Multaniette Posted December 24, 2005 Share Posted December 24, 2005 Soph, excellent purchases and interesting descriptions. I don't know who/what Paginini is but your other observations about McCarthy are pretty spot on, I think. When I first read the hospital scene in the Chronicles of Amber, it really threw me off since it was so different from what I was expecting. Perhaps it's just me, but I have always thought that Zelazny would have made an awsome crime fiction writer. I bought 'A Secret History' earlier this month as well. Hoping to read it soon. Regarding the purchase of A Curse of Mistwraiths: LOL! The story isn't half bad (if you like epic soap-opera's) - you just have to wait till the second book for it to unfold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diabloblanco18 Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 Getting close to the end of Stone of Farewell. As with the last one, it moves sloooowly, but the novel is nonetheless intriguing enough to keep me reading for long periods at a time. The cliches are also less glaring in this one, though at the same time it becomes less and less like Martin's saga. Characters survive against all the laws of logic and probability, but at the same time, quite a few of them are getting whacked. Quite refreshing, especially in the cases where characters you thought dead turn up later, but not quite themselves. Hengfisk was a nice touch. And the Sithi are getting ever more disturbing. The end of the chapter where Simon is "saved" gave me chills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reposado Posted December 25, 2005 Share Posted December 25, 2005 i'm also reading good omens at the moment. ive raed like 5 or 6 pratchett before and i think everyhting by gaiman. interesting combo. also going through affc for a second time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daemrion Posted December 26, 2005 Share Posted December 26, 2005 Finished The Lighthouse by PD James a few days ago. A solid crime mystery...I didn't guess it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aelinil Posted December 26, 2005 Share Posted December 26, 2005 Rereading the LOTR and am going to be reading AFFC again with some members in another forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zollo Posted December 27, 2005 Share Posted December 27, 2005 Lynn Truss - Talk to the hand Started with JV Jones (A cavern of black ice) a week or so ago, but haven't collected the courage to go on yet Stephen King - Wolves of the Calla (the Dark Tower is the only King series I like and I am not even sure why. As in, it is actually just a really weird story, so how come I like it so much?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isis Posted December 27, 2005 Share Posted December 27, 2005 STILL waiting for book five of the Dark Tower series to be published in paperback. Not those whopping big paperbacks either, but one that costs less than a tenner! I'm about a quarter of the way through Perdido Street Station which I am enjoying so far, especially the essence of English-ness in the language and dialogue. Maybe I should say the London-ness or the Southern-ness of it. That makes me feel right at home, as if I can get right to the heart of what is meant by the words, without stopping to get my head round it. The references to academia ring true as well. When I read a book that I have heard many good things about I sort of hold my breath as I read, waiting for a part that comes across as unconvincing to me, that removes me from the fantasy world. After 250 pages I still haven't hit that stage yet. But there's still time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TehipiteTom Posted December 27, 2005 Share Posted December 27, 2005 Just started Quicksilver. I've heard very mixed things about the whole Baroque Cycle, but I loved Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon, so I'm at least going to give the first book a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodymN Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 I'm (still) really enjoying Daniel Abraham's debut novel, and first book in a forthcoming quartet beginning in arch of next year, entitled A Shadow in Summer. I haven't got to the meat of the book, but some of the nuances he introduces (intricate communication through poses), poets who control andats, is keeping me riveted. Looking like a worthy new seres for 2006. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Barry Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 STILL waiting for book five of the Dark Tower series to be published in paperback. Not those whopping big paperbacks either, but one that costs less than a tenner! I just walked into Tescos and saw Book 5 on the shelves for £3.73 or something like that. I only noticed because I read your post about five minutes beforehand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multaniette Posted December 28, 2005 Share Posted December 28, 2005 Finished 'A Secret History' by Donna Tartt. Brilliant novel. I had a few qualms about the way certains issues were resolved, but I recognised that most of those portions weren't ones the author was focusing on. Bunny's family's gotta be one of the best dysfunctional families in literature, mainly because it is so realistically depicted. I also loved the relationship between Henry and Julian though in the end I think Richard (not to mention Bunny!) provided better insight about Julian's motives compared to Henry. Loved the setting as well. Julian's lectures exuded an aura of authenticty and reading them, I certainly I wish I was in his class to hear them firsthand. The epilogue sucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multaniette Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 Finished 'Fire And Dust' by James Alan Gardener. A fun read. also went through a couple of chick-lit/romance books: the newest Meg Cabot and a Barbara Cartland piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ahimsa Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 I finally got "Waverly," apparently the first historical novel as well as the first blockbuster novel. I'm not quite done yet--it's interesting but oh so very dated. Think I prefer "Kidnapped" though of course Stevenson owed a great deal to Scott. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TehipiteTom Posted December 29, 2005 Share Posted December 29, 2005 I finally got "Waverly," apparently the first historical novel as well as the first blockbuster novel. I'm not quite done yet--it's interesting but oh so very dated. Think I prefer "Kidnapped" though of course Stevenson owed a great deal to Scott. I just finished reading Ivanhoe--my first Scott. Yes, it's dated...but it's a surprisingly enjoyable read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cen0taph Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Ok, first posts on a new board always make me nervous for some reason. I've been lurking around for a few days and didnt see an official introduction thread (unless I missed it?) so I'll just jump in... Currently rereading Cecelia Dart-Thornton's The Ill Made Mute since I finally got around to buying Book 3 of the series. I read the first 2 several years ago and I forgot basically everything except the fact that she seems to like to show off all the research she did for the books with endless "lists" in her prose and the over the top romance... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingslayer Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Finished 'A Secret History' by Donna Tartt. I loved that book. One of the highlights was his miserable winter in the hippy's warehouse, and his increasing sense of disorientation. Just reading it made me cold. :sick: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agulla Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Finished reading the first book of the Flashman series. Really funny I think that I'll keep reading this series. I also finished reading The Fantasy Writer's Assistant by Jeffrey Ford. The only thing I can say is that now I'm looking forward The Empire of Ice Cream by the same author. I had read Ford's The Girl in the Glass and I found this book excellent, this collection has confirmed my first impression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodymN Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Finished reading the first book of the Flashman series. Really funny I think that I'll keep reading this series. I also finished reading The Fantasy Writer's Assistant by Jeffrey Ford. The only thing I can say is that now I'm looking forward The Empire of Ice Cream by the same author. I had read Ford's The Girl in the Glass and I found this book excellent, this collection has confirmed my first impression. You have to read his Portrait of Mrs Charbuque! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maia Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 You have to read his Portrait of Mrs Charbuque! Indeed. OTOH, I hated his "Physiognomist". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isis Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Currently rereading Cecelia Dart-Thornton's The Ill Made Mute since I finally got around to buying Book 3 of the series. I read the first 2 several years ago and I forgot basically everything except the fact that she seems to like to show off all the research she did for the books with endless "lists" in her prose and the over the top romance... That series is one of those that I began reading a few years ago and then dumped because I couldn't get into it. Although Tanith Lee speaks very highly of CD-T so even though I think double-barrelled names are silly (most of the time) I may give it another go one day. Nice avatar by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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