September 2010 reads

[mashiara]

I liked Namaah's Kiss. Namaah's Curse was really quite bad. If you didn't even like the first book that much, I would save your time and skip the sequel.

I didn't say I disliked the book, I just wasn't as taken with it as with previous ones. I think your posts and Ran's demonstrate that everyone has a different favorite book/character of hers. I didn't care for Imriel at all, the first book was good but the other two just ruined it for me. Moirin is not a bad character but she becomes a lot more interesting in the second part of the book.

In the subject of sequels, AG's post and your post about Catching Fire are making me reconsider my plans to order it right away. I have several books I need to get to first and it sounds as if it's going to be the same quality experience that the first book was.

[siemprepe]

Just finished Thirteen years later by Jasper Kent. I really liked this book, even stronger than the first one imho.

Now I will try again to finish PoN by Bakker. Somehow I do not seem to get it finished. I am halfway the warrior prophet. Let's see how it goes this time.

[Arthmail]

Just finished Thirteen years later by Jasper Kent. I really liked this book, even stronger than the first one imho.

Now I will try again to finish PoN by Bakker. Somehow I do not seem to get it finished. I am halfway the warrior prophet. Let's see how it goes this time.

It took me two times to fight my way through the first series. But it was worth it in the end, if only because his fourth book, the Judging Eye, was one of my favorite novels of the year.

[beniowa]

Bellis, mashiara, I liked Mockingjay better than Catching Fire, but not as much as The Hunger Games.

I finished Blonde Bombshell by Tom Holt over the weekend. Holt has a good sense of humor plus some interesting thoughts on human culture. Still, I didn't find the book as funny as I had hoped. I got the impression that it's not really his strongest work. Does anyone have any particular favorites of Holt's books?

For my next read I'm going to finish Century of the Soldier.

[Peadar]

I'm reading The Road to Jerusalem by Jan Guillou. Any surname beginning with "Guil" has to be a mark of genius. :rolleyes: Good so far.

[Sheep the Evicted]

Finished Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding. Overall i enjoyed it a fair bit however it really annoyed how he shoved the character development down the readers throat. I have never ever seen a writer deal with character development so ham fistedly, it felt more like a television series or something.

On to Anubis Gates by Tim Powers or Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer.

[Jebus]

Am a quarter way into Paul Kearney's Hawkwood and the Kings - a Werthead recommendation, he's not done me wrong before and so far I'm really liking this book, I've even already got the sequel so can read all four in a row which should be sweet. I love a completed series.

[Cable]

Finally getting around to the Lies of Locke Lamora, 'bout a third in, and it's quite good so far... I am enjoying the mood and style, at least so far.

I am pathetically lacking in my reading of many putative classics, so after this I think I'll tackle some Dickens or perhaps The Count of Monte Cristo. Also have Shogun on my list, might get to that later on.

[Nearly Headless Ned]

Just finished Pattern. Book two of KJ Parker's Scavenger series. Where the first book was more of a mystery 'what the hell is going on' escapade Pattern is something far more disturbing as you get further insights into the narrator's character. Also revisits a familiar theme of Parkers, that old soldiers never really come home.

Great stuff. Parker is one of the elite fantasy writers around and this so far has proved to be the best of her work that I've read.

Just started the second volume of The Long Price Quartet by Daniel Abraham. Thoroughly enjoyed the first volume and as everyone is saying the second is superior I have high expectations.

[TheEvilKing]

Bellis, mashiara, I liked Mockingjay better than Catching Fire, but not as much as The Hunger Games.

I finished Blonde Bombshell by Tom Holt over the weekend. Holt has a good sense of humor plus some interesting thoughts on human culture. Still, I didn't find the book as funny as I had hoped. I got the impression that it's not really his strongest work. Does anyone have any particular favorites of Holt's books?

For my next read I'm going to finish Century of the Soldier.

I've only read one Holt book - Alexander At The World's End - and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[palin99999]

Finished:

Apathy and Other Small Victories by Paul Neilan - 9/10 - Funniest book I've ever read

[Cuchulain]

I was in the mood for some more Sherlock Holmes, so I read The Hound of the Baskervilles. The story was great and the descriptions of the Devon moors really managed to create a fitting atmosphere. I was only disappointed by the relatively small part played by Holmes himself (he remains in the background for most of the novel).

I also finished Mogworld, the debut novel of Yahtzee Croshaw (known for his weekly Zero Punctuation game reviews). The novel is both an entertaining satire of massive only gaming (particularly World of Warcraft) and a parody of generic fantasy. I really enjoyed it, but it probably won't appeal to everybody, as you need to be (at least somewhat) familiar with MMORPGs to understand many of the jokes.

[Stone-Made-Soft]

I (finally) finished The Arabs: A History by Eugene Rogan. http://www.amazon.com/Arabs-History-Eugene-Rogan/dp/0465071007 I'm glad I read it because I felt woefully uninformed about contemporary Middle Eastern history. It seemed uneven towards Israel; although, I'm not informed enough to be certain. I'll have to read more.

I just started reading Armstrong's A History of God http://www.amazon.com/History-God-000-Year-Judaism-Christianity/dp/0345384563/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285104959&sr=1-1. I got a warm fuzzy when I opened the book to 9 pages of maps (The Ancient Middle East, The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah 722-586 BCE, ect.). Armstrong's writing is a pleasure to read.

[WickerMan]

I punished Hamlet by reading it under 3 hours Sunday night (had to write an essay about) and up next: MACBETH!! My favorite SP play (at least out of the ones I've read). Have to have it read for next Monday (27th). Hmm, maybe I should start right now...

[beniowa]

I finished Century of the Soldier by Paul Kearney last night. The last book in the omnibus still feels a little rushed, but overall I like the additions to the text and sometimes I had trouble telling what was new and what was not. I'm happy to say that The Monarchies of God is still one of my favorite fantasy series.

Next up is The Alchemist in the Shadows by Pierre Pevel.

[Guinevere Seaworth]

I got about 1/3 through The Illiad when I decided I needed a bit of a break, so I picked up The Mark of Ran by Paul Kearney. I was not a fan of The Ten Thousand, but I really enjoyed book 1 of the Sea Beggars. I wonder if Paul sails as he seem to be familiar with the nautical jargon which rivals Patrick O'Brian's series in some parts? (which I really liked as I'm a sailor myself and a bit of history buff on the wooden sailing ships). I'll be reading book 2 of the Sea Beggars, This Forsaken Earth while continuing to read The Illiad as well.

[pat5150]

Finished Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings.

Due to a number of shortcomings, I felt that it wasn't the great work we were told we'd get, but it's nevertheless a good read.

As far it being the next big thing in the fantasy genre, we'll have to wait and see. Compared to other opening chapters of great sagas, it's a distant last to frontrunners such as The Eye of the World, A Game of Thrones, and Gardens of the Moon.

Check out the blog for the full review. :)

Cheers,

Patrick

[sparky]

As far it being the next big thing in the fantasy genre, we'll have to wait and see. Compared to other opening chapters of great sagas, it's a distant last to frontrunners such as The Eye of the World, A Game of Thrones, and Gardens of the Moon.

Ouch. Kings must *really* suck, because two of the three books you just referred to are passable, at best. Seriously, if Eye or Gardens are even near the stadium when the gun goes off for the running of 'best opening to an epic', then I might just as well walk away from fantasy altogether.

[Cuchulain]

Finished Black Swan Green by David Mitchell. The novel is set in 1982 and chronicles a year in the life of a thirteen-year-old boy in a small English village. The book is interesting as a period piece, as it contains a lot of historical and pop culture references. Additionally, the various autobiographical elements provide an insight into Mitchell's personal history. BSG is different from the author's previous novels in that it's told in a straightforward manner. As such, it lacks the stylistic play and original narrative structure found in for example Cloud Atlas. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. I, for one, really enjoyed this easy-to-read novel and think it's a good starting point for people unfamiliar with Mitchell.

[siemprepe]

It took me two times to fight my way through the first series. But it was worth it in the end, if only because his fourth book, the Judging Eye, was one of my favorite novels of the year.

Well it is going much better now. The warrior prophet is almost finished and I actually can't wait to start the thousandfold thought. There is however the slight problem of time with all my favourite shows starting a new season and my new phone etc... There need to be more hours in a day :)