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iostream.h posted:I was finishing On the Beach (again) in my favorite little restaurant today and the waitress, who has been working to improve her English took a few moments to sit and talk with me (I'm a regular, this isn't weird, I also bring the owner bottles of bourbon regularly because 'You are from Alabama, you know what good whiskey is' I love the place) and was asking me about it. On the one hand that's awesome. On the other I'm not sure if you could have possibly given her a book with a sadder ending.
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Apr 21, 2013 13:33
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:On the one hand that's awesome. On the other I'm not sure if you could have possibly given her a book with a sadder ending.
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Apr 21, 2013 15:17
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Anyone picked up David Sedaris's Diabetes with Owls yet? Waiting to hear if it's halfway good after feeling pretty burnt on his animal fables book.
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Apr 23, 2013 23:36
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Making decent progress through Watership Down and this book is seriously.... 
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Apr 24, 2013 00:35
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hope and vaseline posted:Anyone picked up David Sedaris's Diabetes with Owls yet? Waiting to hear if it's halfway good after feeling pretty burnt on his animal fables book. I haven't read it yet as I have to finish a book for my book club first, but the NYT gave it a favorable review and I think it'll be very similar to his earlier books based on the two stories that I have read which will be in this book (one about stuffed owls and one about the dentist in France). I didn't care much for the fable book either so I'm really excited about this one!
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Apr 24, 2013 01:21
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Anyone have a suggestion on where to start with Bukowski? I've searched and asked a few friends, but no on can give me a good answer. I want to get into his fiction first.
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Apr 24, 2013 04:02
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I'm having a problem getting through ASOIAF, hoping someone can ease my mind with an answer keeping in mind that I'm only part way though the fourth book A Feast For Crows. As a small bit of backstory I burned through the first three books at an incredible rate early last year and particularly loved every bit of the third book. However...I can't retain my interest in book four. I've been stuck in the second quarter of the book since last summer, never having any interest in picking it back up again until recently when the third season of the TV series started up. It's gotten so boring. I can find myself interested in the chapters which still follow named characters but whenever I hit a chapter that doesn't follow someone of the main group it makes me want to shut the book then and there. Of my two friends who have read the entire series so far, one says that it gets a fair bit cooler and the fifth book is nice to get through. The other one has told me to not even bother. I was thinking of making a compromise and just skipping the chapters that put me off after a page or two, hoping that I won't miss anything crucial or that small details could be picked up in later developments. Can anyone who's read through all five so far give me an idea of whether or not that'd be a sensible approach to continue slogging through the series? Reading is supposed to be fun and I want this series to be exciting to me again 
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Apr 24, 2013 04:21
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Beardless Riker posted:I'm having a problem getting through ASOIAF, hoping someone can ease my mind with an answer keeping in mind that I'm only part way though the fourth book A Feast For Crows. As a small bit of backstory I burned through the first three books at an incredible rate early last year and particularly loved every bit of the third book. However...I can't retain my interest in book four. I've been stuck in the second quarter of the book since last summer, never having any interest in picking it back up again until recently when the third season of the TV series started up. It's gotten so boring. I can find myself interested in the chapters which still follow named characters but whenever I hit a chapter that doesn't follow someone of the main group it makes me want to shut the book then and there. Of my two friends who have read the entire series so far, one says that it gets a fair bit cooler and the fifth book is nice to get through. The other one has told me to not even bother. I was thinking of making a compromise and just skipping the chapters that put me off after a page or two, hoping that I won't miss anything crucial or that small details could be picked up in later developments. Can anyone who's read through all five so far give me an idea of whether or not that'd be a sensible approach to continue slogging through the series? Reading is supposed to be fun and I want this series to be exciting to me again http://towerofthehand.com/books/104/ - Detailed chapter-by-chapter synopsises (synopses?) so you can skip what you don't want to read. The fourth book is a bit of a struggle, that's true. But I loved the fifth, I think it was second best after A Storm of Swords. So much cool stuff happens in book five. You might be pissed off by the dozen or so cliffhangers that won't get resolved until book six comes out in 5? 10? years though.
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Apr 24, 2013 04:28
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Thanks a lot! I'll use that to supplement my way through the rest of this one, and then on to A Dance with Dragons.
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Apr 24, 2013 05:46
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screenwritersblues posted:Anyone have a suggestion on where to start with Bukowski? I've searched and asked a few friends, but no on can give me a good answer. I want to get into his fiction first. Post Office is probably his most famous. They're much of a muchness to my eyes though.
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Apr 24, 2013 11:22
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screenwritersblues posted:Anyone have a suggestion on where to start with Bukowski? I've searched and asked a few friends, but no on can give me a good answer. I want to get into his fiction first. There's a great anthology called Run With the Hunted collecting excerpts from his novels, poetry and other writings that's a nice overview of his writing. I'd recommend it over one of his novels since it covers his entire career in chronological order, starting with his stories about growing up and ends with his book about Hollywood.
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Apr 24, 2013 16:23
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barkingclam posted:There's a great anthology called Run With the Hunted collecting excerpts from his novels, poetry and other writings that's a nice overview of his writing. I'd recommend it over one of his novels since it covers his entire career in chronological order, starting with his stories about growing up and ends with his book about Hollywood. I brought post office when I was in the city today. So when I get ready to go to North Carolina this summer, I will keep an eye out for this one.
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Apr 24, 2013 23:00
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Inudeku posted:Making decent progress through Watership Down and this book is seriously.... It's the most epic story about rabbits you'll ever read. Count me in as one of those nerds who played The Witcher on PC, found out that it's a series of books/comics/tv shows/movies, and got ahold of the English translations of the two books released in the US. My question, though, is this: are the fan translations of the other books worth reading? It's a total bummer trying to figure out if/when the next book will be released in the US, but I don't want to read a crappy translation and have it ruined for me. Has anyone read them?
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Apr 26, 2013 22:13
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Narzack posted:It's the most epic story about rabbits you'll ever read. The next two official English translations come out in June and August this year. http://www.amazon.com/Time-Contempt-Andrzej-Sapkowski/dp/0575084952/ http://www.amazon.com/Baptism-Fire-Andrzej-Sapkowski/dp/0575090960/
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Apr 27, 2013 03:21
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Here's hoping. I've seen the release date pushed from December 2012 to March 2013 and now to June.
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Apr 27, 2013 13:58
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Reading Beautiful Creatures. Not my favorite book so far, but it is keeping my interest. Dunno if I'll invest in the others. Library maybe. I wannna try Watership Down. Might try the library.
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Apr 28, 2013 03:34
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Been reading some Paul Theroux after seeing a book of his on sale and wanted to know of some other good travel writers. I have read everything Bill Bryson has written and am a big fan of his as well.
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May 1, 2013 03:17
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SilkyP posted:Been reading some Paul Theroux after seeing a book of his on sale and wanted to know of some other good travel writers. I have read everything Bill Bryson has written and am a big fan of his as well. I quite liked Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat. I got it in a crate with a bunch of Theroux books so that's maybe why I associate them. It's less serious in tone, more jovial, but as serious in topic.
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May 2, 2013 05:36
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I just skimmed through the Reading Challenge thread, and I saw that most people are shooting for between thirty and sixty books this year. I mean...gently caress. If I'm diligent, I can maybe get through 5-7 books in a year. Last year, I think I only got through 2. So, am I the one w/ the problem, or are they just completely insane/unemployed?
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May 10, 2013 02:14
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Soundtrack To Mary posted:I just skimmed through the Reading Challenge thread, and I saw that most people are shooting for between thirty and sixty books this year. Either you don't spend much time reading, even when being diligent, or you just read slowly. I've got a job and other hobbies and I can still knock out a book a week at least, and I don't think I'm a particularly fast reader. It also depends on what you're reading. If your two books last year were Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake, well that's going to take longer than someone reading the Dresden Files or some Tom Clancy books.
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May 10, 2013 02:24
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Yeah, I'm shooting for 52 again, which for the last couple of years has been pretty close. I just try to make sure I read for a little bit before bed and also whenever I have a bit of free time during the day (e.g. on the tram, before class, at lunch).
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May 10, 2013 13:14
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Soundtrack To Mary posted:I just skimmed through the Reading Challenge thread, and I saw that most people are shooting for between thirty and sixty books this year. I missed my goal of 52 by four books last year. I have a demanding job, two kids and several hobbies. For me, the trick is to read at least a few pages before passing out at night. I barely watch any TV, though.
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May 10, 2013 13:19
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I usually have two or three books on the go at once, so they pile up over the year without feeling like I'm trying to bang out a book a week or whatever.
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May 10, 2013 14:11
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I'm shooting for 52 and have watched less tv this year than in years and I'm loving it. It's really not that much, I'm alternating between 'real' literature and Stephen King style stuff, so that helps a bit too.
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May 10, 2013 15:37
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Soundtrack To Mary posted:I just skimmed through the Reading Challenge thread, and I saw that most people are shooting for between thirty and sixty books this year. Eh, with me it's a little of both  Helps to be a fast reader though.
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May 11, 2013 17:22
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Can someone tell me if Dan Brown's latest book has 1) a murder in the first chapter, 2) Langdon being woken up in the middle of the night in the second chapter, 3) a hot woman helping him, and 4) a chase all over some city? I swear all his previous books have been like that, and I'm not giving him any money to find out for myself!
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May 14, 2013 18:17
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I am going to jump to the assumption that the end of every chapter is OMG CLIFFHANGER... which gets resolved in the first sentence of the next one. LANGDON WAS SHOVED FROM BEHIND INTO A DARK TINTED SINISTER LIMO.... and it was just his friend giving him some icecream. nm.
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May 15, 2013 07:43
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joelcamefalling posted:I am going to jump to the assumption that the end of every chapter is OMG CLIFFHANGER... which gets resolved in the first sentence of the next one. I suspect so too. Very astute! edit: I googled for spoilers, but found a review containing the first two chapters. I was right! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-adventure.html Someone, probably Dante, is chased off a roof and dies in the first chapter, and in the second chapter ... Dan Brown, the hack posted:Langdon bolted awake, shouting. 
brylcreem fucked around with this message at 15:27 on May 15, 2013 |
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May 15, 2013 15:19
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Soundtrack To Mary posted:I just skimmed through the Reading Challenge thread, and I saw that most people are shooting for between thirty and sixty books this year. I'm with you, I work, have a life of sorts, probably drink too much... and I might get through 10 or 20 books a year. Sometimes I get on an immensely readable one like the Wool Omnibus which I can finish in a few days but most, while good books, are slow going for me. I also usually have a non fiction & fiction going at the same time which tends to drag them out. I'm a slow reader though, I read with the voice of the narrator in my head and if I try to speed it up or skip half the paragraphs it seems disrespectful to the writer and I don't want to miss anything!
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May 17, 2013 19:27
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Would anybody be interested in a "Self Published Books" thread? Reason being I've been searching out for and reading a few no cost/low cost books on Kindle lately, most of which are self published, and there's actually some really good stuff out there. I'm reading books that hold up to some of the best publishing house material, but there's also a ton of crap out there. I think it would be good for people to be able to recommend the diamonds in the rough. It's a minefield though, so it would be good to share what everyone has found and help people steer clear of the dregs. I tend to just read scifi books but I imagine there's all kinds of great books on Amazon that are in other literary genres, so I think there would be a utility beyond me just dropping a few names into the scifi books thread.
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May 19, 2013 18:25
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Astroman posted:Would anybody be interested in a "Self Published Books" thread? Reason being I've been searching out for and reading a few no cost/low cost books on Kindle lately, most of which are self published, and there's actually some really good stuff out there. I'm reading books that hold up to some of the best publishing house material, but there's also a ton of crap out there. I think it would be good for people to be able to recommend the diamonds in the rough. It's a minefield though, so it would be good to share what everyone has found and help people steer clear of the dregs. Yeah... I would. I have about 600 books on my Kindle, all of them are free downloads from Amazon. I alternate between them and my "mainstream" paper books. There is a good range of quality in their self published books. People should hear about all the great ones they are missing out on. This being somethingawful, I'm sure people are also interested in the horrible books too.
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May 20, 2013 04:43
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 I struggle with this affliction every day. Joramun fucked around with this message at 21:37 on May 20, 2013 |
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May 20, 2013 20:18
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Soundtrack To Mary posted:I just skimmed through the Reading Challenge thread, and I saw that most people are shooting for between thirty and sixty books this year. I have 22 of my 52 book challenge down now, even with work, computer games, TV, movies and what else takes away your time. Although it's admittedly mostly SF/Fantasy/Crime, which reads pretty quickly. I usually read 1-2 books a week - a few minutes before bed and a couple of hours each day on weekends and any time I find myself with a few minutes. The great thing with books (and with a Kindle especially) is that you can read basically anywhere, anytime, in the smallest junks or hours on end. Unlike movies or TV series, computer games etc., where you better free up a couple of hours to get through a big junk you can read just a bit here and there and still progress very quickly through a book. Not to mention if you stumble upon something so engrossing it keeps you reading through the night. I miss my school years however, where I had 2 months of doing nothing in summer added - I could easily finish 20-30 books in this time. Joramun posted:
150 unread on my Kindle, 500-600 in my flat. I don't even want to add up all the money tied up in unread books. You tell yourself "I still have all these unread books, I won't have to buy another book for years!" and then you go and buy another 10 books...
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May 21, 2013 14:20
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Michael Deacon at The Daily Telegraph has written the most delightful piece of Dan Brown satire you'll ever read. It's a doozy.
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May 21, 2013 15:31
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Joramun posted:Michael Deacon at The Daily Telegraph has written the most delightful piece of Dan Brown satire you'll ever read. It's a doozy. This is absolutely going in the break room at my book store, thank you!
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May 21, 2013 20:25
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I had no idea he had a new book coming out until now. So, who here is going to read it so I don't have to? I'm guessing it's probably a bit like the plot of Seven, dudes being murdered in outlandish ways to match Dante's Inferno. Bets are on that Langdon is assigned some bizzaro role as Dante by the murderer who considers himself to be Virgil, guiding him through each stupid set piece.
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May 22, 2013 10:21
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Dr Scoofles posted:I had no idea he had a new book coming out until now. So, who here is going to read it so I don't have to? I'm guessing it's probably a bit like the plot of Seven, dudes being murdered in outlandish ways to match Dante's Inferno. Bets are on that Langdon is assigned some bizzaro role as Dante by the murderer who considers himself to be Virgil, guiding him through each stupid set piece. I read the Wikipedia synopsis (full plot synopsis with spoilers etc) and it's nothing like that. But it sure sounds dumb as gently caress. Especially the ending.
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May 22, 2013 11:41
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Hedrigall posted:I read the Wikipedia synopsis (full plot synopsis with spoilers etc) and it's nothing like that. But it sure sounds dumb as gently caress. Especially the ending.
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May 22, 2013 14:26
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Sci-fi author Adam Roberts posted his review in the form of a poem:Adam Roberts posted::1: 
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May 22, 2013 15:16
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Dr Scoofles posted:I had no idea he had a new book coming out until now. So, who here is going to read it so I don't have to? I'm guessing it's probably a bit like the plot of Seven, dudes being murdered in outlandish ways to match Dante's Inferno. Bets are on that Langdon is assigned some bizzaro role as Dante by the murderer who considers himself to be Virgil, guiding him through each stupid set piece. I saw a display of them at a supermarket. The tagline is something like "Seven circles, one killer," it's got a picture of Dante on the cover and the jacket copy made a point of saying the hero has an IQ of 204. Basically it's a cool summer read
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May 22, 2013 18:24
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