What books are you reading now?

erik · Post by **erik** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 6:38 am

I am drowning in a glut of Xmas books. Currently working on the uncut edition of The Stand by Stephen King. Reading a bunch of Cory Doctrow on the iPod and before that was a few of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories on the iPod.

PoliteNewb · Post by **PoliteNewb** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:00 am

name_here wrote:I finally got Towers of Midnight. Mat=best character.

Agreed.

That line was awesome, but there were actually so many good Mat lines, it was hard to choose.

Rand Almost everybody has finally become competent and decisive.

Fixed.

In other news, I just read Stephen King's latest, "Full Dark, No Stars". Very grim (but hey, it's King, what else is new), and quite good. I think King is becoming a feminist in his old age...2 of the 4 stories were about violence against women, and both had female protagonists who felt very real (most of his characters are well done, so that's no real surprise). All 4 stories were pretty psychological...if they had anything in common, it was the fact that all of us have a secret person inside ourselves, one who we don't always know that well until certain circumstances occur; these stories were about what happens when you meet that person.

Meikle641 · Post by **Meikle641** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 9:53 am

erik wrote:Currently working on the uncut edition of The Stand by Stephen King.

Uncut you say? What's changed?

PoliteNewb · Post by **PoliteNewb** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 5:05 pm

Meikle641 wrote:
erik wrote:Currently working on the uncut edition of The Stand by Stephen King.
Uncut you say? What's changed?

A few deleted scenes are put back in, including one fairly lengthy one that I feel is a "classic" of the postholocaust fiction experience. A few things are edited for clarity, or slightly rewritten. A few completely unimportant things are added.

Nothing major...the overall thrust of the book is still the same, and there are no plot-changing elements. I considered the uncut version worth my time, but then, I re-read books pretty often anyway.

Datawolf · Post by **Datawolf** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 6:31 pm

PoliteNewb wrote:In other news, I just read Stephen King's latest, "Full Dark, No Stars". Very grim (but hey, it's King, what else is new), and quite good. I think King is becoming a feminist in his old age...2 of the 4 stories were about violence against women, and both had female protagonists who felt very real (most of his characters are well done, so that's no real surprise). All 4 stories were pretty psychological...if they had anything in common, it was the fact that all of us have a secret person inside ourselves, one who we don't always know that well until certain circumstances occur; these stories were about what happens when you meet that person.

I've been thinking about picking this up myself. I've become quite a fan of King recently (I started with On Writing and 'Salem's Lot last year. Seriously).

Currently slogging through Annabel by Kathleen Winter for my book club. The weird thing is, it contains everything I like in novels: complex characters with interesting relationships, a careful attention to detail, descriptions that invoke all the senses, and yet it's boring the hell out of me.

PoliteNewb · Post by **PoliteNewb** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 9:45 pm

Datawolf wrote: I've been thinking about picking this up myself. I've become quite a fan of King recently (I started with On Writing and 'Salem's Lot last year. Seriously).

I highly recommend it, especially because of the format (4 stories, which I'd classify as 2 novellas and 2 short stories). In fact, if you really want to get a feel for King and whether or not you like him, I strongly suggest trying his short works first; he made money on his novels, but he wrote great short stories, and EXCELLED at the novella, which he thinks (and I agree) is an oft-neglected form of work.

Try "Four Past Midnight", or "The Bachman Books". Or pick up "Skeleton Crew", which contains some of his best short story work ("The Mist" and "The Reach", which open and close that anthology, are probably my favorite stories by him).

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 9:56 pm

I've started reading through my discworld books again, right at the same time I got a friend who reads more than I do to start them. I basically need a couple days head start on the next book in the storyline before I give her the previous one...

edit: I've been sigg'd, awesome.

Zinegata · Post by **Zinegata** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 8:49 am

Just finished Keegan's The American Civil War. It's a return to form. Finally.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 5:44 am

I just came back from Texas and read a few books there.

I've started reading a lot of new weird fiction.

I picked up China Mieville's "Perdido street station" and loved it. It suffers from having too many different references and homages stuffed in but it works well.

Jeff Vandermeer's "Finch" was a good example of new weird and it wasn't a hobbled up mess of "fit-it-all-into-one-box"-ism. The book jacket said fungal noir and that seems very apt. a lot of spore/mushroom based tech that was awesome.

I reread all of "Fables" except the last graphic novel. It's a little strange having the war being over. WIllingham should have finished the series right here.

Reread the first half of "Swords and deviltry" and I dont' think I can ever get tired of Fahrd and Grey mouser. Incidentally, they were referenced in the "dark ages" storyline of Fables. Freddy and mouse. snark.

Blicero · Post by **Blicero** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:48 pm

Cynic wrote: I picked up China Mieville's "Perdido street station" and loved it. It suffers from having too many different references and homages stuffed in but it works well.

Jeff Vandermeer's "Finch" was a good example of new weird and it wasn't a hobbled up mess of "fit-it-all-into-one-box"-ism. The book jacket said fungal noir and that seems very apt. a lot of spore/mushroom based tech that was awesome.

Perdido is a quite excellent novel. The Scar has a much better overall plot, but its writing isn't as unique, and its characters aren't as likable. The City and the City is a surprisingly tense thriller.

If you haven't read City of Saints and Madmen, you really should. VanderMeer really outdid himself for that one.

Post by **fbmf** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 11:34 pm

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose.

Game On,
fbmf

name_here · Post by **name_here** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:36 am

I've been reading the Dresden Files. I got to the section responsible for this image.

The artist forgot the one-man Polka band, though.

Zinegata · Post by **Zinegata** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:01 am

Just finished Neil Hanson's "The Unknown Soldier". Pretty damn good.

I should really pick up Ciaphas Cain's latest book, "The Emperor's Finest" soon. If I can find a bloody paperback copy of it instead of the $20 hardback.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:12 am

Dresden rocks.

name_here · Post by **name_here** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:21 am

Oh, TvTropes also relays this quote from FanFiction.net:

"Hello Ladies- look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he isn't me, but if he stopped wearing body glitter and wore a black leather duster, he could be like he's me. Look down, back up, where are you? You're on a city street, surrounded by ZOMBIES! With the man your man could be like! Look down, back up, what's in your hand, I have it, it's a blasting rod- look again! The blasting rod is now A TORRENTIAL COLUMN OF FIRE! Anything is possible when your man is Harry Dresden and not Edward Cullen. I'm on a dinosaur."

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:25 am

name_here wrote:Oh, TvTropes also relays this quote from FanFiction.net:

"Hello Ladies- look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he isn't me, but if he stopped wearing body glitter and wore a black leather duster, he could be like he's me. Look down, back up, where are you? You're on a city street, surrounded by ZOMBIES! With the man your man could be like! Look down, back up, what's in your hand, I have it, it's a blasting rod- look again! The blasting rod is now A TORRENTIAL COLUMN OF FIRE! Anything is possible when your man is Harry Dresden and not Edward Cullen. I'm on a dinosaur."

What is that meme from, originally, anyway?

name_here · Post by **name_here** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:30 am

Apparently it was an old spice commercial.

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:36 am

Specifically, this Old Spice commercial {OK, youtube, awesome}.

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 5:50 pm

I'm currently getting into Steve Ettlinger's Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats {OK, Amazon, Snack Cake}.

A couple chapters in, I am both impressed and thoroughly disgusted by what gets into our food supply. I am also more convinced now than ever (and I was pretty convinced before) that without petroleum, the modern world is completely screwed. Not only do petroleum derivatives end up in the most unlikely-seeming places, but petroleum allows us to make certain messy processes (like mining sulfur) a lot less messy.

This from a book on Twinkies.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 8:28 pm

Blicero wrote:

Perdido is a quite excellent novel. The Scar has a much better overall plot, but its writing isn't as unique, and its characters aren't as likable. The City and the City is a surprisingly tense thriller.

If you haven't read City of Saints and Madmen, you really should. VanderMeer really outdid himself for that one.

Blicero: you and I, seem to have very similar reading tastes.

But, I just read "The scar" and "Iron council" is going to be started sometime today. I have both "City of Saints and Madmen" and "Shriek: an afterword" checked out of the library.

Have you read the "New weird" anthology? It's a fun read as well.

Blicero · Post by **Blicero** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 6:27 am

Cynic wrote:
Blicero wrote:
Blicero: you and I, seem to have very similar reading tastes.

But, I just read "The scar" and "Iron council" is going to be started sometime today. I have both "City of Saints and Madmen" and "Shriek: an afterword" checked out of the library.

Have you read the "New weird" anthology? It's a fun read as well.

I haven't checked out that trilogy. If I can find it, I might give it a look.

And, considering VanderMeer, Veniss Underground is a really neat retelling of the Orpheus story that involves organs.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 7:17 am

Veniss was the first Vandermeer book I read.

I guess I can list the books on my list to be read at least to add some relevancy to this post.

"Iron council" by China Mieville - continues in New crobuzon decades after "Perdido street station." As usual it's a different book than the two prior books in the Bas-lag world.

I wanted to read some old-school Weird fiction. I've decided to do a reread of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast books - "titus groan", "Gormenghast", and "titus alone." These were the books that led me to Lovecraft.

edit: Blicero, you are missing a closing

Code: Select all

 &#91;/quote

in your post. I tried to use the old fix of just putting it down in the next post. but that seemed to screw it up even more. so editted that out.

Datawolf · Post by **Datawolf** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 4:34 pm

About to start American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (again, for book club). Currently reading The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 1:25 am

Almost done with Mieville's "Iron council." I love the man because he took a thing such as Transvestite rebel fighting group and made them something to be admired and cheered on rather than a laughing point.

PoliteNewb · Post by **PoliteNewb** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 4:15 am

After seeing the new "True Grit" and re-reading the novel by Portis, I've decided to read some classic westerns...I'm starting "The Virginian".