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Post by Solana on Apr 23, 2012 23:13:57 GMT -5
We might need that study group after all, Anon. Some of my former peeps and I from the bookstore are studying Latin. ;D I'm enjoying it, and what's interesting is that my years of Spanish are helping AND hurting me. Many of the roots are the same, but pronouncing the double-l's compared to the 'y' sound in Spanish is taking some getting used to, as well as word order and the neuter form of nouns compared to just masculine or feminine, but it's coming along. I think it'll come in handy with the ecology/biology work. What's crazy-awesome is I picked up the book we're using years ago when running the foreign language section.
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Post by Rune Lai on May 4, 2012 19:37:23 GMT -5
Reading The Edge of the World by Kevin J. Anderson, first in the Terra Incognita books. Very epic without demonizing either side of the conflict. I like that it's a war about religion, but both sides are fairly represented and characters are across the spectrum from zealots to token faithful. I also really like that the leaders of both sides of the conflict really do try to avoid war as much as possible until circumstances beyond their control force the war to happen.
There isn't a third party manipulating things from the sidelines. The actions of the main characters on both sides feels justified given what they know even though as the reader who sees both sides you get this feeling of dread because you don't want either side to be hurt.
There's just one character who bothers me because he's not very sympathetic and he has not demonstrated a capacity to change. Oddly enough, I really look forward to reading his chapters even though he's a murderer, a bigot, and a liar. But I feel like him meeting a bad end will just be underwhelming because he's such a lousy person that it would be expected.
I want this bastard to wake up and smell the roses, realize what terrible things he's done, because he believes he's a hero, and for some perserve reason I want him to realize what it really means to be one and then do it. The guy has an amazing well of inner strength and faith in himself and his god. He's like a misaimed cannon, and I want him to point in a better direction.
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Post by DarkKnight on May 6, 2012 16:00:08 GMT -5
I'm reading The Desert of Souls by Howard A. Jones, a sword and sorcery adventure story set during the reign of Haroun El-Rashid, caliph of Baghdad during the 8th century. It's a good read so far, and I'm a huge fan of the adventure genre.
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Post by Solana on May 23, 2012 19:39:47 GMT -5
I've been re-reading Tamora Pierce books for the past few weeks. I heard from a friend that she's coming back to MN for Con-vergence in July! ;D ;D ;D ;D The question is, which book(s) to be signed this time? Aryn- Are you going to be squealing again? Solana- Does jumping up and down in a parking lot screeching "She's coming back! She's coming back!" count? Aryn- Close enough.
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Post by Anon Mous on May 31, 2012 23:27:31 GMT -5
Well, here's something interesting. Anon has something relevant to post in this thread. Okay, it's no big secret that I don't read a lot of books, but I did pick up two books today, the first of which I will be starting tonight.
Le Morte d'Arthur, a compilation of all 21 books chronicling his interpretation of King Arthur, Guenever, Lancelot, and the other ladies and knights of the round table. I just wish there were more compilations of Arthurian legends.
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Post by Anon Mous on Jun 1, 2012 10:21:34 GMT -5
And it's good. A little difficult to read because of the flowery Arthurian style, but it's a good read.
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Post by Rune Lai on Jun 18, 2012 18:54:09 GMT -5
Read Spice and Wolf Vol. 4 (I wish the novels had subtitles so they didn't get confused with the manga volumes) which was not animated as part of the TV series. It takes place in between the two story arcs of the second season, which covers books 3 and 5, and it was a solid romp.
I'm not sure why they went for book 5 instead of 4 for the second half of the anime series, because book 4 is certainly not subpar, but I suppose it's because Holo and Lawrence's relationship is still very tentative. I haven't read book 5 yet, but the second half of the second season shows their relationship has progressed to the point they're comfortably flirting with each other.
Lawrence gives a little more in book 4, and he recognizes he's not the same person he used to be, but he's still awkward when trying to handle Holo.
Book 4 has a bit more "lore". Holo and Lawrence get tangled up as scapegoats in a squabble between a farming village and the town that buys its wheat, and the argument between them goes deeper than economics. It's a nice story involving how to resolve one's religious faith when confronted with something that only exists according to a conflicting religion.
The message and the resolution are surprisingly positive.
After finishing that yesterday, I rolled on to Map of All Things by Kevin J. Anderson, which is book 2 in the Terra Incognita series. Unlike the previous book, there haven't been any large time skips and I'm halfway through (I read fast). All the surviving viewpoints characters come back, and there are a couple new ones.
The tension is different though. In the previous volume I was worried about a lot of characters because I could see what was going to happen to them in the build up to the war. But now the war has already started so there's no risk of their peaceful lives being destroyed. They're already ruined so I paradoxically worry less.
Considering that Spice and Wolf Vol 4. had dealt with religious conflict, it's kind of interesting reading it back to back with Map of All Things. Of coarse, Map of All Things is a bloody religious war, whereas Spice and Wolf was having a spat between a village and the town of its feudal lord.
My favorite religious zealot is back, though he's not fully up to form. I think his vitrol is much reduced now that he's returned to his countrymen where he's more of a fiery preacher than the crazy mass murdering assassin he was in the first book. I still haven't forgotten everything that he did though, and I'm expecting/hoping he'll break at some point, but it won't be at the current point I am in the story since he's on a boat with his countrymen looking for the lost continent (and holy land) of Terravitae.
Maybe Terravitae will be an eye-opener once he gets there.
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Post by skylark on Jul 8, 2012 11:36:08 GMT -5
Do webcomics count?
If so, I had gone through a very affectionate parody of Final Fantasy VII called The Sevening by Obstinate Melon.
The comic is on his deviantart page, and it pokes serious fun on plot holes, translation flubs, retcons from the compilation, all with a healthy amount of derping and a complete lack of regard for the fourth wall.
And the best part is that it still remains completely true to the source material. You can tell, he put a lot of effort into it. I love his interpretation of Cloud: a jackass manchild, but a lovable jackass manchild.
As of now, the story is finishing up Cosmo Canyon and the Cave of the Gi.
Beware, some pages hold the f-bomb and a couple of scenes near the beginning are a bit risqué (Jessie's 'special' ID). As such, membership to deviantart may be required to see these pages.
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Post by Anon Mous on Jul 8, 2012 16:55:43 GMT -5
As such, membership to deviantart may be required to see these pages. For a second you actually had my attention, but I'm not willing to sign up for deviantart just for that. Still it's good to know that someone it tastefully (as you make it sound) satirizing it. If web comics do count, I'm reading The Gutters (one page parodies of comics and the industry), Ctrl-Alt-Del (following several gamers through life), Looking For Group (a fantasy adventure with a lot of dark humor (mostly coming from Richard the Undead Warlock)), and Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (reads somewhat like an edgier version of The Far Side).
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Post by skylark on Jul 8, 2012 17:40:12 GMT -5
As such, membership to deviantart may be required to see these pages. For a second you actually had my attention, but I'm not willing to sign up for deviantart just for that. Still it's good to know that someone it tastefully (as you make it sound) satirizing it. If web comics do count, I'm reading The Gutters (one page parodies of comics and the industry), Ctrl-Alt-Del (following several gamers through life), Looking For Group (a fantasy adventure with a lot of dark humor (mostly coming from Richard the Undead Warlock)), and Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (reads somewhat like an edgier version of The Far Side). Well, I was looking around to see if he had put it up somewhere else and I found it can also bee seen (at least until the first chocobo race) on smackjeeves, with no need to sign up to read the NSFW pages. (If f-bombs and the occasional ideologicaly sensitive material can be called NSFW... Deviantart's funny like that. )
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Post by Solana on Jul 15, 2012 9:57:51 GMT -5
I had to order another book for Latin class, and decided to pick up a treat as well. A beautiful book called Mermaid Magic looked intriguing, for itself and keeping an eye open for new abilities for my avatars.
Water Magic would be just as applicable a title. There are so many great sections, from watery traditions and folklore around the world to listings of hot springs and their medical benefits to descriptions of drowned lands (including Atlantis) to current eco-warriors and a few chapters dedicated solely to my beloved dolphins. ;D It's also much thicker than I had anticipated (over 300 pages) and was well worth the price.
The only thing that would have been nice was a bit more variety in the artwork (two pencil sketches of mermaids are repeated over and over) but the content is so thorough and well-done that it can be easily overlooked.
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Post by Rune Lai on Aug 15, 2012 15:09:56 GMT -5
Finished Spice & Wolf Volumes 5 & 6. Mild spoilers past of the end of the anime series.
Vol 5 covers the second half of the second season of the anime, which I had mixed feelings about. In most of the series I could follow whatever crazy merchantile plan Lawrence was about to embark on, but I had a really tough time following the second half of the second season. The only thing stops it from being a shoe-in for my least favorite of the four anime story arcs is that Holo and Lawrence's relationship progresses to where they are open about caring for each other and they begin to worry about what will happen when their journey will end.
The book's explanation of the crazy merchantile scheme is clearer. Now I know why the deed to the inn was involved with Eve's deal when she doesn't own the inn in the first place. I also understand the weird loan using Holo as collateral better.
The anime makes it look as though Holo's concern about getting involved with Lawrence is due to his lifespan, since he will die before her, but in the book his lifespan isn't so much of a concern as she fears his feelings for her will change as he ages, and then their time together will end on a sad note rather than a happy one.
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I had high expectations of Vol 6, since the road to Holo's home is all but certain by the end of Vol 5, but because the agreement between Lawrence and Holo is that they will part ways once they get to her home they find they don't want the journey to end just yet. If they hurried they could conceivably get to her homeland in just two weeks, which they find unbearably soon.
Picking up in the same city Vol 5 left off, they decide to chase after Eve instead, who had run off with Lawrence's share of the profits at the end of the previous book. (What the hell? The non-journey portion of the plot continues in another book?) Lawrence actually doesn't care that much about getting his money back. It's just a sham to extend their travels.
Unfortunately, this is where the book starts to break down, making it pretty clearly an in-between volume. They travel down the river by boat in an attempt to catch Eve and meet the usual additional characters who help support the story, the kind that disappear in subsequent volumes because Lawrence and Holo have moved on, and that's pretty much it.
They don't get to their destination, the town where Eve was heading. There is virtually no danger. Lawrence doesn't get involved in any schemes. It ends with them getting off the boat mid-journey and then beginning the rest of the run on foot with Lawrence riding on Holo's giant wolf form.
And they pick up a new companion too.
... Say what? Is this now Spice & Wolf & Kid? Granted, Lawrence and Holo are so close at this point they're mistaken for married and sleep together under the same blanket, that something probably had to happen to mix up their relationship dynamic.
But I didn't really warm up to Col. He was fine as a character I expected to leave behind in the next book, but he doesn't engage me nearly as much as Holo or Lawrence and because he's a new and uncertain element in what had until now been a romance-tinged travelogue, I can't help resenting him and how his presence could potentially take away from rather than enhance the story of Lawrence and Holo.
His age isn't given, but I figure he's somewhere between twelve and fourteen since he's managed to have done a lot of travel, but is still pretty naive about the world. Holo specifically wants him along because she figures Lawrence will be less lonely when they part if he has an apprentice with him, though Lawrence does not formally take Col on.
The writerly reason I can see for including Col (aside from deflecting the fact that Lawrence and Holo's relationship is going to stall since they can't commit to each other without permanently ruining either his dream of opening his own shop or her dream of going home) is that Col is from the northern lands where Holo comes from, so Col can be both guide and source of new plot hooks.
Volume 7 isn't due out until December and it looks like it might be a collection of side stories instead of the main plot. :\ Fortunately Yen Press is upping the publication rate from twice a year to three times a year so I won't have to wait as long after that one.
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Post by DarkKnight on Aug 16, 2012 8:24:52 GMT -5
I've started reading William Dietrich's Ethan Gage series. Think National Treasure or The Da Vinci Code set during the Napoleonic Wars. I just finished the first in the series, Napoleon's Pyramids, and I'll be nabbing the next one soon.
Next up, at my wife's insistence - The Hunger Games (which I actually have been meaning to get around to.)
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Post by Solana on Sept 26, 2012 20:06:00 GMT -5
Almost done with a newer Burn Notice novel, The Bad Beat. This is by far the best BN novel I've read so far. The story is big enough to need a novel instead of an episode, our old friend Sugar has a starring role, and the major players aside from Michael's team and his client are pretty fascinating and deep compared to past novels. I love that I'm not really sure how things are going to end yet. There was a mention of Jesse as 'a burned spy in the Yellow Pages', but I wonder if he'll be joining the novels or not. Ambrienne, if you're still reading them and haven't seen this one yet, I highly recommend picking it up.
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Post by Solana on Jan 7, 2013 23:24:21 GMT -5
Let me start with this- as much as I complain about evil cliffhangers, I also love them. I adore them, trying to figure out what will happen based on what's been known.
Not too long ago, I finished the latest Nikki Heat novel, Frozen Heat. There was an even bigger Firefly nod in this one, a pair of detectives named Malcolm and Reynolds, and they do a good job of making the setting an AU version of the 'Castle' gang. Some things carry over, some do not.
This one had the mother of all cliffhangers. To avoid spoilers, the ending was the equivalent of, 'Then she saw something there.'
What? Saw what there? C'mon, we still had some unfinished business, but that's just... wait, that was the last page? What's this behind it? Author's Notes?
NOOOOOOOOOO....
On a lesser note, we'll see if there is an older lady named Eunice in the next one. In an episode this last season, Beckett promised a guy that Castle would name a character after his mom in exchange for his cash for an auction.
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