|
Goodreads is telling me I'm on track with 3/26 read. #1 The Lost Weekend by Charles Jackson #2 Taipei by Tao Lin #3 what purpose did i serve in your life? by Marie Calloway
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2014 05:43
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 29, 2024 03:56 |
|
|
quote:01. The Stranger - Albert Camus 07. The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt I'm really torn on The Goldfinch and I'm not sure I could even recommend it. The ending deflated an otherwise excellent book. She created all these great characters and just didn't do anything with them. 08. When Panic Attacks - David Burns Not bad, but I think his other book Feeling Good is a better book unless you have a specific phobia you're struggling with. 09. Bridge of Birds - Barry Hughart Loved it. I'll probably read the rest of the series later this year. DannyTanner fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Jul 25, 2014 |
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2014 08:37
|
|
|
thespaceinvader posted:11: Brass Man again by Asher. I'm almost certain I've read this before, but a LONG-rear end time ago. Good so far. I never really got Mr Crane previously, but he's coming across a lot more interesting now. Good fun. 11: Finished Brass Man. I'm still not absolutely sure whether I read this before or not. Some of it seems really familiar, some of it really doesn't. I may have started it but not finished it. Whatever, I liked it, more than the prior two in the sequence. Asher's growing experience shows through, I think - its ending didn't rely on the slightly cliche unspoken plan guarantee of the first two, but was still surprising - if perhaps a little on the deus ex machina side, but Cormac's newfound abilities do promise to be explained later... 12: Polity Agent, again by Asher. I continue my lightning raid on his collected works from various sources. This one's from the library. So far, it's good, and there's a lot more to learn about the worlds.
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2014 13:32
|
|
|
21. The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum I've not read many spy thrillers, so there isn't much basis to compare here, but overall it was pretty good. It is exteremly different than the film version, but it makes sense, as the book is a lot more involved and complicated than you can really put on film. I don't find myself anxious to run out and pick up the sequels right now, but I can only imagine that I'll pick them up over time, when convenient. 22. American Assassin by Vince Flynn Normally, I try not to overlap books in the same genre, but I was anxious to start this one. While the 11th book published in the series, it takes place first. Having not read any of the others, it felt like a decent enough start. THere are some attempts at building characterization and backstory, but really, nobody buys a book called "American Assassin" for characterization and back story. Overall, it was fun for what it was, a distraction and relaxation tool, but this isn't great literature by any means. Also, the praise from people like Glen Beck and Bill O'Reily plastered on the cover makes me feel dirty holding it in public.
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2014 15:06
|
|
|
DannyTanner posted:09. Bridge of Birds - Barry Hughart I read that book about ten years ago, and I remember really liking it. But I never went on to read the others in the series, and I can't really remember too much what happened in it, so perhaps it didn't leave a lasting impression on me...
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2014 06:12
|
|
|
Roydrowsy posted:Also, the praise from people like Glen Beck and Bill O'Reily plastered on the cover makes me feel dirty holding it in public. See, perfect reason for a kindle right there.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2014 17:23
|
|
|
Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:See, perfect reason for a kindle right there. That's how I'm reading the second one. There are probably like 2 books ahead of it on there.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2014 20:26
|
|
|
Put me down for 25 books this year. Maybe I can hit that mark. So far we've got: 1. NOS4A2, by Joe Hill Cheesy fun, read a lot like early Stephen King. I would've liked to see more of the "inscapes" concept fleshed out, because it is very reminiscent of the Dark Tower/Insomnia shared universe. Reading MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood now.
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2014 14:25
|
|
|
glowing-fish posted:I read that book about ten years ago, and I remember really liking it. But I never went on to read the others in the series, and I can't really remember too much what happened in it, so perhaps it didn't leave a lasting impression on me... I read the whole trilogy in the past few years, and the best (and worst) thing I can say about Story of the Stone and Eight Skilled Gentlemen is that they're more of the same. They're no better than Bridge of Birds, and there are a few repeated plot points... but if you enjoyed Bridge of Birds, there's no reason not to read them.
|
|
#
?
Feb 18, 2014 05:25
|
|
|
Chamberk posted:I read the whole trilogy in the past few years, and the best (and worst) thing I can say about Story of the Stone and Eight Skilled Gentlemen is that they're more of the same. They're no better than Bridge of Birds, and there are a few repeated plot points... but if you enjoyed Bridge of Birds, there's no reason not to read them. The main problem with them is just that they're always read immediately after you've just read Bridge of Birds. They end up feeling like re-treads and suffer by the comparison. I suspect if you hadn't read BoB, or if you lower your expectations going into them, you'd be pleasantly surprised.
|
|
#
?
Feb 18, 2014 06:31
|
|
|
thespaceinvader posted:12: Polity Agent, again by Asher. I continue my lightning raid on his collected works from various sources. This one's from the library. So far, it's good, and there's a lot more to learn about the worlds. 13: The Line War by Neal Asher. Not actually started this one yet, felt too ill D: I have to say the series is dragging a bit for me now though, mostly because I really, REALLY want to start on Spatterjay. Fortunately, I have a long train journey coming up.
|
|
#
?
Feb 18, 2014 17:36
|
|
|
Getting in on this years challenge. I made a goal of 26 last year and ended up reading 37 books, so this year I've upped it to 50. I decided to start of the year by finishing the Wheel of Time series. I also intend to take a stab at War and Peace and the Brothers Karamazov this summer when I'm not in classes. 01-11) The Wheel of Time #5-#14 + #0 by Robert Jordan 12)Ishmael by Daniel Quinn 13)Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 14)Weaveworld by Clive Barker 15)Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Currently reading: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller
|
|
#
?
Feb 18, 2014 21:46
|
|
|
23. From Russia With Love - Ian Fleming First Bond novel I read. It was intersting. It was fun. It is definately NOT the same Bond you see in the movies. Bond, at least in the book, seems a bit like a blank slate. He also doesn't do a whole lot, it's more like he lets a bunch of stuff happen, then kicks a little rear end at the end. Not anxious to pick up another Bond book right away, but I wouldn't discount it. 24. Wild - Cheryl Strayed Lady loses her mother. She goes a little crazy. Decides to hike 1100 miles through moutains by herself. An interseting memoir, a really interesting tale of hiking and adventure. I really liked it, though critics get really pissed about how the author is unrepentant about her casual sex and drug use.
|
|
#
?
Feb 18, 2014 23:11
|
|
|
Last Update: 286/25000 2. The Subtle Knife - Phillip Pullman [343pgs] 3. The Amber Compass - Phillip Pullman [545pgs] All in all both books were meh, didn't quite compare to the first, especially with the abrupt change in protagonist to someone who (understandably) is bland. 4. Elantris - Brandon Sanderson [750pgs] My first foray into the world of Sanderson, I understand why he has such a following. Interesting book, especially for his first published though with a few flaws. Notable some pacing and characterization. But none the less a worthwhile read. Total: 1924/25000 or 7.7%
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2014 01:37
|
|
|
adhuin posted:1. God Is Not Great, by Christopher Hitchens 2. Promise of Blood - Powder Mage #1, by Brian McClellan 3. The Way of Shadows - Night Angel #1, by Brent Weeks 4. Shadow's Edge - Night Angel #2, by Brent Weeks
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2014 04:19
|
|
|
Thanks for the insightful commentary on the books you read guys and not just listing them in some sort of list like this is pyf.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2014 04:46
|
|
|
Hesitant though I am to interrupt all of this sincerely-intended encouragement that will no doubt massively benefit mankind and get people reading like Billy-O at his most literate, I do feel the urge to ask: what is "pyf"?
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2014 08:36
|
|
|
Stravinsky posted:Thanks for the insightful commentary on the books you read guys and not just listing them in some sort of list like this is pyf. If you want commentary, then post commentary. What are you reading? I'm currently slogging through Al Santoli's To Bear Any Burden. I say it's a slog, not because it's a bad book (quite the contrary), but it's depressing as hell. It's a collection of personal narratives told by 47 different people who lived through the Vietnam War. It's reminiscent of Mark Baker's Nam and Michael Herr's Dispaches, but where those books had an almost unreal, nightmarish dreamscape quality about them, the people in Santoli's books are very real. It makes their stories all that harder to read. (Though the fact that the people in Santoli's book are named, while those in Baker's and Herr's book go unnamed, could be part of that). I also appreciate that unlike Nam and Dispatches, which were entirely from the point-of-view of the American military, To Bear Any Burden includes people from North and South Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries involved in the conflict. That, and many of them are civilians, such as teachers, activists, and politicians. Powerful stuff. Russ L posted:Hesitant though I am to interrupt all of this sincerely-intended encouragement that will no doubt massively benefit mankind and get people reading like Billy-O at his most literate, I do feel the urge to ask: what is "pyf"? http://forums.somethingawful.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=167
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2014 09:15
|
|
|
My goal has always been one book a week, preferably more if I can. My problem is that I often get locked into a series which gets steadily worse. This month's goal is 2 novels and 2 historical texts. I'm currently working through Doran's Myth of Elizabeth with a SF novel on the side for when I need light relief from historical debate.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2014 09:40
|
|
|
Setanta posted:My goal has always been one book a week, preferably more if I can. My problem is that I often get locked into a series which gets steadily worse. This month's goal is 2 novels and 2 historical texts. I'm currently working through Doran's Myth of Elizabeth with a SF novel on the side for when I need light relief from historical debate. If you don't enjoy reading something, stop reading it. There's nothing locking you into a series and you'll quickly forget about not finishing it anyway.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2014 12:00
|
|
|
thespaceinvader posted:13: The Line War by Neal Asher. Not actually started this one yet, felt too ill D: 13: Being off sick gave me plenty of time to read when it turned out I couldn't really look at a screen for long without my eyes watering. Line War was good, but I coulnd't help but feel the ending was just a TINY bit out of left field - clearly, the man behind the man behind the man thing is something Asher enjoys - the same thing happened with Hilldiggers, but I felt like this one was just a bit of a stretch. Still, it does go some way to explaining quite why Cormac et al read as so legendary in the chapter headers. 14: The Skinner by Neal Asher. I've been looking forward to this one. I must start it.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2014 18:38
|
|
|
Ah right Ted. Thank you.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2014 19:48
|
|
|
Blind Sally posted:If you want commentary, then post commentary. What are you reading? I read several of Amiri Baraka/Leroi Jone's poetry. To say he writes in a style that is in your face and confrontational would be putting it lightly. Fun fact about him is that Jim McGreevey (former New Jersey governor) had the position of Poet Laureate of New Jersey legislated out of existence just so that Baraka would not longer hold it after he wrote a poem about how George Bush and Jews knowing about 9/11 before it happened. The fact that he ever was a Poet Laureate for anyplace at all is hilarious to me to begin with. I also reread a collection of Robert Frost's poems. Here is my opinion: 
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2014 20:20
|
|
|
Haha, I haven't read Frost in a while but I don't remember hating his stuff. A bit overwrought, but clever enough. What turned you off?
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2014 20:53
|
|
|
I have said this before and will always make this comparison: If poets were painters, Frost would be Thomas Kinkade. His poems are full of nostalgia of a time and place in the country that really never exists, especially if you are talking about anything with snow/winter. He just loves to make poems about those because hey guys his last name is frost. Declan MacManus put it best when he posted that his work was super easy to understand and broad enough to apply to anything.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2014 21:03
|
|
|
I'm surprised that you've burnt it before taking a picture of it in the toilet. Hunter S. Thompson refused to review books sent to him by soaking them in woodglue and sending them back as a doorstop, which I quite liked. I guess it lacks impact in picture form.
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2014 21:44
|
|
|
1.Roadside Picnic by Strugatsky Brothers 2.The Game of Rat and Dragon by Cordwainer Smith 3.Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright 4.The Deep Range by Arthur C. Clark I'm going to put my February in a week early because I know I won't finish another one this month. Slow month, only got the one done. The Deep Range is one of Arthur C. Clark's less known books that was recommended to me from the Sci-Fi thread when I asked about books that take place in/on/around the ocean. I've since learned that it was published the year after he moved to Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) to pursue his interest in scuba diving, which now informs his desire to write this book. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Short description: a former space marine becomes a submariner whale farmer. I definitely enjoyed it more than Childhood's End. Like Childhood's End, it's split into 3 parts, but the time frame between each part is just a couple of years. Also like Childhood's End the third part takes on a different tone than the rest of the book, but not outlandish like Childhood's End. The first two parts are really more about telling a story, while the third part takes it in a more cerebral/philosophical direction. The book itself holds up very well to time. Arthur C. Clark seems to be one of the Sci-Fi writers in which a lot of the science fiction described in his books has became science fact by now. That's one thing I liked about this book. Enough of the things that he describes have come into being that the book feels believable in a not too distant future, eventhough it's already 57 years old.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2014 17:37
|
|
|
im gonna re-read Herodutus histories
|
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2014 02:38
|
|
|
Dudes! posted:im gonna re-read Herodutus histories Which translation?
|
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2014 05:21
|
|
|
If you're reading Herodotus get the Landmark Edition. Copious footnotes on every page and extensively annotated maps throughout.
|
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2014 06:17
|
|
|
Stravinsky posted:Which translation? Aubrey De Selincourt revised and notes by John Marincola.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2014 04:41
|
|
|
goal is 30 books this year. 1. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. 1-15 2. On the Road by Jack Kerouac. 2-22 need to step my game up, starting on Light in August by William Faulkner today.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2014 04:43
|
|
|
5/20: The Little Book of Contentment by Leo Babauta
If you're not convinced, the ebook is free and is like 70 pages long, so it's not much of an investment. I really only read it because I needed a quick distraction from the book below. Despite being so short, it honestly felt too long. Like most "self-help" books, you could compress the whole thing down to a single chapter and it wouldn't lose any useful content. Despite my attitude towards these types of books, I still read them. I guess because they generally have a little nugget of useful info every now and then that makes them worth reading. Or maybe I just continue to read them because I actually hate myself, maybe there is a book out there to help me with this problem... 6/20: Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by Bell Hooks It's short. ~110 pages short. But it's dense. I'm honestly not really sure what to say about it or how to critique it. I enjoyed reading it and learned a lot, but it wasn't the introduction to feminism I was hoping it was going to be. I feel like I could've benefited from having my hand held a little more, but it's also possible that I'm just an idiot. Since I don't know what else to say and am worried writing anything else will just highlight my own stupidity, I will end this post with my favourite passage from Feminism is for Everybody: quote:If women and men want to know love, we have to yearn for feminism. For without feminist thinking and practice, we lack the foundation to create loving bonds.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2014 08:34
|
|
|
4. Le Dernier Jour D'un Condamne by Victor Hugo I learned a lot of ancient prison system vocabulary at least. Very very straight forward book, some nice characters though like the guy in the wagon taking them to the guillotine saying his day was going badly because he drops something.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2014 10:22
|
|
|
TrixRabbi posted:Goodreads is telling me I'm on track with 3/26 read. adhuin posted:2. Promise of Blood - Powder Mage #1, by Brian McClellan MVerlie posted:goal is 30 books this year. Not trying to single you three out but these posts are just examples from the last page or so of something I wanted to bring up, remind everyone about, & see if we need to update or change. Some of you may have noticed that I've redone the Forum Rules post. One of the rules in there is "do not reply to any thread with a mere list of book titles and no other explanation or discussion." That's actually always been a rule here for years now, but for some reason in this thread in particular I've noticed people tend to ignore it. I mean, on the one hand, I get it in that this thread is a little different from the rest of the forum and basically an ongoing personal challenge log for a lot of people. On the other hand, if you aren't sharing some thought you had about the book you just read, there's not much for other people to discuss or much reason for other people to read what amounts to your personal log. I don't want to discourage people from their challenges, etc., but as of now I am planning on enforcing the "post something beyond mere book titles" in this thread also. If you list books, say something about either why you plan to read them or what you thought of them. Doesn't have to be an essay, even just a word or two is probably fine, but please make some minimal gesture towards discussion. Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2014 20:43
|
|
|
Hieronymous Alloy posted:Not trying to single you three out but these posts are just examples from the last page or so of something I wanted to bring up, remind everyone about, & see if we need to update or change. I think this is a good direction to go in. It's a lot more participatory as soon as someone starts posting their thoughts on books. I don't think it has to be too much even, but pointing out your favorite book in the batch you just posted would be great.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2014 21:33
|
|
|
I'm in for 20 this year. I think I said that last year and only finished three or four but that's beside the point. I've finished two so far though! 1. Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes 2. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall I though both of these were pretty great. I'm training for a marathon in May and reading these helped to keep me motivated and inspired, plus Born to Run had a lot of insight into history and technique. The only things I didn't like were how Karnazes seems to toot his own horn and McDougall gets a little gaga about the Tarahumara. My secondary goal it to finally finish War and Peace because I've been reading it since it was the Awful Book of the Month  A less important goal that would be nice to hit is to read more books than I buy. I have a problem. On a whim I went into a Barnes and Noble and left with an atlas that was 80% off and a copy of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Then I saw on Ebay a box of 24 retro sci-fi and fantasy novels for $10 dollars and I bought it so fast ughhhh Socialized fucked around with this message at 22:39 on Feb 23, 2014 |
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2014 22:35
|
|
|
25. Kill Shot by Vince Flynn - the direct sequel to "American Assassin" I didn't like this one so much. Flynn isn't a terribly writer. This would have made a pretty decent action thriller if put on film. Perhaps I'm expecting a bit too much from the genre, but it would be nice of characters had personalities that go a bit deeper than the surface. I'll probably do the next book, but there are a lot of other books to read first. 26. Shadow Season - Tom Piccirilli - starts off as a really dark, brooding, almost creepy novel about a blind guy and his demons, and then transitions into a pretty standard thriller. It seems like Piccirill had some good ideas and good intentions, it just didn't work with this book so much.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2014 23:59
|
|
|
1. Beyond the Rift by Peter Watts. 2. Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold. 3. Blood Song by Anthony Ryan. 4. A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. 5. The Death of the Adversary by Hans Keilson. The last one was pretty heavy despite being short; not a pleasant read at all, but quite interesting. Very abstract and introverted depiction of being a young German Jew in the 1930s (so abstract that it actually anonymizes the whole situation and never mentions Jews, Hitler, Nazis or Germany by name). Also written while the author was hiding out in exile during the war (and therefore before the full extent of the infamous atrocities became clear). Reading has been slow with a newborn in the house but I'm now back to the daily bus commute which leaves me with more time that can only be used for either reading or napping. We shall see how it goes.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 14:48
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 29, 2024 03:56 |
|
|
Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:
18: The Sheriff of Yrnameer - Micheal Rubens 19: The Eye of God - James Rollins 20: He Drank, and Saw the Spider - Alex Bledsoe 21: Wake of the Bloody Angel - Alex Bledsoe 22: Dark Jenny - Alex Bledsoe 23: Burn Me Deadly - Alex Bledsoe 24: Exoskeleton - Shane Stadler 25: The Sword Edged Blonde - Alex Bledsoe 26: Rook: Let's Avoid the Apocalypse, People. - Carolyn McCray 27: Fixer - Gene Doucette Sheriff was pretty good. It's a sci fi, almost Pratchett esque kind of book. Worth a read. Basic plot is smuggler/robber guy gets in WAY over his head, and crazy poo poo continues to happen to him. The Eye of God was... eh, I wanna say good but it wasn't exactly terrific. It's the latest from the Sigma Force series. It's got an interesting plot but it just seems to kinda drag around a bit plot wise. Basically, a satellite crashes and before it goes offline, it transmits a picture of a destroyed eastern seaboard because of quantum physics and misc technology. The SF has to figure out why, and how to stop the apocalypse shown in the pic. All the Alex Bledsoe novels are pretty good. The first one (Sword edged blonde) has a rather odd plot but handles itself pretty well. Burn me Deadly has a bigger "WHOA" kinda plot, Dark Jenny is an Author legend retelling which is pretty good, WOBA is a pirate adventure, and HDASTS is the latest in the series. It's pretty good, but went a bit too sci fi for my tastes. Still, pretty great series. Exoskeleton SSSSUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKEEEEDDDDDDD. Big explanation of why in the "What did you finish reading" thread. Suffice to say, the plot falls apart when you think about it for more than 10 seconds and it's just a waste of a good premise. Rook was pretty good, but apparently the author just kinda wrote it and vanished into other series because the sequel was supposed to be out 2 years ago and still nothing. It's sort of like a Felix Castor/John Taylor novel except the lead isn't quite as gigantic of an rear end in a top hat. Fixer is a pretty good novel. A guy can "fix" time to save people from accidents, and others (MYSTERIOUS OTHERS!!!!) don't appreciate that.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2014 15:54
|
|