Author Topic: What are you reading?  (Read 845493 times)

Boggled Coriander

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Reply #925 on: April 15, 2009, 10:11:44 AM
I have located the second and third books of His Dark Materials and am making my way through them.  So I'll be able to decide for myself if the series turns into a colossal disappointment or not.  So far I'm halfway through The Subtle Knife and I'm liking it.  So far.

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Talia

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Reply #926 on: April 15, 2009, 01:54:47 PM
I just finished 'The Manual of Detection' by Jedediah Berry and thought it was absolutely excellent! It's odd, a bit surreal and utterly captivating. Highly recommended.



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Reply #927 on: April 15, 2009, 03:47:18 PM
I'm listening to Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. Holy crap, is that book funny. I remember enjoying it when I first read it, but between this and Graveyard Book, there's part of me that wonders if I should stop reading Gaiman's books and just listen to them instead.

Also, I took Tim (T.A.) Pratt's Poison Sleep with me to Jury Duty yesterday and read 150 pages. It was a lot more fun than I was expecting it to be, especially since I found Blood Engines to be a bit of a letdown.


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Reply #928 on: April 15, 2009, 03:53:17 PM
Private Eye right now.



MacArthurBug

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Reply #929 on: April 15, 2009, 04:21:53 PM
Robert Asprin- Phules Company and it's following books- I'm on book three 'A Phule and his Money'
recently purchased the newest Dresdin book and must wait until my darling dearest either finishes it or leaves it where I can find/reach it.

Oh, great and mighty Alasdair, Orator Maleficent, He of the Silvered Tongue, guide this humble fangirl past jumping up and down and squeeing upon hearing the greatness of Thy voice.
Oh mighty Mur the Magnificent. I am not worthy.


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Reply #930 on: April 15, 2009, 06:01:19 PM
I'm listening to Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. Holy crap, is that book funny. I remember enjoying it when I first read it, but between this and Graveyard Book, there's part of me that wonders if I should stop reading Gaiman's books and just listen to them instead.

I think Lenny Henry's reading of Anansi Boys has ruined me for the print version.  Ditto Lynne Truss' Going Loco as read by Linda Lang.

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DKT

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Reply #931 on: April 15, 2009, 06:50:32 PM
I'm listening to Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. Holy crap, is that book funny. I remember enjoying it when I first read it, but between this and Graveyard Book, there's part of me that wonders if I should stop reading Gaiman's books and just listen to them instead.

I think Lenny Henry's reading of Anansi Boys has ruined me for the print version.  Ditto Lynne Truss' Going Loco as read by Linda Lang.

Yes, I find myself laughing pretty good at the most random little details (and his deliveries) whenever I'm listening to it. And his voices are amazing.


Heradel

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Reply #932 on: April 15, 2009, 07:00:58 PM
Finished 2001. Probably going to reread 2010/61/3001 in a few months, but next is a bunch of short Blues stories and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

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Listener

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Reply #933 on: April 16, 2009, 07:31:57 PM
Terry Pratchett, "Monstrous Regiment"

Pratchett's "Night Watch", which I just finished, was a lot funnier this time around.

I had meant to take a Pratchett break and read some short fiction, but I forgot.

Also, amusingly, when Reid started delivering the Pratchett quote during last week's "Criminal Minds" (the one about the spring break serial killer), I said to my wife, "they really should do a Terry Pratchett quote." And there it was. Go figure. (They also did Cory Doctorow once.)

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Bdoomed

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Reply #934 on: April 17, 2009, 12:14:50 AM
Finished 2001. Probably going to reread 2010/61/3001 in a few months
those are the next few on my list of stuff to read.  after HHGtG, gonna read Watchmen really quick then hop into 2001

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


lowky

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Reply #935 on: April 17, 2009, 01:48:02 AM
nothing   :'(  When I can find books in English, they cost about the same as a kidney.  Keep in mind that working as a ESL teacher here in China i only make about 10,000 US per year.  While i can live comfortably here in China I can't find many books, and I refuse to pay 3 times what it would cost me in America for a book that quite often I have already read.  Thank god for podcast fiction is all I can say or I would be losing my mind.


Heradel

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Reply #936 on: April 17, 2009, 02:25:05 AM
nothing   :'(  When I can find books in English, they cost about the same as a kidney.  Keep in mind that working as a ESL teacher here in China i only make about 10,000 US per year.  While i can live comfortably here in China I can't find many books, and I refuse to pay 3 times what it would cost me in America for a book that quite often I have already read.  Thank god for podcast fiction is all I can say or I would be losing my mind.

You might want to try Project Gutenberg. Or Little Brother's available as a free download: http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/

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Reply #937 on: April 17, 2009, 04:03:52 AM
nothing   :'(  When I can find books in English, they cost about the same as a kidney.  Keep in mind that working as a ESL teacher here in China i only make about 10,000 US per year.  While i can live comfortably here in China I can't find many books, and I refuse to pay 3 times what it would cost me in America for a book that quite often I have already read.  Thank god for podcast fiction is all I can say or I would be losing my mind.

PM me your snail mail address and a wish list of books.  I'll hit up the used bookstore and ship you some.



Boggled Coriander

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Reply #938 on: April 17, 2009, 12:42:21 PM
nothing   :'(  When I can find books in English, they cost about the same as a kidney.  Keep in mind that working as a ESL teacher here in China i only make about 10,000 US per year.  While i can live comfortably here in China I can't find many books, and I refuse to pay 3 times what it would cost me in America for a book that quite often I have already read.  Thank god for podcast fiction is all I can say or I would be losing my mind.

Ouch.  Out of curiosity, where are you in China?  My girlfriend used to live in Zunyi (not the most cosmopolitan city on the planet, I hear) and knows your pain.

I've lived in Seoul and Taipei, and both have fairly good used bookstores aimed at the English-speaking crowd.  Seems like it's a lot harder to find affordable English books in the PRC, at least outside of a few big cities.

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Reply #939 on: April 17, 2009, 12:52:34 PM
nothing   :'(  When I can find books in English, they cost about the same as a kidney.  Keep in mind that working as a ESL teacher here in China i only make about 10,000 US per year.  While i can live comfortably here in China I can't find many books, and I refuse to pay 3 times what it would cost me in America for a book that quite often I have already read.  Thank god for podcast fiction is all I can say or I would be losing my mind.

PM me your snail mail address and a wish list of books.  I'll hit up the used bookstore and ship you some.

Zathras,  the shipping expense will eat up any savings you might get.  This is one of the reasons that trips to the states are shopping sprees for me.  We're going to a paperback exchange today. 

Lowky needs to find someone just outside of the "great wall" who can find him some second hand stuff.  Anyone here from the region who'd like to help?



lowky

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Reply #940 on: April 17, 2009, 01:28:13 PM

Ouch.  Out of curiosity, where are you in China?  My girlfriend used to live in Zunyi (not the most cosmopolitan city on the planet, I hear) and knows your pain.

I've lived in Seoul and Taipei, and both have fairly good used bookstores aimed at the English-speaking crowd.  Seems like it's a lot harder to find affordable English books in the PRC, at least outside of a few big cities.

I was in Wuhan and could find a few mostly lit classics like pride and prejudice sadly without the zombies.  I am now in Xiangfan and have found no english books yet.  I would say most books I have found are 75-100 RMB so about 10-15 US for a paperback.  For a book I am not that interested in or I have already read that's a bit steep.  I made it to Hong Kong once for some visa issues, found two bookstores one selling at about the same price range, the other selling at US sticker price so I bought a couple of them while i was there.  I keep checking on bookcrossing but it's all beijing or Shanghai mostly.  Xiangfan is second largest city in Hubei province.  I am about smack dab in the middle of China both N-S and E-W.


Boggled Coriander

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Reply #941 on: April 17, 2009, 01:37:24 PM
nothing   :'(  When I can find books in English, they cost about the same as a kidney.  Keep in mind that working as a ESL teacher here in China i only make about 10,000 US per year.  While i can live comfortably here in China I can't find many books, and I refuse to pay 3 times what it would cost me in America for a book that quite often I have already read.  Thank god for podcast fiction is all I can say or I would be losing my mind.

PM me your snail mail address and a wish list of books.  I'll hit up the used bookstore and ship you some.

Zathras,  the shipping expense will eat up any savings you might get.  This is one of the reasons that trips to the states are shopping sprees for me.  We're going to a paperback exchange today. 

Lowky needs to find someone just outside of the "great wall" who can find him some second hand stuff.  Anyone here from the region who'd like to help?

I'm in Greater-China-But-Not-The-People's-Republic but I'm not sure if I'm the person to help Lowky.  Taipei's English used bookstores are great if you don't have any particular book in mind but just want to browse and see what grabs your interest.  They're frustrating if you're looking for something specific.  

That said, I do have some genre paperbacks sitting on my shelves at home that I've read already.  Not sure what it would cost to ship them into the PRC.  If Lowky's interested, I can send him/her a list of what I've got.

"The meteor formed a crater, vampires crawling out of the crater." -  The Lyttle Lytton contest


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Reply #942 on: April 17, 2009, 02:33:56 PM
If there is anything else I can do to help, let me know.



MacArthurBug

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Reply #943 on: April 17, 2009, 06:26:06 PM
Turn coat: Jim Butcher. Man it's fast paced, if I'm not careful I'll be done before I want to be.

Oh, great and mighty Alasdair, Orator Maleficent, He of the Silvered Tongue, guide this humble fangirl past jumping up and down and squeeing upon hearing the greatness of Thy voice.
Oh mighty Mur the Magnificent. I am not worthy.


Bdoomed

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Reply #944 on: April 17, 2009, 06:36:42 PM
ummm... have you tried audible?  seems like the best option to me... or Amazon? does amazon not ship to china? i duno....

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


slic

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Reply #945 on: April 17, 2009, 10:44:39 PM
Turn coat: Jim Butcher. Man it's fast paced, if I'm not careful I'll be done before I want to be.
I've really enjoyed all of the Dresden File books.  Haven't got to Turn Coat yet, but I hear good things.  This is one of those backwards events where I saw the show (short lived on Sci-Fi) and liked it enough to check out the books - books way way better, even more than usual.  Though I think it would be more fun if they had taken the TV show version of Bob and put him in the books.

I read a couple of the books out of order and they still read, but I find the progression adds a lovely layer of being interested in the characters.  It really has left it's roots as a detective novel though. 


Have you read Mean Streets?  The contribution by Jim Butcher is has a novella that takes place btwn A Small Favour and Turn Coat.  The other stories are decent too.  There are a couple of other anthologies he has been a part of.  Don't recall their names off hand.




lowky

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Reply #946 on: April 18, 2009, 12:37:19 PM
thanks to all for the offers of help finding me reading material.  I think amazon ships to china but i think you have to go through amazon.cn, which i am unable to read due to not being literate in Chinese.  I will play it by ear for now.  I should have some money soon due to a VERY nice tax return this year, and will be exploring just what it takes to get some shipments from Amazon.cn.  Much different from last year when a w-2 got stolen (along with a laptop bag) while moving from MI to AZ.  The employer said it's not our problem.  Bitter because they lied about why they let me go to try to get out of paying unemployment benefits.  Had to estimate taxes and since i had no idea on withholding amounts my taxes were horrible last year.  I got nothing from the federal government and had to pay the state almost 200.  May that employer choke on the huge amounts of that item that will remain nameless due to minors on the forums that they suck. 


MacArthurBug

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Reply #947 on: April 22, 2009, 03:58:19 PM
Turn coat: Jim Butcher. Man it's fast paced, if I'm not careful I'll be done before I want to be.
I've really enjoyed all of the Dresden File books.  Haven't got to Turn Coat yet, but I hear good things.  This is one of those backwards events where I saw the show (short lived on Sci-Fi) and liked it enough to check out the books - books way way better, even more than usual.  Though I think it would be more fun if they had taken the TV show version of Bob and put him in the books.

I read a couple of the books out of order and they still read, but I find the progression adds a lovely layer of being interested in the characters.  It really has left it's roots as a detective novel though. 


Have you read Mean Streets?  The contribution by Jim Butcher is has a novella that takes place btwn A Small Favour and Turn Coat.  The other stories are decent too.  There are a couple of other anthologies he has been a part of.  Don't recall their names off hand.



Ooh no I havn't read that one! I'll give it a go. Turn coat was GREAT!

Oh, great and mighty Alasdair, Orator Maleficent, He of the Silvered Tongue, guide this humble fangirl past jumping up and down and squeeing upon hearing the greatness of Thy voice.
Oh mighty Mur the Magnificent. I am not worthy.


Listener

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Reply #948 on: April 22, 2009, 06:47:31 PM
Terry Pratchett, "Thud"

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Reply #949 on: April 22, 2009, 09:44:21 PM
"Man Plus" by frederick Pohl