The Library Table

[Tarin]

Searching the most bumped topics, I only saw a thread for book recommendations. This is a thread for members of the community to discuss what they are reading, what they have read, as well as what they plan to read. An open table to discuss what you are reading, give and get recommendations and just to kind of roll around in yummy books. So to get things kicked off, I am currently reading The Familiar, by Mark Z. Danielewski. Compared to House of Leaves, it really hasn't started to live up to what I think makes the writer a complete cut above the rest, not displaying any particular great ideas or captivating dialogue/setting. Mostly mystery and plot set-up thus far, but still no complaints as I do have a ton of faith in the author given his past works I have read. I just got done with The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien which was fantastic. The voice was strong, consistent and really drives home a lot of the emotion, or lack thereof that was carried at the time period giving a taste of modern and past viewpoints on the war that occured at the novels heart.

As for what I am a fan of? Vonnegut, mostly. Love his works. Coming of age books are a huge genre that I am love with, as well as comedy (Three Bags Full, anything by Christopher Moore). Currently considering reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, some entries into the Ender Saga and some other series I casually follow. Working on The Wheel of Time series in tandem currently.

What is RPG reading? What would RPG recommend? What wine pairs with what you are reading? Favorite reading setting? Anything else slightly book related? Discuss.

[Dinh AaronMk]

Last thing I read was a history of Byzantine philosophy and the broad impact the declining Empire had on the renaissance in western Europe, its impact on the Mu'tazilah and Falayasaf movement in the Golden-Age era of the Muslim world, and on the development of the Slavic peoples.

It was pretty interesting for a read I did idly while playing Banished or going on long-ish car-rides.

[Sypherkhode822]

I just finished Leviathan Wakes, which I would definitely recommend.

It was refreshingly fast-paced (for me, anyhow) after reading the entire Hyperion Cantos this summer, which I felt got progressively less impressive after each book, though book three is easily the worst in the series.
Now I'm just idly working my way through an anthology of tribute short stories set in the Dying Earth universe of Jack Vance.

Basically, it's a bunch of fan-fic, but it has respectable authors writing it instead of 13 year old girls.

[Tarin]

I just finished Leviathan Wakes, which I would definitely recommend.

@Sypherkhode822

That seems like I something I am definitely going to check out! Honestly, I've never really set foot in the Sci-Fi genre, I used to read a lot of Fantasy, but I quickly started falling in love with more realistic fiction authors.

[Sypherkhode822]

It's a real treat. It has a split narrative, both written by one of the authors, (it's a duo) and the differences between the two keep it fresh.

[Sugar and Spite]

I'll bite.

I, personally, am a major fan of fantasy and Sci-fi, all of that good stuff. I am currently working on The Mortal Instruments Series: City of Heavenly Fire. I have read The Whole Hunger Games Series, still remain a fan of both Percy Jackson series's and then there is always the Divergent. I am going to start reading some Dean Koontz here within the next couple of weeks and then there is always good old fashioned Stephen King. On a belated note, I am also reading It.

[Tarin]

I'll bite.

I, personally, am a major fan of fantasy and Sci-fi, all of that good stuff. I am currently working on The Mortal Instruments Series: City of Heavenly Fire. I have read The Whole Hunger Games Series, still remain a fan of both Percy Jackson series's and then there is always the Divergent. I am going to start reading some Dean Koontz here within the next couple of weeks and then there is always good old fashioned Stephen King. On a belated note, I am also reading It.

@HaleyTheRandom

I liked Hunger Games weeeeell enough I suppose, I felt Collins really dropped the ball in the last book and the series got progressively worse with each installment and I found the ending to be wildly dissatisfying. It left a horrible taste in my mouth with that "make everyone happy!!!!" epilogue. Dean Koontz is of course a very talented writer. Stephen King I will be totally honest is very hit or miss in my opinion? If you like Fantasy I wholeheartedly recommend The Wheel of Time, The Abhorsen saga, and the Bartimaeus saga all of which are fantasy and INCREDIBLE reads, in my opinion.

I have never read Percy Jackson, Mortal Instruments, etc. I was on a John Green kick for awhile because I looooove his platitudes he delivers that don't feel really contrived or anything in my opinion and I definitely respect what his works do for his target audience as far as teen genre books go.

[Blue Demon]

I'm reading The Riyria Chronicles by Michael Sullivan: If you like fantasy, assassinations, magic, thieves, politics, and all sorts of skulduggery, this book is the book for you. It even has romance for people who like that. I'd very much recommend this book to anyone. This is now my second time through this book series.

I'm also reading (because one book is never enough) The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron: It's another fantasy book series that I'm re-reading. There's not much political maneuvering in it. But it has spirits, double dealings and Eli. It's a rather enjoyable romp. Though not that mentally tasking, which is nice when you want to read something without having to think very hard.

I have more books stacked on my side table that I'm going to read, but just haven't gotten around to yet due to me reading other books. :)
Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling: Another fantasy novel (seeing a theme?). It's book one of a series. The main characters are both guys and together, but it never happens on page (blessedly). There's more politics involved here in the first couple of books. But later go onto deal with the non-human heritage of our main couple. I'm looking forward to re-reading this one again!

The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud: A paranormal fantasy kids book. What's lost in sophistication is more than made up by Stroud's whit and writing prose. The man's a master. It's book two of the Lockwood & Co. series. Book one was 4 out of 5. I'm eager to read this one.

The Secret Prophecy by Herbie Brennan: It's in my stack about of Mr. Brennan. I know nothing about this book other than what the blurb says. I hope it's just as good as his other books.

The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines: I've seen this book lurking about my library for a while and when I snagged The Whispering Skull, I also snagged this one. It's a girl teen mystery.

Last but not least is
The Stranger's Shadow by Max Frei:
While they have tons of this series out in Russia, they translate it so slowly to the US. This book is book four. It's about a rather dull man, Max Frei, who dreams himself into another world where he's a magic inspector who solves crimes. There's romance, plots and black magic, it's weird and it has Russian humor. What's not to love?

[Vilageidiotx]

Right now I'm finishing Asimov's Foundation series. I'm on Foundation and Earth, and I've got the two prequels to read after that. I got real slow at reading after my last job, because when I was working there I was listening to Audiobooks for my entire shift, which meant I was essentially "reading" 40 hours a week (which was sweet. Only took something like a week to finish Don Quixote, which is a helluva book) and I kinda stopped picking up physical books. Gotta get back in the habit.

After that, I have a couple of books I picked up about Ethiopia to supplement my roleplaying in Precipice of War, since I RP Ethiopia there. Those are The Barefoot Emperor and Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia if any of that is interesting to anybody else. After that I am thinking about rereading The Iliad and The Odyssey, but that is just an itch I have right now and will probably change before I have the time.

[gaudi]

Last thing I read was a history of Byzantine philosophy and the broad impact the declining Empire had on the renaissance in western Europe, its impact on the Mu'tazilah and Falayasaf movement in the Golden-Age era of the Muslim world, and on the development of the Slavic peoples.

@Dinh AaronMk

Title, please? I'm studying ancient philosophy right now, and have found very little in the way of Byzantine phil. That sounds really cool!

[Dinh AaronMk]

<Snipped quote by Dinh AaronMk>

Title, please? I'm studying ancient philosophy right now, and have found very little in the way of Byzantine phil. That sounds really cool!

@gaudi

Sailing From Byzantium: How to a declining Empire changed the world (or something like that).

It's by Colin Welles (I think his name is). For most of it he writes the history of the movement of Greek philosophers from the perspective of the rationalist, ancient schools of philosophy like Platonism and Aristotlism and how they sorta-persisted in the Empire and then what happened when it went abroad. Towards the end when it gets to analyzing Russia the mystical sects of Hesychasm take center stage because it well... It sort of has to then.

And on the while it runs over the waxes and wanes of old-school philosophy in the Empire against the forces of religious conservativism as the Empire ebbs and flows on the brink of collapse and how that inspired the migration of the old philosophical schools to Italy to boot up Humanism and found the root of the Italian Renaissance.

[gaudi]

<Snipped quote by gaudi>

Sailing From Byzantium: How to a declining Empire changed the world (or something like that).

It's by Colin Welles (I think his name is). For most of it he writes the history of the movement of Greek philosophers from the perspective of the rationalist, ancient schools of philosophy like Platonism and Aristotlism and how they sorta-persisted in the Empire and then what happened when it went abroad. Towards the end when it gets to analyzing Russia the mystical sects of Hesychasm take center stage because it well... It sort of has to then.

And on the while it runs over the waxes and wanes of old-school philosophy in the Empire against the forces of religious conservativism as the Empire ebbs and flows on the brink of collapse and how that inspired the migration of the old philosophical schools to Italy to boot up Humanism and found the root of the Italian Renaissance.

@Dinh AaronMk

Oh, awesome! That goes along really well with what I'm studying - and I've never heard of some of those sects. Your description sounds fantastic, thank you.