This topic is currently marked as "dormant"—the last message is more than 90 days old. You can revive it by posting a reply.
1heathn
This is where I will be posting my reads and thoughts for 2017.
First, a quick recap of my reading for 2016. I read 36 books/trade comics for a total of 11,493 pages read, these were increases of 38.46% and 53.63% over my 2015 reading, and the most for each category since I started keeping track in 2011. I read 17 from my TBR stack and 19 that were bought sometime in 2016. I purchased/received 70 books for the year, so the TBR stack continues to grow. I read some classics, Dickens/Salinger/Hemingway, did a Hobbit/LotR reread in July/August, mixed in more genres than normal, and saw Stephen King speak in June.
Here's hoping that 2017 will be just as good of a reading year.
A few goals for the year:
If I can complete these goals, I think that 2017 will be an enjoyable year of reading. I have also been contemplating creating a YouTube channel for my reviews after finishing a book, but will see where that leads.
First, a quick recap of my reading for 2016. I read 36 books/trade comics for a total of 11,493 pages read, these were increases of 38.46% and 53.63% over my 2015 reading, and the most for each category since I started keeping track in 2011. I read 17 from my TBR stack and 19 that were bought sometime in 2016. I purchased/received 70 books for the year, so the TBR stack continues to grow. I read some classics, Dickens/Salinger/Hemingway, did a Hobbit/LotR reread in July/August, mixed in more genres than normal, and saw Stephen King speak in June.
Here's hoping that 2017 will be just as good of a reading year.
A few goals for the year:
Read 10,000 pages - Annual Goal
Read 40 Books - Increased this year
Read 25% "Classics" - Open in interpertation
Read 20% Nonfiction
Read a lot of Shakespeare - 2016 Goal
Reread of A Song of Ice and Fire - In hopes that Winds of Winter is released
If I can complete these goals, I think that 2017 will be an enjoyable year of reading. I have also been contemplating creating a YouTube channel for my reviews after finishing a book, but will see where that leads.
6Sakerfalcon
Welcome back! I hope that 2017 will be a good year for you in reading and in life.
7heathn
Book 1:
Monstress Volume 1 by Marjorie Liu
Dates Read: 01/09/2017 - 01/12/2017
After not enjoying my final read of 2016 as much as I had hoped, I decided to begin 2017 with a comic, and chose Monstress Volume 1. I had seen it recommended a few times on different websites, and made some final year lists that I read. It is also published by Image Comics, who make Saga, so that didn't hurt. I figured that it would be a pretty safe read.
What originally drew me to the comic was the cover and art design inside. Take some steampunk, Asian themes, Final Fantasy esque creatures, and some Cthulhu type beings, and you can get a taste of Monstress.
While there is a lot of worldbuilding here, being these are the first six issues of the comic, the story still shines through.
It begins with our main character, Maika Halfwolk, an Arcanic, trying to figure out who she really is while on a quest searching for something. We flashback between the current events that are going on, and the time that led up to them, all while learning more about who and what Maika is. Maika's story is taking place during a flimsy peace between Humans, with their witch-nun Cumaean leaders, and the Arcanics, who are sold into slavery for the humans.
I also always wanted to read Kupu instead of Kippa for the little fox girls name the whole time.
I'm really excited to see where this one is headed, and would highly recommend it. I may have to break down and buy the individual issues, since the second volume doesn't come out until June.
Next, I have started Armada by Ernest Cline
Monstress Volume 1 by Marjorie Liu
Dates Read: 01/09/2017 - 01/12/2017
After not enjoying my final read of 2016 as much as I had hoped, I decided to begin 2017 with a comic, and chose Monstress Volume 1. I had seen it recommended a few times on different websites, and made some final year lists that I read. It is also published by Image Comics, who make Saga, so that didn't hurt. I figured that it would be a pretty safe read.
What originally drew me to the comic was the cover and art design inside. Take some steampunk, Asian themes, Final Fantasy esque creatures, and some Cthulhu type beings, and you can get a taste of Monstress.
While there is a lot of worldbuilding here, being these are the first six issues of the comic, the story still shines through.
It begins with our main character, Maika Halfwolk, an Arcanic, trying to figure out who she really is while on a quest searching for something. We flashback between the current events that are going on, and the time that led up to them, all while learning more about who and what Maika is. Maika's story is taking place during a flimsy peace between Humans, with their witch-nun Cumaean leaders, and the Arcanics, who are sold into slavery for the humans.
I also always wanted to read Kupu instead of Kippa for the little fox girls name the whole time.
I'm really excited to see where this one is headed, and would highly recommend it. I may have to break down and buy the individual issues, since the second volume doesn't come out until June.
Next, I have started Armada by Ernest Cline
9heathn
Book 2:
Armada by Ernest Cline
Dates Read: 01/12/2017 - 01/16/2017
In starting off 2017 with books that I felt would be surefire enjoyable reads, I followed up Monstress with Ernest Cline's sophomore effert, Armada. I've had this one for over a year, but for some reason never picked it up after finishing a read last year. Cline's first book, Ready Player One, is one of my favorite reads of the past few years, and was very excited to read his follow up.
In Armada, Zachary Lightman is a high school senior, who is one of the top players in the world at the popular alien invasion game Armada. After one day in school believing that he daydreamed a ship from the game, his world is turned upside down, and what he only believed to be just a game, is in actuality a training sim for an upcoming alien invasion.
Being a fairly avid gamer, and having grown up watching old sci-fi movies with my dad, I was primed to enjoy this one, and I did, but not as much as RPO. I enjoyed the video game, movie, and music references, and could absolutely relate to playing certain songs while getting in a groove while playing a game. My main problem is that it was way too predictable. I could predict nearly every twist or turn that was coming up, and felt that the ending was a little rushed.
It is very reminiscent of The Last Starfighter, and probably only deserves a 3-star rating, but it hit one of my oldest wishes, that being good at video games would one day be worthwhile for something. Therefore, I bumped it up to 4 stars. It isn't as good as RPO, but is still a fun, quick read, although very predictable.
Next I am planning to read Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey, which I haven't read either since college.
Armada by Ernest Cline
Dates Read: 01/12/2017 - 01/16/2017
In starting off 2017 with books that I felt would be surefire enjoyable reads, I followed up Monstress with Ernest Cline's sophomore effert, Armada. I've had this one for over a year, but for some reason never picked it up after finishing a read last year. Cline's first book, Ready Player One, is one of my favorite reads of the past few years, and was very excited to read his follow up.
In Armada, Zachary Lightman is a high school senior, who is one of the top players in the world at the popular alien invasion game Armada. After one day in school believing that he daydreamed a ship from the game, his world is turned upside down, and what he only believed to be just a game, is in actuality a training sim for an upcoming alien invasion.
Being a fairly avid gamer, and having grown up watching old sci-fi movies with my dad, I was primed to enjoy this one, and I did, but not as much as RPO. I enjoyed the video game, movie, and music references, and could absolutely relate to playing certain songs while getting in a groove while playing a game. My main problem is that it was way too predictable. I could predict nearly every twist or turn that was coming up, and felt that the ending was a little rushed.
It is very reminiscent of The Last Starfighter, and probably only deserves a 3-star rating, but it hit one of my oldest wishes, that being good at video games would one day be worthwhile for something. Therefore, I bumped it up to 4 stars. It isn't as good as RPO, but is still a fun, quick read, although very predictable.
Next I am planning to read Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey, which I haven't read either since college.
10Narilka
>9 heathn: I agree with you. It was a fun read but no where near RPO. That is quite a shift going from Armada to ancient Greeks!
11heathn
>10 Narilka: I've been trying to become more well verse in my reading habits, instead of only reading the same genres over and over. Although, I seem to always revert back to high fantasy eventually.
12majkia
>11 heathn: Nothing wrong with that!
13Narilka
>11 heathn: I do the same thing, though not quite as drastic :)
14heathn
What I'm trying to do this year with my TBR stack is read some of my oldest ones on the list. I've had this copy of Homer since May of 2012, so it was overdue. One thing that I was unaware of, or had forgotten, was that both works are translated into prose instead of verse. I had wanted to read it in verse, so I will need to find another copy before the I decide a future reread.
15clamairy
>11 heathn: Good for you! And I think I'll be taking a pass on Armada because this is the 3rd or 4th 'meh' review I've seen in here.
16heathn
Been a little slack over the last moth. Time to get caught up here.
Book 3:
The Iliad by Homer
Read: 01/17/2017-02/12/2017
When looking over my TBR list, I have had this copy of Homer's works since 2012, and figured that now was as good a time as any to go for the reread. It also works towards my goal of reading more classics.
I can't remember if I had read The Iliad and The Odyssey in high school or college, but I think that it was in high school. I also think that it was more selected readings than the whole thing.
For anyone who may not know, The Iliad tells part of the tenth year of the Trojan War where much of the fighting between the Greeks and Trojans takes place. Where heroes like Hector, Aeneas, Ajax, Odysseus, Diomed, and Achilles do heroic things, and the Greek gods love to interfere.
I was surprised how long it did take me to finish it, at close to a month, is longer than I would have liked. I started off well, but it just seemed to bog down in the middle some, and got very repetitive. I could only read so much of Hector or Ajax killing someone who was just introduced on the same page. It felt that a large section of the fighting by the Greek ships could have been cut without any change at all to the story. I had remembered the names of the heroes, all except Diomed for some reason, and many of the deeds that they did, but in this read I enjoyed the time away from the fighting. Scenes like Achilles talks with his mother Thetis, Adromache's warning to Hector, the gods scheming for and against each other and the mortals.
On the topic of the gods, they were so petty, and to think that each side would offer their sacrifices to same god and believe that they were going to be helped. With the amount of help that the Greeks seemed to receive, I don't know how the Trojans had already held them off for ten years. Although I didn't keep a tally of kills, I think that the deaths of the Trojans greatly outnumbered the Greeks.
Another thing that I had not remembered, and this is probably due more to popular culture than anything else, is that Homer ends The Iliad after Hector's funeral. I realized this when looking at the contents, but when knowing how something ends, and then the story cuts off before then, was a little jarring.
I enjoyed my reading of it, but more as a sense of completing an idea. Of having now read Homer outside of being a required reading.
After finishing, I decided to hold off on The Odyssey just to get a different reading mood. I do want to go back and read it sometime this year, and I also realize that I don't have a copy of The Aeneid yet, which I need to get.
Book 3:
The Iliad by Homer
Read: 01/17/2017-02/12/2017
When looking over my TBR list, I have had this copy of Homer's works since 2012, and figured that now was as good a time as any to go for the reread. It also works towards my goal of reading more classics.
I can't remember if I had read The Iliad and The Odyssey in high school or college, but I think that it was in high school. I also think that it was more selected readings than the whole thing.
For anyone who may not know, The Iliad tells part of the tenth year of the Trojan War where much of the fighting between the Greeks and Trojans takes place. Where heroes like Hector, Aeneas, Ajax, Odysseus, Diomed, and Achilles do heroic things, and the Greek gods love to interfere.
I was surprised how long it did take me to finish it, at close to a month, is longer than I would have liked. I started off well, but it just seemed to bog down in the middle some, and got very repetitive. I could only read so much of Hector or Ajax killing someone who was just introduced on the same page. It felt that a large section of the fighting by the Greek ships could have been cut without any change at all to the story. I had remembered the names of the heroes, all except Diomed for some reason, and many of the deeds that they did, but in this read I enjoyed the time away from the fighting. Scenes like Achilles talks with his mother Thetis, Adromache's warning to Hector, the gods scheming for and against each other and the mortals.
On the topic of the gods, they were so petty, and to think that each side would offer their sacrifices to same god and believe that they were going to be helped. With the amount of help that the Greeks seemed to receive, I don't know how the Trojans had already held them off for ten years. Although I didn't keep a tally of kills, I think that the deaths of the Trojans greatly outnumbered the Greeks.
Another thing that I had not remembered, and this is probably due more to popular culture than anything else, is that Homer ends The Iliad after Hector's funeral. I realized this when looking at the contents, but when knowing how something ends, and then the story cuts off before then, was a little jarring.
I enjoyed my reading of it, but more as a sense of completing an idea. Of having now read Homer outside of being a required reading.
After finishing, I decided to hold off on The Odyssey just to get a different reading mood. I do want to go back and read it sometime this year, and I also realize that I don't have a copy of The Aeneid yet, which I need to get.
17heathn
Book 4:
Joyland by Stephen King
Dates: 02/13/2017 - 02/19/2017
After finishing The Iliad, I wanted to go a different route and read something that would be a quicker read. Looking over my shelves, I saw my copy of Joyland. At just under 300 pages, and by Stephen King, I didn't think that I could go wrong.
Joyland is not really like any Stephen King that I had read, yet he still had some familiar traits to it. It still felt like a Stephen King book. I have the illustrated version, which included a few pictures of different scenes throughout the book. My favorite of which was the one depicted Devin's dream involving spiders.
Joyland is in essence a coming-of-age tale, that includes a mystery killer, and a little of the paranormal. Our main character, Devin, tells the story as a long flashback late in his life, with small tidbits here and there about his life after that summer. He works at a local small amusement park on a beach name Joyland, that is more carnival than six flags. Devin spends the summer trying to get over the loss of his first love, while learning the ins and outs of Joyland. The secret language, how to work the rides, and trying to learn the history of the girl who was killed on one of the rides in the past and hoping to see her ghost.
While this wasn't exactly what I was expecting when I took it off the shelf, I ended up really enjoying it. While the mystery side, and twists weren't that deceiving. I enjoyed the setting of Joyland, and how it reminded me of my local county fair. I felt that the coming-of-age plotline was done well, and was glad that the paranormal side was kept more as a side plot. I also feel that Joyland was sort of a practice run for his Mr Mercedes that came out the following year.
Joyland by Stephen King
Dates: 02/13/2017 - 02/19/2017
After finishing The Iliad, I wanted to go a different route and read something that would be a quicker read. Looking over my shelves, I saw my copy of Joyland. At just under 300 pages, and by Stephen King, I didn't think that I could go wrong.
Joyland is not really like any Stephen King that I had read, yet he still had some familiar traits to it. It still felt like a Stephen King book. I have the illustrated version, which included a few pictures of different scenes throughout the book. My favorite of which was the one depicted Devin's dream involving spiders.
Joyland is in essence a coming-of-age tale, that includes a mystery killer, and a little of the paranormal. Our main character, Devin, tells the story as a long flashback late in his life, with small tidbits here and there about his life after that summer. He works at a local small amusement park on a beach name Joyland, that is more carnival than six flags. Devin spends the summer trying to get over the loss of his first love, while learning the ins and outs of Joyland. The secret language, how to work the rides, and trying to learn the history of the girl who was killed on one of the rides in the past and hoping to see her ghost.
While this wasn't exactly what I was expecting when I took it off the shelf, I ended up really enjoying it. While the mystery side, and twists weren't that deceiving. I enjoyed the setting of Joyland, and how it reminded me of my local county fair. I felt that the coming-of-age plotline was done well, and was glad that the paranormal side was kept more as a side plot. I also feel that Joyland was sort of a practice run for his Mr Mercedes that came out the following year.
18ScoLgo
>16 heathn: said, "... I don't have a copy of The Aeneid yet..."
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=aeneid&go=Go
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=aeneid&go=Go
19heathn
Book 5:
Lock In by John Scalzi
Dates: 02/20/2017 - 02/27/2017
Having gone into the past a little with Joyland, my next book I decided to go with something futuristic and sci-fi. With that I chose Lock In.
Lock In tells of a condition called Haden's Syndrome that a portion of the population have, that paralyzes the body, yet keeps the mind in tact. These people are called Hadens, and have robots that they can use as a body. There are also people who contacted the disease, that were not paralyzed, but their brains were effected by the disease allowing them to be surragate bodies for the paralyzed ones. These people are called Integrators.
Our main character, Chris, is a Haden who on his first day of becoming an FBI agent, is called into a crime scene that involves a suspected murder by an integrator. There are things not adding up about the case, and as Chris digs deeper, the case gets more serious and dangerous.
There were things that I found interesting about how Scalzi used Haden's to talk about disabilities, and how technology can be used to alleviate the struggles that people may face, and the ability to basically login to any robot anywhere if a Haden was pretty cool.
While reading, I keep thinking back to a Bruce Willis movie from a few years ago called Surrogates (had to look the title up) that allowed people to use robots and never leave their homes. Seemed very similar to me in a lot of ways.
Lock In by John Scalzi
Dates: 02/20/2017 - 02/27/2017
Having gone into the past a little with Joyland, my next book I decided to go with something futuristic and sci-fi. With that I chose Lock In.
Lock In tells of a condition called Haden's Syndrome that a portion of the population have, that paralyzes the body, yet keeps the mind in tact. These people are called Hadens, and have robots that they can use as a body. There are also people who contacted the disease, that were not paralyzed, but their brains were effected by the disease allowing them to be surragate bodies for the paralyzed ones. These people are called Integrators.
Our main character, Chris, is a Haden who on his first day of becoming an FBI agent, is called into a crime scene that involves a suspected murder by an integrator. There are things not adding up about the case, and as Chris digs deeper, the case gets more serious and dangerous.
There were things that I found interesting about how Scalzi used Haden's to talk about disabilities, and how technology can be used to alleviate the struggles that people may face, and the ability to basically login to any robot anywhere if a Haden was pretty cool.
While reading, I keep thinking back to a Bruce Willis movie from a few years ago called Surrogates (had to look the title up) that allowed people to use robots and never leave their homes. Seemed very similar to me in a lot of ways.
20heathn
Not sure what to read next. I'm probably going to go with something in the fantasy genre, but deciding which to read from my stack.
I recently got a copy of Uprooted by Naomi Novik, which I've read a lot of good things about, and it's not a series. I also have Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho, The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu, The Chronicles of Prydain box set, The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, and the first few Wheel of Time books.
Also, I could start the reread of Game of Thrones.
Choices, choices, choices.....
Just reading that paragraph makes me think that bookoutlet has been very bad for me, or very good. Not sure which one.
I recently got a copy of Uprooted by Naomi Novik, which I've read a lot of good things about, and it's not a series. I also have Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho, The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu, The Chronicles of Prydain box set, The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, and the first few Wheel of Time books.
Also, I could start the reread of Game of Thrones.
Choices, choices, choices.....
Just reading that paragraph makes me think that bookoutlet has been very bad for me, or very good. Not sure which one.
21heathn
>18 ScoLgo: I have it downloaded on my phone, but I'm just not a big fan of ebooks or audiobooks. I miss the feeling of holding it and turning the pages.
22SylviaC
>19 heathn: Have you read the online novella about the oral history of Haden's Syndrome? It gives more background on the epidemic.
http://www.tor.com/2014/05/13/unlocked-an-oral-history-of-hadens-syndrome-john-s...
http://www.tor.com/2014/05/13/unlocked-an-oral-history-of-hadens-syndrome-john-s...
23Sakerfalcon
>16 heathn: I didn't manage to finish The iliad; I got so fed up of Achilles sitting around sulking that I put the book down and didn't pick it up again. I love The odyssey though.
24Jim53
>16 heathn: As an accompaniment to The Aeneid, let me suggest UKL's Lavinia, which is told by the second wife of Aeneas; she has no lines in The Aeneid but LeGuin makes her into a wonderful character.
25Jim53
>23 Sakerfalcon: My reactions exactly!
26ScoLgo
>21 heathn: Sure, I get that. I just figured no harm in mentioning the free online version... ;)
>24 Jim53: I have Lavinia on my list for this year as part of the Grand Mistresses of Genre Fiction Reading Challenge on WWE. Le Guin is one of my favorite authors. I'm happy she has a relatively large catalog as there are still works of hers that I have not gotten around to, Lavinia being one of them.
>24 Jim53: I have Lavinia on my list for this year as part of the Grand Mistresses of Genre Fiction Reading Challenge on WWE. Le Guin is one of my favorite authors. I'm happy she has a relatively large catalog as there are still works of hers that I have not gotten around to, Lavinia being one of them.
27heathn
>22 SylviaC: Was not aware of this. I'll have to give it a read.
>23 Sakerfalcon: I agree with your take on Achilles. I didn't like his character at all, acted like a spoiled teenager who didn't get his way. Which is actually fairly accurate.
>24 Jim53: That sounds interesting, and will look more into it once I give The Aeneid a read.
Next, I'm going to be reading The Name of the Wind. I've had it on my shelf since 2012, so it's past due for a read.
>23 Sakerfalcon: I agree with your take on Achilles. I didn't like his character at all, acted like a spoiled teenager who didn't get his way. Which is actually fairly accurate.
>24 Jim53: That sounds interesting, and will look more into it once I give The Aeneid a read.
Next, I'm going to be reading The Name of the Wind. I've had it on my shelf since 2012, so it's past due for a read.
28heathn
Book 6:
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Dates Read: 02/28/2017 - 03/13/2017
So after having kept this in my TBR list for a very long time, I decided it was past time to give it a read. Also, I was in the mood for a fantasy novel after having already read two sci-fi/futuristic books and Homer this year.
I have tried to write this entry a couple of different times since I finished the book. From what I've read, there seems to be a love/hate it relationship, with very few people in the middle. For me, I loved it, but have had a hard time putting that into words.
The Name of the Wind is the story of Kvothe, a man of legendary cult status, who has basically retired to be the innkeeper in the Waystone Inn. When, a man known as The Chronicler comes to find him, to write down his story. Kvothe allows this to happen only if he will be allowed three days to tell his story, of which The Chronicler has to scribe word for word. This book is the first day's tellings, with some 'interludes' back to present day inside the inn. We learn about Kvothe's childhood, his entry into the University, and the beginnings of him becoming a hero.
I enjoyed the personalized take, as it was more about Kvothe's journey, and not the journey of a group of heroic people. The magic was interesting, and I would love to take a walk through the archives in the university. Which I did have a laugh-out-loud moment when they were discussing Master Lorren's rules for the library. They hit pretty close to home. While there seemed to be a lot of background and world building involved here, which I would assume is lessened in the 2nd one, I enjoyed immersing myself inside the world, and was very excited to learn more about how someone who describes himself as such:
This paragraph was on page 58, and after finishing it, I couldn't wait to read the remaining 650+ pages.
I think that is the largest part of why I liked it so much, and why I have struggled to write this entry. It made me excited to read. One night I was still reading at 4:00am, with work the next morning. I hadn't done that for an extremely long time, and that feeling is hard to put into words.
After finishing, and due to having some amazon gift cards, I have ordered both The Wise Man's Fear and The Slow Regard of Silent Things. Which I am still waiting to arrive.
In the meantime, I have started Illuminae, and about halfway through, am liking it. It's a different way of telling a story, but I'm enjoying the Battlestar Galatica vibe I get from it.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Dates Read: 02/28/2017 - 03/13/2017
So after having kept this in my TBR list for a very long time, I decided it was past time to give it a read. Also, I was in the mood for a fantasy novel after having already read two sci-fi/futuristic books and Homer this year.
I have tried to write this entry a couple of different times since I finished the book. From what I've read, there seems to be a love/hate it relationship, with very few people in the middle. For me, I loved it, but have had a hard time putting that into words.
The Name of the Wind is the story of Kvothe, a man of legendary cult status, who has basically retired to be the innkeeper in the Waystone Inn. When, a man known as The Chronicler comes to find him, to write down his story. Kvothe allows this to happen only if he will be allowed three days to tell his story, of which The Chronicler has to scribe word for word. This book is the first day's tellings, with some 'interludes' back to present day inside the inn. We learn about Kvothe's childhood, his entry into the University, and the beginnings of him becoming a hero.
I enjoyed the personalized take, as it was more about Kvothe's journey, and not the journey of a group of heroic people. The magic was interesting, and I would love to take a walk through the archives in the university. Which I did have a laugh-out-loud moment when they were discussing Master Lorren's rules for the library. They hit pretty close to home. While there seemed to be a lot of background and world building involved here, which I would assume is lessened in the 2nd one, I enjoyed immersing myself inside the world, and was very excited to learn more about how someone who describes himself as such:
"I have stolen princesses back from barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian, and left with by my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may of heard of me."
This paragraph was on page 58, and after finishing it, I couldn't wait to read the remaining 650+ pages.
I think that is the largest part of why I liked it so much, and why I have struggled to write this entry. It made me excited to read. One night I was still reading at 4:00am, with work the next morning. I hadn't done that for an extremely long time, and that feeling is hard to put into words.
After finishing, and due to having some amazon gift cards, I have ordered both The Wise Man's Fear and The Slow Regard of Silent Things. Which I am still waiting to arrive.
In the meantime, I have started Illuminae, and about halfway through, am liking it. It's a different way of telling a story, but I'm enjoying the Battlestar Galatica vibe I get from it.
29Narilka
>28 heathn: That one keeps coming up in my recommendations. I'm definitely intrigued but I think I'll wait for the author to finish writing the series. Looks like he's been working on book 3 for several years.
30YouKneeK
>29 Narilka: Me too, I’ve heard a lot of good things about the series, and >28 heathn:’s review makes it sound even better.
I’m just a little skeptical about whether the author will ever finish it. If he ever does, this series will shoot up toward the top of my reading list. I’d really like to read it.
I’m just a little skeptical about whether the author will ever finish it. If he ever does, this series will shoot up toward the top of my reading list. I’d really like to read it.
31Sakerfalcon
> I too loved The name of the wind, although I can see why others don't. If you disliked Kvothe as a narrator it would kill the book for you. I wasn't as fond of the second book - a couple of sections in the second half were profoundly annoying, but I'm still looking forward to book 3.
I thought Illuminae was great; hope you enjoy it.
I thought Illuminae was great; hope you enjoy it.
32MrsLee
>28 heathn: Another fan of the first book here, and I do recommend for those who haven't begun the series to see if the author comes through to finish it before tackling. The second book almost killed it for me, and the long wait for the third is lessening my desire to continue. That being said, I still have the first and second on my shelves if only because I loved the potential of the first so much.
34heathn
Book 7:
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
Dates Read: 03/15/2017 - 03/26/2017
Having read a couple of different reviews in the Green Dragon journals last year, I had put Illuminae up on my watch list. When I found it on sale, I immediately jumped on it. Since the other two Kingkiller books had not come in yet, I thought that this would be an interesting read, and different enough, to read while I waited.
Illiminae is unlike any other book that I can remember reading in the past. It tells it's story through chatlogs, video surveillance reports, after action mission reports, an online diary, and a damaged AI's thoughts. After getting used to the narrative structure, I really enjoyed the way the story was told.
After an illegal mining company, on a remote planet, is attacked, the survivors and refugees run for their lives aboard three separate ships. Hoping to outrun the lone battle carrier still in pursuit. Kady, ends up on the Hypatia, while her recently ex-boyfriend, Ezra, ends up on the Alexander. Kady is an hacking protege, and uses those skills to learn what really happened on her planet, and what is still going on aboard the remaining ships. All along Ezra is trying to reconcile the relationship. The Alexander is ran mostly by an intelligent AI named AIDAN, which was damaged during the rescue of the survivors.
While reading, it kept reminding me of Battlestar Galatica, but mixed with some Hal 9000 from 2001. In all I greatly enjoyed reading this one, especially with the different way of telling the story. I will say that for a YA book, it has a lot of brutal violence, yet all cusswords are blacked out. This made me laugh a little at the beginning, but I got used to it quickly.
My amazon order did arrive over the weekend, and it had Wise Man's Fear and The Slow Regard for Silent Things, along with the full collection of Joss Whedon's run on the Astonishing X-Men. I love getting gift cards.
With these books having arrived, I will be reading the Astonishing X-Men next, and then jumping back into Rothfuss' world. I want to read the X-Men first, since Wise Man's Fear is 1100+ pages.
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
Dates Read: 03/15/2017 - 03/26/2017
Having read a couple of different reviews in the Green Dragon journals last year, I had put Illuminae up on my watch list. When I found it on sale, I immediately jumped on it. Since the other two Kingkiller books had not come in yet, I thought that this would be an interesting read, and different enough, to read while I waited.
Illiminae is unlike any other book that I can remember reading in the past. It tells it's story through chatlogs, video surveillance reports, after action mission reports, an online diary, and a damaged AI's thoughts. After getting used to the narrative structure, I really enjoyed the way the story was told.
After an illegal mining company, on a remote planet, is attacked, the survivors and refugees run for their lives aboard three separate ships. Hoping to outrun the lone battle carrier still in pursuit. Kady, ends up on the Hypatia, while her recently ex-boyfriend, Ezra, ends up on the Alexander. Kady is an hacking protege, and uses those skills to learn what really happened on her planet, and what is still going on aboard the remaining ships. All along Ezra is trying to reconcile the relationship. The Alexander is ran mostly by an intelligent AI named AIDAN, which was damaged during the rescue of the survivors.
While reading, it kept reminding me of Battlestar Galatica, but mixed with some Hal 9000 from 2001. In all I greatly enjoyed reading this one, especially with the different way of telling the story. I will say that for a YA book, it has a lot of brutal violence, yet all cusswords are blacked out. This made me laugh a little at the beginning, but I got used to it quickly.
My amazon order did arrive over the weekend, and it had Wise Man's Fear and The Slow Regard for Silent Things, along with the full collection of Joss Whedon's run on the Astonishing X-Men. I love getting gift cards.
With these books having arrived, I will be reading the Astonishing X-Men next, and then jumping back into Rothfuss' world. I want to read the X-Men first, since Wise Man's Fear is 1100+ pages.
