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What Are You Reading?

Fad

Kinda curious as to what my demographic actually reads (if anything)

I'm reading:

All Families Are Psychotic-Douglas Coupland.

and I have the following lined up:

At Swim Two Birds-Flann O'Brien.
Survivor-Chuck Palahnuik.

and I have to scan through the "Bhagavad Gita" (Hare Krishna sacred text) for my religion project, which I really need to get done over Xmas

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Duffy the Vampire Slayer

On the subject of recommendations, does anyone have any detective novels they found to be good?

KnifeWRENCH

Fad wrote: »

I've always thought of fantasy as a bit naff, but in reality, I've never given it much of a chance.

I'm the same, actually. I think Phillip Pullman is the only fantasy author I've ever properly read. (Haven't read His Dark Materials for ages actually, I must reread them at some point....) I think I had a preconceived notion that every fantasy author would be like Tolkien, who I am not a fan of. (Love the LOTR movies but the book can go fúck off...)

So I'll avoid asking the question again and just take whatever recommendations you get. :pac:

Aoibheann

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

On the subject of recommendations, does anyone have any detective novels they found to be good?

The Dresden Files are TECHNICALLY detective novels.. >_> See here. Fantasy/mystery!

So if you like fantasy, and an awesome PI (private investigator, not personal issues.. >.>), you'd love this.

(I'm not just trying to force the series on everyone, but it is wonderful!)

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

I've heard the name before (Probably through that terrible gateway drug, TV Tropes) might give them a look.

Jackobyte

Fad wrote: »

C&H seems to have a fairly large chunk of fantasy fans....

I've always thought of fantasy as a bit naff, but in reality, I've never given it much of a chance, A Song of Ice and Fire seems to be incredibly popular, any other recommendations?

I was never really bothered with fantasy since I moved out of reading children aimed series but I have to say, I am really enjoying ASOIAF, so much so that I will be trying some other fantasies after.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

On the subject of recommendations, does anyone have any detective novels they found to be good?

Old style or modern?

If modern, all of Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series is great. As is Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series. Or his Jack McEvoy books for that matter though that is about a reporter rather than detective (start with The Poet, it is fantastic). James Patterson's Alex Cross series were good but the recent ones have gone too farfetched(Cross Country is just stupid). Harlan Cohen does a Jack Reacher series which isn't a detective series (ex-military cop) but are entertaining as well.

I've another in my head but I can't think of it now.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

Jackobyte wrote: »

James Patterson's Alex Cross series were good but the recent ones have gone too farfetched(Cross Country is just stupid).

I'm not really fussed on old or modern, anything with a gripping plot will suit me. Is Alex Cross the fella Morgan Freeman played in those two films?

Jackobyte

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

I'm not really fussed on old or modern, anything with a gripping plot will suit me. Is Alex Cross the fella Morgan Freeman played in those two films?

That's the guy, though Lincoln Rhyme tends to be more gripping (played by Denzel Washington in The Bone Collector). I loved The Cold Moon, it was the first one I read and got me hooked.

The other series I was thinking of was Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series.

I used solely read Crime novels. >.>

EuropeanSon

Fad wrote: »

C&H seems to have a fairly large chunk of fantasy fans....

I've always thought of fantasy as a bit naff, but in reality, I've never given it much of a chance, A Song of Ice and Fire seems to be incredibly popular, any other recommendations?

I'm planning on reading Infinite Jest at some point in the near future, so something that's not horrifically dense, relatively easy reading that's still quite engaging?

The Malazan Book Of The Fallen series by Steven Erikson. Military fantasy, quite dark, but some of the best crafted stories I've read, with the most amazingly deep fantasy universe ever created, IMO. Unlike Tolkien, the author doesn't waste pages upon pages describing landscapes, and straight up refuses to give you all the background information you'd normally given in little tangents in many fantasy books. Really well paced, really enthralling, cannot recommend it enough.

RolandIRL

The Dark Tower series is probably the best fantasy series i've read to date. first book is a bit tough to get into if you've never read Stephen King before, but once you start the second, it's just gripping. 7 books in all, and has a few graphic novels published as well.

second on the list would be the True Blood books. much better than the series, and very easy to get through.

haven't read them, but the Wheel of Time books are meant to be good as well, bought the first one cheap enough but still have to read it. i blame Charlie Byrne's in galway for tempting me with cheap books :P

jefreywithonef

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

On the subject of recommendations, does anyone have any detective novels they found to be good?

I heartily recommend Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett. It usually crops up on all the best of lists and for good reason.

The Continental Op first heard Personville called Poisonville by Hickey Dewey. But since Dewey also called a shirt a shoit, he didn't think anything of it. Until he went there and his client, the only honest man in Poisonville, was murdered. Then the Op decided to stay to punish the guilty. And that meant taking on the entire town...

Raymond Chandler is always extolled as a great detective writer but I haven't read anything of his yet. The Maltese Falcon is on my to-read list.

Finished 2666 by Roberto Bolano, a real behemoth of a book but an unforgettable one. Will definitely be acquiring his other novels. A fictionalised version of the Mexican city Ciudad Juárez serves as the unifying backdrop for the five sections of the book. Massive unsolved murder rate. "The estimated homicide toll is speculated to be around 400,[1][2][3] but many local residents believe that the true count of los feminicidios stands at an estimated 5,000 victims. Most of the cases remained unsolved as of 2003,[4] and are still mainly unsolved today.[5]"

Lawliet

whiteman19 wrote: »

The Dark Tower series is probably the best fantasy series i've read to date. first book is a bit tough to get into if you've never read Stephen King before, but once you start the second, it's just gripping. 7 books in all, and has a few graphic novels published as well.

I actually tell people to avoid the Dark Tower. I guess it had some good moments early on but for me none of them made up for the amount of bullshi t.The story meandered around far too much with an insane amount of pointless sub plots, it's not a fantasy epic so much as a dumping ground for random ideas that didn't deserve a book of their own. Also I never forgave Stephen King for that epic waste of time Wizard and Glass.

RolandIRL

Lawliet wrote: »

I actually tell people to avoid the Dark Tower. I guess it had some good moments early on but for me none of them made up for the amount of bullshi t.The story meandered around far too much with an insane amount of pointless sub plots, it's not a fantasy epic so much as a dumping ground for random ideas that didn't deserve a book of their own. Also I never forgave Stephen King for that epic waste of time Wizard and Glass.

:eek::eek::eek::eek: BLASPHEMY!!!

Wizard and Glass was my favourite of the lot tbh. i know not everyone has to like it, but it's all about the journey, and how the characters develop, that's what i loved about it. the last 3 were a bit rushed and some of it did get a bit far fetched, but i still loved the series overall

have you read much of King's other stuff?

randylonghorn

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

On the subject of recommendations, does anyone have any detective novels they found to be good?

You might try a Dick Francis, especially the earlier ones. They're not I suppose strictly speaking detective genre, but they always revolve around a puzzle / mystery of some sort which the protagonist must solve. He was an ex-jockey (just died there recently) so there is nearly always a horsey connection of some sort.

Oh, and what am I thinking! For a historian, the Brother Cadfael series might well appeal!

eVeNtInE

This post has been deleted.

Lawliet

whiteman19 wrote: »

:eek::eek::eek::eek: BLASPHEMY!!!

Wizard and Glass was my favourite of the lot tbh. i know not everyone has to like it, but it's all about the journey, and how the characters develop, that's what i loved about it. the last 3 were a bit rushed and some of it did get a bit far fetched, but i still loved the series overall

The character development was interesting, I guess, but honestly I stopped caring about them long before the end.

have you read much of King's other stuff?

I read one other book before, but the Dark Tower just didn't encourage me to look into more of his stuff.

highlydebased

Just finished "One Day" by David Nicholls. Was pretty decent

RolandIRL

Lawliet wrote: »

The character development was interesting, I guess, but honestly I stopped caring about them long before the end.

I read one other book before, but the Dark Tower just didn't encourage me to look into more of his stuff.

King's writing isn't to everyone's liking. some of his books are a chore to get through in fairness. The Talisman was a bore for me, bought the sequel Black House before i had read the Talisman, it'll be a while before i'll bother to read it.

if you fancy going back to King anytime, start with The Stand. it's a big lump of a book, but like the DT it's all about the journey, not the ending.

[Deleted User]

Duffy the Vampire Slayer wrote: »

On the subject of recommendations, does anyone have any detective novels they found to be good?

All of Craig Russel's books. Really dark, gruesome detective series with a pretty original setting.

Fad wrote: »

C&H seems to have a fairly large chunk of fantasy fans....

I've always thought of fantasy as a bit naff, but in reality, I've never given it much of a chance, A Song of Ice and Fire seems to be incredibly popular, any other recommendations?

I'm planning on reading Infinite Jest at some point in the near future, so something that's not horrifically dense, relatively easy reading that's still quite engaging?

Garth Nix's Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen maybe.
The Wheel of Time is engaging for the first two books. After that it gets steadily more dense until it becomes nearly unbearable.
Raymond Feist's stuff is pretty light going too, or Trudi Canavan.

EuropeanSon

Deleted User wrote: »

All of Craig Russel's books. Really dark, gruesome detective series with a pretty original setting.

Garth Nix's Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen maybe.
The Wheel of Time is engaging for the first two books. After that it gets steadily more dense until it becomes nearly unbearable.
Raymond Feist's stuff is pretty light going too, or Trudi Canavan.

Sabriel was awesome. I thought Lirael was good enough, but Abhorsen was awful.

Fad

Deleted User wrote: »

Garth Nix's Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen maybe.
The Wheel of Time is engaging for the first two books. After that it gets steadily more dense until it becomes nearly unbearable.
Raymond Feist's stuff is pretty light going too, or Trudi Canavan.

Have read the first two actually, years and years ago, first was good, second not so much

[Deleted User]

Fad wrote: »

Have read the first two actually, years and years ago, first was good, second not so much

Don't bother with the 3rd then. It's much like the second.

pljudge321

eVeNtInE wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I'd also recommend The Name of The Wind, excellent read. The second one is also quite good, though it drags a bit and occasionally has you wishing the story woud progress a bit faster.

Lawliet

whiteman19 wrote: »

King's writing isn't to everyone's liking. some of his books are a chore to get through in fairness. The Talisman was a bore for me, bought the sequel Black House before i had read the Talisman, it'll be a while before i'll bother to read it.

if you fancy going back to King anytime, start with The Stand. it's a big lump of a book, but like the DT it's all about the journey, not the ending.

It wasn't the writing style that bothered me -I found the books very readable- it was the clusterfuck of a plot that I despised and then there was the cop out ending that just felt like a giant 'fuck you' to everyone who stuck with the series.
God, it's been over six years since I read series and I'm still pretty annoyed about the whole thing.

RolandIRL

i'm weird in that i loved the ending...everyone i talked to hated it though, but i thought it was the best way it could have ended.

then again, i tend to go against the flow, i loved the Lost and BSG series finales as well...

Fad

Deleted User wrote: »

Don't bother with the 3rd then. It's much like the second.

I may well reread them at some point, I borrowed them from someone, thanks for reminding me!

Jay P

KnifeWRENCH wrote: »

Have only read one chapter so far and already having the same problem with Du Sautoy that I did with Goldacre and Dawkins as regards arrogance. Only within the first chapter he's said that whoever solves the Riemann hypothesis would be remembered "long after Edmund Hillary and William Shakespeare are forgotten" or something to that effect. Like I'm a pure science/maths fanboy nerd but this "my discipline is superior to your discipline" bugs the shít out of me. I'm gonna keep reading but I hope he sticks to facts rather than throwing in those stupid kind of comments.

I started that in January and thought the exact same thing. He is very arrogant, and absolutely adamant that Maths is the only science. (Not that I'd disagree :P I just don't want the fact to be rammed down my throat every page.)

[Deleted User]

KnifeWRENCH wrote: »

Read this recently:

Brilliant book that I'd recommend everyone read. The author is a bit arrogant (and is a typical "humanities degree? LOL" academic snob) but other than that minor gripe it's an excellent read. More often than not, his acerbic comments are hilarious.

Now onto this:

Have only read one chapter so far and already having the same problem with Du Sautoy that I did with Goldacre and Dawkins as regards arrogance. Only within the first chapter he's said that whoever solves the Riemann hypothesis would be remembered "long after Edmund Hillary and William Shakespeare are forgotten" or something to that effect. Like I'm a pure science/maths fanboy nerd but this "my discipline is superior to your discipline" bugs the shít out of me. I'm gonna keep reading but I hope he sticks to facts rather than throwing in those stupid kind of comments.

Have you read Dr. Riemann's Zeroes? Covers much more than Du Sautoy and the author, Karl Sabbagh, is a much better writer.
Also, he's not a mathematician so he doesn't have that vein of snobbery.

KnifeWRENCH

Deleted User wrote: »

Have you read Dr. Riemann's Zeroes? Covers much more than Du Sautoy and the author, Karl Sabbagh, is a much better writer.
Also, he's not a mathematician so he doesn't have that vein of snobbery.

I haven't. But thank you for the recommendation. Riemann's hypothesis was only mentioned very briefly in college so I actually know very little about it.

SarahBeep!

I found my copy of Romeo and Juliet...with all the notes I added to it

Should do me for the next day or so!

[Deleted User]

KnifeWRENCH wrote: »

I haven't. But thank you for the recommendation. Riemann's hypothesis was only mentioned very briefly in college so I actually know very little about it.

Tbh, I think most mathematicians couldn't give two ****s about it.