The Poppy War isn't bad, NOS4A2 is pretty good dark fantasy/horror, Nevernight is a fun read and I've heard good things about Senlin Ascends.
I quite liked Sisters of the Winter Wood, but it might not be everyone's thing.
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
Book Club + What Are You Reading? (December 2018)
- Thread starter MilkBeard
- Start date
- Status
I quite liked Sisters of the Winter Wood, but it might not be everyone's thing.
Around The World in 80 Days by Jules Verne was my start point, so I always recommend it.
I also love crime novels, Edgar Allan Poe have great crime stories
Last edited:
Finished:
Wizard of Earthsea. I was really enjoying the first half, but by time the second half came around I was just kind of middling on it. It seemed like once the journey started for the shadow the character aspect of the book fell away and it was more busy building the world and talking about the different lands and cultures.
Next Up:
Stillhouse Lake
Can't remember how it ended up on my to-read list but it was on sale not too long ago so picked it up. Now I need a break from sci-fi/Fantasy.
Wizard of Earthsea. I was really enjoying the first half, but by time the second half came around I was just kind of middling on it. It seemed like once the journey started for the shadow the character aspect of the book fell away and it was more busy building the world and talking about the different lands and cultures.
Next Up:
Stillhouse Lake
Can't remember how it ended up on my to-read list but it was on sale not too long ago so picked it up. Now I need a break from sci-fi/Fantasy.
I finished reading Thrawn: Alliances. The second Star Wars novel in the new canon. I thought the first Thrawn novel in this series was much better. I didn't really care for the jumping between two points in time (Clone Wars and Empire) especially since the Han Solo novel earlier this year did the same thing with time jumping.
I now have 3 more books to read for the 50 books, 50 movies challenge, so I'm really close.
I now have 3 more books to read for the 50 books, 50 movies challenge, so I'm really close.
I am following the movement of this thread, finished The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle last night and found it quite brilliant, I don't really have much more to add beyond that it felt like a Zero Escape game come to life.
Moved right on to A Wizard of Earthsea, already 30% in. So far it feels like a better version of The Kingkiller Chronicle series. It has more restraint and confidence in itself than anything Rothfuss has written. I feel a need to have a copy of the world map handy at all times. I have looked it up online once, so I know where the main points of interest are, but so many other references are thrown out that it is a bit hard to keep up. Glad to see that it is on the shorter side for a fantasy novel, I find these types of books often get too far up their own ass trying to create a comprehensive world when much can be said in fewer words.
Moved right on to A Wizard of Earthsea, already 30% in. So far it feels like a better version of The Kingkiller Chronicle series. It has more restraint and confidence in itself than anything Rothfuss has written. I feel a need to have a copy of the world map handy at all times. I have looked it up online once, so I know where the main points of interest are, but so many other references are thrown out that it is a bit hard to keep up. Glad to see that it is on the shorter side for a fantasy novel, I find these types of books often get too far up their own ass trying to create a comprehensive world when much can be said in fewer words.
Knee-deep on my fourth consecutive Culture novel
This one is really fun so far despite it feeling like not much has really happened yet. The tone of the book feels closest to Consider Phlebas. I love all the stuff with the Minds in these stories so this book really does it for me.
Use of Weapons, the book i read prior, was excellent and the best so far, IMO, but the actual reading of it was harder to get through due to the structure. I wasn't sure how I felt about it until the end, upon which everything comes into focus and the novel shows its genius. I'm sailing through Excession, though.
I quit halfway through Use. I thought I was going to barrel through all the Culture novels, but Use broke me. I very rarely quit a book in the middle, but the jumping around just got too much. I had no idea what was going on and it wasn't enjoyable.
The first half of Poppy War is great but then it becomes a mess with the lead character becoming more and more unlikeable and seemingly less and less independent making constant stupid decisions. I forced my way through but ended up hating what it became by the end.
I wanted martial arts Harry Potter and instead got....that. Biggest disappointment I read this year. So frustrating because it was awesome at first.
You have to keep at it. It was the same for me.
Trust me, the end is worth the effort. It feels like Bank's pulls off some sleight-of-hand magic trick where you thought the book was a big messy ball of yarn and only at the end to you realize it's actually a gorgeous quilt.
I can see where you're coming from, but although I'd agree the characters take a sharp turn, I appreciate that the author was going for some points about the erasure of history rather than just trying to develop the fantasy side.
I enjoyed Alloy of Law, but I think that series gets better as it goes on.
With any luck you'll like it more than I did and at that price you're not really out of pocket. It starts strong at least.
Sure, I know about that and understand the reason behind it but I simply found the writing inconsistent to the point it felt like two different books jarred together which ruined it for me pretty hard by the end :(
I'd certainly agree the two halves don't fit together well - it felt almost like a trilogy condensed into a single book, but with the transitions from the one to the other cut out?
So I just finished reading Season of Storms which is the last Witcher book put out by Andrzej Sapkowski. It takes place in between the first two books in the series.
First off this was a great return of Geralt and some of his friends. Secondly I can not stress this enough if you are currently reading the Witcher series and want to read this before you tackle the last book. Absolutely do not do that under any circumstance. There is an epilogue at the end of this book that is written under the assumption that readers are already familiar with how the last book ended. Thirdly I am sad that this will be the last I see of Geralt and company. I have the Witcher games to hang out with for a bit longer. But it just isn't the same without Andrzejs writing.
Phew now that Season of Storms is out of the way time to move onto Leviathan Wakes!
First off this was a great return of Geralt and some of his friends. Secondly I can not stress this enough if you are currently reading the Witcher series and want to read this before you tackle the last book. Absolutely do not do that under any circumstance. There is an epilogue at the end of this book that is written under the assumption that readers are already familiar with how the last book ended. Thirdly I am sad that this will be the last I see of Geralt and company. I have the Witcher games to hang out with for a bit longer. But it just isn't the same without Andrzejs writing.
Phew now that Season of Storms is out of the way time to move onto Leviathan Wakes!
I'm deep into The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle now, and the book is really coming into its own - the earler chapters in the book seem to take forever to reconcile but it's starting to move at a nice clip now (I'm with
). I do hope we get closure on
, which is what most of the questions that pop into my head are related to.
EDIT: Spoilered the name, though I don't think he gets a mention prior to where I'm at.
Rashton
what is outside of Blackheath
EDIT: Spoilered the name, though I don't think he gets a mention prior to where I'm at.
I've just finished Senlin Ascends, which is excellent. It seems like a whimsical, Kafka-esque nightmare fantasy at first, but comes together towards the end in a very ingenious - and thematically intriguing - way.
I've already bought the sequal.
I've already bought the sequal.
I've just finished Senlin Ascends, which is excellent. It seems like a whimsical, Kafka-esque nightmare fantasy at first, but comes together towards the end in a very ingenious - and thematically intriguing - way.
I've already bought the sequal.
Two dollars on Amazon, bought it solely because of your recommendation!
I've just finished Senlin Ascends, which is excellent. It seems like a whimsical, Kafka-esque nightmare fantasy at first, but comes together towards the end in a very ingenious - and thematically intriguing - way.
I've already bought the sequal.
Just bought this now because of your post. Sounds wonderful!
He doesn't(I think) I've just started the chapter with him too. Actually gasped at the ending of the last two chapters
where the footman kills two hosts in quick succession
I just hope that this book manages to wrap all these threads up. I have faith but I can't see how it will happen. Those who've compared it to The Sexy Brutale and the Zero Escape series are bang on though!
Feel free to ignore, or wait until you're finished!
You don't get anything outside blackheath. There is a short Q&A at the back of the book where he gives a sentence or two about it though.
Haha, yeah I'll wait. Today's my last day before Christmas so I should have it all wrapped up soon enough.
EDIT: I'm at the next stop after my spoiler now.
Also edit: are there any inline spoiler tags available on this new Era? Because my last post looks messy as hell and I can't deal with it.
EDIT: I'm at the next stop after my spoiler now.
Also edit: are there any inline spoiler tags available on this new Era? Because my last post looks messy as hell and I can't deal with it.
Currently listening to...
It's...really, really good. Anyone who grew up in the 90s will feel right at home with Trevor talking about modded Playstations, CD piracy, Leisuresuit Larry, Montel Jordan, and more. He tells some sad stories about life during apartheid as well to give the entire thing a very human feelings - the good, the bad, and the ugly. And the horrible!
My favourite story so far, and I doubt it'll change...
Trevor was the DJ for a hip-hop dance group. Their top dancer was named Hitler. This apparently is no big deal in South Africa, as Trevor says most just viewed him as another white strong man, and that it's not uncommon for parents to give their kids white historical figure names like Mussolini, Napoleon, etc.
Anyway, back to Hitler. When he would come out to dance, the entire troupe would make a semi-circle for him and pump their arms up and down, palm down, while chanting "Go Hitler! Go Hitler! Go Hitler!"
So Trevor's dance troupe started getting invited to different events. One day, they got invited to perform at a cultural show at a school called King David's. It was...a Jewish school. Clearly, the school knew nothing about the act, and Trevor's group lacked the historical knowledge to predict what was coming next.
The performance starts out hot, and they get ready to bring out Hitler for the grand finale. Hitler comes out, arms go up and start bouncing, and the dance group starts chanting "Go Hitler! Go Hitler! Go Hitler!" Everyone loses their minds, Trevor's mic gets taken away, and it all ends in a big argument and misunderstanding where the Jewish people are insulted and Trevor thinks they're attacking them because they're black and because Hitler was gyrating suggestively.
It's...an incredible story, especially the way Trevor sets it up and tells it. I was smiling, laughing, and wanted to cry all at the same time.
Listen to this book! It's sobering and pleasurable at the same time. :) Trevor reads the audio book himself. Really good stuff!
It's...really, really good. Anyone who grew up in the 90s will feel right at home with Trevor talking about modded Playstations, CD piracy, Leisuresuit Larry, Montel Jordan, and more. He tells some sad stories about life during apartheid as well to give the entire thing a very human feelings - the good, the bad, and the ugly. And the horrible!
My favourite story so far, and I doubt it'll change...
Trevor was the DJ for a hip-hop dance group. Their top dancer was named Hitler. This apparently is no big deal in South Africa, as Trevor says most just viewed him as another white strong man, and that it's not uncommon for parents to give their kids white historical figure names like Mussolini, Napoleon, etc.
Anyway, back to Hitler. When he would come out to dance, the entire troupe would make a semi-circle for him and pump their arms up and down, palm down, while chanting "Go Hitler! Go Hitler! Go Hitler!"
So Trevor's dance troupe started getting invited to different events. One day, they got invited to perform at a cultural show at a school called King David's. It was...a Jewish school. Clearly, the school knew nothing about the act, and Trevor's group lacked the historical knowledge to predict what was coming next.
The performance starts out hot, and they get ready to bring out Hitler for the grand finale. Hitler comes out, arms go up and start bouncing, and the dance group starts chanting "Go Hitler! Go Hitler! Go Hitler!" Everyone loses their minds, Trevor's mic gets taken away, and it all ends in a big argument and misunderstanding where the Jewish people are insulted and Trevor thinks they're attacking them because they're black and because Hitler was gyrating suggestively.
It's...an incredible story, especially the way Trevor sets it up and tells it. I was smiling, laughing, and wanted to cry all at the same time.
Listen to this book! It's sobering and pleasurable at the same time. :) Trevor reads the audio book himself. Really good stuff!
Just finished Evelyn Hardcastle and I'm suitably impressed. It's a really good puzzle book that comes together really well at the end. My only couple of issues are that it is quite confusing holding all the characters together in your head (I really recommend reading it in as few a sittings as possible) and the revelation that
Now, on to my Secret Santa gift from TehOh -
Evelyn is actually a psychopath who has killed pretty much everyone she's ever met within the confines of the novel is a little bit too much of a trope. I wish there had been a better reason for the killings, as it always smacks a little of the author didn't have any other ideas - which is clearly not the case!
The concept of Blackheath being a prison is a really cool one though - when that happened I honestly felt like I was reading a Doctor Who style series - it's a really good idea and gives you enough about the outside world to leave you thinking about how it might be set up. I love that the Plague Doctor ends up being little more than a Security type guard, with supervisors.
The concept of Blackheath being a prison is a really cool one though - when that happened I honestly felt like I was reading a Doctor Who style series - it's a really good idea and gives you enough about the outside world to leave you thinking about how it might be set up. I love that the Plague Doctor ends up being little more than a Security type guard, with supervisors.
Now, on to my Secret Santa gift from TehOh -
And I'm done with Evelyn Hardcastle. It took some time to get going (or more specifically to give you an inclination of where it's actually going) but it's definitely worth it in the end. It's also a genre I don't have much experience with, so it was a nice change of pace from fantasy and sci-fi I've been reading recently.
As a bonus, it's clean so I can put it onto my 13 hear old daughters Kindle (for her to ignore most likely, she loves physical books!)
EDIT: I put this on my Kindle for Halloween:
... but didn't get around to reading it, so I'll make it a macabre Christmas read instead. I've not read any Neil Gaiman aside from a couple of collections of short stories and I'm quite looking forward to it - I've seen the movie already.
As a bonus, it's clean so I can put it onto my 13 hear old daughters Kindle (for her to ignore most likely, she loves physical books!)
Hmm, I don't have anything in the epilogue about that. :-/
On Blackheath, and specifically
it as a prison construct, I'd love to learn more about the world outside and Aiden/Annabelle prior to the events of the story. And maybe a little indication of what might have happened to them when they get out.
EDIT: I put this on my Kindle for Halloween:
... but didn't get around to reading it, so I'll make it a macabre Christmas read instead. I've not read any Neil Gaiman aside from a couple of collections of short stories and I'm quite looking forward to it - I've seen the movie already.
Last edited:
I've never actually read anything by Murakami so having it as the book club would finally be my excuse to change that, but I also don't mind if the majority would rather go with something else.
OP
OP
Mine was basically a copy-paste job with a few minor changes, so you're fine.
Stephen King's books are a spider web of references to each other, a single thread running (sometimes almost invisibly) through many of them.
As someone who finished Killing Commandatore the other day, I'm really interested in revisiting his earlier works.
Not gonna suggest the Wind-up Bird Chronicle lol.
He just says that it is in the future and you can travel anywhere in the world within an hour, and it is the sort of society where a person like Annabelle Caulker could come from. TV is full of reality TV and I'm struggling to remember what else he said.
I returned it to the library a while ago so I can't check.
Next Up:
Stillhouse Lake
Can't remember how it ended up on my to-read list but it was on sale not too long ago so picked it up. Now I need a break from sci-fi/Fantasy.
I'm about 40% through Stillhouse Lake so far. The prologue had me thinking it was going to be cheesie and over the top(really the secret serial killer husband's favorite dinner is liver and onions?), but after that it changes it's tone quite a bit and more becomes a woman basically on the run and trying to deal with how that effects her kids. So far it's been pretty good.
Finished Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. I loved it. Five stars. Here is my Goodreads review:
This is a powerful book. It tracks Trevor Noah's life growing up in South Africa before and after apartheid, and it's all held together by the emotional core of Trevor's relationship with his mother. It's sad, funny, tense, educational, and beautiful.
Kids who grew up in the 90s will feel right at home with the cultural reference space: CD burners, modded PlayStations, Leisuresuit Larry, Montel Jordan, The Matrix, and more generational touchstones made me connect all the more with Trevor's experiences. Despite him growing up in South Africa and me growing up in Canada during this time, geography clearly wasn't an issue when it came to the spread of capitalism and its goods.
My favourite story in the book is Trevor being part of a hip-hop dance troupe who get invited to perform for a cultural show in a Jewish school. The catch? Trevor's group has a dancer named Hitler, and they end the night in a semi-circle around him, arms up, palms pumping up and down while chanting "Go Hitler! Go Hitler! Go Hitler!" to the shock and disgust of the audience. This story exemplifies the humour, sadness, and human character of this book as a whole.
One of my favourites of 2018. Highly recommended, especially the audio book, which is read by Trevor himself. Check it out and get ready to laugh, cry, and examine your own place in the world, as Trevor does his.
This is a powerful book. It tracks Trevor Noah's life growing up in South Africa before and after apartheid, and it's all held together by the emotional core of Trevor's relationship with his mother. It's sad, funny, tense, educational, and beautiful.
Kids who grew up in the 90s will feel right at home with the cultural reference space: CD burners, modded PlayStations, Leisuresuit Larry, Montel Jordan, The Matrix, and more generational touchstones made me connect all the more with Trevor's experiences. Despite him growing up in South Africa and me growing up in Canada during this time, geography clearly wasn't an issue when it came to the spread of capitalism and its goods.
My favourite story in the book is Trevor being part of a hip-hop dance troupe who get invited to perform for a cultural show in a Jewish school. The catch? Trevor's group has a dancer named Hitler, and they end the night in a semi-circle around him, arms up, palms pumping up and down while chanting "Go Hitler! Go Hitler! Go Hitler!" to the shock and disgust of the audience. This story exemplifies the humour, sadness, and human character of this book as a whole.
One of my favourites of 2018. Highly recommended, especially the audio book, which is read by Trevor himself. Check it out and get ready to laugh, cry, and examine your own place in the world, as Trevor does his.
I started Norwegian Wood earlier this year and put it off about halfway through. It felt too similar to the other Murakami books I've read and I could kinda tell what the second half of the book would be like without reading. I liked both A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard-Boiled Wonderland a lot more.
Yeah, I'm not THAT interested in it myself, I've just heard it's a solid starter Murakami book since it's short and the fantastic realism stuff is dialed back. I've only read the first half of 1Q84 from the man myself (which I'm not even gonna nominate since it's so long), so I'd personally be fine with anything from him.
If everyone's fine with it, I'll take over the thread creating duty for at least January and for now stick with Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami) as the book club pick. This is just because I know that at least myself and a couple of others, going by the replies, are interested in reading it, but it is by no means locked in or anything like that; if you guys have any nominations, feel free to post them! We could make a strawpoll or something in a few days if we get a handful of nominations.
Last edited:
I'm happy to give that a whirl, I've not read any Murakami before.
EDIT: Finished Coraline - such an easy and fun read. ^_^
Going to get this in over Christmas:
... and be ready for whatever is decided as the January book in the new year. This is a freebie from the Amazon first thing.
EDIT: Finished Coraline - such an easy and fun read. ^_^
Going to get this in over Christmas:
... and be ready for whatever is decided as the January book in the new year. This is a freebie from the Amazon first thing.
Last edited:
Woot will be on a plane this weekend, so gives me time to make up ground, cutting it close on my 50 books in 2018, at like 48 or so
Finished Habibi and I really liked it. It has a touch of magical realism about it - it seems to be set in a juxtaposition of two really different time periods and the way in ties in Arabic writing, the storytelling of the Qur'an with a modern day fable and some excellent drawings is really impressive. Really good gift from my Secret Santa and one that I might be able to use in some of my lessons.
- Status