While She Knits - Have You Read...?

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

We here at sounis tend to like many of the same books.  There have been some pretty wonderful book recommendations passed around here, mostly through these discussions we have while Megan is off knitting the next book.

So, have you been contemplating whether or not to read a certain book?  Want to get the opinion of the smartest people in the whole world, who have fabulous taste in books?  Step right up and ask the group.

I will start.  I've been thinking of leaping onto the bandwagon and reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman.  Yes?  No?  Did you love it, hate it, go "meh" when you were done?  What's your opinion?

And what books have YOU been considering?

Comments

[ibmiller.livejournal.com]

I hate The Magicians for its whiny characters and vicious injustice. However, I have read both books, and am going to read the third. It's like a car accident that draws me in.

I just restarted Reade by Neal Stephenson. It is a bit dry, implausible, and teduous, but I am hoping enough like Anathem to be worthwhile. I also just reread Greg Rucka's run on the Wonder Woman comic book, which is still deeply moving.

I did recently read Crown Duel on the recommendation of the community here, and was wondering if the other books set in the same universe were as good?

[1221bookworm.livejournal.com]

Yay for Crown Duel :) It is one of my all time favorite books! I have read a Stranger to Command, which is the prequel to Crown Duel..... It is a little hard to find, but it is an interesting perspective on Vidanric. It can sort of be a stand alone as far as characters - most of the ones introduced will never be heard from again .... Personally I found it hard to connect with the other characters in the book, but I did love the little bits of our favorite Crown Duel characters- both of his parents, and a great deal of Russav! It is more similar in nature to Court Duel, with the planning and strategy aspects.

The only other book I've read by Sherwood Smith was Posse of Princesses, ages and ages ago, I remember thinking it was an OK quick read, but I probably wouldn't return to it ...... I actually was thinking of picking up one of her Inda books the other day, but I decided that I had too many books out from the library right now, and didn't want to rack up any more fines :)

[ibmiller.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I quite enjoyed it, and also the bits from Vidanric's perspective from the ebook. I was definitely interested in the prequel, though more so the ones about their children. And the ones about another kingdom, I think.

[1221bookworm.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the ones about their children, and they are out in print and online now as well! If you follow the author, she says there is a longer arch about their youngest daughter that she has written as two books ..... now if only someone would get them published *sighs*

OT: Isn't Colin Firth the quintessential Mr. Darcy? :)

[ibmiller.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, I hope they get published. More importantly, I hope I read the other ones first, so I will be up to speed! :)

OT: Definitely. :)

[1221bookworm.livejournal.com]

Started and put down, Finniken of the Rock. I know that many here recommend it, but I have to admit that it had a darker undertone - not in acts, but in the perspective of the characters- a lack of hope for the future ..... I got far enough into the book that I was hoping for a glimmer of the horizon, but, alas, I didn't see it. I also thought that the author did not prioritize the desires of an individual who had just broken out of prison after 10 years there ......

Recently read "The Floating Islands" and "The Winner's Curse", both books were fairly good, the Winner's Curse seemed to drag ....... There is supposedly a sequel coming out ..... Definitely left quite a few threads to be tied up in it :)

Has anybody made it through the Divergent books? I started the first one, and found that it was geared toward a younger audience, and I just couldn't get into it .... I'm wondering if I should have stuck the book out to the end?

Also "I am number 4" I've seen the book a few times, haven't actually got my hands on a copy yet .... Any thoughts out there? I hear it's being made into a movie ......

[ibmiller.livejournal.com]

Divergent is so derivative in plot, worldbuilding, philosophy, and themes I couldn't finish the series. Not as annoying as Eaton on the "it feels like a cut and mash up paste", but pretty close.

The I Am Number Four movie was dreadful. I was disappointed.

[1221bookworm.livejournal.com]

I didn't even realize I am number four was out! I thought it was a coming attraction - I guess I won't be taking that much further - thanks for the heads up! :) I also don't feel so bad about divergent now - I was beginning to wonder if I was missing something everyone else was getting :)

[peanut13171.livejournal.com]

"I Am Number 4" was OK, but nothing special. Also I discovered one of the authors behind it, James Frey, was the one who fabricated his memoirs. I decided I didn't want to support him by reading more in the series.

I couldn't finish Divergent. I found it tedious so read the summary of the last book and decided it wasn't for me.

[(Anonymous)]

I also put down Finnikin of the Rock. Felt like a first draft and the characters were utterly flat. :(

-freenarnian

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

And I really liked Finnikin, in fact I read it twice--once when it came out and again before the third book was published. I liked the characters a lot, and liked the different tribes who lived in different areas. It's definitely dark and angsty, especially the third, which had a lot of yucky stuff in it.

I made it through the first Divergent book and honestly don't understand why anyone likes that book. So many others have written that same story and done it better.

[moonumb9.livejournal.com]

"I am number 4" is amazing!!! I didn't watch the movie because I heard they changed some stuff in it, but the books are really good.

[peanut13171.livejournal.com]

I recently finished SE Grove's The Glass Sentence. MWT blurbed it:

“Not since Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass have I seen such an original and compelling world built inside a book.”—Megan Whalen Turner, New York Times best-selling author of A Conspiracy of Kings

I liked it a lot. Wonderfully original world-building and likable characters. And, for the first book in a trilogy, it ended on a satisfying note. Grove does leave a thread dangling at the very end to entice us to read the next book, but it wasn't a cliff-hanger.

One of the minority on FINNIKIN

[(Anonymous)]

I liked Finnikin of the Rock, but I've read it three times so far, and I feel that I love it "in spite of" its flaws but still recognize that it's not for everybody. I praise its brevity but do wonder, now, whether it mightn't have done better as two books - with more time to sketch out the characters and the setting?

For something of a slightly different tack, I'm presently reading some nonfiction about England's Special Operations Executive during WW2. BETWEEN SILK AND CYANIDE, by Leo Marks. I confess this is partly because of my CODE NAME VERITY reading. It's not for the youthful or inexperienced ear - a good deal of swearing and "adult" references - but for those who've heard some things before, it's an interesting book!

I am looking for new reads myself - either quickish or engrossing-despite-length - so I will be watching this thread...
I've been considering THE GLASS SENTENCE but was a little off-put by the idea of the different time periods in the one world. Is that well-managed? It seems like it could get cliche-ridden or confusing if not handled well.

Re: One of the minority on FINNIKIN

[meltintall3.livejournal.com]

I very much enjoyed Between Silk and Cyanide (which I also read because of Code Name Verity so there we are...)

The different time periods in The Glass Sentence are... interesting. It's not spacetravellers rub shoulders with pyramid builders to create friction. If anything, I think the results are downplayed giving the different Ages the feel of disparate cultures instead of time-crossed-pollination. I think my biggest gripe on that subject would be that there _isn't_ more of a wide range mingling. (Maybe next book?) Overall, I'd give it a very positive review.

Half a King

[tiegirl.livejournal.com]

My comment is gone! Dammit! Anyway, has anyone read it? I just finished it, and loved it. It's dark, written by Lord Grimdark himself (Joe Abercrombie) but not so dark I wanted to throw it across the room (for which my iPad is thankful). It's full of angst and twists and most of all wonderful writing. I have heard this was the author's foray into YA; maybe his non-YA books are more violent or full of sex scenes, I dunno.

Anyone else read him?

P.S. I hope this isn't a double post. If it is, Chex, will you help me out and delete one? I'm not sure I'm capable (apparently I can't even comment right) even if I am allowed.

Re: Half a King

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

No trace of your original comment, TG. Livejournal suckage strikes again!

[rosaleeluann.livejournal.com]

A bit late to the party here... in my defense, life is crazy. I've been in a bit of a book slump lately, or maybe thats just a symptom of a complete lack of reading time :-}.

Anyway, I recently managed to read Poison Study and liked it a lot, but was disappointed in Magic Study. Is it worth it to go on to the other books in the series or does it keep going downhill?

Poison Study

[jenn hilgeman (from livejournal.com)]

I adored Poison Study, but if I recall correctly, I was quite disappointed with the rest of the series. It seemed like the main character would get kidnapped over and over again, but since she's so awesome, she manages to free herself like it's no big deal. Nothing much else happened.
On the other hand, I remember staying up until the wee hours of the morning to read all of them, so there must have been something I liked about them.

[sclerotia.livejournal.com]

I am even later to the party... I liked Poison Study. I think I may even have mentioned it in on one of the How She Knits threads. Then I read it again before I read the second one and the preverted predator violence stood out much more when I wasn't carried along at warp speed by the plot. So I was sensitized when I read the sequels and went "ick" but it didn't keep me from reading them.

[sclerotia.livejournal.com]

s
Sure wish I could proof read. That's "perverted"

book recommendations

[(Anonymous)]

Been lurking for quite a while but always enjoy the thought provoking discussions I see here. For those who like thief/spy/adventure type stories with good world-building and gods and magic thrown in I would have to recommend Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series, which starts with "Luck In the Shadows". These have been around a while but the series just finished up this year.

Re: book recommendations

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Welcome! And yay for delurking. I read the first several books of Nightrunner and really, really liked them. But I just had to stop when the weird pregnancy thingie happened to Alec. I thought Shadow's Return was poorly edited and sort of weird. What did you think of the later books in the series?

In fact, I wrote a very short parody here, when we were talking about what if Thief had been written by someone other than Megan. http://sounis.livejournal.com/182775.html

Re: book recommendations

[(Anonymous)]

Have to agree that the alchemy twist in Shadow's Return was unexpected, for sure. Points for originality, though. That plot line was resolved in the following book, and the final two were more in the line of mystery solving and political intrigue. She ended up the series in a good place, though, not leaving things at too loose of an end but allowing for additional books if the urge strikes. I thought that through all of the books that the editing and proofreading were not well done.

[kiscakat.livejournal.com]

Has anyone tried the following books? I would recommend them:

- Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (This is one of my favorite books...after the QT series, of course.)

- Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George

- Firebirds; Firebirds Rising - 2 different books that are collections of short stories (MWT contributed a short story to Firebirds)

- The Bee Keeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King (NOT a YA book, but VERY well done)

Has anyone read (1) Strands of Bronze & Gold, (2) The Jewel, or (3) The Kiss of Deception? These books caught my eye, but if they aren't worth it, then I'd rather not waste my time on them.