What Are You Reading? vX.x

[jeff061]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

I'm reading Warren Ellis' 'Crooked Little Vein' which is excellent so far.. Similar to Palahniuk in writing style.. The story is about a detective who is a "shit magnet" who is coerced by a heroin addicted government official to find the "second constitution" written specifically for the eyes of the acting president, which was apparently lost and has caused the fall of the entire country.. So far, my favorite part is the forced saline injection the main character has to endure in order to obtain a receipt to further his investigation.

Just started reading this and I'm laughing my ass off. You need to have the temperament to enjoy the darker aspects of Palahniuk, but I'm really enjoying it.

The entire saline chapter had me rolling. As do the references to the tantric ostrich session.

[Scoobz0202]

Reading the 2001 Pulitzer Prize winner in Fiction.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.

About 150 pages in and I really like it so far. Joe Kavalier is a young man/kid who escapes from occupied Prague in the early 30's. He moves to New York City to live with his cousin, Sammy Clay, and what follows is their journey to create a popular comic book superhero and the dealing with the multiple curveballs life has to throw at them.

[terpkristin]

I'm almost done with, and cannot wait to finish, The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King. The premise is pretty nifty; basically, after Sherlock Holmes retires from being a sleuth with the famous Dr. Watson, he becomes a beekeeper, while doing some sleuthing on the side. He, most improbably, takes on a young girl as a sleuthing apprentice and this story is the story of a few of their mysteries and her development as a sleuth in her own right.

It's apparently the first in a series of books about the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes partnership, but I'm not sure I'll read any of the others. I've been listening to this one from Audible; I'm not sure if it's the narrator or if it's the pacing of the book, but I'm bored by it. It is moving really really slowly and seems to have unnecessary side-stories/distractions. Can't wait for the next read, though, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

/tk

[Chief Rum]

Lots of talk about Larsson's Millenium series here, which is part of the reason why I picked up Dragon Tattoo and Fire. I'm just about 50 pages in on Tattoo right now; solid so far, but not sure yet where it's going (of course). As a former journalist, any series that revolves around a journalist is of more interest to me than usual.

Hope you guys are all correct.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Lots of talk about Larsson's Millenium series here, which is part of the reason why I picked up Dragon Tattoo and Fire. I'm just about 50 pages in on Tattoo right now; solid so far, but not sure yet where it's going (of course). As a former journalist, any series that revolves around a journalist is of more interest to me than usual.

Hope you guys are all correct.

To be quite honest, what I found most enjoyable about Tattoo was that, until the end, I was kept guessing. I had hypothesis after hypothesis, but most were wrong. The Girl Who Played With Fire is a bit different, though still quite good. Looking forward to the resolution.

/tk

[terpkristin]

Well, I've done a ton of reading lately.

Finished The Beekeeper's Apprentice. Really didn't dig it, not sure if it was the writing style, the narrator, or something else, but I'm not itching to get to the rest of that series.

I've started listening to the audio version of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Not sure if it's because I've been kind of foggy lately (had surgery Wednesday), but it's not yet grabbing my attention. I'm only about 2 hours in (the equivalent of about 64 pages), but it could also be that I got really sucked into some books I was reading on my Kindle...

On the Kindle, I started reading The Hunger Games last week and finished it Tuesday. It's a good, quick, young adult novel that I have no hesitation recommending to EVERYBODY. I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to get the sequel, Catching Fire, right then and there on my Kindle. Unfortunately, it didn't come out until Thursday for the Kindle (i.e. yesterday).

Needless to say, at around 5 a.m. on Thursday, I was up and bought the book wirelessly and spent a good portion of my non-medicated time reading it, finishing about half of it yesterday. Got up at about 8 this morning and finished reading it at 11. Now I have to wait a few months for the final tome in the trilogy to come out. I hope it's released for the Kindle at the same time it's released in dead tree hardcover, but if not, I'll definitely go to my local bookstore and get it in dead tree form.

So, now in print I'm reading Kitchen Confidential:Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, which is a collection of essays and is easy to pick up and read a bit here, a bit there, and listening to The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I hope that by the time I'm ready to go back to work next week, I'll have both of them done. Then...we'll see. My online reading group might be reading World War Z next, which I'm not too excited about, so I might be catching up on my reading backlog soon...

/tk

[Scoobz0202]

I've seen a lot of love for The Hunger Games. Maybe it's just the whole young adult genre, but I really didn't like The Hunger Games. I finished it, but I told myself I probably wouldnt' pick up the sequel. The plot was interesting but the writing just wasn't good....

Harry Potter is still probably my favorite series of all-time, though. But it's kind of pointless to compare other young adult fiction to Harry Potter though.

[sabotai]

I finally made it through A Game of Thrones. I thought it was sorta overrated. Maybe it was the hype and my expectations were too high, but I thought several things in it just didn't really make much sense. I'll check the other thread to see if there are any explanations for the issues I had (and I don't care about spoilers so no harm in me seeing something - I pretty much know quite a lot about the rest of the series already anyway). However, I did like how the novel ended, so I'm optimistic about book #2.

Right now I'm reading through Battle Royale, the novel that the Japanese movie was based on. So far, the movie is better overall, but a few things I like more in the novel.

Spoiler

Like in the movie, the kids have no idea why they are there and are shocked by what they have to do. Really? They had no idea after years of this going on? They never heard of it? In the book, they know what's going on when they wake up and told why they're there.

Overall, the action in the novel is really badly written and almost comical. Perhaps there's a translation issue, but some parts are like a bad novelization of a manga. But I'm not all that far into it, so maybe it gets better.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

I've seen a lot of love for The Hunger Games. Maybe it's just the whole young adult genre, but I really didn't like The Hunger Games. I finished it, but I told myself I probably wouldnt' pick up the sequel. The plot was interesting but the writing just wasn't good....

Harry Potter is still probably my favorite series of all-time, though. But it's kind of pointless to compare other young adult fiction to Harry Potter though.

I agree, Harry Potter is a hard bit of fiction to hold anything up against.

But if I were a parent, I'd strongly prefer my kid reading Harry Potter and The Hunger Games than Twilight (as an example).

/tk

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by 3ric

"Dreaming Void" by Peter F Hamilton, loved his previous series "Pandora's Star" and "Judas Unchained". Large scale space opera at its best.

Hamilton's such a weird dude.

Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained I really enjoyed, but when I hit the Void books (which take place a couple thousand years later on), it really weirded me out.

I actually enjoy Inigo's dreams more than the outside world in the Void books. Much more interesting to me than where he's gone with the Commonwealth.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Hey, Sack, have you gone back to read The Gunslinger after reading the whole story or only after reading Book Two? As I just noted above, I realized I had never gone back to read it again after finishing the series, and thought it would be a different sort of read to take that trip again.

I didn't see this when you posted it, Chief. Sorry

I've read the first four books probably more than a dozen times each. Books 5-7 fewer than that, but still multiple times each all the same.

It is kind of a different read, but for a couple different reasons. On the one hand, yeah, you're catching some of the references and allegory that you missed the first time around, but if you've read them as often as I have, you start picking up on errata and WTF moments as well.

It's worth re-reading, but my experience on a re-read at this point is probably quite different than yours would be.

[CrimsonFox]

Something I've found pleasant enough to read on daily bus trips to work is the ole Robert Asprin *Myth Adventures* fantasy series of Aahz and Skeeve. Just nice light reading. Some of it's crap but it's light crap.

[SackAttack]

Finished "Quarry in the Middle" by Max Allan Collins last night. Light reading, to be sure, but I discovered the Quarry series with Hard Case Crime, and I've taken to reading the others whenever I come across 'em.

Downloaded "Gates of Fire" to my nook earlier. Saw from some earlier reading threads that it had gotten some thumbs up from folks around here, figured I'd give it a go.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

I didn't see this when you posted it, Chief. Sorry

I've read the first four books probably more than a dozen times each. Books 5-7 fewer than that, but still multiple times each all the same.

It is kind of a different read, but for a couple different reasons. On the one hand, yeah, you're catching some of the references and allegory that you missed the first time around, but if you've read them as often as I have, you start picking up on errata and WTF moments as well.

It's worth re-reading, but my experience on a re-read at this point is probably quite different than yours would be.

Heh...I wouldn't worry. I had forgotten I had posted the question.

Interesting. I'm not one usually for re-reading series, so I don't know if I'll go back to that or not. But if I do, I'll post my thoughts.

[OldGiants]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Finished "Quarry in the Middle" by Max Allan Collins last night. Light reading, to be sure, but I discovered the Quarry series with Hard Case Crime, and I've taken to reading the others whenever I come across 'em.

Downloaded "Gates of Fire" to my nook earlier. Saw from some earlier reading threads that it had gotten some thumbs up from folks around here, figured I'd give it a go.

I've read several Max Allan Collins books and liked them. As you say, light reading, but there's nothing wrong with that. I've started the Nathan Heller series and love how he mixes in real people (often with old b&w illustrations) and real events. Nothing like Bugsy Siegel and George Raft to spice up a gangster novel.

Enjoy Gates of Fire. It is Pressfield's best.

I've finished The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo, the third in the Harry Hole series. For those who will miss Stieg Larsson after the third Girl Who book, this Norwegian series should fill the bill. Detective Harry Hole (under nominal command of Inspector Bjarne Moeller) solves unusual grisly murders. Indeed in Devil's Star the way one of the bodies is hidden is the best thing since Carl Hiassen thought of the wood chipper.

I've taken to looking up the scenes of Larsson and Nesbo on Google Earth. Often I can find the exact location and discern the buildings they are writing about. Really adds to the fun. I'll have to try that with other realistic novelists. I doubt I can find Hogwarts or Blandings Castle on Google Earth.

[DeToxRox]

Just finished "The Men Who Would Be King: An Almost Epic Tale of Moguls, Movies, and a Company Called DreamWorks" by Nicole LaPorte.

From Amazon:

The rise and then the crash and burn of DreamWorks, created by three of the biggest egos in Hollywood—Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen—is a gripping saga of changing economic times. Wary of corporate inroads and catalyzed by Katzenberg’s troubled departure from Disney, the three had independently come to a point where they wanted to run their own show. In 1994, without even a name for their venture, they announced the formation of a company that would break the mold on corporate ownership of entertainment-making, respecting creativity above all else. Spielberg was coddled and cosseted as the ultimate artiste. Katzenberg, who headed the animation division at Disney, was motivated as much by vengeance against CEO Michael Eisner when he set about luring away Disney’s animators. Billionaire Geffen was looked on as the businessman who would bring together disparate parts of the company. What followed was a clash of multiple cultures and visions, within and outside of DreamWorks. LaPorte, a former film industry reporter for Variety, offers a deliciously detailed look at the trials, triumphs, and fumbles of DreamWorks—from the complicated story behind Shrek, a CGI pioneer, to the courting of stars Nicole Kidman and George Clooney and soothing of Russell Crowe. This unauthorized chronicle of DreamWorks will no doubt seal LaPorte’s status as persona non grata in Hollywood, but readers will love it. --Vanessa Bush

Really enjoyed it. Some good stories, plus David Geffen is insane. Really solid.

[rowech]

Reading "Word of Honor" by Nelson DeMille. His books are hit and miss for me. I LOVED "Lion's Game" and "The Gold Coast" while I thought "NightFall" was junk and "Plum Island" was okay.

So far, this one's fitting in with Plum Island...not hateful but not grabbing me about 1/3 of the way in.

[bbor]

Originally Posted by OldGiants

I've read several Max Allan Collins books and liked them. As you say, light reading, but there's nothing wrong with that. I've started the Nathan Heller series and love how he mixes in real people (often with old b&w illustrations) and real events. Nothing like Bugsy Siegel and George Raft to spice up a gangster novel.

Enjoy Gates of Fire. It is Pressfield's best.

I've finished The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo, the third in the Harry Hole series. For those who will miss Stieg Larsson after the third Girl Who book, this Norwegian series should fill the bill. Detective Harry Hole (under nominal command of Inspector Bjarne Moeller) solves unusual grisly murders. Indeed in Devil's Star the way one of the bodies is hidden is the best thing since Carl Hiassen thought of the wood chipper.

I've taken to looking up the scenes of Larsson and Nesbo on Google Earth. Often I can find the exact location and discern the buildings they are writing about. Really adds to the fun. I'll have to try that with other realistic novelists. I doubt I can find Hogwarts or Blandings Castle on Google Earth.

I agree with OG here..Nesbo is fantastic.

[terpkristin]

Finished up The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest today. All in all, I enjoyed the trilogy quite a bit, but I do feel like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was the strongest in the series (and it also stood most easily on its own as a complete story). There was at least one plot line that crossed the 2nd two books that I thought was kind of useless:

Spoiler

Erika Berger's move to EIC of the other paper, her "stalker," and the corruption of the CEO of the paper just didn't fit in with the rest of the story and I think could have easily been done away with

Moving onto a classic sci-fi novel I've never read, Ringworld. I generally lean much more towards fantasy than sci-fi, so I'm not sure what to expect from this, but I am looking forward to trying it out..

/tk

[Scoobz0202]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

Reading the 2001 Pulitzer Prize winner in Fiction.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.

About 150 pages in and I really like it so far. Joe Kavalier is a young man/kid who escapes from occupied Prague in the early 30's. He moves to New York City to live with his cousin, Sammy Clay, and what follows is their journey to create a popular comic book superhero and the dealing with the multiple curveballs life has to throw at them.

I put this down and will continue it probably tomorrow. But I received Fantasyland by Sam Walker on Thursday and just finished it. Have seen this mentioned numerous places and ordered it thru amazon.

I really enjoyed it. A look into one of the most competitive fantasy leagues around. Walker spent close to fifty thousand dollars throughout the season in a league that cost seventy-five dollars to join and with no prize money.

[path12]

About 3/4 of the way through Anathem by Neal Stephenson and loving it. Cryptonomicon is one of my favorite books, but I've never yet been able to get into the Baroque Cycle so I wasn't sure what I'd think.

This one reminds me of Dune where you need to take the first 150 pages figuring out what is going on, but once you do you're hooked.

Also finished Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Liked it, will pick up the next one at some point.

[path12]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

Something I've found pleasant enough to read on daily bus trips to work is the ole Robert Asprin *Myth Adventures* fantasy series of Aahz and Skeeve. Just nice light reading. Some of it's crap but it's light crap.

I always enjoyed those books. Should read them again sometime.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by path12

About 3/4 of the way through Anathem by Neal Stephenson and loving it. Cryptonomicon is one of my favorite books, but I've never yet been able to get into the Baroque Cycle so I wasn't sure what I'd think.

This one reminds me of Dune where you need to take the first 150 pages figuring out what is going on, but once you do you're hooked.

Also finished Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Liked it, will pick up the next one at some point.

Read Anathem last year, and thought it was terrific, although it tends to do one of two things: (1) Make you re-read certain parts to see if you can actually grasp any of the higher math; (2) Make you believe you're just too stupid to understand it.

I really liked Tattoo as well, which I just finished. I possess but have not read yet the next in the series, The Girl Who Played With Fire (or something like that).

Anyone here read Lee Child's Jack Reacher series. It's a guilty pleasure of mine. Always a good fun read, I have found. I just started the latest, 61 Hours.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by path12

About 3/4 of the way through Anathem by Neal Stephenson and loving it.

Two things.

1) How many times did you have to go back and reread anything? Fantastic book, I agree, but that was probably the toughest piece of fiction I ever made it through.

2) If ever a book was a perfect fit for an e-reader...Jesus jumped up and played the fiddle.

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Read Anathem last year, and thought it was terrific, although it tends to do one of two things: (1) Make you re-read certain parts to see if you can actually grasp any of the higher math; (2) Make you believe you're just too stupid to understand it.[/i]

Forget grasping the math. It was the philosophy that was fucking me up.

I picked up "His Majesty's Dragon" by Naomi Novik as the Nook freebie a week or two ago, and blew right through that, the sequel, "Throne of Jade," and am now on "Black Powder War." I may need to start pacing myself, as there are only five books in the series so far.

"Napoleonic Wars, add dragons" is one of the more interesting alternate history hooks I've seen.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Finally finished 1776. Not sure really why it took me so long - I really enjoyed every bit of the story. It was a fantastic read, and anyone who is even remotely interested in the subject matter would enjoy it, I think. I really felt like I was able to get into the heads of Washington, Greene and the others, which is a really neat thing when it comes to history.

I think I'm going to go back a few pages in this thread and pick out something that sounds interesting to read. I'm in the mood for a good, new Sci-Fi/Fantasy (I lean heavily towards Fantasy) novel or series.

[rowech]

Finished DeMille's "Word of Honor" which was about a Vietnam vet that goes to Court Martial 20 years after the event. A little long but once it finally got to court it got very good.

Reading "Queen of Bedlam" by Robert McCammon which is a sequel to "Speaks the Nightbird". A colonial mystery set in New York City is the best way to describe it.

[path12]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Read Anathem last year, and thought it was terrific, although it tends to do one of two things: (1) Make you re-read certain parts to see if you can actually grasp any of the higher math; (2) Make you believe you're just too stupid to understand it.

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Two things.

1) How many times did you have to go back and reread anything? Fantastic book, I agree, but that was probably the toughest piece of fiction I ever made it through.

I had the glossary and timeline bookmarked and spent damn near as much time there as the story for the first 100 pages or so.

Never had any illusion that I would understand the higher math in any more than layman's terms, so that low bar helped me a bunch.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I recently finished off two books (neither of which were graphic novels/comic books, which is rare)

1. Already Dead - Charlie Huston. This is a pupl/noir horror novel, the first in a series, about vampires in New York. It's an interesting take on the vampire mythology. The cause of vamprisim is a virus, so vampires aren't dead, but rather just diseased. The virus gives them improved strength, speed, regeneration (hence slowing down the aging process) all of which is designed to "feed" the vrius. The virus, of course, feeds on blood. It also makes the carrier incredibly sensitive to sunlight. There are different "clans" of vampires, all of which have carved up sections of New York and have different philosophies. The main character is sort of a "free agent" who does things for various factions and the story involves a missing girl and zombies. Here, like vampires, zombies aren't the undead, but rather diseased people. I've read Huston's books before and they are very fast, entertaining reads. I enjoyed it.

2. Power Of The Dog - Don Winslow. Power of the Dog is a crime/thriller novel, based on the DEA's involvement with the War on Drugs. It takes place over the course of about 20 years. There are various perspectives, including a DEA agent, the drug lords themselves, an Irish mobster and a high class prostitute. All the stories overlap and intertwine pretty nicely. The book tackles a lot of the politics behind the War on Drugs and, while it's fiction, the book was heavily researched and involves a lot of "real" people and events. It's another fast read. It's got a good pace and there is a ton of action and violence. At some points the violence almost seemed a bit too much, but if you just read a little bit about the current drug wars going on in Mexico you realize that the kind of stuff that goes on in the book is common place in the drug trade. I really enjoyed the book. I found a few of the characters to be a bit cliched (the Irish mobster and call girl), but they were decent enough and their stories were good enough that it didn't detract at all. Good stuff.

[molson]

I just finished Einstein, His Life And Universe

I've always had this fascination with physics, even though I didn't really understand it. I've just always been fascinated by the concept of physics. So I figured this book might be a good way to explore that, to understand physics a little, all in the context of an interesting guy's life.

Well, the guy's life was interesting, and I enjoyed the book, but I still don't understand physics.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by molson

I just finished Einstein, His Life And Universe

I've always had this fascination with physics, even though I didn't really understand it. I've just always been fascinated by the concept of physics. So I figured this book might be a good way to explore that, to understand physics a little, all in the context of an interesting guy's life.

Well, the guy's life was interesting, and I enjoyed the book, but I still don't understand physics.

Read "The Elegant Universe"

Physics ALWAYS leads to more questions than answers.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by rowech

Read "The Elegant Universe"

Physics ALWAYS leads to more questions than answers.

"The Fabric of the Cosmos" is a newer book from the same author, but haven't read it yet. I really enjoyed "The Elegant Universe" so it's on my "To Read" list.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by rowech

Read "The Elegant Universe"

Physics ALWAYS leads to more questions than answers.

I bought The Elegant Universe a while back but it's one of seemingly an endless number of books I haven't gotten around to yet. Maybe I'll have to make more time for it.

[MikeVic]

Started reading some religion book by Lewis Black and The Prince by Machiavelli. Both were on sale at a bookstore and I needed something to read. I think The Prince will be difficult to get through and may not be worth it.

[terpkristin]

I just finished reading The Passage by Justin Cronin. I enjoyed this book. It was quite a bit long, and admittedly sometimes it felt like it dragged on too long, but it was good. It starts as a classic story of somebody trying to do good for the world, but the good gets abused by those with power (the Army), bringing on the end of American civilization as we know it. The story then follows the survivors, as they slowly uncover what happened, try to fight the existing evil, and in some ways start to re-form variations on societies. This book is sort of sci-fi, sort of thriller-ish, and also sort of spiritual (especially towards the end). Definitely worth the read, even through the slower parts.

I'm moving on to the First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, which starts with The Blade Itself. My sci-fi/fantasy book club will also probably be reading a sci-fi book this month, which I may read along with them (The Blade Itself is what I'm going to listen to in audio, so I'll be able to read with the group on my Kindle).

/tk

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Started reading some religion book by Lewis Black and The Prince by Machiavelli. Both were on sale at a bookstore and I needed something to read. I think The Prince will be difficult to get through and may not be worth it.

I've always found The Prince extremely enjoyable.

[Peregrine]

I just finished reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman - I really liked this book. It basically takes some of the same concepts used in the Harry Potter and Narnia books, except it does them from a more adult perspective.

[Scoobz0202]

I have two paperbookswap credits and I can't decide which book to leave out.

The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn
Into Thin Air by Jack Krakauer
The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams by Darcy Frey


Choices Choices Choices

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

I have two paperbookswap credits and I can't decide which book to leave out.

The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn
Into Thin Air by Jack Krakauer
The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball Dreams by Darcy Frey


Choices Choices Choices

Into Thin Air is a great book, but it is a bit depressing. If you end up picking it up, I'd recommend picking up a happy book to go with..

/tk

[SackAttack]

I just finished reading The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood by Jane Leavy.

Won't be out 'til October, but it's well worth picking up once it's available.

Leavy also wrote Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy, which I also very much enjoyed, for reference's sake.

[Scoobz0202]

Was digging through the bargain bin of barnesandnoble.com and I just spent eleven bucks pre-shipping on:

A Drink Before The War by Dennis Lehane (3 bucks)
Fool by Christopher Moore (5 bucks)
Roma by Steven Saylor (3 bucks)

I love bargain books. Loved Loved Loved Christopher Moore's humorous take on Jesus's early life in his book "Lamb". I have heard the series that the Lehane book starts is damn good so I've been meaning to pick that up. The Roma book caught my eye a while back but I could never pull the trigger. For 3 bucks why not.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Scoobz, Fool is second only to Lamb in my opinion, and I've read ALL of Moore's books. Fool is fantastic.

[Scoobz0202]

That's excellent to hear, Vince. I remember scanning through his novels after I read Lamb and for some reason I never pulled the trigger. I read Lamb this past winter and thought it was just brilliant. What others do you recommend? The vampire novels didn't sound too interesting but maybe with it being Moore he can surprise me. A Dirty Job looked interesting.



And here's where my book addiction always bends me over. My 11 dollar purchase turned into a 32 dollar purchase as I decided, hey, while I'm ordering a few books I might as well throw Suttree by Cormac McCarthy (Thought The Road was decent, but had to put Blood Meridian down. Yea, I know it's destined to be a classic but whatever.) and Lev Grossman's The Magician that Peregrine mentioned a few posts back sounded interesting so I threw it in there as well.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I really enjoyed all of them, though the rest of them are noticeably not as good as Lamb and Fool (though A Dirty Job comes close). In order, I'd probably rank them...

1. Lamb
2. Fool
3. A Dirty Job
...
4. Fluke (Or, I Know Why The Winged Whale Sings)
...
5. Practical Demonkeeping
6. The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove
7. Island of the Sequined Love Nun
...
8. Coyote Blue
9. Bloodsucking Fiends (A Love Story)
10. The Stupidest Angel
11. You Suck [Sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends]

I actually did not realize Bite Me had come out already. The series is some of Moore's weakest work, but I still enjoyed it. I'll probably be picking that up tomorrow, as I'm currently not reading anything. I really did enjoy even the ones at the bottom of the list. They're great light reading. If you plan on reading all of the books, I'd suggest reading them in chronological order by publishing date - the characters all seem to pop up in all of the other novels, and it's fun to know what he's talking about when the characters make cameos in the other novels. It's not terribly important storyline wise, but I'm a stickler for that sort of thing.

Edit: I added elipses to denote the breaks in quality (in my opinion, of course) of the books. The top three are easily his best work, and I really enjoyed Fluke as well (though it was a noticeable step down from the top three). 5-7 were good solid reads, and 8-11 are merely above average.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Bite Me was just meh. Probably a little better than You Suck, but not by much. I am very unhappy with the ending.

[k0ruptr]

Just finished the Geek Mafia series by Rick Dakan. RickDakan.com - Blog

the first two are free as ebooks! 3rd is 8 bucks. they are not the bestest ever, but I really enjoyed them tons. the first is loosely based on what happened to Rick himself (he created the idea for City of Heroes the game and then got ousted/fired by his co employees 3 years later) interesting stuff about him and the books are awesome! here is another good read about his story: Gamasutra - Feature - "Truth Versus Fiction: City of Heroes Creator Rick Dakan on Leaving and Entering the Games Biz"

but the books are way way more fiction about a group of con men and hackers and crazy action and cons and cool ass stuff like that. I highly recommend it and anyone intersted in cool hacking/mystery/geek drama should check them out.

Anyone know of other cool books in that line? I know of digital fortress which was decent imho , I know tons of people hated it though. And Snow Crash is pretty good, if a little too much for me though. I love hacker / geek action drama. its fun stuff.

[k0ruptr]

dola , that post was really horrible in grammar. My apologies.

[terpkristin]

Sounds nifty, k0ruptr, I'll have to check out that series.

Edit to add: did you ever read Daniel Suarez's books Daemon and Freedom (TM)? They sound like they might be up your alley. They weren't exactly my cup of tea for a variety of reasons, but a lot of my geek reading group liked 'em. Also, though Cory Doctorow's book Little Brother is young adult fiction, you might enjoy it.

/tk

[sabotai]

Some nonfiction books on hackers and the like

Masters of Deception: Amazon.com: Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace…

The Cuckoo's Egg: Amazon.com: The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage (9781416507789): Cliff Stoll: Books

At Large: Amazon.com: At Large: The Strange Case of the World's Biggest Internet Invasion…

I read these three when I was in college (over a decade ago), so they are about "old school" hackers. The first one is mostly from the hackers POV, while the second two, I think, are more from the perspective of those chasing the hackers. All three, again I think (this is going back awhile), are told in narrative form, not a "dry" non-fiction style.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I've made some good headway into Infinite Jest and I'm absolutely loving it. The introduction hit it spot on - the book is difficult to read, but it's difficult like a tough workout is difficult, and it's very rewarding as you get through it.