What are you reading right now?

[Bob the Gunslinger]

Verdict: Meh. Too many guide interruptions, too many random names and way too disjointed, plus the ending sucked. Colfer gave it a fair go but it ain't Adams. And really, Wowbagger? Really?

Are you sure it's actually worse than HHGttG and not just a case of you getting older and looking back with rose-tinted lenses? Wowbagger doesn't really sound any worse than Zaphod Beeblebrox, as far as outlandish names go, and it doesn't make the modern reader cringe with embarrassment like Pan-Galactic Gargle-Blaster (or whatever) does. I know that I found a lot of ridiculous books/movies funny when I was in high school that I just find tedious now; is it possible that you are experiencing the same thing?

[Vendetta]

Verdict: Meh. Too many guide interruptions, too many random names and way too disjointed, plus the ending sucked. Colfer gave it a fair go but it ain't Adams. And really, Wowbagger? Really?

Are you sure it's actually worse than HHGttG and not just a case of you getting older and looking back with rose-tinted lenses? Wowbagger doesn't really sound any worse than Zaphod Beeblebrox, as far as outlandish names go, and it doesn't make the modern reader cringe with embarrassment like Pan-Galactic Gargle-Blaster (or whatever) does. I know that I found a lot of ridiculous books/movies funny when I was in high school that I just find tedious now; is it possible that you are experiencing the same thing?

Wowbagger was a character in Life, the Universe, and Everything, so he's genuine Adams. Either Dalton forgot or was unaware of that and is providing us our daily RDA of irony, or he has some unstated beef with the use of that particular character in And Another Thing...

[Dalton]

Vendetta got it right. I did not like seeing a knockoff gag character suddenly promoted to a major player riding in a ship stolen from Thor, especially since there was zero indication of that in the original text (the opposite, in fact). Colfer shoe-horned a backstory into him just to get some semblance of a plot.

[spaceviking]

I gave up on the hobbit, just can't get into it. I just finished rereading fatherland, now I'm starting Archangel.

[Steve]

Re-reading William Lee Miller's Arguing About Slavery. It's a good thing the hardcover's big, it makes it more useful for smacking around Southern apologists.

[Edi]

Finished The Accidental Sorcerer by K.E. Mills just a few days ago and am now reading Witches Incorporated. This series is prime satire.

[Surlethe]

We have been reading aloud Jesus, Interrupted by Bart Ehrman. In fact, we've been on an Ehrman spree: we finished Forged two weeks ago and we're going to start Lost Christianities tomorrow.

Short review:

To paraphrase Dawkins*, without a useful explanation for how Christianity arose, it is difficult to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist. One can, on epistemological grounds, dismiss Christianity a priori as disproven where it is not without content, but doing so without a story explaining where Christianity came from and how it developed is entirely unsatisfying. Ehrman accessibly outlines the scholarly consensus on the New Testament and early Christianity. He sometimes simply states claims and justifies them by appealing to "scholars," but more usually he provides clear examples and germane arguments. On the whole, from his books one receives a broad sketch of not only the history of the New Testament, but how Christianity itself developed from Jewish apocalypticism to the Catholic consensus of the fifth century. I highly recommend his work to anybody who wants to know more about the Bible.

*who pointed out that atheism is the only rational mindset, but prior to Darwin, without any explanation of life, it was very unsatisfying.

[weemadando]

Just read Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein on the recommendation of someone here. Great book with a REALLY sobering last 1/3.

And am starting into One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick.

[Kanastrous]

Andrew Bacevich's 'The New American Militarism.' A Vietnam-going-forward analysis of the increasing permeation of American society by what Bacevich argues is a basically un-American militarism. Like most of his books, an interesting (albeit discouraging) read.

[Guardsman Bass]

Andrew Bacevich's 'The New American Militarism.' A Vietnam-going-forward analysis of the increasing permeation of American society by what Bacevich argues is a basically un-American militarism. Like most of his books, an interesting (albeit discouraging) read.

That was my favorite Bacevich book, mostly because of the history discussed. I'm much more lukewarm on his later books.

[Dalton]

I wish my local libraries carried more paperbacks. It's impossible to find any of the Baroque Cycle books, but they have at least thirty copies of the entire fucking Twilight saga. As I try to hunt for some Asimov or something, I'm stuck reading The Silmarillion, which is like shoving jagged shards of Tolkien directly into my brain.

[Gandalf]

I'm reading You're Not Stupid! Get the Truth! by William John Cox.

Written in 2004, it's about the hilarious cock ups of the Bush administration, and the slimy gear that got him into office. It's got a few editing errors, but it's a good read. It's fascinating just how bad he was, and a testament to the Republican propaganda machine that he got re-elected.

[Guardsman Bass]

I finished The Cambridge Illustrated History of the Roman World yesterday. That was a good read, with the sections on the Roman economy and technology being particularly interesting to read.

I've got the first novel in the Witcher series on hold from the library. I'm also going to take another crack at Bart Ehrman's Forged, to see if I can finish it. My interest usually tapers off before I can.

I've been reading the e-book Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics today. It's interesting, although not as entertaining as I'd hoped for (I used to read the author's website before he took down most of the movie reviews after publishing his book).

[The Yosemite Bear]

still on george mann's affinity bridge, and lots of sir terry pratchett.....

YES, HE IS READING A LOT OF THOSE BOOKS, ESPECIALLY AFTER HE NEARLY MET ME BACK IN MAY.

[Vendetta]

I'm trying again to read A Treatise of Human Understanding, by David Hume. I got a couple of hundred pages deep last time before the 18th century english and the seemingly random placement of commas broke my head.

It's not even like the subject matter is that taxing, after reading other more modern philosophy of consciousness.

It's taken the best part of six months to slog through, but I finally finished this.

I've also read about 10 other books in the meantime, of course, including Sean Carroll's From Eternity to Here (which I heartily reccommend, it has one of the best explanations to the layman of quantum mechanics I've read).

I've also read the new China Mieville book Embassytown, which I rate enormously. I enjoyed it even more than The Scar.

Now off to binge on Charles Stross for a bit, shall reread the first three Merchant Princes books then pick up the other three, and reread Halting State in time for Rule 34.

[weemadando]

I hate to say it but be prepared to be bummed out by the Merchant Princes' conclusion.

Not that it isn't in keeping with the characters or anything. Its just, annoying.

[Darth Yan]

The Dresden Files: Changes. It's pretty gripping, since you genuinely worry about whether or not the hero will make it to chichen itza in time to save his daughter from being sacrificed. the climax is awesome and the death of the love interest is genuinely gut wrenching

and i actually had no problem with the silmarrillion. then again i am really into that kind of crap.

[wautd]

Fallen Angels (Horus Heresy). It's excellent so far (somewhat half way the novel), especially compared to the prequel which had little to do with the HH.

[U-95]

I've ended the first book of Turtledove's Worldwar saga: In the balance and hope I'll start soon with the second one (Tilting the Balance).
I've loved how those alien lizard-like invaders pummel with technology not very different of the current one what were state-of-the-art war machines (Soviet T-34s, German Panzers...) in the first years of WWII

[Kanastrous]

Adrian Goldsworthy's How Rome Fell. I've long been kind of blank on the period shading from the end of the Western Empire into the early medieval period, and this is a nice detailed history charting the +/- first -> fourth century decline.

[Dalton]

Started on Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, and next up is - god help me - The Lost Symbol.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

I've ended the first book of Turtledove's Worldwar saga: In the balance and hope I'll start soon with the second one (Tilting the Balance).
I've loved how those alien lizard-like invaders pummel with technology not very different of the current one what were state-of-the-art war machines (Soviet T-34s, German Panzers...) in the first years of WWII

My advice is that you stop reading after book 4. The series just isn't as good after that, although the last 3 books at least avoid retroactively killing the first books like the later Foundation books killed the original trilogy.

Started on Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, and next up is - god help me - The Lost Symbol.

So it goes.

[Guardsman Bass]

The Lost Symbol is incredibly awful, far worse than The Da Vinci Code (which is saying something). At least The Da Vinci Code could be an interesting page-turner. The Lost Symbol is a page-turner only in the sense that you want the damn thing to end.

[Darth Tanner]

Just starting The Unsuspecting Mage as it was free on my kindle. Not very impressed, it portrays a modern day teenager who suddenly gets magical powers and he is almost not at all interested or amazed by this fact! The characters are flat and uninteresting and the main character is so stupid and immature I want to smack him about. Will probably read to the end but seriously doubt I'll buy the other books in the series (I imagine getting me to do so is the main reason this one was made free)
I also note the author has serious problems in portraying a realistic 18 year old, making him talk like a 40 year old theatre lover while being acting like a toddler.

Making a magic system based on children’s poems is also aggravating.

[U-95]

I've ended the first book of Turtledove's Worldwar saga: In the balance and hope I'll start soon with the second one (Tilting the Balance).
I've loved how those alien lizard-like invaders pummel with technology not very different of the current one what were state-of-the-art war machines (Soviet T-34s, German Panzers...) in the first years of WWII

My advice is that you stop reading after book 4. The series just isn't as good after that, although the last 3 books at least avoid retroactively killing the first books like the later Foundation books killed the original trilogy.

Started on Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, and next up is - god help me - The Lost Symbol.

So it goes.

Noted, thanks.