Still reading Hobb!
I'm currently reading through the "Worm" online serial. Someone linked it here, can't remember where, but I've been fucking glued to it. Thank you, whoever you are.
Ah! Here I go. Instructions: After you finish the series (depending on the type of person you are, this concept seems either unimaginably far out, or depressingly soon), first read Dunk and Egg, the novellas set within about 150 years of the present day. They're much lighter than ASoIaF proper, but provide very interesting context for certain events that are otherwise in the background. Next, check out the World of Ice and Fire background compendium. It helps so much with internalizing the universe. I'd recommend it even be read mid-series, because I think it adds to the enjoyment of book 3, which everyone famously hates, except I can't remember exactly what spoilers it contains. Nothing huge, because it's about the past, but you never know. It also has gorgeous pictures. Then, look for the Princess and the Queen, which is a bit like a Silmarillion to Martin's trilogy, if that helps you at all. Dense-ish, historical, like the World of Ice and Fire entries but written by Martin himself, and more detailed. Then, after you've finished with canon, read the fan-written theory essays from Tower of the Hand (actually they published and sell an ebook that's floating around somewhere), a forum which is something like 15 years old and has Martin's stamp of approval. (Not the theories! He rarely comments on anything substantive.) Then and only then will you realize that you actually only thought you read the series the first time; clearly everyone else read it better. So you'll launch a reread. Optional: ping me in 1-6 months and ask for clarification about all this.
Check, depressingly soon. Check. Wish-listed, out of audible credits for the month. No audiobook, which presents an obstacle. May investigate, after world of ice & fire. Already hit this state by book 3 after watching this amazing youtube channel. The clicking point for me was when I realized the maesters, who I'd just viewed as side / supporting characters, had their own set of plots, full intel, and complete control of the ravens.After you finish the series
first read Dunk and Egg
The World of Ice & Fire
The Princess and the Queen
Tower of the Hand
Then and only then will you realize that you actually only thought you read the series the first time; clearly everyone else read it better. So you'll launch a reread.
I just read a pretty good short story from Tor. It's written in second person, which seems to be pretty rare in books.
It's almost the end of the week, but I am recracking open a book call Influence, by Robert Cialdini. It describes the various techniques and methods as well as tons of peer reviewed findings on how people can be influenced by others. Just did an experiment to see if "Door in the face technique" really works . My findings were inconclusive but my sample size was only 14 so I might try again in the future.
Currently pushing my way through a lot of books. "Heart of Darkness", "A Relíquia" (Eça de Queirós), "The Monk who Sold his Ferrari", oh my god I never seem to finish a book these days...
I'm reading a graphic novel adaption of Swann's Way by Marcel Proust. I read the book a few years ago, and I'm using this as a reminder before starting the second book in the series. Quite liking it so far, the book is beautiful, both visually and in terms of tactile/quality.
Stephen King's The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, his newest collection of short stories. So far, grade is a B-. Stephen King gives great short story. But this collection ain’t his greatest. Why not? Well, first we can mention that in this collection SK prefaces each story with a page or two of expo, or, as my jaundiced writerly eye is wont to term it, “caveats.” Sometimes this information is interesting, as SK explains where he got the idea for a story from, but mostly it’s irrelevant and distracting and seems like SK just wanted room to pontificate a little bit and since he’s SK, his publisher let him. Frankly it’s both unnecessary and unprofessional, but SK’s a god, so I see why they let him do it. Also, each short story ends with a little dedication (weird to go at the end), which for everyone not in the loop (read: almost everyone reading) just…doesn’t do anything whatsoever, adds no meaning to the story, and again, prevents the reader from a full immersion. Also, not all the stories in the collection are new, which I didn’t realize. Silver lining: the ones that aren’t new to publication in the volume have been substantially edited and so read like familiar but somewhat still-new stories. However, major sadness: most of the stories in this collection, and so far this collection as a whole, simply don’t have the power, the force, the get-in-your-mind-and-stay-there-to-think-over-for-years, that his best stories and collections do – I’m thinking “Nightmares and Dreamscapes,” which is my favorite SK short story collection by far, or even “Night Shift,” or similar. That being said there have been two stories that I read which came across so strongly that I had to stop for full moments and let them sink in afterwards, before I could read more. One of those stories nearly had me in tears. So the SK genius/power is still there, it’s still kicking – they’re just not all winners in this volume. And there’s a lot of departure from the horror in which SK really does excel, which I think is part of the problem. None of these stories is “Crouch End” or even “Room 1408” or the eponymous “Night Shift.” But they’re still real, and they’re still good. I can’t fault the old man if he’s run down the engine a bit in his late years – that engine has been hot and firing steady for a long, long time. (After I finish this and his novel “Finders Keepers,” which I’m also nearly done with, I’m going to dig up my copy of “Christine” and scratch an urge to revisit that story which I have had for months.) Edit: For what it's worth, I think SK of all people in the modern writing world has done amazing things for and with short story. SK is how I even learned to appreciate the short story in modern literature. He insists on putting out volumes of them even though they don't sell (publishers hate them) and by god his volumes of shorts are worthwhile, and convincing - they do demonstrate what is so powerful and great and vital and important about the form. SK deserves a LOT of credit and kudos for that. I am thrilled he is still putting 'em out there.
Still reading Churchill's The Hinge of Fate, book IV of V in his series on WWII. I'm starting to get a better sense of the manner in which he spins the unfolding of events to his favor. Even when he clearly screwed up, as in failing to predict losing Singapore, he explains why it wasn't really his fault. He was obviously a very intelligent and capable leader, but he never really owns a failure.
Finished High Fidelity which was fun and bitter at the same time. Now onto A History of the World in Twelve Maps, which is quite interesting so far, about the way we construct and plot the world around us.
High Fidelity is a great book, I feel like I've read it every year for the past 10+ years. It's one of those books where I first enjoyed all of the music references when I was younger and now that I'm older I felt like I fully understood Rob. First it was like, "oh that's so cool that he is really into records, and goes to shows and owns a record shop." The past few years I've realized the commentary he has about balance in life and how a partner can bring that to your life. When you lose that, it can be very hard emotionally. I feel that I have grown much more empathetic to Rob because I've been there and know what he's going through. I like it when books are like that.
I'm finishing up Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon (of Sonic Youth, and others). I started going to Half-Price Books (flagamuffin) which is going to be a problem moving forward. Nearly bought a printing of the Soviet Army Troops publication that was in circulation in the US Armed Forces.
I was interested in reading this, how is it?
God, wait til you discover booksalefinder.com -- it exists, and if you live in a college town etc you're screwed. Done for. I've started showing up to a different one every Saturday morning once the bag sale starts and walking away with 17 books for four dollars. I have never been this far behind my bookshelf.
I'm reading Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man still. For an AP Gov paper though, I need some great books on President Grant, especially his presidency. Given the generic biography names, if anyone knows of any especially marvellous ones, could you let me know?
Oh man, I tried that book two months ago. I made it 3/4 through before finally giving up. It might be a short and a classic, but I found it so personally boring that I just couldn't focus through an entire chapter. Siddhartha was a much more enjoyable coming-of-age novel for me.