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Post by AhoyLindsay on Jun 12, 2015 23:41:27 GMT -8
Whoa, talk about a hook.
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Post by firebolt153 on Jun 13, 2015 7:40:07 GMT -8
Sounds like the theme of a ROMS game, really.
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Jun 18, 2015 20:26:10 GMT -8
So I finished Six Gun Tarot. Golgatha is a city that has a lot in common with Sunnydale or Pine Cove. Long time residents are familiar with strange goings on, and have taken the time to look up the proper plural of Apocalypse. Strange things gather in this town on the edge of the desert, and often strange people. The sort of people that don't quite fit in elsewhere. And the new comer is Jim Negrey, a 15 year old boy with wanted poster and his pa's glass eye in his pocket. When the old silver mine is reopened, things just seem to start going to hell. Not quite literally.
This was a bit of a bumpy ride. The world is a grab bag of all sorts of supernatural systems. There are bits of Gnosticism, Mormonism, a touch of Cthulhu Mythos, a dash of Native American lore, and some other bits and pieces too, just for good measure. There are no less than 2 secret cults and a handful of supernatural beings. It's a bit of whirlwind, a mad carousel that spins out of control towards the inevitable crash.
It's a pretty quick and fun read. It wasn't particularly tight, there are a surprising number of a characters with fairly detailed backstories, and I'm not positive they were all necessary. On the whole, I enjoyed it. There's a sequel, The Shotgun Arcana, that I'll likely pick up on the next library trip.
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Jul 1, 2015 17:54:58 GMT -8
I finished Gateway by Frederick Pohl yesterday. It's a sci-fi classic, winning both the Hugo and Nebula back in the 70s. Robinette "Bob" Broadhead is a wealthy man. Very wealthy, he lives in New York, under the bubble, and has Full Medical. He lives a life many people can only dream about, with a new romantic conquest every week and actually drinking real orange juice from time to time. But he's not happy. Though he can't figure out why, he spends an hour each week at the psychiatrists office. The unhappiness seems to stem from his experiences on Gateway.
An ancient galactic civilization had left Gateway behind. It was a small asteroid, loaded with alien ships, many still in good condition. If you were daring and had just enough money to make it up, you could become a prospector, shooting off to various unknown destinations in alien vessels that traveled faster than light. If you were lucky, you and your crew mates would find alien artifacts, or perhaps witness an important galactic event, like the early stages of a super nova. If you were unlucky, you'd find nothing. If you were really unlucky, you'd wind up witnessing a neutron star up way too close, or stumbling onto a problematic life form. 10 days of training and you could set off and hope to find something that would set you up for a lifetime.
I really enjoyed this book. It's short, like 270 pages in my copy. It was an easy read, and pretty compelling. It's as much a a "psychological" novel as it is a sci-fi thing. The story is told in two parts, alternating chapters between Bob's time in at the psychiatrists and his time on Gateway. On the whole, it was a good book.
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Jul 7, 2015 7:49:40 GMT -8
There's a sequel, The Shotgun Arcana, that I'll likely pick up on the next library trip. Read Shotgun Arcana, and I enjoyed it. Sort of a fun summer read, and the more I think about it, the more "Buffy The Vampire Slayer in the Old West" works as sort of a description.
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Post by AhoyLindsay on Jul 7, 2015 17:38:01 GMT -8
I read Fun Home and it was really awesome! It's a graphic memoir (as in illustrated, not as in gory) about the author's childhood and relationship with her father. It's packed with literary references, psychological exploration, and stories ranging from crazy to touching. I think they just made a musical out of it. I couldn't put it down. The writing is good in its own right, not just relying on the art.
I also read Persepolis, another graphic novel, which I didn't find as gripping as Fun Home but which is still good. It's about the author's childhood in Iran, narrating the revolution and the Iran-Iraq war from a child's perspective. You're not likely to find another book quite like it.
I recommend both.
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Jul 8, 2015 5:36:59 GMT -8
Yeah, I've heard really good things about Persepolis. I might have to grab those!
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Jul 13, 2015 7:45:07 GMT -8
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Jul 21, 2015 5:58:57 GMT -8
The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder was a book I picked up mostly because I was curious about Spring Heeled Jack. It's an interesting bit of urban legend, and would probably make a good ROMs theme. What I found was a steampunk adventure set in Victorian (sorta) England. London teems with genetically modified animals and mechanical contrivances, like steam powered penny farthing bicycles. Feeling out of place back home after years exploring Africa and the Middle East, Richard Burton is commissioned by the Crown to investigate reports of werewolves in the East End. The investigation gets larger and larger, taking in Spring Heeled Jack, as well as many of the famous figures of the day. If you've ever wanted to read a book with Richard Burton, Charles Darwin, Florence Nightingale, Isambard Brunel, Algernon Swinburne, and Edward Oxford all chasing around London as well as a large number of werewolves, this may be the book for you.
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Jul 31, 2015 12:24:52 GMT -8
Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor is a good book. It's a fantasy set during a genocide in post apocalyptic Africa. Onyewesu (Who Fears Death in Igbo) a young ostracized by the circumstances of her conception and birth, trains to be a sorceress and strikes out with her friends to kill her father and end the genocide. many regards this story is a standard fantasy story. Chosen One sets out on quest to save her people. The incorporation of Igbo folklore and the taking of inspiration from events in Sudan provide a stepping stone to lift it beyond common roots and provide not only a memorable story, but also reflections on race and gender, not just in general but in parts of Africa today. I enjoyed this and will likely be picking up some other book by Okorafor as well.
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Aug 7, 2015 13:45:08 GMT -8
Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley is a charming little book. Helen McGill is a middle aged spinster who has dedicated years to keeping a farm with her brother, Andrew. When he becomes a literary hit, she begins to feel neglected. One day an itinerant bookseller shows up at the farm with his horse and cart and wants to sell them all to the Andrew, who he feels will appreciate them. To prevent her brother from wandering even more than he already does and to steal a bit of a holiday, she buys the wagon and sets off with Mr. Mifflin, the bookseller, who agrees to stay on just until she learns the ropes.
This book is not wholly unpredictable. That doesn't keep it from being enjoyable. It's quite short and an easy read. There's comedy, a horse, some love, and an abiding passion for books. Would recommend. There's also a sequel called the Haunted Bookstore, which I intend to read pretty soon here.
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Post by AhoyLindsay on Aug 12, 2015 10:23:13 GMT -8
Finally got my hands on Leif's suggestion, Gentlemen of the Road. Gonna read the second Magicians book first though.
Also, with this forum fading away, please everyone PM me if you'd like to be facebook friends. I want to keep in touch with you all!
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Sept 11, 2015 14:34:19 GMT -8
Finally got my hands on Leif's suggestion, Gentlemen of the Road. Gonna read the second Magicians book first though. Also, with this forum fading away, please everyone PM me if you'd like to be facebook friends. I want to keep in touch with you all! I don't have a facebook I did read the Haunted Bookstore. I'd recommend it fairly highly. It's also short, together with Parnassus it's less than 400 pages. Where Parnassus has a bit of love, Bookstore has some adventure. A book about Oliver Cromwell keeps going missing and then reappearing. Why is that? Still has a huge love of books present. If you're curious about a buncha free e-reader download recommendations, there's a dozen in the first 20 pages.
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Post by AhoyLindsay on Sept 11, 2015 20:34:28 GMT -8
By the by, I did read Gentlemen of the Road. Great recommendation, as you describe, and for a book primarily concerned with violence and vengeance, surprisingly heartwarming. Just finished a few minutes ago but I could see myself rereading it some day.
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Sept 12, 2015 9:42:45 GMT -8
Great! Glad you liked it. I keep meaning to try and read something more than just the Wiki pages about that time and place.
I just this moment finished The Library at Mount Char. Completely blown away.
Carolyn is one of 12 orphans adopted after a horrible tragedy in their town back in the 70's. They are all raised by a man they call Father in a library that contains the secrets of the universe. Only now, Father is missing and no one can get back into the library. Carolyn, however, has a plan.
Thoroughly enjoyed this, and just blew through it in a couple of days. It's a fantasy book unlike any other I've read.
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Post by AhoyLindsay on Sept 14, 2015 14:23:30 GMT -8
Whoa, that sounds *really* good.
I just blew through Boxers, a graphic novel about the Boxer rebellion told through the eyes of a village boy who becomes a leader in the movement. It was very compelling and I can't wait to read Saints, the companion book that tells the same story from the other side of the conflict.
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Taelac
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Post by Taelac on Sept 24, 2015 18:22:00 GMT -8
I had almost a dozen books on my wishlist for my birthday, and nobody got me one. But now I have more titles to add to the list!
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Sept 25, 2015 10:43:08 GMT -8
I read way too much, I think.
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Taelac
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Post by Taelac on Sept 25, 2015 19:13:18 GMT -8
That's not remotely possible.
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Post by firebolt153 on Sept 27, 2015 20:07:24 GMT -8
I have...a lot more than 12. Like, damn Tae, how do you have the self-control for such a small number?
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Taelac
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Post by Taelac on Sept 30, 2015 18:49:18 GMT -8
Oh, that's not the whole list of books I want, but I try to narrow it down when my family ask what I want for my birthday. (They did get me things I wanted, just none of the books.)
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Sept 30, 2015 20:27:34 GMT -8
Yeah, I tend to just have "nicer" books on my wishlist. When I want to read about a noirish vampire PI that's not available at the library, I just slink out and buy it on my on. To that end, Already Dead was enjoyable.
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Post by firebolt153 on Oct 1, 2015 20:40:14 GMT -8
Just came back from The Martian and it was a wonderful adaptation of the book. Highly recommend both.
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Oct 13, 2015 6:34:50 GMT -8
If y'all are feeling sci-fi-y, I'd recommend Three Body Problem. It's the first a completed trilogy. The only catch is they were all written in Chinese. The first 2 are translated and published in English with the third expected early next year. The first book, TBP, delves into two separate mysteries. First, why are scientists in various fields dying. Second, what's with this new game they're all playing on the internet? The way the mysteries unfold is set against reflections on Maoist revolution in the 70's. Not only do I find this to be well written, the cultural background of the author makes for a fairly unique work. I'm about 2/3 of the way through the second book, and it's really interesting, obviously building on how we cope with the revelations from the first book. Would recommend.
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Oct 28, 2015 6:45:55 GMT -8
For those that go in for the whimsical fairy tales The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is pretty solid. The story is pretty good. It's chock full of whimsy, though perhaps a little overboard, it left if feeling a bit shallow to me. I found it to be quick and fun, and I think some of y'all (inasmuch as there's a y'all out there to be a part of) go in for that sort of thing.
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Taelac
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Post by Taelac on Oct 30, 2015 19:45:45 GMT -8
I could use something whimsical and shallow. And I'm still out here.
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Taelac
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Post by Taelac on Nov 4, 2015 20:34:08 GMT -8
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Leif
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Post by Leif on Nov 6, 2015 8:00:17 GMT -8
I really enjoyed that. Thanks for sharing, Tae!
How's the rest of her stuff?
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Taelac
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Post by Taelac on Nov 6, 2015 21:09:42 GMT -8
Most of her stuff is pretty fantastic. Under Ursula Vernon, she mostly writes kids' books like the Dragonbreath series of graphic novels, and her first book was "Nurk: The Strange Surprising Adventures of a (Somewhat) Brave Shrew." If you like webcomics, she wrote and illustrated Digger: diggercomic.com/ It ran about five years, and she ended it when it was time. She also writes some very grown-up (that is, complex concepts, not erotica) fairy tales under "T. Kingfisher." I think I shared "Godmother" a while back, though "Jackalope Wives" has been getting some excellent reviews and caught me right in the feels. tkingfisher.com/?page_id=86 I'm hoping to pick up her book from this group, "Toad Words and Other Stories." She also makes art: www.redwombatstudio.com/ and keeps a garden blog that I envy, along with my envy of her garden: garden.redwombatstudio.com/
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Post by DementedDuck on Nov 10, 2015 11:49:55 GMT -8
So I started reading The Bone Collector by Jefferey Deaver last night and, uh, I finished it this evening. It was quite good, I'd say.
I've started reading a lot more recently in a bid to fix the sleeping pattern that's been broken for about 6 years, and I picked up The Broken Window by Deaver in the summer and really enjoyed it. It's about a homicide detective called Lincoln Rhymes and the cases he solves - one case per book. I looked into more of his books and found he has a series (the kind that doesn't have to be read in any particular order, although I think reading them in order adds to the story as there's a lot of recurring characters and you get better development for them by reading the books in order) so I grabbed the first one last week and read it til I finished. Books #2, 3, and 4 are on my Christmas list so I'm going to have to wait til then to read more but I'm pretty excited. The books are well written and the characters are really well fleshed out and likeable. The books are mostly told from Rhymes' perspective but you do get snippets from other characters, always including the perpetrator (which is something I enjoy because I find the psychology of serial killers quite interesting).
I'm no Leif so I can't do a proper book review but if you like crime fiction I highly recommend this series.
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