2013, 13:57 »

Are lovecraftian books worth it? I have often heard that lovecraft books are rough to read but the lore that comes out of it in other mediums are more enjoyable.

Usurpatore Hominum LXVI · « **Reply #890 on:** 21 Nov 2013, 02:21 »

Pilchard123 · « **Reply #891 on:** 21 Nov 2013, 13:13 »

NECROTELICOMNICON

(Alt. title Liber Paginarum Fulvarum)

94ssd · « **Reply #892 on:** 27 Nov 2013, 16:46 »

All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. Trying to catch up on "classics."

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #893 on:** 27 Nov 2013, 23:25 »

"Sexual Life in Ancient China", 1961. A semi-scholarly look at art, porn, marriage manuals and medical literature up to the end of the Ming dynasty.

LeeC · « **Reply #894 on:** 28 Nov 2013, 00:02 »

Does it mention "the pillow book" at all?

Barmymoo · « **Reply #895 on:** 28 Nov 2013, 10:32 »

I'm ploughing through the complete works of Austen, and various other classics which catch my eye in the library. At the moment, though, I'm reading Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys, which reminds me of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer - similar style and setting, both excellent.

Thrillho · « **Reply #896 on:** 29 Nov 2013, 01:00 »

STONE COLD JANE AUSTEN

Welu · « **Reply #897 on:** 29 Nov 2013, 10:22 »

I wish I made that name connection when I was studying English Literature. It'd be a lot more fun to have analysed Darcy as a face turn.

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #898 on:** 01 Dec 2013, 15:16 »

Quote from: LeeC on 28 Nov 2013, 00:02

Does it mention "the pillow book" at all?

Don't know yet.

"Double Cross", a history of WW2 double agents and how they were used to support the great D-Day deception. "Colorful" only begins to describe them. There was one whose drinking and womanizing might as well have been James Bond's.

ev4n · « **Reply #899 on:** 06 Jan 2014, 06:57 »

On the weekend I read

Hunt for Red October
Ysabel (Kay)

Enjoyed the heck out of both.

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: What are you currently reading? (Read 485127 times)

ackblom12