The unofficial online home for fans of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(10-20-2020 11:47 AM)Banter Wrote:  

(08-17-2020 06:37 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  I've been flying through the Sanderson this year. Several on here recommended The Way of Kings. I finished malazan last year and i thought it would be a good chance to dive into another epic journey. Once again Sanderson's world building stands out. So much thought and craft went into creating Roshar, its environment, magic, systems and history. Sanderson let's you explore and learn the world with far more nuance than he did in mistborn. He doesn't over explain and trusts the reader to pick things up as he or she goes. Things fit well, the characters were engaging and as the story moved to its climax i found myself not wanting to put it down. My only complaints are minor. I thought it was slow at times with the three main stories all seeming like setup for what's to come. As a novel it resolves little and sets up a ton. For a series of 5 novels (or 10 depending on how you view it) this isn't a big complaint but I am use to Erickson's ability to make each novel feel compete on its own.

Anyways, can't wait to continue with this series. The love fantasy readers have for Sanderson is well earned.

I could never get into Malazan. Sanderson is in a league of his own, though I think he struggles to write female characters. Sometimes I think his characters need to just shut up and screw already. I don't need the books to be graphic like A Song of Ice and Fire, but sometimes he seems to struggle with romance. Might have to do with his LDS background.

I am rereading The Wheel of Time for 3rd time. It is easily my favorite series. It is a long journey, but Sanderson finished it up after Robert Jordan passed away.

Maybe I'll read Jordan. I started The Eye of the World many years ago, but found it overly descriptive in a distracting to the narrative kind of way. However, I wasn't very developed in epic fantasy at that point so maybe I'd think differently now. I hear so much at the slog that is books 6-10 (or thereabouts), which gives me pause.

Malazan has 5 truly elite fantasy novels in the 10 book series (including books 2, 3, 5 and 6 so you get awesomeness very early) and I really liked all the others (except I found Toll the Hounds a bit of a slog until the last 300ish pages). Maybe it's not for you though.

(10-20-2020 12:01 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(10-20-2020 11:47 AM)Banter Wrote:  

(08-17-2020 06:37 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  I've been flying through the Sanderson this year. Several on here recommended The Way of Kings. I finished malazan last year and i thought it would be a good chance to dive into another epic journey. Once again Sanderson's world building stands out. So much thought and craft went into creating Roshar, its environment, magic, systems and history. Sanderson let's you explore and learn the world with far more nuance than he did in mistborn. He doesn't over explain and trusts the reader to pick things up as he or she goes. Things fit well, the characters were engaging and as the story moved to its climax i found myself not wanting to put it down. My only complaints are minor. I thought it was slow at times with the three main stories all seeming like setup for what's to come. As a novel it resolves little and sets up a ton. For a series of 5 novels (or 10 depending on how you view it) this isn't a big complaint but I am use to Erickson's ability to make each novel feel compete on its own.

Anyways, can't wait to continue with this series. The love fantasy readers have for Sanderson is well earned.

I could never get into Malazan. Sanderson is in a league of his own, though I think he struggles to write female characters. Sometimes I think his characters need to just shut up and screw already. I don't need the books to be graphic like A Song of Ice and Fire, but sometimes he seems to struggle with romance. Might have to do with his LDS background.

I am rereading The Wheel of Time for 3rd time. It is easily my favorite series. It is a long journey, but Sanderson finished it up after Robert Jordan passed away.

Maybe I'll read Jordan. I started The Eye of the World many years ago, but found it overly descriptive in a distracting to the narrative kind of way. However, I wasn't very developed in epic fantasy at that point so maybe I'd think differently now. I hear so much at the slog that is books 6-10 (or thereabouts), which gives me pause.

Malazan has 5 truly elite fantasy novels in the 10 book series (including books 2, 3, 5 and 6 so you get awesomeness very early) and I really liked all the others (except I found Toll the Hounds a bit of a slog until the last 300ish pages). Maybe it's not for you though.

The Slog does not really exist. Books 8 and 9 might be a bit of a low/slow point. The books are weaker than the rest of the series, but now that all the books are available the slog kind of goes away. The plot slows down, but it picks back up with book 10 (i think). It was a slog when you had to wait a couple of years between releases, but now you can breeze through them and move on.

(10-20-2020 10:55 AM)Lush Wrote:  

(06-22-2020 07:45 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  Odd request, but my fiance's nephew is really starting to get into reading. I have a ton of books that are probably not age appropriate in my library, so I'm looking for some recommendations for books that are good for 10-15 year olds (he is 10 but can handle a bit higher vocabulary than a normal 5th grader). I already gave him a few of the Ender Wiggin series and he really like those, he ripped through the Cline novels (Ready Player One and Armada, and he's about halfway through my 1st edition HP books that I've told him need to be read with plastic gloves on . Any other ideas out there from the fathers/uncles in the forum? Most of the rest of his family aren't really "readers" so I'm the one he keeps coming to.

i have a niece who's that age, also a reader. i'll ask wife. boys and girls being what they are, i think young adult is read by both? has the youngin been exposed to twain or jack london? i was reared on jack as a youth. never got into twain until later in life. roughing it's up there with don quixote and infinite jest as my favorites and prove me wrong, david foster wallace has an obligation to show off

i'm wrapping up death in the family by james agee. it's about the pageantry of the funeral. thirty six year old father leaving behind a couple of wees and the bride. i'll be happy when i can move onto some sartre which i finally think is acceptable for me to read. being and nothingness incorporates, i suppose some of this zen sh!t that's been eating at me; terrifying me. but i'm gonna get into some vonnegut first. galapagos

My son is 12 and big on fantasy books. He loves the Wings of Fire books. I had him start reading the DragonLance Chronicles which were some of my favorites growing up and he has been hooked.

so neal stephenson has a new one; doom. hugh heeeewwitt couldn't stop fawning over it the other day

(05-19-2021 01:39 PM)Lush Wrote:  so neal stephenson has a new one; doom. hugh heeeewwitt couldn't stop fawning over it the other day

Finally got around to reading the only Stephenson tome in my bookcases that I hadn't finished previously...Reamde. Thought it was good, not great...as with most of his novels, it probably didn't need to be over 1000 pages, but hey, it has worked for a few decades now.

(10-20-2020 05:22 PM)BigDawg Wrote:  

(10-20-2020 10:55 AM)Lush Wrote:  

(06-22-2020 07:45 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  Odd request, but my fiance's nephew is really starting to get into reading. I have a ton of books that are probably not age appropriate in my library, so I'm looking for some recommendations for books that are good for 10-15 year olds (he is 10 but can handle a bit higher vocabulary than a normal 5th grader). I already gave him a few of the Ender Wiggin series and he really like those, he ripped through the Cline novels (Ready Player One and Armada, and he's about halfway through my 1st edition HP books that I've told him need to be read with plastic gloves on . Any other ideas out there from the fathers/uncles in the forum? Most of the rest of his family aren't really "readers" so I'm the one he keeps coming to.

i have a niece who's that age, also a reader. i'll ask wife. boys and girls being what they are, i think young adult is read by both? has the youngin been exposed to twain or jack london? i was reared on jack as a youth. never got into twain until later in life. roughing it's up there with don quixote and infinite jest as my favorites and prove me wrong, david foster wallace has an obligation to show off

i'm wrapping up death in the family by james agee. it's about the pageantry of the funeral. thirty six year old father leaving behind a couple of wees and the bride. i'll be happy when i can move onto some sartre which i finally think is acceptable for me to read. being and nothingness incorporates, i suppose some of this zen sh!t that's been eating at me; terrifying me. but i'm gonna get into some vonnegut first. galapagos

My son is 12 and big on fantasy books. He loves the Wings of Fire books. I had him start reading the DragonLance Chronicles which were some of my favorites growing up and he has been hooked.

Wheel of Time would probably be a good fit. Gets a little bloated in the middle but its a classic for a reason.

(05-19-2021 02:02 PM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(05-19-2021 01:39 PM)Lush Wrote:  so neal stephenson has a new one; doom. hugh heeeewwitt couldn't stop fawning over it the other day

Finally got around to reading the only Stephenson tome in my bookcases that I hadn't finished previously...Reamde. Thought it was good, not great...as with most of his novels, it probably didn't need to be over 1000 pages, but hey, it has worked for a few decades now.

Reading The Diamond Age now. It's been slow going, not because I don't enjoy the book, but just because the 2 month old gives me no reading time. Snow Crash is an all timer for me. Some of his other stuff is too much about the ideas/style/tech and not enough about the characters/story for me. I have really enjoyed The Diamond Age so far though.

(05-19-2021 01:39 PM)Lush Wrote:  so neal stephenson has a new one; doom. hugh heeeewwitt couldn't stop fawning over it the other day

He writes tractor tire thick door stops that are generally great reads.

(05-19-2021 02:21 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(05-19-2021 02:02 PM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(05-19-2021 01:39 PM)Lush Wrote:  so neal stephenson has a new one; doom. hugh heeeewwitt couldn't stop fawning over it the other day

Finally got around to reading the only Stephenson tome in my bookcases that I hadn't finished previously...Reamde. Thought it was good, not great...as with most of his novels, it probably didn't need to be over 1000 pages, but hey, it has worked for a few decades now.

Reading The Diamond Age now. It's been slow going, not because I don't enjoy the book, but just because the 2 month old gives me no reading time. Snow Crash is an all timer for me. Some of his other stuff is too much about the ideas/style/tech and not enough about the characters/story for me. I have really enjoyed The Diamond Age so far though.

I started Diamond Age and it did start slow...then I left it on the nightstand in an Airbnb in Delphi Greece last year when I was only about 100 pages in. Doh!

I’m reading Anathem again.

(05-19-2021 07:39 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  I’m reading Anathem again.

That one has been on my bookshelf for years unread. I'll get to it one day.

(05-19-2021 02:14 PM)skylinecat Wrote:  

(10-20-2020 05:22 PM)BigDawg Wrote:  

(10-20-2020 10:55 AM)Lush Wrote:  

(06-22-2020 07:45 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  Odd request, but my fiance's nephew is really starting to get into reading. I have a ton of books that are probably not age appropriate in my library, so I'm looking for some recommendations for books that are good for 10-15 year olds (he is 10 but can handle a bit higher vocabulary than a normal 5th grader). I already gave him a few of the Ender Wiggin series and he really like those, he ripped through the Cline novels (Ready Player One and Armada, and he's about halfway through my 1st edition HP books that I've told him need to be read with plastic gloves on . Any other ideas out there from the fathers/uncles in the forum? Most of the rest of his family aren't really "readers" so I'm the one he keeps coming to.

i have a niece who's that age, also a reader. i'll ask wife. boys and girls being what they are, i think young adult is read by both? has the youngin been exposed to twain or jack london? i was reared on jack as a youth. never got into twain until later in life. roughing it's up there with don quixote and infinite jest as my favorites and prove me wrong, david foster wallace has an obligation to show off

i'm wrapping up death in the family by james agee. it's about the pageantry of the funeral. thirty six year old father leaving behind a couple of wees and the bride. i'll be happy when i can move onto some sartre which i finally think is acceptable for me to read. being and nothingness incorporates, i suppose some of this zen sh!t that's been eating at me; terrifying me. but i'm gonna get into some vonnegut first. galapagos

My son is 12 and big on fantasy books. He loves the Wings of Fire books. I had him start reading the DragonLance Chronicles which were some of my favorites growing up and he has been hooked.

Wheel of Time would probably be a good fit. Gets a little bloated in the middle but its a classic for a reason.

Finally just finished AWoT. The ending seemed rush compared to the buildup, lol. Sanderson did ok, but he’s clearly not Jordan.

Reading A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie. If you like dark fantasy with plenty of action and a little comedy he is the best. His characters are outstanding.

(05-19-2021 08:22 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(05-19-2021 07:39 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  I’m reading Anathem again.

That one has been on my bookshelf for years unread. I'll get to it one day.

Dive in. It’s probably the most unique storyline I’ve ever come across.

I'm not usually a big reader but lately I've been downloading books from the library to help pass some daily treadmill time. Usually it's a random pick and I'm the kind of guy that has to finish what I start no matter how bad the book/movie may be but I finished what I consider to be a good one recently, "A Brotherhood of Spies". The book is loosely about the events leading up to, during, and after the shootdown of a U2 over Russia back in 1960. It starts with the events leading up to the development and deployment of the U2 aircraft, the decision to use it, and the subsequent tap dancing and coverup of the event. Lots of characters and events involved including the Bay of Pigs invasion, JFK, Ike, Edwin Land (the guy behind the Polaroid camera), John Dulles (I only knew of him because of the airport named after him), many many others. What I found most interesting was how many things that happen in the book have corresponding similar events that happen today. Walter Cronkite was passing out fake news long before Donald Trump was a thing, JFK made bad decisions based on political reasons, Nikita Khrushchev was demonized by the press but probably wasn't such a bad guy when compared with other world leaders. Lots of people described in the book that I found to be interesting historically and it would probably make a pretty good movie.

(05-20-2021 07:32 AM)Cat_Litter Wrote:  I'm not usually a big reader but lately I've been downloading books from the library to help pass some daily treadmill time. Usually it's a random pick and I'm the kind of guy that has to finish what I start no matter how bad the book/movie may be but I finished what I consider to be a good one recently, "A Brotherhood of Spies". The book is loosely about the events leading up to, during, and after the shootdown of a U2 over Russia back in 1960. It starts with the events leading up to the development and deployment of the U2 aircraft, the decision to use it, and the subsequent tap dancing and coverup of the event. Lots of characters and events involved including the Bay of Pigs invasion, JFK, Ike, Edwin Land (the guy behind the Polaroid camera), John Dulles (I only knew of him because of the airport named after him), many many others. What I found most interesting was how many things that happen in the book have corresponding similar events that happen today. Walter Cronkite was passing out fake news long before Donald Trump was a thing, JFK made bad decisions based on political reasons, Nikita Khrushchev was demonized by the press but probably wasn't such a bad guy when compared with other world leaders. Lots of people described in the book that I found to be interesting historically and it would probably make a pretty good movie.

It's a fiction novel but if you're into coldwar / spy stuff, the Company by Robert Littell is excellent.

oh. my bad yall; i done fk'ed up. niall ferguson; not neal stephenson. i was reading my washington examiner and niall ferguson's book, not neal stephenson's book. honestly, i don't even know if neal's got a new book out or not

i've come across ferguson before in the ascent of money. it's about the ascent of money. this book, doom, it's about the pandemic and apparently fantastic

i'm reading some saul bellow right now. i haven't felt this way since uylsses which is to this day the only book i haven't completed. page 256 i stopped because i forgot what was going on. this book, herzog, is about the minutia of a big city jew

i haven't been too big into novels these days. mostly research for my literary hobbies/pursuits and some religion mumbo jumbo. i did just finish a simon kenton biography. this was by edna kenton whom was a niece or something. it's a good thing his name is still semi underground otherwise he'd be a pariah today

edna painted a smashing portrait. my familiarity with simon kenton (outside of driving over his bridges and sh!t, seeking out his footsteps) is the frontiersman by allan eckert. new information was revealed and the good stories were rehashed. granted the subject matter was closer at hand, she had the language of a gifted biographer; in fact i sorta lifted a line or two in my simon kenton country western song

again, sorry for the confusion. yall were probably like, what?

William Gibson "The Peripheral" (2014)

The old master back at it in the first book of what is called "the Jackpot Trilogy". Some amazing futuristic concepts and forward looking technology applications (scary to say the least), as usual for Gibson. I read his classic "Neuromancer" in college - it really triggered my lifelong hunger for great sci-fi. His books in between have been hit or miss (I still read them all, no matter what) - this one strikes deep in many Neuromancer-like ways.

Reading the second installment "Agency" (2020) now. Won't do spoilers but DAMN when you write in a style that involves playing hopscotch with both time and storylines, 6 years between books is a long damn time or maybe that is just a lot to ask from my sieve-like brain. And it is both prequel and sequel to boot. The info dump required from the outset just to reacquaint you with the protagonist and main characters is tedious, but I am getting through it because I know once all that dust clears, Gibson will have me deeply "hooked" as usual.

So, perhaps The Peripheral, if you are so inclined.

Just finished The Trouble With Peace, the second book in Joe Abercrombie's new Age of Madness trilogy. It's awesome. He gives you something new every time and his characters are second to none.

Also recently finished Scalzi's Interdependency trilogy. It is my favorite thing Scalzi has written.

the street in front of me read chautauqua. where were we? i had taken the ladies, age two and five, on some whim driving along the backroads of southern illinois with only a tourist map for guidance. after an aborted attempt at the lil' grand canyon, i tried to navigate the gravel roads in search of carbondale, scene of minor exploits a decade past. i came across a main drag eventually and intent on making a left, there was that street sign, chautauqua, should i choose to not be detoured by the intersection

a chautauqua is an old traveling tent show. an old time series of popular talks designed to edify,entertain, improve the mind and bring culture and entertainment to the masses. it's thru this medium author of zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance sought to convey his story. this happened to be the book i started when we booked the backwoods cabin in tunnel hill like three weeks prior. a father son road trip? how opportunistic this book i thought

certainly delivered on the chautauqua. his unraveling was entertaining. thankfully that was where my relationship with this book differed. i've never sought experimental procedures on my brain that didn't involve, substances. the author had something like electroconvulsive therapy wherein he was told upon arrival that he had a new personality now. he said that confused him because the doctor should have said that he was a new personality. this book's about him seeking out his old personality. or it could be a host of other things, i'm sure it could be tied down to one thing but this also happened

the story was sweet, sad. i'm not sure if what he was saying was important- something about what quality, really is. he freaking hated aristotle or maybe not as much as the encompassing western thought that was built around him. he sought a bridge between the east and west and went beyond those ancients greeks to the..... sophists! whom he said, i think, were basically hindus

i proceeded with my left hand turn to get to carbondale in case you were wondering

reading some oscar wilde right now. the picture of dorian gray

(07-10-2021 11:09 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Just finished The Trouble With Peace, the second book in Joe Abercrombie's new Age of Madness trilogy. It's awesome. He gives you something new every time and his characters are second to none.

Also recently finished Scalzi's Interdependency trilogy. It is my favorite thing Scalzi has written.

The final Novel in Abercrombie' Age of Madness (The Wisdom of Crowds) did not disappoint. It's probably my all time favorite fantasy trilogy and maybe my favorite series.

(01-24-2022 07:47 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(07-10-2021 11:09 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Just finished The Trouble With Peace, the second book in Joe Abercrombie's new Age of Madness trilogy. It's awesome. He gives you something new every time and his characters are second to none.

Also recently finished Scalzi's Interdependency trilogy. It is my favorite thing Scalzi has written.

The final Novel in Abercrombie' Age of Madness (The Wisdom of Crowds) did not disappoint. It's probably my all time favorite fantasy trilogy and maybe my favorite series.

I didn’t know it was out yet! Seems like he got that series out quick!