Anyone read any good books recently?

[blaydcor]

spiffiness said:

blaydcor said:

themanwithnoname said:

I read the last book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series a few weeks ago. The whole series is humorous, entertaining, and easy to read.

I'm currently reading the second book in the Sword of Truth series, which I expect to finish in a few months, as it'll be the longest book I've ever read in all likelihood.

No! Stop! DON'T read Terry Goodkind! 

Trust me, I'm not just spewing bullshit. I read probably 40 books a year, and a good 20-25 of those are fantasy/spec fic. Terry Goodkind is the WORST. Not just writer-wise, but the bullshit, heavy-handed Ayn Randian philosophy he brings in to later volumes...I could go on, and if you want will literally provide links that documents his terribleness both as an author and a person. 

I really, really recommend you pick up 'The Name of the Wind' by Patrick Rothfuss. It's one of the best books published in any genre in the last half decade--I promise you will be blown away by it. 

I concur. The first 3 books are awesome, but then the plot goes nowhere and he gets incredibly preachy and starts extolling the virtues of capitalism over communism etc. Plus he likely copied ideas from the late Robert Jordan and IIRC insulted him or joked about him being gravely ill. Needless to say, I never finished Goodkind's series. 

Also, I would not recommend reading A Song of Ice and Fire if you don't like depressing books.

I liked Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy, it's got a very interesting magic system and the world is different from typical fantasy. 

I'm about to start reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Joe Abercrombie's Before They Are Hanged. Anyone know if the latter is good?

Abercrombie is  great writer: Best characters I've seen in quite a while, great action (without relying on it), unique-enough plot. Really light on worldbuilding and stuff. 

BUT if you think A Song of Ice and Fire is depressing, good luck with Abercrombie. It's not really that it's depressing so much as it is that he be kind of...grim? Macabre? It's noirish fantasy at times. 

But still very, very good. I highly recommend it.