NationStates Jolt Archive

Right now. What did you read on the PATH train this morning, what book is sitting on your nightstand? Is it any good?

You know, cause the movie and music threads were an entertaining distraction from the grind of arguing about which is the worst type of Nazi (for the record--from worst to least worst--I'd rate them: German Nazis, Grammar Nazis, Neo-Nazi Skinheads, Homeland Security Nazis, Prince Harry, Soup Nazis).

Anyway, Edward Bunker's "Education of a Felon." It's been a while since I read a good memoir and I didn't think I was quite left enough in regards to the U.S. prison system. Plus, Bunker's got a really great style. Workmanly, but punctuated with the occassional (and unexpected) two dollar word or philosophical digression. They can be clunky at times, but you really tune in on how this guy soaked up information. You can tell through his writing which words impressed him in his reading. It's silly to say authentic about nonfiction, but it is quite a feat to get that real, lived quality onto the page.

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
(book four of The Wheel of Time)

Fantasy. Very good, but a bit long.

Not reading anything at the moment (except for the current edition of Private Eye), I ordered a second hand copy of "Land of the Blind" by Micheal Flynn though (only 45p!) because (not joking here) my cat pissed on my previous copy.

Also I've have essays and exams to do so I haven't had much time to read for fun.

I'm not reading anything at the moment, but I just finished I, Robot by Issac Asimov. It was pretty interesting. I'm looking forward to reading the Foundation trilogy now.

I'm reading Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicals.

Never read any of her books before, and I'd always wanted to. So I picked the book up for $1 at a used book store along with Shogun and some Sherlock Holmes book. So far, its quite good. I rather like the way she writes, and the storyline is interesting enough.

Thucydides - history of the Peloponessian war.
It's quite entertaining, but despite his claims for it to be all true, I still doubt him. He is an ancient greek historian, not one that is usually to be trusted.

Sharpe's Escape

mainly so i don't have to concentrate too much :D decent action/hero gets the girl/kills the bad guy kinda book

I'm not reading anything at the moment, but I just finished I, Robot by Issac Asimov. It was pretty interesting. I'm looking forward to reading the Foundation trilogy now.
Oh yeah!
They're great

darkly dreaming dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Just picked up Contrabando by Don Henry Ford. I've barely started it but the review in The Texas Observer made it sound really interesting.

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

I just started re-reading the harry potter saga in preparation for the upcoming release of the sixth installment. Its an excellent series and is actually better the second time through.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

havent read much but its good so far, if a little fucked up.

edit: am i allowed to swear on here?

Legless Pirates: Stop reading WoT. The first four or five books are alright, but after that its a swandive into the concrete. Jordan is a decent writer, but his rambling storylines seem to never wrap up. The Seafolk, for example, are the most useless chaff characters in the history of literature. Lan is a great character, but towards the latter books of the series, his presence is slim. After that, how many times can you read about that whore Nynaeve{sp?} tugging her braid, or calling someone a woolhead? Put that shit down. It sucks.

Anne Rice is about the shittiest writer I've ever had the misfortune to experience. Her writing seems forced to me, like she's trying as hard as she can to make her scenes dark and gothy. Instead of forcing the story to make it seem fancier, she should just write. She has talent, but it all seems so contrived that I can't stomach it. Her storylines are decent, but the writing itself sucks all the enjoyment out of it for me...

Currently reading: George RR Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire'. Good shit. I've read them about fifty times each, and am eager to finish so I can begin again. This guy isn't afraid to take your favorite character and horribly murder him/her, and it's spectacular. His writing is amazing, the world he created is fantastic yet utterly believable, and his characters are the most well rounded I've ever seen. The first book of the series is called 'A Game of Thrones'. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Oh yeah!
They're great

I particularly liked the story about the space station. It's sort of reminiscent of political arguments on this forum, when you think about it...

Citizens by Simon Schama which is very good and Robinson Crusoe, which is interminably boring.

Australian Business Law - Paul Latimer.

Boring book. Though the cases are fun to read, especially the usual..

'A' climbs over fence into 'B's house and uses toilet. 'A' got injured by crappy roof.
'A' sues 'B' stuff.

Etc etc.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

i havent read much but so far its good. If a little erm... disturbing.

Legless Pirates: Stop reading WoT. The first four or five books are alright, but after that its a swandive into the concrete. Jordan is a decent writer, but his rambling storylines seem to never wrap up. The Seafolk, for example, are the most useless chaff characters in the history of literature. Lan is a great character, but towards the latter books of the series, his presence is slim. After that, how many times can you read about that whore Nynaeve{sp?} tugging her braid, or calling someone a woolhead? Put that shit down. It sucks.
Hahahaha... We'll see.

Just finished Kurt Vonnegut's "Mother Night," and now I'm moving on to Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe."

:headbang: :headbang:

*brags* I go through books like popcorn. Speed-reading is death to boring liturature! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!

No, seriously though. I finished reading The Great Gatsby by... I dunno who its by, but it was damn good. DAMN FREAKING GOOD!!! WOO!

*pants, becomes more serious* I happened to pick up one of the newer Redwall novels.. lessee... Taggerung... I'm only on like the tenth or so chapter (there's like... forty or so... this may be a long one) and i'm kind of hooked. Perhaps it has to do with me anthropomorphic obsession... a wee bit of a curse, i'm afraid (BTW, Christina Agulera + cat ears + tail + fur = one hot momma)

:fluffle: :sniper:

SMILIES!

power unseen by bernard dixon

Re-reading Steven R. Donaldson's The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever and The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. I was happily surprised a few weeks ago to discover that he has begun a third trilogy, The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, and after finishing the first book of that series -- The Runes of the Earth -- I decided to go back and re-read the whole thing before the new novels come out.

I have just finished the very first book, Lord Foul's Bane.

Meanwhile I am also re-reading a set of Kafka's short stories.

And I have just begun (for the first time) Andrew Samuels' Politics on the Couch: Citizenship and the Internal Life.

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

What are you into about Auster? I tend to agree with the Reader's Manifesto about him (that his prose plays well with the critics and provides lots of lines that make good quotes out of context, but that the novels don't stand up as novels). But I'm aware that he's one of the biggies of the generation, so I'd like to hear a fan's view.

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
(book four of The Wheel of Time)

Fantasy. Very good, but a bit long.

Thats the best of the lot of them so far...was quite annoyed when Jordan didn't finish the whole damn thing off in the 10th book because the various plots are gettin a bit too much to handle...but that ones good!

oh yeah, i'm planning on re-reading Daughter of the Empire as soon as i get it back...lent it to a friend

The Beckett Trilogy - if you want to screw up your head really badly then read it! :headbang:

some nonfiction about the Pig Boats... US World War II submarines and their actions in the Pacific Ocean. It's a Bantam War Book.

Just finished the David Eddings Elenium, and I'm onto its sequel, the Tamuli. I'm in serious David Eddings mode at the moment. Anybody here like Stephen Lawrence?

20th Century 8Ball (daniel clowes) on the toilet, [comic]

Al Qaeda - the true story of radical islam (jason Burke), on the train [non-fiction]

6 Easy Pieces (walter mosely) bed [detective fiction]

Sartre's 'The Imaginary' and in between that, Im sessioning Nietzsche's 'Thus Spake Zarathustra' and 'Beyond Good and Evil' for about the millionth times each.

When Im looking for something a little less serious, I go for Joyce, Hemmingway, Dafoe, Dickens, or Stendhal. :)

I....can't.......read.

*breaks down sobbing*

My current reading material is a collection of short stories by Kurt Vonnegut. Its called Bagombo Snuff Box. Pretty random, but a good read.

Weber Protestant work ethic and the spirit of Capitalism
Marx Economic and philosophic manuscripts of 1844
Durkheim Elemetary forms of religious life
Marx The German Ideology

Good Fun

I also recieved two books for Christmas that I should put on the list... since they will be next.

Marcus Aurelius - Meditations
Henry David Thoreau - Walden and other writings

Im really looking forward to them! :)

Weber Protestant work ethic and the spirit of Capitalism
Marx Economic and philosophic manuscripts of 1844
Durkheim Elemetary forms of religious life
Marx The German Ideology


Just a bit of light reading material, then?

any book Nora Roberts wrote

Everything a healthy Marxist needs

I'm currently reading "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" it's really good, set in the regency period with magic that works, really very very cool, I strongly recomend it.

Everything a healthy Marxist needs

If you want to get up to date with more contemporary Marxian literature, you should read Herbert Marcuse, especially One-Dimensional Man and Counter-revolution and Revolt.

Marx is interesting for historical reasons, and because it is hard to understand what comes later without reading Marx... but if you are seriously interested in Marxian politics, you have to read the authors who recognize that times have changed.

Everything a healthy Marxist needs

It looks like you're getting plenty of functionalist goodness, too...

Fatherland by Robert Harris
and The Fellowship of the Ring

Both exceptional reads. Fatherland is an alternative history novel. What would/could have been had Nazi Germany prevailed in WWII, etc. And The Fellowship of the Ring is, well... The Fellowship of the Ring. Mere words cannot describe its grandeur.

My reading for my Political Science course. It's actually a political thought course, so I'm reading the Oxford Reader "Political Thought." It's got writings by the great philosophers from Antiquity to Modern Times, so it can be fairly interesting.

Fun Train Read: re-reading Tom Clancy's Without Remorse
"Bedside table" (on the tatami beside the pillow): Ian McDonald's Terminal Cafe (http://www.lysator.liu.se/~unicorn/mcdonald/books/Necroville.html)
Serious Read: James F. Dunnigan's The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of U.S. Warfare (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0806524162/002-0746989-2041619?v=glance&st=*)

My reading for my Political Science course. It's actually a political thought course, so I'm reading the Oxford Reader "Political Thought." It's got writings by the great philosophers from Antiquity to Modern Times, so it can be fairly interesting.

Intro Poli Theory! :D Depending on the prof that can be a great and inspiring class or a horrible drag.

David Weber´s "Honor Harrington" series. Right now: Field of Dishonor.

One of the best space opera series I ever read so far.

David Weber´s "Honor Harrington" series. Right now: Field of Dishonor.

One of the best space opera series I ever read so far.
Best = Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series.

Not reading anything at the moment (except for the current edition of Private Eye), I ordered a second hand copy of "Land of the Blind" by Micheal Flynn though (only 45p!) because (not joking here) my cat pissed on my previous copy.

Also I've have essays and exams to do so I haven't had much time to read for fun.
If your cat is male, you might want to have him checked for kidney stones. I had one do that and finally took him to the vet's. The vet said that many canned cat foods can cause kidney stones in male cats and that peeing on any sort of papers or in an unusual place can indicate they have one.

I'm currently re-reading John Dos Passos' "America" trilogy. Even though it was written quite a number of years ago, many of the points it makes have great relevance to current politics and culture.

John Locke's Second Treatise of Government - just about finished

I am currently reading The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins, an excellent book, if I do say so myself. I going to read his The Selfish Gene and The Ancestor's Tale soon as well. However, I have a huge list of books I want to read. Szigeti on the Violin by Joseph Szigeti, The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond, Sociobiology by Edward O. Wilson, Grendel by John Gardner, Naked Luch by William S. Burroughs, and probably some others I forgot. I want to read all of them right now, but I can't...:( Life is so very unfair at times...

If your cat is male, you might want to have him checked for kidney stones. I had one do that and finally took him to the vet's. The vet said that many canned cat foods can cause kidney stones in male cats and that peeing on any sort of papers or in an unusual place can indicate they have one.
No, its female.

The cat was locked in a car (by my sister by accident), when my book happened to be in there.

Right now. What did you read on the PATH train this morning, what book is sitting on your nightstand? Is it any good?

You know, cause the movie and music threads were an entertaining distraction from the grind of arguing about which is the worst type of Nazi (for the record--from worst to least worst--I'd rate them: German Nazis, Grammar Nazis, Neo-Nazi Skinheads, Homeland Security Nazis, Prince Harry, Soup Nazis).

Anyway, Edward Bunker's "Education of a Felon." It's been a while since I read a good memoir and I didn't think I was quite left enough in regards to the U.S. prison system. Plus, Bunker's got a really great style. Workmanly, but punctuated with the occassional (and unexpected) two dollar word or philosophical digression. They can be clunky at times, but you really tune in on how this guy soaked up information. You can tell through his writing which words impressed him in his reading. It's silly to say authentic about nonfiction, but it is quite a feat to get that real, lived quality onto the page.

Can we stop the whole "nazi" jokes?

Anyway. Ayn Rand.

Ugh, what a pain in the ass.

It's her philosophy. Bleh.

I am presently reading 3 books at the same time. These are Young Miles By Lois McMaster Bujold, Tinker By Wen Spencer, and How Few Remain By Harry Turtledove.

Young Miles is a compilation of the Vorkosigan saga and a very well writen book. Tinker is an excellent sci-fi/fantasy book. How Few Remain is an outstanding alternate history book based on the fact the confederate states won the civil war and a subsequent war between the united states and the confederate states over mexico.

I have just finished reading Imzadi 2 by Peter David

The Corporation - The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power by Joel Bakan.

and

Blood Music by Greg Bear

The Deeds of Louis the Fat by Abbot Suger of St Dennis. I would only recommend if you have an interest in Medieval France.

No, its female.

The cat was locked in a car (by my sister by accident), when my book happened to be in there.
Ah! Ok then, she was just looking for any port in a storm. :)

"Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human Body" by Armand Marie Leroi

As well as a bunch of other books that would be uninteresting to those not going into the field of endocrinology. :)

I'm reading War of the Worlds (again) by H G Wells - think I may be obsessed with that book. It's possibly the best thing I've ever read (not including Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - everyone should read that book) Also reading Jennifer Government (been playing this game since feb 2003 or something ridiculous and I've only just got around to reading the book). Aaaand....the biography of Jon Bon Jovi :cool: *hangs head in shame* yes, I'm a die-hard bon jovi fan.

Oh and I'm reading some horrible book on Popular Culture for my degree. Full of stupid long words and such. Bah.

David Weber´s "Honor Harrington" series. Right now: Field of Dishonor.

One of the best space opera series I ever read so far.
Ooh, those are good. I accidentally started in the middle though. And the two I read were really really long. Then again, it just means I don't have to go out and get more books for a while longer, so that's okay.

The last book I finished was 1901. A fairly new novel about an alternate WWI where Kaiser Wilhelm wants new territories because every country except Germany is an empire. Who better to attack then the US? Landing thousands of troops on Rhode Island, they set up and eventually New York is under their heel... Blah.

A VERY good read. But now, thanks to the fact of ebing in 8th grade, I am being pulled backwards in my reading level from huge novels intended for people my dad's age to little books that I can read in 3 seconds.

But I have to read at the classes pace. Bleh.

Nice touch of showing off there Buech. No one cares that you're so hard done by having to read those poor books.

I just finished The Da Vinci Code and The Monkey Wrench Gang.

Small is Beautiful

The Ingenuity Gap.

Re-reading Hegemony or Survival (my fav. Chomsky book) and taking notes and such.

Not to mention all those bloody research essays I need to read for my history prof.

A VERY good read. But now, thanks to the fact of ebing in 8th grade, I am being pulled backwards in my reading level from huge novels intended for people my dad's age to little books that I can read in 3 seconds.

But I have to read at the classes pace. Bleh.

Recommendation - Find out what the class reading list is. Read all the novel options ahead of time at your own rate. When the teacher gets around to assigning novels politely explain that you've read them all and ask them if you can choose the novel you liked best or choose another novel (that you feel is more appropriate) to study instead. Do this before or after class, not in front of all the other students.

Make sure you have read the books in advance and can answer the questions they'll ask you to ensure that you have read the book.

In my experience, this always resulted in me reading my preferred books off the reading list or being able to choose another book. Generally, they had me do book reports, essays on the themes, or class presentations on them.

lol Buechoria, i know how that feels. I learned how to read when i was three, i was always pretty advanced in the stuff i read.

Right now i am reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, and i'm enjoying it. I like how the character's lives and ambitions all intertwine with eachother in some way, whether large or small.

Nice touch of showing off there Buech. No one cares that you're so hard done by having to read those poor books.
Showing off?
Also, I do care about that. I care a lot about schools forcing people to work at the average level rather than their own, as well as being generally compassionate and feeling sorry for him.

Recommendation - Find out what the class reading list is. Read all the novel options ahead of time at your own rate. When the teacher gets around to assigning novels politely explain that you've read them all and ask them if you can choose the novel you liked best or choose another novel (that you feel is more appropriate) to study instead. Do this before or after class, not in front of all the other students.

Make sure you have read the books in advance and can answer the questions they'll ask you to ensure that you have read the book.

In my experience, this always resulted in me reading my preferred books off the reading list or being able to choose another book. Generally, they had me do book reports, essays on the themes, or class presentations on them.
When that happened with me, which was often since I read almost anything I could get my hands on, they just stuck me in whatever book and said "Well since you've already read it, you'll do very well discussing it!" Then they would throw me out of spite into the one I had found most boring, and graded me harder than the rest of the class. Fun.

Equus, that's a pretty damn good idea. I read, "Animal Farm" in two hours, who says I can't read, "A Seperate Piece in three" (That's what we're reading at the moment)?


Oh, did you know they made an Animal Farm cartoon movie aimed at kids?

I'm not kidding.

When that happened with me, which was often since I read almost anything I could get my hands on, they just stuck me in whatever book and said "Well since you've already read it, you'll do very well discussing it!" Then they would throw me out of spite into the one I had found most boring, and graded me harder than the rest of the class. Fun.

I'm sorry to hear that. The more I hear about other people's teachers, the more I feel grateful I had the ones I did.

He's grade 8. I used to do that in grade 8 too but now it comes off as silly. Believe me, it bugged me too. Seriously, if it really bothers you just tell the teacher. All mine were willing to let me read my own novels.

Legless Pirates: Stop reading WoT. The first four or five books are alright, but after that its a swandive into the concrete. Jordan is a decent writer, but his rambling storylines seem to never wrap up. The Seafolk, for example, are the most useless chaff characters in the history of literature. Lan is a great character, but towards the latter books of the series, his presence is slim. After that, how many times can you read about that whore Nynaeve{sp?} tugging her braid, or calling someone a woolhead? Put that shit down. It sucks.

Anne Rice is about the shittiest writer I've ever had the misfortune to experience. Her writing seems forced to me, like she's trying as hard as she can to make her scenes dark and gothy. Instead of forcing the story to make it seem fancier, she should just write. She has talent, but it all seems so contrived that I can't stomach it. Her storylines are decent, but the writing itself sucks all the enjoyment out of it for me...

Currently reading: George RR Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire'. Good shit. I've read them about fifty times each, and am eager to finish so I can begin again. This guy isn't afraid to take your favorite character and horribly murder him/her, and it's spectacular. His writing is amazing, the world he created is fantastic yet utterly believable, and his characters are the most well rounded I've ever seen. The first book of the series is called 'A Game of Thrones'. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.

I agree with you 100%, especially about Song of Ice and Fire. I've reread all three of the books and have the 4th pre-ordered on Amazon. I just hope it is released before I die of old age.

I'm currently reading 3 books.

Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz: It is dark comedy at its best. Angry clowns, homicidal incestuous trapeze artists, hero pastry chef, and a future telling stroke victim. Like nothing he has ever written before and I'm loving it!

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: It's the story of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and H. H. Holmes (AKA Henry Mudgett), a serial killer in Chicago at the same time. The juxtaposition between the two stories is fascinating.

In the Night Room by Peter Straub: Another Timothy Underhill story (Koko and Mystery). This time Tim is in communication with the dead. Pretty wordy but it has it's exciting parts. It's interesting to note that Tim, a fiction writer, is getting ready to release a new book, Lost Boy Lost Girl, which is the name of Straub's last book. Does Straub talk to the dead via email?

Sorry for showing off, heh.

Anyway, here's the problem: The teachhers at my school plan the year ahead (wow!) with a super-strict schedule. If we miss ONE day, everything goes insane - It's anarchy and chaos in the teachers lounge.

At any rate, we rarely are ever able to read independent novels for class. We're assigned crappy books, like once, we were told to read this terrible book about indians that had big fonts and words intended for the people who can't read well.

Speaking of people who can't read well, no one speaks properly in my class. it isn't a speech impediment, it's like they all have drab, monotone voices and can't pronounce words longer than 4 letters. Today in civics a girl had trouble pronouncing, "Production" and another kid said, "Communism" as, "Commune-ism".

*Sigh*

/rant off

Sorry for showing off, heh.

Anyway, here's the problem: The teachhers at my school plan the year ahead (wow!) with a super-strict schedule. If we miss ONE day, everything goes insane - It's anarchy and chaos in the teachers lounge.

At any rate, we rarely are ever able to read independent novels for class. We're assigned crappy books, like once, we were told to read this terrible book about indians that had big fonts and words intended for the people who can't read well.

Speaking of people who can't read well, no one speaks properly in my class. it isn't a speech impediment, it's like they all have drab, monotone voices and can't pronounce words longer than 4 letters. Today in civics a girl had trouble pronouncing, "Production" and another kid said, "Communism" as, "Commune-ism".

*Sigh*

/rant off
Don't get me fucking started...
In the middle school I went to, the English teacher herself had trouble reading and pronouncing words.
:mad:

I'm currently reading Joe Sacco's Palestine again. Because it makes me realise how lucky I am.

Reading Luttwak's "Strategy". Anyone who really wants to understand tactics should read it.

not reading anything right now, but i ve just finished Candide by Voltaire

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
You posted this too long ago to notice someone responded to it, but as a pretty big Auster fan I just wanted to give you the thumbs up. My colaborator did his masters thesis on In the Country of Last Things and Jose Saramago's Blindness. I haven't read much Saramago but my friend (same dude) assures me that they are compatable authors and that if you like one you'll like the other.

I got into Auster through the film Smoke, which if you haven't seen is fantastic. It's based on Augie Wren's Christmas Story...loosely....anyway-kick ass.

My favorite so far of his is a toss up between the one above, Timbuktu and Mr. Vertigo. coolcoolcool.

I have 31 books and 4 audiobooks on my nightstand.

The book I'm reading right now is The Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell.

Reading Luttwak's "Strategy". Anyone who really wants to understand tactics should read it.

Oh yes, that was a good read.

Some Buddhist shit called "The Diamond Sutra"

I'm reading a book my best friend gave me for Christmas: Infinity Concerto by Gregory Bear.

Right now. What did you read on the PATH train this morning, what book is sitting on your nightstand? Is it any good?
Well, at work and on SEPTA, I've been reading The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, but at home I've been reading Emma, for about the 5th time. (I always read Jane Austen books in the winter - her sparkling prose helps the cold weather and lack of sunlight feel much more bearable!)

Hmmm...I'm between books right now, but I just finished The White Death: A History of Tuberculosis and Confessions of A Pagan Nun, and I'm about to start Les Liaisons Dangereux by de Laclos and What A Carve Up by Coe.

You posted this too long ago to notice someone responded to it, but as a pretty big Auster fan I just wanted to give you the thumbs up. My colaborator did his masters thesis on In the Country of Last Things and Jose Saramago's Blindness. I haven't read much Saramago but my friend (same dude) assures me that they are compatable authors and that if you like one you'll like the other.

I got into Auster through the film Smoke, which if you haven't seen is fantastic. It's based on Augie Wren's Christmas Story...loosely....anyway-kick ass.

My favorite so far of his is a toss up between the one above, Timbuktu and Mr. Vertigo. coolcoolcool.

I just read Blindness about a week ago and it was absolutely beautiful.

And I'm also a new Auster fan. I've read the first two books of the New York Trilogy as well as Oracle Night, and I'm in love.

Yay, Country of the Blind arrived today.

Just finished Faulkner's The Sound and The Fury last night. Don't know what'll be next yet.

If your cat is male, you might want to have him checked for kidney stones. I had one do that and finally took him to the vet's. The vet said that many canned cat foods can cause kidney stones in male cats and that peeing on any sort of papers or in an unusual place can indicate they have one.

Yes, my cat had that, and had to go to the hospital.... it's very painful for the cat and can be fatal, so watch out! Castrated male cats easiy get this if they eat cheap canned food from supermarkets. Peeing on cool surfaces could also be a symptom of urine infection, which is not good either. :(

EDIT: Aha, it's female! :)

Well, at work and on SEPTA, I've been reading The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Ah, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency! Now there's a good series of books. Have you read "The 2.5 Pillars Of Wisdom", by the same author?

Well, at work and on SEPTA, I've been reading The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, but at home I've been reading Emma, for about the 5th time. (I always read Jane Austen books in the winter - her sparkling prose helps the cold weather and lack of sunlight feel much more bearable!)

Yes! I love Jane Austen, too! She's absolutely great! :) Now I'm reading Starkey's Six Wives (about Henry VIII's wives, of course), anything to do with England in the 15-1600s is fun. I have Philip K. Dick's Penultimate Truth lined up for afterwards - looking forward to it!! :)

Raymond E Feist & Janny Wurts - Servant of the empire
excellent series

Something a bit darker James Barclay - Shadowheart

I'm currently reading The Algebrist by Iain Banks, which is excellent
(and A First Course in String Theory by Ziewbeck, which is also excellent but less plot driven).

The Art of War by Sun Tzu
and
Naked by David Sedaris (You have to read this!!!!!)

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

before it was a brilliant movie it was a brilliant book, i recommend it to everyone


Lies and the lying Liars who tell them by Al Franken

for anyone who doesn't know Al Franken used to work on saturday night live so his book about what's wrong with the current right-wing political/media infastructure is not only really important, it's also wicked funny :p

I jsut started Full Pursuit by Jasmine Cresswell.

Treasure Island by whats-his face (can't remember Robert Louis Stevenson?)

A classic that I like.

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

I'll just add my praise here, everyone should read the New York Trilogy, it's rather splendid. Incidentally you're now the second Swedish Paul Auster fan I've encountered, the other is my best mate, and drinking buddy here in China (who I spent this summer with travelling back to England by train).

Myself I've just finished 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (also brilliant, though give "Of Love and Other Demons" a miss). Right now I'm starting "Reformation: Europe's House Divided" by Diarmaid MacCulloch which I'm really enjoying, and which I'd reccomend for anyone at all into that period. I'm also trying to slowly work my way through "Key Concepts in Chinese Philosophy" but it's not exactly a fun read so it's going slowly (about 1 concept a week).

Just finished Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club, Choke, Lullaby) was interesting. I would reccommend it.

Also, I would like to reccommend Augusten Burroughs. He has become one of my favourite authors (so good that I read his first memoir in 2 days). Look for Running with Scissors, Dry, Sellevision and Magical Thinking.

I'm going out today to get Darwin's Origin of Species :D

I am currently reading Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner. I would be reading Bang Your Head: a history of Heavy Metal (yes, I remember the entire name) but I lent it to my friend, and the due date is coming up. I need my fucking book, Tom!

Just finished Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club, Choke, Lullaby) was interesting. I would reccommend it.

Also, I would like to reccommend Augusten Burroughs. He has become one of my favourite authors (so good that I read his first memoir in 2 days). Look for Running with Scissors, Dry, Sellevision and Magical Thinking.

I'm going out today to get Darwin's Origin of Species :D

Chuck Palahniuk's Survivor was unreadable when I tried to read it a few years ago. Choke was better.

However, I strongly reccoment two of his books: Fight Club, of course, and another gem he has produced: Lullaby. When I picked up Lullaby, I expected another Choke or Survivor, but Chuck has refined his literary skills in this book.

I just finished Ilium by Dan Simmons. Really nice. Cheap too. Very Hyperion like.

Reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I didn't read the whole thread to see whether someone else mentioned this, but it is a good book so far. It has a good first sentence ("Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.), which I find important in a fiction book. It also has strong character development and a strong theme (moral decision-making).

Running on Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties are bankrupting our future and what Americans can do about it

Basically a book about the national debt, deficit spending, and problems with social security. It's actually pretty interesting

Nothing special. Books about gardening, herbs, cooking, home building, installations, microbiology, psychology,

There are several started and not yet finished books lying around at home. For commuting I just take something light (regarding the weight).

Many different Textbooks: International Politics, World Politics, Integrated Chinese Level 2, Human Geography...(for school i have no time for recreational reading)

What are you reading?
Your Post! ;)
Sorry 'bout that,
Anyway some book by John Grisham the name escapes me at the moment...
It's that one about a lawyer.

Ragnarok by Roh Moo-hyun

The Red Queen by Matt Ridley. It's good for a scientific read, but I don't know many others who like that type of thing.

Jack Kerouac - On the Road. I wanna road trip!

I read books like a channel surfer, gotta have at least 4 to flip through:

-Nation of Rebels: How Counterculture became Consumer Culture (Heath/Potter)

-Libertarianism: A Primer ((David Boaz)

-Choice: The Best of Reason (Nick Gillespie)

-Hacking Matter: Levitating Chairs, Quantum Mirages and the Infinite Weirdness of Programmable Atoms (Will McCarthy)

-Why People Believe Weird Things (Michael Schermer)

The Corporation - The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power by Joel Bakan.
Meh. Watch the 4 hour documentary instead.
I'm waiting for the better sequel: The Government - The Pursuit of Astronomical Spending and Absolute Power.

On the road - Jack Kerouac

and

The house of leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski

Both good :D

Jack Kerouac - On the Road. I wanna road trip!

Yay, reading the same book :D

house of leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski
This book is probably the best book I've read in the psychological horror genre, ever. Made me afraid of the dark again for a week afterward (all that damn infinity!). :eek:

I think I have at about five books I've started and haven't gotten around to finishing (too many choices, ah!). Let's See, from a year ago until now I've started and failed to complete the following: "Little Women", "Jackdaws" (I forget the spelling it's been so long), "Counterpoint" (by Fux), and "The Count of Monte Christo".

Also recently added to laundry list of books to read is "One flew over the Cuckoo's nest". I love that book. It's practically an autobiography.

I'm currently reading "No Logo" by Naomi Klein.

The LAst DarkTower book by Stephen King and the Bible

I'm currently dragging through God Emperor of Dune. Can anyone who has read the entire series assure me that this book is worth reading in order to get to the last two, because as it is I can hardly stand it.

right now a book called "An Introduction to Political Thought" by Peri Roberts and Peter Sutch, my lecturers at uni. also reading a book on '6 basics of philosophy' or something... i haven't read it in a few days and seem to have lost it :headbang:

*To Kill a Mockingbird* for english.
It's actually really good...

Just finished reading Sourcery by Terry Pratchett. and am currently readin Wyrd Sisters by Pratchett as well.

I have started other reading material since i last responded, so i will post again. I have recently read The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and now i am reading Capital by Karl Marx. I have Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky waiting for me.

Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington, an unsung hero, and one of the greatest people of all time.

If you want to get up to date with more contemporary Marxian literature, you should read Herbert Marcuse, especially One-Dimensional Man and Counter-revolution and Revolt.

Marx is interesting for historical reasons, and because it is hard to understand what comes later without reading Marx... but if you are seriously interested in Marxian politics, you have to read the authors who recognize that times have changed.

Marcuse is worth reading, and certainly shows 'Marxian' influence, but his whole approach smacks of phenomenology and not of Marxism. There are other authors who write books that are more political, more optimistic, and more up-to-date, while remaining in the camp of dialectical materialism philosophically. George Novack is especially good in terms of theoretical development.

God Bless you, Mr. Rosewater by kurt vonnegut.

i've been reading it for some time... on top of all my textbooks. :(

How Few Remain, by Harry Turtledove, and How To Make War (4th Edition) by James F. Dunnigan.

I'm currently dragging through God Emperor of Dune. Can anyone who has read the entire series assure me that this book is worth reading in order to get to the last two, because as it is I can hardly stand it.

No, although that is the worst of the lot, things are all pretty much downhill after the first three,

Series of Unfortunate Events- "Lemony Snickett"
Screwtape Letters- C.S. Lewis
Silmarillion- JRR Tolkien

Various SciFi anthologies (F&SF, Asimov's, Analog)
My old "Elementals" comics
"We Were Soldiers Once...And Young"

I'm reading two books right now.

In the Company of Soldiers: A Chronicle of Combat - Rick Atkinson. This is a well written book, besides the fact that the author lets his disdain of President Bush get in the way of professionalism. But when I say it's a well written book otherwise, I mean it. He gives a great, up close account of all aspects of what has gone on over there from the eyes of a soldier and of the life of a soldier.

Hornblower: Beat to Quarters - C.S. Forester. I must be reading this for the 20th time. I love this series.

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
(book four of The Wheel of Time)

Fantasy. Very good, but a bit long.

Wait until you get to Book Nine ;)(which I just finished reading)

Anyways, for me, The complete stories and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe and Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey are what i'm into right now.

Some paperback by Fred Hoyle I picked up. 'Into Space' or something like that...it's a bit of a time-filler during renders.

Right now. What did you read on the PATH train this morning, what book is sitting on your nightstand? Is it any good?

You know, cause the movie and music threads were an entertaining distraction from the grind of arguing about which is the worst type of Nazi (for the record--from worst to least worst--I'd rate them: German Nazis, Grammar Nazis, Neo-Nazi Skinheads, Homeland Security Nazis, Prince Harry, Soup Nazis).

Anyway, Edward Bunker's "Education of a Felon." It's been a while since I read a good memoir and I didn't think I was quite left enough in regards to the U.S. prison system. Plus, Bunker's got a really great style. Workmanly, but punctuated with the occassional (and unexpected) two dollar word or philosophical digression. They can be clunky at times, but you really tune in on how this guy soaked up information. You can tell through his writing which words impressed him in his reading. It's silly to say authentic about nonfiction, but it is quite a feat to get that real, lived quality onto the page.

Right now I am reading this post. Actually I am reading my response to this post as it is being typed!

The Onion Girl - Charles de Lint
The Blue Club - Garozzo/Yallouze
Fundamentals of Corporate Finance textbook

I think that's all at the moment...

Hmm, this probably doesn't count as a book, really, but I'm reading this:
http://www.hedweb.com/hedethic/hedonist.htm

I'd like to print the whole article out, but I have not a single sheet of printer paper left.
:(

Down Here by Andrew Vachss. Excellent writer if you like crime stories

Some paperback by Fred Hoyle I picked up. 'Into Space' or something like that...it's a bit of a time-filler during renders.
3D animation?

Currently Reading Raymond E Feists' Serpent War Saga, into the second book now.

"Snow falling on Cedars" - A 'whodunnit' that skirts the issue and gives an interesting tale of a community reacting to a crisis.
I nearly beat my brains out with this one, but it picks up towards the second half, after all the character introduction.

"Power of One" - English boy becomes a boxer and champion of black South Africans. P0wning of pro-Nazis ensues.
Pure awesome, unless you're into Apartheid and that sort of thing. Don't get me wrong though, this isn't only about civil rights.

"In the name of Rome" A history of the men who won Rome.
Not that great, but I like studying Ancient History and I can't afford a Rome: Total War Strat guide.

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
(book four of The Wheel of Time)

Fantasy. Very good, but a bit long.

Wait until you get to Book Nine ;)(which I just finished reading)

Great series, read the whole series (to date) 5 times in 4 years (Except Crossroads of Twilight, 2-3 times). Don't beleive what they say about book ten, that only comes from people like me who had to wait on it... Besides, book 8 is the worst, 4 the second best and book 6 the definate best.

*Inebriated Pirates tries not to jynx the next one*

Come on Knife of Dreams!

Right now, I think it is the Silent Blade in the Paths to Darkness series by R.A. Salvatore.

Shakespeare's Othello, Miller's The Crucible, Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Dickens' Great Expectations and Elizabeth Jolley's book Miss Peabody's inheritance. I hate canon, I wish I could blow it out of a, well, cannon.:p

Ok, it's been over a year since I last read it, but I have to say Shogun is the best book I've ever read. I think it's by James Clavel, but I'm not 100%. It's pretty dang long(1200+pages), and there are times when you want to kill youself because it seems so boring, but every single word in that book serves to create an enlightening experience. It'll also teach you a little about feudal Japanese culture. Man, that's a good book; I've read it like 4 times, and I'm about ready to do it again.

I'm reading Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicals.

Never read any of her books before, and I'd always wanted to. So I picked the book up for $1 at a used book store along with Shogun and some Sherlock Holmes book. So far, its quite good. I rather like the way she writes, and the storyline is interesting enough.
Check out Laurell Hamilton.

Best = Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series.
Booo

Harrington's better.


Lessee, re-read harrington series two weeks ago except War of Honor. re-read Philisophical Strangler 2 days ago. Have been reading The Red Tent and wanting to bash someone's head in. There's a new Modesitt book I want to pick up as well.

Currently reading two books, Faust and Divine Comedy. What can i say? I am a fan of the classics.

For the love of all that is good and sacred, stop reading the Wheel of Time. Had RJ cut the series at the end of The Dragon Reborn it would have saved the entire thing. Reading all of these books is an excersize in futility, especially now that we're into the double digits with at the very, very least two books to go, and RJ himself dicking around with the farce of writing prequels.

Had he stuck to the main three characters, and only the characters who directly affected 'Tarmon Gai'don', the story might have been saveable. As it stands, there are, literally, dozens of chaff characters who he threw in there for the sake of a few extra chapters. For example, the Sea Folk, who are about the shittiest, most useless characters in the history of literature.

I can't deny that the story itself has mass potential, and the writer is amazingly talented(if you ignore the monotonous writing of the women in the series. Let's tug our braids for another three chapters while we rail on and on about 'woolheads'. Bleh...), but if you want a satisfying story that's not gonna leave the taste of shit in your mouth, go for George RR Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire'. THAT is the ultimate fantasy story. Or even try 'The Sword of Truth'. While Goodkind doesn't have the talent of Martin or even Robert Jordan, the story itself is far more satisfying than WoT, albeit steeped in S&M...

To whoever posted about Shogun, props to you. An amazing piece of literature. Even better if you look into the history behind it. Sengoku Japan is one of Mankind's most fascinating eras.

I finished David Gemmel's four book series 'The Rigante' this morning. Good stuff. Gritty and different from most fantasy.

While I'm not a 'believer' myself, I was given a beautifully illustrated copy of Ben-Hur for Christmas, and I suppose I'll be reading that next, that is, if I don't attempt to once more fumble my way through the shockingly poor English translation of 'The Horned Lord of Macedon'.

The green mile

After reading the first 4 books of the wheel of time series

'Billion year spree' by Brian Aldiss.

Followed by any Olaf Stapledon book I can get my hands on. Never read him but I know I will like his work.

I'm reading "Going Postal" by Terry Pratchett.

But then I read almost everything by Terry Pratchett!

I'm currently reading Battle Born by Dale Brown. It's a very long book and it's frightfully technical in parts, but I bought it to help me with RPs of aerial combat. It's also given me a good insight into ways of writing my other RPs and a novel I'm planning to write.

I'm also reading a book (I don't remember the title, but it's a small, thin volume) about the German pocket battleships, I've got Broadsides and some books about writing also with bookmarks in them. Since I started playing NS, I've done a LOT more reading than I have since I was in school.

I'm reading "Going Postal" by Terry Pratchett.

But then I read almost everything by Terry Pratchett!

Gotta love Pratchett. Not read his last few books due to being poor and no longer having access to a school library, but I shall catch up.

. . . but as a pretty big Auster fan I just wanted to give you the thumbs up. My colaborator did his masters thesis on In the Country of Last Things and Jose Saramago's Blindness. I haven't read much Saramago but my friend (same dude) assures me that they are compatable authors and that if you like one you'll like the other.

Again, I let too much time go by before replying. I'm still curious as to what makes Auster cool, cool, cool. And throwing Saramago into the mix doesn't help sell me. I thought Blindness was among the worst books ever written and, hands down, the worst to ever receive the Nobel prize. There was nothing in that book that was not in the Plague first. Boo Jose!

As I generally keep a few on the go at the same time, I'm reading 3 at the moment:
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
The Brentford Chainstore Massacre (5th in the 'Brentford' trilogy) by Robert Rankin

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Now that is a great book. Catch-22 also.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

havent read much but its good so far, if a little fucked up.

edit: am i allowed to swear on here?


I love The wasp factory!
One of my fave books of all time.

Currently flicking between The godfather and some collected Sandman works by Neil Gaiman.

I'm currently reading The Ghost Road by Pat Barker, and Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives by Alan Bullock

This book is probably the best book I've read in the psychological horror genre, ever. Made me afraid of the dark again for a week afterward (all that damn infinity!). :eek:

It's great isn't it :D