Matricians: What are you reading now?

[AlexThePenguin]

I finally got around to reading that Uzumaki manga that JC linked me to.

Chapter 9, page 3. It's pretty good. Creepy. :3

[Johncarllos]

Uzimaki is friggin nuts.
Nearly nightmare worthy.

It gave me some creepy dreams.

I recommend Kick-Ass to everyone.
It's only 8 chapters long.

[Vinchenz Rock]

Hahah, I remember Uzumaki.

I read his other works, Gyo and The Enigma of Amigara Fault.

But Uzumaki is definitely my favourite.

[Johncarllos]

all are great.

Gyo doesn't hit so deeply though, it's just weird.

GASHUNK, btw.

[ASR]

I recommend Kick-Ass to everyone.
It's only 8 chapters long.

The movie looks really fun and the comic sounded great from what I've read of it. I might check it out.

Posted on:  8 March 2010, 00:45:37

Okay, I read it and loved it.

[Ikeoko]

TWILIGHT.

[Johncarllos]

ugh.

[Ikeoko]

I was kidding...that was SO eighth grade!

Plus it was unpopular then and I was the only person who knew it existed. Haven't read it since though.

[Johncarllos]

Oh, I found it.

Quick game: Post the name of the book that is currently closest to you!
I have the Ultimate Hitchhicker's Guide close by, most of my other books are in a closet. It just never put it away.

[ASR]

Well, hell. Technically the closest book to me is Hitchhiker, a biography of Douglas Adams.

Let's keep the Douglas Adams trend going!

[Mikero]

Sorry.

I have Neil Gaiman's The Sandman vol. 4 closest to me, of the stuff I own anyway. Some book my mom owns is actually closer but who cares. Also The Sandman is a graphic novel so if that doesn't count then it's Peter And Max (A Fables Novel), World War Z, Black Like Me, and Hitchhiker's trilogy in five parts.

I still haven't had time to get around to And Another Thing... ...

[ASR]

DON'T bother reading And Another Thing..., seriously. Not worth it.

And holy hell, the second-closest book to me is a Neil Gaiman book, but it's another biography of Douglas Adams (called Don't Panic.) The only reason I have those biographies is because I did a report on Douglas Adams in... middle school, I believe? After reading them, however, the guy was permanently cemented as my all-time hero despite the fact that reading Hitchhiker's Guide had already done just that.

But yeah, also right nearby is a huge box full of books I brought back from my apartment, and sitting on top is an awesome comic called Chew. HILARIOUS comic, really great. I highly recommend checking it out. I met the creator when I got dragged to the Detroit Comic-Con, so that was pretty cool.

[AlexThePenguin]

Closest book: A Light in the Attic.

Relatedly, I'm now reading it.

[Majikn]

I'd be hard pressed with a measuring tape to figure out which book is closer. But as of the start of this thread it's been the official driver's handbook, and it hasn't moved much.

[Vinchenz Rock]

I think the closest book to me is Dexter in the Dark.

I still got to get around to that...

Although I've really got the itch to read House of Leaves... and I can't find the book anywhere. >:(

[ASR]

House of Leaves. Find it, read it. The Dexter books kind of suck.

[Johncarllos]

House of Leaves is a swell novel.

[Mikero]

This shouldn't be a dead thread.


I just finished Black Like Me, which I'm really sad took until now for me to get to. Absolutely incredible book that everyone should read.

I'm about to start a book that seems a bit similar called One Drop.

What's everyone else reading this year?

[Majikn]

I #####ing hate it when I have to rewrite something large.

This year I read:
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson (epic/dark/heroic fantasy)
MultiReal by David Edelman (business cyberpunk)
Elves: Once Walked With Gods by James Barclay (spin-off of his Raven series)
The Affinity Bridge by George Mann (steampunk mystery)
I Am Number Four

Those are pretty much ranked from best to worst, but I Am Number Four was the only book on that list that I'd say was actually bad. The rest are all worth reading, though Gardens of the Moon has 9 more books in the series, plus a few short novels, and more in the same setting by another author, so it could be daunting to get into.

The Jump 225 trilogy (Infoquake/MultiReal/Geosynchon) so far is just amazing. It'll remind you of The Matrix in a way. It's still, of course, better. All of the characters are believeable, they're all well developed and continue to develop, and the story takes place in an alien year-3600-or-so setting where everyone's brain is connected to the internet and a lot of stuff about reality is now just smoke and mirrors. The main character gets a hold of a technology that could change everything. I haven't read the third book yet but so far it's outstanding.

Anyway I recently bought and plan to read:
Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia (Sort of a fast-paced action packed cliche about fighting monsters. It's the kind of book I would look at and probably walk away, but the right recommendation got me to buy it.)

I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells (In the same vein as Dexter, apparently better-written.)

Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding (Reminds me a bit of Firefly, so far... it's about sky pirates in a retro-futuristic setting, with magic.)

Geosynchron by David Edelman (book 3 of a cyberpunk novel about a badass entrepreneur with a crazy singularity technology that simulates multiple realities in which bad decisions are rejected)

Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson (book 2)

The King of Plagues by Jonathan Maberry (James Bond/Rainbow Six style, it's a techno thriller where a secret US gov't division takes on zombies, monsters, and weaponized diseases, all engineered by terrorists. This is the third book in the series, so you can tell I think it's awesome.)

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (I'm reading this one now, it's so much better than the movie so far, and so completely different.)

The Dark Tower - The Gunslinger - The Journey Begins (6th graphic novel)

The Dexter novels don't entirely suck. They just didn't evolve well. The third novel was weird, and the fourth novel seemed to ignore that the third novel happened. This kind of leaves a bitter taste about the whole thing. I'd say the first two books are solid, but skip the rest.

[Mikero]

Oh yeah;

I used to use this app on Facebook called VisualBookshelf which lets you check out what your friends have read/are reading and rate books and add stuff to your t-read list, etc. Essentially a digital bookshelf you share. The problem now is that VisualBookself's parent company sucks and hasn't updated anything since two permutations of Facebook.

But now I'm using Goodreads.com, which is basically the same thing but better because it doesn't HAVE to be on dumb Facebook.

If you guys sign up add me.

[ASR]

I don't read nearly as much as I WANT to. Right now I'm trudging through a copy of The Girl With The How To Train Your Dragon Tattoo that I'm borrowing from a friend - I really like it, but I keep losing focus because I've been so busy.

I also picked up an SNL "oral history of" book which seems like it'll hold my attention, as well as Only Revolutions, that other book written by Mark Z. Danielewski (writer of House of Leaves) that I found for a buck.

If you want something really fun and interesting, though, I'd recommend Machine of Death. It's a compilation of short stories that share the same premise: scientists have invented a machine that will tell you, vaguely, how you are going to die. It's a really neat little anthology that I've been leafing through and loving.

[Majikn]

Man, I hate the five star review system.

Actually I hate any number system. No amount of numbers can convey why an individual enjoyed a book.
Like, I watch IGN video game reviews for example because they inform me about what they liked and disliked about the game, the final number is meaningless to me. Flame wars ensue because of it but what's more important to me is I'll know if I disagree with why the reviewer deducted points.

Anyway. I'm now using goodreads under my actual name, Sean Waller.

[Mikero]

I'm with you but I mainly use the rating system for my own reference later. You can just write why you liked or didn't like something in the review with the rating, but I never bother.

I also picked up an SNL "oral history of" book which seems like it'll hold my attention, as well as Only Revolutions, that other book written by Mark Z. Danielewski (writer of House of Leaves) that I found for a buck.

New podcast via the Smodcast podcast network; The ABCs of SNL. Only one is out right now but it was really great, Kevin Smith and Jon Lovitz talk SNL history stuff, you might dig it. [/aside]

[ASR]

From what I've listened to, I can only stomach so much Kevin Smith himself in a single sitting. I love his movies but I'm starting to think I'm not a huge fan of him outside of them. He's been a guest on other podcasts I listen to and I'm always a bit disappointed.

I mean, I assume he's not one of the hosts on the podcast you're talking about (I know his Smodcast network has, like 50 different podcasts), so I'll look into it. Just gotta' find the time. I'm real podcast-heavy right now.

[Mikero]

He is but it seems like he'll eventually leave.

I mostly like the OTHER people on his network these days.

[Majikn]

I Am Legend was legend-ary.

Thinking of buying another book by Richard Math' now.

I also finished The King of Plagues, which as expected made me really happy. The writer is so ballsy. One of the villains threatens Obama's daughters. And I love how it came out shortly before Osama was killed, the timing just makes it so much better. The jokes make me giggle with glee, amidst the action and suspense.
This one had much more of a Die Hard vibe than the other books, and I loved Die Hard.
I'm also really happy that two more books in this series are coming soon. Book of Shadows in 2012, and Visitors in 2013. I can only imagine that things are going to take a supernatural turn and that the latter book will have aliens.

Geosynchron, third book in the cyberpunk Jump 225 trilogy is blowing my mind right now. The author really knows how to convey a lot of really cool idea within a compelling story with actually interesting characters (rather than letting the exposition tell the entire story like a lot of bad sci-fi).