|
Mr Ice Cream Glove posted:About 200 pages into A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. I've been reading this book since the summer and it's so good. It's all about, but not the music part of it.
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2011 05:25
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 30, 2024 07:28 |
|
|
I'm reading The Hunger Games because I keep hearing good things about it, and because Mark of Mark Reads is doing the series at the moment. It's not amazingly written but the storyline is very gripping. I really thought that the author would pussy out somehow and not go the full Battle Royale thing, beause it's YA. But no, it truly is hosed up, with teenage death and murder and everything. loving rad 
|
|
#
?
Jan 23, 2011 03:43
|
|
|
I'm dying (ahh ha) to get started on my copy of The Hunger Games. It's sat on my bedside table and everytime people post how amazing it is I get all antsy and just want to start! Once or twice I've picked it up only to put it down again saying "soon, soon" to myself. It's my own fault for getting weighed down in two 700-800 page monsters (Daniel Deronda and Mistborn book 2). This is part of the reason I love books, just the anticipation of starting on a new one is exciting 
|
|
#
?
Jan 23, 2011 12:14
|
|
|
Theomanic posted:Moby Dick is excellent and horrible. One of the best and worst books I've ever read. The beginning is quirky and hilarious, and interspersed through-out the book is some beautiful writing on the nature of man. However! You have to wade through a LOT of words. A lot. And most of them are about different breeds of whales, types of boats, pages on how to tie various knots. My advice to you: take heart! Plow through it with determination! You'll be glad to have read it once you finish it, but the journey is epic. I'm pissed off because I've mislaid my copy of Moby Dick and fancied re-reading it. I find the best way to read it is to imagine yourself right on that ship. No way off - you're in the middle of the ocean. Your life is whaling. I loved all the weird chapters on whales and crap. I also made use of my crappy pocket 'dictionary of the bible'; handy for all the bible stuff if you don't know bible stuff. Haven't read a book in months, have just shoved Memoirs of a Geisha in my handbag. It had better be good because I really wanted to read Moby Dick again.
|
|
#
?
Jan 23, 2011 21:48
|
|
|
History of the Mafia by Salvatore Lupo. It's translated from Italian, and for some reason I find his writing very difficult to read. This is the first book I've read in a while that has really frustrated me.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2011 01:02
|
|
|
Just bought Catching Fire and Mockingjay really cheap at a discount store 
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2011 01:48
|
|
|
Just started reading Imajica by Clive Barker again, easily my favorite book by him and my favorite fantasy book.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2011 02:06
|
|
|
Just started How To Win Friends and Influence People. I'm ready for my life to be changed.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2011 05:31
|
|
|
^ I loving hated that book. :I Tonight I sat down and read a little bit each of Sapkowski's The Last Wish, Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, and Danielewski's House of Leaves. I had an entertaining evening. I'm playing The Witcher while reading The Last Wish. The prose is easily digestible and the universe Sapkowski's built off of Slavic folklore is pretty badass and reminds me of Howard and R.R. Martin. Chabon is just blowing my mind with his paragraph-length sentences and well-thought out characterizations. Really excited for this one (also, I'm going to see him give a lecture in a few weeks, so eeeeek!). I was nervous about House of Leaves because it was recommended to me by mainly goons and preteens, but the first thirty pages or so flew by and I dig the atmosphere a whole lot already.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2011 07:12
|
|
|
Hit up the used bookstore in my city and found the first three of Zelzazny's Amber books, "The Jewels of Aptor" and "The Fall of the Towers" by Samuel Delany, and "The Cyberiad" by Stanislaw Lem - all in those tiny paperback format they used to put out with awesomely bad old-school sci-fi covers. Score!
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2011 14:53
|
|
|
I was feeling like wasting some money this evening so I went out and bought myself a Kindle (and the swanky leather case/light). I loaded it up with goodies and picked out Flow My Tears The Policeman Said by Philip K Dick. I gotta say, the man can really paint a picture that will make you pull an all nighter and read the whole drat thing (I'm 22% through the book and I have no intention of stopping any time soon). I've done the same with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and The Penultimate Truth, both of which I strongly recommend for sci fi fans.
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2011 07:41
|
|
|
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. I'm not a critic of writing but sometimes the writing just abruptly drops in style and has a very choppy flow to it. The story isn't even that compelling either. In fact if it wasn't for the engaging mystery element built up around Mr. Norrell I'd have probably dropped this for His Majesty's Dragons by now. Both books being fantasy with some historical elements to them plus dragons.
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2011 08:40
|
|
|
Started reading The Aeneid yesterday. I grabbed it from the library on a whim and I'm glad I did - it really is very good so far. I'm not much for poetry generally but I'm really enjoying the grand epic feel and all the mythology behind it since I've been a big Greek mythology buff since I was a kid. I only wish I knew Latin so I could get a feel for how the original text compares to the translation I'm reading.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2011 17:50
|
|
|
Just started My Mother, She Killed Me, My Father, He Ate Me , a collection of new fairy tales based on folktales/fairy tales/mythology of various regions. It's organized by country, and begins in Russia, and I'm currently in the German section. I purchased it because I love folktales, and also because of the included short story by Neil Gaiman, of whom I am a total fangirl, but I have to say that all of the stories thus far have been enjoyable. I'd never heard of "The Juniper Tree" Grimm fairy tale before--holy poo poo it's hosed up. (The book title is based on that story.)
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2011 01:29
|
|
|
Yesterday I began reading Atlas Shrugged. I've noticed this is either a love it or hate it kind of book. People have told me it's life changing, or at least makes you think about a lot of things. So far, I'm about 5 chapters in and like it so far.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2011 02:09
|
|
|
Last night, I started The Toughest Indian in the World by Sherman Alexie. I really can't say enough good things about this man's work. In the last year, I've read two of his other short story books (The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and the phenomenal War Dances), as well as his hilarious venture in to adolescent literature (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian) and I always dread reaching the final page of his books. I want you to go out and read a book by Sherman Alexie. I want you to do it NOW. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2011 02:10
|
|
|
I'm part way through Assassination Nation by humorist Sarah Vowell and I'm really enjoying it so far. The book follows Vowell as she travels the country looking for places involved in the various assassinations/assassination attempts against US presidents. Despite the serious subject matter the book is hilarious.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2011 04:35
|
|
|
Just got the Penguin Classics edition of The Brothers Karamazov. It's the McDuff translation. I tried researching the best translation, but there's pretty mixed opinion on the webpages I saw, so I decided that Penguin wouldn't lead me astray. I hope it's good! Anyway this is meant to be the greatest novel ever written and if I love it as much as I hope I will, I'm sure I will read it again down the track, and I might look for the Pevear translation then.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2011 06:02
|
|
|
MillionsV posted:Last night, I started The Toughest Indian in the World by Sherman Alexie. I'm almost done with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and its the only thing of his I've read. Its a young adult novel, but most definitely a worthwhile short read. I will have to check out more of his books, as I had never heard of this author.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2011 03:42
|
|
|
Started Bradley K. Martin's Under Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader today. I'm only a couple chapters in and I'm really liking this book, especially in how it's trying to separate the propaganda from truth. It'd be really to just cherry-pick examples of the country's outrageous propaganda, but Martin's really going in depth at the workings of the country. In a word, it's penetrating.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2011 04:14
|
|
|
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. Saw the series come up a few times in the 'What book will you re-read the most in your lifetime' thread and picked it up. It should go nicely with my reading of A brief history of time one chapter at a time. (Halfway through and loving it.)
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2011 13:41
|
|
|
muscles like this? posted:I'm part way through Assassination Nation by humorist Sarah Vowell and I'm really enjoying it so far. The book follows Vowell as she travels the country looking for places involved in the various assassinations/assassination attempts against US presidents. Despite the serious subject matter the book is hilarious. Not trying to be pedantic, but it's actually called "Assassination Vacation." At any rate, I love her work, and just bought "The Wordy Shipmates" this weekend. Just started the "Book of the New Sun" series by Gene Wolfe, and I'm loving the hell out of it. Can't wait to finish it so I can discuss it in the current thread.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2011 20:18
|
|
|
Kneel Before Zog posted:Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. Has there ever been a modern writer who has sucessfully managed to recreate the style of the Victorian novel without it being naff? I would like to think so, but the few I've tried have been unfinishable.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 10:27
|
|
|
Independent People, ususally considered the magnum opus of Halldór Laxness, probably the most famous Icelandic author ever if the anonymous writers of the sagas are not counted, and the only Icelander to win the Nobel prize in literature. Partly written as a response to the new romanticism of the old farm way of life, the book shatters that viewpoint and portrays life on the farm as a constant struggle with difficulties and enemies coming from all directions. It tells the story of one man and his family, and in periphery the story of Iceland's modernization and transition from a society of farmers to the more urban world of today. It's also beautifully written and quite funny throughout. I'd recommend it to just about anyone.
alby mangels fucked around with this message at 15:06 on Feb 2, 2011 |
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2011 15:03
|
|
|
Just bought Inherent Vice by Pynchon. I tried reading Gravity's Rainbow last year when it was TBB's book of the month but just couldn't get into it. I really want to get into Pynchon though and the reviews from Amazon suggest that Inherent Vice is a lot less cryptic and layered than his other novels, so I'm going to give it a go.
|
|
#
?
Feb 14, 2011 15:10
|
|
|
I just picked up books 2-4 of Adrian Tchaikovski's Shadows of the Apt series. Now I just need to finish the first one. Also picked up copies of The Corner and Homicide by David Simon, creator of The Wire. Looking forward to starting those.
|
|
#
?
Feb 14, 2011 15:20
|
|
|
Dr Scoofles posted:Has there ever been a modern writer who has sucessfully managed to recreate the style of the Victorian novel without it being naff? I would like to think so, but the few I've tried have been unfinishable.  ). Waters is interested in gothic fiction, and I'd compare her most to Brontë. Cox I would say is similar to Wilkie Collins or Elizabeth Braddon.
|
|
#
?
Feb 14, 2011 15:47
|
|
|
Dr Scoofles posted:Has there ever been a modern writer who has sucessfully managed to recreate the style of the Victorian novel without it being naff? I would like to think so, but the few I've tried have been unfinishable. The Quincunx by Charles Palliser is an excellent pastiche of the Victorian novel, very well written.
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2011 15:11
|
|
|
I am about to finish Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut and plan to move straight into reading V. by Pynchon.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2011 00:18
|
|
|
I'm about 7 chapters into Lolita . I feel creepy reading it, but it is extremely well written. Because of all the goon recommendations I am going to take a lot more time to read it so as to not miss anything. I am also about halfway through The 4 Hour Workweek , it has taken me forever to get through this self-help book just because there is so much information to process. A lot of the stuff Timothy Ferriss says does not pertain to me though, because it seems from this book that you can only achieve a 4 hour work week by structuring your business model as exclusively internet based. Hence how you can travel the world and still make money by occasionally checking in on your business.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2011 01:48
|
|
|
Just bought some new Kindle books: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. And, uh... A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. 
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2011 08:47
|
|
|
Just started House of Leaves. I tried to finish Dune Messiah last month but gave up after falling asleep during three consecutive attempts.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2011 08:54
|
|
|
I just bought And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts. I had wanted to pick it up a long time ago, but it isn't the easiest book to find for some reason. I recently picked up an e-reader and was able to buy it online. In addition to being a book that I really wanted to read, I am also getting some class credit for it, as I am a nursing student. First impressions are that it isn't the best written thing ever, but it shows the effects of the early days of the AIDS epidemic from a really impressive number of viewpoints. Its seems more of a non-fiction novel like In Cold Blood than a case study.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2011 20:40
|
|
|
I just picked up American Psycho. I'm cautiously optimistic, I've heard it's not a book for everyone.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2011 04:57
|
|
|
Barr1cad3 posted:I just picked up American Psycho. I'm cautiously optimistic, I've heard it's not a book for everyone. Yeah, it's probably not. But if it is for you, you'll love it. It's one of the best books I've ever read; I could hardly put it down.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2011 13:39
|
|
|
I just started reading The Decline and Fall of the British Empire by Piers Brendan. It got my attention for having the greatest cover of any book ever:
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2011 14:40
|
|
|
About a third of the way into The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis, my god I am loving loving this! I really love the way he has his characters talk about the absolute minutiae of college life, rambling on for pages about who sleeps with whom, and all the drugs they are taking. I also really love the unreliable narrator aspect which comes across in the different retellings of certain events (eg: Paul's long and sensual passage about having sex with Sean, compared to Sean's "Went to Paul's room. Got wasted.") I just came across an entire page and a half written in French, what the gently caress. No translation or anything. My French is incredibly rusty so I'll have to look this up online. I love this book. I can't wait to see the movie once I'm done.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2011 15:24
|
|
|
Donny posted:Just started House of Leaves. How are you reading House of Leaves? I ask because reading it from beginning to end isn't working for me and I'm wondering if there is some trick to getting through it. For the record I'm stuck on the introduction.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2011 15:28
|
|
|
I got a copy of Revelation Space by Reynolds for a dollar yesterday! It's in pretty good condition, just a little yellowed at the page edges.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2011 08:17
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 30, 2024 07:28 |
|
|
I bought The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester from the charity bookshop I volunteer in, I'm about a chapter in so far and really liking it (and yes I did initially pick it up because of the Babylon 5 connection).
|
|
#
?
Feb 20, 2011 17:41
|
|
