Time for a new reading thread for 2011. You can find the older threads here: 2009 What are you reading? 2010 What are you reading? I’m still plowing through Steven Erikson’s epic Malazan Book of the Fallen series with a brief detour to read a potty training book (one child trained :grin: , one to go ). I just finished the third book, Memories of Ice, and am excited to see what the middle third series of this epic series will reveal. Spoiler I don’t believe for one second that Whiskeyjack is dead. Quick Ben is one seriously cool bad ass. There are some mighty fine (I hope) books coming out in 2011 that I’m eagerly anticipating. I feel like I’m dorking out on fantasy, but I’m really enjoying this new wave of fantasy authors. 1) The Five by Robert McCammon (May 31) McCammon rocketed back into the publishing world a few years ago with the first three books of his excellent Matthew Corbett series, which follows a would-be Sherlock Holmes character in Colonial America. I cannot wait for the fourth book, The Providence Rider. McCammon decided to take a year break from the Corbett series to write The Five, which about a band on their final tour. He’s called it his best work to date, which is enough to make me buy the first day I can get my hands on it. 2) A Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss (Mar 1). This is the second novel in the Kingkiller trilogy and is arriving two years late. The first book, The Name of the Wind, was an epic masterpiece of an opening novel. I am fine with the long wait between books if the time helps make this book the best it can be. Rothfuss blogs like a madman, and from his updates he certainly seems to have spent this time honing this novel through multiple edits (unlike Martin…). 3) The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch (Feb 22). Lynch made a brilliant debut with The Lies of Locke Lamora, a book about Locke Lamora and his gang of con men running confidence games in a fantasy setting. His followup was good, but a lot more ponderous and not as much fun as the first. After a few years off, Lynch is set to launch his third book, which sounds like it’ll be back to the roots of the first book. I’ve read about 60 pages that Lynch has released on his website, and it certainly hearkens back to Lies with the flashback chapters and much more lively writing. Locke and Sabetha crossing wits with rival groups of Bond Mages sounds divine. 4) The Crippled God by Steven Erikson (Feb 22). I’m reading Erikson currently, and this sucker is the final chapter in this epic tale. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this series is going to end. 5) The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie (Feb 7). I seriously grooved on Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy and enjoyed Best Served Cool nearly as much. This book is another stand alone novel, and I’m looking forward to getting introduced to some new characters and revisit old characters with Abercrombie’s gritty, gory, darkly humorous tone. Abercrombie also just announced that he’s under contract to write one more stand alone novel after The Heroes and then another trilogy. I’m very exited that the story line from The First Law will get some serious development in the coming years. 6) Scorpia Rising by Anthony Horowitz (Apr 5). The Alex Rider is pulp fiction schlock, but it’s good fun popcorn reading. This apparently is the final novel in the series. Also got a Kindle for Christmas. I won’t buy any of the first five above, but maybe Scorpia Rising. That seems like perfect book for the Kindle.
Almost done with Globalization and it's Discontents by Stiglitz and about halfway through What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula. After that I'm not sure - I have a pile to go through but I'm leaning towards Tuchman's The Guns of August which I should have read earlier but never got around to. Scribo, I too need to finally read Erickson - I just always seem to find an excuse...
that sucks. i picked up hunger games by suzanne collins because i'd seen snippets about the trilogy and read the description of this one and thought it was right up my alley. i had no idea they were young adult sci-fi novels, but holy crap, i don't care...this book is amazing.
... Spoiler Not really a spoiler in answer, but it may ruin the fun for other people pursuing the books, so I'll spoiler it anyway. You could say that the Malazan world is even worse than comic books; no one -really- dies, as is shown in detail in the first three books. People ascend, get cursed with forever life (Callor), are 'born' into divers and soultaken, can merge their souls with other people as with QB, can be reborn, as with Tattersail/Nightchill/Beladon, can be resurrected by gods....and then there are different types of death, as with Dragnipur....which two of the Hounds escaped from. Heck, some races are just immortal as with all of the Tistes, Jags, etc... Outside of the cool info, did you find Memories a little slow in some places? blah blah blah...seems like a dip in the series in terms of action. Spoiler The whole Itkovian sequences, Toc the Younger's imprisonment, etc. Erikson has said that he likes poetry, and it's obvious in this book. I'm still pushing through the end of it right now on my second re 'read'. It puts me to sleep, literally. Also- I really enjoyed Best Served Cold, and plan to read all of Ambercrombe's books this year if time allows. Lastly, I have a feeling that the next George R. R. Martin book will launch at the same time as the HBO series to maximize sales. That will go straight to the top of my personal queue regardless of reading commitments. That reminds me, I should probably re-read Feast for Crows....
I just finished reading "Under the Dome" by Stephen King. It was pretty good but typical King. You kind of know what you are getting. I'm not sure this one will be made into a movie but I could see it happening.
Reading the Scott Pilgrim comics. Lovable is how I would describe them. I'm also in the middle of A Clash of Kings.
I'm still reading Halting State. It's a cyber thriller but slow going so far. I think I'm only about 80 pages in.
Regarding Memories of Ice: Spoiler I did appreciate the huge amount of information dropped on me during that book, but it was a bit ponderous. The first book flitted along quite rapidly, while the second bogged down a bit with a few of the characters. The third dragged out for me. It's a long book, but I should have finished it a lot quicker. A couple of times I found myself putting it down for the night because I wasn't up to reading a lengthy chapter on Itkovian, Lady Envy, or Toc the Younger. It took me one night to dust off 200 pages of House of Chains. The font size is larger, but the writing and pace was a lot more lively. Malazan as a whole: Spoiler Still, I'm enjoying the series a whole. I'm not sure what's up with the first few hundred pages of House of Chains. Not exactly how I thought it would start out. I had the same thoughts about characters dying. It almost seemed Jordanesque how people keep coming back to life in different ways. As long as there is some eventual finality to the plot lines, I'm okay with it. You're going to love the First Law trilogy when you get a chance to read it. Abercrombie deserves to be listed with Lynch, Rothfuss, Martin, and Erikson as one of the pillars of modern fantasy writers. I think you're wrong about Martin. Dance with Dragons will be a huge book and need some time to go into production. If it was imminent, word would have leaked out by now. I think HBO would also be pimping that a new book was coming out to get all the fans into a lather for the show. I read Pat's Fantasy Hotlist for updates on these things, and there's been no word from Martin. The blog's author is apparently on speaking terms with Martin and has a character modeled after him who gets axed in Dance with Dragons. But if you're right, there might be a bigger explosion of fanboy excitement on the internet than if Scarlett Johansson finally did a nude scene.
Just finished With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by E. SLedge Now currently reading Are You there, Vodka? It's Me Chelsea by Chelsea Handler Next book is The Help by Kathryn Stockett
