Now Reading...

[Pellaz]

The why is easy - Rock City. You can travel over a lot of the country and see the same mysterious signs (or at least you used to) - SEE ROCK CITY. It's painted on barn roofs, on billboards, on nicknacks sold in gas stations...and obviously the closer you get to Tennessee there are more of them. I remember as a kid going on trips all the time from Florida or South Carolina to Kentucky and seeing it everywhere and always wondering what it was...which is kind of the point. Stuff like that, the "tourist trap" occured to Gaiman as this distinctly American thing close to a kind of American Stonehenge, I guess...and Rock City is the mother of all tourist traps. There are interviews where he talks about it...in fact, I sort of remember there being info. on it in the back of the paperback maybe? Great book at any rate.

Wow, I had no idea Gaiman was that familiar with Rock City! Now I'm regretting -- a little -- taking Storm Constantine to see Ruby Falls instead of Rock City, which we'd ruled out because it was a hot summer day...and a cool underground cave like Ruby Falls would be better for goths all dressed in black.

That was the same weekend Neil Gaiman had invited a bunch of folks, including us -- to see an advance showing of Neverwhere in his Dragon*Con hotel suite. We shoulda asked him for tourism tips. Who knew?

 

[Wandrail]

Wow, I had no idea Gaiman was that familiar with Rock City! Now I'm regretting -- a little -- taking Storm Constantine to see Ruby Falls instead of Rock City, which we'd ruled out because it was a hot summer day...and a cool underground cave like Ruby Falls would be better for goths all dressed in black.

That was the same weekend Neil Gaiman had invited a bunch of folks, including us -- to see an advance showing of Neverwhere in his Dragon*Con hotel suite. We shoulda asked him for tourism tips. Who knew?

I remember reading an interview with Gaiman a long time ago about that book and where he got his ideas for it...i'll have to try and find it and post a link. If I recall, he got alot of ideas from traveling around the US. I also remember that all of the places in the book are real, even if he made some of them seem like their locations were vague and didn't use the actual name, its a real place you can visit.

 

[jaimek]

I liked that series. I'm now into her Soldier Son trilogy. I've only read the first one so far, Shaman's Crossing, and it was strangely one of the best boring books I've read. I mean, the book was boring. She spent way too much time doing the whole "young man in a hostile school / academy setting" which has been done much better and more briefly by others - like David Feintuch or OS Card. And the ending was very anticlimactic. But nonetheless, she's such a good writer that I was drawn in to the characters, and am looking forward to the second book, Forest Mage.

That's pretty much the same reaction I had. So slow, yet still fascinating. I didn't like it enough that I'm going to get Renegade Magic in hardcover, so I'm going to have to wait til next fall or winter. It'll probably take me that long to get through the rest of my TBR pile anyway...

 

[Rakosh]

...the manuscript of the upcoming Repairman Jack novel By the Sword by F. Paul Wilson. I love being in this business!

Only about 100 pages in, but for you RJ and Wilson fans: this one will tie in Wilson's early novel Black Wind into the Secret History of the World (as he's calling the Adversary Cycle and RJ books collectively now).

:Smokin:

 

[Ruthven]

The why is easy - Rock City.

Growing up in Chattanooga, I knew that those "See Rock City" billboards dotted the South, but to be honest I thought it was a bit of a Southern phenomenon at best - I never realized that Rock City was that major a piece of American pop culture. Or maybe I am just used to it since it is located in my hometown, and have been there countless times. Odd little place.

 

[Kenneth R.]

There are none up in the Northeast, and most people around here have never heard of it.

 

[Pellaz]

There are none up in the Northeast, and most people around here have never heard of it.

Whew.

Normality is restored. Anything you can't cope with is therefore your own problem.

 

[Cheiron]

Finished Freakonomics. Interesting enough.

Starting Ian Graham's "Monument"

 

[jaimek]

While waiting for an Amazon order, I've been rereading Octavia Butler's "Dawn" while on lunch at work. The order, however, arrived today - containing "The Name of the Wind" in paperback and "Born Queen" in hardcover, both of which have been eeeeeagerly anticipated.

Decisions, decisions! Maybe I'll read both simultaneously.

 

[Pellaz]

I finished The Skies of Pern, which was very good, although far from my favorite Pern tale.

Next up: Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Tempting Fate.

 

[Kenneth R.]

Finished "Darwin's Black Box" (The case for Intelligent Design). Interesting biology, one of the worst constructed arguments ever though.

Next, Invisible Man, hardcover 1st edition.

 

[OrbWeaver]

Now reading Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown. Because I have to for my Marriage and Family class. Not a bad novel so far. I think I have a good start on the case scenario I have to write based on this novel, for class.

 

[jaimek]

Now reading Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown. Because I have to for my Marriage and Family class. Not a bad novel so far. I think I have a good start on the case scenario I have to write based on this novel, for class.

I read that a LONG time ago, probably in my early teens. I suspect my aunt had it in her collection for the same reason, as she was a social worker.

 

[RagePSV]

Brother Odd - Dean Koontz
The Quest For Heroes - David Gemmell

Anyone ever checkout bookcrossing.com ?

 

[Pellaz]

Awesome. I've liked everything I've read by David Gemmell.

 

[RagePSV]

Yeah, they are nice quick reads and usually pretty good stories.

 

[thedelicateflower]

...in the midst of reading 'the amber spyglass' (third in the trilogy of philip pullman's 'his dark materials')...and i am not liking the part i am reading now...i hope it gets better....almost want to stop reading it....

...the only book i did stop in the middle of reading was stephen king's 'needful things'...i read up to the part with the dog and stopped....i hated that story

 

[Bear]

I went back in the archives and busted out The Avatar Trilogy, Shadowdale, Tantras & Waterdeep by Richard Awlinson.. I am on Shadowdale right now

Great series

Bear

 

[jaimek]

I'm about 4/5 of the way through Name of the Wind, and it's every bit as enjoyable as the reviews say. If the entire trilogy is supposed cover *all* of the exploits briefly attributed to the main character, then this first book has been seriously dragged out, given that it only seems to cover the Humble Beginnings and the University Days - but I don't freakin' care, because the story momentum never stalls. It's simply a very fun read.

I also started on Born Queen, and I'm eager to get back to that, but I want to finish NOTW first.

 

[Pellaz]

...in the midst of reading 'the amber spyglass' (third in the trilogy of philip pullman's 'his dark materials')...and i am not liking the part i am reading now...i hope it gets better....almost want to stop reading it....

It's well-worth finishing, although the ending to the series seemed a bit...anticlimactic?....to me.

...the only book i did stop in the middle of reading was stephen king's 'needful things'...i read up to the part with the dog and stopped....i hated that story

New idea for the thread! Everyone, post any book titles that you tried to read, but gave up on in disgust....or books you wish you HAD given up on in disgust.


I can think of one offhand that I wished I'd scorched early: James M. Ward, Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe.


(Derek already knew THAT one was coming..... )