Books: What have you been reading?

[JediMindTrick]

In the last month I've read or listened to:

Confession - John Grisham. Basically a book long rant about the death penalty.

Fool Me Once - Harlan Coben. Typical Coben in that once started its hard to put down. I'm still not sure how I feel about the twist at the ending though which I can't even describe in vague terms without being spoilerish.

Still working my way through listening to It by Stephen King. Much more tedious than I remember as it just so bloated full of unnecessary stuff. I look at the counter on my phone and I see that while I've made it through 20 hrs I've still got 24 hrs to go and I groan. I've resorted to listening to it at double speed, I normally do 1.4x speed, just so that the 24 hrs will go by in 12. I do remember that I really liked this book, other than the pervy underage sewer gangbang, but this time I'm not liking it that much.

[Ragdoll]

Continuing Wheel Of Time #3. My biggest complaint is that too many characters have similar names, and it confuses me. I can never keep Elaine/Egwayne straight, and I always think the audiobook narrator is saying Rand when he actually said Lands name. Enough of the rhyming names, Jordan.

I've resorted to listening to it at double speed, I normally do 1.4x speed, just so that the 24 hrs will go by in 12.

I usually do things at 2x. I only slow down to between 1.5-1.75 for books that are either written in such a literary style that my mind needs extra time for the words to sink in, or books like Wheel Of Time that are so saturated with details and world-building that a slower pace helps me get mentally immersed better.

[JediMindTrick]

Continuing Wheel Of Time #3. My biggest complaint is that too many characters have similar names, and it confuses me. I can never keep Elaine/Egwayne straight, and I always think the audiobook narrator is saying Rand when he actually said Lands name. Enough of the rhyming names, Jordan.



I usually do things at 2x. I only slow down to between 1.5-1.75 for books that are either written in such a literary style that my mind needs extra time for the words to sink in, or books like Wheel Of Time that are so saturated with details and world-building that a slower pace helps me get mentally immersed better.

It only gets worse. As the series goes on more and more lords and ladies and retainers attach themselves to various characters and you will start mixing them up. Especially when some of them might go away for a book or two only to reappear and you've forgotten them. One major character whom you already met disappears for something like eight books before coming back and I literally had no clue who he was even though he was a big role in the early books. There is another character who basically supplants his role and is prominent for the rest of the series and I guess my mind supplanted him for that former character. Minor spoiler as to who I'm talking about spoilers:

I forgot all about Hurin and had replaced him with Julian in my mind

end of spoilers

[Godfather]

"Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor.

Deep book. He jotted down his reflections on his life and those whom added value. Also the lessons he had learned as a Legatus and Emperor.

[rhomba]

" Never Cry Wolf" by Farley Mowat. I love natural history so this book is perfect for me. Sadly I've had to put it on hold as I've been studying all week. I'm really looking forward to getting back into this book this weekend.

[Kirby101]

Just stopping by to be an asshat on Passover to remind everyone that Moses didn't exist and the Exodus story never happened.

[Ragdoll]

Just stopping by to be an asshat on Passover to remind everyone that Moses didn't exist and the Exodus story never happened.

Seriously, there's too many holidays based on fictional characters. Every Presidents Day, I try to remind people that George Washington and Honest Abe Lincoln are just myths told to promote good behavior and everyone looks at me like I'm a retard or something.

[mwkcope]

Listening to Wil Wheaton read "Ready Player One." Pretty great.

[codystarbuck]

Discworld #3 - Equal Rites
A hilarious look at the modern transgender debate through the metaphor of a woman being born a wizard instead of a witch.

The Queen of The Damned
This book was good, but got a bit boring at times compared to the two books which come before it. Also, not as sexy.

If you haven't already, check out Pratchett's I Shall Wear Midnight, where the protagonist of Equal Rites finally makes a reappearance. Tiffany Aching is a fine descendant of Esk.

[codystarbuck]

Just finished rereading the novelization of The Legend of the Lone Ranger, thanks to Greg Hatcher. I read it back when the movie was coming to theaters and enjoyed the story, then saw the movie, which was like watching paint dry. The novel has a lot more meat to it and isn't marred by the bland performances. Similarly, back then, I had read the novelization of Zorro the Gay Blade and found it hilarious; but, the movie was rather uneven and many of the best jokes were walked over, due to poor delivery.

I'm trying to decide right now whether I want to dive into my stack of Modesty Blaise novels (I've been acuiring hardcovers of them), the Carrol & Graf reprints of the Spider (from the early 90s), or Kim Newman's Drearcliff Grange School (a portipon of which appeared in his Mysteries of the Diogenes Club anthology). I have also heard that his Angels of Music stories (from the Tales of the Shadowmen anthologies, from Black Coat Books) are beiing collected and expanded into a novel. That should be fun. The concept is basically a literary Charlie's Angels, with Charlie being Erik, the Phantom of the Opera. The first story Angels were Irene Adler (Sherlock Holms "A Scandal in Bohemia"), Christine Danae (from the Phantom of the Opera) and Trilby O'Ferrall (from the novel Trilby) as they fight against a scheme orchestrated by Josephine Balsamo (from Arsene Lupin). The second story featured Gigi, Eliza Doolittle and Rima the Jungle Girl, as they infiltrate a hotel/casino in Charles Foster Kane's Euro-Xanadu. Both were great fun and I expect the novel version to be that much more fun (as Newman always is).

[JediMindTrick]

Listening to Wil Wheaton read "Ready Player One." Pretty great.

He is an amazing narrator and especially in this book where he brought just the right amount of snark.

[JediMindTrick]

Finally finished listening to It by Stephen King. The underage sewer gangbang was even worse than I remembered.

Now listening to Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings. Despite being an avid fantasy junkie as a kid I somehow never read any of his books. I'm still in the beginning so too early to say if I'll like it.

[paurru]

Earlier today I started reading the Little Bad Kid story in stephen kings bazaar if bad dreams. I got bored taking a break for now.

[Deathstroke]

I finished the C.J. Box novel Off The Grid.

[Ragdoll]

I'm reading The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. She wrote a book called Broken Monsters that I loved the hell out of, and this is my second book by her, hopefully it holds up. I see that she is writing a comic for Vertigo currents called Survivors Club, I need to check that out.

Earlier today I started reading the Little Bad Kid story in stephen kings bazaar if bad dreams. I got bored taking a break for now.

That's one of my favorites from that collection. It was so simple yet totally unique.