thecoffeehouse | September Book Talk

What is the last thing you finished reading? - Bad Science by Ben Goldacre.

What are you reading right now? - Cold Days by Jim Butcher.

Anything knock your socks off lately? Tell us about it. - Bad Science, definetely. The world would be a much better place if every journalist - especially the ones who write 'science' articles was made to read this book.

Pick up a random book near you (the one you just finished or the one you're reading), go to a random page and share a sentence or two. - "Allez, Annie! Allez! Allez!" (it's a French textbook, because I'm trying to refresh my language skills)

I've made it to book 6 or 7 in the Dresden series. I tend to forget about them and then randomly run across exact one that's up next for me. Weird.

One of Ted Chiang's short stories (in the book I'm currently reading - Stories of Your Life and Others) is about scientific journalism and how the publication suffers when they move to direct neural reporting.
/random

I can't decide if the Dresden Files series is better read at one go, or slowly over time. On one hand, there is so much going on in the overarching storyline that it works better wit the previous book(s) still fresh in the memory, but on the other, there are some elements (like Dresden's unchecked sexism) that really starts to grate if you read too many of the books in a row.

I really need to check out the Dresden series sometime

It has its flaws (like the fact that Butcher is way too interested in describing female characters' anatomy and appearance in detail), but the series fun popcorn entertainment as long as you don't take it too seriously (and skip about half a page of text whenever a female character appears).

If you're into urban fantasy, another series I recommend is Mike Carey's Felix Castor books. They're a bit darker than Dresden Files books, but also more realistic and with a main character who's less of a Gary Stu than Harry Dresden is.

ohhh ok lol. Its good to know!

thanks for the rec :D

I loved Bad Science too. I have Goldacre's other book, Bad Pharma, sat waiting for my brain to co-operate enough that I can read it.

I really didn't expect to like the book as much as I did. I don't usually care about popular science books since they tend to simplyfy issues to the point of misrepresenting them, but I really like how much effort Goldacre made to back up his arguments (I guess he's used to having to prove himself against defenders of alternative medicine).

That did make a nice change. I also appreciate that part since he's getting involved in making official changes when it comes to what pharmaceutical companies can get away with, so it's nice to know they're listening to someone who's prepared to back things up.

Ugh Cold Days was so hit and miss for me at some parts. But I am glad to see other Dresden Files peeps around. We are a rare breed it seems in DW world.

I'm about half way through now, and so far I've liked the book more than I liked Ghost Story. My biggest issue has been - like with most of the previous books - the rampant sexism in the narration. I swear the book would be at leats a 100 pages shorter if Butcher had cut out the detailed descriptions of the demale characters' bodies...

The last book I finished was Jack Reacher #7 by Lee Child. It's like watching an episode of something, IDK. There were fight scenes, rolling a car on it's side to play dead, spies and death.
*shrugs*

I'm currently listening to The Red Tree by Caitlín R. Kiernan and reading Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang.

The Red Tree looks like it should be a YA paranormal romance or something, but it isn't that way so far. To start, the protagonist is an over 40 smoking, drinking lesbian who curses a lot. It's written in a journal style, so it's different from an audio perspective.

Stories of Your Life and Others is a compilation of short scifi stories. So far, only one alien contact tale. There seems to be a theme of science and religion through his stories - I'm enjoying so far.

"Festinus!"

The rich bass voice could only have come from the native. Russo opened his eyes, but his head was being held over to one side and all he could see was glinting light alternating with the shadow of a hand as the blade scratched at his left cheek.

"Festinus," continued the voice, "don't alarm our guest."

In truth Ruso was less alarmed by talk of horrible murders than by the discovery that he was being shaved by a man whose nickname was Hasty.

Terra Incognita by Ruth Downie. Neither the one I"m reading or the one I just finished - but one sitting near my desk.

Edited 2013-09-25 21:16 (UTC)

I read a short story by Ted Chiang once that I quite liked. I should look up more of his work.

There's one guy at book club who picks good books (this one, for example - Alas, Babylon and On the Beach)

-What is the last thing you finished reading?

Laidlaw - William McIlvanney. Fantastic Glasgow based crime novel.

- What are you reading right now?

The Papers of Tony Veitch which is the sequal to Laidlaw and Orlando by Virginia Woolf

- Anything knock your socks off lately? Tell us about it.

Stonewall by Martin Duberman

Story of a selection of queer people's experiences growing up as gay or lesbians in 50s and 60s USA and their involvement in the famous Stonewall Riots which is seen as the catalyst for the modern day Gay Rights movement. Fantastic read.

- Pick up a random book near you (the one you just finished or the one you're reading), go to a random page and share a sentence or two.

Laidlaw - William McIlvanney

They were at a pub which from the outside looked as inviting as a public toilet. The small windows, well above eye-level, seemed suspicious of the daylight The walls were rough grey plaster, obviously quite recently applied, not so much redecoration as refortification.

Friends had gone up to NYC for the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots a few years ago. It was really a pretty fascinating time.

- What is the last thing you finished reading?
Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire. Probably my favourite so far in the Toby Daye Series.

- What are you reading right now?
Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb. I'm not very far in.

- Anything knock your socks off lately? Tell us about it.
Honestly i haven't read much in a while I'M SUPER EXCITED FOR THE ANGELFALL SEQUEL THOUGH.

- Pick up a random book near you (the one you just finished or the one you're reading), go to a random page and share a sentence or two.

The Serpent flowed though the water, effortlessly riding the wake of the ship. Its scaled body shone like a dolphin's, but more iridescently blue. (Ship of Magic)

I have Ship of Magic sitting on my shelf (I've not read it). It's almost like we have the same taste in some things. ;p

:D almosttttt
jamie is way ahead of me in this series & the next one so i have some catching up to do

~~its not a race~~

The last book I finished was The Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn. It's an average read, but for some reason I was really caught by the world and the characters, and I loved it. Unfortunately for me there aren't any sequels to indulge in, but Zahn also writes Star Wars books that I can look into instead.

I'm currently reading Plumb (Maurice Gee) and Bulibasha (Witi Ihimaera) for my New Zealand Literature class. I'm also in the middle of a Lord of the Rings re-read, but haven't managed to make myself read the end of Fellowship yet. Some day I'll have to accept Boromir's death ~~but that is not this day~~.

I read The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1) by Brandon Sanderson upon a friend's recommendation and was impressed. Maybe a part of it had to do with finding something completely new-to-me that I could lose myself in. It was unnecessarily long, but I'm looking forward to reading book two when it comes out, nonetheless.

The only book I have with me is Bulibasha:

"'And if you arrived at one minute past six,' Grandfather continued, 'would He let you in?' He looked at his sons in turn.

'No Bulibasha.'

NoBulibasha Bulibasha bashabasha asha."

Edited 2013-09-25 21:57 (UTC)

Yes, he writes tons of Star Wars books. I've read Heir to the Empire years ago and remember liking it. Somehow I don't recall the others though. One of his more recent ones was Star Wars: Scoundrels which I thought was very fun.

I'll definitely be checking those out, then. I might actually have Heir at home, so the holiday break might be my chance to marathon read some Zahn. Scoundrels may go up on my to-read list; it does look like a fun read.

Scoundrels was like Leverage/Star Wars fusion. Heists! In Space! For that alone I loved it.

Oh god, if it can at all be compared to Leverage, changes are I'll devour it and love it. Might not be able to wait for the holiday breaks to get to this one!

Honestly, I don't read many books these days - my concentration span is absolutely shot due to a whole heap of crappy IRL things - but I read a lot of fanfiction, eep. It's easy and light and fun, and I can pick shorter things that don't drain me out or cause me to lose interest before I reach the end, hehe.

WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU FINISHED READING?

The last thing of any length I finished was Chance, by

SallyExactly:
Clint Barton's snap decision to re-interpret his mission orders means a new life for Natalia Romanova. She's only got the one shot at it, though, and "how to live and remake yourself in three easy steps" was never included in her assassin training.

It's amaaaazing and everyone who is an Avengers fan should check it out.

-

I'm also flicking through my Roald Dahl anthology lately - it contains a heap of his short stories, which are also amazing. If you haven't read any of his short stories before, do yourself a favour and check them out. They are brilliant with a twist of creepy and unsettling. One of my favourites is Lamb to the Slaughter, but they are all amazing, and there's a big mix to choose from.

WHAT ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW?

I'm reading Burning Bridges by

enigma731, a Clint/Natasha fic in the Avengers fandom. Enjoying it quite a bit. ♥

I am also (re)reading The Baby-sitters Club #5 - Dawn and the Impossible Three for the read-along at

stoneybrook. Loving the nostalgia kick I'm getting from these books, but they're definitely not serious reading, haha.

ANYTHING KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF LATELY? TELL US ABOUT IT.

Seriously, check out that Clint & Natasha gen fic I linked above. It blew me away.

Because I haven't read anything other than fic much lately, I don't think I really have much for this category. :( I do have a lot of fics bookmarked at my pinboard:

ozqueen. These are all fics I feel I would return to and read again, but I'm not sure they all fit into the category of "blowing my socks off" ;)

I'm serious about checking out Roald Dahl, too! His short stories are amaaaaze.

PICK UP A RANDOM BOOK NEAR YOU (THE ONE YOU JUST FINISHED OR THE ONE YOU'RE READING), GO TO A RANDOM PAGE AND SHARE A SENTENCE OR TWO.

“It was Silver's voice, and before I had heard a dozen words, I would not have shown myself for all the world. I lay there, trembling and listening, in the extreme of fear and curiostiy, for, in those dozen words, I understood that the lives of all the honest men aboard depended on me alone.”

I bought a copy of Robert Louis Stenvenson's Treasure Island the last time I was in Melbourne, at the NGV. It's this copy, and it is gorgeous. The illustrations are amazing. I'm aching to buy a few of the others - more books illustrated by the same artist, like Wind in the Willows, Peter Pan and Wendy and Alice in Wonderland.

-

Also, can I add another category? There are some fic/reading comms around that everyone should be aware of for awesome recs and discussion!

sleuthings is a comm for the mystery genre - discuss your favourite mystery books, plots, characters, etc! It's a really new comm and I believe it's also open to TV and movies etc, so if that genre is up your alley, you should definitely check it out. It needs a burst of awesome ~mysterious activity.

And

gensplosion is a comm exclusively for fic - in particular, gen fic recs. I have found some really good fics via this comm, either searching specifically for things I can rec there (it's a project, okay? :p), or via things other people have rec'd. It, too, is a relatively new comm, and for full disclosure I should mention I'm co-owner of it, but it's pretty wonderful. GEN FIC, YESSS. ♥

If anyone knows of a general book/discussion comm, let me know. I'm aware of

books, but it looks like it's just links to recs of books (?), which isn't really something I'm looking for - though I guess I can't really explain what I am looking for.

I'm just the opposite in that I've not read a lot of fanfiction lately, although I have gobs bookmarked.

GEN FIC, YESSS. ♥
Yay!

Ooh, I wish I could get my hands on some BSC books, a reread sounds like fun.

I've been combing through the interests pages these past few days looking for active comms I can join, but haven't really found any general book discussion communities (or book clubs for that matter). Sounds like something I'd be interested in though, if discussion posts pop up in

books or elsewhere!

You can get the early ones on ebook! :D Or check eBay or charity stores - the early books are really easy to pick up :)

Thanks for the tip, I'll look into it!

- What is the last thing you finished reading?
Midnight Riot (Rivers of London if published in the UK) by Ben Aaronovitch
- What are you reading right now?
Moon Over Soho, more Ben Aaronovitch
- Anything knock your socks off lately? Tell us about it.
One of the first series I've read since Potter that made me go out and buy all the available books immediately on finishing the first one. Aaronovitch has a voice for his protagonist Peter Grant that is just perfect; I feel like I know the guy.
- Pick up a random book near you (the one you just finished or the one you're reading), go to a random page and share a sentence or two.
Neither book is to hand, but I recommend Aaronovitch for his snappy style and lovely way of revealing the plot rather than telling you about it.

Edited 2013-09-26 00:48 (UTC)

That Rivers of London series seems wildly popular. I may have to investigate. :)

It treats magic as a matter-of-fact part of life, but one that non-magicians just Don't Want To Know About. Great stuff.

Yessss. I adore the Rivers of London books. :D

Book post!!!

What is the last thing you finished reading? Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason

What are you reading right now? Parlor Games by Maryska Biaggio and Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg

Anything knock your socks off lately? Tell us about it. Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg, which I'm in the middle of reading. It's about his daughter's manic depression, starting with the day she "cracked up" and they had to bring her to a hospital. It's an incredibly articulate, gripping and intelligently written account.

Pick up a random book near you (the one you just finished or the one you're reading), go to a random page and share a sentence or two. "The significance of Arnold's advice isn't lost on me, especially in light of his weekly radio show where he voices, among other things, his skepticism toward psychotropic drugs and the biomedical-minded psychiatric establishment. I've heard Arnold call "mental illness" a social myth invented to silence a potentially subversive sector of the population."

What is the last thing you finished reading? The Shadow Scholar, by Dave Tomar

What are you reading right now? I've just started the uncensored edition of The Picture of Dorian Grey, by Oscar Wilde. It's the version that he first sent to the publisher, before they made him edit the hell out of it.

Anything knock your socks off lately? Tell us about it. Ben Aaronovitch broke me with the latest Rivers of London book; I really enjoyed the Emily Kincaid mysteries and read them back to back. I haven't read as much as I normally do recently, crafting's been eating my brain.

Pick up a random book near you (the one you just finished or the one you're reading), go to a random page and share a sentence or two. Double draw (or double drafting) is typically used with "cloud-prepared" fibers, which are short fibers that have been cleaned and opened but not carded into roving or batts. These include very soft luxurious fibers like bison, yak, and other types of down. Spin Control, Amy king

Ooh, an uncensored version of The Picture of Dorian Grey? That sounds interesting!

It is, and I'm enjoying it so far even though I'm only a short way in. :D The only thing is that I'm wondering if I should go back and re-read the censored one first, since it's been years; I'm thinking I might see whether to read it after. The one I'm reading is the version that was put back together by N John McArthur - apparently two guys simultaneously decided that the original version should be released to the public - I'm told the Frankel book is much more academic whereas this one's aimed at lay readers.

What is the last thing you finished reading?
Uh...the last thing I remember reading is A Song of Achilles, but I know I've read other things since. Apparently things that weren't very memorable.

What are you reading right now?
I'm between books, but planning to start Cast in Sorrow soon.

Anything knock your socks off lately?
Apparently not!

Pick up a random book near you (the one you just finished or the one you're reading), go to a random page and share a sentence or two.
She walked over the chittering insects of a student's nightmares, and around the floating umbrellas of a midwife's dream as they soared into a starry sky. She walked across the waters of the Regents Canal, past the beggar man who dreamt, fitfully, of falling ice and caverns, before she drifted up towards King's Cross, where cranes and bulldozers lined up before the old brick warehouses like a welcoming committee to an architectural funeral and the water of the canal shimmered with spilt oil. - The Glass God, Kate Griffin. Another on my to-read list.

What is the last thing you finished reading?
Last book I read was Academ's Fury by Jim Butcher.

What are you reading right now?
Codex Alera: Cursor's Fury
Magic Casement: A man of his word by Dave Duncan
Dragon Soul: Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett

Anything knock your socks off lately?
Hmm nothing lately, no.

Pick up a random book near you (the one you just finished or the one you're reading), go to a random page and share a sentence or two.

"So what's life like?" asked Barrow.
"Life?" said Cabal quietly, "It's like a wisp of smoke in a tempest." There was a lengthy pause during which Barrow looked at Cabal and Cabal looked at the little pot of clotted cream as if he expected it to do something.

Edited 2013-09-26 22:04 (UTC)

September Book Talk

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