Books, Books?, Books!, Books...What are YOU reading? aka the WoT, GoT, Orson Scott Card thread

[Hatedregret]

You're all nuts if you choose Drizzt over Jarlaxle Baenre. All I'm sayin.

[Indalecia]

Close, but like I said, Liriel Baenre > all the other pussies(yes, even commander "LOOK AT MY HAT!")

[shukudai]

Suggested before, gonna suggest again:

The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind, and The Wise Man's Fear). Best shit in a while, a little slow, but the guy's a great story teller.

[Doombear]

You're all nuts if you choose Drizzt over Jarlaxle Baenre. All I'm sayin.

I totally agree =P Although I am well behind on these. I think I read the Dark Elf Trilogy last, when it was still new. So yeah that should tell you how far behind I am. Are there some that are (forgive me) skippable as more sidestories than main canon? I want to read more but goddamn there are tons.

As for what I am reading/have read/have on my Kindle Fire:
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami - Fucking insane like everything else he writes and huge as shit. Very good though, if not a bit slow at times.
REAMDE by Neal Stephenson - One of my favorite authors. I loved Cryptonomicon. This is just... something else. Parts MMORPG, part terrorism, part espionage... all good.
The Magicians / The Magician King by Lev Grossman - Finished the first book, haven't quite started the second.
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline - So far I am really liking this one. Future is a shithole, everyone spends most of their time in a virtual world called OASIS. The creator died, and has left his 200+ billion to the first 'player' in OASIS that can find his 3 keys which can be anywhere in OASIS. Rife with pop culture 80's references, so far very very cool.

Some others that I have on my radar but haven't read yet... just in case you want to check em out on Amazon (or tell me they suck). Maybe you will like the way they sound.

Divergent by Veronica Roth
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
Alice in Deadland by Mainak Dhar
the Wool series by Hugh Howey
Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
Green and Endurance by Jay Lake
Supergods by Grant Morrison
The Half Made World by Felix Gilman

[shukudai]

Question: Have any of you read the Vampire Hunter D novels? The actual novels stuff is based on? I liked the first movie, and I really liked Bloodlust, but I can hardly find anyone who's read any of the novels, and there are like 22 of them.

[Byrd]

Just finished Ready Player One, would recommend it to anyone on this forum, because we are all, most likely, part of the target demographic. A few minor gripes with it, but nothing big enough to take away from the overall enjoyment. Would make a decent movie too, I think.

I just finished Ready Player One as well. Holy cow, that was fun. It was certainly no Dickens, but I would describe it as The Da Vinci Code for nerds. A lot of fun, more geek culture references than you can shake a stick at, and ridiculous amounts of nostalgia and geek-out moments. This store review says it better than I can:



Did I mention Wil Wheaton did the audio book version?

My only concern about adapting for a movie is the ridiculous amounts of rights you might have to buy in order to be able to pull it off right. Making up fake games and movies of a similar nature just wouldn't be the same.

[Silenka]

Some thoughts on Dark Elves:

Jarlaxle is indeed THE man of the Drizzt series. He is my fav character.

Liriel is pretty cool, but I still liked the Drizzt books better... I am rereading them now actually! They are still as good as I remember.

Some thoughts on Ender:

The rest of the Ender's Game books were the point, Ender's Game was just the introduction. If you like philosophy and hypothetics/rhetorics, do read the rest of the Ender books. If you like politics, intrigue and genetics, read the Bean books. Both series are very good although the Ender's ones can get pretty damn long-winded. I admit they are a bit preachy but most books are trying to pass on some lesson or thought of the author's, that's not really unusual.

[MaachaQ]

Glad I checked this thread, I just renewed my Audible subscription and was looking for some new things to listen to.

As for recommendations, I'd like to add the Sword of Truth series. Not really the best books, and I dislike how the author tortures his characters, but they're a good read/listen and the world is interesting.

[Indalecia]

Kahlan is such a good character, but Goodkind turns her into fucking princes goddamned Peach 9/10. "Help me Richard, I has been kidnapped again. :*("

[Odin'sLaw]

would anyone recommend nineteen eighty four? i've heard its pretty strange but enjoyable, i've also heard Americans do/can study it at school (sadly not such luck in England)

[Omniyoji]

I read it for high school and I liked it. Maybe check out the BBC's version of it (1954). It's on youtube if you haven't seen it.

[Rulke]

would anyone recommend nineteen eighty four? i've heard its pretty strange but enjoyable, i've also heard Americans do/can study it at school (sadly not such luck in England)

It was required reading for me in High School. Depressing as fuck, but enjoyable none the less.

[Souj]

I read it last week. I didn't like it too much. It was full of dry information (which is needed due to a brand new futuristic setting). Story elements were all lame too I thought. And the fact the the book was pretty much just a "warning" against certain forms of government.

[Kerberoz]

would anyone recommend nineteen eighty four? i've heard its pretty strange but enjoyable, i've also heard Americans do/can study it at school (sadly not such luck in England)

I'd recommend reading it, if nothing else, because of how influential it is. Afterward, read Brave New World for the realistic version.

[spd]

Making mah way through Tom Clancy atm, only the main books for now, starting with hunt for red october, which is a fantastic story, it never really reaches that level again, but hunt should be a must read for anyone.

[Silenka]

Wasn't a big fan of 1984 but I do respect the message it sends.

[Doombear]

It's always a hard recommend, due to the series getting canceled and not ending well, but I loved the Chung Kuo series by David Wingrove. Huge cast, GoT huge.

Anyway I hadn't realized that his re-telling was already underway. The first two "new" books are released, with 12 more to go. The original run was 8 books, with a 9th never finished. Now he is rewriting the entire thing and I am stoked that it has finally begun!

He is projecting 2014 for a finish date... I hope he doesn't die first.

[Odin'sLaw]

It's always a hard recommend, due to the series getting canceled and not ending well, but I loved the Chung Kuo series by David Wingrove. Huge cast, GoT huge.

Anyway I hadn't realized that his re-telling was already underway. The first two "new" books are released, with 12 more to go. The original run was 8 books, with a 9th never finished. Now he is rewriting the entire thing and I am stoked that it has finally begun!

He is projecting 2014 for a finish date... I hope he doesn't die first.

didn't that happen to an author a few years back started his last book half way through he popped his clogs?

[Indalecia]

Assume you're referring to Robert Jordan. He knew the end was coming so his wife sat with him for days/weeks in the hospital making notes so that when he died someone could carry on and finish the story. She chose Brandon Sanderson to finish WoT.

[synistar]

Currently rereading the Hyperion Cantos (Hyperion, Fall, Endymion, Rise). Enjoyed it the first time I read them years ago, even moreso the 2nd time around.

I remember hating reading 1984 for high school. Now more than 10 years later, I know why people use "Orwellian" as an adjective.