What Book Are You Currently Reading?

[Brock Landers]

Just started:

A Visit from The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.

[maxcarig]

twilight saga is the awsum book and i love to read it everytime....

[PsYkOoOoO]

Hey, JBond, do I have to read all three books in Vernor Vinge's Zones of Thought series? Are they all related?

[JBond]

A Fire Upon the Deep (Book 1) and Deepness in the Sky (Book 2) have almost nothing in common. I think there's a brief reference to a similar character. Some captain. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about the order, or reading them both. I haven't read the third book, it's very new, so I couldn't tell you. (BTW, Deepness in the Sky is one of my favorites. Other one's pretty good, too.)

*Edit* According to wikipedia, the third book is a direct sequel to "A Fire Upon the Deep."

[PsYkOoOoO]

Originally Posted by JBond

A Fire Upon the Deep (Book 1) and Deepness in the Sky (Book 2) have almost nothing in common. I think there's a brief reference to a similar character. Some captain. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about the order, or reading them both. I haven't read the third book, it's very new, so I couldn't tell you. (BTW, Deepness in the Sky is one of my favorites. Other one's pretty good, too.)

*Edit* According to wikipedia, the third book is a direct sequel to "A Fire Upon the Deep."

So you'd say they are pretty standalone?

Anyway, Locus Magazine posted their list of the best science fiction/fantasy books. Here are the 21st century lists:

21st Century Science Fiction Novel:
1 Scalzi, John : Old Man's War (2005)
2 Stephenson, Neal : Anathem (2008)
3 Bacigalupi, Paolo : The Windup Girl (2009)
4 Wilson, Robert Charles : Spin (2005)
5 Watts, Peter : Blindsight (2006)
6 Morgan, Richard : Altered Carbon (2002)
7 Collins, Suzanne : The Hunger Games (2008)
8 Gibson, William : Pattern Recognition (2003)
9 Mieville, China : The City & the City (2009)
10 Stross, Charles : Accelerando (2005)
11 Mitchell, David : Cloud Atlas (2004)
12 McDonald, Ian : River of Gods (2004)
13 McCarthy, Cormac : The Road (2006)
14 Harrison, M. John : Light (2002)
15* Willis, Connie : Black Out/All Clear (2010)
15* Chabon, Michael : The Yiddish Policemen's Union (2007)

21st Century Fantasy Novel:
1 Gaiman, Neil : American Gods (2001)
2 Clarke, Susanna : Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004)
3 Rothfuss, Patrick : The Name of the Wind (2007)
4 Mieville, China : The Scar (2002)
5 Martin, George R. R. : A Feast for Crows (2005)
6 Rowling, J. K. : Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)
7 Bujold, Lois McMaster : The Curse of Chalion (2001)
8 Mieville, China : The City & the City (2009)
9 Fforde, Jasper : The Eyre Affair (2001)
10* Bujold, Lois McMaster : Paladin of Souls (2003)
10* Pratchett, Terry : Night Watch (2002)
12 Gaiman, Neil : Coraline (2002)
13 Wolfe, Gene : The Wizard Knight (2004)
14 Pratchett, Terry : Going Postal (2004)
15* Gaiman, Neil : The Graveyard Book (2008)
15* Lynch, Scott : The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006)

What'd you recommend?

[Ramplate]

Tonight I am listening to a LibriVox recording of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

LibriVox is a website that has volunteer readers read from Public Domain books and the downloads are free, They have a large collection of classics - I listened to the Oz books this way - I've never listened to the original text of this story before, but I have seen many versions of the movies and there's nothing quite like a Christmas ghost story

[JBond]

Originally Posted by PsYkOoOoO

So you'd say they are pretty standalone?

Yes, they're standalone.

Originally Posted by PsYkOoOoO

Anyway, Locus Magazine posted their list of the best science fiction/fantasy books. Here are the 21st century lists:

21st Century Science Fiction Novel:
1 Scalzi, John : Old Man's War (2005)
2 Stephenson, Neal : Anathem (2008)
3 Bacigalupi, Paolo : The Windup Girl (2009)
4 Wilson, Robert Charles : Spin (2005)
5 Watts, Peter : Blindsight (2006)
6 Morgan, Richard : Altered Carbon (2002)
7 Collins, Suzanne : The Hunger Games (2008)
8 Gibson, William : Pattern Recognition (2003)
9 Mieville, China : The City & the City (2009)
10 Stross, Charles : Accelerando (2005)
11 Mitchell, David : Cloud Atlas (2004)
12 McDonald, Ian : River of Gods (2004)
13 McCarthy, Cormac : The Road (2006)
14 Harrison, M. John : Light (2002)
15* Willis, Connie : Black Out/All Clear (2010)
15* Chabon, Michael : The Yiddish Policemen's Union (2007)

21st Century Fantasy Novel:
1 Gaiman, Neil : American Gods (2001)
2 Clarke, Susanna : Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004)
3 Rothfuss, Patrick : The Name of the Wind (2007)
4 Mieville, China : The Scar (2002)
5 Martin, George R. R. : A Feast for Crows (2005)
6 Rowling, J. K. : Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)
7 Bujold, Lois McMaster : The Curse of Chalion (2001)
8 Mieville, China : The City & the City (2009)
9 Fforde, Jasper : The Eyre Affair (2001)
10* Bujold, Lois McMaster : Paladin of Souls (2003)
10* Pratchett, Terry : Night Watch (2002)
12 Gaiman, Neil : Coraline (2002)
13 Wolfe, Gene : The Wizard Knight (2004)
14 Pratchett, Terry : Going Postal (2004)
15* Gaiman, Neil : The Graveyard Book (2008)
15* Lynch, Scott : The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006)

What'd you recommend?

I've read the ones in bold, I'm currently reading "Blackout." "The City and the City" is one of the books on my "to read" shelf.

I'm not that huge on any of those except for Spin, which is pretty great. (That's really only 12 years of books, though)

[JBond]

Actually, "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" is quite something, but I'd research it a bit to make sure it might be your kind of book. It's a bit dry and it's very long.

[PsYkOoOoO]

Originally Posted by JBond

Actually, "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" is quite something, but I'd research it a bit to make sure it might be your kind of book. It's a bit dry and it's very long.

I've read up on it and, yes, a lot of alarms went off in the course of my research. I mean, a lot of science fiction/fantasy readers around me did not finish that book. I may get around to it someday, but it's probably not something I want to tackle just yet.

Anyway, thanks for your reply! Your input is always appreciated.

[Ramplate]

Originally Posted by Ramplate

Tonight I am listening to a LibriVox recording of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

LibriVox is a website that has volunteer readers read from Public Domain books and the downloads are free, They have a large collection of classics - I listened to the Oz books this way - I've never listened to the original text of this story before, but I have seen many versions of the movies and there's nothing quite like a Christmas ghost story

Nice book, glad I listened to it
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is my favorite

[FranklinTard]

i can't believe both rothfuss and scalzi made the top of those respective lists. easily two of the worst books i read all year. and the road is maybe the most over rated book of our life time, from the most over rated author of our life time.

i grabbed strange and mr norrell on amazons daily deal for 2 bucks the other day actually, always see it cheap in physical form though.

been looking for china mievilles books at my local half priced books for a while now, seems he is just too new/popular though.

[JBond]

Not to mention A Feast for Crows, Deathly Hallows and the Hunger Games are on those lists...

[FranklinTard]

Well I think affc is criminally under appreciated, haven't read Hp or hunger, so I cant comment but I get what you're saying. I guess 2000 was not counted or storm of swords would win, but fans wanted the series recognized.

[PsYkOoOoO]

Originally Posted by FranklinTard

Well I think affc is criminally under appreciated, haven't read Hp or hunger, so I cant comment but I get what you're saying. I guess 2000 was not counted or storm of swords would win, but fans wanted the series recognized.

Actually the 20th century lists are perhaps a lot more accurate, and ASOS is on that list instead. Here's the link.

http://www.locusmag.com/2012/AllCent...lsResults.html

[JBond]

Finished "Blackout" (Book 1 of 2) by Connie Willis.

I have now started "All Clear" (Book 2 of 2) by Connie Willis.

[jesbrownie]

I am currently rereading Art of war and Metamorphosis.

[Ramplate]

Started listening to John Adams again. Listened to The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (It was free for Christmas)

[FranklinTard]

a lot of james bond novels are on sale today, anyone have any favorites?

[JBond]

They tended to make the better books into movies quicker than the not so great ones. So I would stick with the "Connery ones." From Russia With Love was my favorite, but keep in mind it's very James Bond lite. The Blofeld trilogy is pretty good, too.

[PsYkOoOoO]

Despite my book debt, I went on to buy three more books. I got a $20 voucher, after all. Got myself Ubik and A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick and The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.

[JBond]

I enjoyed Ubik.

[Ramplate]

I have 11 books to listen to at the moment - that's good because I have a very tight budget after Christmas for a few days.

[PsYkOoOoO]

Finished Mistborn: The Well of Ascension. Now I really have to get my hands on The Hero of Ages.

I'm not sure what to read next. Hmm.

[FranklinTard]

finished john dies at the end, but it wasn't that great... i mean it was entertaining i guess, but over hyped.

cat's crade by vonnegut

[Justin]

I've been meaning to check out John Dies at the End.