OS Book Club Pt II

[KSUowls]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

So I signed up for the Kindle Unlimited free trial to try and knock out some of random books that Amazon keeps recommending to me and I keep adding to my wishlist.

Mercenary Magic (Dragon Born Serafina Book 1)
by Ella Summers


As someone who loved the Elder Scrolls: Skyrim game the title of this instantly hooked me. The back of the book reads something like an urban fantasy where magic exists with both good and bad users. The main character Serafina is a mercenary whose job it is to take down the bad magic users. She's also a "dragon born" which means if her heritage is every discovered by the people she works for then it's an immediate death sentence.

Stories with a hidden identity are a guilty pleasure of mine so that really hooked me in. Maybe it's the kid in me still loving stories like Peter Parker having to hide his super hero identity from his friends, but I just really like them. To me it adds an extra layer of complexity to any story. Also the free excerpt from the first few pages wasted no time in showing that this would be an action packed story.

It's a very quick read. I finished it in just a couple of hours. At times I found it enjoyable as the main character is likable, and the few bits about the world that you get are intriguing. The magic battles showed a lot of potential as well. I do wish there had been a bit more world building though because it does seem interesting how they combine our modern world with one where people can do magic (at one point they talk about posting magic battles between wizards on Youtube just as you might see a random street fight posted). There are also some pretty corny interactions between the MC and her apparent love interest.

I was entertained enough to dedicate a couple of hours to it, but I'm not sure if I'll advance to the next in the series. Plenty of others in my wishlist cart to check out if I don't though.

[Chip Douglass]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

Breezed through the Bob Woodward book on the Trump administration. Will NOT go into detail here for TOS reasons, but it reads well. Not the tabloidy, gossipy trash that the Michael Wolff book was, but focused on policy and administrative decision-making.

It's told from the vantage point of a few of his key aides though (Woodward writes in a way that effectively outs them as sources), so read it with some skepticism.

[JayCutlersCig]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

Breezed through the Bob Woodward book on the Trump administration. Will NOT go into detail here for TOS reasons, but it reads well. Not the tabloidy, gossipy trash that the Michael Wolff book was, but focused on policy and administrative decision-making.



It's told from the vantage point of a few of his key aides though (Woodward writes in a way that effectively outs them as sources), so read it with some skepticism.

Woodward outing people as sources? Why does that sound familiar...

Jokes aside, Woodward’s one of my idols (I’m an aspiring journalist) and is a writer that’s well-versed in politics.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

I have 100 pages left of Sky in the Deep so I should be able to finish tonight or tomorrow. A bunch of factors have contributed to the fact that this book took me 3-4 weeks to read and stalled any progress on my Reading Goal for the year. I'm currently sitting on 25 out of 36.

Anyway, I should be able to get back on track by this week and am completely ready to dive into some Halloween/Fall reading after browsing the bookshelf this past weekend. I ended up pulling

Spoiler

The Haunting of Hill House
Frankenstein
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Something Wicked This Way Comes
The Mirage
The Prestige

I doubt I'll be able to read all of them before month's end, but half of them would be good reads no matter the season so I'm not trying to rush myself.

With NBA getting ready to gear up I figure now is probably the best time to start Library of America's Basketball tome.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

This took me four weeks to actually finish which is a good three weeks longer than it would typically take to read this book. It can be mostly attributed to only reading this in the mornings as my evenings were typical occupied by Spider-Man on the PS4.

Anyway, the book is short and sweet. There is not much fluff here and as such there isn't much of style to the writing. The narrative itself is good as it addresses identity born from tradition and how it can be a fluid process rather than a rigid one. The circumstances surrounding these changes are somewhat dramatic and turmoil filled and as a result I was left feeling like the main character basically had no choice in the matter. Ultimately, the "choice" contents them so I guess the ends justify the means.

The writing is tight, succinct, and overall very good mechanically. The story itself follows the same path, but I like writing with fluff. Writing that gives itself room to stretch its legs. The lack of voice isn't as prominent when action is moving the narrative forward as the action is strong, swift, and brutal. Yet, when the pace slows and internal struggles replace the external action the simplistic nature becomes apparent.

Ultimately, however, it's a good to really good book about identity, nationalism, and how fluid those two things could (or should) be and something I would easily recommend.


And now I can finally jump into some season appropriate reads.

[DieHardYankee26]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

What my daily reading has devolved into:

- Open Bible (well opens Kindle to Bible)
- read for 10 minutes
- Think "wow this is wild dry, so hard to get through, just 45 minutes or an hour and then I can get into what I want to read"
- *distractions*
- 3 and a half hours later, finally getting through the part im supposed to read for today: "I don't ever want to see a book again"

Rinse and repeat at 7 AM the next morning. I'm making progress there at least, almost at Job. Gotta get to the NT.

Hoping with the baseball playoffs guaranteeing me sitting down for hours at a time I can catch up and make a ton of progress in Goblet this weekend.

Just got to Job, when I finish with Psalms I'll be halfway through. The light is getting brighter.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

As some of you know I've been following Binge Mode's podcast of their analysis for Harry Potter. They're currently on a break as they finish up The Half-Blood Prince, but something I've noticed listening to them is how much Rowling changes or adds to after-the-fact.

I read this article today about that very topic: https://kotaku.com/j-k-rowling-needs...ter-1829503693

Obviously it's the authors property to do with how they want. Still, this practice of retconning feels off and to me creates a sense of detachment from a series you've read over 10-15 years.

The "unofficial/official" fan fiction of Cursed Child is bad enough, but to add to characters (or completely change them) after the fact is like cheating to me.

Thoughts? There are others that do this, too, but Rowling is the primary target currently.

[mattlanta]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

If you could name 3 books that changed your life, which ones would it be?

[DieHardYankee26]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

As far as authors going back and retconning their work, like you said it's theirs. They can do what they want. But I respect headcanon, and the idea of actual canon took a major blow with the SW prequels and died when the Mouse took over. **** midichlorians right?

As far as that article, I thought it was kinda hilarious but it made me love JK honestly. She clearly feels very passionately about what she believes in. The thing with the Jewish wizard killed me lol. She opens herself up to it though. If I ever had any thought about Black people in Harry Potter I probably just figured as a kid there weren't that many of us in England to begin with [emoji38]. She got off easy, if Hogwarts was in DC we would've had beef. It's an interesting line of questioning I guess, just not one I was ever burdened with.

The most impactful books I've ever read personally... I'll give 3 but it's actually 5 lol. I feel like one of them would have to be something I read in school, so for that I'd either pick The Great Gatsby or To Kill a Mockingbird , Gatsby for the "don't live your life for a future that may never come" angle and TKAM because the themes of justice always stuck with me. After that, it's one of the books that jumpstarted my reading obsession the last couple of years, either Where Do We Go From Here by MLK Jr or Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois. I've talked about SoBF twice, but MLK's book really sent me on a spiral when I was just reading random nonfiction books and made me read with purpose. "When scientific power outruns moral power, we have guided missiles and misguided men" is one of the most memorable quotes I've come across. Last is probably Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I've never read a book of Confucius sayings or anything like that so this was the first book of its kind I came across and I took a lot from it, just in the importance of understanding that you only have any power over yourself but the power you can exert over yourself is enormous if used correctly. "The Woosah Handbook", if you will. I work in IT and have a huge printed piece of paper with the quote "When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly....To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are unnatural." I like to think when people bring their machines to me they see it and it makes them want to be nicer [emoji38].

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

As far as authors going back and retconning their work, like you said it's theirs. They can do what they want. But I respect headcanon, and the idea of actual canon took a major blow with the SW prequels and died when the Mouse took over. **** midichlorians right?

Ha. She posed a similar question in the article which somebody posted the comment of "That's how we ended up with midichlorians." Which, considering the topic of the article, is ironic she would pose a question such as "what is magic?" in an article lambasting the author for fleshing out her book's universe post-completion.

As far as that article, I thought it was kinda hilarious but it made me love JK honestly. She clearly feels very passionately about what she believes in. The thing with the Jewish wizard killed me lol. She opens herself up to it though. If I ever had any thought about Black people in Harry Potter I probably just figured as a kid there weren't that many of us in England to begin with [emoji38]. She got off easy, if Hogwarts was in DC we would've had beef. It's an interesting line of questioning I guess, just not one I was ever burdened with.

The article itself probably wasn't the best defense, but the point it raised was good.

I don't mind the extra inclusions or reveals after-the-fact. Sure, it'd be great if these details were included or at least hinted at in the actual work, but my alienation comes from how the canon-fluffing is delivered. Offhandedly on Twitter feels...janky.

Now, the stuff she is adding is a different topic altogether. Singularly it seems fine, but collectively it appears as a means to retroactively add diversity to her wide cast of characters. Whether or not that is a good thing is up for interpretation, but I can see both sides of it.

Three books to change my life...

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

There are plenty of books that have impacted me greatly over the years and one or two of these might have been different if I answered yesterday or tomorrow, but these three came to my mind fairly easily.

Each of them opened doors to other so much more in their own way - not to mention the fact all three of them are wonderfully written and vivid. Matilda was an important book as a child in maintaining an interest in reading that, while not actively participated in, is an interest that has persisted throughout my life. It brought to life the difference of perspective and created complex feelings such as being both envious and empathetic simultaneously for a character.

A difference of perspective is basically what interests and drives me to read. Of course that's probably a common theme as nothing really lends itself to stepping into someone else's shoes or world quite the same as book. When I read Between the World and Me it astounded me with its perspective - a perspective I had known was out there, but never one I attempted to understand before. It's like a curtain rising and the sun shining fully through the window - powerful stuff. What's even more powerful is to step back from the book and realize that there are thousands if not millions of people who experience the same heartaches, tribulations, and obstacles. It's the gateway that has ushered in many notable books and authors that I have read following and many, many more that I still want to pursue.

Something Wicked This Way Comes hit me the way a masterpiece of art hits anyone by making me feel like this was an experience brought wholly onto me and only for me. Everything clicked into place while reading. The leaves rustled and fell outside just as the leaves crunched on the pages of the book. A rush of nostalgia for a story I had never read before, but of a shared longing to reverse or spin faster the carousel of life. I feel like this is the book to really lay bare a lot of my inner thoughts and emotions as there's very much a child still imprisoned in my heart. Bradbury's poetic verse sings off the pages and captures the joy and pain of remembering that long-gone youth.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

I am completely torn on this book. Not in the question of whether or not it is a good, enjoyable read. It certainly is and lends itself easily to multiple reads. I'm torn on how much of this book I can share with people without spoiling it because it builds upon itself brilliantly through subtleties and misdirection. There is a quote which summarizes this perfectly; "Ideally, of course, you ought not to know anything about Hill House. You should be ignorant and receptive."

The basic premise is a scientist studying paranormal activities has invited two willing candidates plus the nephew of the current owners as his guests for a period of three months over the Summer. The point of the stay is to document their experiences with Hill House - a fantastically unsettling house with a disgruntled history. The book primarily follows Eleanor who agreed to come to Hill House after receiving Dr. Montague's invitation. She was chosen due to a paranormal event in her childhood. Upon learning why she was invited upon arriving to Hill House she remarks that she doesn't remember.

I keep bringing up Binge Mode and their Harry Potter podcast, but it has served me greatly not only becoming more acquainted with a beloved book series, but also in improving my own literary analysis. Despite the small number of characters there is a surprisingly good variety of dynamic relationships between them even creating multiple layers and representations in the same relationship. Throughout the book Eleanor's relationship with Theordora (the other candidate) shifts purposefully as the house descends it's powers upon it's visitors.

Despite it's short length this is a book that leaves enough to the spaces on the page for interpretation. How much is the house affecting them? How much are they affecting themselves and the others? Whatever the answer the descent into madness via anxiety, jealously, and depression is surprisingly chilling. This is a book that leads off and pulls the reader in with a terribly, uncomfortable, and unsettling house. Jackson creates an atmosphere that is haunting because it's simply off. Something is just not right. Things are off just enough to be creepy by design. It's fascinating and upsetting and proves to be a powerful way to build tension over the course of the book.

I had trepidation about the effectiveness of horror books as a genre, but like anything else it depends upon the skill of the craftsmen. Jackson places you directly inside Hill House. I noticed myself trying to eye around the corners of my own house - trying to perceive what lays inside the shadows of my own rooms - as the wariness Jackson establishes seeps off the page into the reality.

Spoiler

No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality.

Nothing is ever really wasted, she believed sensibly, even one's childhood, and then each year, one summer morning, the warm wind would come down the city street where she walked and she would be touched with the little cold thought: I have let more time go by.

Don't do it, Eleanor told the little girl; insist on your cup of stars; once they have trapped you into being like everyone else you will never see your cup of stars again.

No human eye can isolate the unhappy coincidence of line and place which suggests evil in the face of a house, and yet somehow a maniac juxtaposition, a badly turned angle, some chance meeting of roof and sky, turned Hill House into a place of despair, more frightening because the face of Hill House seemed awake, with a watchfulness from the blank windows and a touch of glee in the eyebrow of a cornice.

"I am really brave now, in a warm room with a fire and company," Theodora said.

It's not nice to think of children growing up like mushrooms in the dark.

Looking at Theodora, it was not possible for Eleanor to believe that she ever dressed or washed or moved or ate or slept or talked without enjoying every minute of what she was doing; perhaps Theodora never cared at all what other people thought of her.

Around her the trees and wild flowers, with that oddly courteous air of natural things suddenly interrupted in their pressing occupations of growing and dying, turned toward her with attention, as though, dull and imperceptive as she was, it was still necessary for them to be gentle to a creation so unfortunate as not to be rooted in the ground, forced to go from one place to another, heart-breakingly mobile.

Peace, Eleanor thought concretely; what I want in all this world is peace, a quiet spot to lie and think, a quiet spot up among the flowers where I can dream and tell myself sweet stories.

[mattlanta]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

I just had to say this: I appreciate you guys a lot. I know this is a sports video game message board, but the fact that you guys put the effort into writing about these books and reviewing them makes me really want to get reading too. Do you guys normally read on your Kindles or do you buy hard copies? Where do you normally read? When?

I'm trying to find more free time in my schedule as I am pursuing my doctorate in anesthesia at the moment. But I have enough free time to watch one or two episodes on Netflix a day or so every week so I figure I can start reading instead of watching...

[DieHardYankee26]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

Legendary avatar.

I should actually be getting money from Amazon I push the Kindle so hard. The only physical books I read are textbooks. I've got a pretty decent collection (maybe 20-25) of hardcovers of some of my favorites since I started reading heavy. I read a lot at work, but it's seeped into my home life. I'll listen to an album during a game with the commentary muted, then read after. I just got a great haul for my birthday. Star of the show for sure is this HP boxset:

https://imgur.com/a/vPTWobW

It's cool being able to spread the love. My mom got me Heads of the Colored People and was so curious about the title she started reading it, got 2 stories in and now she's getting her own copy.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

That is a great Harry Potter boxset. The first year or two we were together I went and bought Ashleigh all of the original illustrated hardbacks. The new illustrated editions don't do much for me, but that set in your post looks amazing.

Thank you for the kind words, mattlanta. This thread is like my own blog/journal for books I've read. I need to do a better job of chronicling outside of this thread, but my general basis is needing some form of reflection and analysis that feels concrete. Video games are capable of transporting us and showing us worlds in a somewhat similar fashion to books. Certainly they're more vivid - the majority anyway. What I feel puts books over the top, however, is the fact that many of them open up so much more upon reflection and analysis. Video games can certainly be treated the same, but most of them offer little beneath the surface and heartbreakingly few have well-crafted narratives that can sustain such analytic criticism.

Firstly, I can safely admit I would not be able to do a fraction of my reading if I was still in school and working. Simply not possible for me. Especially when trying to juggle other hobbies. I have cut down severely on TV watching. Most of it now comes during the NBA season. Outside of that I might run through a series I've watched before or watch a new season on Netflix, but I typically don't watch TV anymore. Gaming I do less and less, but I do go through spurts where I can't put something down. Still, sometimes reading gets bumped to the back burner. It happens. If I had all the time in the world I would write as much as I read, but sadly the only time I take the time to write is to post on OS.

The majority of my reading is done in the evenings in the dining room since that is the best-lit room in the house after dark. My favorite time to read, however, is the morning sitting either in the living room by our great window or in the sunroom. There's something comforting about reading with the warmth of the sun beside you. Then again some of the best times to read are misty, rainy mornings so who knows what the real comfort is.

I try to buy hardcover editions first. If none are easily available (or affordable) I opt for the paperback. I learned my lesson with the Song of Ice and Fire paperbacks as upon completion they disintegrated similarly to a Mission Impossible mission delivery system. I appreciate the convenience of digital media, but I have a hard time trusting it to be there every time I reach for it. I like the tangible piece of work on my shelf.

[KSUowls]

Re: OS Book Club Pt II

My preference is with a solid book that I can feel and smell the pages (geeky I know). I've just always preferred to hold a book and be able to turn the pages. Not a very space efficient hobby unfortunately. I have no problem reading on my PC screen though (I don't have a kindle) whenever I get access to a digital version of something.

As for when. I read a lot more in college when I could just pop open a book between classes. Now with a job and a wife it's really just about substituting whichever hobby I feel like it for the night after all my tasks for the day are done. Some nights I'll play a video game, some nights it's watching Netflix, and some nights it's reading. It helps that I'm a night owl which gives me an extra couple of hours over a lot of people at night. Also, I do all of my reading in my man-cave/office area. Usually I'll just sit on my office chair, prop my feet up and then get to it.