May's (Mostly) Marvelous Literary Musings

[AvoidingReality]

I've just finished The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss which is a pity, because the next one isn't out for a year and I really want to know what happens! But it really was a brilliant book and I read it entirely too quickly.

I'm now starting Exile's Return by Kate Jacoby and I'm not entirely sure what I think of it. It seemed pretty average, but it might be picking up a bit now, as I get further into it.

[kcs_hiker]

starting a new author (for me) and a new series; The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva

also, a kind author's wife sent me a copy of: Electronic Echoes of the Mind by Wade Kimberlin; thanks a bunch to BookStop

also continuing the Three Californias trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson; going to reread On the Beach by Nevil Shute (it's been too many years since I've read it); and finally breaking down and opening up Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake.

[hammerhead]

Originally Posted by j. d. worthington

That's a difficult judgment call, really. If you're a fan of Tolkien, and like his "high" tone in the latter part of LotR, then the style is likely to appeal. However, these are unfinished tales, so there's no actual resolution to the majority of them; they aren't "typical" reads. But they do include some of his best writing here and there, and are fascinating in their own way, allowing a very intense look into the development of Middle-earth and the thought of the man behind it....

thanks j.d. and you are so correct
I mainly got them for my personal liberary and for my son. who now is tackling the hobbit, he loved neil hancocks books so i figured why not steer him to the man who i feel greatly influenced hancocks circle of light and windamir books.
they are a tough read atleast for me
enjoy your travels through the worlds of wonder

[Nesacat]

Finished over the weekend:

The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami.
... When a man's favourite elephant vanishes, the balance of his whole life is subtly upset; a couple's midnight hunger pangs drive them to hold up a McDonald's; a woman finds that she is irresistible to a small green monster that burrows through her front garden; an insomniac wife wakes up to a twilight world of semi-consciousness in which anything seems possible - even death.

I read the book in one sitting. It was not possible to do otherwise. Every single story takes something very mundane and normal and twists it round and turns it inside out. They bring out the surreal is everyday events.

The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury (a re-read)
... At sunset the pictures which decorate the body of the Illustrated Man come to life, and each proceeds to tell its own story. 'The Veld' is a chilling tale of children taking a game of virtual reality too far; the heartbreaking 'Kaleidoscope' tells of stranded astronauts about to re-enter our atmosphere - without the benefit of a spaceship; while in 'Zero Hour' invading aliens have found a most logical ally - our own children. The Illustrated Man has tried everything to get rid of the images; sandpaper, acid, a knife. For he has reason to know that they are not merely stories; they tell the future.

[DeepThought]

Recently finished Last Argument of Kings plus The First Book of Lankhmar, excellent reads both. Now reading a few things in parallell; Steven Erikson's Bonehunters (re-read), The first volume of Glen Cook's Black Company series. Also just started the Novella Blood Follows by Erikson...this guy is God's gift to fantasy...

Cheers, DeepThought

[j. d. worthington]

Finished Space War Blues -- a mixed reaction. There are parts of this novel that are absolutely brilliant, some things that are exquisitely written; and then there are passages that are rather mundane in tone and incident, though written in a very unconventional style. Still, an interesting read, and one I'll probably go back to again at some point; I just wish it had been a bit stronger overall....

Have now started Andrew Laing's The Haunted Omnibus; for those interested in TOC:

The Haunted omnibus [WorldCat.org]

[ben1xy]

Originally Posted by GOLLUM

Don't worry it is.

you're right Gollum, Her second series is heaps better

[pyan]

Oh dear...picked up E.E."Doc" Smith's Triplanetary to remind myself of something, and started reading a bit at the beginning...went straight though it, and First Lensman, and am now well into Galactic Patrol...

[murphy]

Now reading Joe Abercrombie's The Last Arguement of Kings. Very satisfied with it so far.

[DeepThought]

Originally Posted by murphy

Now reading Joe Abercrombie's The Last Arguement of Kings. Very satisfied with it so far.

Good to hear your enjoying it murphy. LAOK is better than previous two combined! He certainly can write great EPIC fantasy (and this is only his first attempt ). Now I can rank him comfortably amongst the other greats; GRRM, Erikson, Bakker et al.

Cheers, DeepThought

[Nesacat]

Have just finished two books.

Strange Pilgrims by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
... In Bercelona, an aging Brazilian prostitute trains her dog to weep at the grave she has chosen for herself. In Vienna, a woman parlays her gift for seeing the future into a fortune-telling position with a wealthy family. In Geneva, an ambulance driver and his wife take in the lonely, apparently dying ex-president of a Caribbean country, only to discover that his political ambition is very much intact.

There are twelve tales here about the lives of Latin Americans in Europe and they reflect all the many things it means to be an immigrant.

Shelf Life - Fantastic Stories Celebrating Bookstores edited by Greg Ketter. The book contains the following tales:
From the Cradle by Gene Wolfe
A Book, by its Cover by P.D. Cacek
The Hemingway Kittens by A.R. Morlan
Lost Books by John J. Miller
One Copy Only by Ramsey Campbell
Pixel Pixies by Charles de Lint
Blind Stamped by Lisa Morton
Ballard's Books by Gerard Houarner
Books by David Bischoff
Escapes by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
"I Am Looking For A Book..." Patrick Weekes
The Glutton by Melanie Tem
In the Bookshadow vy Marianne de Pierres
Non-Returnable by Rick Hautala
The Cheese Stands Alone by Harlan Ellison

[Taltos]

So much about my commitment to a book - Stross Glasshouse is shelved right now.
Instead read through Butcher Proven Guilty - usual Dresden affair which provides chuckles here and there, a lot of action - where Dresden has to think on his feet as he is usually the one in disadvantage, and some things to think about - all together an excellent read - which ends too soon.
Now reading PKD Maze of Death - about 1/3 through it and I still don't know where this is going Interesting anyway. PKD and Strugatsky brothers are similar in this - you can read through most of the book, wondering where this is taking you and most of the time things are cleared up at the end - but sometimes it takes more than one reading to understand most of the details.
After this one will be PKD Penultimate Truth and/or back to Stross - but thats the thoughts before finishing this book.

[Lenny]

I finished The Bonehunters by Erikson last night, and I'm about to move onto the final stretch of my Malazan Marathon and start Reaper's Gale (though if I find some cash lying around, I might get online and order Toll of the Hounds, the three novella's, and Esselmont's Night of Knives, just to keep things going).

[Connavar]

Im reading Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler.

Its ironic that i dont have as much time as before for reading since today was my first workday in a chain bookstore. Selling books 8 hours a day will kill atleast half of my reading time hehe

[pyan]

Originally Posted by Connavar

today was my first workday in a chain bookstore.

Do you get a staff discount, Conn?