Peadar Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Reading Beyond the Veil of Stars by Robert Reed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aceluby Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Finished Lies of Locke Lamora last night and it finished as well as it started. Just great from beginning to end. Started up An Autumn War by Daniel Abraham this morning. I don't know what it is about this series, but I'm not as captivated by it as I think I should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Well, I don't claim to be a literary expert of any sort. I just recall being really thrilled by the initial dynamic of each character arc Whereas that's kind of undermined by a lot of Logen/Jezal's plot development being pointless (mostly, although again bear with me I haven't finished the series) That's kind of the point I think. It's a subversion of the "hero goes on a quest to find a magical item" trope. Unless I've misremembered something. I enjoyed the final book the most I seem to recall, as it ties everything together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ormond Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 The Book of Strange New Things was recommended to me here - but I see on the library website that it's classified under "Christian fiction" and in the summary, it says it's a "profound meditation on faith". I'm thinking this might be something I'll neither enjoy nor appreciate. Anyone read this before and want to comment? I am very familiar with Christian fiction and thinking and am not interested in yet another viewpoint or perspective on faith. I guess this probably answers my own question, but since it was a board rec, I'd still be interested in hearing what people thought made it worth reading. Unfortunately I don't know anything about this particular book. However, I would like to point out that although when publishers advertise a work as "Christian fiction" it is almost always something written from an Evangelical or Fundamentalist Protestant perspective, librarians have a much broader definition of "Christian fiction" in their classifications. In the World Cat catalog, among the first 80 books classified as "Christian fiction" are Gilead by Marilynne Robinson; A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving; Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark; In the Beauty of the Lilies by John Updike; The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom; The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene; In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden; and The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis. You may well not be interested in a book which gives a "profound meditation on faith" from any perspective. I'm just pointing out that just because a library calls something "Christian fiction" doesn't mean it's something the Southern Baptist Convention would approve of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
First of My Name Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I finished Mostly Harmless. It was funny, but I can see why the author regretted writing the ending that he did. Also 100 pages into Ship of Magic, the characters are very good. That's kind of the point I think. It's a subversion of the "hero goes on a quest to find a magical item" trope. Unless I've misremembered something. I enjoyed the final book the most I seem to recall, as it ties everything togetherLast Argument of Kings was my favorite too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drogon's Personal Trainer Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Reading 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' by Richard Flanagan. Beautifully written but jumps about a bit at the moment.To those reading The Liveships Trilogy, I was very impressed with the tight plotting in this trilogy. So many memorable characters too, but I really do like Robin Hobb, so I may be biased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf of the Steppes Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Finished Lies of Locke Lamora last night and it finished as well as it started. Just great from beginning to end. I really enjoyed this book too. The sequel- Red Seas Under Red Skies, is also a good read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I finished Mostly Harmless. It was funny, but I can see why the author regretted writing the ending that he did.Also 100 pages into Ship of Magic, the characters are very good.Last Argument of Kings was my favorite too.When I first read it I was disappointed. But on reflection I've come to like it much more. Reading 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' by Richard Flanagan. Beautifully written but jumps about a bit at the moment.To those reading The Liveships Trilogy, I was very impressed with the tight plotting in this trilogy. So many memorable characters too, but I really do like Robin Hobb, so I may be biased.Join the club. Though i wouldnt personally say she does tight plotting, there is a tendency to meander through the plot, taking the scenic route, rather than taking the direct route. I personally dont mind that though. Agree about the characters, they are brilliant. Huge fan... EDIT: Funnily enough, just been reading an AMA on Reddit and Hobb had this to say: Q: Are you a "plotter"/outliner or a "pantser"/writer who writes by the seat of their pants or as the ideas come?A: I think I am more of a 'pantser'. I often jump into a book and just start writing. Sometimes I plan out a few chapters ahead, such as 'Chapter 23 He finds the treasure map, gets hit with poisoned dart and is rescued by a cat'. Usually, when I'm about 2/3 of the way finished with a book, I create what I call my 'map to the end of the book.' And that is the list of chapters and events that need to be written to carry me to the end. Sometimes I think I'd write better books if I outlined more carefully. But when I make a detailed outline, I feel I've already written the story. It seems boring, so I diverge from the outline.I think the bolded makes a lot of sense. I often say that the ending of her books steps up the pace dramatically, the final sprint so to speak. I suppose this is a result of this "map to then end of the books" she creates, which reins in the plot Starting this month with The Pale Horseman, book 2 in the Saxon series. Loving it so far. Very tempted to go ahead and buy book 3 so I can move on straight away...but there is so much else I want to read too *sigh* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Finished up the Last Kingdom this evening. Damn that was good. Count me into the Cornwell is great group. I'll likely continue straight on with the Saxon stories as I bought The Pale Horseman when it was on offer.Yeah I stopped reading the Saxon Tales after book three The Lords of the North but I enjoyed the hell out of them even if they were a bit repetitive. I'll probably pick them back up eventually, definitely needed a break from Uhtred though :D You should check out Warlord Chronicles down the line if you're enjoying Cornwell. I'm starting Sharon Kay Penmans When Christ and his Saints slept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HexMachina Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Yeah I stopped reading the Saxon Tales after book three The Lords of the North but I enjoyed the hell out of them even if they were a bit repetitive. I'll probably pick them back up eventually, definitely needed a break from Uhtred though :D You should check out Warlord Chronicles down the line if you're enjoying Cornwell.I'm starting Sharon Kay Penmans When Christ and his Saints slept.I definitely will pick them up at some point. I've been trying to find a good Arthurian book/series for a while now, so after a good impression from the Saxon books these seem right up my street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Over a hundred pages into Nemesis Games, and so far, so boring. I thought the last book, Cibola Burn, was easily the weakest of the series so far. Unless things start picking up, this new one is on track to continue the trend. Part of the problem is the Rocinante being in dry-dock and her crew scattered to the wind. A big factor in what made the previous books so good was the chemistry of the crew. So, yeah, hoping they get back together soon otherwise this book is going to be a huge fucking disappointment. Also, I miss Uthred... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mashiara Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I finished Kitty Steals the Show and Kitty Rocks the House by Carrie Vaughn and they were both meh, especially the second one. The quality of this series has been declining severely, as far as I'm concerned, like the author is trying too hard to introduce even more fantastical elements and plot twists that just fall flat. I'll read the rest of the books since I'm so close to the end of hte series and I want closure, I'm just not that eager to do so. I'll be starting Nemesis Games, the newest Expanse novel, when I get back from work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkynJay Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I finished Kitty Steals the Show and Kitty Rocks the House by Carrie Vaughn and they were both meh, especially the second one. The quality of this series has been declining severely, as far as I'm concerned, like the author is trying too hard to introduce even more fantastical elements and plot twists that just fall flat. I'll read the rest of the books since I'm so close to the end of hte series and I want closure, I'm just not that eager to do so. I gave up after the reality show. Shame, local author and I really enjoyed the first few. Anyway, I finally finished a book, it took me two weeks to read The Chart of Tomorrows by Chris Willrich. Pretty good but a bit hectic in the final third. Enjoyed the series quite a bit, if nothing else for its unique style. Wanted something short so I am trying out A Dangerous Type by Loren Rhoads. I know nothing about the book or author but it looks like it could be fun or ridiculous. Hopefully it is fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I finished book 3 in The Expanse and after many fits and starts have really gotten some momentum on Stephenson's Baroque Cycle. I'm on about page 450 of book 2. Man, I love L'Emmerdeur. I've got to power through and finish it now. I can't quite explain why, but it reads a bit like Shakespeare to me in the sense that there's a bit of barrier to entry that fades once one gets in there for a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benpeek Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Reading 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' by Richard Flanagan. Beautifully written but jumps about a bit at the moment. I liked it. The middle, especially, is excellent. But it's a bit uneven, and has a few moments of coincidence that kinda didn't work for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biter Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I really enjoyed this book too. The sequel- Red Seas Under Red Skies, is also a good read. I got about 200 pages into the third book in the series, The Republic of Thieves, before college assignments forced me to put it on hold. I plan to finish it at some point during the summer. Right now I'm at the start of Woolf's To the Lighthouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 About halfway through Nemesis Games now. Holy. Fucking. Shit. That is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 About halfway through Nemesis Games now. Holy. Fucking. Shit. That is all.Well, that solidified what I'm reading next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spockydog Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Well, that solidified what I'm reading next.I feel ashamed for ever doubting The Corey. Oh my word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Yeah, I am needing to get to the next The Corey but won't at least until I finish Baroque or at least book 2 of Baroque. I think 100 pages of The Expanse is equivalent to about 30 pages of Baroque Cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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