What are you reading?

Still reading the Wh40K Horus Heresy series, about halfway thru the awesome "Fulgrim" book. The Emperor's Children primarch, awesome.

Also, i got a Kindle for my birthday (unfortunately no warhammer books available), so Ive been reading the second Dragon Age book, "The Calling". I'm liking it better than the first one, "the Stolen Throne".
 
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Just finished Revolutionary Road. Interesting read, though if you've seen the movie it deviates very little.

I started Skeletons of the Zahara but I'm not sure I'll finish it. I thought it would read more like The Terror by Dan Simmons, though without the supernatural element, but I fear it's an actual historical account with no dialogue between the people involved.
 
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Been reading a bit of this, that, and t'other.

* The Redeemer Reborn: Parsifal as the fifth opera of Wagner's Ring, by Paul Schofield. Waste of time. There are sure to be better books about Wagner and Parsifal out there.
* Sit Down and Shut Up by Brad Warner. This is his commentary on the Shobogenzo. He's a bit too precious for his own good at times, but it was nevertheless pretty good reading -- he has a knack for explaining very complex and subtle ideas in simple and understandable terms. Like most Zen literature, though, this isn't going to make a lot of sense if you're not actually doing Zen practice (or interested in doing Zen practice).
* More Hellblazer. I especially liked the one where he got lung cancer.
 
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Liberation -1944: A Pictorial History Of Guam by Don A. Farrell

It's an account of the liberation of Guam during World War II. It is significant for a few reasons. First, it was the first piece of American soil recaptured from Imperial Japan. Second, it was the first liberation of a horribly tormented population from a brutal dictatorship. Third, I was born there, much much later.

My parent's bought the book while my dad was stationed there, since they knew they were leaving the island at that point (they thought about staying, actually). That, and a massive map of Guam were bought so I'd know a little about the island and it's history.

The map currently covers most of a wall in the den (it is humongous), and my mom handed me the book after I turned them onto a History International episode dealing with the island's rescue. I have other books on the Pacific, but this is the only one dealing solely and specifically with the Guam campaign. The next closest I have does devote a section to it, but it's a general account of the entire Marianas campaign.
 
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Reading more about Richard Wagner -- currently chewing my way through Barry Millington's "Wagner," which is a biography and a study of his major works. It's somewhat dry and "academic" but the guy's occasional wry sense of humor peeks through every once in a while, but the scholarship is impeccable -- and it's hard to be boring about such an outsize character.

I've got his autobiography waiting. I hear it's a more interesting read... but it seems Wagner wasn't above bending truth a little, or even a lot, for purposes of artistic license, so I thought it was better to get a bit more dispassionate look at the man before letting him speak for himself (other than through his art, that is).

(He seems to have gotten more nooky than Jim Morrison, by the way. Plus ça change...)
 
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Just finished Up in the Air by Walter Zirn. I saw the movie beforehand, and both were good. The book is vastly different from the film (big surprise), but not in a way that Stephen King books are different than the movies. I recommend it.
 
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Just finished The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner.

Still the best "cyber punk" novel, written at a time (1975), where the term wasn't even coined.

Predicting a world wide computer network and describing worms and trojan horses at a time, where no internet and no home computers were known.

And predicting possible results of this setting for society in a suspenseful science fiction story.

Highly recommended (like all of John Brunner's books).
 
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Well, looks like I'm a good bit behind. Imagine that, eh?

Finished Gardens of the Moon. Might not be the best book I've ever read, but I hopped right out and picked up the next one in the series. Definitely a good read.

Knocked out the latest John Taylor book from Simon Green (well, latest paperback), Just Another Judgment Day. I really like this series. This one didn't disappoint, but didn't knock my socks off, either. Worth the time, and it was a quick light story to break up the longer, deeper stuff (relatively speaking) that came before and after.

Read The Company by KJ Parker. I was interested in the Engineer series, but didn't want to commit to 3 big books from an author I'd not read. Picked up this standalone as an entry point. Not a bad story, but didn't make me want to run out and buy the series I had my eye on.

Currently working on Fool by Christopher Moore. I'm only half way thru, but this is absolutely the funniest book I've read in years. It's rude, crude, and socially unacceptable. It's snarky and sarcastic. It's a total hoot. By far the best book of Moore's I've read so far.
 
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I have "Gardens of the moon" for two years now, and i count 2 failed attempts for reading it. I guess it doesn't fit me

Almost finished the trilogy "the first law" from Joe Abercrombie. Easy and quality reading
 
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I've cut off my book allowance for this quarter in the interests of balancing the checkbook, so I'm re-reading some of the thousands of books we already have laying around all over the house. (I really am thinking of getting an e-reader, if only to avoid having to buy or build more bookshelves.)

Anyway, I seem disinclined for anything serious lately and am having the most fun with really silly stuff, so I'm re-reading all my Preston and Child books, featuring the enigmatic Special Agent Pendergast. Started in reverse order with Cemetery Dance(zombies) went back further with Dance of Death(evil psychotic brother) Book of the Dead (cursed Egyptian tomb really the work of still active evil psychotic brother) and Wheel of Darkness(Tibetan tulba summoned by evil cosmic mandala on giant ocean liner of debauchery.) Now I'm on Still Life with Crows (generic twisted serial killer.)

Good fun, if totally without redeeming social value. :)
 
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I've just read "Prince of thorns" by Mark Lawrence. It's a fantasy first novel that hasn't been published yet, but soon will be.
It's the first time I find a "bad guy" hero who is really, really evil. Stan Nicholls' "Orcs" were not, The black company (whom I love immensely) are really OK guys, Glotka in "The first law" is ambiguous but not bad "per se", and the list goes on…
Jorg is a real evil motherfucker. He kills, rapes, burns, lies, betrays, and is so desperate and dark, even undead back away from him. And yet he's a worthy hero, mainly because he doesn't try to justify himself.
So if you want to see what a nasty hero is (and this is coming from a Codex guy) check this one out when it's released.

Final line of the book is :
"It's what I am, and if you want excuses, come and take them."


Glad you liked it!

Amazing what google will find...

Mark (Author of Prince of Thorns)
 
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I'm just finishing up Arm's Commander, the latest in the Recluse series by Modesitt. Nothing new and startling, but his usual standard of excellence.
 
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Glad you liked it!

Amazing what google will find…

Mark (Author of Prince of Thorns)

Très honoré. Too bad the publisher I'm working for didn't get the deal for France, but you'll be in good hands at Bragelonne's with the likes of Gemmell (that I miss a lot), Howard and Lieber.
That first volume you wrote is the best fantasy I read since Abercrombie (that's high praise coming from me), so I'm eagerly looking forward to read the others.
One request : Please don't pussify Jorg. Stick with the darkness to the bitter end. A character who looks into the eyes of the undead and says : "I saw his death. I saw his despair. And his hunger. And I gave it back. I'd expected more, but he was only dead." deserves the best immortality you can write him.


Thanks a lot for answering my post and even more thanks for writing such a first novel. Reading great novels like yours make me feel like I'm stealing my pay. And I like it.
 
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JV Jones Watcher for the Dead, book 4 in her current series. If you enjoyed the previous 3 beginning with Cavern of Black Ice (from memory), you'll enjoy this one as well.
 
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I'm half way through Charles Stross's "The Atrocity Archives".
It's a Spy Story set in a Lovecraftian Universe where the Hero starts out as an IT Tech. Very recommended.

Another good book by Charles Stross is "Saturns Children" which is very much like something Heinlein would write if he was still around.

I likes the earlier Charles Moore stuff especially "Practical Demonkeeping" and "Coyote Blues" I should give "Fools" a try.
 
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thanks for the Atrocity Archives referral, sounds like a good one. Getting it on my Kindle now ='.'=

I'm at the end of the Warhammer40k Horus Heresy book "Fulgrim", it's wrapping up really good now. Pretty much all the books in the series have been good, if you like warhammer 40k that is
 
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I'm half way through Charles Stross's "The Atrocity Archives".
It's a Spy Story set in a Lovecraftian Universe where the Hero starts out as an IT Tech. Very recommended.

Another good book by Charles Stross is "Saturns Children" which is very much like something Heinlein would write if he was still around.

I likes the earlier Charles Moore stuff especially "Practical Demonkeeping" and "Coyote Blues" I should give "Fools" a try.
I might take a peek at Stross, too. Thanks for the pointer. You're in for a serious treat with "Fool". Absolutely bust-a-gut funny.

Currently working on "Whitechapel Gods" by SM Peters. Steampunk stuff. Not really sucking me in as of the halfway point. We'll see if it gets better. Admittedly, I'm not all that into steampunk, but wanted to give it a swing.
 
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thanks for the Atrocity Archives referral, sounds like a good one. Getting it on my Kindle now ='.'=

I'm at the end of the Warhammer40k Horus Heresy book "Fulgrim", it's wrapping up really good now. Pretty much all the books in the series have been good, if you like warhammer 40k that is

I had never read any 40K books but had "dabbled" when younger with the games and more recently with the PC Games but I'm loving the whole Horus Heresy" series. It's nice that things are getting fleshed out on such a major event and with such interesting stories. I find I read the books as soon as they are released then get impatient waiting for the next ones. The only other series that I have enjoyed so much was "Necroscope" by Brian Lumley.

Just working through Horus Heresy: The Thousand Sons at the minute which starts slow but is still a good read. I did branch out whilst waiting on releases and found that I also enjoyed other 40K books the "Eisenhorn" series, The Deathwatch series and I loved the Blood Angels seriess too. All worth checking out if you have not read them.
 
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I never read the Warhammer 40K books, but did read the earlier Warhammer Fantasy books by Jack Yeovil (Pseudonym for Kim Newman writer and Film critic). Anything by Kim Newman is highly recommended if you like Horror and Pulps.
 
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