Post by Wachter on Dec 19, 2014 16:37:07 GMT -5
The end of the year is upon us, I figured I'd make a topic about it.
Talk about whatever you want and how 2014 treated you. For me, I'll make this first post about reading and books.
I started reading majorly (relatively speaking compared to some people most likely) this past year after a long two year or so slump of not reading new books mostly because I had no money to really spare and books have gotten EXPENSIVE. (I'm a bit of a weirdo. I can't stand libraries. I NEED to own a book I read. I need to be able to grab it at any time and READ IT).
It started probably in late October of 2013 probably or sometime in mid 2013 probably when I think about it in the long term. My girlfriend had switched to more digital with books (as have I currently) so it was an exchanging of favorite books that'd we'd worn down or were interesting. She gave Night Watch by Terry Pratchett and introduced me to the wide world of Discworld and the awesomeness of Sam Vimes. Later on she gave me the Fifth Elephant (also by Pratchett and I wanted it cause I liked the title it was parodying). Then later on for Christmas she gave me Black Flag's novelization because she knew I promised her no new - as in brand new - games until my life stabilized the Assassin's Creed books are strangely fantastic. I don't know if I enjoyed it more than Foresaken (III's "adaption" I use the the term liberally) but it had a remarkable point of view and one of the greatest lines ever about a woman posing as a man.
Fun Fact or possibly rumor about Oliver Bowden that I heard but can't seem to find confirmation about - writer of many of the AC book adaptions - that I learned from my co-writer friend when he started reading the books... It's the pseudonym of Anton Gill who took the inspiration from Green Arrow/Oliver Queen.
Then came Christmas and my grandmother giving me a Barnes and Noble gift card. Co-writer gave me A Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter since he thought Russell T Davies' process was a twisted reflection of how we work together (technically I'm supposed to give the book back at some point but I haven't...)
I learned early on to say "Fuck you" to the store and ordered everything online (at like half the price had I bought it in person... it's really, really ridiculous). Not sure how much the card was at the moment but with it, I bought the collection of A Song of Ice and Fire, had money leftover and then finished my order off with the Hunger Games collection (and I still had around a dollar left). Such a great value.
Surprisingly, The Hunger Games is actually good. I wasn't expecting it to be but they were. And that ending.... That ending.
Anyways GRRM and his Song of Ice and Fire took up about a quarter of my year. I don't think I managed to finish them until around after my birthday in March. I enjoyed them. Made me look forward to the current season of GoT (which deviates from the source a lot now that it looks like they've reached the point where they have to start thinking about being original) and had lots of moments that were poignant. I'll admit to getting burned out on them. Some of it can be a slog fest.
After that began my major foray into Discworld. Every City Watch Book, Every City book (except Where's My Cow), Every Witches book including the continuation under Tiffany Aching, every Death book, and some of the few stand alones. Basically every line of tales except the Rincewind. I think Pratchett has replaced Piers Anthony as my favorite comedic writer and the man is a damn inspiration towards me given that he came down with Alzheimer yet kept on writing and keeps on writing. The disease runs in my family and it is a fear of mine that I have the unlikely chance of inheriting it. For someone who uses my mind as I do... I can only hope that if I do end up that way, I'll be like Pratchett and won't let it keep me down... That I won't let it hold me back... That I'll keep working through as my Grandmother has.
He also taught me the merits of a lack of physical description and sometimes setting. Didn't really know that was possible but it seems that you can so long as you do it the right way.
And finally, we have the BIG ONE
Wheel of Time*... A series I loved, hated (not in the love to hate way), and had to finish. 14 Books plus a prequel... 14 looooooooooooong books. Books that make Ice and Fire seem small (exaggeration). I honestly had to stop around I think 10 books in and take a break because I just couldn't read any more. Jordan made some errors in the way of telling his story to the point that some of the books were really complete filler and certain plot lines were drawn out for no good reason. Then sadly because of his death, some of the characters and what not seem unfinished. Sanderson did a remarkable job concluding the epic saga despite being a drastically different style ( <_< ... I enjoyed him a bit more) That style btw (Jordan's) is something I've been practicing and failing to achieve. Somehow he manages to tell the same time span multiple times. He follows one storyline to its completion, the goes back and follows another, and then he goes back and follows another. This seems like how you usually tell a story, right? You'd be wrong because he does it with the SAME CHARACTER in the SAME CHAPTER. I don't know how he did it but I found it remarkable and I wish I could learn it. There are some times where it feels like following a single plot line/set of plot points from start from start to finish instead of it being a melting plot of multiple hanging threads.
I finished The Memory of Light (the final book) last month. The ending was both worth it and the same time disappointing. Jordan made sure to write the epilogue/ending before his death. This unfortunately meant (at least to me) that for a story about multiple main characters, you only experience the "what comes next/happens now" for the central protagonist. Felt like the publisher, his wife, and the other author wanted honor him yet it came with the price that the characters you had grown to love over 20 years (well not me since I only had a single year) and were honestly more interesting than the central protagonist had no closure.
There we go... My year of reading.
*The way the first chapter every book starts with is my inspiration towards my opening segment for Issue 1 of Flash. Really found it neat.
Talk about whatever you want and how 2014 treated you. For me, I'll make this first post about reading and books.
I started reading majorly (relatively speaking compared to some people most likely) this past year after a long two year or so slump of not reading new books mostly because I had no money to really spare and books have gotten EXPENSIVE. (I'm a bit of a weirdo. I can't stand libraries. I NEED to own a book I read. I need to be able to grab it at any time and READ IT).
It started probably in late October of 2013 probably or sometime in mid 2013 probably when I think about it in the long term. My girlfriend had switched to more digital with books (as have I currently) so it was an exchanging of favorite books that'd we'd worn down or were interesting. She gave Night Watch by Terry Pratchett and introduced me to the wide world of Discworld and the awesomeness of Sam Vimes. Later on she gave me the Fifth Elephant (also by Pratchett and I wanted it cause I liked the title it was parodying). Then later on for Christmas she gave me Black Flag's novelization because she knew I promised her no new - as in brand new - games until my life stabilized the Assassin's Creed books are strangely fantastic. I don't know if I enjoyed it more than Foresaken (III's "adaption" I use the the term liberally) but it had a remarkable point of view and one of the greatest lines ever about a woman posing as a man.
Fun Fact or possibly rumor about Oliver Bowden that I heard but can't seem to find confirmation about - writer of many of the AC book adaptions - that I learned from my co-writer friend when he started reading the books... It's the pseudonym of Anton Gill who took the inspiration from Green Arrow/Oliver Queen.
Then came Christmas and my grandmother giving me a Barnes and Noble gift card. Co-writer gave me A Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter since he thought Russell T Davies' process was a twisted reflection of how we work together (technically I'm supposed to give the book back at some point but I haven't...)
I learned early on to say "Fuck you" to the store and ordered everything online (at like half the price had I bought it in person... it's really, really ridiculous). Not sure how much the card was at the moment but with it, I bought the collection of A Song of Ice and Fire, had money leftover and then finished my order off with the Hunger Games collection (and I still had around a dollar left). Such a great value.
Surprisingly, The Hunger Games is actually good. I wasn't expecting it to be but they were. And that ending.... That ending.
Anyways GRRM and his Song of Ice and Fire took up about a quarter of my year. I don't think I managed to finish them until around after my birthday in March. I enjoyed them. Made me look forward to the current season of GoT (which deviates from the source a lot now that it looks like they've reached the point where they have to start thinking about being original) and had lots of moments that were poignant. I'll admit to getting burned out on them. Some of it can be a slog fest.
After that began my major foray into Discworld. Every City Watch Book, Every City book (except Where's My Cow), Every Witches book including the continuation under Tiffany Aching, every Death book, and some of the few stand alones. Basically every line of tales except the Rincewind. I think Pratchett has replaced Piers Anthony as my favorite comedic writer and the man is a damn inspiration towards me given that he came down with Alzheimer yet kept on writing and keeps on writing. The disease runs in my family and it is a fear of mine that I have the unlikely chance of inheriting it. For someone who uses my mind as I do... I can only hope that if I do end up that way, I'll be like Pratchett and won't let it keep me down... That I won't let it hold me back... That I'll keep working through as my Grandmother has.
He also taught me the merits of a lack of physical description and sometimes setting. Didn't really know that was possible but it seems that you can so long as you do it the right way.
And finally, we have the BIG ONE
Wheel of Time*... A series I loved, hated (not in the love to hate way), and had to finish. 14 Books plus a prequel... 14 looooooooooooong books. Books that make Ice and Fire seem small (exaggeration). I honestly had to stop around I think 10 books in and take a break because I just couldn't read any more. Jordan made some errors in the way of telling his story to the point that some of the books were really complete filler and certain plot lines were drawn out for no good reason. Then sadly because of his death, some of the characters and what not seem unfinished. Sanderson did a remarkable job concluding the epic saga despite being a drastically different style ( <_< ... I enjoyed him a bit more) That style btw (Jordan's) is something I've been practicing and failing to achieve. Somehow he manages to tell the same time span multiple times. He follows one storyline to its completion, the goes back and follows another, and then he goes back and follows another. This seems like how you usually tell a story, right? You'd be wrong because he does it with the SAME CHARACTER in the SAME CHAPTER. I don't know how he did it but I found it remarkable and I wish I could learn it. There are some times where it feels like following a single plot line/set of plot points from start from start to finish instead of it being a melting plot of multiple hanging threads.
I finished The Memory of Light (the final book) last month. The ending was both worth it and the same time disappointing. Jordan made sure to write the epilogue/ending before his death. This unfortunately meant (at least to me) that for a story about multiple main characters, you only experience the "what comes next/happens now" for the central protagonist. Felt like the publisher, his wife, and the other author wanted honor him yet it came with the price that the characters you had grown to love over 20 years (well not me since I only had a single year) and were honestly more interesting than the central protagonist had no closure.
There we go... My year of reading.
*The way the first chapter every book starts with is my inspiration towards my opening segment for Issue 1 of Flash. Really found it neat.
