Whatcha readin' part II

[fire_of_avalon]

That thread is gone from the first page. What the hell?

I'm reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Written in 1998 it chronicles the story of an American family headed by a patriarchal, fervent and insanely prideful Reverend Nathan Price who is bent on saving the souls of the Congolese. The story is told mostly from the perspective of his four daughters who are practically his captives.

Kingsolver is always a good read; she seamlessly weaves the story of religious and imperious oppression to tell the story not only of the women of the Price family but the story of the Congo and the so-called "end" of the empire building therein.

I'm about two thirds of the way through now. It's not a happy story, not even a little. But it's a necessary story.

What are you reading?!

[Jinx]

Wow, that sounds like a good book! I love Barbara Kingsolver. I've never been interested in that book, because the summary sounds so bad in the book. But the way you described it!

I'm currently reading The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden by Catheryne M. Valente. It's a beautiful book with adult fairy tales that weave in and out of one another. There's a sequal to the book that carries on with the world of the first.

[Pike]

I'm reading Replay: The History of Video Games by Tristan Donovan. It's certainly not the only vidya history book out there, and it's not the only one I've read, but this retells that history from a more artsy and international perspective that is really interesting. I'm really enjoying it so far!

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I am reading The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe. I'm a little over halfway through the book... I am not really enjoying it very much, but it is on my reading list for my Comprehensive Exams for my English Literature major which I am doing next semester, and I want to get it out of the way.

Next I will be reading Everything that Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor. The only reason I am going to read it is because a friend and I may start our own sort of "Lost Book Club" and read through all of the books that were either read or referenced by the characters in Lost just for fun. This was one of the books which appeared in the show.

[I Took the Red Pill]

Infinite Jest. I'm almost 700 pages in and it's still got a vice-grip on me. Where I often have trouble maintaining interest in 200 page books, DFW has somehow mesmerized me and pulled me hopelessly into the smurfed up universe he's created. I am in love with this book, and I really just don't want it to end.

RIP to one of the most talented writers I've ever encountered.

[Jinx]

Infinite Jest. I'm almost 700 pages in and it's still got a vice-grip on me. Where I often have trouble maintaining interest in 200 page books, DFW has somehow mesmerized me and pulled me hopelessly into the smurfed up universe he's created. I am in love with this book, and I really just don't want it to end.

RIP to one of the most talented writers I've ever encountered.

I read that book once and fucking hated it. Every once in awhile I have an inkling to re-read it though, as I'm much older and know more about life now.

[I Took the Red Pill]

What? You hated the book but read all of its 1000+ pages? That is...strange. In any case, I would recommend going back to it. I doubt a younger version of myself could keep up with it.

[Del Murder]

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. It's a very different type of story but so far not really my thing.

[Miriel]

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. It's a very different type of story but so far not really my thing.

Bel Canto is the beeeeessst!!

I liked Poisonwood Bible ok, except I thought the ending was terrible. Endings usually disappoint me though, for most books.

I'm not reading anything right now. O_O I read the first few pages of: The Solitude of Prime Numbers, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, Tipping the Velvet, and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children but nothing stuck. =/

First time in AGES that I haven't been in the middle of a book. A little while ago I finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, and The Selection. Both were terrible books, although the Selection is worse. Like, Twilight bad.

Oh and I also read like half of 50 Shades of Grey. I make it a point to finish reading books, even ones I dislike almost immediately, before I spew out my hatred and loathing. I finished Twilight, I finished Da Vinci Code, etc. But I swear to god, I could NOT get through that terrible terrible work of fanfiction. It's SOOOOOOOOO bad. Worst book I've read in my entire life bar none.

[dandy da oak]

I'm reading through Paolini's Inheritence stuff, so I actually remember what happened by the time I get around to reading the last book!

[Shiny]

Oh and I also read like half of 50 Shades of Grey.
Do you enjoy torturing yourself?

Also, gonna check out this Infinite Jest business. His book Brief Interviews with Hideous Men was interesting enough. I don't know if I can get through 400+ pages though. 1,000+ seems excessive I'll update this with a review when the book arrives from Amazon.

[Jinx]

Oh and I also read like half of 50 Shades of Grey.
Do you enjoy torturing yourself?

Also, gonna check out this Infinite Jest business. His book Brief Interviews with Hideous Men was interesting enough. I don't know if I can get through 400+ pages though. 1,000+ seems excessive I'll update this with a review when the book arrives from Amazon.

The concept of the book is really interesting. Like, half of the important parts of the book take place in endnotes.

[Raistlin]

I recently finished reading Lawrence Krauss's A Universe from Nothing: Why There is Something Rather than Nothing (http://www.amazon.com/Universe-Nothing-There-Something-Rather/dp/145162445X). It was pretty good and very informative, but Krauss does not have the best writing style for a popular audience. He'd often ramble between topics in the same paragraph; have ridiculously long, convoluted sentences; and explain new references only in a cursory fashion. I could usually keep up, sometimes just because I have read up many of the subjects before, but this would not be the first book I'd recommend to anyone looking to learn more about modern cosmology. That would be Stephen Hawking's updated A Brief History of Time and his newer work, The Grand Design.

[Yar]

Infinite Jest. I'm almost 700 pages in and it's still got a vice-grip on me. Where I often have trouble maintaining interest in 200 page books, DFW has somehow mesmerized me and pulled me hopelessly into the smurfed up universe he's created. I am in love with this book, and I really just don't want it to end.

RIP to one of the most talented writers I've ever encountered.This is on list of books to read this summer. I picked up The Pale King this weekend as well.

My friend got me started on A Game of Thrones. I'm not one to read fantasy often, but I am hooked. >.<

[Madame Adequate]

Almost done with Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson. I read chunks of it in uni but didn't have the chance to read the whole thing, so when I saw it in Barnes and Noble last month I picked it up! It's pretty easy to see why it is so well-regarded; McPherson has a good grasp of how to write well anyway but he also has a knack for showing how everything ties together, and will go from describing a battle in some detail to talking about the political ramifications of it in Richmond and D.C., as well as on the careers of various generals etc., without losing the reader at all.

[chionos]

Doing a Neal Stephenson marathon. Half way through Quicksilver now, will finish the Baroque cycle, then gonna try The Mongoliad, which he did with the Bears and Mark Teppo. Anathem is still my favorite of all his books.

[Raistlin]

Anathem is my favorite Stephenson book, too. It is amazing. Though I've only also read Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon. The rest of his stuff is on my list of books.

[chionos]

Quicksilver has good moments; there's a lot to like about it. But I still have no freaking clue where the hell it's headed and I'm halfway through the book. Stuff happens and science science science then some more stuff happens. I do love how he manages to bring a sci-fi feel to 17th century history.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

As I have now finished Moll Flanders and the other novels I have ordered for college have yet to come in, I have decided to read books I got last Christmas or birthday for fun. I have started off with Water for Elephants which I find an interesting read. I can appreciate all of the research Sara Gruen would have had to do for the book, but I am not enjoying it quite as much as I believed I would based on the praise for the book several of my friends gave. That could simply be because I have felt more in the mood to read fantasy lately, though.

[fire_of_avalon]

Water for Elephants was a very interesting book, but ultimately it was a bit hokey/cheesy.

[Miss Lady Shelly]

For some weird reason I find the history behind Mental Health back then very interesting (also the stories of the people who were patients as well as nurses/doctors). Lately i have read: My Lobotomy (a sad story), The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic, And Asylum : Inside The Closed World of State Mental Hospitals.

I am about to read Bedlam: A Year in the life of a mental hospital.

[Miriel]

I finished Life of Pi the other day and I loved it! Which is so surprising because I actually tried listening to the audio version of the book several times and always got bored. But I thought I would give the actual book a try and I ended up loving this wild story about a boy, a lifeboat, and a bengal tiger. And I'm usually super picky about endings but I LOVED the ending to this book. Just loved it. It made me cry.

Now I've started Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt which by all accounts will make me cry as well. Yay!

[Jinx]

I finished Life of Pi the other day and I loved it! Which is so surprising because I actually tried listening to the audio version of the book several times and always got bored. But I thought I would give the actual book a try and I ended up loving this wild story about a boy, a lifeboat, and a bengal tiger. And I'm usually super picky about endings but I LOVED the ending to this book. Just loved it. It made me cry.




I've only read this book once. I've tried reading it again, but I just can't. When I read it...I was just so shocked and sad. And you don't find out literally until the very end. To me, there wasn't any clue or anything. I thought it was wonderful.


Right now, I decided to have some fun, and am re-reading the Percy Jackson series.

[Shorty]

I finished Life of Pi the other day and I loved it! Which is so surprising because I actually tried listening to the audio version of the book several times and always got bored. But I thought I would give the actual book a try and I ended up loving this wild story about a boy, a lifeboat, and a bengal tiger. And I'm usually super picky about endings but I LOVED the ending to this book. Just loved it. It made me cry.

My dad gave me this book to read and I've heard it's amazing. Can't wait to start it.

I'm about halfway through Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman and I adore it. I love his style of writing and even though it appears to be written for a little bit younger crowd, he writes in a way that can appeal to everyone. I have American Gods and Anansi Boys lined up next to read.

[krissy]

neverwhere was great
read good omens once you're done with those too

[Shorty]

Good Omens is also on my Gaiman list! I'm glad to know it's worth recommending, though.

[Nice]

A Storm of Swords.

[Pike]

Just started reading "1776" by David McCullough. As you may have guessed, it's about the American revolutionary war, and is shaping up to be an interesting read thus far!

[Miriel]

I finished Tell the Wolves I'm Home and started Daughter of Smoke and Bone which is fabulous so far. I don't usually like urban fantasy and a lot of the really horrifically bad paranormal romance stuff that's been so popular lately made me disinterested in the book at first. But people whose opinion I trust recommended it and I'm really loving it so far. A book with angels and devils that's still well-written? A kick ass heroine? Yeeeah!

[fire_of_avalon]

I finished The Poisonwood Bible about two weeks ago and I highly recommend it. Through the voice of each daughter Kingsolver explores the history of white colonialism in the Congo, Western ignorance, American interference and the legacy. What's always so wonderful about reading Kingsolver is the fact that you learn so much about the topic. She is relentless in her detail.

After that I didn't read for a few days but then I read The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson; the second of his Millennium trilogy. I was pretty unimpressed with the first book but I don't like to leave things unfinished so I picked up the second in the series and was surprised that it was enjoyable. Lisbeth's foibles were exposed in this, her self-centeredness was put into a context in which it was not a redeeming factor and she experienced guilt, shame, all sorts of human emotions. In short she was much more likeable since she was no longer a brilliant, faultless self-described freak. And Mikael was much less of a pig. He didn't bang every woman he spoke to! It was amazing!

Now I'm reading The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. I think I'm close to half-way finished and while I think the book is a bit over-simplistic in it's descriptions I appreciate that she didn't cast the rural Chinese as stupid and dense. Wang Lung is a smart person, O-lan even more so, and when they encounter new things their reactions seem natural: curiosity and reservation replace baser reactions of bemusement and panic.

After this I might end up reading the next in the Game of Thrones series. Ooooor maybe it's time for a trip to the used book store.

[Del Murder]

I finished Bel Canto and the ending was appropriate, but the Epilogue was just awful and made no sense.

Now on to Life of Pi, recommended by my in-house book screener.

[Miriel]

I finished Daughter of Smoke and Bone today and I have to say, it might be the best fantasy book I've read in a long time. Especially urban fantasy? Forget about it, hands down the best.

Who would ever expect that with a ridiculous cover art and the dumbest plot description, that this book would be so lovely? The writing was beautiful. Sometimes the concepts didn't live up to how lyrical the writing could be or the richly imagined backdrop. But overall it was so enjoyable and so smart. It wasn't dumbed down for the masses. I appreciate that so much. Especially in the current reading landscape where horrible writing and weak characters are rewarded with millions in sales.

It reminded me of The Golden Compass in how the world in the book just came to life so fully and effortlessly. Plus, like I mentioned before, I female protagonist worth rooting for. The whole time I was reading the book, I could visualize everything. And it makes me crazy excited to see the world come to life in a movie. I can see it being very Pan's Labyrinth-y.

The only ding was that I really don't like it when the main characters who fall in love are always ridiculously good looking people.



Now on to Life of Pi, recommended by my in-house book screener.

^_^

[Miriel]

Recently finished:

The Fault in Our Stars
Before I Fall
If I Stay
Where She Went
Beautiful Ruins

Recently started:
Gone with the Wind
City of Ember

The Fault in Our Stars - Had me SOBBING at the end. I really liked John Green's Looking for Alaska and I heard great things about The Fault in Our Stars. I thought it was really really good. Not perfect, but if you can overlook some of the pretentious bits, I think it's a book that can just go straight to your heart and nestle in there.

Before I Fall - It was ok except you know, main character was super unlikable. Really just a horrible person. Parts of it were lovely though.

If I Stay - Again just gutted by the end. Cried and cried. I loved this book.

Where She Went - Super high expectations as the followup to If I Stay. It was a let down.

Beautiful Ruins - Really enjoyed parts of it. Other parts kinda lagged. Overall a pretty fun read. It's weird because I thought it would be a beach read, but it ended up being way above that cheap easy level.

After this string of contemporary stuff, I went with a classic and started Gone with the Wind. Oh my god, this book is crazy racist! Why does no one mention that when they talk about this book??

[Del Murder]

Life of Pi was great. I recommend it to anyone! Going to read Fight Club now, which I picked up at a used bookstore while I waited for my lunch to be ready.

[Jinx]

Life of Pi was great. I recommend it to anyone! Going to read Fight Club now, which I picked up at a used bookstore while I waited for my lunch to be ready.

I loved Life of Pi. I've tried reading it again, but I just can't. I think the impact of reading it once was enough.

[Clo]

That thread is gone from the first page. What the hell?

I'm reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Written in 1998 it chronicles the story of an American family headed by a patriarchal, fervent and insanely prideful Reverend Nathan Price who is bent on saving the souls of the Congolese. The story is told mostly from the perspective of his four daughters who are practically his captives.


God, I loved that book! I've tried to have several people I know read it, and they're like "*whine* it's so long!" FUCK THEM. I love you for reading this book.

[Jinx]

That thread is gone from the first page. What the hell?

I'm reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Written in 1998 it chronicles the story of an American family headed by a patriarchal, fervent and insanely prideful Reverend Nathan Price who is bent on saving the souls of the Congolese. The story is told mostly from the perspective of his four daughters who are practically his captives.


God, I loved that book! I've tried to have several people I know read it, and they're like "*whine* it's so long!" smurf THEM. I love you for reading this book.

Thank you for bringing this to my attention again. I need a new book for work this weekend!

[escobert]

Haven't really been in the mood for reading the last couple months. Still slowly chugging away at Game of Thrones.

[Jinx]

Haven't really been in the mood for reading the last couple months. Still slowly chugging away at Game of Thrones.

That's the problem. They're good books, but slow-ish. I read four of the books, and half of the fifth book all in a month and a half.

I took a break because I needed to read something different.

[escobert]

Yeah, they are really good. I also watched the first season so I'm like well I'm this far into it (I have a kindle and purchased the first 4 books in a set) I just can't wait to get into the second book!

[Clo]

I am also reading Game of Thrones. The first book. I want to break after it. Yikes.

[fire_of_avalon]

I eventually need to read the second book to see if I actually like the series. There were some really great things about the first book and some really, really awful things.

For some reason I stopped reading about the middle of last month when I finished The Good Earth. Or maybe The Girl Who Played with Fire.

That's a lie. I was re-reading Breakfast of Champions but then I stopped for some reason a week ago. Time to get back on it.

[Jinx]

I eventually need to read the second book to see if I actually like the series. There were some really great things about the first book and some really, really awful things.

For some reason I stopped reading about the middle of last month when I finished The Good Earth. Or maybe The Girl Who Played with Fire.

That's a lie. I was re-reading Breakfast of Champions but then I stopped for some reason a week ago. Time to get back on it.

My penis is 3 inches wide.

[Iceglow]

I attempted to read 50 Shades of Grey to see what the fuss was all about (my girl kinda blackmailed me in to it) I got to chapter 9 before I was begging her to let me stop it. I honestly have found a book I think is worse written than Twilight! I know it's impossible but it's true. The amount of grammatical faux pas, errors and the continuity issues along with the least sexy sex scenes ever witnessed in literature I couldn't continue.

[Del Murder]

That took you nine whole chapters to discover?

[Jinx]

I attempted to read 50 Shades of Grey to see what the fuss was all about (my girl kinda blackmailed me in to it) I got to chapter 9 before I was begging her to let me stop it. I honestly have found a book I think is worse written than Twilight! I know it's impossible but it's true. The amount of grammatical faux pas, errors and the continuity issues along with the least sexy sex scenes ever witnessed in literature I couldn't continue.


THE FUCKING JACKET

[Jiro]

I stopped at "Twilight fan fiction"

[fire_of_avalon]

I still haven't been reading because I don't know why. I could be reading right now but apparently I'm just going to sit here and be on EoFF.

[I Took the Red Pill]

The Sorrows of Young Werther

[fire_of_avalon]

Oh man, that's a good book. Takes me back to freshman comparative lit. Old times.

[Iceglow]

That took you nine whole chapters to discover?

9 chapters is frankly speaking one sitting. The chapters were not long. Also my girlfriend was kinda forcing me in to doing this.



I attempted to read 50 Shades of Grey to see what the fuss was all about (my girl kinda blackmailed me in to it) I got to chapter 9 before I was begging her to let me stop it. I honestly have found a book I think is worse written than Twilight! I know it's impossible but it's true. The amount of grammatical faux pas, errors and the continuity issues along with the least sexy sex scenes ever witnessed in literature I couldn't continue.


THE FUCKING JACKET

THE FUCKING JACKET INDEED! FUCKING CONTINUITY!

[krissy]

i read The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell
it's about a jesuit mission to an alien planet
it's really good! really well written and it seems like a lot of research went into it

now i'm back to reading the prince by machiavelli which i was going to use as a cid's knight to take over eoff

[I Took the Red Pill]

A Fan's Notes by Fred Exley

[Miriel]

i read The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell
it's about a jesuit mission to an alien planet
it's really good! really well written and it seems like a lot of research went into it

now i'm back to reading the prince by machiavelli which i was going to use as a cid's knight to take over eoff

The Sparrow has been on my to-read list for awhile now. I'm kinda scared that it might be disturbing though. Was it?

Recently I've read:

Shadow of the Wind - Not a genre I usually care for, but what a brilliantly written book. I really enjoyed it, despite some of the gruesome bits.
Anna and the French Kiss - Would have liked this way more if I were 15 years old. But still, nice fluffy read.
This is Where I Leave You - It was decent enough. Nicely written, but I can never really get into books where a middle aged white man with no special or discerning qualities is the main character, which leads me to...
High Fidelity - Again, white middle aged man as main character. Well written. Thought it was ok.

Reading now:
Les Miserables
Rosewater and Soda Bread

[krissy]

there's some trigger material in it, but it doesn't take up the majority of the book. however there's a lot of premonition and foreshadowing that sort of steels your resolve as you continue through the book. a lot of things are revealed loosely rather early on, and the remainder of the book is putting the pieces of the story together.

edit: i am going thru stephen king's The Stand, the uncut edition, it is kind of huge

[Shorty]

Ooooh, Miriel, I really hope you like Les Mis. It's one of my favorites of all time. My one complaint is that Hugo can get so goddamn annoyingly tedious with details that don't seem to matter at first, but all of the details he shares allows you to paint such a vivid picture of what is going on in your mind. The story is beautiful.

[I Took the Red Pill]

Finished A Fan's Notes, onto Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow. Really into it so far.

[Del Murder]

Pillars of the Earth. It's pretty epic so far.

[Unbreakable Will]

77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz
Love Koontz, his writing is always pleasing to my mental palate and yet again I'm feasting upon one of his novels. :bigsmile:
Really recommend this book to anyone interested in unconventional horror fiction.

[krissy]

reading sophie's world again
i stopped halfway last time
this time im taking notes and trying to learn something

[Jinx]

reading sophie's world again
i stopped halfway last time
this time im taking notes and trying to learn something

Dude, krissy

That's one of the books I'm about to start reading!

I always get like, 50 pages in and stop.

[krissy]

yeah! the information and lessons and theories are really interesting but the backstory itself is just so dull, it's just fluff
i sometimes wonder if i should just read the letters and not bother with sophie herself, but i feel like i'll miss something if i do that

[Miriel]

I just finished reading Angelfall by Susan Ee and I LOVED it!

Now, I know with a title like that, it seems like just another paranormal romance Twilight type deal. But it's not, thank god.

It leans more toward Cormac McCarthy's The Road than it does Twilight. Apocalypse, cannibalism, an insane mother who trains her daughter (main character) to fight because she's afraid she will KILL her in a schizophrenic frenzy, etc. Also, the Angels in this are terrible harbingers of doom and destruction. And also agnostic.

There's romance but it's not the insta-love kind.

I'm surprised this is being categorized as Young Adult, but I guess it barely just squeezes into that category. And it was self published. Bravo to the author for getting this work out there on her own.

I blazed through this in one afternoon. Really really enjoyed it.

[Shorty]

Ohh man, The Road is so great. I am tempted to pick up Angelfall now.

[Jinx]

That book sounds pretty interesting, I won't lie.

[Araciel]

Leviathan Wakes.

[Miriel]

Just finished Unspoken By Sarah Rees Brennen and I really enjoyed it. Someone recommended to me a bunch of books (mostly Young Adult) with strong female characters and I've been making my way through the list.

Angelfall and Daughter of Smoke and Bone both had great female leads, but oh my goodness I am in love with Kami from Unspoken. So quirky, friendly, cheerful, funny, strong, determined, vulnerable. I want to be her best friend.

[Miriel]

Still trudging along with Les Miserables. But I also recently finished Still Alice which just GUTTED me. I was so heartbroken by the end, not in a crying my eyes out kind of way, but more in a horrified, THAT COULD HAPPEN TO ME sort of way. Such a great book, especially if you're interested at all in alzheimer's.

Also halfway through Moonwalking with Einstein which is SO fascinating. Definitely hoping I can pick up some of the mnemonic tricks to improve my memory.

And furthering my quest to read as many books with badass female leads, I just started Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson and I'm really enjoying it so far. Enjoying it more than other fantasy books I've read in a while.

[Lonely Paper Star]

Finally started reading George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series last weekend. About 260 pages into A Game of Thrones (the first book) now. :choc2:

[Lone Wolf Leonhart]

What are you reading?!

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

It's about a house that's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside and the family that lives there.

Imagine if you went home and all of a sudden there was a hallway in your living room that hadn't been there before, and you can't see it outside, but it goes for miles. The book is about what would happen if you discovered that space.

"The format and structure of the novel is unconventional, with unusual page layout and style. It contains copious footnotes, many of which contain footnotes themselves, and some of which reference books that do not exist. Some pages contain only a few words or lines of text, arranged in strange ways to mirror the events in the story, often creating both an agoraphobic and a claustrophobic effect. The novel is also distinctive for its multiple narrators, who interact with each other throughout the story in disorienting and elaborate ways."

Here's a few picture examples of page structure:

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk48/nmfloropoulos/house-of-leaves-with-red-text.png

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk48/nmfloropoulos/house-of-leaves-sideways-type.png

[Jinx]

I've always wanted to read House of Leaves, but never got the opportunity.

[Quindiana Jones]

I'm currently reading "A Short History of Chinese Philosophy". 'Tis interesting.

[Heath]

I'm current reading The Pursuit of Italy by David Gilmour. I've been interested to learn more about Italian history, particularly the early modern Italian city states like Venice and Florence and about the Risorgimento. It hasn't done so much about the Roman period, which surprised and slightly disappointed me. In author does argue that the Roman Republic shouldn't be seen as an Italian national identity as such because the Romans didn't categorise themselves with specific reference to ethnicity, with numerous ethnicities playing roles throughout the Empire. I'm quite enjoying it - it goes into sufficient depth that I'm finding it quite interesting, it's expanding on some bits I already had a fair bit of knowledge about (e.g. Renaissance political thought and Florence) and it's a nice one volume history which isn't too lofty to read.

[Miriel]

I finished Mistborn : The Final Empire

I thought it was great in the beginning, and then realized that it was in fact, crappy.

It's so weird how the book gets so much praise though. Do people who read fantasy novels just have a lower bar for what constitutes great writing? I thought the characters were unbelievable and weakly drawn, the story too typical, the writing lacking any subtlety or elegance. Any time the author went for depth it ended up silly, pseudo-intellectual and melodramatic.

And way, waaaay too long. If you're going to go on and on describing and explaining trout, you best be a terrific writer. Sanderson is not.

I wonder if I'll be able to find a high fantasy book that I actually like, or if the genre itself bothers me. For some reason, I find that a lot of people who write high fantasy write in a really similar style. A style I kind of hate.

[I Took the Red Pill]

For Whom the Bell Tolls. One of the few Hemingway novels I've not yet read. I'm quite entranced so far.

[Zeldy]

It's took a while, but I'm finally near the end of American Psycho. I can only truly focus on reading on trains, I was reading it on the way back home the other day with a permanent ':O' on my face at how truly disgusting and.. explicit the book is. You almost feel a bit dirty reading it.

I started reading Haruki Murakami's The Wind Up Bird Chronicle the other week too. I plan to focus on it after American Psycho.

My housemate recommended me a book I was unheard of, Grow Up written by Ben Brooks and this book didn't require a train journey; I didn't move from my seat and completed the book first thing the next morning. I very very very much recommend it if you're a fan of Catcher in the Rye especially.

[CimminyCricket]

I'm rereading R.A. Salvatore's Sell Swords series. I love the way that he writes and this particular series was awesome.

[krissy]

i finally
after a decade of attempts
finished sophie's world

i really liked it
but it doesn't get interesting plot wise until half way through.
i got tired of taking notes though. maybe i'll go through it again and take some quick ones now that i know how to do it efficiently (letters and dialogues and skipping the plot)

[Jinx]

NOW THAT I HAVE INTERNET

AND FINISHED SON OF NEPTUNE (again)

I AM GOING TO BUY MARK OF ATHENA OMGGGGG

[Heath]

I started reading Haruki Murakami's The Wind Up Bird Chronicle the other week too. I plan to focus on it after American Psycho.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a fantastic book, as are all of Murakami's that I've read. I think Norwegian Wood is my favourite, as it's the one I read first, but I think Wind Up Bird is his best book. I keep meaning to re-read it.

I finished The Pursuit of Italy over the weekend and really enjoyed the ending. I think when you know the last section of the book is going to cover the trials and tribulations of the colourful Mr. Berlusconi, you can't help but look forward to finishing it.

I've started reading The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith today. Partly because I'm obviously a pretentious jerk, partly because I was recommended it ages ago and have been meaning to read it for a while, and partly because I quite enjoyed The Great Crash when I read it a few years back.

[Shoeberto]

Finished Brave New World the other day. I didn't much care for the ending, but that's not uncommon for me with novels. Loved it otherwise. The narrative itself is fairly weak but the philosophy is fascinating.

Started Slaughterhouse Five yesterday. Been looking forward to this since I started reading about Vonnegut recently (I'm woefully ignorant about a lot of important literature, sadly). I didn't get far - spent more time finagling the Kindle edition on to my girlfriend's reader - but I'm already entranced by his writing style.

[Bolivar]

I recently finished The Hobbit, and now a few chapters into The Lord of the Rings, after having only read Fellowship when I was around 11 or 12. I'm really amazed at the jump from more a children's novel (a really good and deep one, mind you) to a big boy fantasy story. Also, Tolkien really packs a punch into every sentence.

I was thinking of going into The Prince of Nothing series or the Malazan Book of the Fallen novels and was wondering if any of you into fantasy have heard of them...

[Miriel]

Started Slaughterhouse Five yesterday. Been looking forward to this since I started reading about Vonnegut recently (I'm woefully ignorant about a lot of important literature, sadly). I didn't get far - spent more time finagling the Kindle edition on to my girlfriend's reader - but I'm already entranced by his writing style.

Vonnegut is one of my favs. Although I didn't love Slaughterhouse Five. If you like his stuff, try Sirens of Titen next.

I finished the Sparrow. It was fucking depressing.

[krissy]

yeah it was. i think there's a sequel, isn't there? i'm in no rush to find out about it.

[Miriel]

Is there? I would have no interest in reading it.

I thought The Sparrow was really well written with amazing characters. But the whole time I'm reading it, there's just this incredible dread. And it was a longer book than I anticipated. So it took ages and ages of creepy build up to actually get to the bad stuff and by the time I got there, I just did not want to deal with any of it.

[krissy]

yeah i agree with the writing and the characters and the build up
i was a bit more lenient to the length i think, i felt the end and revelations portion was done really quickly compared to the rest of the story (the rest of the build up haha)

i think it wouldn't have been such a strong book for me if the time line was just linear. i kind of liked having the axe hang over everything from the beginning.

Children of God (novel) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_God_(novel))

that's the sequel
i'm tempted to read the plot summary, but the rating on goodreads was actually pretty good too...like 0.10 less than the original. maybe i'll leave it for some future time.

[Flaming Ice]

I was thinking of going into The Prince of Nothing series or the Malazan Book of the Fallen novels and was wondering if any of you into fantasy have heard of them...



I have a few of the Malazan books...the first one then a few others that aren't in the first part of the series (my brother bought me the first one but some of the books are a bit more expensive)

It wasn't too bad actually but you don't really get background information so you have to read into the book to understand more of it.

[Depression Moon]

Patternmaster right now.

[Jowy]

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk.

[Laddy]

Jowy's post.

[Bahamut2000X]

Currently reading Principles of Biochemistry as well as Microbiology: An Evolving Science. Thrilling tales are told.

[Madame Adequate]

Just finished Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, and wasn't terribly impressed by it compared to American Gods. Still enjoyed it though!

Now I'm reading the cheeriest of possible books, A Century of Genocide by Eric D. Weitz.

[I Took the Red Pill]

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. The prose is witty and sharp, and it appeals to my inner math-nerd. Great read so far, about 1/4 of the way through.

[Lone Wolf Leonhart]

Necronomicon.

Those who get it, will get it.

[Miriel]

I just finished Gone Girl (http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Girl-Novel-Gillian-Flynn/dp/030758836X). It was kinda ridiculous but also awesome. Such a different kind of book from what I normally read. I really liked it.

[The Summoner of Leviathan]

A bunch of school stuff. Mostly philosophy texts. I've learned two things: many analytical philosophers are rather dry and that I still love my French philosophers (though Deleuze not so much...).

The last thing I was reading for please was The Great Partnership: Science, Religion, and the Search of Meaning by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. I have yet to finish it, sorta got stuck in the "Relationship" chapter (it becomes very obvious his conservative social stance at this point). I still find it nonetheless interesting though I don't agree with him on several points, he does bring up good points, especially regarding the odd marriage of the Hebrew notion of God and the Aristotelian God and how that led to our (starting with the 17th century) modern problem of science and religion. His prescriptive and parallels he draws are interesting for the most part. I just picked up Charles Taylor's A Secular Age since many of my profs have mentioned him and seems worth a try. The book is rather huge, so it might be a rather taxing undertaking so close to exams.

[Heath]

Now I'm reading the cheeriest of possible books, A Century of Genocide by Eric D. Weitz.

While that sounds interesting, I really can't imagine it's particularly light or pleasant reading!

I worked my way through The Affluent Society and quite enjoyed it. I can certainly see how it must have been a pretty revolutionary book upon its first publication. I won't deny that I'm a total economics novice nor that I have come away from the book with anything like a proper understanding of some of the economics involved, but I thought the sections on the way that wealth justified itself and the obsessions with production over more tangible and more human measures were pretty interesting. I couldn't help but feel that I liked the book partly because, in some sections, Galbraith was probably preaching to the converted.

This week I've started reading The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler. I'd never heard of it before until I came across it in a bookshop and it sounded interesting. Can't go wrong with a nice book attacking Victorian hypocrisy. I've found it quite amusing so far, and a surprisingly good read. Only about a third the way through, but I'm quite enjoying it.

[Shiny]

I'm reading These Children Who Come at You with Knives for the second time because it's funny, maniacal, absurd, clever, and most of all it's the tits.

I'm thinking of picking up this gem: Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Dependency on Imported Petroleum (American Empire Project): Michael T. Klare: 9780805079388: Amazon.com: Books (http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Oil-Consequences-Dependency-Petroleum/dp/0805079386) because I'm curious about what's going on with the oil situation and hopefully this can give me more of a clue as to why we do or do not actually need imported oil.

[Miriel]

I just finished Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. It was excellent. I will one day give this book to my future daughter to read.

[Slothy]

Started World War Z recently and finished it yesterday after letting it sit on the shelf for a few years. Twas awesome, and I doubt I need to explain why to most of the folks around here. I wish I'd gotten to it sooner now, but better late than never.

Also bought most of the collected Sherlock Holmes stories in a lovely little $10 paperback version. Started A Study in Scarlet on the bus this morning. Only got about 6 pages in but I'm enjoying it quite a bit so far.

[Lonely Paper Star]

I've been all into the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Made it into the fourth book, A Feast for Crows. Into it approximately 200 pages out of 900-something. T___T

[Breine]

Just finished reading the first edition (the 1818 one) of "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley for the second time, since I'm writing about it for my BA (along with "Wuthering Heights" and "Wide Sargasso Sea"). I friggin' dig that book.

Before that I read "Animal's People" by Indra Sinha, which is a postcolonial book about the Bhopal Disaster in India. It's quite amusing and tragic at the same time, and a very good book. Animal, the narrator, is a terrific character - he's basically a lovable prick and dirtbag and you can't help but just really like him.

[Goldenboko]

Finished: The Hobbit

Reading: The Silmarillion

[Aulayna]

Currently reading Jessica Ennis's autobiography Unbelievable.

[Miriel]

I just finished The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. It reminded me of how much I love Greek mythology. I wasn't so sure about the book in the beginning. But I fell in love with the middle and shed tears at the end. Isn't that weird? To hope for a different ending, even when you know it won't come?



Reading: The Silmarillion
Go go go! Be patient with The Silmarillion. It's less of a novel and more of a mythology. So you kind of need to prepare yourself for that. And I actually took down notes when I first read it to keep all the names straight. :p

[The Summoner of Leviathan]

I just finished The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. It reminded me of how much I love Greek mythology. I wasn't so sure about the book in the beginning. But I fell in love with the middle and shed tears at the end. Isn't that weird? To hope for a different ending, even when you know it won't come?

Oh! I started that but did not finish it yet because of readings for university. But it was an interesting read so far. At the part where Achilles gathers some ladies. About half way? Usually, I hate Achilles in Greek myth, he's more tolerable this time. I LOVE PATROCLUS. He is my one of my favorite Greek "heroes". Bradley's portrayal in Firebrand of Patroclus was endearing as well. Though in Song of Achilles he is likable if not a bit of a useless twat.

[Parker]

I'm reading White Teeth by Zadie Smith.

It's good, I like it so far. It's not totally mind-blowing but there have been some parts I really enjoyed, and had a couple irl lols reading it

[Agent Proto]

A Game of Thrones.

It's very good, and I'm quite glad to have started reading again.

[I Took the Red Pill]

My Kindle broke (:aimsad:) so Cryptonomicon is on hold until I can get a Paperwhite. So I've been reading some stuff I picked up in the English literature section of a Chinese bookstore to hold me over.

Just finished Dance, Dance, Dance by Murakami. It was very surreal and very satisfying. The man knows how to create characters who, though empty and distant, are endearing. Still, I didn't like it as much as Kafka on the Shore or Norwegian Wood (though the comparing it to the latter is like apples and oranges, in terms of plot-type things).

About to start Green Hills of Africa by Hemingway. It will be the first of his nonfiction I've read.

[Miriel]

I just cannot get into any of Murakami's work. I have his books sitting in my shelves and I'm actually tempted to just donate them to the library. =/

Is there something I'm missing? Is there a frame of mind I need to be in when I read his books to enjoy them more?

[Goldenboko]

I just finished The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. It reminded me of how much I love Greek mythology. I wasn't so sure about the book in the beginning. But I fell in love with the middle and shed tears at the end. Isn't that weird? To hope for a different ending, even when you know it won't come?



Reading: The Silmarillion
Go go go! Be patient with The Silmarillion. It's less of a novel and more of a mythology. So you kind of need to prepare yourself for that. And I actually took down notes when I first read it to keep all the names straight. :p

I'm not doing that.

[Heath]

I just cannot get into any of Murakami's work. I have his books sitting in my shelves and I'm actually tempted to just donate them to the library. =/

Is there something I'm missing? Is there a frame of mind I need to be in when I read his books to enjoy them more?

What is it about them you don't like? I've always found them easy to read, very entertaining, with believable characters placed in reasonably interesting scenarios often with a twist. I think the strengths are his writing style and his characters - the former as the narration is often rather amusing and revealing, and the latter because the characters he use work together well and are never wholly what they seem originally. Maybe it depends on which one you start with - I found Norwegian Wood to be a good starting point.

Yesterday I started reading Thomas Penn's Winter King, which is a history of Henry VII, who I've wanted to know more about for quite a while. It had very good reviews, so hopefully it'll live up to expectations.

[Miriel]

I'm not doing that.
Doing what? Exhibiting patience?




What is it about them you don't like?.

The surrealism kinda bores me and puts me to sleep. Maybe I'll have a big shot of caffiene and try again.

[Miriel]

I recently finished The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, I'm in the middle of The Hobbit, and I also started Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.

[Night Fury]

This Sex Which Is Not One - Luce Irigaray
Feminist Practice and Post-structuralist Theory -
In The Name of Love - Women, Masochism and the Gothic


All for my project. All interesting. But I'd rather read The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

[Goldenboko]

Bump. After 18 months of trying I've finally finished The Similarion.

[Ouch!]

I finished A Memory of Light (Book 14 of The Wheel of Time series) while home sick with the flu on Friday last week. I just started the first book of Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive, The Way of Kings, last night. I'm only a few chapters in, but so far it's really interesting, particularly from a world-building standpoint. The world in the series features constant hurricanes, and the way flora and fauna have adapted to this is really interesting.

[chionos]

Reading list for one class this spring:
Paradise Lost
The Satanic Verses
Dante's Inferno
The Wasteland
In Search of Duende
The Demon and the Angel
Omeros
The Odyssey
"Sinbad"
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Jazz
Amy Hempel collected stories
Leaves of Grass
Deep Step Come Shining
Frank O'Hara's poems

Luckily just happened to reread Leaves of Grass in December. Finished Paradise Lost last night, and starting on The Satanic Verses now.

Seems like I'm not going to have much time for my own reading list the next few months which includes: The Secret Piano, Kokoro Japanese Inner Life, The Book of Tea, Love (short stories of Chekhov), The Confusion (second of Stephenson's Baroque cycle, I'll finish Quicksilver the next day or two), Thoughts on Art and Life, The Shah Nameh, The Rubaiyat, The Divan, and The Gulistan

[krissy]

finished Stephen King's The Stand, uncut version (finally)

great book! kind of sad it's over.

[TrollHunter]

Been reading HP Lovecrafts complete fiction for some time now, and will be reading it for some months to come
Its fantastic. The stories are far from perfect, but they set an atmosphere like nothing else. I read a bit every night before bed

[Miriel]

I recently finished The Light Between Oceans and also The Snow Child. I didn't plan for it or realize it in advance, but both books were about the heartache of losing a child... or multiple children. I really enjoyed The Snow Child especially for the fairy tale element to it.

I read half of Grave Mercy but had to step away because I just did not enjoy the writing.

[Casey]

I'm reading "Too Good To Be True? Nutrients Quiet the Unquiet Brain" A Four Generation Bipolar Odyssey. Only 58 pages in, so far it's a interesting book.

[Agent Proto]

I finished Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter last week. I've started on A Clash of Kings couple days ago. :)