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What are you reading thread

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05.18.2013 10:32am

JSG
Registered Member

I think I need to just accept that long, epic fantasy novels just aren't for me. As much as I want to like them (and I often enjoy the ones I pick up), I always seem to get bored of them around 400 pages in and start to read other things.

In this case, my interest in Elantris kind of petered out, but I read the new Duane Swierczysnki novel, Point & Shoot, like I had to finish it before the world ended tomorrow or something. I couldn't put that thing down. Maybe because I'd been waiting over a year for it, since it's the conclusion of his first actual series. I also ate up Seduction of the Innocent by Max Allan Collins. I do love me some quick, fast-paced crime novels.

Maybe the difference is that crime novels are meant to keep you turning the pages and wanting desperately to see where things go. They're a lot shorter and better paced than big fantasy endeavors, which I think are meant to be absorbed slowly, to really get a sense of the world and everything that goes on in it, how it works, etc. To me that often feels like a lot of wasted time that could be spent on plot movement. I've read a few fantasy novels that had quick pacing and really skimped on the worldbuilding and I loved the hell out of them, but I just can't get into the doorstoppers.

(Let's not talk about how Matthew Stover's Acts of Caine series, three of the four books in it being doorstopper fantasy, are my favorite books of all time. Every rule is allowed an exception.)

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05.18.2013 11:26pm

FenixDown
The King's orders are absolute

I'm presently reading The Great Gatsby in preparation of seeing the movie. I've never read it before, and people tend to be surprised when I say that. I'm about halfway through it and I am enjoying it. The mentality of these characters could fit right in with modern times.

Let's Play Chrono Trigger
Let's Play The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past
Let's Play Final Fantasy VI

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05.29.2013 8:15pm

CaButler
Winter Knight of the Unseelie Court

Started on the Lost Fleet series via Audible.

I kinda like the idea of a guy who was sleeping waking up to find that he was herald a hero only to wonder what kind of drugs these people are on to think of him as such.

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05.29.2013 9:27pm

Lord Snow
Super Lurker

I just read that very recently.

It's not too bad and the ship to ship combat is pretty fun to read.

The relationships between the characters though?

Pure daytime soap opera.

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05.30.2013 9:30am

JSG
Registered Member

Reading Nobody's Angel by Jack Clark. Not entirely sure if I'm enjoying it or not. The main character is cool and I like the hard-boiled writing style enough to keep reading it, but nothing is fucking happening in it at all. Basically, I'm going through every Hard Case Crime novel I can get my hands on right now, which is about a dozen of them. It's a publisher that hasn't let me down yet, even though a couple of its books came close, this being one of them.

I hope the ending can save it and be clever enough that all of these seemingly pointless chapters were all leading up to something. If not, well, I'll just enjoy the hell out of the narration and try not to let the (lack of) plot bother me. It's only 200 pages, so it's not like I'm losing much time on it if it ends up being unable to deliver.

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06.19.2013 9:32am

JSG
Registered Member

I was at the bookstore today and saw that Claire DeWitt and the Bohemian Highway by Sara Gran just came out so I grabbed it since I've been waiting on it for about two years. Unfortunately I don't remember many of the details from the first Claire DeWitt book so I'm reading that one now instead.

Also reading Zoo City by Lauren Beukes and re-reading a personal favorite of mine, Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis, but I get the sense those are gonna be put on hold for a few days now.

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06.19.2013 10:09am

Murasame
HALE YEAH

In the past few days I've read The Uncommon Reader, a nice short book that got me passionate about reading again, and was full of so many quotes that are reusable that it's almost unbearable. One of the quotiest books I've ever read. And filled with titles I want to read later.

Then, I finished A Game of Thrones, finally making sense of all the gifs I've seen on tumblr. Good, long winded, suffers from every single one of the same problems that all first books in large fantasy cycles tend to do. Weary and tedious mid sections, repetitive writing, awkward and clunky prose in the first half, but conceptually fantastic, and Martin isn't quite so condescending as someone like Feist.

Then, because I was hungover and feeling sad, I bought myself a copy of Bossypants, Tina Fey's autobiography. Absolutely hilarious, and definitely a thing I want to read again, because it was fantastic. Just the pick me up I needed to make me feel better.

Then, I started Siddhartha, Herman Hesse's most popular book. It may be too spiritual for my tastes, but I'm still enjoying it.

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06.19.2013 2:17pm

Jaran
I'm going to try SCIENCE!

My copy of The Ocean at the End of the Lane has been delayed by a day and now I am sad :(

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07.29.2013 12:21am

Mavilu
Yep, still gaming

I ordered Junji Ito's Museum of Terror I, this will be my second foray into manga, the first one being also things written by junji Ito, Uzumaki. I also have Dark Water, the compilation of short stories by... well, i'm sure you guys know.

Anyway, I was hoping that someone here would have recommendations for more japanese horror literature or manga? I find it fascinanting and very hard to classify.

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07.29.2013 12:31am

JSG
Registered Member

If you have to get into manga, there are worse places to start. I love me some Junji Ito. Even when the story is bad, the art is creepy and atmospheric enough to pick up the slack, so you always get something good from him.

My favorite Japanese horror author is Otsuichi. Goth and Zoo are good books to start with, though I'll have to put a disclaimer with any Otsuichi rec: He doesn't have the strongest endings. Sometimes he doesn't have the strongest stories period. He's more about atmosphere and absolutely brilliant and creepy concepts.

As for me, I'm reading The Beautiful Land by Alan Averill. It's really fun.

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07.29.2013 1:19am

Mavilu
Yep, still gaming

Oh cool, I was hoping you'll recommend me something, as I made that post thinking of you specifically, I'll take myself to Amazon right this instant, thank you!. :)

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07.29.2013 1:30am

Zo
another blue ribbon

Just finished Mrs Dalloway. Lovely book, heart Woolf's writing style, glad I don't have to dissect it endlessly for an English class.

Moving onto Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, who so far is putting his finger right on everything that's been bothering me about science in the media forever.

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08.04.2013 9:48pm

Arckanghel
Pirate.

Can't remember if I mentioned finishing up with all the current Song of Fire & Ice works. Then Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion, which was pretty good for a new take on a tired genre. Time to find another book though.

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10.26.2013 12:56am

Mavilu
Yep, still gaming

Now I can say I have read War and Peace.

I've tried reading F. Scott Fitzgerald, no dice.

I've finished reading a few spooky sea tales written by authors from the 1900s and I wanted more! so, I got myself more, this time from authors a bit more known, still from the same times.

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10.27.2013 4:08am

Nelfichu
I've been there, hombre.

I only just got around to reading Ready Player One, and wow, that was fantastic. Highly recommended. It's a mix of .hack// and futuristic techy dystopias like Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom.

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