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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Amph What book are you reading right now?

Discussion in 'Community' started by droideka27, Aug 31, 2005.

  1. Merlin_Ambrosius69

    Merlin_Ambrosius69 Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 4, 2008
    I hope the following won't be considered spam, but I wanted to let anyone interested in The Chronicles of Prydain know that I've greatly expanded the Prydain Wiki in the last few weeks, with hundreds of pics, more details and better accuracy in the articles. I invite any and all who enjoy Prydain to come by and browse, edit or contribute to the wiki.

    http://prydain.wikia.com/wiki/

    What can I say, I'm obsessed. In a good way! :-B
     
  2. Deputy Rick Grimes

    Deputy Rick Grimes Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2012
    About to start Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
     
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  3. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002
    Is this your first HP read-through?
     
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  4. I Are The Internets

    I Are The Internets Shelf of Shame Host star 9 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    If it is your first HP read-through, I'm insanely jealous. Such fantastic books.
     
  5. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    The movies deserve a watch as well even if they are not as good.
    The A Very Potter Musical trilogy on youtube is amazing as well.
     
  6. Lady_Sami_J_Kenobi

    Lady_Sami_J_Kenobi Jedi Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2002
    I am reading another true story mystery about a divorce gone horribly wrong, title, strangely enough, "The Twelfth of Never," a song from the late 50's early 60's by Johnny Mathis that was the couple's theme song for their wedding. It's a fascinating story of life when women stayed home and raised the kids and basked in their husband's glory instead of having careers of their own. The husband was a famous and successful medical malpractice attorney in San Diego. The wife belonged to the country club and her friends were all the wives of successful, rich men. She couldn't handle her life when the marriage ended and the money stopped.
     
  7. Bale

    Bale Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 9, 2005
    Just started A Memory of Light
     
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  8. VadersLaMent

    VadersLaMent Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 3, 2002
    Finally on to The Hound Of The Baskervilles.
     
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  9. SWpants

    SWpants Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2004
    The second book in the Langdon Prep series by Kimberly Reid: Creeping with the Enemy

    Bale :D :D Enjoy!
     
  10. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002
  11. DarthMane2

    DarthMane2 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2003
    A Dance of Dragons

    I was reading reviews on Amazon, and they were really mixed. IMO, this book right up there with the first 3. If not those then atleast Storm of Swords. SOS had just as much fat that could have been trimmed as ADOD. I'll admit that the first 200 pages were a slog, but since then it's been really good with interesting plot developement and it's moved the main story along quite well. I know it will end in a cliffhanger which will take points off, but way it looks Winds of Winter will be a must read.
     
  12. V-2

    V-2 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2012
    I just finished Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno. I was initially quite taken, but the story proved aimless, the language clumsy and a cohesive plot failed to materialise. There's a line towards the last third of the book which explains that the first half of the book had been a complete waste of time. The problem was that I'd already noticed.

    Too much foreshadowing, too many faceless characters with no defining personality, too many references to other books, comics, card games and **** knows what else... The action scenes lacked pace and focus, dialogue lacked character; everything felt like it was written in the parlance of an American Earthling called James Luceno. Seriously though, what the **** was that Nostradamus droid all about? WT* is "liquid gas" a useful simile for? (Shuddering, apparently.)Why do all the 'English' characters now speak like cowboys?

    Some things I did like. Anakin's internal monologue hit the mark, criticisms of dialect aside; Palpatine's Machiavellian diplomacy felt about right -- but the way the book half heartedly tries to pretend like we don't know he's Sidious doesn't help the story.

    I get that the book introduces a lot of cool stuff and people like that, but it's no substitute for a meaningful story featuring characters I can root for, in situations that have narrative consequence within the actual book I'm reading!

    Bear in mind I've only just finished it so my opinion may mellow over time. :p

    Back to a bit of that Hitchens book then I'll start Stover's RotS novelization. 8-}
     
  13. The Great No One

    The Great No One Jedi Grand Master star 8

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 2005
    heroes die by matthew woodring stover. have to say the world and concepts are interesting, and the writing is pretty decent so far. i'll let you know how it turns out should anyone care.
     
  14. RC-1991

    RC-1991 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 2, 2009
    Yeah, ADWD gets unfairly knocked. People complain that it's slower than Storm of Swords, but that's the whole point- it's the lull in the fighting. Not to mention it throws more lore and plot threads into the mix than the rest of the series combined, and Bran's story finally starts to get somewhere. It also has some of the best character development in the series.

    Re: the thread itself, I'm about a third of the way through Deadhouse Gates, the second Malazan book. In some ways the series reminds me of elements of the Elder Scrolls, but with better writing.
     
  15. Pandora

    Pandora Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2005
    Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
     
  16. SWpants

    SWpants Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2004
    To me, it's like a mix between the Bluford High series and Nancy Drew (even though I never read the latter). A teen named Chanti is forced to go to a prep school that is allowing 3 juniors on scholarship to join despite the fact that they usually only let freshmen in. She lives on the outskirts of Denver with her mother, who's an undercover cop. The author grew up in a similar situation in Atlanta, which makes everything more fun and realistic.

    It doesn't address urban issues like Bluford High does, though it does mention and involve them. Chanti is always trying to put her detective skills to use
     
  17. Juke Skywalker

    Juke Skywalker Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2004
    I agree with RC-1991. After a stumble with AFFC, I thought ADWD was Martin and ASOI&F back in top form. The problem with any fifth book in a series of seven is that it's a treading water point of the story; Too soon to resolve anything significant, too late introduce anything major plotwise (It's a problem, one of many, I had with Order of the Phoenix). But you can continue to develop characters, deepen the story and heighten the tension, and I think ADWD does all of those things.

    I just started Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings. It's 1007 pages long... in hardcover. I'll have a review up some time in May... of 2014.
     
  18. Havac

    Havac Former Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2005
    I wouldn't say that ADWD is at the treading-water point; it and AFFC are at a reorientation point. They're the second act of the series, pivoting from the setup and the War of the Five Kings to the resolution, whatever form it will take. Their job is to rearrange the pieces, introduce some new ones, and move things into place for the finale. The problem I had with ADWD is that, for the first time, it did feel like the series was treading water when it didn't have to. Tyrion moping for chapter after chapter, Quentyn being introduced and dying, Victarion still not even getting to Dany -- that stuff may turn out to be relevant, but we weren't given enough yet to feel that it was, and it feels like we should have gotten much farther by this point in the story -- we should have at least some idea of how Dany is going to get out of Essos and play a role in Westeros. I like ADWD, but it felt like it spent a lot of time not getting what it needed to do done. AFFC, for all the knocks it takes, was much better at progressing the story while also taking a breather from the fighting and doing a ton of character development. ADWD does quite a bit, but it still gets bogged down under its own weight at points, which is the first time I've felt that way about an entry in the series.
     
  19. Juke Skywalker

    Juke Skywalker Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2004
    You make good points, and that kinda re-affirms my belief that 7 books will become 8 or 9 (Which at Martin's current pace would put us somewhere in 2044), thus changing the overall narraitve point of ADWD within the ASOI&F saga.
     
  20. The Great No One

    The Great No One Jedi Grand Master star 8

    Registered:
    Jun 4, 2005
    i doubt it'll take him that long to get the next one out. with what happened on the last two books... well, he essentially wrote about five or six books content before he even got to the editing of the last two, because he realized what he was doing simply wasn't going to work. so he had to either split the books in the middle, or split the characters by region. it's pretty obvious which he went with in this case. and there's really just so much you can write in a year. so i figure he probably has a better handle on things at this point. i doubt it'll be anywhere near as long for winds of winter to show up. he also has the show he has to make sure he stays ahead of. that'll probably add a bit of drive to get things finished as well.
     
  21. DarthMane2

    DarthMane2 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2003
    Ending in a cliff hanger wasn't the wisest choice. From what I understand Martis is having trouble with the publishers over seas who don't like his books 2000 pages long. Way it looks the first 100 pages of Winds of Winter will be finishing up ADWD. Going by some of the early word on WOW, 2 major battles will be fought early on, one being Victarion in battle with the ships blockading Mereen. So with luck, he'll obviously win that battle, land and hopefully with Tryion and all those major players together on that side of the map we'll be heading back to Westeros early on. I'd say Dany needs to be back in Westeros way before the end of the book though.
     
  22. heels1785

    heels1785 Skywalker Saga + JCC Manager / Finally Won A Draft star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2003
    Reading Revan, and about to simultaneously start the Game of Thrones books- never read them, always wanted to. I hear they're alright.
     
  23. I Are The Internets

    I Are The Internets Shelf of Shame Host star 9 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodrigues
    Not fun the second time around either.
     
  24. Force Smuggler

    Force Smuggler Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    Finished volume 1 of the SW TOTJ Omnibus. Very good. Not sure what book to read next.
     
  25. VadersLaMent

    VadersLaMent Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 3, 2002
    Valley Of Fear. This is a Holmes story based on real life characters and events and also features Moriarty in a background role.