I split the reading up into sections, I would power out 100 pages a night before bed then I listened to the audiobook on my drive to work. Even doing that it still took me a good month or two to finish it. It’s a good book, but I really think an abridged version would not hurt as Tolstoy rambles on about the most minute of details often in the book. Halfway through the book I was a little tired of the borish french speaking nobles and their ridiculously stupid attitudes. There has to be at least 100 tea parties in that book, I’m not even joking. Some of the perspectives and how history has changed our views on what is attractive in women was also pretty funny. The women who were described as attractive where described as delicate and plump and there is even one female mentioned who had an “adorable fine feminine mustache.” As far as classic books go I think everyone should read it if they have a chance, but I would definitely think about an audiobook because it’s SO LONG. It could just be the Russian version of storytelling, as every Russian book I have ever read just drags on and on. I also read The wheel of time, which IMO was much more punishing and seemed even longer.
I probably won’t be reading anything that long for a while. Right now I am reading “Robert E. Lee on Leadership: Executive Lessons on Character, Courage and Vision.” I will probably finish the book tonight. I will say reading this book really showed me what it took to lead men in the times before corporate power structures. I can also say that I feel that reading this book has helped me understand how to better command a group of people. He was by no means a perfect man, but I have enjoyed reading the book.
I will follow this up with “Cigars, Whiskey and Winning: Leadership Lessons from General Ulysses S. Grant.” That way I get the perspectives of the generals of both sides of the Civil war. I intend to follow that up with “Wedge: From Pearl Harbor to 9/11: How the Secret War between the FBI and CIA Has Endangered National Security.”
I definitely also have trouble getting through the Russian classics. Failed a couple of times.
Just got through ‘Lanark’, this Scottish classic. It’s a fat one, but I gotta say it was really good.
Half ideological ideas about the downfall of our modern society (worked into the story as a weird 1984 dimension), and half autobiographic / coming to age, but it’s all cooked into one seemless whole.
(had trouble with some of the descriptions of the more weirder environments - but that’s probably cause I’m not a native speaker)
finally doing my nerdy due diligence (and putting off rereading song of ice and fire) and reading lotr. disappointed I didn’t do this a while ago cause I can’t help but picture the characters as they appear in the films, and because I keep meeting 20 year olds who seem to have read it years ago.
I had a girlfriend who read the books first and reckoned the movies were better which was the first time I’ve ever heard that about any book to movie or film adaption. She wasn’t much of a fan of the songs but I quite like them. Tom Bombaill OH
I finished California by Elan P or whatever last week. It was interesting. Did not expect a dystopian setting for the book, but that’s what I got. It seems a lot of contemporary books that are receiving praise have to do with some dystopian future. Not that I mind it, but I can definitely use something different.
Started Confederacy of Dunces yesterday. About 70 pages in and it’s pretty funny. Trying to finish this one quickly so I can move on to The Luminaries for my trip to Europe.
Uh, I have read A Feast Unknown and it’s among Farmer’s best works. One of the most insane, unique, and awesome pulp books ever written, with a heavy dose of science fiction and fantasy. I encourage everyone to read it.
If you thought it was “awful shit every bit as bad as The Left Hand of Darkness”, you probably enjoyed The Feminist Mystique more than Die Hard. Oh well, can’t account for bizarre taste.
Focus-
Been writing reviews of every single book I have read for the past 10 months.
I enjoyed reading the LotR series back in high school. It was our summer book assignment and we had to write a diary as if we were part of Bilbo’s crew. I was a night elft assassin tracking down that shorty. It was hype.
Name-dropping “The Feminist Mystique” (sic), and the thing about Tor books in your 2nd review there, are you perhaps hoping for some sort of feminist/anti-feminist argument? I get that that’s a thing in SF circles right now. Not something I care about though.
Weirdly, I can tell from our disagreement that we probably do like a great many authors in common. Have you read any Avram Davidson? Alistair Reynolds?
Not at all. Don’t know if you read my linked review, but I don’t consider The Left Hand of Darkness feminist, let alone why the book was so lousy. Tor Books’ bloc voting has nothing to do with feminism, either. As for The Feminist Mystique, I could just as easily have chosen Finnegan’s Wake, but I didn’t know whether the reference would have been as clear.
Thanks for mentioning the two; I haven’t heard of either. I’m trying to find more science fiction writers new to me (presently working on a Frederik Pohl book, who is also very good), since I’ve had an excellent success rate thus far. So far, Robert Sheckley has been my favorite, although Harry Harrison, Philip K Dick, and Stanislaw Lem aren’t far behind.
The only one I truly regret reading was Murray Leinster. He fucking sucked.
The only TOR books I read was the Sword of Truth, that series gets weird, very Ayn Randy, and a little too rapey for my tastes. I felt like rape occurs so much and so brutally that the main villain just includes it in his plans.
heard the same thing (the ayn rand bit) about the books after stone of tears so I just stopped there. thankfully both books wrap up with no cliffhangers as far as I can remember so its not hard to call it quits.
Heh, Terry Goodkind and Orson Scott Card are the only two current TOR writers whose views can be described as anything resembling “conservative”. They are also their two biggest money-makers in addition to Halo tie-ins and the rights to Dune.
Speaking of which, here is a video about what occurred in the office of Tor big-shot editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden a couple of weeks ago;
The Boy Detective Fails by Joe Meno. During his childhood, Billy would solve mysteries with his younger sister Caroline. Ever since the two grew up and moved away from each other, the sense of joy the two shared is gone and Caroline commits suicide as a result. Billy suffers from depression now that his sister is gone and deals with life in general and trying to solve another case.
Story is very whimsical, really unique group of characters and situations. Author plays with the whole mystery angle by hiding another story in the pages of the book, but it has to be decoded.
The payoff for reading the books come at the end, but I really didn’t think it was worth it. The first two books were pretty good, then the 6th book “Faith of the Fallen” was fucking glorious, then everything after and inbetween pretty much sucked. I won’t spoil the ending, but after than many books the payoff just wasn’t all that great IMO. I kind of got tired of Richard pulls some shit out of his ass because reasons (War Wizard!) and saves the day. Faith of the fallen should have been the next to last book, then they should have wrapped it up and had the glorious finale in book 7. They just came out with a new story about that takes place after the original series, and I am not going to buy or read it unless someone gives it to me. I am not giving Goodkind another cent.
I know not many people on this site give a shit about history/social studies books, but have any of you read Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond? I thought it was boring as shit when it was assigned reading in high school so I thought I’d give it another go.
I’m on page 90 and this shit is bad for different reasons. The author is a biologist (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing) and not a historian, and he admits that he doesn’t have collegiate degrees in linguistics, history, etc. Everytime he writes about historical peoples, he uses incorrect assumptions and knowledge gained from what seems like High School History class. He also never leaves a footnote or citation as to where he gets his numbers from. He sounds like a biased postmodernist that insists on assigning labels to the various groups and historical figures in the book. Not to mention using “I” every page.
Sorry to sound like some dumb Amazon user review but I am disappointed after all the hype surrounding this book.
