SubJeff on 3/7/2019 at 04:44
The Name of The Wind.
It's hard to say if it's well written because I'm "reading" it on Audible. The narrator and the sound effects and music really change what's being read.
I also got Consider Phlebas on Audible and I've read it before (though completely forgotten it) so I might be able to discern something about the writing this time.
Aemanyl on 28/9/2021 at 17:21
Do we have any fans of poetry? If so, then I am happy to announce that my new book of poetry is out. I've already talked privately with some TTLG users about my published works (this is my fourth book so far) and since they've encouraged me to be more open about it, I decided to write this post.
Here is the blurb:
"Mysteries of Late October" is a collection of over 300 haiku and tanka poems (Japanese short poetic forms) inspired by autumn. The poems illustrate how typical autumnal themes of changes, endings, departures, sadness, grief, and melancholy find their expression in natural phenomena, fauna and flora, as well as daily human life. The purpose of this volume is to encourage the reader to experience the months of September, October, and November in a deeper and more mindful way. "Mysteries of Late October" is a perfect lecture for long, cold evenings and serene hikes in nature.
Link to purchase:
(
https://www.amazon.com/Mysteries-Late-October-Karol-Kolbusz/dp/B09GZKPZX7/)
bobbyrfletc on 4/1/2022 at 19:48
I am reading the materials about how to (
https://paperwriter.com/research-paper-writer) write research paper online. It is hard to write such papers that's why I have to read a lot of information. I even found some books.
demagogue on 5/1/2022 at 15:34
Sypha Nadon, who used to post a lot ages ago, is really into those kinds of stories. He goes through like 3+ books a week too and gives lots of reviews. I don't know anybody that reads as much as he does or is more of an expert in that genre. I guess there's no good reason for me to mention it now, but my first thought was I wonder what he'd say about that book, as I'm sure he'd have read it and has an opinion.
Harvester on 5/1/2022 at 16:02
I'm almost done with Billy Summers by Stephen King. It's good if you like that sort of thing, it's not a horror story but I'm having fun with it, and I generally like him branching away from pure horror.
Next book will be Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen, I've heard good things about it, it's supposed to be the start of a trilogy. Never read anything by him before but reading some reviews of this book has piqued my interest.
demagogue on 6/1/2022 at 09:14
@Harvester, I was just watching this new show called Midnight Mass. It was getting billed as the best Stephen King story that's not by Stephen King, and so far they're not wrong.
Anyway, I'm reading a scifi opera called A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.
It's main hook, which I guess isn't so original per se but the way it's used and how it forms part of the culture is fresh to me, is that the stationers have this practice where, when a person joins an important post, they receive a mind link thing that integrates their mind with the mind of their predecessor. (Actually I believe it's all of their predecessors going back for decades, possibly centuries, but I get the idea each agent can only talk directly to their direct predecessor, and each duo reshapes their identities to accommodate the new joint mind.)
Long story short it's about a stationer ambassador to the galactic empire capital after her predecessor gets killed... It has galaxy-wide political intrigue, which is pretty stylized for the society it's in, and that's interesting by itself. Actually it has some beats of Game of Thrones & The Expanse, so it's in their company. I guess it's the trend these days.
It stays focused on a few individuals, so I'm not sure it ever captures the full scale of its ambition. (I've been reading the Foundation series & The Expanse, both of which give the reader a better sense of the vast scale they're working on, so that just makes it more noticeable.) And it mishandles some things; and the pacing feels a bit too fast.
But all in all I like the characters and the intrigue, and entertaining things happen. I don't know if it reaches classic status, but it's entertaining & some things are legit interesting to think about or watch play out. I've got the 2nd book now too, so I'll be interested to see where they can take it from there.
Harvester on 6/1/2022 at 12:31
Yes, that was a good show, I enjoyed it. Very King-like indeed, and I also liked the fair, intelligent way it treated the subject of religion. I feel that Mike Flanagan, while an atheist, clearly knows a lot about religion and "gets" the mindset of Christians (both mainstream and fundamentalist), and doesn't resort to caricatures. He's one of the modern horror filmmakers I'm most enthusiastic about and I'm eager to see what he's going to do with his upcoming Poe adaptation.
Gray on 8/1/2022 at 02:23
Quote Posted by demagogue
Sypha Nadon
Oh, that's an interesting name from the past. We used to be friends but lost touch. I always wondered what happened.
Tocky on 8/1/2022 at 03:44
Quote Posted by Azaran
I'm a long time fan of early 20th century Weird Tales-type short stories
I collect and read these along with Startling, Amazing, and Planet Stories. It's nice when you can find an anthology like Weird Tales- 32 Unearthed Terrors and so do not risk the delicate pulp paper in the reading.
As to what I'm currently reading, I've finally gotten around to Robert Jordan's Eye of the World which is the first in the Wheel of Time series. It's very like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings in that it is a world that operates according to it's own rules. There are the good guys who are simple folk and true evil which chases them both of a wraith type and ork type though named otherwise and there is magic, which I normally don't like, but it is bearable and somewhat sparing so far. It's not exactly demanding mentally but is nice to curl up with a cup of hot cocoa and see where they are and what they will do next. All of it seems a bit ripped off including the One True Source which is like Star Wars The Force but there are interesting though conformative to mold characters who you do develop affection for. It's easy enough to follow even if it is a poor mans Lord of the Rings and has some imaginative turns. It's an adventure and comfortably so if not a tense page turner by the halfway mark so far.
I'm glad this thread was resurrected so I can find new things to read.