What are you reading?

Vampire_Hunter_Bob said:
Question for all of you book worms, what would you say is the number of books you read in a year?

From the cover to cover? It was twelve books, 3 years ago. This included "The Collected Stories" anthology of Alexander Pushkin, Antonio Gramsci's "Selected Writings", "Professor Dowell's Head" by Alexander Beliaev, "The Mongol Art of War" by Timothy May, "Anglo-Norman Warfare" by Matthew Strickland, "On War" by Clausewitz, Jeffrey Lockwood's "Six-legged Soldiers", Joseph Conrad's "Nostromo" and Daniel Defoe's "A Journal of the Plague Year."
Unfortunately I've only had read four books so far this year, from the beginning to end. And one of them included "A Self-Instruction Music Theory Course" by Sandy Feldstein :farnese:
 

Walter

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Probably 2-4 for me normally. But more this year, probably 10, because I've been hooked on getting books on kindle. I go through those like a California brush fire.

The pace at which I read is based mostly on having a steady flow of books that interest me. I'm a tough sell. These days I shop for new books before I jump in. I'll read previews of a dozen books or so before finding one to settle into.

I read enough literary books in college, so I prefer book reading in my free time to be entertaining above all. I tend to stick to scifi for those purposes. But I also enjoy biographies, as long as they're insightful and not merely a timeline of events in prose.
 

Vampire_Hunter_Bob

Cats are great
I've read 7 books so far, which is pretty good considering I normally stop at around 5 in a year. I've read more, but haven't kept a good record of what I've read, so I'm probably around 10 books this year.
 

Aazealh

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Vampire_Hunter_Bob said:
Question for all of you book worms, what would you say is the number of books you read in a year?

Good question. I guess around 10 a year on average over the past 5 years. I usually only read while commuting.
 
I read a lot of books when I was in my teens, now I don't have that much free time, so I only read in the bus on my way to work. So it its 5-10 books a year I think. But in 2011 I read 10-12 books somehow, R.R. Martin's got me hooked. :guts:
 
I don't read as much as I'd like to but I guess I've read 4 or 5 books this year. Just like Aaz I also mostly read while commuting, the exception being what I'm reading now which I've only read at home.

Right now I'm reading the fourth of five The Walking Dead books I have at home. Walter has spoken so highly of the series I thought I'd give it a shot. Once I started reading them I have had a hard time stopping. Today alone I've read two books (which in retrospect may not be the best way to make the most of the experience) and I have to say I can definitely see why Walter speaks of the series the way he does.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
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I grabbed some manga today. Those two on the side are new series from Darkhorse from the artists of Trigun and Hellsing. Of course that's Volume 2 of the giant Viz editions of Vagabond. Unfortunately they didn't have the first one but I have read the first two books in the past. Can anyone tell me if it's cool to pick up from here? I think I'm basically skipping book three. It's not ideal but I can still make sense of the story right?
 
I try, yet fail, to read a book a month. I'll probably be close to finishing 15 this year, mostly because Game of Thrones made me read the whole series.

I started reading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It's one of the funniest stories I've ever read.
 
Oburi said:
I grabbed some manga today. Those two on the side are new series from Darkhorse from the artists of Trigun and Hellsing. Of course that's Volume 2 of the giant Viz editions of Vagabond. Unfortunately they didn't have the first one but I have read the first two books in the past. Can anyone tell me if it's cool to pick up from here? I think I'm basically skipping book three. It's not ideal but I can still make sense of the story right?
I'm gonna say no if you're asking about skipping the vizbig version of volume 3 because it has the Inshun arc which is pretty important in Musashi's path. By the way, Drifters is just 'ok', I'm past volume 1 in terms of story and used to follow it, before I got strapped for time.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
IncantatioN said:
I'm gonna say no if you're asking about skipping the vizbig version of volume 3 because it has the Inshun arc which is pretty important in Musashi's path. By the way, Drifters is just 'ok', I'm past volume 1 in terms of story and used to follow it, before I got strapped for time.

No you misunderstand. I mean since these big editions contain 3 volumes in one (right?) and I've only just grabbed this big book two, technically I haven't read volume 3 of the regular editions. That's not a big deal right? I can read the synopsis and go back eventually.
 
You can do that with virtually all volumes if you want to. It's completely up to you man and your reading style/ preference(s). Series that have good story telling make it hard to grasp 'everything' that happened in a volume from reading a short synopsis at the beginning of a subsequent release. I'll just say, like Berserk, the manga has no filler episodes.
 

Walter

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Oburi said:
technically I haven't read volume 3 of the regular editions. That's not a big deal right? I can read the synopsis and go back eventually.
Volume 3 has Musashi's first big duel. Up to you.
 
Walter said:
I know that the first book came out in 2007, and the second book just came out this year. Does that mean I have to wait 4+ years for the third? :judo: I guess I'll pace myself.

Yeah. The entire trilogy was done being written when the first book was released (and the 2nd book had like 4 release dates, spanning 2 years). So they're really just taking a LONG time to edit, but the amount of polish on the 2nd book is amazing. I think it makes the wait for the 3rd more bearable.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Oburi said:
Of course that's Volume 2 of the giant Viz editions of Vagabond. Unfortunately they didn't have the first one but I have read the first two books in the past. Can anyone tell me if it's cool to pick up from here? I think I'm basically skipping book three. It's not ideal but I can still make sense of the story right?

Yeah, at that point you can probably just dive in to what you've got without messing up the big picture too much. Obviously, I recommend catching up on volume 3 ASAP, especially before volume 9 (last volume of the next VIZBIG), but you're OK for the moment and will be able to determine yourself how urgent it is for you to catch up.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
I finished reading The Silmarillion and have started reading Dune. I last read the Dune Chronicles when I was in junior high, but I've read the first novel a number of times. I'm excited to read the series now that I'm an adult and have a greater understanding of the world.

By the way, the Litany Against Fear is one of my favorite portions of the book. I want to say I used it as an example of poetry in fiction back when I was in grade school.
 

Walter

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Rhombaad said:
I'm excited to read the series now that I'm an adult and have a greater understanding of the world.
It is fantastic. It's become one of my favorite books. Easily favorite sci-fi.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
Walter said:
It is fantastic. It's become one of my favorite books. Easily favorite sci-fi.

I'm just bummed that Herbert passed away before he could finish the series. From what I remember, Chapterhouse: Dune ends on a major cliffhanger. I've heard the way his son and Kevin J. Anderson wrapped up the series isn't that great, which is disappointing.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Rhombaad said:
I'm just bummed that Herbert passed away before he could finish the series.

Aren't we all. I was seriously depressed when I got to the end of the series back in the day, knowing that I'd never know the end. Yet I'll never read Brian's gross sequels.

Rhombaad said:
From what I remember, Chapterhouse: Dune ends on a major cliffhanger.

It does.
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
Aazealh said:
Aren't we all. I was seriously depressed when I got to the end of the series back in the day, knowing that I'd never know the end. Yet I'll never read Brian's gross sequels.

Nor will I. I've read the summaries of them on Wikipedia, and even those turned my stomach.
 
I went and bought Dune because of all the praise you guys give it. I remember watching the movie when i was small, fortunately i don't remember any details that will spoil me the book.
Aazealh said:
Aren't we all. I was seriously depressed when I got to the end of the series back in the day, knowing that I'd never know the end. Yet I'll never read Brian's gross sequels.
It's sad to know that the series will never be completed by Frank Herbert, but can i ask you why you won't read the sequels?

I have to admit that this comment on wikipedia looks kind of fishy...
Beginning in 1999, his son Brian Herbert and science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson have published a number of prequel novels, as well as two which complete the original Dune series — Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007) — partially based on Frank Herbert's notes discovered a decade after his death.
Yeah, discovered a decade after his death ... i don't know.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Joe Chip said:
It's sad to know that the series will never be completed, but can i ask you why you won't read the sequels?

Kevin J. Anderson is a hack that specializes in this kind of shit (guy released a sequel to van Vogt's Slan), and Brian Herbert looks like the average opportunist looking to make an easy buck. I know myself well enough to be absolutely certain that I would despise these sequels, and so I'd rather not waste my time with them, nor give these guys my money.
 
Aazealh said:
Kevin J. Anderson is a hack that specializes in this kind of shit (guy released a sequel to van Vogt's Slan), and Brian Herbert looks like the average opportunist looking to make an easy buck. I know myself well enough to be absolutely certain that I would despise these sequels, and so I'd rather not waste my time with them, nor give these guys my money.
I see, thank you for clearing this up. At first i thought about reading the sequels but now you convinced me not to. Anyway i'm still looking forward to reading this book judging from all the previous comments it must be a very good.
I remember reading about a Slan sequel but i didn't know it wasn't written from A. E. Vogt. It's good that i didn't buy it in the end. I enjoyed Slan a lot. I remember thinking that if Miura has named a character after this book, it must be good :)
Other books that i recently read are George Martin's 4th book and Babel-17 from Samuel R. Delany (halfway through this one).
 
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