Mangler's awesome book thread.

[Madin]

Saga of Recluse it depends which books. The most recent two books, definitely, but I really enjoyed a lot of them (particularly the two I say to start with).

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is hard to say, since I read it 15 years ago... but I liked it then.

[Vaen]

Tried Recluse a long time ago -- couldn't get past present-tense writing in the first book, for whatever reason.

[chavaon]

Jonathan Renshaw - Dawn of Wonder, first of a series, The Wakening. This is his first published book and it really made me angry. I finished it, went immediately to try and find the second and the bastard hasn't firetrucking written it yet.

[Petra]

Just finished Haruki Murakami's 'Kafka on the Shore'. Massively disappointed sadly! I'm a big fan of some of his novels, but found this one really quite hard to get through.

[Otoan]

I'm just got the 3 books for Django Wexler's Shadow Campaign and I was in the middle of the first book of Powder Mage Trilogy. I like both series. (If you want to know the reason I'm in the middle of the two series is one is on my kindle and I can't bring any electronic devices into the place I work so the others are paperback.)

I also just finished Justin Cronin's The Passage trilogy and I liked it a lot.

[Aardvolf]

The Alchemist by Paulo Cuelho was a really good book. Just read it, it is short and worth it! About a young man deciding to achieve his "Personal Legend"

I read Will Grayson, Will Grayson on a friends rec. Was "meh" but I get why teens like it. Fast paced, dealt with some teen issues while also being very funny. Try to say "fuckweasel" in public without chuckling.

[Petra]

Also just finished The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - slow in parts, but generally just a really nice, modern style fairytale.

[Petra]

Just finished 'City of Mirrors' - book 3 of the passage trilogy by Justin Cronin. I thought the first book of the series with superb, and if the others didn't quite live up to the first they were still a damn good read. The third book was a great addition and enjoyable read.

[Jomin]

Earlier on Madin mentioned "The World of the Five series" by Lois McMaster Bujold - I'd also recommend the "perennial" (a new volume, like a persistent weed, occasionally pops up in the now 30 years old publication history) Vorkosigan Saga.

The author's main protagonist is a somewhat disabled person of diminished status (something for Peter Dinklage once GoT is done?) who apparently has a "weakness for tall strong women".

Of the author herself, the goodreads (the first) link reveals that Jim "Harry Dresden" Butcher said of her: "One of the Best craftsman working in science fiction today." and "Wants to have her Babies." Then clarified with "he would personally bear children for her. He's a big fan." When she was asked whether she was aware of this she replied: "I wasn't, but hey, with uterine replicators, anything is possible..."

[Petra]

I have many readings been doing.

Just finished 'Steelheart', by Brandon Sanderson. Typical Sanderson - very readable, nice idea and world-building, decent paced plot, poor characterisation.

Also read 'How to Build a Girl' by Caitlan Moran - one of the best books I've read in ages. Really enjoyable coming of age without all the crappy rose-tinted glasses. Not sure how well the British humour would translate overseas though.

Read Ian M Banks - Use of Weapons - also superb. Fantastic characters, great twists, enjoyable plot.