29/01/10: Reading Books
Category: General
Posted by: LiteraryHero
My ebook reader is probably the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I am usually quite an avid reader (nothing without orcs or aliens, please, with a possible exception for zombies), but the ebook reader has really caused me to kick my reading into high gear. One of the biggest problems with becoming a voracious reader is finding books that are worthwhile and interesting to me. I wouldn't say that I am a picky reader, but there are just certain types of books I like more than others.
I personally try not to ever read anything that is even the tiniest bit based on fact. I spend my entire life in the real world, and use reading as escapism. That being the case, I only like to read books about dragons or aliens with the occasional zombie tale thrown in, as I mentioned before. To be honest, my tastes are a bit more far reaching than that, but not my much. For example, in the past week or so, I have read The Dain Curse and The Adventures of Sam Spade by Dashiell Hammett, as well as A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and Hoot by Carl Hiaason. Ok, I know that Bryson doesn't write fiction, but his somewhat factual tales are definitely liberally sprinkled with hyperbole and exaggeration, so I can tolerate them.
As you can see, in the past ten days or so, I have read four books. That is quite a clip, and it makes it difficult for me to find other books to read. Fortunately, my favorite library themed webcomic (possibly the only library themed webcomic), Unshelved, has started a new weekly book review section. Each Friday, they have short reviews of books that they and their readers had written. Each week there are about five new books from all different genres, and it has been a great place for me to find new reading material. Granted, it is only about four weeks old, but I would still advise checking it out if you want to find new books to read. Unfortunately, since their website is recently remodeled, there doesn't seem to be any direct link to these reviews, but you can check out each individual week by clicking one of these words.
The best thing about these reviews is how short they are. They are broken down into four sections which are wrapped up in just a sentence or two. First is a short synopsis, followed by why they chose it, whey they finished it, and who they would recommend it to. All in all, a nice concise book review. For example, here is one that I saw last week that totally grabbed my attention:
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Tor, 2010. 9780765318411. Reviewed by Flemtastic.
Steampunk in Seattle! Briar's late husband built the machine that tunneled under Seattle, loosing a gas that poisons the air and turns people into zombie "rotters." Downtown Seattle is surrounded by a 200-foot tall wall to contain the Blight. Briar's son enters the toxic city, determined to prove his father's innocence. To rescue him, she hitches a ride on an airship and enters the doomed city, only to find that a man who may be her husband is among those living there.
Why I picked it up: The Scott Westerfeld blurb on the cover didn't hurt, but the airship reflected in the old fashioned goggles really caught my attention. Then I turned it over and saw that it was set in my hometown, Seattle, so I put it on the pile next to my bed.
Why I finished it: I loved the scarred survivors living in the bowels of a ruined Seattle. They run from rotters while wearing primitive gas masks that allow them to breathe despite the toxic gas emanating from the ground. Airship pilots risk crashing into buildings to skim the poisonous atmosphere so that it can be distilled it into a drug. But the Chinese community working the bellows to bring in fresh air through tubes above the city is the kind of unexpected detail that sets this book apart.
I'd give it to: Out of towners who enjoy Seattle's underground tour. Jim, who'd buy a pair of handmade brass goggles if he had the money.
Pretty cool, huh?
EDIT: I emailed the guys at Unshelved to ask about the future of these book reviews, and got a reply saying that in the future they would all be collected in one area of the site and become searchable. That is good news if you like them!
I personally try not to ever read anything that is even the tiniest bit based on fact. I spend my entire life in the real world, and use reading as escapism. That being the case, I only like to read books about dragons or aliens with the occasional zombie tale thrown in, as I mentioned before. To be honest, my tastes are a bit more far reaching than that, but not my much. For example, in the past week or so, I have read The Dain Curse and The Adventures of Sam Spade by Dashiell Hammett, as well as A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and Hoot by Carl Hiaason. Ok, I know that Bryson doesn't write fiction, but his somewhat factual tales are definitely liberally sprinkled with hyperbole and exaggeration, so I can tolerate them.
As you can see, in the past ten days or so, I have read four books. That is quite a clip, and it makes it difficult for me to find other books to read. Fortunately, my favorite library themed webcomic (possibly the only library themed webcomic), Unshelved, has started a new weekly book review section. Each Friday, they have short reviews of books that they and their readers had written. Each week there are about five new books from all different genres, and it has been a great place for me to find new reading material. Granted, it is only about four weeks old, but I would still advise checking it out if you want to find new books to read. Unfortunately, since their website is recently remodeled, there doesn't seem to be any direct link to these reviews, but you can check out each individual week by clicking one of these words.
The best thing about these reviews is how short they are. They are broken down into four sections which are wrapped up in just a sentence or two. First is a short synopsis, followed by why they chose it, whey they finished it, and who they would recommend it to. All in all, a nice concise book review. For example, here is one that I saw last week that totally grabbed my attention:
Steampunk in Seattle! Briar's late husband built the machine that tunneled under Seattle, loosing a gas that poisons the air and turns people into zombie "rotters." Downtown Seattle is surrounded by a 200-foot tall wall to contain the Blight. Briar's son enters the toxic city, determined to prove his father's innocence. To rescue him, she hitches a ride on an airship and enters the doomed city, only to find that a man who may be her husband is among those living there.
Why I picked it up: The Scott Westerfeld blurb on the cover didn't hurt, but the airship reflected in the old fashioned goggles really caught my attention. Then I turned it over and saw that it was set in my hometown, Seattle, so I put it on the pile next to my bed.
Why I finished it: I loved the scarred survivors living in the bowels of a ruined Seattle. They run from rotters while wearing primitive gas masks that allow them to breathe despite the toxic gas emanating from the ground. Airship pilots risk crashing into buildings to skim the poisonous atmosphere so that it can be distilled it into a drug. But the Chinese community working the bellows to bring in fresh air through tubes above the city is the kind of unexpected detail that sets this book apart.
I'd give it to: Out of towners who enjoy Seattle's underground tour. Jim, who'd buy a pair of handmade brass goggles if he had the money.
Pretty cool, huh?
EDIT: I emailed the guys at Unshelved to ask about the future of these book reviews, and got a reply saying that in the future they would all be collected in one area of the site and become searchable. That is good news if you like them!
