Author Topic: What are you reading, part 3  (Read 311117 times)

Kuntrey_Pilgrum

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #45 on: September 24, 2006, 03:47:24 PM »
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If you like Peeps and Midnighters, you'll LOVE the Uglies trilogy, which I think is the best of Scott Westerfeld's work. Science fiction in a not-too-distant future, in which everyone is ugly till they turn 16, and then they get the "pretty surgery" and get to go to New Pretty Town and be bubbly and happy. Commentary on our present-day obsession with beauty and a great story in and of itself. Chimera reviewed it here a while back--take a look.

Actually, I found these books AFTER I read the Uglies Trlogy on her advice.  Those books are awesome though.
« Last Edit: September 24, 2006, 03:48:32 PM by Kuntry_Bumpken »
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fuzzyoctopus

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #46 on: September 24, 2006, 08:44:41 PM »
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If you like Peeps and Midnighters, you'll LOVE the Uglies trilogy, which I think is the best of Scott Westerfeld's work. Science fiction in a not-too-distant future, in which everyone is ugly till they turn 16, and then they get the "pretty surgery" and get to go to New Pretty Town and be bubbly and happy.


Wow, I've never heard of that one. I'll have to keep a lookout for that one.
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Chimera

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #47 on: September 25, 2006, 12:48:33 PM »
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I'm also just starting on rereading the Bartimaes Trilogy, a child's series about a demon summoner in an alternate world's version of England.

I've been meaning to read the Bartimaes Trilogy FOREVER (at least a year). I actually have the library book with me--but very little time to read at present. If you're re-reading it, it must be pretty good. I've heard good things about it--we'll see what I think.
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So_Blonde

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #48 on: September 30, 2006, 06:13:03 PM »
I am reading the whole lemony snicket series before the last one comes out. ;D
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Kuntrey_Pilgrum

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #49 on: October 01, 2006, 12:35:45 AM »
 ;D
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I've been meaning to read the Bartimaes Trilogy FOREVER (at least a year). I actually have the library book with me--but very little time to read at present. If you're re-reading it, it must be pretty good. I've heard good things about it--we'll see what I think.

I must warn you, I like the Charlie Bone Books about a third as much, so some might say I have low standards.
  Also, the books are Very good in my low opinion. The whole thing is one big mystery you'll figure out almost completely in the second book. I really liked it anyways though, just to sound redundant. ;D
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Seeker

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #50 on: October 02, 2006, 01:43:15 AM »
I'm halfway through The Elfstones of Shannara.
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fuzzyoctopus

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #51 on: October 02, 2006, 02:20:54 AM »
I picked up another Sheri S. Tepper book a few weeks ago - "After Long Silence".  And despite the fact that the protagonist's annoying and painfully vapid wife was killed off by chapter 3, I'm having a hard time wanting to finish it. Must not be in the right mood. Instead I'm re-reading "Time Enough for Love", which probably means that the Tepper book has too much plot for my attention span right now.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2006, 02:21:27 AM by fuzzyoctopus »
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Mr_Pleasington

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #52 on: October 02, 2006, 04:18:17 AM »
I'm working my way through Steven Brust's "Taltos" series of novels.

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Harbinger

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #53 on: October 03, 2006, 12:16:20 AM »
An old textbook called The Age of Propaganda detailing how advertisers and others tailor messages to play to our emotions and assumptions. Interesting and a little spooky.
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Chimera

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #54 on: October 03, 2006, 12:47:52 PM »
The Big Book of Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring. My mom gave it to me. She rarely recommends books to me--I think she gave me this one beause it is about an unusually creative child, which I was (or at least she thinks I was).

Not fantasy nor YA (my usual fare), but very well-written first-person memoir-like fiction. I love Kring's description and details. It has a child protagonist but my guess is that it will deal with "adult themes" by the end and that's why it is marketed as mainstream fiction. I'm actually kind of curious why it wouldn't be considered YA or MG--though it could simply be the fact that often mainstream makes more $ (at least larger advances, I've heard). I'll probably write a review/article about it when I finish.

Oh, and K_B--I read The Amulet of Samarkand and I really liked it. ;D I'm going to see if my local library in California has the second one.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2006, 12:50:49 PM by Chimera »
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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #55 on: October 03, 2006, 05:14:34 PM »
The Prestige, by Christopher Priest.  Quite good so far.  The movie comes out this month, and it looks amazing.  So, I thought I'd check it out.  It's about magicians/illusionists.
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Sigyn

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #56 on: October 10, 2006, 12:54:45 PM »
I just finished New Moon by Stephenie Meyer and I really liked it.  I think she managed to fix a lot of the things that weren't as enjoyable in her first book.  Now I'm reading Inda by Sherwood Smith and having a lot of fun.

Oh, and I love the Taltos books by Brust and the Bartimaeus trilogy by Stroud.  I would recommend the former to anyone who doesn't mind the main character being an assassin, and I'd recommend the latter to anyone.
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dreamking47

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #57 on: October 11, 2006, 11:04:48 PM »
I just finished "The Gate of Gods" by Martha Wells, the final book in a trilogy.  Not bad, but far from her best work.  Wells is known for single-volume genre fantasies that avoid epic fantasy tropes (no elves, dwarves, dragons or wizards with long gray beards).  The best introduction to her work would be "Death of the Necromancer" but fans of "Elantris" might also be interested in her "Wheel of the Infinite," which features a somewhat similar plot element (I can't say what, it would spoil things for you).

I too have enjoyed most of Brusts' Taltos books (and most of his other works), but I didn't much care for the Bartimaeus books, or at least the last one (I have reviews of it and "Death of the Necromancer" up at Amazon if you're curious).  Too many plot problems.  I read "The Prestige" back when it came out, about 10 years ago.  I remember thinking that it was fairly good, but I can actually imagine it being a better movie than book.  That's rare, but it's a fairly compact, character-driven story.

I'm also currently reading "Designing Interactions," a non-fiction book by Bill Moggridge.  Next in my fiction queue is Italo Calvino's "The Nonexistent Knight and The Cloven Viscount."  Then it'll be time for something light again!

MattD
« Last Edit: October 11, 2006, 11:11:26 PM by dreamking47 »
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Sigyn

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #58 on: October 17, 2006, 01:10:34 PM »
Arrgh.  I finished Inda by Sherwood Smith, and she decided to put in a bunch of unnecessary trash that ruined the book for me.  Why do authors do this to good books?
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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #59 on: October 17, 2006, 07:42:29 PM »
I've never figured that out Sigyn.  Finished Prestige.  Good book.  The end could have been a little better developed, or just plain more.  Reading On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony right now.  I'm thinking I'm going to quit though (on pg. 75) as it hasn't really done that great of a job of "catching" me.  Going to try Fifth Sorceress by Robert Newcomb next.  Need to find something of value...
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