Author Topic: What are you reading, part 3  (Read 311130 times)

Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1830 on: August 05, 2011, 09:29:06 PM »
If Larry wants anyone different to do illustrations, Ben (Inkthinker) loved Hard Magic but was bemoaning the illustrations to me on the phone.
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Shiael

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1831 on: August 06, 2011, 08:18:48 PM »
There's so many books that i need to read! pity school's starting soon; i wont have the time to 'waste'       better get more reading done and less drawing so i have something to draw when i'm bored to death in my classes             I recommend the a song of ice and fire series, though i only just started it myself; the first book was brilliant.  :D 
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dhalagirl

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1832 on: August 09, 2011, 03:52:07 AM »
I just finished Hard Magic and while I enjoyed the story, I agree that the illustrations left something to be desired.  I still prefer the Monster Hunter books over the Grimnoir Chronicles. Which is why I'm now reading Monster Hunter Alpha. (squee!)

mtbikemom

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1833 on: August 09, 2011, 07:46:23 PM »
Reading Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking threesome, the first being the intriguing The Knife of Never Letting Go.   The first was the best, full of all the things in the Elitist review and more.  If only the next two books were as concise.  Alas, they drag on.  They do blossom in emotional complexity and scope and they are what I consider "reliable" despite some language and much violence.  I really do really want to know what happens, but it has been a bit of a chore to get through.  The overall story is as bleak as anything out there, too.  Unrelentingly bleak.  Every glimpse of hope is followed shortly by huge disappointment and increased peril.   Ness uses, though, some unusual and innovative punctuation and spelling choices that convey exactly what I believe the author wanted.  It all rings true, even the complete lack of a good break for the mains.

I recommend this series to a fast reader, lover of character development (me) and someone who likes the idea of good YA fare for grownups (me, me, me).  I do not regret becoming invested in the story, despite its pacing problems, probably due to the problems of the gardener-style writer.  There is much to like.

Treated myself to my first taste of K.J. Parker also on vacation last week.  Blue and Gold was fun and satisfying.  I loved the cynical humor and the redemptive ending.  Well, somewhat.  Not too tidy, fun prose, really fun characters.  I look forward to Colours in the Steel next, if I ever make it through this Ness stuff.  The ending better be full of happy-ever-after or I'm going to throw my Kindle gently against the wall.  Not too tidy, though, please.

Also on the dock: the short stories That Leviathan Whom Thou Hast Made (Stone) and The New World (more Ness).   Then I am off to Ted Dekkerland, heretofore unexplored territory for me.

mtbikemom

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1834 on: August 11, 2011, 06:47:40 PM »
I was thrilled with the ending to Monsters of Men, third in the Chaos Walking series, when it finally came.  It almost made up for the unnecessary length of the story.  This is another set of books that could have been edited down to a real gem.  Does it happen that authors who win awards for their first volumes become untouchable and refuse or neglect good advice?  I wonder . . . .

My library had a few Ted Dekker books and I've been feeling guilty about spending a bit too much on downloads lately, so I grabbed one yesterday and read half of it.  Am I glad I didn't pay for this.  And what a sorry example of misleading online reviews!  I find that I only agree with the one-star Amazon review and absolutely none of the recommendations I've heard for years concerning this author.  What a pile of crap.  Did the same people like Goodkind?  Probably.

I may have enjoyed this book (Chosen) back when I thought Lloyd Alexander and David Eddings were brilliant, when my kids were young and I looked for fun read-alouds.  I can see reading this to a young Harry Potter fan, pausing often with explanations of how good, moral content is ruined by cardboard characters and sloppy, juvenile prose.  I think, even back before I became spoiled by all the amazing stuff I've read since, I would have rolled my eyes and used it as a teaching tool more than anything.  It especially pales in comparison to the Patrick Ness I just finished, whose world view I do not necessarily agree with as much but whose brilliance and talent I can't help but praise. 

Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1835 on: August 11, 2011, 07:02:55 PM »
But...Lloyd Alexander is brilliant. Eddings doesn't hold a candle to him; I wouldn't mention them in the same breath.
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maxonennis

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1836 on: August 11, 2011, 07:14:24 PM »
But...Lloyd Alexander is brilliant. Eddings doesn't hold a candle to him; I wouldn't mention them in the same breath.

Agreed. Eddings always came off as racist to me.
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mtbikemom

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1837 on: August 11, 2011, 07:41:42 PM »
Yes, I still think Alexander is brilliant.  His best books hold up to the test of time better than any of Edding's.  I only mention them in the same breath, so to speak, because I discovered them at about the same time and they were all the fantasy I knew of for a long while.  Eddings was sweet and wholesome, despite some issues that were not obvious to me at the time and which I believe were largely unintentional. Polgara the Sorceress was nearly awesome, but I agree that Lloyd Alexander is a cut above anything else from that era, especially for such a broad audience.  Timeless classics.

Nessa

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1838 on: August 13, 2011, 06:52:50 AM »
I'm reading Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C. Wrede, and I like it so far, though it's hard because I haven't felt much like reading lately. This was the only thing I've picked up that held my attention for more than two minutes.

It's on my to-read list. I enjoyed the first one quite a bit. Let me know how you like it.
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Pink Bunkadoo

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1839 on: August 15, 2011, 03:27:16 AM »
As much as I love Lloyd Alexander (he kissed me on the cheek once) his non-Prydain stuff is pretty much all the same. 
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Sigyn

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1840 on: August 15, 2011, 06:10:24 PM »
I'm reading Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C. Wrede, and I like it so far, though it's hard because I haven't felt much like reading lately. This was the only thing I've picked up that held my attention for more than two minutes.

It's on my to-read list. I enjoyed the first one quite a bit. Let me know how you like it.

I really liked it. If you liked the first one, I would think you'd like this one too.

As much as I love Lloyd Alexander (he kissed me on the cheek once) his non-Prydain stuff is pretty much all the same. 

While his work does have some similarities, it certainly isn't all the same. The Vesper Holly books and the Beggar Queen trilogy are certainly not interchangeable.
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Pink Bunkadoo

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1841 on: August 15, 2011, 06:42:05 PM »
That's true.
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fireflyz

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1842 on: August 16, 2011, 12:08:16 PM »
Been awhile in between posts.  My Kindle died and was resurrected this weekend.  It wouldn't turn on, blank screen, etc.  I charged it per Kindle's Customer Support but...nothing.  This morning it randomly turned on so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  I haven't even had it a year...granted I've read over 130 books on it, but still.

This past week I read a few non fiction works on the American West.  Unfortunately, there is less good scholarly works on this unique period of history than other times in history.  Tough reading.  I've read quite a few Louis Lamour books...reread as I've read them all.  Good historical fiction.  This novel in my head is going to be a long time in coalescing, but it's getting there.

I'm rereading the Dresden Files.  I've only read them once and they're quick, fun reads so I"m guessing that won't take too long.  Anyone have any reccomendations for some good epic fantasy?  Something along the lines of Sanderson, Jordan, Martin, and Erikson.  I could really go for something along those lines.
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mtbikemom

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Re: What are you reading, part 3
« Reply #1843 on: August 22, 2011, 12:57:22 PM »
For fireflyz:

I haven't read them yet, but the reviewers seem to really like Adrian Tchaikovsky's series starting with EMPIRE IN BLACK AND GOLD.  It's on my to-read list after WoT is finished.  The first book may be a bit rough, I've read, but they apparently improve as they go and the latest was well-received.  I can't remember how many books there are so far or how many are expected, but I plan to read them all.

I really enjoyed Dan Wells' I Am Not a Serial Killer.  It was a perfect thriller/character study for a final summer read.  I can't recommend it enough for brilliant insight into the mind of a moral sociopath.  Dan's writing style is fresh and occasionally beautiful.  His apparent love of poetry shows and his humor is pitch perfect.  Completely reliable content, though a bit too gory for some.  Not for me.

I am also enjoying the delicious Patricia McKillip's Alphabet of Thorn.  Some of it is a bit acid-trippy, but the whole thing is intriguing and mostly reliable content-wise.  Thanks again, Mrs. Nessa, for the great steer in her direction!