Book: What Book Are You Reading?

[masamuneehs]

just finished reading All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren.


It's a novel about politics in the South in the early 1900's. The main character is a 'dog' of an aspiring (and once high-minded) politician named Willie Stark, who does a load of dirty work and is, for the start at least, not unwelcome to this work.

The novel is about 700 pages and goes over the life of the main character and the politician and their family, friends and lovers. It's a rather dark and cynical book with a fair share of violence, racism and contempt for all that defines American politics.

It won the 1947 Pulitzer and is considered to be "perhaps the most important" American political novel of the modern period. Highly recommended to all, but make sure to read at least the first two chapters. I hated chapter one, had to get adjusted to the writing style, but was in love with the book by the end of the second.

[Danad_corps]

Horray! a thread about books!!!

has anyone read the Silmarillion? i couldn't get into it.

I read it Since it was never completed, its quite different in its presentation from the Lord of the Rings (The Hobbit is part of the Lord of the Rings). The Silmarillion is quite amazing if you like reading about different types of mythos. This is Tolkien's version of the creation of his world. There is a lot of name-dropping and if you read it, you get to know some of the characters from The Lord of the Rings and how they have interacted with the world. If you have prior knowledge of other creation stories (The ancient Greek's and the Enuma Elish just to name a few) its great to compare and contrast. Its cool seeing how creative genius' of an age relate to that of another.
By the way, if you are to read this book, then you might as well read the rest of the Series made by Tolkien. History of Middle-Earth. The Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion is included in this series.

As for the Ender Series: it was one of my favourites growing up (in fact its one of the books that made me into the avid reader that I am). I don't remember much from them though (it has been quite a while) so i'll probably end up re-reading them.

If you read 1984, you have to read Brave New World. Those two books almost always go hand in hand in a conversation. (DO NOT SEE THE MOVIES)

@ samsonlonghair Fahrenheit-451 was awesome My best Lit professor had us read that along with a whole slew of other amazingly good books (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was the best out of those)

@ masamuneehs Catch-22 is a hit or miss book. I know quite a few people who've read that book and they've either hated it or found it to be one of their favs (its def. one of my favs). The book is definitely funny as hell IMO (i love hupples cat). If you've ever seen Meerkat Manor, they name one of the Meerkats Yosarian after the main character in this book

Pride and Prejudice was a good Classic book.

the Satanic Verses : Only read this is you are willing to dissect the hell out of the book. It is interpreted by A LOT of people and is known primarily for that.

Life According to Garp One of my favourite books of all time. It was hilarious

Breakfast for Champions A really funny book. Written by the same guy who wrote Slaughterhouse-Five which was also very funny

Song of Solomon had a really funny quote in it "smells like the ocean, tastes like the sea" (it should be obvious what its about). Other than that, it wasn't very humorous. It was a required read and it was...well something for me to read at the time.

The Wheel of Time Series is what i'm currently into. I hate ending books, so i get myself into series so that i wont have to end anytime soon. Each book is around 1000 pages (paperback) (there are 11 books in circulation. The author is terminally ill but will release the last one (if he doesn't die) by 2010 i think) and its great for entertainment. Its universe sort of parallels Tolkiens (very loosely). If you like fantasy, check it out.

umm... all the other books that come to mind are from my classes last year(Greek and Romany Mythology and 2 lit classes) so if you really want to know some of the authors i can tell you but from what i see, this doesn't seem to interest you. If i am mistaken just pm me and i'll be more than happy to give you some names I didn't like some of the books from one of my Lit class because the prof. only had us reading depressing books about African women's struggles. She was, by far, the ugliest looking person i've ever seen...<shudders> just thinking about the class makes me queasy.

btw people, please bold-face your titles. It makes looking for a book THAT much easier and its grammatically correct.

[KitKat]

Since we were talking about this thread in the introductions section, I thought I'd bring it back.

I'm currently reading Harrowing the Dragon, a collection of short stories by Patricia McKillip. She's one of my favourite authors, and this book doesn't disappoint. As much as I love long epic sagas, I'm a compulsive reader, and tend to read for hours (I will read through a book in a day or too, so I'm careful about when I start books), so short stories are nice mid-week reading for me. I can read one or two without missing a night of sleep. Short stories are also more difficult to write I think, because everything that the author wants to convey must be fit within a limited number of pages, and they must also use these meager pages to create an absorbing and detailed world that will draw the reader in. When a short story is done right though, it's so worthwhile.

[saman]

i read a couple of her novels some years ago. she's a pretty good writer, but i found that the endings of some of her stories got really...odd sometimes. maybe not so much in her short stories, though.

currently, i'm reading harry potter and the order of the phoenix. for the gajillion-and-one'th time. anyone want to suggest something new to a sci-fi and fantasy reader?

[KitKat]

i read a couple of her novels some years ago. she's a pretty good writer, but i found that the endings of some of her stories got really...odd sometimes. maybe not so much in her short stories, though.

currently, i'm reading harry potter and the order of the phoenix. for the gajillion-and-one'th time. anyone want to suggest something new to a sci-fi and fantasy reader?

Yeah, some of her novels are a bit strange, but the short stories are wonderful.

In terms of fantasy and sci fi, have you ever read anything by Robin McKinley? Her two books The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword are probably the only two books that I read again and again and again. I even have two copies of both in case I ever want to lend out a copy to someone and still have a copy for myself to read

She also has a really sweet new book called Sunshine that's a psuedo-modern vampire story. Edgier than the other two books, with more attitude, but totally awesome.

[Winged Dancer]

I'm at the middle of the semester, so you can guess that most of my stuff is school sent...

But anyway!

Erec and Enid - I'm a big, BIG fan of King Arthur and his knights (Sir Gawain FTW!), and of the many writers that have touched the topic Chretien de Troyes is among the best.
Erec and Enid was written around the 12th Century, so the prose isn't exactly fluid and easy, but it's beautiful and full of detail. It tells the story of a knight (Erec) and his lady (Enid) and basically makes clear that a man must not be loved just because - he must be loved because he is worthy of being loved.

'Till We Have Faces - This one I'm reading on my own, and kinda dissapointed. It was written by C.S. Lewis, of Narnia fame, but this one is for adults - no talking animals here. The narrator/main character, however, is boring and completely emo... always talking about how everybody left her behind and how much everyone hates her, blah blah blah. Wouldn't reccommend it unless you can stand that kind of thing.

Great Expectations - Well, I have yet to start it but probably should, since I have a class on it coming soon. What can I say? You probably know it or have read it. The story of an orphan and how much orphans suffer... as if Dickens wrote anything different!

Galahad: Enough of His Life to Explain His Reputation - I bought this hardback beauty for 4 dollars, which is close to nothing here in my country. By John Erskine, wonderful American essay writer, so I'm expecting good stuff here... besides, it's Britannic Matter. King Arthur. Knights. What more can you ask for?

Finally, assorted poems - anyone heard of The Lady of Shalott, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson? Beautiful poem, and (guess what!) it deals with Arthurian literature!
Also, everything by Browning is great, particularly The Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister, which had me actually LOLing - a feat no poem since Don Juan had achieved...

Have I ever mentioned how much I love studying English Literature? I guess my lists do look more academic, but God, books are nice.

[SK]

I'm currently reading Candide by Voltaire and also the ongoing study of The Republic by Plato (Bloom translation).

[Sasori]

Has anyone here heard of Stephenie Meyer? She's written and writing a few books. My favourite out of all of them being Twilight. They're really for young adults such as myself. It's a love story about a girl named bella, and a vampire named Edward. I know it seems generic, but it's really worth it!

Also, Life of Pi I don't know if it has been posted yet, but for now I don't have the time to read through fifteen pages. I'll read through them when I get home and edit my post if it's already been posted.

[saman]

Yeah, some of her novels are a bit strange, but the short stories are wonderful.

In terms of fantasy and sci fi, have you ever read anything by Robin McKinley? Her two books The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword are probably the only two books that I read again and again and again. I even have two copies of both in case I ever want to lend out a copy to someone and still have a copy for myself to read

She also has a really sweet new book called Sunshine that's a psuedo-modern vampire story. Edgier than the other two books, with more attitude, but totally awesome.

i have, in fact, not. i've taken tomorrow off for house cleaning, actually, so if i get a break from that, i think i'm going to head down to the library and see if they have the titles you mentioned. thanks!

[gr3atfull]

WD, did you ever read The Mist of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley ? It's really good book. In fact, its the only Arthurian literature that I enjoyed.

For my english class called Genocide in Short Fiction and Film, I read :
1- Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian.
It is based on the Armenian genocide during WW1. Good book.

and

2- Night by Elie Wiesel
It's based on the Jewish Genocide. Excellent book except that I found its a bit too short and time passes really fast.

Finally, I am currently reading A Sunday At The Pool In Kigali by Gil Courtemanche. Its about the Genocide in Rwanda. Until now, its pretty good.

[eat_toast]

2- Night by Elie Wiesel
It's based on the Jewish Genocide. Excellent book except that I found its a bit too short and time passes really fast.

If you think Night is short, read Dawn. Story of the same guy when he is grown. Very good, but the entire story takes place in a few hours. About a forty-five minute read.

I just finished reading a play, actually. It's fairly short, but good. Called Arcadia, and it's by Tom Stoppard. It's a fairly recent play, published and acted first in 1993. It parallels two time periods (the early 1800's and today) in the same house setting. I recommend it, as some parts are hilarious, and others more thought provoking.

[Winged Dancer]

Also, Life of Pi I don't know if it has been posted yet, but for now I don't have the time to read through fifteen pages. I'll read through them when I get home and edit my post if it's already been posted.

Oh, oh, oh, I haven't read it, but the author visited my university last semester, and he was so young and handsome and dreamy and everything a young male author should look like!!!! </fangirl rant>

I guess I should get around to reading his book, though :P

And gr3atfull, nope, truth to be told, the only modern Arthurian literature I've read is "The Once and Future King", by T.S. White, and I stopped reading when Lancelot appeared (Gods I hate Lancelot)... but I'll search for it next time I order something from amazon.com...

..which I should do today. Oh God, I don't have three of the books I need and they're due soon.....! *runs to amazon*

[masamuneehs]

WD, did you ever read The Mist of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley ? It's really good book. In fact, its the only Arthurian literature that I enjoyed.

2- Night by Elie Wiesel
It's based on the Jewish Genocide. Excellent book except that I found its a bit too short and time passes really fast.

Mist of Avalon is the best Arthur book I've ever seen. The idea of telling the story of medieval knights from a mostly female perspective was very well executed.

god, Night is depressing...

As for me, I'm currently reading Hunter S. Thomspon's The Rum Diary. It's sorta like Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises" but with more drugs, funnier characters and less social commentary.

[Mae]

I recently read World War Z by Max Brooks. Surprisingly well thought out book about what would happen in today's world if there was a sudden massive outbreak of zombies. Told as a series of interviews with various survivors of the war it's a quick and fun read.

For more classic sci-fi/fantasy stuff, I recently went on a Lois Bujold kick. She has some nice space adventure stuff with her Vorkosigan series. Looked cheesy as hell, but when I got into the books I really enjoyed them. Some nice newer fantasy stuff too, particularly The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls. P. C. Hodgell also recently came out with her latest book. Not a prolific author to say the least, but I like her protagonist Jame and the series is worth a look (Kitkat you might like it).

[SK]

Symposium, Phaedrus, and other Dialogues by Plato.

[Winged Dancer]

If I remember correctly, the Phaedrus is simply lovely. But it's been a while since I read Plato...

I recently read World War Z by Max Brooks. Surprisingly well thought out book about what would happen in today's world if there was a sudden massive outbreak of zombies. Told as a series of interviews with various survivors of the war it's a quick and fun read.

I've been wanting to read that book, since "The Zombie Survival Guide" was pretty entretaining and worked for those hours in which the brain is dead. But the only version amazon.com carries is the hard-cover one, and I'm not buying a hardcover zombie novel, so I'll have to wait until september, I think, when the mass paperback comes out.

Right now (literally) I'm reading Look Back In Anger, a play by John Osborne. What can I say? I'm really enjoying it. It's mainly about working-class British youth after the second World War, and the shifting of political classes... very interesting, very well written and due for Monday =P

*reads*

[saman]

Yeah, some of her novels are a bit strange, but the short stories are wonderful.

In terms of fantasy and sci fi, have you ever read anything by Robin McKinley? Her two books The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword are probably the only two books that I read again and again and again. I even have two copies of both in case I ever want to lend out a copy to someone and still have a copy for myself to read

She also has a really sweet new book called Sunshine that's a psuedo-modern vampire story. Edgier than the other two books, with more attitude, but totally awesome.

i just thought you might like to know, kitkat, that i finished reading the blue sword day before yesterday, and i really liked it; i'm a sucker for romantic happy endings i'll check out the hero and the crown next. thanks again for your suggestions!

in a similar vein, has anyone ever read anything by guy gavriel kay? i've read tigana, and i liked it enough to want to check out some of his other stuff, but i don't really know which other books of his to read.

[gr3atfull]

in a similar vein, has anyone ever read anything by guy gavriel kay? i've read tigana, and i liked it enough to want to check out some of his other stuff, but i don't really know which other books of his to read.

The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy. One of the best trilogy I ever read!!!! A must read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SK]

Dialogues on Natural Religion by David Hume.

[Danad_corps]

Harry potter series. Doin about a book a week but ima stop at the fourth one. I enjoyed the movies and i'd like to continue enjoying them so i'll read the novels after the movies come out.

Like always book>>movie