Books

[WarDamnKC]

It was brutal. I don't know about you, but I love the Greyjoy/Iron Islander chapters. There is always some very important story line occurring in them.

I just wish Dany would die.

I feel like if you're going to reference a character in this series, you should use the spoiler button to say they're still alive.

Spoiler

On that note, I love the misery that Theon has found himself in. **** hate that dude, but love where the story took him.

sorry didn't think I was giving anything away.

 

[DukeNukem05]

Oh, no it's cool. I was just making the joke about how you really don't know who lives and dies in this series.

 

[WarDamnKC]

Oh, no it's cool. I was just making the joke about how you really don't know who lives and dies in this series.

No clue, but I have some pretty good feelings about who is going to die in Winter.

 

[rome8180]

New bio of David Foster Wallace, Every Love Story is a Ghost Story, is really, really good. It won't make you like him as a person, but I've never read a good literary bio that did. I don't think any human life can withstand that much scrutiny.

Best literary bios I've read:

1) Dostoevsky - Joseph Frank (There is a condensed one-volume edition, but I read the five-volume edition; I probably know more about 19th century Russian literary and intellectual culture than almost anyone in the country as a result)

2) A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates - Blake Bailey


3) Every Love Story is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace - D.T. Max

 

[sivartrenrag]

Epilogue away from end of A Storm of Swords (3rd book in Ice and Fire Series by George RR Martin, better known as A Game of Thrones, the first book in the series). Really good. High quality writing and incredible attention to detail. I've noticed some formulaic stuff, like how he starts each chapter at a point in time, then uses flashbacks to cover stuff he's skipped chronologically. He does this in almost every chapter. But my tendency to be disappointed w/ formulas doesn't really apply when it's so highbrow, so it's more an "I feel ya" thing w/ the author than disdain (like w/ stupid James Patterson).

I also noticed overuse of the word "niggardly." He never used it in the first 2 books of the series, but used it about 3 times in this book, in different chapters, w/ different characters. It's not the kind of word you forget b/c of its coincidental resemblance to THAT word. It's as if he just learned or remembered this word. I don't like that.

He writes consecutive chapters from the povs of different characters -- about 9 or so in this book -- in no discernible, regimented order that I've noticed. Something I really like w/in this format is that each character makes decisions that seem logical in isolation, but b/c of the last chapter you read or the next chapter you will read, you recognize how the decisions contribute to some overall "oh so close," "ships passing in the night" quality that is agonizing for the reader, but acceptable, too. Do this poorly and you come off like some contrived soap opera crap. Martin does it pretty brilliantly, though.

He's certainly the best of the fantasy fiction writers, but even he falters at times. The last one or two in the series haven't been up to the standard set by the first few. I guess when it's like ten years between books, you sort of lose focus.

I feel like the last 2 were a huge set up for what is to come. Both of them ended with me on the edge of my seat. Hopefully Winds of Winter is more like Kings and Swords.

Yes. I imagine it will be. It's kind of crazy to sit back and think about all the possible stuff that has to happen before the series ends... the final two books HAVE to be huge.

Also, the ending to Dragons was awesome.

 

[WarDamnKC]

I'm anticipating 1200+ pages or he adds an 8th book.

 

[ChibCU]

He better not die before he finishes.


Also, this "biography", Emperor of All Maladies, on cancer is actually an enjoyable read.

 

[torontoduke]

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

 

[bfactor]

Thomas Jefferson: Art of Power, by Meachem

 

[aiw]

Thomas Jefferson: Art of Power, by Meachem

Finishing that up. Seems a superficial treatment.

 

[bfactor]

Yeah, a little light so far. I'm only about 1/4 of the way into it.

 

[torontoduke]

Reading Black Postcards by Dean Wareham...it is his memoirs from his time with Galaxie 500 & Luna.

 

[rome8180]

I love Galaxie 500.

How did you like Freedom? One of my favorite books. (NCCU's as well, I believe.)

 

[rome8180]

Took a break from difficult reading and read 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Character travels back in time to try to prevent JFK assassination. I like King and this was a solid book from him.

Back to "serious" reading now. I'm reading The Outsider by Richard Wright. Wright has been one of my favorite writers since I read Native Son years back. I have yet to read something by him that I didn't love. The Outsider is fantastic so far. His take on the existentialist novel.

 

[torontoduke]

I liked Freedom a lot. Will be backtracking on J. Franzen's earlier work.

 

[rome8180]

The Corrections is great. His essay collection is also worth checking out.

I hear his first couple of novels aren't as good.

 

[deepdarkblue]

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a very good book.

 

[bfactor]

Yes it is. I read it about a year ago on Shog's recommendation, IIRC. Very moving.

 

[rome8180]

I've been doing this thing where I alternate between a difficult, "serious" book and something more entertaining.

Finally reading Game of Thrones as my entertaining read. But wow, for a genre novel it's incredibly well written. Might be the best written fantasy novel I've ever read.

 

[rome8180]

The last few genre things I've read have made me feel a little stupid and ashamed to be reading them. This doesn't.