871 replies to this topic

[GeorgeAlex]

Finally done reading the 7 Books by Haruki Murakami:

- 1Q84

- A Wild Sheeo Chase

- After the Quake Stories

- Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

- Hear the Wind Sing

- Norweigan Wood

- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

[theroadstopshere]

Finally done reading the 7 Books by Haruki Murakami:

- 1Q84

- A Wild Sheeo Chase

- After the Quake Stories

- Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

- Hear the Wind Sing

- Norweigan Wood

- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

What good luck, exactly the man I hoped to see written about in here. I love all of Murakami's short story collections, and as soon as I get a paycheck, I'm looking to start grabbing his novels. What were your thoughts?

 

Most recently, I finished off a number of light novels I'd been meaning to get to (Dungeon ni Deai, Rakuin no Monshou, and two others), and The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Fantastic read, wonderful collection of mythos and theories.

[Alraisen]

 

 

Reread Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss

6/5 *^* 

I approve this post. 

But just wait until the Auri novel. That's going to be epic.

[Rol]

The Name of the Wind, second time I'm reading it, felt as good as the first time, 10/10.

[strixflash]

Read The Way of Kings and it was bad. Not as bad as Kingkiller Chronicles of course but still not a good read.

All the battles were predictable in WOK, and I think Sanderson considers himself more witty & funny than he is. Don't know why every character in book consider Shallan as witty!

Maybe it's just me but I'm tired of loosing someone close to himself as a reason for fuelling character's desire to protect everyone trope ~_~" Kaladin is full of clichés which made him annoying to me at least. I guess I just hate plain black & white characters.

Edited by strixflash, 05 August 2014 - 03:17 PM.

[Lanfear]

^Who the fuck is Kalazan? You don't even read the books properly and then you say this kind of thing ._.

Not to mention you said a book from ASoIaF is one of the best books ever written.

Man you have weird taste.

[strixflash]

@ Lanfear My mistake. Sorry... I mean Kaladin of course . I read the book properly though. My criticism still stands for why I didn't liked the book.

As for me liking Storm of Swords hasn't got anything with this. I find the other books of ASOIF as average and not excellent as the third. I didn't called it my fav book just because of gore but for the plot & conflicts presented in it. You know Storm of Swords was full of witty dialogues by Tyrion. Yes there was no humor but otherwise it was good. Battles were executed well and even all the betrayals were done smartly.

[I-Am-X]

[Zero King]

North Korea Kidnapped My Daughter by Sakie Yokota

[Mikachu]

The last book I read was Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. It was a bit depressing, but I like em that way. (: His other one, Never Let Me Go, is a favorite of mine.

 

Right now I'm reading Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. I love it so far, the main character is kinda funny. 

[GeorgeAlex]

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

Le Scaphandre et le Papillion (The Diving Bell and The Butterfly) by Jean-Dominique Bauby

[Alraisen]

I finished American Gods, by Neil Gaiman.

I know I should rate the book, to give some advice, but it is Neil-motherfucking-Gaiman. What do you expect? 

It is about Gods, and about a man named Shadow (I'm translating it from spanish, I may be wrong), that accepts a deal with a strange man. It's weird, man, but pretty addictive. It seems it is plenty of metaphors, I haven't been able to see, but even so, I enjoyed the book.

I think now I'm going to read 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami.

[anzu2snow]

The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman. The first book in the Decker/Lazarus detective series. I read it years ago, but decided to re-read it and continue the series. It's about a rape that happened near a mikvah or 'ritual bath' in an orthodox Jewish community. Even though it's such a 'heavy' topic, it flows quickly. Since it happens in an orthodox Jewish community, there are Jewish themes throughout. It's that way with the rest of the series, too. It's more on the customs, traditions, etc as well. I'm Jewish myself, so it's very interesting that way to me.

[Lanfear]

The Revenge of Seven - Pittacus Lore

4,5/5 - Damn good. Nine is a badass, awesome as always. Marina was just fucking annoying the whole book. And that cliffhanger :/

[phanta]

The Dying of the Light - Derek Landy
4/5
Good end to a good series. Not completely satisfying, but close

Edited by phanta, 01 October 2014 - 07:57 AM.

[Lanfear]

Blood and Iron - Jon Sprunk

Meh/5

[phanta]

The Young Elites - Marie Lu
4.5/5
Gotta love an anti-hero

Edited by phanta, 22 October 2014 - 05:03 AM.

[comabap]

Everwild by Neal Shusterman.

It was interesting... but I had to return the last book of the series before i could read it ):<

[Hjolmar]

Read The Way of Kings and it was bad. Not as bad as Kingkiller Chronicles of course but still not a good read.

All the battles were predictable in WOK, and I think Sanderson considers himself more witty & funny than he is. Don't know why every character in book consider Shallan as witty!

Maybe it's just me but I'm tired of loosing someone close to himself as a reason for fuelling character's desire to protect everyone trope ~_~" Kaladin is full of clichés which made him annoying to me at least. I guess I just hate plain black & white characters.

I had held off from reading Sanderson for a variety of reasons, foremost being my thinking that anybody who pumps out novels at his insane pace must be a hack. I was very pleased with both Stormlight Archive books, but then, I also enjoyed Kingkiller Chronicles too. Sanderson is certainly no Pratchet when it comes to humor, but I found Shallan to be amusingly saucy, although I honestly expected somebody to deck her at some point. But Sanderson writes stories with very well-ordered, complex systems (10 Orders, 10 Surges, 5 Oaths, etc.; compare with Allomancy) that I very much enjoy, and writes entertaining, if predictable, fight scenes. He writes like a manga, which I like.

Spoiler

The final fight scene with Kaladin and Szeth in the Everstorm was particularly fun to read, if only because aerial duels are not what one normally reads in fantasy.

I find it funny that you're tired of plain black and white characters when Kaladin (and Shallan) struggle with their inner demons a fair bit more than most fantasy protagonists, I'd think. Even Dalinar is pretty gray in his motivations.

If there's a main complaint I have, its that Sanderson is a gigantic tease and he gives a lot to keep track of. The well-ordered, complex system that I love can also be a bit of a pain to think about, and I'm left wanting explanations for more. Also, Kaladin and Shallan very, very much remind me of Raoden and Sarene from Elantris.

Recently finished Garth Nix's new Clariel and was mildly disappointed. His original Abhorsen trilogy is a great exercise in worldbuilding and character growth, and Sabriel, Lyriel, and Touchstone are all immensely likeable. Clariel, on the other hand, spends half the novel whining and the other half being rather petulant. If she got angry or actually managed to take action before two thirds of the way through, that'd be one thing, but as it is she just seems... sullen. Even with the tie-in to Lirael (that the post-word by the author pretty much slaps you with, removing any sense of mystery), she's just... bad. It is nice to get a better taste and view of Free Magic, though, since all our previous protagonists have been Charter Mages or Abhorsens.

Also recently powered through the first five books of Simon Green's Something from the Nightside series. It's a poor man's Dresden with a fair bit more pretentious GRIMDARK, or if not GRIMDARK, some sort of neo-punk-hop-DARK. It's actually the second time I've done this, since I got bored around the fifth book maybe two years back, and... gee, well, here I am getting bored again. They're not bad books, and there's something to be enjoyed in his characterization of the Nightside, but boy does it sort of drag on at times. There's this air of mysterious cosmic forces of badassery working just out of sight, which only makes me frustrated that the protagonists never seem to do anything cool except at the very end of every book.

Currently halfway through Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass and being satisfied, if underwhelmed. I didn't expect much beyond typical teen fantasy for young women, and that's exactly what's delivered. An unnecessarily saucy protagonist, enough snark and angst radiating off of everyone (oddly, Captain of the Guards Chaol included) to outsnark a class of high schoolers, and a completely awkward and inexplicable romance between famed assasin Celaena and prince playboy Dorian of the Evil Mustache-Twirling Empire. My (pirated) ePub copy also has the formatting screwed up six ways to Sunday, which makes for a fun time, too. I probably won't end up reading the sequel, if only because the author's idea of what's interesting to write about and my idea of what's interesting to read are very different. Not awful enough to warrant dropping, though.

Also partway (and on and off) through the great classic T.H. White's The Once and Future King. It's great, its magical, and its whimsical and grim in alternating beats. It's difficult to describe, and its certainly not the vigorous, page-turning style of novel that's easily digestible and easily readable (cough cough Way of Kings), but that doesn't make it any less amazing. I have a physical copy, for once, so I read it when my phone is dead.

Edited by Hjolmar, 10 November 2014 - 09:08 AM.

[Meat]

I just read crime and punishment & Kafka on the shore ^_____^