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Cambium
United States16368 Posts
It has a lot of references to Tokyo which is really cool if you have some understanding of the city. The book itself I didn't enjoy too much as it got really strange really quickly, and the ending wasn't particularly conclusive in anyway. The concept was definitely 'out there', if that is what you are seeking from his books. It's the only Murakami book I've read, so I may not share the same appreciation for his work. | ||
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TOCHMY
Sweden1692 Posts
On November 06 2012 16:40 TOCHMY wrote: Currently reading this: ![[image loading]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2Aj3wWyR4IU/T1Jod3wkBdI/AAAAAAAABro/vXi2lJnU3XY/s1600/Blossoms+and+Shadows.jpg) Haven't gotten far yet, but so far it's been good. I recommend reading the other works of Lian Hearn, the books of the Otori Clan: ![[image loading]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D69XvwV7nPA/TjlXm4IwNJI/AAAAAAAAAa8/Jzw6QRqvxRs/s1600/35621284.jpg) Awesome series. Finished: This was OK. I dunno, I never felt any connection to the characters, and the general plot was very vague. Also, this book is a perfect example of "show, don't tell" since it felt that the author almost held a history lesson combined with stories about her friend... I dunno how to explain it really. I kinda recommend the book anyways, but only cuz I love meiji era and japan in general. Currently Reading: ![[image loading]](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VWwC1oAZyyo/T1t7fZKeIUI/AAAAAAAAIu8/Ayv6eoNvLmE/s1600/Lies-of-Locke-Lamora.jpg) Now this book I really like. Such a difference in story telling and writing by Scott Lynch compared to Lian Hearn(author of the book above). It's a fantasy book about thieves and the main char is exceptionally good at that particularly profession  Will Read Next: ![[image loading]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5X30qeYnsVE/T0V8n0iaYtI/AAAAAAAAAOA/feKoozydNzE/s1600/12327782.jpg) The follow-up of The Lies of Locke Lamora. | ||
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Sub40APM
6336 Posts
On December 11 2012 17:27 Hamsterdam wrote: I just finished the first in the series, Foundation. Honestly I was disappointed with the first one, after having read (and loved) the Dune books, up to Heretics of Dune, which I left in a hotel unfinished T.T. Foundation is a good novel, but it seemed to me to lack the depth of character and setting that other science fiction worlds (read: Dune) have in abundance. In other reading news I just started Ghostwritten, by David Mitchell, and have so far found to to be fucking excellent. David Mitchell is just a fantastic writer. Next up I have either Animal Farm, Brave New World or maybe finish off The Dead Hand by David Hoffman, which I started, liked, and then put back down, and I'm not really sure why. Despite being one book, what the Foundation books really are short stories. And if you think about it, reading them is like watching an American action movie. The hero might be in danger but he never dies, you know that from the moment you walk into the movie or open those books. The cool aspect of the book, like someone else said, is the concept of psychohistory. | ||
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Tobberoth
Sweden6375 Posts
On December 10 2012 05:55 adi_hsd wrote: Have never read anything by Kafka until Methamorphosis and was a little bored one evening and I picked up the e-book for this. Holy shit now i MUST read all his work, started reading The Castle and have The Trial next on the list. I highly recommend this short novel: ![[image loading]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nx9T-lzRESg/TTLpZoWaF6I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/g0-isjzNpOk/s1600/metamorphosis.jpg) Metamorphosis is fantastic, but I personally find his other work less enjoyable (not that I've read much of it, just what I've read so far). I've started on the trial and while it has a lot in common with Metamorphosis, I find the style far more irritating than I did in Metamorphosis. The surreal atmosphere and odd interactions make less sense when the plot is more realistic. In Metamorphosis, the whole premise is ridiculous, which sets the bar for everything, while the trial is a far more realistic book and thus the dialogs etc IMO become annoying when they don't really feel connected to how people act in real life. | ||
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Am0n3r
United States254 Posts
Currently reading The Leadership Challenge ![[image loading]](http://vialogue.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/leadership-challenge.jpg) It is actually a really good book that covers a variety of topics on what makes a good leader. It has a very in depth study that backs everything up and a lot of good real life examples... I feel like it makes me a better person and a better leader, lots of lessons to learn on. I am taking it kind of slow and I feel like by the time I am done with it, I will just start it over... :D Also reading The Wheel of Time: Book 1 New Spring ![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/52/WoT00_NewSpring.jpg/200px-WoT00_NewSpring.jpg) Heard a lot of good things about the series, and was searching for something new to read after finishing the Game of Thrones series... So far it was good and I am also moving slow on this as I have lots of other books I am reading... Also reading some of Russian poetry and classic novels... to brush up on my native Russian and expand my vocabulary in that =/ tough... Also reading some of the Ender's series.. just finished Ender's Shadow and was to read Xenocide, but it started slow for me... so perhaps going to re-read game of thrones series or lord of the rings series... or maybe I will go and re-read by managerial accounting book :D | ||
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nunez
Norway4003 Posts
On December 11 2012 18:09 KristofferAG wrote: Just finished Haruki Murakami's After Dark. Really amazing writing by this guy. Not entirey sure what I'll read next, but chances are it's 1Q84, another Murakami book. i didn't enjoy 1q84 as much as i did his other books. maybe it was because of the phrase 'kissing down there', but not sure. just finished up a perfect spy by le carre after being in a spy mood for a long time. i think it was crackerjack! starting up on hyperion now, i had to take a break from sci-fi after reading the foundation series. i suspect it's a really good book judging from this thread. | ||
Xxio
Canada5565 Posts
I tried The Gunslinger by Stephen King but, yet again, I was unable to get into one of his books. | ||
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AverageAsianDude
England91 Posts
really cool book so far considering it was written in 1968 | ||
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Am0n3r
United States254 Posts
On December 11 2012 21:21 Xxio wrote: I finished The Way of Kings (great book) and now I'm starting another Sanderson novel, Mistborn. I worried that it would be too similar to Way of Kings but I'm enjoying it a lot so far. Next I'll probably read The Lies of Locke Lamora I tried The Gunslinger by Stephen King but, yet again, I was unable to get into one of his books. Mistborn series is amazing finished it earlier this year... There is apparently a 4th book, but I won't say anything else, and don't look it up until you read the original 3 | ||
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Salteador Neo
Andorra5591 Posts
On December 11 2012 22:57 Am0n3r wrote: Mistborn series is amazing finished it earlier this year... There is apparently a 4th book, but I won't say anything else, and don't look it up until you read the original 3 I just finished that 4th book a few days ago lol. Cool read. I've read everything there is by Sanderson after I finished the Mistborn saga a few years ago. The Way of Kings is superb :3 I also tried some other suggestions from this thread like The Black Tower by SKing or The Road. Didn't finish them, not my type >< I will take another chance with Locke this holiday I guess. | ||
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ThomasjServo
15244 Posts
On December 11 2012 10:12 {CC}StealthBlue wrote: I'd say wait for the paperback edition. Thanks for the advice. I may see what the ereader cost is as well, but I have been on a major non fiction kick and this seemed interesting. | ||
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Ramong
Denmark1706 Posts
My only complain about it was that book nr 2 was rather slow | ||
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sylverfyre
United States8298 Posts
On December 11 2012 21:21 Xxio wrote: I finished The Way of Kings (great book) and now I'm starting another Sanderson novel, Mistborn. I worried that it would be too similar to Way of Kings but I'm enjoying it a lot so far. Next I'll probably read The Lies of Locke Lamora I tried The Gunslinger by Stephen King but, yet again, I was unable to get into one of his books. I'm doing this in the other direction - I read the mistborn books and now I'm reading The Way of Kings. I really liked Mistborn, but I'm having a hard time really feeling 'into' Way of Kings - halfway through it and while various things are intriguing, it doesn't feel cohesive yet. I really do love Sanderson's worldbuilding in both cases, though - one of my favorite facets of fiction, and Sanderson does it well. Heard good things about Lies of Locke Lamora, I think I'll put it on the list! | ||
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SiroKO
France721 Posts
![[image loading]](http://media.biblys.fr/book/78/31078.jpg) Translation : Journey to the end of the night, Louis-Ferdinand Celine ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “When you stop to examine the way in which our words are formed and uttered, our sentences are hard-put to it to survive the disaster of their slobbery origins. The mechanical effort of conversation is nastier and more complicated than defecation. That corolla of bloated flesh, the mouth, which screws itself up to whistle, which sucks in breath, contorts itself, discharges all manner of viscous sounds across a fetid barrier of decaying teeth—how revolting! Yet that is what we are adjured to sublimate into an ideal. It's not easy. Since we are nothing but packages of tepid, half-rotted viscera, we shall always have trouble with sentiment. Being in love is nothing, its sticking together that's difficult. Feces on the other hand make no attempt to endure or grow. On this score we are far more unfortunate than shit; our frenzy to persist in ourpresent state—that's the unconscionable torture. Unquestionably we worship nothing more divine than our smell. All our misery comes from wanting at all costs to go on being Tom, Dick, or Harry, year in year out. This body of ours, this disguise put on by common jumping molecules, is in constant revolt against the abominable farce of having to endure. Our molecules, the dears, want to get lost in the universe as fast as they can! It makes them miserable to be nothing but 'us,' the jerks of infinity. We'd burst if we had the courage, day after day we come very close to it. The atomic torture we love so is locked up inside us by our pride.” ― Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the End of the Night __________ “whenever they get a chance, never fear, people make you waste hours and months ... they use you as a wall to bounce their bullshit off of ... blah! and blah! and blahblahblah! ... you put up with it for an hour, you'll need two weeks to recover ... blah! blah!” ― Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the End of the Night | ||
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adi_hsd
Romania74 Posts
On December 11 2012 19:50 Tobberoth wrote: Metamorphosis is fantastic, but I personally find his other work less enjoyable (not that I've read much of it, just what I've read so far). I've started on the trial and while it has a lot in common with Metamorphosis, I find the style far more irritating than I did in Metamorphosis. The surreal atmosphere and odd interactions make less sense when the plot is more realistic. In Metamorphosis, the whole premise is ridiculous, which sets the bar for everything, while the trial is a far more realistic book and thus the dialogs etc IMO become annoying when they don't really feel connected to how people act in real life. His style seems either the work of a madman or an extremely intelligent ahead of his time man. But i loved every page or Metamorphosis and the little I read from The Castle. On December 11 2012 21:24 AverageAsianDude wrote: im reading 2001 a space odyssey (i know a bit late) really cool book so far considering it was written in 1968 Ive read it last year and i felt silly for really not understanding the ending at all. But funny thing about it is i could have read a 500 page book based on the first chapter alone, that's how good it is. | ||
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silynxer
Germany439 Posts
On December 11 2012 19:50 Tobberoth wrote: Metamorphosis is fantastic, but I personally find his other work less enjoyable (not that I've read much of it, just what I've read so far). I've started on the trial and while it has a lot in common with Metamorphosis, I find the style far more irritating than I did in Metamorphosis. The surreal atmosphere and odd interactions make less sense when the plot is more realistic. In Metamorphosis, the whole premise is ridiculous, which sets the bar for everything, while the trial is a far more realistic book and thus the dialogs etc IMO become annoying when they don't really feel connected to how people act in real life. I once heard an anecdote about how Kafka would laugh while reading his stories to his friends, apparently thinking they are hilarious. This might be wrong but it gives you a different approach to reading Kafka and for me it worked. SiroKO: That's a good book albeit kind of depressing. I was really impressed by his style (in the German translation), too bad Celine became a raving fascist and nazi so that his later books are full of antisemitism. For those of you Germans who had to read "Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts" (Life of a Good-For-Nothing) in school, this should be mandatory accompanying reading. | ||
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GrapeApe
1053 Posts
![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b4/Wicked-poster.jpg) I'm really enjoying the world that has been created for Oz in these books and a lot of the issues that are brought to the forefront are pretty interesting. On the flip side I think it reads pretty slow and boring which is part of the reason I got bogged down in the middle. Hoping it picks up so I have the motivation to try another in the series, as the world of Oz has always seemed like a creative persons playgrounds with the whacky shit you can come up with. ![[image loading]](http://redditorschoice.com/img/wheel-time-book-7-crown-swords_2581_500.jpg) I hit this series hard. Burned through 6 books no problem and fully interested...but I dunno what happened. I just stopped. This always happens with me and long fantasy series that slow a bit in the middle, but I refuse to let it happen with this one (and to be honest the one I always think about, The Sword of Truth series, sucked ass so I'm not real worried about it). I'm really excited at the prospect of getting back into this one though. ![[image loading]](http://www.wegrokit.com/images/siasl87.jpg) Kicking it old school for a Sci-Fi class I'm taking. I'm not very far into the book at all, but Heinlein's writing, for whatever reason, appeals to me a great deal. I'm a little disappointed in myself that I hadn't ventured down this road sooner. I read Star Ship Troopers after I saw the movie as a kid, so I couldn't appreciate shit in that novel. Certainly going to have to go back and read it, and others, again. EDIT: Reading list for my sci-fi class: Stranger in a Strange Land Left Hand of Darkness The Time Machine I, Robot Rendezvous with Rama I'd say it's a pretty standard list, eh. EDIT2: On December 11 2012 21:21 Xxio wrote: I finished The Way of Kings (great book) and now I'm starting another Sanderson novel, Mistborn. I worried that it would be too similar to Way of Kings but I'm enjoying it a lot so far. Next I'll probably read The Lies of Locke Lamora I tried The Gunslinger by Stephen King but, yet again, I was unable to get into one of his books. This isn't a great shocker or anything, as I would say his writing style can be pretty hit or miss for a lot of people and, as fantasy novels, they aren't anything spectacular. A lot of the love that DT series gets is simply the fact that if you're a King fan, and you've been reading him for years and you've read The Stand and 'Salems Lot, and his short stories, and however many umpteen novels he has...DT tower ties, like, all of that shit together in some way. It's an impressive feat of writing, of knowing your worlds and characters, more so than it is a great piece of fantasy literature. I can say that the series does get better in the later books, but the ending makes you want to light your house on fire. So, if you don't already harbor a cult following love of Stephen King and his writing I'm wouldn't bother trying to get into it, because as I said it isn't a good stand alone fantasy series, imo :\ And some King fans just don't like his fantasy writing style/storytelling, so that could be it too. | ||
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Chase123
Canada23 Posts
Currently on book 5 ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/axPlw.jpg) I wrote a brief description for those who might be interested in the series and not know how it starts. + Show Spoiler + You quickly jump into the seemingly simple lives of farmers and shepherds in a shire-esque homage to Tolkien, but things start getting a little weird around this years Bel'tine and a strange black rider has been seen around the town of Emond's Field. The annual festival is the talk of the town and it is rumored there will be fireworks and even a Gleeman has shown up, something unheard of in a place called the Two Rivers. For the first time in a long time travelers have shown up, a female looking strangely young but wise at the same time with blue eyes that seemed to look into you and a man with a stony face who moves with great grace and confidence. Much attention has been drawn to these travelers as usually only peddlers or traders visit the Two Rivers. If only the simple folk in the town would believe Rand al'Thor about the black rider, with its stare of pure hatred and villainy, but nothing ever happened in the Two Rivers. I saw your post about New Spring Am0n3r, it is recommended to read New Spring after The Shadow Rising. + Show Spoiler + On December 11 2012 20:09 Am0n3r wrote: Uh... Currently reading The Leadership Challenge It is actually a really good book that covers a variety of topics on what makes a good leader. It has a very in depth study that backs everything up and a lot of good real life examples... I feel like it makes me a better person and a better leader, lots of lessons to learn on. I am taking it kind of slow and I feel like by the time I am done with it, I will just start it over... :D Also reading The Wheel of Time: Book 1 New Spring Heard a lot of good things about the series, and was searching for something new to read after finishing the Game of Thrones series... So far it was good and I am also moving slow on this as I have lots of other books I am reading... Also reading some of Russian poetry and classic novels... to brush up on my native Russian and expand my vocabulary in that =/ tough... Also reading some of the Ender's series.. just finished Ender's Shadow and was to read Xenocide, but it started slow for me... so perhaps going to re-read game of thrones series or lord of the rings series... or maybe I will go and re-read by managerial accounting book :D | ||
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corumjhaelen
France6884 Posts
On December 12 2012 01:24 SiroKO wrote: Translation : Journey to the end of the night, Louis-Ferdinand Celine ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “When you stop to examine the way in which our words are formed and uttered, our sentences are hard-put to it to survive the disaster of their slobbery origins. The mechanical effort of conversation is nastier and more complicated than defecation. That corolla of bloated flesh, the mouth, which screws itself up to whistle, which sucks in breath, contorts itself, discharges all manner of viscous sounds across a fetid barrier of decaying teeth—how revolting! Yet that is what we are adjured to sublimate into an ideal. It's not easy. Since we are nothing but packages of tepid, half-rotted viscera, we shall always have trouble with sentiment. Being in love is nothing, its sticking together that's difficult. Feces on the other hand make no attempt to endure or grow. On this score we are far more unfortunate than shit; our frenzy to persist in ourpresent state—that's the unconscionable torture. Unquestionably we worship nothing more divine than our smell. All our misery comes from wanting at all costs to go on being Tom, Dick, or Harry, year in year out. This body of ours, this disguise put on by common jumping molecules, is in constant revolt against the abominable farce of having to endure. Our molecules, the dears, want to get lost in the universe as fast as they can! It makes them miserable to be nothing but 'us,' the jerks of infinity. We'd burst if we had the courage, day after day we come very close to it. The atomic torture we love so is locked up inside us by our pride.” ― Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the End of the Night __________ “whenever they get a chance, never fear, people make you waste hours and months ... they use you as a wall to bounce their bullshit off of ... blah! and blah! and blahblahblah! ... you put up with it for an hour, you'll need two weeks to recover ... blah! blah!” ― Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the End of the Night Such an incredible novel. The first 50 pages alone are enough to put it among my favorite works. | ||
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sam!zdat
United States5559 Posts
On December 12 2012 01:45 GrapeApe wrote: EDIT: Reading list for my sci-fi class: Do you mind telling where you are studying and who your professor is? On December 12 2012 01:36 silynxer wrote: I once heard an anecdote about how Kafka would laugh while reading his stories to his friends, apparently thinking they are hilarious. This might be wrong but it gives you a different approach to reading Kafka and for me it worked. haha yes Kafka is always joking! nice anecdote | ||
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