Books

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Jamie
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Books

Post by Jamie »

Half just because I feel we need to talk about random crap more, and half because I'm currently absolutely obsessed with the Wheel Of Time Series.

What are you currently reading? Is it good? Shit? Anything good recently? Awaiting any new releases?

I've finally started on the Wheel of Time series myself. I've had so many friends over the last three or so years try and convince me to start, but because there are so many of them I'd always kind of thought 'I'll just get through this trilogy first', or 'I'll just finish these couple of books I've had my eye on'. Well last month I'd finally run out of excuses not to start and ordered the first nine off of Amazon. Needless to say, I'm loving it. The first book I thought was ok and I was a little bored with parts of it, but as of book two I can't get enough. I love the feeling of just being so consumed by a book that everything else in life is a mere inconvenience/interruption. I just spent my last 10hours on night duty at work cursing my patients* who needed anything because I was sitting down and reading.

*I didn't really, I'm a super nurse.

Other than that, I've recently gone through the 'Song of Fire & Ice' books. Weirdly I find myself Team Sansa in all of it... even though she's a useless bitch for the most part.
Madge
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Re: Books

Post by Madge »

Oh man, I read the hunger games a few months ago - couldn't get enough. I know, I know, I'm way behind the curve but MAN those were good, suspenseful books. I also must admit I read quite a bit of fanfiction once I worked out how to get it on my kindle. (For a while my job was to literally sit in my car near a bridge and write down what progress was made on construction for the day)

More recently I was reading the Ender quadrilogy by Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide and Children of the Mind. I really, really loved Speaker for the Dead and to a lesser extent the other two. Ender's game was okay; completely different type of book.

Trying to get through red mars. Josh has leant it to me, and it's a good book, but I just never feel motivated to read it, you know what I mean?

Keep on meaning to read Song of Fire & Ice too. I read a couple of pages of one (pirated it for my kindle to see how it was; did that with the Ender books and ended up buying the box set), but didn't immediately get engulfed by the first two pages (REALLY? Can you imagine that?). So I don't know if/when I'll get back to it.

About four pages from finishing The Men Who Stare at Goats. The friend who gave it to me said he didn't really enjoy it, and neither did I. I should finish it just so that way it's done.
thelonetiel
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Re: Books

Post by thelonetiel »

I'm not reading a whole lot of stuff for fun right now - if I'm on a bus I'm reading for class or playing Pokemon. The only thing I'm really reading is World War Z, which is actually really good. Slowly you're fed the information for what happened in the zombie apocalypse, and it's really well done. I was totally skeptical, but I picked it up off a friends bookshelf while I was snowed in. Granted, that was almost a year ago now and I'm still slowly getting through it but...

I also read Kushiel's Dart recently, which was an awesomely done fantasy romance. If that's your kinda thing, I recommend it - great plot and character development in addition to unusual relationship dynamics (it's a sex positive worldview! Totally cool!). I need to hunt down the sequel - I think my roommate bought it and hasn't shared.

I'm hoping to do some more reading soon, I got gifted a Kindle for my birthday that I'm waiting for. I'll feel better about myself once I do start reading more, I identify as a reader and so am shamed to have read so little recently.
Kantark
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Re: Books

Post by Kantark »

Discworld (still)... Thud, specifically. It's one of the Sam Vimes/City Watch stories so it's definitely a good 'un.

Recently I struggled to finish Richard Hammond's second autobiography which took several months of 'I really can't be bothered to read this tonight but rather than do the logical thing and give up on it, I will not let it defeat me'. Consequently I've now got a backlog of about a dozen books, both fiction and non-fiction, to work through (though two of those are 'PIC Microcontrollers for Beginners' and 'Piano for Dummies' so probably not suitable as bedtime reading material).
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Joey
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Re: Books

Post by Joey »

My big project since this summer has been rereading the Animorphs series. I never finished it as a kid and I want to know how it ends. Right now I'm stuck on the Davis trilogy though. I really hate that guy so I don't want to read about his douchebagdom.

I've been reading a lot of Brandon Sanderson's stuff lately too, since he breaks up the monotony of Animorphs and he had some novellas released recently. I actually read The Emperor's Soul twice in a row, I loved it so much. I also recently finished Alchemystic by Anton Strout, which wasn't world shattering but it was still pretty good. Other series plural that I'm slowly getting through are Tamora Pierce's Tortall Universe, The Dresden files by Jim Butcher, and Anne McCaffrey's Pern series. Next up on my list is the latest books in Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus and Kane Chronicles.

Late last year and early this year I actually reread all of Wheel of Time. I have a love hate relationship with that series, but it's not so much hate that I wouldn't reread the whole thing and carve a Rand al'Thor pumpkin: http://joh-wee.deviantart.com/art/Rand- ... -335045244
Madge
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Re: Books

Post by Madge »

Joey, just so you know, the last 5 books in Animorphs get really dark and awesome - they do a whole bunch of morally grey things. So keep trucking because it's totally worth it.
Seerow
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Re: Books

Post by Seerow »

Keep going Joey :) I reread the series again last year just to reaffirm that it is indeed still my favorite series.

Currently I'm reading some of my backlog of Patricia Briggs older books. Currently reading When Demons Walk and then just have one more book to go (Hobbs Bargain) then I've read them all.

I did recently get the new Kindle Paperwhite. I've never had a Kindle before and didn't see much point in them but decided it would be nice to have around. I haven't used it too much yet since I still have some physical books I want to read before I delve into any e-books. I have Amazon Prime so I do get one free book a month and there's plenty to choose from, so that's nice. I really wish physical copies of books came with a digital copy as well, like say the blu-ray combo packs. That would be awesome and I hope eventually it becomes the norm.
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Usul_Princess
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Re: Books

Post by Usul_Princess »

Seerow, How do you like the Paperwhite? (I have a Keyboard with a very bright add-on latch hook light) Is the resolution more like e-ink, or a computer monitor?

I remember a time when I wouldn't give the Kindle a chance because I thought it would cheapen the idea of developing a "relationship" with the book , and yes, it does undermine the intimacy a physical book can give you, but at the same time, I've never finished so many books in my adult life. If only I had this as a kid....
The only thing I hate about it is how outrageous e-book prices are. None of them should be more expensive than owning a new physical book.


Re: Madge, we are kindred spirits indeed! I couldn't shut up about The Hunger Games series for a solid 3 months. I read all three in 10 days on the Kindle back in April. I started reading then when I noticed the movie lacked too much context without it.

About a month ago I finished 11/22/63 by Stephen King at work. (Yes, we're allowed to read in our cubicles for hours on end while we're waiting on calls). It was AMAZING! It's the first book since "Everything's eventual" and "The Green Mile" that I can recommend in good faith. It's a pretty long read (850 pages), and 150 of them could've easily been shaved off without missing anything. It's really unconventional; not "horror" per se, but more of Action/Suspense, with a convincing romance subplot.

Right now, I'm on Fannie Hurst's "Imitation of Life" and...I'm so disappointed. I love the 1934 movie, and despise the PC, soap-opera 1959 remake. The book is dense, dull, and to be honest, the dissertation/preface at the beginning was far more interesting than the book. I'll probably read another classic.
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AngharadTy
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Re: Books

Post by AngharadTy »

The nicest thing about having a Kindle is that I already have way, way more books than I can fit in my apartment and I feel bad that they live in boxes and are two deep on my few shelves. But I have hundreds taking up very little room on the Kindle! The worst thing about my Kindle is my fear that I will someday break it (because I'm clumsy, not because it's flimsy--it's already survived me dropping it twice). But I fear that about everything. Including food that I am walking with to a table to sit down and eat. I almost dropped my birthday cake. CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE.

...anyway, I was recently gifted with Demian by Hermann Hesse, which I am looking forward to. The person who recommended it listed it with T. S. Eliot and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and I love their writing. Of course, I am going to put off reading it until I can finish the fluff I'm working through right now. (It's damn good, though; I feel bad calling it fluff.)
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thelonetiel
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Re: Books

Post by thelonetiel »

I did get my Kindle, yay! So I'm reading something by Paul Auster, his stuff has gotten me through some rough times before and I'm enjoying engrossing myself in his words. The reading I should be doing for school is in physical book form, and so hasn't been touched outside of class. I forgot that this is why I hadn't been reading for fun books before, it interferes with classwork...

Usul, I got the Kindle Paperwhite. It is definitely an e-ink screen. I only have limited experience with the classic Kindle screen, but as far as I can tell, the only difference is being lit - which also means you can adjust contrast. It isn't backlit - they apparently went to some effort to get the light to reflect within the screen so to feel like it is pointing at the page, not up at you. I'm really loving it, definitely better than reading on a LCD screen like a laptop or tablet.

Animorphs - oh goodness. I don't think I could reread all of them, there were so many, I'd have to be hunting garage sales and thrift stores for years. But the special books were always my favorites - The Ellimist Chronicles might get added to my Kindle pretty soon. Such a great series though, I wish I remembered how it ended better. EDIT: Apparently no Kindle versions of Animorphs books. Rage!

Also this:
I really wish physical copies of books came with a digital copy as well, like say the blu-ray combo packs.
So much this. I would definitely buy new books from bookstores if I knew I had a scratchoff, single use code in the back I could redeem for an e-book version. Pleasepleaseplease.
AngharadTy
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Re: Books

Post by AngharadTy »

I do have the whole Animorphs collection (I think?) and they came from here. Send me a PM if you want to, you know, talk about the books. I like talking about books.

The digital copy idea is a good idea, and needs to be implemented (though hopefully better than the ones that come with dvds--which can be somewhat difficult to use, certainly more difficult than pirating). However, I feel no guilt for acquiring digital copies of books I already own (like the whole Pern collection or all the Anita Blake books), especially because those books are so well-hidden in my apartment....
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Madge
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Re: Books

Post by Madge »

There are kindle versions of the first few animorphs books - I know I bought the first two. They were like $8/$9 though so quite expensive for such old, young adult books =/
Seerow
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Re: Books

Post by Seerow »

So Ty, being new to ebooks and such, how do I go about pirating Kindle books? After I download them can they just be moved over to the Kindle when it is connected to the computer?

Usul, I've never used any Kindle prior to the Paperwhite and only ever casually glanced at any other versions so I'm not the best judge. I do really like the adjustable brightness of the screen, and if the off position on that is what a normal Kindle screen looks like, man it is dark! Along the bottom edge there is a slightly annoying string of lights, but you get used to it after awhile. I am sort of annoyed at how the page turns are, they like blink out for a second and the screen flashes while turning pages. It is really jarring for me at first, but again you get used to it after awhile. And I believe old Kindles had this as well?
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AngharadTy
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Re: Books

Post by AngharadTy »

Download the free library program, Calibre. I use it to manage my ebooks. It's wonderfully convenient. Just load the file into Calibre, plug in the Kindle, and then send the title to your device. You can also delete it from Calibre. Even use it to back up your Amazon purchases.

The screen-blinking thing is something necessary for the e-ink to "clear," so old Kindles have it too, yeah. I don't even notice it at all anymore, I'd forgotten about it!
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Joey
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Re: Books

Post by Joey »

Yeah, the e-book prices for the Animorphs are ridiculous. I've read that they're rereleasing the series in regular book format, with updates to the slang and technology, so the e-books are most likely based off those. Half the charm of this reread is all the 90s references, so I don't think I could handle an update.

One of the reasons I love Brandon Sanderson is if you buy his books he'll give you the e-book for free if you send a picture of either the receipt or you with the book. More authors really should do that, or make it like Tiel said.

I actually have a Nook instead of a Kindle. I use it about half the time now that I have my real books again, but it was a lifesaver in Japan.
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