October 2010 - What are you reading?

[Ser_not_appearing_yet]

Just finished reading Perdido Street Station. Quality book. Only slight complaint is a few of the long descriptions were unneeded, but Meiville's prose is so good I wasn't particularly fussed about it.

[Starkess]

Finished Last Argument of Kings. I enjoyed it well enough, but I was pretty dissatisfied with the ending.

I don't need every single thing tied up in a little bow, but I do like SOME closure, especially for main characters. I prefer downright unhappy endings to the nebulous ones. Also, I felt like the characters took a step backward in regards to depth. He spent so much time developing and exploring these characters, and then in the 3rd book it's all the sudden like "Oh yeah, there's this war that we need to finish, Bayaz is a dick, and everyone else is the exact same as they were at the beginning." Also I found the entire Bayaz-Glokta exchange grating. I mean, at that point, I would have thought most of it was obvious enough to the reader that we didn't need to be told it point blank. Funny how he took the time to have his exposition chapter that seemed mostly unnecessary and yet didn't have a conclusion to the ending that would have been more necessary...

Don't have any other books with me right now, but we're pulling in to port tomorrow so no loss. There was a $1 book sale at Borders the other day, I picked up 3 books. Can't remember exact titles--I think it was an Abigail Adams biography, a book about something cold war--Cuban Missile Crisis maybe?--and another nerdy/history-y book. Looking forward to starting those.

[RedEyedGhost]

Finished Something Wicked This Way Comes this afternoon, and I loved it. It was a perfect book for this time of year (it starts on Oct. 24th), and the "simpler" times that this took place in were quite nice to read about (two nearly 14 year old boys chillin at the library, sneaking out and hanging out around town but always home before midnight... not exactly what I think of as typical 14 year olds today :lol:). I loved the ending and the scene in the library was fantastic, I was never sure how it would end, and Bradbury really made me fear for the characters.

My rating might be a bit inflated because this is the perfect time of year to read it, but it was a wonderful book and I will try and read more Bradbury soon(ish).

9/10

Shit, I really should finally read Something Wicked This Way Comes, especially since Halloween is approaching. I'm afraid that after seeing the "Fuck Me Ray Bradbury" video I won't be able to shake off sexual imagery while reading the title.

The prose is so good that it will strip any thoughts of that video right out of your mind.

Up next is Felix Gilman's The Half-Made World - I'm really looking forward to this one.

[Nearly Headless Ned]

Finished Something Wicked This Way Comes this afternoon, and I loved it. It was a perfect book for this time of year (it starts on Oct. 24th), and the "simpler" times that this took place in were quite nice to read about (two nearly 14 year old boys chillin at the library, sneaking out and hanging out around town but always home before midnight... not exactly what I think of as typical 14 year olds today :lol:). I loved the ending and the scene in the library was fantastic, I was never sure how it would end, and Bradbury really made me fear for the characters.

My rating might be a bit inflated because this is the perfect time of year to read it, but it was a wonderful book and I will try and read more Bradbury soon(ish).

9/10

The prose is so good that it will strip any thoughts of that video right out of your mind.

Up next is Felix Gilman's The Half-Made World - I'm really looking forward to this one.

The scene in the library is brilliant. Especially the final three lines.

[AprilFool]

Recently finished Felix Gilman's The Half Made World which was great. I really loved the two opposing sides,the Gun and the Line (especially Creedmore - a great character!)

Now a little more than half way through Iain Banks Surface Detail. A good book so far, and its nice to return to the Culture.

[Teng Ai Hui]

I just finished Ender's Game. Before that, I read The Walking Dead.

[Peadar]

I just finished The Best of Michael Swanwick -- an extraordinary collection filled with daring, sometimes exhilarating concepts.

I'm now about a third the way through The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell. So far, it's an easy, engaging read, although, as with a lot of zombie apocalypse fiction, I feel the logic of the worldbuilding is a bit shaky.

[Peadar]

Two posts in a row for me? Cool!

Starting Factotum by D. M. Cornish.

[add-on]

Just finished The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. I have never been happier to say goodbye to a group of fictional people. Oh, the pain.

[siemprepe]

Finished "Matterhorn". Really good book and I am recommending it to everyone!.

Almost finished "I shall wear midnight" which is a fun in-between read.

Almost finished "The thousandfold thought", I really am not advancing very much here, but the end is in sight and I am finally starting to get into it :) (A bit late though).

Next on the reading list are "Thief takers apprentice" by Stephen Daes and "King of the crags" by the same author.

That is, unless towers of midnight arrives in my mailbox before I start :)

[Isis]

I just finished The Best of Michael Swanwick -- an extraordinary collection filled with daring, sometimes exhilarating concepts.

Stop spoiling everything.

[TheEvilKing]

Finished A Betrayal In Winter by Daniel Abraham. Superb improvement over the previous book. The POVs of Idaan and Cehmai were so much more interesting than those in the first book. The ending was very neat, this could easily be the last book in a duology. It'll be interesting to see where things go in book 3.

Still working on Wizard & Glass. 700+ pages in now.

I'll probably start another book tonight. Maybe Women by Charles Bukowski for something a bit lighter, shorter and non-fantasy.

[beniowa]

The other day I finished Wintertide by Michael J. Sullivan. The fifth book in the Riyria Revelations, not much happens for most of the book, but the ending is quite strong though and provides a few hints for the final book. The writing and characterization is good as always. However, I can't help feeling that it seems a little late to be introducing a broader arc to the story. We'll see what happens in the sixth book.

I picked up Corvus by Paul Kearney yesterday so that will be my next read.

[pat5150]

Just finished R. Scott Bakker's second thriller, Disciple of the Dog.

A good and entertaining read, but rushed in order to make it a page-turner. It features an unfeeling prick as the main protagonist, yet I found it impossible not to root for Disciple Manning.

Check out the blog for the full review. :)

Patrick

[Arthmail]

I'm reading Dan Abnett's Ravenor omni. It started off really well, but the end stories, while good, don't make sequential sense, and i feel like i missed something.

I'm also reading Metro 2033, by some Russian guy. Pretty good so far.

Will also be starting Farhenheit 451, and trying to finish the Black Swan, by Nicolas Taleb.

Lastly, i'm reading the Instrumentalities of Night by Glen Cook, but its not as good as the Black Company stories, which is to bad, because the covers are fucking awesome. I think the problem mostly lies in following a made up religion that closely follows catholicism during the split in the catholic church, but using words that break my tongue when i try and say them out loud. Also, it doesn't make sense.

And yes, i read four to six books at a time. I keep one in pretty much every room, that way i am never without.

[Peadar]

Stop spoiling everything.

I dress to depress... :pirate:

[Cuchulain]

Finished Pynchon's Vineland, which was great, apart from the somewhat sloppy ending.

Up next is Kearney's Corvus.

[nickg]

Finished Eye of the World over the weekend. It was alright. TBH I liked it more than I thought I would, but it probably would have been better if I had read it ten years ago. I finished The Way of Kings about 30 minutes ago. Loved it. The world was awesome, liked the characters, the story, and the action. Sanderson may not have the best prose, but it is very easy to read. There was also a noticeable improvement with the dialogue, at least compare to Elantris and Mistborn. Only a couple of minor compaints. "Storm you" got old rather quickly ( made up cursing is pretty weak most of the time ) and it could have been a bit shorter. I'm also re reading Something Wicked This Way Comes as I struggle through Stone of Farewell. Lots of reading time at work :)

[Martin Silenus]

Children of Dune. I have cultivated Prescience. I am on The Golden Path.

Before that I finished The Windup Girl, which I found got better with every page. It fooled me into thinking it would play out as predictably as it seemed to be playing out. It sets you up for unexpected fireworks from all corners. Plus, Windup Girls are way hot.

Now it's back to Infinity's Shore from David Brin's Uplift 2 series, don't ask me why.

[Starkess]

Reading One Minute to Midnight. It's a book about the Cuban missile crisis, supposed to be written in a "as-it-happens" kind of way. I'm not very familiar with it, so I think I'm going to enjoy it.