This Old Neon Forum

I read H.G. Wells’ Time Machine again and I still like it. Had started Clash of the Kings and had been still chipping away at the Aeneid but I think I’ll put both of those books on hold as I’m just not in the mood for either. I hope to get back to them soon. I may start something a little more fun while I wait.

1. Speaking of Jesus: The Art of Not-Evangelism by Carl Medearis
2. The Talisman by Sir Walter Scott
3. The Skaar Invasion by Terry Brooks
4. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
5. Rubayat of Omar Khayyam by Omar Khayyam
6. Legends of Localization - Book 1: The Legend of Zelda by Clyde Mandelin
7. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison
8. Lisey’s Story by Stephen King
9. The Death of a Nobody by Jules Romains
10. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
11. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
12. Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings
13. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

I pivoted instead of Stephen King's On Writing, and a co-worker just brought me a copy of Colorado Kid, so it looks like 2019 is going to be a Stephen King year for me. Enjoy 2019 as much as you can because 2020's going to be fucked!

I'm back to King myself, finally picking the Dark Tower up again. Currently halfway through Wizard & Glass.

VictorViper wrote: ↑15 Aug 2019 22:34 I'm back to King myself, finally picking the Dark Tower up again. Currently halfway through Wizard & Glass.

I really enjoyed W&G.

It's going to be the basis of Season 1 of the TV series.

01. 01-02 French Exit (2018), Patrick deWitt (Canada)
02. 01-03 We Should All Be Feminists (2014), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)
03. 01-05 Blindsight (2006), Peter Watts (Canada)
04. 01-06 Men Explain Things to Me (2014), Rebecca Solnit (USA)
05. 01-13 Watership Down (1972), Richard Adams (UK)
06. 01-14 Elevation (2018), Stephen King (USA)
07. 05-26 The Amber Spyglass (2000), Philip Pullman (UK)
08. 06-02 The Obelisk Gate (2017), N.K. Jemisin (USA)
09. 06-21 The Stone Sky (2018), N.K. Jemisin (USA)
10. 06-29 11/22/63: A Novel (2011), Stephen King (USA)
11. 07-14 A Clash of Kings (1998), G.R.R. Martin (USA)
12. 08-18 On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000), Stephen King (USA)

Pretty good. I like that this wasn't just a bland how-to self-help manual. A nice long 100-page opening of vignettes from King's life that shaped his career, and then a nice long epilogue about his injury and recovery. He seems like a pretty chill dude.

Cracking into another short borrowed King next.

01. 01-02 French Exit (2018), Patrick deWitt (Canada)
02. 01-03 We Should All Be Feminists (2014), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria)
03. 01-05 Blindsight (2006), Peter Watts (Canada)
04. 01-06 Men Explain Things to Me (2014), Rebecca Solnit (USA)
05. 01-13 Watership Down (1972), Richard Adams (UK)
06. 01-14 Elevation (2018), Stephen King (USA)
07. 05-26 The Amber Spyglass (2000), Philip Pullman (UK)
08. 06-02 The Obelisk Gate (2017), N.K. Jemisin (USA)
09. 06-21 The Stone Sky (2018), N.K. Jemisin (USA)
10. 06-29 11/22/63: A Novel (2011), Stephen King (USA)
11. 07-14 A Clash of Kings (1998), G.R.R. Martin (USA)
12. 08-18 On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000), Stephen King (USA)
13. 08-19 The Colorado Kid (2005), Stephen King (USA)

This was a fun one! Quick little one-sitting read, but it's a nice twist on a mystery/suspense/crime novel. King can string together a nicely paced story under 200 pages when he hits on a good concept.

Not sure what's next...

I have begun reading an obscure 90s novel by the name of A Game of Thrones. Heard it had a moderately successful TV adaptation as well? Never saw it though.* I'm about 120 pages in and it's not bad. I'll let y'all know if it's good on the whole once I've finished it!



*I'm actually serious on this part. Please don't spoil it!

I stalled out on French Exit long ago (not the book's fault!) but my girlfriend has been nipping at it since, so while I wait for her to finish it I've been reading Wizard and Glass (Dark Tower IV). Lots of fun so far, seems to be most folks' favourite but we'll see—I'm an outlying weirdo (surprise) and still like The Gunslinger best so far.

I've started "The Fifth Season" (N.K. Jemisin) and enjoyed it so far.
However I've been regulary switching things up with the different Arsène Lupin stories by Maurice Leblanc, though they mostly follow a similar pattern. But I really wanted to see what led to the one of the earlier copyright issues as Sherlock Holmes appears in some of the stories (after lawsuits transformed into Herlock Sholmes in some of the stories).

Interesting that y'all (Share, Clay, Vic, and Kiwi) are currently reading books that I read within the past year or two!

Vic, I wouldn't say W&G is my favourite, but I do really like it. Wolves of the Calla is probably my favourite, with The Gunslinger, Wizard and Glass, and The Waste Lands all right up there.