"Vindication of the Rights of Women" for Western Political Thought...
Jeff Lindsay - Dearly Devoted Dexter
Jeff Lindsay - Dearly Devoted Dexter
I really need to read these; the show is fantastic.
Just After Sunset - Stephen KingLet me know what you think. I read it several months ago.
I finished up Isaac Asimov's Foundation novel about a week or two ago and am now reading Robert Heinlein's For Us, The Living.
I finished up Isaac Asimov's Foundation novel about a week or two ago and am now reading Robert Heinlein's For Us, The Living.
Nick, will you be reading the rest of the Foundation trilogy?
I just finished reading The Shack. A inspiring piece of fiction.I read that a few weeks ago. Very interesting.
Lord of the Flies, absolutely amazing, one of my favorites.
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
I finally got curious enough to read it.
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
I finally got curious enough to read it.
Fantastic read. Dan Brown is supposed to be working on a sequel..... it will be one of the most anticipated books of all time
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
I finally got curious enough to read it.
Fantastic read. Dan Brown is supposed to be working on a sequel..... it will be one of the most anticipated books of all time
Yep, its called The Lost Key, and comes out Sept 15th. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Symbol
I was thinking of reading some Chuck Pahlaniuk. Anyone read his work before?
The Da Vinci Code - Dan BrownWell, don't get your hopes up too high.
I finally got curious enough to read it.
Lord of the Flies, absolutely amazing, one of my favorites.(https://i621.photobucket.com/albums/tt294/Ultimetalhead/super-cool-story-bro.jpg)
The Da Vinci Code - Dan BrownWell, don't get your hopes up too high.
I finally got curious enough to read it.
I cannot stress enough the importance of reading the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child.
The White Lioness by Henning Mankell.Hey, cool! I had all the books in the Wallander series (I gave some of them to a friend since she loved them). I like.
The White Lioness by Henning Mankell.Hey, cool! I had all the books in the Wallander series (I gave some of them to a friend since she loved them). I like.
Wow, cool that you guys actually read swedish novels. Yeah, Henning Mankell usually writes great books. Stieg Larsson books were WAY overhyped, even though the movie was quite good.
I'm currently re-reading The Dirt. Unfortunally, I only have the translated one, and much of the content gets lost in the translation. I'm also reading the second book in the Eragon series. Quite good, but not the best or most original fantasy I've ever read...
Wow, cool that you guys actually read swedish novels. Yeah, Henning Mankell usually writes great books. Stieg Larsson books were WAY overhyped, even though the movie was quite good.
I'm currently re-reading The Dirt. Unfortunally, I only have the translated one, and much of the content gets lost in the translation. I'm also reading the second book in the Eragon series. Quite good, but not the best or most original fantasy I've ever read...
avatar overlap fatal error. i was wondering how jackie knows how to read in sweedish then i realized that wasn't her.
Wow, cool that you guys actually read swedish novels. Yeah, Henning Mankell usually writes great books. Stieg Larsson books were WAY overhyped, even though the movie was quite good.
I'm currently re-reading The Dirt. Unfortunally, I only have the translated one, and much of the content gets lost in the translation. I'm also reading the second book in the Eragon series. Quite good, but not the best or most original fantasy I've ever read...
avatar overlap fatal error. i was wondering how jackie knows how to read in sweedish then i realized that wasn't her.
Better now?
I'd also suggest The Fountainhead but there is one scene in the book that your Woman's Studies would throw a fit at. Atlas Shrugged also contains a really good law case scene towards the beginning that was actually based on a real case. Not to pimp Ayn Rand since most liberals seem to hate the crap out her stuff but if anything it's really good literature if you've got some spare time.
The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament by Bart D. Ehrman
2nd time
It is, but it isn't...exciting.The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture: The Effect of Early Christological Controversies on the Text of the New Testament by Bart D. Ehrman
2nd time
Just looked that up...looks like an interesting read.
Just bought and started reading The Bourne Identity today. (No, I haven't seen the movie, otherwise I probably wouldn't have gotten it)Awesome. I read that about 12-15 years ago. Fantastic read.
The Great GatsbyFANTASTIC book.
wonderful book
ORGASMIC bookThe Great GatsbyFANTASTIC book.
wonderful book
It has such a deep personal meaning with me, it feels like some one wrote my life with a few changes, does anyone know what I mean?ORGASMIC bookThe Great GatsbyFANTASTIC book.
wonderful book
*SPOILERS*It has such a deep personal meaning with me, it feels like some one wrote my life with a few changes, does anyone know what I mean?ORGASMIC bookThe Great GatsbyFANTASTIC book.
wonderful book
Like it feels like nothing else you know, like everything you feel can be put in one book and it can embody all the emotion you experience and feel?
Not quite - I'm being quasi-serious here. I don't mean events - I just think the feelings conveyed through the relationships in the book sortof echo within me. damn. now i sound emo. it's whatever.*SPOILERS*It has such a deep personal meaning with me, it feels like some one wrote my life with a few changes, does anyone know what I mean?ORGASMIC bookThe Great GatsbyFANTASTIC book.
wonderful book
Like it feels like nothing else you know, like everything you feel can be put in one book and it can embody all the emotion you experience and feel?
You work with the Mafia, have shit loads of money and spend it all by inviting everyone in town to your house and never attending them, made a sudden relationship with your neighbour and you got shot? ??? :lol If it's about parents... well, I won't mess there...
/Spoilers
yes?
I haven't begun reading it yet, but hopefully I'll begin this weekend:
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Hitchhiker's Guide, for the third month in a row. I pretty much only read when I'm in Holland or on a plane, too busy at work atm to do it properly.
I just finished reading Anthem by Ayn Rand. I really enjoyed it! It was too short though.Ayn Rand. I've been looking forward to read that guy.
I just finished reading Anthem by Ayn Rand. I really enjoyed it! It was too short though.Ayn Rand. I've been looking forward to read that guy.
Wow. It's a girl. Really?I just finished reading Anthem by Ayn Rand. I really enjoyed it! It was too short though.Ayn Rand. I've been looking forward to read that guy.
You mean girl.
Wow. It's a girl. Really?I just finished reading Anthem by Ayn Rand. I really enjoyed it! It was too short though.Ayn Rand. I've been looking forward to read that guy.
You mean girl.
I don't want to read it then.
God save our gracious QueenWow. It's a girl. Really?I just finished reading Anthem by Ayn Rand. I really enjoyed it! It was too short though.Ayn Rand. I've been looking forward to read that guy.
You mean girl.
I don't want to read it then.
... Andy? Is that you?
Nearing the end of Robert Heinlein's For Us, the Living, and will be moving onto Kevin J. Anderson's Edge of the World.
Yesterday I went to my Uni's library and rented:
1984 - George Orwell
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Law - Frederic Bastiat
rush - countdown
rush - countdown:rollin
Awhile ago I finished The Edge of the World (highly recommended along with the Roswell Six CD, featuring James LaBrie), and now I'm slowly going through a modern English version of the bible, and various short stories by Robert Heinlein.
I want to read the bible someday as well. I have read some bits, but never the whole thing. I want to read it not because I believe in God/Jesus or because I think there are good idea's in it - but because it's been such an important book in the history of mankind.Please.
I want to read the bible someday as well. I have read some bits, but never the whole thing. I want to read it not because I believe in God/Jesus or because I think there are good idea's in it - but because it's been such an important book in the history of mankind.Please.
Hmm?I want to read the bible someday as well. I have read some bits, but never the whole thing. I want to read it not because I believe in God/Jesus or because I think there are good idea's in it - but because it's been such an important book in the history of mankind.Please.
Currently, the "What are you currently reading" thread. Bookwise, I reread "The Long Halloween" again, because that book is awesome, to take a break from my Dark Tower obsession. Currently on Wolves of the Calla.
I want to read the bible someday as well. I have read some bits, but never the whole thing. I want to read it not because I believe in God/Jezus or because I think there are good idea's in it - but because it's been such an important book in the history of mankind.This is exactly what I am doing right now. Reading the Bible straight through hopefully in 90 days. I'm currently in Psalms. It's been interesting (and boring at times). Kings and Chronicles are definitely skimmers for the most part.
No. He wrote "Jezus". I renamed it to "Jesus".If you're being sarcastic, then I don't get it... The Bible probably has been more important than any other book in the history of mankind, and I'm not Christian... ;)I want to read the bible someday as well. I have read some bits, but never the whole thing. I want to read it not because I believe in God/Jesus or because I think there are good idea's in it - but because it's been such an important book in the history of mankind.Please.
No. He wrote "Jezus". I renamed it to "Jesus".If you're being sarcastic, then I don't get it... The Bible probably has been more important than any other book in the history of mankind, and I'm not Christian... ;)I want to read the bible someday as well. I have read some bits, but never the whole thing. I want to read it not because I believe in God/Jesus or because I think there are good idea's in it - but because it's been such an important book in the history of mankind.Please.
No. He wrote "Jezus". I renamed it to "Jesus".If you're being sarcastic, then I don't get it... The Bible probably has been more important than any other book in the history of mankind, and I'm not Christian... ;)I want to read the bible someday as well. I have read some bits, but never the whole thing. I want to read it not because I believe in God/Jesus or because I think there are good idea's in it - but because it's been such an important book in the history of mankind.Please.
I missed that as well :p. It's Jezus over here, my bad.No. He wrote "Jezus". I renamed it to "Jesus".If you're being sarcastic, then I don't get it... The Bible probably has been more important than any other book in the history of mankind, and I'm not Christian... ;)I want to read the bible someday as well. I have read some bits, but never the whole thing. I want to read it not because I believe in God/Jesus or because I think there are good idea's in it - but because it's been such an important book in the history of mankind.Please.
I just finished reading a book called The House of the Scorpion, and i read it all in one dayThis. Though I read this back in 8th grade, I still consider one of my favourite books. It has such a cool story to it and progresses really nicely as the story continues to unfold. :tup
it's a little childish, but the story is actualy surprisingly deep, and very satisfying
its probably the best book ive read in a very long time
That's what really made me hesitate about posting that :lolI missed that as well :p. It's Jezus over here, my bad.No. He wrote "Jezus". I renamed it to "Jesus".If you're being sarcastic, then I don't get it... The Bible probably has been more important than any other book in the history of mankind, and I'm not Christian... ;)I want to read the bible someday as well. I have read some bits, but never the whole thing. I want to read it not because I believe in God/Jesus or because I think there are good idea's in it - but because it's been such an important book in the history of mankind.Please.
Just finished up V for Vendetta and I'm about a quarter of the way through The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
Next in the queue:
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Boomsday - Christopher Buckley (also wrote Thank You For Smoking)
Less Than Zero - Brett Ellis (American Psycho)
Also went to a used book superstore and picked up these (all either new or almost new):
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Douglas Adams
The Long Dark Tea-time Of The Soul - Douglas Adams
Heir To The Empire - Timothy Zahn
The Last Command - Timothy Zahn
Dune - Frank Herbert
The Andromeda Strain -Michael Crichton
American Gangster - Mark Jacobson
Affliction - Russell Banks
Lord Of The Flies - William Golding
Needless to say I'm stocked up for awhile.
What is the ULTIMATE Hitchhiker's Guide??
Just finished Fahrenheit 451. What a damn good read.If you want more Bradbury try The Martian Chronicles.
Just finished Fahrenheit 451. What a damn good read. Moving on to Boomsday.
I just started "The Associate" by John Grisham. If this one is like Grisham's others, then this will be great! :tup
I'm currently reading Fahrenheit 451, although I have to for Pre-AP English. It's actually a very good book though. I should be finishing it up today, and then start another book in a few days.
I'm currently reading Fahrenheit 451, although I have to for Pre-AP English. It's actually a very good book though. I should be finishing it up today, and then start another book in a few days.
451 is unquestionably one of my most favorite books ever. Definitely amazing.
Started Brave New World yesterday. For being written in the 30s this is pretty fascinating.Yeah, excellent story.
Started Brave New World yesterday. For being written in the 30s this is pretty fascinating.Yeah, excellent story.
Started Brave New World yesterday. For being written in the 30s this is pretty fascinating.Yeah, excellent story.
I'm either going with Dune or The Riddlemaster Trilogy next. Need halp deciding.Dune. Do it.
Agreed.I'm either going with Dune or The Riddlemaster Trilogy next. Need halp deciding.Dune. Do it.
The Alchemist.
My favourite book until I started Hamlet. I'm in awe with Shakespeare.What he said ^Started Brave New World yesterday. For being written in the 30s this is pretty fascinating.Yeah, excellent story.
My favourite book until I started Hamlet. I'm in awe with Shakespeare.What he said ^Started Brave New World yesterday. For being written in the 30s this is pretty fascinating.Yeah, excellent story.
No u.I hate Shakespeare.My favourite book until I started Hamlet. I'm in awe with Shakespeare.What he said ^Started Brave New World yesterday. For being written in the 30s this is pretty fascinating.Yeah, excellent story.
I pretty much on the last page of Aerosmith's autobiography, "Walk This Way"...(sorry, I'm going through an Aerosmith phase.)
I'm reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Pretty good so far.
I pretty much on the last page of Aerosmith's autobiography, "Walk This Way"...(sorry, I'm going through an Aerosmith phase.)
I loved that book, although the last few chapters seemed rushed while the very early years (pre-Aerosmith, in their childhoods) seemed to drag on. Great read though, lots of interesting stuff there!
I pretty much on the last page of Aerosmith's autobiography, "Walk This Way"...(sorry, I'm going through an Aerosmith phase.)
I loved that book, although the last few chapters seemed rushed while the very early years (pre-Aerosmith, in their childhoods) seemed to drag on. Great read though, lots of interesting stuff there!
Yeah, I just finished it a couple of hours ago and they never really said how they became sober...and what happened in the 80s. Thought is was incredible and very, very honest. I read Slash's autobiography too, and even though he went into a lot of detail (sometimes waaaay too much) sometimes I felt as though he were only telling half the truth. Still a good read though.
Same here. He looks pretty fucked up. But I still can't wait to read it.I pretty much on the last page of Aerosmith's autobiography, "Walk This Way"...(sorry, I'm going through an Aerosmith phase.)
I loved that book, although the last few chapters seemed rushed while the very early years (pre-Aerosmith, in their childhoods) seemed to drag on. Great read though, lots of interesting stuff there!
Yeah, I just finished it a couple of hours ago and they never really said how they became sober...and what happened in the 80s. Thought is was incredible and very, very honest. I read Slash's autobiography too, and even though he went into a lot of detail (sometimes waaaay too much) sometimes I felt as though he were only telling half the truth. Still a good read though.
Yeah, definitely. Steven Tyler is writing an autobiography, that should come out sometime next year... I wonder how honest he is gonna be since I'm 95% sure hes back on drugs/alcohol now.
currently awaiting delivery of "swan song" by Robert Mcammon.
Just finished reading Neil Gaiman's "American Gods". I thought it was really good so now I'm reading his book "Anansi Boys".Neil Gaiman kicks ass, and both those books rock. I'm on Joe Haldemans "Old Twentieth" right now, veeeeery interesting.
Interesting fact, my grandpa was one of Aerosmiths roadies back before they could get shows outside of there local area. He quit being a roadie after he quit drugs. Not sure if he got a mention in the book, his name is Tim Tizano.Same here. He looks pretty fucked up. But I still can't wait to read it.I pretty much on the last page of Aerosmith's autobiography, "Walk This Way"...(sorry, I'm going through an Aerosmith phase.)
I loved that book, although the last few chapters seemed rushed while the very early years (pre-Aerosmith, in their childhoods) seemed to drag on. Great read though, lots of interesting stuff there!
Yeah, I just finished it a couple of hours ago and they never really said how they became sober...and what happened in the 80s. Thought is was incredible and very, very honest. I read Slash's autobiography too, and even though he went into a lot of detail (sometimes waaaay too much) sometimes I felt as though he were only telling half the truth. Still a good read though.
Yeah, definitely. Steven Tyler is writing an autobiography, that should come out sometime next year... I wonder how honest he is gonna be since I'm 95% sure hes back on drugs/alcohol now.
Just finished reading Neil Gaiman's "American Gods". I thought it was really good so now I'm reading his book "Anansi Boys".Neil Gaiman kicks ass, and both those books rock. I'm on Joe Haldemans "Old Twentieth" right now, veeeeery interesting.
End the Fed - Ron Paul
Halfway though The Lost Symbol. I gotta review it for my school newspaper and I'm goin kind of slow. Gotta hurry up! Good so far.
Read Bradbury's Fahrenheit 145 yesterday in one sitting, and now currently reading Robert Heinlein's Stranger In A Strange LandIt's Fahrenheit 451. Paper burns at 451 degrees F. Very good book. Amazing writer.
It does just get better and better. It's definitely a top 3 book for me, but gun to my head I'd probably say that it is flat out the best book I've ever read.
I just started rereading the The Dark Matter-triology by Philip Pullman.
Seriously. Those books are the best I've ever read. If you're into fantasy and haven't read them yet, do it.
Just finished The Lost Symbol. Lots of cool real-world stuff that goes beyond a simple novel.Oooh, one of my favorite Bradbury novels, right next to Dandelion Wine. I personally am on "The Accidental Time Machine" by Joe Haldeman, a whimsical and fun read.
On to Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury and The Sign of Four (Sherlock Holmes) for school.
Just finished The Lost Symbol. Lots of cool real-world stuff that goes beyond a simple novel.
On to Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury and The Sign of Four (Sherlock Holmes) for school.
Just finished The Lost Symbol. Lots of cool real-world stuff that goes beyond a simple novel.
On to Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury and The Sign of Four (Sherlock Holmes) for school.
Any relation to the Iced Earth album?
I just started rereading the His Dark Materials-triology by Philip Pullman.I've started the first book of these twice, and stopped, twice. Not that I didn't like it, but both times, I've started it, and it just hasn't been what I wanted at the time.
Seriously. Those books are the best I've ever read. If you're into fantasy and haven't read them yet, do it.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimePretty easy to read. Sometimes entertaining. You could deduce the ending by page 36. It's more a book for teens.
Dante - The Divine ComedyI won't pick it up until I'm certain I have a good translation in my hands.
Probably the single greatest piece of literature ever written.
I've always been curious (for lack of a better word) about this book and never got round to it. I almost bought it in the airport on the way to Germany. I get to school here and one of my classes has just finished reading it. It's just so in the foreground at the moment, it's not hard to give myself a push.It's an easy read and you'll get a smile on your face.
Struggling through a re-reading of James the Brother of Jesus by Robert Eisenman. Very dense scholarly academic material, around a thousand pages, small font, with endnotes. After this, some light fiction, methinks.Just finished re-reading Watership Down by Richard Adams. If you haven't read it, it might be just the trick. Well written, epic tale of bravery and heroism about a group of rabbits(yes, rabbits, trust me, it rocks) trying to find a new home.
I want to get my hands on a copy of Milton's Paradise Lost I've been itchin to read itMe too.
The Homecoming Saga by Orson Scott Card. Currently on the third book "The Ships of Earth".Finished Homecoming a while back, good stuff. Another good Card book to check out is Pastwatch, The Redemption of Christopher Columbus.
Anyone else a fan of OSC? I loved the Ender's Game series, as well as "Lost Boys". Such a powerful ending.
Struggling through a re-reading of James the Brother of Jesus by Robert Eisenman. Very dense scholarly academic material, around a thousand pages, small font, with endnotes. After this, some light fiction, methinks.Dear sweet Lord, I'm almost finished.
Blood Merdiain. Jesus Christ I didn't know Cormack McCarthy was this hard to read.I've read that. It's a great book, but there are large swaths of the book that are struggles.
Blood Meridian. Jesus Christ I didn't know Cormack McCarthy was this hard to read.I had similar feelings when reading "The Road". Truly a breathtaking author, one that every page made me say "damn, I wish I had written that."
Shakespeare - The TempestReally good play :tup
Terry Pratchett's MaskeradeAwesome book, really really funny!
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Incredible that he wrote stuff like THAT in the 40s.That book has my favorite opening sentence in all of literature, truly blew me away.
Currently reading Vonnegut's "Deadeye Dick".
Currently reading Vonnegut's "Deadeye Dick".
Excellent book :metal
I have all of the "Lord of the Rings" in my lap. I've tried to read it many many times. Hopefully this time I will succeed. I'm in the chapter of The Fellowship called "In the house of Tom Bombadil". God, sometimes I want to strangle Tolkien!:rollin
Just started WORLD WAR Z by Max Brooks.
This thread :neverusethis:
I've heard that a lot. Honestly, I don't know if I can handle his extreme and unnecessary detailbaggery anymore. He is so gay* most of the time that it makes me want to choke a bird.I have all of the "Lord of the Rings" in my lap. I've tried to read it many many times. Hopefully this time I will succeed. I'm in the chapter of The Fellowship called "In the house of Tom Bombadil". God, sometimes I want to strangle Tolkien!:rollin
I wonder why that part wasn't in the films. And don't worry, the books gets quicker after that initial part of the fellowship.
Ken Follett - The Pillars of the EarthWanna comment on this one? I have it but haven't read it.
Ken Follett - The Pillars of the EarthWanna comment on this one? I have it but haven't read it.
Ken Follett - The Pillars of the EarthWanna comment on this one? I have it but haven't read it.
Well, I'm 250/1000 pages in, but so far it a very enjoyable painting of 12th century England, focusing on monastic and peasant life with interesting characters (so far) a strong plot that I'm sure will bevelop over the rest of the book and nice details that really reflect the time.
If you like churches and are interested in the Middle Ages, go for it now. If not, I'll report when I finish (maybe in about a week)
I have 2 books still lying around here somewhere.
Rich Wilson - Lifting Shadows
Nietzsche - The Antichrist
Like most of Nietzsche's work, it's a huge rant. This time about christianity :p.I have 2 books still lying around here somewhere.
Rich Wilson - Lifting Shadows
Nietzsche - The Antichrist
I need to read Beyond Good and Evil for school and I'm looking forward to it.
If it's good I might look into this.
Started reading World War Z this weekend.
Started reading World War Z this weekend.
YES
Started reading World War Z this weekend.
YES
Pride and Prejudice
Despite the fact that the typical American male will write it off as romantic drivel that only chicks would read, it's a great book, and often quite hilarious.
I can't believe they're making a movie out of that thing. :lolPride and Prejudice
Despite the fact that the typical American male will write it off as romantic drivel that only chicks would read, it's a great book, and often quite hilarious.
You lose 10 points for not going right for the version with "and Zombies" after it.
Day by Day Armageddon - J.L.Bourne
Will be starting A Tale Of Two Cities soon for my Pre-AP English class.
That is basically what I've heard from the survivors of it...Will be starting A Tale Of Two Cities soon for my Pre-AP English class.
You might as well just shoot yourself now.
Huh, one of my favourite classic books that we had to read in High School. It's a tough book to get through for maybe four-fifths of the way, but it all leads to a great payoff in the last, say, 80 pages. Not a book to give up on once started and not a book to start without realizing it is entirely aimed at knocking you out at the end.That is basically what I've heard from the survivors of it...Will be starting A Tale Of Two Cities soon for my Pre-AP English class.
You might as well just shoot yourself now.
And by "reading", I mean full rhetorical analysis of pretty much every goddamn sentence Charles Dickens wrote in that book. :flame: me
Hopefully you're right. Since high school, I haven't really enjoyed any of the necessary books assigned, but have found books from the "pick one of these to read" lists that I enjoy greatly.Huh, one of my favourite classic books that we had to read in High School. It's a tough book to get through for maybe four-fifths of the way, but it all leads to a great payoff in the last, say, 80 pages. Not a book to give up on once started and not a book to start without realizing it is entirely aimed at knocking you out at the end.That is basically what I've heard from the survivors of it...Will be starting A Tale Of Two Cities soon for my Pre-AP English class.
You might as well just shoot yourself now.
And by "reading", I mean full rhetorical analysis of pretty much every goddamn sentence Charles Dickens wrote in that book. :flame: me
I really hated "A Tale of Two Cities". But that's nothing compared to the loathing I feel for Pride and Prejudice, which I read prior to Dickens.I'm kinda happy I was able to skirt a lot of these books in high school. No Shakespear and only one Dickens.
Grade 11 was the worst....
:(
Just started Stephen King's latest novel, Under The Dome. So far, so good.I was eyeballing that in the store. Let me know if it's worth it.
Forcing kids to read books in high school not only takes the fun out of the book but makes them hate classics that if picked up and read for pleasure they might otherwise actually like.
I did buy Lord of the Flies recently and I can't wait to read it on its own. I've always wanted to write a concept album around some of the things presented in the novel.
Most high schoolers don't share this attitude. To them it's a chore, and a lot don't have the maturity to truly understand what they're given. I found myself a lot more agreeable in college, even though the difficulty of the books was much higher, simply because of a more mature view of the educational process.Forcing kids to read books in high school not only takes the fun out of the book but makes them hate classics that if picked up and read for pleasure they might otherwise actually like.
True, but I tend to go in with an open mind (due to a love of literature).
I quite like Lord of the Flies, The Chrysalids, To Kill a Mockingbird and all Shakespeare, and I had to read those for school.
Well, I'm not most high-schoolers. And luck for me I love historical books, because the university program I'm in demands lots of reading of complex (sometimes VERY complex) philosophical and religious texts. Maybe I'll post the full list at some point.Most high schoolers don't share this attitude. To them it's a chore, and a lot don't have the maturity to truly understand what they're given. I found myself a lot more agreeable in college, even though the difficulty of the books was much higher, simply because of a more mature view of the educational process.Forcing kids to read books in high school not only takes the fun out of the book but makes them hate classics that if picked up and read for pleasure they might otherwise actually like.
True, but I tend to go in with an open mind (due to a love of literature).
I quite like Lord of the Flies, The Chrysalids, To Kill a Mockingbird and all Shakespeare, and I had to read those for school.
I liked most high school books I read. I think my least favorites were Brave New World, The Catcher and the Rye, the Alchemist, and most of the Shakespeare books we read, with the exception of Hamlet. I couldn't stand Taming of the Shrew.
Oh and right now, I'm reading On Monsters by Stephan Asma.
I think she said that was the only one she enjoyed :lol
While I do enjoy some of the reading I do in school, I probably would get a lot more out of reading my own books. My teacher this year lets us read our own books and it's been great. I read Paradise Lost, A Game of Thrones, and The Divine Comedy again, all at my own pace.
Yeah, it really is a great book, my Latin class is translating Virgil's epic The Aeneid so it really helps me get the references to his works.While I do enjoy some of the reading I do in school, I probably would get a lot more out of reading my own books. My teacher this year lets us read our own books and it's been great. I read Paradise Lost, A Game of Thrones, and The Divine Comedy again, all at my own pace.
Best poem.
Plus, Dante has one of my favorite quotes ever: "There is no sorrow greater in times of misery to remember times of joy"
I don't know why, but I find that quote so moving.
Yeah, the one thing that keeps me a somewhat active reading is knowing that there is always something to be learned after a good book. I remember spending hours on the wikipedia page for The Divine Comedy learning about the history of it, and the book's significance at the time.
The previous ten or so posts prove to me once again that DTF has a serious lack of dipshits and dumbasses. Cheers boys. :tup
Yeah that would be great, my email is on my profile I think.Yeah, the one thing that keeps me a somewhat active reading is knowing that there is always something to be learned after a good book. I remember spending hours on the wikipedia page for The Divine Comedy learning about the history of it, and the book's significance at the time.
Like I said, there is much to be learned about it, and I have extensive notes. If you want I could email them to you (I'd say it's 15-20) after I clean them up.
Anything to help a fellow Dante lover.
Yeah that would be great, my email is on my profile I think.Yeah, the one thing that keeps me a somewhat active reading is knowing that there is always something to be learned after a good book. I remember spending hours on the wikipedia page for The Divine Comedy learning about the history of it, and the book's significance at the time.
Like I said, there is much to be learned about it, and I have extensive notes. If you want I could email them to you (I'd say it's 15-20) after I clean them up.
Anything to help a fellow Dante lover.
I'm re-reading books. Just finished The Count of Monte Cristo, now re-reading The Phantom of the Opera. :metalWell slap my ass and call me Sally, there's a shocker. :P
I'm re-reading books. Just finished The Count of Monte Cristo, now re-reading The Phantom of the Opera. :metalWell slap my ass and call me Sally, there's a shocker. :P
I'm re-reading books. Just finished The Count of Monte Cristo, now re-reading The Phantom of the Opera. :metalWell slap my ass and call me Sally, there's a shocker. :P
Okay Sally, why so serious- I mean, why so surprised? ;)
I'm re-reading books. Just finished The Count of Monte Cristo, now re-reading The Phantom of the Opera. :metalWell slap my ass and call me Sally, there's a shocker. :P
Okay Sally, why so serious- I mean, why so surprised? ;)
Hey lady, you forgot the fun part.:eyebrows:
It's cool, I'm into that too.
Seriously, are you into all musicals, or just Phantom? I'vve been a fan for a long time. My personal favs are Cats, Tommy, Les Miserable, and any that my daughter is in(to date, Annie, Wendy in Peter Pan, Dorothy in Wizard of Oz, and coming soon, Belle in Beauty and the Beast(insert proud Papa's beaming smile :biggrin: :biggrin:))
As hinted at a while a go, I have started A Tale of Two Cities.
I'm a huge Phantom Phan (sorry, can't help it), but I also like other musicals too. The ones you mentioned are good. :D
I have to read it for school unfortunately
As hinted at a while a go, I have started A Tale of Two Cities.
Dear Lord I hate that book.I'm a huge Phantom Phan (sorry, can't help it), but I also like other musicals too. The ones you mentioned are good. :D
You should read/watch Don Giovani (opera) if you like musicals.
On this thread's topic, I am reading Rosseau's "On the Origins and Foundations of Inequality Among Men" (which is super interesing) and I have his "On the Social Contract" lined up next.
For fun reading, I got "Going Postal" by Terry Prachet.
I love Diskworld. :biggrin:
As hinted at a while a go, I have started A Tale of Two Cities.
Dear Lord I hate that book.I'm a huge Phantom Phan (sorry, can't help it), but I also like other musicals too. The ones you mentioned are good. :D
You should read/watch Don Giovani (opera) if you like musicals.
On this thread's topic, I am reading Rosseau's "On the Origins and Foundations of Inequality Among Men" (which is super interesing) and I have his "On the Social Contract" lined up next.
For fun reading, I got "Going Postal" by Terry Prachet.
I love Diskworld. :biggrin:
Already checked out Don Giovanni (since that's slightly involved in the Phantom of the Opera, haha). :tup
It's worth it. Very good writing, for the most part. Great characterization, especially for the "good guys." Also nods to other King books. Also, Lee Child's awesome character Jack Reacher makes an appearance (actually an allusion by other characters who know him, but still pretty neat).Just started Stephen King's latest novel, Under The Dome. So far, so good.I was eyeballing that in the store. Let me know if it's worth it.
The Zombie Survival Guide.
It's a serious book, and if somehow zombies arise, and the physiological data contained in this book is accurate, would be a good tool to arm yourself with.
:lol :tup
Cool. Thanks hef, I'll add it to my list. :tupIt's worth it. Very good writing, for the most part. Great characterization, especially for the "good guys." Also nods to other King books. Also, Lee Child's awesome character Jack Reacher makes an appearance (actually an allusion by other characters who know him, but still pretty neat).Just started Stephen King's latest novel, Under The Dome. So far, so good.I was eyeballing that in the store. Let me know if it's worth it.
The Zombie Survival Guide.
It's a serious book, and if somehow zombies arise, and the physiological data contained in this book is accurate, would be a good tool to arm yourself with.
:lol :tup
This book is my Bible.
Would you be a part of my zombie slaying team Xian? You can be explosives expert. :tup
The Zombie Survival Guide.
It's a serious book, and if somehow zombies arise, and the physiological data contained in this book is accurate, would be a good tool to arm yourself with.
:lol :tup
This book is my Bible.
Would you be a part of my zombie slaying team Xian? You can be explosives expert. :tup
Can I be the token Black guy?
The Zombie Survival Guide.
It's a serious book, and if somehow zombies arise, and the physiological data contained in this book is accurate, would be a good tool to arm yourself with.
:lol :tup
This book is my Bible.
Would you be a part of my zombie slaying team Xian? You can be explosives expert. :tup
Can I be the token Black guy?
Only if you agree to wield a chainsaw and shotgun and speak only in one-liner clichès.
The Zombie Survival Guide.
It's a serious book, and if somehow zombies arise, and the physiological data contained in this book is accurate, would be a good tool to arm yourself with.
:lol :tup
This book is my Bible.
Would you be a part of my zombie slaying team Xian? You can be explosives expert. :tup
The Zombie Survival Guide.
It's a serious book, and if somehow zombies arise, and the physiological data contained in this book is accurate, would be a good tool to arm yourself with.
:lol :tup
This book is my Bible.
Would you be a part of my zombie slaying team Xian? You can be explosives expert. :tup
Can I be the token Black guy?
Only if you agree to wield a chainsaw and shotgun and speak only in one-liner clichès.
About halfway through Pillars of the Earth and I have one thing to say:
I really hope William gets a long and painful death by the end of this book.
I'm now reading Ilium by Dan Simmons.I totally envy you. Those books were unfuckingbelievable. Make sure you have a copy of Olympos at hand when you are done with Ilium, because you will not want to wait. Enjoy!
It's mind-blowing and I'm only 50 pages in.
I'm now reading Ilium by Dan Simmons.I totally envy you. Those books were unfuckingbelievable. Make sure you have a copy of Olympos at hand when you are done with Ilium, because you will not want to wait. Enjoy!
It's mind-blowing and I'm only 50 pages in.
About halfway through Pillars of the Earth and I have one thing to say:
I really hope William gets a long and painful death by the end of this book.
I hated him too.
Just wait. He hangs around forever.
About halfway through Pillars of the Earth and I have one thing to say:
I really hope William gets a long and painful death by the end of this book.
I hated him too.
Just wait. He hangs around forever.
Yeah, thats what it seems like, lol. And one of my favorite characters was killed off! (Won't name them to avoid spoilers, but you know who)
About halfway through Pillars of the Earth and I have one thing to say:
I really hope William gets a long and painful death by the end of this book.
I hated him too.
Just wait. He hangs around forever.
Yeah, thats what it seems like, lol. And one of my favorite characters was killed off! (Won't name them to avoid spoilers, but you know who)
:yeahright This is all he talked about last night. :sadpanda:
Now I want to read it.
Just finished the Zombie Survival Guide and am about to start World War Z. The Survival Guide is a fun read, and for people like me with huge imaginations it really gets the brain going. Looking forward to World War Z too. Also nobody on this thread has said anything about R.A. Salvatore novels. I've read every book in the series with Drizzt Do'Urden in them and am halfway through reading them again. For anyone that has read LOTR or any books like them, these are must-reads. Great books. :tup
Officially officially started A Tale of Two Cities, only on Chapter 4 of Book the 1st the though.A Tale of Two Cities is in my top three favorites (the others being the Bible and Catcher in the Rye). I've read it several times completely, and have jumped around a bunch. If you need any help understanding it or anything, let me know.
I started reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone a few days ago.
Big mistake. Once again, I'm invested in the series, and can't stop until I finish. This sucks because I have stuff for school I'm supposed to be reading :lol
That would be greatly appreciated. If anything comes up I'll let you know, thanks :tupOfficially officially started A Tale of Two Cities, only on Chapter 4 of Book the 1st the though.A Tale of Two Cities is in my top three favorites (the others being the Bible and Catcher in the Rye). I've read it several times completely, and have jumped around a bunch. If you need any help understanding it or anything, let me know.
I picked up Deathly Hallows at midnight, literally. I was the first in line. I read until 4 AM, slept for a few hours, and finished it at 11:00 AM the next day.
It wasn't even out for 12 hours. I don't know how to feel about it.
So I finished reading Pillars of the Earth.
A great book that was exactly what I was looking for. What I thought was it's greatest stregnth was the character development and relationship between characters. Really interesting how everything/everyone was connected.
So I finished reading Pillars of the Earth.
A great book that was exactly what I was looking for. What I thought was it's greatest stregnth was the character development and relationship between characters. Really interesting how everything/everyone was connected.
But god did I hate William.
I just can NOT imagine getting that excited over the release of a book. I mean, I get the same way about certain bands releasing albums, but with books, even though there are sometimes books coming out I'm really looking forward to, I just pre-order them and they show up whenever or buy them whenever.The only book I got out in mid-night was the last book of Harry Potter and that was because I was in Venice at the moment.
This series is hands down my favorite of all time. No other books have such great re-reading value. I've read Sorcerers stone at least 40 times, if not more.
I've read Sorcerers stone at least 40 times, if not more.That's too much! The only HP book that I read more than once was the 4th... and I read it twice because it was that good. One day I'll re-read Half-Blood Prince, the best one in the series.
That´s a good book, although I was kinda surprised by the main subject.I just can NOT imagine getting that excited over the release of a book. I mean, I get the same way about certain bands releasing albums, but with books, even though there are sometimes books coming out I'm really looking forward to, I just pre-order them and they show up whenever or buy them whenever.
Right now I'm reading Thomas Mann - Death in Venice
"The First World War" by John Keegan
Doing some research for a novel I'm working on. Pretty interesting. I've always felt that WWI is usually... forgotten in favor WWII, which is too bad because a lot of the developments that occurred during WWI continue to have an effect in the present. Only bad thing, the book needs more maps and the WWI atlas I got it kinda annoying to use so I just bear it out and pretend that I know where half of these European and Middle Eastern places are.
Probably not the best way to do things, but oh well.
Im currently re-reading the Harry Potter series.....Im at the Prisoner of Azkaban. So well written. Great books.
^ I do that at least once every year. She's incredible; I always discover new things each time.
Dante - The Divine Comedy
Absolutely incredible. :metal
Im currently re-reading the Harry Potter series.....Im at the Prisoner of Azkaban. So well written. Great books.
I've read that series more times than I can count at this point. :heart Harry Potter^ I do that at least once every year. She's incredible; I always discover new things each time.
Also this. And the sad parts still make me cry :(
Im currently re-reading the Harry Potter series.....Im at the Prisoner of Azkaban. So well written. Great books.
I've read that series more times than I can count at this point. :heart Harry Potter^ I do that at least once every year. She's incredible; I always discover new things each time.
Also this. And the sad parts still make me cry :(
All of this.
Dante - The Divine Comedy
Absolutely incredible. :metal
Yes. I hope you really need to appreciate the metaphors and messages.
Arthur C. Clarke - Childhood's EndGreat. Fucking. Novel.
Jane Eyre is AWESOME!
I can't say I loved Jane Eyre.
Although if you did, emindead, I would suggest tracking down a book called Wide Sargasso Sea.
I made it my goal to finish the last five books of the demonata series. I read 1-5 a few years ago. I'm just waiting for a new Dresden Files book though.Jeff Somers- The electric Church, The Digital Plague, The Eternal Prison. Kinda cyber punk meets how bad can I fuck with my lead charecter and still keep him alive. Great dark humor.
I'm really in to sci-fi, with amusing jokes through out it, or sarcastic characters, with page turning awesomeness that wont let you stop reading. Any suggestions?
I had to read it in my first semester and this book between Pride & Prejudice, Wuthering Heights and Mary Barton, was definitely the best.Jane Eyre is AWESOME!I can't tell if this is sarcasm...most people aren't so enthusiastic about the classics :P
I made it my goal to finish the last five books of the demonata series. I read 1-5 a few years ago. I'm just waiting for a new Dresden Files book though.
I'm really in to sci-fi, with amusing jokes through out it, or sarcastic characters, with page turning awesomeness that wont let you stop reading. Any suggestions?
I had to read it in my first semester and this book between Pride & Prejudice, Wuthering Heights and Mary Barton, was definitely the best.Jane Eyre is AWESOME!I can't tell if this is sarcasm...most people aren't so enthusiastic about the classics :P
Jane Eyre is AWESOME!ew
I made it my goal to finish the last five books of the demonata series. I read 1-5 a few years ago. I'm just waiting for a new Dresden Files book though.
I'm really in to sci-fi, with amusing jokes through out it, or sarcastic characters, with page turning awesomeness that wont let you stop reading. Any suggestions?
THE DEATH GATE CYCLE
The characters are amazing :metal
Just ordered Dune as its a bit criminal that I am 22 years old, have always liked SF and have never read it!!I wanna read this
I made it my goal to finish the last five books of the demonata series. I read 1-5 a few years ago. I'm just waiting for a new Dresden Files book though.
I'm really in to sci-fi, with amusing jokes through out it, or sarcastic characters, with page turning awesomeness that wont let you stop reading. Any suggestions?
THE DEATH GATE CYCLE
The characters are amazing :metal
I could not get into these books at all, and I am a huge fantasy fan
I can only take Lovecraft in small doses at a time. He writes some creepy stories, but his bloated writing style can be... difficult to appreciate at times.I agree. I like Lovecraft, but only a few stories every year or so.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley*:tup :tup Great books! I read Fahrenheit 451 this past summer, and Brave New World last summer (I picked it because of Iron Maiden :lol :birch: ).
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (this one started off really bad for me - Bradbury couldn't go a sentence without describing something with a simile)
Did you have the same problem with f451? I was talking to my friend who had also read it and he said he nearly had to put it down!Brave New World by Aldous Huxley*:tup :tup Great books! I read Fahrenheit 451 this past summer, and Brave New World last summer (I picked it because of Iron Maiden :lol :birch: ).
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (this one started off really bad for me - Bradbury couldn't go a sentence without describing something with a simile)
:lol There's actually some black studies professor that argues that Gatsby was of african american descent, but born incredibly pale so he just looks white.
https://www.salon.com/books/feature/2000/08/09/gatsby
Fahrenheit 451 is a great book! Currently reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.The Great Gatsby is definitely the best-written fictional book I've ever read. Gatsby to novels is as Close to the Edge is to prog.
Still reading World War Z and it's putting me to sleep still.
I don't exactly recall, but I had to do an English essay/write-up on the diction, tone, etc... used so it made it much easier. :lol Awesome book though.Did you have the same problem with f451? I was talking to my friend who had also read it and he said he nearly had to put it down!Brave New World by Aldous Huxley*:tup :tup Great books! I read Fahrenheit 451 this past summer, and Brave New World last summer (I picked it because of Iron Maiden :lol :birch: ).
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (this one started off really bad for me - Bradbury couldn't go a sentence without describing something with a simile)
Frankenstein, bitches!The Mary Shelley version? If so, than me too.
Frankenstein, bitches!
WAT?Frankenstein, bitches!The Mary Shelley version? If so, than me too.
Then?WAT?Frankenstein, bitches!The Mary Shelley version? If so, than me too.
YES!Then?WAT?Frankenstein, bitches!The Mary Shelley version? If so, than me too.
Emin, your so crazy.Me so horny for you.
I'm surprised you didn't catch that emindead. :lolEmin, youMe so horny for you.r're so crazy.
I'm surprised you didn't catch my drift.I'm surprised you didn't catch that emindead. :lolEmin, youMe so horny for you.r're so crazy.
I'm now reading The New Testament Code: The Cup of the Lord, The Damascus Covenant, and the Blood of Christ by Robert Eisenman, the follow-up to James, The Brother of Jesus.I was right. That was posted on February 7. I just finished it this past Sunday (April 25).
I'll see you again in a couple of months.
I am now re-reading The Hobbit as a precursor to re-reading The Lord of the Rings.
Currently reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Great book.I would've enjoyed it more if it wasn't read for English class and I wasn't forced to look into and analyze every single fucking detail of it and write papers on it. That kinda stuff always takes away from my enjoyment of a book I'm reading. For Frankenstein, we just need to list 10 important quotes and their explanation, so it's easy to read it normally and not being distracted by assignments.
Here's my favourite quote:Currently reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Great book.I would've enjoyed it more if it wasn't read for English class and I wasn't forced to look into and analyze every single fucking detail of it and write papers on it. That kinda stuff always takes away from my enjoyment of a book I'm reading. For Frankenstein, we just need to list 10 important quotes and their explanation, so it's easy to read it normally and not being distracted by assignments.
Fellowship of the Ring
Hop back on, and ride that ride with a smile.Fellowship of the Ring
I read that one and found it a bit dry. Tolken really drags on with detail. When I finished that I moved on to Two Towers, read about three chapters and haven't touched it in over a year...
Currently reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Great book.
Fellowship of the RingI read that one and found it a bit dry. Tolken really drags on with detail. When I finished that I moved on to Two Towers, read about three chapters and haven't touched it in over a year...
Fellowship of the Ring
I read that one and found it a bit dry. Tolken really drags on with detail. When I finished that I moved on to Two Towers, read about three chapters and haven't touched it in over a year...
Fellowship of the Ring
I read that one and found it a bit dry. Tolken really drags on with detail. When I finished that I moved on to Two Towers, read about three chapters and haven't touched it in over a year...
Yup. All the LOTR books are soooooo dull.
:lol Sorry, I just can't get into them at all. Yes there's this amazing world and an epic story, but I really don't need a paragraph describing a doorknob.
:lol Sorry, I just can't get into them at all. Yes there's this amazing world and an epic story, but I really don't need a paragraph describing a doorknob.
But it's that paragraph that lets you picture the doorknob so clearly in your mind! Anyway it's not just 'cos I like descriptive passages, it's the sounds and flow of the words he uses that makes it so enjoyable to read. :D
I tried to read The Fellowship of the Ring and there were points in the beginning where I was :caffeine: and immediately afterwards I was :yawn: Tolkien had that gift.:lol Sorry, I just can't get into them at all. Yes there's this amazing world and an epic story, but I really don't need a paragraph describing a doorknob.But it's that paragraph that lets you picture the doorknob so clearly in your mind! Anyway it's not just 'cos I like descriptive passages, it's the sounds and flow of the words he uses that makes it so enjoyable to read. :D
I tried to read The Fellowship of the Ring and there were points in the beginning where I was :caffeine: and immediately afterwards I was :yawn: Tolkien had that gift.:lol Sorry, I just can't get into them at all. Yes there's this amazing world and an epic story, but I really don't need a paragraph describing a doorknob.But it's that paragraph that lets you picture the doorknob so clearly in your mind! Anyway it's not just 'cos I like descriptive passages, it's the sounds and flow of the words he uses that makes it so enjoyable to read. :D
Insurrection by Thomas M. Reid.
Part 2 of a 6 book series written by 6 different authors
Insurrection by Thomas M. Reid.
Part 2 of a 6 book series written by 6 different authors
Six different authors? ???
And where have you been these days, I remember when you had more posts than me!
Insurrection by Thomas M. Reid.
Part 2 of a 6 book series written by 6 different authors
Six different authors? ???
And where have you been these days, I remember when you had more posts than me!
I kinda idle in and out haha. and each book is written by a different author and the whole project is overseen by R.A Salvatore. If you ask me that would be pretty tough for the 2-6 writers, picking up where everyone left off and keeping characters the same and everything
Reading LOTR for the first time.
Really enjoying it thus far. It's a bit of a chore to read at times but I like how the story sucks you in. Almost makes you feel as if you're on the road with Frodo.
Just past the halfway point in The Fellowship.
Been reading World Without End.
In the meantime I'm reading The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. It's the book that inspired the Ayreon song "Abbey of Synn". So far I like it.
Re-reading Dune for the first time in twenty years. What an incredible piece of work.
No, but a buddy of mine highly recommended it. Was it that good? I've only seen the ho-hum movie with Sting in it. That's actually the reason I'm re-reading it. I watched the movie a little while back, and felt I needed to visit the story again. Now I'm tempted to pile through the whole series, which I have read none of.Re-reading Dune for the first time in twenty years. What an incredible piece of work.
:metal Did you ever watch the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries version of it?
In the meantime I'm reading The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. It's the book that inspired the Ayreon song "Abbey of Synn". So far I like it.
The Name of the Rose was also made into a movie, starring Sean Connery.
Currently reading Catcher In the Rye, Frankenstein, and Death of a Salesman(i know its a play) and i will be reading The Stranger soon. My english teacher decieded to load us up on things to read with 1 month left of school. :-\
Tolkien FTW :metalI re-read Dune last year for the first time in probably 15 years, at least. Fantastic. I then read a couple of the sequels, but then I lost interest.
Just finished Dune, what an epic novel, I'm so glad I decided to revisit it. Looking forward to the rest of the series, which I have never read. I am totally stoked at the thought of five books which I know should be good!!!
Been reading World Without End.
I've been wanting to read that for a while after I finished Pillars.
:tup Dune Messiah is a great book. Haven't read anything past that though...Sweet! I'll let you know if any of the others are worth it.
Going to go for it and read the whole Dune series, continuing with Dune Messiah.
I do believe they're his son's.
In the middle of reading David Edding's Belgariad. I'm on the 2nd bookI absolutely loved The Belgariad, and to a lesser extent The Malloreon.
The Antichrist by Nietzsche.
Yep. This book is one big rant against christianity and goes into extremes a lot. I would quote something to give an example, but don't think everyone would appreciate that.The Antichrist by Nietzsche.
I've only read Beyond Good and Evil, but Nietzsche be some heavy stuff.
I do believe they're his son's.
They're written by his son Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson, another (somewhat meh) sci fi author
Haha one of my closest friends is named Kevin Anderson!I do believe they're his son's.
They're written by his son Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson, another (somewhat meh) sci fi author
KJA is awesome, noob.
I haven't read anything in months... I really need to find something.I will recommend it over and over: The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak.
Almost done with Macbeth. THANK GODWhat the hell, man? That's one of his shortest plays and one of his finest!
Almost done with Macbeth. THANK GODWhat the hell, man? That's one of his shortest plays and one of his finest!
In my opinion it's amongst the top 3 of Shakespeare's plays.
Almost done with Macbeth. THANK GODWhat the hell, man? That's one of his shortest plays and one of his finest!
That's not saying a lot.
Fine: and one of the most evil plotting despotic genius stories ever written. In my opinion it's amongst the top 3 of Shakespeare's plays.
Really? I used to think like that until I managed to understand why shakespeare was writing what he was writing. First impression was THIS IS BULLS::: ; however, I don´t think any other writer managed to balance love and poetic lines with so much darkness in thin plays. if you look at the plotlines and the way Shakespeare explored the darkness within the character, you realize that the love lines were brilliantly placed there to cushion all the horrible gore in his stories:In my opinion it's amongst the top 3 of Shakespeare's plays.
Once again, not saying a lot. Shakespeare is horribly, horribly overrated, Macbeth included.
Why do you say that?In my opinion it's amongst the top 3 of Shakespeare's plays.
Once again, not saying a lot. Shakespeare is horribly, horribly overrated, Macbeth included.
Wizard's First Rule
You just lost approximately 7,000,000 cool points.In my opinion it's amongst the top 3 of Shakespeare's plays.
Once again, not saying a lot. Shakespeare is horribly, horribly overrated, Macbeth included.
I gotta pick a book from this list to read for school, anyone wanna help me out?
Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
I gotta pick a book from this list to read for school, anyone wanna help me out?
Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Path
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Catalyst by Laurie Halse
City of Thieves by David Benioff
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
Life of Pi by Yann Martell
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Friday Night Lights is worth reading. I read it long before the movie turned it from a social commentary to a sports movie.Color me jealous.
This is what I'm reading for pleasure:
(https://www.polysurfacesbookstore.com/images/books/3710.jpg)
I gotta pick a book from this list to read for school, anyone wanna help me out?Band of Brothers or Friday Night Lights
Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Path
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Catalyst by Laurie Halse
City of Thieves by David Benioff
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
Life of Pi by Yann Martell
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Friday Night Lights is worth reading. I read it long before the movie turned it from a social commentary to a sports movie.
This is what I'm reading for pleasure:
(https://www.polysurfacesbookstore.com/images/books/3710.jpg)
*snip*
What is that about?
Frank Herbert's Dune Series at the moment
The Antichrist by Nietzsche.
I gotta pick a book from this list to read for school, anyone wanna help me out?
Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Path
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Catalyst by Laurie Halse
City of Thieves by David Benioff
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
Life of Pi by Yann Martell
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Actually next year the senior English summer assignment is different, so DTF, now is the time to make an impact on my high school English career; choose wisely! And I'm probably gonna go with Band of Brothers. Back on topic:I gotta pick a book from this list to read for school, anyone wanna help me out?
Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Path
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Catalyst by Laurie Halse
City of Thieves by David Benioff
Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
Life of Pi by Yann Martell
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
I love how yearly we can look for you asking this question and how you take DTF's word on what book to read!
the only book i've read on that list is the lovely bones. It's a really good book - though i have heard it might be more of a girl thing. The Kite Runner is supposed to be good too, though.
At the moment, I'm reading the first book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Game of Thrones.Wow, I might see if I can check it out :tup
I'm only halfway through it and I'm convinced this is probably the best fantasy series ever
Im thinking about reading Atlas Shrugged over the summer, what do you guys think?I wouldn't recommend it.
I'm thinking about reading Atlas Shrugged over the summer, what do you guys think?I'm planning on buying it as soon as I land in the US. I've heard great things about John Galt.
I need to read that at some point.
Just listen to "2112" over and over instead.Im thinking about reading Atlas Shrugged over the summer, what do you guys think?I wouldn't recommend it.
Just started "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples" by Winston Churchill. He really writes superbly, very interesting stuff :tupI guess that's why he won the Nobel.
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper LeeI'm SO sick of that book after having analyzed it up the asshole freshman year.
Isaac watched the huge iridescent scarab that was his lover’s head devour her
breakfast.
He watched her swallow, saw her throat bob where the pale in-sectile underbelly
segued smoothly into her human neck ... not that she would have accepted that
description. Humans have khepri bodies, legs, hands; and the heads of shaved
gibbons, she had once told him.
He smiled and dangled his fried pork in front of him, curled his tongue around it,
wiped his greasy fingers on the table. He smiled at her. She undulated her headlegs at
him and signed, My monster.
I am a pervert, thought Isaac, and so is she.
Finally reading World Without End. :metal This book reminds me why I love Ken Follett's writing so much.Good book, but Pillars was amazing
Being ambitious and reading Edward Gibbon's History Of The Fall And Decline Of The Roman Empire. I'd say I'm a third a way into the first volumeFollowing the logic of other Empires (like the one that struck back), I will guess that volume two will be the best in the trilogy you're reading.
Finally reading World Without End. :metal This book reminds me why I love Ken Follett's writing so much.Good book, but Pillars was amazing
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas:tup
I got my AP Language summer work, and here are the required readings (not gonna type the authors out of laziness):Sounds more like a list for someone getting their Master's in education; very interesting, though.
The Autobiography of Malcom X
Thank You for Arguing
Band of Brothers
"Against School"
"Dehumanized"
"Why Johny Can't Fail"
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read"
"Most Likely to Succeed"
"American Kids, Dumber than Dirt"
"Why Everything Sucks"
"In Defense of Distraction"
I got my AP Language summer work, and here are the required readings (not gonna type the authors out of laziness):
Not as interesting as last year's Summer reading (The Odyssey, Fahrenheit 451, and The Alchemist), but still kinda looking forward to it, but not, on the other hand, the multiple essays and assignments attached to them.I got my AP Language summer work, and here are the required readings (not gonna type the authors out of laziness):Sounds more like a list for someone getting their Master's in education; very interesting, though.
The Autobiography of Malcom X
Thank You for Arguing
Band of Brothers
"Against School"
"Dehumanized"
"Why Johny Can't Fail"
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read"
"Most Likely to Succeed"
"American Kids, Dumber than Dirt"
"Why Everything Sucks"
"In Defense of Distraction"
I suppose I shouldn't post my AP United States History Summer work then. :lolI got my AP Language summer work, and here are the required readings (not gonna type the authors out of laziness):
Man your high school shits all over you guys.
Seriously, what's the point of all that? I had to read like two short books over the summer for AP language, and even those don't help for the AP test, as it's language, not literature. High school is fucking retarded.I dunno... the worst part is is that all the work is incredibly tedious. On the bright side, one of the three assignments for AP US is to write about how American society is defined and displayed through social groups, activities, etc... at a parade/fair/sporting event/music festival that you attended over the summer, and I'll be doing it on Ozzfest 2010 (inb4 lolozzfest, even though I know it's inevitably coming).
America Through the Eyes Of OzzSeriously, what's the point of all that? I had to read like two short books over the summer for AP language, and even those don't help for the AP test, as it's language, not literature. High school is fucking retarded.I dunno... the worst part is is that all the work is incredibly tedious. On the bright side, one of the three assignments for AP US is to write about how American society is defined and displayed through social groups, activities, etc... at a parade/fair/sporting event/music festival that you attended over the summer, and I'll be doing it on Ozzfest 2010 (inb4 lolozzfest, even though I know it's inevitably coming).
the worst part is is that all the work is incredibly tedious.
:lol I think I might seriously use that. You gotta remind me though :P.America Through the Eyes Of OzzSeriously, what's the point of all that? I had to read like two short books over the summer for AP language, and even those don't help for the AP test, as it's language, not literature. High school is fucking retarded.I dunno... the worst part is is that all the work is incredibly tedious. On the bright side, one of the three assignments for AP US is to write about how American society is defined and displayed through social groups, activities, etc... at a parade/fair/sporting event/music festival that you attended over the summer, and I'll be doing it on Ozzfest 2010 (inb4 lolozzfest, even though I know it's inevitably coming).
That's your paper title right there.
I forgot to tell my teacher last year that I wanted to do honors (I had a 98 average), so I'm in normal geometry right now. I might do the jump program over the summer to skip to calculus next year instead of algebra II/trigonometry.the worst part is is that all the work is incredibly tedious.
That's high school for you though. I remember my precalc class homework routinely consisted of 30-50 problems of the EXACT SAME FORM. Oh the horror.
Also, lolozzfest.:|
I got Atlas Shrugged
The Count of Monte Cristo; Sucking on his pipe!
I got Atlas Shrugged by Ayn RandAwesome! I'm going to buy it this summer. I really, really loved The Fountainhead.
The Man in the High Castle. I've only just started though, I'm on Pg 18.
I'm reading Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
I'm entertained thus far with the series
I am starting my journey into The Dungeon Master's Guide.
Just finished Suzanne Collins' "Catching Fire", the sequel to "The Hunger Games", a pretty dark concept about a post-apocalyptic America that forces two kids from each district/state to compete to the death in some sort of morbid reality show. I couldn't put it down until I'd finished it at 3:30 last night.reading Catching Fire right now. The Hunger Games was amazing, and I pray that when the movie comes out it will not turn out like Twilight.
At work, I'm working through Matt Ridley's "The Red Queen", an explanation of why sex developed and why it continues.
Next, I'll probably tackle Margaret Atwood's "The Year of the Flood", her follow up to what may be my favorite book of all time, "Oryx & Crake".
I am starting my journey into The Dungeon Master's Guide.I have that.
(https://cdon.se/media-dynamic/images/product/00/04/18/85/87/1/64c1d8a6-b075-4c75-968c-3fc4d481f3f8.jpg):birch: I wanna get a bunch of books like that
I'm reading Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
I'm entertained thus far with the series
Good series. :tup
The Count of Monte Cristo; Sucking on his pipe!I'd love to read this, the movie is one of my favourite movies, but I'm such a slow reader, it would probably take me about a year or more to get through.
Just finished Starship Troopers.
That Denise Richards scene makes for some amazing reading!Just finished Starship Troopers.
Awesome book, yes?
The Count of Monte Cristo; Sucking on his pipe!I'd love to read this, the movie is one of my favourite movies, but I'm such a slow reader, it would probably take me about a year or more to get through.
Started Narcissus and Goldmund by Hesse yesterday. Really liking it so far.
I'm reading Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
I'm entertained thus far with the series
Good series. :tup
Now on Blood of the Fold (I'm actually almost finished)
"Niebla" by Miguel de Unamuno.Good book.
Yeah, I think I will someday. I don't see that day being too soon though.The Count of Monte Cristo; Sucking on his pipe!I'd love to read this, the movie is one of my favourite movies, but I'm such a slow reader, it would probably take me about a year or more to get through.
Started Narcissus and Goldmund by Hesse yesterday. Really liking it so far.
You've got to try, The Count of Monte Cristo is an awesome read.
Currently in The Drawing of the Three, then I have a number that I need to start on:
-The Wastelands (going to hold off on the rest of the Dark Tower series when I go back to school, plus I hear there's a drop in their quality after #4-5)
(https://images.contentreserve.com/ImageType-100/0111-1/%7B8F5FF999-F3DE-4BCA-8328-7CE75B339FD8%7DImg100.jpg)
Just finished Starship Troopers.
Awesome book, yes?
Reading the LOTR trilogy. Just started in The Two Towers.
Still plowing through Drood, by Dan Simmons. Anyone who loves historical fiction should pick this one up. Set in the late 1800's, it follows Charles Dickens through the mental breakdown in the last years of his life. Very dark and disturbing.
I'm reading Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
I'm entertained thus far with the series
Good series. :tup
Now on Blood of the Fold (I'm actually almost finished)
Started Temple of the Winds today
Fellowship had me hooked at the first page. I read the whole thing (400 pages or so?) in 2/3 days.Reading the LOTR trilogy. Just started in The Two Towers.
I got through the Hobbit and The Fellowship, but then I could only get through first few chapters of Two Towers and haven't had the urge to pick it up. It's a bit dry for me.
This thread just reminded me of a book I started reading at the library and would like to own: Philosophy of Mathematics. It gets into some really cool and thought-provoking ideas that arise when you look at math in different ways.I've seen that book lying around a few times, looked interesting.
This thread just reminded me of a book I started reading at the library and would like to own: Philosophy of Mathematics. It gets into some really cool and thought-provoking ideas that arise when you look at math in different ways.The first time I went to Germany, I got drunk many times with a guy who was doing his thesis on the philosophy of mathematics. One of the most interesting guys I ever talked to.
I bet. Just reading the first chapter of that book gave me a new look at the world, and I want to tell others about it.This thread just reminded me of a book I started reading at the library and would like to own: Philosophy of Mathematics. It gets into some really cool and thought-provoking ideas that arise when you look at math in different ways.The first time I went to Germany, I got drunk many times with a guy who was doing his thesis on the philosophy of mathematics. One of the most interesting guys I ever talked to.
Fellowship had me hooked at the first page. I read the whole thing (400 pages or so?) in 2/3 days.Reading the LOTR trilogy. Just started in The Two Towers.
I got through the Hobbit and The Fellowship, but then I could only get through first few chapters of Two Towers and haven't had the urge to pick it up. It's a bit dry for me.
I'm reading this forum page.
I just borrowed 'I Am Ozzy' by Ozzy Osbourne from a co-worker. I can't wait to get home and start reading it.
Started reading a Song of Ice and Fire.
About 600 pages into a Game of Thrones, and all I can say is WOW. :omg:
So damn good. Strong characters, compelling world, visceral action and a level of bad-assery which matches even the most intense books.
George Orwell, 1984
Is it any good?
George Orwell, 1984
Is it any good?
Amazing book.
I'm almost done with The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton. It's the start of a trilogy and I've been intrigued enough that I think I'll get the next two books.
Started Soul of the Fire on Sunday
About to start Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain, his follow up to Kitchen Confidential. If any one wants to know what it is really like in a professional Kitchen, they should pick this up.(the first one)OK, so finished this one in two days. God is this guy fucking funny. A little quip on how the movie Old Yeller effected his life....
So, when Old Yeller gets sick with this rabies thing, little Tony is, naturally, not concerned. Pinocchio, after all, got out of that whale situation no problem. Sure, things looked bad for him for a while, but he figured it out in the end. Bumpy ride with Bambi, what with Mom dying, but that ended okay. Like mom and dad never forgetting to pick you up at school, the Happy Ending was a dead cert.
It will be okay. It will be fine.
No one will hurt a fucking dog, especially Disney.
That's what I'm saying to myself, sitting there between Mom and Dad, staring up at the screen, breath held, waiting for the miracle.
Then they go and blow Old Yeller's fucking brains out.
I sit there stunned. "What do you mean there's no cure for rabies? I don't give a fuck if they had to put Old Yeller out of his misery! What about my misery, cocksucker! They were supposed to fix things! He was supposed to get better! Don't talk to me about reality! I don't care if it's a magical rainbow out of a fairy princess's ass that makes him better! He's supposed to get better!!!"
Nice, huh? May as well have put the crack pipe in my hand right then. Why wait? Maybe this is why I never worked at the French Laundry.
-Anthony Bourdaine, from Medium Raw
(French Laundry is arguably the best restaurant in America)
Started Soul of the Fire on Sunday
I started Temple of the Winds but haven't gotten back to it. I have a big issue with reading multiple series at once.
I finished Blood of the Fold (which was good but not as good as Stone of Tears or Wizards First Rule) and started Temple of the Winds then just decided to take a break.
...
Or maybe I should just learn to stick to one series at a time
I'm reading Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
I'm entertained thus far with the series
Good series. :tup
Now on Blood of the Fold (I'm actually almost finished)
Started Temple of the Winds today
Started Soul of the Fire on Sunday
About to start Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain, his follow up to Kitchen Confidential. If any one wants to know what it is really like in a professional Kitchen, they should pick this up.(the first one)OK, so finished this one in two days. God is this guy fucking funny. A little quip on how the movie Old Yeller effected his life....QuoteSo, when Old Yeller gets sick with this rabies thing, little Tony is, naturally, not concerned. Pinocchio, after all, got out of that whale situation no problem. Sure, things looked bad for him for a while, but he figured it out in the end. Bumpy ride with Bambi, what with Mom dying, but that ended okay. Like mom and dad never forgetting to pick you up at school, the Happy Ending was a dead cert.
It will be okay. It will be fine.
No one will hurt a fucking dog, especially Disney.
That's what I'm saying to myself, sitting there between Mom and Dad, staring up at the screen, breath held, waiting for the miracle.
Then they go and blow Old Yeller's fucking brains out.
I sit there stunned. "What do you mean there's no cure for rabies? I don't give a fuck if they had to put Old Yeller out of his misery! What about my misery, cocksucker! They were supposed to fix things! He was supposed to get better! Don't talk to me about reality! I don't care if it's a magical rainbow out of a fairy princess's ass that makes him better! He's supposed to get better!!!"
Nice, huh? May as well have put the crack pipe in my hand right then. Why wait? Maybe this is why I never worked at the French Laundry.
-Anthony Bourdaine, from Medium Raw
(French Laundry is arguably the best restaurant in America)
I'm reading Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
I'm entertained thus far with the series
Good series. :tup
Now on Blood of the Fold (I'm actually almost finished)
Started Temple of the Winds today
Started Soul of the Fire on Sunday
:lollonestar's long quote
I hate the French Laundry, just because the Brooklyn Brewery brews a beer exclusively for them and it's the only one missing from my 750 mL bottle collection :lol
emin, did you ever end up reading The Road? I saw the movie for that and I want to get into McCarthy.I have it on my e-reader. It's still next on my list once I finish Atlas Shrugged (it's freakingly long lol). My aunt, who read The Road, said that she preferred No Country For Old Men. But I've heard great reviews of TR, so that's why I'll read it next.
I loved The Road. Have yet to see the movie.It's got Viggo and Hillcoat directing (who also did an amazing gritty western; The Proposition) so I think you'll enjoy it.
I'm reading this forum page.
I'm reading this forum page.
This is the first completely grammatically correct post by BRGM I've ever seen.
:lolI'm reading this forum page.
This is the first completely grammatically correct post by BRGM I've ever seen.
I've finished The Hobbit this weekend (also started reading it this weekend :p).Decided to start in Nabokov since I have had it on my shelf longer.
Will start either Vladimir Nabokov - Lolita or Dostojevski - Notes from the Underground.
I've been reading the new edition of Lifting Shadows. Very interesting stuff so far :D
I'm reading a book called The Book Of General Ignorance. It's all about common misconceptions, and not just those lame ones that are misconceptions of misconceptions (lightbulb wasn't invented by Thomas Edison, blah blah blah). Prepare for smart-assery :PThat's written by the guys who make the TV show 'QI'. If you haven't watched it you should do, there's a TON of stuff like that in it, plus it's really funny!
I think I'll get back to The Sword of Truth when I finish The Heritage of Shannara. Either that or keep going with The Wheel of Time, or start the Malazan Book of the Fallen.
Do we get that in the Great White North?I'm reading a book called The Book Of General Ignorance. It's all about common misconceptions, and not just those lame ones that are misconceptions of misconceptions (lightbulb wasn't invented by Thomas Edison, blah blah blah). Prepare for smart-assery :PThat's written by the guys who make the TV show 'QI'. If you haven't watched it you should do, there's a TON of stuff like that in it, plus it's really funny!
I've been reading the new edition of Lifting Shadows. Very interesting stuff so far :D
I'm jealous! Is it completely full of win?
I'm reading a book called The Book Of General Ignorance. It's all about common misconceptions, and not just those lame ones that are misconceptions of misconceptions (lightbulb wasn't invented by Thomas Edison, blah blah blah). Prepare for smart-assery :PThat's written by the guys who make the TV show 'QI'. If you haven't watched it you should do, there's a TON of stuff like that in it, plus it's really funny!
Just picked up Mockingjay today, the final book in the trilogy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It's a fantastic YA series; imagine Battle Royale but with a much more Reality TV bent and you've got it.Ahh. Jealousy. My friend got it too. I'll probably get one this weekend.
Yeah QI is awesome! Stephen Fry :heart :heart:heart It's one of my favourite shows, I watch it for a bit before bed every night just to help me relax. :D
Yeah QI is awesome! Stephen Fry :heart :heart:heart It's one of my favourite shows, I watch it for a bit before bed every night just to help me relax. :D
*bump*
So I decided to have a jab at the fantasy genre today and bought The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, the first book in the Wheel of Time series.
I'm reading Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
I'm entertained thus far with the series
Good series. :tup
Now on Blood of the Fold (I'm actually almost finished)
Started Temple of the Winds today
Started Soul of the Fire on Sunday
Started Faith of the Fallen yesterday :metal
I'm reading Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
I'm entertained thus far with the series
Good series. :tup
Now on Blood of the Fold (I'm actually almost finished)
Started Temple of the Winds today
Started Soul of the Fire on Sunday
Started Faith of the Fallen yesterday :metal
Just started The Pillars of Creation
I'm not reading anything right now.the count of monte cristo
What are some classic books everyone should read at some point in their life? Chances are I haven't read it.
I'm reading Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind
I'm entertained thus far with the series
Good series. :tup
Now on Blood of the Fold (I'm actually almost finished)
Started Temple of the Winds today
Started Soul of the Fire on Sunday
Started Faith of the Fallen yesterday :metal
Just started The Pillars of Creation
Started Naked Empire a few days ago
about 300 pages in
I can't stop reading these books
I grabbed House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds the other day. Sounds really interesting, and I've heard very good things about Reynolds.
I grabbed House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds the other day. Sounds really interesting, and I've heard very good things about Reynolds.
If you're looking for weird as fuck Sci-Fi he's great. I've probably read 6 or 7 of his books and each one has had me hooked.
I'm not reading anything right now.-Don Quixote - Miguel De Cervantes
What are some classic books everyone should read at some point in their life? Chances are I haven't read it.
You'll probably all laugh at me but I've been into the 'Anne of Green Gables' series for a little while now. I just started the fourth book, there's 8 or 9 or them all together. And then there's the additional "Chronicles of Avonlea" and I'm sure I'll wind up reading all of those, too.
Started reading Lord Of The Flies this week. I can't Das Bus out of my head lol.I finished that within a day, it's awesome.
Need book recommendations. Just got a Kindle.I'm still reading free books on my kindle. Mainly because I don't have a credit card (yet). But I also wanted to read some of the free books, so I don't really care.
I've bought The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo so far...
It's on my to dune list.
Started reading Lord Of The Flies this week. I can't Das Bus out of my head lol.
I think I'll read Lord of the Rings next, because I had always attempted and always failed in the past.:tup
Just over half way through The Painted Man right now.Okay, I went a bit insane yesterday and stayed up until 3am so I could finish this book.
Really enjoying it.
Okay...now I've finished this book AND I DON'T THINK I CAN WAIT ANOTHER 2 YEARS FOR THE NEXT ONE FUUUUUUUUUUUJust over half way through The Painted Man right now.Okay, I went a bit insane yesterday and stayed up until 3am so I could finish this book.
Really enjoying it.
Just about to start the sequel "The Desert Spear".
I hate that. I always pick up new books right after release and read them in a day or two, then wait impatiently for the next release.Ditto. I am currently waiting for the third novel of Robert Sawyer's WWW trilogy, the fifth book of Jeff Somer's Avery Cates series, and the third book of Richard Kadray's Sandman Slim trilogy. >:(
isnt she married?I think so, I don't know. I was just being stupid. :P
Im reading minds..I would highly advise you to stay out of mine, unless you want your young and fragile psyche shattered forever. Shit like that can only be handled after years of deprivation and torture.
Im reading minds..I would highly advise you to stay out of mine, unless you want your young and fragile psyche shattered forever. Shit like that can only be handled after years of deprivation and torture.
Voltaire - CandideNice!
Homer - The Odyssey
Voltaire - CandideNice!
Homer - The Odyssey
Yeah I had to read The Odyssey last summer, and I enjoyed it, although it dragged at parts.Voltaire - CandideNice!
Homer - The Odyssey
I've actually read both multiple times before. School eh?
Altered Carbon by Richard MorganThis is on my massive 'to-read' pile. How is it?
Gotta pick a dystopian novel to read for school... I'm thinking either Brave New World again, or A Clockwork Orange. On top of our chosen novel, we also need to read 1984. All within a month... oh well, I love dystopian reads so I'll enjoy it.
I love that book, but we read it for school last year, so that's not an option.Gotta pick a dystopian novel to read for school... I'm thinking either Brave New World again, or A Clockwork Orange. On top of our chosen novel, we also need to read 1984. All within a month... oh well, I love dystopian reads so I'll enjoy it.
You could also try Fahrenheit 451 if you haven't read it already.
I think I pretty much have to read five+ books (divide it with essays and other texts) per week thanks to Uni :lol Of course I only post here the ones that are for pleasureReally? Five books in a week? Not to discredit you, but I don't believe that. That's a book per school day... how do they expect you to be able to read a book in one day?
Currently not reading anything but planning to start on both Also Sprach Zarathustra (Nietzsche) and The Stand (King) sometime this week. Probably tomorrow.Still haven't started. But with a bit of luck I will have 1 or 2 hours of spare time tomorrow evening and I will be sure to bring my kindle along.
It's easy, really. It's called University, and it's called Literature. At first it's overwhelming but then you just... have no choice :lolI think I pretty much have to read five+ books (divide it with essays and other texts) per week thanks to Uni :lol Of course I only post here the ones that are for pleasureReally? Five books in a week? Not to discredit you, but I don't believe that. That's a book per school day... how do they expect you to be able to read a book in one day?
Are we talking full-length books?It's easy, really. It's called University, and it's called Literature. At first it's overwhelming but then you just... have no choice :lolI think I pretty much have to read five+ books (divide it with essays and other texts) per week thanks to Uni :lol Of course I only post here the ones that are for pleasureReally? Five books in a week? Not to discredit you, but I don't believe that. That's a book per school day... how do they expect you to be able to read a book in one day?
It's probably just half-length books, maybe a newspaper article or two, possibly a poem. You know, what you typically think of when someone says "book."Are we talking full-length books?It's easy, really. It's called University, and it's called Literature. At first it's overwhelming but then you just... have no choice :lolI think I pretty much have to read five+ books (divide it with essays and other texts) per week thanks to Uni :lol Of course I only post here the ones that are for pleasureReally? Five books in a week? Not to discredit you, but I don't believe that. That's a book per school day... how do they expect you to be able to read a book in one day?
I don't think of newspaper when I someone says "book." I think of "newspaper" when someone says "newspaper."It's probably just half-length books, maybe a newspaper article or two, possibly a poem. You know, what you typically think of when someone says "book."Are we talking full-length books?It's easy, really. It's called University, and it's called Literature. At first it's overwhelming but then you just... have no choice :lolI think I pretty much have to read five+ books (divide it with essays and other texts) per week thanks to Uni :lol Of course I only post here the ones that are for pleasureReally? Five books in a week? Not to discredit you, but I don't believe that. That's a book per school day... how do they expect you to be able to read a book in one day?
Man, I wish I'd have to read good books for school. :lol The only ones I really enjoyed were Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird.Well we had to pick a dystopian novel and my teacher let me pick it. But I loved The Giver and Fahrenheit 451. The Odyssey was good too. The two you mentioned made me wanna kill myself.
Of Mice And Men made you want to kill yourself? You need to read the version with John Malkovich, then -- he's amazing in that book.Man, I wish I'd have to read good books for school. :lol The only ones I really enjoyed were Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird.Well we had to pick a dystopian novel and my teacher let me pick it. But I loved The Giver and Fahrenheit 451. The Odyssey was good too. The two you mentioned made me wanna kill myself.
Well we analyzed both to death in my freshman English class, so all novelty (no pun intended) and interest in it was completely lost.Of Mice And Men made you want to kill yourself? You need to read the one with John Malkovich, then -- he's amazing in that book.Man, I wish I'd have to read good books for school. :lol The only ones I really enjoyed were Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird.Well we had to pick a dystopian novel and my teacher let me pick it. But I loved The Giver and Fahrenheit 451. The Odyssey was good too. The two you mentioned made me wanna kill myself.
How long did you spend on them? I'm actually studying to become an English teacher, so that kind of thing is interesting to me. What is the saturation point for discussing great novels?We literally spent at least three months straight on To Kill A Mockingbird, and probably two months on OMAM. Those are literally the only books we read that year, so my estimations may be generous in the books' favor.
The Giver
Wow, Birch -- that's definitely too long to spend on any novel. How would you feel if you were asked to maintain an online reading blog? I had a professor require this in a college class, and it was really cool. She didn't tell us what we had to write, just that we had to make an entry for every reading that was assigned and that it should be reasonably critical, not just "this poem sucks." That way, we were held accountable for the reading (which is necessary in some way), but the literature itself and its inherent power was not diminished by a narrow focus on overly specific assignments. Here's the link to mine if you're interested:We actually do something like that in APELAC. We had to emulate Robert Oppenheimer's famous speech in a blog and read each other's and comment. Obviously not the same as reading a novel, but I enjoy the blogging format much more than straight assignments. I think it'd work really well with a novel. Here's a link to our blog (although it's not novel-related, but it is the work of AP English students): https://eure10lang.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/oppenheimer-emulation/#more-172
https://mattvarnell.blogspot.com/
And I'm wondering how this would go over with a high school class?
reading the Song Of Ice And Fire series (book 3) at the moment ahead of the TV series next year. Started reading the series a few years ago and found book 2 hard going but on restarting it recently I don't know how that happened because it was awesome.
Hey guys, I'm pretty new around here but from what I've seen of this thread I may have found my spiritual home. Good to meet you all. :)I read Under the Dome a couple weeks back, I really enjoyed it.
I'm reading Stephen King's Under the Dome (not his best, but 4 stars so far).
Also, to partially make up for missing the first 28 pages, I just read Lisey's Story (also King, not his usual style at all but I loved it) and the Time Traveller's Wife (which I'm happy to go on record as saying sucked noodles).
Full-length novels, yes. Do you leave half-read all of the books you start? I mean, we need to read the primary source in order to have a good idea of what we are going to base our essays. The secondary sources, read it as other people essays or certain chapters of literary criticism, we just read excerpts. But those excerpts are still long, depending on the ability of the author to condense his idea into just some pages.Are we talking full-length books?It's easy, really. It's called University, and it's called Literature. At first it's overwhelming but then you just... have no choice :lolI think I pretty much have to read five+ books (divide it with essays and other texts) per week thanks to Uni :lol Of course I only post here the ones that are for pleasureReally? Five books in a week? Not to discredit you, but I don't believe that. That's a book per school day... how do they expect you to be able to read a book in one day?
I have one gripe with the book, but I won't post anything because I'm afraid I'll spoil anything.I read Under the Dome a couple weeks back, I really enjoyed it.
It's been really good so far, I'll have a better idea when I'm finished though. Excellent Bender quote by your avatar, by the way.
Man I remember when I first read A Storm of Swords. I finished that book and immediately started to reread the series. First and only time I've ever done that.reading the Song Of Ice And Fire series (book 3) at the moment ahead of the TV series next year. Started reading the series a few years ago and found book 2 hard going but on restarting it recently I don't know how that happened because it was awesome.
Book 3 is the best of the lot, but it's an amazing series.
Can't wait for the show.
Just got a Kindle from my parents for Christmas :DThat's a fantastic book right there. :tup
Picked up Perdido Street Station by China Mieville, The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton, and a collection of HP Lovecraft stories. Started up on At the Mountains of Madness.
of mice and menPretty good book.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.:tup :tup :tup :tup :tup :tup :tup
Just started Vonnegut's "Galapagos".
Mogworld by Yahtzee Croshaw
Mogworld by Yahtzee Croshaw
How was this?
Harry's a jerk.Hey...this post originally said "How To Be a Nub For Idiots".
Slowly making my way through Thus Spoke Zarathustra.Do you like it? I started it at the same time I started The Stand (Stephen King) so I haven't really read that much of it. Planning to read it some more soon though (once I get my damn exams out of the way).
I need to keep up with this.If you liked that, can I recommend Crime and Punishment (also by Dostoyevski)?
Anyway, just finished reading The Brother's Karamazov. Got to tell you, really great book. I was suprised at how much I enjoyed it
Now reading The Bible According To Mark Twain
Slowly making my way through Thus Spoke Zarathustra.Do you like it? I started it at the same time I started The Stand (Stephen King) so I haven't really read that much of it. Planning to read it some more soon though (once I get my damn exams out of the way).
Nineteen Eighty-Four is really good so far. I'm just about to finish the second book. I need to complete it by Tuesday for English.One of my favourites :tup.
I work at a supermarket and today a customer gave me his discount card to scan and he said "That's how Big Brother knows what you're buying," (or something very similar) and then I brought the book up and we had a small conversation.Double-Plus Cool Story bro.
It was cool.
FTFYI work at a supermarket and today a customer gave me his discount card to scan and he said "That's how Big Brother knows what you're buying," (or something very similar) and then I brought the book up and we had a small conversation.Doubleplus unboring story comrade!
It was cool.
:tupFTFYI work at a supermarket and today a customer gave me his discount card to scan and he said "That's how Big Brother knows what you're buying," (or something very similar) and then I brought the book up and we had a small conversation.Doubleplus unboring story comrade!
It was cool.
So Atlas Shrugged was bad? Cos that's on my to-read list.No, it's not bad. It's just that at times it is not well written, at times it is very dense and extremely long where an editor should have stepped in. But this happens to most classic authors as well. I mean, even Victor Hugo the master has with Les Misérables 1194 pages in my English edition. There are passages that could've been omitted or condensed.
Speaking of 1984 and overly long parts that should have been cut out, the bit where he's reading "The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism" just makes me want to kill myself.I tried reading that part last night... took me two hours because I kept getting distracted, and then I stopped at the break halfway through the chapter. I need to read it by tomorrow but I'll probably just finish the second book tonight.
Or just listen to "Anthem" and "2112" -- then call it a day.So Atlas Shrugged was bad? Cos that's on my to-read list.No, it's not bad. It's just that at times it is not well written, at times it is very dense and extremely long where an editor should have stepped in. But this happens to most classic authors as well. I mean, even Victor Hugo the master has with Les Misérables 1194 pages in my English edition. There are passages that could've been omitted or condensed.
Having said that you should definitely read it. I try to avoid giving people I know my opinion on the picky things I have with the book before they read it... otherwise they will notice what I noticed which won't bother someone else. So READ IT.
What do people think of "The Stand" by Stephen King? I've been thinking about getting that as my first Stephen King book.I finished reading that two days ago. It's pretty damn awesome.
What do people think of "The Stand" by Stephen King? I've been thinking about getting that as my first Stephen King book.It's amazing.
What do people think of "The Stand" by Stephen King? I've been thinking about getting that as my first Stephen King book.It's amazing.
Is the standard version that is now available the unexpurgated version? Does anyone know?
BTW, I just finished The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. Wow, what a trilogy. It's a real shame that the author died.
Not quite "Currently Reading" but I just finished House of Leaves...I remember hearing about this book about a year or 2 ago, and wanted to read it, but kinda forgot about it. I just heard about it again, and Im thinking of picking it up. What were your thoughts??
what
the
FUCK
The Gunslinger is really good you're in for a treat. I liked The Drawing of the Three a lot as well. Currently about a 1/3 through The Wastelands atm.I bought a boxset with the first 4 books a week ago. Haven't started yet, but looking forward to reading them.
I'm about half way through A Tale of Two Cities right now. I'm enjoying it so far but it took me a future chapters to get used to the writing style and all that jazz.I read that last year for my English class. It was my least favorite book out of all the ones we read. It was kinda hard for me to follow and understand, but there are some really cool underlying themes that I picked up on thanks to SparkNotes.
Not quite "Currently Reading" but I just finished House of Leaves...I remember hearing about this book about a year or 2 ago, and wanted to read it, but kinda forgot about it. I just heard about it again, and Im thinking of picking it up. What were your thoughts??
what
the
FUCK
It was kinda hard for me to follow and understandYeah, I understand where you're coming from there.
A few chapters into the The Brothers Karamazov. Dostoevsky's dialogue is just unbelievably good, a real joy to read.Planning to read that as soon as I finish Also Sprach Zarathustra. Although I also have The Dark Tower series lying around unread...
Just picked up Umberto Eco's "Foucalt's Pendulum" and a collection of H.P. Lovecraft stories (The Dunwich Horror and Others) from the library.
Both authors seem to have obscenely diverse vocabularies; I picked up like 10 new words from the the first chapter of "Pendulum" alone. Also, "The Colour Out of Space" is fucking scary.
So, this is what I have read lately on my Kindle, which I got for Christmas:
The Bible According To Mark Twain edited by Howard G. Baetzhold and Joseph B. McCullogh 1/7 - 1/9
Feet Of Clay by Terry Pratchett 1/9 - 1/10
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett 1/10 - 1/11
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby 1/11 - 1/13
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams 1/14
Big Trouble by Dave Barry 1/14 - 1/17
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore 1/17 - 1/20
Emma by Jane Austen 1/20 - 1/26
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen 1/26 - 1/28
The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie 1/28 - 1/31
Suck It, Wonder Woman: The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek by Olivia Munn 1/31
February
Odd Hours by Dean Koontz 1/31 - 2/3
I think because I don't have the weight of an actual book it's become easier/faster to read (and yes, none of these books are as long as Karamazov, but still, that's a lot of books in one month), and presently I'm 80% done with The Girl Who Played With Fire and I'll be moving on to Hornet's Nest after.
Finally finished A Tale of Two Cities today.Ditch the 'A' ;).
Fantastic book. Definitely up there with my all time favourites.
Up next: A Brave New World
I'll ditch your face.I don't get it.
Finally finished A Tale of Two Cities today.
Fantastic book. Definitely up there with my all time favourites.
Up next: A Brave New World
I liked it, but I enjoyed 1984 a lot more.Finally finished A Tale of Two Cities today.
Fantastic book. Definitely up there with my all time favourites.
Up next: A Brave New World
Despite 1984 being either my favorite or 2nd favorite book ever I pretty much hated Brave New World.
I'll probably like it then.Finally finished A Tale of Two Cities today.
Fantastic book. Definitely up there with my all time favourites.
Up next: A Brave New World
Despite 1984 being either my favorite or 2nd favorite book ever I pretty much hated Brave New World.
Speaking of 1984 and overly long parts that should have been cut out, the bit where he's reading "The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism" just makes me want to kill myself.
I have one chapter of that book left. I should get to finishing it. I really liked the rest of it.Speaking of 1984 and overly long parts that should have been cut out, the bit where he's reading "The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism" just makes me want to kill myself.
I'm at that part now. Fuuuuuuck. Reminds me a lot of the John Galt speech in Atlas Shrugged, just pages upon pages devoted to the point of the book in the driest format possible.
Finally finished A Tale of Two Cities today.Favorite book for me. Sydney Carton is sooo cool.
Fantastic book. Definitely up there with my all time favourites.
About a 1/5th of the way through Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho. Absolutely incredible so far.
Now starting Republic by Plato. I know roughly what it's about, but I never actually read a full translation. About halfway through the large, but informative introduction by Robin Waterfield. :)
In a big reading mood this week.
Read:
Charlie St. Cloud
The Notebook
Water for Elephants
About to start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Controversy Creates Cash
my wife read: water for elephants
she enjoyed it
Controversy Creates Cash
I was curious about that one. How is Mr. Bischoff's book?
I will be starting the first Dark Tower book by Stephen King tonight.For the first time? (EDIT: Okay, just read the last page. Either way, it's awesome).
Just finished Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Was delightful. Moving on to looking glass now.I read those a little while ago. I much preferred Alice's Adventures.
Thanks, I went through a several year period of not reading anything, except school books and Harry Potter.Yeah, same. Reading Harry Potter really got me back into reading and the Kindle my parents bought me for my birthday has really helped as well.
Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Awesome.
Just finished The Drawing of the Three.
Going to start The Waste Lands tonight.
I really like it so far but I preferred The Gunslinger to The Drawing of the Tree. Both are really good though.Damn, you will surpass me today or tomorrow :p. I wish I had some more time to read...
:neverusethis:I really like it so far but I preferred The Gunslinger to The Drawing of the Tree. Both are really good though.Damn, you will surpass me today or tomorrow :p. I wish I had some more time to read...
Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Awesome.
Really? I thought it was pretty mediocre, and this is coming from someone who's a massive fan of the show.
I just powered through George Orwell's Animal Farm in 3 hours. I feel enlightened.It's a pretty damn short book. Really good though.
Picked up The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss today. This book is already living up to the standard set by the first one.My copy's in the mail. I should have it by Saturday, I think (hope). Still, the wait give me some extra time to finish off Joe Abercrombie's Best Served Cold.
Picked up The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss today. This book is already living up to the standard set by the first one.
Going Buddhist and reading Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Just finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, excellent read.QFT
That's my favorite out of the series.I fucking love Doakes, he's still my second favorite character after Dexter.
I'm on Dearly Devoted Dexter by Jeff Lindsay now. So far, so damn good.
Just finished Wizard and Glass and I will probably start reading Wolves of the Calla tonight.
Just finished Wizard and Glass and I will probably start reading Wolves of the Calla tonight.
I really like how Hesse writes.Going Buddhist and reading Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
This. I have so many books and haven't read many of them. This seemed like a good place to start.
Just finished The Brothers Karamazov.Which translation did you read, the Andrew R. MacAndrew one?
Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky. Fantastic translators...I'll try and get any other Russian novels translated by them in the future.Just finished The Brothers Karamazov.Which translation did you read, the Andrew R. MacAndrew one?
Mindfulness In Plain English - Henepola GunaratanaCount Of Monte Cristo is awesome! Enjoy
The Count Of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
The former is a book about the practices of Vipassana Meditation.
The latter is a classic that I've never read, I've only seen the movies.
Yeah, I barely got a chance to start Crime and Punishment before the semester started; last finals are tomorrow so I'm excited to have more time for reading again over the summer.That's a fantastic novel. I remember really being able to feel what Raskolnikov was feeling in the story.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Loved the movie, now seeing how it differs from the bookGaiman's awesome, if you haven't yet, get American Gods, one of my favorites.
Loved American Gods. So awesome!Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Loved the movie, now seeing how it differs from the bookGaiman's awesome, if you haven't yet, get American Gods, one of my favorites.
Don't forget Anansi Boys and Neverwhere, which are both quality Gaiman yarns.Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Loved the movie, now seeing how it differs from the bookGaiman's awesome, if you haven't yet, get American Gods, one of my favorites.
Yep, read both of those, great books.Don't forget Anansi Boys and Neverwhere, which are both quality Gaiman yarns.Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Loved the movie, now seeing how it differs from the bookGaiman's awesome, if you haven't yet, get American Gods, one of my favorites.
I've been kind of reading James Joyce's The Dubliners. I've read two of the stories so far (out of 15).The Dead is on of my favorite stories, Joyce is such a beast.
I just finished Vonnegut's "Galàpagos". Wow. Absolutely awesome. He's all I've read in the last few years, really. 5 titles thus far. "Sirens of Titan" is next up.
I recently finished Ron Paul's Liberty Defined.
I just started Neal Morse's Testimony.
I am also picking at the Qua-ran which I've 2/3rds of the way through, The Speech by Bernie Sanders (over half done), and the What Would Wally Do collection of Dilbert comics.
The others were Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, Slaughterhouse Five, and Deadeye Dick. DD I didn't much care for, but the others were excellent. I'm about 30 pages into Sirens and I'm HOOKED.
God knows I am the resident Dune fanatic around these parts. Between the originals and those his son has done I've now read 17 Dune novels. While I don't think anything beats the original there is a lot of great stuff to be read.I'm going to veer away from arrakis for a little while but your enthusiasm has moved revisiting it up my to do list. I shall get round to it in a few months.
While you have to truly read everything to appreciate everything I actually think that after the original novel, the series closers, Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune are probably my favorite.
If I can suggest one things very strongly, it's this. Read the third novel and then jump back and read the three novels of the Butlerian Jihad. Although it doesn't play much of a role until about the 5th or 6th book it really becomes important for the last few. The last novels are written in a way that explains a lot of what you need to know, but I would think it's really helpful to know it all going in.
The others were Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, Slaughterhouse Five, and Deadeye Dick. DD I didn't much care for, but the others were excellent. I'm about 30 pages into Sirens and I'm HOOKED.
Bluebeard, God Bless You Mr Rosewater, and Palm Sunday are good also
The others were Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, Slaughterhouse Five, and Deadeye Dick. DD I didn't much care for, but the others were excellent. I'm about 30 pages into Sirens and I'm HOOKED.
Bluebeard, God Bless You Mr Rosewater, and Palm Sunday are good also
Good to know. I'll check those out next.
I just finished Sirens of Titan and WOW. It is, without any question, one of the best things I have ever read. I mean masterfully executed. Every once in a while, something would come up and you'd be all like "Duh, everything connects somehow, how perfect was that??" Just amazing, really. I'm bummed that I'm done reading it.
A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin
I really glad the show got me into the book. It's been a long time since I've read for fun.
The Passage was so good, I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel. Now finally reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Started "Good Omens" the other night, really enjoying it so farFun, fun book!
Really enjoying it. Love all the LOTR analogies Diaz works in. No suprise why it won the PulitzerThe Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
I had to read this for a lit class last semester. A surprisingly good read, IMO.
I recently plowed through Vonnegut's first five novels, as I decided to try to read them all in order (I believe I probably mentioned this earlier in the thread). Player Piano, Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Cat's Cradle (re-read, as I'd already read it a few years ago), and I've just finished God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. Next up are Slaughterhouse Five ("Maybe in another town it's a classic." "In ANY town!"), and Breakfast of Champions, both of which I have read previously, but will re-read. Awesome. I've quite enjoyed going one by one like this through his works. Excellent stuff.I love Vonnegut. Out of that list, I haven't got the chance to read Player Piano yet
Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton
Yeah, I enjoyed it. Will definitely be reading the restGuilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton
orly?
Been reading the series this year, currently on book 7.
Scourge of God, S.M. Stirling, book 8 of The Novels of the Change. Great apocolyptic reading for those who like that stuff, start with Dies the Fire.On to book 9, The Sword of the Lady. Book ten is out, and I'm not reading shit else till this series is done.
The A&E section of the newspaper.
The A&E section of the newspaper.
:o an actual newspaper? I thought those were myth.
Around The World In Eighty Days by Jules VerneA masterpiece! I assume you have read or intend to read Journey to the Centre of the Earth? If not, you should, it's my favourite Verne novel.
Just finished 'Making Money' by Terry Pratchett and I'm now reading 'Voyaging the Pacific' by Miles Hordern.I love Terry Pratchett, he was my favourite author for the longest time. My interest in him has cooled recently, but his early Discworld novels will forever be amongst my most highly regarded.
Finished The Dark Tower series. Now reading 'The Long Walk' by King (published as Bachmann), because I wanted something short to read this week. It's quite a fun read.
Finished The Dark Tower series. Now reading 'The Long Walk' by King (published as Bachmann), because I wanted something short to read this week. It's quite a fun read.
OH LAWDEH! That's actually my favourite book of all time. OF ALL TIME!! :heart
Yeah, The Long Walk is one of my favorite King books. Good pick Voxyn :tupYea, I really enjoyed it - a really fun read.
I think I'm gonna reread The Phantom Tollbooth today. Give it up for me, I'm so awesome.
I think I'm gonna reread The Phantom Tollbooth today. Give it up for me, I'm so awesome.
My bf loves that book, but I have yet to read it.
I think I'm gonna reread The Phantom Tollbooth today. Give it up for me, I'm so awesome.
My bf loves that book, but I have yet to read it.
Then may I just say, read this friggin' book! Seriously. What are you waiting for?
When I was about 5% of the way through The Stand (Kindle tells you the percentage for those who don't know) and I was already thinking: "Wow, this is going to be an amazing book" and now that I'm just over 20% of the way through it, I'm REALLY excited about continuing with this book.
When I was about 5% of the way through The Stand (Kindle tells you the percentage for those who don't know) and I was already thinking: "Wow, this is going to be an amazing book" and now that I'm just over 20% of the way through it, I'm REALLY excited about continuing with this book.
The Stand is probably the best stand (nuggetz) alone novel I've ever read. It feels like a LOTR-style fantasy epic, but instead of characters from The Shire and Rohan and what not you have people from Texas, Maine, New York, etc. and instead of being set in Middle Earth or some other fictional locale the setting is America. The way the novel is split into three "books," I think with the right production team behind it it would make an awesome movie trilogy.
When I was about 5% of the way through The Stand (Kindle tells you the percentage for those who don't know) and I was already thinking: "Wow, this is going to be an amazing book" and now that I'm just over 20% of the way through it, I'm REALLY excited about continuing with this book.
The Stand is probably the best stand (nuggetz) alone novel I've ever read. It feels like a LOTR-style fantasy epic, but instead of characters from The Shire and Rohan and what not you have people from Texas, Maine, New York, etc. and instead of being set in Middle Earth or some other fictional locale the setting is America. The way the novel is split into three "books," I think with the right production team behind it it would make an awesome movie trilogy.
As far as a movie trilogy, The Stand was made into a made-for-TV movie. I watched it many times but I've never read the book. There are some pretty famous actors in there and Stephen King himself has a part. There are some parts where the acting is just bad! The budget was very low.
Say what you will about the TV adaptation, but the opening with "Don't Fear The Reaper" was quite awesome.When I was about 5% of the way through The Stand (Kindle tells you the percentage for those who don't know) and I was already thinking: "Wow, this is going to be an amazing book" and now that I'm just over 20% of the way through it, I'm REALLY excited about continuing with this book.
The Stand is probably the best stand (nuggetz) alone novel I've ever read. It feels like a LOTR-style fantasy epic, but instead of characters from The Shire and Rohan and what not you have people from Texas, Maine, New York, etc. and instead of being set in Middle Earth or some other fictional locale the setting is America. The way the novel is split into three "books," I think with the right production team behind it it would make an awesome movie trilogy.
As far as a movie trilogy, The Stand was made into a made-for-TV movie. I watched it many times but I've never read the book. There are some pretty famous actors in there and Stephen King himself has a part. There are some parts where the acting is just bad! The budget was very low.
Yes I've seen that a bunch of times. It is what it is. Pretty bad adaptation but they did the best they could with the budget and constraints of network TV. All in all it was still fun to see an attempted screen adaptation, and some of the casting choices were awesome (Gary Sinise as Stu) but most were pretty bad. Anyway, I'm talking a proper, big-budget, R-rated movie trilogy adaptation that stays as faithful to the source material as possible. I know, a guy can dream.
Say what you will about the TV adaptation, but the opening with "Don't Fear The Reaper" was quite awesome.
And I'm of the opinion that The Dark Tower is unfilmable, especially by Ron Howard. The Gunslinger might work as a decent loose-adaptation, but the other books are just too weird. It might be interesting to see someone try (Aronofsky), but I predict that any attempt would end in horrible failure.
I like the ending. Just not the final battle.
Finished The Long Walk today. Going to start A Game of Thrones after work.
Finished The Long Walk today. Going to start A Game of Thrones after work.
It might work as animation.
Just read The Hunger Games trilogy on the recommendation of my niece. Not sure what everyone's opinion is (no, I haven't searched the thread or this board yet), but I enjoyed them.
Just finished The Stand. Amazing book.
I'm currently reading The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls by Emilie Autumn.
I'm currently reading The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls by Emilie Autumn.
Of course.
So I have this US Short Novels class.
Last week finished Benito Cereno by Herman Melville. Great story! Although the old English made me have a dictionary by my side.
Next week for the same class: The Turn of the Screw - Henry James.
Also I'm reading Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Ulysses - James Joyce
While I do enjoy some of the reading I do in school, I probably would get a lot more out of reading my own books. My teacher this year lets us read our own books and it's been great. I read Paradise Lost, A Game of Thrones, and The Divine Comedy again, all at my own pace.
Best poem.
Plus, Dante has one of my favorite quotes ever: "There is no sorrow greater in times of misery to remember times of joy"
I don't know why, but I find that quote so moving.
'She [Lady Fortune] is reviled by the very ones
who most should praise her,
blaming and defaming her unjustly.
Just got done reading The Magicians by Lev Grossman. Kind of Harry Potter meets Narnia for grown-ups kind of book. Anyone else read this? I can't decide if I liked it or not, but have found myself thinking about it a lot since I finished it. There's a second book that just was released, so I think I'll read it once my library gets it.
I don't buy books anymore, but it is sad to see bookstores die. I suppose it's inevitable that physical, paper books become the vinyl of reading material: popular among a loyal, but small group of book lovers.
I don't buy books anymore, but it is sad to see bookstores die. I suppose it's inevitable that physical, paper books become the vinyl of reading material: popular among a loyal, but small group of book lovers.
having finished the MBA and reading economics books and articles every single day... today I'm gonna start Culture series by Iain M. Banks... something tells me that it's gonna be fun!
having finished the MBA and reading economics books and articles every single day... today I'm gonna start Culture series by Iain M. Banks... something tells me that it's gonna be fun!
congrats!
Not reading anything besides books for my classes, looking at a philosophy of mathematics book I wanna get for some winter break reading though.
:heart It's all good though, it's stuff relevant to my degree and it's actually fun to read it because it helps me make more sense of what to do for my internship (I am graduating this fall with my B.S. degree) :laugh:
Just picked up The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff.
Now, on to The Little Prince by Antonie de Saint-Exupery
I'm kind of excited. Hope it lives up to the hype
Switching it up a bit and going to give Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre a try
Just picked up The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff.
My bf has that book and has told me to read it... haven't yet. Let me know how you like it.
With a Tangled Skein by Piers Anthony
Wielding a Red Sword by Piers Anthony
A Clash of Crowns by George R. R. Martin.How was a Game of Thrones? I'd likely start reading it next week.
A Clash of Crowns by George R. R. Martin.How was a Game of Thrones? I'd likely start reading it next week.
Currently I'm reading Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges. That guy knew how to take you out from this world and into his, well, fictional world, which I love.
It was fantastic.A Clash of Crowns by George R. R. Martin.How was a Game of Thrones? I'd likely start reading it next week.
Yes, I've read it and I think Ficciones is even better.A Clash of Crowns by George R. R. Martin.How was a Game of Thrones? I'd likely start reading it next week.
Currently I'm reading Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges. That guy knew how to take you out from this world and into his, well, fictional world, which I love.
Have you read El Aleph? Amazing short stories book by Borges.
Currently reading Time out of Joint by Phillip Dick
Finally finishing the series (not reading the prequel) with And EternityDidn't know there was a prequel. First book was the best IMO.
Just finished Speaker for the Dead and am about to begin Ender's Shadow. Both by Orson Scott Card.How do those compare to the first book in the series?
Different but good. Ender's Shadow is the same story, told from Bean's view, and is excellent. Speaker for the Dead, and Xenocide, continue Ender's story after the Bugger war, and are both top notch too.Just finished Speaker for the Dead and am about to begin Ender's Shadow. Both by Orson Scott Card.How do those compare to the first book in the series?
Ok thank you. I'm on the first book now and it's good, but I wasn't sure about the othersDifferent but good. Ender's Shadow is the same story, told from Bean's view, and is excellent. Speaker for the Dead, and Xenocide, continue Ender's story after the Bugger war, and are both top notch too.Just finished Speaker for the Dead and am about to begin Ender's Shadow. Both by Orson Scott Card.How do those compare to the first book in the series?
Uncle John's Bathroom Reader
Foundation by Isaac Asimov.
Foundation by Isaac Asimov.
That book came highly recommended to me and I really wasn't that fond of it.
Foundation by Isaac Asimov.
That book came highly recommended to me and I really wasn't that fond of it.
I think it depends a lot on each person. I found it wonderful, then again I'm a hard sci fi fanboy so I probably don't count. I also think I liked it a lot because I read all the previous books (8 or 9) so that gave me a lot of background.
Currently reading The fifth head of cerebrus by Gene Wolfe
Foundation by Isaac Asimov.
That book came highly recommended to me and I really wasn't that fond of it.
I think it depends a lot on each person. I found it wonderful, then again I'm a hard sci fi fanboy so I probably don't count. I also think I liked it a lot because I read all the previous books (8 or 9) so that gave me a lot of background.
Currently reading The fifth head of cerebrus by Gene Wolfe
Exactly, As an avid Sci-Fi fan, I absolutely adore it but I can see why it may not appeal to some.
Foundation by Isaac Asimov.
That book came highly recommended to me and I really wasn't that fond of it.
I think it depends a lot on each person. I found it wonderful, then again I'm a hard sci fi fanboy so I probably don't count. I also think I liked it a lot because I read all the previous books (8 or 9) so that gave me a lot of background.
Currently reading The fifth head of cerebrus by Gene Wolfe
Exactly, As an avid Sci-Fi fan, I absolutely adore it but I can see why it may not appeal to some.
But I'm an avid sci-fi fan, which is why I was surprised I didn't like it.
Reading Lee Child The Affair if there are any fans of Jack Reacher this is a prequel while he was still in the Army.
Any fans of Clive Barker here? I have been told he is weird but great...... :smiley:
Really enjoying A Game of Thrones right now.
I know a book is amazing when I start reading it until I fall asleep and find my Kindle down the back of my bed.
That's exactly what I did :lolReally enjoying A Game of Thrones right now.
I know a book is amazing when I start reading it until I fall asleep and find my Kindle down the back of my bed.
Just started that too. I procrastinated because I knew I would have to pile through the whole series once started,
Might start re reading the dark tower again ahead of the new release.Oh wow. I just looked up the new book and I didn't realise it was coming out so soon.
Might start re reading the dark tower again ahead of the new release.Oh wow. I just looked up the new book and I didn't realise it was coming out so soon.
No tooter-fish popkins for Sai PLM.:lol
/darktowergeekingoutisfun
dud a chuckDod-a-chom?
Just finished The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Now, I'm reading The Grand Design by Steven Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow. After that, I plan on either reading The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins.or?
currently reading Dune: House Corrino (I think it's one of the Anderson books?)
it's been a while since I read the Dune books, and this one is pretty blah.
I'll probably stop soon
The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz
I'm currently reading Living To Tell The Tale by Gabriel Marquez. A beautiful book.Really? REALLY? OK.
Flow my tears, the policeman said by Philip Dick.He's so damn good at titles.
Flow my tears, the policeman said by Philip Dick.He's so damn good at everything.
Now reading Stephen King: 11/22/63. Awesome.Can't wait to get that one.
Now reading Stephen King: 11/22/63. Awesome.Can't wait to get that one.
Now reading Jo Nesbo / The Snowman.
:tupI FINISHED THEM BEFORE YOU
Read them all this year as well, loved them.
:lol:tupI FINISHED THEM BEFORE YOU
Read them all this year as well, loved them.
Reading is a race.
11/22/63 by Stephen King
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Finished Watchmen. Next book up is American Gods.
I just finished it. Keep with it, it gets better. Outstanding novel.11/22/63 by Stephen King
Ditto for the above.... But it hasn't grabbed me yet, only about 30 pages in
George R.R. Martin - A Feast for Crows
So far, it's a bit of a disappointment compared to the last 3 books.
George R.R. Martin - A Feast for Crows
So far, it's a bit of a disappointment compared to the last 3 books.
I just finished it. Keep with it, it gets better. Outstanding novel.11/22/63 by Stephen King
Ditto for the above.... But it hasn't grabbed me yet, only about 30 pages in
George R.R. Martin - A Feast for Crows
So far, it's a bit of a disappointment compared to the last 3 books.
It's going to be, book 3 has so much crazyness going on and book 4 (and 5 really) kind of calm things down and start to move pieces into position for (what I hope will be) the epic conclusion in books 6 and 7. That and the fact that it moves away from the main characters we'd been following thus far and starts focusing on a few other factions that we hadn't had much direct insight into up to that point. They're still great books though, it's ASOIAF after all so don't give up yet!
Big Koontz fan. I heard 77 Shadow Street is not good. Its too bad, I was really looking forward to it. Now I don't think I will bother.I just finished it. Keep with it, it gets better. Outstanding novel.11/22/63 by Stephen King
Ditto for the above.... But it hasn't grabbed me yet, only about 30 pages in
I am back into it, and yes it is getting interesting, I love that he is adding bits about previous books, such as the clown from IT, and Shawshank prison.
Only 118 pages in, it is a huge book.....this book is making me think I need to invest in an ereader.
By the way 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz is really out there, not one of his better ones in my opinion. :smiley:
The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter StraubThat's how I popped my King cherry. Really awesome.
On the sound recommendation of a friend, I've started The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski. Shit's amazing so far, didn't even need to subject it to the test I usually put books through.
The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter StraubThat's how I popped my King cherry. Really awesome.
Anywho, giving Choke by Chuck Palahinuk a try. Hope it's as good as Fight Club
Thanks for thhe recommendation guys. It was a good read, just very sad. Not suprising though considering what it's based on.On the sound recommendation of a friend, I've started The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski. Shit's amazing so far, didn't even need to subject it to the test I usually put books through.
I read that about a year back on my Dad's recommendation. Incredible novel.
Everyone go read Pillars of the Earth.x2
Now.
Finished Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Good book. It's semi-overwritten at points but that doesn't (usually) detract from the atmosphere and the characters. Very cool book and I enjoy it much more now than when I did in High School.
:lolFinished Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Good book. It's semi-overwritten at points but that doesn't (usually) detract from the atmosphere and the characters. Very cool book and I enjoy it much more now than when I did in High School.
I had to read it twice, once in high school and again recently for a college class (I'm an English major). I guess I appreciated it more the second time; I enjoy the story and the themes, but it is hard to read. It's a 95-page drunken ramble.
Everyone go read Pillars of the Earth.x2
Now.
I skipped "Apt Pupil" - I just wasn't in the mood.The Body is my personal favorite. Richard Dreyfuss narrated it though to me :P I couldn't get his character from Stand By Me out of my head
On to "The Body."
I skipped "Apt Pupil" - I just wasn't in the mood.
I skipped "Apt Pupil" - I just wasn't in the mood.I remember struggling with reading it when I got to half way through "apt pupil", I tend to read just before bed and that shit was just TOO dark!!
On to "The Body."
"Out of the Silent Planet" - C.S. LewisGreat book, but the trilogy got decidedly worse with each offering.
I have heard. I'm on Perelandra now, but have heard that I ought not bother with That Hideous Strength."Out of the Silent Planet" - C.S. LewisGreat book, but the trilogy got decidedly worse with each offering.
So, I finished HGTTG last night, and overall, it was enjoyable.You should read all 5 books of the trilogy. Then proceed on to the Dirk Gently novels.
That, as well as the name-dropping of the sequel at the very end compels me to acquire and read it.
The Stand - Stephen King, the 1300+ pages extended edition one.Great, great book.
Lee Child - Die Trying.Fun stuff. I love the Lee Child novels.
Not as good as the first in my opinion. Still great reads however, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest. I wish he could try using long sentences rather than making each sentence about 3 -5 words...
Just started reading A Time of Change by Robert Silverberg.
Just started reading A Time of Change by Robert Silverberg.
Silverberg is my all time favorite author, and Dying Inside my favorite book. Even had the opportunity to meet him and his wife, Karen Haber, at their place in Oakland. We ended up talking about cooking most of the time. :lol
Just started reading A Time of Change by Robert Silverberg.
Silverberg is my all time favorite author, and Dying Inside my favorite book. Even had the opportunity to meet him and his wife, Karen Haber, at their place in Oakland. We ended up talking about cooking most of the time. :lol
:omg: Lucky you! I have only read The World Inside, Letters from Atlantis, Nightwings and Nightfall. All of them great books
The Stand - Stephen King, the 1300+ pages extended edition one.Great, great book.
I just re-read one of my all time favorite books whilst stuck in the midst of a day of flight delays Friday.....Where the Red Fern Grows. Sure its technically a childrens book but I love it.
It was awesome to revisit that book. Probably read it 20 or 30 times in 4 th grade. And, I cried everytime.....and cried again Friday. It's a great story. I just found out they remade the movie in 2003. I'm going to try and find it. Dave Matthews was in it and a couple others.I just re-read one of my all time favorite books whilst stuck in the midst of a day of flight delays Friday.....Where the Red Fern Grows. Sure its technically a childrens book but I love it.
Oh man I loved that book! Even thought it made me ball like the little girl I was!
It was awesome to revisit that book. Probably read it 20 or 30 times in 4 th grade. And, I cried everytime.....and cried again Friday. It's a great story. I just found out they remade the movie in 2003. I'm going to try and find it. Dave Matthews was in it and a couple others.I just re-read one of my all time favorite books whilst stuck in the midst of a day of flight delays Friday.....Where the Red Fern Grows. Sure its technically a childrens book but I love it.
Oh man I loved that book! Even thought it made me ball like the little girl I was!
Plan on finishing Freewill by Sam Harris tonight. VERY short book, but it's helped kick me out of a slump of not reading anything in forever and a half.I love the fact that he believes in moral responsibility even though he's a determinist.
Plan on finishing Freewill by Sam Harris tonight. VERY short book, but it's helped kick me out of a slump of not reading anything in forever and a half.
I love the fact that he believes in moral responsibility even though he's a determinist.
Not Freewill, but The Moral Landscape
Not Freewill, but The Moral Landscape
The Moral Landscape was VERY good, but as Cole said, this one was somewhat lacking. And the reason Cole questioned you is because in Freewill he spends a good chunk of the book directly opposing determinist viewpoints. This is yet another Orion moment for you.
Redeeming Love.I heard it's good but kind of a chick book.
Pretty interesting so far. I have to read it for Scripture class.
Going through my every two years or so urge to read Star Wars extended universe novels.
The fact that every time this happens, I find two or three of the books I own I haven't actually READ yet suggests that perhaps I should stop doing this, though. :lol
Just picked up The End of Faith from a friend. Sam Harris is like 0/a lot so let's see how this goes.I actually was just about to pick it up from the library, too. Race ya.
lol, Pride and Prejudice can suck my ass. I'm only 90 pages into Frankenstein and already, more stuff has happened in those 90 pages than in the entirety of Pride and Prejudice. So much better and more interesting. I had to slog through P&P page by page but Frankenstein is a real page-turner. I actually give a fuck about the characters and what's going on. :lol
WLC is such an ass hat, I couldn't read a page of what he has to say without wanting to off myself. I still haven't watched the complete Hitchens and Harris debates because he's such a douche.
Seriously.WLC is such an ass hat, I couldn't read a page of what he has to say without wanting to off myself. I still haven't watched the complete Hitchens and Harris debates because he's such a douche.
I guess I just don't get this. He's the most diplomatic and patient man I know of.
WLC is such an ass hat, I couldn't read a page of what he has to say without wanting to off myself. I still haven't watched the complete Hitchens and Harris debates because he's such a douche.
I guess I just don't get this. He's the most diplomatic and patient man I know of.
Why don't you watch the Hitchens v Craig debate...that's a bag of fun...
Why don't you watch the Hitchens v Craig debate...that's a bag of fun...
I've watched most of it. Craig is an ass hat.
Major analytic philosopher? He didn't say anything that my friend (hardcore baptist) didn't learn in her sunday school's apologetics class.
I don't have hw, I might actually watch it. Just to appease you. :P
because he is trying to use logic to prove God when it should be a matter of faith.
Anyway, now reading I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert
Finished The Hunger Games a few days ago, looking forward to the movie. I've now moved on to book #2, Catching Fire.
Nick. You need to stop doing what I'm doing. I just finished The Hunger Games and am now on book 2.
Major analytic philosopher?Philosophy doesn't have to be about uncovering hidden truths that no one has ever thought of before. It can just as easily be about backing up a few simple (and obvious) premises.
Major analytic philosopher?Philosophy doesn't have to be about uncovering hidden truths that no one has ever thought of before. It can just as easily be about backing up a few simple (and obvious) premises.
I'm taking a Philosophy of Religion class and Craig's stuff takes up a chunk of pages in the Cosmological Argument section. To be mentioned in an upper-division intro to philosophy of religion course at a major secular university says something about his standing. Specifically, his work The Cosmological Argument from Plato to Leibniz (1980) is very well-respected by philosophers.Major analytic philosopher?Philosophy doesn't have to be about uncovering hidden truths that no one has ever thought of before. It can just as easily be about backing up a few simple (and obvious) premises.
It's not even that. I just find the adjective "major" kind of funny, considering if he had never gotten into apologetics, he wouldn't be famous. There are many better and more "major" philosophers out there.
As for "arguments for atheism," I'd state that one can't argue "for atheism" but merely "against religion" and with that, Dawkins does just fine. Hitchens trumps all, but in terms of science and how it relates to a possible intelligent designer, Dawkins can hold his own.
Omega, that is summing up Dawkins's book in a little snippet. I know he even does it, but it does him a great disservice. The book at length actually makes sense, although you've probably read it and consider it tripe.
It should also be noted that you will never see eye to eye with an atheist. So, I find it very funny that Craig would state that Hawking's defense of atheism was bad and that Dawkins's defense of atheism is worse considering, to Craig, there is no good defense of atheism.
Oh, and as for you question about evil...
No, the fact that religious people, as a massive whole, suck doesn't make God's existence any less probable. What does, however, are recent (last century) findings in history, philosophy, science, etc. that negate most of the biblical God.
Oh, Omega, I just read over your post, and I must say, saying religion is morally neutral is off, considering it calls for, in some cases, murder, rape, slavery, misogyny, etc.
Atheism, as a "doctrine" never calls for any one those, mind you.
Well, the big ones that come to mind are the age of the universe and the creation of man. The world is over 6 billion years old and we evolved from previous, now extinct species. I doubt you'd disagree, and both of those are in direct contrast with the teaching of the bible. Now, for some, you might be able to reconcile the idea of a God of the bible with that info, but for me, I can't. It all lost its legitimacy there.
Omega, that is incredibly false. Atheism isn't even a solid world view. Atheism, as whole, can't possibly call for the killing of people because atheism entails a lack of a belief in God, nothing more, nothing less. However, pointing out that, in some cases, religion calls for the deaths of populations and in others, the feeding of the hungry, doesn't matter. I'm an atheist and I've helped out and donate when I can.
To paraphrase Hitchens: Give me an example of any moral act that can be done by a man of faith and not by an atheist. You can't do it.
Take it to the P/R chat thread.
Edit: Just realized the slight problem with that. Take it to PM.
Well maybe if I weren't banned from P/R...pshah!
Well maybe if I weren't banned from P/R...pshah!
The topic should be banned from P/R.
Well maybe if I weren't banned from P/R...pshah!
The topic should be banned from P/R.
So should all the Je... jean wearing posters.
Finally got my replacement Kindle (stupid Amazon.co.uk not shipping to america).
TIME TO BOOK IT UP
Finished the Hunger Games series. Meh.
Started The Night Circus yesterday night, am halfway through it already. It's absolutely beautiful.
About 1/3 of the way through We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Pretty good so far, though the writing style is somewhat scatterbrained and difficult to follow at times.
The Third Chimpanzee- Jared Diamond.I'm reading Guns, Germs and Steel now, and I'm hooked. It's actually a pretty easy read compared to another book that I am returning to after a few years, Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton, which has a vocabulary lesson on every page. It's one of those books that is exactly what you expected it to be before you read it. All too often when I start a book it turns out to be something other than what I expect, and I lose interest because it doesn't answer my questions.
recently read Guns, Germs and Steel by the same author and am hooked on his books. I plan on reading his latest "Collapse" after this.
About a third of the way through Kitchen Confidential
Re-reading Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series, currently on the second book of ten, Deadhouse Gates.If I ever start a new fantasy series again it will probably be that one. I just started a reread of R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing trilogy, myself.
Given that the shortest book in the series is 200,000 words long, and most are over 350,000, I'm gonna be here a while. :lol
Nearly finished Sam Harris's latest offering: Free Will. 66 pages of interesting headfuck with regard to our notions of free will - it's made me sit up and take notice, that's for sure...
1/4 of the way through Hellbent by Cherie Priest. It's a nice take on the vampire thing, and the writing/narration is really funny and entertaining.
Nearly finished Sam Harris's latest offering: Free Will. 66 pages of interesting headfuck with regard to our notions of free will - it's made me sit up and take notice, that's for sure...
Yeah, but it's so dreadfully short. After that headfuck he uses one page to basically say how this could change everything. I really wish he had made it a full 200 page book and used the remaining 130+ pages in order to explain how his theories should affect how we conduct ourselves in the future.
I'm about half way through with The End of Faith and now more than ever, I think Harris is a complete ass.
Reading The Night Circus
Nah, I really like Dawkins and adore Hitchens. I don't know enough about Dennett to make a judgement call (I have Breaking the Spell, I need to read it), but I really dislike Harris.
He's far too militant and crazy for my taste.
"We should nuke Muslim countries before they develop nukes because they don't fear death so they'll have no problem nuking us..."
Really, dude?
Not to mention the fact that he is an extremist to the extent of the people he hates. He not only believes violence against people is justified, I think I can say he goes so far as to be an anti-pacifist, which is something I'm not at all cool with. I'm relatively hippie-esque, so reading that shit pisses me off...
Hitchens and Dawkins seem pretty militant about their atheism as well.
They wish to ban religion from the public square
often harp on about how they should do x to get rid of religion and even publish books with titles like How Religion Poisons Everything.
Yeah, there's a pretty big difference between being hostile towards a belief and saying an entire region of the world should be nuked.
This is untrue. As much as Dawkins and Hitchens hate religion and would love if it was kept out of the public square, neither one of them has ever said it should be banned. They dislike religion because it "makes a virtue out of not thinking" and would like a more secular look on life, teaching science, etc. They believe in the freedom to say whatever the hell you want, no matter how stupid.
To them and many others, religion should be gotten rid of. It isn't very hard to see why they think the way they do, regardless of whether you believe it or not. Hitchens truly believes that religion poisons everything and Dawkins really believes it takes a deluded person to believe in God. That's just, like, their opinions, man...
Next up: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Nearly finished Sam Harris's latest offering: Free Will. 66 pages of interesting headfuck with regard to our notions of free will - it's made me sit up and take notice, that's for sure...
Yeah, but it's so dreadfully short. After that headfuck he uses one page to basically say how this could change everything. I really wish he had made it a full 200 page book and used the remaining 130+ pages in order to explain how his theories should affect how we conduct ourselves in the future.
That's probably what Harris would say, too. It's all a matter of where on the firing range you fall. It's all perspective.Hitchens and Dawkins seem pretty militant about their atheism as well.
I'd say there is a difference between feeling very passionate about an idea and being a militant.
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I was recently in the UK and bought about 20 books. :biggrin:
Nice,read Dying Inside first,I'm curious to see if you love it ss much as I did.
I've read a TON of Heinlein, but not that novel, let me know how it is.
I just ordered Sherlock Holmes complete collection. Already read Hound of baskervilles and Study in Scarlet but it was dirty cheap.
Last week I read Sherlock Holmes; hound of the baskervilles and Animal farm (read it before). Now rereading 1984 and then on to something new. Either another Holmes novel or something heftier. Still have War and Peace lying around..Decided to read Murakami's 'Norwegian Wood'. Really like it so far (100 p. in). I also read 'Dance dance dance' and 'Kafka on the Shore' by him. Especially the latter was really good.
I've read a TON of Heinlein, but not that novel, let me know how it is.
Will do. I actually haven't read anything by him. Picked that one at random :P
I supposesd to be reading God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens (I promised Cole I would)
After Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs,
My plan to re-read Steven Erikson's Malazan series hit a slight speed bump this week, called the release of Stephen King's The Wind Through The Keyhole.Almost the same with me on R Scott Bakker, but I decided to continue on with the reread. I like Bakker more, anyways, and figured between the Prince of Nothing and Aspect Emperor subseries would be a good spot to fit it in.
After Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs,
Did you like it? I couldn't put it down.
I made the leap from Cakewalk Sonar Producer Edition to Avid ProTools 10 so I am currently reading this:
https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510t%2BIFYk6L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg
"Pro Tools 101 - An Introduction to Pro Tools 10"
I went with this because it's part of the approved Avid Certification Curriculum and so if I ever want to become Avid Certified I will have been exposed to actual course material. So far the book has been excellent and I've learned quite a bit. I'm about halfway through it, once I finish I will move on to the next one.
Xenocide by Orson Scott Card
Xenocide by Orson Scott Card
Let me know what you think. About the final 1/3rd of that book is where the series took a nose-dive for me.
Xenocide by Orson Scott Card
Let me know what you think. About the final 1/3rd of that book is where the series took a nose-dive for me.
Couldn't you wait until I finished reading it to say that?
You're setting Nekov up to over-analyze it, though. ...he probably just doesn't want expectations while reading.
DAT RED WEDDING!
DAT RED WEDDING!
Indeed.DAT RED WEDDING!
Some shit aint it?
The book about Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Swedish football player, noobs).
The book about Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Swedish football player, noobs).
There's a book about him? Really?
I used to love the guy cause he's such a good player but in recent years he demonstrated he's just an ass
The book about Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Swedish football player, noobs).
There's a book about him? Really?
I used to love the guy cause he's such a good player but in recent years he demonstrated he's just an ass
Yeah, it's his autobiography. Really interesting stuff.
The wind through the keyhole - Stephen King. :metalAs am I
The wind through the keyhole - Stephen King. :metalAs am I
Slaughterhouse FiveFYI, it's selling for .99 on Amazon Kindle today, for those who haven't read it.
Slaughterhouse FiveFYI, it's selling for .99 on Amazon Kindle today, for those who haven't read it.
Slaughterhouse FiveFYI, it's selling for .99 on Amazon Kindle today, for those who haven't read it.
That's about a dollar more than I'd like to pay for that particular book.
Slaughterhouse FiveFYI, it's selling for .99 on Amazon Kindle today, for those who haven't read it.
That's about a dollar more than I'd like to pay for that particular book.
wat
My summer reading list made by me:Lolita is great, I really enjoyed the way it was written. I also read Catch-22 and while it was good and funny at parts, it was a bit too long-winded for me.
Slaughterhouse Five
Lord of the Rings
Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong
The Great War for Civilization
Lolita
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Catch 22
A Theory of Justice
Naked Lunch
A Clockwork Orange
I've started most of these already. It's just about knocking them out.
My summer reading list made by me:
Slaughterhouse Five
Lord of the Rings
Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong
The Great War for Civilization
Lolita
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Catch 22
A Theory of Justice
Naked Lunch------------Good luck with this one....couldn't make it all the way through. Im afraid of needles. I tried though. It's FUCKED UP SHIT.
A Clockwork Orange
I've started most of these already. It's just about knocking them out.
Delving into book 3 of the Sword of Truth series Blood of the Fold
I enjoyed it, but not as much as the last two. I'm not sure though if I'm going to continue the series, at least not for the near futureFaith of the Fallen is Goodkind's gem, but he could barely even muster one good book the rest of the way. Promising series with some great moments, but overall it is leaning towards bad.
I'm currently reading A Dance with Dragons and enjoying it very much so far.
I can't decide if it's awsome or annoying. It's nice that you don't automatically know that the good guys will win, but it's frustrating to lose a main character and then have to work to get invested in another character only to lose them as well.I'm currently reading A Dance with Dragons and enjoying it very much so far.
Me too. Just had another of those wtf moments. With Martin you just don't know how things will go. No character is safe. And that's why he's awesome.
I've read a large chunk of it for school. If you like Greek mythology, you'll like it.I did too...that's why I hold onto it. :)
I'm about 1/3 of the way through Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, and started Pride and Prejudice as well. ALVH is really entertaining, Pride and Prejudice I'm not sure about. It's all just setup so far, so I'm not sure where it's going.
Just finished reading Xenocide. I can see why ou wouldn't like how the book developes towards the end Nick, it gets a little weird and maybe ridiculous but it's sci-fi, things like this happen in other books.
Just finished reading Xenocide. I can see why ou wouldn't like how the book developes towards the end Nick, it gets a little weird and maybe ridiculous but it's sci-fi, things like this happen in other books.
Will start Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg
Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith
Just started The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro.
Sigz, it's going to be part of a trilogy
Currently going through another re-read of Stranger in a Strange Land. Absolutely my all time favorite book. Jubal Harshaw has replaced Hawkeye Pierce as my all-time favorite fictional character. I love every word that comes out of his mouth. Absolutely amazing. I could read this book over and over and over again, and never tire of it.
Next up, I'm starting Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (again). This time I'm not going to get distracted and I'm going to finish it!
Dang. How much do you read each day?
Fletch Won by Gregory MacDonaldFuckin' A! I love those books!
40% of the way through The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It's already my favorite read of this year, with only Dorian Grey even coming close. It's just... perfect.
I put it on my to read list, sounds interesting.40% of the way through The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It's already my favorite read of this year, with only Dorian Grey even coming close. It's just... perfect.
Finished. It was beautiful from start to finish... I'm kinda speechless beyond that.
The Running Man - Stephen King.They are not even remotely similar. At all.
So far so good. I have never seen the movie, so I plan to do that after I finish reading it.
Fletch Won by Gregory MacDonaldFuckin' A! I love those books!
Bout halfway through The Stars My Destinationion. It's... very odd. But it has a really refreshing setting and main character.
Bout halfway through The Stars My Destinationion. It's... very odd. But it has a really refreshing setting and main character.
How do you guys determine what you want to read? There's so many books out there and getting through a book is a huge time and money investment. And obviously you won't know if you like it until you read it, so it's kind of a catch 22.
On that note, I finished 50 Shades of Grey and got about 1/4 of the way through American Gods today. 50 Shades would have been hilariously bad if it was half the length, but it really dragged at the end. Still, it was definitely in the spectrum of 'so bad it's good', and it actually ended really unexpectedly.
How do you guys determine what you want to read? There's so many books out there and getting through a book is a huge time and money investment. And obviously you won't know if you like it until you read it, so it's kind of a catch 22.
On that note, I finished 50 Shades of Grey and got about 1/4 of the way through American Gods today. 50 Shades would have been hilariously bad if it was half the length, but it really dragged at the end. Still, it was definitely in the spectrum of 'so bad it's good', and it actually ended really unexpectedly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K1RcKJVbHA
I use goodreads and the books subreddit mainly, they have all sorts of lists of recommended books (just avoid the ones infested by Twilight moms), and just save books that sound interesting to my todo list. When I need a new book, I just go through it and pick out whatever sounds interesting.
On that note, I finished 50 Shades of Grey and got about 1/4 of the way through American Gods today. 50 Shades would have been hilariously bad if it was half the length, but it really dragged at the end. Still, it was definitely in the spectrum of 'so bad it's good', and it actually ended really unexpectedly.
American Gods is the first Gaiman book I've read, and so far it's pretty much exactly what I expected - awesome. Still not sure where it's going, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Shadow as a main character, but it's still excellent.
How do you guys determine what you want to read? There's so many books out there and getting through a book is a huge time and money investment. And obviously you won't know if you like it until you read it, so it's kind of a catch 22.
How do you guys determine what you want to read? There's so many books out there and getting through a book is a huge time and money investment. And obviously you won't know if you like it until you read it, so it's kind of a catch 22.
How do you guys determine what you want to read? There's so many books out there and getting through a book is a huge time and money investment. And obviously you won't know if you like it until you read it, so it's kind of a catch 22.
Maphead - Ken Jennings
Rainbow Six - Tom ClancyHow do you guys determine what you want to read? There's so many books out there and getting through a book is a huge time and money investment. And obviously you won't know if you like it until you read it, so it's kind of a catch 22.
For the most part I just randomly browse the book store until I come across something that looks interesting. Once you sort of pinpoint an author or genre you like, that gradually makes the selection process easier.
And yeah, it costs money, but it depends. There are countless novels you can get used on Amazon for less than a dollar, plus shipping. Even new books at a bookstore...a small-print, compact paperback novel usually doesn't exceed nine or ten bucks.
It would make sense to use the library, but I like having a collection.
Started the uncut and complete version of Stephen King's The Stand last night.I read that one a few months ago. It's brilliant.
Started the uncut and complete version of Stephen King's The Stand last night.Just finished it last week. Very enjoyable. Came down with a raging case of the flu a couple days later. I'm kinda freaked out. :)
Just finished 11/22/63 by Stephen King, it was way better than I expected and I really enjoyed it.Yeah, I read that during my holiday. It was a really good book
Started Cloud Atlas. The first section was kinda meh, but it picked up pretty quickly.Felt the same way. I think that first story was my least favorite of the six although I liked the climax. I can't wait to see the movie. It looks awesome
Finally finished American Gods. It was brilliant.Yes it is, I may have to go back to it at some point.
Avengers Vs. X-MenHow is it?
Avengers Vs. X-MenHow is it?
Now I'm on to Brave New World.
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
I really enjoyed it. Some of the formatting of certain passages take some time to get used to. I definitely recommend itHouse of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
I have been meaning to read this for so long ):
I'm almost done A Game of Thrones. Anyone else here read them? Should I marathon read, or break in between each book?I read the first two or three in a row and then read shook or two in between from there on out. It got to be a bit overwhelming to read them all straight through.
I'm almost done A Game of Thrones. Anyone else here read them? Should I marathon read, or break in between each book?There are separate threads dedicated to the books and the tv show, it's a very popular series here.
Jo Nesbo - The Cockroach. The second(and as yet unreleased) novel in the Harry Hole series. Why it took so long for them to translate and release this is beyond me.
^ It's a masterpiece....
^ It's a masterpiece....
No doubt, but it's also no easy read, and I'm struggling a little with the interpretation.
Just started the new Lee Child novel A Wanted Man. Jack Reacher FTW :metal
The Twelve by Justin CroninWow, I'd forgotten it was out already, I need that book!
Finally got started on the A Song of Ice and Fire series :metal
Why, thank you, I surely will. And I always get attached to the characters, no matter what; but I've seen season 1 of the series already so I have already been dealt the biggest blow I guess :biggrin:Finally got started on the A Song of Ice and Fire series :metal
Have fun with it! And remember: don't ever get too attached to the characters, if you don't want to shed tears.
Why, thank you, I surely will. And I always get attached to the characters, no matter what; but I've seen season 1 of the series already so I have already been dealt the biggest blow I guess :biggrin:
Yeah, Sansa betraying and killing Arya must have been the worst.I'm gonna hope your'e just joking, otherwise I'll have to kill you now.
Finished The Stranger (aka The Outsider) by Albert Camus. I absolutely loved the last chapter, which I reread multiple times already.Great book.
Finishing up the Fifty Shades trilogy.
My wife read them, and asked me to read them. It's been fun discussing it with her.Finishing up the Fifty Shades trilogy.
And Hefdaddy loses 50 points.
I won't take off any points who reads the first book out of curiosity, but to continue the series... why?
My wife read them, and asked me to read them. It's been fun discussing it with her.Finishing up the Fifty Shades trilogy.
And Hefdaddy loses 50 points.
I won't take off any points who reads the first book out of curiosity, but to continue the series... why?
But trust me, there will be no re-reading.
Quantum Physics And Experience by David Albert. This guy is literally a legend in philosophy of science, so I'm happy that I'm able to read him in one of my classes. I'm loving it so far.Had to write a paper on the "Many Worlds Interpretation" of quantum mechanics, which basically states that collapse is illusory. It basically took all day. I'm wondering if I should go to bed.
The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
Yes it is. I've heard good things.The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
That's a great book. Is it your first Connelly book?
I really, really like Harry Bosch, he's a complex, but very intriguing (sp?) character, I think, and Connelly manages to portray him in a unique way. If you like it, I would recommend to continue chronologically after that, which would be The Black Ice and The Concrete Blonde.I've already purchased The Black Ice. :biggrin:
What were your thoughts on Black Echo?It was a fun read. Pretty good writing for crime novel.
I don't know how many Connelly's you're planning to read, but I would definitely recommend Angel's Flight, it's probably one of my favourite crime novels ever.I don't know, we'll see. Definitely worth further exploration.
Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey
I just finished reading all the book in The Hunger Games series. I liked them, but the ending was kind of "meh." And I'm a little annoyed that I stayed up late reading the last one to have it end that way.Yeah, it wasn't the best ending. I enjoyed the third more than most, though. I'm not sure what would have been a better ending.
Oh well.
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. Amazingly amazing. :hefdaddy
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. Amazingly amazing. :hefdaddyI just finished that book a few days ago; it was amazing! I really need to stop myself from starting reading the next book immediately; otherwise I'll be done with the whole series in a few weeks...
Currently reading A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick.
Finally started on Clockwork Angels
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. Amazingly amazing. :hefdaddyI just finished that book a few days ago; it was amazing! I really need to stop myself from starting reading the next book immediately; otherwise I'll be done with the whole series in a few weeks...
:lol
I don't see the point in not reading them back-to-back just to prolong it. Reading them straight through helps you notice far more details in these epic series.
I literaly swallowed them in less than two months (and ADWD was in English, too!)! :D
I adore the [A Scanner Darkly] film version. How is the book?It's not bad. Some things were changed around for modernization, but otherwise it's really solid. I like his style of explaining everything. His sarcasm is really dark, but if you're in the right mindset, it's pretty funny.
Just got done reading Clockwork Angels. Very good read that would translate well to the big screen. I highly recommend it. I give it an A for originality, and makes the album that much cooler to listen to now that you have the full scope of the story.. :corn
About a third of the way through Stardust by Neil Gaiman, loving it so far.
Currently reading 1Q84 by haruki murakami... I quite enjoy his writing style... Would anyone have any ideas on which books of his to read next? CheersKafka on the Shore is my personal favorite by him.
Are you throwing 4.5 into the mix?From what I've heard, I can leave it until after I read 7. So I'll do it that way.
Well, of course you can, that's how most of us read the series. King intended it to be implanted there, though, few readers have actually experienced it for the first time in that spot, so I doubt many have good opinions on where it is better to place.No, I understand that, I guess what I meant to say was that it doesn't change the experience much from what I've heard.
Now for something completely different, Dostoevsky's Crime and PunishmentCoincidentally also started reading this.
About halfway through Kraken by China Mieville, which I'm liking quite a bit.Let me know what you make of it if you have time to post more thoughts. Perdido Street Station and The Scar were both awesome, but Meiville started to lose me around Iron Council and REALLY lost me with The City and The City.
Just started another attempt at the Wheel of Time series.Kraken was a big disappointment for me. I thought the idea was massively cool, but the execution... not so much. Not bad, some cool ideas, but it's very much China being an excessive version of himself.About halfway through Kraken by China Mieville, which I'm liking quite a bit.Let me know what you make of it if you have time to post more thoughts. Perdido Street Station and The Scar were both awesome, but Meiville started to lose me around Iron Council and REALLY lost me with The City and The City.
Finished Wolves of the Calla. That last chapter plus the epilogue... the fuck did I just read? :lol
What they did has a bit of a Deus Ex Machina feel to it, I just hope it doesn't go that route.Finished Wolves of the Calla. That last chapter plus the epilogue... the fuck did I just read? :lol
Depending on your opinion on metafiction, things are about to get a lot better, or worse, in that regard. :lol
What they did has a bit of a Deus Ex Machina feel to it, I just hope it doesn't go that route.Finished Wolves of the Calla. That last chapter plus the epilogue... the fuck did I just read? :lol
Depending on your opinion on metafiction, things are about to get a lot better, or worse, in that regard. :lol
Started rereading The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan. Hoping to reread the entire series and finally finish what I started reading 10 years ago in High School. Dunno if that will happen, but I'm going to try.My sister finished recently after six years. And now she's forcing me to read all the books, I've fallen out of fantasy but I will give them a try... what's the worst that can happen.
Falling into it again ;)OMG that would be terrible :D
I can't decide between Under the Dome or 11-22-63. Any suggestions?I personally thought 11-22-63 was quite a bit better. Under the Dome is also a fun read though.
As long as it's all good fantasy then is there a problem? :DFalling into it again ;)OMG that would be terrible :D
Not sure you saw my posts above, but I recently finished the series and am glad I never gave it up. Unlike so many other series, this ones pays off big time in the end. With the conclusion, it is firmly up there as a favourite fantasy series of mine. Martin keeps sliding a little on me. Bakker is already my favourite, Martin had better go out in style to fend off Jordan.Started rereading The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan. Hoping to reread the entire series and finally finish what I started reading 10 years ago in High School. Dunno if that will happen, but I'm going to try.My sister finished recently after six years. And now she's forcing me to read all the books, I've fallen out of fantasy but I will give them a try... what's the worst that can happen.
Just started Atlas Shrugged today. So far I'm liking it and its been a page turner. I really like her prose.
Paolo Bacigalupi - The Windup Girl - Amazing. One of the best dystopian novels that I've read.Yep. I really enjoyed that book as well.
Paolo Bacigalupi - The Windup Girl - Amazing. One of the best dystopian novels that I've read.Yep. I really enjoyed that book as well.
Wonder if he's gonna write a sequel or not?
True, but it did kinda scream 'get ready for a sequel!' to me. :lolI understand where you're coming from, but I'm hoping that he doesn't, to be honest.
Just got all caught up with ASoIaF. That was a long 5 months straight of reading nothing else.How disappointed are you in the complete tease that was ADwD?
Just got all caught up with ASoIaF. That was a long 5 months straight of reading nothing else.How disappointed are you in the complete tease that was ADwD?
I literally just got done with Song of Susannah and man I'm happy King didn't use himself for a major deus ex machina. Or so it seems.
Final book should arrive tomorrow. :caffeine:
I did not like the early WoT books as much when I reread the series, either. I found them to be slow paced and missed the huge story lines that spanned the second half of the series. They work a lot better when you are filled with mystery. Though, second time through is good for spotting details, etc. What hurts the first three the most, I think, is that each one had an ending that seemed to be leaving open the possibility that it was the end of the series.I've read the early books (up to Lord of Chaos) I think twice before at least. Maybe A Crown of Swords too, but it's been years. I originally gave up on the series after Crossroads of Twilight came out which I can't accurately describe without unleashing a stream of profanity.
How many books have you read before? Crown of Swords was the favourite of mine both time I read the series.
:lolI did not like the early WoT books as much when I reread the series, either. I found them to be slow paced and missed the huge story lines that spanned the second half of the series. They work a lot better when you are filled with mystery. Though, second time through is good for spotting details, etc. What hurts the first three the most, I think, is that each one had an ending that seemed to be leaving open the possibility that it was the end of the series.I've read the early books (up to Lord of Chaos) I think twice before at least. Maybe A Crown of Swords too, but it's been years. I originally gave up on the series after Crossroads of Twilight came out which I can't accurately describe without unleashing a stream of profanity.
How many books have you read before? Crown of Swords was the favourite of mine both time I read the series.
I remember during my first reread of the series that the first four books held up really well while everything afterwards started to feel unnecessarily bloated and longwinded. That's one of the reasons why I'm rereading these books again just to see how well they hold up and how my tastes have changed along with finally providing some closure to a story that I was insanely into during my junior high and high school years.
The Shadow Rises has always been my favorite with The Dragon Reborn and maybe The Great Hunt and A Crown of Swords pulling up just behind.
Picking up on all the little details is still fun after all these years though.
Yeah, that's what I've heard from people who've either started after me or have reread the series in one go but I'm still not looking forward to it. I actually think the thing with Egwene was just a bit of too little, too late. I know I just didn't give a crap at the time. :):lolI did not like the early WoT books as much when I reread the series, either. I found them to be slow paced and missed the huge story lines that spanned the second half of the series. They work a lot better when you are filled with mystery. Though, second time through is good for spotting details, etc. What hurts the first three the most, I think, is that each one had an ending that seemed to be leaving open the possibility that it was the end of the series.I've read the early books (up to Lord of Chaos) I think twice before at least. Maybe A Crown of Swords too, but it's been years. I originally gave up on the series after Crossroads of Twilight came out which I can't accurately describe without unleashing a stream of profanity.
How many books have you read before? Crown of Swords was the favourite of mine both time I read the series.
I remember during my first reread of the series that the first four books held up really well while everything afterwards started to feel unnecessarily bloated and longwinded. That's one of the reasons why I'm rereading these books again just to see how well they hold up and how my tastes have changed along with finally providing some closure to a story that I was insanely into during my junior high and high school years.
The Shadow Rises has always been my favorite with The Dragon Reborn and maybe The Great Hunt and A Crown of Swords pulling up just behind.
Picking up on all the little details is still fun after all these years though.
Crossroads of Twilight is less malicious without the years of wait on either side. That and Fires of Heaven are easily the worst two books in the series, though. It's funny, I find what he attempted with Crossroads of Twilight, an epilogue spanning all the plot lines during the greatest event in the series up to that point, to be an interesting idea. Too bad it failed. I remember when it came out that all the other friends I knew that read it had completely missed everything that happened with Egwene in the end. I think they were so upset at that point they were glossing over it too fast. :lol They didn't believe me when I was talking about what happened. At least in a reread you can skim it without worrying about missing much.
I think 3,4,7,9(except Elayne's line),11,12,14 represent the good half of the series.
What's your problem with 9? Elayne's story is a tough read, if I recall, but most of the rest of the book I found to be some of his best in the series. 8 was neither good nor bad to me, just a moving along book with a slap you in the face epilogue (I think, hard to keep it all straight).Well, it's been a long time since I've read it, so giving a full critique would be difficult, but going from what I remember, I found the first half of the book to be a slog. Then THE Big Event (being vague to avoid spoiling for other readers here) seemingly comes out of nowhere as if Robert Jordan just decided that the book needed a big climax so WHAM, there it is. I know Rand had been dropping hints for a while, but it still seemed a bit out of left field. Also, his story line in Far Madding seemed... very contrived or, more specifically, Far Madding itself felt very contrived. I honestly don't remember any specifics from Elayne's storyline but books 8, 9 and 10 tend to run together for me, except where Rand was involved.
Finishing up The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly. I've been on a bit of a Connelly kick lately.
No. Salvatore is a contract writer extraordinaire, not a fantastic novelist. Maybe he's improved, I don't know and don't care. If I'm going to get a dime novel product I'll stick to a licensed product. I'm no longer exploring fantasy, anyways, and if it isn't something serious and meaningful, like the heavy speculative fantasy from Bakker, I wouldn't even consider it. Like anything, this genre gets old if the author isn't challenging you as the reader.
Mine did a little. The first two sunk badly and Winter's Heart slid a tad from being one of my favourite two or three. The Elayne stuff is early in the book, and the I agree with you that the first half can be a little plodding. Far Madding and the Event both made sense to me. Far Madding was a reasonable place to set a trap on those involved in the end of Path of Daggers. He nullified their advantage and gave himself a huge advantage. Was it contrived? I'm not sure, maybe. Given the nature and attitudes of the world and magic it wasn't far fetched, at least. It's not that different than shielding or steddings. The Event was begging to be done, it was more than just a few hints leading up to it. There was a lot pointing to it and considering Rand's state it was to a point it probably had to be done soon. I can't buy it as being out of left field. I still think it's in the top 4 or 5 in the series, and iif some early stretches were stronger top two or three.What's your problem with 9? Elayne's story is a tough read, if I recall, but most of the rest of the book I found to be some of his best in the series. 8 was neither good nor bad to me, just a moving along book with a slap you in the face epilogue (I think, hard to keep it all straight).Well, it's been a long time since I've read it, so giving a full critique would be difficult, but going from what I remember, I found the first half of the book to be a slog. Then THE Big Event (being vague to avoid spoiling for other readers here) seemingly comes out of nowhere as if Robert Jordan just decided that the book needed a big climax so WHAM, there it is. I know Rand had been dropping hints for a while, but it still seemed a bit out of left field. Also, his story line in Far Madding seemed... very contrived or, more specifically, Far Madding itself felt very contrived. I honestly don't remember any specifics from Elayne's storyline but books 8, 9 and 10 tend to run together for me, except where Rand was involved.
Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think Winter's Heart was terrible or anything, but considering what happened in the book and what had been set up in Path of Daggers it all felt very, very disappointing at the time.
As for Path of Daggers, at the time I gave that book a lot of leeway mostly for two reasons:
1) It was the first book that felt like set-up
2) It was pretty action packed
My opinions may very well change, actually I'm sure they will, but those were my feelings at the time... ten years ago. :)
It's not exactly condescending. I have respect for what Salvatore does, but I've never read or heard anything about him that makes me take him as a top class fantasy author. He and guys like Peter David or Timothy Zahn are good at what they do. They write fast and craft entertaining stories that can keep you going, but they tend to lack much for depth. Demon Wars I may have even read a little of, looking at the published dates. That's right when I was working in a book store and was sampling him.No. Salvatore is a contract writer extraordinaire, not a fantastic novelist. Maybe he's improved, I don't know and don't care. If I'm going to get a dime novel product I'll stick to a licensed product. I'm no longer exploring fantasy, anyways, and if it isn't something serious and meaningful, like the heavy speculative fantasy from Bakker, I wouldn't even consider it. Like anything, this genre gets old if the author isn't challenging you as the reader.Not quite sure what you all mean by this, but I gotta say, these novels were unlike any fantasy I've ever read. It really made me question the motives of certain characters and consider why they did what they did in the context of the story. Not to mention, it has the best villain I have ever read, I really wanted the guy to just explode everytime I read about him. Like I said, the first two novels are standard fantasy, but the rest really go above and beyond and have a lot of character interaction and development, and everything comes together nicely to build a pretty good story. But, like all things, it may not be your cup of tea, you just came off as really condescending and I wanted to clarify myself a bit, and I'm still unsure what you meant by most of your post.
About the same. I prefer the Bosch stuff I've read, although there are plenty more I need to read.Finishing up The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly. I've been on a bit of a Connelly kick lately.
Thoughts? I liked it a lot, but I prefer the Bosch stuff, and the ending was a little predictable, though it was still an enjoyable read.
It's not exactly condescending. I have respect for what Salvatore does, but I've never read or heard anything about him that makes me take him as a top class fantasy author. He and guys like Peter David or Timothy Zahn are good at what they do. They write fast and craft entertaining stories that can keep you going, but they tend to lack much for depth. Demon Wars I may have even read a little of, looking at the published dates. That's right when I was working in a book store and was sampling him.No. Salvatore is a contract writer extraordinaire, not a fantastic novelist. Maybe he's improved, I don't know and don't care. If I'm going to get a dime novel product I'll stick to a licensed product. I'm no longer exploring fantasy, anyways, and if it isn't something serious and meaningful, like the heavy speculative fantasy from Bakker, I wouldn't even consider it. Like anything, this genre gets old if the author isn't challenging you as the reader.Not quite sure what you all mean by this, but I gotta say, these novels were unlike any fantasy I've ever read. It really made me question the motives of certain characters and consider why they did what they did in the context of the story. Not to mention, it has the best villain I have ever read, I really wanted the guy to just explode everytime I read about him. Like I said, the first two novels are standard fantasy, but the rest really go above and beyond and have a lot of character interaction and development, and everything comes together nicely to build a pretty good story. But, like all things, it may not be your cup of tea, you just came off as really condescending and I wanted to clarify myself a bit, and I'm still unsure what you meant by most of your post.
I enjoyed these kinds of books when I was younger, but there's only so much you can take of them. I can't take sci fi or fantasy that isn't heady anymore. I've had enough in my life. Wheel of Time is was crafted top to bottom and provides an challenge in extensive detail, hints, and mystery. It's probably as light as I'll ever go for fantasy again. Bakker's whole world is seeping of philosophical lessons, his magic system is even a discussion on the form of argument. Reynolds hard sci fi is filled to the brim with scientific explanation and challenges the reader to see a more realistic future. Salvatore is a fantasy story, period. He has his place, he is good at what he does. Not everybody wants what I want. I don't expect you to read what I like or want. Salvatore just isn't the same kind of fantasy or sci fi I look for.
The Catcher in the Rye. Easy read if you didn't read it in high school.
Mine did a little. The first two sunk badly and Winter's Heart slid a tad from being one of my favourite two or three. The Elayne stuff is early in the book, and the I agree with you that the first half can be a little plodding. Far Madding and the Event both made sense to me. Far Madding was a reasonable place to set a trap on those involved in the end of Path of Daggers. He nullified their advantage and gave himself a huge advantage. Was it contrived? I'm not sure, maybe. Given the nature and attitudes of the world and magic it wasn't far fetched, at least. It's not that different than shielding or steddings. The Event was begging to be done, it was more than just a few hints leading up to it. There was a lot pointing to it and considering Rand's state it was to a point it probably had to be done soon. I can't buy it as being out of left field. I still think it's in the top 4 or 5 in the series, and iif some early stretches were stronger top two or three.God it's been a long time since I've participated in an in-depth Wheel of Time discussion. :lol
I appreciate your opinions, though. I'm not trying call you wrong, just explain my differing view on it.
God it's been a long time since I've participated in an in-depth Wheel of Time discussion. :lolThat's a good question on Far Madding. Far Madding was definitely mentioned beforehand, but were the qualities of it? I think it was possibly hinted at that something was up with Far Madding at some point prior, but I don't thnk I'd want to bet on it. Did the companion book describe it? That is a little annoying for Jordan to not drop a hint at that if he did not, since the series calling card might be intricate detail and foreshadowing.
Okay, my problem with Far Madding is pretty much the epitome of nit-picky, geek complaining. Jordan was usually pretty good about dropping details about things that wouldn't be important for several books and yet, I don't believe that he ever mentioned the 'special qualities' of Far Madding before that book.
As for the coming out of left field thing, I thought it was strange how Rand goes from mucking about in Far Madding to 'oh hey, I'm gonna go do this important thing now kthxbai' in seemingly the blink of an eye. It was just a strangely structured book to me, but now as I think about it, it doesn't sound as bad as I remember it being.
All you guys talking fantasy really should read R.A. Salvatore's Demon Wars novels. You may or may not know Salvatore as the creator of Drizzt Do'Urden (in the Forgotten Realms setting), who is probably one of the most popular fantasy characters out there, but the Demon Wars Saga, to me, is his best work. It is seven novels, has a fantastic magic system, and memorable characters. The first two novels are your basic fantasy, with goblins orcs and a "dark lord," but after that the story is really character driven but still has a lot of fantasy elements. I would highly recommend them to any fantasy reader, they are really good reads.
All you guys talking fantasy really should read R.A. Salvatore's Demon Wars novels. You may or may not know Salvatore as the creator of Drizzt Do'Urden (in the Forgotten Realms setting), who is probably one of the most popular fantasy characters out there, but the Demon Wars Saga, to me, is his best work. It is seven novels, has a fantastic magic system, and memorable characters. The first two novels are your basic fantasy, with goblins orcs and a "dark lord," but after that the story is really character driven but still has a lot of fantasy elements. I would highly recommend them to any fantasy reader, they are really good reads.
I second this recommendation. The Demon Wars books are much more "grown up" than most of his Forgotten Realms work (although those books also became more mature as they progressed). As you say it starts out as pretty standard fantasy, but then goes off in a very dark direction. And I love the magic system he created.
Another author that comes up with cool settings and systems of magic is Dave Duncan. I particularly recommend his King's Blades series. A combination of swashbuckling adventure, some very dark thematic material, and the aforementioned cool magic system.
No. Salvatore is a contract writer extraordinaire, not a fantastic novelist. Maybe he's improved, I don't know and don't care. If I'm going to get a dime novel product I'll stick to a licensed product. I'm no longer exploring fantasy, anyways, and if it isn't something serious and meaningful, like the heavy speculative fantasy from Bakker, I wouldn't even consider it. Like anything, this genre gets old if the author isn't challenging you as the reader.
I think I almost had more fun reading through the Appendices at the back of The Thousandfold Thought than I did reading the actual book. I love Bakker's world and his characters are incredibly intriguing but he too often likes to bludgeon the reader with his philosophical asides (over and over and over...). The Thousandfold Thought was especially bad for that, even if it did have some moments of epic amazingness.I love Bakker's writing and don't think of the philosophical stuff as asides. It's worked really well into being a part of the world and story. It's often the characters own analysis of a situation or their own motives, it works really well. Yes, he does hit some points more often, but that's hard to avoid given that it is centered around how he crafted the world and characters. Calling it a bludgeon is harsh, Goodkind is a bludgeon. Thousandfold Thought compared to the pile that turned into is a masterpiece, and I agree (if you're saying so) Thousandfold Thought might be the weakest in the series.
Next up: Catcher in the Rye (missed out on reading it in high school)
Next up: Catcher in the Rye (missed out on reading it in high school)
Speaking of novels about Dystopia, I still need to finish "We". I almost made it to the end, but haven't quite gotten there yet. Just like other books that I'd really like to read (Dune, Kafka's The Trial).
Next up: Catcher in the Rye (missed out on reading it in high school)
Next up: Catcher in the Rye (missed out on reading it in high school)
Catcher in the rye is one of my very favorites, enjoy.
Finally started Game of Thrones. Gotta get through book 3 by the time season 3 starts.Same thing here.
Finally started Game of Thrones. Gotta get through book 3 by the time season 3 starts.
Finally started Game of Thrones. Gotta get through book 3 by the time season 3 starts.YOU SHALL NOT BE DISPLEASED!
Finally started Game of Thrones. Gotta get through book 3 by the time season 3 starts.YOU SHALL NOT BE DISPLEASED!
A friend of mine recently dumped the series during Feast.for Crows. He was displeased.I don't get the hate for Feast. I thought it was great, though I haven't reread it since.
In Cold Blood by Truman CapoteGreat book. The killers were recently exhumed for another crime that is mentioned in the book. It's an interesting case
Was that the one about the Tallahassee killings? Anyway, yeah, it was a good book. I'm going to probably check out Capote sometime this week now that I know what the book was aboutIn Cold Blood by Truman CapoteGreat book. The killers were recently exhumed for another crime that is mentioned in the book. It's an interesting case
Was that the one about the Tallahassee killings?Yep, supposedly they talked to the couple earlier in the day about their car.
About 2/3 of the way through A Storm of Swords. God damn you George RR Martin.
God damn you.
Just started It by Stephen King.
Finished A Storm of Swords, just in time for season 3 of GOT. Sweet jesus that was good.:hat
Rereading the LotR trilogy for the first time in years. Actually, I hadn't even read it in English yet (I only had the Dutch translations). It must've been at least 6 years since I last read it. Anyway, as great as the films are, the books are even better. Wow.This might be stupid, but...
...and that's all we'll be doing for the next five years. :coolioFinished A Storm of Swords, just in time for season 3 of GOT. Sweet jesus that was good.:hat
Now you can get ready to bitch about all the changes just like the rest of us. :neverusethis:
lalalalala...and that's all we'll be doing for the next five years. :coolioFinished A Storm of Swords, just in time for season 3 of GOT. Sweet jesus that was good.:hat
Now you can get ready to bitch about all the changes just like the rest of us. :neverusethis:
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren - should take a month40 days if you do it right.
Right, I guess I meant about a month.The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren - should take a month40 days if you do it right.
About 2/3 of the way through A Storm of Swords. God damn you George RR Martin.I just read the chapters you were probably referring to. I feel like throwing my book against the wall, what the fuck.
God damn you.
You two need to put your tears in bottles and send them to GRRM's house so he can add them to the river he has on the back of house made from the tears of everyone who's read up to that point!About 2/3 of the way through A Storm of Swords. God damn you George RR Martin.I just read the chapters you were probably referring to. I feel like throwing my book against the wall, what the fuck.
God damn you.
Curious---how many books do you guys read simultaneously? I'm usually reading 2 fiction and 1 non-fiction at once, but I am a serious binge reader.
Just finished Saltwater Buddha and might read a Teddy Roosevelt biography next.
Gunslinger was great. So concise, so weird.
I've gotta say, the amount of time Martin takes between books is really starting to dimish my enjoyment of his series. When I read them sequentially, I really enjoyed it, despite always feeling like the quality was slowly diminishing book by book. Now I know when the next book comes out years from now, I'll have no idea who any of the characters are, and I'm just gonna fell confused and unable to follow what'll undoubtedly be another (severely bloated) book on my shelf.
A friend of mine is looking for a book that walks you through basic things everyone should know. Something that outlines everyday skills (like how to change a flat, how to cook chicken, how to correctly wipe windows) and everyday knowledge that helps with people-skills (like brief sketches of current events, sports, and movies). Do you guys know any books like this?
I just ordered Red Dragon and The silence of the lambs. I've loved Manhunter and SOTL for years, but finally decided to get around to reading the books.
I hope they are decent.
I just ordered Red Dragon and The silence of the lambs. I've loved Manhunter and SOTL for years, but finally decided to get around to reading the books.
I hope they are decent.
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell. Really liking it so far. Much more accessible than Cloud AtlasFinished that recently. I loved it but felt like I needed more closure at the end.
Yeah, I see what you mean. I loved the Cloud Atlas connectionBlack Swan Green by David Mitchell. Really liking it so far. Much more accessible than Cloud AtlasFinished that recently. I loved it but felt like I needed more closure at the end.
Oh, with the lady in the Solarium? Yeah, that was pretty good.Yeah, I see what you mean. I loved the Cloud Atlas connectionBlack Swan Green by David Mitchell. Really liking it so far. Much more accessible than Cloud AtlasFinished that recently. I loved it but felt like I needed more closure at the end.
Still reading 11/22/63. I am really enjoying it, but I haven't hit my stride yet. I'm really hoping that the end is satisfying cause its kinda running in place right now.
Yea, I also enjoyed it quite a bit.Still reading 11/22/63. I am really enjoying it, but I haven't hit my stride yet. I'm really hoping that the end is satisfying cause its kinda running in place right now.
I read it about a year ago, very good! Keep up with it...great payoff.
Joyland - Stephen KingLet us know what you think. I'm not much one for the genre but Stephen King is one author I keep coming back to.
Still reading 11/22/63. I am really enjoying it, but I haven't hit my stride yet. I'm really hoping that the end is satisfying cause its kinda running in place right now.
I read it about a year ago, very good! Keep up with it...great payoff.
Joyland - Stephen King
About 1/4 of the way through Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds, absolutely loving it right now.
Finished Wool by Hugh Howey. First 3/4 of the book was absolutely fantastic, thought it was leading to an amazing ending, and then it just sort of fizzled. Felt really rushed and there wasn't a climax significant enough to suit he amount of build up during the novel. Still a good book, just left me wanting more.
Finished Wool by Hugh Howey. First 3/4 of the book was absolutely fantastic, thought it was leading to an amazing ending, and then it just sort of fizzled. Felt really rushed and there wasn't a climax significant enough to suit he amount of build up during the novel. Still a good book, just left me wanting more.
Did you only read the initial installment? I got the Wool Omnibus (https://www.amazon.com/Wool-Omnibus-Edition-Silo-ebook/dp/B0071XO8RA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1371660621&sr=1-1&keywords=wool+omnibus), which contains the first 5 books in the series, and couldn't put it down.
Also burned through like 3/4 of Neil Gaiman's new book The Ocean at the End of the Lane, it's good so far.
This might be a stupid question, but what makes a book "technical"?It's written in 7/8.
This might be a stupid question, but what makes a book "technical"?It's written in 7/8.
:tupThis might be a stupid question, but what makes a book "technical"?It's written in 7/8.
This made my day.
I am now finally reading "The Dome". I've got the TV movie on my DVR...not sure when I'm gonna watch that.If you mean Under the Dome, the tv-thingie is a 13 episode mini-series. I'd recommend watching it after reading the book. The first two episodes have aired and a) they change up quite a lot of things and b) they spoil things which in the book come later in the story. Also, it's not incredibly good.
The book starts off with action immediately! King sure knows how to spin a yarn...
I am now finally reading "The Dome". I've got the TV movie on my DVR...not sure when I'm gonna watch that.If you mean Under the Dome, the tv-thingie is a 13 episode mini-series. I'd recommend watching it after reading the book. The first two episodes have aired and a) they change up quite a lot of things and b) they spoil things which in the book come later in the story. Also, it's not incredibly good.
The book starts off with action immediately! King sure knows how to spin a yarn...
If you mean Under the Dome, the tv-thingie is a 13 episode mini-series. I'd recommend watching it after reading the book. The first two episodes have aired and a) they change up quite a lot of things and b) they spoil things which in the book come later in the story. Also, it's not incredibly good.
Finished The Stand, started 11/22/63 which really grabbed me from the beginning.
Also read Fantasy Life by Matthew Berry, if you're a fantasy sports player, or just someone wanting to understand the craze over it, just read it! It's funny, heartfelt and just really nice.
Finished The Stand, started 11/22/63 which really grabbed me from the beginning.
Also read Fantasy Life by Matthew Berry, if you're a fantasy sports player, or just someone wanting to understand the craze over it, just read it! It's funny, heartfelt and just really nice.
11/22 was great though it kinda meandered along midway through. Make sure you stick it out. It was very enjoyable.
To those who have or are reading Inferno, is it any good?Depends on your view on Dan Brown's writing style. I'd say it's definitely one of his best books, but he's received a lot of criticism on his prose style which lacks a bit. If you hate his prose style, you'll not like it. But I thought it was a great and entertaining read.
Duma Key - Stephen King
Crank up the creepy knob to 11.
Finished Under the Dome by Stephen King a couple days ago. Loved it. Probably one of my favourite King novels. I'm now reading Stephen King's Joyland.Joyland was great. Different, but great.
Currently reading World War Z by Max Brooks. Honestly not that impressed given all the positive reviews I've read. I'm just over half-way through. Does it get better?
Currently reading World War Z by Max Brooks. Honestly not that impressed given all the positive reviews I've read. I'm just over half-way through. Does it get better?
If you are halfway through and not enjoying it then I doubt youll find it gets better. I thought it was solid all the way through.
So after months and months and months, I finally finished reading Atlas Shrugged. Come to think of it, it might have been years :lol
Mother of god, that book took forever, but after seeing the chicken lover episode of south park like 13 years ago, I promised myself that I would read it.
I've got some major issues with it though and its not really about its message or philosophy, but rather with logistics.
For example, the John Galt speech which is like 60 pages. Good god, this thing did not need to be that long. And about 10 pages in, it starts going in circles and circles to the point where it just stops saying anything at all. I tried so hard, but it was the only part of the book I couldn't get through and that's coming from someone who actually enjoyed the book for the most part. It should have just been distilled and focused down to 15-20 pages max, imo.
And that goes for the whole book too. This beast did not need to be over a thousand pages. I think something around 600 pages would have been more of a sweet spot and this is coming from someone that actually enjoyed it. And despite enjoying the book, somewhere around page 700, I was ready to check out.
But overall, I'm glad I read it.
Finished rereading Game of Thrones for the first time in like a decade...
Now, onward to Clash O' Kings!
Finished rereading Game of Thrones for the first time in like a decade. A couple of thoughts:
- The prose was much... simpler than I remembered. Martin was never a flashy writer, but he was often very good at making the simple work really well. Still, despite that, GoT seems much simpler and straightforward than I recall. I started Clash of Kings almost immediately after and the change in style was very noticeable. Clash of Kings has a bit more flair to its prose and, as such is a bit more dynamic when reading.
- I remain astounded by how closely the show stuck to the books at times (mostly in its first season).
- Knowing what I know about later developments, going through the book is sometimes very depressing, especially once the strands begin to unfurl about mid-book and you watch characters make decisions that will damn them and others for the remainder of the series.
- Poor Lady and Nymeria :'(
- The book is still very enjoyable, but not the game-changer (for me) that I recall. Then again, I seem to remember not being blown away by the series until Storm of Swords fucked my eyelids (I stayed up waaaaay too late too often reading that monstrosity). Clash of Kings should be interesting. I remember seesawing between liking and disliking this book several times and it's always remained my least favorite of the first three, so it'll be interesting to see if 10 years has changed my perspective.
Now, onward to Clash O' Kings!
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer
The last one is a quick read that my girlfriend insists I read.
Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R. Donaldson
Yeah, it's been about 25 years or so for me, but I saw the first two trilogies in a local used-book store and grabbed them up.Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen R. Donaldson
Great book. I haven't read Thomas Covenant books in years! I may need to remedy that.
I think that was my favorite of the first three, but overall, I found myself not really liking them that much
Out of curiosity, why would you want to read that?
A Feast For Crows : A Song of Ice and Fire : Book 4Reading that too :tup
You may be seeing a trend here.
Currently rereading Lord of the Rings, on The Two Towers now.Cool! Although The Two Towers is the hardest one to get through, the half of it with just Frodo, Sam and Gollum is a slog.
- David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas: interesting, with some wonderful stuff, but left me feeling a bit unsatisfied at the end.
It's the only one of his that I've read. I think I was just hoping for some great revelation or climax, or a stronger bond between each of the characters to more strongly demonstrate the idea that it's the same soul, rather than a few connections, some of which seemed largely coincidental.- David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas: interesting, with some wonderful stuff, but left me feeling a bit unsatisfied at the end.
I've read 3 of his books, and I always come away feeling the same way. Not sure if the guy can't write an ending, or just doesn't believe in 'em.
I'm gonna read the rest of his books probably, but I've taken a break to read East of Eden.
I really would have disliked that. I like how they effect is each other a bit, how ones life influences that of others. But I can't stand spiritual stuff like them having the same soul whatever.It's the only one of his that I've read. I think I was just hoping for some great revelation or climax, or a stronger bond between each of the characters to more strongly demonstrate the idea that it's the same soul, rather than a few connections, some of which seemed largely coincidental.- David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas: interesting, with some wonderful stuff, but left me feeling a bit unsatisfied at the end.
I've read 3 of his books, and I always come away feeling the same way. Not sure if the guy can't write an ending, or just doesn't believe in 'em.
I'm gonna read the rest of his books probably, but I've taken a break to read East of Eden.
Out of interest, why are you so put off by anything spiritual?I really would have disliked that. I like how they effect is each other a bit, how ones life influences that of others. But I can't stand spiritual stuff like them having the same soul whatever.It's the only one of his that I've read. I think I was just hoping for some great revelation or climax, or a stronger bond between each of the characters to more strongly demonstrate the idea that it's the same soul, rather than a few connections, some of which seemed largely coincidental.- David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas: interesting, with some wonderful stuff, but left me feeling a bit unsatisfied at the end.
I've read 3 of his books, and I always come away feeling the same way. Not sure if the guy can't write an ending, or just doesn't believe in 'em.
I'm gonna read the rest of his books probably, but I've taken a break to read East of Eden.
I saw you also read Life of Pi. I started that recently but I couldn't get through the religious overtones. It was on way too thick for my liking.
Have you seen the movie, Rich? The movie goes way more to the spiritual side, I think.Yeah, I absolutely adored it. And I'm not sure I agree, to me it gave exactly the same message that the book did, and without giving too much in the way of spoilers, in both cases I come down on the non-spiritual side, as it were, but appreciated the spiritual side.
I am put off by it because for me it destroys the entire message that the story is trying to convey. It feels like going from a message about people affecting each other and the future, into a spiritual story about souls returning and being affected by their past. It's kinda hard to explain, but if you add spirituality to the story it kinda breaks down the fragile links and subtlety that make the book and it's message so good for me.Out of interest, why are you so put off by anything spiritual?I really would have disliked that. I like how they effect is each other a bit, how ones life influences that of others. But I can't stand spiritual stuff like them having the same soul whatever.It's the only one of his that I've read. I think I was just hoping for some great revelation or climax, or a stronger bond between each of the characters to more strongly demonstrate the idea that it's the same soul, rather than a few connections, some of which seemed largely coincidental.- David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas: interesting, with some wonderful stuff, but left me feeling a bit unsatisfied at the end.
I've read 3 of his books, and I always come away feeling the same way. Not sure if the guy can't write an ending, or just doesn't believe in 'em.
I'm gonna read the rest of his books probably, but I've taken a break to read East of Eden.
I saw you also read Life of Pi. I started that recently but I couldn't get through the religious overtones. It was on way too thick for my liking.
In the case of Cloud Atlas, the spirituality is very implied a number of times - "souls cross ages like clouds cross skies" etc. I found the way it was built up really engaging and I thought it was going to have some gorgeous revelation, but it ended up being 6 stories with only very loose connections between them, which made it feel quite disjointed.
I´m in dubio about the last three Dark Tower books. It started off great, but I feel that especially the last two of them have a distinctive ´rushed´ feel to them, as if after his accident he had a sense of fear that he might not live long enough to finish his ´coupe de grace´ or something. After that he slowly found his superb form again, especially with Duma Key, 22-11-1963, Under the dome and now Dr. Sleep. His short stories are awesome as well.I don't know, I liked them anyway. And besides the way the Crimson King is dealt with (I don't think there's a person who liked this) I absolutely loved the final book!
Apparently I'm about to read Good OmensAwesome! :D That book is a lot of fun - don't take it too seriously, but it's very entertaining and has some great ideas.
Agreed, I really enjoyed thatApparently I'm about to read Good OmensAwesome! :D That book is a lot of fun - don't take it too seriously, but it's very entertaining and has some great ideas.
Apparently I'm about to read Good OmensAwesome! :D That book is a lot of fun - don't take it too seriously, but it's very entertaining and has some great ideas.
I recently finished reading Regarding Ducks & Universes by Neve Maslakovic. Very enjoyable book, a nice take on the whole parallel universes idea. Not done in an over-the-top sci-fi way, much more down to earth as it were, and a good character story.
Now reading A Game of Thrones by G.R.R. Martin. About 100 pages in so far (out of 800!) and I'm liking the way he writes. Definitely gives a bit more depth of character than you get from the TV show. One of my issues with the show is that it lacks much tenderness towards the characters, so it'll be interesting to see if the book(s) are the same as they progress.
ariich,I don't know yet, I'm reading the first one and will see how I get on. If I like enough to want to read the rest, then I'll do so!
Are you just reading A Game of Thrones or is it your intent to read all five of the current Song of Ice and Fire books? You will find affection for the characters and even some tenderness in unexpected places as you continue on through the complete story but not a great deal the first book.
I recently re-read the series and was surprised to find that I got much more enjoyment the second time through. I also read them twice as fast.
ariich,I don't know yet, I'm reading the first one and will see how I get on. If I like enough to want to read the rest, then I'll do so!
Are you just reading A Game of Thrones or is it your intent to read all five of the current Song of Ice and Fire books? You will find affection for the characters and even some tenderness in unexpected places as you continue on through the complete story but not a great deal the first book.
I recently re-read the series and was surprised to find that I got much more enjoyment the second time through. I also read them twice as fast.
I finished It and started Under the Dome.I found under the dome quite good, certainly a very compelling read once it all kicks off
I´m in dubio about the last three Dark Tower books. It started off great, but I feel that especially the last two of them have a distinctive ´rushed´ feel to them, as if after his accident he had a sense of fear that he might not live long enough to finish his ´coupe de grace´ or something. After that he slowly found his superb form again, especially with Duma Key, 22-11-1963, Under the dome and now Dr. Sleep. His short stories are awesome as well.
Currently reading:
Marcus Aurelius - Meditations (90%)
Joseph Heller - Catch 22 (30%)
Charles Bukowski - Love is a dog from hell (80%)
Celine - Journey to the end of the night (5%)
Adam Smith - The wealth of nations (50%)
That book is great!QFT
I just started The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris.
I just started The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris.
That's a rough read. I get the gist of where Sam was going with it and I'm convinced that the scientific method can play an important role in moral questions...but I sure hope you have more experience with philosophy and logic than I do. I was tempted to take an adult primer class on philosophy because my friends conversations about how much of modern philosophy invalidates too much of Sam's arguments went way over my head.
Anyway, I love his style and his command of english is always thrilling to read!
Good luck.
The Rosie Project by Graeme SimsionI read this a few weeks ago. Very enjoyable read!
I have a love/hate relationship with epic fantasy. It is BY FAR my favorite thing to read...but I'm such an on again/off again reader, that by the time I get back to a series after a long dry spell....I've forgotten what's going on and have to start ALL OVER AGAIN.
After getting 4 books in, and then going almost 3 years without reading a damn thing, I'm starting the Wheel of Time series all over again and re-reading Eye of the World.
(it's still just as fun as it ever was)
I have a love/hate relationship with epic fantasy. It is BY FAR my favorite thing to read...but I'm such an on again/off again reader, that by the time I get back to a series after a long dry spell....I've forgotten what's going on and have to start ALL OVER AGAIN.
After getting 4 books in, and then going almost 3 years without reading a damn thing, I'm starting the Wheel of Time series all over again and re-reading Eye of the World.
(it's still just as fun as it ever was)
The problem with a lot of epic fantasy is that it becomes monotonous after a while. I feel with a good handful of the authors they are just dull and unoriginal. It's rare you get a Tolkien, Jordan, Martin, etc.
Re-reading The ShiningSame here, in a while. I got Doctor Sleep for Christmas but wanted to reread The Shining first, but my parents only had the Dutch translation lying around, so I bought an English one on the internet. Just have to wait until it arrives.
Re-reading The ShiningSame here, in a while. I got Doctor Sleep for Christmas but wanted to reread The Shining first, but my parents only had the Dutch translation lying around, so I bought an English one on the internet. Just have to wait until it arrives.
You say that now. ;)I have a love/hate relationship with epic fantasy. It is BY FAR my favorite thing to read...but I'm such an on again/off again reader, that by the time I get back to a series after a long dry spell....I've forgotten what's going on and have to start ALL OVER AGAIN.
After getting 4 books in, and then going almost 3 years without reading a damn thing, I'm starting the Wheel of Time series all over again and re-reading Eye of the World.
(it's still just as fun as it ever was)
The problem with a lot of epic fantasy is that it becomes monotonous after a while. I feel with a good handful of the authors they are just dull and unoriginal. It's rare you get a Tolkien, Jordan, Martin, etc.
I don't even know that I'd call it "original". Even the Wheel of Time series...while it is paced INFINITELY better than LOTR....is almost guilty of plagiarism of the Tolkien template.
I also remember enjoying the Shannara series from Terry Brooks....but, same thing. Great pacing, but the character profiles can be almost a carbon copy of LotR at times. Oh look, there's the little guy...our reluctant hero and his two or three best friends...oh look, there's the wizard...oh look, there's the forgotten and mysterious warrior....oh look, there's the shadowy evil guy....oh look, there's the villainous sniveling slimy evil pawn... etc...etc....Funny you bring up Shannara. The Sword of Shannara was one of the first books I read after getting heavily into my 'all fantasy, all the time' period. It was definitely after I'd read Tolkien, Eddings and maybe even before Jordan too. Even back then I could tell that Sword of Shannara was just a giant ripoff of Tolkien. There's a difference between being inspired by something and plagiarizing something and while that line may be thin sometimes, Brooks very definitely went way over on the wrong side of the line.
You say that now. ;)I have a love/hate relationship with epic fantasy. It is BY FAR my favorite thing to read...but I'm such an on again/off again reader, that by the time I get back to a series after a long dry spell....I've forgotten what's going on and have to start ALL OVER AGAIN.
After getting 4 books in, and then going almost 3 years without reading a damn thing, I'm starting the Wheel of Time series all over again and re-reading Eye of the World.
(it's still just as fun as it ever was)
The problem with a lot of epic fantasy is that it becomes monotonous after a while. I feel with a good handful of the authors they are just dull and unoriginal. It's rare you get a Tolkien, Jordan, Martin, etc.
I don't even know that I'd call it "original". Even the Wheel of Time series...while it is paced INFINITELY better than LOTR....is almost guilty of plagiarism of the Tolkien template.
<snip>
You say that now. ;)I have a love/hate relationship with epic fantasy. It is BY FAR my favorite thing to read...but I'm such an on again/off again reader, that by the time I get back to a series after a long dry spell....I've forgotten what's going on and have to start ALL OVER AGAIN.
After getting 4 books in, and then going almost 3 years without reading a damn thing, I'm starting the Wheel of Time series all over again and re-reading Eye of the World.
(it's still just as fun as it ever was)
The problem with a lot of epic fantasy is that it becomes monotonous after a while. I feel with a good handful of the authors they are just dull and unoriginal. It's rare you get a Tolkien, Jordan, Martin, etc.
I don't even know that I'd call it "original". Even the Wheel of Time series...while it is paced INFINITELY better than LOTR....is almost guilty of plagiarism of the Tolkien template.
<snip>
:rollin :rollin
What I meant was that the story moves a long....there's always something happening (even if that "something happening" goes on and on and on for 13 books). Unlike Tolkien, where you can have ENTIRE CHAPTERS (plural) of exposition and talking without much of anything *actually happening*.
What Jordan managed to do, was take the Tolkien idea and pace it like a Stephen King story. There's hardly ever anything NOT happening. It keeps it exciting.
Yeah, Jordan certainly falls into that trap later on, just replace the exposition and talking with sniffing, braid-tugging and characters being morons.You say that now. ;)I have a love/hate relationship with epic fantasy. It is BY FAR my favorite thing to read...but I'm such an on again/off again reader, that by the time I get back to a series after a long dry spell....I've forgotten what's going on and have to start ALL OVER AGAIN.
After getting 4 books in, and then going almost 3 years without reading a damn thing, I'm starting the Wheel of Time series all over again and re-reading Eye of the World.
(it's still just as fun as it ever was)
The problem with a lot of epic fantasy is that it becomes monotonous after a while. I feel with a good handful of the authors they are just dull and unoriginal. It's rare you get a Tolkien, Jordan, Martin, etc.
I don't even know that I'd call it "original". Even the Wheel of Time series...while it is paced INFINITELY better than LOTR....is almost guilty of plagiarism of the Tolkien template.
<snip>
:rollin :rollin
What I meant was that the story moves a long....there's always something happening (even if that "something happening" goes on and on and on for 13 books). Unlike Tolkien, where you can have ENTIRE CHAPTERS (plural) of exposition and talking without much of anything *actually happening*.
What Jordan managed to do, was take the Tolkien idea and pace it like a Stephen King story. There's hardly ever anything NOT happening. It keeps it exciting.
Hey dudes, if you want great fantasy that doesn't stick to fantasy "norms" check out Brandon Sanderson. He's best known for being the guy chosen to finish The Wheel of Time, but his own books are fantastic. I'd especially recommend the Mistborn series.
edit: Actually, he's got the first few chapters of Mistborn available on his website, here's the link if you're interested. https://brandonsanderson.com/mistborn-prologue/
Re-reading The ShiningSame here, in a while. I got Doctor Sleep for Christmas but wanted to reread The Shining first, but my parents only had the Dutch translation lying around, so I bought an English one on the internet. Just have to wait until it arrives.
Excellent. It's a pretty short read, by Stephen King standards. I got a hardcover version for xmas since I am starting to collect those.
Re-reading The ShiningSame here, in a while. I got Doctor Sleep for Christmas but wanted to reread The Shining first, but my parents only had the Dutch translation lying around, so I bought an English one on the internet. Just have to wait until it arrives.
Excellent. It's a pretty short read, by Stephen King standards. I got a hardcover version for xmas since I am starting to collect those.
Same here -- re-read The Shining recently 25 years after first reading it to get primed for Dr. Sleep. The Shining was just as good the second time around. I thought Sleep was OK, but not great.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (Oceans 11-style heist in a fantasy world, has some wonderfully vulgar and snappy dialogue)
Sacre Bleu by Christopher MooreI'd be curious what you think of this when it's finished. I've read a couple of Chris Moore's book and found them OK, not great, but have been considering this one after seeing it while in Paris last year and thinking it sounded a bit different from his other stuff.
Will do. Out of the six books of his I've read, I've only found Lamb and Fool to be really exceptionalSacre Bleu by Christopher MooreI'd be curious what you think of this when it's finished. I've read a couple of Chris Moore's book and found them OK, not great, but have been considering this one after seeing it while in Paris last year and thinking it sounded a bit different from his other stuff.
Yep, we're on the same page ... so to speak. :lolWill do. Out of the six books of his I've read, I've only found Lamb and Fool to be really exceptionalSacre Bleu by Christopher MooreI'd be curious what you think of this when it's finished. I've read a couple of Chris Moore's book and found them OK, not great, but have been considering this one after seeing it while in Paris last year and thinking it sounded a bit different from his other stuff.
Sounds like it's right up my alley. Have you heard of the Vlad Taltos series by Stephen Brust? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Brust) It's one of my favorite series and I like to reread them every so often. Vlad is a human (assassin by trade) living in an imperial society of larger, stronger, and magically powerful humanoids. These books reads like hard-boiled detective/crime novels but with a swashbuckling comic flair and smart dialog. The themes explored often have poignant relevance to our own world prejudices and societal systems. I highly recommend them if you're not familiar.I've actually read the first two stories I think a long time ago. I didn't much care for the first story but the second I recall being much better, though they didn't really inspire me to read anymore at the time. However, I have been meaning to go back and revisit them just to see if my opinions have changed since. When I manage to make a significant dent in my 'to read' list that is. :lol
I'm 80 pages in and it's very different from what he's done. More sophisticated in the humor area and a very interesting story thus far. I'd definitely give it a shotWell, I just finished a book this morning and I'm ready to start something new so I'll give it a try. Thanks!! :coolio
Thunderball - Ian Fleming
Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane.Lehane is one of my favorites. Awesome writer. His two latest, The Given Day and Live By Night are stunning masterpieces.
Ace Frehley -- No Regrets:tup That was a good one.
Finished Shutter Island last night and started re-reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs yesterday. I read it a couple years ago and loved it, but thought I'd re-read it before I read the sequel, Hollow City, which came out a week ago. I bought it on Saturday and it is waiting for me.It covers everything up to the recording+release of ADTOE. I don't think it covers LALP etc.
Oh, and does the new edition of Lifting Shadows cover Portnoy's departure leading up to A Dramatic Turn of Events and/or the new record?
I haven't finished it yet but I just skipped to the end to check and the last item is them attending the Grammys in February 2012 when ADTOE was nominated (but Foo Fighters won).Oh, and does the new edition of Lifting Shadows cover Portnoy's departure leading up to A Dramatic Turn of Events and/or the new record?It covers everything up to the recording+release of ADTOE. I don't think it covers LALP etc.
The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared by Jonas JonassonVery enjoyable book! :tup
The dark tower V: wolves of the calla - Stephen KingLOVE the Dark tower series. It will end up being King's enduring masterpiece long after he's gone. :2metal:
Life After Life by Kate AtkinsonReally didn't enjoy that book at all. I don't see what the fuss is all about. Hopefully it clicks better with you than it did with me.
I am liking it. I'm already almost halfway doneLife After Life by Kate AtkinsonReally didn't enjoy that book at all. I don't see what the fuss is all about. Hopefully it clicks better with you than it did with me.
The dark tower V: wolves of the calla - Stephen KingLOVE the Dark tower series. It will end up being King's enduring masterpiece long after he's gone. :2metal:
Night - Elie Wiesel
The Republic of Thieves (Gentlemen Bastards) -- Scott LynchSo I take it you enjoyed them then? :)
So far, I'm liking this much more than the previous books in the series. I'm exactly 38% through according to my Kindle.
I've been encountering an annoying trend (or maybe it's not a trend, but I've just been reading more books doing this lately), not using quotation marks for dialog and often not clearly stating who is speaking. I've read books lately that put all dialog in italics and some that don't do anything different for dialog. I find this really annoying and distracting. I shouldn't be struggling to determine who is speaking. That's just bad writing, IMO. And these are books that have made a lot of "best of" lists.Cormac McCarthy does it.
Just finished 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Definitely one of his scarier books that I've read. I liked it.I loved Salem's Lot. Easily my favorite Stephen King novel.
Currently reading Orfeo by Richard Powers and The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.
Yes I enjoyed them! Yet I felt that they somehow fell short of their potential. It's an odd idea that I have a difficult time putting into words. I'll try.I'd actually largely agree with you. They're fun, entertaining books but not much beyond that. I read them for the witty (and vulgar) dialogue, the fun characters and the twisty-turny narratives.
Let me start with the great:
The setting and imagery for the world of The Gentlemen Bastards is vivid and original.
The characterizations and consistent individual voices of the characters is as good as anything I've ever read.
The concept of the story is very compelling.
The good:
The framework of the plot.
The dialog is often very funny yet never clownish. There is always an element of serious danger to the interactions even among allies.
Battles are often short, fierce and deadly. None of the long, drawn-out, romantic cartoon combat. I like that.
The questionable (although easy enough to overlook):
The twists in the plot weren't set up well and seemed to come out of the blue.
Some of the interludes weren't relevant to the main plot. They were sometimes interesting for character development but didn't always have a bearing on why the characters did what they did.
The bad:
Lomora is just another Harry Potter figure to me. A bumbling antihero that never quite earns his success or even his defeats. For example, he is styled 'The Thorn of Camorr' a name that implies a brilliant confidence man who is to be feared by the aristocracy. Yet, the reader never sees his brilliance. Inspite of his training and education he constantly screws up from one scene to the next and often gets outwitted by his opponents.
I'll admit that my expectations could easily be the problem. I wanted to be dazzled by Lamora's intellect and cunning. To get to the end and think to myself, "Oh hell, I should have seen that coming." Yet all his moves seemed obvious and impromptu. I spent more time smacking my forehead thinking, "How would anyone fall for that line of bullshit?"
The above is mostly about the first book which I thought was a great freshman effort. Red Seas Under Red Skies I thought was better but my complaints with that book are very specific and I wouldn't want to list them here for fear of spoiling the plot to other potential readers.
I know the above sounds hyper-critical but really, overall, I'm finding these books a joy to read. I would (and have) recommended them highly. Your mileage may vary.
QuoteJust finished 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Definitely one of his scarier books that I've read. I liked it.I loved Salem's Lot. Easily my favorite Stephen King novel.
Currently reading Orfeo by Richard Powers and The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.
Finished The dark tower series last night, and I started reading Dracula today.
You're in for a great ride for a while. The bottom kind of drops out for a while by book 8Great! I'm looking forward to finishing A Memory of Light and the whole series before year's end.
Legion by William Peter Blatty.
jammin,
Can't speak for myself but Mrs. P is about 75% through the first book and thinks it is pretty good. One BIG problem she has with it is it's very teen girl oriented in that as a first person narrative where the protagonist is crushing hard over a man. You know, going all a quiver whenever they accidentally touch. That sort of thing. She's determined to finish the first book but doesn't think she'll go beyond that.
jammin,
Can't speak for myself but Mrs. P is about 75% through the first book and thinks it is pretty good. One BIG problem she has with it is it's very teen girl oriented in that as a first person narrative where the protagonist is crushing hard over a man. You know, going all a quiver whenever they accidentally touch. That sort of thing. She's determined to finish the first book but doesn't think she'll go beyond that.
That sucks. Not in and of itself, but just because I think the basic premise of the story is strong enough that they shouldn't have to rely on putting the teen romance forward to the detriment of the story...just to sell books. Oh well, it got her a best selling series and a major movie deal, so what the hell do I know?
Anyone read the Divergent series? Been seeing the previews for the film, and I think the premise is kinda cool...and Costco has the trilogy on sale for cheap.
Seems *a bit* Hunger Game-y...but to be honest, I think the main premise of this film as it sits is a bit more interesting to me than the premise for Hunger Games. But of course, that says nothing about the books themselves.
Can anyone say if they are at least half way decent?
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, because if there's anything my collection needs, it's another door stop fantasy novel. :lol
Seriously I could kill someone with this book. I could survive the zombie apocalypse dual wielding it and A Dance With Dragons. Good book so far, Sanderson's becoming one of my go-to fantasy writers.
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, because if there's anything my collection needs, it's another door stop fantasy novel. :lol
Seriously I could kill someone with this book. I could survive the zombie apocalypse dual wielding it and A Dance With Dragons. Good book so far, Sanderson's becoming one of my go-to fantasy writers.
I haven't read it yet, but the consensus around the parts of the internet I lurk was not good. AFAIR, he did well enough on the first book but the last was not so good. Take what I say with a grain of salt though as I haven't read it or Knife of Dreams either, but I just can't imagine anything Sanderson wrote as being worse than Crossroads of Twilight. ;)Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, because if there's anything my collection needs, it's another door stop fantasy novel. :lol
Seriously I could kill someone with this book. I could survive the zombie apocalypse dual wielding it and A Dance With Dragons. Good book so far, Sanderson's becoming one of my go-to fantasy writers.
What's the consensus on how he wrapped up the Wheel of Time series? Would Jordan have been proud? Was the fan feedback positive? I'm assuming since you're a fan that you have probably read the series and his ending...what did you think?
Curiously, some old and die-hard fans that have been following the series since the very beginning have told me that Sanderson made an excellent conclusion and improved the quality the last books were lacking.I haven't read it yet, but the consensus around the parts of the internet I lurk was not good. AFAIR, he did well enough on the first book but the last was not so good. Take what I say with a grain of salt though as I haven't read it or Knife of Dreams either, but I just can't imagine anything Sanderson wrote as being worse than Crossroads of Twilight. ;)Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, because if there's anything my collection needs, it's another door stop fantasy novel. :lol
Seriously I could kill someone with this book. I could survive the zombie apocalypse dual wielding it and A Dance With Dragons. Good book so far, Sanderson's becoming one of my go-to fantasy writers.
What's the consensus on how he wrapped up the Wheel of Time series? Would Jordan have been proud? Was the fan feedback positive? I'm assuming since you're a fan that you have probably read the series and his ending...what did you think?
Finally got to start reading Lifting Shadows!I would like to read it D:
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.
Excellent book.
Better than Gone Girl?
Better than Gone Girl?
I haven't actually gotten around to reading Gone Girl yet (I'm not sure why), so I can't really comment on that. But I will say that Dark Places and Sharp Objects are two of my personal favorite books, ever.
Well, Doctor Faustus has bored me, so I have decided to finally launch into The Wheel of Time marathon. Eye of the World here we go. Wish me luck!Good luck! I almost finished The Dragon Reborn, and things are getting really interesting. I hope it gets better.
Just finished Dark Places about fifteen minutes ago. All I can say is wow. If you haven't read it, check it out. Gillian Flynn is a writer we're gonna have to keep a real look out for.
EDIT: Gonna return to Stephen King land in a few minutes with From a Buick 8.
Better than Gone Girl?
I have yet to read those books. I want to eventuallyIt's been interesting revisiting them. I read them originally at original publication, when they incorporated technology that was then state-of-the-art. Now it seems antiquated, so I have to look at it as a period piece lol.
The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe.
About half-way in. It's a look at the history of the Mercury 7 astronauts, the first selected for that role. It's more of a collage of the personalities of these guys than a technological history. The most interesting thing to me is the author's portrayal of these 7 astronauts from the perspective of the rest of the test pilots at the time. There was quite a bit of disdain for the Mercury program from these guys at Edwards AFB, since they had been flying rocket planes to the edge of space for most of the 1950's, and so much media attention was focused on the 7 before they even flew.
Going in, I figured the role of astronaut would be highly coveted by these ambitious test pilots, but many wanted nothing to do with the program since they viewed the role as being a test subject rather than a pilot (which was not far from the truth, early on).
I have been reading through the SF Masterworks collection, something which was either the worst or most brilliant idea ever, as I've enjoyed it but there are so many authors now whose work I want to collect.Forever War was awesome.
I have just finished The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, which was truly wonderful, and now I'm on to The City And The Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. I also recently finished Babel-17.
But yeah.
Books. Books too good, especially The Forever War and Babel-17.
So I finished Under the Dome a few weeks back, so I thought I'd watch the first season of the TV series. I am confused by why they changed like 95% of the details of the stories. Why did someone take the time to basically rewrite the details of every character and situation, when it was pretty good to start with? Makes no sense to me.Yep, I gave up on the show around the 8th episode where it's reveal that the "real" bad guy (gal in this case) has, CONVENIENTLY, been inside the dome for all this time.
Finished The Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time series) a few days ago. Possibly my fav book of the saga so far.I read the first book, Storm Front. It's okay. It's a standard murder-mystery set in an urban fantasy setting. Supposedly the later books get better but Storm Front is such a short, quick read that even if you don't like it, it'll be over soon. :D
Btw, I noticed Patrick Rothfuss posted a review of the 15th book of a fantasy series he seems to love to death: The Dresden Files. I've researched a bit and it has lots of books, short stories and graphic novels. And a TV series. What do you guys think about it? It is worth the read?
surrealist and/or minimalist writing.Are that the prog of literature?
surrealist and/or minimalist writing.Are that the prog of literature?
Posted this over at 5/8 but here is my current summer reading list, which is a mix of stuff I just bought and stuff I've had on my shelf for awhile:
Thomas Pynchon - V
Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five
John Steinbeck - The Grapes of Wrath
Mark Bowden - Finders Keepers
Philip K Dick - Valis
Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian (was halfway through it last time but I could not get used to the narrative style)
Matthew Pearl - The Dante Club
Orson Scott Card - Enders Game
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. I don't know why I never read this book. I'm only about 30 pages in, and I notice his writing is not as the level of complexity I expected; it reads quite fast. I guess it's more about the plot than the writing itself.
Posted this over at 5/8 but here is my current summer reading list, which is a mix of stuff I just bought and stuff I've had on my shelf for awhile:
Thomas Pynchon - V
Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five
John Steinbeck - The Grapes of Wrath
Mark Bowden - Finders Keepers
Philip K Dick - Valis
Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian (was halfway through it last time but I could not get used to the narrative style)
Matthew Pearl - The Dante Club
Orson Scott Card - Enders Game
Slaughterhouse Five was a crazy but really interesting book, but I admit following his narrative style is a little challenging at times. The Grapes of Wrath is one of the great heavy weights, he is one of literature's most beautiful writers - highly recommend it. Blood Meridian is the bloodiest book I have ever read, and the story is a bit difficult to follow, I personally wouldn't recommend it if this is your first Cormac novel. It seems you like science fiction, I would suggest you read The Road instead, or, if you like westerns (Blood Meridian is sort of a western) then read one of The Boarder Trilogy books, they are more accessable and, in my opinion, more fun to read. As far as Ender's Game goes, I just hope you haven't seen the movie because it does a great injustice to this book and it will give you the wrong impression. I hope you don't mind that I commented on your list, I just love books and I couldn't help myself. ;D
I'm not well read in popular fiction, so I don't really have a basis of comparison. As I read, it feels like a strange juxtaposition between his rather unsophisticated writing style, and hyperspecific technical jargon (like protiens with a molecular weight of 1938, or something). I appreciate his effort toward a high level technical accuracy, but his use of language isn't at that same level.Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. I don't know why I never read this book. I'm only about 30 pages in, and I notice his writing is not as the level of complexity I expected; it reads quite fast. I guess it's more about the plot than the writing itself.
I've found Crichton to be a solid author who did very well at blending in scientific research with slightly outlandish fiction. His books were definitely more Hollywood but you can tell he actually cared about making it more or less correct in terms of the subject matter. In terms of writing levels he's one step above a Clive Cussler (who I haven't read in years but loved as a high schooler) and two steps above a James Patterson (who I've never read but from everything I've heard I can make a decent assumption).
I've been reading my way through the Black Company series. I'm currently on Dreams Of Steel.I've heard that that's a good series to read while waiting for the next ASoIaF book. :lol
I've been reading my way through the Black Company series. I'm currently on Dreams Of Steel.I've heard that that's a good series to read while waiting for the next ASoIaF book. :lol
Yeah, because of that I read Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy. I fully recommend that to any fans of ASoIaF.
Fuck yes they were! Fucking Bloody-Nine man! And motherfuck Bayaz, what a boss!Yeah, because of that I read Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy. I fully recommend that to any fans of ASoIaF.
The First Law Trilogy was really good. I want to read Abercrombie's next three books in the First Law world as well.
You're in for a treat then. I actually liked the three standalones more than most of the trilogy. :)Yeah, because of that I read Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy. I fully recommend that to any fans of ASoIaF.
The First Law Trilogy was really good. I want to read Abercrombie's next three books in the First Law world as well.
Fuck yes they were! Fucking Bloody-Nine man! And motherfuck Bayaz, what a boss!Yeah, because of that I read Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy. I fully recommend that to any fans of ASoIaF.
The First Law Trilogy was really good. I want to read Abercrombie's next three books in the First Law world as well.
You're in for a treat then. I actually liked the three standalones more than most of the trilogy. :)Yeah, because of that I read Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy. I fully recommend that to any fans of ASoIaF.
The First Law Trilogy was really good. I want to read Abercrombie's next three books in the First Law world as well.
Well, you guys convinced me. I'm giving the first book a go as we speakFuck yes they were! Fucking Bloody-Nine man! And motherfuck Bayaz, what a boss!Yeah, because of that I read Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy. I fully recommend that to any fans of ASoIaF.
The First Law Trilogy was really good. I want to read Abercrombie's next three books in the First Law world as well.
Bloody Nine, Bayaz, Luthar, West, every character was great. But Glokta had to be my personal favorite in the series.
Also, what about The Kingkiller Chronicle? Did anyone read it?
Winter's Heart was so good and then Crossroads took a big fat dump on the series. Thankfully, I generally hear the rest of the series is gold from then on
Yeah, it's pretty awful.Thanks! I'm really looking forward to seeing how bad can it be - no way it's worse than The Great Hunt (my least fav in the series).
Watching Once Upon A Time has got me inspired, so I'm now reading The Complete Grimms Fairy Tales
Almost done with The Gunslinger.Really enjoyed the series. As you progress through the books, the earlier ones seem so far away, both in time and writing style. King wrote them over a 30 year period or something, so they are all quite different.
Edit: I have finished The Gunslinger. On to Drawing of the Three.
Also finished Mr Mercedes, wasn't very impressed to be honest. Cared very little for the main character and was rooting for the bad guy until the end because apart from the killing part he was a lot more interesting. I didn't like that King had to resort to cheap tricks like making the bad guy have racist thoughts to make him unlikable.I just finished this today and it's funny. When I think back at what made me think the bad guy was unlikeable, that doesn't come to mind. I almost completely forgot about that until the climax.
Now reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.Read that this summer, it's amazing. Though I still prefer Anna Karenina I think.
I'm out in Budapest on a scholarship and bought a couple of Dawkins and Hitchens books. Just found out that my roomate for the month is a theologian. Should be fun. :corn
Freak Out!: My Life With Frank Zappa -- Pauline Butcher
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig.
You know, I never read, and I feel kinda ashamed of that. I really would like to have a new hobby and I think reading would be a fun one. It's something that can relax your mind and make you really think at the same time. I'm 19 years old, recommend me something good! I was always really picky when it came to reading, but I honestly think I never gave anything a chance. It's time for a change.
Oh, and sorry if that's off-topic, I realized I was in the wrong thread probably.. But I will still contribute..
I'm reading this thread.