Has anyone else read the old mans war series by john scalzi? I'm enjoying it, but I am reading out of order because my library doesn't have all of the books.
[QUOTE=Guy Mannly;45288509]He's a good writer in small doses but the themes of his writing (or should I say, theme) are pretty one dimensional. A Scanner Darkly was easily his best because of how personal and autobiographical it was, but his other books fade together quite a bit.
[editline]4th July 2014[/editline]
The Man in the High Castle is also worth mentioning, I thought it was a nice departure from his typical futuristic-dystopia theme.
[editline]4th July 2014[/editline]
Sorry, can't think of anything exactly like what you're describing, but what's wrong with comic books? There are a lot of great works of literature out there that happen to be in graphic novel form. On top of that, text alone can be pretty underwhelming in an action setting with superpowers etc like what you're describing.
I'd recommend Sandman. It's a 10 part graphic novel written by Neil Gaiman. Like many of his other works, it deals with gods: the plot centers around the Lord of Dreams. He's also written a few regular novels with similar themes. American Gods and Anansi Boys have both won several awards. Sandman is also the first graphic novel series to ever win a prose fiction award.
That's the closest I can think of to what you're asking for.[/QUOTE]
I already read tons of comic books. I guess the reason why I want a superhero novel is because I enjoy superheroes in different formats (video games, television, film). It would also be that novels tell a narrative in a different way. With comic books, the story is told through pictures and text balloons, but it's constrained to twenty pages and has to be written with monthly installments in mind. With novels, you're getting one big fat tome of dense text.
[QUOTE=cqbcat;45297578]I already read tons of comic books. I guess the reason why I want a superhero novel is because I enjoy superheroes in different formats (video games, television, film). It would also be that novels tell a narrative in a different way. With comic books, the story is told through pictures and text balloons, but it's constrained to twenty pages and has to be written with monthly installments in mind. With novels, you're getting one big fat tome of dense text.[/QUOTE]
Makes sense.
Like I said, I don't have any recommendations of my own, but there was a [url=http://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/1vy3t2/where_are_the_superhero_novels/]similar thread on reddit[/url] that received a few recommendations that you might be interested in.
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e9/Doctor_Sleep.jpg[/img]
Currently reading through this, it's very good so far
Totally forgot about this thread. Over the last week I've read 2001: A Space Odyssey, A hitchikers guide to the galaxy, Dune and two weeks ago I finished up the Red Mars series, Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars. I'm thinking I'm going to either go with Dune Messiah, Nueromancer or The Forever War.
Ah this isn't the old thread we had before, it seems literary threads never survive.
I've been working on A Song Of Ice And Fire lately. In the past month, I've made my way to A Feast For Crows, which I'm about a third of the way through. It's not bad, but after binging A Storm Of Swords, it feels so...inconsequential. Every page of Storm was perfect and each event felt important, yet every chapter so far in Feast could be cut in half (or more). I'm looking forward to Dance and I'm still pouring hours into Feast, but it feels like such a chore all too often.
Any recommendations for me once I'm caught up? I've heard great things about the Mistborn trilogy; I think I'll read 'em after ASOIAF, but I know I'll need more to keep me busy.
I read Jurassic Park when I was quite young and I didn't understand any of Dr. Malcolm's theories so I just skipped them. Other than that, I really enjoyed it as a book. I just finished Slaughterhouse 5 and I'm reading One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich at the minute. After finishing that, I plan to pick up The Fault In Our Stars to see what all the hype is, then Scoop by Evelyn Waugh eventually followed by A Game Of Thrones.
[QUOTE=timmah638;45310766]I've been working on A Song Of Ice And Fire lately. In the past month, I've made my way to A Feast For Crows, which I'm about a third of the way through. It's not bad, but after binging A Storm Of Swords, it feels so...inconsequential. Every page of Storm was perfect and each event felt important, yet every chapter so far in Feast could be cut in half (or more). I'm looking forward to Dance and I'm still pouring hours into Feast, but it feels like such a chore all too often.
[/QUOTE]
Don't worry. Everyone feels that way about A Feast for Crows.
[QUOTE=timmah638;45310766]
Any recommendations for me once I'm caught up? I've heard great things about the Mistborn trilogy; I think I'll read 'em after ASOIAF, but I know I'll need more to keep me busy.[/QUOTE]
The Prince of Nothing series by R. Scott Bakker. Not really anything like ASOIAF, but I read the first book recently, got seriously hooked, and am now recommending it to everything with a pulse.
Did someone say books?
[img_thumb]http://i.imgur.com/GHhvx3U.jpg[/img_thumb]
I probably have a more diverse science fiction and fantasy collection than the library in my city. This is one of four bookshelves, although they're all smaller. I'm willing to offer reading suggestions if I'm given some sort of criteria to go on.
[QUOTE=HWECQI;45304737][img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e9/Doctor_Sleep.jpg[/img]
Currently reading through this, it's very good so far[/QUOTE]
Wait, wait. It is a sequel to The Shining? Is it as scary?
Anyone read Heart of Darkness?
[QUOTE=Simples;45318227]Anyone read Heart of Darkness?[/QUOTE]
I compared it to Fight Club for my English Literature coursework this year. I found it a pretty interesting read, like, how Marlow's both sympathetic yet derogatory towards the Congolese. I recently Picked up Lord Jim by Conrad actually and that's on my 'To read when I have the time' list.
[QUOTE=TheNerdPest14;45317526]Wait, wait. It is a sequel to The Shining? Is it as scary?[/QUOTE]
Not so much scary as it is disturbing I think. I'm not in far enough to really say for sure though
It's really neat though, it focuses on Danny Torrance in his adult life
[QUOTE=The_J_Hat;45313089]Don't worry. Everyone feels that way about A Feast for Crows.[/QUOTE]
I keep telling myself, "One more chapter and it'll really pick up!" Then I get to another fucking Cersei chapter and want to go blind.
[QUOTE=Confused111;45314015]The Prince of Nothing series by R. Scott Bakker. Not really anything like ASOIAF, but I read the first book recently, got seriously hooked, and am now recommending it to everything with a pulse.[/QUOTE]
I looked 'em up; they sound excellent and I'll definitely be reading them after A Dance With Dragons. Thanks!
[QUOTE=scurr;45318390]I compared it to Fight Club for my English Literature coursework this year. I found it a pretty interesting read, like, how Marlow's both sympathetic yet derogatory towards the Congolese. I recently Picked up Lord Jim by Conrad actually and that's on my 'To read when I have the time' list.[/QUOTE]
They didn't have it in the library, so I picked up A Tale Of Two Cities instead, it's pretty interesting so far.
[QUOTE=Simples;45327572]They didn't have it in the library, so I picked up A Tale Of Two Cities instead, it's pretty interesting so far.[/QUOTE]
I've always wanted to pick it up, I've heard it's an excellent read
I highly recommend the short stories of George Saunders, Hemingway, Jorge Luis Borges, and Raymond Carver. Short stories are good when you can't commit to a novel but still want to feel that nice sensation of completing a story.
Anyone here who isn't using [url]www.goodreads.com[/url] ought to try it. Rate books you've read and it will suggest others. Has shit tons of books too, I've even found rated practically every good textbook I've used.
^^
It will be a good idea to list it in first post.
[url]https://www.goodreads.com/psygeist[/url]
[QUOTE=JohnnyMo1;45333462]Anyone here who isn't using [url]www.goodreads.com[/url] ought to try it. Rate books you've read and it will suggest others. Has shit tons of books too, I've even found rated practically every good textbook I've used.[/QUOTE]
Oh man, that's really helpful! I've wanted to find more books lately but I have such a hard time finding good ideas of things to try. This will help loads!
I've just finished reading The Pearl. The ending managed to both tear me up and give me chills.
[editline]12th July 2014[/editline]
starting Siddhartha tomorrow
Anyone read really old (>500 years old) books here? About to start reading the Alexiad (in English ofc).
[editline]12th July 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=Ajacks;45309309]Totally forgot about this thread. Over the last week I've read 2001: A Space Odyssey, A hitchikers guide to the galaxy, Dune and two weeks ago I finished up the Red Mars series, Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars. I'm thinking I'm going to either go with Dune Messiah, Nueromancer or The Forever War.
Ah this isn't the old thread we had before, it seems literary threads never survive.[/QUOTE]
The Forever War is great!
Fifty shades of gray is not book it's bs [B]imo[/B]
[QUOTE=PopLot;45362160]Anyone read really old (>500 years old) books here? About to start reading the Alexiad (in English ofc).
[editline]12th July 2014[/editline]
The Forever War is great![/QUOTE]
Not super old, but I've got english copies of Beowulf and the original Robin hood story.
Huh, glad I decided to take a peek in the General Discussion section.
I hadn't read in a good long while, but not too long ago I got into a reading binge that I just haven't been able to stop.
It started innocently, with me buying the e-book edition of [I]A Year At The Movies: One Man's Filmgoing Odyssey[/I] by Kevin Murphy of [I]Mystery Science Theater 3000[/I] fame. It detail's his quest to do one thing: watch a movie in a movie theater at least once every day for a whole year. Not always the same movie, not always the same theater. In fact, he travels around the world and finds himself in a lot of interesting theaters, and if he can't find one he creates one and invites whoever's around to screen a movie with him. It was written in 2001, so a lot of the things Murphy mentions are a bit dated. One example is how he complains about IMAX showing only documentaries and talking about how awesome it would be if IMAX theaters showed actual movies on their large screens, a prediction that turns out to be pretty spot-on. There are a lot of points where he decries the state of Hollywood and the Multiplex, but there are a lot of good chapters about kickass film festivals he's found his way into, and the various theaters he's attended, like one in Canada that's made completely out of ice. And there are plenty of funny chapters, too, like one that tells the story of when he and fellow MST Alum Mike Nelson attended a screening of [I]Corky Romano[/I]. Overall, it's a great read.
So going off of that end I took a look at Mike Nelson's [I]Mind Over Matters[/I], a series of comical essays about whatever the fuck he was thinking about when he wrote said essay. Some of it was funny, but honestly it came off more as a series of ramblings about nothing in particular, and I kinda regret buying it. So if you see it, give it a pass.
Then my mind went off on a tangent and landed on the subject of the infamous movie [I]The Room[/I], so I bought the book [I]The Disaster Artist[/I], an account on the creation of the movie by it's co-star, Greg Sestero. It details everything that happened to him in the time between his first fateful meeting with the movie's creator Tommy Wiseau, several years before the movie was even a gleam in Wiseau's lazy eye, to right before the movie's first showing began. I was blown away by what I found out about not only this horrifying movie, but of the people behind it, especially Wiseau. For example, remember that one seven-second bit where Wiseau's character goes "It's not true, I did not hit her! I did not... Oh, hai Mark!"? That took [I]three hours[/I] to film. [I]32 takes[/I]. And he fucking wrote that line himself! The book's fascinating yet horrifying glimpse into the mind and life of Wiseau and his odd, dysfunctional friendship with Sestero was just amazing. I am completely dead-faced serious when I say that this was the most amazing piece of literature that I have ever read. Even if you regret seeing [I]The Room[/I], you will not regret reading this book.
After that I went back to a book I hadn't read in a while, [I]John Dies At The End[/I] by David Wong, and it's sequel, [I]This Book is Full Of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It[/I]. I like those books a lot. I don't know what the general consensus is on those books, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I think that these two books are awesome. The first is pretty much "if a Lovecraft story was told from the perspective of a contemporary college drop-out who's kind of a douchebag", and the second is a nice deconstruction of the Zombie Apocalypse genre. They're both wickedly funny and I love reading them.
To be honest, the scary parts of the last two books I mentioned don't really scare me because I can't bring myself to be scared by text no matter how hard I try to imagine the scenes they tell me. There's only one time in my life where a book actually scared me. It was a short story called "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury, which I read in his collection of short stories [I]The Illustrated Man[/I]. I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read, but hopefully those who have read it know what I'm talking about.
Other books I have read include [I]Metro 2033[/I], [I]War Of The Worlds[/I], [I]Jurassic Park[/I] and it's sequel [I]The Lost World[/I], and several books based on franchises like [I]Alien[/I], [I]Predator[/I], and [I]Godzilla[/I] (the four books written by Marc Cerasini are absolutely awesome and it is a goddamn shame that he never got the chance to finish the fifth book before publisher Random House lost the rights and decided not to renew them). I've also read a few graphic novels including [I]Watchmen[/I], [I]Batman: Knightfall[/I], [I]Batman: No Man's Land[/I], [I]Arkham Asylum: Living Hell[/I], [I]Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth[/I], and a bunch of comics related to, again, [I]Alien[/I], [I]Predator[/I], and [I]Godzilla[/I].
I absoloutely adore Lovecraft, and lovecraftian stories, but i want to find something new.
Doesnt have to be any specific genre, i adore sci fi and lovecraftian horror. Recommend me any books you think were really good in the past few years and i'll read em, i need to read some more modern stuff.
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King (not particularly modern, but the last three books were written the last decade)
The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
Countdown City by Ben H. Winters
Neonomicon by Alan Moore (it might tickle your Lovecraft fancy)
[QUOTE=Xenomoose;45373460]After that I went back to a book I hadn't read in a while, [I]John Dies At The End[/I] by David Wong, and it's sequel, [I]This Book is Full Of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It[/I]. I like those books a lot. I don't know what the general consensus is on those books, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I think that these two books are awesome. The first is pretty much "if a Lovecraft story was told from the perspective of a contemporary college drop-out who's kind of a douchebag", and the second is a nice deconstruction of the Zombie Apocalypse genre. They're both wickedly funny and I love reading them.[/QUOTE]
[I]John Dies At The End[/I] was absolutely excellent. For being a part of an over-saturated genre, it felt incredibly fresh and genuinely entertaining. It's been about two years since I've read it, and I still tell people to check it out all the time.
[QUOTE=timmah638;45379978][I]John Dies At The End[/I] was absolutely excellent. For being a part of an over-saturated genre, it felt incredibly fresh and genuinely entertaining. It's been about two years since I've read it, and I still tell people to check it out all the time.[/QUOTE]
Well I'm going to [i]have[/i] to to check it out now. Sounds really interesting.
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