The Reader’s Nook - The N&G Book Thread

GritNGlitter said:
I haven't been able to read this year (catch me in the mental health thread! Wheeeeeee!) But last week I managed to pick up and finish a Terry Pratchett book (Reaper Man) that I'd read about 10% of 6 months ago. So now I'm finally reading Good Omens, since the show is out and it seems to strike a tone I can enjoy. I've missed reading.
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To echo what @LeSamourai says, as a novel it’s got some issues, but damn if it isn’t entertaining and fun. In fact, I just lent my copy to a buddy who has a Masters in New Testament theology, is slightly agnostic, and who needs a real pick-me-up at the moment. So, enjoy! Read any other Gaiman?
 
Psymon said:
To echo what @LeSamourai says, as a novel it’s got some issues, but damn if it isn’t entertaining and fun. In fact, I just lent my copy to a buddy who has a Masters in New Testament theology, is slightly agnostic, and who needs a real pick-me-up at the moment. So, enjoy! Read any other Gaiman?
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My first Gaiman was the Sandman series, but I've read about everything he's done except Neverwhere and Coraline, I think. They're on my list for the future, though!
 
Thackeraye said:
Struggling through Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges. Not really grabbing me for some reason.
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I wrote part of my M.A. thesis on Borges and the function of memory, so I'm pretty biased, but I reread Ficciones and The Aleph every couple of years. The thing is, a lot of the "stories" aren't really stories, more like philosophical digressions with a touch of narrative to hold it together, so I can see it not working for a lot of people. I think about half the people I recommend Borges to end up loving his work, and the other half probably don't want my recommendations anymore...
 
LeSamourai said:
I wrote part of my M.A. thesis on Borges and the function of memory, so I'm pretty biased, but I reread Ficciones and The Aleph every couple of years. The thing is, a lot of the "stories" aren't really stories, more like philosophical digressions with a touch of narrative to hold it together, so I can see it not working for a lot of people. I think about half the people I recommend Borges to end up loving his work, and the other half probably don't want my recommendations anymore...
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It feels like literary criticism for books that don’t exist. It’s well written, but it just isn’t grabbing me.
 
Psymon said:
To echo what @LeSamourai says, as a novel it’s got some issues, but damn if it isn’t entertaining and fun. In fact, I just lent my copy to a buddy who has a Masters in New Testament theology, is slightly agnostic, and who needs a real pi ck-me-up at the moment. So, enjoy! Read any other Gaiman?
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Yes, I'm very in the mood for entertaining, fun reads. Not everything has to be Serious Literature. In fact, I prefer that it isn't. I earned my lit degree, and I'll still pick up the odd Literary Achievement, but I'm very into light escapism these days.

I've read some of the Sandman comics, but not all. Neverwhere, Stardust, Coraline, selections from his Norse Mythology, American Gods, and his children's book for Tori Amos's daughter, Blueberry Girl. I would really like to read Anansi Boys, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I enjoy Gaiman quite a bit, though I'm not as passionate as his core fan base.
 
GritNGlitter said:
Yes, I'm very in the mood for entertaining, fun reads. Not everything has to be Serious Literature. In fact, I prefer that it isn't. I earned my lit degree, and I'll still pick up the odd Literary Achievement, but I'm very into light escapism these days.

I've read some of the Sandman comics, but not all. Neverwhere, Stardust, Coraline, selections from his Norse Mythology, American Gods, and his children's book for Tori Amos's daughter, Blueberry Girl. I would really like to read Anansi Boys, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I enjoy Gaiman quite a bit, though I'm not as passionate as his core fan base.
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Yes, I hope I didn’t come across as snooty or book elitist - not my intention. Mostly, my issues with Good Omens were toward the end, when it was just like “ok Neil, Terry, you’re clever, but you’re also pretty damn satisfied with yourselves.”

One of my favorite sorts of books to read are those that straddle the line between big L Lit and pop culture, which is only one of the reasons I love the mystery genre.
 
Psymon said:
Yes, I hope I didn’t come across as snooty or book elitist - not my intention. Mostly, my issues with Good Omens were toward the end, when it was just like “ok Neil, Terry, you’re clever, but you’re also pretty damn satisfied with yourselves.”

One of my favorite sorts of books to read are those that straddle the line between big L Lit and pop culture, which is only one of the reasons I love the mystery genre.
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Good Omens reads like what it is- two clever blokes coming up with fun ideas to make each other laugh, while taking the piss at religion in general in a fairly good-natured way. The series (I have one episode left) benefits from having two top-class actors in the main roles, and kind of like the book all the other characters are a little flat in comparison, but also like the book, it's light and funny enough that it doesn't really matter too much.

I'm like you, where I love books that hit that sweet spot of "literary" and pop culture, but I gravitate towards sci-fi that fits that bill. For whatever reason, when I read crime/mystery novels, it's usually in Spanish, so I'm a bit out of the loop on good English-language novels in those genres.
 
LeSamourai said:
Good Omens reads like what it is- two clever blokes coming up with fun ideas to make each other laugh, while taking the piss at religion in general in a fairly good-natured way. The series (I have one episode left) benefits from having two top-class actors in the main roles, and kind of like the book all the other characters are a little flat in comparison, but also like the book, it's light and funny enough that it doesn't really matter too much.

I'm like you, where I love books that hit that sweet spot of "literary" and pop culture, but I gravitate towards sci-fi that fits that bill. For whatever reason, when I read crime/mystery novels, it's usually in Spanish, so I'm a bit out of the loop on good English-language novels in those genres.
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I’d love some sci-fi recommendations!
 
LeSamourai said:
My first Gaiman was the Sandman series, but I've read about everything he's done except Neverwhere and Coraline, I think. They're on my list for the future, though!
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Neverwhere is a lot of fun, but it's also Gaiman at his most Adams-lite. Coraline is wonderful, provided you get the version with the terrifying Dave McKean illustrations.

Unrelated, I really need another big Neal Stephenson tome in my life.
 
Psymon said:
I’d love some sci-fi recommendations!
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Hmmmm... I just finished Ted Chiang's Exhalation, his second collection of short stories. The guy only writes one short story every couple of years, but man, they are STORIES. One of the stories from his first collection was the basis for the movie Arrival.

Nick Harkaway's Gnomon is an 800-page beast of a novel with stories within stories, sentient AIs, and unspooling memories. One of my favorites of the last few years, but definitely a confusing experience.

Some of the books I've loved the last few years that got that sweet spot between literary and sci-fi are Zachary Mason's Void Star, Dexter Palmer's Version Control, most anything by Lauren Beukes, and, for a more classic take, I've been enjoying Ursula K Le Guin's Haimish Cycle books. I've also liked Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota series, but they are also some of the most difficult books I've read- it's set in a post-nation state world that is strongly influenced by 18th-century philosophy, with really intricate world building. Brain-wrinkling stuff.

On the other hand, I've decided I tend to like Margaret Atwood's not sci fi books, like Alias Grace, more than her sci fi ones.

kvetcha said:
Unrelated, I really need another big Neal Stephenson tome in my life.
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One just came out- but it's ONLY about 900 pages!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35429993-fall-or-dodge-in-hell
 
LeSamourai said:
Hmmmm... I just finished Ted Chiang's Exhalation, his second collection of short stories. The guy only writes one short story every couple of years, but man, they are STORIES. One of the stories from his first collection was the basis for the movie Arrival.

Nick Harkaway's Gnomon is an 800-page beast of a novel with stories within stories, sentient AIs, and unspooling memories. One of my favorites of the last few years, but definitely a confusing experience.

Some of the books I've loved the last few years that got that sweet spot between literary and sci-fi are Zachary Mason's Void Star, Dexter Palmer's Version Control, most anything by Lauren Beukes, and, for a more classic take, I've been enjoying Ursula K Le Guin's Haimish Cycle books. I've also liked Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota series, but they are also some of the most difficult books I've read- it's set in a post-nation state world that is strongly influenced by 18th-century philosophy, with really intricate world building. Brain-wrinkling stuff.

On the other hand, I've decided I tend to like Margaret Atwood's not sci fi books, like Alias Grace, more than her sci fi ones.



One just came out- but it's ONLY about 900 pages!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35429993-fall-or-dodge-in-hell
Click to expand...

I've only read Story of Your Life, which was somewhat uneven but really engaging overall. I'll check out Exhalation.

And thanks for letting me know about the new Stephenson!! I had no idea. Very excited, despite finding The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. somewhat underwhelming.
 
LeSamourai said:
Hmmmm... I just finished Ted Chiang's Exhalation, his second collection of short stories. The guy only writes one short story every couple of years, but man, they are STORIES. One of the stories from his first collection was the basis for the movie Arrival.

Nick Harkaway's Gnomon is an 800-page beast of a novel with stories within stories, sentient AIs, and unspooling memories. One of my favorites of the last few years, but definitely a confusing experience.

Some of the books I've loved the last few years that got that sweet spot between literary and sci-fi are Zachary Mason's Void Star, Dexter Palmer's Version Control, most anything by Lauren Beukes, and, for a more classic take, I've been enjoying Ursula K Le Guin's Haimish Cycle books. I've also liked Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota series, but they are also some of the most difficult books I've read- it's set in a post-nation state world that is strongly influenced by 18th-century philosophy, with really intricate world building. Brain-wrinkling stuff.

On the other hand, I've decided I tend to like Margaret Atwood's not sci fi books, like Alias Grace, more than her sci fi ones.



One just came out- but it's ONLY about 900 pages!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35429993-fall-or-dodge-in-hell
Click to expand...

I just finished Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard To Find and my digital hold on Exhalation came up right in time. I'm only halfway through the second story, but I really like this stuff. He really embraces sci-fi as a way to drape ideas over skeletal plot, which is hard to do but can be really rewarding.
 
Bull Shannon said:
I just finished Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard To Find and my digital hold on Exhalation came up right in time. I'm only halfway through the second story, but I really like this stuff. He really embraces sci-fi as a way to drape ideas over skeletal plot, which is hard to do but can be really rewarding.
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That's a good way to put it. He reminds me of Borges in his ability to take an idea and really get inside it and explore it, and the story is more there to give us a good excuse to think about the ideas. There's often some point in the stories where he takes that first step beyond where most other people would have taken the idea, and you have a little "wow" moment. Plus, as a language professor, I have a soft spot for someone who takes linguistics seriously in a story.
 
Going on the yearly family vacation with the in-laws next month. These vacations feature plenty of down time, I always have plenty of time to chill with a book. So I decided I want to dive into some fantasy. Aside from ASOIAF, I haven't read anything in this genre in decades.

I have it narrowed down to Kingkiller Chronicles and Stormlight Archive. (Although Discworld has my attention too....but that's what, 40 books? )
Has anyone read either of the above?
 
@ranbalam I read the Kingkiller Chronicles and I liked it a lot. It's a fun read with good characters, although there's parts where they try to link the story to human development/technology that I thought were awkward. If you're looking for a good story with characters that pull you in (and you're not looking for something with a lot of depth) I recommend it.

Edit: Whoops, I mixed up Kingkiller Chronicles with The First Empire by Michael Sullivan. I don't recommend the Kingkiller Chronicles, I've read the first two books and I don't think they're very good.
 
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ranbalam said:
Going on the yearly family vacation with the in-laws next month. These vacations feature plenty of down time, I always have plenty of time to chill with a book. So I decided I want to dive into some fantasy. Aside from ASOIAF, I haven't read anything in this genre in decades.

I have it narrowed down to Kingkiller Chronicles and Stormlight Archive. (Although Discworld has my attention too....but that's what, 40 books? )
Has anyone read either of the above?
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Hoo boy you just named two books I find incredibly overrated. Between the two, I'd pick Kingkiller; page-to-page it was entertaining. But I haven't read the second book, which has been described as something of a train wreck. My main gripe was the protagonist is good at everything he's forced to do and succeeds at every challenge, though a lot of people point out that the narrator isn't meant to be taken completely at his word.

I found Stormlight to be a promise unfulfilled; it's got a lot of worldbuilding (the ecology is something like the bottom of the ocean, but on dry land, and Sanderson really gets off on formulating a magic system), but the characters are flat and the plot doesn't exist. It feels long for the sake of being long, 1100 pages because Big = Important. But I'm in the minority; people really stan for the series. You might try Mistborn; it sounds like his most successful work.

I've only read one Discworld book (Hogfather), but they're fun. Don't let the volume of volumes daunt you; while there are related books (I think people categorize them by the protagonists or guilds featured), they mostly all stand alone.
 
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