Books!

[Fred the Barber]

I just finished reading the two Brandon Sanderson short stories that recently (I think?) came out as standalone stories on Kindle:

- Perfect State was amazing and you should go read it now. It's great as a speculative fiction work that is not what it first appears to be, and I expect it's sort of an introductory story to yet another world he's building. Really interesting stuff, and made me really, really want a sequel.

- Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell was a little darker, but also very good.

 

As is typical of his stuff, both are quick, compelling reads.

[Turnip Sensei]

I used too read shit ton when I was younger, like book in 2 days. But after I got into games I started to read less and less, nowadays I read books very rarely, only if I happen to find something really interesting. There's still a huge pile of books next to my bed that seemed interesting, but I have yet to start reading.

 

Yesterday I went to library 4 hrs and read Witcher: Time of Contempt (actually Noituri: Halveksunnan aika since I'm reading the Finnish tranlation), just because I felt like reading some witcher. Witcher books are pretty much the only ones I'm really looking forward to and enjoy reading. The gritty world of witcher is something that hooked me up from the start, as I had never seen a story which handles the grey morality as well. The references to the European folklore and stories made by twisting them are also really interesting, since I had heard the original tales as bedtime stories. And the humor is great too, also in kind of dark and cynic way.

[Rabbit]

Currently reading Shadow and Betrayal, quite interesting, got a positive comment from George R.R Martins which is what got me to read it.

[BookwormOtaku]

Been reading the 2014 run of The Thunderbolts comics and just finished the third volume. Been some pretty good stuff so far, especially the group dynamic of a bunch of anti-heroes (and a villain) working together. The third one ended on an interesting but not too unexpected twist and I'm curious what the next volume holds (and if we'll ever see Deadpool pick a mission).

[hitoribocchi]

Anyone else read works by Osamu Dazai?

[Ram_Ram_A]

I've read The Setting Sun and No Longer Human.

No Longer Human is pretty good and I recommend it if you want to get into him. It's the most accessible and famous book of Osamu. The Setting Sun is deals more with Japanese culture at the end of WWII but you don't need much knowledge of the culture to get a better understanding of the book unlike the works of Natsume and Kawabata. 

 

On another note, I've started reading Pilgrim at Tinder Creek. It's a great american nonfiction novel with interesting prose, stemming its philosophy from Christian mysticism and transcendentalism. If you're a fan of Thoreau's or Emerson's work then I suggest checking it out. 

[hitoribocchi]

Just finished reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.

 

I remember watching the movie adaptation before back in high school, but wasn't too fond of it. And to be honest, I'd say the same goes for the book. Krakauer did an interesting job constructing his book keeping it non-fiction, however, in the end I just couldn't enjoy it that much, I didn't like Chris McCandless in the slightest bit and had no feeling of sympathy for him whatsoever. 

[suikashoujo]

Just finished reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.

I remember watching the movie adaptation before back in high school, but wasn't too fond of it. And to be honest, I'd say the same goes for the book. Krakauer did an interesting job constructing his book keeping it non-fiction, however, in the end I just couldn't enjoy it that much, I didn't like Chris McCandless in the slightest bit and had no feeling of sympathy for him whatsoever.

I had to read that as summer reading for my junior English class, and I hated every minute of it. Chris McCandless was possibly the LEAST sympathetic person ice ever read about, and yet the narrative tries to paint him as this tragic, heroic figure. Because, you know, ignoring people's advice and going deep into the Alaskan wilderness is a mistake anyone could make, and we should all feel sorry that he inevitably died, right?

...sorry for the rant. But it's been almost 2 years, and the thought of that book still makes me angry.

[arakura]

I enjoyed Into Thin Air when I read it for school in eigth grade. I can emphathise with you, suika, even though I've never even read that book. arg

[Bolverk]

Completed 1st book Sandry's Book, of Circle of Magic series. By Tamora Pierce.

 

Some thoughts of mine about the book.

I remember reading this when I was younger, I liked it quite a lot back then. It's perhaps a book leaning more on the younger audiences (around 15y).

I still find it a great book even now. Because of the world, characters and magic is all very nice to be immersed in. I'll explain why..

The book change between 4 different characters point of view (POV). Each one having good and negative sides with them. You can immerse yourself in each one of them, their lives and how they think and react. I felt all of their personalities rang with me, they are all part of me. My ideals, my negatives and such. Although I found them easy to connect with, I wouldn't say they are simple characters. Also while I watched their growth I felt endeared to them. It was like watching children part of me growing up.

The stuff that happens is mostly just everyday stuff in that world and some drama. I found it as relaxing immersion in their world and the characters world.
It has some interesting way of thinking about magic as well. There is multiple types of magic in that world. And the focus is on not standard magic school that is most normal there. (I suppose as well in most works of fantasy also). The you study, you chant incantations and throw spells etc.

Rather, the magic the characters have use is "only" through using practical items or applications, connected to the normal living most of the time.
They resonate with plants, or weaving, weather, smithing, etc. I found that pretty cool because of the description of the use of magic. Very good immersion in it. Because of the writing and descriptions from the characters POV. You felt much like you were part of the magic feeling of the characters.

Broad view of what I thought was good about the book was. The immersion in the world, the characters and the magic. Good stuff. It's also quite easy to read as well.

[Funyarinpa]

Reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho for school summer reading (still got a month to go in school though)

[BookwormOtaku]

Finished reading the first Witcher book "The Last Wish". Overall enjoyed it though the recurring parody of classic fairy tales started to get a bit annoying after the second time. Gotten the second book digitally so I'll read that soon enough. Am a bit curious though, since the book's stories keep mentioning how monsters seem to be noticeably dwindling so how come there are so many in the games?

[BookwormOtaku]

After reading the seventh volume in the My Little Pony comics I can say 7 was certainly not a lucky number for this series as of the two stories the first story was just okay but really slow and the second story just plain sucked. The plot was like an episode of Captain Planet but not as hilariously bad as that could get.

[Lexyvil]

I just ordered "The Martian" on Amazon. I heard good things about this novel and there's apparently a motion picture based on it that'll come out soon.

 

It's a story of a Mars mission gone wrong where a survivor gets stranded on the planet due to a local storm. No one on Earth knows he's still alive and he lost the ability to contact home. On top of that, he only has enough supply to survive for as long as 31 days while knowing that preparing for a Mars mission, let alone any form of rescue mission, can take years.

 

As a big fan of Sci-fi, I'm looking forward to immerse myself into the story.

[Bolverk]

Read The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

 

Such a wonderful story. It's "originally" a children's story. But it can be read and enjoyed by all ages. It's short (about 100 pages) and easily read, I recommend anyone to read it really.

It opens your mind to the different mindsets in the world. You get the position from more literal view, a view more from a child or a person from another planet. The story is somewhat satirical, it is very funny. But has very important messages to get from it.

This might seem as a easy and obvious. But it's not. We too easily put them aside. It should be a lesson we never forget as we get older. It should always be forever in our hearts. Forever, in our hearts.

[Ene]

Currently reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This book has an interesting story and it's really well written. 

[Nakajou]

The Witcher series :3

[Kenshin_sama]

Okay, Rooke, I have seriously got to thank you for the recommendation. I finally managed to get a trip to the library (god, why is this so hard), and I checked out The Wise Man's Fear. This is the most fun I've had with a book since I started Harry Potter in elementary school. The characters are have such great depth and enriched personality, and this can get pretty funny on occasion too. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find The Name of the Wind, so I'm kinda reading this out of order. There isn't anything that doesn't make sense to me so far, so I'll keep going with it for now and buy the first book when I'm able to.

[Funyarinpa]

Reading Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard Of Earthsea. Such beautiful prose!

[Funyarinpa]

I read those books when I was a kid.  I think I got to The Farthest Shore and stopped after I finished it.  I really should go back and re-read them, since I doubt I really appreciated it for anything besides the story.

 

[Kawasumi]

Im going to buy Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami, he is one of my favorite authors and I stumbled apon it in a local bookstore in the nearest town.

Its fairly small compaired to his other works but the setting is promising and I read a lot of VNs on the side so I dont need something really heavy atm.

[Funyarinpa]

You're giving me a Lord of the Rings flashback  D:

 

[AaronIsCrunchy]

Reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho for school summer reading (still got a month to go in school though)

 

How did you get on with this? I read Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho (after listening to the Saturnus album of the same name) and really liked it, so I'm curious whether the rest of his work is of a similar standard.

 

I'm currently about 30 pages away from finishing Paper Towns by John Green, and then I'm reading Germinal by Emile Zola. I'm about 2 chapters into that already and it seems good, if really bleak.

[Fred the Barber]

Im going to buy Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami, he is one of my favorite authors and I stumbled apon it in a local bookstore in the nearest town.

Its fairly small compaired to his other works but the setting is promising and I read a lot of VNs on the side so I dont need something really heavy atm.

 

I enjoyed that one quite a bit, but I always find Murakami's work to be simultaneously easy-to-read, emotionally impactful, and thought-provoking. He's one of my favorite authors as well.

[Kawasumi]

Aaaaand look what came in the mail today <3