1984 is a book everyone should read. It's one of those books that people make references (Big Brother) to all the time, but you wouldn't know it if you haven't read it.
And now I'm in the middle of A Clash of Kings. HBO should really develop a Stannis & Renly spin-off sitcom. "2 high-born brothers (one is charming, the other dour!) lose everything they own and move in together in King's Landing! With Tyrion Lannister as their wacky neighbor!"
haven't been as highbrow as the clutchans reading club regulars.... I'm following up Shaq's book (very light, easy to read, about what you'd expect from Shaq -- but decent enough fluff)... with Howard Cosell's book from the mid 80's. I Never Played the Game. It's definitely dated, but a good read for any of the old codgers who used to listen to Howard and lived through the Al Davis / Muhamad Ali eras.
I'm actually about to start reading one of my college text books i never opened while in school. I was always intrigued by history, but when i graduated i read more in just the first few months than i read in all 4.5 years of college. After that I am going to read another old textbook on Game Theory, pretty sure it is by axelrod and this one I actually read parts of...ill post the title later because it has some pretty funny anecdotes/game theory examples
A welcome update on A Red Country courtesy of Joe Abercrombie's blog: Sounds like we'll get the usual returning characters as well as some new ones. I'm so relieved that it looks like he's on pace for a 2012 release. He's putting out books about every 18 months, which ain't bad compared to Martin, Rothfuss, Lynch, etc.
Just finished the Hunger Games trilogy. Very impressed. The third book, Mockingjay, was especially good.
You just made Scribo's head explode. RIP Scribo. I'm about half a week behind on my goal to read 52 books this year. Right now, I'm reading When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris and should finish it tonight or tomorrow. He's not as funny as everyone thinks he is, but it cracks me up everytime he mentions his sister Amy cause I just think of her character on Strangers With Candy. Moving onto the latest Palahniuk after this, so I'm very excited about being disturbed in some way. Maybe he'll introduce me to a fetish where people **** their own ears with Dustbusters and one of the characters accidentally sucks their brains out while cumming or some ****. That man has a jacked-up mind.
Just in time to watch the new trailer that came out yesterday. I'm re-reading H.L. Mencken's best work, Notes on Democracy. I always have to read it every election cycle to maintain my sanity. Some quotes: Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler
just finished the second book last night myself. so far, everything i've read that was said about the 3rd book has been the opposite. hope i enjoy it as much as you.
Which Palahniuk book? His latest is Damned and there are no shenanigans of the sort you mentioned. Imagine "The Breakfast Club" in hell.
I only just know pieced back together my skull. Going to need a lot of aspirin today. To each their own. I finished up A Feast for Crows last night. After bemoaning the lack of primary characters in FoC, I settled in and was engrossed by the end. I didn't exactly appreciate the cliffhangers at the end, and I can only imagine the frustration if I had to wait 5+ years between books. Luckily, I was able to move right on to A Dance with Dragons. In some ways it was a disappointment to move back to the main POV's from the first three books after having a different perspective. The timeline was a bit jarring, especially revisiting characters from FoC before their actions in that novel. I've only read the first five chapters and glimpsed the opening salvos on where this novel is going, but it was exciting to get back to familiar characters. Looking forward to seeing where this goes and then joining the legion of bitter Martin fans waiting on his next novel.
That's it and good. I've been checking my library for this and they haven't had it yet. Time to check again.
I think one of the real strengths of the series is Collins' refusal to paint people and events in black and white. This is most evident in the third book. After I read your comment, I took a quick look at MockingJay reviews and the first three I saw (LA Times, NY Times, and CS Monitor) were all positive.
I just discovered iTunes University. Been listening to lectures on all kinds of topics and building a reading list. Currently listening to a Shakespeare class from Oxford. That said, my guilty pleasure right now is the first Harry Dresden book by Jim Butcher, Storm Front. Entertaining so far.
I finally wrapped up the Martin series last night. Pretty good overall, but I got a bit fatigued by the end. I do wonder how the hell he will wrap things up in two more books, especially with how much the pace slowed in the past two entries. I thought I would be frustrated that the next book is possibly decades away from being released, but I'm fine with the wait. Even with some of the cliffhanger elements to A Dance with Dragons, I'm not salivating to get my hands on the next book. That will probably change once there's a solid release date for Book 6. However, I still put my money on Martin dying before he finishes writing the series. I'm looking forward now to getting to watch the HBO series. I would definitely recommend the series for those who like modern fantasy. I was going to do a palate cleansing and read something light for my next book, but I decided to dive right into something meaty. Up next: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alenadre Dumas, unabridged version. It's downright confusing how many verisons of this book there are. There are different translations, but apparently Buss is the best modern translation. I think I got the unabridged version. Naturally they usually don't say, and it's hard to tell page count when you're reading it on the kindle. The abridged is 600 pages, while the unabridged clocks in around 1,200. This book plays a role in the new Carlos Ruiz Zafon novel, The Prisoner of Heaven, and I've read that knowing the details of this book will enrich the reading experience on the Zafon novel. This has been on my to-read list for over 20 years now. Glad I'm finally setting out to read it.
You left out the part where the decapitated head of one of hell's residents cunnilingised a giant she-demon. I'm about to start Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner. It's a history of the CIA and based on the author's foreward, what a complete failure it's been since its inception. I'm prepared to be scared.
Scribo: Amusingly, I just finished The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. It's chock full of [mostly] true details about Dumas and how he wrote, who influenced him, etc. Great book, with a pretty solid (if underwhelming) twist at the end. First novel I've read in a long time. I also finished The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba. Inspiring read - also recommended.
Just finished reading 11/23/63 by Stephen King. Really interesting read about the ramifications of the Kennedy assassination (not really the crux of the book, but definitely a major side plot), and what affect it had on America going forward. In usual Stephen King fashion, he's able to draw you in with a lot of colloquial dialogue, and his ability to state absolutely horrifying occurrences in very matter-of-fact ways. Plus, he talks a LOT of **** about Dallas which is always a plus .
