Just finished The Desert Spear by Peter V Brett and I am now onto Deliverance Lost by Gav Thorpe, desperately trying to get back into and catch up with the Horus Heresy series as I am off to the Black Library Live event this Saturday.
One of my favorite novels ever written, I hope you enjoy it. It'll not be a challenge though, it shouldn't be anyway. Orwell wrote for the common man. In fact, a great critic once said the best thing about Orwell is that he was not a genius, he was just very intelligent.
I'm currently reading the second book in the "Game of Thrones" series by George R. R. Martin. I have read the first one and I liked it. I loved the different points of view George does and its inspired me and my own writing to do the same. Regarding "1984" by George Orwell. It was the second book I ever read (which was exactly a year ago and is kind of sad that's when I started reading) and I didn't think it deserved all its hype. It was drowned on me by history theatre teacher and so I read it. But I thought it was more like "Atlas Shrugged" in that it was just trying to convey an idea to the people and not trying to be a entertaining story like usual books. Obviously all books are like that, in a way, but I thought this one was just too obvious like "Atlas Shrugged". In "Atlas Shrugged", the plot is so stupid and ridiculous with it trying to be suspenseful and good with its plot, it's just laughable all the way through (watch the trailer for the movie that just came out for it and you'll see what I mean). But while I was reading the book, I understood everything Ayn Rand was trying to say and what she was doing, and it was exciting at the time reading it, but after a few months of it settling in my mind, and I went back and thought over it, the plot I realized was just so stupid and laughable. Maybe I need to read "1984" again because when I first read it my reading skills were really bad and I blanked out most of the time as my brain wasn't programmed to reading novels yet. I've read a lot more books since then and so maybe I'll have a better opinion of it now that I have many more books to compare it to.
Oh wow Vineland ended on a bitter note. I enjoyed it though, Pynchon is still the king. Mind, I do see why critics said that while it was good it was a bit of a disappointment. It's still Pynchon, but it's his weakest work by some way. Still, a recommendation, and one with a smaller asterisk than most, but that asterisk is still there. Now reading To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. I have to say, I have always respected Virginia Woolf's work a lot more than I like them, but they are always good to read. Just not a joy to read.
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. I enjoyed Blackout/All Clear a few months back, but found her a frustrating writer in some ways as her 2011 work was bloated and circular at times, which somewhat overshadowed the otherwise excellent plotting. We'll see what her earlier work brings.
I'm just about finished To the Lighthouse so I'll give my opinion here before I read the last 40 or so pages. I still respect Woolf's work much more than I like reading it, but I have to say, I really enjoyed this much more than Mrs Dalloway, which I read last year. I like how well this novel shows the problems, and tensions of the characters, and how they interact. Woolf's style too, something I have in the past found slightly on the dull side, is also much more interesting here. And I always like the literary and very cultured references Woolf always made in her novels. To some, though, these things would seem pretentious. However, this is a Virginia Woolf novel, so in one sense next to nothing happens. The novel focuses on two days, twenty years apart, so not much could happen, but while this is a problem with Woolf's style I don't think it's one she was much bothered about. One thing I've noticed is that, though it's a short book, the characters are really well defined. They feel like real people. The book is very good in this respect. I'd recommend this book only to a certain type of person. The type of person who would not mind books in which nothing happens, and who have an open mind enough to accept Woolf's unique style of writing fiction. If you are expecting something safe and racy then this book just is not for you. I am glad, though, that I've read this, as it's my personal favorite of Virginia Woolf's novels so far. Next book will be Christine by Stephen King. Finally, a bit of light reading.
The Motel Life by Willy Vlautin Free-wheelin' road story about two down-on-their-luck brothers... half-way through and nothing but tragedy looming... Vlautin has been compared to The Greatest: Raymond Carver; I'm leaning more towards Bukowski so far. The book pointed me in the direction of the magnificent Richmond Fontaine, for whom the author is lead singer/songwriter.
One for my Baby-Tony Parsons. As an aside, my favourite book is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon. I read this book over and over when I was a teenager and I still have great affection for it now.
I recently finished, "Crypt of Souls" the second book in a trilogy (3rd book not out yet). The first one was, "Stolen". I liked them both and look forward to the third.
Just finished the Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I must say, it's the best book I've read academically in my entire highschool career.
Reading: "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Seth Grahame-Smith. Rereading: "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M. Pirsig.
. Need to make up for not reading many (or at all) classics - except Hard Times. So just finished Sense and Sensibility, and almost through The Mill on the Floss. The latter is beautifully written and insightful into the human psyche and condition.
Right now, I'm reading the Sherlock Holmes story, A Study In Scarlet, and The Iron Wyrm Affair, by Lilith Saintcrow
This weekend, my girlfriend and I are both reading Shades of Milk and Honey. She likes Jane Austen, and I like fantasy, and this is both. A little cheesy, maybe, but I'm excited to share that experience with her
Just finished "Melting Stones" by Tamora Pierce. Have now moved on to "Disharmony" by an author whose name I forget.
