So what books have you read or are reading?
right now I'm reading The Jackal of Nar by John Marco. So far it reminds me a little bit of the Goerge R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones. Not as good as AGoT and the world seems less fleshed out, but still a good read.
I'm reading Goshawk Squadron by Derek Robinson, a kick-ass story about a WWI fighter squadron. Research for In Harm's Way: Aces in Spades. I picked up about a dozen books and movies for this. Hell's Angels, War Story, Goshawk Squadron, The Blue Max, Winged Victory, Dawn Patrol, and more, plus a bunch of memoirs and technical books.
-clash
I just finished reading George R.R. Martin's A game of Thrones, which was relatively decent in my opinion. I also have been rereading Jules Verne's 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, mustering a half assed effort at best.
I have also been reading a lot of comics of late. I just finished reading the first 51 issues of Fables (http://www.dccomics.com/features/fables/), which I have to say grew on me at an exponential rate. It took six issues for me to really like, but now I have to say I love it.
I also just finsihed the first 32 issues of the The Losers (http://www.dccomics.com/features/losers/sneak.html), which was a fun read. The art complimented the story and atmosphere in my opinion.
I also just finished reading Avenger's Disassembled (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avengers_Disassembled) which was mostly disappointing and predictable, which is a shame because I'll always consider Marvel my first.
I am reading the ninth volume of the Punisher right now, and enjoying it. I am also looking forward to rereading Jerry Pournelle's Faulkenberg's Legion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince_%28Pournelle%29) books, which I do from time to time.
I regularly read US news and World Report, Time, Wizard the Guide to Comics, and The National Geographic as well.
(Can you tell I am home on Workman's Comp? Heh.)
I'm catching up on some back issues of the London Review of Books. I'm also reading the latest issue of Granta, a British-based magazine that publishes new writing. This issue is titled 'War Zones', and it has a variety of fiction, memoir and reporting on that theme.
In roleplaying, I'm slowly digesting Burning Wheel.
i just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy, From Baghdad with Love by Jay Kopelman, and am JUST starting Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban.
gameswise, i'm hoping to start reading Esoterrorists (http://www.dyingearth.com/gumshoe/esoterrorists/index.html), which (hope-hope) should arrive today.
Just finished on the bus this morning - Chasing the Sea, Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia by Tom Bissell.
Starting before bedtime tonight - Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon.
With regard to gaming, I hope to soon begin (re)reading Wild Talents when it arrives in the post. I say "(re)read" because I've read rough drafts of it at various stages, so I have a good idea of what to expect, though I'm eager to see what made the final cut.
!i!
I'm still in a light reading phase. Currently reading Singularity Sky by Charles Stross and wondering where the hell I was when this came out; it's incredibly good!
Next up will be the new novel by Mark Danielewski (of House of Leaves [/COLOR]fame).
Shouldn't that be House of Leaves? ;)
!i!
Quote from: McrowSo what books have you read or are reading?
Galactic North by Alastair Reynolds. Its a book of hard SF short stories set in the universe of the Revelation Space books.:)
About a week or so ago I finished Ilium, Dan Simmons (after reading the first in the set, Olympos). I really liked his Hyperion stuff, even though I usually don't do a lot of Sci-Fi. He just seems to get it right for me.
Now I'm reading David Farland's The Runelords. I thought it would be schlock Fantasy, but it's actualy not to bad; an interesting premise and writing isn't over the top - yet.
For gaming, I'm reading The Cog Wars from Levi Kornelsen.
Money's tight, so I don't know what I'll read next. Between reading and digesting Levi's The Cog Wars and Spike's Building a World through Studies I should be good for a while. If not, there's always Tolkien to delve into...again.
I haven't read War and Peace in a while either...
A War Like No Other - Victor Davis Hanson.
Time Patrol - Poul Anderson
The Scar, china meiville. This is my second time through. I'm broke and out of books. I'm thinking about rereading simmon's Hyperion, It's been well over a decade since I read it, so I've forgotten most of it.
I finished reading the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce, and was about to read the "Protector of the Small series" by her as well but decided to wait and re-read various Garret, PI stuff (the original trilogy at least)
Just finished: The Pearl Diver by Sujata Massey.
Now reading: Lisey's Story by Stephen King.
Next in line: Inkspell by Cornelia Funke.
Quote from: Ian AbsentiaShouldn't that be House of Leaves? ;)
!i!
D'oh! Good catch. :o
Unless, apparently, one is referring to the Minotaur with regard to the House. I gather that there are weirder iterations still.
!i!
Ah, yes, my friend Eric has the version with Minotaur in red and house greyed out. I loaned my copy of HoL to my brother, but doesn't the publication information mention a version with red and blue? I wonder if that's just another artifice; I've never seen a copy like that.
I got 3 nice books for christmas:
Lies and the lieing liars who tell them: A fair and Balanced look at the right. By Al Franken.
Dude, where's my country? By Michael Moore.
The complete zombie survival guide. By Max Brooks.
Quote from: AnthrobotGalactic North by Alastair Reynolds. Its a book of hard SF short stories set in the universe of the Revelation Space books.:)
WOW! You mean you can read?!?!?!
Currently reading a 1982 collection of Isaac Asimov's robot stories.
I've decided to work my way through my library in alphabetical order, although I've already read all the Harry Harrisons in my collection in the last couple of months.
Currently in the middle of Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. A fairly well done anthropological and biological study of why cultures, nations, etc may have turned out the way they did. Despite the bigness of the topic, its fairly readable -- though not quite as much as the marketing blurbs would tell you.
I have a collection of Conan short stories as well as a collection of classic science fiction short stories that I've been reading now and again. I did just finish Aasimov's first Foundation book. I'm not sure if I'll go onto the rest of the series, maybe just the first trilogy since that seems to get the most accolades.
I picked up Terry Brooks' Armageddon's Children but I'm having trouble getting into it. I was in the mood for some post-apocalypse fiction but A.G. seems a bit too much like Left Behind and not enough like Gamma World. We'll see though.
On Boxing by Joyce Carol Oates. She might be dead wrong about Liebling, but she has a deep understanding of the spirit of the game.
I was reading Eragon, I left it half way through, maybe I'll retake on it after the exams.
Right now, I halfway through the 2nd Game of Thrones book, and I just started Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions by Lisa Randall.
I'm also getting a book discussion group together, which is reading Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles first.
Q, a novel about the reformation and the wars that accompanied it, ostensibly written by Luther Blisset but in fact written by four Italian communists.
Recently I got through a lot of stuff due to being on holiday, I read:
Dogs and Demons, a book about modern Japan and particularly about politics and the construction industry
The Quincunx, a fabulous faux-Victorian novel
I, Claudius and Claudius the God, the great Robert Graves pair of novels
Montaillou, a book about a medieval village based on period records
The White Mughals, a fantasticly well written history of the cross-pollination between the English and the Mughals in late Mughal period India. Very timely, as in part the book is intended to show how historically things were not as black and white as we now paint them and that there is nothing inevitable about clashes of civilisations
There were others, but those spring to mind.
Just read "Echoes of Honor" by Dave Webber. A bit of a jumper book, I.E. jumps around a lot, but a good one up to Webber's usual excellent standards and loaded with RPG setting potential.
Quote from: UmaSamaI was reading Eragon, I left it half way through, maybe I'll retake on it after the exams.
I'm reading Eragon now as well. My wife got it for Christmas, and so far I'm really not impressed. On the other hand, it's certainly not the worst I've ever read either. It's kinda boring and definitely unoriginal, and otherwise average.
I'm reading World War: In the Balance (http://www.amazon.com/Balance-Alternate-History-Second-Worldwar/dp/0345388526/sr=8-1/qid=1168797285/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-6023011-1296821?ie=UTF8&s=books) by Harry Turtledove. It's a lot of fun.
I am currently reading "The World is Round" by Tony Rothman and am trying once more to get into a "Storm of Crows" in the Game of Thrones books...but two years have passed since i read the last one so my interest has waned. Can't reread 5000 pages of novels just to pick up where I left off....
I just finished Dzur by Stephen Brust. In non-fiction I am currently reading Self Made Man by Norah Vincent and On War by Von Clauswitz
Currently reading a big pile of 70's comics I bought: The Invaders, marvel team-up and Power Man/Iron Fist.
Also have a Marvel Masterworks of Ant-Man waiting on me.
Just finished: The King Beyond the Gate by David Gemmell.
Now reading: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman.
Next in line: The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke.
Not exactly reading, but I'm listening to The King of Torts on my commute. I save what little reading time I have for the truly important things like graphic novels and gaming books. :)
I'm currently reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It's an immensely enjoyable read. Ms. Clarke has a great sense of humor and the story is very engaging.
Before that I read the 2nd book in Julian May's Boreal Moon fantasy series, Ironcrown Moon. I have no idea what I'm gonna read afterwards. I've got a shelf full of books that want to be read (including some probably bad White Wolf Dark Ages vampire novels which I inexplicably love, along with Simmon's Ilium and one of the Conan collections).
As far as RPGs go, I'm reading Spirit of the Century, Deadlands Reloaded and Wild Talents. Obviously, I'm not focused right now, RPG-wise.
In the Night Room, by Peter Straub, Interesting so far, we'll see how it ends. I like the premise.
In gaming, rereading RuneQuest, as it's going to substitute CoC as my Sunday game. And of course, marvelling as how awesome it is.