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What books are you reading right now?

Discussion in 'Tilted Art, Photography, Music & Literature' started by sapiens, Aug 12, 2011.

Page 65 of 127
  1. CinnamonGirl

    CinnamonGirl The Cheat is GROUNDED!

    Location:
    Central Republic of Where-In-The-Hell
    I had such a love/hate relationship with that book. Enjoy :)
     
    CinnamonGirl, Mar 14, 2014
    #1281
    • Like Like x 1
  2. Fangirl

    Fangirl Very Tilted

    Location:
    Arizona
    Reading the news--this is kinda cool (sorry if off-topic). NYPL = New York Public Library
    89-year-old woman left @nypl $6 million in her will simply because she enjoyed reading: http://nym.ag/1kjedS0 via @barerliterary
     
    Fangirl, Mar 14, 2014
    #1282
  3. Jove

    Jove Slightly Tilted

    Location:
    Michigan
    This is the first book (excluding A Song of Ice and Fire and The KingKiller Chronices) where the main characters are out of their minds insane.
     
    Jove, Mar 15, 2014
    #1283
    • Like Like x 1
  4. Levite

    Levite Levitical Yet Funky

    Location:
    The Windy City
    I've been reading collections of the short stories of Robert Silverberg. I enjoy his work very much, though it sort of seems like he gets B-listed among the great sci-fi writers of his era. If people know him at all, they know him for the original Majipoor trilogy, which, granted, was awesome, but he did write some very good things besides that, and I think his short stories were some of his best work.

    I'm not usually a short story person, BTW. But sci-fi and mystery are almost the only two genres in which I really love the short story form.
     
    Levite, Mar 17, 2014
    #1284
  5. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    I finished Anus Mundi, and I'm not sure what to think. I don't want to post any spoilers. Kielar suffered, but his experience for the most part was relatively painless, and he was incredibly very lucky. Both of which he openly acknowledges. Two things stick in my mind.

    1. In that environment it's every man for himself. Giving a starving person part of your food stash on Wed most likely means you'll be hungry on Thu. Protecting the weak from the strong--soldiers and predatory inmates--sounds noble in theory, but will get you targeted and possibly killed in practice.

    2. Form allegiances, and learn to kiss ass. There is strength in numbers. Including the enemy in that number is a necessary evil.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I've just started They Shall Not Have Me by Jean Helion, a book about a French POW experiences in a WWII German concentration camp. It'll be interesting to see how it compares to Anus Mundi.
     
    Chris Noyb, Mar 19, 2014
    #1285
  6. Hyena

    Hyena Vertical

    Just finished Words of Radiance by Sanderson. Excellent book. I dont know how to follow it up. Think im going to re-read Hitchikers Guide or move on to Great North Road by Hamilton.
     
    Hyena, Mar 19, 2014
    #1286
    • Like Like x 1
  7. redux

    redux Very Tilted

    Location:
    Foggy Bottom
    redux, Mar 20, 2014
    #1287
  8. coreylane

    coreylane New Member

    Location:
    US
    I am reading the fault in our stars, I have 60 pages to go or so and I really like it, but I don't know if I want to finish it, it's so sad :( but I shall finish it tonight I'm sure ill b bawlin my eyes out
     
    coreylane, Mar 20, 2014
    #1288
  9. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    I've been trying to finish the last quarter of Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, but work keeps getting in the way. It's been pretty good so far, but it's not without its faults. I'm still worried it might disappoint me in the end. We'll see.
     
    Baraka_Guru, Mar 20, 2014
    #1289
  10. Levite

    Levite Levitical Yet Funky

    Location:
    The Windy City
    I thought it was a good book, and then went on to find the rest of the books in the Ender series quite disappointing.
     
    Levite, Mar 20, 2014
    #1290
  11. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    I've noticed that some books that are highly loved/lauded have series attached to them that are widely acknowledged as sucking. Dune also comes to mind. (And I know I'm one of the few who didn't really like Dune to begin with. Though I was probably too harsh on it.) Then there are all the well-known fantasy series that start out pretty good and then get atrocious midway or by the end. At least there is a lot one can read about before committing to something. That's why I love the Internet. Some series, whether science fiction or fantasy, are apparently quite worth it. It's good to know which ones those are beforehand. With so many books to read, it's nice to know there are ways to save time.
     
    Baraka_Guru, Mar 20, 2014
    #1291
  12. CinnamonGirl

    CinnamonGirl The Cheat is GROUNDED!

    Location:
    Central Republic of Where-In-The-Hell
    I started Vampire Academy last night.


    ...I really have no idea why, other than the fact that it was only three bucks.
     
    CinnamonGirl, Mar 20, 2014
    #1292
  13. hamsterball

    hamsterball Seeking New Outlets

    Location:
    Coming soon to a galaxy near you
    Just finished 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Clarke. A very enjoyable read. That concludes Book #8 of my 40-book Goodreads challenge for 2014. Now, for Book #9......
     
    hamsterball, Mar 20, 2014
    #1293
    • Like Like x 1
  14. Levite

    Levite Levitical Yet Funky

    Location:
    The Windy City
    FWIW, I thought Dune was fucking gorgeously brilliant-- arguably the best sci-fi novel of the twentieth century, and one of the best novels of any kind. But the rest of the series was only okay to fairly good. And I don't count all the ones his son published. I read part of the first couple of those and couldn't make it through: terrible job.

    I have to say, I tend to distrust most of what I read on the internet about books (present company excepted, of course). I nearly never check out reviews or discussions of book series. I will read on personal recommendations, or if I liked something else the author wrote, or if the author of something I like cites a particular author or work as a favorite; I also do a lot of reading short story anthologies in the genres I enjoy, and discovering authors that way.
     
    Levite, Mar 20, 2014
    #1294
    • Like Like x 2
  15. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    I struggled a lot with Dune. I had been looking forward to reading it for a while and only recently dove into it. (Starting last year some time.) I kept putting it down because I found it excruciating to read. I ultimately force-fed myself until I gave up near the end after becoming almost completely apathetic.

    But bear with me here. I may re-read it one day.

    For starters, I may not have been in the right mindset for science fiction at the time of reading it. I also went into it with high expectations. It is a science fiction novel that seems to get the same praises that The Lord of the Rings gets in epic fantasy.

    I was disappointed/frustrated for a couple big reasons: 1) I find the characterization ham-fisted/cartoonish, and 2) the dialogue (internal included) ranges from cliched to atrocious. On these two aspects, I consider Herbert lacking as a novelist. On the other hand, he is brilliant when it comes to plot, setting, concepts, etc. These latter points will be what encourage me to revisit the book, perhaps after I've read more science fiction and understand the genre a bit more.

    So, ultimately, I cannot agree—and I don't think I ever will—that Dune is anywhere near a great novel in a wider sense. Whether I deem it a great science fiction novel may be something I'm open to on a second reading. I'll have to get past the idea that Herbert's strengths lie in certain aspects that should, perhaps, outweigh the aspects he wasn't very good at writing.

    I do broad surveys from various sources. I evaluate what I read based on how convincing the reviewer is. I don't typically give much weight to extreme and/or myopic points of view. I'm pretty good at weeding out people who don't know how to discuss books and instead simply go with a hated-it/loved-it approach. I know I tend to go that way when I write about books (which is something I don't really put much into), but if you ever catch me in a pub, I'll have a lot more to say about what I've read.

    I also determine what to read based on acknowledged influence/significance/awesomeness, etc. Wide acclaim often gets my attention, though I'm also wary of hype. I also tend to seek out hidden gems and underrated classics.

    A lot more can be said about this, but I have to go to bed.

    Oh, and I finished Ender's Game. It was a bit sloppy at parts, but I liked it.
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2014
    Baraka_Guru, Mar 21, 2014
    #1295
  16. Chris Noyb

    Chris Noyb Get in, buckle up, hang on, & be quiet.

    Location:
    Large City, TX
    I never realized that the book was written AFTER the movie because......so many people didn't understand the movie (I didn't). And many people acted so fugging smug because THEY read the book BEFORE seeing the movie.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------

    BG, I frequently find that reading the book, seeing the movie, etc.,
    after hearing the all the hype
    leads to disappointment.
     
    Chris Noyb, Mar 21, 2014
    #1296
  17. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    Baraka_Guru, Mar 28, 2014
    #1297
    • Like Like x 1
  18. snowy

    snowy so kawaii Staff Member

    I'm working my way through Phillipa Gregory's War of the Roses books.
     
    snowy, Mar 30, 2014
    #1298
  19. hamsterball

    hamsterball Seeking New Outlets

    Location:
    Coming soon to a galaxy near you
    I'm reading The Panic Virus, by Seth Mnookin. Interesting and infuriating at the same time.
     
    hamsterball, Mar 30, 2014
    #1299
  20. Daniel_

    Daniel_ The devil made me do it...

    Location:
    The United Kingdom, naturally

    Exactly.

    From my mind to your keyboard.
    --- merged: Mar 30, 2014 at 5:59 PM ---


    Not strictly true. The film was based on an idea initially written by ACC in a short story called "The Sentinel". SK and ACC worked on the expanded story together, developing a screenplay, shooting script and novel in parallel.

    Some elements were too expensive to film. In the initial book version the monolith is near Saturn not Jupiter, but I think this was changed in reprints. Certainly the sequel novels are Jovian.
    --- merged: Mar 30, 2014 at 6:00 PM ---
    For myself, amongst several things, I'm rereading The Handmaid's Tale.
    --- merged: Mar 30, 2014 at 6:03 PM ---
    Sorry to geek out on you, but, good. I'm glad.

    I used to be able to quote extensive passages, but years of therapy have helped. It's an amazinhly dense book, and stunningly detailed.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 6, 2014
    Daniel_, Mar 30, 2014
    #1300
    • Like Like x 1
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