Books!

[Ominous Gamer]

I started reading Game of Thrones, figuring I would eventually make it over to the TV show. Its not an easy read for someone who is used to reading 10-15 minutes at a time. So many interlacing storylines, fabricated names, locations etc. If the author manages to keep all this shit together, I can see why its so popular, but holy shit is it a bitch to follow along with.

Only on page ~80 out of ~700, and they already threw the happiest character out a fucking window, so I have no idea what to expect from it at this point.

Finally finished it.

Really hard to describe this one. It moves at a snails pace, but its not obvious. Absolutely fucking nothing happens for most of the book, but you don't notice. Everyone is an asshole, but you only focus on hating a few. Basically, its written so damn well, I didn't end up caring what was going on, I only wanted to keep reading. Lots of names, and while most of the time the author does a good job of keeping you focused, there are a few times I caught myself having to google a name. Especially with some of the related characters whoms names are spelt so damn similar. Dragons showed up on the last page, literally the last goddamn page, so now I'm going to get sucked into reading the next book in the series. Fuck this guy for stealing my free time.

[Omega]

Candide by Voltaire is boring as fuck yo. I don't understand why it is famous.

[Flixy]

My sister gave me A visit from the goon squad, should be fun

[Wraith]

Reading Spin, by Robert Charles Wilson. Started about six hours ago, maybe? Almost finished. The slowness of the characters to figure out things that seemed obvious to me was slightly annoying, but overall it's pretty good.

[Omega]

Walden by Thoreau.

Nature, ponds, and more nature. The essence of transcendentalism is proficiency with hoes, bean hoes.

[Ominous Gamer]

Finally got a copy of Clash of Kings. Just as thick as the first one in the series, and I'm told just as "nothing fucking happens".

[Nessus]

So I read Levi's Armistice a few days ago.

It was a very different read, yet what I found most strange was how the tone never changed. I've read Levi in two languages, neither his own (there's a Lager joke to be had there, I am sure!), but to the credit of all translators, he has always sounded the same. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone literate in only one language, and I am sure it is not interesting to anyone, but to me it was such a wonderful observation. To be able to recognize a person if only through his words.

What was different was the content of the writing. Armistice read more like an adventure novel than anything else, and I am sure this is what he intended. Only in small parcels and bits are we offered the worst of humanity, amidst a mostly up-lifting story of a man awakening back to humanity. It's kind of like a road-trip through war-torn Europe. As it is a story of a man learning to cope with people outside the Lager setting.

I suppose that is what is most recognizable about Levi. The ever-analytical view of people, the man who spoke Lager German unapologetically to German customers in the 60s. The analysis of people he is capable of, it astounds me. If I had three wishes, I suspect this would be one of them. But then, it might not be a sane wish, a good wish. No one knows whether he actually did commit suicide. I personally choose to believe he did, for reasons I think he could understand were he yet here, as incomprehensible a sentiment that is.

All the same, people, read Levi. He lived to carry on a message, a letter from the most awful times. Read that letter! I, nor anyone, can ever atone for the Shoah, but we can at the very least be party to its remembrance.

[Aimless]

The Mistborn trilogy!

I finally got around to reading it, and I couldn't put the books down. Was up until like 4-5 AM reading. I'd expected Sanderson to be a little cheesy, a little ham-handed, bit too dorky, bit too melodramatic... and I'd expected a flat and messy story with too much emphasis on cool magic. RPG-nerd's wish-fulfilment story.

I did not expect a well-crafted and thoroughly character-driven fantasy-mystery-thriller. These are some of the most lovingly portrayed characters I've seen in fantasy. The story is layered and complex--in a good way--and masterfully told. Sanderson plays fair and rewards attentive readers. I loved the way he played with foreshadowing and expectations. There was one specific secret I'd begun to sniff around somewhere in the second book, and the way he handled that secret--from the first hints early in the first book to its revelation in the third book--was so. Good.

While the plot and the world are great, these books are all about the characters, conflicts and Deep Truths. I was impressed with how real and natural his protagonists felt, despite the rapid and profound development they all underwent. As for his antagonists, The Lord Ruler and Ruin are two of the most satisfying antagonists I've encountered in fantasy. I was glad to see Sanderson do them both justice.

I was a little surprised to learn about Sanderson's religious background, but only a little. His background shows, but he handles these things better than eg. CS. Lewis did. In telling the story of the struggle between Ruin and his adversary--and of that adversary's desperate long con--Sanderson displays depth and maturity of a sort that's rare in the genre.

You know what? I finally get why Sanderson is finishing WoT. It makes sense, and it makes me happy.

[Lewkowski]

Finally got a copy of Clash of Kings. Just as thick as the first one in the series, and I'm told just as "nothing fucking happens".

Huge events happen! Go read the later books of Wheel of Time to truly see *nothing* happening.

[Aimless]

Finished Way of Kings, almost wish I'd waited... I found it a little iffy at first. Some of the invented terms were especially irritating and got in the way of my full immersion and enjoyment. But somewhere along the line that changed and it turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. There are similarities to the Mistborn novels, esp. wrt themes and ideas. Sanderson's Christian background really shines through, but his writing chops help him channel those ideas into a fantastic story.

I love how he plots. There are surprises, but they make sensw for the most part. There are also many events that he builds towards in such a way that you know they're coming, know that they must come... great use of anticipation.

[evenstar]

^ So you would recommend I try reading it again? I absolutely loved the Mistborn trilogy, Elantris, Warbreaker and even the new Alloy of Law, but I just couldn't get into Way of Kings. My boyfriend raved about it and insists I give it another shot, but I keep putting it off.

If you like Sanderson, I would suggest you check out The Name of The Wind & The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss and The Painted Man & The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett.

[Ominous Gamer]

Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Slayer
A fun read, stuffed with famous people name dropping, only took a few hours to get through. Not something I would expect a serious movie to be made from, which is exactly what the trailers seem to be hinting at.

Huge events happen! Go read the later books of Wheel of Time to truly see *nothing* happening.

Not nearly enough happens to warrant the length of the book. He does a really good job at presenting the most minute details, but he so easily gets wrapped up in them instead of progressing the story along. On top of that, he writes in way that major events that are important are glossed over without that expected detail and presented in a way for him to easily undo them (such as the reason for the siege failing). Its a running joke at work that Winter will never come.

[Aimless]

^ So you would recommend I try reading it again? I absolutely loved the Mistborn trilogy, Elantris, Warbreaker and even the new Alloy of Law, but I just couldn't get into Way of Kings. My boyfriend raved about it and insists I give it another shot, but I keep putting it off.

It's not as solid on its own as eg. the individual Mistborn books, but the writing's great and he's clearly setting the stage for a really cool story. I think Way of Kings is summat more skewed towards guys (who've grown up with fantasy of course). I can't really explain why, might just be my prejudices showing... but it's an entertaining read nonetheless and it definitely gets better as the story progresses. Shallan's plot arc was especially surprising and thrilling, but Kaladin's and Dalinar's were each of them developed in good ways.

If you like Sanderson, I would suggest you check out The Name of The Wind & The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss and The Painted Man & The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett.

I loved Rothfuss's first two books and can't wait for the third haven't read The Painted Man, will check it out

Currently reading The Throne of the Crescent Moon

[evenstar]

Ok, thanks for your take on it. Although my honey and I usually enjoy the same books, there are some exceptions. For instance, he hated Gardens of The Moon and I loved it; he can't stand Clive Barker and I love him, etc. It's good to have a second opinion.

Another book you might want to check out is The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. If you enjoyed the Ocean's Eleven-style heist idea from Mistborn, you'll probably enjoy this one, too.

[Aimless]

I've re-read it twice while waiting for Republic of Thieves

Judging from the above you'll probably like Way of Kings

[Ominous Gamer]

Half way through A Storm of Swords, from the A Song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones). The author's writing style has changed greatly. Its like he understood that this wasn't going to be trilogy after all so he needed to change up the style to keep interest. The fighting is more gory, and there is a fuck ton more sex. His descriptions have gotten a lot better too, focusing on the events over everything else for once. Its a huge book, but it flows more quickly, much easier to read than the first too. He has also started to include lots more magic and supernatural stuff, even going so far as to almost rewrite previous events he explained using science. There is a lot of effort and refinement in this book that the first two lacked.

The only complaint is that some of the key turning points seem to be pushed to happen without proper explanation, but he does have a tendency to come back to them later and fill in the gaps.

[Ominous Gamer]

I'm getting sick and tired of Mr Martin killing off his likeable characters

[Lewkowski]

I'm getting sick and tired of Mr Martin killing off his likeable characters

Red Wedding? :0

[LittleFuzzy]

I'm getting sick and tired of Mr Martin killing off his likeable characters

After how things ended between Tyrion and Jaime in 4, I stopped bothering with the series. It was plain that the stories he wanted to tell weren't the ones I wanted to read.

[Ominous Gamer]

Red Wedding? :0

yeah

[Khendraja'aro]

yeah

Just you wait until the end of "A Dance with Dragons"

[Wraith]

Stop spoilering you bastards! Even these coy hints reveal more than you think they do.

Completely unrelated: Also, Khen, I sent you a PM yesterday!

[Lewkowski]

Just you wait until the end of "A Dance with Dragons"

Well I would say something to discuss this but Wraith will destroy us.

[Wraith]

If you use the spoiler tags, I probably won't bother to send my assassins.

[Nessus]

The 1,000 page biography of the second in command in the Großdeutsches Reich by Peter Longerich. That thing is heavy, and also epic and powerful. This is going to be a fun month...



Title says it all, really. A graphic novel about the most famous gathering of physicists and mathematicians? Yes please!



Might as well throw some money his way, eh?



After the non-fiction, let's give the, uh, half-fiction a go!

[Timbuk2]

and





Don't bother. They're shit.

Not often I give up on a book but this is one of those times. Unfortunately bought the two together at discount on Amazonia

[wiggin]

I just got around to reading Paolo Bacigalupi's first novel, The Windup Girl. I'd caught a few of his short fiction in the past, and I was curious to see how he developed this 'biopunk' theme in a novel form. I think the novel was flawed but interesting, and I definitely understand why it received as much buzz/awards as it did.

I suspect that, similar to Gibson's vision in Neuromancer, he will have accurately forecast a number of interesting trends - but instead of dealing with computer networks and cybernetic enhancements, dealing with food biotechnology. He provides a reasonable warning of potential issues in the future, the roots of which we are already seeing today. And I think he made a good choice in stripping out other forms of technology (by making the economy energy-scarce in a future global economic collapse in the wake of dwindling oil reserves and climate change). This allowed for the strengths and weaknesses of his future world to really come into sharp relief, avoiding potential compensatory technologies from other sources.

Yet all of that aside, the plot meandered a bit and included some frankly unnecessary characters (for those of you who read it, Carlyle? Raleigh? Mia?). He also diverged a little bit too far from realism - there's no way that a future 'post-Collapse' world would look like that. We currently have better technology that could be far more sustainable and renewable than what they were using, and there were a lot of holes in his future world. I normally don't hold interesting ideas to such a high standard when in a short story, but a full length novel clearly trying to sound a warning about the future potential of food biotechnology (and other genetic manipulations) should be a little more realistic.

I'd say it was a strong first work, and deserving of praise - but not my favorite novel. Also, in contrast to other 'punky' fiction I've read, it was a bit preachy. Mieville does the same thing, and that's part of why I'm a bit ambivalent about his work.

[Lewkowski]

Lemme guess Krugman wants to devalue the currency and spend more money?

[LittleFuzzy]

[Nessus]

Finished Krugman and Trinity; about a third in to Himmler. While I was away, these two babies arrived:





I think I now have most of his work in either Finnish or English, in some cases both.

Lemme guess Krugman wants to devalue the currency and spend more money?

Bit below my nominal hourly rate, but let's say it took me about 2 hours to read the book, so tell you what, 40 bucks and I'll answer your query!