Books
- Thread starter Harthan
- Start date
shattered dreams
Hexagonal Hedonist
Still getting used to having the time to read recreationally again. I just read Boomerang by Michael Lewis. Randomly picked it up and expected to be bored of it before the end of the first chapter but it turned out to be anything but boring.
Oh yes; there's Snuff, Unseen Academicals and I Shall Wear Midnight, all of which are sadly quite poor. I won't harp on them too much because I'm a massive Pratchett fanboy, but it feels like the medical condition is preventing him producing a satisfactory plot. The writing is fine on a page by age basis, but ISWM legitimately forces you to read two thirds of the way through before introducing the main story, and Snuff barely has a main story at all, just being random adventures of Sam Vimes in the country. UA is plotted fine, it's just shit with unlikable characters acting out a dull story.
Dowdsy McDowds
Sally was here
On the final book of Thrones at the moment and while I understand some of the criticisms levelled at it, I've enjoyed it nonetheless. A lot will hinge on the final 2 installments though.
I made a start on Moby Dick recently and will carry on with it after finishing the 5th Thrones book.
I've also got Bram Stoker's Dracula loaded up on the kindle too along with Charles Bukowski's Hollywood for my holiday reading but will likely need some more titles soon.
I made a start on Moby Dick recently and will carry on with it after finishing the 5th Thrones book.
I've also got Bram Stoker's Dracula loaded up on the kindle too along with Charles Bukowski's Hollywood for my holiday reading but will likely need some more titles soon.
I'm not much of a reader so I tend to dip in and out of whatever I'm reading, going weeks at a time between picking up anything. Currently have about 4 on the go
100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington
The Diary of Anais Nin V1
The Myth of Sisyphus by Camus
I should finish a couple of them before I move onto anything else but Catcher In The Rye is sitting on my desk and I'm looking at buying Candide by Voltaire.
100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington
The Diary of Anais Nin V1
The Myth of Sisyphus by Camus
I should finish a couple of them before I move onto anything else but Catcher In The Rye is sitting on my desk and I'm looking at buying Candide by Voltaire.
Bernkastel
Reaper of Miracles
Steve Alten is my favorite author, so I'll read anything he writes. I reread my copy of The Loch a month ago.
I've read Unseen Achademicals actually, really got on with it, probably because I love football and Mustrum Ridcully is the greatest character ever put to print. Not read Snuff, but if its Sam Vimes I'll give it a go, just on the basis that its Sam Vimes. Is I Shall Wear Midnight a Tiffany Aching book?
A few people I know have been saying that the quality has dropped off since he was diagnosed, I wouldnt know really, up until now I thought it was just people tricking themselves into believing it.
Finished Kingkiller Chronicles today. It's great. Go read it.
Moving back into the thick of Wheel of Time now. I owe an obligation to my misspent youth to finish the series, and to do that properly I need to read through the ones I read back then, because there's just too much detail for me to keep straight. They're not bad, but not as good as they were when I was a kid.
Moving back into the thick of Wheel of Time now. I owe an obligation to my misspent youth to finish the series, and to do that properly I need to read through the ones I read back then, because there's just too much detail for me to keep straight. They're not bad, but not as good as they were when I was a kid.
I knocked out the Iliad and the Odyssey earlier this year. I wish I had some type of prior knowledge regarding Greek mythology before delving into those two epics, but I got along just fine. It wasn't an easy read by any stretch of the imagination, but despite re-reading a few chapters, I walked away content with what I read.
I've finished the first three novels in A Song of Ice and Fire this year as well. I seem to have a peculiar taste in regards to my favorite characters. Most of what Gel said in his review is true, but, while not perfect, I am extremely satisfied by the series as a whole
As for what I want to read after ASOIAF, I'm thinking either The Dark Tower series which I've never read, or re-reading every Tolkien novel regarding Middle-Earth for a third time, not including The History of Middle-earth series. Give me some advice!
I've finished the first three novels in A Song of Ice and Fire this year as well. I seem to have a peculiar taste in regards to my favorite characters. Most of what Gel said in his review is true, but, while not perfect, I am extremely satisfied by the series as a whole
Aside from Bran's chapters. I'm going to burn my book if I have to hear about that fucking three eyed crow again.
As for what I want to read after ASOIAF, I'm thinking either The Dark Tower series which I've never read, or re-reading every Tolkien novel regarding Middle-Earth for a third time, not including The History of Middle-earth series. Give me some advice!
The Dewbliners
WZ's Whedonite. Now 20% Cooler
I read mostly non-fiction. Autobiographies, biographies, medical volumes, legal texts, and the like. When I do venture into the fiction aisle, though, I'll pick up a book of poems, or a good sci-fi novel. Not much else, though. I figure, if I'm not learning anything of consequence, why read?
Mustrum is indeed one of the greatest characters in all of print media, right up there with Gytha Ogg and Vimes, the problem is that that he's hardly in the book, and at no point does he actually do anything of relevance. UA spends its entire time dicking around with a collection of unamusing and frankly unlikable characters doing a species equality plot that has already been done better with Dwarfs, Trolls, Vampires, Females and Golems.
To be clear; I don't think UA is a bad book because of Pratchett's condition; I just think it's shit. Bad story, bad characters and boring themes. The other two however, whilst both more enjoyable that UA, show unmistakable signs of TP's medical condition becoming a factor. The narrative simply doesn't flow through ISWM or Snuff, plot threads are established early on and then abandoned whilst new plot elements are plucked out of nowhere at the last minute and presented as the main story. Prolepsis takes place, but then the events that are being foreshadowed never transpire making the novels seem like a total mess.
You'll probably enjoy Snuff, just because it does still have a fair bit of Sam Vimes being Sam Vimes, but the police procedure that usually accompanies him is conspicuously absent. I'd give ISWM a miss though; it has hardly any Granny Watherwax or Nanny Ogg, an insufficient quantity of Feegles and a shit story that doesn't make sense.
Remy LaCroix
Lou Thesz' Favorite Son
I have a book of Oscar Wilde plays sitting on my nightstand since January. I also have the Canterbury Tales (er, a translated version) with a receipt from work as a bookmark dating back to November of 2010; I was only six pages into the book! =/
The Dewbliners
WZ's Whedonite. Now 20% Cooler
Canterbury Tales is a fantastic work. Which plays are in the Wilde book?
Max Headroom
The Master of Disaster
I'm about to start reading "Brain Droppings" by George Carlin. Considering everything Carlin does is great, I'm sure this would be worth reading if you're a fun of him, or just a fan of comedy/satire in general. Once I get through it I shall post an update and tell you guys/girl or two how awesome it truly is.
And Death, excellent character.
I agree with most of what is said here actually, as I couldnt say I particularly cared about the main characters, or the done to death on the discworld plot, but I cut that book a lot of slack because of the fleeting appearance of Rincewind (who I dont want to see in another book as a main character at this point but its nice to know he's alive and well) and it was a case of passing the time between Ridcully scenes and the football match. But I did really enjoy it despite the flaws.
Ah thats a shame actually, maybe its a case of that he's trying to pump the books out faster than his mind can process them properly, it feels as though he has a complete story to tell for all his characters and he wants it told. Real shame about ISWM as I heard that Eskerelda made a reappearance in that one and I've been waiting for years to find out what happened to her and Simon, I figured that they were killed in the war with the Sourcerer (Sourcery, one of my favourites)
Spoiler tag, just in case you dont like internet theories.
but I've also seen the theories that Simon is actually Hex, and well, they seem quite plausible
Obviously I'll have to read them both though, Pratchetts one of the few authors who can write a character I can give a shit about, not just "like" (I like Tyrion Lannister but I wouldnt care at all if he died) so I'll have to read them just to know, poor books or not.
The 1-2-3 Killam
Mid-Card Championship Winner
This week I sold my iPad and bought a Kindle. I was sick of having a $700 tablet sitting around collecting dust, and I needed the extra money to put down on an apartment. I only ever used my iPad for reading, but the backlight hurts my eyes and is just annoying over any prolonged use. So I sold it for $550 and bought a Kindle Keyboard for $100; the rest went into my savings. I'm thinking about selling that in October and picking up the new backlit e-Inc Kindle though. Would save me from spending $60 on a flashlight case. Overall, fantastic decision. I absolutely love it; it's lightweight and I actually WANT to read every day again.
I read through Hunger Games in one sitting yesterday. It was quite enjoyable. Not a fantastic read, but the topic peaked my interest and I really did like how the author wrote the main characters. The drama between the two primaries was fantastic, but the end had me really, really frustrated. Not a bad book though, if you want some light fantasy reading. Decent movie too.
I just bought the first book in the Kingkiller trilogy, at the suggestion of Harthan. I might finish the Hunger Games series first though.
I read through Hunger Games in one sitting yesterday. It was quite enjoyable. Not a fantastic read, but the topic peaked my interest and I really did like how the author wrote the main characters. The drama between the two primaries was fantastic, but the end had me really, really frustrated. Not a bad book though, if you want some light fantasy reading. Decent movie too.
I just bought the first book in the Kingkiller trilogy, at the suggestion of Harthan. I might finish the Hunger Games series first though.
I read that early in 2011, and thought it was great. I may actually still have it on my shelf, if my old roommate didn't take it back when I left college.
ÐаÑбоÑа
doesn't know REAL wrestling...
Currently on a History of Norman England from 1066 to 1284. Interesting stuff with the Norman kings trying to balance being an English king and a Norman duke at the same time, whilst dealing with the French, Welsh, Scots and eventually the Irish.
Got a few Star Wars books high on my wish list now, espeically the long-awaited Revan. Anyone who played and loved KOTOR should be interested in what happened to the villain turned hero after his disappearance and whether the Exile ever found him.
As disappointed as I was in the sheer lunacy of pricing for the MMORPG of The Old Republic, I am interested in the story behind it starting with Deceived before Red Harvest and Fatal Alliance.
However, I still have about five other books to get through before I consider buying more.
Got a few Star Wars books high on my wish list now, espeically the long-awaited Revan. Anyone who played and loved KOTOR should be interested in what happened to the villain turned hero after his disappearance and whether the Exile ever found him.
As disappointed as I was in the sheer lunacy of pricing for the MMORPG of The Old Republic, I am interested in the story behind it starting with Deceived before Red Harvest and Fatal Alliance.
However, I still have about five other books to get through before I consider buying more.
Dowdsy McDowds
Sally was here
I'm surprised you didn't just wait for the Kindle Fire HGR. I know what you mean about reading more when you get the Kindle, exact same thing happened with me.
I'm about halfway through Moby Dick just now but I might make a start on the Jack Reacher series instead and cut my losses on Moby Dick for now.
I'm about halfway through Moby Dick just now but I might make a start on the Jack Reacher series instead and cut my losses on Moby Dick for now.
Mustang Sally
Sells seashells by the seashore
Just finished "11/22/63" by Stephen King. Been waiting years for someone to give the full-bore treatment to someone going back in time to try and prevent the Kennedy assassination. I never dared hope it would be my favorite author who did the deed, yet it might have been inevitable given King's ability to weave different plot-lines and bring them together to form a cohesive whole.
I've seen short stories that dealt with this subject, and recall a one-hour episode of "Twilight Zone" that attempted to tackle it, but the depth of this novel puts those efforts to shame. The book is meticulously researched, not looking to skirt around established facts to fictionalize events that led to the fateful day.....instead, it related and incorporated those facts into the author-inspired fantasy.
One of King's best ever efforts.
I've seen short stories that dealt with this subject, and recall a one-hour episode of "Twilight Zone" that attempted to tackle it, but the depth of this novel puts those efforts to shame. The book is meticulously researched, not looking to skirt around established facts to fictionalize events that led to the fateful day.....instead, it related and incorporated those facts into the author-inspired fantasy.
One of King's best ever efforts.
The 1-2-3 Killam
Mid-Card Championship Winner
As I said, I didn't want another tablet. If I was just going to get something that I can read on that has a bunch of other apps, I'd have kept my stupidly expensive 3rd generation iPad. I have a fantastic computer for games, an android for apps, and a PS3 for Netflix and home networking. I don't need the iPad at all, nor do I need a Kindle Fire.
Барбоса;4139739 said:
If you're into Star Wars books, the Revenge of the Sith book is a fantastic read. I enjoyed it much more than the movie and the movie is one of my favourites. I read ''The Last of the Jedi'' series when I was younger (14) and I enjoyed the heck out of them, but I wouldn't know how an adult would take to them. They were fun reads, though.
Awful, awful play.
