Books, books and more books - an update on all things bound

[featherynscale]

First off, I finished The Dark Tower sometime over the weekend, and still haven't quite recovered. I haven't been along for that ride as long as some, but I picked up The Gunslinger when I was a sophomore in high school, so that's...*churning* *processing* *calculating*... 12 or 13 years. And most of the thought related to the series in those 13 years has been along the lines of "You're just building up expectations which are no doubt going to be destroyed by your standard stupid King ending. It's all going to be for nothing." Surprisingly, this turned out not to be the case. There is a fairly standard moment of Stupid King Ending, but it's earlier in the book, and actually established as a plausible event (sort of) within the story, so it's fairly palatable. The actual endings, of which there are two, are pretty damned stunning. It ends the only way it could possibly end and still be satisfying, and King provides further ending material for those who Just Have To Go On. So, to my partners, and other folks who haven't made it to the Tower yet, keep going. It's worth it.

Second, I actually am going to make my 50 books this year with quite a bit to spare. I've finished 47 and am currently reading 2 more. So that's 49, and only one more to go. Had I been feeling more dramatic and less greedy, I'd have saved the Tower for 50. Oh well.

Third, I am in the middle of the second to newest Anita Blake book (mmm....Twinkies), and will soon be done with those as well. I've finished the Tower, I'm almost out of Blake, and I'm still waiting (oh so patiently) for George R.R. Martin's next. I need a new series or three. Any suggestions? Or hell, good books that don't come in a series (I mean, gods forbid I should read anything that isn't sci-fi/fantasy)?

Fourth, I am proud to announce that I am doing my part to keep our Kansas City Public Libraries in business, by dutifully checking out thousands of books at a time, and then failing to return them until I've piled up a substantial fee. I forgot to take my books back *again* today. Perhaps I will be smarter tomorrow. They say reading will do that for you.

EDIT: And rio_luna promised me her Diaspora religion reading list... *poke poke*

Comments

[pete3great.livejournal.com]

What's the point of reading 50 books if all you're going to read is fiction? Get some history books, those are always fun.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I mostly read for style and language - the actual content is sort of secondary. And then there's the escapism - some of this stuff is brain-vacation material.

I generally read a more balanced fiction/non-fiction load, but I got caught up in the trash-fiction vampire thing this year. You remind me there's a bio of Nikola Tesla on my washstand that's waiting for me, and something on the Crowley/Newberg relationship stuck in a bag somewhere....

[pete3great.livejournal.com]

trash-fiction vampire and Crowley/Newburg (or is that Nueburg? I can never remember). obviously you're big on the homoerotic as well! ;)

if that's the vein, find a copy of "What you should know about the Golden Dawn" by Regardie. I've use that book to settle many an argument about Regardie's links to the OTO and A.A.

I find history great for escapism. I would suggest "How the Irish Saved Civilization" (if you haven't already read it), "1000 A.D.," "In the Heart of the Sea" (yay! cannabalism!)) and "The Plague Years." I'd also suggest "Carnage and Culture." Just read that one for the history and ignore the guy's theories about Western culture being inately superior to all others.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Excellent - thank you for the recommendations. It's true that homoerotic themes do not hurt my interest level any, and history of magical societies and movements is always much fun. I tend to skew more towards the alarmingly speculative earlier stuff, the Templars and that sort of thing rather than that which is later and more likely to be accurate, but I may have covered that talking about homoerotic themes, above.

[pete3great.livejournal.com]

All modern Templar organizations are spurious. We now know for sure that the Templars were innocent of all charges, and the their forcible disbanding was nothing more than what it seemed: A massive land grab by a desprate prince and corrupt pope. The Vatican released its papers on the Templars about two years ago. It always happens. The papacy keeps the wrong secrets and these wacky myths pop up. The Caliphate slanders the name of a great man, deMolay.

3 days later, when I get the comment...

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know that the whole historical Templar thing has no mystical bullshit conspiracy theory content. The thing that's interesting to me about that (and similar exercises in speculative history) is that those myths create history - in the case of the Templars, the Templar story springs all these secret societies that actually do exist, based on recreating the Templars that never were. Same deal with the Rosy Cross - the original organization never exists/never does what people think it does, but suddenly, the myth exists, and actual organizations are built on the myth. I think that's very exciting.
The other aspect I like of it is the storytelling challenge - it's like all of these theorizers were given a set of "facts", some true and some false, and told to build the best and most complete explanation that includes all the given facts. It's a hell of a game, and I imagine someone will be playing it about us someday.

Thankee-sai

[gamera-spinning.livejournal.com]

I'm still in "Wolves of the Calla", so I'm two behind, but I'm looking forward to Roland finally making it to the Tower.

It's nice to know it's worth the rest of the journey.

[kimjerosky.livejournal.com]

Ok, it's not science fiction or fantasy, but have you ever read Jonathan Kellerman? I started reading him in grad school 'cause he's a psychologist who's main character is a psychologist and the mysteries all feature at least one good psychological disorder. A great way to have fun (he really is a good writer!) and learn more about the various manifestation of pathology. You *could* call it fiction with benefits...

[kcwitch.livejournal.com]

that's awesome. i actually got through one book this year and working on book #2 with the bookclub! go me. now if i can count the children's books i have read over the year i know i have read at least 100 but i guess those don't count.

electron trail

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Don't forget The Regulators and Desperation; they're on the small bookshelf against the front wall.

Re: electron trail

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I've actually got a small stack downstairs of your recommendations as well - I didn't ever finish Mote in God's Eye, and I've also got The Gripping Hand, and something by Koontz the title of which I do not remember.

I'm sort of searching around for something that will not immediately offend my family when they see me carrying it off the plane. I think I'm going to opt for the Tesla bio.

Re: electron trail

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Ahh, okay, didn't realize the point of this stage of the game. Let me think then... this?

Or perhaps something like the Tesla bio would be better.

Just so you know

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

You have problems.
Or you want me to have problems, one or the other or both.

Actually, that sounds like a fine book, and plane reading in view of the relatives is not the only reading I do.

Re: Just so you know

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Convenient, since we own it.

Re: Just so you know

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Do we? I don't recall having seen it when I reorged the bookshelves, but then, there are a lot of books.

Re: Just so you know

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

That's because it's not on the shelves, but cleverly hidden under the antique table. kittenpants got it a few years ago, and it stayed disturbingly close to our bedside for a long while before we moved to the new house...no idea why it's out and about right now.

It's like a plushy sex-change book, or something...got a mind of its own.

Re: electron trail

[capriciouslass.livejournal.com]

How about this one? Carol recommended it highly.

[greektoomey.livejournal.com]

Did you ever get down into Gormenghast & beyond? If not, I think it's worth trying again.

I recommend Hyperion, Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, and Rise of Endymion. I have, in fact, compelled total strangers to buy these books while browsing adjacently in various bookstores.

books

[matchgirl42.livejournal.com]

Do I remember correctly you telling me the other week that you had read Sword and the Eagle but none of the others in A A Attanasio's Arthurian cycle? If so, may I humbly recommend The Dragon and the Unicorn and The Serpent and the Grail? His rendering of Merlin is.....exceedingly exquisite. And while it is fantasy, there's enough science references in both to get the brain-juices flowing...:)

Twinkie (Anita Blake) update

[orcjohn.livejournal.com]

I am currently half way thru the newest Anita Blake book (Incubus Dreams) and will forward it to you this weekend (if not before).

Re: Twinkie (Anita Blake) update

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Nifty :)

Mmmm...monster smut.

[cameellie.livejournal.com]

Hmm, the 50 book challenge. My SO has teased me terribly this year because I don't ever read. Maybe I should do that so he'll hush up.