The B&B Book Review - The Bear and Badger

stormyskiesahead

@google: You're right of course. I was young and naive when I started on GotM.

I began a fresh read through of the entire series after I'd finished The Crippled God, just about to start Toll the Hounds :)

EvilRedEye

Today's Kindle Deal sounds FUCKING GREAT.

Putting Alice Back Together

Alice's friends think she is happy and her life is amazing. Except her
job was great 10 years ago, the sexiest guy alive doesn't want her, her
credit card bills are mounting up and she has a secret. A secret so big
she can't tell anyone, even when everything starts to fall apart.

Ian

Reading the description on Amazon for the First Law books makes them sound like the most hackneyed fantasy nonsense ever. Are they really that good?

There's been a spate of books released recently about the Bletchley Park WWII code breaking efforts, which tell brilliant stories if you're not afraid of maths.

I_R

Ian said:
Reading the description on Amazon for the First Law books makes them sound like the most hackneyed fantasy nonsense ever. Are they really that good?

They're a good read, certainly better than a lot of the genre, not the second coming that sometimes gets suggested.

MattyJ

Started The Gunslinger, the first of King's Dark Tower books. Really good, enjoying it a lot.

tigersgogrrr

EvilRedEye said:
Today's Kindle Deal sounds FUCKING GREAT.
Putting Alice Back Together

Alice's friends think she is happy and her life is amazing. Except her
job was great 10 years ago, the sexiest guy alive doesn't want her, her
credit card bills are mounting up and she has a secret. A secret so big
she can't tell anyone, even when everything starts to fall apart.

At first I thought this was going to be some unheard of later-life story where Alice of Wonderland fame tries to live as functional adult life after the peculiarities of her youth. If only!

Just polishing off Embassytown myself. Very good for the most part, though I feel like it lost it's way somewhat in the second quarter. The opening scene and world setting was excellent, but it got a tad bogged down in the simile "stuff" before sparking back into life and the second half has been fantastic.

Mieville's use of language has been pretty out there at times and I fancy something a little lighter after this. Good Omens is a good 'un, then? Any other recommendations for short-ish fantasy novels? Preferably not high fantasy.

Unlikely

Another day, another le CarrÃ© - Absolute Friends. Might manage to finish it tonight, but I'm sort of reluctant to because he has a habit of being rather mean to one or more key character at the end of his books. Tailor of Panama is next.

afgavinstan

Reading the Steve Jobs biography as I'm a yuppie badger fuck.

I'm not really, I just like him.

Unlikely

[spoiler]He dies at the end.[/spoiler]

afgavinstan

FFS MATE

Bollockoff

I CAN'T RE-HIDE THE SPOILER ONCE REVEALED HELP HELP HELP

afgavinstan

Where's the 'report' button for that book-ruining arsefag?
Oh..

Brooks

Le CarrÃ©'s pitilessness is a key draw. Plus he writes, y'know, exceptionally well. Really pulling the stops out on Perfect Spy, the one I'm on.

Unlikely

Brooks said:
Plus he writes, y'know, exceptionally well.

Yar. I'm kind of glad I've discovered him relatively late on, as it means I've a sheer fuckload of material to get through. Despite the attention, Tinker Tailor's actually been the least gripping of the ones I've read. Highlights were The Little Drummer Girl and The Constant Gardener, but I've rather a lot still to read.

google

Ian said:
Reading the description on Amazon for the First Law books makes them sound like the most hackneyed fantasy nonsense ever. Are they really that good?

They are. They share a lot in common with Martin's series. However they're nowhere near as crude. They're a lot more humorous with a bit more distinction between the characters. Everyone is not a different shade of grey.

Aaroncupboard

I also found that Joe Abercrombie created some brilliant characters that I loved to read. Especially Sands dan Glokta. I could read him all day.

There was also a fantastic sense of irony throughout the whole trilogy.

I also started The Last Werewolf today and twilight it is not! It reminds me of Interview with a Vampire in general style. His use of language is brilliant and it does a good job of showing a human trying to deal with the animalistic tendancies (hunger, sex etc.).

WorKid

Currently reading Stardust by Neil Gaiman.

The Daddy

MattyJ said:
Started The Gunslinger, the first of King's Dark Tower books. Really good, enjoying it a lot.

Good call. Got that sitting in my 'To Read' pile, think I might shift it up to the top.

beano

edit: mad error on posting- ate most of the post- full post follows....

beano

Reading:

Slavov Zizek: End of Times (Philosophy) - A meaty look at society and attributing denial, bargaining, acceptance and all the stuff in between. Truly thought provoking. So we're in the bargaining stage if I read the text correctly, bailing out the banks etc. There is a docu called Zizek, he is quite fascinating. You can find it on youtube.

Iain Banks: Culture Shock (SciFi) - Fast paced quite buky had it for a year ot only goes with me on flights or long journeys, essentially when I have the space to carry it about. I have tried reading the digi copy on palm sized devices but I don't think I will get into ebooks until I get a proper ebook reader. Though genuinely a brilliant bit of literature.

Someguy: The Disapearing Spoon (Physics) - Just started it. Quite engaging. All about the periodic table. Opening chapter removes all the elements from the rable and says, look at this castle with a landing strip beneath it.

Someotherguy: Everything Bad is good for you (Culture) - Hmm read part one of this and got genuinely pissed of with the smeg head. Don't recommend it. Essentially says since Hill Street Blues, where story arcs first got complicated the brain is becoming more active or something. I had a few gripes with it. Reg will love it though. Not for me.

Finished recently:

A bloke: 13 Things that don't make sense (Science) - Everything from dark matter via cold fusion to sex. Really good. Many questions raised by it. One for the brave or the bored.

I don't get much time to read recreationally. And I like distractions. Books are like any media to me, I like lots. That usually means I have lots of unfinished things lying around. My life, I actually fear getting an ebook reader.

Unlikely

beano said:
Iain Banks: Culture Shock (SciFi)

??

The Daddy

Unlikely said:

beano said:
Iain Banks: Culture Shock (SciFi)
??

As above. What's culture shock?

Tempy

From the books I saw in his flat he's reading either Surface Detail or Matter.
[/stalker]

beano

Oh fuck yeah- not Culture Shock- Surface Detail :P

I was tireder than I though I was last night!

Now what the fuck is culture shock?

Unlikely

Being hit in the face with by a theatre.

beano

I think it had something to do with Surface Detail being dubbed a culture novel which was a shock or something. However I'd quite like to be hit in face with a theatre. Hang aboot, what's Tempy doing in my flat :o?

Matter, I forgot that's on my backlog.

Tempy

beano said:
Hang aboot, what's Tempy doing in my flat :o?

in yr loft drinkin yr coffee

Aaroncupboard

So I managed to finish The Woman in Black last night. What an incredible ending. I knew it was coming, having seen the play, but it still had a big impact.

The book was fantastic, pretty creepy and the story is just teased throughout. Loved it.

beano

Tempy said:

beano said:
Hang aboot, what's Tempy doing in my flat :o?

in yr loft drinkin yr coffee

That's what the patter is! It's a Tempy!

humantarget

I don't want to seem as if I've gone all high brow, but I'm currently reading Kevin Smith - Tough Shit: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good.

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