The "What Are You Reading Right Now" Thread

[1234-5678 0]

"The Death Of WCW"

Was anyone else disappointed by this? I knew almost every piece of info in there, and some of it had already been covered in the "Sex Lies and Headlocks" book on McMahon.

 

On a side note, are any of the newer useless moron Scott Keith books good? I remember enjoying his first one.

[chaosrage 0]

"The Plague" by Albert Camus &

"Drawing for Dummies"

 

Just finished Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" not too long ago.

 

Could anybody recommend some other good sci-fi/fantasy series in this vein?  I like LOTR and the Dark Tower but I haven't read anything else in this genre.

Definitely Song of Ice and Fire. I've never met a single person that read it and didn't love it. The first book is Game of Thrones.

 

Here's some posts from a different board to make you want to read it.

 

After much careful deliberation, I have determined that it would be absolutely impossible to over-hype Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" series. I would best describe it as historical fantasy. It takes a little while to really get into it, but god damnit after about 200 pages I was absolutely, hopelessly addicted. This guy throws in more plot twists than anyone I've ever read before. He develops his characters (and great googly moogly, are there a LOT of characters) with incredible skill. Every single character is....real. There are no good guys or bad guys. Just individuals with many layers. Martin gets you inside their heads to see what makes them all tick. Every character has at least one trait that EVERYONE can identify with.  This series had, and has, me firmly in it's grasp. I'll be one of the countless dorks waiting at the bookstore for them to put the first batch of "A Feast For Crows" onto the shelves.

 

The only reasons that I can think of that someone who reads the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series would not really like it are that:

 

1) they suck at reading and hate it, regardless of what they are reading.

 

2) they hate fantasy to the point of refusing to read ANY of it.

 

3) they are easily offended by sex, violence or profanity.

 

Martin has genre-hopped for over 20 years and aSoIaF is his first epic fantasy series. If you read quotations from him regarding the series and read interviews that he has given (he is extremely accessible to his large fan base) you will see that he revered Tolkien but despises pretty much every fantasy writer that has written since then.

 

While the novels are fun and exciting and really well-plotted, they definitely are closer to historical fiction than they are to swords and sorcery fantasy.

 

You may not even notice how mediocre and shallow most epic fantasy is until you read aSoIaF. Most epic fantasy is fluff. It can be fun and interesting and it provides decent entertainment but it isn't hard-hitting or intense or brilliant. Martin's intended his series to be sort of the 'anti' epic fantasy series and he has succeeded so far.

 

The plotting is fucking mind-boggling. In a series this long, with such a huge and varied (but interesting and unique) cast of characters he manages to make few, if any, mistakes or allow inconsistencies. Not only does he not fuck up or overlook things, he stays multiple steps ahead of the reader. No matter how hard you try you can not predict what will happen. That said, you never get the feeling of "Oh, that was gay, he pulled that out of his ass."

 

You find yourself going "OMG, I can't believe that just happened" and then a few minutes later going "How did I NOT see this?" Everything is consistent and logical and the actual involvement of 'magic' is minimal and mysterious. I have been absolutely blind-sided by plot twists more than once but I have yet find an instance of him 'cheating' or doing something that is out of character for the characters or out of sync with the universe in which the story is set.

 

Off the top of my head, I am not sure I have ever read ANY epic series (fantasy, sci-fi, or otherwise) that had such brilliant and flawless plotting.

 

I have a bad habit of reading books in one sitting. I read pretty fast so the average 400 page book takes me about 8 hours, assuming the prose isn't REALLY difficult or slow (for example, Gene Wolfe) and maybe ~80-100 pages/hour on easy reading stuff (say a Star Wars book, a BattleTech book, etc.).

 

I was so into a A Clash of Kings that I ended up trying to read it all in one sitting but that would be over 10 hours of reading. I just couldn't put it down. I never fell asleep but about 150 pages from the end my eyes were burning so bad that I was literally crying. My vision got so blurry that I couldn't read so I stopped for a minute to blink and try and refocus my eyes and once my eyes started watering it burned like a motherfucker. I think that that is the only time I have ever been where I literally couldn't read anymore even if my life depended upon it.

 

The fucking bastard has each chapter from a specific character's point of view so if there is something exciting happening when a chapter ends then you have to wait for that character's next chapter to continue that particular part of the story (since it is spread over a large geographical area and also over time, in a sense [it isn't flashbacks so much as a function of the slow speed at which information travels across great distances in that universe in which the story is set]).

 

He only uses the POV of 4-5 characters per novel though (not always the same ones, plus you never know who will be around for the next novel) so it doesn't get confusing but it keeps you turning pages frantically for 4 more chapters just to see what happens next with a particular character.

 

Fucking bastard.

 

BTW, the first novel might start a little slow. I didn't mind it but I guess that I can see how others might. I have a hard time understanding how anyone who got through, say, half of the first novel could not be hooked though. To me, it is a lot faster and more enjoyable to read than LOTR (I loved LOTR but I did think that it dragged on at times, which is the only real criticism that I had of it) but your mileage might vary.

 

i think THE most amazing thing about a song of ice and fire by george rr martin is that the series actually gets better as you read more of it. you'd think that after the second book or so, he would fall into the trap that so many other authors have encountered (ROBERT JORDAN SNOOZEFEST) because of how long and large it is but heck no. wtfs. write feast for crows already you slow ass bastard

 

yeah. George RR Martin fucking rules house.

 

its 3 books right now...and i think its been about 17 years that weve been waiting for Feast of Crows to come out. he keeps delaying it.

 

the book series was fucking amazing. its the one series that i DIDNT fly thru. i normally read books in a few day...some in a day cuz i get captivated.

 

i FORCED myself not to do this so i could fully enjoy the books. they fucking rock.

[Youth N Asia 0]

"The Death Of WCW"

Was anyone else disappointed by this? I knew almost every piece of info in there, and some of it had already been covered in the "Sex Lies and Headlocks" book on McMahon.

 

On a side note, are any of the newer useless moron useless moron Scott Keith books good? I remember enjoying his first one.

Haven't read it, but I was very disapointed in RD's "Wrestlecrap" book. After I finished it I really wanted my $15 back.

[Nighthawk 0]

Didn't mind it, myself, though I don't generally read about that stuff on the internet, nor read similar books. A little breezy.

[Anorak 0]

"Bad Chili" by Joe R. Lansdale. God, this book kicks all kinds of ass, especially the dialouge

I've enjoyed 'Rumble Tumble' and 'Freezer Burn' by Lansdale. Both were funny. I particularly liked 'Red' the midget from 'Tumble'.

[1234-5678 0]

"Better Living Through Death" by Alan Ball and Alan Poul

[Guest Fire and Knives]

Richard A. Posner, Public Intellectuals: A Study of Decline

[Guest MikeSC]

After 3 pages, I'm stunned nobody replied

 

"The post above mine"

-=Mike

[CanadianChris 0]

On a side note, are any of the newer useless moron useless moron Scott Keith books good? I remember enjoying his first one.

My copy of useless moron Scott Keith's second book is currently residing at the local Salvation Army. I dunno why I bought it, but I hope he enjoyed the royalties.

 

Right now I'm reading "How To Lie With Statistics."

[1234-5678 0]

"Live From New York" by James A. Miller and Tom Shales

[Nighthawk 0]

Right now I'm reading "How To Lie With Statistics."

I'd think you wouldn't need a book to know that.

[1234-5678 0]

"Post Office" by Charles Bukowski

[LessonInMachismo 0]

I am reading both For Us, The Living by Robert A. Heinlein and the Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matt Stover.

[Gary Floyd 0]

"Peaceable Kingdom" by Jack Ketchum

[Jingus 0]

I finally finished reading the massive multi-year storyline in the recent Hulk comics, and boy was the ending a letdown. To find out that The Leader was in charge of the secret government agency, and his whole plan was just trying to "mentally wear down" the Hulk, so that he could take control of Hulk and get it to come recharge the batteries in the life-support system that was keeping the Leader's brain alive in its big jar was about as disappointing as finding out who Hush really was.

[nl5xsk1 0]

Right now I'm reading "Sellevision: A Novel", but I'm literally just three chapters in, just started it last night. I'd just finished "American Skin" (terrible book, read it in two sittings because of how simply it was written) and then started re-reading "Chopper" but remembered how painful that was to read so aborted it just a few chapters in.

 

 

 

"Post Office" by Charles Bukowski

Great choice, JAxl. I'm a huge Bukowski fan; I prefer his short stories to his poems, but it's all good.

[1234-5678 0]

"Post Office" by Charles Bukowski

Great choice, JAxl. I'm a huge Bukowski fan; I prefer his short stories to his poems, but it's all good.

I finished it in a couple of days, and man it was fucking outstanding. I am going to buy "Ham On Rye" next I think.

[Henry Spencer 0]

Ulysses by James Joyce. Finished the first two episodes today.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Hold on tight. Episode #3, Proteus, is the first real killer.

[Henry Spencer 0]

For all the horror stories I've heard about how inaccessable and baffling Ulysses is, I'm finding it surprisingly easy to read.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

It's not as difficult as the reputation suggests, but the first two episodes are without a doubt two of the most straightforward in the entire book. It gets tougher, than easier, and then there's some toughness all throughout.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Death of WCW

 

I'm about 2/3 into it, I'm enjoying it for the most part. I didn't watch much WCW from 98 till the end, so a lot of this is news to me

[Si82 0]

"Are You Dave Gorman?" by Dave Gorman & Danny Wallace

 

I just finished "Dave Gorman's Googlewhack Adventure" and enjoyed it so I thought I would pick up his first book. It doesn't seem as good so far but maybe it'll get better. I'll probably get "Join Me" by Danny Wallace next.

 

As for "The Death of WCW", I throughly enjoyed it despited already knowing a good chunk of the information in the book. It reminded my of things I'd forgotten. A good, quick read.

[Special K 0]

i just read 'the Baker's Boy' , and am continuing on with the series. It's pretty damn good, despite it being mostly ~political intrigue~! Oh, and Hana Yori Dango. I love that. I'm such a woman.

[godthedog 0]

It's not as difficult as the reputation suggests, but the first two episodes are without a doubt two of the most straightforward in the entire book. It gets tougher, than easier, and then there's some toughness all throughout.

something about me really hates the transition from "nausicaa" to "oxen of the sun." it's 30+ straight pages of the freest and easiest reading in the whole fucking book, and it's beautiful, then suddenly you run into a wall of impenetrable prose.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

something about me really hates the transition from "nausicaa" to "oxen of the sun." it's 30+ straight pages of the freest and easiest reading in the whole fucking book, and it's beautiful, then suddenly you run into a wall of impenetrable prose.

It's a bit of a pain. "Nausicaa" has the same freewheeling fantastic spirit as the end of Chapter IV in Portrait of the Artist, and you do hit that invocation rather abruptly. Fortunately, I think "Oxen of the Sun" picks up substantially once you've "evolved" about half of the way. And then there's "Circe," which just flies. As part of my Ulysses seminar last year, we tried acting out some of "Circe." The best laid plans...

 

Coat, don't leave us hanging on your progress. You're increasing the board's Ulysses readers by 50%.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

"The Plague" by Albert Camus &

"Drawing for Dummies"

 

Just finished Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" not too long ago.

 

Could anybody recommend some other good sci-fi/fantasy series in this vein?  I like LOTR and the Dark Tower but I haven't read anything else in this genre.

Try the DragonLance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is good but the books run from 600-1200 pages per book.

[Vyce 0]

"The Plague" by Albert Camus &

"Drawing for Dummies"

 

Just finished Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" not too long ago.

 

Could anybody recommend some other good sci-fi/fantasy series in this vein?  I like LOTR and the Dark Tower but I haven't read anything else in this genre.

Try the DragonLance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is good but the books run from 600-1200 pages per book.

The original Dragonlance Chronicles is good, as well as the somewhat sequel trilogy involving Caramon & Raistlin (which is a REALLY well done series, especially if you're a Raistlin fan). The franchise suffers, though, from the same problems as Star Wars' extended universe, in that the quality of the supplemental books really varies.

 

If you still want some good sci-fi / fantasy series, I suggest Tad William's 4-volume "Otherworld" series (which is more sci-fi, but has many fantasy elements), and a strong recommendation for China Mieville's New Crobuzon series. Mieville's series is some of the best sci-fi / fantasy published today, although the books really transcend genres.

 

Oh, and I absolutely loathe Joyce's Ulysses. What a horrid mess of a novel.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Yeah I've heard the extra stuff with the Dragonlance books has sucked for the most part but he can't go wrong with the original trilogy. Quick reads compared to some of the long winded books out there. As long as he avoids anything not written by Weis and Hickman together he won't run into the crap.

[Henry Spencer 0]

Coat, don't leave us hanging on your progress. You're increasing the board's Ulysses readers by 50%.

Haven't had much time to read lately, as I've been in the process of gutting my personal belongings to prepare for college. I'm about halfway through episode 4 right now. Three took a bit of mental acrobatics and rereading bits of it, but it was worth it. I'm thinking I may end up enjoying the Bloom sections of the book more, as I didn't care for Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man very much.