@denver - I have been picking away at Dickens' Barnaby Rudge for a month or so now. It was one I knew virtually nothing about, so it is a slower read that others. I read Oliver Twist over Christmas, but that was the third time through for me on that one.
About a quarter of the way through this, filling big gaps in my knowledge of American history.
Also started reading Arthur C. Clarke's 'Rama Revealed', having enjoyed one of the earlier ones in the series and seen it for 50 cents at the thrift store' but it's so poorly written I doubt whether I'll make it through. As I belatedly look at the reviews, I see one reviewer put it well: "This is the sort of reading that makes you think longingly of scrubbing the bathtub grout with bleach and a baby toothbrush." Avoid.
Awesome Craig. I really need to read some DFW. I have a copy of his essay "A supposedly fun thing I'll never do again" about cruise ships I keep meaning to read. My hipster cred is low.
Right now, I'm reading and alternating between liking and loathing:
@BigD - just saw your note from earlier this month where you mentioned finishing the final Wheel of Time book. Wow - I thought you were quite a bit behind me in the series. If so, you raced on to the finish line, or maybe I'm mistaken. (Thank you for not giving anything away! I'm on page 600-something and am having a hard time putting it down.) I, too, will be sad to say goodbye to the characters. Whenever I finish a Wheel of Time book, I'm always hesitant to leave that world and pick up another book by another author. I also agree with you that Sanderson has done a fantastic job.
@kez - I went through the volumes serially - it was my subway commute reading for I think all of 2012. Timing worked out well - I finished Volume 13 a month before A Memory Of Light came out (then re-read it to pass the time until the new one). At a bit of a loss now - serious reads in politics or history can induce drooping eyelids on the subway, or just produce agita - I'm trying to read Reckles$ Endangerment currently, on the housing/financial crisis, and fun it ain't. May have to turn back to the classics for a fiction fix.
Neil Stephenson's Anathem is currently part of a big kindle sale for $1.99. There's also a lot of Arthur C. Clarke (no relation), and a lot of teen supernatural romance.
I was on vacation, so I paused the other things I was reading, and started reading this:
Which is really quite enjoyable sci-fi/post apocalypse. Apparently it's a bit of an e-publishing upstart sensation. The anthology (parts 1-5) is $5.99 at amazon and over 500 "real" pages. Part one is also free as a kindle book, and was enough for me to be hooked. Recommended.
Got this when it was a dollar or two on a kindle deal. It's OK. Interesting premise of first encounter with aliens minus any actual ability to communicate or even construe what is going on beyond probably inaccurate and unverifiable anthropomorphic projections. Nice alternative to the common "we came half way across the galaxy and can learn to communicate with you in ten minutes" model of sci fi. Style a bit heavy handed.
Enjoyed reading this well-written blog piece on how hard it is to write (irony #1), while procrastinating from settling down to writing more of a manuscript I'm struggling with (irony #2).
Making art is waging war on all the inner demons and the outer distractions that would keep us silent and compliant in this world. But knowing all that doesnt make the actual war any easier.
@amclark.....I read Wool this summer and found it very satisfying. The prequels are less so, probably because I know where the story is going. Another ebook I really enjoyed was Nick Cole's "The Old Man and the Wasteland" (Kindle link, 99 cents). More or less a post-apoc retelling of the Old Man and the Sea.
Yuck. I felt like my brain needed a bath after finishing this true turgid tale of greed and corruption, the antecedents and culmination of the disastrous housing bubble that nearly dropped the bottom out of our economy. Highly recommended if you have the intestinal fortitude to get through this nonpartisan but unvarnished and highly disturbing work. The worst thing is that the scores of bad actors who should be wearing orange jumpsuits in federal detention are almost all pleasantly retired, or worse, still in office or in their jobs or positions of influence today.
Drastic change of pace needed after that, so I've begun a complete guilty pleasure indulgence - didn't know that before he did the Wheel of Time series that Robert Jordan had been "ghost writing" Conan books - what do you call an author who writes a continuation of a long dead, semi-dead, or undead series? My wife had brought this home from the clearance section of B&N knowing I had been a fan long ago of the pulp fiction originals.
Just finished this. Enjoyed it a lot.Private eye crime story, but actually less about the crime narrative than the central character's fight for sobriety. Lots of good dialogue, thoughtfully written.
Started this last week, nearly finished with it, thanks to flying to Boston for a conference this past week. Really love his writing, especially his description of the landscape and contemplation of why anyone would want to live or at least spend some time in such a harsh landscape.
Comments
So I picked one...
I thought, "Hey, maybe this is The Road!"
Looks like I'm getting in touch with my inner teenage girl this Valentine's...
I'm reading
This is actually quite good. It's a combination autobiography and annotated lyrics. Certainly not for everyone, but a must for hip hop fans.
Craig
About a quarter of the way through this, filling big gaps in my knowledge of American history.
Also started reading Arthur C. Clarke's 'Rama Revealed', having enjoyed one of the earlier ones in the series and seen it for 50 cents at the thrift store' but it's so poorly written I doubt whether I'll make it through. As I belatedly look at the reviews, I see one reviewer put it well: "This is the sort of reading that makes you think longingly of scrubbing the bathtub grout with bleach and a baby toothbrush." Avoid.
We are about to Netflix the recent(ish) TV adaptation with Gillian Anderson as well.
So I'll finally be a hipster:
Craig
Saw Ignatius J. Reilly while waiting for the train this morning...
Right now, I'm reading and alternating between liking and loathing:
And
Apparently I should be reading 2666, which I had meant to check out, or Proust, which I read volume of once, but found really boring.
Which is really quite enjoyable sci-fi/post apocalypse. Apparently it's a bit of an e-publishing upstart sensation. The anthology (parts 1-5) is $5.99 at amazon and over 500 "real" pages. Part one is also free as a kindle book, and was enough for me to be hooked. Recommended.
Got this when it was a dollar or two on a kindle deal. It's OK. Interesting premise of first encounter with aliens minus any actual ability to communicate or even construe what is going on beyond probably inaccurate and unverifiable anthropomorphic projections. Nice alternative to the common "we came half way across the galaxy and can learn to communicate with you in ten minutes" model of sci fi. Style a bit heavy handed.
just finished this and just starting this.
also this, in short bursts.
Yuck. I felt like my brain needed a bath after finishing this true turgid tale of greed and corruption, the antecedents and culmination of the disastrous housing bubble that nearly dropped the bottom out of our economy. Highly recommended if you have the intestinal fortitude to get through this nonpartisan but unvarnished and highly disturbing work. The worst thing is that the scores of bad actors who should be wearing orange jumpsuits in federal detention are almost all pleasantly retired, or worse, still in office or in their jobs or positions of influence today.
Drastic change of pace needed after that, so I've begun a complete guilty pleasure indulgence - didn't know that before he did the Wheel of Time series that Robert Jordan had been "ghost writing" Conan books - what do you call an author who writes a continuation of a long dead, semi-dead, or undead series? My wife had brought this home from the clearance section of B&N knowing I had been a fan long ago of the pulp fiction originals.
Just finished this. Enjoyed it a lot.Private eye crime story, but actually less about the crime narrative than the central character's fight for sobriety. Lots of good dialogue, thoughtfully written.
Started this last week, nearly finished with it, thanks to flying to Boston for a conference this past week. Really love his writing, especially his description of the landscape and contemplation of why anyone would want to live or at least spend some time in such a harsh landscape.
___
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