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What Are You Reading Now? Pt 2.
message 3201:
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Andrea
(new)
Aug 14, 2015 08:53AM
It depends on what you tried to read. The broom of the system is easily the most hated book written by DFW, and I reckon that Infinite Jest is not an easy read to swallow. But his writing as a journalist is brilliant, fun, insightful. I really recommend it...
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Was glad to get Christine finished with it seemed to drag on a bit, now onto the lie by C.L Taylor and so far so good
J-f wrote: "It was Infinite Jest. Jesus, what an awful time I had with that book."Sometimes through that book I thought about giving up but in the end I enjoyed the ride and the challenge....
Started reading The Blood Gospel by James Rollins, promising start to the novel, we'll see how it goes. This is my first Rollins novel.
Finally nabbed a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird from the library. I've never read it. Go Set a Watchman got me thinking about it.
Andrea wrote: "J-f wrote: "It was Infinite Jest. Jesus, what an awful time I had with that book."Sometimes through that book I thought about giving up but in the end I enjoyed the ride and the challenge...."
I really liked the book (Infinite Jest)... I'll admit it was difficult, but I thought well worth the effort. I gave it five stars and wrote a long review, listed all the pros and cons, and did my best to decode the plot. Check it out:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...
I'll certainly read it. When you reach the end of the book everything sorta falls into its place and you forget the difficulties you somehow encountered getting there....
Anne of the Island by L.M Montgomery
Cody wrote: "Started reading The Blood Gospel by James Rollins, promising start to the novel, we'll see how it goes. This is my first Rollins novel."I read Blood Gospel recently and thought it wasn't bad. Pretty good pace and interesting story. I will read the next in the series eventually. I've only read one other Rollins book (Sandstorm) which I also enjoyed. Currently reading Stephen King's It.
Cody wrote: "Started reading The Blood Gospel by James Rollins, promising start to the novel, we'll see how it goes. This is my first Rollins novel."I read the first two Rollins book Subterranean and Excavation and was not impressed by either of them. Crichton and Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child wrote much better books in the same genre. Do you think Rollins improves or does he continue to write the same generic fare?
Finished L.A. Confidential
by James Ellroy, a sprawling crime epic with labyrinthine plotting and filled with dozens of interesting and realistic characters. It was on its way to become the top three reads of my life before the direction that the ending took disappointed me. Rating 4/5I seldom write full reviews but this was one of those rare occasions I did, that's how impactful the book was, if anyone is interested here it is
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Aditya wrote: "Erin wrote: "
"How is it? I am about to finish with Connelly's Harry Bosch series (4 or 5 books left) and searching for a new mystery author. So, any feedback wo..."
I really liked it. It's a lot different from the movie.
I'm reading Iced by Karen marie moning.
Erin wrote: "I really liked it. It's a lot different from the movie. "I had watched the movie a long time ago and the details are a bit sketchy, but overall I remember not being disappointed with it. Thanks for the feedback will keep it in mind when I select a new series of books.
Just finished Tar Baby by Toni Morrison. My review is athttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A really great book. I did the audio version which was read beautifully by Desiree Coleman. Now I'm into the witch world. And I'm pretty sure I'm going back to revisit the Colorado Kid, since so many of you said good things about it.
Finished the lie and it was a really great read I was trying to prop my eyelids up at 3am last night, now to choose my next read
j-f wrote: "finally starting a game of thrones. i've been meaning to start this series for a very long time, so it's great to get it going."I've only read the first three, but feel I should start again before I continue. They're just so dense.
I decided to try the audiobook of Finders Keepers, and so far I am not disappointed! Will Patton is a fantastic narrator.
Cody wrote: "I decided to try the audiobook of Finders Keepers, and so far I am not disappointed! Will Patton is a fantastic narrator."Will Patton really is a great narrator. I've not listened to any of his Stephen King audiobooks (I prefer to read SK with my eyes rather than my ears) but I did listen to Mr. Patton's reading of Pat Frank's 'Alas, Babylon' earlier this year. I really enjoyed his performance on that one.
j-f wrote: "finally starting a game of thrones. i've been meaning to start this series for a very long time, so it's great to get it going."I am thinking off trying the fantasy genre, had been reading thrillers continuously except the occasional King some of which are basically...well thrillers. I have whittled my choices down to two - Game of Thrones (the one reason I am averse to the idea of reading it is that it is still a work in progress) and Dark Tower (which I was saving to read after finishing all other King books but that would take too long). So just let me know whether the individual books in GOT series have some closure then I would give it a try before Dark Tower.
Finished White Fire
by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. I was circumspect about coming back to the Pendergast series after a couple of years as I had read much better thriller authors in the meantime and was afraid the series won't hold up. My fears were partly correct.The book was formulaic but at least it did not have any pretensions about being anything more. The only thing that sets the series apart from other generic drivel is its eccentric, genius protagonist Pendergast, a character that could have become smug and unlikeable but never did because of his extreme charisma. Unluckily in this book he plays a reduced part which hampers the pacing. The main protagonist is petulant and foolish and is not even an interesting replacement for Pendergast. A step up from the last book which was one of the lowest point in the series but still nothing more than a good way to kill time for the genre faithful. Rating - 3/5
Aditya wrote: "j-f wrote: "finally starting a game of thrones. i've been meaning to start this series for a very long time, so it's great to get it going."I am thinking off trying the fantasy ge..."
No doubt it's a waiting game (no pun intended) after a fan completes the most recent Martin GOT book. On the bright side Aditya, there is plenty for you to read with his 5 published books. I'd say it's worth it. GRRM has no fear when it comes to his characters and plots.
Ron wrote: "No doubt it's a waiting game (no pun intended) after a fan completes the most recent Martin GOT book. On the bright side Aditya, there is plenty for you to read with his 5 published books. I'd say it's worth it. GRRM has no fear when it comes to his characters and plots."His inclination towards killing off characters is something which interested me about GOT, the only fantasy I have ever read is Harry Potter series and The Talisman (did not find either very compelling or deserving of the hype). But now that you have confirmed it ends on a cliffhanger, I will have to pass up on GOT, 5 books will take me somewhere around 2 months considering I alternate authors, so once I am done with them the wait will be too long.
It is the same reason I seldom watch ongoing TV shows unless they change entire casts from season to season like True Detective because I absolutely detest waiting on cliffhangers.
j-f wrote: "each game of thrones book is nearly a thousand pages long. would it really only take you two months to read five thousand pages?"I am going to finish White Jazz by the end of this week which means I had finished the L.A. Quartet by James Ellroy (approx 2000 pages total) within 1 month. So yeah basically if the books grip me 2 months or thereabouts would be enough time for me.
I am more of a binge reader, I don't read daily but when I do I at least read a couple of hundred pages in one sitting.
j-f wrote: "each game of thrones book is nearly a thousand pages long. would it really only take you two months to read five thousand pages?"I'm at 22,000 pages (and change) for the year, which means I am reading close to 3,000 pages a month. I bet I could do it!
I read the first book of Game of Thrones back in the 90s, enjoyed it, but didn't know there were sequels until 2010 just before Dance With Dragons came out. I remember not even coming up for air one summer, the 12 hour flights back and forth to Europe without sleeping, time in the train, walking down streets with my nose in a book, and so forth. Yeah, you can absolutely gobble them up. I'm reading Malazan while I wait for GRRM's next book. Here are the word counts of ASOIAF:A Game of Thrones: 293000 (1) (about the size of 11/22/63 (276795))
A Clash of Kings: 319000 (2) (about the size of Under the Dome (336946))
A Storm of Swords 414600 (3) (smaller than It (450205))
A Feast of Crows: 295000 (4) (about the size of Talisman (274237))
A Dance With Dragons: 415000 (5) (much smaller than The Stand (477960))
That's a lot for me, but it sure looks like a lot of fun.
Kandice, I curiously added up my book pages for the last couple of months, did the appropriate division, multiplication, carried the 2....I'm around 3000 a month as well. I feel special.
Michael wrote: "I read the first book of Game of Thrones back in the 90s, enjoyed it, but didn't know there were sequels until 2010 just before Dance With Dragons came out. I remember not even coming up for air on..."Martin said he's shooting for a 2016 release of the next one. Should I hold my breath? Since it looks like the HBO series and his future books may be taking different paths, there may be less incentive now.
I'm currently reading:'Phylogenesis' by Alan Dean Foster, which seems so far to be a rehash of the previous book in the series ('Nor Crystal Tears'). I'm not that far into it, though, so I'm hoping it changes course soon.
'Skinny Dip' by Carl Hiaasen, which is quite amusing so far. Too early to tell where it's going yet.
'Mrs. Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf. This is my first Woolf and I'm now wishing I'd got around to reading her work sooner. Her prose is wonderful; almost musical to the inner ear. I only started this book yesterday but I'm tearing through it at a rate of knots, which can only be a good sign!
Erin wrote: "Aditya wrote: "Erin wrote: ""
How is it? I am about to finish with Connelly's Harry Bosch series (4 or 5 books left) and searching for a new mystery author. So, ..."
I loved it, also. The whole series is excellent.
"How is it? I am about to finish with Connelly's Harry Bosch series (4 or 5 books left) and searching for a new mystery author. So, ..."
I loved it, also. The whole series is excellent.
E. wrote: "Kandice, I curiously added up my book pages for the last couple of months, did the appropriate division, multiplication, carried the 2....I'm around 3000 a month as well. I feel special."
Average is certainly the key word in that sentence because I go in spurts depending on what else in going on.
Besides, you are special!
I finally started reading Wool by Hugh Howey, every time I have gone to start it I've read the blurb and thought 'what the hell is an underground silo' so I googled it and looked at some photos so I can picture it in my mind, am I stupid for not knowing what an underground silo was lol
Rhian wrote: "I finally started reading Wool by Hugh Howey, every time I have gone to start it I've read the blurb and thought 'what the hell is an underground silo' so I googled it and looked at some photos so ..."I think it's amazing how often, as a reader, I come across a word or phrase thinking I don't know what it is, but look it up to see I just know it as something else!
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran.
Kandice I kept meaning to ask someone what it was then just started something new, I thought a silo was something to do with a farm so I'm glad I looked it up
Silos. Hmm. I just had a flashback. Above ground silos do store grain, they're round and tall to work like a funnel.
Underground, they're round and deep to hold missiles
I went to college for a couple of years in Abilene Texas. I remember (vaguely) a group of us going out in the middle of the night, to the middle of nowhere, climbing over a 10ft tall fence and breaking into abandoned missile silos, climbing several hundred feet down. I really don't know why we did it. I remember pitch dark and hearing dripping water and just knowing I was going to fall and keep falling forever.
17, Abilene, alcohol That was actually one of the more tame excursions
wow the things we done when we were young hey :-)
E. wrote: "Silos. Hmm. I just had a flashback. Above ground silos do store grain, they're round and tall to work like a funnel.
Underground, they're round and deep to hold missiles
I went to college for a ..."
Hey, that's great, E. Thanks.
E. wrote: "Silos. Hmm. I just had a flashback. Above ground silos do store grain, they're round and tall to work like a funnel.
Underground, they're round and deep to hold missiles
I went to college for a ..."
You know, there's probably a novel in that anecdote...
Finished Six Stories
one of the least well-known short story collections by Stephen King. The standout tale is Autopsy Room Four where a comatose patient realizes he is about to be autopsied but is helpless to prove to the doctors he is alive. There are no absolute stinkers in the collection but neither does any other story make a lasting impression. The lack of forced supernatural elements and the dark humor especially add to the book. However like most of his other works in the medium (short stories) the overall quality is a bit inconsistent to suggest it to anyone but the King fan. Rating - 3/5
E. wrote: "Silos. Hmm. I just had a flashback. Above ground silos do store grain, they're round and tall to work like a funnel.
Underground, they're round and deep to hold missiles
I went to college for a ..."
I wonder of Howey ever did that.
Yesterday I've started The Final Empire. I've read so much words about this book and, till now, I liked it. It's not a fantasy in the "Tolkien style", but here it's schetched a society oppressed and decadent where some people, rebels not so disinterested, try to give a shake.
Andrew wrote: "Yesterday I've started The Final Empire. I've read so much words about this book and, till now, I liked it. It's not a fantasy in the "Tolkien style", but here it's schetched a society..."The Final Empire is awesome, I'm currently reading the last one in the mistborn trilogy and really enjoying it.
As my horror book for this month I'm reading The Strain, it has a very slow start but the last chapters I read were great.
Also I'm listening the audiobook of Different Seasons it's one of my favourite Stephen King books and it's been a long time since I first read it. I'm enjoying it as the first time, those stories never get old
José wrote: "Andrew wrote: "Yesterday I've started The Final Empire. I've read so much words about this book and, till now, I liked it. It's not a fantasy in the "Tolkien style", but here it's sche..."Different Season's is definitely some of kings best work. I've listened to the audiobooks separately but never as a set. It would be interesting to see how they play one after the other.
Ron wrote: "Michael wrote: "I read the first book of Game of Thrones back in the 90s, enjoyed it, but didn't know there were sequels until 2010 just before Dance With Dragons came out. I remember not even comi..."Ron, I just hope he takes his time and gets it done the best he can. My worry is that the deadlines imposed by the HBO series degrades the quality of the story, but there is no evidence for this concern. He seems to be holding his own pretty well judging from his diatribe about the puppy wars on the blog.
There is SO much to read. I'm no longer in a hurry for the next ASOIAF book. When it comes, it comes, and I hope that it excels.
Can't remember how to find the old Colorado Kid thread, so I'll put these comments here and move them to the thread when I find it. It's getting late. I’m about to dive back into the book in a few minutes and I thought I’d comment on the 70 pages I’ve read so far… which is to say, I like it, but I'm having a hard time getting over the fact that Stephen King was commissioned to write a hard case crime novel, and it just seems to me that King (teacher that he’s been) can’t resist the temptation to expound on the requirements of such a novel: impossible to solve, impossible to understand, with clues that are impossible to track. This so the reader knows exactly what he’s up to, and how good he is at it.
Vince Teague’s telling of the story to Stephanie sounds a lot like a classroom session, and just to make sure we don’t miss the point, King keeps telling us. None of this is to knock what King is doing in the book, though. I like the characters, the setting, the mystery, etc. I just wanted to get that off my chest before I got any deeper into the story. I'm sorry I didn't know about the TV series because I think it sounds great. Anyway... more later.
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