What are you currently reading?

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EusthEnoptEron
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What are you currently reading?

Post by EusthEnoptEron »

Since I think we don't have something like this yet, I'll start one. If there already is, feel free to point me there.

Post what light novels you have been / are reading, and maybe add a comment as to how you like(d) it and possibly what it is about. (the focus is on light novels for now. It's of course allowed to post opinions to translated novels here on B-T)

As for me:
I recently read "なれる!SE―2週間でわかる?SE入門" (System Engineer - you can become it! System engineering in 2 weeks[?]).
Well, it's about a poor university graduate who has trouble finding a job and eventually even falls for an attractive job ad for a system engineer, which turns out to be inhumanly hard work that requires him to work from the early morning until the late evening, off-the-clock of course.
Working in the IT field myself, I really enjoyed it. I could often agree to what was being said, and I always smiled when the protagonist was taught something I already knew. I also liked that the story didn't purely rely on comedy (the unreasonable milking), but also had its serious parts.


And currently:
The Astonishment of Suzumiya Haruhi (1).
I'm about half through, but so far it hasn't really taken hold of me yet. Perhaps I should have re-read volume 9 before starting it, since I remember next to nothing. Actually, I'm even playing with the thought of putting it on hold and starting Iriya no Sora instead. ;)


Finally, a little off-topic, I finished "きっと、澄みわたる朝色よりも、" (visual novel) yesterday after starting it 2 years ago. Totally met my taste. Only one heroine and almost no H-content, だがそれがいい. The last chapter went too far with the supernatural stuff, but graphic-wise, music-wise as well as story-wise I'm satisfied.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by Mystes »

Reading Mayo Chiki! V5, Oreimo V8, skipping through IS V2-7 for translating purposes and Tokyo Ravens. Also the newest BokuTomo.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by ainsoph9 »

Spice and Wolf vol. 1.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by Mystes »

Why didn't you do it earlier? Not that it's late, but...
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by ainsoph9 »

I just have not been able.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by Mystes »

ainsoph9 wrote:I just have not been able.
Too much work, I guess, eh?

Finishing the SAO series, as for me.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by ainsoph9 »

How is that?
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by Mystes »

SAO? It would be the best game novel in my opinion. Some people say that Moonlight Sculptor and 1/2 Prince are better, but I've never read them.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by Doraneko »

EusthEnoptEron wrote:I recently read "なれる!SE―2週間でわかる?SE入門" (System Engineer - you can become it! System engineering in 2 weeks[?]).
Well, it's about a poor university graduate who has trouble finding a job and eventually even falls for an attractive job ad for a system engineer, which turns out to be inhumanly hard work that requires him to work from the early morning until the late evening, off-the-clock of course.
Working in the IT field myself, I really enjoyed it. I could often agree to what was being said, and I always smiled when the protagonist was taught something I already knew. I also liked that the story didn't purely rely on comedy (the unreasonable milking), but also had its serious parts.
This is one of the few light novels involving working adults in the real world facing real problems. I would recommend it to anyone who is about to graduate or has already graduated. The first volume has quite a heavy focus on IT stuff, but gradually the protagonist is pressed to tackle other problems as well, such as inter-departmental politics, business negotiations, or even project management for large projects involving multiple vendors. I have just finished vol 4 last week and again it didn't disappoint.


By the way I am now reading 桃の侍、金剛のパトリオット. The previous work by the author published under the Dengeki label is my favourite light novel ever. So far this new novel by him is equally eye-opening and enjoyable.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by kuroi_shinigami »

I'm reading 浜村渚の計算ノート(Hamamura Nagisa no Keisan Note/Hamamura Nagisa's Calculation Note) by Aoyagi Aito. It seems to be a detective story involving mathematic so I'm thinking about giving it a try, but it turns out disappointing. T

he story tells about a terrorist attack by a genius ex-math teacher who bear a grudge toward the government for reducing the number of math lesson because the government thinks that Japan youth need more social studies than science studies to make a better youth. The ex-teacher do the terror attack through his original math teaching program that almost all of the student in Japan for the last 20(or maybe 30, can't remember the exact number)use during their school days. The ex-teacher already slip a hypnotic program instead the teaching program so he can order anyone who has use the math program to kill with just a ring on their cellphone. A special unit was made to fight this terror, but the problem is because all people using the program is compromised, the special unit only consists of old people who's not good at math except 3 people in their youth. One day, there's a junior high girl student introduced to be the polices messiah to solve the terror attack. The said girl named Hamamura Nagisa is a genius girl at math, and she never used the program by the terrorist. The story unfolds from there.

IMO, the premise is too unbelievable and the opening scene doesn't bring you in the story enough. But, I'm not even halfway through so I'll give it the benefit of doubt. I might make a review in the blog after I finish reading if I have the time.
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by Mystes »

What do you think that is boring in it?
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by ShadowZeroHeart »

EusthEnoptEron wrote: As for me:
I recently read "なれる!SE―2週間でわかる?SE入門" (System Engineer - you can become it! System engineering in 2 weeks[?]).
Well, it's about a poor university graduate who has trouble finding a job and eventually even falls for an attractive job ad for a system engineer, which turns out to be inhumanly hard work that requires him to work from the early morning until the late evening, off-the-clock of course.
Working in the IT field myself, I really enjoyed it. I could often agree to what was being said, and I always smiled when the protagonist was taught something I already knew. I also liked that the story didn't purely rely on comedy (the unreasonable milking), but also had its serious parts.
Curse you!! I read the first volume of that, and I am like "SO THATS HOW MY FUTURE WILL BE AS WELL!?!?" I am a computing student, and reading it relates me to my university life now, so I am like, it sounds so damn realistic!! I am doomed!! And I hated the most about the last comments by the author which I read in volume 1, making me both expect volume 2 and fear reading it at the same time!

That aside, I started on an old series recently. I am not sure about the Japanese title, but the Chinese title is 抽籤勇者, which translates to something like "Hero of picking lots", basically a hero based on luck? It is a rather interesting series, which talks about a world where there is a certain religion that bases on picking lots, which is also by luck in such a case. A very talented scientific girl, chosen when young to join the religion as a priestess, hates the idea of drawing lots, thinking of it as mere maths and probability. On the other hand, there is a guy that solely bases his beliefs on this religion. When asked about whether they will get married, he once replied, "Our god(picking lots) will decide my wife".

The story goes where the guy always fail to get into the different corps, due to his bad luck, and thus he claims that it is just that it is not his borne job. He eventually met the talented girl, and both picked the lots to become "Hero" and "Hero's follower". However, the guy is quite brainless, so the girl does all the thinking, and the "Hero" seems more like a side-kick or bodyguard. The girl however, when her MP is used up, would be rendered defenseless, and thus becomes a burden for the "Hero". She also resents the idea of drawing lots to decide their destination, which however, helped them in their journey in unexpected ways. In one case, she wanted to mock the hero, and made him draw lots to decide what he is to wield for the day. The lots include stuff like "His sword", "A frying pan", "a broom" etc etc. He drew the frying pan. Yet he was attacked by their enemies, with guns which was reflected by the pan, one of the enemy captains who uses fire magic to heat up his sword to melt the enemy's, but since its a frying pan... Is it truly probability? Luck? Or fate?

After 3 volumes, their journey ends. However, when they are receiving their "reward", someone trips over and uncovers the lots they are about to draw, which consists solely of ways of death. Believing that they are to be removed due to political issues, they fled. This is however due to a sinister guy taking revenge, but they are ignorant of this fact. Their escape instead led to them traveling all around, "re-inventing" products we know now, such as railway, fighter jets and bombers etc. In the journey, unlike previously, the guy who ONLY knows how to wield a sword now becomes the burden, unlike the girl with her talents, being able to earn a living.

Many facts turn up, some interesting knowledge, together with their problems and dilemmas. All this turn up to a very interesting read for me.
God!!
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by kuroi_shinigami »

kira0802 wrote:What do you think that is boring in it?
Just the author's way of storytelling I guess. It's not thrilling enough to draw you in the story and keeping you to wondering what's going to happen next, which is a must have for a non-short detective story. The short one, like Sherlock Holmes collection of cases or Agatha Christie's one, or even Detective Conan, doesn't need this because it won't take long before the story reach the main point(usually the murder and the conclusion). But, like I said, I haven't even reach a third of the story so I'll give it the benefit of doubt for now.
Fill in the blank : She ( ) a bus

Yoshii Akihisa's answer : She is a bus

Tsuchiya Kouta's answer : 彼女はブスです
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by Synchro »

Zero No Tsukaima (The familiar of zero]
To Aru Majutsu no Index & Railgun
Shakugan no Shana
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Re: What are you currently reading?

Post by Doraneko »

Just finished reading 調停少女サファイア (Sapphire the Mediator).

An interesting story that exceeded my expectations. Misled by the cute character design, initially I expected a warm fuzzy tale on how the pink-haired heroine will utilize her communication skills to peacefully settle problems between different races in a fantasy world and ends up making friend with everyone.

It turns out that the heroine is much more captivating than that. Despite of being a famous mediator with the mandate of a dragon, most of the time she looks like an airhead and talks like an airhead who can hardly survive by herself for one single fay. But whenever she gets to political negotiations, she is an extremely skilful (almost cunning) politician that may cheat even her friends and allies. Crises and dangers are almost all in accordance with her calculations.

Of course as the mediator of the story she still regards peaceful resolution as an ultimate goal. But to achieve such a goal and force all parties to appear at her negotiating table, she is more than prepared to use any means possible.

This is how the young queen of another country chats with an aboriginal girl about the heroine's advice - how to utilize an external conflict to clean internal oppositions and secure power.
"Dirty, corrupted officials, nobles who only care to feed their pockets - she regards all of them as useful. With enough cash it is easy and quick to persuade them. On the other hand, for clean, patriotic members of the royal family who have firm beliefs and takes time to persuade, her advice is to execute them all in flashy ways to instil fear. According to her, blind patriotism only serves to hinder our plan. As an additional bonus, by eliminating potential candidates to the throne, the security and legitimacy of my rule can be ensured."

"How can I say... That is evil-minded..."

"That is actually a praise to politicians. A kind and clean monarch is nothing but a harm to his people."
The best summary of the story has actually been provided in the afterwords. According to the author, negotiation is shaking hands by one hand and holding a nuclear missile by the other. Sapphire is the "hand" while Eon the dragon is the "missile."

Still, despite of the heroine's Yagami-Light nature, you still can't hate her due to her overreaching moeness, her relatively cleaner objectives, and her competence in bringing about peaceful resolutions to regional conflicts, instead of being just an armchair pacifist that condemns every single killing but achieving nothing else.
Spoiler! :
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