Books 2nd Edition, Foreword by m0r1arty Options

[Jubei]

I really must finish Consider Phlebas, I put it down to read Harry Potter in the summer and never picked it up again (I'm between books at the moment though so I really should go back and finish it).

The Player of Games is my favourite, but I really should have another stab at Excession as I remember that being pretty good as well.

I've finished Feersum Endjinn again, I do enjoy that book, although it's quite short. Bascule is such a likeable character, and the whole future earth is so different from so many other imaginings. I'm just starting Look to Windward now, back to the culture again, but I'm starting to find it slow going. Also, I don't appear to have Excession on my shelf. It's the one I really want to read again, based on the synopsis I read, but now I'm wondering if I've ever read it. I'm about 90% certain I have, but I might have to buy it a second time. So annoying when that happens. Also, don;t know if this was mentioned here, but Banks is working on a new Culture novel, I think called Matter, due out next year.

[Chapman Baxter]

the whole future earth is so different from so many other imaginings.

Future earth? It's been a while since I read it, but isn't the whole thing set on a spaceship?

[Jubei]

Future earth? It's been a while since I read it, but isn't the whole thing set on a spaceship?

Feersum Endjinn? Nope. Unless I really missed something. It's set on a far future earth. Most humans left in the Diaspora, leaving a few behind who pretty much renounced technology and AIs. A quasi-religous fuedal hierarchy evolves, although technology is still very much present. The 'Crypt' or Cryptosphere is the remnants of the earths datasphere, now inhabited largely by the Chaos, reveled as evolved AI near the end. Most people live in the Serahfa Fastness, a massive massive scale castle built originally as the anchor point for one of three Space Elevators, long since dismantled. The 'Feersum Endjinn' appears to be some method of moving Earth and the rest of the Solar System out of the way of the 'Encroachment', possibly a cloud of stellar dust blocking out the sun and destroying the solar system.

[Raven]

I found Look to Windward to be incredibly bleak, and as such a hard read. Looking back, I probably need to read the book again, but it was just so depressing I'm not sure I want to.

I picked up Charlie Brooker's Dawn Of The Dumb and Terry P's Wintersmith this evening.

[neilo]

I'm a big Queen and Brian May fan, so Llama bought me Laura Jackson's 'Brian May: The Definitive Biography'! I loved it. It's full of contributions from different musicians, friends and astronomers close to Brian. It's quite a detailed biography which focuses around Brian's choice of leaving astronomy behind to focus on music when he was so close to getting his PHD in Astronomy (Which he completed this year after 30 years!), the building of his 'Red Special' Guitar with his dad, Harold, building Queen and his depression relating to the death of Freddie Mercury. It's a ruddy good book and leaves no stone unturned.

Interestingly, I think I've actually only read Biographies and Autobiographies this year!! I also read Freddie's Biography by Peter Freestone, which is extremely sad and very detailed but a really good read. During the summer I read Rik Mayall's book 'Bigger Than Hitler, Better Than Christ', which is also hilarious if you're into 'The Rik Mayall'.

This post has been edited by neilo: Nov 24 2007, 01:31 AM

[Jubei]

I found Look to Windward to be incredibly bleak, and as such a hard read.  Looking back, I probably need to read the book again, but it was just so depressing I'm not sure I want to.

I'm a good chunk in to it, and it is quite depressing. Quilan/Huyler has a quite unflinching attitude at this point, Ziller is a bit of a prick, Masaq Hub is generally quite morose and Kabe is a nice guy but so far quite boring. Maybe it'll pick up.

Also, I met Brian May once, he came to my school and did a charity thing.

This post has been edited by Jubei: Nov 24 2007, 12:00 PM

[curtinparloe]

Sorry, this made me guffaw:

I'm a big Queen and Brian May fan, so Llama bought me Laura Jackson's 'Brian May: The Definitive Biography'!

This post has been edited by curtinparloe: Nov 24 2007, 12:10 PM

[rabbit57i]

The Life & Opinions of Tristram Shandy

This post has been edited by rabbit57i: Nov 24 2007, 05:53 PM

[neilo]

Sorry, this made me guffaw:

...Clever boy... Perhaps I should have altered my positioning of those few words. Dear me.

This post has been edited by neilo: Nov 24 2007, 11:34 PM

[Peronel]

I've just finished Sense and Sensibility. I really enjoyed it, and couldn't remember much of the story from seeing the movie years ago, so all the betrayals and backstabbings were nice little surprises.

Not sure what I'll read now, I have a large TBR pile, but none are taking my fancy.

[maian]

Since I couldn't sleep last night I was able to finish The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick and I really loved it. I wasn't sure what the book actually was about initially but by the end I realised it was a unique and beautiful tribute to cinema. The use of illustrations and film stills throughout the novel lends it a sense of pace and purpose that I've rarely encountered in a novel. One particular chase scene, told solely through illustrations, was breathtakingly tense.

A thrilling and wonderful book for anyone who really loves cinema.

This post has been edited by maian: Nov 25 2007, 01:06 PM

[mcraigclark]

Since I couldn't sleep last night I was able to finish The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick and I really loved it. I wasn't sure what the book actually was about initially but by the end I realised it was a unique and beautiful tribute to cinema. The use of illustrations and film stills throughout the novel lends it a sense of pace and purpose that I've rarely encountered in a novel. One particular chase scene, told solely through illustrations, was breathtakingly tense.

A thrilling and wonderful book for anyone who really loves cinema.

You might as well be browsing my bookshelves.

[maian]

What, are you suggesting I have a secret camera hidden away somewhere that watches your bookshelf so that I can know what books to read? That's just silly.

[curtinparloe]

...Clever boy... Perhaps I should have altered my positioning of those few words. Dear me.

I would have been hoping you typoed Brian in that case, so it said "I am a big brain"

[Llama]

I would have been hoping you typoed Brian in that case, so it said "I am a big brain"

If you look really closely you'll notice he actually is.