Philotic Web

Yeah, I think I mentioned before that I didn't like it very much. I don't see myself giving LeGuin another chance.

Fledgling? As in, Octavia E. Butler's Fledgling?

I will probably still read Earthsea. I've done Lathe, Dispossed, and Left Hand, but I know a lot of people who are partial to Earthsea. And I own it.

And yup. My second Butler. My next will probably be Kindred.

And yup. My second Butler. My next will probably be Kindred.

How did you like it, and what was your first?

And yup. My second Butler. My next will probably be Kindred.

How did you like it, and what was your first?

I liked it well enough but I am not sure which of the two major theories I subscribe to-- that it was written on more of a lark or if it was intended to be a series. I like the idea of a series because some of the unanswered questions and mythology was what I was more interested in. There were a couple of times where the themes were slightly anvillicous and I half expected theorists to be mentioned (which actually happened recently in a book from last year, with a philosopher I've met, which took me out of the space opera & confused the heck out of me because it wasn't our world? Was it? ). The only other of hers I've read so far is Dawn; it has been awhile so by the time I get to the rest of the trilogy I will probably have to re-read it.

I could not get into Left Hand of Darkness even though it's one of her most famous. However, I loved Lathe of Heaven.

I actually liked The Left Hand of Darkness, even though it was largely forgettable (as exemplified by the fact that I can barely remember what it was about.)

I just finished reading The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson. I really enjoyed it, though I tend to like non-fiction, especially ones about sociology and human nature.

I also read Atonement by Ian McEwan. I wanted to like this and I did like the overall story. But it started really slow and I wasn't a fan of the style of writing.

Did you guys know that James Dashner is writing a prequel to Maze Runner? It's called The Kill Order and is supposed to be released in August according to Amazon.

I'm re-reading Hunger Games. I read them through so fast the first time and it's been several months. I'm also on to The Scorch Trials and The Magician's King.

I did not hear about the prequel. Interesting. I'll probably reread Hunger Games one more time (I've read it 2-3 times already) before the movie comes out. I wish we could see it together, Cath!

Hey, prequel, cool. I know it wasn't everyone's favorite series but I really, really enjoyed it. Enough so that I mentioned it in my interview with the library I'm starting with next week.

I finally got around to reading John Green's The Fault in Our Stars over the weekend. I'm considering giving up on reading entirely. I'm fairly certain that experience cannot be topped.

I'll request it from my library now. Speaking of sad YA novels, I read "If I Stay" on the plane to CA last week. It took me all of two hours to read and it wasn't anything all that special, though it was decent. But here is the amazing thing about it. I have never actually cried while reading a book. I have no idea why. I cry at movies, tv shows, commercials. I cry all the time. But something about the written word just doesn't stir actual emotions in me. But I teared up twice while reading this book. Maybe I was extra emotional but I thought it was worthy of note.

I also just read "The Wind Up Bird Chronicle". It was utterly bizarre but not in a good way, for me. The characters, plot and dialogue were all very engaging. And I actually really enjoyed most of it. But then it relied on this overarching supernatural (but not scifi or fantasy or even anything specific) SOMEthing in order to not explain a ton of the questions left open. It just bugged me. I'm sure some people don't mind it and even like that sort of thing but I didn't, despite liking a lot about it.

I've teared up while reading books previously. I sobbed while reading TFiOS.

That's sitting on my shelf, Chris, and I haven't had a chance to read it, yet. But it's on my shortlist.

Is it better than Looking for Alaska?

I really liked Looking for Alaska but I think that was sad enough...we'll see about the other. I cry at books all the time, so, if this made Chris sob...

In my reading pile:
Wither - DeStefano - YA
Pure - Baggott - Adult
Under the Never sky - Rossi - YA
Half Upon a Time - Riley -JUV
Tuesdays at the Castle - George - JUV

Everything John Green does is wonderful.

I'm about half way through "American Gods" which is my first sampling of Gaiman's work if you don't count the episode of Doctor Who he wrote, or the English dub of Princess Mononoke, which I believe he helped write the script for.

So far I find parts really interesting but they're interspersed between parts I find really dull. In general, I wish things would advance a bit more quickly, but it's holding my interest enough to keep me going.

Yeah, AMERICAN GODS was my first Gaiman as well, back in the day, and it's not the best to start with.

To be perfectly, 100% honest, the long form novel is not Neil's strong suit. At all.

Short stories? Amazing. Picture books and Middle Grades? Amazing. Comics? Amaaaazing.

Novels? He's...gotten better...over time.

Don't get me wrong, the ideas are brilliant, and there are some really fantastic nuggets within all of his books but the execution on the novels? Not fabulous.

I have never actually cried while reading a book. I have no idea why. I cry at movies, tv shows, commercials. I cry all the time. But something about the written word just doesn't stir actual emotions in me. But I teared up twice while reading this book. Maybe I was extra emotional but I thought it was worthy of note.

I don't normally cry when reading books, maybe because it's "slower" than movies/etc. I have more time to process the emotions, or something? So, I think it might have been related to the fact that I was pregnant (and therefore highly hormonal) at the time, but I bawled at the end of "These is my Words". Literally bawled for a good twenty minutes after I closed the book.

Yeah, AMERICAN GODS was my first Gaiman as well, back in the day, and it's not the best to start with.

To be perfectly, 100% honest, the long form novel is not Neil's strong suit. At all.

Short stories? Amazing. Picture books and Middle Grades? Amazing. Comics? Amaaaazing.

Novels? He's...gotten better...over time.

Don't get me wrong, the ideas are brilliant, and there are some really fantastic nuggets within all of his books but the execution on the novels? Not fabulous.

I haven't actually read any of his comics (I know, for shame), but I have to agree with this about his novels. I've enjoyed all of them well enough, but they are nothing to write home about. Despite this opinion, I own a large number of them. Weird. I haven't read American Gods yet, but I imagine I will get around to it eventually.

I was introduced to Neil Gaiman by a friend who gave me a copy of "Neverwhere", his adaptation of a TV mini-series he wrote for the BBC, and I was hooked instantly. I then read his joint venture with another favorite author of mine, Terry Prachett, "Good Omens," which I also loved.

Do check out his short stories, I've read his collection, "Smoke and Mirrors," which has some great stuff in it.

His DW episode is my favorite DW episode with the possible exception of the first stone angels ep. They may tie for first place.

I was introduced to Neil Gaiman by a friend who gave me a copy of "Neverwhere", his adaptation of a TV mini-series he wrote for the BBC, and I was hooked instantly. I then read his joint venture with another favorite author of mine, Terry Prachett, "Good Omens," which I also loved.

Do check out his short stories, I've read his collection, "Smoke and Mirrors," which has some great stuff in it.

His DW episode is my favorite DW episode with the possible exception of the first stone angels ep. They may tie for first place.

Yes! His DW episode was so good!
I finally started The Sandman, and also Signal to Noise, which I absolutely loved. The art was amazing.
I'm taking a class on the history of the graphic novel, so that's mostly what I've been reading lately. The most recent was Ice Haven, which was really interesting.

Yes! His DW episode was so good!
I finally started The Sandman, and also Signal to Noise, which I absolutely loved. The art was amazing.
I'm taking a class on the history of the graphic novel, so that's mostly what I've been reading lately. The most recent was Ice Haven, which was really interesting.

I've never been a huge comic/graphic novel reader and when I tried to read the first Sandman I had a hard time being drawn in. I did like the story, and found the art beautiful, but I had a hard time reading it since I'm used to there being more words and fewer pictures in my books. :D

Just read Hunger Games yesterday. Didn't plan on reading it in a day, but alas it grabbed me.

now reading the rest of the books.

I'm currently reading Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy. Just finished the first book and started on the second. It's pretty good so far.

Just read Hunger Games yesterday. Didn't plan on reading it in a day, but alas it grabbed me.

now reading the rest of the books.

I've been trying to avoid it, because I didn't want to get suckered by the movie hype.

Worth the read, then?

If I can find the Hunger Games books in the library, I plan to read them. Meanwhile, I have already found a bunch of Pern books, so I'm enjoying a decade's worth of fantasy fluff backlog.

Meanwhile, I have already found a bunch of Pern books, so I'm enjoying a decade's worth of fantasy fluff backlog.

Oh lord, Pern. One fantasy series I always forget existed, but man, I loved those.

Just read Hunger Games yesterday. Didn't plan on reading it in a day, but alas it grabbed me.

now reading the rest of the books.

I've been trying to avoid it, because I didn't want to get suckered by the movie hype.

Worth the read, then?

yeah I'd say so. At the very least it's entertaining. I heard so much about it that I figured I'd give it a chance, and it's completely sucked me in to the point that I read the second book in a day, and I'm mostly done with the third. This is a big deal for me because I don't usually get time to read, and therefore I read slow. It usually takes me at least two weeks to finish a book.

Just read Hunger Games yesterday. Didn't plan on reading it in a day, but alas it grabbed me.

now reading the rest of the books.

I've been trying to avoid it, because I didn't want to get suckered by the movie hype.

Worth the read, then?

yeah I'd say so. At the very least it's entertaining. I heard so much about it that I figured I'd give it a chance, and it's completely sucked me in to the point that I read the second book in a day, and I'm mostly done with the third. This is a big deal for me because I don't usually get time to read, and therefore I read slow. It usually takes me at least two weeks to finish a book.

I'm convinced. Probably going to download it this weekend.

Someone has offered to lend us The Hunger Games. I'm happy, I was wanting to read it.

I just finished Terry Pratchett's "Nation". It was very sad for a lot of the time. It was definitely a Pratchett book, but so very different from Discworld. It was very, very good. Definitely one to add to the bookshelf if I see it in a charity shop sometime.

I noted a while back that I was reading Pern again. I finally gave up on the Todd McCaffrey volumes. The level of absurd retconning made me want to chuck the book at a wall, and that's bad form for a library book. He also has no sense of pacing, suspense, or plausible characterisation. Oh, and the portrayal of 13-year-olds and 16-yo-with-adult sexuality was frankly creeping me out a bit (fairness: no explicitness at all, but the existence thereof was enough for me). I gave the book back to the library without finishing it. I don't know if I've ever given up a book midway like that. I may have, but nothing's coming to mind.

I am currently reading Tempest by Julie Cross. It's pretty fun so far and reminds me of a combination of Jumper by Gould and Time Traveler's Wife.

I noted a while back that I was reading Pern again. I finally gave up on the Todd McCaffrey volumes. The level of absurd retconning made me want to chuck the book at a wall, and that's bad form for a library book. He also has no sense of pacing, suspense, or plausible characterisation. Oh, and the portrayal of 13-year-olds and 16-yo-with-adult sexuality was frankly creeping me out a bit (fairness: no explicitness at all, but the existence thereof was enough for me). I gave the book back to the library without finishing it. I don't know if I've ever given up a book midway like that. I may have, but nothing's coming to mind.

I read the first one, when he was still collaborating with his mother, thought it was mediocre, and decided not to follow his writing career any further.

The co-written ones were mediocre. The ones he wrote himself are terrible!

Finished reading all of Animorphs this weekend! The last couple books were really quite amazing. The ghost-written ones varied between "probably not ghost-written, and I can't put it down" and "this might not even be canon." But the last couple, combined with the Chronicles books, make it a really, really awesome series. Especially Visser! Oh my gosh that one was good.

So that meant I needed to start reading Hunger Games, to participate with all y'all. And I had to stop with laughter on the second page.

She put on her boots... and then her trousers. I don't care how dystopian your future is. Nobody would ever do that. I continued reading later, when I had composed myself, but come on.

Boots then pants. A new trend!

Oh my God, Mich. You're right. I never noticed that before.

... Just... wow.