What have you been reading lately?
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Agent
Member # 1934
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written Tuesday, September 4 2007 20:46
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Cool. I just got Catcher in the Rye on Sunday. Not too far into it, but I like it so far. -------------------- You acquire an item: Radio Free Foil Posts: 1169 | Registered: Monday, September 23 2002 07:00 |
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By Committee
Member # 4233
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written Wednesday, September 5 2007 05:49
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Lord Almighty, the Wheel of Time... what book is he on now, anyway? Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 6670
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written Wednesday, September 5 2007 06:43
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He's done eleven, and the twelve will be the last. I enjoyed the latest, mostly because of Mat. -------------------- "Um, I think it opens inwards." Posts: 1509 | Registered: Tuesday, January 10 2006 08:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 6934
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written Wednesday, September 5 2007 06:58
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Believe it or not - I just finished Children of Hurin by the Tolkien family. What a depressing story... well worth the read though, especially if you don't know the story but would in theory enjoy The Silmarillion, even though you haven't read it, because if you had, you'd know the story, which, perhaps, might on the other hand be an advantage... Did I mention that it's really depressing? -------------------- Always be true to yourself - unless you suck Posts: 183 | Registered: Sunday, March 19 2006 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Wednesday, September 5 2007 08:24
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Children of Húrin is more in the vein of the Silmarillion than LotR. It's not scripture or an epic (not quite), but it evokes a sense of oral tradition more than it resembles any novel. Don't expect characterization. Do expect doom in the original and new senses of the word. Jordan is terrifying all fans by having an engaging race between the last book and a deadly disease. And he still seems to get mostly flak on the internet despite his popularity. —Alorael, who has picked up The Yiddish Policemen's Union and just started. It's quite odd, but it's still good. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Agent
Member # 2210
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written Wednesday, September 5 2007 14:46
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No, I think evil bad signal guy from Going Postal was caught and now gets to make a mint in Making Money... -------------------- Wasting your time and mine looking for a good laugh. Star Bright, Star Light, Oh I Wish I May, I Wish Might, Wish For One Star Tonight. Add your one star vote to my tally. Posts: 1084 | Registered: Thursday, November 7 2002 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 2123
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written Wednesday, September 5 2007 18:33
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I am reading book 11 of the Wheel of Time. 11 books and he has not finished the series? It's been so long that I cannot remeber book 1 anymore and I don't want to go back and reread them all...that would take me forever. -------------------- "The President finally had what he wanted. The President had a planet. All to himself." -A Planet For The President Posts: 228 | Registered: Monday, October 21 2002 07:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 10234
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written Wednesday, September 5 2007 19:29
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Gotta feel for the Wheel of Time junkies. I saw the series was going nowhere fast (or slow) and stopped after book 2 or so. Would be more aptly named Neverending Story if that title wasn't already taken. Or the not-so "Final Fantasy". As to the "who has time to read?" --- one thing I'm impressed with is Jeff Vogel's dungeon room descriptions when there's some kind of deadly puzzle. Or in Nethergate, where he writes colorful details about some hut in the middle of the swamp. I love that kind of stuff. Reminds me of pen & paper RPG gaming. Not enough of that in the big development houses beyond moving the plot along. Jeff's descriptions go far beyond what is required and add a lot of flavor, more than making up for whatever the graphics lack. Anyone else remember a game called Temple of Apshai by Epyx? The graphics were minimal so it came with a little booklet you were supposed to read the room descriptions in. It gave you a hint about what might be in the corner of the room or what creatures might be there. Would be fun to take those room descriptions (I think I have a text file somewhere) and do a Blades of Avernum scenario off of it. [ Wednesday, September 05, 2007 19:32: Message edited by: Ming ] Posts: 102 | Registered: Monday, September 3 2007 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 4256
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written Thursday, September 6 2007 07:24
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quote:I believe he gets given the choice to do that, but instead decides to step off a cliff. Freedom of choice and all that. As for me, I've recently been reading the rather juvenile, but engaging literature of the Ender's Game series, and other books by Card. Card is quite an author. [ Thursday, September 06, 2007 07:25: Message edited by: Sticky ] -------------------- "Let's just say that if complete and utter chaos was lightning, he'd be the sort to stand on a hilltop in a thunderstorm wearing wet copper armour and shouting 'All gods are false'." Posts: 564 | Registered: Wednesday, April 14 2004 07:00 |
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? Man, ? Amazing
Member # 5755
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written Thursday, September 6 2007 08:30
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Finished Rowling's latest made-for-movie book last night. Meh. -------------------- Synergy, et al - "I don't get it." Argon - "I'm at a loss for words..." Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 6670
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written Sunday, September 9 2007 20:54
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Done The Cathedral & The Bazaar by Eric Raymond. The essays in it touched on a number of things, but I found "Homesteading The Noosphere" to be quite interesting. It's an informal study of the inner workings of hacker culture. I didn't actually learn anything from the essay, which was the point; it's supposed to discuss the unspoken cultural norms. One thing I noticed is the parellels between hacker culture and forum culture - not surprising, because forum netiquette is descended from Usenet netiquette. I stopped by a used bookstore near my house and snatched up half a dozen cheap buys. At a dollar, fifty cents, or ten (!) cents, I might as well add books to my collection if they are availiable, instead of borrowing them from the library. I got Dune and Fahrenheit 451 (in the category of "Always hear about, but never read"), The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (never seen the movie, but it sounds somewhat interesting and was ten cents), God in the Dock by C.S. Lewis (a collection a short articles; never heard of it before), and The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan (don't intend on re-reading it, but I own the first four and found a battered copy of the sixth book, so now that particular gap in my bookshelf is filled). Oh, and The Prince by Machiavelli. :D Of course, with university work picking up, I won't be able to read them for a while. A couple of my U books seem somewhat interesting, though... -------------------- Oscar Wilde: Do you mind if I smoke? Sarah Bernhardt: I don't care if you burn. Posts: 1509 | Registered: Tuesday, January 10 2006 08:00 |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Sunday, September 9 2007 22:59
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Funny book, Dune. I was tremendously impressed when I first read it at age 14 or so, but by ten years later I was disgusted by the consistent and obtrusive misogyny. Authors can have hang-ups like anyone else and still produce fine books, but once I noticed how warped Dune is in this way, it was impossible to overlook. And interstellar feudalism whose only rationale is hoary space opera convention doesn't age well, either. There are a few cool and genuinely original elements in the book, and it must be some sort of archetype because I think of it as the progenitor of a prolific genre, yet I can't actually name many books that follow its pattern. So it somehow still seems like an important book, for anyone interested in sci-fi as a genre. Just seriously flawed. I might be able to enjoy it happily now as camp, a sort of sci-fi Hadrian VII. But it's probably not quite consistently outrageous enough, and it's a bit long. -------------------- Listen carefully because some of your options may have changed. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
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By Committee
Member # 4233
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written Monday, September 10 2007 03:24
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I find that using David Lynch's concept as the basis for my visualizations helps. I never thought of it as particularly misogynistic, but I have found in latter readings that his economic models are completely unrealistic for interstellar societies, and that the big actors in that universe don't come close to radiating the sort of concern people probably would if assigned the task of ruling entire planets. That is to say, if I were ruling a planet, petty intrigue against other great houses wouldn't be at the top of my list. Also, the dialogue was ridiculously colloquial among the supposed nobility. Nevertheless, it was still a pretty neat idea. Just could have used a fair amount of refinement. As for books that follow it's pattern, I think the previously mentioned Wheel of Time books by Robert Jordan are quite derivative of Dune, in both subtle and embarrassingly unsubtle ways. Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00 |
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Agent
Member # 2759
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written Monday, September 10 2007 11:34
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I've been continuing my SF orgy. The latest were:
I have a satisfactorily large pile of books in a similar genre yet to be read. Life is good. -------------------- Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4 Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00 |
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Agent
Member # 2210
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written Monday, September 10 2007 12:42
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I read Yann Martel's Life of Pi about being adrift at sea with a tiger, but though the idea was great, the writing wasn't. -------------------- Wasting your time and mine looking for a good laugh. Star Bright, Star Light, Oh I Wish I May, I Wish Might, Wish For One Star Tonight. Add your one star vote to my tally. Posts: 1084 | Registered: Thursday, November 7 2002 08:00 |
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Canned
Member # 8014
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written Monday, September 10 2007 12:47
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Right now I am reading Eldest, book two of the Inheritance Trilogy. (Eragon was the first) [ Monday, September 10, 2007 13:18: Message edited by: Iffy will bring you happiness. ] -------------------- Don't judge a sentence until you know all the words. Muffins n' Hell|Muffins n' Hell: The Muffins Are Back Again Muffins n' Hell: The End is Near Not in your shed -We are sort of done. Helpful criticism is welcome. Everyone, just call me Iffy. Please. Be grateful you have your unsellabe trowels -Goldenking Just so you know, I am working on Muffins n' Hell the scenario. Posts: 1799 | Registered: Sunday, February 4 2007 08:00 |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, September 10 2007 13:34
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I actually got some reading done this month. The two middle volumes of Greg Keyes's current tetralogy. It's wandering and wobbling a bit, but not nosediving like his last series, and I think there's a good chance that he'll finish it well. Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. It's true that the protagonist is the least memorable character, but it's a good story. One I really liked: The Lies of Locke Lamora by one Scott Lynch. It is apparently the first book of a planned series of seven, and there are movie plans in the works, but there is no Hogwarts. We'll see how it goes, but it's a promising start. What I liked was how consistently the author explains something by telling an interesting little story, instead of just telling us that things stand thus and so. Odd customs of the city get explained with anecdotes from its history, and fights with edged weapons become micro-stories of their own, with plots and practically with characters. This makes everything more credible and immersive. The story is a tad gruesome; any movies that do get made will not be rated G. -------------------- Listen carefully because some of your options may have changed. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 2123
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written Monday, September 10 2007 14:12
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quote:Anyone know when book three comes out??? -------------------- "The President finally had what he wanted. The President had a planet. All to himself." -A Planet For The President Posts: 228 | Registered: Monday, October 21 2002 07:00 |
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By Committee
Member # 4233
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written Monday, September 10 2007 15:50
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I enjoyed Neverwhere too. I also read American Gods, but didn't like it as well. He's quite pulpy. Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Monday, September 17 2007 13:21
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quote:And the book lost. —Alorael, who is sad both that a wonderful fantasy author (and quite possibly a good person) died and that the Wheel of Time will never end with quite the words that its author would have chosen. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Agent
Member # 2210
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written Monday, September 17 2007 16:51
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I am reading Tony Dungan, Quiet Strength, an autobiography about the first African American professional head football coach. It runs, football, god, family, more football, a quote from the bible, travel with family to a new football team location, inspirational statement, statement about leadership. In a way it is actual kind of very calm reading and very relaxing. -------------------- Wasting your time and mine looking for a good laugh. Star Bright, Star Light, Oh I Wish I May, I Wish Might, Wish For One Star Tonight. Add your one star vote to my tally. Posts: 1084 | Registered: Thursday, November 7 2002 08:00 |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Tuesday, September 18 2007 10:40
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American Gods was interesting, though indeed probably not as good as the other. I also just finished The Tyranny of the Night, the first in a new series by Glenn Cook (of the Black Company and other things). These two books have some elements in common, weirdly. This new series by Cook seems interesting. -------------------- Listen carefully because some of your options may have changed. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Tuesday, September 18 2007 14:02
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I just finished Childhood's End by Clarke in a single night. Very interesting book, and I'd definitely recommend it even if you tried 2001 and decided his writing is far too confusing. Also, I started Fahrenheit 451 yesterday, but I've hit a bit of an impassé. See, I have this problem with nice characters dying (Clarisse, in this case), and I have to take a break before reading on. Worst was the indifferent banality of it - after four days of absence, the main character's wife vaguely says that "I think she's dead." quote:Unkind souls might cynically comment that if another author continues it, then at least it will end at all. But seriously, I don't want to diss Jordan or WoT now. Having to race to finish your life's work before you die is a terrifying prospect, and failing to do so is a depressing one. (Well, to an outsider. It being uncommon to be depressed after you die.) [ Tuesday, September 18, 2007 14:10: Message edited by: root ] -------------------- The Noble and Ancient Order of Polaris - We're Not Yet Dead. Encyclopedia • Blades Forge • Archives • Stats • RSS (This Topic / Forum) • Blog • NaNoWriMo Did-chat thentagoespyet jumund fori is jus, hat onlime gly nertan ne gethen Firyoubbit 'obio.' Decorum deserves a whole line of my signature, and an entry in your bookmarks. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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Canned
Member # 8014
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written Tuesday, September 18 2007 14:16
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quote:[/b] It will probably come out soon. Also, this thread might attract the wrath of UBB with its size... Edit -fixed quote [ Tuesday, September 18, 2007 14:33: Message edited by: Iffy will bring you happiness. ] -------------------- Don't judge a sentence until you know all the words. Muffins n' Hell|Muffins n' Hell: The Muffins Are Back Again Muffins n' Hell: The End is Near Not in your shed -We are sort of done. Helpful criticism is welcome. Everyone, just call me Iffy. Please. Be grateful you have your unsellabe trowels -Goldenking Just so you know, I am working on Muffins n' Hell the scenario. Posts: 1799 | Registered: Sunday, February 4 2007 08:00 |
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Agent
Member # 4574
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written Tuesday, September 18 2007 15:53
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quote:Why do you lot care about a book written by a sixteen year old. If you're into that fantasy genre, go read something like Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings. Meanwhile, I just read one of the best books in the world, Where's Waldo. -------------------- "I'm happy I'm the mentally disturbed person I am." -Nioca "Yes, Iffy is a demon." -Iffy Posts: 1186 | Registered: Friday, June 18 2004 07:00 |