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Butch Cassidy posted:Sewer, Gas and Electric That book is pretty great and justifies the existence of Ayn Rand.
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Jan 17, 2014 20:27
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thespaceinvader posted:Moving on to 6: Hilldiggers by Neal Asher. Having enjoyed Prador Moon I'm continuing that series. 6: Hilldiggers by Neal Asher. So, it turns out, it wasn't continuing the series at all, and was actually both a very recent book and the last chronologically in the verse, but fortunately also stand-alone so I didn't gently caress up too badly picking it. Good book though, enjoyable, and twisty at the ends. I'm looking forward to picking up more Asher.
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Jan 18, 2014 00:05
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Walh Hara posted:Since you read 6 books already I would really recommend a higher goal rather than one you will easily pass even if your reading rate drops to 1/3 of what it was so far. There's no shame when you don't meet your goal, so take one that challenges yourself and see if you can surprise yourself! Yeah good point, I think I'll up it to 72
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Jan 18, 2014 00:22
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2) The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christy Utter shite, first book by Christy I've read I thought id like it based on Poirot off the TV. Apparently not. I'm interested if this is representative of her work or not.
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Jan 18, 2014 11:48
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#9) Dan Savage - The Committment Basically a long drawn-out memoir about how Savage and his husband decided to get "married". It's an interesting, touching story and it's a satisfying follow up to "The Kid". Listened to this as an audiobook, and was bummed that Savage didn't read it himself. If you genuinely care, or are intersted in the personal life of Dan Savage, it's a good read. If not, it comes across as a run of the mill memoir. #10) Decemption Jonathan Kellerman There was a year or so in college when I had gotten caught up in all of the mysteries series I had been reading. I found and gorged on them for awhile. Once I got caught up, I sorta lost interested. I picked it up again once I found out I was a bunch new books behind. The first half of this book looked like it was going to be a really dark and edgy mystery. Woman dies, leaving a tape implying she was being viciously sexually harassed. The suspects all calmly admit to a sexual relationship. I was looking forward to a tale of vicious manipulation. Then the story takes a left turn and is all about cheating on SAT tests. Meh.
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Jan 18, 2014 23:25
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Dirty Frank posted:2) The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christy That's not really a great one. I'd try reading one of her classics that stars Poirot, like 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd', 'Death on the Nile', or 'Murder on the Orient Express' and see what you think. 'And Then There Were None' is also considered one of her best, and I loved 'Crooked House'. But if you don't get hooked in on one of those I mentioned, I'd give up, because they're all kind of a similar style after a while. I read them all as a teenager, but probably wouldn't re-read very many of them now.
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Jan 19, 2014 00:49
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Carbon Thief posted:I'd try reading one of her classics that stars Poirot, like 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' Ackroyd is unfair bullshit, but the rest of these are probably good suggestions.
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Jan 19, 2014 15:33
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Carbon Thief posted:I read them all as a teenager, but probably wouldn't re-read very many of them now. 
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Jan 19, 2014 21:36
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More books: #6: You're Mine Now - Hans Koppel. #7: The Road to Middle-Earth: How J.R.R. Tolkien Created A New Mythology - Tom Shippey. #8: The Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut. #9: Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell. Currently reading: And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut: A Life - Charles J. Shields.
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Jan 19, 2014 22:42
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ProfessorProf posted:Ackroyd is unfair bullshit, but the rest of these are probably good suggestions. Yes, I agree, but it was uniquely unfair bullshit that influenced the mystery genre significantly. However, Crooked House and And Then There Were None are hopefully a lot less frustrating to read. If I remember correctly, Crooked House was one of Christie's personal favourites.
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Jan 20, 2014 00:38
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Carbon Thief posted:That's not really a great one. I'd try reading one of her classics that stars Poirot, like 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd', 'Death on the Nile', or 'Murder on the Orient Express' and see what you think. 'And Then There Were None' is also considered one of her best, and I loved 'Crooked House'. But if you don't get hooked in on one of those I mentioned, I'd give up, because they're all kind of a similar style after a while. I read them all as a teenager, but probably wouldn't re-read very many of them now. Dead Man's Folly, Dumb Witness and Cards on the Table are also good. Avoid The ABC Murders, The Big Four and Black Coffee.
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Jan 20, 2014 03:37
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This is my year, dammit. This is my year. 40 books in 2014. I will read them on the treadmill, I will read them in the bath, I will read them on the landing grounds, I will read them on the beaches. My profile is here on Goodreads. Add me as a friend! Keep me on track!
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Jan 20, 2014 19:41
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Clipping along. 3: The Black Company - Glen Cook The Black Company is kind of the godfather to all that gritty GoT style fantasy going on right now, and it shows for better or worse. It's gruesomely dark - but not as much as something like Abercrombie. It's morally ambiguous - but not as much as Martin. It does what it does well: instill a sense of helplessness when faced with "normal" epic fantasy characters.
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Jan 21, 2014 02:25
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Put me down for 60. It's time to dig myself out of the piles of books on my reading list. Aiming for at least 10 to be non-fiction, 10 to be classics, and 10 history.
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Jan 21, 2014 07:29
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I'll go for 32 this year.
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Jan 21, 2014 08:57
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2) Twelve Years a Slave - Solomon Northup, David Wilson. Goodreads review here. It's all in the subtitle, really: Narrative of Solomon Northup, citizen of New-York, kidnapped in Washington city in 1841, and rescued in 1853, from a cotton plantation near the Red River in Louisiana. 3) The Girl Who Would Be King - Kelly Thompson. Goodreads review here. This is a book about two girls who are destined to fight each other, and since they've both got superpowers it's going to be a hell of a fight. One's good, one's evil. Their names are Bonnie Braverman and Lola LeFever. Guess which one is which.
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Jan 21, 2014 14:17
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I love 4 day weekends (thanks to MLK and snow day!) 11. The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell. An interesting little book about how ideas and epidemics are spread, it reminded me a lot about the work I did in Communication Theories classes in college. For some, this can be an essential and informative book. I thought it was just alright though. 12. The Villain's Sidekick (novella) by Stephen T. Brophy. I'm pretty sure I got this for free on the Kindle. It's a short little story, that reads pretty much exactly like a comic. It's a little bit cliche (the villain's redemption against an evil superhero, makes him the hero). Brophy could have promise going forward, but he's got a way to go before he moves beyond 'generic super hero fiction' 13. Andy McDermott - The Secret of Excalibur I really like the series. It is silly, it is fun. It is a perfect piece of entertainment to fill the void left by a lack of Indiana Jones. That being said, this book felt about 100 pages too long. Probably my least favorite of the first three, but I don't see myself stopping any time soon. 14. I'm Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers by Tim Madigan A personal memoir of personal struggles, framed by the writer's friendship with Fred Rogers. It really gives you a look at what the real Mister Rogers was like, and the answer is he was an amazing and genuine human being. It's a pretty sad book, and not the Fred Rogers biography I was hoping for, but it was a good read regardless.
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Jan 21, 2014 22:20
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Blind Sally posted:2. Hawkeye 1: My Life As A Weapon/Hawkeye 2: Little Hits - Matt Fraction et. al. 4-7. The Chronicles of Prydain II-V: The Black Cauldron, The Castle Of Lyr, Taran Wanderer, The High King - Lloyd Alexander. It was good. I liked them save for some issues with the last two. I chalk them up to be being based on Welsh myth and being written in the sixties, though. I'm sure I would have loved them more as a kid, but as an adult I find them a bit lacking in the end.
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Jan 22, 2014 00:00
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Time for my first update. Most of these are copy/pasted from my goodreads reviews. Like last year I'll be counting books that didn't pass my hundred page test as 1/2. This year I'm only counting a graphic novel as 1/2 if it's part of an ongoing series. If it stands alone it counts as an entire book. 1) The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting I read this as part of a friend and I's project to read all of the Newbery award winners for a podcast series. It won the second Newbery medal in 1923 and is the first one that I would consider recommending for kids. This was the first time I've read the book, being familiar with the character only from the 1950's Disney movie. Well, and the remake, but the only thing the remake shares with the book is a doctor that talks to animals. I honestly think the best way to describe The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle is "whimsical." It's broken up into six parts. Each is for the most part a self contained story on its own, but they do flow from one to another to form a cohesive narrative. There were a few places where the pacing was a little off, but it was minor. Now to the elephant in the room. Yes, this book was written in the 1920's, and yes, there is the expected casual racism that pervaded everything of the time. The edition that I read was the post-1988 version that removed a fair bit of the offensive material, but as a white guy I can't really be the judge that says "Nope, not offensive any more." 2) X-Men: Season One by Dennis Hopeless, Jamie McKelvie (Illustrator) This is a modern retelling of the origin of the x-men from Jean Grey's point of view. I enjoyed it a lot. Fantastic visuals combined with Dennis' fantastic dialogue. 3) The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes 1924 Newbery Winner. I actually liked this one for the most part. It's a little slow to start, which I think could turn modern kids off of the book, (seriously, it took 70 bages just to get to sailing, and another 20-ish for the pirates to show up) but for a book aimed at kids/young adults it offers a somewhat unflinching look at pirates. Turns out most of them aren't good people. I will also say that this is going to test any young person's reading skills, as it uses some obscure terms for things and doesn't bother to stop and explain them. There is a bit of the casual racism (referring to the Native Americans as savages for example), but it's a book set on a 17th century sailing vessel, and most of it comes from the designated bad guy. 4) The Answer! by Mike Norton, Dennis Hopeless, Mark Englert (Illustrator) Fun, excitement, adventure, a genius librarian, and a superhero with death issues. I really enjoyed this one. My only real problem is that it sort of/sort of doesn't end on a cliffhanger. 5) Saucer by Stephen Coonts So this isn't completely terrible. It has wooden characters, awful dialogue, and is pretty contrived in a lot of places, but the plot is kinda' fun. 6) Tales From Silver Lands by Charles J. Finger Newbery winner 1925. This is the first one I'd have no real issues handing to a kid to read. It's a collection of folk tales from Central and South America. There are a couple of "origin of" tales, like the story of how some animals came to have the tails that they have, but most are of the fable variety. I didn't notice any serious vocab, so they should all be an easy read for most kids. Only two of the stories are connected to each other so it would be a good book for a child that likes to read in short bursts. The copy I was reading from, the 1965 reprint, came with the original illustrations and I though most of them were pretty neat. They have a unique green/orange color palette and really evoke some of the scenes in the book, though the one my friend and I got a good laugh at was what we referred to as the "smug llama." 7) Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician by Anthony Everitt A dense but fantastic read. I regret taking as long as I did to finish it. The author manages a compelling biography of Cicero, while making sure to give the proper historical context for everything. I would recommend this for anyone interested in Cicero or the Roman Republic. 8) Shen Of The Sea: Chinese Stories for Children by Arthur Bowie Chrisman I really should put the word Chinese in the title in quotes. 1926 Newbery winner. This is one of those books where you have to be reminded of the era in which it was written, because while it is not badly written, it's still a mostly offensive product of its time. So far as I can tell from a little bit of research on the book the author was not in any way an expert on Chinese culture and appears to have completely made up the stories. This could be fine in the hands of someone who knew what they were writing about, but the book reads like the author's entire understanding of Chinese culture came from turn of the century pulp novels and fortune cookies. As far as the content of the stories they're a lot of "origin of x" stories written in an easy to read style. If I didn't feel bad about the cultural appropriation I could potentially suggest it as something a child might enjoy reading. That brings my running total to 8/100. According to goodreads I'm a little ahead of where I need to be so I'm going to start in on some of the sci-fi/fantasy garbage I love to read. If the Newbery reviews appear different it's because I'm trying to put at least a little more effort into them. The friend I'm working on the project with is a librarian. 8one6 fucked around with this message at 09:44 on Jan 22, 2014 |
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Jan 22, 2014 09:39
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attackbunny posted:2) Twelve Years a Slave - Solomon Northup, David Wilson. Goodreads review here. It's all in the subtitle, really: Narrative of Solomon Northup, citizen of New-York, kidnapped in Washington city in 1841, and rescued in 1853, from a cotton plantation near the Red River in Louisiana. Reminds me of my favourite book title: The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely deliver'd by Pyrates by Daniel Defoe. Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships by Jonathan Swift is also pretty good.
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Jan 22, 2014 12:01
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Two more under my belt. 3) Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian. I'm glad I've read this, but I'll never read it or anything else he's written again because gently caress that prose and pacing for the rest of time. Goodreads 4) The Pride of Chanur by C.J. Cherryh. Almost the exact opposite of "people on a ship together" in terms of... well, everything. The writing's simple, the pacing's fantastic, the captain's a woman and I never once read the words "mizzenmast" or "larboards." Also, there's space cats. I sort of needed something light; who woulda thunk I'd find it in C.J. Cherryh.Goodreads
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Jan 22, 2014 16:31
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General question about Goodreads. I've been plotting my progress (every night that I read, I update to the page I'm on) to get a sense of my reading habits, but there's no way to change the total page number of the book. This is significant because the book I'm currently reading Going Clear by Lawrence Wright is actually ~370 pages long but the book is out of 560 pages (because of notes, bibliography, appendix and credits).
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Jan 23, 2014 21:49
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I think it'll be difficult with that particular book, but you could always see whether there is a different edition with fewer pages (preferably one that leaves out any notes etc) and switch to that one. You could also use goodreads to keep track of how much you've read every day, and then enter that in excel and adjust the number of pages for the last part you've read of a particular book to leave out the notes.
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Jan 23, 2014 22:10
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I don't think I'm going to finish any more books in January! 1) Infernal Devices by Phillip Reeve (5/5) Just a drat fine book. The third book in the Mortal Engines series. The 16 year jump between the second book and third book threw me off a bit but I soon got used to it. 2) A Darkling Plain by Philip Reeve (5/5) The last book in the Mortal Engines series. The whole series was basically flawless (to me), the only other series I have read that compares to it in YA fiction is Harry Potter. The last quarter of the book had me on the verge of tears, so much emotion, grr!! 3) Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming (4/5) Casual Racism ahoy! In all seriousness this book is a product of the time it was written. Racism and sexism are abundant here. If you can overlook that the book was a pretty drat enjoyable pulp thriller, nothing at all like the movie thankfully. Poor Felix  4) Overqualified by Joey Comeau [4/5] This whole book is cover letters to be attached to resumes for job applications, only difference is that it's what he would want to write instead of all the usual bullshit. Most of them are hilarious and a few touching which some cover letters have interlocking threads. 5) Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve [3/5] 6) A Web Of Air by Philip Reeve [3/5] 6/29
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Jan 24, 2014 02:17
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I think I would like to get in on this. I'm going to go for 20 books in 2014. It's not that much, but I would like to try focus heavily on consistency. I tend to binge on a series that I'm interested in for a month or two and then go months without reading a single book because I can't get into anything. I haven't really used my Goodreads account much, I mostly used it to check series information and reading orders but I'm going to make an effort to put in every book I read this year and set the correct "date read". I might try filling in previous years data with guestimates but it's not a priority. The point is to see if I can get 20 books fairly consistent over the course of 2014, making sure I'm always reading something. Feel free to add me on Goodreads, it will probably make me more accountable.
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Jan 24, 2014 22:58
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Put me down for 52! I'm probably going to end up counting full-length plays in my tally, but I'm also planning on hitting some big titles this year (Gravity's Rainbow, 2666, Underworld, Divine Comedy, Maybe Ulysses if I'm not dead by the time I get around to it) so I think it'll even out.
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Jan 25, 2014 00:59
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quote:01. The Stranger - Albert Camus 04. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway 05. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck I'm glad I didn't read this in high school. I think Steinbeck is becoming one of my favorite authors. 06. Ficciones - Jorge Luis Borges I found it hard to read at times and I didn't care for some of the stories (mostly the literary reviews), but I really liked 'The Garden of the Forking Paths', 'The Circular Ruins', and 'The Form of the Sword'. DannyTanner fucked around with this message at 17:22 on Jul 25, 2014 |
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Jan 25, 2014 18:34
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Being unemployed, broke and depressed while watching all your friends get jobs and have lives sure gives you a lot of time for reading! 7. Liars In Love by Richard Yates Unfortunately left me wanting having already read Eleven Kinds of Loneliness (one of my favorite short story collections). Still worth the read, but be prepared for a strong current of desperation moving through the lost souls of Yate's stories. Maybe read it before the (IMO) superior Eleven Kinds of Loneliness. 8. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner Difficult, but rewarding. A book that is read very actively. The names, relationships, and tragedies of the Compson family are all fairly cloudy, but each of the four parts offers different tools to help sharpen the image. Some parts of the book jump non chronologically paragraph to paragraph, which apparently Faulker intended to have colour coded - some publishers have done this, and I'm interested in reading one of these copies. 9. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami Best described by Haruki Murakami in the foreword: "...a kind of memoir centered on the act of running". Murakami is simply pleasant company as he talks through different aspects of how he trains as a runner, his life, and his career as a professional novelist. I think anyone with a particular passion will find this an affirming book and find Murakami charming in his modesty and small eccentricities. 10. Master and Man and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy Hocus Pocus fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Jan 31, 2014 |
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Jan 26, 2014 08:38
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Since I have a feeling that I won't be finishing any more books this month, might as well post my first update for this year. January 1) This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales: I wanted this book to be so much better than it turned out. It was your typical YA novel. A young girl, who doesn't fit in with anyone at the school that she goes to, decides not to take her life and calls one of her classmates to talk about it, which in turn causes the classmate to call 911, and turns her life upside down. After she discovers an underground night club, she quickly discover that she has a knack for DJing parties. She quickly rises to fame and makes friends with two party girls and starts dating another DJ. Things fall apart quickly, but eventually everything works and she realizes that her life is perfectly normal. Yeah, I had high hopes for this one, but it was a let down. 2) The Best Film You've Never Seen: 35 Directors Champion the Forgotten or Critically Savaged Movies They Love by Robert K. Elder: I really liked this one. Mainly because of the fact that it gave me a bunch of movies that I've never heard of (with the exception of Kevin Smith's pick, Man of all Seasons, which he has gushed over many times before). I now have plans to watch all of them at some point, if I can ever find them on DVD. 3) I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling With Villains (Real and Imagined) by Chuck Klosterman: I've never really read anything by Klosterman before. I did try to read Sex, Drugs, and Coco Puffs a while ago, but never got into it. This one however, was different. I really dug the concept that Klosterman threw out there and even suggest that deep down inside, we're all villains. 4) Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution: From The Sopranos and The Wire to Mad Men and Breaking Bad by Brett Martin: I wish that I read this and Alan Sepinwall's book back to back last year. They would have went perfectly together. The only difference between the to is that Martin's book goes into the creative process, which was something that I wish Sepinwall would have went into. 5) Fresh off the Boat by Eddie Huang: I have come to the conclusion that my three favorite non-fiction books to read are about chefs, rock musicians, and history of entertainment. Huang's book falls into the first one. While he does admit that he isn't really a chef, food was always apart of his life. Huang writes about growing up in different parts of the east coast, dealing drugs, and collecting sneakers. It's a odd book, but a success story none the less. 6) The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein: Epstein, the senior writer at Sports Illustrated, proposes an interesting question in this book. Is athletic ability earned through training or is a person born with it? The book doesn't get too technical and really does focus on sports more than science. It's an interesting read for anyone who wants understand athletic ability, 7) On Booze by F. Scott Fitzgerald: A short, 86 page collection of writings from Fitzgerald on his favorite subject, booze. It was great, but I wish that it was a little longer. 7/30 Currently reading: screenwritersblues fucked around with this message at 19:57 on Jan 28, 2014 |
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Jan 26, 2014 20:15
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2 (of 24). The Fault in Our Stars - John Green I found it hard at first to relate to a teenage girl, being a large manly man. The characters are somewhat pretentious and not at all indicative of any teenager I have ever met, yet found myself sobbing several times at some beautiful interactions between humans. Thoroughly enjoyable.
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Jan 26, 2014 23:45
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screenwritersblues posted:2) The Best Film You've Never Seen: 35 Directors Champion the Forgotten or Critically Savaged Movies They Love by Robert K. Elder: I really liked this one. Mainly because of the fact that it gave me a bunch of movies that I've never heard of (with the exception of Kevin Smith's pick, Man of all Seasons, which he has gushed over many times before). I now have plans to watch all of them at some point, if I can ever find them on DVD. A Man for All Seasons counts as either forgotten or savaged? And Kevin Smith likes it?
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Jan 27, 2014 00:54
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Mr. Squishy posted:A Man for All Seasons counts as either forgotten or savaged? And Kevin Smith likes it? I think in this case, it's forgotten. I've head him mention that it's his favorite, mainly because I listened to his Smodcast for a while and he mentioned it few times. He mention that it's one of the few films besides his own that he's seen multiple times.
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Jan 27, 2014 01:38
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My sense of the film world's critical consensus was formed in my nan's house and let me tell you AMfAS is far from forgotten. It's basically that and The Name of the Rose.
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Jan 27, 2014 01:49
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15. Black Echo by Michael Connelly I'm trying out some new authors this year, to see if any of them really stick. While nothing Bosh did in the book is ground breaking or all that special, it was an interesting book to listen to. It was light, entertaining and unlike other mystery novels, it makes an attempt to capture the time period it portrays. Most books try and keep themselves timeless as possible, preventing listeners from really nailing down a date. You know, and feel right away that this is taking place in the early 90s and it's nice. 16. Supergods by Grant Morrison First, Morrison is freaking crazy. But his literary analysis of comic books and superheroes in particular starting from the birth of Superman is interesting. As a person who reads comics from time to time, it is interesting to see in critical terms, the impact they have had on the world, as well as how they reflect the world around them. Grant gets a little kooky when talking about himself and his journey to being one of the biggest names in comics, but it doesn't hurt the overall message of the book.
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Jan 27, 2014 02:45
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Mr. Squishy posted:My sense of the film world's critical consensus was formed in my nan's house and let me tell you AMfAS is far from forgotten. It's basically that and The Name of the Rose. Case in point: I've never heard of it. It's was Smith's choice for the book and I have a feeling that a lot of other people haven't heard of it either. http://bestfilmneverseen.tumblr.com/meetthedirectors There's the full list if you want to see what else was picked. Read the book to have a better understanding on why Smith picked it.
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Jan 27, 2014 05:31
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January Books: 1) The Bone People, by Keri Hulme. A classic from New Zealand. Fascinating book. I kinda love it, but kind of hate it at the same time. It deals with themes such as abuse in a way that left me cold, but there were lots of smaller elements that made up for it, including surprise magical realism that really shouldn't have been that surprising if I'd stopped pouting and paid more attention. 2) The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson. Loved it! Great atmosphere, characters (oh Eleanor ), setting, and a perfect degree of subjectivity regarding the supernatural activity. I loved the part where Eleanor seems to become one with the house. There was something so wonderfully visceral about her running around all ecstatic after spending most of the book clutching her pearls. After We Have Always Lived in the Castle and now this, I'm sort of in awe of Shirley Jackson  3) Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women, by Geraldine Brooks. A pretty decent book overall, although dated. Fairly balanced between the different, often contradictory viewpoints of the women Brooks encountered as a journalist, and she manages not to insert herself too much into the narrative, not that her own experiences living and working in the Middle East aren't interesting either. A really easy read, and good for dispelling a few myths (as well as raising a lot of questions. The book is a bit limited in scope and depth). Would've liked to have squeezed one more book in, but The Bone People took ages to finish 
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Jan 28, 2014 11:14
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Another quick update: 9) The Sword and the Chain (Guardians of the Flame #2) by Joel Rosenberg I liked it. I was better paced than the first in the series and the author did a better job with the characterization of the protagonists. The heroes take up the task they were charged with at the end of the first book: ending slavery across the fantasy world, and they hit upon a clever way to do it, making it economically unfeasible to afford slaves. Of course, that's background detail to the book's adventure, which is about getting all up in some slaver's grills, returning a slave to her homeland, and for the protagonists to come to terms with the life they'll have to lead to make everything work. I would definitely recommend both this and the first book in the series. 10) A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain It's rare for me to reread something, but I found an unabridged copy so I decided to give it another read. I still like it. 11) Zero Point by Richard Baker This was a fun read. It's tie-in fiction for the Star*Drive RPG setting. I'm only vaguely familiar with the setting and I still found it enjoyable. The author does a good job of giving you enough info so you don't feel lost, and most of it didn't feel like it was info-dumping. It has a very "how convenient" twist at the beginning to jump-start a major section of the plot, but I've read a lot worse in my time, and it's pretty standard in the genre anyway. If you're looking for a light sci-fi read with action, alien mysteries, a gratuitous love scene, and cyborg laser fights you could do worse than giving this a read 12) Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle, Xan Fielding (Translator) I have a bit of a confession to make: I feel that the 1968 movie handles this material, especially the "shocking climax" as the back cover puts it, far better. Even if you ignore 40 years of cultural osmosis the author tips his hand about the nature of the twist twice in the first 15 pages. It was interesting to finally read the source material of a true classic of sci-fi. 13) The Sandman, Vol. 8: World's End by Neil Gaiman 14) The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman 15) The Sandman, Vol. 10: The Wake by Neil Gaiman I enjoyed the Sandman series quite a bit. That brings my running total to 15/100
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Jan 28, 2014 11:22
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3 (of 24) Ariel - Sylvia Plath One of my favorites. I seem to like female poets more than males. Interesting.
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Jan 28, 2014 13:54
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8one6 posted:10) A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain I read this a while ago and hated it. Right off the bat, this guy who was suddenly and unexpectedly thrown back in time knew what day a solar eclipse was going to happen. He also knows how to construct power plants, telephones, explosives, guns etc. with only the resources of a medieval kingdom to help him. All that would have been irritating, but what really pushes it over the edge is the protagonist's apparent belief that 19th century America is the apex of all civilisation. Knights are made to be nicer and less destructive by learning to play baseball. People are cured of superstition by learning to talk like Americans, etc. It's incredibly obnoxious.
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Jan 28, 2014 14:40
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1. From the Ruins of Empire: The Revolt Against the West and the Remaking of Asia by Pankaj Mishra: Alternately titled "how white people ruined Asia and the response by Asian smarties" 2. Thousand Crane by Yasunari Kawabata: good short book about love, death, and tea in Japan. 3. Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography by Roland Barthes: also known as "A Frenchman explains how the photograph is Death." 4. The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro: an emotionally relentless dream sequence about concerts. bird. fucked around with this message at 20:19 on Jan 28, 2014 |
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Jan 28, 2014 20:15
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