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[Alucard]

It's a new year. The promise of better things to come is at its highest. With each new year, comes a renewed desire to read more than ever before. Here's what I've been up to so far this month:

I really enjoyed this. Loved the theme of belief as being a necessary part of the world, that adds colour to reality. Pratchett is awesome, but I really wish he would split his books up into chapters or something. As is, they're far more enjoyable when you take in a lot at one time.

Loved it. Everyone else read this back in high school, but I missed the boat. It's charming, witty, adventurous, and always engaging. There is never a dull moment, and I'm glad I hopped on board.

Currently, I'm reading the final 75 pages of the second book in the series, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, and I'm enjoying it immensely as well. Adams is a fantastic storyteller, and a smarmy critic of life and reality.

 

[BigGreenMat]

It is surprisingly good, and it fills me with hope for the Obama Presidency.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Riveting stuff. Pulled me away from this:

 

[Baker]

Courtesy of my Gaf Secret Santa. I'm about half way done and loving it so far.

At first, I was a little off-put by the writing style but it finally clicked. I feel like the naivety and for lack of a better word, child-like word play are intentional and connect you to the main character even more. It keeps you grounded on his side instead of getting caught up in the grander schemes.

I should have finished it by now, but because of Fallout it got regulated to in-bed reading, hehe.

 

[The Chef]

Thank you Gaf for recommending.

SO awesome.

Also reading:

I should have finished it by now, but because of Fallout it got regulated to in-bed reading, hehe.[/QUOTE]

Ha, me too

 

[Snaku]

 

[Xater]

And the Audiobock of:

 

[CajoleJuice]

 

[Baker]

Is this World War Z a book book, or a graphic novel of sorts? I've been seeing its name pop up a lot here and on Amazon recommendations.

Either way, I'm guessing it will be my next one.

 

[Concept17]

Read the first two volumes and love it so far. I don't usually like comics/graphic novels.

Gonna dive into Thrones after reading through the thread here. I've always been a big fan of the SoT series so we'll see.

 

[Aurelius]

About to start with:

 

[The Chef]

Is this World War Z a book book, or a graphic novel of sorts? I've been seeing its name pop up a lot here and on Amazon recommendations.

Either way, I'm guessing it will be my next one.

Its a book, an oral history so its written like an interview. Check it out - you'll love it.

 

[agrajag]

Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Techniques and Le Cordon Bleu Dessert Techniques. Also, The Children of Hurin by J.R.R./Christopher Tolkien, but I finished that yesterday.

 

[Snaku]

Is this World War Z a book book, or a graphic novel of sorts? I've been seeing its name pop up a lot here and on Amazon recommendations.

Either way, I'm guessing it will be my next one.

It's a book, but I recommend listening to the audio book rather than reading it. It's much more haunting and creepy, and the voice cast they assembled for it was amazing: Mark Hamill, Henry Rollins, Jürgen Prochnow, John Turturro, Rob Reiner, etc.

 

[bggrthnjsus]

valis, by philip k. dick

 

[Baker]

Its a book, an oral history so its written like an interview. Check it out - you'll love it.

Sweet thanks. I just got yet another $25 Amazon CC "rebate" in the mail so I'll order it tonight.

It's a book, but I recommend listening to the audio book rather than reading it. It's much more haunting and creepy, and the voice cast they assembled for it was amazing: Mark Hamill, Henry Rollins, Jürgen Prochnow, John Turturro, Rob Reiner, etc.

That sounds really awesome but I have no idea how I'd ever listen to an audiobook. I'm only in the car for a total of about 10 minutes a day, and I wouldn't be able to concentrate on it enough at work to get anything out of it.

 

[The Chef]

It's a book, but I recommend listening to the audio book rather than reading it. It's much more haunting and creepy, and the voice cast they assembled for it was amazing: Mark Hamill, Henry Rollins, Jürgen Prochnow, John Turturro, Rob Reiner, etc.

I debated doing this but I couldn't find an unabridged version.

 

[prodystopian]

I was hoping to play some video games between Christmas and New Year's because it is the only solid week I had off last year, but I ended up reading that^. I've read Fountainhead twice and had been meaning to read Atlas Shrugged, but kept putting it off. I knew if I didn't read it now it would be a long time before I got to it. Great book. I think everyone should read Rand at some point, whether they agree with her philosophy or not.

 

[Snaku]

I debated doing this but I couldn't find an unabridged version.

There isn't one. They cut some of the boring fat from the novel, and it is better for it.

That sounds really awesome but I have no idea how I'd ever listen to an audiobook. I'm only in the car for a total of about 10 minutes a day, and I wouldn't be able to concentrate on it enough at work to get anything out of it.

I listen to audio books during the time that I normally read: about an hour before bed.

 

[The Chef]

There isn't one. They cut some of the boring fat from the novel, and it is better for it.

Cool, i'll check it out for sure.

 

[kkaabboomm]

i just finished this book on Jan 2 (started Dec 23), an excellent history of every space station ever built, the history behind them, each crew change, module, etc, from saylut 1 (first one ever, but the crew died during re-entry) all the way up through 2002's construction of the ISS. really good stuff about the politics behind them, their construction, and everything else.

 

[Jibber Hack]

Started the year off with finishing:

Then I immediately jumped into:

 

[The Chef]

Even with my glasses on I could barely read this book. Its a million pages with a size 6 font. Gave me a headache :/

 

[prodystopian]

Even with my glasses on I could barely read this book. Its a million pages with a size 6 font. Gave me a headache :/

Oh my god, yes. I liked it, but I felt like it wasn't going to end because there is so much text on each page.

 

[Star Power]

Currently:

next:

 

[gutterboy44]

I recommend this for any sports fan. Incredibly enjoyable read. You may even come out the other end as a soccer fan.. muh haha

 

[NZNova]

Just finished reading this:

I quite like PFH's books except everyone grins too damn much (people don't grin during normal conversation, dammit!) and he overuses the word "loam".

 

[MaritalWheat]

I was hoping to play some video games between Christmas and New Year's because it is the only solid week I had off last year, but I ended up reading that^. I've read Fountainhead twice and had been meaning to read Atlas Shrugged, but kept putting it off. I knew if I didn't read it now it would be a long time before I got to it. Great book. I think everyone should read Rand at some point, whether they agree with her philosophy or not.

Exact same thing happened to me, instead of playing games like I had planned during Christmas I did this, though I did restart Bioshock in honor of the occasion. Wierd book in terms of the fact that some parts I found so difficult to push my way through and some had me reading till the dead of night...but throughout I was enjoying it, if that makes sense. Either way, had me jotting notes for fun, something I'll rarely do.

 

[WedgeX]

About to start with:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/link223/0670032573_01_LZZZZZZZ.jpg

*high five*

Absolutely loved the series!

I got enough books this Christmas to last until April. Starting off with...

According to my parents, notoriously hard to find in an actual bookstore. So far it's been a great journey through DuBois' sociological mind and the beginnings of his ideas about race.

This is next up. From reviews it talks about, well...French theory influencing the US during the 20th century. Some of what it talks about and deconstructs (science being merely an extension of our human selves and thus a social construct) was spouted almost word for word by one of my wise-ass profs last year...should be fun.

Caro is my favorite biographer (I also snagged a 1st ed. of the second Johnson biography) and loving Jane Jacobs as well I want to get to this sooo badly.

 

[thetechkid]

It is surprisingly good, and it fills me with hope for the Obama Presidency.

I'm reading that too and I gotta say, the book is really boring and dry.

 

[BrokenFiction]

Just finished this one:

Maybe I'll track down the sequel next. I've heard it's not as good, but isn't that always the way?

It wasn't as good, but still awesome. I think the first hit it out of the park, but Red Seas Under Red Skies was maybe a triple.

 

[BrokenFiction]

This is my current read:

Joe Abercrombie is awesome.

 

[Speschal K]

Just finished:

and

Now I'm onto:

I'm only about 60 pages into Invisible Monster but I already like it a lot more than Choke. I really want to get back into reading Heinlein stuff though. I've had The Moon is a Harsh Mistress in my "stopped reading about 150 pages in" backlog for a while now.

 

[Mifune]

Finally gotten around to...

So far it's pretty impressive.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

Also re-reading a few Philip K. Dick works.

You know what I liked better than Z by Max Brooks? His zombie survival guide.

 

[NoitoraJirugajr]

Barely started but it has some fantastic violence and fantastic flowery descriptions/character development :3
EDIT: The book is set in the mid 1500s during the battle of Malta in the Crusades. My friend assures me it makes 300 look like child's play!!

 

[ahoyhoy]

and later

 

[centracore]

Finishing up this:

And just ordered this:

 

[Karakand]

Great book. I think everyone should read Rand at some point, whether they agree with her philosophy or not.

Start with We the Living.

As for me...

 

[way more]

I started reading this last month but the mother was just too sad and pathetic to continue. I started again and I've hit a better part where they characters are all unnervingly optimistic. I know how it ends but even I feel hope for them.

I'm also giving this book my bi-decade read though.

 

[ZephyrFate]

Enjoying it so far.

 

[Dagon]

These threads always seem to drop down so fast. Such a shame. I start school again next week so I'm doing some revision:

Time Series Analaysis - Hamilton

and:

Econometric Analaysis of Cross Section and Panel Data - Wooldridge

I'm also trying to read this for the second time:

Fabric of the Cosmos - Greene

I gave up about halfway through last time. Not sure why. I enjoyed The Elegant Universe and I'm liking this this time too. We'll see if it lasts.

 

[thomaser]

Finished Harold Bloom's The Western Canon and C. J. Sansom's Dissolution last weekend. Bloom is one of few literary critics I've read who manages to be both interesting and understandable. But his Shakespeare-fanboyism is a bit too much at times. Dissolution is a nice, exciting murder-mystery set in a 16th century English monastery. Borrows VERY heavily from Eco's Name of the Rose, but I don't mind more of that.

Now I've started Jean Genet's Our Lady of the Flowers. Only a few pages in, and as far as I can tell, it's more or less a story about criminal drag-queens and prostitutes in the Paris underbelly in the early 20th century. Very challenging to read, it's like a fever-fantasy. Genet himself was a vagabond and male prostitute at that time, so he knew what he was writing about. He wrote the book in prison, and had to write parts of it twice when guards destroyed found and destroyed much of the manuscript.

 

[YYZ]

I'm reading the Shack by William P. Young

I don't know why I'm reading a religious fictional book, perhaps just to stimulate thought and adding new dimensions to my perspectives on religion. It's also one of those recommended books from 2008.

 

[bengraven]

Ugh, I wish.

I just finished

Now in an apocalyptic mood, so maybe I'll try World War Z. I have Zombie Survival Handbook and love it.

 

[Oikistes]

It is the forth book in the Witcher Saga. The first two books are awesome, then it gets a bit more typical and loses some of its charm but remains a good reading. The focus needs to return to the main character and his bard friend. They are much funnier to read about than the rest of the cast.

 

[snacknuts]

<3

I just finished this over the weekend:

Thought it was great. Highly recommended if any of you enjoyed Freakonomics.

Started this last night:

 

[bjaelke]

Original title is Men who hate women.

 

[cwmartin]

i got The Road and World War Z for christmas, and i decided to start with The Road.

 

[Wolves Evolve]

Sorry, this is my first post in the non-gaming forum. I.. just.. never thought all the smart people would congregate here! Its like... home.

Fiction:

I guess most people have read this. A brilliant take on paranoia, I love Delilio and prefer him to Vonnegut even though they are different, there's a sensibility to Delilio, a subtleness that I find really rewarding.

Chris Kraus is part of the semiotext(e) group, and her previous books were already pretty amazing. Torpor is an achievement. Its an alienation story that doesn't stoop to pretending to make its subjects part of your world. They are in theirs, and thats it. The depth of the main characters is terrifying, and where they go is even more so. Probably my favourite fiction novel of the last few years.

(Academic Non-fiction) Stunning. Apart from a few wasted asides, this book is a monument to the shifts in cinema and cultural studies over the past ten years, without ever really being embedded in its scholarship. For me, its one of those outlier books where the scholarship is so deep and original, it breathes new life into old debates. The central concern, of the affects of spaces, is done effortless. It engages with high theory but keeps trucking through examples, history and context. Really inspirational.

(Academic Non-fiction). Sconce! What a hero. Some super-rich passages in here insert the forgotten history of mad spiritualism right back to the centre of media discourses. Whenever there's a new media, the horror of the spirit is the core of the accompianying rhetoric. Must-read for scholars of media history. Sconce is back with a brand new invention.