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On January 15 2012 00:45 BenBuford wrote:Just finished reading: + Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~cberger/Images/kerouac%20on%20the%20road.JPG) Too long. First half was great. Second half: Not so much. Currently reading: + Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_09CPhUeVbNo/TPfNngwu9zI/AAAAAAAACR8/9lvgxSZ0tjk/s1600/islands+in+the+stream.jpg) Just started. Not sure if I like it yet. Ordered these a few days ago, to get back into reading: + Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://www.versobooks.com/system/images/1192/original/9781844677023-Living-in-the-End-TImes-NIP.jpg) ![[image loading]](http://mitpress.mit.edu/images/products/books/9780262740159-f30.jpg) Slavoj Zizek is probably the brightest genius alive at this moment in my humble opinion. Until now I've only read some articles of his. Time to get enlightened. ![[image loading]](http://www.planetpulp.dk/billeder/boeger/lovecraft_omnibus1_stor.jpg) Some old school classic horror for amusement. ![[image loading]](https://blogs.libraries.iub.edu/ref/files/2011/10/250px-Slaughterhouse.jpg) I hate not having any references on this renowned writer. Almost embarassing.
How was On The Road? I've been wanting to read that for awhile but keep forgetting about it.
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In no particular order:
The Walking Dead Vol. 2 and 3
A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, and A Storm of Swords
Inside the Minds of Serial Killers
A History of Psychiatry
The Intention Experiment
The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Madness and Civilization
Autonomy and Rigid Character
Fight Club
Deception Point
Dragon Age: The Awakening
Warcraft: Day of the Dragons
Warcraft: Arthas
Resistance: A Hole in the Sky
World War Z
Slaughterhouse 5
Metro 2033
Dune
The Immortality Engine
The Hobbit
Shade's Children
The Razor's Edge
Sum
All The President's Men
Right now my attention is split between Vol. 2 of The Walking Dead and Inside the Minds of Serial Killers.
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I just finished A Storm of Swords, that shit was brutal. gonna get to A Feast for Crows next, after the exams. Readind The Secret Life of Bees for the moment before sleep.
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On January 14 2012 07:32 Pericles wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On January 12 2012 09:51 miercat wrote:Show nested quote +On January 12 2012 03:56 Alby8528 wrote:J + Show Spoiler +ust read: ![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TYcuuVXCL._SL500_AA300_.jpg) I was a fan of the original shannara trilogy so I decided to get the prequel. I must say its a really good book. I recommend it for those who like fantasy books currently reading: ![[image loading]](http://cdn2.droidmill.com/media/market-media/com.dai.book.Halo5ContactHarvest_1.png) my friend just threw it at me and told me to read and since I have nothing to do at the moment I decided to read, I'm half way through it and its a pretty interesting will read next: ![[image loading]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rHvmdqZ2Vq8/TwPJhDbF2lI/AAAAAAAAADw/vxpMPAw5DEk/s1600/9236.jpg) I was reading up on the wheel of time series and it looks like a an interesting series to read, after my current book, I'm gonna grab the first volume and read on There was a prequel written for the Wheel of Time series (The Eye of the World being the first book in the series), titled New Spring; 3 prequels were planned, however this is the only one which has been currently published; in chronological order, "New Spring" is the 2nd of the 3. I am currently reading "Towers of Midnight (among other books)," 13th book (out of 14) in The Wheel of Time series. Recommended for fans of the style. My only complaint: the series is too short. I became aware of/started reading, the whole series in the past few months (even though publishing began in 1990), and tried to pace myself to an extent, but I seem to read too fast. I feel like the series is actually much too long, several of the books toward the end are mainly pointless filler, and then he died before finishing. The books being ghost written are a bit better though, I'm interested to see how the series is going to finish up, however, I think if he'd written about 8 books total, then the later ones would have been on par with the earlier books quality.
I'd have to disagree on those points. The way I regard the series is more like 1 long story, that has been arbitrarily split into 14 parts, just out of necessity - with regards to publishing and so on. I don't really see any difference in quality between 1 book and another; if anything as Robert Jordan became more experienced over the years writing the novels, he probably improved in many aspects; additionally, most of his earlier books were written in a short time space, while he devoted a lot more time to later books (this may be neither here nor there, but the effort and time commitment was certainly present). Robert Jordan has stated in an interview, that he actually wrote the series in the shortest length possible while maintaining important plot lines; he also stated, that he did in fact cut out a number of plot lines that he had envisioned, in the interest of shortening the series. I would be more in line with Jordan's perspective on the matter. The tone and content of the series certainly changes as the story progresses and if there is a perceived drop in quality, it is probably more due to personal preference than any objective measure. Personally I particularly found the plot developments in some later books (9+) to be quite interesting and enjoyable (perhaps even more so than many of the plot lines in the earlier books), although for me, the quality has been consistent. Generally in literature it is more often a case of an author not putting enough detail or leaving out detail, because of time/effort/resource constraints; Jordan's series certainly is more detailed relatively speaking, but at no point did I get the sense that any of the plot lines were gratuitous filler, they were simply a reasonable exploration of part of a detailed and complex world. (Jordan actually had a number of novel ideas that he had planned for decades- he was quite eager to finish the WoT series and begin his other novels, so it is unlikely that he was drawing things out unnecessarily.)
That being said, I did sense a significant drop off when Brandon Sanderson took over the writing in book 11. A large part of what made the WoT series an enjoyable read, was Jordan's unique style. When Sanderson wrote an introduction in book 11, he stated that no one would be able to write the WoT better than Robert Jordan, and I agree.
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The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith
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On January 15 2012 11:45 miercat wrote:Show nested quote +On January 14 2012 07:32 Pericles wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On January 12 2012 09:51 miercat wrote:Show nested quote +On January 12 2012 03:56 Alby8528 wrote:J + Show Spoiler +ust read: I was a fan of the original shannara trilogy so I decided to get the prequel. I must say its a really good book. I recommend it for those who like fantasy books currently reading: my friend just threw it at me and told me to read and since I have nothing to do at the moment I decided to read, I'm half way through it and its a pretty interesting will read next: I was reading up on the wheel of time series and it looks like a an interesting series to read, after my current book, I'm gonna grab the first volume and read on There was a prequel written for the Wheel of Time series (The Eye of the World being the first book in the series), titled New Spring; 3 prequels were planned, however this is the only one which has been currently published; in chronological order, "New Spring" is the 2nd of the 3. I am currently reading "Towers of Midnight (among other books)," 13th book (out of 14) in The Wheel of Time series. Recommended for fans of the style. My only complaint: the series is too short. I became aware of/started reading, the whole series in the past few months (even though publishing began in 1990), and tried to pace myself to an extent, but I seem to read too fast. I feel like the series is actually much too long, several of the books toward the end are mainly pointless filler, and then he died before finishing. The books being ghost written are a bit better though, I'm interested to see how the series is going to finish up, however, I think if he'd written about 8 books total, then the later ones would have been on par with the earlier books quality. I'd have to disagree on those points. The way I regard the series is more like 1 long story, that has been arbitrarily split into 14 parts, just out of necessity - with regards to publishing and so on. I don't really see any difference in quality between 1 book and another; if anything as Robert Jordan became more experienced over the years writing the novels, he probably improved in many aspects; additionally, most of his earlier books were written in a short time space, while he devoted a lot more time to later books (this may be neither here nor there, but the effort and time commitment was certainly present). Robert Jordan has stated in an interview, that he actually wrote the series in the shortest length possible while maintaining important plot lines; he also stated, that he did in fact cut out a number of plot lines that he had envisioned, in the interest of shortening the series. I would be more in line with Jordan's perspective on the matter. The tone and content of the series certainly changes as the story progresses and if there is a perceived drop in quality, it is probably more due to personal preference than any objective measure. Personally I particularly found the plot developments in some later books (9+) to be quite interesting and enjoyable (perhaps even more so than many of the plot lines in the earlier books), although for me, the quality has been consistent. Generally in literature it is more often a case of an author not putting enough detail or leaving out detail, because of time/effort/resource constraints; Jordan's series certainly is more detailed relatively speaking, but at no point did I get the sense that any of the plot lines were gratuitous filler, they were simply a reasonable exploration of part of a detailed and complex world. (Jordan actually had a number of novel ideas that he had planned for decades- he was quite eager to finish the WoT series and begin his other novels, so it is unlikely that he was drawing things out unnecessarily.) That being said, I did sense a significant drop off when Brandon Sanderson took over the writing in book 11. A large part of what made the WoT series an enjoyable read, was Jordan's unique style. When Sanderson wrote an introduction in book 11, he stated that no one would be able to write the WoT better than Robert Jordan, and I agree.
I yank my braid in annoyance that you would disagree with me. First let me describe what I'm wearing in detail, again, and then I'll explain why you are wrong. But first, an entire book about something different. Also did I tell you I had voices in my head? Maybe you'd like to hear about that again first too.
:D
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All of R.A. Salvatore's books since 2008 (got some catching up to do)
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On January 15 2012 12:32 Pericles wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On January 15 2012 11:45 miercat wrote:Show nested quote +On January 14 2012 07:32 Pericles wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On January 12 2012 09:51 miercat wrote:Show nested quote +On January 12 2012 03:56 Alby8528 wrote:J + Show Spoiler +ust read: I was a fan of the original shannara trilogy so I decided to get the prequel. I must say its a really good book. I recommend it for those who like fantasy books currently reading: my friend just threw it at me and told me to read and since I have nothing to do at the moment I decided to read, I'm half way through it and its a pretty interesting will read next: I was reading up on the wheel of time series and it looks like a an interesting series to read, after my current book, I'm gonna grab the first volume and read on There was a prequel written for the Wheel of Time series (The Eye of the World being the first book in the series), titled New Spring; 3 prequels were planned, however this is the only one which has been currently published; in chronological order, "New Spring" is the 2nd of the 3. I am currently reading "Towers of Midnight (among other books)," 13th book (out of 14) in The Wheel of Time series. Recommended for fans of the style. My only complaint: the series is too short. I became aware of/started reading, the whole series in the past few months (even though publishing began in 1990), and tried to pace myself to an extent, but I seem to read too fast. I feel like the series is actually much too long, several of the books toward the end are mainly pointless filler, and then he died before finishing. The books being ghost written are a bit better though, I'm interested to see how the series is going to finish up, however, I think if he'd written about 8 books total, then the later ones would have been on par with the earlier books quality. I'd have to disagree on those points. The way I regard the series is more like 1 long story, that has been arbitrarily split into 14 parts, just out of necessity - with regards to publishing and so on. I don't really see any difference in quality between 1 book and another; if anything as Robert Jordan became more experienced over the years writing the novels, he probably improved in many aspects; additionally, most of his earlier books were written in a short time space, while he devoted a lot more time to later books (this may be neither here nor there, but the effort and time commitment was certainly present). Robert Jordan has stated in an interview, that he actually wrote the series in the shortest length possible while maintaining important plot lines; he also stated, that he did in fact cut out a number of plot lines that he had envisioned, in the interest of shortening the series. I would be more in line with Jordan's perspective on the matter. The tone and content of the series certainly changes as the story progresses and if there is a perceived drop in quality, it is probably more due to personal preference than any objective measure. Personally I particularly found the plot developments in some later books (9+) to be quite interesting and enjoyable (perhaps even more so than many of the plot lines in the earlier books), although for me, the quality has been consistent. Generally in literature it is more often a case of an author not putting enough detail or leaving out detail, because of time/effort/resource constraints; Jordan's series certainly is more detailed relatively speaking, but at no point did I get the sense that any of the plot lines were gratuitous filler, they were simply a reasonable exploration of part of a detailed and complex world. (Jordan actually had a number of novel ideas that he had planned for decades- he was quite eager to finish the WoT series and begin his other novels, so it is unlikely that he was drawing things out unnecessarily.) That being said, I did sense a significant drop off when Brandon Sanderson took over the writing in book 11. A large part of what made the WoT series an enjoyable read, was Jordan's unique style. When Sanderson wrote an introduction in book 11, he stated that no one would be able to write the WoT better than Robert Jordan, and I agree. I yank my braid in annoyance that you would disagree with me. First let me describe what I'm wearing in detail, again, and then I'll explain why you are wrong. But first, an entire book about something different. Also did I tell you I had voices in my head? Maybe you'd like to hear about that again first too. :D [/spoiler]
"I yank my braid in annoyance that you would disagree with me. First let me describe what I'm wearing in detail, again, and then I'll explain why you are wrong."
There was as much braid pulling and description of clothing in the earlier books as the last.
"But first, an entire book about something different. Also did I tell you I had voices in my head? Maybe you'd like to hear about that again first too."
I'd refer you back to my earlier statement:"The tone and content of the series certainly changes as the story progresses and if there is a perceived drop in quality, it is probably more due to personal preference than any objective measure."
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![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b0/Gatsby_1925_jacket.gif/200px-Gatsby_1925_jacket.gif)
I'm reading this for school, but I'm actually looking forward to it. My high school's English teachers usually pick good novels to read.
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On January 15 2012 13:06 miercat wrote:Show nested quote +On January 15 2012 12:32 Pericles wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On January 15 2012 11:45 miercat wrote:Show nested quote +On January 14 2012 07:32 Pericles wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On January 12 2012 09:51 miercat wrote:Show nested quote +On January 12 2012 03:56 Alby8528 wrote:J + Show Spoiler +ust read: I was a fan of the original shannara trilogy so I decided to get the prequel. I must say its a really good book. I recommend it for those who like fantasy books currently reading: my friend just threw it at me and told me to read and since I have nothing to do at the moment I decided to read, I'm half way through it and its a pretty interesting will read next: I was reading up on the wheel of time series and it looks like a an interesting series to read, after my current book, I'm gonna grab the first volume and read on There was a prequel written for the Wheel of Time series (The Eye of the World being the first book in the series), titled New Spring; 3 prequels were planned, however this is the only one which has been currently published; in chronological order, "New Spring" is the 2nd of the 3. I am currently reading "Towers of Midnight (among other books)," 13th book (out of 14) in The Wheel of Time series. Recommended for fans of the style. My only complaint: the series is too short. I became aware of/started reading, the whole series in the past few months (even though publishing began in 1990), and tried to pace myself to an extent, but I seem to read too fast. I feel like the series is actually much too long, several of the books toward the end are mainly pointless filler, and then he died before finishing. The books being ghost written are a bit better though, I'm interested to see how the series is going to finish up, however, I think if he'd written about 8 books total, then the later ones would have been on par with the earlier books quality. I'd have to disagree on those points. The way I regard the series is more like 1 long story, that has been arbitrarily split into 14 parts, just out of necessity - with regards to publishing and so on. I don't really see any difference in quality between 1 book and another; if anything as Robert Jordan became more experienced over the years writing the novels, he probably improved in many aspects; additionally, most of his earlier books were written in a short time space, while he devoted a lot more time to later books (this may be neither here nor there, but the effort and time commitment was certainly present). Robert Jordan has stated in an interview, that he actually wrote the series in the shortest length possible while maintaining important plot lines; he also stated, that he did in fact cut out a number of plot lines that he had envisioned, in the interest of shortening the series. I would be more in line with Jordan's perspective on the matter. The tone and content of the series certainly changes as the story progresses and if there is a perceived drop in quality, it is probably more due to personal preference than any objective measure. Personally I particularly found the plot developments in some later books (9+) to be quite interesting and enjoyable (perhaps even more so than many of the plot lines in the earlier books), although for me, the quality has been consistent. Generally in literature it is more often a case of an author not putting enough detail or leaving out detail, because of time/effort/resource constraints; Jordan's series certainly is more detailed relatively speaking, but at no point did I get the sense that any of the plot lines were gratuitous filler, they were simply a reasonable exploration of part of a detailed and complex world. (Jordan actually had a number of novel ideas that he had planned for decades- he was quite eager to finish the WoT series and begin his other novels, so it is unlikely that he was drawing things out unnecessarily.) That being said, I did sense a significant drop off when Brandon Sanderson took over the writing in book 11. A large part of what made the WoT series an enjoyable read, was Jordan's unique style. When Sanderson wrote an introduction in book 11, he stated that no one would be able to write the WoT better than Robert Jordan, and I agree. I yank my braid in annoyance that you would disagree with me. First let me describe what I'm wearing in detail, again, and then I'll explain why you are wrong. But first, an entire book about something different. Also did I tell you I had voices in my head? Maybe you'd like to hear about that again first too. :D "I yank my braid in annoyance that you would disagree with me. First let me describe what I'm wearing in detail, again, and then I'll explain why you are wrong." There was as much braid pulling and description of clothing in the earlier books as the last. "But first, an entire book about something different. Also did I tell you I had voices in my head? Maybe you'd like to hear about that again first too." I'd refer you back to my earlier statement:"The tone and content of the series certainly changes as the story progresses and if there is a perceived drop in quality, it is probably more due to personal preference than any objective measure." [/spoiler]
I guess we'll agree to disagree. I am looking forward to seeing how things are wrapped up.
Back to the topic of book reading, I just finished reading this book
http://www.amazon.com/Brethren-Inside-Supreme-Court/dp/0743274024
It was ok...Not as good as Woodward others books.
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On January 15 2012 08:29 Glam wrote:
How was On The Road? I've been wanting to read that for awhile but keep forgetting about it.
This sort of work being written in just 3 weeks, on a constant acid trip though, is pretty mind boggling.
+ Show Spoiler +"Using a manual typewriter in a New York City loft, Jack Kerouac produced the original manuscript of On the Road during a three-week period in the spring of 1951.(...) Kerouac produced the continuous scroll by taping pages of semi-translucent paper together to feed the typewriter and write without interruption. The text is single-spaced, without paragraphs, and edited in pencil by Kerouac."![[image loading]](http://www.ontheroad.org/images/scroll_a.jpg) Source: http://www.ontheroad.org/
Too long in my opinion. First half was great. Second half: Not so much - And it's not even that long of a read... Too much of the same stuff going on.
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Wondering if anyone can turn me onto some good sci fi series. I've read mainly fantasy and I really love the genre but I'd love to read some good sci fi. If anyone has any good recommendations it would be greatly appreciated.
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On January 15 2012 20:13 Genjimaru wrote:
Wondering if anyone can turn me onto some good sci fi series. I've read mainly fantasy and I really love the genre but I'd love to read some good sci fi. If anyone has any good recommendations it would be greatly appreciated.
I was in your shoes for a while and then I found Old Man's War by John Scalzi.+ Show Spoiler + That, and the rest of the books in the trilogy (The Ghost Brigade, The Last Colony) sucked me right into sci-fi.
After that I read all the Foundation novels by Isaac Asimov because, well, it's like the holy grail of sci-fi. They were amazing reads. Beyond that I can suggest Hyperion by Dan Simmons though it can take a while to pick up, and also Ender's Game by Orson Scot Card, though admittedly knowing the author better has diminished my enjoyment of the book somewhat.
Back on topic:
Just finished A Song for Arbonne
+ Show Spoiler +
(re)reading The Darkest Road
+ Show Spoiler +
And next will either be The Lions of Al-Rassan or Sailing to Sarantium.
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On January 15 2012 20:13 Genjimaru wrote:
Wondering if anyone can turn me onto some good sci fi series. I've read mainly fantasy and I really love the genre but I'd love to read some good sci fi. If anyone has any good recommendations it would be greatly appreciated.
The Culture series is pretty good(By Ian Banks). Either start with Look to Windward or Player of Games I would say.
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On January 15 2012 20:26 elt wrote:Show nested quote +On January 15 2012 20:13 Genjimaru wrote:
Wondering if anyone can turn me onto some good sci fi series. I've read mainly fantasy and I really love the genre but I'd love to read some good sci fi. If anyone has any good recommendations it would be greatly appreciated. I was in your shoes for a while and then I found Old Man's War by John Scalzi. + Show Spoiler + That, and the rest of the books in the trilogy ( The Ghost Brigade, The Last Colony) sucked me right into sci-fi. After that I read all the Foundation novels by Isaac Asimov because, well, it's like the holy grail of sci-fi. They were amazing reads. Beyond that I can suggest Hyperion by Dan Simmons though it can take a while to pick up, and also Ender's Game by Orson Scot Card, though admittedly knowing the author better has diminished my enjoyment of the book somewhat. Back on topic: Just finished A Song for Arbonne+ Show Spoiler +(re)reading The Darkest Road+ Show Spoiler +And next will either be The Lions of Al-Rassan or Sailing to Sarantium.
i second Old Man's War series. read em all and they're all great. anything john scalzi writes is good.
Also, i'd recommend a Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge. Very good book. The sequel (written as a prequel) is A Deepness In the Sky is also good. skipping the third book as it just came out and i dont like the story too much, but cant wait for the 4th. read this, trust me.
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On January 16 2012 04:20 HeavenS wrote:Show nested quote +On January 15 2012 20:26 elt wrote:On January 15 2012 20:13 Genjimaru wrote:
Wondering if anyone can turn me onto some good sci fi series. I've read mainly fantasy and I really love the genre but I'd love to read some good sci fi. If anyone has any good recommendations it would be greatly appreciated. I was in your shoes for a while and then I found Old Man's War by John Scalzi. + Show Spoiler + That, and the rest of the books in the trilogy ( The Ghost Brigade, The Last Colony) sucked me right into sci-fi. After that I read all the Foundation novels by Isaac Asimov because, well, it's like the holy grail of sci-fi. They were amazing reads. Beyond that I can suggest Hyperion by Dan Simmons though it can take a while to pick up, and also Ender's Game by Orson Scot Card, though admittedly knowing the author better has diminished my enjoyment of the book somewhat. Back on topic: Just finished A Song for Arbonne+ Show Spoiler +(re)reading The Darkest Road+ Show Spoiler +And next will either be The Lions of Al-Rassan or Sailing to Sarantium. i second Old Man's War series. read em all and they're all great. anything john scalzi writes is good. Also, i'd recommend a Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge. Very good book. The sequel (written as a prequel) is A Deepness In the Sky is also good. skipping the third book as it just came out and i dont like the story too much, but cant wait for the 4th. read this, trust me.
Cant believe I forgot Vernor Vinge. Agree with the above, also check out marooned in real time.
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On January 09 2012 13:42 scarper65 wrote:
What books would you guys recommend for someone new to sci fi/fantasy. I really have enjoyed popular books such as the song of ice and fire, inheritance series, and ender's game
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the rest of the series. Douglas Adams. Sci-fi Humour.
A real crackup series. The ABC TV series is just brilliant to watch as well.
The Riftwar Saga. Raymond E Fiest. Fantacy. One of the best fantacy trilogies out there.
The Empire Trilogy Series. Raymond E Fiest with Janny Wurts. Follow-on from The Riftwar Saga. Absolutely brilliant. Such a good read.
The rest of the Riftwar Cycle.
Anything by Janny Wurts.
The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings saga. JRR Tolkien. Just awesome. IMO, the father of fantasy writing.
The Wheel of Time saga. Robert Jordan. Final 3 books written by Brandon Sanderson due to the untimely death of Mr Jordan.
Final book to be released early this year. Gods! I can't wait.
Saga of the Exiles. Julian May. Sci-fi. Good read.
The Gor series. John Norman. Sc-fi. About a planet in sync with the orbit of Earth, but on the other side of the sun.
Anything by these sci-fi authors.
15 Greatest Sci-Fi Writers
Terry Pratchett. I have never read anything from him, but would love to get my grubbies on his books. So hard to get from secondhand bookshops. The Colour of Magic is the first of many books.
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The Ice and Fire series.
Just so amazing!
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Now reading Gödel, Escher, Bach.
Mind == blown. Explains the beauty of mathematics in an extraordinary way.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://craphound.com/images/10316763.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://thecaptivereader.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/a-song-for-arbonne.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://covers.openlibrary.org/w/id/295011-L.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://alienterritory.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/verne-20000.png)
