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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Live Reveal - Thursday 12th of June at 1700BST

    Books

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    • madmondayM
      madmonday
      Raw and Unwashed
      Joined:

      if i stay off the forum like i'm supposed to i'll devour the book in three days maybe less.  thanks for the offer jaco, i might take you up on it in a week or so.  i like to read & then let it sink in & come back to my favorite parts.  funny thing is as a kid i really hated reading standard books, not that i had issue with it i just found nothing that really spoke to me.  this nut speaks to me in a big way. pretty sure McCarthy also does some editing work on the side.  i know i saw an article in the NY Times the other day. . .

      head high, middle finger higher

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • Sugar MountainS
        Sugar Mountain
        Joined:

        @derivative666:

        2nd Cormac McCarthy he is my favorite author. I cry like a  baby every time I read the road. I guess it's a father thing. Blood Meridian, No country, Suttree, Border Trilogy all amazing. Does not get much better then Cormac.

        One hundred percent backed. The first book I read of his was Blood Meridian after getting into the band Earth and their album Hex. It's the perfect soundtrack to the book and comes highly recommended by me FWIW.

        I've recently started checking out William Gibson after having All Tomorrow's Parties on my shelf for a couple of years. Loved that one and I'm now on Pattern Recognition. All the reference to Buzz Rickson's is making my trigger finger itchy!

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        • Morose_PenguinM
          Morose_Penguin
          Raw and Unwashed
          Joined:

          Couldn't resist 🙂

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • Sugar MountainS
            Sugar Mountain
            Joined:

            Haha, now that's just mean!

            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • J-IVJ
              J-IV
              啓蒙家
              Joined:

              Currently reading:

              It will make you chuckle multiple times.

              I'm as ugly as you

              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • madmondayM
                madmonday
                Raw and Unwashed
                Joined:

                what you all reading?

                head high, middle finger higher

                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • emceeQE
                  emceeQ
                  啓蒙家
                  Joined:

                  I'm currently half way through A Dance with Dragons, the most recent book in the Song of Ice and Fire series.

                  I've also been reading various bits and pieces (short stories, poems, non-fiction) by Jorge Luis Borges.  I'm debating doing an independent study on him come fall.

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • GimpKidG
                    GimpKid
                    Joined:

                    Currently reading:

                    (When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management)

                    And if anyone can recommend any other interesting finance/economics books, I'd appreciate it.

                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • ChrisC
                      Chris
                      Raw and Unwashed
                      Joined:

                      @emceeQ:

                      I'm currently half way through A Dance with Dragons, the most recent book in the Song of Ice and Fire series.

                      I'm a couple hundred pages into that one, myself.  Also working on A Country Of Vast Designs, a biography of President James K. Polk.  I like to keep two books going at once, fiction and non-fiction.  Seems to provide a nice balance.

                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • J-IVJ
                        J-IV
                        啓蒙家
                        Joined:

                        @GimpKid:

                        And if anyone can recommend any other interesting finance/economics books, I'd appreciate it.

                        IF you haven't already, "Freakanomics" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. They also have a follow up book call "Super Freakanomics.". Both really great reads. Though it uses economical concepts, it doesn't do much financial analysis. Real fun to read though, thats forsure.

                        Currently on Murakami's work. Just finished his short story compilation "After the Quake."

                        I'm as ugly as you

                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • thomasnunnallyT
                          thomasnunnally
                          Joined:

                          @emceeQ:

                          I'm currently half way through A Dance with Dragons, the most recent book in the Song of Ice and Fire series.

                          I read this when it came out.  I enjoyed the first 3, but the story is just not developing quickly enough in the last two.

                          For myself, I always have a few books open:

                          1.  Dune - rereading properly…it has been some time since I last read it.
                          2.  The Complete Conan Chronicles - Taking my time with these.  Absolutely love them.
                          3.  The Complet Works of H.P. Lovecraft - Same as above.
                          4.  Poe - Tales of Mystery and Imagination - Calla Edition.  Quite Beautiful.

                          Out with the new! In with the old!

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                          • GimpKidG
                            GimpKid
                            Joined:

                            Both A Dance with Dragons and A Feast for Crows were kind of a let down, but it's hard to match the intensity of Storm of Swords. I guess these books are more like building blocks for books 6 and 7.

                            Good call on Dune, Tom. I should reread that myself.

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                            • thomasnunnallyT
                              thomasnunnally
                              Joined:

                              @GimpKid:

                              Both A Dance with Dragons and A Feast for Crows were kind of a let down, but it's hard to match the intensity of Storm of Swords. I guess these books are more like building blocks for books 6 and 7.

                              Good call on Dune, Tom. I should reread that myself.

                              Yea I suppose you are right.  But I feel like some exceptions should have been made with the amount of characters being developed.  I realize some died, but still, I feel like the last two were generally indicative of the fact that maybe even Martin himself was not sure where the story was going.  I am genuinely interested in some characters, but at the rate he is going, it will take him 30 years to get somewhere.  Here's to hoping he has it sorted out for the next one.

                              Out with the new! In with the old!

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                              • emceeQE
                                emceeQ
                                啓蒙家
                                Joined:

                                @GimpKid:

                                Both A Dance with Dragons and A Feast for Crows were kind of a let down, but it's hard to match the intensity of Storm of Swords. I guess these books are more like building blocks for books 6 and 7.

                                Took the words out of my mouth.

                                J, really love Murakami's work.  As the Elephant Vanishes, his other short story collection, is great and The Wind Up Bird Chronicle is one of my favorite novels.  Just recently reread it actually.

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                                • ChrisC
                                  Chris
                                  Raw and Unwashed
                                  Joined:

                                  @GimpKid:

                                  I guess these books are more like building blocks for books 6 and 7.

                                  I don't hold out a lot of hope for the series.  Feast and Dance were planned to be a single book; that means it took Martin about a decade to write them, and he seems to be getting slower.  I don't think his heart is in it any more, which is understandable, since he started this project close to 20 years ago.  I think he's writing only out of contractual obligation at this point.  Frankly, given his age and what appears to be mediocre health, I wouldn't be surprised if he pulled a Robert Jordan and died before the last book gets written.  It's a shame, because the first three were so amazingly good.

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                                  • GimpKidG
                                    GimpKid
                                    Joined:

                                    @J-IV:

                                    @GimpKid:

                                    And if anyone can recommend any other interesting finance/economics books, I'd appreciate it.

                                    IF you haven't already, "Freakanomics" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. They also have a follow up book call "Super Freakanomics.". Both really great reads. Though it uses economical concepts, it doesn't do much financial analysis. Real fun to read though, thats forsure.

                                    Currently on Murakami's work. Just finished his short story compilation "After the Quake."

                                    I've actually wanted to read Freakonomics. And I think there's documentary, too. I'll check it out. Thanks.

                                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • J-IVJ
                                      J-IV
                                      啓蒙家
                                      Joined:

                                      @emceeQ:

                                      J, really love Murakami's work.  As the Elephant Vanishes, his other short story collection, is great and The Wind Up Bird Chronicle is one of my favorite novels.  Just recently reread it actually.

                                      Have it sitting at home waiting to be read. Murakami's a great story teller and I hear this story is a one of his best. Though I'm trying to read all of his past works before I get to IQ84

                                      I'm as ugly as you

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • thomasnunnallyT
                                        thomasnunnally
                                        Joined:

                                        @Chris:

                                        @GimpKid:

                                        I guess these books are more like building blocks for books 6 and 7.

                                        I don't hold out a lot of hope for the series.  Feast and Dance were planned to be a single book; that means it took Martin about a decade to write them, and he seems to be getting slower.  I don't think his heart is in it any more, which is understandable, since he started this project close to 20 years ago.  I think he's writing only out of contractual obligation at this point.  Frankly, given his age and what appears to be mediocre health, I wouldn't be surprised if he pulled a Robert Jordan and died before the last book gets written.  It's a shame, because the first three were so amazingly good.

                                        Gosh Chris I consider myself pessimistic, but you are even worse than me!

                                        Out with the new! In with the old!

                                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • J-IVJ
                                          J-IV
                                          啓蒙家
                                          Joined:

                                          GK; they did make a movie out of it but the book is way more entertaining.

                                          I'm as ugly as you

                                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • ChrisC
                                            Chris
                                            Raw and Unwashed
                                            Joined:

                                            Martin made me this way; I read Game Of Thrones way back in 1996 and pre-ordered every one of the next 4 books.  I used to check his website regularly for updates, but after so many missed deadlines, promises of, "this is the year, I swear"and the pervasive lack of enthusiasm in his posts, I just gave up about two years ago.  I'll read whatever comes out, but when his heart clearly isn't in it, it's hard to get enthusiastic.

                                            As for the Jordan comment, yeah, that may have been a bit harsh.  On the other hand, at this rate, it will take him another 10-15 years to finish the series, which would put him in his late 70s.  Not completely unreasonable of me…

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