Keep reading, Number45.I'm a few chapters into The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Harcastle (still on day one). I don't know what I expected*, but it wasn't this.
To be fair I literally bought the book because it had been mentioned here and was cheap on Amazon, didn't even read a blurb. I guess I was expectting some kind of supernatural shenanigans (I know I'm still really early).
I swear this isn't meant to be as pretentious as it sounds...
I feel like Franzen's Freedom has somewhat ruined reading for me at the moment. It's not that like nothing compares or some dumb shit like that, but everything I've read since then just feels bare bones and kind of lifeless. I don't know if it's just been the choice of books afterward, but both Three-Body Problem and Earthsea have just sort of felt brief in a way.
I'm still enjoying reading them, I just can't get the thought out of my head that I'm wanting more from the characters and stories I'm reading and they're just giving me plot plot plot.
I swear this isn't meant to be as pretentious as it sounds...
I feel like Franzen's Freedom has somewhat ruined reading for me at the moment. It's not that like nothing compares or some dumb shit like that, but everything I've read since then just feels bare bones and kind of lifeless. I don't know if it's just been the choice of books afterward, but both Three-Body Problem and Earthsea have just sort of felt brief in a way.
I'm still enjoying reading them, I just can't get the thought out of my head that I'm wanting more from the characters and stories I'm reading and they're just giving me plot plot plot.
Hmm, I'll see if I can speak to this. For Three-Body Problem, sci-fi is a genre of ideas and thought experiments, so characters don't often get the exploration that you'd see in something like a Jane Austen novel.
Fantasy can be a little more complex when it comes to characters, but it's also pretty plot-driven.
This is honestly what I'm mostly thinking, especially with Three-Body. It was just weird going back to back on books and having the same feelings.
My next book I think I am just going to go into picking it a little more conscious of what I pick.
Good to hear! I may return to Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn at some point, so it's good to know that Williams' current output is also as enthralling as it sounds here.
I add books to my to-read list all willy-nilly, which essentially works as my backlog, but they're all just books that happened to sound interesting at some point, something I might check out. I never planned to finish the backlog or anything like that.
I do have a "downloaded" list on Goodreads too, though, for books that I have already purchased and downloaded to my iPad, but haven't read yet. They're the books that I'll for sure at least give a try soon.
And yeah, if you're not enjoying a book at all after, say, 50 to 100 pages, just drop it. There's incredible amounts of stuff to read, why waste it reading something you're not enjoying?
I add books to my to-read list all willy-nilly, which essentially works as my backlog, but they're all just books that happened to sound interesting at some point, something I might check out. I never planned to finish the backlog or anything like that.
I do have a "downloaded" list on Goodreads too, though, for books that I have already purchased and downloaded to my iPad, but haven't read yet. They're the books that I'll for sure at least give a try soon.
And yeah, if you're not enjoying a book at all after, say, 50 to 100 pages, just drop it. There's incredible amounts of stuff to read, why waste it reading something you're not enjoying?
Finished. It was decent. A little dry. I've been reading Game of Thrones since 1996, so I'm just happy to get another book in the series.
I loved the short stories from The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, but I really struggled to get through Blood of Elves.
Finished GRRMs Fire and blood. It was decent. A little dry. I've been reading Game of Thrones since 1996, so I'm just happy to get another book in the series.
Lol. I posted a pic, but it didn't go through.
I loved the short stories from The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, but I really struggled to get through Blood of Elves.
Really hoping ToC will sit better with me, because I want to read the books before playing the game.
That's the same version I'm reading! I love how it drives logos to be the one of main foundations for us people to run on, instead of anything external. It's for sure making me enthusiastic for philosophy, not just for Stoicism. What were your main takeaways?How are you liking it? I read it for the first time this year and it's now one of the foundation texts of my personal approach to life. :) And which translation are you reading? The Modern Library version by Gregory Hayes is the one I read because it was recommended to me, and it was infinitely readable and practical.
Just finished Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb yesterday. That one took longer than the previous two. It was slow going at first, but then picked up and I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. I love the characters and world so much that I will definitely return for her other books.
But, first, Morning Star by Pierce Brown. I waited a whole year for it to go on sale. It finally did during Black Friday. Now to see how the story wraps up...
This reminded me I really need to go back and finish the last book of this series, hate leaving stuff unfinished.
This seems to be a return to a former series "the Clockwork Boys". They sound interesting. Worth reading them all?I've just started T Kingfisher (aka Ursula Vernon)'s Swordheart
If you're looking for a spiritual successor to Terry Pratchett, this is it.
I'd say so - I enjoyed the first two (which are essentially one long book split in half).This seems to be a return to a former series "the Clockwork Boys". They sound interesting. Worth reading them all?
Thanks, i'll add them all to my wish list.I'd say so - I enjoyed the first two (which are essentially one long book split in half).
They've got the tone and humour of light fantasy at first, but then go to some unexpectedly dark places.
That's the same version I'm reading! I love how it drives logos to be the one of main foundations for us people to run on, instead of anything external. It's for sure making me enthusiastic for philosophy, not just for Stoicism. What were your main takeaways?
I'd planned on starting an Andre Norton scifi novel on my audiobook livestream tonight but got out-voted by the stream regulars, so we'll be giving Mary Shelley's unabridged Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus a shot.
I've added that 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle to my Libby queue, for personal reading. Too many recommendations to ignore.
Every time I read a book by Neil Gaiman, I wonder why I don't read more books by Neil Gaiman.
The Graveyard Book is a chilling coming-of-age story of a mortal boy who is raised by ghosts after the murder of his family. It's episodic in nature, as each chapter jumps a couple of years in the boy's life. Each story is unique and either reveals more of the world of the book or shows how the boy is changing, all the while drawing a long narrative thread that keeps everything focused and connected.
I listened to he full-cast audio performance of the book, and while the performances were all top notch, I feel like I would have gotten even more out of this book had I read it in its physical form. Some of the prose are just so sumptuous and I feel I'd be able to savour them more on the page.
Hearing the book all at once also left me with some questions, the most prominent of which was how the boy was even allowed to enter a school, and where exactly he was going to go at the end of the novel with a couple of bucks to his name and not a lot of outside-of-the-graveyard experience. The story and history around Jack's organization also felt a little incomplete, but again, I feel all of this might have come off differently if I had read the book rather than listened to it.
If Goodreads allowed for half-star reviews, this would be a 4.5/5 for me. I might even bump this up to five stars at some point if I get a chance to read the physical copy. As is, I still very much enjoyed my trip through the graveyard and getting to take in Gaiman's singular prose.
On a random note, I'd love to see this get made into a Netflix or Amazon Prime series. I'll also probably check out the graphic novel version of the book at some point.
If it's any help it doesn't seem like it should take long to get through. I've been at it for less than a couple of hours (I do most of my reading during lunch at work) and the Kindle is showing me at nearly 20% and I'm not a particularly speedy reader.Hardcastle is available for pick-up at the library, so I'll get it one of these days. I don't know if I should start it right away, or maybe wait until January depending on how many people have holds on it. I have two other books that I have yet to get to which are due back right after Christmas.
I just finished this book moments ago. It was quite an interesting read given how big a Leafs fan I am, and how I grew up watching Curtis Joseph play both for the Leafs and other teams. He was one of my favourite players, and this offered a lot of insight into his career and the behind-the-scenes lifestyles of some of my favourite players.
I *think* this might just be my 50th finished book this year. I could be wrong, because I didn't keep as much record earlier this year as I do now, and am not sure if I finished one or two at the end of 2017 instead of early 2018. I wish I knew for sure, but I guess it doesn't really matter. It'd probably still technically be 50 books in a year, because, well, 2018 hasn't ended yet.
That's a major milestone for me, and far more than I ever expected or got to before.
Nice job! I also just hit 50 for the year recently, which is also the most books I've ever read in a single year. Super happy with that.
I was never a Leafs fan, but I liked Curtis Joseph. Any surprising stories that you can recall from the book?
Thanks! And congrats on the accomplishment, yourself.
His childhood was really shocking. He grew up super poor, fostered by a nurse who 'adopted' him from the teenage mom who gave birth to him. The lady who adopted (sort of) him was not very loving or nice, and had drug and anger issues. They were also dirt poor and he didn't always have winter clothing.
His mom left her husband abruptly, then started a relationship with a black man who had the last name of Joseph, when he was young. They moved into his house, after his wife died (she had been his nurse) and she eventually kicked his daughter out. Then they traded the home for the ability to run a home for folks with metal issues and brain damage, as well as those found mentally incompetent after committing crimes. They moved in there and lived there, and Curtis' room was beside some of the mens' rooms. Meanwhile, his mom didn't do much there and locked herself in her room with the drugs she was to distribute to the men.
In Saskatchewan, where he went to school and played with Rod Brind'amour, they would play this game where they'd jump out of a truck through the window, run around it and climb back in. One teammate also got run over when he went to a bar with other older teammates. They drove off without him after stopping to take a piss. He ran after them, they realized what they'd done, then backed up and ran over him.
He couldn't remember and wondered why his ribs hurt the next day.
I'm looking for a good book to read for a flight. On a scifi and fantasy kick right now so a book along those lines would be great. For reference on what I like as I said earlier I really liked Dune and I enjoyed my time with the Witcher series.
So please hit me with your recommendations! Hell if you can't think of anything that is similer to what I said I liked. Just pitch me some stuff that has won an award or two. I am very easily sold on shit that has a somewhat meaningless accolade tied to it.
George R. R. Martin quote is enough I'll try it out, thanks for the recommendation!
This isn't exactly light reading, but it's got something of Dune's scope and ambition, and won the author a Hugo:I'm looking for a good book to read for a flight. On a scifi and fantasy kick right now so a book along those lines would be great. For reference on what I like as I said earlier I really liked Dune and I enjoyed my time with the Witcher series.
So please hit me with your recommendations! Hell if you can't think of anything that is similer to what I said I liked. Just pitch me some stuff that has won an award or two. I am very easily sold on shit that has a somewhat meaningless accolade tied to it.
I'm looking for a good book to read for a flight. On a scifi and fantasy kick right now so a book along those lines would be great. For reference on what I like as I said earlier I really liked Dune and I enjoyed my time with the Witcher series.
So please hit me with your recommendations! Hell if you can't think of anything that is similer to what I said I liked. Just pitch me some stuff that has won an award or two. I am very easily sold on shit that has a somewhat meaningless accolade tied to it.
Damn. Didn't know he came from such a rough background. Pretty impressive career he was able to put together despite that. Does he mention what his relationship with his mom is now?