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Recently Finished

Children of the Mind - Orson Scott Card

Despite most people hating Card and his sequels, I rather liked this.
Everyone seems to forget that Ender's Game was supposed to be a stand-alone book. Therefore making Speaker of the Dead a new book in a new story arch. -shakes head-
 
Imagine by Jonah Lehrer. A compendious explanation of the numerous ways "how creativity works," from describing the actions of cells in our brains up to random personal interactions in our urban metropolises. Facinating and illuminating, shedding light on many of the anecdotal explanations for creativity that one has heard and adding many more varied examples to the mix. A must-read for anyone interested in the topic.
 
The Cutout by Francine Mathews :star5:

Interesting, twisty story of CIA operatives, done somewhat differently than the usual.
 
Folly by Laurie R. King 4.5/5

Wudda, shudda cudda been a 5 star, but for the ever so slightly off kilter ending.
LRK is an outstanding author IMO, her characterizations are well done. Her portrait of a woman who has been over the edge of sanity and back is both heartbreaking and uplifting. But is she back?
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean no one is after you.
 
Just Finished: 1Q84

Japan's Haruki Murakami writes a surreal novel for the intellectual reader with a touch of fantasy. This is not a completely lucid story, nor byzantine, so I would title it semiabstract. Haruki may be the leader of a new genre. It's almost like he didn't write the novel for the hoi polloi, but for the artsy reader. Not that I'm a artsy reader! The story is basically strong, but leaves a lot of unanswered questions in the book's last 25 pages, after already reading 900 previously. I was a little disappointed with that scenario, since I became very interested in many of the characters and wanted closure one way or the other. Maybe I'm wrong and there will be a second book to answer my linguistic inquiries. But overall, I found the novel uniquely absorbing with strong character development.
Book Reviews And Comments By Rick O
 
Karl Ove Knausgård, My Struggle, vol 2. Damn. I'm pretty sure he puts heroin in his books; I'm not sure they're healthy, but holy crap, he can write. It's supremely self-obsessed, hypocritical, borderline pseudofascist in its ways, but I don't know any other current writer who does anything like this. Well, maybe Cartarescu, except they're each other's polar opposites even if they're on roughly the same playing field. Now to try and put off reading vol 3 for a few weeks... :star5:

David Aaronovitch, Voodoo Histories. Yep, essentially a non-fiction version of Foucault's Pendulum, except updated for the 21st century; Aaronovitch examines conspiracy theories, how they work, why they work, the creepy memetic virus aspect of them, and it's really both scary and eye-opening (and hilarious in places). If a little to focussed on some comparitively minor British examples in between all the Protocols/Kennedy/Obama stuff. :star4:
 
George R.R. Martin's A Clash of Kings (book 2 in the Song of Ice and Fire series). I admit that this book was not as engrossing as the first in the series, but the battles are spectacular, the characters extremely bewitching and I see it as a build-up to the next book, much like-please excuse the Star Wars reference-The Empire Strikes Back was more of a lead-in to Return of the Jedi.
 
Just finished: Death on the nile

Eh bien! I figured it out! I actually came up with the correct killer, or killers shortly after The millionaire heiress, Linnet Doyle was found shot in the head on page 148. I didn't need all the clues used by our beloved Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. I got lucky and guessed based upon Agatha Christie's past tendencies. Mais Oui, it will never happen again. If you notice, I'm using all of Hercule's favorite French exclamations. This 1937 detective/mystery novel is first class, as usual. Our pyknic mustached French speaking gumshoe once again sifts through many suspects and clues to nail his man, or woman ( I'm not giving you the murderer, or murderess! ). This time he has a Colonel Race to use as his sounding board and a German Doctor Bessner as his medical advisor. What a' merveille entertaining novel this is!!
Book Reviews And Comments By Rick O
 
REAMDE by Neal Stephenson. Excellent action/adventure story set in the modern-day real world with modern-day technology. Multiple plot lines and a multitude of characters are woven together and criss-crossed into a very readable and suspenseful story. Stepehenson's micro-detailed descriptions of events and characters' thoughts give the narrative a you-are-there feel and make it a page-turning good read. At its length it should count for three books. :)
 
Will said:
Shad, check out Dark Matter: A Ghost Story by Paver. It's dope.
Click to expand...

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey :star4: Much better than I expected. A coming-of-age/mystery set in 1965 Australia.

Yeah,Will,I read Paver's Dark Matter a while ago,best ghost story I've read since Susan Hill's Woman In Black.
 
Little Yellow Dog - Walter Mosley :star4:

Walter Mosley, if you can hear me, please bring Ezekiel Rawlins back to life.
 
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