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I signed up for several of these book cataloging sites and haven't really used any of them. I'm particular about the features I want and the ascetic presentation therein. Honestly, if there was a book site modeled like Backloggery, I'd probably be using that.

That said, I've been leaning towards Goodreads.

Also, haven't had the time to sit down with a new book yet, so I'll probably be pulling something out of my storage soon.
 
Picked this up at the Borders closing sale for cheap. Surprisngly good. I'm not usually a fan of historical fiction but this had spending time on Wikipedia looking up Philip IV, Duke of Buckingham, Infatada Maria and others.



Now all I need is a cape, a sword, and a moustache to twirl.
 
Finished reading The Princess Bride last night. Such an amazing book that will make you love the movie even MORE.

Started reading:

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And also started this series:

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Not really very good. Dated 80s sci-fiction. Even worse is the essay in the back explaining how the novel was trying to use the themes from Faulkner's "The Bear" as a template. Ugh.
 
[quote name='dastly75']Every book I read feels short compared to A Storm of Swords. Psion Beta was good, recommended if you like The Hunger Games or Ender's Game. If you have a Kindle, it's only 99 cents http://www.amazon.com/Psion-Beta-ebook/dp/B004G5Z44W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1318957735&sr=8-2[/QUOTE]

I'm trying to go through my other books before I tackle Storm of Swords. It's huuuuuuuge! After I finish Klosterman I think I'm going to read one more before jumping back into the world.
 
[quote name='RockinTheRedDog']I'm trying to go through my other books before I tackle Storm of Swords. It's huuuuuuuge! After I finish Klosterman I think I'm going to read one more before jumping back into the world.[/QUOTE]

Storm is long, but you breeze right through it without realizing it. To me it "felt" like the shortest book even though it's the longest. Just because of the plot twists that have you keep reading like mad just absorbing the aftermath.
 
Just got done reading Lights Out by David Crawford. It's about how a small community, more specific Mark the protagonist, handles an emp going off and returning most of America back to the stone age. Overall a good read, though, it was drawn out and could've been shortened by a about a quarter.

Currently reading The Infection, The art of Manliness, and skimming through The biggest joke book ever.
 
[quote name='eaglestrikeforce']I'm reading "State of the Union Address" by George Washington,
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The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and
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The Republic by Plato
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[/QUOTE]

Curious as to which version/translator.

I am currently reading two books.

The Gamble The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008
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and
A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the World's Largest Experiment Reveals about Human Desire


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Finished Chuck Klosterman's Killing Yourself To Live and Ice T's newest autobiography, Ice.

Ice's book is a must read even if you only know him from Law & Order SVU. Very insightful.
Klosterman's book about visiting places where rockstars have died is a fun read, especially if you work in the music industry.

Starting today in book form:

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And on my phone, i'm starting:

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This.


Book 4 of a trilogy. (Should be a warning sign). Also sort of fantasy-romance. I feel less manly writing that. Took 250 pages to even reach the event described on the back cover. Once the book picks up, it's okay. But the constant referencing of the characters traits "his dragon nature". "The abilities he inherited from his mother". drags it out.
 
[quote name='eldergamer']Book 4 of a trilogy. (Should be a warning sign). Also sort of fantasy-romance. I feel less manly writing that. Took 250 pages to even reach the event described on the back cover. Once the book picks up, it's okay. But the constant referencing of the characters traits "his dragon nature". "The abilities he inherited from his mother". drags it out.[/QUOTE]

It seems like you just read a string of books that you don't really like...?
 
Finishing up the first Dresden Files book Storm Front.
Its pretty cool.
Might get into the second one, but I have something else on deck Im going to give a read first.
Sandman Slim
Anyone read it?
Or maybe discworld. Been eying them up for a while and would like to give them a shot.
 
[quote name='chimpian']Or maybe discworld. Been eying them up for a while and would like to give them a shot.[/QUOTE]

Discworld books are good and very British. They are all essentially the same book so I get sick of them after a handful but if you like that style, they could keep you busy for a while.
 
After reading Fools Moon (Dresden Book #2 - I give it an "okay"), just finished the first of the Earthsea trilogy by Ursula Le Guin. Enjoyed it much more than any of The Last Herald-Mage, so will finish up the other two books before moving on.
 
[quote name='Kylearan']After reading Fools Moon (Dresden Book #2 - I give it an "okay"), just finished the first of the Earthsea trilogy by Ursula Le Guin. Enjoyed it much more than any of The Last Herald-Mage, so will finish up the other two books before moving on.[/QUOTE]

if youa re interested and would like a different twist on the Dresden story, netflix is streaming the dresden tv show.
its not very good, but checking out the first episode doesnt hurt :)
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']Discworld books are good and very British. They are all essentially the same book so I get sick of them after a handful but if you like that style, they could keep you busy for a while.[/QUOTE]

fair enough ill give it a go and see how it goes.
thanks for the recommendation.
 
Just started this last night at work. Didnt realize until after I brought it home and arranged it in my "to read" stack that it was books 3-4 of a 4 book series.
There seems to be enough re-caps so far that I'm able to follow along.

 
[quote name='chimpian']if youa re interested and would like a different twist on the Dresden story, netflix is streaming the dresden tv show.
its not very good, but checking out the first episode doesnt hurt :)[/QUOTE]

I second that! I actually liked him as Dresden. It's a fun take on the series...even though it's not good...it's a good / bad show.
 
[quote name='chimpian']if youa re interested and would like a different twist on the Dresden story, netflix is streaming the dresden tv show.
its not very good, but checking out the first episode doesnt hurt :)[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the heads-up. My wife actually part caught an episode of it a few months back, which led me to the books, which will lead us right back to the show. Hopefully she can handle it (that is, hopefully it's not even a little scary).
 
Reading "Little Women." I found it at a booksale for practically nothing and figured it was a classic so I would check it out. It's actually a pretty enjoyable read.
 
I've finally gotten around to reading Bruce Campbell's autobiography "If Chins Could Kill..."

There's some interesting detail here and there, but it's mostly boring. Very boring. The tone is very uneven, too: he goes from talking about his divorce to immediately discussing an elaborate prank he played on a friend. It's a jarring key change. I understand he wants to keep things anti-tell-all and very "talky", but man, Bruce, awkwardly evade topics much?

I just finished the gravy train that was the Brisco County years.
 
Reading The Stand by Stephen King. All 1100 pages of it...

I'm a huge post-apocalyptic nerd and this is supposed to be the holy grail of the genre. I'm 600 pages in and it has lived up to the hype so far. There is a LOT of unnecessary description of things though.

I would definitely recommend the book.

After this book, I will be reading Star Wars: Revan when it comes out on the 15th.
 
[quote name='Darknuke']Reading The Stand by Stephen King. All 1100 pages of it...

I'm a huge post-apocalyptic nerd and this is supposed to be the holy grail of the genre. I'm 600 pages in and it has lived up to the hype so far. There is a LOT of unnecessary description of things though.
[/QUOTE]


I enjoyed it but not only is there a lot of unnecessary description .. there are flat out just unnnecessary chunks/plotlines that go absolutely nowhere. Still great though.
 
[quote name='Maklershed']I enjoyed it but not only is there a lot of unnecessary description .. there are flat out just unnnecessary chunks/plotlines that go absolutely nowhere. Still great though.[/QUOTE]

true. The original book was only like 600 pages IIRC. Most of the extra was the book equivalent of "deleted scenes"
 
I really hate giving up on books but I have to give up on Wicked. I'm 150 pages in, and the author has sucked out all the joy and fun out of Oz. He paints a picture of a very political, religious and class vs. class Oz. I don't care for any of the characters nor do I understand where he's going with the story. 150 pages in and i'm bored to death!

So sadly, I am putting this book up on GoodReads & Paperback Book Swap.

Tomorrow i'm starting:

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Picked it up from the Borders closing sale on the cheap. Nice to have just some short stories to quickly burn through.

 
Confidence Men- by Ron Suskind Man am I foaming at the teeth.

@Dothog If Chins Could Kill is a very quick read, I too was jarred how quickly he moves on to his next marriage like that. There are some omissions, but everybody's got have a right to his privacy right? If you didn't think too highly of this book, you should probably avoid his next book, while although fiction, is very uneven and reads like so many bad sitcoms.
 
Wow, 8 days without a post from anyone. I guess no one reads any more.

I'm just about to finish the second book of the Night Angel Trilolgy. it's good, but much like the first there's a lot of contrivanences (sp) at the end. Things are really getting rushed together in order to finish up the book after a pretty slow beginning.

 
[quote name='eldergamer']I'm just about to finish the second book of the Night Angel Trilolgy. it's good, but much like the first there's a lot of contrivanences (sp) at the end. Things are really getting rushed together in order to finish up the book after a pretty slow beginning.[/QUOTE]

If you think the second book is contrived, just read the third one. I wish I'd only read the first one.

Taking a break from high fantasy and Dresden Files to read Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. A little slow-going for me up front, because of a little game called Skyrim.
 
[quote name='ninjalunchbox79']I'm almost done with ' American Gods ' by Neil Gaiman. A pretty good read which i have enjoyed ... other people say its really slow for them tho.[/QUOTE]

Really? I think it's my favorite of his novels. I thought everything worked so well, and the ideas and characters were memorable.

[quote name='eldergamer']Wow, 8 days without a post from anyone. I guess no one reads any more.[/quote]

I just haven't updated here in awhile. I've been reading ;)

Finished Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Sausages, which was terrific. Recommended for fans of Terry Pratchett or British humour.

Finished A Feast for Crows, then A Dance With Dragons. Loved both of them. I didn't find them slow at all, but then I'm reading these differently than I read Wheel of Time (which I eventually abandoned in disgust). To me, the story isn't the point and GRRM could call it quits tomorrow and I'd not be aghast. I simply enjoy spending time with each of the characters and their viewpoints and don't find anything extraneous or padded. There wasn't a single time I turned the page and was disappointed by who we'd follow for the next chapter.

Started and finished:


Cute and funny and great until the end, which was disappointing and kind of an odd and unrealistic way to end the book. Still, the good far outweighed the bad.

Started and finished:


Total mixed bag. The robot apocalypse parts were great, with vivid and chilling images. The characters were all thin and the glimpses given of some of them were often too brief. (That may be an aftereffect of Game of Thrones -- everything feels underdeveloped afterwards).

I kind of liked it but found it deeply unsatisfying. It's the anti-Game of Thrones -- the plot is told completely, but I didn't get much of a feel for any of the characters, especially the robot ones. I also felt like some of the most important things were handwaved away, not explained, or were mentioned only in passing. Some of the best ideas were given casual asides, and there were more than a few "Wait, what?" moments.

The author thanked Dreamworks in his afterword. I actually think it would make a great movie.

I started Joy Kogawa's Itsuka, but either I was tired or it really is hackneyed. I couldn't get through the first few pages. I liked her Obasan, so I may go back to it later.

So I started Iain M. Banks The Algebraist. I thought I had read something of his before, but it must have been another Iain.
 
Current Reads:

Stalking the Nightmare - Harlan Ellison
The Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
Soiled Doves: Prostitution in the Early West - Anne Seagraves

Some recent reads that weren't too bad:

Sideshow - Mike Resnick
Kaleidoscope Century - John Barnes
 
[quote name='Indigo_Streetlight']Current Reads:
Some recent reads that weren't too bad:

Sideshow - Mike Resnick
[/QUOTE]

Ooh, I like Mike Resnick a lot, especially Kirinyaga, Oracle, and Santiago.

Was it good enough that you'd read more in that series?
 
Went through a book and a half this weekend.

Nearly finished Old Man's War by John Scalzi. Pretty good, definately Heinlenesque. have about 20 pages left, but started a new book instead. (Didnt want to be at work with no book to read, and could knock out 20 pages in 15 minutes, so...)



Ellroy is crazy. Reading this makes his voice echo in your head.

Ascending aliteration accomplished. Titilation triumphent transcendent. Dig this. Autobiography. Dig this. True crime stories. Flash forward. Short crime novellas. Confusing prose. Book almost done.
 
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