Yrael Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Planning on picking up The Forging of the Sword by Hilari Bell. It will probably be a December read though... Also, I bought Tad Williams' The War of the Flowers this afternoon for just a few cents . Since I tend NOT to read books I own (I perpetually postpone the reading--book ain't going nowhere), this will most definitely be a 2007 read. ps. Anyone like that? If you buy a book, you constantly put off the reading, because you think you'll always have time to read it later? I bought all four Asoiaf books in August, and I still have not touched them, except to check some obscure point. If I just borrowed them from a friend, or checked them out of a library I would have finished rereading them long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
add-on Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Bah, this thread depresses me. I've only been able to read two books for fun since the semester started. I'd hoped to be able to catch up on this reading with some Vandermeer and some McCarthy over Thanksgiving break, but it doesn't look like that'll be happening for me. Instead I'll be reading: McTeague by Frank Norris. Whether or not one can overcome one's genetic tendencies could be an interesting idea: beating me over the head with it is not. Also, the racial stereotyping isn't helping. I can just see the ending--ah look, the evil, greedy Jew overcame his Jewiness and saved the day by putting his hoardings to good use. Yay! Alternately, since naturalists were trying to show realists what realist writing was really supposed to be--see, in the end, the evil greedy Jew could not overcome his Jewiness, and because of his unwillingness to part with his money, everybody died. Shit happens. Bleh, not looking forward to the rest of this one. Zami, a New Spelling of my Name by Audre Lorde. It's what she calls a biomythography of her life as a black lesbian growing up in America. I've just read the first few pages, so I can't really say anything about it other than I'm really digging the prose. Very tactile. I am pretty optimistic about this one as I've liked pretty much all of the readings we've done in this class. Unfortunately, the prof's one of those guys that gets so excited about the text that he can't teach it worth a shit. Oh well. Zofloya by Charlotte Dacre. Apparently Dacre's relatively new to the canon (last 15-20 years), so there hasn't been a whole lot written about her--a fact which has me paying more attention than is probably healthy. Unfortunately, it seems like pretty standard stuff for the era--both the "rake" and the "new woman" have made their appearances and are wreaking havoc for the benevolent paternal male who, by golly, really just wants what's best for all of us. So I'm thinking maybe not alot's been written because there's not a whole lot to write that hasn't already been written about 50 similar novels. However, the fact that she is just now being read in college classrooms has me waiting (and hoping) for a twist on these mundane conventions of the day. Last and maybe least are Mallory's tales about Lancelot and Gareth. If I've learned one thing this semester, it's that medieval literature is just not for me. Sometimes I feel like we only read some of these texts because they're the only ones that survived. Even writers like Chaucer and the Pearl poet, who clearly don't fall into this category, fail to grab my interest. However, Mallory is by no means the worst thing we've had to read all semester. His language is easier to deal with than most, and, well, they're Arthurian stories and who doesn't like those? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multaniette Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 bellis, FWIW, I think The Light Ages is superior to any Mieville work I have read to date, with the caveat that I haven't read The Scar, Un Lun Dun (probably the most similiar to TLA with the alt-London take) and his short story collection. Nice to see that another person liked The Iron Dragon's Daughter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellis Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Mult, don't get me wrong - i liked The Light Ages. It is beautifully written. But yeah, I prefer Mieville, because he just has so much more going on in terms of world-building, characters, creatures, etc - I even thought Iron Council was better. but this is a very personal thing. You should read The Scar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harman Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Eldest by Paolini some books on mythology and linguistic studies the Bible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rakov Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Eldest by Paolini I mean, please, why? Just why? Life is far, far too short. (Maybe, given one of your other choices, it's to investigate the liguistic ineptitude of the crass hype 'amazing story' angle (sod the content) to be followed on Good Morning TV tosh of the adolescent hyper, when there are authors out there STARVING, STARVING and more worthy of rainforest lifeblood. Gawd 'elp us. This not a personal attack on you, H, just the excrescence that is the Paolini ludicrousness. You see that and you think: you know what? Maybe it is really all about hype that publishers care for, nothing more. And literature just maybe, just maybe, is dead. And it's all simply about promoting 'package' now.) I see that stuff on the shelves and I physically heave in despair. And a film at Xmas (the next LotR and Narnia to the paying prolls the contemptuous marketeers don't wonder) a film of it for this Xmas, FFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yup, the world is going to end, then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harman Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 I mean, please, why? Just why? Life is far, far too short. (maybe, given one of your other choices, it's to investigate the liguistic ineptitude od the crass hype tosh of the adolescent hyper when tehre are authors out there STARVING and more worthy of rainforest lifeblood. Gawd 'elp us. The Inheritance trilogy is great! Not as good as Tolkien or LMD but I really enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rakov Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 The Inheritance trilogy is great! Not as good as Tolkien or LMD but I really enjoy it! R bites tongue, hangs head in forlorn hope, slinks off in despair to throw 'imself off Beachy Head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harman Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 R bites tongue, hangs head in forlorn hope, slinks off in despair to throw 'imself off Beachy Head. Differtn strokes I guess. What else SHOULD I read? Bestow upon me wisdom oh sage of literary magic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rakov Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Differtn strokes I guess. What else SHOULD I read? Bestow upon me wisdom oh sage of literary magic. H, I can't, for I have vowed to bite me lolling tongue! But do you own the GRRM Rrestrospective Dreamsongs ??? Even his juvenilia, which he asks readers to peruse if they dare, exposes Paolini's stuff for the crock of proverbial writing by numbers that it is. If I want to read for pure pleasure, I'll read the earlier Salvatore stuff for starters. D&D by numbers notwithstanding, the man knows how to create a rollicking forward thrusting narrative. And he knows something of life, FFS! THAT DOES MATTER. But this, this whole 'Amazing Paolini Success Story' has about as much substance as Celkebrity Big Brother Chantelle has - or however you spell the vacuous creature's name. She was lawys going to be a success. The marketing Machivellis threw so much effort and money behind her she had to be. A triumph of marketing over substance. And I feel a sense of despair for the future of anything with a trace of artisitic substance in it. It's all becoming 'fast food representation' of the actual thing now in the madhouse nonsense of the' it's all relative if this or that person likes it'. It isn't! Where's the critical rigor, FFS!!!! R bites tongue off now and will rant no more aloud, merely moan in unintelligible toungue-less despair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowbeat Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 H, I can't, for I have vowed to bite me lolling tongue! But do you own the GRRM Rrestrospective Dreamsongs ??? Even his juvenilia, which he asks readers to peruse if they dare, exposes Paolini's stuff for the crock of proverbial writing by numbers that it is. If I want to read for pure pleasure, I'll read the earlier Salvatore stuff for starters. D&D by numbers notwithstanding, the man knows how to create a rollicking forward thrusting narrative. And he knows something of life, FFS! THAT DOES MATTER. But this, this whole 'Amazing Paolini Success Story' has about as much substance as Celkebrity Big Brother Chantelle has - or however you spell the vacuous creature's name. She was lawys going to be a success. The marketing Machivellis threw so much effort and money behind her she had to be. A triumph of marketing over substance. And I feel a sense of despair for the future of anything with a trace of artisitic substance in it. It's all becoming 'fast food representation' of the actual thing now in the madhouse nonsense of the' it's all relative if this or that person likes it'. It isn't! Where's the critical rigor, FFS!!!! R bites tongue off now and will rant no more aloud, merely moan in unintelligible toungue-less despair. WTF? Did your "add adjective" key malfunction? But... read something else. Anything other than the Inheritance Trilogy. Read Wheel of Time. Read Eddings. Read effin' Martin, for Gork's sake! Anything other than Paolini. He's like Terry Goodkind Jr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harman Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 I love Martin and Wheel of Time sux a fat one. I think the disdain for Inheritance is just a sad byproduct of people looking for somehting to hate. Like the metal community hating Celtic Frost in the 80s or the rampant anti-Semitism and hatred for white people seen today. Sad really... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Silenus Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Politics aside, people don't hate just for the sake of having something to hate. I've heard alot of bad things about Inheritance from this board and that tells me it "sux a fat one." I trust the literary judgement of the regulars here. I can honestly say I hate The Sword of Truth but that opinion is informed by having read the first seven turds in the series (well alright... Wizards First Rule wasn't too bad). How much of The Wheel of Time have you read? What informs your opinion? The first six are pretty damn good. In closing, screw Dave Eddings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rakov Posted November 19, 2006 Share Posted November 19, 2006 WTF? Did your "add adjective" key malfunction? Not exactly, Snowbeat! That was me and three-quarters of a bottle of red wine that wrote that last post of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isis Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 Finished The Confusion. Finally. Thought I would never ever ever ever ever see the end of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bellis Posted November 20, 2006 Share Posted November 20, 2006 River of Gods Ian Macdonald. I was planning on reading this book over the next several days, but due to unexpectedly high quotient of waiting room time this weekend, i actually finished it yesterday. which already tells you something about how well this book holds your attention. Since he's a gora firengi writing about India, i read somewhat critically. i think he got the cultures and politics and class/religious tensions down very well. some of the names were a bit strange (Sajida is a Muslim name), and i never quite understood why th country had split along the geographic borders it did, but overall pretty authentic. oh yeah, and the story isn't bad too, though very dense and i probably read through a bit fast. recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaceBannon42 Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 Well my reading really fell off in September and October. Combination of being busy, New TV shows starting, and getting stuck in a book I didnt like. I finally finished, One More for the Road by Ray Bradbury. I didn't care for it. I know he's a grandmaster, but this is definately not one of his better works. Its a collection of short stories, which not my favorite format. I generally prefer novels. There were a few stories that I really liked, but most of them were very blah. I then read Tripping to Somewhere by Kristopher Reisz. This was a book sent to me by the author to review on my blog. I'm defintately not its target audience. The main characters are named Sam and Gilly, so I got a laugh out of that. It was described to me as a cross between Gaiman and Kerouac, and while I agree thats what he was shooting, for, I think he fell a bit short. I think angsty teens would eat this book up. Currently reading Dragon Champion by E.E. Knight. About 1/4 of the way into it, and its a very fun read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regina Posted November 21, 2006 Share Posted November 21, 2006 Ysabel was amazing and Stego is my hero. (Mailed yesterday Regina ) It had the flavor of Lions, imo. I LOVED it. Thanks, Ro! I owe you and Stego drinks next time I see either of you at a con! Edited on Friday: The book already arrived, just in time for the holiday weekend! As to my current reading, I'm trying The Salaryman's Wife, a murder mystery set in Japan. Not exactly great literature, but so far it's your typical page turner (aka it would be a good airport read). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHoundRules Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 I finished The Falls by Ian Rankin. It was a nice read. Not great. I thought it kinda drag a bit and took a while to build up to its conclusion. I picked up The Gold Coast by Nelson Demille. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcf Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 I just finished The Android's Dream by John Scalzi. It's a fun, if not deep book. The full review is at fantasybookspot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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