[QuickTidal]

Bauchelain the Evil, on 01 August 2011 - 01:58 PM, said:

Finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Beautiful book. Heartwrenching. I strongly recommend it.

I've been contemplating that one for a while. Nice to hear it's a good one.

[acesn8s]

Ghost Story is done, so I'm back to Watership Down . . . although Caine Black Knife is calling to me. I think I can hold out a few more days.

[Serenity]

Finished The Lathe of Heaven and started Storm Front.

[QuickTidal]

Finished up with WOLF OF THE PLAINS by Conn Iggulden (Much enjoyed!), and have finally moved on to the second Tale Of The Otori GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW by Lian Hearn. I loved the first book ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR, feeling it's one of the best YA books out there, and so I am happy to be finally getting into the second in the series after letting it languish for far too long in the teetering TBR pile. Nice to be back with Takeo and Kaede!

[Use Of Weapons]

My favourite thing about Lian Hearn's books, aside from the great characters, setting, and writing, is the originality of her titles.

[QuickTidal]

UseOfWeapons, on 02 August 2011 - 12:10 PM, said:

My favourite thing about Lian Hearn's books, aside from the great characters, setting, and writing, is the originality of her titles.

Oh absolutely. The titles for all the Otori books are amazing and poetic...and even her latest non-Otori (but still Japanese) book BLOSSOMS & SHADOWS is great.

[acesn8s]

King Kazma, on 02 August 2011 - 12:02 PM, said:

Finished up with WOLF OF THE PLAINS by Conn Iggulden (Much enjoyed!), and have finally moved on to the second Tale Of The Otori GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW by Lian Hearn. I loved the first book ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR, feeling it's one of the best YA books out there, and so I am happy to be finally getting into the second in the series after letting it languish for far too long in the teetering TBR pile. Nice to be back with Takeo and Kaede!

I read the first two, but never got around to finishing the series.

[QuickTidal]

acesn8s, on 02 August 2011 - 12:43 PM, said:

King Kazma, on 02 August 2011 - 12:02 PM, said:

Finished up with WOLF OF THE PLAINS by Conn Iggulden (Much enjoyed!), and have finally moved on to the second Tale Of The Otori GRASS FOR HIS PILLOW by Lian Hearn. I loved the first book ACROSS THE NIGHTINGALE FLOOR, feeling it's one of the best YA books out there, and so I am happy to be finally getting into the second in the series after letting it languish for far too long in the teetering TBR pile. Nice to be back with Takeo and Kaede!

I read the first two, but never got around to finishing the series.

I know the latest one (the 4th) EMPIRE IN SILVER concerns his (Genghis') son Odegai Khan, but I'd love to see one that concerns Kublai Khan and his establishment of the Yuan Dynasty since it was technically the first official Chinese dynasty (prior to the Song and Ming Dynasties respectively) and I really would love to see the series progress into that early Chinese era, cause that would be fascinating. Whether or not Iggulden wants to write that story I don't know...but it would be cool IMHO.

EDIT: It looks like he stated on his official site that he plans TWO more books, both about Kublai Khan, so I'll be really interested to read those, considering how that story overlaps the Cambodian Khmer Empire and Angkor Wat and specifically contributed to its eventual decline into non-existence. Fascinating!

This post has been edited by King Kazma: 02 August 2011 - 01:28 PM

[busy monster]

Just finished the Glen Cook Darkwar omnibus. Very awesome.

[MWKarsa]

busy monster, on 02 August 2011 - 07:54 PM, said:

Just finished the Glen Cook Darkwar omnibus. Very awesome.

Thats good to hear as I just started Shadowline Cook's first book in the Starfishers Trilogy. I finished off Death Masks from the Desden files and just like the others- it was a great fun read.

[Mott]

POOPOO MCBUMFACE, on 30 July 2011 - 12:14 AM, said:

Great Expectations is an excellent book, but be warned, it pretty much slows to a crawl at about the middle third. It picks up again and gets far more intense in the last third, but I was bored as hell at some points around the middle.

Thanks for the tip, hopefully it'll help me push on if I get stuck.

Went back to Dresden and managed to finish reading the first book in like two months, so I feel very happy, hopefully this inability to focus is starting to get slightly better. Grave Peril was an excellent read, best one so far for sure but the ending, I have to admit finding it the most bittersweet, I can see things really picking up from here.

This post has been edited by Queen Mott: 03 August 2011 - 01:27 AM

[amphibian]

Queen Mott, on 03 August 2011 - 01:26 AM, said:

POOPOO MCBUMFACE, on 30 July 2011 - 12:14 AM, said:

Great Expectations is an excellent book, but be warned, it pretty much slows to a crawl at about the middle third. It picks up again and gets far more intense in the last third, but I was bored as hell at some points around the middle.

Thanks for the tip, hopefully it'll help me push on if I get stuck.

After you're done, check out the 1998 movie with Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke. It's a truly good adaptation and carries the spirit well without the drag in the middle.

[Abyss]

Morgoth, on 22 July 2011 - 09:01 AM, said:

In my humble opinion, the only sort of fantasy P.I. series that can compare to Dresden in quality is Cook's Garret P.I. books, although the ones with that English exorcist aren't shabby either.
...

Carey's FELIX CASTOR series is brilliant and way closer to the Dresdencrack than Cook's Garret. Imnshbebowic.

Serenity, on 26 July 2011 - 08:09 AM, said:

Salt-Man Z, on 25 July 2011 - 04:38 PM, said:

Started Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind the other night. Good stuff so far.

I loved that book - think it was my favourite that I read last year.
...

Seconded. Great book.

King Kazma, on 26 July 2011 - 02:36 PM, said:

End of Disc One, on 26 July 2011 - 02:34 PM, said:

A third of the way into Small Favor, and this easily has the best first third in the series so far. So many players involved.

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts once you reached CHANGES.

Stop teasing the new addicts.

King Kazma, on 29 July 2011 - 07:27 PM, said:

Briar King, on 29 July 2011 - 07:21 PM, said:

@ Quick Kazma(lol that name change fucked with my head for a bit) how was Ghost Story compared to Dead Beat, Death Masks...?

It was awesome, totally worth the wait. It's not quite the same type of balls out action finale's as those two volumes, but it makes up for it in other ways. Probably one of the best in the series, just not for the reasons you are thinking of. Don't worry, it's really great.

Greatness seconded and for the record, it's got a serious dose of action.

King Kazma, on 30 July 2011 - 12:11 AM, said:

Queen Mott, on 29 July 2011 - 11:00 PM, said:

I was doing so well with Dresden it was a book series I was managing to actually read and then I got stuck halfway through Grave Peril and despite really enjoying it I can't seem to focus on reading any more...

That's where I first got stuck...give it a rest and then come back to it....it gets SO good.

Yep. One' routinely OD's somewhere between boks 3-5, takes a break, and then, the dresdencrack, it OWNS YOU.

amphibian, on 30 July 2011 - 02:50 AM, said:

UseOfWeapons, on 29 July 2011 - 08:26 AM, said:

Quote

Military sci-fi? I have to nominate David Weber's current series, the Safehold series. ...

On your recommendation I picked up Off Armageddon Reef and at the 1/5th mark, it's... not good. Does this series get better?

Weber seemingly has no idea how to convey subtlety, avoid info-dumps or let the characters breathe much.

I have insomnia, so I finished the book. It's almost entirely Age of Sail naval battles with some religious and secular politicking combined with spies. That's not military sci-fi, dude. ...

Briar King, on 31 July 2011 - 02:52 AM, said:

...I need a recommendation. Im in the mood for a good SciFi shootem up, something with alot of space vessel battles, galactic wide empires at war...etc

Bth of you see my ref to Weber's STARS AT WAR series upthread. I seriously doubt it will dissappoint.

acesn8s, on 01 August 2011 - 03:19 PM, said:

Ghost Story is done, so I'm back to Watership Down . . . although Caine Black Knife is calling to me. I think I can hold out a few more days.

Stop being fucking stupid and go read CBK. Fuck.

Queen Mott, on 03 August 2011 - 01:26 AM, said:

POOPOO MCBUMFACE, on 30 July 2011 - 12:14 AM, said:

Great Expectations is an excellent book, but be warned, it pretty much slows to a crawl at about the middle third. It picks up again and gets far more intense in the last third, but I was bored as hell at some points around the middle.

Thanks for the tip, hopefully it'll help me push on if I get stuck.
...

It gets way better when Pip gets his magic sword and starts killing people.

At least, IT FRIKKIN WOULD HAVE.

- Abyss, not a fan of the classics.

[Use Of Weapons]

Great Expectations was my first resolution novel this year. I didn't find it dragged in the middle, though of course there's a huge chunk of the middle where Pip is being a bit of a twat, and you hope each time that he realises what he's doing to poor Joe. But things start to pick up fairly quickly once a certain character returns to the scene.

[McLovin]

Abyss, on 03 August 2011 - 07:14 AM, said:

POOPOO MCBUMFACE, on 30 July 2011 - 12:14 AM, said:

Great Expectations is an excellent book...

It gets way better when Pip gets his magic sword and starts killing people.

At least, IT FRIKKIN WOULD HAVE.

- Abyss, not a fan of the classics.

I smell a re-write along the lines of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

I actually did like Great Expectations tho'.

Meanwhile, still crawling through ASOS (I'm hitting the treadmill at night so that cuts even deepeer into reading time), still working through Elfstones of Shannara during the day. I remain open to the Shannara experience, but unless the action escalates huge, this will likely be my last sojourn in the Four Lands.

[acesn8s]

Abyss, on 03 August 2011 - 07:14 AM, said:

acesn8s, on 01 August 2011 - 03:19 PM, said:

Ghost Story is done, so I'm back to Watership Down . . . although Caine Black Knife is calling to me. I think I can hold out a few more days.

Stop being fucking stupid and go read CBK. Fuck.

. . .

Caine went and assboned Hazel, Bigwig, and the rest of the rabbits. Watership Down will languish in fucking Limbo until I see how Caine and his Holy Foreskin deal with everything going on.

[Salt-Man Z]

acesn8s, on 03 August 2011 - 06:47 PM, said:

Abyss, on 03 August 2011 - 07:14 AM, said:

acesn8s, on 01 August 2011 - 03:19 PM, said:

Ghost Story is done, so I'm back to Watership Down . . . although Caine Black Knife is calling to me. I think I can hold out a few more days.

Stop being fucking stupid and go read CBK.
Fuck.

Caine went and assboned Hazel, Bigwig, and the rest of the rabbits. Watership Down will languish in fucking Limbo until I see how Caine and his Holy Foreskin deal with everything going on.

I'm a little torn here. Yes, you need to read CBK, but I love Watership Down (and Richard Adams in general) too.

I finished The Shadow of the Wind last night. Couldn't put it down. Amazing. I felt somewhat clever for figuring a couple of things out ahead of time (the parallels between Daniel and Julian, for one, and Carax's fate) but just wow.

Also, my brother (fucking) finally started reading Heroes Die, almost 3 years after I gave it (and BoT) to him for Christmas. He's going to (fucking) love it.

[acesn8s]

I'll finish Watership down as soon as I finish CBK. General Wormwort just showed up, so I'm about 1/2 way there.

[Serenity]

Finished Storm Front, enjoyed it a lot. Haven't decided what to read next yet.

[Garak]

Finished A Clash of Empires: The Great Siege, not bad at all, and started Blood of Elves. I know people have complained that the translation of the book is full of mistakes but so far I haven't encountered any. Also I love Triss Merigold ... as soon as she reached the Witcher stronghold and saw the bruises on Ciri and whatnot, it was just comedy gold. I really like what this author created here.