Books! The good Reads thread

[chrisd]

I also had to read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance twice to "get" it.
Same with Goedel, Escher, Bach.

Both were worth the effort.

Isn't godel esher and bach just on the halting problem? or was that goedels theorum.
I think i've read one or both.

Pretty much about Goedel's incompleteness theorem, presented brilliantly. The exploding phonographs and intelligent ant hill were highlights for me.

[cwd]

I guess I need to reread GEB again, I thought it was mostly about recursion, basic information theory, Lewis Caroll, Platonism, and...

Definitely need to read it again.

[Idlehands]

I guess I need to reread GEB again, I thought it was mostly about recursion, basic information theory, Lewis Caroll, Platonism, and...

Definitely need to read it again.

It's possible. I might have confused it with Goedels theorem. I'll look on my book case here at some point to confirm.

[BootyBeech]

I've been reading a fair bit of Warhammer 40,000 books recently. The Horus Heresy is definitely a good place to start but whoever mapped that plot out went overboard by 10,000,000%. There are over 40 books in the series now. Start with Horus Rising, False Gods and then Galaxy in Flames. Maybe The First Heretic after that.

Ah a fellow Warhammer 40k fan Anything by Dan Abnett, Aaron Dembski-Bowden or Graham McNeill is a solid bet. Would thoroughly recommend the Eisenhorn trilogy & the Gaunt's Ghosts series.

Joe Haldeman's The Forever War however my top pick for military sci-fi.

Conn Iggulden does excellent period fiction (especially the Gladiator series) with Simon Scarrow, Clive Cussler & Bernard Cornwell doing decent lightweight stuff.

I've read bits and pieces of what you mention. Eisonhorn is really good. Some of the WH40K audio books are good to listen to as well and then others are like listening to pantomines.

[cwd]

DirtyRed -- dunno if you read books, but if you do, Monster Hunter International series by Larry Correia, also anything by John Ringo. You're welcome.

Rest of you -- I don't read the above books. I'm much too nice and civilized to enjoy such trashy violence.

[Shane]

Anyone into the Steven Erikson "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series? Also the related Ian Cameron Esslemont "Novels of the Malazan Empire" (somewhat less wordy, somewhat more gritty). These had the same effect on me (in my 40s), that "Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" had on me in my youth. Which is to say, voracious eyeball word devouring. If anyone really loves paper and wants to stump for postage, I'd mail the box I have.

[Allentown]

I just realized I finished my last book last week and didn't bring a new one today. Worst day ever.

[perman]

Anyone into the Steven Erikson "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series? Also the related Ian Cameron Esslemont "Novels of the Malazan Empire" (somewhat less wordy, somewhat more gritty). These had the same effect on me (in my 40s), that "Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" had on me in my youth. Which is to say, voracious eyeball word devouring. If anyone really loves paper and wants to stump for postage, I'd mail the box I have.

I've actually read the first 2 Malazan books and loved them, but I've fallen off twice. First time after I finished the first one, and I had to re-read the first one to read the second one. Then I fell off again after the second one.

This series seems like the definition of acquired taste to me, which is my problem with it too. It was like work to read these books. The pay-off was huge though, but there was no casualness about reading these, it was like a historical treatise about a fantasy world. The ambition of these books is very impressive, the author doesn't give you any freebies.

[Shane]

Anyone into the Steven Erikson "Malazan Book of the Fallen" series? Also the related Ian Cameron Esslemont "Novels of the Malazan Empire" (somewhat less wordy, somewhat more gritty). These had the same effect on me (in my 40s), that "Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" had on me in my youth. Which is to say, voracious eyeball word devouring. If anyone really loves paper and wants to stump for postage, I'd mail the box I have.

I've actually read the first 2 Malazan books and loved them, but I've fallen off twice. First time after I finished the first one, and I had to re-read the first one to read the second one. Then I fell off again after the second one.

This series seems like the definition of acquired taste to me, which is my problem with it too. It was like work to read these books. The pay-off was huge though, but there was no casualness about reading these, it was like a historical treatise about a fantasy world. The ambition of these books is very impressive, the author doesn't give you any freebies.

Yeah you're right, unless you're in the zone for them, they can be impenetrable. I read each as it was published, so there was some serious skimming of the previous books so I could recall everything that'd gone down. I really liked the mix of exposition and sword-opera action involving high-falutin' types combined with a lot of conversations in the trenches between the grunts (albeit important characters). I still don't know why half the shit that happened, happened, but it was a wild ride reading about it. I'm into the Kharkanas Trilogy now, set much earlier in time (and possibly on a different world). Features several characters from the Malazan books. That's the benefit of immortal players. Huge goddamn story arcs.

[tersh]

Recent reads have been The Lathe of Heaven (le Guin is a damn genius) and The Gone Away World, by Nick Harkaway, which I enjoyed a fair bit (the stuff about internal style martial arts is fun.

Have been picking up and putting down Dhalgren, by Samuel Delany, but not because it's bad, it's just a bit dense and requires attention.

Recent re-reads have been the Southern Reach Trilogy, and Moby Dick. Which is a book I recommend reading annually.

Current non-fiction I'm reading is Ignorance: How it Drives Science. In part because I'm thinking of teaching a class on the importance and ignorance and uncertainty in urban planning next summer.

[perman]

Yeah you're right, unless you're in the zone for them, they can be impenetrable. I read each as it was published, so there was some serious skimming of the previous books so I could recall everything that'd gone down. I really liked the mix of exposition and sword-opera action involving high-falutin' types combined with a lot of conversations in the trenches between the grunts (albeit important characters). I still don't know why half the shit that happened, happened, but it was a wild ride reading about it. I'm into the Kharkanas Trilogy now, set much earlier in time (and possibly on a different world). Features several characters from the Malazan books. That's the benefit of immortal players. Huge goddamn story arcs.

Wheel of time is more my thing, but I can't argue with the hardcore fantasy folks who claim Malazan is "better", even though I like Wheel of time more cause it's far more accessible. Malazan seems like fantasy Tolstoy to me (not that I've read Tolstoy, but I know the cliches). I loved everything to do with Kruppe though, kind of want to start again just cause he was like the coolest fantasy character ever.

[Eugene]

Mostly low-brow fiction ITT. I do enough 'required reading' every day not to bother with fiction anymore but I might attempt something more serious in another language to multiply my returns.

Moby Dick. Which is a book I recommend reading annually.

Tertius I am concerned that you read Moby Dick per annum, unremittingly. Have you read Proust?

[Shane]

Wheel of time is more my thing, but I can't argue with the hardcore fantasy folks who claim Malazan is "better", even though I like Wheel of time more cause it's far more accessible. Malazan seems like fantasy Tolstoy to me (not that I've read Tolstoy, but I know the cliches). I loved everything to do with Kruppe though, kind of want to start again just cause he was like the coolest fantasy character ever.

I loved several installments of Wheel of Time. But then I started to get a bad feel about the male female dynamic that drove it. He could not write a convincing woman, and from memory ended up just creating a lot of clonely, shallow, and pretty bitchy, cardboard cutouts. And I just couldn't read the word "upbraid" one more time.

[perman]

Wheel of time is more my thing, but I can't argue with the hardcore fantasy folks who claim Malazan is "better", even though I like Wheel of time more cause it's far more accessible. Malazan seems like fantasy Tolstoy to me (not that I've read Tolstoy, but I know the cliches). I loved everything to do with Kruppe though, kind of want to start again just cause he was like the coolest fantasy character ever.

I loved several installments of Wheel of Time. But then I started to get a bad feel about the male female dynamic that drove it. He could not write a convincing woman, and from memory ended up just creating a lot of clonely, shallow, and pretty bitchy, cardboard cutouts. And I just couldn't read the word "upbraid" one more time.

The normal criticism against WoT for sure, sniff. It didn't bother me as much as it did others, but the books that more heavily featured Fayle/Elayne/Egwene/Aes Sedai threads were definitely worse, but I think those parts are easily skimmed through without much lost. Thought the last 4 books were all good though, and the first 6 books are too. It's books 7-10 that just slow down immensely and focus on the annoying side-characters.

[Idlehands]

Yeah you're right, unless you're in the zone for them, they can be impenetrable. I read each as it was published, so there was some serious skimming of the previous books so I could recall everything that'd gone down. I really liked the mix of exposition and sword-opera action involving high-falutin' types combined with a lot of conversations in the trenches between the grunts (albeit important characters). I still don't know why half the shit that happened, happened, but it was a wild ride reading about it. I'm into the Kharkanas Trilogy now, set much earlier in time (and possibly on a different world). Features several characters from the Malazan books. That's the benefit of immortal players. Huge goddamn story arcs.

Wheel of time is more my thing, but I can't argue with the hardcore fantasy folks who claim Malazan is "better", even though I like Wheel of time more cause it's far more accessible. Malazan seems like fantasy Tolstoy to me (not that I've read Tolstoy, but I know the cliches). I loved everything to do with Kruppe though, kind of want to start again just cause he was like the coolest fantasy character ever.

Shit. i downloaded malazan quite a while ago. I never started it cause it's a ton of goddamned books.

Still waiting for more Dresdon books. Those please me.

[Allentown]

I loved several installments of Wheel of Time. But then I started to get a bad feel about the male female dynamic that drove it. He could not write a convincing woman, and from memory ended up just creating a lot of clonely, shallow, and pretty bitchy, cardboard cutouts. And I just couldn't read the word "upbraid" one more time.

This reminds me of Gene Wolfe. I was getting back into fantasy-type stuff, and either someone on the other forum or Amazon recommended it.

Moby Dick. Which is a book I recommend reading annually.

I usually read 30,000 Leagues annually. I haven't read it yet this year. I should get on that.

[cwd]

I read the first 3-4 Wheel of Time novels as they first came out, then realized it wasn't going anywhere I cared about, and I was tired of the characters.
My wife got several books further before tuning out.

Tersh, Gone Away World looks pretty neat, I'll see if my library has it. The publisher has overpriced the e-book version, so I probably won't buy it.

[omaniphil]

Anybody ever read Guy Gavriel Kay? His Fionavar Tapestry was pretty good - a more highbrow Tolkien meets Arthurian legend type of series. Kay's stand alone fantasy books are incredible as well. Tigana and A Song For Arbonne are incredible.

[Shane]

Anybody ever read Guy Gavriel Kay? His Fionavar Tapestry was pretty good - a more highbrow Tolkien meets Arthurian legend type of series. Kay's stand alone fantasy books are incredible as well. Tigana and A Song For Arbonne are incredible.

Haven't read Song for Arbonne, but really enjoyed the other two. I seem to read Tigana once a decade.

[hector]

Recent re-reads have been the Southern Reach Trilogy,

Thought the Souther Reach trilogy was phenomenal. Never seen ecology, spies, the occult, and sea monsters better combined.