Reading a book on Jewish mysticism and such.
Then going to be reading a book on the history of Japan.
Game Design Workshop by Tracy Fullerton
A great book so far. This will likely go to my top 3 best game design books I read.
'The Second Sex' is proving to be excellent, especially as we're now into the rude bits
Oh, Simone, mon amour, je t'aime, baby...Now go find me some other partners, ooh la la!
Put up Stampp for now to read The Annihilation Score.
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Since my last post, I've read Interesting Times, The Last Continent, The Last Hero, and The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, all by Terry Pratchett.
Working my way through the Discworld series...
The Last Continent suffers somewhat for lack of a real antagonist - not enough plot, too much avoiding it. The Faculty are reasonably interesting as a B-plot, though it relies somewhat on familiarity with those characters from other books.
The Last Hero and The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents are both interesting (if a bit outside the norm), and each has legitimately touching moments. Spider the Rat King is a terrifying villain.
I can't say enough good things about Paul Kidby's art for The Last Hero - brilliant work.
Fantastic Mr. Fox.
I like Farmer Bean.
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Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, and the rest of the Peter Rabbit stories. I'm trying to read them to Cora the Conqueror, but she much prefers to simply eat them. I do like the watercolors, though.
Most recently, Sardath the Barbarian 3 - SmiloDan was right; it was fun - and Explorers of Gor.
Fellas! Are you glandularly adequate?
Sure?
Ladies! Have you peeled away the hideous encrustations of your antibiological conditioning?
You have? Great! You may now engage in female display behaviours.
A Pig of Cold Poison—lots of exciting archaic/dialectal terminology and horrifying early "medicine"!
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Finished PATH OF DAGGERS (Waste Of Time #8), and, looking for something completely different, am about to test the waters (railways?) of China Maivel's writing for the first time with RAILSEA. The name is evocative enough to get me more intrigued by the prospect of this book than any of his others, and it appears to be a stand alone, so it seems like a fine place to start.
Path of Daggers could really only be called "fast paced" and "eventful" in comparison to other books in the Wheel of Time series, but after dredging through the muck of its three predecessors, it actually seems that way.
For the first time in a while, side plots are being rsolved across all fronts, making room for new directions for the characters. It ranges from the small - like Perrin finally figuring out how to handle the Faile/Berelain situation, to the bigger with some recurring minor characters dying (that Darkfriend Child of Light chief among them) to major ones like Egwene asserting control over her Aes Sedai and finally moving her army into direct confrontation with Tar Valon. The only regret is that none of the side plots thatt started in this book got resolved, with the ending sort of just petering out just when things can get interesting. This is me saying a Wheel of Time novel should be longer, for those following, which speaks volumes.
The book suffers from bloat - terrible, neigh unforgivable blot that keeps threatening to completely bury any resemblance of a narrative - but unlike the previous three it actually seems to be working to alleviate some of that bloat and place the pieces such that some decisive things could happen shortly.
All of this may sound like high praise, but really it is more the result of a pleasant surprise than anything else. This book would be a serious blunder in almost any other context, but it is a marked improvement in the series and actually makes me look forward more eagerly towards reading the next one.
I'm getting near the end of the First Law trilogy, which has been good fantasy all-around.
It makes fun of itself at one point in a very thinly veiled way, not sure I liked that. Maybe the author was having a late night when he wrote it in. You have to be realistic.
A Pig of Cold Poison—lots of exciting archaic/dialectal terminology and horrifying early "medicine"!
Have you read the Wolf Hall series by Hilary Mantel? The plot synopsis you linked sounds . . . relevant, I guess is the best way to describe it.
I actually haven't read the books, but I really enjoyed the BBC dramatization on Masterpiece. Y'know, 'cause watching TV is easier than reading, look, whatever!
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Have you read the Wolf Hall series by Hilary Mantel? The plot synopsis you linked sounds . . . relevant, I guess is the best way to describe it.
I had not—hold now placed!
Finished PATH OF DAGGERS (Waste Of Time #8), and, looking for something completely different, am about to test the waters (railways?) of China Maivel's writing for the first time with RAILSEA. The name is evocative enough to get me more intrigued by the prospect of this book than any of his others, and it appears to be a stand alone, so it seems like a fine place to start.
** spoiler omitted **...
RAILSEA is really fun & subversive. It seems like it's going one way & goes a totally different way. Very fun & inspiring. I want to make a campaign that combines RAILSEA & Snowpiercer & The Half-Made World.
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RAILSEA is really fun & subversive. It seems like it's going one way & goes a totally different way. Very fun & inspiring. I want to make a campaign that combines RAILSEA & Snowpiercer & The Half-Made World.Finished PATH OF DAGGERS (Waste Of Time #8), and, looking for something completely different, am about to test the waters (railways?) of China Maivel's writing for the first time with RAILSEA. The name is evocative enough to get me more intrigued by the prospect of this book than any of his others, and it appears to be a stand alone, so it seems like a fine place to start.
** spoiler omitted **...
I read like 5 pages from the book before going to sleep and already I'm annoyed with the "&" thing. I hope this is the kind of tick that one gets used to as reading progresses, unlike the sniffing and smoothing of dresses in some other books I've read.
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I'm getting near the end of the First Law trilogy, which has been good fantasy all-around.
It makes fun of itself at one point in a very thinly veiled way, not sure I liked that. Maybe the author was having a late night when he wrote it in. You have to be realistic.
What are you referring to?
I thought it was cute, though a bit much. We already get that this trilogy is a deconstruction of the fantasy genre and we don't have to be beaten on the head with that.
Keep reading, though. This third book one is so good it makes the previous two (which I already liked) seem even better. I felt gutted by the end of it. I felt like the fantasy genre has been gutted.
Price of Valor by Django Wexler arrived. Since it's a hardback, I'll need something else for the bathtub - I'm thinking I should re-read Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch in preparation for the fourth book in the series coming out.
I just finished The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes. It is a fantasy version of Ocean's Eleven. The book is very humorous and the plot is ... complicated enough for my taste.
Trying to get Go Set a Watchman downloaded. Squeeee!
I just finished The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes. It is a fantasy version of Ocean's Eleven. The book is very humorous and the plot is ... complicated enough for my taste.
I've totally been jonesing for a good caper! :-D
I'm currently reading Dragons of the Dwarven Depths by Weis and Hickman. My new library has very slim pickings, and I accidentally picked up book 2 of a series I haven't read book 1 of yet. At least some Vandermeer is now waiting for me on reserve...
Trying to get Go Set a Watchman downloaded. Squeeee!
I'm very curious about that one, but I feel like I'm going to have to wait a year or two for the hubbub to die down before I can give the book an unbiased reading. If I hear one more NPR puff piece about how it's just the worst thing ever that Atticus Finch supported segregation later in life after everything that's gone in South Carolina this summer, I'm just gonna start punching white people, and that's coming from a white guy.
I got ahold of Seven Eves by Neal Stephenson, and want to read it, but am afraid the book may get the better of me.
My mother brought home a copy of Go Set a Watchman from the school library and asked me if I wanted to read it. I have never even read To Kill... so I passed.
Back in NH, so I guess it's back to Brackett and Hardy.
F$++ing Angel Claire...
The Dedalus Book of Surrealism: The Identity of Things
I like it, even though the compiler (?) has a pop at Angela Carter in the intro. Bah.
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Have you read the Wolf Hall series by Hilary Mantel? The plot synopsis you linked sounds . . . relevant, I guess is the best way to describe it.I had not—hold now placed!
I am reading Wolf Hall right now! The second book is Bring Up the Bodies I think, though that just may be its American title. I am enjoying Cromwell's point of view, but sometimes Mantel's writing makes me confused as to who is speaking, and sometimes when Cromwell speaks it is paraphrased so I am not sure if he is talking or just thinking. But otherwise it is excellent!
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Having finished my rereading of the Discworld canon, I turned to The Johnny Maxwell Trilogy (also by Pratchett).
I'd forgotten just how powerful his writing is when he sets aside (most of) the humor. As a young-adult(ish) book set in 1990's Britain, it's a very different flavor compared to Discworld.
I highly recommend it - it might not be available in anthology form everywhere, so look for (in order): Only You Can Save Mankind, Johnny And The Dead, and Johnny And The Bomb.
Trying to get Go Set a Watchman downloaded. Squeeee!I'm very curious about that one, but I feel like I'm going to have to wait a year or two for the hubbub to die down before I can give the book an unbiased reading. If I hear one more NPR puff piece about how it's just the worst thing ever that Atticus Finch supported segregation later in life after everything that's gone in South Carolina this summer, I'm just gonna start punching white people, and that's coming from a white guy.
I have no problem believing this is a first novel. Its dialog-heavy exposition is the mark of an untried author. But there is some worth to it: Mockingbird's origin can be teased out of Watchman, and those who complain about the "racism of Atticus Finch" are really missing the point of the book. It's a serious discussion of a knotty problem set within the story of the fall of a god; youthful idealism slams up against harsh reality. The message at the end, though, is a good one. The only way for society to change is for those who don't like it as it is to live within it and work for that change. Props to Lee for an unflinching look at both her own people's inherent racism and the naivete of those who don't want to recognize it.
Seem to have misplaced Tess again. Was delighted to see the return of Eric John Stark in "The Enchantress of Venus." Also,
Black History and the Class Struggle, No. 19: New Orleans Racist Atrocity
Re-read Robert B. Parker's Promised Land, an old favorite.
Am now reading Elmore Leonard's Ride the Rap.
This weekend,' Brak the Barbarian: Mark of the Demon' by John Jakes and 'Llama of Gathol' by Extra Roast Buttocks.
Seem to have misplaced Tess again.
What is it with you and Tess, DA? :)
Got a copy out of the library; finished "Part 5--The Woman Pays" and read the first two chapters of "Part 6--The Convert."
Gee, Hardy's got a real talent for depicting hateful men, huh?
Going to take on the herculean task of reading the Silmarillion in the near future.
Not that herculean - I'd even say the prose flows better than it does in either The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings.
I remember being disappointed the first time I read it when I was about 12 or 13, but when I tried it again at six or seven years later, with a bit more "grown-up" literature in my bag of experiences, it was a relevation.
Ordered Ta-Nehisi Coates' book last week. Went back to store to check on it, since these things rarely take more than a week. Found out that it's been backordered with no ETA. Bummer.
I have done very little today except read.
I got through:
'Clansman of Andor' by Andrew J. Offutt (Offutt attempts a Gor-a-like. Alright, but not as good as his Conan knockoffs)
'Lost Worlds Volume 2' by Clark Ashton Smith, which was great, as you'd expect
'The True Story of Ah Q' by Lu Hsun - not bad
And most of the Olympia Press reader, which had some littrachur in it (JP Donleavy, Samuel Beckett, Henry Miller, Jean Genet), albeit pretty mucky littrachur, along with the straight-up porn, if you'll excuse the expression.
They included a chapter from 'The Story of O', which I actually quite liked; I hated it when I read it the first time round, so I may have to have another go at that one...
Just finished Name of the Wind...very slow for the first half, but eventful in the second half. I am interested in where the Author is going to be taking the character in the next book, especially as it seems like a lot of major mysteries/plot developments will not be really solved in the trilogy
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Just finished Name of the Wind...very slow for the first half, but eventful in the second half. I am interested in where the Author is going to be taking the character in the next book, especially as it seems like a lot of major mysteries/plot developments will not be really solved in the trilogy
The author takes them to the fascinating location known is "nowhere, really". The first half of the first book is more eventful than the entire second book.
Just finished Name of the Wind...very slow for the first half, but eventful in the second half. I am interested in where the Author is going to be taking the character in the next book, especially as it seems like a lot of major mysteries/plot developments will not be really solved in the trilogyThe author takes them to the fascinating location known is "nowhere, really". The first half of the first book is more eventful than the entire second book.
I think I liked the first book largely because I was incredibly amused to see all the parallels with the modern University system, everything from grad school to college towns to even how labs work.
Of course...the second book kind of spent...a ton of time going over all of that again. Which uh...was less than needed.
Just finished Name of the Wind...very slow for the first half, but eventful in the second half. I am interested in where the Author is going to be taking the character in the next book, especially as it seems like a lot of major mysteries/plot developments will not be really solved in the trilogyThe author takes them to the fascinating location known is "nowhere, really". The first half of the first book is more eventful than the entire second book.I think I liked the first book largely because I was incredibly amused to see all the parallels with the modern University system, everything from grad school to college towns to even how labs work.
Of course...the second book kind of spent...a ton of time going over all of that again. Which uh...was less than needed.
The book did suffer from "middle book" syndrome, but it was enjoyable; I just want to know what's behind those doors in the library!
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Just finished Name of the Wind...very slow for the first half, but eventful in the second half. I am interested in where the Author is going to be taking the character in the next book, especially as it seems like a lot of major mysteries/plot developments will not be really solved in the trilogyThe author takes them to the fascinating location known is "nowhere, really". The first half of the first book is more eventful than the entire second book.I think I liked the first book largely because I was incredibly amused to see all the parallels with the modern University system, everything from grad school to college towns to even how labs work.
Of course...the second book kind of spent...a ton of time going over all of that again. Which uh...was less than needed.
And it didn't even do it nearly as well as the first time, instead commiting a *lot* of time for the annoying subplot of Kvoth's Draco Malfoy analogue.
But yeah, in the first book the university was by far the best section. Story should have moved past that in the beginning of the second book but Rothfuss prefered to stay in that comfort zone.
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Finished reading RAILSEA by China Mieville. Next one will be THE ALLOY OF LAW (#1 in the new Mistborn series, by Brandon Sanderson). Should make for another fun, small scale and action filled adventure before I sink back into the Wheel of Time for another book.
Story was fine, characters were very forgettable, the setting was awesome in its flat out weirdness (nothing about the setting makes much sense, but I don't mind that, because it feels convincing in the context of the book).
One thing I'm not sure about is the writing. There was something a bit cold and distant about it, as if the author kept rolling his eyes at me and saying, "high seas adventure stories! I know, right?". It did, however, have a very good flow and was enjoyable in its way. I think he was actually doing something fancy with the language to reflect the themes of the book (& even though I might be wrong I have a reason & a hope to believe I'm not) but I didn't catch on it.
Either way, book was enjoyable, fast paced, bizarre in a good way, and certainly interesting. I'll be reading more of Mieville in the foreseeable future, I think.
I have been ordered to read '50 Shades of Grey'
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to charity.
So back in 2013-2014, I related in this thread that I was reading the first 33 (of the 35) "Jeeves" short stories by humorist P. G. Wodehouse, and the first 9 (of the 11) "Jeeves" novels. Feeling that the series was running out of steam in the last couple of novels I had read, I started the series at the beginning again, with the short stories. Sometimes, I still try some other material by Wodehouse, which doesn't have the same charm, so I keep going back to Jeeves.
So during my second reading, I had the benefit of the advice of my past self to skip Ring for Jeeves, and to pretend that Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit was the conclusion of the series. Only this time around, I read the American edition, Bertie Wooster Sees It Through.
You know, maybe How Right You Are, Jeeves, the American edition of the next book Jeeves in the Offing, wasn't QUITE as bad as I made it sound last year. Looking back on it with my rose-colored glasses, I remember ONE good scene, anyway.
It seems hard for me to believe that the characters of Jeeves and Wooster are that old, but September 15th this year will mark the 100th anniversary of "Extricating Young Gussie," the first short story.
Seveneves was awesome. Pure, unadulterated awesome. Reading that book was like mainlining freebase awesome all weekend long.
. . .
Oh man, I hope I can find something to read before the DTs set in!
I finally finished Dragon of the Dwarven Depths and it was as lame as I knew it would be. WAY too much bickering amongst the "Heroes" of the Lance. And I swear to Reorx, Raistlin said "You bet your biscuits" at one point. And lots of really bad typos. There wasn't even any action until after page 100. And some major characters just disappeared after page 200. In a 400+ page book.
Such a waste of time!
Gonna read Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer next.
Or maybe Snow Crash....
I finally finished Dragon of the Dwarven Depths and it was as lame as I knew it would be.
Just out of curiosity, if you knew it was going to be lame, why read it?