The B&B Book Review - The Bear and Badger

The Daddy

@EvilRedEye: I just got a copy of the map on my phone and consulted that when necessary - worked quite well, especially as there are some decent versions out there.

EvilRedEye

TheDaddy wrote:

@EvilRedEye: I just got a copy of the map on my phone and consulted that when necessary - worked quite well, especially as there are some decent versions out there.

There's a free official companion app that I've been using for the maps, and you can also view them using the Kindle app for iOS. I've looked for Malazan and there aren't as many options. In a way it would be handy if the publishers distributed free PDFs so you could print out the maps from each volume in a booklet.

Aaroncupboard

Gardens of the Moon has just been put on the kindle for the journey into work. Which I better hurry up and get started...

tigersgogrrr

Railsea is out next week, I believe. Definitely looking forward to that after recently finishing Embassytown.

Aaroncupboard

So I've been reading 'Gardens of the Moon' and I've just finished the first part. I find the style of the book very enjoyable and easy to read, however the content of the book does cause you to constantly pay attention and try to keep up.

Basically, I've thoroughly enjoyed it so far. The storyline is developing nicely, the characters are interesting and I love the meddling of the gods.

stormyskiesahead

Glad you're enjoying it Aaron. Just wait 'til you get to the second and third books.

Scout

I'm reading Catch 22 at the moment.

Shinji

Audiobooked Catch 22 a while back, loved it.

Working my way through The Blade Itself at the moment. Loving it, typical fantasy setting but minus some of the nonsense and it's pretty funny.

stormyskiesahead

I've had The Blade Itself sitting on my bookshelf since it came out. Really must get round to reading it.

Dark Soldier

I'm working my way back through Irvine Welsh due to his new one popping up.

Filth at the moment, as enjoyable as I remember.

Unlikely

Filth was the last of his I read, on account of it being nasty and shit.

EvilRedEye

GUYS, a fantasy trilogy set in a world ruled by bears!

g.man

Wooooo!

djchump

metagonzo wrote:

..Â When it comes to SciFi I'm often a man of simple pleasures; there's a lot of pulp on my shelves. ...

If you like pulpy scifi, you might dig (if you haven't already)Â Alastair Reynolds (fairly hard, distant future scifi) and Neal AsherÂ (his Agent Cormac books are like violent Bond in space with aliens kinda thing, a bit like a streamlined Peter F Hamilton, very much the scifi an Essex man would write).

djchump

Just finished Nick Harkaway's "The Gone-Away World"Â - brilliant stuff. If you like Tom Holt or Robert Rankin, I figure you'll like this; silly, funny, a bit more poetically-written (but not too overdone IMHO) and more story-focused than Rankin. Well paced, great characters, nicely worked plot, ninjas and monsters from the id and stuff, love it.
Â Gonna grab Angelmaker immediately.

The Daddy

More story focused than Rankin?! Not difficult these days. Gone off RR a bit.

Went to one of his book signings/Q&A for the release of necrophenia, was an unsettling experience. Hollow chocolate bunnies was his pinnacle I think, and the Brentford books.

djchump

Haven't read Rankin (or Holt for that matter) for years - only read the first 4 or 5 Brentford Trilogy. Harkaway's tone is somewhat similar, with some tangents and silliness, but much more toned down and nearly always plot-relevant.

Tempy

Brooks mentioned Caitlin Moran's "How To Be a Woman" in the Blurum and a friend gave me her copy to read last week. I sacked it off for Diablo but I'm reading it now and it is a riot. Very funny and presents Feminism in the kind of light I imagine it needs to be put in for it to work in a modern context, which I'm all for. She is the far opposite of prudish but never ends up being at all crass and I like herÂ arguments. Feminism is a thing I dig, and this is certainly more male friendly than trying to get through some Germaine "But none of us actually like fucking" Greer.

EvilRedEye

I think today's Kindle Daily Deal wins the 'Great Title but Disappointing Blurb' award for, like, all time.

A King of Infinite Space

Long Beach, California, homicide detective Danny Beckett is pouring the weekendâ€™s first shot of vodka when the call comes in: Elizabeth Williams, a teacher at nearby Warren High School, has been brutally murdered in her classroom. When Danny arrives at the school, the blood-spattered crime scene turns even his veteran stomach. What could this young woman have done to make her the target of such a violent attack? And what is the significance of the victimâ€™s left hand, taken by the killer as a grisly trophy? Beckett delves into the case with his usual tenacious cool, yet as he pieces together the facts, long-suppressed anguish from his own past rises up with stunning force. His hunt for the murderer soon morphs into a personal quest for atonement as he struggles to come to terms with the loss of his wife and family. A King of Infinite Space is a riveting crime novel that serves as a memorable introduction for Danny Beckett to the ranks of fictionâ€™s favorite hardened detectives.

Facewon

have had to put V on hold. It just can't be read a few pages at a time of an evening. Will save it for some time off when I'm sitting on a beach somewhere or something.

Given the God thread resurgence, I have decided to dust off The God Debates, by John Shook. More a refresher than anything, and his attempts at neutrality are a bit of a mixed bag so far, but that's the thing with the subject matter.

JonB

EvilRedEye wrote:

I think today's Kindle Daily Deal wins the 'Great Title but Disappointing Blurb' award for, like, all time.

Wow. Also the award for number of cliches in one paragraph.

Brooks

Got the genuinely rollocking, even melodramatic Nixonland on the go* - bringing the often torrid American '60s back to some kind of life and reminding me that re: civil unrest (with particular relevance to last summer's shenanigans in the capital), little changes when it comes to bickering over causes and responses, and the politics of resentment. Though thankfully the developed world is probably less the number of wholly depressing white fuckarses today.

*This audiobook was a bit of a cunt to obtain, in that the legit vendor wouldn't vend beyond the US. Fortunately what.cd had it, and any interested parties may have it offa me too if they wish.

tigersgogrrr

Railsea, currently.

About a quarter of the way through and it's been wonderful. The book reads in a peculiar fashion at first due to Mieville's decision to replace every instance of and with &, but the world fiction and prose has been superb.

Unlikely

Caught the end of an interview with him on BBC News 24 yesterday afternoon.Â He's bald with an imbalance of ear furniture.

M0stly harm13ss

Brooks wrote:

Got the genuinely rollocking, even melodramatic Nixonland on the go* - bringing the often torrid American '60s back to some kind of life and reminding me that re: civil unrest (with particular relevance to last summer's shenanigans in the capital), little changes when it comes to bickering over causes and responses, and the politics of resentment. Though thankfully the developed world is probably less the number of wholly depressing white fuckarses today. *This audiobook was a bit of a cunt to obtain, in that the legit vendor wouldn't vend beyond the US. Fortunately what.cd had it, and any interested parties may have it offa me too if they wish.

@Brooks . Could I possibly partake?

Brooks

Sure ting.

Am on the 22nd of 30 discs. Beyond how it impacts one's view of current American sociopolitics, am impressed at how fucking furious the tale can make me well after the fact. That's probably not such a grand outcome, actually.

metagonzo

Happy towel day everyone.

tigersgogrrr

Unlikely wrote:

Caught the end of an interview with him on BBC News 24 yesterday afternoon.Â He's bald with an imbalance of ear furniture.

True. He's fucking sharp though. Listened to a couple of interviews with him recently and he comes across as an extremely intelligent and likeable chap. With an imbalance of ear furniture.

Aaroncupboard

Sat down in the sun yesterday (before the rugby) and finished off 'Gardens of the Moon'. Bloody hell that book really was brilliant. The final part, in particular, was incredible, with all the characters/plots meeting together and then practically exploding. I've never been overly keen on too much magic, yet this just nailed it. There was tons of magic in it yet it never seemed over the top or out of place.

I can see why some people would say it is confusing but it was a very satisfying read that for me was up there with 'Game of Thrones' and 'The Blade Itself'.

'Deadhouse Gates' has been immediately downloaded to begin at some point today.

Edit:
@Stormy: Thank you so much for making me read this!

stormyskiesahead

My pleasure Aaron. Glad you liked it

. I totally agree regarding the use of magic, never seen it done better.

As much as I love all the Malazan books, Deadhouse Gates and the next in the series, Memories of Ice, are my favourites.

Oh, and if you liked the ending of GotM, you're in for a real treat with the rest.

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