Eleven Eleven: November reads

[mashiara]

I read slowly these days, no more than a few pages a day, if that. It's all the twins permit me and it makes reading comprehension hard sometimes, not all books can survive been read at that pace.

I read Snuff by Terry Pratchett. While I liked it I did not love it. It didn't feel as good as all the previous books, it made me smile but not laugh out loud. It was grimmer and darker at parts than I wanted. I like Vimes but I missed seeing more of the whole Watch.

I also read God's War by Kameron Hurley. I had such a hard time reading this, the first 60 pages or so were very difficult to get through. And the bugs... they made my skin crawl. I persisted because I'd seen people whose judgement and taste I trust like it, and I wasn't disappointed once the plot actually got going. Very different world-building and setting and a couple of truly fascinating characters. I'd like to read more about these people, I seem to recall someone saying there was a second one?

I just started Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

[nickg]

I read slowly these days, no more than a few pages a day, if that. It's all the twins permit me and it makes reading comprehension hard sometimes, not all books can survive been read at that pace.

I read Snuff by Terry Pratchett. While I liked it I did not love it. It didn't feel as good as all the previous books, it made me smile but not laugh out loud. It was grimmer and darker at parts than I wanted. I like Vimes but I missed seeing more of the whole Watch.

I also read God's War by Kameron Hurley. I had such a hard time reading this, the first 60 pages or so were very difficult to get through. And the bugs... they made my skin crawl. I persisted because I'd seen people whose judgement and taste I trust like it, and I wasn't disappointed once the plot actually got going. Very different world-building and setting and a couple of truly fascinating characters. I'd like to read more about these people, I seem to recall someone saying there was a second one?

I just started Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

I loved God's War. I was pretty much hooked from the beginning though. The writing just clicked with me, I thought the worlbuilding was great, and I especially liked the characters. Just a great book. The next book is called Infidel, but I promised myself I would at least finish Reap the East Wind before starting it.

[Durckad]

Put aside Vellum (again) and I'm starting on The Heroes.

My problems with Vellum are two-fold:

1) After Matterhorn, Vellum is just too, too fucking serious and heady for me right now.

2) Vellum's writing style makes me want to punch someone sometimes. Overwritten is the word I'd use.

The Heroes looks to be some good popcorn fun.

[Datepalm]

I liked Vellum at the time, but I never managed more than a few pages of Ink. I seem to have crossed some sort of developmental threshold of capacity for absurd prose toleration in the year or so between the two.

I really liked the heroes (One of my favorite books...probably ever) but I really wouldn't call it popcorn fun.

Finished Ted Chiangs collection. Mind blown. I kind of figured nothing could possibly live up to the endless superlative praise, and yet, he does.

Also the Heirs of the Blade. It's a bit light on plot, but still kind of rolls along, like the rest of the series - whenever I pick it up, I've read a hundred pages without noticing.

[Durckad]

I really liked the heroes (One of my favorite books...probably ever) but I really wouldn't call it popcorn fun.

Maybe popcorn fun wasn't the right phrase.

Maybe it's just the presence of Joe's twisted sense of humor that makes it more immediately enjoyable.

[Spring Bass]

I finished Children of Dune, and now I'm on to God-Emperor of Dune. I think I'll wait a bit before I get into that, and take a look at Night Circus. I also have Vinge's Children of the Sky to check out as well (both NC and CotS are library loans).

[peterbound]

I finished Children of Dune, and now I'm on to God-Emperor of Dune. I think I'll wait a bit before I get into that, and take a look at Night Circus. I also have Vinge's Children of the Sky to check out as well (both NC and CotS are library loans).

trying to start 'Children of the Sky'. Got a signed copy of it last weekend. Can't seem to get into it though.

[Spring Bass]

trying to start 'Children of the Sky'. Got a signed copy of it last weekend. Can't seem to get into it though.

Did you stall out in the middle? That tends to happen when I read Vinge's books. It happened with A Deepness in the Sky, where I was starting to lose interest about halfway through the book (I ended up skimming it to the end).

I actually ended up reading some of God-Emperor of Dune early this morning (bloody Daylight Savings Time). I'm really enjoying it, and it seems to flow extremely well. Looks like I'll be reading this next after all.

[Larry.]

Having put it for for 15 years, I finally began reading Proust, in both French and English. In one sense, I'm glad I delayed, as it is a beauty to read in the original French. In another, I wonder how influenced I would have been if I read this at 22, when I first came across it on sale in a bookstore while I was in grad school. Regardless, this is going to occupy the next few days of reading, with a few other works mixed in (possibly Georges Perec's Les choses). Just not in a genre-reading mood now.

[Happy Ent]

Proust, in his first book, wrote about, he wrote about, fa-lalala-la-lala, …

[sparky]

If the first 100 pages of Leviathan Wakes are any indication, I want to read everything Abraham has written.

[nickg]

If the first 100 pages of Leviathan Wakes are any indication, I want to read everything Abraham has written.

Yes you definitely do. Long price quartet, then The Dragons Path. NOW!

[Spring Bass]

I finished God-Emperor of Dune. It's a bit slow in the middle, but the ending is the second-best ending out of all four Dune books that I've read so far. On to Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse: Dune.

[RedEyedGhost]

I'm enjoying the hell out of The Night Circus. I'm a bit more than 60% done, and I think I should finish it by Wednesday or Thursday. Then I'll be starting God's War.

[Biter]

Last week I finished Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. It was the most dialogue-heavy book I've read in a while, and although I found some minor details hard to follow due to the jargon (slang) used throughout the novel, I loved it.

Now I've got two fairly scary novels that I'm thinking about starting: Joe Hill's Horns and John Ajvide Lindqvist's Little Star.

[nickg]

Last week I finished Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. It was the most dialogue-heavy book I've read in a while, and although I found some minor details hard to follow due to the jargon (slang) used throughout the novel, I loved it.

Now I've got two fairly scary novels that I'm thinking about starting: Joe Hill's Horns and John Ajvide Lindqvist's Little Star.

I really liked Horns. Good stuff

[Just a peasant]

I am reading Bright's Passage by Josh Ritter. I love his music so I thought I would read the book about a World War I veteran. I am liking it so far but I just started.

[TheEvilKing]

Finished The Cold Commands last night. Pretty good, especially the explosive first 100 pages or so. Got a bit confusing toward the end, almost Bakker-level on the "wtf is going on" scale.

Going to start The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan shortly.

[Contrarius]

Lessee, since my last update -- finished Berg's Rai-Kirah trilogy. Stupid name, but I liked the whole trilogy very much. I'll be reading more of her books.

Then I read The Left Hand of God. Interesting book, I wasn't hugely fond of it but I'd like to see how Cale ends up. Unfortunately I started The Last Four Things and was intensely bored after a coupla hours (on audio), so I gave up on that for now. I'll try to go back to it later.

Then I read Rosemary and Rue, the first in the October Daye books by Seanan McGuire (aka Mira Grant). I'm feeling very tepid about it. Eh. But IMHO UF series often improve after the first coupla books (e.g. Dresden and Kate Daniels and Cal Leandros), so I'm trying the second one now.

[Little Valkyrie]

Lessee, since my last update -- finished Berg's Rai-Kirah trilogy. Stupid name, but I liked the whole trilogy very much. I'll be reading more of her books.

Then I read Rosemary and Rue, the first in the October Daye books by Seanan McGuire (aka Mira Grant). I'm feeling very tepid about it. Eh. But IMHO UF series often improve after the first coupla books (e.g. Dresden and Kate Daniels and Cal Leandros), so I'm trying the second one now.

If you liked those, you should like more of Carol Berg's books. She's just finishing up a trilogy (Collegia Magica), the third should be out in January.

I'm pretty mixed on the October Daye books. I found the second one straight-up bad, because Toby as a detective is too stupid to live, and McGuire can't write a good mystery. But the third one has some real bite to it, and four and five are pleasant enough.

I managed to finish Valente's Habitation of the Blessed, which is the kind of book where the little mistakes poison the entire thing. [No, Hiob the monk could not have *spoken* Akkadian in 1699, so did you throw it in just to look impressive?] Currently about halfway through her Deathless, which is much better but still a mixed bag.