Whats everyone reading?

[Spaceghost]

Just finished Pandora's Star by Peter F Hamilton. It took a looooooooong time to really draw me in but the last third was dynamite. Looking forward to reading the second part, Judas Unchained.

Now I've just started Hyperion by Dan Simmons. It's a bit of a SF classic apparently and it's certainly started off well. Hopefully I'll get chance to make a dent in it whilst I recline in a static caravan on a campsite in Ayr all next week.

[House of Usher]

I've been reading the first few chapters of War of the Worlds again to refresh my memory of the narrator's comings and goings to his home after the first cylinder lands, and where the hammering noises from the pit fit in regarding the first appearance of the heat ray and subsequently the arrival of the army on the scene.

[Richmond Clements]

Now I've just started Hyperion by Dan Simmons. It's a bit of a SF classic apparently and it's certainly started off well.

Love that book- and the sequels.

Finished A Clash of Kings, which was every bit as magnificent as the first book.
Also read Stewart Lee's book, which I'd recommend to anyone interested in comedy or writing in general.

[Jared Katooie]

The last Starship by Michael Carroll. I think the target audience is young teens, but what the hell.

I've also started the most recent House of Mystery series. I was thumbing through the first GN in Easons when I came across an incredibly grotesque image, which motivated me to check out the series in greater detail. Despite the fact that Bill Willingham has let me down twice now (with Fables and Jack of Fables).

[kossori]

Here's what I ordered for October.
http://reprep.blogspot.com/2010/08/comics-order-for-october.html

I've decided to get 2000 AD and the MEGAZINE through Clickwheel so they're not listed here.
And... the FABLES isn't for me- it's for a friend. DCBS had #100 at half-off.

A lot of these books I'm trying out for the first time. You'll also notice a bunch are 1st issues. I'm going to try to do 12 books a month. This may drop down to 10 if it interferes with my reading 2000 AD.

I'm going into this with only three titles already being purchased- LEGION, ADVENTURE COMICS and DOOM PATROL. So I had a lot of space to fill.

[SpongeJosh]

Finish reading Asimov's Foundation and just started reading Foundation and Empire.

Foundation in my opinion jumps a bit in story telling but that could just be me reading it in my dinner half hour, should really read it again but Foundation and Empire "sort of" sums the first book up in the first few pages, so all is good.

Foundation's a good read and good incite into how Sci-Fi was written in to early 50's but when you read it you would think it was written in the 70's.

But hey that's just my opinion.

[BPP]

Books
Just finished - The land of green plumbs by herta muller - life under Ceausescu - sorta an extreme torture-Kafka and pretty unreadable despite excellent prose.

Just started - American Tabloid by James Ellroy. Bit of light relief after the above.

Comics -

just finished Fluorscent Black in Heavy Metal. Nathan Fox would be a good prog artist. Writing was a bit confused and the traditional 'wtf happened when this last appeared last year' problem with Heavy Metal'. Nay bad.

Just Started - nowt. Waiting for Mega City Masters to appear.

[I, Cosh]

Among other holiday reading, I've recently knocked back Right Ho, Jeeves. My first exposure to Wodehouse and a very pleasant experience it was too. It takes a lot of work to make something seem so effortless. I was particularly tickled by the names and still grin whenever I think of Pongo Twistleton's birthday bash.

Today, I set about the task of rereading Tour of Duty. Wanting to get a bit of perspective, I initially thought that the Mutant Camp 5 story would be the place to start and I was rather surprised to find this was over three years old. Where does the time go? Furthermore, it followed on from the first Fargo Clan vist. In the end, I decided just to go right back to Origins and I'm now up to Under New Management. Having very recently read the stories establishing PJ's return to the MC1, I decided to incorporate a Meg detour to pick up the first Beeny stories from the Meg. It's a worthwhile endeavour, but I feel slightly lightheaded now.

[TordelBack]

Foundation in my opinion jumps a bit in story telling but that could just be me reading it in my dinner half hour,

The problem with Foundation as a 'novel' is that it was originally  a series of five short stories - happily they are all great stories, but they do feel disjointed (even allowing for the depths of time described).  The next two books are composed of two novellas each, and flow much better as a result.  After that, well, it's each to their own.  Funnily enough I enjoy the Foundation books more the more time they cover - the real joy of the idea is the vast scope of Seldon's plan, and I get frustrated when things slow down to 'character pace' for whole novels, and when eventually [spoiler]the whole thing is cut short by millennia.[/spoiler] 

[Daveycandlish]

I've recently knocked back Right Ho, Jeeves. My first exposure to Wodehouse and a very pleasant experience it was too. It takes a lot of work to make something seem so effortless. I was particularly tickled by the names and still grin whenever I think of Pongo Twistleton's birthday bash.

Wodehouse was a genius. If you liked Jeeves, try his golfing short stories (The Clicking of Cuthbert, etc). You don't need to like the sport to enjoy these silly ass tales from a time I'm sure never really existed.


I've just bought the MegaCity Undercover collection to plough through, along with the biography of Compton Mackenzie, probably best known as the writer of Whisky Galore, he was also a child prodigy, a master spy during the First World War, a satirist who was prosecuted under the Officials Secret Act, one of the first TV stars and a champion of Scottish Nationalism - the man had such an interesting life!

[TordelBack]

...along with the biography of Compton Mackenzie, probably best known as the writer of Whisky Galore, he was also a child prodigy, a master spy during the First World War, a satirist who was prosecuted under the Officials Secret Act, one of the first TV stars and a champion of Scottish Nationalism - the man had such an interesting life!

That's my Dad's Christmas present sorted early, cheers Davey.  If you haven't read Mackenzies' Gallipoli Memories, an account of his  days in the Turkish theatre from a Military Intelligence perspective,  I highly recommend it - although it'll probably reduce you to abject misery as he records one completely avoidable cock-up after another, as thousands upon thousands die pointlessly on the beaches.  My Dad lost two uncles at Gallipoli, and Mackenzie brings home how utterly unnecessary this was.

[Colin YNWA]

Just in case anybody interested hasn't read it Les Carlyon account 'Gallipoli' is brillant.

[Mike Carroll]

The last Starship by Michael Carroll. I think the target audience is young teens, but what the hell.

Wow... There's one from the vaults! Where'd you dig that one up, Jared? Scary thought: kids of the original intended age group for The Last Starship are now thirty years old.

I haven't read it in years, so I've no idea if it's any good. I suspect that it's not... It was written before I knew how to write (actually, that's probably true for all of my other books too).

-- Mike

[I, Cosh]

Today, I set about the task of rereading Tour of Duty... In the end, I decided to start back at Origins ... It's a worthwhile endeavour, but I feel slightly lightheaded now.

Finished my reread today and now I can't stop seeing connections and possibilities everywhere. Possible thread to follow.

[Roger Godpleton]

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. This is one arsom book.