What Are You Reading? vX.x

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by k0ruptr

It was okay, maybe one of the weakest reads though out of everything I've read though in the last couple weeks. I still think its worth reading once though. good motivation , good story, and good natured.

Good to know. Maybe I'll give it another go...it's definitely possible I was just listening to it at the wrong time, or didn't listen to enough of it to start with.

/tk

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by k0ruptr

Lee Child - 61 hours

both of these were excellent.

Heh... I have mentioned Child's Jack Reacher series before, but I think this is the first time I saw someone else mention it. Glad you enjoyed it. I think the main character is fascinating, and Child does a pretty good job of writing this type of "recyclable material" as it were.

Have you read any of the other Reacher novels?

Speaking of this one...

Spoiler

So do you think he lived at the end? I believe he did, mostly because of what happened to the last two henchmen at the end, but Child left this one surprisingly wide open for interpretation. He usually doesn't do that.

[Peregrine]

I am currently reading and enjoying Mary Beard's "Pompeii: Life of a Roman Town." This is mainly to prepare myself for a trip I am taking there in two weeks, but I've been interested in Pompeii and things Roman for a long time and this is a very interesting and readable book which really takes on a lot of the myths and questions about the town.

[PackerFanatic]

I am halfway through the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy. Really enjoying it.

[terpkristin]

So I listened to Eat, Pray, Love. It wasn't as bad as I first feared. But I don't think I'd recommend it. She spent the first part of the book not describing her time in Italy (and the food!), but mostly talking about the drama that lead her on this trip. I'm sorry, I get it. I don't need to hear all your freaking issues. We all have them. Some of us might have the same issues. But I bet that a significant portion of the population understands what it's like to be at the lowest of your low points, emotionally-speaking (I certainly do). So tell us more about your freaking time in Italy, not your sob story. The second part was alright. Still too many forays in my opinion to her past life, especially in the first half of the second part, but this was far and away the most interesting part for me. Then the third part felt like half spiritual lecture and have "blah blah blah I said I'd write this in 3 parts so here I am doing so but really after the first bit of it, I'm just going to rinse, repeat." However, I say all of the above but I should caveat that the "self-help" and "woe is me" type books really piss me off in general, so the above is sort of generous for Eat, Pray, Love.

I've now started listening to Shadow Divers, a book about a discovery made by some shipwreck divers. I'm only about 2 hours into it, and it's good so far, but I'm looking forward to getting to the meat of the story. The author spent about half the time so far describing diving and all the perils associated with it. To people with no experience around boats and/or no experience diving, this probably helps set the scene. For me, who loves the water, loves boats, and SCUBA dives, it doesn't add a lot. Some of the reviews on Amazon disparage that this is a "highly embellished" tale, but I'm pretty indifferent to that. I want a good story, and so far, this seems like it will be one.

I'm also still finishing Hobb's Assassin's Quest. I've got 15% left according to my Kindle. I'm looking forward to finishing it (the story is good so far). Up next will be Mockingjay, the third in The Hunger Games trilogy. I read the first two books in a day each, so I expect that the third will also be a quick read.

/tk

[Matthean]

Finished "Crush It!" by Gary Vaynerchuk. A good quick read although reading it I kept thinking how much it's a book that either you either get because you are wired like he is and likely don't really need the book, or aren't wired like he is and will fall short in some way trying to do what he says to do.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Still working on Founding Brothers, which is really good. In the meantime, I've polished off Joss Whedon's arcs of the Astonishing X-Men series and the new Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) book Red Pyramid.

Whedon did an incredible job with the X-Men, I thought, though the series was wrapped up a little too quickly for my tastes.

Red Pyramid is basically Percy Jackson, substitute Egyptian Mythology for Greek. The first book was fun enough, but I'm hoping the subsequent books change it up a bit.

[Scoobz0202]

I've always wanted to read more classics but just never got around to it. With my new Kindle I can get some free ones there, but I picked this up on Barnes and Noble. Seemed like a pretty good deal, as Dickens is one of the literary giants I planned on reading first.

hxxp://search.barnesandnoble.com/Dickens-Library/Charles-Dickens/e/9781400500383/?cds2Pid=17978&linkid=1491551

[tarcone]

I am reading The Book Of God by Walter Wangerin jr.

The book is a fictional account of the Bible. The writing is very good. The story is what you think it is. The Bible. Just like reading the Old Testament, it can get tedious. But I just entered into what would be considered the New Testament. It is really picking up. Obviously. I am really enjoying it.

I prefer Paul: A Novel. But this has been a good read as well.

[Young Drachma]

Packing For Mars - Mary Roach

Both Ways Is The Only Way I Want It - Maile Meloy

God Is Not One - Stephen Prothero

Oh and

Bob Dylan In America - Sean
The Warmth of Other Suns - Isabel Wilkerson

[terpkristin]

I finished Shadow Divers (quite enjoyed it, even if it wasn't ALL true, it was a good story). I've moved on to reading Blind Descent, a book I was weary of reading (though it's about something I'm very interested in--caving, it's also going to tout how great someone I really dislike is). About 3 hours into listening to the audio book, I've had a bit of a crazy "small world" incident, which I'm going to go post about in the random thoughts thread.

/tk

[Scoobz0202]

Currently reading The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet and American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I'm not the type to normally read two books at once, and I will probably end up sticking with Pillars, but the damn Kindle and it's free samples got me hooked on both.

[terpkristin]

I'm reading two interesting books (well, one is in print and the other is from Audible). I will probably finish the audio one today, as it is short (5 and a half hours) and I'm already halfway through.

The first book I'm "reading" is what I'm listening to. Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias S. Buckell, both known for their science fiction, wrote a set of complimentary fantasy novellas. Published as one in audio format (Amazon.com: The Alchemist and the Executioness (Audible Audio Edition): Paolo Bacigalupi, Tobias S. Buckell, Jonathan Davis, Katherine Kellgren: Books, or as separate dead-tree editions (http://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Paol...8220155&sr=8-3 and Amazon.com: The Executioness (9781596063549): Tobias S. Buckell, J. K. Drummond: Books, they go hand-in-hand telling a story of a world where magic is forbidden--in fact, it's causing harm to the world, until one day an alchemist thinks he's found the cure. Somehow, this is going to tie into the story of The Executioness, but I haven't gotten that far yet. I've never read anything by either author, but am quite enjoying it.

The other book I'm reading is Shadow & Claw, by Gene Wolfe (Amazon.com: Shadow & Claw: The First Half of 'The Book of the New Sun' (Book of the Long Sun) (9780312890179): Gene Wolfe: Books. Wolfe's writing style is a bit dense, and if there was ever a book that begged to be Kindle-ized, this is one (Infinite Jest is another), with its small font and obscure words. But after I got past the initial shock and began to be comfortable with Wolfe's writing style, I'm finding I don't want to put it down. I really wish this were available in Kindle. Oh well.

Tomorrow, I'm probably going to start listening to Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. It's been on my "to read" list for awhile and I think it won't distract me from Shadow & Claw in terms of confusing plotlines and such. I typically read more than one book at a time, but I've found that I have to read different genres, otherwise I get confused and get my stories crossed.

/tk

[OldGiants]

Welcome to the Gene Wolfe fan club. I've read all 13 titles in that series at least twice. One day, I'll do it again, straight through.

You will need to read all 13 to get the entire story. The last book, Return to the Whorl, does explain most everything, so hang in there.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by OldGiants

Welcome to the Gene Wolfe fan club. I've read all 13 titles in that series at least twice. One day, I'll do it again, straight through.

You will need to read all 13 to get the entire story. The last book, Return to the Whorl, does explain most everything, so hang in there.

Hey OG,

Maybe you can help, because I have been confused when I have looked around about what the proper order is to read the Wolfe books (I assume you're talking about the various "Sun" titles).

I read what I believe to be the first books. The ones that start with the protagonist getting kicked out of his executioner home and traveling north (I would use names, but I forget the names). I read what I think was originally four books, but were recently combined into two combos of two books each. But that was as far as I got before I got confused about how best to continue.

[Matthean]

Finished "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." It was pretty much what I thought it was going to be. I might read the rest of the series later, but I have an ever growing list of books to read so I don't expect that to happen soon.

Next up is "boys adrift" by Leonard Sax M.D. Ph. D. on five factors that have led to the growing epidemic of young boys struggling to not fulling growing into adulthood. I think this is going to hit a wee bit close to home and could cause me to ramble rather long if somebody got me at the right time. My friend buried himself into games and I went right along with it ignoring the big picture for far too long. Granted, I did a number of times try to break him out of it, but it was to no avail. Even after we stopped hanging out, old habits tend to be difficult to break.

[3ric]

Currently reading "Bury my heart at Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown. Some of those stories I already knew about, but some I'd never heard about before, like "Roman Nose", a fascinating character.

[Peregrine]

I just finished reading Richard Dawkins' "The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution." I really enjoyed this book, though there is at times some repetition, it's pretty much inevitable. I learned a lot about the scientific underpinnings of natural selection, which I never knew before, and gained a much better understanding of the topic in general.

[spleen1015]

Time to bump this sucker.

I am currently reading A Feast for Crows. Then, I will read A Dance with Dragons. After that, I would like to start a new series of books.

My taste in books seems to be mostly fantasy. I read a lot of Zanth when I was a kid. I have read Wheel of Time and am a big fan. I have read the Mistborn Triology along with Rothfuss' books.

I am thinking something along the lines of Ender's Game or The City of Ember. I'm also thinking about maybe giving The Black Dahlia or The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo a shot to kind of switch it up a bit.

What do you guys recommend?

[terpkristin]

I finished up AFFC this past weekend. I'm reading some light stuff in anticipation of ADWD.

I liked Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow, but never read the others in the series. I don't know if you're trying to go more sci-fi with your "new" picks, but I really like Feist's Riftwar books (starting with Magician) (disclaimer, I've only read through the 2nd book in the Serpentwar saga so far).

You might like Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy. The Blade Itself is the first book, and then there are 2 follow-on standalone books that follow the trilogy.

I've heard good things about Bujold's Vorkosigan books but have never read them. Also, if you've never read it, Dan Simmons' Hyperion is good (but you have to read the follow on book).

I liked the Dragon Tattoo books well enough. I thought that the 2nd and 3rd weren't as good as the first. I thought, especially in the third book, that there were parts/story lines that were completely unnecessary.

I'm sure if you want more recommendations I can go through my goodreads list.

/tk

[Vince, Pt. II]

Man, I have a ton to catch up on. Recently I've read...

Every book by Jim Butcher. Literally. He has two major series:

The Codex Alera - This is your typical, High Fantasy Epic series, consisting of 6 books that clock in at around 650 pages each. I really, really enjoyed it even if the general plot was a bit formulaic. The setting has a bit of a twist: instead of people knowing and performing magic or sorcery, there are uncounted "furies" - elementals, as it were - that the people of Alera call upon to perform what in other fantasy worlds would be called magic. Tavi, the protagonist, has no furies of his own to speak of, and is literally the only person in his world who can boast this.

I really, really enjoyed the story and Butcher's writing style, which led me to his other major series...

The Dresden Files - This series is phenomenal. 13 books thus far (I believe the next is due out later this month), each around 500 pages. The protagonist is one Harry Dresden, Wizard for hire in modern-day Chicago. A great mix of humor, drama and action, Butcher manages to ratchet up the intensity with each book, which is hard to do time after time. It's really fun to watch him weave mythology and lore from nearly all walks of life - from Werewolves and Vampires to the Seelie and Unseelie Courts to even Native American folklore - into a modern day detective story style romp.

I can't say enough about these books. I read them all (both the Codex Alera and the Dresden Files) in just over a month. They were that good. When I accidentally packed book 3 of the Codex Alera in my stowed bag and took book 4 with me on the plane, I literally paid for the digital version on my iPhone so I could read it (1.5 hour flight) because I couldn't wait that long to get back to it. In retrospect, the first couple of books of The Dresden Files seem to be a little slower-paced than the rest, but it quickly gets better. I enjoyed the Codex from beginning to end, and put the series on par with the Dragonlance Chronicles by Weis and Hickman and the Belgariad & Malloreon by Eddings.

The Count of Monte Cristo - As a Dumas fan who loved The Three Musketeers, I can't believe it's taken me this long to get back to him and read the ultimate revenge story. I enjoyed it, though not as much as I (and my roommate, who cites this as her favorite book) thought I would. It was phenomenal at the start, but I started to lose steam about 3/4 the way through. I don't know if it was simply too long or what, but while it was enjoyable the whole way through, I lost the "can't put it down" feeling with a good quarter of the book left, which is just about the time you would imagine things should be getting so gripping you absolutely can't put it down. As for my thoughts on the story...

Spoiler

I'm quite disappointed that in the end he gets a girl. I know that he had to put up with all sorts of crap, but this isn't a happy fun story, and it seems almost a cop out that he gets the goods at the end.

I also read The War of the Ancients Trilogy by Richard Knaack, a Warcraft book. As a huge fan of both the old Warcraft RTS series and World of Warcraft, I had high expectations for these books, but they were pretty flat. If I hadn't already understood a lot of the lore from the video games, I would not have enjoyed the books very much, I don't think.

Finally, I just recently finished Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann today. This intriguing novel is a murder mystery told from the perspective of a flock of sheep. I had extremely high hopes going in, as it is just the sort of silly idea that could be amazing if done correctly. Initially, the book didn't disappoint; captivating story with a unique perspective and plenty of potential villains. It was hilarious reading the interpretation of various human things by the sheep themselves, particularly the scene where one of the sheep enters a church. That being said, it wasn't as laugh-out-loud funny as I thought it would be, although that's not altogether a bad thing, and I'm not sure that was the point anyway. Without giving too much away, the book was great until the end; this could simply be a personal problem, as I think it was well-written all the way through.

Now I set my sights on Are You Kidding Me? by John Feinstein, the story of Rocco Mediate's crazy run at Tiger Woods in the 2008 US Open. On deck after that is The Devil and the White City by Erik Larson (about the World's Fair in Chicago circa 1893 and a Serial Killer of the time) and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (about a child who grows up living in a graveyard).

[cougarfreak]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Time to bump this sucker.

I am currently reading A Feast for Crows. Then, I will read A Dance with Dragons. After that, I would like to start a new series of books.

My taste in books seems to be mostly fantasy. I read a lot of Zanth when I was a kid. I have read Wheel of Time and am a big fan. I have read the Mistborn Triology along with Rothfuss' books.

I am thinking something along the lines of Ender's Game or The City of Ember. I'm also thinking about maybe giving The Black Dahlia or The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo a shot to kind of switch it up a bit.

What do you guys recommend?

I'm in the same boat. I'll be waiting for ADWD early Tuesday. I also recently bought the first 6 books of the Jack Ryan series on the kindle for like $50, so I'll probably do a reread of those.

[Scoobz0202]

Just saw a reminder that Lev Grossman's sequel to The Magician's come's out in about a month. Pretty excited. I enjoyed his first book a lot more then I expected. It had a very weak ending, but I hope the next one is just as good.

[Groundhog]

I'm nearly done with A Game of Thrones and have enjoyed it very very much, even with having seen the TV series. Can't wait to start on book 2.

I also tried to read The Name of the Rose as I got a free copy. I made it roughly 25% through, but man, it was a slog. I actually enjoyed the story, but it was too much hard work, especially having to look up words in the dictionary on every second page, as apparently I don't know many medieval religious terms as I'd thought!

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I'm nearly done with A Game of Thrones and have enjoyed it very very much, even with having seen the TV series. Can't wait to start on book 2.

I also tried to read The Name of the Rose as I got a free copy. I made it roughly 25% through, but man, it was a slog. I actually enjoyed the story, but it was too much hard work, especially having to look up words in the dictionary on every second page, as apparently I don't know many medieval religious terms as I'd thought!

Name of the Rose is such a great book. I tried Foucault's Pendulum and that's truly a slog. At least check out the movie for Rose. Sean Connery and a young Christian Slater. It's fairly loyal to the book.

Two books I've always liked more than that one are An Instance of the Fingerpost and The Eight. Both are much easier reads but just as good.

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

The Count of Monte Cristo - As a Dumas fan who loved The Three Musketeers, I can't believe it's taken me this long to get back to him and read the ultimate revenge story. I enjoyed it, though not as much as I (and my roommate, who cites this as her favorite book) thought I would. It was phenomenal at the start, but I started to lose steam about 3/4 the way through. I don't know if it was simply too long or what, but while it was enjoyable the whole way through, I lost the "can't put it down" feeling with a good quarter of the book left, which is just about the time you would imagine things should be getting so gripping you absolutely can't put it down.

I read the abridged version in high school and loved it. I reread the unabridged version last summer and had the very same reaction you did. Clearly Dumas needed an editor.

The only thing I've read so far this year that I would recommend is the Keith Richards autobiography. It is a lot of fun if you have any interest at all in that era of rock music. Unless you're Mick Jagger.

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Every book by Jim Butcher. Literally. He has two major series:

I enjoyed the Codex from beginning to end, and put the series on par with the Dragonlance Chronicles by Weis and Hickman and the Belgariad & Malloreon by Eddings.

I'm a fan of the Dresden books, but someone else told me it was a shame Butcher had ended the Dresden series, because "everything else he has written is garbage". So I'm kind of glad to hear a different perspective on it.

That said...if you have a positive of view of the Belgariad and the Malloreon, then I'm not sure how much benefit of the doubt I can give you on Butcher. I really enjoyed the story, and loved the characters, up until the end.

Spoiler

You know where the ultimately powerful bad guy villain violates the one law of magic that has been pounded into our head from the beginning of the books, and brings about his own demise.

That and the second of the two series seemed to be simply a retelling of the first. I just don't think they hold up to any scrutiny.

The Feinstein book is on my short list as well.

[Glengoyne]

For those of you who use Audible.com.

I've gone through the Martin series, the Jordan series, and have just finished Joe Abercrombie's five books.

So any recommendations for what to listen to next? As you can see, I lean toward fantasy offerings. I've also done the Name of the Wind, and its apparently forgettable sequel.

[QuikSand]

A few thoughts:

Eco's Foucault's Pendulum is worth the slog, it's better than The Name of the Rose for my money, and that's serious praise in my book.

I'm an Audible guy, but not really into fantasy/scifi. Maybe if your tastes run toward that genre, a listen to one of the Neil Gaiman books would work? He's more literary (for lack of a better term) than your rank and file scifi type, but his settings are usually otherworldly in various ways. He's good, I'd start with Neverwhere. I liked the setting for that book enough to be mad that it didn't go beyond the one book -- and given your history, you might feel the same way, and that's not really a terrible thing.

I thought the readings of Larsson's Girl books were excellent, and every release of James Lee Burke's Robicheaux series, read by Will Patton, is an insta-buy for me on Audible.

I'm pushing through some nonfiction now - many friends recommended The Emperor of All Maladies, and I'm maybe a third through and bored (I basically hate history and biography, so this wasn't a great pairing to be fair). I try to read one nonfiction title for every fiction, in the name of making myself a better person rather than just a better armchair sleuth.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

The Dresden Files - This series is phenomenal. 13 books thus far (I believe the next is due out later this month), each around 500 pages. The protagonist is one Harry Dresden, Wizard for hire in modern-day Chicago. A great mix of humor, drama and action, Butcher manages to ratchet up the intensity with each book, which is hard to do time after time. It's really fun to watch him weave mythology and lore from nearly all walks of life - from Werewolves and Vampires to the Seelie and Unseelie Courts to even Native American folklore - into a modern day detective story style romp.

I can't say enough about these books. I read them all (both the Codex Alera and the Dresden Files) in just over a month. They were that good. When I accidentally packed book 3 of the Codex Alera in my stowed bag and took book 4 with me on the plane, I literally paid for the digital version on my iPhone so I could read it (1.5 hour flight) because I couldn't wait that long to get back to it. In retrospect, the first couple of books of The Dresden Files seem to be a little slower-paced than the rest, but it quickly gets better. I enjoyed the Codex from beginning to end, and put the series on par with the Dragonlance Chronicles by Weis and Hickman and the Belgariad & Malloreon by Eddings.

The first Dresden book was the first book I bought when I got the Nook Color. I don't think it was a a bad book, but I didn't have a strong desire to read the next one and moved on to Game of Thrones. I think I will go back them then eventually. Codex Alera is on my to read list as well.

[Glengoyne]

I'll second Foucault's Pendulum. It has been a while, but I enjoyed it at least as much as The Name of the Rose. I always think of them as a pair. I have trouble recommending them as so many people just haven't enjoyed either of them as I did.

I've never read any Gaiman, but have thought about it. Neverwhere might be a good start.

Thanks for the leads, I'll see where those go.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Glengoyne

I'm a fan of the Dresden books, but someone else told me it was a shame Butcher had ended the Dresden series, because "everything else he has written is garbage". So I'm kind of glad to hear a different perspective on it.

That said...if you have a positive of view of the Belgariad and the Malloreon, then I'm not sure how much benefit of the doubt I can give you on Butcher. I really enjoyed the story, and loved the characters, up until the end.

Spoiler

You know where the ultimately powerful bad guy villain violates the one law of magic that has been pounded into our head from the beginning of the books, and brings about his own demise.

That and the second of the two series seemed to be simply a retelling of the first. I just don't think they hold up to any scrutiny.

The Feinstein book is on my short list as well.

I think your criticism is spot on with Eddings. I first read the books many moons ago, which certainly shaped my first impression. Basically, I fell in love with the characters, and the story was good enough that I didn't mind its wrinkles. The Malloreon was not nearly on the same level as the Belgariad, but again I loved the characters so much that I was excited to get back into a story with them involved, so I didn't mind the repetition as much. Basically, I'm a sucker for epic high fantasy...for example, even though I know that they're not nearly as good, I still enjoy the middle 7 books or so of the Wheel of Time, even though they're universally reviled as complete mediocrity (if not completely awful).

If you weren't all that big a fan of the Belgariad, then I would steer clear of the Codex Alera. The characters are fantastic and the story starts out amazing...but even though I loved it, I can honestly say that by the end the storyline isn't nearly as amazing as it was at the beginning.

Are You Kidding Me? was great, like most of the Feinstein books I've read. Rocco makes for a pretty awesome character, and the story is pretty incredible even if the ending is anti-climactic.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Also, completely forgot that some time ago I read Rothfuss' pair of books, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear. I really enjoyed both books, and the narrative style of the story being dictated by the protagonist is a lot of fun, especially because he's (for the most part rightfully) completely full of himself. I'm very intrigued to see where the third book goes, and whether or not it will wrap up the story, or if Rothfuss intends to continue on out of the past and into the present.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Glengoyne

For those of you who use Audible.com.

I've gone through the Martin series, the Jordan series, and have just finished Joe Abercrombie's five books.

So any recommendations for what to listen to next? As you can see, I lean toward fantasy offerings. I've also done the Name of the Wind, and its apparently forgettable sequel.

Have you done The Dark Tower? I haven't read those yet but I've heard good things. I've also heard good things about Novik's Temeraire series (starting with His Majesty's Dragon). It's in my "to listen to" list.

If you didn't listen to The Pillars of the Earth, I strongly recommend that one. Have you listened to Brent Weeks at all? His Night Angel trilogy is pretty good (starts with The Way of Shadows), though you can tell who's influenced him as a writer. I believe Way of Shadows was his first-ever book. He's got a new book out (unaffiliated with the Night Angel trilogy) that is apparently quite good.

Have you listened to Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy? That's one I'd highly recommend. The magic system is kind of different and is pretty cool. I got into Sanderson thanks to his work on the Wheel of Time books. He's also got a new one that is supposed to be quite good.

I didn't particularly like it, but a lot of people in my reading group did, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemison is on Audible. I liked the author (my reading group did an interview with her) more than the book itself.

You might also want to check out the Goodreads bookshelf for my reading group. It has a lot of the things we've read. http://www.goodreads.com/group/books...word_and_Laser

/tk

[Peregrine]

An amazing book I read recently is The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Just stunning - a really creative future Earth, the setting and characters just sucked me in from the start. All I can say is - just read it if you're interested in cutting-edge science fiction and a really impressive new voice.

Cory Doctorow review as well - The Windup Girl: 2010's science fiction "it" book brings poetry and excitement to ecotastrophe - Boing Boing

[terpkristin]

Hmm something about Bacigalupi's writing style doesn't jive with me. I tried Windup Girl twice and a novella written with Tobias Buckell (The Alchemist and The Executioness). I can't get into Bacigalupi.

/tk

[chesapeake]

I downloaded the sample of The Windup Girl onto my Kindle last week and lost interest before finishing it. I may give it another try after I finish the Dark Tower, v.7.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Have you listened to Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy? That's one I'd highly recommend. The magic system is kind of different and is pretty cool. I got into Sanderson thanks to his work on the Wheel of Time books. He's also got a new one that is supposed to be quite good.

Everything I have read of Sanderson's has been really good. tk is right on about Mistborn. It is pretty good. His latest book, The Way of Kings, is really good, too. I will read every book he ever publishes. I really him not just for his books, but he is also very active in social media. I had a small interaction with him on twitter the other day.

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

... I still enjoy the middle 7 books or so of the Wheel of Time, even though they're universally reviled as complete mediocrity (if not completely awful).

...

On the Wheel of Time, I only think books nine and ten fall to mediocrity or below. Seven and eight were disappointing, but still pretty good. I still think of Book Six as providing a high point for the whole series, so much so that any slow down in books four and five is, for me, forgotten.

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Have you done The Dark Tower? I haven't read those yet but I've heard good things. I've also heard good things about Novik's Temeraire series (starting with His Majesty's Dragon). It's in my "to listen to" list.

If you didn't listen to The Pillars of the Earth, I strongly recommend that one. Have you listened to Brent Weeks at all? His Night Angel trilogy is pretty good (starts with The Way of Shadows), though you can tell who's influenced him as a writer. I believe Way of Shadows was his first-ever book. He's got a new book out (unaffiliated with the Night Angel trilogy) that is apparently quite good.

Have you listened to Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy? That's one I'd highly recommend. The magic system is kind of different and is pretty cool. I got into Sanderson thanks to his work on the Wheel of Time books. He's also got a new one that is supposed to be quite good.

I didn't particularly like it, but a lot of people in my reading group did, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemison is on Audible. I liked the author (my reading group did an interview with her) more than the book itself.

You might also want to check out the Goodreads bookshelf for my reading group. It has a lot of the things we've read. http://www.goodreads.com/group/books...word_and_Laser

/tk

It is funny I read the first book of the Dark Tower, and loved the first third of it, enjoyed the second third less, and could barely tolerate the final third. In the afterward, King discusses how he wrote the first chapters early in his career, the middle chapters around the time of "It", and the end later in his career. I don't think I've read more than two King books since, as I really felt that painted a picture of his career's trajectory, at least as it related to my appreciation of his work.

I saw the Pillars of the Earth from Showtime(?)...Am I missing as much as I figure?

I'm adding this all to my wish list, and when my next credit comes up in a week or two, I'll have it all figured out.

Thanks a bunch.

[Scoobz0202]

I didn't watch the show, but I read Pillars of the Earth earlier this year and thought it was magnificent.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

A few thoughts:

Eco's Foucault's Pendulum is worth the slog, it's better than The Name of the Rose for my money, and that's serious praise in my book.

Word. If you dare the slog, Foucault's Pendulum is immensely rewarding. It's also half the reason I thought Dan Brown was such a douche (the other quarters being Holy Blood, Holy Grail, which introduced the same material 25 years earlier, and the fact that Brown's prose is so bad it made my eyes bleed).

[Peregrine]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

I didn't watch the show, but I read Pillars of the Earth earlier this year and thought it was magnificent.

I thought the show was quite good, though some things were changed from the book. I also liked the sequel to Pillars, World Without End, and I think Follett's new historical epic, Fall of Giants, is pretty good too - it's set in the World War One period.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Glengoyne

It is funny I read the first book of the Dark Tower, and loved the first third of it, enjoyed the second third less, and could barely tolerate the final third. In the afterward, King discusses how he wrote the first chapters early in his career, the middle chapters around the time of "It", and the end later in his career. I don't think I've read more than two King books since, as I really felt that painted a picture of his career's trajectory, at least as it related to my appreciation of his work.

I saw the Pillars of the Earth from Showtime(?)...Am I missing as much as I figure?

I'm adding this all to my wish list, and when my next credit comes up in a week or two, I'll have it all figured out.

Thanks a bunch.

I've always said that the best way to read "The Dark Tower" is:
2->1->3->4->5->6->7

The first book is a really lousy way to get introduced to the series, but if you read the 2nd book first, the first book becomes more tolerable.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

An amazing book I read recently is The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Just stunning - a really creative future Earth, the setting and characters just sucked me in from the start. All I can say is - just read it if you're interested in cutting-edge science fiction and a really impressive new voice.

Cory Doctorow review as well - The Windup Girl: 2010's science fiction "it" book brings poetry and excitement to ecotastrophe - Boing Boing

I just ordered this thanks to your recommendation. Seems right up my alley and looking forward to it. Haven't had a good sci-fi read in some time.

[MikeVic]

Finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which I enjoyed so I'll be looking for the second book soon.

Started Pygmy last night, had a gift card to a book store and felt like trying a Chuck Palahniuk book. This will probably be tough to read if the first "chapter" is any indication.

Looking forward to Tiny Fey's Bossypants when it comes out in paperback early next year.

[MacroGuru]

I am reading two books right now...

Return to Exile - I have the ARC from Simon & Schuster, I don't know if I received it because the author is a good friend from High School or if I won the Good Reads giveaway. But he has done a great job on it.

Confederates in the Attic - Just starting this one, but it is about Civil War Reenactors and how hardcore they are...pretty interesting so far...

[path12]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

A few thoughts:

Eco's Foucault's Pendulum is worth the slog, it's better than The Name of the Rose for my money, and that's serious praise in my book.

Originally Posted by Glengoyne

I'll second Foucault's Pendulum. It has been a while, but I enjoyed it at least as much as The Name of the Rose. I always think of them as a pair. I have trouble recommending them as so many people just haven't enjoyed either of them as I did.

I put Foucalt's Pendulum on my Kindle just before ADWD came out. Almost done with that and plan to start it next. Glad to hear it has a couple fans.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Newberry Medal winner The Giver was one of my son's summer reading list requirements. It really isn't unusual for me to pick up some of his books to read, glad I picked up this one.
Amazon.com: The Giver (9780440237686): Lois Lowry: Books

Interesting read. I'm not always a big fan of what's on the required + optional lists but this summer was a very good one. The pairing of this with Fahrenheit 451 (one of the optionals) was remarkably well conceived. Throw in the requirement of Ender's Game & I clearly see the threads the curriculum tried to make available for 13 y/o students to tie together. There's a 180 day uphill slog ahead (as we all try to survive the last year of middle school) that I dread like a 9 month root canal but seeing this kind of coordination at least makes me feel better about it.

Next up: Gotta get the Logan's Run DVD from Netflix. He asked about the movie a few days ago before he even started the book, seems like a perfect time to see it.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Newberry Medal winner The Giver was one of my son's summer reading list requirements. It really isn't unusual for me to pick up some of his books to read, glad I picked up this one.
Amazon.com: The Giver (9780440237686): Lois Lowry: Books

Interesting read. I'm not always a big fan of what's on the required + optional lists but this summer was a very good one. The pairing of this with Fahrenheit 451 (one of the optionals) was remarkably well conceived. Throw in the requirement of Ender's Game & I clearly see the threads the curriculum tried to make available for 13 y/o students to tie together. There's a 180 day uphill slog ahead (as we all try to survive the last year of middle school) that I dread like a 9 month root canal but seeing this kind of coordination at least makes me feel better about it.

Next up: Gotta get the Logan's Run DVD from Netflix. He asked about the movie a few days ago before he even started the book, seems like a perfect time to see it.

The Giver is a fantastic book for someone just coming into their teen years.