Books/What are you reading?

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Timotheus
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Timotheus »

I know we've been through this already, but since there are a lot of new members and a lot of new books have been read, would you guys and girls mind recommending me some of your favorite books, or just books that you've read recently that impressed you a lot? I love having a bunch of books in the back of my mind when I go book hunting.

For myself, here are some books that I read last year, which I can't wait to read again:

-East of Eden by Steinbeck
-11/22/63 by Stephen King
-The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Reading the first book of the Dune series right now, and I'm getting my mind blown every few chapters as well.

Favorites of all time:

A Storm of Swords - George Martin
Wizard and Glass - Stephen King
Lord of the Rings trilogy (hard to pick a favorite) - Tolkien
Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell

Hard not to mention the Narnia chronicles, which I read over and over again as well as a kid. Changed my life.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Andy92 »

Timo just read The Way of Kings.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Lotha »

^ what he said.

I joined the Sanderson crazy fan tribe.
But really, The Way of Kings is really good, and Words of Radiance even better.
GOGOGOGOGO

And then start the Wheel of Time.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Ubik »

I've had Dune on my bookshelf with a mental "to read" note attached to it for years but still haven't got round to it. I will commit here to it being in my next five to read!

Got re-addicted to Haruki Murakami of late, re-read the ones I already had of his and then got more (my set is nearing completion!). Norwegian Wood is his most famous (and only non sf) novel which might be a good starting point to see if you like his style and general themes. Definitely recommend if you see it lying around.
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Timotheus
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Timotheus »

Andy92 wrote:Timo just read The Way of Kings.
I WILL!! It's on my list of books I'm always on the lookout for when I'm in a bookstore, but it's practically unfindable here in Belgium :(
Lotha wrote:And then start the Wheel of Time.
Already read the first one!
Ubik wrote:I've had Dune on my bookshelf with a mental "to read" note attached to it for years but still haven't got round to it. I will commit here to it being in my next five to read!

Got re-addicted to Haruki Murakami of late, re-read the ones I already had of his and then got more (my set is nearing completion!). Norwegian Wood is his most famous (and only non sf) novel which might be a good starting point to see if you like his style and general themes. Definitely recommend if you see it lying around.
Thanks! Looks pretty interesting. Can't say I've read a lot of Japanese literature. Only Shusaku Endo's Silence, which was really interesting, but completely different from what you're suggesting.

I've read some dystopian books here and there, but I've never read a lot of SF books (only Douglas Adams comes to mind :D ). I thought Dune would be a great introduction considering the reputations it's got, and three quarters in I think it exceeds its reputation. I definitely recommend it.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

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Do you ever buy ebooks? If you'd rather have a physical copy let me know and I'll see what I can find for European distributors.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Ubik »

Timotheus wrote: Thanks! Looks pretty interesting. Can't say I've read a lot of Japanese literature. Only Shusaku Endo's Silence, which was really interesting, but completely different from what you're suggesting.

I've read some dystopian books here and there, but I've never read a lot of SF books (only Douglas Adams comes to mind :D ). I thought Dune would be a great introduction considering the reputations it's got, and three quarters in I think it exceeds its reputation. I definitely recommend it.
Murakami's funny because most of his cultural influences are western, to the point where if you covered the names of the characters and places, you'd be hard pressed to guess the books were set in Japan. But still, he's not for everyone, particularly if you like your narratives to have a nice clear ending! I just tend to identify with his protagonists more than I do with most other authors.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

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Ubik wrote:
Timotheus wrote: Thanks! Looks pretty interesting. Can't say I've read a lot of Japanese literature. Only Shusaku Endo's Silence, which was really interesting, but completely different from what you're suggesting.

I've read some dystopian books here and there, but I've never read a lot of SF books (only Douglas Adams comes to mind :D ). I thought Dune would be a great introduction considering the reputations it's got, and three quarters in I think it exceeds its reputation. I definitely recommend it.
Murakami's funny because most of his cultural influences are western, to the point where if you covered the names of the characters and places, you'd be hard pressed to guess the books were set in Japan. But still, he's not for everyone, particularly if you like your narratives to have a nice clear ending! I just tend to identify with his protagonists more than I do with most other authors.
I'll give it a try. I'll admit to usually not being really drawn to the more "obscure" stuff. On Goodreads people seem to either love or hate his books (or at least Norwegian Wood), so it will be interesting to see how he will click with me.
Andy92 wrote:Do you ever buy ebooks? If you'd rather have a physical copy let me know and I'll see what I can find for European distributors.
If people are wondering, the rest of this conversation happened on Messenger. It ended in us hating the French together.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

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Timotheus wrote:
Lotha wrote:And then start the Wheel of Time.
Already read the first one!
Well what are you waiting for then? Join Andy with reading The Great Hunt and you two can ask me about the hundred million characters and their whereabouts and WoT history together.

Also, if you do read e-books, hit me up on Messenger (unless Andy has already provided you with Sanderson goodies of course).
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Andy92 »

Be careful reading The Great Hunt. You'll think it's a pretty simple book until Jana picks out the 53 things you missed in that one chapter.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

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Ubik wrote:I've had Dune on my bookshelf with a mental "to read" note attached to it for years but still haven't got round to it. I will commit here to it being in my next five to read!

Got re-addicted to Haruki Murakami of late, re-read the ones I already had of his and then got more (my set is nearing completion!). Norwegian Wood is his most famous (and only non sf) novel which might be a good starting point to see if you like his style and general themes. Definitely recommend if you see it lying around.
My brother bought me Norwegian Wood for my birthday, because he saw I put in on my to-read list in Goodreads. Finished it this morning and was so satisfied with it. Based on the descriptions I'd read about it I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but the entire book just made a lot of sense to me. Grief, maturity, solitude. Thanks for the recommendation!
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

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Timotheus wrote: My brother bought me Norwegian Wood for my birthday, because he saw I put in on my to-read list in Goodreads. Finished it this morning and was so satisfied with it. Based on the descriptions I'd read about it I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but the entire book just made a lot of sense to me. Grief, maturity, solitude. Thanks for the recommendation!
Ah, so glad you liked! I'd delayed reading it for years myself for the same reason, despite having loved other Murakami books, but it was worth the wait.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by gbruin »

Just finished What Does This Button Do? It is Bruce Dickinson's (of Iron Maiden fame and legend) just released autobiography. Loved it!!

While Bruce and Maiden have had virtually unparalleled success in the music industry, he is a fascinating individual on so many other levels: professional airline pilot, world class fencer, screenwriter and producer, historian, beer brewer and enthusiast, author, business entrepreneur...the list of accomplishments goes on and on - a true modern day Renaissance man. Oh, and a cancer survivor, too. And then there's that 40 year career in heavy metal. Because of Bruce's history, and because of who he is as a person, this is not the usual rock star autobio with the same old repetitive tales of sex and drugs and drugs and sex and with some sex and drugs on top of that. Bruce's book is far more intelligent and analytical and introspective and personal than the vast majority of musician autobiographies, and it makes for a much more refreshing and interesting read. "Nothing in childhood is wasted" appears several times throughout the pages, as he recognizes his formative experiences and influences that have recurring impacts throughout his diverse adult life, and it presents a more sincere and complete picture of what makes Bruce tick. His writing style is really enjoyable: funny, serious, intelligent. He is a thoughtful guy, and understanding his interests and creativity and success at fronting any number of ventures in life makes it easy to see why this is a really really well written and thoroughly enjoyable book.

There is undoubtedly enough material from one Iron Maiden tour to fill a couple of fascinating volumes full of anecdotes and stories, but he does cover the big highlights of his musical career from his beginnings to Samson to joining Maiden to his solo career to leaving Maiden to his return. His other pursuits get plenty of text, and his love and pursuit of flying takes up nearly as much of the book as does Maiden. He respectfully stays away from much of the personal stories of his bandmates, and the one area he intentionally leaves out altogether is his family life. Considering his world wide fame, that's understandable, though I would love to have a chat with him about how he balanced/balances family (his wife of 27 years and 3 children) with all his passions and pursuits and touring. That is another major chapter that didn't get published.

This book is the stuff I want when I read an autobiography of a musician. It is the story of a man, not of a rock star. I hope Bruce keeps pushing the various buttons in his life just to see what they'll do, and I hope he will continue to write about all those results in the future.

Up the Irons!!
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Andy92 »

OATHBRINGER

How I love The Stormlight Archive.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

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Andy92 wrote:OATHBRINGER

How I love The Stormlight Archive.
:yeahthat
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

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Currently reading The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko (2013). The central story of the book was a river guide's attempt to break the speed record by rowing a boat through the Grand Canyon. It occurred in 1983 when a record El Niño brought a huge late snowpack to the Rockies, and the subsequent rapid melt caused a runoff that flooded Lake Powell and did significant damage to the Glen Canyon dam, forcing the government to release record amounts of water through the dam downriver, thus creating the conditions for a record transit through the Canyon. The book goes into the history of the Grand Canyon from a geological standpoint, the interaction with Native tribes and the first Europeans around the Grand Canyon, the chaos the previously undammed Colorado River routinely unleashed on the US southwest, and the various politics and policies and conservation themes that have clashed over the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon though the years. Rafting the Canyon has been a bucket list item for me forever. This is a really really entertaining and educational book.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by anguyen92 »

Don't know if this counts, but screw it. So I don't know if anyone here actually know this, but I actually read manga from time to time. Sometimes, you just like a good manga with good characters and good banter and dynamics among the characters. For many years, I've always wanted to chase that one good "romcom" story where I don't feel pissed off at the main characters for their actions or how poorly the author of the story had portrayed them.

A few weeks back, I've discovered this manga called "Kaguya wants to be confessed to" and quite frankly, this may be the best romcom of any medium that I have ever experienced. The premise is basic. The top two students of a prestigious high school are the president/vice president of the student council. Everyone thinks that they should be a couple. That pairing seems to have that aura that screams "power couple." That stated, both characters does not want to be the first person to confess to the other since it would show weakness. Thus, they play a lot of mind games to get the others to confess and hilarity would ensue. The story eventually grow out of that initial premise and brought a lot of good character traits and backstory to the main characters and those around them to make it really worth following.

It does take a couple of chapters to really get things going, but once the main characters have been well-defined and the author introduces some awesome side characters with great banter/dynamics with the main characters, this is a pretty funny series for the most part, but it's also a series that can hit you hard and can help you reflect on a couple of things in life.

I cannot highly recommend this series enough to basically anyone, even those that do not read manga. It's a pretty darn good comedy, but when things get serious, the moments feel pretty powerful and the main characters are very enduring and you just want to root for them and see them to get their "happy" ending. That's how invested I am in this series which is a good thing otherwise if I can't get invested in the characters, I'm just not going to care about how they end up.

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Re: Books/What are you reading?

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In the last few months I've read a lot of books

Mr Mercedes
The Outsider(I highly recommend)
A Dying Machine
Finders Keepers

but there's 1 book that stands out the most to me. The title of the book was called "The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully by Frank Ostaseki. One of my best friends bought me the book right after my grandfather died last January, and it took me 9 months to finish because, frankly, the material in the book was so heavy that I couldn't help but get emotional. However, as time went on, I was able to sit down and read it without getting upset, and I have to say that it really inspired me and helped me in ways I wouldn't have thought of. It was an incredible read and I HIGHLY recommend it.

I'm currently reading The Name of the Wind, based off recommendation from my dad Andy. Great read so far!
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Thanks Andy!

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Re: Books/What are you reading?

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Just finished The Fall of Gondolin. It's the last of JRR Tolkein's unpublished tales, and his son Christopher put together the 2 major unfinished versions along with some pertinent notes and some references from his other works and artwork into a single volume. It was very well done and an enjoyable story, but it's also quite bittersweet knowing there aren't anymore major stories sitting amongst his notes.
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Re: Books/What are you reading?

Post by Micky »

Just finished reading Pet Sematary in anticipation for the new movie. As a big Stephen King fan, I dont know why I never read this before, but man I couldn't put it down. I loved it! Currently reading another King book, Cujo!
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Thanks Andy!

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