The Idiot Board Readers Corner - General Discussion

Re: The Idiot Board Book Club

I've read rumors online that the second book is coming out next March. I wouldn't put a lot of faith in that rumor, but it gives me some hope that the wait won't be much longer.

 

Re: The Idiot Board Book Club

Rothfuss has confirmed this on his blog, not that it means it can't be delayed, but to hear it from him is at least better than rumor.

(Link here: http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2010/04/i-said-id-tell-you-when-i-knew/)

Also this picture is fucking awesome...Spoiler for size as well as being a spoiler.

Spoiler

 

Re: The Idiot Board Book Club

I just started "The Night Angel Trilogy" by Brent weeks. The first 170 pages or so have been entertaining, but there is definitely some stuff going on that hasn't been explained really. It's gruesome, but isn't having a problem keeping me interested. When I finish the series I'll post a bigger review.

 

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Definitely. This book deserves the highest possible recommendation. I generally don't like mystery stories because they're so formulaic, but Stieg Larsson is a genius. Currently devouring the next entry in the series--The Girl Who Played With Fire.

Also, saw the movie of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. It was pretty good.

 

Re: The Idiot Board Book Club

Anyone who is a fan of science fiction and fantasy writing must read Blade of Tyshalle. I am a huge fan of Heinlein, Goodkind, Herbert, Tolkien, etc- I feel that Matthew Wooding Stover really ups the ante with this line of books. The first in the series is called Heroes Die, and the second is Blade of Tyshalle. The third book is called Caine Black Knife, a prequel, and he plans one more, I believe. The third book is good but not as great as the first two. I actually read them out of order, but you wouldn't be disadvantaged by doing the same.

The story follows an antisocial personality in a futuristic world with access to a fantasty Tolkienesque alternate universe. The people in the futuristic world access the alternate reality via a portal and record their adventures, which they sell as a form of movies called adventures. The trick is that instead of watching the movie, clients can live and experience the adventure as one of the characters, down to the feeling and sensation of dying, or, of killing.

These books tackle a lot of interesting social issues. For instance, there is a clearly stratified caste system in the futuristic world--ie. a caste system that actually accords with capitalism.. Secondly, the political factions Stover creates within Overworld, or the alternate universe, are highly complex and worthy of real attention. They are at least as well-developed as Tolkien's.

The final reason I would recommend this series of books is that the hero is not a swarthy, golden haired champion of the people. He's tired, old, at times crippled, and often facing near insurmountable odds. This is the quintessential hero story repackaged in modern, more realistic terms.

Spoiler

At one point the main character scrapes the necrotic jelly that forms on his useless legs away with a knife before using magic to empower the nerves in the lower half of his nervous system.

If I had to liken these books to something, I would suggest David Gemmell's writing but with more blood, death, and glory. Pick them up and read a few pages. I guarantee you won't be able to put them down.

 

Re: The Idiot Board Book Club

Old Mans War John Scalzi

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.com/Old-Mans-War-John-Scalzi/dp/0765309408" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.amazon.com/Old-Mans-War-John ... 0765309408</a>

Great read from start to end, I've since gone on to read all the sequels which were good but not quiet at the same level.

If you liked Enders Game, Starship Troopers of The Forever War I would highly recommend. (I liked it more)

 

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The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls by: Emilie Autumn

Emilie Autumn is an incredible violinist that's music and attire is beyond unique. This was a somewhat autobiography mixed with a psychological thriller that she published in 2009. You won't find this book in Borders or Barnes and Noble. It must be ordered and is about 50 dollars (at least when I bought it). It is a bit of a steep price, but if you were to see this book you would understand why. It is extremely elaborate with all color and filled with photos of Autumn.

Summary: The Asylum is about Emilie Autumn's struggle with bi polar disorder, suicide, and asylums. There is also a sub-story of Emily with a Y in the Victorian era. Extremely well written and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Very interesting how she combines the two stories together.

 

Re: The Idiot Board Book Club

Post Office-Bukowski

This is the first Bukowski book I read, and I was really impressed. It was a quick, easy read and mixed humor with a bit of the grim perfectly. I'm eager to read more of his stuff, although I'm not sure if I should go with another novel or one of his several poetry collections.

 

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If you wanted to laugh your ass off, be sure to check out Tales of Ordinary Madness. It gives an odd insight into some of the more morbid moments of the way men think while at the same time being full of humor. You might find some of the topics discussed in it a bit weird, but I just attibute it to Bukowski being a fucking weirdo.

 

Re: The Idiot Board Book Club

With The Old Breed: by E.B. Sledge.

This book was one of the stories that inspired Tom Hank's HBO mini series The Pacific. It was an easy read and if you have any interest in WWII or enjoyed The Pacific it is totally worth your time.

It is absolutely unbelievable what these Marines went through. The war in Europe was so romanticized almost everyone has heard of The Battle of the Bulge and of course the invasion of D-Day, not many know about the battle of Peleliu. Sledge writes the book in a very, very PC manner, he never curses and with the exception of saying "nips" and "japs" the language is squeaky clean. His description of not only battle but the carnage that ensues after the fighting is excellent and very easy to understand. It also shows the incredible difference between the American and Japanese soldier.

Whenever I read books like this I always wonder if I had the guts and grit (as well as luck) to make it through something as horrible as War. After reading this book I'm not even sure I could make it through one day.

 

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I'm halfway through

Lord of the Flies by William Golding-

For those who don't know, it's about a group of boys stranded on an island. Ralph is a popular, natural leader who is basically a good person, but also has a mean side. Piggy is a fat, bespectacled, cowardly asthmatic who is the most intelligent and mature of the entire group. Meanwhile, Jack is also a popular, natural leader, except he embodies everything evil and cruel in the world, and possesses a major bloodlust.

Overall, the book is pretty good; the premise is solid, and the interactions of the characters are highly realistic and moderately interesting.

That being said, there is absolutely no way this book deserves the title of "classic" or "masterpiece". The prose style is average, with clumsy parts. The characters are purposefully written as cliches to symbolize mankind's nature, but this makes them too simplistic and banal for any adult.

The book also lacks any great entertainment or thoughtful insights.

It's definitely worth a read, and is a quality work judged on its own merits, but it doesn't validate even a third of the hype.

 

Re: The Idiot Board Book Club

Just spent about 2 months going through David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest.

Overall a bit long, but I really enjoyed it. Some parts were dry while there were some very good parts. I would definitely recommend it.

 

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Currently rereading Neil Gaiman's The Sandman from beginning to end. It's been a long time and I have forgotten how great it really is. It's not just one of my favorite comics of all time but I feel it's up there in fiction stories in general.

 

Re: The Idiot Board Book Club

Finished up From Russia with Love last weekend. I really enjoyed reading this one as the movie adaptation is one of my favorite of the Bond films. It was really interesting to see Red Grant's backstory delved into more deeply in the novel. You get a pretty good impression that the guy's pretty psychopathic in the film, but the novel really builds on it with his past. Also interesting to see the more practical aspects of the spy game. In the film you see Bond and the Russian spy who defects more or less going off happily into the sunset. In the novel it basically how, even if she makes it back to England she'll be spending a great deal of time being sequestered and interrogated to see if she truly has defected or not. Just a very interesting story all around and highly recommended.

Also finally read Maus by Art Spiegelman. To call this emotionally exhausting is a huge understatement. A pretty incredible story but it'll put you through the emotional wringer.

 

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I've actually given a shit load of people in this thread negative reps for posting reviews when they are "halfway through" various books, so I'll say it here: Please finish the book before posting a review. I'm not saying you are going to be eating your words by any means when you finish it, but it may grant a little more perspective.

Focus:

Hunger by Knut Hamsun.

Supposedly the first "Modernist" novel, published in 1890. It is a novel about a writer in Norway living in extreme poverty and struggling to produce work. The main conflict of the story is an internal one, the protagonist is often on the verge of starving to death, but his dignity and pride (and religion) prevent him from begging or stealing food.

In one instance a store owner gives him another woman's change and he feels so rotten about it he gives it to another person. In another scene he lies to a police officer saying he is locked out and is given a room for the night at the police department, but in his pride he refuses the meal they offer him in the morning, figuring they would know he was homeless if he took it.

The novel follows his mental breakdown, living on the streets much of the time, going days without eating a bit, and struggling more and more to write anything of quality. Hamsun captures insanity and madness as well as Kafka, and earlier than Kafka in fact. Hunger is a great novel, perhaps even a masterpiece. The prose sparkles (even through translation), it reads as true to life as any novel, and in pure Modernist fashion, the climax is more of a subtle fading off into darkness. Loved it.

 

Re: The Idiot Board Book Club

I have now read the whole book, and while my opinion of its quality hasn't changed much (good, not great), I completely understand why it is such a staple in literature classes and considered a "classic".

The book is simple. The symbolism and metaphors are immediately clear and obvious. All the thoughts and ideas behind it are straightforward. It's an adaptation of "Heart of Darkness" told in a more juvenile, less skillful, more artificial manner. A good book, but not a true masterpiece like Conrad's work.

 

Re: The Idiot Board Book Club

Steven Pinker-The Blank Slate

This is Pinker's treatise on human nature and it is epic and at points overwhelming. I highly recommend it, as it covers nearly every aspect of human nature from violence to evolution to sex. A seriously good read, I put it up there with the Moral Animal and Guns, Germs and Steel. It's one of those science books that changes your entire perspective.

 

Re: The Idiot Board Book Club

Middle school children also don't read "Heart of Darkness", It's a good book when taken in context of who usually reads it, kinda like "The Giver".

 

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It's a good book when taken in any context, and way better than "The Giver". It's just not a masterpiece, and doesn't deserve its ridiculous level of praise and acclaim.

By the way, what's wrong with 14 year-olds reading "Heart of Darkness"? I read it when I was 16, but there wasn't anything in the novel that a teenager couldn't grasp or relate to.

 

Re: The Idiot Board Book Club

Heart of Darkness is the opposite of politically correct. Not that the average 14 year old is used to reading something as dense as Conrad, but "Lord of the flies" is both easier to digest and doesn't contain any references to starving niggers...obvious choice for any public school system. And a solid majority of the kids in middle school (hell, college) don't read anything not assigned to them. Especially not literature.

Of course, nothing wrong with any ambitious teen plunging into Heart of Darkness themselves, which is obviously superior and deserves repeated readings. LotF is just so much easier to understand and the message is pretty much accessible to anybody.