Board 8 > B8 Books & Lit Topic 42 - A Squeeze of the Hand

(+) Yeah! (+)

okay i'll check those out thanks.

Varjak Paw sounds like something she'd like based on that description.

Witches Abroad, the 12th Discworld book, finished. Margrat recently inherited a Fairy Godmother Wand when the previous owner died, and is now charged with preventing a girl from marrying. A weird request to be sure, but Margrat along with the two busybodies Granny and Nanny soon journey to the Magical Kingdom of Genua, making a few stops and see the sights along the way. What awaits them in the Kingdom of Genua is a threat a little too close to home for Granny Weatherwax, as well as a stirring in the swamps of Genua. In the meantime, the Story must be told...

Best Parts:
- Lilith Tempscire AKA Lily Weatherwax, witch of mirrors and stories. I liked her a lot more than the Dukes and Duchesses, entertaining though they might be. While the Duchess knows what she is and what she's done and revels in it, Lilith truly believes she is Good, and nothing can convince her otherwise. She executes citizens for minor first offenses and forces innocent people and creature into Story roles that drives them insane and suicidal, all the while she gathers powers from her mirror selves and her role in the Story as the Good Fairygodmother, twisting her even further. Good god she even stepped on all the guards that failed her :(
- Mrs. Gogol is one of my favorite tragic characters. Her lover was killed, she was driven out of the kingdom, her daughter was stolen from her, and at the climax of her long, long revenge scheme, she was stopped and made to promise to never interfere in her daughter's affairs. But at least every year she can summon Baron Saturday and party hardy
- That poor Vampire
- lol the running of the bulls
- The Cripple Mr. Onion Game that Granny played, culminating in Granny ACTUALLY crippling Mr. Onion! XD of course you're going to be good at cards if you constantly play against somebody who sees the future
- The poor wolf and granny :(
- The sisters are creepy as ****. Don't trust snakes
- Greebo the human's first appearance yay! LMAO hard to make a decent swordsmanship against a food mixer that bites you
- Casanunda's finally here! The world's second greatest lover!
- Baron Saturday VS Lilith is one of my favorite curb stomp battles ever. Even Granny had to admit that Mrs' Gogol was clever, and berated Lilith for being stupid. And nice callback with Baron stepping HARD on the Duc.
- Granny VS Gogol. Ingenious how Granny stopped the unstoppable Gogol's Voodoo Hoodoo, burning herself to burn the doll. Of course, it's thanks to Magrat's advice earlier
- Granny VS Lilith. You can just feel the rage Granny felt when she was forced to be the good one and Lilith isn't even being the best evil she can be
- The test in the mirror Dimension. Lilith does what Lilith does and Granny does what Granny does.
- oh god the hat Gogol gave Granny XD

I felt it was weaker compared to the previous Witch book, particularly their journey to Genua (though it had classic moments) but it had one of my favorite villains, and the confrontation was just great

Reaper Man > Guards! Guards! > Wyrd Sisters > Moving Pictures > Mort > Witches Abroad > Sourcery > Pyramids > The Light Fantastic > Equal Rites > The Colour of Magic > Eric
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Asagi_Igawa posted...

Guards! Guards!

Good man

Need to read Reaper Man myself.
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tag
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i read book 1 of the Cupcake Diaries series. and it's about what you would expect from a children's series about a quartet of middle school girls who make cupcakes.

But one instance that really made me laugh/cringe was when they described a make-up booth run by the "popular" middle school girls. oh god

I finished American Gods and picked up on Dresden files again. I have a lot of Thoreau to read for class as well.
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Hark to the commandments of the Great God Om

I. THIS IS NOT A GAME.
II. HERE AND NOW, YOU ARE ALIVE.

Small Gods, the 13th Discworld book, finished. This is a story about a man and his Tortoise/God. Omnia is a nation under One God, The Great God Om, and they are preparing to go to war to make sure it stays that way. What they don't know, however, is that the Great God Om is stuck as a Tortoise, and the only one who can hear him is Brutha

Best Part:
- Brutha is one of my favorite protagonists, I love his journey, growing from a faithul follower to a self-thinking leader of men. Awesome lines and awesome moments abound towards the end, made all the better with all the moments where he grew as he travels with Om. Speaking of...
- Om is a great character as well. From his early endless and creative cursing "may your sexual organs sprout wings and fly away!" to him protecting Brutha for his own selfish reason and ultimately, becomes a God that truly cares for each and every one of his followers. And my god what he did to cement that fact.
- Deacon Vorbis, the darkness that blackens the light. Another great villain, where Dios is, Vorbis does, and does it with the insane foresight and calculation that is remiscient of Vetinari, with the added bonus of corrupting everybody into becoming JUST LIKE HIM. To top it off, this SOB still believes that he is doing the work of his god, when he is only listening to his own voice. Chilling.
- Aww yeah Lu Tze is here
- Brutha's amazing memory powers used for evil by Vorbis to circumvent the Labyrinth... and then for good by saving the entire contents of the librum of Ephebe.
- The Librarian makes a small cameo and saves a few scrolls from the great fire. Nothing to do with the story, but nice to know indeed
- Brutha realizing in horror how far Vorbis has planned to take over Ephebe. The plan unfolds like this:
1. Begin exploration of the Desert. Send a small army to plant resting spots with water and supply caches at intervals, slowly but surely reaching the end
2. Meanwhile, send a follower (Poor Brother Murduck in this case) to preach in Ephebe, knowing that he'll be getting a bad reception there. When he returns, kill him, then say the Ephebians tortured and killed him.
3. Lead a navy to invade Ephebe. If they succeed, good. If not, who cares, the real army is coming from the desert.
4. Should the navy fail, send a peace treaty team to Ephebe to disable any defense that will impede the army.
Many, MANY men died for Vorbis's plan. And it ****ing worked.
- Brutha confronting Vorbis, and Om saving Brutha. Awesome
- The Great God Om, now fully restored and backed by the absolute belief of a 1000 followers, STORMS DUNMANIFESTIN ITSELF, headbutting the chief god Blind Io until he had a nosebleed, and smashing a Cornucopia of Plenty on an invading Sun God's, and lectures a minor god, all to save all of his followers. Culminating in his Commandments up there
- P'Tang P'tang the newt god and his follower Fasta Benj are hilarious man.
- In the very end, Brutha dies, exactly a hundred years after he crossed the desert, and continues into the afterlife. There, he passes Death's secret test: "Which end?", and meets Vorbis once again. Death reminds Brutha of what Vorbis is: warping and corrupting men to become like him. But Brutha acknowledges it and says that he is still Brutha, and helps Vorbis pass on into the afterlife. I shed tears here man

I freaking loved this book. I had vague memories of me liking this one, though I couldn't remember why until I reread it. Fantastic protagonists and villains, a subject matter I absolutely loved, and full of awesome and funny moments

Reaper Man > Small Gods > Guards! Guards! > Wyrd Sisters > Moving Pictures > Mort > Witches Abroad > Sourcery > Pyramids > The Light Fantastic > Equal Rites > The Colour of Magic > Eric
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I need to re-read that myself; it was a wonderful read.
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Lost my writeup of Lords and Ladies, the next Discworld book though

Oh well
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What little notes I've saved about Lords and Ladies

Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder.
Elves are marvelous. They cause marvels.
Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies.
Elves are glamorous. They project glamour.
Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment.
Elves are terrific. They beget terror.
The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes, look behind words that have changed their meaning.
No one ever said elves are nice.
Elves are bad.

The 14th Discworld book is full of hilarious lines and situations (Weatherwax's and Ridcully's less than romantic reunion, holding one's hat in the Ai-Senor-Mexican-Bandits-Have-Raided-Our-Village position,the names of the Morris Men like Bestiality Carter, that absolutely marvelous Elf quote, etc), but Margrat and the Morris men just irked me when they caused the invasion to happen.

Reaper Man > Small Gods > Guards! Guards! > Wyrd Sisters > Moving Pictures > Mort > Witches Abroad > Lords and Ladies > Sourcery > Pyramids > The Light Fantastic > Equal Rites > The Colour of Magic > Eric
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No I haven't

Men At Arms, the 15th Discworld book, finished. The second entry in the Night Watch series, where Captain Vimes is about to retire since he is marrying Lady Sybil Ramkin, and about to enter High Society. However, before he can retire, he still has to solve several mysteries: a missing dragon, a theft of an unknown item from the Assassin's Guild, and a murder. Meanwhile, tension between the Dwarves and the Trolls reach a breaking point as his wedding date draws near thanks to the case, and all the while he has to watch over 3 new recruits: a dwarf, a troll, and a w- errm, well you'll see.

Best Part:
- Cuddy, Detritus, and Angua were fantastic additions to the Night Watch gang. Damn shame about Cuddy's fate though :(. I was very fond of Cuddy and Detritus' growing bromance.
- D'aaawwww Vimes and Sybil are getting hitched.
- The triumphant return of Gaspode the wonder dog! Did you know Prachett wanted to kill him off at the end of Moving Pictures? Glad he didn't. This time around his talking ability is thanks to hanging around the high Energy Lab of the Unseen University, not Holy Wood calling. In any case, Gaspode is a total bro this time as well. Truly Man's (and Angua's) best friend
- I ship Carrot x Angua like Fedex. Screw his Dwarf beau and the "seamstress" he was hanging around in the previous book.
- Big Fido, AKA dog version of the Fuhrer. Dat final fate and Death adding insult to injury man
- Vimes amazing helm on a stick on the end of a long poker trick. You know that bit where you put a hat on a stick then move it into plain sight in order to distract/draw fire to the wrong target? Well, he added a LONG poker to the stick, and the killer shot where a man doing the stick thing would have been instead of Vimes' true position. Amazing.
- The ****ing twist. My mind was blown when they revealed that what Cuddy and Detritus found deep underneath Ankh-Morpork was a SECOND body of Boffo the clown. I was like WAIT WHAT?
- The entire armory scene. lol Nobby.
- How Carrot stopped the ongoing riot by... conscripting random dwarves and trolls. XD the Dean tried to join in
- Cuddy dying offscreen :(
- Carrot instantly killing Doctor Cruces without a word, echoing Sam's thoughts about good and evil. Good people just kill and don't gloat about it.
- Carrot, the good guy that he is, knows that a device is only a device, and can be a tool for good. Then he picked up the Gonne, realized it's possesed, and SHATTERS IT IMMEDIATELY. Like a good guy.
- Detritus being stopped from going on a roaring rampage of revenge by Carrot saying that Cuddy is looking up at them from below, saying that Detritus will never forget that he is a Night Watch.
- Carrot after the fight, carrying Angua's corpse back, and his reaction to the situation, and his reunion with Angua.
- Cuddy being buried along with the Gonne. If you remember, Cuddy refused to go on to his afterlife without a proper weapon, and threatened to be a vengeful spirit. March on good copper, you've got one hell of a weapon now
- Sybil just letting Vimes be Vimes and accept that he'll never stop being a copper. Such a fine woman, Vimes really lucked out
- LMAO Gaspode can't handle the good life

I'd call this unputdownable, except that I heard it, so... unstoppable? Anyway, the Night Watch has always been one of my favorite series, and M@A is a solid, and better entry. I particularly loved the twist here. Carrot is in top form here, and the new characters are all solid additions to the Night Watch family

Reaper Man > Small Gods > Men At Arms > Guards! Guards! > Wyrd Sisters > Moving Pictures > Mort > Witches Abroad > Lords and Ladies > Sourcery > Pyramids > The Light Fantastic > Equal Rites > The Colour of Magic > Eric
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All this is making me want to read the Vimes books again.
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metaIslug posted...

Has anyone read Haruki Murakami stuff? what are his books actually about

I read a short story called Super Frog Saves Tokyo, and that was awesome, but I dunno if a short story conveys what the rest of his stuff is

i haven't got around to it yet but it's definitely on my to-read list.

i personally love going into things blind and just figuring out as much as i can by myself, so i'd suggest just jumping into one of his more famous works even without knowing anything about it. Norwegian Wood, 1Q84, and Kafka on the Shore are the ones i hear the most about so maybe just start reading one of those?

I finished reading Men Explain Things to Me. As an already indoctrinated SJW type, it felt like a huge waste of time after the first hilarious essay.
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Soul Music, the 16th Discworld book, finished. In this entry in the Death series, Death is having another one of his episodes, this time trying to forget what happened to Ysabel and Mort of... well, Mort. It's up to his granddaughter, Susan "Death" Sto Helit, to pick up the Scythe and fill in his absence. Meanwhile, an aspiring young musician (who people swears looks Elvish) travels to Ankh Morpork to seek his fortune, and picks up a strange instrument from a strange shop. We all know what that means.

And the music never dies

Best Parts
- Susan, daughter of Mort and Ysabel finally appears! Probably my favorite female character in the entire series
- The senior Wizards' antics as they fall prey to the Spul Music. The Dean is comedy gold! Ponder's friends also show up, though they're not as funny
- Dibbler gets another prominent role yay!
- The beggars are finally introduced. Foul Ole Ron (and Foul Ole Ron's Smell) the best. Even Vetinari had to tell the smell to leave after Ron did
- Crash, Scum, and etc parts are hilarious. The entire Deaf Leopard segment LMAO
- The shop actually IS the mysterious old shop that travels in space that was first introduced in the Light Fantastic. lol when she realized she put up her shop in the wrong wall and Glod swearing it was in the other side of the street
- XD Death's swing he built for Susan, based entirely upon logic only an Anthropomorphic Personality an have. Even to the end, he still doesn't see what's wrong with the fact that the swing is in the middle of a tree whose top and bottom halves don't connect
- Imp Y Celyn, and not Buddy, finally gets one moment to play his song... and everyone loved it. Even CMOT Dibbler had, for a brief moment, thought of non-profit based thoughts. Bonus points for the song being Johnny B. Goode
- Death in the climax. Commandeering the Librarian's motorbike, riding out of Ankh Morpork like a bat out of hell while biting a Rose in his teeth, resurrecting when Susan screamed for his help, smashing his scythe to get a guitar pick, holding the guitar and pick in an awesome pose... and then proceeded to SHUT THE UNIVERSE UP! The anti-music, the only thing that can stop the music of the universe
- Death asking his granddaughter for a kiss, and Susan kissing him on the top of his skull. D'aaaaawwwwwww

I ****ing loved the band and song name jokes, especially the Deaf Leopard segment. One of my absolute favorite moments. Anyway, a protagonist I love, Death continues being awesome (though retreading a small bit from previous Death books), makes this a great entry

Reaper Man > Small Gods > Men At Arms > Guards! Guards! > Soul Music > Wyrd Sisters > Moving Pictures > Mort > Witches Abroad > Lords and Ladies > Sourcery > Pyramids > The Light Fantastic > Equal Rites > The Colour of Magic > Eric
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"May you live in interesting times"
~ Ancient Agatean curse

Interesting Times, the 17th Discworld book, finished. "Send us the Great Wizzard!" was the message from the Agatean empire, who hasn't contacted Ankh-Morpork in ten years. After an experimental spell, they finally located and sent the only wizard for the job: Rincewind, the only wizard stupid enough to misspell his own job on his hat. When he arrived in the Agatean Empire (rather suddenly), he finds a land on the verge of a civil war, between the emperor, the five ruling families Hongs, Tangs, Fangs, Mcsweeneys (very old established family), and the Sungs, as well as the Rebel Red Army (Regrettable Decease Without Undue Suffering To The Forces of Oppression!) and a barbarian horde. And all Rincewind wanted out of life was some potatoes to eat.

Best Parts:
- Rincewind is EXCELLENT here. From his tearful return to Ankh-Morpork (XD eating Dibbler 's merchandise and enjoying being a Thieves Guild class's example), to his endless reactions and observations to the insanity around him.
- Genghiz Cohen the Barbarian makes his triumphant return here, and he's even better than before! His Silver Horde are a constant delight, with Teach being a very good contrast to them
- TWOFLOWER IS BACK YAY! Married and had two daughters too... well, was married. Poor Twoflower, Lotus Blossom, and Pretty Butterfly
- The Wizards are as always great, even if they only appear at the start and end of the story.
- Hex, who was first introduced in the previous book, finally gets more fleshed out
- Loved the opening scene with Fate and The Lady about to throw down
- LMAO Rincewind confusing sexual desire with an urge to eat potato based dishes
- The sending of Rincewind.. and the Barking Dog scene was hilarious.
- The pathetic mess that is the current Red Army. For god's sake, they've got a little girl with a bunny rabbit toy! Except, of course, for...
- Pretty Butterfly. The one, the only, the sole woman who can keep up and match Rincewind. The more intelligent of the two daughters of Twoflower, she nevertheless inherited a bit of Twoflowers's optimism and thus had unreasonable expectations about her ragtag comrades. She wised up fast as she meets and interacts with Rincewind, though in the end she still hoped that Rincewind can pull off his luck in the end.
- I ship it. I ****ing ship it. I so ****ing ship Rincewind and Pretty Butterfly. I really wished they met again... it alas was not meant to be
- lol Lord Hong. Perfect in almost every aspect... except he's a closet otaku. And what is he obsessing about? Why, he's the number 1 Ankh-Morpork fanboy. His creepiness would have made Vetinari shiver
- Rincewind post leaving Cohen and running away all the time
- The entire palace scene
- The Horde VS the 5 armies
- Rincewind asking what the farmer wanted and the conversation that followed. Says it all really
- Rincewind finding and using the REAL Red Army and kicking ass. LMAO him needing help getting out of his gear
- Rincewind saving the day once again during the final showdown. Goodbye Rincewind, hello Barking Dog. Unfortunately...
- Teach going to the afterlife. Bittersweet
- Twoflower confronting Lord Hong and Rincewind being switched saving him
- the sequel hook segments. XXXX here we come!

By far my favorite Rincewind book, made stronger with the Wizards and old familiar faces from the Colour of Magic and the Light Fantastic returning and better than ever. To me, Rincewind's special brand of pessimism and cowardice is the best person to show us new Discworld locations, and I feel he's at his best when he's forced into a location for a long time, unlike in Eric where he's zooming everywhere

Also, shipping fuel for me

The fanfic Something barrowed satisfied my shipping itch, even with its problems
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Reaper Man > Interesting Times> Small Gods > Men At Arms > Guards! Guards! > Soul Music > Wyrd Sisters > Moving Pictures > Mort > Witches Abroad > Lords and Ladies > Sourcery > Pyramids > The Light Fantastic > Equal Rites > The Colour of Magic > Eric

This took a LOT of thinking and pondering for Interesting Times' placement. In the end, the lack of an excellent line doomed it to number 2. Heck, I'm considering putting Small Gods over it
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Maskerade, the 18th Discworld book, finished. With Margrat being busy being Queen (and possibly upgraded from her Maiden status), Nanny and Granny are getting on each other's nervers, which leads to Nanny looking for a replacement third witch. Her top candidate, Agnes Nitt (Or, as she'd rather be known as, Perdita X Dream. How chuuni) is off seeking a career as an Opera Singer. There's... good news, bad news, and really bad news about that. The good news is she joined the ranks of the Ankh Morpork Opera Theater. The bad news is that the theater is haunted by something that calls himself The Ghost. The REALLY bad news is that Granny and Nanny are coming to Ankh-Morpork on a different business but also allows them time to meet up with her

The horror

Best parts:
- Agnes (and Perdita) of Lords and Ladies gets the spotlight this time around. The fat jokes never gets old
- Perdita X Dream is funny enough, but then it was revealed that GRANNY had a similar chuuni name early on.
- Granny VS Death. Aww yeah.
- Oh god Granny tricking Nanny Ogg into thinking she has no idea what Mrs. Palm actually does
- Even off screen Sam Vimes is the man: his plan to catch the phantom by emplying secret police to catch secret criminals while also employing distracting highly visible incognito cops. You can't get more visible while in disguise than Nobby Nobbs and Detritus.
- Granny confronting Ghost 1 (Walter) only to lead into an engaging chase scene
- Granny CATCHING A BLADE WITH HER BARE HANDS! And what really happened there.
- While the resolution at the theater was meh... the end where Agnes ends it by being the fat lady who sings was fantastic

I'm... not feeling this one. Which is weird because I love the first part of the climax and I'm a huge fan of musical Theatre. Maybe it's the slight repeat of the mystery, or the second part of the climax with the final confrontation with the perpetrator... but yeah. Which is a darn shame, because I like Agnes

Reaper Man > Interesting Times> Small Gods > Men At Arms > Guards! Guards! > Soul Music > Wyrd Sisters > Moving Pictures > Mort > Witches Abroad > Lords and Ladies > Sourcery > Pyramids > The Light Fantastic > Maskerade > Equal Rites > The Colour of Magic > Eric
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i've been putting off starting a new book. i know it's going to be one of five or so books but i haven't gotten around to actually starting one of them. that first session tends to be where i get through a lot of it and i feel like i have to be in the mood.

my prozac is working again so i feel like reading for pleasure again. i've been binge reading dresden files. i'm on Changes right now. It isn't my favorite one, but it has needed exposition for the next story arc.
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tabiicat42 posted...

my prozac is working again so i feel like reading for pleasure again. i've been binge reading dresden files. i'm on Changes right now. It isn't my favorite one, but it has needed exposition for the next story arc.

I noticed that acutely, and was really confused because, for a little while, I thought Changes was the last mainline Dresden File book, partially for the obvious reason and partially because I misread the wiki. The next few books are pretty good. I've almost finished Skin Game.
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Finished Golden Son. On to the last of the Red Rising Trilogy.
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NFUN posted...

tabiicat42 posted...

my prozac is working again so i feel like reading for pleasure again. i've been binge reading dresden files. i'm on Changes right now. It isn't my favorite one, but it has needed exposition for the next story arc.

I noticed that acutely, and was really confused because, for a little while, I thought Changes was the last mainline Dresden File book, partially for the obvious reason and partially because I misread the wiki. The next few books are pretty good. I've almost finished Skin Game.

I didn't like the book at first, but on a re-read I like it a little more. I understand it's purpose. I'm just re-reading all of it, and trying to include the short stories. Prof is very insistent. I'm going to have to find something new to read after all these, but I think it's going to end up being a lot of classics so I can catch up on the literature I never read in high school.
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muddersmilk posted...

Finished Golden Son. On to the last of the Red Rising Trilogy.

Thoughts on the ending?
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"WORDS IN THE HEART CAN NOT BE TAKEN".

Feet of Clay, the 19th Discworld book, finished. Life is looking great for Samuel Vimes, the Watch is in full swing, he's married to the love of his life, and Lord Vetinari has just been poisoned. Wait, scratch that one. Ankh Morpork is on the verge of chaos with the news that Vetinari has suddenly fallen ill, and it's up to Vimes and the City Watch to find the culprit, and how he did it. Meanwhile the Guild Heads are starting to grow restless, and begin to wonder about Vetinari's replacement. In addition, the seemingly unrelated murders of an old priest and a curator of Dwarven Bread museum is the start of increasing unease towards the population's silent workforce: the golems, who have been behaving oddly recently. Most shocking of all, however, is the possibility that Nobby Nobs is royalty.

Eugh

Best parts
- The watch and Vetinari are endlessly entertaining as always.
- Cheery Littlebottom (LMAO, how Vimes didn't bust out laughing immediately I'll never know) is an engaging character. Whereas Angua was never bothered with her feminine side (with good reason, considering her canine problems), I find that the struggling female Dwarf makes her very endearing. I've always wondered since Pratchett introduced the concept about how difficult Dwarf romance is.
- Dorfl is great man. He sacrificed himself several times in the book, first to protect the clay of his clay, and then to save Carrot and stop Meshugah from going on further rampage. Speaking of...
- Meshugah the Golem King is a very tragic figure. Driven mad by impossible expectations, he has to work to distract him from his insanity, lest he be compelled to kill his creators for bringing him to his miserable existence
- While Angua's dilemma of whether to leave Carrot wasn't too entertaining, I love her friendship with Cheery and stepping around the whole Werewolf thing
- Carrot in full force once again. It's amazing how a Lawful Good character can be this entertaining and insightfu
- Vimes stopping the plot to frame him and showed up the heads of the Seamstress, Assassins, and Thieves Guild all at the same time. What a man, what a husbando.
- The moment Nobby realized that they want to make him King. **** THAT NOBBY IS OUT PEACE! XD
- Dorfl's moment of clarity/epiphany.
- Vimes finally going for ALL underdogs and allowing all race to join the Watch. Except vampires
- That final confrontation with Meshugah the Golem King. Cherry's ineffectual attack, Dorfl charging and fighting Meshugah, Carrot's desperate attempts, it's awesome. That it parodies the first two Terminator climax is also a plus. Going out with a smile though... what a boss. Good night sweet King of the Golems.
- With his dying... err... life, Dorfl wrote the above quote, moving Sam Vimes so much that he ordered Carrot and Detritus to remake him (also spoofing the six million dollar man, heh)
- Vimes confronting Dragon King of Arms... and then Vimes gave his comeuppance by burning all records of ancestry. Those who don't learn from History are doomed to repeat it, so might as well burn it if they don't learn anything.
- lol Vetinari already figured it out a long time ago.
- XD Dorfl the flameproof Atheist. And what a hustler, he said hell be happy to debate on his day offs.. but he just told Vimes he DOESN'T take days off. Also his noble goal of freeing other Golems by buying them and making them responsible for themselves.

Another great Night Watch entry. I'm not sure where to put this. It's as strong as Small Gods and Men at Arms. Let's put it smack dab in the middle eh?

Reaper Man > Interesting Times> Small Gods > Feet of Clay > Men At Arms > Guards! Guards! > Soul Music > Wyrd Sisters > Moving Pictures > Mort > Witches Abroad > Lords and Ladies > Sourcery > Pyramids > The Light Fantastic > Maskerade > Equal Rites > The Colour of Magic > Eric
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Yea, I love how Carrot is a Marty Stu( cause he is a true HERO, after all), yet that doesn't stop him from being interesting. It's a paragon done right.

And Cheery is a fun character. If I remember correctly, you'll be dealing with dwarves in the next Vimes book...
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crazygamer999 posted...

muddersmilk posted...

Finished Golden Son. On to the last of the Red Rising Trilogy.

Thoughts on the ending?

MAJOR SPOILERS OBVIOUSLY Definitely surprising. I fully expected Jackal to backstab but was not expecting it there (I expected him to do something after the party) and definitely was not expecting Fitchner's head in a box. Also did not expect that level of betrayal from Rogue or for Darrow being a Red to be revealed already.
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muddersmilk posted...

crazygamer999 posted...

muddersmilk posted...

Finished Golden Son. On to the last of the Red Rising Trilogy.

Thoughts on the ending?

MAJOR SPOILERS OBVIOUSLY Definitely surprising. I fully expected Jackal to backstab but was not expecting it there (I expected him to do something after the party) and definitely was not expecting Fitchner's head in a box. Also did not expect that level of betrayal from Rogue or for Darrow being a Red to be revealed already.

Yea, the ending was really good and really caught me out of nowhere. And, for Roque, it's all the more tragic because, had Darrow been a better friend, Roque might be on the other side.
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crazygamer999 posted...

muddersmilk posted...

crazygamer999 posted...

muddersmilk posted...

Finished Golden Son. On to the last of the Red Rising Trilogy.

Thoughts on the ending?

MAJOR SPOILERS OBVIOUSLY Definitely surprising. I fully expected Jackal to backstab but was not expecting it there (I expected him to do something after the party) and definitely was not expecting Fitchner's head in a box. Also did not expect that level of betrayal from Rogue or for Darrow being a Red to be revealed already.

Yea, the ending was really good and really caught me out of nowhere. And, for Roque, it's all the more tragic because, had Darrow been a better friend, Roque might be on the other side.

I disagree on Roque. I think Sevro was right about him, he would never have been able to accept that Darrow is a Red. He believes to much in the colors. Maybe if he is a better friend Rogue doesn't attack Darrow but he never would have fought with the Sons.
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muddersmilk posted...

I disagree on Roque. I think Sevro was right about him, he would never have been able to accept that Darrow is a Red. He believes to much in the colors. Maybe if he is a better friend Rogue doesn't attack Darrow but he never would have fought with the Sons.

I guess. Still, better he do nothing than outright screw Darrow over. How are you liking Servo?
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One of my favorite characters. Especially so far in book 3.
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muddersmilk posted...

One of my favorite characters. Especially so far in book 3.

yea, Sevro is best bro

also, a check on FB led to me learning that there is one more in the series in production right now.
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crazygamer999 posted...

Yea, I love how Carrot is a Marty Stu( cause he is a true HERO, after all), yet that doesn't stop him from being interesting. It's a paragon done right.

And Cheery is a fun character. If I remember correctly, you'll be dealing with dwarves in the next Vimes book...

Oh sorry just read this. I think Jingo comes first, then The Fifth Elephant
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Asagi_Igawa posted...

crazygamer999 posted...

Yea, I love how Carrot is a Marty Stu( cause he is a true HERO, after all), yet that doesn't stop him from being interesting. It's a paragon done right.

And Cheery is a fun character. If I remember correctly, you'll be dealing with dwarves in the next Vimes book...

Oh sorry just read this. I think Jingo comes first, then The Fifth Elephant

Ah, I think you're right.

I requested Guards, Guards! And Night watch from my interlibrary loan. Here's hoping they come quick.
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So the first half of March has me with three books.

Nightingale - Kristin Hannah - story about two French women in World War II and their roles in La Resistance. Thought it was a really vivid picture of the war (written by a woman and about women, if that itnerests you). Downside - some really melodramatic/cliche prose. Recommended if you like historical stories, or World War II, or just want to diversify by reading more female writing.

Algorithms to Live By - Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths - non-fiction examination of some computational problems, methods, results - emphasis on how they are analogous to real world situations. Examples: how 'optimal stopping' corresponds to renting an apartment in competitive market, or how 'constraint relaxation'/'NP-hard' can apply to seating people at weddings or setting a pro sports schedule. Written in layman's terms - highly recommended if you like problem-solving of any sort.

Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes - a classic sci-fi tale about a mentally disabled man who gets an experimental treatment to augment his intelligence. Told from the first person, it explores the way his relationships with the world, his friends, and his identity change. I'm only halfway through, but it's a really interesting story. Would recommend to anyone.
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crazygamer999 posted...

muddersmilk posted...

One of my favorite characters. Especially so far in book 3.

yea, Sevro is best bro

also, a check on FB led to me learning that there is one more in the series in production right now.

Do you mean Iron Gold?

If so its a new trilogy starring a mix of POV from past major characters and brand new ones set after the first trilogy.
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SeabassDebeste posted...

Flowers for Algernon

i read this for the first time in ninth grade and it's one of those books where i'm unsure if it'll still hold up for me but also one where i wasn't so blown away by it that i'm not prioritizing a revisit to see if it does hold up.

TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY

Hogfather, the 20th Discworld book, finished. It's almost time for Hogswatch, Discworld's equivalent to the Chirstmas. It's supposed to be jolly, with mistletoe and holly... and other things ending in olly. But all through the houses, a creature was stirring... and not just a mouse either. Death is, to the frustration of his granddaughter Susan, doing the Hogfather's job this year. All she wanted was a normal life, and none of these illogical stuff like anthropomorphic personifications and walking through walls. But as she learns more of why Death is going around Ho Ho Ho to each house, she embarks on journey that will have her learn the true meaning of Hogswatch

And no it's not goodwill towards men or things in that vein

If humanity doesn't believe in the Hogfather, the sun will not rise...

Best Part:
- Susan is finally the Discworld Waifu I know and love. The no nonsense attitude that would make Pretty Buterfly green with envy, and give Granny a run for her money.
- Jonathan Teatime Is a fantastic villain. Creepy as **** and bloody effective. It takes a certain mind to find out how to kill the Hogfather. Hell, he might even be on the right track in trying to kill DEATH!
- Speaking of villains, the Auditors are starting to get more hands on in their approach. In their return, they are still moving around pawns until they're pushed into action... and I love them
- The Wizards are ****ing killing it as usual. That bit where they reminisce about their own Hogswatch was hilarious
- I love the observations Death makes during his short stint as the Hogfather. From his banter with Albert (LMAO being the helper) to him saving the freakin' matchstick girl to him showing up King Wenceslas ('s expy) to him denying Albert's economical reasons for not giving everybody what they want to Death getting a wee bit attached to being the Hogfather.
- The Tooth Fairy's Tower being made of teeth and hidden in all children drawing is a stroke of genius man.
- That mall scene man. And then Nobby came along and perfected it.
- DO YOU BELIEVE? I love that Death and Hex scene.
- That quote above. Quite a... pessimistic view of the true meaning of Hogswatch. And yet, Death turned it around and made it positive: "You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?"
- Holy **** the Poker that only kills monsters killing Teatime. And of course, Death is the only one to get Teatime's name right the first time.
- Also, I loved Death's delivery in the TV series: And good night, children... everywhere
- D'aaaawwww Death was the one that bought the Horse for Albert. Too bad he's going to be too old to enjoy it.

I love this book and the TV Adaptation I briefly talked about before. I'm not sure which one I'd recommend really... I love the TV's Susan, Teatime, and Death, but there are cut parts of the book... I'd go with the TV adaptation.

Reaper Man > Interesting Times> Small Gods > Hogfather > Feet of Clay > Men At Arms > Guards! Guards! > Soul Music > Wyrd Sisters > Moving Pictures > Mort > Witches Abroad > Lords and Ladies > Sourcery > Pyramids > The Light Fantastic > Maskerade > Equal Rites > The Colour of Magic > Eric
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kateee posted...

i read this for the first time in ninth grade and it's one of those books where i'm unsure if it'll still hold up for me but also one where i wasn't so blown away by it that i'm not prioritizing a revisit to see if it does hold up.

Shouldn't be anything about it that doesn't 'hold up,' IMO. The first person narration is what it is. It's also unlikely to turn into a sentimental favorite if it wasn't already, but it's possible you'll get a bit more out of it as an adult.

(Also, upon rereading that sentence, I finally understood the quadruple-negative in it, but I'm leaving my response as it. Very worthwhile read, IMO, and you probably got a lot of the value from it as a kid.)
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@ HogFather: Matchstick girl part was the best.
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Haha yeah

Jingo, the 21th Discworld novel finished. When the mysterious island of Leshp rose out of the sea smack dab in the middle between Ankh-Morpork and Klatch, tensions rise between the two nations as the citizens of each nation claims for their country. Things come to a head after a certain incident, and it's all Commander Vimes of the City Watch can do to keep the peace while the city council is moving to war

And by Jingo, they'll show those Johnny Klatchians a thing or two about war!

Meanwhile, nobody asked why the island of Leshp seems to already have buildings on it, with lots of Octopus motifs.

Best Parts
- The watch gets the starring role once again, all as strong as ever... but...
- Carrot and Angua's storyline seemed to have been cut short. After they reunite in Klatch no more mention is made of Carrot's pragmatic approach to reaching Angua. Oh well, it just hurt a teensy bit
- Lord Rust is such an incompetent war leader I can't help but laugh at his antics. Land right near the fortress city, good call there man
- Vetinari also gets a starring role! And by Jingo did he steal the damn show. Juggling, forcing that damn donkey down from the Minaret, advocating for peace at the start of the book (well, non-war anyway), and that fast one he pulled over Prince Cadram. What a man, what a mind!
- 71-Hour Ahmed just oozes coolness man
- Leshp is a great Red Herring MacGuffin. We get increasing amounts of inhuman clues about what originally inhabited the island, and we keep getting reminded of the incident of Mr. Hong's Three Jolly Luck restaurant on Dagon Street. They never did find out the rest of him, just half a kidney and half an earhole. But then it turns out to be a city made by the Curious Squid, not the Things from the Dungeon Dimensions. Phew!
- I loved the mystery here. Prince Cadram correctly predicted Vimes's way of thinking, since it was obviously Klatchian it couldn't possibly be from Klatch. Fortunately for Vimes, 71 Hour Ahmed saw through the trap clues
- Vimes purposely sabotaging the first parade. Good thing too, because of the sniper(s) and all
- Oh my god Nobby "Betty" Nobs. So ugly that the convention that people cross dressing as a girl will instantly be beautiful gave up. LMAO everybody bending over themselves to prevent Betty from dancing for them
- As mentioned before, the Donkey in the Minaret scene is ****ing hilarious. Thank you random bullheaded commentator
- General Tacticus is a very interesting character, shame we don't see more of him
- 71 Hour Ahmed reacting to Carrot and Jabhar reacting to Angua lol
- The Alternate Timeline. Holy **** the Darkest Timeline indeed! EVERYBODY in the watch died! Well except for Angua who was taken away by 71 Hour Ahmed... god, I wonder what happened to her now that Carrot's dead. On a slightly bright side, alternate timeline Vimes at least knows that somewhere, in a different universe, the Watch did their job
- Cadram running away to Klatchistan... which just so happens to be where 71 Hour Ahmed was heading to. Vimes's reaction says it all
- The chase never ends! Love the end parade. XD the Thief seeing the whole of Ankh-Morpork bearing down on him

Vetinari gets to be Vetinari. It'd be a ****ing war crime to put this book low.

Reaper Man > Interesting Times> Small Gods > Hogfather > Jingo > Feet of Clay > Men At Arms > Guards! Guards! > Soul Music > Wyrd Sisters > Moving Pictures > Mort > Witches Abroad > Lords and Ladies > Sourcery > Pyramids > The Light Fantastic > Maskerade > Equal Rites > The Colour of Magic > Eric
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Got guards guards and night watch fron library. Cannor wait.
---

The Last Continent, the 22nd Discworld book, finished. Circumstances have forced the Wizard to find out the Librarians name in order to cast a spell... but unfortunately, only one person knows it. Rincewind, the Wizard (well, Wizzard) who they have no idea where he is at the moment. All they know is that he's somewhere in XXXX (or Fourecks as it's otherwise known), the isolated continent. This sets them off on a path that somehow winds up on a small tiny island with rather peculiar flora and fauna.

Rincewind, meanwhile, is surviving on Fourecks just fine, but the ever paranoid Rinzo (as he's known here), can sense something amiss. For one thing, every bloody creature here is dangerous and out to kill him. But more importantly, it never rains in Fourecks. And now some bloody Kangaroo is telling him he needs to go on a journey to save Fourecks

But hey, no worries mate

Best part:
- My god the Wizards. The ****ing Wizards. They're out in full force now and at the top of their game.
- The whole Mrs. Whitlow distraction for the wizards. Especially the Senior Wrangler
- Mono Island is a great setting for the Wizards' eternal bickering and Ponder Stibbons to finally reach a breaking point
- XD the Cockroach
- Oh god Rincewind became the subject of Waltzing Matilda. That's amazing man
- LMAO The Wizards being the rest for the Playtipus. And lol the Dreamer fed up with the damn Wizards and drew them into the land. With unfortunate consequences of sealing the Bullroarer that brings the rain as well.
- I love the ending, everything comes full circle. Rincewind gets proper recognition from the Ecksians (even getting a peck from the girl. A REAL girl, not a drag queen too), about the only glaring hole are the crocodile (not that he'd have reason to thank Rincewind much), the horsemen, and the Dreamer and his creations.
- On that note, I also like the epilogue. The smell after the rain... beautiful man.

The penultimate Rincewind book, it serves as the end of Rincewind's long journey since Sourcery. He's not gone, but he'll only have bit parts apart from one last hurrah. While the Wizards' portion is fantastic is always, Rincewind's started off slow, and isn't as focused and coherent as last time in Interesting Times. But it eventually gets going. Still...

Reaper Man > Interesting Times> Small Gods > Hogfather > Jingo > Feet of Clay > Men At Arms > Guards! Guards! > The Last Continent > Soul Music > Wyrd Sisters > Moving Pictures > Mort > Witches Abroad > Lords and Ladies > Sourcery > Pyramids > The Light Fantastic > Maskerade > Equal Rites > The Colour of Magic > Eric
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tabiicat42 posted...

trying to include the short stories. Prof is very insistent.

Woo you are going to read Aftermath
---

Carpe Jugulum, then 23rd Discworld book, finished. Lancre is celebrating the birth of their new ruler, and everyone is invited! From Dwarves to Trolls to near diginitaries to an Omnian Priest to... Vampires. Yes, in his infinite wisdom King Verrence INVITED the vampires of Uberwald into his castle, and in effect the wholeof Lancre. Yet Granny Weatherwax never got her invite. As Granny leaves Lancre thinking she's no longer welcome there, the vampires quite make themselves at home. But these aren't your normal vampires, oh no... these are modern, forward thinking vampires of the future. The ones that know about all the weaknesses a vampire has and prepared for them. Now the 3 remaining witches have to find a way to get Granny back and get the vampires to leave, even though both tasks are nigh impossible

After all, it's in the blood

Best part:
- The Witches Four are finally together! Well, I mean, most of the time they're seperated into groups of ones and threes, but they're all still good
- Perdita actually gets development here, and I actually like her now! She's still, after all, Agnes Nitt.
- Mightily Oats is my second favorite Omnian, right after Brutha. Third if we count Om. I like his character arc of a man struggling with his belief and knowledge
- I... did not like the vampires much. Not Vlad, not the Count de Magpyr, and not the Countess. Oddly enough, Lacrimosa is such a horrible little brat she's endearing
- Igor's a total bro
- The afterlife test scene is a lot more elaborate compared to mirror question, but it works.
- The supporting cast gets a few mentions here and there, except for the beekeeper (where did he go?). Hodgesaaaaarrrgghhh gets the spotlight this time around. What a wonderful mind he has.
- Oats burning a book of Om to keep Granny warm. Especially when the last thing Oats saw was a sentence that could be seen as a sign from Om to give light unto the darkest spaces.
- When everything goes wrong for the vampires in the village. Damn.
- HOLY **** MIGHTILY OATS BEHEADED THE COUNT! Thus proving once and for all that the Holy Axe is the best subweapon a vampire hunter could ask for
- I just love the ending scenes, from Oats finally leading a congregation, and Granny's world tour as a falcon.


Interestingly, this book is followed by another Uberwald related book immediately. Anyway,this was previously my least liked of the Witches book, and is part of why I put The Witches series low in my rankings compared to others. Now though, it's higher than Rincewind. Anyway, the best parts of this book has mostly been done in either Going Abroad or Lords and Ladies. Heck, I'd even say this book is a bit of retread of Lords and Ladies. That said, when it's good it's bloody good. But geez the middle is such a slog, especially after Granny goes missing and the vampires made themselves known. But once they went to Uberwald and the gnarly space, it gets good.

Reaper Man > Interesting Times> Small Gods > Hogfather > Jingo > Feet of Clay > Men At Arms > Guards! Guards! > The Last Continent > Soul Music > Wyrd Sisters > Moving Pictures > Mort > Witches Abroad > Lords and Ladies > Sourcery > Pyramids > Carpe Jugulum > The Light Fantastic > Maskerade > Equal Rites > The Colour of Magic > Eric
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Way Of The Kings e-book is free for people to get.

http://giveaway.tor.com/
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profDEADPOOL posted...

tabiicat42 posted...

trying to include the short stories. Prof is very insistent.

Woo you are going to read Aftermath

SOON. I'm almost done with the latest novel so I'm gonna eat up the short stories then. I need to reread great Gatsby at some point.
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profDEADPOOL posted...

Way Of The Kings e-book is free for people to get.

http://giveaway.tor.com/

Huh, they have done this before.

Its how I got the eBook.

I wish they would do it with Words of Radience now.
---

The Truth, the 25th Discworld book, finished. Progress is coming to Ankh-Morpork, as the long standing ban against the printing process is finally lifted. William de Worde was just a simple scribe hired by interested parties outside of Ankh-Morpork who are VERY interested in the goings on of Ankh-Morpork, when he became familiar with the dwarves who brought their own press into town. Soon enough, William starts the first Ankh-Morpork Newspaper, and strives to bring the truth to the public eyes. And just in time too, because there is a dark plan brewing among a few citizens, who hired two persons of interests into the city...

After all, the Truth shall make you fear- I mean free

Best parts:
- I love most bits about William, a man who tries so hard to not be his father but fails to realize that he IS his father in many ways... but not where it truly counts, as Otto puts it.
- The standout supporting cast is Otto von Chriek. He's a freakin' vampire photographer where the Flash tech you use is a Salamander that stores SUNLIGHT! LMAO. He's also a damn hero when the going gets tough.
- The New Firm are one of my favorite bad guy duo. Mr. Pin, the smart one, and Mr. Tulip, the strong one.I love how these guys start off being hot shots, saying they'll own this town... and then they got changed by Ankh-Morpork. Well, mostly by Darklight. I love their journey throughout the book, from Mr. Pin's descent from the confident con man and face of the two to a paranoid backstabbing git. Mr. Tulip's change only really occurred after death, but it's never too late, even when you're dead. I also love their final fate, with Mr. Pin reincarnated as a potato (and surprised lol), and Mr. Tulip as a worm that is slowly eating wood in William's desk and almost reached Mr. Pin the potato...
- Speaking of, I LOVE the Darklight concept. I still get chills when Otto saw the Iconograph with William, tried to rub off what looked like it was behind William, then turned around and asked if anyone was there. Brr. And of course, it triggered Mr. Pin's downward spiral
- The early days of the Ankh-Morpork Times is just a jolly romp man. And sometimes, that is all the enjoyment I need.
- XD William is still convinced that Nobby Nobbs is the Watch's resident werewolf
- Mr Slant FINALLY gets confronted for all the conspiracy he was a part of
- Yeeeesssssss rumors that Vetinari is sweet on Lady Margolotta. The shipping man, I can't handle it
- William's initial approach to Sacharisa (WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU IDIOT?), them finally connecting (d'aww), and William tried to get a date with her... but alas, the news happened. It was a valiant effort though.
- I did not like that William got away with throwing that stink bomb right in Angua's face. The poor girl suffered so much already in the previous book man :(

A stand alone story that got hit with the City Watch syndrome as Terry puts it, where the mere presence of Vimes is dangerously veering the story into a City Watch story. Still, I love the Watch, and the Newspaper bits are great and the villains were stellar. And yet... I kind of dislike it towards the end where William is all up in everyone's faces and gets away with it. Especially the bit where he really hurt Angua (though he has no idea how badly he messed her up). I dunno. Just a small knock. Still, we can see Ankh-Morpork progressing as a city, and I love the world changing like that.

Reaper Man > Interesting Times> Small Gods > Hogfather > Jingo > The Fifth Elephant > Feet of Clay > Men At Arms > The Truth > Guards! Guards! > The Last Continent > Soul Music > Wyrd Sisters > Moving Pictures > Mort > Witches Abroad > Lords and Ladies > Sourcery > Pyramids > Carpe Jugulum > The Light Fantastic > Maskerade > Equal Rites > The Colour of Magic > Eric
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