I was actually reasonably disappointed with it. I love dystopian novels more than any others, but I found that one a bit lacking. Maybe it just wasn't long enough to satisfy my needs.Originally Posted by Del Murder
I was actually reasonably disappointed with it. I love dystopian novels more than any others, but I found that one a bit lacking. Maybe it just wasn't long enough to satisfy my needs.
I'm actually reading Gone Girl now, because I read a few pages of Cold Mountain and couldn't get into it. I'm sure I'll really love it later, but sometimes I need to come back to a book later, because it's not the right time for it yet.
I recently finished:
The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaimen
- I seriously can't understand why I don't like Neil Gaiman more. People have such a hard on for him and he seems exactly like the kind of author I should love, but I've never really loved any of his books. They're always just "ok". This book was no exception, and it felt like the same ol' thing he always writes. It was alright.
The Round House - Louise Erdric
- Beautifully written, couldn't really get invested in any of the characters though. And rather long winded.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette - Maria Semple
- Such a fun quick read! It's zippy, you just zip right through. Great summer read. Funny too.
The Interestings - Meg Wolitzer
- Loved this one. Loved, so much. The last quarter of the book was pretty weak, but there were so many moments where I thought, "I need to bookmark this" or "I need to remember this section". It was melancholy and so insightful and true and ordinary.
Going back further (but still in 2013) I read:
Ranked somewhat in order of how much I liked the book (from top to bottom).
Staggered and clawed my way through the final pages of Cloud Atlas. I found the narrative structure and idea was extremely interesting, but I just didn't find the writing compelling at all, with the exception of the Sixsmith/Frobisher arc.
SOME? It's like the book is an encyclopedia of references with a story tacked on.
Also, Patrick Rothfuss - The Wise Man's Fear (page 300 of like 700)
If you have yet to read Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle, do it - then you can join me and probably millions once I'm done this book in waiting for the third part of his trilogy.
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I finished this this morning, having read most of it yesterday. It's no surprise that I would want to read this book, because it's about a grad student who makes a living as a birdwatcher/research assistant while his best mate trains to be a librarian. It's also set in Indiana, which is also a nice tie-in for me as a Vonnegut fan. Snapper is a lovely series of vignettes that charts the migratory patterns of songbirds and the flight patterns of human fancy. Each first sentence is exemplary, and I've taken notes.
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This is a dark fantasy series, in the sense of a bunch of flawed people doing flawed things in a realistically crappy world, and the heroes aren't really heroes. It follows a military unit as they travel around. The setting is swords and magic but it's got a down-to-earth style. It's what I imagine it'd be like to actually be in a medieval-era army (i.e. disease, bad teeth, and mostly everyone dies).
It's told in first person, and in some books there are different narrators, which is always interesting, because some of the authors are unreliable.
Is it actually a realistic portrayal? How much brutal rape is in the book?
Raping and pillaging is heavily implied at a lot of points, but the narrator also admits to whitewashing his own narrative, so it's not 100% clear. It's called the Black Company for a reason though. The army the book follows is generally feared/hated by every town they visit. The book doesn't go into a lot of graphic detail describing the battle scenes or aftermath. It's more about camp life and intrigue.
I've heard very good things but I feel like I want to read the white company first since i believe it's a one off and it would be good to get the historical background of medieval mercenary companies.
And people say they don't have time for their gaming back-logs. ..
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I read this yesterday, as it is the debut novel from the writer of the very good literary blog The Rejectionist. A few pages in, it dawned on me that I was actually reading a teen novel, but I thought what the hell and kept going. I don't think I'll be picking up any more teen literature anytime soon, because I can't stand how over the top and full of hyperbole every other sentence is. Teen girls, one of which is modelled after Frances Bean Cobain! Drugs and partying! Being so much cooler than everyone else! Woooooooo! Snide references to Nirvana and Starbucks and Pike Place Market, yeah!
Having said that, this book seems to have reasonable reviews, so if you're a reader of teen fiction or fantasy then it might be your kinda thing. I'm not sure what I'm going to read next, but I have my book stack ready!
Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant.
Shoot me now. This is for my class this afternoon (on the Preface and Introduction). I have to do a little write up too but not yet done it...:x
As for casual reading, I just finished re-reading the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. While I enjoyed it, I really took to heart some of the comments a friend made about his female characters. His treatment of women isn't that great, actually kind of sexist. Most of the female characters go through character development just to be a romantic interest to someone else (a man). There are a few exceptions, but not enough to redeem it in that sense. And he has this weird hard-on for Japanese influence. There are two different cultures that seem to be heavily based on Japanese language and culture. It is kinda weird. The series is enjoyable, but just don't think too deeply about it.
I'm currently reading The God Delusion. I'm not enjoying it nearly as much as I hoped. Richard Dawkins is so far up his own ass, that anything good he might be saying is just ruined for me by his narcissism.
So this is basically the GoodReads thread?
I very rarely read anymore. It's terrible of me because I do so much writing and I'm supposed to do reading too but I just (SPOILER)prefer games over books, so sue me. I have been reading this nifty book called "All The Countries We've Ever Invaded" about British imperialism though. I, uh... have been reading it for like the past seven monthsI'll finish it eventually!
I'm almost at the end of the 2nd in the Call the Midwife series (Farewell to the East End). I love them, they're such easy reading, but at times just so upsetting. Worth a read if you enjoy period-drama.
I just happened to finish the book 'Room' too, which again was quite hard hitting but interesting and well written.
Next on my list after I finish this one is...... *consults the Kindle* Jane Austen's Emma
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