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Full Version: What are you reading right now? (possible RotE spoilers)
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Hi guys, the incorrectly named dinosaur is back! I could tell you that I've been swamped with work in real life, but it would be a half-truth at best. While obtaining two Masters' degrees has been time-consuming, I haven't had much to do in recent months on account of being currently unemployed... well, except for a parttime job as mailman that is, but having finished college it's time to get a proper job... and that's not easy these days. So allow me to list what I've been reading recently:

The Prince of Nothing trilogy by R. Scott Bakker (The Darkness That Comes Before, The Warrior Prophet and The Thousandfold Thought) Years back, I tried to read The Darkness That Comes Before and couldn't get through it. The beginning of the novel bombards the reader with people, places and parties and has an unclear narrative thread. However, if you persevere you'll be rewarded with a very compelling story. I highly recommend this trilogy.

The Inheritance trilogy by N. K. Jemisin (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms and The Kingdom of Gods) Jemisin is a fairly new author and this is her first series, about the interactions of gods and mortals. I recommend this one too.

The Dreamblood Duology by N. K. Jemisin (The Killing Moon and The Shadowed Sun) Another series, unconnected to Inheritance. I liked it a bit less, but it's still okay. Other people didn't like that series, but loved this one, so it's all matter of perspective, I guess.

Market Forces by Richard Morgan. Morgan is hit-and-miss for me. I loved The Steel Remains, but I hated this book.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. This book is a classic, but I kept wondering why. It's not bad, but it's not that great either, and I found it difficult to take serioisly at times.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Again, it wasn't bad, but why did it win all those awards?

Test of Metal by Matthew Stover. One of the last MtG books (the line has recently been discontinued) and it's actually pretty decent, if not great literature.

The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. You guys are going to kill me for this one, but I didn't like this book at all. I know Kay is a highly regarded author, but his style just doesn't work for me.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Now this is a literary sensation that I can get behind. I really liked this story.

Perelandra by C. S. Lewis. This one has been on my to-read pile for ages. A bit weighted down with theology, but the planet Venus was beautifully imagined, even if it's nothing like the actual planet. The next book on the trilogy, That Hideous Strength, is also on the pile, although I've heard that it's not very good.

And I'm currently reading:

The First Book of Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber. An omnibus of the first four books about Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Robin Hobb constantly mentions these and I have to say, they're pretty entertaining.
These beings finally acquired the third book in the Anno Dracula series, Dracula cha cha cha. It was well worth waiting for, and like the previous ones, features multiple cameos from other vampiric stories... (like the fevre dream being present at one time)
(Oct-21-2012, 07:34 PM (UTC))Albertosaurus Rex Wrote: [ -> ]Hi guys, the incorrectly named dinosaur is back!

Slurp Grouphug

(Oct-21-2012, 07:34 PM (UTC))Albertosaurus Rex Wrote: [ -> ]So allow me to list what I've been reading recently:

Oh, boy...I feel a failure in comparison Blushing ...imagine how I'll feel if you see fit to come back and share your 2012 Reading List with us!! Surrender Big Grin

Great to hear how things are going with you, AR. Smiling
Thanks for your welcome. As for "recently", you have to take that with a grain of salt. While mant of these books are summer reading, I did start reading The Prince of Nothing back in February. I eventually just ended up listing most things I've read in my absecence from ThePlenty. In addition, there's a period during which I read very, very little. (Which would be when I was struggling with my two thesises. Oh, I did have time, but I lost all desire to read for a while.)

The thing is, the more time you have, the less efficiently you spend it. Ever since I graduated college, I've been sitting at home ad while sending out job applications does take time, it's not a 24-hour activity. I have lots of time to read, but my actual reading pace has slowed. It took me two weeks to get through The Lions of Al-Rassan, and it ended up boring me to death.
(Oct-21-2012, 07:34 PM (UTC))Albertosaurus Rex Wrote: [ -> ]American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Again, it wasn't bad, but why did it win all those awards?
Because reviewers have a different taste? I personally love this book, but I'm biased because I'm a huge Neil Gaiman fan. Of the stuff I've read by him I can think of only one story (The monarch of the glen, a followup on AG where Shadow ends up in Scotland) that I didn't like, everything else I've loved.
In my case it's the first Gaiman book I've read. I have seen (and loved) the film adaptation of Stardust and I've been meaning to check out the original novel for a while now. Anyway, I did like AG, but obviously not as much as all those reviewers.
I have meant to but haven't yet read anything by Gaiman.

(Oct-22-2012, 08:24 AM (UTC))Albertosaurus Rex Wrote: [ -> ]I eventually just ended up listing most things I've read in my absence from ThePlenty.

Happyballoon

(Oct-22-2012, 08:24 AM (UTC))Albertosaurus Rex Wrote: [ -> ]The thing is, the more time you have, the less efficiently you spend it.

That is certainly true of me also! Whistling
sounds quite true, that...
As usual: the book of Stardust is much better than the movie.

Other Gaiman 'must-reads': Neverwhere, The graveyard book, the Sandman graphic novels and, if you like Terry Pratchett, Good omens (which they wrote together).

Slowly working my way through 'The book of air', the fourth book of the Dragon quadrilogy.
(Oct-22-2012, 10:32 PM (UTC))joost Wrote: [ -> ]Other Gaiman 'must-reads': Neverwhere, The graveyard book, the Sandman graphic novels and, if you like Terry Pratchett, Good omens (which they wrote together).

Duly noted, thanks joost! Grouphug