Books: What have you been reading?

[JediMindTrick]

Lev Grossman's The Magicians. It's like Harry Potter with sex and drugs, just what I always wanted.

Uggh. To me this is easily the worst book I've ever actually finished. I've read worse that I gave up on but I finished this one and it was so boring and horrible throughout. The only reason I did finish instead of giving up (something I dearly wanted to do) was that I was listening to it and I was on a long road 8 hr trip through middle of nowhere Nevada with no other options to listen to except a few static filled country music radio stations.

It was just sooooo boring and the main character, Quentin whatever, was so unlikeable that I actively rooted for the bad guys. It did finally get interesting at the end but it wasn't worth getting there. Needless to say I haven't done the sequels.

[JediMindTrick]

Listening to Patriot Games by Tom Clancy. I'm toying with the idea of listening to his entire Jack Ryan series. I'd read all of it up to a point about ten years ago but I've always kind of wanted to re-read everything from the beginning. I've started but not sure I'll finish given how daunting it is and how long his books are. I can usually pound out 1-2 audio books every two weeks at work (I can listen intermittently at work) but with Clancy it'll be closer to only 1 every three weeks.

[Dante Milton]

Recently finished a couple of books with some thematic similarities regarding memory and the process of grieving.

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera is a novel about sixteen year old Aaron Soto recovering from the recent suicide of his father, attempting to regain some happiness in his life. Although he begins to do so, with the help of one friend in particular, he also discovers some things about himself that threaten his tenuous new happiness. So he considers visiting the Leteo Institute to get a revolutionary new treatment that promises to erase unpleasant, unwanted, or traumatic memories. However in doing so he may also lose who he is.

I enjoyed this one. By touching on the concept of memory the book naturally caused me to consider my own memories, which elicited a sort of nostalgic emotional connection to the protagonist. There was a twist about halfway through that I genuinely didn’t see coming. I initially wasn’t fond of the ending… it actually kind of pissed me off, to the point that I’ve considered contacting the author just to say, “What the ****, Adam”. However, after letting it sit for a while, I understand why it ends how it does.

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson is a novel about Henry Denton, a young man struggling to deal with a complicated home life, bullying at school, and the recent suicide of his boyfriend. Oh also, he has been periodically and repeatedly abducted by aliens since the age of thirteen. Recently these aliens, who he refers to as sluggers, have revealed that in 144 days the world will be ending due to unknown circumstances. It is apparently within the sluggers’ ability to prevent the world’s destruction and they have given Henry the option to save the world, all he has to do is push a button. However, Henry isn’t sure the world is worth saving.

I wasn’t sure about this one going in because of the alien spin, but it turned out to be an interesting book. Henry’s real struggle here isn’t whether the world deserves to exist, although that is touched upon at length; it is about finding reasons to want to live in a world that is often cruel and traumatic. It is also an insightful look at the process of grieving. The book concludes in a satisfying, mostly realistic way. Another thing is I also really liked the book jacket, designed by Regina Flath. It features what I thought was a fairly unremarkable star streaked sky, but when I actually got the book I saw that the stars have a high gloss finish on a matte background that causes them to ‘shine’ when it catches the light. I love little touches like that, like how the cover to Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore glows in the dark, or The Gone Away World has fuzzy felt embellishments. I don’t see book jacket design discussed much, so I thought I would just mention it.

Going on vacation in a week, my reading list:
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, by Sarah Vowell
The People in the Trees, by Hanya Yanagihara
The Crashers, by Magen Cubed
Challenger Deep, by Neal Shusterman
Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell

[Chintzy Beatnik]

Speaking of Joe Hill, what does everyone think of his career to this point?

Locke & Key was amazing.

I really dig his short stories too.

[Deathstroke]

I finished a couple of books recently:

Memory Man by David Baldacci
Reading Up a Storm by Eva Gates

[Ragdoll]

I read Joe Hill's newest book The Fireman. I am sad to say that it was underwhelming.
To fit it into my Joe Hill power rankings:
NOS4A2 > Locke & Key > Horns >>> The Fireman >>> crap >> Heart Shaped Box
Spoiler free thoughts:
It was trying to be too many things at once. It was a post apocalypse novel, then it's a superpowers book, then it's a romance, then it's political intrigue, then it's SPOILERS. Anyways, my biggest complaint is the lack of memorable villains. Mr. Manx and w/e his minions name was in NOS4A2 are one of my favorite villainous duos ever, and this books enemies were just not threatening or entertaining enough. There's multiple villains who come and go, while never lasting long enough to truly get a solid rise out of you. NOS4A2 was Hill's last book, and by far his greatest. This wasn't the best follow up to it. It felt like a step back, not forward. Although there is a NOS4A2 reference tucked into this book, you guys will geek out when you hear it, I know I did.
At one point, a character makes a meta comment about how writers who use outlines are idots, clearly referencing King's rule of never outlining. This book might be evidence in support of using outlines, then maybe the book would have gone somewhere. It never finds its footing and meanders from one plotline to the next.
Anyways, there's a new Stephen King book in two weeks, that should make up for this poor showing. Let the old man remind the youngsters how it's done.

Other books I listened to at work this week:
Anne Rice's Pandora (pretty boring)
Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches #2 and #3 (extremely freaking boring)
Orson Scott Card's Earth Afire (Card is such a hypocrite, he opposes gay marriage yet this whole book is making the case for cousins to be allowed to get married. What a backwoods hick idiot this guy is. Not that it stops me from reading his books LOL)

Anyways, now I just started reading Lolita. I don't know what I was expecting, but this book is far more comedic than I ever guessed. It almost reminds me of Confederacy Of Dunces.

Uggh. To me this is easily the worst book I've ever actually finished.

Once I got into it, I quickly realized that it wasn't as cool as the concept had made it sound.

[Malvolio]

Utter Incompetents: Ego and Ideology in the Age of Bush by Thomas Oliphant. Published in 2007, but oddly relevant again.

[batnbreakfast]

Ragdoll: Confederacy of Dunces was a great read, its been awhile and don't remember much of it, so I will look into Lolita, sad to hear Fireman isn't that good but I might read it anyway

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship by Alice Munro (pretentious LOL)

[t hedge coke]

Reading Cary Elwes' book about the making of The Princess Bride, As You Wish, instead of just flipping through it (though I stop every so often, to read some of the interviews in Gods of Gindhouse, too). Nice, nostalgia trip book, and all the stuff about André the Giant is adorable, including his massive fart. All the stuff about Robin Wright being under appreciated or jerked around seems pertinent again, with recent news and whiners raging that she's making what seems to be a fare salary.

Before starting my Anne Rice binge, my only real experience with vampire stories was being obsessed with Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel back in middle school and the occasional horror novel ('Salems Lot). When Twilight blew up, it gave me the wrong impression (or maybe the right one) of what the rest of vampire media was all about and I avoided vampire stuff like the plague. I read Interview With A Vampire after the TV show American Horror Story: Hotel aired, which heavily featured vampires. When I asked people for more vampire stuff like AHS: Hotel, everyone said Anne Rice's books were the closest, and now I'm hooked on these insanely lengthy depictions of debauchery.

And back in the day, religious groups protested Buffy because she had sex with a 200 year old at age 17. That is essentially why I assumed Anne Rice must have suffered similar backlash., since Rice uses far younger characters than Buffy ever was. Anyways, I'm glad we live in the era where books and TV shows don;t get massive protests against them any longer. What even was that crap?

Rice did and still does get crap, but Interview came out in, what, the late 70s? At some point, it just became accepted, she/the books became an institution enough, and of course, the movies downplay a lot.

There's always a fallback defense of what's meant to be sexy or meant to be unnerving, of course. Some things just go over some people's heads (I think you'll like Merrick, btw, which is in a large way about Claudia's ghost and her and Louis), some of it gets erased from your memory after you've read it, and some things just produce dissonant reactions. I don't find Lust For Dracula sexy at all - sad, unnerving, funny, cute, scary, sure, but not erotic - and it's a straight up vampire porno.

[Ragdoll]

I'm about finish reading Lolita. The book opens with the narrator saying that the book ends with his arrest, so I can't wait to see this oddly hilarious child rapist get what's coming to him.

Also started The Wheel Of Time book 4: The Shadow Rising audiobook at work. For some reason, I really like this one character who is a total idiot and is obsessed with killing Perrin because he mistakenly thinks Perrin killed his dad. I kind of want the dude to actually kill Perrin just because he is so gung-ho about it.

(I think you'll like Merrick, btw, which is in a large way about Claudia's ghost and her and Louis)

I just finished it. It was alright, but still not the return to form I was hoping for. Books 1-3 were genius, and 4-5 were still cool and unique, but all those New Vampire books and Mayfair Witches junk and boring Armand books have been killing my enjoyment of the series. At least Lestat finally woke up by the end of Merrick, so the next books should be cooler.

Ragdoll: Confederacy of Dunces was a great read, its been awhile and don't remember much of it, so I will look into Lolita, sad to hear Fireman isn't that good but I might read it anyway

The thing that reminds me of Confederacy is the narrator and his style of writing. I never thought I would read a comedy about a child rapist, but here it is. In Confederacy, Ignatius was fairly unlikable, but the guy in Lolita is a million times worse, yet still hilarious.

As for The Fireman, critic reviews have been far more positive than my negative one, so maybe I'm wrong and you guys will love it.

[Dipper]

Been re-reading the Harry Potter series.

[JediMindTrick]

Finished listening to Patriot Games by Tom Clancy earlier this week. Started listening to Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy. Guess I am going to do the Clancy thing with next up being Hunt for Red October. While I've read most of his Jack Ryan books, Red Rabbit is new to me since it was written late in Clancy's career even though chronologically it occurs just after Patriot games and before Hunt for Red October.

Am currently reading Neuromancer by William Gibson. Never read it before and have barely begun so no thoughts yet.

[JediMindTrick]

I'm about finish reading Lolita. The book opens with the narrator saying that the book ends with his arrest, so I can't wait to see this oddly hilarious child rapist get what's coming to him.

Also started The Wheel Of Time book 4: The Shadow Rising audiobook at work. For some reason, I really like this one character who is a total idiot and is obsessed with killing Perrin because he mistakenly thinks Perrin killed his dad. I kind of want the dude to actually kill Perrin just because he is so gung-ho about it.

Out of curiosity, did you read New Spring? If not you should read it after Shadow Rising. Its a prequel to the Wheel of Time about Moraine, how she became an Aes Sedai, how she met Lan, and how they began their quest to find the Dragon Reborn.

[Malvolio]

Finished listening to Patriot Games by Tom Clancy earlier this week. Started listening to Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy. Guess I am going to do the Clancy thing with next up being Hunt for Red October. While I've read most of his Jack Ryan books, Red Rabbit is new to me since it was written late in Clancy's career even though chronologically it occurs just after Patriot games and before Hunt for Red October.

Am currently reading Neuromancer by William Gibson. Never read it before and have barely begun so no thoughts yet.

I read Neuromancer in college. Weird ****. Probably not as weird by today's standards, though.

[Ragdoll]

Out of curiosity, did you read New Spring? If not you should read it after Shadow Rising. Its a prequel to the Wheel of Time about Moraine, how she became an Aes Sedai, how she met Lan, and how they began their quest to find the Dragon Reborn.

I haven't read it yet because I saw it wasn't published until after many more books had come out. I almost feel like the book would spoil elements of the main series. Moraine is the most mysterious of all the characters, it feels like knowing her whole backstory would take away from me viewing her in the same mysterious eyes through which the main characters all view her. Half the time I think Moraine is a secret villain, so a prequel outlining her life story would kill my speculation and constant questioning of her motives.

Anyways, Wheel Of Time #4 is a long freaking book, so I'm still plugging away at it. Hopefully I'll finish the audiobook at work tomorrow. Before I was saying that one dude should kill Perrin, but now that he has slaughtered Perrin's entire family, I'm ready for Perrin to kill this moron already.
Nynaeve is still the best WoT character.

Out of curiosity, does this franchise ever kill central characters (no names, please)? I don;t need a Game Of Thrones style bloodbath of main characters every book, but so far, no major players have been struck down yet. These books need to kill some superfluous main cast members, like Matt or Min could get whacked. I'd be super sad and it would get me hooked in to wait for Rand to avenge his fallen comrades.