Red Mosquito

Fine, you can have your animals back

The Martian.


Its really good, for realz.

stip wrote:tead the library at mt char

Started that one the other day and the first paragraph is just the right kind of thing to get you into a story. Just enough info to be like, "WTF is going on" and just enough hidden to want to know more.

Finished The Divide.



Don't read if you don't want to give yourself an aneurysm. Matt's a great writer but I'm going to take a nice long break into fiction now after reading two of his books in a row, I need a dose of escapism.

Saw this at the library and it's a decent enough quick read.

lennytheweedwhacker wrote:

I just sold my copy along with several tote bags full of other fiction, textbooks, graphic novels, and spiritual texts to Half Price Books. It was that three book edition with a nice little display case that was published a few years ago.

I'll FINALLY finish Garp today. Not sure what's next. I was thinking Little Women because I've still never read it. But I also picked up this book the other day:



A few reviews have compared it to A Handmaid's Tale by Atwood and Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro, both of which I fucking adore, so I figured I'd roll the dice on it. Might read that next? I don't know.

The worst possible position to be in with a book is less than a hundred pages left and just enough interest to finish it out of obligation but a slightly stronger desire to pause and start something else. I'm there with The Circle by Dave Eggers right now.

Currently, I'm reading two books. I picked up Shogun again, and since it's so long, I'm reading a chapter or two a day. Plus, while the story is interesting, the prose is pretty thick at times.

The other book, which has been on my to read list for a while is The Things They Carried. Damn, that first chapter was marvelous.

washing machine wrote:The worst possible position to be in with a book is less than a hundred pages left and just enough interest to finish it out of obligation but a slightly stronger desire to pause and start something else. I'm there with The Circle by Dave Eggers right now.

Finish it out. It's such a quick read, especially toward the end. And I liked the ending.

washing machine wrote:The worst possible position to be in with a book is less than a hundred pages left and just enough interest to finish it out of obligation but a slightly stronger desire to pause and start something else. I'm there with The Circle by Dave Eggers right now.

Yeah, the last parts of the book get a little shaky, even with all the dystopian stuff he built up for it, but it turns more into a thriller.

patrick wrote:I picked up Shogun again, and since it's so long, I'm reading a chapter or two a day. Plus, while the story is interesting, the prose is pretty thick at times.

I watched the mini series a couple times. It just kind of ends but it was very enjoyable. Never considered the book.

bada wrote:

patrick wrote:I picked up Shogun again, and since it's so long, I'm reading a chapter or two a day. Plus, while the story is interesting, the prose is pretty thick at times.

I watched the mini series a couple times. It just kind of ends but it was very enjoyable. Never considered the book.

The book is immersive in its details and scope, showing (or telling) the history, culture, and politics of mid 1500s Japan. You have the Japanese, the Portuguese, the Spanish, the English, the various sects of religion and classes in a political soap opera of a story that's loosely based on the life of Robert Williams, an Englishman who earned the title of samurai. I really need to find a character cheat sheet to keep track of everyone.

I plan to watch the mini series once I finish it.

durdencommatyler wrote:

washing machine wrote:The worst possible position to be in with a book is less than a hundred pages left and just enough interest to finish it out of obligation but a slightly stronger desire to pause and start something else. I'm there with The Circle by Dave Eggers right now.

Finish it out. It's such a quick read, especially toward the end. And I liked the ending.

patrick wrote:Yeah, the last parts of the book get a little shaky, even with all the dystopian stuff he built up for it, but it turns more into a thriller.

Alright, finished The Circle and put it back on the shelf. The second half was preferable to the first half, I'll admit, but I just wasn't super into this one. The ideas Eggers put forth are harrowing and definitely hit close to home, but I spent the whole book wondering how so few characters had any problem with what the company was doing. Granted, the unintended consequences of real life tech intrusions have been borne of good intentions, but the verve with which Bailey, Stenton, and the rest of the company embrace these ideas without any consideration of the consequences...it was just maddening.

I wish there were more moments with Mae on her kayak or a few scenes featuring Mercer getting acclimated in his little Oregon outpost, but I suppose a book about the claustrophobia of technology doesn't need open spaces or character development to get the point across.

washing machine wrote:Alright, finished The Circle and put it back on the shelf. The second half was preferable to the first half, I'll admit, but I just wasn't super into this one. The ideas Eggers put forth are harrowing and definitely hit close to home, but I spent the whole book wondering how so few characters had any problem with what the company was doing. Granted, the unintended consequences of real life tech intrusions have been borne of good intentions, but the verve with which Bailey, Stenton, and the rest of the company embrace these ideas without any consideration of the consequences...it was just maddening.

I wish there were more moments with Mae on her kayak or a few scenes featuring Mercer getting acclimated in his little Oregon outpost, but I suppose a book about the claustrophobia of technology doesn't need open spaces or character development to get the point across.

When I read it (it's been awhile), I couldn't tell how much Eggers wanted to explore the ideas of technology and how much he wanted to preach through the characters because he already decided what he wanted to say. Hence, Mae being mostly oblivious to the consequences (and her final choice) and the CEO guy (Stenton?) being blind to any consideration of what he was doing, other than the intended goals.

Just finished this:



Moving onto this:



I read the whole series when I was in high school. It's young adult historical fiction. The writing is a bit iffy at parts and 1916 starts slowly, but I'm a sucker for historical fiction and this is a really great way to get the (very pro republican side of the) story of 20th century Ireland.

Actually, I started the series when I was in high school. Finished it later.

Which one is the best in the series?

I don't remember. Probably the second or third. But I recommend all of them.

Though the final act of the first book is so good, detailing the Easter Rising and the immediate aftermath.

cutuphalfdead wrote:Though the final act of the first book is so good, detailing the Easter Rising and the immediate aftermath.

Are any of U2's albums based on these books?