Books you've read in 2008

DaveF · 01-05-2008, 04:15 PM

The Books You've Read in 2007 thread seemed to go well, and I'm endeavoring to read more this year, so I'll give a 2008 version a kickstart.

I'll just borrow from Walter's starting post from 2007 to get going:

Quote:

Getting the idea from TV on DVD challenge and Track the Films You Watch, I'll try it with the books that we've read in 2008, and if you want, your review of the book. And it can include those that we started reading in 2007, but finished in 2008.

I'll start off...

The Android's Dream by John Scalzi -- A very fun, hard to put down SF book. Recommended.

A Grey Moon over China by Thomas A. Day -- The plot, the core story, was interesting -- a man's desire to escape Earth and its pains, wars, evils leads to pain, war, and evil. But the writing was middling; it had three times the pages it needed and yet never seemed to say enough to be clear about what was happening. This is a "C" for me.

**HTF Ads**

Michael Warner · 01-06-2008, 07:31 PM

"The Day of Battle" by Rick Atkinson. Book two of "The Liberation Trilogy" looks at the Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy. His books are consistently the most readable and enjoyable of World War Two histories.

And I'm anxiously awaiting Bernard Cornwell's fourth book in "The Saxon Chronicles, "Sword Song" for some Viking era escapist reading.

Good call on the John Scalzi -- "Old Man's War" is one of my favorite sci-fi novels of recent origin.

Joe D · 01-06-2008, 08:56 PM

I've been meaning to update my reading list in the 2007 thread, but I'll throw them here instead.

Starting in late October of 07, I began re-reading George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire Series. This is my first re-read of the series, and everything went fantastic, I typically enjoy most books better the 2nd time through due to a better understanding of the world, characters etc, and this did not disappoint.

A Game of Thrones - Fantastic, Ned's POV's are particularly revealing.
A Clash of Kings - Davos' POV's shed new light into Robert and Ned that is lacking from AGOT.
A Storm of Swords - WOW, what a great book. As in ACOK in regards to Davos, Jaime's POV's are a great twist to everything we have read so far.

Spoiler:

The latest book, A Feast for Crows, read much better on the 2nd go around then it did the first, probably because I had forgotten most of what had happened in the series, who people were, etc. etc. due to the lengthy time between A Storm of Swords and A Feast for Crows.

Spoiler:

George has said that he hopes to resolve some of the loose ends of AFFC in his next book, A Dance With Dragons.

I also read The Hedge Knight, a short story by Martin, and I am going to read The Sworn Sword, also by Martin.

What I'm looking forward to in 2008:

George Martin's A Dance with Dragons - George has said he needs to get this done this year, and I think it will happen. At least, I hope it will.

Ian Esslemont's Return of the Crimson Guard - This is the 2nd book set in the Malazan Empire written by Esslemont, and I think it will take place after Steven Erikson's The Bonehunters novel.

And Finally,

Steven Erikson's Toll The Hounds - The 8th book (out of 10) in the Malazan Empire that will be released by Erikson I believe in August, it is already done and Erikson is supposed to be well on his way in writing the 9th book, Dust of Dreams. Toll the Hounds is supposed to be awesome according to some early reports.

Carlo Medina · 01-06-2008, 08:58 PM

In progress:

World Without End, by Ken Follett

In the pipeline:

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
Soon I Will Be Invincible, by Austin Grossman
Then We Came to the End, by Joshua Ferris
Duma Key, by Stephen King

Paul McGowan · 01-07-2008, 12:16 AM

Almost finished Michael Chrichton's Next. Great read so far!

Jason Kirkpatri · 01-07-2008, 08:43 AM

Stephen Kings' Dark Tower Series (all seven of them). Book 5 and 6 were a bit of a dissapointment as the supporting characters took a bit of a different attitude than what was presented in the first four books. The ending was a surprise to me, and also a bit of a let down.

Currently finishing off C.S. Lewis's Narnia series (light reading for a change of pace). Last read the series when I was in grade 5.

Next is Tolkien's Hobbit followed by the Lord of the Rings. I've had the books for 10+ years and still have yet to read them. I have seen the movies, though.

Walter C · 01-07-2008, 09:38 AM

I've slacked off big-time, by the middle of 2007. Just one of those reading slumps that I get from time-to-time.

Holadem · 01-07-2008, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Starting in late October of 07, I began re-reading George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire Series. This is my first re-read of the series, and everything went fantastic, I typically enjoy most books better the 2nd time through due to a better understanding of the world, characters etc, and this did not disappoint.

After I tore thru the first 4 books, I was in such withdrawal that I would read random passages on a daily basis. So in a sense, I feel like I've read the thing more than once already (especially AGoT to which I went back extensively).

You know, I need to include reading this series in the highlights of 07 thread. It's an unconventional choice, but truly, some of the very best moments of last year were spent in this universe.

--
H

nolesrule · 01-07-2008, 09:46 AM

I read The Hobbit over the weekend, and just started on Lord of the Rings. I don't get to read many books anymore, so reading these is a bit like comfort food for me. I doubt I'll get any other books in during 2008.

Holadem · 01-07-2008, 10:05 AM

I've been reading the odd short story in Night Shift from Steven King, picked up at some library sale for $.50 last year. Jerusalem's Lot, precursor to the full fledged novel Salem's Lot was a fun homage to Lovecraft's Call of Chutlhu (sp?).

--
H

Andy Sheets · 01-07-2008, 02:17 PM

Cthulhu

I've been reading some Stephen King myself. Kind of going back and re-reading his early, better work to reassess my opinion of his work. So I'm reading The Stand right now (I was actually reading Salem's Lot only to discover the copy I had was missing pages. D'oh!). Also read Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption a couple of weeks ago.

I'm also finishing up a collection called Stark and the Star Kings, by Edmond Hamilton and Leigh Brackett. It's an excellent but slightly odd book - it begins by reprinting Hamilton's The Star Kings, then it reprints the three Eric John Stark novellas by Brackett, then Hamilton's Star Kings sequel, Return to the Stars, and then finishes up with a rough draft of a story that crosses the two series over, which was written by both Hamilton and Brackett. Great old pulp sci-fi.

I'm also reading Conquistador, by SM Stirling. It's a sci-fi story in which a disgruntled WWII vet accidentally opens a portal in his basement to an alternate Earth in which America was never colonized by Europeans, so he rounds up some of his war buddies and they decide to colonize it. The book is kind of a slog, mostly because it's just really overwritten with lots of extraneous details and go-nowhere characterization, but it's kept me sufficiently interested that I keep reading. I keep feeling like I'm just on the verge of it cutting loose with the action

Michael Warner · 01-07-2008, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Sheets

I'm also reading Conquistador, by SM Stirling...The book is kind of a slog, mostly because it's just really overwritten with lots of extraneous details and go-nowhere characterization, but it's kept me sufficiently interested that I keep reading. I keep feeling like I'm just on the verge of it cutting loose with the action

I find all of Stirling's books to be like this but the underlying ideas are often so interesting that I tend to read them all anyways. I just use a skip forward method while reading his stuff that compresses it all into a few hours.