Books Read 2014

[Z-Corn]

Maybe I just have a higher tolerance for bad writing. I noticed clumsiness in the writing in the first book that I didn't notice in later books. Don't slog through just on my account though, if you don't like it don't waste your time...especially if you've got other stuff to read...

[Carpet_pissr]

Maybe I just have a higher tolerance for bad writing. I noticed clumsiness in the writing in the first book that I didn't notice in later books. Don't slog through just on my account though, if you don't like it don't waste your time...especially if you've got other stuff to read...

Hmm, in that case it COULD be just a bad translation of the first one. Now I am definitely going to seek out the original language version to see what's what.

[Z-Corn]

Hmm, in that case it COULD be just a bad translation of the first one. Now I am definitely going to seek out the original language version to see what's what.

Well that may be worth a shot especially if you can poblano Espagnole...

[Jeff V]

Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Kim Zetter

Future war has already begun. In 2010, a Belarus antivirus company stumbled upon the most sophisticated computer virus ever found. Dubbed "Stuxnet," the Belarus didn't have the expertise to reverse-engineer this bug, which was causing performance issues on a client's PCs. Calling in the big guns at Symantec, unravelling the mystery of Stuxnet became an obsession, not just at Symantec but other antivirus companies around the world.

What they found was a very prolific yet very targeted bug that looked for very specific Seimens software installed on the target PC. The software operated centrifuges used in the uranium refining process. One country in particular was using these devices in a clandestine refining project -- Iran. International regulators verified that Iran was experiencing an extraordinary failure rate with these centrifuges.

Author Kim Zetter takes us through the discovery and reverse-engineering of the virus, along with the trials and tribulations that are known regarding the Iranian nuclear program. The author also provides a rich history in the booming underground field of software exploits -- and how governments, especially ours, are "hoarding" these vulnerabilities and in this case was used to launch an attack against another sovereign nation. Zetter also ponders what sort of "Pandora's Box" has been opened -- we've now tacitly approved this kind of clandestine operation. Nobody was killed as a result of the virus attacks (some Iranian nuclear scientists were assassinated using conventional means), but one can envision attacks against, say, our water supply that can result in large numbers of casualties. What's more, these attacks don't require the resources of a government, but could be done using the twisted mind of a demented but skilled teenager. Stock markets could be targeted, corporate espionage could change the nature of business, or public works could directly endanger the lives of millions. Stuxnet showed us a glimpse of what is possible....and these attacks are not predictable or preventable until it's too late

[Jeff V]

Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates

An old book of pirate tales -- some familiar, others not. Some outrageous, some plausible. The physical book is illustrated and good for kids with an interest in buccaneers; the audiobook version is a mixed bag of stories, some not very interesting at all.

[Rumpy]

Just finished Red Planet Blues by Robert J. Sawyer. It was fun, but ultimately disappointing. I loved the concept of setting a hardboiled detective story on Mars, but this suffered greatly from a small universe syndrome, where most of the characters end up being visited repeatedly. When most of those characters have been revealed, there isn't all that much detective work being done, and it switches to mostly being action. To top it off, he isn't even a great detective.

[WYBaugh]

Finished Age of Iron by Angus Watson - An entertaining book in Abercrombie-ish style and has some truly funny moments. First of a trilogy concerning a fictional England in the Iron Age.

[McNutt]

The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan.

This is the sequel to Promise of Blood which told the story of a general who led a coup against the king. The setting is a world with Napoleonic armies firing flintlocks but it also has magic. There are powerful sorcerers, those with certain unique magical gifts, and powder mages who, after snorting a line of gunpowder, become powerful soldiers who can take down a foe two miles away. I loved the first book and this sequel met all expectations. The book follows three interconnected stories and each one is a real page turner. This isn't like Game of Thrones where you have to put up with 100 pages of Bran. These are riveting. Excellent series.

[Bad Demographic]

Down the Mississippi with Stinky: Two Women, a Canoe, and a Kitten by Dorie Brunner
So, about a year and half ago my father-in-law died. While going through his things with my mother-in-law, we found a trip diary from when he canoed down the Mississippi with a college friend in the summer of 1949. The trip diary, entitled "The Log of the Cruise of the 'New Orleans or Bust'”was the one his friend kept. I offered to type it up - and also my fil's if it was ever found.

A friend who knew about the "project" lent me Down the Mississippi with Stinky because it was the retelling of a similar trip by two school teachers who paddled a similar trip, starting from nearly the headwaters of the River to New Orleans. This trip was made in the summer of 1960. The two women, Dorie Brunner and Lou Germann, didn't start the trip with a kitten - who would take a kitten on a trip like that?? - but found him stuck in mud and rescued him. At first they hoped to find him a good home but then became quite attached to him and he traveled with them all the way to New Orleans.
This is a short book, less than 150 pages, and was written from memory 40 years later. A lot of detail has been forgotten, but the author is able to recount several memorable parts of the trip and also much of the varied conditions they encountered, from cold nights in northern Minnesota to oppressive heat and humidity much further south. The book ends with advice for anybody who would want to try the trip - things to take (clothes for hot and cold weather, a small gas-stove since you can't always get wood to cook with), things NOT to take , things to do in advance (let people know where you'll be and approximately when), and things to do during the trip (keep a trip diary!).

At first I found myself comparing the two trips and being disappointed that Dorie Brunner didn't offer many insights about the people they encountered, but then I realized hers was not based on a diary, so much had been forgotten. Then I also realized that the kitten ("Stinky", named for the aroma of the muck he was rescued from) was what was central to her recounting of the trip. He kept them entertained, people they met were often much more friendly because of Stinky, and when Dorie and Lou inevitably got tired of each other's company Stinky was what pulled them together. In short, Stinky was an integral part of their experience. Other people have paddled down the "Father of Rivers", but few (if any) with a kitten.

[Scuzz]

11/22/63 by Stephen King

This is my first read of a King book. I chose it, with trepidation, because of the subject matter. This is a very good book if you like the idea of time travel. King explores going back in history to prevent the assassination of JFK. He develops some good characters and his own laws regarding time travel and ends up with an interesting book.

I admit I am a sucker for time travel stuff and for anything JFK, so King had me with the opening premise. But he goes about this is a slow, methodical way that leads to plenty of thinking about how things could be done, and what their results might be. And he does it while keeping the reader entertained.

[Kasey Chang]

Finished Kristin Kathryn Rusch's "Anniversary Day: A Retrieval Artist Novel"

Rusch has an interesting universe setup. In the "near" future, with interstellar travel, we have heavily colonized the moon and have encountered aliens and have setup an "United Earth Alliance", where we agree to uphold laws, even alien laws, if the offense is committed on their territory. If the laws are "unjust", then often the perpetrator end up a fugitive on the run in alien territory... and known as "the Disappeared". And a retrieval artist, the opposite of bounty hunter, are often hired by company or government (off the books, of course) to retrieve the Disappeared. However, this novel has little to do with that. It's basically one huge setup, with little resolution.

The book starts with investigation of a murder, which coincides with the bombing of one of the moon domes. Four years later, Anniversary Day, a memorial of the bombing, was brutally interrupted when the Mayor of Armstrong, largest city on the moon, was assassinated right after the anniversary speech. But that's not all. It's a coordinated attack. Soon more deaths were reported across the moon targeting leaders. As various law enforcement agencies and first responders attempt to control the situation, they came across clues that perhaps, the attacks are just the first wave... and the worst may be yet to come...

The retrieval artists are involved, but in a peripheral role only as their "off the books" contacts and investigation methods helps, but this is basically 9/11 transplanted to the moon... and there is little resolution by the end of the book. That will happen over the next several books.

http://www.retrievalartist.com/?page_id=8

[El Guapo]

Just finished Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.).

I feel like I don't have a ton to say about the book (which I think is pretty well known anyways). It was a pleasant, fairly quick read. It basically surveys a variety of topics from a quantitative perspective, trying to ask and answer interesting questions. One of the big ones is data mining to try to figure out why crime dropped so rapidly nationwide starting in the mid-90s. A sub-question of that is asking whether there is any causal linkage between abortion rates and crime rates. Another question is analyzing how important parents are to the success or failure of their kids, with a sub-question of that asking how important are names in a kid's success or failure.

It's pretty well done, and raises some pretty interesting questions. While it was a good read it didn't really blow me away, and it's written in a kind of smug "aren't we so clever?" kind of tone which was kind of annoying at times. And then it just sort of ended, but maybe that's how an eclectic book of questions and answers has to end.

[Carpet_pissr]

Big Maria by Johnny Shaw http://tinyurl.com/lq75j66

Stolen from a review on Amazon - pretty much sums it up for me:

"This is a zany yet poignant novel. The problem is that the first dozen or so pages are so graphically gross that anyone with any class would put it down. Luckily, I'm not such a classy person and persevered."

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 7 probably, but as you can see from the reviews, lots of love for it. Interestingly, most of the Vine reviews pan it, and almost all of the negative reviews are due to the graphic language, bodily fluid abundance and description, and violence I guess. Personally I didn't find it much if any more graphic than say a George R.R. Martin novel.

My real only complaint is that the author occasionally dips into some juvenile phrasing, but makes up for those lapses with some great character development. Without spoiling it, he turns a despicable character into a beloved one. He also has some phrases that are spectacular, and make me wonder how I have never heard them before. Enough of an impact to make me wonder if the author made these up, or heard them in the real world. Just some excellent lines throughout.

Overall, a very interesting read, and very different from what I typically read. Highly recommend it if you aren't grossed out easily, want an easy-to-read "loser buddy" romp that is just a ton of fun. Almost breaches the believability factor several times, but the way the story is written, it's all good, and very much in keeping with the style IMO.

For some reason, it reminds me of "Breaking Bad", if that were a novel. Dark, but funny. Tragic, but triumphant, and always keeping you at the edge of your seat, wanting more.

Also, I love the cover art, so including it here:

[Kasey Chang]

Just finished Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.).
...
It's pretty well done, and raises some pretty interesting questions. While it was a good read it didn't really blow me away, and it's written in a kind of smug "aren't we so clever?" kind of tone which was kind of annoying at times. And then it just sort of ended, but maybe that's how an eclectic book of questions and answers has to end.

I find the Malcoln Gladwell books (Outliers, Tipping Point) to be even more annoying than Freakonomics.

At least Freakonomics throw data at you and give you analysis. Gladwell pretty much just throws ideas at you.

I'd listen to the Freaknomics podcast though. Those are a lot of fun.

[tgb]

A brilliant first novel by a promising young author.

Spoiler:

Full disclosure: While it is a first (published) novel, the author is actually an 80-year-old retired CPA. He also happens to be my uncle.

No shit. I had no idea he had been writing and trying to get novels published for years, nor did most members of my family. When I was at my sister's last weekend, and she casually mentioned over dinner "Uncle Mel got his novel published", I couldn't have been more surprised if she had told me that he had just come out of the closet and was moving to Hawaii to live with Jim Nabors.

And if there is any doubt that he is really family, when I saw him the next day and asked for a copy, he claimed to only have a couple that had to go to the library, and suggested I buy one on line.

Of course, he might have been pissed off because I kept addressing him as Mickey Spillane.

[Isgrimnur]

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Reading them out of order, this would definitely give you a taste of what would become even more of the same writing style faced in Cryptonomicon. The setting is past its shelf life after 11 years, no longer edgym but certainly recognizable in context as a trendsetting piece of work.

I enjoyed it, but as with other stuff in this genre, there's a definite time window that this would have had me much more into.

[El Guapo]

Just finished Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (P.S.).
...
It's pretty well done, and raises some pretty interesting questions. While it was a good read it didn't really blow me away, and it's written in a kind of smug "aren't we so clever?" kind of tone which was kind of annoying at times. And then it just sort of ended, but maybe that's how an eclectic book of questions and answers has to end.

I find the Malcoln Gladwell books (Outliers, Tipping Point) to be even more annoying than Freakonomics.

At least Freakonomics throw data at you and give you analysis. Gladwell pretty much just throws ideas at you.

I'd listen to the Freaknomics podcast though. Those are a lot of fun.

I read Outliers. I recall it being entertaining (the tone didn't rub me the wrong way like the tone of Freakonomics did at times), though I don't recall the substance being super compelling.

[Rumpy]

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Reading them out of order, this would definitely give you a taste of what would become even more of the same writing style faced in Cryptonomicon. The setting is past its shelf life after 11 years, no longer edgym but certainly recognizable in context as a trendsetting piece of work.

I enjoyed it, but as with other stuff in this genre, there's a definite time window that this would have had me much more into.

Yeah, when I read it, I thought it was OK, but not one of my favourites. I honestly felt it was rather clunky. Even The Diamond Age, which is often considered a loose sequel, I was more entertained by the primer parts of the book. Cryptonomicon is by far my favourite and doesn't date itself so much.

[WYBaugh]

Finished The Free by Brian Ruckley

Story about the final days of a mercenary company. It's a pretty good read if you're looking for something less grimdark and more prose-ish.

[Isgrimnur]

Code Complete (2nd Ed) by Steven McConnell

Probably the very first book devoted to my career field that I've ever actually finished.

[Carpet_pissr]

Continuing with my Neil Gaiman love fest/binge reading, I started, and within a few chapters, dropped 'Neverwhere'. I'm not sure if it's the London-centric setting, where so many references are made to the locale, that for a non-Londoner, it's a little off-putting, or the downright...silliness (not the right word) of the plot and action so far.

In any case, I have really dug everything I have read of Gaiman's so far, so I was a little surprised at the lack of "grip" for me with this novel, especially considering the reviews, which are extremely favorable.

Next up is 'Good Omens', which is a Gaiman/T. Pratchett joint...authorship. Hopefully that will remove the bad taste of Neverwhere from my mind's mouth.

[Madmarcus]

Continuing with my Neil Gaiman love fest/binge reading, I started, and within a few chapters, dropped 'Neverwhere'. I'm not sure if it's the London-centric setting, where so many references are made to the locale, that for a non-Londoner, it's a little off-putting, or the downright...silliness (not the right word) of the plot and action so far.

I read Neverwhere back when I was still thinking about and occasionally playing paper and pencil role playing games. I liked the location and word play because it felt very much like something my brother and I could have done turning London into a role playing setting.

[Pyperkub]

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Reading them out of order, this would definitely give you a taste of what would become even more of the same writing style faced in Cryptonomicon. The setting is past its shelf life after 11 years, no longer edgym but certainly recognizable in context as a trendsetting piece of work.

I enjoyed it, but as with other stuff in this genre, there's a definite time window that this would have had me much more into.

Yeah, when I read it, I thought it was OK, but not one of my favourites. I honestly felt it was rather clunky. Even The Diamond Age, which is often considered a loose sequel, I was more entertained by the primer parts of the book. Cryptonomicon is by far my favourite and doesn't date itself so much.

ReamDe was pretty good, though prone to tangents.

[El Guapo]

I have Neverwhere sitting on my Kindle backlist at the moment, not sure when I'll get to it. I just started Neuromancer, which is off to a good start.

[Rumpy]

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Reading them out of order, this would definitely give you a taste of what would become even more of the same writing style faced in Cryptonomicon. The setting is past its shelf life after 11 years, no longer edgym but certainly recognizable in context as a trendsetting piece of work.

I enjoyed it, but as with other stuff in this genre, there's a definite time window that this would have had me much more into.

Yeah, when I read it, I thought it was OK, but not one of my favourites. I honestly felt it was rather clunky. Even The Diamond Age, which is often considered a loose sequel, I was more entertained by the primer parts of the book. Cryptonomicon is by far my favourite and doesn't date itself so much.

ReamDe was pretty good, though prone to tangents.

Yeah, haven't read that one yet. But I did greatly enjoy Anathem. That was a good story, though I felt the resolution at the end was a little too contemporary, given that the rest of the story was rather different.

[Pyperkub]

I'm finishing up re-reading The saga of the Pliocene exile for the first time in 20 years or so. It holds up pretty well, though the Kindle versions of the books are rife with OCR scanning errors ('all' is frequently scanned as 'ad', 'torc' as 'tore' etc.). It looks like they ran them through the scanner and a spell-checker with some global find and replace and published them with no real proof-reading.

[McNutt]

Has anyone read Brent Weeks The Black Prism? I'm about 200 pages in and am ready to toss it. I like magic systems that are a little fleshed out, but his color-based magic is not doing it for me. I also find the plot to be terribly uninteresting. I've read his Night Angel trilogy and was not impressed. Should I continue?

[rshetts2]

Has anyone read Brent Weeks The Black Prism? I'm about 200 pages in and am ready to toss it. I like magic systems that are a little fleshed out, but his color-based magic is not doing it for me. I also find the plot to be terribly uninteresting. I've read his Night Angel trilogy and was not impressed. Should I continue?

I really liked it, myself. The plot is much more involved and more political once you get going. I was somewhat luke warm on his Night Angel series but found it readable. I felt The Black Prism was a major leap in quality over that one. Of course, thats just my opinion and the story may just not resonate with you at all.

[McNutt]

Thanks. I'll stick with it.

[Kasey Chang]

Finished Jack Daniel Stories by J A Conrath, an anthology of Conrath's stories on various characters... primary is Chicago PD Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, but also has stories featuring private detective Harry McGlade (who gets into the weirdest situations), and killer with an odd sense of honor (and dying of cancer) Phineas "Finn" Troutt.

http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Daniels-Stor ... B003AKY6GG

Bonus trivia: Konrath had two short stories that are crossovers with Jeff Strand... Andrew Mayhem made a guest appearance in one of his, and his Harry McGlade appeared in one of the Andrew Mayhem books.

The stories are short enough and usually got nice twists to them. I like them.

[Zarathud]

Black Prism gets more involved and convoluted in the series. I would recommend but it's not for everyone.

[Pyperkub]

Finished Jack Daniel Stories by J A Conrath, an anthology of Conrath's stories on various characters... primary is Chicago PD Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, but also has stories featuring private detective Harry McGlade (who gets into the weirdest situations), and killer with an odd sense of honor (and dying of cancer) Phineas "Finn" Troutt.

http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Daniels-Stor ... B003AKY6GG

Bonus trivia: Konrath had two short stories that are crossovers with Jeff Strand... Andrew Mayhem made a guest appearance in one of his, and his Harry McGlade appeared in one of the Andrew Mayhem books.

The stories are short enough and usually got nice twists to them. I like them.

I'd seen that they had collaborated on some stuff but haven't tried any if his. Maybe once I get through the ones I have on tap.

[Jaddison]

Cain at Gettysburg- Ralph Peters. A lot like The Killer Angels but looks at different parts of battle. Also includes the tale of Alonzo Cushing who is finally getting his Medal of Honor. Peters focuses on the first day and critical areas of Day 2 and 3 though, again, not the same as TKA. Very well written and was a pleasure to read. Made me go watch the Directors cut of Gettysburg again even though Cushing, McGilvery (unsung hero of day 3 as well) are not shown.

Oh and this book totally umasks Dan Sickles and how he almost singhandedly lost the battle on Day 2...then spent his recovery trashing Meade to cover his ass.

http://www.amazon.com/Cain-at-Gettysbur ... 8&sr=&qid=

[McNutt]

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

A boy is dropped off at the castle gates and the guard is told by the boy's grandfather that the boy is the bastard son of the prince and that he is tired of raising him. In the part of the book I had the hardest time accepting, the guard takes the boy and brings him to the king. The boy never fits in, but is assured he has a role to play. He becomes an assassin's apprentice.

The book starts out very slow. Despite the title, there's not much assassination going on here. It's almost like Melrose Place in a castle. However, the book picks up steam and finishes on a high note. I didn't think I would like this one after a few reading sessions, but it got its hooks in me and I plan on reading the sequel.

This was the first book I've bought for the Kindle where I paid extra for the professional narration. I was looking for a way to listen to books in the car and considered Audible.com, but $15/month for one book seemed pretty steep. I've been able to find several books that are around $6 with an option to add narration for $2 more. The narration for Assassin's Apprentice was excellent. The only problem, and it's a big problem, is that almost every time I press pause the book goes back several pages from where I left off. It's extremely aggravating to have to fast forward to where I left off every time I start listening. I'm not sure why this is happening. I haven't listened to another audiobook with the Kindle app on my phone, so I'll see if that problem persists.

[Jeff V]

The Charlemagne Pursuit: A Novel by Steve Berry

In The Charlemagne Pursuit, our hero, Cotton Malone, discovers his father's death aboard an experimental sub was a government coverup. Rather than going down in the Atlantic as told, the crew of the ill-fated vessel died off the coast of Antarctica. Even more curious...the sub was not exactly unrecovered.

Amidst this tale of discovery, we have an ambitious admiral who played a part of this cover-up. Then there's the usual European ties, including the Aryan legend once espoused by Hitler and evidence found in ancient books found in the tomb of Charlemagne. Malone's former boss Stephanie plays a crucial role uncovering the messy, deadly business brewing in and around Washington. The President is also rather involved in the tale.

A few of the regular characters from earlier books were absent this time as most of the story did not take place in Europe. Even still, the pacing was good, the story interesting. This is my second favorite book in the series so far.

[Jeff V]

The Father of Us All: War and History, Ancient and Modern by Victor Davis Hanson

The more that things change, the more they stay the same. Victor Davis Hanson applies his prodigious knowledge of ancient warfare to modern times, showing the conflict is not only inevitable but predictable. In this collection of essays spanning several years, this is perhaps the overarching theme.

Hanson does have some interesting comments about present wars, however. Wars of conquest might be out of fashion, so current wars are financial in nature. This is why Americans are no longer involved in "set piece" battles -- our technological superiority currently dwarfs anything the rest of the world can throw at us. But this doesn't mean others can't wage war against us, only that the nature has changed from direct confrontation to the guerilla tactics we are all becoming too familiar with.

And this modern battlefield is surprisingly even. A small band of enemy combatants can't hope to do much damage an armor battalion, but a small group armed with cheap RPGs can bring down a Blackhawk helicopter worth millions at their cost of mere thousands. When you balance the books, a few lost choppers could cost us more than the entire value of the enemy force. Extending conflict over years not only tires the American people, but can result in a massive financial drain -- so in that sense, the enemy wins.

Hanson is always thoughtful, well written, and provocative His analysis gives us much to consider regarding the risk/reward proposition of war, as proven throughout time. While he didn't directly address the concept of "Pyrrhic Victory," it's clear we are adept at winning battles but not winning wars.

[Jeff V]

The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry

In Cotton Malone's world, the Who's Who of History all have undiscovered treasures waiting to be found. In The Paris Vendetta, we have two: Rommel's treasure, somewhere on Corsica, and Napoleon's hoard. Naturally, the two are connected thanks to a Corsican family carrying on a centuries old vendetta against l'Empereur. Modern day treasure hunters do not play nice, and, as it turns out, one of them also has ties to the public shooting in Mexico City that cost the life of his dear friend Henrik Torvaldson's diplomat son.

Torvaldson blindly follows his own vendetta, while, with the addition of a young former CIA agent, Malone sets off in pursuit of a group called "The Paris Club." Torvaldson's target is a member of this club of very rich power brokers attempting to manipulate the world's economies. This club too traces its roots to Napoleon's times. Meanwhile, Malone has to decide just how much to support his revenge-crazed friend when the interests of his native country (The United States) are asking him to do otherwise.

One of my favorite characters in the series so far does not make it to the end of the book. I think a replacement character is found, it remains to be seen if he will be as interesting.

[Jeff V]

Private Down Under by James Patterson and Michael White

The first volume in the Private series, "Private," involved multiple, unrelated cases which portrayed the ostensibly elite agency as a high demand service. Subsequent books focused on few, more expansive, cases. Private Down Under brings back the vibe of the first book, with three concurrent cases: a serial killer, killing and abduction by the Chinese mob, and protection of an Australian rock star, convinced he is being setup to join "Club 27", the so-called group of musicians who all met their end at that magic age.

Unlike the other Private books, or Patterson books in general, was the graphic detail in which some of the killings were described. I found it uncharacteristically brutal, others might find it disturbing. The outcomes are all successful for the new branch of this global agency. I wonder if and when Patterson might revisit any of the locations and characters he has created in the course of this series. They all have different coauthors, which I imagine are bringing localization to the story. I'd like to hear more from this group in Sydney.

[Carpet_pissr]

I didn't think I would like this one after a few reading sessions, but it got its hooks in me and I plan on reading the sequel.

Yes, you really need to read at least the sequel! If you can stop there, I would be shocked.

Those books mentally shook me for weeks after I had finished. Psychologically jarring. Awesome read, but quite disturbing

[hentzau]

Decided to revisit some old friends and re-read the Belgariad. Read the first three books, and then couldn't find the 4th. Dammit.