Books Part V, featuring Benny Profane and the Whole Sick Crew

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I just finished the Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman. I actually didn't even realize there was a TV series on the Sci-Fi network until after I had finished the first book, which I stumbled upon in a thrift store last summer. I was in Paris back in October and saw a subway ad for the show, unaware the first season had already aired in the U.S.

Anyway, the show is ok, but for an adult-themed/younger cast mix I'd still give the edge to The 100. The books, however, are fantastic. Contemporary/sarcastic humor with some meta-elements of genre fandom, but with a bleeding heart. The 3rd book is one of the best finale's I've read in quite some time.
 
I'm working my way through your links, but have been meaning to ask - did you read the final book in the Passage trilogy? I remember you didn't care for the second book.

I enjoyed it, but a lot of the impact was lost by having so much time between the books that I had completely forgotten what had happened (I should have done a Wikipedia recap or something first).

Just to chime in here, I re-read the first two last year in time for the release of the third, a decision stimulated in no small part by the fact that when I read the second I'd already forgotten a lot of what happened in the first. It really helped. I rate the first and second books about equally, but I felt the third was a bit beneath it, especially (maybe a spoiler alert?)
the final section in the present tense. But that's probably just my very strong bias against novels being written in the present tense.
 
Finished 1q84 yesterday. I have so many questions. I've never wanted a sequel to A book more I don't think. I just don't understand so much, but thenb there's so much more I want to know too, so I just feel like it would be great if he ever decides to pick this story up again.
 
Just read a few crackers.

*Rogue One: Catalyst - a bit of a struggle at times but worth it, easier once you've seen the film
*Declared (The Brendon McCullum biography) - essentially a valid attack on someone who tried to defame him, but I would have preferred a bit more on his career
*Acknowledge No Frontier - cracker. Looking forward to the followups
*A Short History of Nearly Everything - excellent and I couldn't read in public. Bill Bryson can make me laugh too easily.
 
Finished 1q84 yesterday. I have so many questions. I've never wanted a sequel to A book more I don't think. I just don't understand so much, but thenb there's so much more I want to know too, so I just feel like it would be great if he ever decides to pick this story up again.

I've felt that way about several Murakami books.


Been on a major Margaret Atwood tear recently. After reading The Handmaid's Tale last year (and now eagerly awaiting the miniseries), I ordered the entire MaddAddam trilogy and am partway through the third book, am also currently reading Cat's Eye, and picked up 4 other used paperbacks by her.

So thankful for Half.com where you can order multiple items from a single seller and not get charged full shipping for each one (fuck you, Amazon). I got 3 books for under $10 total including shipping.
 
It's the first of his I've read.

It did have moments of being a touch repetitive, but I was much happier with the third book's translation. There were weird things about the first two books that seemed to be potentially lost in translation that didn't seem to happen in the third.
 
Wow, you tackled the magnum opus first.

I'd suggest Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World as a next step, or the popular favorite The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
 
Honestly I used a free audible credit on it. Whenever I get one through whatever promos, I use it on the longest books I can think of. Took a month of LA traffic to finish.
 
I don't read as many novels as I should, and every time I do, I think I should read more of them.

We're going to Gettysburg this summer, because we're going to Pennsylvania and it's there. I don't know much about it, so The Killer Angels was recommended to me and holy cow was it good. I know there are some issues with historical accuracy, but was a terrific book. It was one of those where you know what's going to happen, but you can't stop reading to find out what happens next.
 
"Hillbilly Elegy" - JD Vance

Very good. It really makes you think about class in this country. However, I felt the plight of the hillbillys, if you will, is not limited to them, and this author made it sound like it is. I'm originally from Staten Island in NYC, and people there are very similar to hillbillys, minus the gun love. And they have the same problems as them, opioid epidemic included.

Now, onto "And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hosseini.
 
:bump:

Isn't anyone reading anymore? :sad:

I read Rogue Male late this summer (mostly because I heard Benedict Cumberbatch is making a movie adaptation in the near future) and it wins the award for Best Book I've Never Heard Of. :up::up:

I recently finished The Bourne Supremacy. It was awful and took me three months to get through. :| I read The Bourne Identity about a year ago and it was a lot better. Hopefully the last one will improve.

I am currently reading the second Dune book, Dune Messiah. The first one was amazing.
 
I finished Atonement the other day. It was a fairly good story that kept me interested, but the ending was a letdown. It felt like everything was left unresolved. Meh. I haven’t seen the movie.
 
I'm reading two books now:

"The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" - Junot Diaz
"You are a Badass at Making Money" - Jen Sincero
 
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