I read Inachieve Tales and Legend - Third age by Tolkien. (I hope it's the correct title in english) Interesting Book for the fan of Tolkien's World.
Posted by St. Yogi (Member # 5974) on :
I'm currently reading White Teeth by Zadie Smith, as well as V for Vendetta by Alan Moore, and Wolf's Brother by Megan Lindholm.
After I've read these, I'm going to read a Norwegian book called Hvite Niggere (English: White Niggers) by Ingvar Ambjørnsen.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
I'm reading Dune.
First time.
Posted by Fyfe (Member # 937) on :
I'm reading The Color Purple again. Best book ever.
Jen
Posted by Mintieman (Member # 4620) on :
Just finished The Information - Martin Amis
Posted by WheatPuppet (Member # 5142) on :
I'm in the middle of A Clash of Kings by G. R. R. Martin. Finally, fantasy I can abide by!
Scott R -- I'm sorry. Most people find Dune painfully boring or obscure on their first reading. Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
It is rather . . . ahem. . . dry.
Posted by celia60 (Member # 2039) on :
*groans*
------
Foucault's Pendulum.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
I just finished "Buddhism In Chinese History" by Arthur F Wright.
Why?
Well, its been sitting on my book shelf since my college days and I finally decided to get my money's worth out of it.
I found it quite interesting, but I can be a history junky.
I have since started "The Canteburry Tales".
Worse, I re-Xanthed. With 2 hours between interviews I went to a library to pass the time. I started the Question Quest--2 hours of bad puns and brain candy.
I love Brain Candy!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Scott, how far along are you? What are you thinking of it so far?
I'm reading a bunch of stuff at the moment:
Ursula K. LeGuin's collection The Compass Rose (an old favorite--my copy is literally falling apart from having been read so many times) Michael Bishop's collection Blooded on Arachne (first time through, and so far I'm not terribly impressed, but his novels are good enough that I expect the collection to get better) OSC's Saints (2nd time through, I think. I read it ages ago, and remember vitually nothing about it) James P Hogan's Inherit the Stars (I remember loving this when I was younger, but it was long enough ago that I've completely forgotten the story) Nancy Kress' Probability Moon (1st time through--I've been impressed with other stuff she's written, and this seems like it's shaping up to be quite good as well) J.M. Gullick's Adventures and Encounters: Europeans in South East Asia (this is a compilation of source texts such as journals and log books that details contact between Europeans and SE Asia. So far almost everything I've read has been from the 16th century.) I've got, and have been glancing at Jack Whyte's The Eagle's Brood, but I suspect it's going to suck, so I haven't quite been able to make myself open it yet.
Posted by celia60 (Member # 2039) on :
I gave all my Xanth to my sister so as not to be at risk. Of course, I still have my Xanth t-shirt....
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
How far into it are you? I loved it when I first read it, but I was...oh, I don't know, 13 or 14, somewhere in there.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I vomit on Xanth. Bleagh.
Posted by celia60 (Member # 2039) on :
I'll send you the cleaning bill. It was a very clever way of getting me out of my shirt.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Works every time.
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
St. Yogi, I love Zadie Smith. Check out her second novel "The Autograph Man." It's very clever as well.
I'm currently reading "Anna Karenina" and "A Widow for One Year" by John Irving. Irving is beginning to annoy me. Many of his books seem to have the same main male character but with a different name.
space opera
Posted by Vána (Member # 6593) on :
Choobak - I think you mean the Unfinished Tales. Your translation was close. I've read it, and enjoyed most of it, but I just couldn't get through the section about Turin. *sigh*
Right now I'm reading Wicked. Not very far into it, but it's interesting, and I'm looking forward to really getting into it. Unfortunatly for my reading, I've also started playing Katamari Damacy. That game is extremely addictive.
[ January 20, 2005, 11:34 AM: Message edited by: Vána ]
Posted by St. Yogi (Member # 5974) on :
"St. Yogi, I love Zadie Smith. Check out her second novel "The Autograph Man." It's very clever as well."
My mom got that for christmas, so I'll probably read that sometime too Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
Right now I'm reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Alton Brown's I'm Just Here For The Food.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Malachy McCourt's History of Ireland and Rudolfo A. Anaya's Heart of Aztlan. Both picked up fairly randomly at the library, both very good.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I'm currently reading What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?: The Positive Impact of Christianity in History by D. James Kennedy..
(understands that this title just made TomD snort milk up through his nose)
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Ramona and Her Father, Beverly Cleary
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
Noemon: I'm on tape 12/14. (Audio books keep me sane).
Um. . . Dune is not as good as I've been lead to believe. It's not bad-- but I'm having a hard time connecting to anyone beyond Stilgar. The Atreides are so . . . invulnerable.
:shrug:
Posted by Ginol_Enam (Member # 7070) on :
Absolutely nothing. Well, at least nothing that I'm reading for my own, personal enjoyment. I have so much stuff to read for school, its not funny.
First we the ever present US History book. Several pages (with itty bitty font and HUGE pages) a day.
Although we don't have a particular reading schedule, it doesn't hurt to read my Environmental Science book, either.
I also have to read The Jungle for US History.
Huck Finn is our current book in English.
And right after we finish Huck Finn, we need to read one of the books on the "banned book" list. Fortunately, we get to choose which one. I picked Clockwork Orange.
Posted by Jay (Member # 5786) on :
I’m currently reading “Crossroads of Twilight” (The Wheel of Time, Book 10) by Robert Jordan. This is my second time through the series as I started over again after the prequel came out last year. Fun!
Posted by Ginol_Enam (Member # 7070) on :
*wasn't able to get through WoT even once, and can not even fathom going through it twice*
O_o
Posted by Jay (Member # 5786) on :
What you don't like good books?
Posted by David Bowles (Member # 1021) on :
Just pleasure: Dante's Paradiso Foucault's Pendulum- Umberto Eco (wow, celia, we are on the same page!)
Research for stuff I'm writing The Texas Rangers- Walter Prescott Webb The Comanches: A History, 1706-1875- Thomas W. Kavanagh
For the classes I'm teaching: Metamorphoses- Ovid Aeneid- Virgil Faust- Goethe
Recently read: The Dante Club Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I'm reading:
Morte Darthur- selections (class) David Copperfield (pleasure, old favourite) Biography of Tolkein (pleasure and VERY INTERESTING)
quote: Scott R -- I'm sorry. Most people find Dune painfully boring or obscure on their first reading.
They do? But it's full of murder and battles and stuff! I liked it first time around.
And DB, I love the Aeneid! Today, we have to recite the first twelve lines for class (in translation or not- I'm doing it in translation because I don't speak latin and I want to know what I'm saying)
I sing of warfare and a man at war...
Posted by David Bowles (Member # 1021) on :
Yeah, in many ways it's better than the Iliad, though the Odyssey still outranks it, IMO. I prefer the Fitzgerald translation to the Mandlebaum.
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
Love the Aeneid. A closer translation of the first words would be "Arms and the hero I sing of..."
Okay, I stop now. I had waaaay too much Aeneid last term (whole Latin class on Vergil, oi).
Currently Reading: The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, Diana Wynne Jones Mabinogion Dragon Venom, David Watt-Evans Liber Viginti Quattuor Philosophorum (for class)
Posted by IrishAphrodite19 (Member # 1880) on :
Nothing for pleasure right now because I have not had time to go to the bookstore.
But for school... about 10 essays all on Constructivist teaching, schools going corporate, accountability, or grading/testing. Whoho. Our education system is going down the hole.
~Irish
Posted by Homestarrunner (Member # 5090) on :
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds. Actually pretty good so far, although the timeline is confusing.
I'm also rereading Le Passe-Muraille by Marcel Ayme. En francais, of course. Those are some good stories.
I'm going to have to say that Dune really wasn't that great of a book. It wasn't bad, but I wasn't prfoundly moved by it either. And I tried reading a sequel and found it horrid. So there. Bleyeh.
Posted by celia60 (Member # 2039) on :
quote: (wow, celia, we are on the same page!)
342?
I started it on the flight back from Mexico and seem to have become a slow reader in my old age. I am quite embarassed to be only as far as I am in a book I'm greatly enjoying in spite of the amount of time I have spent on it.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
The Knight, book 1 of The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe--just finished, very good, I haven't decided whether to reread it before starting book 2
R. Buckminister Fuller by John McHale. About the inventor of the geodesic dome, among other things. Interesting, lots of cool photos, but the text is a little light on Fuller's unique approach to geometry.
Radio Free Albemuth By Phillip K. Dick. This book was "discovered" among Dick's papers posthumerously. I am usually suspicious of such books, as they are often second-rate material the author didn't want published. So far it seems to be a more coherent version of Dick's Valis, but less interesting/weird. I started reading and rereading classic Dick novels and stories after reading:
Guns, Germs, and Steel--I just read the first 3 chapters, after all the praise heaped on it here at Hatrack.
[ February 05, 2005, 09:42 AM: Message edited by: Morbo ]
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
quote:The Knight, book 1 of The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe--just finished, very good, I haven't decided whether to reread it before starting book 2
I saw this at the bookstore and was very intrigued. Normally, I really can't handle anything vaguely fantasy-like*, but I trust Gene Wolfe pretty inherently. I think I shall put this on my list. Have you read his other stuff? There are Doors was my favorite book in a long time, and Storeys From The Old Hotel was fabulous.
Oh, in addition to Ramona, which I read one chapter a night with my sister, I'm also reading Asimov's The Robots of Dawn because my new favorite book source is whatever sci fi I can find at the Salvation Army.
- - -
*Remind me to tell you sometime the story of me getting brainwashed into reading like 6 books by Terry Goodkind
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote: Love the Aeneid. A closer translation of the first words would be "Arms and the hero I sing of..."
We're reading the Fitzgerald translation, so that was the one that most people performed. I like it, even if it's not completely accurate. Posted by digging_holes (Member # 6237) on :
I'm reading Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. Very good book.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
Books I have already read before are bold:
Ender's Shadow By Orson Scott Card
Animal Farm George Orwell
Farenheit 451 Ray Bradbury
1984 George Orwell
The Invisible Man H.G. Wells
War of the Worlds H.G. Wells
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Jules Verne
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy(the whole inaccurately named trilogy) Douglas Adams
Posted by digging_holes (Member # 6237) on :
I've never read anything by Douglas Adams...
*adds yet another series on my neverending and everexpanding list of books to read in the next few centuries...*
Posted by advice for pirates (Member # 4781) on :
I found The Knight to be kind of a strange book. The main character was so headstrong that it seemed like everyone including the author and reader had to run to keep up. It wasn't a bad read, though.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:The Knight, book 1 of The Wizard Knight by Gene Wolfe--just finished, very good, I haven't decided whether to reread it before starting book 2
I just read this a couple of weeks ago! Great book--I can't wait to read the second one.
[ January 20, 2005, 06:06 PM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
Teshi, just because I can't let things lie, I'm gonna suggest the Tony Kline translation. Best mix I've seen yet of keeping the poetic feel of the original while still being a readable story.
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
I'm reading... a lot. I think. At least I have a lot of books scattered around my room with bookmarks in them, and several I'm reading for class. Hmm... methinks I should clean.
Examples (with authors on the not-so-obvious):
Shadow of the Hegemon The Worthing Saga A Clash of Kings The Dragon Reborn From Here to Eternity (James Jones) 38 Latin Stories Chapter 17 - The Myrmidons The Iliad (in Greek and both Fagles and Lattimore translations) Makers of Rome (Plutarch, trans. Ian Scott-Kilvert) Schopenhauer, A Very Quick Introduction (from the series)
Well, that's all of them that aren't buried. There may well be more, but I'm kind of scared to see what they will be.
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
Woo hoo! 38 Latin Stories! I still have that book... ahh, good memories...
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
The Fagles translation of The Odyssey bothered me with its repeated use of the idiom "cramping his style." Odysseus' soldiers cramped his style every other page. I mean, I understand the difficulty of rendering figurative language, but really - must Homer sound like a Beatnik?
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
Yeah, they're great. Except when we actually spend time on them in class. I can mostly translate them on sight, which drives a couple of my friends up the wall. Again, oops.
But when you're studying your sixth language, they start to get easier. Especially when they're all related somehow.
Posted by BotaLadyG (Member # 7053) on :
recently completed...
The Crystal City and the rest of the series up to it... (waiting anxiously for another novel? if its coming)
have completed the Homecoming Series (loved it) Enders game, Speaker for the Dead, and Xenocide (I'm not sure where to go from there in that series though...)
Have just started reading the Women of Genesis books as I loved the first three chapters that I read here on the site...and have requested a boat load of Card's books from the local library.. (yeah I'm a Card junky)
thats about it for now... I can only read so fast...lol
Nicole
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I am reading The Redemption of Althalus which I found at the Curves bookshelf. Someone who exercises there is a serious fantasy fan. it's great. Plus, I found the The Dragobbone Chair , which I had loaned to a student who moved away. It is a great way to unload books, too. I want to keep them all, but our house is too small. So, I am only keeping complete fantasy series, and passing the rest along, except fo other favorite. And books I read in college. And...I'm hopeless.
Posted by David Bowles (Member # 1021) on :
Eaquae Legit- what is it about the translation you linked to that you prefer over other published ones? For some reason it just doesn't work for me...
Posted by accio (Member # 3040) on :
Shadow of the Hegemon. I’m reading Shadow series again while I’m waiting for Shadow of the Giant’s release.
Posted by Popcornbaby (Member # 7046) on :
My friend just forced me to read Hawksong by Ameleia Atwater Rhodes. I loved it so now I'm reading the sequel, Snakecharm.
Also just finished up the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix. The first book, Sabriel was the best, imo.
Posted by St. Yogi (Member # 5974) on :
I'm almost finished with The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Great book!
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, after other hatrackers recommended it. Surprisingly good.
Posted by Dread Pendragon (Member # 7239) on :
I'm working on volume one of Dream of the Red Chamber (also called Story of the Stone) (English tranlations). I had read exerpts before in a class I had, and am finally going to read the whole thing. It is a pain at first because of the volume of characters and their relationships with each other, but it is surprisingly interesting.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
Annie, I have read almost all of Wolfe's novels and a lot of his shorter fiction. He is my favorite author. Which is why I broke down and bought The Wizard, vol.2 of the Wizard Knight by wolfe. I think it's my only hardcover purchase in the last year. Noemon, it's as good or better than vol.1.
SteveR, good to see another hard-core sci-fi fan here! I haven't read any Welles in a while, I need to.
quote: I found the The Dragobbone Chair , which I had loaned to a student who moved away. It is a great way to unload books, too
Elizabeth Who was it that said 'only your friends steal your books'?
edit:yes, maybe it was Twain.
[ February 05, 2005, 11:02 AM: Message edited by: Morbo ]
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Morbo, sounds like a Mark twain saying. ha ha.
I just loaned Game of Thrones to a friend, with a very clear threat of death if she does not return it.
I just finished Requiem of the Sun the fourth of Elizabeth Hydon's Rhapsody series. Ireally do love it, and I am glad i broke my promise to stop at book 3.
Now, I am reading the first of Michael Jecks' Knights of the Templar series. I am not really into it yet, but it is always hard for me to switch out of fantasy mode. Sometimes, aftr I finish a series, I can't read anything at all for months. I hate that.
Posted by urbanX (Member # 1450) on :
Right now I'm reading The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul-Douglas Adams Enders Shadow-OSC
I Think I'm going to buy Catch 22 next.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
Tea time is the sequel to Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, right? I hated Dirk, I read it 1/2 way then gave it up. Love Catch-22 ,though.
[ February 05, 2005, 11:12 AM: Message edited by: Morbo ]
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Now I'm onto Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie. Fabulous, fabulous stuff.
Posted by Fitz (Member # 4803) on :
I just read Reservation Blues about a month ago. He writes more about the same characters in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Both great books. Have you read anything by Thomas King? I imagine that you'd like his stuff, if you're a fan of Alexie.
I just finished Eleanor Rigby, by Douglas Coupland, and just started The Time Traveler's Wife.
Posted by urbanX (Member # 1450) on :
I actually am having trouble reading tea time. And yes it's the sequel to Dirk.
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
Selected Stories of Philip K Dick You gotta love that man.
Oh, and I just started reading the Lemony Snicket series with my son. He really enjoyed the first book (as did I!) and we're beginning the second book tomorrow night.
space opera
Posted by Stan the man (Member # 6249) on :
A few books right now:
-Guns, Germs, and Steel -> Jared Diamond -The Automatic Millionaire -> David Bach -Shadow of the Giant -> Need I say? -Slant -> Greg Bear
I have picked up a few others, but I put them down more often than Slant, so I did not include them.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
I am reading, for the first time, The Mote in God's Eye by Niven. And enjoying it.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Oh, hello BELLE. I am reading my 32 dollar hardcover "Elegy to a Lost Star" by Elizabeth Haydon, and already in agony waiting for book 6. Not that I blame you for this or anything.
Posted by Tater (Member # 7035) on :
Gone With the Wind
don't I feel silly.. Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
^ | | | | Girly-man
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
"Stone of Farewell" by Tad Williams.
*rant* Why, oh why, does all cover art for fantasy and sci-fi novels have to completely suck? I was actually embarassed standing in line with the darn thing.
space opera
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
LOL. That's hilarious! I don't think I've been embarassed by cover art yet, but I don't doubt that it's possible.
I'm reading Peter and the Starcatchers - Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. I'm loving it, it's so funny and fast and cute. I love the ilustrations too, the one with "the Ladies" almost made me split my pants laughing. Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
"An American Story" by Debra Dickerson
Had to read it for a history class. But it's a really good story about a black woman who grew up in the St. Louis suburbs in the 70's. I never appreciated a lot about that mindset, and either way it's a good story, history major or not.
Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
Emma by Austen. I re-read Pride and Prejudice for my english class and really liked it. Emma is my aunt's favorite book. I thought that since I have a new found appreciation for Austen I should give it a shot.
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Ooh, you should read Mansfield Park. That's my favorite Austen book. Posted by Allegra (Member # 6773) on :
I was planning on going through all fo Austen's novels. I will just make Mansfeild park the next one.
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
Fitz, tell me how The Time Traveler's Wife goes.
I'm reading, An Equal Music by Vickram Seth, The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, and The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
I'm currently taking way longer than necessary to read Chronicle of a Death Foretold.
Edit: removed an extraneous hyphen
[ February 28, 2005, 12:20 AM: Message edited by: saxon75 ]
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
Thanks for the heads up on "The Time Traveler's Wife." With respect to Middlesex, the parts in Detroit, from the Nation of Islam through the riots, were the high-points of the book for me. The car chase at the end was just about the funniest car chase scene I've ever read. Everything else seemed to fall short, including the half-done explanation of Chapter 11's name. Wait, I did appreciate how the impetus of Chapter 11's change was not going to college but the feeling of dread that went along with his life being left up to the draft lottery.
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
I'm currently reading "Red Mars". Oooooooo... so good!
*getting ready to read "Green Mars"*
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
quote: Selected Stories of Philip K Dick You gotta love that man.
True!
And I'm reading "The Wind-up Bird Chronicles" by Haruki Murakami.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:I don't think I've been embarassed by cover art yet, but I don't doubt that it's possible.
Is this your way of telling us that you never bought any of the later Alvin Maker books?
Posted by MidnightBlue (Member # 6146) on :
quote: quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I don't think I've been embarassed by cover art yet, but I don't doubt that it's possible. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is this your way of telling us that you never bought any of the later Alvin Maker books?
I was rereading them while I was waiting for Crystal City, and my friend kept making comments about me reading romance novels.
I just finished Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, and I absolutely loved it. I can't wait to read the rest of the series and whatever else I can get my hands on. Now I'm reading something or other by Gene Wolfe. I'm having trouble getting into though.
Posted by His Savageness (Member # 7428) on :
Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
quote: I'm currently reading "Red Mars".
So am I! I really enjoy it. I'm skipping the technical parts which would probably have interfered hugely with my enjoyment. What I like the most is the way the viewpoint switches from person to person and the way all of the characters see each other differently. I wish all books that switched viewpoints would do it as well as Robinson. Robert Jordan in particular would be rendered almost readable if he took advantage of the opportunities his million and one viewpoints offered.
Also reading Sunshine by Robin McKinley for the second time. Which is a wonderful book. Let me say right now that I don't do vampires. Period. I love this book, vampires or no vampires. Mostly I love that her characters are flawed and real, but that's not the point, that's just who they are. It seems like most authors feel that if their characters are going to be flawed there has to be a reason for the flaw, while in real life people are flawed just because that's human.
Crime and Punishment which I'm really enjoying, to my great surprise and pleasure.
Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold, who is inching out the competition to become my all time favorite author. Her books are categorized as space opera, but in no way are they fluff.
Posted by amira tharani (Member # 182) on :
"Junk" by Melvin Burgess. Picked it up in the school library today when I was bored and couldn't put it down, tho I had to when the bell went for end of school. It's fantastic - gripping, well written, love the PoV switches. Will be finishing it tomorrow!
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I just finished the Rape of the Lock. For school.
Story about books: I went at a fantastic booksale where the books were disgustingly cheap (and then reduced to every book twenty five cents- needless to say I had a HUGE box just FULL of books ) and was wandering around, minding my own business when this person (male, twenty-five-ish) comes up to me.
Him: "You like books, right?" (This is before I got the box- I am balancing a stack of books that goes from my waist to just under my chin) Me: "Um, (nervous laughter) yes."
He then proceeds to hand this book to me, it's called 'Pan' and it's by a Norwegian author called something like Knut Hamsen (in translation).
Him: "He's one of the best authors ever, Hemingway took a lot from him." Me: "Oh... er...thanks..." (I flip through it)
This person kind of left me with it, smiling and walked away into the crowd. I looked for him, but I didn't see him.
So I figured this book was good, and it was, although not outstanding. But the thing that was most stunning was the fact this person had obviously found this book and had been looking around for someone who would likely enjoy said book/author.
I was pleased. Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
quote:Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
By the end of that book, I felt like those guys were my friends. I miss them.
Posted by AntiCool (Member # 7386) on :
I recently discovered Vernor Vinge. I read Fire Upon the Deep, which I liked, and then the prequel, Deepness in the Sky, which was just as good. I then read The Peace War, which didn't do much for me. I am in the middle of Marooned in Realtime, its sequel, which I am enjoying much more.
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
Yay for Fire Upon the Deep !!! Didn't you love the tines and their world? I found it absolutely fascinating. What did you think of the prequel? I saw it last week but was afraid I'd be disappointed.
space opera
Posted by AntiCool (Member # 7386) on :
I loved the prequel. The alien culture is too close to 20th-century earth to be believable, but one of the human cultures is sufficiently alien to make up for it.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
quote:I am reading my 32 dollar hardcover "Elegy to a Lost Star" by Elizabeth Haydon, and already in agony waiting for book 6. Not that I blame you for this or anything.
Sorry about that.
I won't spoil it for you - but Elegy, while good, was tough for me. Since you feel the same way about certain characters as I do, I'm sure you'll have the same reaction.
Posted by 0range7Penguin (Member # 7337) on :
I have been emberrased by cover art both the Alvin Maker series and a couple of the Wheel of Time books led some of my freinds to believe I had taken up romance novels. It took a week to convince them otherwise and the making fun of went on for months. I am currently reading the divinci code. Its decent but I don't think its the greatest most shocking book ever like everyone was shouting for a while their.
Posted by AntiCool (Member # 7386) on :
I finished Marooned in Realtime. I enjoyed it, even though the ending didn't come together as much as I would have hoped.
I'm now reading some of Vinge's short fiction. I read "Fast Times as Ridgemont High", and am now reading "The Cookie Monster". It's been a long time since I've read short fiction, mostly because OSC doesn't write enough of it. Now I remember why I like it so much.
Posted by Fitz (Member # 4803) on :
I just picked up Clothar the Frank, by Jack Whyte, at the library today. Jack Whyte has a great take on Arthurian legend, and his stories are always pretty absorbing. Clothar is his intepretation of Lancelot. I'm eager to see how Whyte will handle the infamous Lancelot-Arthur-Guinevere love triange.
As for The Time Traveler's Wife, I enjoyed it quite a lot. It wasn't that it was very deeply engaging, but it was a fast-paced, energetic read, with great characters. I definitely recommend it.
Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
The Constitution of EU... I'll vote next mounth to say yes or no...
Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
What do you care what other people think? by Richard Feynman. I thought his series of narratives about investigating the cause of the Challenger explosion was fascinating.
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Just finished Ilium, by Dan Simmons.
Still reading: Underground, by Haruki Murakami.
Should continue reading: Three men in a boat, by Jerome K. Jerome.
Edit: Can't wait to read: Shadow of the Giant.
[ April 21, 2005, 04:17 AM: Message edited by: Corwin ]
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Just finished: "Beyond Recognition," a murder mystery sort of thing about an arsonist.
Chipping away a little at "The Redemption of Althalus," which I read about ten pages of between books. I should be done in 2007 or so.
I picked up two books for a buck. One is "The Icarus Girl,"by Helen Oyeyemi(yup-caught my eye because of our Icarus) and "How Evan Broke his Head and Other Secrets," by Garth Stein.
has anyone read these? They look pretty interesting. We shall see.
Posted by Emily W (Member # 7504) on :
Battle Royal by Koushun Takami
And I love Dune! It used to be my favortie series before I found Ender's Game.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
Just Finished Reading - War for the Oaks by Emma Bull. Brilliant book about evil faeries and eighties rock music.
Now Reading - The Rise of Scientific Europe. Exam revision. Don't ask.
Posted by Alistair (Member # 7858) on :
Just finished (and loved) Shadow of the Giant
Currently reading: The Once and Future King by T. H. White and The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Posted by Tater (Member # 7035) on :
right now: Where the Red Fern Grows
Hopefully this weekend: Where the Heart Is or Forrest Gump
[ April 21, 2005, 09:57 PM: Message edited by: Tater ]
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
"Icehenge" by Kim Stanley Robinson
I was pleasantly surprised!
Posted by Rico (Member # 7533) on :
Almost done reading "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand.
Interesting book. However, I think it could have had the same impact on me had it been 500 pages shorter. I have about 50 pages or so to finish which I will probably go through tonight before bed.
After that I'm planning to read "Mr. Murder" by Dean Koontz and hopefully borrow the last two Dark Tower books from a friend to finish reading the series.
Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
Currently, I read :
- Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand - Les contemplations by Victor Hugo -and again, the constitution.
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Fiction: Haruki Murakami - Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World Non-fiction: Haruki Murakami - Underground Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Currently:
Foundation and Empire (Asimov) Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
On Deck:
Frankenstein (Koontz)
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
Stories from the Arabian Nights(in Spanish).
Las Mil y Una Noches Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
I'm reading The Kite Runner (Khalid Hosseini). Enjoying it so far. Posted by Lille Mu (Member # 7115) on :
Just finished Wuthering Heights, why did E. Brontë die so young ????
Posted by Portabello (Member # 7710) on :
I just finished Bloodchild and other stories by Octavia Butler, and have started Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Oh, Portabello, I own Parable of the Sower- it's at home, though, and so I can't read it until Saturday, but I'd be interested in knowing what you thought! Posted by solo (Member # 3148) on :
I'm currently re-reading The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. It is a long time favorite of mine.
I am also reading There Are Doors by Gene Wolfe. This one I am reading aloud with my wife.
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Just read: Dan Brown - Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code
Starting: Greg Bear - Darwin's Radio Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
Currently, i read :
- Quatrevingt-treize by Victor Hugo - Psychologie de la bataille (Battle psychology) by Anatoly Karpov and Jean-François Philézon. (in what a chess game looks like a negociation, and in what a negociation looks like a chess game)
Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
Terry Pratchett, The Truth (light reading, I'm a little tired these days )
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Currently NOT reading: G.R.R. Martin - A game of thrones
I ordered it at a multi-lingual bookshop around three weeks ago, and it's still not here... The funny thing is that I have all the other books from the series, but not the first one! Oh well, I'll go on reading "Darwin's Radio" until then...
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Finally currently reading - G.R.R. Martin, A game of thrones
Let the adventure begin! Posted by Beanny (Member # 7109) on :
"The Game of Kings" by Stephan Zweig
Posted by Beanny (Member # 7109) on :
PS - good luck, Corwin!
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Oh, Corwin, i'm sorry. You will be in agony like the rest of us, soon, waiting for A feast of Crows.
I am reading a Clive Cussler novel, "Serpent."
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
It's due out sometime this month and it's about Dracula. Kind of along the lines of the Da Vinci Code, et al, but it's a lot more detailed and better written.
Posted by AC (Member # 7909) on :
I don't remember the translator, but the copy of "The Aeneid" that I read started: "I sing of arms and of the man", which incidentally, is my favorite opening line of anything I have ever read.
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
Just finished "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (I'd been wanting to find a copy with the original illustrations for some time.)
Will probably go back to the Complete Sherlock Holmes collection. I'd taken a break midway through volume 2.
--Enigmatic
Posted by Astaril (Member # 7440) on :
Just finished re-reading the Sevenwaters trilogy by Juliet Marillier - great read for Irish/Celtic mythology or history enthusiasts who don't mind a little romance-centred narrative.
Currently: "The Merlin Conspiracy" by Diana Wynne Jones "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman "Green Dolphin Street" by Elizabeth Goudge
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
now reading "Fiend" by Jemiah Jefferson. It was a book of the week selection from my email horror book club thing. Every day for 5 days they email a chapter of a book, then take a week plus a weekend off. So you only get selections every other week. This one is a vampire story, the first couple chapters reminded me very much of Anne Rice.
Next on the list, "The Nameless Day" by Sara Douglass.
I can't read multiple books at the same time like some people <eyes Astaril's reading list>
Posted by Astaril (Member # 7440) on :
And I can't read just one like other people! It all depends on my mood. I get very specific book-cravings for certain character types or worlds or things. Does anyone else? Also, I've got to have one for the kitchen when I'm waiting for toast to pop, one that fits in my coat pocket for reading while I walk, etcetera.
And I just started "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" again last night in anticipation for Book 6!
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I tend to go by author. I'll read more or less randomly for a while until I read something that strikes my fancey, and then I'll read a lot from that author. I'm about to finish everything that Octavia Butler has published. Posted by His Savageness (Member # 7428) on :
Currently reading:
A Confederacy of Dunces and Royal Assassin
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
mph, consider yourself lucky to be able to afford/find so many books from the same author!
I read most of the SF books as they were translated into Romanian, but there have been periods when I would take everything I had by one author and reread them. It was really interesting when I did this with Ph. K. Dick's novels, as there are so many of the same elements/ideas that appear in most of them that you actually feel like you're inside a specific universe.
Posted by St. Yogi (Member # 5974) on :
I'm currently reading:
Ringworld by Larry Niven and Moment of Freedom by Jens Bjørneboe
Posted by TheSeeingHand (Member # 8349) on :
The Crystal City by Orson Scott Card :-D
Posted by TL (Member # 8124) on :
I'm reading 'Endless Night' by Richard Laymon.
Describing the creation of a murderous secret society in magic-hour childhood-nostalgia terms is a stroke of genius.
This guy is so much fun to read.
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Finished all the three "Song of Ice and Fire" novels...
Reading Murakami's "The Elephant Vanishes" - a collection of stories.
Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
I read a lot. I finished :
Psychologie de la bataille (battle psychology) by Anatoli Karpov and Jean-François Phelizon (very interesting comparaison between chess and business world, with lot of anecdotes) Oscar et la dame rose by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt (Beautiful !) Quatrevingt-treize by Victor Hugo
And I'm reading two books : Integral text of François Villon's poetry (from the XVth century) The old man and the sea by Ernest Hemingway
Posted by Hamson (Member # 7808) on :
Prentice Alvin
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
The 6th Harry Potter...I got an advance copy...Just kidding, I'm reading for the first time Foundation and Empire, which I'm absolutely loving. Is the third book in the Foundation trilogy as good as this one?
Posted by ailurophobic (Member # 8343) on :
Crime and Punishment, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Pride and Prejudice, and Heart of Darkness.
Geh. AP English summer reading.
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.
I made a deal with a housemate of mine that I'd read the first Wheel of Time book if she read Ender's Game. Needless to say she finished a few days ago while I still have a ways to go... But I think I got her hooked. =)
Posted by Mintieman (Member # 4620) on :
If it helps ailurophobic Crime and Punishment is excellent. I'm a tad iffy on the last 2 though. I'm glad to see that people are reading Murakami, the few books I've read of his were amazing.
Currently Reading : Doctor Zhivago - Boris Pasternak
Posted by Chungwa (Member # 6421) on :
Syrup by Max Barry Regina's Song by David Eddings The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
I usually don't like reading more than two books at once.
Once classes begin again, most of my reading time will be spent on non-fiction - granted, Herodotus can be just as fantastic as fiction! (I'll probably have time for 1 or 2 non-assigned books a month). So I'm getting a lot of 'fun' books done this summer.
Edit: *sigh* My dad just informed me that I am reading more than one book at a time because I don't like any of them.
[ July 10, 2005, 11:38 PM: Message edited by: Chungwa ]
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Hm, someone else on this page was reading The Once and Future King but T.H. White. That's what I'm reading now and I love it. Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
Olympos by Dan Simmons for the second time.
Soon to start the Aeneid, but in Latin. Sigh...
Posted by Parsimony (Member # 8140) on :
Currently: The Histories by Herodotos The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R Donaldson The Confusion by Neal Stephenson
--ApostleRadio
Posted by Earendil18 (Member # 3180) on :
Just finished The Memory of Earth by OSC.
Currently reading Eon by Greg Bear.
On deck: The next Homecoming OSC book. Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett The rest of the Drizzt Do'Urden series Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I could have sworn I had posted to this thread. Oh, well.
I am reading Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, and is it ever good!
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I am completely and utterly embarrassed to say that I read Shadow Puppets, and the whole time, I felt like OSC was copping out, making these relationships jump so quickly into depth, from out of nowhere.
Well, then I realized I was not reading the second book in the series, but the third.
And I felt really dumb. But here I am confessing my groupie sin.
Sheesh.
Posted by Architraz Warden (Member # 4285) on :
Flux, by OSC (just about to start The Originist story).
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:mph, consider yourself lucky to be able to afford/find so many books from the same author!
*counts blessings*
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way!
and
Dracula
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I hope the two books aren't connected, somehow, Kat.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
*laugh* No, but it is interesting reading Dracula now. I get all the subtext! No wonder it was so boring the first time. I didn't get what was actually going on.
Posted by johnsonweed (Member # 8114) on :
The Historian
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
johnson, that's a really good book (IMO). let me know what you think.
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
Right now I'm reading Three Short Novels by Wendell Berry. If you haven't read him, do. He's a Kentucky author who writes of the people in a fictional town called Port William. Hannah Coulter, his latest release, is excellant. Berry is also a poet, so his fiction is just beautiful.
space opera
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Gene Wolfe's newest collection of short stories, Innocents Aboard. I really like most of his writing, but a lot of these are on the more horrorish side of his work, which really freaks me out. About half of the stories I end up wishing I hadn't read.
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Dan Simmons - Olympos Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
David Gordon White (ed) - Tantra in Practice
(it's for class, I don't have much time to do any other reading nowadays)
Posted by Little_Doctor (Member # 6635) on :
I just finished "A Storm of Swords" by George R. R. Martin. I need to find something new to start.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
"In Conquest Born" by C.S. Friedman. From the description I thought I would hate this book, but it's actually really amazing.
Posted by MandyM (Member # 8375) on :
Skin A collection of stories by Roald Dahl. They are fasinating like his children's books but these are NOT for children.
Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
"La petite fille et le doberman" by Serge Brussolo. He's a french SF autors who use lot of description from Monuments of Paris.
Next book : the french version of Harry Potter 6 on October, the first.
Posted by Fyfe (Member # 937) on :
rereading like mad:
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
Songmaster, which I've not read for years
Pride and Prejudice
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Second Foundation (Asimov)
I'm slowly making my way through the Foundation Series.
Posted by Oliver Dale (Member # 8398) on :
"Kite Runner" because I heard it was good, and I'm a bandwagon-jumper like that.
Posted by Stone_Wolf_ (Member # 8299) on :
Ender's Shadow...got SoG recently so I'm rereading the shadow series.
Posted by Jonathan Howard (Member # 6934) on :
I still have to read Foundation and Empire. But I read books in the middle (between Foundation and F&E), so it's excusable.
Right?
Posted by human_2.0 (Member # 6006) on :
Started The Garden Of Beasts a few months ago. Got sidetracked by another book (that I finished) and didn't finish the Beasts book. I also started Secret Lovers by Charles McCarry and haven't finished it either. I started OSC's Magic Street a few weeks ago. And I just started reading the The Red Book last night.
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
I've hopped on the Prachett bandwagon and just began The Color of Magic. I'm enjoying it so far. Seems to be an entertaining story that doesn't require a whole lot of thought, which is exactly what I've been needing.
Just recently I finished Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. Tante had recommended it, and I'm *really* glad she did.
space opera
Posted by Treason (Member # 7587) on :
Magic Street by...OSC! It's pretty good, I like it so far.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
quote:I still have to read Foundation and Empire. But I read books in the middle (between Foundation and F&E), so it's excusable.
I think F&E is the second book (in the original series). In other words, there isn't a book between Foundation and F&E. Maybe I'm wrong. Too lazy to go to Amazon and check.
Anyways, I'm on to something else - Creepers by David Morrell. Come on, the guy wrote "Rambo", what could go wrong?
Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
Harry Potter 6 in french. After reading it in english, i appreciate to look at some details i didn't notice. But some translations have not my approbation....
Posted by Dr. Evil (Member # 8095) on :
Rhinegold by Stephan Grundy. Probably the best book of the re-telling of the Nibelung saga. You read it and you really can see how Tolkien pulled so much of LOTR from the story.
Posted by St. Yogi (Member # 5974) on :
Currently reading A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin.
After that I'll read The Model by Lars Saabye Christensen
Posted by BGgurl (Member # 8541) on :
Magic Street Posted by UofUlawguy (Member # 5492) on :
The Lady or the Tiger and Other Stories, by Frank Stockton.
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Just finished: Peter F. Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction
If you thought Tolsoi took a long time to get us into the middle of things, well, think again. For around 2-300 pages he does almost nothing but introducing new characters and plot lines, and does this while also giving every little useless detail possible. Ugh... Oh, did I say characters? Forget it, for those pages they're more like bodies with a name! But, if you stick around long enough, you'll reach the point where things really start to happen! Everything goes from boring to near-hell in a few pages, and from there on you're hooked! Or at least that's what happened to me. That's why I managed to go through all of 1200 pages, and also why sometimes in the near future I'll buy the other two books in the series, each of them - I hope - packed with around 1000 pages of thrilling action!
Currently reading: Ursula K. Le Guin - The Birthday of the World (a collection of stories)
Posted by Avery Good Schreibner (Member # 8772) on :
I'm reading Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop. The back cover says it's a msaterpiece. Maybe I haven't read enough of it yet.
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. After I finish that, I'm going to finish off Maps in a Mirror and then move on to A Game of Thrones and all of the other books in that series.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
If you believe all the blurbs on the back of books have I got a deal for you.....
Posted by sickinthehead (Member # 8711) on :
I'm reading Meine Welt in Bildern. A book for UFO nuts.
Posted by Rico (Member # 7533) on :
The Stand By Stephen King.
I love how the Dark Tower just sort of ties all his different realities together. It all feels like it's part of a whole.
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
Still working my way through Eye of the World. I'm about halfway done, but I only get about 10-15 minutes a day to read if I read any at all.
Posted by David Bowles (Member # 1021) on :
Hombre- Elmore Leonard Walden- Henry David Thoreau The First Man in Rome- Colleen McCullough
Posted by bluenessuno (Member # 5535) on :
finished It's Superman! by Tom DeHaven. 1930's America and Clark Kent. Like a 'year one.' very human, funny and thrilling. now reading Our Cluture, What's Left of It by Theodore Dalrymple. doctor spent proportion of his career in Third World countries and the remainder "among the very extensive British underclass." the cover is quite striking.
recommend Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold. 1920's America. magic and love and heartbreak. Time On My Hands by Peter Delacorte. 1930's Hollywood, time-travel, love, heartbreak and Dutch Reagan. Spilling Clarence by Anne Ursu. a chemical that pushes your memories to the fore spills into town. wonderful and real and human.
Posted by Peek (Member # 7688) on :
Sheep in a Jeep.
god i wish, that book is the greatest. really dudes, pick up a copy.
Dude peekaboo
Yeah.
Posted by Rusta-burger (Member # 8753) on :
1984.
It's not very good. But if I learn about Orwell I should then be able to make other people feel stupid without actually saying anything worth saying, which could be useful if my life ever comes in danger.
Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
Wicked by Gregory Maguire Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire
I love these books. They take an interesting perspective on fairy tales. Essentially Maguire takes the story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as historical fact, and writes another side of the tale. That said, he does tend to use strong language in his adult books so buyer beware.
[ January 22, 2006, 12:24 AM: Message edited by: andi330 ]
Posted by littlemissattitude (Member # 4514) on :
Just finished The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova, as well as First Meetings in the Enderverse.
Now just beginning Strange Itineraries, by Tim Powers.
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
A World Treasury of Myths, Legends and Folktales - Stories from Six Continents
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I liked it first time around. ![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
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