Elder Sister Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 Finally got back to my books, finished off Chandler's The Lady In The Lake. Wouldn't have taken so long except I didn't read much for weeks. I think I'm a bit over halfway through the next book, though, so hopefully I'm back in the swing of things.What did you think of it? Most Chandler fans don't choose this one as their favorite, but it was mine right after "The Long Goodbye".ETA: am reading JK Rowling's "The Casual Vacancy". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolene Brown Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I love every Raymond Chandler book I've ever read, but I can never remember which one is which. I think I liked The Lady in the Lake a lot, if I'm remembering the right book. Also love The Big Sleep and Farewell, My Lovely. The language can be a little jarring at times though - some of the ethnic slurs are hard to read, even though I think (perhaps naively?) that it doesn't reflect racism on Chandler's part, just his effort to portray realistically the atmosphere of the times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Cicero Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Finished Iain Banks's latest, The Hydrogen Sonata. A pleasure to read. Well paced and very funny with some interesting stuff to say. I think I might've liked it more than Excession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkynJay Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 You love to bait meOh you know I am only thinking about you when I post to this forum.Hell, I didn't even mention the setting, your getting too knowledgeable of the series if even a character is setting off your filth alarms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nosutchmanas Tulsadum Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Not long finishing Kultus by Richard Ford. Found it a rip-roaring read that I just couldn't put down. Quite surprised me as the cover is deceptive.Polar opposite with The Scar by Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko. A deeper book; a grim and gloomy fairy tale, heavy on imagery, told with a Russian heavy handedness. Can't say I "enjoyed" it as such, but was certainly an interesting read. A different spin on the Fantasy genre.Now back to lighter fare with Terry Brooks Ilse Witch. He's a natural storyteller with great descriptions of the environment. He's built quite a fictional history in his Shannara world. Good stuff. Gonna finish off this trilogy before I get to The Corpse Rat King. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inigima Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 What did you think of it? Most Chandler fans don't choose this one as their favorite, but it was mine right after "The Long Goodbye".Pretty good. I've only read this and The Big Sleep so I don't really feel like I have a basis to rank them but I enjoyed it and I thought the plot twists were good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywolf2375 Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I'm actually opening my first Bakker book this month...to read about the exploits of Kelhus and wonder what the hubbub is about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reposado Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 first few days of october saw the fourth and final book of the dying earth. well definitely not as good as books 2-3, it was ok.for the series as a whole, it wouldn't be one of my first recommendations but it was decent.if anyting just read the second and third as they tell one longer story. the first is mostly unconnected shorts and the fourth is one story but fairly uninteresting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pig Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 I love every Raymond Chandler book I've ever read, but I can never remember which one is which.Ditto. And see also: Hammett, Dashiell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inigima Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Finished Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan. I loved it but it's very flawed. It's medieval Spain recast, and it isn't shy about it (Rodrigo? Really? We aren't dumb, GGK). I enjoyed most of the writing quite a bit.Its biggest problem is that Kay wants everything to be too pat. Characters are too simplistically perfect, people who should die don't, the two characters representative of the clashing cultures have too much in common, the good guys are too noble. The final conflict is cheapened by a dumb gimmick.I really enjoyed the book, but if I sound critical, it's because it could have been more. It's very strong as-is, but it could have been so much better with a bit of dirt around the edges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry. Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Halfway through a Malazan (all books published to date by both writers in this setting) re-read/review project, with Booker Prize finalists mixed in. About to start a similar re-read/review project for the Sapkowski books available in Spanish translation that I own (reviews will be in English, for those who are curious about the ones not yet released in English translation). Then late this month/next month, I will read some of the 2012 National Book Award finalists, although I doubt I'll read all 20 before the November 14 awards ceremony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racker Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Just finished Cloud Atlas in September (took me most of the month because I was very busy). Still digesting that one; it was definitely something else. I'm starting on The Once and Future King now, which will be my first read on the new Kindle Paperwhite which I just got. If I finish that one, I'm going to start on The Long Price Quartet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolverine Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Finished Kay's The Lions of Al-Rassan. I loved it but it's very flawed. It's medieval Spain recast, and it isn't shy about it (Rodrigo? Really? We aren't dumb, GGK). I enjoyed most of the writing quite a bit.Its biggest problem is that Kay wants everything to be too pat. Characters are too simplistically perfect, people who should die don't, the two characters representative of the clashing cultures have too much in common, the good guys are too noble. The final conflict is cheapened by a dumb gimmick.I really enjoyed the book, but if I sound critical, it's because it could have been more. It's very strong as-is, but it could have been so much better with a bit of dirt around the edges.Your critique describe exactly why I was not very impressed with my only GGK reading so far. Don't get me wrong, I liked the book, but I just don't see all the GGK praise. Granted, as I mentioned, The Lions of Al-Rassan is the only book by him I have read. I do have Under Heaven on my pile though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord of Oop North Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Mostly eBook reading for me lately .... read Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War, The Butcher of Anderson Station, and Gods of Risk by James S.A. Corey. Now about half-way through The Dragon's Path and will move onto The King's Blood afterwards (as I already bought it). Yes, yes, on an Abraham kick. What of it.I thought that The Expanse novels were great. I really love space opera, especially ones centered around colonization of the solar system. Can't wait for Abaddon's Gate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I've read The Mountains of Mourning and Labyrinth by Lois McMaster Bujold, and am currently reading her The Borders of Infinity. Up next I think I'll go with Fenrir by M.D. Lachlan.Mostly eBook reading for me lately .... read Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War, The Butcher of Anderson Station, and Gods of Risk by James S.A. Corey. Now about half-way through The Dragon's Path and will move onto The King's Blood afterwards (as I already bought it). Yes, yes, on an Abraham kick. What of it.I thought that The Expanse novels were great. I really love space opera, especially ones centered around colonization of the solar system. Can't wait for Abaddon's Gate.You need to roll right into The Black Sun's Daughter after The King's Blood, if you haven't read them already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewsToTom Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 The ten September reads included, among other things, K.J. Parker's Sharps, which while not bad I did not actually enjoy; Harry Connolly's Circle of Enemies, the third (and final, cancelled due to poor sales) volume of his Twenty Palaces series, which I enjoyed as much as the first two volumes I read a while back; and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, another entry which while not bad I did not actually enjoy.I'm currently struggling through Rowling's Casual Vacancy. I'm almost halfway in and do not care for the plot, any of the characters, or the style, and were it not by an author whose previous books I'd enjoyed would have abandoned it by now. I'm also not quite halfway through Tim Blanning's The Pursuit of Glory, on Europe between 1648 and 1815, which I own and will therefore probably set aside to finish on a trip later this month even though it is much better than the Rowling (a library book). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowRaven Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Currently reading the first book of The First law; very, very good. I want to finish it by the end of this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elder Sister Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 I'm also having a hard time with Rowling's new book. Same issues as the last post on it...I just can't seem to engage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dornish prince Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Mostly eBook reading for me lately .... read Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War, The Butcher of Anderson Station, and Gods of Risk by James S.A. Corey. Now about half-way through The Dragon's Path and will move onto The King's Blood afterwards (as I already bought it). Yes, yes, on an Abraham kick. What of it.I thought that The Expanse novels were great. I really love space opera, especially ones centered around colonization of the solar system. Can't wait for Abaddon's Gate.i'm on an abraham kick at the moment as well, LoON :cheers: i really enjoyed leviathan wakes but opted for the second long price book instead of caliban's war. what did you think of the two expanse shorts? i didn't even realize the gods of risk existed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onion Smuggler Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Slogging through The Brother's Karamazov atm. Just purchased Perdido Street Station by China Mievelle, anyone read it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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