# July - what are you reading?



## Asmo (Jul 2, 2007)

Finished The Scar by China Miéville and while he´s a great writer I found it pretty boring. I could care less for the characters,and his endless descriptions of every nock and crane on Armada is exhausting.
I would love to read a more standard fantasy book by him.

I´ve just started "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke, and after just 20 pages I find my self smiling at the characters. Really looking forward to this one.

Asmo


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## Torillan (Jul 2, 2007)

Just finishing up Gotrek & Felix: the First Omnibus , and will most likely follow up with Cryptonomicon .  After that, I might pick up where I left off with the Fire and Ice saga (Book 3).


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## awayfarer (Jul 2, 2007)

I just finished re-reading Maskerade, one of Terry Pratchetts books in the Discworld series. This weekend I picked up a book of poetry by Keats and I plan to give that a look.


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## Crothian (Jul 2, 2007)

I finished reading Patricia Briggs *Blood Bound *and *Moon Called*.  They were good modern fantasy kind of like the old World of Darkness that worked.  

I also finished Vicki Peterson's *Scent of Shadow* and it was a nice take on modern superheroes.  It made for a good read of something kind of different.

I read through *The Orb of Xoriat * an Eberron book.  It had a nice plot but no main character I liked and I felt that hurt it.  

And now I'm finishing up *Harry Potter 4* and I'll read through 5 and 6 soon to get done before the movie and next book.


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## Pyrex (Jul 2, 2007)

I've been reading the Dresden Files books, which are suprisingly good.


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## Aus_Snow (Jul 2, 2007)

Just finished: Iron Council, by China Mieville.
Reading: Threshold, by Caitlin R. Kiernan (because of a friend's recommendation, OK?). . . and several history books, as usual these days.


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## Mark CMG (Jul 3, 2007)

The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger




Moved to listening thread - All Creatures Great and Small.


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## coyote6 (Jul 3, 2007)

I read Dashiell Hammett's "Red Harvest" last night & today. Good book.


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## Krug (Jul 3, 2007)

Just finished Stephen King's _Cell_. Started off well, where the zombies aren't your usual Romero types, but the book sagged a bit towards the middle. The explanation of the zombies is interesting, but gets a little lost. Still, if you're planning a post-apocalyptic campaign, might provide good inspiration.


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## delericho (Jul 3, 2007)

I've been travelling a lot recently, which means reading lots of books. Last week, I read "Bloodlines", book two of the "Legacy of the Force" series, and then "Sharpe's Fury".

Currently, I'm about a quarter of the way through "Tempest", book three of "Legacy of the Force". I'm going to try to pick up a copy of "Exile" (book four) and read it next, but if time doesn't permit then I think I'll be going back to Jack Vance's "Tales of the Dying Earth". I forget which part I'm due to read now - I've read the first two books in the volume.


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## horacethegrey (Jul 3, 2007)

Reading a bunch of _Doctor Who_ stuff, mostly the Eighth Doctor Adventures. Amazing reads. Since they're not bound to the laws of continuity like the BBC Books featuring the Ninth and Tenth, the writers can take them further to where the show often can't.


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## Andrew D. Gable (Jul 3, 2007)

To the first poster - _Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell _ rocks, IMHO.  I really dug it.

Attempting to muddle my way through Neal Stephenson's _Quicksilver_ - hopefully, successfully this time...


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## Storm Raven (Jul 3, 2007)

Finished:

_The Lost World_ - Crichton
_Sphere_ - Crichton
_Merlin's Godson_ - Munn
_Revolt in 2100_ - Heinlein
_The Cat Who Walks Through Walls_ - Heinlein
_Otherness_ - Brin
_Crashlander_ - Niven
_A Hole in Space_ - Niven
_All the Myriad Ways_ - Niven
_The Flight of the Horse_ - Niven

On tap:

_Convergent Series_ - Niven  *Done: 7/5/07*
_The Long Arm of Gil Hamilton_ - Niven  *Done 7/5/07*
_Limits_ - Niven
_The Magic Goes Away_ - Niven
_The Magic May Return_ - Niven
_Flatlander_ - Niven
_Rainbow Mars_ - Niven
_Dream Park_ - Niven and Barnes
_Casino Royale_ - Fleming
_Live and Let Die_ - Fleming
_Moonraker_ - Fleming

I'm going to keep on with the Bond novels in order after that.


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## Wombat (Jul 3, 2007)

Recently finished the _Popol Vuh_ (Mayan mythological epic) and _Night Watch_ (the Russian modern-fantasy novel, not the Terry Pratchett book of the same name).

Now I am reading _Crybbe_ by Phil Rickman.  After that, I have yet to decide.  I have another Amelia Peabody mystery or two on the dock, as well as a deep desire to re-read _The Lions of al-Rassan_.

Later this month, of course, it will be Harry Potter


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## Eridanis (Jul 3, 2007)

Reading a lot of travel guides lately. I've been daydreaming about trips to the UK, NZ, and Australia.

However, some of the pictures in the books I'm reading (the DK series with lots of great color photos) have some place as inspiration for gaming settings. For instance, there's a beach in NZ with perfectly rounded boulders of various sizes strewn all down the beach. Imagine all the ways that could be used in a fantasy campaign...


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## Jeremy Ackerman-Yost (Jul 3, 2007)

Just finished the Sarantine Mosaic series by Kay.  That was pretty impressive.

I'm trying to get out of long, enthralling books for a while, though, since they've been distracting me from the house/yard work, to say nothing of the papers I'm supposed to be submitting.  So I picked up some myth/parable books, including Vedantic Tales, a collection of Indian religious parables.


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## Umbran (Jul 3, 2007)

Just about to finish rereading Charles de Lint's _Svaha_.

Not sure, but I may move on to _Wizard of the Pigeons_, by Megan Lindholm


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## Angel Tarragon (Jul 3, 2007)

Currently Reading Footprints of Thunder. It was sitting in my collection for a long while and hadn't read it yet, so I decided to give it a whirl. I'm still in the PreQuilt chapters.


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## Pielorinho (Jul 3, 2007)

Asmo said:
			
		

> Finished The Scar by China Miéville and while he´s a great writer I found it pretty boring. I could care less for the characters,and his endless descriptions of every nock and crane on Armada is exhausting.
> I would love to read a more standard fantasy book by him.



Consider _Un Lun Dun_, his recent young-adult fantasy.  It's pretty fluffy, much closer to _The Phantom Tollbooth_ or _Neverwhere_ than to _Perdido Street Station_.  I didn't much care for it, but some folks found it delightful.

For myself, I just finished reading _A Series of Unfortunate Events_ and _Lemony Snicket:  The Unauthorized Autobiography_ (heh).  I probably should have spread out reading them, instead of stuffing all fourteen books down my gullet over the course of a month; while they're often extremely funny, the formula wore me down after a bit.

I'm not sure what to read next.

Daniel


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## Hjorimir (Jul 3, 2007)

I just finished _Princess of Mars _ (Edgar Rice Burroughs) and just getting into _Gardens of the Moon_ (Steven Erikson).


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## Chaldfont (Jul 3, 2007)

Just finished the Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross. I'm now reading his Singularity Sky.

Did you know this guy created the githyanki?


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## Doctor DM (Jul 3, 2007)

Just finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman, which was freakin awesome, so I'll probably check out more of his stuff. That or World War Z, which my friends tell me is pretty sweet.


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## sniffles (Jul 3, 2007)

I'm re-reading _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_, preparatory to the release of _The Deathly Hallows_.


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## MoogleEmpMog (Jul 4, 2007)

Recently Read:

*Ringworld's Children, Larry Niven*
The best Ringworld book since the original, IMO.

*Gods of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs*
I don't enjoy the Burroughs's Mars stories as much as a good Robert E. Howard yarn because John Carter is so over-the-top.  He IS the high level fighter taking on armies single-handedly.  Still, 'don't enjoy as much as a good Robert E. Howard yarn' is praising with faint criticism, and this was still a rip-roaring good read.

*The City of Towers, Keith Baker
The Shattered Continent, Keith Baker*
I was very pleasantly surprised by these.  Most novels by game designers don't come off too well, but not only does Keith's enthusiasm for the setting shine through, he actually tells a really enjoyable story with solid characterization, too.  I'll pick up the third one soon.

*Perdido Street Station, China Mieville*
Exceedingly well written, and at its peak toward the middle, one of the best horror novels I've ever read.  Brilliant buildup of suspense leading to a shocking and terrifying reveal.  Especially when I was reading it at 1:00 AM.  Only, it's not really intended as horror, it started slow, and the resolution was anticlimatic.  Overall, I liked it better than I expected and didn't mind the somewhat odd, if period-appropriate, late-19th/early-20th century socialist agitation nearly as much as I would have thought, but it definitely wasn't as good as I thought it would be for a while.


On Tap:

Probably nothing for a while; I've got a lot of work to do (including fiction, and I don't like to read too much during the actual working period of a fiction project), a couple of console games begging to be played, a campaign running.  And then there's that whole social life thing...

When I get the time, I'll pick up the final Dreaming Dark book and probably another China Mieville, since I did enjoy PSS.


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## Psionicist (Jul 4, 2007)

Just finished reading *Dark Hollow* by John Connolly. This is the second book in the Bird Parker series (the first book being *Every Dead Thing*). This is a serie of very dark, gruesome thrillers; part Michael Connelly (not related), part Thomas Harris, part Dennis Lehane, part Lovecraft. I can really recommend this author, he writes hauntingly and is not afraid the delve deep into the weaknesses and madness of both the main character and the people he meet. Poetic, Lovecraftian at times.

Now, for some contrast, I will read Harry Potter book 2.

Edit 07-11-07: Just read book 3, now reading Harry Potter book 4.

Edit 2: Reading 5...



			
				Torillan said:
			
		

> Just finishing up Gotrek & Felix: the First Omnibus , and will most likely follow up with Cryptonomicon .  After that, I might pick up where I left off with the Fire and Ice saga (Book 3).




I've said this before, but Neal Stephenson is the Quentin Tarantino of books. Cryptonomicon is one of the _coolest_ stories I've ever read. You won't regret reading it.


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## Tolen Mar (Jul 4, 2007)

Wombat said:
			
		

> Later this month, of course, it will be Harry Potter




I imagine that later this week or early next, you'll see a lot of people putting this in their list.  I should know...I'm waiting for my pre-order as well.

As far as current reads go, I'm working on 'Duct Tape is Not Enough' by Red Green.  I'm not his target audience yet, but I like his humour in a goofy sort of way.  I'm also reading a friends copy of 'Napalm and Silly Putty' by George Carlin.

For serious work, I'm reading 'What if?'  A series of articles dissecting various historical events and asking the question 'What if it happened this way instead?'  There's a sequal I may pick up at some point.

In other words, I don't want to get into anything too involved since my wife and I will both be reading Harry Potter shortly.


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## BadMojo (Jul 4, 2007)

MoogleEmpMog said:
			
		

> *The City of Towers, Keith Baker
> The Shattered Continent, Keith Baker*
> I was very pleasantly surprised by these.  Most novels by game designers don't come off too well, but not only does Keith's enthusiasm for the setting shine through, he actually tells a really enjoyable story with solid characterization, too.  I'll pick up the third one soon.
> .




I enjoyed these books quite a bit, although the third one was a bit of a disappointment for me.  Still, overall I enjoyed the books and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone who enjoys reading good fantasy.

The opening scene of "The City of Towers" may be one of my favorite beginnings ever.  It was exactly what I imagined large scale combat would look like in a high magic fantasy setting.  For some reason it made me think of what a scene from something like Band of Brothers would look like in a fantasy novel.

As for my own reading time, I'm in the midst of "The Bloody Crown of Conan".  For those who haven't read the Del Rey collection of Howard's Conan stories, I can't recommend them enough.  The illustrations are great, text restored to what Howard intended and the stories themselves just rock.  I'm reading "Hour of the Dragon" right now, and I think that story now ranks in my Top 3 Conan Tales list (the list that exists only in my head).

It's interesting to see a slightly older, wiser and less rash Conan.  His duties as King don't seem to prevent him from kicking a lot of butt and chopping off limbs when the mood strikes him.  He's got a very "hands on" leadership style.


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## Tewligan (Jul 5, 2007)

Re-reading the Thomas Covenant series. Also a bunch of maps and guidebooks to Portland, since I just moved here. Also again, brushing up on my 1e AD&D rulebooks, since I hope to run a game of it in the near future.


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## WayneLigon (Jul 5, 2007)

Just finished _Dies the Fire_ by Sterling. Starting back on _Judas Unchained _ by Peter Hamilton, then probably _Legacy of Wolves _ (The Inqusitives Bk 3)


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## Pielorinho (Jul 5, 2007)

MoogleEmpMog said:
			
		

> *Perdido Street Station, China Mieville*
> Exceedingly well written, and at its peak toward the middle, one of the best horror novels I've ever read.  Brilliant buildup of suspense leading to a shocking and terrifying reveal.  Especially when I was reading it at 1:00 AM.  Only, it's not really intended as horror, it started slow, and the resolution was anticlimatic.  Overall, I liked it better than I expected and didn't mind the somewhat odd, if period-appropriate, late-19th/early-20th century socialist agitation nearly as much as I would have thought, but it definitely wasn't as good as I thought it would be for a while.



Very interesting!  I definitely agree that it started slow:  I tried rereading it and was never able to get back into it.  But I disagree that it's not intended as horror.  To the extent that it fits any genre, I think horror is a very comfortable fit for it.  And the anticlimactic resolution was something I really enjoyed:  it kept the story uneasy and off-balance, which was part of why the horror was so effective.  I can see how that wouldn't be to everyone's tastes, though.


			
				Doctor DM said:
			
		

> World War Z, which my friends tell me is pretty sweet.



Your friends?  They are good friends.

Daniel


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## Rodrigo Istalindir (Jul 5, 2007)

MoogleEmpMog said:
			
		

> *Perdido Street Station, China Mieville*
> Exceedingly well written, and at its peak toward the middle, one of the best horror novels I've ever read.  Brilliant buildup of suspense leading to a shocking and terrifying reveal.  Especially when I was reading it at 1:00 AM.  Only, it's not really intended as horror, it started slow, and the resolution was anticlimatic.  Overall, I liked it better than I expected and didn't mind the somewhat odd, if period-appropriate, late-19th/early-20th century socialist agitation nearly as much as I would have thought, but it definitely wasn't as good as I thought it would be for a while.




I was intrigued by this book for the first hundred pages.  Then I started to wonder if there was going to be a payoff.  Halfway through, I started to think the author had a bad case of ADD.  It started to feel like the homebrew world of someone who never had a cool idea he didn't have to use, but then it would be abandoned when the next shiny idea popped up.  And it had, bar none, the worst ending.  It was one of those "I can't believe you wasted several hundred pages and hours of my life to drop that ending on me" moments.


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## Rodrigo Istalindir (Jul 5, 2007)

I just started the Malazan series.  I'm only about 50 pages in, but I'm really enjoying it so far.  Being dropped into the middle of things with minimal exposition makes me feel kinda lost, but in a good (kinda Tim Powers) way.


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## MoogleEmpMog (Jul 5, 2007)

Pielorinho said:
			
		

> Very interesting!  I definitely agree that it started slow:  I tried rereading it and was never able to get back into it.  But I disagree that it's not intended as horror.  To the extent that it fits any genre, I think horror is a very comfortable fit for it.  And the anticlimactic resolution was something I really enjoyed:  it kept the story uneasy and off-balance, which was part of why the horror was so effective.  I can see how that wouldn't be to everyone's tastes, though.




Well, it certainly wasn't classified as horror by publishers (nor, to the best of my knowledge, by the author).

As to the anticlimactic resolution, what I mean is:



Spoiler



The invincible Lovecraftian monsters that terrify demons, go toe to toe with the awesomely enigmatic Weaver, prey on every non-weaver sentient and wipe out the city's community of psychic-parasite handlingers... get pwned first by the randomly created AI machine god, then by the protagonists' lucking onto a clever trap, then by the mob's trained moth-killing unit.  It ruined the awful mystique of the slake-moths, making them, as Ramza says of Queeklain in FFT, "Just another monster."  One has to wonder how incompetent the demons must be if they couldn't muster a blast of moth-destroying hellfire, fire in sufficient quantities being enough to kill the things.

Lin's and Yag's unsatisfying fates, on the other hand, were about what I expected and a function of 'literary' rather than 'horror.'  Not my preference, but not a surprise and not really a problem.


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## Aholibamah (Jul 9, 2007)

Currently I'm reviewing material for the History of Christianity class I'm going to be teaching this fall semester. This means I am reading personal works by Erasmus, Augustine, Noktur the Stammerer (great name), Tacitus, Josephus, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Francesco Petrarca, Bernard Gui, John Milton, Blaise Pascal, John Wesley, and so on. However I've got selections of writings so really this is not as much as it seems, more like reading two somewhat long books. I also need to brush up on the Acts of the Apostles. However this is sort of work writing (though I do enjoy it)

I wish I could read "A Song of Ice and Fire" afresh all over again, I'm impatient for the next book in the series to come out. Probably one of the best fantasy novel series I've ever read. At the moment I was thinking of picking up something by China Mieville but I hear such mixed reviews that I'm wary--I'd love to find something fresh and exciting in the fantasy genre to read. 

Anyway I'm finishing up Joan Slonczewski's _Daughter of Elysium_ which is the sequel to _A Door into Ocean_. Her books are actually rather interesting though they are slow paced and often about conversations about philosophy and biology. This almost sounds boring except that the tension of intrigue accompanies this. Slonczewski actually is a biologist which has made her sci fi a little more solid than that of some. 

I loved and hated the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. The first three books seem to me to be better than the last three. On the one hand I loathed Thomas Covenant and on the other hand found him fascinating and reluctantly saw something of myself in him. The books were deeply moving to me.


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## Tetsubo (Jul 9, 2007)

The Woods Hole Cantata: Essays on Science and Society by Gerald Weissman


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## Jubilee (Jul 9, 2007)

I'm listening to *The Amber Spyglass* this week, and I have *No Humans Involved* waiting for pickup at the library to start soon.  I want to pick up the latter half of the Nightside novels by Simon R Green, more of Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody series, some Tanya Huff novels, and *The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After: Being the Private Correspondence Between Two Prominent Families Regarding a Scandal Touching the Highest Level* (how could you not want to read a book with a title like that?) for the next month or two..


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## HeavenShallBurn (Jul 9, 2007)

Chaldfont said:
			
		

> Just finished the Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross. I'm now reading his Singularity Sky.
> 
> Did you know this guy created the githyanki?



And Slaad

Once your done with Singularity Sky you have to read Iron Sunrise I'm not sure it's quite as good as the first but it really fills out the universe.


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## billd91 (Jul 9, 2007)

_The Boat_ by Lothar-Gunther Buchheim. And despite the author's criticisms, I think the movie _Das Boot_ captures the feel of the book quite well.

I'm also reading Harry Potter books to my son as bedtime stories. And when the new one comes out, it'll be family story time. We'll all crowd into the bed and I'll read it there. I'm really looking forward to it.


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## Capellan (Jul 10, 2007)

I'm reading a collection of works by Edgar Wallace, who was one of the most successful and prolific authors in the UK (and indeed, the world) during the period 1905-1933.

Amongst other things, Wallace had a story credit on the 1933 version of King Kong, though Wikipedia asserts that he "was taken ill soon after his arrival in Hollywood and died without writing a word" of the film.


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## jonesy (Jul 10, 2007)

I'm currently reading *Catch-22*, *A Study in Scarlet* (which is the one Holmes I've always managed to miss somehow), and *The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch*.

So far I think Catch-22 would be better with more Yossarian in it. Can't have too much Yossarian.



			
				Doctor DM said:
			
		

> Just finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman, which was freakin awesome, so I'll probably check out more of his stuff.



There's more of Shadow in Fragile Things, and the other short stories are excellent too.


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## Cevalic (Jul 10, 2007)

Midnight Tides by Erikson.  I read a couple reviews that said book 5 wasnt that good, but Ive enjoyed it so far and Im halfway through.

Plan on reading Children of Hurin after it.


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Jul 10, 2007)

"reading" the audio books of the Lord of the Rings.  It's kind of refreshing to listen at the pace the reader goes compared to my torrid reading pace.  I had forgotten just how much of FOTR was changed for the movie.  Frodo's age, the vast differences in amount of time passed, etc.


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## Tolen Mar (Jul 10, 2007)

Well, in preparation for a new online game it looks like I'll be running, I'm re-reading all of my 2E books, and the Dark Sun Campaign setting.

I've never read or run DS, and now I think I might be hooked.  I'm actually looking forward to this one.


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## WayneLigon (Jul 11, 2007)

I finished _Dies the Fire_ (excellent book and I must read the others; you can at least read the first one without thinking you're missing anything). Now I'm back to reading _The Judas Contract_, the second book of the Commonwealth duology.

The Commonwealth is fascinating. People have basically conquered death; instead of putting money into social security, they put money into an account that eventually pays for their memory store being transferred to a quick-grown clone body (basically, you come out at about 16 or so). There are a handfull of 400-year-old people around. They don't _like _ dying, but knowing you'll be back takes the sting out of the process. You get some spectacular suicides in a few places because, well, they're just giving up the body early. 18 months later, they'll be awake and around again.

Transit is also very cool. Trains are the big thing again. Space travel is almost a niche science to them; they have wormhole technology that enables transport among all the planets. Zero-width wormholes transmit power and data from remote stations.


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## Chaldfont (Jul 11, 2007)

HeavenShallBurn said:
			
		

> And Slaad
> 
> Once your done with Singularity Sky you have to read Iron Sunrise I'm not sure it's quite as good as the first but it really fills out the universe.




Picked it up and I'm now about half-way through. It's great fun. I've been really grooving on modern sci-fi lately: Iain M. Banks, Richard Morgan, and Charles Stross.

Makes me want to play some updated Traveller.


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## Mycanid (Jul 12, 2007)

Ah ha! I have been mightily enjoying 1001 Arabian Nights ... about 190 pages into the book (which version is about 650 pages long).

Haven't read them in this format before ... only extractions (Aladdin and such like). I am enjoying it!


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## The Thayan Menace (Jul 12, 2007)

*Literacy is Overrated*

I'm finishing up _Integral Spirituality_ by Ken Wilber, and I am also rereading _The Book of the Damned_ by Tanith Lee.







-Samir Asad / Thayan Menace​


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## Welverin (Jul 14, 2007)

I just started _Night Train_ to Rigel by Timothy Zahn, after finishing _The Road to Dune_.

I think I'll also work on _The Book of Lost Tales Part 1_ by JRRT.


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## Mark Chance (Jul 15, 2007)

Recently finished the first three of Brian Jacques's Redwall books. Still pacing my way through Herodotus. Working on Judith Tarr's The Hound and the Falcon and Rudyard Kipling's Captains Courageous.


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## The_lurkeR (Jul 16, 2007)

Just started reading  Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell also. (Hardcover was on sale for $7 at Barnes & Noble.)


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## Tolen Mar (Jul 16, 2007)

I just recommended Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell to my brother in law.  I can't recommend it enough.  Anyone who hasn't picked it up yet really should.


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## Asmo (Jul 16, 2007)

Tolen Mar said:
			
		

> I just recommended Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell to my brother in law.  I can't recommend it enough.  Anyone who hasn't picked it up yet really should.




I´ve read 200 pages, and I must admit that I´m struggling with the book. 
She writes alot, but nothing much happens - I hope it will get better soon.

Asmo


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## Tolen Mar (Jul 16, 2007)

Asmo said:
			
		

> I´ve read 200 pages, and I must admit that I´m struggling with the book.
> She writes alot, but nothing much happens - I hope it will get better soon.
> 
> Asmo




Now that you mention it, I recall that feeling as well my first time through.
Try to stick with it, and I think you'll be satisfied by the end (or like me, wish it hadn't ended yet).

I don't recall exactly where the break point came and things started picking up, but I dont think its too far from where you are at.


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## Pielorinho (Jul 19, 2007)

Two things I say about Jonathan Strange.

First, it's a book to groove on the style.  Her writing is beautiful and elegant, and the footnotes are hilarious, as long as you can get into their bone-dry sense of humor.

Second, make sure you stick it out until there's a road in France.  If you make it fifty pages past the road in France and you're not swept up in it yet, it may just not be the book for you.

Daniel


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## Tetsubo (Jul 19, 2007)

With Arrow, Sword, and Spear: A History of Warfare in the Ancient World  by Alfred S. Bradford


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## frankthedm (Jul 20, 2007)




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## Tolen Mar (Jul 20, 2007)

Pielorinho said:
			
		

> Two things I say about Jonathan Strange.
> 
> First, it's a book to groove on the style.  Her writing is beautiful and elegant, and the footnotes are hilarious, as long as you can get into their bone-dry sense of humor.
> 
> ...





I agree wholeheartedly here.  I did one thing to my copy that I never do to any of my books, which is highlighting passages.  Some of the footnotes were so droll I had to mark them so I could come back to them (or use them as bait to lure other readers in).

And the road in France sounds about right.  The pacing was slow going for a while, but worth it just to read the footnotes.

Once I get past the last Harry Potter, I've been thinking about reading "Who censored Roger Rabbit?"  Anyone read this one?  Thoughts?


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## The Grumpy Celt (Jul 20, 2007)

I also recommend _Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell_. It is “veddy Brittish,” but I enjoy the style. 

Having finished, at long last, _Blood Meridian_ (good Lord did that book kick my arse) I am now rereading _The Gunslinger._

I read _Roger Rabbit_ after the movie came out years ago and it was probably the worst book I’ve ever read. It bears little resemblance to the movie, save the name of characters. In everything else it is deeply different, a dreadful pastiche of noir-detective novels. Spend your money on anything else before you buy that book.


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## Pielorinho (Jul 20, 2007)

The Grumpy Celt said:
			
		

> Having finished, at long last, _Blood Meridian_ (good Lord did that book kick my arse)



Oh, man.  Yeah, I have really clear memories of reading that book in a low-rent conference center, glued in horror to each page.  It's a combination of intricate philosophy, brutal history, and bizarre bizarrity (I don't even know what to call passages such as the drum-sand).  Not an easy read, but I can't imagine not finishing it.  McCarthy's a wild man.

I want to read his postapocalyptic novel, but I'm kinda scared to .

Daniel


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## Chaldfont (Jul 20, 2007)

Pielorinho said:
			
		

> I want to read his postapocalyptic novel, but I'm kinda scared to .




If you mean The Road... *shudder*

Wow, what a book... Good, but hard to recommend in a Shindler's List kind of way.

I just moved on to World War Z after getting my turn in the hold line at the library. 18 pages into at and I'm already hooked.


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## Zaukrie (Jul 20, 2007)

Darkspell, which is good, but I'm not sure I like the swing back and forth in time thing to tell multiple short stories in the middle of the current plot. I like it, but I think I could really like it more if something were a little different.

Guy Kay's last two books aren't so long that they are long, if you know what I mean. I highly recommend them both to the person that said they want to read shorter books. I think I read the last one in 2 days or so.


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## Tolen Mar (Jul 20, 2007)

The Grumpy Celt said:
			
		

> I read _Roger Rabbit_ after the movie came out years ago and it was probably the worst book I’ve ever read. It bears little resemblance to the movie, save the name of characters. In everything else it is deeply different, a dreadful pastiche of noir-detective novels. Spend your money on anything else before you buy that book.




Well, first off, I dont read many noir books.  Once in a while is ok, but it isnt my main diet.  Secondly, no money, thats why they invented libraries .  

And finally, while I am interested because of it's link to the movie, I've been reading reviews and am fully aware that it has little resemblance.  And thats why I'm considering it.  I mean if I want to see 'Who framed', I'll just pop the tape in.

However, was it bad because you expected to read the movie, or was it just bad?


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## The Grumpy Celt (Jul 20, 2007)

Tolen Mar said:
			
		

> However, was it bad because you expected to read the movie, or was it just bad?




Yes to both. It is bad pastiche. A good pastiche of noir-detective novels is that Stephen King story, Last Case of somebody somebody (I can't recall right now.) Roger is bad, bad dialog, bad action, all the characters are unlikeable, bad plot hooks, bad ending. Check out some other book.


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## Ankh-Morpork Guard (Jul 20, 2007)

Now that I've finished _Chronicles of Hurin_ I'm finally, after years of telling myself to read it, picking up _A Brief History of Time_. Took me long enough.


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## Shadeydm (Jul 20, 2007)

The Brothers Bulger by Howie Carr


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## Rabelais (Jul 20, 2007)

Akos, P. (2006). Extracurricular participation and the transition to middle school. In M. M. Caskey (Ed.), Middle level education research annual: Engaging young adolescent learners (pp. 77-85).  Westerville, OH: National Middle School Association.

Gilman, R., Meyers, J., & Perez, L. (2004). Structured extracurricular activities among adolescents: Findings and Implications for school psychologists [Electronic Version]. Psychology in the Schools, 41(1), (pp. 31-41).

Mahoney, J. (2000). School extracurricular activity participation as a moderator in the development of antisocial patterns [Electronic Version]. Child Development, 71, (pp. 502-516).

Zaff, J., Moore, K., Pabilo, A. & Williams, S. (2003). Implications of extracurricular activity participation during adolescence on positive outcomes [Electronic Version]. Journal of Adolescent Research, 18, (pp. 599-630).

I'm reading a bunch of stuff on Autism Spectrum Disorders as well.  Stoopid Summer term


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## Panthanas (Jul 21, 2007)

Finally finishing up the Tawny Man trilogy with Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb.


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## Brakkart (Jul 21, 2007)

Just finished The Lost Library of Cormanthyr today, starting on Star of Cursrah next. That's what I'm reading on my breaks at work, at home I'm reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as well as Shadowdale: The Scouring of the Land and the Savage Tide Adventure Path. Ohh and my bedside book at the moment (which I generally read a chapter of before sleeping each night) is Kajira of Gor by John Norman.


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## Pozatronic (Jul 22, 2007)

Slowly finishing up "No one belongs here more than you." by Miranda July. It's not at all bad, I'm just savoring it. Just started "Werewolves In Their Youth" by Michael Chabon. 

I was reading "Child Of Fortune" by Norman Spinrad, but it was boring the heck out of me, so I did something I hardly every do: I stopped reading it. But I need a sci-fi fix so I've been eyeing a few used titles over at amazon. I'm having a hard time choosing between "Consider Phlebas" by Iain M. Banks, "Engine Summer" by John Crowley, and "The Centauri Device" by M. John Harrison. Anybody want to weigh in on these titles?


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## Eridanis (Jul 26, 2007)

Panthanas said:
			
		

> Finally finishing up the Tawny Man trilogy with Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb.



Ahh, what an epic ending. You won't be disappointed (I hope).

I CANNOT put down Naomi Novik's Termeraire trilogy. Burned through Book 1 (His Majesty's Dragon) in one day, took three for Throne of Jade, and I'll be starting Black Powder War on the train ride home tonight. Not a towering classic of the genre, but she can write page-turning prose, and I am enjoying following the characters. She's no C. S. Forester, but who is? Dragons going to war in Napoleanic-era Europe is apparently a genre I never knew I needed to have fulfilled. Good thing someone else did.


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## Mycanid (Jul 26, 2007)

Ooo ... Finished 1001 Arabian Nights finally. A good read.

Think I will pick up "Orthodoxy" by G.K. Chesterton again. Good book to re-read from time to time.


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## Chaldfont (Jul 26, 2007)

Eridanis said:
			
		

> Ahh, what an epic ending. You won't be disappointed (I hope).
> 
> I CANNOT put down Naomi Novik's Termeraire trilogy. Burned through Book 1 (His Majesty's Dragon) in one day, took three for Throne of Jade, and I'll be starting Black Powder War on the train ride home tonight. Not a towering classic of the genre, but she can write page-turning prose, and I am enjoying following the characters. She's no C. S. Forester, but who is? Dragons going to war in Napoleanic-era Europe is apparently a genre I never knew I needed to have fulfilled. Good thing someone else did.




Those books are great fun. The next one comes out in September, I think.

I came pretty close to running a Savage Worlds game based on those books at Gen Con this year. I was going to have players team up, one playing a captain and the other playing his dragon.


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## Wombat (Jul 27, 2007)

Mycanid said:
			
		

> Think I will pick up "Orthodoxy" by G.K. Chesterton again. Good book to re-read from time to time.




Chesterton is always a thoughtful and interesting (and witty!) read -- glad to see another fan.  

My brother used to have a yellow t-shirt with an image of him in black, hunched over a bit, wearing his ever-present pince-nez, with the legend, "I think I shall not hang myself today."

(Oh, and on my own part I have finished THE book -- Thanks, Jo, for the long, strange trip.)


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## Tolen Mar (Jul 27, 2007)

Well, read THE book in a week.  Yeah yeah, I know.  I just don't read that fast or for that long of a stretch at a time.  Usually.

So I went to the library and realized I neither wanted Scifi or Fantasy at the moment and so hit the astrophysics section.

I recently read "A Brief History of Time" and enjoyed it thoroughly (so much so that I was dissapointed that " A Briefer History..." was just a new edition with better ilustrations).  So now, I have "The Universe in a Nutshell."  I can't help thinking that while I would be confused through much of the discussion, Professor Hawking would be an intensely interesting person to talk with.

But since his works count as a 'light' read, I have another waiting nearby, "The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimension, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory" by Brian Greene.


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## Mycanid (Jul 28, 2007)

Wombat said:
			
		

> Chesterton is always a thoughtful and interesting (and witty!) read -- glad to see another fan.
> 
> My brother used to have a yellow t-shirt with an image of him in black, hunched over a bit, wearing his ever-present pince-nez, with the legend, "I think I shall not hang myself today." ...




Woohoo! Hats off to another GKC fan! He's actually one of my fave authors - so far that I have his collected works ... which is massive (dare I say "larger than life")....

It's amazing the output that guy could do all at the same time.


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## Darth Shoju (Aug 3, 2007)

I'm just about done The Children of Hurin and I've found it enjoyable so far, if not as engaging as LoTR (which I ascribe to tCoH not being really finished). After that I've got a bit of a queue:

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
The Fionavar Tapestry (Guy Gavriel Kay)
The Robots of Dawn; The Caves of Steel; The Naked Sun (Asimov)
Hominids; Humans; Hybrids (Robert J. Sawyer)
And Quiet Flows the Don (Mikhail Sholokhov)
The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoevsky)

I *really* wish I was a faster reader.


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## Pielorinho (Aug 3, 2007)

Darth Shoju said:
			
		

> The Fionavar Tapestry (Guy Gavriel Kay)



Is this your first Guy Gavriel Kay?  If it is, I recommend that it not be .  In my opinion, it's by far his weakest book (or trilogy); what's more, it's almost in a different genre from his other work.  His other books tend to be alternate histories of a world similar to earth but different enough that he can, for example, guiltlessly create new dialogue and motives for the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and his Empress Theodora.  The Fionavar Tapestry is kind of like a cross between every Tolkien rip-off you've ever read and the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon.

If you've read everything else by him, though, or if you really dig the Shanarra books, you might like Fionavar (and I don't mean that to be a slight:  I certainly have fluffy books that I enjoy).

Daniel


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## Tolen Mar (Aug 3, 2007)

The Grumpy Celt said:
			
		

> Yes to both. It is bad pastiche.




I want to thank you Celt for helping me to avoid a stinker.  A quick thumbthrough had me convinced as well.


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## Darth Shoju (Aug 4, 2007)

Pielorinho said:
			
		

> Is this your first Guy Gavriel Kay?  If it is, I recommend that it not be .  In my opinion, it's by far his weakest book (or trilogy); what's more, it's almost in a different genre from his other work.  His other books tend to be alternate histories of a world similar to earth but different enough that he can, for example, guiltlessly create new dialogue and motives for the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and his Empress Theodora.  The Fionavar Tapestry is kind of like a cross between every Tolkien rip-off you've ever read and the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon.
> 
> If you've read everything else by him, though, or if you really dig the Shanarra books, you might like Fionavar (and I don't mean that to be a slight:  I certainly have fluffy books that I enjoy).
> 
> Daniel




It is my first Kay. This is the first time I've really heard anything but positive reviews of Fionavar (of course, I'm only going with what my friends say -  I've never read an actual review.) I figure I'll still start there though as my friend just gave me the trilogy for free the other day. Thanks for the tip though: I'm sure I'll be reading his other stuff soon enough.


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## The Grumpy Celt (Aug 4, 2007)

_Chronicle of the Narvaez Expedition_ by Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca. In 1527, following a failed expedition by Spanish conquistadors, he wandered through North America for nine year among the natives before finally returning to Spain.


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## Asmo (Aug 4, 2007)

Hey Grumpy, it´s a new month with a shiny new thread 

Asmo


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