Author Topic: What are you reading?  (Read 845650 times)

Talia

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Reply #875 on: February 25, 2009, 07:44:10 AM
I just stayed up  into the wee hours to finish a novel, and I wanted to recommend it here.. its called 'daemon' by Daniel Suarez, and its something of a techno-thriller-scifi-end of civilization type dealy. Its totally engrossing. A debut novel, apparently.. a solid effort.

Here's a review:

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/02/18/dale-dougherty-shark.html



stePH

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Reply #876 on: February 25, 2009, 02:16:02 PM
I didn't know Friday built on other books. I tend to treat the books as stand-alone except for if they explicitly mention characters in other Heinlein I've read -- ie: Time Enough/Moon/Cat Who Walks.

I was editing my earlier post while you posted this.  It's been a long time since I've read Friday and To Sail Beyond the Sunset, and I may have confused the characters Friday and Maureen Johnson, as I thought I remembered Pixel the cat in Friday as well.  I went back to my bookshelf and pulled out my copy of Friday, and I could be wrong.  I just know that I started reading Heinlein before he published The Number of the Beast, and continued to read his books in the order they were published, and Friday came out between The Number of the Beast and The Cat Who Walks Through Walls.

I don't recall Pixel in Friday, but I might have missed him. I just love that he meows with the word "blert".

I believe Friday was one of Heinlein's rare later-day standalones.

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Reply #877 on: February 25, 2009, 05:22:43 PM
AHhh!

Is there ANYTHING worse than losing a book you were reading?

OK, so reading of The Year of Our War abruptly halted after about 100 pages. Now reading American Gods, again.



Bdoomed

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Reply #878 on: March 04, 2009, 10:44:44 PM
Kay... so i finished Cat's Cradle (so good!)
after that, started and finished Illusions in an hour (SO GOOD!)
and then after THAT, re-started The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "Trilogy" of 5 books.
so that's what I'm reading now... its my faaaavorite book(s)!
« Last Edit: March 04, 2009, 10:47:16 PM by Bdoomed »

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


stePH

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Reply #879 on: March 04, 2009, 11:49:38 PM
... and then after THAT, re-started The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy "Trilogy" of 5 books.
so that's what I'm reading now... its my faaaavorite book(s)!

Why would you read past the second book more than once?  Okay, maybe the third has a few bits that redeem it, but four is bad, and five is execrable.

* * *
... still slowly going through The Road to Mars by Eric Idle (I'm enjoying it) and I still have the Librarything Early Reviewer's copy of Modern Magic by Anne Cordwainer standing by.

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Bdoomed

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Reply #880 on: March 05, 2009, 12:01:42 AM
WHAAAA?!!!
i love ALL of them! the reverse engineering is awesome!
5th one is quite confusing, but im hoping itll make more sense this time (and by more sense i mean less sense)

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


Sandikal

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Reply #881 on: March 05, 2009, 04:16:33 AM
I'm reading "Agent to the Stars" by John Scalzi right now.  It's kind of like a first-contact version of HBO's "Entourage".  It's extremely funny, but has so many pop culture references that it'll be dated very, very fast.



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Reply #882 on: March 05, 2009, 04:34:19 AM
SOON! Soon my 8 week classes will end and I'll have time to read again! I plan on heavily refrencing this thread for material. Some of this stuff sounds absolutly up my ally- until then I'm still reading soch and western civ.

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Reply #883 on: March 05, 2009, 02:35:50 PM
Taking a Discworld Break to read "Last Watch" (Night Watch series) by Sergei Lukyanenko. It's as good as the rest of them, which is to say, interesting but not world-changing. Next up is the third Wicked book, "A Lion Among Men" by Gregory Maguire.

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Talia

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Reply #884 on: March 05, 2009, 04:26:12 PM
I'm trying to decide if I'm mad at myself for cheating and reading spoilers for 'Breaking Dawn.'

Whoa, hold off on the lynch mobs there! I finished twilight and new moon and thought they were at least OK, not the horrible pieces of trash some bookish types like to say they are. Hehe.

For some reason I went ahead and looked up how the series ended, and now I'm not sure if I am going to finish reading it or not. I wish I hadn't, that was kind of dumb. Oh well... hehe.



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Reply #885 on: March 05, 2009, 05:05:29 PM
I'm trying to decide if I'm mad at myself for cheating and reading spoilers for 'Breaking Dawn.'

Whoa, hold off on the lynch mobs there! I finished twilight and new moon and thought they were at least OK, not the horrible pieces of trash some bookish types like to say they are. Hehe.

For some reason I went ahead and looked up how the series ended, and now I'm not sure if I am going to finish reading it or not. I wish I hadn't, that was kind of dumb. Oh well... hehe.

I had advance knowledge that Fancr xvyyrq Qhzoyrqber, Ibyqrzbeg xvyyrq Fancr, naq Arivyyr Ybatobggbz xvyyrq Ibyqrzbeg, but it didn't hamper my enjoyment of the Harry Potter series. (spoilage in ROT13 cipher)

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Bdoomed

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Reply #886 on: March 05, 2009, 06:03:02 PM
Fancr xvyyrq Qhzoyrqber!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU RUINED IT!

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


Talia

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Reply #887 on: March 05, 2009, 06:38:19 PM
I'm trying to decide if I'm mad at myself for cheating and reading spoilers for 'Breaking Dawn.'

Whoa, hold off on the lynch mobs there! I finished twilight and new moon and thought they were at least OK, not the horrible pieces of trash some bookish types like to say they are. Hehe.

For some reason I went ahead and looked up how the series ended, and now I'm not sure if I am going to finish reading it or not. I wish I hadn't, that was kind of dumb. Oh well... hehe.

I had advance knowledge that Fancr xvyyrq Qhzoyrqber, Ibyqrzbeg xvyyrq Fancr, naq Arivyyr Ybatobggbz xvyyrq Ibyqrzbeg, but it didn't hamper my enjoyment of the Harry Potter series. (spoilage in ROT13 cipher)

No need to cypher it, at this point i'm sure everyone knows that Hagrid kills Ron and Hermione ends up married to Draco.



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Reply #888 on: March 05, 2009, 08:42:31 PM
Thanks a lot, Talia!  Why don't you just go ahead and tell me about The 6th Sense and Fight Club while you're at it.

Oh, and you're it again.  I don't think anyone will believe you if you say you're a wookie, so I wouldn't use that for your lie...



Talia

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Reply #889 on: March 05, 2009, 09:02:19 PM
I'm not a wookie, I just don't shave.

sixth sense: the protagonist realizes at the end he's actually a sentient sled named rosebud.

Fight Club: Edward Norton falls into a volcano, thus ending the conflict and allowing peace to spread across the land.

You're welcome!



stePH

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Reply #890 on: March 05, 2009, 11:52:34 PM
I had advance knowledge that Fancr xvyyrq Qhzoyrqber, Ibyqrzbeg xvyyrq Fancr, naq Arivyyr Ybatobggbz xvyyrq Ibyqrzbeg, but it didn't hamper my enjoyment of the Harry Potter series. (spoilage in ROT13 cipher)

No need to cypher it, at this point i'm sure everyone knows that Hagrid kills Ron and Hermione ends up married to Draco.

Oh, please ... that's an obvious red-herring to anyone who's read The Deathly Hallows ... Hermione's a dude.

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Reply #891 on: March 06, 2009, 04:10:17 AM
Taking a Discworld Break to read "Last Watch" (Night Watch series) by Sergei Lukyanenko. It's as good as the rest of them, which is to say, interesting but not world-changing. Next up is the third Wicked book, "A Lion Among Men" by Gregory Maguire.

Just skip to the end and read the last 60 pages or so of the Maguire.  Thank goodness it was a short book.



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Reply #892 on: March 06, 2009, 11:36:29 AM
Wait,  Arivyyr Ybatobggbz xvyyrq Ibyqrzbeg, I don't remember that.



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Reply #893 on: March 06, 2009, 05:00:11 PM
NOT IN ROT13:

I've finished The Truth and I'm now reading American Gods. Again.



Listener

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Reply #894 on: March 06, 2009, 05:16:45 PM
Taking a Discworld Break to read "Last Watch" (Night Watch series) by Sergei Lukyanenko. It's as good as the rest of them, which is to say, interesting but not world-changing. Next up is the third Wicked book, "A Lion Among Men" by Gregory Maguire.

Just skip to the end and read the last 60 pages or so of the Maguire.  Thank goodness it was a short book.

Yeah, Wicked was much better than Son Of A Witch, which was somewhat confusing at times, and the whole thing after Liir woke up bothered me for how much of a dick he was. But for $6, it's not such a bad deal.

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Talia

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Reply #895 on: March 06, 2009, 06:32:42 PM
I actually ended up really enjoying son of a witch.. after my third attempt to read it. I kinda had to force myself to stick with it but was glad I did.




Listener

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Reply #896 on: March 11, 2009, 11:25:56 AM
Taking a Discworld Break to read "Last Watch" (Night Watch series) by Sergei Lukyanenko. It's as good as the rest of them, which is to say, interesting but not world-changing. Next up is the third Wicked book, "A Lion Among Men" by Gregory Maguire.

Just skip to the end and read the last 60 pages or so of the Maguire.  Thank goodness it was a short book.

Yeah, this one felt more like a bridge to get us to whatever the fourth book will be. I liked the Lion's description of the gifts the Wizard gave, but otherwise, meh. And the Clock of the Time Dragon seemed more like a deus ex machina than anything else. I did like the return of Nor, though.

Now reading Pratchett's "Soul Music" to clear my palate before the Star Trek Destiny series.

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jrderego

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Reply #897 on: March 11, 2009, 12:06:38 PM
The House of Mirth: Edith Wharton.

On Deck -

They Were Kindly: Johnathan Littell (or)
Levittown two families, one tycoon, and the fight for civil rights in America's legendary suburb: David Kushner

Depending which one my librarian can get first.


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Reply #898 on: March 17, 2009, 01:54:01 PM
The House of Mirth: Edith Wharton.

Let us know how that goes.  I've been thinking about it for a while, waffling.

Just finished Snow Crash by Stephenson.  Much better than Anathem, but just so-so for the most part.
Re-Reading Asimov's Foundation series.  They're holding up quite well.

Picking my way through:
Beasts and Super Beasts, by Saki:  Fun.  You'd never know it was written 100 years ago.  Very slick.
Reality Dysfunction, by Hamilton:  Characters just aren't doing anything for me.  I'm 500 pages in, not even half way through the first of three parts, and really wondering if I want to keep going with this.
Gardens of the Moon, by Eriskon:  About half way through.  Characters just aren't there.  This seems to be the fantasy counterpart to the most stereotypical military SF.
Secret Atlas, by Stackpole:  Great setting, but the dialogue is just so stiff, it's tough to get interested in the characters.  Just too formal.



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Reply #899 on: March 17, 2009, 01:56:43 PM
This weekend, I read David Mack's entire Star Trek: Destiny trilogy in three nights. It was GREAT. Now reading Pratchett's "Interesting Times".

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