Book thread

[Mark Bee]

I've been collecting books for decades. I have thousands lining my apartment. In the last two years I started buying fiction on a Kindle. Yesterday I was in a local bookstore and realized I really don't want paper books anymore. I prefer reading on an e-reader. There are some very disturbing downsides to ebooks. Top on the list is the realization that we don't actually own these books. It's more like a lease. That is a seriously bad trend. But the other side is that I find reading experience more immersive with e-readers. I miss going to my local bookstores, but the simple fact is, I am out of room for print books. I'll always buy my academic or non-fiction in paper form, largely because I need to flip back and forth from foot or endnote. It was a kind of stomach twisting realization that I have abandoned paper fiction.

[suburbanxcore]

I got the new Dave Eggers book for Christmas, so that's on my to-read list now.

[Gregor]

I've been collecting books for decades. I have thousands lining my apartment. In the last two years I started buying fiction on a Kindle. Yesterday I was in a local bookstore and realized I really don't want paper books anymore. I prefer reading on an e-reader. There are some very disturbing downsides to ebooks. Top on the list is the realization that we don't actually own these books. It's more like a lease. That is a seriously bad trend. But the other side is that I find reading experience more immersive with e-readers. I miss going to my local bookstores, but the simple fact is, I am out of room for print books. I'll always buy my academic or non-fiction in paper form, largely because I need to flip back and forth from foot or endnote. It was a kind of stomach twisting realization that I have abandoned paper fiction.

As far as "owning" ebooks is concerned, I use Calibre to manage my ebooks, including backing the files up to my PC and stripping the DRM out

[RoryQ]

I agree there is a 'room' issue with paper books, but I just bring batches back and sell them to a second-hand store. They'll even take books they know are used, as long as they're in ok condition. Then I buy more books... It's a beautiful circle :)

Still on Simmons' 'The Terror'. It's much more accessible than I expected.

Might finish Peter F. Hamilton's Void trilogy next. Got the last volume today.

[Gregor]

I'm totally addicted to these Ken Bruen books , there's 10 in the Jack Taylor series , totally eating through them. So good.

[Mark Bee]

I agree there is a 'room' issue with paper books, but I just bring batches back and sell them to a second-hand store. They'll even take books they know are used, as long as they're in ok condition. Then I buy more books... It's a beautiful circle :)

Still on Simmons' 'The Terror'. It's much more accessible than I expected.

Might finish Peter F. Hamilton's Void trilogy next. Got the last volume today.

I agree that selling off the used pile is a good solution, but I just can't bring myself to unload books. I'm a book hoarder.

I loved The Terror! Great fun. I keep eying Hamilton, but I have yet to read him. How highly would you recommend his work?

[RoryQ]

I rate him highly. If you like the late, great, Iain M. Banks' space opera, then Peter F. Hamilton is a slightly more pulpy alternative.

Hamilton is best known for big, big canvas space opera. He's done three series in that vein now (Night's Dawn, the Commonwealth and the Void series), all comprised of books big enough that if you dropped then down a staircase from a few floors up you'd probably kill someone. We're talking massive casts, lots of hard SF elements but all underpinned by plenty of almost military SF quantities of action. If you like that kind of thing then I don't see how Hamilton wouldn't appeal to you.

There's also the Greg Mandel trilogy, which is pretty good noir cyberpunk police procedural. I think Hamilton's space opera is more signature in a way, but the Mandel novels were the first of his stuff I read, and what impressed me was the sense that it was a very UK-centric series, I could see how he arrived at the 'near future' dystopian Britain he presented. It's set after a fascist far-left regime has run Britain into the ground. Mandel is a P.I who is running his own business but also going around offing ex-regime war criminals when he finds them.

He's done a few stand-alones that would be good introductions to his work if you don't want to get invested in the series. 'Fallen Dragon' is a good one, sort of military SF crossed with a bit of time travel. 'Great North Road' is more recent and is like a stand-alone version of the Commonwealth series in many ways.

[Mark Bee]

@RoryQ Thank you very much for this reply. I appreciate it. I think I'll give Hamilton a try soon. (I've got a huge stack on the Kindle to get through.) I'll start with the Mandel trilogy, as I am a fan of the police procedural. I was initially drawn to Hamilton because I do enjoy a massive cast and epic tale, but it also worried me because it is so difficult to do well. I ended up dithering and reading some more Scalzi instead. Looking forward to picking up the first book. I was up and down with Banks. I read Consider Phlebus, and enjoyed it, but not enough to read any other books in the series. I really enjoyed some of his non-SF. I loved The Crow Road and The Wasp Factory. One of the great opening sentences in English literature has to be, "It was the day my grandmother exploded." In terms of SF I am still waiting for a series to grab me the way Simmons' Hyperion Saga did.

[Gregor]

Locke and Key finished brilliantly. I have been reading though and got up to date with SAGA by Brian K Vaughn and Fiona Staples and its my new favourite thing in the world.

[TaeTae]

Got this for only 99p.

Heard some good things so figured it was worth a read.

[Graeme]

I recently finished The Terror by Dan Simmons, which I enjoyed a lot. The book didn't entirely work for me because I think it could have stood alone as a speculative historical novel without the added supernatural element, but that didn't get in the way of it being a great fun read. I haven't read Dan Simmons before this, but I'll be sure to read some of his other books, especially with what @Mark Bee said above.

I'm currently reading Black Wings of Cthulhu, edited by S.T. Joshi. It's an anthology of contemporary "Lovecraftian horror", and it's about what you'd probably expect from that description, so basically a few good stories, but a lot of pastiche. Caitlin R. Kiernan's story I thought was really strong, and I've read another story of hers in a sword and sorcery anthology that was excellent, so I'll have to pick up her books and comics. Though I've previously read the Laird Barron story in this book ("The Broadsword", also published in his book Occultation) it stands up to a reread. I'll have to get his new collection of stories because he's one of the best people writing this kind of horror right now.

[suburbanxcore]

Finished up The Circle by Dave Eggers about a week ago. I love a lot of his work, but this one kind of annoyed me. It simultaneously sucked me in, but I didn't really like it.

I've been still sorta making my way through Salinger's Nine Stories when I have time, like I said a month or so ago. Last night I read "For Esme - With Love and Squalor" when I couldn't fall asleep and was reminded why I think it might be the best short story every written.

A woman at work just gave me a copy of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, saying that she just couldn't get into it and wanted to know my thoughts. I'll have to get started on that after I finish grading a million essays in the next two weeks.

[Gregor]

'm reading through Fatale by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, Lovecraftian crime noir yeah ... Brubaker & Phillips can do no wrong in my eyes.

[HaydenRose]

A woman at work just gave me a copy of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, saying that she just couldn't get into it and wanted to know my thoughts. I'll have to get started on that after I finish grading a million essays in the next two weeks.

That happened with me and Everything is Illuminated (same author). However, I've seen both movies and they are excellent. Everything is Illuminated is easily on my top 5. So basically if you can't get into the book, just watch the movie. You won't be disappointed. And as book lovers know, that's super rare, but I think his books sometimes translate to film better.

[MadeIndelible]

Just finished Framed Narratives: Diderot's Genealogy of the Beholder. It was a really great read, for a novice philosophy reader like myself anyway. Lots of information packed into a small book.

[HaydenRose]

I'm glad this thread is back! I've been reading like a maniac lately. Finished the Mayfair Witches Trilogy awhile back. Bought into the hype and read The Night Circus and enjoyed it... I think the character development could have been stronger and it should have had more meat to it, it felt too surface-y for me.

Then I went on a YA binge and read The Demon King (a 7 book? series), which despite its writing faults I thought the story was great and the characters were very fleshed out. I read a god awful book called Fallen that could have been really good, but instead was trying too hard to impress a certain audience, IMO.

I also took a chance on a dystopian YA series, the first book titled Delirium and was pleasantly surprised. The writing is breathtaking even though the premise is a stretch (love=disease, people get cured), it really works. The author focuses on psychological/medical reasons and I liked that edge. Right now I'm starting Pandemonium, the second book in the series and already love it.

[CultExciter]

I'm on a huge graphic novel kick right now...wait, nevermind, they are comics. I am on a huge comic kick right now.

Just finished Preacher Book One (incredible), Scalped Vol.4, Revival Vol.3, and Batman: Hush.

I finally ordered the first book of Y: The Last Man and I'm super stoked.

[RoryQ]

I'm reading Neal Asher's 'The Departure'.

Colossal fascist socialist world government is attempting to exterminate billions of their 'zero asset' citizens so there are enough resources to go around and keep them in the style they're used to.

The anti hero protagonist is a super hacker / amnesiac genius intent on taking revenge on them for his torture blah blah blah

So far it's so so, although the dystopian world government Asher depicts, with its sprawling inefficient and unchallengeable bureaucracy and unelected senior officials feels frighteningly plausible.

[Fala]

I'm reading Dune again, it's a nice easy departure from what I've been reading for school. Read Yakuza Moon a few months ago - it was terribly written, but the story was good. Recently completed this, other poorly written, book about the "lost foods of France". Can't remember the title or author - it was that good, lol. But, I did learn where/how steak tartare originated.

[Gregor]

I'm on a huge graphic novel kick right now...wait, nevermind, they are comics. I am on a huge comic kick right now.

Just finished Preacher Book One (incredible), Scalped Vol.4, Revival Vol.3, and Batman: Hush.

I finally ordered the first book of Y: The Last Man and I'm super stoked.

Man Brian K Vaughn is another comic book genius :) Saga is one of my favourite right now.

Comic wise , I'm up to date with a few of the decent Marvel Now comics, in particular , Hawkeye, Deadpool and Superior foes of Spiderman.(Loki agent of Ausgard looking promising too). Also Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction, Archer and Armstrong , Stray Bullets (which is amaaazing) , and Velvet .

Book wise I just read "trapped in a scene" by Ian Glasper about late 80's UK Hardcore . It was a bit boring (still worth a read and very well researched - I can remember very little from those days !!) but I only read it to see if he mentioned anyone I knew !!

[RoryQ]

Love these yellow gollancz editions.

[CultExciter]

Just picked up Tenth of December by George Saunders. It was on a lot of lists last year. I'll let y'all know.

[Graeme]

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Love these yellow gollancz editions.

I don't know what the UK/Irish editions of those books look like but the North American DAW covers are soulless photoshopped abominations. I hate that shit. More fantasy illustration please, like how it used to be.

[RoryQ]

These yellow jackets are deliberately retro looking... Big yellow bricks. I like the visual impact.

But in general, yeah, cover-art here sucks. No paintings anymore, it's just a bit of computer graphics usually, a photoshop of a girl with a sword or something.

[Mark Bee]

I found this little gem a while back. http://www.amazon.ca/Mail-Order-Mysteries-Real-Stuff-Comic/dp/160887026X

For anyone who grew up on American comic books in the 70s, this book is a lot of fun. The author collected many of the items advertised in the back of the book and revealed what they are actually like. (X-Ray Specs, Grit Newspapers, Spy-pens, and much, much more.) Its a fun trip down memory lane, and deeply satisfying to know what these things actually turned out to be.

The author is Kirk Demarais, and the afterward is written by Jesse Thorn, for those of you who are Maximum Fun listeners.