Reply With QuoteAlastair Reynolds's Revelation Space. It's a mixed experience so far, because for everything I like about the book, there's another I hate--like the author's maddening habit of withholding information the viewpoint characters are perfectly aware of.
I'm sure most of you've seen the giganormous "What are you playing?" thread over in GenGaming and I thought I'd introduce a similar thread here. It's not like Scot's "recommend me some books" thread in that it's not about recommendation, just telling everyone what you're reading right now. Your thoughts on the book, that sort of thing.
Anyway I just finished Gibson's Mona Lisa Overdrive for the 2nd time and am about to crack open the Strugatsky brothers' Roadside Picnic- again for the 2nd time. I'm partially rereading it 'cuz I enjoy the book but also because I'm kind of gearing up for a quick Stalker marathon to start the summer with.
I still have no idea what the hell happened at the end of Mona Lisa Overdrive though. I mean, I have some clue except the whole thing in Gentry's loft was just- what?
Alastair Reynolds's Revelation Space. It's a mixed experience so far, because for everything I like about the book, there's another I hate--like the author's maddening habit of withholding information the viewpoint characters are perfectly aware of.
Reading three at once:
-Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (no shit--fucking cool!) by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith - What if the girl were trained Ninjas in a Austen world full of romance and zombies. A helluva ride!
- Parasites Like Us by Adam Johnson - So far, the jury is out on this one: A wonderful premise and it had a great hook, but went bland by page 4. We'll see.)
- God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Vonnegut - The only Vonnegut book I had forgotten to read. It's interesting to see how they blended elements of this book and Breakfast of Champions into that mess of a movie: Breakfast of Champions with Bruce Willis.
Just finished Michael Chabon's the Final Solution which was a good little piece of genre fiction with Chapter X being flat-out brilliant. Currently starting Faulkner's The Sound And The Fury which is going to be my introduction to stream-of-consciousness. So far so good though.
And yeah, everyone should follow Aja's recommendation form the other thread and read Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, even those of you who think you aren't into 'Literature' (I'm looking at you Scots). I gave it a chance and was blown away, straightforward and concise but by no means merely 'functional' writing; that man could write! I will certainly being getting more Hemingway once I finish my current reading pile.
Anthony Steinbock - Home and Beyond: Generative Phenomenology after Husserl
Right! I'm reading For Whom The Bell Tolls. So far so good, but I find that after two semesters of constant reading that it's a bit difficult to resist the temptation to read nothing.Originally Posted by Angel Dust
ld follow Aja's recommendation form the other thread and read Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, even those of you who think you aren't into 'Literature' (I'm looking at you Scots
I was worried for a minute that this was a thread about threads
I just finished Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination which I bought solely based on Sulphur's post in this thread. The book didn't disappoint. There are so many ideas crammed into one fast-paced story, it's almost wasteful.
The Trial, Grapes of Wrath and Robinson Crusoe. Seriously. I'll never finish them. Been reading them all for at least 2 years now.
Angel Dust, for some reason I couldn't get into The Final Solution (and I usually love Chabon's books). It seemed too "exaggerated."
And a hearty hear-hear for Hemingway!
I didn't think The Final Solution was brilliant or anything, apart from that one chapter, but I found it enjoyable. So far it's the only Chabon I have read, as all his other books were out when I went to the library, and I'll certainly be reading his other books now.
Watch the movie Wonder Boys first, then read the book. You'll love them both because of their differences, instead of only liking one or the other.
Which chapter, BTW? It's been awhile since I've read it.
The one from the parrot's perspective. I've already seen Wonder Boys the film and really liked it. I'll probably try and get The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay next though.
Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit
Eric Haney, the writer of this book, was a Command Sergeant Major in the US Army's Special Operations Delta Detachment. He talks about the forming of the unit, their missions and tactics.
He's not a great writer by any means, but it's ok. I was more interested in the historical things in this book. Pretty good read. He's not as good as Richard Marcinko. I'd recommend his books more.
Two days ago I finished reading Heavy Time and Hellburner (the chronologically first two books in C.J.Cherryh's Alliance-Union sci-fi series). Despite her being compared to Lois McMaster Bujold, the books didn't quite manage to grab me, so I'm not sure if I'll keep reading the rest of the series.
Currently I'm on a break of them and am reading all the Stainless Steel Rat books.
On the road, Jack Kerouac.
Interesting so far.
1: The literature of England an anthology and history Pub: Scott, Foreman and Company
2: The American fishing schooner By Howard Chapelle Pub: W.W. Norton & company Inc.
3: The Road to Damascus A Bolo novel by John Ringo and Linda Evans
4: The very last Gambado by Johnathon Gash
I go through about 2 or three "novels" a week. Technical and referrence like the first two take a little longer, although I will have 2 to 4 books working at the same time.
I just started on Grapes of Wrath as well. Dunno what to think of it so far, the guy starts of the book by writing a chapter about the fucking weather. Yeah that'll get everyone glued to their seats alright. The second chapter was interesting because it had some actual dialogue in it but then the third chapter, which I've just clanced at so far is a descritption of a turtle walking around or something. Is the whole book gonna be like this? Can I just read every other chapter(the ones with Tom Joad in em) and still keep up with the story?
The Hero and the Outlaw, which, weirdly, is about marketing/branding with a basis in Jungian archetypes.
I've got Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book on hold at the library, so as soon as I pick that up, I'll be reading that one.
Sure you can. But you'll miss the entire thrust of the story and the historical and emotional reality of WHY?
Father Goriot from Honore de Balzac, which I planned for years.
He's considered to be the founder of European realist literature, but since he lived and wrote his works in the first half of 19th century, I think it's still heavily Romantic. Or is it just me, having more naturalist concepts of what literary realism should be. Maybe it's caused by the point of view of the central character, a young and naive law student. Well it's true I didn't read anything else from him, but I think this would be a good example of his style. Balzac surely has talent for detailed description of environment and characters, but the amount of detail he puts into description of environment is pretty boring for me at times. 175 pages so far and most of them were filled with incredibly dull description of manners, facades, high-school like romantic plots and corruption of French aristocracy. The intended contrast between the high class and the poor is notable, but not deep enough so far, I think. Well, I make qualified judgement after I finish it...
Last edited by Rogue Keeper; 27th May 2009 at 04:51.
The Spirit Level - Why Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better. That book is a bit wow.
Currently reading Einstein: His Life and Universe, which I picked up after reading this article which was taken from the book.
Prior to that I read Charlie Chaplin's autobiography which was a great read.
The last fiction I read was Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.
Just read The Great Gatsby - it's really good! Now I'm reading Alexander's classic 'Principles of Animal Locomotion', because its about time I did, quite frankly. Probably more in keeping with local tastes, I also read Ian M Banks latest, 'Matter' recently. Fully recommend it, great imaginative work and one of the most savage endings I can remember in a sci-fi book. Basically, if you like sci-fi and haven't read any Ian M Banks, you are missing out on probably the best modern sci-fi author.
Cool camping - France. Lots of nice pictures.
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