[Slow Ben]

Just finished up the Garret Files, so i switched over to Side Jobs till Garret PI gets here.


Its kind of weird switching between Garret and Harry.

[Salt-Man Z]

The Holy Ralphim of Apocalypse, on 07 December 2010 - 03:37 PM, said:

Its kind of weird switching between Garret and Harry.

I know: wizard solving mysteries in Chicago versus private eye solving mysteries in fantasyland.

[Astra]

I have finally settled on my next read. In fact, I have already started to read it.
None from the list I have posted.

Northern Lights aka The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

[Yellow]

Read a bit of that but was underwhelmed.

Hey Astra, you're the man to talk to about eBooks. Do you know any cheap sites for PRS-compatible (and up to date!) books. See my above comments... Waterstones is very expensive (and WH Smith may as well not exist). If I don't find somewhere cheaper, I'm moving to Kindle.

[QuickTidal]

Astra, on 07 December 2010 - 04:37 PM, said:

I have finally settled on my next read. In fact, I have already started to read it.
None from the list I have posted.

Northern Lights aka The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

That is a great book, and the third book in the series is so brainy that it can't even be called YA any longer. Great series that deals with a lot of tough subjects and doesn't talk down to readers.

[Yellow]

Is the third book worth slogging through for? I got about half way through the first one and gave up. Kids' stuff, but good kids' stuff, if you know what I mean. Novel and interesting but not gripping, not sure it's worth a lot of time. I've heard good things about the series but there's a lot on the to read pile, sort of thing.

[Astra]

Yellow, on 07 December 2010 - 04:45 PM, said:

Hey Astra, you're the man to talk to about eBooks. Do you know any cheap sites for PRS-compatible (and up to date!) books. See my above comments... Waterstones is very expensive (and WH Smith may as well not exist). If I don't find somewhere cheaper, I'm moving to Kindle.

No. Unfortunately, I don't know. Sorry about it.

I just got the latest, 650

[kcf]

I finally got my review posted for Swords & Dark Magic edited by Lou Anders and Jonathan Strahan. It's a decent anthology that succeeds well withing its goals. The stories aren't outstanding, but are fun and entertaining (and there are some pretty big names authoring them). Full Review

I still have a couple more reviews to catch up on and I'm currently reading Stonewielder by Ian C. Esslemont, which is fun, Malazan goodness.

[QuickTidal]

Yellow, on 07 December 2010 - 05:54 PM, said:

Is the third book worth slogging through for? I got about half way through the first one and gave up. Kids' stuff, but good kids' stuff, if you know what I mean. Novel and interesting but not gripping, not sure it's worth a lot of time. I've heard good things about the series but there's a lot on the to read pile, sort of thing.

Basically it is totally worth it if you are cool with Pullman wanting to mess with organized religion and send his two protagonists through a sort of Richard Dawkins-esque reformatting of the young mind to be more wary of the things we are taught about spirituality, and the very nature of gods and divinity and energies. It is VERY good, if heady stuff. The third book actually has a down and dirty version on quantum entanglement in it. All hell breaks loose in that one and I was really impressed.

[Yellow]

QuickTidal, on 07 December 2010 - 11:49 PM, said:

Yellow, on 07 December 2010 - 05:54 PM, said:

Is the third book worth slogging through for? I got about half way through the first one and gave up. Kids' stuff, but good kids' stuff, if you know what I mean. Novel and interesting but not gripping, not sure it's worth a lot of time. I've heard good things about the series but there's a lot on the to read pile, sort of thing.

Basically it is totally worth it if you are cool with Pullman wanting to mess with organized religion and send his two protagonists through a sort of Richard Dawkins-esque reformatting of the young mind to be more wary of the things we are taught about spirituality, and the very nature of gods and divinity and energies. It is VERY good, if heady stuff. The third book actually has a down and dirty version on quantum entanglement in it. All hell breaks loose in that one and I was really impressed.

But does it, you know, ever stop being "for kids"?

[QuickTidal]

Yellow, on 08 December 2010 - 07:58 AM, said:

QuickTidal, on 07 December 2010 - 11:49 PM, said:

Yellow, on 07 December 2010 - 05:54 PM, said:

Is the third book worth slogging through for? I got about half way through the first one and gave up. Kids' stuff, but good kids' stuff, if you know what I mean. Novel and interesting but not gripping, not sure it's worth a lot of time. I've heard good things about the series but there's a lot on the to read pile, sort of thing.

Basically it is totally worth it if you are cool with Pullman wanting to mess with organized religion and send his two protagonists through a sort of Richard Dawkins-esque reformatting of the young mind to be more wary of the things we are taught about spirituality, and the very nature of gods and divinity and energies. It is VERY good, if heady stuff. The third book actually has a down and dirty version on quantum entanglement in it. All hell breaks loose in that one and I was really impressed.

But does it, you know, ever stop being "for kids"?

I don't think it ever stops thinking of kids...as it is about them growing up, but by book 3 Lyra is a different person and not so childish....dunno.

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 07 December 2010 - 11:49 PM, said:

... The third book actually has a down and dirty version on quantum entanglement in it. All hell breaks loose in that one and I was really impressed.

Are the first two basically extended builds to the third?

Briar King, on 08 December 2010 - 04:11 AM, said:

Finished NoK an hr or so ago and I was trying to think what to read next... I decided that since today is 12/7(Pearl Harbor) Id pull out my copy of Turteldoves Alt WWII series Into the Darkness.

heh... i read the first three of that series then gave up. Turledove writes a neat setting but his storylines there draaaaaagggggggggg....
I did like his 'Balance' series where alien lizards invade earth mid WW2.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 08 December 2010 - 03:08 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 07 December 2010 - 11:49 PM, said:

... The third book actually has a down and dirty version on quantum entanglement in it. All hell breaks loose in that one and I was really impressed.

Are the first two basically extended builds to the third?

More that the first one can exist standalone and the second one is the builder for the third. Basically the first book has a bunch of elements sprinkled in that are important elements of the overall world (like Daemons) but is a pretty self-contained story, whereas the second is indeed the first part of a two part story that finished up with the third. The second does tie Lyra's Alternate Earth in with our Earth VIA the male protagonist Will who gets introduced. The third has a few moments that made me go "Holy shit....did I just read that in a supposed YA book? Whoa."

[acesn8s]

The King's Gold by Arturo Perez-Reverte.

[McLovin]

The Montessori Way, by two guys whose names I can't remember. Because I'm thinking about putting my kids in the nearby Montessori school, and don't know much about the method.

At the rate I'm getting sidetracked I'll never finish Infinite Jest.

[T77]

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, just didn't do it for me. Been in sort of a reading slump my last 3 reads, this, The Blade Itself and The Name of the Wind were a chore for me. But, happily I'm now reading House of Chains and The Gunslinger, both of which are excellent so far.

This post has been edited by T77: 09 December 2010 - 02:59 PM

[QuickTidal]

Briar King, on 09 December 2010 - 06:12 PM, said:

Im bummed that Robin Hobb did do it for you. I truly enjoyed the 6 books I read by her. Ofcourse you really cant go wrong with The Dark Tower books either. They are fucking fan-fucking-tastic(except book 6).

Yeah, and Assassins Apprentice is my all time fave by her.

[Salt-Man Z]

Finished up The Shadow of the Torturer last night. I think this might be my favorite book in TBotNS. I love the first hundred pages or so with Severian in the Citadel, and even though I'm not as keen on his (mis)adventures in Nessus, knowing all the revelations from later books gives everything a magical quality.

[Stradivarius]

working my way throught the james bond books by ian flemming. bloody brilliant! even better than the films! on goldfinger at the mo!

[Captain Beardface]

Finished Best Served Cold last night... I enjoyed it... looking forward to Heroes from Abercrombie... He is steadily rising up my list of favorite authors... Started Way of the Shadow today since my copy of Stonewielder hasn't yet arrived.