(WAYRN) Read any good books recently?

Essentially a thread for book reviews, discussion, recommendations, et cetera... Or just "I'm currently reading..." kind of posts.

Right now I'm at the beginning of three books which I'm reading simulatenously (despite little free time on my hands). Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" which is exquisitely written but which I still haven't managed to really get into and have a nagging suspicion that he intends to turn it into a "star crossed lovers" kind of story (but the historical setting is fun), Fritz Leiber's "Swords and Deviltry" the first in the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series, surprisingly modern attitude for characters in a classic swords and sorcery (small wonder Mike Moorcock cites it as his favourite fantasy), but very convincing and enjoyable and Tad Williams' "War of the Flowers", apparently one of his simpler and more straightforward books (but good nonetheless).

So, what are you reading? :cool:

I just finished Roberto Bolano's posthumously published epic 2666. A very exhausting book that packs every genre under the sun, short of science fiction, into a single overflowing package. There's a serial killer that preys on women, a couple of literary types on the search for their enigmatic idol author, a lot of dead women, some police detectives trying to figure out what the hell is going on, a lot more dead women, a reporter undergoing a midlife crisis, some more dead women...

It's by far the closest thing to "real life" I've come across in literature. The narrative, which spans literally hundreds of characters, is infinitely captivating and engaging while you're reading it... but every once in a while, especially nearing the end, you begin to see glimpses of the meaninglessness of each of the countless mini-stories he tells within his grander tale. None of it matters. Detour after detour with no final destination.

But them's some very scenic detours.

I'm currently reading Arthur C. Clarke's 2010: odyssey two.

I waited to read the first one till 2001 and till now for the second one. That's a pity other two books are 2061 and 3001. Wish I could wait for them too :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pure.Wasted

I just finished Roberto Bolano's posthumously published epic 2666. A very exhausting book that packs every genre under the sun, short of science fiction, into a single overflowing package. There's a serial killer that preys on women, a couple of literary types on the search for their enigmatic idol author, a lot of dead women, some police detectives trying to figure out what the hell is going on, a lot more dead women, a reporter undergoing a midlife crisis, some more dead women...

It's by far the closest thing to "real life" I've come across in literature. The narrative, which spans literally hundreds of characters, is infinitely captivating and engaging while you're reading it... but every once in a while, especially nearing the end, you begin to see glimpses of the meaninglessness of each of the countless mini-stories he tells within his grander tale. None of it matters. Detour after detour with no final destination.

But them's some very scenic detours.

---

Sounds like fun, although I'm somewhat allergic to stories that try to emphasize their pointlessness. It's always a thorough attempt to be very post-modern and "existential" but with very little else beneath. Stories are all about establishing meanings and values anyway, not just demolishing existing ones without offering alternatives (that's just pure nihilism disguised as "deep meaning", and makes one wonder about the author's reasons for writing the story).

Have you read E.R. Eddison's "The Worm Ouroboros"? It's rather like that. Some really well written and immersive scenes, some very intriguing characters, a heavily stylized (to the point of being flawed) narrative and a most frustrating ending (not too subtly foreshadowed by the title) that makes you wonder why the hell did the writer undertake to pen the book in the first place.

Of course scenic detours undermine any pretensions of pointlessness and make it all worthwhile (and whatever I've written above may not really apply anyway). :cool:

I am finishing right now Mass Effect: Ascension
and I read already Revelations

Just getting into East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Haven't even hit over 100 pages yet and it's definitely on my top 10 book lists. I'm not usually a fan of old American literature, with a few exceptions in Hemingway and Faulkner, but Steinbeck really writes extremely well, it's like the antithesis of how confusing and wearisome Faulkner can be. Even the basic premise is very well conceived.

The Stranger, by Albert Camus

AHAH! Found the thread. In preparation for SC 2 I decided to finally read the books. I made good use of my $25 gift card off amazon and ordered the first three books online. Just started Liberty's Crusade. Couldn't find uprising as a book, only kindle version. I'll search for it elsewhere. :D

I'm working my way through Patterns of Chaos; Jennifer Government; and The Wreckage of Agathon.

I really want to get my hands on Neil Gaiman's Death: The High Cost of Living collection. I read the first issue and fell in love, and I want to compete my Sandman universe experience. :3

Do they have any Sandman comics depicting Morpheus after... er, the end of the series?


Also, would this and the What Are You Listening To Now? threads be better suited here or in the Art Forum? Just curious.

Well, it depends...

If we say what are we listening/reading to, it is right here

If we discuss those artworks then its holo deck