Darth Krawlie Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 15. Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline Great, great read. Everyone who had good things to say about this was right. ALSO COME ON SOMEONE ELSE UPDATE SO IT'S NOT JUST ME. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashmere Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 I will totally update when I finish a book! I've been spending too much time on Netflix lately to actually read anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NumberSix Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 FINE, I'M UPDATING. So many factors have resulted in less reading time than usual. 3. Steve Bryant, Athena Voltaire: Compendium. Globetrotting artifact retrieval adventures in the Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider vein, albeit less exploit-y than the latter. Writing's better than the art, which is not bad when he's obviously using models, but gets shakier when he's freehanding. A lot of this appears to have been wisely recolored, and it helps. (I picked this up when the creator did a signing at my local comic shop.) 4. Roger Ebert, Life Itself. The autobiography of my all-time favorite film critic, even when I disagreed with him, even when his thoughts on religion drove me up a wall. I've been reading this on my lunch breaks over the past month-plus and kept emailing quotes and highlights to my wife daily after lunch because I wanted to keep savoring moments of it whether she cared or not. Ebert lived life the way a seasoned critic ought to: got bitten by the writing bug while young, got out of the house, got an education, became a certified journalist, spent years establishing his career, traveled worldwide, made lots of poor life choices, cleaned himself up, and then started reviewing movies, but only because someone offered it to him and not because he was dying for a job that let him sit around, watch stuff, scribble adjectives on Post-Its, and get paid. Millions of wannabes have taken what they perceive as the road more easily traveled, but that's not the route Ebert took at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 16. Justice League Dark volume 2: The Books of Magic, by Jeff Lemire17. Justice League Dark volume 3: The Death of Magic, by Jeff Lemire18. Justice League Dark volume 4: Rebirth of Evil, by JM DeMatteis19. Ms Marvel volume 1: No Normal, by G Willow Wilson20. Justice League Trinity War, by Geoff Johns et al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 21. Hyperion, by Dan Simmons22. Justice League Dark volume 5: Paradise Lost, JM DeMatteis Goddamn Hyperion was good. The story of Rachel, a woman who at 30ish begins to age backwards every day, forgetting everyday, until she's an infant at the events of the book, is so heartbreaking. I couldn't even deal, I had to look up spoilers on the sequel to find out what happened to her. Still reading it next though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashmere Posted May 3, 2015 Author Share Posted May 3, 2015 6. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation Vol I by M.T. AndersonI listened to this one on a whim. I kept thinking something cool was going to happen, but it never did. Imaginative story, boring telling. 7. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott LynchA friend highly recommended this series, so I gave it a try. I really really enjoy the world, and the characters. I especially like how the book switches between young Locke and grown up Locke. I'm in for the whole series for sure! 8. Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott LynchBook 2 in the Gentleman Bastards series. I didn't like it as much as the first one (listed above) but it was still an enjoyable read. 9. Orphan Train by Christina Baker KlineThis is the One Book, One Community selection from my local library, so I decided to give it a listen. I got sucked into the characters quickly and enjoyed the book a lot. The only problem is that I wasn't ready for it to end, but it had to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted May 9, 2015 Share Posted May 9, 2015 23. The Fall of Hyperion, by Dan Simmons24. Avengers: Rage of Ultron, by Rick Remender25. Who is the Black Panther?, by Reginald Hudlin Seriously, Hyperion. Goddamn. Retarded good. Also, Rage of Ultron is way better than Age of Ultron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NumberSix Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 5. Charles Schulz, The Complete Peanuts 1993-1994. Yep, another one of these. Only three more to go before the 12½-year series is finished and all fifty years have been collected. By this time Schulz was getting older and sometimes reducing his workload to 1-3 panels a day, but from time to time he apparently had bursts of energy and pushed his limitations, while still retaining his edge. And one sequence between Lucy and a girl who sells her a fraudulent bat may be the first two-girl fistfight in the strip's history, so there's that. 6. Chuck Klosterman, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs. This essay collection by the kinda renowned rock journalist, editor, humorist and former Spin contributor was the very last thing I ever bought from a Borders before their demise. Topics include a defense of Billy Joel transcending the cool/uncool dichotomy, how the '80s Lakers/Celtics teams are an accurate allegory of every human dichotomy ever, a behind-the-scenes ride-along with a Guns 'n' Roses tribute band, the concept of "exclusionary coolness" as exemplified by cereal mascots, theories about the popularity of country music and Saved by the Bell, and an honest account of the time he attended a rock journalist conference that he says was "probably the least rock 'n' roll experience I've ever had." Klosterman is nineteen days younger than I am, but he has a degree and a couple decades of actual journalism experience and what I would consider Success to his credit, so my fascination with most of this book has some weird Mirror Universe aspects to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashmere Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 I just downloaded Ready Player 1! Can't wait to start listening to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 26. Promise of Blood, by Brian McClellan27. Who is Jake Ellis? by Nathan Edmondson28. Copperhead volume 1: A New Sheriff in Town, by Jay Fearber Promise of Blood, first of the Powder Mage trilogy, unlike most fantasy series' wasn't set in a medieval period--it was very clearly inspired by the French Revolution. Not completely unique, but considerably more rare. Fun to have magic and gods in a different time period. It suffered from the Harry Potter esque "oh here's a brand new magical solution to the problem we just happen to find ourselves in that was never mentioned before isn't it lucky we have it at the exact time we need it" and a little too much telling instead of showing, but the setting and characters are definitely interesting enough for me to keep reading. Jake Ellis is a nope. I've been delving into Image Comics more lately, but this one didn't do it for me. Copperhead is a good start to what could be a really good sci fi western. The characters are really big archetypes without a whole lot of depth, but obviously this was just the beginning so I can forgive that for now. My only real complaint is that it's a currently on going series, meaning I'll have to wait for the next volume, and I'm impatient and have too many of those going on already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashmere Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 10. My Sister's Grave by Robert DugoniPretty good for a free Kindle read. I like reading about twisted killers. 11. The Republic of Thieves by Scott LynchThis one felt a lot more like the first in the series, which is a good thing. I really enjoyed it! 12. Ready Player One by Ernest ClineSuper fun read (or listen in my case). I loved that it was read by Wil Wheaton. It was excellent to listen to on long runs because it was fast paced, and I loved all the nerd knowledge it incorporated. 13. Political Suicide by Michael PalmerA run of the mill who done it murder mystery. I liked it well enough, but I'm not going to seek out the series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NumberSix Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Two-day reading spree last week due to illness. Yay catch-up time! Too many capsule reviews to write at once, so just ranking best to least-best: 7. Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book8. Brian Clevenger and Scott Wegener, Atomic Robo, v. 3: Atomic Robo and the Shadow from Beyond Time9. Brian Clevenger and Scott Wegener, Atomic Robo, v. 2: Atomic Robo and the Dogs of War10. Stephan Franck, Silver v. 111. Rick Remender and Wes Craig, Deadly Class v. 2: Kids of the Black Hole12. Brian Clevenger and Scott Wegener, Atomic Robo, v. 1: Atomic Robo and the Fightin' Scientists of Tesladyne13. Brian Wood and Brett Weldele, Couscous Express14. Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard, Super Dinosaur v. 115. Ben Avery and Javier Saltares, The Book of God: How We Got the Bible16. Jeff Lemire, Lost Dogs17. John Ridley and Ben Oliver, The Authority: Human on the Inside18. Jane Espenson, Brad Bell, Ron Chan, Ben Avery, et al., Husbands19. Greg Pak and Paul Pelletier, Incredible Hulks: World War Hulks20. Warren Ellis and Terry Dodson, X-Men: Storm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashmere Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 I hope you're feeling better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NumberSix Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Much better, yes, thanks! Recurring back pain laid me low again. If they sold prednisone OTC I could've bought some down at the nearest CVS, taken it that night, and been ready for business as usual. But then I wouldn't have gotten all this glorious reading done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashmere Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 Glad to hear it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 29. The Punisher: Welcome Back Frank, by Garth Ennis 30. The Crimson Campaign, by Brian McClellan31. Ms Marvel volume 2: Generation Why, by G Willow Wilson32. The Autumn Republic, by Brian McClellan Guess I've forgotten to update for a while Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 33. Roche Limit volume 1, by Michael Moreci34. Embassytown, by China Mieville35. The Bunker volume 1, by Joshua Hale Fialkov They were all pretty okay. I think I'll continue with the Bunker, probably not with Roche Limit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 ?. Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore - listened to the audiobook and it was one of the best books I've experienced in a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Krawlie Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 36. Rat Queens volume 1: Sass and Sorcery, by Kurtis J. Wiebe37. Rat Queens volume 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N’Rygoth, by Kurtis J. Wiebe38. Ms Marvel volume 3: Crushed, by G. Willow Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashmere Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 14. Jurassic Park by Michael CrichtonDecided I needed to reread this on vacation this year. This was my all time favorite book for many, many years, and it still kept me up late with my heart pounding even though I have read it many times. Such a fun read! 15. Flight Behavior by Barbara KingsolverThis was a somewhat strange book, but I liked it well enough. It was basically about a woman who became a housewife but wanted more for herself. I kept thinking it took place in the past since it took place on a farm where nobody was educated, but it was a present-day book. 16. Edge of Eternity by Ken FollettFollett might be my favorite author that's currently writing books. I get so sucked into these stories that I find it hard to function in my everyday life. I just want to keep listening! I think this installment was my least favorite of the trilogy, but I still loved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashmere Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 ?. Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore - listened to the audiobook and it was one of the best books I've experienced in a long time.I am going to add it to my to-read list based on this recommendation. It's not available at my library though, so who knows when I'll actually find it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 Tell your library to get it. It's that good. I'm listening to Ready Player One thanks to Krawlie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cashmere Posted August 11, 2015 Author Share Posted August 11, 2015 Just signed up for an Audible free trial so I could get it without pestering the library. Win! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NumberSix Posted August 11, 2015 Share Posted August 11, 2015 21. Thom Zahler, Love and Capes, v. 2: Going to the Chapel. Ringers for Superman and Lois Lane plan their wedding. It's a super-hero sitcom on paper. Considering the not exactly fresh subject matter, I laughed a surprising number of times. Like, a lot of times. It was actually funny. I love when than happens. 22. Ken Jennings, Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs. The Jeopardy! guy quickly wrote down his story before his fifteen minutes expired, and alternates between it, obsessive deep-dives into the history of trivia as a pastime, and interviews with guys who made trivia-related products and feats back in their respective days, some of whom still dream of earning a second fifteen minutes someday. Jennings' humble, breezy retelling of his 75-episode reign (thanks to a rule change that clearly wasn't thought out too well) was more fascinating than the rest, though my favorite chapter among the other parts was the true story behind the rise and fall of Trivial Pursuit. Also, there are trivia questions in every chapter! So it's like a memoir and a game. A gamoir. 23. Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird. My first-ever read-through. It's so thoroughly head-and-tails above 90% of what I normally read or watch that part of me now wants to burn a lot of my possessions and just become a hardcore literary snob and read absolutely nothing but books at least this great or greater. Also, now I can watch the movie version someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 ??. Armada - Ernest Cline. I'm listening to Ready Player One right now, and it's an instant classic. Armada, sadly, tried really hard to hit all the same notes but instead left me with characters that I didn't care about, doing things that bored me while quoting movies and talking about 80's rock. It wasn't awful, but it left me rather uninterested in what Cline has to offer next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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