# Show us the Book you are Currently Reading



## Nyx

Since the old one is gone 

The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan
I read it a long time ago and realized I've completely forgotten most of it.


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## oceanchief

100 years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (not a bad read so far)

Previously I was reading Ishmael which is a very good read, very thought provoking. Highly recommended.


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## emptybottle

popco by scarlett thomas


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## mserychic

Just about to start Brother Odd by Dean Koontz!


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## Bad Religion

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank


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## StoogesFan86

Franny & Zooey By J.D Salinger


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## NewWorldOrder

I'm reading the Mists of Avalon. It's a chick book. I'm also reading the Tao Te Ching.


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## Eraserhead

I'm finishing up _America: The Book_, if you wanna call that a real book 

Tis quite hilarious


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## Scrub-Zero

Still reading the Dark Elf Trilogy


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## pentagon

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell


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## GraceLikeRain

Come Thirsty, Max Lucado


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## Paaroska

Ericksonian Approaches to Hypnosis and Psychotherapy, Jeffrey Zeig

The five people you meet in heaven, Mitch Albom


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## emptybottle

the cement garden by ian mcewan


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## JR87

the sandman: vol. 6 by neil gaiman


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## luke1000

at the moment i am reading salems lot by steven king

very good only 100 pages to go and the story is really heating up


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## pyramidsong

Siddhartha- Herman Hesse


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## Bad Religion

Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood ops


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## cakesniffer

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



Bad Religion said:


> Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood ops


Ahhh, I can't wait to read it. But I'm waiting 4 months for the paperback!


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## Nyx

^ lol I just bought that today. I had a coupon :b I feel a bit ops too Bad Religion. I dunno why hehe.


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## emptybottle

the female thing by laura kipnis
fantastic book

and also








my ops book i just got from the library


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## jtb3485

"Time Out of Joint" by Philip K. Dick


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## odd_one_out

War and Peace by Tolstoy. I'll be at it a very looong time.


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## jtb3485

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



odd_one_out said:


> War and Peace by Tolstoy. I'll be at it a very looong time.


Before I die I want to read that. It took me about six months to read the unabridged version of Les Miserables a few years ago and I'm still not ready to start another 1450 pager.


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## Bad Religion

Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner


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## cakesniffer

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party - M.T. Anderson


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## Nyx

Forever In Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares


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## clenched_fist

_Deception Point - Dan Brown_


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## OnyxHeart

_Word_ by Coerte Felske


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## Mehitabel

I started reading _The Picture of Dorian Gray _by Oscar Wilde last night.


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## Trip Fontaine

I am going to start reading either _Papillon_ or _79 Park Avenue_


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## Nyx

Little Children by Tom Perrotta


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## conscious

the last season a team in search of its soul by phil jackson. co-written by michael arkush.

not exactly a timeless classic but the hell with it. its interesting how much negativity is presented towards kobe.


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## emptybottle

the collector by john fowles


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## Jamie is friendless

Jefferson's War: America's First War on Terror by Joseph Whelan.
The book is about the first Barbary War of 1801-1805. A good read if you are into American history like I am.


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## Bad Religion

I just started The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook: Proven Techniques for Overcoming Your Fears by Martin M. Antony and Richard P. Swinson


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## cakesniffer

The Goose Girl - Shannon Hale


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## Nyx

Strange But True by John Searles


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## pyramidsong

Ecstasy- Irvine Welsh. Dude is messed up. Not quite on the Palahniuk level, but still. *shudder*


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## emptybottle

the autograph man by zadie smith. she's fab.


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## eyeguess

_A Streetcar Named Desire_ for English class


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## emptybottle

magic for beginners by kelly link


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## H.awkeyeM.att

The Great Gatsby for a Lit class


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## brimontz

Cosmopolis by Don DeLillo
Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops? by George Carlin

Brian


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## Nyx

Them by Joyce Carol Oates


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## Gerard

Working for a Change Making a Career in International Public Service


I don't necessarily think its interesting to everyone reading mostly fiction but just want to share.


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## cakesniffer

Enna Burning - Shannon Hale


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## Bad Religion

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins


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## Cerberus

Shadowland - Peter Straub

No god but God - Reza Aslan

Ishmael - Daniel Quinn


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## Cheesecake

City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre


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## Ally

Wuthering High by Cara Lockwood


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## cakesniffer

The Magdalen - Marita Conlon-McKenna


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## kowabonga

American Psycho by Brett easton ellis


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## clenched_fist

_The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon - Stephen King_


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## Amocholes

Just finished Stephen King's Roadwork last night.


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## Bad Religion

Sock by Penn Jillette


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## Vita

Villette by Charlotte Brontë
The Mistressclass by Michèle Roberts
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Understanding Shyness: Psychological Perspectives by W. Ray Crozier

Plus two books on literary theory.

Eeesh, literature classes. It’s a good thing I don’t have a social life - I don’t know how I’d find time for all this reading!


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## cry_rain

kiss of darkness by Heather Graham


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## Nyx

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory


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## Cerberus

Koko - Peter Straub


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## Andre

I read a couple books by David Sedaris recently. I love his stories. I'm reading a book required for my urban geography class about New Orleans by Pierce Lewis, which is fascinating. I have been reading off and on The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice. That is pretty good, but not great like Interview With the Vampire was.


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## Andre

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



pyramidsong said:


> Ecstasy- Irvine Welsh. Dude is messed up. Not quite on the Palahniuk level, but still. *shudder*


Now what was that book I read by him? I guess it was Trainspotting. I don't know. I remember something about a guy suffering from diarrhea upon waking up at a girl's house after spending the night, and she lives with her parents. Well, whatever. It was deliciously perverse.


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## Alexx

I'm reading a lot of stuff for school right now, but for leisure, I'm about to start reading The Awakening by Kate Chopin.


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## Bad Religion

Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris


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## cakesniffer

River Secrets - Shannon Hale


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## NewWorldOrder

Just started War and Peace... this one's gonna take a while.


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## bezoomny

Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie

Pretty cool. Confusing, but still really good.


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## Tasha

Awareness--the key to living in balance by Osho


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## emptybottle

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



bezoomny said:


> Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie


I heart this book.

persepolis 2 by marjane satrapi
and brick lane by monica ali


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## WinterDave

http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Empire-Sag ... 858&sr=1-3

I am half way through book 2 of the series....

http://www.amazon.com/Forest-Stars-Kevi ... 858&sr=1-5


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## cry_rain

Slow Burn By Julie Garwood


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## pyramidsong

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



ilikemyself said:


> pyramidsong said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ecstasy- Irvine Welsh. Dude is messed up. Not quite on the Palahniuk level, but still. *shudder*
> 
> 
> 
> Now what was that book I read by him? I guess it was Trainspotting. I don't know. I remember something about a guy suffering from diarrhea upon waking up at a girl's house after spending the night, and she lives with her parents. Well, whatever. It was deliciously perverse.
Click to expand...

Yup, that was Trainspotting.

Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying- Sogyal Rinpoche


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## Gerard

social justice books.....you are going doozy if i name the titles


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## Cerberus

_Mystery_ by Peter Straub


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## clenched_fist

_The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls_


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## refined_rascal

The agile gene - Matt Ridley


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## Nyx

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



clenched_fist said:


> _The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls_


Oh I just bought that yesterday


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## H.awkeyeM.att

_A Long Way Gone - Memoirs of a Boy Soldier_ by _Ishmael Beah_.

Finished chapter one and sooo tempting to keep reading, but I want to save it for my vacation next week.


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## Anatomica

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind , after seeing the movie, I just had to read the book...excellent so far.


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## Halcyon

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*

*On Love and Loneliness* by Jiddu Krishnamurti


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## Ally

So Mote It Be by Isobel Bird


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## Gerard

The Pianist's Bookshelf by Hinson and sight reading The Hours by Glass

gerard


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## cakesniffer

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger


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## Gerard

Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution by Paul Hawken


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## NewDayRising

_Skydog: The Duane Allman Story_ by Randy Poe


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## Cerberus

_The Throat_ by Peter Straub


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## Zephyr

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*

This Time Let's Not Eat The Bones (Bill James)
- it's a book of selections culled from his famous Baseball Abstracts from 1977 through 1988, although without the actual data contained therein. This guy's an awesome writer and one of baseball's most important thinkers. I would recommend anything by Bill James to anyone who has the slightest interest in learning stuff about baseball you won't get from idiots like Tim McCarver.

The Republican War On Science (Chris Mooney)
-pretty self-explanatory from the title. Basically how the Bush administration has tried to ignore or twist scientific findings to further their agenda.


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## Nyx

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon


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## H.awkeyeM.att

What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges


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## cakesniffer

H.awkeyeM.att said:


> What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges


I love that friggin' book!


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## Cerberus

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Fascinating book. I very much enjoyed it. I simply couldn't put it down.

*From Publishers Weekly*:


> Starred Review. Readers with an eye on European politics will recognize Ali as the Somali-born member of the Dutch parliament who faced death threats after collaborating on a film about domestic violence against Muslim women with controversial director Theo van Gogh (who was himself assassinated). Even before then, her attacks on Islamic culture as "brutal, bigoted, [and] fixated on controlling women" had generated much controversy. In this suspenseful account of her life and her internal struggle with her Muslim faith, she discusses how these views were shaped by her experiences amid the political chaos of Somalia and other African nations, where she was subjected to genital mutilation and later forced into an unwanted marriage. While in transit to her husband in Canada, she decided to seek asylum in the Netherlands, where she marveled at the polite policemen and government bureaucrats. Ali is up-front about having lied about her background in order to obtain her citizenship, which led to further controversy in early 2006, when an immigration official sought to deport her and triggered the collapse of the Dutch coalition government. Apart from feelings of guilt over van Gogh's death, her voice is forceful and unbowed-like Irshad Manji, she delivers a powerful feminist critique of Islam informed by a genuine understanding of the religion. 8-page photo insert. (Feb.)


link


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## Nyx

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



Cerberus said:


> Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
> 
> Fascinating book. I very much enjoyed it. I simply couldn't put it down.
> 
> *From Publishers Weekly*:
> 
> 
> 
> Starred Review. Readers with an eye on European politics will recognize Ali as the Somali-born member of the Dutch parliament who faced death threats after collaborating on a film about domestic violence against Muslim women with controversial director Theo van Gogh (who was himself assassinated). Even before then, her attacks on Islamic culture as "brutal, bigoted, [and] fixated on controlling women" had generated much controversy. In this suspenseful account of her life and her internal struggle with her Muslim faith, she discusses how these views were shaped by her experiences amid the political chaos of Somalia and other African nations, where she was subjected to genital mutilation and later forced into an unwanted marriage. While in transit to her husband in Canada, she decided to seek asylum in the Netherlands, where she marveled at the polite policemen and government bureaucrats. Ali is up-front about having lied about her background in order to obtain her citizenship, which led to further controversy in early 2006, when an immigration official sought to deport her and triggered the collapse of the Dutch coalition government. Apart from feelings of guilt over van Gogh's death, her voice is forceful and unbowed-like Irshad Manji, she delivers a powerful feminist critique of Islam informed by a genuine understanding of the religion. 8-page photo insert. (Feb.)
> 
> 
> 
> link
Click to expand...

Ooh, I've been trying to find that at Barnes and Noble.

Family History by Dani Shapiro


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## emptybottle

Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart. 
it's just ok.


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## cakesniffer

Princess Academy - Shannon Hale


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## NewDayRising

Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs


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## hello it's me

Hegemony or Survival -- Noam Chomsky


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## Gerard

No Boundary - Ken Wilber


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## pyramidsong

Heart Of Darkness- Joseph Conrad. :nw 

Stunningly written. Gives me chills.


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## Zephyr

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



pyramidsong said:


> Heart Of Darkness- Joseph Conrad. :nw
> 
> Stunningly written. Gives me chills.


I read that a couple years ago. I still can't decide if I like it or not. A lot of....vagueness.


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## pyramidsong

True, regarding the vagueness. But my God, his turn of phrase blows me away. The dude could write. :mushy


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## pyramidsong

Dangit. Doublepost. :doh


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## Zephyr

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



pyramidsong said:


> True, regarding the vagueness. But my God, his turn of phrase blows me away. The dude could write. :mushy


Well he wasn't exactly Shakespeare but yeah, he did have a way. Interestingly, English was like his third language or something, and he became a better writer in that than a lot of native English writers.


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## pyramidsong

I dunno what it is, he just strikes me as....frank, maybe? His prose just comes across as crisp and clear to me. I didn't know English wasn't his first language. Was he German?


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## Zephyr

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



pyramidsong said:


> I dunno what it is, he just strikes me as....frank, maybe? His prose just comes across as crisp and clear to me. I didn't know English wasn't his first language. Was he German?


Pretty sure he was Polish.

Yep, just checked. He was born Teodor Józef Konrad Korzeniowski.


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## karma police

Hello,

It seems like may of you are avid readers. I have a quick question. Have you guys noticed whether or not your writing skills have improved due to the amount of reading you guys have accomplished? I'm just curious to see if there is a direct correlation between the amount you read and your writing skills.


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## Nyx

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert



karma police said:


> Hello,
> 
> It seems like may of you are avid readers. I have a quick question. Have you guys noticed whether or not your writing skills have improved due to the amount of reading you guys have accomplished? I'm just curious to see if there is a direct correlation between the amount you read and your writing skills.


I wrote quite well in high school which I always attributed my skill to all the reading I did as a child. Unfortunately, I've dumbed up over time and no amount of reading will remedy that lol.


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## archaic

I'm currently reading _Global Woman_ (while I type), _Globalization and Feminist Activism_, and _Contacts Desired_. And a ton of smaller readings I'm juggling.


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## Zephyr

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



Perrap said:


> karma police said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hello,
> 
> It seems like may of you are avid readers. I have a quick question. Have you guys noticed whether or not your writing skills have improved due to the amount of reading you guys have accomplished? I'm just curious to see if there is a direct correlation between the amount you read and your writing skills.
> 
> 
> 
> my writing has definitely improved from reading so much. I've heard a lot about this and how reading is good for your writing skills.
Click to expand...

I doubt there's any way reading can hurt your writing skills; but you definitely need to write a lot too in order to write well. That's where I fall down. I read often, but the only writing I do is posting on this forum (and a few others) and that hardly counts. I sometimes read over my old posts here and I can't believe the crap I put down.


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## emptybottle

Nyx said:


> I wrote quite well in high school which I always attributed my skill to all the reading I did as a child. Unfortunately, I've dumbed up over time and no amount of reading will remedy that lol.


:ditto
The quality of the papers I've written high school was generally higher than most of the stuff I wrote in college... I still read like a maniac, but it's been getting more difficult to express myself in writing over time. :stu



Zephyr said:


> I doubt there's any way reading can hurt your writing skills; but you definitely need to write a lot too in order to write well. That's where I fall down. I read often, but the only writing I do is posting on this forum (and a few others) and that hardly counts.


:ditto
Having majored in accounting and then science, I don't have to write as many long papers as maybe most other students do, so I'm out of practice... I wrote well when I was a teenager because I kept a journal that I wrote on for like an hour everyday. I've long replaced that habit with watching loads of TV. :lol Maybe that's why I'm an idiot now, no matter how many books and newspapers I read.


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## Zephyr

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



emptybottle said:


> Zephyr said:
> 
> 
> 
> I doubt there's any way reading can hurt your writing skills; but you definitely need to write a lot too in order to write well. That's where I fall down. I read often, but the only writing I do is posting on this forum (and a few others) and that hardly counts.
> 
> 
> 
> :ditto
> Having majored in accounting and then science, I don't have to write as many long papers as maybe most other students do, so I'm out of practice... I wrote well when I was a teenager because I kept a journal that I wrote on for like an hour everyday. I've long replaced that habit with watching loads of TV:lol
Click to expand...

I was worried about that when I took an English elective a few years ago, in which we had to write some essays. I did pretty well in them though; and for the end of term project I decided to write a short story (it turned out kind of long), which ended up pretty nice as well. It was the first fiction I had written in years. I ultimately took another English elective (a Shakespeare course, gulp) as well as a philosophy, both of them requiring several papers. It again turned out to be no problem. In fact, in the philosophy paper (a biomedical ethics class) I think I got a 92% and the comments indicated that it was a 'great' paper and one of only a few in the 90s. So, I guess I have the ability. Writing is something that my enjoyment of sort of waxes and wanes. I don't know why.

I'm also watching too much tv nowadays :lol


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## oceanchief

James Robertson - The Testament of Gideon Mack

I reed alots amd i fuel me writtting hase emproovd alots.


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## cakesniffer

The Tale of Despereaux - Kate DiCamillo


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## Mehitabel

The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie

The library finally called! My turn on the hold list! :boogie


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## JR87

currently there are four books on my nightstand which i began reading last month and need to finish. they're all fairly short, too. 
:fall 
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, This Perfect Day by Ira Levin, The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, and Side Effects by Woody Allen


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## vintagerocket

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham and a William Carlos Williams anthology


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## kowabonga

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz


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## Augustinus

Eutropius' BREVIARIVM HISTORIAE ROMANAE. :yes


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## cakesniffer

The Penderwicks - Jeanne Birdsall


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## NewDayRising

The Hot Kid by Elmore Leonard


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## Nyx

The Girls by Lori Lansens


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## Gerard

Deep Ecology for the Twenty-First Century, a Shambhala book


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## Cerberus

Wherever You Go There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life by Jon Kabat-Zinn.


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## Zephyr

A few I'm tackling at the moment:

Shakey - a biography of Neil Young

The Fielding Bible - a sabermetric analysis of fielding in MLB

The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract - a huge, gigantic book by sabermetric gugu Bill James detailing the history of the game, biographical snippets, player rankings, win shares, etc. A plethora of baseball goodness that you can just dip into at your leisure

Cell - Stephen King novel that my mom brought home from work


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## jtb3485

"The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" by Philip K. Dick


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## sean88

I've actually never been into reading until recently. My mom had bought me a book for Christmas, and I was like "oh great, another gift that'll never see the light of day." But I finally started to read it a few days ago and I'm really liking it. 

It's called Dharma Punx.

It's about a kid growing up in the punk scene, and basically doing a lot of drugs and leading himself into a downward spiral. I haven't read it all yet, but it's about him realizing that his life was so ****ed up because of himself, and no one else, and how he finds religion and saves himself from himself.


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## Amocholes

The Dolphins of Pern - Anne MaCaffrey


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## cakesniffer

Feed - M.T. Anderson


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## Maseur Shado

_The Making of Star Wars_ by J.W. Rinzler (coffee table book, yes, but it's still interesting. I won't apologize for buying it).

My previous fanfic, just to remind myself what an illiterate and lousy writer I am. Because one can never have too much discouragement. :banana


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## Nyx

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse


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## Brax

Dancing Girls and Other Stories by Margaret Atwood
Tales of the Slayer Vol. 1

I'm loving Atwood. Slayer Tales is ok.


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## odun

'quest for the presidency 1992'

sad. but true.


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## Andre

Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States.

It's a history of the suburbs, starting from the days of the "walking city" and moving forward to the present, describing the impact of the horsecar, train, streetcar, and automobile on American urban development. It's absolutely fascinating.


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## odun

ilikemyself said:


> Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States.
> 
> It's a history of the suburbs, starting from the days of the "walking city" and moving forward to the present, describing the impact of the horsecar, train, streetcar, and automobile on American urban development. It's absolutely fascinating.


i always thought levittown was what got suburbanization cranking?


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## Andre

odun said:


> ilikemyself said:
> 
> 
> 
> Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States.
> 
> It's a history of the suburbs, starting from the days of the "walking city" and moving forward to the present, describing the impact of the horsecar, train, streetcar, and automobile on American urban development. It's absolutely fascinating.
> 
> 
> 
> i always thought levittown was what got suburbanization cranking?
Click to expand...

Levittown was a major influence in the development of mass-produced look alike houses after WWII, but suburbs have been around since cities have existed. Many city neighborhoods that are now considered part of the city were once considered to be suburbs.

So yes, there was a massive building boom in the suburbs after Levittown, since housing was so affordable. In fact, it was actually cheaper to move to the suburbs in the fifties than to stay in the inner city and maintain one's property.


----------



## Eraserhead

"The Balkans" by Mark Mazower

Decided I should improve my knowledge of the Fatherland. Interesting read.


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## estse

A comic book. 

I read the "prose" book Caballistics: Better the Devil one day last week. 

Decided I should improve my knowledge of the arcane in British sci-fi.


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## NewDayRising

Iggy Pop: Open Up And Bleed by Paul Trynka


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## bezoomny

Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Love In The Time Of Cholera

I swear to God he writes so well it hurts.


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## Cerberus

_The Problems of Philosophy_ by Bertrand Russell


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## H.awkeyeM.att

Fahrenheit 451 for a lit class.


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## emptybottle

the known world by edward p. jones


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## estse

Showcase Presents: The War that Time Forgot

I apologize to no one


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## AliBaba

I just finished "No Country For Old Men" last night. The name of the author escapes me at this time. I think it's McCarthy. I finished the whole thing in one sitting. Which doesn't happen very often. Outstanding!!!!!!1


"Matt, Matt, Matt"


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## emptybottle

^ I like Cormac McCarthy. Excellent book. I picked up The Road recently because Oprah told me to.

Just started Pattern Recognition by William Gibson


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## cakesniffer

Criss Cross - Lynne Rae Perkins


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## Nyx

Inifidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali


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## outcastlonerfreak

I am re-reading "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" will be next. I am awaiting "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"  :banana


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## Nyx

I'm going to start rereading Harry Potter after I finish this book!


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## Cerberus

The Construction of Social Reality by John R. Searle


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## darkangel

"Coping with Social Anxiety" by some doctors or something


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## Zephyr

-still going through the Historical Baseball Abstract mentioned in a previous post. It's a monster of a book, and I'm digesting it slowly, like that sand creature from Star Wars....

-The Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins. All copies of The God Delusion are out, so I rented this book instead. 

-a fantasy book by Guy Gavriel Kay, who visited my school a couple of years ago. This is the Last Rays Of The Sun.


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## Nae

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



Zephyr said:


> -The Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins.


Such a great book.


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## Before_the_Law

Finishing up Dostoevsky - The Brothers Karamazov

Soon to start:

McCarthy - The Road
Hitchens - god Is Not Great

and MAYBE Tolstoy - War and Peace, but I doubt it.


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## Zephyr

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



Zephyr said:


> -a fantasy book by Guy Gavriel Kay, who visited my school a couple of years ago. This is the Last Rays Of The Sun.


Last Light of the Sun. Had the title wrong.


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## Fireflylight

Irish Girls About Town by Maeve Binchy


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## estse

The Essential Man-Thing Volume One

Again, I offer no apologies


----------



## Equisgurl

Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain


----------



## Eraserhead

_Bluebeard_ by the immortal Kurt Vonnegut


----------



## NewDayRising

Paradise News by David Lodge


----------



## vintagerocket

Twelfth Night, Shakespeare, for school. Comedies aren't funny if only 0.00003% of the population can understand them.


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## emptybottle

Because They Wanted To by Mary Gaitskill


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## Cerberus

_Ghost Story_ by Peter Straub


----------



## WineKitty

Metallica This Monster Lives (Real Snoozer!!!!!!!!!!!!!)


----------



## cakesniffer

The Higher Power of Lucky - Susan Patron


----------



## estse

Misery Loves Comedy, by Ivan Brunetti

150 pages of panels like the one below. (disregard the actual content.) Haha. Overall, a irksome, disturbing, and offensive self-indulgence.


----------



## Zephyr

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



vintagerocket said:


> Twelfth Night, Shakespeare, for school. Comedies aren't funny if only 0.00003% of the population can understand them.


'Comedy' is sometimes a misnomer when it applies to Elizabethan literature. True, there's all the translations and lost puns and allusions, but even then a lot of Shakespeare's plays are classified as comedies only because no one dies :lol They weren't all meant to be "haha" funny.

And Twelfth Night is often considered a black comedy anyway.


----------



## bezoomny

I, Claudius by Robert Graves

A lot better than I was expecting.


----------



## Gerard

Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War 2 by William Blum

Want to know how evil US Foreign Policy is. Read this book! Describes the ongoing American Holocaust.


----------



## Nae

The Future of Life by E.O. Wilson

The Meaning of it All by Richard Feynman

I just finished reading The Blank Slate: Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker and christ is that guy wordy. Both of the above books combined would only make up, like, 4 chapters of Pinker's book. Maybe I'm exaggerating. But just a bit. Still a good book though. He somehow manages to piss everyone off by saying we are big product of our genes and less of our environment.


----------



## Qolselanu

I finished Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Dave Grossman. It started out as pretty interesting. And then I got to the latter parts of the book. Ugh. Badly backed up thesis.
Next I might start with the memoirs of Colonel Hans Von Luck.


----------



## Mehitabel

I just finished _The World According To Garp_ by John Irving which was absolutely _amazing_, so now I'm reading another Irving book, _The Hotel New Hampshire_.


----------



## Gerard

I love this book you should guys read it. It's about growing as a person. On becoming a person: A psychotherapist view on therapy by Carl Rogers. I've read it before by the way. Good book. Just sharing it. =)

gerard =)


----------



## Eraserhead

_The Sirens of Titan_, by who else but the immortal Kurt Vonnegut.


----------



## Classified

"Lights Out" by David Crawford

It is a book you can download off the internet about the aftermath of an EMP detonation that takes out most electronics.


----------



## Nae

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



Nae said:


> The Meaning of it All by Richard Feynman


This book sucked. For two reasons:

It is taken straight from a script of 3 speeches Feynman gave. Reading what someone has spoken, especially when it is a guy like Feynman who loved to wonder aloud as he was talking is incredibly annoying. The second reason is that for most of the book his thoughts on various subjects could be summed up as: I don't know. It did contain some good parts, but..eh.


----------



## oceanchief

.........but is there any killings in it, Nae? When i read a book i want bloodshed and no long words. Is that too much to ask?


----------



## cakesniffer

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak


----------



## Nae

oceanchief said:


> .........but is there any killings in it, Nae? When i read a book i want bloodshed and no long words. Is that too much to ask?


No killings, but Feynman did work on inventing the Atomic Bomb, so I guess you could say he is indirectly responsible for a lot of deaths. No long words, either. Even though the guy was a genius he was gifted in being able to relate complex ideas to a lay person like me. I'm more interested in him as a person than his physics, anyway...he was quite a character.


----------



## RedTulip

Cannibal 

It's a true story about a guy in Germany who was obsessed with wanting to eat human flesh. He advertised on cannibal sites and a guy actually responded. 

Yeah, I like true crime stories :yes


----------



## jtb3485

"Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates" by David Cordingly


----------



## Vincenzo

George Pelecanos - Hard Revolution


----------



## emptybottle

Moon Palace by Paul Auster


----------



## Xithium

Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground and Perfume by Patrick Suskind


----------



## estse

Exit Wounds, by Rutu Modan


----------



## Mehitabel

Goddamn John Irving is awesome! I finished _Hotel New Hampshire _today which was awesome (I liked The _World According to Garp_ better, but hey). Now I'm onto another of his, _A Prayer For Owen Meany_.


----------



## AliBaba

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



Xithium said:


> Perfume by Patrick Suskind


MUST READ THIS BOOK! Did you see the movie? I think it lasted about a week in theatres. The late, great, Stanley Kubrick was considering adapting Perfume back in the 80's. His final conclusion was that the book was un-filmable!

"Matt, Matt, Matt"


----------



## NewDayRising

Dry by Augusten Burroughs


----------



## Xithium

I've just started on The Hobbit (finally!), didn't think we had a copy in the house but I found one earlier buried amongst a pile of dust and junk.



AliBaba said:


> Xithium said:
> 
> 
> 
> Perfume by Patrick Suskind
> 
> 
> 
> MUST READ THIS BOOK! Did you see the movie? I think it lasted about a week in theatres. The late, great, Stanley Kubrick was considering adapting Perfume back in the 80's. His final conclusion was that the book was un-filmable!
Click to expand...

Yep, I have indeed seen the movie! I didn't think it was too bad, suprisingly. Actually, I think I do remember hearing that about Stanley Kubrick at some point - I can see why he was of that opinion... I certainly respect the attempt made to adapt the book for the screen, considering how tricky the task to visually convey a theme which revolves primarily around the world of scent. 
I also found it interesting to find that Suskind is known for having a reclusive nature, like Kubrick was himself; seems quite a few of the greats I've been coming across lately are/were inclined toward that way of living. (that's one thing we have in common, then!)

Anyhow, you should definately give the book a go. I highly recommend it! :yes


----------



## Eraserhead

_The Cossacks_ by Leo Tolstoy

I'm pretty sure it's his shortest book, a mere 160 pages (compared to War and Peace's 3 to 6 volumes). I thought I'd start small... my attention span sucks.


----------



## cakesniffer

Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli


----------



## emptybottle

birds of america by lorrie moore


----------



## yardsale

i just finished reading the bell jar, that has got to be my new favorite book! think I'll gonna read it again :I


----------



## Xithium

I'm reading Three Men in a Boat now. Jerome K. Jerome always manages to put a smile on my face.

Yardsale, I read The Bell Jar recently too. It's a great book, isn't it? :yes


----------



## estse

Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus, Volume One

As always, I make no ****ing apologies.


----------



## whiteclouds

The Royals, by Kitty Kelley



Nyx said:


> The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan


Good one! I love Amy Tan's books. My favorite one is The Hundred Secret Senses.


----------



## Mehitabel

I'm having trouble getting into John Irving's _A Prayer For Owen Meany_ so I veered off and now I'm in the middle of _The Real Frank Zappa Book_ by... well, Zappa.


----------



## Zephyr

-Trial and Error by Edward Larson. Basically a legal history of the creationism/evolution controsversy in America as regards teaching those in the high schools. More of a legal book than a science one, but kind of interesting.

-Catch a Wave by Peter Carlin, a biography of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. It's subtitled 'the rise, fall, and redemption' of Wilson, so that fits in with the title. He actually hated the water though....

-Wonderful Life by S.J. Gould, which is a little old now (1989) but one of his most famous books, partially about the bizarre Burgess Shale fauna in British Columbia but more generally about life and evolution.



Mehitabel said:


> and now I'm in the middle of _The Real Frank Zappa Book_ by... well, Zappa.


I read that last year. I thought it was okay until he embarked on his political rants.


----------



## bezoomny

Of Human Bondage - Somerset Maugham

Love it. Rips at the heartstrings. I think I identify way too much with Philip.


----------



## emptybottle

Just finished The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek 

Now reading The Medusa Frequency by Russell Hoban


----------



## Drella

emptybottle said:


> Just finished The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek


Nice.


----------



## Eraserhead

_A History of the Middle East_ by Peter Mansfield

I find it extremely interesting. Many would probably find it "dry as the Arabian desert", to quote one review.


----------



## Mehitabel

Zephyr said:


> Mehitabel said:
> 
> 
> 
> and now I'm in the middle of _The Real Frank Zappa Book_ by... well, Zappa.
> 
> 
> 
> I read that last year. I thought it was okay until he embarked on his political rants.
Click to expand...

I love his rants. Even if I disagree now and then he's still interesting.


----------



## terrific81

last book i read was the outsiders!! i love that book


----------



## cakesniffer

Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood - Ann Brashares


----------



## refined_rascal

Byzantium - the Apogee. John Julius Norwich


----------



## cakesniffer

Al Capone Does My Shirts - Gennifer Choldenko


----------



## refined_rascal

god is NOT great: _how religion poisons everything _- Christopher Hitchens

awesome book.


----------



## Zephyr

*Re: re: What are you reading? Pt. 2*



refined_rascal said:


> god is NOT great: _how religion poisons everything _- Christopher Hitchens
> 
> awesome book.


Sounds interesting.

Right now I'm reading The Sound and The Fury, which is a collection of rock music journalism put out by the site rocksbackpages.com, and The Devil's Chaplain by Richard Dawkins, a collection of essays on different stuff.


----------



## Cerberus

_Religion in Global Politics_ by Jeff Haynes

_The Future of Political Islam_ by Graham E. Fuller

_Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict_ by Charles D. Smith

_The Question of Palestine_ by Edward W. Said

_god is Not Great_ by Christopher Hitchens

_Why I Am Not a Muslim_ by Ibn Warraq

_Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution_ by A.J. Langguth


----------



## Cerberus

Oh, I forgot one:

_Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad_ by Matthew Levitt and Dennis Ross


----------



## bezoomny

_Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_

:yes


----------



## njodis

_Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_

:yes

so sue me


----------



## Gabriellabos

Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan


----------



## Slothrop

Thomas Pynchon's _Gravity's Rainbow_


----------



## Brax

The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel


----------



## cakesniffer

The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman


----------



## Atticus

No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy


----------



## Slothrop

Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs


----------



## cakesniffer

Hoot - Carl Hiaasen


----------



## Mehitabel

The Norton Introduction to Literature. Sort of. It's a clas text for school (I got in! Woo!) and I keep reading the poetry and short stories.


----------



## jtb3485

"The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World" by A.J. Jacobs


----------



## Fiera

The Far Pavillions - M.M Kaye


----------



## refined_rascal

Dracula, Prince of Many Faces: His Life and His Times 
Radu R Florescu
Raymond McNally 

It beggars belief as to how a fictional character such as Bram Stoker's Dracula can be so much less interesting than the historical figure on which he was based.


----------



## Whimsy

I just finished the entire Harry Potter seires. I've read them before but book 7 came out and I read 1-6 over again in order before touching book 7. 

Now I'm reading A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket: The Bad Beginning.


----------



## estse

Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Beddor.

Really.


----------



## cakesniffer

Number the Stars - Lois Lowry


----------



## elephant_girl

Unholy Ghost
Cliffs of Despair

I just finished reading them, they were both quite good.


----------



## bezoomny

_Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_ :yes


----------



## vintagerocket

tender buttons by gertrude stein


----------



## coeur_brise

Leaving Home by Art Buchwald.


----------



## GraceLikeRain

_Lifestories_- Mark Hall


----------



## orpheus

"GoodBye, Columbus" by Philip Roth.


----------



## Zephyr

The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris. Reeeeeeal good so far. I just read his Letter to a Christian Nation the other day, which is much simpler but also devestating. That latter is hardly a book, though. More like a pamphlet.


----------



## cakesniffer

Rules - Cynthia Lord


----------



## Dovetailing

The Unbearable Lightness of Being


----------



## laura024

Misery by Stephen King.


----------



## cakesniffer

The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman


----------



## RedTulip

Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster


----------



## NewDayRising

Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore


----------



## cakesniffer

Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones


----------



## FairleighCalm

Case Histories, current
Wednesday Letters, next
Beginning Mindfulness, next


----------



## cakesniffer

The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman


----------



## Zephyr

Creationism's Trojan Horse: the Wedge of Intelligent Design by Forrest and Gross. It's an in-depth account of the current brand of creationism and the attempt to hijack science education in the US by forcing this religious view into the classroom.


----------



## Half_A_Person

Stiff by Mary Roach


----------



## FairleighCalm

Finished CASE HISTORIES, so so murder myster.

F'd Wednesday Letters. This was written in a sweet, quiant, republican style. I almost od'd on it's sugary style. Think Bridges of M County. It had a nice story, but it was a cloaked moral message. But a positive one, just too damn SWEET.

I'm reading Beginning Mindfulness and I'm going to pick another novel to read along with it. prolly from this thread.


----------



## blueskies

Petals On The Wind by Virginia Andrews. I can't wait to start the next books in the series


----------



## crash911

I'm reading _MacBeth_ by Shakespeare, _A Lesson Before Dying_ (can't remember the author), and _Pet Semetery_ by Stephen King right now.


----------



## Hoppipolla

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky


----------



## Hoppipolla

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky


----------



## MonaRevolté

I'm right in the middle of *The English Patient* by Michael Ondaatje. Despite all the accolades it received when it was published, I find it hard to really delve into the story and the characters.

Also, *Battle Cry for Freedom* by James M. McPherson, which I love. It won a Pulitzer Prize, and it's just such a gripping read, especially for a history book.


----------



## RedTulip

Body Dump


----------



## cakesniffer

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - E.L. Konigsburg


----------



## FairleighCalm

the devils right hand

Angela's ashes, wow it's depressing!


----------



## cakesniffer

All Alone in the Universe - Lynne Rae Perkins


----------



## User57854

-


----------



## saysomething

Just finished Kite Runner, not as good as I thought it would be.


----------



## cakesniffer

Tom's Midnight Garden - Philippa Pearce


----------



## User57854

-


----------



## Gerard

I and Thou by Martin Buber (just bought it)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_and_Thou


----------



## cakesniffer

Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson


----------



## cakesniffer

Gossamer - Lois Lowry


----------



## rusalka

Her Name, Titanic


----------



## cakesniffer

Olive's Ocean - Kevin Henkes


----------



## themousethatroared

Cross--James Patterson


----------



## BeachGaBulldog

The Discoverers by Daniel Boorstin.
I am a history buff.


----------



## cakesniffer

The Princess Bride - William Goldman


----------



## IllusionOfHappiness

Lord of the Flies, for my english class.

I can't enjoy a book if I have 454980 questions to answer after every chapter, however =(


----------



## cakesniffer

The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick


----------



## altrdperception

YOU on a diet. Heh. The way it's written is annoyingly punny, but none the less, it has very good info for us skinny challenged individuals.


----------



## eekmd

The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand..


----------



## elephant_girl

I just got a book called Clown Girl. I haven't started it yet I hope its good, it has an introduction by Chuck Palahniuk so I figured it was worth a look.


----------



## cakesniffer

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin


----------



## rusalka

I started Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, of course...


----------



## refined_rascal

The code of the woosters - PG wodehouse


----------



## ANCIENT

"The Vampire" by Montague Summers


----------



## thecurerules

A Game Of Thrones - George R.R. Martin


----------



## brygb217

Poeme said:


> I started Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, of course...


 I'm coming to the end of a Jane Austen seminar course. We've read all her novels. I went in with a mild appreciation and am going out with the sense that if I never hear of Mr. Darcy or Mr. Knightly or Fanny or Liz Bennett again I'll live just fine. 
She's a great writer, but it was just over-kill. Especially with a writer like her, who didn't go outside her box too often, if ever. 
Must get back to writing the final paper for that class.
For my own sanity, I've been reading "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostava, since October (naturally) and have LOVED it so far.


----------



## pyramidsong

I'm reading "Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot" by Al Franken. Given that it's about American politics, and I'm Australian, I was worried that I wouldn't follow it or get the references, but I'm loving it. We have a couple of similar ill-informed, right-wing douchebag radio jocks here (Alan Jones and John Laws). Franken is hilarious.


----------



## refined_rascal

Bleak house - Charles Dickens


----------



## bezoomny

Murakami - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

It's really dam good.


----------



## NewDayRising

I'm rereading The Dog Of The South by Charles Portis.


----------



## cakesniffer

Love, Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli


----------



## FairleighCalm

Echomaker - Richard Powers
The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Albom


----------



## EagerMinnow84

refined_rascal said:


> Bleak house - Charles Dickens


Is this for a class or for yourself? I read, or attempted to read, enough Dickens to last me a lifetime.

Needess to say...I am not a fan 

I just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy and now I am currently reading Breakfast on Pluto by Patrick McCabe


----------



## refined_rascal

I'm reading Charles Dickens for myself. Bleak house is a superb book, dramatic, funny and tragic. Admittedly, it is a little more difficult to get into than others I have read, but is still very enjoyable.


----------



## els07

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

The Best American Science Writing 2007 - Gina Kolata and Jesse Cohen

Clean House, Clean Planet - Karen Logan

The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama

Freakonomics - Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner


----------



## saysomething

I think I'm going to go buy that Golden Compass book, heard some really weird things about it if anyone has read it? Wonder if it's too much of a kids book though.


----------



## FillyPhile

Just finished _As I Lay Dying_ by William Faulkner. First of his books I've been able to finish. I'm not too keen on the "stream of consciousness" style.


----------



## Bad Religion

I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert


----------



## cakesniffer

Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer


----------



## eagleheart

Usually I have a few things I'm reading a little or a lot:

-Rereading "Aquí se habla... Un recorrido por las lenguas amenazadas" - Mark Abley
- Something called "Perseguidos"... 
- Stephen King "El resplandor" (sort of rereading since I already read "The Shining" once, it's one of my favourites)
- "La gramática descomplicada" and "El genio del idioma" both by Álex Grijelmo (for something actually NOT translated...)
- "Words and Rules" - Steven Pinker


----------



## pabs

cryptonomicon by neal stephenson, only a few chapters in but meant to be a great read


----------



## SexySadie

The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman

The Journey of Man - Spencer Wells


----------



## MNinja

Reading right now: The Alphabet of Manliness by Maddox
Next: Andy Roddick Beat Me with a Frying Pan by Todd Gallagher


----------



## turbomatt

Just finished Hollywood Station by Joseph Wambaugh, easily one of the best books I've read.

Just started World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks


----------



## BeachGaBulldog

The Seekers by John Jakes
A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
Lord of the Flies( which I have read before), and I always enjoy it.


----------



## saysomething

I Am America by Stephen Colbert


----------



## boonel

I started reading The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman


----------



## cakesniffer

Coraline - Neil Gaiman


----------



## EagerMinnow84

I am just starting The Firm by John Grisham.


----------



## roswell

Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison


----------



## cakesniffer

Big Mouth & Ugly Girl - Joyce Carol Oates


----------



## bezoomny

Kafka on the Shore - Murakami


----------



## Stacey F

Moab is my Washpot - Stephen Fry
And I'm also re-reading Terry Pratchett's Discworld series


----------



## Eraserhead

The Places in Between (Rory Stewart)
-A personal account of a Scottish historian's 2002 walk across Afghanistan. Fascinating so far.


----------



## refined_rascal

Stacey F said:


> Moab is my Washpot - Stephen Fry


A fantastic book.


----------



## Kelly

_The Golden Compass_ by Philip Pullman
_Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World_ by Bill Clinton
_The Prophet and the Astronomer: Apocalyptic Science and the End of the World_ by Marcelo Gleiser
The Bible (Currently still on Genesis)
The Qur'an
The Dhammapada

I can never read just one.

Have a nice day,
Kelly


----------



## Violette

The Winner, David Baldacci

My first thriller and it's keeping me in its grip.


----------



## refined_rascal

I'm currently reading My CV 

A classic work of fiction.


----------



## Mehitabel

I finished a Prayer for Owen Meany a little while ago, and it was absolutely incredible. I think it's the best book I've ever read. I can't stop thinking about it.

So anyway, now I'm onto another John Irving book (I think that'll be the 4th in a row, hahahah) Setting Free the Bears.


----------



## Djinn

- God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens
- Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson
- I'm also listening to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix now that I've finally seen the movie. The one and only time I read a Potter book before watching the movie I was SO disappointed that I vowed never to do that again. It's going to be a long time before I finish this series.


----------



## WimpLo

The Brothers Karamazov- Fedor Dostoevsky


----------



## bezoomny

The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone


----------



## cakesniffer

Beowulf - translation by Burton Raffel


----------



## starblob

Delta of Venus by Anais Nin.


----------



## turbomatt

Blood Meridian by Cormac Mccarthy


----------



## refined_rascal

The portable atheist (anthology); edited by Christopher Hithcens


----------



## roswell

Catch 22 - Joseph Heller


----------



## pabs

Zero - the biography of a dangerous idea (Charles Seife)


----------



## Bad Religion

The End of Faith by Sam Harris


----------



## Lucy3

I've just finished reading The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne. :cry


----------



## morningmud

Just finished Dean Koontz--the Darkest Evening of the Year. The new Stephen King book is out Tuesday; I'll be going to Barnes & Noble on my lunch break. He's my fave!!!


----------



## endtroducing

Just started Crash by J.G. Ballard


----------



## conscious

re-reading The Turn of the Screw by Henry James...Im hoping I get more out of this book than I did the first time all those years ago.


----------



## redribbon

Re-reading Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. I adore Hannibal Lecter, he is my literary dream. As a writer, I look deep into stories and Harris truly blows me away every time I read his work.


----------



## Gerard

Interesting reads everyone.

I have school right now but on my free time:

Big Mind, Big Heart by Genpo Roshi.
Boomeritis by Ken Wilber
The Culture of Narcissism by Christopher Lasch.
Concentration by Mouni Sadhu

Studying:
At A Journal Workshop by Ira Progoff
The Craft of Piano Playing by Alan Fraser
On Piano Playing by Gyorgy Sandor

Best wishes,
Gerard


----------



## apartment7

Lake Of Darkness by Ruth Rendell.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

The Moviegoer - Walker Percy


----------



## mooncake

The Plague by Albert Camus


----------



## Not So Nervous Nelly

I have been listening Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plumnovels. I want to finish the first Lord of the Rings but it is long and overwhelming. I just gave up after awhile. Tolkien should have divided it up into mutiple books. It takes a long a time to build up. Non- fiction wise I have been reading a lot of the health information managment magazines my dad co-worker gave meespecially as it relates to medical coding, which is what I am studying.


----------



## cakesniffer

Just finished: Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale

Currently: Atonement - Ian McEwan


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Sheri said:


> Just finished: Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale
> 
> Currently: Atonement - Ian McEwan


Atonement is amazing...although I hope you do not know the ending/saw the movie. I found it a lot more moving reading the book first.

I hope you like it!

(the library scene is rather...well...you will see  )


----------



## nenad

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller.


----------



## Zephyr

Just finished reading Mistakes Were Made (But not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts. It's funny because I see just now there's a post about ithere at a blog I sometimes read. It's about cognitive dissonance. Verrry interesting.

Now I'm on to a couple of books about the European witch hunts.


----------



## mooncake

I'm reading Poor People by Dostoevsky. 

I'm itching to read the Brothers Karamazov, but I do so little college work as it is that I would get nothing at all done if I started it. I'm saving the big ones for the summer holidays.


----------



## bezoomny

_Finally_ finished The Agony and the Ecstasy.

Now onto lighter reading - Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk.


----------



## Eraserhead

Occupational Hazards: My Time Governing in Iraq
by Rory Stewart


----------



## mserychic

Miranda July - No One Belongs Here More Than You


----------



## slyfox

Sacrament by Clive Barker


----------



## apartment7

Just started reading *H.P. Lovecraft*'s Omnibus 1, featuring "At The Mountains Of Madness" and some other short stories.


----------



## X33

Memory: From Mind to Molecules
by Larry R. Squire and Eric R. Kandel


----------



## mooncake

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez


----------



## NewDayRising

I'm rereading _The Wishbones_ by Tom Perrota.


----------



## Violette

Life of Pi. My mum bought it for me for Christmas. I love animals so l like the animal behaviour descriptions, but it is abit gory and ugly in parts for my sensitive mind. But it is an easy read which is good.


----------



## bezoomny

The General in His Labyrinth by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Biography of Simon Bolivar. Sorta.


----------



## turbomatt

Just started reading Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby, a book about football hooliganism.


----------



## Busker

I've just finished reading The Secret of Crickley Hall by James Herbert.

I'm a bit of a naughty boy because I was supposed to be reading it along with my online bookclub, but I just couldn't stop myself from reading more than I was supposed to for the next meeting... then since I'd already read too much I ended up just finishing it! I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a spooky ghost story


----------



## dez

-


----------



## Ally

Animal Farm by George Orwell


----------



## ANCIENT

nature and selected essays by ralph waldo emerson.


----------



## odun

re-reading 'the making of the president, 1972" theodore white


----------



## cakesniffer

The View From Saturday - E.L. Konigsburg


----------



## shy violet

At Fault - Kate Chopin


----------



## cakesniffer

Yellow Star - Jennifer Roy


----------



## HangNail

Just finished I biography of Jimi Hendrix called "Room Full of Mirrors"
:cry


----------



## Zephyr

I Am Legend - Richard Matheson
The Battle for God - Karen Armstrong
Intelligen Thought: Science verses the Intelligent Design Movement - various authors


----------



## Ally

just finished Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen


----------



## bezoomny

The Secret History by Donna Tartt


----------



## shy violet

*Christine* said:


> just finished Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen


what did you think of it? i saw the movie before i read the book, and although this usually doesn't happen with me, i actually prefer the movie. :um


----------



## refined_rascal

Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front
By Richard Holmes


----------



## Cheesecake

Wild Swans: The Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. 
It's pretty good. I'm enjoying it.


----------



## WinterDave

Just finished this....
http://www.amazon.com/Feast-Crows-Song- ... 612&sr=1-1

Now reading this....
http://www.amazon.com/Metal-Swarm-Saga- ... 685&sr=1-1


----------



## refined_rascal

The current crop of non-news stories in my local paper. "Cat stuck up tree", "day follows night" etc etc.


----------



## Ally

shy violet said:


> [quote="*Christine*":3d22ujus]just finished Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen


what did you think of it? i saw the movie before i read the book, and although this usually doesn't happen with me, i actually prefer the movie. :um[/quote:3d22ujus]

Really? I watched the movie after reading it and liked the book better. But the movie was good as well!


----------



## AcidicJuiceMotel

2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl (pleasure)
The Tempest (school)


----------



## seattlegrunge

Death by Black Hole and other cosmic quandaries


----------



## FairleighCalm

I'm still reading A NEW EARTH BY ECKHART TOLLE. I can't say enough that this is extremely helpful to curing anxiety etc.


----------



## ANCIENT

reading: Walden by henry david thoreau

some books that i bought:
frederick nietzsche's the antichrist and a book on karl marx's writings. i'll probably read thus spoke zarathustra again before reading the antichrist.


----------



## bezoomny

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut


----------



## gs8778

*


----------



## bezoomny

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers


----------



## nothing to fear

catch-22


----------



## EagerMinnow84

I just finished ...

Disgrace by JM Coetzee - Grade = C+. It won the Booker Prize and other prizes and recieved fantastic reviews. I thought it was a very ordinary story. I wouldn't personally reccomend it. But thats just me. 

Reading...

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell (exellent so far!)


----------



## Eraserhead

The Tragedy of Lebanon
by Jonathan Randal

A relatively brief account of the 1975-1982 phase of Lebanon's civil war. I hope to move on to Robert Fisk's massive Pity the Nation: Lebanon at War during the summer. It covers the entire conflict, 1975 through 1990.


----------



## Roped

a book on Islam


----------



## darkangel

Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass. Love this series!


----------



## User57854

-


----------



## Labyssum

I just finished Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel. :clap 
Now I am grudgingly reading a book called Gossip Girl that my friend wants me to read...I think its crap. :mum


----------



## seanybhoy

I am currently reading Catch me if you can by Frank Abagnale Jr. and have another called Gods behaving badly by Marie Phillips both of which have to be retuned soon so i guess i better get reading.


----------



## trav777

I'm reading a variety of books at the moment

A Time To Kill by John Grisham
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (for the 5th time) by J.K. Rowling
Macbeth by William Shakespeare


----------



## Labyssum

The Spiderwick Chronicles :clap


----------



## clobberthefour

no country for old men, really interesting writing style


----------



## AppleEatsWorm

I've been reading The Idiot, but I can't find it. What am I to do?


----------



## Zephyr

A couple of music books...

Back to the Miracle Factory: Rock etc 1990s. This is by Paul Williams, who was the founder of Crawdaddy magazine and the book is a collection of essays written in the early nineties that were used to relaunch the magazine.

All American Music: Composition in the Late Twentieth Century by John Rockwell. It's a survey of various facets of American music ranging from Philip Glass to Neil Young.


----------



## bezoomny

Claudius The God by Robert Graves


----------



## Big Me

All Quiet on The Western Front

It has some really profound moments.


----------



## Labyssum

Even if it Kills Me by Dorothy Joan Harris.


----------



## batman can

This thread.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

I just finished ... 

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

Currently reading...

White Noise by Don DeLillo


----------



## LadyJane

I'm always in the middle of 2 or three books--I am finishing up The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orscky and starting The Dead Secret by Wilkie Collins. I'm still trying to plow through the unabridged version of Les Miserables and I want to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows again.


----------



## Cerberus

Ringworld by Larry Niven


----------



## rewind08

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

beautiful book so far


----------



## User57854

-


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Finished reading White Noise (great book)

Now reading...

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood


----------



## odun

'flawed giant" the second of two volumes on the life of lyndon johnson by robert dalleck. i read the first volume 'lone star rising' years ago.

i find dalleck to be more readable than lbj's other main biographer robert caro.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

LadyJane said:


> I'm always in the middle of 2 or three books--I am finishing up The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orscky and starting The Dead Secret by Wilkie Collins. I'm still trying to plow through the unabridged version of Les Miserables and I want to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows again.


That's amazing. I tried to read more than one book but then I start to miss the book I started to read first. :eyes

How long does it take for you to finish the books you are reading?

I am thinking about starting Anna Karenia while I am reading other books along the way. My goal is to finish it by the end of the year.


----------



## Half_A_Person

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, I'm about half-way through it.

The murders are much more....um, descriptive than in the film. They REALLY watered it down in the film.


----------



## U.P.Kev

Sword Song by Bernard Cromwell


----------



## JR87

breakfast of champions by kurt vonnegut and a book of hans christian anderson's fairy tales


----------



## User57854

-


----------



## starblob

In union is strength: A history of Trade Unionsim in Australia by Ian Turner.


----------



## Cerberus

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke


----------



## Zephyr

The Pre-History of The Far Side by Gary Larson. Just picked it up at a used book sale the other day. Very interesting to delve into some of the stories behind the cartoons because I absolutely *heart* The Far Side.


----------



## Cerberus

Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke


----------



## User57854

-


----------



## estse

An Opening Act of Unspeakable Evil, by some guy


----------



## Cerberus

The Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven


----------



## shyman1918

Parachute Infantry - David Kenyon Webster


----------



## bezoomny

Anna Karenina by Tolstoy


----------



## Bad Religion

God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens


----------



## OKdOut

Phobias: Fighting the Fear by Helen Saul


----------



## 4v0id4n7

Psychological types by C.G. Jung (ocasionally by little bits)
Internet (frequently)


----------



## refined_rascal

Currently working my way through all of the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming.

If you don't like the movies, please don't let that put you off reading the books.


----------



## Labyssum

Tideland by Mitch Cullin.


----------



## FairleighCalm

^I'm going to check that out. I need to get out of self help stuff.

Sacred Contracts - Myss


----------



## Bon

The Last Precinct. Patricia Cornwell. I'm getting addicted to her books.


----------



## Zephyr

Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
Honey for the Bears - Anthony Burgess
The Immortal Game: A History of Chess - David Shenk


----------



## WinterDave

"5.0 out of 5 stars 'Silence of the Lambs' meets Jack the Ripper....
New York City, 1896. A serial killer is on the loose, gruesomely preying upon cross-dressing boy prostitutes. Police detectives are making no progress solving the ghastly crimes. In fact, someone with power or influence seems to be bent on silencing witnesses and thwarting any investigation. Reform-minded police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt (yes, the same TR who later became president), determined to catch the killer, assembles an unconventional group of investigators headed by "alienist" Dr. Lazlo Kreizler. (In the 19th century, when psychology was in its infancy, the mentally ill were considered "alienated" from themselves and society, and the experts who treated them were known as "alienists.")

Dr. Kreizler's team includes his former Harvard classmate, New York Times crime reporter John Moore; Moore's longtime friend, spitfire heiress-turned-NYPD-secretary Sara Hamilton; and two former mental patients who now work as his servants.

To help identify the killer--who leaves behind very few clues, manages to spirit his victims out of locked rooms, and passes through the city unnoticed--the team attempts to develop a psychological profile of the type of person who would be capable of such horrendous deeds. The novelty of their approach does not win them any fans from the mental-health establishment or most NYPD detectives, and throughout the novel, they attempt to keep their involvement secret.

Author Caleb Carr puts his historical background to fascinating use. "The Alienist" is filled with rich details about both the seamier underside and more privileged parts of late-19th-century New York City and the then-novel crime detection techniques. Detectives Lucius and Marcus Isaacson, assigned to assist the investigation, employ the not-yet-accepted science of fingerprinting and other methods of identification in their hunt for the killer.

"The Alienist" is one of the few murder mysteries that I have ever enjoyed reading a second time. The characters are memorable, dryly amusing at times, and always fascinating. Carr portrays his victims as humans and individuals, rather than sensationalizing their professions. The plot, including a race against time once the team predicts when the killer is likely to strike again, moves along at a brisk pace. The historical detail advances the plot rather than bogging it down.

Lovers of historical fiction and detective mysteries will find a treat in "The Alienist."


----------



## yeah_yeah_yeah

Schema Therapy - Practitioners Guide
9/11 - The New Evidence
Female Chauvinist Pigs


----------



## seanybhoy

The Licensee - Tam McGraw


----------



## Violette

Love in the Time of Cholera


----------



## Labyssum

Hunger Point by Jillian Medoff.


----------



## HoboQueen

Peony in Love by Lisa See


----------



## mongorians

Hostile Takeover: How Big Money & Corruption Conquered Our Government by David Sirota


----------



## anonymid

_God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible_
by Adam Nicolson

_Whose Bible is it? A History of the Scriptures through the Ages_
by Jaroslav Pelikan


----------



## Labyssum

Poppy Shakespeare by Clare Allan


----------



## DeeperUnderstanding

I was reading "It" by Stephen King, but gave up halfway through. I've started reading book 7 of the Harry Potter series instead, so far it's really good.


----------



## stardog99

The Fall - Steve Taylor


----------



## eyeguess

Gasping For Airtime - Jay Mohr


----------



## seanybhoy

Barefoot Soldier-Johnson Beharry


----------



## PsychicPirateHobbit

The Stand-Stephen King.


----------



## Cerberus

The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle



The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov


----------



## anonymid

_The Great Code: The Bible and Literature_
by Northrop Frye

"Divine Poems"
in _The Complete Poetry of John Donne_


----------



## Cerberus

The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Carter Beat The Devil by Glen David Gold. Really good so far!!


----------



## Cerberus

The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov


----------



## spinal97

Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy

Or at least I was till I lent it to my cousin and I never got it back. Now I have no idea where I left off.


----------



## refined_rascal

For your eyes only - Ian fleming. James bond short stories.


----------



## seanybhoy

Angela's Ashes by Frank Mccourt


----------



## anonymid

_Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts_
edited by Barry W. Holtz


----------



## Zephyr

-Hamlet by someone named Shakespeare. It's a signet edition with notes on source material and critical essays.

-Playing for Keeps: A History of Early Baseball by Warren Goldstein. It appears to be a history of pre-twentieth century baseball.

-Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music by Greil Marcus. This is a classic book by a famous music critic/scholar that I've wanted to read for a long time and I picked it up used recently.


----------



## Caligula

...


----------



## Black_Widow

I've started three different books, but am not sure which one to concentrate on finishing first out of them. However they include:

A Shadow on the Glass - Ian Irvine
The Temp - Serena Mackesy
Witches Abroad - Terry Pratchett


----------



## Cerberus

The Hammer of God by Arthur C. Clarke


----------



## SexySadie

I'm on a big David Sedaris kick right now. Just finished _Naked_ and _Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim_, and now I'm on _Barrel Fever_.


----------



## seanybhoy

Aggressor by Andy Mcnab.
It's kinda pants but it'll have to do til i go to the library or sumfin.


----------



## Drella

The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule.
Fascinating.


----------



## User57854

-


----------



## Hoppipolla

Pornified by Pamela Paul


----------



## anonymid

_The Hundred Years War: The English in France, 1337-1453_
by Desmond Seward


----------



## User57854

-


----------



## redstardude

The Lucifer Effect- Phillip Zimbardo


----------



## seanybhoy

The best a man can get by John O Farrell.


----------



## Cerberus

Foundation by Isaac Asimov


----------



## sleepless_84

Persuasion by Jane Austen


----------



## bezoomny

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft


----------



## anonymid

_The Art of Biblical Narrative_
by Robert Alter


----------



## huh

_From the Dust Returned_ by Ray Bradbury and _Bowling Alone_ by Robert Putnam. Both great books so far.


----------



## srschirm

Right now I'm reading a translation of the Tao te Ching by Stephen Mitchell. Love it.


----------



## mooncake

_The Dice Man_ by Luke Rhinehart.

I've also started reading _A short History of Nearly Everything _by Bill Bryson and I'm still making my way through a collection of short stories by Vladimir Nabokov.


----------



## SexySadie

_When You Are Engulfed In Flames_ by David Sedaris


----------



## tainted_

Just finished "One Child" by Torey Hayden


----------



## emmitt

I'm actually reading two books at the moment: "The Ruins" by Scott Smith and "Invisible Darkness" by Stephen Williams


----------



## Fireflylight

The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg


----------



## yeah_yeah_yeah

Neuropsychology - From Theory To Practice by David Andrewes


----------



## embraer

Winning by Jack Welsh


----------



## smalltowngirl

Wicked by Gregory Maguire


----------



## Cerberus

Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov

Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov


----------



## Snickersnack

_Galactic Pot-Healer_ by Philip K. Dick


----------



## Handed To Obsoletion

Bloodline by Sidney Sheldon


----------



## seanybhoy

Freshers by Kevin Sampson


----------



## conscious

Corporate and Governmental Deviance........something like that. don't remember the author.


----------



## ANCIENT

The Republic by Plato (audio book)


----------



## emmitt

Wetlands by Charlotte Roche

It's most likely the worst book I've read in a while...


----------



## Zephyr

Inquisition: The Reign of Fear by Toby Green 
-about the Spanish and Portuguese inquisitions. Really interesting and nice, descriptive prose.

The Chronologers' Quest: The Search for the Age of the Earth by Patrick Wyse Jackson
-A history of the attempts to determine earth's age. Bit heavy on some of the biographical details. Very British in style.

Stranded: Rock and Roll for a Desert Island by various writers, edited by Greil Marcus
-Essays by some twenty music writers/critics/journalists on what one album they would bring to a desert island. Quite varied and somewhat of a classic in popular music writing. You can read one of the essays online right here: http://personal.cis.strath.ac.uk/~murray/astral.html


----------



## curi0us

The Hitchhiker Guide to the Galaxy Series. I'm on the last book, Mostly Harmless.


----------



## bezoomny

"Doctor Zhivago" - Boris Pasternak


----------



## srschirm

The Dhammapada.


----------



## arkityp

zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. if you haven't read this book, do so. it will change your life if you're open to it.


----------



## Caligula

...


----------



## emmitt

Neither Here nor There - Bill Bryson

It's definitely the best book he's ever written.


----------



## Dagon

The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft 

Great Book


----------



## refined_rascal

Just finished a book on Botticelli.


----------



## Drella

Salammbo by Flaubert and I'll soon be starting Sexual Personae by Camille Paglia.


----------



## bezoomny

bezoomny said:


> "Doctor Zhivago" - Boris Pasternak


Wasn't getting into it. Now reading:

"Lust For Life" - Irving Stone


----------



## apartment7

just started to read "English Passengers" by Matthew Kneale again. 

Last time I gave up about half way through, this time I'm going to push on until the end. (currently on page 37).


----------



## Iron Butterfly

"Living With Soul", Tony Stubbs


----------



## sansd

_Blind willow, sleeping woman_ by Haruki Murakami.
and some other stuff . . .


----------



## turbomatt

Just finished Gravity's Rainbow. Thought it was fantastic, although he lost me a bit towards the end and I wasn't a fan of the mysticism.

Now I'm reading Slaughterhouse 5 which is great, but just too short.


----------



## SexySadie

turbomatt said:


> Now I'm reading Slaughterhouse 5 which is great, but just too short.


Maybe my favorite book.

Just started Kerouac's On the Road.


----------



## Zephyr

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. Strange book.

Marooned: The Next Generation of Desert Island Discs, edited by Phil Freeman. This is basically a sequel/update to Stranded, mentioned on the previous page.


----------



## Caligula

...


----------



## bezoomny

F. Scott Fitzgerald - "This Side of Paradise"


----------



## RubyTuesday

bezoomny said:


> F. Scott Fitzgerald - "This Side of Paradise"


...I've wanted to read more of F. Scott Fitzgerald. I've read "The Great Gatsby" at least twice already. And I really like how it is written. :yes


----------



## Cerberus

War Journal: My Five Years In Iraq by Richard Engel


----------



## Andre

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Classic dystopian novel.


----------



## emptybottle

the great derangement by matt taibbi


----------



## Slim Shady

Illusions by Richard Bach for the fifth time

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez


----------



## turbomatt

Finished Slaughterhouse 5 and just started Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.


----------



## bezoomny

RubyTuesday said:


> bezoomny said:
> 
> 
> 
> F. Scott Fitzgerald - "This Side of Paradise"
> 
> 
> 
> ...I've wanted to read more of F. Scott Fitzgerald. I've read "The Great Gatsby" at least twice already. And I really like how it is written. :yes
Click to expand...

I don't think I'd recommend This Side of Paradise. It was really confused and strange. Not one of my favorites by him. I would, however, recommend that you try Tender is the Night. It's wonderful.

The End of the Affair - Graham Greene


----------



## HangNail

"Revelation Space" by Alastair Reynolds
I'm about half-way thru it...pretty good sci-fi


----------



## bezoomny

Bret Easton Ellis - Less than Zero


----------



## Caligula

...


----------



## glennz20

bezoomny said:


> Bret Easton Ellis - Less than Zero


Oh, I read that recently. You've probably finished it by now haha. Have you read any other BEE novels? They're all pretty good.

I'm currently reading Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham. Printing it off from the computer a chapter at a time because I couldn't find the book anywhere! I've heard good things about it.


----------



## bezoomny

glennz20 said:


> bezoomny said:
> 
> 
> 
> Bret Easton Ellis - Less than Zero
> 
> 
> 
> Oh, I read that recently. You've probably finished it by now haha. Have you read any other BEE novels? They're all pretty good.
> 
> I'm currently reading Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham. Printing it off from the computer a chapter at a time because I couldn't find the book anywhere! I've heard good things about it.
Click to expand...

No, I haven't read any other books by him. Less than Zero was really great though, incredibly quick read. It was really nothing like the movie at all.

Of Human Bondage is one of my favorite books ever. It's really long though, so if I were you I'd buy a copy off amazon.

Now reading: Victor Hugo - Les Miserables


----------



## Slothrop

turbomatt said:


> Just finished Gravity's Rainbow. Thought it was fantastic, although he lost me a bit towards the end and I wasn't a fan of the mysticism.
> 
> Now I'm reading Slaughterhouse 5 which is great, but just too short.


I'd imagine anything would be too short after Pynchon's monster. I have made 3 attempts to read it and still haven't followed through with it past 2-3 chapters. Just read Bukowski's _Pulp_. Now onto Vonnegut's _Breakfast of Champions_.


----------



## Fireflylight

The Family Tree by Carole Cadwalladr


----------



## Lucy3

The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring. By J.R.R Tolkien.


----------



## seanybhoy

The Ferris Conspiracy - Paul Ferris and Reg Mckay


----------



## Aloysius

The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain


----------



## Slim Shady

Spycatcher - Peter Wright

One - Richard Bach


----------



## Aero

I'm just started reading the third book of the Twilight series. So I'm keeping myself occupied with that. I hope it's just as awsome as the other two. :boogie


----------



## sansd

I of the Vortex: From Neurons to Self by Rodolfo Llinás
This one's due on the 29th and I just started reading it so I don't think I'll be able to finish it until I can check it out again.

Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner

Textbooks:
Mapping the Mind - Rita Carter
The Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology - Cooper


----------



## turbomatt

Slothrop said:


> turbomatt said:
> 
> 
> 
> Just finished Gravity's Rainbow. Thought it was fantastic, although he lost me a bit towards the end and I wasn't a fan of the mysticism.
> 
> Now I'm reading Slaughterhouse 5 which is great, but just too short.
> 
> 
> 
> I'd imagine anything would be too short after Pynchon's monster. I have made 3 attempts to read it and still haven't followed through with it past 2-3 chapters. Just read Bukowski's _Pulp_. Now onto Vonnegut's _Breakfast of Champions_.
Click to expand...

Hehe, nice name. The first act was probably the toughest to wade through, mainly because not much really happens and it's focused on introducing new characters, with the odd bizarre scene. I just kept going, expecting everything to make sense in the end. That didn't exactly happen but I was definitely satisfied with the climax.


----------



## Zephyr

-The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Popular Standards by Max Maroth

-Louisiana Music: a journey from R&B to zydeco, jazz to country, blues to gospel, Cajun music to swamp pop to carnival music and beyond by Rick Koster

-How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony (and why you should care) by Ross W. Duffin


----------



## Slothrop

_Breakfast of Champions_ was quite hilarious. Excellent satire with social and political overtones. I haven't been an active reader for some time, especially during my time on medication where it was next to impossible to comprehend any semblance of academia. I've now got myself back into a routine of sorts, which is proving to be helpful with my writing.

Currently reading Bukowski's _Post Office_.


----------



## colonelpoop




----------



## Drella

_Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers_ by Mary Roach.


----------



## colonelpoop

Drella,

I bet you just emit absolute rays of glorious sunshine to everyone fortunate enough to find themselves within your presence.

What with your references to American Pyscho, pollyannish reading choices, one might almost get festered with your cheery disposition.

: )


----------



## Drella

Yes, the people love me.


----------



## Slim Shady

Lucy3 said:


> The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring. By J.R.R Tolkien.


I've read the whole LOTR series and they're quite a read. Tolkein is amazing. The books are so mesmerizing. Y'know, I created my own movies in my mind as I read the books, and, the LOTR movies from hollywood were nowhere near as good as the originals in my mind.


----------



## Slim Shady

I'm currently reading Catch-22 again.

Yossarian lives!


----------



## tainted_

Broken - Shy Keenan


----------



## HangNail

"Cryptonomicon" by Neil Stephenson
it's really good


----------



## smalltowngirl

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd


----------



## Cerberus

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand


----------



## pariahgirl

watchmen by alan moore


----------



## CopadoMexicano

physiology of behavior by carlson eighth edition


----------



## Sclorch

Waiting for the next book of a song of ice and fire to come out, might start reading Dune series in the meantime


----------



## crazytomato

Two Towers by J.R.R., cool to see someone else is reading the trilogy atm too 

Waiting for the next Scott Lynch to come out, though.


----------



## phate

The Sedona Method by Hale Dwoskin.

Like all self help books 99% of it is absolute tripe, designed to pad out the central idea to the point where you can charge twenty euro for it. But that centra idea(you are not your emotions) is a valuable one.


----------



## glennz20

pariahgirl said:


> watchmen by alan moore


Arghh, I've been trying to get a hold of this. Heard good things and such. What do you think of it?


----------



## huh

Im reading...

LPIC-1 (Linux Professional Institute Certification) - Fun reading 
Freedom Evolves - Daniel Dennett

Rereading...

The Meme Machine - Susan Blackmoore


----------



## Snickersnack

glennz20 said:


> pariahgirl said:
> 
> 
> 
> watchmen by alan moore
> 
> 
> 
> Arghh, I've been trying to get a hold of this. Heard good things and such. What do you think of it?
Click to expand...

I can't speak for anyone else, but I've read it several times and love it-it certainly lives up to the hype. Anything by Alan Moore is worth checking out.










Moore is the awesome human being behind V for Vendetta, Swamp Thing (at least the ones everybody remembers), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, From Hell, Top 10, and many other wonderful things.

I just started _You Suck _by Christopher Moore.


----------



## ANCIENT

Compendium Maleficarum - The Montague Summers Edition

i started reading it today. it's really nice.


----------



## Miles Prower

Just started _One Foot in Eden_ by Ron Rash last night. For the first few pages it seemed to read like some cheesy detective novel with Southern stereotypes, but by the end of the first part narrated by the sheriff I began to notice that there were many more layers to the novel than I initially realized. I've got high hopes for the rest of it, as it seems like there's a lot of room left for interesting explorations.


----------



## Aloysius

animal farm - george orwell


----------



## seanybhoy

Rage Within - Trevor Hercules


----------



## sansd

_Frankenstein_, which I originally started reading in tenth grade for Academic Decathlon but never finished. And I'm almost done with _Moderato cantabile_ by Marguerite Duras.


----------



## Zephyr

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Doglas Adams. Amazingly, I've yet to read any of these books.


----------



## sansd

I started _The Unconsoled_ by Kazuo Ishiguro today.


----------



## turbomatt

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. Probably my favourite Vonnegut book so far.


----------



## Slothrop

Bukowski's Factotum.


----------



## Ally

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.


----------



## seanybhoy

May Contain Nuts - John 0 Farrell


----------



## dullard

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller


----------



## Ally

Diary of an Anorexic Girl by Morgan Menzie.


----------



## pita

George Eliot's The Mill on the Floss. I'm trying to get started on my fall reading for school.


----------



## Peace99

I was reading Bret Harts autobiography for a while but I stopped cause it got boring.


----------



## Slim Shady

dullard said:


> Catch-22 by Joseph Heller


I'm reading it for the second time right now.

Yossarian Lives!


----------



## User57854

-


----------



## Leigh20reed

Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice


----------



## CandySays

Turn Me On, Dead Man by Andru J. Reeve


----------



## glennz20

The Shining. From one Stephen King book to another...can't seem to get enough of him.


----------



## Slim Shady

Penguins Stopped Play.


----------



## Cured

A Complaint Free World by Will Bowen
http://www.acomplaintfreeworld.org/

A very good book.


----------



## seanybhoy

The bad mothers handbook


----------



## estse

The Mammoth Book of the Best Crime Comics


----------



## Slim Shady

Memoirs of a Geisha.


----------



## IHaveGoodCards

I'm reading "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck. It's been a very Steinbeck summer for me. I read "Grapes of Wrath" (which I loved loved loved), "Of Mice and Men", and now "Cannery Row".


----------



## Fireflylight

Love Walked In by Marisa de los santos


----------



## Zephyr

Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5 Billion Year History of the Human Body by Neil Shubin

Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea by Carl Zimmer


----------



## delphiki

I was reading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand but I need to wait til I have an actual copy - reading it on MS Word proved more difficult and harder on the eyes than I would have suspected. So now I'm rereading Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card.


----------



## bezoomny

I've started reading H.P. Lovecraft's _The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Stories_ in between chapters of Les Miz.


----------



## Slim Shady

Finished Catch-22 and Memoirs of a Geisha. 
Just started "One" by Richard Bach.


----------



## delphiki

Dry by Augusten Burroughs.


----------



## rb1088

"The Great Political Theories Volume I."


----------



## turbomatt

Just finished 'A Confederacy of Dunces' by John Kennedy Toole. Right now I'm reading Factotum by Charles Bukowski.


----------



## Snickersnack

turbomatt said:


> Just finished 'A Confederacy of Dunces' by John Kennedy Toole.


My favorite book! 

This morning, I just finished...Tatooine Ghost, a Star Wars novel ops. Can't say I recommend it-all it really does is tie up some loose ends in Star Wars continuity. I'm currently starting a fantasy novel, The Summer Tree, by Guy Gavriel Kay. My friend from high school recommended it, and the back cover blurbs are promising.


----------



## Slim Shady

Finished "One" and "Penguins stopped play"

started "Sphinx" by Robin Cook


----------



## Zephyr

-Moby Dick by Herman Melville
-Northrop Frye on Shakespeare
-some random collection of short vampire fiction


----------



## delphiki

Germ by Robert Liparulo


----------



## dullard

I'm just starting The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson.


----------



## pita

I'm reading Thackeray's _Vanity Fair_, along with various chunks of various Norton anthologies. I should be re-reading _Titus Andronicus_ but I don't feel like it.


----------



## Slim Shady

Freedom in Exile - The Dalai Lama


----------



## User57854

-


----------



## Half_A_Person

Well Enough Alone by Jennifer Traig


----------



## meghanaddie

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk


----------



## luminary_pustule

A Feast for Crows - George R. R. Martin


----------



## mooncake

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson


----------



## delphiki

Fallen by David Maine.


----------



## TATA

Just read "Broken Child" by Marcia Cameron, what a book. A person survives severe child abuse, has personality disorder, goes into therapy in her 40's and it HELPS HER!!! Very tragic book, a lot about psychology, very interesting. Do not recommend to very sensitive people though. But do recommend it to people with SA, as the author went through so much, and still found a way in herself to get better. If she got better, I'm sure most of us here can too.


----------



## RealGoneKid

I read something similar called " A boy called it " it was really upsetting , what that child went through was horrific.
On a lighter note i am reading The tenderness of wolves by Stef Penney.


----------



## SadRosesAreBeautiful

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
And then some college textbooks like Kuby Immunology, Basic Biotehcnology, Lehninger's Principles of Biochemistry, Fundamentals of Differential Equations, Molecular Genetics of Bacteria, and Principles of Tissue Engineering.


----------



## slyfox

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (for biology class)

and

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

So far I would say I like Ishmael better. I just don't like taking quizes on it. Also when we broke up into groups and had disscusions about Ishmael, two students spoiled the ending for me  We were only supposed to read half way through the book, at that point, and since they didn't like the book they decided to ruin the ending.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

I recently finished White Teeth by Zadie Smith. 

I am almost finished with The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. It is alarmingly relatable. 

Going to start Dracula soon in honor of Halloween.


----------



## bezoomny

Graham Greene - The Heart of the Matter


----------



## X33

Next two books I want to read,

The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch

The man who mistook his wife for a hat - Oliver Sacks


----------



## IllusionOfHappiness

SAS


----------



## Whitney

SadRosesAreBeautiful said:


> The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas


Yes, best book ever...

As for me... lots and lots of research articles... (I'm a grad student)
The current one is called "The Proximity Compatibility Principle: Its Psychological Foundation and Relevance to Display Design" by Wickens and Carswell
Woohoo


----------



## User57854

-


----------



## mooncake

Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy


----------



## anonymid

_Moby-Dick_ by Herman Melville


----------



## anonymid

anonymid said:


> _Moby-wee-wee_ by Herman Melville


Hahahahaha! I guess some words are automatically censored/corrected, huh? Anyway, I think it's an improvement--definitely what Melville should have gone with.


----------



## Snickersnack

anonymid said:


> anonymid said:
> 
> 
> 
> _Moby-wee-wee_ by Herman Melville
> 
> 
> 
> Hahahahaha! I guess some words are automatically censored/corrected, huh? Anyway, I think it's an improvement--definitely what Melville should have gone with.
Click to expand...

 :lol Now the whole family can enjoy it.

I just finished Tehanu (Ursula Le Guin) and am starting Free Live Free (Gene Wolfe).


----------



## Perfectionist

L'Immoraliste by Gide, Le Ble en Herbe by Collette, and the textbooks Evolutionary Analysis and Organic Chemistry. Exciting, I know.

Anna Karenina? Mooncake, you have my sympathies.


----------



## mooncake

Mm, yes, I've decided to put it on hold for the time being. Perhaps it has something to do with the translation but I'm finding it quite hard to get into as it's just not grabbing me. I think I might re-read Lolita instead.

On a side note... I have little time for reading anymore these days, which makes me sad. :rain


----------



## bezoomny

mooncake said:


> Mm, yes, I've decided to put it on hold for the time being. Perhaps it has something to do with the translation but I'm finding it quite hard to get into as it's just not grabbing me. I think I might re-read Lolita instead.
> 
> On a side note... I have little time for reading anymore these days, which makes me sad. :rain


Did you try Pevear and Volokhonsky? Their translation is much easier to read.


----------



## mooncake

bezoomny said:


> Did you try Pevear and Volokhonsky? Their translation is much easier to read.


Nope, it's the Maude translation that I have. The P&V translation was actually the one I was after as I've heard more praise for it, but infortunately my library doesn't stock that one so I thought I'd just make do with this. Maybe I'll give it another go with the other translation at some point then. For now I think it's a good thing that I've abandoned reading another monster of a book. I procrastinate far too much as it is. :lol


----------



## bezoomny

mooncake said:


> bezoomny said:
> 
> 
> 
> Did you try Pevear and Volokhonsky? Their translation is much easier to read.
> 
> 
> 
> Nope, it's the Maude translation that I have. The P&V translation was actually the one I was after as I've heard more praise for it, but infortunately my library doesn't stock that one so I thought I'd just make do with this. Maybe I'll give it another go with the other translation at some point then. For now I think it's a good thing that I've abandoned reading another monster of a book. I procrastinate far too much as it is. :lol
Click to expand...

Oh God, tell me about it. I'm 1000 pages into Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I've just started reading other books at the same time. LM is really episodic, kind of like a Dickens novel, so it works.


----------



## Bad Religion

Diagonally-Parked in a Parallel Universe : Working Through Social Anxiety 

and

National Geographic Essential Visual History of the World


----------



## delphiki

Dune: The Butlerian Jihad


----------



## zolagerminal

The Last Coyote, a police procedural by Michael Connelly.


----------



## Cheesecake

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara


----------



## imt

Handmaids Tale


----------



## Kelly

I read _Anna Karenina_ this summer. Overall, I enjoyed it, although I did have some issues with Anna as a character.

After that, I read _Slaughterhouse Five_ by Kurt Vonnegut, _The Pillars of the Earth_ by Ken Follet, and _The Witch of Portobello_ by Paulo Coehlo.

Currently reading: _Emma_ by Jane Austin. I've never been a huge fan of hers. Her writing style irks me to no end, but someone insisted that _Emma_ is her best and that I should give it a try.

Have a nice day,
Kelly


----------



## Zephyr

Renaissance & Reformation by William Estep.


----------



## pita

I'm reading The Female Quixote by Charlotte Lennox, and Villette by Charlotte Bronte. Both books are enjoyable, thankfully, and the latter has reassured me that not EVERY Victorian novelist is a big pain in my behind.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

imt said:


> Handmaids Tale


I read this a few months ago. Very good.

I am reading Dracula by Bram Stoker in honor of the month of Halloween


----------



## Kelly

Zephyr said:


> Renaissance & Reformation by William Estep.


I hated that book. It was the textbook for one of my Reformation classes. uke

Have a nice day,
Kelly


----------



## Zephyr

Kelly said:


> I hated that book. It was the textbook for one of my Reformation classes. uke
> 
> Have a nice day,
> Kelly


I'm not reading it for any class, maybe that's why I don't mind it so much. I just got past the point of the Anabaptist schism from the Zwinglian Swiss Reformation.

And crap that reminds me, it might be overdue. I have to renew!


----------



## mindy88

Hamlet


----------



## Gerard

Election material and updates. I'm doing a little precincting tomorrow! Yay! On Yes on H, the San Francisco Clean Energy Act.

Gerard


----------



## Hot Chocolate

i'm reading my textbooks.


----------



## A SAD Finn

Textbook on thermal physics -- I wanna burn it, and a Russian textbook on differential equations which is pretty good.

Also a collection of short memoirs about the young soldiers who died in the 1918 civil war. The catch is, I found the book from the attic of my family's new house, and it was printed 90 years ago. So it's in a pretty bad shape, but the smell and the overall feeling of an old book are awesome.


----------



## Kelly

Zephyr said:


> I'm not reading it for any class, maybe that's why I don't mind it so much. I just got past the point of the Anabaptist schism from the Zwinglian Swiss Reformation.
> 
> And crap that reminds me, it might be overdue. I have to renew!


My overall impression of the book was that it wasn't written from a "religiously neutral" perspective, which soured the whole thing for me...

Right now, I am reading a book (calendar) published in 1651 entitled - and I am not making this up:

New und Alter Schreibkalender, auff das Jahr nach der Gnadenreichen Geburt unsers Seligmachers JEsu Christi, M. DC. LI. Welches ist das dritte nach dem Schalt Jahr von 365. Tagen. Sampt dem Ort, Lauff, Aspecten, Auff- und Undergang der Planeten, und dannenhero vermuthlicher Erwögung deß Gewitters mit fleiß gestellt Durch _Vdalricum_ Stainhoffer _Italum Veneto-Cadubriensem Philosophie Doct. Med. Baccal. & Astrophilum_. Augspurg bey Johann Schultes.

I do this every day. :fall

Have a nice day,
Kelly


----------



## bezoomny

Shakespeare - _A Midsummer Night's Dream_

I'd actually never read it before. I've never read any of Shakespeare's comedies before. So far, this one looks promising.

I'm also reading some books on Raphael for an art history paper (_The Oxford Companion to Raphael_, _Vasari's Lives vol. 3_).


----------



## cry_rain

no time for goodbye by linwood barclay


----------



## Snickersnack

Terry Pratchett-Thud!

I've always liked the City Watch stories.


----------



## seanybhoy

Elvis , Jesus and Me.
(nothing to do with elvis or jesus btw just thought i'd say jut wanna them books)


----------



## darkstar

Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb


----------



## Zephyr

-The October Country by Ray Bradbury (a collection of short fiction I read every year at this time)

-What Color is your Parachute? by Richard Bolles


----------



## Hoppipolla

Once In A House On Fire by Andrea Ashworth


----------



## bezoomny

Murakami - _Norwegian Wood_


----------



## imt

100 years of solitude


----------



## bezoomny

Mikhail Bulgakov - _The Master and Margarita_


----------



## jas498

When You Are Engulfed in Flames - David Sedaris

Belly Laughs - Jenny McCarthy (hey... there aren't many humorous pregnancy related books. I take what I can get lol)


----------



## Zephyr

-Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew by Bart Ehrman...a study of different forms of early Christianity (and boy were some of them ever weird) and about the many contending books for the New Testament that didn't "make the cut" as it were. Really interesting.

-Compete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe

-No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy



TheCollector said:


> The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre, a compilation of H.P. Lovecraft short stories.


I read that a few years ago, the exact same compilation. First Lovecraft I ever read.


----------



## Enid

just recently gone back to reading.
-Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (which I'll continue reading later)
-The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho
-Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl


----------



## Perfectionist

Un barrage contre le Pacifique by Marguerite Duras.

So far, two big thumbs down.


----------



## shyguydan222

i am reading What Color is Your Parachute and 7 Steps to Highly Successful People and the Innocent Man


----------



## Drew

The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein


----------



## dmann

QOS design guide.

I know...what a geek


----------



## hopena

The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield.


----------



## nightrain

I'm reading a gigantic collection of short stories by H.P. Lovecraft


----------



## pita

Great Expectcations.

I love Wemmick and his post-office mouth.


----------



## rb1088

I'm reading "God is not Great" by Christopher Hitchens.


----------



## mindy88

the boy in the striped pyjamas


----------



## Opportunities

The Melancholic Temperament, by Jorge Volpi (a novel), and recently finished Freakonomics.


----------



## MeganC

The First Total War by David Bell
It's an interesting (but slightly flawed) study of the period leading up to the Napoleonic wars and the genesis of the modern military and warrior class.


----------



## Taija

Hon Går Genom Tavlan, Ut Ur Bilden by Johanna Nilsson


----------



## mindy88

marjorie morningstar by herman wouk


----------



## Vincenzo II

Cormac McCarthy - Child of God


----------



## bezoomny

BildungsRoman said:


> The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus


I love Camus' philosophical essays, especially that one, because they're so much more readable than most philosophy.

I'm reading _Irish Folk and Fairy Tales_ edited by W.B. Yeats


----------



## Attica! Attica!

Dracula


----------



## huh

Soul Made Flesh.

I really enjoy Carl Zimmer's writing style.


----------



## ilikebooks

Currently reading Infectious Disease: A Scientific American Reader. It's a collection of articles published in SciAm pertaining to infectious disease and immunology within the past 10 years or so. *Happy nerdy trance*

And the normal book I'm reading is A Clash of Kings. It's the second book in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. Seriously recommended for anyone into fantasy.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Attica! Attica! said:


> Dracula


I finished that recently. It's good.


----------



## flapjacker

'Rant' by Chuck Palahniuk

I freakin love Chuck Palahniuk. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Palahniuk

Next book I'll probably read will be 'Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes' by Daniel Everett.
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1859528,00.html


----------



## RedTulip

"Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris 

It's a pretty good book. The first season of the show, True Blood, is based on the book.


----------



## mousam

purpleice said:


> "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris
> 
> It's a pretty good book. The first season of the show, True Blood, is based on the book.


The Sookie Stackhouse series are really good. 

I'm reading "Franny and Zooey" by J.D. Salinger


----------



## Roberto

I read half-way through Veronika decides to Die in the library the other day. When she encountered Eduardo I immediately skipped to the end- she hadn't died and was having dinner with Eduardo, as I predicted, and the author had written something like "oh, only when one comes so close to death can they truly appreciate being alive. "  I was really disappointed with that outcome. ; - ; The first part of the book and Veronika's feelings in it were neat though.


----------



## cclivesinherhead

I'm reading Nabokov's "Lolita" again. It's so beautifully written, and better the second time.


----------



## mooncake

cclivesinherhead said:


> I'm reading Nabokov's "Lolita" again. It's so beautifully written, and better the second time.


I absolutely adore that book. It's one of my favourites and I agree, it's so beautifully written.

I've just started reading Catch-22.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

I've just started reading The English Patient


----------



## Amaryis92

I'm finishing up Huckleberry Finn for English class right now. I'm one of the few kids in my class that seem to like it atleast a little bit. :lol 

I think I'll read Twilight next and see if I would really enjoy that or not. It's not because there's a Twilight craze going on, but I mean I've been wanting to read the book for a while now.


----------



## Cheesecake

Blood Meridian


----------



## bezoomny

_The Silmarillion_ by J.R.R. Tolkein


----------



## vintagerocket

"a history of candy"


----------



## starblob

The other side of the frontier by Henry Reynolds.


----------



## Amaryis92

Ok, now I'm reading the rest of "Mostly Harmless" by Douglas Adams. Clever man.


----------



## Zephyr

Introducing Shakespeare by G.B. Harrison

Trainspotting by Irvin Welsh (first read it a few years ago)


----------



## Sonoran Lion

_Security Engineering_ by Ross Anderson
_The TCP/IP Guide_ by Charles M. Kozierok
_The Selfish Gene_ by Richard Dawkins
_The Age of Everything_ by Matthew Hedman


----------



## Eleison

Mummy's Little Girl by Jane Elliott


----------



## screwjack

Current reads: 

Desolation angels by Jack Kerouac 

South of no north by Charles Bukowski 

Fear and loathing in America by Hunter S. Thompson 

Books i'm re-reading (seriously, I have an ocd problem constantly re-reading books) 

The vampire chronicles by Anne Rice (ten thousand million times better than the knock off twilight, if you're going to read about homosexual vampires do it right)

The dark tower series by Stephen King


----------



## Vincenzo II

Cheesecake said:


> Blood Meridian


Outstanding choice

Joseph Roth - The Legend of the Holy Drinker


----------



## mindy88

i capture the castle by dodie smith


----------



## Cerberus

Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov


----------



## No Limit

Emotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman



pyramidsong said:


> Siddhartha- Herman Hesse


Good Book. I had to do a book report on that for high school.


----------



## slyfox

By the Light of the Moon - Dean Koontz

Accounting

The novelized version of Fool Cooly. FLCL: Volume 1 - Yoji Enokido

I'm also playing a couple role-playing games at the same time, so I'm going to be lucky if I don't get the stories mixed up


----------



## refined_rascal

Christmas books - Charles 'Chuck' Dickens.


----------



## ilikebooks

Children of the Night - Dan Simmons

It's pretty interesting--it toys with the idea that vampirism could be the cure for diseases such as AIDS and cancer.

Also reading the Scientific American reader on infectious disease.


----------



## mongorians

The Yacoubian Building by Alaa el-Aswany


----------



## Zephyr

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Contact by Carl Sagan


----------



## Lightspeed

American Pastoral, Philip Roth


----------



## Tis' I

Duma key S.King, odd hours D. Koontz, and unstuck J. Gordan...
Wwwwwaaaayyyyyy to much time on my hands.:b


----------



## SadRosesAreBeautiful

Richard Dawkins _The God Delusion_
Alexandre Dumas _The Counte of Monte Cristo_
Mark Twain _The Prince and the Pauper_
Simon Blackburn _Being Good_
Stephen M. Cahn _Exploring Ethics_

Other textbooks:
_Molecular Biology of the Gene_, Watson et al
_Principles of Tissue Engineering_, Lanza et al
_Materials Science and Engineering_, Callister
_Polymer Chemistry: An Introduction_, Stevens


----------



## refined_rascal

The Pickwick papers - Charles Dickens


----------



## Zephyr

SadRosesAreBeautiful said:


> Other textbooks:
> _Molecular Biology of the Gene_, Watson et al


I still own that book! Never sold it back to the campus used bookstore.


----------



## victoriangirl

Finished "The Blindness' from Jose Saramago just a day ago (very depressing) and today started reading;
"The Glass Castle" from Jeannette Walls. Very nice memoir so far.


----------



## mooncake

Down Under by Bill Bryson. It's taken me months to finish off reading this one as I kept putting it down and coming back to it with months inbetween. My mum's boyfriend lent it to me, I think he'll be suprised to see it back finally. Oops.

Also re-reading The Bell by Iris Murdoch (for college).


SadRosesAreBeautiful said:


> Alexandre Dumas _The Counte of Monte Cristo_


What do you think of this one so far? I've been wanting to read it for a long time but haven't ever gotten around to it unfortunately.


----------



## Arkturus

Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes


----------



## papaSmurf

China Mieville's "The Scar" has been pretty entertaining so far. I'm also slowly working through Isabel Allende's excellent "The House of the Spirits" in Spanish, which has been grueling but fun. School starts up again in a few days though, so it will be back to dusty textbooks real soon. Oh well.



SadRosesAreBeautiful said:


> Alexandre Dumas _The Counte of Monte Cristo_


That has got to be one of my absolute favorites! It's a great little adventure, and I hope you enjoy it immensely.


----------



## RibbonBows

Breakfast of Champions
Kurt Vonnegut


----------



## luminary_pustule

_The Blade Itself _- Joe Abercrombie


----------



## Cerberus

The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov


----------



## ZiggyCosmicJive

"An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England" by Brock Clarke

Funny and heartbreaking. Follows the life of a guy who accidentally burned down the Emily Dickinson house in Amherst Massachusetts and killed two people in the process.


----------



## SadRosesAreBeautiful

mooncake said:


> What do you think of this one so far? I've been wanting to read it for a long time but haven't ever gotten around to it unfortunately.


I like it a lot. _[I actually like the movie with Jim Caviezel just as much as the book. (This is unusual for me, though, since I usually say I like the book better than the movie.)]_

I'm about halfway through it now. It is a really good adventure novel. I definitely recommend it! :yes


----------



## SadRosesAreBeautiful

papaSmurf said:


> China Mieville's "The Scar" has been pretty entertaining so far. I'm also slowly working through Isabel Allende's excellent "The House of the Spirits" in Spanish, which has been grueling but fun. School starts up again in a few days though, so it will be back to dusty textbooks real soon. Oh well.
> 
> That has got to be one of my absolute favorites! It's a great little adventure, and I hope you enjoy it immensely.


Thanks! I'm enjoying it so far!

AS for the book you are reading in Spanish, I can't wait to be able to read a novel in Spanish. I want to read _Cien Anos de Soledad_ and _El amor en los tiempos de colera_ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as my first Spanish novels. Any other recommendations?


----------



## Zephyr

The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly


----------



## Halcyon Daze

Inkdeath - Cornelia Funke


----------



## Cerberus

Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov


----------



## bezoomny

_Till We Have Faces_ - C.S. Lewis


----------



## mindy88

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner


----------



## shelovescliche

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. Best book ever.


----------



## seanybhoy

A book on prolific conmen and serial killers.

Why my brother thought id like that kinda thing is beyond me but yeah umm......thanks :um


----------



## papaSmurf

SadRosesAreBeautiful said:


> Thanks! I'm enjoying it so far!
> 
> Any other recommendations?


Definitely "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is great, and pretty much anything by Allende is going to be incredible. Jorge Luis Borges' "Ficciones" has some really thoughtful short stories, Pablo Neruda has some amazing poems. Honestly though, when I started reading books in Spanish, I kind of cheated and read the first three Harry Potter books. They're familiar and the vocabulary isn't very complicated, so they're good for building up the confidence to take on more ambitious books (I'm still scared to read "Blood Wedding" in Spanish!)


----------



## Celestite

Gordan Patzer... I love him, he is the only truth teller of the world. :nw















​
*Looks: Why They Matter More Than You Ever Imagined 
by Gordon Patzer. *


----------



## bezoomny

_Julian_ - Gore Vidal

Really well-written historical fiction about the Roman emperor who tried to end Christianity and re-establish the old gods.


----------



## mousam

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski


----------



## huh

Just started reading two books ...

_Intermediate Perl_

and ...

_The Ethical Brain_


----------



## seanybhoy

Elvis Jesus and Me................still.
I've had it since the summer lol i read a few pages , forget about it. remember bout it , pay the late fee, renew it and so it continues lol i'll finish it one day.

(nothing to do with Elvis or Jesus btw, sorry just had to get that in )


----------



## Arkturus

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame - Victor Hugo


----------



## refined_rascal

The oxford book of modern science writing - edited by Richard Dawkins.


----------



## Cerberus

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson


----------



## Eleison

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton


----------



## bezoomny

John Bunyan - _The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is To Come

_Yep, it's for an English class.


----------



## Bredwh

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -J.K. Rowling (rereading series)


----------



## Arkturus

News From Nowhere by William Morris


----------



## Speratus

Mill's _On Liberty_ fun stuff...


----------



## Zephyr

Creations of Fire: Chemistry's Lively History from Alchemy to the Atomic Age - Cobb and Goldwhite

Scotland: A Very Short Introduction - Rab Houston


----------



## pita

Salman Rushdie - Shame


----------



## pita

bezoomny said:


> John Bunyan - _The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is To Come
> 
> _Yep, it's for an English class.


How are you finding it? We refer to it frequently in my Victorian fiction class but I've never actually read it.


----------



## Globe_Trekker

Right now? Film Art: An Introduction (as part of my university course). Bit too long, bit too technical :yawn. Parts of it are good though, especially the chapters on film analyses.


----------



## bezoomny

pita said:


> How are you finding it? We refer to it frequently in my Victorian fiction class but I've never actually read it.


I really can't help comparing it unfavorably to _The Divine Comedy_. The allegory sometimes goes completely over my head, because it's all in reference to Puritan theology (which is batsh*t insane, btw). But it's like a bizarre prose hybrid of _The Divine Comedy_, _Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God_ and _The Wizard of Oz_. The language is clumsy, but I guess you have to forgive that because he was writing in a more vernacular style. Really boring but insane at the same time, and there's no way to fake reading it because fifteen different things happen on every page.


----------



## Kelly

bezoomny said:


> I really can't help comparing it unfavorably to _The Divine Comedy_. The allegory sometimes goes completely over my head, because it's all in reference to Puritan theology (which is batsh*t insane, btw). But it's like a bizarre prose hybrid of _The Divine Comedy_, _Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God_ and _The Wizard of Oz_. The language is clumsy, but I guess you have to forgive that because he was writing in a more vernacular style. Really boring but insane at the same time, and there's no way to fake reading it because fifteen different things happen on every page.


Your description of it just made it sound fascinating. Either that or I am the world's biggest nerd.

Have a nice day,
Kelly


----------



## laugh it off

pulling your own strings. how to take control of your life
(it deals with assertiveness)
GUYS, I REALLY RECOMMEND THIS. it really is telling me things i ought to have known my whole life. really helping with major aspects of my anxiety.. which is staying in control


----------



## anonymid

_Tales of Henry James_


----------



## Arkturus

The Lathe of Heaven - Ursula K. Le guin


----------



## anonymid

Rereading _Middlemarch_ by George Eliot.


----------



## Arkturus

The Adventures of Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens


----------



## refined_rascal

1812: Napoleon's fatal march on Moscow - Adam Zamoyski


----------



## bezoomny

Kelly said:


> Your description of it just made it sound fascinating. Either that or I am the world's biggest nerd.
> 
> Have a nice day,
> Kelly


In a way it is fascinating. You just have to try to think about the universal elements of the story (one man searching for salvation) and ignore the unsavory parts (every non-Puritan burns in Hell, and most Puritans will burn too because they slept on the Hill of Embarrassment or listened to Worldly Wiseman or something ridiculous.).


----------



## Cerberus

Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov


----------



## slyfox

Joy Luck Club - Amy Tan (for school)
By the Light of the Moon - Dean Koontz
I just finished Native Son - Richard Wright(also for school)


----------



## Zephyr

The Crucible - Arthur Miller (shouldn't take long)

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick


----------



## WineKitty

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.


----------



## Cerberus

Forward to Foundation by Isaac Asimov


----------



## bezoomny

_Hamlet _by William Shakespeare
_Candide _by Voltaire
_Narrow Road to the Interior and Other Writings_ by Matsuo Basho


----------



## DeeperUnderstanding

The Shining by Stephen King


----------



## Meee

I'm currently reading House of Leaves. I've only just started it, wondering if it's going to be as interesting as so many people have made it out to be.


----------



## mooncake

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier


----------



## EagerMinnow84

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

and

Watchmen


----------



## lissette

I'm reading The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano. It's all right so far.


----------



## Arkturus

1984 - George Orwell


----------



## naomi

As usual I'm reading about 4 things at once. Body Wars by Margo Maine, The latest Mother Jones and Consumer Reports issues and Foxtrot: And When She Opened Her Closet, All The Clothes Were Polyester.


----------



## MissMay1977

I am reading Conflict Free Living by Joyce Meyer 

It is a religious book and I like it so far.


----------



## sunonthepath

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie & Four Souls by Louise Erdich...and for pure decadent delight Married Lovers by Jackie Collins. Sshh don't tell anybody:roll


----------



## laura024

I just finished Them Bones by Carolyn Haines


----------



## refined_rascal

A brief history of science - Thomas Crump


----------



## espearite

Queen of Camelot by Nancy McKenzie, Three Nights of Sin by Anne Mallory (boring), and Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (good workbook!).


----------



## anonymid

_Don Quixote_ by Cervantes (Rutherford translation)


----------



## Braxietel

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde


----------



## mindy88

A.J. Jacobs - The Year of Living Biblically


----------



## Iced Soul

I got sucked in and am now reading The complete collection of the Sookie Stackhouse novels.
I just feel so smart reading those books. [/sarcasm]


----------



## its_Rob

I'm not reading anything right now but I did finish reading The Life of Pi about a month ago. It's about a boy who is stuck on a life boat after a ship wreck with a tiger as company. It's pretty boring during the first half of the book but it gets a lot better during the shipwreck.


----------



## jim695

A history on Iceland by the Discovery Channel. Beautiful country!


----------



## WinterDave

http://www.amazon.com/Risen-Empire-...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236285495&sr=1-1


----------



## Sabu

The Black Dahlia - James Ellroy.


----------



## rafaelapolinario

Was about to finish "Void Moon" By Michael Connelly
Quite a good book. I've heard they're making a movie of this later this year. Its one of the best.

Rafael


----------



## Cerberus

Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov


----------



## huh

Primates and Philosophers

Rereading it actually, a little more than halfway through. I finally broke down and bought a Kindle, so I needed a good book from my collection to break it in


----------



## ncislover

Braxietel said:


> The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde


one of my favs 

I'm reading the beginning of Venus in Furs again, just the dream part.


----------



## anonymid

_Classical and Christian Ideas in English Renaissance Poetry_ by Isabel Rivers


----------



## MaidMarian

Ten Lost Years 1929 - 1939 - Memories of Canadians Who Survived the Depression, by Barry Broadfoot


----------



## Atticus

For about the 5th time, I'm trying to read "Ulysses".


----------



## huh

Wow, I was a lot closer to finishing that last book than I thought.

I'm now reading Informal Logic: A Pragmatic Approach


----------



## Arkturus

The Underdogs - Mariano Azuela


----------



## Cerberus

Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov

The Stranger by Albert Camus


----------



## bezoomny

Hermann Hesse - _Narcissus and Goldmund
_Shakespeare - _The Tempest_


----------



## bflygirl

At the risk of revealing the true geek I am: _The Origin of Financial Crisis_ by George Cooper.


----------



## Zephyr

Q & A - Vikas Swarup


----------



## refined_rascal

Shake hands with the devil - Roméo Dallaire


----------



## bezoomny

Nathaniel Hawthorne - _The House of the Seven Gables_


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The Alchemist for a second time


----------



## anonymid

_Clarissa_ by Samuel Richardson


----------



## huh

liarsclub said:


> The Age of American Unreason


How do you like it so far? I read that not too long ago, it's an interesting read.

I'm currently reading _The Definitive Guide to SQLite_. It's a page turner...hah. I've done a little jumping around in it once I got to the language extensions parts.


----------



## Writer of Fictions

This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin.


----------



## rumjungle

One Bullet Away - Nathaniel Fick


----------



## march_hare

Lately I've been reading stacks of women's magazines as part of uni assigment on the literary analysis of advertising towards women.
And _Gulliver's Travels_. Also for uni.


----------



## pita

Hardy's Jude the Obscure. I have so much love for Hardy.


----------



## Arkturus

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens


----------



## imt

Shakespeare - _Macbeth_


----------



## Mehitabel

I had also been reading 'Othello' and John Irving's 'Until I Find You', but they seem to have disappeared. So I'm just on Miller and Mazzucchelli's 'Batman: Year One.' F' yeah, comics.


----------



## Zephyr

The Far Side Gallery, The Far Side Gallery 2, Wiener Dog Art, and Last Chapter And Worse - Gary Larson


----------



## Jnmcda0

Currently reading John Grisham's "The Appeal". I've just bought a collection of Thomas Paine's writings, including "Common Sense", "Rights of Man", and "The Age of Reason".


----------



## Sabu

Perdita Durango by Barry Gifford.


----------



## Mehitabel

Waiting for the bus, I needed something to read, so I picked up _God is Not Great_ by Christopher Hitchens. Then yesterday at work (the library) I was in the kid's section and came across a Doctor Who 'Chose Your Own Adventure Book' and couldn't resist. It's called _The Time Crocodile_. Man, I love Doctor Who. So cheesy it's amazing. And shut up. I'm allowed to read a children's book if I wanna!


----------



## MaidMarian

Cyclops, by Clive Cussler.


----------



## Jinnix

The Vampire Vittorio by Anne Rice


----------



## Zephyr

The Soloist - Steve Lopez


----------



## anonymid

Zephyr said:


> The Soloist - Steve Lopez


I saw the _60 Minutes_ piece about that guy the other night. Seems like a fascinating story . . .


----------



## Sabu

Steppenwolf - Herman Hesse.


----------



## Braxietel

Flow My Tears The Policeman Said, by Philip K Dick


----------



## Cerberus

Adolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography by John Toland


----------



## lucyinthesky

War and Peace at the moment


----------



## Zephyr

anonymid said:


> I saw the _60 Minutes_ piece about that guy the other night. Seems like a fascinating story . . .


Well, the movie's coming out so I wanted to read it before it became impossible to get from the library.


----------



## bezoomny

_Brighton Rock_ by Graham Greene


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

'Lords of the North' by Bernard Cornwell.


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

bezoomny said:


> _Brighton Rock_ by Graham Greene


I've got that one sitting on my shelf actually, but I've only read 'The Quiet American' thus far.


----------



## MaidMarian

Voyager - Diana Gabaldon


----------



## bezoomny

Jaiyyson said:


> I've got that one sitting on my shelf actually, but I've only read 'The Quiet American' thus far.


So far _Brighton Rock_ is really great. I really like the way he writes, it's impossible for me to put the book down. I'd only read _The End of the Affair_ before (which I highly recommend).


----------



## anonymid

Still working on Samuel Richardson's _Clarissa_, and will be for a while (it's purportedly the longest novel in the English language).


----------



## Arkturus

Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemmingway


----------



## pita

Nalo Hopkinson's Brown Girl in the Ring.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

bezoomny said:


> So far _Brighton Rock_ is really great. I really like the way he writes, it's impossible for me to put the book down. I'd only read _The End of the Affair_ before (which I highly recommend).


The End of The Affair is very good. The Power and the Glory is _amazing_.


----------



## huh

Half-way through _Gates of Injustice: The Crisis in America's Prisons_. It's an interesting read.


----------



## CopadoMexicano

Crime reports from my university


----------



## Aurora

The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross - John M. Allegro (OooOoo Controversial lol)


----------



## laura024

Son of a Witch by Gregory Macguire


----------



## KumagoroBeam

Some book for school... Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane 

Also: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 
And I plan on reading more Kurt Vonnegut in the near future.


----------



## refined_rascal

Why Evolution is true - Jerry Coyne.


----------



## mooncake

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami


----------



## Sabu

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris


----------



## MaidMarian

Mother Earth, Father Sky, by Sue Harrison


----------



## Fireflylight

The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg


----------



## laura024

Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King


----------



## refined_rascal

On her majesty's secret service - Ian Fleming.


----------



## Zephyr

At The Water's Edge: Macroevolution and the Transformation of Life - Carl Zimmer


----------



## huh

Zephyr said:


> At The Water's Edge: Macroevolution and the Transformation of Life - Carl Zimmer


That's a great book. Carl Zimmer has a great writing style.

I'm still finishing up my previous book, really not much of it left. But I also started "Ajax: The Definitive Guide"


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Brideshead Revisted by Evelyn Waugh


----------



## Zephyr

huh said:


> That's a great book. Carl Zimmer has a great writing style.
> 
> I'm still finishing up my previous book, really not much of it left. But I also started "Ajax: The Definitive Guide"


Yes, indeed. Good prose.


----------



## whiterabbit

Right, that's it. I'm going to read every day for the rest of my life.

Starting with Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.


----------



## beyondbettyjean

Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky


----------



## Zephyr

whiterabbit said:


> Right, that's it. I'm going to read every day for the rest of my life.
> 
> Starting with Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.


Good choice. That book is rad.


----------



## njodis

The Hobbit


----------



## refined_rascal

Moonraker - Ian Fleming.


----------



## bezoomny

_The Apology of Socrates_ by Plato
_The Eumenides_ by Aeschylus
_Satires_ by Juvenal


----------



## Smile_Karina

My Guantanamo Diary by Mahvish


----------



## dullard

Getting started on A Tale of Two Cities.


----------



## Arkturus

Who wrote the gospels? - Randel McGraw Helms
The Bible
Perdido Street Station - China Mieville


----------



## refined_rascal

How to dunk a doughnut (the science of everyday life) - Len Fisher


----------



## pita

Miriam Toews - The Flying Troutmans


----------



## estse

Red Sonja - the novel, by a couple pulp hacks.

They should make a Red Sonja movie.


----------



## Zephyr

Arkturus said:


> The Bible


The whole thing?


----------



## DeeperUnderstanding

I'm trying to read The Bear and The Dragon by Tom Clancy. I'm having trouble following it - I'm not really interested in politics. 

I might give up soon and try something else.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

I just finished "Stop Forgetting To Remember: The Autobiography of Walter Kurtz" by Peter Kuper. I am starting to get into graphic novels now. I am starting to read "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel. 

I am also still reading Brideshead Revisted and the next book on deck is The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.


----------



## Madison_Rose

I'm re-reading "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time" by Mark Haddon. It's a wonderful book.


----------



## Arkturus

Just finished Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, a week after watching Apocalypse Now for the first time.

Reading The Revolt of the Angels by Anatole France.



EagerMinnow84 said:


> I am also still reading Brideshead Revisted and the next book on deck is The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.


Master and Margarita is excellent! I've been meaning to reread it for a while.


----------



## ilikebooks

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. 'Nuff said.


----------



## Bredwh

ilikebooks said:


> Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. 'Nuff said.


I read something about that and it seems interesting, though I should probably read Pride and Prejudice first. Elton John's production company is going to be making a movie called Pride and Predator about an alien crashing landing amidst the happenings of the book and starting to butcher everyone. This is all happening because the copywrite on Pride and Prejudice is up so anyone can rework it however they want now.


----------



## Cait Sith

I'm reading "Consciousness Explained" - Daniel Dennett - very thought provoking


----------



## Zephyr

God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible - Adam Nicolson

and, uh, some collection of New Yorker cartoons..


----------



## LostPancake

when i'm stressed out i like to read horror books, so i just got strange eons by robert bloch. it's a homage to h.p.lovecraft. looks good.


----------



## whiterabbit

Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy


----------



## Hot Chocolate

Zen Inspiration (Asiapac Edition)


----------



## Sabu

whiterabbit said:


> Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy


I got that in my to read pile. How is it so far?


----------



## LostPancake

whiterabbit said:


> Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy


Ooh, I read that - it was good.


----------



## whiterabbit

Sabu said:


> I got that in my to read pile. How is it so far?


Excellent.


----------



## bezoomny

Tolstoy - _War and Peace_

I have begun the behemoth.


----------



## DeeperUnderstanding

Dune _by Frank Herbert._ I just started it, I'm only one chapter in.


----------



## MaidMarian

Book of the Dead, by Patricia Cornwell


----------



## Zephyr

The Canterbury Tales - Chaucer (actually the Coghill modern English translation)


----------



## Madison_Rose

^Yay for Chaucer! I think it's worth ploughing through a well-footnoted original btw - you get used to the middle English after a while...

I've just started Zoe Heller's "The Believers," as I absolutely loved "Notes on a Scandal."


----------



## Holly Short

The Shining by Stephen King.


----------



## DeeperUnderstanding

Holly Short said:


> The Shining by Stephen King.


I love this book. I must have read it a million times.


----------



## Zephyr

Madison_Rose said:


> ^Yay for Chaucer! I think it's worth ploughing through a well-footnoted original btw - you get used to the middle English after a while...


I plan to do that sometime, but everytime I have one of those in my hand, something else grabs my attention and I never get it. A few years ago I was at a giant used book sale, and found an edition with the Middle English on one page and the corresponding translation on the facing page. Would've been great, but I didn't have enough cash with me and couldn't find the book after I came back :/


----------



## Madison_Rose

^better luck next time then!

The Believers was good, but I liked Notes on a Scandal better. Now reading God: The Failed Hypothesis by Victor J Stenger.

I only discovered scribd.com yesterday - it's brilliant!


----------



## imt

_Beloved_ by Toni Morrison


----------



## hopena

_Loving What Is_, by Byron Katie.
_I Need Your Love - Is That True?_ by Byron Katie
_Mental Health through Will Training_, by Abraham Low.
_Breaking Dawn_, by Stephenie Meyer - I wasn't as keen on this series, as a lot of people, but want to finish it up.
_Strangers_, by Dean Koontz (re-reading for the first time in years)
_Raining Cats and Dogs_, by Laurien Berenson. I started this series, five years ago...

I'm not as relaxed as I used to be, so my attention is all over the place.


----------



## KumagoroBeam

"Wonder Boys" by Michael Chabon <3


----------



## Sois Jeune

The Book Of Disquiet, Fernando Pessoa


----------



## anonymid

bezoomny said:


> Tolstoy - _War and Peace_
> 
> I have begun the behemoth.


Speaking of behemoths, I've nearing the halfway mark of Samuel Richardson's _Clarissa_, which I've been working on for almost two months now. I'd probably be much further along by now if I committed myself to reading this and this only, but I think I'd go nuts reading nothing but Richardson for 2-3 months, so I've been taking some breaks from it and mixing in some other reading as well.

I'm hoping to get around to _W&P_ sooner rather than later--I suppose once I've finished the behemoth of the 18th century, I might as well move on to that of the 19th. (Then I can read the behemoth of the 20th century, Proust's _In Search of Lost Time_, and complete the trinity, so to speak.)


----------



## refined_rascal

Live and let die - Ian Fleming


----------



## Sabreth

All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Sabreth said:


> All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque


Really good book it is!

Starting...

The Master & Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka


----------



## Braxietel

EagerMinnow84 said:


> The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka


Now that's a really good book

I'm reading 'Mosley' now, feel a little odd reading a biography of a british fascist leader on public transport though


----------



## MaidMarian

Bones, by Jonathan Kellerman


----------



## whiterabbit

The Great Escape - Paul Brickhill


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Braxietel said:


> Now that's a really good book


Great! Now I really can't wait to read it.  I never realized how short it was.


----------



## dawntoearth

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

I much preferred On Beauty.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

dawntoearth said:


> White Teeth by Zadie Smith
> 
> I much preferred On Beauty.


That's interesting because I have the opposite opinion. On Beauty was a real struggle to get through while I couldn't put White Teeth down.


----------



## ilikebooks

Nonsense Novels - Stephen Leacock


----------



## Iced Soul

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë... once again.


----------



## Drella

The 120 Days of Sodom


----------



## nightrain

Abarat by Clive Barker


----------



## RedStarCharlie

I'm currently reading a few books cos my interest comes and goes lol

Purpose For The Pain - Renee Yohe
Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson
A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
Slumdog Millionaire- Vikas Swarup

along with a couple of self-help ones too lol. :b


----------



## slyfox

The Hellfire Club - Peter Straub (It has probably been a month since I last read this book)
Statistics - Alan Agresti and Christine Franklin (exciting textbook  )


----------



## anonymid

_The Prelude_ (1805 version) - William Wordsworth


----------



## KumagoroBeam

jPod by Douglas Coupland 

Anyone here know of him/ like him? He's one of my favourite authors.


----------



## Zeddicus

Programming the Universe - Seth Lloyd


----------



## Tusenskona

Act of Will - A.J. Hartley :yes


----------



## OneIsALonelyNumber

Shadow-- something by Tad Williams. The second in the series.


----------



## bezoomny

Oscar Wilde - Salome in between chapters of W&P.


----------



## namastecadet

Lee Child - Echo Burning.
Finishing it up today!


----------



## bezoomny

Shakespeare - "Henry IV, Part I"

Shakespeare is awesome.


----------



## whiterabbit

To The White Sea - James Dickey


----------



## MaidMarian

Scarpetta, by Patricia Cornwell


----------



## randomname

I just finished _Thud!_ (for the millionth time) and am dithering between reading my new books or re-reading _Paper Towns _(which would be the millionth time I've read that, too. It's one of my favourites). I do have a new Tolkien book that is looking so shiny and tempting...oh, decisions.

(I am likely to read _Thud!_ again instead, though. I adore that book.)


----------



## refined_rascal

The complete Sherlock Holmes stories - Arthur Conan Doyle.


----------



## randomname

> The complete Sherlock Holmes stories - Arthur Conan Doyle.


I approve massively.


----------



## dawntoearth

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez

I need something light and easy, so it's doing the job.


----------



## vintagerocket

hiroshige: one hundred views of edo

beautiful prints:


----------



## Zephyr

The Glory Of Their Times - Lawrence Ritter

Been wanting to read this for a long time. I think I'm already addicted....


----------



## Zillah

vintagerocket said:


> hiroshige: one hundred views of edo


I have the calender 

ot: Doris Pilkington - Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence


----------



## Arkturus

The Good Soldier Svejk - Jaroslav Hasek
Hilarious, and very clever so far.


----------



## anonymid

Apuleius, _The Golden ***_ (Robert Graves translation).

Also, still working on _The Prelude_ (through Book Seven), and _Clarissa_ (on page 899--just 600 to go!).


----------



## huh

I'm currently reading _Your Inner Fish_. It flows really well, making it a nice read.


----------



## Omnium11

Song of Ice and Fire and **** loads of HP Lovecraft


----------



## teniralc21

Currently reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan C. Bradley.


----------



## Hellosunshine

Omnivores's Dilemma - Getting better as the book goes on. Kinda gross though. Might not eat the same.


----------



## eyeguess

On the Road - Jack Kerouac


----------



## Zephyr

The Road - Cormac McCarthy


----------



## Zeddicus

Some college physics book. I am seriously, seriously reading a college physics book for the sake of leisure, rather than to study.


----------



## KumagoroBeam

eyeguess said:


> On the Road - Jack Kerouac


<3

I'm reading The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem (again). 
It's one of my favourites.


----------



## Dolly

Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood


----------



## EagerMinnow84

I just finished the graphic novel Black Hole by Charles Burns.


----------



## MaidMarian

A Dangerous Fortune - Ken Follett


----------



## darkangel

Stephen King: Everything's Eventual


----------



## Aloysius

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy


----------



## SloopjohnB

John Lennon: The Life, an excellently detailed account of the rock stars life.


----------



## MaidMarian

Gone - Jonathan Kellerman


----------



## Zephyr

This Unique Heritage: The Story of Waterloo County - Bill Moyer


----------



## Whimsical Thought

1984 - George Orwell.


----------



## lastofthekews

Morrissey in conversation (a collection of interviews with the singer Morrissey)


----------



## anonymid

_The Liberal Imagination: Essays on Literature and Society_ by Lionel Trilling


----------



## SAgirl

Twilight - The first book in the series 

The nice thing about it is that I have not seen the movie.


----------



## zookeeper

The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury


----------



## LostPancake

elizabeth gaskell, tales of mystery & the macabre. some spooooooky stuff...


----------



## Zephyr

The King of Elfland's Daughter - Lord Dunsany

Deliverance - James Dickey


----------



## JS86

Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence - by David Keirsey.


----------



## zookeeper

DuncanThaw said:


> The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell


I've been meaning to pick this up for awhile now. Is it good stuff?


----------



## DuncanThaw

:yes Good stuff, indeed.

(I went through and deleted my posts this morning, but wanted to come back to re-answer a direct question! And, more importantly, to recommend what is truly a wonderful book.  )


----------



## mooncake

The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky


----------



## SoloSage

Samurai William - Giles Milton


----------



## yellowpaper

Outlander- Diana Gabaldon


----------



## anonymid

_Wanderlust: A History of Walking_ by Rebecca Solnit


----------



## TheWhiteGorilla

"Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning"- By Jonah Goldberg

I've never got such a puzzled look from the cleric at Barnes and Noble as I did when I purchased this book.


----------



## zookeeper

Dune - Frank Herbert


----------



## Arkturus

Titus Groan - Mervyn Peake


----------



## Cerberus

Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov


----------



## southward

Aloysius said:


> Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy


I just started reading this, I like it so far.


----------



## miminka

_Morality Play_ by Barry Unsworth.


----------



## anonymid

_The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling_ - Henry Fielding


----------



## Zephyr

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Stephen King

The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University - Kevin Roose


----------



## whiterabbit

Naked Lunch - William S. Burroughs


----------



## anonymid

_Engravings by Hogarth_ - Sean Shesgreen (ed.)

_Hogarth: A Life and a World_ - Jenny Uglow


----------



## huh

DNS and BIND - Cricket Liu and Paul Albitz


----------



## DuncanThaw

Arkturus said:


> Titus Groan - Mervyn Peake


:clap Possibly my very favourite book of all time; are you enjoying it? Exquisite, and terrifying, all at once.


----------



## leonardess

*The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton*

This is a gem, a jewel, a savage little book. (It's literary fiction).

I just finished it. I read it in two days. The author wrote it at the age of 21. I cannot be - lieve that - it has many layers to it, it's psychological, character driven and so well observed that I just can't believe it.

If the motives of others interest you, if you like books that tread a fine line between reality and the surreal, if you like to be kept guessing, if you are interested in the drive of human desire, if you find yourself guessing what's beneath the masks people wear, then this book is for you.


----------



## Sabu

Waiting For the Man: The Story of Drugs and Popular Music - Harry Shapiro.


----------



## oxygencult

Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-five


----------



## Samoyed

Suttree - Cormac McCarthy. Probably my favorite of his so far.


----------



## Oppilolik

Egil's Saga - Unknown author.

Icelandic saga. :b


----------



## Miss T

Went to the library today and picked up "Fifth Born" by Zelda Lockhart.


----------



## huh

_Wired for War_ - P.W. Singer

I was actually anticipating this book for a while then put off getting it. It's a great book so far. I loved his other two books too. The style is a good cross between _Children at War_ and _Corporate Warriors_.


----------



## pita

I'm reading a couple of Sinclair Ross's short story collections.


----------



## rumjungle

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.


----------



## User57854

-


----------



## leonardess

rumjungle said:


> Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.


Ooh, good book. Frightening thing is, i often feel like I *am* Emma Bovary!


----------



## Leigh20reed

The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris


----------



## Munsta

I usually have a few books on the go at a time. Right now:

Flying Scotsman by Graeme Obree

Langford's Starting Photography

Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness - Gillian Butler


----------



## Hoofservant

My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler. Yep. I'm sophisticated like that.


----------



## whiterabbit

The American Way Of Death - Jessica Mitford


----------



## Zephyr

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey


----------



## rumjungle

brittneyblr said:


> The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris


What book are you up to? I found Dead and Gone to be a bit disappointing.


----------



## bowlingpins

Angels and Demons, I started it late last year but couldn't finish it.


----------



## mooncake

Orlando by Virginia Woolf


----------



## anonymid

_The Champion's Strategy for Winning at Scrabble_ - Joel Wapnick


----------



## Leigh20reed

rumjungle said:


> What book are you up to? I found Dead and Gone to be a bit disappointing.


I finished dead and gone and was disappointed with the ending but what did you find to be disappointing?


----------



## EagerMinnow84

416girl said:


> White Teeth - Zadie Smith


Great book. Too bad her second book (On Beauty) was torturous to get through.


----------



## Zephyr

EagerMinnow84 said:


> Great book. Too bad her second book (On Beauty) was torturous to get through.


Wasn't her second book The Autograph Man? After White Teeth I found that a big let down.

On Beauty is her latest, I think. I thought I heard some good things.


----------



## Samoyed

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz. Definitely recommended.


----------



## Melinda

I'm currently reading It by Stephen King. It's going to last me until the end of summer, I think, but it's very good so far.


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon. its tough, but so far its worth it.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Zephyr said:


> Wasn't her second book The Autograph Man? After White Teeth I found that a big let down.
> 
> On Beauty is her latest, I think. I thought I heard some good things.


Oh yeah, duh. 

I was unsure if I should read White Teeth after I read On Beauty first because my first reaction after I finished reading the book was tearing it in half. Then it turned out I loved White Teeth.


----------



## dollparts

JUST finished 

Motley Crue The Dirt 

worth reading.


----------



## this portrait

_Beautiful Boy_ by David Sheff
_Practical Magic_ by Alice Hoffman


----------



## quietgal

J.R.R Tolkien: A biography, by Humphrey Carpenter.

It was a gift from my first-year writing professor in college, and I never thought to read it until now.


----------



## Zephyr

Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy


----------



## delphiki

Xenocide - Orson Scott Card


----------



## rumjungle

brittneyblr said:


> I finished dead and gone and was disappointed with the ending but what did you find to be disappointing?


The main characters seemed out of character. I guess the tone of the book was supposed to be darker...but by the end of the novel I didn't care what happened to Sookie...her grandmother would be disappointed in her lack of southern hospitality! The author managed to turn a character who'd been abused, almost killed on many occasions into a character I have no empathy for. No easy feat.


----------



## anonymid

_Herzog_ - Saul Bellow


----------



## AliBaba

H.P. Lovecraft - At The Mountains Of Madness


----------



## Omnium11

AliBaba said:


> H.P. Lovecraft - At The Mountains Of Madness


Thats a great one. I love HP Lovecraft.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The Autobiography Of Malcolm X - I just got a library card recently so I borrowed this


----------



## bowlingpins

"The Mist" by Stephen King. I liked the ending. The rest was somewhat blah, I was expecting more from someone as famous as Mr. King. I just started reading "The Stand." It is supposed to be one of his better works.


----------



## pita

Sinclair Ross, _The Well_.


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

The Stand is great, a lot of people think there ws too much going on but I can appreciate the novel's ambition.
I'm still on Mason & Dixon. I've spoken to a few people who found it impossible to read but I'm doing ok with it. Its so exhausting that I have to nap after 20 pages. I swear I'm gonna demolish Age of Innocence after this book.


----------



## anonymid

_A Tale of a Tub_ - Jonathan Swift


----------



## slyfox

The Mothman Prophecies


----------



## i8what

melody by V.C Andrews

Mind Tools: _the science of artificial intellegence
_
Petals in the wind by V.C Andrews

The Host by Stephenie meyer

the worlds most evil psycopaths (seemed to alarm my psycologist for some reason)

two books about helen keller

and i already have many more in mind to read


----------



## anonymid

_The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gent._ - Laurence Sterne


----------



## leonardess

I've finallyl decided to tackle Kafka - just started the complete short stories. Not even going to pretend I understand half of it.


----------



## scintilla

leonardess said:


> I've finallyl decided to tackle Kafka - just started the complete short stories. Not even going to pretend I understand half of it.


 Niice! I just finished reading The Metamorphosis. First Kafka book I ever read.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

whatsername75 said:


> Niice! I just finished reading The Metamorphosis. First Kafka book I ever read.


I am reading this next after I finish what I have been reading for far to long now. I also got the graphic novel version of The Metamorphosis (illustrated by Peter Kuper) so I am going to read that when I am done with the novel.


----------



## zookeeper

leonardess said:


> I've finallyl decided to tackle Kafka - just started the complete short stories. Not even going to pretend I understand half of it.


The Bridge & The Burrow are two of my favourite stories ever. Actually, the whole collection makes my day. I need to read it again.


----------



## anonymid

_The Hidden Game of Baseball_ - John Thorn and Pete Palmer


----------



## AliBaba

Batman - The Killing Joke (Alan Moore) A graphic novel classic that Heath Ledger was told to read for inspiration before he shot the Dark Knight.


----------



## AliBaba

IHeartSteveMcQueen said:


> The Stand is great, a lot of people think there ws too much going on but I can appreciate the novel's ambition.


I don't think i've read 500 pages faster than I did the first half of the Stand. I think the quality of the writing drops off maybe a bit in the second half. Still I'd call it a great book.


----------



## Zephyr

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain

third time reading it...


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

I finished Mason & Dixon last night and now I am reading the Age of Innocence. so far so good.


----------



## miminka

_Julius Caesar_ by Shakespeare. For some reason I have two copies of this... both printed in 1915. I really don't read Shakespeare a lot, but this is the one engrossing book I have read in a while.


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

yeah I don't read Shakespeare very often but I have the complete works and I like to pick through the sonnets now and then.


----------



## huh

Started _The Moral Animal_. It's good for being kinda old now, at least for a popular science book in a field that is changing quite a bit. I like anything dealing with biology, neuroscience, and morality though.

I'm also finishing up re-reading part of _Bowling Alone_.


----------



## mooncake

Kafka - The Trial


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

I just finished the Age of Innocence which was totally ****ing good and kinda sexy in a repressed old New York way.


----------



## quietgal

huh said:


> I'm also finishing up re-reading part of _Bowling Alone_.


That's a good one - very eye-opening. Got me thinking a lot about my own life and the environment I grew up in, and how that might have something to do with my SA.

At the moment I'm reading _A Civil Action_, by Jonathan Harr.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

^ I just looked up Bowling Alone and it sounds fascinating. 

I am reading the final 36 pages of The Master & Margarita (I should have finished this about 2 months ago, but concentration issues have plagued me) and probably will finish The Metamorphosis tonight. Going to read the graphic novel interpretation of it as well.


----------



## huh

quietgal said:


> That's a good one - very eye-opening. Got me thinking a lot about my own life and the environment I grew up in, and how that might have something to do with my SA.
> 
> At the moment I'm reading _A Civil Action_, by Jonathan Harr.


Yeah, it's an interesting book to reflect on when you have SA. I found myself relating to lots of studies and examples he used. I mostly picked it up to begin with because it was recommended reading for a political science class I was taking a while back.


----------



## caflme

I'm reading A Beautiful Mind ... the last book was The Kite Runner... the later was an awesome book... A Beautiful Mind I don't know yet... I saw the movie but found the book in a yard sale for 50cents, love the movie though.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Finished The Metamorphosis novel and graphic novel today. 

On to... 

The Stranger by Albert Camus


----------



## scintilla

EagerMinnow84 said:


> Finished The Metamorphosis novel and graphic novel today.
> 
> On to...
> 
> The Stranger by Albert Camus


How did you like it?


----------



## rdrr

CCENT/CCNA ICND1 Official Exam Certification Guide by Wendell Odom.


----------



## Syrena

I'm on a huge manga kick lately, it helps that my library can get me so many interesting series, as I can't justify paying so much for a whole series of books (besides, my dvds would get jealous, heh)..

I'm on Sand Chronicles, vol 4, by Hinako Ashihara currently. I thought it sounded like a rather cliche romantic drama when I picked up the first one, but I'm enjoying the series. I like the age progression with each chapter.


----------



## sansd

Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan


----------



## Syrena

Moving along to Zombie-Loan, vol. 3, by Peach-Pit and I can't say I'm deeply thrilled by this series. The first volume seemed interesting, but it's been kind of meandering since. I might drop the series after this book.


----------



## MaidMarian

Rhett Butler's People, by Donald McCaig.


----------



## Syrena

I'm on Blade of the Immortal, vol. 11, by Hiroaki Samura.

I am in love with this series. I'm a big fan of the old samurai movies and this is the first manga series that I felt had a more authentic cool "samurai movie" feel to it. The addition of a sci-fi-ish element (Blood worms) has somehow only deepened my emotions. Also, Manji is so great, I love his attitude.


----------



## anonymid

Rereading _The Moviegoer_ by Walker Percy.

Still working on _Tristram Shandy_ as well.


----------



## bezoomny

EagerMinnow84 said:


> ^ I just looked up Bowling Alone and it sounds fascinating.
> 
> I am reading the final 36 pages of The Master & Margarita (I should have finished this about 2 months ago, but concentration issues have plagued me) and probably will finish The Metamorphosis tonight. Going to read the graphic novel interpretation of it as well.


I love _The Master and Margarita_. Especially the novel-in-the-novel about Pontius Pilate, I was always looking forward to those chapters.

I'm currently reading _Richard II _by William Shakespeare. I hated this for the first two acts, but now it's really getting good. It just takes a while for someone with absolutely no knowledge of British history to get those names straight. I'm always flipping back to the front to figure out who's related to whom, and who's supporting Richard or Bolingbroke.


----------



## Syrena

Captive Hearts, vol. 4, by Matsuri Hino

Rather entertaining series about a guy whose bloodline is cursed by a god. His family has to be devoted servants to the family they originally tried to steal from. Anyways, current generation, he of the cursed blood is in love with the girl he is serving and as such, they are trying to find a cure to his servitude curse. Very cute and sweet.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

anonymid said:


> Rereading _The Moviegoer_ by Walker Percy.


Hey! I am reading that when I am done with _The Stranger_ and _Perfume_.  How is it?


----------



## Syrena

Luuna, vol 1, by Didier Crisse & Nicolas Keramidas

A very beautifully illustrated full-color European graphic novel series. Native American-inspired fantasy story. Not very far into it, but I like it a lot so far.


----------



## anonymid

EagerMinnow84 said:


> Hey! I am reading that when I am done with _The Stranger_ and _Perfume_.  How is it?


It's very good; I think you'll like it.


----------



## quietgal

Finished _A Civil Action_ - now onto _Power, Politics, and Culture - Interviews with Edward W. Said. _Read _Orientalism_ in college and enjoyed it, saw this one and picked it up.


----------



## CircularThinking

Syrena said:


> I'm on Blade of the Immortal, vol. 11, by Hiroaki Samura.
> 
> I am in love with this series. I'm a big fan of the old samurai movies and this is the first manga series that I felt had a more authentic cool "samurai movie" feel to it. The addition of a sci-fi-ish element (Blood worms) has somehow only deepened my emotions. Also, Manji is so great, I love his attitude.


I love the BotI manga series, shame the anime was so mediocre. Just wish Darkhorse would translate faster


----------



## anonymid

_Watt_ - Samuel Beckett


----------



## Syrena

Tail of the Moon, vol 1, by Rinko Ueda

Another romantic comedy series. (Seriously, I do read other genres too :b ) This one is about the granddaughter to a very important ninja leader and how she has failed as a ninja and must instead make the famous ninja, Hattori Hanzo, fall in love with her and continue the lineage. It's fluff, of course, but I like the setting and I like ninjas, so I shall march onward with it.


----------



## rumjungle

Finished reading American Psycho the other day.


----------



## Atticus

Just finished re-reading "The Big Sleep", by Raymond Chandler


----------



## DuncanThaw

_A Case of Conscience_, by James Blish, because I can't get enough of Jesuit priests in space.

Also, an excellent biography, _The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn_, by Eric Ives.

I like to be reading one work of fiction and one work of non-fiction at any given time, for some reason.  It is comforting.


----------



## lastofthekews

Currently reading 'This book will save your life' by A.M.Homes


----------



## Syrena

CircularThinking said:


> I love the BotI manga series, shame the anime was so mediocre. Just wish Darkhorse would translate faster


I've heard lots of people say the anime was mediocre, I'm afraid I haven't seen it yet. I prefer my anime on dvd. I did watch the trailer though and it looked pretty cool. Was it just the art style or did they change the story?

Nice to meet another Blade fan though.


----------



## heyJude

Right now, I'm reading _Deception Point_ by Dan Brown, and Bram Stoker's _Dracula_.


----------



## miminka

I'm reading _Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole_- by Benjamin R. Barber. Really good book.


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

I'm reading The Idiot by Dostoevesky. pretty good stuff. I read Age of Innocence and the Crucible last week, both were excellent. when I'm done this I would like to read Shakespeare's sonnets again and then maybe Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.


----------



## DuncanThaw

_Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide_, by Kay Redfield Jamison



IHeartSteveMcQueen said:


> I'm reading The Idiot by Dostoevesky. pretty good stuff. I read Age of Innocence and the Crucible last week, both were excellent. when I'm done this I would like to read Shakespeare's sonnets again and then maybe Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.


You have excellent taste. This reminds me that I have a Walt Whitman documentary bookmarked, and would like to watch it soon.



AudreyHepburn said:


> I'm reading _Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole_- by Benjamin R. Barber. Really good book.


I've added this to my reading list. Thank you!


----------



## OneIsALonelyNumber

I'm re-re-reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It's my third time through the novel.


----------



## Syrena

Gin Tama, vol 9, by Hideaki Sorachi

Hmm.. it's weird, this series has plenty of things I enjoy, such as samurai.. and weird space aliens.. and lots of humor, and I'm still not enjoying it that much. I just think the fast paced 'throw in everything' style would probably be more fun in anime form, which I hear has happened, anyone see any of that?


----------



## Arkturus

The Collector by John Fowles. 50 pages in and I love it so far. It's nice to read since I like John Fowles so much and I almost forgot how good he was.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

^ I never read John Fowles but I own _The French Lieutenants Woman_. I am assuming it is a great novel? 

So many books... such a slow reader am I.


----------



## rumjungle

Started reading _The Illustrated Man_ by Ray Bradbury.


----------



## TimeisAllAround

"Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich.
It's kind of an old book. It's really good and informative. It really makes me appreciate my current living situation.


----------



## MaidMarian

The Books of Rachel, by Joel Gross.


----------



## Arkturus

EagerMinnow84 said:


> ^ I never read John Fowles but I own _The French Lieutenants Woman_. I am assuming it is a great novel?
> 
> So many books... such a slow reader am I.


It's very good, at first it almost seems like a kind of victorian novel, but it really isn't. The basic story is reminiscent of The Age of Innocence but it evolves into something much more interesting, and any similarites betwwen the two are gone by the end. Though I'm unsure whether I liked the ending it's definitely unique, and unlike any other ending I've read before.


----------



## anonymid

_Letting Go_ - Philip Roth


----------



## Banzai

Well, I've somewhat, _slowly_ started to get back into reading this summer and also, slowly progressing onto reading more "mature"/adult books.
Just finished reading A Gathering Light - Jennifer Donnelly.
Realy good book - highly recommend it


----------



## bigmac

"The Mixing Engineer's Handbook". Does non fiction count?


----------



## tutliputli

The Robber Bride - Margaret Atwood.

And a really boring journal article I have to read for a project.


----------



## KyleThomas

I'm about to start "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt (just bought it last night), as it was recommended to me by someone with impeccable taste.


----------



## pita

I'm reading Edith Wharton's _The House of Mirth_ for an upcoming class, and Thomas Hardy's _Far from the Madding Crowd_ just for fun.


----------



## Syrena

Kekkaishi, vol. 1, by Yellow Tanabe

Manga series about a young boy and a young girl, from different clans, who hunt demons by night in the modern age. I'm enjoying it, but I always tend to like paranormal stuff like this.


----------



## AliBaba

Fiction - Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke. This is one of my favorite scifi books. It's only 212 pages so I'm reading it again!

NonFiction - The Virtue Of Selfishness by Ayn Rand. A collection of various essays.


----------



## IHeartSteveMcQueen

Ayn Rand rocks my socks.


----------



## AliBaba

IHeartSteveMcQueen said:


> Ayn Rand rocks my socks.


Indeed! She's rockin  Or, she was anyway.


----------



## Arkturus

Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
After playing bioshock and finding the book for $.50 I decided it was worth a shot. But I don't know if I'll actually finish it, 1100+ pages of objectivist fiction is probably more than I can stomach.

edit
wow I didn't read the posts above mine until after I posted, coincidence


----------



## strawberryjulius

_Tomorrow, When The War Began_ by John Marsden


----------



## JS86

I have been reading, on and off, The Latham Diaries by Mark Latham. It is fascinating reading.


----------



## bezoomny

_Twelfth Night_ by William Shakespeare


----------



## Zephyr

I've been reading some Shakespeare myself lately ^^^. I got a complete collection of Shakespeare's works (Pelican edition) for a buck at a used booksale a few months ago. Great stuff.

Twelfth Night was the second play I ever read - we did it in English class back in grade 10. I remember liking it.

I think Macbeth is my favourite play, though. Just crazy.


----------



## Syrena

Two Flowers For The Dragon, vol. 1, by Nari Kusakawa

A dragon princess (in human form most of the time) ends up having two fiances because one that was considered MIA reappears, suffering from amnesia. Now both have to earn her love (in the form of the number of flower tattoos that appear on her arm, one arm for each guy) within a year and the one that is loved most wins her hand in marriage. 

I am finding this to be pretty amusing so far, I love the mixing of genres (romance/comedy/fantasy). The guys are both so cute!


----------



## Zephyr

Big Fish - Daniel Wallace

The Decameron - Boccaccio


----------



## retropat

Just finished "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" last night. Started "Eclipse" by Stephanie Meyer this morning.


----------



## anonymid

_When She Was Good_ - Philip Roth


----------



## TheWhiteGorilla

"White Guilt: How blacks and whites together destroyed the promise of the civil right movement"
- By Shelby Steele

http://books.google.com/books?id=KU...esult&ct=result&resnum=4#v=onepage&q=&f=false


----------



## Iced Soul

The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery


----------



## AliBaba

Outer Dark - Cormac McCarthy


----------



## Zephyr

The Watermelon King - Daniel Wallace

Watchmen - Alan Moore

and still The Decameron...


----------



## Arkturus

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce
This is my second reading, I love this book.


----------



## Iced Soul

The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland


----------



## mooncake

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

I really love all of this guy's books.


----------



## Lumiere

Bruce Robinson recounting his career and brushes with Hollywood over the last 30 years. Both hilarious and incredibly sad.


----------



## anonymid

Continuing my way chronologically through Philip Roth with _Portnoy's Complaint_, one of two books of his I've read before (_American Pastoral_ is the other).


----------



## miminka

_The Stranger_ by Camus for the... oh God I lost track of how many times I've read that book.


----------



## Zephyr

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon


----------



## Peter Attis

_Reserved_ by Kevin Scott Lewis
_The Introvert Advantage_ by Marti Olsen Laney

And after these are done, next I'll read...
_Speaker for the Dead_ by Orson Scott Card
_Aftermath_ by LeVar Burton


----------



## Lumiere

_The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero_ by Robert Kaplan


----------



## outcast69

"The Courage To Change,"


----------



## zomgz

Lifeblood - Penny Rudolph


----------



## orwen2000

Just finished On Blue's Waters, by Gene Wolfe.


----------



## strawberryjulius

_The White Tiger_ - Aravind Adiga and _The Dead of the Night_ - John Marsden


----------



## bezoomny

Georges Bataille - The Story of the Eye

Wow, that was thoroughly unpleasant.


----------



## jordo

The Collapse of Globalism

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/jul/23/highereducation.news


----------



## rcapo89

I'm currently reading "Physics of the Impossible" by Michio Kaku and "Breaking the Spell" by Daniel Dennett. 



















http://richarddawkins.net/ "A Clear Thinking Oasis"


----------



## retropat

Finished "Eclipse" last night and am now reading "Blackman's Coffin".


----------



## quietgal

A bunch of stuff for class...

In the meantime I finished _Dewey: The small-town library cat who touched the world._ It was very sweet - I cried at the end, of course.


----------



## Lumiere




----------



## Lumiere

Also, just started re-reading:










Which is extraordinary.


----------



## Arkturus

The Graduate - Charles Webb
Great so far, just like the movie. So much of movie is identical to the book, much of the dialogue seem to have been taken word for word from the book, so it's like watching the movie in your head.


----------



## caflme

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini


----------



## miminka

I like it. Not absolutelyohmygodunforgetable but I seem to be enjoying it.


----------



## miminka

Lumiere said:


> Also, just started re-reading:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Which is extraordinary.


My favourite story was _The Library of Babel_ out of that collection. Great book!


----------



## hopena

I need to find a book that will really grab me - nothing has been, since feelings of depression hit me again, recently. 

A Thousand Names For Joy - Byron Katie
Water For Elephants - I forget the name of the author
Mental Health Through Will Training
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - Betty Edwards
Loving What Is - Byron Katie


----------



## EagerMinnow84

AudreyHepburn said:


> I like it. Not absolutelyohmygodunforgetable but I seem to be enjoying it.


That's a pretty good book. Very very very fast read too.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

416girl said:


> Holidays on Ice - David Sedaris
> The Flawless Skin of Ugly People - Doug Crandell


Holidays on Ice is hilarious.


----------



## retropat

"The Vampire Vignettes Revamped" by G.L. Giles. I'm still not sure if this book is too dark for me, but I do like the style it's written in.


----------



## Zephyr

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris

Mr. Sebastian and the ***** Magician - Daniel Wallace


----------



## AliBaba

Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy


----------



## retropat

Zephyr said:


> Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris


This is one of my favorites.


----------



## mooncake

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden... I really like this book!


----------



## Zephyr

The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution - Richard Dawkins


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Back into the swing of reading again, yay!

I just finished _Perfume: Story of a Murder_ by Patrick Suskind.

Next is _The Crying of Lot 49_ by Thomas Pynchon.


----------



## retropat

About 150 pages into "The Constant Princess" by Phillippa Gregory. It's a wonderful book about one of my favorite historical figures, Katherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII.


----------



## Tristram

_John Dowland_ by Diana Poulton.


----------



## anonymid

_A Wave: Poems_ by John Ashbery

_Worldly Hopes: Poems_ by A.R. Ammons


----------



## TheDaffodil

I'm rereading _The Music of the Spheres_ by Elizabeth Redfern. It's one of my favorite books. :yes


----------



## Witan




----------



## leonardess

Zephyr said:


> Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris
> 
> Mr. Sebastian and the ***** Magician - Daniel Wallace


Oooh!! Sedaris!! I just finished Me Talk Pretty One Day. I went to see him do a reading once here in Manchester from When You Are Engulfed in Flames. He signed my copy. He wrote, "H...., so glad you're alive".

I think he was being sarcastic.

Right now, I am reading something called You Are Here, by Bremner Bird and Fortune. Eye-opening, mouth-screaming political "satire". I say satire, it's really full of facts that make you want to scream.


----------



## miminka

mooncake said:


> Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden... I really like this book!


Yeah, I loved it too. I bought the audiobook but I accidentally got the abridged version so I didn't experience the story to the fullest. I haven't gotten around to reading the unabridged version but I know I utterly must.

Right now I just finished _Lolita_ by Vladimir Nabokov which I really, *really* enjoyed, and now I'm reading this:










*Anthony Perkins: Split Image*. I love, love, LOVE Anthony Perkins and I think this should be a good read. Such a fascinating person. I have to do a presentation on a non-fiction book of my choice for English class and of course I chose this.


----------



## mooncake

AudreyHepburn said:


> Right now I just finished _Lolita_ by Vladimir Nabokov which I really, *really* enjoyed, and now I'm reading this:


I really, really loved _Lolita_ too. I'm not usually one to re-read books but I had to buy it after getting it out of the library and I can't wait to pick it up again. I've got the annotated version which is actually really interesting as it makes you realise just how clever the writing is... there were just so many things I didn't pick up on orginally despite still finding it an amazing read. _Pale Fire_ is the one I want to read next I think, but I've heard it can be a bit tough-going so I think I'll wait until I can devote a bit more time to it.

And yes, you must read the unabridged version of _Memoirs of a Geisha_! I'd heard good things about it before I started it myself, and it's definately one of those books that I can't put down once I've started.


----------



## refined_rascal

Just finished Wuthering heights. I liked it very much.

Currently reading The lost world and other stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.


----------



## huh

I'm a little more than halfway through _The Lucifer Effect_. It's one of the better books I've read recently, lots of interesting material. Today I picked up Peter Singer's _Practical Ethics_. I look forward to starting my way through it


----------



## arntk519

just started reading Patrick Swayze's book.


----------



## Syrena

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher

I like this series a lot. I look forward to reading all the rest in the series.


----------



## Samoyed

the collected short fiction of carson mccullers


----------



## Zephyr

In His Own Write & A Spaniard in the Works - John Lennon

A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

When You Are Engulfed in Flames - David Sedaris


----------



## Witan

I'm still reading:









And I also started this book this morning (and I'm already on page 190!):


----------



## Cerberus

The Gods Themselves - Isaac Asimov

The Denial of Death -- Ernest Becker


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

Investing in Real Estate for Dummies by Bruce Brammal, Eric Tyson and Robert S. Griswold.


----------



## Iced Soul

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë


----------



## Genelle

"Paper Towns" - John Green


----------



## jim_morrison

Right now, DMT: The spirit molecule by Dr Rick Strassman


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Just finished...










55 pages into...


----------



## secretlyshecries

^ The Lovely Bones is awesome. I'm really looking forward to the movie, the trailer makes it look amazing (especially how they've made her heaven look). You should read Lucky if you haven't already, Alice Sebold's memoir. It's very sad but I love it.

I'm currently reading a book called Choose to be Happy by Rima Rudner. So far it's been helping me think more positively (something I find myself struggling with). I liked how in the first chapter the author explained all the stuff that had happened in her life that was really ****... it just sort of inspired me that someone who has been through a lot herself can be very positive.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

secretlyshecries said:


> ^ The Lovely Bones is awesome. I'm really looking forward to the movie, the trailer makes it look amazing (especially how they've made her heaven look). You should read Lucky if you haven't already, Alice Sebold's memoir. It's very sad but I love it.


I haven't watched the trailer yet. I want to finish the book first.  I do like their choice for Susie Salmon. Saorise Ronan is a great young actress.


----------



## Rixy

Just started reading Animal Farm and I'm going through some issues of Ultimate X Men


----------



## epril

The Memory Keeper's Daughter


----------



## strawberryjulius

_Konjiki no Gash Bell!!_ manga.


----------



## leonardess

just the current copy of Foreign Affairs. I only read it for the pictures.


----------



## Iced Soul

EagerMinnow84 said:


> 55 pages into...


I keep meaning to start reading this and never start. And I heard it's going to be a movie, so I have to read it soon.

The Queen's Confession by Victoria Holt
I have a strange obsession with stories about Maria Antoinette. So, far, it's pretty good.


----------



## namastecadet




----------



## mooncake

I have many books I'm supposed to be reading for uni (which I'm already getting behind with... whoops), at the moment I'm getting through Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell and I'm just about to start with Peter Pan.


----------



## strawberryjulius

_the third day, the frost _- john marsden


----------



## anonymid

_John Ashbery and American Poetry_ - David Herd


----------



## Zephyr

The Beach - Alex Garland


----------



## Syrena

The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver


----------



## Genelle

None at the moment, about to start a new book.

Been through heaps the last couple of days.. I'd recommend 'paper towns' - John Green.. It's alright.

and also another one, forget who it's by, but it's called 'before I die'
It's a bit depressing but I really enjoyed it.


----------



## refined_rascal

Carter beats the devil - Glen David Gold.


----------



## Phibes

A novel with two homosexuals making out on the front cover. Intriguing because the author, who the character in the book is based upon, is a great lover of women so it makes wonder if maybe he had a homosexual experience sometime in his childhood or maybe it's a friend of his. 
Henry Miller - Plexus.


----------



## Cool SAD sufferer

Resistance: The Gathering Storm. I'm enjoying it.


----------



## Arkturus

Dr. Zhivago - Boris Pasternak


----------



## SciFiGeek17

I'm reading the 3rd book in the Dune Series, called: Children of Dune.


----------



## anonymid

_Poetic Diction: A Study in Meaning_ - Owen Barfield


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Breakfast0fChampions said:


> I'll soon be reading _The Lovely Bones_ by Alice Sebold (noticed a few of you were reading this ), for a novel analysis in my Writing the Novel class.


I have about 90 pages left to go.

It is good. :yes


----------



## Zephyr

Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris
In The Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and how it Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture - Alister McGrath


----------



## huh

I read _The Bourne Identity_ this week. It's one of few fiction books I've read lately. Sad, eh? lol. I was kind of surprised how much was different between the book and the movie. They weren't even close. I enjoyed the book more than the movie.


----------



## Syrena

Parasyte, vol 3, by Hitoshi Iwaaki

Hey you.. yeah you.. do you like alien invasion stories? How about manga? Then this series is for you, it's really great!


----------



## Cerberus

The Hunger by Whitley Strieber

The Last Vampire by Whitley Strieber

Not too bad, except the author obviously got lazy or had to meet a deadline for the second part of The Last Vampire. The writing gradually worsened, and the ending was pathetic.


----------



## NR.

Nyx said:


> Since the old one is gone
> 
> The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan
> I read it a long time ago and realized I've completely forgotten most of it.


I'm still like alternative/punk rock. 
So, I'm reading some lyrics of some favorite songs by Taking Back Sunday.

Actually singing to, since it reduces some anxiety.

Rocking to 'Cute Without The E' lyrics. Adam is pretty good, Matt couldn't yell but still it's a great song!


----------



## Cerberus

Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

This is an incredibly dark and depressing book. I like it. This is my favorite vampire book that I've read so far.


----------



## namastecadet

&


----------



## anonymid

_Rose, Where Did You Get that Red?: Teaching Great Poetry to Children_ - Kenneth Koch


----------



## Syrena

Pinball by Jerzy Kosinski

Oddly, very readable and the short page breaks (often 2 pages at most) keep me reading far longer than normal. I didn't expect much, but the story is compelling, the lady and washed-up composer hunting down the biggest rock star of the time, an anonymous man. The naughty bits are a plus. *halo*

I'm sure the ending will make or break the book though, why is this lady so obsessed with hunting the rock star down?


----------



## EveryDayIsExactlyTheSame

Sigmund Freud's biography by some Danish scholar (I guess).
He was an interesting person ergo it's an interesting book.


----------



## Keith

The worry cure by Robert L Leahy PhD and some good ol' Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


----------



## Genelle

Judith Lucy's Biography - 'Alphabet'


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Keith said:


> The worry cure by Robert L Leahy PhD and some good ol' Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


I have been meaning to read some Sherlock Holmes stories, especially _The Hound of the Baskervilles_.

I just finished The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.

Now I am going to read Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. I think. I am so indecisive.


----------



## anonymid

_The Eclogues of Virgil_ - David Ferry (translator)


----------



## Lumiere

_Anima_ - M. John Harrison


----------



## leonardess

I've finally started the Gormenghast trilogy. i have an urge.....

to do illustrations for it as I read. Like setting a challenge of 100 illustrations per part, or something.


----------



## mooncake

Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe


----------



## Chisu

*On the Road* by Jack Kerouac 
and 
*The Brothers Karamazov* by Dostoevsky (started with this yesterday)


----------



## Cerberus

Critical Mass by Whitley Strieber


----------



## bookscoffee

Guilty as Sin by Tami Hoag and Devils Teeth by Susan Casey


----------



## anonymid

_The Shepherds' Calendar_ - Edmund Spenser


----------



## Some Russian Guy

the lost symbol by dan brown


----------



## tomm87

I just finished reading 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy. I thoroughly enjoyed it


----------



## zookeeper

tomm87 said:


> I just finished reading 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy. I thoroughly enjoyed it


It was pretty awesome wasn't it? I don't read nearly as much as I used to, but I took down that book in a matter of hours.


----------



## pita

I'm reading Faulkner's _Absalom, Absalom!_

I kind of hate it.


----------



## radudeATL

When You Are Engulfed in Flames
~David Sedaris


----------



## Cerberus

The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas


----------



## bezoomny

Gustave Flaubert - _Salammbo_


----------



## Witan

My birthday present:








A recommendation from my mom :roll:








I'm not religious, but I figured I might as well read it:


----------



## Syrena

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
and
The Bust Guide to The New Girl Order edited by Marcelle Karp & Debbie Stoller


----------



## Zephyr

Mythago Wood - Robert Holdstock
Christianity’s Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution from the Sixteenth to the Twenty-First Century - Alister McGrath


----------



## ringfortheking

I'm reading a self help book, Success Secrets. I'm a Perfectionist and I really want to be successful in everything so I got this book. It gives you tips on how to succeed in life and that's what I need right now because of self-esteem problems I have.


----------



## mooncake

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad


----------



## Cool SAD sufferer

The Trench by Steve Alten.


----------



## xerwb2

I've just started Awakenings by Oliver Sacks. Apparently it's interesting.


----------



## polardude18

At the moment I'm actually in the middle of 5 books

Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
The Gift of Christmas Present - Melody Carlson
The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman
Lost and found - Anne Schraff


----------



## anonymid

_Amoretti and Epithalamion_ - Edmund Spenser


----------



## namastecadet




----------



## Syrena

Cold Moon Over Babylon by Michael McDowell

Not too exciting so far, looking forward to the revenge part though.


----------



## justiss282

Last book I read recently was "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, which I was a little hesitant to read because the movie's coming out like this month, and I didn't know if I wanted to wait and see it first, then read the book. But it was a really good read, and the movie trailer looks pretty faithful.


----------



## southward

I just finished According to Jane by Marilyn Brant

It was okay. But it kind of seemed like she was writing about her life and what she _wished_ would have happend at the end.


----------



## Banzai

The Great Gatsby. I'm studying about it in English Literature.


----------



## rasberrykiwi

i'm reading Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone:bin french:b


----------



## anonymid

_Poetic Closure: A Study of How Poems End_ - Barbara Herrnstein Smith

_The Counterlife_ - Philip Roth


----------



## mooncake

I'm just about to re-read _Jane Eyre_ for my uni course. I really hope that studying it won't make me hate it, because this is one of my favourites.

*swoons over Mr. Rochester* :love2


----------



## leonardess

dr. faustus


----------



## Amelia

"Theft" by Peter Carey


----------



## IThinkIAmMe

One Hundred Years of Solitude-Gabriel Garcia Marquez
and Paradise Lost-John Milton


----------



## anonymid

leonardess said:


> dr. faustus


Marlowe or Mann?


----------



## leonardess

marlowe, a text


----------



## anonymid

_Dante's Drama of the Mind: A Modern Reading of the Purgatorio_ - Francis Fergusson


----------



## bookscoffee

re-reading Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland because its a great book and still trying to finish Devils Teeth by Susan Casey it would go a lot quicker if I hadn't packed it down.


----------



## rasberrykiwi

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
i really liked the movie


----------



## strawberryjulius

_darkness, be my friend _- john marsden


----------



## Paper Samurai

Just started reading Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.


----------



## Hank Scorpio

_Outlaws of the Marsh_ and _The Brothers Karamazov_


----------



## mooncake

Paper Samurai said:


> Just started reading Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.


How are you liking this one so far? I've yet to read it, but I've really enjoyed Murakami's other stuff.


----------



## retropat

"The Six Wives of Henry VIII" by Alison Weir.


----------



## DaneO

'Incendiary' by Chris Cleave


----------



## BeNice

"Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" by David Sedaris


----------



## hiimnotcool

Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre.


----------



## Paper Samurai

mooncake said:


> How are you liking this one so far? I've yet to read it, but I've really enjoyed Murakami's other stuff.


I am liking it so far, even though I'm only about 2 chapters in. :b I've only just gotten into Murakami's work btw - the other book of his that I've read is Norwegian Wood, which I'm told is his most conventional piece.


----------



## mooncake

Paper Samurai said:


> I am liking it so far, even though I'm only about 2 chapters in. :b I've only just gotten into Murakami's work btw - the other book of his that I've read is Norwegian Wood, which I'm told is his most conventional piece.


Yes, I would agree that it is his most conventional... out of those I've read so far, anyway (A Wild Sheep Chase, Dance, Dance, Dance and most recently The Wind-Up Bird (which I really liked)). I'd say those three are definately more 'out there', but all very good! I really want to read Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World next, but my library doesn't have it in stock and I'm too stingy to buy. :b


----------



## Sabriella

IThinkIAmMe said:


> One Hundred Years of Solitude-Gabriel Garcia Marquez
> and Paradise Lost-John Milton


I'm reading Paradise Lost too! And I'm also reading another book at the same time: Dirt Music by Tim Winton.


----------



## tutliputli

mooncake said:


> Yes, I would agree that it is his most conventional... out of those I've read so far, anyway (A Wild Sheep Chase, Dance, Dance, Dance and most recently The Wind-Up Bird (which I really liked)). I'd say those three are definately more 'out there', but all very good! I really want to read Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World next, but my library doesn't have it in stock and I'm too stingy to buy. :b


I love Murakami! I've read everything by him except for the new one about running... 'Hard Boiled Wonderland...' is (in my opinion) his most out-there novel. I found it really hard to read, unlike everything else he's written. It was verging on sci-fi which I'm not a fan of so maybe that's why I didn't enjoy it as much. 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle' is my favourite book by him. :yes Just love it.


----------



## leonardess

retropat said:


> "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" by Alison Weir.


oh that's a good one. I've learned so much from reading her books.


----------



## leonardess

BeNice said:


> "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" by David Sedaris


I love that guy! I wish I were that funny. have you read Holidays On Ice?


----------



## leonardess

rasberrykiwi said:


> i'm reading Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone:bin french:b


I'm jealous.


----------



## leonardess

oh, no - don't hate it. there are many layers to that book that are usually missed. Jane is ahead of her time. YOu'll love it even more, I think - hope it's going well so far.


----------



## Cerberus

Salem's Lot by Stephen King

meh


----------



## Sabriella

_The Firework-Maker's Daughter_ - Philip Pullman. I like kids' books :b


----------



## Miss Meggie

*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix* by J.K. Rowling

I've read it about 18 times. I tend to reread the Harry Potter books when I'm really depressed and my anxiety is at its worst.
And I've been pretty depressed and my anxiety is at the worst that it has been in a long time...


----------



## strawberryjulius

_burning for revenge _- john marsden


----------



## retropat

leonardess said:


> oh that's a good one. I've learned so much from reading her books.


This is the first one I've read by Weir, but I plan on reading more as her books are so engaging and informative.


----------



## mooncake

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens


----------



## huh

_The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society_ - Frans De Waal

I've actually been doing more margin scribbling than I thought I would =/ Sometimes I think he's on the mark on a certain point and then he blows it with a black-and-white interpretation of something. Or he just simplifies it too much. Oh well, still an enjoyable book.
*http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?ATH=Frans+De+Waal*


----------



## anonymid

I don't read self-help books very often, but this one caught my eye:

_The Positive Power of Negative Thinking: Using Defensive Pessimism to Harness Anxiety and Perform at Your Peak_ - Julie K. Norem

Also reading:

_The Facts: A Novelist's Autobiography_ - Philip Roth

And re-reading:

_Invisible Man_ - Ralph Ellison


----------



## southward

Miss Meggie said:


> *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix* by J.K. Rowling
> 
> I've read it about 18 times. I tend to reread the Harry Potter books when I'm really depressed and my anxiety is at its worst.
> And I've been pretty depressed and my anxiety is at the worst that it has been in a long time...


I do that with the Harry Potter books too. Something about those books are just comforting, I guess.

I just finished Anathem by Neal Stephenson. That was such a good book! It's a science fiction book filled with Philosophy and Mathematics. It starts out slow, but picks up after awhile.


----------



## Rixy

I just finished Animal Farm. I'm deciding whether to move onto A Clockwork Orange or Schindler's Ark next


----------



## TimeisAllAround

SandM1827 said:


> re-reading Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland because its a great book and still trying to finish Devils Teeth by Susan Casey it would go a lot quicker if I hadn't packed it down.


I love the song Eleanor Rigby so I had to Google that book. It looks good, I'll have to check it out.
I'm not reading anything right now but I just finished David Copperfield. It was alright. It got a little dull.


----------



## daisycakes

In Your Face: The Evolution of Beauty and You
Something like that.


----------



## Sierra83

1984 by George Orwell.


----------



## hiimnotcool

A Happy Death by Albert Camus.


----------



## starblob

Persuasion by Jane Austen.


----------



## thewall

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner


----------



## Neptunus

"Lord Vishnu's Love Handles" by Will Clarke. Found it in a thrift store and bought it because I was intrigued by the silly title. I haven't been very impressed with the story, though. Never read a book with so many curse words in my life! Probably averages at least 5 per page! :lol


----------



## Weoh

thewall said:


> The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner


This.


----------



## aw3se4dr5

Oil! by Upton Sinclair. I had to read it after i watched There Will Be Blood.


----------



## mooncake

Revising for an exam on thursday, so I'm working my way through bits of these at the moment...

The Elements of Moral Philosophy by James Rachels
Ethics by Piers Benn
Western Philosophy: An Anthology by John Cottingham


----------



## anonymid

_Patrimony: A True Story_ - Philip Roth


----------



## Cerberus

Building Harlequin's Moon by Larry Niven and Brenda Cooper


----------



## Drusilla

Born on a Blue Day - Daniel Tammet


----------



## paradox002

BEATING DEPRESSION by Dr Stefan Cembrowicz
and Dr Dorcas Kingham
‘A sympathetic and understanding guide’
Marjorie Wallace, Chief Executive, SANE


----------



## hiimnotcool

Henry Miller-Nexus

and Charles Bukowski-What Matters Most is How Well You Walk Through the Fire


----------



## Pen_is_mightier

The Physics of Superheroes

Yes, that's ten kinds of nerdy.


----------



## Cerberus

The Misanthrope and Other Plays by Moliere.


----------



## scintilla

Exodus - Leon Uris


----------



## EagerMinnow84

whatsername75 said:


> Exodus - Leon Uris


That is on my list of books to read one of these days. 

I am reading 1984 by George Orwell. I can't believe I never read this before.


----------



## Miss Meggie

*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix* by J.K. Rowling
*Scotland on a Plate* by Ferrier Richardson
*The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook* by Edmund Bourne


----------



## leonardess

Psychology for Dummies.....


----------



## LostPancake

'absolution gap' by some guy. scifi with a gothic / haunted spaceship.


----------



## PlayerOffGames

iain m banks - look to windward


----------



## strawberryjulius

_The Other Side Of Dawn _- John Marsden


----------



## strawberryjulius

_1984 _- George Orwell


----------



## bezoomny

Cicero - _Brutus_
Sophocles - _Oedipus at Colonus_

Pre-reading for courses is fun.


----------



## erasercrumbs

The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. I've also been rereading The Screwtape Letters while lying in bed at night.


----------



## pita

James Baldwin - Another Country


----------



## Hank Scorpio

The First Men on the Moon by H.G. Wells
Really old school sci-fi interests me lately.


----------



## laura024

The Appeal - John Grisham


----------



## pita

I'm reading some Harold Innis.

jfkldsjkfldsjfkdsljfksd


----------



## Milco

Measuring the World - Daniel Kehlmann


----------



## huh

Programming C# 3.0

Still a few concepts I'm trying to grasp.


----------



## MindOverMood

The bible.


----------



## Arkturus

Portnoy's Complaint - Philip Roth


----------



## Neptunus

_Lord Vishnu's Love Handles_ by Will Clarke. (No, it's not on porn.)


----------



## heyJude

I just finished reading Stephen King's _'Salem's Lot_ last week, and now I'm reading _The Shining._


----------



## PsyKat

Under The Dome


----------



## Banzai

I am currently reading The Handmaid's tale. Some mature topics come up but extremely good book nonetheless. After that, I need to read 1984, The road, The Wasp Factory, Wilfred Owen's biography...all for ENglish literature :roll


----------



## Lumiere




----------



## rincewind




----------



## lyricalillusions

I've been reading "Dead Until Dark," the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Series. It's not tooooooo different from "True Blood" but I do miss some of the characters that are in the show from the beginning but not the book.


----------



## leonardess

ARt in America - Ron Mclarty - so far, so so .


----------



## imt

Native Son by Richard Wright


----------



## bfree15

Darke Academy - Sercret Lives by Gabriella Poole


----------



## anonymid

_Faust, Part One_ - Goethe (Salm translation)


----------



## Hank Scorpio

anonymid said:


> _Faust, Part One_ - Goethe (Salm translation)


I liked the first part but the second was an annoying tacked on happy ending.


----------



## bezoomny

I have to get all this read this week:

Sophocles - _Ajax_, _The Women of Trachis_, _Electra_, _Philoctetes_, _Oedipus the King_, _Oedipus at Colonus_, _Antigone_

A bit more reading than I was expecting. But it's whatever, I'll do it, I like Sophocles.


----------



## Deathinmusic

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan


----------



## bennyp714

20,000 years in Sing Sing. By Warden Lawes.


----------



## Miss Meggie

*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix* by J.K. Rowling
*Dying of Embarrassment: Help for Social Anxiety and Phobia*
*Jamie's Food Revolution* by Jamie Oliver


----------



## Sabriella

The Spiderwick Chronicles. Reading the fourth book at the moment. I like kids' fantasy books :blush


----------



## TATA

Anne Tyler "Back when we were grownups" The first chapter is confusing and kind of dull, but it gets interesting after, well, atleast to me.


----------



## laura024

A psychology textbook


----------



## lyricalillusions

"Contact" by Carl Sagan


----------



## anonymid

_The Bostonians_ - Henry James


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Just finished 1984 by George Orwell, now reading...

1776 by David McCullough


----------



## david86

EagerMinnow84 said:


> Just finished 1984 by George Orwell, now reading...


just finished it too, it's a good book


----------



## Genelle

"Survival of the Dumbest" - Wil Anderson

Extremely funny Aussie humour.


----------



## broseph

Just finished "The Stranger" by Alfred Camus. It was a great read that explores some interesting philosophical ideas. Definitely one of my favorite books. I read it almost in a single sitting. Only reason I didn't was I had to go get dinner.


----------



## Neptunus

_Ghostlight _by Marion Zimmer Bradley


----------



## saramg83

_Jane Eyre_.


----------



## Witchcraft

Vladimir Nabokov's _Lolita_ (for the 3rd or 4th time :clap)


----------



## strawberryjulius

_Property _- Valerie Martin


----------



## anonymid

_The Book of J_ - David Rosenberg (translator), Harold Bloom (commentary)


----------



## leonardess

T. Coraghessan Boyle - Stories
Becoming Emotionally Intelligent - C Corrie


----------



## whiterabbit

The Monk by Matthew Lewis


----------



## shadowmask

I've been trying to get back into reading, starting with Jurassic Park. I'm averaging about five pages a day. :| Books just can't hold my attention like they used to.


----------



## GojiraMadness

Common Sense - Thomas Paine


----------



## JMX

The End of Oil - Paul Roberts

I'm reading it very slowly because I've got a few other books I have to read for my classes, but it's frightening to realize that we're running out of a resource that we're so dependent on.


----------



## mooncake

I finally read another chunk of _Memoirs of a Geisha_ whilst on the train today. It's been about a year since I started it!



Ragana said:


> Vladimir Nabokov's _Lolita_ (for the 3rd or 4th time :clap)


Great book! One of the few that I actually feel like re-reading.


----------



## Smitten

Steve Toltz - A Fraction of the Whole..very good so far


----------



## BreakingtheGirl

Hitler and his takeover of the Sudetenland. I really need to start reading more uplifting books.


----------



## heyJude

Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov


----------



## magdalena23

The Art Of Dreaming by Carlos Castaneda


----------



## saramg83

_A Tale of Two Cities_- Charles Dickens


----------



## leonardess

Emotional Intelligence
Social Intelligence 
Working with Emotional Intelligence

all by Daniel Goleman


----------



## Sunshine009

John Bradshaw books. Homecoming, Creating Love, and The Family. I found these for two dollars a piece last month in a thrift store. I've love to read some fiction for a change.


----------



## strawberryjulius

_Slaughterhouse Heart _- Afsaneh Knight


----------



## huh

_Extinction - How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago_ (That's a mouthful for a title..)

I meant to pick-up _Requiem for a Dream_ at the bookstore but they didn't have it, so I found this instead. It's a good read so far. I'll have to get _Requiem for a Dream_ online I guess.


----------



## sansd

_Cello_ by William Pleeth


----------



## Lasair

The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards,

I only just started it but it is about a husband that never told his wife she had a daughter with Down Syndrome, he put her in a home at birth and told his wife she had died!


----------



## anonymid

_The Winter's Tale_ - Shakespeare


----------



## leonardess

A Secure Base - John Bowlby


----------



## strawberryjulius

_Ransom _- Jay McInerney


----------



## HTF

irishK said:


> Hitler and his takeover of the Sudetenland. I really need to start reading more uplifting books.


hehe i'm with u on that one. I'm Reading The Serial Killer Files by Harold Schechter


----------



## TheDaffodil

_Henry David Thoreau: A Life Of The Mind_ by Robert D. Richardson, Jr. I figured it was time for me to read a biography on Thoreau.


----------



## low

The Naked Ape - Desmond Morris.


----------



## bowlingpins

Run With the Hunted: Charles Bukowski Reader

It is quite interesting, a mix of autobiographical stories and poetry by Charles Bukowski.


----------



## MrNoah

A couple things at once:

The Wapshot Chronicle by John Cheever
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger


----------



## Smitten

Time out of joint - P.K Dick


----------



## Keith

The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris


----------



## anonymid

The Book of Job, translated by Stephen Mitchell


----------



## Miss Meggie

*Alinea* by Grant Achatz
*Mastering Cheese* by Max McCullen
*Harry POtter and the Order of the Phoenix*


----------



## mooncake

Sputnik Sweetheart - Haruki Murakami


----------



## Smitten

We Can Build You - Phillip K Dick
The Portable Door - Tom Holt
What I Talk About When I Talk About Runninng - Haruki Murakami


----------



## shadowmask

Cabal - Clive Barker


----------



## Miss Meggie

*Exploring Wines* by Kolpan, Weiss, and Smith

Yuck.


----------



## TheDaffodil

I'm finishing _The Diving Pool_ by Yoko Ogawa. Then I'm reading _Something Rotten_ by Alan Gratz. When I'm finished with that I'll try to get _The Housekeeper and the Professor_ by Yoko Ogawa. I couldn't find it at the library last time so I'll end up buying it which is fine because I like Ogawa's writing enough to make that commitment haha.


----------



## lyricalillusions

"Black Magic Sanction" by Kim Harrison


----------



## Tweedy

nightrain said:


> *Howl's Moving Castle* by Diana Wynne Jones


Oh cool, I've seen the movie. Didn't realise it was based on a book.

I'm reading Body Surfing by Anita Shreve and have about four books lying around that I've started and not finished.. must stop doing that!


----------



## flyinginside

Our Lady of the Flowers by Jean Genet.


----------



## Squizzy

Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol. It is for my sociology class, but it is a really eye-opening book. It gives me nightmares


----------



## C 13

The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer by Brian Masters... best read ever!
Lol, is someone gonna jump down my throat for that? :steam


----------



## anonymid

_The Plays of Anton Chekhov_, translated by Paul Schmidt


----------



## Emptyheart

Nothing..lol


----------



## Still Waters

The Devil's Alphabet - Daryl Gregory


----------



## Dub16

Need to get myself a good book. Finished reading a really depressing one last week.
Well, it wasn't so much a book, as an epic, never-ending, Gas-heating bill, sent to me by someone who must have a sick sense of humour.
Why do bills always arrive when you can least afford them.

I might have a quick flick through this thread and just buy one that someone else recommended. I seem to have an awful habit of just reading autobiograhies lately, and its wearing thin now...


----------



## pita

Nothing. 

I am so screwed for every single one of my finals.


----------



## ilikebooks

_The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ by God Douglas Adams

Easily fits into my top five favourite books of all time.


----------



## mazer

Heheh. It looks like ilikebooks has found the perfect thread for her.


----------



## Lasair

I'm enjoying "The Time Travelers Wife " at the moment


----------



## seswick

The Book of Lost Things - John Connely
The Host - Stephenie Meyer
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
The Gargoyle - Andrew Davidson
Dreamseller - Brandon Novak
Touch the Dark - Karen Chance

I don't know how I find the time to read them all ^^


----------



## mixolydian

James Joyce's Ulysses, its a pretty heavy read. 30 pages in so far, another 700 or so left


----------



## GnR

Crime and Punishment...again lol.


----------



## Squirrelevant

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast: The Evolutionary Origins Of Belief


----------



## TheDaffodil

seswick said:


> The Book of Lost Things - John Connely
> The Host - Stephenie Meyer
> The Road - Cormac McCarthy
> * The Gargoyle - Andrew Davidson*
> Dreamseller - Brandon Novak
> Touch the Dark - Karen Chance
> 
> I don't know how I find the time to read them all ^^


That's on my "to read" list. Do you think it should stay there? Haha.


----------



## ConfirmedConfusion

The Unconscious Civilization - John Raulston Saul. 

The Man In The High Castle - Philip K Dick

Voices From The Street - Philip K Dick


----------



## saramg83

I'm reading _Innocent Traitor_ by Alison Weir.


----------



## C 13

Just about to start "The 48 Laws of Power" by Greene.


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

Tripwire By Lee Child.

It's so cheesy that it's good.


----------



## Miss Meggie

_Finally_ back to *Alinea* by Grant Achetz. 
Now that I've finished my Wines class and I'll have a bit more time to read.


----------



## papaSmurf

ConfirmedConfusion said:


> The Unconscious Civilization - John Raulston Saul.


I read that title as "The Unicorn Civilization" at first, and was immediately and utterly disappointed upon realizing my error. No matter what I do, I can't help but feel that there will be a ragged hole in my life from here on out, an empty void that can only be filled when such a book as I've envisioned is published and makes its way into my waiting hands.

Until that fateful day I will mostly be parsing textbooks for school and attempting to improve my Spanish novel-reading skills.


----------



## seswick

TheDaffodil said:


> That's on my "to read" list. Do you think it should stay there? Haha.


No way! It's a really good book - theres a bit near the start which was quite painful, but other then that it's not too bad! 

I would also recommend A Million Little Pieces by James Frey! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Million_Little_Pieces


----------



## TheDaffodil

seswick said:


> No way! It's a really good book - theres a bit near the start which was quite painful, but other then that it's not too bad!
> 
> I would also recommend A Million Little Pieces by James Frey!


Awesome! Thank you.


----------



## Genelle

Handle With Care - Jodi Picoult


----------



## anonymid

_Chekhov's Plays: An Opening into Eternity_ - Richard Gilman


----------



## Kwinnky

Just finished Gerald's Game by Stephen King and started Break by Hannah Moskowitz


----------



## zomgz




----------



## Georgina 22

I am reading three books at the moment. One called A moment of weakness, another called The narrowboat girl, and The lovely bones


----------



## caflme

The Love The Keeps You Sane


----------



## redtogo72

_Invisible Man_ by Ralph Ellison. Here's the first paragraph of the Prologue:


> I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids--and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination--indeed, everything and anything except me.


----------



## estse

Horns, by Joe Hill


----------



## flyinginside

_Understanding American History, Vol. II _


----------



## Kwinnky

American Gods by Neil Gaiman.


----------



## mcmuffinme

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka


----------



## papaSmurf

mcmuffinme said:


> The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka


^Such a great book! It took me nine hours to read back when I read it for school, as I was taking copious, frantic notes for the entire duration. I then had to give a 2 hour presentation to a group of fellow students who hadn't even finished the thing, but that's besides the point. Hope you enjoy it!

I'm thinking of re-reading Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, but otherwise I am just reading textbooks for the moment.


----------



## Cerberus

Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind


----------



## TheDaffodil

_Zelda Fitzgerald: Her Voice In Paradise_ by Sally Cline and _Holidays on Ice_ by David Sedaris.


----------



## mooncake

Outlaw Journalist: The Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson - William McKeen.


----------



## bezoomny

I've been attempting to read Steppenwolf for a few months now. I can never find the time. Ugh.


----------



## Cerberus

Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind


----------



## leonardess

rereading catcher in the rye


----------



## deSelby

I was, for about the fourth time, attempting to start The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky. But talking to someone last night, I've decided once again to shelve that plan and re-read Peter Singer's Practical Ethics.


----------



## Squirrelevant

The World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics


----------



## tutliputli

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time


----------



## anonymid

"The Death of Ivan Ilyich" - Tolstoy


----------



## bezoomny

Gave up on _Steppenwolf_. Never got more than fifteen pages into it.

Now reading _The Wreath_ by Sigrid Undset and it is going so much more smoothly.

It's bizarre because I practically devoured _Narcissus and Goldmund_. But I guess I'm just not feeling _Steppenwolf_ right now.


----------



## Hank Scorpio

Outlaws of the Marsh(Chinese classic)
and
Warrior Brood(Warhammer 40,000)


----------



## Tweedy

Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Blast from the past - Ben Elton


----------



## tutliputli

bezoomny said:


> Gave up on _Steppenwolf_. Never got more than fifteen pages into it.
> 
> It's bizarre because I practically devoured _Narcissus and Goldmund_. But I guess I'm just not feeling _Steppenwolf_ right now.


Hermann Hesse is my favourite author ever. Steppenwolf is fantastic. I hope you do read it eventually.


----------



## Cerberus

Blood of the Fold by Terry Goodkind


----------



## Tweedy

By the River Piedra I sat down and wept - Paulo Coelho


----------



## kiwismile

_Queen of the Damned_ by Anne Rice
and
_After Dark_ by Haruki Murakami


----------



## tutliputli

The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold


----------



## perrin34

I just finished book 4 of The Wheel of Time series. I hope to get to the twelfth book in the series by the end of the year!


----------



## Tweedy

Complete short fiction - Oscar Wilde


----------



## Tweedy

Moab is my washpot - Stephen Fry


----------



## Smitten

Norweigan Wood - Haruki Murakami. It's sad.


----------



## heyJude

Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee. I LOVE this book and I'm going to be sad when it ends.


----------



## caflme

Mother Theresa: A Simple Path


----------



## filbert

Mason & Dixon - Thomas Pynchon


----------



## ubercake

Kwinnky said:


> American Gods by Neil Gaiman.


Awesome book! Reading The Night Spider by John Lutz at the moment.


----------



## OregonMommy

caflme said:


> Mother Theresa: A Simple Path


I'd like to read that! Wonderful, inspiring woman.

I'm reading _Radical Acceptance_, by Tara Brach.
I aim to get started on a Hermann Hesse novel,_ Demian_ or _Steppenwolf._
I'm a book hog; trying to read _Cutting Through Spiritual Materialsm _Chogyam Trungpa. Darn! It's hard to understand, going to have some one who's a Buddhist explain some to me.


----------



## Pocketfox

Tweedy said:


> Moab is my washpot - Stephen Fry


How is it? Stephen Fry is funny, eloquent, and has had a really interesting life, so I'm assuming his autobiography is brilliant.


----------



## Lachlan

My name is Asher Lev, by Chaim Potok


----------



## perrin34

Just After Sunset-by Stephen King.


----------



## Cerberus

Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind


----------



## Tweedy

A short history of tractors in ukrainian - Marina Lewycka


----------



## mooncake

Oranges are Not the Only Fruit - Jeanette Winterson


----------



## leonardess

Wild Child - T. C. Boyle.


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

_Burning the Land- _*Bernard Cornwell*


----------



## Smitten

The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald


----------



## caflme

Websites that talk about depression....

http://www.webmd.com/depression/slideshow-depression-overview


----------



## Tweedy

The Secret History - Donna Tartt


----------



## strawberryjulius

It's called _Mind Prey_, but it's actually _The Sexist's Guide To Perving On Every Single Woman, Ever._


----------



## bezoomny

Michael Chabon - _The Mysteries of Pittsburgh_


----------



## leonardess

strawberryjulius said:


> It's called _Mind Prey_, but it's actually _The Sexist's Guide To Perving On Every Single Woman, Ever._


hee hee - this reminds me of the true title of a certain movie called "In the Company of Men" (billed as a comedy). Its real title? "Misogyny and the Salesman".


----------



## Aloysius

Homer - The Iliad (translated by E.V. Rieu)


----------



## OregonMommy

'Precious' (Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire). Just finished it.


----------



## SADgirl

I just started reading it for the second time


----------



## cmr




----------



## Pocketfox

Free eclairs for anyone who recognizes it by the opening lines:

Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster.


----------



## papaSmurf

leonardess said:


> hee hee - this reminds me of the true title of a certain movie called "In the Company of Men" (billed as a comedy). Its real title? "Misogyny and the Salesman".


Oh man, that movie. I'm pretty sure that Aaron Eckhart's character is one of the most hateful human beings ever portrayed in any medium.



Pocketfox said:


> Free eclairs for anyone who recognizes it by the opening lines:
> 
> Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster.


I had to google it Fox, so no eclairs for me, but that doesn't change the fact that Nabokov is awesome. Be sure to let us know what you think of it!


----------



## Kwinnky

The Gunslinger by Stephen King


----------



## TheDaffodil

Tao Te Ching. Trying to get through War of the Worlds but I just can't do it. I read a paragraph and wanna do something else.


----------



## Wualraus

Hope's Highway, by Dorothy Garlock


----------



## renee08

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. lol 3rd time. And next comes Pride and Prejudice.


----------



## Cerberus

Soul of the Fire by Terry Goodkind
Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind


----------



## Pocketfox

I'm thinking of buying a copy of Samuel Beckett's "Watt". I've never read any of his work, but it sounds like my cup of tea. Has anyone read it, or anything by him? What did you think?

Unforunate result of living in a small town; if I want this book, I have to get it shipped to me at a rather steep price.


----------



## anonymid

Pocketfox said:


> I'm thinking of buying a copy of Samuel Beckett's "Watt". I've never read any of his work, but it sounds like my cup of tea. Has anyone read it, or anything by him? What did you think?
> 
> Unforunate result of living in a small town; if I want this book, I have to get it shipped to me at a rather steep price.


Yeah, I read _Watt_ last year. It's, well, not really like anything else; reading Beckett is a unique experience. I like him, but I have to be in the right mood to read him. Beckett's plays are essential reading, too. _Endgame_ and _Waiting for Godot_ are his best known works. _Krapp's Last Tape_ is a good shorter one. (There are complete versions available on YouTube if you're interested in seeing the plays in performance.)

(I'm actually a bit curious how you heard about _Watt_ without having been familiar with Beckett; it's not one of his better-known works. Most people come to Beckett through his plays, especially _Godot_. What is it you've heard about _Watt_ that intrigues you?)


----------



## anonymid

_Prometheus Bound/The Suppliants/Seven Against Thebes/The Persians_ - Aeschylus (trans. Philip Vellacott)


----------



## papaSmurf

TheDaffodil said:


> Tao Te Ching


Wonderful book! I have the edition with the sumptuous black and white pictures, it's one of my most precious treasures.


----------



## TheDaffodil

papaSmurf said:


> Wonderful book! I have the edition with the sumptuous black and white pictures, it's one of my most precious treasures.


I have the James Legge translation. I read like 5 chapters a day, but I read them multiple times before moving to the next 5 chapters. After I finish it I'll get another translation and then another and blah blah...because it's really important to me that I understand what I'm reading and get the full picture...it is a really great book though. I love it. :yes


----------



## shadowmask

_Life After Life/Reflections On Life After Life_ - Raymond Moody


----------



## Pocketfox

anonymid said:


> (I'm actually a bit curious how you heard about _Watt_ without having been familiar with Beckett; it's not one of his better-known works. Most people come to Beckett through his plays, especially _Godot_. What is it you've heard about _Watt_ that intrigues you?)


You know how it is when you start reading Wikipedia out of boredom -- you start by looking up the digestion process and two hours later you're reading "Gonorrhea in Ancient Rome". I ended up reading all of Beckett's Wikipedia entries after looking up De Stijl. _Watt_ sounds really appealing to me from its description:



> Watt is characterised by an almost hypnotic use of repetition, extreme deadpan philosophical humour, deliberately unidiomatic English [...] and heavy use of ellipsis towards the end of the text.


The repetition sounds interesting, and I've been after unusually-structured novels ever since I got hooked on _Ada or Ardor_.


----------



## anonymid

Pocketfox said:


> You know how it is when you start reading Wikipedia out of boredom -- you start by looking up the digestion process and two hours later you're reading "Gonorrhea in Ancient Rome". I ended up reading all of Beckett's Wikipedia entries after looking up De Stijl. _Watt_ sounds really appealing to me from its description:
> 
> The repetition sounds interesting, and I've been after unusually-structured novels ever since I got hooked on _Ada or Ardor_.


Cool, you'll probably really like _Watt_ then. And if you like repetition, you might want to look into some of Gertrude Stein's writing as well; it's one of her stylistic trademarks.


----------



## pita

anonymid said:


> And if you like repetition, you might want to look into some of Gertrude Stein's writing as well; it's one of her stylistic trademarks.


It certainly is.


----------



## anonymid

pita said:


> It certainly is.


I need to get around to reading _The Making of Americans_ at some point. I bought a copy years ago, and it's just been taking up space (a _lot_ of space, of course).


----------



## ubercake

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk


----------



## anonymid

_La Vita Nuova_ - Dante (trans. Dante Gabriel Rossetti)


----------



## ilikebooks

_The Master and Margarita_ by Mikhail Bulgakov


----------



## Miss T

My Sister's Keeper


----------



## Emptyheart

Before I fall


----------



## BetaBoy90

The Great Gatsby, feel like such a noob


----------



## TheDaffodil

_The Tao of Teaching_ by Greta Nagel.


----------



## OregonMommy

TheDaffodil said:


> Tao Te Ching.


I read a version of this...it was beautiful and profound and I didn't totally understand it but still enjoyed it. Some one said it makes a difference which version.
I'm still getting through _'Pride and Prejudice'_, Austen.


----------



## Jason A

The Sword of Shannara.


----------



## cakesniffer

Mad in America - Robert Whitaker


----------



## AliBaba

"Rant" - Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club, Choke, etc)


----------



## pita

I'm reading Judy Fong Bates' _The Year of Finding Memory_.


----------



## melissa75

water said:


> Wetlands by Charlotte Roche.
> 
> 'I've turned myself into a laboratory of p**** hygeine. I enjoy plopping myself down on any dirty toilet seat anywhere. That's not all. I rub the entire seat with my p**** before I sit down, going once around with a graceful gyration of my hips. When I press my p**** onto the seat it makes a smacking noise and then it sucks up all the pubic hairs, droplets, splotches, and puddles of various shades and consistencies. My favourites are the ones at highway rest stops where there's just one toilet shared by men and women. And I've never had a single infection. My gynecologist, Dr. Broekert, can confirm that.'
> 
> Good read.




Ewwww!!! I so did not need to read this! Sounds like a funny read, though.

I just started a new book called, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz. So far, so good!


----------



## melissa75

BetaBoy90 said:


> The Great Gatsby, feel like such a noob


LOVE this book and really anything by Fitzgerald. Other good ones are "This Side of Paradise" and "Tender is the Night". One of my favorite authors .


----------



## Brit90

_The Princetta_ By Anne-Laure Bondoux.

This book was completely boring until I reached the middle of it. It's like it did a complete turn around. I don't even feel like I'm reading the same book.


----------



## bezoomny

Euripides volume 5: _Electra, The Phoenician Women, The Bacchae_, translated by Emily T. Vermeule, Elizabeth Wyckoff, and William Arrowsmith, respectively.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Blue Mars - I'm finally finishing Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy which is great


----------



## Magical Delusional

_The Historian_ by Elizabeth Kostova. Took a while to get into, but right now it's awesome!


----------



## Half_A_Person

Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger


----------



## anonymid

_Paradiso_ - Dante (trans. John D. Sinclair)


----------



## papaSmurf

Magical Delusional said:


> _The Historian_ by Elizabeth Kostova. Took a while to get into, but right now it's awesome!


^This one was a lot of fun! I received her latest book as a gift recently, but I hear it's not nearly as good.

I'm currently reading textbooks, and "Perdido Street Station", by China Mieville. He builds some incredibly arresting cityscapes, this Mieville.


----------



## miminka

_Pastoralia_ by George Saunders.


----------



## flyinginside

America’s Hidden History by Kenneth Davis.


----------



## nims

Murder at Graverly Manor by Daniel Edward Craig. I've read his other two books (murder at the universe and Murder at hotel Cinema) and enjoyed them so now reading his latest.


----------



## cmr




----------



## Cerberus

Existentialism and Human Emotions by Jean-Paul Sartre


----------



## gopherinferno

Grimm's Fairy Tales 

They are amazing O.O


----------



## bezoomny

_Sophie's World_ by Jostein Gaarder


----------



## russophile1977

The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia by Orlando Figes.


----------



## Radattack

Just finished _Jane Eyre._ Fantastic book.


----------



## Cerberus

The Pillars of Creation by Terry Goodkind

This is the worst book I've read by Goodkind so far.


----------



## PandaPop

Walking Dead comics =D


----------



## Kathe

Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham

I am almost done and it has been one of the best books I have ever read, and I have read a lot.


----------



## retropat

Almost done with "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory.


----------



## lucyinthesky

Joyce- A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man


----------



## Green Eyes

Vampire Diaries - book 3 & 4 by Lisa J. Smith


----------



## miminka

... and it is long.


----------



## Pocketfox

AudreyHepburn said:


> ... and it is long.


How is it? I like almost all of her poetry, but never really got into The Bell Jar.


----------



## miminka

Ack. Gave up on the aforementioned book and am now finishing



Pretty good. I love Saramago but I find his work tends to get pedantic quickly.


----------



## Lasair

I'm reading "The Tenth Circle" by Jodi Picoult!


----------



## fern

Pocketfox said:


> How is it? I like almost all of her poetry, but never really got into The Bell Jar.


I read this when I was in college, I really liked it (but I also loved the Bell Jar). Her journal entries are pretty fascinating. If I remember correctly there are some passages in the Bell Jar that are nearly exact copies of some of her journal entries.


----------



## fern

I have a gift card from B&N that I got for Christmas and I need to use up. I'm thinking about buying a book about art critic Clement Greenberg.


----------



## Crystalline

Trying to finish this:









(The Floating Book: A Novel of Venice)


----------



## Pocketfox




----------



## huh

Wow, it's been a while since I've done leisure reading. I picked up _On Being Certain_ from the book store today. So far so good, tough to put down.


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

_Solar _by Ian McEwen. It's quite good actually, I sort of stopped halfway through tho and that was two weeks ago. The Library makes a fortune out of me.


----------



## mooncake




----------



## Were

i finished The Catcher in the Rye. im now reading Slaughterhouse-Five.


----------



## Still Waters

A Thousand Splendid Suns- By-Khaled Hosseini


----------



## Keith

Im reading a book called Bowfin a true story about a submarine in WWII I'm reading other books too but this is the one I've been most focused on recently


----------



## mikeitlikeit

Life of Pi - Yann Martel


----------



## OregonMommy

_Julie & Julia_, by Julie Powell

A memoir of a Julie the blogger's project to cook all of Julia Child's recipes from _Mastering the Art of French Cooking_ in one year.
She is funny, and witty and brassy.


----------



## sarafinanickelbocker

_Dracula_ - Bram Stoker

I've actually never read it before.


----------



## OldJaneLee

Were said:


> i finished The Catcher in the Rye. im now reading Slaughterhouse-Five.


You are moving into some great territory. I love Kurt Vonnegut.

I'm reading Bright-sided: How the relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking has Undermined America by Barbara Ehrenreich. I am around page 70 and I am about to give it up. I understand her point and I agree with it but this book is a real downer. Sometimes disillusionment is a good thing...
*
*


----------



## retropat

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson.


----------



## bezoomny

Stendhal - _Scarlet and Black_


----------



## erasercrumbs

I don't read a lot of fantasy novels, but when I do, I make sure it's a Warhammer novel.


----------



## OregonMommy

Started _War & Peace-_Tolstoy,last night. Whew! Wish me luck.


----------



## Cerberus

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

I very much enjoyed this book.


----------



## Witchcraft

Margaret Atwood's "Oryx and Crake"


----------



## imt

"Food of the God's" by Terence McKenna


----------



## Kathe

The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Doestevsky


----------



## Unknownn

Heavier than Heaven - Charles R. Cross


----------



## Mc Borg

The Book of the Damned by Charles Fort


----------



## tutliputli

For the love of Norton: The cat who taught his human how to live


----------



## BetaBoy90

Atm The Dumbest Generation, next up The Narcissism Epidemic


----------



## Aloysius

Defiance - Oliver Lange


----------



## Belshazzar

huh said:


> Wow, it's been a while since I've done leisure reading. I picked up _On Being Certain_ from the book store today. So far so good, tough to put down.


I actually just picked that up too. Planning on reading it after I finish Douglas Hofstadter's _I Am a Strange Loop_.


----------



## Ehm

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
Dune Messiah - Frank Herbert
The Vampire Lestat - Anne Rice

I have the bad habit of starting more than one book at a time, I get so eager to start certain books that I juggle books throughout the week. It works for me though.


----------



## Cerberus

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin


----------



## caflme

The Plains of Passage... by Jean Auel (book 3 of the Clan of the Cavebear series)


----------



## CabecitaSilenciosa

"Pygmy" by Chuck Palahniuk


----------



## mooncake

Kathe said:


> The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Doestevsky


Just started this one too.


----------



## Jaz

Vampire Academy- Richelle Mead


----------



## huh

Belshazzar said:


> I actually just picked that up too. Planning on reading it after I finish Douglas Hofstadter's _I Am a Strange Loop_.


I just finished it over the weekend. It was quite good, hope you like it  There were a few things I found myself disagreeing with, and the second to last chapter was a bit odd, but I still enjoyed it. I was reading _I Am a Strange Loop_ at Barnes & Noble but didn't end up getting it for whatever reason. It looks like an interesting read.

I'm now 100 pages into _Voodoo Histories_. It's a really great book, you can tell the author put a lot of research into it. The real conspiracy is how it's getting such a horrible rating on Amazon...haha.


----------



## SpunUndone

Spook Country by William Gibson


----------



## steelmyhead

I'm trying to finish River of Gods. I stopped halfway through months ago, and now I can't remember what all the words in Hindi mean. The glossary is not much help. I still remember the plot well enough, so maybe I will manage.


----------



## starblob

Just finished Candide by Voltaire. Starting Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut.


----------



## starblob

Finished Mother Night - Started Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse.


----------



## Miss Meggie

*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince* by J.K. Rowling


----------



## Wehttam

Amiel's Journal, insightful to say the least


----------



## Pocketfox

starblob said:


> Just finished Candide by Voltaire. Starting Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut.


What did you think of Candide?

I read Zadig a little while ago, another of Voltaire's novels with a similar style. I loved it.


----------



## Miss Meggie

*Dead Man's Folly* by Agatha Christie


----------



## anonymid

_Martin Chuzzlewit_ - Charles Dickens


----------



## starblob

Pocketfox said:


> What did you think of Candide?


I liked it a lot. I have found it hard in recent years to become engaged in novels due to my mind constantly wandering off away from the story. It gripped me and I finished it in 2 days. I like biting satire. He went to very exaggerated lengths to make his point as it were. I liked that though; how over the top and excessive (to the point where they became funny) the circumstances in which the characters found themselves in. I will keep my eye out for more of his work.

I gave up on Steppenwolf - I wasn't able to get into the predominately introspective reflections of Harry. My mind kept wandering off.

Started The Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.


----------



## Kathe

*Beauty* by Robin McKinley


----------



## Miss Meggie

*Poirot Investigates* by Agatha Christie


----------



## Kathe

*The Exorcist* by William Peter Blatty.

The movie was awful. The book is superb so far.


----------



## cakesniffer

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy - Gary D. Schmidt


----------



## SpunUndone

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein


----------



## retropat

"Postmortem" by Patricia Cornwell.


----------



## sansd

I'm trying to finish up _Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words_ by Jay Rubin.


----------



## mooncake

Still making my way through _The Brothers Karamazov_, but I've also now picked up _Guns, Germs and Steel_ by Jared Diamond and some stuff on Descartes.


----------



## huh

*Life Ascending. *Nick Lane is a great popular science writer, and this book is no exception. Worth the read if you like popular science stuff.


----------



## miminka




----------



## mooncake

Emma - Jane Austen


----------



## DuncanThaw

_Wormwood Forest: A Natural History of Chernobyl_ - Mary Mycio
_War and Peace_ - Leo Tolstoy (tr. Richard Pevear/Larissa Volokhonsky)


----------



## strawberryjulius

_Extremes: A Retrieval Artist Novel_ - Kristine Kathryn Rusch
_Everywoman _- Derek Llewellyn Jones


----------



## LostPancake

Picking randomly through the collected fiction of Borges. I really wish they published the individual editions in English though.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I just finished _Blue Mars_, now I'm going to start _The Years Of Rice & Salt_


----------



## Miss Meggie

*Murder In Retrospect* by Agatha Christie


----------



## Hamtown

The ZEN Book by - Daniel Levin

Its mad


----------



## Sadaiyappan

The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It's like poetry.


----------



## Phaedrus

LostPancake said:


> Picking randomly through the collected fiction of Borges. I really wish they published the individual editions in English though.


Is the translation good? I've heard it's a great collection with a horrible translation.

On topic, I'm currently reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It's a pretty good book and Pirsig's ideas are quite cool.


----------



## LostPancake

Phaedrus said:


> Is the translation good? I've heard it's a great collection with a horrible translation.


I'm not sure - I seem to remember his writing being more poetic from reading other editions, so maybe it is a kind of flat translation.

But I don't like it all being crammed into one volume either - it's like if you went and bought an album called The Rolling Stones, and it was all their albums just crammed together in one package. It's nice having things separated out, with their own individual character intact.


----------



## Phaedrus

^^
I've been doing some research lately on Borges's bibliography and I've decided to buy "Fictions" for a start. It seems amazing. Which collections do you recommend?


----------



## low

Sadaiyappan said:


> The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It's like poetry.


I liked the movie.

I'm currently only reading boring (well, not really boring to me) academic books at the moment for study. I might read a sci fi novel soon.


----------



## LostPancake

Phaedrus said:


> ^^
> I've been doing some research lately on Borges's bibliography and I've decided to buy "Fictions" for a start. It seems amazing. Which collections do you recommend?


I think what I had read when I was younger was Labyrinths, which is apparently a conglomeration of things from Ficciones and The Aleph. 'Fictions' is apparently the newer translation of Ficciones, which his widow commissioned in order to avoid the higher royalties earned by the earlier translator. So older editions of Ficciones and The Aleph might be the best things to start with. His later stuff is also interesting, but not as dense and fantastic.


----------



## cakesniffer

The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit - Julius Lester


----------



## retropat

"Body of Evidence" by Patricia Cornwell.


----------



## EagerMinnow84




----------



## Willem

*Carrie* - Stephen King

Around half way through and loving it so far.


----------



## leonardess

Iron John.


----------



## Bakemono

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran


----------



## EagerMinnow84

DuncanThaw said:


> _War and Peace_ - Leo Tolstoy (tr. Richard Pevear/Larissa Volokhonsky)


mmmmm Pevear & Volokhonsky. i read their translation of The Master and Margarita.


----------



## starblob

Finally finished The Picture of Dorian Gray - that was a slow read. 

Started Orlando by Virgina Woolf.


----------



## Cerberus

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin


----------



## DuncanThaw

EagerMinnow84 said:


> mmmmm Pevear & Volokhonsky. i read their translation of The Master and Margarita.


They do wonderful translations! "mmmmm" indeed.  It makes me want to go back and read all of the originally-written-in-Russian novels they've translated, that I read in alternate translations the first time 'round.

_The Master and Margarita_ is on my reading list, it's always tempting me with several copies when I'm shelving at the library.  What did you think of it?


----------



## DuncanThaw

Sadaiyappan said:


> The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It's like poetry.


Agreed, it's beautiful. :yes I read it a few years back and still remember how viscerally it affected me -- it's one of those that really entered my consciousness (and made me cry _a lot_). I love post-apocalyptic themes anyway, but it's rare to find a book that is true literature in that genre and this one is definitely one of those. Exquisite!


----------



## EagerMinnow84

DuncanThaw said:


> They do wonderful translations! "mmmmm" indeed.  It makes me want to go back and read all of the originally-written-in-Russian novels they've translated, that I read in alternate translations the first time 'round.
> 
> _The Master and Margarita_ is on my reading list, it's always tempting me with several copies when I'm shelving at the library.  What did you think of it?


That book is pretty insane. :b Some really really really strange things happen throughout the book. It references a lot of Russian history that occurred during the time period but there are notes in the back that help. There is also a story within a story. Lots of strange goings on.

Read it! :b


----------



## Miss Meggie

*The Regatta Mystery* by Agatha Christie


----------



## BetaBoy90

Trying to open my mind up to interesting ideas so today I'm starting "Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals" by Immanuel Kant. I'm pretty excited to get it started after learning about some of his philosophies in class!


----------



## SpunUndone

BetaBoy90 said:


> Trying to open my mind up to interesting ideas so today I'm starting "Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals" by Immanuel Kant. I'm pretty excited to get it started after learning about some of his philosophies in class!


I remember the first metaphysics book I read. I spent the next few months tripping out on my thoughts. :yes Good stuff.


----------



## DuncanThaw

EagerMinnow84 said:


> That book is pretty insane. :b Some really really really strange things happen throughout the book. It references a lot of Russian history that occurred during the time period but there are notes in the back that help. There is also a story within a story. Lots of strange goings on.
> 
> Read it! :b


That's one of the things I really like about the Pevear/Volokhonsky translations...those really, really detailed notes in the back. About the only criticism I've read of their translations is that they're a bit overly academic, but that really helps to understand the historical/cultural context a lot better.

I will definitely read it -- Russian literary "strange goings on" are some of my favorite things.  Thanks for the recommendation!


----------



## Recipe For Disaster

currently reading the omnivore's dilemma


----------



## justiss282

I just started the first book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series, really good so far.


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

I'm reading the Preacher comic book series.

I'm not really into comics, but I mentioned to a co-worker that I hadn't been reading much recently and he loaned me "a scanner darkly" graphic novel. I'm really enjoying the entertainment value plus since finishing studying for the summer it's nice and light.

Getting stuck into some swedish crime fiction next week from a writer I can't remember the name of, hmm Nesbo I think.


----------



## Keith

The Black Arts - good book on occult stuff gives a good overview of various subjects like magick rituals, astrology, numerology even has a short section on necromancy haha


----------



## rickey

Linear Algebra for dummies


----------



## CabecitaSilenciosa

"Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier


----------



## pita

Shawn Micallef's _Stroll_. I love it.


----------



## grigori

The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

CabecitaSilenciosa said:


> "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier


hey, i read this book! pretty good.


----------



## strawberryjulius

_Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls _- Matt Ruff


----------



## mooncake

_The Consolations of Philosophy_ - Alain de Botton


----------



## Squirrelevant

grigori said:


> The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan.


:ditto


----------



## Shooterrr

Paper Towns by John Green
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini


----------



## tea111red

my IV therapy book.


----------



## cmr

I'm just finishing it up.... Why did I not discover Peake earlier! He's brilliant. I love this book. :heart


----------



## DuncanThaw

cmr said:


> I'm just finishing it up.... Why did I not discover Peake earlier! He's brilliant. I love this book. :heart


I was so excited to see your post! Encountering Peake is an exhilarating experience indeed. Are you reading that edition (which is the one I own ) - with the complete _Gormenghast_ novels, or are you reading one of the novels specifically? My favorite is definitely _Titus Groan_.


----------



## rcapo89

I'm currently reading Wraeththu.


----------



## Gorillaz

'the tommyknockers' by stephen king.


----------



## feelgoodlost

cmr said:


> I'm just finishing it up.... Why did I not discover Peake earlier! He's brilliant. I love this book. :heart





DuncanThaw said:


> I was so excited to see your post! Encountering Peake is an exhilarating experience indeed. Are you reading that edition (which is the one I own ) - with the complete _Gormenghast_ novels, or are you reading one of the novels specifically? My favorite is definitely _Titus Groan_.


I've been wanting to read gormenghast for awhile now. I'm reading The Road by cormac mccarthy right now.


----------



## DuncanThaw

feelgoodlost said:


> I've been wanting to read gormenghast for awhile now. I'm reading The Road by cormac mccarthy right now.


_The Road_ is one of my favorites, I gushed about it a little bit a couple of pages back.  What do you think of it?

_Gormenghast_ novels -- the language in there is _stunning_, inventive, sometimes overly complex for the sake of being complex. Strange and somewhat linguistically challenging! Beloved socially-inappropriate characters abound.

I like your signature. My favorite line from that song is "joy/landlock'd in bodies that don't keep/dumbstruck with the sweetness of being/'til we don't be".

Good stuff, all.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

DuncanThaw said:


> _The Road_ is one of my favorites, I gushed about it a little bit a couple of pages back.  What do you think of it?


Is it bad that I thought The Road to be... ok? I kept on asking questions throughout the entire thing. Why did this happen, how come it is like this and the ending frustrated me!

I have Blood Meridian on my shelf to be read one of these days. Have you read that?


----------



## Steve123

_Great Jobs for Sociology Majors _By Stephen Lambert

*Spoiler alert* There are none.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Steve123 said:


> _Great Jobs for Sociology Majors _By Stephen Lambet
> 
> *Spoiler alert* There are none.


i lol'd.

that could be said with most majors.


----------



## feelgoodlost

DuncanThaw said:


> _The Road_ is one of my favorites, I gushed about it a little bit a couple of pages back.  What do you think of it?


I'm about halfway through and finding it very engrossing.



DuncanThaw said:


> I like your signature. My favorite line from that song is "joy/landlock'd in bodies that don't keep/dumbstruck with the sweetness of being/'til we don't be".


Thanks. I love joanna newsom. I saw her live in concert earlier this year.


----------



## Cest La Vie

Just started My Guantanamo Diary by Mahvish Rukhsana Khan


----------



## sansd

Tonight I finished_ Never Too Late_ by John Holt and _What You Must Think of Me_ by Emily Ford


----------



## LostPancake

This was really good. Now I'm curious to see how well the movie turned out.

"Lehane has said he sought to write a novel that would be a homage to Gothic settings, B movies, and pulp. He described the novel as a hybrid of the works of the Brontë sisters and the 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers."


----------



## huh

_Developing Large Web Applications_

Lots of good tidbits of info I didn't think about before. It's giving me some good design ideas. Kind of a shame it has such a low rating on Amazon.


----------



## Pocketfox

Maybe the only thing that hints at a sense of time is rhythm; not the recurrent beats of the rhythm but the gap between two such beats, the gray gap between black beats: the tender interval. The regular throb itself merely brings back the miserable idea of measurement, but in between, something like true time lurks. How can I extract it from its soft hollow?


----------



## mooncake

I've had this on my shelf for a while, and since it already comes recommended from others in this thread, I decided to get stuck into it today:








​


----------



## melinawaugh

I have just finished John Grisham's latest book ..Now i just started the collections of Darkover short stories. Some of my favorites are "Building" and "An Object Lesson".


----------



## toughcookie

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer


----------



## cybernaut

DuncanThaw said:


> _The Road_ is one of my favorites, I gushed about it a little bit a couple of pages back.  What do you think of it?
> 
> _Gormenghast_ novels -- the language in there is _stunning_, inventive, sometimes overly complex for the sake of being
> complex. Strange and somewhat linguistically challenging! Beloved socially-inappropriate characters abound.
> 
> I like your signature. My favorite line from that song is "joy/landlock'd in bodies that don't keep/dumbstruck with the sweetness of being/'til we don't be".
> 
> Good stuff, all.


I want to read the road someday.Have you
seen the movie for it yet? It was pretty good, to me.


----------



## mooncake




----------



## BetaBoy90

Just finished the Great Gatsby and now am starting up on The Catcher In The Rye.


----------



## strawberryjulius

_The Unholy Deception _- Lynn A. Marzulli


----------



## LostPancake

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

My therapist actually recommended it to me because she read that the writer based the main character on a grown up version of Pippi Longstocking (my childhood crush). 

So far, I don't like it very much though. But maybe it'll get better.


----------



## endlessdisorder

_Peace of Soul_ - Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen


----------



## Misanthropic

Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice and Stardust by Neil Gaiman.


> Just finished the Great Gatsby and now am starting up on The Catcher In The Rye.


I liked Catcher In the Rye a lot, The Great Gatsby was all right.


----------



## retropat

LostPancake said:


> The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
> 
> My therapist actually recommended it to me because she read that the writer based the main character on a grown up version of Pippi Longstocking (my childhood crush).
> 
> So far, I don't like it very much though. But maybe it'll get better.


Give it a chance, the beginning is very slow. However, it is one of my top three favorite books of all time.


----------



## ChocolateBuNN

Flowers for Algernon -Daniel Keyes


----------



## Zayle79

ChocolateBuNN said:


> Flowers for Algernon -Daniel Keyes


I've read that; it's one of the most interesting short stories I've ever read.

I'm reading _Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Outcast_. Just finished the awesome _Darth Bane_ trilogy.


----------



## Miss Meggie

*Peril At End House* by Agatha Christie


----------



## Rabitt09

The Gate by Francois Bizot.


----------



## huh

PHP Objects, Patterns and Practice (third edition)

Enjoying it so far. I've already done a fair amount of OOP in PHP, but I'm interested in its discussion of design patterns.


----------



## Belshazzar

Fiction:









Non-Fiction:


----------



## SilentOrchestra

"Understanding Misunderstandings:A practical guide to more successful human interaction." by Robert L. Young.

Take that SA! >


----------



## emptybottle2

Rereading one of the favorites:


----------



## strawberryjulius

Belshazzar said:


> Fiction:


There's a book dedicated to me? Sweet!


----------



## Belshazzar

strawberryjulius said:


> There's a book dedicated to me? Sweet!


Well, there's another one, but I don't know if you want to know about it.









(by the Marquis de Sade)


----------



## strawberryjulius

Not him. D:


----------



## Squirrelevant

_Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast: The Evolutionary Origins of Belief _by Lewis Wolpert.


----------



## refined_rascal

50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God - Guy P. harrison


----------



## retropat

"All That Remains" by Patricia Cornwell.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

refined_rascal said:


> 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God - Guy P. harrison


Ohmigoodness i need to read this book.


----------



## fern

Things The Grandchildren Should Know - Mark Everett

(I haven't read it yet, but it's at the top of my 'to buy' list for the next time I go to the book store)


----------



## Slim Shady

The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand


----------



## feelgoodlost

I'm reading a game of thrones. It's the first book in an epic fantasy series called a song of ice and fire. I'm only halfway through it but it might just be my favourite book already.


----------



## sociallyretarded

A Happy Death by Albert Camus and Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. Yes, two completely different genres


----------



## Neptunus

_A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy_ by William B. Irvine.


----------



## introvert33

feelgoodlost said:


> I'm reading a game of thrones. It's the first book in an epic fantasy series called a song of ice and fire. I'm only halfway through it but it might just be my favourite book already.


Hearing this is bitter-sweet, because I can tell you the series is great (although the fourth book was only half the characters so only half the depth in my opinion), but I don't know if the author will ever finish it. Its been years since the last book and I don't even know if I will pick it up again if he does because I've forgotten so much; I lost sight of his trail to follow another and don't know if I have the energy to walk back to try and find it.


----------



## Lasair




----------



## SomeRandomGuy

i got done reading The Corner by David Simon recently.

next up, looking for a complete copy of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, with the Middle English and the translation on facing pages, with good footnotes. so far i have not found such a book. found something close, but it was missing a few of the minor stories.


----------



## feelgoodlost

introvert33 said:


> Hearing this is bitter-sweet, because I can tell you the series is great (although the fourth book was only half the characters so only half the depth in my opinion), but I don't know if the author will ever finish it. Its been years since the last book and I don't even know if I will pick it up again if he does because I've forgotten so much; I lost sight of his trail to follow another and don't know if I have the energy to walk back to try and find it.


I'm glad i'm getting into the series late because of that. I'm anxious to see what the HBO series is like next year (if only I had HBO). Maybe if you watch that it will give you the energy to find that trail again.


----------



## introvert33

hmm...I do vaguely remember hearing this. I don't get HBO either, but who knows


----------



## lucyinthesky

Nabokov's Lectures on Russian Literature 
And North and South- Elizabeth Gaskell


----------



## Cleary




----------



## emptybottle2

Cleary, I love that book! _Grotesque _by that author is just as great, btw. Really f**king twisted female characters.


----------



## Northern Lights

"Revelation" by C.J. Sansom.

I just love the Shardlake series! :yes


----------



## Cleary

emptybottle2 said:


> Cleary, I love that book! _Grotesque _by that author is just as great, btw. Really f**king twisted female characters.


_Grotesque _is next on my to read list . I checked both of these books out when I went to the library yesterday.


----------



## anonymid

W. J. Bate's biography of Keats.


----------



## Arkturus

The Cave - Jose Saramago


----------



## Miss Meggie

*Poirot Loses A Client* by Agatha Christie


----------



## psychogurl

Pandora's Daughter by Iris Johansen


----------



## sansd

"Writing Under Pressure: The Quick Writing Process"


----------



## mooncake




----------



## pita

^
I love that book so much.

I'm reading this:










and this:


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

Preacher comics


They rule


----------



## Paragon

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (i can't even pronounce that). Good so far.


----------



## christacat

Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis


----------



## TheDaffodil

_Men and Cartoons_ by Jonathan Lethem. If audiobooks count, too, _Player Piano_ by Kurt Vonnegut.


----------



## huh

huh said:


> PHP Objects, Patterns and Practice (third edition)
> 
> Enjoying it so far. I've already done a fair amount of OOP in PHP, but I'm interested in its discussion of design patterns.


Finished. I'm going to re-read some Kant for a bit then start on _The Pragmatic Programmer_.


----------



## retropat

Just finished "A Monstrous Regiment of Women" by Laurie R. King and now onto "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" by Alan Bradley.


----------



## stephmae




----------



## seafolly

It took me about 200 pages to really get into it but now it's got me.  I'm quite excited to see the movie, both the Swedish version and the upcoming American one.


----------



## Organism

The Plot Against America ~ Philip Roth


----------



## EagerMinnow84

seafolly said:


> It took me about 200 pages to really get into it but now it's got me.  I'm quite excited to see the movie, both the Swedish version and the upcoming American one.


It is a shame that the author died before the novels were published.


----------



## Misanthropic

Paragon said:


> The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (i can't even pronounce that). Good so far.


I almost ordered that.

I finished Interview With the Vampire (still reading Stardust, I always read two novels at the same time) and now I'm reading My Soul To Keep by Tananarive Due. I love it, it's entertaining as hell. It's about this 500 year old immortal and his 'race' of people are afraid that he'll reveal their secret to the outside world but he wants to turn his wife and child into one of them which is forbidden.


----------



## Belshazzar




----------



## Were

the giver by lois lowry


----------



## LostPancake

Arrested Development said:


> Neuromancer - William Gibson


One of my favorite books, ever. :boogie


----------



## seafolly

EagerMinnow84 said:


> It is a shame that the author died before the novels were published.


I agree! There's some form of legal dispute with the live-in girlfriend he had that I believe is technically a common law wife after a certain period of time. She had some involvement with the novels of course, living with the author all that time, and I THINK the family claimed all (or most of?) the profit. It's a really sad story.

On a brighter note, all finished and getting comfy in bed to start the next book.


----------



## emptybottle2




----------



## Misanthropic

emptybottle2 said:


>


This also sounds interesting


----------



## emptybottle2

^It's worth checking out if you're into dark sci-fi or dystopian fiction. Even though the Russian cultural references are sailing over my head, I'm enjoying it so far. It helps that it's funny rather than depressing.


----------



## sansd

_Of Human Bondage_ by W. Somerset Maugham


----------



## Misanthropic

I started Ender In Exile and it's as good as Ender's Game. I love it


----------



## refined_rascal

Hitch 22: a memoir - Christopher Hitchens.


----------



## anonymid

Still working on the Keats bio as well. I think it's been months since I actually finished a book. I've been a lazy reader this summer.


----------



## retropat

Recently finished "Cruel & Unusual" by Patricia Cornwell. Now onto "C is for Corpse" by Sue Grafton.


----------



## introvert33

I just started Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko. Off to a good start, have heard good things, but its too soon to tell.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I just finished _"The Years Of Rice & Salt By Kim Stanley Robinson"_ the other day & started _"1984 By George Orwell"_. I also may pick up Solaris soon to read after 1984


----------



## Squid24

_Roughing It_ by Mark Twain


----------



## shyguydan222

For some strange reason I read the Twilight Saga series and now I am reading Stephanie Myers other book entitled "The Host". I am also in the midst of reading a comic called, "Scott Pilgrim: Precious Little Life".


----------



## miminka

*The Grass Harp* by Truman Capote. Just finished _Sulphuric Acid_ by Amelie Nothomb yesterday and _A Clockwork Orange_ by Anthony Burgess the day before.


----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## Arkturus

Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie


----------



## Slim Shady

Just started on Interpretation of Dreams by Freud


----------



## Dub16

I cant remember the name of it. But its a great read. half way through it now and I'd highly recommend it!


oh aye, its called "Black Hearts: One platoon's descent into madness in Iraq's triangle of death"

Not the type of thing I'd normally read but its interesting alright!


----------



## pita

The History of Emily Montague.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Giving Jane Eyre a break to read a short novel called...










Meh. Thankfully it is only 193 pages and I am up to page 100. I cannot believe this won the Booker Prize. I loved Atonement, which was also written by Ian McEwan.


----------



## emptybottle2

Highly entertained by this book:










A series of misadventures, eccentric, misanthropic characters, witty, demented, moving, imaginative, philosophical. Reviews have compared it to John Irving and A Confederacy of Dunces. It's the perfect summer-y book to read outside.


----------



## Lasair




----------



## Misanthropic

To Kill A Mockingbird is really good


----------



## Shooterrr

1984 - George Orwell


----------



## Lasair

Misanthropic said:


> To Kill A Mockingbird is really good


Oh I studied that in school - really should read it again


----------



## Squirrelevant




----------



## kiwichick

"What Alice Forgot" By Liane Moriarty(Australian author)
Mums you have to read this!! I could not put this book down!!
You really can only appreciate this book if you have had children and are married(or in relationship). It really demonstates how people and things can change over time.


----------



## Glacial

Half Broke Horses

Reallly good book.


----------



## strawberryjulius

_Deprivers _by Steven-Elliot Altman. Really enjoying this so far.


----------



## Gorillaz

Rereading Firestarter by Stephen King. Love that book.


----------



## mooncake




----------



## Belshazzar

emptybottle2 said:


> Highly entertained by this book:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A series of misadventures, eccentric, misanthropic characters, witty, demented, moving, imaginative, philosophical. Reviews have compared it to John Irving and A Confederacy of Dunces. It's the perfect summer-y book to read outside.


I'll have to check this one out. If it's half as good as Confederacy, that means it's awesome.

Now reading:


----------



## BetaBoy90

Yay


----------



## mooncake

BetaBoy90 said:


> ...
> 
> Yay


Can't quite see that... little small, no? :b

I'm still reading Assassin's Apprentice (which I'm quite liking! It's nice to get stuck into some fantasy again) but I'm also reading a few of Kafka's short stories as well now. Theys makes for good bath reading.


----------



## Infexxion

Right now I'm halfway through Mass Effect: Revelation then I hope to start Mass Effect: Ascension


----------



## Aloysius

The Last Templar - Raymond Khoury


----------



## Sonopa

Dune by Frank Herbert


----------



## Lasair

Love the way she writes


----------



## anriqueroy

I just finished reading Breaking Dawn. Pretty good book...an right now I just started to read a book on the design of iPhone applications, and on my laptop I am also reading another book of PHP and Javascript.


----------



## HannahG

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. Really good book. I've read 400/550 pages so far. I love it so far and I'm so glad I randomly found it at the bookstore. I've had so many books that I read that were boring or so-so that it was getting annoying.


----------



## EmptyRoom

I picked up To Kill A Mockingbird a week ago, I'm nearly half way done.
I'm hoping the plot picks up soon.


----------



## Scottman200

The book I'm currently reading, albeit sporadically, haha, is "Johannes Cabal: The Necromancer" by Jonathan L. Howard. It's about a necromancer...well, I don't really know the plot beyond, need to get farther into, lol.


----------



## Squirrelevant




----------



## Mc Borg

Mental Radio by Upton Sinclair


----------



## Belshazzar

Reading here and there from The Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Richard Feynman and re-reading sections from The End of Science by John Horgan. Also ordered A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz


----------



## Manic Monkey

Shadow Wave by Robert Muchamore and Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter.


----------



## strawberryjulius

_Me, Myself, and Them: A Firsthand Account of One Young Person's Experience with Schizophrenia _- Kurt Snyder et al. The closest way I can find out what my Nanna feels like.  I miss her.


----------



## imt

_The Way of Shadows_ by Brent Weeks


----------



## leonardess

Look at The Birdie - K Vonnegut

interesting early short stories that show the development of a master storyteller.


----------



## amoeba

The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett


----------



## huh

Can't let this thread slip past page 3! Get reading you slackers 

I finally finished _Life Ascending_. That took longer than it should have. Mostly because I read other stuff in-between. Nick Lane is a great author though. It was a good read all the way through.

Just started _The Mythical Man Month_.


----------



## anonymid

_Operation *******_ - Philip Roth


----------



## huh

Just finished _The Moral Landscape_. I'll probably go back over some parts of it in the.next day or two as I think it over.

Not to sure what I'll start on next....I did.pick up a book on myths in popular psychology that looked interesting, so maybe I'll start that.


----------



## introvert33

Mc Borg said:


> Mental Radio by Upton Sinclair


Really? You are! My Boss is writing a biography of Sinclair, so learning quite a bit about him.


----------



## alfredd88

I was about to start reading "the Mists of Avalon" i hope it will be interesting. Actually some days back one of my friend had read it & he was really impressed!!!


----------



## huh

I started reading _The Myth of Repressed Memory_. I'm about a third of the way through it so far. It's a really interesting/provocative read on a touchy subject.


----------



## EmptyRoom




----------



## grigori

_The Dragons of Eden_ by Carl Sagan


----------



## layitontheline

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley


----------



## nork123

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk


----------



## Slim Shady

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance


----------



## BetaBoy90

Finished Notes From Underground and now and going to read The Bell Jar, I can't wait


----------



## Revierypone

Am in the middle of reading "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "Rant." Clearly can't decide.


----------



## Cleary




----------



## woot

The 4-Hour Work Week


----------



## Giraffe

Presently reading the first book of Javier Marias's _Your Face Tomorrow_ trilogy, _Fever and Spear_.



BetaBoy90 said:


> ...going to read The Bell Jar, I can't wait


For a fun challenge, try reading it as a dark comedy.


----------



## CeilingStarer

The 12th Planet - Zecharia Sitchin.


----------



## mooncake

All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque.


----------



## Wrangler

just finished reading : No Angel : My Harrowing Undercover Journey to the Inner Circle of the Hells Angels by Jay Dobyns.

About to start : The Eight Pillars of Greek Wisdom : What You Can Learn from Classical Myth and History


----------



## Belshazzar




----------



## Belshazzar

anonymid said:


> _Operation *******_ - Philip Roth


How is that? I've only read American Pastoral.


----------



## anonymid

Belshazzar said:


> How is that? I've only read American Pastoral.


I love it, though it may not be the best Roth novel to pick up if you're not well-acquainted with his earlier work (it's one of many novels of his in which he himself is the main character, and in which his literary celebrity as established by his earlier books is a major theme). _Goodbye, Columbus_ and _Portnoy's Complaint_ are his most famous early books, and the controversies surrounding them--especially the latter--inform a lot of his later work; if you want to get into Roth, that's probably where you need to start.

Otherwise, knowing that you're a baseball fan, I'd highly recommend _The Great American Novel_, which is just a wonderfully farcical, over-the-top novel about a fictional baseball league set in the McCarthy era. It's not one of his best-known books, but I think you'd like it a lot.


----------



## Moronar

Dark Tower book VII, Stephen King.


----------



## velvet1

Closer To The Light
Friendship With God
Do Dead People Watch You Shower?


----------



## Keith

Revierypone said:


> Am in the middle of reading "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "Rant." Clearly can't decide.


Nice I'm reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" too atm.


----------



## sadeyes




----------



## Neptunus

Belshazzar said:


>


 Sweet! :lol


----------



## LessThanThree

Just finished Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.

I'm not sure what I want to read next at the moment.


----------



## Neptunus




----------



## Deathinmusic

An online friend from another country actually bought me this! We had been discussing the possibility of both of us having Asperger's...


----------



## Belshazzar

anonymid said:


> I love it, though it may not be the best Roth novel to pick up if you're not well-acquainted with his earlier work (it's one of many novels of his in which he himself is the main character, and in which his literary celebrity as established by his earlier books is a major theme). _Goodbye, Columbus_ and _Portnoy's Complaint_ are his most famous early books, and the controversies surrounding them--especially the latter--inform a lot of his later work; if you want to get into Roth, that's probably where you need to start.
> 
> Otherwise, knowing that you're a baseball fan, I'd highly recommend _The Great American Novel_, which is just a wonderfully farcical, over-the-top novel about a fictional baseball league set in the McCarthy era. It's not one of his best-known books, but I think you'd like it a lot.


I think I remember seeing Great American Novel on the shelf when I bought American Pastoral. I didn't realize there was controversy surrounding his work, but then again, I don't really know anything about him. I'll definitely check those out.


----------



## huh

Tonight I finished _Requiem for a Dream_ and _The Myth of Repressed Memory_. Going to start _50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology_ now.


----------



## Hunterhod

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell - Tucker Max

As crass as it is, I wish that I had just half of his disregard for what people think


----------



## anonymid

_The Life of Emily Dickinson_ - Richard B. Sewall


----------



## muse87

The Buddha of Suburbia
Jane Eyre


----------



## ChocolateBuNN

_Common Sense _-Thomas Paine


----------



## Steve123




----------



## NoDirectionHome

'Freakonomics - A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything'. It's highly interesting so far.


----------



## mooncake

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - Anne Brontë


----------



## thewall

_The Haçienda: How Not to Run a Club_ by Peter Hook


----------



## Wrangler

The Wild, Wild West : Thrilling Tales by Great Authors.


----------



## pita

What a hilarious book. Who knew paint colours could be "very ****ing diluted"?


----------



## kiirby

Crime and Punishment - Dostoevsky


----------



## Wrangler

ChocolateBuNN said:


> _Common Sense _-Thomas Paine


 One of my favorite works of all time.


----------



## anonymid

_Sabbath's Theater_ - Philip Roth


----------



## huh

Finished _50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology_, starting _The Emerald Planet_.


----------



## rockguitarist89

"How to Lie with Statistics" - Darrell Huff


----------



## Ironpain

Suffer the children by John Saul (also reading Whispers by Dean Koontz trying to get back into Dean Koontz while discovering John Saul) If you want a book to truly scare you read Suffer the children (that little girl Elizabeth is like nothing I've ever encountered in fiction, if any one person was considered evil it would be her but read it and you'll see why (Shivers at one of the scenes, Shuts eyes) and this is coming from a guy who has read Stephen King and watched Unsolved Mysteries at night and listened to the eerie theme song. John Saul did things in that book that are so daring your just shocked.


----------



## alfredd88

These days i m reading a book named "No more a human being" & its really good


----------



## KumagoroBeam

Cosmic Trigger by Robert Anton Wilson

I love that man.


----------



## muse87

The Crying of Lot 49
Jane Eyre (still reading)
Buddha of Suburbia (still reading)


----------



## huh

I finished _The Emerald Planet_ tonight. It was a really interesting book on plant evolution. I'm going to start _Complexity: A Guided Tour_. I'm already a few chapters in since I stopped at the book store last weekend to check it out before buying it.


----------



## this portrait

_If You Could See Me Now_ by Peter Straub


----------



## Misanthropic

I'll start Watership Down tomorrow. I'm still reading To Kill A Mockingbird since I've been spending most of my free time on the internet.


----------



## Giraffe

Just finished _Vox_ by Nicholson Baker. Felt scandalous reading it on the train.

I'll start Tom McCarthy's _Remainder_ at some point tomorrow after my exam.


----------



## miminka

_Fear and Trembling_ by Amélie Nothomb.


----------



## grigori

_The Manufacture of Madness: A Comparative Study of the Inquisition and the Mental Health Movement_ by Thomas Szasz.


----------



## papaSmurf

I just finished Perdido Street Station, by China Miéville, the other day. Easily one of the most imaginative books I've read in years.


----------



## mooncake

Slowly making my way through _Villette_ by Charlotte Brontë at the moment... trying to get all my assignments completed for other modules whilst also staying on track with my reading lists is proving a nightmare!

I'm hoping I can squeeze a few reading hours in during my mega train journey at the weekend, provided no one sits next to me that is... I can never read whilst sitting close by others. Stay away! :wife


----------



## Gorillaz

1984


----------



## leonardess

Anna Karenina.


----------



## Your Crazy

Sherlock Holmes

I'm only on page 23, and this book is already the ****.


----------



## BetaBoy90

Catch 22 finally! Hopefully it is as good as most people say it is!


----------



## leonardess

^it is!


----------



## anonymid

leonardess said:


> Anna Karenina.


No kidding! Just started rereading it myself.


----------



## leonardess

oh wow, seriously? I made a mistake, though. I bought the audiobook. I cannot concentrate on it that way. I have to have the printed word. I've got the gist of the first couple of parts, but the problem is I started reading it to see exactly why some refer to it as possibly the world's greatest novel. I find it impossible to analyse simply by listening to it. 

After that, the Divine Comedy.


----------



## anonymid

leonardess said:


> oh wow, seriously? I made a mistake, though. I bought the audiobook. I cannot concentrate on it that way. I have to have the printed word. I've got the gist of the first couple of parts, but the problem is I started reading it to see exactly why some refer to it as possibly the world's greatest novel. I find it impossible to analyse simply by listening to it.
> 
> After that, the Divine Comedy.


I've never even tried listening to something on audiobook. Given my attention span, it would be pretty pointing. I really need the printed words in front of me (and a pen/pencil for underlinin'!).

Ha, I finally got around to reading most of the Divine Comedy earlier this year. I abandoned it about halfway through the Paradiso, but I'll try to return to it sooner rather than later. Can't get that close to the end without finishing.


----------



## Wrangler




----------



## Lasair

Taking me a long time due to college work


----------



## LostPancake

The Freud Reader, edited by Peter Gay

Oh my God, this stuff is amazing and crazy, at the same time.


----------



## cold fission cure

Is it a Plant or an Animal? Your Guide to the Outside


----------



## AliBaba

I'm on page 3 of Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policemen's Union and I think page 20 of Stephen King's Wizard & Glass (Dark Tower 4).


----------



## Steve123

Just finished








Apparently I am highly illogical

Just picked up


----------



## Kanashi

De la liberté by John Stuart Mill. 
Artemis Cruz by Carlos Fuentes.
El águila y la serpiente by Martín Luis Guzmán 
Black feminism thought...by Patricia Hill Collins

I tend to read many books at the same time. Not sure why...


----------



## Steve123

Kanashi said:


> De la liberté by John Stuart Mill.
> Artemis Cruz by Carlos Fuentes.
> El águila y la serpiente by Martín Luis Guzmán
> Black feminism thought...by Patricia Hill Collins
> 
> I tend to read many books at the same time. Not sure why...


Are you a polyglot reader?


----------



## Kanashi

Steve123 said:


> Are you a polyglot reader?


Yep:yes


----------



## Steve123

Kanashi said:


> Yep:yes


 Aw, I admire that. I can barely read in one language :b


----------



## alfredd88

I am going to start reading either banking or _79 Park Avenue_


----------



## shadowmask

Spawn: Armaggedon and a bunch of Jack London short stories.


----------



## leonardess

^oooh, he was very good with the short story form. The classic To Build A Fire is my favourite. post later about how you like it, yeah?


----------



## Mc Borg

I'm going to start reading this:


----------



## TheDaffodil

_Cat's Cradle_ by Kurt Vonnegut.


----------



## huh

I just finished _Complexity: A Guided Tour_. Tonight I started _Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain_.


----------



## Cheesecake

The Life of Pi.


----------



## Belshazzar

Mc Borg said:


> I'm going to start reading this:


That's a good one.

Just finished this:


----------



## Kanashi

Cheesecake said:


> The Life of Pi.


^loved that book!



Steve123 said:


> Aw, I admire that. I can barely read in one language :b


Well I spent a while learning them. There're are other things that suffered from that. I think being as bad as I am in math should be illegal:teeth...We all have our specialities.


----------



## farfegnugen

Camus's The Plague
The Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years by Shah
Idiot's Guide to Adult ADHD
Protein Chemistry Text
A couple of papers
and an old "Far Side" book by Larson

It is no wonder I can't keep my focus on one thing at once.


----------



## miminka

My friend said he couldn't even finish it. Which worried me the first time I read it, seeing as his apartment is pretty much a library.


----------



## huh

I took a small break from Antonio Damosio's new book to read Peter Singers _The Life You Can Save_. He makes a strong argument. Strong enough to make me increase the amount I typically donate.

I also noticed that V.S. Ramachandran's new book, _The Tell Tale Brain_, is due out this next January. I look forward to it


----------



## layitontheline

Catch 22


----------



## Keith

Been reading the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe during my battles with insomnia the past few nights forgot how cool his stories are. Its cool to reread them even though i know them all so well.


----------



## Josh90

61 Hours by Lee Child


----------



## Still Waters

Slaughter House Five- Kurt Vonnegut 
At my library they have a list of the top 100 books-I'm going to try to read them all-not sure if I can make it,but that's my goal.


----------



## AliBaba

Still Waters said:


> Slaughter House Five- Kurt Vonnegut


I've read this book at least 5 times. How high did it rank on the list?


----------



## Still Waters

AliBaba said:


> I've read this book at least 5 times. How high did it rank on the list?


I'm sorry,I really don't remember. I felt self-conscious standing there reading the list (silly,I know). I'm going back next week and will ask if they have a copy I can have. I'll let you know then.- A tad surprised,didn't realize there would be a bit of a science fiction angle but I like it!:yes


----------



## retropat

I just finished rereading the first three Harry Potter books. I'm currently reading "From Potter's Field" by Patricia Cornwell.


----------



## BetaBoy90

layitontheline said:


> Catch 22


I am reading this book as well. Would you like to come together as two people and possibly try forming some sort of book club? It won't be as epic as the one Oprah has going, but I'll guarantee you that there will be less ego feeding involved in our book club.


----------



## Cest La Vie

Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber


----------



## RyeCatcher86

Der Butt - Günter Grass


----------



## leonardess

Sex At Dawn
On the Origin of Species
On Natural Selection
the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the whatever


----------



## Silent Waste

finishes 3 mistakes in my life by Chetan Bhagat

planning to start Harry potter 4 th part....


----------



## harrynia

I'm reading the Mists of Avalon. It's a chick book. I'm also reading the Tao Te Ching.


----------



## slyfox

The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson. The parts with the humans can be a little boring, but liking the scenes from a fox's perspective. It is taking me forever to read tho, because I haven't been reading much lately.


----------



## BKrakow

I'm about 1/3 through Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson and I just started Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut. Both are excellent (so far).


----------



## AliBaba

bkitty1 said:


> I'm about 1/3 through Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson and I just started Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut. Both are excellent (so far).


That's some good readin'.


----------



## Indian

Fifth MOuntain By paulo coelho..Really inspiring work...


----------



## Were

Still Waters said:


> Slaughter House Five- Kurt Vonnegut


I really like that book. I'm reading the Mockingjay now, so it goes.


----------



## Misanthropic

To Kill A Mockingbird, Watership Down and Slaughterhouse-Five.


----------



## anonymid

_The Odes of John Keats_ - Helen Vendler

Also still working on the Emily Dickinson bio and _Anna Karenina_ (about halfway through each).


----------



## Mc Borg




----------



## rosebudxo

The Unclaimed Duchess

I am like on Chapter 7 and it's a pretty good book so far.


----------



## Cest La Vie

Selling Sickness


----------



## Rixy

Y: The last man


----------



## whiterabbit

_The Crossing_ by Cormac McCarthy, and _Frankenstein_.


----------



## Steve123

Alternating between










and


----------



## retropat

"My Reading Life" by Pat Conroy


----------



## Wrangler

The Odyssey


----------



## Perfectionist

Fungi lectures!

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.


----------



## Gorillaz

the lost symbol - dan brown


----------



## PaFfanatic

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I've had the books forever but I never really got into them until now. Go figure


----------



## SociallyBroken

I'm reading goldy locks and the 3 bears ... hehehe


----------



## leonardess

The New Mystery.
still working on origin of species. probably until 3011.


----------



## leonardess

need2bnormal said:


> I'm reading goldy locks and the 3 bears ... hehehe


showoff.


----------



## gopherinferno

I just finished The Monk by Matthew Lewis. Good lord O.O


----------



## Emptyheart

The complete dream book by Gillian holloway

I read dream interpretation books alot


----------



## LostPancake

Huston Smith, The Religions of Man

It's really good. Probably not as good as Harry Potter and the whatever though.


----------



## leonardess

^ha. Religions of Man sounds nice too.


----------



## Sanctus

The Divine comedy 
Assassin and the Prophet


----------



## Belshazzar




----------



## huh

I started re-reading _The Working Poor: Invisible in America_. It's a really good book...lots of depressing stories, but well worth the read.


----------



## EmptyRoom

H.G. Wells - The Time Machine


----------



## GuyMontag

I am currently reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.


----------



## Lasair




----------



## emptybottle2




----------



## Lumiere

_The Voice Book_ by Michael McCallion.
My voice is so quiet and I strain to be heard, so I bought this.


----------



## miminka

I have to admit to liking his earlier short stories better (_The Grass Harp_) but Capote is my favourite anyways.


----------



## denimass

Reading is my hobby and at a moment i am reading spy stories of popular detective Sherlock Holmes. I like to read spy stories and i am big fan of Sherlock Holmes too.


----------



## grigori

_Running on Emptiness: The Pathology of Civilization_ by John Zerzan


----------



## Melinda

"Interview With the Vampire" by Anne Rice. I'm actually listening to it, since I have the audiobook...does that count?


----------



## tutliputli




----------



## mjhea0

The Corrections. It's better the second time around ..


----------



## redoak

Chart Throb by Ben Elton - It's not his best book but better than I expected. I do quite like his cynical humour


----------



## AlisonWonderland




----------



## Hyzenthlay

Or will be soon, at any rate.


----------



## pita

He was my favourite writer when I was in high school, but after reading this, I think I'm pretty much done with his stuff. Every single bloody character is him. There's even a _glossary_ at the back, forchristsake. Yeah, done.


----------



## viv

mjhea0 said:


> The Corrections. It's better the second time around ..


Or the third, or the fourth....



pita said:


> He was my favourite writer when I was in high school, but after reading this, I think I'm pretty much done with his stuff. Every single bloody character is him. There's even a _glossary_ at the back, forchristsake. Yeah, done.


I've read most of Coupland's novels, but I cannot for the life of me remember enough to tell them apart. They're all too similar. Kind of like Wodehouse's Jeeves canon, but without the wit.


----------



## charliechaplin500

Anna Karenina by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, really great insights into the human psyche.


----------



## leonardess

still slogging through Origin, an annotated version. now on page 5.


----------



## blair

the perks of being a wallflower - Stephen Chbosky


----------



## huh

Pro PHP XML and Web Services

Yeah, that's right. I'm reading a book about XML in my spare time. How has my life come to this? I think I'll go cry in a corner or something.


----------



## EunieLuv

Just finished Dark Symphony, now I'm starting on Dark Possession, both by Christine Feehan, then when I finish that I'm moving on to Fang by James Patterson.


----------



## soonakhari

Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho


----------



## rockyraccoon

The Book of Job


----------



## pita

viv said:


> Or the third, or the fourth....
> 
> I've read most of Coupland's novels, but I cannot for the life of me remember enough to tell them apart. They're all too similar. Kind of like Wodehouse's Jeeves canon, but without the wit.


Microserfs stands out for me. Everything else is kind of a Coupland blur.


----------



## viv

pita said:


> Microserfs stands out for me. Everything else is kind of a Coupland blur.


The one that stands out for me is Eleanor Rigby. And maybe The Gum Thief. I'd kind of like to see that last one made into a movie, actually.


----------



## sansd

An Introduction to Information Theory by John R. Pierce


----------



## melissa75

Room by Emma Donoghue


----------



## coldmorning

The Disappearing Spoon


----------



## leonardess

Now on page 10 of Origin.


----------



## Lumiere




----------



## anonymid

_A Study in Scarlet_ - Arthur Conan Doyle


----------



## anonymid

"The Steppe" - Anton Chekhov


----------



## Steve123

leonardess said:


> Now on page 10 of Origin.


 :b How many pages is it in total?


----------



## Rosedubh

Just finished Saturday by Ian McEwan , now i'm reading North and South and Hamlet!Yay.


----------



## anonymid

_The Numbers Game: Baseball's Lifelong Fascination with Statistics_ - Alan Schwarz










_Milton: Poet, Pamphleteer, Patriot_ - Anna Beer


----------



## BetaBoy90

Crime and Punishment


----------



## pita




----------



## marielabete

Kant's _Critique of Pure Reason._


----------



## Some Russian Guy

La Divina Commedia by Dante Alighieri


----------



## Gorillaz

The Great Gatsby


----------



## Glue

Just finished Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris

next:
Final Exit by Derek Humphry
Looks by Gordon Patzer


----------



## steelmyhead

Book 5 of Harry Potter.


----------



## whiterabbit

Cities of the Plain by Cormac McCarthy


----------



## Misanthropic

Watership Down (Richard Adams), Tigana (Guy Gavriel Kay) and I'll probably start The Living Blood by Tananarive Due tomorrow.


----------



## emptybottle2

aka _The Unbearable Whiteness of Being_

pretty good writing though


----------



## leonardess

setting aside Origin for a while:

Guns Germs and Steel
Slavery: A World History


----------



## Purple Pen

Playing With Fire


----------



## Larkspur

The Prestige by Christopher Priest


----------



## grigori

Walden and Other Writings of Henry David Thoreau.



Some Russian Guy said:


> La Divina Commedia by Dante Alighieri


I read Inferno years ago and loved it, but got a bit bored and stopped half way through Purgatorio. I've been meaning to pick it back up but never get around to it.


----------



## Johny

HP Lovecraft, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. 
Spooky Stuff.


----------



## ImWeird

The Next 100 Years by George Friedman


----------



## iuseings

unaccustomed earth by jhumpa lahiri


----------



## anonymid

"The Duel" - Anton Chekhov


----------



## GuyMontag

Look at the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut


----------



## OtherGlove

Bound For Glory (Woody Guthrie's autobiography)
and 
Second Space by Czeslaw Milosz
and
The Man who mistook his wife for a hat, here and there. Great short essays from Oliver sacks about some of his patients. Great for anyone just starting to get into psychology. I always keep it out somewhere


----------



## Lasair

And


----------



## Miss Meggie

*Medium Raw* by Anthony Bourdain


----------



## anonymid




----------



## CeilingStarer

A Metallica bio called "Enter Night" I got for Christmas. Meh, but I'll read it all.

I got a book voucher for Xmas, and just ordered:

End Game Volumes 1 & 2 - Derrick Jensen
The Resilient Gardener: Food Production & Self-reliance in Uncertain Times - Carol Deppe
Wild Food Plants of Australia: Field Guide - Tim Low
The Book of the Damned - Charles Fort


----------



## BlueJayWay

Animal Farm - George Orwell


----------



## BetaBoy90

Outliers- Malcolm Gladwell


----------



## Gorillaz

BlueJayWay said:


> Animal Farm - George Orwell


 Good book. 
Just read 1984.


----------



## brokenandlonely

Currently I'm reading the Fight Club book.


----------



## tutliputli

Really fascinating book. Tim Burton talking about the inspiration behind his work and what a weird, introverted person he was growing up.


----------



## felula

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer


----------



## pita

I'm on a Hardy kick right now.


----------



## grigori

brokenandlonely said:


> Currently I'm reading the Fight Club book.


Great book. Definitely Palahniuk's best work.


----------



## anonymid




----------



## Cest La Vie

On the Road- Jack Kerouac


----------



## Giraffe

Re-reading _Infinite Jest_.


----------



## Glue

The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff


----------



## laura024

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf for my British Fiction class.


----------



## ak2218

Walking With the Green Man by dr. bob curran


----------



## Cest La Vie

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde 
Junky - William S. Burroughs


----------



## LostPancake

Old self help books, pre psycho babble. They're quite good, and short (just skip the parts about talking to dead people in the second one )

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/4507/4507-h/4507-h.htm
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/13142/pg13142.html


----------



## anonymid

_The Sign of Four_ - Arthur Conan Doyle


----------



## whiterabbit

_Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life: The Country Stories of Roald Dahl_, and some short stories by Oscar Wilde.


----------



## Resonance

_Hard Times - _Charles Dickens


----------



## leonardess

medical terminology for dummies


----------



## Snow Bunny

The Pyramid of Doom by Andy....something.


----------



## Glue

Transgender Voices: Beyond Women and Men by Lori B. Girshick


----------



## cafune

I have a couple of books that I'm currently reading:
_Pride and Prejudice_ - Jane Austen
_The Hobbit_ - J.R.R. Tolkien 
_Gone_ - Michael Grant
_The Divine Comedy_ - Dante
_The Grand Design _- Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow


----------



## whiterabbit

_Winter's Bone_ by Daniel Woodrell


----------



## Gorillaz

Live Laugh Love said:


> _The Grand Design _- Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow


Just started that too. 
Also finishing up The Alchemist-Paulo Coelho


----------



## BetaBoy90

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison


----------



## anonymid




----------



## leonardess

^ book about balls! fantastic.


----------



## GooGav

The Nella Last Diaries.


----------



## Yozo

BetaBoy90 said:


> Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison


good book.

a happy death by albert camus


----------



## Cest La Vie

Hoping to start The Power of One by Bryce Courtney tomorrow.


----------



## whiterabbit

_We Need to Talk About Kevin_ by Lionel Shriver


----------



## Glue

Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft by Sir Walter Scott


----------



## caflme

Pricing sheets for ostomy and incontinent supplies... brought home from work to get it finished by deadline.


----------



## leonardess

^ sounds like your bag.....sorry.


Role Models - John Waters


----------



## anonymid




----------



## EmptyRoom

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne


----------



## miminka




----------



## caflme

caflme said:


> Pricing sheets for ostomy and incontinent supplies... brought home from work to get it finished by deadline.





leonardess said:


> ^ sounds like your bag.....sorry.
> 
> Role Models - John Waters


Haha


----------



## mooncake

Just about to re-read _Great Expectations_ for my new English Lit. module. The rate at which my lecturers expect us all to get through their reading lists is mind-blowing!


----------



## Larkspur

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann


----------



## softshock11

tackling Ayn Rand's extremely detailed extraordinary story...phew! wish me luck


----------



## purplefruit

Not sure I like it so far...her writing style is irritating me. Might dump it in favour of reading something else.


----------



## Monroee

_The Interpretation of Dreams_ by Sigmund Freud.


----------



## lucyinthesky

AudreyHepburn said:


>


I tried reading Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky recently but could never get into it :/ Maybe I'll persevere and try some of his other stuff. Just re-read Hamlet... fancied a bit of doom and gloom... and now finishing Speak, Memory by Nabokov which I started far too long ago.


----------



## emptybottle2

Really strange. It's like Lord of the Flies meets Treasure Island, but darker and more disturbing.



AudreyHepburn said:


>


Been meaning to read this because I really dug The Slaves of Solitude.


----------



## deanna57

"Bag of Bones" by Stephen King


----------



## Cheesecake

Cheater's Guide to Baseball. I can't remember who the author is. 
I was in my university's library with nothing to do, but then I found this book. It isn't too bad. Some nice baseball information.


----------



## Yozo

notes from underground by dostoevsky


----------



## Glue

-The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
-Aesop's Fables


----------



## bezoomny

_A Midsummer Night's Dream_ by Shakespeare (for a class)
_Odes_ by Horace (in Latin, for a class)
_Euthyphro_ by Plato (in Greek, for a class)
_Euthyphro_ and _Clitophon_ (English translations, for a class)
_L'Étranger_ by Albert Camus (in French, attempting to improve my vocab...)

_Pride and Prejudice_ by Jane Austen (for pleasure, I've actually never read it before)

Ah, college.


----------



## justine2691

I have to read _Wuthering Heights_ by Emily Bronte for my Women's Prose class; I know it's a classic and all, and _so_ many people have hyped it up as one of the best books ever written.....but I'm not enjoying it very much :S


----------



## Cest La Vie

Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell


----------



## Scurrilous




----------



## Yozo

selected prose of heinrich von kleist


----------



## Giraffe

A novel by a philosopher. It's going pretty well so far. Her writing is quite evocative, even if the plot is far from clear at this point.


----------



## BetaBoy90

Slaughterhouse 5


----------



## rockyraccoon

The Lonely Sea and The Sky by Sir Francis Chichester


----------



## rockyraccoon

justine2691 said:


> I have to read _Wuthering Heights_ by Emily Bronte for my Women's Prose class; I know it's a classic and all, and _so_ many people have hyped it up as one of the best books ever written.....but I'm not enjoying it very much :S


 I know where you are coming from. I started reading that book the other day, and I found it difficult to read. I could only get through about 30 pages in the first day, then I put it down and picked up something else to read.


----------



## heyJude

Unfortunately, I don't have time to read for fun anymore. I'm currently reading my biology textbook.


----------



## leonardess

The Raw Shark Texts


----------



## Karsten

This thread.


----------



## Slim Shady

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest


----------



## Giraffe

Quite an interesting read. It gives some indication of what's going through your therapist's head as you talk.


----------



## miminka

_Oliver Twist_ by Charles Dickens. Re-reading an old favourite.


----------



## Cheesecake

For Whom the Bell Tolls...


----------



## Medicine Man X

The Husband: Dean Koontz
Memoirs of an Invisible Man: H. F. Saint.

Love a good thriller!


----------



## whiterabbit

_Platform_ by Michel Houellebecq


----------



## Giraffe

A meaningful favorite, to be reread in one long session tomorrow: "A Dialogue on Love" by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick. I need it this weekend.


----------



## Monroee

_Get Me Out of Here: My Recovery From Borderline Personality Disorder_ by Rachel Reiland.


----------



## pita

Re-reading. I can't believe I forgot this is one of the best books of All Time.


----------



## Glue

South of No North by Charles Bukowski


----------



## huh

Today I finished reading _Pro PHP Application Performance_. I'm thinking about picking up a book on Powershell for work.


----------



## Gorillaz

Just After Sunset - Stephen King


----------



## leonardess

Homersxchild said:


> _Get Me Out of Here: My Recovery From Borderline Personality Disorder_ by Rachel Reiland.


I read that! it was such a great book, I loved it.


----------



## leonardess

Washington Driver's handbook. Absolutely crapulous.


----------



## retropat

"Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie.


----------



## anonymid

_Troilus and Criseyde_ - Chaucer


----------



## Cyberghost

I was reading a shorts stories by Anton Chekhov, but that was a few weeks ago, so nothing at the moment I guess.


----------



## rawrsmus

Halfway through a Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess


----------



## Cheesecake

^ How long did it take you to understand the slang?


----------



## rawrsmus

Cheesecake said:


> ^ How long did it take you to understand the slang?


Well, most of the words are easy to understand because the context they are into.
Some words I had to look up on the internet, so at the moment I can read it somewhat fluently without having to stop too much.


----------



## Pangur Ban

Redwall by Brian Jacques (I just recently found out that he passed away on Feb. 5)

I never liked reading 'till I started reading his books and the Harry Potter series when I was younger. 


R.I.P. Brian


----------



## leonardess

^ one of my favourites. it has hidden depth. please let me know what you think of it. I think it goes well beyond just being a love story.


----------



## virtue134

one second after

by......forgot the author. its about a emp striking usa and the survivors dealing with the aftermath.


----------



## Steve123

Conversationally Speaking by Alan Garner
Constructive Thinking by Seymour Epstein

Oh gosh I'm reading _TWO_ self help books at a time, WHAT HAVE I BECOME!!!!!???
Sigh.


----------



## leonardess

gilt said:


> ^ I will! Wuthering Heights is one of my favorites. This will be a good read if she can write near as well as her sister.


oh, I think she's certainly the equivalent. i actually prefer jane eyre to wuthering. it'll be interesting to see what you have to say.


----------



## rdrr

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.


----------



## leonardess

^ooh! let us know what you think of that too?


----------



## anonymid

_The Canzoniere_ - Petrarch (translated by Mark Musa)


----------



## Rosedubh

Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta.


----------



## lucyinthesky

Yayy Rosie :b One of my favourites by far. Just started that Stieg Larsson series to see what the fuss is/was about. Will probably give up soon, but we'll see


----------



## melissa75

leonardess said:


> oh, I think she's certainly the equivalent. i actually prefer jane eyre to wuthering. it'll be interesting to see what you have to say.


Ohhhh, me too! Wuthering Heights was my favorite until I read Jane Eyre. Love the Bronte's.


----------



## Rosedubh

Yeah Luce i love it  I read the first of the Larsson series, and i couldn't put it down, waiting for my friend to finsih the 2nd so i can start it!


----------



## room101

Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath


----------



## melissa75

room101 said:


> Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath


One of my favorites!!!

I'm currently reading "Touched With Fire" by Kay Redfield Jamison


----------



## Glue

Uncanny X-Force #5
Transsexualism: A Medical Retrospective by Sarah Seton


----------



## Giraffe

Rosedubh said:


> Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta.


The sound of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate.

(Or something like that, eh?)

Do you like it? I never quite know what to make of Nabokov. His writing is playful and fun to read, but sometimes I think that's all he's up to.


----------



## JohnParker

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Also the KJV Bible.

Last book I read: Flatland by Edward Abbot


----------



## leonardess

The Hunger Games


----------



## SarahClare

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
+
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.


----------



## stylicho

Just finished reading The Street Lawyer by John Grisham. Before that The Road.


----------



## Jcgrey




----------



## Giraffe

I listen to this fellow's podcast, called Entitled Opinions, and I've always been really impressed by him. So, I picked up his book _Gardens: An Essay on the Human Condition._


----------



## rawrsmus

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream
by Hunter S. Thompson


----------



## SarahClare

The Harry Potter series. :roll
Getting in touch with my childhood.


----------



## LostPancake

Foucault's Pendulum - looks good, like The Da Vinci Code, but more complex.


----------



## anonymid




----------



## yogafreak

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella


----------



## lucyinthesky

Like Water For Chocolate- Laura Esquivel


----------



## She

The Robber Bride - Margaret Atwood


----------



## StevenGlansberg

Started The Girl Who Played with Fire...hopefully I keep up with it.


----------



## mooncake

TheCollector said:


> Finished: _The Count of Monte Cristo _by Alexandre Dumas


What did you think? This one's been hovering about the top of my reading list for years now. I'm hoping to finally get around to starting it this summer.

I'm currently making my way through a heap of Jacobean drama for one of my English modules. Just finished The Revenger's Tragedy, now onto Volpone. I hadn't wanted to take this module initially, but now I'm finding it actually quite interesting, if a little gory!


----------



## writingupastorm

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Very odd and disturbing.


----------



## Resonance

Right now:
_
A Long Way Down_ by Nick Hornby
_Hard Times_ by Charles Dickens
_Notes from Underground _by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Yes, I like to read 4 books simultaneously.


----------



## rawrsmus

Great Expectations 
by Charles Dickens


----------



## lucyinthesky

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami


----------



## blair

_The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green _ by Joshua Braff


----------



## anonymid

_Measure for Measure_ - Shakespeare


----------



## blair

_I, Lucifer_ by Glen Duncan


----------



## Spindrift

_True Compass_ - Ted Kennedy


----------



## Glue

-A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor (I want to make love to her corpse. JUST JOKING!.. but seriously)
-The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway by Ernest Hemingway


----------



## anonymid

_All's Well That Ends Well_ - Shakespeare


----------



## anonymid

"The Story of an Unknown Man" - Anton Chekhov


----------



## Giraffe

_Listen, Little Man!_ by Wilhelm Reich


----------



## StevenGlansberg

StevenGlansberg said:


> Started The Girl Who Played with Fire...hopefully I keep up with it.


Halfway through this has gotten EXTREMELY good.


----------



## Vida

Rapunzel's Daughters - Rose Weitz


----------



## Spindrift

_State of Denial: Bush At War, Part III_ - Bob Woodward


----------



## alte

The Trial by Kafka


----------



## BetaBoy90

Breakfast of Champions- Kurt Vonnegut


----------



## atticusfinch

I am about to finish _American Psycho_ by *Bret Ellis* and OMG, WTF AM I READING. _so_ explicit in so many ways I want to vomit. Patrick Bateman- look at your life, look at your choices... man.

...but i guess that's what you get when reading something with 'psycho' in title.


----------



## Monroee

_The Metamorphoses_ by Ovid.
_Trauma & Abuse_ by Judith Herman. 
&
_The Bell Jar_ by Sylvia Plath.

The latter by the way is starting up with the SAS Book Club. Anyone interested, please join the eGroup!


----------



## Cleary

Finished the first one earlier.


----------



## Witchcraft

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
and L'Innomable by Samuel Beckett


----------



## StevenGlansberg

Finished the Girl Who Played With Fire. It was great! Gonna start the 3rd one soon.


----------



## Tawnee

I'm re-reading _The Lord of the Rings_ by Tolkien.


----------



## lucyinthesky

Great Gatsby again


----------



## anonymid

_Timon of Athens_ - Shakespeare


----------



## Neptunus




----------



## Cheesecake

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

Represtin dat SAS Book Club. Yaaaah!!


----------



## miminka

Cheesecake said:


> *The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.*


Do enjoy! It's a marvellous book...



I love Colette


----------



## Glue

Women by Charles Bukowski


----------



## blair

_Lady Chatterley's Lover_ by D.H. Lawrence


----------



## huh

I just finished _Oryx and Crake_. Really a great book. I'm about 1/3 of the way through Brian Greene's _The Hidden Reality_. And today I just started _Never Let Me Go_.


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

Lord Of The Rings Part 1


----------



## lucyinthesky

It's not normally something I'd read, but I picked up One Day by David Nicholls at the train station and am giving that a go


----------



## BetaBoy90

Handmaid's Tale, By Margaret Atwood- I'm 50 pages in and have no problem claiming Margaret Atwood is a genius, just captivating stuff she's written down here.


----------



## room101

Glue said:


> Women by Charles Bukowski


hahaha I read this when I was about 15 and what a shock it was :b


----------



## MojoCrunch

_Ben, In the World _by Dorris Lessing
(Sequel to The Fifth Child)


----------



## huh

I finished _The Hidden Reality_ today. I actually enjoyed it more than Brian Greene's other books. I'm still working through _Never Let Me Go_. I have to start looking for another popular science book to start.


----------



## Neptunus

_The Scarlet Letter_ by Nathanial Hawthorne


----------



## retropat

"A Red Herring Without Mustard" by Alan Bradley. A very macabre series about an 11 year old girl in 1950 England who solves murders.


----------



## Globe_Trekker

"On the Autonomy of Phonological Encoding: Evidence from Slips of the Tongue in Spanish" (Del Viso et. al., 1991)


----------



## huh

huh said:


> I have to start looking for another popular science book to start.


Found it. I started reading _The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat_. It's a great book...hard to put down.


----------



## Neptunus

_The Diary of Anne Frank_ (Haven't read it since high school.)


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

"Lie in the dark"

Dan Fesperman.


----------



## Spindrift

_Magician_ by Raymond E. Feist.


----------



## Dane

a 575 page tome called "The World History of Architecture". quite interesting.


----------



## Fantas Eyes

Stephen Colbert and Philosophy: I am Philosophy (And so can you!)


----------



## Glue

Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor


----------



## miminka

When I was at the book store I honestly contemplated getting another copy for my now former 'boyfriend'. Why, exactly? Pah... like he'd appreciate it.


----------



## noyadefleur

The Catcher In The Rye.


----------



## voospenvi2734

The last gunslinger series, by Stephen King


----------



## yogafreak

Vanished by Danielle Steel


----------



## shadowmask

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad


----------



## retropat

"The Informationist" by Taylor Stevens.


----------



## sully20

_A Rumor of War_ by Philip Caputo for a history class. I have ~345 pages to get through by Friday. :\


----------



## miminka

It saddens me that this thread isn't as popular as it should be..


----------



## Steve123




----------



## MojoCrunch

^^ That's a great read btw.

The Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway


----------



## blair

_PSYCHO_ by Robert Bloch


----------



## Cest La Vie

Some H.P Lovecraft


----------



## Steve123

MojoCrunch said:


> ^^ That's a great read btw.


Sure is, I just wish I understood all of it :b


----------



## Monroee

_The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ by Hugo.

_Sometimes I Act Crazy_ by Strauss.

&

_The Suicidal Mind_ by Schneidman.


----------



## huh

I recently finished _The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat_. I'm currently looking for another book. I'm trying to decide between Theory and Reality: An Introduction to The Philosophy of Science,The Invisible Gorilla, or Good Germs, Bad Germs. Leaning towards the first one. Hmmm.... :con


----------



## alte

^ If you liked Oliver Sacks' _The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat_, then you would also like this one http://www.amazon.com/Phantoms-Brain-Probing-Mysteries-Human/dp/0688172172

-------------
I am rereading Chekhov, thus the new avatar.


----------



## GuyMontag

The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer


----------



## huh

alte said:


> ^ If you liked Oliver Sacks' _The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat_, then you would also like this one http://www.amazon.com/Phantoms-Brain-Probing-Mysteries-Human/dp/0688172172
> 
> -------------
> I am rereading Chekhov, thus the new avatar.


Yeah, that's a great one too. I've actually re-read several parts of it  His new book is almost as good!


----------



## BetaBoy90

Albert Einstein: His Life and Universe


----------



## fanatic203

The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson

About English people being abducted by Turks and sold into slavery... right after I read a book about Africans being abducted by Americans and sold into slavery. Lovely. But still, interesting how it's happened across all cultures.


----------



## StevenGlansberg

Finished the Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. 2>3>1 imo.

Also read the Bell Jar. It was interesting...still not sure what I think...

Now not sure if I'm going to start Cat's Cradle or the Last American Man...someone pick for me!


----------



## huh

I finished _Never Let Me Go_ tonight. A great read, but sure was a rather depressing end.

I started _World War Z_. Still trying to decide on a new popular science book to start ... *sigh*


----------



## BreakingtheGirl

Romeo and Juliet- Shakespeare
Scar Tissue- Anthony Kiedis autobiography


----------



## enpyre

im reading "All the Rave" (book about napster)

for my business idea n whatnot


----------



## papaSmurf

irebat said:


> im reading "All the Rave" (book about napster)
> 
> for my business idea n whatnot


What's your idea? I promise not to steal it!


----------



## Ironpain

Currently Reading. Robert Crais The First Rule- Which I also have on Audio CD. It can be considered a Stand alone book you don't have to read the First Joe Pike Novel to understand it, but the main character in this book and the one before is a secondary character in the Elvis Cole Novels.


----------



## Rocklee96

Unless comic books count, I don't read.


----------



## Spindrift

_Rides a Dread Legion_ - Raymond E. Feist

Refreshing myself before starting the next one. The Chaoswar Saga comes next, and then it's all over.


----------



## Cest La Vie

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde


----------



## imt

_The Naked Lunch_William S. Burroughs
_The Hobbit _J. R. R. Tolkien
_Suicide Note_ Mitchell Heisman


----------



## luctus

_The Theatre and its Double_ by Antonin Artaud. Just started reading it today. Ugh...I might be done by tomorrow. It's only 108 pages, though.


----------



## retropat

"Cause of Death" by Patricia Cornwell.


----------



## lucyinthesky

Doctor Zhivago.


----------



## miminka

Little Edie Beale had no influence in my decision to read this book. None, whatsoever...


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

The guards.


Ken Bruen


----------



## Resonance

_Game of Thrones_ - George. R.R. Martin


----------



## Neptunus




----------



## seafolly




----------



## miminka




----------



## Freebird




----------



## Robodontopus

just finished Craig Ferguson's autobiography, called American on Purpose
now reading Number 9 Dream by David Mitchell
next will probably read A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin


----------



## fredbloggs02

Beyond Good And Evil- Friedrich Nietzsche.


----------



## au Lait

Snowflower and the Secret Fan.

It takes place in Ancient China, and is about a secret language that women created so they could communicate without men knowing. :evil hehehe


----------



## lucyinthesky

Identity- Milan Kundera


----------



## Neptunus




----------



## Neptunus

au Lait said:


> Snowflower and the Secret Fan.
> 
> It takes place in Ancient China, and is about a secret language that women created so they could communicate without men knowing. :evil hehehe


Ooo, that sounds interesting. *Adds to list*


----------



## 01001000 01010100 0101000

Neptunus said:


>


This book is pretty good. So is Neverwhere.

I'm reading...


----------



## Noll

Metro 2033, when it has arrived...


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

Guards.

Ken Bruen.



It's pants


----------



## Rap

The Rise of the Fourth Reich (Author : Jim Marrs) - About the secret societies that threaten to take over america, and how nazi ideology is being carried out by the top powers in america without anyone knowing about it.

also reading Diagonally-Parked in a Parallel Universe (Author : Signe Dayhoff) - About social anxiety and how to get through it [just started the book]


----------



## fredbloggs02

Finished Thus Spoke Zarathustra-Friedrich Nietzsche today. He was my friendly fellow dreamer and antidote to a hurrendously scrupulous account of scientific progress over the last two centuries my dad decided I should read, "Stardust". Is it just me or do all Oxford graduates decidedly love Shelley? How does this happen? Great poets for great men. Tastiest poetry for tasty, great men lol I read parts of that when I can stomach it to pick apart for fun and Beyond good And Evil I'm beginning as previously planned tonight.


----------



## intheshadows

I`m probably the only fan in the world of the Yuletide Bandit. (google it) What a nutcase... True Crime. He robbed banks and armoured cars. He was caught 9 years ago yesterday. This is really sick, but I kind of admire what he did.


----------



## Glue

Fraud by David Rakoff

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson comes out next week, so I'll be reading that next.


----------



## sas111

The outsider.


----------



## purplefruit




----------



## victoriangirl

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides


----------



## MojoCrunch

^^ That is a favorite book of mine.

Currently reading:


----------



## MojoCrunch

Now reading:

Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle by Vladimir Nabokov

This book is huuuuge. And it's a toughy. Once I get through this I will feel accomplished.


----------



## Neptunus

01001000 01010100 0101000 said:


> This book is pretty good. So is Neverwhere.


You're right, I'm loving it thus far. I'll have to check out Neverwhere. Thanks for the recommendation!


----------



## Glue

The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum

I thought the last name "Ketchum" was invented by the Pokemon marketing team. I guess I was wrong.


----------



## tutliputli

Post Office by Charles Bukowski. I wish I hadn't read Women first. I think I'm going to be very sad when I've finished reading all his stuff. I love his style.


----------



## sas111

The Hunger Games.


----------



## Keith

A World Undone by G.J. Meyer

Well written book about the first world war. I like the format and authors style, very informative without being dry, not that i mind dry lol


----------



## GuyMontag

I just started this one tonight:









A mystery novel by Stephen King. I thought it'd be interesting to read because he usually writes horror.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Ecce ****-Friedrich Nietzsche which is an interesting title my limited Latin tells me. "Ecce"(the first word I learned in Latin lol (the vocative order or instructive/ shouting "look".. So "look man.") Wether man is within the instruction or ordering man or perhaps ordering towards him I find interesting. Like everything with Nietzsche I've read to far quite manipulative, persuasive if you looked for leading to him but open to your interpretation the same.


----------



## Devdas




----------



## rainbowOne

Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn
Apparantly I've started in the middle of a series, not much idea what's going on :lol


----------



## IfWinterEnds

_I Know This Much Is True_--Wally Lamb. Read _She's Come Undone_ not too long ago.

The kind of books that worry you, how long till I find something else this enjoyable to read afterward? And when they tell you, write what you'd want to read, this must be what they mean.


----------



## Kennnie

Savages by Don Winslow


----------



## Spindrift

Housing policies. :|


----------



## leonardess

Started Jane Eyre again, and started The Necessity of Art.


----------



## Selbbin




----------



## leonardess

^ how far have you gotten?

is there a kindle edition?


----------



## Resonance

_A Clash of Kings_ - George R.R. Martin


----------



## ImWeird

Animal Farm - George Orwell


----------



## lucyinthesky

Reading the almighty War & Peace again  Yesss I'm a nerd, but it's so good :b


----------



## penguin runner

I just finished reading War and Peace and started reading his other big book Anna Karenina. Definitely like old books best. Survived the test of time.


----------



## Chairman Dan

Guy de Maupassant's short stories.


----------



## Selbbin

leonardess said:


> ^ how far have you gotten?
> 
> is there a kindle edition?


It's literally just a book cover. It's an art piece. You can put it on any book.

But you should read her other works. For someone who is more of a performance artist, her writing is incredible.

http://mirandajuly.com/

Here's the Kindle edition. Please let me know what you think.

http://www.amazon.com/Belongs-Here-More-Than-ebook/dp/B000QCSA0O

.


----------



## GuyMontag

I just started:


----------



## lucyinthesky

penguin runner said:


> I just finished reading War and Peace and started reading his other big book Anna Karenina. Definitely like old books best. Survived the test of time.


Anna Karenina is so so good :yes


----------



## Squirrelevant

The Theory Of Everything - Stephen Hawking


----------



## leonardess

ah, I feel like a complete idiot now. I thought it was something you had made and I was joking about it.

However, I *will* get that book, and I will read it. I recently watched Me, You, and Everyone We Know and loved it. I had no idea she'd done anything else. Thanks for introducing me to a new artist whose work I think I could really get into.



Selbbin said:


> It's literally just a book cover. It's an art piece. You can put it on any book.
> 
> But you should read her other works. For someone who is more of a performance artist, her writing is incredible.
> 
> http://mirandajuly.com/
> 
> Here's the Kindle edition. Please let me know what you think.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Belongs-Here-More-Than-ebook/dp/B000QCSA0O
> 
> .


----------



## Squirrelevant

An Inconvenient Truth - Al Gore


----------



## whiterabbit

_Garfield Sits Around the House_ by Jim Davis


----------



## layitontheline

1984 - George Orwell. I am finally reading this.


----------



## Witchcraft

_L'innomable _by Samuel Beckett

The craziest book I have ever read so far.


----------



## enpyre

ABSOLUTE JAVA, by Walter Savitch.

also related: right about now I wish I could deliver a swift punch straight to the upper arm area of this Mr. Savitch. why, you *******, why?


----------



## papaSmurf

Selbbin said:


> It's literally just a book cover. It's an art piece. You can put it on any book.
> 
> But you should read her other works. For someone who is more of a performance artist, her writing is incredible.
> 
> http://mirandajuly.com/
> 
> Here's the Kindle edition. Please let me know what you think.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Belongs-Here-More-Than-ebook/dp/B000QCSA0O


Miranda July is one of the raddest ladies around.


----------



## Choci Loni

The old man and the sea- Ernest Hemingway


----------



## Spindrift

It's not often that I'm rendered speechless.


----------



## Perkins

The Life of Vivien Leigh by Alexander Walker


----------



## Genetic Garbage

The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers - Michael Newton


----------



## bezoomny

_Collected Fictions_ by Jorge Luis Borges, translated by Andrew Hurley


----------



## Waterinthesink7

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See.


----------



## Neptunus

'"Sh*t My Dad Says" by Justin Halpern.

As an audiobook, courtesy of my public library.

Absolutely hilarious! Definitely worth a read...or a listen! :b


----------



## ReachinOut

Just finished the Kite Runner. Good book indeed.


----------



## Steve123

The Little book of Economics- Greg Ip


----------



## Nathan Talli

Hero of Ages - Brandon Sanderson


----------



## Fantas Eyes

Pride and Prejudice


----------



## GuyMontag

Just started Orwell: The Life by D.J. Taylor.


----------



## Itsmylife

Deception Point by Dan Brown and Emerson's Essays.


----------



## miminka

:cry


----------



## mooncake

_A Game of Thrones_

End of exams means I can finally read for pleasure again, time to hole myself up for the summer with a stack of books. :eyes


----------



## pita




----------



## Chaos Plus

_Changes_ - Jim Butcher


----------



## miminka

mooncake said:


> End of exams means I can finally read for pleasure again, *time to hole myself up for the summer with a stack of books.* :eyes


Yay! That's my summer too- I'm so excited!


----------



## Wacky Wednesdays

Recently finished -Jessica. Such a good book! 5stars. It was on my mind for days after I read it, portrayed the Australian outback during early 20th century really well. Highly recommend it. She's an awesome character, one of the best heroines in my opinion.

and also by Bryce Courtenay:










Haven't read this one in years but it's a very moving story set in South African during the apartheid. Tandia's another one of my faves.



ReachinOut said:


> Just finished the Kite Runner. Good book indeed.


Good read. I really enjoyed 'a thousand splendid suns' by the same author.


----------



## Perkins

Charlie Chaplin's autobiography.


----------



## Mileena

The Dark And Hollow Places ( Forest of Hands and Teeth book 3). 

I'm a little scared of going on though, while I loved the previous books, they also made me really depressed. Not quite what I need right now...


----------



## StevenGlansberg

Anyone recommend the Dark Tower series?


----------



## Green Eyes

Running a hotel on the roof of the world by Alec Le Sueur.

So far it's interesting to read. It makes me think that working abroad in a hotel is someting to think about. It could be a fun job.


----------



## Chaos Plus

Every Scott Pilgrim volume for the 5th time


----------



## Green Eyes

Karakter by F. Bordewijk

It's a dutch book. My father suggested I should read it. He liked it. I'm now at page 100, 180 pages to go. It has been written 74 years ago and it contains old language. A little hard to read sometimes. I don't really like it, but I have to finish it.


----------



## Wacky Wednesdays

The time traveller's wife. Seen the movie, book should be good.


----------



## fredbloggs02

I've almost finished "The Myth Of Sisyphus"-Albert Camus. Camus' philosophy adjacent to his novels basically. Sisyphus was in essence a man forced to do penance for stealing fire back from the Gods, condemned to eternally heave a boulder to the top of a mountain after which it would roll back down to the foot. Not such a penance after all though as the book describes it. It discusses religion and it's influencing morality, passion in philosophy I suppose you could say, as well as the absurd truth of pure logical tangents as illustrated by authors such as Kafka and Dostoievsky, Nietzsche, Proust, also the ridiculous ressentiment of pure logical thinkers who do not emphasize the absurd in their writing but instead parade them as truth. On page 152 of 192 at the moment. Pure shivers catch me motionless by the lost traces of stolen thought beginning when I think of "The Castle"-Kafka now.(the book my dad never finished with a 25 year old marker relic reading "London transport" still in it half way through). Ohohohohohoh"spooky" That is deffinitely the next read!


----------



## Jessie203

the girl who played with fire
&
c++ for dummies


----------



## x Faceless x

I'm currently re-reading The Circle Series by Ted Dekker.


----------



## Green Eyes

The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez


----------



## bezoomny

I bought a new hardcover of the complete fiction of H.P. Lovecraft, so I've been slowly rereading his stories. I want to start _A Game of Thrones_ next.


----------



## StevenGlansberg

Cat's Cradle

Trudged slowly through my last book (The Last American Man) so hopefully this one goes a bit faster. I'm hoping it was because it was non-fiction.


----------



## lucyinthesky

I've picked up Hamilton's Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky again after having to give it up a few months ago. It's written so so well, but the characters are just so infuriating!


----------



## StevenGlansberg

StevenGlansberg said:


> Cat's Cradle


I don't think I like Vonnegut...:hide

The Gunslinger by Stephen King...the first part in the Dark Tower series...not that I'm a big reader at all but I'm surprised I've never heard of this.

15 pages in and I'm intrigued. Hopefully get some good reading time in at work tonight.


----------



## Green Eyes

I'm now reading Who's That Girl by Alexandra Potter. It's really fun and it reads fast.


----------



## rainbowOne

The Alington Inheritance - Patricia Wentworth. 
On a Miss Silver run at the moment. lovely cozy whodunits.


----------



## bezoomny

Okay so I lied, I totally started _Dracula_ by Bram Stoker. Addictive. So very addictive.


----------



## awkwardface

fredbloggs02 said:


> I've almost finished "The Myth Of Sisyphus"-Albert Camus.


I wanted to buy _The Stranger_ but ended up with that book instead. I'm currently rereading the Potter books BECAUSE THE LAST MOVIE'S COMING OUT, YA'LL.


----------



## fredbloggs02

awkwardface said:


> I wanted to buy _The Stranger_ but ended up with that book instead. I'm currently rereading the Potter books BECAUSE THE LAST MOVIE'S COMING OUT, YA'LL.


Hehehehe, oh no! Not the Potters! My sister read them at about your age. I don't know., be careful with Harry, he's fragile compared to Meursalt of the stranger, or maybe just a dear, stoic little plank heheh, kidding. Alex Rider was more my thing at your age. Stormbreaker, Point Blank, Skeleton Key, Eagle Strike, Scorpio, Arkangel. I can't believe you're already on to Camus along with Harry Potter. Seems I may have missed something in the J.k. Rowling Masterpieces after all Naaah! Knife fights and kickass, Karate adventures, ALL the way!*breaks magic want on knee* I've emancipated so many books from the family library now, when I go to sleep they tilter on the bink to topple next to my head with bloodthirsty, gruesome, cot death from my bedside table. So close have they come now it's really not becoming to brag of such pretentious ostentation lol.


----------



## Green Eyes

I'm now reading Vampire Diaries 5 - The Return: Nightfall.
I enjoyed the first 4 books, but so far I don't really like this one (I'm now on page 135). I started reading the Viampire Diaries after I finished the Twilight Sage. I like the vampire love story. But Twilight is much better than the Vampire Diaries.


----------



## KumagoroBeam

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (for the 400th time) 

Antidepressant in book-form.


----------



## jingybopa

_The Painter of Signs_- R.K. Narayan.


----------



## Rosedubh

bezoomny said:


> Okay so I lied, I totally started _Dracula_ by Bram Stoker. Addictive. So very addictive.


Don't you find Jonathan so annoying though?!!

I'm reading Highrise by J.G Ballard, really good, crazy book. Then off to start Mrs Dalloway, along with 20 other books for school, yay! :banana


----------



## sansd

_Gödel, Escher, Bach_


----------



## StarryNights2089

Crime and Punishment- Fyodor Dostoevsky


----------



## RetroDoll

just finished room by emma donoghue, it was excellent...

now reading:

the corrections by jonathan franzen

hurry down sunshine by michael greenberg 

happy now by katherine shonk 

valley of the dolls by Jacqueline Susann


----------



## pita

Reading Atwood's _Oryx and Crake_ right now.


----------



## Ironpain

I was reading Fall of Giants by Ken Follet but it's too long and considering the difficulty I have had for a long time concentrating on one book (I don't know my mind just switches around all the time, my mind seems to want to jump from one book to another something I never had trouble in school, I always focused on the one book I took out from the school library, finished it and brought it back.

It's getting frustrating, maybe it's my ADD but I can't focus when I read and when I try to focus my eyes down the page to speed read my eye moves to the side to the first word and I'm always reading (The) and all the smaller words, my eyes move side to side instead of down and my brain will jump back and make me read the same sentence again and argh don't get me started on titles, I keep repeating the title of a book it's like my brain forgets what the book is called or the author.

Anyways sorry about that rant I'm just worried that I'm illiterate when I have been able to read since I was a little boy. 

I seem to be doing okay with the book I started trying to read last night.
Ruth Rendell. The Monster in The Box an Inspector Wexford novel. One of her newer ones.


----------



## kippan

Invisible Monsters-Chuck Palahniuk


----------



## rainbowOne

Time to Depart - Lindsey Davis 

Mystery set in Ancient Rome. Got hooked on the series


----------



## StarryNights2089

kippan said:


> Invisible Monsters-Chuck Palahniuk


I actually have that book but I haven't read it yet. XDD
How is it so far? ^^


----------



## cpuzManiac

"Panzer Leader" by Heinz Guderian. For those of you into history or WWII right now im at the part where Guderian was dismissed by Hitler for his arguments with him over strategy on the eastern front in 1941.

For school related stuff reading the "A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC" to study for my A+ cert.

For my "books to finish reading when ever i get around to it" list:
-WorldWar: In the Balance by Harry Trutledove
-Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War by Chris Bellamy
-Patton And Rommel: Men of War in the Twentieth Century by Dennis E. Showalter
-Biggest Brother: The Life Of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led The Band of Brothers by Larry Alexander

i start reading all of them but never finished em

i also have a lot of other WWII books that i havent even start reading yet, among them, Conquerors, Four Years Five Fronts, Rise and Fall of the third Riech, the rommel papers, the battle of the bulge.
  


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwar


----------



## raidersfan

Currently I'm reading "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins and I just finished "The Cosmic Landscape" by Leonard Susskind.


----------



## carefree

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez


----------



## Fantas Eyes

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

I've read it like 5 times already but I can't go to the library because I have a huge fine that I can't pay off so I'm stuck reading what I have at home.


----------



## Cornerstone

"Remembrance of things past" by Marcel Proust


----------



## mooncake

_So Long a Letter_ by Mariama Bâ. It's one of the books that I need to read for my uni course, so I thought (unusually for me :b) that I'd make a headstart.

I just finished _A Game of Thrones_ (and liked it a lot!), so I've ordered the next book in the series and am just waiting on it to arrive.


----------



## Campeador

I'll be starting on my history degree this fall, so I'm reading the Bible for historical context. About halfway done so far.

For entertainment, _The Shadow Rising_ (Wheel of Time bk 4).


----------



## layitontheline

1984 - George Orwell
The Castle - Franz Kafka


----------



## RollingInTheDeep

Fahrenheit 451 -Ray Bradbury
The Diary of a Young Girl -Anne Frank
Beloved -Toni Morrison
The Kite Runner -Khaled Hosseini


----------



## younot

Just finished Whipping Star, by Frank Herbert.


----------



## Dan iel

Reading Darkly Dreaming Dexter at the moment, fantastic book.

I'll be buying the rest when I am done


----------



## StevenGlansberg

Just bought the 3rd in the Dark Tower series. 2nd one was kind of dumb.


----------



## Gorillaz

The Stand - Stephen King


----------



## mooncake

_A Clash of Kings _(the book after _A Game of Thrones_) by George R.R. Martin arrived a couple of days ago (thank you Amazon :nw), so I'm getting stuck into that now.


----------



## rainbowOne

The Silent Pool by Patricia Wentworth


----------



## Onomatopoeia

carefree said:


> One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez


This is my absolute favorite :yes

Hope you enjoy it!


----------



## pita

Dan iel said:


> Reading Darkly Dreaming Dexter at the moment, fantastic book.
> 
> I'll be buying the rest when I am done


I love the show and want to read the books, but I am hesitant for some reason.


----------



## crsohr

The Outlaw's Story by Derek Pedley.

The remarkable true story about one of Australia's most notorious bank robbers who escaped from maximum security prisons multiple times and was on the run for almost 7 years. 6 chapters in and I have come to the conclusion that I need to rob a bank!


----------



## Dark Alchemist

Black Medicine: The Dark Art of Death vol. 1-3


----------



## silentcliche

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku


----------



## sben

EDIT: Oops...
Actually, I am reading nothing in particular... perhaps I should be.


----------



## tropic

sben said:


> NOFX - Life O'Riley
> 
> Hilarious song by one of the best punk bands ever.


 Wrong thread .

I just started 'Sons and Lovers' by D. H. Lawrence.


----------



## sben

tropic said:


> Wrong thread .
> 
> I just started 'Sons and Lovers' by D. H. Lawrence.


Oh man, I went back to this thread horrified to read that it was titled "What are you reading". It gave me a good laugh but now I must edit my post. :tiptoe


----------



## raidersfan

Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin


----------



## miminka

I'm not sure why but I always though Capote looked like Klaus Kinski on the cover.

I'm wondering how much of this book is autobiographical. I'd wanted to read the bibliography of Capote before I began reading his biography, which is intimidatingly enormous.. I wanted to place things in context, but in this case I may have benefitted from reading his biography first.


----------



## anonymid

"The Magic Barrel" - Bernard Malamud


----------



## miminka




----------



## raidersfan

I'm reading "On The Brink" for my macroeconomics class.


----------



## silentcliche

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak


----------



## RockBottomRiser

Unforgivable blackness.


----------



## mirry

_A Clash of Kings_, George RR Martin
_Naomi_, Junichiro Tanizaki


----------



## Tu Cielo

It by Stephen King. It's a lot scarier than the movie.


----------



## AgBjBeAF

IT is awesome. The book, I mean. 

Anyway, the Graveyard Book by Neil Ga...something. I'm on page 3.


----------



## GothicRavenGoddess

The Last Unicorn
and i'm re-reading the dresden files..


----------



## EagerMinnow84




----------



## Puppuccino

I'm reading a book called "The Fine Art of Small Talk" by Debra Fine. I thought it'd help with SA.


----------



## seriouskid

The Dumb House by John Burnside. My favourite book of all time.


----------



## modus

The Hunger Games, book 2, because my siblings recommended the series.

It's pretty good but the style of writing makes me cringe a bit.


----------



## BKrakow

the war of the worlds by h.g. wells. really good so far. it was written in 1898 so the style is a bit lofty and old-fashioned, but I kind of dig that.


----------



## Bernkastel

_A Dance With Dragons_ by George RR Martin, the newest installment of his _Song of Ice and Fire_ series. I'm not a big fantasy reader at all, but this series is different. It's full of political intrigues, backstabbing and betrayal, and loads of character development. If anyone here saw the _Game of Thrones_ show on HBO that just finished airing, that's an adaptation of the first book of the series.

Anyway, I'm liking the book so far. It's a bit slow, but I'm enjoying the style.


----------



## rainbowOne

Men At Arms - by Terry Pratchett

I love the Watch (discworld) books.


----------



## ryobi

Apt Pupil
I just finished reading The Shawshank Redemption the novel and The Shawshank Redemption the screenplay


----------



## Resonance




----------



## Perkins

Anthony Perkins: Split Image


----------



## miminka

^ great book.


----------



## rainbowOne

AudreyHepburn said:


> ^ great book.


 I was just listening to the song Switchfoot wrote about him :teeth


----------



## Elleire

I've been on a self-help bent for a couple months now.

I'm reading _Women with Attention Deficit Disorder_ by Sari Solden MS, LMFT


----------



## this portrait

_Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer_ by Shannon Brownlee


----------



## Koopaatroopa

The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks


----------



## Steve123

Very interesting. Emotionally moving at times, I've had to put the book down before just to give myself a moment.


----------



## silentcliche

Stardust by Neil Gaiman


----------



## Squirrelevant

A book criticizing the way the media shapes the political discourse within Australia. The book is mostly concerned with how the media focuses on politics from an entertainment frame and how politicians are forced to respond to this. I'm really enjoying it so far.


----------



## Lasair




----------



## Sadaiyappan

I'm trying to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The translation I bought from Amazon download is weirdly written.


----------



## FairleighCalm

Rereading The Power of Intention. Wayne Dyer.


----------



## Lasair

Sadaiyappan said:


> I'm trying to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The translation I bought from Amazon download is weirdly written.


Film was strange


----------



## miminka

... continuing with my ongoing obsession with Colette..



I have the 1954 edition of this though


----------



## Arrested Development

silentcliche said:


> Stardust by Neil Gaiman


Good book!

Finally finished Confederacy of Dunces and will be starting Perfume: Story of a Murderer this weekend.

Dunces was pretty entertaining.


----------



## cj66




----------



## Watercoulour

School project but:

Brave New World

So strange...


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Arrested Development said:


> Good book!
> 
> Finally finished Confederacy of Dunces and will be starting Perfume: Story of a Murderer this weekend.
> 
> Dunces was pretty entertaining.


Oooh, both of those books are quite good.


----------



## Wacky Wednesdays

Hilarious and informative.


----------



## mooncake

_Middlemarch_ by George Eliot


----------



## Green Eyes

Girl on the run by Jane Costello


----------



## Elleire




----------



## Ironpain

Currently reading Star Wars Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. Which is part of a 3 book series that continues the events of Star Wars 5 years after Return of the Jedi. Highly recommended for first time readers of the EU (Expanded Star Wars universe)


----------



## MojoCrunch




----------



## silentcliche

Arrested Development said:


> Good book!


It really was!

On the Road by Jack Kerouac.


----------



## Cheesecake

Romance of the Three Kingdoms


----------



## laura024

The Teachable Moment by Rebecca Branstetter.


----------



## kilgoretrout

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson


----------



## Selbbin

It's interesting to see that most people stick to either the classics or well known top sellers / culturally popular. With the amount of books out there it is strange that few listed here are not well known.


----------



## GuyMontag




----------



## rdrr

rdrr said:


> The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.


I finally finished this book. It depressed me a little so I took a break from it. It was a long read but it made me think a lot about people and life.


----------



## GothicRavenGoddess

my room mate bought me a book series. Warriors: The New Prophecy

I'll let you know how it goes.


----------



## GothicRavenGoddess

rdrr said:


> I finally finished this book. It depressed me a little so I took a break from it. It was a long read but it made me think a lot about people and life.


That is my favorite book, by her. :heart


----------



## Squirrelevant




----------



## seafolly




----------



## emptybottle2

^^ state of wonder sounds interesting

i'd recommend this to fans of sci-fi and dystopian fiction. fantastic so far










i'm also reading a sport and a pastime by james salter


----------



## Charizard

For my birthday, my gf bought me a complete set of Grimm's fairy tales. I will be reading that for the next while.


----------



## Aedan

I recently finished "Room" by Emma Donoghue.










It's easily my favorite book this year.


----------



## Fantas Eyes




----------



## River In The Mountain

A Game of Thrones. finally got around to it


----------



## River In The Mountain

emptybottle2 said:


> ^^ state of wonder sounds interesting
> 
> i'd recommend this to fans of sci-fi and dystopian fiction. fantastic so far
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i'm also reading a sport and a pastime by james salter


oooh this looks good.


----------



## cj66




----------



## Nyx

emptybottle2 said:


> ^^ state of wonder sounds interesting
> 
> i'd recommend this to fans of sci-fi and dystopian fiction. fantastic so far
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i'm also reading a sport and a pastime by james salter


This is in my to-read pile!
I'm finishing up A Dance With Dragons. I might have finished days ago if I wasn't too lazy to lug it around with me.


----------



## whiterabbit

_Super-Cannes_ by JG Ballard


----------



## RetroDoll

I just finished "Confederacy of Dunces" which I really liked. Some of the others I was on before I switched around or gave up on like "The Corrections." Now reading:

- Dew Breaker

- Valley of the Dolls

- Happy Now?

- The Secret


----------



## Arrested Development

emptybottle2 said:


> ^^ state of wonder sounds interesting
> 
> i'd recommend this to fans of sci-fi and dystopian fiction. fantastic so far
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> i'm also reading a sport and a pastime by james salter


I've had the sample on my kindle forever, and I keep meaning to read it.



EagerMinnow84 said:


> Oooh, both of those books are quite good.


Perfume was damn good.


----------



## modus

pointy said:


>


Started reading that a few months back. Stopped, thought it was terrible and cynical.

Converted back to Christianity a few months after.


----------



## man w/ no name

Book of the Hopi by Frank Waters


----------



## anonymid




----------



## seafolly

emptybottle2 said:


> ^^ state of wonder sounds interesting


It was...though I think I wanted more from it. I suppose I didn't feel the hype matched the story but perhaps my expectations were prematurely high since it's been on the New York Times Bestseller list for a little while. It was fine but nothing that will stick very long.

I'm now halfway through this:


----------



## Wualraus

The Count of Monte Cristo


----------



## rainbowOne

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. 
Its a translation from Spanish... it's EXTREMELY good.


----------



## Keith

Necronomicon The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft. Some amazing stories its been years since i read Lovecraft I almost forgot how good he was.


----------



## Nyx

rainbowOne said:


> The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
> Its a translation from Spanish... it's EXTREMELY good.


Suuuch a good book.

I'm reading this:










If you like Jane Austen AND fantasy, you should read this series. I love it.


----------



## Kennnie

Uploaded with ImageShack.us


----------



## Steve123

1984


----------



## cj66




----------



## silentcliche

The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.


----------



## Funkadelic

Interesting book!


----------



## Perkins

Furious Love

About Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's marriage. 

I wouldn't recommend it. The so-called facts here are riddled with inaccuracies.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Just finished Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier. Great book, now I can finally watch the Hitchcock film. 

Next is a nice short book.


----------



## miminka




----------



## Onomatopoeia

_Les Miserables_


----------



## seafolly

At some point I'd love it if there was a thread for SAS members to post their top ten favourite books. I see a lot of you recommending books and...well heck, I'll start it. When I'm finished the reading list I have now at least. 

Now onto:


----------



## 0lly

Just got my Amazon Kindle  Time to start reading through all pre-1923 literature; starting with The Picture Of Dorian Gray.


----------



## seafolly

0lly said:


> Just got my Amazon Kindle  Time to start reading through all pre-1923 literature; starting with The Picture Of Dorian Gray.


That's the first one I read when I picked up the Kobo!


----------



## rainbowOne

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke

...800 pages of it


----------



## EagerMinnow84

seafolly said:


> At some point I'd love it if there was a thread for SAS members to post their top ten favourite books. I see a lot of you recommending books and...well heck, I'll start it. When I'm finished the reading list I have now at least.
> 
> Now onto:


This is a very good book.


----------



## seafolly

@RainbowOne: That's on my bookshelf, though I've yet to open it. Let me know how you like it! 

@EagerMinnow84: I agree! I've only got 20 pages left and am dreading the end!


----------



## EagerMinnow84

seafolly said:


> @RainbowOne: That's on my bookshelf, though I've yet to open it. Let me know how you like it!
> 
> @EagerMinnow84: I agree! I've only got 20 pages left and am dreading the end!


I also have Jonathan Strange on my bookshelf as well. It looks very daunting!

I don't like ending books either. I just finished Rebecca and I already miss reading about the characters.


----------



## rainbowOne

seafolly said:


> *@RainbowOne: That's on my bookshelf, though I've yet to open it. Let me know how you like it! *
> 
> @EagerMinnow84: I agree! I've only got 20 pages left and am dreading the end!


D'you have it in one big volume? It's super annoying to read, being so big. 
It's got a really odd style of writing, I'm not really sure what to make of it, but I'm only 200 pages in (ha, only 200) so I'll see how it carries on.

* EagerMinnow* I've had it waiting to be read for a month now. Kept putting it off... :b


----------



## seafolly

They broke it up into two?! That actually makes sense. Yes mine's one big chunker of a novel, haha, black background white font. But _Clash of Kings_ was 1100+ pages so it's doable. I know what you mean though in terms of discomfort. I just grabbed the epub version for my Kobo.


----------



## Nyx

I have the single volume version of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell as well...it could have been much shorter. Now Martin books can be as big as he likes. They are well worth the discomfort


----------



## seafolly

Haha I agree, there are so many subplots that he can really justify the lengths of each one. I never feel like I'm reading unnecessary information.


----------



## Squirrelevant




----------



## MojoCrunch




----------



## seafolly

Just started this today:










Surely not uplifting but...I'm giving it a go!


----------



## fatelogic

Kama Sutra


----------



## GuyMontag




----------



## Bloody Pit Of Horror




----------



## noyadefleur

About to go sit down outside with this book right about now.


----------



## Green Eyes




----------



## Glue

Crash by J.G. Ballard


----------



## melissa75

seafolly said:


> Just started this today:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Surely not uplifting but...I'm giving it a go!


That is such a great book! I just finished reading it. There are definitely some parts that made me cry, though.

I'm currently reading Tina Fey's book, "Bossypants", and it's even funnier than I expected.


----------



## seafolly

Oh I read Bossypants! It was good! I wished for more personal insights but I guess she had to be careful. I'd like to hear the audiobook too.


----------



## fredbloggs02

I've been looking forward to this for a while. Just finished the intro. I dunno something tells me this will be a massacre of idealism.


----------



## Nyx

Just started Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.


----------



## strawberryjulius

_Freedom _by Jonathan Franzen
_Consider Phlebas _- Iain M. Banks


----------



## Aedan




----------



## Bloody Pit Of Horror




----------



## 0lly

I'm re-reading War of the Worlds by H G Wells.


----------



## Wobble

Sarah Waters, The Little Stranger
Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis
The Little Prince


----------



## rainbowOne

seafolly said:


> @RainbowOne: That's on my bookshelf, though I've yet to open it. Let me know how you like it!
> 
> @EagerMinnow84: I agree! I've only got 20 pages left and am dreading the end!


I just finished it (well, a few days ago but I forgot about this thread)
to be honest it's not worth 800 pages!! 
But...it's an alright book. Nothing exceptional... if it wasn't such a long book I wouldn't remember it.


----------



## Nyx

:help


----------



## seafolly

rainbowOne said:


> I just finished it (well, a few days ago but I forgot about this thread)
> to be honest it's not worth 800 pages!!
> But...it's an alright book. Nothing exceptional... if it wasn't such a long book I wouldn't remember it.


I keep hearing that...it's pretty low on my priority list. That said, I'll read any of Diana Gabaldon's 1200 page books any day.


----------



## Aedan

*Crime and Punishment* by Dostoevsky.


----------



## johnstin

watz that


----------



## Squirrelevant

Really enjoying this book so far.


----------



## Fantas Eyes




----------



## ndh505

<Demons> of Dostoevsky. Truly awe-inspiring. I'm seriously considering learning Russian because of this author.


----------



## Bloody Pit Of Horror

I finished 1453: The Holy War For Constantinople And The Clash Of Islam And The West by Roger Crowley. A brisk breakneck exciting account of the siege of Constantinople in 1453 under the defense of Constantine XI against the numerical and artillery superior armies of the Ottoman Empire and Sultan Mehmet II. Excellent reading. And yes, this was one of the earliest examples of a supergun conceived, this one measuring 27 feet long and propelled a 1,500lbs shot up to a mile away and forever changed the face of siege warfare.

Still reading










And just started


----------



## layitontheline

Just Enough: Lessons in Living Green from Traditional Japan


----------



## trendyfool

Just finished infinite jest by david foster wallace, W00t! Really excellent book but it left me feeling drained. I'm about to start cat's cradle in a few days.


----------



## trendyfool

seafolly said:


> At some point I'd love it if there was a thread for SAS members to post their top ten favourite books. I see a lot of you recommending books and...well heck, I'll start it. When I'm finished the reading list I have now at least.
> 
> Now onto:


oh my god. yes.


----------



## trendyfool

rainbowOne said:


> The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
> Its a translation from Spanish... it's EXTREMELY good.


Also YES. SAS peeps have good taste in books.


----------



## Aedan

ndh505 said:


> <Demons> of Dostoevsky. Truly awe-inspiring. I'm seriously considering learning Russian because of this author.


Right ? RIGHT ?! Dostoevsky is awesome ! :yes

Tolstoy is way overrated in my opinion (yes, I dare say that ! His War and Peace was nothing exceptional and it had so much characters in it that I had to make a written list of them - including all of their nicknames and short names !)


----------



## avoidobot3000

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I was thinking of writing a film adaptation and trying to cast Snoop Dogg as Gatsby


----------



## Resonance




----------



## Nyx

avoidobot3000 said:


> The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I was thinking of writing a film adaptation and trying to cast Snoop Dogg as Gatsby


Please do this.


----------



## rainbowOne

Am now reading Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett, gotta love the discworld books


----------



## mooncake




----------



## 0lly

One of the most disturbing books I've read recently.


----------



## Witchcraft

"_Agnijos magija_" by Jurga Ivanauskaitė
(I'm sure everyone on here is familiar with this author. NOT!)


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity




----------



## ReincarnatedRose

About half a dozen writing books.


----------



## Bloody Pit Of Horror

Nidhoggr said:


>


Awesome! I have this book haven't read it yet.


----------



## ReincarnatedRose

rainbowOne said:


> The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
> Its a translation from Spanish... it's EXTREMELY good.


This book would definitely be in my top 10 books of all time. Read both the English and Spanish and they are both simply beautiful.


----------



## Witchcraft

Nidhoggr said:


>


Haaa. I thought about you immediately when I saw this, even before I read who posted it :b


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

Ragana said:


> Haaa. I thought about you immediately when I saw this, even before I read who posted it :b


Haha, you know me!


----------



## 0lly

Just finished Ubik. It's a bit like the film Inception; I think its probably deliberately impossible to work out which reality is real and which is the afterlife :um.

Anyway going to get started on.....









I've heard it's a bit boring, but I'll be the judge of that lol.


----------



## pita

^
I thought it was boring. But most people I know love it.

Also, that is an awesome cover.


----------



## pita




----------



## Ironpain

Currently reading Prince of Fire by Daniel Silva.


----------



## leonardess

currently:

Insomnia
Facebook Marketing
163 Ways to Pursue Excellence


----------



## 0lly

I didn't think Heart Of Darkness was boring really; it really picks up halfway. Its so short too I got through it no time.

Now I'm starting:









I didn't like the film but the book's supposed to be brilliant.


----------



## Rosedubh

I'm reading *Heart of Darkness* too! I'm on part two, and it's not that boring, I'm starting to really like it.
Also reading *Mrs Dalloway* by Virginia Woolf, which I'm having a hard time getting into lol


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Rosedubh said:


> Also reading *Mrs Dalloway* by Virginia Woolf, which I'm having a hard time getting into lol


Good luck with that. 

I am almost done with The Grifters, next up are two books...










and


----------



## anonymid




----------



## pita

Rosedubh said:


> I'm reading *Heart of Darkness* too! I'm on part two, and it's not that boring, I'm starting to really like it.
> Also reading *Mrs Dalloway* by Virginia Woolf, which I'm having a hard time getting into lol


----------



## Steve123

Genome by Matt Ridley


----------



## Robodontopus

At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft.


----------



## introvert33

Revolutionary Road


----------



## Perkins

Animal Dreams and The Best American Essays of the Century.

These were assigned to me by my English professor.


----------



## Diacetylmorphine

Except in ebook format, for some class.


----------



## xxLambyxx

The house of night series 
I can get through one book in about a week if i neglect my college work 

Judging by your user name I'm guessing you're a fan too??


----------



## Fantas Eyes




----------



## mooncake

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen


----------



## Scarlet Tanager

Worth The Risk by Jayne Ann Krentz


----------



## Fantas Eyes




----------



## Bloody Pit Of Horror




----------



## 0lly

Just finished 'I Am Legend.' I really enjoyed it, and I can't believe how different (and how much better and more thought provoking) the novel is to the film! The films story is almost unrecognisable in comparison.

Going to read something more cheery now though:


----------



## lazygnome

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov


----------



## laura024




----------



## Wacky Wednesdays

The icecream girls - story about a couple of teen girls that get seduced/abused by their teacher, he's murdered, one of the girls is imprisioned, the other walks...fast forward 20 years and she's out of prison, a whole can of worms is re-opened and the truth unearthed....such a good read.


----------



## Bloody Pit Of Horror

0lly said:


> Just finished 'I Am Legend.' I really enjoyed it, and I can't believe how different (and how much better and more thought provoking) the novel is to the film! The films story is almost unrecognisable in comparison.


That is one of my favorite horror novels of all time. This book is one of the influences for George A Romero's Night Of The Living Dead.

It has been adapted to film 3 (or 4) times already. The finest genuinely great adaptation is The Last Man On Earth starring Vincent Price that follows the novel quite faithfully. This one is good!

There is of course, The Omega Man starring Charleton Heston and the lastest recent one starring Will Smith.


----------



## StevenGlansberg

Hunger Games. Feels like it's written by a 12 year old. Or written for 12 year olds.


----------



## 0lly

Bloody Pit Of Horror said:


> The finest genuinely great adaptation is The Last Man On Earth starring Vincent Price that follows the novel quite faithfully. This one is good!


I didn't know about that one, and I notice you can watch the full length film on youtube too!


----------



## miminka

... so darkly funny. This woman is my hero.


----------



## 0lly

I read a few of the short stories from 'Young men in Spats', now going to read a full length Wodehouse novel:


----------



## fredbloggs02

ndh505 said:


> <Demons> of Dostoevsky. Truly awe-inspiring. I'm seriously considering learning Russian because of this author.


This is my number one must read for Dostoievsky! A world without religion right?


----------



## Bloody Pit Of Horror

0lly said:


> I didn't know about that one, and I notice you can watch the full length film on youtube too!


Awesome. I would even go on to say it is one of Vincent Price's finest horror films too. You'll see where Romero drew his influences from this film and the book.

I also recommend Hell House, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and The Beardless Warriors by Richard Matheson. They are all fine novels. The Beardless Warriors has to be one of the most overlooked WWII novels of all time based upon Matheson's own combat experiences in the war. Could well be his finest novel ever?


----------



## rainbowOne

Fantas Eyes said:


>


I've read this, verrrry good book 

(also, she's the person who wrote 101 dalmatians!)


----------



## AngelDrop

I'm reading The Time Traveller's Wife  By Audrey Niffenegger


----------



## lucyinthesky

Woo, Wodehouse. Also, yay for the kitchen sink book 

Reaaaadiiing
Arabian Nights' Entertainments
Tess of the D'Urbervilles


----------



## max87

This book:










But i am reading it in spanish.:yes


----------



## lucyinthesky

^Love Borges! (in Spanish too )


----------



## mooncake

Finished _Water for Elephants_ and quite liked it, although watched the film afterwards and thought that was pretty crap.

Now I'm carrying on with George R. R. Martin's _A Storm of Swords_. This series is so good.


----------



## Ironpain

A Painted House-John Grisham.


----------



## raidersfan

Oman Ra by Victor Pelevin


----------



## introvert33

StevenGlansberg said:


> Hunger Games. Feels like it's written by a 12 year old. Or written for 12 year olds.


I haven't read it, but I do believe it is written for young adults. Thats not always a bad thing, but it sounds like in this case its just poor writing? That's sad, I heard its was good and was considering reading it.


----------



## acinorevlm

Pride & Prejudice it's my first time reading it, so far I like it.


----------



## AgBjBeAF

> Hunger Games. Feels like it's written by a 12 year old. Or written for 12 year olds.


Wait till you get to Mockingjay. 
If you get there.
Good luck.


----------



## hollowtears

I am reading I Ching, wich is a book of spells. It teaches you too interpret the oracle and predict the future.


----------



## Lasair




----------



## Escape Artist

Mineralogy: Constitution and Origin.

Sound fun?


----------



## Wacky Wednesdays

jhanniffy said:


>


She's excellent. I might look up that one at the library.


----------



## rgrwng

CHarlotte's Web - looking forward to the sad ending to mellow me out when i finish it.


----------



## StevenGlansberg

introvert33 said:


> I haven't read it, but I do believe it is written for young adults. Thats not always a bad thing, but it sounds like in this case its just poor writing? That's sad, I heard its was good and was considering reading it.


I'm actually enjoying it (didn't sound like it in my first post)...the writing just seems really simple or something I don't know.

Also started Fahrenheit 451.


----------



## Bloody Pit Of Horror

Historian Roger Crowley recommended this book on his site, 17th Century Mediterranean pirates. The aforementioned author wrote an exciting accounts of the Siege of Constantinople in the 15th Century and the Siege of Malta in the 16th Century that I enjoyed immensely.


----------



## Robodontopus

I'm about to start Death Note volume 3.


----------



## pita

Also, I hope all of you have read _Room_, because it will blow your mind with its awesomeness.


----------



## 0lly




----------



## Bloody Pit Of Horror

0lly said:


>


This is Wells best book IMO. Great book, love the ending! In fact, it is the only book that I've read by this author that I enjoyed. The Invisible Man being a distant second. War Of The Worlds was a chore.


----------



## 0lly

Bloody Pit Of Horror said:


> This is Wells best book IMO. Great book, love the ending! In fact, it is the only book that I've read by this author that I enjoyed. The Invisible Man being a distant second. War Of The Worlds was a chore.


I liked War of the Worlds with its Victorian quirkiness. I like that the Martians just land in the middle of quiet suburban Surrey.


----------



## Bloody Pit Of Horror

0lly said:


> I liked War of the Worlds with its Victorian quirkiness. I like that the Martians just land in the middle of quiet suburban Surrey.


Maybe that is another difficulty I had because I am not familiar with the geography of England. But personally I found it to be a terrible pageturner.


----------



## mooncake




----------



## Lasair

I am reading The Ottawa Charter for health promotion


----------



## Jcgrey




----------



## Robodontopus

A Tale of Two Cities by Charlez Dickenz


----------



## strawberryjulius

I'm going to finally finish _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea _By Jules Verne. Some parts are really boring and others I'm really into.


----------



## Escape Artist

Fundamentals of Glacier Dynamics


----------



## The Silent 1

Bunnybee said:


> After months of postponing, finally started reading it yesterday.


Excellent book, much more complex and morally ambiguous than the film (which was also good).

As for me I just started Game of Thrones. I was a huge fan of the first season of the show, and I can't wait to see how the book compares.


----------



## Gorillaz

The Dragon Reborn


----------



## lucyinthesky

The Waves- Virginia Woolf
A Short Residence in Sweden- Mary Wollstonecraft (stillll reading this, getting fed up )


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm about to start:


----------



## RetroDoll

finished 'Water for Elephants' recently, very good book! 

Now:

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Little Children by Tom Perrotta 

The Stranger by Albert Camus

Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman


----------



## diamondheart89

Recently finished Angels & Demons, now reading Game of Thrones. No high lit here!


----------



## pita

Boooooring.


----------



## avoidobot3000

pita said:


> Boooooring.


Never judge a book by its cover. At least you get a Certificate!:um


----------



## Nyx




----------



## Koopaatroopa

CONTACT by Carl Sagan 

And 

Small Business Kit For Dummies, 2nd Edition


----------



## Fantas Eyes




----------



## cafune

_The Natural_ - Bernard Malamud
_Erewhon_ - Samuel Butler
_Gulliver's Travels_ - Jonathan Swift


----------



## BlueJayWay

The Picture of Dorian Gray


----------



## Rixy

Finally getting around to reading the first book of Sandman by Neil Gaiman. 

Hey, comic books count too, right? :b


----------



## ndh505

I'm rereading <The World as Will and Representation>. One of my favorite books.

"No doubt, when modesty was made a virtue, it was a very advantageous thing for the fools ; for everybody is expected to speak of himself as if he were one."

"Everyone believes himself a priori to be perfectly free, ... But a posteriori, through 
experience, he finds to his astonishment that he is not free, but subjected to necessity ; that in spite of all his resolutions and reflections he does not change his conduct, and that from the beginning of his life to the end of it, he must carry out the very character which he himself condemns..."

"After man had transformed all pains and torments into the conception of hell, there remained nothing for heaven except for ennui."

"Every epic and dramatic poem can only represent a struggle, an effort, a fight for happiness ; never enduring and complete happiness itself... for now there would remain nothing for it to do but to show that the glittering goal in which the hero expected to find happiness had only disappointed him, and that after its attainment he was no better off than before."

"Optimism is a bitter mocker of man's woes."

"In between, however, and in the midst of this tumult, we see the glance of two lovers meeting longingly ; yet why so secretly, fearfully, and stealthily? Because these lovers are the traitors who seek to perpetuate the whole want and drudgery which would otherwise speedily reach an end."

So brilliant.


----------



## LOLA12

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen


----------



## Bloody Pit Of Horror




----------



## AbsurdityOfReality

This old sci-fi book I found on my dad's bookshelf. Pretty... unusual so far.


----------



## Arrested Development

Rixy said:


> Finally getting around to reading the first book of Sandman by Neil Gaiman.
> 
> Hey, comic books count too, right? :b


Most definitely! That is one of my favorites <3

I will probably not finish either of these any time soon due to school, but I am ever so slowly working on:












I will hopefully finish one of them by the end of the semester.


----------



## trendyfool

I finished requiem for a dream yesterday, and now I'm not sure what to read. I think I might go for "we were the mulvaneys" by joyce carol oates.


----------



## trendyfool

Robodontopus said:


> At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft.


good choice...did you hear guillermo del toro is trying to make a film version? that should be awesome.

this thread makes me want to lock myself in my bedroom for the next month and do nothing but read.


----------



## aquilla

Jack London's "Martin Eden"


----------



## Pennywise

Bridge to Terabithia by Katharine Paterson.


----------



## Robodontopus

trendyfool said:


> good choice...did you hear guillermo del toro is trying to make a film version? that should be awesome.


Yes, and it sucks that he hasn't been able to yet. He got so close a few months ago, but that got shut down and he's now making Pacific Rim, which should also be awesome. I think he'd have to make some significant changes to the story of Mountains of Madness in order to make a film for a modern audience, but I love everything he does, so I'm sure it'll be great if he ever gets to make it.


----------



## Perkins

Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed


----------



## creep

AbsurdityOfReality said:


>


No idea about the story but that's an awesome cover. Most of today's book covers seem awfully boring by comparison.


----------



## Robodontopus

Death Note volume 4


----------



## 0lly

Haven't been reading very much over the past couple of weeks because I've been a bit unhappy so my concentration has just been way down, taken me ages to finish a book that would normally take a couple of days. Anyway, moving onto:


----------



## strawberryjulius

_Open City _by Teju Cole


----------



## Sanctus

Dark matter by Philip Kerr and Dragon age the stolen throne by David Gaider
besides these 2 i read in these last weeks : 
Day of the dragon by Richard Knaak,
Arthas Rise of the lich king by Christie Golden,
Assassins creed the secret crusade by Oliver Bowden


----------



## Aedan

*I Am David* by Anne Holm


----------



## Lasair

A research paper on problem drinking


----------



## Fantas Eyes




----------



## quietgal

World War Z, See It Say It in French, and some old French grammar book I picked up for free from the library discard shelf.


----------



## silentcliche

Far Bright Star by Robert Olmstead.


----------



## B Harvey

the bleedin old bil have been round me gaff installing a pre paid bloody meter. didnt like that one bit so im reading me orwell again. 2011 is 1984 im telling you.


----------



## avoidobot3000

strawberryjulius said:


> _Open City _by Teju Cole


Judging by the reviews, this sounds relevant to my interests. Did you like it?


----------



## pita

I am rereading _Room_. My (online) friend and I are having an (online) book club. I am super excited to have the chance to yak about books with someone. You'd think multiple publishing internships would provide an opportunity for that kind of talk, but most people glaze over if the conversation extends into English major territory.


----------



## pita

Arrested Development said:


>


*googles*
*adds to list of things to read*


----------



## Resonance

_The Blade Itself - _Joe Abercrombie


----------



## Robodontopus

Les Miserables by Victor Hyoogoh


----------



## refined_rascal

The hidden landscape - Richard Fortey


----------



## strawberryjulius

avoidobot3000 said:


> Judging by the reviews, this sounds relevant to my interests. Did you like it?


I haven't finished it yet but I'm enjoying it a lot!


----------



## Robodontopus

Resonance said:


> _The Blade Itself - _Joe Abercrombie


Is it any good? I haven't read much fantasy other than the A Song of Ice and Fire series, but I've heard The Blade Itself was great.


----------



## EagerMinnow84




----------



## Resonance

Robodontopus said:


> Is it any good? I haven't read much fantasy other than the A Song of Ice and Fire series, but I've heard The Blade Itself was great.


Yeah so far I think it's really good, I only picked it up to help tide me over til the next Song of Ice and Fire book, but it's really well written and compelling - has a similar structure to the George RR Martin books too, in that the story is told through viewpoint characters, but in the 3rd person, and it has a similarly gritty and brutal flavour.


----------



## seafolly

EagerMinnow84 said:


>


SO GOOD. I haven't read it in a few years (2004?) but would definitely read it again. I heard "Year of the Flood" isn't as strong but bought it anyway.


----------



## Robodontopus

Resonance said:


> Yeah so far I think it's really good, I only picked it up to help tide me over til the next Song of Ice and Fire book, but it's really well written and compelling - has a similar structure to the George RR Martin books too, in that the story is told through viewpoint characters, but in the 3rd person, and it has a similarly gritty and brutal flavour.


Sounds cool, thanks. I think one of my brothers owns it; I'll borrow it from him as soon as I finish what I'm reading now.

I'm trying to forget that the ASoIaF series exists right now, so that my life consists of more than waiting for the next book to come out.


----------



## fredbloggs02

There is something I've found exceptionally exciting in Kierkegaard and his works, his thoughts of "hiding" and accepting the mania arising through intense anxiety and suffering. I like the man because he has a thick stomach, no thought touches him and when they do he enjoys the indigestion they bring. People suffer, but only the anxious man seeks to distance himself from suffering, still further the man who requires absolutes and perhaps, further still for the individual. It is the trap of our consciousness in the hands of a riled lunatic armed with a knife, his eyes fixed on him all the time. All necessary sudden movements may well cost this man his life. I know exactly what he meant by the involuntary trembling through the intense concentration it requires to hide such a thing, such a monstrosity; as I'm sure we all do. Trembling. The slow deterioration of consciousness into white, interior convulsions through constant repression, motionless clenched pallor, the slow drain of blood from the face, breathlessness, the knowledge others see two faces in you without the experience or understanding to discern what they're seeing, to note the precise trick of it. This reflected in the man's unwilling motions and afterthoughts inconsistent with an open visage. His face, constantly oscillating between a pale motionless rigid pallor adorned with the muscles in the form of a sickly smile and the second face of panic-stricken anguish, wrenching anxiety, forced back down beneath again instantaneously, in flashes too brief for the onlooker but this struggle leads to visible nausea. This constant motion, far from dormant; this feverish restlessness hidden beneath the apparent motionless pallor, in view of all the relentless theatre of the public. He described this condition I sympathize sitting opposite a stranger watching him intently, his covering up his own deterioration in similar ways I do. A very interesting man.

He emphasizes his readers motions within this anxiety, with an individual who has inadvertently become a forced absolute in his solitude in different ways, this choice he lives with, constantly adhering to it. People bring on this pallor through doubts arising in him because he is constantly dismissing them entirely and choosing them himself entirely. That I also like. To accept this heightened anxiety as something to consummate a life before recovering from, never living in the moment at all, believing this reflective way will consummate your life one way or the another,


----------



## GioUK

right now im reading A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.. its so, so good id definately recommend it. im reading alot of books about India/by indian authors at the moment, cant get enough of em'..


----------



## Fantas Eyes




----------



## kittenamos

Reading Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult right now. Great author! Love all of her books.


----------



## hey you

Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larson and I'm just getting to the best part


----------



## Aedan




----------



## avoidobot3000

ok so I bought 11 or so books recently. 
My current medication:








Unfortunately I have the edited edition which, censors certain words starting with "C" and "F"
Supplemented with:








and for light reading:








Yeah, I need a life :b


----------



## clair de lune

Funny stuff.


----------



## introvert33

Same author of Wicked:


----------



## avoidobot3000

I'm a fan of Hemingway's understated elegance. He leaves just enough to the imagination. The novel hits the ground running; apparently he scrapped the first 30 pages.










Short stories. I read the first one and it communicates feelings of derealization/depersonalization VERY well in a short amount of pages.


----------



## CeilingStarer

Aedan said:


>


I'm just about to start watching that series after a friends recommendation.

I've just started reading










Not In His Image - John Lash

I'm really starting to get in to this ****. I heard John Lash recently on Red Ice Radio, and really resonate with him.


----------



## lucyinthesky

So many good books on this page  
I keep coming back to Fitzgerald's Flappers and Philsophers at the moment... love it. I also surprisingly liked Caitlin Moran's How To Be a Woman, a book nothing like I'd normally read.


----------



## modus

This book focuses on a famous writer before his talent really blossomed. It's a fictionalized autobiography, where the author pretends he's dead and the "main character" is trying to piece together a biography of Coatzee's life.

One point for the awesome concept.

Coatzee was also very awkward and lonely during this period in his life. It shows how people perceived him as cold and arrogant even though he was just shy and lonely. His yearning to express himself along with his social anxiety is what helped me identify with this author.

By the end, I felt encouraged. If a famous author and Nobel Peace prize winner was exactly as hopeless as I am now, maybe I'll be alright. Great read.


----------



## Robodontopus

The Kill Bill Diary by David Carradine


----------



## Innamorata




----------



## RetroDoll

I just finished "Little Children" by Tom Perrotta, he also wrote "Election." It was a fast, witty read about suburbia. Now I am reading:

The Kite Runner by K. Hosseini

Red Hook Road by A. Waldman

American Music by J. Mendelsohn

Visit from the Goon Squad by J. Egan (thinking of ditching it altogether). 

Invisible Monsters by C. Palahniuk


----------



## avoidobot3000

I have few female authors on my book shelf :con


----------



## Innamorata

RetroDoll said:


> Visit from the Goon Squad by J. Egan (thinking of ditching it altogether).


I have to read that for my reading group, haven't started yet.


----------



## RetroDoll

Innamorata said:


> I have to read that for my reading group, haven't started yet.


To be fair, I didn't really give it a chance. I started it and it was very interesting the first few pages but then it got to the part about this made up record company and that kinda threw me. I usually don't like reading stuff like that -- doesn't mean the book's not good though, most people read it gave it great reviews. I will put it aside and start it up later probably. Keep me posted on whether or not you liked it.


----------



## Innamorata

Ok, group's not for another month, so I'll read it in a few weeks. It seems a lot different from the books we normally read in the group so I'm looking forward to it.


----------



## catcharay

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

He is an excellent author, I really admire him and how he puts words together


----------



## Robodontopus

Just finished David Carradine's Kill Bill Diary, and I absolutely have to read his autobiography now. Hope they have it at the library.


----------



## miminka




----------



## Losm

Just finished this:









Not sure what to go for next, I shall browse this thread for ideas


----------



## Kathykook

Just finished reading Talking to Girls about Duran Duran. It's was great but there was no talking to girls about Duran Duran in it


----------



## Kathykook

exobyte said:


> This book focuses on a famous writer before his talent really blossomed. It's a fictionalized autobiography, where the author pretends he's dead and the "main character" is trying to piece together a biography of Coatzee's life.
> 
> One point for the awesome concept.
> 
> Coatzee was also very awkward and lonely during this period in his life. It shows how people perceived him as cold and arrogant even though he was just shy and lonely. His yearning to express himself along with his social anxiety is what helped me identify with this author.
> 
> By the end, I felt encouraged. If a famous author and Nobel Peace prize winner was exactly as hopeless as I am now, maybe I'll be alright. Great read.


I love Coetzee. Have you read Slow Man? That was a good one.I'll keep this one in mind next time I'm at Barnes and Noble =)


----------



## crsohr

Gomorrah - the true story of Italy's 'other' Mafia. I'm about 1/2 way through and it is so amazing.


----------



## tropic

Almost finished with it and I can say it lived up to my expectations


----------



## modus

Kathykook said:


> I love Coetzee. Have you read Slow Man? That was a good one.I'll keep this one in mind next time I'm at Barnes and Noble =)


This was my my first Coatzee book. I'll check out Slow Man next. Thanks for the suggestion.


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin




----------



## EagerMinnow84

exobyte said:


> This was my my first Coatzee book. I'll check out Slow Man next. Thanks for the suggestion.


Did I read the wrong Coetzee book? The only one I read was _Disgrace_ and I hated it so much. That did win awards and accolades, so maybe he writing isn't my style.


----------



## modus

EagerMinnow84 said:


> Did I read the wrong Coetzee book? The only one I read was _Disgrace_ and I hated it so much. That did win awards and accolades, so maybe he writing isn't my style.


\
I'm the wrong guy to ask. _Summertime_ was a weird sort of experiment it seems. I have yet to find out how he usually writes.

I will say that the biggest reasons I liked _Summertime_ were because:

1. I could relate to his social struggles very closely and
2. He has very clever insight. He can interpret issues in ways you'd ever expect.


----------



## She

I'm reading Relato de un náufrago (The story of a shipwrecked sailor) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It's pretty good, but honestly, I'm just superexcited I can somehow read stuff in spanish.


----------



## fredbloggs02

The famous work that got him into a brawl with Satre who disagreed with his conscience against various forms of ideology from Sadism to Marxism. He argues compellingly against the process in which these regimes inevitably become totalitarian theocracy. He also liked Nietzsche Dostoyevsky and Dante.

"He had chosen to demonstrate consciousness in blind combat, dimly groping on the sands, like crabs which finally come to grips in a fight to the death, and voluntarily abandoned the equally legitimate image of beams of light painfully searching for eachother in the night and finally focusing together in a blaze of illumination. Those who love, friends or lovers, know that love is not only a blinding flash, but also a long and painful struggle in the darkness for the realization of definitive recognition and reconciliation."

"Friendship of people- and there is no other definition of it- is specific solidarity, to the point of death, against everything that is not part of the kingdom of friendship. The friendship of objects is friendship in general, friendship in everything which supposes- when it is a question of self-preservation- mutual denunciation."


----------



## Resonance




----------



## huh

The Believing Brain


----------



## pancake111

just finished Gone Baby Gone, and just started Shutter Island. Both by Dennis Lehane, and both are really good.


----------



## anonymid




----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## Fantas Eyes




----------



## lucyinthesky

Got a lovely 1957 second hand edition.. love penguin classics so much 
(not me in the photo btw )


----------



## Ballerina

_The face_ by Daniel McNeill. It's a fascinating study of the human face from its aesthetics, to its genesis, its role as an independent lie detector, its connection with neuroscience to its sociological effect. After I return it you should all borrow it.


----------



## rdrr

Gonna go pickup Kafka on the Shore. Soon.


----------



## atticusfinch

_Ravensong_, Lee Maracle


----------



## lucyinthesky

rdrr said:


> Gonna go pickup Kafka on the Shore. Soon.


I've just started this after it being on my list for yeaaaaaars... love Murakami


----------



## nycdude

I have not read in years,LOL What are some good books? I mostly like horror suspense, type of books.


----------



## Robodontopus

nycdude said:


> I have not read in years,LOL What are some good books? I mostly like horror suspense, type of books.


I don't know if it can be classified as horror-suspense exactly, but The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan is pretty awesome. It's about a vampire plague beginning in New York and potentially spreading across the globe. Sounds sort of dumb, I know, but it is actually really cool. I've only read the first book in the trilogy, so I'm not sure what the rest of the series is like yet.


----------



## cafune

_A Doll's House_ - Henrik Ibsen
_Miss Julie_ - August Strindberg
_The Cherry Orchard_ - Anton Chekhov
_Erewhon Revisited_ - Samuel Butler

Yeah... not actually reading them for myself though... they're either for my English World Lit. class or extended essay. I haven't read a book that I was genuinely interested in, in a while... Sigh.


----------



## nycdude

Robodontopus said:


> I don't know if it can be classified as horror-suspense exactly, but The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan is pretty awesome. It's about a vampire plague beginning in New York and potentially spreading across the globe. Sounds sort of dumb, I know, but it is actually really cool. I've only read the first book in the trilogy, so I'm not sure what the rest of the series is like yet.


Thanks! I'll check them out.


----------



## silentcliche

The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton.


----------



## humourless

Eckhart Tolle A New earth...for the 10th time


----------



## Fantas Eyes

Gonna give _The Bell Jar_ a try.


----------



## Northern Lights

Company of Liars by Karen Maitland.
It's one of the best books I've read in awhile. :yes


----------



## Nyx

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Pretty good so far, but it has led to my internal monologue using a Scottish accent...


----------



## avoidobot3000

Aldous Huxley_ - The Doors of Perception/Heaven & Hell_
Hunter S. Thompson - _The Rum Diary _(I didn't realise this was being made into a movie, comes out on the 28th apparently feat. Johnny Depp)


----------



## Moon Thief

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
I'm really enjoying it so far.


----------



## complex

Three Cups Of Tea.

Second time it is such a great book.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Northern Lights said:


> Company of Liars by Karen Maitland.
> It's one of the best books I've read in awhile. :yes


I have that book, I haven't read it yet though. It looks really good.

Half done with Oryx & Crake (still kind of reading Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, but I have a hard time reading history books), next up is...


----------



## RetroDoll

EagerMinnow84 said:


> I have that book, I haven't read it yet though. It looks really good.
> 
> Half done with Oryx & Crake (still kind of reading Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, but I have a hard time reading history books), next up is...


*^^ this book is considered Y.A. (young adult) I usually avoid that genre like the plague -- but read a blurb of it and sounds interesting, is it though? Does it read like those teeny bopper/twilight books? That's what I try to avoid....
*


----------



## EagerMinnow84

RetroDoll said:


> *^^ this book is considered Y.A. (young adult) I usually avoid that genre like the plague -- but read a blurb of it and sounds interesting, is it though? Does it read like those teeny bopper/twilight books? That's what I try to avoid....
> *


:teeth

I was hesitant with this book as well! I also avoid "young adult" books like the plague, but the summary sounded really intriguing and it has received accolades. I am not that far into it yet. I like how there are actual weird found photographs interspersed throughout the story. It definitely does not seem like teeny bopper crap books though. :b I will let you know how it is the further I get into the story.


----------



## anonymid

Going to see a production of _The Miser_ in a couple weeks . . .


----------



## stereohead

A Knight of The Word by Terry Brooks, and God's War by Kameron Hurley.


----------



## herz

The Field of Blue Children (from the Collected Stories of Tennessee Williams)


----------



## avoidobot3000

herz said:


> The Field of Blue Children (from the Collected Stories of Tennessee Williams)


I saw that at the bookstore today and I was considering buying it. Maybe next time: http://www.socialanxietysupport.com...f-the-day-19685/index3127.html#post1059384347
Let me know what its like :teeth


----------



## emmaaa

Columbine


----------



## Robodontopus

The Making of Star Wars.


----------



## avoidobot3000

_Open City_ Teju Cole
_Selected Poems_ T.S Eliot


----------



## dlennr

The Genesis Flood by Henry Morris and John Whitcomb


----------



## emptybottle2

The Magician King by Lev Grossman

Boring and terrible, tbh. This is the sequel to The Magicians, which was fun and unputdownable. It's often described as a grown-up, hipsterish Harry Potter with sex and drugs.



lucyinthesky said:


> I've just started this after it being on my list for yeaaaaaars... love Murakami


1Q84 comes out in the US this week and it's over 900 pages long!! I'll be staying in bed for most of November then.


----------



## She

The Nazi Doctors: Medical Killing and the Psychology of Genocide. Yeah, major history nerd here.


----------



## StarlightSonic

Love this book. <3


----------



## Waterinthesink7

I have been reading the Nancy Drew series (the books in yellow) I'm on the 10th one right now.


----------



## lucyinthesky

emptybottle2 said:


> 1Q84 comes out in the US this week and it's over 900 pages long!! I'll be staying in bed for most of November then.


Yep, I saw it in my bookshop the other day! I have a sample of it on my kindle, so it's on my to-read list  Should be good. I might read a few other books before it though, I can't read too much by him at once (hurts my head!) :b


----------



## Rixy

I recently got Neuromancer from my library. Although, I still have a few trade paperback comic books I need to get through. I'm more of a comic book guy to be honest, but I'm trying to get into reading books more often. Seriously guys, where are the pictures in these? :b


----------



## herz

avoidobot3000 said:


> I saw that at the bookstore today and I was considering buying it. Maybe next time: http://www.socialanxietysupport.com...f-the-day-19685/index3127.html#post1059384347
> Let me know what its like :teeth


I like Tennessee Williams' writing style; most of his stories are sombre and can be quite "imaginative," lol. If you're interested in reading it, but don't want to buy it just yet let me know; I have one of the stories in a PDF file, which I can send to you, if you would like.


----------



## avoidobot3000

herz said:


> I like Tennessee Williams' writing style; most of his stories are sombre and can be quite "imaginative," lol. If you're interested in reading it, but don't want to buy it just yet let me know; I have one of the stories in a PDF file, which I can send to you, if you would like.


Please  I'm sure Mr. Williams wont mind


----------



## miminka

I'm doing my best..


----------



## el flaco

The Hero with a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell 
I recommend this to anyone interested in Spirituality, Mythology and Psychology. Such a fantastic book.


----------



## AllToAll

mardou said:


> I'm doing my best..


:clap

A Midsummer Night's Dream and Love, Death, and the Changing of the Seasons by Marilyn Hacker.


----------



## clt851988

Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey.


----------



## luctus

"It's never over. Not really. Not when you stay down there as long as I did, not when you've lived in the netherworld longer than you've lived in this material one, where things are very bright and large and make such strange noises. You never come back, not all the way. Always, there is an odd distance between you and the people you love and the people you meet, a barrier, thin as the glass of a mirror. You never come all the way out of the mirror; you stand, for the rest of your life, with one foot in this world and one in another, where everything is upside down and backward and sad.
It is the distance of marred memory, of a twisted and shape-shifting past. When people talk about their childhood, their adolescence, their college days, I laugh along and try not to think: that was when I was throwing up in my elementary school bathroom, that was when I was sleeping with strangers to show off the sharp tips of my bones, that was when I lost sight of my soul and died.
And it is the distance of the present, as well - the distance that lies between people in general because of the different lives we have lived. I don't know who I would be, now, if I had not lived the life I have, and so I cannot alter my need for distance - nor can I lessen the low and omnipresent pain that that distance creates. The entirety of my life is overshadowed by one singular and near-fatal obsession."

- Marya Hornbacher, _Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia_


----------



## awkwardface




----------



## cj66




----------



## fredbloggs02

This book is terrifying but perhaps nothing, just mundane boredom read through again. But then, I don't believe everyone could read this and say it was horrofic. Joseph K. arrives in small village beneath The Castle, which he tries to reach on foot but fails on the first day, losing his energy deep in the snow surrounding it. You'd trust a feeling more than anything else following the logic of the Castle. Who is pressing who, does passion escalate between the characters or are they slowly dieing? Macabre, without certainty, ambiguously passionate to the point where the individual would sooner force himself back on his own resources. You have to solve the mystery of the Castle, the mystery you make with your own interpretation. Nature examining itself. No help is forthcoming and the help that is, I question, only to learn the terror from an even more confused individual it came from, yet move a page further and it appears the innocence four back could have been as easily contrived manipulation, even in the protagonist K. whom I feel to be innocent, because he doesn't hesitate even when his guilt is implied. That lack of hesitation to be contrived would be even more horrific, an imagination drawn off course willfully, but I don't believe that. He lies too explicitly, or seems to but quickly explanations fly up which could as easily be implied threats to children. He too "just arrived". You have to write your own truth or refrain in any exchange, or people may as well not have had the conversation if they just spoke, and you have no way to know if you really know people who seem to aid you. K. denies help frequently which leave him in the dark, and he won, or so it seemed, by contradicting people alledgedly aiding him. The image of the man with the rag over his eyes being offered encouragement. A mystery covered up with a mystery should cancel itself out. It doesn't. There is terror in the individual who tries to gain access, and a self-denial continuously uncovered. And still, the logic is flawless. The logic of a nightmare I've heard it described as. It makes one think about religion and the sort of truth a religion offers and the way it offers it. Precise information comes too late, or misses it altogether and interpretations sully it with it's own personality. Intrinsically complex documents, the outskirts are missing each time yet there may well have been outright slaughter in cold blood before your eyes, and into infinity goes all peace. There is no horror, it is all implied, and inscrutable, which is all the worse to me.

The messages passing from office to office from a pile of papers of all appointments of what appear to be the embodiment of correspondence with the castle, which corrupts itself in the forthright interchanges inexplicably losing original motive which seems to have never appeared or to have lost itself in the debris. Looking back through the logic, the intitial motion vanishes all too logically to feel comfotable. The descriptions of the chambers of the Castle, the constriction yet flexibility of the elite passed on by what could be imposters for some inexplicable reason which bends towards obscuring the truth from the populus of the village. K. tries to meet them face to face and both horseman and carriage retreat from view, but worse still, even the menial roles comply with this retreat and noone could tell wether they knew or even thought for themselves. Everyone has two faces and says more than one thing with equal fervour in the same words. The book is terrifying, but also something I've known all along.

I was right, this book is as I expected. Probably the worst book to read alone, but something that loses all effect read anywhere else. On page 175atm. I believe I can solve it, though I will get inside the Kafka's head and tear it out personally. It's almost the tale of a man leading a lost soul into the Castle, granting him the knowledge he needs to break down the doors, to break into uncertainty of what I know I feel with a passion which I can never know anyone shares, to see this mystery solved.


----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## seafolly

*@Nyx* I'm not afraid to declare that my favourite book ever. I'm slowly finishing the series. 

http://readernaut.com/
^ Do you guys know about this? It's like Goodreads but not run by those who list Twilight in every top list. And less of a social aspect I think. I like being a hermit on the web.  But I also like keeping track of what books I've read this year.


----------



## pancake111

Bag of Bones by Stephen King
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom


----------



## Pennywise

I just finished Bridge to Terabithia and am now reading The Body by Stephen King. 18 pages in.


----------



## Sanctus




----------



## pita




----------



## melissa75




----------



## rapidfox1

Indian Authentic Volume 2


----------



## fredbloggs02

It's a tragedy about a young man who commits suicide for an unrequited love, it inspired the Seducer's Diary by Soren Kierkegaard which potrays the man as the seducer with intent as opposed to the woman.


----------



## anonymid




----------



## Perkins

Interview with the Vampire


----------



## avoidobot3000

It's a pageturner; I knocked down the first 60 pages this morning.


----------



## kittenamos

Right now I'm reading The Lightkeeper's Daughter


----------



## Citrine




----------



## EagerMinnow84

avoidobot3000 said:


>


One of the few books I would read again. It is short enough to read it pretty fast the second time. I love it.


----------



## mrbojangles




----------



## cj66




----------



## Waterinthesink7

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I started reading it last week and only have a few more chapters until I'm finished. It is an absolutely amazing read and I highly recommend it.


----------



## Hello22

Im reading Alan Sugars biography - dunno why cos i dont even watch the UK apprentice, it was just a random book i picked up at the bookshop a few weeks ago. 

Its alright so far.


----------



## SlightlyJaded

I'm currently reading The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya series (the novels, not the manga), and I'm really loving it! It features a character who is literally incapable of socializing or clearly expressing her thoughts and emotions, which I can completely relate to.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Keeping up with my Greek heritage.


----------



## Robodontopus

Waterinthesink7 said:


> Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I started reading it last week and only have a few more chapters until I'm finished. It is an absolutely amazing read and I highly recommend it.


I'm almost finished with it as well, but I've been reading it for over a month. I don't normally take this long to read things, but I just started a new job with a weird schedule, and I stopped for about a week to read something else (The Making of Star Wars book). I'm also just a slow reader.

Les Miserables is seriously one of the greatest books I've ever read. It really reminds me of the t.v. show The Wire, as they have similar subject matter and scope. And they both are so full of humanity and compassion for all of their characters, even the ones who do terrible things.


----------



## lucyinthesky

Paradise Lost again for uni! I do like it. Also El Sur- Garcia Morales.


----------



## jockohomo

*'Cut word lines - Cut music lines - Smash the control images - Smash the control machine - Burn the books - Kill the priests - Kill! Kill! Kill!' *


----------



## Citrine

The Big Bento Box of Unuseless Japanese Inventions. Have killed many hours reading this.


----------



## Calm Craig

The Eyre Affair


----------



## introvert33

started this today, very good so far!


----------



## anonymid




----------



## avoidobot3000

jockohomo said:


> *'Cut word lines - Cut music lines - Smash the control images - Smash the control machine - Burn the books - Kill the priests - Kill! Kill! Kill!' *


Note to self: I need to read more Burroughs


----------



## EmptyRoom

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## RetroDoll

The Lock Artist

Silas Marner

The Thornbirds

The House of Spirits


----------



## offbyone

Going to be rereading The Cyberiad by Stanislaw Lem (translated, sadly, I don't know polish) and I just bought IQ84 by Haruki Murakami so we'll see which one wins.

I didn't finish Embassytown by China Mieville yet so maybe I'll knock that out first.


----------



## anonymid

_Ghosts_ - Henrik Ibsen


----------



## ttrp

dlennr said:


> The Genesis Flood by Henry Morris and John Whitcomb


a work of fiction disguised as science...


----------



## fredbloggs02

Madame De Lafayette's three books: The Princesse de Cleves and her two lesser known novels: The Princesse de Montpensier, The Comtesse de Tende


----------



## avoidobot3000

The Antichrist by Nietzsche --Interesting, assertive preface, addressed to the two different types of reader. He basically says either you're one of _us_ (individualistic, awesome, above it all); or one of _them_ (pitiful, weak, evil, Christian).

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell. Orwell's account of the Spanish Civil War. An English reporter soon finds himself enlisted in the Marxist, Democratic, Rag-tag army fighting against the larger, more polished Fascist forces.


----------



## Alexa10

*Too Many at Once!*

Some history books about Egypt, Italy, Vatican City, and The Chronicles of Narnia. I gotta stop doing that! Reading too many books at once, I mean. ;p


----------



## Eraque

The Lies of Locke Lamora


----------



## Keith




----------



## afraid2goinpublic

*ok I will tell you BUT I dont want any crap over it*
*Remember you asked me,lol>>>*
*Worlds Greatest Literature Best Loved Poems*
*Love Poetry. *
*Great thread idea by the way.*


----------



## Lmatic3030




----------



## huh

_The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us_

Great read so far.


----------



## miminka




----------



## rockyraccoon

I just finished reading Brainrush: A Thriller by Richard Bard


----------



## kanra

I read The Fellowship of the Ring for the second time. I love the Lord of the Rings series!

I'm going to start reading 1984.


----------



## beherit

Lions of Kandahar


----------



## eppe

Dubliners by James Joyce.

Liked The Boarding House back in college and that made me buy the book when I saw a cheap copy on sale.


----------



## el flaco

Psychology of the Unconscious









Really helping me to understand myself better,


----------



## erasercrumbs

What's Wrong With Benevolence: Happiness, Private Property, and the Limits of Enlightenment

"...in this world, a large part of the business of the wise is to counteract the efforts of the good." - William Rathbone Greg


----------



## fredbloggs02

About Scophophobia: the obsession of averting the gaze or the "evil eye". We've probably all felt having examined ourselves in the light of our disorder it made a lot of sense, this is similar in that the protagonist is gradually convinced he possesses the evil eye.


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## jockohomo

Whoa, _Faust_.










i loved this part: _'The basic nova mechanism is very simple: Always create as many insoluble conflicts as possible and always aggravate existing conflicts - This is done by dumping life forms with incompatible conditions of existence on the same planet - There is of course nothing "wrong" about any given life form since "wrong" only has reference to conflicts with other life forms - The point is these forms should not be on the same planet - Their conditions of life are basically incompatible in present time form and it is precisely the work of the Nova Mob to see that they remain in present time form, to create and aggravate the conflicts that lead to the explosion of a planet that is to nova - At any given time recording devices fix the nature of absolute need and dictate the use of total weapons - Like this: Take two opposed pressure groups - Record the most violent and threatening statements of group one with regard to group two and play back to group two - Record the answer and take it back to group one - Back and forth between opposed pressure groups - This process is known as "feed back" - You can see it operating in any bar room quarrel - In any quarrel for that matter - Manipulated on a global scale feeds back nuclear war and nova - These conflicts are deliberately created and aggravated by nova criminals - [&#8230;] In all my experience as a police officer I have never seen such total fear and degradation on any planet.' 
_


----------



## Citrine

My big fat bio text book. And all the other text books that I had to buy that I probably could have done without.


----------



## Darth Smittius

Just finished The Maltese Falcon.


----------



## afraid2goinpublic

*The Bible by God *


----------



## beherit

Nixonland by Rick Perlstein


----------



## Trmick

Just finished _Angelology_ by Danielle Trussoni...Now my search begins for a new read


----------



## Nyx

The Lies of Locke Lamora
I'm also supposed to be reading The Feeling Good Handbook :roll


----------



## Huk phin

The best worst thing that has happened to my reading is the iPad and iBooks. I keep reading samples but never reading the book.


----------



## GuyMontag

Hey Rube by Hunter S. Thompson

Beat Generation by Jack Kerouac


----------



## avoidobot3000

Franz Kafka - The Complete Stories


----------



## Green Eyes

Carole Matthews - Wrapped up in You

It has a Christmas theme. I have about 6 more books to read that have a Christmas theme. My Christmasses are always boring, lonely, nothing special. I hope someday I will get a Christmas that will be so wonderful it could be from a book or movie.

And also:
Angela Carter - Nights At The Circus / But it reads a little slow.
Chelsea Rae Swiggett - My True Story of fear, anxiety and social phobia / This one makes me a little depressed when I'm reading it.


----------



## alte

avoidobot3000 said:


> Franz Kafka - The Complete Stories


Good choice.


----------



## Trmick

Huk phin said:


> The best worst thing that has happened to my reading is the iPad and iBooks. I keep reading samples but never reading the book.


That's why I don't even look at that stuff anymore. To me reading is reading- kind of an all or nothing thing. I hate how technology (with its awesome positive influence no doubt) has invaded even the simple things!


----------



## pita

I'm reading _Skin_ by Mo Hayder.


----------



## fanatic203

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## Cletis

SEAL Target Geronimo: The inside story of the mission to kill Osama bin Laden

Next on my list:

Combat Swimmer: Memoirs of a Navy SEAL


----------



## cgcooper

Working my way through the Dune series at the moment. I'm up to God-Emperor of Dune. Its an absolutely fantastic sci-fi epic.


----------



## Crystalline

The last book of the Tamir Triad by Lynn Flewelling. Such bad characterization and writing but I want to just get through the story and find out what happens. She must be one of the most overrated fiction authors though.


----------



## Cornerstone

The last book i read was "Interviews with Mike Leigh". I'm currently reading a biography of Georges Bataille


----------



## caflme

Temple Grandin: Thinking in Pictures


----------



## cj66




----------



## huh

_Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)_

Just started it today.


----------



## Trmick

Cletis said:


> SEAL Target Geronimo: The inside story of the mission to kill Osama bin Laden
> 
> Next on my list:
> 
> Combat Swimmer: Memoirs of a Navy SEAL


I wouldn't mind reading "SEAL Target Geronimo"...It just seems like it came out awful quick to have all the facts straight.

Along these lines "Lone Survivor" I liked a lot.


----------



## Keith




----------



## lucyinthesky

I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with Tolstoy's writing :b

(^Above post: I've been reading quite a lot of Buddhist stuff recently too )


----------



## pancake111

Lady In The Lake- Raymond Chandler

Audacity Of Hope- Barrack Obama


----------



## fredbloggs02

It's actually not that bad. I thought Goethe was the sort of man who sinned then slapped you in the face with immoral life advice for your sentimentality. Not so.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Reading this in sections too. I like Shopenhauer. The "immovable mind." He gets in everyone's face and tells them they're being absurd.

He got in the face of Kant's abstractly referring to thinking beings in the abstract, as though we were aware of any, save humans... He derisively suggests in criticism of Kant "perhaps he had the dear little angels in mind".


----------



## Laila Taylor

*The Road Less Traveled - Morgan Scott Peck*










*Fate/Zero - Gen Urobuchi*










900+ pages of pure entertainment and masterpiece writing.


----------



## anonymid




----------



## trendyfool




----------



## afraid2goinpublic

*Could'nt find a photo of it, but I am reading > *
*"Stories from Beyond the Borderland" by Tuttle *


----------



## MrBakura91

Right now I'm reading, Carl Sagan's The Demon Haunted World Science as a Candle in the Dark. I'm also reading The Book of Mormon(although I'm not a Mormon I just find it interesting.) and I'm reading a bunch of the DC new 52 comics and various Marvel as well.


----------



## pita




----------



## silentcliche

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss.


----------



## trendyfool

wrongnumber said:


> A million little pieces - James Frey
> No idea what it's about but someone gave it to me and I'll generally read anything so I'll give this a go. I like the format. The text is sideways, and the book is small, suitable for carrying in a bag. All books should be like this.


Oh, that book was part of a huge scandal. The author tried to pass it off as a memoir but it turned out it was mostly made up (if my memory serves me correctly). It could be good, though, I don't know.


----------



## JudgeDreddlikescookies

just finished The Day of the Jack Russell by Colin Bateman

going to start Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson soon


----------



## meganmila

An Unquiet mind


----------



## RIVENS

White teeth by zadie smith

Ps I work at a bookstore and my boss let's me take home all the books I want. Its the best job ever


----------



## brothersport

Just finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson, and Dreamland by Sarah Dessen.


----------



## Lasair

Also reading a book on intellectual disabilities, forensic mental health and old age psychiatry


----------



## Perkins

About to finish this:


----------



## lucyinthesky

Not a fan of the protagonist.


----------



## offbyone

Not as into it yet as other stuff I've read by him.


----------



## Voidstarlit




----------



## ainsleigh

The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran (Poetry)


----------



## forex

just started chapter 3 very good easy too read good examples and can relate too everything  i hope a breakthrough when i finish this book.

it will get better 
- start building self-esteem
- do nothingism: how to beat it
- verbal judo: learn to talk back when your under fire of criticism
- feeling angry ? whats your iq?
- ways of defeating guilt 
-sadness is NOT depression

etc


----------



## Diacetylmorphine

Long Overdue:


----------



## avoidobot3000

_Island _by Aldous Huxley


----------



## cj66




----------



## Sage Sagan

emptybottle said:


> the female thing by laura kipnis
> fantastic book
> 
> and also
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> my ops book i just got from the library


The way to get a guy? Ask him out. Works like a charm.

Too scared to? We're pretty scared to ask you out too, and it's more socially acceptable for a girl to turn down a guy.



Disarray said:


> Long Overdue:


 "There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me: only an entity, something illusory."


----------



## anonymid

"Three Years" by Anton Chekhov.


----------



## lucyinthesky

I read Ivan Ilyich a while back, but decided to read the rest of the book today  After A Christmas Carol!


----------



## Dying note

*Villette* By Charlotte Brontë


----------



## atticusfinch

Disarray said:


> Long Overdue:


Brace yourself. I advise that you read any of the chapters entitled as '_Girl_' or '_Girls_' with an empty stomach.

--

_Caucasia_ by Danzy Senna.

(_It's excellent so far_).


----------



## Cletis

Daddy is reading several right now:

100 Questions & Answers About Anxiety

Combat Swimmer: Memoirs of a Navy SEAL

The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook

Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper


----------



## 0lly

(I wouldn't recommend reading Study in Scarlet if your a Mormon.)


----------



## fredbloggs02

Finished Goethe's Faust this evening.









Spinoza always intrigued me. I've been looking forward to hearing his thoughts for a while.


----------



## lucyinthesky

^ Really good actually. I'm now reading Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk, which I also like


----------



## Robodontopus

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The Fall by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. Is what I'm reading right now.


----------



## offbyone

lucyinthesky said:


> ^ Really good actually. I'm now reading Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk, which I also like


Might have to give that a try. Is it really alternative mediciney or something else? I don't really buy into that kind of stuff.

I could get into practical things like exercise, diet, etc though.

I'm not trying to be judgemental with this if it is, just finding out if it would work for me. I don't have the personality where that kind of stuff helps me at all.


----------



## lucyinthesky

offbyone said:


> Might have to give that a try. Is it really alternative mediciney or something else? I don't really buy into that kind of stuff.
> 
> I could get into practical things like exercise, diet, etc though.
> 
> I'm not trying to be judgemental with this if it is, just finding out if it would work for me. I don't have the personality where that kind of stuff helps me at all.


The author doesn't completely dismiss modern medicine, which I think is good. The chapter on heart coherence is a bit alternative, but I found the ones on the importance of omega 3, exercise and your body clock interesting. You can do the amazon look inside thing on http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1447211464/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE and read quite a bit of it to see what it's like


----------



## jockohomo

Still on a Burroughs kick.


----------



## GuyMontag

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald


----------



## Green Eyes

Something from Tiffany's - Melissa Hill

11.22.1963 - Stephen King 
Just started it. It has almost 900 pages! I wonder how long it takes me to finish it.


----------



## anonymid

_Astrophel and Stella_ by Sir Philip Sidney.


----------



## prudence

_Food of the Gods_ by Terence McKenna and _Game of Thrones: Book One_


----------



## JaneGray

the hogsfather, by terry pratchett


----------



## anonymid




----------



## fredbloggs02

I love Greek Tragedy. I picture the characters really vividly; though they are never described! Their blistering chivalric gallantry courage and misery are better descriptions: so precise.


----------



## retropat

"The Queen of the Damned" by Anne Rice.


----------



## Luka92

Stephen King-The Green mile


----------



## anonymid




----------



## anonymid




----------



## Neptunus




----------



## mooncake

I've just finished this. It's bad that this series is so good, since it stops me from reading what I actually need to read for uni...

like this









which is very strange, but I like it.


----------



## Elleire




----------



## nathicana

_Seduction_ by Jean Baudrillard and re-reading E_rotism, Death, and Sensuality _by Georges Bataille


----------



## Globe_Trekker

The Immortal Game: A History of Chess by David Shenk


----------



## avoidobot3000

This thing is a thick beast that strains my wrists. Good reading though.


----------



## pancake111

One that flew over the cookoo's nest
No country for old men


----------



## Wall of Red

I've just finished reading a book called 'Chattering' by Louise Stern. It is a collection of short stories about deaf people.


----------



## refined_rascal

Currently working my way through the 'James Bond' novels again.


----------



## Trmick

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhalsigeIJ1qd80ug.jpg


----------



## acinorevlm

_Imperfect Justice_ by Jeff Ashton


----------



## Globe_Trekker

In the Heart of the Country by J. M. Coetzee


----------



## me83

aleph-paulo coelho


----------



## Nyx

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett


----------



## miminka

I hate that the first thing that google suggests when typing the name of a book is 'summary' or 'sparknotes'. Just read the ****ing book.


----------



## caflme

Temple Grandin: Thinking in Pictures


----------



## 0lly




----------



## offbyone

0lly said:


>


Oo good stuff.


----------



## mooncake




----------



## Waterinthesink7

Villette by Charlotte Bronte.


----------



## EagerMinnow84




----------



## fredbloggs02

Couple of short books on the go at once, the antithesis of the other though; Nietzsche as antidote to the oppressiveness of the first.


----------



## lucyinthesky

I really liked Bartlett's biography of Tolstoy. It was a nice mix of his life, Russian history and the philosophy that shaped him and his followers. He really was a fascinating person  I'm now facing my first Philip Roth novel (American Pastoral)... aaah.

(EagerMinnow: King Lear is so good.)


----------



## max87

The Investigation by Stanislaw Lem. 
Finished reading The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Just bought Nikolai Gogol's Evenings On A Farm Near Dikanka


----------



## scintilla

:nw Dorothy Parker. Got this baby last week.


----------



## anonymid




----------



## raidersfan

Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil both by Friedrich Nietzsche. 
The Analects by Confucius


----------



## Lmatic3030

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## gusstaf

Depressing, but well written.


----------



## Brett C Rhodes LCSW

Constructing the Sexual Crucible
Passionate Marriage
Intimacy and Desire
... all by Dr. David Schnarch a brilliant psychologist with a deep understanding of relationships. Great stuff!

The Soldier Son trilogy by Robin Hobb ... just finished book one, Shaman's Crossing. Staring book two tonight.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

whatsername75 said:


> :nw Dorothy Parker. Got this baby last week.


I have that book. I love her.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Just started:


----------



## NineKnights

Never Let Me Go

by Kazuo Ishiguro


----------



## Nightlight

*I Hate You - Don't Leave Me, by Jerold Kreisman*


----------



## Blawnka

I really do wish I liked to read, but I haven't read a book in at least 5+ years, and don't plan on it anytime soon.


----------



## ComradeRyan

The Pacific By Hugh Ambrose.


----------



## mezzoforte

I'm going to the library tomorrow to pick up The Perks of Being a Wallflower xD
Other than that, I've been reading Chobits manga!


----------



## Wallflower81

mezzoforte said:


> I'm going to the library tomorrow to pick up The Perks of Being a Wallflower xD


I'm currently in the middle of "The Perks of Being A Wallflower" ... liking it a lot so far.

Am also at the beginning of "The Help". I tend to go back and forth between books.


----------



## 0lly

Paper Samurai said:


> Just started:


 That's one of the next books on my reading itinerary. I really enjoyed 'Ubik' by Philip K. Dick, so I'm hoping I'll love this too. And Blade Runner's one of my favourite films.


----------



## Daft

Final Fantasy and Philosophy. For when you want to read further into your games than the creators probably intended you to.


----------



## anthrotex

It's amaaaaazing.


----------



## Paper Samurai

0lly said:


> That's one of the next books on my reading itinerary. I really enjoyed 'Ubik' by Philip K. Dick, so I'm hoping I'll love this too. And Blade Runner's one of my favourite films.


I've also got 'We can remember it for you wholesale' by P.K.D on my book shelf waiting to be read  (The book Total Recall was based on)


----------



## EagerMinnow84

NineKnights said:


> Never Let Me Go
> 
> by Kazuo Ishiguro


This book is quite good.


----------



## Charizard

I just finished Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. I'm starting on Brave New World next.


----------



## Robodontopus

Just finished One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. This and Les Miserables are the most recent things I've read and are now probably my two favorite books.


----------



## Nightlight

The Regulators, by Richard Bachman.


----------



## immortal80




----------



## lucyinthesky

I recently really enjoyed First Love by Turgenev. I need to read some more stuff by him.


----------



## One Man Wolfpack

I've never been much of a reader but I decided to make an effort to read more this year. I just fiished To Kill A Mockigbird and I'm just about to start either 1984, The Perks of Being A Wallflower or A Scanner Darkly


----------



## anonymid

_Hippolytus_ - Euripides


----------



## pita




----------



## eNeM




----------



## heyJude

_The Holocaust Diaries_


----------



## Mr Mug




----------



## Lynkz

Katawa Shoujo (Visual Novel) and A Briefer History Of Time by Stephen Hawkins


----------



## IcedOver

I'm reading "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (which is actually titled "Men Who Hate Women"). I haven't yet viewed either film version. I'm halfway through the book, and unless something great happens, I don't understand the fascination with it. You have to account for the fact that it's a translation, but that doesn't excuse the fact that it's a plodding bore. On top of that, it's just a bunch of judgmental socialist poppycock.


----------



## fredbloggs02

anonymid said:


> _Hippolytus_ - Euripides


My favourite of Euripides of the four I've read so far is Hecabe.. Do you have a favourite?


----------



## Lasair




----------



## fredbloggs02

I had to read this at some point.. Not sure if Voltaire is really my sort of person though..hated all seriousness, Jansenism; smarmily discredited sufferers and flawed them cruelly; took away their pride where he could. Not sure if he really understood them, he simply logically flawed them which wouldn't have helped them-like many atheists today who don't really have a conscience for those so made to believe. I've not read his tragedies but I have trouble imagining a man like him understanding it. He had dainty feet. To me, there's a difference between bravery and a man born daring.


----------



## anonymid

fredbloggs02 said:


> My favourite of Euripides of the four I've read so far is Hecate.. Do you have a favourite?


Not sure I have a favorite; I've just started reading Euripides for the first time recently. The only others I've read are _Medea_ and _Electra_.

Today I read this, based on _Hippolytus_:


----------



## fredbloggs02

anonymid said:


> Not sure I have a favorite; I've just started reading Euripides for the first time recently. The only others I've read are _Medea_ and _Electra_.
> 
> Today I read this, based on _Hippolytus_:


Ahh Raicine. I've heard of him. What's that about? I recently read the preface to Iphigenia, who played a small part in the Orestia and Electra of the other two Greek tragedians. He was a Janesinist wasn't he.. Or did he reconvert later..... Tcch, probably forced it on himself. Euripides and Racine have to be the coldest tragedians I've heard of save Kierkegaard's favourite "Lessing"; I judge that by Kierkegaard's nature alone lol. You'd probably be into it but I'm never touching him unless I ACTUALLY believe in God.

Have you read Prometheus Bound or The Eumenides by Aeschylus? There is a burning glimmer of hope in those plays, even a purpose in their sufferings and blood-vendetta; if that sort of optimism appeals to you. Jansenism is pretty... well. The only other Jansenist I know of is Blaise Pascal, and that poor bloke nearly killed himself in his writing. He diddn't even let his loved ones touch him.


----------



## retropat

This is the first novel by Anne Rice's son, Christopher Rice. I just started it and so far am really enjoying it. Hard to believe he was only 21 when he wrote this book.


----------



## retropat

anonymid said:


> Not sure I have a favorite; I've just started reading Euripides for the first time recently. The only others I've read are _Medea_ and _Electra_.
> 
> Today I read this, based on _Hippolytus_:


Great story. If you enjoy Racine's Phaedra, you should try "Phaedra's Love" by Sarah Kane. It's a modern (and vulgar) interpretation of the Phaedra story.


----------



## Venkska

Catch-22 ****ing awesome crazyass stuff on this book. Yossarians A BAWS hookin up qwith dem hoes


----------



## Wallflower81




----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## shadowmask

_The Reader_ - Bernhard Schlink


----------



## Mia Q

Carrie - Stephen King


----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## EagerMinnow84




----------



## silentcliche

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.


----------



## caflme

In present day China, an old woman's house sits opposite an ancient bridge. Not just any bridge--but a special one because it has always been known as The Lucky Bridge. In olden days it was said that to walk over it during a marriage ceremony, or at the beginning of the New Year would bring the traveler good luck. Because of its reputation, over the years it has also become a popular place for young mothers to abandon their children. What to some may seem cruel is in reality their final gift to their offspring--one last chance to send them off to their new destinies with luck on their side. Jing, an old woman, is the unofficial and often reluctant guardian of the bridge. When no one else will, Jing steps in to prevent the children from frostbite, abuse and hunger, and then she delivers them safely to the orphanage. This has been her routine for many years, but what does Jing do when the latest child, a blind boy, burrows deep into her heart?


----------



## caflme

Remove the Mess, Add Meaning

Simplicity isn't about what you give up. It's about what you gain. When you remove the things that don't matter to you, you are free to focus on only the things that are meaningful to you. Imagine your home, your time, your finances, and your belongings all filling you with positive energy and helping you achieve your dreams. It can happen, and Organized Simplicitycan show you how. Inside you'll find: A simple, ten-day plan that shows you step-by-step how to organize every room in your home Ideas for creating a family purpose statement to help you identify what to keep and what to remove from your life Templates for a home management notebook to help you effectively and efficiently take care of daily, weekly and monthly tasks Recipes for non-toxic household cleaners and natural toiletry items including toothpaste, deodorant and shampoo Start living a more organized, intentional life today.


----------



## Rixy

I just got "House of Silk" in the post today. I enjoyed Anthony Horowitz's "Alex Rider" books when I was younger, so I'm interested in seeing his take on a Sherlock story. I've also never really taken an interest in Sherlock Holmes until recently. 

Comic book wise I have some trade paperbacks of Transmetropolitan, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Preacher. I've also started to have a look at manga, although I'm only going to stick with Full Metal Alchemist at the moment.


----------



## DubnRun

Human Race Get Off Your Knees - David Icke


----------



## SweetNSour82

The Passage by Justin Cronin
Kinda reminds me of the Resident Evil movies.


----------



## cj66




----------



## pita




----------



## jockohomo




----------



## Linlinh




----------



## strawberryjulius

_Inter__course _by Andrea Dworkin
_Pride and Prejudice _by Jane Austen
_Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy _by John Le Carré


----------



## Pennywise

I'm almost finished this:










Next, I'll be reading this:


----------



## spidereater

I am re-reading _the Hobbit_ and _Your Inner Fish_ (that one is for school)


----------



## anonymid




----------



## gusstaf




----------



## Ironpain

Normally I would be done a book like that in a single day if not two but I have been dragging it out, kind of savoring it, though I doubt I will re read it, is dragging on abit but I only have what 3 more chapters to go. Reading Mary Higgins Clark 1977 novel A Stranger is Watching which deals with the issue of Capital punishment.


----------



## Nathan Talli

Shadowrise


----------



## yager75

Slaughterhouse 5


----------



## Wanna be drama queen

The Body by Stephen King I have been wanting to read it for years but never been able to find it until recently


----------



## 0lly




----------



## offbyone

0lly said:


>


This, combined with your avatar and status, make for one of the best posts I've ever experienced.


----------



## snowyowl

Yes, both of them, and they're both REALLY good! Also re-reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett


----------



## lucyinthesky

Doña Perfecta- Benito Pérez Galdós
Shakespeare and The Problem of Adaptation- Margaret Kidnie


----------



## Ironpain

Currently reading Michael Connelly The Black Ice (Book two in the Harry Bosch) and The Complete Guitar Manual.


----------



## Ironpain

snowyowl said:


> Yes, both of them, and they're both REALLY good! Also re-reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett


I love Agatha Christie books, have you ever read And Then There Were None, Politically incorrectly known as Ten Little Indians? I've read some Miss Marple didn't like At Betrams Hotel how ever.


----------



## pita

Ironpain said:


> Currently reading Michael Connelly The Black Ice (Book two in the Harry Bosch) and The Complete Guitar Manual.


You joined the thread =D


----------



## Ironpain

pita said:


> You joined the thread =D


I did, now to actually focus on my reading so that I can finish the book I'm reading and move on to something else.


----------



## Ironpain

ccoop said:


> I just finished reading Dune by Frank Herbert. I enjoyed it but it was a little bit confusing in parts.


You think Dune is confusing try reading The Heretics of Dune or Chapterhouse Dune that's where it really gets complicated. Dune's scope is in Herbert's description, in his imagination, it's the destiny of a boy, it's the story of the fremen people, it's a story of The Planet Arrakis it's a story of life.


----------



## Minipurz




----------



## BuzzAldrin

I just started reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, so far it sucks.


----------



## yager75

Catching Fire


----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## mooncake

Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner


----------



## Beautifully Chaotic

Lisa Genova - Still Alice


----------



## Keith

Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky


----------



## aquilla

Ernest Hemingway - A Farewell to Arms


----------



## Losm

Just read:










Now on to:


----------



## fredbloggs02

Keith said:


> Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky


That is my favourite book; a brilliant novel. I mean to read it again soon.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Starting to get into his thicker philosophy now.


----------



## lucyinthesky

Losm said:


> Just read:


Was that any good? I saw it in the train station bookshop the other day and it seemed quite interesting.


----------



## Resonance

Trying to pass the time till George RR Martin finishes his next book


----------



## enfield

reading









"The book focuses on the relationship between a sternly religious father who rejects the new evolutionary theories of his scientific colleague Charles Darwin and the son's gradual coming of age and rejection of his father's fundamentalist religion."

(it's a memoir by the son).


----------



## Losm

lucyinthesky said:


> Was that any good? I saw it in the train station bookshop the other day and it seemed quite interesting.


I liked it! Really interesting, and kind of freaky when you realise that psychopaths are everywhere haha:b. You should give it a go


----------



## Crystalline

City of Bones by Martha Wells.









Also Soul Mirror by Carol Berg (second book of the Collegia Magica series. I liked the first one - Spirit Lens - quite a bit.)


----------



## cj66




----------



## lucyinthesky

Losm said:


> I liked it! Really interesting, and kind of freaky when you realise that psychopaths are everywhere haha:b. You should give it a go


Haha, I will  Thanks.


----------



## strawberryjulius

I started 1Q84 on the bus yesterday. SO EXCITED.


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin




----------



## Gorillaz

Resonance said:


> Trying to pass the time till George RR Martin finishes his next book


watch out. There's 13(?) books in the series and they're seriously addicting.


----------



## Tu Cielo

A little late on the Harry Potter bandwagon, I know. For the longest time I refused to read the books and then out of the blue I decided to give them a try. I'm halfway through the first book and I'm pretty much hooked.


----------



## Rainbowmuffin

The Taking by Dean Koontz. It isn't bad, could see it being made into a horror movie. At least the ending wasn't as silly as some books i've read.


----------



## offbyone

strawberryjulius said:


> I started 1Q84 on the bus yesterday. SO EXCITED.


:high5

I need to get back to reading it.


----------



## shadowmask

_Nightmares & Dreamscapes_ - Stephen King


----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## HeyImAnAlien

A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket

<3


----------



## Resonance

Gorillaz said:


> watch out. There's 13(?) books in the series and they're seriously addicting.


A statement aptly demonstrated by the fact that what I am reading now is:


----------



## avoidobot3000

Its pretty good teaching. Me heaps of stuff about, grammar n that!


----------



## lucyinthesky

avoidobot3000 said:


> Its pretty good teaching. Me heaps of stuff about, grammar n that!


A good little book :yes


----------



## Ironpain

James Lee Burke-IN The Electric Mist with Confederate Dead A Dave Robicheaux novel and listening to The Tin Roof Blowdown A Dave Robicheaux novel also by James Lee Burke on Audio CD. For those interested in his books, James Lee Burke is the rare winner of two Edgar Awards, he was also a College English Professor in the 70's, so if your looking for an author who knows how to use prose fluidly, you'll like James Lee Burke.


----------



## Ironpain

I sometimes read the book boards on IMDB and they do this. 

What is the name of the book you are reading?
Who is it dedicated to? 
First line of the book?
Your favorite line in the book? (if you've already gotten that far) 

In The Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke
For Frank and Tina Kastor and Jerry and Maureen Hoag

The sky had gone black at sunset, and the storm had churned inland from the Gulf and drenched New Iberia and littered East Main with leaves and tree branches from the long canopy of oaks that covered the street from the old brick post office to the drawbridge over Bayou Teche at the edge of town.

Haven't found one that I'd call a favorite yet.


----------



## 17Racer

Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (sequel to The Relic).


----------



## Fruitcake

> I sometimes read the book boards on IMDB and they do this.
> 
> What is the name of the book you are reading?
> Who is it dedicated to?
> First line of the book?
> Your favorite line in the book? (if you've already gotten that far)


I like this idea.

I'm reading Oblivion by David Foster Wallace, dedicated to Karen Carlson and Karen Green.

First line: The Focus Group was then reconvened in another of Reesemeyer Shannon Belt Advertising's nineteenth-floor conference rooms.

Favourite line: Once, in his junior year at Cornell U., Scott R. Laleman had been in an A.C.S. Dept. lab accident and had breathed halon gas, and for several days he went around campus with a rose clamped in his teeth, and tried to tango with anyone he saw, and insisted everybody all call him _The Magnificent Enriqué_, until several of his fraternity brothers finally all ganged up and knocked some sense back into him, but a lot of people thought he was still never quite the same after the halon thing.
:eyes


----------



## Ironpain

17Racer said:


> Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (sequel to The Relic).


Took me nearly a year to a get copy of Relic from the public library, it was that popular that I was on a year long waiting list. Have you read Fever Dream? That's a Prequel of sorts but it's fine if you started with Relic. How you liking the books so far?


----------



## PitaMe

I just finished Hopes and Dreams by Noam Chomsky, and am now going to start on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (I've never read it before). I've been wanting to get a copy of Hunger Games from a local library but every single one is on hold or checked out.


----------



## Lasair




----------



## 17Racer

Ironpain said:


> Took me nearly a year to a get copy of Relic from the public library, it was that popular that I was on a year long waiting list. Have you read Fever Dream? That's a Prequel of sorts but it's fine if you started with Relic. How you liking the books so far?


The Relic and Reliquary are the only Preston/Child books I've read. It's been a while since I read The Relic, but I liked it quite a lot. Reliquary seems pretty good, too, and I'm about halfway through it.


----------



## Jared3

Loving it.


----------



## shadowmask

_The Ceremonies_ - T.E.D. Klein


----------



## Nekomata

Tempted by P.C and Kristen Cast
Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz


----------



## fate77

Moby Dick; or the whale


----------



## 0lly




----------



## fredbloggs02

I'm convinced Schopenhauer is a creative genius. I wasn't impressed at first, he seemed to be setting out his own system, then he went on to outline it's implications, and I realise, he understood something that has helped me in my lifetime. He distinguished(purely rationalistically) the "will" from the "intellect". I am convinced Freud and Jung both drew inspiration from him founding their theory of the conscious and the restraining unconscious. I am convinced I have it within my power to cure myself of anxiety altogether if I set my mind to this!

Who of you have read any of Freud or Jung? I think it would be good for me to understand where they were both coming from, so I know who best to attend to. Although I have ideas of my own, I'm convinced they must both have had their own thoughts on self-treatment. Philosophy/psychology is so important! They really weren't just charlatans seeking to exert themselves! I see a path to explore here.


----------



## lonelyjew

Read The Hunger Games today, from start to finish. I can't say it was an amazing book, in spite of the fact that it hooked me. It was entertaining, and I have a weakness for books that take place in a dystopian environment, however from a technical standpoint I wouldn't say it was well written. I guess maybe a good way to put it is that it's classified as a book for young adults, and it shows though a rather predictable story line, and characters that were equally predictable, and somewhat one dimensional; the whole thing is simple. That isn't to say that it's poorly written, or bad, because it isn't; it's just ok. 

Oh well, going to have to study all night to make up for the time spent on it lol.


----------



## pita




----------



## phoenixwright

I picked up The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo recently. I really enjoyed the movie (and I want to check out the Swedish version of the movie too) so I figured it would be a wise pick.


----------



## lonelyjew

phoenixwright said:


> I picked up The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo recently. I really enjoyed the movie (and I want to check out the Swedish version of the movie too) so I figured it would be a wise pick.


I would be willing to read the second book, but I couldn't bring myself to read the first after having the whole plot revealed by the movie. As far as the movies go, I've seen both versions of the first, and I thought the American version was better (though I may be in the minority). They had 10 times the budget compared to the Swedish one, so that's probably why honestly; the American one has better cinematography and has much better sound, and generally has a much higher quality to it. I also liked Lisbeth more in the American version.


----------



## felula

"Girl, Interrupted" by Susanna Kaysen


----------



## fredbloggs02

I hope they don't emphasize the satire too much.


----------



## Ironpain

The Glass Rainbow. James Lee Burke. Dedicated To my cousins, Alafair Kane, Charlotte Elrod, Karen McRae and Mary Murdy. The Room I had rented in an old part of Natchez seemed more reflective of New Orlean's than a river town in Mississippi. My favorite line of the book would have to be. It's the Contention of Alcoholics Anonymous that drinking is but the symptom of the illness. 

Those afflicted souls who quit drinking but do nothing else to change their way of life become what are called "dry drunks." They also seek to control everyone around them, and they accomplish this end by the most insidious means possible: the inculcation of guilt and fear and low self esteem in those unfortunate enough to be in their way. Page 57. The Glass Rainbow A Dave Robicheaux novel, copyright 2010 by James Lee Burke.


----------



## melissa75




----------



## EagerMinnow84

^ Good book.


----------



## Swagger91

I just got done reading The Great Gatsby. Pretty overrated imo.


----------



## huh

Just finished Sleights of Mind (great book). Today I started Paranormality.


----------



## Perkins

Gloria Swanson's autobiography, Swanson on Swanson.


----------



## anonymid

:hb


----------



## Rixy

Going to start these soon:


----------



## Ironpain

The Gathering Storm Book 12 in the Wheel of time series by Brandon Sanderson.

In The Gathering Storm, the first in a trilogy called a memory of light or the final books of the Wheel of Time series, Brandon Sanderson wraps up Robert Jordan's Fantasy epic that began more than 20 years ago with 1990's Eye of the World.

For Maria Simons and Alan Romanczuk, without whom this book wouldn't have been possible. 

The Gathering storm copyright 2009 by Brandon Sanderson

Page 1.

What the Storm means

Renald Fanwar sat on his porch, warming the sturdy blackoak chair crafted for him by his grandson two year before. 

It's a 1000 plus page book, haven't come on any favorite lines yet.


----------



## cj66




----------



## Pennywise




----------



## 0lly




----------



## pita

^ 
Fantastic.


----------



## Minipurz




----------



## Nekomata

Tempted by P.C and Kristen Cast
Eagle Strike by Anthony Horowitz 

Finished Skeleton Key yesterday~ huzzah xD


----------



## One Man Wolfpack




----------



## Ironpain

pita said:


> ^
> Fantastic.


Have you read any of the other books in the series? Is she good? I've seen her books at the library.


----------



## lucyinthesky

This was actually really interesting. Now I'm reading what feels like every book ever written on modernism for uni


----------



## srschirm

Just got done with "Education of a Bodybuilder" by Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the process of reading "The Short Stories of John Cheever."


----------



## Perkins

Marlene Dietrich by her daughter, Maria Riva. 

and Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley.


----------



## DrMarianus

"Jerusalem. The biography". By Simon Sebag Montefiore.


----------



## Hexakosioihexekontahex

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov


----------



## Ironpain

A Game of Thrones- George RR Martin, tried reading it once but didn't get through it the first time so this is a reread. 

Rereads * 

Asta's book (14x's) 
The Shining (8x's)
The Haunting of Hill House (6x's)
Ghost Story (8x's so far)
Dracula (9x's)
And then there were none (3x's)
Salem's Lot (7x) 

A few of my reread material.


----------



## strawberryjulius

sea hearts by margo lanagan


----------



## Fruitcake

The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

"I flung open the door. I got a momentary flash of about a hundred and fifteen cats of all sizes and colours scrapping in the middle of the room, and then they all shot past me with a rush and out of the front door; and all that was left of the mob scene was the head of a whacking big fish, lying on the carpet and staring up at me in a rather austere sort of way, as if it wanted a written explanation and apology."

"I turned to Aunt Agatha, whose demeanour was now rather like that of one who, picking daisies on the railway, has just caught the down express in the small of the back."


----------



## mooncake




----------



## Sanctus

I am finished with exams so i can resume my reading , such a great book i have more templar novels to read Brethren trilogy by Robin young


----------



## Beautifully Chaotic

The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks


----------



## heartofchambers




----------



## nonesovile

I'm rereading The Lord of the Rings.


----------



## Elahe

Elif Shafak - The ******* of Istanbul. So far so good.


----------



## Neutrino

The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman. I'm liking it quite a bit.


----------



## avoidobot3000

About to start the Lyngstad translation of Hunger. I also bought the Robert Bly translation by accident, but I'm a purist so I decided to get the better translation. :teeth

It's really intersting so far: there's some passages of irrationality that I can relate to, such as having too much pride or being too shy to accept free food, despite being starving. I can imagine myself not wanting to admit that I was technically homeless, if I were in a similar situation. There was this one time, for example, when things were really tight and I was too afraid to ask my parents if I could borrow money from them.


----------



## seafolly

I didn't know this was a vampire love story. I really need to learn to read plot lines more. Halfway through now with a stubborn inability to put a book down once I've started it. >.>


----------



## Ironpain

Taking a little break from a Game of Thrones (300 pages so far) Currently reading for the (I don't know, 20th time or more) The Shining.


----------



## 0lly




----------



## shelbster18

Stephen King's Bag of Bones


----------



## Pennywise




----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## JesseKS




----------



## lucyinthesky

White Noise by Don DeLillo. I can't say I'm enjoying it too much, but it needs to be read for uni. It does seem to be picking up though...


----------



## 0lly




----------



## StevenGlansberg

lucyinthesky said:


> White Noise by Don DeLillo. I can't say I'm enjoying it too much, but it needs to be read for uni. It does seem to be picking up though...


I usually never find books funny but thought this was. Overall it was okay.

The Magus by John Fowles I just started. 650 pages...:afr


----------



## Nekomata

Burned by P.C and Kristen Cast


----------



## Fruitcake

StevenGlansberg said:


> The Magus by John Fowles I just started. 650 pages...:afr


Oh I love John Fowles! I'm planning on reading The Magus soon. Big books scare me too though.


----------



## emptybottle2

About a plague wherein a toxin carried in the voices of children makes adults grotesquely sick and eventually, dead



StevenGlansberg said:


> The Magus by John Fowles I just started. 650 pages...:afr


Fowles's The Collector was a great page-turner. The Magus is so intimidating.


----------



## aquilla

The Collector by John Fowles


----------



## northstar1991

What Should I Do With My life by Po Bronson


----------



## strawberryjulius

strength training for women by lori incledon


----------



## JesseKS

I put down my recent book (I've read it so many times) and now I'm reading this. I'm not -very- big into sci-fi stuff, but I've been told this book is amazing by a lot of peoples.


----------



## redskinsfan17

Lock and Key by Sara Dessen. Amazing book


----------



## Wacky Wednesdays

Finally got around to reading the hunger games...surprisingly good. Can't wait to see the screen adaptation.


----------



## pita

I love coming to this thread to look at covers.

Reading now:










Pretty amazing.


----------



## fredbloggs02

I just thought I'd mention this. I don't like Plato, not any of his views really, save perhaps this one short book and his allegory of the men who'd once existed outside the cave.

It is the life of people to recover their soul, all the knowledge they once possessed in a different life. This is the idea Plato outlines I found rather beautiful, his philosophical love. He believed that simply talking, this lost knowledge was accessible to his ideal pair.










I'm reading "the just" at the moment, it's about revolutionaries and Camus' view of what a revolutionary is beauty aside, a man who turns his back on life, who doesn't live because he loves beauty or good or life for the people but justice distinct from all those things, otherwise he'd never go through with it, or so he leads me so far. It appears to be a war between internal and external justice, though I find a lot of contradictory ideas involved, a seemingly impossible distinction to make.


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

Just read










and


----------



## lucyinthesky

I do like a good biography.


----------



## 0lly




----------



## mooncake

Finished _Grey Granite_ by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, now about halfway through _Brighton Rock _by Graham Greene


----------



## huh

I just finished _Paranormality_ today. Now I'm starting _You Are Not So Smart_.


----------



## Ironpain

Another Stephen King. Pet Semetary, just starting it while in the second half of The Shining. Haven't had time to really read it been focusing on The Shining, I'll give it more time once I'm done The Shining. 

The Shining- This is for Joe Hill King (his son) (who was a little boy at the time) who shines on.

First line of the book. 

Jack Torrance thought: Officious little prick. 

Favorite lines: It had nothing to do with willpower, or the morality of drinking, or the weakness or strength of his own character. There was a broken switch inside, or a circuit breaker that didn't work, this is Jack's analysis of his drinking, it asks the question is there a way for us to control the broken switches inside ourselves, can we shut out addiction, the bad urges.


----------



## Pennywise




----------



## 17Racer

A Case of Need by Michael Crichton. On the other hand, it's good to see that we have so many Stephen King fans here.


----------



## 0lly

I, Claudius by Robert Graves.


----------



## Pantomime

I'm currently reading _The Vampire Lestat_.








'Tis an interesting book so far.


----------



## Ortelius

I'm reading it in English. Very interesting!


----------



## clt851988

The Hunger Games


----------



## seafolly

Just finished:










Halfway through:










Oh, and Discovery of Witches got better.  I will overlook the vampire romance aspect.


----------



## Rosedubh




----------



## fredbloggs02

I find the Greeks so interesting, to see how their intuitive ideas sparked so many of the modern ideas people are held to religiously today..hopeful. The classical period of ancient Greece where it all began, I can see the first turn taken in all the sciences, all idealism, all oppression and censorship. I honestly don't feel the animosity I once did to people of this age who further those ideas; knowing from where they were stolen leaves them just men. Standing on the shoulders of giants reciting their doctrines.









I find this guy's allegories fascinating and his method for self-healing something worth looking into, I'm deffinitely gunna read into this guy further. He shared many of Anaxagoras' ideas what with the universal consciousness and the rest. And this is what, 20th century psychology literature?


----------



## RandomThought




----------



## skygazer

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall


----------



## aquilla

Today, I started "Orlando" by Virginia Woolf. Splendid!


----------



## Ironpain

Currently reading Salem's Lot and Pet Semetary.

Salem's Lot 

For Naomi Rachel King (his daughter)"...... promises to keep.

First lines: Almost everyone thought the man and the boy were father and son. 

Pet Semetary 

For Kirby McCauley

First lines: Louis Creed, who had lost his father at three and who had never known a grandfather, never expected to find a father as he entered his middle age, but that was exactly what happened.....although he called this man a friend, as a grown man must do when he finds the man who should have been his father relatively late in life.


----------



## TheGecko

The Enigma of Capital by David Harvey


----------



## fredbloggs02

"In order to be at the mercy of nothing, it was necessary for him to experience everything."


----------



## Transcending




----------



## Lasair




----------



## crystaltears

I'm gonna read Bleach again, since I heard it's ending with the last arc


----------



## strawberryjulius

my sister let me borrow the hunger games trilogy (it's a trilogy, right?) i am kind of surprised she has an interest in it at all, but anyway. so far i really don't like the way that it is written but the storyline is interesting.


----------



## Tibble




----------



## Pennywise




----------



## cj66




----------



## gusstaf




----------



## Losm




----------



## 0lly




----------



## blue the puppy

i love true crime ..


----------



## ratbag

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. For the fifth time.


----------



## avoidobot3000

Ernest Hemingway's _The Old Man and the Sea_


----------



## Luka92




----------



## Nekomata

Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz.


----------



## fredbloggs02

This is my favourite philosophical fiction work I'm rereading. Nietzsche is alive and noone could be so certain another man ever lived to hear this man's thoughts; he is so human. This is the sort of book the suttering man writes possessed by the spirit of Prometheus laughing heartily at his chains, and as they cut him he breaks them, leaving the door open for...everything. I thought I'd lost my mind- having half read it, I left home for the first time to live by myself of my own will and headed straight for the coast and the mountains. You could have raised an army in my path and it wouldn't have stopped me! It's no wonder to me Hitler rose to power on the back of this man. I read most of this book walking those spiralling mountain paths-I was close to a friend and I now appreciate always it's humour, fire, insights, freedom and above all the fact that it is so human! The greatest injustice has been done Nietzsche by impotent men like Bertrand Russell; of course, they could afford to show some restraint, to sting with some venom the man lest he leave door of his spirit open to tyranny before others. Envious, fearful of the man of great spirit who walks his own path before he regurgitates those of others: woe betide him! No philosopher I've read or know has ever endeavoured to liberate man before in this manner. Only now I've known someone like me has lived before do I feel less alone with myself.


----------



## lucyinthesky

King Lear - Nahum Tate 

Impersonations: the performance of gender in Shakespeare's England- Stephen Orgel
I would link a picture of the cover, but Venus and Adonis are showing too much flesh on it (despite the strategically placed cloth).


----------



## 0lly




----------



## SartoriTaurus

I'm getting around to read all of Ian Fleming's Bond books... I LOVE the Bond franchise!


----------



## laura024




----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## Fruitcake




----------



## strawberryjulius

brave new world - aldous huxley.

loving it so far.


----------



## huh

I'm taking a break from _You're Not So Smart_ (currently halfway done) to read _Free Will_ by Sam Harris and also _Thinking, Fast and Slow_. I finished _Free Will_ this morning, still working on the other one though.


----------



## Ironpain

I see some people posting this way so I thought I would try it out, make my page more creative :teeth, can't find a thumb nail any bigger than that apparently but that's Stephen King- The Stand the complete and uncut edition. I've tried several times to read this book without success. Doing good so far.


----------



## Marooned

I recently finished reading _Don Quixote_. It took me about 2 months at my sluggish pace to get through its 1000+ pages, but it was time spent in good company. To no longer have that eccentric knight and his trusty squire with all of his inapt proverbs to put my mind at ease each day has been more of a loss than I imagined. I am now reading _Faust, Part 1_, an abrupt change from the world of the Knight of the Rueful Figure but so far turning out to be just as engrossing.


----------



## avoidobot3000

Marooned said:


> I recently finished reading _Don Quixote_. It took me about 2 months at my sluggish pace to get through its 1000+ pages, but it was time spent in good company. To no longer have that eccentric knight and his trusty squire with all of his inapt proverbs to put my mind at ease each day has been more of a loss than I imagined. I am now reading _Faust, Part 1_, an abrupt change from the world of the Knight of the Rueful Figure but so far turning out to be just as engrossing.


Oh I've been meaning to read Don Quixote. I might read it after I finish _Savage Detectives _by Roberto Bolano and _Labyrinths _by Jorge Luis Borges. I was going to read it beforehand because I'm assuming Don Quixote has a large influence on latin literature, but a book that big seems like a commitment that I'm not yet ready for. :b


----------



## au Lait

the Tiger's Wife


----------



## kitshiv01

the second book of hunger games set, catching fire


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin




----------



## papaSmurf

avoidobot3000 said:


> _Labyrinths _by Jorge Luis Borges.


Oh man, hope you have fun with Borges! He's totally great so far as I'm concerned.


----------



## mooncake




----------



## Doriis

I'm about to start:


----------



## 17Racer

This morning I started on Clive Cussler's Pacific Vortex!


----------



## Sabreena




----------



## mooncake

Doriis said:


> I'm about to start:
> 
> [Lolita]


One of my favourites! Hope you enjoy it.

Have just started


----------



## skygazer

1491 by Charles C. Mann


----------



## retropat

Recently finished "The Wolf Gift" by Anne Rice which was an enjoyable read. She hasn't lost her touch after all these years.


----------



## ratbag

I really want to read _The Pigeon_ by Patrick Suskind.


----------



## 0lly




----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

Minortity report, Philip K Dick.

I like how it's set in the future, but everyone still smokes heavily and there's nobody wears seat belts. Harr harr, fifities sci fi.


----------



## laura024




----------



## cafune

It's been a pretty interesting read thus far. I'm just sorry I didn't start it sooner; it's been on my bookshelf for a while.


----------



## Pennywise




----------



## beastylex

moving along sloooowly...


----------



## A Void Ant

Robinson Crusoe.


----------



## InMyDreams55

I just got finished reading it for class.....not that good......in my opinion.


----------



## pita

Estelle said:


> I really want to read _The Pigeon_ by Patrick Suskind.


What a fantastic cover.

I'm reading this:










But I'm reading a really old edition and the typography/punctuation is killing me. Spaces before semi-colons? _Triple spaces_ after periods? Beastly. Just beastly.


----------



## Monroee

Hate to admit it, but I've just started reading_ The Hunger Games_. I'm curious to see what the hype is about.


----------



## shadowmask

_Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah_ - Richard Bach


----------



## pikachu2012

*The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin*

Great book


----------



## anonymid




----------



## fredbloggs02

Both translations they write beautifully. I'm wondering where to go first from here, Tasso's "Liberation of Jerusalem" or Cervantes' "Don Quixote".


----------



## avoidobot3000

Monroee said:


> Hate to admit it, but I've just started reading_ The Hunger Games_. I'm curious to see what the hype is about.


Haha, I'm curious myself. :b


----------



## shadowmask

_Koko_ - Peter Straub


----------



## lucyinthesky

Haha :b

The copy of Lolita a few pages back is so pretty - I might have to get a copy to replace my one that a friend never gave back!


----------



## Ironpain

Rereading my Richard North Patterson book, Degree of Guilt because The Public Library system in my city went on strike, so until it opens I'll have to re read all my own books, including The Stand which is a Library book which I still have.


----------



## Fruitcake

I read We3 by Grant Morrison today. The cover is pretty awesome.


----------



## max87

Just started reading this one:










So far, so good. I've only read chapter 1.


----------



## bkhill5

Just got this on today...


----------



## Bunyip

Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman.


----------



## avoidobot3000

Fruitcake said:


> I read We3 by Grant Morrison today. The cover is pretty awesome.


Grant Morrison is a crazy genius. ♥ I've read The Filth, The Invisibles and Arkham Asylum


----------



## Fruitcake

avoidobot3000 said:


> Grant Morrison is a crazy genius. ♥ I've read The Filth, The Invisibles and Arkham Asylum


Eheheh that picture is full of win. I got out Arkham Asylum today!  You should definitely read We3 too. It almost made me cry in the library. Not quite though, I am not that weak... I cried when I got home instead. I thought it was the first in a series though and then it just ended! >:c


----------



## avoidobot3000

Fruitcake said:


> Eheheh that picture is full of win. I got out Arkham Asylum today!  You should definitely read We3 too. It almost made me cry in the library. Not quite though, I am not that weak... I cried when I got home instead. I thought it was the first in a series though and then it just ended! >:c


Well done holding back that long. :teeth We3 sounds pretty awesome.


----------



## fredbloggs02

On the concept of original/hereditary sin, how it presents itself in the sciences, psychology, traces it's lineage from Greek thought to subtle alterations made by christian philosophers that allegedly used it so it seems from Kierkegaard's etymology to drive people to despair; but there are similar, terrible manipulations in this book, it will castrate you if you don't stay on your toes and even then it's subtelty spirals, to uncover it entirely seems an infinite movement.


----------



## strawberryjulius

catching fire - suzanne collins


----------



## Neptunus

^ Aw, one of my favorite books!


----------



## Fruitcake

I love the illustrations of The Wind in the Willows so much.

I'm reading Lolita. My mum said it has no substance and people only read it because it's pornographic. When I asked her more about it she said she's never actually read it. :s

Also still in the middle of Oblivion, The Inimitable Jeeves, World War Z, The Fellowship of the Ring, What's Mine Is Yours, The Dark Knight Returns and The Astonishing X-Men: Gifted.


----------



## aquilla

Reading this:


----------



## crystaltears




----------



## Starstuff13

just finished "party of one", for the second time. a great book for loners or introverts. just read the first chapter to "pale blue dot" by carl sagan.


----------



## AlexDen

emptybottle said:


> popco by scarlett thomas


nice.


----------



## lucyinthesky




----------



## idnar

Franny and Zooey by J.D Sailinger.


----------



## silentcliche

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.


----------



## avoidobot3000

lucyinthesky said:


>


I like the way he can write from so many perspectives (even women) and seem convincing. I also like his use of parentheses. :clap


----------



## lucyinthesky

avoidobot3000 said:


> I like the way he can write from so many perspectives (even women) and seem convincing. I also like his use of parentheses. :clap


Yeah, I'm really liking it so far! I'm sure it would be good to read in Spanish.


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## bkhill5

Fruitcake said:


> I'm reading Lolita. My mum said it has no substance and people only read it because it's pornographic. When I asked her more about it she said she's never actually read it. :s


^This sounds like my mom lol


----------



## JustThisGuy

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. (novel)

Hopeless Savages by Jen van Meter (comic)

I, Zombie by Chris Roberson & Mike Allred (comic)


----------



## retropat

The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir. Elizabeth was quite the bamf as this book demonstrates though Weir doesn't use those exact words.


----------



## TryingMara

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins


----------



## 0lly




----------



## 17Racer

John Grisham's A Time To Kill.


----------



## mooncake

South Riding by Winifred Holtby


----------



## fredbloggs02

Paradise Lost


----------



## fredbloggs02

Love fairytales. Hope in the deep unease never fades, I still believe the characters are good despite their actions. Pride and loyalty preceding life isn't perhaps something children would understand, too much despoiled unresolved intensity. Me and my sister were told these as children. It's strange, but a crow that reveals the truth is simply the truth in the context, though if it were said another way I know I wouldn't believe it. Morally their reactions to it were correct, some secrets can't be disclosed, though they leave an uneasy feeling behind. These are pretty disturbing tales, deffinitely no good for children. Young women immolated at the stake, fathers beheading their children... because he was told to by an enchanted stone. They were healed; but he still did it, like the story of Abraham. Sexism lol, ageism(old women are generally evil), deeply uneasy anxiety too, subtle too. I think the brothers Grimm did a religious number on children here...*******s.


----------



## Ortelius

fredbloggs02 said:


>


I have just recently started reading this book.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Ortelius said:


> I have just recently started reading this book.


What inspired you to read it? I just recently finished it- wasn't poetry lol... Couldn't do more than an essay a sitting but there are a few choice maxims in there I wrote down to memorize like an antidote, to shame or guilt and the like. It's the indipendence of the book that interested me, I liked that he praises impetuousity, and I suppose,some of the advice is practical enough, if you really have no love for mankind lol. I felt something healthy in his advice despite the obvious blasmphemies. Good to have earthly dreams every once in a while.
Some of my personal favourites...

"A prince must, therefore, never lack advice. But he must take it when he wants to, not when others want him to; indeed, he must discourage everyone from tendering advice about anything unless it is asked for."

"Any injury a prince does a man should be of such a kind that there is no fear of revenge."

"There is no doubt that a prince's greatness depends on his triumphing over difficulties and opposition. So fortune, especially when he wants to build up the greatness of a new prince, whose need to acquire standing is more pressing than that of a hereditary ruler, finds enemies for him and encourages them to take the field against him, so that he may have cause to triumph over them and ascend higher on the ladder his foes have provided. Many, therefore, believe that when he has the chance an able prince should cunningly foster some opposition to himself so that by overcoming it he can enhance his own stature."

"I hold strongly to this: that it is better to be impetuous than circumspect; because fortune is a woman and if she is to be submissive it is necessary to beat and coerce her. Experience shows that she is more often subdued by men who do this than by those who act coldly. Always, being a woman, she favours young men, because they are less circumspect and more ardent, and because they command her with greater audacity."-


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The Illumination - Just finished it last night & quite enjoyed it


----------



## Sanctus

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
A clash of kings - G.R.R. Martin


----------



## 0lly




----------



## AllToAll

I have a few for school:

Jazz by Toni Morrison
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zola Neil Hurston 
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen


----------



## lonelyjew

War of the Rats


----------



## Dan iel

TryingMara said:


> Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins


Me to. I just finished Hunger games today. Was pretty cool.

Haven't seen the movie yet but I want to. I want to see how they imagine everything visually.


----------



## Katrap

I'm re-reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward.


----------



## Robodontopus

Hitch-22


----------



## Lasair

The hunger games - more detail than the film but a pretty messedup story line


----------



## 0lly




----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## 0lly




----------



## Sabreena




----------



## Olesya

self help books :boogie


----------



## shadowmask

_Thinner_ - Stephen King


----------



## Doriis

Just finished _Flowers for Algernon_ by Daniel Keyes (absolutely loved it).

Starting _Corps et âme_ (Body and Soul? in English, not sure) by Frank Conroy.


----------



## BarryLyndon

Narrative Magazine (online)


----------



## 0lly

Doriis said:


> Just finished _Flowers for Algernon_ by Daniel Keyes (absolutely loved it).


 That's next on my list of stuff to read. I think this is the most positively reviewed book I've seen on Amazon.


----------



## lucyinthesky

0lly said:


> That's next on my list of stuff to read. I think this is the most positively reviewed book I've seen on Amazon.


I was reading this on the London Underground when someone walked over and told me it was a very good book :b And that he ran a sci-fi book club, haha. It was a good book - really interesting.


----------



## 345

Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy 
The best of Philip k Dick


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## aquilla




----------



## lkkxm

Just finished the Hunger Games trilogy. I'm not sure how well the movies are going to handle the more serious themes of the next 2 books, but... Anyway.

Right now I'm reading Matthew Stover's Caine's Law. Normally I enjoy his stuff but this book is a little out of place with his normal stuff.


----------



## strawberryjulius

dracula - bram stoker


----------



## Daft

Fiction
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

Nonfiction
A Byte of Python by Swaroop C.H.


----------



## Hexakosioihexekontahex

Dune!


----------



## fredbloggs02

Couldn't wait to finish other books on the go.


----------



## Ironpain

I can't tell you how happy I am, that the library system is back, well it's been open nearly 3 weeks, still I love the fact that it's back. Currently reading I SNIPER by Stephen Hunter and my dad was asking me during Easter if I read the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 

I said I did but that I gave up on it after a while, he said he finished it and told me I should try and persevere which even as a lover of reading I have never done, if I don't like a book after a while I give it up instead of forcing my way through it, so I picked it up again and inbetween reading the other book. Only on the second chapter.


----------



## Nyx

Last book in this series. I will really miss it. I recommend it to anyone that's a fan of Jane Austen and fantasy/werewolves/vampires.









Listening to the audiobook. Only about an hour in and I will prematurely recommend it to everyone on here.









Quite interesting so far.


----------



## TheDaffodil

"Player Piano" by Kurt Vonnegut...again. Because I love him, and it's one of my favorites.


----------



## Michael 0

Been a few years since I read a Clancy book (the real Clancy books...not the by another author but in his name crap) and liking it so far.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Just bought 4 new books, the first I'll read is:


----------



## GuyMontag

11/22/63


----------



## shadowmask

_A Confederacy of Dunces_ - John Kennedy Toole


----------



## pita




----------



## Bakemono




----------



## lettersnumbers

I have started reading Eat Pray Love.. very good read.. thinking about maybe getting The Help next.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## mooncake

For my Buddhist economics essay:


----------



## weiwuwei

The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius


----------



## SkipToTheEnd

_The Eternal Husband_ - Fyodor Dostoevsky


----------



## awkwardface




----------



## 0lly




----------



## intheshadows

John Sanford - The Night Crew


----------



## Fear Goggles

Just finished









Just started


----------



## xTKsaucex

Fear Goggles said:


> Just finished


I remember reading that book up to about chapter 10, then mistakenly I picked up another book a week later and read that one from chapter 10 onwards thinking it was the same book.

Most idiotic thing I've ever done. Was a little confused to say the least. But from what I remember good book. I gave up when I found out what I did. :b


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Fear Goggles said:


>


I read that a few months back, quite enjoyed it!


----------



## Nyx




----------



## 17Racer

Stephen King's Carrie.


----------



## BKrakow




----------



## fredbloggs02

Finished these today. Some of the patients he dissects in the unconscious are interesting.


----------



## emptybottle2

Almost finished. The best one!! GoT fans who have read all the books, does it go downhill from here?


----------



## sporteous

theWARofART Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles

Steven Pressfield


----------



## Kennnie

iBetween Shades of Grey

lovely book ighly recommend it this **** is on fiy! 6 chapters in **** i sinsane!


----------



## strawberryjulius

the whole woman - germaine greer

quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking - susan cain


----------



## Onesize Fitzpatrick

about to order Prague Winter by Madeline Albright in a minute... it's about. **** it, no one gives half a sh#t about my ancestry except me.


----------



## Gattz Griffith

Just finished reading Tale of Two Cities for my English class


----------



## Snail Shells

Well, as you can tell from avatar/sig, I'm burning through A Song of Ice and Fire right now, both on TV and the books. Reading_ A Clash of Kings_ right now. Incredible book.


----------



## Xtraneous




----------



## Ironpain

Beyond Belief- The Autobiography of Josh Hamilton outside of that I'm reading The Witch of Babylon by DJ Macintosh.


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## sporteous

The Bhagavad Gita Eknath Easwaren


----------



## Rest or Real?

Junky by Burroughs.

Next is Requiem For A Dream by Selby Jr.


----------



## lucyinthesky

Rest or Real? said:


> Junky by Burroughs.
> 
> Next is Requiem For A Dream by Selby Jr.


Requiem for a Dream has been on my reading list for so long, but I'm picky and wanted to wait until an edition that I liked came out this month :b I'll have to buy it now.

Anyway, I've just finished "What if Latin America Ruled the World?" by Guardiola-Rivera, and I'm re-reading The Brothers Karamazov.


----------



## 0lly




----------



## pita

Ridiculous premise. Gorgeous cover.


----------



## avoidobot3000

Currently reading:
















And re-reading:


----------



## JustThisGuy

Finished up Anansi Boys a couple days ago. Really good stuff. It's an offshoot of American Gods.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## Owl-99

The mindful way through anxiety


----------



## Fear Goggles

avoidobot3000 said:


> Currently reading:


How are you finding it? Have you read any other Nietzsche? I've read parts of "Beyond Good and Evil" and "Human, All Too Human", but found both incredibly difficult to penetrate, but maybe that's because I was 18. How does it compare?


----------



## avoidobot3000

^ I've read Anti-Christ, which was ok, but is mainly focused on bashing Christianity, as one might expect from the title. Thus Spoke Zarathustra, judging from the little bit I have read so far, suggests a complete new way of living (namely the idea of superman: great men far superior to most modern men) through the eyes of the fictional prophet, _Zarathustra._ I wish I could explain it better but I haven't gotten very far, yet. :b


----------



## 17Racer

Night Chills by Dean Koontz.


----------



## Ironpain

Can anyone here recommend me some Non fiction books. 

My favorite non fiction books are

The Power Broker 
The Rise and fall of the third Reich
A People's history of America
How to win friends and influence
people
I have read some music bio's 
Sting
Paul Mccartney
Queen
Rolling Stones
I've read some of the Bob Woodward books


Do you have any recommendations

Also do you know of any books aside from The Bourne identity series that features a character with Retrograde Amnesia or any type of impaired memory, can't find anything on google


----------



## ilikebooks

Ironpain said:


> Can anyone here recommend me some Non fiction books.


You might like _Quiet_ by Susan Cain. I'm reading it right now--it's all about introversion and introverts' place in societies with extroverted ideals. Highly recommended!  It's very well-researched.



Ironpain said:


> Also do you know of any books aside from The Bourne identity series that features a character with Retrograde Amnesia or any type of impaired memory, can't find anything on google


Only thing that comes to my mind is _Still Alice_ by Lisa Genova. It's about a woman who gets Alzheimer's, written by a woman with a Ph.D in neuroscience. Not at all similar to the Bourne series, though.


----------



## Ironpain

ilikebooks said:


> You might like _Quiet_ by Susan Cain. I'm reading it right now--it's all about introversion and introverts' place in societies with extroverted ideals. Highly recommended!  It's very well-researched.
> 
> Only thing that comes to my mind is _Still Alice_ by Lisa Genova. It's about a woman who gets Alzheimer's, written by a woman with a Ph.D in neuroscience. Not at all similar to the Bourne series, though.


Thanks for the recommendations, I'll check them out.


----------



## Ironpain

How many hours do you spend reading a day and what is your average reading speed? unfortunately I'm not as focused a reader as I once was, I suspect though I have no recollection of it, that when I was younger I read on average 10x's faster and retained more information about the book then I do now. 

For me I don't have a time where I can sit and read right through, I'm always distracted but now if I can get in a half an hour I'm able to read an average of 25-30 pages, I am currently 60 pages into The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo my 3rd retry. 

When I started reading I read 43 pages in 30 minutes, from 5 to 5:30 I've managed 60 pages, I suppose I'm slower with my eye issues and I don't seem to have the comprehension skills I once did, I have difficult retaining information about a book that 10 years ago I never would have had.


----------



## JustThisGuy

^ I sometimes read slowly because taking my time can be more fulfilling. Doing the voices and such.  But other times I just launch through a book.


----------



## Don Gio

This internet page


----------



## Watson

Ironpain said:


> How many hours do you spend reading a day and what is your average reading speed?


I try to read for 1-2 hours a day. Since I sneak my reading in whenever I can (I always have a book nearby), I don't know my average speed, but I'm guessing 45-60 pages depending upon what I'm reading. I'm faster with non-fiction and authors I've read before (fiction or non-fiction).


----------



## Neutrino

Getting back into reading :yay


----------



## fredbloggs02

avoidobot3000 said:


> ^ I've read Anti-Christ, which was ok, but is mainly focused on bashing Christianity, as one might expect from the title. Thus Spoke Zarathustra, judging from the little bit I have read so far, suggests a complete new way of living (namely the idea of superman: great men far superior to most modern men) through the eyes of the fictional prophet, _Zarathustra._ I wish I could explain it better but I haven't gotten very far, yet. :b


I found myself reading it aloud and eventually shouting halfway through each sermon like a prize apostle lol. That alleviated pain too, somehow cathartic. Nietzsche seems popular here.


----------



## xTKsaucex

Been reading some Virginia Woolf recently. She be a fellow Bi Polar sufferer. A quotation of her suicide note had me on the verge of tears though ;

"Dearest, I feel certain that I am going mad again. I feel we can't go through another of those terrible times. And I shan't recover this time. I begin to hear voices, and I can't concentrate. So I am doing what seems the best thing to do. You have given me the greatest possible happiness. You have been in every way all that anyone could be. I don't think two people could have been happier 'til this terrible disease came. I can't fight any longer. I know that I am spoiling your life, that without me you could work. And you will I know. You see I can't even write this properly. I can't read. What I want to say is I owe all the happiness of my life to you. You have been entirely patient with me and incredibly good. I want to say that – everybody knows it. If anybody could have saved me it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I can't go on spoiling your life any longer. I don't think two people could have been happier than we have been. V"

Man, even her last note was beautifully articulate. Didn't help I was listening to an American Beauty remix at the time.


----------



## xTKsaucex

avoidobot3000 said:


> Currently reading:


one of my favourites of all time for sure.


----------



## avoidobot3000

^^ Yes, 1984 was one of the books that inspired my love for fiction. I read this and Brave New World, several years ago now, so I feel it is worth re-reading and refreshing my memory.



fredbloggs02 said:


> I found myself reading it aloud and eventually shouting halfway through each sermon like a prize apostle lol. That alleviated pain too, somehow cathartic. Nietzsche seems popular here.


It makes me feel like there is plenty of joy to be had by living in the fringes of society--as an outsider but not forsaking others. Perhaps it is the same for others. There have been some ideas that have lit me up, but I have yet felt the need to preach them aloud. Although, I imagine it could be satisfying.


----------



## kanra

1984 by George Orwell.


----------



## river1




----------



## Neutrino

JustThisGuy said:


> ^ Been on my shelf for too long. Goal is to read it sometime this year.
> 
> That seems like an interesting read. Being compared to Catcher in the Rye. Will keep it mind.


That's exactly what my English teacher said ^_^


----------



## tennislover84




----------



## Nekomata

Destined by P.C. and Kristen Cast.


----------



## GuyMontag




----------



## NWZ




----------



## Grails




----------



## fredbloggs02

*







*


----------



## 0lly




----------



## Marooned

I've just finished up_ Faust, Part 2_, and am now in the process of reading the lengthy interpretive introduction by the masterful translator David Luke. With so many allusions, allegories, historical references, and aspects of Goethe's life weaved throughout, this is a work that requires several readings and an extensive knowledge to fully appreciate. It is still somewhat of an accessible read on the surface, however, with wonderful descriptions of a natural world infused with fantastic mythical creatures of time past and of man's persistent striving.

In the realm of nonfiction, I've also recently had the pleasure of reading Nicholas Carr's _The Shallows, _a book that will make you rue the day you came to learn of the internet. In it, he points out that the web, like all new technologies, is changing the way our brains work, and not for the better. With its myriad distractions encouraging a superficial understanding of the world rather than the depth of knowledge that can only come from the deep, sustained, and uninterrupted reading of books, he argues that our embrace of the web as the medium of choice for our intellectual lives, if not disastrous, is something that merits much greater attention. He draws on scientists, scholars, philosophers, and poets to make his case and does so quite convincingly. This book has confirmed and clarified my own experiences with the web after more than a decade of use and has really strengthened my resolve to limit its use if not eliminate it completely from my life.

Spurred on by _Faust_, I am next planning a diversion into the world of Greek mythology.


----------



## mysterioussoul

i just finished reading "Less Than Zero" by Bret Easton Ellis. it's about a bunch of rich amoral kids partying all the time, doing drugs and sleeping around. it left me depressed.

i'll be reading "Nine Stories" by J.D. Salinger next.


----------



## 17Racer




----------



## intheshadows

Dating for Dummies.


----------



## 17Racer

mysterioussoul said:


> i just finished reading "Less Than Zero" by Bret Easton Ellis.


Is that the basis for the movie of the same name?


----------



## Grails

17Racer said:


> Is that the basis for the movie of the same name?


Yeah


----------



## unbreakable damages

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. 

:um


----------



## Voyager

Second time reading it now. Last time in high school, will probably enjoy it a bit more now.


----------



## BKrakow

unbreakable damages said:


> House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.
> 
> :um


this book is the ****. I need to reread it.


----------



## Ali477

Voyager said:


> Second time reading it now. Last time in high school, will probably enjoy it a bit more now.


Is it any good? im reading Orwells homage to catalonia atm and im finding it very intresting.


----------



## Voyager

Luke688 said:


> Is it any good?


Ten chapters in and I'm liking it so far, quite an unsettling depiction of a totalitarian state. I feel for the protagonist, almost completely alone with his rebellious thoughts, surrounded by brainwashed party members scrutinizing his every move. It's unsettling, especially since I remember how it ends...


----------



## Ali477

Voyager said:


> Ten chapters in and I'm liking it so far, quite an unsettling depiction of a totalitarian state. I feel for the protagonist, almost completely alone with his rebellious thoughts, surrounded by brainwashed party members scrutinizing his every move. It's unsettling, especially since I remember how it ends...


It sounds pretty intresting I might have to give this one a read, thanks for the info.


----------



## Ironpain

Stephen Kings 11/22/63 while I'm taking a break from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the book is huge and I can only take it out for 7 days from the Library


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## SunflowerSutra

^ For fun. For school I'm reading Nickel and Dimed but my goal is to have read the entire thing today.


----------



## Grails




----------



## ilovemusic89

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn


----------



## unbreakable damages

BKrakow said:


> this book is the ****. I need to reread it.


I'm rereading it for the second time. I think my paranoia gets worse the more I read. :um


----------



## Doriis

Receiving my Amazon order was the highlight of my day. I'm going to start with:










_Eleven Kinds of Loneliness_ by Richard Yates


----------



## JenN2791

just preparing for quizzes and finals for this week, that's all...

Started Stephen King's 11/22/63 in January and I have yet finished it. Hoping to very soon..before the end of this yr


----------



## DeeperUnderstanding




----------



## xTKsaucex




----------



## Fruitcake

Just finished these:


















Now reading:









Never realised my former idol was such an ***hole.


----------



## Ironpain

The Girl who played with Fire Stieg Larsson.


----------



## JustThisGuy

Fruitcake said:


> Just finished these:
> Sandman: Preludes & Nocturnes
> 
> Transmet: Back on the Street
> 
> Now reading:
> Logic Fun
> 
> Never realised my former idol was such an ***hole.


So your adventures into The Dreaming and "The City." :clap

Is Logic Fun good? I've heard good things.


----------



## Fruitcake

JustThisGuy said:


> So your adventures into The Dreaming and "The City." :clap
> 
> Is Logic Fun good? I've heard good things.


Yeah I enjoyed those adventures. 

Hrmmmm... I don't like Logicomix much so far. The subject is really interesting but I don't really like the art, structure or writing so I just feel meh about it. I'm only halfway through though.


----------



## Nekomata

Snakehead by Anthony Horowitz.


----------



## lucyinthesky




----------



## Bryan108

Death Note manga by Tsugumi Ohba


----------



## InfiniteBlaze




----------



## TryingMara

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. 

Haven't got very far into yet, but so far it's been very interesting.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Myth of Pandora here! Always wanted to read that from the ancients. Theognis sounded interesting, a Greek of the higher classes, possessed of the innocence of childhood(hopefully not in the stuck in the anal stage sense), penalizes with a vengeance, boastful, proud, contradictory- typically aristocratic virtues. Those words must be different today than they were then. I have this unrelenting idea that words like "boastful" are somehow universally fixed, that it goes with a personality type that exists everywhere and at all times; which may or may not be true. Hearing a misanthropic but ultimately innocent hearted aristocrat artfully rant a bit helps take the sting away from the things I'd rather embedded in me than expressed.


----------



## Ironpain

Killing Floor A Jack Reacher novel, Lee Child.


----------



## aquilla

John Irving -"The World According to Garp". I'm a bid disappointed, since I thought it will be as good as "A Widow for One Year" was to me, though it's regarded as Irving's best book sometimes.


----------



## mooncake




----------



## cj66




----------



## Voyager




----------



## JGreens

As part of a collection of books I bought ages ago, I'm now onto:

A Room With A View - EM Forster
Not really my kind of book...


----------



## clt851988

Mockingjay


----------



## Pennywise

Then I'll read this:


----------



## kilgoretrout

"The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene


----------



## rdrr

I just finished:


----------



## suddentwist

Currently reading:

Sudan, South Sudan & Darfur (What Everyone Needs to Know) by Andrew S. Natsios

and

The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner


----------



## Queen of Spades

Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist


----------



## avoidobot3000

Nearly finished this one about manic-depression:








It's insightful and easy to read. These days, there are a lot of resources available on bipolar, so it's nothing new if you already know about the illness. It is interesting, however, to read about how it effects a person long term, over the course of a life time.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Inhale - Kendall Grey


----------



## 17Racer




----------



## cafune

Pennywise said:


>


This. My friend's been nagging me to read it and seeing as I have nothing to do, I might as well.


----------



## supasta666

*I Am Alive by Cameron Jace*

I Am Alive by Cameron Jace









Book Describtion:

Seventeen-year-old Decca Tenderstone feels captivated when she meets gorgeous and reckless Leo, who is arrogant, silent, beautiful, and shoots almost every one he meets.

the usual boring girl meets badboy ... hmm ... with a twist ...

They live in a dystopian future in Los Angeles where every seventeen-year-old is ranked on a scale from one to ten to determine their future. Outranks, who are considered a danger to society, are forced to attend the Monster Show, a brutal sacrificing ritual that is broadcasted worldwide on live TV, where rebellious teens are labelled Bad Kidz or Monsters and get to fight for their lives in deadly games.

The prove that you're alive is to scream 'I Am Alive' every six hours. Lower your voice, and your dead.

While Deka and Leo can't stand each other, she will find out why she doesn't fit into any rank, and why her mom tried to kill her when she was a seven.

Nothing will stand in her way as she has to makes choices concerning love, life, staying alive, growing up, and finding out who she really is.


----------



## Nogy

A Clash of Kings...second book in A Song of Ice and Fire series. I just finished the first book Game of Thrones yesterday, it was awesome finished it in 3 days (800 page book)


----------



## huh

I'm closing in on being done with Dan Dennett's _Breaking the Spell_. I'm trying to finish it before this Sunday so I can actually attend the book club meetup thing I signed up for. I have about 90 pages to go. Next I need to re-read parts of Jared Diamond's _Collapse_. I also need to start looking for another new book.


----------



## avoidobot3000

I'm ashamed that I haven't read this earlier. Right now, my imaginary lit-snob friends are tutting at me. 
They're so mean. :no


----------



## Transcending




----------



## retropat

"American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. At first I didn't think I was smart enough to understand it, but now that's I've really gotten into it, it's a really wonderful book.


----------



## aquilla




----------



## mooncake




----------



## Fruitcake




----------



## Glue

The 120 Days of Sodom by Marquis de Sade


----------



## intheshadows

the Great Gatsby.


----------



## GuyMontag

The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford


----------



## pita

And can I show you how gorgeous the interior is?



















Delicious. And the paper stock is delightful also.

Verso text is sliding into the gutter in that first pic, but maybe they meant it to.


----------



## i will be




----------



## fredbloggs02

avoidobot3000 said:


> I'm ashamed that I haven't read this earlier. Right now, my imaginary lit-snob friends are tutting at me.
> They're so mean. :no


I have to read that again..


----------



## hopelesslyshy




----------



## fredbloggs02

Just finished "The Merchant of Venice" after seeing the film adaptation recently aired. I wanted to hear the original where the sky is described as God's music.

How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!
Here will we sit and let the sounds of music creep in our ears; soft stillness and the night 
Become the touches of sweet harmony. Sit Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven 
Is thick inlaid with partines of bright gold;
There's not the smallest orb which thou
behold'st
But in his motion like an angel sings,
still quiring to the young ey'd cherubins;
such harmony is in immortal souls


----------



## 17Racer




----------



## Elahe

Shalom Auslander's Foreskin's Lament. So funny.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Norwegian Wood - Haruki Murakami
2312 - Kim Stanley Robinson


----------



## mooncake

The Road - Cormac McCarthy


----------



## typemismatch

The Road is my favourite book ever, hope you like it.

currently reading by one of my fave authors, and pretty good so far:


----------



## blue the puppy

i just finished the hunger games. thought it was kind of boring.

now im giving war and peace a whirl.


----------



## Kaede

I'm rereading The Perks Of Being A Wallflower.


----------



## GreenTrepidation

Just finished Jane Eyre, now I'm reading Pride and Prejudice. Just 98 Books to go until I complete Times Best 100 novels, yay!


----------



## Nekomata

Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz.


----------



## lucyinthesky

blue the puppy said:


> now im giving war and peace a whirl.


I hope you like it!

I'm currently reading The Kreutzer Sonata by Tolstoy.


----------



## Nelana

'Dance Dance Dance' by Murakami.
I got 'Norwegian Wood' by the same author for my birthday, and absolutely loved it. Here's hoping this one is as good!


----------



## blue the puppy

lucyinthesky said:


> I hope you like it!
> 
> I'm currently reading The Kreutzer Sonata by Tolstoy.


i like it so far. i read anna karenina and really enjoyed it.


----------



## Nekomata

Scorpia Rising by Anthony Horowitz.


----------



## Keith

The Discovery of the Unconscious: The History and Evolution of Dynamic Psychiatry - Henri F. Ellenberger


----------



## v0dka

The Idiot by Dostoievski. I'm having a hard time reading it though, Russian names confuse me because each character has like 3 different names and I have to read the same page over and over again


----------



## Citrine

The Global Soul by Pico Iyer


----------



## AfraidToSpeak

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins


----------



## The Sleeping Dragon

Just finished the fifth book of "A Song of Ice and Fire". I began reading when the first season ended of the HBO series Game of Thrones.

I've never been much of a reader but I think it has changed now.


----------



## AnticipatingSerendipity

'No Country For Old Men' and by 'currently reading', I mean I'm on page 2!


----------



## noyadefleur

_Lolita_ by Vladimir Nabokov


----------



## PitaMe

Grimm fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm. I bought it on the clearance shelf at Barnes and Noble. I like reading some of the tales right before I go to bed. 

I also purchased a book about the planets in our solar system from the same clearance shelf, so I go back and forth on both books.


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## faux everything

I'm re-reading my Sherlock Holmes collection and I'm also reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier


----------



## BoBooBoo

My current pool book is _Anansi boys_ by Neil Gaiman. My current everywhere else Kindle book is _Isaac Asimov's Guide to Earth and Space_. Since I always have my phone with me, I can get a few pages in while I'm waiting for something or at work.


----------



## retropat

BoBooBoo said:


> My current pool book is _Anansi boys_ by Neil Gaiman. My current everywhere else Kindle book is _Isaac Asimov's Guide to Earth and Space_. Since I always have my phone with me, I can get a few pages in while I'm waiting for something or at work.


How is "Anansi Boys"? I just finished "American Gods" and really enjoyed the book as well as the character of Mr. Nancy.


----------



## retropat

Currently enjoying "Lasher" by Anne Rice. I've missed the Mayfair Witches.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## Transcending




----------



## aquilla

Oh God... That is something extraordinary. Can't even force myself to eat when I'm reading this. Already regreting my stupid decision not to go to Greece with my family.


----------



## typemismatch

^ The Magus - brilliant book, i was just totally engrossed in it like no other book I read


----------



## 0lly




----------



## typemismatch

^ One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest - another great book, once I read this and re-watched the film I realised how terrible the film was.

currently reading (it's ok so far) :


----------



## hopelesslyshy




----------



## huh

I recently finished Dan Dennett's _Breaking the Spell_ and Daniel Kahneman's _Thinking, Fast and Slow_ (Finally...I put off the last half of that one for a while). Both were very enjoyable.

I'm currently reading Jared Diamond's _Collapse_ (about half-way right now, such a great book) and I started Adrian Bejan's _Design in Nature_. _Design in Nature_ is an interesting book, but the author comes off as arrogant and over-confident, and the main law seems too vaguely defined, almost to the point that he has made it unfalsifiable. I'm trying to stay open-minded about it though and I still have a lot of it to read. I'm going to finish it when I'm done with _Collapse_.


----------



## Ironpain

American Assassin by Vince Flynn. A Prequel to Transfer of Power which introduced a much older and already highly trained Mitch Rapp



Long before the events in Transfer of Power, before he was thought of as a Terrorist worst nightmare, and before he fought lobbyist and politician on the Hill and before he became a legendary CIA Assassin Mitch Rapp was a College Lacrosse player until that Cold Dec night in 1988 changed everything, 35 Syracuse University students perished in the 1988 Lockerbie Disaster, one of them was Mitch Rapp's High school sweetheart,Mitch has only one thing on his mind retribution. 

Two decades after the Cold War, Islamic Terrorism is on the rise and the CIA's Operations Director and future CIA Director Thomas Stansfied looks to form a group of Clandestine men who do not exist, Irene Kennedy discovers Mitch Rapp in the wake of the Lockerbie disaster and Mitch only wants one thing to get his revenge against those who plotted and carried out the attacks.


----------



## heyJude

_Snow Flower and the Secret Fan_


----------



## Boomstick

Just finished ,World War Z',fantastic book if you love everything Zpoc,now back onto book 7 of the Stephen King epic story 'The Dark Tower'


----------



## 0lly

Check me out I'm being intellectual:


----------



## 17Racer




----------



## fredbloggs02

Finished today, not so decadent as Severin fortunately. It was passionately written in parts though I don't know if I trust him to reflect his life, or whether being beaten half to death against the will helped anyone pull themselves together any more than shaking someone to death in the middle of a nightmare of being shaken to death cures the nightmare; I don't think such extremes are necessary. Theocritus' Eunica was crueler with the things she said.









Just started with this, mainly about ancient Greek art.


----------



## strawberryjulius

The Disappeared: A Retrieval Artist Novel by Kristine Kathryn Rusch


----------



## harrison

The Shakespeare Thefts: In Search of the First Folios by Eric Rasmussen

The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge


----------



## Mithun

Jonathan Livingston Seagull- Richard Bach


----------



## lucyinthesky

I've run out of reading material, and this is the only unread book I could find lying around. It's about sheep shearing, Sussex and Spain, and so it fits my family and life pretty well! I'm actually really enjoying it.


----------



## juizdelinha

Every solitude soul shoul read this book









This book may not help you to overcome social anxiety, but It will make you look at it from another angle, a more positive one.

Humans are social beings, to the extent that those who prefer solitude to the company of others are usually perceived as troubled individuals, outside of the norm; it took me a _long_ time to feel comfortable with being alone, with dampening the guilt that flared up in me every time I begged off going out with a group of friends. It is always a welcome reinforcement when I come across a book penned by a fellow recluse-and _The Book of Disquiet_ could be a solitary soul's bible, so powerfully does it speak in the language of single-place table settings, corner-chair cobwebs and bachelor apartments. It has achieved pride of place on my bedside stack, where I can ladle myself servings of Pessoa's wisdom at leisure.

This book's voluntarily alone author is Fernando Pessoa, a Portuguese poet, writer, and polylinguist who invented fully-fleshed out _heteronyms_-distinct and separate personalties of differing nationality and gender-in order to pursue his writing in various idiosyncratic shades and styles. _The Book of Disquiet_ is a collection of the aphoristic prose-poetry musings of one such _heteronym_, that of Bernardo Soares, assembled from notes, entries, and jottings made over a span of some thirty years and left unpublished at the time of Pessoa's death in 1935. Richard Zenith, the editor and translator of this stunning, haunting, and achingly beautiful paean to the imaginary potentiality of man, has compiled the definitive edition of this tome in a truly outstanding translation that captures the expressive eloquence of Pessoa and his magical, metaphorically rich manner of constructing word images to portray his unique way of life.

There is no finer encomium to the shattering melancholy and bracing affirmation of loneliness and solitude than the five hundred plus entries that make up _The Book of Disquiet_; and few better descriptions of existential nausea, of the desperate efforts to perceive a reason to continue with the painful disappointments, shadow terrors, and numbing meaninglessness of human existence. As Pessoa-writing as Soares-quietly and unassumingly goes about his daily rituals of walking, working as a book-keeper and inhabiting the well-trod spaces of his rented room in the real world, he is living a rich existence within the wildly creative contours of his mind: as a knight errant, a rich merchant, a pirate, a voyager, a lover of countless women, a guide to the cosmos, an inhaler of sunrises and embracer of sunsets, the guiding hand of every drop of Lisbon's morning showers, the leaves shaken by a sudden burst of wind. Having been sentenced to a term of life by an errant universe, Pessoa decided to renounce action and ambitions in what we hold to be _real_ life to pursue a variegated and abundant existence within the realm of dreams. As our life is measured through the archived clippings of one's memory, whether one actually _performed_ the deeds recalled matters less than the detail and substance they contain.

Such, at least, is the defense offered by Pessoa; yet often his solipsistic persuasions are contradictory, defensive; and when the mask slips we can see the depth of pain and loneliness underneath the placid surface of his imaginary life. There is much repetition and mulling over of themes from different angles, but the writing is so expressive and raw and honest that, to myself at least, it never becomes tedious-even as the _tedium_ of existence, the stretching of the soul on the rack of time, is one of the principal ideas that populate Pessoa's thoughts and entries. It is as if _tedium_ was experienced as a box of chocolates, each colour and coating, each form and flavour, each taste and texture, mulled over, pondered, drawn out and examined, and then set to paper as a running record to remind of an eccentric daily pleasure.

This is a book to be mused upon and savored, one that can be imbibed in different ways: it can be read straight through-the way I approached it, drawn into a white heat of blistered enthrallment-or sparingly sampled over weeks, months, even years. The order the aphorisms are assembled in is purely a construction of Zenith; he stresses such in his introduction and encourages each reader to create their own sequence for the collected entries. However the reader decides to approach _The Book of Disquiet_, they will be rewarded with the inventive honesty of a hale and wounded man from a work that is truly _sui generis_.

*******************************************************

I've recently picked up the Serpent's Tail Extraordinary Classic edition, which features a translation by Margaret Jull Costa, who performed similar duties for José Saramago's last half-dozen books. Distinct from Zenith, obviously, but just as potent and powerful-and the differently parsed words and sentences only serve to present Pessoa's incomparable poetry of loneliness in a new light, equally fulgent and searing, just focussed from an alternate angle. A richly marbled interiority of immanent pain and transcendent beauty.


----------



## juizdelinha

Every one of you should read this book









This book may not help you to overcome social anxiety, but It will make you look at it from another angle, a more positive one.

A review of the book

Humans are social beings, to the extent that those who prefer solitude to the company of others are usually perceived as troubled individuals, outside of the norm; it took me a _long_ time to feel comfortable with being alone, with dampening the guilt that flared up in me every time I begged off going out with a group of friends. It is always a welcome reinforcement when I come across a book penned by a fellow recluse-and _The Book of Disquiet_ could be a solitary soul's bible, so powerfully does it speak in the language of single-place table settings, corner-chair cobwebs and bachelor apartments. It has achieved pride of place on my bedside stack, where I can ladle myself servings of Pessoa's wisdom at leisure.

This book's voluntarily alone author is Fernando Pessoa, a Portuguese poet, writer, and polylinguist who invented fully-fleshed out _heteronyms_-distinct and separate personalties of differing nationality and gender-in order to pursue his writing in various idiosyncratic shades and styles. _The Book of Disquiet_ is a collection of the aphoristic prose-poetry musings of one such _heteronym_, that of Bernardo Soares, assembled from notes, entries, and jottings made over a span of some thirty years and left unpublished at the time of Pessoa's death in 1935. Richard Zenith, the editor and translator of this stunning, haunting, and achingly beautiful paean to the imaginary potentiality of man, has compiled the definitive edition of this tome in a truly outstanding translation that captures the expressive eloquence of Pessoa and his magical, metaphorically rich manner of constructing word images to portray his unique way of life.

There is no finer encomium to the shattering melancholy and bracing affirmation of loneliness and solitude than the five hundred plus entries that make up _The Book of Disquiet_; and few better descriptions of existential nausea, of the desperate efforts to perceive a reason to continue with the painful disappointments, shadow terrors, and numbing meaninglessness of human existence. As Pessoa-writing as Soares-quietly and unassumingly goes about his daily rituals of walking, working as a book-keeper and inhabiting the well-trod spaces of his rented room in the real world, he is living a rich existence within the wildly creative contours of his mind: as a knight errant, a rich merchant, a pirate, a voyager, a lover of countless women, a guide to the cosmos, an inhaler of sunrises and embracer of sunsets, the guiding hand of every drop of Lisbon's morning showers, the leaves shaken by a sudden burst of wind. Having been sentenced to a term of life by an errant universe, Pessoa decided to renounce action and ambitions in what we hold to be _real_ life to pursue a variegated and abundant existence within the realm of dreams. As our life is measured through the archived clippings of one's memory, whether one actually _performed_ the deeds recalled matters less than the detail and substance they contain.

Such, at least, is the defense offered by Pessoa; yet often his solipsistic persuasions are contradictory, defensive; and when the mask slips we can see the depth of pain and loneliness underneath the placid surface of his imaginary life. There is much repetition and mulling over of themes from different angles, but the writing is so expressive and raw and honest that, to myself at least, it never becomes tedious-even as the _tedium_ of existence, the stretching of the soul on the rack of time, is one of the principal ideas that populate Pessoa's thoughts and entries. It is as if _tedium_ was experienced as a box of chocolates, each colour and coating, each form and flavour, each taste and texture, mulled over, pondered, drawn out and examined, and then set to paper as a running record to remind of an eccentric daily pleasure.

This is a book to be mused upon and savored, one that can be imbibed in different ways: it can be read straight through-the way I approached it, drawn into a white heat of blistered enthrallment-or sparingly sampled over weeks, months, even years. The order the aphorisms are assembled in is purely a construction of Zenith; he stresses such in his introduction and encourages each reader to create their own sequence for the collected entries. However the reader decides to approach _The Book of Disquiet_, they will be rewarded with the inventive honesty of a hale and wounded man from a work that is truly _sui generis_.

*******************************************************

I've recently picked up the Serpent's Tail Extraordinary Classic edition, which features a translation by Margaret Jull Costa, who performed similar duties for José Saramago's last half-dozen books. Distinct from Zenith, obviously, but just as potent and powerful-and the differently parsed words and sentences only serve to present Pessoa's incomparable poetry of loneliness in a new light, equally fulgent and searing, just focussed from an alternate angle. A richly marbled interiority of immanent pain and transcendent beauty.


----------



## odd_one_out

^ That's a good one. I'm currently reading a little girls' book too.


----------



## Sanctus




----------



## Blanck

Nice light summer reading.


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## Ironpain

Kill Shot Vince Flynn

The American Assassin Reintroduced Mitch Rapp to readers a character first introduced in Vince Flynn's pre 9/11 book Transfer of Power, American Assassin explored the origins of how Mitch Rapp become the CIA legendary American Assassin a man who does not exist, leaving a string of bodies across the middle east. 

Rapp has set his plan in motion to kill everyone responsible for the downing of Pan Am flight 103 which killed his high school sweetheart, in Kill Shot when an assignment goes horribly wrong Mitch Rapp a man who does not exist must be denied at all cost by his government , alone it's up to Rapp to clear his name.


----------



## Elixir

Chart Throb - Ben Elton


----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## noyadefleur




----------



## pythonesque

_The Crying of Lot 49_. Maybe this time I'll actually get past the first chapter, heh.


----------



## harrison

*Hi from Australia.*

Have just started "Ulysses" by James Joyce - everyone has always told me how difficult it is - thought I'd give it a go after I heard a very funny extract read on the radio.


----------



## Kennnie

twilight lmfao


----------



## strawberryjulius

_The Body Image Workbook _by Thomas F. Cash


----------



## raidersfan

The Fall by Albert Camus


----------



## sparkle1

I'm reading the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz.


----------



## Marooned

Within recent weeks, I've finished reading _Cat's Cradle_ by Kurt Vonnegut and four tragedies by Euripides (_Medea_, _Hecabe_, _Electra_, _Heracles_). The former was quite captivating and made for a quick read. For me, it underscored the absurdity of man's ill-conceived quest for progress at all costs and the types of individuals who foist these destructive pursuits on the rest of us. We've yet to reach a situation as dire as the one Vonnegut imagines, but much of what's come from our so-called best and brightest, the men we revere and celebrate, has been disastrous in its own way. The book's fictitious religion of Bokononism is wonderful, particularly the act of boko-maru, or the touching of the naked soles of the feet by two individuals. How much more peaceful this world would be if this were a ritual we all practiced! The ending, which I won't spoil, is one to be appreciated by any who've pondered human affairs and found themselves shaking their heads in disbelief._Tiger got to hunt, _
_Bird got to fly, _
_Man got to sit and wonder, "Why, why, why?" _

_Tiger got to sleep, _
_Bird got to land; _
_Man got to tell himself he understand. _
​The latter plays concern individuals once of high station brought to ruin by human fallibility or the mischief of the gods. Apart from being good drama, they offer insight into the human condition that is still very much relevant today. Some passages worth sharing:_A free man? There is no such thing! All men are slaves; _
_Some, slaves of money; some, of chance; others are forced, _
_Either by mass opinion, or the threatening law, _
_To act against their nature._ (Hecabe)

_And this I say without hesitation: those whom most would call _
_Intelligent, the propounders of wise theories --_
_Their folly of all men's is most culpable._
_Happiness is a thing no man possesses._
_Fortune may come now to one man, now to another, as_
_Prosperity increases; happiness never._ (Medea)

_Friends, life's a brief and trivial thing. Such as it is, _
_As you pass through, find as much pleasure as you can,_
_From dawn till nightfall keeping sorrow at arm's length. _
_Time as he flies has no care to preserve our hopes; 
He's bent on his own business._ (Heracles)
​At present, I am a couple of hundred pages into Howard Zinn's _A People's History of the United States_, an eye-opening account of the true origins of this country.


----------



## NostalgicSoul




----------



## layitontheline

Oryx & Crake.

Read "lullabies for little criminals" recently and it was quite a neat novel


----------



## typemismatch

i really liked Oryx & Crake, I've liked all of her books that i've read.


----------



## layitontheline

cool! this is my second time reading oryx & crake because i loved it so much the first time. i've also read and enjoyed handmaid's tale by atwood. what's another book that you would recommend from her?


----------



## typemismatch

yea i read the handmaids tale too and really enjoyed it. The Blind Assassin is a really good book.


----------



## intheshadows

Rick Mofina - Vengaence Road


----------



## kosherpiggy

girl, interrupted


----------



## aquilla




----------



## AlazarRamir

Currently reading all six books of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
When I finish that I will read Book 5 (Fear) of the Gone Series by Michael Grant


----------



## fleur

the lover's dictionary.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Just started Elective Affinities having finished the Brothers Karamzov yesterday.


----------



## catcharay

Currently reading The girl who kicked the Hornets nest. So far, pretty good but pales in comparison to the first one.


----------



## Perkins




----------



## hnbnh

Blindness by José Saramago. I'm half way through and enjoying it.


----------



## lucyinthesky

^ I found that really scary!

Finally reading:


----------



## Pennywise




----------



## social outcast

Deep Future by Curt Stager.


----------



## ratbag

Just read The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind. I'm picking up A Game of Thrones from the library in two days.


----------



## fallen18

50 shades of grey I'm doing this ^_^


----------



## Canadian Brotha

*Just Finished:*










*Just Beginning:*


----------



## Amorphousanomaly

The Plague by Albert Camus.


----------



## And1 ellis

game of thrones! great book


----------



## typemismatch

very good so far


----------



## emptybottle2

This was my most engrossing summer read so far. Dark and twisted.


----------



## Ironpain

The Firm the book that launched John Grisham into the national spotlight as a bestselling author , follows Mitch McDeere a tax lawyer and soon to be Harvard grad who signs on with the Law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke of Memphis, The Firm will go to any any lengths to keep Mitch with the Firm but the Firm has it's secrets and Mitch McDeere will discover just what lengths the firm will go.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel


----------



## pythonesque




----------



## DeeperUnderstanding




----------



## ttrp

WintersTale said:


>


Just read this book.. I like Crichton's books (esp. _Timeline_). But don't agree with him on some issues like climate change.


----------



## avoidobot3000

Cormac McCarthy is one of my favourite Authors. I have read 3 of his novels previous to this one. Some passages I have to reread because they are stunning. He describes beautiful scenery with equally beautiful words. He also likes to use 'and' a lot to keep up the relentless flow of his words and churn out some epic sentences. In this novel, John Grady Cole is 16 and his grandfather died. His mum wants to move to the city to launch her acting career--she wants to sell the grandfather's ranch and wont let John run it. John sees that there is nothing left for him in that town, and feeling distanced from his parents who have just filed for divorce, he decides to embark on an idealised journey to Mexico, on horseback. At the part I'm at, he is still riding around with his friend Rawlings:
"They rode out along the fenceline and across the open pasture-land. The leather creaked in the morning cold. They pushed the horses into a lope. The lights fell away behind them. They rode out on the high prairie where they slowed the horses to a walk and the stars swarmed around them out of the blackness. They heard somewhere in that tenantless night a bell that tolled and ceased where no bell was and they rode out on the round dais of the earth which alone was dark and no light to it and which carried their figures and bore them up into the swarming stars so that they rode not under but among them and they rode at once jaunty and circumspect, like thieves newly loosed in that dark electric, like young thieves in a glowing orchard, loosely jacketed against the cold and ten thousand worlds for the choosing."​


----------



## lucyinthesky

avoidobot3000 said:


> Cormac McCarthy is one of my favourite Authors. I have read 3 of his novels previous to this one. Some passages I have to reread because they are stunning. He describes beautiful scenery with equally beautiful words. He also likes to use 'and' a lot to keep up the relentless flow of his words and churn out some epic sentences. In this novel, John Grady Cole is 16 and his grandfather died. His mum wants to move to the city to launch her acting career--she wants to sell the grandfather's ranch and wont let John run it. John sees that there is nothing left for him in that town, and feeling distanced from his parents who have just filed for divorce, he decides to embark on an idealised journey to Mexico, on horseback. At the part I'm at, he is still riding around with his friend Rawlings:


I'm really glad you posted this, as I've been meaning to buy the book for a while. I loved the look of the edition below that I saw in my bookshop, but I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy the writing. However, I did like The Road, so I should really give it a go.










I'm currently re-reading La casa de los espíritus (The House of the Spirits) by Isabel Allende, which I love.


----------



## Citrine

Finally goin back to try and finish Life of Pi after taking a very long intermission.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Mine isn't this translation, but the one I got wasn't in picture form and I'm picturesque. The poetry is fluid, and easy to drift along on, not abrupt splintered logs breaking off infront of you, so it's like one continuous piece of life rather than a bumpy Russian troika; easy on the neuroses. I don't know what to make of Pushkin, whether he's a Mitya or an Alyosha, a Russian's heart or conscience most of all.


----------



## Define Me

The girl with the dragon tattoo at the moment.


----------



## Jollygoggles

> Why do smart people make irrational decisions every day? The answers will surprise you. Predictably Irrational is an intriguing, witty and utterly original look at why we all make illogical decisions.
> 
> Why can a 50p aspirin do what a 5p aspirin can't? If an item is "free" it must be a bargain, right? Why is everything relative, even when it shouldn't be? How do our expectations influence our actual opinions and decisions?
> 
> In this astounding book, behavioural economist Dan Ariely cuts to the heart of our strange behaviour, demonstrating how irrationality often supplants rational thought and that the reason for this is embedded in the very structure of our minds.
> 
> Predicatably Irrational brilliantly blends everyday experiences with a series of illuminating and often surprising experiments, that will change your understanding of human behaviour. And, by recognising these patterns, Ariely shows that we can make better decisions in business, in matters of collective welfare, and in our everyday lives from drinking coffee to losing weight, buying a car to choosing a romantic partner.


----------



## Zendo

This is actually a re-read since I've run out of unread books. Finished Terry Pratchett's "Snuff" a few days ago. Pretty good for a light read before bed. Not sure what my next purchase will be, so many I want to read. Actually someone did suggest game of thrones to me and seeing some of you guys reading it I might pick that one up.


----------



## Lasair

Just finished 









Started


----------



## pita

I am really liking the book, but its font problems are driving me up the wall. And it makes me want to eat doughnuts.


----------



## avoidobot3000

lucyinthesky said:


> I'm really glad you posted this, as I've been meaning to buy the book for a while. I loved the look of the edition below that I saw in my bookshop, but I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy the writing. However, I did like The Road, so I should really give it a go.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm currently re-reading La casa de los espíritus (The House of the Spirits) by Isabel Allende, which I love.


I'm glad my you found my post useful.  I know what you mean about the writing style. I find the writing can be hard to follow at times, if I don't give it full concentration. Yesterday, I missed a few plot details when I was trying to read in a waiting room with a slightly detuned radio playing annoying pop music that was trying to distract me. There's enough sublime moments to keep me reading through the hard parts.


----------



## aquilla




----------



## typemismatch

just starting... the only murakami i have left to read, thankfully it is long


----------



## strawberryjulius

^ I hope you enjoy it


----------



## mcgilicutty

Loneliness: Human nature and the need for Social connection. Just started it. Anyone read it?


----------



## mcgilicutty

Thank, sj. Just yesterday i made orange julius n frooze in ice cube trays. R u a strawb jul fan?


----------



## mcgilicutty

Oh wait. Think u were talkin to somebody else lol.


----------



## strawberryjulius

Well, I hope you enjoy your book too. :b


----------



## Bakemono

The Stranger - Albert Camus


----------



## Keith

The Basic Writings of Carl Gustav Jung


----------



## aquilla

I have exactly this edition of "Age of innocence". I hasn't planning on reading this, I knew nothing about this book, but yesterday I found it in a bookstore for a ridiculously small price, so I just thought "Eh, why not, maybe it's good? " not bad, though I have only read the first chapter yet.


----------



## ock word

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson


----------



## miminka

It's amazing to me that Breillat wrote this when she was only 17, especially because, as she later admitted, she was still a virgin.


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## emptybottle2

mardou said:


> It's amazing to me that Breillat wrote this when she was only 17, especially because, as she later admitted, she was still a virgin.


is this any good?


----------



## Citrine




----------



## pita

aquilla said:


> I have exactly this edition of "Age of innocence". I hasn't planning on reading this, I knew nothing about this book, but yesterday I found it in a bookstore for a ridiculously small price, so I just thought "Eh, why not, maybe it's good? " not bad, though I have only read the first chapter yet.


How are you liking it as you progress? I've only read _The House of Mirth_ but I loved it.


----------



## Jollygoggles

I think I'm soon going to be reading 50 Shades of Grey.
Does that make me a bad person? :S


----------



## strawberryjulius

^Yes, yes it does. 


:b


----------



## aquilla

pita said:


> How are you liking it as you progress? I've only read _The House of Mirth_ but I loved it.


Oh, it's really interesting  And witty, I might say, she has an amazing style !


----------



## miminka

emptybottle2 said:


> is this any good?


From the standards of the erotic fiction genre, it's nothing too outstanding. It's a quick read and worth it especially if you're a fan of Breillat.


----------



## Jollygoggles

strawberryjulius said:


> ^Yes, yes it does. :b


I knew it!



JustThisGuy said:


> :lol "Fisting, watersports, scat, and 'originally a fanfic based on the Twilight Saga'"....that is all.


I think I'll pass. :yes


----------



## Strwbrry

Drivers licence text book... I'm gonna do it!!


----------



## Tibble

Finished reading issue 100 of the walking dead


----------



## Jollygoggles

Reading the works of the Marquis de Sade. Apparently this leaves 50 Shades of Grey floating face down in its wake.


----------



## offbyone

It's OK so far.


----------



## NumeroUno




----------



## lucyinthesky

Giving this a go. It's a bit like Ulysses, but about 1/8 of the length. No one will ever beat Mr Joyce though.


----------



## Citrine

JustThisGuy said:


> Whoa! What a weird-cool premise. Good?


Seems promising so far. Although, that's just based off the first couple chapters of this 900+ page book.


----------



## Ironpain

Daniel Silva- The Secret Servant. I read the Kill Artist the first book in the series and I tried getting into the later book Moscow Rules but I never really got into it, I decided to start in the middle with The Secret Servant, I'm not into the early catholic church stuff in the early books.


----------



## mooncake

I bought this a couple of years ago, but never got around to reading it properly. Now I aim to read a couple of the essays before bed each night.

I'm also about a quarter of the way through this. My first Feist!









I liked _Game of Thrones_ so much that I sort of sped through a lot of the books, and now that I've been given the last two as an early birthday present I'm trying to hold off for a while (although I'll probably end up reading them next anyway!) as I know I'll be feeling a bit of the same desperation for the next book to come out as other fans who have gotten used to the massive waits between books. Such a good series.


----------



## PitaMe

Fifty Shades trilogy. I'm on the last book.


----------



## AceEmoKid

lots and lots of fanfiction. LOL.


----------



## typemismatch

Citrine said:


> Seems promising so far. Although, that's just based off the first couple chapters of this 900+ page book.


I'm reading this too at the moment, just a few chapters into it and good so far.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Finished Seneca's dialogues/letters the other day, about halfway through Dostoyevsky's walk through Europe...his idea of brotherhood is really something, it's been a while since I've felt that. I could have sworn I'd dreamt about this thought, knew it was Dostoevsky's thought in the dream and concluded that it was a masochistic, unhealthy instinct only I couldn't possibly have heard it anywhere else, I've only just read it. slightly unsettling. I don't even know what's wrong with the idea.. trusting the rest of the world unreservedly, expecting the world to save you is the problem. I wonder if Rousseau or Ghandi have something.


----------



## Snarks

* A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.*


----------



## ratbag

Almost finished A Game of Thrones, then moving on to A Clash of Kings.


----------



## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin

Freakonomics.


----------



## Noun

ock word said:


> Devil in the White City by Erik Larson


I read this while ago and really enjoyed it.

Currently I'm reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Great so far.


----------



## layitontheline

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Now starting I Am Hutterite by Mary-Ann Kirkby


----------



## lucyinthesky

War and Peace.:heart
Freedom From Fear - Aung San Suu Kyi


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Finishing:










Beginning:


----------



## snowyowl

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I've been meaning to read it for months - I started it yesterday and it's really good!


----------



## JR217

'Choke' By Chuck Palahniuk (the guy who wrote fight club), this is one of his more disgusing works lol


----------



## And1 ellis

A clash of kings- a song of ice and fire

the second book in the series commonly known as game of thrones


----------



## Pennywise

Just finished:










Now reading:


----------



## Sanctus




----------



## fingertips

i just finished _valerie and her week of wonders_ but i'm not entirely sure exactly what happened.

here's a poster from the film version, no prizes for guessing what it's referring to.


----------



## Amorphousanomaly

H.P. Lovecraft, The Lurker at the Threshold.


----------



## daysleeper69

Just going to start IT by stephen King Just finished Post Office by Charles Bukowski


----------



## offbyone

Beginning:








[/QUOTE]

Skimmed a bit of synopsis and it seems a lot like _Alas, Babylon_. Let me know what you think about it.


----------



## PitaMe

I just finished that terrible Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, it wasn't at all what I expected. And I thought those expectations were pretty straightforward. I also read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier which was great. Now I'm reading Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. I'm trying to read the classics (Fifty Shades not included).


----------



## yna

About to start Insurgent, the second book in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. The first book was so good!


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## Matt21




----------



## huh

^ That book is a beast, but well worth the effort. Good luck and happy reading.

I just recently finished _Braintrust_. I was actually slightly disappointed. I constantly found myself making notes on parts I felt were mistaken or just strawmen arguments she seemed to love to make. It was the first Patricia Churchland book I've read, and it didn't leave a good impression. I read it for a book club next weekend though.

Just this morning I started _A Universe From Nothing_. Very enjoyable so far.


----------



## Mogmop

A Clockwork Orange. I have the Bluray of the film as well for when I finish.


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## 0lly

Just read:









Now onto:


----------



## Tu Cielo

I'm starting to get a bit into Zombie stuff. This book is pretty interesting.


----------



## anonymid

Dipping back into . . .










I feel embarrassed by how little reading I've done this year. I feel like I'm going brain-dead. Really need to get back into a groove.


----------



## HannahG

I'm on a reading binge right now. I have 3 books started right now.

Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life

The Man in the Iron Mask by Dumas (I read about 5 pages/year. I'm never in the mood to read it) lol.

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

I just got a few more books from the library and I just finished reading Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. My to-read list on Goodreads.com is apparently near 350 so I'm trying to get a big chunk of that read by the end of the year before more books start coming out and the list just grows even more. Good thing I'm a fast reader. I'm trying to get caught up on books most people read in high school - my school assigned about 1 book per year and when I talk to people now they go on about these classics I never read. It makes me feel stupid. Self-educating is something I can do easily, provided I have the spare time.


----------



## aquilla




----------



## Neo1234

The 3 Mistakes of My Life --By Chetan Bhagat !!!


----------



## 0lly




----------



## AceEmoKid

_Jasmine_ by Bharati Mukherjee. Have to read it for school. But it's not that bad for being part of the curriculum.


----------



## FireIsTheCleanser

_Fahrenheit 451. _I have to read it for a summer assignment. It's not that bad, it's just that me being forced to read it and then do homework over it that makes it bad.


----------



## Nekomata

His Dark Materials: Northern Lights by Philip Pullman


----------



## shyshisho

Lancelot of the Lake, one of the medieval Arthurian romances.


----------



## Mirror

Nekomata said:


> His Dark Materials: Northern Lights by Philip Pullman


I love that series so much.

Reading Wuthering Heights (again :roll) by Charlotte Bronte


----------



## lucyinthesky

Sputnik Sweetheart - Haruki Murakami


----------



## Resonance

TVTropes made me read this:


----------



## pita

Yet another book that totally loses me at the halfway mark, but I'll keep going because DB is such a crazy good writer.

And MAN can he ever write about Winnipeg.


----------



## ratbag

H.P. Lovecraft and George R.R. Martin.


----------



## DavidJacobsen

A thousand splendid suns


----------



## Neo1234

Just finished reading 'THE 3 mistakes Of my LIFE' by Chetan Bhagat... Very full of real emotions.It made me learn,laugh ,love (even cry) and taught me how an individual's dreams overcomes the nightmares of real life..
Pretty good book .


----------



## Sanctus

A storm of Swords part 1 - G.R.R.Martin
Lord of the rings - J.R.R.Tolkien


----------



## lucyinthesky

Somehow I have never read anything by Stephen King...


----------



## hnbnh

The Elephant Vanishes - Haruki Murakami


----------



## typemismatch

nearly finished; superb book


----------



## Rosedubh




----------



## visualkeirockstar

I don't read. The last time i read was One Piece manga. I wanted spoil myself from the anime.


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## miminka

a blend of _Histoire de l'œil_ and _Mais ne nous delivrez pas du mal_.


----------



## typemismatch

just finished 1Q84 and it was brilliant, now onto something slightly smaller:


----------



## heyJude

Heart of the Matter- Emily Giffin


----------



## hopelesslyshy

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.


----------



## Fairydust

Doris Day Reluctant Star by David Bret.


----------



## PitaMe

I just finished Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy-excellent. 
I guess I should start War and Peace now....


----------



## sporteous

The Shaman & Ayahuasca: Journeys to Sacred Realms : Don Jose Campos


----------



## lucyinthesky

typemismatch said:


> just finished 1Q84 and it was brilliant, now onto something slightly smaller:


This is so provoking yet succinct, good choice! It was the book I named as my favourite in my first ever English university seminar :b

I love Murakami but haven't read 1Q94; I'll have to get hold of it.


----------



## avoidobot3000

V. by Thomas Pynchon and short stories by Flannery O'Connor.


----------



## aquilla

Well, I didn't finish Balzac's 'A harlot high and low '. I like Balzac, Eugenie Grandet especially, but this time I just wanted to read something else than like 600 pages mainly about a courtesan. So I got this in flea market. *So excited to start reading*


----------



## fredbloggs02

I understand Nietzsche, not many seem to which is odd, even people I expected to found him hard work or seemed to only pick up the gist without much futher thought. Same taste in the ancient Greek writers too of those I've read. I have a place close to my heart for Nietzsche.


----------



## avoidobot3000

. . . And I have a place close to my heart for Nietzsche's moustache.


----------



## pythonesque

I think many people understand Nietzsche fine; they just don't agree with him.


----------



## typemismatch

i don't agree with that moustache


----------



## fredbloggs02

pythonesque said:


> I think many people understand Nietzsche fine; they just don't agree with him.


Sure. I say "not many" in contrast to the two people I've spoken to in person and a couple online both of whom responded adversely to his advocating selfishness as if it overshadowed everything else he said, nor did I find him a vicious authoritarian Hitler. At worst he left the door open to exceptional cases he considered above the societal standard measure of selfishness which seemed perfectly acceptable to me; if that is what people are I would rather culture weren't choked of the possibility to ever hear it, and were more honest with themselves. I doubt people by nature mindlessly selfish would find themselves reading him somehow. He sought to leave the world open and counterract the effects of excessive preaching of self-abnegation as he saw it, was my interpretation


----------



## fredbloggs02

avoidobot3000 said:


> . . . And I have a place close to my heart for Nietzsche's moustache.


Thus Spake Avoidobot3000! What did you make of zarathustra?


----------



## CeilingStarer

Clash of Kings - George R.R. Martin


----------



## MsDaisy

You Being Beautiful. The Owners Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty.


----------



## avoidobot3000

fredbloggs02 said:


> Thus Spake Avoidobot3000! What did you make of zarathustra?


Hehe. I liked it, even though I read it at a slow pace--it changed my thinking while I was reading it, so I tried to make that last as long as possible. I finished it a couple of months ago, but I have already ordered another Nietzsche book from amazon. _"Basic Writing of Nietzsche"_ Which is a compilation of some of his important works.

Regarding selfishness, I didn't find it a bad thing. One of my weaknesses is that I want to do things to impress others, for validation, when I should learn to do things because I love myself. People can be fickle, so it's important take care of yourself first. For example, if I were to draw something it should be drawn in a way that I find enjoyable, and something that I would want to hang on my own wall--I should be my own critic instead of running to mummy saying "look! look what I drew can we put it on the fridge?". :b


----------



## DenizenOfDespair

Jack Campbell- The Lost Fleet: Dauntless


----------



## Solomon's Tomb

At the moment I'm reading "John Dies At The End," by David Wong (real name Jason Pargin), which is being made into a movie by "Phantasm" director Don Coscarelli! 

After that, I'm going to read "Who Censored Roger Rabbit," which is the pulp crime noir novel that the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is loosely based on. The book is very dark and depressing in tone, and when they were writing the movie, the initial idea was to have a sad ending. They hired Sting to write a song for the finale, which was called "The Lazarus Heart," which he later put on his album "Nothing Like the Sun." 

After that I'm going to read "Inferno" by Larry Niven and "Escape From Hell," by the same author, which are twisted retellings of Dante's Inferno set in a modern day Hell where a writer is lead through the nine circles of Hell by a repentant Benito Mussolini. 

The next book on my list after that is "Cloud Atlas," which is being made into a movie directed by the Wachowskis! The trailer looks awesome and I said to myself "I have to read the book before I see this, it's going to be awesome." It looks a lot like one of my favorite movies, "Vanilla Sky."

And, some time in the future, I'm going to read David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest," which, I have no idea what it's about, but I feel that I need to read it, as it's been critically acclaimed by scholars and readers alike.


----------



## pythonesque

One of Salon's "Five direly underappreciated U.S. novels >1960". I am loving all the classical allusions so far.



fredbloggs02 said:


> Sure. I say "not many" in contrast to the two people I've spoken to in person and a couple online both of whom responded adversely to his advocating selfishness as if it overshadowed everything else he said, nor did I find him a vicious authoritarian Hitler. At worst he left the door open to exceptional cases he considered above the societal standard measure of selfishness which seemed perfectly acceptable to me; if that is what people are I would rather culture weren't choked of the possibility to ever hear it, and were more honest with themselves. I doubt people by nature mindlessly selfish would find themselves reading him somehow. He sought to leave the world open and counterract the effects of excessive preaching of self-abnegation as he saw it, was my interpretation


Funny you should mention Hitler. It's not difficult to see how someone like him would take Nietzsche's idea of the master/slave morality to such extremes. And I can see your point (and avoidobot3000's) about the need for honest appraisal of 'selfishness'. But personally, I'd still like to hold onto my views on altruism and compassion. I'm old and set in my ways, y'know.


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## Tangerine




----------



## fredbloggs02

avoidobot3000 said:


> Hehe. I liked it, even though I read it at a slow pace--it changed my thinking while I was reading it, so I tried to make that last as long as possible. I finished it a couple of months ago, but I have already ordered another Nietzsche book from amazon. _"Basic Writing of Nietzsche"_ Which is a compilation of some of his important works.
> 
> Regarding selfishness, I didn't find it a bad thing. One of my weaknesses is that I want to do things to impress others, for validation, when I should learn to do things because I love myself. People can be fickle, so it's important take care of yourself first. For example, if I were to draw something it should be drawn in a way that I find enjoyable, and something that I would want to hang on my own wall--I should be my own critic instead of running to mummy saying "look! look what I drew can we put it on the fridge?". :b


Right! Yes, exactly! And I have done that! Still do that, far too much! Finally, someone who gets it! I know what you mean about changing as you went through. The first time I got half way through, I packed off to the mountains and read it as I walked through paths in the hills. That's enough to make me suspicious you know...really ****ing suspicious. Who knows how much of what he talks about stands in my way still. I hope you have Twilight of the Idols in there and beyond good and evil, and the Gay Science are now my three favourites. Nothing should be so threatening.


----------



## fredbloggs02

pythonesque said:


> One of Salon's "Five direly underappreciated U.S. novels >1960". I am loving all the classical allusions so far.
> 
> Funny you should mention Hitler. It's not difficult to see how someone like him would take Nietzsche's idea of the master/slave morality to such extremes. And I can see your point (and avoidobot3000's) about the need for honest appraisal of 'selfishness'. But personally, I'd still like to hold onto my views on altruism and compassion. I'm old and set in my ways, y'know.


But you can still! lol Most of his works I know, particularly Zarathustra, the germ of his ideas are are an internal dialogue that disdain petty selfishness and selflessness, they don't dictate to who you are supposed to be. Selflessness can be just as selfish and toxic as some ignoble man like Hitler with a true thirst for other's blood and suffering exclusively. I like Nietzsche because he fires off in a thousand different directions against his age... Not all of us are born Jesus Christ. It doesn't seem healthy to me people like you, and me, who put ourselves out for others without helping them or ourselves should want to leap into that without really feeling it. To make every giving that takes away from ourselves a taking as we give is hard to call selfishness, the phenomena is still the same, and the metaphor doesn't detract from who we are, what we feel. Why should we want to take away from ourselves as we give anyway? or always put ourselves out?.. His criticism of charity is geniusly subtle..We learn most from ourselves through throwing ourselves into uncomfortable situations is also something I appreciate! You can't be a saint to everyone sort of thing, so have the heart to look yourself in the eye at those moments, that's all. It's something I really needed to hear, something many people here could do with hearing I feel. I feel that here is someone who understands how people keep themselves isolated in their own head, sort of.

There is something gruff, brash, and snarling Don Quixote too lol. That's what I can't help but smile at.
..
Wittgenstein's mistress sounds interesting too from the description on Amazon.


----------



## 0lly




----------



## PottyFlusher




----------



## typemismatch




----------



## pythonesque

fredbloggs02 said:


> But you can still! lol Most of his works I know, particularly Zarathustra, the germ of his ideas are are an internal dialogue that disdain petty selfishness and selflessness, they don't dictate to who you are supposed to be. Selflessness can be just as selfish and toxic as some ignoble man like Hitler with a true thirst for other's blood and suffering exclusively. I like Nietzsche because he fires off in a thousand different directions against his age... Not all of us are born Jesus Christ. It doesn't seem healthy to me people like you, and me, who put ourselves out for others without helping them or ourselves should want to leap into that without really feeling it. To make every giving that takes away from ourselves a taking as we give is hard to call selfishness, the phenomena is still the same, and the metaphor doesn't detract from who we are, what we feel. Why should we want to take away from ourselves as we give anyway? or always put ourselves out?.. His criticism of charity is geniusly subtle..We learn most from ourselves through throwing ourselves into uncomfortable situations is also something I appreciate! You can't be a saint to everyone sort of thing, so have the heart to look yourself in the eye at those moments, that's all. It's something I really needed to hear, something many people here could do with hearing I feel. I feel that here is someone who understands how people keep themselves isolated in their own head, sort of.
> 
> There is something gruff, brash, and snarling Don Quixote too lol. That's what I can't help but smile at.
> ..
> Wittgenstein's mistress sounds interesting too from the description on Amazon.


I've always felt that Nietzsche('s philosophy) demands a level of objectivity that's beyond me. And if I analyse everything hard enough, I begin to lose my sense of what's healthy and what's not from a moral standpoint. I like to make altruism and selflessness a goal to strive towards. And I know that with my human failings, I can never be _truly_ selfless (don't people say that every selfless act is really a selfish one anyway, because you're driven by that feeling of satisfaction you get from helping others?). But that's okay. It's more about the journey than the end goal, really. The end goal just acts as an anchor for my entire moral framework, because the relativity of most moral concepts makes it so fragile and prone to slipping that I wouldn't really feel comfortable giving myself too much leeway.

It's the same irrational desire I have for holding onto certain old-world (and even certain patriarchal) values - fighting to the death to defend your honour, etc. But that's a bit off-topic.

I agree with the underlined statement. _Such_ a great point! Nietzsche's emphasis of the Dionysian is also something quite dear to my heart.


----------



## destinyhelp

I finished The Harvard Psychedelic Club a few days ago. I'm planing on starting The Sun Also Rises soon.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I think I may start this next:












offbyone said:


> Skimmed a bit of synopsis and it seems a lot like _Alas, Babylon_.
> Let me know what you think about it.


I just finished it & I quite liked it. It makes you consider many of the things we take for granted on a daily basis & the first half of the book is an intense look at solitude


----------



## lucyinthesky




----------



## khaleesi

I am currently reading the A Song of Ice and Fire series (I'm on A Feast For Crows) and re-reading the Harry Potter series.


----------



## 0lly

Canadian Brotha said:


> I just finished it & I quite liked it. It makes you consider many of the things we take for granted on a daily basis & the first half of the book is an intense look at solitude


I started reading that a couple of months ago but got bored and left it. I think it was because I'd recently read The Day of the Triffids and I Am Legend, so I was all post-apocalypsed out lol.

Maybe the rest of the book was really good and I missed out by not finishing it....but my prediction was that in the latter half of the book he would probably do the standard post-apocalypse thing of joining up with some people who have formed a little society, but then it turns out the society is a little weird and the people practice barbaric rituals or something like that, so he has to escape and go and live a solitary life with a girl-chum who he probably saved from said barbaric society.


----------



## Solomon's Tomb

*I have my books!*

I've currently got a lot of books on my plate...

Right now, I'm reading "John Dies at the End" by David Wong, then I'm going to read "Who Censored Roger Rabbit" by Gary Wolf, followed by "Inferno" by Larry Niven and the sequel "Escape From Hell," by the same author, then I'll read the sequel to "John Dies at the End," which is called "This Book Is Full Of Spiders: Seriously Dude, Don't Touch It." After that I'm going to read "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell (I need to read it before the movie comes out!) and then "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace. I'm also planning on reading "Anti-Ice" by Stephen Baxter and "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" by Friedrich Nietzsche afterwords and then "The Last Temptation of Christ" by Nikos Kazantzakis. I love reading books.

Then I'll have a whole bunch more lined up after that!

So, to recap, here's my list...

_John Dies at the End_ - David Wong
_Who Censored Roger Rabbit?_ - Gary Wolf
_Inferno_ - Larry Niven
_Escape From Hell_ - Larry Niven
_This Book Is Full Of Spiders: Seriously Dude, Don't Touch It_ - David Wong
_Cloud Atlas_ - David Mitchell
_Infinite Jest_ - David Foster Wallace
_Anti-Ice_ - Stephen Baxter
_Thus Spoke Zarathustra_ - Friedrich Nietzsche 
_The Last Temptation of Christ_ - Nikos Kazantzakis

...any thoughts or recommendations?


----------



## ThingsRlookingUp

The amazing adventures of kavalier and clay


----------



## typemismatch

^ I loved that book, such a pleasure to read.


----------



## harrison

Bangkok Bob by Stephen Leather

plus


----------



## Ramon

Reading the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton 

Good read if you're a horny teen girl.. or me...


----------



## gfle

Game Of Thrones by George RR Martin


----------



## pythonesque

Bit of a prude, this guy, and not the most objective critic I've read. But I'm still strangely excited about the rest of this book.


----------



## KYJE

Tangerine said:


>


Saw that the quote on the cover was from Jan Wong and immediately became interested. 

If you've ever read anything of hers, would you say it's pretty similar in style?


----------



## fredbloggs02

Just finished Easwaran's selection of Vedantic poetry and some of William Blake's. I started dreaming of something entirely unrelated in the middle of one, a brief flicker of an indescribable bitter bliss where I felt the pulse of my life lost in something other than myself and felt there was something definitely worth living for in the world...On a different note, it is unnerving how powerful the thought of people and myself as an impulse devoid of intellectual substance is, devoid of all phenomena unique to the individual, the idea that we are all the same in some fundamental way. With it I felt entirely at peace with the idea of death for the time it remained fresh in my mind; but still I can't help thinking it takes too much, too introverted to be pragmatic somehow, too self-deluding.


----------



## mooncake




----------



## Keith




----------



## Tangerine

KYJE said:


> Saw that the quote on the cover was from Jan Wong and immediately became interested.
> 
> If you've ever read anything of hers, would you say it's pretty similar in style?


I'm sorry, I have not..I will say it's a great book so far..picked it up at the thrift store for 50 cents.


----------



## fire mage64

HP book 2: chamber of secrets


----------



## fredbloggs02

mooncake said:


>


I thought that looked interesting.


----------



## KYJE

Tangerine said:


> I'm sorry, I have not..I will say it's a great book so far..picked it up at the thrift store for 50 cents.


Thank you for the response.  I'll have to add it to the list of books I want to read, it seems.


----------



## owls

When someone asks me what book I'm reading


----------



## Nyx

^Haha, I love Luke.

I'm reading:


----------



## targetbuddy

Been meaning to read it for a long time.


----------



## Citrine

The Open Road by Pico Iyer


----------



## RockNRoll Dream

Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond.


----------



## EagerMinnow84




----------



## Kascheritt




----------



## eppe




----------



## lucyinthesky

At last:


----------



## anonymid




----------



## Strwbrry




----------



## harrison

Paul Theroux - Ghost Train to the Eastern Star.


----------



## hnbnh




----------



## jonesy0039




----------



## Citrine

100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Marquez


----------



## deadender

Open Up And Bleed - Paul Trynka

An Iggy Pop bio, really good so far.


----------



## mattigummi

The Stolen Throne by David Gaider. It's a fantasy book based off the video game series Dragon Age.


----------



## PitaMe

Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian.


----------



## kittenamos

mserychic said:


> Just about to start Brother Odd by Dean Koontz!


I love this author!!!!!! I'm working on trying to read all of his books. I haven't gotten to Brother Odd yet . . .


----------



## Millais

The Tempest by Shakespeare.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/emma-hart-17651815-as-miranda - Emma Hart (1765-1815), as Miranda by George Romney

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Miranda_-_The_Tempest_JWW.jpg - Miranda - JW Waterhouse


----------



## lucyinthesky

jonesy0039 said:


>


Aloha Chris. Seems like my kind of book.... Perhaps :b


----------



## Kennnie

the dove keepers


----------



## Lil Sebastian

_Defending Jabob by William Landay
_


----------



## pythonesque

...I've laughed so much I thought I was going to be sick.


----------



## anonymid




----------



## Keith

Understanding Human Nature - Alfred Adler

The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy - William James


----------



## lucyinthesky




----------



## dismiss

I started reading this, put it down awhile, but began again while working the overnight shift at the hospital the other night...
The Mammoth book of Monsters...







Because short stories are kinda like the crack cocaine of horror fiction, & are some of my favorite indulgent reading.


----------



## burrito

Im trying to force myself to re-read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I really enjoyed it, excited to hear the team that made Coraline and ParaNorman will be making it a movie.


----------



## hopeless93

I'm currently reading "It" by Stephen King. Interesting stuff.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Three books I'm near the end of on the go: Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, Goethe's maxims and reflections, Plato's Republic.


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## aquilla

Went to the library, I was looking for " the Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath, but they didn't have it, took this instead. We'll see.


----------



## daysleeper69

hopeless93 said:


> I'm currently reading "It" by Stephen King. Interesting stuff.


Just finished that recently It's a great read. Currently reading some star trek (easygoing )after reading some Doystoyevsky.


----------



## snowyowl

I'm actually reading _Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking_ by Susan Cain, which I found out about through watching her speak at a TED talks conference. It's quite good and has been a bit of a self-esteem booster for me, a textbook introvert. (For anyone who's seen her speech, "R-O-W-D-I-E, that's the way we spell rowdy..." was the exact cheer that was at the first (and only) summer camp I ever attended.)


----------



## ShyEyes

A speed reading book called "breakthrough rapid reading" .... scintillating stuff , LOL :clap


----------



## typemismatch

Just started Dracula. So far it's pretty good. It's about this chap who is very nice, but perhaps a bit lonely because he stays in a castle all by himself. Can't wait to see how it turns out.


----------



## cafune

snowyowl said:


> I'm actually reading _Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking_ by Susan Cain, which I found out about through watching her speak at a TED talks conference. It's quite good and has been a bit of a self-esteem booster for me, a textbook introvert. (For anyone who's seen her speech, "R-O-W-D-I-E, that's the way we spell rowdy..." was the exact cheer that was at the first (and only) summer camp I ever attended.)


Me too. Just started it. I'm hoping it'll remind me that I'm not abnormal for behaving the way I do... Especially because it's harder to accept my introversion due to the environment I'm in. I'd like to feel somewhat empowered at the end of it. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Brightington III said:


> The Library of Greek Mythology.
> 
> Been meaning to learn about different mythologies for years, and finally got around to reading The Prose Edda (Norse myth.) earlier this year, so I thought I'd turn my attention to the Greeks.


I don't know anything about Norse Mythology. Ovid's Metamorphoses has many of the Greek myths I've heard, it brings them to life as opposed to a dry cataloging of them one by one, not Scholarly enough for that myself.


----------



## Charmander

I'm _trying_ to finish Mockingjay (Part of the Hunger Games trilogy) but I'm finding it soooo dull. :/


----------



## mooncake




----------



## lucyinthesky

1Q84 Book III - Haruki Murakami
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy


----------



## aquilla




----------



## anonymid

Rereading . . .


----------



## Fruitcake

Rereading my favourite book in anticipation of the movie.


----------



## kittenamos

I am in the middle of Dean Koontz's book, Intensity


----------



## DesertStar91

Tatiana and Alexander by Paullina Simmons.


----------



## Paramecium

The Life Before Us by Romain Gary, just started, and now it seems like a good one


----------



## Ali477

Interesting read so far i had read homage to Catalonia and 1984 before which led me to this.


----------



## Charmander

Hate to say it... but fifty shades of grey.


----------



## TobeyJuarez

"Atals Shrugged" Ayn Rand... no im not a mega republican super extreme capatalist :b


----------



## sporteous

Introduction to Zen Buddhism. - D.T Suzuki


----------



## lucyinthesky




----------



## aquilla

I'm about to start...


----------



## rdrr




----------



## typemismatch

There should be a "The" at the start of the title. It's really bothering me, my books got a "The". It's the same cover apart from that. It's really bothering me. Why have they missed out the "The" on this one. Does it mean something, is something wrong with the universe. This is how it always starts - just a small thing changes then all hell breaks loose.


----------



## fredbloggs02

About to start Romeo and Juliet.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Charmander said:


> Hate to say it... but fifty shades of grey.


My sister read that on holiday in about two days it was so easy. I was utterly, and I mean from the depths of my soul ashamed of her lol. It's not even well written pornography from what I've heard. Why in God's name? I looked over her shoulder a couple of times. What sort of douchebag signs e-mails "baby"?.. You're English too! Good luck. It will at least sound that bit more ridiculous now I've drawn attention to it.

Later baby? lol. Really?*shrugs* If that's what it comes down to, you bring me down to this.

Later baby


----------



## pythonesque

aquilla said:


> [The Solitude of Prime Numbers]
> 
> I'm about to start...


Me too. Just picked up the book today. I read a couple of chapters a while back and it seems like something that would really strike a chord with us folks with SA.


----------



## fishpie

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. 

It's a lot better than the other one.


----------



## Charmander

fredbloggs02 said:


> My sister read that on holiday in about two days it was so easy. I was utterly, and I mean from the depths of my soul ashamed of her lol. It's not even well written pornography from what I've heard. Why in God's name? I looked over her shoulder a couple of times. What sort of douchebag signs e-mails "baby"?.. You're English too! Good luck. It will at least sound that bit more ridiculous now I've drawn attention to it.
> 
> Later baby? lol. Really?*shrugs* If that's what it comes down to, you bring me down to this.
> 
> Later baby


I know! It is seriously so badly written! I don't want to hear about her "inner goddess doing the merengue"...


----------



## EagerMinnow84

fishpie said:


> Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde.
> 
> It's a lot better than the other one.


I want to read that! I read _The Fourth Bear_ by him and enjoyed it a lot.

Almost done with _Skippy Dies_ which is a fantastic book, all 660 pages of it. Now going on to...










and


----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## christacat

Secrets In the Attic-VC Andrews


----------



## Transcending




----------



## PitaMe

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (You can't look inside)


----------



## anonymid

Rereading . . .


----------



## typemismatch

Just finished The Music of Chance by Paul Auster and thought it was brilliant. I think he is the most similar writer to Murakami I have found.

Now I'm about to set out on Infinite Jest, feeling rather like someone at the foothills of Mt Kilimanjaro. I've only read the awesome (i feel awesome is appropriate here) foreword by Dave Eggers so far.










Wish me luck.


----------



## Lasair




----------



## miminka




----------



## daysleeper69

Life after Death Damien Echols


----------



## fredbloggs02

Just finished a triad of plays by Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, Othello, and a study on Parmenides by Richard Geldard. Starting Heidegger's On The Way To Language today.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Justine-Sade


----------



## anonymid




----------



## Pennywise




----------



## cj66

:blush


----------



## CopadoMexicano

Im reading whats on my computer screen- Anonymous


----------



## pythonesque

> _While the essays in this collection range in subject matter from the sex-advice industry to the way a supermax prison works, each one wrestles with the essential themes of Franzen's writing: the erosion of civil life and private dignity; and the hidden persistence of loneliness in postmodern, imperial America. Reprinted here for the first time is Franzen's controversial l996 investigation of the fate of the American novel in what became known as "the Harper's essay," as well as his award-winning narrative of his father's struggle with Alzheimer's disease, and a rueful account of his brief tenure as an Oprah Winfrey author._


----------



## kilgoretrout

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin and it's taking me forever. I think I need a break from this series.


----------



## Jellie

Just finished Memoirs of a Geisha, about to start Schindler's List.


----------



## EagerMinnow84

Jellie said:


> Just finished Memoirs of a Geisha, about to start Schindler's List.


How was Memoirs of a Geisha? I have had the book for a while and I wasn't sure if it lived up to the hype...

I finished The Turn of the Screw... meh.

Starting:


----------



## Marooned

A collection of plays by Molière and finishing up _A People's History of the World_ by Chris Harman.


----------



## Jellie

EagerMinnow84 said:


> How was Memoirs of a Geisha? I have had the book for a while and I wasn't sure if it lived up to the hype...
> 
> I finished The Turn of the Screw... meh.
> 
> Starting:


Wasn't too sure about it at first either but I really enjoyed it, it was quite interesting.


----------



## christacat

Celeste-VC Andrews.


----------



## lucyinthesky

anonymid said:


>


I'm also reading this, despite needing to concentrate on the books I'm paying so much to read at uni!


----------



## andy0128

Recently I read "the stranger" and "Siddartha".


----------



## aquilla

Haven't started it yet,but looking forward to! Hopefully, this evening.


----------



## typemismatch

aquilla said:


> Haven't started it yet,but looking forward to! Hopefully, this evening.


That's a very confusing looking book. It has the words International Bestseller and Nietzsche on the front cover... confusing.


----------



## tehuti88

_77 Shadow Street_ by Dean Koontz.

Not high lit, but something about creepy freaky almost-alive haunted houses with lots of fungus and bad lighting is just appealing to me. And WTF, this guy introduces new characters over halfway through the book, just like me! :eek


----------



## someguy123

I just started reading the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Love the TV-show, so it only seems fair.


----------



## TobeyJuarez

atlas shrugged- ayn rand,


----------



## Fruitcake

I just finished Breakfast of Champions and now I'm onto The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. I loved Breakfast of Champions.


----------



## lucyinthesky

Finally reading _On The Road_, and I've just read _Richard III_ for this week's uni reading. Also got Proust on the go and Tolstoy's _Family Happiness_; my reading of the latter is going considerably better than that of the former.

That aforementioned Nietzsche book looks interesting


----------



## Tangerine




----------



## fredbloggs02

aquilla said:


> Haven't started it yet,but looking forward to! Hopefully, this evening.


Are you into Nietzsche then? I saw the film by the same name, it wasn't too bad. I think they may have captured something important.

I'm approaching the end of Sade's Justine, just finished Shelling "on the essence of human freedom" and halfway through Kleist's stories.


----------



## tehuti88

Tangerine said:


>


That looks interesting!


----------



## tehuti88

"The Moonlit Mind" by Dean Koontz. It's a novella included in the book with _77 Shadow Street_.

This is interesting, it seems to be about a Satanic cult of some kind. Hm.


----------



## TheFather




----------



## tehuti88

_Someone In The Dark_ by August Derleth.


----------



## CalBear

Grisham is so credited.


----------



## anonymid




----------



## Diacetylmorphine

The walking dead comics, it kinda counts as reading. I guess.


----------



## talisman

Currently reading on my new Kobo eReader:

*Great Expectations* by _Charles Dickens_
*Midshipman Bolitho* by _Alexander Kent_
*Best Served Cold* by _Joe Abercrombie_

and in paperback I've just finished:

*A Perfect Heresy* by _Stephen O'Shea_ (a great introduction to the history of the crusades against the Cathar religion in the Languedoc region of France during the middle ages.

and recently started:

*City Of Fortune: How Venice Won And Lost A Naval Empire* by R_oger Crowley_


----------



## fredbloggs02

Strait is the Gate-Andre Guide

Song of the Departed-Georg Trakl

All Things Are Possible-Leo Shestov.


----------



## Sanctus




----------



## GoingUnderground

Pet Sematary by Stephen King


----------



## alwaysmistaken

The Passage by Justin Cronin


----------



## .95596

A GRE-revised 2012 book.


----------



## zemulis

The Stranger by Albert Camus


----------



## mooncake

_Breakfast of Champions_ by Kurt Vonnegut. I hadn't read any of his books until this summer, but after having read three now I'd say he's becoming one of my favourite authors.


----------



## tehuti88

_Not Long For This World_ by August Derleth. This is odd, I only just realized it's actually entitled _*Tales From* Not Long For This World_ and an introductory note says it's taken FROM an earlier book. This makes me wonder if there were originally more stories? I feel rather ripped off and am not sure if I should. :?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Just Finished:

*Bonnie & Clyde: The Lives Behind The Legend*










Just Beginning:

*The Diving Bell & The Butterfly*










And:

_*Silk*_


----------



## pita




----------



## Canadian Brotha

pita said:


>


The film is on my video on demand currently, if you're a quick reader hit me with a PM to let me know what you're thinking when you near the end


----------



## pita

Canadian Brotha said:


> The film is on my video on demand currently, if you're a quick reader hit me with a PM to let me know what you're thinking when you near the end


I plan to finish it Thursday evening then watch it on Netflix. I'll PM you!


----------



## fredbloggs02

The Immoralist-Andre Gide


----------



## Crescent861

Bullet - Laurell K Hamilton


----------



## Cam1

You are not your Brain. Would recommend it to anyone trying to rewire their brain and eliminate negative thought patterns. Been helpful so far.

http://www.youarenotyourbrain.com/book/


----------



## stewie




----------



## AceEmoKid

The Metamorphasis. (required reading for AP lit) So far pretty interesting, no lie.


----------



## leonardess

Cloud Atlas. Brilliant book, great movie. 10+ stars!


----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## millenniumman75

Susan Stafford - the ORIGINAL hostess of Wheel of Fortune - left the show in October, 1982 before it went nighttime (which would have meant a ton more money and fame - nobody would have heard of anyone named Vanna White :lol) so she could work with lepers in India and cancer patients in Texas.

It chronicles her life before, during, and after her days on Wheel of Fortune from the pilots in 1974 to the show in 1975 with Chuck Woolery and then Pat Sajak in her final nine months on the show.

She's a PhD now.


----------



## Bryan108

"the Emotional Brain" by Joseph LeDoux


----------



## TheGecko

Almost finished Moneyball. I want to get around to reading Infinite Jest soon.


----------



## Floatingstarbuck

Just finished Moby Dick for the hundredth time, and have moved on to Blood Meridian.


----------



## pita

I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. It's nice to read letters from people discussing binding quality and foil stamps and such, but Helene Hanff is obnoxious.


----------



## pita




----------



## Canadian Brotha

pita said:


>


I bought a copy of Enduring Love after watching the film. I have yet to read it but it may be up next after I finish Silk. I've seen Atonement too, it confused me a bit but was quite intense, no doubt the book is even more so


----------



## pita

Canadian Brotha said:


> I bought a copy of Enduring Love after watching the film. I have yet to read it but it may be up next after I finish Silk. I've seen Atonement too, it confused me a bit but was quite intense, no doubt the book is even more so


How are you liking _Silk_? The premise sounds very interesting.

I'm enjoying _Atonement_ thus far. I think the only other McEwan book I've read is _On Chesil Beach_; it was amazing.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

pita said:


> How are you liking _Silk_? The premise sounds very interesting.
> 
> I'm enjoying _Atonement_ thus far. I think the only other McEwan book I've read is _On Chesil Beach_; it was amazing.


I'm quite enjoying Silk, it's short & sweet, very to the point. There's a poetry about it to in that when it describes his traveling it's basically word for word with a single change of description with regard to a lake. Every time I read that bit it just draws me in more.

I don't know McEwan really but they made 2 solid films from his books that I know of so I suspect the reads will be just as good if not better. Perhaps an author for me to keep an eye on once I get to Enduring Love


----------



## rdrr

I read this a few weeks ago:


----------



## Rambler

I can't seem to read one book at a time anymore since buying my ereader. A few of the books I've started: The Professor by Charlotte Bronte, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman and The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly


----------



## lucyinthesky

I'm also reading too many books to keep track of at the moment. Bacon's essays for uni this week, some Laurie Lee, Susan Cain's introvert book at last, a signed Simon Armitage one, and re-reading Anna Karenina. Among others  I may have a readathon this evening.


----------



## tehuti88

_Mr. George & Other Odd Persons_ by August Derleth. (Getting all my dinky little Derleth paperbacks out of the way!)


----------



## fredbloggs02

Shakespeare's Julius Ceaser, Kierkegaard's journals.


----------



## aquilla

Also, finishing "When Nietzsche Wept" by Irwin Yalom. I have never read anything by Yalom before, but now I can say that his book is probably the best of what I've read in several months. Looking forward to reading "The Schopenhauer cure" (also by the same author), if only I'll find it in the library tomorrow.


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## Uffdaa

Spirituality stuff.

Was reading someone's travel journal. I've been fantasizing about travel again.


----------



## Uffdaa

Floatingstarbuck said:


> Just finished Moby Dick for the hundredth time, and have moved on to Blood Meridian.


I never did read this.

Seems it's your favorite how come?


----------



## Ender

Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb soon to be followed by Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.


----------



## Fanta can

I was reading some occult stuff. I'm not reading anything right now. I'm actually browsing this thread for something that looks interesting.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Just finished Nathan the Wise-by G.E. Lessing today. Started reading a collection of Schiller's plays.


----------



## Crescent861

The casual vacancy - j k rowling


----------



## Strwbrry

Crescent861 said:


> The casual vacancy - j k rowling


How is it? Good?
_____

Narziß und Goldmund - Hermann Hesse
Killing me Softly - Nicci French


----------



## Daniel C




----------



## Ironpain

Currently reading The Hunted By Elmore Leonard which is a book he wrote back in the 70's. I'm not the proficient and mega reader I was back in my younger days, I feel like I need to go back and reread all my favorite classics from when I was younger like Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden which are still favorites just to make a list. 

Physical issues have caused me difficulty in reading, issues with my neck and possibly eye issues (I do wear glasses though) have cause me to have trouble focusing when I read and I become tired very easily so I hardly get through a book anymore, and I hardly give myself time to really sit down and read because I'm so distracted by being online. 

But I still love to read and try my best, sometimes I'm able to depends how I'm feeling. 


Previously reread Pet Semetary (an all time favorite) VERY unsettling and descriptive novel. Also, the whole aspect of 'losing a child' had me damn near at tear many times throughout. A very horrifying story, with amazing characters. I absolutely love Jud.


----------



## anonymid




----------



## cj66




----------



## tehuti88

Dug deep into the back of my bookshelf and pulled out _How They Were Found_ by Matt Bell.


----------



## Cam1

Holes Human Anatomy & Physiology!


----------



## fredbloggs02

Wilhelm Meister- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.


----------



## Bryan108

Signature in the Cell by Stephen Meyers. Huge book and im only on the 2nd chapter, its an interesting read so far


----------



## mooncake




----------



## Nekomata

His Dark Materials: Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
The Vampire Diaries - The Return: Shadow Souls by L. J. Smith


----------



## pita

Just finished this:










Very...strange. But I liked it.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

pita said:


> Just finished this:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Very...strange. But I liked it.


My word you're a quick one with the words! Glad you enjoyed it, the story is strange but engaging eh? And I only know it from the film. I'll get to the book soon enough


----------



## Joan Of Narc

Ugh! I screwed up my post! NEED to read _Crispin: The Cross of Lead_ for work, might start reading Twilight for fun. Any YA recommendations that are dark but aren't too long?


----------



## cj66

gilt said:


> Good book! One of my favorite authors.


enjoying it so far! i'd never read anything by this author before...you'd recommend other titles by him then i take it? feel free to name a few!


----------



## tehuti88

Dug in the back of my bookshelf again and this time decided on _The Man Who Collected Machen & Other Weird Tales_ by Mark Samuels.


----------



## cj66

gilt said:


> I'm glad you're enjoying it! de Saint-Exupery flew mail throughout Europe, Africa & South America back in the 30's, and he's written many short stories from his experiences. I recommend Wind, Sand & Stars, which is my favorite.


thanks! i'll definitely look out for it


----------



## lucyinthesky

Shakespeare's sonnets for uni this week


----------



## tehuti88

Almost done with my previous book, I hope to start _Fugue State_ by Brian Evenson later on.


----------



## Orchestrated

Just finished:


----------



## the alley cat

These posts :b

Really though I'm reading Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh.
Just finished reading Blind Descent by James M. Tabor. It's about two seperate caving expeditions to find the deepest place on earth. Never knew caving was so hard. You have to deal with pitch darkness, 1000 ft cliffs, mile-long belly crawls, underground lakes, sumps... It's like climbing Mt. Everest in reverse. They have to make subterranean camps to "acclimatize" and spend weeks underground. A true story. Happened not so long ago.


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## purplerainx3

Sisterhood Everlasting.
I haven't actually read a novel in a while. Like a few months, which is a lot for me.
Used to read Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants back in middle school. And now there's a "sequel" out, except the characters are ~10 years older.
Kinda nice when authors do that.


----------



## christacat

_Heavenstone Secrets~VC Andrews
_


----------



## RavenRaven

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127438.I_ll_Be_Seeing_You


----------



## aquilla




----------



## fredbloggs02

finishing off Hamann's short philosophical essays on language.


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## tehuti88

Getting a bit depressed of short horror stories, so last night dug out _Phantastes_ by George MacDonald.


----------



## pita

Canadian Brotha said:


>


How'd you like it!


----------



## pita

<3333


----------



## Canadian Brotha

pita said:


> How'd you like it!


I'm only a quarter of the the way in but I love how introspective it is



pita said:


> <3333


I watched the film of that one too. It's easy to forget how many films are based on books


----------



## tehuti88

Rather liked _Phantastes_, the plot kind of meandered but it struck me as Jungian and the descriptions of places reminded me of my Manitou Island stories.

Now am going to start _The Undying Thing & Others_ by Barry Pain.


----------



## enfield

The Theory of the Leisure Class by Thorstein Veblen (an economist). 

it's about the evolution of human society all the way up until 1900 (when the book was written). it's basically explains how human society got to be the way it did (with all the cultural norms and everything), and how it's all pretty damn sad.


----------



## pita

I'm reading another McEwan novel (_Solar_).

I feel kind of bad about spamming this thread so much lately.


----------



## anonymid

Re-reading _Romeo and Juliet_ in the newest Arden edition. Going to see a performance a week from tomorrow.


----------



## aquilla




----------



## musiclover55

Right now, I'm in the middle of like 4 books (have no plan to start reading them again until maybe the summer). 

Today I have to read 'the jelly bean' by Fitzgerald for a lit. Analysis. Too lazy to start!


----------



## bornunderprotest

Nyx said:


> Since the old one is gone
> 
> The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan
> I read it a long time ago and realized I've completely forgotten most of it.


john grisham- 'the litigators'.. i don't usually read "supermarket paperbacks",but i've heard good things about grisham,and i like his political/social consciousness. the book is quite good[to me anyway]i'm at pg 312 of about 484 pgs..

it has to do with lawyers, as one would expect given the title. not really a field of great interest to me,but this book took me in, and has kept my interest.


----------



## bornunderprotest

fredbloggs02 said:


> finishing off Hamann's short philosophical essays on language.


one key thing about language,and i've not read the aforementioned author,is just how utterley imprecise and open to sujective interpretation it is. perhaps, we'd read each others social cues better,if we didn't have language,and had to rely on instinct and other non-verbal signals. maybe humanity would get along better,but then again, who can know for sure.


----------



## Noun

I've just started The Twelve by Justin Cronin. I loved The Passage so I hope it's just as good.


----------



## catcharay

I am reading Sophie's Philosophy...it's interesting so far


----------



## bornunderprotest

aquilla said:


>


 yes,about making a deal with "the devil",or making compromises in life,in order to get to a supossed better place. i read it a long time ago. i hope you enjoy it.


----------



## aquilla

bornunderprotest said:


> yes,about making a deal with "the devil",or making compromises in life,in order to get to a supossed better place. i read it a long time ago. i hope you enjoy it.


Ahh yes, I enjoyed it very much. After reading part 1, it became easy to understand why this is one of the most important books in literature history. Goethe was a genius.and we, I mean everyone of us, we share a lot in common with Faust, even if some think they don't and that they wouldn't t get into this kind of deal.
When I started reading part 2, it became clear why it is called one of the most difficult books to read (I'm talking about part 2 here)...Not really enjoying it. Of course it's because of my poor knowing of Greek mythology(while being too lazy to search for things I don't know in wikipedia, I kept asking my sister about all the Gods and other creatures ) and my impatience .It just doesn't appeal to me as part 1.


----------



## kittenamos

I just started reading The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker.


----------



## Jkate89

I'm most of the way through Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Loving it!


----------



## aquilla

After my mind being seriously messed up by Goethe's Faust part 2, I felt like I need a lighter read. We'll see.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

aquilla said:


> After my mind being seriously messed up by Goethe's Faust part 2, I felt like I need a lighter read. We'll see.


I read The Angel's Game & quite enjoyed it so eventually I'll get to this one too


----------



## entacto

When china rules the world by Martin Jacques. A really engaging analysis of china, past present and future.


----------



## minimized

I just finished Frankenstein. Rather than read Fahrenheit 451 or Satanic Verses I think I'm going to go Paradise Lost... I change my mind every time. Too many books unread.


----------



## Ali477

Another history book, this time on the Spanish civil war it presents quite a balanced account of the war in general and if im honest i was surprised to find that not only the Italians and the Nazi's supported Francos cause but also the British and the US government (the US supplied Franco with 5000 ford army trucks) which also explains why the US and the UK did nothing to liberate Spain from fascism even after when the war with Germany had ended.


----------



## jim11

Currently I don't read any book. But the last one was Into the Wild


----------



## Ender

Jkate89 said:


> I'm most of the way through Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Loving it!


Haven't read it yet, but I really liked American Gods and Anansi Boys.


----------



## Ender

The Tombs by Clive Cussler and Thomas Perry


----------



## missingno




----------



## low

_How I found Freedom in an Unfree World_ - Harry Browne

Someone mentioned it in another thread.


----------



## Orchestrated




----------



## Jkate89

Ender said:


> Haven't read it yet, but I really liked American Gods and Anansi Boys.


American Gods was fantastic! Anansi Boys is next on my list.


----------



## lucyinthesky

Luke688 said:


> Another history book, this time on the Spanish civil war it presents quite a balanced account of the war in general and if im honest i was surprised to find that not only the Italians and the Nazi's supported Francos cause but also the British and the US government (the US supplied Franco with 5000 ford army trucks) which also explains why the US and the UK did nothing to liberate Spain from fascism even after when the war with Germany had ended.


Looks interesting!


----------



## J C

*Eldritch Tales: A Miscellany of the Macabre*​
It is the third compilation book of stories by horror author H. P. Lovecraft. I got it from this big library the last time I was in Seattle.


----------



## christacat

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold


----------



## Kenpachi

Bakuman vol 1 arrived in the post today and chapter 1 was probably the most fun thing I have read in my life.


----------



## mattigummi

Dragon Age; The Calling


----------



## fredbloggs02

Lichtenberg's scrap books, The Greek Sophists.


----------



## Malek

Jim Butcher's Dresden Files - Cold Days :boogie


----------



## tehuti88

J C said:


> *Eldritch Tales: A Miscellany of the Macabre*​
> It is the third compilation book of stories by horror author H. P. Lovecraft. I got it from this big library the last time I was in Seattle.


Ooo! My favorite writer. :yes


----------



## J C

He is definitely my favorite as well. :yes


----------



## tehuti88

J C said:


> He is definitely my favorite as well. :yes


:high5



aquilla said:


> After my mind being seriously messed up by Goethe's Faust part 2, I felt like I need a lighter read. We'll see.


That looks interesting; I read the summary on Amazon. Is it very fantastical at all, or is it completely realism...?


----------



## Goopus

I'm reading three of the Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi novels.


----------



## talisman

Here's 3 (that I'm currently reading) of the 20 or more ebooks I've bought recently. I'm loving the seemingly unlimited 40% off promo code on Kobobooks at the moment.


----------



## typemismatch

and still reading Infinite Jest which I'm only like half way through


----------



## tehuti88

_Windeye_ by Brian Evenson. (Started it last night in fact.)


----------



## Orchestrated

Just Finished:










Didn't like it very much. :roll


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## christacat

Forever-Judy Blume

(what an eye opener of a book! it was banned in most libraries/schools in the 70's when it came out)


----------



## Green Eyes

Winter wonderland by Belinda Jones
The Clockward Orange
Is it just me? by Miranda Hart
Night at the Circus by Angela Carter
I Love New York by some German writer

I'm reading to many books at ones. I should finish those all before I start in another book again.


----------



## tehuti88

_Viriconium_ by M. John Harrison.


----------



## lucyinthesky

I read some of Lady Mary Wroth's work for uni this week, and actually really enjoyed it. Her love sonnets are pretty bitter though :b


----------



## Transcending




----------



## avoidobot3000

Transcending said:


>


I have this on my bookshelf.  Are you enjoying it?


----------



## Keith

The Concept of Dread - Soren Kierkegaard

God and the Unconscious -Victor White

Man's Search for Meaning -Victor Frankl


----------



## fredbloggs02

Keith said:


> The Concept of Dread - Soren Kierkegaard
> 
> God and the Unconscious -Victor White
> 
> Man's Search for Meaning -Victor Frankl


I'd be very interested to hear your take on the "Concept of Dread" or "the Concept of Anxiety" as I read it.

The Complete Odes and Epodes- Horace


----------



## Keith

fredbloggs02 said:


> I'd be very interested to hear your take on the "Concept of Dread" or "the Concept of Anxiety" as I read it.
> 
> The Complete Odes and Epodes- Horace


Sure, I'll let you know my opinion on it, its a challenging read but i understand it so far, it may take me awhile to fully read and digest. I forsee a number of walks, mulling over his ideas, as I really am interested in understanding existential anxiety.


----------



## cafune

_An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness_ by Kay Redfield Jamison


----------



## tehuti88

Solar Eclipse said:


> _An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness_ by Kay Redfield Jamison


I read that in college! 

(Unfortunately college was over a decade ago, so...my memory is terribly hazy! ops I do for some reason remember some sort of manic vision where the sunset was turning all red as blood or something...)


----------



## lucyinthesky

Keith said:


> Man's Search for Meaning -Victor Frankl


I loved this; it was so insightful and thought-provoking. I let someone borrow it, however, and they found it so depressing!

Currently reading Cymbeline by Shakespeare for university (and too many half-read books for leisure).


----------



## avoidobot3000

A really funny collection of essays, often relevant to socially awkward people.


----------



## missingno

2083 A European Declaration Of Independence


----------



## sleepydrone

Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman


----------



## rymo

World War Z


----------



## mooncake

Just finished _Silas Marner_ by George Eliot.

And I'm still reading _On the Road_. I picked it up a long time ago but never finished, and this time it again seems to be taking ages for me to get through :/


----------



## Unkn0wn Pleasures

No One Belongs Here More Than You - Miranda July. (short stories)
Choke - Chuck Palahniuk


----------



## avoidobot3000

While reading this, I keep imagining hearing the theme to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. :lol


----------



## One Man Wolfpack




----------



## shelbster18

I'm reading Sleepwalker by Wendy Corsi Staub.


----------



## lucyinthesky

mooncake said:


> And I'm still reading _On the Road_. I picked it up a long time ago but never finished, and this time it again seems to be taking ages for me to get through :/


I also started this so long ago, but I am currently on a prolonged hiatus :b Sometimes I feel like I'm enjoying it, but I always end up putting it down.

I've recently read Kierkegaard's _The Seducer's Diary_, as part of a Penguin Great Loves set I have, and now I'm halfway through _The Garden of Evening Mists_ by Tan Twang Eng. It's got some clumsily written passages, but the plot is a nice idea.


----------



## dlennr

Currently reading _The Enclave_ by Karen Hancock. So far, I'm not really getting into it, though I absolutely love her _Legends of the Guardian-King_ series.


----------



## mooncake

lucyinthesky said:


> I also started this so long ago, but I am currently on a prolonged hiatus :b Sometimes I feel like I'm enjoying it, but I always end up putting it down.


Yeah, that's exactly what would happen with me! Sort of felt like I liked it, in a way, but could never read too much in one go, and part of me just wanted to reach the end. Well, I've finally finished it now... hurrah.

Reading _American Psycho_ at the moment. Just about getting to the... interesting... stuff.


----------



## fredbloggs02

The Tunnel- Sabato


----------



## aquilla

Seneca's letters to Lucilius.


----------



## anonymid




----------



## noyadefleur




----------



## enfield

i already said awhile ago, and i'm_ still_ reading the same thing, but seeing the all the covers makes me want to post the cover of what i'm reading too


----------



## pastels

this was the last book in the series ,read all of them in . just finished this in one day


----------



## Dion Phaneuf




----------



## mooncake




----------



## fredbloggs02

The Wallenstein trilogy-schiller

A discovery of New Worlds- Fontenelle


----------



## Reclus




----------



## tbyrfan




----------



## dassad

Anna Karenina by Tolstoy.


----------



## Pennywise




----------



## mooncake

Quite an interesting book.


----------



## Wingman01

Right now finishing up The Fellowship Of The Ring, will probably finish the entire LOTR Trilogy by the end of the month.


Want to start reading the Necroscope series by Brian Lumely again after that. Or maybe Moby Dick and Treasure Island not sure yet.


----------



## tehuti88

_Masterpieces Of Terror & The Unknown_ ed. by Marvin Kaye.


----------



## anonymid

Planning to finally read beyond Book I.


----------



## 0lly




----------



## huh

mooncake said:


> Quite an interesting book.


I just finished reading that this morning! It's actually the first Steven Pinker book I've managed to read completely from start to finish. His usage of the Pacifists Dilemma in the final chapter, similar to the Prisoner's Dilemma, was an interesting way to analyze the the different causes of the downward trend in violence. My only complaint is that he is always way too verbose and wordy. It's like he doesn't know what to include/exclude when he writes so he just includes everything to be safe :blank Still enjoyable though since I find the topic interesting.

My next read is going to be Peter Singer's "The Ethics of What We Eat". I also recently bought an Audible subscription so I can listen to stuff in the car. So I'm currently listening to Jared Diamond's new book "The World Until Yesterday".


----------



## aquilla




----------



## Abenthy

Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Second Foundation

These three are by Isaac Asimov

The Lord of Snow and Shadows by Sarah Ash


----------



## mooncake

huh said:


> I just finished reading that this morning! It's actually the first Steven Pinker book I've managed to read completely from start to finish. His usage of the Pacifists Dilemma in the final chapter, similar to the Prisoner's Dilemma, was an interesting way to analyze the the different causes of the downward trend in violence. My only complaint is that he is always way too verbose and wordy. It's like he doesn't know what to include/exclude when he writes so he just includes everything to be safe :blank Still enjoyable though since I find the topic interesting.
> 
> My next read is going to be Peter Singer's "The Ethics of What We Eat". I also recently bought an Audible subscription so I can listen to stuff in the car. So I'm currently listening to Jared Diamond's new book "The World Until Yesterday".


I can see why you'd say that (about the wordiness) - I was always that way myself when I'd write essays and such for uni; I found it too hard to exclude anything, so I'd just try to cover everything! However, I am enjoying the book and it's definitely an interesting topic. I'm only about a quarter of the way in, but I already feel like I've picked up on some interesting little things, and it's very accessible, which is nice. Your new reads sound pretty interesting - I might have to look into those myself!


----------



## fredbloggs02

This morning finished rereading the Oresteia of Aeschylus.


----------



## christacat

I am reading this 3 novels in one book, all by Paula Danziger who I used to love reading when I was younger, reading The Cat Ate My Gymsuit right now and the other two in the book are There's A Bat In Bunk Five and Can you sue your Parents for Malpractice. Feeling slightly nostalgic, lol.


----------



## Lily of the Valley

Just finished up Jane Eyre and Anna Karenina. Currently reading Pride and Prejudice and 1984.


----------



## cj66

THIS BOOK IS FULL OF SPIDERS -David Wong


----------



## Otherside

It's supposed to be disturbing. So far, we have had a dinner party.


----------



## UnnamedSpecies

What is Real 
By - Karen Rivers


----------



## TheGecko

Starting "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"


----------



## avoidobot3000

I read this a couple days ago:









And now I'm halfway through :


----------



## aquilla




----------



## shelbster18

River's End by Nora Roberts.


----------



## KentuckyFan




----------



## pythonesque

_Finishing:_









_Starting:_


----------



## fredbloggs02

Kleist's collected works

The Poems of John Donne.


----------



## wmu'14




----------



## typemismatch

Tunbridge Wells yellow pages 2004/05 edition, it's ****ing brilliant.


----------



## tehuti88

typemismatch said:


> Tunbridge Wells yellow pages 2004/05 edition, it's ****ing brilliant.


:lol

Can't wait for the movie version!


----------



## rymo

Tale of Two Cities
Black Hole Wars
Thinking in Systems


----------



## christacat

London Fields by Martin Amis


----------



## pythonesque

christacat said:


> London Fields by Martin Amis


Bizarre story. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it, when you're through.


----------



## andy0128

down and out in paris and london


----------



## That random dude

Just finished The paras by John Parker and I'm starting pathfinder by Duncan Blakeley.


----------



## Daveyboy

Wow . Reading all of the chioces on here I sound like a dunce but I just read..
Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly


----------



## Gavroche

Going to start reading Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.


----------



## buklti

I read the Chuck Yeager autobiography a few months ago. Best book i've read in a long time.


----------



## bleedlikeme

Been reading _50 shades of grey_ since november. I'm such a slow reader lol.


----------



## WhisperingPines05

Well, last week I finished reading Janet Flanner's only published novel, The Cubical City—a little known Jazz Age gem of lost American fiction. This week Djuna Barnes is blowing my mind away with her 1928 novel Ryder.


----------



## Bunyip

Ender's Game.
I've actually never read the series before. It has been very enjoyable.


----------



## Tibble




----------



## DysfunctionalDoll

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde


----------



## typemismatch

^ oh I liked that book.

Just finished Infinite Jest which was awesome. Now onto this:


----------



## Tu Cielo

Ahh I love this series so much. About a quarter of the way into this book.


----------



## Mersault

Just read the first chapter of "The Horror", by Arthur Machen (early 20th century novelist).


----------



## Minkiro




----------



## tehuti88

Mersault said:


> Just read the first chapter of "The Horror", by Arthur Machen (early 20th century novelist).


Oh, if you haven't you should look for the three volumes of the _Best Weird Tales Of Arthur Machen_ from Chaosium, lots of good stuff there if you enjoy his work! :yes


----------



## Mersault

Thanks  

My favorite horror story is by Machen, the Recluse of Bayswater (novel of the white powder). A very good author, although like everyone else he has his own problems...


----------



## Charmander




----------



## Kkate

Finishing up the Unbearable Lightness of Being by milan kundera.
Very dense, and i can't decide if i really really like it or if i'm just in the mindset for the deep emotionally wtf feeling it conjures up in me. that doesn't really make sense but it seems fitting ha.
One thing that really draws me in is how it beautifully weaves together history and art and the complications of human interaction within a fictional story line.


----------



## typemismatch

Kkate said:


> Finishing up the Unbearable Lightness of Being by milan kundera.
> Very dense, and i can't decide if i really really like it or if i'm just in the mindset for the deep emotionally wtf feeling it conjures up in me. that doesn't really make sense but it seems fitting ha.
> One thing that really draws me in is how it beautifully weaves together history and art and the complications of human interaction within a fictional story line.


I thought there was something rather whimsical about TULOB. Kundera just seems to dip in and out of these philosophical ideas without any real intensity. I preferred Farewell Waltz or something like that, can't remember the name now.


----------



## DesertStar91

Princess Elizabeth's Spy. It's okay.


----------



## nml

DysfunctionalDoll said:


> The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde


I'm reading this too! Nearly finished it now.

My edition has some other stories written by Stevenson, think I'll read them too.


----------



## DysfunctionalDoll

typemismatch said:


> ^ oh I liked that book.
> 
> Just finished Infinite Jest which was awesome. Now onto this:


It's pretty amazing.

Please let me know how you like Eduring Love!



nml said:


> I'm reading this too! Nearly finished it now.
> 
> My edition has some other stories written by Stevenson, think I'll read them too.


That's awesome! I don't know anyone around here who has read it/is interested in reading it /: I probably would of finished reading it by now but I'm reading Edgar Allan Poe - Tales of Mystery and Imagination on the side.


----------



## nml

DysfunctionalDoll said:


> That's awesome! I don't know anyone around here who has read it/is interested in reading it /: I probably would of finished reading it by now but I'm reading Edgar Allan Poe - Tales of Mystery and Imagination on the side.


darn, well they should read it  And that sounds good too, I've got Poe on my to read list. Oh and Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray, which apparently was influenced by Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (or so the preface tells me!).


----------



## DysfunctionalDoll

nml said:


> darn, well they should read it  And that sounds good too, I've got Poe on my to read list. Oh and Oscar Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray, which apparently was influenced by Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (or so the preface tells me!).


Yes they should!
That sounds pretty cool. I'll look into it  My to-read list just keeps growing.


----------



## TobeyJuarez

i was thinking about reading that book the idiot... but i have to get the money to buy it first lol


----------



## Jkate89

Finished Anansi Boys a while ago, it was fantastic! Reading Fragile Things right now, then its on to Blue Beard by Kurt Vonnegut.


----------



## SterilizeMe

illmatic1 said:


> i was thinking about reading that book the idiot... but i have to get the money to buy it first lol


You won't regret it. It's my all-time favorite book. Just beautifully composed in every way. You should watch the Russian TV-movie about it, too. It's up on Youtube with subtitles.

As for me, right now I'm reading _The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft_. It's been years since I've read any of his stories.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Story of O

Checkhov's plays

The story of O is more than I expected. It's like a dream that touches reality with such transparent unconscious fluidity in the most unsettling way. It is vicious and yet crystal clear. Vicious dialogue spoken in the most innocuous simplicity.. Light, cold, feet... beautiful descriptions of nature, awkwardly penetrating insights into the morality of slavery, of a certain cast of mind, precise experiences that appear where you'd expect open principles. This is the sort of book that convinces you the writer writes as if they were above themselves. Why should this interest someone who did not play the guilty part themselves? That would be like writing Crime And Punishment from the perspective of Luzhin....try convincing me that's possible. What is unsettling is the clear atmosphere contrasted with repulsive, vicious words and acts; vicious sadism in innocent love, pure kisses that sow maggots under the skin. I found the inner dialogues very uncomfortable.


----------



## tehuti88

SterilizeMe said:


> As for me, right now I'm reading _The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft_. It's been years since I've read any of his stories.


My favorite writer!


----------



## AxeDroid

Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card.


----------



## cj66

A Streetcar Named Desire -Tennessee Williams


----------



## skogbrann

Soon finished with Animal Farm by George Orwell, and after I read that I am going to read Life of Pi


----------



## typemismatch

DysfunctionalDoll said:


> ...
> Please let me know how you like Eduring Love!
> ...


The first couple of chapters were great describing a ballooning accident. McEwan is really good at these life-defining moments - slowing them down and giving them a kind of intense clarity. After that it was a good read to see where it was going, but ultimately a rather forgettable novel I think.

what to read now...


----------



## Crescent861

Star of Lancaster - Jean Plaidy. Recommended if you're interested in UK history of Kings & Queens


----------



## Roxas

Nothing right now, but have the Lord of the Rings trilogy right next to me that I'll start reading soon .


----------



## shelbster18

Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark.


----------



## christacat

Black Foxes~Sonya Hartnett

(why has this not been made into a movie yet, already picturing the two male main characters being played Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston )


----------



## SterilizeMe

I'm still reading Lovecraft, but have been really stuck on the short stories posted on Reddit's r/NoSleep today. Some of them are so creepy!


----------



## typemismatch

The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy


----------



## anonymid




----------



## RadioactivePotato

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan


----------



## PitaMe

Ulysses by James Joyce


----------



## tehuti88

I want to start reading _Blasphemies & Revelations_ by Robert M. Price tonight or tomorrow, I think.

I think I'd also like to start reading Colin A. Ross's _Dissociative Identity Disorder: Diagnosis, Clinical Features, & Treatment of Multiple Personality_ again (almost finished it before), as my reading interests keep shifting, but I don't know, I suck reading more than one book at a time. We'll see. ops


----------



## shyshisho

Everyman's Talmud by Abraham Cohen. Judaism is my latest religious obsession.


----------



## anonymid

PitaMe said:


> Ulysses by James Joyce


----------



## avoidobot3000

I'm terribly indecisive at selecting what book to read next. I think it's because I grew up learning the way to choose books was having a teacher hold up two books and asking everyone to vote for one.

Somehow I managed to decide to read "Three Novels" by Samuel Beckett


----------



## pythonesque

Jim Carroll's _The Petting Zoo_, about an artist who retreats into seclusion after seeing a Velázquez painting. Sounds like something I would do, ha.


----------



## mooncake




----------



## undefinedattheorigin

Battle Royale, Koushun Takam
Quiet, Susan Cain
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card


----------



## anonymid




----------



## .95596




----------



## InTheEvening

Dune and Dune Messiah , Frank Herbert
Mortality, Christopher Hitchens


----------



## talisman




----------



## shelbster18

The Search by Nora Roberts.


----------



## Time2changelater

just finished warm bodies, and started john dies at the end


----------



## nml

Working through a collection of stories by Nikolai Gogol, read _The Overcoat_ (sad) and _The Nose_ (delightful) so far. _Old Fashioned Farmers_ next, which I'm told is humane and warm...which will make a nice contrast to the other two.


----------



## AceEmoKid

The Secret Sharer by Conrad.

Not the most interesting story, but I have to read it and write an essay for AP Lit about it.


----------



## KristenDK

Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption - Stephen King 

Haven't watched the movie, but plan on it afterward.


----------



## Mr Mug the 2nd




----------



## Cam1




----------



## GetOutOfMyHouse

...


----------



## aquilla




----------



## cj66

The Glass Menagerie - T. Williams


----------



## AvoidAvoiding

undefinedattheorigin said:


> Battle Royale, Koushun Takam


Is this the basis for the 2000 Japanese film? Any good? Loved the movie


----------



## fredbloggs02

The Hymns of Zoroaster

..and yesterday finished G. E. Lessing's Laocoon; which was an interesting essay on poetry and painting until he lost it to a big willy historical dating competition with Winckelmann towards the end. Such is human nature, pshh lol.


----------



## nml

^ lol wut

I'm currently working through short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Recently read _The Masque of the Red Death_, _The Black Cat_, _The Tell Tale Heart_, _The Man of the Crowd_, _Eleonora_. Oh and _The Pit and the Pendulum_.

Plan to read _The Murder in the Rue Morgue_...which I'm told established some of the basic conventions of the detective story, influenced Conan Doyle, etc. etc.


----------



## Mersault

Some large biography of Flaubert.


----------



## Implicate

nml said:


> I'm currently working through short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Recently read _The Masque of the Red Death_, _The Black Cat_, _The Tell Tale Heart_, _The Man of the Crowd_, _Eleonora_. Oh and _The Pit and the Pendulum_.


The Masque of the Red Death is so good, and the movie adaptation is worth a viewing as well!

I'm reading the LOTR triology again by Tolkien, _A Game of Thrones_ by Martin, _World War Z_ By Brooks, _Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy_ by Burns, _Banking Regulation_ published by the fed, _Snuff_ by Palahniuk, and _Mass Effect: Retrobution_ by Karpyshyn.


----------



## nml

^ there's a movie adaptation? Hard to think how anyone could adapt that story! but I'll look into it


----------



## Rhian

I've been slacking lately on reading anything published. (I read some pretty awful online fiction all of the time! just nothing worth mentioning) 

I want to finish the Witch and Wizard series (trilogy?), I have all of the books but I've only finished the first one. I remember liking it well enough, hopefully it doesn't pull another Hunger Games and continues to be decent through the next few books. (why did the last book of Hunger Games have to be so awful? whyyy)

I may also go back and read what I have of Animorphs. For some reason or another I keep seeing people comment about how well it portrayed the teenagers in a war setting and how they were afterwards as well. I was pretty young when I read them, so I don't really remember anything about it. So now I'm interested again!

One day I'll get back into reading novels intended for adults. That day just isn't today.


----------



## Mersault

Started another biography, this time of Borges. I read one chapter but i was not aware that Borges was privately a miserable, closed up, lonely and afraid person. Maybe the biography is not that well-reasearched, or maybe he was, but the effect on me was very gloomy.


----------



## cafune

Just finished a book containing _Notes from Underground, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, White Nights,_ and selections from _House of the Dead_ by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Managed to leave me feeling ill at ease and heavy with sobriety. Also struggled to remain emotionally detached from the main characters (can't say I succeeded).

Starting _Lolita_ by Vladimir Nabokov, which has been collecting dust on my bookshelf for quite some time now.


----------



## Donnie in the Dark

_Snowdrops_ Only started it, but shaping up to be a pretty well written thriller set in Moscow.
Just finished _Beloved, pretty amazing piece of Lit, didn't know quite what to think at the end. 
I am also struggling through Giving an account of oneself by Judith Butler. Heavy on the philosophy and linguistics, but a lot of insight so I will stick it out._


----------



## anonymid




----------



## estse




----------



## minimized

Started:










I'm trying, I really am.


----------



## fredbloggs02

A Hero Of our Time by Lermontov.


----------



## Sabreena

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

It started out interesting but the ending just left me going "WTF did I just read?"


----------



## Wingman01

The Husband by Dean Koontz.


----------



## 0589471

'Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls'

It's a very interesting psychological story about multiple personalities, with a very different perspective on the disorder.


----------



## juizdelinha

Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov.
The russians do know how to make good books.
The main character goes through the first 160 pages lying in bed, he's the definition of indolence.

Next Therese Raquin by Emile Zola


----------



## Kascheritt

"A Certain Magical Index" light novel.


----------



## pythonesque

Working my way in alphabetic order through Eric Ambler. Currently on _A Kind of Anger_.


----------



## Sanctus




----------



## tehuti88

A Toxic Butterfly said:


> 'Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls'
> 
> It's a very interesting psychological story about multiple personalities, with a very different perspective on the disorder.


Hm...that looks pretty interesting. I've long been wanting to find a decent piece of DID/MPD fiction (I've only ever read nonfiction, have a slew of books on this topic :b ) but I'm always worried it'll be really sensationalistic/hokey or will portray the disorder horribly wrong...are you finding it a decent read so far?


----------



## DenizenOfDespair

Clive Barker- Weaveworld


----------



## 0589471

tehuti88 said:


> Hm...that looks pretty interesting. I've long been wanting to find a decent piece of DID/MPD fiction (I've only ever read nonfiction, have a slew of books on this topic :b ) but I'm always worried it'll be really sensationalistic/hokey or will portray the disorder horribly wrong...are you finding it a decent read so far?


Oh yeah, so far it's really intriguing. You really see MPD through the eyes of this person. It's a creative way of viewing the disorder, kind of in a way I've never seen it done before. There's another character with similar issues, and the interactions and things are really interesting to follow. You just can't put it down, its addicting lol I've never found any fiction on the disorder before, so I think you'll like it. It has a really good plot and story to follow, you should check it out


----------



## tehuti88

A Toxic Butterfly said:


> Oh yeah, so far it's really intriguing. You really see MPD through the eyes of this person. It's a creative way of viewing the disorder, kind of in a way I've never seen it done before. There's another character with similar issues, and the interactions and things are really interesting to follow. You just can't put it down, its addicting lol I've never found any fiction on the disorder before, so I think you'll like it. It has a really good plot and story to follow, you should check it out


Thanks! I believe I'm going to look into this one. :yes


----------



## miminka




----------



## Pennywise




----------



## mooncake

Bad Science


----------



## avoidobot3000

I have to read Shakespeare's King Lear by next Monday and I don't even have the book yet. :um


----------



## cafune

avoidobot3000 said:


> I have to read Shakespeare's King Lear by next Monday and I don't even have the book yet. :um


That's a terrible excuse, you know. You could probably find that all over the Internet. Case in point: http://shakespeare.mit.edu/lear/full.html :b


----------



## avoidobot3000

cafune said:


> That's a terrible excuse, you know. You could probably find that all over the Internet. Case in point: http://shakespeare.mit.edu/lear/full.html :b


Oh wow, the internet is amazing. Thank you. :nw


----------



## fredbloggs02

The Demon- Lermontov

Works Of Love- Kierkegaard

About halfway through the second. Had an unpleasant experience with another of Kierkegaard's books "Either; or"...I finished his sentences. Like a stream of acid constantly running beneath the structure of my chest turning it into quicksand... after certain parts for a time afterwards I couldn't think anymore without feeling something inside me give way collapsing in on itself...couldn't sit still, felt frozen inside my chest, felt ill as if I had been bound to a machine secretively draining my blood.. not someone you want to touch if you have enough problems with self-criticism. I sensed a certain spitefully obsequious, sadistic quality to the Kierkegaard scholars who wrote the preface to this book. He is an insight into a certain cast of mind. I think public intellectuals I've heard speak about him only understood him from a distance, so appreciate him a different way than I do, listening to music they take no part in and don't really understand. I feel people who stand at a distance are more comfortable listening to his sounds. I suspect people sometimes... if they can listen to this from a distance, appearances really show nothing of the person underneath an apparently conscientious face.


----------



## thecrazy88

I am reading_ Rurouni Kenshin_, the first _Castle_ novel, and the _Ultimate Spiderman_ comics as well as _Buffy The Vampire Slayer._


----------



## kilgoretrout

Divergent - Veronica Roth

Not a fan so far, intensely dislike the writing style. Will keep reading it though since I have nothing better to replace it with. Makes a good drink coaster.


----------



## marcv2013

Open - Autobiography by Andre Agassi


----------



## aquilla

This must be one of the better books I've read this month, really. I can relate to much of it( except the nasty experiences of Estha, thank God). Though I find some passages a bit too pretentious, as if the writer was deliberately trying to look oh so intellectual and arty, but overall it's really good so far.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm rereading it again, lost count how many times I have now










Gonna buy it next payday


----------



## typemismatch

aquilla said:


> This must be one of the better books I've read this month, really. I can relate to much of it( except the nasty experiences of Estha, thank God). Though I find some passages a bit too pretentious, as if the writer was deliberately trying to look oh so intellectual and arty, but overall it's really good so far.


Just finished reading this the other day. Beautifully written, but I think she pays a little too much attention to the words and not enough to the story. Perhaps it is the Small Things after all. The story moved about too much, and for no real purpose. Good but not great.


----------



## Charmander

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Haven't read it in years!


----------



## Mur

Charles Bargue Drawing Course


----------



## Flapstar

Just recently finished 'The Blinding Knife' by Brent Weeks. Amazing fantasy novel.


----------



## Cnidaria

I've been trying to re read Brave New World over the past few weeks, slow progress...


----------



## Squirrelevant

"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character


----------



## aquilla

Only halfway trough "The God of Small Things", and I don't really like reading more than one book at once, but still. I've only read a few pages of "The Sea, the Sea" and so far it's so good that I just cannot put it away.


----------



## christacat

Black Rabbit Summer-Kevin Brooks.


----------



## anonymid

Gibbon's _Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire_. I'm about halfway through Volume 1 (of 6).

I've also been dipping back into the _Thousand and One Nights_.


----------



## DesertStar91

Interview With a Vampire


----------



## JennyKay

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower for the fourth time.


----------



## glazet3

The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, again.


----------



## fredbloggs02

"The Possessed"- Dostoevsky. The last of his major works I've yet to read.


----------



## typemismatch

About half way through this. I like it.


----------



## andy0128

Wuthering heights


----------



## mooncake

11.22.63 by Stephen King


----------



## miminka

so compelling i could not put it down. particularly enjoyed the chapter on marquis de sade.


----------



## weiwuwei

Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse


----------



## scriabin221




----------



## talisman

John Cooper - The Queen's Secret Agent - Francis Walsingham At The Court Of Elizabeth I










N.A.M Rodger -The Safeguard of the Sea: A Naval History of Britain, Vol 1: 660-1649










Mark Chadbourn - The Scar-Crow Men


----------



## Fruitcake

I just started A Game of Thrones. I'm going to attempt to read the first three books in A Song of Ice and Fire before Season 3 of the tv series comes out on the 1st.


----------



## miminka




----------



## tehuti88

Didn't get to read my DID book in addition to the other book I was reading, I guess I can only focus on one at a time if I ever wish to get one done. :blush

I hope to start reading _Black Water: The Book Of Fantastic Literature_ ed. by Alberto Manguel tonight or tomorrow. (Having trouble choosing between it and _Magical Realist Fiction: An Anthology_ ed. by Young & Hollaman...should really read the latter first, but I love how big and thick the first is!)

I wish I were a faster reader! :cry


----------



## spindlehollows

fredbloggs02 said:


> "The Possessed"- Dostoevsky. The last of his major works I've yet to read.


I need to read this! I really loved reading The Brothers Karamazov

anyway, I'm reading Kafka On the Shore right now by Haruki Murakami (I am infatuated with Haruki Murakami)


----------



## nml

fredbloggs02 said:


> "The Possessed"- Dostoevsky. The last of his major works I've yet to read.


That's the last of his major novels on my list too, I think it's the one considered the most prophetic (?).



spindlehollows said:


> I need to read this! I really loved reading The Brothers Karamazov
> 
> anyway, I'm reading Kafka On the Shore right now by Haruki Murakami (I am infatuated with Haruki Murakami)


quite a few slavophiles on here by the looks of it :yes

And I'm starting _Hangover Square_ by Patrick Hamilton


----------



## avoidobot3000




----------



## typemismatch

Empire Falls by Richard Russo

I've got Hangover Sq on my to read list.


----------



## Chanelleninja

77 Shadow Street By Dean Koontz


----------



## tehuti88

Chanelleninja said:


> 77 Shadow Street By Dean Koontz


Oh! I read that some time back!


----------



## spindlehollows

avoidobot3000 said:


>


this book is so unsettling and I have never felt so empty and alienated from the characters and aggravated by their actions...I love thomas hardy, and this book is absolutely wonderful it just . . . disturbed me greatly for various reasons. tell me what you think of it!


----------



## kilgoretrout

Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut

Seventh time? _Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time._


----------



## handsupmidnight

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Just started


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I finally picked it up today


----------



## IveGotToast

Game of Thrones


----------



## fredbloggs02

"The Presocratic Philosophers"-Jonathan Barnes

The author is a compendium of thought and often litigious with the law of non-contradiction...seems to believe: "and that is that" silences all opposition- which is fine. Everyone is entitled to their inflexible convictions: his in my view don't bring out the subtlest aspects of some of these thinkers.


----------



## NotMyFaultInOurStars

Re-reading Paper Towns - John Green (again)

I LOVE THAT BOOK!


----------



## aquilla

Canadian Brotha said:


> I finally picked it up today


ahhh I really liked that one  !


----------



## Canadian Brotha

aquilla said:


> ahhh I really liked that one  !


Cool, I hope I do too. Have you read The Angel's Game? It's a prequel to The Shadow Of The Wind. I bought it on a whim & quite liked it which is why I got this


----------



## SandWshooter




----------



## aquilla

Canadian Brotha said:


> Cool, I hope I do too. Have you read The Angel's Game? It's a prequel to The Shadow Of The Wind. I bought it on a whim & quite liked it which is why I got this


No, I haven't. But I was thinking about it,since I saw "The Angel's Game" in a bookstore the other day, and I'll probably read it


----------



## ThatOneGuy9

I'm currently reading "Quantum Psychology" by Robert Anton Wilson.


----------



## anonymid

The _Songs and Sonets_ of Donne.


----------



## christacat

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

Was made to read it for Year 12 English, never finished it and lost my copy


----------



## ThePeon

Just started reading _The Mote in God's Eye_ by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, I'm liking it so far.


----------



## nml

typemismatch said:


> I've got Hangover Sq on my to read list.


Finished this. One of the most poetic and insightful portrayals of loneliness, obsession and alcoholism you'll read, but holy crap is it depressing. :blank

Started Journey to the end of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine. Alright so far, don't think the translation is that great...awesome title though.


----------



## OutOfControlPanel

Rereading:


----------



## Limmy

i started reading this thread


----------



## jennyrsand

The perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky


----------



## NeuromorPhish

Peer Gynt, by Henrik Ibsen.

(Subsequently i saw a play of it, which was awful and i ended up hating the book as well, even though i found the metaphors embedded in the story very interesting.)


----------



## 9mm

The Minimal Self- Christopher Lasch.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## Lonely n Cold

That Was Then, This Is Now. 

Fantastic book with so much truth.


----------



## typemismatch

rdrr said:


>


I've got a quote from that in my autosig.


----------



## aquilla

I know I'm not being very sensible by taking such a long book form the library then I have so much to do, including school books to read and essays and papers to write, but...


----------



## Lil Sebastian

Jane Eyre

It has fancy big words


----------



## Pennywise




----------



## Lonely n Cold

Hatchet.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Just finished Novalis' philosophical writings, halfway through diogernes Laertius' lives of the philosophers and about 2/3 of the way through Dostoevsky's "the possessed."


----------



## misspeachy

Dale Carnegie book, which my dad recently gave me. It's GREAT! 
Family life by Elisabeth Luard. . but getting a little drained, so might stop.
(The Book of Summer by Emylia Hall
and Tell it to the Bees by Fiona Shaw
and The Proof of Love by Catherine Hall - just got these three out of the library to take home to read)

I want to read so much more though. . . esp I capture the Castle and all by Jon Green, really been meaning to find these books!


----------



## NeuromorPhish

God is not Great, by Christopher Hitchens.

So far, i don't find it "preaching to the choir", as many people claim it to be. And it's more informative and full of real world issues, compared to Dawkins' the God Delusion (which is also worth reading imo).


----------



## huh

It has been a bit since I've posted here, but I've finished reading _The Ethics of What We Eat_, and more recently I finished _Moral Origins_. Both were very enjoyable and thought provoking. I'm now starting to read _From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time._


----------



## RadioactivePotato

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline


----------



## fanatic203

Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie


----------



## kilgoretrout

The Narrows by Michael Connelly. Normally not my genre but it was free.


----------



## Astraia

Slightly embarrassed to admit... The book I am currently reading is Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione (it's for an online book club I'm a part of ).
Though I have to admit, the book is actually a lot better than the title suggests


----------



## mooncake

Before They Are Hanged (book two of Joe Abercrombie's 'The First Law' trilogy).


----------



## miminka

more with the 70's new york 2nd-wave feminist literature


----------



## Heyoki

Norwegian Wood by Huruki Murakami 

Should probably get round to finishing it soon.


----------



## aquilla

Heyoki said:


> Norwegian Wood by Huruki Murakami
> 
> Should probably get round to finishing it soon.


oh, and how is it? I bought this several weeks ago, but still haven't started it. Also, I haven't read anything by Murakami yet and somebody said that this one is quite different from his other books .Since I don't know what a typical Murakami book is, I cannot say much about it. Is it true, I mean, is it really different in some way?


----------



## Heyoki

It's also the first book I've read of his. Despite being somewhat depressing I am enjoying it. His writing has a lyrical style to it and I'm finding it an easy read. 

I heard his other books are really good but often don't make sense. Some have really long dream sequences & he goes of on tangents that may seem pointless. So I think Norwegian Wood is a good one to start with. 

I got given Hard boiled wonderland & the end of the world the other day but will probably read something in between.


----------



## No Name

Brb. Finding out the meaning of life.


----------



## tehuti88

A couple of days ago I started reading _Creepypasta Vol. 1_ ed. by Andrew Brinsko even though I'm not done with my other book yet.







Something easy to read while installing computer games.


----------



## typemismatch

Norwegian Wood is a good place to start with Murakami. It's probably his most normal book and gives you an idea of his style. Hard Boiled Wonderland is one of my favourites, the other world reminded me a lot of The Castle by Franz Kafka. Amazing writer.


----------



## christacat

My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary~Rae Earl

(very different from the TV show, but still good. Rae replied to me on Twitter a while ago, I was so chuffed!  Her other book OMG! Is this actually my life is good too)


----------



## catcharay

catcher in the rye. .stealing my sister's copy


----------



## Squirrelevant

Just finished this:









Now reading this:


----------



## miminka

the coming insurrection - the invisible commitee 
the matrixial borderspace - bracha ettinger


----------



## cybernaut




----------



## The Patriot

A Couple of years ago I would have been tearing through this thread, posting book after book after book but my eyes are really messed up and I can hardly concentrate on reading anymore but when I do I don't read as quickly as I use to. 

Currently reading The Forgotten Man. An Elvis Cole Novel by Robert Crais. 

For Private Investigator Elvis Cole the hardest case to solve is his own, the biggest mystery in Elvis's life has always been who is my father? Elvis may finally find the answers he's been looking for when he receives a call about a murder victim who before he died told Police that he was Elvis's father, only thing is Elvis is skeptical, he's eliciting a little help from his friend Joe Pike. 

This is a good place for new comers to the series to start if they want backstory otherwise skip this if you want to keep the back story until later. I enjoyed reading about Elvis Cole's years as a teenager, believing his father was in the circus and running away and the irony of being tracked down by a Private investigator himself.


----------



## Namira

Avalon by Anya Seton. If you like historical fiction, Anya Seton is a dream come true. Katharine is of course her best work I think, but her attention to detail is phenomenal <3


----------



## blue the puppy

the girl with the dragon tattoo

almost done, just have a few pages left


----------



## typemismatch

Just starting this. Looking forward to it. A very underrated and versatile writer.


----------



## 0lly




----------



## morped

*A Confederacy of Dunces by John Toole*

The main character of this novel has some semblance to the older me but he is so unlikeable. I think anyone with social anxiety or who has felt like an outcast will really enjoy this book.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Outlines of scepticism- Sextus Empiricus


----------



## lzzy

Il Principe - Machiaveli

a must read!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

0lly said:


>


I bought that recently. I won't get to it for a while though as I'm halfway through one book & have another lined up before it enters my rotation. Let me know what you think


----------



## alissadisa

I am reading the Alma Iqbal . It's a Balearic book. I'm also reading the book.


----------



## mooncake

Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie. 

I'm not sure any modern fantasy novels will be able to match up to the 'A Song of Ice and Fire series' for me, just because of the sheer epicness of its scope. But I've been enjoying this trilogy. I thought the first book was quite good, though not amazing, but the last two have really engrossed me (so much so that I read until about 6am this morning, after not being able to sleep last night, aaargh ifeellikeazombie).


----------



## 0lly

Canadian Brotha said:


> I bought that recently. I won't get to it for a while though as I'm halfway through one book & have another lined up before it enters my rotation. Let me know what you think


I'm finding it a little slow. Much of it is just Crusoe listing his daily activities; sewing seeds, making walls, chopping wood, begging God for mercy, etc. in a very matter of fact way.

Its very archaic too. I think the first thing he teaches Man Friday, is to call him Master.


----------



## catcharay

The grapes of wrath


----------



## whattothink

No Great Mischief - Alistair MacLeod
Nostromo - Joseph Conrad
Le Petit Prince - french name


----------



## christacat

_He Died with a Felafel in His Hand ~John Birmingham

_


----------



## Mur

Burne Hogarth - Drawing the Human Head


----------



## NeuromorPhish

-Bad Science, by Ben Goldacre.
-The archaeology of Mind, by Jaak Panksepp
(And i've still not finished Christopher Hitchens' God is not Great)


----------



## aquilla

*Chekhov's short stories*. I've only read "The Man in the Case " (oh my God I loved it! ) yesterday as I didn't have enough time, but I hope to read other stories soon.


----------



## Reclus

The dreaded double post!


----------



## Reclus




----------



## AceEmoKid

The Sun Also Rises for school. -_- Actually, not _too_ bad so far. Style is simple but there are a few quirks and the contemptuous, sarcastic attitude from the narrator which I can relate to.


----------



## EndlessBlu

Been reading a lot more lately

Just finished Moby Dick. I found all the technical aspects about whaling in that novel to be very tedious and boring, but the book was okay when something was actually happening. About to read The Lord of the Flies. I have heard so much about this book. There was a Spongebob episode that was a parody of The Lord of the Flies, and what's good enough for Spongebob is good enough for me!

I also bought this H.G. Wells collection at Barnes & Noble that contains seven of his novels.


----------



## tehuti88

EndlessBlu said:


> I also bought this H.G. Wells collection at Barnes & Noble that contains seven of his novels.


Cool!

I have an omnibus edition of all his short stories, though I have yet to get around to reading the big honking thing.


----------



## mooncake

Junky - William Burroughs


----------



## EndlessBlu

tehuti88 said:


> Cool!
> 
> I have an omnibus edition of all his short stories, though I have yet to get around to reading the big honking thing.


Maybe you will get around to it someday! I know H.G. Wells has written a bunch of great short stories too. The only way I can ever read anything is if I'm away from the computer and there's nothing else distracting me.


----------



## tehuti88

EndlessBlu said:


> The only way I can ever read anything is if I'm away from the computer and there's nothing else distracting me.


Same here. One reason I don't read nearly as much as I'd prefer!











A Toxic Butterfly said:


> 'Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls'
> 
> It's a very interesting psychological story about multiple personalities, with a very different perspective on the disorder.


Got this in the mail today!







I've only been able to browse it so far since I'm already reading something else, but I noticed a scene where one of the alternate personalities insists on having lots of clocks around to deal with missing time...my character who has DID does the exact same thing!







I've never even read about such a thing anywhere in my DID books either. So strange.


----------



## 0589471

tehuti88 said:


> Got this in the mail today!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've only been able to browse it so far since I'm already reading something else, but I noticed a scene where one of the alternate personalities insists on having lots of clocks around to deal with missing time...my character who has DID does the exact same thing!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've never even read about such a thing anywhere in my DID books either. So strange.


Haha, yay! :yay I'm glad you got it. It's really good. Haha, that's interesting that your character does the same thing. Some people are just better in tune I imagine


----------



## christacat

Somebody Come and Play-Clare McNally


----------



## misspeachy

Peace is every step. 

I took it from my mother's mindfulness class (with the intention of giving it back, of course!) shhhhhhh, they had so many copies!


----------



## lucyinthesky

A book by William B. Irvine about stoicism and happiness. It's quite interesting. Also, poetry by Lady Mary Wroth for a Renaissance Lit. module.


----------



## ThisIsWater

Currently reading:
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again
Infinite Jest

On hiatus:
The Crying of Lot 49
Crime & Punishment

Plan to read:
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Howl
Gravity's Rainbow
The Idiot
Every Love Story is a Ghost Story


----------



## Canadian Brotha

_*Just Finishing:* The Shadow Of The Wind_










_*Just Beginning:* Robinson Crusoe_


----------



## Orchestrated

First Stephen King novel. Even bloodier than expected...


----------



## fredbloggs02

Kant's Critiques. Just finished his and Schiller's aesthetics.

I couldn't help laughing at this. I still can't quite believe these are the words of the preeminent enlightenment rationalist philosopher Immanuel Kant: "Father Labat reports that a ***** carpenter, whom he reproached for haughty treatment toward his wives, answered: "You whites are indeed fools, for first you make great concessions to your wives, and afterward you complain when they drive you mad." And it might be that there was something in this which perhaps deserved to be considered; but in short, this fellow was quite black from head to foot, a clear proof that what he said was stupid."

That sort of delicate criticism must have tripped from the tongue so lightly in the eighteenth century; either that or he hoped playing to the prejudices of the people would clinch it.


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## Sinatra

Impressions: The Mind X Change by Colleen O. Flich


----------



## minimized




----------



## 0589471

'The Valkyrie Profiles' by K.S. Daniels I just kind of picked it up, but it's interesting. It's a fictional tale that "examines the technological and governmental influences on the degeneration of human relations and the elitism of class division." ...Also fills in the time since I haven't been sleeping much


----------



## ThisIsWater

minimized said:


>


Good choice. You should read Cat's Cradle afterwards, that's Vonnegut at his best.


----------



## typemismatch

ThisIsWater said:


> Good choice. You should read Cat's Cradle afterwards, that's Vonnegut at his best.


Mother Night is my fave, I do like Cat's Cradle too.


----------



## Astrofreak6

I actually just bought a book called:

''Lonely: How to live with solitude'' from Emily White.

After reading it for a while in the book store I was really compelled to buy it, so i did. I'm gonna start reading it right now.

I didn't know this author and when i found out she is a lawyer it just rang a bell to me (I'm studying Law). Did anyone ever read this book or hear about the author?


----------



## 213

carrie by stephen king


----------



## EndlessBlu

Going to start on The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky tomorrow


----------



## typemismatch

Heart of Darkness. First time reading Conrad.


----------



## Estillum

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, only a few chapters in but loving it so far_*.
*_


----------



## aquilla

Dina's Book by Herbjørg Wassmo.


----------



## tehuti88

_Floating Staircase_ by Ronald Malfi.

Something about the idea of a set of stairs out in the middle of a lake intrigued me.


----------



## WhisperingPines05

Last night I started reading Nathanael West's first novel "The Dream Life of Balso Snell" (1931)—a dadaist-inspired work about a young poet who, at a loss of inspiration, enters the bowels of the Trojan Horse. Perhaps West's most perplexing and agitating work I have read thus far.


----------



## kurtcobain

A book about depression; the causes, symptoms, and cures.

It's not really helping me though. I feel like nothing can help me. People say if you feel depressed or suicidal then go to a psychologist but my MOM is a psychologist and she never listens to me. lol


----------



## Persephone The Dread

Tithe by Holly Black, picked it back up again randomly last night. I often get half way or more through reading and then start reading something else these days lol. I plan to go back to finish off the first Game of Thrones book after that  and then book 2 of the Sandman graphic novels which I've yet to read.


----------



## Persephone The Dread

Estillum said:


> Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, only a few chapters in but loving it so far_*.
> *_


That is a very good book, I definitely prefer her take on vampires.


----------



## The Patriot

Mainly Reading Total Recall My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger but doing some light side reading with The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice. Arnold's Biography at nearly 800 pages is an epic fit for a larger than life man who has done it all, from Body Building to Governating, Arnold has always been a man who has set his eyes on achieving a goal no matter what.

This Larger than Life Autobiography tells Arnold's incredible journey, every step of the way we meet the people and events that have shaped Arnolds life, from his boyhood hero Reg Parker (a Mr Olympia in the 1950's and an actor best known for Hercules) the man that inspired Arnold to become a BodyBuilder, to Joe Wieder the man that made Arnold a Body Building Legend in the US and everyone in between. Arnold always set his sights on coming to America and to America he came to claim his title as the greatest body builder who ever lived,


----------



## minimized

I won't post an image out of respect of size, but I am going to read Fahrenheit 451 next.

It only took me a week to barrel through Vonnegut and yes, it was great. I keep hoping the book sale has Cat's Cradle.


----------



## Dat Gyul

Catch Me by Lisa Gardner


----------



## Soundboy

Walden and fiddyyy shades of gray


----------



## talisman




----------



## tehuti88

Not done with _Floating Staircase_ yet, but started early on _The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet Of Curiosities_. Usually when I'm finishing with one book there's another that's really calling out to me, but this time, I couldn't make up my mind! A writing book? A dream-interpretation book? One of my Great Lakes Indians books or something Lovecraftian or--?? Then for some reason this one popped into my head, so I went to pry it off my shelf and there it is.


----------



## IveGotToast

minimized said:


> I won't post an image out of respect of size, but I am going to read Fahrenheit 451 next.
> 
> It only took me a week to barrel through Vonnegut and yes, it was great. I keep hoping the book sale has Cat's Cradle.


Being a huge Bradbury fan, I would recommend Dandelion Wine or A Graveyard for Lunatics over 451, but that's just a thought.


----------



## IveGotToast

Soundboy said:


> Walden and fiddyyy shades of gray


Just don't get them confused.

I went to the woods to live deliberately as Christian follows with 2 sharp thrusts, and he freezes, pouring himself into me as he finds his release.


----------



## InimitableJeeves

http://books.usatoday.com/book/revisit-young-sylvia-plath-in-'pain-parties-work/r851140


----------



## Carla714

The Confidence Gap by Russ Harris


----------



## ashli116

Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho


----------



## AHolivier

The 3rd book in the Harry Potter series - I'm late to the game but the books so far have been enjoyable.


----------



## Transcending




----------



## tennislover84

Well... I bought a history of naval warfare (exciting), which I intend to read at some point. And then there's the history of the Korean War, which I still haven't gotten around to reading either.

I gather this isn't the "What books are you procrastinating about reading" thread, but I just wanted to contibute in some fashion. :b

Really ought to stop buying dry history books that I'm not going to read!


----------



## fredbloggs02

I needed some shorter books to keep me alive as I trudge through Kant- as I am now about 200 pages into his critique of Pure reason. At first it was like attending the wedding of the law of non-contradiction, with Kant rigorously officiating the ceremony, arbitrarily swapping identical rings a dozen times whilst demanding the couple remember who each belong to; but as I've not stabbed the book a thousand times through the face in quick succession before hurling it into eternal hellfire- and(though I can't say I advocate this) have persevered, I am gradually able to digest him... like clinging to a cold statue in Winter. I feel Kant would have made an immaculate lawyer. 

In the middle of Marcus Aurelius' meditations. Very impressed so far.

Just finished A sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne- now one of my favourite authors. Looking forward to The Life And Opinions of Tristram Shandy.


----------



## fredbloggs02

tennislover84 said:


> Well... I bought a history of naval warfare (exciting), which I intend to read at some point. And then there's the history of the Korean War, which I still haven't gotten around to reading either.
> 
> I gather this isn't the "What books are you procrastinating about reading" thread, but I just wanted to contibute in some fashion. :b
> 
> Really ought to stop buying dry history books that I'm not going to read!


My bedroom is like Faust's study lol. I pick up one...Oh, that is like 400 pages; so I try and ration time, and play stupid counting games with myself, crease pages as if I could sneak up on the last page that way, and so on and so on until I have given myself mental indigestion at the prospect of reading any of them. It's like trying to enjoy Proust's in Search of lost time like a birthday sweater... It is a pity you can't just buy all the books in the world, read them that instant, then become omniscient and harvest a return.


----------



## minimized

IveGotToast said:


> Being a huge Bradbury fan, I would recommend Dandelion Wine or A Graveyard for Lunatics over 451, but that's just a thought.


Thanks, I will keep my eyes open.

Next I think I will do The Old Man and the Sea, because I hear so much about Hemingway but haven't done more than a single short story.


----------



## IveGotToast

minimized said:


> Thanks, I will keep my eyes open.
> 
> Next I think I will do The Old Man and the Sea, because I hear so much about Hemingway but haven't done more than a single short story.


That's a good pick.


----------



## Nekomata

His Dark Materials: Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
The Vampire Diaries - The Return: Shadow Souls by L.J.Smith
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles Volume 6 by CLAMP


----------



## mooncake

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. 

I'd started reading this years ago, but for some reason I can't remember now (probably damn uni commitments) I had to stop some way through, so it's nice to have finally gotten around to reading it properly.


----------



## Georgina 22

Casual vacancy. it's taking me a while to get through it, it's such a thick book and the storyline is okish


----------



## nickelbird

picked it up (digitally any way lol) last night... good so far.. creepy.
Stephen King's son definitely takes after him...


----------



## lucyinthesky

I'm planning to soon reread The Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor for uni, which I really enjoyed the first time. I'm also reading excessive quantities of literary criticism on Richard III, The Faerie Queene and Thoams Nashe for the next two weeks (I'll be counting the days soon, I'm sure).


----------



## juizdelinha

The Man without qualities, by Musil


----------



## 0lly




----------



## CoolRanch

Looking forward to Dan Brown's Inferno coming out in a couple weeks.


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## aquilla

https://images.bookworld.com.au/images/bau/99f3cd05/99f3cd05-bb6a-4b71-b51f-2e24171cf346/0/0/plain/****-faber.jpg

Bought this today. mmmm, we'll see.


----------



## blueidealist26

fredbloggs02 said:


> I needed some shorter books to keep me alive as I trudge through Kant- as I am now about 200 pages into his critique of Pure reason. At first it was like attending the wedding of the law of non-contradiction, with Kant rigorously officiating the ceremony, arbitrarily swapping identical rings a dozen times whilst demanding the couple remember who each belong to; but as I've not stabbed the book a thousand times through the face in quick succession before hurling it into eternal hellfire- and(though I can't say I advocate this) have persevered, I am gradually able to digest him... like clinging to a cold statue in Winter. I feel Kant would have made an immaculate lawyer.
> 
> In the middle of Marcus Aurelius' meditations. Very impressed so far.
> 
> Just finished A sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne- now one of my favourite authors. Looking forward to The Life And Opinions of Tristram Shandy.


I commend you for being able to finish that much of the Critique of Pure Reason. I was a philosophy major for my bachelor's degree and I actually dropped the elective Kant class because I couldn't stand that text. Granted, I'm more into ethics than philosophy that deals with space/time/physics.

I just read 11 Days in May by JD Messinger.. it's a guy basically having a Socratic dialogue with himself about his life.. his soul is questioning his physical self as Socrates would question someone he met in the streets of Athens. I'm doing an interview with Messinger for an online magazine I am a volunteer writer for.


----------



## Droidsteel

Over halfway through and sad that I'll have finished it soon  Will buy the sequel clash of kings as soon as I'm done


----------



## cybernaut

All of this (soon). College needs to hurry the uff up.


----------



## catcharay

wow, there's many good reading suggestions here

Me, still reading Grapes of wrath 
The colloquial dialogue of the people speaking makes me read slower


----------



## minimized

I have supposed without consulting my collection, for a change of pace.


----------



## 0lly




----------



## InTheEvening

The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

Pretty good. Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good.


----------



## tehuti88

_Un Lun Dun_ by China Mieville.


----------



## Ender

mooncake said:


> Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb.
> 
> I'd started reading this years ago, but for some reason I can't remember now (probably damn uni commitments) I had to stop some way through, so it's nice to have finally gotten around to reading it properly.


I really liked the Assassin books (The Farseer Trilogy) and The Tawny Man Trilogy which is a continuation of the story.


----------



## TryingMara

_House Rules_ by Jodi Picoult.


----------



## typemismatch

minimized said:


> I have supposed without consulting my collection, for a change of pace.


I was rather underwhelmed by this book. I'm not really a big fan of family sagas to be fair, and this really just failed to captivate me. I'm currently reading I Know This Much Is True by Willie Lamb and have to say it has much more emotional punch. Still not spectacular, but better. It seems to me that Franzen keeps wanting to associate himself with Dave Eggers and DFW, but he clearly isn't in their league.


----------



## minimized

typemismatch said:


> I was rather underwhelmed by this book. I'm not really a big fan of family sagas to be fair, and this really just failed to captivate me. I'm currently reading I Know This Much Is True by Willie Lamb and have to say it has much more emotional punch. Still not spectacular, but better. It seems to me that Franzen keeps wanting to associate himself with Dave Eggers and DFW, but he clearly isn't in their league.


Yeah I should feel the same about family-oriented stories but so far I'm enjoying the means of characterization.


----------



## fredbloggs02

The Vicar Of Wakefield- Oliver Goldsmith

Penultimate words- Lev Shestov


----------



## rdrr




----------



## KasparHauser




----------



## fredbloggs02

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman- Laurence Sterne


----------



## SuicideSilence

Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe <33


----------



## typemismatch

Some checkov short stories at the moment.


----------



## anonymid




----------



## EndlessBlu

Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky


----------



## Pennywise




----------



## berlingot

does anyone here use GoodReads or LibraryThing? my currently reading list:

Story of O by Pauline Réage
Baudelaire the Damned by F. W. J. Hemmings
Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson
The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women by Naomi Wolf


----------



## tehuti88

_Creepypasta Vol. 2_ ed. by Andrew Brinsko. (Also still reading _Un Lun Dun_.)


----------



## michijo




----------



## typemismatch




----------



## Keith

The Ego and the Id - Sigmund Freud
The Divided Mind - John E Sarno


----------



## rdrr

I bought it used... and there is writing (notes) in it. Kinda annoying. But story is great so far.


----------



## Orchestrated

Moby Dick by Herman Melville


----------



## HannahG

I tend to start 5 or 6 books at a time then focus on one a bit more. Right now it's this one:


----------



## aquilla

Kafka.It's a shame that I haven't read anything by him yet. But I've always wanted to. Starting with The Metamorphosis. Looking forward to reading the Castle and the Trial too.


----------



## masterridley

This.


----------



## typemismatch

aquilla said:


> Kafka.It's a shame that I haven't read anything by him yet. But I've always wanted to. Starting with The Metamorphosis. Looking forward to reading the Castle and the Trial too.


You must read all of Kafka immediately, do not pass go or collect £200. I loved The Castle. Also Amerika is very good. Oh, and so is The Trial.


----------



## Chanelleninja

The Armada Legacy By Scott Mariani


----------



## fredbloggs02

SuicideSilence said:


> Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe <33


I like that poem.

I am now roughly 400 pages into Kant's critique of pure reason. Immanuel Kant's head scuttles in the light of the sun. I often have to read him twice over to get to what he means; though sometimes the features and flourishing gestures of a court jester are so distinctive, like a moth they incite you to follow him with your eyes. There is a precise trace of madness in the method! Not all his weaving of thought is entirely nonsensical to me: some of it leads straight into the depths... I can't forget the passage in his aesthetics where he pronounces judgment on a black man who accused a westerner of allowing western women too much freedom: "for in truth, this man was quite black from head to toe: a clear proof that what he said was nonsense."- or something like that.. that was priceless. He isn't usually so colourful. I feel a mixture of pity, disdain, and ethereal curiosity to see it all amount to the sign of heaven in the end lol.


----------



## aquilla

The Castle by Kafka. I've just finished the Metamorphosis and I feel like I just found something that was hidden from me for far too long. It's like I know what I'll get, I know it will be scary, but I still want to read ALL of Kafka. 
However, I read some reviews and I thing I won't do that again. Those professors and other pseudo intellectuals just annoy me.


----------



## mooncake

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb


----------



## shelbster18

Shadowkiller by Wendy Corsi Staub. It's one of those predictable mystery books but I never get tired of them.


----------



## jlscho03

Left Behind. I'm not Christian, but I am really enjoying it so far. I love the writing style of the authors, which is something I couldn't say for the last books I read. I hope that they mention other religions soon, though, as I'm curious as to what would be going on with non-Christian religions. I'm agnostic and my beliefs don't really follow Christian religion so I hope they mention, even in brief, something about other religions. I'm half-way through the book at the moment so there's still plenty of time. I won't be continuing with the series, though.


Wow, everyone that has posted recently are reading quite the classics (not that I've read any of them)


----------



## AceEmoKid

I read 3 books this week lol. 

Middlesex--which is amazing; it's the caliber of school curriculum, except a thousand times more interesting and thought provoking; gave me a stronger sense/calrity of identity.

The Body of Christopher Creed--which was a tolerable mystery novel which ended without more than a spiritual resolution (we didn't solve the mystery revolving around the disappeard Chris Creed, but there was a change of heart in the main character, the supposed "sleuth" aka lousy high school kid)

and The Zookeeper's Wife-- which was insanely boring; a biography monotonously told and running on endless, fruitless tangents.


----------



## AceEmoKid

jlscho03 said:


> Left Behind. I'm not Christian, but I am really enjoying it so far. I love the writing style of the authors, which is something I couldn't say for the last books I read. I hope that they mention other religions soon, though, as I'm curious as to what would be going on with non-Christian religions. I'm agnostic and my beliefs don't really follow Christian religion so I hope they mention, even in brief, something about other religions. I'm half-way through the book at the moment so there's still plenty of time. I won't be continuing with the series, though.
> 
> Wow, everyone that has posted recently are reading quite the classics (not that I've read any of them)


I used to read the Left Behind series. Unfortunately after I finished the 5th book, I couldn't find the next one in any store in book form, so I had to get the audio set which sort of detracted from the experience; therefore I gave up on them. I remember them being really interesting despite not being religious (my sister's dad, who is a devout christian, gave the set to me for christmas one year).


----------



## Winterwalk

Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock. Fascinating stuff !


----------



## talisman

Currently...


----------



## tehuti88

About to start _The Vampyre & Other Tales Of The Macabre_ ed. by Robert Morrison and Chris Baldick, I believe.


----------



## Farcical Dreamer

Method and Madness by Alice Laplante


----------



## typemismatch

1982, Janine by Alasdair Gray


----------



## JadedJade

Harry Potter: and the Chamber of Secrets
(first time reading the hp series! I know, weird, but my parents never allowed me to read them growing up. In fact I'm reading them in secret now :/ But I'm enjoying them


----------



## DesertStar91

The Girl who Played With Fire. 

It seems to be hard to put down, but I am working on my own book, so I can't concentrate on anything.


----------



## blueidealist26

I just finished I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella. It was only ok. I think I'm outgrowing the chick lit books, honestly, because I've been reading stuff that's more intellectual lately. I'm waiting for an Alison Weir book to become available at the library (historical fiction).


----------



## losteternal

Stephen King - All Dark No Stars. Really good so far....


----------



## aquilla

Isabel Allende - the House of the Spirits.


----------



## netherclaws

The Host


----------



## Boost

The Enchanter by Jon F. Merz


----------



## whattothink

White Fang - Jack London
N-word of Narcissus - Joseph Conrad


----------



## vulgarrobot

A Feast for Crows - George R.R. Martin
Howl and Other Poems - Allen Ginsberg


----------



## WhisperingPines05

Jack Finney - Time and Again
(a hauntingly romantic tale of time travel...the vivid descriptions of late nineteenth-century New York City is intoxicating.)


----------



## shelbster18

whattothink said:


> White Fang - Jack London
> N-word of Narcissus - Joseph Conrad


Haha, I thought that said White ***.

I'm reading some Mission Earth series by L. Ron Hubbard. I'm on the first book. It's called The Invaders Plan. There's 10 of these books. I better get to reading on these.


----------



## Cam1

Angels & Demons


----------



## whattothink

JadedJade said:


> Harry Potter: and the Chamber of Secrets
> (first time reading the hp series! I know, weird, but my parents never allowed me to read them growing up. In fact I'm reading them in secret now :/ But I'm enjoying them


Why didn't they allow you to read hp?


----------



## ericalynnxx

I'm currently reading A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin. I'm really enjoying the series so far, even if I'm only on the second book


----------



## NeuromorPhish

A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson

To my surprise, i wasn't disappointed (which tends to be the case with audacious titles). The narrative style reminds me of David Attenborough's, but the focus is broader.


----------



## ericalynnxx

DesertStar91 said:


> The Girl who Played With Fire.
> 
> It seems to be hard to put down, but I am working on my own book, so I can't concentrate on anything.


It is SO good. I highly recommend trying to concentrate on it more, haha. I loved those books. Couldn't put them down.


----------



## Pennywise




----------



## Estillum

Let me in (Or rather Let the Right One in) by John Ajvide Lindqvist


----------



## Destabilise

Animal Farm by George Orwell


----------



## Crystalline

Fiction: Rereading Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan so I can begin the last three of the series
Cities of Coin and Spice by Catherynn M. Valente
Nonfiction: The Willpower Instinct


----------



## Joe

Lord of the Rings: The two towers, probably will read harry potter again (read it twice over prior to lotr) after or buy silence of the lambs.


----------



## whattothink

Call of the wild - Jack London


----------



## bad baby

Julian Barnes, _The Sense of an Ending_.

Every line, every word,...so ****ing fantastic, I just want to savour it, over coffee, over a windswept afternoon by the beach. I want to live _that_ kind of a life. I want to write like he does. I don't give a ****.


----------



## tehuti88

I hope to start on _Fakes: An Anthology Of Pseudo-Interviews, Faux-Lectures, Quasi-Letters, "Found" Texts, & Other Fraudulent Artifacts_ ed. by David Shields and Matthew Vollmer tonight or tomorrow.


----------



## Charmander

Lol nice, loads of people reading Harry Potter. I actually just finished reading them all through again, it's been a while since I have.

I'm reading Northern Lights by Philip Pullman atm. Shame the movie didn't do it justice.


----------



## fredbloggs02

EndlessBlu said:


> Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky


My favourite book.


----------



## novalax

al of dan browns books with robert langdon in them haha and the grey man series, i just finished the mitch rapp series which i highly recommend for spy novel lovers.


----------



## jealousisjelly

i like biographies.. i read these recently..



























very good if ur into that..


----------



## harrison

I'm reading anything by Elmore Leonard - I can't believe I haven't read him before - he's a fantastic crime writer. His dialogue and stories are great fun!


----------



## GetOutOfMyHouse

...


----------



## fredbloggs02

The virtuous sense of God, philosophy and nature Metaphysical Poets express- conjoined with inner stoic integrity faced with scientific advances- is dauntless.


----------



## shelbster18

I'm on the second book of that Mission Earth series. It's called Black Genesis.


----------



## NeuromorPhish

Hmm, i wonder if it would be considered hubris to try and read _Tractatus Logico Philosophicus_, but the introduction by Bertrand Russell made it seem so interesting. I also want to see for myself if Wittgenstein's ideal logical language was an overambitious pursuit...


----------



## bad baby

Barthes, _Mythologies_. I'd finished _Ending_ and picked up another Julian Barnes novel, something to do with Flaubert. Might try to start Heidegger's _Being and Time_ tomorrow, if I'm in the mood for it.


----------



## anonymid




----------



## always starting over

Cellini's autobiography

He sculpted the statue of Perseus with Medusa's head in Florence. It's like the only autobiography of a renaissance artist. Really good so far, just barely started it.


----------



## HannahG

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

The first book (Divergent) was really good. Just started this one...


----------



## Nightwalker12

The Long Hard Road out of Hell

Biography of Marilyn Manson


----------



## tehuti88

_Forty Stories_ by Donald Barthelme.

It's...kind of weird, so far. :/


----------



## AceEmoKid

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

I actually finished reading it a couple days ago but I felt like posting anyway. It was a pretty interesting read and I could relate to the main character in a lot of ways, mainly in that he is alienated and sees the world through a very different perspective than the norm (mostly analytical and he doesn't understand emotions at all - I understand some emotions to an extent but I never know how to deal with them properly, especially regarding other people's emotions).


----------



## francesfarmer

Johnny Got His Gun 

fantastic book


----------



## Aquisse

When Rabbit Howls


----------



## avoidobot3000

Destabilise said:


> Animal Farm by George Orwell





Lightly said:


>


Me too. I find the Book of Disquiet easily "quotable", because it feels so easy to relate to.


----------



## ericalynnxx

I've made it to A Storm of Swords  100ish pages in and really enjoying it so far. I'm trying to catch up before the next season comes on! I think I can do that haha.


----------



## moveon

King Leopold's Ghost.


----------



## robthebuilder

Friend told me to read The Catcher in the Rye and I've just finished it


----------



## rdrr

To Say Nothing Of The Dog


----------



## Tu Cielo

francesfarmer said:


> Johnny Got His Gun
> 
> fantastic book


It really is. It's quite disturbing and eye-opening as well. Even though it is fiction, it made me despise war even more.


----------



## Tu Cielo

I'm on a major astral projection kick right now, so I've been reading some books related to consciousness and out-of-body experiences.

My Big TOE is one of them. Truly amazing stuff packed in there. I highly recommend it for the philosophically inclined and those wanting to "expand their consciousness". It's not a bunch of hocus pocus, mumbo jumbo, either. He uses science (he's a nuclear physicist) to explain his observations.










And I've been reading a couple of books on OOBEs, both are very good so far.


----------



## whattothink

The Sea Wolf - Jack London


----------



## russianruby

I wish I could read something other than the internet. I can't afford books and I can't get to a library. :'(


----------



## shelbster18

The third book of the Mission Earth series. The Enemy Within.


----------



## tehuti88

Finished _Creepypasta Vol. 2_ and rather than start the third have decided to peruse _Joy Of Zentangle_. I'd like to make some art sometime. When I get the energy. :sigh


----------



## whattothink

russianruby said:


> I wish I could read something other than the internet. I can't afford books and I can't get to a library. :'(


There's plenty of repositories on the internet with tens of thousands of great reads. It may not be the latest, but it's certainly of higher quality than what is being sold today.


----------



## whattothink

robthebuilder said:


> Friend told me to read The Catcher in the Rye and I've just finished it


What did you think?

I tried reading it a while back, but after 40 or so pages I decided it wasn't worth the effort. The prose seemed to be of low quality and I couldn't help but feel like I was reading something written by an average ninth-grade kid.

Depending on what you say I'll give it the benefit of doubt and finish it.


----------



## srschirm

I'm re-reading "A Sport and a Pastime" by James Salter. I recently finished a compilation of short stories by John Cheever. Both authors are highly recommended.


----------



## Daniel C

I finally got around to reading 'Wolf Hall' by Hilary Mantel. It's so brilliantly brought to live. And even if there wouldn't be any story in it the English is so delightful I could just read it all day...


----------



## typemismatch

:boogie


Daniel C said:


> I finally got around to reading 'Wolf Hall' by Hilary Mantel. It's so brilliantly brought to live. And even if there wouldn't be any story in it the English is so delightful I could just read it all day...


Ok, this makes me want to read it finally. I've just been thinking it's one of those obnoxious Bookers that I don't want to read.


----------



## Charmander

I just finished the Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman. (One of my favourite books) and I'm gonna start the Amber Spyglass tomorrow.


----------



## avoidobot3000

I hear it's what all the cool kids are reading.


----------



## whattothink

Can anyone recommend some good classics (pre-1970) that are very readable but which also give a good exercise in vocabulary/verbiage


----------



## AlchemyFire

I've been trying to read The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow. Unfortunately I have very little time to do so.



Charmander said:


> I just finished the Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman. (One of my favourite books) and I'm gonna start the Amber Spyglass tomorrow.


Ohh very nice! That was a great series, I loved the Amber Spyglass. I need to read it again some day.



russianruby said:


> I wish I could read something other than the internet. I can't afford books and I can't get to a library. :'(


There's all sorts of books on here

http://bookos.org/


----------



## tehuti88

Finished my first Zentangle book already, a nice quick read, I'm itching to start drawing some sometime (albeit in my own manner and not strictly according to Zentangle principles) but still wish to learn a bit more and practice some; I guess I'm reluctant, which kind of defeats the whole purpose. :blush

Anyway, now I've started my other related book, _One Zentangle A Day: A 6-Week Course In Creative Drawing For Relaxation, Inspiration, & Fun_ by Beckah Krahula (I can't follow each lesson as there's some pretty froufrou (read--overpriced and not available around here) art supplies required for some of it, so, just reading for now, and will use cheap stuff later)...plus caved in and started reading, also, _Creepypasta Vol. 3_ by Andrew Brinsko...and I'm still reading _Forty Stories_...that's three books at once now...bad news. ops


----------



## Charmander

AlchemyFire said:


> Ohh very nice! That was a great series, I loved the Amber Spyglass. I need to read it again some day.
> 
> ]


Had such a sad ending though.


----------



## Estillum

MogWorld by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw


----------



## tehuti88

Charmander said:


> Had such a sad ending though.


Agreed. :sigh


----------



## veryshywoman




----------



## trs18

Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan


----------



## JustAPhase

Dante's Inferno


----------



## aquilla

This is my first book of Murakami . I've heart people talking about him, praising him or even saying that Murakami is their favorite author ever, but I never really felt like reading his books until now. I had a strange feeling that I would not relate to whatever he wrote. Why? Frankly I was rather hesitant about his books because he represents a very different culture and I thought I would not _feel_ his stories. But really, I find "Norwegian wood" very relatable( windows grammar corrector underlines this word in red, so probably there isn't such word as relatable , but oh well) and , at times, it's also an easily quotable book that I really enjoy reading.

But I've heart that Norwegian Wood is quite different from his other works. We'll see.


----------



## Estillum

Nietzsche


----------



## Joe

Lord of the rings and Silence of the Lambs.


----------



## typemismatch

aquilla said:


> This is my first book of Murakami . I've heart people talking about him, praising him or even saying that Murakami is their favorite author ever, but I never really felt like reading his books until now. I had a strange feeling that I would not relate to whatever he wrote. Why? Frankly I was rather hesitant about his books because he represents a very different culture and I thought I would not _feel_ his stories. But really, I find "Norwegian wood" very relatable( windows grammar corrector underlines this word in red, so probably there isn't such word as relatable , but oh well) and , at times, it's also an easily quotable book that I really enjoy reading.
> 
> But I've heart that Norwegian Wood is quite different from his other works. We'll see.


Congratulations on your first step into the wonderful world of Murakami.


----------



## Doktor haus

Right in the middle of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods". I never thought I'd find gay Djinni oral sex in here.


----------



## Spiky Coral

I have about 30 pages left of this book, I'd say overall it was so-so. Hopefully my other books arrive here within the next few days.


----------



## catcharay

Still reading Grapes of wrath. Up until this point it has been a snails - pace read

Im reading with more mimentum now and i am finally recognising the literary merit associated with it


----------



## Bokk




----------



## Transcending




----------



## tehuti88

_Sixty Stories_ by Donald Barthelme.

I wasn't overly enthralled with _Forty Stories_, but, meh, I have the book, may as well read it. :/


----------



## shelbster18

The fourth volume in the Mission Earth series. An Alien Affair. :um


----------



## Canadian Brotha

About to finish:


----------



## boas

Currently, "Time and Again" by Jack Finney. I read Stephen King's "11/22/63" - about a man who goes back in time to prevent the JFK assassination - and in the epilogue he cites this as the pinnacle of time travel literature, so I bought a copy cheap.

Like King's novel, it's thoroughly engrossing, because the main character attempts to carry out his time travel mission while inevitably becoming personally involved with the people he encounters in the past. A brilliant, escapist story.


----------



## ratbag

Looking to read some Neil Gaiman. Any recommendations?


----------



## kilgoretrout

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne


----------



## argueablysane

flatland a romance of many dimensions by Edwin Abbot

its a good read butcomplicated. goes through life in a 2 dimensional world narrator by a square. who is visited by a sphere to try and explain the idea of a 3 dimensional world.


----------



## App

*Current Reading*

The Rule of Law (Tom Bingham)


----------



## alenclaud

*The mortal Instruments.* Has any one else read or is reading this series? I'm currently on the 4th book. A little predictable at times, but a good read nonetheless.


----------



## lucyinthesky

Currently The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng. It's really relaxing to read, so I'd definitely recommend it. I'm planning to re-read Ulysses, although there are probably better ways to relax :b Great book though!

To the user above - you'll be getting lots of female fans with that username!


----------



## aquilla

Oooh it's so sad . But also beautiful at the same time.


----------



## mfd

Canadian Brotha said:


> About to finish:


Nice, I had just requested that from the library the other day! :high5

I tend to read a few books at a time. Currently waiting on the above while reading _The Subterrene War_ trilogy, and I've got a Tom Clancy on the side. I've got to start the _Godspeaker_ trilogy as well. I don't know what the latter is like yet... picked it up on a whim after someone recommended it.


----------



## whattothink

lucyinthesky said:


> Currently The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng. It's really relaxing to read, so I'd definitely recommend it. I'm planning to re-read Ulysses, although there are probably better ways to relax :b Great book though!
> 
> To the user above - you'll be getting lots of female fans with that username!


Ulysses has been on my list for a while but haven't summoned the courage. Is it really as challenging as they say?


----------



## Purple Penguin

Reading Angels & Demons at the moment. 

Read it before but reading it again so I can read Inferno.


----------



## The Misery Chick

_Memnoch the Devil _ by Anne Rice


----------



## misspeachy

Nothing... nothing feels right  I've tried a couple of books but not getting anywhere.
I've got some beautifully illustrated children's books though, they are so lovely to look at because I chose them myself.. they were meant for a gift.


----------



## Archibaldovich

Last book I read was "Le Grand Meaulnes" by Fournier. A gem.

Other books I was reading in the last weeks were: "The foundation pit" by Platónov; "Jean Barois" by Gard; "The Devil in the Flesh" by Radiguet. All of them I never finished: I'am now mentally exhausted and I can't even read a single page.


----------



## tehuti88

Finished my previous Zentangle book (and am still reading my other two books), now will read first _Totally Tangled: Zentangle & Beyond!_ and then _Yoga For Your Brain: A Zentangle Workout_ both by Sandy Steen Bartholomew, I'm listing them both since they're so short so should go quickly.


----------



## JEK68

John Cooper Clarke poems and No One Left to Lie to - The Triangulations of Bill Clinton.


----------



## kat37

Blood, Bones and Butter.


----------



## talisman

Currently reading...


----------



## ourwater

Simply Gluten Free Magazine: July-August 2013


----------



## lucyinthesky

whattothink said:


> Ulysses has been on my list for a while but haven't summoned the courage. Is it really as challenging as they say?


I didn't think it was! I was pleasantly surprised by it, and read it in far less time than I thought it would take. Some passages are really beautifully written, and I'd like to read it again for that reason.

I would have to say I prefer Dubliners to Ulysses, although I have re-read that text and developed my opinions on it further


----------



## minimized

I'll start tomorrow.


----------



## SASsier

Estelle said:


> Looking to read some Neil Gaiman. Any recommendations?


Stardust


----------



## typemismatch

Benediction by Kent Haruf. Following on from his books Plainsong and Eventide. Wonderfully warm slice of life novels set in rural Colorado.


----------



## aquilla




----------



## shelbster18

The fifth book in the Mission Earth series called Fortune of Fear. This series is kind of hard to understand but I want to finish it now since I'm on the fifth book.


----------



## CherryBlossom

Fifty shades darker - E L James 

Hate it and still have the bloody third part on my bed...


----------



## Soundboy

Read walking disaster and beautiful disaster. Both excellent books


----------



## tehuti88

Finished my other two Zentangle books and am now going to start on _The Art Of Zentangle: 50 Inspiring Drawings, Designs & Ideas For The Meditative Artist_. (Also am still working on my other two non-Zentangle-related books.)


----------



## catcharay

Solar by Ian McEwan 
he wrote the book, Atonement


----------



## WintersEpilogue

King of Thorns
A Feast for Crows

after them two it'll be Chronicles of the Black Company


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxMrFunnyPants

'Little Women' and I don't even give a damn what ya'll think, Beth is sweet and the mums pretty cool


----------



## The Misery Chick

_Living Dead In Dallas_ by Charlaine Harris


----------



## Orchestrated




----------



## CrossedOut

The undiscovered self by Carl Jung


----------



## nml

Reinventing the pyramid. Man this is a detailed book on the history and evolution of footie tactics. Currently reading about Dutch total football.


----------



## Charmander

The Walking Dead comics. Only started a couple of days ago and I'm on Issue 71 already. :b


----------



## handsupmidnight

typemismatch said:


> Congratulations on your first step into the wonderful world of Murakami.


I've read Norwegian Wood and I thought it was great. I felt that the characters weren't constrained at all by the Japanese culture, which does tend put off a lot of people who find it distant from their own. In Norwegian Wood, it was more of a backdrop more than anything, at least for me, and it didn't hinder at all my enjoyment of the book.
I own a non-fiction book of his about the Tokyo sarin gas attacks that I was assigned in school but never finished. I usually don't pick up non-fiction, but I look forward to finish reading this one. I think he's that good of a writer.


----------



## eduaugu

Quo Vadis? - Henryk Sienkiexicz

very nice book... the beggining is a bit hard, but after u get used to it the story worth it... 

Quote: “But I think happiness springs from another source, a far deeper one that doesn't depend on will because it comes from love.”


----------



## aquilla

I love Fowles, he's such an amazing storyteller. I read the Magus and thought that this is my favorite book ever,but then I read the Collector( and it, of course, became my favorite book ever ) and now this one...I can't say much about this book yet, but I really hope that it is just as impressive as other books of Fowles. I really, really hope so.


----------



## typemismatch

aquilla said:


> I love Fowles, he's such an amazing storyteller. I read the Magus and thought that this is my favorite book ever,but then I read the Collector( and it, of course, became my favorite book ever ) and now this one...I can't say much about this book yet, but I really hope that it is just as impressive as other books of Fowles. I really, really hope so.


I've been meaning to read this book for years. I've read the Magus and the Collector too and loved them both. The Magus is one of my favourite books. Let me know how it goes.


----------



## ratbag

Lolita


----------



## ericalynnxx

Started A Feast for Crows  It's so good. I love these books. I cannot believe it took me this long to read them.


----------



## Persephone The Dread

I want to read this:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13423346-ink

but not that book. The reviews revealed just what I was worried about to be honest. Another formulaic YA Twilight-ish book.

I want to read the book that book could be like.

I want to chuck some Old Spice for books all over it, and come out with something steeped in Japanese folklore, drawings that come to life, Yōsei, Shinto mythology. Where the adventures are first and the romance is second. Where their romance isn't the only thing that defines them and isn't the be all and end all of the story.

Yeah!


----------



## tehuti88

_There Is No Year_ by Blake Butler. Weird thing's been sitting way back on my shelf for quite a while now, I hope it should be a quick (if bizarre) read.


----------



## hdth

Lucifers Hammer, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle


----------



## brewpacksox

Heart of the Matter, by Emily Giffin


----------



## noyadefleur

Working on:
This Side of Paradise
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Existentialism is a Humanism


----------



## tennislover84

Charmander said:


> The Walking Dead comics. Only started a couple of days ago and I'm on Issue 71 already. :b


I'm reading comics too. :b Marvel's "The Transformers", from the 80's. I started at issue 1 yesterday, and I'm up to issue 12 now. I don't know how you can read 71 comic books in two days, haha.


----------



## alenclaud

Joyland- Stephen King


----------



## nml

Code:







noyadefleur said:


> Working on:
> This Side of Paradise
> One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
> *Existentialism is a Humanism*


I wouldn't bother with that, Sartre said later in life he regretted its publication. Read _Nausea_ instead! or _Being and Nothingness_ if you want to be a real smarty pants.

Anyway, enough with the unsolicited recommendations...I'm reading one of Bulgakov's short stories for my book club atm.


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## NeuromorPhish

Finally started reading Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. Mmm, delicious mind-candy.


----------



## The Misery Chick

_Living Dead In Dallas_ by Charlaine Harris and_ Echoes from the Macabre_ by Daphne du Maurier.


----------



## noyadefleur

nml said:


> Code:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I wouldn't bother with that, Sartre said later in life he regretted its publication. Read _Nausea_ instead! or _Being and Nothingness_ if you want to be a real smarty pants.
> 
> Anyway, enough with the unsolicited recommendations...I'm reading one of Bulgakov's short stories for my book club atm.


Haha, thanks for the recommendation. I just thought I'd get a head start on a course I'm taking in the fall, Existentialism in Literature and Film. I know we'll be studying Sartre. I'll take a look for the other two!


----------



## Heyyou

Good book so far.


----------



## tehuti88

OMG I have so many many new books to read! :eek Including the book set _Mysteries Of Mind, Space & Time: The Unexplained_, which I just got cheap on eBay, it's sort of like Time-Life's _Mysteries Of The Unknown_ (which I also own and read long ago). I think I'll get started on it; it's 26 volumes, so I should be busy for quite a while. :um

Yea for multitasking! (Am also still reading _There Is No Year_.)


----------



## Schmilsson

I'm about halfway through The Inferno by Dante Alighieri, really loving it so far.


----------



## Charmander

tennislover84 said:


> I'm reading comics too. :b Marvel's "The Transformers", from the 80's. I started at issue 1 yesterday, and I'm up to issue 12 now. I don't know how you can read 71 comic books in two days, haha.


Maybe it's just because I read them online. Nearly everyone I know who reads them has said that they've read them all in a matter of days. They're just really good. :b


----------



## tennislover84

Charmander said:


> Maybe it's just because I read them online. Nearly everyone I know who reads them has said that they've read them all in a matter of days. They're just really good. :b


Well I've been reading my comics online too, with Comixology. So I guess I'm just slow, haha. It must be to do with getting old.

Also I just found out that I can't read my digital comics on my mum's iPad, because I didn't buy them through the Apple store. Really frustrated about that.


----------



## Cam1

A Game of Thrones


----------



## nullptr

The last question by Isaac Asimov (first sci fi I've read in a while)

An introduction to programming in go



Cam1 said:


> A Game of Thrones


read dune it's even worse than game of thrones.


----------



## nml

noyadefleur said:


> Haha, thanks for the recommendation. I just thought I'd get a head start on a course I'm taking in the fall, Existentialism in Literature and Film. I know we'll be studying Sartre. I'll take a look for the other two!


ah fair enough, I first read it for a class too. Most of us liked Sartre at the beginning, but by the end of the term found him pretty infuriating haha, wonder if it'll be the same for you.

Still reading _The Heart of a Dog_. Starting to regret saying I'd give a little talk on it now. Need to think up something about Bulgakov and the Russian satirical novella, or some such :um


----------



## lucyinthesky

I'm really enjoying A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. Also to start tomorrow: Meditations for an Emergency by Frank O'Hara.


----------



## The Misery Chick

_Club Dead_ by Charlaine Harris


----------



## tehuti88

I know I shouldn't, not before finishing _There Is No Year_, but last night I started _The Grimscribe's Puppets_ ed. by Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., since I could use a nice creepy fix and I adore Ligotti's work, so want to see what his imitators can do. Kinda can't wait to be done with _Year_, the plot is rather...nonexistent. ;_;


----------



## Perkins

Diary of Anne Frank.


----------



## miamidragon

Just finished *Ready Player One* by Ernest Cline. Awesome book.


----------



## BelieveInFreedom




----------



## SuicideSilence

Harry Potter Series again because it's just super awesome


----------



## rdrr

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.


----------



## shelbster18

I'm on the sixth book of that Mission Earth series. Took me awhile to read the last one because I haven't been feeling like reading lately. After this one, I have four more to go and I will have completed the whole series. \(^_^)/


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I finally started it, I meant to months ago


----------



## Nekomata

The Vampire Diaries: The Return - Midnight by L .J. Smith


----------



## misspeachy

Castaway.. it's so bad though.


----------



## Captain Casual

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Gonna try to finish it tonight or tomorrow.


----------



## whattothink

Finished reading a few Jack London novels. I'd say that White fang was the most significant. Finished several Joseph Conrad works. Although he's most famous for Heart of Darkness
- and not to detract - I wouldn't necessarily call it his best. Granted it has unique merit as a profound psychological piece which I haven't yet seen bested or replicated, his novel, Nostromo, is a creative masterpiece. It weaves its way through every aspect of life, inclination, and circumstance one could hope to display in an extremely cohesive and satisfying way.

So far those are the most noteworthy I've gotten to. Right now I 've just begun The Secret Agent, and to my surprise it is the first Conrad page-turner I've had the pleasure with. Also quite fascinating is that this novel in particular of many Conrad novels is said to have played a significant role in the brilliant unabomber's bombing campaign. Reading the first 150 pages I can already see some synchronacity.

If you're looking for a good read to wet your toes into the mind of this legend (conrad), definitely check out The Secret Agent


----------



## anonymid

_A Lost Lady_ by Willa Cather.


----------



## CalSalinas

_Lonesome Dove_ by Larry McMurtry


----------



## shelbster18

shelbster18 said:


> I'm on the sixth book of that Mission Earth series. Took me awhile to read the last one because I haven't been feeling like reading lately. After this one, I have four more to go and I will have completed the whole series. \(^_^)/


Tis book has some pages missing. -___-


----------



## aquilla

Speaking if "The French Lieutenant's Woman" , the book I've just finished, it truly is a masterpiece. It's big about 500 pages) but worth reading for every Fowles' fan because in some ways it's so much like "The Magus" :the author is playing with your mind and somehow it's very enjoyable to get lost in that game. I've already read all the major works of Fowles, and that is kind of sad, because he's such a talented writer, I wish he had written more.


----------



## lucyinthesky

aquilla said:


>


I really hope you enjoy this!


----------



## minimized




----------



## aquilla

lucyinthesky said:


> I really hope you enjoy this!


YES! I've just finished The Death of Ivan Ilyich and it truly was extraordinary . I've never got so much from such a small book, it's just amazing. I think I will eventually get to reading War and Piece someday  though the length of it seems scary.By the way, my mom, who is not much of a reader, said that War and Piece was the only book she really liked from her school reading list and always remembered it, unlike everything else she read, so I'm looking forward to reading that someday . (it was obligatory to read Tolstoy at her school , such a shame that it's not at Lithuanian schools nowadays. )


----------



## Dreary

I am reading Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak. I am also fan of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, and read a lot of classical and psychological books


----------



## Winterwalk

whattothink said:


> So far those are the most noteworthy I've gotten to. Right now I 've just begun The Secret Agent, and to my surprise it is the first Conrad page-turner I've had the pleasure with. Also quite fascinating is that this novel in particular of many Conrad novels is said to have played a significant role in the brilliant unabomber's bombing campaign. Reading the first 150 pages I can already see some synchronacity.


I actually read this after reading Robert Graysmith´s book about the Unabomber.


----------



## lucyinthesky

aquilla said:


> YES! I've just finished The Death of Ivan Ilyich and it truly was extraordinary . I've never got so much from such a small book, it's just amazing. I think I will eventually get to reading War and Piece someday  though the length of it seems scary.By the way, my mom, who is not much of a reader, said that War and Piece was the only book she really liked from her school reading list and always remembered it, unlike everything else she read, so I'm looking forward to reading that someday . (it was obligatory to read Tolstoy at her school , such a shame that it's not at Lithuanian schools nowadays. )


I'm so happy you thought that! I was a bit terrified of War and Peace to start with, but ended up loving it so much. I'm glad your mum enjoyed it too - it's so much more than simply about war and peace. The characters are so well-created, the stories of love and heartbreak are incredibly engaging, and the text says so much about life itself. Can't wait to schedule a re-read next month! Let me know if you do read it, or any of Tolstoy's other texts


----------



## Hilla

_The Walking Dead_ volume 4 (comic book) and _Handling the Undead_ by John Ajvide Lindqvist.


----------



## alenclaud

Read that Quiet Book by Susain Cain that's frequently advertised on here. Good to know of the pile of positive traits that we quiet types have. Recommended book imo.
There's an excellent TED talk by the author, too.


----------



## lucyinthesky

jon snow said:


> Read that Quiet Book by Susain Cain that's frequently advertised on here. Good to know of the pile of positive traits that we quiet types have. Recommended book imo.
> There's an excellent TED talk by the author, too.


I really loved this book too - it made me feel so much better about being quiet, that's for sure! Makes a lot of sense also.


----------



## matthewebbert

Reading is my hobby , I read lot of books till the date. Currently I am reading 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' book, Its very interesting , I would like to suggest others please read this book.


----------



## tehuti88

_The Yellow Sign & Other Stories: The Complete Weird Tales Of Robert W. Chambers_ ed. by ST Joshi. Time to see what this King in Yellow business is all about.


----------



## AceEmoKid

Night Watch - Sarah Waters

Also finished Tipping the Velvet by the same author recently. Looking to read Fingersmith next, which I've seen (and loved) the BBC series adaption of, but my library is out every time I visit. Grrr, who has been checking out Fingersmith for over a month ;_;


----------



## MsKarma

The Marriage Bargain.

I just finished The Fault in Our Stars and it was wonderful!


----------



## x Faceless x

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis


----------



## dogsbestfriend

currently reading elizabeth gilbert's eat pray love! And one day I can experience the world like she did.


----------



## WhisperingPines05

I just began reading Coup de Grâce by Marguerite Yourcenar. A so far disturbingly powerful read.


----------



## rdrr

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers


----------



## Yer Blues

Blood Song by Anthony Ryan


----------



## wildinthestreets

The last book I finished was _The Yiddish Policemen's Union_ by Michael Chabon. Absolutely mordant. I read about halfway into _Micro_, which is my first Crichton novel (actually co-written, as he died before he finished writing it), but I couldn't get into it. Seemed amateurish. Really waiting for _Skin Game_, which is Butcher's next entry in the amazing _Dresden Files_ series.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Tristan- Gottfried Von Strassburg

Critique of Judgment- the last of Kant's books I plan to read(God help me).


----------



## Schmilsson




----------



## anonymid

Re-reading, for the third or fourth time:


----------



## aquilla

"White Teeth" by Zadie Smith


----------



## Cam1

Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls by David Sedaris.


----------



## nml

fredbloggs02 said:


> The Critique of Judgment- the last of Kant's books I plan to read(God help me).


reading the third critique front to back? You poor chap :b

I'm reading the rest of "The Genesis of Being and Time". it's this very very detailed and careful study of how Heidegger's classic came about, the guy's read all the lecture transcripts, notes, manuscripts, everything. It's tough going but does convey Heidegger gradually coming up with this vision that brings his influences together and offers a new way of thinking about the problems. So it's really interesting and oddly exciting at times (lol).

And a book about Barca football club. pretty good.


----------



## typemismatch

aquilla said:


> "White Teeth" by Zadie Smith


A well written book. Part of the oxbridge clique though.


----------



## The Misery Chick




----------



## alenclaud

Yer Blues said:


> Blood Song by Anthony Ryan


I've read that one, too. Can't wait for the sequel.


----------



## Yer Blues

jon snow said:


> I've read that one, too. Can't wait for the sequel.


Yeah, same here. Shouldn't be too far off now.

If you like him you should also check out Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Patrick Rothfuss, and Robin Hobb. I see you're already familiar with Martin.


----------



## Schmilsson




----------



## alenclaud

Yer Blues said:


> Yeah, same here. Shouldn't be too far off now.
> 
> If you like him you should also check out Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Patrick Rothfuss, and Robin Hobb. I see you're already familiar with Martin.


Actually, Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles was what led me to Blood Song. Haven't heard of the others, but I will check them out- thanks.


----------



## minimized

Slight change of plans.


----------



## HannahG

Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. ...and it's horrible.

I keep putting it down, read a different book, then pick this one up because there is one storyline I need to know what happens... but the book is nearly 900 pages and if they got rid of the annoying use of constant swearing, I bet the book would be like 300 pages. Plus it's rather piggish. I'm almost done and since I paid for the book (through a charity sale - for cheap, thank god) I feel I should complete it.


----------



## Paperboy




----------



## WhisperingPines05

Aller Retour New York by Henry Miller


----------



## Schmilsson

Rereading for the 4th time


----------



## BobbyByThePound

Your eyes


----------



## minimized

Rostagin said:


> .


That's a great book.


----------



## miminka

spleen - olive moore


----------



## BelowtheCurrent

Looking for Alaska


----------



## ratbag

The Sandman graphic novel by Neil Gaiman. I don't care for the art style.


----------



## TryingMara

_Night Road_ by Kristin Hannah


----------



## Schmilsson




----------



## Chortle

bellejar said:


> I'm rereading _Catch-22_ kdjfkjdf feels.


It's such of a great book isn't it? I especially love the character Major Major Major, haha. I am currently reading_Gravity's Rainbow_ by Thomas Pynchon


----------



## lucyinthesky

Rostagin said:


>


Hope you enjoyed it  I've based so many uni essays on this text... I find it really interesting for some reason :b


----------



## Archeron

_Tesla a man out of time._


----------



## WhisperingPines05

Under a Glass Bell by Anais Nin


----------



## christacat

*Withering Tights: misadventures of Tallulah Casey-Louise Rennison

*(think I am abit too old to read Louise's books but I enjoy them anyway)


----------



## Fran93




----------



## aquilla

Yeah, my Lacrimal canals needed cleaning anyway, Haven't cried in a while


----------



## nml

lucyinthesky said:


> Hope you enjoyed it  I've based so many uni essays on this text... I find it really interesting for some reason :b


that's the one about art and Greek tragedy, if I remember? I liked it too. Apparently it annoyed other philologists because Nietzsche didn't include footnotes and references :b

I'm reading a book about Keats, pretty interesting.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Just picked up


----------



## aquilla




----------



## Perkins

My Wicked, Wicked Ways - Errol Flynn


----------



## lucyinthesky

nml said:


> that's the one about art and Greek tragedy, if I remember? I liked it too. Apparently it annoyed other philologists because Nietzsche didn't include footnotes and references :b
> 
> I'm reading a book about Keats, pretty interesting.


Yep that's it! I should read more about Keats - he had an interesting life.



aquilla said:


>


I've never read this one by Murakami before, I hope you enjoy it!

I'm currently reading... An Exquisite Sense of What is Beautiful by J. David Simons and (unsurprisingly) some Tolstoy.


----------



## aquilla

lucyinthesky said:


> I've never read this one by Murakami before, I hope you enjoy it!


Oh yes! It's a lot like "Norwegian Wood ". In fact, Hajime is exactly like Toru in so many ways .He's Thoughtful, introspective, he dwells on the past, has to deal with loss and love stories that didn't have a happy ending . And of course, even though I'm not a 36 year old Jazz bar owner who just met a girl he loved since twelve years old, Murakami makes it so easy to relate to this character. Oh, I can't even describe it!  All I can do is to recommend reading this amazing book


----------



## catcharay

The unit - Terry DeHart
The dragon factory - Jonathan Maberry


----------



## dburger




----------



## aquilla




----------



## typemismatch

aquilla said:


>


It's not one of his best, but still really good. I loved the first chapter. There is a paragraph about when they held hands which was rather nice.


----------



## JezZar

Mistborn: Well of Ascension, anybody else?


----------



## Estillum

I'm near the end now and All I want to do is give the monster a huge ****ing hug


----------



## aquilla

I've only read the first chapter so far, but it's kind of interesting.


----------



## scooby

I've been slowly reading The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. I can struggle with focusing on reading and never really bothered because of that, so a friend a while ago recommended I read some short stories in this book. Glad I was told to try it.


----------



## The Misery Chick




----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## TryingMara

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn


----------



## Schmilsson




----------



## Deviant Din

Stephen King's _Under the Dome_. I'm a little late, but I've had a lot else to read and it's a huge book. I hear it's being made into a TV series.


----------



## nml

lucyinthesky said:


> Yep that's it! I should read more about Keats - he had an interesting life.


you should, and he did indeed.

I'm reading a book about this executioner in Nuremberg in the 1600's. Another chap who had an interesting life!


----------



## aquilla

Lithuanian classics. "In the Shadow of the Altar" or something like that.


----------



## Schmilsson




----------



## TryingMara

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn


----------



## karenw

wonder women - rosie fiore


----------



## whattothink




----------



## rdrr




----------



## aquilla




----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## sacgirl88

Insurgent. =D


----------



## Darktower776

Princeps' Fury (Book 5 of the Codex Alera) by Jim Butcher. I love Butcher's Dresden Files so I decided to give his other series a try. It is good, but not as good as Harry Dresden and company.


----------



## alenclaud

Halfway through _Under the Dome_. Thought it was about time. Also want to read it before watching the tv show.


----------



## mooncake

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey.

Breaking free from fantasy series for a while.


----------



## miminka

schöne tage - franz innerhofer :cry


----------



## typemismatch

I'm reading it for the erotic possibilities.


----------



## Callum96

Unique and beautiful.


----------



## boas

jon snow said:


> Halfway through _Under the Dome_. Thought it was about time. Also want to read it before watching the tv show.


Same. I'm around two thirds of the way through it. Can't wait to find out how it ends.


----------



## aquilla

typemismatch said:


> I'm reading it for the erotic possibilities.


I'm afraid no erotic possibilities here. Well, unless you find long sleeved nightdresses and things like that erotic (not judging) .The book is good though.


----------



## tehuti88

typemismatch said:


> I'm reading it for the erotic possibilities.


_Magically_ erotic possibilities. :lol


----------



## alenclaud

boas said:


> Same. I'm around two thirds of the way through it. Can't wait to find out how it ends.


King wasn't always exceptionally great at ending novels imo, but I'm hoping for unsuspecting good ending for this one (got a couple more dozen or so pages to go). Either way, I enjoyed the book so far- I like how it's over a 1000 pages long, yet the events seem to take place in a flash.


----------



## hawtitch

I'm stuck at page 30 of Trainspotting at the moment. As you can see, it's a bit of a hard read, being written entirely in Scots: "Ah whip oaf ma keks and sit oan the cold wet porcelain shunky."


----------



## tehuti88

hawtitch said:


> I'm stuck at page 30 of Trainspotting at the moment. As you can see, it's a bit of a hard read, being written entirely in Scots: "Ah whip oaf ma keks and sit oan the cold wet porcelain shunky."


Dialect writing drives me batty. ;_; I could never handle that.


----------



## crystaltears

Naoki Urasawa's Monster (manga)


----------



## Yer Blues

Should be reading this soon:


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Just beginning Metropolis by Thea Von Harbou


----------



## Hyperborea

Wuthering heights..


----------



## aquilla

Hyperborea said:


> Wuthering heights..


I've been thinking about reading that one again . Good book.


----------



## Fruitcake

Filthy Shakespeare: Shakespeare's Most Outrageous Sexual Puns


----------



## kirby10

I am reading Game of thrones Season 2


----------



## vanilla90

The Rules of Attraction, amazing book. Love it.


----------



## alenclaud

I like the book so far. A lovely tale set at the time of a revolutionary India.


----------



## whattothink




----------



## nml

> In 1884, the distinguished German jurist Daniel Paul Schreber suffered the first of a series of mental collapses that would afflict him for the rest of his life. In his madness, the world was revealed to him as an enormous architecture of nerves, dominated by a predatory God. It became clear to Schreber that his personal crisis was implicated in what he called a "crisis in God's realm," one that had transformed the rest of humanity into a race of fantasms. There was only one remedy; as his doctor noted: Schreber "considered himself chosen to redeem the world, and to restore to it the lost state of Blessedness. This, however, he could only do by first being transformed from a man into a woman...."


very strange...


----------



## rdrr




----------



## Fruitcake

rdrr said:


>


Came here to post this. Nice, nice, very nice.


----------



## aquilla

So I think I will never get cured of this young-adult fiction addiction . So be it.


----------



## whattothink




----------



## h00dz

I'm secretly reading tehuti88 romantic stories.

:tiptoe








:eek



Edit: Im j/k


----------



## Hush7

h00dz said:


> I'm secretly reading tehuti88 romantic stories.
> 
> :tiptoe
> 
> :eek


I was sneaking in here to see what you're going to read on vocaroo for me. This'll be interesting. :teeth


----------



## h00dz

Hush7 said:


> I was sneaking in here to see what you're going to read on vocaroo for me. This'll be interesting. :teeth


Hahahaha. You're naughty  - I don't think you could handle it


----------



## twitchy666

*Quiet by Susan Cain*

'Quiet' by Susan Cain

I'm reading the right book. Shouldn't really be quoting text from here but I knew I'd lock into the book and rid all TV until I've finished. Intro vs Extrovert is digging in just right

Personality is a word that never existed in English until 18th century
and didn't become widespread until 20th century. Charisma

This is a good slap for me. Wish I was a caveman. WORDS!!! Jumpin' about... acting. TV
Naahh. That's not for me. I do things. Mouth. No. Fist. Which I have stayed away from so far.

The worst fact is that I'd have to use my mouth to get anyone to listen.

I want action. World based on smiles and shouting. And money comes first, for the mainstream.

I have a project. Render all ears deaf with aerosol alarm horns. I remember these. Make people shut up. One-in-each-ear treatment. Apple in mouth and the... cut throat smile?


----------



## anonymid




----------



## vanilla90

Less Than Zero. Fantabulous.


----------



## tehuti88

h00dz said:


> I'm secretly reading tehuti88 romantic stories.
> 
> :tiptoe
> 
> :eek
> 
> Edit: Im j/k


:? :lol

Anyway...

I don't know if this image will work. :/ Everybody who links to book cover images, whereabouts do you know to find those? Especially for older/out-of-print books?










_Diagnosis & Treatment Of Multiple Personality Disorder_ by Frank W. Putnam.

I realize it's outdated, and Colin A. Ross's book (_Dissociative Identity Disorder: Diagnosis, Clinical Features, & Treatment Of Multiple Personality_) is more up to date, and I actually read most of Ross's book a long while back but didn't finish it, but I figured perhaps I should read this one first since it came first, and give Ross another shot later on. (No particular reason I didn't finish, I just have a crap attention span.)

It was difficult because part of me wants to keep reading horror stories of which I have tons, but I told myself I'd try to read one of my slew of DID books next, because my DID characters have been on my mind constantly for months now. Let's hope I get through the thing. (Again, not for lack of interest, but my crap attention span. ;_; )

Anyway now I'm blithering so...


----------



## alenclaud

_Tinkers- Paul Harding._ The most beautifully written book I've read this year.


----------



## aquilla

Also, this:


----------



## AceEmoKid

Parallel Play by Tim Page.


----------



## AceEmoKid

aquilla said:


> So I think I will never get cured of this young-adult fiction addiction . So be it.


Ooh, I read this about a year ago. It was a decent story.


----------



## mooncake

First time reading TP!


----------



## Euripides




----------



## A Void Ant

Games People Play by Eric Berne.


----------



## lucyinthesky

aquilla said:


> Oh yes! It's a lot like "Norwegian Wood ". In fact, Hajime is exactly like Toru in so many ways .He's Thoughtful, introspective, he dwells on the past, has to deal with loss and love stories that didn't have a happy ending . And of course, even though I'm not a 36 year old Jazz bar owner who just met a girl he loved since twelve years old, Murakami makes it so easy to relate to this character. Oh, I can't even describe it!  All I can do is to recommend reading this amazing book


I must read this! It sounds like something I'd really enjoy, and I haven't read much by Murakami lately - I'll let you know what I think of it


----------



## lucyinthesky

nml said:


> you should, and he did indeed.
> 
> I'm reading a book about this executioner in Nuremberg in the 1600's. Another chap who had an interesting life!


Google suggests that this may or may not be called The Faithful Executioner... it sounds great - albeit very unusual!

I've recently read Life Lessons From Kierkegaard by Robert Ferguson and I'm still doing my August re-reading of War & Peace (yes, I know it's almost October...) I'm also finally getting started on A Clash of Kings.


----------



## lampshadesonfire




----------



## whattothink

Still reading David Copperfield. While it's good, I find the prose a bit boring after having read so many Joseph Conrad novels, so now I'm concurrectly reading Under Western Eyes.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## GlimmerBanjo

Hicksville By Dylan Horrocks. I think it's a comic book about comic books.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Prayers, Meditations, Prosolgion- St Anselm.


----------



## typemismatch

I read Oryx and Crake last year and loved it. Now for The Year of the Flood.


----------



## Nekomata

The Vampire Diaries - The Hunters: Moonsong by L.J.Smith


----------



## jubee




----------



## lampshadesonfire

Kanfusuuruq said:


>


Ahh, I love that man. Is it worth the read, or is it like any other comedian memoir?


----------



## nml

lucyinthesky said:


> Google suggests that this may or may not be called The Faithful Executioner... it sounds great - albeit very unusual!


yes, that's the one  I picked it up in my public library, I thought it just sounded like an odd and interesting story aha, but it also has some intriguing points about our ideas about punishment, their history etc.

I'm now reading this psychology book "The Paradoxes of Delusion". Some reviewers on amazon said it was one of the most empathic, imaginative and well argued books on psychiatry they'd read. and they're not wrong :yes


----------



## aquilla

Compulsory reading for my course. I had a hard time finding this book, and now I'm struggling with reading it. GREAT.


----------



## WhisperingPines05




----------



## Alas Babylon




----------



## lampshadesonfire

Kanfusuuruq said:


> It wasn't bad, better than Steve Martin's and Miranda Hart's memoirs. Somewhat near the end he gets rather tedious with details about comedy production. If you like him he does reveal what separates him from his public persona, and that was interesting to find out about.


Good thing I haven't read those then. I did read Michael Palin and Stephen Fry's memoirs and I imagine it's quite a similar story: Oxbridge, television breakthrough, etc. I'll give it a go, thanks!


----------



## TryingMara

The Cuckoo's Calling by J.K. Rowling.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## nml

KellyLiterary said:


> Good thing I haven't read those then. I did read Michael Palin and Stephen Fry's memoirs and I imagine it's quite a similar story: Oxbridge, television breakthrough, etc. I'll give it a go, thanks!


I quite like reading memoirs by comedians too. Stewart Lee's is another good one. You learn a lot about stand up reading it, and the book's so honest that all the things you might find annoying about him (smugness, elitism, just not being all that funny or talented) he mentions and somewhat acknowledges!


----------



## alenclaud

Carrie- Stephen King (finally got around to it- not my favorite of King's work, but it's okay so far)


----------



## anonymid




----------



## lampshadesonfire




----------



## Koichi

nml said:


> I quite like reading memoirs by comedians too. Stewart Lee's is another good one. You learn a lot about stand up reading it, and the book's so honest that all the things you might find annoying about him (smugness, elitism, just not being all that funny or talented) he mentions and somewhat acknowledges!


I love the online critiques section of his website. Such creative vitriol.


----------



## nml

Koichi said:


> I love the online critiques section of his website. Such creative vitriol.


yeah they're great, he even included them in his latest stand up and made a routine about them, lol.


----------



## aquilla

rdrr said:


>


Ah, read this one in summer, quite liked it.


----------



## typemismatch

Andrew Crumey is one of my favourite writers. Just starting on his latest book.


----------



## catcharay

Hannibal - Thomas Harris
Micro - Michael Crichton


----------



## Mur

I need to get back into meditation, I've been meaning to get into this book for a while now.


----------



## AshleyAnn

mserychic said:


> Just about to start Brother Odd by Dean Koontz!


I love those books!! =D


----------



## AshleyAnn

I am reading Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. It's the sequel to The Shining


----------



## aquilla

I have never read anything by Roth before.Found this copy in dad's bookshelf - he probably bought it then visiting the USA many years ago. He said I can have it because he never read it anyway,and not going to, because he doesn't read in English. He can't explain why he bought it then - probably this weird addiction of collecting books runs in my family


----------



## typemismatch

aquilla said:


> I have never read anything by Roth before.Found this copy in dad's bookshelf - he probably bought it then visiting the USA many years ago. He said I can have it because he never read it anyway,and not going to, because he doesn't read in English. He can't explain why he bought it then - probably this weird addiction of collecting books runs in my family


How are you finding Roth. I've only read The Ghostwriter before and I found that really boring. It was like eating three tasteless bananas. I always wonder if I should read another of his.


----------



## Emma91

Im reading this... Again lol


----------



## nml

the liberal press is making quite a big deal about










^ this. Apparently it's one of the first sustained satires of social media (or one of the first by a prominent American author...). Looks fairly interesting.


----------



## Koichi

Koichi said:


> I love the online critiques section of his website. Such creative vitriol.





nml said:


> yeah they're great, he even included them in his latest stand up and made a routine about them, lol.


I went to see him last night. He did a great routine about UKIP.


----------



## nataliej




----------



## typemismatch

nml said:


> the liberal press is making quite a big deal about
> 
> ^ this. Apparently it's one of the first sustained satires of social media (or one of the first by a prominent American author...). Looks fairly interesting.


I almost started reading this the other day. Let me know how it goes. I really liked the two Dave Eggers books I've read so far.


----------



## typemismatch

nataliej said:


>


yeah, good luck with that. I think I got to page 7 before my head exploded and I gave up


----------



## Auroras

Rereading _Fahrenheit 451 _


----------



## jap

I have three books lined up.
1. Currently reading CARRIE.
2. The Hundred-Year-Old Man who climbed out of the window and disappeared.
3. And this book I got for free - The Fault in our Stars (Don't even know what it's about. xD)


----------



## nml

typemismatch said:


> I almost started reading this the other day. Let me know how it goes. I really liked the two Dave Eggers books I've read so far.


I haven't started it either yet, and I haven't read Eggars' other books, though A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius has to be one of the best book titles ever heh. And same to you, I'd be interested to hear what you make of it.


----------



## Pike Queen

I am currently reading 'The Omen' by David Seltzer.


----------



## shelbster18

I just finished reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Really good book. Now, I'm reading Velocity by Dean Koontz. =)


----------



## Pennywise




----------



## MuckyMuck

The only thing that has filled the dark fantasy void "A Song of Ice and Fire" has left. Great book so far.


----------



## jalea

Pnin by Nabokov.


----------



## Nekomata

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Nekomata said:


> Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.


Can you do me a favor & PM me when you've finished it with your opinion? It's come up in my sci-fi searches but I'd like be sure before I buy it


----------



## MrSokols

The Letters of Vincent van Gogh - amazing, absolutely amazing, and really sad


----------



## Before Sunrise

Brandon Sanderson - The Final Empire

Loving it so far. After that I will read the rest of the Mistborn series before moving onto Terry Pratchett's Maskerade.


----------



## 78z

House of Hades.

I'm nearly done but I was quite shocked with Nico.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Tennysons's poetical works.

Also Traherne's Centuries of Meditations. I never expected anything profound from one so childlike; but the way he deals with philosophical and religious ideas- in a manner divided between ecstatic prayer and introspective contemplation (especially ideas on Panentheism)- is often compellingly inspired. I doubt you could do much better for Christian mysticism than the beauty of universe from his perspective. He is certainly not a modern thinker, which should be clear from this short extract on God's love for man: "Love is jealous and cruel as the grave." And yet he raises reason, love, and the providence of nature sky high.


----------



## mooncake

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. I'm a bit of a wuss, so I'm hoping this isn't too scary :/



Kanfusuuruq said:


> :nw Did you like it? His clever and humorous writing makes me feel as if I've had a shot of mood and mind boosting drugs.


I did, yes! That's a good way to describe the feeling his writing induces :b


----------



## shelbster18

mooncake said:


> World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. I'm a bit of a wuss, so I'm hoping this isn't too scary :/


I really want to read that book. I wonder if they'll have it at my local library. I'm going to look tomorrow.


----------



## jessabones

_*Deadly Grace*_ by Taylor Smith


----------



## typemismatch

It's broke


----------



## Kveikur

I'm currently reading _A Feast For Crows _by George R.R. Martin and _Organic Chemistry as a Second Language_ (ugh).


----------



## aquilla

typemismatch said:


> How are you finding Roth. I've only read The Ghostwriter before and I found that really boring. It was like eating three tasteless bananas. I always wonder if I should read another of his.


It's boring.Very boring. And, dare I say it, badly written. Gave up after the first 20 pages or so. What a disappointment, knowing that Roth is always mentioned when speculating about who is to win the Nobel prize( I heard that some people were quite certain that 2013 would be the year for Roth, thank God it wasn't)


----------



## nml

well Morrissey's autobiography came out










an instant penguin classic no less! the cheeky bugger.


----------



## DisneyMisfit

The House of Hades - Rick Riordan


----------



## shelbster18

Aww, pooey. :/ They didn't have World War Z at the library but I'm reading Seize the Night by Dean Koontz. I have no idea where it's going to go. The description of the book made it seem like it will be an interesting read.


----------



## aiayumi

War and Peace. 

Kinda stuck half-way through, at where Rostov's hunting party is underway 
Anybody reading this? Wanna discuss?

Epic book though. Tolstoy is God. His span of knowledge and character realism is unimaginable


----------



## Perkins

Helter Skelter. An in-depth look at the Manson Murders.


----------



## aquilla

I know it's a bit odd being my age and having not read this book yet,but I skipped a big part of school, and naturally, what kids ought to read at school,too. I wasn't even planning to read this, but I saw this edition at the bookstore the other day and it was soooooo pretty that I couldn't walk out without buying it.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## typemismatch

Just finished The Shadow of the Wind. It was a good read, though a little too international bestseller-ish for my liking. Anyway I have never read any Martin Amis, which is weird because he is exactly the sort of writer I would tend to read. So here goes.


----------



## typemismatch

aquilla said:


> It's boring.Very boring. And, dare I say it, badly written. Gave up after the first 20 pages or so. What a disappointment, knowing that Roth is always mentioned when speculating about who is to win the Nobel prize( I heard that some people were quite certain that 2013 would be the year for Roth, thank God it wasn't)


I knew it!. I just don't understand why people like him so much. I always end up thinking I'm stupid and have part of my brain missing. But now I know it's not true (oh oh oh oh... unless you have part of your brain missing too OH OH :|)


----------



## el kanguro

im reading the Wind-up Bird Chronicles
Its taken me some weeks to get to the meeting of Malta Kano.
I wish I had more time to read


----------



## error404

Also just finished _The Basic Eight_ by Daniel Handler. It was FANTASTIC.


----------



## alenclaud

Doctor Sleep- Stephen King

Also just ordered the newly released Allegiant, which is the 3rd book of the Divergent series...thought I might as well continue reading it.


----------



## Aminah

Waking up married by Mira Lyn Kelly


----------



## nml

typemismatch said:


> Just finished The Shadow of the Wind. It was a good read, though a little too international bestseller-ish for my liking. Anyway I have never read any Martin Amis, which is weird because he is exactly the sort of writer I would tend to read. So here goes.


How are you finding it? I don't really care for Amis' stuff, admittedly in part because the man himself is so smug and annoying! But _Money_ is a pretty witty book, parts of it did make me really laugh, though he goes a bit too postmodern with it in the end.


----------



## aquilla

Ah, at last. I've been meaning to read this for a while now.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm just finishing Metropolis by Thea Von Harbour & I'm thinking Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde next


----------



## newsflashmrwizard

I'm reading Deck Z. It's about zombies being on the Titanic or something like that...I'm four chapters in and they haven't mentioned the Titanic once. It's very confusing, and very boring. I wouldn't recommend it.


----------



## DeeStyles

I'm beginning to read Fifty Shades Darker!


----------



## hunteri herioci

A Song of Ice and Fire - on book two now, A Clash of Kings.


----------



## EndlessBlu

The Plague by Albert Camus


----------



## aquilla

Claude Frontisi - Visual History of Art. 

Also - still reading 1984, and looking for something by Vonnegut after that.


----------



## Damiennn

Ran out of books at home so i've been reading my old goosebumps  They are soo cheesy.


----------



## IcedOver

What I just read is a film script for an unproduced David Lynch film called "Ronnie Rocket, or The Absurd Mystery of the Strange Forces of Existence". I got a photocopied version of it in the mid-90s from a "Twin Peaks"/Lynch memorabilia mail-in company (Lynch is essentially my favorite filmmaker) and just set it aside because I thought he might actually make the film, and ended up not reading it but found it recently and read it. He wrote the script in the late '70s, I believe, and it's been his pet project ever since. Rumors are coming back that he might make it, but it's still doubtful.

If you're a Lynch fan, you should check it out. It should be available online. It's about a bleak, industrial hellworld where people behave like regular people in a Lynch film (you know what I mean). The closer you get to the "inner city," the more confused you get. Somewhere in the inner city is a man who wields what Lynch calls a "horror power" (love that term) and who has reversed electricity, sapping the minds of residents. A detective, who gets admiration from anyone he meets because of his unheard-of ability to stand on one foot, tries to get into the inner city to stop the man who is causing this. In a parallel story, the title character is a deformed midget who is surgically repaired by two illegal surgeons (who have a polyamorous affair with a woman) to run on electricity. That's the basic plot. The script needs a TON of work should Lynch decide to do it, but it's a pretty interesting read for his fans. It has plenty absurdities -- people shoving knitting needles into their legs to stay alert, a man forced to imagine himself as a dog bone being gnawed on by dogs, and electricity attacks lead by men eating doughnuts and smiling.


----------



## typemismatch

aquilla said:


> Claude Frontisi - Visual History of Art.
> 
> Also - still reading 1984, and looking for something by Vonnegut after that.


Vonnegut - well obviously there is Slaughterhouse Five but my favourite of his is Mother Night. I can't remember why because basically all his books kind of blend into one, but I do remember thinking it was the best.


----------



## aquilla

typemismatch said:


> Vonnegut - well obviously there is Slaughterhouse Five but my favourite of his is Mother Night. I can't remember why because basically all his books kind of blend into one, but I do remember thinking it was the best.


Well, I know I have Slaughterhouse Five somewhere, bought it about...5 years ago? ( yes, well, I always buy books JUST BECAUSE, with no intention to read it in the near future ). So I'll start with that one. The thing about mother Night is that it's not translated into Lithuanian yet- well, one can certainly expect that when living in a country this small. I COULD read it in English though. hmmm, maybe.


----------



## IcedOver

Regarding Vonnegut, I was really into him over a decade ago and decided to "save" some of his books and not read them right then, but I've lost interest in him somewhat. His style just seems a tad too cheeky and smartass right now; I don't know, maybe I could give it another try. I did love "Cat's Cradle" perhaps the most, though. I'd also recommend "The Sirens of Titan", and I recall "Deadeye Dick" and "Slapstick" as being pretty decent. I can't believe another film adaptation of "Slaughterhouse-Five" is being tentatively planned, by none other than Charlie Kaufman, with Guillermo del Toro directing. Haven't these people learned that Vonnegut is unfilmable? Kaufman of all people should know better. I haven't watched any films based on his books, including the George Roy Hill "Slaughterhouse-Five". Why would anyone want to adapt one of his books? Their language is so specific to the printed page.


----------



## typemismatch

Soooo Vonnegut. Aquilla - you should read Slaughterhouse Five then. It's a good book, an enjoyable read, and besides it takes about 5 minutes to read. I've read SH5, Mother Night and Cat's Cradle and I can barely remember anything about them except that they were all enjoyable and kind of the same and that Mother Night was the best.

I always kind of lump Vonnegut in the same bracket as Tom Robbins and PKD, but I much prefer Robbins and Dick. I'm a fan of Dick . They are all kind of zany and entertaining but I remember Robbins and PKD's books.


----------



## typemismatch

nml said:


> How are you finding it? I don't really care for Amis' stuff, admittedly in part because the man himself is so smug and annoying! But _Money_ is a pretty witty book, parts of it did make me really laugh, though he goes a bit too postmodern with it in the end.


Hmm. Still reading it. Only half way through in fact. It's ok but at the same time kind of monotonous. It's basically been the same story for the first 200 pages. i.e. John Self indulging in a very hedonistic lifestyle. I'm sure it will pick up. I mean Martin Amis is a very famous writer, so he must be good right? right? right? I mean how else... oh wait a minute... his father was a famous writer too.


----------



## jabberwalk

Brain Droppings by George Carlin


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## Donnie in the Dark

"Rationality and the ideology of disconnection"


----------



## mooncake

And whilst I'm on on the till at work and have no customers, I'm sneakily trying to read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. I should probably read something more cheerful when I'm already feeling down about being stuck at work, but oh well.


----------



## shelbster18

Dean Koontz - The Taking


----------



## low

I bought the first book last year but never read it. I'm reading Game of Thrones. 

I'm dieing to skip books and find out what happens after series 3 ends (though I gather of course that events differ from series/book) but I hate reading novels from halfway. I have to read a series from the start. So I put if off a bit. Good news is my brother already bought all of the rest.


----------



## Robodontopus

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Oh I love you sweet science fiction.


----------



## lampshadesonfire




----------



## louiselouisa

alice in wonderland by lewis carroll lol


----------



## alenclaud

2666- Roberto Bolaño

Everybody should read this outstanding piece of work, imho. I'm currently beginning the 3rd part.


----------



## tehuti88

_Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence_ and its five followups by Nick Bantock (they should be quick reads, I'm hoping). Haven't read this since way back in college, and I've never read the last three; hope it's as good as I remember!


----------



## fredbloggs02

On the French revolution, Robespierre: "To punish the oppressors of humanity is clemency; to forgive them is barbarity" etc. A late Jacobin and his friends are imprisoned then executed after opposing Robespierre during the terror. It is also a reflection on personal identity. If I remember right, Georg Buchner wrote a paper on disembowled fish lol.

I know the play was intended to evoke sympathy for people facing a democratic end under a sky of God knows how many other deities and ultimately frivolous possibilities. I sympathize with Robespierre despite the fate of Danton and divergent accounts I have heard of the former. I sympathize with the one who foreknowingly divides eternity with a promise they find no power to redeem, and with a relentless will to realize perfect justice.


----------



## aquilla

AND:

https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1356107957l/15686.jpg for my course


----------



## cybernaut

2 books on the Rwandan Genocide: 1 for uni, 1 for leisure. And a book on the Cuban Missile crisis for uni+leisure.
-------------
Sent from my Samaung Galaxy S3 via Tapatalk App


----------



## Euripides

ratherunique11 said:


> 2 books on the Rwandan Genocide: 1 for uni, 1 for leisure. And a book on the Cuban Missile crisis for uni+leisure.
> -------------
> Sent from my Samaung Galaxy S3 via Tapatalk App


Sounds interesting.



aquilla said:


> AND:
> 
> https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1356107957l/15686.jpg for my course


Brave New World is one of my all-time favourites! Part of the 'big three' of fav dystopian fiction together with 1984 and Fahrenheit 451. And I just ordered The Plague by Camus yesterday.

Besides about 6 books and counting I'm reading for research including some Arendt and Foucault (oh mother of SIGH). I'm still working on these two:


----------



## typemismatch

and


----------



## Idontgetit

Ready Player One


----------



## tehuti88

Meh, the last book in the _Griffin & Sabine_ series was rather a letdown. All that buildup for_...that_ ending? I feel like I missed something. :|

Anyway, what I'm reading now...










_Imajica_ by Clive Barker. Should start reading this tonight.

I'm only familiar with Barker through _The Thief Of Always_ (read it years ago, barely remember it) and "In The Hills, The Cities." Took me forever to decide which book to read next, I almost picked something else since I'm leery of starting something lengthy. It's about as long as one of my serials, so I really hope it's good. :blank


----------



## farfegnugen

aquilla said:


>


I just started reading this. 

I think up next is _The Master and Margarita._


----------



## minimized

Feel like an idiot because my brain is like derp de derp and I can't read fast anymore.


----------



## Grog

I have only recently been inspired to read a book 
And am starting with one called cross stitch by Diana( galbrion ( or something like that )
I wonder how long it will last this time


----------



## ocelot81




----------



## GetOutOfMyHouse

...


----------



## typemismatch

GetOutOfMyHouse said:


> Is it good?


Great book.


----------



## typemismatch

Finished The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa. It's three wonderful short stories. Similarities to Murakami - yeah I know it seems like a lazy comparison, but it has the same sparse chrystaline prose, the same narrator (or female version of) drifting through life. The same space between people. No cats though. I'd never heard of her before I read this book, but looks like she is has plenty more translated into english.


----------



## Katherine93

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami. I would totally recommend this book to anyone who likes his previous work Norwegian Wood.


----------



## typemismatch

Katherine93 said:


> Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami. I would totally recommend this book to anyone who likes his previous work Norwegian Wood.


Say what? :eek Do you speak Japanese? I didn't think it was out in English until next year.


----------



## aquilla

Katherine93 said:


> Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami. I would totally recommend this book to anyone who likes his previous work Norwegian Wood.


whoah, now I'm jealous. I want to read this so bad. And Norwegian Wood was just...perfect.Really, at first I didn't think it was THAT good, but as the time passes, I always come back to it and find something beautiful.And poignant. Yup, poignant is probably a good word - it's sad, so sad. BUT OH SO BEAUTIFUL.


----------



## kiiwiih

I'm reading "Catching Fire" at the moment because I wanna finish it before I go see the movie. I'm also reading "twentieth-century teen culture by the decades." A very fun and informative book.


----------



## Katherine93

typemismatch said:


> Say what? :eek Do you speak Japanese? I didn't think it was out in English until next year.


Actually I've read it in my native language which is Polish. I didn't realize that it hasn't been translated to English yet


----------



## Katherine93

aquilla said:


> whoah, now I'm jealous. I want to read this so bad. And Norwegian Wood was just...perfect.Really, at first I didn't think it was THAT good, but as the time passes, I always come back to it and find something beautiful.And poignant. Yup, poignant is probably a good word - it's sad, so sad. BUT OH SO BEAUTIFUL.


I completely agree with you. Norwegian Wood IS perfect but his new book is almost just as perfect! Too bad you have to wait until next year to read it in English but trust me, it'll be worth the wait :yes


----------



## typemismatch

Katherine93 said:


> Actually I've read it in my native language which is Polish. I didn't realize that it hasn't been translated to English yet


----------



## Meadowlark

_Longbourn_ by Jo Baker


----------



## Eurasian

I'm not a big reader but I'm about half way through 'Cloud Atlas'. Some parts, such as the post-apocalyptic section, I find a bit tough to follow and requires some concentration. Really like it though.


----------



## Elros

Just finished reading this, 3rd book in the series, next one not out for ages yet


----------



## rdrr




----------



## typemismatch

Just starting this. Hope it's as good as the secret history.


----------



## miminka

Uho, grlo, nož - vedrana rudan. finished in one sitting. 10/10


----------



## aquilla




----------



## nml

Really liked this, sped through it in a day or two.


----------



## NeuromorPhish

Finally got around to reading the Stranger by Albert Camus, along with The Myth of Sisyphus.
As if that wasn't enough existentialism, i'm also "reading" the manga Jisatsutou by Mori Kouji. All very moving and thought-provoking.


----------



## miminka

hleb i strah - milisav savić


----------



## aquilla

And then I thought - damn, I read way too little Lithuanian books. This should change.


----------



## Euripides

Just finished it. Again. Favourite short story of all time? Yes. Asimov, you beautiful *******.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm waiting on copies of Half Blood Blues & Brave New World in the mail


----------



## nml

I'm not sure what I think of it yet (usually a bad sign). The idea of weaving together dozens of characters, hopping between the 1950's and 1990's, and assembling all sorts of scenes and details to create a portrait of cold war America is very cool idea though...so I hope I'll end up liking it.


----------



## shelbster18

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. :3


----------



## DenizenOfDespair

Just finished reading in my Modern British Fiction course The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence. I found it to be a fantastic novel.


----------



## Angst86

*Throne of Bones* - Brian McNaughton


----------



## alenclaud

The Aleph and Other Stories- by Borges
Almost done with this one; it's amazingly written and filled with interesting philosophical allegories. Definitely worth another read.


----------



## scooby

I am currently reading Flowers for Algernon. Very interesting so far. I like it a lot.


----------



## WhisperingPines05




----------



## CopadoMexicano

Im reading some healthy and delicious recipes online :yes


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## rdrr




----------



## lucyinthesky

Kanfusuuruq said:


> "What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right?
> During a snowstorm in England in 1910, a baby is born and dies before she can take her first breath. During a snowstorm in England in 1910, the same baby is born and lives to tell the tale."
> 
> Fairly ace so far.


Good book!

My currently reading pile/mountain includes...
Where'd You Go Bernadette - Maria Semple
A Clash of Kings - George R.R. Martin
Too Much Happiness - Alice Munro


----------



## lucyinthesky

Katherine93 said:


> Actually I've read it in my native language which is Polish. I didn't realize that it hasn't been translated to English yet


I've noticed it's in Spanish and Catalan already too, but I've heard the translations aren't too great. Even the title of the Spanish seems very, very far from the English translation!


----------



## NeuromorPhish

Just finished _Catcher in the Rye_, I liked it.


----------



## Silent girl

innocent traitor by Alison weir


----------



## catcharay

Finding mercy.. amish life. It was so anti climatic

Catching fire ..for my holiday read

_Posted via *Topify* on Android_


----------



## Schmilsson




----------



## BelowtheCurrent

Some Ayn Rand...basically her essays and lectures compiled in a book. 
It's called Philosophy: who needs it, published the year she died.


----------



## GiftofGABA

Infinite Jest!


----------



## typemismatch

GiftofGABA said:


> Infinite Jest!


An excellent choice, sir.


----------



## Robodontopus

a book about Doc Holliday by Mary Doria Russell. It's hard not to see Val Kilmer in my head when reading it.


----------



## nml

typemismatch said:


> An excellent choice, sir.


Second that. one of the most smart, witty and intellectually playful books I've read :yes

Nearly finished _Underworld_. It's very flat, distant and oblique...which I suppose is sort of the point. but meh.


----------



## mnemonicdv

Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman - Richard P. Feynman


----------



## weiwuwei

Second Treatise of Government by John Locke.


----------



## shelbster18

11/22/63 by Stephen King.  It's a big book, though. It'll take me at least a couple of weeks to read. Depends how much I read a day.  I get distracted easily, so it could take awhile. xD It's good so far.


----------



## Valtron

"The Megamusical" by Jessica Stertfield. It's an educated analysis of the scores from popular musicals. Kinda nerdy, but I love it. I prefer nonfiction in general.


----------



## JustThisGuy




----------



## mattiemoocow

I just read Every Day by David Leviathan. It's basically about a person who isn't so much a person, rather a soul, and they inhabit a new body every day. They fall in love with someone and realize they can never have them because they do not have a solid identity. It's pretty cool.


----------



## alenclaud

100 years of solitude - Garcia Marquez

I can sympathize with many of the characters in this book.


----------



## typemismatch

Just finished The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Very good, though flawed.

Now I'm trying this:


----------



## MayritaJudith

Universally Preferable Behaviour- A Rational Proof of Secular Ethics by Stefan Molyneux


----------



## harrison

Good fun.


----------



## Citrine

Clash!: 8 Cultural Conflicts That Make Us Who We Are


----------



## AceEmoKid

About halfway through "Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape" by Frans de Waal and Frans Lanting.

However, as I'm noticing, some of the information/hypotheses presented in the book are questionable. After all, it's been 15 years since it was published. Despite some outdated research, it's definitely a great introduction to the bonobo species, providing food for thought through accessible (though not superb) writing, and as such the book is regarded as a seminal prologue for any amateur primatologist/bonobo enthusiast.


----------



## weiwuwei

Gravity and Grace by Simone Weil


----------



## catcharay

Finished catching fire now I am reading the final of the trilogy.

im anticipating watching the movie adaptation of catching fire too..

_Posted via *Topify* on Android_


----------



## aquilla

this, again. It's the second time I'm starting this -several months ago I started reading it but didn't finish for some reason I don't remember.


----------



## scooby

Well I just finished reading "Flowers for Algernon" and what a crazy emotional read that was.


----------



## Euripides

Been wanting to read this one for a long time.


----------



## ToughUnderdog

Reading a travel book on Thailand. I've gotten some great information on their history, art, politics, and overall lifestyle. Might decide to teach English after I graduate college.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## Justmeandmyguitar

This thread.


----------



## lucyinthesky

Different Seasons - Stephen King
Names for the Sea - Sarah Moss


----------



## Earl of Lemongrab

The Myst Reader
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Going to start on ICO next, and waiting on Geisha: A Life, The Remains of the Day, and Never Let Me Go.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I just finished Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.

The Body Snatcher is next


----------



## Citrine

Designer origami...so unproductive


----------



## InDeathIsLife

Cosmos by the marvelous Carl Sagan. This dude's a ****in' bright light!


----------



## aquilla

Caligula( "K" because it's a Lithuanian edition ).


----------



## Canadian Brotha

~ Dreads
~ The Bottle Imp
~ Brave New World


----------



## SunshineSam218




----------



## rosetintmyworld7

I am currently reading The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.


----------



## Transcending




----------



## JH1983

Firestarter by Stephen King


----------



## shelbster18

The Vision by Dean Koontz.


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## JustThisGuy

rosetintmyworld7 said:


> I am currently reading The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.


I just ordered that. Good so far?


----------



## christacat

Let Me off at the top! by Ron Burgundy


----------



## nml

interesting stuff, and it's making me want to delve into Dickens, which I've never really done.


----------



## Charmander

Light by Michael Grant.


----------



## AceEmoKid

Barron's_ Biology: The Easy Way_. Brushing up on basic biology because I know I'm **** at science.


----------



## JustThisGuy




----------



## Shizuma

_ Foxfire : Confessions of a Girl Gang_, by Joyce Carol Oates.


----------



## Meli24R

Just read Divergent and Fault in Our Stars and I enjoyed both
Now I'm hooked on Wayward Pines.


----------



## catcharay

Cross fire - James Patterson


----------



## anonymid




----------



## taylorkuene

The Surgeon..thriller can't get your eyes off the book 0.0


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## Canadian Brotha

It's going to take me a minute to get into Brave New World so I've switched over to Half Blood Blues & I'm totally engrossed in it already


----------



## kilgoretrout




----------



## sad vlad

Rational emotive behavior therapy by Albert Ellis.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## shelbster18

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. ^_^ They didn't have this book at the library the last time I went. Surprised they had it up there. :3


----------



## mooncake

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence


----------



## Chanelleninja

The Ghost Hunters By Neil Spring


----------



## moveon

The greatest salesman or something like that. I'm officially done with this new age crap.


----------



## Jack Jackson

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga. Pretty boring so far


----------



## NeuromorPhish

Trying to read _Atlas Shrugged_ (why do i keep writing "Atlus"?) by Ayn Rand. 
Got it for christmas, unexpectedly and so far it has captured my interest. Although i'd be surprised if i got through even half of it...


----------



## kate7

House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski


----------



## Haillzz91

Divergent by Veronica Roth, and surprisingly understanding the hype of it all! Interesting plot and well-written!


----------



## aquilla

"The Spinoza Problem" by Irvin D. Yalom 
"Balta Drobulė " , Antanas Škėma
And also the Quran 

No wonder my head feels so weird these days. Must be my book choices.


----------



## TicklemeRingo

^That's some pretty heavy reading there, aquilla :shock

The last time I tried reading three books at once I found it pretty tough to keep interested in each one.

I'm impressed.


----------



## Haillzz91

TicklemeRingo said:


> ^That's some pretty heavy reading there, aquilla :shock
> 
> The last time I tried reading three books at once I found it pretty tough to keep interested in each one.
> 
> I'm impressed.


Ya, I like to read 2 books of different genres at the same time, so I have a choice depending on my mood, but 3 seems like a lot to keep track of!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm gonna give Brave New World another go. The beginning is a lot to swallow


----------



## bad baby

Rao Xue Man's _Farewell Song III_. I read the first two in a jiffy back before this one came out and then kind of just forgot about the whole series for a while. I really only want to know how it ends, but the third book fast forwards 4 years into the protagonist's life, where she is now a budding star in the legal profession (wait, that expression is not quite right..._rising_ star? Whatever), and so begins alllll that melodrama all over again. My mum once told me that sappy love stories are poison for teenage girls. I think she might be right, though I'm having a severe casee of delayed reaction.

But aaaanyway. Other books on my reading list: a collection of short stories by Shiba Ryotaro, Sakaguchi Ango's _The Idiot_; Stephen Hawking's _A Brief History of Time_. The fact that I actually bought a copy of the latter with my own money is a good indication that I'll probably never finish it in this lifetime. We'll seee.


----------



## buklti

"North By Northwestern. A Seafaring Family On Deadly Alaskan Waters." by Captain Sig Hansen.


----------



## fanatic203

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien


----------



## shelbster18

The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger. This book seems to have a lot of hate but I like it so far and I'm seventy pages into it.


----------



## Charmander

^ I always thought that book was highly rated. 

Started reading A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. Really good so far, even though I know most of the plot already.


----------



## Gavroche

"Black Edelweiss: A Memoir of Combat and Conscience by a Soldier of the Waffen SS" - Johann Voss


----------



## AndyD1

The Stand - Stephen King


----------



## Euripides

Michel Foucault's _Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison_
Rainer Maria Rilke's _The Notebooks Of Malte Laurids Brigge_
Herman Brusselmans' _Muggepuut_


----------



## Unnecessary

"Hurmaava joukkoitsemurha ('A Charming Mass Suicide')" by Arto Paasilinna.


----------



## lucyinthesky

The Luminaries - Eleanor Catton
Burial Rites - Hannah Kent


----------



## fredbloggs02

I wanted an introduction to the Christian mystics. Just finished the first chapter by Origen on the Song of Songs, Gregory of Nyssa on the appearance of God to Moses like a Heraclitean fire and Augustine on psalm 42. They have powerful ideas expressed through vivid imagery.


----------



## fredbloggs02

aquilla said:


> "The Spinoza Problem" by Irvin D. Yalom
> "Balta Drobulė " , Antanas Škėma
> And also the Quran
> 
> No wonder my head feels so weird these days. Must be my book choices.


I have an essay on Spinozan Freedom this week. I am familiar with Spinoza and the Quran; though I could do with deeper insight into the first. I hope you don't take too much of the Quran to heart.

The Quran is not solely mindless... in places... One sura which spoke of how Moses chose Allah I found quite moving in its simplicity, as well as short slivers on light, lightning and the idea all things are begotten of a single soul. Apparently even the heavenly orbs fade; but their pre-existent creator is unchanging.

However, I think the oft repeated threat of eternal torture, and recurring themes of death and apocalypse... like an eternal washing machine-- all of which hinge on a choice to submit or not-- are sufficient to drive even a robust individual into a neurotic hysteria... I'm not so easily unsettled by words... I can digest the cruellest of Sade... But towards the end, there was one particularly visceral description of hell-- resounding with ecstatic chants from paradise-- which appealed to the darkest fear of my imagination. One tells you the mind is a species of eternity, the other to lose it or burn! You'll do well to find compromise between them lol... Try not to go too mad.


----------



## aquilla

fredbloggs02 said:


> I have an essay on Spinozan Freedom this week. I am familiar with Spinoza and the Quran; though I could do with deeper insight into the first. I hope you don't take too much of the Quran to heart.
> 
> The Quran is not solely mindless... in places... One sura which spoke of how Moses chose Allah I found quite moving in its simplicity, as well as short slivers on light, lightning and the idea all things are begotten of a single soul. Apparently even the heavenly orbs fade; but their pre-existent creator is unchanging.
> 
> However, I think the oft repeated threat of eternal torture, and recurring themes of death and apocalypse... like an eternal washing machine-- all of which hinge on a choice to submit or not-- are sufficient to drive even a robust individual into a neurotic hysteria... I'm not so easily unsettled by words... I can digest the cruellest of Sade... But towards the end, there was one particularly visceral description of hell-- resounding with ecstatic chants from paradise-- which appealed to the darkest fear of my imagination. One tells you the mind is a species of eternity, the other to lose it or burn! You'll do well to find compromise between them lol... Try not to go too mad.


Ahh, well, that AND another book you didn't recognise (Balta Drobule) - the second one in my list is basically a study of a schizophrenic's dreams, "revelations" and all other trash of main character's scarred consciousness. So all that provides quite an experience for my mind lol, not too sure about my own consciousness.

Well, I'm still not that familiar with Spinoza as I've just started studying his works (and personality - quite an interesting life he had).

the Quran is something I've been meaning to read for a long time. Firstly, I felt that there's so much of debate going on (and in my country's press too) and both sides seem to have quite a few legit arguments ( or at least good advocates  ) and I got so very confused about the whole thing. One of the basic questions I wanted to answer to myself was what is the REAL situation of women in Muslim society ( as both people who said that they are oppressed and the actual Muslim women who claimed that they are perfectly happy and free and do everything, like covering their faces, merely because they want to, seemed to have a point ) and many others, such as is there a premise for extremism in the Quran. SO I've started reading it. Well... As a non-believer, I'm much more frightened not by hellfires, but by what they make of the Quran here and now, as I write these lines: as the Quran is the supreme law in many Muslim countries and is referred to in law courts everyday it is so daunting to think that people actually use this "Word of God" to guide them. The thought of someone actually taking all this for granted and deciding about other people's lives in the aforementioned law courts upon this..... ugh. Oh, and don't forget women. How could I ever forget that. Andow whoever says to me that there's no oppression in Islam, that is it s a peaceful religion and all that jazz, merely brings a grin to my face. Ugh.


----------



## SociallyAnxiousCoffee

I read a book recently called Shogun, by James Clavel. It was a wonderful book  Very educational as well as entertaining. I liked the depiction of the samurai as a hardcore warrior single mindedly dedicated to a goal  I began to envision myself as a samurai, dedicated to fighting off SA  It is preferable to fight SA and die in battle, than to surrender. That is Bushido -sips his cha-  Thank you James Clavel!

Shogun made me Japanese. Les Miserable made me into a Frenchman. Now I'm confused. WHO AM I!?!?

I'm reading a few books of the Bible now. I tend to read it in bits and pieces; I'm attempting to read the whole text from cover to cover. I'm an atheist, but I have an interest in these things.

Atlas Shrugged is a great book. Ayn Rand's characters helped me as I struggled with social anxiety :3 Ayn Rand teaches self-esteem, and her confident characters are good role models. I don't agree with most of her philosophy now, but when I read her back then, I felt a sense of my own power as an individual rush through me  I believe that was the beginning, for me. That was when books became my therapists


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I just finished Brave New World & am now reading The Bottle Imp


----------



## Transcending

I started to read "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. Love it so far.


----------



## shelbster18

Watership Down by Richard Adams. :3 It's pretty good.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## straightarrows

aquilla said:


> Ahh, well, that AND another book you didn't recognise (Balta Drobule) - the second one in my list is basically a study of a schizophrenic's dreams, "revelations" and all other trash of main character's scarred consciousness. So all that provides quite an experience for my mind lol, not too sure about my own consciousness.
> 
> Well, I'm still not that familiar with Spinoza as I've just started studying his works (and personality - quite an interesting life he had).
> 
> the Quran is something I've been meaning to read for a long time. Firstly, I felt that there's so much of debate going on (and in my country's press too) and both sides seem to have quite a few legit arguments ( or at least good advocates  ) and I got so very confused about the whole thing. One of the basic questions I wanted to answer to myself was what is the REAL situation of women in Muslim society ( as both people who said that they are oppressed and the actual Muslim women who claimed that they are perfectly happy and free and do everything, like covering their faces, merely because they want to, seemed to have a point ) and many others, such as is there a premise for extremism in the Quran. SO I've started reading it. Well... As a non-believer, I'm much more frightened not by hellfires, but by what they make of the Quran here and now, as I write these lines: as the Quran is the supreme law in many Muslim countries and is referred to in law courts everyday it is so daunting to think that people actually use this "Word of God" to guide them. The thought of someone actually taking all this for granted and deciding about other people's lives in the aforementioned law courts upon this..... ugh. Oh, and don't forget women. How could I ever forget that. Andow whoever says to me that there's no oppression in Islam, that is it s a peaceful religion and all that jazz, merely brings a grin to my face. Ugh.


u should understand that there is CULTURE and there is RELGION!

Understanding Quran needs years! and years of studying! there r easy/simple books about Islam...

There r "Explanation of Quran" books! if u r interested to buy some:b:b


















BTW, covering the head is not a new thing muslims created!









Veil is just a worthless subject and it's just good for drama...


----------



## LDS

Aleister Crowley's Diary of a Drug Fiend


----------



## AceEmoKid

Rethinking Autism: Variation and Complexity - Lynn Waterhouse.










Some bits are a little dense for me (I don't have a wide breadth of genealogical/scientific knowledge), but the rest is clear enough to understand. It covers a lot of ideas I've been questioning for a while about the common/outdated perspective of autism and its manifestations. One of many books and articles I will definitely cite for my upcoming research paper on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Maybe I can write it in time for the undergraduate symposium my professor recommended last semester.


----------



## theawkwardone87




----------



## Canadian Brotha

Just finished The Bottle Imp & Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson. Not sure what's next yet


----------



## mooncake




----------



## jlscho03

_Eragon_. Those books are my cousin's favorite series, and I've read this book before, but it was a long time ago. Since I had nothing else I wanted to read, I thought I'd pick it up again.

I think I'm nearing page 100, but have been stuck in the same spot since December. I am just not emotionally invested (plus, I apparently remember the whole beginning).

Haven't decided to continue reading or get something else. I hadn't read the rest of the series and that was what I was going for, but I don't know.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Very interesting so far. I particularly enjoyed his interpretation of the ancient Greek philosophers.


----------



## Euripides




----------



## Steve French

The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy. Gotta say, a bit disappointed, after all the hype I'd heard about him Ellroy has just turned out to be a more vulgar, less clever Hammett or Chandler. Was almost expecting something profound.

Also found myself wondering, considering the numerous counts of slander against real people in the book, couldn't a person get sued over that?


----------



## aquilla




----------



## bottleofblues

Currently this site, i never read books, wish i had the patience for them.


----------



## Kascheritt

Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 09, last chapter ^^


----------



## anonymid




----------



## pazuzuinxs

Uzumaki by Junji Ito


----------



## aquilla

ah, Jazz, Soviet Vilnius in the 70s, booze & disillusionment - a good place to start my comeback into Lithuanian literature, which I have undeservedly ignored for so long.


----------



## alenclaud

1Q84- Haruki Murakami


----------



## typemismatch

alenclaud said:


> 1Q84- Haruki Murakami


----------



## 0589471

"The Reason I Jump" Naoki Higashida

Very insightful read about the internal perspective of autism, and helps me feel closer to my little brother. He mostly communicates in writing, and has such a brilliant, interesting way of seeing the world around him, it's a shame that so much focus is around what they cannot do.


----------



## smallfries

"HHhH" - or “Himmler’s brain is called Heydrich”. The most dangerous man in Hitler’s cabinet, Reinhard Heydrich was known as the “Butcher of Prague.” He was feared by all and loathed by most. With his cold Aryan features and implacable cruelty, Heydrich seemed indestructible—until two men, a Slovak and a Czech recruited by the British secret service, killed him in broad daylight on a bustling street in Prague, and thus changed the course of History."

History books are the best kind of book.


----------



## bad baby

Yea, yea, I know, I know--the title reeks of Dan ****ing Brown, whom we all owe a great big thankyou to for ruining reviving the 'hard-boiled' adventure genre of the old (think Ambler, Hammett, Ludlum--the trifecta). Langdon-esque badass canine expert goes hunting for thousand-year-old Buddhist treasure in the Himalayans. The same treasures which Himmler and Stalin had conducted secret expeditions to unearth some half a century prior. I'm sold three times over...Well make that four, considering the author's street cred (..._wilderness_ cred?) --having trekked across the uninhabited tundras of Hohxil and the rainforests near the Thai border. This is starting to sound too much like a goddamned book review so I'll shut up now.

Well, I also have Clavell's _Shogun_ on the backburner until I finish this series figure out the correct order in which to tackle the Asian Saga novels. This might turn out to be a major overload. Fingers crossed. ;>


----------



## Euripides

Dutch version of Conrad's book (Heart of Darkness) set in the Congo Free State, a part of Africa then controlled by Belgian king Leopold II, which inspired Coppola for his Apocalypse Now.


----------



## theawkwardone87




----------



## theawkwardone87




----------



## bad baby

theawkwardone87 said:


>


coincidentally i came across an excerpt of this on some random blog this morning that made me laugh my head off. i actually thought the writing is somewhat decent. the playing the piano in the nude thing though...wtf!!? (friedrich gulda is the only person who is allowed to do that.)


----------



## miminka

v nediliu rano zilla kopala - ol'ha kobylians'ka
pol'ovi doslidzhennia z ukrainskoho seksu - oksana zabuzhko
the hite report
the gospel of matthew


----------



## IveGotToast

A Feast For Crows


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm rereading The Years Of Rice & Salt backwards


----------



## Lacking Serotonin

Soul Detox


----------



## Citrine

Blindness - Jose Saramago


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## wmu'14

The Lord of the Rings for the second time. I'm on The Two Towers, The Forbidden Pool


----------



## Transcending

After I'm done with this one I'm gonna check out Twilight books.


----------



## aquilla




----------



## nml

^ still remember the opening to that

I'm reading Darwin and the Beagle by Alan Moorehead. It's a lovely book. Describes Darwin's encounters with the crew of the Beagle, with colonial politics, exotic animals.


----------



## minimized

Citrine said:


> Blindness - Jose Saramago


That's great. I remember reading it in school. I see it sitting in my box and I think...


----------



## Citrine

minimized said:


> That's great. I remember reading it in school. I see it sitting in my box and I think...


Yeeah, I'm assuming that the person who had the book before me had to too (as there are occasional random pages swamped with annotations...brings back unpleasant English class memories :afr)


----------



## fredbloggs02

His description of Aurora in the diaries is striking.


----------



## aquilla

nml said:


> ^ still remember the opening to that


"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta."

yeah.


----------



## typemismatch

Oh oh oh. Can I just stay here. I'll just sit in the corner and stay quiet, I promise. 

I like books.

I like people that read books.

I can't help it.

It's like in Kafka on the Shore. Where he spends the time in the library.


----------



## BassHead

Animal Farm by George Orwell.


----------



## aquilla

typemismatch said:


> Oh oh oh. Can I just stay here. I'll just sit in the corner and stay quiet, I promise.
> 
> I like books.
> 
> I like people that read books.
> 
> I can't help it.
> 
> It's like in Kafka on the Shore. Where he spends the time in the library.


Sure.But bring cookies.


----------



## bluesalamander

I'm finishing "A Song of Ice and Fire: Game of thrones" by George R. R. Martin.


----------



## Euripides




----------



## shelbster18

The Bog by Michael Talbot.


----------



## Alleviate Suffering

Reading this for the second time. I only tend to reread books that I really loved the first time round and this is one of my favourites.


----------



## TryingMara

_Sharp Objects_ by Gillian Flynn.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## Mittens76

_Full Dark, No Stars_ by Stephen King


----------



## fredbloggs02

As a web slips or insect crawls between fingers of a clenched fist lol.










I love all Easwaran's Vedanta translations.


----------



## SirAwesome

.


----------



## shelbster18

The Ruins by Scott Smith. I've seen the movie when it first came out on DVD and it's been awhile so reading the book won't be a waste of time. I enjoyed the movie so I know I'll like the book.


----------



## ineverwipe

I'm currently waiting for my Feeling Good handbook by Dr Burns to get here. Then I'll be reading that


----------



## Sprocketjam

Rather amazing.


----------



## Mikebissle

Last book I read was And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Good read.


----------



## WhisperingPines05

Nancy Mitford's _The Pursuit of Love_. Brilliantly witty.


----------



## Barette

I finished A First Rate Msdness (loved it!) and started Broke Heart Blues by Joyce Carol Oates. I read way too much of her but I just love her writing so much.


----------



## Putin

Giacomo Leopardi


----------



## fredbloggs02

I recognize many Vedic ideas as they appear in Pythgoreanism and later Christian thought. Amidst other resemblances in cosmology and ethics, both of the former agree on the nature and place of the sun in the universe. Hindu sages and early Greek philosophers are said to have met during the sixth century BC.


----------



## shelbster18

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It's a sad book. :[


----------



## rdrr




----------



## ineverwipe

A Game of Thrones. Just started it


----------



## Morpheus

My Age of Anxiety by Scott Stossel. Its about anxiety disorders.


----------



## Citrine

ACC121 Financial Accounting. Whooeeee!


----------



## anonymid

Re-reading _Much Ado About Nothing_. Going to see a performance of it on Sunday.


----------



## aquilla

also :









someone's not going to have a life this weekend apparently. God help me.(but eh, I've postponed those two for so long, and I NEED to read as much as possible of this Miłosz guy for my studies )


----------



## aquilla

Ok so my head exploded after all the Miłosz stuff ( *coughs* which I haven't finished yet *coughs* ) but but but BUT I have this now


----------



## miminka

scapegoat: the jews, israel, and women's liberation - andrea dworkin
power, gender, and christian mysticism - grace m. jantzen


----------



## herk

Unfinished Tales by Tolkien


----------



## Fenrir Sorrow

herk said:


> Unfinished Tales by Tolkien


I have to read The Lord of the Rings. I'm reading Tolkien in the chronological order of Arda, and currently have finished The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Children of Húrin and a bit of Unfinished Tales. I stopped on the third age.

Currently, I'm reading that book, but I'm finding the vocabulary a bit hard. But I guess I'm starting to get used to Lovecraft writing.


----------



## shelbster18

The Runaways by Victor Canning. ^_^ I'm glad I picked this book from the library.


----------



## ineverwipe

A Game of Thrones. Just started a few days ago. It's alright so far but everyone says it gets really good once you get past the beginning so I'm trying to power through


----------



## ravenseldoncat

Still working on The Evolutionary Void by Peter F. Hamilton.


----------



## aquilla




----------



## shelbster18

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett online for free. Sounds like a fun book. ;3

My mom told me that she thought she saw this book at our library on sell for like 25 or 50 cents so I might just buy it. I need to start a book collection. ^_^


----------



## Remnant of Dawn

Wheel of Time, but I've been in the middle of the series for a few years now.


----------



## Steve French

Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming. It's like Bond in a blaxploitation film!


----------



## misspeachy

The Magnificent Meaulnes


----------



## c224

Just finishing The Shining and just starting Silence of the Lambs


----------



## Cam1




----------



## Gavroche

Catching Fire

I just read the The Hunger Games over the past few days and stayed up till nearly 4 am to finish it last night, it was riveting. This is my Spring Break


----------



## miminka

s. — slavenka drakulić
the thin woman: feminism, post-structuralism & the social psychology of anorexia nervosa — helen mason


----------



## bottleofblues

This site, I don't really get into fictional books, I'd rather read about reality.


----------



## aquilla




----------



## rosetintmyworld7

I am currently reading the Hobbit.


----------



## sadkittens

i just started reading Tricks by Ellen Hopkins. after i'm finished with that, i'll read Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, and Silence Of The Lambs once i'm finished. 

i recently started watching NBC's Hannibal and i love it. The movies i haven't seen but are on my list of movies to watch.


----------



## imabean

I've started reading 'Innocents' by Cathy Coots. I still have yet to finish 'Story of the Eye' by Georges Bataille. :')


----------



## Mittens76

Desperation by Stephen King and a book on Physics.


----------



## seeking777

The Looking Glass Wars: Book 3 Arch Enemy by Frank Beddor. It is the author's take on Alice in Wonderland. The idea is that it's the true story behind Lewis Carroll's book. Alice is actually from Wonderland. It is a serious, darker, more mature take on the original. I _highly_ recommend it.

I'm also listening to an audiobook named the Yada Yada Prayer Group about a diverse group of women from Chicago who meet at a women's conference. They become close friends through meeting regularly to share their lives, support each other and pray for one another.


----------



## AceEmoKid

A Collaborative Approach to Eating Disorders, edited by June Alexander and Janet Treasure. Not very far yet. Too distracted by other frivolous occupations.


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## fredbloggs02

Lucretius- De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of the Universe).

I admire people who express their thoughts through poetry like the Metaphysical poets or the Presocratics who versified On Nature... Essentially the poeticized atomism of Leucippus, Democritus and Epicurus. Invisible, infinitesimal, yet indestructible atoms or material particles and the void or empty space through which they join, disperse and move are the underlying reality of which everything is composed.

"Consider sunbeams. When the sun's ray let in
Passes through the darkness of a shuttered room,
You will see a multitude of tiny bodies
All mingling in a multitude of ways
Inside the sunbeam, moving in the void,
Seeming to be engaged in endless strife,
Battle, and warfare, troop attacking troop,
And never a respite, hurried constantly,
With meetings and with partings everywhere.
From this you can imagine what it is
For atoms to be tossed perpetually
In endless motion through the mighty void."​


----------



## rdrr




----------



## hester

I haven't started reading it yet, but I just bought this book at Barnes and Nobles called In the Woods by Tana French. Hopefully it's good


----------



## Cam1

Pretty interesting trilogy, this is the second book. Loved the first one _I Am Not a Serial Killer_. About a teenage sociopath with APD who fights the urge to kill people while investigating a supernatural serial killer. Reminds me of Dexter a bit. Pretty damn dark and disturbing at times though.


----------



## catcharay

Been 'reading' anton chekov's short stories via audiobk (AWESOME for when my eyes feel tired at night).

The stories are amusing and i like his style of storytelling.

_Posted via *Topify* on Android_


----------



## Arbre

I listened to an audiobook of On the Origin of Species years ago, now I'm actually reading the book.


----------



## aquilla




----------



## Steve French

I can't read


----------



## hshaikh

the stranger i married by Sylvia day


----------



## level4

A song for Lya, by George RR Martin, on the recommendation of a friend, weirdly i haven't read his more famous Game of Throne books, but i liked this story.


----------



## hall665

_Crimes in Southern Indiana_ by Frank Bill. Stupendous


----------



## Noll

The Idiot


----------



## miminka

kolyma tales — varlam shalamov
how the steel was tempered pt. 2 — ostrovsky
largo desolato — václav havel


----------



## Sgt Pepper

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Great read!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Sgt Pepper said:


> Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
> Great read!


This is one of the books on my shelf that I've yet to read, perhaps it's up next


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## retracekim

The Moral Landscape, and a textbook


----------



## shelbster18

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Um, wow. This is one of the most depressing and sick books I've ever read but it's really good. Very dark stuff.


----------



## tieffers

shelbster18 said:


> The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Um, wow. This is one of the most depressing and sick books I've ever read but it's really good. Very dark stuff.


I've always meant to pick that one up! Do you feel it has any relevance today?

Anyway, this has my attention right now.










I've fallen in love with the prose and style, but it does make me so queasy.


----------



## catcharay

Now i am reading moby dick via ebook. My cuz said it is actually a good classic. It never appealed to me but i will see if her words hold true

i am a total ebook convert. 
I have a higher level of respect for my phone. So versatile.

_Posted via *Topify* on Android_


----------



## Crimson Lotus

The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story by Richard Preston.

Which is a terrible read for a hypochondriac... But I just can't help it.


----------



## Mittens76

The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger.


----------



## oood

Mansfield Park. Supposedly Austen's least likeable novel


----------



## Daniel C

The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq, but I am getting kind of fed up with the frankly astonishing amount of sexual explicitness in it, as well as with the dystopian cultural pessimism. Still, it is French and it is literature, so one has to keep on going.


----------



## harrison

Bit of a classic by a leading psychologist who is also bipolar.


----------



## shelbster18

tieffers said:


> I've always meant to pick that one up! Do you feel it has any relevance today?
> 
> Anyway, this has my attention right now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I've fallen in love with the prose and style, but it does make me so queasy.


Hmm, I'm not sure. In a way, I guess it does. I can really feel the emotion in the characters. I actually didn't finish the book, though.  I took it back to the library yesterday because I wanted to go ahead and finish up The Dark Tower series, which I've been procrastinating on doing for almost two years now. But I'ma go back and get the book.

The Dark Tower Series: Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King. I had to go back to the beginning of this book to refresh my memory. I really hope they make The Dark Tower into like a three part movie or something even better. I'd love to see that.


----------



## typemismatch

Oh dear


----------



## aquilla




----------



## Kascheritt




----------



## Daniel C

aquilla said:


>


Wonderful. :clap I remember when I read it I felt like I was constantly in some sort of surreal ecstacy. It was so unlike anything I'd ever read before...


----------



## LudwigVanBetelgeuse




----------



## igor1701

The Foundation series from Isaac Asimov.


----------



## green9206

Hyperspace by Michio Kaku.


----------



## dogapus

Pastoralia by George Saunders
I really enjoy the short stories. I had a physical jaw drop response at one point! The last novella is too word heavy for my tastes. I keep putting it down but I know there's action in there somewhere.


----------



## typemismatch

aquilla said:


>





Daniel C said:


> Wonderful. :clap I remember when I read it I felt like I was constantly in some sort of surreal ecstacy. It was so unlike anything I'd ever read before...


Oh oh oh... I've just started reading this too. How exciting. I've only just read the first 6% (dammit my kindle version doesn't have page numbers). I've been meaning to read this for years. Also I was thinking I've not read enough "classics" recently (or ever). Oh oh and also I've really got to get around to reading The Master and the Margarita and The Magic Mountain too.. both of which I've also been meaning to read for ages.


----------



## firestar

_The Last Colony_ by John Scalzi. And even though I'm trying to be restrained about it, I have a feeling I'm going to burn through it in no time at all. I have no willpower.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## lexx

Lord of the Flies


----------



## Nunuc




----------



## Alleviate Suffering

The last book I read was _Watchmen_ and it was terrific.

Think I might go on to _Perdido Street Station_ by China Mieville next. Never read anything by him before.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## Euripides

Sooo finished it last night after months of lying around because I got too annoyed with it. Now, I'm as pro-EU as they come but a lot of things bother me about this manifest. The reliance on an anachronistic superiority discourse which seems to belong in the late 19th century and a pre-revisionist historical perspective, for one. Also, the unpragmatic preaching for nothing less than a radical revolution -now, now, now- towards a post-national Europe is thoroughly unrealistic and begs not to be taken seriously and all that blah. At present, at least. Still, ideally, I agree with most everything said, particularly where the surge of nationalism, populism and conservatism are concerned. Knowing Verhofstadt, this hasn't brought anything new to light, but eh. As a collection of pro arguments, it has its purpose. 
_Now, gimme some goddamn fiction pls._


----------



## hnstlylonelyaf

Catcher in the Rye! I feel like I understand Holden so much


----------



## WhisperingPines05




----------



## fredbloggs02

Don Juan- Bryon


----------



## SSRValentine

A Feast for Crows. I heard this was the most boring book in the asoiaf series but I'm loving it!


----------



## lunarc

A Dance with Dragons: Part 1. I'm kinda bored. Or tired. I don't know. But I can't get my head down and read it. Its a ****ing sick story. I don't know. Maybe I need to stop watching movies or something and get on with it. Reading it has kinda ruined the show for me. Which sucks.


----------



## shelbster18

Song of Susannah. =)


----------



## dogapus

Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace
I really enjoy reading this early work of his. It has a heap of writing styles and a syncopating narrative that I can't wait to figure out. I can see why he looked back with disappointment at it, but it's really inspiring to read his first novel (written at twenty-four). He threw down later on. The first thing I read by him (Brief Interviews) scared the crap out of me.

In related news http://variety.com/2014/film/news/d...ason-segel-jesse-eisenberg-biopic-1201161423/1


----------



## yin97825

Just finished the LOTR trilogy, ready to read Peter Pan!


----------



## oood

Mary Renault book, I'd like to start getting into historical fiction


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## Charmander

"A Clash of Kings"


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm nearly finished Frankenstein. It's different than I expected but quite good & full of depth. I will watch the classic film when I am done


----------



## typemismatch

Victory for the forces of democratic freedom!!!

Oh boy.


----------



## shelbster18

The last of The Dark Tower series. Yay. The artwork in these books is so amazing.


----------



## dogapus

typemismatch said:


> Victory for the forces of democratic freedom!!!
> 
> Oh boy.


GUH I found that book at random in the library and was so disturbed by chapter 0 that I had to read it. It's been a while now and it might be the first book I decide to reread. There's a great essay by Zadie Smith focusing on the book and his work that's worth reading, by the way.

Right now I'm reading Lies my Teacher Told Me, a history book covering things that aren't covered enough in school history text books.

I'm itching to read some Philip K. Dick.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Just finishing Frankenstein, gonna begin Dracula after that


----------



## Euripides




----------



## Darktower776

Just started the Monster Hunter International series. Good so far.


----------



## oood




----------



## rdrr




----------



## sacgirl88

maze runner


----------



## Folded Edge

David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day.


----------



## Pennywise




----------



## WhisperingPines05




----------



## WhisperingPines05




----------



## Charmander

Clash of Kings and The Fault in Our Stars audiobook.


----------



## Kalliber

I'm actually re-reading Wild Swans


----------



## Dream King

Alternating between The Shining and a collection of Raymond Chandler's short fiction.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## Cam1




----------



## WhisperingPines05




----------



## lucyinthesky

typemismatch said:


> It's like in Kafka on the Shore. Where he spends the time in the library.


One of my favourite book moments! Well, that with all the coffee he drinks.

Currently: The Cossacks by Tolstoy, Poems That Make Grown Men Cry anthology and some stuff to do with the psychology of reading.


----------



## VisualAttraction

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Only just finished another book on Sumerian religion that left out the creation.


----------



## chanel95

I've just finished reading a Dance with dragons...
Now I'm reading 'We need to talk about Kevin' by Lionel Shriver. So intense!


----------



## fredbloggs02

Despite his materialistic determinism, his declaring philosophy dead and God an unnecessary assumption (like all nowadays bestsellers "on the big table between Jamie Oliver and Derren Brown"), I see poetry in Maxwell's discovery that light itself is an electromagnetic wave.

I found the discussion of Feynman's formulation of quantum theory difficult, and lost him where he seemed to argue that the act of observing particles as small as the electron determines how they interact.


----------



## typemismatch

I was going to read Valis then at the last minute decided to read Atonement instead.


----------



## herk

just finished the Hyperion series by Dan Simmons - holy holy moly it blew my mind and excited my imagination and touched my heart in so many ways, i'm so sad that it's over


----------



## alenclaud

The Summer Book, by Tove Jansson


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm 3/4 through Bram Stoker's Dracula...good stuff so far, I like the letters/journals approach of it


----------



## pazuzuinxs

Inspector Singh: Chinese Conspiracy


----------



## TakeOne

Dresden Files: Blood Rites, by Jim Butcher.


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## rdrr




----------



## shouldeyefallbehind

I am reading Ed Mc Bain's "See them Die". It is the first time I have read anything by this author. I am actually quite liking it.


----------



## alenclaud

^^great one. I love all of Gaiman's writing. He's a genius, that one.
I've finished with The Summer Book, which tells the adventures, both humoristic and fun and warm-hearted, of a grandmother and her granddaughter. Now I'm reading Antwerp , by Roberto Bolaño (another genius).


----------



## WhisperingPines05

I have read every fiction novel by Norman Mailer...expect Barbary Shore. The story reads like a mixture of Kafka and Henry Miller, stark and lean, and is about an amnesiac veteran of WWII living in Brooklyn, in the shadow of American dealings with post war communism.


----------



## shelbster18

Ray Bradbury's Farhenheit 451. I heard it's over-rated and I'm not picky with books so I know I'll like it, especially since it's a classic. A lot of people (at least from reviews I've seen on Reddit) couldn't stand The Catcher in the Rye and I liked it. When it comes to books for me, you can't go wrong with them unless it's romance. I recently finished up the whole Dark Tower series and was so shocked by the ending. I guess for one reason, I got so attached to the characters and I took a long break from reading like the second half of the series. It's the first series I ever read. Might be why the ending came as more of a surprise than expected.


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## HelpfulHero

fredbloggs02 said:


> Despite his materialistic determinism, his declaring philosophy dead and God an unnecessary assumption (like all nowadays bestsellers "on the big table between Jamie Oliver and Derren Brown"), I see poetry in Maxwell's discovery that light itself is an electromagnetic wave.
> 
> I found the discussion of Feynman's formulation of quantum theory difficult, and lost him where he seemed to argue that the act of observing particles as small as the electron determines how they interact.


You're coming along nicely :yes


----------



## AceEmoKid

"The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, and Body" by Steven Mithen. 

I'm only 60-ish pages in so far (just started reading it today at the local coffee shop) and holy ****, now I understand why my music professor recommended it so highly (as I notice reading through now, he based a lot of his lesson plans and outside readings on names dropped and theories included in this book). I'm glad I went to borrow it at the library. He loaned it to me last semester, but I never got a chance to read it (procrastination and schoolwork to busy me). 

This is just what I need to stimulate me.


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## rdrr




----------



## rdrr




----------



## Cam1




----------



## catcharay

Ive got a paperback copy of game of thrones (my bros book) so im reading that.

_Posted via *Topify* on Android_


----------



## Euripides




----------



## EllyxKar

oceanchief said:


> 100 years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (not a bad read so far)
> 
> Previously I was reading Ishmael which is a very good read, very thought provoking. Highly recommended.


when I first read the book I kind of...hated it. I hate the constant repetition from the names, I got lost and the storyline to me seemed boring. But after I was done with it and started reading another book i realized how much I missed it haha looking forward to reading more from Marquez, pretty unique style.


----------



## mooncake

1Q84 - Haruki Murakami


----------



## Steve French

Was running out of books to read so I've been finding classics on Project Gutenberg and downloading them onto my tablet. Can find quite a few good books. Many of the early 20th century ones are still very readable. Not that I don't like the really old ones, but some of their flowery prose and extensive vocabularies of words no longer used begin to grate on me at times.


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

'Sacred Economics: Money, Gift and Society in the Age of Transition', by Charles Eisenstein.


----------



## twistix

Margherita Dolce Vita by Stefano Benni


----------



## rdrr

mooncake said:


> 1Q84 - Haruki Murakami


Good one! I like all things Murakami.


----------



## twinpeas

Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Next I'm planning on reading The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. I hate admitting this, but I actually saw the movie first. I really wanted to wait until I read the book, but it was just too tempting.


----------



## entangled

The Stranger by Albert Camus
and
The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith by Joan Schenkar


----------



## christacat

Moranthology-Caitlin Moran


----------



## Darktower776

Monster Hunter Alpha by Larry Correia


----------



## 3 AM

_Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune_ by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## pocketbird

East of Eden - John Steinbeck
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami


----------



## fredbloggs02

Siddharta - Herman Hesse

The Dhammapada - Eknath Easwaran

The Tibetan book of the Dead - Gyurme Dorje

My second reading of the Dhammapada. I finished it yesterday.


----------



## christacat

Orange Is The New Black-Piper Kerman
(Haven't had a chance to watch the actual show  thought I would read the book first)


----------



## rdrr




----------



## Euripides




----------



## thinkstoomuch101

We, the Living (Ayn Rand)


----------



## Steve French

The Stranger - Albert Camus.

Finally got adjusted to this reading on the tablet ****e. Sure is nice, I can steal the books that I actually want to read.


----------



## HannahG

John Grisham's "Runaway Jury"

Good book but I think I like the movie better.


----------



## sansd

_Chaos: Making a New Science_ by James Gleick


----------



## Steve123

I just finished

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

and

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl

Both HIGHLY recommended, especially for people on this site struggling with SA and the like.


----------



## pocketbird

The Wind- Up Bird Chronicle


----------



## 0lly

And also dipping into this:








The essays kind of make for nice comfort reading. :3


----------



## Noll

The Brothers Karamazov, it feels cozy so far.


----------



## Folded Edge

Girl Panic said:


> _Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune_ by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.


Ahh, I've got this written down on a post-it pad along with a few other books for future reading. I heard a review of it on the radio around the time of it's release. It sounded fascinating (and sad). I hope it's a good read and that you enjoy it. :yes

Gone for some lighter reading this time, currently reading Stephen King's - Doctor Sleep. Seems pretty good so far.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

20 pages to go until I've completed Frankenstein & then it's back to Dracula which I'm halfway through


----------



## rdrr




----------



## Steve French

All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque.

Probably read it ten times by now, but it had been a few years.


----------



## Euripides




----------



## zemulis

Prozac nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel. I hope I'll finish that book >.<


----------



## typemismatch

Just finished reading MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood. Quite disappointing, not up to the standard of the previous two books. Also finished The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa which has some maths in it which made me feel all nostalgic. And now I'm onto The Picture of Dorian Gray. I think it's about selfies.


----------



## Nekomata

Xenocide by Orson Scott Card.


----------



## lunamarie

the Witching Hour - Anne Rice. 
Dracula - Bram Stoker. 
the Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

lunamarie said:


> Dracula - Bram Stoker


I'm halfway through this


----------



## Jamalam

The Easter Parade by Richard Yates. I totally dig the 50's.


----------



## aquilla




----------



## 0lly

Steve French said:


> All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque.
> 
> Probably read it ten times by now, but it had been a few years.


Such a sad book. The part where he goes home to visit his ill mother really gets me


----------



## 0lly




----------



## Pompeii

Obsession by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. FBI profiler probes the psyches of stalkers, serial killers and rapists. Rereading after just rereading Mindhunter.


----------



## Constantine Kai Alkandros

History of the Byzantine State by Ostrogorsky


----------



## Euripides




----------



## Chanelleninja

Book Of Life by Deborah Harkness


----------



## hnstlylonelyaf

Finished The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon


----------



## herk

Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons

and just finished the second book in the Wild Cards series 8)


----------



## Satoni

'The Museum of Extraordinary Things' by Alice Hoffman
'The Count of Monte Christo' by Alexandre Dumas (slowly, but surely...)


----------



## SouthernTom




----------



## aquilla

It's like... "Yesterday We Visited an Island", or "Yesterday We Were in an Island" if loosely translated.


----------



## rdrr

Finished it, quick read.


----------



## Cheesecake




----------



## lucyinthesky

I also recently enjoyed I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes - would certainly recommend it!


----------



## aquilla

rdrr said:


> Finished it, quick read.


Hey, how was it? I've recently bought a copy of this book myself


----------



## rdrr

aquilla said:


> Hey, how was it? I've recently bought a copy of this book myself


I liked it! I felt the main character is someone a lot of us can relate to here on SAS. It had the typical Murakami story details; jazz music, explicit detail of sex acts and description of sexual organs, someone drinking cutty sark, and a character being able to play an instrument.


----------



## 0Blythe




----------



## herk

just started The Dante Club


----------



## TryingMara

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult


----------



## falling and laughing

Just finished reading reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Has anyone else read this?


----------



## Alleviate Suffering

falling and laughing said:


> Just finished reading reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Has anyone else read this?


What did you think of it? It's one of my favourite books.


----------



## hnstlylonelyaf

Diary of Anne Frank


----------



## Elros

Just finished this:










Now onto:


----------



## falling and laughing

Alleviate Suffering said:


> What did you think of it? It's one of my favourite books.


It's definitely one of my favourite books now, the ending killed me though! I'm going to have to read it again at some point. Who was your favourite character?


----------



## typemismatch

falling and laughing said:


> It's definitely one of my favourite books now, the ending killed me though! I'm going to have to read it again at some point. Who was your favourite character?


It's one of my favourite books too. When I finished it I was tempted to just go back to the start and read it again - and I never re-read books. The characters have so much depth. Their struggles with every day life and the self. Loved it. Also a lot of really funny parts too.


----------



## Galileo

I am reading The Long Mars, by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, but not enjoying it.


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## GlassesWearingMod

I'm reading Brave New World right now, and I must say that, although I am only about 120 pages in, I feel like Bernard Marx is the only literary protagonist I've ever felt I can truly identify with. Short, smart, a little awkward, and prone to saying "the societal norms are nonsense!" of course, the entire of the novel is interesting to me, because I've always thought we lived in a society like BNW. Everyone is told they are free and things are great but in all actuality it makes people easier to control, basically this concept is hiding 1984s..

Also, A Clockwork Orange. The "Nadsat" was a little hard to get my head around but the very impersonal nature of Alex reminds me of characters like The Catcher In The Rye's Holden without necessarily being as overly repetitive. Yes, he has a tendency to repeat phrases (O my brothers) but he doesn't ramble about things "really kill him" or whatever.


----------



## zazen11

^ It's really worth reading the foreword that was written by Huxley much later after writing the book, which I believe is only included in some versions but easy to find online.


I'm reading some light escapist fantasy fiction by Dianna Wynne Jones atm.


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## Seahorse

Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K Massie - love anything Imperial Russia!


----------



## fredbloggs02




----------



## Ladysoul

Phlebotomy text book -_-


----------



## TryingMara

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.


----------



## falling and laughing

On the Road by Jack Kerouac


----------



## dontwaitupforme

falling and laughing said:


> On the Road by Jack Kerouac


I love that book!

Oscar Wilde - the biography


----------



## Steve French

Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski. Killing me so far. Going to have to look up a few of his other books.


----------



## zazen11

typemismatch said:


>


I can't wait to read this one. I'm sharing a copy with my nearest and dearest and have to wait for my turn!

Just about to start A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, which I expect will be brilliant if it's anything like the fantastic Chaos Walking trilogy.


----------



## mooncake

_Neverwhere_ by Neil Gaiman. Started this one because I recently read his _The Ocean at the End of the Lane_ and loved it, and prior to that _American Gods_ which I also liked. I like him as an author, though his writing can be quite dark and I think I could do with something more cheery right now :/


----------



## rdrr

Microserfs, by Douglas Coupland.


----------



## rdrr

mooncake said:


> _Neverwhere_ by Neil Gaiman. Started this one because I recently read his _The Ocean at the End of the Lane_ and loved it, and prior to that _American Gods_ which I also liked. I like him as an author, though his writing can be quite dark and I think I could do with something more cheery right now :/


Neverwhere is a good book, you'll get into the story.


----------



## tehuti88

I have not been in this thread in *ages*! I've been reading e-books lately, but now I'm longing to return to a physical book. But I can't make up my mind!! :cry I have so many to choose from! I want to read them ALL! RIGHT NOW!

Perhaps if I choose one RIGHT NOW I'll make myself stick to it...?

This is the one currently up for grabs...









_Morning, Come Quickly_ by Wanda Karriker

A novel about Satanic ritual abuse. A topic I actually write fiction about quite often myself. (The "Kristeva" in my sig is a survivor.) ops It's difficult to find decent books on the topic, since most are either by super-gullible religious types who believe in *every* single weird theory, or else by super-skeptical closeminded types who don't believe such things *ever* happen, period. It's hard to find books on the middle ground.

This is the first fictional one I've seen that seems like it might be on the middle ground...at least, I'm _hoping_ it is. I'd hate for it to turn out to be either extreme... *crosses fingers*

Now to commit to reading it! I'm also hoping it might inspire my own work a bit.


----------



## purechaos

The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and sleep


----------



## tlrc

Girl, Interrupted. Such a great book!
Oh yeah, and I finally ordered The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath...I'm really excited for it to get here.


----------



## typemismatch

just finished:










and now onto:


----------



## Nicole G

Underworld by Meg Cabot


----------



## Steve French

Just started on the complete short stories of Guy de Maupassant. A bit over 1100 pages, should keep me occupied for a while.

Also been reading This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I don't know though, something real dry and slow about the first few parts. Do quite enjoy the descriptions of society and personal affairs in the early 20th century. Pretty far removed from how things are today.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## shyshisho

The Chronicles of Narnia in French translation. I thought my French was good enough to at least read children's books without any problem, but sadly I consult the dictionary at least once a page.


----------



## TryingMara

_Sing You Home_ by Jodi Picoult.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Life of Saint Francis of Assisi - Saint Bonaventure

He restored churches, cared for the sick and dying, experienced rapture, conversed with animals, founded the Franciscan order and even challenged a Sultan's priest at fire-walking. He lived a full life.

I found the Saint's treatment of leppers and his love of animals particularly moving. From the book:

"This consideration of the common origin of all creatures filled him with overflowing tenderness for all; and he called them all his brothers and sisters, because they had all one origin with himself."










Goethe's image of the cyclic growth of plants, how each part can potentially form each, is beautiful: all parts traced back to the leaves, each expanding or contracting, and each bloom part of the whole plant.


----------



## TicklemeRingo

Nabokov's Lolita.

Disturbing.


----------



## Rixy




----------



## TabbyTab




----------



## lastofthekews

Stephen King's Doctor Sleep


----------



## Sprocketjam

The Dresden Files


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## Steve French




----------



## boas

Just got done with Fight Club and am now starting on Nineteen Eighty Four - again. I first read it when I was 18 but I feel like I appreciate it on a deeper level now; it's more poignant, more personal.


----------



## dansfeat

I am reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, so far its pretty good!


----------



## catcharay

The winning novel for this years Man booker prize is written by an Australian and my b/f encouraged me to read it, so this will be my next reading material:


----------



## Nunuc

Tom Clancy's The Sum of All Fears.


----------



## typemismatch

Finished Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki. It's about me. Really enjoyed it. Not that I like reading about me, but Murakami changed the names and made me Japanese and a railway station engineer. 

Got a stiff neck while reading it though because of it being sideways (see above). It's a problem I am having at the moment because a lot of my books are arriving sideways in the post.

Next up I'm going to read Runt by Niall Griffiths


----------



## pineapple2220

The Death Cure by James Dashner...not very impressed so far with the series.


----------



## romeoindespair

finnegans wake james joyce
the guermantes way marcel proust
Less than zero bret easton ellis


----------



## romeoindespair

TabbyTab said:


>


God I haven't gone thru that in forever. Have you watched the anime?


----------



## fredbloggs02

The philosophical system of Kapila. Reality, he says, is a synthesis of principles: one subtle, undiscrete, intellective apeiron (prakriti), beyond sense impressions; a plurality of discrete, visible essences; and active principles (gunas). The specific discrete essences, which draw impetus from undiscrete prakriti, are cast into the veil of Maya: the illusion of separateness, which is as that of beads on a necklace, or as jewels on a diadem; or, the Vedic image: moonlight on oscillating water. As in other systems of Hinduism, the suffering of rebirth should be overcome; and, like Spinoza, Kapila's remedy is correct apprehension of the principles of nature. His views on the soul are equally enchanting and intuitive to me; but I can only say so much here. His system is complicated. I did my best to relate this much.

I have almost finished Baudelaire's Artificial Paradises, his other essays on drugs too. His visceral experiences are fanatical. I imagine coiling inside a whirlpool like that - no thought for anything outside.

There are Straussian contrasts in Baudelaire' writing: chaos and stillness, light and shadow, tumult and silence. I distinctly remember four different images. One is a cityscape at dusk viewed from a high window, suspended in stark tension between an infinitely still sky, and the scattered tumult of the city. It reminded me of Saint Anthony's trial in the desert. The ascetic seals himself in his cave where demons in the form of animals assail him. They charge him, and he is severely gored and bludgeoned, when suddenly a beam of light breaks through the roof, and evaporates them in pure, all-consuming brilliance.


----------



## clair de lune




----------



## lastofthekews

Michael Marshall - We are here


----------



## romeoindespair

Just finshed misery by stephen king 
now onto finnegans wake and the guermantes way


----------



## gloomy

just finished Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King.
going to start The Catcher in the Rye now.


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## Cerberus

The Life And Death Of Adolf Hitler by Robert Payne


----------



## shyshisho

The Way of Tarot by Alejandro Jodorowsky.


----------



## catcharay

My new reading book will be an autobiography for something alternative to my usual fiction reading:


----------



## tumerking

I just finished The Sun Also Rises a few hours ago. I feel a little heartbroken and a lot glad that my penis works. I couldn't get enough of the witty dialogue. Brett is awesome. I sort of want a modern movie to be made out of it so I can watch her come alive. The actress would never do her justice, but I don't want her to fade out and die in my head. I wish the book could go on forever. I need to find more Hemingway and fast. This is his second book in two weeks I've finished. I think For Whom the Bell Tolls has to be next on my list.


----------



## TabbyTab

romeoindespair said:


> God I haven't gone thru that in forever. Have you watched the anime?


Sorry for the late reply. Don't come on here much xD and I watched the anime up until like ep 11 cause anime bores me extremely but I'm reading the manga now for a school project sense it's the shortest thing I could think of. Tbh I'm not even gonna finish vol 1 sense I hate reading lol.


----------



## Steve French

tumerking said:


> I just finished The Sun Also Rises a few hours ago. I feel a little heartbroken and a lot glad that my penis works. I couldn't get enough of the witty dialogue. Brett is awesome. I sort of want a modern movie to be made out of it so I can watch her come alive. The actress would never do her justice, but I don't want her to fade out and die in my head. I wish the book could go on forever. I need to find more Hemingway and fast. This is his second book in two weeks I've finished. I think For Whom the Bell Tolls has to be next on my list.


Should have a go on his short stories. Can get a collected volume of every one for not too many shekels. Some mighty fine writing, many of them I prefer to his novels.


----------



## tumerking

Steve French said:


> Should have a go on his short stories. Can get a collected volume of every one for not too many shekels. Some mighty fine writing, many of them I prefer to his novels.


Ha, my sister got me that for my birthday a couple weeks ago. I started reading it yesterday and yea Hemingway definitely knows how to write.


----------



## fredbloggs02

I recently finished this book. The subject of evolution interests me, though I am not sure what to think of it yet. I would have eventually read Darwin, if not for university, but evolution is one of my chosen subjects. 
I am repelled by the creatures from which humans are supposed to have descended, as cancerous wounds to be gouged out. Still, I feel an almost romanticized kinship with Neanderthals - near close as breath.

Ideas and Opinions - Einstein

The consolation of Philosophy - Boethius "Listen," she said. "Since every fortune, pleasant or harsh, is bestowed on the one hand to reward or to exercise the good, and on the other to punish the wicked, they are all of them good, for it is clear that they are either just or useful." I was deeply moved by this virtuous affirmation of struggle. A pile of disingenuous casuistry about the swiftness of justice--and then this.
I remember some words of a friend of mine to this effect: "the world is both light and darkness, and I am not sure how those in darkness hang on." That was deeply moving too. I read words like these, and I see the iron in the soul. I feel even a child could understand this sentiment... I am so touched by its nobility. Its discussion of free will against providence was also right to the heart. It has really made me think.

Tales of 1001 Nights. I have meant to start reading these tomes for a while. The characters are legion; at once religious, colourfully mythological, delicately sensitive, disjointed, blithely violent, and vibrantly poetic.


----------



## TryingMara

_Mercy_ by Jodi Picoult.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Cause, Principle and Unity - Giordano Bruno. For a monk, the most voluptuary dialogue trips off his tongue. It amazes me the inquisition could look each other in the eyes after sifting through these dialogues. I recommend them to anyone interested in pantheism or Hindu religion.


----------



## christacat

The Know-Martina Cole


----------



## romeoindespair

TabbyTab said:


> Sorry for the late reply. Don't come on here much xD and I watched the anime up until like ep 11 cause anime bores me extremely but I'm reading the manga now for a school project sense it's the shortest thing I could think of. Tbh I'm not even gonna finish vol 1 sense I hate reading lol.


Well whatever to each his own. They actully let you read manga for school?


----------



## romeoindespair

Cerberus said:


> The Life And Death Of Adolf Hitler by Robert Payne


*Spoiler* He dies in the end


----------



## Cerberus

romeoindespair said:


> *Spoiler* He dies in the end


Noooooo

I was really hoping for something like this at the end:


----------



## AllieG

Fahrenheit 451. I'm reading it for a school and I think it's an interesting read. I have a thing for dystopian novels so my opinion may be biased. Haha.


----------



## RestlessNative

Morrissey's Autobiography.
And Different Seasons (Stephen King).


----------



## Akvile




----------



## Steve French

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, then I have Norwegian Wood by Murakami lined up for afterwards. Kept seeing his name praised and plastered up and down this forum over the years, had to see what the hype is about.


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## gloomy

the handmaid's tale - margaret atwood


----------



## TryingMara

_Lone Wolf_ by Jodi Picoult.


----------



## mooncake

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson. Really love her, both for her moomin stuff and her adult fiction.


----------



## hingedthomas

BZRK reloaded - -michael grant.


----------



## pineapple2220

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr...enjoying it so far!


----------



## bewareofyou

Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer


----------



## Lonel016

Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie.


----------



## 000XXX000

61 hours lee child


----------



## WhisperingPines05




----------



## Elad

the way of kings

its getting good.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Just started The Autobio of Martin Luther King Jr


----------



## Steve French

Camille or the Lady of the Camellias, which makes more sense, by Alexandre Dumas fils. That is, junior.


----------



## The Superfluous Man

Half-way through War and Peace (by Leo Tolstoy). I hated Pierre at first, but now he's my man. Idealistic, yet hopeless. Intrinsically spiritual, yet powerless amidst the superficiality of his circumstances.


----------



## Cylon

Physics for dummies


----------



## Akvile




----------



## bad baby

Alan Cumming's memoir;










I actually cried and laughed out loud at parts. He has a way of drawing you in emotionally, like he's putting his acting chops into words. Love this guy so, so damn much. <3


----------



## typemismatch

Akvile said:


>


i've been meaning to read this for years. please let me know what you think of it.


----------



## catcharay

Reading these books because there is a copy of each lying around. Previously a long time ago I had tried Lolita but didn't finish it so maybe I'll do so this time round:


----------



## Elad

Elad said:


> the way of kings
> 
> its getting good.


those last 100 pages..



















words of radiance, pls be as good


----------



## shelbster18

As The World Dies : Fighting To Survive


----------



## typemismatch

Just started on my second George Saunders book after reading 10th of December earlier in the year. The first short story in this, Pastoralia, is damn good. I'm definitely seeing the similarities to DFW.


----------



## avoidobot3000

do youse like murakami? feels relaxing to read about loners. finally found the willpower to read 1q84 a few months back (it was worth it). now i'm reading colourless tsukuru tazaki and his years of pilgrimage.


----------



## Elad

words of radiance

[spoilers below in white]

it feels like kaladin is regressing compared to what he showed at the end of the first book, i was really hoping he would carry that momentum into schooling others, instead hes getting shown up by multiple characters, the altercation with the swordmaster/adolin and now szeth :'(

still, brandon sanders is great, plan to go straight into "the name of the wind" or the mistborn series after this

any ratings?


----------



## typemismatch

avoidobot3000 said:


> do youse like murakami? feels relaxing to read about loners. finally found the willpower to read 1q84 a few months back (it was worth it). now i'm reading colourless tsukuru tazaki and his years of pilgrimage.


Yes. I've read all his novels, probably my favourite author. Certainly the author I enjoy reading the most. Read Tsukuru Tazaki a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it. One of his best I think. My two favourites are Wind-Up and Wonderland.

Have you read any Paul Auster? Some of his books are very Murakami-esque. If you haven't then I would suggest The New York Trilogy, Moon Palace or The Music of Chance.

Oh and you might recognise this line down here....


----------



## peacelizard

Forget the name but it's about the Green River Killer. Same author that wrote The Stranger Beside Me about Ted Bundy


----------



## romeoindespair

Akvile said:


>


I literally just finished that 2 weeks ago. God that lady was such an enormous **** .:no 
Probably the only literary character Iv'e actively wanted to be hit by a train (aside from Anna Karinea)


----------



## purechaos

I am Malala


----------



## bad baby

bad baby said:


> Alan Cumming's memoir


First time in a long time that I've been so engrossed in a book, prioritizing it over just about everything else in my spare time. I'm gripped by the suspense and the raw emotional pain. Also he devotes an entire chapter to the wonders of the Eurovision song contests, and half of another to how it feels donning silicone boobs and high heels.

_Go into the unknown with truth, commitment, and openness and mostly you'll be okay._​
Strange as sappy as it might sound, but I think this book may be the start of my healing, in a way.



purechaos said:


> I am Malala


Ooh I'm reading that one next. Memoir streak.


----------



## truant

Just finished:

Fiction: _The Haunting of Hill House_ [loved it!], and _The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_ [really liked it].

Non-Fiction: _Sociobiology: The New Synthesis_ [a bit of a slog at times, but pretty damn good]

Also happy that I received three more books for the Freud library in the mail yesterday. Only two left and I'll have the whole set. Pokemon can suck it.


----------



## typemismatch

I've taken the plunge... Proust. I'm not sure I am up to it really. Although so far I'm liking it. I had the whole of In Search of Lost Time but it was about 150 page changes on my Kindle to get from 1% to 2%, so I got just the first Volume. This feels much more manageable. I'm not sure whether to call it In Search of Lost Time or Remembrance of Things Past.


----------



## truant

typemismatch said:


> I've taken the plunge... Proust. I'm not sure I am up to it really. Although so far I'm liking it. I had the whole of In Search of Lost Time but it was about 150 page changes on my Kindle to get from 1% to 2%, so I got just the first Volume. This feels much more manageable. I'm not sure whether to call it In Search of Lost Time or Remembrance of Things Past.


I just finished reading this a few months ago. I have the Moncrieff translation, _Remembrance of Things Past_. I think either title is fine, but _In Search of Lost Time_ seems to be the more popular way to refer to it.

I loved it. It's long, but it's worth it.


----------



## romeoindespair

typemismatch said:


> I've taken the plunge... Proust. I'm not sure I am up to it really. Although so far I'm liking it. I had the whole of In Search of Lost Time but it was about 150 page changes on my Kindle to get from 1% to 2%, so I got just the first Volume. This feels much more manageable. I'm not sure whether to call it In Search of Lost Time or Remembrance of Things Past.


 What do you think so far? Most people I know say they have a hard time getting into Proust's style.


----------



## SunshineSam218

Right now I'm currently reading: The Maze Runner: The Scroch Trails


----------



## shelbster18

As The World Dies : The First Days

So far, this one is better than the second book of the series.


----------



## bad baby

surreal


----------



## peacelizard

This


----------



## typemismatch

I'm enjoying this a lot so far.


----------



## truant




----------



## fobia

Sinclair Lewis
*Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott*

I like it.


----------



## JoeDoe87

*Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us* by Robert D. Hare


----------



## Elad

enjoyed stormlight archives, now only have to wait 20 years for the next 8 books

wanted to move out of the fantasy section but i need to escapism right now, started blood song


----------



## truant

Sigmund Freud, _Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis._

Also working my way through the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe.


----------



## typemismatch

Giovanni's Room.

I started reading this last night. I only read the first chapter because I really had to be in work early today. But **** ME. This is good. Very very good. I can't wait to read more tomorrow.


----------



## Elad

this

almost finished, so says kindle.

maybe not as good as the first book but i've really enjoyed it, 8-9/10 for its genre.

if i want to hit my marker of 52 books in 52 weeks i either need to read shorter books or pop caffeine pills constantly. leaning towards the latter. i really really want to be able to read faster but apparently my brain is more homer simpson than greek homer.

feels bad man.


----------



## kivi

Sabırsız Yürek (Original title: Ungeduld des Herzens)-Stefan Zweig


----------



## bad baby

kivi said:


> Sabırsız Yürek (Original title: Ungeduld des Herzens)-Stefan Zweig


i just started reading the very same book, in english. motivated by that wes anderson flick. lol


----------



## typemismatch

I've had one on my shelf for years. Not sure I'll ever get around to reading it.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Finally finished Dracula & can officially focus on The Auto-Bio Of MLK Jr


----------



## Green Eyes

Isa Hoes - Toen ik je zag
It's a Dutch book, written by a Dutch actress about her life with her actor husband who comitted suicide. He had suffered severe depression.


----------



## dontwaitupforme

The rules of attraction - Bret Easton Ellis


----------



## romeoindespair

dontwaitupforme said:


> The rules of attraction - Bret Easton Ellis


than zero but I think ROA is a thousand times better. Have you read any of his


----------



## dontwaitupforme

romeoindespair said:


> than zero but I think ROA is a thousand times better. Have you read any of his


I recently read glamorama and even though it became a little far fetched, i did enjoy it. I might move on to that one next as ive heard its good.

I love his style of writing, he really seems to hit the nail on the head with the way he portrays the characters personalities.


----------



## romeoindespair

dontwaitupforme said:


> I recently read glamorama and even though it became a little far fetched, i did enjoy it. I might move on to that one next as ive heard its good.
> 
> I love his style of writing, he really seems to hit the nail on the head with the way he portrays the characters personalities.


I love Bret Ellis. The guy is singlehandly responsible for getting me into reading (Hell. Glamorma is the first book I ever read). I've proably read him more than any other author.

Less than zero is pretty much my go to traveling book. Its such an easy read but its so much fun to pick up and its probably his best (by fans anyway). And whats amazing is he wrote the thing at 19.

It also has the honor of having "The Worst" film adaption of all time.:no


----------



## Kaloop

The Good House by Tananarive Due


----------



## cybernaut

Ughhh, everything these days. Wattpad.com (fanfic site). Cook books.Romance novels. Culture in Africa and the Middle East. Historical events such as the Iranian Hostage Crisis and WWII books.


----------



## SociallyAnxiousCoffee

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan. I haven't read for entertainment in a long time. I forgot how fun it was


----------



## Nekomata

Children of the Mind by Orson Scott Card
Neo Magazine
Murder Casebook: The Body Snatchers (an insight into the crimes of Burke and Hare)


----------



## TryingMara

_Plain Truth_ by Jodi Picoult.


----------



## darlieq

Revolutionary Road (Richard Yates)


----------



## wmu'14

Carrie by Stephen King. Love the 1999(?) tv movie but never read the book. It's excellent so far.


----------



## Elad

fantasy pleb dropping by










i'm trying to enjoy it because its so highly rated but its pretty tedious so far.. really not getting the hype

also trying to start the malazan book of the fallen series










its great if not a little frustrating to understand since you're just dropped straight into the world and there is so much to it

annd just finishing










super solid fantasy and new, second book is due out in a week


----------



## Grog

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts 

Only up to chapter 5 but it's very good so far . And we'll " true story " . About a Australian who broke out of jail and escaped to India bla bla bla. It's very good


----------



## truant

Nonfiction: Godel, Escher, Bach










Fiction: World War Z


----------



## Glowsphere

Nonfiction: Histories (Herodotus), The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
Fiction: Swann's Way by Marcel Proust


----------



## Nekomata

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.


----------



## Chess Piece

Just Read Prince of Thorns and King of Thorns so I'm now onto Emperor of Thorns. Loving the disturbing fantasy setting and characters.


----------



## Green Eyes

In The Afterlight (The Darkest Minds #3 )
Just started this one. The first two books in this trilogy were very good. I hope this last book too. And that it won't have a crappy ending like some series have.


----------



## truant

Glowsphere said:


> Nonfiction: Histories (Herodotus), The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith
> Fiction: Swann's Way by Marcel Proust


_The Wealth of Nations_ taunts me from its position on my book shelf. I've started it a couple of times, but I keep getting distracted by other things.

Read _In Search of Lost Time_ last year and absolutely loved it.


----------



## Glowsphere

truant said:


> _The Wealth of Nations_ taunts me from its position on my book shelf. I've started it a couple of times, but I keep getting distracted by other things.
> 
> Read _In Search of Lost Time_ last year and absolutely loved it.


Haha I can understand that... it's kind of a dry read (WoN). Do you remember who the translator was when you read In Search of Lost Time? I've found it to be kind of a slog so far... only about 100 pages in. Lydia Davis did this translation.


----------



## truant

Glowsphere said:


> Haha I can understand that... it's kind of a dry read (WoN). Do you remember who the translator was when you read In Search of Lost Time? I've found it to be kind of a slog so far... only about 100 pages in. Lydia Davis did this translation.


I read the Moncrieff translation (Remembrance of Things Past). I don't know which is the "best", but I enjoyed this one. It is _dense_. Lots of really long sentences and paragraphs that run on for several pages. Not for everyone. But his understanding of human nature is fantastic, and the writing is really beautiful. I think it gets better the more you read. It gets deeper.


----------



## Glowsphere

truant said:


> I read the Moncrieff translation (Remembrance of Things Past). I don't know which is the "best", but I enjoyed this one. It is _dense_. Lots of really long sentences and paragraphs that run on for several pages. Not for everyone. But his understanding of human nature is fantastic, and the writing is really beautiful. I think it gets better the more you read. It gets deeper.


Thanks... I will stick with it.


----------



## Cheesecake

Redshirts by John Scalzi.


----------



## typemismatch

This has been on my shelf for years. It gets lots of great reviews and sounds really interesting. Big book though.


----------



## wmu'14

All The Wrong Questions


----------



## Chiriko57

The book I am currently on is The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom. I highly recommend this book. It's great!


----------



## Green Eyes

Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris


----------



## hazel22

Character and Neurosis by Oscar Ichazo


----------



## Cmasch

Cosmos by Carl Sagan


----------



## FixMeNow

The Magus by John Fowles


----------



## typemismatch

FixMeNow said:


> The Magus by John Fowles


One of my favourite books.


----------



## FixMeNow

typemismatch said:


> One of my favourite books.


<3 J Fowles - The Collector is my personal favourite (and I think just about every guy here could relate to the story to an extent)


----------



## shelbster18

Wendy Corsi Staub - Live to Tell

I'm going to see if I can find any zombie books to read after I get done reading this.


----------



## S a m

I've been needing something to read badly. I'm going to order the book, You Remind Me of Me by Dan Chaon and after that I'll probably order some more of his books.


----------



## typemismatch

FixMeNow said:


> <3 J Fowles - The Collector is my personal favourite (and I think just about every guy here could relate to the story to an extent)


Yeah, that was a good book too. Long time since I read it though. I've read TFLW as well. Don't think there is much else to read of Fowles other than those three.


----------



## Cheesecake

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornsby.


----------



## truant

Finished _Godel, Escher, Bach_. Totally scratched that geek itch I had.

_World War Z_ was interesting. Tasty, but a little dry. Like a box of Ritz.

Tell me honestly guys, am I going to regret investing my time in this?:

Infinite Jest


----------



## typemismatch

truant said:


> ...
> Tell me honestly guys, am I going to regret investing my time in this?:
> 
> Infinite Jest


All the village has is gravy. Gravy with everything. Gravy with chips, gravy with tomatoes, gravy with bread, gravy with chicken, gravy with omelettes. Gravy everywhere. Rivers of gravy flowing through the village. Gravy is nice. The villagers like gravy. But some of the villagers are getting bored of the same old thing. They've heard of rumours of sauce. Then one day a young man from a neighbouring village arrives with a truck full of sauce. All kinds of sauce. Hot sauce, tomato sauce, hollandaise sauce, red wine sauce, gillifilibrious sauce. Some of the villagers dip their chicken balls in the sauce and are instantly delighted by the new tastes. They look at the lorry of sauce and think to themselves _cool, i've got all this sauce, this'll keep me going, so much flavour!_. Even so, one day the sauce runs out. The villagers are dismayed. They have to go back to gravy. They've heard that there might be some more sauce, but also that the sauce guy may be moving to a village further away in the future. They'll make sure not to use up all the sauce so quickly in the future.


----------



## andy0128

I have been listening to audiobooks lately. I'm about half way through "fathers and sons" and the moment.


----------



## Elad

dedicated to reading all 14 and I gotta be honest its taking me some time, each book is around 1k pages and the story starts off fairly slow, still waiting to hit the "awww yeah" moments, very lord of the rings-y

decided on this series since so many epic fantasy books aren't completed yet and I want some god damn closure on something for once


----------



## CristianNC

Seems interestingly weird so far, as every Murakami book.


----------



## LolaViola

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Coretta Scott King


----------



## Akvile




----------



## TryingMara

_Salem Falls_ by Jodi Picoult.


----------



## shelbster18

From Within by Victoria Jefferies. It's sad. :/


----------



## gnomealone

truant said:


> Finished _Godel, Escher, Bach_. Totally scratched that geek itch I had.
> 
> _World War Z_ was interesting. Tasty, but a little dry. Like a box of Ritz.
> 
> Tell me honestly guys, am I going to regret investing my time in this?:
> 
> Infinite Jest


 Should be required reading just for his thoughts on "maintenance". Good book.


----------



## brothersport

A chick lit book at the moment.
The Kiss by Danielle Steel


----------



## Chippy D

CristianNC said:


> Seems interestingly weird so far, as every Murakami book.


I read 1Q84...boooo! It went downhill 100 pages in.


----------



## typemismatch

Just finished This Thing of Darkness by Harry Thompson. Magnificent book. I want to write a big glowing review on it, but I'm no good at reviews. I'll just give it 5 wotsits.


----------



## typemismatch

Less Than Zero
Bret Easton Ellis


----------



## Esteban




----------



## Esteban




----------



## haveasadcum

Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut for the 3rd time (my favorite author I really recommend his work)


----------



## typemismatch

haveasadcum said:


> Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut for the 3rd time (my favorite author I really recommend his work)


Yeah, I really like Vonnegut. Although not read anything of his in a while. I find though that I can't remember much of what his books are about, but I know that I enjoyed them. I've read Slaughterhouse 5, Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions and, my favourite, Mother Night. Sirens of Titan next perhaps?

Do you read PKD or Tom Robbins?


----------



## TheEchoingGreen

_The Sound of Waves_ by Yukio Mishima and Franz Kafka's short stories.


----------



## haveasadcum

[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I really like Vonnegut. Although not read anything of his in a while. I find though that I can't remember much of what his books are about, but I know that I enjoyed them. I've read Slaughterhouse 5, Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions and, my favourite, Mother Night. Sirens of Titan next perhaps?

Do you read PKD or Tom Robbins?[/QUOTE]

Yeah PKD is really great at creating ideas and speculative fiction, possibly better than Vonnegut. He is really sophisticated and thought-provoking but I think Vonnegut is just a much better writer and his style is really gripping.

Sirens of titan is really good


----------



## Nekomata

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer.


----------



## shelbster18

Dmitry Glukhovsky - Metro 2033

It is really good so far.


----------



## VisualAttraction

An Argument for Mind by Jerome Kagan. It's a book about psychology.


----------



## Esteban




----------



## fairy12

A son of the circus


----------



## Esteban

> When _After Virtue_ first appeared in 1981, it was recognized as a significant and potentially controversial critique of contemporary moral philosophy. _Newsweek _called it "a stunning new study of ethics by one of the foremost moral philosophers in the English-speaking world." Since that time, the book has been translated into more than fifteen foreign languages and has sold over one hundred thousand copies. Now, twenty-five years later, the University of Notre Dame Press is pleased to release the third edition of _After Virtue_, which includes a new prologue "_After Virtue_ after a Quarter of a Century."
> 
> In this classic work, Alasdair MacIntyre examines the historical and conceptual roots of the idea of virtue, diagnoses the reasons for its absence in personal and public life, and offers a tentative proposal for its recovery. While the individual chapters are wide-ranging, once pieced together they comprise a penetrating and focused argument about the price of modernity. In the Third Edition prologue, MacIntyre revisits the central theses of the book and concludes that although he has learned a great deal and has supplemented and refined his theses and arguments in other works, he has "as yet found no reason for abandoning the major contentions" of this book. While he recognizes that his conception of human beings as virtuous or vicious needed not only a metaphysical but also a biological grounding, ultimately he remains "committed to the thesis that it is only from the standpoint of a very different tradition, one whose beliefs and presuppositions were articulated in their classical form by Aristotle, that we can understand both the genesis and the predicament of moral modernity."


http://www.amazon.com/After-Virtue-Study-Theory-Edition/dp/0268035040

I'm really enjoying this book so far because I'm concerned about my tacit acceptance of emotivism and Hume's is-ought problem. I'm looking for a way out that isn't Kantian or Objectivist or religious. I'm also jaded in regards to other moral philosophies. I'm hoping Aristotelian morality will provide me with that way out.


----------



## anonymid




----------



## bad baby

Finished: Stephen Fried's _Thing of Beauty_. Anatomy of an overgrown teenage brat. Albeit one that would make Johnny Depp look like a poseur. _Why did my mother leave when I was 12?_
Self-portrait struck a chord: close, but not enough to deprive of comfort.

Working on: _Nico, Songs They Never Play on the Radio._












> Libraries are where you go when you are afraid of your dreams.


Sardonic. Truth.

Also working on: _The Light of Day_ (aka that book that that movie, Topkaki, was based on)


----------



## Steve French

About to start reading The Life of Pi, for school. Afterwards I think I might finally get through Where the Red Fern Grows, many years late. Raggedy first edition of 54 years age.

Wilson Rawls is pretty inspiring, had a very limited education, was a poor speller, and had terrible grammar. Still managed to crank out a book whose popularity has lasted for some time and is widely considered a classic.


----------



## shelbster18

Jumper by Steven Gould.


----------



## inerameia

The Way of Zen by Alan Watts


----------



## Cheesecake

Night Film by Marisha Pessl


----------



## romeoindespair




----------



## bad baby

Finished Topkaki. (Record speed!) Ending was a bit of a letdown; I kept expecting:
1. the Turks to be secretly in cahoots with the Fab Four, and
2. our man Arthur to **** up and oust himself, but he never did. In the end it was his nationality that did him in, which is a bit of a cliche admittedly, but a quintessentially Ambler-esque one, nonetheless.

/bull****reviewoftheday

Started:



















Common theme of the day - the weird and wonderful dietary habits of the suburban American youth. bless


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## gloomy

The Distance Between Lost and Found - Kathryn Holmes


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## Esteban




----------



## shelbster18

Jeffery Deaver - The October List


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## anonymid




----------



## andy0128




----------



## adaloop

i've just read Joan Didion's _Play It As It Lays_ and am currently reading _Slouching Towards Bethlehem_. after that I'm going to tackle _The Collected Stories of Colette._


----------



## shelbster18

Michael Crichton - Micro


----------



## Esteban




----------



## slowlyimproving

adaloop said:


> i've just read Joan Didion's _Play It As It Lays_ and am currently reading _Slouching Towards Bethlehem_. after that I'm going to tackle _The Collected Stories of Colette._


Joan Didion.... An online acquaintance introduced me to her. One of these days, I'll check out one of her books.


----------



## truant

Just finished this bad boy:

_Steps to an Ecology of Mind_, by Gregory Bateson.










Still fantastic after all these years.


----------



## Arbre




----------



## Seegan




----------



## typemismatch




----------



## JustThisGuy

andy0128 said:


>


I have that exact edition. Good?



Seegan said:


>


Hey, without spoiling, does the 2nd compendium surpass where the show is at? I have it but feel I should read Rise of the Governor and Road to Woodbury first. The first compendium was 50 issues of excellence. Loving Kirkman's writing, from Image to Image.


----------



## fossil




----------



## Seegan

JustThisGuy said:


> Hey, without spoiling, does the 2nd compendium surpass where the show is at? I have it but feel I should read Rise of the Governor and Road to Woodbury first. The first compendium was 50 issues of excellence. Loving Kirkman's writing, from Image to Image.


I love his writing too, he has a great (and twisted) imagination.  The third compendium comes out later this year. I can't wait!

And yes, the second one goes beyond the point the show is at now.


----------



## 0lly




----------



## JustThisGuy

Seegan said:


> I love his writing too, he has a great (and twisted) imagination.  The third compendium comes out later this year. I can't wait!
> 
> And yes, the second one goes beyond the point the show is at now.


Cool on both. I need to get to it. Love these collections.


----------



## RandomlyGenerated

I'm also in the middle of three or four regular books, but I never seem to finish those...


----------



## andy0128

JustThisGuy said:


> I have that exact edition. Good?


I can't remember which edition it was. I downloaded it online as an audio book. The book itself was very good.


----------



## slyfox

Reading The Dunwich Horror by H. P. Lovecraft


----------



## rdrr




----------



## Arbre

rdrr said:


>


I have to read that sometime. I like Vonnegut.


----------



## lifestandsstillhere




----------



## romeoindespair

Funniest thing I've read in a while


----------



## Nekomata

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer.


----------



## tea111red

psalms


----------



## slyfox

The Thing on the Doorstep


----------



## Steve French

Grabbed a few classics off the cheap rack, got To Kill a Mockingbird, The Bell Jar, and The Sound and the Fury on the shelf, currently going through Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald.


----------



## Zack

_Towards the Flame: Empire, War and the End of Tsarist Russia_ by Dominic Lieven. Page 248. An advance reading copy; to be released in May '15. This is delightful, but there are several issues I will bring up with my masters...


----------



## 0lly

Callsign said:


> Hey if that book is to your liking, and if you haven't yet read 'The Diamond Age', it's by the same author and worth reading too. It is the best of all time. Of all time. jk. It similarly has heaps about simulated environments, mostly projected by a book with a computer in it.


Yeah, I've heard good things about diamond age - I think I'll give it read.


----------



## Conviction07




----------



## jennyyyxo

siege and storm by leigh bardugo


----------



## Gavroche

I'm reading too many things at once right now:

3 Books on Nazi Germany for a class of mine including the first volume of Sir Ian Kershaw's biography on Hitler

Stop Where You Are and Then Leave - John Boyne

Trying to get all this done so I can read stuff I actually want to read haha


----------



## Dilweedle

Grimm's Fairy Tales


----------



## typemismatch

very good so far


----------



## anonymid

Seeing a production of the musical in early June. Hoping to finish the book by then.


----------



## InimitableJeeves

The Great Gatsby


----------



## Nekomata

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer.


----------



## Esteban




----------



## rdrr




----------



## Steve French

Felt like I'd been doing too much "literary fiction" reading so I decided to go for something light, a fantasy. Been hearing a lot of good things about Brandon Sanderson, so I picked up the Mistborn series and have been going through the first of that. Pretty damn good stuff it turns out.


----------



## Esteban

Steve French said:


> Felt like I'd been doing too much "literary fiction" reading so I decided to go for something light, a fantasy. Been hearing a lot of good things about Brandon Sanderson, so I picked up the Mistborn series and have been going through the first of that. Pretty damn good stuff it turns out.


I liked the first Mistborn book. The other two are okay.


----------



## shelbster18

Let The Right One In - John Ajvide Lindqvist


----------



## 3 AM

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr

The Blonde by Anna Godbersen

Goosebumps: Welcome to the Dead House by RL Stine


----------



## typemismatch

It's about shoe laces and straws and escalators. Lovely.


----------



## truant

Esteban said:


>


I have a copy of this, but I haven't read it yet. Know where I can get a cheap copy of _Personality Structure and Human Interaction_?

--------------

Recent reads:

Kaufmann's _Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist_, and his translations of
_The Birth of Tragedy and The Case of Wagner_, and
_Thus Spoke Zarathustra_
- rereads, but whatev, I'm on a Nietzsche kick

Foucault's _Madness & Civilization_
- fascinating, if overwritten

Dostoyevsky's _Notes from Underground_
- love it more every time I read it


----------



## Esteban

truant said:


> I have a copy of this, but I haven't read it yet. Know where I can get a cheap copy of _Personality Structure and Human Interaction_?


No. I haven't read that one.


----------



## Arbre

My first time reading Albert Camus. His writing style reminds me of Hemingway.



truant said:


> Dostoyevsky's _Notes from Underground_
> - love it more every time I read it


I was planning to re-read that myself. The Underground Man is probably one of the most interesting fictional characters.


----------



## FixMeNow

One Hundred Years of Solitude by that Spanish author I can't be bothered to spell out... I've actually been marathon reading over the past week, and have finished a total of 6 books in that time span. I can read anything that hooks me from the beginning without putting it down, but I won't continue if it doesn't hook me within the first two pages, even if it's a classic. But I'll give anything a chance as long as it isn't young adult or erotica.


----------



## typemismatch

I don't think I would have picked this book up if I was in a book shop. Just look at it. euugh. Fortunately online book sites take away this primary step that is required in the real world book shop whereby you must first be enticed by the book's cover in order to investigate further - namely by then reading the back cover of the book, and then if that proves satisfactory then perhaps reading the first few paragraphs. It is at this point that you must then make the decision whether to buy it, and the pressure is now on: you only have a certain amount of time that you can stand in thought in a public place before you start to feel conspicuous. These were the bad old days when you ended up impulsively buying books based on a well designed jacket. But since the advent of the world wide web many things have happened: 1. people have become embroiled in greater levels of verisimilitude; 2. people have more information readily available to them such as: A. the production tonnage of cucumbers by leading cucumber producing countries; B. the thoughts and musings of random ordinary people on the books they have read. And so what this all means is that I am, these days, reading more female writers. I am not put off by a cover which is marketed towards the female of the consumer species, but am enticed by the opinions and recommendations of other ordinary digitally inspired folks.


----------



## Esteban




----------



## Barakiel

Esteban said:


> stuff


Object relations sounds familiar, does that have something to do with psychoanalysis?


----------



## truant

More random stuff I've read recently:

_Existentialism from Dostoyevsky to Sartre_
- just an anthology, fairly meh as they are wont to be

Some early essays by Nietzsche:

_Homer and Classical Philology, On the Future of Our Educational Institutions, On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense, Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks, We Philologists_
- having a surprising amount of difficulty tracking down some of his earlier stuff; I am disappoint, Internet

_Poor People_ by Dostoyevsky
- his first novel(la); touching

Random stories and poems by Edgar Allan Poe
- fairly random, lesser known stuff

One of these days I'm going to read something from this century. :|


----------



## typemismatch

^cripes


----------



## Wirt

i juuuuust finished The Way of Kings by brandon sanderson










one-thousand, two-hundred and fifty-six mother ****in pages. I dont read in bulk (just before sleeping or if i dont feel like playing games/watching a movie when i'm bored), so it took me like..6 months lol. definitely the longest book i've ever read by like..700 pages.

i do recommend for you nerdy nerds

on to book two


----------



## Nekomata

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer.


----------



## cheri112

Space Machine by Christopher Priest.


----------



## Notgoingout

truant said:


> More random stuff I've read recently:
> 
> _Existentialism from Dostoyevsky to Sartre_
> - just an anthology, fairly meh as they are wont to be
> 
> Some early essays by Nietzsche:
> 
> _Homer and Classical Philology, On the Future of Our Educational Institutions, On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense, Philosophy in the Tragic Age of the Greeks, We Philologists_
> - having a surprising amount of difficulty tracking down some of his earlier stuff; I am disappoint, Internet
> 
> _Poor People_ by Dostoyevsky
> - his first novel(la); touching
> 
> Random stories and poems by Edgar Allan Poe
> - fairly random, lesser known stuff
> 
> One of these days I'm going to read something from this century. :|


How good is 'poor people'? I loved Crime and Punishment but couldn't get through the Brothers Karamazov, which Is it most like?
And I'm reading Bring Up The Bodies the sequel to Wolf Hall. Amazing and superior to the first.


----------



## truant

HHgot232 said:


> How good is 'poor people'? I loved Crime and Punishment but couldn't get through the Brothers Karamazov, which Is it most like?


I enjoyed it, but I found that it lacks some of the depth and intensity of his later work. It reminded me more of Gogol than his own later stories. But it's only about 130 pages, so it doesn't take long to read. It's not going to take you a month like _Brothers Karamazov_.


----------



## Notgoingout

truant said:


> I enjoyed it, but I found that it lacks some of the depth and intensity of his later work. It reminded me more of Gogol than his own later stories. But it's only about 130 pages, so it doesn't take long to read. It's not going to take you a month like _Brothers Karamazov_.


Good! Around page 70 I just give up with Brothers Karamazov, it bores me silly. I wouldn't believe it's the same guy who wrote Crime and Punishment. I haven't read Gogol either. I'll give this a shot though. Cheers for the advice. Oh and give Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies a chance if you wish to read something from this century! (it's a fictionalised account of the rise of Cromwell in the court of Henry the eight, so old and new all at once!)


----------



## Nibbler

The Man Who Couldn't Stop by David Adam


----------



## layitontheline

Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky.


----------



## Notgoingout

layitontheline said:


> Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky.


 It's a great book.


----------



## Elad

into book 9 of wheel of time and jesus christ that 90 page prologue was rough.

really dont know how many more half page descriptions of what people are wearing i can stand, and the character relationships are cringe inducing. having said that i'm like 9000 pages deep so i have to finish now just for my piece of mind.

whole series is like having a half hearted wank and you start to go limp but you look at the clock and realize its been a solid half hour since you started so it would be a waste to not finish the job, so you solider through not really satisfied. would recommend/10



VipFuj said:


> i juuuuust finished The Way of Kings by brandon sanderson
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> one-thousand, two-hundred and fifty-six mother ****in pages. I dont read in bulk (just before sleeping or if i dont feel like playing games/watching a movie when i'm bored), so it took me like..6 months lol. definitely the longest book i've ever read by like..700 pages.
> 
> i do recommend for you nerdy nerds
> 
> on to book two


awe yeah a fantasy book reader

words of radiance is even better imo, love the development of shallan although the ending left me a little .. concerned? wont spoil but maybe too much of a good thing.

also HIGHLY recommend blood song/its sequel and the lightbringer series (4 books, last comes out January)


----------



## Gaige

VipFuj said:


> i juuuuust finished The Way of Kings by brandon sanderson
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> one-thousand, two-hundred and fifty-six mother ****in pages. I dont read in bulk (just before sleeping or if i dont feel like playing games/watching a movie when i'm bored), so it took me like..6 months lol. definitely the longest book i've ever read by like..700 pages.
> 
> i do recommend for you nerdy nerds
> 
> on to book two


I've read the first 3 books in Mistborn and Steelheart and currently I am getting through Elantris. Sanderson is my new favourite author. Haven't read The Way of Kings yet.


----------



## truant

^^^ JC those fat fantasy books are a ton of work to get through. I've read the first 4 of Steven Erikson's books and the first 5 of Robert Jordan's and I'm honestly just dreading reading the sequels.

--------------------

Haven't been reading as much the last few days. :\

Dostoyevsky, _The Village of Stepanchikovo_
- not his best work, but the antics of Foma Fomich are amusing

Nietzsche, _Untimely Meditations_
- _David Strauss: The Confessor and the Writer_ was hilarious; I lol'd at parts
- _On the Use and Abuse of History for Life_ is justly famous; an important essay
- _Schopenhauer as Educator_ is somewhat less than impressive
- _Richard Wagner in Bayreuth_ is awful; some interesting insights, but I had to grit my teeth to get through it


----------



## Steve French

Got this old, obscure gothic book called Melmoth the Wanderer on deck about this fellow searching for a relative that sold their soul to the devil for eternal life and have been traveling around looking to pawn off the evil debt before a certain time period is up and they are doomed to eternal damnation in hell.

Thought it sounded pretty good.


----------



## Elad

VipFuj said:


> i juuuuust finished The Way of Kings by brandon sanderson
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> one-thousand, two-hundred and fifty-six mother ****in pages. I dont read in bulk (just before sleeping or if i dont feel like playing games/watching a movie when i'm bored), so it took me like..6 months lol. definitely the longest book i've ever read by like..700 pages.
> 
> i do recommend for you nerdy nerds
> 
> on to book two


wtf I already posted something here but it looks like it got deleted, I'm guessing because I used the english slang for masturbation?

anyway whatever. good to see another fantasy reader, way of kings is pretty awesome (though the bridge crew chapters did start to drag on) and words of radiance is even better imo. shallan gets a LOT more interesting. must. not. spoil.

only problem is its a 10 book series so at least 15 years until finished. 

but if you like WoK a lot I highly recommend Blood Song and its sequel, and the Lightbringer series which ends in January.


----------



## typemismatch




----------



## Yer Blues

The Price of Altruism: George Price and the Search for the Origins of Kindness


----------



## Yuno Gasai

I've just started reading Horns by Joe Hill. I hear there's a movie made after this book so I might watch it when I finish.


----------



## rdrr




----------



## JustThisGuy

Is there a SAS book club? I notice a lot of people reading the same stuff at nearly the same time. Like with Crime and Punishment.



Yuno Gasai said:


> I've just started reading Horns by Joe Hill. I hear there's a movie made after this book so I might watch it when I finish.


I have both and need to read the book first. Interesting concept.


----------



## Esteban




----------



## zomb

Zom b gladiator by Darren Shan.


----------



## catcharay

A time to kill. John grisham


----------



## Estillum

Collected works of Ray Bradbury


----------



## Esteban




----------



## HilarityEnsues

Can't stop reading this book, The man is a master storyteller.


----------



## Visenya

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (the title is a pun on nosferatu).
It has a very creepy premise: a serial killer who takes children to an alternate dimension called Christmas Land. This dimension is less pleasant than its name suggests.


----------



## truant

I am ashamed of how little reading I've done the last couple of weeks. Only thing I finished was _Lord of the Flies_:










I really liked it, but I thought it was a little rough around the edges.



Steve French said:


> Got this old, obscure gothic book called Melmoth the Wanderer


Did you get around to starting this? I read it a long time ago and enjoyed it, but I was young and impressionable then.


----------



## typemismatch

^ did you buy a second hand one? Sometimes they can be a bit roughy around the edges. You should have used oven gloves.

I've always meant to read LOTF again. I read it for high school and loved it. That was.. hold on just getting my calculator out.. blast it's one of those solar powered ones and I live in Scotland... need to do the maths in my head... steam rising... over 20 years ago. I'm just going to take a moment to digest that. :eek :sus


----------



## typemismatch

Who here remembers the Cold War?


----------



## typemismatch

Anyways, I digress. I finished reading Crime and Punishment the other day. I was thinking it was maybe going to be one of those books I have to slog through because once I'm like half way into it I might as well finish so that I can tick that box off, and then I can talk about it at dinner parties and look down upon people who haven't read it. Actually I really loved it, was easy to read, one of my favourite books now. It's got a wild intensity to it just feels so "human", whatever that means. I've just realised I'd quite like to have a t-shirt. Never been interested in t-shirts of bands.

Now reading The Passion by Jeannette Winterson which so far is a little whimsical for my liking.


----------



## Darktower776

Skin Game- A Dresden Files Novel, by Jim Butcher.


----------



## Esteban




----------



## truant

typemismatch said:


> ^ did you buy a second hand one? Sometimes they can be a bit roughy around the edges. You should have used oven gloves.


Lol, it was second hand, actually. It was water damaged, but I got it for a good price.


----------



## Darktower776

Esteban said:


>


I enjoy Sanderson and considered starting this series but I'm going to wait- it's going to be years I know- until the series is mostly or maybe near completion. Then again, I might start it up a few months from now.:smile2:


----------



## Barakiel

I found some e-books of Simone de Beauvoir's the Second Sex and Merleau-Ponty's the Phenomenology of Perception, both of which are way over my head but are still fun to skim through anyway :eyes


----------



## rdrr




----------



## typemismatch

Revenge by Yoko Ogawa


----------



## Steve French

truant said:


> Did you get around to starting this? I read it a long time ago and enjoyed it, but I was young and impressionable then.


Was a little daunted by the prospect of reading the 600 pages of such an esoteric old book with my attention span, put it off for some Turgenev. The plot and structure do sound quite intriguing though, might have to get some speed and tackle it.


----------



## truant

Just finished _Early Greek Philosophy_, translated by Jonathan Barnes. Quaint pre-Socratic philosophy. Democritus wrote some great maxims. Makes me want to read some more Plato, but I'll probably just watch Clash of the Titans instead.












Barakiel said:


> I found some e-books of Simone de Beauvoir's the Second Sex and Merleau-Ponty's the Phenomenology of Perception, both of which are way over my head but are still fun to skim through anyway :eyes


I have both of those books. Hard copy. Both good, but yeah, both kind of heavy.



Steve French said:


> Was a little daunted by the prospect of reading the 600 pages of such an esoteric old book with my attention span, put it off for some Turgenev. The plot and structure do sound quite intriguing though, might have to get some speed and tackle it.


I haven't read any Turgenev, actually. I'm reading some Gogol right now.


----------



## zomb

Sunburn. By Darren dash.


----------



## wmu'14

Pirate Latitudes, by Michael Chricton

Sounds like a lot of people didn't like it because it has too many cardboard cutout pirate scenes, but that's exactly why I like it. I'm halfway through the final act and going to finish it tonight.
For the most part it doesn't feel like a Chricton novel, but I can see some similarities to Micro and The Lost World where it's just plain adventure.


----------



## shelbster18

Jack London - White Fang


----------



## avoidobot3000

typemismatch said:


> Anyways, I digress. I finished reading Crime and Punishment the other day. I was thinking it was maybe going to be one of those books I have to slog through because once I'm like half way into it I might as well finish so that I can tick that box off, and then I can talk about it at dinner parties and look down upon people who haven't read it. Actually I really loved it, was easy to read, one of my favourite books now. It's got a wild intensity to it just feels so "human", whatever that means. I've just realised I'd quite like to have a t-shirt. Never been interested in t-shirts of bands.
> 
> Now reading The Passion by Jeannette Winterson which so far is a little whimsical for my liking.


i read C&P years ago. for me, it seemed to unlock some truth about the human need to confess/share, which i still notice all the time. seems like social media thrives on this, too.
like, if someone eats 6 burritos and feels terrible about it, you will usually hear about it on their social media pages.


----------



## pandoraherbox

several biographies on frida kahlo, the story of language by mario pei, and hermana mia, mi amor by joyce carol oates.


----------



## truant

Just finished _Confessions of a Shopaholic_. Don't judge.


----------



## typemismatch

truant said:


> Just finished _Confessions of a Shopaholic_. Don't judge.


I'm not judging. Well maybe a little.


----------



## typemismatch

Currently reading Family Life by Akhil Sharma. Folio Prize winner, so thought I would give it a go.


----------



## truant

typemismatch said:


> I'm not judging. Well maybe a little.


Let me redeem myself. Just finished _The Diary of a Madman and Other Stories_ by Nikolai Gogol. I've read some of them before. The Overcoat and The Nose especially are wonderful stories.


----------



## noctilune

Finishing up A Game of Thrones. I want to hurry and get caught up with that series.


----------



## Esteban

I'm reading this for the third time. It's the first time I've read it since the TV show started though. I was worried I'd be stuck with the actors in my head while reading it, but that really hasn't been that big of a problem. GRRM is an excellent writer, so his descriptions have, for the most part, done a good job in supplanting the actors of the TV shows in my imagination. Surprisingly, despite having already read it twice, I've found it difficult to put this book down. It's still an engaging read. Part of what makes it better than the TV show, of course, is that you gain access to the minds of the characters. This is one of the greatest shortcomings of movies and TV shows.


----------



## Nilufar

The secrret history by Donna Tartt.


----------



## shelbster18

Sue Monk Kidd - The Secret Life of Bees


----------



## Malek

The Dresden Novel: Cold Days


----------



## Esteban




----------



## Esteban




----------



## typemismatch

I'm listening to this on audiobook. First time I've listened to an audio book. Had a four hour train journey the other day and quite enjoyed just listening to this.


----------



## shelbster18

James Patterson - The 9th Judgment


----------



## truant

Nietzsche, _Human, All Too Human_:










Honestly, @Esteban. Are you just an insanely fast reader? You're making my head spin. It takes me like a month to read a Martin novel.


----------



## Esteban

truant said:


> Honestly, @*Esteban* . Are you just an insanely fast reader? You're making my head spin. It takes me like a month to read a Martin novel.


I have a lot of time on my hands. It's pretty easy for me to blow an entire day just reading. If I were working, it would probably take me a couple of weeks to read a Martin novel.


----------



## Gavroche

Heart of Darkness & The Mask of Command


----------



## Esteban




----------



## farfegnugen

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson


----------



## truant

farfegnugen said:


> The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson


Read that last year. Quite enjoyed it.

-----------

I read these so that you don't have to: _Shopaholic Takes Manhattan_. I've read two now, so I'm no longer excused from judging. Judge away.










I'll read some Stendhal or something to restore my street cred.


----------



## shelbster18

Robert Louis Stevenson - Treasure Island


----------



## typemismatch

I went to a random country generator web page and the country I got was Angola. So I googled books set in Angola and from the resulting goodreads list I picked The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa. It's very good so far. It's narrated by a gecko.


----------



## Esteban




----------



## Steve French

Going through Breakfast at Tiffany's. Pretty good stuff, I might have to pick up some other works of Capote's sometime.

Think I'll give For Whom the Bell Tolls another whirl next. Must have started reading it ten times and have never once got through all of it. It was the same way with Crime and Punishment, after enough tries I sped through that book and quite enjoyed it. Just had to get over the hump.


----------



## shelbster18

Frank Perreti - Monster


----------



## truant

Finished Stephen King, _The Shining_.


----------



## Esteban




----------



## starsfire

Love and decay by: rachel higginson ( about zombies)
The devils roses by: tara brown. (About demons angles and witches vampires )
Plus a bunch more a lot actually. Too many.


----------



## starsfire

Well i tried putting a pic up but it didnt work ):


----------



## Elad

The Brothers Karamazov

2russian4me

@Esteban

What would you rate the Blade Itself series?


----------



## Esteban

Crime and Punishment - Dostoyevsky


----------



## Esteban

Elad said:


> The Brothers Karamazov
> 
> 2russian4me
> 
> @*Esteban*
> 
> What would you rate the Blade Itself series?


hmmmmm I'll go with 7.8/10. Glokta makes it worth reading, I think.


----------



## NomadicKitsune

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. It is book about how the world possibly recover if humans just vanished and what would remain to mark our existence. Excellent book I highly recommend it.


----------



## Esteban

The Covenant - Michener


----------



## NE2

A stop sign.


----------



## mooncake

_Cosmos_ by Carl Sagan :yay


----------



## hyacinth girl

Orlando by Virginia Woolf


----------



## acidicwithpanic

I'm at the part where the author comes up with an explanation for how massive Thor's hammer would be if it were really made from the core of a star.


----------



## typemismatch

I'm reading The Bible by err... King James? Not read any of his stuff before. I'm only on page 2. It seems to be a fantasy about this chap who creates worlds. He's not very good at it though. I think he might be on his work experience week from school.


----------



## truant

Oh shame. Shame! Why am I reading these?! I used to be so cultured.

Sophie Kinsella, _Shopaholic Ties the Knot_.


----------



## alienshe

Currently reading Monsters of men, which is a last book in a trilogy Chaos walking.


----------



## layitontheline

Three shorts by Dostoyevsky - The Gambler, Bobok, and A Nasty Story.


----------



## AffinityWing

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (I started it for my summer reading but I actually haven't touched it in weeks.. I've really got to stop procrastinating, because it's actually pretty interesting.)


----------



## bad baby

the mysterious flame of queen loana

eta: wow it is _good_. right up my alley


----------



## typemismatch

Civilwarland in Bad Decline by George Saunders. In the first three stories he has mentioned verisimilitude, bee hives, and guffawing. These are some of my favourite words. All I need now is concentrated orange juice. These stories are awesome. I think I'm going to go all Kathy Bates on George Saunders.


----------



## Cam1




----------



## Esteban

Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution - A.J. Langguth


----------



## Barakiel

typemismatch said:


> I'm reading The Bible by err... King James? Not read any of his stuff before. I'm only on page 2. It seems to be a fantasy about this chap who creates worlds. He's not very good at it though. I think he might be on his work experience week from school.


I thought it was by Mr. Douay-Rheims??


----------



## catcharay

In cold blood - Truman Capote


----------



## shelbster18

Gillian Flynn - Gone Girl
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## bad baby

perhaps what kafka would've sounded like if he had been more deliberately funny and sloppy.

but because he hadn't, i kept getting the wrong impression that i was reading a book written by @typemismatch


----------



## 3Haney

Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay


----------



## typemismatch

bad baby said:


> perhaps what kafka would've sounded like if he had been more deliberately funny and sloppy.
> 
> but because he hadn't, i kept getting the wrong impression that i was reading a book written by @typemismatch


Oh boy. That's lovely. I like being mistaken for George Saunders. I'm going to start boring everyone I ever meet from now on to death about how someone once mistook GS for me. Of course they will have no idea what I'm talking about. But this is all part of the fun. Did you like the title story? It's my favourite. Ok, so you thought it was all meh. I get it. I'll figure something out.


----------



## bad baby

typemismatch said:


> Oh boy. That's lovely. I like being mistaken for George Saunders. I'm going to start boring everyone I ever meet from now on to death about how someone once mistook GS for me. Of course they will have no idea what I'm talking about. But this is all part of the fun. Did you like the title story? It's my favourite. Ok, so you thought it was all meh. I get it. I'll figure something out.


i didn't say that. second-rate kafka is still better than first-rate a lot of people. it's just that his stories always have such disappointing endings. i keep hoping for that climax that never comes. i also find his sense of morality somewhat...whimsical? but i'm still about halfway through the book. will probably have a more fully-formed opinion when i finish it.

hey, on the bright side at least i'm not using it as toilet paper :lol


----------



## shelbster18

Finished Gone Girl a couple days ago. It had a few twists I wasn't expecting. xD

--------------

S.A. Bodeen - The Raft
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## typemismatch

I just finished the wonderful.










Thank you @bad baby (WHY CANT I DO A MENTION!!??!!) -- i figured it out

It's not much of a novel to discuss though, just one to savour.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I just reread Silk today and it was as good as ever. Might watch the film soon again as well


----------



## bad baby

@typemismatch what did you think of charles' decision in the end?


----------



## Esteban

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - William L. Shirer

Caliban's War - James S.A. Corey


----------



## kesker

I'm reading all the book choices on this thread. it's a good read. 
It's fascinating what you all choose to read. Hopefully I'll allow myself entrance one day.


----------



## Steve French

Been going through Watchmen. Does that count?

First time I've read a comic in many years. Pretty enjoyable actually. Never got into them as a kid, probably because they cost $5 for 30 pages and there was no comic book store in town.


----------



## truant

Just finished Camille Paglia's _Sexual Personae_. What a deliciously bent and fascinating book. She puts the pornography back into literary criticism.


----------



## typemismatch

Harvest by Jim Crace


----------



## Conviction07

IT by Stephen King. So far it's succeeding at removing the horrible taste that Mr. Mercedes left.


----------



## acidicwithpanic

This little gem. And the illustrations are gold.


----------



## bad baby

bad baby said:


> i didn't say that. second-rate kafka is still better than first-rate a lot of people. it's just that his stories always have such disappointing endings. i keep hoping for that climax that never comes. i also find his sense of morality somewhat...whimsical? but i'm still about halfway through the book. will probably have a more fully-formed opinion when i finish it.
> 
> hey, on the bright side at least i'm not using it as toilet paper :lol


finished the book. heavy; very heavy.

saunders' sense of morality is definitely anything but whimsical.

i feel a little sadder but wiser.

~

starting this:










boy that is one hell of a pretentious book cover lmaooo


----------



## shelbster18

The Raft was such a good read. It's in my top ten books list along with Jack London's stuff, which I'm reading now.

Jack London - The Call of the Wild

Can't say if this one or White Fang is better.


----------



## The Crimson King

I'm reading Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King and I just finished reading Revival and Cell.


----------



## Blue2015

House of the Lost by Sarah Rayne.


----------



## Alleviate Suffering

Just started _The Shadow of the Wind_ by _Carlos Ruiz Zafon_. Only through 25 pages so far so too early to make a true judgement but I am optimistic that I am going to love it.


----------



## virgoshoyru

Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo but I just finished Fight Club earlier on


----------



## typemismatch

Finished Harvest. Excellent book. Wonderfully well written. Reading this was like fishing in a river. I suppose they call that angling. I don't know, I'm not into fishing. I've never been fishing really apart from one time in Majorca when me and some other boys threw a line with a hook on it into the sea. I caught a fish but none of us knew what the heck to do with it. It was a stressful situation. The fish wasn't calm, we weren't calm. There was panic all round. But then an adult came along and unhooked the fish and threw it back in the sea. Boy I've really went off on a tangent here. I didn't mean to say all this about fish. 

Now I'm onto Department of Speculation by Jenny Offill. Not started it yet so not sure if suitable for further fish based analogies.


----------



## wmu'14

Seems like a lot of people read non-fiction.

All my non-fiction I get from Internet articles lol


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Alleviate Suffering said:


> Just started _The Shadow of the Wind_ by _Carlos Ruiz Zafon_. Only through 25 pages so far so too early to make a true judgement but I am optimistic that I am going to love it.


I thought it was great


----------



## Nunuc

Before that I read the third survivor's, Michelle Knight's, book _Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings_.


----------



## truant

wmu'14 said:


> Seems like a lot of people read non-fiction.
> 
> All my non-fiction I get from Internet articles lol


I read about twice as much nonfiction as fiction. And I much prefer reading a book to an online article.


----------



## Steve French

wmu'14 said:


> Seems like a lot of people read non-fiction.
> 
> All my non-fiction I get from Internet articles lol


Yeah, I'm impressed, I don't know how they do it.

Not that I'm adverse to non-fiction, and with some length, I do have about ten titles in my library, though they are all war memoirs, Dawkins, and Nietzche, not exactly hard to digest stuff and fairly entertaining.

Some of the books I come across here appear to be some very dry, esoteric, involved **** that I could never see myself reading unless required.


----------



## typemismatch

Booker season. Why am I doing this? But I liked the sound of this book (no pun intended).


----------



## acidicwithpanic

Life goals: solve one


----------



## truant

Finished Nietzsche's _The Dawn_. There are so many great and wise things in this book I'm having trouble digesting it all.










So glad to be done with these ebooks, though. I own the rest in hardcopy so I don't have to hunch over my computer screen anymore. It's terrible for my posture.


----------



## truant

Finished Darwin's _The Descent of Man_. There's still no better introduction to evolutionary theory than Darwin himself. Such a simple and eloquent writer and always engaging. But you have to make allowances for when he was writing. Very politically incorrect for our times!


----------



## layitontheline

Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand


----------



## minimized




----------



## acidicwithpanic

minimized said:


>


Yes.


----------



## Watching

'We' by Yevgeny Zamyatin. 

It's sort of '1984' before '1984' was conceived, very troubling, very astute.


----------



## ToruOkada




----------



## j4y22

Just started reading Player One by Douglas Coupland


----------



## truant

Just finished _Pamela_, by Samuel Richardson. Going to work my way through every novel written in English chronologically.

Jk.


----------



## ToruOkada

typemismatch said:


> Harvest by Jim Crace


Oh, that's a great book. I read that book in July also.


----------



## shelbster18

Robert Charles - The Flight of the Raven

Bought it for less than a dollar. It's a good choice I made.


----------



## bad baby

ToruOkada said:


> Oh, that's a great book. I read that book in July also.


lol!


----------



## rdrr

My collection is complete, for now:


----------



## brokenhead

The Chronicles of Narnia book series, I'm on Prince Caspian


----------



## Steve French

Read the Corsican Brothers, by Alexandre Dumas, the senior, yesterday. I enjoyed it quite a lot, though it was very short read, quite staccato. It did have all the adventure and drama usually expected of a Dumas in the end, and resulted in me looking up some relatively obscure works of his compared to the classics.

The Three Musketeers might just be my favourite novel out there. I first read it, the "poorly translated" English version from the 1840's, when I was around thirteen or so, and it captivated me like few novels have before or since. Managed to capture the romance, action, adventure, drama, and everything like few serials ever have chapter by chapter. Turns out Dumas wrote a large amount of novels but most have been lost to time for us English readers. Wrangled up The Black Tulip, The Fourty Five Guardsmen, and the Queen Margot in addition to the Musketeer sequels with open source, free of charge books.

One of his acknowledged sons, also Alexandre Dumas, was a writer himself, mostly a playwright. He did write a novel called Camille or the Lady of the Camellias, which is a great read, a real classic, and is still adapted, redone, and generally ripped off to this day.

I suppose it all gives me pause about what is considered good writing, and what will remain when we all are carbon.


----------



## bad baby

owen meany came in the mail yesterday. i might be a while before i get round to it, but just thought you should know @ToruOkada.

now the story, as promised:


























--taken from _The Woes of the True Policeman_, Roberto Bolaño


----------



## isolatedforest




----------



## lethe1864

just finished this








and will start this tomorrow


----------



## Peighton




----------



## ToruOkada

rdrr said:


> My collection is complete, for now:


me too


----------



## ToruOkada

@bad baby it's a fine story. but i don't know. i just have problems with bolano after reading the savage detectives.


----------



## lifehatesyou

Animal Farm by George Orwell
It's a great book for animal lovers and you can read it for free online!!


----------



## zomb

The Dead by Charlie higson.


----------



## bad baby

ToruOkada said:


> @bad baby it's a fine story. but i don't know. i just have problems with bolano after reading the savage detectives.


i've never read that book. how come?


----------



## isolatedforest

I'm currently reading The Gunslinger by Stephen King. The pacing of the story seems really off and I nearly had to force myself to stay focused during parts of the first chapter. (I'm on the second chapter btw)


----------



## Nekomata

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer


----------



## wmu'14

Just finished an abridged Puffin books version of Robinson Crusoe.
Normally I wouldn't have liked to read an abridged version but I did for a few reasons:

1.) It's been sitting on my shelf since elementary school. I got it to read on a trip as a gift and never got to it because it was too complicated.

2.) The unabridged version is most likely just unnecessarily long. Reading through a shmoop summary, it seems like it didn't cut out much.

It was good. The middle act kind of dragged, but that happens in most books anyway.

4/5


----------



## layitontheline

The Plague by Camus


----------



## truant

Finished my beach read, _A Treatise of Human Nature_, by David Hume.










Reads like a thriller.


----------



## truant

Can't believe it took me this long to get around to reading More's _Utopia_. It sounds perfectly dreadful. But it was a charming read.


----------



## Elad

enjoying












Esteban said:


> hmmmmm I'll go with 7.8/10. Glokta makes it worth reading, I think.


How does it compare to other fantasy series?

I want to read something a bit darker/bloodier compared to stuff like WoT, Riftwar Saga, Stormlight etc.


----------



## layitontheline

Justine - Marquis de Sade


----------



## Moon Rabbit

Faust by Goethe


----------



## truant

Finally got around to reading _The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo_. I've seen both versions of the movie, so no surprises, but it was a good, fast read.


----------



## Steve French

Started into Great Expectations. Damn, it's hard to get into Dickens, that purple prose writing ma****a. Does that big monologue at the start of Two Cities even mean anything? Great plots and characters though, and that's about as far as I look.

I was reading the Outsiders, and Ponyboy was studying it in his 10th grade English class. This seemed rather odd to me. Not only is Dickens' prose so archaic as to often be illegible to modern day teens, but in all my high schooling, we never read a book over 200 pages long or 80 years old. People might have been less ignorant back in the day.


----------



## theloneleopard

^ I was forced to read "Great Expectations" in school (along with everyone else) and absolutely _hated_ it. Pip was such an irritating protagonist/narrator. Miss Havisham was the only interesting character, IMO, but even _she_ couldn't compensate for Pip. That book single-handedly put me off on Dickens for _life_.



wmu'14 said:


> Just finished an abridged Puffin books version of Robinson Crusoe.


This one's been in my "To Read" stack for some time. So little fiction appeals to me; good to hear it was worthy read.



truant said:


> Finished my beach read, A Treatise of Human Nature, by David Hume.


Ooh, I _bet_ this was good! I've read some fantastic quotes on religion by him. *adds to list*

As for me, I'm currently reading "The Casanova Complex" by Peter Trachtenberg.


----------



## truant

This beast has been sitting on my bookcase for years, intimidating me with its impressive girth, but it wasn't nearly as odious as I expected it to be. Parts of it were fascinating, parts of it were dry, but overall it was very illuminating.

Adam Smith's _The Wealth of Nations_.










: removes a cookie from the cookie jar with her invisible hand :


----------



## micbea

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by Joyce. Classic Irish literature in my humble opinion


----------



## Steve French

Flappers and Philosophers, F. Scott Fitzgerald.


----------



## truant

Feel like a loser posting so much in this thread. No one reads anymore.

Anyway, _Bodily Harm_ by Margaret Atwood. I feel it's my patriotic duty to read at least a couple of her books. Was okay. Depressing. But that's Canadian lit for ya.


----------



## Steve French

Our contribution to film, now that is depressing. Outside of Cronenberg and Cameron. Er, I've had too many pops today.


----------



## Steve French

I keep meaning to read when drunk, but it never ends up working. I get distracted very easily. Maybe when Hemingway said "tight" he was referring to being just a bit cut and not gooned. 

Or maybe it was just the writing. "Write drunk, revise sober" was it?


----------



## truant

So, being the maverick thinker that I am, and a fan of delightful brain fevers produced by the creations of ardent cryptozoologists, I thought I'd give Milton's _Shattering the Myths of Darwinism_ a whirl.










I have long been a student of evolutionary theory, but I am also a firm believer that one doesn't truly understand a subject unless one is fully conversant with the arguments both for and against it. I confess that my scientific accomplishments are limited to a rather unsuccessful attempt to selectively breed Sea Monkeys to produce a superior strain which could one day rise up from the ocean depths and conquer humanity (at the behest of myself, of course, dressed fashionably as Victor von Doom's female double, complete with historically inaccurate titanium breast cups) so I find myself ever so slightly out of my depth when it comes to evaluating Mr. Milton's arguments. I plead ignorance and throw myself on the mercy of the forum.

In any case, evolutionary theory has become such a sacred cow that I felt deliciously naughty reading it. What next? Will I find religion?



Steve French said:


> Our contribution to film, now that is depressing. Outside of Cronenberg and Cameron. Er, I've had too many pops today.


But we'll always have maple syrup.



Zippy from rainbow said:


> I just finished (the other night) Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb. It was magnificent. I encourage everyone to read it. *I'll offer free pees to anyone who reads it*.


This comment made me giggle uncontrollably.


----------



## Blue2015

The Dolls House - M.J. Arlidge. Almost finished it, so far it's not the worst, but it's also not one of the best I've read.


----------



## The Patriot

I read more than I watch tv so I finally got myself a Good Reads account, but I've gotten into the bad habit again of putting my online life ahead of my reading life, I was doing well but I started watching stuff on youtube and can't pull myself away, also for some reason my hand burns after a while holding the book open so I can only read so long before putting the book down. 

Finished Sophie's Choice by William Styron (Of course you may know the movie with Meryl Streep) bought 4 books over the weekend at the used book store, 3 by an author I'm into now, Ken Follett, bought Fall of Giants at my local library but at the book store I bought Eye of the Needle, The Key to Rebecca, Pillars of the Earth and Gone With the Wind. 

Started Pillars on Sunday, keep telling myself to wake up early and read, and to read even if its just half an hour or so. 100 pages in so not doing too bad right now.


----------



## shelbster18

The Regulators by Stephen King 's pseudonym Richard Bachman.


----------



## Steve French

Ubik, by Philip K. Dick. Reminds me of that Neuromancer, in that it makes my head hurt.


----------



## drown

Dante Alighieri's Inferno. I picked this one only because it's a book of great value and I felt like I have to read this at least once in my life and yet so far I'm really enjoying it. Never thought that poems can be actually interesting.:clap


----------



## Barakiel

drown said:


> Dante Alighieri's Inferno. I picked this one only because it's a book of great value and I felt like I have to read this at least once in my life and yet so far I'm really enjoying it. Never thought that poems can be actually interesting.:clap


I've got a copy of that on my nightstand, but I never made it past the sixth canto or so D:


----------



## truant

Been very tardy getting around to this, but finally sat down and read Dawkin's _The Blind Watchmaker_. Pretty much exactly what I expected. An excellent introduction if you don't know anything about evolutionary theory.










I also read Behe's _Darwin's Black Box_, an interesting read if you want the scientific argument for intelligent design. I figured since I was slumming with Milton I might as well go all the way. Walk of shame, but no regrets. Good to have both sides of the argument spelled out.


----------



## PlasticTree

I started reading 'Remains of the Day'. I saw the movie a long time ago and liked it. I actually haven't read an entire book in quite a while >.<


----------



## theloneleopard

PlasticTree said:


> I started reading 'Remains of the Day'. I saw the movie a long time ago and liked it. I actually haven't read an entire book in quite a while >.<


I felt this a fairly decent book (and decent movie as well). Not often that I feel that both are on par.


----------



## PolkaTheSalsa

A Florentine Death - Michele Giuttari


----------



## solorzke

This forum.


----------



## Mur

Trying to understand herd mentality in people better.....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_True_Believer


----------



## Barakiel

I came across a free ebook of Gilbert Ryle's Concept of Mind so I thought why not.


----------



## shelbster18

The Hunger Games

It's really great so far. I'm quite late to getting into this book but it doesn't really matter. It turned out to be nothing of what I expected in a good way.


----------



## Staticnz

I'm reading three books right now:

The New Atheist Threat: The Rise Of Secular Fundamentalism by CJ Werleman

Islam & The Future Of Tolerance: A Dialogue, by Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz

Vindication Of The Rights Of Women, by Mary Wollstonecraft.


----------



## JustThisGuy

shelbster18 said:


> The Hunger Games
> 
> It's really great so far. I'm quite late to getting into this book but it doesn't really matter. It turned out to be nothing of what I expected in a good way.


That's how I felt. I didn't feel like a YA book or a "girl book" at all. It was good.


----------



## RestlessNative

*One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey*

And what is the deal with page 260 I have become enraged. Does it exist or what?


----------



## WhiteKitty

"7 habits of highly effective people"


----------



## SoManyNights

I'm about to end The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It's sad to think that this beautiful book is coming to its end...
Then I guess I'm gonna read Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, that have been a long time in my must-read list.


----------



## shelbster18

JustThisGuy said:


> That's how I felt. I didn't feel like a YA book or a "girl book" at all. It was good.


Lol You're right about that. I'm hooked on it.


----------



## Steve French

Animal Farm, for the second time. It makes a lot more sense these days. When they assigned it in school, they had yet to teach us anything regarding communism and the soviet union. Makes me think back to French class. The teacher couldn't speak a lick of french, was quite fluent in Portuguese though.


----------



## Amnesia

I've been reading this book called Enclave for a while, it's not bad but I really would prefer to read something else, but my motto for reading books is one book at a time.


----------



## twitchy666

*Please*

send me the .epub of Diagonally-Parked in a Parallel Universe: Working Through Social Anxiety

I have the Susan Cain Quiet .epub for you


----------



## Kilgore Trout

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman


----------



## JustThisGuy

So many books to read. I can't decide.


----------



## JustThisGuy

I can't see the next page after Shelbster18's post to me.


----------



## Steve French

JustThisGuy said:


> I can't see the next page after Shelbster18's post to me.


I find this happens often for the really long threads. Usually resolves itself after a few days.


----------



## JustThisGuy

Steve French said:


> I find this happens often for the really long threads. Usually resolves itself after a few days.


It just did, cool.


----------



## christacat

Get Even by Martina Cole.


----------



## DiscardYourFear

The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe


----------



## pplnt

Fahrenheit 451.


----------



## catcharay

Finally finished In cold blood, after many months of snails-pace reading. Loved it, very well written. Now reading The prize by David Yergin.


----------



## layitontheline

Erewhon


----------



## Cheesecake

catcharay said:


> Finally finished In cold blood, after many months of snails-pace reading. Loved it, very well written. Now reading The prize by David Yergin.


I'm actually reading The Prize also. I'm slowly reading through it, but I'm enjoying it.


----------



## Cashel

Europe's Tragedy by Peter H. Wilson


----------



## farfegnugen

Finished *A Hanging at Cinder Bottom* and just started *A Simple Plan*


----------



## Mur

This is what I call a self-help book....
http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Worthless-Depressing-Nuggets-ebook/dp/B005NYUXPK


----------



## Fledgling

Bram Stoker's Dracula. I guess I really was feeling Halloween this year.


----------



## Preetipattar

I'm currently reading crime and punishment


----------



## Steve French

Started in on The Brothers Karamozov. Been wanting to read it through for some time, but an 850 page novel is quite daunting. Not far enough in to form an opinion yet, but I have to say, these god damned Russian names. They irritated me all throughout C&P. Half of them sound the same, and they constantly drop without warning into diminutives and nicknames that don't even resemble the originals.


----------



## Mur

Callsign said:


> *That must be of the best self help books ever made*. I remember reading it in a bookshop when I was young and laughing so much while people looked at me.


I'm about 60 or so pages in and I strongly agree, this book has a lot of harsh but valuable truths in it and it's funny as hell. I definitely wouldn't recommend it to someone who's going through a depressive episode though!


----------



## Steve French

I got about 80 or so pages into Karamazov and ended up forgetting about the book for three or four days. When I got back, I was totally lost. Miusov was pissed at Ivan for no discernable reason. Everybody was pissed off at Fyodor for what I think was acting like a fool during a dinner party. Dmitri was pissed due to some chick they kept mentioning but hadn't been introduced yet. This one guy who I could not remember named Rakitin was accusing Alyosha of thinking of murdering his father and of Dmitri moving on from his fiancé to bang this one girl and Ivan was encouraging it so he could marry Dmitri's fiancé. Zossima was lying down about to die and saying some cryptic **** that made no sense. He also had bowed to Dmitri or somebody and I'm not sure why, but it intrigued several of the cast. Most characters had this input about a really long several chapter discussion about the separation of church and state.

I suppose what I am getting at is I lack the brainpower to go at this book with break time in between chapters, and reading sessions of thirty minutes. So I decided to switch it up and finally read Dune. It's been sitting on my shelf eyeballing me for ages.

Also started getting nostalgic for this old Star Wars book from the late 90s, Starfighters of Adumar. I bought it on cassette, when those were still a thing, before a long family road trip. These were the days when I would still read cheap trash because I didn't care about trying to prove anything to myself or my peers. ****, was that ever a good book. Or audiotape, even though I just found out it was abridged. The guy reading it got really into it and did all these weird voices for all the characters. I'm going to have to reacquire that.


----------



## AffinityWing

The Crucible


----------



## dontwaitupforme

The heroin diaries by Nikki Sixx

Interesting read.


----------



## JTHearts

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (again)


----------



## Steve French

Got about a hundred pages left in Dune. Started pretty slow, certainly heavy on the random future language terms and politics, but it has become real engrossing ever since the Fremen entered the picture. I might have to look up the sequels when the time comes.


----------



## Crisigv

Flight: The Complete History


----------



## Cheesecake

The Lord of the Rings. It's been nine years since I last read it. I have a one volume edition.


----------



## JustThisGuy

Cheesecake said:


> The Lord of the Rings. It's been nine years since I last read it. I have a one volume edition.


I have the one volume edition, too. Did you know it was originally supposed to be one book, but publishers said it'd be too much of a read. So they split it into 6 volumes, then it was too linear and they had problems with shipments and keeping volumes in order for the consumers. So then they settled on three books and it's been considered a well-known trilogy ever since, despite not originally being one.


----------



## Steve French

Think I'll pick up Norwegian Wood. Been sitting there on my shelf for ages. To be honest, I bought it after seeing so many people pumping Murakami's tires on this very website. That got me nervous though. I was infected with a bit of hipsterism and thought to myself, "If so many modern day fellows enjoy it, it must be terrible." Now that my expectations are low, I'll probably enjoy it a lot more. It worked for Citizen Kane.


----------



## monolo

Steve French said:


> Think I'll pick up Norwegian Wood. Been sitting there on my shelf for ages. To be honest, I bought it after seeing so many people pumping Murakami's tires on this very website. That got me nervous though. I was infected with a bit of hipsterism and thought to myself, "If so many modern day fellows enjoy it, it must be terrible." Now that my expectations are low, I'll probably enjoy it a lot more. It worked for Citizen Kane.


I guess many of Murakami's protagonists are alienated, loner types which I can imagine, is very relatable to many people here, myself included. One of my fav coming of age novels.

... hmm not a fan of C Kane. But they're very different.


----------



## monolo

JTHearts said:


> The Perks of Being a Wallflower (again)


Sweet.

Did you watch the movie?


----------



## Steve French

monolo said:


> ... hmm not a fan of C Kane. But they're very different.


I was referring to how Citizen Kane is hyped up as one of the best, if not the best, movies of all time, not comparing it thematically to Norwegian Wood. I can't help but wonder if this has something to do with modern audiences dislike of the film. I thought it looked terrible and went in with little expectations and quite enjoyed it.

I think having such grandiose expectations for anything will leave it a little disappointing and invite dislike, barring it being quite exceptional. I was having a go at the ole hype train.

Not that I'm saying Murakami is overhyped. Just very popular in all my internet forums.


----------



## monolo

Steve French said:


> I was referring to how Citizen Kane is hyped up as one of the best, if not the best, movies of all time, not comparing it thematically to Norwegian Wood. I can't help but wonder if this has something to do with modern audiences dislike of the film. I thought it looked terrible and went in with little expectations and quite enjoyed it.
> 
> I think having such grandiose expectations for anything will leave it a little disappointing and invite dislike, barring it being quite exceptional. I was having a go at the ole hype train.
> 
> Not that I'm saying Murakami is overhyped. Just very popular in all my internet forums.


Ah I see your point. I try not to let people's reviews or hype affect my own experience of a book/movie. If not neutral, then low expectations I guess.


----------



## JTHearts

monolo said:


> Sweet.
> 
> Did you watch the movie?


No lol, I have never seen the movie but I do want to.


----------



## DanielS82

Flowers for Algernon


----------



## RiversBetweenUs

Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan & Orphan Train by Christina Baker Cline.


----------



## Icarus12

DanielS82 said:


> Flowers for Algernon


An excellent book. Poignant and emotionally engaging.

I'm currently reading The Long Way Down by Craig Schaefer. It is a dark, but humorous UF.


----------



## Mik3

A Clash Of Kings - George RR Martin


----------



## Cmasch

I just finished George Orwell's 1984, so I guess I'm technically not reading it now but it was a great book . Now to find another to read.


----------



## Enkidu

Nearly finished with _The Human Zoo_ by Desmond Morris and re-reading Gene Wolfe's _Peace _


----------



## DiscardYourFear

I'm reading *The Fairy Godmother* by Mercedes Lackey.
Up next is *The Collector* by John Fowles.


----------



## DiscardYourFear

soulzodiac said:


> Nearly finished with _The Human Zoo_ by Desmond Morris and re-reading Gene Wolfe's _Peace _


Oh, wow. *Peace *is one of the best books to re-read and re-read ever. 
I love Gene Wolfe.


----------



## Enkidu

DiscardYourFear said:


> Oh, wow. *Peace *is one of the best books to re-read and re-read ever.
> I love Gene Wolfe.


A fellow admirer of Wolfe! A bit of a rare encounter
I absolutely adored _The Fifth Head of Cerberus_, but _Peace_ was so haunting and complex...it deserves another meticulous read


----------



## Constellations

Just ordered the 1st book of The Last Kingdom series, really excited for it


----------



## DiscardYourFear

soulzodiac said:


> A fellow admirer of Wolfe! A bit of a rare encounter
> I absolutely adored _The Fifth Head of Cerberus_, but _Peace_ was so haunting and complex...it deserves another meticulous read


Yeah, *The Fifth Head of Cerberus* was awesome as well. I also love his short stories, and I want to get through *The Book of the New Sun *series, but that's going to take some focus, and I'm not ready just yet.


----------



## Enkidu

DiscardYourFear said:


> Yeah, *The Fifth Head of Cerberus* was awesome as well. I also love his short stories, and I want to get through *The Book of the New Sun *series, but that's going to take some focus, and I'm not ready just yet.


What are your favorite short stories? I really liked the fun, intellectual roller-coaster that was _Endangered Species_, especially "All the Hues of Hell." That was a bizarre one


----------



## Hank Scorpio

Steve French said:


> I got about 80 or so pages into Karamazov and ended up forgetting about the book for three or four days. When I got back, I was totally lost. Miusov was pissed at Ivan for no discernable reason. Everybody was pissed off at Fyodor for what I think was acting like a fool during a dinner party. Dmitri was pissed due to some chick they kept mentioning but hadn't been introduced yet. This one guy who I could not remember named Rakitin was accusing Alyosha of thinking of murdering his father and of Dmitri moving on from his fiancé to bang this one girl and Ivan was encouraging it so he could marry Dmitri's fiancé. Zossima was lying down about to die and saying some cryptic **** that made no sense. He also had bowed to Dmitri or somebody and I'm not sure why, but it intrigued several of the cast. Most characters had this input about a really long several chapter discussion about the separation of church and state.
> 
> I suppose what I am getting at is I lack the brainpower to go at this book with break time in between chapters, and reading sessions of thirty minutes. So I decided to switch it up and finally read Dune. It's been sitting on my shelf eyeballing me for ages.
> 
> Also started getting nostalgic for this old Star Wars book from the late 90s, Starfighters of Adumar. I bought it on cassette, when those were still a thing, before a long family road trip. These were the days when I would still read cheap trash because I didn't care about trying to prove anything to myself or my peers. ****, was that ever a good book. Or audiotape, even though I just found out it was abridged. The guy reading it got really into it and did all these weird voices for all the characters. I'm going to have to reacquire that.


Find some cliff notes online to help you follow along.

But nothing wrong with Dune. :nw


----------



## Steve French

Hank Scorpio said:


> Find some cliff notes online to help you follow along.
> 
> But nothing wrong with Dune. :nw


Yes, it was quite a good book. I have Dune Messiah lined up now.


----------



## odetoanoddity

Bridget Jones: Mad about the boy.

lol... I've always had a soft spot for Bridget Jones. In this book, I see some similarities between B and I, in the sense that we've both lost our partners to death, struggles with weight, we're both insecure and single women (just found out an old high school friend got engaged, good for her, but it made me feel like the pressure is on to find a man before I turn 30)


----------



## fobia

Currently I am reading *Cannery Row* by John Steinbeck


----------



## Steve French

In yet another book I missed while skipping out on high school, Brave New World. Quite prescient, wasn't it?


----------



## Fedorov91

Stephen King-Mr Mercedes


----------



## Hopendreamer111

Life Expectancy By Dean Koontz. Once I'm done with that I'll be starting Heart Shaped Box By Joe Hill.


----------



## abhivanth

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson (it's a memoir that focuses on her mental health issues, and living with depression, anxiety, etc.). I love it - she's hilarious!


----------



## ByStorm

The Stuff of Thought by Steven Pinker and Feeling Good by David Burns


----------



## farfegnugen

Think I'm going to try *House of Leaves* again over the holidays. I've been too busy to read anything but work.


----------



## Arbre

Wuthering Heights. It's supposed to be a classic and I'm reading it quickly but I haven't gotten that into it. So far it has only been about a family of people that aren't very likable.


----------



## Alleviate Suffering

Reading Cloud Atlas at the moment but not enjoying it very much. Anyone else care to give an opinion on it?


----------



## catcharay

Emotional healing - Frank wright. It feels relevant to me atm and I'm reacquainting myself with the perspective of changing the subconscious.


----------



## firestar

Lock In, by John Scalzi. I haven't read a novel in a while but John Scalzi is a great writer and I'm enjoying the book so far.



Alleviate Suffering said:


> Reading Cloud Atlas at the moment but not enjoying it very much. Anyone else care to give an opinion on it?


I thought the middle section (the only one that doesn't repeat) was the hardest to read. The rest of it I enjoyed.

If you're having trouble with the book, have you tried watching the movie? I usually prefer the book, but the Cloud Atlas film was really good. Plus it's fun spotting the actors in the different segments.


----------



## StoicJester

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee


----------



## herk

Faeries Tales by Brian and Wendy Froud

thought it was just an art book, but it actually has a bit of a narrative to it. when i found this out i was worried it would take away from the art, but it's actually really cool and adds to it so much.


----------



## Kevin001




----------



## Alleviate Suffering

firestar said:


> Lock In, by John Scalzi. I haven't read a novel in a while but John Scalzi is a great writer and I'm enjoying the book so far.
> 
> I thought the middle section (the only one that doesn't repeat) was the hardest to read. The rest of it I enjoyed.
> 
> If you're having trouble with the book, have you tried watching the movie? I usually prefer the book, but the Cloud Atlas film was really good. Plus it's fun spotting the actors in the different segments.


If you are talking about the Sloosha's crossing bit then yeah that's the bit I have found hardest too but none of it has really grabbed me. I always have to finish the book before I watch the film but once I have struggled to the end ( I don't like giving up on a book) I will watch the film and see what's like.


----------



## KoiLily

abhivanth said:


> Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson (it's a memoir that focuses on her mental health issues, and living with depression, anxiety, etc.). I love it - she's hilarious!


I read her first book and am still on the waiting list for Furiously Happy, she's a great writer. I really recommend the audiobook though, she does the voice and sound effects herself!


----------



## DiscardYourFear

*Microscopic God* by Theodore Sturgeon


----------



## odetoanoddity

Navigatio by Patrick Holland
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## zomb

Sunburn
the tattooed heart
the fear
lies

Different authors.


----------



## Steve French

The Count of Monte Cristo.

It has been sitting on my shelf for years, eyeballing me. I have always been intimidated by the size, but I am quite fond of Dumas' writing, and the other day I decided to say **** it and give er a go.

About 400 pages in so far, so about 850 left to go. For a guy who wrote almost 200 years ago, his prose sure rips, I must say. I blew through The Three Musketeers in a few days. This will probably be another week or two on top of that time frame, but it goes smoothly.


----------



## The Crimson King

Stephen King's new short story collection, Bazaar of Bad Dreams.


----------



## Steve French

You know, it seems like half the posts I make end up being the last one on the page.


----------



## DiscardYourFear

The *Alastor Cluster* novels by Jack Vance. 
_Trullion_, _Marune_, and _Wyst_.


----------



## odetoanoddity

Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## catcharay

The princess bride, abridged version- William goldman. Amazing so far, so charming, funny and very readable. If Moby Dick had been abridged I probably would've completed it. Definitely going to recommend it to my younger sister.


----------



## transparent

Currently reading "Deep Work" by Cal Newport.


----------



## Elad

For all my fellow fantasy escapism nerds the Malazan book of the fallen series is pretty fantastic. (especially once you accept you'll never understand wtf is happening 70% of the time)

Just about to finish book 5 Midnight Tides and I can safely say each book in the series gets better. The world is massive, the amount of characters is ridiculous and after the 8 main books there are 9 side stories/novellas and more incoming. nom nom nom.


----------



## Elad

Steve French said:


> Started in on The Brothers Karamozov. Been wanting to read it through for some time, but an 850 page novel is quite daunting. Not far enough in to form an opinion yet, but I have to say, these god damned Russian names. They irritated me all throughout C&P. Half of them sound the same, and they constantly drop without warning into diminutives and nicknames that don't even resemble the originals.


Yeah that was the problem I had. Put it down after a couple hundred pages and went back to fantasy.

How did you find it assuming you've finished ?.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Steve French

Elad said:


> Yeah that was the problem I had. Put it down after a couple hundred pages and went back to fantasy.
> 
> How did you find it assuming you've finished ?.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


I never got through it. I took a week break when I was quite busy and I returned totally lost. Too many plot threads and characters, and had too poor of a translation. Can never focus properly on those ebooks as well, I need the paper for true concentration. I'll be getting back to it in a few years.

Much like Crime and Punishment. Tried er five times before I finally settled in and got real absorbed in the cat and mouse chase, and then found I couldn't put it down.


----------



## Elad

Steve French said:


> I never got through it. I took a week break when I was quite busy and I returned totally lost. Too many plot threads and characters, and had too poor of a translation. Can never focus properly on those ebooks as well, I need the paper for true concentration. I'll be getting back to it in a few years.
> 
> Much like Crime and Punishment. Tried er five times before I finally settled in and got real absorbed in the cat and mouse chase, and then found I couldn't put it down.


Sounds just like me 

We'll finish it one day. Maybe.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## ApathyDivine

Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock


----------



## Xenagos

And Quiet Flows the Don by Mikhail Sholokhov


----------



## Greyx

I've just started reading the final book in the Ebola K series by Bobby Adair, I love world ending stories for some reason.


----------



## Loosh

IT by Stephen King


----------



## SilentStrike

Death or glory by Sandy Mitchell.
From the Ciaphas Cain series, which is about a cowardly soldier in a sci-fi setting(kinda, it is less than he is a coward and more than everyone else around him seems to be suicidal) somehow living through really dangerous battles by sheer luck or skill(he is a coward, but he is a good shot and he is one of the best if not the best character at close range combat, so he is not entirely incompetent)...mostly through luck, and after every battle he gets more renown and being hailed as a hero which just leads him to being sent against his will to more dangerous missions.
...It is actually pretty good, the books are funny and interesting, and i love the fact that what we read are his memories as they are being edited and published by a lover of his who comments on his memories(mostly extra information, Ciaphas only talks about events relating to him, but there is always other details on the events going around him which he does not mention which leads to the lover putting notes to explain things) which is a interesting way to present the story.
Overall, it is not the best series of books ever, but i am enjoying them a lot.


----------



## Arbre

Franz Kafka: The Complete Stories

I don't remember if I have ever read Kafka before.


----------



## Xenagos

Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges


----------



## Xenagos

Zibaldone by Giacomo Leopardi


----------



## Xenagos

The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares


----------



## Xenagos

Nada by Carmen Laforet


----------



## Steve French

Finished Monte Cristo this evening. Great book. Almost want to read it again already, but I think I'll wait some time and try it in french. I decided to give the latest film adaptation another run through while the tale is in my mind. Even though it butchers the book quite heavily, it is still a great film. Also, I watched a bit of the Japanese anime adaptation Gankutsuou the other month. Despite it being all strange and sci-fi, it was truer to the book, and pretty good itself.

Got Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? lined up next. Been reading a lot of PKD lately, quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. And continuing on with adaptations, I watched Blade Runner again a short while back. Great film, even if the makers didn't read the book. Unicorn scene kills me inside a bit though.


----------



## C18

The picture of Dorian Gray.


----------



## Amphoteric

Finished reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness today. A little quote from it:

"Destiny. My Destiny! Droll thing life is - that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of yourself - that comes too late - a crop of unextinguishable regrets. I have wrestled with death. It is the most unexciting contest you can imagine. It takes place in an impalpable greyness, with nothing underfoot, with nothing around, without spectators, without clamour, without glory, without the great desire of victory, without great fear of defeat, in a sickly atmosphere of tepid scepticism, without much belief in your own right, and still less in that of your adversary. If such is the form of the ultimate wisdom, then life is a greater riddle than some of us think it to be."


----------



## Steve French

Went down and got a library card. Seems pertinent now that I live in a big city, with the large collection and all and the price of books these days.

Have Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, Father Goriot, The Painted Veil, and Call for the Dead lined up for the next three weeks.

Wanted to read The Man in the High Castle. It is booked solid for months, I assume because of that cocksucker tv adaptation.


----------



## RunningAwayfromreality

laura lippman: what the dead know


----------



## Xenagos

I'm half way done Planet of Adventure by Jack Vance after that I'll be reading Memoirs of Hadrian
by Marguerite Yourcenar.


----------



## odetoanoddity

Strange Weather in Tokyo - Hiromi Kawakami
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## TenYears

Fire Down Below by Debra Anastasia


Probably the funniest book I've ever read in my entire life, and I'm only into the third chapter.


----------



## Xenagos

The Martian by Andy Weir

I'm having a hard time believing this book got made in to a movie, heck I can't believe it got made into a book. None of the characters seems to have any feelings or subjectivity. They just do and say things to move the plot along. It's just so weird to me: this Watney guy is COMPLETELY ALONE on a planet far away from earth and he could very likely die, but he doesn't seem to evidence any existential dread or philosophical thoughts or even genuine depression. He is a problem-solving machine—and that's it.


----------



## Xenagos

In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust


----------



## Arbre

lemon wedge said:


> In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust


I've wanted to read that for a long time. Got a nice hardcover copy of Swann's Way that is waiting to be read. I'm actually planning to soon once I finish reading some short story collections.


----------



## Steve French

Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said - PKD.

I have all these non-fiction books lined up. Meditations, Hero With a Thousand Faces, Charisma Myth, a new one of David Burns. Something intimidates me about them, I don't know. Always seems like work rather than a diversion when I go outside of my usual realms of reading.


----------



## Nekomata

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Lost Slayer by Christopher Golden.


----------



## odetoanoddity

'Steppenwolf' by Herman Hesse.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## novalax

Chaos: Creating a New Science by James Gleick... again


----------



## huh

I recently started Matt Ridley's "The Evolution of Everything". I also finished a very long list of books since I last posted in here. Not too many worth mentioning. But I enjoyed "Adventures in the Anthropocene". Some interesting information on different geoengineering techniques.


----------



## Xenagos

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins


----------



## tcv

Eggshell said:


> Franz Kafka: The Complete Stories
> 
> I don't remember if I have ever read Kafka before.


Me too! I'm about halfway through _The Trial_.

Before Kafka I read _Germany: Memories of a Nation_ which was great.


----------



## novalax

The intelligent investor


----------



## Overdrive

Prise de Son et Mixage - Tome 1


----------



## Cheesecake

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller


----------



## Steve French

Perfume: Story of a Murderer, by Patrick Süskind. Grew interested in this one back in my teenage grunge phase when I listened to Nirvana constantly; Cobain based the lyrics for Scentless Apprentice on the book. Pretty good movie adaptation out there too.


----------



## Xenagos

Last Words from Montmartre by Qiu Miaojin


----------



## The Enemy Within

The Neverending Story (1979), by Michael Ende


----------



## layitontheline

On the Beach - Nevil Shute


----------



## Steve French

Hello America by J.G. Ballard. 

Got turned on to him by Joy Division, similar to how I found my last book. Atrocity Exhibition from Closer.


----------



## Xenagos

Vertigo by W.G. Sebald


----------



## rickey

Mathematical Theory of Communication - theory by Claude Shannon, book by warren weaver


----------



## Steve French

A Time to Love and a Time to Die - Erich Maria Remarque.


----------



## Winterwalk

Is there any fantasy novel where the main character is a hermit ?


----------



## JustThisGuy

Steve French said:


> Perfume: Story of a Murderer, by Patrick Süskind. Grew interested in this one back in my teenage grunge phase when I listened to Nirvana constantly; Cobain based the lyrics for Scentless Apprentice on the book. Pretty good movie adaptation out there too.


I've really wanted to read the novella after seeing the movie. I also discovered the Nirvana song being after the book, too. Pretty cool.


----------



## HumeOnFumes

A History of England - David Harris Willson
On Saudi Arabia - Karen Elliott House
The Last Kingdom - Bernard Cornwell


----------



## Xenagos

The Woman In The Dunes by Kobo Abe


----------



## avoidobot3000

speedboat by renata adler. it's disjointed and confusing, so far, but she seems smart as heck and i respect that


----------



## mooncake

_The Grapes of Wrath _by John Steinbeck. Quite a sad read, but I'm enjoying the book.


----------



## McFly

On the second run of the audio book of How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie.

It's definitely good material for changing your thinking and there are a lot of positive mind pathways provided. The only problem is the book relies on christianity and Jesus every now and then. Also it was written in the late 1940s so it has a lot of stories of WWII and talks about the war like it's a recent event.


----------



## Steve French

Storm of Steel - Ernst Junger. Had this one on my list for years. I like the detailed, detached descriptions of the wartime scenes. Not often you get a war memoir that is not written from an anti-war perspective.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Montaigne's - Essays
Francis bacon - Essays
Plutarch Lives

Francis De Sales - The Love Of God. 
Aristotle- The Metaphysics.

The first three I am reading gradually.


----------



## mooncake

Starting on the beast that is _Don Quixote_


----------



## Humesday

Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few by Robert Reich


----------



## brian97

Life of pi


----------



## Xenagos

Continuing Zibaldone by Giacomo Leopardi


----------



## Barakiel

I have these two books of Shelley and Keats' poems that I read on and off, I really have to be in the right mood for that but when I am it's the most enjoyment I've gotten out of reading books in a while.


----------



## Leaf247

*clears throat* I've recently been re-reading this book called 'Australia in the Global Economy' by Tim Dixon and John O'Mahony.

Economics. It's really fun.


----------



## Steve French

The Quiet American - Graham Greene. Quite a fine writer, I'll be looking into more of his.


----------



## Violet93

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum


----------



## catssarelife

The City and the City by China Mievell for my prose class


----------



## caveman8

Just finished The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee, a North Korean defector. Pretty amazing read. About to start In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeonmi Park.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Xenagos

Unspeakable Practices, Unnatural Acts by Donald Barthelme


----------



## odetoanoddity

I just finished reading Neil Gaiman's The Sandman: Overture. It's gotten me interested in reading the rest of The Sandman series.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Steve French

Butcher's Crossing - John Williams. Quite a great writer, shame he only wrote four novels, and is only getting any recognition now that he is long dead.


----------



## farfegnugen

Just finished the new Lisbeth Salander one, "The Girl in the Spider's Web." It was decent. I like the character but she's becoming a bit cartoonish


----------



## truant

Just finished Rawls' _Theory of Justice_.


----------



## Xenagos

Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann


----------



## riverbird

I just started reading You Are A Badass: How To Stop Doubting Your Greatness And Start Living An Awesome Life by Jen Sincero.


----------



## Steve French

And No Birds Sang - Farley Mowat.


----------



## AffinityWing

The Grapes of Wrath


----------



## Humesday

European Politics In Transition by Kesselman et al.


----------



## tcv

Recently read books 1-6 of Jeffrey Archer's 'Clifton Chronicles'

Now reading Ken Follett's 'Pillars of the Earth'


----------



## Xenagos

The Circle by Dave Eggers

It's a pleasure to read a novel with some big ideas and plenty to say about the modern world. Not precisely neo-luddism but at least a plea to think before we sleepwalk off a precipice.

All I really want to know is...

[spoiler=spoiler]What was with the shark? :lol[/spoiler]


----------



## Humesday

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara W. Tuchman


----------



## layitontheline

Death by Black Hole and other cosmic quandaries - Tyson

Yay space! Nothing makes me feel as refreshingly insignificant as reading about the universe.


----------



## Blue2015

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, and The interpretation of dreams by Sigmund Freud.


----------



## odetoanoddity

The unfortunate decisions of Dahlia Moss - Max W


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Paperback Writer

Duma Key by Stephen King


----------



## Xenagos

Future Shock by Alvin Toffler


----------



## Steve French

The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham.


----------



## fredbloggs02

Eroticism - Georges Bataille.

The Fire of Love - Richard Rolle

Anglo Saxon Poetry - S.A.J. Bradley.


----------



## Xenagos

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov


----------



## Rains

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy


----------



## fredbloggs02

I have also been patiently reading the Sikh scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib, at a rate of ten or so psalms a day. Its system is expressed with beautiful, intensely evocative imagery. I recommend a reading of them to anyone interested in religions.


----------



## farfegnugen

I am going to start Rebecca by Daphe du Maurier soon. I finally look like I'm going to have a little break after going around the clock for the last couple of weeks.


----------



## Loosh

The Morning Star, the third book in the Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown. Superb so far.


----------



## rabidfoxes

Xenagos said:


> The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov


My all-time favourite! I would like to see a play based on it (I've seen one but it was ages ago), it works so well on the stage.

I'm reading Dubliners by James Joyce and an anthology of fantastic literature.


----------



## Xenagos

rabidfoxes said:


> My all-time favourite! I would like to see a play based on it (I've seen one but it was ages ago), it works so well on the stage.
> 
> I'm reading Dubliners by James Joyce and an anthology of fantastic literature.


That's a show I would be willing to travel the world to see. Not a local play but an full scale production would be amazing.

--

I'm reading The Hunger Angel by Herta Müller. Russian (19th century) literature more-so Eastern European literature holds a spot in my heart. Right now I have a copy of Turgenev's Fathers and Sons on my desk that's calling out to me. :lol


----------



## rabidfoxes

@Xenagos

In the production I saw, they had a naked Margarita standing with her arms outstretched while a black & white video of a landscape shot from above was projected from behind her (for a scene where she is flying). It was very eerie and stuck in my memory.

I don't know much about Russian/Eastern European literature (funny, being from Eastern Europe and all), but I do have a special place in my heart for Dostoevsky. I love Chekhov but I can't pretend to understand him. Tolstoy didn't do it for me, but maybe I read him when I was too young. Daniil Kharms did. Does Asimov count as Russian? Know very little of Yesenin and Nabokov, but liked what I read.

Nowt else comes to mind.


----------



## regimes

NOTHING.
i want to see if i can renew my library card soon though. i went in recently and saw a bunch of titles i'd like to reread.
anne of green gables, emily moon, sabriel..


----------



## Barakiel

truant said:


> Just finished _Early Greek Philosophy_, translated by Jonathan Barnes. Quaint pre-Socratic philosophy. Democritus wrote some great maxims. Makes me want to read some more Plato, but I'll probably just watch Clash of the Titans instead.


!!! I realize this post is like a year old now, but I've had that same Penguin book for a few months now and kinda forgot about it, so lurking through this thread and seeing your post reminded me of that... so I guess I should say thanks 

from what I remember he quotes a whole bunch of different sources, especially for the folks who didn't leave behind any writings. Like before I found an e-book on the pre-Socratics that just simply stated that people like Thales or Pythagoras don't have any surviving writings, with no discussion at all on their ideas or what they're well-known for. >_>

Heraclitus will always be my favorite tho. There is a real fiery quality to his work you could say


----------



## catcharay

The emotional life of your brain. It's interesting, it presents experiments about the physiological region of the brain - prefrontal cortex - which governs cognitive function, reason, judgement and logic which helps in quietening the amygdala area when you're emotionally hyperactive. Basically you can build resilience with your thoughts. There's also an interesting part where you can be born with predisposed genes of shyness etc, but it doesn't necessarily get activated based on your environment growing up. They make an overarching point that the brain is malleable for sure. After the gene is activated from environmental influences originating from childhood, it would probably be more difficult to change behaviours but you can change your resiliency - it shows up in the MRI brain scans.


----------



## truant

Barakiel said:


> !!! I realize this post is like a year old now, but I've had that same Penguin book for a few months now and kinda forgot about it, so lurking through this thread and seeing your post reminded me of that... so I guess I should say thanks
> 
> from what I remember he quotes a whole bunch of different sources, especially for the folks who didn't leave behind any writings. Like before I found an e-book on the pre-Socratics that just simply stated that people like Thales or Pythagoras don't have any surviving writings, with no discussion at all on their ideas or what they're well-known for. >_>
> 
> Heraclitus will always be my favorite tho. There is a real fiery quality to his work you could say


Yeah, Heraclitus is great. One of my all-time favorite quotes:










Most of the pre-Socratics have only been preserved via quotation. I have the first volume of Guthrie's _History of Greek Philosophy_ but it's so heavy I can't find the strength to crack it open.


----------



## Xenagos

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.

I've been working my way through all McCathy's novels, been putting off Child of God, though.


----------



## Steve French

The Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut.


----------



## Xenagos

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert

_



Though it might be nice to imagine there once was a time when man lived in harmony with nature, it's not clear that he ever really did.

Click to expand...

_A difficult book to read, but one which I hope will find a wide audience, since its message of the key role human intervention has played in recent extinctions and will continue to play well into the future, is one which every person should understand.


----------



## The Condition of Keegan

Halo: last lastb light and Wonder


----------



## ggvirus

Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz and Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson


----------



## Xenagos

Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable by Samuel Beckett


----------



## LaurelHS

Abandoned Places: 60 Stories Of Places Where Time Has Stopped by Richard Happer. There's something about abandoned historical sites that fascinates me. And some of the places in the book are very beautiful, like Petra.


----------



## Fun Spirit

I just finished reading Of Mice and Men.
Aside from that I am still reading The Bible. King James Verson. I just started Deuteronomy.


----------



## Xenagos

The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley


----------



## Humesday

The Rise of Modern Philosophy by Anthony Kenny


----------



## MamaDoe

Comments on pornhub


----------



## Paperback Writer

The Writer's Tale: The Final Chapter by Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook

A brilliant insight into the writing process behind Doctor Who during the peak of the David Tennant era.


----------



## Paperback Writer

The Stand by Stephen King


----------



## Enkidu

1848: Year of Revolution

by Mike Rapport


----------



## Xenagos

The Devil to Pay in the Backlands by Joao Guimaraes Rosa


----------



## Xenagos

Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes


----------



## Steve French

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams.

I avoided these books for so long because of that terrible movie back in the day. Well, what do you know, they are actually quite good. Maybe it's just that my humour has evolved.


----------



## Steve French

Roadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Should make er through this time. Cutting down on my list of books that I have started but never finished. Hate the chapters being all 50 pages long though. Can't even stop to think.


----------



## Humesday

Let the Right One In by John Lindqvist


----------



## Mur

Quite possibly the best book I've ever read...


----------



## Barakiel

I never knew apples did too. :sus

Oh and I'm kinda skimming through Karen Armstrong's "A History of God" right now.


----------



## okgoodbye

Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson


----------



## Humesday

Let The Old Dreams Die by John Lindqvist

I only read the title story in this collection of short stories.


----------



## Xenagos

A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck


----------



## Humesday

Harbor by John Lindqvist

meh

I don't know if I'll bother finishing this one.


----------



## SouthWest

'Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-fi and Fantasy Culture' by Ytasha Womack and 'Daily Rituals' by Mason Currey


----------



## Nekomata

The Raven's Head by Karen Maitland


----------



## Brujita

Thriving with Social Anxiety by Hattie C. Cooper

I normally hate self-help books but I'm desperate. :|


----------



## Xenagos

East of Eden by John Steinbeck


----------



## CptHello

The Fireman by Joe Hill


----------



## meghankira

escape by carolyn jessop. shes a girl who left the fundamentalist latter day saints polygamy cult so its her memoir


----------



## vsaxena

Currently, I am reading short science-fiction stories by Philip K. Dick.


----------



## Meero

The silence of the lambs by Thomas Harris. Amazing book the first part of the series was also a page turner.


----------



## Xenagos

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace


----------



## tcv

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer.


----------



## rockyraccoon

Rereading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I blew through the first 200 pages the other day without taking a break. It's a long book. I plan to finish it this week.


----------



## SouthWest

A collection of short stories by Mary Shelley called The Pilgrims. I'm also expecting The Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley in the post sometime this week.


----------



## Xenagos

The Sot-Weed Factor by John Barth


----------



## Steve French

The Woman in the Dunes, by Kobo Abe. A post by another user on this very thread reminded me that I had had the film set aside for months. It didn't get me to watch the film, but I did end up buying the book, which I will have read before seeing the film that had interested me originally.


----------



## Xenagos

In Praise of Prejudice: The Necessity of Preconceived Ideas by Theodore Dalrymple


----------



## Cashel

Republican Rome by H.A. McDonald


----------



## farfegnugen

Smilla's Sense of Snow. It is interesting though I am only at the beginning.


----------



## Cashel

Xenagos said:


> In Praise of Prejudice: The Necessity of Preconceived Ideas by Theodore Dalrymple


That sounds pretty interesting.


----------



## Steve French

For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway. This is probably the tenth time I've given this book a try. Never once made it all the way through.


----------



## dystopiadrone

I'm reading Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon. It's a biography of Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley. Frankenstein was my favorite book as a teenager, and is still one of my favorites. Wollstonecraft is a really fascinating person to read about, she wrote The Vindication for the Rights of Women, but I didn't know she also wrote an earlier piece called The Vindication for the Rights of Men. It was a critique of a philosopher who was against the ideals of the French Revolution. The piece was widely acclaimed until they found out a woman wrote it.


----------



## Humesday

Patterns of World History Volume 2: Since 1400 by Sivers et. al.


----------



## tehuti88

_S._ by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst

I love the format (that of an old library book passed back and forth between two students who leave notes in the margins and various other things between the pages), but it's not nearly as fascinating a story as I'd hoped it would be. I've been slogging through this thing for months (my mother actually asked me if I'm reading it backwards since I never seem to get any further through it) and find the prospect of continuing to do so tedious. I'm past page 100 and still am not even sure what the point of it all is--just some dull story about an amnesiac guy endlessly wandering some weird city, and notes endlessly pondering the identity of the writer. (I'm finding it harder and harder to suspend disbelief that the two note-leavers could carry on a conversation in real time by such a method. Were they passing the book back and forth like ten times a day?--all without ever meeting each other?) The Amazon summary is way more interesting than the book, so far.

Shame, really. Could be so much better. :/


----------



## IzzyMandelbaum

Just started reading; Neuromancer by William Gibson


----------



## Mokenowitz

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky


----------



## BlueUpQuark

Currently reading Calculus: an intuitive and physical approach (Morris Kline) and Why evolution is true (Jerry A. Coyne)


----------



## SouthWest

Octavia's Brood - an anthology of speculative fiction short stories. The first and second stories weren't great but there are some real gems as I keep reading - I'm roughly halfway through.


----------



## ShoDan

The Technological Society by Jacques Ellul


----------



## ambivalentloner

I finished Bird Box by Josh Malerman last week and started Doomsday Book by Connie Willis this week.


----------



## Steve French

Started in on Night by Elie Weisel. Taking me a while for such a short book. Hard to get motivated for the real depressing, cynical stuff.


----------



## TryingMara

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Leviathan's Wake(audio book). I'll buy a copy soon though


----------



## Lostintheshuffle

"Let the right one in" - John Ajvide Lindqvist. It's for my English class that starts in 2 weeks. Just started reading my text books early. Idk. It's an okay book. Definitely not as "chilling" and "horrific" as all the reviews claim it to be. Just seems like a rather blah vampire story. 3/4 of the way done and it's just dragged on by without so much as a glimmer of interest from me. Meh.


----------



## Andre

Lostintheshuffle said:


> "Let the right one in" - John Ajvide Lindqvist. It's for my English class that starts in 2 weeks. Just started reading my text books early. Idk. It's an okay book. Definitely not as "chilling" and "horrific" as all the reviews claim it to be. Just seems like a rather blah vampire story. 3/4 of the way done and it's just dragged on by without so much as a glimmer of interest from me. Meh.


I liked the movie but I've not read the book. It was an exceptionally good vampire movie.


----------



## Lostintheshuffle

Rufus said:


> I liked the movie but I've not read the book. It was
> 
> Hey there! Thanks for your input . I'll definitely check out the film. Sad though, when the film adaptation is better than the actual book!


----------



## Kevin001

^^ Yep agree the movie is legit.


----------



## JDsays

Currently reading "The Art Of War" by Sun Tsu. The dude (If he really existed) was savage.


----------



## Steve French

Factotum, Charles Bukowski.


----------



## Unreality

Recently started reading "Painfully Shy: How to Overcome Social Anxiety and Reclaim Your Life" by Barbara Markway and Gregory Markway.


----------



## Xenagos

Journey into the Whirlwind by Evgenia Ginzburg


----------



## JDsays

Callsign said:


> I'm not sure if you've gotten to this bit in it so I won't go into a lot of detail, but some of the stuff in there about beheadings of a load of women did seem over the top brutal or wasteful. Sort of like Henry the Eighth in a way. Unless that bit was legend, to make him appear as if he lacked any soft edges anywhere about him.
> 
> I tried "Too Much Information" by Dave Gorman today, it's supposed to be humour, but I didn't laugh much.


That's exactly what I was alluding to... Sun Tsu supposedly cut off the King's hoes for not following orders


----------



## Arbre

Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol.


----------



## Euripides




----------



## Akvile




----------



## Xenagos

Will o' the Wisp by Pierre Drieu la Rochelle


----------



## SouthWest

It's Only a Movie, by Mark Kermode - I got it as a birthday present a couple of weeks ago.


----------



## Cascades

Currency Wars by James Rickards.

It's about the making of the next global financial crisis. Pretty interesting so far.


----------



## BlueUpQuark

Right now I'm reading "Why evolution is true" by Jerry A. Coyne. It's an amazing and informative book on evolution. Presents all the evidence wonderfully.


----------



## darlieq

The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)


----------



## superwholock

The Fellowship of the Ring


----------



## SouthWest

Flash Fiction International: Very Short Stories from Around the World. I've also bought some horror anthologies that I'll be starting soon.


----------



## Brinkbrink

I just finished "Little Women" the other night and I've never been so attuned to a character as I did with Beth. From the very first introduction I felt an instant connection with her. You can imagine how I felt by the end. Those last few chapters of hers, I've never felt more in sync with a character in my life.

Currently reading Wuthering Heights by Bront.


----------



## Steve French

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick. Interesting so far, I guess. PKD rarely disappoints even with his most disjointed novels. I'm 130 pages into the 300 page book and almost nothing has happened. There are far too many characters focused on. But I know in another hundred pages or so some wild **** will go down and blow my tits off.


----------



## Steve French

Found an old used bookstore. Had a pretty decent selection. Probably go back tomorrow and grab a few more. Even got a cafe inside.

Anyway, I picked up Murakami's Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Twenty pages in, quite enjoyable so far, feel it's gonna be a gooder. Didn't really want to get into another long one, but here I am. It goes quick.


----------



## MikeTeck

Currently re-reading The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan


----------



## Arbre

Steve French said:


> Found an old used bookstore. Had a pretty decent selection. Probably go back tomorrow and grab a few more. Even got a cafe inside.
> 
> Anyway, I picked up Murakami's Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Twenty pages in, quite enjoyable so far, feel it's gonna be a gooder. Didn't really want to get into another long one, but here I am. It goes quick.


I still have to read Murakami. The only book of his that I own at the moment is 1Q84. I saw hardcover copies of it online for around $80 and $90 but then it was being sold for around $20 so I bought two copies for me and my sister's boyfriend. I want to read that and his other books, but I don't plan on reading 1Q84 any time soon since it's around 1000 pages, it's bigger than most books, and the text is small. It's a beast of a book. I should get through the 100-500 page books in my backlog before tackling something like that.


----------



## Steve French

Arbre said:


> I still have to read Murakami. The only book of his that I own at the Moment is 1Q84. I saw hardcover copies of it online for around $80 and $90 but then it was being sold for around $20 so I bought two copies for me and my sister's boyfriend. I want to read that and his other books, but I don't plan on reading 1Q84 any time soon since it's around 1000 pages, it's bigger than most books, and the text is small. It's a beast of a book. I should get through the 100-500 page books in my backlog before tackling something like that.


Can't say I've read that one. The length was a bit offputting, usually I'm going for 200-300 pages. I've only read Norwegian Wood and Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, which are apparently quite different from the rest, i.e., normal and not too surreal. The former is a good easy intro to him, I gather.


----------



## SouthWest

I've just finished one Mark Kermode book and started another called Hatchet Job.

After that I have a book of collected short stories called Cold, Thin Air by C.K. Walker.


----------



## JDsays

The Hobbit


----------



## Smiddy

The Doors of Perception


----------



## ysn

Quran 

Sent from my SM-G531H using Tapatalk


----------



## Cashel

I just started reading A Forest of Kings.


----------



## truant

I just finished reading Tomberg's _Meditations on the Tarot_. He has some great insights, but man, talk about apologetics. I have to give him credit, though: he's a fantastic rationalizer. He weaves quite the tapestry. I actually found myself wanting to believe him at times.


----------



## ShatteredGlass

I'm 72% of the way through Fair Game by Monica Murphy. It's a heterosexual romance affair. There's no hiding it -- I like it quite a bit. I have a thing for romance in general. Heh. After this, I'm thinking I'll read Pride and Prejudice.


----------



## Alretidead

i am reading , to kill a mocking bird


----------



## Hank Scorpio

MikeTeck said:


> Currently re-reading The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan


I have those all lined up on my shelf. So far I've read New Spring and The Eye of the World but it's hard to commit to read fifteen long books in a row. I'll finish them all if I live long enough. :stu



Steve French said:


> Found an old used bookstore. Had a pretty decent selection. Probably go back tomorrow and grab a few more. Even got a cafe inside.
> 
> Anyway, I picked up Murakami's Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Twenty pages in, quite enjoyable so far, feel it's gonna be a gooder. Didn't really want to get into another long one, but here I am. It goes quick.





Arbre said:


> I still have to read Murakami. The only book of his that I own at the moment is 1Q84. I saw hardcover copies of it online for around $80 and $90 but then it was being sold for around $20 so I bought two copies for me and my sister's boyfriend. I want to read that and his other books, but I don't plan on reading 1Q84 any time soon since it's around 1000 pages, it's bigger than most books, and the text is small. It's a beast of a book. I should get through the 100-500 page books in my backlog before tackling something like that.


Maybe I should sell my hardcover of 1Q84. :con It's a good story but he could have cut out half of the book and it would have been even better.
The Windup Bird Chronicles is great but my favorite Murakami book is Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World.


----------



## Steve French

Hank Scorpio said:


> The Windup Bird Chronicles is great but my favorite Murakami book is Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World.


That's the one I have lined up next. Well, after putting a few other authors between.


----------



## blue53669

You Don't Want To Know by Lisa Jackson... about 90% done, right in the middle of the exciting part! It's been pretty good


----------



## blue53669

BlueUpQuark said:


> Right now I'm reading "Why evolution is true" by Jerry A. Coyne. It's an amazing and informative book on evolution. Presents all the evidence wonderfully.


This sounds like a good one, I'll have to put on my to-read list


----------



## Steve French

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby.


----------



## darlieq

Rena's Promise (Rena Kornreich Gelissen)


----------



## Steve French

The Road Back - Erich Maria Remarque


----------



## Meero

"The power of the dog" by Don Winslow
Pretty good book so far


----------



## wmu'14

Finished A Dance With Dragons this past weekend, thus ending the current books published of A Song of Ice and Fire

The 1st 3 are definitely the best.

I struggled with ADWD and AFFC but I was reading them chronologically. I liked that I got the information as it was intended, but didn't like it because viewpoints would disappear forever. Also wasn't a fan of ADWD primarily focusing on Essos.

Favorite viewpoints are Jon, Bran, Cersei, Jaime, Arya, and Sansa.

At some point I'd like to reread them all focusing on the same viewpoint as close as possible. (In the meantime planning on catching up on some SW and other books on my To Read list!)

Now I guess I join everyone in waiting for Winds of Winter to come out. Also need to watch the series (Watched the first couple seasons with my friend but wasn't that into it. How silly was that)


----------



## tehuti88

tehuti88 said:


> _S._ by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst
> 
> I love the format (that of an old library book passed back and forth between two students who leave notes in the margins and various other things between the pages), but it's not nearly as fascinating a story as I'd hoped it would be. I've been slogging through this thing for months (my mother actually asked me if I'm reading it backwards since I never seem to get any further through it) and find the prospect of continuing to do so tedious. I'm past page 100 and still am not even sure what the point of it all is--just some dull story about an amnesiac guy endlessly wandering some weird city, and notes endlessly pondering the identity of the writer. (I'm finding it harder and harder to suspend disbelief that the two note-leavers could carry on a conversation in real time by such a method. Were they passing the book back and forth like ten times a day?--all without ever meeting each other?) The Amazon summary is way more interesting than the book, so far.
> 
> Shame, really. Could be so much better. :/


I give up. Since that post I reached page 300+ and the story _has still not gotten any more interesting_. I still have almost 150 pages to go and am just miserable, this book has made me dread reading, and that's no small feat.

Looking back at my previous posts in this thread (I had no clue I'd posted so much in here), I see that a few years back I was finishing books in 1-2 weeks! That sure hasn't happened in a long, LONG time.

I just give up. Learn to write an interesting book to go along with your interesting format, JJ Abrams.

I'm going to try out _The Stories Of Ray Bradbury_ instead. I really liked his _Martian Chronicles_ way back when.










Even though I'm also kind of itching to re-read one of my books on dissociative identity disorder since I keep dwelling on my character who has this. (I just noticed I posted about that in here previously, too.)


----------



## farfegnugen

Getting ready to start "The Shining Girls" by Lauren Beukes.


----------



## SouthWest

Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction - an anthology edited by Ken Liu. I'm about a 3rd of the way through and really enjoying it so far.


----------



## Alleviate Suffering

I have set myself the challenge of reading a book by an Author born in every country in the United Nations starting with Afghanistan and working through them in chronological order. My Afghanistan book is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini so that's what I am reading at the moment.


----------



## SouthWest

Alleviate Suffering said:


> I have set myself the challenge of reading a book by an Author born in every country in the United Nations starting with Afghanistan and working through them in chronological order. My Afghanistan book is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini so that's what I am reading at the moment.


That's an interesting challenge. I don't know whether you'll have problems finding books that haven't been translated into English or have limited publication, but good luck to you.

How about anthology books with international contributors? More stories and more authors in a reduced size.


----------



## Humesday

A History of Modern Europe: From the Renaissance to the Present by John Merriman


----------



## Steve French

I have been reading this cheesy Star Wars book called Starfighters of Adumar, by the late Aaron Allston. Pretty entertaining really. I had an audiobook of it many years ago, and used to listen to it over and over again on family road trips. Found out recently that audiobook was abridged. Had to dig up a copy and go through it again. Not quite the same draw, but hey, still has it on the entertainment factor. Nothing but good action, humour, and a bit of romance.


----------



## SouthWest

Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology - I just finished Invisible Planets and thought it was great. Hopefully this anthology is just as good.


----------



## TheFighterStillRemains

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami


----------



## truant

Finished Sartre's _Being and Nothingness_. I'm going to spend the rest of the year reading Dr. Seuss.


----------



## catcharay

Brave new world. 
The ending I got from it was that the price of happiness for the savage was through death. Happiness paradoxically is living how you want, even if it's built on lots of experiences of misery and moroseness, while everyone else is living through their veneer of 'happy conformism'. 

I then googled others interpretations, and the ending climax meant that the savage was acting in accordance to the sadomasochistic social chants. He was in the end, a participant in that society, and culpable. So he killed himself. And I totally missed that interpretation. 

I really enjoyed the book, and it makes me think of other good literary books I've read that I had no appreciation for, like Of mice and men. Something that I would have appreciated if I had looked at the underlying commentary.


----------



## littleghost

The Mary O'Reilly series by Terri Reid..... Paranormal Mystery. It's pretty good and it's free for me on Kindle Unlimited.


----------



## Barakiel

I have a copy of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations that I skim through sometimes. There's a somewhat comforting passage from a section where he gives thanks to the gods:


----------



## Mc Borg

truant said:


> Finished Sartre's _Being and Nothingness_. *I'm going to spend the rest of the year reading Dr. Seuss.*


LO****ingL. Why not go all out and follow that up with Kant's _The Critique of Pure Reason_ followed by _Being and Time_ by Heidegger? :grin2:

(I haven't read any of those, but as a fan of philosophy, I know that they're notoriously known for being difficult to read)


----------



## Azazello

Mc Borg said:


> LO****ingL. Why not go all out and follow that up with Kant's _The Critique of Pure Reason_ followed by _Being and Time_ by Heidegger? :grin2:
> 
> (I haven't read any of those, but as a fan of philosophy, I know that they're notoriously known for being difficult to read)


Ahhh, may I introduce you to Hegel, whose work was described by Schopenhauer as "a pseudo-philosophy paralyzing all mental powers, stifling all real thinking" and referred to as "meaningless verbiage" by Karl Popper.


----------



## Azazello

Barakiel said:


> I have a copy of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations that I skim through sometimes.


If you enjoy Marcus Aurelius, you will love Epictetus, whom the former often quotes in Meditations. I'm slowly going through Enchiridion and find it very perceptive and benignant; although, (so far) it does lack the somewhat personal perspective of Marcus Aurelius.


----------



## truant

Mc Borg said:


> Why not go all out and follow that up with Kant's _The Critique of Pure Reason_ followed by _Being and Time_ by Heidegger? :grin2:


I own _Critique of Pure Reason_. I'm planning on reading it in 2017. I don't own a copy of _Being and Time_, but it's at the top of my shopping list, if I can ever come up with the money. I have some stuff by Kierkegaard I need to read, too, but I'll probably try to finish reading the works of Nietzsche next. I'm only about halfway through. Sartre's great, but Nietzsche is just a much better writer.
@Azazello I haven't read any Hegel, yet. But I'm a pretty slow reader.

Darwin and Freud are also great writers, and much easier to digest. Highly recommended if you haven't read them. Obviously you can learn about their ideas secondhand, but nothing compares to reading the originals.

Everyone is now free to dismiss this post as pretentious name-dropping. Idgaf, this is what I read.


----------



## Azazello

truant said:


> Darwin and Freud are also great writers, and much easier to digest. Highly recommended if you haven't read them. Obviously you can learn about their ideas secondhand, but nothing compares to reading the originals.


I read both, although I never finished Freud, as at some point I decided to compare him with Jung and got distracted by the latter. I still have Freud on my e-reader so may go back to him at some point.



truant said:


> Everyone is now free to dismiss this post as pretentious name-dropping. Idgaf, this is what I read.


That's one of the reasons, I rarely post in book threads. I once got bollocked on this site for my reading habits. Since then I tend to keep schtum about it, unless something specific pops up that piques my interest.

P.S. I haven't read any Hegel either, and, frankly, I doubt I ever will. I don't usually mind difficult books but I draw a line at incomprehensible. In the words of Michel de Montaigne "_[d]ifficulty is a coin which the learned conjure with so as not to reveal the vanity of their studies and which human stupidity is keen to accept in payment._" Someone I know, however, likes Hegel and assures me that he has some really noteworthy ideas, so maybe I will take their example and just read other scholars' take on him.


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

Out of curiosity, has anyone here read anything by Thomas Nagel? I was looking at purchasing a copy of "Random Cosmos" after Sheldrake noted him as an influential philosopher within the realm of panpsychism. Since I am sympathetic to some of Sheldrake's views on mind and consciousness, I thought this may be worth a look in.


----------



## Azazello

Post_Punk_Proclivity said:


> Out of curiosity, has anyone here read anything by Thomas Nagel? I was looking at purchasing a copy of "Random Cosmos" after Sheldrake noted him as an influential philosopher within the realm of panpsychism. Since I am sympathetic to some of Sheldrake's views on mind and consciousness, I thought this may be worth a look in.


I once had a discussion on the subject of scientific reductionism on another forum and someone recommended him as an "authority" on the subject. Out of curiosity I read his _What is it like to be a bat?_ essay. I have to say, if I didn't know how old that essay was I would have been bitterly disappointed. It would be easy to say that I dismissed him because I am on the opposite side of the argument and do not subscribe to his views. Still, I tried to understand his position but it was so lazy and full of non-sequiturs and so driven by his personal caustic contempt of reductionism that it was almost impossible to have any sympathy for him.

I enjoy philosophy and, unlike some people, do find a lot of merit in it but one has to know where the realm of philosophy ends and science should take precedence. He appears to be oblivious to that, which is probably why I didn't bother reading any more of his stuff.


----------



## truant

Azazello said:


> That's one of the reasons, I rarely post in book threads. I once got bollocked on this site for my reading habits. Since then I tend to keep schtum about it, unless something specific pops up that piques my interest.
> 
> P.S. I haven't read any Hegel either, and, frankly, I doubt I ever will. I don't usually mind difficult books but I draw a line at incomprehensible. In the words of Michel de Montaigne "_[d]ifficulty is a coin which the learned conjure with so as not to reveal the vanity of their studies and which human stupidity is keen to accept in payment._" Someone I know, however, likes Hegel and assures me that he has some really noteworthy ideas, so maybe I will take their example and just read other scholars' take on him.


Yeah, it's weird, I can talk about all sorts of personal stuff on here, but it's 'name dropping' that makes me feel the most self-conscious. I'm more embarrassed about admitting what I read, because I'm afraid of being accused of 'posing', than I am about my sexual preferences. It's with fear and trembling that I disclose my interest in existentialism. :laugh:

And obscurantism is always a danger. But you have to be careful about accusations of obscurantism, too. I get accused of it all the time online because people don't like my position on things and (presumably) they don't know how else to counter my arguments than by pretending that I'm just trying to hypnotize people with big words and long sentences. Some ideas are hard to explain using four letter words; that's not really my fault. I do make up my own terms sometimes, though, and try to explain them, because I find them useful for conveying certain ideas, so I suppose you could call that jargon; but it's done with the best of intentions.

In any case, I find learning concepts I don't agree with as valuable as concepts I do agree with. Understanding why an argument doesn't work is very important for understanding any complex subject, ime. So I'll read anyone that intrigues me, even if I suspect I'm going to disagree with them.
@Post_Punk_Proclivity Check out _The Conscious Mind_, by David J. Chalmers. He talks about Nagel's theories and 'updates' panpsychism with some new arguments.


----------



## Azazello

@truant
If I'm not mistaken, Hegel was well aware of his obscurantism and it was suggested that he chose that particular style of writing on purpose. I can't remember where I heard/read that (Wiki does seem to confirm it) and just tried to look it up but decided against going down that rabbit hole as then I'd spend the entire day glued to the screen reading random articles. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, the term may be wholly deserved when it comes to him. But it doesn't mean that his ideas were entirely lost on his readers, otherwise he would not have remained such an influential figure in philosophy.

I think there is a great difference between being generally articulate (beyond monosyllabic words), unnecessarily sesquipedalian (was going to say verbose but where is fun in that), and purposefully obscurant. Having read a number of your posts here, I can honestly say that you do not seem to fall into the latter two categories (that being my subjective opinion, of course) but I can easily see the kind of people that would wield that accusation against you. I do have reservations against making up own terms, though. In fact, I can be pretty anal about it. But that's just me, we all have different approaches when it comes to making ourselves clear.



truant said:


> In any case, I find learning concepts I don't agree with as valuable as concepts I do agree with. Understanding why an argument doesn't work is very important for understanding any complex subject, ime. So I'll read anyone that intrigues me, even if I suspect I'm going to disagree with them.


Couldn't agree more.


----------



## SplendidBob

Azazello said:


> sesquipedalian


I am going to learn that word and try to use it in a conversation to scare people


----------



## Azazello

splendidbob said:


> I am going to learn that word and try to use it in a conversation to scare people


From personal experience, it works wonders


----------



## Arbre

tehuti88 said:


> I'm going to try out _The Stories Of Ray Bradbury_ instead. I really liked his _Martian Chronicles_ way back when.


I've never seen that Ray Bradbury collection before. Does it have Fahrenheit 451? It's one of my favourite books, but I don't have a physical copy of it. I'd buy that collection if it's included in it.


----------



## Loosh

11/22/63 by Stephen King. Pretty good so far.


----------



## Lyddie

I recently finished reading Nerve by Jeanne Ryan, pretty interesting book actually.

Now I have started reading The Natural Way Of Things by Charlotte Wood, also very interesting so far.


----------



## Steve French

Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller. Man, it sure is a filthy, filthy book. I can see why it caused such a scandal back in the good old days. 1934, man, I didn't think they had sex and got ****ed up in them days.


----------



## The Condition of Keegan

Still Halo: The Thrusday War.


----------



## Xenagos

Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis


----------



## kilgoretrout

American Gods by Neil Gaiman


----------



## TheGirlWithAllTheGifts

The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat - Oliver Sacks. Kind of hard going, but very interesting.

After that I'm hoping to start Cancer Ward - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. I loved one of his other books, so I have high hopes for this one.


----------



## Humesday

The Days of the French Revolution by Christopher Hibbert


----------



## Kilgore Trout

The Meat Market by James Chalk and I'm not liking it.


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

Azazello said:


> I once had a discussion on the subject of scientific reductionism on another forum and someone recommended him as an "authority" on the subject. Out of curiosity I read his _What is it like to be a bat?_ essay. I have to say, if I didn't know how old that essay was I would have been bitterly disappointed. It would be easy to say that I dismissed him because I am on the opposite side of the argument and do not subscribe to his views. Still, I tried to understand his position but it was so lazy and full of non-sequiturs and so driven by his personal caustic contempt of reductionism that it was almost impossible to have any sympathy for him.
> 
> I enjoy philosophy and, unlike some people, do find a lot of merit in it but one has to know where the realm of philosophy ends and science should take precedence. He appears to be oblivious to that, which is probably why I didn't bother reading any more of his stuff.


Ha, the title of that book you mentioned reminds me of Sheldrake's "Dogs Who Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home". Needless to say I'm far from sold on many of the premises of parapsychology, though on the other hand I wouldn't regard myself as someone who resonates with all of what scientfific reductionism espouses either. In general I've found a lot of "us versus them" rhetoric (which has probably been regarded as necessary for scientists to defend the citadel of orthodoxy and likewise the often rather caustic animists as you coined them to vehemently try to attack the doctrine of objectivity in turn) on both sides. From a purely observational standpoint, I see this as mostly unproductive exchange. Though I definitely agree with what has been said in this thread in relation to carefully considering each side of the argument to more comprehensively understand each of its viewpoints. This process in itself may either culminate in you readjusting the way in which you view reality or it may simply reinforce it.

Nonetheless I'll definitely be on the look out for this tone in Nagel's writing should I take the plunge and read this particular work. Thanks for the response.



truant said:


> @*Post_Punk_Proclivity* Check out _The Conscious Mind_, by David J. Chalmers. He talks about Nagel's theories and 'updates' panpsychism with some new arguments.


Alright, this sounds like a better starting point. Thank-you. 

Save​


----------



## truant

Finished _Vanity Fair_ a couple days ago. It's delightfully cynical. I'm woefully behind on reading my classics. _Moby Dick_ is on the list for 2017. Currently reading _It_. Which (hopefully) won't take me a whole year.


----------



## The Condition of Keegan

Halo Fractures


----------



## SouthWest

War Stories: New Military Science Fiction - I enjoy reading anthologies.


----------



## catcharay

Orthello. It's slow to digest and settle at parts, but I really enjoy the many poetic articulations. This version has cliff notes.


----------



## Cashel

The Fellowship of the Ring


----------



## Nekomata

Life and Death by Stephenie Meyer.


----------



## Mc Borg

_The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself_ by Sean Carroll

I finally decided that I need to start reading more.


----------



## Kilgore Trout

Mc Borg said:


> _The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself_ by Sean Carroll
> 
> I finally decided that I need to start reading more.


I wanted to read that book. Sounds very interesting. But I researched about the author and he seems to be obsessed with religion bashing and that put me off. Even though I'm not religious. How much of it have you read?


----------



## Mc Borg

geraltofrivia said:


> I wanted to read that book. Sounds very interesting. But I researched about the author and he seems to be obsessed with religion bashing and that put me off. Even though I'm not religious. How much of it have you read?


Yeah, he's a strong proponent of naturalism/atheism. I'm not religious myself either, but I'm also not a naturalist/atheist. But I like reading the other side and acquainting myself with their worldview/arguments.

I just bought the ebook this morning, so I haven't started reading it yet, lol. I've followed him for a while, though. I've seen a bunch of his talks/debates. He did a conference called "Moving Naturalism Forward" with a bunch of other prominent proponents of naturalism which was pretty interesting. I was watching a youtube video of him on Closer to Truth which made me want to buy this book. I don't think he's really a religious basher per se. He's actually one of the more nice ones, unlike Dawkins, Hitchens, et al. Either way, he's very intelligent and is a _very_ clear thinker/speaker. It should be an interesting read.


----------



## Kilgore Trout

@Mc Borg

Oh. I thought he was like Dawkins and his gang because I read somewhere that he didn't attend a meeting because it "implied that religion and science are compatible". 
So read it and tell me if it's good


----------



## Mc Borg

@geraltofrivia
Will do.


----------



## Humesday

Revolutionary Russia by Orlando Figes


----------



## Hank Scorpio

Just finished _The King in Yellow_, a short story collection that inspired H.P. Lovecraft to write his Cthulhu mythos.

Now I started _The Dragon Reborn_, fourth in the Wheel of Time series counting the prequel.


----------



## Hank Scorpio

truant said:


> Finished _Vanity Fair_ a couple days ago. It's delightfully cynical. I'm woefully behind on reading my classics. _Moby Dick_ is on the list for 2017. Currently reading _It_. Which (hopefully) won't take me a whole year.


_It_'s hard to put down. _Moby Dick_ might take you a year.


----------



## Barakiel

I just got an older copy of Walter Kaufmann's Critique of Religion and Philosophy that I'm super excited about &#55357;&#56881;


----------



## bad baby

Finished _Shunkinshō_ in one breath, my, what a story. Effortless prose, thought-provoking; dangerous. I am too in love with Tanizaki. Didn't like Kawabata's _Snow Country_ half as much. I only picked it up because it was snowing outside.
_Naomi_ is next on my list.
Also part-way through an Akutagawa collection. He really is great, although I kinda zoned out at one Christian-themed story about the Devil and tobacco import or somesuch.


----------



## Humesday

1984


----------



## SplendidBob

Concurrently and (very) slowly making my way through Meditations, Brave New World, and Brainwashed. Whether any of them will actually get finished is another thing though


----------



## farfegnugen

Need to read through this thread and get some ideas.

Concurrently reading _Blood Meridian_ from Cormac McCarthy and _Zoo City_ by Lauren Beukes.


----------



## Wolfology

The Godfather. Though I've taken a break from it because I am overloaded with work. That and the book isn't all that interesting when compared with the film.


----------



## SouthWest

Short Shorts, by Danielle Bannister. I'm also expecting two books by Livia Llewellyn to be delivered today.


----------



## truant

_The Construction of Reality in the Child_, by Piaget. An interesting scientific artifact, with research methods that seem primitive by today's standards. A little dull, but conceptually engaging.

I discovered, inadvertently, that I was reinventing something like Schema Therapy, which I've never even heard of until I checked Wikipedia for a description of Piaget's schemas. Once more, I've reinvented the wheel. But I'm a bit skeptical of the therapeutic techniques outlined. I need to buy the clinician's manual, but I don't have the money.



Barakiel said:


> I just got an older copy of Walter Kaufmann's Critique of Religion and Philosophy that I'm super excited about


I read this a long time ago. I remember liking it at the time. His biography of Nietzsche is really good.


----------



## Arbre

The Sociological Imagination by C. Wright Mills. This book has been high up on my to-read list for a long time, now I'm finally getting around to reading it.


----------



## bad baby

Finished Akutagawa. I'm a lot more saddened than I thought I'd be, although how much of it is influenced by the readings, im not sure. Got my hands on a complete works collection, too; I'm putting it aside for now. Procrastinating. Would like to write a Goodreads review, but somewhat hesitant, as if at the thought of reliving all that existential angst all over again. [SPOILER=ramblings]Some nights my bedtime readings give me insomnia, haunted by thoughts, images of these Literary Greats; A+'s in Art and F's in Life. Still I'm driven by an overpowering thirst to understand.

I feel a lot inside, threatening to burst, screaming to be let out. More and more these days I find myself wishing I could paint, or make some other form of art, some outlet for my pent-up feelings. It feels like words are never enough to express these emotions, no matter how much I write. This feeling is worse than death. It makes me appreciate Akutagawa, Dazai Osamu (whom I haven't the heart to read, for fear of seeing myself in between the lines), Tanizaki, Woolf, Keats, Van Gogh, Pogorelich, Hathaway...[/SPOILER]
Currently reading: an untitled collection of novellas and essays of Sakaguchi Ango. I laughed out loud at the one about the flatulent scholar who goes out into the hallways to fart during his lessons X'D

My Buddhism books finally came today. For weeks I'd been worrying that they'd got lost in the post. Surprisingly less excited than I expected to be for their arrival, but it'd be nice to have something physical, tangible to hold in my hands.


----------



## SouthWest

Engines of Desire by Livia Llewellyn, and The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry.


----------



## tea111red

a book on biblical fasting.


----------



## ljubo




----------



## konas8

H. Ellison- Approaching Oblivion
Celine- Journey to the End of the Night
David Chalmers- The Conscious Mind
Let's hope I finish at least one of these.


----------



## Arbre

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai.


----------



## Xenacat

odd_one_out said:


> War and Peace by Tolstoy. I'll be at it a very looong time.


I read Anna Karenina by Tolstoy it was the best book I ever read. It must be fantastic.


----------



## Humesday

Brave New World


----------



## The Condition of Keegan

I've been reading Star Wars Death Troopers and man, it's good. I mean not the best book ever but man it's a horror book. I'm kinda happy to see something like this.  Zombies in Star Wars, i kinda wish we got some type of movie or something for the Death Troopers.

Sent from my RCT6213W87DK using Tapatalk


----------



## PolkaTheSalsa

Persuasion by Jane Austen. I'm only 20 pages into it but i like it so far. I love how witty Austen's writing is.


----------



## SouthWest

Furnace by Livia Llewellyn - I finished her other book (Engines of Desire) in a week, which is a record for me. Not sure what I want to read next.


----------



## truant

I finished Piaget's _The Construction of Reality in the Child_. Which is actually the second volume of a pair of books, the first of which is _The Origin of Intelligence in the Child_, which I didn't realize until I'd started reading the second.

Anyway, I ordered the first volume, but it's taking a long time to show up for some reason and I got impatient so I started re-reading Freud's _The Interpretation of Dream_s. I read it a long time ago, but since then I've recorded hundreds of dreams, so it should be interesting to see how that affects my reading of the book.

I've also been reading a lot of articles online about Betrayal Trauma, traumatic amnesia, and repressed/false memories. The controversy surrounding the research is as interesting as the research itself.


----------



## Persephone The Dread

Arbre said:


> No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai.


I don't read anymore (not that I ever did much,) but that is something I wanted to read after I read about it and the author on wikipedia.


----------



## Arbre

Persephone The Dread said:


> I don't read anymore (not that I ever did much,) but that is something I wanted to read after I read about it and the author on wikipedia.


It was a good book. It could be dark and depressing though.


----------



## Humesday

Animal Farm


----------



## whereistheoffswitch

I'm reading/listenening (audiobook) to Watchers by Dean Koontz - I'm right at the end and have another 5 books of his to crack on with afterwards although I may hunt for something different as variety etc


----------



## bad baby

Persephone The Dread said:


> I don't read anymore (not that I ever did much,) but that is something I wanted to read after I read about it and the author on wikipedia.





Arbre said:


> It was a good book. It could be dark and depressing though.


ya'll may already know this, but it's going to be serialized by junji ito into manga form this summer. looking forward to that; i think his style will be a good fit for the story.


----------



## Arbre

bad baby said:


> ya'll may already know this, but it's going to be serialized by junji ito into manga form this summer. looking forward to that; i think his style will be a good fit for the story.


I didn't know that. I don't read manga but I might check it out sometime since I liked the book quite a bit. I'm probably going to buy The Setting Sun in February.


----------



## bad baby

^well I looked it up on wikipedia and just reading the plot summary alone made me depressed lolz. Anyway. there's a great (and short) animated adaptation of _no longer human_ if you haven't seen it already. \/


----------



## Persephone The Dread

bad baby said:


> ya'll may already know this, but it's going to be serialized by junji ito into manga form this summer. looking forward to that; i think his style will be a good fit for the story.


I didn't know that, but that's pretty cool. I read this short creepy manga story by him online once.


----------



## konas8

bad baby said:


> ya'll may already know this, but it's going to be serialized by junji ito into manga form this summer. looking forward to that; i think his style will be a good fit for the story.


It was already adapted into a manga by Usamaru Furuya. It's getting another iteration?


----------



## SFC01

Switch by Chip and Dan Heath


----------



## bad baby

konas8 said:


> It was already adapted into a manga by Usamaru Furuya. It's getting another iteration?


I looked up the manga and ended up finishing it in one sitting. From what I've heard previously, Furuya's version doesn't capture the "essence" of the novel (and the artist says so himself in the epilogue as well). But it's a great piece of work and I thoroughly enjoyed it regardless of how faithful it is to the original. Huuuuuuu.... that'll hopefully be my final look at depressing japanese literature this year. \(=o=;/


----------



## konas8

bad baby said:


> I looked up the manga and ended up finishing it in one sitting. From what I've heard previously, Furuya's version doesn't capture the "essence" of the novel (and the artist says so himself in the epilogue as well). But it's a great piece of work and I thoroughly enjoyed it regardless of how faithful it is to the original. Huuuuuuu.... that'll hopefully be my final look at depressing japanese literature this year. \(=o=;/


No, depressing jap lit is where it's at. Check out Mishima next for your daily intake of nippon sorrow.
Also, take a look at some other Furuya's manga. He can be an obscene author though (maybe you like that sort of thing, if so: Lychee Light Club). I advise you read a summary.


----------



## CopadoMexicano

was reading the Noticer


----------



## bad baby

konas8 said:


> No, depressing jap lit is where it's at. Check out Mishima next for your daily intake of nippon sorrow.
> Also, take a look at some other Furuya's manga. He can be an obscene author though (maybe you like that sort of thing, if so: Lychee Light Club). I advise you read a summary.


nahhh i've met my quota for the year tyvm. i liked the film adaptation of mishima's _spring snow_ though. and yes i have quite a taste for obscene manga. don't indulge me pls.:bah


----------



## CopadoMexicano

The Motivation Manifesto...just started reading...


----------



## SouthWest

Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds. I'm also thinking of buying his collection of short stories, Beyond the Aquila Rift.


----------



## Barakiel

Persephone The Dread said:


> I read this short creepy manga story by him online once.


This is my hole... _it was made for me._

That's the one you meant right? :um I felt a little trypophobic when I first read that.


----------



## konas8

CaMOOOOOOOOOOSE


----------



## Persephone The Dread

Barakiel said:


> This is my hole... _it was made for me._
> 
> That's the one you meant right? :um I felt a little trypophobic when I first read that.


Yeah, there was something really creepy about it and also I noticed it sort of triggered that phobia mildly too in a way, but slightly different.


----------



## Mc Borg

William James _Pragmatism_ and _The Will To Believe_. They and a bunch of other philosophy books are available for free at the kindle store if anyone is interested.


----------



## Hank Scorpio

Just started reading _The Myth of Robber Barons_. It's great.


----------



## Humesday

The Clash of Civilizations by Samuel P. Huntington


----------



## truant

Finished _The Interpretation of Dreams_, but Piaget hasn't shown up yet and it's past due. I'll be very annoyed if it got "lost in the mail". Probably going to start _Reinventing Your Life_, by Jeffrey Young/Janet Klosko, next. It's the pop version of Schema Therapy, but I couldn't afford the practitioner's manual with all the juicy technical details. :rain


----------



## SplendidBob

Finally getting onto the reading list from when I asked folks for recommendations . Starting with A Clockwork Orange .


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Robinson Crusoe


----------



## farfegnugen

Probably going to start _The Idiot_ by Dostoyevsky or reread _The Master and Margarita_ by Bulgakov- one I really liked. I have some others if I am not in the mood for those. I have been in a horror fiction phase lately, though I recently finished _Blood Meridian_ and found it fascinating for a genre I haven't really read much before.


----------



## konas8

truant said:


> Finished _The Interpretation of Dreams_, but Piaget hasn't shown up yet and it's past due. I'll be very annoyed if it got "lost in the mail". Probably going to start _Reinventing Your Life_, by Jeffrey Young/Janet Klosko, next. It's the pop version of Schema Therapy, but I couldn't afford the practitioner's manual with all the juicy technical details. :rain


Am guessing you don't like e-books? 
http://bookzz.org/s/?q=jeffrey+young+schema&yearFrom=&yearTo=&language=&extension=&t=0
It's the third link if you decide to check it out.


----------



## truant

konas8 said:


> Am guessing you don't like e-books?
> http://bookzz.org/s/?q=jeffrey+young+schema&yearFrom=&yearTo=&language=&extension=&t=0
> It's the third link if you decide to check it out.


Is bookzz a legit site, or are these pirated? I won't dl pirated stuff. But I appreciate the link.


----------



## konas8

truant said:


> Is bookzz a legit site, or are these pirated? I won't dl pirated stuff. But I appreciate the link.


Nope, some e-books are pirated. You're probably not gonna find this online for free otherwise. They sometimes take stuff down. Figured you might download it to read it, and then buy it at a later date, though I'm not sure if you're afraid of the possible legal repercussions or have an ethical issue with it. I should still probably mention these things when I provide such links.


----------



## SouthWest

Easy Street (the Hard Way), by Ron Perlman - he's a great actor, so here's hoping he's a great writer, too.


----------



## scooby

I'm listening to the audiobook version of Ready Player One. Or at least trying to, because holy **** it is pissing me off so far and I'm not very far in. The main character just spent 2 chapters jerking himself off about how much pop culture **** he knows, just name dropping them, and how amazing he is at video games, has repeated how this virtual world he is in was created blah blah blah. It's so tedious.

Edit: Nah, it pissed me off too much. Refunded it.


----------



## Greys0n

started reading *the Devil in the White city*


----------



## Arbre

farfegnugen said:


> Probably going to start _The Idiot_ by Dostoyevsky


That's one of the books I want to read the most.


----------



## Niji

The Lucifer Effect by Philipo Zimbardo.


----------



## jengem

The Four Agreements A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom By Don Miguel Ruiz


----------



## blue53669

I am not a Serial Killer, by Dan Wells (author of Partials series)

So far it's... pretty weird


----------



## scooby

Got the audiobook Red Rising, after returning Ready Player One. Only 1 chapter in, but its already better.


----------



## truant

Finished Reinventing Your Life.

Piaget arrived finally. It's an old library book from Clayton County, Georgia, just a crossbow bolt away from Senoia where they film a lot of TWD. This beat up old hardcover would have made a fine piece of kindling after any zombie apocalypse. Dry as a sun-bleached corpse, but interesting and relevant to my studies.

I also built a bookcase today. People who don't know me won't understand what an accomplishment this is. I typically have trouble just opening doors and walking upright. I managed to hit my own fingers with the hammer about 18 times and broke my favorite nail. Sadly, even full it barely makes a dent in the pile of books I have stacked all over my bedroom floor.


----------



## SparklingWater

I read so many self help and psych books I won't bother including them. I just read Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde after always knowing the story but never having read the book. I loved it. I'm about to read Sense of an Ending recommended by my sissa.


----------



## catcharay

Jane eyre


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## whereistheoffswitch

@truant *cyber bandage* sent for the hammer hits! ouch!!

I'm reading/listening to a horror/chiller Audiobook of Joe Hill's Heart Shaped Box. After Dean Koontz I wanted someone fresh but still in the same genre (I like listening to them whilst either chilling in the evening, in bed in the dark or whilst out walking the dog).

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/153025.Heart_Shaped_Box

It's really good.


----------



## Humesday

Western Europe in the Middle Ages, 300-1475 by Tierney and Painter


----------



## Steve French

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. I quite enjoy his writing. Shouldn't have got into it though, now I'm going to be hurting waiting for the third one to come out who knows when.


----------



## FairleighCalm

I was just going to post about THE FOUR AGREEMENTS. One of the most helpful books I've ever read. I know it doesn't seem like it but recovering from anxiety is simpler (not easier) than we make it.


----------



## SouthWest

Beyond the Aquila Rift, by Alastair Reynolds - an 800-page collection of his best novellas and short stories.


----------



## bad baby

this came in the mail:










i was actually expecting a murakami, but started reading it anyway. i like that it's about some political conflict far away that i used to care about a long time ago. it feels familiar, although everything's so far removed from me, and carries a note of hope amidst depression. so that helps. ty.


----------



## Mc Borg

The Unknown God: Agnostic Essays by Anthony Kenny


----------



## bad baby

Finished latest vol of きょうは会社休みます, ended on a cliff hanger!!! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ I couldn't contain myself and read the online spoilers of the final issue and now I'm probably gonna have Second Lead Syndrome (aka. SLS, cultivated from years of following k-dramas) for the rest of my life. Noooooo T_T. Hopefully in some alternate universe he got together with my mentally unstable manga doppelganger:










Currently part way through _The Private Report on My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness_. Some of it is rather difficult to understand, but it's so relatable with great style and humor.


----------



## Zatch

Michael Connelly's "The Crossing"

Bosch and Haller have a clean chemistry. Liking it so far.


----------



## ManInAShed




----------



## ManInAShed

jengem said:


> The Four Agreements A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom By Don Miguel Ruiz


What do you think? I was looking at picking it up.


----------



## jengem

ManInAShed said:


> What do you think? I was looking at picking it up.


I like it. It's a very easy read. Some of it is what you think is pretty basic but you realize how much you forget to practice it and it makes so much sense.


----------



## truant

I finished Piaget. (A few days ago.) I'm back to reading The Bible again. I find it really hard to read much of it at a time, or for very many days in a stretch. But it's a critical part of the Western Canon, so I really have to finish it someday. I'm about 1/4 of the way through.


----------



## farfegnugen

I think I'm going to read _Geek Love_ next.


----------



## bad baby

Finished Netsuzou Trap 3, enjoyable story, not sure why it gets such bad press (probably because of the cheating, but morality and story-telling quality are two separate issues, imho), art is a bit saccharine and the author seems like she's never seen a real boob before (even though she's a woman.. maybe she's a never-nude....?!?!!). I could kind of empathize with MFC#2 despite all her... uhhh...demonic perversions. It was easy to get into in a cheesy soap opera kind of way, and the furigana is wayyy helpful, in fact now my vocab has expanded to include lots of expressions about two-timing liarzz. Mastering the important stuff yo ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Also been tackling Kuzu no Honkai - first two volumes were great, then third volume it feels like the author suddenly lost faith in humanity and decided to make all the MCs as despicable as possible (while inserting lots of random sex scenes for no good reason, wtf). And gets progressively worse from there. The art is really nice though, and I must be some sort of masochist because _I am still reading_. Orz... idk, it's like a train wreck you can't look away from. Except I can, but I won't.

Got another book in the mail - Agota Kristof's "The Notebook". Will start that one after I'm done with all this ****.

~

Edit: finished Kuzu #4- exceeded my expectations, not only salvaged the characters, but I could identify with their inner monologues quite a bit. Book 5 should be good, I'm looking forward to it now :9


----------



## farfegnugen

Decided to start _The Shining Girls_ by Beukes instead


----------



## Steve French

God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian - Kurt Vonnegut. Well, by the time this is read, I will probably be done. I went through the first twenty pages in five minutes. I have never seen such large margins, and even with the introduction, it only reaches 80 pages. Kind of a scam. According to the inside flap, this book cost $27 when the library bought it back in 2000. Bit much for what amounts to a short story, wouldn't you say?

Can't knock the writing though.


----------



## Taaylah

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood again, because it's good and I have nothing new to read. I'm interested to see how the Hulu show based on the book turns out.


----------



## Humesday

The Wars of the Roses by Dan Jones


----------



## Arbre

Taaylah said:


> The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood again, because it's good and I have nothing new to read. I'm interested to see how the Hulu show based on the book turns out.


My sister got me that for my birthday. I haven't read it yet, but I've wanted to read Margaret Atwood books for years now.


----------



## SouthWest

The Voices of Martyrs, by Maurice Broaddus


----------



## Taaylah

Arbre said:


> My sister got me that for my birthday. I haven't read it yet, but I've wanted to read Margaret Atwood books for years now.


You should give it a try  If you're into dystopian sci-fi you'll like it. It's similar to 1984 by George Orwell.


----------



## Humesday

The Plantagenets by Dan Jones


----------



## HobbitInHell

David Ickes Human Race Get Off Your Knees.


----------



## Arbre

Going to start reading Fathers and Sons this afternoon. Another 19th century Russian novel for me to read.



Taaylah said:


> You should give it a try  If you're into dystopian sci-fi you'll like it. It's similar to 1984 by George Orwell.


I love dystopian novels. 1984 is one of my favourite books.


----------



## Humesday

The Conquering Family by Costain


----------



## scooby

Started listening to audiobook "We Are Legion (We Are Bob)" by Dennis E. Taylor, tonight. Absolutely loving it so far. Hoping I enjoy the rest, and will look forward to the 2nd of the series coming out next month.


----------



## HobbitInHell

David Icke Human Race Get Off Your Knees


----------



## catcharay

I am still reading Jane Eyre. There's a part that someone says to describe her "you were no beauty to begin with Ms Eyre" (something like that). My thought was how rude. But she was wasn't offended, she had a higher self value system. It's clear where "plain jane" was coined. It talks about her love interest, and goes into descriptions about his high forehead but basically he's ugly. It doesn't appear ppl were emo about looks back then.


----------



## Meditari

I recently finished The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie and finally finished getting caught up with the Berserk manga. I'm not sure what I'm going to read next, but I'm leaning towards The Black Company by Glen Cook right now.
*
*


----------



## Barakiel

There's this cool verse translation of Lucretius' _On the Nature of Things_ by A.E. Stallings that I actually read a bit from today. I seem to have some weird affinity for ancient poet-philosophers in general. :um


----------



## Humesday

The Magnificent Century by Costain


----------



## bad baby

Completed Sudo Yumi's manga anthology "Midnight Blue".. oh man, the feels ;_; esp at the end of the titular story where they revealed their feelings and then that bittersweet final scene that made me totally heartbroken and unwell, but in a good way. What are these feels omg I can't even :cry


----------



## 2Milk

*Dr. Space: The Life of Wernher von Braun*









The beginning was really interesting, then the middle became really boring. Still haven't finished it.


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

"The Flamebearer" by Bernard Cornwell which is the latest installment of the Saxon Chronicles series which entails the making of England as we see it today during the early middle ages.

Still waiting on my other books from Amazon. I've been a bookworm these past months.


----------



## phosgene

A bunch of studies related to predicting click through rates and popularity of online content. It's as boring as it sounds.


----------



## Steve French

How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie. Available free, even legally (at least here in Canada due to being in the public domain).

There is some good stuff in there. Most of it is rather simple and easy to apply (remember names, don't criticize people, smile, listen well, etc.), which is nice. These may come as common sense to most people, but I tend to get wrapped up and forget these things. Just another step in learning how to socialize properly after years of isolation.


----------



## SouthWest

The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone, by Olivia Laing.

I've also got The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu to read afterwards.


----------



## Humesday

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell


----------



## ShySouth

Reading Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid. Listing to Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard. Both good but different from each other.


----------



## Vortice

I'm trying to read ''History of Art : Ancient Art''; Élie Faure. I say 'trying' because it's very difficult for me to read anything these days. Lack of concentration, mental fog and stuff like that... And also, I don't even know if these books are a good choice to start understanding a little bit of Art, or are they just a bunch of old-fashioned poetical assertions.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## eppie

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King


----------



## scooby

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.


----------



## nekineko

eppie said:


> Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King


I just downloaded this from my library/overdrive onto my Kindle the other day...


----------



## Steve French

Been reading It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. You know, there are some flaws about it. I don't really like the plot, and the dialogue is occasionally cringeworthy, and the mental patients seem like caricatures. All that aside, I've enjoyed it, mainly because of the main character, or rather how the book gets in his head and paints what for me is a pretty accurate picture of mental illness. Can't help but make the comparisons and empathize with the *******. I guess Vizzini was writing about something he knew, seeing as he killed himself a few years back. 

Also, the protagonist has no deep traumatic event in his life (haven't reached the end, so that might change up). It's something that has kind of bothered me when reading books of this ilk. Why does every mentally ill character have a past of sexual abuse in fiction? Yes, some people develop these conditions seemingly out of the blue, or due to being unable to cope with events that are a regular part of most individual's lives.


----------



## SouthWest

Loud Sparrows: Contemporary Chinese Short-Shorts - I've got a few chapters of The Lonely City left to read, and I've also got On Writers and Writing by Margaret Atwood on the way.


----------



## Steve French

Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein, and Meditations - Marcus Aurelius.


----------



## The Condition of Keegan

I also finished a good book called No Such Person. I like that book a lot.

Sent from my RCT6213W87DK using Tapatalk


----------



## Stormlight

Just finished Shogun by James Clavell, finally. Amazing book. Took a while to read though, it being 1123 pages and all (worth it).

Reading Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson now. Needed a lighter read after Shogun.



scooby said:


> Dark Matter by Blake Crouch.


I'll be reading this next. Loved his Wayward Pines trilogy.


----------



## Barakiel

The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology by Edmund Husserl...
:afr

I've been interested in phenomenology for a while, and though Husserl's bold vision for philosophy and science is impressive, I think I bit off more than I can chew with this.

But there's still a decent amount I have no trouble understanding, like this:


* *




The exclusiveness with which the total world-view of modern man, in the second half of the nineteenth century, let itself be determined by the positive sciences and be blinded by the "prosperity" they produced, meant an indifferent turning-away from the questions which are decisive for a genuine humanity. Merely fact-minded sciences make merely fact-minded people&#8230; It excludes in principle precisely the questions which man, given over in our unhappy times to the most portentous upheavals, finds the most burning: questions of the meaning or meaninglessness of the whole of this human existence.


----------



## scooby

Stormlight said:


> I'll be reading this next. Loved his Wayward Pines trilogy.


Actually just finished it last night. Had me so hooked start to finish. Good to know the Wayward Pines series is worth reading, I was curious about them when reading what other books he wrote. I remember seeing commercials for the TV version of it and the premise had me intrigued but never got around to it. Might give the books a look soon.


----------



## SouthWest

The Invention of Morel, by Adolfo Bioy Casares


----------



## truant

Officially over halfway through the Bible. Going to be so glad when I can cross this one off my list. Also about 3/4 of the way through It (King). Also really enjoying Donne's poetry.


----------



## Rains

Swing Time by Zadie Smith, but I'm not really enjoying it. Can't wait to finish and start something else.


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

Finishing this for the 3rd time,










Before moving onto this:


----------



## SouthWest

I started reading The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu last week. I'm thinking of buying Thus Were Their Faces by Silvina Ocampo next.


----------



## Stormlight




----------



## LostOnMars

I'm reading "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. It's insanely engaging. I was hooked by page 12.


----------



## Hank Scorpio

The Shadow Rising. Don't know if I'll finish this series in my lifetime. :um


----------



## Stormlight

LostOnMars said:


> I'm reading "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. It's insanely engaging. I was hooked by page 12.


I just bought an illustrated edition of this. Can't wait to read it. Will be my first Gaiman book.


----------



## Alpha Tauri

An article on why Rh Negative blood exists


----------



## farfegnugen

reading about apoptosis, mastering suspense in writing, and gonna try House of Leaves again.


----------



## SouthWest

Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, by James Tiptree, Jr.

I also have Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin arriving in the next day or two.


----------



## bad baby

Finished:









Not sure how I feel about the conclusion - I guess I might have projected too much of myself onto the heroine and wanted her to find the perfect resolution that makes her both happy _and_ "normal" in the eyes of society. But, you can't have your cake and eat it too, I guess.

Started (in tandem):


----------



## firestar

_The Edge of the World_ by Kevin Anderson.

I borrowed the e-book from the public library. I've been trying to get back into reading for pleasure for a while but hadn't found anything that really caught my attention. I started this book today thinking I'd just read for fifteen minutes or so and ended up reading for hours.


----------



## Nekomata

Stephen King - Cell


----------



## SouthWest

Thus Were Their Faces, by Silvina Ocampo. I also have Invisible Planets: Collected Fiction by Hannu Rajaniemi to read, too.


----------



## Alpha Tauri

The Hardy Boys - The Haunted Fort


----------



## firestar

_The Aeronaut's Windlass_ by Jim Butcher.

I've had this book for a while and I've never gotten around to reading it before now. I guess I was just waiting until I needed a good, guaranteed pick-me-up. My only problem with Jim Butcher is that he doesn't write fast enough.


----------



## firestar

Jumped ship (pun intended!) for Red Rising by Pierce Brown. I own the ebook version of Aeronaut's Windlass, but I've been on the wait list to get the ebook version of Red Rising from the library for months. 

It's a popular book and the premise looked good, but I wasn't sure if the writing would hold up. I had some time to read it today. Once I got past the first few chapters it really started sucking me in. Definitely worth the wait. Pierce Brown has a beautiful writing style.


----------



## Humesday

A Clash of Kings by GRRM


----------



## truant

Finally finished _Infinite Jest_.



Riker said:


> just started on Anton Chekhov's Short Stories


I love Chekhov. I've read quite a few of his stories.


----------



## truant

Riker said:


> I def need to finish that book, since sometimes I have a few on rotation. Which are the best short stories of his in particular you recommend?


Yeah, I used to be really bad about having books in rotation. I had over 20 on the go at the same time at one point. I had broken myself of that habit for several years, but I've started to slip again. I've got about 6 or so on the go right now.

Two of my favorite Chekhov's were "Ward No. 6" and "In the Ravine". I haven't read all of them, though.


----------



## catcharay

Sherlock holmes. @truant I always mean to read Ward no. 6. My mom enjoyed that also.


----------



## novalax

A Simple Plan - Scott Smith


----------



## Steve French

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Murakami. All the weird sci-fi exposition makes my head hurt. Maybe that is because I got a buzz on while reading it yesterday. Quite enjoying it nonetheless. Not quite as much as the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, but still good. I like the whole two stories going on at once thing here, usually something that quite irritates me, due to finding one just much more interesting than the other. Almost more want to find out what is going on at the end of the world than the main one.

And speaking of drinking and reading, I've been enjoying that as well. I am probably an alcoholic to begin with in addition to being a voracious reader, and I decided to combine the two while reading a few months back. Well, I polished off several beers and 500 or so pages in a sitting. Something about the liquor gives a clarity to the mind and makes the words flow. Maybe it gives a little self confidence and I stress less unconsciously than when sober. Surprisingly, my recall was hardly affected, even when I got up to around number 5 or 6.


----------



## SouthWest

The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century, by Steven Pinker


----------



## mattmc

"He was the greatest Sivabhakta on earth of his time. The only form of worship in his kingdom was the lighting of lamps." - _Siva Purana_ by Ramesh Menon


----------



## truant

Read _Anthem_ by Rand. I sort of find her interesting in a ranty kind of way. I actually enjoyed Atlas Shrugged. It's such an odd moral-mechanical beast that it intrigues through sheer originality. Anthem is anything but subtle or nuanced (or interesting, really), but it's short and an almost obligatory piece of dystopian lit.

I also read Kierkegaard's _The Sickness Unto Death_. I have a few of his books and have never gotten around to reading them, but I'm glad I did. The parallels to Sartre's work were intriguing.


----------



## Kilgore Trout

Nothing. Have read only one book this year. I'm way behind schedule. Hopefully I'll find a peaceful state of mind somehow that let's me catch up. It's unlikely though, given that the things that are giving me stress are here to stay for the foreseeable future.


----------



## umhelpme

*L change the world*

medcore Deathnote fan here, but you don't need to be a fan to read this book. One of the best books I've ever read, and obviously, if you read the Death note comic series you would appreciate all the references and be a lot more emotional.

Reading the whole series just to read this side novel would be recommended as this is the best book in the world.

A tale of a detective, a very unstereotypical detective, young, loves sweets and eating Japanese confectionery. The story follows through the detective's last mission before his planned death.


----------



## Mc Borg

Epistemology: An Anthology.

I've been getting more and more into philosophy lately (I used to be obsessed with it years ago, but got bored with it). I need to brush up on things.


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

Has anyone here read this book?


----------



## Barakiel

Post_Punk_Proclivity said:


> Has anyone here read this book?


I've read _about_ Sheldrake before, and I feel awfully conflicted based on what I know. I definitely think there are sound, legit reasons to reject materialism, and I'm sure he has some insightful things to say about the way people treat science as some kind of all-knowing oracle or something to worship (ironically).

But his support of parapsychology is a huge turn off for me, and I'm afraid that it only creates this association between 'new age' ideas and immaterialism, giving people the impression that the only alternatives to materialism are irrational or pseudoscientific worldviews and that materialism is the only viable option for rational, 'scientific-minded' people (the mentality you see from RationalWiki goers and skeptic bloggers basically).

I hope that wasn't too harsh, or too rambly :um (and again this is all based on what I've skimmed from him on wikipedia and book reviews and stuff)


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

Barakiel said:


> I've read _about_ Sheldrake before, and I feel awfully conflicted based on what I know. I definitely think there are sound, legit reasons to reject materialism, and I'm sure he has some insightful things to say about the way people treat science as some kind of all-knowing oracle or something to worship (ironically).
> 
> But his support of parapsychology is a huge turn off for me, and I'm afraid that it only creates this association between 'new age' ideas and immaterialism, giving people the impression that the only alternatives to materialism are irrational or pseudoscientific worldviews and that materialism is the only viable option for rational, 'scientific-minded' people (the mentality you see from RationalWiki goers and skeptic bloggers basically).
> 
> I hope that wasn't too harsh, or too rambly :um (and again this is all based on what I've skimmed from him on wikipedia and book reviews and stuff)


Thanks. 

To be fair I've only just started reading this one but my first impressions with him have been more or less the same, so I've been extra critical with the content offered. I thought I'd ask people here since most online who give reviews surprisingly haven't offered any substantial critical analysis on the opposite end of the spectrum that I've noticed, with the reviews mostly portraying this particular work with unusual favour.

I would also agree that we have a bit of an ideological crisis on our hands in the sense that society has created a binary choice i.e. it's either _us or them_ which is painfully analogous to the political paradigms which currently run society. To me neither side seems ideal or fully flexible and each have tenets which aren't overly palatable. To put it simply, I see merit in alternative epistemolgical approaches to viewing reality, though I don't take ideas such as animism as an open invitation to start disregarding intuitive logic and the methodology of science in general. To be honest, I think if mankind is to make any more meaningful progress that we'll need to meet somewhere much more in the middle. In saying that, I believe that "freeing the spirit of enquiry" as Sheldrake puts it and keeping dogma out of science is of utmost importance, so therefore I see reason to read this book. I'll let you know what I think once I'm finished though!

(And no it wasn't too harsh or rambly btw. I've seen some pretty caustic and scathing stuff on Goodreads and this doesn't even come close. I think you've tried to maintain as much equanimity here as possible so thanks again for your input.)


----------



## Hank Scorpio

This is a weird military/alternate history/sci-fi/superhero series. I read some of the books back in high school and recently I got the whole series on amazon and read them all. The author is still at it and this is the new one.



catcharay said:


> Sherlock holmes.


Which Sherlock Holmes?


----------



## truant

Finished _Fear and Trembling_, by Kierkegaard. I have two more of his books, but I should probably take a break from the heavy stuff and read something a little lighter.


----------



## softly

Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks


----------



## 2Milk

Just finished reading "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque.
Good book overall, thought the ending chapter was underwhelming.


----------



## Greys0n

I started reading *Before I Fall* by Lauren Oliver


----------



## PurplePeopleEater

And the Sun Went Out. It's a story game, so technically not a book. As of right now, it has no ending and I heard it probably won't have an ending. I'm hooked on it.


----------



## catcharay

Hank Scorpio said:


> This is a weird military/alternate history/sci-fi/superhero series. I read some of the books back in high school and recently I got the whole series on amazon and read them all. The author is still at it and this is the new one.
> 
> Which Sherlock Holmes?


The adventures of sherlock holmes, the one with the short stories. You read?


----------



## 1ShyKid

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.
It's actually my second time reading it. The third book just came out not too long ago so I'm refreshing my memory.


----------



## Hank Scorpio

catcharay said:


> The adventures of sherlock holmes, the one with the short stories. You read?


Yeah, I've read all the Holmes stuff: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_of_Sherlock_Holmes


----------



## SouthWest

Nabokov's Favourite Word is Mauve: The Literary Quirks and Oddities of Our Most-Loved Authors, by Ben Blatt


----------



## Humesday

Patterns of World History Volume 2: Since 1400 by Sivers et. al.


----------



## Humesday

The Magnificent Century by Costain


----------



## truant

I read all the Kierkegaard I own. Not sure what I'm going to read next. Novel, maybe. I read too much nonfiction.


----------



## SouthWest

Atomised, by Michel Houellebecq. I've also got The Weird and the Eerie by Mark Fisher coming in the next few days.


----------



## firestar

The Psychopath Test, by Jon Ronson.


----------



## Paperback Writer

I'm reading _The God Delusion_.

I didn't see the twist coming where (spoilers) Dawkins converts to Christianity. :shock


----------



## mattmc

Hidden Wisdom: A Guide To The Western Inner Traditions

“Love in its truest sense can ultimately exist only between two distinct entities. Even self-love requires us to see ourselves or part of ourselves in some way ‘other’. Yet isn’t it also true that we experience anyone we genuinely love as part of our own being?

Perhaps the ultimate mystery of love is that it constantly shifts focus between one and two, between otherness and unity. It takes us past the gates of the self or the true ‘I’ and makes us see that this ‘I’ is in fact a ‘we’-that what is most deeply and intrinsically ourselves is, paradoxically, that which we share with others and ultimately with the divine. The ‘otherness’ of God may not be so unbridgeable after all.”


----------



## SouthWest

I have The Collected Stories of Ernest Hemingway, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, and Splatter Capital by Mark Steven arriving in the post soon. I don't know who to read first: Hemingway or Rothfuss.


----------



## Somanybooksolittletime

Haruki Murakami - Men without women
Colson Whitehead - The underground railroad


----------



## firestar

Finished_ Cinder_, by Marissa Meyer. It was okay. Interesting universe but very predictable. I know it was based on a fairy tale, but even so.


----------



## DeetsandBeets

I love Amy Tan. I read her book The Bonesetter's Daughter twice, it was so good. At the moment I'm reading Honour by Elif Shafak.


----------



## DeetsandBeets

Somanybooksolittletime said:


> Haruki Murakami - Men without women
> Colson Whitehead - The underground railroad


Haruki murakami is one of my favorite writers.


----------



## Hank Scorpio




----------



## firestar

_The Heart Goes Last_, by Margaret Atwood.

I've heard Atwood is a good author but never bothered to check out her stuff until a recent thread reminded me of her.


----------



## Kevin001

Bible......1Corinthians


----------



## thestolentimes

Manufacturing Consent by Edwards S. Herman and Noam Chomsky


----------



## firestar

_His Majesty's Dragon_ by Naomi Novik.


----------



## zanemwarwick

Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville.

A very interesting analysis on democracy as practiced in America from its inception to the time he wrote the book. It was published in 1835 and because of that, you can observe whether his observations do hold up against time. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Hollo

_Song for the Blue Ocean_ by Carl Safina


----------



## Yumi

_Norse Mythology_ by Neil Gaiman.


----------



## scooby

Yumi said:


> _Norse Mythology_ by Neil Gaiman.


How are you finding that one? I've been really wanting to try a Neil Gaiman book after watching the American Gods tv show, and a lot of his books are so highly rated. There are a bunch of his I've wanted to check out for some time. It's hard to narrow one down.


----------



## LanaDelReyForever

A pocket full of rye, by Agatha Christie.


----------



## Squirrelevant

Burmese Days by George Orwell
That's your lot. by Brian 'Limmy' Limmond


----------



## scooby

Halfway through Metro 2033. Wonder if I'll go straight for the sequels next or if I should go for another before returning to it.


----------



## firestar

_Throne of Jade_, by Naomi Novik.


----------



## mt moyt

i just finished the bell jar by sylvia plath. i tried reading kafka on the shore but i can't lol, i really dont like haruki murakami anymore


----------



## Nitemair13

I usually have several that I'm reading at a time. Right now it's a historical biography on Alfred the Great and Brad Thor's Use of Force. Though I have a bunch on the way. Yes I am book addict.


----------



## bad baby

Finished _I'm Not Guilty_ by Dr. Al Carlisle. About two-thirds of the book is a 'speculative interview' which throws its reliability and insightfulness into question. Although, I did find Bundy's speculation on the psyche of a hypothetical killer (or rather, Carlisle's speculation on Bundy's speculation on the psyche of a hypothetical killer) interesting in its vividness.

Partway through Quentin Crisp's autobiography _The Naked Civil Servant_. I absolutely adore his interviews and how candid he comes across through his prose. (Beautifully written, too.) From one of the earlier chapters:


> I wept but I never really felt guilty. I thought my vomit, my faeces, my tears were love gifts to my mother-no more disgusting, after all, than a broken heart.


...Guess it would be weird for me to follow that snippet up by saying that he's like my queer idol, but he is, puke and crap and tears and all.


----------



## zanemwarwick

The Library at Mount Char.

An underwhelming book for me, sadly.


----------



## mt moyt

kakfa on the shore is actually pretty good- almost finished it now. i just dislike some parts


----------



## SouthWest

Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad. I finished reading Hemingway's Collected Stories yesterday - I was underwhelmed.


----------



## LilMeRich

SS GB by Len Deighton


----------



## Ramintafromlt

In the Shadow of the Altars by Vincas Mykolaitis Putinas


----------



## Lohikaarme

My idea of a "fun" Saturday night... smh, smh


----------



## Eternal Solitude

The Crow by James O Barr


----------



## Ms kim

Satisfied With Nothin' by Ernest Hill


----------



## Nekomata

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong


----------



## nietzschemami

harry potter and the half blood prince


----------



## Rains

Going to have a crack at Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead.


----------



## Mc Borg

The Oxford Handbook of Free Will (2nd Edition).

I've had this sitting on my bookshelf for _years_, lol. It was expensive as ****, so I figure it's time to finally read it. :lol The recent free will thread reminded me of it.


----------



## GODxPUPPETxMAR

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The Maltese Falcon


----------



## Steve French

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.

They had a little sale on at the bookstore, three of the classics for $10. I got that one, The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford, and To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway. I really quite like the movie of the last one, though I did hear Hemingway challenged Hawks to make a good movie out of his worst book, I still had to try it. I am quite a Hemingway fan.

The book chain does that sort of thing where they take public domain books and give them jazzed up covers and sells them for quite cheap. I've gotten a lot of mileage out of them, even though they often use these 1850 translations that are bowdlerized and often lack modern day terminology. The words still seem to get through.


----------



## Barakiel

Mc Borg said:


> The Oxford Handbook of Free Will (2nd edition).
> 
> I've had this sitting on my bookshelf for _years_, lol. It was expensive as ****, so I figure it's time to finally read it. :lol The recent free will thread reminded me of it.


That's been a topic I've avoided for quite a while, I guess I have too much of an emotional investment in it (certain versions of determinism makes me feel anxious or depressed, there's a few philosophical issues that affect me like that) but it's something I hope to be able to get into someday. Hope your reading proves fruitful though



Steve French said:


> The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.


Whenever I see that name I can only think "hey, it's William James' brother", and apparently that's how most people thought of him during his lifetime right? haha. :blank Poor guy.


----------



## softly

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky


----------



## Kilgore Trout

Just finished The Dark Matter which I didn't like, and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency before that, which I liked.

Reading The Lord Of The Rings now. For the first time. It's the only book that I'm interested in reading even after having watched the movie.
Guess I'm gonna be reading that for a looong time.


----------



## Taaylah

How to Win Friends and Influence People


----------



## bad baby

Canadian Brotha said:


> The Maltese Falcon


my second fave book + film in the noir genre, after The Mask of Dimitrios.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

bad baby said:


> my second fave book + film in the noir genre, after The Mask of Dimitrios.


I didn't know it's a film as well but I guess a lot of books are now. It's pretty good so far. I'm glad about that because it's a book someone left in our old apartment lobby after they moved that I grabbed on a whim


----------



## bad baby

Canadian Brotha said:


> I didn't know it's a film as well but I guess a lot of books are now. It's pretty good so far. I'm glad about that because it's a book someone left in our old apartment lobby after they moved that I grabbed on a whim


Oh yeah. Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Greenstreet & Lorre. 1940s dream cast, mang. Quite a few of Dashiell Hammett's and Eric Ambler's spy novels got made into films back then. That was great.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

bad baby said:


> Oh yeah. Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Greenstreet & Lorre. 1940s dream cast, mang. Quite a few of Dashiell Hammett's and Eric Ambler's spy novels got made into films back then. That was great.


Yeah, I just googled & it looks like it may be time to watch a couple classics again. Love me some film noir or just black & white in general


----------



## bad baby

Canadian Brotha said:


> Yeah, I just googled & it looks like it may be time to watch a couple classics again. Love me some film noir or just black & white in general


Me too. Should have a rewatch sometime


----------



## catcharay

Flow
War and Peace
Another one but too embarrassed to say


----------



## Arbre

The Brothers Karamazov


----------



## SouthWest

Horror Stories: Classic Tales from Hoffman to Hodgson - I've had it for ages and finally decided to open it up. There are some really good stories from the likes of Emile Zola and Sheridan Le Fanu.


----------



## bad baby

catcharay said:


> Another one but too embarrassed to say


Drop a hint?


----------



## catcharay

bad baby said:


> Drop a hint?


It's a self help book that's widely known, but it has a cringey title lol.


----------



## bad baby

catcharay said:


> It's a self help book that's widely known, but it has a cringey title lol.


Hmm, let's see. The Power of Now? The Secret? How to Win Friends and Influence People? ..._Who Moved My Cheese_?


----------



## catcharay

bad baby said:


> Hmm, let's see. The Power of Now? The Secret? How to Win Friends and Influence People? ..._Who Moved My Cheese_?


It'll remain a secret:grin2:


----------



## Steve French

The Castle of Llyr. Going through the Chronicles of Prydain again, cause sometimes I need Lloyd Alexander to remind me of what it is to be a man.


----------



## Paul

Terry Pratchett's _Night Watch_


----------



## firestar

Paul said:


> Terry Pratchett's _Night Watch_


Good choice. That was one of the first Terry Pratchett books I read. I read the series out of order so I didn't understand a lot of it the first time but I still really enjoyed it. It's one of my favorite Terry Pratchett books.


----------



## Paul

firestar said:


> Good choice. That was one of the first Terry Pratchett books I read. I read the series out of order so I didn't understand a lot of it the first time but I still really enjoyed it. It's one of my favorite Terry Pratchett books.


It was @Sheska's choice really, but I'm enjoying it (about 2/3 through). I think _Small Gods_ is the only full discworld novel I've read (tried _The Colour of Magic_ but couldn't get into it), but I've heard a lot of BBC adaptations so I know the basics.


----------



## The Enemy Within

Runnin' with the Devil: A Backstage Pass to the Wild Times, Loud Rock, and the Down and Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen


----------



## firestar

Paul said:


> It was @*Sheska* 's choice really, but I'm enjoying it (about 2/3 through). I think _Small Gods_ is the only full discworld novel I've read (tried _The Colour of Magic_ but couldn't get into it), but I've heard a lot of BBC adaptations so I know the basics.


 @Sheska has good taste  The Watch books are all great but that's my personal favorite. I also like Going Postal, which has different characters. It was the first Discworld novel I ever read so I'll always have a special place in my heart for it.


----------



## Cashel

The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck


----------



## Alleviate Suffering

11.22.63 by Stephen King

Been struggling to read lately but enjoying this one a lot.


----------



## thetown

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined 
The Productivity Project
23 things they don't tell you about Capitalism
The Rosie Project
Cracking the Coding Interview


----------



## thetown

I'm reading a lot of business type books now:

Against the Gods: The remarkable story of risk 
Capital in the 21st century
The Black Swan: The story of the Improbable 
The power of habit: what we do in life and in business
Think fast and slow
Talent is overrated


----------



## Erroll

Trevor Noah's "Born a Crime" about growing up during apartheid in South Africa, as the product of a mixed race relationship, which at the time, was a crime punishable by imprisonment of not more than 5 years for the man, and not more than 4 years for the woman involved.


----------



## Hollo

Memoirs Found in a Bathtub by Stanislaw Lem. I found and old rat-eared 70s edition with campy cover art for a buck in the bargain bin.


----------



## Chevy396

Swann's Way: In Search of Lost Time

I haven't been able to read much lately, but this is pulling me back in.


----------



## Barakiel

The only philosophers worth reading are those who have something to say about pets.










Ok not really, but this article has been an interesting read, there's a lot I like about it but I'll refrain from going into detail seeing as how probably nobody cares.


----------



## Steve French

Just finished The High King once again. Still hits me right in the feels. To trade an endless life of bliss for a life of uncertainty and strife and toil. Hell of a thing. 

“Long ago I yearned to be a hero without knowing, in truth, what a hero was. Now, perhaps, I understand it a little better. A grower of turnips or a shaper of clay, a Commot farmer or a king--every man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself alone.
Once you told me that the seeking counts more than the finding. So, too, must the striving count more than the gain.”

Well, after five Lloyd Alexander's in a row (Well, there was a short Henry James in there somewhere) I find myself inclined to dip out of the fantasy pool. I have been thinking a lot, and in that thinking have come around to a book I once read, Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human. Short and terribly depressing, but I remember heavily identifying with the tortured misanthrope who feels he has to wear a mask to survive in society. 

I had avoided for some time re-reading any books, as I felt there was nothing new to gain. I have shifted my way of thinking; every time I read a book I interpret something differently or acquire something new.

So, yes, windbagging aside, No Longer Human - Osamu Dazai.


----------



## Kilgore Trout

The Lord Of The Rings - The Two Towers
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## f1ora

The Color Purple


----------



## scooby

'Sleeping Giants' by Sylvain Neuvel.


----------



## Kilgore Trout

'How Did The West Become The West'. It's an Iranian book about Renaissance and other things that contributed to Europe's development.

Also I'll be starting to read The Return of The King from LOTR series soon. Maybe tomorrow. @[email protected]
I wish it was 10000 pages. It is ending too soon.
There are other books by Tolkien that happen in the same world tho. I'll probably read them too.


----------



## quentincoldwater

Right now I'm reading The Magician's Land (last book of the magicians series by Lev Grossman). It's truly excellent.


----------



## May19

Note to self by Connor Franta


----------



## catcharay

Games of Thrones.


----------



## herk

The Goon library editions, just finished vol 4. Kizzie's story got me ****ed up


----------



## Steve French

The Silver Trumpet, by Owen Barfield. I first heard of this fellow due to the dedication to his daughter at the front of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Further research told me he was a good friend of C.S. Lewis, and a member of the Inklings literary group. This short book made quite the impression on Tolkien's children, and apparently he took some influence from it.


----------



## Mc Borg

Metaphysics: The Big Questions


----------



## Steve French

I picked up Snow Crash once again. Strangely enough, I'm finding it quite hilarious and engrossing this time. Maybe because I am quite stoned.


----------



## truant

Finally finished the Old Testament. What a beast. Going to need a break before the NT.


----------



## ByStorm

https://www.amazon.com/Introverts-L...TF8&qid=1503630721&sr=8-5&keywords=introverts


----------



## Stormlight

The Fifth Season


----------



## luv

I am currently reading "IT" by Stephen King.


----------



## Alpha Tauri

Articles on why Windows Phone failed


----------



## Barakiel

Roman Ingarden's Ontology and Aesthetics by Jeff Mitscherling, it's nowhere near as dry as the title may make it sound. :um Whether he's detailing the philosophers's debates about Realism vs Idealism, or his encounters with eccentric Polish artists, there's a lot in here that's kept me interested.


----------



## Barakiel

truant said:


> Finally finished the Old Testament. What a beast. Going to need a break before the NT.


Wow, did you read it all in order? The only parts of the bible I've read all the way through are some of the shorter, more gentle books (like Ruth or Jonah).


----------



## Hank Scorpio

truant said:


> Finally finished the Old Testament. What a beast. Going to need a break before the NT.


At least at the end you get the answer to the Simpsons trivia question. I had just about given up hope on that one.


----------



## catcharay

Fashion is freedom.


----------



## hemu

"what are you reading? pt. 2"


----------



## konas8

Pessoa, Book of Disquiet


----------



## RuralJuror

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Pretty sure I read it once in high school, but I wanted to give it another read through now.


----------



## Steve French

Welcome to the NHK. I can't remember the author's name, I stole a pdf. Something alliterative and Japanese.

I recently started reading nerdy asian comics, in a second or third or fourth sort of childhood, and it got me watching a bit of nerdy animes, and it made me think of one I had started and never finished back in the day, Welcome to the NHK. Well, I remembered it was first a book, and had to look it up as I was finishing Snow Crash.

It's good. Not so bowdlerized. ****, buddy drops some internet acid and goes on a wild trip talking to the toaster a few pages in. Not sure if I prefer the drug induced paranoia or just the insanity of a rampant imagination and a cutting off from society. Anyway, I like the internal monologue. It is all too reminiscent of some of the things that have gone on in my head.


----------



## Cascades

Currently reading The Shining. It's my first Stephen King novel. I'm about 30 pages in, so far, so good.


----------



## coldsorehighlighter

Cascades said:


> Currently reading The Shining. It's my first Stephen King novel. I'm about 30 pages in, so far, so good.


It's so weird you mentioned this because just last night I was thinking about how I want to read the book. I love the movie but Stephen King hatessssss the movie version, so I wanna read the book and see what that's like.

In relation to the thread, I'm not reading anything. Carry on.


----------



## farfegnugen

Colson Whitehead- The Underground Railroad
also have The Romanov Cross by Masello that I haven't started yet


----------



## IcedOver

I'm re-reading Stephen King's _It_ because of the movie; haven't been to the movie yet. I first read it 27 years ago when the first adaptation came out, when I was still a King fan. I have the hardback, and man, that thing's massive. You can put on muscle just holding it to read.


----------



## IcedOver

Cascades said:


> Currently reading The Shining. It's my first Stephen King novel. I'm about 30 pages in, so far, so good.


The book isn't that good, really. The movie version is actually superior in many ways.


----------



## Cascades

IcedOver said:


> The book isn't that good, really. The movie version is actually superior in many ways.


Yeah, I kinda watched the movie. Was sick so fell asleep halfway through but I have to re watch again - the movie seemed fantastic.


----------



## TheInvisibleHand

Bible Old Testament


----------



## funnynihilist

Genealogy of Morality by Friedrich Nietzsche


----------



## Fun Spirit

Show us the book you are currently reading: ) 

You have to take a picture of it. No Google, Bing or search engine images. A book you physically have with you. Owned or borrowed. It can be any book. SAS rules APPLY. No dirty books. 


If you want you may post your favorite book too: ) And the page or chapter you left off from. You may also recommend a book too: ) But it must be a book you have with you and you must show it through a photo. 
________________

I dedicate the first post to God {then a SAS member named Kevin001 who little did he know that I was in the process of dedicating this thread to him and God while he banned me on the banning thread because I didn't talk to God in the morning. LOL } 

Anyway the book I am currently reading is God related. 
"The Book of Jasher."


Lastly I was reading a Popeye the Sailor Man comic strip volume book. I haven't read it since this past summer but it is one of my favorite. I have all 6.


----------



## MCHB

*perplexed* Book?


----------



## tehuti88

Currently reading:


Bonus image: Books I got in the mail today :grin2:


----------



## Barakiel

Just trying to figure out where I am I guess..










also these on and off:


----------



## Eternal Solitude

tehuti88 said:


> Currently reading:
> 
> 
> Bonus image: Books I got in the mail today :grin2:


Are you familiar with "The Ray Bradbury Theater" TV show from the 80s? It is a TV series adaptation of some of his short stories.

And now for a limited time (not sure how long it will stay up) you can watch the full series on Youtube.


----------



## estse

Final pages of. Not particularly well written, but quite interesting; wishing I also had such a urgent sense of self.










And some comics/graphic **** recently read, sitting.


----------



## Paul




----------



## cinto

ontop of movies


----------



## Were

Los Angeles 1900 - 2000. It's a short, architecture book.


----------



## Steve French

Season of Violence, also known as Season of the Sun, by Shintaro Ishihara. Who is actually these days a quite well known politician. Guess over there writing such things doesn't exclude you from the political arena.


----------



## Boy in Darkness

Oliver Twist- Charles Dickens 

It’s very funny and I’m enjoying it.


----------



## ArtemisPhaesporia

Possession by A.S. Byatt


----------



## Barakiel

More books that appeal to my niche interests..


----------



## Memories of Silence

This is the part I'm up to (I haven't read much of it yet)








These are the next ones I'll read. I'll probably start one of them before I finish the first one:


----------



## Barakiel

This is really something :um


----------



## Lohikaarme

Barakiel said:


> This is really something :um


You've got to possess true mastery over the English language to attempt--let alone succeed at--such an endeavor. Kinda curious now how the poems limited to 'U' turned out


----------



## Barakiel

Lohikaarme said:


> You've got to possess true mastery over the English language to attempt--let alone succeed at--such an endeavor. Kinda curious now how the poems limited to 'U' turned out


I listened to him read Chapter U a while back actually, it's only a few minutes long but each chapter has, among other things, a nsfw scene so not sure if I should link that here. :afr

It's really clever how he does things, U in particular is about the misadventures of Ubu. He gets drunk, kung-fu punched by cults, told to shut up, etc. In place of "and" he uses "plus" a lot 

Oh, and E retells the story of Helen from the Iliad!


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## 629753

The adventures of huckbluberry finn
a guide to the present moment


----------



## ravens




----------



## catcharay

Trumps bio by the Washington Post.

Sent from my TA-1020 using Tapatalk


----------



## snarygyder

"Last Exit to Brooklyn" by Hubert Selby Jr


----------



## Arbre

ravens said:


>


If you like that book and Douglas Adams, you should check out his book Last Chance to See. It's a non-fiction book about endangered species, so it's completely different, but I liked it more and thought it was more funny than Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.


----------



## IcedOver

I'm still wading through _It_, on 1089 of 1138 pages. This is a punishingly long and relentlessly boring book. I read it back in 1990 before the telefilm aired. I was reading about that telefilm recently, and the makers mentioned one scene in the book that they didn't/couldn't include. I thought I must have mis-read their description, because I didn't believe a scene like that would be in the book, and certainly didn't remember it from 27 years ago. Well, I just read that scene, unfortunately. Late in the book, the lone female of the Losers Club, who is like 11 or 12, offers to, and has sex with, all six male 11 or 12-year-old members as they're lost in the sewers below the city. As if that weren't bad enough, it's described in painstaking detail. How totally inappropriate is this? It makes no sense in the story to go that far (maybe a kiss, but this?). This book fvcking sucks. The core idea is average enough to want to make a movie (now two movies) out of it, but King's writing is just horrendous.


----------



## pied vert

Muliosys said:


> The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.
> 
> For anyone with any creative hobbies/pursuits I highly recommend it!


was just watching a video onthis book yesterday.

what'd you think of it?


----------



## pied vert

Callsign said:


> I re-shelved this I'm such a naughty boy. It was the same one I have at home but the author titled it "Out On a Limb" earlier, instead of "In the Company of Bears".


I really hope this whole book is about bears and that's not just a metaphor.


----------



## Sky Blue

Saw it on a library shelf, read a few pages, and had to pick up my own copy of Arkwright. It's been a long time since I had a good sci-fi novel.


----------



## pied vert

Sheska said:


> I've been devouring books lately. Since I took a break from this place I've read Iris Chang's _The Rape of Nanking_, which made me feel like my entire soul took a beating; Ernest Becker's _The Denial of Death_ (big thank you to the fellow SASer who mentioned it to me); Robert Flint's _Agnosticism _ (having read Thomas Huxley's essays and letters before, I was curious to see the strength of the opposition there was to his views); and two books by Clarence Darrow - _The Story of My Life_ and _Crime: Its Cause and Treatment _(wow, just WOW!). I'm in between books so trying to decide what direction to take next. Been playing around with the idea of reading _Infinite Jest_ but feel that I would like to do it with someone, as otherwise I might give up, given it's sheer size. There is a girl at work that's also had it on her list so I might see if she fancies picking it up next.


Infinite Jest is the last book I read.
While it would be nice to be able to share experiences with a reading buddy, i'm not sure if that's feasible for such a large book as people not only read at different rates, but have different desires for intensity of reading. I read Infinite Jest relatively slowly and that's the only way I'd do it.

care to share why the Clarence Darrow book is Wow?


----------



## Kandice

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari


----------



## pied vert

Sheska said:


> I watched the uncut ZDF interview with David Foster Wallace a while back and absolutely fell in love with his quietly measured lucidity. I know he was a troubled man and not a stranger to controversy but I just can't shake this sense of infatuation with his mind, hence the desire to read IJ. I'd be really interested to hear your thoughts on it, when I finish it.
> 
> Similar to DFW, I became captivated by his character. I saw Kevin Spacey's one man show as Darrow and kept thinking that this man's legacy was somehow exaggerated. It's far too rare, in my opinion, for people to be so sophisticated in their thought, so challenging of stale preconceptions, so in touch with developing science and so measured in their conclusions, whilst actively practising what they preach. And then I read those two books... He was a man of ideas and actions way ahead of his time. At one point I remember reading the Crime book and thinking, this could be the evidence of time travel  What he was proposing in the context of his own time was far too ambitious and alien. Even today's seasoned authors struggle to convey similar ideas without going into the deep end but he did so with an extraordinarily compelling simplicity and clarity. Likewise, without the modern scientific knowledge his conclusions were almost prophetic, and his understanding of human nature astonishingly well reasoned. Plus, he has a very pleasant style of writing, which is clear and concise and free from unnecessary embellishments, which I always appreciate but fail to avoid in my own writing


you've sold me on trying the Darrow book.

there are so many David Wallace interviews on youtube that I'm not sure but I think I've seen part of that one. I'm glad there are so many though, and that he's so forthcoming in them; I can't imagine all the gossip that would exist about his opinions on things if they weren't there. His interviews and his work seem to give different sides of him. I haven't read any of his novels other than IJ actually, but I've listened to all the audiobooks that are available (like of his essays, and of Brief Interviews of Hideous Men), and from them you get the impression that this man breathes depression. In his interviews though, he emanates so much love for other topics... like math, in the one I was listening to yesterday. I want to read his Everything And More next, I think.


----------



## Arbre

I haven't read a George Orwell book since I was 19 or 20.


----------



## Kilgore Trout

The Lord Of The Rings : The Return Of The King


----------



## Barakiel

Would anyone out there happen to find this stuff interesting? :um Not counting poetry I don't read fiction much at all (when I have the motivation to read that is)


----------



## Sleeps Brother

Wow! So many interesting books in this thread. I'm quite scatterbrained so I'm reading something ridiculous like ten books at the moment but I don't read very quickly so the situation has gotten out of hand. I am proud of my taste in books. It is one thing about myself that I can definitely say I feel good about.  I have to learn that people won't hate me for showing off in small ways. Being hated for this is one of my biggest fears.


Had to compress the image.


----------



## Barakiel

Sleeps Brother said:


> Had to compress the image.


I actually like the results of that, it looks something like glitch art 

And you should feel good about having diverse interests, even tho I'm not familiar with all the authors or topics you're reading. The Situationists were like political dadaists right? :eyes


----------



## Arbre

Sleeps Brother said:


> Wow! So many interesting books in this thread. I'm quite scatterbrained so I'm reading something ridiculous like ten books at the moment but I don't read very quickly so the situation has gotten out of hand. I am proud of my taste in books. It is one thing about myself that I can definitely say I feel good about.  I have to learn that people won't hate me for showing off in small ways. Being hated for this is one of my biggest fears.
> 
> Had to compress the image.


I like some of the books there. Manufacturing Consent and 1984 are two of my favourite books and had a big impact on me, and The Society of the Spectacle is a book I want to read.


----------



## Sleeps Brother

It's really good to speak to someone who likes similar books.  All three that you mentioned help us to understand how reality is shaped and presented to us. The Society of The Spectacle isn't an easy read, but it's worth it and it is nice and short too.


----------



## Kandice

It takes way too much effort to upload a pic of the book I'm reading on here, so I'll just say it: _Modern Romance_ by Aziz Ansari.


----------



## Sleeps Brother

Yeah  the image does look kinda cool. I just didn't want people to think that I was going for some kind of elitist hipster effect in order to compliment the books haha. Yeah, that's a good way of putting it actually - there's a lot of similarities between the dadaists and the situationists... Trying to disrupt "reality" by poking holes in it, essentially. They felt that architecture was being used to control and manipulate people's thought processes.


----------



## CloudChaser

It's interesting that nobody has yet posted a picture of an average paperback, it's almost as if you all grabbed the most intelligent book you have in the house to take a picture of.

But you wouldn't do that would you?

I'm looking at you.


----------



## Barakiel

CloudChaser said:


> it's almost as if you all grabbed the most intelligent book you have in the house to take a picture of.


Nah, you don't see any manga in this thread do you?


----------



## Mc Borg




----------



## mt moyt

im re-reading Artemis Fowl


----------



## a degree of freedom

@Barakiel - Impressive ... good for you!


----------



## Lohikaarme




----------



## wmu'14

One more chapter to go in Terror in Ypsilanti. About a serial killer in the 60s who's victims were University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University students. Gets a little heavy with legal jargon in the trial part, but very good. I recommend it if you live in Michigan.


----------



## PurplePeopleEater

Detective's Choice Pt. 2

Reading another story game. It's like Nancy Drew for adults. This one is about an Indian that comes back to life. It's pretty fun.


----------



## Barakiel

^ Thanks! :0

I've been wanting to read this for a while, and I finally got my hands on it today.



















This was apparently an unacknowledged influence on Martin Heidegger and other Western philosophers, and in general it's a short but influential book in the history of East-West relations, so I'm looking forward to reading a chapter a day or so.

A lot of the reason why I got interested in beer is because it's such a historical and cultural beverage, so I wonder if I could get into tea for similar reasons. I think my mom would be more approving of a tea interest as well..

He talks about what he terms "Teaism", a religion that celebrates life he argues has coexisted along with Taoism and Buddhism (if I'm remembering this right). I wonder if you could make a similar argument that countries like Belgium and Germany have a religion of Beerism


----------



## estse

Two finishing tonight:


----------



## Arbre




----------



## A Void Ant

I'm slowly getting through this great work by Theodor Seuss Geisel.



(This edition is a bit more challenging as it does not contain the footnotes).


----------



## Barakiel

A Void Ant said:


> I'm slowly getting through this great work by Theodor Seuss Geisel.
> 
> 
> 
> (This edition is a bit more challenging as it does not contain the footnotes).


 @CloudChaser I'm sorry I ever doubted you. :afr


----------



## CloudChaser

Barakiel said:


> @*CloudChaser* I'm sorry I ever doubted you. :afr


Everyone always is in the end.


----------



## unemployment simulator

lyle mcdonald - the rapid fat loss handbook


----------



## Barakiel

I've been fascinated with this poem for a while despite the fact its author was a terrible person (and this is reflected in his poetry at times). I guess you can think of it as Pound's excuse to write about all his different interests, whether it be history, economics, Confucian ethics, Greek and Egyptian mythology, etc. over the course of his life. There's some beautiful, horrific, and entertaining things in here and I might post some extracts soon regardless of whether anyone is interested


----------



## Barakiel

You have poetic things like this -


* *


































as well as wtf moments -


* *















I also like the way he interweaves different languages and symbols.


* *

































A few of his political views were actually alright. "Swine think of extending borders / Decent rulers of internal order"


----------



## farfegnugen

Day of the Triffids/Flowers for Algernon


----------



## planthappy89

I love that book.

I'm reading Winter World by Bernd Heinrich.


----------



## Maslow

Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit


----------



## The Condition of Keegan

Alone by Cyn Balog. It's a good book so far.  

Sent from my RCT6213W87DK using Tapatalk


----------



## Fomorian

Just about to start Trauma by Graham Masterton


----------



## Steve French

Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman. Second go round, needed something nice and easy. And some poems for school. God, I hate poetry. At least this kind of poetry. Lacking any rhythm, or cleverness, or interesting topics, or story, but full of heavy symbolism and metaphor.


----------



## Squirrelevant

Chemistry: The Central Science.

Just thought I'd brush up on my chemistry knowledge once again, even though it's probably of little use to me other than making me feel a little less dumb.

I'm also reading "The Nature of Code", and am hoping that it will help me to code up some simulations of natural systems. I'd like to create an evolution simulator, in particular.


----------



## Felidae

The Secret History by Donna Tartt, not bad so far.


----------



## Barakiel

Barakiel said:


> Would anyone out there happen to find this stuff interesting?


The chapter I'm reading from right now is about his work in the philosophy and psychology of perception. One of the philosophical questions it deals with is whether sense qualities are "continuous", like if the experience of tasting something sweet has anything whatsoever to do with that of seeing blue or red, or if all the different senses exist in isolation from each other. If that makes 'sense' :blank They talk about studies done with (formerly) blind people and some anecdotes from Helen Keller and question whether these can help us tackle those kinds of questions.

One of Hartshorne's arguments is that it makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint for our senses to have some continuity with each other, especially if there is one original sense (like touch) from which all the rest evolved from.

My explanation is probably terrible but I'm just really interested in the way philosophy and science interact like this (΄◉◞౪◟◉｀)


----------



## Steve French

Love Among the Chickens - PG Wodehouse.


----------



## catcharay

'reading dante' - Prue shaw

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk


----------



## Steve French

The Hour of the Dragon - Robert E. Howard. I needed some testosterone pumping, chest beating, monster slaying, wench laying, hard drinking masculinity in my reading. Conan the Barbarian seemed ideal for the purpose.


----------



## Cascades

Currently reading: The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape. It's all the rage here in Australia and since I love personal finance I'm giving it a go. Basic info, it's an alright read.

Recently finished:

The Road by Cormac McCarthy - Boring. Couldn't wait to finish it. The writing style killed me. Poorly written sentences, no speech marks, no real suspense or action at all.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - I really liked this book. I can see why it's a popular favourite.

The Shining by Stephen King - I enjoyed it, it was a great read. Tried to watch the movie tonight but fell asleep for the second time. Shelley Duvall's acting annoyed me.


----------



## Arbre

Reading more Naomi Klein.


----------



## IcedOver

Currently reading _The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside_ The Room_, The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made_ by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell. I watched _The Room_ for the first time last week, and this is a great look behind the scenes. It's also a nice look inside the life of a struggling actor in Hollywood. Haven't been to the Franco movie yet.


----------



## farfegnugen

I grabbed a copy of _Geek Love_ because I head other people talking about it before. I didn't realize it was published so long ago. Odd and strange so far.


----------



## mysticpanda

Brida by Coelho


----------



## Arbre

I've seen a few people online say this is one of the best books they've read, so I wanted to read it before the end of the year.


----------



## rabidfoxes




----------



## SofaKing

Perfect for SA readers.


----------



## JoninNYC

*Brad Warner*

Brad Warner right now


----------



## Barakiel

I like this lil Bloodaxe logo the publisher uses:


----------



## hayes

Just finished Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson. I detest Megan. That's all I gotta say.


----------



## estse

The two I'm finishing now or sooner:


----------



## abiologicalblunder

I've always loved Victorian literature and mysteries so it follows that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one of my favourite authors. The definitive Holmes will always be Jeremy Brett's portrayal for me. I'm not a fan of the other adaptations, especially the modern ones.


----------



## rabidfoxes

Yes! Have you read any of his other stuff? I was very pleasantly surprised by the Lost World.



abiologicalblunder said:


> I've always loved Victorian literature and mysteries so it follows that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one of my favourite authors. The definitive Holmes will always be Jeremy Brett's portrayal for me. I'm not a fan of the other adaptations, especially the modern ones.


----------



## abiologicalblunder

rabidfoxes said:


> Yes! Have you read any of his other stuff? I was very pleasantly surprised by the Lost World.


I haven't but it sounds interesting based on the plot synopsis. I'll have to check it out!


----------



## scintilla

Received this last week. Enjoying it so far. 









I also signed The Road by Cormac McCarthy out a few days ago, but haven't gotten around to starting it yet.


----------



## hayes

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck


----------



## Steve French

Sputnik Sweetheart, by Haruki Murakami. To think, this will be my fifth novel by him. I actually heard about the guy on this site originally, and discounted him for that reason for some years. Turned out to be a pretty great writer. I let my prejudices of nihilistic edgelords and weeaboos get the better of me.


----------



## Scrub-Zero

I use both of these to practice my drawing skills.


----------



## Sus y

scintilla said:


> Received this last week. Enjoying it so far.


:O:clap


----------



## RMS




----------



## IcedOver

_Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortune and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty_ - This is the basis for _All the Money in the World_, which I haven't yet been to (and would only be going to because I usually go to Ridley Scott's movies for some reason). Only a couple chapters deal with the actual kidnapping of the teenage family member (who was the father of actor Balthazar Getty) which is the story of the film.


----------



## SofaKing

Office book club voted for this...


----------



## Chevy396

I read maybe one chapter in all of 2017. Time to buckle down.


----------



## Arbre

solutionx said:


> I read maybe one chapter in all of 2017. Time to buckle down.


That book was disappointing to me. And I had read it's such a good book. It sounded interesting, but I just didn't get anything out of it.


----------



## Chevy396

Arbre said:


> That book was disappointing to me. And I had read it's such a good book. It sounded interesting, but I just didn't get anything out of it.


I bought it because I was going through some issues with my memory, PTSD, and trying to reconcile the past. Also alcoholism.

The author seemed to have struggled with those problems as well, so I am interested in hearing his point of view on it. So far I have not been disappointed, only my ADHD has been kicking my *** because I can no longer get an Adderall prescription.


----------



## truant

Just started King Henry VI, Part 3. Trying to read everything by Shakespeare. Reading the War of the Roses cycle makes me realize Game of Thrones is just popular Shakespeare.


----------



## Arbre

solutionx said:


> I bought it because I was going through some issues with my memory, PTSD, and trying to reconcile the past. Also alcoholism.
> 
> The author seemed to have struggled with those problems as well, so I am interested in hearing his point of view on it. So far I have not been disappointed, only my ADHD has been kicking my *** because I can no longer get an Adderall prescription.


Sorry you've had to go through that. Swann's Way was a book I wanted to like, but it just didn't really appeal to me even though Proust was a talented writer.


----------



## crimeclub

Arbre said:


> Reading more Naomi Klein.


Is that a pretty good one? I've been wanting to get a couple Naomi Klein books.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Scrub-Zero said:


> I use both of these to practice my drawing skills.


 Nice, I didn't know you were trying your hand at that man. I'm doing the same (mostly for a side project I'm working on) but would like at some point to recreate some Kentaro Miura:


----------



## Arbre

crimeclub said:


> Is that a pretty good one? I've been wanting to get a couple Naomi Klein books.


It's a good book that's worth reading. If you read about climate change in the media this book says a lot of things you might already know, but you can learn more about it in this book. Right before reading it I had read Klein's book The Shock Doctrine, and I would recommend that one even more. One of the very best (and disturbing) books I've read. The Shock Doctrine is a book talking about how whenever there was some kind of disaster in a country (economic, environmental, etc) far right laissez-faire capitalist policies would then be implemented and it always ended up being disastrous. I'm also looking forward to reading Klein's No Logo sometime this year.


----------



## Scrub-Zero

Paper Samurai said:


> Nice, I didn't know you were trying your hand at that man. I'm doing the same (mostly for a side project I'm working on) but would like at some point to recreate some Kentaro Miura:


Yeah I've been getting back into it lately. Ive been drawing since I was young, but when videogames took over my life, I kind of lost the will for hobbies and stopped completely. Now that i'm on a break i'm back in action.

Good luck with recreating some Kentaro Miura 
He did such amazing stuff.


----------



## W00DBINE




----------



## Perkins

Reading Motley Crue's The Dirt. Unsurprisingly, they're all *******s. No surprise when you're rock gods surrounded by yes people. I pity anyone who had to put up with them. Still, entertaining read.


----------



## Steve French

The Glass Bees, by Ernst Junger. Pretty interesting fellow. Died just before his 103rd birthday. Deserted from the French Foreign Legion to join the German army at the outset of the First World War. Served all four years, was wounded seriously like five times, including the last, being shot through the chest. Published his diaries on the war, the well regarded "Storm of Steel" and became quite famous. The Nazi's coveted him for his war experience and political views espoused in the book, and attempted to make him an agent of theirs, only for him to spurn them continually, and publicly. Was also an amateur entomologist of some renown.


----------



## Arbre

Another dystopian novel for me to read.


----------



## maralb

Manual del guerrero de la luz, paulo coelho


----------



## scooby

Its pretty cute so far. Over halfway.


----------



## farfegnugen

The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver


----------



## wmu'14

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived
Pretty good. I actually prefer Zeerid over Darth Malgus and Aryn Leneer. Half a chapter and the Epilogue left to go.


----------



## truant

Just finished Dewey's _Art as Experience_. A challenging read, but well worth it.


----------



## truant

I finally finished reading the Bible (King James version). Every chapter and verse. Praise the Lord!

Also, sort of feel like the biggest nerd on SAS right now. Two posts in a row in WAYR. Yikes. :um


----------



## kesker

Lohikaarme said:


> My idea of a "fun" Saturday night... smh, smh


:lol it does look interesting though.


----------



## kesker

I just started the _SAS What are You Reading Thread_ and I'm really liking it so far.


----------



## Barakiel

I now have four books in the Library of Living Philosophers series. My little collection so far includes ones on Charles Hartshorne, Roderick Chisholm, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Marjorie Grene. Each chapter functions as its own article or essay focused on some aspect of the philosopher’s thought. Some are written out of awe and admiration for their work, while others take a more critical stance. But in the end, the philosopher gets to reply back :troll

They’ve been very engaging reads for me, partly because of my ADHD (all these diverse topics, and you don’t have to read the whole book front to back), but I guess it also gives me a healthy sense of how to deal with disagreements and opposing views, that’s always a good thing and I definitely have a problem with bias :um


----------



## Lohikaarme

kesker said:


> :lol it does look interesting though.


Oh, I had forgotten I never finished that :um :lol
Curse you to seven hells, ADD! :wife


----------



## Sus y

kesker said:


> I just started the _SAS What are You Reading Thread_ and I'm really liking it so far.


:b


----------



## EarthDominator

The power of MAC's from Halo. Apparently some versions got the same power of a few thousand Tsar Bomba's...per shot.


----------



## Lohikaarme

"Well, of course, it's now. The time is
now. What else is there?"


----------



## Lohikaarme

Arbre said:


> Another dystopian novel for me to read.


:clap


----------



## Arbre

Lohikaarme said:


> :clap


That book wasn't exactly what I expected it to be like. Not in a bad way, though. It was more unique and different than I was expecting because of things like the writing style, characters, and story. I didn't really like rating it only 3 stars on Goodreads, but I didn't think it was 4 stars either.


----------



## Paperback Writer

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft

The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands by Stephen King


----------



## maralb

lecciones sobre la vida, robin sharma


----------



## Gamgee

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Jag vill inte dö, jag vill bara inte leva by Ann Heberlein


----------



## The Condition of Keegan

Star Wars Darth Revan by Drew Karpyshyn


----------



## cat001




----------



## RyanIsNerdy

scooby said:


> Its pretty cute so far. Over halfway.


I like that it's a fairytale for adults yet doesn't stray too far from the classic feel you had as a kid reading those kinds of whimsical, high fantasy novels. It's like those kinds of fantastical writings you may have read when younger were given touches to catch up to your sensibilities as you've matured. Not to say there wasn't some silliness in the book--in a good way.


----------



## Karsten

It's an Ebook.


----------



## Chevy396




----------



## Cascades

Just started this last night. About 12 chapters in and I know this is going to have me bawling my eyes out in the end.


----------



## Arbre

cat001 said:


>


That book looks interesting.


----------



## Kilgore Trout

scooby said:


> Its pretty cute so far. Over halfway.


The ending is sad (IMO). :cry
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## scooby

geraltofrivia said:


> The ending is sad (IMO). :cry
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Was it? I thought of it as more 
* *




of a happy ending, unless you're referring to their lives after the main story adventure ends?


 I don't wanna go too into detail in case I spoil it for people.

Anyway, now I'm reading this.










Only into a few chapters of the first book.


----------



## scooby

RyanIsNerdy said:


> I like that it's a fairytale for adults yet doesn't stray too far from the classic feel you had as a kid reading those kinds of whimsical, high fantasy novels. It's like those kinds of fantastical writings you may have read when younger were given touches to catch up to your sensibilities as you've matured. Not to say there wasn't some silliness in the book--in a good way.


I agree. Reading it, I would get swept away in the kid like fantasy of it all, then suddenly get blindsided and bashed over the head with pretty gruesome violence.


----------



## Kilgore Trout

scooby said:


> Was it? I thought of it as more
> * *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> of a happy ending, unless you're referring to their lives after the main story adventure ends?
> 
> 
> I don't wanna go too into detail in case I spoil it for people.


Yeah that.



> Anyway, now I'm reading this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Only into a few chapters of the first book.


I love that :clap
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Chevy396

scooby said:


> Was it? I thought of it as more
> * *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> of a happy ending, unless you're referring to their lives after the main story adventure ends?
> 
> 
> I don't wanna go too into detail in case I spoil it for people.
> 
> Anyway, now I'm reading this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Only into a few chapters of the first book.


One of the greatest comedies of all time. I think I still have the book somewhere and never finished it, but have seen the movie several times. Have the VHS and the movie poster.

When I was going through Valium withdrawal some days I told myself "don't panic" a hundred times or more. It never really worked either. Luckily I had my towel.


----------



## IcedOver

Almost finished with _The 15:17 to Paris_ about the three young guys who staved off the terrorist attack on a train (the basis for the current movie). Some of it is interesting, but really, only Spencer Stone did a lot to subdue the terrorist. Don't know why all three of them have gotten such commendation. Alek (the other white dude) apparently pounded the guy in the face with a rifle when he was already pretty much in hand, but Anthony (the black dude) did almost nothing, just ran around and took cell phone pictures. Yet in the book he's referenced as having saved all those people. Doesn't quite make sense, and it's cringe-inducing to read that.


----------



## Steve French

I felt like reading one of the Russian classics, so I've finally got around to starting A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov. Been on my list for some years. It's pretty great so far. And to think, he was only like 24 when he wrote it, even younger than I am now, and died at 26. Still managed quite a literary legacy for such a short time.


----------



## Arbre

Steve French said:


> I felt like reading one of the Russian classics, so I've finally got around to starting A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov. Been on my list for some years. It's pretty great so far. And to think, he was only like 24 when he wrote it, even younger than I am now, and died at 26. Still managed quite a literary legacy for such a short time.


A Hero of Our Time is pretty high up on my to read list. I love 19th century Russian literature. It's interesting getting a peak into what Russian life was like back then, what the political climate was like, and it has insights into the human condition.


----------



## Steve French

Arbre said:


> A Hero of Our Time is pretty high up on my to read list. I love 19th century Russian literature. It's interesting getting a peak into what Russian life was like back then, what the political climate was like, and it has insights into the human condition.


It is available here on gutenberg if you aren't averse to non-print formats. This is the one I'm going through. Pretty good translation too, well, as far as readability goes.

And yeah, love what I've read from that era of Russian literature. They manage to intertwine great social insight and psychology with engaging plots and characters quite well. But I've only just dipped my toe into Dostoevsky and Turgenev so far. The page counts often intimidate me (looking at Brothers Karamazov there which has sat on my shelf in two translations for a few years).


----------



## Arbre

Steve French said:


> It is available here on gutenberg if you aren't averse to non-print formats. This is the one I'm going through. Pretty good translation too, well, as far as readability goes.
> 
> And yeah, love what I've read from that era of Russian literature. They manage to intertwine great social insight and psychology with engaging plots and characters quite well. But I've only just dipped my toe into Dostoevsky and Turgenev so far. The page counts often intimidate me (looking at Brothers Karamazov there which has sat on my shelf in two translations for a few years).


I find it more difficult to read on the computer, so I have to buy a copy of the physical book sometime. At least it's cheap.

Russian literature from that era does have excellent plots and characters, and are psychologicial too, I agree. Dostoevsky is one of my favourite writers, and Turgenev is good too from what I've read so far. I still need to read more Tolstoy, Turgenev, Gogol, Chekhov, and others. If you're looking for more Dostoevsky to read, I'd recommend this ― it contains the novella Notes from Underground, which I think is one of Dostoevsky's very best works, although I can't vouch for the translation of it in this collection because I read the Garnett and P&V translations instead, but Magarshack's translations of the other works in this collection were good. And besides Notes from Underground, it also has White Nights, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, and a Gentle Creature, which are my favourite short stories of his.


----------



## IcedOver

_Fifty Shades Freed_ - Man, this book is almost unreadable, and it's like 550 pages long!


----------



## abiologicalblunder

I'm not obsessed with Victorian murder mysteries or anything...


----------



## abiologicalblunder

Currently re-reading the following Sherlock Holmes short story: The Strange Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax.

https://sherlock-holm.es/stories/pdf/a4/1-sided/lady.pdf

I remember watching the Granada adaptation of this particular adventure as a child with my parents. The scene where he opens the coffin lid to reveal the deceased, emaciated, waxy complexioned old woman terrified the **** out of me. I always thought Jeremy Brett resembled a vampire then and only later did I find out that his sickly appearance was due to depression/mental illness resulting from the death of his second wife. I find it difficult to watch the later seasons as a result. RIP Jeremy Brett


----------



## Arbre

Got some new books.


----------



## Memories of Silence

* *


----------



## Barakiel

It's the book I'm currently procrastinating on reading at least :cry


----------



## unemployment simulator

ebook


----------



## Peacefulness

This book is changing my life upside down, inside out! I recommend this book to all introverts or shy folks, as it will help you accept and understand yourself better.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Robinson Crusoe


----------



## Paperback Writer

The Eye of the World (Book One of The Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan.


----------



## quietRiot10

Needful Things by Stephen King


----------



## Sliusarek

I'm looking at my non-conformist finger. It's an amazing book, I recommend it to all you people. 

H E L P


----------



## Marko3

Good Omens (by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman)

the funniest book I have ever read. Pure masterpiece.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Lohikaarme

Marko3 said:


> Good Omens (by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman)
> 
> the funniest book I have ever read. Pure masterpiece.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


That is on my to-read list too.










Well... not /reading/ exactly


----------



## funnynihilist

Not really reading but still listening to the audiobook of Charles Bukowski's "Women".
Two more hours to go.
The book becomes repetitive as it about all the sex Bukowski had with random women after he had become famous which also coincided with the height of the sexual revolution.
Everyone was loose, everything was loose.
Booze, drugs, sex, everyone was doing and trying everything.
Makes you wonder if AIDS hadn't shown up if it would have continued on.
Of course if Bukowski were still alive in 2018 he would be getting metoo'ed into oblivion, but in the book the women came to him due to his reputation. He was like a 55 year old rock star with groupies.
But with Bukowski the real value isn't in the graphic sexual descriptions but in the philosophical nuggets that he drops between each tryst. 
His little observations about the world and how with each tryst he seems to lose a bit more of himself and seems more weary.


----------



## Hank Scorpio

Paperback Writer said:


> The Eye of the World (Book One of The Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan.


You've got a looooong way to go. I'm on Crossroads of Twilight(#10) and the last books are the fattest.


----------



## Cascades

I'm almost done with 1984 by George Orwell


----------



## Marko3

Lohikaarme said:


> That is on my to-read list too.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well... not /reading/ exactly


To get used to Pratchett writing style, I advise you to read next 3 books first ( they are also very funny): The Truckers, The Diggers and The Wings.

If you ever do come around to read them, enjoy!


----------



## Paperback Writer

Hank Scorpio said:


> You've got a looooong way to go. I'm on Crossroads of Twilight(#10) and the last books are the fattest.


I shudder to think how long it'll take me to get through them all. :help

I give it a few years.


----------



## Hank Scorpio

Paperback Writer said:


> I shudder to think how long it'll take me to get through them all. :help
> 
> I give it a few years.


I'm reading a few pages a day while also reading other books so I don't burn out. I should be finished by the end of the year.


----------



## firestar

_Iron Gold_ by Pierce Brown. It's the fourth book in the Red Rising series. I've been afraid to pick it up because I knew I wouldn't want to put it down once I started. I started it today. I was right.


----------



## Jocko22

T.A.Z.: Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism
By Hakim Bey

Kina of refreshing fringey non-narrative thing, reminded me of Burroughs with its batsh%t gonzo screed against the Man in pretty words that are tangible in the best way, like so rich you gotta put it down or you'll choke? Best read in installments, you can taste the drugs through the page. Kinda obnoxious self-righteous tone tho that doesn't let up and the author really has a thing for young boys, also like Burroughs. I'm such a nerd for reading this sh*t.


----------



## Steve French

I have been feeling like a bit of a degenerate, so I picked up another Bukowski, Women.


----------



## Barakiel

Jocko22 said:


> T.A.Z.: Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism
> By Hakim Bey
> 
> Kina of refreshing fringey non-narrative thing, reminded me of Burroughs with its batsh%t gonzo screed against the Man in pretty words that are tangible in the best way, like so rich you gotta put it down or you'll choke? Best read in installments, you can taste the drugs through the page. Kinda obnoxious self-righteous tone tho that doesn't let up and the author really has a thing for young boys, also like Burroughs. I'm such a nerd for reading this sh*t.


I looked into Hakim Bey a while back 'cause some of my favorite artists like John Zorn and Trey Spruance reference him (tho Spruance's more interested in his Peter Lamborn Wilson persona). Actually, my research wasn't out of interest in his writings, but because I was worried about his pedophilia (like if the mentioned artists knew or even supported his views).. It seems to be something of an open secret, the general pattern being that people are surprised but not surprised to learn right? Apparenty Michael Muhammad Knight hung out with Peter for years before finding out, and that eased my worries a little.

Apologies if I rambled on too much just now :um and no judgment on you for reading him either, I can understand the appeal of the crazy improvised nature of the writing. Though I feel W.H. Auden's idea of "local understanding" is a much preferable alternative to Bey's concept of the T.A.Z.


----------



## Barakiel

Anyway, I’m trying to get back into Michael Polanyi’s “The Tacit Dimension”. I like how it’s based on such a simple idea - “we can know more than we can tell”, and from this he derives all these exciting theories about human knowledge and value. It’s fairly short so I’m hoping to actually finish it..


----------



## Deonidas

The back of my lady pants lol.


----------



## Jocko22

Hey cool Barakiel rant away, someone actually who knows what the hell I'm talking about for once, always good. Yeah I got weirded out when I was in my crazy basement phase plowing through Bourrough's Nova trilogy and all his stunted peter pan sex stuff but I just rolled my eyes and got on with it, friends with Ginsberg afterall. I was listening to this podcast once with this hermetic philosopher guy i used to be into and he said something on Burroughs and Crowley like 'no these were not nice guys but they went into territories that we can't ignore' or some such thing. I thought thast was a good way to hold it in my head, baby with bathwater or whatever. 'Not by altering geopolitical conditions but by cultivation of mutual sympathy'...yeah pretty much.


----------



## Jocko22

srry double post, goddamn


----------



## Paperback Writer

Hank Scorpio said:


> I'm reading a few pages a day while also reading other books so I don't burn out. I should be finished by the end of the year.


I've got through most of the first one faster than I anticipated, but I'll probably take a break to read other things between each book unless any of them have a particularly cliffhanger-ish ending.

On an unrelated note, the glossary at the back of the book with the correct pronunciations has been a godsend. Before discovering it I was getting so many names wrong. :lol


----------



## Taaylah




----------



## Kevin001




----------



## probably offline




----------



## IcedOver

"Ready Player One". I haven't been to the movie yet. The first 100 pages were great as far as world building. Since, the first-time author's inexperience is showing a bit. It's still a fun and plausible world. I wonder how much Spielberg messed it up.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Sumabala

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton


----------



## Kzeezahid

Nothing


----------



## wmu'14

True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself In the Disappearance of Maura Murray, by James Renner

Couple more chapters to go. I love missing persons cases and MM's is my favorite. The book doesn't go into quite as much detail as I'd prefer and a lot of it memoir, but it's an easy ready, a page-turner, and I recommend it if you're a fan of MM's case.

5/5



Canadian Brotha said:


> Robinson Crusoe


I read an abridged version of that. Normally I don't like abridged, but I enjoyed it and feel like I didn't miss anything (judging from SparkNotes)



The Condition of Keegan said:


> Star Wars Darth Revan by Drew Karpyshyn


I read a lot of SW Legends. Here's a couple thoughts I had on the book:

*I would've preferred a book spanning Revan's whole life, including the Mandalorian Wars, his and Malak's fall, the events of KotoR, and this book's events. Maybe someday&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.

For someone who will never play it, the book was too much tied into the Old Republic game. However looking at the 3 items to pull from - both KotoR games and TOR game - it struck a fair balance.

*Scourge the anti-hero gets too much focus in the first half going on seemingly-pointless missions. I understand this is to set the character up, but I don't think we need so much of that. As a result, the first half kind of drags. He ends up being one of the more interesting characters, though.


----------



## unsocial lego

The Bell Jar. Halfway through it but I haven't picked it up in a while. I should finish it one of these days.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

wmu'14 said:


> I read an abridged version of that. Normally I don't like abridged, but I enjoyed it and feel like I didn't miss anything (judging from SparkNotes)


My copy is the Premier Classics one & I've been slacking, need to get back on it


----------



## truant

_Mysticism_ by Evelyn Underhill. Which is pretty ****ing fantastic. About halfway through.


----------



## mt moyt

* *















spoiler cause its big.

its said so casually, makes me wonder if some people can really be all alone.

the book is The Death of Grass and yes i got it because of the title


----------



## Daxi004

I haven't read a single book in 6 years. Now I picked up The name of the wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I hope it will be good


----------



## cosmicKitten

Currently reading the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, and Catch-22


----------



## Mabel Pines

anhelou said:


> I haven't read a single book in 6 years. Now I picked up The name of the wind by Patrick Rothfuss. I hope it will be good


I hope you enjoy it.


----------



## gnomealone




----------



## Greys0n

2nd time I read Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, I just love this book


----------



## Steve French

I have been reading Anabasis by Xenophon. Been on my list for a while. Sounded very "Hollywood" for a classic work, and in some ways it is. Very interesting, in terms of storytelling and history, and very straightforward and readable. Translated, of course.


----------



## truant

_Character Analysis_ by Wilhelm Reich.


----------



## Cascades

The Darkest Web by Eileen Ormsby.

Basically talks about the dark web/Silk Road and the kind of stuff that goes down on it. Shows you convos between hitmen, drug dealers and of course Silk Roads creator. A very good book so far if you're into any of this.


----------



## Tuan Jie

Just finished Yuval Harari's _**** Deus_ and Michael Pollan's _How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence_.

Currently reading Rachel Harris' _Listening to Ayahuasca: New Hope for Depression, Addiction, PTSD, and Anxiety_ and Anil Ananthaswamy's _The Man Who Wasn't There: Investigations into the Strange New Science of the Self_


----------



## Kitty196

Martin Amis- Time's Arrow, it's written in a backwards storyline so it's so hard to keep up with :/


----------



## farfegnugen

_Into the Water_ by Paula Hawkins. Just haven't been able to get into it and I'm about halfway through. Also have _Rebecca_ by du Maurier, which hasn't really sucked me in either.


----------



## Tuan Jie

Jay Earley - Self-Therapy: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Wholeness and Healing Your Inner Child Using IFS, A New, Cutting-Edge Psychotherapy


----------



## smoothlinghs

I always read books which nobody else know. Now I have a one 60 years old book and it is way too fun because those things could be written today. We have still the same problems!


----------



## unemployment simulator




----------



## caveman8

Finished Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. Absolutely fascinating true story of Elizabeth Holmes, a young twenty-something who created a startup called Theranos, whose objective was to be able to do blood tests from very small amounts of blood, like a finger prick. Elizabeth (Bathory in the Castle it seems...) turned it into a complete fraud when the technology didn't measure up. If you like Wall Street-type stuff, don't hesitate.

https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Blood-Se...UTF8&qid=1528681472&sr=8-2&keywords=Bad+blood

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## firestar

Started _Uprooted_, by Naomi Novik, this morning. Now almost halfway through. It's so good!


----------



## wmu'14

Just finished Fatal Alliance by Sean Williams

On the positive side:
+Eldon Axe - her journey
+Dao Stryver - the action with the character
+Satele Shan - just the character in general
+The Cinzia clone - caught me by surprise

- Didn't really like the plot
- Felt like it dragged in certain spots

Not sure if I want to move on to Annihilation next, or jump to the X-Wing series again. (my library finally has the Zinsj books  )


----------



## farfegnugen

_Watership Down_ plus a bunch of mostly boring stuff.


----------



## Steve French

Youth in Revolt, by CD Payne. You know, there was that adaptation a few years back with that gomer Michael Cera that I never did watch? It's about a sex-obsessed fourteen year old looking to lose his virginity. ****ing hilarious. I wish I had read this back when I was kid, but then again, maybe the appeal in it is partly nostalgia for my young years. Miles above most that tackles the trials of such an age.


----------



## wormliberated

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand


----------



## hayes

Just finished Human Acts by Han Kang.

A book about the aftermath of the Gwangju uprising and subsequent quelling by the army. It follows a group of characters, some speaking from beyond the grave, taking turns in perspective and time since 1980. The story is harrowing, and it deserves to be read for this fact, as well as for its beautiful writing and emotional delivery it really gets into the more disturbing corners of the human psyche. Not for the faint hearted, the acts of violence and torture are very graphic. A 21st century, Asian ode to 'least we forget'.


----------



## firestar

Listening to _House of Suns_ by Alastair Reynolds. Normally I don't listen to audiobooks, but I started this one because I was driving to a nearby state and the voice acting is great so I'm going to finish it. Plus, Alastair Reynolds is a good author. I stopped reading him, but I really enjoyed his earlier works. Maybe I'll re-read _Chasm City_ next.


----------



## SplendidBob

Get out of your mind and into your life.


----------



## firestar

Now I'm listening to _Time for the Stars_ by Robert A. Heinlein. Unfortunately, the voice actor doesn't have a Scottish accent. Still, it's my favorite Heinlein book.


----------



## Were

Hollywood Babylon: The Legendary Underground Classic of Hollywood's Darkest and Best Kept Secrets.


----------



## Cashel

I found my copy of The Two Towers a couple of days agoso I'm gonna finish that series.


----------



## firestar

Listening to _The Rolling Stones_ by Robert A. Heinlein. This version has a full cast of voice actors, which really helps.


----------



## BeamingNow




----------



## BeautyandRage

*What book are you currently reading?*

I finished Where The Sidewalk Ends, now I'm reading Coraline. What about you?

Edit: ouch I thought I was being original starting this thread but it got removed and switched to a comment. Whoops.


----------



## firestar

Started listening to _Pushing Ice_ by Alastair Reynolds yesterday. It's a dense book, but I've read it before. Plus, the narrator has a Scottish accent and a voice that's almost hypnotic.


----------



## VanDamMan




----------



## Stewart Akinyemi

The Demonic Forces by Valentin Pikul


----------



## firestar

_The Rose Garden_ by Susanna Kearsley. I started it last night and now I'm about halfway through because it's time travel romance and I'm pathetic.


----------



## firestar

firestar said:


> Started listening to _Pushing Ice_ by Alastair Reynolds yesterday. It's a dense book, but I've read it before. Plus, the narrator has a Scottish accent and a voice that's almost hypnotic.


Finally finished _Pushing Ice_. Ready to start _Chasm City_. _Pushing Ice_ was good, but _Chasm City_ is my favorite book by Alastair Reynolds.

The narrator's name is John Lee. He's good. I have high hopes for this audiobook.


----------



## The Condition of Keegan

Been reading Halo Envoy. I like it so far. 


Also listening to the World War Z book, it's sorta creepy so far haha...but not what I was expecting either.


----------



## andy1984

its called "software" by someone(?). ok so far. idk if i really like that style of writing though.


----------



## sick + lonely NEET ShutIn

I am reading all the Sherlock Holmes Stories (Never read them in my Youth) plus "Vera Brittain - Testament of Youth".


----------



## iAmCodeMonkey

https://www.quora.com/Men-who-have-...ty-disorder-what-are-your-stories-experiences


----------



## iAmCodeMonkey

Dangerous Personalities: An FBI Profiler Shows How to Identify and Protect Yourself from Harmful People


----------



## quietRiot10

The Wife Between Us


----------



## Nekobasu

lol no one make fun of me but, I am reading all the old Goosebumps books


----------



## scintilla

Circe - Madeline Miller


----------



## januarygirl

Just started The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss


----------



## Ekardy

Complete Poems and Selected Essays: Edgar Allan Poe


----------



## firestar

Finished listening to _Chasm City_ by Alastair Reynolds. I love that book so much.

Now I'm listening to _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_ by Robert A. Heinlein. The reader is doing a decent job, especially given that the protagonist has a distinct way of speaking that's hard to emulate.


----------



## quietRiot10

The Silent Companions


----------



## Ekardy

The Picture of Dorian Gray


----------



## firestar

Started listening to _The Aeronaut's Windlass_ by Jim Butcher. I've already read the book. I wasn't sure if listening to the audiobook would be worth it, but then I remembered Folly.


----------



## scintilla

.


----------



## Kiwifruit

Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut.


----------



## scintilla

~spooky


----------



## Kilgore Trout

This terrible book which I'm only reading because it's the conclusion(hopefully) to the two previous terrible books:










And this awesome book which I'm loving:


----------



## catcharay

Roger Rogerson (corruption) and Crazy Rich Asians - the drippings of excess is a kind of disgusting


----------



## truant

I found out today my dad threw boxes of old books into the recycling. Which included, among other things, several Kurt Vonnegut paperbacks, which I want to read but can't afford to buy. :sigh

I'm reading probably 20 different books right now. Mostly reference books (Merck manual, biology, biochem, and microbiology texts) and poetry (Whitman, Blake, Donne, Shakespeare) and short story collections (Maupassant, Lovecraft, Algernon Blackwood (for Halloween)).

Fictionally, I finally started reading _Stranger In a Strange Land_. I've avoided reading it because I have negative associations to Heinlein (he was the favorite author of a friend I unintentionally hurt over 20 years ago and who no doubt still despises me). It's not great, but it's interesting. I'm trying to read a bunch of commercial fiction classics.


----------



## Fun Spirit

I am reading a book called "Kidnapped" by Robert Louis Stevenson. I haven't been reading much lately so I need to finish it. {And the Book of Jasher} I can read but I always end up stopping in the middle. Then weeks and months go by and I end up starting all over. 


I also want to squeeze in reading a Popeye the Sailor Man comic strip book. I had put that on hold......again.


----------



## Skeleton

Just finished The woman in the window by A.J. Finn! I'm about to start reading Fingersmith by Sarah Waters 🙂 the movie adaptation was the handmaiden in south korea and i'm so excited to read the original book!


----------



## darlieq

Career of Evil (Robert Galbraith)


----------



## caveman8

About 60% through Billion Dollar Whale, real story about a guy named Jho Low, who stole billions from Malaysia’s state-run 1MDB fund. Jho was so high from his money that he even gave Leo DiCaprio a couple paintings worth about $12m - as gifts. This book is absolutely great. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## IcedOver

_First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong_, the basis for the new movie, which I haven't been to yet. I'm primarily interested in the movie because I liked Damien Chazelle's last two movies, but this book is over 700 pages, and I'm only on page 300. The movie isn't doing too well, so I'm wondering if I'll be able to get out to it. The book is pretty dry as far as providing so much facts about what Armstrong did, but it is interesting in painting a picture of that first astronaut era which I do find interesting anyway.


----------



## Lonely Hobbit

I'm reading Roosh's book Game which has been banned from Amazon.


----------



## quietRiot10

Do Not Disturb - Claire Douglas 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## scintilla

.


----------



## BeamingNow

scintilla said:


> I've started re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring because it's been years and years since I've reread LotR. It's crazy how many details I've forgotten.
> 
> Unrelated but, I'm thinking about getting Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology book. Has anyone here read it?


I'm currently re-reading LotR too (just started The Two Towers). I initially read them around the time the first movie came out when I was 9 with zero reading comprehension skills, so in a way it's basically all new to me.

Also, I've had Norse Mythology on my shelf for about a year now and still haven't gotten around to it. I'll let you know how it is if I ever do.


----------



## scintilla

.


----------



## wmu'14

Am re-reading the X-Wing series. Finished Rogue Squadron in July, Wedge's Gamble in August, and just finished Krytos Trap and starting Bacta War now.

Some of the best of the EU Legends.


----------



## 3stacks

This is a book by Demetri Martin. I've never seen his stand up but I might have to because this book is hilarious. Guys a genius


----------



## Icarus12

I'm reading Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio. I've been in the mood for a character driven sci-fi lately and this one is doing an OK job of holding my attention. It seems to be falling somewhere between being a Dune style sci-fi and being a Star Wars style sci-fi.


----------



## TheGirlWithRats

The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks


----------



## Karsten

Don't know if it counts as reading, because it's technically being read to me.


----------



## cosmicKitten

Like Brothers by Mark and Jay Duplass. Also The Happiness Trap.


----------



## Ekardy

A Pattern Language by multiple authors
&
The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman


----------



## Edwirdd

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
movie 8/10
book 8.5/10


----------



## Fun Spirit

I just finished "Kidnapped" by Robert Louis Stevenson. I give it a.......3/10
The beginning was interesting but then by the middle it became a drag for me. By the time I was towards the ending the story became interesting again. 



I don't know what I will read next. I may give stupid Twilight a second chance or I might read one of my favorites: The "Tiger's Curse" series. 
The circus--> India--> a jungle--> an indian prince-->a curse-->white tiger romance--> adventure 
My kind of book. I wish I had more romance books. {Back to reading online historical romance manga}


----------



## scintilla

you can
hate me
forever
if that's 
what you 
really want,

but 
friends 
don't just 
let friends 
turn into 
sleepy dragons,

not
when 
the claw marks 
were as fresh 
as mine 
were.

_- hurting others is a choice._

---
the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace. Ugh, I love reading poetry. Why don't I do it more often? I'm glad I saw this at the bookstore because I need it rn.


----------



## SouthWest

Finished reading _Building Imaginary Worlds_, by Mark J.P. Wolf. Now I'll be getting back to _Wastelands_, an anthology of post-apocalyptic fiction which I'm halfway through.


----------



## firestar

Started listening to _Terminal World_ by Alastair Reynolds.


----------



## Cascades

Shoot the Damn Dog: A Memoir of Depression by Sally Brampton

I already feel like I need to re read this and highlight some things she's written. Some of her thoughts and feelings resonate with me much.


----------



## darlieq

Lethal White (Robert Galbraith)


----------



## Fun Spirit

It seem that not a lot of people read books.

I am currently reading 4 books. I'm good at starting a book but recently I been finding it diffcult to finish one. The last book I finished was called "Kidnapped."

-Anyway I am still on "The Book of Jasher." Don't ask me when I will be finished.

-I have started to read my "Popeye the Sailor Man Volume 1 comic strip book." It is an over size book. I tend to stop reading that book but I feel the reading rate I been going I will hopefully finish the book at a timely manner. The future is bright for this book. LOL.

-"The Power of Now" the future is bright for this book too. It is a short book so I SHOULD be able to finish it hopefully. I'm on chapter 3 or 4.

-Lastly I started reading "Apocrypha" from the Bible. I read 1 Esdras. I'm on 2 Esdras.

Ever since I recently cut my Internet time at night I been able to catch up on some reading.

_ Sent by your Higher Self using Tapatalk_


----------



## griffin1000

Been reading American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis, but it's taking me a while to get through it because it's not exactly a page turner.

Also just started both Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami and Survivor by J F Gonzalez.


----------



## wmu'14

Just finished Michael Chricton's Dragon Teeth

On the positive side:
+ I really liked seeing the Marsh / Cope feud. I had no idea they were that antagonistic!
+ I was obsessed with dinosaurs as a kid (even more then your typical dinosaur-obsessed kid) so any book about paleontology I'll pretty much like by default
+ I like Chricton's adventure / sci-fi books so getting one last one was exciting
+ Been watching some Western movies and have started liking the genre. It's crazy even tho Westerns are archaic now, how many of today's lit and movies and games are inspired by them. So my point is, I enjoyed the Western setting and the sherrif/bandit/Indian Act of the book.
+ The book is easy to read. 

On the negative side:
- The Marsh / Cope feud doesn't go anywhere. So much of the book sets up their feud, but Act III pretty much drops it and barely returns to it. I liked the book's length, but would've liked to see more of their rivalry post-adventure. I was surprised the Brontosaurus skull being incorrectly placed wasn't a part of the book. 

The book blends paleontology with Western adventure, with more an emphasis on Western adventure. 

My favorite Chricton books: Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Micro, Prey, Pirate Lattitudes. 

Unfortunately he's had some duds.......

But I liked this. If you liked any of the above, you will like this one.


----------



## Barakiel

I've been taking these along on my coffeeshop visits:

Downbeat: The Great Jazz Interviews (I was the only one who ever checked this out from my high school library, but I did read it with some fellow students who could be considered friends).

Persepolis

The Jewish Bible (a book _about_ the bible basically).


----------



## 3stacks

I'm taking forever to read it but it's so interesting


----------



## scooby

'Pale Fire' by Vladimir Nobakov. His writing style or prose is so much more elegant than anything else from other authors I've read.


----------



## marvely

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Gryffindor Edition)
I enjoy re-reading the books during the winter months.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Rereading to regain a regular reading habit for the year...


----------



## scooby

Technically not reading these _yet_, but I'm trying to decide on what 2 out of these 4 to keep because I'm going to be giving the other 2 away. My initial feeling is to keep The Bell Jar and The Trial. But Slaughterhouse-Five would be a major change of scenery as I've never read anything relating to war. I mean, I can borrow the other 2 books off of the person I'm giving them to anyway, so it's not the biggest decision I'd need to make.


----------



## gnomealone




----------



## gnomealone

probably not the best book for a depressive. I am numb after finishing this account of Stalin.


----------



## 3 AM

and im 90% sure i won't finish either of them. not because ill find them boring [or maybe i will, we'll see what happens] i just have trouble finishing books


----------



## Were

City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles.

I'm on page 118, don't know if I will finish it.


----------



## tea111red

free magazines


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## karenw

Lion - Saroo Brierley


----------



## V1bzz

I find it really hard to read since I started Nardil. Just can't concentrate long enough. pregabalin, sh111t, since I started that again I find it hard to even see what i'm writing here let alone reading a book :lol


----------



## PurplePeopleEater

A Dog's Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron 

This is my first book I've read in like a year and a half. Going to try reading some again.


----------



## quietRiot10

The Infinite Sea - Rick Yancey


----------



## Fun Spirit

I am reading a book called "Copper Sun" by Sharon m. draper. My sister recommended the book to me. It is about a African girl who was taken from her homeland, sold into slavery in the America and her survival. This book is sad. I would had been dead. 
___________

Aside from this book I have fell off from my reading. I haven't been reading lately I'm always stopping. Popeye thr Sailor Man book is on hold, I am somewhat slow on "Copper Sun" {I should have been done} I lost my Ebook files on my Tablet {Now I have to search online for those 2 books} I haven't read nor written any of my comic scripts lately......so yeah I fell off as I always do. Never could be consistent. I think I will read "Tiger's Curse" by Collen Houck to help stimulate my imagination. I could use a break from the real world and the virtual world.

_ SPIRITO BAMBITO_


----------



## bad baby

Xue Yiwei's short story collection _Shenzheners_. I couldn't continue past "The Prodigy", I guess because I identify with the narrator a little bit. I used to abhor mediocrity, but now I just abhor myself.

Finally finished Kakuta Mitsuyo's "Jinsei Best Ten", which I started last year on my birthday. One particular line from the protagonist stood out to me - that all her ex-classmates from high school seemed like they were wearing costumes of accolades, from their work, marriage, families, children, etc. The illusion of having and having accomplished, the more you buy into it the more you are driven to "have" more. Only she could say that she was completely unburdened and aware and still the same person she had been back then.

It's a comforting thought, every year as I get older I'd like to come back to it and remember not to lose that part of myself.


----------



## scooby

Reading through 'Slaughterhouse 5' by Kurt Vonnegut.


----------



## Suchness

The Book That Will Forever Change Our Ideas of The Bible by Mauro Biglino. Mauro worked for the Vatican, translated and published over 20 books of the bible. 

From the book "This work stems from the careful analysis of the text, relying on the original meaning of the consonant roots which represent the basis of the Hebrew vocabulary; as published in the dictionaries of the biblical and Aramaic Hebrew used worldwide." 

I don't read the bible, I research it. By the time I'm done with this I will know more about the bible than people who have been reading it their whole lives. Man, I gotta say it feels good to be this intelligent.


----------



## PandaBearx

"The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath


----------



## scooby

'White Nights' by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

When you connect with the main character, his inner thoughts and experiences a lot, and he goes and talks and acts like a ****ing weirdo to someone and you're like "NO! Don't say that, you idiot!" And then you think to yourself "god dammit... I hope I don't come across like that irl" Great book though.



PandaBearx said:


> "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath


That's next on my list I'm thinking. I've had it being a 50/50 choice with another book for the last 2 books I've read and ended up choosing the others, so I gotta go with it next.


----------



## scooby

Oh god, this is book is 'guy gets friendzoned' circa 1850. OMG, White Nights = White Knight. I really still like it though, its a great and short read. Heartache is still a very relatable feeling.


----------



## rabidfoxes

David Jones - In Parenthesis. A WWI indulgence in incomprehensible English.


----------



## Anesidora

A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## 3 AM

unknown pleasures by peter hook
miriam hopkins: life and films of a hollywood rebel by allan r. ellenberger

i recently sold outgot an ereader so i've been reading a lot more lately after struggling to finish a single book in what seems like forever. funny how that happens


----------



## farfegnugen

_The Passage_ by Justin Cronin- good but wordy as all get out. Also plodding my way through some of the classics and a couple of other things.


----------



## scooby

I finished 'The Bell Jar' which I loved a lot. Now I've started reading 'The Waves' by Virginia Woolf. It was a bit hard for me to understand the style of this book at first, but I feel like its clicking for me now.


----------



## wmu'14

Was reading 'The Bundy Secrets' and stopped half-way. 

It's the third one of a trilogy, and I think the book assumes a little more familiarity into the depths of the case (I know little of what outside the Wikipedia article on him says). The book is also all police reports, which while on the surface seems interesting, is actually dull reading.


----------



## Alleviate Suffering

The Book Thief


----------



## 3stacks

Alleviate Suffering said:


> The Book Thief


 Did you steal it? (Sorry, terrible joke)


----------



## Alleviate Suffering

3stacks said:


> Did you steal it? (Sorry, terrible joke)


Don't worry I like terrible jokes but I am more of a book borrower than a book thief.


----------



## 3stacks

Alleviate Suffering said:


> 3stacks said:
> 
> 
> 
> Did you steal it? (Sorry, terrible joke)
> 
> 
> 
> Don't worry I like terrible jokes but I am more of a book borrower than a book thief.
Click to expand...

 &#128578;


----------



## truant

_The Brain That Changes Itself_ and _Peak: Secrets from the Science of Expertise_. Read over 60 books already in 2019. That's really good for me. I'm a slow reader.


----------



## WillYouStopDave

truant said:


> _The Brain That Changes Itself_ and _Peak: Secrets from the Science of Expertise_. Read over 60 books already in 2019. That's really good for me. I'm a slow reader.


 I can't read books. I get stuck (often) on a single sentence and keep re-reading it and not comprehending it until I read it like 8 times. Then I can move on and maybe read 3-4 fine and get stuck on another one. Or just get stuck at a random spot on the page and not really be reading at all and just zoned out.

I never could read books very well. I was way ahead of most of the other kids in reading when I first started school but I fell quickly behind in later years because I didn't progress from the basic level. And also, short attention span.


----------



## truant

WillYouStopDave said:


> I can't read books. I get stuck (often) on a single sentence and keep re-reading it and not comprehending it until I read it like 8 times. Then I can move on and maybe read 3-4 fine and get stuck on another one. Or just get stuck at a random spot on the page and not really be reading at all and just zoned out.
> 
> I never could read books very well. I was way ahead of most of the other kids in reading when I first started school but I fell quickly behind in later years because I didn't progress from the basic level. And also, short attention span.


I started reading early, too. I could read Dr. Seuss by the time I was in kindergarten, and I tried to convince my grade 5 teacher to do _Lord of the Rings_ in English class. (She didn't go for it.) But I never got past subvocalizing when I read, so I never learned to read faster than I talk. So by the time I was in high school I was reading more slowly than everyone else, even though my comprehension was generally better. I read all the time, but I don't read very much.

A similar thing happened to me in math. I had the highest grade in my school for grade 8 (98%) but by the time I got to grade 11 I was failing because I couldn't remember all the rules for handling all the different kinds of equations, no matter how hard I studied. By the time I got to my last year of hs I was failing everything and had to drop out. I went back later and got my hs but that's as far as I got.


----------



## Fun Spirit

I started reading one of my favorite book series. Tiger's Curse. Back in 2011 when I first saw the book at my hometown's local Super Walmart book section I saw this beautiful book. I open it up to read the sleeve description: A 300 year old indian prince, a curse and a white tiger, especially the indian prince part I was sold. I viewed it as a historical romance book which is a genre I like. I have book 1, 2, 3 and 4. I need the last book and the bonus book. This book is adventurous and epic for me. Never a dull moment.

I take the book sleeve off when I read it. As much as I love the book sleeve a part of me like that solid hardcover look with just the book title.

* *




I have bad lighting in my room.


----------



## wmu'14

Wrapping up Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony.

It was great. I was already familiar with the case, but even hearing it again through the book, still gripping. Plus it cleared up a couple lingering questions I had, but unfortunately it hardly spent time on discussing why the jury came to the decision they did. A more in-depth analysis of that would've been really interesting.



WillYouStopDave said:


> I can't read books. I get stuck (often) on a single sentence and keep re-reading it and not comprehending it until I read it like 8 times. Then I can move on and maybe read 3-4 fine and get stuck on another one. Or just get stuck at a random spot on the page and not really be reading at all and just zoned out.
> 
> I never could read books very well. .


I can be like that with movies. I'm always rewinding. Sometimes it can take me 3-4 hours to watch a 2 hour movie.


----------



## Alleviate Suffering

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

About halfway through and loving it so far!


----------



## bad baby

Started to read _The Second Sex_, realized it's 1000+ pages long and probably more difficult than some of my textbooks. I'll aim to finish it in a year haha.

I was also intrigued by a couple of titles circulating in the PUA community:

_The Charisma Myth_ (Olivia Fox Cabane)
_The 48 Laws of Power_ (Robert Greene)

_48 Laws_ is extremely captivating as a collection of historical anecdotes, but - ethics aside - there's no hope of implementing many of the suggestions given in it, at least not at the level of the examples used to illustrate the points. It's like Bobby Fischer's chess manual for a beginner who can't even tell a knight from a queen.


----------



## scooby

I'm close to finishing '_The Trial'_ by* Franz Kafka*.

I've also finished these in the past month:

_'The Waves' - _*Virginia Woolf.* I found it hard at first, but ended up getting used to and really appreciating the style. 6 main characters with varying personalities. Constant POV switching. Sometimes just after a paragraph.

_'The Stranger/The Outsider'__ - _*Albert Camus.* Wasn't too big of a fan of this one. Maybe the main character bugged me too much, which of course isn't a sign of a bad book. He was just so insufferable though.

_'Metamorphosis' - _*Franz Kafka.*I think this one is my favourite out of the ones listed here. Felt such a connection with the main character.

_'The Gambler' - _*Fyodor Dostoevsky.* I found this book pretty hilarious. But also quite a bit of pity for one of the characters. Another book I really liked.

_'Dandelion Wine'__ - _*Ray Bradbury.* So much feeling of nostalgia in this. And I didn't even do most of these things. Just that kidlike wonder about the world, where Summer is full of magic and adventure.

_'Laughter in the Dark'__ -_* Vladimir Nabokov.* An amusing tale of love, lies and tragedy, involving quite horrible people. And again it's another book I loved. So far so good with Nabokov.

I love small books.


----------



## darlieq

IT (Stephen King)


----------



## SofaKing

Just finished.


----------



## 3stacks




----------



## Memories of Silence




----------



## Persephone The Dread

^ the last book I read that wasn't in ebook format or hosted online was probably that (A Game of Thrones) but I only read about 75% of the way through and then stopped for some reason and didn't continue (like with the TV series that I recently picked back up after five years hah but I started reading the book in 2011.)

Right now I'm reading Stone Butch Blues (well not literally but I started reading it over week ago):

https://lesliefeinberg.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Stone-Butch-Blues-by-Leslie-Feinberg.pdf

(I was reading it on archive.org though but their site is currently down. Got to about page 69 I think on that site.)


----------



## Suchness

Love this book, it's the kind I just want to keep reading.


----------



## Karsten




----------



## farfegnugen




----------



## 3stacks




----------



## Eleonora91

3stacks said:


>


I'm proud of you


----------



## 3stacks

Eleonora91 said:


> 3stacks said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm proud of you
Click to expand...

 bro I just realised if you look at the cover upside down it's another person


----------



## farfegnugen

3stacks said:


> bro I just realised if you look at the cover upside down it's another person


His _Haunted_ cover glows in the dark. It's kind of freaky if you don't realize it.


----------



## PandaBearx




----------



## 3stacks

farfegnugen said:


> His _Haunted_ cover glows in the dark. It's kind of freaky if you don't realize it.


Oh that's cool. Might have to get the physical copy of that one then.


----------



## IcedOver

_Jaws_ by Peter Benchley. I read this in 2001 and went to the movie in the theater. I'm tentatively planning on going again to the movie in the theater this week, so am re-reading this. This book has a weird subplot that is not in the movie in which Chief Brody's wife has an affair with Matt Hooper, the Dreyfuss character (who in the book is an attractive younger stud). The wife talks to Hooper about a fetish fantasy she has about being raped, and the book contains a multitude of graphic sexual-related descriptions throughout. I'm feeling like, "Is this _Jaws_?"


----------



## 3stacks

The shining by Stephen King. I'm about a hundred pages in and finding it a bit boring so far lol.


----------



## Maslow

Another Stephen King reader here. I'm reading Pet Sematary (actually, I'm listening to the audiobook). I was hoping to get through it before we get the video from Netflix, but I'm not even half-way through. The video is due to arrive tomorrow.


----------



## notandrewwinkwink

I’m reading a book about vaquita porpoises (Vaquita: Science, Politics And Crime In the Sea of Cortez). I’m very much into animals and wildlife conservation. It’s interesting and very captivating but definitely not lighthearted.


----------



## 3stacks

Also reading The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace Wells


----------



## 3stacks

Wolves of the Calla (dark tower #5) by ya boi Stephen King


----------



## PurplePeopleEater

Godzilla by Greg Cox


----------



## 3stacks

Song of Susannah (Dark tower 6) by Stephen King. They should turn this into a TV show the movie was crap


----------



## Suchness

3stacks said:


> Song of Susannah (Dark tower 6) by Stephen King. They should turn this into a TV show the movie was crap


That's what I was thinking when read Song of Susannah, you could literally film every scene from the book, it would be perfect for a show.


----------



## TheFighterStillRemains

Steve Krug's "Dont Make Me Think Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web and Mobile Usability"

Easy read. Would recommend.


----------



## 3stacks

Myosr said:


> 3stacks said:
> 
> 
> 
> Song of Susannah (Dark tower 6) by Stephen King. They should turn this into a TV show the movie was crap
> 
> 
> 
> Commala-come-come?
> 
> lol, I have mixed feelings about his dark tower series. (I like pretty much everything else he wrote), but sometimes it just seems like he was making it as he went along.
> 
> I still like it though, mostly because I like his characters in general and the way he describes things. (I remember really liking how he described "the rose" and its surroundings - don't remember which book).
> 
> I never watched the movie. They could never fit the whole thing in a movie.
> 
> I always liked the second book the most. I'm not sure why. It also has the random moments of later books. But I think it's because the characters were still new and the conflict was interesting, before they all became a team, a group? lol what was that weird word they used?
Click to expand...

 Ka tet? I agree that he seems to just randomly come up with stuff like putting himself in the books lol. Also the first books weren't very weird but now things have seemed to just be wacky. I think I read somewhere that he just writes as he goes along and doesn't really have a general outline for his book plots so maybe that's why.


----------



## 3stacks

Myosr said:


> 3stacks said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ka tet? I agree that he seems to just randomly come up with stuff like putting himself in the books lol.
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, that was pretty weird. I sometimes wonder if he actually believes in a multiverse like that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also the first books weren't very weird but now things have seemed to just be wacky. I think I read somewhere that he just writes as he goes along and doesn't really have a general outline for his book plots so maybe that's why.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Yeah, I think he said that in his "On Writing" book.
Click to expand...

 He might believe that. Either that or the dark tower is real. I just started the last one now. Will probably take me some time.


----------



## Euripides




----------



## PurplePeopleEater

The Bellmaker by Brian Jacques. Guessing this author is French. It's a good read.


----------



## firestar

I started listening to Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik this morning. I'm getting back into the Temeraire series. I'm finding it easier to listen to than read.


----------



## PurplePeopleEater

Blue Moon by Wendy Corsi Staub

I like a good mystery book every now and then.


----------



## PurplePeopleEater

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Wish they had the first book at the store. Didn't notice I got the second one until after I got home. But I'm still glad I bought it. Will try to read the first one one day if I can find it. I've been wanting to read these books for awhile.


----------



## blue2

My obituary :haha


----------



## Memories of Silence




----------



## sweetluvgurl

I would, but it's naughty. Jk


----------



## firestar

I started listening to Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik. The series is getting really interesting.


----------



## truant

My productivity is in the toilet this year, but my reading is going well. I'm up to 125 books. (A lot of them were short, and some of them I refuse to admit to reading.)

I finally read _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_ and loved it. It's been on my reading list for about 30 years now. Also reading _How Sex Changed_, about the history of transsexuality in the US, which is really interesting. Also reading _Boy Erased_. (I just watched the movie.)


----------



## Perkins

Catch & Kill by Ronan Farrow


----------



## CoolLilChickadee

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. I loved his Monkey Wrench Gang, so I have high hopes.


----------



## wmu'14

Re-reading A Song of Ice Fire. Reading it POV by POV.


----------



## Euripides




----------



## Barakiel

I got my hands on this book this summer after it's author gave me a new appreciation for philosophy and I've kept returning to it since. The essays do shed light on each other but all can be read on their own, which is nice for my ADHD tbh :um


----------



## scooby

Finally started reading again, even though it feels like a chore atm.


----------



## 8888

The American Yearbook A Record of Events and Progress 1913


----------



## Yer Blues




----------



## truant

Just finished the 4th volume of _Monstress_. ****ing love this series.


* *














Amen, Kippa.


----------



## Were

truant said:


> My productivity is in the toilet this year, but my reading is going well. I'm up to 125 books. (A lot of them were short, and some of them I refuse to admit to reading.)


That's impressive, are you a fast reader?


----------



## caelle

The girl who fell from the sky.

Which reminds me, I should really get back to reading it before library loan expires.


----------



## truant

Were said:


> That's impressive, are you a fast reader?


I'm actually a really slow reader. I have to sound out every word in my head like it's being spoken and I never skim. Everyone I know reads faster than I do. I just spend a lot more time reading than most people.

I'm a writer, so I sort of have to read a lot, both for research and to see what other writers are doing, but it's also my drug of choice. When I get anxious, I read. And I'm always anxious.

Up to 143 books now. Probably hit 150 by the end of the year.


----------



## firestar

I'm listening to Mistborn: Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson.


----------



## Paul




----------



## firestar

Started Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik this morning and promptly lost three hours. It has one of my favorite tropes in it:


* *




Amnesia. Once that plot point was introduced, I knew I couldn't put it down. I'm a sucker for a good amnesia story.


----------



## firestar

firestar said:


> Started Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik this morning and promptly lost three hours. It has one of my favorite tropes in it:
> 
> 
> * *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Amnesia. Once that plot point was introduced, I knew I couldn't put it down. I'm a sucker for a good amnesia story.


And I'm done. I'll start the last book (League of Dragons) today.

I'll be sad when I finish the series. It's so good.


----------



## Eternal Solitude

I started to delve into more esoteric topics as of late. I hate my life, my surroundings but most of all myself. Naturally, I often find my self wondering, no, rather wishing for there to be more to the human experience ....

I am halfway through these 2 books and I'd like to share my opinions:










A very interesting "real life" account of Alien abduction. What's most fascinating is that the author doesn't outright jump to conclusions as to what these creatures actually are. It appears that there is always a hidden truth behind each encounter. I would describe them as Russian dolls or rather beings within beings. These creatures appear to wear disguises behind disguises so nothing is truly known about their "true appearance" or "intentions".

This exposition is very different from the documentaries that you sometimes catch on TV where the so "called experts" have these beings all figured out and make wild conjectures as to what they actually are and what they intend to do.

Strieber takes a more "open" approach this phenomena. They may or may not be "space aliens"; they may or may not be "goblins"; they may or not be "physical"; etc...










One of the best expositions on paranormal encounters ( Marian apparitions, UFOs,angels, demons, fairies, ghosts, Big Foot, etc...). Some investigators take a purely materialistic/scientific approach to try to debunk or prove this strange phenomena. Other investigators go on wild tangents and develop down right "crackpot" that describe this phenomena and in turn these theories become dogma.

Harpur on the other hand takes a philosophical approach and links these encounters with Carl Jung's theories of the collective psyche.

I highly recommend this book.


----------



## firestar

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman.

I was just looking for something easy to listen to while I go on walks, but this is actually pretty addictive. It's right up my alley: light fantasy.


----------



## veron

"In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote. I'm a slow reader, so I expect to finish this by mid-year.


----------



## harrison

"Among the Gently Mad" - a book about book collectors and bibliophiles, plus another book about the Folger Library in Washington - they have the largest collection of Shakespeare First Folios in the world.


----------



## firestar

Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman. I'm listening to the audiobook.


----------



## truant

I've read _Mein Kampf_, _Diary of a Young Girl_, and _Night_ this year. Think I'm about done with the Holocaust for now. I started reading _The Annotated Uncle Tom's Cabin_, which is pretty interesting with all the background information and art and stuff.

Also, the Top Reader lists on Goodreads are completely broken. Which is a shame, because I want to see what kind of crazy lists the top readers have. (Top reader I've found in Canada has -- allegedly -- read over 32,000 books!)



Eternal Solitude said:


>


Not gonna lie, the Strieber books terrified me when I read them. I still sometimes have dreams about aliens and they top my list of worst nightmares. The horror is really indescribable. It _feels_ like being abducted. I wish I'd never read those books.

If you're into that stuff, _Supernatural_ by Graham Hancock is another interesting read. (He wrote _Fingerprints of the Gods_.)


----------



## firestar

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman.


----------



## harrison

The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the death of trust.


----------



## Eternal Solitude

truant said:


> Not gonna lie, the Strieber books terrified me when I read them.


I have not read with Strieber's other books that deal with Aliens, but he used to write horror stories. Some of them turned into movies.

I have watched the one with David Bowie as a vampire which was excellent (if only for the 80s gothic aesthetic and Bauhaus soundtrack) and the atrocious movie about "Native American Werewolves" roaming NYC.













> I still sometimes have dreams about aliens and they top my list of worst nightmares. The horror is really indescribable. It _feels_ like being abducted. I wish I'd never read those books.
> 
> If you're into that stuff, _Supernatural_ by Graham Hancock is another interesting read. (He wrote _Fingerprints of the Gods_.)


Are they Aliens though? I am more inclined to think that the abduction phenomenon is not about Extraterrestrials from other planets but more about inter dimensional beings which have more in common with Angels/Demons than with organic creatures from outer space.

Whatever they are is horrifying no matter what. But in a weird way it would make me happy, given my condition, in knowing that there is more to existence than this anthropocentric model that is dogmatically revered by both science and religion.

Human life is overrated.


----------



## harrison

The Library by Stuart Kells. 

A fellow Melburnian and a genuine book and library lover - it's a wonderful read. I'd really like to meet this guy one day - very impressive.


----------



## truant

Eternal Solitude said:


> I have not read with Strieber's other books that deal with Aliens, but he used to write horror stories. Some of them turned into movies.
> 
> I have watched the one with David Bowie as a vampire which was excellent (if only for the 80s gothic aesthetic and Bauhaus soundtrack) and the atrocious movie about "Native American Werewolves" roaming NYC.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are they Aliens though? I am more inclined to think that the abduction phenomenon is not about Extraterrestrials from other planets but more about inter dimensional beings which have more in common with Angels/Demons than with organic creatures from outer space.
> 
> Whatever they are is horrifying no matter what. But in a weird way it would make me happy, given my condition, in knowing that there is more to existence than this anthropocentric model that is dogmatically revered by both science and religion.
> 
> Human life is overrated.


I saw The Hunger like 25 years ago. Don't remember much about it. Wolfen looks awesome, though. :lol

Hancock makes a lot of interesting connections between aliens, fairies, and shamanism ('inorganic beings' from Castaneda's books?) in _Supernatural_. Frankly, I shouldn't read stuff like that. It creeps me out. Ordinary extraterrestrials would be easier to handle.


----------



## firestar

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold


----------



## exceptionalfool

Eternal Solitude said:


>


This book was very popular when I was a child. I remember the cover in book stores. It scared me haha. Interesting.


----------



## candy scissors

Trying to finish up This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It made me think how a lot of things that we associate with the 1920s actually started in the 1910s or earlier, that women who wore hobble skirts weren't necessarily prim Edwardians but already jazz-loving hard-drinking flappers, years before the skirts got shorter. Things just got accelerated by WWI. The Roaring Twenties barely started when the novel was published and yet women were already using parts of the book as a guide to being a flapper.


----------



## discopotato

Chasing the dime by Michael Connelly


----------



## oguzwst

Guns, Germs, and Steel


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Thinking to reread Earth Abides again given climate change...also, might spark me back into regular reading anyway


----------



## Suchness

fear24itself said:


> The Lost Realms by Zecharia Sitchin.


I read his book, The Lost Book of Enki and Mauro Biglinos, The Book That Will Forever Change Our Ideas of The Bible. I love that ****, I'm always watching Youtube videos on that kind of stuff.


----------



## bad baby

Had a sudden thought the other day that I wish I could read German. There are two books that I am super interested in but have not been translated into English.

The first is _The True Drama of the Gifted Child_ by Martin Miller, son of psychoanalyst Alice Miller who wrote extensively on the impact of childhood trauma on individuals in later life.

Apparently Alice Miller herself had a kind of a "hidden personality": as a psychologist she was able to help her patients overcome their trauma, but in her own family she perpetuated the abuse on her son, while blocking it out from her own consciousness so she was in complete denial of that part of herself. From what I've read Martin Miller's account is objective and fair with no vindictiveness, and he managed to overcome her influence and achieve professional success and raise a family himself, so his insights seem like they might be helpful. But I guess his book is less well-known/well-received because of how it might clash with or invalidate his mother's research.

The other one is _We Children of Bahnhof Zoo_, the autobiography of Christiane F., who as an adolescent fell in with a bunch of addicts in a squat near present-day Berlin Zoo Station and managed to survive that ordeal. I found out about this book from an interview with the mysterious Swedish singer Stina Nordenstam, who always said that she feels completely different from everyone else and not part of society at all. She mentioned Christiane F. as the only person that she has ever resonated with, the sense of loneliness in CF's childhood that made her turn to drugs, etc. Reminds me a little bit of (Velvet Underground) Nico's story, too.

(Ok as I was making this post I found an English autobiography of Christiane F. under the title _Zoo Station_. Not sure if it's a translation of the original but I will give it a read.)


----------



## JH1983

Third book in the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## firestar

Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold.


----------



## Suchness

.


----------



## wmu'14

A comic book version of The Iliad.
Almost done with it. It's okay. A lot of the panels are drawn the same way, which makes it dull. I like the scenes where the gods are involved the best because they add a little 'spirit' to it. 

Was planning on picking up the sequel The Oddessy after, but that ain't happening with the library closed, so gonna have to buy something when I'm at the store next.


----------



## firestar

House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds.


----------



## The Linux Guy

I don't read much.

I'm reading the Nvidia Manual for Linux.

I'm audiobook listening too The Well at the World's End.


----------



## JH1983

I'll be finishing the sixth Mistborn book tomorrow. I went ahead and bought the first book in the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher to start next. I've read and enjoyed a lot of the Dresden Files books by the same author, so I figure these will be good too. I'm going through audiobooks pretty fast at my new job since I'm listening to them about ten hours a day. I guess at some point I'll throw in some educational books as well.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## losthorizon

I finished Agnes Grey a few days ago. Not Anne's best effort but of the Bronte sisters I gravitate the most towards her novels. Her other book, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, is a much more compelling read. The protagonist, Helen, flees with her child from her alcoholic, abusive and philandering husband during a time when wives were considered properties of their husbands. My biggest criticism of her books is that her heroines tend to be on the sanctimonious side always referencing God and virtue and such. Anne was no idle and indifferent observer of Victorian society.


----------



## firestar

Listening to the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik for the second time while waiting for Terry Pratchett books to become available via the online library.


----------



## TryingMara

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver


----------



## CoolLilChickadee

TryingMara said:


> Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver


I just finished my second time through this one a few weeks ago. It's outstanding. When you say Barbara Kingsolver, everyone will talk about The Poisonwood Bible. Not me. Give me Prodigal Summer anytime.

I'm reading Jane Eyre.


----------



## Karsten

Basic Science for Aerospace Vehicles. 

I've had this book since I was a kid. Figured I'd read it.


----------



## either/or

Rule of the Bone by Russel Banks


----------



## truant

Why is it so many of the books I'm most interested in reading are impossible to get? Like Emma Wilson's _Sexuality and the Reading Encounter: Identity and Desire in Proust, Duras, Tournier, and Cixous_ and Medard Boss's _The Meaning and Content of Sexual Perversions: A Daseinsanalytic Approach to the Psychopathology of the Phenomenon of Love_? I can't get books like these from the library; they're either hundreds of dollars to purchase, or so obscure there aren't even any for sale; and there aren't any pdf versions anywhere for download. It's just a constant tease.

Anyway, among other things, I'm reading Benedict's _Patterns of Culture_, finishing up Stoller's _Sex and Gender_ (finally, after a long hiatus), and rereading Erikson's _Identity and the Life Cycle_ and Frankl's _Will to Meaning_. Bogged down in the annotated _Uncle Tom's Cabin_. Too many notes. My eyes, as my dad likes to remind me, are too big for my tummy.


----------



## CoolLilChickadee

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern


I read her newer book, The Starless Sea, a few months ago and I had really mixed feelings about it. The writing and atmosphere were beautiful, but the plot was sort of meandering and pointless. I'm liking this one better so far.


----------



## Barakiel

truant said:


> Why is it so many of the books I'm most interested in reading are impossible to get? Like Emma Wilson's _Sexuality and the Reading Encounter: Identity and Desire in Proust, Duras, Tournier, and Cixous_ and Medard Boss's _The Meaning and Content of Sexual Perversions: A Daseinsanalytic Approach to the Psychopathology of the Phenomenon of Love_? I can't get books like these from the library; they're either hundreds of dollars to purchase, or so obscure there aren't even any for sale; and there aren't any pdf versions anywhere for download. It's just a constant tease.


I have this same problem, and it hurts to think of all the important insights in these books being confined within the walls of academia. 



> Frankl's _Will to Meaning_.


What do you think about it so far?


----------



## truant

Barakiel said:


> I have this same problem, and it hurts to think of all the important insights in these books being confined within the walls of academia.


Academics gotta eat, I guess. I just wish I knew an academic who could get their hands on the good stuff for me. I think I can get a library card at the university here, but it's a million miles away and I can't afford bus fare. And they'd probably have to special order the books, too. Months of waiting, short reading time frames. Such a hassle. I just want to be rich so I can buy the damn things.



> What do you think about it so far?


I just started, and tbh it's been a long time since I read Frankl. I don't remember the details. Or much about existential therapy. But the basics, like the importance of meaning and an appreciation for our subjective freedom, have become important parts of my own thinking. A lot of the problems we have these days are existential crises. A lot of people don't have any clear reason to live or anything worth striving for. They don't know how to use their freedom. And "Where there is no vision, the people perish."


----------



## firestar

Finished listening to Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett and moving on to Going Postal. 

I haven't read Terry Pratchett in years and years, which is a shame. He's so funny.


----------



## JH1983

Fifth book in the Codex Alera series, should finish it later.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Whatthe?

The Rumour by Lesley Kara, half way through, it's enjoyable and an easy read. I think I've figured it out but I hope I'm wrong.

_When single mum Joanna hears a rumour at the school gates, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another and now there's no going back . . .
Rumour has it that a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in their sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea.

Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death forty-eight years ago - no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman.

So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives among them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Joanna go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she's unleashed?_


----------



## Suchness

Amazing book.


----------



## harrison




----------



## cafune

Haruki Murakami's _hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world_.

i do really enjoy post-modern* literature but i've been reading this for uncharacteristically long and i'm feeling not good about that, sigh.


----------



## cafune

Vladimir Nabokov's _lolita_.


----------



## D'avjo

Man's search for meaning - Viktor Frankel


----------



## JH1983

Finished the last Codex Alera book and started The Riftwar Saga series by Raymond E. Feist.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## SamanthaStrange




----------



## truant

Just finished Kohler's _Gestalt Psychology_. An interesting and lucid analysis of the problems of Introspectionism and Behavioralism. What's that? Ancient history? A bit dated? Well, true enough. But a really insightful examination of the relationship between sensation and perception all the same. Gave me much to think about. Only for psych nerds.

I've also been reading Raymond's _The Transsexual Empire_. I have so many words about that, but I won't put them all down here. Except that it's painful watching cis people struggle with trans identities. Perhaps flounder is a better word, in this case. But then, she wrote it during the pre-Colonial period of trans Imperialism, so her ignorance is understandable. Nobody knew what the hell trans people were doing back then. I haven't read Jeffreys's _Gender Hurts_, but I'm hoping it's going to be the New Testament to Raymond's Old Testament diatribes.

Also been trying to read some Maslow. I have _Motivation and Personality_, his first book, in PDF, but reading on my computer is such a headache. I own _The Farther Reaches of Human Nature_ in hardcopy, so I've been reading that, but it's his last book, and I do so like reading people in order. Too many spoilers.

In fun reads, I just finished _Reliquary_, by Preston & Child. Mutant monster/animal/human thrillers are my weakness. Still haven't finished _Uncle Tom's Cabin_. Day 187...


----------



## mt moyt

just reread Harry Potter books 2 through 6, and im on 7 now. (i watched the first one) i feel that sense of emptiness whenever a series is ending again. which is weird because ive already reread the books dozens of times which helped before, maybe because its been a while.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## cafune

jane austen's _sense and sensibility_.

austen's the reason i visited bath/i respect her. her language is a bit flowery for 400+ pages but i'll manage. the content couldn't be less palatable than _lolita_ so.


----------



## cafune

virginia woolf's _the waves_.

but i havta say, austen's _sense and sensibility_ was positively delightful. the raw emotion she is capable of conveying still affects my heart. anyway, i submit that three words need to make their way back into conversational english: monstrous (as a qualifier of beautiful, glad, sad and all other adjectives under the sun); droll (michael said the most droll thing at brunch); and coxcomb (which is 'a conceited, foolish dandy; pretentious fop' according to dictionary.com). i still feel warm and fuzzy like i've a blanket wrapped around my heart.


----------



## cafune

franz kafka's _diaries, 1910-1923_-i wonder if he wrote with the intention of it being literature; i hope not.

virginia's _the waves_ is a lot. it broke and remade me in its image. i don't know when my form will recover and resemble me again. if austen is 'warm and fuzzy like i've a blanket wrapped around my heart', virginia is anxious sweat from a blanket that squeezes my heart so tight i paw at my chest.

usually i dogear pages that cause vibrations in me, around me, above me, beneath me but with this, i have underlined in black ink over 500 lines and written notes in margins and scrawled general thoughts at the bottom of pages, phew.


----------



## Dodlet

It's been too long since I've read anything, so I thought I'd rectify that. I've just begun reading _House of Leaves_, and suffice to say it promises to be interesting. I'm not even sure if it's meant to be read from front to back. I don't know if the footnotes saying "see page _" are there to prompt you to jump around between various sections, or if they're just there for immersion. I'll have to look it up before I get in too far I guess. I'm expecting it to get pretty bizarre, and I want nothing less than that.


----------



## JH1983

The King's Buccaneers by Raymond Feist.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## D'avjo

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius


----------



## truant

Main ones right now are: _Bodies that Matter_, Judith Butler. _The Transsexual Experiment_, Robert Stoller. _On Becoming a Person_, Carl Rogers. _The Bell Jar_, Sylvia Plath. And _The French Lieutenant's Woman_, by John Fowles.


----------



## losthorizon

I finished The Woman in Black and also Rebecca recently. I enjoyed both. I decided I should break away from British literature and try something different so I started reading Child of God by Cormac McCarthy. I didn't like it. I've never liked books set in America so I'm not sure why I thought I'd enjoy one set in rural Tennessee of all places.


----------



## Raies

Explorations in personality by Henry Murray 

Wanted to read something by Dan Mcadams (The person, more precisely), but this was available online through uni and thought it would be a good read before his work.


----------



## cafune

milan kundera's _immortality_.

nicholas lezard i hope did not oversell this: 'It will make you cleverer, maybe even a better lover. Not many novels can do that.' thoughts to follow x)


----------



## firelight

Ryunosuke Akutagawa's short stories. The Oxford history of the American people.


----------



## rabidfoxes

1) The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge by Jeremy Narby
2) Wilfred Owen (poems selected by Jon Stallworthy)
3) Empire Antarctica: Ice, Silence & Emperor Penguins by Gavin Francis
4) Black Water: The Anthology of Fantastic Literature by Alberto Manguel 

Tonight it's Black Water, which is wonderful. Manguel's commentary is as good (sometimes better) as the stories themselves. It also makes me less uptight about writing which is definitely something I need. That and magic.


----------



## Arbre

I read a collection of Chekhov short stories.


----------



## 10k

A bunch of articles about image recognition


----------



## either/or

I am reading this. Apparently its young adult fiction which I did not realize when I ordered it. Its like 500 pages, normally YA fiction isn't that long, and the story is kind of dark so thought it was literary fiction. I've made this mistake with other books in the past as well, need to stop doing that. But still seems like an interesting novel so I'll read it anyway and just pretend I'm only 16.


----------



## alwaysrunning

A Woman In Your Own Right by Anne Dickson. Then at the bottom it has written "Assertiveness And You"

I struggle in relationships with telling the person I am with what I want and need. The relationship before this last one I was in, I went to an assertiveness class and it was so painful, the fact that I could not ask the person I was in a relationship with for help with something I just couldn't stop crying in front of a room full of strangers and had to leave. I just finished another relationship and I really struggled just saying what I wanted to watch. We were together off and on since August 2019 and in that time I chose what we watched 3 times lol. When I choose, I am tense , cannot concentrate; it's like holding my breath. Thinking they must be so bored and what am I gonna say about what we are watching.


----------



## truant

Let's see ... reading Butler's _Undoing Gender_. So far, this is a much easier go than _Gender Trouble_ or _Bodies that Matter_. But I have to read it on my computer. What a drag. I started reading _Gods of the Upper Air_. Pretty interesting so far. I read books by Mead, Benedict, and Hurston this year, so it seemed like a natural progression. I'm about halfway through _The French Lieutenant's Woman_. What a delightful book! Though now I want to read more Hardy and Lawrence. And who has the time for all that? Had to hit pause on a bunch of other stuff. Too busy editing these days. I shouldn't even be here, but I hate being trapped inside my own head all the time.



rabidfoxes said:


> 1) The Cosmic Serpent: DNA and the Origins of Knowledge by Jeremy Narby


I own this. Can see it on my bookshelf from here. Don't remember much about it, though. Something about hallucinogenics and DNA and shamanism.



Arbre said:


> I read a collection of Chekhov short stories


I love Chekhov.



either/or said:


> Apparently its young adult fiction ... still seems like an interesting novel so I'll read it anyway and just pretend I'm only 16.


I still read YA. And comic books. And children's books. But then, I'm developmentally arrested. I probably am only like 18 or something psychologically.


----------



## smalldarkcloud

I'm reading _*The Lonely City*_ by Olivia Laing. It's a moving series of essays on loneliness as it specifically applied to several artists that worked in large American cities (Warhol, Hopper, Darger, Wojnarowicz, Klaus Nomi). Her narrative follows the pattern of a meandering walk around New York City as she recounts several years of her life there. Besides being an excellent book, I think it's relevant to a forum like this one.


----------



## rabidfoxes

truant said:


> I own this. Can see it on my bookshelf from here. Don't remember much about it, though. Something about hallucinogenics and DNA and shamanism.


I've picked it up from a friend who was getting rid of some books. It's written by an anthropologist who went to study ashaninca tribes and ended up veering away from his original research subject. He claims that when shamans say that they get medicinal knowledge from drinking ayahuasca, it's literally true - and that they access the information directly from their DNA. Which sounds mad, but very intriguing. I'm in the early stages of the book, so he is yet to reconcile science and shamanism, but it's heavily referenced and I'm keeping an open mind.

Lawrence > Hardy, I think. But then maybe I just read Hardy too early in my life to appreciate him. Both of them sound like they'd benefit from being tied to a chair : D


----------



## Arbre

@*truant* After reading that short story collection I think he could become one of my favourite authors, so I want to read more of his work soon. I actually had a book of his on my shelf for a while but I never started it. Then when one of my favourite directors said Chekhov was an influence on him I had to read him right away.


----------



## either/or

truant said:


> I still read YA. And comic books. And children's books. But then, I'm developmentally arrested. I probably am only like 18 or something psychologically.


In that case may I suggest the below. This is also a YA novel I bought thinking it was more serious fiction (it does deal with a serious issue, mental illness). It was pretty good actually, a few good plot twists and interesting character development. You might enjoy it.


----------



## harrison

Well I'm still trying to get through Confessions of a Bangkok Private Eye. It's a very deep and insightful read.


----------



## truant

rabidfoxes said:


> I've picked it up from a friend who was getting rid of some books. It's written by an anthropologist who went to study ashaninca tribes and ended up veering away from his original research subject. He claims that when shamans say that they get medicinal knowledge from drinking ayahuasca, it's literally true - and that they access the information directly from their DNA. Which sounds mad, but very intriguing. I'm in the early stages of the book, so he is yet to reconcile science and shamanism, but it's heavily referenced and I'm keeping an open mind.
> 
> Lawrence > Hardy, I think. But then maybe I just read Hardy too early in my life to appreciate him. Both of them sound like they'd benefit from being tied to a chair : D


Yeah, I recall it being pretty out there. But interesting.

And haha. I read one of Hardy's books in high school (_Jude the Obscure_) and barely remember it now, though I wrote an essay on it. I read _Lady Chatterley's Lover_ recently and it rubbed me all kinds of wrong ways. But it was interesting, too.

I think my interest is more academic, since I'm interested in changing mores, etc. I honestly don't read that much fiction, so I feel pretty illiterate and feel like that's just a huge gap in my education. I read probably 3-4 nonfiction books for every fiction book I read.



Arbre said:


> @*truant* After reading that short story collection I think he could become one of my favourite authors, so I want to read more of his work soon. I actually had a book of his on my shelf for a while but I never started it. Then when one of my favourite directors said Chekhov was an influence on him I had to read him right away.


I have literally hundreds of books on my shelf that I still haven't read. I've read a few this year that I've had in my collection for literally over 20 years. I buy stuff when I find it cheap even if I have no immediate interest in reading it just because I know there's a good chance I'll want to read it someday. I have so many old, beat-up paperbacks I got for like $1 in bargain bins. Pretty sure the two Chekhov collections I have I bought like that, lol.



either/or said:


> In that case may I suggest the below. This is also a YA novel I bought thinking it was more serious fiction (it does deal with a serious issue, mental illness). It was pretty good actually, a few good plot twists and interesting character development. You might enjoy it.


Thanks for the recommendation. 

I really liked _Wintergirls_, by Laurie Halse Anderson. Not that I'm recommending it, because it's YA, and I don't want to trick you into reading another one of those books, but your recommendation reminded me of that.


----------



## Arbre

@truant I have quite the backlog too even though I'm always reading. And I still have hundreds more books I want to get.


----------



## either/or

Just started this...it's like 1,200 pages so will keep me busy for awhile.


----------



## Arbre

either/or said:


> Just started this...it's like 1,200 pages so will keep me busy for while.


I've had this book on my shelf for years and still haven't read it. I even made a post about it in this thread a long time ago. But I learned that Murakami was an influence on my favourite director so I plan to start reading a lot of his work soon. I'm starting with his earlier works before 1Q84 though.


----------



## either/or

either/or said:


> Just started this...it's like 1,200 pages so *will keep me busy for awhile.*


Ha! Famous last words. Already on page 300.

And yes I just quoted myself, I'm a damn grown *** man, I can quote myself to myself all day long if I want.



Arbre said:


> I've had this book on my shelf for years and still haven't read it. I even made a post about it in this thread a long time ago. But I learned that Murakami was an influence on my favourite director so I plan to start reading a lot of his work soon. I'm starting with his earlier works before 1Q84 though.


Thus far I am pleased with it. A lot of translations are garbage, they don't capture the essence of the original well, but I feel like this one does. I haven't encountered any of the translation awkwardness yet. I am really liking the Tengo & Fuka-Eri story line right now. But even at page 300 the book is still focusing mostly on character background and development etc. not quite into the main premise and events and everything intertwining yet.


----------



## truant

Holden Caulfield is a phony, and _The Catcher in the Rye_ is a lousy, crummy book, I'm not kidding. I finally got my hands on _The Secret History of Wonder Woman_, but I haven't started it yet. I already know I'm going to like it, though. I started reading _Mind-Society_, by Paul Thagard. I read his previous book, _Brain-Mind_, and thought it was intriguing. It seems relevant to my current project.


----------



## Persephone The Dread

truant said:


> *Holden Caulfield is a phony, and The Catcher in the Rye is a lousy, crummy book, I'm not kidding.* I finally got my hands on _The Secret History of Wonder Woman_, but I haven't started it yet. I already know I'm going to like it, though. I started reading _Mind-Society_, by Paul Thagard. I read his previous book, _Brain-Mind_, and thought it was intriguing. It seems relevant to my current project.


I kept meaning to read that. I started once when I was at university because they had it in the library but I couldn't really be bothered to continue reading it. I tend to like characters that are polarising because they're misanthropic etc so I probably would have liked him lol.


----------



## Arbre

either/or said:


> Thus far I am pleased with it. A lot of translations are garbage, they don't capture the essence of the original well, but I feel like this one does. I haven't encountered any of the translation awkwardness yet. I am really liking the Tengo & Fuka-Eri story line right now. But even at page 300 the book is still focusing mostly on character background and development etc. not quite into the main premise and events and everything intertwining yet.


 Is it your first time reading Murakami? Before I knew his books were an inspiration for some of my favourite movies I read _Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage_, which is one of his newer works. It sounded interesting but when I read it I didn't like it that much. I'm still looking forward to reading more of his work though.

@truant @Persephone The Dread I remember reading The Catcher in the Rye about 10 years ago and thinking it was a decent book.


----------



## truant

@Persephone The Dread @Arbre

He certainly does seem to be a polarizing character. I don't like him at all. But I'm only halfway through the book. There's still time for him to turn it around. I also didn't like _The Perks of Being a Wallflower_, which I think a lot of people who like tCitR also liked.

I love Alex from _A Clockwork Orange_ (more so the move version) so I'm not sure what that says about my preferences, lol.


----------



## Persephone The Dread

Arbre said:


> Is it your first time reading Murakami? Before I knew his books were an inspiration for some of my favourite movies I read _Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage_, which is one of his newer works. It sounded interesting but when I read it I didn't like it that much. I'm still looking forward to reading more of his work though.
> 
> @truant @Persephone The Dread I remember reading The Catcher in the Rye about 10 years ago and thinking it was a decent book.





truant said:


> @Persephone The Dread @Arbre
> 
> He certainly does seem to be a polarizing character. I don't like him at all. But I'm only halfway through the book. There's still time for him to turn it around. I also didn't like _The Perks of Being a Wallflower_, which I think a lot of people who like tCitR also liked.
> 
> I love Alex from _A Clockwork Orange_ (more so the move version) so I'm not sure what that says about my preferences, lol.


Hah yeah The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of my favourite books :') but I don't read much. I didn't get very far into The Catcher in the Rye at all I pretty much just started reading it during some break I had in between lectures once, and then didn't continue it later.

Also I started reading Norwegian Wood by Murakami a few years ago I have the ebook on kindle and only got about 50% of the way through. I do this a lot if I try to read anything.


----------



## either/or

truant said:


> Holden Caulfield is a phony, and _The Catcher in the Rye_ is a lousy, crummy book, I'm not kidding.


Ha, I always wanted to write a paper either in HS or college on Catcher or Salinger so I could use all the linguistic habits of Holden sprinkled through out for effect. Unfortunately I never got the opportunity.



Persephone The Dread said:


> I kept meaning to read that. I started once when I was at university because they had it in the library but I couldn't really be bothered to continue reading it. I tend to like characters that are polarising because they're misanthropic etc so I probably would have liked him lol.


Holden Caulfield is polarizing but in a very 1950's sense. It's very tame by today's standards but still have to love how he basically doesn't really fit in anywhere and rejects society as much as it rejects him. I like the underlying themes, you just have to get past the gee swell 50s lingo.



Arbre said:


> Is it your first time reading Murakami? Before I knew his books were an inspiration for some of my favourite movies I read _Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage_, which is one of his newer works. It sounded interesting but when I read it I didn't like it that much. I'm still looking forward to reading more of his work though.
> 
> @*truant* @*Persephone The Dread* I remember reading The Catcher in the Rye about 10 years ago and thinking it was a decent book.


Yes, it is. I'll probably pick up another one of his at some point.

Catcher is one of my favorite books just because its a quick easy read, its quirky, is about someone at war with the world (in his own way) and Holden does the type of things you wish you could do but never would because of the consequences (i.e. just living for the moment like when he quits school), its escapist in that sense.

Too bad Salinger was a total freak though, he had a weird thing for tween girls even into his old age. Don't think he ever wrote anything decent after Catcher either.


----------



## Orb

'This Is London' by Ben Judah. Owned it since it came out, but only now gotten to reading it. It's about the author meeting and spending time with various people and entire communities who arrived there from around Europe, living on the streets and subways of London. 25 pages in, it's fascinating. I find myself shifting from feeling sorry for the people he meets, but also annoyed at them and the organized gangs for bringing it to the city (and maybe other cities in Europe).


----------



## NoLife93

Every man dies alone by Hans Fallada.


----------



## CoolLilChickadee

I'm working my way through Lonesome Dove again. (My all time favorite.) And I'm about halfway through The Silent Patient.


----------



## leaf in the wind

Common Ground by Justin Trudeau. Published 2014.

Autobiography written after he became leader of his party, but before the election that saw him become prime minister.

He really does seem like a good, compassionate human being who tries to do right by his country. And he's lived as a normal person too - he held jobs as a high school teacher, snowboarding instructor, bouncer and bartender. He's not just a career politician with no idea of the struggles of the working class. 

He wrote that when you do something wrong, the best way to address it is to look people in the eyes and be straightforward with the truth... and now that he's embroiled in yet another scandal, I'm waiting to see if he now still believes that.


----------



## JH1983

Wrath of a Mad God by Raymond Feist.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## leaf in the wind

leaf in the wind said:


> Common Ground by Justin Trudeau. Published 2014.
> 
> Autobiography written after he became leader of his party, but before the election that saw him become prime minister.
> 
> He really does seem like a good, compassionate human being who tries to do right by his country. And he's lived as a normal person too - he held jobs as a high school teacher, snowboarding instructor, bouncer and bartender. He's not just a career politician with no idea of the struggles of the working class.
> 
> He wrote that when you do something wrong, the best way to address it is to look people in the eyes and be straightforward with the truth... and now that he's embroiled in yet another scandal, I'm waiting to see if he now still believes that.


Okay. Finished the book this afternoon. Main takeaways is to focus on common goals from the start, because if you emphasize divisions to galvanize support, it's going to be nearly impossible to pull back together later on to take things on as a country. Those on the opposition are our _neighbours_, not the enemy.

And what you personally believe should not always translate to how you conduct yourself. Personal beliefs, public duty. They are different.

Also a good jogging of the memory of politics in the 2008 to 2014 era. I totally forgot Michael Ignatieff was the Liberal leader for a time...

Still - what he said about how to act when you do something wrong. I hope he still has the same integrity now.


----------



## Euripides

The Idiot - Dostojewski
Love Is a Dog From Hell - Bukowski
I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream (60s collection) - Harman Ellison 
SCP Lore
Letters


----------



## Vladimere

Not reading anything now but the next one is
The Emerald Tablets of Thoth
-Thoth


----------



## truant

Up to 70 books this year. Finally finished Butler. (Thank God. I hate reading on my computer.) I finished the second book in Thagard's cognitive science treatise, _Mind-Society_, and just picked up the third, _Natural Philosophy_. So far, it complements my own thinking nicely.

Read _Diary of a Wimpy Kid_, by Jeff Kinney, which might have been better named _Diary of Sociopathic Kid_, since the kid is apparently lacking any trace of empathy. Even Holden Caulfield was more likeable, lol. _Danny, the Champion of the World_, by Dahl, was much better (also just finished). A wonderful story. I'm sort of on a children's book kick at the moment, so I picked up _Charlotte's Web_ today, too. Which I haven't read since I was about 7.

Also most of the way through _Masters of Doom_ (as in the game), a book I picked up years ago when I was still heavily into gaming and never got around to reading. Not bad, but not nearly as exciting as fragging demons.


----------



## harrison

Funnily enough I came across something mentioning Benedict Anderson the other day - so I might try and read a bit of the only book I have of his here - Language and Power: Exploring Political Cultures in Indonesia. 

Maybe I can go back and study a bit of that back at Uni when all this horrible business is over.


----------



## leaf in the wind

Just started Tough Guy by Bob Probert.

Definitely not Ken Dryden level of writing, but it is interesting.


----------



## kesker

The Hobbs books were suggested by @megatheriidae and I love them. Starting the second trilogy now. Hobbs is quite a character creator/developer.


----------



## firelight

Plato's Timaeus. It's exceedingly odd in a lot of ways, but to see one of humanity's great minds spin a yarn about the creation of the universe is something I feel grateful to experience. It's also comforting to step out of the chaos of this current life and to share someone's else's dream where everything is created with harmony, order and benevolence.


----------



## leaf in the wind

leaf in the wind said:


> Just started Tough Guy by Bob Probert.
> 
> Definitely not Ken Dryden level of writing, but it is interesting.


Just finished. I knew nothing about this guy as a professional hockey player or person, but now I think he's a massive douchecanoe. But he's revered in Detroit and Windsor.

There seems to always be two sides to great figures or those of top talent. They are the 0.01% of human ability and achievement, but then the multiple DUIs, cheating on his wife, throwing kitchen knives down at her in a fight... yeesh. And he barely seems regretful about any of it. It doesn't seem like he had a traumatic past that got him into alcoholism or drugs either - He just liked getting high and was addicted to living in the fast lane. I know you don't need trauma to get addicted, but he had a good relationship with his parents and brother, with his wife and in-laws, a successful career, money. So why...?

RIP.


----------



## Euripides




----------



## CoolLilChickadee

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo


Won the Booker prize last year. It's a different sort of style than I've ever encountered, but I'm enjoying it so far.


----------



## harrison

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth - I heard some people talking about it again on the BBC, I think they're making it into a mini-series in India or something.

Also when I was looking for it I came across The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larson. I enjoy his books, very easy reading when you find it hard to concentrate - which is often the case with me nowadays.


----------



## truant

I finished _Natural Philosophy_, by Paul Thagard, his argument for "multi-level materialism". I like the way he ties together neurology, psychology, sociology, and philosophy, but I don't think he's actually solved all of the philosophical problems he thinks he has. Explaining how a human brain represents meaning, and listing some of the things that humans need and therefore value, is not the same as solving the problem of meaning; it's just a description of meaning. We sort of agree about free will (or the absence of it) and have similar perspectives on justice, but I disagree with him in a lot of other ways (esp. wrt the body/mind problem). The framework is useful, and an advance for materialism, but his conclusions are superficial.

Also started _You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation_, by Deborah Tannen, which is an older book (1990) but interesting. It supports my thinking wrt the genders being different subcultures, but it seems like she's done the essentialist thing and equated status with male and connection with female instead of seeing that concern with status is merely culturally masculine and concern with connection merely culturally feminine, heavily influenced by socialization ofc, but not determined by biology. But maybe she'll clarify.


----------



## leaf in the wind

Just started another hockey biography - Killer by Doug Gilmore. 

I'm expecting something more wholesome than Bob Probert's.


----------



## CoolLilChickadee

Before Familiar Woods by Ian Pisarcik. I'm enjoying it a lot. I really like his style. It's minimalist with just the right amount of uneasiness right below the surface to keep you wondering if something creepy is happening or if it's in your imagination. He walks that line beautifully.


----------



## CoolLilChickadee

All Adults Here by Emma Straub


----------



## CoolLilChickadee

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora


----------



## JH1983

Started The Black Company series this week.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Paul

Not a horror novel, despite the cover.


----------



## either/or

So I finished 1Q84 after a brief intermission to read something else and these are my impressions:

1) Books 1 and 2 are way better than book 3. Book 3 was kind of a let down. The end of book 3 at least. 
2) It's way too long. ~1,100 pages just isn't necessary it could have been written in like half that
3) Some of the weird things that happened, like Tengo's father's spirit or ghost or whatever that was going around and knocking on people's doors, seem to happen for no reason and are never explained. He visited the homes of 3 of the main characters in the book, a significant amount of time was spent describing the encounters, but its never explained how or why he did it.
4) There are way too many cliff hangers and the end of book 3 and Haruki Murakami didn't write a book 4 so there's no real resolution to some of the things that happened at the end of book 3 and you're left wondering what happened to certain characters, i.e. Fuka-Eri.

But overall it was a good read, books 1 and 2 made up for book 3 I think. And I do like his style, the fact that almost every character is marked by their strong sense of individualism, loneliness, failure to truly integrate into society and their distance from it.

So anyway, just started this one. So far the author's writing style is kind of bland and predictable. It's sort of standard fare I guess, thats how I would describe the style. But I think I like how the main character (can't remember his name right now) is kind of an outcast who is hiding away from society. We'll see how it develops.


----------



## Deezie

The art of happiness by dalai lama


----------



## losthorizon

Currently binging on Agatha Christie.


----------



## leaf in the wind

leaf in the wind said:


> Just started another hockey biography - Killer by Doug Gilmore.
> 
> I'm expecting something more wholesome than Bob Probert's.


Finally finished.

He lived a pretty charmed life, and seemed to have good relationships with everyone - parents, siblings, lovers, kids, teammates. Didn't struggle with addictions or mental issues. Overall it was indeed a pretty wholesome path.

Never realized the Canucks offered a young Markus Naslund for him as he was aging. Thank goodness that didn't happen.


----------



## CopadoMexicano

The Hacking Of The American Mind: The Science Behind The Corporate Takeover Of Our Bodies And Brain. -"Robert H. Lustig


----------



## koko3905

Atomic Habits by James Clear

About building good habits which sounds hella boring buts its oddly very motivational + interesting


----------



## either/or

Argh Salem Falls sucks. Not sure if I should chalk it up to a loss and bail or try to finish it. Hate having to make this type of decision.


----------



## fire mage64

:O :O :O :O :O

The first few chapters are so shocking - how can you not look after a child? Three year olds are not adults who can take care of themselves! And that's only the beginning of this roller coaster.


----------



## CoolLilChickadee

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones


----------



## truant

_Sexing the Body_, by Anne Fausto-Sterling. This 2020 reissue is just a mess.


* *





So I'll just turn to page ... oh.










Well, maybe I'll just look it up in the ... oh.










There it is.










At least they spelled Amazon right. :/




Also reading Peter Pan. I read a version adapted for kids when I was a kid but never the director's cut. Man is it weird. It's like a children's book written for adults. Or a book for adults who never grew up.


----------



## rabidfoxes

truant said:


> Also reading Peter Pan. I read a version adapted for kids when I was a kid but never the director's cut. Man is it weird. It's like a children's book written for adults. Or a book for adults who never grew up.


I was just talking about this to someone the other day. Peter Pan is seriously weird, and not even in the 'LeTs GeT wEiRd, KiDz!' sort of way. I read it as a kid/teenager and was seriously unsettled by it from the very beginning where the children have a dog for a nanny. The way the dog was both anthropomorphized and not at the same time. Damn.


----------



## truant

rabidfoxes said:


> I was just talking about this to someone the other day. Peter Pan is seriously weird, and not even in the 'LeTs GeT wEiRd, KiDz!' sort of way. I read it as a kid/teenager and was seriously unsettled by it from the very beginning where the children have a dog for a nanny. The way the dog was both anthropomorphized and not at the same time. Damn.


Ikr,


* *





or the scene where Tinkerbell tries to have Wendy assassinated. So many anonymous characters die in this book I was tempted to keep a body count.




Partly it's the language. So many big words (for kids) and complex grammar that I wouldn't expect to see in a children's book now. Even some of the ideas seem fairly complex. I feel like younger children would really struggle with it, though it would be fine for kids say 10 and up. But I guess that way of speaking was a lot more normal in England at the turn of the last century.

I'm so used to everything youth-related being sanitized and simplified that the culture shock is really striking me.


----------



## 8888

Life of Pi by Yann Martel


----------



## leaf in the wind

Everything's F.ucked by Mark Manson.

So I started reading this book as self-help for myself, but it's actually helping me understand my boyfriend more.

Author starts off by talking about a real-life case study (that became pivotal in psychology) where a once successful guy ended up losing his job, marriage, kids, house, and became destitute... but remained indifferent to all his misfortunes. He understood _intellectually_ that he made bad decisions that produced bad outcomes, but he just did not have the capacity to put value on them to care because he lost the capacity to feel. This sounds almost exactly like my boyfriend right now but taken several notches to the extreme.

Manson also makes an interesting insight I never considered either... that we don't do sh.it we are supposed to do _not_ because we are lazy, but because we don't think we deserve to. Can't stop smoking? We don't deserve to stop smoking. Can't help with housework? We don't deserve a clean house or a healthy happy relationship with the significant other...

Don't think I agree with him as much as I did his first book, but I'll keep an open mind


----------



## leaf in the wind

^I finished the book and it's kind of rambly and weird. He ends with the idea that AI is going to take over the world and be our new God, and that is how humanity is going to transcend beyond our meaningless endeavors and good and evil. WTF? 

He has some good takes though, mostly just parsing ideas from Nietzsche which makes me feel like I should read that instead...

The one insight that is sticking with me is that we can't actually have meaning or hope without conflict and problems. If everything were good, we'd have no need for those things.

And a comment that you can't bargain for things like love or respect. You either have it from people, or you don't - you can't negotiate these or convince people to give them to you.

OVERALL his first book was better, not sure I'd recommend this one. It lacks coherence and sort of reads like a guy stringing together a bunch of semi-related, edgy rants on human nature and future of humanity late at night on his blog.


----------



## leaf in the wind

Journeyman - Sean Pronger

Another hockey biography. It's funny so far, and a different perspective than the likes of Fleury, Dryden, and Gilmour.


----------



## CarpeLibrum

I'm reading Bone Labyrinth by James Rollins. It's part of his Sigma Series of books. Basically, the main character is a mix of Indiana Jones and James Bond. _"In the remote mountains of Croatia, an archaeologist makes a strange discovery: a subterranean Catholic chapel, hidden for centuries, holds the bones of a Neanderthal woman. In the same cavern system, elaborate primitive paintings tell the story of an immense battle between tribes of Neanderthals and monstrous shadowy figures. Who is this mysterious enemy depicted in these ancient drawings and what do the paintings mean?

Before any answers could be made, the investigative team is attacked, while at the same time, a bloody assault is made upon a primate research center outside of Atlanta. How are these events connected? Who is behind these attacks? The search for the truth will take Commander Gray Pierce of Sigma Force 50,000 years into the past. As he and Sigma trace the evolution of human intelligence to its true source, they will be plunged into a cataclysmic battle for the future of humanity that stretches across the globe . . . and beyond."
_


----------



## Barakiel

^ This makes me feel a little less weird for finding things like Big Gulp cups appealing. :um


----------



## leaf in the wind

leaf in the wind said:


> Journeyman - Sean Pronger
> 
> Another hockey biography. It's funny so far, and a different perspective than the likes of Fleury, Dryden, and Gilmour.


Just finished. 10/10 an entertaining, funny, and relatable read honestly for anyone who's been down on their luck and struggled in their careers to make something of themselves. He doesn't focus too much on giving game play-by-plays but more on his thoughts during tough situations, like being cut from the team, feeling unwanted, and fighting for even just a chance for scraps.

Idk man. I'm obviously not a hockey player but I've been laid off and struggled (still struggling) and just found this all very human, down to earth, and relatable. He handled everything with grace and was willing to put up with the bull because he loved his craft.


----------



## JH1983

I'm on the last book in The Black Company series. Not sure what series I'll start next.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## rabidfoxes




----------



## Barakiel

rabidfoxes said:


>


I've been meaning to listen to Penny Rimbaud read his poems w/ musical accompaniment -


----------



## rabidfoxes

Barakiel said:


> I've been meaning to listen to Penny Rimbaud read his poems w/ musical accompaniment -


Nice find! It's weird to hear someone else read it - especially because I read it in a completely different way! I'd like to listen through the whole thing so bookmarked for later


----------



## either/or

Just started this. I've never read one of Tana French's books before. My friend read it and said she didn't like it but I had already ordered it when she told me that. So far it's just ok, I wouldn't describe it as a page-turner, not yet at least. But its better than that piece of **** Salem Falls I just finished.


----------



## JH1983

I just started The Outsider by Stephen King on Friday.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## leaf in the wind

I just started "Maybe You Should Talk To Someone" by Lori Gottlieb. It's okay so far.


----------



## wmu'14

The comic book adaptation of A Game of Thrones. I think it captures the visuals of the book better than the show did


----------



## Barakiel

I do the equivalent of keeping multiple tabs open with books, especially ones like this -


----------



## either/or

In addition to "In the Woods" I just started reading this as well. I often read 2 books at a time, usually 1 fiction and one non-fiction.


----------



## KangalLover

I don't "read" that much but I try to listen to one audiobook each month. currently, dune, its a really good book and I'm really enjoying it.


----------



## donistired




----------



## kurtzouma

I am reading alchemist by Paul Coelho.


----------



## truant

Not sure which of these is the real horror:


----------



## JH1983

Finders Keepers by Stephen King
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## gnomealone

Killing and then more killing and then for something different.........more killing. But I'm
only up to 360 AD so I'm sure it gets better.


----------



## either/or

Just started this. Gessen is an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin and authoritarianism in general. Should be an interesting read given America's recent flirtations with authoritarianism.


----------



## Sheska

either/or said:


> Just started this. Gessen is an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin and authoritarianism in general. Should be an interesting read given America's recent flirtations with authoritarianism.


If you're interested in this topic, you might find Anna Politkovskaya's _Putin's Russia_ and _A Russian Diary_ of some interest also.


----------



## JH1983

Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## PurplePeopleEater

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 

Hmm, interesting book. Just wish it was longer but sometimes shorter is better.


----------



## Barakiel

^ Like a lot of books I'm excited to get my hands on, I initially lost interest but kept at it and found it rewarding again. That's my accomplishment for November tbh.


----------



## truant

^ I have Sharp Objects, but I haven't read it yet.

_Schizoid Phenomena, Object Relations, and the Self_, by Harry Guntrip. Should probably read his previous book first, but I don't have hard copy. And _Symptoms of Being Human_, by Jeff Garvin. Which isn't too bad, so far. It's much more sensitive representation than Winterson's monstrosity _Frankissstein_.


----------



## PurplePeopleEater

@truant I was unsure of it at first but it didnt take long. for it to pick up. It got more and more interesting.


----------



## Yoyoyoyo

Bearing the Cross


----------



## harrison

Ghost Train to the Eastern Star by Paul Theroux. 

He used to be a half-way decent novelist but was also a bit of a wanker. Had a celebrated literary feud many years ago with V.S. Naipaul. Mellowed with age though now.

He retraces the train journey he took ages ago and wrote about in The Great Railway Bazaar. (pretty good travel writer actually)


----------



## CoolLilChickadee

A Promised Land by Barack Obama
How to Astronaut by Terry Virts


----------



## alwaysrunning

J.D. Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye


----------



## TheyWillJudgeMe

Storm by Donna Jo Napoli


----------



## JH1983

Finished American Gods over the weekend and started book one of The Kingkiller Chronicle last night.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## alwaysrunning

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas


----------



## sunpower

Horatio Hornblower. (stop giggling at the name : )

Well written and entertaining series of books, I'd recommend reading them in chronological order instead of by date of publish.


----------



## truant

Sartre, _The Imaginary_:










Won't show you the novel I'm reading, because it's too embarrassing.


----------



## PurplePeopleEater

Widows by Lynda La Plante 

Pretty good book so far even though the title doesnt do it justice. Found the book at a place for really cheap prices on stuff and the cover caught my attention. So I decided to read what it's about before buying it first.


----------



## alwaysrunning

The Wasp That Brainwashed The Caterpillar by Matt Simon - the natural world can be a pretty freaky place haha


----------



## Barakiel

truant said:


> Sartre, _The Imaginary_


I read two essays about this earlier this summer and found them insightful and keep meaning to re-read them.

How is it so far?

How do you think Sartre would feel about this particular _analogon_?












> Won't show you the novel I'm reading, because it's too embarrassing.


----------



## Omni-slash

The Death of Virgil



JH1983 said:


> Finished American Gods over the weekend and started book one of The Kingkiller Chronicle last night.


Welcome to the great wait for book 3. Seems to be a thing with fantasy authors.


----------



## harrison

Nineteenth Century Dust-Jackets. (excellent btw)


----------



## truant

Barakiel said:


> I read two essays about this earlier this summer and found them insightful and keep meaning to re-read them.
> 
> How is it so far?


I really liked it. It's a bit dated by advances in cognitive- and neuroscience (I highly recommend Thagard's _Brain-Mind_ for a discussion of semantic pointer theory if you're interested in that kind of thing), but Sartre was an exceptional phenomenologist and it really changed how I think about the imagination/imaginary objects. Very useful in terms of aesthetics, too.

Also, if you haven't read _Being and Nothingness_ this is an excellent introduction to Sartre's thinking. It's a lot easier to understand. I wish I'd read it first. (Now I'm going to have to go back and reread B&N.) He wrote another, earlier book about the imagination, _Imagination: A Psychological Critique_, which I haven't read yet, but I think it's just poking holes in early 20th century psychology.

One problem I had with it is in the area of dreams. It seems like lucid dreaming would pose a bit of a problem for his argument. Having had lucid dreams, I was interested to see what he'd say about it, but he never brought it up. There were other minor problems, but overall I think it's well worth reading. I'm not a philosophy major, though.

What essays did you read?



> How do you think Sartre would feel about this particular _analogon_?


I think he'd find it absurd.



>


If you must know,


* *














Dante, Milton, and Shakespeare collect dust on my shelf while I fill my head with nonsense.


----------



## JH1983

The Blade Itself book one of The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie.



Omni-slash said:


> Welcome to the great wait for book 3. Seems to be a thing with fantasy authors.


I saw after I started it'd been like a decade already. It's on my wait list now along with A Song of Ice and Fire book six (pretty well given up hope) and The Stormlight Archive book five.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Barakiel

truant said:


> What essays did you read?


One of them was a comparison with Gilbert Ryle by Paul Ricoeur -


* *
























The other was by Edward S. Casey, if I remember correctly he accuses Sartre of lapsing into a "consciousness-as-container" view, of mental images as things in the mind no matter how much he wanted to avoid that. I don't have any excerpts atm but I stumbled upon his personal site with artwork which is kinda neat -

https://www.escasey.com/paintings



> One problem I had with it is in the area of dreams. It seems like lucid dreaming would pose a bit of a problem for his argument. Having had lucid dreams, I was interested to see what he'd say about it, but he never brought it up. There were other minor problems, but overall I think it's well worth reading. I'm not a philosophy major, though.


Does this have anything to do with the container view, considering how vivid lucid dreams can be?

According to Ricoeur, Sartre does touch on hypnagogic hallucinations, I suppose you don't think he went far enough there though?


----------



## Barakiel

truant said:


> Dante, Milton, and Shakespeare collect dust on my shelf while I fill my head with nonsense.


I have similar thoughts when I'm browsing tvtropes or reading random articles late at night :\


----------



## truant

Barakiel said:


> One of them was a comparison with Gilbert Ryle by Paul Ricoeur -
> 
> 
> * *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The other was by Edward S. Casey, if I remember correctly he accuses Sartre of lapsing into a "consciousness-as-container" view, of mental images as things in the mind no matter how much he wanted to avoid that. I don't have any excerpts atm but I stumbled upon his personal site with artwork which is kinda neat -
> 
> https://www.escasey.com/paintings
> 
> Does this have anything to do with the container view, considering how vivid lucid dreams can be?
> 
> According to Ricoeur, Sartre does touch on hypnagogic hallucinations, I suppose you don't think he went far enough there though?


Um, well, I'd have to read the essay to know exactly what Casey means by that, but Sartre was pretty clear that a mental image IS a consciousness. It's not that there is a consciousness and that mental images sometimes appear inside of it (his entire essay is an attempt to refute that), but that sometimes consciousness is in the form of a mental image. Idk what kind of arguments Casey is making, though, and maybe some of Sartre's expressions could be read that way (there's also the problem of translation, since I don't speak French). I have no training in philosophy, so I guess you'll have to read it yourself. It's fairly short. :b

The problem wrt lucid dreams is that Sartre is quite emphatic that perception and imagination are mutually exclusive forms of consciousness. The moment you start to perceive, you stop dreaming; the moment you start dreaming, you stop perceiving. Lucid dreaming, in that case, should be impossible. But lucid dreaming is specifically the experience of being a perceiving consciousness inside an imaginary world. That's what makes lucid dreams radically different from regular dreams.

I'm sure Sartre would argue that such 'perception' is itself imaginary (as he does with hallucinations) and not true perception, but idk. I'm not entirely in agreement with him in this area, but it would have been interesting to see what he would have argued. He does talk about hypnogogic images, but hypnogogic images are not the same as lucid dreaming (though you can move from perception to lucid dreaming via hypnogogic imagery). I wish I could have more lucid dreams so I could test his thinking, but I've only had like 3 in my life, and two were extremely short. The third was longer, but turned into a regular dream at some point, so it's hard to say how long I was lucid.


----------



## staticradio725

Barakiel said:


> I have similar thoughts when I'm browsing tvtropes or reading random articles late at night :\


Hey, TVTropes is both educational and informative! Or, at least, that's what I tell myself when I spend an entire evening mashing the "random article" button.

I'm currently re-reading And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie. I read it a long time ago in high school, but the book club I'm part of is doing it this month, so I figured a re-read couldn't hurt. I'm pretty sure I remember who the killer was, but I guess I'll find out...


----------



## Alleviate Suffering

A Room with a View by E. M Forster. This was written in the early 20th century and appears to be about some very mannered, snobbish and repressed English people which I suppose was par for the course in that era. We are still like that to some extent I suppose but the world they are in feels rather alien to me and I am having a hard time grasping why the characters behave the way they do and whether they are meant to be unlikeable. I may have to do some post novel reading up on what E. M Forster's worldview was in order to understand the book.


----------



## truant

One of the (many) books I'm currently reading is _Clarissa_, by Samuel Richardson.


* *

















It's a beast of a book, and I've been working away at it for years now (I'm at around 900 out of 1,500 pages). It's epistolary (written as a series of letters) and almost a million words long. To put that into perspective, it's longer than the Bible. (If you published it as a mass market paperback, it would be over 2,700 pages.)

But what makes it especially hard to read is that over half of it is written from the perspective of the antagonist, Lovelace, who is, shall we say, _not a very nice person_. (If you want an intimate look at the mind of a narcissist--though I'm not sure why you would--you really can't do better than Lovelace.)

[Actual spoilers here:]

* *





Lovelace is an extremely wealthy and powerful man, effectively above the law, and a serial rapist. In the book, he essentially kidnaps Clarissa, subjects her to prolonged psychological abuse, and then drugs her and rapes her. And then continues to psychologically abuse her until she starves herself to death. All to satisfy his own vanity. Real lovely chap. The book is essentially one long rape fantasy. I don't think I've ever hated a character more than I hate Lovelace.


----------



## spotlessmind90

Atomic Habits, although I'm not sure if I'll finish it, guess I'll add it to the pile.


----------



## alwaysrunning

Ian McEwan's Atonement. I'm finding it hard going. It was the same with The Catcher In The Rye but I got there in the end lol. When I got to the end of that I was a bit like What is that it!?  I kinda expected something really bad from things that I had heard associated with the book.


----------



## valina

Beguiled - Alice Borchardt


----------



## JacobC1989

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson I just finished this book. I was gripped from the beginning to the end! First crime/thriller book I’ve ever read and I'm so impressed. Will be picking up the sequel ASAP.


----------



## staticradio725

JacobC1989 said:


> The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson I just finished this book. I was gripped from the beginning to the end! First crime/thriller book I've ever read and I'm so impressed. Will be picking up the sequel ASAP.


It's really funny you say that, because I attempted to read it once, and I couldn't get past the first two chapters. And I'm typically a big reader, so it's not like I have a goldfish attention span. Oh, well. Takes all kinds, etc.

I'm currently reading The Monogram Murders by Sophie Hanna as part of a book club I'm in. I'm only about 50 pages in, and I already think I've correctly solved the mystery. Needless to say, I'm not pleased. If I end up being right, I'm going to blow a gasket :bash


----------



## harrison

JacobC1989 said:


> The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson I just finished this book. I was gripped from the beginning to the end! First crime/thriller book I've ever read and I'm so impressed. Will be picking up the sequel ASAP.


I liked those books too - also good movies.

I just started re-reading Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson - I'd forgotten just how funny that guy is, he's hilarious.


----------



## either/or

harrison said:


> I liked those books too - also good movies.
> 
> I just started re-reading Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson - I'd forgotten just how funny that guy is, he's hilarious.


He's a great author. I've read 4 or 5 of his books. I think his travel books are the best, I'm not as big a fan of his science books though _A Short History of Nearly Everything_ was pretty good. I think _A Walk in the Woods_ is probably my favorite.


----------



## harrison

either/or said:


> He's a great author. I've read 4 or 5 of his books. I think his travel books are the best, I'm not as big a fan of his science books though _A Short History of Nearly Everything_ was pretty good. I think _A Walk in the Woods_ is probably my favorite.


Yeah, he's a funny guy.


----------



## PurplePeopleEater

The Life of Pi

I'm like halfway through it and it is really good.


----------



## alienjunkie

Tomie by Junji Ito


----------



## PurplePeopleEater

The Luminous Dead by Caitlyn Starling

It's pretty interesting so far.


----------



## Starcut83

Courage - The Joy of Living Dangerously by Osho.


----------



## zkv

Had a few hours to kill, and still got a bit more in front of me so:


















It has some other stuff besides the story but I'm probably not reading that. I did read the "Biographical and historical contexts" bit for uh... context.


----------



## Pechorin

Similar to one of the posters above, I usually have multiple things on the go at once. At the moment, I am doing some reading around political theory. I'm about halfway through V.I Lenin's The State and Revolution. On top of that, I have just started a book called Venezuela: The Present as Struggle, and Worker's Self Management in Argentina.

I recently finished David Harvey's A Brief History of Neoliberalism, and Franz Kafka's The Castle.


----------



## shyshisho

Mostly I've been listening to audiobooks as a way of getting in some reading while doing other things, but I prefer spiritual stuff in print.


----------



## firelight




----------



## either/or

@firelight that botany book looks really interesting, if I had a garden (or even just a plant or two lol) I might pick it up.


----------



## firelight

either/or said:


> @firelight that botany book looks really interesting, if I had a garden (or even just a plant or two lol) I might pick it up.


It's good, very non-technical. I don't even have a garden right now but just rereading this book to try remember some of the stuff from school. It was used as textbook in an intro agriculture class.


----------



## iminnocentenough




----------



## truant

The books I'm mostly focused on atm (I'm usually reading like 20+ at a time) are: Kessler & McKenna's _Gender: An Ethnomethodological Approach_ (pretty good), Hirschfeld's _Transvestites: The Erotic Drive to Cross-Dress_ (very interesting), Murray's _The Madness of Crowds_ (which is rubbish so far but I haven't read much), _Neuroscience for Dummies_ (good for my skill level, haha), Freud's _The Psychopathology of Everyday Life_ (a classic, but a bit of a slog atm), and Le Guin's _The Left Hand of Darkness_ (which is quite good). Also reading a stack of academic papers, mostly in the area of gender.


----------



## Barakiel

I've been reading Raymond Scheindlin's translation of the Book of Job on and off this year, it's the best I've read so far in terms of being elegant and readable in English without taking too many liberties.



















^ The latest translation by Edward Greenstein argues that Job stays defiant to the very end and makes some other radical claims about the book, but again it doesn't rival Scheindlin's as poetry.

I think his introduction is essential to getting something out of it for many people -


* *





All of this poetry was not written merely to decorate the book. Its energy and exuberance, palpable from the very beginning and hardly ever fading during the work's long course, keep present before us the fact that we are reading the work of a writer who is fascinated with this life, troubled as it is, a man who never wearies of the variety and vividness of the multitude of things that life offers for our observation. In this, he is the temperamental opposite of the world-weary Ecclesiastes, who suffers from surfeit as Job suffers from deprivation. Ecclesiastes finds all things wearying, repeating themselves in an endless round of life and death in which nothing really new ever happens; he finds life’s abundance, which is so invigorating to the author of Job, to be as insubstantial as a vapor. To the author of Job the world pulsates with life. He expresses everything with vehemence; he is passionate about injustice, and about everyday life in its glorious detail. Even while raging at God’s tyranny, he cannot help but hymn, in a passage of melting beauty, the mystery of his own conception and birth. He may rage at injustice, and he is at least as conscious of death as Ecclesiastes, but never in his forty-two chapters does he ever come close to saying, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

Job’s poetry achieves the book s purpose of consolation partly by providing its own vigor as an antidote to its pessimism, by changing the level of the discussion from a meditation on life’s injustice to a parade of life’s sheer multitudinousness. The poetry is in part a vehicle for steering us away from the suffering with which life burdens us toward the delight at what life has to offer. This is not a quantitative argument. The author does not make the simplistic claim that life’s delights are commensurable with or compensation for life’s sorrows. He does not make any argument at all. All arguments have been rendered nil by the book’s premise. Since the narrative presents Job’s complaint as rational and correct, there is no room left for a rational solution. Rather, poetry is used to shift the ground from reason, where life must lose, to emotion, where it at least has a chance.

The other way in which the poetry functions is to give full expression to Job’s, and therefore our own, grief and anger. Expressions of grief abound in the Bible: We think of David's lament for Absalom; of Jacob’s for the presumed-dead Benjamin; of the psalmist for various kinds of suffering and loss; of the poet of Lamentations for the destroyed Jerusalem. But Job is the one biblical character who voices the anger associated with suffering and bereavement. His anger arises from his own demand for meaning, from a refusal to yield emotionally to the terrible pointlessness of our suffering. Job is never reconciled; his heart demands meaning, even though intellectually he intuits (and we know) that he cannot have it. He is constitutionally incapable of falling into Ecclesiastes’ sybaritic languor, which to him would be a kind of effete submission. Job knows and hates the truth, hates it precisely because he remains engaged in life. The paradoxical meeting of the book’s pessimistic assumptions and this vigorous engagement in life is what produces its anger and its poetry. That is why it is a more profound literary creation than Ecclesiastes, whose tone and message are more simply interrelated.

Job's anger helps tame ours and bring it into manageable compass; this itself is a kind of consolation. We read Job not because it provides answers to our questions, consolation for our grief, or redress for our anger, but because it expresses our questions, grief, and anger with such force.


----------



## JH1983




----------



## Canadian Brotha

Delta of Venus


----------



## truant

_The Madwoman in the Attic_, by Gilbert and Gubar (feminist literary criticism); _The Psychobiology of Transsexualism and Transgenderism_, by Dana Bevan; _The Pickwick Papers_, by Dickens. Still working on some of the books from my last post.


----------



## IcedOver

Is anybody having sleep problems/insomnia? Well I've got a solution for you! Pick up a copy of _Brief Interviews with Hideous Men_ by David Foster Wallace! I've never read anything by him and in general am not into "modern lit", but was considering reading this and then watching the movie adaptation. Three nights in a row I tried to read this thing, and all three nights it made me drift off to sleep. It's so fricking boring and empty.


----------



## extremly

IcedOver said:


> Is anybody having sleep problems/insomnia? Well I've got a solution for you! Pick up a copy of _Brief Interviews with Hideous Men_ by David Foster Wallace! I've never read anything by him and in general am not into "modern lit", but was considering reading this and then watching the movie adaptation. Three nights in a row I tried to read this thing, and all three nights it made me drift off to sleep. It's so fricking boring and empty.


If I could like your post twice, I would. I am very sorry you had to experience David Foster Wallace.


----------



## extremly

Doug Casey's Drug Lord, book two of the high ground series. This one feels a lot more believable so far.

edit: Such a good book so far! I like this one even better than book 1 (Speculator) in the series. I can't recommend it enough.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Silk - Alessandro Baricco


----------



## truant

_How Emotions are Made_, by Lisa Feldman Barrett, which is pretty interesting. Brain science. _Becoming a Woman_ (biography of Christine Jorgensen). Sort of mixed feelings about it at this point. Foucault, _Archaeology of Knowledge_. I finished his History of Sex series and felt like more.


----------



## Greenmacaron

'The Power of Now' - Eckhart Tolle

Not sure what I will take from this book. I'm hoping it's not a fluffy self help book with not much depth.


----------



## shyshisho

Seneca - Letters From A Stoic. Listening to the audiobook while I take my walk. I like the epistolary format; it makes me feel less alone. I’m ambivalent about Stoicism though. I think it has some good advice but can be unrealistic about the power of reason.


----------



## extremly

Book 3, high ground series. Assassin.

Book 2 was...

* *






My favorite book in the series so far. I get the sense Assassin will be more philosophical than the other 2 books. We'll see


----------



## shyshisho

Been working on this a few months now, I just read a sura now and then. 



__ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/331436853836383249/


----------



## Memories of Silence




----------



## donistired

I've been trying to read through all of Dr. Darks works among other things as I continue deconstructing my religious beliefs.


----------



## either/or

@Pechorin _Worker's Self Management in Argentina_ looks really interesting, how was it? I've often thought that a free-market economic system comprised primarily of employee owned and employee managed firms would be a better way to do capitalism than the current system where disinterested shareholders own firms and select it's management. I think that kind of structure would solve a lot of social ills. I would be interested in reading up on it though books like that tend to be a bit dense and tough to get through, especially if the author's motivation is to flaunt their intellect rather than create something approachable and useful to the reader.


----------



## Pechorin

either/or said:


> @Pechorin _Worker's Self Management in Argentina_ looks really interesting, how was it? I've often thought that a free-market economic system comprised primarily of employee owned and employee managed firms would be a better way to do capitalism than the current system where disinterested shareholders own firms and select it's management. I think that kind of structure would solve a lot of social ills. I would be interested in reading up on it though books like that tend to be a bit dense and tough to get through, especially if the author's motivation is to flaunt their intellect rather than create something approachable and useful to the reader.


It's quite dense and detailed. But I found it highly informative.

I'm not a market socialist myself, because I think there are still a good few problems with the model, but one thing that stood out for me was how changing the relationships between people and their work changes the people themselves, and all of a sudden you have people who can see beyond the limits of capitalism. It's a step towards something better and more thorough. 

Using profits to invest in social infrastructure is good too. Yugoslavia experimented with market socialism and there were pros and cons. But if it's viewed as a transition towards something that goes deeper, I'm all for it.


----------



## crimeclub

I don't know why I even bother to buy physical books because the only way I actually get through a book is if it's in audio form, anyway these are the ones I'm currently reading/listening to.

I was really glad I came across 'The Jakarta Method' at the store recently, it's about the Indonesian genocide that took place in the 60s and how the methods used were adopted by other mass killings through out the last half of the 20th century, it also goes into the fairly successful coverup that took place afterward, the coverup within Indonesia as well as the US government's attempt to hide it's involvement in the killing of over 1,000,000 Indonesian civilians. Pretty heavy stuff.


----------



## Pechorin

crimeclub said:


> View attachment 148245
> 
> 
> I don't know why I even bother to buy physical books because the only way I actually get through a book is if it's in audio form, anyway these are the ones I'm currently reading/listening to.
> 
> I was really glad I came across 'The Jakarta Method' at the store recently, it's about the Indonesian genocide that took place in the 60s and how the methods used were adopted by other mass killings through out the last half of the 20th century, it also goes into the fairly successful coverup that took place afterward, the coverup within Indonesia as well as the US government's attempt to hide it's involvement in the killing of over 1,000,000 Indonesian civilians. Pretty heavy stuff.


I've read all of these  

For Paulo Freire's work, there is a good supplementary reading called 'A Student's Guide to Pedagogy of the Oppressed'. 

I'm a big fan of Freire.


----------



## crimeclub

Pechorin said:


> I've read all of these
> 
> For Paulo Freire's work, there is a good supplementary reading called 'A Student's Guide to Pedagogy of the Oppressed'.
> 
> I'm a big fan of Freire.


Thanks for the suggestion! The concept of a more just form of education is intriguing to me since I grew up in the US public education system and after continually realizing how flawed and propagandistic it is (as most private and public education is) I was really interested in checking it out. tbh while I've been reading it I feel like a 'Student's Guide' is exactly what I need, so I'm glad you mentioned it.


----------



## Pechorin

crimeclub said:


> Thanks for the suggestion! The concept of a more just form of education is intriguing to me since I grew up in the US public education system and after continually realizing how flawed and propagandistic it is (as most private and public education is) I was really interested in checking it out. tbh while I've been reading it I feel like a 'Student's Guide' is exactly what I need, so I'm glad you mentioned it.


Any questions, feel free to ask. Also, PM me if you would like a very decent YouTube lecture series on Pedagogy of the Oppressed.


----------



## IcedOver

_Cry Macho_ - N. Richard Nash. It's the 1975 novel that's the basis for the new Clint Eastwood-directed and -starring movie that is disappearing from theaters so fast that I have to rush out to it if I want to go to it. I'm trying to rush-read this book, too. In the book, the character is 38, but in the movie, it's Clint who is 91. Even so, the character's dialogue in the book is exactly the way Clint would speak it.


----------



## either/or

This. Just bought it.


----------



## W00DBINE

It's a short story, only 95 pages.


----------



## shyshisho




----------



## Barakiel

I finished Murakami's South of the Border, West of the Sun tonight and haven't recovered from it. I'm pretty sure this is the first novel I've actually finished as an adult.

I finished the first book of The Sorrows of Young Werther that I have in my signature but had trouble continuing the second one, same for the graphic novels Persepolis and Maus when I was 18.


----------



## donistired

Bought this book a while ago, just started reading it today.


----------



## Barakiel

This is delightful, as aural as it is visual. I must post these three excerpts but I'll use spoiler tags, if you want to see them, ask and you shall receive-


* *


----------



## XebelRebel

I'm reading "Little Black Book: A Toolkit For Working Women" by Otegha Uwagba.


----------



## JH1983

Last book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen series.


----------



## shyshisho




----------



## oguzwst

Wayfarers Series by Becky Chambers.
So fun! So easy to read! Such a delight!


----------



## Were

Today I finished Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, it seems to be the most popular Wiccan book.


----------



## IcedOver

_The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat in Medieval France_ by Eric Jager. I was going to read this and go to the movie, but the movie has bombed so horrendously that it will only be in theaters for another week. The book is pretty interesting so far.


----------



## shyshisho




----------



## either/or

I'm reading this at the moment. It's a noir style novel that takes place in the 1950s. A former drug addict turned PI takes a job to find a missing drug addicted college girl. So far its pretty good.


----------



## shyshisho




----------



## JH1983

Really enjoying this series so far. After finishing Malazan I Google searched "what to read after Malazan" and picked this series from a random comment on reddit.


----------



## railcar82594

The story takes place around 2600 A.D. 
* *




Though I think the "Edenists" use a gross organic tech, symbiosis-like with their "living" ships, and imo way too advanced for only 600 years in the future.


----------



## rabidfoxes

TL;DR; judges made decisions based on hunches and then find a legal basis for them but here learn all this **** anyway


----------



## shyshisho




----------



## JH1983




----------



## Pechorin

Started reading a book about Cuba and its changes since the collapse of the USSR.


----------



## shyshisho

Two chapters in and I'm finding it a fun read especially as a fan of 60s rock:


----------



## JH1983




----------



## Euripides

And about 13 other open tabs, but definitely finally on a socialist theory arc.


----------



## MusicalRose21

I'm trying to finish up this book before the end of the year. I can get a little lost sometimes with the wording but I've been enjoying it.


----------



## Memories of Silence




----------



## Euripides

Memories of Silence said:


> View attachment 148748


I've only known The Muppets' adaptation :}

Looking very Christmassy, marv!


----------



## meco1999

I'm a poor reader. I don't have dyslexia, I'm just too stupid to read books. I'm also not interested in any audio books, my attention span is too low for that.


----------



## shyshisho

Utopia Avenue started strong but got annoying so I dropped it.


----------



## crimeclub

Euripides said:


> View attachment 148742
> 
> View attachment 148743
> 
> View attachment 148741
> 
> 
> And about 13 other open tabs, but definitely finally on a socialist theory arc.


I appreciate some Marxist philosophy but I don't identify as a Marxist, I have a hard time labeling myself politically. Anyway I find some good stuff in all kinds of leftist theory and philosophy, what are your thoughts on those books? I plan to eventually getting around to reading them.


----------



## Barakiel

I first learned about Francis Ponge from an interview with Sartre a while back and his work has been important to me this year even as my interest inevitably wanes a bit. His struggle with expression is as relatable as ever though:



> Confronted by a recurring inability to speak in public, however, he abandoned advanced studies. He subsisted precariously in Paris during the twenties, quickly defecting from the Surrealist ranks and, too much the anarchist to adhere to the Anarchists, he stayed clear of all but a few other writers. By 1925, despairing of an ability to write anything at all, Ponge found refuge in a contemplation of things. Observing that objects had passed virtually unnoticed in literature, at least since Lucretius, he proposed with deference to do a sort of _De rerum natura_.
> With the field wide open and unexplored, he would write his own Nature of Things, would study objects minutely through the senses,
> through emotions and the intellect, to construct a new form
> of definition-description. But it didn't come easily: two and
> three years for many of the poems, and after late-night
> struggles with words, how often he must have come away
> feeling that much of the catch had slipped between his fingers.


I've read most of these pieces in other translations and I've 
gradually warmed up to Lee Fahnestock's approach. 


* *


















An oyster, a door, and some trees await below for anyone interested -

* *


----------



## alwaysrunning

After this I shall have the answers to any problems 😉 😉 😁


----------



## Yulp

The only book with all the answers


----------



## shyshisho




----------



## Tetragammon

Almost done with Book 2, probably finish tonight or tomorrow. Wonder how long it'll take me to finish all 14...


----------



## shyshisho




----------



## JH1983

Tetragammon said:


> View attachment 148874
> 
> 
> Almost done with Book 2, probably finish tonight or tomorrow. Wonder how long it'll take me to finish all 14...



I'm on my second go round too. Read the books about ten years ago and now listening to the audiobooks. I figure with listening to 30ish hours a week I'll be done by spring. 

Did you watch the Amazon series? I'm pretty disappointed with it.


----------



## Tetragammon

JH1983 said:


> I'm on my second go round too. Read the books about ten years ago and now listening to the audiobooks. I figure with listening to 30ish hours a week I'll be done by spring.
> 
> Did you watch the Amazon series? I'm pretty disappointed with it.


I dunno; I first watched the Amazon series not really remembering much of the books and thought it was really good, for a TV series. But then I went back and read The Eye of the World and was like... wow... they changed so much of it. So now I'm kind of disappointed. I like the cast and some of their changes, but others I could do without, like how they completely skip major characters and locations from the first book. What are they going to do, introduce them in later seasons?


* *




And how could they kill off Loial so early?! He plays some important parts later on... I don't see how they're going to do it without him.


----------



## JH1983

Tetragammon said:


> View attachment 148933
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I dunno; I first watched the Amazon series not really remembering much of the books and thought it was really good, for a TV series. But then I went back and read The Eye of the World and was like... wow... they changed so much of it. So now I'm kind of disappointed. I like the cast and some of their changes, but others I could do without, like how they completely skip major characters and locations from the first book. What are they going to do, introduce them in later seasons?
> 
> 
> * *
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And how could they kill off Loial so early?! He plays some important parts later on... I don't see how they're going to do it without him.



Pretty much the same for me. I was like four episodes in when I started rereading. And same I mostly liked it at first. Honestly I was hanging onto hope until the season finale. They really went off the rails with some nonsensical changes that will really hurt the story later I feel like.


* *




Yeah, killing Loial didn't make sense. Not introducing Elayne too, but Min did mention three women would be in love with Rand, so maybe later. The actors were fine, I just felt like they really dropped the ball with character development on the three Ta'veren. They didn't really do much with Padan Fain either.


----------



## either/or

Just started this.


----------



## Were

Started Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë without knowing anything about it except that it's a gothic classic and that there is an annoying sounding Kate Bush song with the same name.


----------



## shyshisho

I'm not finding it too useful so far, but it was only a buck in the clearance bin so no loss.


----------



## shyshisho




----------



## Were

Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, the word masochism was named after the author.


----------



## JH1983

Two more to go on this. Audible is running a sale and I just bought all nine of the prequels to the Malazan books for $4.50 each and one of the extra Black Company books for $3 and change that was too short to justify using a full credit on. So I'm all booked up for the next few months.


----------



## truant

Recently finished _The Plague_, by Camus, _Monstress vol 6, The Vow,_ by Liu & Takeda, _The End of October_, by Wright, and _Demon in the Freezer_, by Richard Preston. Working on Dante's _Inferno_, _Inside the Outbreaks,_ by Mark Pendergrast, _How to Make a Vaccine_, by John Rhodes, _The Sandman vol 4, Season of Mists_, by Gaiman and a bunch of other stuff.


----------



## shyshisho




----------



## JH1983

Will be wrapping this series up next week.


----------



## truant




----------



## IcedOver

_The Power of the Dog_ (Thomas Savage). I'm considering going to the movie in the theater tomorrow. The book is actually pretty good so far. Even though this was written in 1967, far before our current hellworld of "woke/sjw" idiocy, I can tell why it was made into a movie in today's climate, and by a woman. I haven't read reviews, but I'm sure that the meaningless words "toxic masculinity" have been bandied about regarding it.


----------



## either/or

I'm reading this right now. So far it's pretty good.


----------



## JH1983

These are the prequels to the Malazan books, although written by a different author. Seems a little more character focused where the Malazan books are more story focused.


----------



## IcedOver

_Let the Right One In_ (John Ajvide Lindqvist) which was the basis for the kid vampire movie and its remake. Never viewed either.


----------



## shyshisho

Kinda pulpy but pretty good so far.


----------



## pillbugger

Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement. I've personally found it dull. Scientific study after study. There's examples of some people, mostly famous... but was hoping for more success stories of nobodies, people who had to start from absolutely nothing. Perhaps I should be looking at books titled something like "Zero to Hero", "From the Ground Up", "Bottom Feeder No More" or "Leaving Mother's Basement: The True Story".


----------



## crimeclub

Democracy May Not Exist But We'll Miss It When It's Gone, by Astra Taylor
You Can't Be Neutral On A Moving Train, by Howard Zinn
The Entrepreneurial State, by Mariana Mazzucato
You're Cute When You're Mad, by Celeste Headlee
The Corporation, by Joel Bakan
and Catch-22, by Joseph Heller

I'm almost exclusively interest in non-fiction but I started reading Catch-22 a few days ago because it's considered a classic war novel that also takes an explicitly anti war stance, but I'm 100 pages in and damn I'm having trouble turning the pages, I don't know if it's because I'm actually just not interested in fiction or if it's something else. 

Anyone have any thoughts on Catch-22?


----------



## WillYouStopDave

This thread.


----------



## lunacat

I just finished Pet Sematary and I loved it so much that I had to get another King classic, It  seriously, I’m obsessed with his writing style


----------



## Folded Edge

The audio book of Tom Burgis - Kleptopia 

read by the author. It's a really timely read considering the war in Ukraine.


----------



## Crisigv

I'm actually reading for once, been a while.


----------



## Destroy_the_Orcs




----------



## iAmCodeMonkey

This:


















The Game Console 2.0: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox: Amos, Evan: 9781718500600: Books - Amazon.ca


The Game Console 2.0: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox: Amos, Evan: 9781718500600: Books - Amazon.ca



www.amazon.ca


----------



## shyshisho

I didn’t have a prior interest in Roman history but it was in the bargain bin so I thought I ‘d give it a try. If nothing else, it’s bloody.


----------



## Destroy_the_Orcs

I finished Chew and decided to give Spawn a shot. The world and story are more interesting than I expected.


----------



## shyshisho

I hope it’s good. At 36 hours I’ll be with it a while.


----------



## either/or

This. It's about how the proverbial 1% hijacked the American political economy in the early 1980's and transformed it to benefit them at the expense of the middle-class.


----------



## Folded Edge

The audio-book of Isaac Asimov's - Foundation


----------



## IcedOver

_Firestarter_ (Stephen King), prior to potentially going to the new movie in the theater. I'd never read this book. Even back in his early years, King showed no economy in his writing. He details every fvcking thing that happens, repeating descriptions over and over . . . and over. He takes 150 pages to talk about events that a better writer could relate in fifteen.


----------



## shyshisho

I should know by now that self-help books don't do much for me, but I continue to hope against hope.


----------



## User Not Found

I'm reading Frank Schätzing's _The Swarm_.


----------



## Humesday

Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb


----------



## JH1983

Interesting mix of science fiction and fantasy. Takes place in the future on a planet people from earth colonized. But they've reverted back to a medieval type society because fears can manifest into reality on this planet. Technology became useless because for example if you worried about your car breaking down it would actually happen right away. And also monsters and demons became real and terrorized everyone. 




Humesday said:


> Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb


Really enjoyed Realm of the Elderlings. One of the rare book series where you really get emotionally invested in the characters.


----------



## Humesday

JH1983 said:


> Really enjoyed Realm of the Elderlings. One of the rare book series where you really get emotionally invested in the characters.


Robin Hobb is my favorite fantasy author. She's brilliant at characterization. I've read the Farseer Trilogy, Liveship Traders Trilogy, Tawny Man Trilogy (I'm rereading it currently), Fitz and the Fool Trilogy, Rain Wilds Chronicle, and the Soldier Son Trilogy.


----------



## harrison

Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth - I started reading it in the State Library but I had to stop because I couldn't stop laughing and it was getting embarassing.


----------



## shyshisho

harrison said:


> Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth - I started reading it in the State Library but I had to stop because I couldn't stop laughing and it was getting embarassing.


That's one of the few books to make me laugh out loud. _A Confederacy of Dunces _is another.


----------



## harrison

shyshisho said:


> That's one of the few books to make me laugh out loud. _A Confederacy of Dunces _is another.


Yeah, he was a funny guy. It's crazy - such a famous book but I haven't read it before. Zuckerman Unbound is also very funny - I read that a long time ago and even just the first page is funny. Roth is very good at dialogue - very natural. 

I've heard of Confederacy of Dunces but haven't read it. I should give it a try.


----------



## Memories of Silence




----------



## shyshisho




----------



## JH1983

lunacat said:


> View attachment 149379
> 
> I just finished Pet Sematary and I loved it so much that I had to get another King classic, It  seriously, I’m obsessed with his writing style



All of his earlier stuff was really good. If you end up reading and liking a lot of them definitely read The Dark Tower series. It ties a lot of the books together and even has characters from several of them in it.


----------



## mt moyt

A Wild Sheep Chase for the second or maybe third time.


----------



## Barakiel

I'm checking this out from the library, and not just because I find the cover art to be absolutely dapper..

So far it has the feel of an old etiquette manual with genuine philosophical content and insights. Kant certainly talks about the process of abstraction elsewhere, but here you'll find him connecting it with the need to overlook the flaws we find in other people, and how a lot of us find that difficult to do.

So besides entertaining illustrations (like what I posted) there's genuine wisdom in here, despite the later prejudiced and ignorant sections which the introduction touches on.


----------



## JH1983

Gonna finish this up when I get to work here in a bit. Then I'll either start the Powder Mage trilogy or listen to the last book in the Books of Babel series. Went ahead and downloaded both.


----------



## shyshisho

I guess I’m a type 5, or it’s my SA that makes me look like one.


----------



## 4Philip

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief


----------



## JH1983

I finished both of the Powder Mage trilogies recently and moved on to Thomas Covenant now.


----------



## 4Philip

shyshisho said:


> I guess I’m a type 5, or it’s my SA that makes me look like one.
> 
> View attachment 149915


Oh I remember getting into the enneagram. I knew nothing about it and consumed an entire book on it in one night the summer of 9th grade. Those were the days


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## floyd the barber

When the Mob Ran Vegas: Stories of Money, Mayhem and Murder


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## Humesday

Storm Front by Jim Butcher


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## JH1983

Finished the first book of the second Thomas Covenant trilogy and found out the next two audiobooks won't be released for awhile due to some copyright stuff, so I guess I'm waiting on that. Enjoying these books more now that I'm a few books in.

Now I'm reading a two book series called Manifest Delusions now. Kind of a random and not very well known series I discovered on Reddit searching for books similar to The Second Apocalypse books by R Scott Bakker.



Humesday said:


> Storm Front by Jim Butcher


How are you liking that so far? I've read most of those years ago, but I'm not all the way caught up. I think I haven't read the last 3-4. I really enjoyed them. Been meaning to start over from the beginning with the audiobooks, but having trouble justifying the price for how short they are. Generally I prefer 20+ hour audiobooks for what they cost and how fast I go through them. But anyway those books are good, especially once you get a few books in. They're pretty fast paced and fun.

His other series Codex Alera was pretty good too. Completely different from The Dresden Files. Can't even really tell it's the same author it's so different, which is odd.


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## Humesday

JH1983 said:


> Finished the first book of the second Thomas Covenant trilogy and found out the next two audiobooks won't be released for awhile due to some copyright stuff, so I guess I'm waiting on that. Enjoying these books more now that I'm a few books in.
> 
> Now I'm reading a two book series called Manifest Delusions now. Kind of a random and not very well known series I discovered on Reddit searching for books similar to The Second Apocalypse books by R Scott Bakker.
> 
> 
> 
> How are you liking that so far? I've read most of those years ago, but I'm not all the way caught up. I think I haven't read the last 3-4. I really enjoyed them. Been meaning to start over from the beginning with the audiobooks, but having trouble justifying the price for how short they are. Generally I prefer 20+ hour audiobooks for what they cost and how fast I go through them. But anyway those books are good, especially once you get a few books in. They're pretty fast paced and fun.
> 
> His other series Codex Alera was pretty good too. Completely different from The Dresden Files. Can't even really tell it's the same author it's so different, which is odd.


I read about half of the first Thomas Covenant book. It started off pretty interesting.

I've already read all the Dresden Files books, except the last one released. They are highly entertaining and engaging. They didn't really provide me with any insights into human interaction like Robin Hobb's books did, but they're a lot of fun to read. 

I'm about halfway through rereading Fool Moon by Jim Butcher. 

I'm also reading The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by Graeber and Wengrow.


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## floyd the barber

milk and honey by rupi kaur


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## JH1983

Started this last night


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## Memories of Silence




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## Overheat

I'm currently reading Self-Therapy by Jay Earley. The book is about complete step-by-step instructions on how to do the method of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy model to yourself, with a partner, or with a therapist.


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## JH1983

Best series I've read this year without a doubt. Or listened to anyway I guess. When I actually look forward to getting to work so I can listen to a book I know it's a good one. Discovered this series from a random reddit comment.


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## either/or

I've read some of his other stuff and it's pretty good. He usually has very original takes on pop culture. I find the angles he views things at to be very interesting. His book on the 90s was really good.


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## AshtrayedHeart

These 3. I'm doing them by sections. 5 main sections of Decline, 4 main parts of Schopenhauer, and currently starting Hawking.

About 430 pages into Decline, 270 pages into Schopenhauer, and 20 pages into Hawking. 

I was hoping to start reading Marcel Proust again soon too. Probably after Schopenhauer. I probably need to read part 2 of Will and representation at some point too.


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## JH1983




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## either/or

These two


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## Doubl3




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## Folded Edge

Isaac Asimov - Foundation and Empire


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## Jenna

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon


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## either/or




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## Pechorin

😅
















Sorry for the weird sizes of the images I've pulled from Google!


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## alwaystooquiet

_Let That Sh*t Go_ by Monica Sweeney.


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## either/or




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