No. You're missing the point. The design of the thing is functional. The plan is not to shoot you. The plan is to get the girl. If there's no girl, then the plan, well, is like the room.

Early ,'Objects In Space'


Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.

There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."


sumi - Mar 08, 2011 4:46:33 am PST #14028 of 28283
Art Crawl!!!

HBO tie-in cover for A Game of Thrones.

ETA: They changed the title of the book to conform to the tv show!


Toddson - Mar 08, 2011 4:47:04 am PST #14029 of 28283
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"

ooh! I have the new Toby Daye book!

eta: and the new Rothfuss book is out! in hardcover, dammit


lisah - Mar 08, 2011 5:06:36 am PST #14030 of 28283
Punishingly Intricate

How is the prose in Game of Thrones? I know that is super subjective but is it one of those works with great characters or plot and cringe-making writing?


Polter-Cow - Mar 08, 2011 5:11:57 am PST #14031 of 28283
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!

ooh! I have the new Toby Daye book!

I'm almost done! It's really good. It's my favorite since Rosemary and Rue.


Gris - Mar 08, 2011 5:12:56 am PST #14032 of 28283
Hey. New board.

lisah, I wouldn't call it cringe-making. I'd even say it's pretty good. It's not Faulkner, but it's much better than many series of it's type (I'm looking at you, Shanarra books!)


sumi - Mar 08, 2011 5:15:37 am PST #14033 of 28283
Art Crawl!!!

It is really good.

lisa - I enjoy the writing and the characters - I think you can find lots of samples online. There is an excerpt from the upcoming book here but I bet you can see parts of the first book at Amazon.


lisah - Mar 08, 2011 5:22:15 am PST #14034 of 28283
Punishingly Intricate

Is it funny at all?

I think I may want everything I read to be The Long Ships now! Epic and hilarious! I just finished it the other night.


Gris - Mar 08, 2011 5:31:54 am PST #14035 of 28283
Hey. New board.

Is it funny at all?

Occasionally. Not often. When it is, it's usually dark comedy. Really dark.


megan walker - Mar 08, 2011 5:36:44 am PST #14036 of 28283
"What kind of magical sunshine and lollipop world do you live in? Because you need to be medicated."-SFist

I've started reading The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I don't know Spanish well enough to read a novel but I have a feeling this book uses a lot of idioms and the translator struggled to create a reading experience that would feel the same in English. I hope I get used to it soon because I keep feeling like I'm reading subtitles.

BTW, Laga, my friend confirmed that the language is very idiomatic. That is one reason she really likes the author. She said it would be hard to translate well.

I'm having a similar experience with A Novel Bookstore. It has a very self-conscious style that I find annoying. But I like the plot description so I may check it out while in France and see if it reads any better in the original French.


DavidS - Mar 08, 2011 5:42:54 am PST #14037 of 28283
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

I think I may want everything I read to be The Long Ships now! Epic and hilarious! I just finished it the other night.

Oh, I've been looking at that because it's an NYRB imprint. I know Chabon loves it too.