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Post by thecatsmother on Sept 28, 2012 14:35:50 GMT -5
Hi All,
I thought it would be a good idea to have a reading thread here....
I'm reading The Scar by China Mieville - I believe he styles himself a writer of "weird fiction". i suppose I'd describe it as a fantastical blend of steampunk and sci-fi - and I'm finding it unputdownable.
Never has a dull afternoon at the dullest job in the universe gone so slowly..... I so wanted to get back to the pirate city - built of and around thousands of boats lashed together and hauled by tugs around the oceans of the fictional world of Bas Lag. He has an extraordinary imagination (says she enviously) and does read at times as if he's swallowed the thesaurus..... I could probably learn a bit if I stopped to consult the dictionary but I don't often do that; I read so greedily I just deduce (or try to) the sense of the obscure words and carry on. I'm intrigued by the characters, and though the main protagonist isn't exactly the friendliest of people, her predicament is very easy to sympathise with.
It's the second of China Mieville's books that I've read - actually I didn't finish the first, Perdido Street Station, because the plot came to centre around some creatures that gave me nightmares.... so I wimped out of finishing it - although I snuck a look at the end ;D Again fantastic scene setting and descriptions of a corrupt oppressive city state. I'm finding The Scar better paced though.
What are you reading?
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Post by PaperGrace on Sept 28, 2012 14:59:20 GMT -5
Perdido Street Station gave me nightmares too, but it WAY worth finishing. You'll be more horrified than you thought possible and more sad too. I absorb Mieville as quickly as I can. His YA stuff reminds me a bit of Neil Gaiman and Charles De Lint, but his Bas Lag world is miles away from feeling like anyone else but himself. A Mazing. That's right. I made it two words. I have found that a lot of people HATE him, people I thought would like him. Sad making.
Currently reading House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. Rereading Terry Pratchett's Discworld books with Husband; he hasn't read them, so we're taking turns reading aloud at family bed time. Currently going on the Nook are all of the Oz books, I'm just a little past halfway through the entire collection.
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Post by readilygrey on Oct 2, 2012 22:21:04 GMT -5
Hi All, I thought it would be a good idea to have a reading thread here.... I'm reading The Scar by China Mieville - I believe he styles himself a writer of "weird fiction". i suppose I'd describe it as a fantastical blend of steampunk and sci-fi - and I'm finding it unputdownable. Never has a dull afternoon at the dullest job in the universe gone so slowly..... I so wanted to get back to the pirate city - built of and around thousands of boats lashed together and hauled by tugs around the oceans of the fictional world of Bas Lag. He has an extraordinary imagination (says she enviously) and does read at times as if he's swallowed the thesaurus..... I could probably learn a bit if I stopped to consult the dictionary but I don't often do that; I read so greedily I just deduce (or try to) the sense of the obscure words and carry on. I'm intrigued by the characters, and though the main protagonist isn't exactly the friendliest of people, her predicament is very easy to sympathise with. It's the second of China Mieville's books that I've read - actually I didn't finish the first, Perdido Street Station, because the plot came to centre around some creatures that gave me nightmares.... so I wimped out of finishing it - although I snuck a look at the end ;D Again fantastic scene setting and descriptions of a corrupt oppressive city state. I'm finding The Scar better paced though. What are you reading? I like the idea of this thread! The book you mentioned sounds very intriguing. Sadly I have no time to read outside of school, but the textbooks I'm working on are T he Norton Anthologies of both American and English Literature. In them I just finished reading T he Legend of Sleepy Hollow in which I seemed to be the only one in the class that was happy Ichabod didn't get the girl (seriously, he was all about the money and he always chose food over her, ha ha), and The General Prologue of Canterbury Tales which I thought was interesting but confusing. I have a hard time with middle English. I can't wait till e get past the stuff like Beowulf and such, I mean the story is great and I loved the kennings and all, but I get lost with the old style phrasing. I think we are moving on to Shakespeare soon in one class so that should be better
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Post by Freedom on Dec 14, 2012 15:21:55 GMT -5
Just finished "The Girl Who ..." books...
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Post by PaperGrace on Dec 27, 2012 14:48:11 GMT -5
I got another Cherie Priest book for Christmas! Steampunk Dirigible Battles Smuggling Civil War Spies Train Heists and Zombies?! Pile on a few more helpings please.
The book is a consolation gift, since Johannes Cabal and the Fear Institute by Jonathan Howard still hasn't come out in the U.S. yet. It was supposed to be here in February, and was going to be my Valentine's gift. Every gift giving opportunity since then Husband has checked for it, and now there isn't a projected date. I should just buy one overseas or in electronic form, but it's one of the few series that I'm allowing myself to collect in hardcover as we switch over to ereaders.
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Post by scribbliz on Dec 31, 2012 11:11:08 GMT -5
just curious paper, what kind of eReader do you use? can you order the hardcover to be shipped to you? what would that cost? (shipping could be very expensive for a hardcover i would think)
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Post by PaperGrace on Jan 9, 2013 13:00:04 GMT -5
I use a Nook from Barnes and Noble. I don't know if there's an equivalent to 'media mail' in the UK/Germany that would be cheap for mailing books.
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