What are you reading?

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I finished Elantris by Brandon Sanderson today, which was pretty neat! It was kind of shocking that he even got away with writing a stand alone fantasy novel that was only about six hundred pages. There were some other cool things though! Sanderson was pretty excellent at keeping things along at a nice pace so it never gets bogged down with how big the story is and you never get stuck with long boring chapters about people taking a boat ride. It makes the Elantrian's damnation painful without becoming sadistic. All three POV characters are also pretty neat, too. Sarene got a little annoying at a couple parts when she was sad about how no one loved her but I never wanted to throw the book down because I hated or didn't care about anyone.

It's not, perfect, unfortunately. Sanderson is really, really bad at coming up with fantasy words, which seem to be thrown together mostly by putting a bunch of letters together and making a word out of it, which made it a little harder to take seriously than I normally would have issue with. Worse, the climax was pretty rushed, with a huge body count that I don't think it quite takes the time to breathe for, and while I'd appreciated for most of the book that it didn't make the religion of the antagonists Typical Evil Religion, during the climax it turns it into pretty generic-y evil religion. The very brief epilogue also didn't really fit in well with the surprising amount of carnage in the climax. Still a really fun and enjoyable fantasy novel, especially if you want something clean. I'm pretty interested in checking out more Sanderson books in the future.

[the_wolfs_howl]

I'm pretty interested in checking out more Sanderson books in the future.

If you haven't already, I would strongly recommend checking out Mistborn. That's the only Sanderson book I've read so far, and it was amazing. A very unique fantasy with vibrant characters, awesome fight scenes, and never a dull moment. There was one very brave choice Sanderson made partway through that took me completely by surprise.

I finally got around to finishing War in Heaven by Charles Williams. It had a really exciting beginning, and some enjoyable parts in the middle (most seeming to involve the Archdeacon, I found ^_^), but then it sort of went weird places and I wasn't sure what to think anymore. It's probably mainly because I'm not smart enough or educated enough in medieval literature to figure out what Williams was going for, but it felt a lot like the way That Hideous Strength ended. I can definitely see Williams' influence on C.S. Lewis now.

[Scarecrow]

Not a reader but wanted to start reading more. So I made sure and picked up something I know I'd like. As much as I could anyway. So after recommendations, I finally settled with The Song of Albion Trilogy. Started reading the first book, The Paradise War. Not very far and not much has gone on yet but it's kept my attention. It's a fun read so far... Like the two characters and the dialog never feels boring at all.

[uc pseudonym]

Though I don't use this thread much anymore, I will stop in to recommend Wool by Hugh Howey. The series begins with a novella that has a nice old-school SF feel and it grows into an enjoyable dystopian story.

If you haven't already, I would strongly recommend checking out Mistborn. That's the only Sanderson book I've read so far, and it was amazing. A very unique fantasy with vibrant characters, awesome fight scenes, and never a dull moment. There was one very brave choice Sanderson made partway through that took me completely by surprise.

I'd recommend this or Warbreaker, depending on what you want. Mistborn is a trilogy and thus has more in-depth worldbuilding and gets to bigger ideas. Warbreaker is another standalone that I still consider his best work in terms of being well-crafted.

[KnightOfFive]

Currently reading the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. It's actually been a lot more enjoyable then i was expecting so far.

[QtheQreater]

Reading Gathering Strength: Conversations with Afghan Women by Peggy Kelsey. Leaving out the political stuff, it is both fascinating and disturbing to read about the situation that women face in Afghanistan.The book so far has also made me aware of how little I know about the history of that region.

[Atria35]

Currently reading the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. It's actually been a lot more enjoyable then i was expecting so far.

That's a fabulous book, but I do highly recommend watching the movie after it. I, shockingly, preferred the movie ever so slightly, but both are fabulous.

Also, Amy Tan is a terrific writer. I highly recommend *ALL* her books.

Finishing up the Sword, Ring, and Chalice trilogy. Mindless sword-and-sorcery stuff. Hilariously average, but a light read.

[mechana2015]

Use of Weapons by Ian M Banks.

[Crossfire]

I'm late to the party, I know, but I started Game of Thrones the other day. A very interesting read thus far, I want to take my time with them... but I want to hurry up and finish up so I can watch the television series.

[SierraLea]

I'm listening to a recording of InkSpell, and they got the best voice actor for the job. You know the movie that was based off the first of the series? Well, they took the main actor from the movie and had him do the recording. He is seriously good at making different voices for all the characters, especially Ellenor. My favorite character Is and always will be Dustfinger.

[Crossfire]

And I am currently reading:



Say what you want, at least it has charm.

lolwut

Is it at least humorous, or does it fail entirely?

[Winry]

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

[the_wolfs_howl]

Warbreaker is another standalone that I still consider his best work in terms of being well-crafted.

...And it's up in its entirety, completely free and completely legal, on Brandon Sanderson's official website That'll probably be the next thing of his that I read, once I have more time on my hands in the summer.

[Neane]

Currently reading:

Theory of Harmony by Arnold Schoenberg (1910- edited in 1922)



Most fascinating theory book I've read in a while. This is the way I imagine education, where the author really digs deep into the roots of the matter, making sure that the reader really grasps and understands the foundations upon which the theory was build. And on top of that he has some nice philosophical ideas, so it's not a dry boring read, albeit a bit difficult at first because of the interesting way Schoenberg lays out his ideas.

[SierraLea]

[u[The Mark of Athena[/u] was so good that I finished it in two days. A pity that the next one isn't out yet.

[Okami]

I read David Fitzpatrick's Sharp: A Memoir today.
350 pages of a haunting, gripping tale of mental illness and the hope that finally played out in the end. I'm still reeling!

[SierraLea]

I'm reading the third edition of the Howl's Moving Castle series, called House of Many Ways.

[yukoxholic]

Finished Warm Bodies, Beautiful Creatures and am now starting on The Host. Only because I dislike seeing movies without reading the books first. Next up will be City of Bones from Mortal Instruments.

[Xeno]

I've added Das Kapital by Karl Marx to my pile of books I'm reading. So much stuff I'm simultaneously wading through slowly.

[SierraLea]

I have to read a lot of short stories for my intro to fiction class, and some of them are pretty good, like the one I had to read for class today. It's called "The Benefit of the Doubt", and it was so darn funny, especially the later half.

[Atria35]

While I've read virtually everything by John Steinbeck, I never picked up Grapes of Wrath before now. Interesting stuff.

[bigsleepj]

Currently reading Zoo City by Lauren Beukes, an interesting science-fiction fantasy noir story (somewhat in the vein of District 9) set in a post-apocalyptic Johannesburg, South Africa, albeit a post-apocalyptic setting that eschews many of the cliches, as it was not war, famine or plague but an "ontological shift". Several humans have been bound psychologically to animal spirits, which also gave them magical powers, and this has upset human society. Those who have been 'animalled' are treated as lesser, inferior and are sometimes openly persecuted, but many have found their own little place in the cultural melting pot that is the Johannesburg CBD, now nick-named Zoo City. Zinzi December is a former investigative journalist turned third-rate sleuth (pared with a sloth) who is hired to track down a missing teenage pop star in order to pay off her debt to a cruel hearted gangster, but finds herself falling deeper and deeper into the dark heart of the crime capital of the world. Its a well-written novel so far, but has a lot of adult language, situations and is also very cynical and politically incorrect.

[Neane]

Currently reading The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon

[ClaecElric4God]

I'm reading Eragon. Trying to read the Alex Rider series and Ranger's Apprentice series, but I can't seem to find time for reading right now. (Though somehow I seem to find time to be here.)

[Atria35]

Christianity After Religion - This is some fascniating reading. Because so many people define themselves as spiritual rather than religious, it brings up questions on how to define those and where Christianity can fit in with those who are spiritual.

[Neane]

I'm currently deep in Richard Garfinkel's Exaltations which is a strange, almost indescribable, and most inventive meta-fiction, which scatters the seeds for a small library's worth of tales in passing, like the three different versions of the Trojan War and the founding of Rome that spin from Paris' choice of which goddess to give the apple of Eris are briefly shown as just a little background colour in one scene.

[rocklobster]

I started Killing Kennedy this morning.

[Neane]

Currently reading Christian Cantrell's Containment, a story about a young scientist whose dream is to strengthen ties between a Venusian colony and Earthside, while the colony's government itself is trying to rid itself of dependency on Earth because of an impending catastrophic societal collapse. The guy sees colonization as a way to avert that collapse, but his government sees otherwise. Adding to the trouble he wakes up from a coma after a severe accident and finds that his wife is three months pregnant. Worse yet, the colony doesn't have the oxygen supplies to handle a new life. I find this point to be an absurdity on the order of The Cold Equations, but I'll give it a pass since moral dilemmas usually make the story interesting despite the contrived conditions needed to set them up.

[the_wolfs_howl]

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang - Wasn't sure if this fit under manga (or whatever the Chinese equivalent is), because it's a graphic novel made by a Chinese-American. Anyway, this was a great, fun read - an autobiographical story about a Chinese-American trying to fit in, not really sure if he's Chinese or American, let alone what he wants to be. What I found most interesting was how Yang used three storylines, including the popular Chinese legend of the Monkey King, to weave together the story of his own life. I also really appreciated how he wove his Christian faith into a Buddhist legend, showing in yet another way how he's the bridge between two cultures.

I've also just finished reading a book of haiku, bleh. Poetry isn't really my thing, much less haiku

[DecooPunk]

Just read pictures of hollis woods. It was suuuuch a good book. I really liked how the chapters would switch from the present to the past when she was living with the old man and his family.