September 2010 reads

[Arbor Gold]

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.

For me, Catching Fire was stronger in the second half because the second half was more like The Hunger Games. Mockingjay was more like the first half of Catching Fire, so, not as good.

OMG, Matterhorn is incredible. I'm now 200 pages in, and I can't wait to read more. The main character

reminds me so much of Sansa in a way - initially dislikeable, but so much room for development.

I don't know anything about the Vietnam War, so this is eye-opening for me. I was just on a flight seated next to a Marine on his way back home from Iraq, and he was also reading this book. The flight attendant had just finished it. Can't wait to read more.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Incompleteness by Rebecca Goldstein about Kurt Godel and his famous theroms.

[Harlot]

Just about finished "Manhood for Amateurs" by Michael Chabon then I'm starting "Bicycle Diaries" by former Talking Head David Byrne

[WickerMan]

I got my hands on Under the Dome by Stephen King a few days ago. Although I'm intrigued by the premise (a town is mysteriously trapped beneath a gigantic force field like dome) so far I'm having a hard time caring about any of the characters.

[RobMRobM]

Just about finished "Manhood for Amateurs" by Michael Chabon then I'm starting "Bicycle Diaries" by former Talking Head David Byrne

Loved Chabon's essay about how overprotective parents are these days compared to when he grew up. I see it in my own life. My brothers and I were out of house and all over town all day without any supervision whatsoever. In early teens, one brother and I rode our banana seat bikes three towns away to hang out with a cousin, have lunch, and ride home. In contrast, my wife won't let my 11 year old daughter cross the street without parental supervision. Geez.

Rob

[Astra]

I finished The Well of Ascension [Mistborn #2] by Brandon Sanderson.

I liked it quite a lot. A bit too much of politics for me, otherwise very good.

Before I read the last book in Mistborn trilogy, I need some break, so I started We by Yevgeny Zamyatin as a prequel to George Orwell's 1984. The beginning is very promising, apt to my cynical mood nowdays.

[BookWyrm]

Two nights ago I finished The Thing's They Carried. I got blown away. One of the most beautiful books I've ever read. I even put it under "favorites" in my Goodreads! Are O'Brien's other books as good?

Last night I started The Watchmen. It's the first graphic novel I've read since reading the first four Sandmans. I'm really enjoying it right now and might finish the Sandman afterwards...

Soon to come is Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates.

[Eyelesbarrow]

In the first quarter of KJ Parker's Devices and Desires. So far, I'm not blown away, but I'm not saying it's bad either. This is my first Parker, by the way.

That's the main read, I'm alternating that with 2 books: 1. AL Kennedy's short story collections, Now That You're Back. Humorous, deadpan, poignant, I love it. I'm almost finished with this and I'm going to look for more of her books.

I'm also reading Lead Time, a collection of essays/ reportage by Garry Wills. Wills is a journalist and a historian and a practicing Catholic who is quite critical of the Vatican. I'm looking forward to reading his religion essays.

Edited because Mr. Wills is still alive.

[Stone-Made-Soft]

Last night I started The Watchmen. It's the first graphic novel I've read since reading the first four Sandmans. I'm really enjoying it right now and might finish the Sandman afterwards...

Have you read Y: the Lastman by Brian K. Vaughan or Fables by Bill Willingham? They are both excellent.

I might reread The Wicked Years (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wicked_Years). I loved the first 2 novels (Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, and Son of a Witch) but I never finished the 3rd (A Lion Among Men). Maguire is working on the 4th in the series.

[BookWyrm]

Have you read Y: the Lastman by Brian K. Vaughan or Fables by Bill Willingham? They are both excellent.

I'll check them out. Fables sounds familiar.

[Sheep the Evicted]

Recently i have been reading some of the Fantasy Masterworks selection. It started with Fevre Dream then Lord of Light, then Flower for Algernon and now finally Anubis Gates. These books are blowing my mind!

FfA was the best with AG being the least best but they are right at each others heels. Truly great stuff.

But it wasn't always like this. I remember reading and enjoying The Chronicles of Amber but i stopped reading much later on because it seemed to patter out, and i stopped reading The First book of Lankhmar early on but i can't quite remember why i lost interest - i think it was because it was too cheesy; the rakish rouge, the noble warrior, their girlfriends. Very stereotypical eighties fantasy. But after reading the others in the series i might have to go back.

Based on my views what other book would you recommend i read in the Fantasy Masterworks series next ?

[BookWyrm]

Recently i have been reading some of the Fantasy Masterworks selection. It started with Fevre Dream then Lord of Light, then Flower for Algernon and now finally Anubis Gates. These books are blowing my mind!

FfA was the best with AG being the least best but they are right at each others heels. Truly great stuff.

But it wasn't always like this. I remember reading and enjoying The Chronicles of Amber but i stopped reading much later on because it seemed to patter out, and i stopped reading The First book of Lankhmar early on but i can't quite remember why i lost interest - i think it was because it was too cheesy; the rakish rouge, the noble warrior, their girlfriends. Very stereotypical eighties fantasy. But after reading the others in the series i might have to go back.

Based on my views what other book would you recommend i read in the Fantasy Masterworks series next ?

Have you read John Crowley's Little, Big? It's one of the best books in the whole series.

I agree, the Masterworks releases have an amazing number of 'masterworks' in there. I never would have found out about quite a few brilliant books if it wasn't for Gollancz.

[RedEyedGhost]

Based on my views what other book would you recommend i read in the Fantasy Masterworks series next ?

Earth Abides by George R Stewart. It's a mind blowing experience, and I rate it just slightly above FfA for this two best things I've read this year.

[Peadar]

I'm reading The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories by Walter Jon Williams. Good stuff so far.

[Calibandar]

Sheep

All of those are fairly pacy reads, not to say that it's popcorn fluff btw, but it's not the slower, older stuff also found in the masterworks series. Obviously The Book of New Sun should be tried, Lyonesse from Vance is another good series. The Dragon Waiting by Ford might be worth your time. Replay comes highly recommended by many. Gardner's Grendel might be of interest. The Broken Sword by Anderson.

[beniowa]

Last night I finished The Alchemist in the Shadows by Pierre Pevel. Much of the book wasn't as fresh or fast-paced as The Cardinal's Blades, but it does get close in the second half. It also ends on a heck of a cliffhanger, which is can be good or bad depending on your point of view. Overall, I enjoyed it a fair bit.

I'm now reading Pirates of the Levant by Arturo Perez-Reverte.

[williamjm]

Based on my views what other book would you recommend i read in the Fantasy Masterworks series next ?

Apart from the books you mentioned, I'd say that The Dragon Waiting by John M Ford was my favourite out of the Fantasy Masterworks books that I've read. The War of the Roses setting means that it is occasionally a bit reminiscent of ASOIAF, although significantly shorter at about 300 pages long.

[Cuchulain]

Based on my views what other book would you recommend i read in the Fantasy Masterworks series next ?

Try Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword if you're into Norse mythology. Maybe Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes if you want to read a classic horror novel. Aside from that, Jack Vance's Tales of the Dying Earth is great.

[Cuchulain]

I finished two more Sherlock Holmes short story collections: The Return of Sherlock Holmes and His Last Bow. I found both collections very entertaining, but the stories were somewhat inferior to the earlier ones. I can't really say why, though. Maybe the formula is just getting too familiar to me.

[Bellis]

A tale of two cities by Dickens. Scot brought it up the other day. It's relatively short for Dickens, but unfortunately, this means that the characters are not developed as well as they should and could be. In particular the female love interest doesn't seem to have any personality. Seems more of a morality tale, and I accept that I should be judging it on those terms. Les Miz this is not.

Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord. A whimsical story in the form of a folk tale. I didn't find it very engaging or innovative though. I know it's being hyped by Larry and others, but sorry.

I've also been re-reading The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie. This is strictly minor Rushdie from the late 90s. No one ever talks about this book, but it's one of my favorites by him. It's a story of a love triangle, a love affair of Indians with American culture, of sex, death and rock and roll. And while there's always tragedy around the corner, it's still his most exuberant work. Art and larger than life artists never die.