Procrastimancer Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 Just finished Cibola Burn by James S.A. Corey. The villain could have had better development instead of being a cartoonish psychopath, but I still loved the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deleted01 Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 Oh I forgot to mention - the setting for The Girl With All the Gifts is where I'm from, and will be living again later this month. RAF Henlow is practically on the same road as my secondary school, and I know all the surrounding towns very well. It's kinda funny to see places like Baldock services being mentioned in a zombie novel - though Stevenage and Luton don't surprise me in the slightest. They're pretty much overrun by zombies anyway :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Cosca Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 That and you read it at the completely wrong time of year! :P Different strokes. Gorst's particular insanity was one of the highlight of the book for me (and that book is tied with LAoK for my favorites of his), and the "revolving" POV during the battle - I think the Day 1 creativity you mention, it's been a long while since I read it.Yeah, I was talking about the "revolving" POV, which I really liked and enjoyed alot! I have a hard time deciding which of The First Law books is my favourite lol. But I could say TBI is the least awesome of the bunch, but I just CAN'T decide how to rank BSC, LAoK and BTAH. BSC was a really nice surprise, given that I went into it with low expectations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maester Llama Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Finished Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes. It's a compelling thriller, very gripping -- I read it in two days -- but oh my God it is trope-tastic. A lot of this tropiness falls on the villain [Mr. Mercedes is a crime thriller but not a who-dun-it; the protagonist is trying to figure out who-dun-it, but the reader knows from about page 30], who is basically a crime drama / serial killer story bingo card. The protagonist, a retired cop following up on that one case that still haunts him, isn't much more original, but he's fun to follow around and King evokes him well, at least I think so. Some of the book's twists are also quite shamelessly manipulative -- there is, for instance [fairly minor spoiler], a question as to whether a dog will be killed at one point. None of this made the book any less fun to read, but as I turned the pages with increasing urgency the very genuine fun was occasionally shattered by the book's tendency to telegraph its pitches and go to the crime drama playbook for its major plays, all the while doing this in service of a story about people who are trying to hunt down a weapons grade asshole whose one of the most absolutely tick-all-the-boxes clichéd figures I've come across in a while. Gripping, can't-put-it-down book, but a little bit limited conceptually. On to Laini Taylor's Dreams of Gods and Monsters now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Hands warm heart Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I am reading Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. What a pleasure to relax with , read and smile. Perfect suntan book, extra sand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolves Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I am reading Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. What a pleasure to relax with , read and smile. Perfect suntan book, extra sand.It's such a great book. I read it years ago but I remember it perfectly and it's one of my all time favorite books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Hands warm heart Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I first read Treasure Island 40 some years ago. At a yard sale a few months ago I found a copy, printed in England in 1935, a treasure, and it's been a pleasure re-reading. The flow of the prose is refreshing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkess Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I've just finished The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory, which I really enjoyed, so I think i'm going to make a start on some of her other historical fiction this summer. I've heard good things about The White Queen, so maybe that! I'm also planning to do a LOTR re-read, although whether or not that'll get finished this summer around work, moving house and studying is another matter... I really liked The Other Boleyn Girl, but for me it was the best of her books. I tried a couple others and they didn't quite live up. I would put The White Queen in second, although that may be because I was not familiar with that particular history at all so everything was quite surprising to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyanna Stark Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Continued with McMaster Bujold (I am on a roll) and completed "Cetaganda" as well. Really liked it and its attempts at discussing bioengineering, tinkering with genetics and possible results. While Cetagandan society might be convoluted, it worked as a thought experiment for societies totally focused on genetics and actually breeding humanity in a specific direction. Regarding Miles Vorkosigan vs Tyrion Lannister:You're not the first person to have noticed the similarity. Miles feels a bit like how Tyrion might have been if he'd had a supportive family growing up. Yes and no. Sure, Miles had supportive parents and that has certainly influenced him a lot (Aral Vorkosigan reminds me more of The Ned than of Tywin), but on the other hand I think his reasoning is similar to Tyrion's but where Tyrion is ultimately often selfish, Miles is not. Or if he is, he comes around to not being selfish eventually. Especially when it comes to beautiful women, Tyrion shows a far higher degree of entitlement with Miles does not. Anyhow, it is an interesting parallel to explore. :) Started on "Brothers in Arms" yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awesome possum Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I'm kicking myself in the bum this morning because I forgot to bring my kindle with me to work, I've been tearing through The Girl With All the Gifts and wanted to finish it up during my lunch break. I definitely recommend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mashiara Posted July 7, 2014 Author Share Posted July 7, 2014 That and you read it at the completely wrong time of year! :P I don't doubt that you are correct, I should have saved it for winter time, as opposed to oppressive summer heat. Oh well. Maybe I'll feel like reading it again in a few years. Only Half Alive by Konstanz SIlverbow was not well written. It started off OK enough but it became an eye-rolling experience. There is some excellent YA out there, this book is not it. I started Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkynJay Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 Reading The Thousand Names by Django Wexler. Pretty good so far, it has been a while since I read something in the military fantasy mold. Finished The Red: First Light by Linda Nagata over vacation. It was a near future sci-fi where war profiteering is a major driving force of the economy. Cynical, smart, and fun. My second book of the author and both were good. Going to have to track down some of her back catalog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deleted01 Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I'm kicking myself in the bum this morning because I forgot to bring my kindle with me to work, I've been tearing through The Girl With All the Gifts and wanted to finish it up during my lunch break. I definitely recommend it. I finished it this afternoon, it was fantastic. Thoroughly enjoyed it. ETA: If you're interested in my inane thoughts, my review can be found here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polishgenius Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I was disappointed that The Girl With All the Gifts featured a journey down the A1 and completely omitted the Hatfield Tunnel - especially since it would seem an obvious place to stage a nail-biting set-piece. Currently reading City of Bones by Martha Wells (meant to read it earlier, but got distracted by Nick Harkaway). It's my first book by her and I'm enjoying it tremendously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady of the Wind Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I'm currently reading the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth, I'm halfway through the first book then if I want to take a break from reading the next book of the trilogy, I'll read Catching Fire. I have a lot of books to read, and still find time to write my own stories and work :) I finished the Divergent trilogy last week. I read it back to back, and it worked for me. It might work to take a break between the first and second, but I would recommend reading the third directly after the second. I'm rereading A Game of Thrones at the moment. I'm planning a complete reread of the series, and thought I'd try reading Feast and Dance combined this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awesome possum Posted July 7, 2014 Share Posted July 7, 2014 I finished it this afternoon, it was fantastic. Thoroughly enjoyed it. ETA: If you're interested in my inane thoughts, my review can be found here. I actually was so caught up in finishing it that I drove back home to get my kindle so I could finish it, which I just did about 30 minutes ago. I agree, it was absolutely fantastic. One of those that made me sad when I got to the end, not because the end was necessarily sad, but because it was over and I had to leave that very disturbing world. And great review. I've been trying to explain what this book is to people without giving too much away, it's a chore. I was disappointed that The Girl With All the Gifts featured a journey down the A1 and completely omitted the Hatfield Tunnel - especially since it would seem an obvious place to stage a nail-biting set-piece. I think the author solved that problem by making it relatively easy to avoid the attention of the hungries by just moving very, very slowly in a group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger275 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Reading "Blood, Class, and Empire: The Enduring Anglo-American Relationship" by Christopher Hitchens. Quite good, so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raja Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Finished reading The Handmaid's tale yesterday, I adore the book, really glad I decided to pick it up. I'm going to have to pick up something else that Atwood has written though I'm not sure which book that's going to be. I might start with Night next, though I'm considering The Girl With All The Gifts. Most of the people I've talked to seemed fairly mixed on the book, but earlier I didn't know it was a zombie book, and since I'm a sucker for those, I might as well give it a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deleted01 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Back on to The Name of the Wind. I am enjoying it, but my god it feels like it's taking me forever to read it. Seeing as a particularly nasty dream just woke me up, I think I'll read some more this morning before I have to go out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Cosca Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 That and you read it at the completely wrong time of year! :P Different strokes. Gorst's particular insanity was one of the highlight of the book for me (and that book is tied with LAoK for my favorites of his), and the "revolving" POV during the battle - I think the Day 1 creativity you mention, it's been a long while since I read it.I think I did a complete 180 in relation to Gorst! The two most recent chapters of his were so good and I think that now I'm waay more interested in his character.Spoilery commentary on The Heroes:I'm talking of his 2 final chapters on Day 1. One of them was at the inn with Kroy and all the others planing their attack for the following day and one guy sort of made fun of him for the charge on the afternoon. The other one was when he was having sex with that girl and picturing himself on his chambers in Adua and thinking that girl was Finree. Those two chapters made me feel so bad for the guy, and in some odd ways sort of relatable. I specially like how he thinks all sort of mean things to say to people but he just ends up saying "Aye" or simply agreeing with them. PS: How do I use spoiler tags?? I want to write more detailed opinions but don't want to spoil the book for anybody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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