Book: What Book Are You Reading?

[masamuneehs]

Strike Freedom you are reading one of my favorite authors of all time! Dostoevesky was a true literary genius and his stories always were excellent. Have you read "The Idiot" yet? That one is my favorite from him...

I am currently reading "The Coming Generational Crisis" a non-fiction book by Lawrence Kotlikoff (professor of economics at BU, fairly well-known) about how when all the Baby Boomers (Americans born after 1945) retire MY generation is going to get assraped with increased taxes to provide for the elderly's games of golf and nursing homes. He calls it "fiscal child abuse", and that made me laugh, until I realized I'm probably going to get whooped hardcore by it....

[Strike Freedom]

Originally posted by: masamuneehs
Strike Freedom you are reading one of my favorite authors of all time! Dostoevesky was a true literary genius and his stories always were excellent. Have you read "The Idiot" yet? That one is my favorite from him...

I am currently reading "The Coming Generational Crisis" a non-fiction book by Lawrence Kotlikoff (professor of economics at BU, fairly well-known) about how when all the Baby Boomers (Americans born after 1945) retire MY generation is going to get assraped with increased taxes to provide for the elderly's games of golf and nursing homes. He calls it "fiscal child abuse", and that made me laugh, until I realized I'm probably going to get whooped hardcore by it....

Wow, I need to read that book. I like that term, "fiscal child abuse." I realize that it is a viciuos process, but it appears to me that the next generation is going to get hit hard by it since the Baby Boomers are a fairly large population. Not only that, they will suck money out of us but leave us with nothing once we head towards retirment. God bless America!

Regarding Dostoevesky, I have never read the "Idiot" but it was recommended to me by a Brother of the Holy Cross that I know, he introduced me into Dostoevesky since I was looking for a good read. I will pick that one up next after the DaVinci Code. I read a synopsis of the "Idiot" and it sounds like an excellent book. Dostoevesky is a genius. If you look at his life, you will realize that it was what he went through that made him such an amazing literary author.

Lastly, I recommend Alexandre Dumas for any of those who want a good novel to read, he has several of them. My favorite of all time is the "Count of Monte Cristo." Although the book is a fiction, it was based on someone's life, who had something very similar happen to him as it did to Edmond Dantes (lead character in the "Count of Monte Cristo")

EDIT:

@ Honoko: I like your observation on the book, although I have yet to read it. But you point out a very big mistake the author made by using words such as "All" and "Everyone." Seems to me that he forcefully wants you to see it his way. Nonetheless, I must read it since I've heard so many good reviews. But since you pointed that out, I will be a bit more critical on the choice of his words, great observation.

[Honoko]

DaVinci Code is overhyped and completely misinformed. I read it in about 8 hours only to realize afterwards that the author used those 8 hours to deliberately try to manipulate me into thinking only a certain way. And his wording to present his conspiracy theories are totally misleading. Wording like "All art historians know..." or "Everyone in the art community recognizes..." are complete bullshit. In real life, not every professional art aficionado takes those theories seriously anyway. Any fictional book that tries to come off as fact pisses me off. And Dan Brown is a horrible writer. There are better thriller writers out there if you're looking for suspense and intrigue. Robert Ludlum comes to mind, for example.

At any rate, I'm currently slooooowly inching my way through Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson....pretty fun book, if you like those geeky moments where the conversation turns into an excerpt from a science textbook =]

[ES]

Ive seen A documentary about The Da Vinci Code with an interview with DB himself. It was based upon another book and the documentary said that even named book was a fake itself. I am going to find a link or something pertaining to this documentary..if I can find it.

EDIT: Found the site. Also, one must have the channel caled "History Channel" to see it.

http://www.historychannel.com/...de&networkCode=THC

Now back on topic [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[Honoko]

@SF: yeah, as long as you don't take all the "facts" he presents very seriously, it's one of those books that you'd read just to procrastinate.... and the same goes for all the other books he's written. and yes, i have read all of them. as you can tell, i'm a big fan of procrastination.

@ES: i just looked through those links... and the brief synopsis of the tv program and you can't expect me to take seriously a tv program that actually considers a *fictional* book as a source of reference and debate. Now, if Dan Brown had made symbology as his life's work and presented his findings in an academic paper published by some respected academia group for everyone to duke over, then I wouldn't have much to complain about. Unfortunately, the man has spent most of his time as an English teacher and any art background came from his wife who's labeled as 'art historian and painter.' It's ridiculous how so many people seem to forget that what they're reading is fiction. The public gets hoodwinked and tricked so easily these days.

Think about it: Robert Landon is a FICTIONAL symbologist professor supposedly teaching at Harvard and whatever comes from his mouth, all the readers are taking seriously! What the hell. If Dan Brown's findings were really all that great, I should be seeing pundits all over the place stepping up and praising him for his fine academia. Instead, all I'm seeing is a media circus act, feeding off of the public's interest and spitting it back at them.

[milfhunter]

Honoko's on the ball, she's basically right about everything. Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code is a piece of shit.

For anyone else who has read it, I think that the only thing Dan Brown hopes to accomplish with this book is to promote sex and orgies so that he may be invited to one and/or finally lose his virginity. I've seriously met a christian girl (definitely not a saint though) who took Dan Brown's fictional novel as fact and believes that an orgasm is the core of enlightenment and brings you the closest to God. What a dumb bitch. So now she and all her little sorority cunts are huge college sluts (sluttier than they used to be, anyway) who practice orgies as one of their Dan Brown-inspired sorority rituals.

But I'm not complaining. Sluts are awesome. And there should be more books that cultivate sluts.

[XanBcoo]

Originally posted by: milfhunter
I've seriously met a christian girl (definitely not a saint though) who took Dan Brown's fictional novel as fact and believes that an orgasm is the core of enlightenment and brings you the closest to God...there should be more books that cultivate sluts.

LMAO.

My only problem with Dan Brown is that I've heard he's a crappy writer (never read anything by him myself) and that any intelligent person I know wholeheartedly agrees. It's also true how annoying it is that SO many people take "The Davinci Code" to be fact. I got into an argument with some dumb kids in my Art History class because they kept quoting The DC as if it contained all the secret conspiracies of art and religion.

On topic, I'm not reading anything now (that is, except my text books). But I'm looking to reread one of my favorite novels, "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brian. Awesome book about the Vietnam War.

[GhostKaGe]

the last book i read was quit disturbing A Child Called It

This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it."

Dave's bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy. When his mother allowed him the luxury of food, it was nothing more than spoiled scraps that even the dogs refused to eat. The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. He had nothing or no one to turn to, but his dreams kept him alive--dreams of someone taking care of him, loving him and calling him their son.


<u>An exerpt form the book</u>
Mother had another favorite game for me while Father was away. She sent me to clean the bathroom with her usual time limits. But this time, she put a bucket, filled with a mixture of ammonia and Clorox, in the room with me and closed the door. The first time she did this, Mother informed me she had read about it in a newspaper and wanted to try it. Even though I acted as if I were frightened, I really wasn"t. I was ignorant about what was going to happen. Only when Mother closed the door and ordered me not to open it, did I begin to worry. With the room sealed, the air began to quickly change. In the corner of the bathroom I dropped to my hands and knees and stared at the bucket. A fine gray mist swirled towards the ceiling. As I breathed in the fumes, I collapsed and began spitting up. My throat felt like it was on fire. Within minutes it was raw. The gas from the reaction of the ammonia and Clorox mixture made my eyes water. I was frantic about not being able to meet Mother"s time limits for cleaning the bathroom.

After a few more minutes, I thought I would cough up my insides. I knew that Mother wasn't going to give in and open the door. To survive her new game, I had to use my head. Laying on the tiled floor I stretched my body, and using my foot, I slide the bucket to the door. I did this for two reasons: I wanted the bucket as far away from me as possible, and in case Mother opened the door, I wanted her to get a snoot full of her own medicine. I curled up in the opposite corner of the bathroom, with my cleaning rag over my mouth, nose and eyes. Before covering my face, I wet the rag in the toilet. I didn't dare turn on the water in the sink for fear of Mother hearing it. Breathing through the cloth, I watched the mist inch its way closer and closer to the floor. I felt as if I were locked in a gas chamber. Then I thought about the small heating vent on the floor by my feet. I knew it turned on and off every few minutes. I put my face next to the vent and sucked in all the air my lungs would hold. In about half an hour, Mother opened the door and told me to empty the bucket into the drain in the garage before I smelled up her house. Downstairs I coughed up blood for over an hour. Of all Mother's punishments, I hated the gas chamber game the most.

[woofcat]

the last book i read was quit disturbing A Child Called It

I got and read this book today. Truely great. Thanks for tipping me off to this one.

[samsonlonghair]

I just finished reading Good Omens by Neil Gaimon (famous comic book writer: Sandman, 1602, etc) and Terry Pratcher (the guy who wrote the diskworld books). Damn, those two bastards made a stroy about the Apocalypse hilarious. It's a pretty funny book in which the Anti-Christ was accidentally switched at birth. His Hell Hound becomes a little mongrel dog; the Four Horsemen ride motorcycles instead of horses; the Serpent from Genesis drives around and listens to tapes of Queen all day. It's damn funny stuff.

Amazon links in case anyone's interested: paperback hard cover.

[GhostKaGe]

I got and read this book today. Truely great. Thanks for tipping me off to this one.

Link to previous post
It is a great book very disturbing that someone could actually do something like that.

Well worth reading i'd definitely recommend it to anyone.

[woofcat]

I am reading Snow Crash.

Its about a Ninja, Pizza Delevery man, Hacker. Yes its that good.

[Zidarri the Exile]

I am reading the series by Carol Berg called The Bridge of D'Arnath. I have to read book 3 and 4 still.

I am aslo reading Dreamcatcher by Stephen King, and Shadow of The Giant, by Orson Scott Card.

[drims]

I am going to read the new book thats coming out for diablo 2 LOD. Also it seems "a child called it" is good from the review ghostkage gave. I also finished reading the cantebury tales for engish 12

[ChaosK]

T-Sawyer!
H-Finn!
lol, i decided to revisit these books for fun now that i can fully comprehend them (last time i read one of these, i was in 6th grade)

[Strike Freedom]

T-Sawyer and H-Finn are great books, God it's been so long since I read those. I should reread them again as I too didn't understand jack crap at that age....

one of the best books I read was in 8th grade, The Giver.

Another one in that time was "The Hatchet"....

[Cal_kashi]

I'm curently reading for fun Infinite Jest, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, A Farewell to Arms and The Dharma Bums. I pick up whatever feels interesting when I go to bed, good times.

[EpyonNext]

Pooh and the Philosophers. In which it is shown that all of Western Philosophy is merely a preamble to Winnie-The-Pooh
By John Tyerman Williams

It's an extremely humerous and fun read.

[Paulyboy]

Orson Scott Card

Really good author of Sci-fi and other genres. He created the Ender series, like Enders game, which started it all, he also was the author of that video game (forgot the game name). He also had a deal with Steven Speilberg to create the Ender movie [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]. In Enders Game, its about Genius's being used by the government to fight an alien species called the Buggers (yah I know) but Ender is chosen to join the IF (which is like a military thingy), so he joins, and he becomes like the top best. But through out the book, it shows alot of human emotions and how the kids are being used like tools and how ender tries to defeat the system, and through out the whole book you will realize why its called Enders Game. His brother is a jealous evil man, while his sister loves him the most, and his brother (Peter Wiggin) thinks that his parents including his sister (Valentine) love ender more than him, so he creates like an evil murder side of himself. I really recommend this author to you guys, really good series, he also created different other series, like the Tales of Alvin Maker, and The Earth Series. GET THE ENDER BOOK!

[Mae]

Originally posted by: EpyonNext
Pooh and the Philosophers. In which it is shown that all of Western Philosophy is merely a preamble to Winnie-The-Pooh
By John Tyerman Williams

It's an extremely humerous and fun read.

Lol, if you liked that one you should really read The Tao of Pooh. It's a really short but actually pretty good book and how Winnie the Pooh is the perfect example of Taoist philosophy. I learned a lot about Tao when I read it too.

@ Paulyboy: Yeah, the Ender series was good, I enjoyed those books best out of all that Card has written.

I just reread The Truth, by Terry Pratchett, and it was good.