"What are you reading?" thread.

[WasabiPoptart]

Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb

I love her writing. This world she has created is incredible. I have yet to feel like she is just rehashing old storylines for the sake of churning out another book. I have read practically every book she's written except the Liveship Traders trilogy. I will rectify that soon enough though.

 

[Dave]

I just finished the Liveship series and it's not bad. Interesting story. Took me a bit to get into but once I did I got through all three books pretty quickly.

 

[CrimsonSoul]

I read Halforums while I poop.

 

[GasBandit]

HPMOR is about to wrap up, and I'm a bit disappointed at how the author is choosing to end the book. Basically, readers have 60 hours to send him a detailed explanation of how Harry can get out of this mess rationally and logically, or else the book will end with death and sadness. I wouldn't go so far as to say he wrote himself into a corner and is looking for a rescue, but it still feels a bit lazy.

 

[AshburnerX]

HPMOR is about to wrap up, and I'm a bit disappointed at how the author is choosing to end the book. Basically, readers have 60 hours to send him a detailed explanation of how Harry can get out of this mess rationally and logically, or else the book will end with death and sadness. I wouldn't go so far as to say he wrote himself into a corner and is looking for a rescue, but it still feels a bit lazy.

To be fair, the only reason Harry got a happy ending in the original series was through absolute bullshit as well.

 

[Fun Size]

Half way through Little Brother, and it's mostly pissing me off, but I guess that's the point.

 

[Sparhawk]

Currently on Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey, interesting space opera. I think there are 4 books to the series so far and this is the first.

 

[figmentPez]

Recently read:
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
I enjoyed it a lot, as I do most of Gaiman's writing. The characters are enjoyable, and the world feels rich and nuanced. That said, I enjoyed Changer by Jane Lindskold more, which is a very similar concept. American Gods felt, at points, like it was some sort of comparative religion test, making references that I only barely got, and made me wondering if missing something. It felt like it was working too hard at being cryptic. It pulled the "we're going to hint at the identity of this character, and it's going to be obvious to people who know enough mythology, but you've got to figure it out on your own" one too many times. Changer saved that for characters in the shadows, whose identities weren't fully revealed yet, and whose hidden identity mattered to a mystery. American Gods it was just a "wink" to people who know their myths.

Other than such academic hipsterism, I struggled with the dark tone of American Gods. While not bad, in and of itself, it just didn't appeal to me at this point in my life. The tone doesn't ring untrue, and certainly is used well to examine the themes of the book, and there's a lot of truth to the way characters act like assholes, but it was often oppressive enough to rub me the wrong way. There are moments of hope, enough to have kept me going, but it's a pretty bleak book on the whole.

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
This one is part of the Discworld series, more specifically a Tiffany Aching and the Wee Free Men story. I loved it, and I highly recommend everyone read Discworld. There is some amazing satire of humanity, especially religion and government, in this story. Tiffany is one of my favorite characters in the series, probably second only to Sam Vimes. There are some great plot twists in Midnight, and I laughed out loud at many points.

Reading:
The Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling
I'm still re-reading the first four books in the series. I read these back when the first came out, but was unable to finish when Harry Potter suddenly was considered "evil" by my mother and older sister, who shredded our hard-bound copies of the first four books. I'm really enjoying going through these again, and I'm eager to finish the Goblet of Fire so that I can move on to completely new territory for me.

 

[Bubble181]

Recently read:
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
I enjoyed it a lot, as I do most of Gaiman's writing. The characters are enjoyable, and the world feels rich and nuanced. That said, I enjoyed Changer by Jane Lindskold more, which is a very similar concept. American Gods felt, at points, like it was some sort of comparative religion test, making references that I only barely got, and made me wondering if missing something. It felt like it was working too hard at being cryptic. It pulled the "we're going to hint at the identity of this character, and it's going to be obvious to people who know enough mythology, but you've got to figure it out on your own" one too many times. Changer saved that for characters in the shadows, whose identities weren't fully revealed yet, and whose hidden identity mattered to a mystery. American Gods it was just a "wink" to people who know their myths.

Other than such academic hipsterism, I struggled with the dark tone of American Gods. While not bad, in and of itself, it just didn't appeal to me at this point in my life. The tone doesn't ring untrue, and certainly is used well to examine the themes of the book, and there's a lot of truth to the way characters act like assholes, but it was often oppressive enough to rub me the wrong way. There are moments of hope, enough to have kept me going, but it's a pretty bleak book on the whole.

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
This one is part of the Discworld series, more specifically a Tiffany Aching and the Wee Free Men story. I loved it, and I highly recommend everyone read Discworld. There is some amazing satire of humanity, especially religion and government, in this story. Tiffany is one of my favorite characters in the series, probably second only to Sam Vimes. There are some great plot twists in Midnight, and I laughed out loud at many points.

Reading:
The Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling
I'm still re-reading the first four books in the series. I read these back when the first came out, but was unable to finish when Harry Potter suddenly was considered "evil" by my mother and older sister, who shredded our hard-bound copies of the first four books. I'm really enjoying going through these again, and I'm eager to finish the Goblet of Fire so that I can move on to completely new territory for me.

If you think AG is bad on that front, don't read the Satanic Verses ;-) But yes, much like, for example, Zelazny's Lord of Light, they're good books without background but there's a whole different layer if you actually know who and/or what they're talking about on occasion. Didn't bother me in AG though.

I like Tiffany, but...well, her stories are consistently marketed and published as the YA books in the Discworld universe, and while that's true for the first one or two, afterwards, I have a feeling they pretty much became "regular" DW books. My only nitpick with her books, though, is that the Witches' behaviour is...off incomparison to their other books. I know and accept that this is partly simply because the Tiffany books were written 10+ years after the last of the other Witches books, and because their lives have evolved anyhow, and it's partially just in my mind, but still.

As for Harry Potter...Have you seen the last 4 movies, or not?

 

[figmentPez]

As for Harry Potter...Have you seen the last 4 movies, or not?

I haven't seen any of the movies.

 

[Bubble181]

I haven't seen any of the movies.

And you've actually managed to avoid spoilers? There're certain Harry Potter spoilers that are used as the

Spoiler: Star Wars spoilers

Vader is Luke's Father

of today, used freely and as a comparison.
Anyway, if so, I envy you. They're far from perfect, but I really did enjoy reading the HP books.

 

[figmentPez]

And you've actually managed to avoid spoilers? There're certain Harry Potter spoilers that are used as the

Spoiler: Star Wars spoilers

Vader is Luke's Father

of today, used freely and as a comparison.
Anyway, if so, I envy you. They're far from perfect, but I really did enjoy reading the HP books.

Oh, no, I've heard tons and tons of spoilers. I know about major deaths, various plot twists, and other stuff. I've never even bothered trying to avoid spoilers. But still, reading something for myself is different enough for me that I should still enjoy everything fairly well.

 

[Bubble181]

Oh sure; I practically can't imagine anyone regularly surfing the 'net not knowing

Spoiler

Snape kills Dumbledore

- but still. There're sure to be some twists or deaths you didn't see coming, and all in all, it'll still be a fun ride. Enjoy; just be aware that JK Rowling's view of "the books age along with the protagonists" pretty much means they're fairy tale kid books for 1 and 2, slightly darker YA books for 3 and 4, annoying whiny Harry for 5, and darker for 6 and 7. Also, don't overthink the world because, due to the way the earlier books were written, there's plenty of plot holey material. She tries to close some of them, but it's a not exactly strong on the internally consistent front

 

[GasBandit]

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is finally finished, and I've finished reading it.

It's an excellently written fanfic. Probably the best one I've ever read (my previous best-one-I've-ever-read was the Saotome Gambit, a Ranma 1/2-battletech crossover).

Basically, it starts off as a what-if, specifically, what if Aunt Petunia had married a scientist instead of Dudley Dursley. What if Harry had... not a normal, but definitely a supportive and caring upbringing in this household, and his muggle education had been firmly rooted in the tenets of science and rationality? And then his Hogwarts letter arrives...

And 122 chapters of wtf-holy-shit happens. I highly recommend it.

http://hpmor.com/

 

[SpecialKO]

Probably the best one I've ever read (my previous best-one-I've-ever-read was the Saotome Gambit, a Ranma 1/2-battletech crossover).

...explain.

 

[Bubble181]

The Colour of Magic.

Obvious reasons.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

The Colour of Magic.

Obvious reasons.

Last week (before his death), A TON of Pratchett books came through my store recently (thrift store that runs off donations). I only picked up two: Mort and Reaper Man. I plan on reading those next after I finish what I'm working on now (Robert J Sawyer's Neanderthal trilogy, which is awesome). But I really regret not getting more when I had the chance.

 

[GasBandit]

...explain.

I'll let the opening paragraph explain it.

For centuries the Inner Sphere has been aflame with war. Struggling from the ashes of the Star League are five Great Houses: House Kuno of the Furinkan Combine, House Gosunkugi of the League of Five Nails, House Joketsuzoku of the Jusenkyo Commonwealth, House Shiratori of the Federated Shiratori, and House Tendo of the Nerima Confederation. Each House has a claim to the Star League throne, and each has an army of mighty Battlemechs with which to conquer - but only one House can rule the Inner Sphere, and none will allow that rule to come without price.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3209934/2/The-Saotome-Gambit

 

[SpecialKO]

That may be the greatest paragraph I've read today.

 

[GasBandit]

That may be the greatest paragraph I've read today.

It's a really good read, too. House Tendo is about to surrender to the Kunos of the Furinkan Combine, when a long-absent friend from Lord Tendo's past suddenly resurfaces with his son, and claiming to know the whereabouts information that will lead to a massive Star League cache on a planet known as Ryugenzawa that could turn the tide of the succession wars. This kicks off a galaxy-wide rollicking easter egg hunt that interweaves a staggering amount of Ranma characters into the web. If you like Ranma 1/2 and/or Battletech, I'd call this one a must read.

 

[SpecialKO]

Holy shit, this fic is awesome. It's like I'm 15 again.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

You guys are all wrong. THIS was the greatest fanfic of all time.

 

[Sparhawk]

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is finally finished, and I've finished reading it.

It's an excellently written fanfic. Probably the best one I've ever read (my previous best-one-I've-ever-read was the Saotome Gambit, a Ranma 1/2-battletech crossover).

Basically, it starts off as a what-if, specifically, what if Aunt Petunia had married a scientist instead of Dudley Dursley. What if Harry had... not a normal, but definitely a supportive and caring upbringing in this household, and his muggle education had been firmly rooted in the tenets of science and rationality? And then his Hogwarts letter arrives...

And 122 chapters of wtf-holy-shit happens. I highly recommend it.

http://hpmor.com/

Just transferred this to the Kindle, already read the first 5 or so chapters. Very interesting and funny in places. (Who the hell would name their child Dudley Dursley?)[DOUBLEPOST=1426460297,1426460080][/DOUBLEPOST]Received, started and finished the newest L.E. Modesitt, Jr novel this week, Madness in Solidar. I enjoy his books and look forward to the next book later this year. Also caught up on reading Deadpool today and hoping that they continue the book after Secret Wars.

 

[Null]

Just finished reading "Promise of Blood" by Brian McClellan, part one of the Powder Mage series. Extremely good musket-and-sorcery novel.

 

[Kovac]

It seems that i'm not the only one that was put out by the audible version of Ghost Story: The Dresden Files, Book 13 not being voiced by James Marsters because he is re-recording it.

Already read the kindle version but I think I might pick up this new audio version when it gets released.

 

[Hailey Knight]

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn: it's taking me a while to get this one and I'm still a little short of the 50% point. When the main character was 7, her mom and two sisters were murdered, supposedly by her Satan-worshipping brother. 25 years later, her life is a mess and there's a chance her brother might be innocent.

This is really a miserable little book. The author seems to have what I dubbed for Thomas Harris, writing with slime-tinted glass, i.e. there is no good in this world, nothing positive, it's all filth, everyone is garbage without redeeming qualities, full of nastiness and out to get each other, the main character only being slightly better because she has a traumatic past to excuse her behavior. I like dark stuff, but without any levity to balance it against, there is no sense of heaviness to any of the important scenes. Everything just "is" because there's no contrast.

Still, I'm at least wanting to get an answer to the mystery, because I'm still crawling through it. If not for my curiosity as to who did it, I'd probably be reading a more enjoyable book, but I am weak and feel the need to know.

 

[Zappit]

The Colour of Magic.

Crud. I'm falling down the rabbit hole hard on Discworld. My Amazon cart's filling up fast now.

 

[checkeredhat]

Just recently started reading "John Dies at the End". So far it's bizarre and the mystery of it all is very intriguing. It is reminding me of the Dresden Files series but without the Mary Sue-ness and significantly less cheesy.

It's still early though.

 

[Hailey Knight]

Just recently started reading "John Dies at the End". So far it's bizarre and the mystery of it all is very intriguing. It is reminding me of the Dresden Files series but without the Mary Sue-ness and significantly less cheesy.

It's still early though.

I'm going to have to read that sometime, if nothing else but to explain some parts of the movie.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

Toronto Noir

There's a noir series published by Akashic Books where each collection is for a different city. The list of books they've published is insane, ranging from the obvious ones like New York and Miami, but there are some really neat ones like Coppenhagen or Tel Aviv.

Anyway, I've wanted to read Toronto Noir for awhile, since I spotted it on shelves when I used to live there. Couldn't afford to buy it at the time, but I spotted it Value Village.

As with most short story collections, it's a mixed bag. Some stories I absolutely loved, others that I didn't even finish, or just didn't like. But it's definitely more hit than miss. I also got Manila Noir at the store and I really want to get Prison Noir, as well.

 

[Kovac]

The Fold by Peter Clines

It's a semi sequel to his novel 14

Not in that it continues the story but it seems to share the same universe.
It combines science fiction and nightmares from other worlds. Some of my favorite things.

And i'm making a start on Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

 

[WasabiPoptart]

Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard series. I've gotten through both The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies over the past 3 weeks. The first book reminded me very much of The Godfather had it been set in a different time. The second book was a pirate tale and was good, but I felt the ending was rushed. I enjoyed them more than I expected. I wrongly assumed the first book was a Scottish love story since it was suggested to me from a few sources after I read several books from the Outlander series. I'm glad I gave it a chance.

Hopefully I can get the third in this series through our local library.

 

[Kovac]

The Lies of Locke Lamora is a good title.

I think it goes on the pile.

 

[Bubble181]

If you recall, I started re-reading all of Discworld after the death of Sir Terry. Just finished Raising Steam, the last one. I can't say the last books are the best one,s honestly, and I would've liked another note to end on - and there's lots of unfinished storylines - and....oh well. Just sad there's no more.
Onwards to Dodger, Nation, and the Long Earth books.

 

[Emrys]

If you recall, I started re-reading all of Discworld after the death of Sir Terry. Just finished Raising Steam, the last one. I can't say the last books are the best one,s honestly, and I would've liked another note to end on - and there's lots of unfinished storylines - and....oh well. Just sad there's no more.
Onwards to Dodger, Nation, and the Long Earth books.

I know how you feel. If I had my choice, Sir Terry would live forever.