Return of the Book Thread

[murdoc]

Just finished the first Dresden book, will definitely look to pick up some more. Pretty entertaining read.

[lamaros]

Read Hamilton's The Dreaming Void. Was amused for a bit there but golly it's just the same old trite shit in the end. Too much lolplots and adolescent writing doesn't really make up for some of the more imaginative ideas he has this time around, at least not for me.

Jim Thompson's The Getaway was even more meh. Which given how much I generally like crime means it pretty much sucks.

Bownas' translation of 'Kappa' left me a bit annoyed, because I can't work out how decent the story might be with a good translation, and Murakami's Almost Transparent Blue I liked a fair bit. Reading his Coin Locker Babies now and enjoy it so far.

[Ironwood]

Ghost, by Harris;  Utter shite.

I really want to come in one day and reccomend you chaps a good book, but I've just been reading stinkers.  Book Thief was the last decent thing I read....

[Sky]

Well, I enjoyed your non-recommendation of the Historian.

[Mosesandstick]

Finished Rabbit at Rest and Rabbit, Redux. I feel like a complete Americanophile. The books are worth reading.

Read through What is Your Dangerous Idea?, a collection of essays from edge.org (recommended by Ab). Maybe as someone who's young and fairly informed (scientifically) the book doesn't provide anything that wild, but nevertheless they're short and digestable essays that will make you think.

[Viin]

Just finished up Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. Thanks to whomever recommended that! Just started Axis.

Very well written, with some interesting sci-fi stuff going on - the nice thing about these books is that the sci-fi stuff takes a backseat to the overall story.. it impacts the characters and the plot, but it's not *the* story.

[Abagadro]

That might have been me.  I know I've mentioned it at least.  I really likw RCW's stuff.  Check out The Chronoliths, Blind Lake, and Darwinia.  I enjoyed all of them.

[JWIV]

Axis is a little weaker, but I completely loved Spin.   

[Lt.Dan]

I'm reading Neuromancer based on discussion from this thread.  You guys better be right; it better be good 

I also read a Squirrel Nutkin book last night to my 3yr old.  WTF is up with Beatrix Potter (no, seriously).  The squirrel bugs the shit out of the Owl who then wigs out, dangles the squirrel "upside down to skin him" before little Nutkin can escape, sans tail.  Jeebus.  Almost as bad as Thumbelina who's kidnapped twice, held captive, and escapes from a forced marriage with a crusty old mole.  You gotta be careful with those 1920s kids books.

[Murgos]

Pretty good life lessons though.  The kind that are best learned early and pounded in until they color all your future actions.

[Morat20]

Just finished up Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. Thanks to whomever recommended that! Just started Axis.

Very well written, with some interesting sci-fi stuff going on - the nice thing about these books is that the sci-fi stuff takes a backseat to the overall story.. it impacts the characters and the plot, but it's not *the* story.

I liked Accelerando more than Spin (they were both up for the Hugo that year) but Spin was good. Haven't tried Axis yet -- been catching up on Charles Strauss, just finished Iron Sunrise.

[JWIV]

Neuromancer is good except for the ending.

[Teleku]

Neuromancer is good except for the ending.

What didn't you like about the ending?  I thought it actually worked out better than most.

[JWIV]

just thought it was a bit abrupt and weak.  not necessarily bad, but weaker than the rest of th book

[stray]

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

I had an urge to pick up something written for whimsical, gothy teen girls.

[Reg]

Was that about the girl with power over light and her vampire friend?

[stray]

I'm not sure! I was just kind of looking for a funny vamp book, and it had a Neil Gaiman blurb on it ("Pretty much perfect").. figured it couldn't be bad.

Also picked up Palahniuk's Survivor.

[Reg]

To the wiki then!

Yes, that's the book I was thinking of. It's pretty good. Not a comedy by any means but not overly serious either. I liked it.

[apocrypha]

I also read a Squirrel Nutkin book last night to my 3yr old.  WTF is up with Beatrix Potter (no, seriously).  The squirrel bugs the shit out of the Owl who then wigs out, dangles the squirrel "upside down to skin him" before little Nutkin can escape, sans tail.  Jeebus.  Almost as bad as Thumbelina who's kidnapped twice, held captive, and escapes from a forced marriage with a crusty old mole.  You gotta be careful with those 1920s kids books.

Roald Dahl isn't much better, some pretty horrible things happen in his books. I remember being scared and horrified by Fantastic Mr Fox when I was about 7.

I'm reading The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) atm, which is also supposedly a children's book. That is narrated by Death and set in Nazi Germany. It's fairly grim stuff and beautifully written and the fact that some children's writers consider their target audience to be so mature, intelligent and worthy of excellent writing fills me with joy. Fuck you J.K.Rowling, really, fuck you to Hell.

[apocrypha]

Sorry for the 2 posts in a row, but I've just read Bad Science by Ben Goldacre and I have to say it's the best book I've read for years. Started on Saturday night and simply couldn't put it down, cover to cover in 24 hours and I cannot remember the last time I did that.

It's a laymans explanation of how science is badly presented to us, by companies, governments, individuals and (most importantly) the media. He talks about homeopathy, evidence-based medicine, media health scare stories and pill companies - both "alternative" and mainstream, and I found it fascinating, engaging and superbly written. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Ironwood]

I'm reading The Book Thief (Markus Zusak) atm, which is also supposedly a children's book. That is narrated by Death and set in Nazi Germany. It's fairly grim stuff and beautifully written and the fact that some children's writers consider their target audience to be so mature, intelligent and worthy of excellent writing fills me with joy. Fuck you J.K.Rowling, really, fuck you to Hell.

Posted this myself;  in this page itself.

It's the most awesome book.

[apocrypha]

Posted this myself;  in this page itself.

Oops sorry :)  Just consider my post an endorsement of yours then :p

[Ironwood]

No, it wasn't a row, I was just saying.  It's an excellent book.

I am, however, a little surprised at the 'childrens book' aspect though.  Harking back, I suspect that I mentally filled in all the bits about gassing Jews tho....

[FatuousTwat]

Just re-read Shadow of the Torturer, and it was okay. Started to read the second book in the series.

A week or so ago I read Gun, with Occasional Music and Amnesia Moon. Preferred the former.

Also the first 2 books of the Soldier Son Trilogy by Robin Hobb, I enjoyed them, but I'm a fan of Hobb, so YMMV.

[shiznitz]

I just finished Soldier Son trilogy. I had to push hard to get through book 1. The books got successively better but I was relieved more than anything else when I finished it. I found the protagonist a whiny fuck who constantly made bad decisions. I know that was the point but it annoyed me.

About to finish Thirteen which someone here recommended. Thank you, whomever that was.

[Teleku]

Just read Battle Royal, after seeing it mentioned in the book club thread.  I went in thinking it might be OK, but was pleasantly surprised.  It had good pacing, and actually managed to be (mostly) realistic (I'd been expecting teenagers shooting energy balls at each other or something).  Stark, dark social commentary, and an actual coherent storyline (something the Japanese aren't good at)!  Simplistic writing (it was a translation though), but it worked for the story.

Pleasantly surprised.

[lamaros]

and an actual coherent storyline (something the Japanese aren't good at)!

Darn trolling...

But really, don't say stuff like this.

I'm getting a bit bored of Coin Locker Babies. It's too much of the same for me, I don't think it really gains a whole lot over the length, and it is rather long for a Ryu Murakami book. However I am very close to the ending now and will finish it and might change my mind.

I don't know if anyone enjoy poetry! but I'm reading Miyazawa Kenji at the moment too. Selections, mostly translated by Hiroaki Sato. Very enjoyable. (Miyazawa Kenji is the figure in my avatar, by-the-by).

[Teleku]

and an actual coherent storyline (something the Japanese aren't good at)!

Darn trolling...

But really, don't say stuff like this.

I'm exaggerating....but not really.  Though I'm more referring to random Japanese Movies/Animes I've seen, which (to me at least) very often suffer from convoluted story and horribly horrible endings.  I've read almost no modern Japanese novels though (just old epic story translations), so if those are actually well structured, I'll have to try to read some more.

[lamaros]

very often suffer from convoluted story and horribly horrible endings.

You're pretty much describing popular media generally with that comment.

[Endie]

and an actual coherent storyline (something the Japanese aren't good at)!

Darn trolling...

But really, don't say stuff like this.

I'm exaggerating....but not really.  Though I'm more referring to random Japanese Movies/Animes I've seen, which (to me at least) very often suffer from convoluted story and horribly horrible endings.

The cultural gap is pretty huge, and there is no more reason for some areas of Japanese writing to conform to the rules of western narrative than there is for noh or bugaku to follow the rules of mid-19th century, classical ballet. 

That's me being all liberal and culturally-relative.  In fact, I don't think that all forms of cultural expression are equally relevant, nor that all cultures create equally valid masterpieces.  But I suspect that there are enough fans of anime, hentai and straight-out tentacle rape hanging around here to make my posting career unpleasant if I don't pay sufficient homage to the place that brought assisted dating and wide-eyed prepubescent girls suffering sexual abuse into the high street. 

[FatuousTwat]

How dare you? HOW DARE YOU!?

[apocrypha]

Just finished Old Mans War which is very good scifi - mature writing not the fluffy crap. Waiting for his second novel to come out in paperback.

Does quoting a post from 2 years ago in a still-active thread still count as necromancy? 

Anyway, I just read Old Man's War in about 6 hours. Started it lastnight because I needed a breather from The Book Thief, and found it entertaining and engaging enough to finish in 2 sittings. Good story, excellent pacing, even managed to be moving enough to bring a tear to my eye a couple of times - which I partly blame on the cocktail of drugs orbiting my frontal lobes atm but also partly blame on me being a completely soppy bastard :p

He's no wordsmith but neither is his prose as insultingly bad as that of a lot of sci-fi & fantasy.

Excellent long flight book IMO :)

[Engels]

The cultural gap is pretty huge, and there is no more reason for some areas of Japanese writing to conform to the rules of western narrative than there is for noh or bugaku to follow the rules of mid-19th century, classical ballet. 

That's me being all liberal and culturally-relative.  In fact, I don't think that all forms of cultural expression are equally relevant, nor that all cultures create equally valid masterpieces.  But I suspect that there are enough fans of anime, hentai and straight-out tentacle rape hanging around here to make my posting career unpleasant if I don't pay sufficient homage to the place that brought assisted dating and wide-eyed prepubescent girls suffering sexual abuse into the high street. 

Accusing an entire culture of not understanding narrative (coherent storyline) based on the huge volume-based industry of anime is really being a bit miopic. Its like accusing America of having no culture based on its production of daytime soaps.

I for one, am bored to tears by 90% of anime, but there are hidden gems in there, such as Spirited Away and Ghost in the Shell.  Also, anyone familiar with Kurosawa's work knows good story telling is a fundamental part of Japanese culture. There's just a lot of people trying.

[Endie]

The cultural gap is pretty huge, and there is no more reason for some areas of Japanese writing to conform to the rules of western narrative than there is for noh or bugaku to follow the rules of mid-19th century, classical ballet. 

That's me being all liberal and culturally-relative.  In fact, I don't think that all forms of cultural expression are equally relevant, nor that all cultures create equally valid masterpieces.  But I suspect that there are enough fans of anime, hentai and straight-out tentacle rape hanging around here to make my posting career unpleasant if I don't pay sufficient homage to the place that brought assisted dating and wide-eyed prepubescent girls suffering sexual abuse into the high street. 

Accusing an entire culture of not understanding narrative (coherent storyline) based on the huge volume-based industry of anime is really being a bit miopic. Its like accusing America of having no culture based on its production of daytime soaps.

You don't understand.  I was saying that there is such a fundamental difference between the two cultures that, especially in translation, certain concepts and subtleties simply aren't mapping as clearly as we might think.  That is pretty much a polar opposite of what you're suggesting I said.

...

Then I said that a lot of Japanese popular culture is far more trashy than its enthusiastic Western fanbois make it out to be 

[stray]

Can you point out examples in anime?

All of the stuff I watch amounts to lechery and 2 week long fight scenes. Simple enough. I like it.