what i have read in 2010

awesome.

2009 was not best for me either. this year is already looking better though, on monday i became a registered reader at this place will update this thread w/ soon-to-be discovered national secrets.

I just started the first one of this series Into The Darkness. I meeping hate fantasy. But the war stuff's pretty cool.

Next is Push by Sapphire.

So far I read some Lost novel, was pretty good, about on par with watching an episode. I finished "The Road" haven't seen the movie, but the book was awesome. A story of survival and the love of a father for his son in the face of hopelessness. Now am re-reading the Master of the Five Magics trilogy, read it in the early 80's, great fantasy genre, very "realistic" descriptions of magic and the laws governing magic. Also recently found out that the series was the inspiration for Megadeths song Five Magics.

So far so good, I need to get some new books though..

Thanks Mundhra, for continuing this for the new year.

Currently reading: Scorpion Down - Ed Offley

On Deck: The Road - Cormac McCarthy

Just finished The Afghan Campaign by Steven Pressfield. Not his best work but an entertaining quick read. Next up meep, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs By Chuck Klosterman, A Fair Country by John Ralston Saul then The Forever War by Dexter Filkins.

I just finished Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and meep by Mary Roach. It was a fast read, really funny and insightful. Anything she writes is gold.

I'm about halfway through Manhunt: The Twelve Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson. Not really a history or civil war buff, but this sucker is compelling. Swanson weaves together the narratives of the fleeing assassin, the manhunters, the grieving capitol and the media coverage to give you an awesome perspective on how the chase for the killers shaped our country almost as much as the assassination itself.

Heather: I just started the first one of this series Into The Darkness. I meeping hate fantasy. But the war stuff's pretty cool. Next is Push by Sapphire.

Finished Push in 2 days. Starting "Crooked Little Vein" by Warren Ellis now. Its amazing.

Heather:

Heather: I just started the first one of this series Into The Darkness. I meeping hate fantasy. But the war stuff's pretty cool. Next is Push by Sapphire.

Finished Push in 2 days. Starting "Crooked Little Vein" by Warren Ellis now. Its amazing.

If you enjoyed Push you may enjoy Lullabies For Little Criminals by Heather O'neill.

"And Another Thing.." = semi-posthumous HHG2G sequel, by Eoin Colfer (approved by Douglas Adams' estate); still undecided, but kinda hoopy so far.

"Apocrypha Discordia" = another posthumorous publishment.; freaky for discordians at large.

"The Idle Warriors" = (signed copy! ) The antagonist is based on Lee Harvey Oswald, written before he did the BAD THING by 'some guy' who was in the Marines with him.

"Unseen Acedemicals" = the latest Discworld novel - w00t!

Next: "Lost Symbol" = the new Dan Brown novel; great literature it is not, but I fukin; luv it!!

your basic cynical meep cop noir stuff.

Just ordered Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer. I have been wanting to read it for a long time. Amazon is my friend.

middle_age_man:

Heather:

Heather: I just started the first one of this series Into The Darkness. I meeping hate fantasy. But the war stuff's pretty cool. Next is Push by Sapphire. Finished Push in 2 days. Starting "Crooked Little Vein" by Warren Ellis now. Its amazing.

If you enjoyed Push you may enjoy Lullabies For Little Criminals by Heather O'neill.

I will purchase tonight, thanks!!

I finished Crooked Little Vein and I can't say enough great things about this book.

Here's an sample.

Wrecker: Thanks Mundhra, for continuing this for the new year. Finished: Scorpion Down - Ed Offley The Road - Cormac McCarthy

On Deck: Forgotten Soldier - Guy Sajer

GrapeApe: So far I read some Lost novel, was pretty good, about on par with watching an episode. I finished "The Road" haven't seen the movie, but the book was awesome. A story of survival and the love of a father for his son in the face of hopelessness. Now am re-reading the Master of the Five Magics trilogy, read it in the early 80's, great fantasy genre, very "realistic" descriptions of magic and the laws governing magic. Also recently found out that the series was the inspiration for Megadeths song Five Magics. So far so good, I need to get some new books though..

I have the Road lying around here somewhere, keep meaning to read it. By McCormack or whatever right?

magicchex:

GrapeApe: So far I read some Lost novel, was pretty good, about on par with watching an episode. I finished "The Road" haven't seen the movie, but the book was awesome. A story of survival and the love of a father for his son in the face of hopelessness. Now am re-reading the Master of the Five Magics trilogy, read it in the early 80's, great fantasy genre, very "realistic" descriptions of magic and the laws governing magic. Also recently found out that the series was the inspiration for Megadeths song Five Magics. So far so good, I need to get some new books though..

I have the Road lying around here somewhere, keep meaning to read it. By McCormack or whatever right?

I quit playing cribbage and jerking off for awhile to get into this one Mom sent for Xmas. Really quite good, impressive reviews @ Amazon.

Wrecker:

magicchex:

GrapeApe: So far I read some Lost novel, was pretty good, about on par with watching an episode. I finished "The Road" haven't seen the movie, but the book was awesome. A story of survival and the love of a father for his son in the face of hopelessness. Now am re-reading the Master of the Five Magics trilogy, read it in the early 80's, great fantasy genre, very "realistic" descriptions of magic and the laws governing magic. Also recently found out that the series was the inspiration for Megadeths song Five Magics. So far so good, I need to get some new books though..

I have the Road lying around here somewhere, keep meaning to read it. By McCormack or whatever right?

Yis

Definitely gonna get my hands on it and read. Instead of me searching for generic story online can you give me a rundown of what happens?

Finished: The Snakebite Survivors' Club: Travels Among Serpents I'm not scared of snakes so I couldn't exactly relate but the substory of the crazy Appalachian snake handling preachers made the whole book worth reading.

Child of God - Cormac McCarthy Pretty disturbing story which is always a + for me but I kinda fell into hypnotic bliss by the writing style. I went out and got a couple more Cormac McCarthy reads.

Reading currently: The Road - Cormac McCarthy

magicchex: Definitely gonna get my hands on it and read. Instead of me searching for generic story online can you give me a rundown of what happens?

in the post-apocalypse, a man and his son struggle to survive.

When you get near the end of that book, time it correctly. DO NOT finish it at 11:30 on a Sunday night with nowhere to go, and nowhere to drink.

I would highly recommend:

D-DAY The Battle for Normandy by Antony Beevor. Fascinating detail about the most pivotal event in modern history.

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Steampunk zombie alternate-history kind of thing. I think it would make a fantastic movie.

Jan 30th - Drove from Kitchener, ON to Ottawa and back over the span of three days! Read (or rather listened to) my first book of the year.

Iceburg - Clive Cussler's 2nd Dirk Pitt novel... Not bad... A Dirk Pitt novel is always good for a long drive...

Feb 6 - Dance of Death Feb 13 - Book of the Dead 2 Great Preston and Child books, 2 Brilliant brothers one an FBI Agent, the other a Psycho from a family of crazies, face off against each other... these are some of the most exciting books I've read... couldn't put them down.

March 1st - The Sharpshooter - Ed Gorman I've never read a small dime store type crappy western story before... Fun...Will do again.

March 3rd - Scarlet - Stephen Lawhead Dudes and Dudettes! This book the 2nd of the Rhi Bran y Hud (Robin Hood) series is meeping awesome!

This book tells the story of William Scatlocke (Will Scarlet) and his quest to find and serve as Robin Hood's loyal subject.

I don't know yet... But I really meeping hope the new Robin Hood film is based off of this series...

Finished Hangman by Michael Slade last night... Mar25...I hated reading that book... thought about quitting about 3 times... I can say I will never read another of his books as his writing style is garbage...

The funny thing was that on the back there was a quote... "A genuine rival to Stephen King" ~Book Magazine...

Maybe he rivals King in something but its not writing... Knock King all you want, but I doubt you can call him a meepty storyteller.

Apr1 - Finished "The Gate" by Bob McGuire...Not bad... Not super awesome..

Finished Audio Book - Friday by Robert Heinlein

Finished - Preston and Child "The Wheel of Darkness... oh meep... they is havin an evil baby!

Finished - Simak's - The City That was the best meep book in ages!!

May 23rd... Finished... Crooked Little Vein, by Warren Ellis... meeping Awesome

May 31 - Read "Chthon" by Piers Anthony... Reading the back cover the book sounded cool... Planet Prison break... THe first 3/4 of the book was actually pretty cool... then somehow it seemed like he started on estrogen and acid, finishing the book off pretty meeping stupid in my opinion...

July 13th - Otherworld - Kenneth C Flint Not bad I guess, I normally don't read ghost/occult type books. Big spoiler? We need to take Al Gore way more seriously folks!

_{On 2010-07-14 at 13:40:55, Steel asked to smell your meep}

january reads: the most irritating sort of book is that which shows a ton of potential initially but never delivers, yet strings you along long enough to be ultimately disappointing in the end. this is a perfect example of that kind of book. early on bryson seems to be on an exploration of what became of small town america, beyond a knee-meep assumption that a bunch of inbred retards were mobilized by the christian right (because, in reality, those forces have always been at play in america). however, far from resurrecting tocqueville or twain, bryson never moves beyond mere banter about the more interesting points of his inquiry. almost as soon as i became interested in a passage he would drop as if a 1.5 pages of cultural analysis was too much to bear. this is the kind of book that could be re-written very well.

this was recommended to me after having read another work which draws heavily on its themes. and at a lean 90 pgs it is a quick read. additionally, unlike Freud's previous books, it is not a work of psychology. it is a book that he wrote at the end of his life in attempt to unify much of his research into one social theory that would answer the question: is man inherently unhappy in society and why? it ends up being more a political work than anything else. here is a short passage that sets up most of Freud's argument throughout the book: "One may say therefore, that these gods [of antiquity] were cultural ideals. Today he has come very close to the attainment of this ideal, he has almost become a god himself... Not completely; in some respects not at all, in others only half way. Man has, as it were, become a kind of prosthetic God. When he puts on all his auxiliary organs he is truly magnificent; but those organs have not grown on to him and the still give him much trouble at times... But in the interests of our investigation, we will not forget that present day man does not feel happy in his Godlike character."

I finished Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer. It is a tad more dry than his usual writing, and he still has that annoying habit of alternating chapters between the main subject and background info and anecdotes about geographical location. Think' Into The Wild' on steroids.

Just finished this one. Good read, interesting history lesson prompted me to do further research into several areas. Some day soon, I'll have read all of his stuff.

Pure fascination.

Finished: Scorpion Down - Ed Offley The Road - Cormac McCarthy Forgotten Soldier - Guy Sajer The Last Patriot - Brad Thor (not a very good book)

Now Reading: Terminal Freeze - Lincoln Child

Just finished this, I've enjoyed everything of his I've read so far, he's got a bunch of 'em.

I've actually read a bunch of books this year....these are the ones I can remember. [url]http://www.amazon.com/Pirate-Latitudes-Novel-Michael-Crichton/dp/0061929379 [/url] His, dead meep left this unpublished. Pretty good actually and free from the bizarre pseudo-political retardation that marred his last few books.

Cornwell's new character is aight, nothing special. Blew through these. [url]http://www.amazon.com/Risk-Win-Garano-Patricia-Cornwell/dp/0425214761/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269839644&sr=1-1 [/url] [url]http://www.amazon.com/Front-Win-Garano-Patricia-Cornwell/dp/0425228282/ref=pd_sim_b_1 [/url] I'm currently reading this, it is excellent.
[url]http://www.amazon.com/Meaning-Masonry-Revised-W-Wilmshurst/dp/1603020004/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269839831&sr=1-1 [/url] I think this was also the first Koontz book I read in its entirety, fun to read and quick moving. [url] http://www.amazon.com/Breathless-Novel-Dean-Koontz/dp/0553807153/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269840010&sr=1-1 [/url] I've read a few others but they escape me. Sadly, it looks like Chex never got to read "the Road," sad. I enjoyed it although I did feel it was a bit overhyped. I have "child of God" on my bookshelf for sometime this summer.

meepbox: Sadly, it looks like Chex never got to read "the Road," sad. I enjoyed it although I did feel it was a bit overhyped.

I thought the same thing about Chex.

Wrecker:

meepbox: Sadly, it looks like Chex never got to read "the Road," sad. I enjoyed it although I did feel it was a bit overhyped.

I thought the same thing about Chex.

Yup. The tragedy of his life was not reading The Road

ghostrider:

Wrecker:

meepbox: Sadly, it looks like Chex never got to read "the Road," sad. I enjoyed it although I did feel it was a bit overhyped.

I thought the same thing about Chex.

Yup. The tragedy of his life was not reading The Road

Picked up Stephen King's Under The Dome from the biblio today. I wondered why it took 3 months for it to show up on my hold shelf, it's over 1000 pages. I hope this story doesn't let me down the way Cell did.

ghostrider: Picked up Stephen King's Under The Dome from the biblio today. I wondered why it took 3 months for it to show up on my hold shelf, it's over 1000 pages. I hope this story doesn't let me down the way Cell did.

I hope the same. But I heard it was awful dammit.

The noteworthy ones I've finished:

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

Fat City By Leonard Gardner

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

The following I read but they were just ok:

Shadowland by Peter Straub

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

The Terror by Dan Simmons

Currently reading:

The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century by Howie Carr

I'd been meaning to read this since high school and never got around to it until I wanted to use a quote from it in a paper. Paper got me an A in my comp 1 class and the professor to offer to mentor me.

This is my second favorite book, I have no idea why. Downloaded the PDF off of that eBook stash of awesomeness and spent two days rubbing my eyes.

I've been re-reading The Book of the New Sun. I read it 20 years ago and totally didn't get it. Great extreme future science fiction.

_{On 2010-05-22 at 03:07:26, middle_age_man asked to smell your meep}

Finished Death Troopers (Star Wars/Zombie mash-up) last week. It was fairly entertaining and a very fast read. Oddly enough, I just started Consider Phlebas (the screen name is from The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot) with a Brief History of Time as a chaser.

the 1st 150pgs read like alice very slowly dancing around the rabbit hole. it gets really good in the middle but ended sort of meh-ish. plenty of oddball japanese meep throughout.

Just finished The eerie silence : renewing our search for alien intelligence by Paul Davies. It's a thought-provoking look into the SETI project and the need to re-evaluate what an alien intelligence might be like.

Just started Shop class as soulcraft : an inquiry into the value of work by Matthew Crawford which is marred by a heavy-handed use of fifty-cent words, but has a golden premise.

ghostrider: Picked up Stephen King's Under The Dome from the biblio today. I wondered why it took 3 months for it to show up on my hold shelf, it's over 1000 pages. I hope this story doesn't let me down the way Cell did.

Just finished all 1072 pages of this meepsucker. Go ahead and read it, I dare you..

ghostrider:

ghostrider: Picked up Stephen King's Under The Dome from the biblio today. I wondered why it took 3 months for it to show up on my hold shelf, it's over 1000 pages. I hope this story doesn't let me down the way Cell did.

Just finished all 1072 pages of this meepsucker. Go ahead and read it, I dare you..

Here's hoping.

Heather:

ghostrider:

ghostrider: Picked up Stephen King's Under The Dome from the biblio today. I wondered why it took 3 months for it to show up on my hold shelf, it's over 1000 pages. I hope this story doesn't let me down the way Cell did.

Just finished all 1072 pages of this meepsucker. Go ahead and read it, I dare you..

Was it good?

I enjoyed it, and unlike Cell, I'm not left hanging all like "WTF??'

middle_age_man: If you enjoyed Push you may enjoy Lullabies For Little Criminals by Heather O'neill.

Just bought this, starting tonight. Thanks for the recommend. If it sucks, don't worry. I won't suffer in silence.

cheers!

Never heard of Oran Canfield, but saw this on the new non-fiction shelf at me biblio and was intrigued by the premise. He's the son of the "Chicken soup for the soul" guy, and he had a really meeped up life. If you like train wrecks, I highly recommend this memoir.

96 pages of somewhat dense, definitely dark, fantasy. I decided to cheat and read synopses of the rest of the series and discovered that the author supposedly injected tons hidden meaning . I haven't read scifi in a while, but I am skeptical that this is/was Nebula material.

What I'm really asking here: is the rest of the series worth finishing?

rabidwire: I'd been meaning to read this since high school and never got around to it until I wanted to use a quote from it in a paper. Paper got me an A in my comp 1 class and the professor to offer to mentor me.

read it high school. then read it again when i had to teach it to a bunch of korean highschoolers. i loved it the 1st time and even more the 2nd time.

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

palahniuk has written so many bad books. this is one of the ones i thoroughly enjoyed.

The Coldest Winter Coal: A Human History Traitor to His Class: The Radical Presidency of Franklin Roosevelt Northanger Abby The Case for Faith Tiger Force The Iliad Jane Grey What Was Asked of Us: An Oral History of the War in Iraq meepual Fluidity Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer

Dude, go to a movie sometimes.

Tak I have probably seen 10x as many movies this year

Now I know this may be a shocker,but I actually haven't read anything but The Star Beacon,or News Herald since this thread last year.

I MUST BE GETTING DUMMER

sugarslim: 96 pages of somewhat dense, definitely dark, fantasy. I decided to cheat and read synopses of the rest of the series and discovered that the author supposedly injected tons hidden meaning . I haven't read scifi in a while, but I am skeptical that this is/was Nebula material. What I'm really asking here: is the rest of the series worth finishing?

"The first 96 pages have piqued my interest" would be a yes

"meep I hate this. Why bother with it?" would be a no.

Heather:

middle_age_man: If you enjoyed Push you may enjoy Lullabies For Little Criminals by Heather O'neill.

Just bought this, starting tonight. Thanks for the recommend. If it sucks, don't worry. I won't suffer in silence.

cheers!

LOVED IT. Sorry for not giving you props sooner. This thread is my favorite.

Since my last post, I've also finished:

A Wolf at the Table ->Very sad sequel to Running with Scissors.

Bette -> A gift. I never would have chosen something with a subtitle "The women of Ivy Manor, book two" but it was surprisingly good.

Beloved ->Slavery, meep. Upsetting book that was written weirdly.

The Book of Air and Shadows -> meepING YUCK. Oh yeah, a long lost Shakespeare play?! Let the shenanigans begin!

Devil Bones -> Twists, turns, blood, gore and medical jargon. My sweet spot.

American Spinx Thomas Jefferson stuffs

Currently reading:

The Last Oracle REALLY good, highly recommend.

ghostrider: Pure fascination.

How was this, by the way?

meep My Dad Says - Justin Halpern Rules for my Unborn Son - Walker Lamond

The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty - Caroline Alaexander

acheron:

ghostrider: Pure fascination.

How was this, by the way?

It held my attention all the way through. It's rather dry, but any history buff would love it.

Labyrinths - Jorge Luis Borges

Because my review probably wont get much traction here, i'll just quote what some other people have said about his work:

"The truth, briefly stated, is that Borges is arguably the great bridge between modernism and post-modernism in world literature." - David Foster Wallace

"A giant of world literature." - John Updike

From the Preface to my edition (linked to above) by William Gibson:

"Works we all our lives recall reading for the first time are among the truest milestones, but Labyrinths was a profoundly singular one, for me.

"Decades later, now, I understand the word meme, to the extent that I understand it at all, in term's of Tlon's viral message."

"If you haven't made the gentleman's acquaintance, I can only urge you to do so. In all humility, I can serve no other function, here at the front of this now-venerable collection of his incomparable fictions, than to act, mercifully briefly, as a sort of butler. I am not a Borges scholar, nor indeed any sort of scholar, but I am honored to invite you in. Please."

Personally, I recommend NOT starting with the famed short Tlon, Uqbar, and Orbis Tertius I think that The Garden of Forking Paths is a much more accessible story to begin with.

Just finished Coalescent by Stephen Baxter. Was really good, he is in my top three for favorite authors.

Ambitious Brew : The Story of American Beer - Maureen Ogle -- interesting to see the history of Beer but not highly recommended

Mao: The Unknown Story - Jung Chang & Jon Halliday -- If you like history you will love this, can't say enough good meep about it. tons of stuff i never knew before

Charlie Wilson's War - George Crile -- good topic and a little obscure but worth reading to see how one man who stays under the radar can have unrivaled power in Congress without anyone ever knowing. good inside look at the CIA too

I recently read the Dan Brown trash The lost Symbol, it was ok.

Almost finished with the copy of this given to me.

This book on Stalingrad is turning out to be quite epic and informing as it was written by a Russian which adds street cred, son.

finished accelerando. great read.

j.g. ballard's short stories were good. i wasn't really blown away, though.

a deepness in the sky was awesome.

heather: how was the terror?

Just started the new William Gibson, Zero History. Pretty god so far, seems to have the same characters that Pattern Recognition and Spook Country did.