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What book are you reading now/have finished?

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  • It is stupid. You are not getting that wrong. Also, I'm not like a pedantic gun nut or something, but the weapons (or the science, civilization, society) are treated so vaguely as to actually flare up my suspension of disbelief at every turn. I can get past it, but meh.
  • Just went out and bought Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. I have been exited to read this sense the old episode of GeekNights, were they talked about it. Yet, I never got to it tell now.
  • I've been reading Rapture of the Nerds by Charles Stross and I think.. Cory Doctorow? It's... interesting. Accelerando meets Hitchhiker's Guide in the back of a dirty bookstore...
  • I didn't like Rapture of the Nerds nearly as much as I like Doctorow's and Stross' individual works, but it wasn't terrible.
  • Finished Divergent. It was stupid. It got even more stupid in it's later parts. First I just thought that the world was stupid, but later the characters and their actions became stupid too.

    I can see how some teens could really like an story where being normal human being is a spacial power, but I call it stupid bullshit.
  • Apsup said:

    Finished Divergent. It was stupid. It got even more stupid in it's later parts. First I just thought that the world was stupid, but later the characters and their actions became stupid too.

    I can see how some teens could really like an story where being normal human being is a spacial power, but I call it stupid bullshit.

    But, like, I'm totally the only one that's thinking for myself, man. The rest of you people are just tools following what your factions (clicks/society/government) tell you to do, man. Also, like, I'm totally not afraid.
  • Just finished "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee". Great book. Cried multiple times. Now moving on to something lighter, Peter Aimes Carlin's McCartney bio. I'm eight hours in (its a 13 hour book that I'm listening to), and so far it's just "Paul McCartney lead a rock n roll life".
  • edited February 2014
    Just finished Ancillary Justice. Definitely an enjoyable read: the conscience of Le Guin, the plot ride of Hyperion, in some ways unique commentary on certain frequent scifi tropes. Certainly very promising for a debut novel. Probably heavily inspired by Left Hand of Darkness. Some awkward writing tics, though nothing as annoying as Bakker's Water Making Peaches TM or Descriptions Masquerading As Plot (c). Okay.. to be fair, a smidge of DMAP, but not Wheel of Time grade DMAP.
    Post edited by no fun girl on
  • I just finished the book myself. It's okay. Great for the first half, but really falls apart in the second half.

    Full review on my own podcast:

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  • edited February 2014
    Finished "Paul McCartney: A Life" by Peter Aimes Carlin. 5/10. Well written, but not much you couldn't get from reading Wikipedia, if you go to the right pages.

    EDIT: Does anyone know a good Stones book I should read next?
    Post edited by Greg on
  • I'm currently reading "Gordie Howe's Son" which is the biography of Mark Howe, a hall of fame hockey player. Now I never really liked that he has kind of defined himself as the son of one of the greatest hockey players of all time, having earned various distinctions himself, but reading it you can very much feel the emotional bond between him and his father.

    Overall, it isn't a very deep or super challenging read, but the book is overall pretty good. It helps that he has lived through a ton in his career. Among other things he became the youngest player to win an Olympic medal in hockey, played in the rival league WHA (which was the cause for him being left out of the Hall of Fame for so long), played alongside his brother and his 50-year-old father in pro hockey, switched position from left wing to defense without any prior experience or proper guidance, was impaled by a goal post, played Gretzky in the Stanley Cup finals twice (one series of which is often cited as the best Stanley Cup final ever), and was a teammate of then reigning Vezina Trophy winner Pelle Lindbergh when he died in a car crash.
  • I'm reading Broodhollow: Curious Little Thing by Kris Straub right now. It's a web comic as well as a print book. I really like the simple art style and the "things aren't as they seem" feel that the whole thing gives me.
  • Luke, just listened to your review, and agree with most of your points. (I was ok with the lack of physical descriptors of gender, as the ways in which my mind filled in the blanks was revealing of my own presuppositions.) As Lecke is upgrading to novel from short story format, I expected growing pains (thus judging it as a debut novel). In this case, there is a lack of thematic significance (which you point out in great detail) and poor pacing. I think part of the problem is that this book wasn't meant to stand alone, but was released and (over)hyped (understandably), and must now stand alone. Hopefully, Lecke will grow as a novelist and learn to deepen these interesting concepts.
  • "This was the tour of the giant inflatable cock"

    "Life" by Keith Richards is something else...
  • edited February 2014
    I want to read something heavy and interesting like The Chicago School, The Nine, and The People's History of the Supreme Court. I don't particularly care what the topic is. Any suggestions?
    Post edited by Banta on
  • edited February 2014
    I just finished Lev Grossman's The Magicians, which is sort of a postmodern take on both Harry Potter and Narnia. It was pretty damn good, and reminded me a lot of Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality and The Secret History.

    EDIT: This review by the A.V. Club is a good overview, without giving away any spoilers.
    Post edited by YoshoKatana on
  • Currently reading "Mogworld" by Yahtzee Croshaw, better known as "that dude that does Zero Punctuation". It's actually a really funny fantasy book from the perspective of a minion/side-character/extra, but with a definitive "twist" which is hinted at and then revealed a quarter into the book in.
  • chaosof99 said:

    Currently reading "Mogworld" by Yahtzee Croshaw, better known as "that dude that does Zero Punctuation".

    That book and I do not get along. I agree with you on the concept but everything past the second act just was a series of events of me yelling at the characters and the novel. The ending in of itself was such a bullshit letdown that I raged about it on the Internet (before the video got taken down).

    Thankfully I have been told I was "wrong" in my critiques. However if Rym ever wanted another Mr. Niceguy Penis Adventure in terms of teasing the fans of he book, this is the ideal candidate.
  • The Martian is fantastic. It can be a bit repetitious in spots but it's still very well done.
  • I just finished Lev Grossman's The Magicians, which is sort of a postmodern take on both Harry Potter and Narnia. It was pretty damn good, and reminded me a lot of Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality and The Secret History.

    EDIT: This review by the A.V. Club is a good overview, without giving away any spoilers.

    The second book The Magican King is just as great. A large portion of the book is about Julia and what happened to her during Quentin's time at Breakbills. Quentin is also 90% less emo and mopey in the 2nd one.
  • I just finished Lev Grossman's The Magicians, which is sort of a postmodern take on both Harry Potter and Narnia. It was pretty damn good, and reminded me a lot of Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality and The Secret History.

    EDIT: This review by the A.V. Club is a good overview, without giving away any spoilers.

    The second book The Magican King is just as great. A large portion of the book is about Julia and what happened to her during Quentin's time at Breakbills. Quentin is also 90% less emo and mopey in the 2nd one.
    I finished The Magician King last night, and you are 100% correct. If any of you like fantasy, or magic, or Narnia, or anything, read these books.

  • Finished the Culture series of books. Now finding modern life too primitive for my taste.
  • I actually finished up Wool over the past week. I'll save further comments on it for when the Book Club episode finally airs, but I will say that any gamer who has played a Fallout game will see the plot twist coming.
  • Just finished The Diamond Age, which I enjoyed overall. After watching Kill la Kill, my mental image of Nell morphed into Satsuki in the last 50 pages. I'm not sure how I feel about this.
  • 2bfree said:

    Finished the Culture series of books. Now finding modern life too primitive for my taste.

    Welcome to my world. I highly recommend the Vorkosigan Saga as a followup if you haven't read it already.
  • In the middle of reading Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill (Movie Critic and Screenwriter of Sinister). It brings up a lot of mythology into the modern world and how two different children's lives become intertwined by their connection to creatures. Currently it feels like a mix of Neil Gaiman and Stephen King, but I'm looking forward to how it continues.

    Also, does anyone else watch this series?



    I love this man's analysis and he is so effective in explaining the full synopsis of a story while discussing the themes and context. But I'm glad he covered this, because it helps me point out that Ethan Frome is one of the worst books ever.
  • Currently reading The Portrait of Dorian Gray.
    It gets incredibly interesting once you replace every character with Oscar Wilde.
  • Just finished 2312. It was ok. A little slow-paced and sparse for not a lot of payoff.
  • edited April 2014
    Recently finished Torchbearer, The Warren, Golden Sky Stories, Fate Core and Fate Accelerated, and Lamentations of the Flame Princess: Rules & Magic. Currently reading the latest A Song of Ice and Fire book.
    Post edited by okeefe on
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