December's Delights in Reading

[Pyan]

No! Don't do it, Till. How far are you through it? If it's less than halfway, please continue. I know it's not a good sign that it should take so long for a book to get good, but boy, does it get good.

And yeah, that part is awesome.

I'm around 150 pages through, so not halfway yet - but at present I just can't bring myself to care about any of the characters, and Lynch's prose style just has me grinding my teeth as I'm reading. But I'll persevere. For now.

I'm with Hoops here, Till...don't do it...

 

[Siberian]

"A hit! A very palpable hit!"
*cue much spurting of blood*


I'm this >< close to tossing The Lies of Locke Lamora aside and starting something else. I hate to do it - I hardly ever leave books unfinished - but ye gods is it dull. Dull, dull and dull.

It was a bit slow about half way through... but then things picked up just fine.

 

[Adasunshine]

Currently reading GRRM's collection of short stories Dream-Songs which I am thoroughly enjoying - even the sci-fiey and comicky ones!!!

xx

 

[GOLLUM]

Currently reading GRRM's collection of short stories Dream-Songs which I am thoroughly enjoying - even the sci-fiey and comicky ones!!!

xx

Yes I've got that one and read various parts of it. It's one of the best retrospectives I've come across. I think it illustrates above all else what a talented writer Martin is across multiple Genres.

Do you have it in paperback in 2 volumes and if so which part are you referring to if not the whole? I got the HB edition in a single volume.

You should check out the Tad Williams retrospective Rite. It's excellent.

Even better news for fans like me, Gene Wolfe is putting out a retrospective next year. Hooray!...

 

[Connavar]

Picked up Dean Koontz's FEAR NOTHING again. I left it halfway thru but its easy to get back into.

Didnt you like Vance Planet of Adventure or didnt you read the first book yet?

I saw your earlier post about it and you know you dont have to read all the books in the series. Do like me read the first book and if you like it get Vance better works. Nothing says you have to read every book in a series after another.

I have read several of his books/collections and Planet Adventure is good but the bottom of my Vance reading thanks to his more famous works i have also.

 

[Rosemary]

"A hit! A very palpable hit!"
*cue much spurting of blood*


I'm this >< close to tossing The Lies of Locke Lamora aside and starting something else. I hate to do it - I hardly ever leave books unfinished - but ye gods is it dull. Dull, dull and dull.

I'm another who found this book rather dull, although I will re-read it at some stage, just to make sure! I have a feeling that many books will seem dull after reading Erikson

 

[Adasunshine]

Yes I've got that one and read various parts of it. It's one of the best retrospectives I've come across. I think it illustrates above all else what a talented writer Martin is across multiple Genres.

Do you have it in paperback in 2 volumes and if so which part are you referring to if not the whole? I got the HB edition in a single volume.

You should check out the Tad Williams retrospective Rite. It's excellent.

Even better news for fans like me, Gene Wolfe is putting out a retrospective next year. Hooray!...

Heya GOLL!

I've so far only read the first two chapters of volume 1 (7 stories) but it's been a good mix of genres and I was very impressed by his earlier works (especially when you consider just how young he was).

I have the first volume in paperback and am waiting for the second volume to be delivered. I'm quite glad to have two separate volumes, like the box set of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, I find that smaller books are easier to hold and less daunting to pick up!!!

Thanks for the tip on Tad Williams, he's someone I've only just started getting into so a retrospective would be perfect!

xx

 

[Tillane]

I'm with Hoops here, Till...don't do it...

It was a bit slow about half way through... but then things picked up just fine.

I'm another who found this book rather dull, although I will re-read it at some stage, just to make sure!

Darn, now I'm just confused...

I'll keep at it. One thing I will say, though; even if it does pick up in the second half, it's so slow and yawnworthy in first that I do wonder how an agent and publisher picked it up in the first place. You really shouldn't have to trawl through 200-odd pages before a story gets going.

 

[Nikitta]

I'll keep at it. One thing I will say, though; even if it does pick up in the second half, it's so slow and yawnworthy in first that I do wonder how an agent and publisher picked it up in the first place. You really shouldn't have to trawl through 200-odd pages before a story gets going.

I'm glad that they did pick it up, as I didn't find as much of a syllable of the book to be dull. I enjoyed it all the way through.

 

[murphy]

I'm glad that they did pick it up, as I didn't find as much of a syllable of the book to be dull. I enjoyed it all the way through.

Ditto that. Different strokes for different folks, though.

 

[Tillane]

Absolutely. Hey, don't get me wrong; I'm certainly not saying that it's bad or that others won't enjoy it (many clearly have done), just that it doesn't suit my reading tastes (thus far). I'm sure I've got stuff on my shelves that others would find dull.

 

[GOLLUM]

I'm another who found this book rather dull, although I will re-read it at some stage, just to make sure! I have a feeling that many books will seem dull after reading Erikson

OH NO..I've corrupted Sword Maiden...

@Ada: Hey back to you! Yes, it's obvious that early on he was showing strong talent for his craft. When you get to his better known works The Sandking, Song For Lya and The Skin Trade drop me a line.

Also for the best (& entertaining) Vampire-style story I may have read (alongside Matheson's I Am Legend & Dracula) try his classic Fevre Dream (I describe it as Mark Twain meets Stephen King on the Mississippi). You will not be dissapointed.

 

[Pyan]

Finally got my hands on The Proof House, (Fencer Trilogy, Book 3) by K. J. Parker.

Now I'm waiting for the body count to start rising, as I was previously warned about...

 

[GOLLUM]

Finally got my hands on The Proof House, (Fencer Trilogy, Book 3) by K. J. Parker.

Now I'm waiting for the body count to start rising, as I was previously warned about...

Sorry but that was one of the worst series I ever read. Scarred me from Parker for life....

 

[Pyan]

Really, Gollum? I quite enjoyed it. Mind you, I have started skipping throught the alternate, Principle chapters.

But I do like the humour in it, rare in this type of book.

 

[GOLLUM]

Really, Gollum? I quite enjoyed it. Mind you, I have started skipping throught the alternate, Principle chapters.

But I do like the humour in it, rare in this type of book.

Yeh, the humour was cute but the storyline and character desriptions didn't grab me, found it a bit tediuos. I understand the author's later work is better in fairness.

I'm currently revisiting China Mieville's The Scar, not sure what I'll tackle after that from my library, the problem with having many good books still to read/choose from...

Over and out....

 

[j d worthington]

Lobo: As I've explained before, I have a particular reason for reading things in the order I do, and it has to do with a very long-term reading project, so I don't skip around all that much to begin with... and with time being so tight these days, I do so even less....

I did finish that version of The Metal Monster and yes, it made a major difference. This would never be Merritt's most accessible book, I'd imagine, and it often feels as if it's attempting to be two completely different types of book... but nonetheless so much that is here is so magnificent that I'd put it high on the list of important works of fantasy (or, more properly in this case, science fantasy). At times, this one reminds me of Lindsay's A Voyage to Arcturus because it shares many of the same flaws, yet both more than repay reading (and rereading)... though once again I'd have to specify that with The Metal Monster this is true of the Hippocampus (restored) version, rather than the more well-known version which remained in print most of the last 60+ years....

Aside from that, still reading my way through Smith's poetry (and still finding it an extremely heady experience), along with various short tales, including the B&N Lovecraft volume. Also read Tod Robbins' "The Toys of Fate" (1921), which has got to have one of the nastiest personifications of Fate I've encountered....

 

[AE35Unit]

Didnt you like Vance Planet of Adventure or didnt you read the first book yet?

I saw your earlier post about it and you know you dont have to read all the books in the series. Do like me read the first book and if you like it get Vance better works. Nothing says you have to read every book in a series after another.

I have read several of his books/collections and Planet Adventure is good but the bottom of my Vance reading thanks to his more famous works i have also.

No i stopped reading when i discovered there was a 4th book. I did enjoy the first two chapters tho and I will get back to it.

 

[Taltos]

Darn, now I'm just confused...

I'll keep at it. One thing I will say, though; even if it does pick up in the second half, it's so slow and yawnworthy in first that I do wonder how an agent and publisher picked it up in the first place.

Let me know how this turns out, I'm stuck at 100 pages with this book.

You really shouldn't have to trawl through 200-odd pages before a story gets going.

This seems to be more of a requirement with fantasy books these days - i.e. you have to set the scenery and characters and ... and only then you can and tell you 20 page worth of story (it's how the 800 page monsters are born)

 

[AE35Unit]

Oh if I'd got to page 200 and was still bored the book would be listed on bookmooch.com pretty sharpish. Life's too short for struggling with a book-reading should be fun,not a chore