What Did You Read Today?

[Gazz]

I was going to read 'Search for the Dice Man' but I rolled a 3 and was told not to.

[TGC]

I enjoyed the change in setting of Mockingjay. And I felt some of the most gut-wrenching moments of all three books happened during Mockingjay, so I enjoyed it.

(don't click this if you haven't read Mockingjay)

I mean come on.. Prim! and Finnick! Mainly Prim though. So, so sad. Anyway ending wise, I just never, ever, took to Peeta. I didn't dislike him, I just didn't like him I guess (I do think I'll end up liking Peeta somewhat during the films). Pretty sure it was just early on I liked Gale, and then Peeta came around and I wasn't sure of him. I spent much of the first book expecting his death, and the same for the second, and in the third I was kind of hoping for it. I liked Gale, a lot. So the ending I would have liked would have obviously been different - but I completely see how WHY it ended as it did, and I know that it was the right choice. I wasn't disappointed with the ending or anything, I know it was the proper and right ending. I didn't like how open ended everybody else's story was. We know what happened with Katniss and Peeta, but I feel a bit more closure on other characters would have helped.

I do agree that her weakness as a writer is evident in the book, in fact in all three to certain degrees. They're not the best written books around, but the story is fantastic. A little teen and girly, of course. But down below it is a good story in an interesting world.

You are the first person I have encountered who liked Gale more than Peeta, lol. I was totally into Peeta, because as far as I was concerned he was a more likable character. Not to mention actually fleshed out,

I think the only death that really emotionally moved me was Rue's in Book One, because we saw it and felt it with Katniss. My biggest complaint with Collins is her telling instead of showing, and doing this by knocking Katniss out or having her be all fucked up when the action takes place. Twice in book three we miss action because of this, but the taking of Snow's palace is unforgivable. Especially since this is the death of Prim who much like Rue was the total innocent who never hurt a soul. The deaths of virtually everyone else in Katniss' raiding party dieing off screen also annoyed me (aside from Boggs). I was emotionally invested in Finnick, and his death sucked and I found myself not really feeling anything when it happened.

I look forward to the movie in March with great anticipation though. I'm also pleased that if Hunger Games does good business the plan is to break Mockingjay into two films. That is really needed for the amount of plot they would have to wade through that can't be swept aside as Collins did it in the book.

[Damian WayLNKe]

I just finished Dexter is Delicious last night.

It was cool that they brought Brian back and made him out to be a good guy. Hopefully he'll be back in the next book again as I really enjoy the character.

[Nick Adams]

Finally started reading "Out of Oz", which closes the Wicked saga. So far, it's kinda' weird, but interesting that...

The author decided to send Dorothy back to Oz by way of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

[LittleDaniel]

Last night I read Doctor Faustus. Not sure whether I read the A or the B text, but I was pretty disappointed overall. I think I had hyped it up too much due to how much I enjoyed Jew of Malta. I think what really through me off was how rushed it felt for a play that takes place over 24 years.

Also, I've been reading a lot of Theory recently. Tonight it's Tzvetan Todorov's "Structural Analysis of Literature" and Robert Schole's "Semiotic Approaches to Joyce's 'Eveline." Fuck Theory.

[Jimmy]

Really enjoyed Animal Farm. It was a short read, but a lot of fun. Having studied Russia in history last year, I think I understood some of the references a lot more. I liked Orwell's writing style, I'll definitely get around to checking out 1984.

[Summers]

I enjoyed the change in setting of Mockingjay. And I felt some of the most gut-wrenching moments of all three books happened during Mockingjay, so I enjoyed it.

(don't click this if you haven't read Mockingjay)

I mean come on.. Prim! and Finnick! Mainly Prim though. So, so sad. Anyway ending wise, I just never, ever, took to Peeta. I didn't dislike him, I just didn't like him I guess (I do think I'll end up liking Peeta somewhat during the films). Pretty sure it was just early on I liked Gale, and then Peeta came around and I wasn't sure of him. I spent much of the first book expecting his death, and the same for the second, and in the third I was kind of hoping for it. I liked Gale, a lot. So the ending I would have liked would have obviously been different - but I completely see how WHY it ended as it did, and I know that it was the right choice. I wasn't disappointed with the ending or anything, I know it was the proper and right ending. I didn't like how open ended everybody else's story was. We know what happened with Katniss and Peeta, but I feel a bit more closure on other characters would have helped.

I do agree that her weakness as a writer is evident in the book, in fact in all three to certain degrees. They're not the best written books around, but the story is fantastic. A little teen and girly, of course. But down below it is a good story in an interesting world.

You are the first person I have encountered who liked Gale more than Peeta, lol. I was totally into Peeta, because as far as I was concerned he was a more likable character. Not to mention actually fleshed out,

I think the only death that really emotionally moved me was Rue's in Book One, because we saw it and felt it with Katniss. My biggest complaint with Collins is her telling instead of showing, and doing this by knocking Katniss out or having her be all fucked up when the action takes place. Twice in book three we miss action because of this, but the taking of Snow's palace is unforgivable. Especially since this is the death of Prim who much like Rue was the total innocent who never hurt a soul. The deaths of virtually everyone else in Katniss' raiding party dieing off screen also annoyed me (aside from Boggs). I was emotionally invested in Finnick, and his death sucked and I found myself not really feeling anything when it happened.

I look forward to the movie in March with great anticipation though. I'm also pleased that if Hunger Games does good business the plan is to break Mockingjay into two films. That is really needed for the amount of plot they would have to wade through that can't be swept aside as Collins did it in the book.

Yeah, I'm the only person I know who likes Gale more than Peeta, lol. Weird, I guess. Peeta did grow on me in book two, if I'm honest, but still I preferred Gale.

I think you've nailed it really. Too much tell, not enough show. I was really annoyed that we missed the taking of palace. Her being knocked out or whatever ruined it. The moment of Prim's death should be the biggest thing in the book. The biggest surprise, the worst moment, the real heart wrenching bit.. and while I think about it, it was. It was sad, horrible, emotional.. but only because it happened, not because of how she wrote it/played it out. I wanted to see the reactions of everyone, especially Katniss. Prim is the catalyst of the book. She's the reason EVERYTHING happens in the story. It's her name read out, Katniss goes into the Games to save her.. it's more than her just being an innocent like Rue, she's the reason.

I, too, was also very surprised how her team just up and died like that. One minute they're all escaping, then a few pages later they're gone.. even Finnick. Which is crazy. He was a good character and he finally had so much to live for, so for his death to come in such a way is unforgivable.

They did say they hope to add in bits that she missed out in the book. So I hope it's a massive success and they do that. As much as I don't like things changing too much in books, the films can be better than the books if they do.

[Skummy]

I'm reading Steve Moore's Somnium at the moment, and holy fuck it's amazing. I only really knew Steve Moore through him being a footnote in the career of Alan Moore (no relation), and for his work in 2000AD and Fortean Times, so never would have normally been too attracted to a novel by him, but the more famous Moore's Unearthing is essentially a glorified biography of Steve Moore, and focused largely on the writing of Somnium, so now that it's finally been released, I was well up for it.

It was allegedly written over the course of several decades, from notes jotted down by Moore immediately after waking, pieced together from dreams, psychogeography and various bits of occult and supernatural research. The plot's difficult to really sum up so far - just a glorified period drama romance, really - but it's so exceptionally well-written, it's hard to think it's the same guy who used to write silly sci-fi stories in an increasingly anachronistically titled British comic book.

[Guest mr. potato head]

https://kindle.amazon.com/most_popular

Anyone doubting that the Hunger Games books aren't teen pulp (though admittedly better than most teen pulp), look at the sixth, seventh, and ninth-most highlighted passages in the history of the Kindle.

[TGC]

https://kindle.amazon.com/most_popular

Anyone doubting that the Hunger Games books aren't teen pulp (though admittedly better than most teen pulp), look at the sixth, seventh, and ninth-most highlighted passages in the history of the Kindle.

I'm not sure who doubted that. They are all ages books with nary a swear word in sight and the vast majority of extreme violence off screen.

[Guest mr. potato head]

https://kindle.amazon.com/most_popular

Anyone doubting that the Hunger Games books aren't teen pulp (though admittedly better than most teen pulp), look at the sixth, seventh, and ninth-most highlighted passages in the history of the Kindle.

I'm not sure who doubted that. They are all ages books with nary a swear word in sight and the vast majority of extreme violence off screen.

It hasn't happened much here, but I've had enough people I know deny it that I may have forgot it didn't carry over.

[gunnar hendershow]

Hyperion was probably the best Sci-Fi book I have ever read. Great storytelling, good writing, and an excellent world are basically three things you can never find together in Sci-Fi. Moving onto The Fall of Hyperion now.

[KONGO]

Great storytelling, good writing, and an excellent world are basically three things you can never find together in Sci-Fi.

Foundation.

[Skummy]

Great storytelling, good writing, and an excellent world are basically three things you can never find together in Sci-Fi.

Foundation.

Foundation's great, but I don't know if I'd say "great storytelling" really applies. It gets bogged down in detail and repetition an awful lot; which is sometimes kind of the point, but I never really found it gripping. Asimov is much better - to me - writing short stories, but then I think the sci-fi genre should pretty much stick to that format whenever possible.

Anyhow, I've done a ton of reading lately. Finished a book on Psychogeography that was far too short, and kind of just an overview with no real insight or anything of interest, ho hum. After that, I read William S. Burroughs' "The Ticket That Exploded", which was absolutely fantastic; possibly his best, and a biography of Steve Ditko that was interesting, but glossed over a lot of stuff and was, understandably, quite lacking in detail in a few areas. Did the best with what was available to them, though, I'm sure.

Currently, I'm reading Voyage To Arcturus by David Lindsay. I heard it called a forgotten classic of the fantasy genre, and while I wouldn't go that far, it's very good; quite dreamy and surreal. I generally shy away from the fantasy genre, as it's almost entirely made up of glorified Tolkein fanfiction, but I tend to be a lot more interested when someone bothers to step outside of the usual "dwarves, trolls, elves and whatnot" remit.

[GA!]

At the moment I'm reading Don Quixote. About a third of the way through: a long long book that a modern editor would cross most of it out; mostly fairly enjoyable. I'll have to do a 1Q84 and read it over a few weeks though as I want to read other stuff.

[Skummy]

Finished Voyage To Arcturus a couple of days ago - doesn't get any less mental, the reveal at the end is kind of pointless, and I genuinely don't even know if I enjoyed it. Glad I read it, though, I guess.

Now, I'm reading The Manuscript Found In Saragossa by Jan Potocki. I'm not very far in, and it's a hefty read (in excess of 600 pages, with tiny text), but really enjoying it so far. It's witty in quite a subtle way, and really quite interesting, though I can see the "story within a story" narrative device getting tired, as it seems to be employed quite lazily throughout, so unless that starts getting a lot more intelligently done, it might grate on me. I have no idea where it's going, and I'm not sure it matters.

[KONGO]

Finished The Mote in God's Eye a couple days ago. Good fun. Not the best writing but that's alright, it served its purpose and didn't drag. It's a big book but goes quickly. No idea of how big the actual book is as I read it on my nook. This fact makes me a little sad.

[GA!]

I'm abandoning Don Quixote for now. I'm 350 pages in (out of 1000 or so) and it's really frustrating me - there are actually pages of wall-to-wall dialogue that could be summarised in a sentence.

Curse the days when everyone apparently spoke poetically in casual conversation. I get that the Quixote character is doing it due to being influenced by books, but why is everyone else speaking the same way? It's a bit like The Lost World by Doyle (the last book I abandoned outright) where everyone including the knuckleheaded, rugby player character articulated like they were being paid by the word too.

[Ruki]

I started World War Z last night, very enjoyable!

[Regia]

I need to get back into reading that. I've started The Man in the High Castle, but I think I need to get a bit further in before I can decide if I like it or not.