# What book are you reading right now?



## Elendil3119

I'm currently reading LotR (again ) and The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. What about you guys?


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## Talierin

Something Rich and Strange by Patricia McKillip. Next up is The Changling Sea by McKillip.


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## Anamatar IV

I WAS reading Hiroshima but I lost the book.

So I am reading the fellowship of the ring again.


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## Celebthôl

well i have to admit i am again reading The Lord Of The Rings, im now on The Fellowship...


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## Dragon

the skies of pern by anne mccaffrey....the last book in the series.....so far n e ways


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## FoolOfATook

Right now, I'm re-reading _The Two Towers_, and I'm reading about three different books of analysis of the films of Stanley Kubrick, and since I just finished (about 2 hours ago) _Red Dragon_ by Thomas Harris, and my school's library's copy of _The Silence of the Lambs_ is checked out, I'm looking for a new book to read that I don't have to think too much about. I'm leaning towards something by either Douglas Adams or Rudyard Kipling (short stories) right now...


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## Wolfshead

I'm reading _Closing Time_ just now, well, obviously not _right_ now, but you know what I mean  It's the sequel to _Catch-22_ by Joseph Heller.

And I recently finished _The Winter King_ by Bernard Cornwell. It's a novel of Arthur, incredibly good, I have the second part, _Enemy Of God_ lined up for when I finish _Closing Time_. Then I have the 5th part of _The Mallorean_ to read. So many books, so little time 

FoolOfATook: Did you enjoy _Red Dragon_? I got about half way through a while ago, but I wasn't enjoying it. I think it's Harris' style. I got bored of _Black Sunday_ as well. But I saw the old _Red Dragon_ film, and it was very good.


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## GuardianRanger

The Atlas of Tolkien's Middle Earth by Karen Wynn Fonstad.

I just started it....having just finished the Silmarillion


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## FoolOfATook

I actually liked _Red Dragon_ far more than I expected to. I thought it was a cut above (no pun intended) most serial killer/police procedural novels that I've read. I didn't think Harris's style was exceptional, but it wasn't too offensive.

I ultimately decided to read Neil Gaiman's _American Gods_, a book which I've been procastinating about reading for something like 18 months now. I'm about 50 pages into it, and it's pretty good so far.


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## Shiprah

I am reading The Two Towers. Sadly I have never read it.


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## FREEDOM!

Curretnly I'm reading "Shaddow Warriors" by Tom Clancy.


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## Courtney

I am re-reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. It is one of my favorite books. I just finished reading The Least of These My Bretheren. I forget who wrote that, but it was really good. I cried.


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## spirit

lotr...ttt
very good


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## Goldberry

Red Branch by Morgan Llywellen. It's very good, based on the Irish legendary warrior Cuchulain.


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## spirit

cool.
has any1 read harry potter?
they are basically copies of lotr...but in a shorter and junkier version

**Edited by Tal**Please refrain from cussing, thanks**


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## tookish-girl

Yes, I've read all of the Harry Potter books. They're very funny books. Not junk at all, they're only junk when you compare them to Lord of the Rings. 
Which is like comparing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Great Expectations.

Anyway, I've just finished Catch-22 which is one of my favourites (very pleased to hear it has a sequel!) And now I'm reading Scarlet and Black by Stendhal.


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## Wolfshead

I couldn't say how good _Closing Time_ is, I'm only a few chapters in. Some people say it's rubbish, while others so it's as good as the original. We shall see.


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## Frodorocks

I'm currently reading TTT and Treasure Island. Treasure Island has a good storyline, but Stevenson's writing stlye's a little bland for my taste. Oh, and I'm reading Life, The Universe, and Everything. It's amazing how much more understandable it is the second time around. *Cackles over her library of books *


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## Arvedui

Currently, I am reading 'The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two' 
(And to believe I once thought the Silmarillion was hard, wow). 
Still, I will recommend it to all who haven't read it yet.


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## Sam_Gamgee

Right now im finishing my re read of LOTR im at the palantir.....
then i was gonna read the sil... and then im not sure


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## Wolfshead

> _Originally posted by Frodorocks _
> *I'm currently reading TTT and Treasure Island. Treasure Island has a good storyline, but Stevenson's writing stlye's a little bland for my taste. *


Have you see The Muppet Treasure Island? A great film, not as good as A Muppet Christmas Carol, but still great.


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## Jesse

Right now I'm reading "The Fellowship of the Ring". My mom has the original 1967 version with the map included in the back.


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## Wolfshead

> _Originally posted by FoolOfATook _
> *I didn't think Harris's style was exceptional, but it wasn't too offensive. *


 I didn't find it offensive, his style just didn't interest me for some reason. I couldn't say why.


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## Frodorocks

I have seen muppet Treasure Island.


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## Thorin

> _Originally posted by Arvedui _
> *Currently, I am reading 'The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two'
> (And to believe I once thought the Silmarillion was hard, wow).
> Still, I will recommend it to all who haven't read it yet. *



Isn't the "Fall of Gondolin" a fantastic chapter? What a hair-raising adventure that is!

I am reading a book called "The Outfit" which details the rise of gangsterism in Chicago from the early century to today. I've read alot on the New York mob, but I was not fully informed on the Chicago mob. It is amazing how they controlled the White House from Franklin Roosevelt to Kennedy. The Truman presidency was so mob-connected it is incredible. Very corrupt politics back in the 30s and 40s all the way to the top. It is a great read.

Just finished "The Summons" by John Grisham as well. It was pretty good as far as Grisham goes, but it ain't like reading a good Stephen King novel or a Tom Clancy thriller.


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## Jon

just finished Pelerandra by CS Lewis, and im reading LotR (only the second time!), Escape from Khatmandu by Kim Stanley Robinson (its a light hearted kinda fantasy-travel ish book); and im about to start South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami, which I`ve read before but i love.

also i like reading graphic novels: Ive just finished Ghostworld by Daniel Clowes (I think) - which is fantastic - and a graphic version of Guards Guards! by Terry Pratchett (cant remember the guy who actually drew the book). also want to start The Blue Lotus by Herge.

also in college as im doing english lit. i have to read books for it so im supposed to be reading Othello, Pride and Prejudice, The Color Purple, not to mention some poems..

so hmmm i think im reading a lot. actually, until i wrote this list i hadnt realised how much im reading. its quite impressive really..


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## Jon

also forgot to mention another book - CS Lewis collected Essays and Stories - which im reading but not, like, cover to cover


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## FoolOfATook

Wow, another English Major. Does the C.S. Lewis essay collection include any of his literature essays? I think that "On Stories" is pretty brillant.


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## Jon

yes it does, i liked it too. i think the book pretty much contains all his essays.
have you read `the dark tower` by the same author?

english major? actually im not doing that yet. what we call `college` here (UK) is the stage just before `college` in the US.
What you call college we call university (or uni for short). so what im doing now is trying to get to university (or college as you call it).

i might do an english `major` if i get to uni, but im not sure yet.


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## FoolOfATook

I thought you people spoke English over there... 

I'm actually a student in both a college and a university. In America, a university is made up of several colleges, so I'm a student of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, in North Carolina State University.

When you get to university, you definitely should major in English. Because English Majors rule. 

I haven't read "The Dark Tower" yet, but I'm planning to. I'm going to read Lewis's Space Trilogy over Spring Break, and after that I'm going to try to read "Dark Tower" and some of his other fiction.


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## FREEDOM!

I have to read "the miracle Worker" for english. I hate it.


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## Elbereth

I'm currently reading "The Lays of Beleriand"


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## Wolfshead

> _Originally posted by FREEDOM! _
> *I have to read "the miracle Worker" for english. I hate it. *


 We had to watch the film of that about 3 or 4 years ago, in black and white. The words I shall use to describe it are, not and good.


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## Zale

Right now I'm on "A Shadow On The Glass", by Iain Irvine. I'll go through the whole quartet ("The View From The Mirror") and then I'll read "Chronicles Of The Raven" by James Barclay.


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## FoolOfATook

Hoom. My grand plans to spend Spring Break reading C.S. Lewis fell apart when I picked up a paperback copy of Stephen King's _Dreamcatcher_ at the grocery store on Monday. I've been tearing through that for the past few days. It's not bad at all. Not as good as, say _The Stand_, but better than a lot of his novels (_The Tommyknockers, The Dark Half, Cujo_) No idea what I'll read next.


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## Flame of Udûn

Just finished _The Silmarillion_. Am now reading _The Silver Hand_ by Stephen Lawhead, then _Crossroads of Twilight_ by Robert Jordan. I am also reading _Deucalion_, _Day of the Triffids_, _Castle of Otranto_, _Frankenstein_ and _Turn of the Screw_ for school.
Oh, and I read _The Interplanetary Trilogy_ and _Till we have Faces_ by Lewis a few weeks ago.


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## Rhiannon

Right now I'm reading _Lost in a Good Book_ by Jasper Fforde, the sequal to _The Eyre Affair_, and loving it. Also reading vol. I of Manchester's _The Last Lion_ (biography of Winston Churchill), which is very interesting but slow-going, as well as kinda-sorta reading _The Kin: Suth's Story_ by Peter Dickinson and _Biting the Sun_ by Tanith Lee (meaning I started them, but haven't picked up either one in the past few days because I got distracted by other things). 

I just finished reading _The House of the Scorpion_ by Nancy Farmer last night, and _The Speed of Dark_ by Elizabeth Moon a few days ago.

I also read three Daredevil trade paperbacks that my brother brought home with him, but I forget which ones.


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## e.Blackstar

I am reading (again) Magic Steps by Tamora Pierce

I will have to re-read The two princesses of Barreme(sp) for book report


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## Rhiannon

> I will have to re-read The two princesses of Barreme(sp) for book report



I think it's Bamarre, but I'm too lazy to go check. I didn't like it as well as some of her other books.

I'm still slogging through _The Last Lion_; after a brief sabbatical I made fifty pages of headway in the car yesterday. No progress on _Suth's Story_ or _Biting the Sun_, but I've started _Black Swan, White Rave_, a short story anthology, and _The Friendly Persuasion_, by Jessamyn West. I also read a couple of fluffy chick-lit mysteries, which my ego will not allow me to name, and finished _Lost in a Good Book_.


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## legolasismine

I'm reading:
_Two Princesses Of Bamerre
The Two Towers
The Diary Of Cleopatra the 7th
The Diary Of Amber Billows
The Holecost_(sp?)


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## LegolasLuver

im reading

The Fellowship of the Ring
A Walk to Remember

and thats it i think


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## Frodorocks

Oooh, I've read Magic Steps and some other books by Pierce. They were good. Right now i'm reading Dune by Frank Herbert, and it's great, the best book in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre(and possibly any genre) that I've read since LotR. Check out my Dune thread in S&B.


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## elf boy

I am currently reading Debt of Honor by Tom Clancy. I have like 3 tolkien books I own that i still have to finish though...


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## Melko Belcha

Evermeet by Elaine Cunningham, then Ascendence by RA Salvatore.


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## Rhiannon

Last night I started _Ombria in Shadow_ by Patricia McKillip- I'm halfway through and I love. McKillip at her best; it also has a fantastic Kinuko Y. Craft cover.


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## Lomelinde

I am currently in the middle of:
re-reading TTT
re-reading The Bourne Identity
re-reading The Taming of the Shrew
re-reading The Secret Garden

some people say I do too many things at once...but I think it just adds spice


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## legolasismine

> _Originally posted by Lomelinde _
> *
> re-reading The Secret Garden
> *



I have read the secret garden beofre and I have the movie,I cried every time too,but I also read The Little Princess by(I believe but correct me if I'm wrong)Francis Hudgson Brunette I love her books,but I have the little princess movie too and I always cry at the end.


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## Rhiannon

I'm always reading multiple books. Always. Not happy otherwise. I finished _Ombria in Shadow_ and I am now working on _Black Swan, White Raven_, edited by Terry Windling & Ellen Datlow and _The Giver_ by Lois Lowry. I've also decided I really need to read some Virginia Woolf- we must have something by her somewhere in this house.

I just watched 'The Secret Garden' (the Hallmark movie) for the first time in forever last night (wow, it really was Colin Firth playing the adult Colin at the end!) and decided I needed to re-read the book- It's been *counts on fingers* eight years.


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## Scatha

LOTR, for the fifth time.


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## Kelonus

Im reading the Reurn of The King, which I'm almost done and I am also reading Barbarian Isle.


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## Talierin

Beauty by Robin McKinley, and slowly working my way through Mere Christianity by CS Lewis


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## FoolOfATook

I've been tearing through Richard Bachman's book _Roadwork_ this week, while also working through Stephen Jay Gould's _Tragedy and Triumph in Mudville_, while obsessively reading and re-reading T.S. Eliot's _The Waste Land_ and a lot of W.H. Auden (from whom I took my current...whatever one calls that little message above one's avatar.)


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## Ecthelion

I'm reading the Sillmarillion (1st time).


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## Rhiannon

I finished _The Giver_ last night; awesome book.


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## Wolfshead

I'm currently reading two books

Closing Time - Joseph Heller
and
Witches Abroad - Terry Pratchett

The really annoying thing is that with loads of school work I just don't have the time nowadays to read that often. Argh!


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## Rhiannon

> Witches Abroad - Terry Pratchett



One of my very favorite Pratchett's _and_ it has a Tolkien reference. What's not to love?


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## FREEDOM!

I have to read "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" for English. I wish i could just watch the movie!


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## Kementari

Right now I'm reading the New Testament...


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## Feanorian

I just got The Letters of JRR Tolkien even though its not a story its great information, I am re-reading The Prince by Machiavelli, and have started some of Aristotles' works. I am looking to buy all 10 books in HOME that I dont have.


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## Frodorocks

My English class just finished reading The Giver, and I think they all died, what do you think Rhiannon? Don't worry Freedom, after the first couple of chapters, 20,000 Leagues gets better. Verne's one of my favourite authors, what a genius.


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## Rhiannon

> _Originally posted by Frodorocks _
> *My English class just finished reading The Giver, and I think they all died, what do you think Rhiannon? *



I prefer to think that they lived, and I have read comments by Lois Lowry that while she left the ending ambiguous on purpose, she personally thinks that they lived too. I like that it's left up to the reader, though. I think they lived for personal reasons: I have got to have hope. I could hardly bear the ending of _Brave New World_ , and I had to ask my brother how _Farenheit 451_ ended before I would finish it. 

Last night I started _Gathering Blue_ by Lois Lowry, the 'companion' book to _The Giver_, and enjoying it very much- I understand her next book will link the two and I'm looking forward to it. 



> I just got The Letters of JRR Tolkien even though its not a story its great information



I just got that the other day too, and my dad got a big kick out of Tolkien's comments on Zimmerman's movie storyline (from way back when). My dad is very anti-LOTR-movies.


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## Rhiannon

Let's see; I finished _Gathering Blue_ and enjoyed it a lot, but it didn't touch me the same way _The Giver_ did- I can't put my finger on why, though. I also finished re-reading _Jane Eyre_ by Charlotte Bronte (I love it so much more now than when I first read it; I blaim that unhappy first-reading on the Introduction, which mentioned the existence of a certain character, assuming I already knew the plot, took away all the suspense and ruined things for me. Also Jane herself really annoyed me, but she doesn't now. I see the error of my interpretive ways), and am now a little more than half-way through Manchester's _The Last Lion_. I've also been reading issue #4 of The Readerville Journal, and because of one of its reviews I got _Sixpence House_ by Paul Collins today, which I am fifty pages into and absolutely loving. I'm also a good ways into _Tamsin_ by Peter S. Beagle, which I started last night and like very much (though I have a very low freak-out level for the supernatural, so it's a daylight-hours-only book).


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## FoolOfATook

> I could hardly bear the ending of Brave New World , and I had to ask my brother how Farenheit 451 ended before I would finish it.



I can't imagine _Brave New World_ ending any other way- or are you the type of reader who gets caught up with the characters more than the plot? Not that there's anything wrong with that.


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## MacAddict

Right now I'm reading this post  .



~MacAddict


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## Ol'gaffer

Kalevala

And I just finished The Crucible


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## Arvedui

New week, new book:
Right now it is "Goose Green - a battle is fought to be won" by Mark Adkin.

Highly Recommended!!


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## Niniel

I am currently busy reading as many of Tolkien's works as I can, so right now I'm reading the Book of Lost Tales 1.


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## Rhiannon

> I can't imagine Brave New World ending any other way- or are you the type of reader who gets caught up with the characters more than the plot? Not that there's anything wrong with that.



I am- I get attached to characters, and how much I love a book is wrapped up in them. And no, Brave New World really couldn't have ended any other way, but I could still hardly bear it.


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## Gandalf White

I just finished Jane Eyre, and for some reason I loved it. I _had_ to read it because of some College-bound Reading List thingy, but it was actually pretty good.


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## Thorin

Right now I'm reading a book called "Mafia Kingfish". It is about the rise of Carlos Marcello who was mafia boss of the New Orleans crime family. It also focuses much of the book on the fact that he was involved with the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Now before anyone criticizes me for being some sort of conspiracy buff, this book lays out some pretty convincing information from very reliable sources, including political, government and mob sources from the time. These resources aren't hidden or exclusive either. Many have been made public and just ignored. The book points out the HUGE flaws of the FBI in withholding and burying information. It also shows the lengths of ignorance Hoover went to to ignore not only key witnesses, but incriminating and convincing evidence that came through his desk and how much he covered up to save his and the FBI's reputation. It also shows the flaws of the Warren Commission and much evidence that the Commission didn't even see because J.Edgar Hoover with held and buried it.

IMO, no matter who or what conspiracy one believes might have occured in the assassination of JFK, you'd have to be a complete idiot to believe that Oswald did it alone and Jack Ruby killed him out of "patriotism". This book shows how deep both Oswald and Ruby were connected to Carlos Marcello and who had the most to gain with Kennedy dead and the most to lose with Kennedy alive.

A great, and exhaustive non-tabloid book.


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## BlackCaptain

Right now im on the Alakalabeth of the Silmarillion. This stuff is great.


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## Anamatar IV

_Lays of Beleriand_ History of Middle-earth volume three.

Lay of the Children of Hurin. It's a good book but I wouldn't read it until you read Book of Lost Tales II.


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## legolasismine

I'm such a bookacholic, I bought five books in one day, and so far there all really good!

_Artemis Fowl_

_The Call Of The Wild_

_Just Ella_

_The Diary Of Princess Elenora_

_The Upatairs Room_

And cute little book marks for all of them, and it all costed me $23!


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## Rhiannon

La la la, the thirteen books I bought at the library sale today only cost me $10....Though I was about ready to really start knocking down some of those people, especially the woman who snatched a Susan Cooper book right out from under my nose *mutters sulkily* They kept giving me funny looks, too. Like crawling around on the floor to get at the stacks of books was weird, or something. 

_Just Ella_ is very good; I know I've read _Call of the Wild_, but I can't tell you for sure what I thought about it because I always get it mixed up with _White Fang_ (I think I liked White Fang better, but I don't know for sure). I haven't read the others. 

I'm halfway through _Sixpence House_ and loving it; Highly recommended to all bibliophiles and lovers of eclectic, useless trivia.


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## Courtney

I just finished reading Keep the Aspidistra Flying by George Orwell, and I am now reading Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (my favorite author of all time!), and MacBeth (for school). And it was weird because the title "Something Wicked this Way Comes" is actually a line in MacBeth. "By the pricking of my thumbs/something wicked this way comes." or something like that. Pretty weird, eh?


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## Wolfshead

> _Originally posted by legolasismine _
> *The Diary Of Princess Elenora*


 That wouldn't have anything to do with the TV series _Sir Gadabout_ would it? King Artur's daughter is called Princess Elenora. However, I suspect it isn't...

Currently reading _Witches Abroad_ by Terry Pratchett, then going to move onto _Knights Of Dark Renown_ by David Gemmell.


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## gilgalad

> _Originally posted by legolasismine _
> *I'm such a bookacholic, I bought five books in one day, and so far there all really good!
> 
> Artemis Fowl
> 
> *



I've met the guy who wrote that book. For anyone who doesn't know his name is Eoin Colfer. He lives in a place called Wexford, about three and a half hours from where i live. He was in my school during our "Arts Week" giving a talk. He's really funny. My English teacher gave him some of my essays and the guy gave me the name of his publishers straight away! I was so delighted.

At the moment I'm reading a few things: Sauron Defeated (HoME vol. 9), David Eddings' "The Tamuli" and Homer's The Odyssey.

The Odyssey is excellant, anyone who is a fan of Tolkien should read it as (IMO) there are an awful lot of ME events that can be seen to be inspired by it.


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## Wolfshead

> _Originally posted by gilgalad _
> *David Eddings' "The Tamuli"*


 How would you rank that? As good as The Belgariad and The Mallorean? I have a couple of them waiting in a mass of books to read, and naturally, I'm curious as to what other people think about them.


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## gilgalad

I haven't read the mallorean or the Belgariad (too many other things waiting to be read) but the Tamuli is nowhere near as good as the Elenium, if you've read that.

For a real top class series, try the sword of truth books by Terry goodkind. Brilliant.


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## Wolfshead

No, I haven't read the Elenium yet, but I shall before I read the Tamuli. And you should read those two I mentioned - they're superb.

I shall try Terry Goodkind at some stage, again, it's a case of so much to read, so little time. And while we are recommending, I shall add David Gemmell - probably the best writer of heroic fantasy out there, simply superb!


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## gilgalad

I've never actually tried Gemmell for some reason. I guess with that kind of recommendation id better read some of his books. Have you read Raymond E. Feist?


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## Aglarthalion

I'm currently reading *Goldfinger* by Ian Fleming.


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## Wolfshead

> _Originally posted by gilgalad _
> *I've never actually tried Gemmell for some reason. I guess with that kind of recommendation id better read some of his books. Have you read Raymond E. Feist? *


 You should read Gemmell, definately. Be careful not to pick a pick that's in a middle of a series to start off with - that's quite easy to do with him. I've read, let's see, 5 or 6 David Gemmell books, and so far, they've all be great. So, you can't really go wrong 

And I haven't read Feist either, again, it's a case of never having gotten round to it. I said a while ago that I'd move onto him once I finished The Wheel Of Time, but I'm still waiting for the library to get the 6th part of that in for me...


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## legolasismine

> _Originally posted by gilgalad _
> *I've met the guy who wrote that book. For anyone who doesn't know his name is Eoin Colfer. He lives in a place called Wexford, about three and a half hours from where i live. He was in my school during our "Arts Week" giving a talk. He's really funny. My English teacher gave him some of my essays and the guy gave me the name of his publishers straight away! I was so delighted. *




Wow that is so great, I have never met any authors well except for Rowling I met her she was nice but we didn't talk for long she just signed my book and asked me if I saw the movie and what I thought of the first two books, that was it, but I've never met any other one's I liked, but you are so lucky too have met him!


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## Wolfshead

I haven't _met_ an author. Actually, now I think of it, I have, several years ago but I can't remember who the author was. What I was going to say was that a year ago I found a mistake on the Amazon.co.uk synopsis for Gallow's Thief by Bernard Cornwell (of Sharpe and Warlord Chronicles fame). So I emailed him via his website, and then he sent me a signed hardback copy of the book as thanks! I was well chuffed, understandably


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## Idril

I'm reading the third part of The Elenium. Actually, my husband read the first one then he started to read me the second book - so now I have to go backwards and read the Diamond Throne as well as reading Sapphire Rose. I'm really enjoying this series.


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## Thindraug_2

I'm reading many books right now well there's daughts of the Moon: night shade, daughts of the Moon: book 1, the fellowship of the ring, Smallville: Strange visitor, and lord of the rings: movie guide. I have been reading alot.


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## Rhiannon

I enjoyed Feist, but not enough to read the whole series; the first three were enough. 

Meeting authors...I met Brian Jacques, author of the Redwall series, several years ago, and I spoken (through online reading groups) to Patricia McKillip (The Riddlemaster Trilogy, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld), Robin McKinley (The Hero and the Crown, The Blue Sword, Beauty), and Elizabeth Moon (The Deed of Paksennarion).

*edit* Patricia Wrede (The Enchanted Forest Chronicles) also visited.


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## Talierin

I've met Brian Jacques (Redwall), James Gurney (Dinotopia), and Gail Carson Levine (Ella Enchanted, Two Princesses of Bamare), and me grandma  (mile by mile guides to all the tourist railroads in colorado)


On the last book of the Archives of Anthropos now (they're a lot like Narnia, which they were modelled after)... next up is a whole bunch of Stephen Lawhead books, and an 'autobiography' of Long John Silver.


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## Kementari

Im still reading the New Testament and Im also reading through Unfinnished tales again.

I LOVE Artemis Fowl, those books are so incredibly funny, their fantastic!!!

Eoin Colfer, Brain Jacques, and Patrica McKillip are all great authors, your so lucky to have got to meet and talk with them!


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## Rhiannon

> next up is a whole bunch of Stephen Lawhead books



Yaaaaay, Lawhead rules! Which ones are you reading?



> Eoin Colfer, Brain Jacques, and Patrica McKillip are all great authors, your so lucky to have got to meet and talk with them!



I didn't meet McKillip in person: she visited Readerville.com for the YA Reading Group's discussion of her Riddlemaster Trilogy last December to answer questions, and was a great guest: you can read back over the discussion here if you're interested- R'ville is a great thing, especially for people living in cultural vaccummes, like me. </Readerville plug>

I finished Sixpence House yesterday, and immediately wished I hadn't read it so quickly because I didn't want it to be over. 

I'm halfway done with Tamsin, and contemplating what to read next: I have a ton of books borrowed from people that I should be reading, including The Friendly Persuasion for my book group, but I think I'll probably end up reading Winter Rose by McKillip next. 

Speaking of, does anyone know of a list anywhere of which McKillip's have Kinuko Y. Craft cover art? I've been collecting them, and I think I might have them all now (!). 

And this afternoon I read a cute little childrens book that I picked up at the library book sale called Trouble With Dragons; about 80 pages with nice illustrations, a nice dose of random fairy tale cuteness.


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## Talierin

Uhh, Dreamthief, Avalon, and some series about Nin (I think)... haven't started any yet


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## Rhiannon

The Nin series isn't Lawhead at his best; very disappointing compared to his other work. I haven't read Avalon (but I have it) or Dreamthief yet. My favorites by him are Taliesin and The Celtic Crusades Trilogy.


----------



## FoolOfATook

After finishing W.P. Kinsella's _Shoeless Joe_ (which was the basis for the film _Field of Dreams_), a novel that includes the novelist J.D. Salinger as a character, I, naturally, found myself needing to re-read some Salinger. Since I pretty much know [The Catcher In the Rye[/I] inside and out, I decided to re-read _Nine Stories_, and after I finish it, I'll probably go back and read _Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction_ again.

I haven't met many authors- I had a writers' workshop with the poet Jeffrey Beam once, and I've met Clyde Edgerton, but they are both local North Carolina authors, and I doubt that many people outside of the region have ever heard of them. I met Nick Meglin, who writes and edits MAD Magazine once, when he gave a speach on campus. I've had several profs who have published books, but I've only read one of them.


----------



## gilgalad

Has anyone ever heard of John B. Keane? He died just recently and was one of Ireland's most celebrated playwrights, poets, observers and several other things to do with the english language.

He lived just about half an hour away from where I do so I met him a couple of times.

His most famous works would have included The Field (made into a movie), Sive and Big Maggie.


----------



## MacAddict

*What am I reading now?*

I'm reading The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, its pretty cool.


~MacAddict


----------



## The-Elf-Herself

I'm struggling through The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. It's very interesting and fun, it's just taking a long time to read, nasty tiny print.


----------



## tookish-girl

I'm trying to get through Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf. My word, it's hard going, I've never read anything like it (and not in a good way!) It's so hard to get into and there's so little to actually keep your attention. I will persist, I might love it by the time I've finished it or it she might get on my list of authors who are completely irritating and should never have even picked up a pen (Thomas Hardy being at the top!)


----------



## Courtney

currently reading: Winter of Fire, by Sherryl Jordan
I bought it at a book fair in 7th grade, and you can tell how much I love it by the yellowing pages and crackled edges...


----------



## Rhiannon

I finished _Tamsin_ by Peter S. Beagle (it was excellent), and then I tried to start _Winter Rose_ by Patricia McKillip, and the beginning was wonderful, but it wasn't what I needed. I ended up burning through four Stephanie Plum mysteries in as many days (pure biblio-crack; they make me laugh, and they don't require the use of any braincells), and yesterday I started re-reading _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_; I've haven't read it since it first came out, and I've forgotten pretty much everything, so I figured I'd better read them all again before the next book comes out (if it ever comes out...and even when it does I'll be the last person in the house to get it, but oh well. It's my younger siblings that are the drooling, frothing HP fans).

Courtney, _Winter of Fire_ sounds familiar, but I can't place it. What's it about?


----------



## CelebrianTiwele

Well, I just finished Sutter's Cross. I will warn you rite now. don't read it. It is incredibly boring except for like the last 20 pages. I want to read the 'in Death' series by Nora Roberts but my evil stepmom won't let me. Ah well, must find other book. Maybe I should read 'Holes' before getting dragged to the movie.


----------



## Talierin

I'm now reading Long John Silver, by Bjorn something-swedish... it's an "autobiography" of Silver, quite interesting so far!


And I think I've read Winter of Fire.... did Sherryl Jordan also write The Raging Quiet? If so, I think I've read Fire too...


----------



## Eliot

On Friday, I finished _Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War_ by Mark Bowden. Very good. I'm re-reading _The Lord of the Rings_ the third time through, and after that, I'll start (don't shoot me) _Mein Kampf (My Struggle)_ by Adolf Hitler.

I'll eventually start _How Few Remain_ by Harry Turtledove, and _1984_ by George Orwell.


----------



## Rhiannon

Turtledove, there's a name I recognize. My brother discovered him recently - I'll have to pick up one of his sometime soon.


----------



## Zale

Having just finished Asimov's "I, Robot" (BUY! READ! NOW!), I'm reading "Inquisition" by Anselm Audley. He's at the same college as my sister!


----------



## Aglarthalion

I am now reading _The Time Machine_ by H. G. Wells, upon reccomendation of my father.


----------



## Lantarion

I read _1984_ a while ago.. It's truly magnificent, though it's really disturbing as well..
We have to read a book for Finnish class, called _Seitsemän veljestä_ ("Seven brothers").. It's pretty humorous, and written in quite an old dialect of Finnish; but it is considered to be one of the jewels of Finnish literature. It's actually not bad, but the language sort of gets to you if you read too much at once.. 
Still it's nowhere near as wierd as the _Kalevala_, which I have told myself I am going to read from front to back during the summer vacation. 
I really want to read "Richard III" by Shakespeare, it seems very complex and cunning. Maybe I'll read that next..
But I also want to read the BoLT 1 and 2! And I should re-read _Animal Farm_.. Aargh!


----------



## Thindraug_2

Has anyone read the fever


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by Lantarion _
> *I read 1984 a while ago.. It's truly magnificent, though it's really disturbing as well..
> 
> ....And I should re-read Animal Farm.. Aargh!
> *



I'll eventually get to _Animal Farm_. My list of books I want to read is endless...


----------



## FoolOfATook

_Blackhawk Down_ is an extraordinary book. If I could only remember the author's name... He did a marvelous piece about the Husseins in _Atlantic Monthly_ a few months back. (Yes, I'm part of that East Coast Literati that reads AM and _The New Yorker_ and worships Bloom. )

Pretty much anything by Orwell is worth reading.


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by FoolOfATook _
> *Blackhawk Down is an extraordinary book. If I could only remember the author's name...*



His name is Mark Bowden.


----------



## FoolOfATook

Bowden. That's it. Anyway Eliot, here's the story I was talking about it. I think that you'll appreciate it. 

http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/05/bowden.htm


----------



## FREEDOM!

I just got done reading "Shaddow Warriors". RangerDave, You should read it.


----------



## Rhiannon

> My list of books I want to read is endless...



Ditto that- as the resident YARG goddess CK likes to say, 'Must. Read. Faster!'


----------



## FoolOfATook

> I really want to read "Richard III" by Shakespeare, it seems very complex and cunning. Maybe I'll read that next..



"Was ever woman in such humour wooed?
Was ever woman in such humour won?
I'll have her, but I will not keep her long."

I absolutely love _Richard III_. If you have a chance, read the entire Henriad (_Richard II, Henry IV parts 1_ and _2_ and _Henry V_) as well.


----------



## Lantarion

_Now is the winter of our discontent 
Made glorious summer by this son of York; 
And all the clouds that lowered upon our house 
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried._ 

I've actually read a little bit of it; and I just saw "Looking for Richard" with Al Pacino, which is great.


----------



## Beleg

Sabrina the Teenage Witch, LOL.


----------



## Rhiannon

Has anyone here read The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde? It takes place in an alternate universe that is obsessed with books, Shakespeare in particular, and there's a wonderful scene at a theatre where Richard III is performed every week; the director auditions people from the audience half an hour before the show, and everyone has the play memorized, and joins in for the battle, etc., and shout out additional lines. "WHEN IS THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT?" "NOW is the winter of our discontent..."


----------



## e.Blackstar

I am reading Conquerers' Pride by Timothy Zahn. Excellent book


----------



## Elbereth

Well...I have just finished "the Lays of Beleriand"...and since I don't have a new Tolkien book to continue on my Middle earth journey...I have opted to read my copy of Socrates, "The Aedipus Cycle". 

I read this book in college...but couldn't give it full attention that it deserved because I had six other classes that semester ended up skimming much of it for the sake of time constraints. But so far I am enjoying it. I'm sure it will be an easy and quick read for me. At least I hope so...because I am excited about moving onto my next Tolkien book in the series.


----------



## FoolOfATook

-whispers- Sophocles, not Socrates-


----------



## Arvedui

Well, after finishing 'Goose Green,' I am now reading a book called 'The Peoples of Middle-earth.' It is written by this person called Christopher Tolkien. Maybe some of you have heard of him? 
A rather good book, actually. But it takes some time to get into it.


----------



## Lhunithiliel

I have just finished HoMe-3 - The Lays of Beleriand. Now every though I have, every sentence I make ... it comes out in rhymes! 

I am now plunging into next vlume - The Shaping of the ME. It promisses to be even more interesting!

Hey, BTW, what's the purpose of this thread?
We could at least share opinions on what we're reading, right?


----------



## Elbereth

> _Originally posted by FoolOfATook _
> *-whispers- Sophocles, not Socrates-
> 
> 
> *



*turns bright red*

My god, that is bad. You are absolutely right. My only excuse is that I was very tired last night.


----------



## Rhiannon

I had to figure out what you meant, Elbereth, because I've always seen it written as 'Oedipus'. I haven't read the other two, but I absolutely love _Antigone_. Once you've read Sophocles' play, you must read Jean Anouilh's- It was written during the German occupation of France, and is wonderful. I was costume mistress for an HS production of it last year (v. fun).


----------



## Courtney

I loved Antigone! Those are some of the few plays I actually enjoy reading.


----------



## Eliot

Well, I just finished _Animal Farm_ this morning, and it was very good. I'm serious. I'm still working my way through _The Fellowship of the Ring_, I'm a little over half-way through it.


----------



## Courtney

EEEEE!!!!! I loved Animal Farm too!!! Isn't it wonderful when you find out that there are other people who enjoy the same books as you???  Orwell is another one of my all-time favorite authors. Have you ever read 1984, or Keep the Aspidistra Flying? That one was my favorite.


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by Courtney _
> *EEEEE!!!!! I loved Animal Farm too!!! Isn't it wonderful when you find out that there are other people who enjoy the same books as you??? *


 Yes, it is actually. 8^) 



> _Originally posted by Courtney _
> *Orwell is another one of my all-time favorite authors. Have you ever read 1984, or Keep the Aspidistra Flying? That one was my favorite. *



I plan on starting _1984_ sometime later this evening, and I'm not sure what _Keep the Aspidistra Flying_ is about. I might get it from my library.


----------



## Aragorn*9

Well right now I'm reading "Two Towers" by.. we all know who! "The Rescue" by Nicholas Sparks and "Speechless" by Steven Curtis Chapman


----------



## Wolfshead

I'm currently reading _Lord Foul's Bane_ by Stephen Donaldson, it's the first in the _Thomas Covenant Chronicles_. I'm not too sure about it - the main character is a leper and he has recently raped a young women. Maybe I'm just odd, but normally I don't like the hero doing that kind of thing. Plus the name of the bad guy is incredibly lame - Lord Foul The Despiser  

Anyway, I'll finish it, despite those negative aspects, it hasn't been a _bad_ story so far.


----------



## lossenandunewen

at the moment i'm reading "Last of the Crazy People" by great canadian author, Timothy Findley. none of his novels have dissapointed me yet


----------



## FoolOfATook

Right now I'm reading a lot of poetry- Robert Browning, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, W.B. Yeats, John Keats- stuff like that. Plus I'm reading Alan Moore's graphic novel _From Hell_, which is pretty insanely awesome so far.


----------



## gilgalad

WB Yeats' poetry is top class FOAT, isn't it? Seamas Heaney is my favourite poet, thank God he's on the English course over here!


----------



## FoolOfATook

Yeats is incredible. I haven't read much Heaney, mostly because my literary mentor despises him. Not the best reason, I suppose...


----------



## gilgalad

Heaney is excellant, you (as you know yourself, im sure) shouldn't let narrow minded people hinder your appreciation of poetry, although I can't understand how anyone could despise someone who could write a poem like "Sunlight".


----------



## Rhiannon

I've only read a little Heaney, but I really liked it (I can't read poetry in large doses). We have his translation of Beowulf, which I will eventually get through


----------



## Eliot

Wow. _1984_ is harder to read then I expected.  I'm only a little bit through it, so I'll finish _The Fellowship of the Ring_ first, then continue it (_1984_) later.


----------



## tookish-girl

Definitely stick at 1984, it's so great, it makes alot more sense if you get through all the Newspeak glossaries!

By the way, Heaney? Heaney is so annoying, I had to do him in High School and I find his poems about digging peat and walking in muddy fields completely tedious. He isn't a patch on Keats or Robert Browning (Porphyria's Lover -)

Gave up completely on Mrs Dalloway, merrily going through Dr Zhivago now!


----------



## Eliot

Just finished _The Fellowship of the Ring_ a few hours ago. I was pretty disappointed, because I promised myself I'd finish _1984_ first, right after _FOTR_. Oh well. From what I hear from many people, I'll really like _1984_. I guess I'll have to wait to start _The Two Towers_.


----------



## Thindraug_2

Now I'm reading _Be Good Lady_ and _The Fellow ship of the ring_ Going to start reading _Fever 1?87_


----------



## Ol'gaffer

I've just finished reading Interview With A Vampire 
and The Vampire Lestat and I'm now starting Blackwood Farm


----------



## Thindraug_2

'Interview With A Vampire' Is a good movie how's the book?


----------



## Ol'gaffer

The movie was also great but the book is better. Go look at the movie thread, we're talking about it there.


----------



## FoolOfATook

Now it's the usual suspects in poetry (Eliot, Auden, Yeats, Keats, Donne), plus Stephen King short stories, from _Night Shift_ and _Skeleton Crew_, plus a little bit of short fiction by Hawthorne and Poe, to supplement the King reading.


----------



## Eliot

Wow. _1984_ was _so_ good.  I loved it. I'm starting _Treasure Island_ by R. L. Stevenson. It won't take too long to finish that, then I'll start _The Two Towers_.


----------



## Gil-Galad

Now I'm reading "In Cool Blood"by Truman Capote.I would say it a very interesting book,I do like Truman Capote's style of describing things and acts.


----------



## Lantarion

I'm reading a Finnish classic, called _Tulitikkuja lainaamassa_, which tells about how a pair of guys get drunk and lost on the way to borrow some matches.  Well, not quite, but that's the rough of it. The name means 'In the Process of Borrowing Matchsticks". 
Not that anybody here is ever going to read it; just wanted to mention it!


----------



## Elendil3119

Right now I'm reading _Robinson Crusoe_, by Daniel Defoe. It is a much deeper book than most novels, and is one of my newest fav. books.


----------



## 33Peregrin

I am reading HP, for the sisxth time. I haven't read it since I read LOTR four times, but have decided to read it again. Just to see.

I am also reading The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman, pretty good. 

I am also reading the Sil again (kind of) I was about half way through ist when my evil brother got rotten banana juice and peices all over it. I need to get another copy before I forget what I have read so far.

I just started The Great Gatsby for my English class.

Even with all of this..... I am longing to reread LOTR. It's all I want to do, everything reminds me of it. 
My parents want me to 'take a break.'
I probably won't read it till a lot later this year....
I have only read it once this year so far.


----------



## Rhiannon

I loved _The Amber Spyglass_, but by the third book in the trilogy the plot got submerged under Pullman's very anti-religious views, and I couldn't enjoy it. 

This week I read my first mystery in a while, _A Grave Talent_ by Laurie R. King; all right, but I didn't like it nearly as much at her Mary Russell books- and last night I finished _The Darkangel_, by Meredith Ann Price (I think). Wow. That was one of the most awesome books I've read in a while. I started the second book in the trilogy, _A Gathering of Gargoyles_ is afternoon and so far it to is awesome.


----------



## Wolfshead

> _Originally posted by Rhiannon _
> *I loved The Amber Spyglass, but by the third book in the trilogy the plot got submerged under Pullman's very anti-religious views, and I couldn't enjoy it*


 That is a great book, I loved it - so moving at the end, with Will and Lyra. I've gotta say that almost reduced me to tears, and that's quite something - I'm 16 and a guy.

I liked his religious opinions, I do think we could be better off without religion (anyone seen _The Second Coming_? Done by ITV, examined what life would be like if the aforementioned event happened now. Ended up with religion being ended). I might read _The Amber Spyglass_ again sometime soon - I'm older now, and I'll be able to examine his views more


----------



## Rhiannon

I _would_ have loved it, only I kind of felt like he abandoned the plot in order to make his religious points. As it was I felt attacked. It's perfectly all right for people to dislike religion, but I think Pullman takes it to extremes. In interviews he's said some pretty offensive things about Christianity, and he seems to particularly hate CS Lewis. That's OK, Robin McKinley doesn't like CS Lewis either, but Pullman is just so...I don't know, rabid about it. I loved His Dark Material up until that last book, though. I need to go back and read the first two. 

I finished _The Pearl of the Soul of the World_, the last book of the Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce last now. Wow. Excellent trilogy. The ending was one of those bitter sweet things, and I didn't _want_ a bitter sweet ending, so I am purging the last two chapters from my memory and replacing them with 'and everyone lived happily ever after'.


----------



## Eliot

In the midst of _The Two Towers_, and also reading _The Gladiator: The Secret History of Rome's Warrior Slaves_ by Alan Baker.


----------



## Devushka

Even though an elementary book, one I enjoy rereading often: Holes, by Louis Sachar. Wanted to get through it another time, also, before the movie came out.

Also Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Taming of the Shrew. 

Oh, and also trying to manage Fellowship of the Ring.


----------



## Thomas Baggins

Oh About a trillion books at the moment LOTR, ROTK being one of them alos i'm reading Caterbury tales too, *wicked hard to understand.* Anyway to many more to list so that's all I'll say.


----------



## FREEDOM!

I'm reading the newest Left Behind book now.


----------



## Rhiannon

Yesterday I finished _Watership Down_ in the car right before we hit the Alabama state line (and then I found a ten dollar bill in the rest stop parking lot). Great book- the awful animated movie traumatized me when I was little, so I put off reading it for a long time, and I had trouble getting in to it at the beginning- it took 100 pages for me to be interested in what happened to the rabbits- but I was very involved by the end. Also 'hrududu' is now a permanent part of my vocabulary. I brought something like 20 books on this trip with me (you never know what you're going to want to read) and I think next up I'll tackle _A Wizard of Earthsea_ by Ursula Le Guin, which also has a slow start- last time I started it but got distracted 20 pages in.


----------



## Eliot

I just finished Book Three of _The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers_ (the first half of TTT  ). It took me a while because I was busy, but I'll eventually finish it. 

Before I read Book Four, I'm going to finish _The Gladiator: The Secret History of Rome's Warrior Slaves_ by Alan Baker. From what I heard from my brother (who read it), it's really interesting.


----------



## *Lady Arwen*

I'm almost done with _The Seventh Tower: Above the Veil_, its a really good collection.


----------



## Elendil3119

I just finished _Farmer Giles of Ham_ and _Smith of Wooton Major_, both by Tolkien. Now I'm rereading The Sil, RotK, BoLT1, and also _The Manual of Christian Doctrine_, by Louis Berkhof.


----------



## FoolOfATook

I just finished the first two chapters of H.G. Wells' novel _The Time Machine_, a book on the long list of books that I've just never gotten around to reading. While I was at the library, I picked up the graphic novels _Supreme_ and _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_, both by Alan Moore, one of the most under-rated writers in recent memory, in my opinion. Perhaps because he picked a media that never will get the respect it deserves...


----------



## Eliot

I started reading _The Adventures of Tom Bombadil_ today. It's all right. I'm only in the beginning, though.

I hate to read a few books at a time, but I had to give in to the temptation.


----------



## Courtney

Oh gee. i haven't been on in a while! Well I read Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley, Animal Farm by George Orwell, and now I am finishing Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I love Animal Farm, but it makes me so sad. All I want is for the animals to be happy... and think of how well-off they could have been! Hot and cold water, and electricity in every stall! It makes me cry!


----------



## Rhiannon

> I read Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley



One of my most favorite books by one of my most favorite authors ever. Adore/worship/grovel etc. etc. Did you like it? *hopes very much that you did* I also love Austen, though I haven't managed to finish S&S- I was reading it during our move, and when we painted my room it got kicked under the bed and I only found it recently.

I finished _A Wizard of Earthsea_ by Ursula Le Guin, as well as _I Know This Much Is True_ by Wally Lamb- an interesting novel, if a little long and complicated (a lot of converging plots) to absorb in two days, and _The Squire's Tale_ by Gerald Morris, which was great fun. I tried to make a start on _Rebecca_ by Dauphne de M-something, but fifty pages in I started to feel very sick, and had to stop. So much for training myself to not to get car sick.


----------



## FoolOfATook

> . I tried to make a start on Rebecca by Dauphne de M-something,



Just watch the Hitchcock film. It's his only one that won best picture.


----------



## Rhiannon

I haven't seen the film (don't tell me _anything!_). I'm having trouble getting in to the book. The first person narrator doesn't have a name, for one thing. I find that this bothers me very much. And, as is my rule, I've gotten a solid 100 pages in, and decided that if I put the book down now, I will not spend the rest of my life wondering what happened to these people, because at the moment I don't particularly give a hoot about them. I'm going to persevere, though, because so many people have told me they love it. I think I'll start another novel on the side- either _The Road Home_, which I've been hearing lots and lots of wonderful things about, or do as my brother is urging and re-read _Taliesin_ and _Merlin_, and hopefully get around to reading the rest of the Pendragon Cycle.


----------



## Emma

Currently reading Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson and am eagerly awaiting book 4 of A Song of Ice and Fire series.


----------



## Courtney

I just finished reading Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton(I hope I spelled his name right) for about the 6th time. I love anthing and everything about dinosaurs... I always have. I used to want to be a paleontologist.

Now I am reading Invasion by Robin Cook (again) and The Eternal Champion by Michael Moorcock (again). I used to read a lot of Robin Cook's stuff, but now I don't really care for his writing style... It just annoys me...

About the Eternal Champion series, I know I have probably asked this before, but does anyone know anything about the last books in the series? There is a list inside the book I am reading now, with 15 books from the series, but I have never been able to find any past book 7 or 8. If anyone knows anything about them or where I could find them, I would really be grateful!!!


----------



## My_Precious

I am in the middle of "The Wishsong of Shannara", and started reading... "The Fellowship..."...yet again.


----------



## LegolasLuver

I just finished TTT and I started on RotK....


----------



## FoolOfATook

For my summer class, I'm reading a whole lot of John Donne. I'm also finishing up Stephen King's novel _Firestarter_.


----------



## Beleg

I am re-reading Jeffery Archer's Prodigal Daughter. IMHO he has better wit and writing style then King.


----------



## Rhiannon

> I am in the middle of "The Wishsong of Shannara"



That's one of the ones I liked- I tired of Shannara pretty quickly, but I liked the main character- was it Wren? It's been a few (five, six) years. Have you read Terry Brooks _Running with the Demon_?

I went away for the weekend, and got to spend four hours at a Half Price Books because my parents were going to a gun show (_bor_ing). I got a whole mess o' books (hb = hard back, tp = trade paper, mm = mass market):

_Antigone_ by Jean Anouilh (script) - I'm going to type up some excerpts from this, if no one objects. 

_Sophocles I - Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone_ by Sophocles (mm)

John Donne - Selected Poems (Thrift tp) - Love that Donne.

_The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories_ by Angela Carter (tp) - I have it already- excellent, dark, scary, gothic, atmospheric fairy tale retellings- but I got another copy to lend out. 

_Parsifal's Page_ by Gerald Morris (hb) - very humorous King Arthur retellings- I've only read his _The Squire's Tale_ and _The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf_, but I loved them both. 

_Shadow of a Hero_ by Peter Dickinson (hb) - an excellent book- hard to summarize, though. Dickinson created a fictional European country, complete with history and language; you kind of need to read it to understand the concept, and I can't quote the cover because I left it at Rai's for her to read.

_The Blue Hawk_ by Peter Dickinson (mm) - It's by Peter Dickinson. At the moment that's the extent of my knowledge.

_The Boggart_ and _The Boggart and the Monster_ by Susan Cooper (tp) - I read The Boggart a few years ago, just after it first came out, and loved it (of course I did, it's by Susan Cooper). Roughly, an American family accidentally brings a boggart- a primarily Scottish spirit that belongs to a place or family, if I have my definitions right- back to America with them and it wrecks havoc. I haven't read its sequal, The Boggart and the Monster, yet.

_One Hundred Years of Solitude_ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (mm)

_Beasts_ by John Crowley (mm) 

_American Gods_ by Neil Gaiman (mm), which I split with Rai (the cost, not the book)

I also found _The Wordsworth Dictionary of Phrase and Fable_, but since Rai had been looking specifically for it and I only found it by happy chance, I let her have it on the understanding that I will be borrowing it. A lot. And I found _Talking to Dragons_ by Patricia C. Wrede, hb, Trina Schart Hyman dustcover, and _Snow White & Rose Red: A Modern Fairy Tale_ by Regina Doman, but as the money was running low Rachel fronted the cost for both of them, but says they may live on my shelves.

I'm 2/3 of the way through with _Rebecca_- not loving it, but will probably finish it- but I put it aside to sink my teeth in to some of my new books, specifically _Beasts_, which I am enjoying very much.


----------



## My_Precious

It is Brin, I believe. I like it, but it goes pretty slowly--usually I read much more slowly in engish anyway, but I've been reading this one for a month, and only half way through it.


----------



## Eliot

I'm reading _What If?_ with essays by Stephen E. Ambrose, John Keegan, David McCullough, James M. McPherson, and others. It's where the worlds foremost military historians imagine what might have been. It's edited by Robert Cowley, if you really wanted to know that . . . .


----------



## Aragorn21

Currently I'm reading one of the most BORING books in the world! It's _The Diary of Anne Frank_ . I'm like SNOOOOOORRRR!!!!!


----------



## Eliot

Is it really boring? I was thinking of eventually reading it, but skip that idea if it's boring.


----------



## FoolOfATook

> Is it really boring?



No, it's not. It's definitely worth reading.


----------



## Aragorn21

It's not boring knowing about the Frank's experiences, and what it was like being in hiding. But the parts about Anne's personal feelings really aren't very exciting.


----------



## Rhiannon

It depends on which edition you're reading- the 'definitive edition', which is the one just out in pb now, has every single word of out of Frank's diaries that they've found: the original edition was edited by Frank's father and cut out a lot of things like her arguments with her mother. It's definintly worth reading, though I agree the parts about her emotions got dull and repetitive (like most journals).


----------



## Blue Wizard

I'm reading The Silmarilllion now.


----------



## My_Precious

> _Originally posted by Aragorn21 _
> *Currently I'm reading one of the most BORING books in the world! It's The Diary of Anne Frank . I'm like SNOOOOOORRRR!!!!! *


It is not boring! First of all, it is real life, so if you are bored with the reality, than... Second of all, yes, it does not contain the cool fight scenes and all, but it is more interesting on the spiritual level... Try being locked up in the building for that long and writing a thriller. I read it when I was 9 the first time, and then the second time my sophomore year, and it deeply touched me. The only surviving family member was Anne's father...


----------



## Underhill

Right now I'm reading the dragon reborn by robert jordan.it Is cool but it copies Lotr,and it gets kinda boring at some parts.The story is cool,and all but I have stoped reading it for about three weeks. I'm on the third book,and there's supposed to be sixteen.


----------



## Talierin

Heh, just wait till the 4th book... snooooooooooore


*avoids asha'man*


----------



## Wolfshead

> _Originally posted by Underhill _
> *Right now I'm reading the dragon reborn by robert jordan.it Is cool but it copies Lotr,and it gets kinda boring at some parts.The story is cool,and all but I have stoped reading it for about three weeks. I'm on the third book,and there's supposed to be sixteen. *


 Speak quietly, or Ash will have your head  

Oddly, though, it doesn't copy LOTR - not any further than the unavoidable similarities between all books in the fantasy genre. I've read the first 5 - I've been waiting for the 6th to come into the library since October, I think I may end up buying it! However, I've got a huge pile of other stuff to read, so we'll see when we run out 

I love the story - it's so complex and you really get into because you get so much detail. Perrin's thread is definately the most interesting one, though  And those girls, Nynaeve and co running round just get on my nerves...

There are 10 books just now, but I believe the plan is for 13 rather than 16.


----------



## Aragorn21

> It is not boring! First of all, it is real life, so if you are bored with the reality, than... Second of all, yes, it does not contain the cool fight scenes and all, but it is more interesting on the spiritual level... Try being locked up in the building for that long and writing a thriller. I read it when I was 9 the first time, and then the second time my sophomore year, and it deeply touched me. The only surviving family member was Anne's father...


 Didn't you read my post after that? And by the way, they only had 9 months until the end of the war with Germany, then they would be free. It's kind of depressing knowing only the father survived when they were SO close.


----------



## Rhiannon

> _Originally posted by CraigSmith _
> *Speak quietly, or Ash will have your head
> 
> Oddly, though, it doesn't copy LOTR - not any further than the unavoidable similarities between all books in the fantasy genre. I've read the first 5 - I've been waiting for the 6th to come into the library since October, I think I may end up buying it! However, I've got a huge pile of other stuff to read, so we'll see when we run out
> 
> I love the story - it's so complex and you really get into because you get so much detail. Perrin's thread is definately the most interesting one, though  And those girls, Nynaeve and co running round just get on my nerves...
> 
> There are 10 books just now, but I believe the plan is for 13 rather than 16. *



Somewhere in the book 4-7 area, the story got much, much too slow. Everything was going in circles and nobody accomplished anything until the 9th book. It just drags on and on and on and on and on....I haven't even bothered with the most recent one. But oh well- if you like 'em, more power to you.

I finally finished _Rebecca_ last night, after taking a break from it to read _Snow White and Rose Red: A Modern Fairy Tale_ (which was extremely predictable, but still enjoyable because of the number of similarities between the main characters and my sister and I- long story, sort of, behind that). Goodness. I was not expecting that ending. I did not like the first 2/3rds of the book (Rebecca) very much at all, because the narrator was so _irritating_. Completely spineless and dull. But the last third I enjoyed very much, once things livened up.


----------



## FoolOfATook

Given that the last post was about a book that became a Hitchcock film, it's almost appropriate that right now I'm reading Raymond Durgant's study _A Long Hard Look at 'Psycho_. Very good so far, for anyone interested in film. I'm also reading and re-reading Donne's _Satyres_ for class- brillant, but difficult works...


----------



## Eliot

I finished _What If?_ a few days ago, I'm now reading _Great Battlefields of the World_ by John MacDonald. It's very good.


----------



## Elendil3119

I'm currently reading _Mere Christianity_ by C.S. Lewis, and The Annotated Hobbit. Both are extremely good!


----------



## Wolfshead

I gave up on _The Thomas Covenant Chronicles_, it just wasn't doing anything for me. So now I'm reading _Belgarath The Sorcerer_ by David Eddings - it's the prequel to _The Belgariad_.


----------



## Eliot

Hey Elendil, what's the difference between the Annotated Hobbit, and just the normal one?


----------



## FoolOfATook

A book is considered annotated when someone adds notes to a book to enhance and clarify the text. Douglas A. Anderson did this for _The Hobbit_, pointing out the origins of elements of the story, interesting links between the book and Tolkien's other works, notes about the origins of some words, notes about translations, and, perhaps most interestingly, notes about where the text was changed in the various revisions that Tolkien made. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in Tolkien.


----------



## Eliot

OK, thanks.


----------



## Eliot

Continuing _The Two Towers_, a little over halfway through Book IV. A lot better then I remembered.   

I have _Mein Kampf (My Struggle)_ reserved at my library right now. All I have to do now, is to go pick it up.


----------



## Idril

1984. I found this old copy in my bookcase and it has my maiden name in it! I don't even remember buying/owning it. It must be a good 20 yrs old! About time it got read I think


----------



## Rhiannon

I finished _The Road Home_ by Ellen Emerson White- Awesome, awesome book. Whoever let this book go out of print needs to be shot.

Now I'm hovering in between books and can't really seem to get started on anything.


----------



## FoolOfATook

I just finished Humphrey Carpenter's _The Inklings_, and am currently reading _Roverandom_, written by Our Favorite Philologist. After that I'll probably begin on C.S. Lewis' space trilogy. Of course, there's also the enormous amount of Donne that I'm reading for school- we finished the _Satyres_ and are now working on his Elegies.


----------



## Eliot

OK, this is what I'm still in the middle of:

_The Two Towers_ by J.R.R. Tolkien,
_Great Battlefields of the World_ by John MacDonald,
_Roverandom_ (well, I'm still reading the preface) by J.R.R. Tolkien,

and I just finished reading _The No Spin Zone_ by Bill O'Reilly. That's a really good book. Seriously! It's good! And it's not just Right-Wing propaganda. It's _very_ interesting. I read it in less then one day. 

I also _finally_ got _Mein Kampf_ from my library. I'm looking forward to reading it, for some weird reason. Don't worry, I won't become a Nazi. Though, I _am_ half German.


----------



## Rhiannon

I really, really should be reading _Obertwyn_ for the discussion this month, or at least be reading one of the many other books I'm supposed to be getting read, but I'm in one of my slumps, so I'm re-reading _The Ropemaker_ by Peter Dickinson, and enjoying it very much. I'd forgotten how much I liked it.


----------



## Wolfshead

> _Originally posted by Eliot _
> *I also finally got Mein Kampf from my library. I'm looking forward to reading it, for some weird reason. Don't worry, I won't become a Nazi. Though, I am half German.  *


 Can you post what you think of it? I'm thinking of getting it as well, it'd maybe give a helping hand towards my History grades


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by CraigSmith _
> *Can you post what you think of it? I'm thinking of getting it as well, it'd maybe give a helping hand towards my History grades  *



I'm not sure if I'd be able to. Sorry. I won't be reading it until I'm done with two other books, so it'll take a while to read _Mein Kampf_.

I finished _The Two Towers_ last night. Not sure about when I'll be reading _The Return of the King_.

I bought _Unfinished Tales_ and _The Atlas of Middle-Earth_ by Karen Wynn Fonstad today. They look _really_ cool.


----------



## Wolfshead

> _Originally posted by Eliot _
> *I'm not sure if I'd be able to. Sorry. I won't be reading it until I'm done with two other books, so it'll take a while to read Mein Kampf.*


 Whenever, I don't mind - I've got loads of other things to read 

I finished _Belgarath The Sorceror_ by David Eddings today, so I'm about to move onto _Enemy Of God_ by Bernard Cornwell when I eventually get round to going to bed.


----------



## Eliot

A couple days ago I read _The Iron Giant_ by Ted Hughes. I liked the movie a _LOT_ better. The book is kinda weird. It's more of a childrens story, that's probably why I disliked it so much.


----------



## FoolOfATook

I just picked up Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's work _Batman: Dark Victory_ tonight, and I'm looking forward to starting that, since it's something of a sequel to their masterful _Batman: The Long Halloween_. They are quite possibly my favortie writer/artist team in comic books, alongside Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely and Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon.


----------



## Rhiannon

Speaking of comics, my like-new tradepaper of _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Volume One_ finally arrived, and I spent this afternoon enjoying it immensly. 

I'm fighting my way out of a reading slump, and working on _Obernewtyn_ by Isobel Carmody, which I was _supposed_ to read last month because I've already missed half of the discussion on it, as well as reading _The Boggart and the Monster_ by Susan Cooper (one of her younger books, sequal to _The Boggart_- I wanted to read it before I passed it on to Young West, who I've happily introduced to Susan Cooper).


----------



## Talierin

Obernewtyn is good stuff... can't wait for the 4th book to come here!

I'm in the middle of Narnia, for the 15th bazillionth time, heehee...


----------



## Rhiannon

Carmody is in house at the R'ville YARG, Tal, if you have a chance to stop by- I'm only halfway through, so I haven't been in yet.


----------



## FoolOfATook

_League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_ is a tremendous work- another piece of evidence in the already persuasive case that Alan Moore is the greatest comic book writer alive. 

I just picked up Clyde S. Kilby's book _Tolkien and The Silmarillion_ from my school's library- it looks interesting, and hopefully will be worth reading...


----------



## Lantarion

I just started to re-read the Silmarillion today, but when I've read that I will start my endeavour to read the Kalevala.. 
I'll tell you when I begin with it..


----------



## Eliot

I finished _Roverandom_ today. It was pretty good, especially for young children. I've started _Mein Kampf_. So far, it's very interesting.


----------



## FoolOfATook

This week I'm re-reading the Harry Potter books, in anticipation of Book 5- It's my third time reading them, and I still am finding new things to enjoy in these wonderful stories.


----------



## Courtney

I just finished reading Flowers for Algernon *sniff sniff* and now I am reading Last of the Mohicans, which is one of my all-time favorite books, and one of my all time favorite movies although the movie is not much like the book.................

I, too, am waiting for Harry Potter... it has been a loooooong wait.


----------



## Rhiannon

I'm plotting on how to get it before the rest of my family. Mom only reserved _one_, silly woman.


----------



## Aerin

I pick up my reserved copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on Saturday!    I can't wait!

Hm, let's see, I've been doing tons of reading the past two weeks or so; maybe I'll get back up to the level I was at two years ago.... reading 8-10 hours a day, every day.  Tonight, I'm going to start The Subtle Knife (yes, I know book titles should be underlined, but I'm too lazy right now) by Philip Pullman. When that one is over (or I'm bored with it), I'll start the book my sister has been bugging me about, The Dragon and the George. We'll see how that turns out...


----------



## Rhiannon

Ooh, _The Dragon and the George_ is great! As is the rest of that series. All wonderful and great good fun.


----------



## Aerin

My sister's in love with that book, I'm not sure if she's read the others in the series. From what she's told me, it should be worth a few laughs, at least.


----------



## Rhiannon

It is really funny- it's been a while since I read it, but it was great fun.


----------



## Lantarion

> _Originally posted by FoolofaTook_
> This week I'm re-reading the Harry Potter books, in anticipation of Book 5- It's my third time reading them, and I still am finding new things to enjoy in these wonderful stories.


I just read a little snatch from the Golden Goblet.. I have read the series through twice, but I had forgotten how immersing they are! I at least get really into the whole world, and begin to relate to all the characters.
I was going to just skim a few lines of it, and I ended up reading two chapters!


----------



## Inderjit S

Wondering if anyone has read Margaret Atwwods _The Handmaids Tale_. A very good book but as far as dystopian books go it's no _1984_. Also Mario Puzo's _The Godfather_ is a classic..plus it has no part 3.


----------



## Rhiannon

I read _The Handmaid's Tale_ in AP Lit and really enjoyed it, (though dystopian lit isn't really my thing- I tend to get depressed). I liked Atwood's _The Blind Assassin_ much more (it's the only other thing I've read by her so far).


----------



## Wolfshead

I wonder if we're gonna get an influx of people tomorrow saying that they're reading _Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix_? I'll get in first and I say I'm reading it. Well, not yet, it won't arrive until tomorrow, but come tomorrow I will be. I'm having to temporarily suspend my reading of _Enemy Of God_ by Bernard Cornwell to accomodate it


----------



## Luthien Tunivel

This is an easy question; _Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix_ of course! _The Silmarillion_ has been put on hold for a while due to the new book, and also due to the fact that it is boring me to death.


----------



## FoolOfATook

Having now made it through Harry Potter V twice, I'm reading Michael Lewis' book _Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game_. It's an absolutely fascinating study of the changing approaches to the general manager position in baseball.


----------



## Rhiannon

I didn't get to start HP5 for three whole days because my sister got it first, but I'm now halfway through it and enjoying it very much. While I was waiting I started _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, which I am also halfway through and loving. It's my first magical realism. Must...have..more...

HP first, though.


----------



## Elendil3119

I'm currently re-reading UT, just started BoLT2, and I'm also reading _On the Incarnation_ by Basil of Caesarea.


----------



## Jesse

I am currently reading the July/August edition of the Sierra magazine. It's the bi-monthly magazine of the Sierra Club.


----------



## Eliot

I'm in the middle of a few books:

_Mein Kampf (My Struggle)_ by Adolf Hitler. On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it a 9.

_The Outfit: The Role of Chicago's Underword in the Shaping of Modern America_ by Gus Russo. I'm still in the Prologue, because I haven't had much time to work through this book.

And, _The Guns Of The South_ by Harry Turtledove. So far, it's _really_ good!


----------



## FoolOfATook

Dude, between quoting Hitler in your sig, and giving rave reviews to his book, you're really begining to freak me out. Seriously. This is NOT cool. 

Majorly NOT cool.


----------



## Rhiannon

> And, The Guns Of The South by Harry Turtledove. So far, it's really good!



One of my brother's favorites. Eventually I'll get around to reading it.

Finished HP5, enjoyed it very much, though dangit, I _liked_ that person...

I'm trying to decide if I should get enveloped in _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ again, or start on Neil Gaiman's _American Gods_, which is the July discussion for my reading group (speaking of, I saw Gaiman on the History channel the other day. It was a plate o' shrimp moment. It was a special on comic book heroes- really interesting).

And I am savoring the latest issue of The Readerville Journal, the best literary magazine out there.


----------



## Idril

Well after the mammoth task of HP5 - which I enjoyed, I'm on to something a bit lighter it's called 'The Big O: How to Have Them, Give Them, and Keep Them Coming' by Lou Paget. Excellent read and funny too.


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by FoolOfATook _
> *Dude, between quoting Hitler in your sig, and giving rave reviews to his book, you're really begining to freak me out. Seriously. This is NOT cool.
> 
> Majorly NOT cool. *



Hey "dude", it's not like I'm a neo-Nazi or anything. I just thought it was a kinda cool qoute, and I just think his book is interesting (though probably half of it is just pure baloney).


----------



## Elendil3119

I'm reading three books right now:

_On the Holy Spirit_, by St. Basil
The Space Trilogy, C.S. Lewis
BoLT2


----------



## Lady Legolas

Hi all. Right now I reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phinix.


----------



## Feanorian

Eliot how is Mein Kampf? I am considering reading that after I finish The Communist Manifesto.


----------



## Manveru

I'm near the middle of LotR (I'm reading chapter 5 of TTT: 'The White Rider'). It's my third time reading LotR (but first in English)...IT's amazing as always!!!


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by Feanorian _
> *Eliot how is Mein Kampf? I am considering reading that after I finish The Communist Manifesto. *



It can be a little boring at times, but it can _also_ be _VERY_ interesting. I'm taking a small break from it to read _The Guns Of The South_ by Harry Turtledove.


----------



## Rhiannon

I started Neil Gaiman's _American Gods_. Holy cow. FoaT, you were right- I've zoomed through the first 200 pages and I'm wishing I remembered my mythology better.

I'm taking a trip over the 4th of July, and now I have to decide what books to take, other than _American Gods_. Right now I'm thinking-

-_Emma_ by Jane Austen
-_Sense and Sensibility_ by Jane Austen
-_Winter Rose_ by Patricia McKillip
-_The Tombs of Atuan_ by Ursula K. Le Guin
-_One Hundred Years of Solitude_ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
and
-_Obernewtyn_ by Isobelle Carmody

(Eliot, I thought the Scottish flag was green)


----------



## FoolOfATook

> . Holy cow. FoaT, you were right-



It happens every once in a great while. 

Lately I've been reading and re-reading _The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll_ and _The Beatles Anthology_- which is sort of the group's collective autobiography.


----------



## Aerin

<subliminal message to Rhiannon>Take Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Winter Rose.</subliminal message to Rhiannon>

I'm in the middle of reading Ragwitch by Garth Nix right now, although I have probably a dozen books I need to read (again, hehe). I finished the fifth Harry Potter two days after it came out (I didn't have time until then! *weepsob*); I was sad about it, but it didn't seem all that unexpected. Yes, I am trying to keep from giving out spoilers!

AH HA! I just found my copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy! I've been looking for it for months! And it's been sitting on my bookshelf, not two feet from where I'm sitting....


----------



## Rhiannon

(I think I'm going to take _Emma, Winter Rose, _and_Tombs of Atuan_)


----------



## Manveru

> _Originally posted by Rhiannon:_
> *-The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin*


This book is great... All the 'Earthsea' trilogy is worth reading


----------



## Captain

Exodus *gag*. It's summer reading for high school.


----------



## Rhiannon

Exodus as in the Bible, or something else?


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by Captain _
> *Exodus *gag*. It's summer reading for high school. *



If it's the Exodus from the Bible, then I think you'll enjoy it.  It's pretty interesting.


----------



## Rhiannon

Yeah. There's mass genocide, lots of war, plagues, giants...


----------



## Finduilas

Amm...right now I'm reading 'Catch 22'. 
Has anyone read it (except GG  )?


----------



## Captain

It's not from the Bible. It's historical fiction around WWII


----------



## Rhiannon

I was supposed to read that too- I don't think I finished it, because we were moving at the time.


----------



## Courtney

I just finished reading the 5 Harry Potter books, and now I am reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and Are You Out There, God? by Sister Mary Rose McGeady (I got it free in the mail 'cause I sent their charity money or something and then I felt guilty about not reading it...)


----------



## Manveru

> _Originally posted by Finduilas _
> *Amm...right now I'm reading 'Catch 22'.
> Has anyone read it (except GG  )? *


I have... quite humorous book... it shows how pointless and stupid can be 'rules' in the army
Have fun Findi


----------



## Beleg

_Sons and Lovers_ by *D.H.Lawerence*


----------



## Finduilas

> _Originally posted by Manveru _
> *I have... quite humorous book... it shows how pointless and stupid can be 'rules' in the army
> Have fun Findi *



Thanks, Manveru. 
However, well, GG has retold it for me a couple of times or at least the juice and it left the impression in me that it's not a humorous book although there may be some humourous elements. I think it must be more of an irony...but I haven't read it yet so I'll come back here when I finish it.


----------



## Manveru

> _Originally posted by Finduilas _
> *Thanks, Manveru.
> However, well, GG has retold it for me a couple of times or at least the juice and it left the impression in me that it's not a humorous book although there may be some humourous elements. I think it must be more of an irony...but I haven't read it yet so I'll come back here when I finish it. *


Humorous elements... exactly
Well, I read this book long time ago and I could not remember anything else about it. I mean... this 'irony' is the only thing I now remember. I don't want to argue about that, 'cause I know that every single book has some 'hidden' thought inside...
When I've written _'quite humorous book'_ I meant the impression that this book left me with...
(my own thoughts only)


----------



## Finduilas

Yeah, the impression...well, I'll probably have the same one after let's say, a couple of years...

I've been reading just a minute ago and I've still read only 2 chapters  but I can't help not noticing the humourous style with which Heller describes the events. That's probably the reason for this imression..


----------



## Manveru

See... I've told you...


----------



## Finduilas

> _Originally posted by Manveru _
> *See... I've told you...  *



   
Amm.....yes you did.... 
I'll listen you from now on...


----------



## Wolfshead

> _Originally posted by Rhiannon _
> *(Eliot, I thought the Scottish flag was green) *


 Not the last time I checked  And I see the flag fairly often...

We have the flag in Eliot's avatar - the St Andrew's Cross. And we also have the Lion Rampant. Originally the royal symbol, now adopted as an unofficial flag - yellow with red lion on it.


> _Originally posted by Finduilas _
> *Amm...right now I'm reading 'Catch 22'.
> Has anyone read it (except GG  )? *


 Me. I did it for an English project last year. It was funny, and a great book to do essays on, but it did bore me a bit. Not my usual style of reading.


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by CraigSmith _
> *And I see the flag fairly often...*



Yeah, I imagine you would.....


----------



## Feanorian

All I can really say to comment on the above posts is take a look to the left at my avatar....best flag ever.


Anyways, right now I am reading Common Sense by Thomas Paine. I just started but it is very short. I love how he pokes so many beautiful holes in the old English Constitution


----------



## ely

I'm reading "The Crystal Cave" by Mary Stewart. And I like it a lot


----------



## Veramir

Aside from the Sil, i am about to start reading 'The Great Gatsby' for my A Level English Lit class... from what i've heard i don't think i'm gonna enjoy it too much, but ah well, these things must be done huh! I bet it won't be as good as 'Frankenstein' which I studied last year for AS Level!
~V~


----------



## Manveru

> _Originally posted by Veramir _
> *Aside from the Sil, i am about to start reading 'The Great Gatsby' for my A Level English Lit class... from what i've heard i don't think i'm gonna enjoy it too much, but ah well, these things must be done huh! I bet it won't be as good as 'Frankenstein' which I studied last year for AS Level!
> ~V~ *


Maybe not 'as good as' ''Frankenstein'', but still...
Enjoy it (at least 'try to'-->it's not so bad...)


----------



## Niniel

I just finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix... just like half of the world I suppose.


----------



## Boromir

Well, I'm reading The Chronicles Of Narnia right now. It's awesome.


----------



## Rhiannon

> Not the last time I checked And I see the flag fairly often...
> 
> We have the flag in Eliot's avatar - the St Andrew's Cross. And we also have the Lion Rampant. Originally the royal symbol, now adopted as an unofficial flag - yellow with red lion on it.



All right- now, does anyone know where I got the idea it was green?

I finished _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez while floating in an inner tube on the San Soloman Spring- a surreal experience- and I'm halfway through _American Gods_.


----------



## Boromir

Has anyone heard of The Thousand Orcs by R. A. Salvatore, I've got a article right here about it.




> The star of The Dark Elf Trilogy, Drizzt Do-Urden is back in this latest tale scribed by none other than R. A. Salvator. The Thousand Orcs is the first installment in the new The Hunter's Blade trilogy, and as expected, it centers solely on this mean little elf. If you haven't had the chance to read The Dark Elf Trilogy yet, run out and do so immediately. It ranks right up there with The Lord Of The Rings as one of the best fantasy tales ever conceived, and this new chapter only expands upon its brilliance.




So what do you guys think about it, I think it could be good.


----------



## Feanorian

Upon completeing Common Sense and Civil Disobediences and other essays I have begun re-reading the Machiavelli books. Discourses, The Prince, and The Art of War. 



Edit: I put discourses twice instead of The Art of War..haha


----------



## Manveru

> _Originally posted by Boromir _
> *So what do you guys think about it, I think it could be good. *


Sounds interesting... isn't that Drizzt, Dark Elf, connected with ''Baldur's Gate'' series? If the 'moods' of the games and books are the same (or similar), it could be great


----------



## Boromir

I've never played Buldur's Gate, so I dunno.


----------



## Thorondor

Since I haven't gotten around to getting cable installed in my new apartment, I am turning into a reading machine. Last week the first four Harry Potter books. Right now, East of Eden. Then The order of the Phoenix, after that probably the Sil. After that, probably something by Hemingway, or maybe To Kill A Mockingbird.


----------



## Lantarion

My original reading-plans were hindered by the arrival of the OotP. I devoured it in two days, then went on to read the rest of the series over again. I've read a book a day, and I've almost finished the GoF. 
But then I have to finish the Silmarillion, and only then I can tackle the Kalevala.


----------



## Wolfshead

A list...

Recently finished - *Enemy Of God* by Bernard Cornwell.

Reading now - *Lord Of Chaos* by Robert Jordan, book 6 in The Wheel Of Time. I got fed up of waiting for it from the library, and besides, it got cancelled because I'd been waiting for over 6 months, so I bought it with some of the money I got for books from the school prizegiving - an advantage of being in a small school and being fairly intelligent - I get money for books every summer 

Sitting in a pile to read in the near future after the 1000+ pages of LoC - *A Game Of Thrones* by George R R Martin, *Polgara The Sorceress* by David Eddings and *Wolf In Shadow* by David Gemmell.


----------



## Boromir

I just finished The Migician Nephew. now I'm reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.


----------



## Rhiannon

(Ack, Boromir, not in that order!)

I'm almost finished with _American Gods_. I'm not sure what I'll read next.


----------



## Captain

I'm reading A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain.


----------



## Boromir

> (Ack, Boromir, not in that order!)




Why not in that order? My brother said that that's the right order to read them in.


----------



## Rhiannon

> Why not in that order? My brother said that that's the right order to read them in.



Chronologically by events, it is. But I object strongly to reading them out of publishing order, which would have _The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe_ first, and _The Magician's Nephew_ sixth. I maintain that they were written in the order they were intended to be read, so the new boxed editions numbered with _Magician's Nephew_ as book one bug me to no end. *is insane picky biblionutcase person*


----------



## Boromir

I personally like to read books by the events. I would never read TTT first, and then read FOTR.


P. S. If I am bugging you by reading them out of order, than I'm sorry.


----------



## Rhiannon

(it's all right, I forgive you). 

It depends on the books. I think pretty much all books should be read in the order they were published, because that's the order in which the reader is meant to find things out. The author does it on purpose. I probably got this from hearing from Robin McKinley that she dislikes it when people put _The Hero and the Crown_ before _The Blue Sword_- she said that she wrote them in that order because that's how they were meant to be read.


----------



## FoolOfATook

I just read Dan Brown's wonderful novel _The Da Vinci Code_, and right now I'm reading some of Will and Ariel Durant's _History Of The Modern World_ (Volume IV, for those who need to know such things[/I] as I wait for another one of Brown's books to arrive from Amazon.


----------



## Rhiannon

I've been hearing a lot about _The Da Vinci Code_- most people at R'ville said they really enjoyed it. 

I finished _American Gods_ (it was excellent, FoaT- Have you read Douglas Adams _The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul_? It's kind of the same theme, only really bizarre and wacky and funny- I suppose that's redundant, I did already say 'Douglas Adams'). 

I've started _The Green Knight_ by Irish Murdoch, which is rather slow, but I'm curious enough about it to keep going- I want to know why it's called 'The Green Knight', for one thing. But I'm also itching for a re-read of _Till We Have Faces_ by CS Lewis (love that book), but I have all these books on my TBR glaring at me...I'm thinking I should pick of the Zimiavia trilogy soon. I read the first five pages when I was nine, but it was too much for me then. I remember it clearly though- good sign (I have a distinct memory of reading the first paragraph of _For Whom the Bell Tolls_, around the same age). 

But I also would like to re-read _The King's Damosel_ and _King Arthur's Daughter_ by Vera Chapman before I ship them off to LadyDernhelm (who had better take good care of them because they are hideously out of print...)


----------



## Courtney

I just finished reading Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, and I am now reading The First Men in the Moon by H. G. Wells.

Mansfield Park was kind of disappointing compared to Austen's other books. I thought the characters were static, and the plot was relatively predictable... didn't end the way I wanted it to end...


----------



## reem

i've just finised this sci-fi book called 'dreamweaver' and am now reading 'tom jones' my henry fielding it's really nice i had to kind of concentrate in the beggining because fielding has a bit of a 'boistrous' way in writting, he likes to confuse his readers! unlike dikens, who is, i must say, trully the most amazing writer after isaac asimov he's amazing!! i've lately finished nicholas nickleby, and it was really something
reem


----------



## Rhiannon

I'm about halfway through Iris Murdoch's _The Green Knight_ (ah-ha, she wrote it towards the end of her life when she was going off her rocker, that's why the dialogue is so weird), but I've set it aside because my shelves are overflowing with serious biblio-joy; a friend in the UK sent me a signed (signed!) copy of Jasper Fforde's _The Well of Lost Plots_ (not out in the states yet), and a used book seller in the UK send me _The Three Damosels_ by Vera Chapman, which is an omnibus of her Arthurian trilogy- _The Green Knight, The King's Damosel_ (one of my favorite books), and _King Arthur's Daughter_, which are all hideously out of print in the states (hurrah for the UK!). 

I read the very beginning of the Fforde, but I've made myself (*made* myself) set it down so that I can blaze through _The Three Damosels_ so that I can lend it to LadyDernhelm (I've only read the last two books in the trilogy before).


----------



## FoolOfATook

I've just begun reading Dan Brown's _Angels & Demons_, the book that comes before _The Da Vinci Code_. I'm only about 30 pages into, but I have great expectations for it, based on how much I enjoyed _The Da Vinci Code_ (which I think you will enjoy, Rhiannon, when you get around to it).


----------



## Eliot

While (still) in the midst of _Mein Kampf_, I'm also reading _How Few Remain_ by Harry Turtledove. So far, it's very interesting.


----------



## Rhiannon

_The Da Vinci_ code is definitely on my to get list, FoaT (my really _long_ to get list...someone save me from myself!)


----------



## Isilme

haha, i feel so out of place! Almost everybody is reading a Sci-Fi book and i'm reading the Gossip Girl series  or the Travalling Pants (young adult i know but funny!!) but i want to read the Mists of Avelon or the Thief lord soon. So ya... that's me!


----------



## LegolasLuver

Right now I am reading the Chronicles or Narnia: The Horse and his Boy and Song in the Silence


----------



## Isilme

I've tried reading the Narnia series but i keep falling asleep during them, i've gotten through the first two, I'll attempt the others some other time. Don't get me wrong i like them it's just they put me to sleep.


----------



## Courtney

I just started reading Lady Susan which is based on an unfinished novel by Jane Austen. I love it!


----------



## reem

has anyone ever read 'the priestess of avalon' by marion zimmer bradley?? its pretty good. i would recomend it to any fantasy lovers...especially if youre interested in celtic-mystic things...i think its celtic...not sure though. but its very good nonetheless.
i'd also recomend reading "morgan's run' by...by...whatshername?....i forgot...i think it was something like colleen mcculough os somthing like that. it's one of my favourites.
also, 'sky sketcher' is really great, though i can't remember by who...oh well.
reem


----------



## legandir

Three readings going on right now

The Lost Road and other tales (HOME series # 5)
Red Sox Century
To Kill a Mockingbird

all at various points but all VERY entertaining...


----------



## Isilme

> _Originally posted by reem _
> *has anyone ever read 'the priestess of avalon' by marion zimmer bradley?? its pretty good. i would recomend it to any fantasy lovers...especially if youre interested in celtic-mystic things...i think its celtic...not sure though.*


I really enjoyed the mists of avalon, is the priestess of avalon be4 or after the one i've read?


----------



## Talierin

I'm reading Wolfskin and Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier (if you haven't read her Sevenwaters trilogy (daughter of the forest, son of the shadows, and child of the prophecy), what are you waiting for!), and In the Forests of Serre by Patricia McKillip (All her books are excellent, go. read.). Plus various C.S. Lewis books, and Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy


----------



## Rhiannon

I enjoyed _The Mists of Avalon_, but I don't think I'd like it if I were to re-read it because since then I've gotten royally tired of feminist pagan Arthurian re-tellings. It was interesting the first time, but now I respond with Oh _no_, not _another one_.

Which is kind of my response to the book I'm reading now for my book group- _Hinds Feet on High Places_. The reading experience is sort of like this; "THIS *whump* IS *whump* AN *whump* ALLEGORY! *whump whump* MORAL LESSON! *whump* RELIGIOUS IDEALS! *whump whump*" etc. As much as I love my God and my faith, I don't enjoy being beaten about the head and shoulders with hideously obvious allegories. Well, next book grou selection os _Seabiscuit_, and after that I'm thinking about picking _Till We Have Faces_. 


legandir, I _love To Kill a Mockinbird_.


----------



## Rhiannon

_Wolfskin_ is awesome, though I liked the Sevenwaters Trilogy better, and _aaaaargh! I want In the Forests of Serre!_


----------



## Eliot

Every day for my devotions, I'm doing a study on Joseph. I'm using a devotional book called _Joseph: A Man With Character_. You use it along with a bunch of scripture. It's very good.


----------



## Mr. Underhill

I've been going through "The Return of the Shadow" and am almost finished. I got "The Treason of Isengard" for Christmas many years ago, but never read it cover to cover. I just kind of used it as reference material. After I found this site, and the movies started coming out, my interest in Tolkien re-emerged (having read "The Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings", and "The Silmarillion" many, many years ago). So I picked up "The Return of the Shadow" and "The War of the Ring" to go along with my "The Treason of Isengard". I'm going to read them consecutively as a trilogy to get a little more insight into Tolkien's world ... and so far I find them fascinating. After that I'll probably read my son's new Harry Potter book, "The Order of the Phoenix". Yes, I'm a Harry Potter fan too ...


----------



## Rhiannon

Now that I'm done with _Hinds Feet on High Places_ (book group was fun), I can get back to Vera Chapman's _The King's Damosel_ and Irish Murdoch's _The Green Knight_...Only I just recieved three (THREE!) packages of books today (all for ME ME ME!) including _Virgin Blue_ by Tracy Chevalier, _Still Life with Oysters and Lemon_ by Mark Doty (which is a slim, attractive volume, and I liked the first page, so I will probably read it first) and the graphic novel _Ghost World_. 

Decisions, decisions...


----------



## FoolOfATook

Ah, _Ghost World_. Great book, really good movie. What else can one want?


----------



## Rhiannon

Well I started reading the graphic novel last night...and I don't like it. I don't _like_ these people it seems to be about. And not much seems to be happening. But I'll persevere and we'll see.

I really like the beginning of _Still Life with Oysters and Lemon_, though.


----------



## TaranisCain

Umm....Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather, with a refresher of the Sil every once and a while.


----------



## FoolOfATook

Right now I'm re-reading _The Da Vinci Code_ (I just love this book), and after I finish (which should be sometime today), I picked up Umberto Eco's _Foucalt's Pendulum_ to read. I'm really looking forward to it, since I've heard so much about this novel.


----------



## reem

> _Originally posted by Isilme _
> *I really enjoyed the mists of avalon, is the priestess of avalon be4 or after the one i've read? *


hmm...not sure...maybe someone else can answer that for you...but i think it'll be written somewhere on ur book.
reem


----------



## reem

has anyone tried reading anything by Jibran Khalil Jibran?? he's very good.
reem


----------



## Snaga

I just bought Foucaults Penduluum too, FoaT. So its on my list.

I just finished a whole bunch of Sherlock Holmes short stories. They're fun!

Now I'm reading 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' by Louis de Bernieres. Its fantastic!! The best book I've read in a long time. It kept me awake all night on an overnight flight home from America to England... that and the crappy movie they played, and the 3 year old who kept kicking me in ribs might have helped too I guess...


----------



## Rhiannon

I have got to read that one. I've heard a lot about it, and nothing negative.


----------



## FoolOfATook

> I just bought Foucaults Penduluum too, FoaT. So its on my list.





> I have got to read that one. I've heard a lot about it, and nothing negative.



What's that I smell? Could it be? Yes! It's the first steps towards the TTF Umberto Eco reading group...


----------



## Rhiannon

Sounds good to me, if I could get a copy...


----------



## Snaga

In which case you should rope in Dengen-Goroth too. He's a huge Umberto Eco fan... he's actually read some I believe!


----------



## Lantarion

I've read the Name of the Rose about a ibllion times! All that Latin, *drool*.. 
And the movie is great as well. ANd YES I read the book before seeing the movie..

Anyway: I have been reading a fantastic fantasy/very mildly scifi series called the Dragonriders of Pern. It tells about a planet that humans colonized to live a simpler life, who have forgotten where they firts came from; and they have bred dragons to protect them from a threat from a planet which comes too close to Pern (the planet they live on) every 200 years, and rains this stuff called Thread onto the planet, which the dragons burn out of the air. VERY interesting, I recommend them. There are 14 books in that series, by Anne McCaffrey.

I started reading the Kalevala (which would blow any Finn away with the beautiful, archaic langauge), but I just remembered that I had to read 'Hamlet' and 'Romeo and Juliet' in Finnish (BLECH) for Finnish class.. So I'm rading Hamlet in FInnish now. I am going to read most of Shakespeare's works in English, at some point, because I HAVE to.


----------



## Rhiannon

I burned out on McCaffery pretty quickly; I was interested in the world, but not the characters. 

I'm still reading Vera Chapman's Arthurian trilogy (but I'm now on the last book, _King Arthur's Daughter_), I'm still reading Irish Murdoch's _The Green Knight_ (and to get an understanding of the _two_ books I was reading on the subject, I did a really really fast skim of Tolkien's translation of the poem- just enough to get the general story- which helped), I'm still reading _Still Life with Lemon and Oyster_, and now I've added _Emma_ by Jane Austen (we were in the mall! I didn't have any of my current books in my bag and I didn't want to have to go in to the Gap!), and _Kim_ by Rudyard Kipling (for next months YA Reading Group discussion at R'ville- I didn't even get through the first chapter before I wiped out last night, though- I did enjoy the first 26 pages, though), and I need to read _Till We Have Faces_ by CS Lewis (before next week for another online reading discussion).

Oh yes, and my brother is nagging me to read _Dolores Clairborne_, my dad is nagging me to read _Armed and Female_, and I want to read the Zimiamvia Trilogy at some point in the near future.


----------



## Snaga

I read a bunch of Anne McCaffrey novels way back when. But I always found something pretty irritating about them, although I can't exactly remember what... the tone I think. And yes, I didnt like the characters much either.


----------



## Rhiannon

> the tone I think. And yes, I didnt like the characters much either.



Yeah. They just weren't my cuppa, I suppose.


----------



## alorien

Just finished J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye 

Halfway through Zaide Smith's White Teeth (which I love thus far).


----------



## Lossengondiel

Anne Frank Remembered by Miep gies, and The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne frank

As for a different topic of books...Requiem by Graham Joyce is quite a wonderful novel!


----------



## Samwise_hero

At the moment, Frankenstien (for school, yr 12 english, yeah!), Abhorsen by Garth Nix, and this other book called Moon(something). I'm talented, reading more than one book at once! Lol! Nah, reading only one book at a time gets boring unless it's a really engrossing book.


----------



## Rhiannon

> Abhorsen by Garth Nix


Hurrah! I love _Abhorsen_ and its prequels. 

Let's see, where was I when I last posted in this thread?...

Ah well.

I'm a little more than halfway through Iris Murdoch's _The Green Knight_, but I've set it aside for now because I am reading _Kim_ by Rudyard Kipling and _Till We Have Faces_ by CS Lewis for online book discussions. And I am still savoring Mark Doty's _Still Life with Lemon and Oyster_. It's a little jewel of a book.


----------



## Talierin

Yay for Abhorsen! Good stuff there!

I'm reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (as you might have noticed), and In the Forests of Serre


----------



## Rhiannon

Hitchhiker's Guide! Yay! *clutches towel*

...I *want* _In the Forest of Serre_, I want it I want it I want it I *want it!*....


----------



## Aerin

*laughs evilly* Since I have such a nice bestest friend, I have Forests of Serre! 

Vacation is a great time for reading.


----------



## Rhiannon

*mutters* Well that's good for _you_, isn't it?


----------



## stimie

I am an avid reader and often find myself nose deep in more than one book at a time, but right now since I have yet to read them I have started on the Hobbit and will then work my way into the LOTR trilogy. Below are a list of some recommended reads:

Riptide-Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Relic-Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Subterranean- James Rollins
Excavation- James Rollins (The ending could be better but not all too bad).
Harry Potter's (Naturally )
Xanth Series by Piers Anthony 
Time Line- Michael Crichton (LOVE THIS BOOK!)
Sphere- Michael Crichton


These are all books I have read and enjoyed. Actually I have read all of James Rollins' books up to Amazonia, which I have but have put it on hold until I read the Tolkien books. If you like the works of Preston and Child you'll probably like James Rollins and vice versa.


----------



## selwehall

Frederick Forsyth's _The Dogs Of War_


----------



## Elbereth

I'm reading Jean Aule's "The Mammouth Hunters". 

It's been ages since I have read a book from the Clan of the Cave Bear series...and it's not too bad. It is a good break from Tolkien. But fear not...I will continue the series before too long...I want to finish all of Tolkien's books before the last movie is released. Wish me luck!


----------



## FoolOfATook

Right now I'm reading Dave Eggers' _A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius_, which is actually living up to its title. Next I hope to read Dan Brown's _Digital Fortress_, since it's the only one of his books I haven't devoured yet, but have not been able to find it at three different bookstores. If I can't find the Dan Brown book by the time I finish AHWOSG, I plan to go ahead and read _Foucalt's Pendulum_.


----------



## FoolOfATook

Finished _AHWOSG_. I can't recommend this book enough. Now, for some reason, I'm reading Bob Woodward's book _Bush at War_. I had meant to go straight into _Foucalt's Pendulum_ after _AWHOSG_, but I saw _Bush at War_ sitting on the bookshelf when I was bored, and just began reading. I'll probably finish it on the drive to Atlanta tommorow, or tommorrow night in the hotel room, so the delay on the Eco book will be minimal. For those keeping track of my reading habbits.


----------



## Dengen-Goroth

I noticed some people talking about Umberto Eco. To be quite frank, the man is some kind of monster writer! I've read every one of his fictional novels with the exception of Foucalt's Pendulum. I've wanted to get to it, but haven't yet Has anyone read the Island of the Day Before? Not too many critics seemed to like it, but I thought it was genius! (That's basically my thoughts about all his books). Right now i'm reading Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Nietzsche, and my is it hard to get through. Stupid Philosophy.


----------



## Lantarion

I'm now avidly reading the Kalevala.. It's great stuff, and pretty funny in places too. But beautiful language, aah.


> *Originally posted by Elbereth*
> I'm reading Jean Aule's "The Mammouth Hunters".


that would be Jean Untinen - Auel? She's Finnish, I think, at least in part.  I haven't read any of that series though.. Is it very good?
Dengen, I've been meaning to get my hands on more of Eco, but so far I've only read the Name of the Rose, many times..

Tal, nice to find your eading the HPs! Didn't think you were the type.  The HhGttG is the best humour/scifi book series in the WOILD!
*starts chanting "42, 42, 42"*

I just read 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Hamlet': IN FINNISH!! *gags, vomits* Well, they weren't _that_ bad, but I'm desperate to read them in English!


----------



## Rhiannon

I own _A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius_, and I have absolutely no idea why I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. 

I'm still working on _Kim_- more that halfway done- but I took a break because I went to visit my brother; that is, I went to catch up on my comic book reading because I never ever buy them for myself. Aside from the stack of Batman, Nightwing, and Daredevil, he handed me _Watchmen_ (the graphic novel that 'revolutionized the comic book industry'). 

Wooooow. It was really incredible. 

And I finished Mark Doty's _Still Life with Oysters and Lemon_ the night before I left. It was beautiful.


----------



## Talierin

Not the type? Actually, that's prolly true, but it's nice to read "lighthearted" fantasy once in awhile. Lol, I would prolly read potter more if I didn't have to sneak them from Aerin (stupid mum doesn't like me reading them). 

And Hitchhiker rocks!  I've read it once before, and the other week broke down and bought the compilation of all the books, heehee


----------



## Eliot

Right now, I have time to post, so I'll go ahead and do that....

I'm *still* in the midst of _Mein Kamp (My Struggle)_ by Hitler. I'm tellin' ya.... it's kinda hard to pay attention to what you're exactly reading.....it's also good to have a dictionary nearby when you're reading it...

A little over a week ago, I finished _How Few Remain_ by Harry Turtledove....very good....very interesting..... 

I'm reading his series _The Great War_, and have already finished the first book _American Front_. That was cool.

I've started the second book in the series _Walk in Hell_. So far, kinda interesting....


----------



## Idril

I've just finished reading The Hours (like the movie) by Michael Cunningham which I thought was a bit over-hyped. It was a good read but I don't think I will re-read.

I'm currently reading the whole Chronicles of Narnia (I did read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe when I was a kid, eons ago ) - a bit late in life I guess but better late that never Reading The Magician's Nephew first is definitely a must - it makes The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe make so much more sense.

When I finish - I've got David & Leigh Edding's book - The Elder Gods lined up.

Eliot, good to see you about


----------



## FoolOfATook

> he handed me Watchmen (the graphic novel that 'revolutionized the comic book industry').
> 
> Wooooow. It was really incredible.



_Watchmen_ is quite simply the greatest superhero comic ever written. There simply aren't any contenders that come close. (Although if I had to name some, I'd mention _The Dark Knight Returns_ by Frank Miller, _Batman: The Killing Joke_ by Moore and _Astro City_ by Kurt Busiek). If it wasn't for Art Spiegelman's _Maus_, _Watchmen_ would have my vote for greatest comic ever.

Five Other Great Comic Books:
-Neil Gaiman's _The Sandman_: Perhaps the single best comic book for literary types who think that comic books are beneath them, and the only major comic I know of where Shakespeare is a semi-recurring character

-_Transmetropolitan_ by Warren Ellis- Especially the volume _Lonely City_, the first chapter of which I can hardly read without getting misty-eyed, despite the fact that generally it's an incredibly funny book. Basicly, it's the story of a journalist, very-closely based on the great Hunter S. Thompson, stuck in a city he hates sometime in the relatively-near future.

-_The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen_ by the incomprable Alan Moore- Perhaps even more literate than _The Sandman_, and an incredibly fun read, provided you've brushed up on your nineteenth century literature before reading.

-Grant Morrison's run on _JLA_. The most fun you'll ever have reading the adventures of Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and the rest of DC's superheros. Morrison's work on _New X-Men_ is also sensational- the best works about Marvel's Mutants since the hey-day of Chris Claremont.

-Another Alan Moore selection, but I have to mention his story "For The Man Who Has Everything". It's easily the best Superman story I've ever read, and one of the single best issues ever published of any comic.


----------



## Rhiannon

Love _The Dark Knight Returns_. I was hugely disappointed with DK2- as my brother explained it, Frank Miller is best at the 'gritty, back-alley story lines', which is why he was so good at Daredevil; with DK2 he was working with huge monster villians and superheroes, and he stunk at it. 

I really want to read _Sandman_. *sigh* Of course, they don't have it here. The story of my life.


----------



## Finduilas

Now that I have read _Catch 22_ I'd like to read _Born in the rye_ or I don't know if it is exactly the same in English. Sellinger's book...


----------



## Manveru

I think you're referring to 'Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Sallinger (I guess I have spelled well).

This is a GOOD book, Finduilas... I hope you'll like it


----------



## FoolOfATook

_Catcher In The Rye_ is one of my all-time favorite books. I spent most of high school trying to emulate Holden.


----------



## Manveru

> _Originally posted by FoolOfATook _
> *Catcher In The Rye is one of my all-time favorite books. I spent most of high school trying to emulate Holden. *


You're a lucky guy, FOAT
When I first read it (at university--american literature classes) it was too late for that...


----------



## Rhiannon

I spent most of junior high trying to emulate Indiana Jones...but we won't go there.


----------



## Finduilas

> _Originally posted by Rhiannon _
> *I spent most of junior high trying to emulate Indiana Jones...but we won't go there. *



And nowadays children emulate Harry Poter...


----------



## Rhiannon

Actually my little sister tries to emulate Eowyn (imagine how proud her big sister is).

But the other day my two youngest siblings were bickering and name-calling, and progressed from 'do-do-head' and 'stupid-moron' to 'Draco' and 'Umbridge'. _I_ cracked up, anyway.


----------



## Manveru

I am reading Maciej Kuczyñski's ''Atlantyda, wyspa ognia'' (eng.--> ''Atlantis the Isle of Fire''). It's a great book... I've always liked those myths of Atlantis...


----------



## Eliot

I finished _Great War: Walk in Hell_ by Harry Turtledove, and started the third book in the series called _The Great War: Breakthroughs_. They're all very interesting.


----------



## Courtney

I am reading (again) the Lord of the Rings. This is the first time I have ever read it as one book instead of the three volumes... pretty exciting ... I am up to the part where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli are searching for Merry and Pippin.


----------



## Wolfshead

I finished reading _Wolf In Shadow_ by David Gemmell (which was excellent) a couple of days ago, now I'm onto _Lords And Ladies_ by Terry Pratchett.


----------



## Gary Gamgee

just finished Goblet of of Fire, i cant believe how good it was, now for Order of the Pheonix.


----------



## Éomond

I'm reading _This Present Darkness_ by.........um, uh........dang! I forgot, but oh yeah! Frank Pretti! That's who. Well, anyway, it's a pretty sweat book about Angels, Demons, and God and Satan and that cool Supernatural stuff.


----------



## Rhiannon

Peretti rules. _The Oath_ is awesome.

I finished _Kim_- great fun- and now I'm reading just _The Well of Lost Plots_ by Jasper Fforde, which is a great romp and immense fun- recommended to literature lovers anywhere (only start with _The Eyre Affair_ or you'll be more lost than a sick dodo).


----------



## Eliot

Well, I'm almost done with _The Great War_ series by Harry Turtledove, I should finish the third and final book _Breakthroughs_ sometime today. Later, I'll start the series that follows the above-mentioned one, entitled _American Empire_ which is composed of three books:

_Blood and Iron_ 
_The Center Cannot Hold_ 
_The Victorious Opposition_ 

They're all amazingly interesting.

I'm thinking of quiting _Mein Kampf_. It's not really that interesting, and you always have to grab a dictionary just to figure out what the psycho is trying to say! It's confusing, it's long, it's small print, and it's hard to pay attention to. I'm almost to the middle of the book, so could anybody tell me if there's any part that really stuck out to them that was in the last half? Otherwise, I see no point to reading it, and I'm just going to quit.


----------



## Courtney

I am reading the one and only Lord of the Rings! It's pretty exciting because this time I am reading the one where it is all one giant book...


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by Courtney _
> *I am reading the one and only Lord of the Rings! It's pretty exciting because this time I am reading the one where it is all one giant book... *



I have the same thing. It was less expensive then buying the three volumes seperately, and I thought it looked kinda cool.


----------



## Rhiannon

When I re-read, I usually use one of our extremely-beat-up paperback sets (we have two or three), because my big one is...well, really _big_, and leather, and collectible, and prized, and things. But when my dad reads it aloud, he uses _his_ really big, leather, collectible, and prized copy, and has ever since we were little. 

<edit> I mean, of course, when I re-read LOTR.

Right now I'm reading _Emma_ by Jane Austen in bed (it's great fun, and while I like Emma, I'm ready for her to mature. I love Mr. Knightly. He's _so_ going to be haremed when I finish). I'm reading _The Well of Lost Plots_ by Jasper Fforde out of my bag, and it's also great fun- FoolofaTook, have you heard of Jasper Fforde? I think you might enjoy _The Eyre Affair_, his first book, very much.


----------



## Courtney

I love Emma! Well... I love anything by Jane Austen... You wouldn't happen to know where I could find Lady Susan, would you?... it's unfinished or something and so it is difficult to come by...


----------



## Rhiannon

My sister found it used at a Half Price Books in a volume with _Sanditon_ and _The Watsons_- they're all unfinished/juvenalia. Unfortunately, she got it after I had gotten the same book (in paperback) from Amazon.com for her Christmas... *rolls eyes*


----------



## Finduilas

I'm reading now Jack London's _Burning Daylight_. 
Then I'd like to read his _Martin Eden_. They are incredible I was told...


----------



## FoolOfATook

_Titus Andronicus_, for class. Written by some guy who hung out with Marlowe and Ben Jonson, and apparently wrote some plays. At any rate, they've devoted an entire class to his "early works", which seem to be about a Roman emperor, the King and Queen of Fairies, two Kings of England, a Jewish guy living in Venice obsessed with a pound of flesh (no more, no less), and other such weirdos.


----------



## Eliot

Finished Turtledove's _Blood and Iron_, and moved on to _The Center Cannot Hold_. Also reading _The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler_ by William L. Shirer. It's pretty old. Copyright '61.


----------



## Rhiannon

I had switched, and was reading _Emma_ out of my bag and _The Well of Lost Plots_ in bed (because it was looking a little the worse for wear), but now I'm completely sucked in to an ARC of Robin McKinley's _Sunshine_. 

Oooh, it's a good 'un. It takes place in a post-modern America- a post-modern America where half-blood demons are relatively normal and the vampires are taking over the economy. It rocks.


----------



## Aglarthalion

Right now I'm onto reading Tom Clancy's Net Force: State Of War. I'm about 40 pages into it, and so far it's pretty good.


----------



## Wolfshead

I've just finished _Lord And Ladies_ by Terry Pratchett, which was unbelievably funny. Today I plan to start on _Ghost King_ by David Gemmell.


----------



## Rhiannon

_Lords and Ladies_ is great fun! It's no my favorite Discworld, though.

And I'm a zombie, but the play is over and I'm 1/3 of the way from the end of _Sunshine_. 

Oh yes, and I have to finish- for that matter, start- _Seabiscuit_ by Thursday. 

Excuse me, I have to go register as one of the un-dead.


----------



## Jesse

I am currently reading _Peace With God_. Next up in line: _Tigers of the Snow_


----------



## Arebeth

I'm reading "memoirs of a geisha" (well, it must be something like that in English) - since I've come back from Japan I'm very interested in Japanese literature (I confess I knew nothing about it before). I should learn the language. What a shame I don't have time.
I'm also going to start with "Antéchrista", which is the brand-new Amélie Nothomb's book. She's Belgian and she's really mad. I'm sure some of her books have been translated in English...


----------



## Manveru

"The Riddle of the Great Pyramid"... I'm kinda interested with Egipt nowadays. How did they build those pyramids? Were they really Anscient Egiptians that built them? Very interesting...


----------



## Froggum

I'm reading "The Shore of Women" by Pamela Sargent. Anyone heard of it? Its out of print right now.


----------



## Rhiannon

I finished _Sunshine_ a few days ago. It was absolutely awesome. 

Now I'm catching up with the rest of the nation and reading _Seabiscuit_ for my reading group. 

Arebeth, a good book about feudal Japan is _Shogun_ by James Clavell.


----------



## Eliot

I finished Turtledove's _American Empire: The Center Cannot Hold_ and I'm waiting for the newest one in the series, _The Victorious Opposition_, to come out. I have it reserved at the library.

In the meantime, I'm reading that tiny little book I've already talked about, _The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler_. It's very good.

I'm also reading _America's Wars_. Very long, and interesting.


----------



## Gandalf White

I just finished _A Tale of Two Cities_, and am working my way through _Fellowship of the Ring_. I'm also somewhere in the middle of _The Pelican Brief_, and loving it.


----------



## Finduilas

I'm reading many books at the moment...
Umberto Eco's _Baudolino_ , _Faust_ , Henry Kissinger's _Dimplomacy_ and soon to start Jack London's _Martin Eden_ . I guess I'll read them quite a lot of time...


----------



## Wolfshead

I've finished _Ghost King_ by David Gemmell, which was stunning. Now I'm reading _Votan_, but the author's name temporarily escapes me. I think it's John James, or something similar...


----------



## Lantarion

Right now I'm re-reading _Lord of the Flies_ by WIlliam Golding.. I had forgotten how frightening it is.. VERY grim and awful..
But it's a truly amazing and excellent book, I recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it. many people don't like Golding's pessimistic view of human nature, but I for one am on the verge of agreeing with him at this point!


----------



## Anamatar IV

I just finished the Princess Bride by William Goldman....*shudders*

It WOULD have been good if I hadn't seen the movie first (the movie totally saved the name of the book)


----------



## Rhiannon

Bah. 

I love the book _and_ the movie! So there! They're both hysterical, just in entirely different ways.


----------



## Talierin

I'm hopping down the rabbit path and reading Watership Down


----------



## Rhiannon

I just finally read that this year, after being traumatized all my young life by the movie. Fortunately, I still loved the book.


----------



## Talierin

Yeah, the movie's pretty trippy.... I think I read the book before the movie though, so I was saved... this is my second read-through, had to dig it out of the basement, heh


----------



## Eliot

I finished _The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler_, and started _The Return of the King_.


----------



## Eliot

Well, I started, and then finished a couple days later, _The Victorious Opposition_ by Harry Turtledove. Pretty soon, I'll read one of his other books, _Ruled Britannia_. I stopped reading _The Return of the King_ for a little while, and I'm still reading _America's Wars_.


----------



## Rhiannon

Recently I read:

_In Open Spaces_ by Russell Rowland, which is a novel about a Montana ranch family during the Depression. It is a really excellent book- just a fine novel.

_Emma_ by Jane Austen- of course I loved it. There was never a question of me _not_ loving it, it was just a matter of me getting it read. I am _excessively_ fond of Mr. Knightley.

'The Man Who Would Be King' by Rudyard Kipling; I've been wanting to read the short story ever since I watched and loved the movie. Of course the story was excellent. 

I also finally finished _The Green Knight_ by Iris Murdoch. It was really bizarre. I understand she wrote it towards the end of her life, when she was starting to go off the deep end, and that certainly explains a few things.

Right now I'm reading _Sense and Sensibility_ and enjoying it a great deal, and I'm planning to re-read _Little Women_ in hopes that I can find a copy of Katharine Weber's just-released _The Little Women_, which modernizes the story and is, so I hear, excellent.


----------



## Courtney

Oh! I love everything by Jane Austen!!!! Mansfield Park is my favorite, and I would reccomend it to you, Rhiannon, that is if you haven't read it already. 

I never actually finished Little Women... maybe I should try again... I haven't tried to read it since 4th grade. 

Right now, I am reading Evolution's Shore, by Ian McDonald. It is pretty interesting so far, but not really what I was looking for. I wanted something like Bradbury or Orwell... but this is just about all my silly little dorm library has... I guess I could manage to walk over to the real library... but then I'd have to get out of my pj's!


----------



## Froggum

I'm reading _So You Want to be A Wizard_ by Diane Duane, a kiddie fantasy.


----------



## Rhiannon

I stayed up all night the night before I had to get up early for our trip to Fort Worth finishing _Sense and Sensibility_  Now I'm pretty sure that _Mansfield Park_ and _Northanger Abbey_ are the only Austen novels I haven't read (not counting the incomplete/juvenile works that have been released).

During the trip I tried to start _We Were the Mulvaneys_ by Joyce Carol Oates, but I felt too sick for it, and now I'm not in the mood. I think I'll pick up _The Halloween Tree_ by Ray Bradbury instead.


----------



## Estella Bolger

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, for about the tenth time. So now I'm reading LotR...again.


----------



## Rhiannon

I decided to save _The Halloween Tree_ for next month, so yesterday I got most of the way through _Gaudy Night_ by Dorothy L. Sayers.


----------



## flame

i finished a child called it and the lost boy (the first two books about david peltzers life)  a very sad book, and true.


----------



## Wolfshead

I've recently finished _Sharpe's Tiger_ by Bernard Cornwell, and now I'm reading _Legend_, the first book that David Gemmell ever published.


----------



## Eliot

I'll be reading the _Communist Manifesto_ by Karl Marx soon.


----------



## FoolOfATook

I'm about to re-read _Richard II_ for class (On first glance, it probably doesn't make sense to read _Richard III_ before _Richard II_, but that's actually the order in which Shakespeare wrote them. Hey, it's not up to us to question the genius.) I've been on a real tear in my pleasure reading this week, knocking off _The Silence of the Lambs_ and _Hannibal_ by Thomas Harris, _Casino Royale_ (The very first James Bond novel) by Ian Fleming, and _Tourist Season_ by Carl Hiassen in the past seven days. I haven't completely decided what's next, but either I'll finally get around to taking the plunge and reading _Foucalt's Pendulum_, I'll read Dave Eggers' _You Shall Know Our Velocity_, or I'll re-read Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently novels. 

Or maybe James Dickey's _Deliverance_, or Phillip Roth's _The Great American Novel_. I'm so full of surprises for myself...


----------



## Rhiannon

I finished _Gaudy Night_ at some ungodly hour because I was _this_ far from the end- which was wonderful. Must. Have. More. Lord. Wimsey.

Next I picked up _A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons_, which had me laughing out loud several times and which I thoroughly enjoyed. 

I have solomnly sworn to make _some_ kind of dent in my stacks of books-I-own-but-haven't-read-yet, but I couldn't help a re-read to end my Jane Austen streak, so now I'm re-reading _Pride and Prejudice_- next I need to read _Noughts and Crosses_ for the Readerville YARG discussion, and re-read _Till We Have Faces_ by CS Lewis for my real life book group (as soon as I get it back).


> or I'll re-read Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently novels.


Love that Dirk Gently.


----------



## Arebeth

I have to read Le Père Goriot (Balzac), Germinal (Zola) and L'Etranger (Camus) for class. But in the same time I'm still reading The Pianist. I don't have much time these days...


----------



## Anamatar IV

I'm _trying_ to read A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Emphasis on trying because for the past week I'm being forced by school to read a book called Lincoln's Admiral, a biography on David Farragut.


----------



## Tinuvien21

I'm reading 'The Pilgrim's Progress", and "Return of the King" 

Return of the King is Uber cool


----------



## flame

> _Originally posted by Eliot _
> *I'll be reading the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx soon. *



isnt Karl Marx the Russian guy who invented communism?


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by flame _
> *isnt Karl Marx the Russian guy who invented communism? *



Yes, that's correct. Except, he wasn't Russian. He was Jewish German.


----------



## Beleg

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. 
Till now I find the style of narration pretty boring at times. Interesting book though.


----------



## Rhiannon

I just, a few minutes ago, finished my re-read of _Pride and Prejudice_ (yes, it's even _better_ the fourth time around); what to read now? 

_Noughts and Crosses_ by Malorie Blackman? Probably should, because the discussion is next month, and since I'm on a Great Britain kick anyway...

_The Verb 'To Bird'_ by Peter Cashwell? Everyone says it's hysterical, which I doubt not since Peter is a funny guy, but maybe I don't want to read a book about 'birds' so soon after my book about 'baboons' (which mostly talked about Africa in general). Hm....

or _At the Back of the North Wind_ by George MacDonald? 

Decisions, decisions. I suppose I'll spring for N&C, but don't bet your life on it.


----------



## Starflower

Source of Magic by Piers Anthony
Moonset by Louise Cooper
Halflings Gem of the Forgotten Realms series by R A Salvatore
I just finished Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

and a few other books that I have started but never finished for number of reasons....


Starflower


----------



## Wolfshead

> I just finished Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett


 That's the newest Discworld novel, isn't it? With pictish pixies or some such thing...

Is it an good? I haven't got round to ordering it from the library yet.


----------



## Starflower

it is set in the Discworld yes, but it doesn't feature any of our previously met characters, and i think this one is written more to a younger audiense than the general DW books, but it is dead funny, you just can;t stop laughing



Starflower


----------



## Wolfshead

Sounds good, I'll order it next time I get to the library. Oh, and one more thing, where on the Discworld is it set?


----------



## Starflower

don't say specifically, somewhere in the Ramtops if i remember rightly.... its definitely not Lancre and not A-M either... but it's a lovely book, the Nac Mac Feegle are hilarious


STarflower


----------



## Wolfshead

I suppose the Ramtops are fair enough, for something obviously Scottish-ly influenced. But, sounds good, so... yeah.


----------



## Starflower

seeing your signature , you obviously read Wheel of TIme books. Have you read the last one? Crossorads of Twilight? I haven;t yet as i;m suffering of a bit of an overload, cause I reread all the previous ones one after the other whie waiting for the new one to come out.... 


Starflower


----------



## Wolfshead

I haven't read it yet. Indeed, I only bought book 7 on Saturday (the library couldn't get it in). I'll probably start reading after I finish Legend by David Gemmell and Magician by Raymond E Feist. Probably.


----------



## Starflower

good to see a person who borrows their books from the library. I'm unfortunately not one of them, I buy all my books simply because i've had so much trouble with the library cos I forgot to return the books on time.... 




Starflower


----------



## Rhiannon

I have that problem too, Starflower  If I didn't have overdue books, my brother did (sharing a library account with family of seven people...urgh). I used the library a lot while we were in Japan, though, because 1) most of our books were in storage in the states and 2) I could take the shuttle bus. Here both the town library and the base library have small selections, _and_ my library card got lost with my purse. 

Fortunately, thanks to a book-buying frenzy that started as soon as we got off the plane and is still going on, and I don't lack for reading material  

I picked up _Noughts and Crosses_ last night. Wow. I'm already halfway through it. It's engrossing, and moves at a cracking pace. It's about an 'alternate universe' Britain, in which society is divided in to the higher ranking 'Crosses' and the subservient 'noughts' (Noughts and Crosses is the British name for Tic-Tac-Toe- noughts are 'O's). It's like the civil rights movement in reverse (Crosses are dark-skinned). The subject matter is very hard-hitting; the story focuses on a Cross girl and a nought boy who have grown up as friends who have to start dealing with the prejudices around them after the boy (Callum) gets accepted in to the Cross school by a special ordinance.


----------



## Dáin Ironfoot I

Chronicles of Narnia... I know its sad.

I'm also reading a book in French about Jeanne d'Arc. Much more entertaining I think. Narnia's too... childish.


----------



## Rhiannon

> Chronicles of Narnia... I know its sad.



Is not. I love Narnia. Childish it may but, but I'm childish so this is okay. 

I'm also fond of Jeanne d'Arc. Which book is it you're reading?


----------



## Wolfshead

> good to see a person who borrows their books from the library


 I usually do, yeah, basically because it's cheaper, so I can spend my money on cd's. Cd's I'll listen to a lot, whereas a book will only be read once every few years 


> i've had so much trouble with the library cos I forgot to return the books on time....


 That occasionally happens with me - because there are small libraries connected all over the Highlands, I have to order pretty much every book I read, so I often end up with a large pile of books to read. I then forget about the return date, and end up with 15p per day fine on every book. Still, my family uses the library a lot, so I think a couple of quid is the largest fine I've knocked up...

One main complaint with libraries is that they can take so damned long to get books in! An extreme case was that I was waiting for book 6 of the Wheel Of Time for 6 months before they told me they couldn't get it in, so I had to buy it instead!

Something quite frightening in my local library is that almost all the fantasy books are there by my ordering  It used to be the case when I was younger (9 or 10) that almost the whole teenage section was there because of me!


> Noughts and Crosses is the British name for Tic-Tac-Toe- noughts are 'O's


 Really you ought to be saying that tic-tac-toe is the American for noughts and crosses  Who's that book by? I have a feeling one of parents has either read it or owns it.


----------



## Rhiannon

> Really you ought to be saying that tic-tac-toe is the American for noughts and crosses Who's that book by? I have a feeling one of parents has either read it or owns it.



Good point. I wonder how it came to be called something different over here? And the book is by Malorie Blackman.


----------



## Talierin

I'm reading the Singer Trilogy by Calvin Miller... it's an allegorical retelling of the New Testament in song/prose/poetry... quite interesting.


----------



## FoolOfATook

Stil re-reading _Richard II_, and finding that I'm getting more out of it this time. 



> O! who can hold a fire in his hand
> By thinking of the frosty Caucasus?
> Or cloy the hungry edge of appetite
> By bare imagination of a feast?
> Or wallow naked in December snow
> By thinking on fantastic summer heat?
> O, no! the apprehension of the good
> Gives but the greater feeling to the worse.


- Bolingbroke, Act I, scene 3

Great stuff. Since I know the plot this time, I'm taking my time to revel in the language. This is Shakespeare at the height of his poetic powers.

As for non-school reading, I found myself overwhelmed by all of the different options I had to read, and decided to fall back to an old stand-by and re-read _The Sandman_ books. If anyone hasn't read them (cough- Rhiannon- cough) they really should- they represent some of the best storytelling of the past twenty years.

As for what's next, I'm thinking that I really need to take the plunge into _Foucalt's Pendulum_...


----------



## Rhiannon

> f anyone hasn't read them (cough- Rhiannon- cough) they really should- they represent some of the best storytelling of the past twenty years.



Yes master. I solemnly swear to make them the subject of my next book buying spree.


----------



## Rhiannon

It's 1am and I just finished _Noughts & Crosses_. Wow. Freaking wow. That is a powerful books.

Excuse me, I have to stagger off in a daze now.


----------



## Eliot

About halfway through Turtledove's _Ruled Britannia_, reading about WWII in _America's Wars_, I've canceled my plan to read _The Communist Manifesto_ because it was hard to understand, and I just recently started _Refuting Evolution_ by Jonathan Sarfati.


----------



## Wolfshead

> Good point. I wonder how it came to be called something different over here? And the book is by Malorie Blackman.


 I have no idea, seems a silly thing to do, really. The name doesn't ring any bells, but the title does, maybe I'll come across it some day.

I finished _Legend_ by David Gemmell earlier, quite a damned good book, really. So, this evening I intend to begin _Magician_ by Ramond E. Feist, which looks good.


----------



## klugiglugus

The magician is rubbish! Don't even bother! The first chapter is mildly interesting with the house in the forest and such things but it just all goes down hill from there! Worse than Harry Potter! I do not jest! All the characters are idiotic; the story line is mildly stimulating but too quick and thrifty.

Time looking at such a foolish rag, as the 'Magician' would be better spent revising the 'Hobbit' or briefly skimming through the works of Tacticus!


----------



## Lantarion

I'm currently reading Aristotle's _Poetics_.. But the foreword is over half the book, and I have a habit of reading certain books only on the way to and from school (the train trip takes about 10 mins in one direction), so it'll take me a while to actually start it.


----------



## Wolfshead

I've heard _Magician_ is very good, and it came in the top 100 books on the recent BBC poll, LOTR was the only other fantasy novel in there. So, I reckon it's worth a shot.


----------



## Rhiannon

_Magician_ wasn't rubbish, though it wasn't particularly to my taste. I enjoyed it and the next few books well enough, but I wasn't motivated to finish the whole series. 


klugiglugus, I mean this nicely, but would you not call things rubbish? It's okay to say you hated it, but that doesn't mean everyone else will. It just didn't work for you. I hate Dickins, myself.


----------



## Courtney

That last book I read (Evolution's Shore) stinks! I would reccommend it to nobody! Unless of couse you want to test yourself to see how much crappy writing you can read before you lose your mind!!! Grrr... and the characters! They weren't lovable at all not even likeable! Oh well... I'll spare you from the rest of my complaints... just don't read it ok?

So now I had to read something that I KNOW is good... the Silmarillion... It is only my second or third time reading it... I can't remember...


----------



## Wolfshead

Well, it's good so far. I've read the foreward...


> Worse than Harry Potter!


 Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention this, I actually enjoy Harry Potter. So it could be just you who doesn't really like that kind of book.


----------



## Eliot

I finished _Refuting Evolution_ last night.

Pretty soon, I'll be reading Brian Jacques' _Loamhedge_ just so I can say that I've read the whole _Redwall_ series.  I just have to wait for it to get to my library, that's all.


----------



## Rhiannon

...And this loyal Redwall fan _still_ doesn't even have _Triss_. This is depressing.


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by Rhiannon _
> *...And this loyal Redwall fan still doesn't even have Triss. This is depressing. *



Haha...I think _Triss_ was actually one of the best ones, IMHO. But, that was about 6 monts ago that I read it, so.....I'm not sure if I'll be as interested in _Loamhedge_ as I was with the other books when I started the series.  I'll still read it of course. It only takes a couple of days for me. I can't just read it through in one sit though.


----------



## klugiglugus

> Well, it's good so far. I've read the foreward...



That’s right it lures you into a false sense of security, then bam! Terrible, rubbish, writing! The entire story is accelerated! With boring plot lines and really bad characters! People shouldn't be allowed to publish that kind of rubbish! Go read Tad Williams!


----------



## Starflower

without commenting on the rubbishness of the Magician ( which I have read) , I second your suggestion to read T Williams


----------



## Wolfshead

> That’s right it lures you into a false sense of security, then bam! Terrible, rubbish, writing!


 That wasn't quite what I was meaning - I wouldn't really say the foreward inspired me either way, it merely re-iterated what a success the book has been, it would seem some people enjoyed it...


----------



## Eliot

I'll probably finish _Ruled Britannia_ sometime tonight.


----------



## flame

i read a comic called Were The Wind Blows, by Raymond Briggs, its so sad.


----------



## Eliot

Well, I miracualously finished both _Ruled Britannia_ and _America's Wars_ last night. The latter I finished last, and when I finally closed the book, it was 3:00. It's not 10 here, and I'm amazingly not very tired. 

Now, I need to go to the library fast to get some new books!!!


----------



## Rhiannon

I tried to start _Perdido Street Station_ by China Mieville last night, but didn't get very far- the squeamishness of it is off-putting, but I know a lot of people who love it. We'll see if it passes the 100-page test.


----------



## ely

I have to read "The Picture of Dorian Gray" through by Thursday. Not that it's boring or anything, but first it's such kind of book that I'd like to read slowly, and secondly I have also many other things to do.  It's always like that with me, if I HAVE to read something, it loses half of its value...


----------



## Eliot

I'm about to start William Shakespeare's _Hamlet_, and _The Genesis Flood_ by John T. Whitcomb.


----------



## Manveru

I'm reading "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. Great book so far. I've read about 50 pages and... I've lingered here for too long.

*gets back to reading*


----------



## Eliot

The version of _Hamlet_ I'm reading is split up into the old English version, and a modern English version. I finished the latter last night. It was a GREAT story!  I loved it. Now I'll be able to understand the old English version when I start it today.


----------



## Beleg

Picture of Dorian Grey is simply boring. 
I mean to read the Alchemist, I have it around somewhere but just haven't gotten around to it. 
Right now, I am thinking of starting Stephen King's Carrie...
It's a choice between either Carrie or War or Peace.


----------



## Rhiannon

I've just started re-reading Louisa May Alcott's _Little Women_, killing time until my Amazon.com order arrives...


----------



## Manveru

> _Originally posted by Beleg _
> *I mean to read the Alchemist, I have it around somewhere but just haven't gotten around to it. *


That's a really good book (I mean as far as my 'taste' is concerned). Beleg, my bro, I strongly recommend it to you (and to all that haven't read it yet)... I should finish it sometime today, but I think I'll reread it....


----------



## FoolOfATook

Right now I'm reading Terry Pratchett's _The Color of Magic_, and waiting for the library to get it's copy of _The Eyre Affair_ back, since I'm obligated to Rhiannon to read it.


----------



## Rhiannon

In a plate o' shrimp moment, I'm obligated to Jam to read _The Color of Magic_, only I wanted to re-read Alcott's _Little Women_ before Katharine Weber's _The Little Women_ arrived, since they're loosely related. 

I'd forgotten how much I love _Little Women_. When I was 9 I wanted to be just like Jo (I put on lots and lots of plays; one of my finest ended in the heroine committing dramatic suicide by hanging up her umbrella- there was a fairy involved).


----------



## Manveru

I finished _The Alchemist_ yesterday. Now I'm going back to Dumas' _Three Musketeers_, which I 'set aside' only to read _The Alchemist_ (time pressure--I had to return it in a hurry). After that I'm planning to read a Polish book _Stara Basn_ (_The Old Legend_--I think it can be translated in this way...). I have to hurry, because it's already been filmmed and I want to read it before I see it.


----------



## Eliot

I'll be starting Shakespeare's _Macbeth_ very soon. I'm very much looking forward to it.


----------



## Rhiannon

_Macbeth_ is one of the best things ever, Eliot- whenever my sister and I are in the mood for 'butchering the Bard' (as we call it), we usually go for Macbeth ('butchering the Bard' involves being in our pajamas at some ungodly hour of the night and randomly deciding we want to do some Shakespeare, and hauling out a couple of 'The Complete Work'- there are at least four or five in this house- and having at it. I make a terribly Romeo, but my sister's Juliet is passable, and we enjoy arm-wrestling over who gets to be Beatrice. I'm _always_ Lady Macbeth, though, _and_ Witches #1 & 3). 

I'm almost done with _Little Women_, which is good because my new books arrived yesterday (I had to take some time to gloat over them).


----------



## Lantarion

My class has been studying some plays in Finnish Literature class, and I've had to read "Romeo and Juliet", "Medea" and something called "Miss Julie". R&J was not terribly good in Finnish, but it was alright (and I read it in english on the side, woot!); Medea was just...cruel! But it offered us a great chance to study ancient Grek tragedy.. That's part of why I'm reading Aristotle's _Poetics_ right now (still haven't got past the intro ).


----------



## Eliot

Ooooooo........Rhiannon...sounds fun. 

I finished the old English _Hamlet_ a little while ago. I'll be starting _Macbeth_ very soon.


----------



## Wolfshead

I just thought I'd give a _Magician_ update  At present I'm a third of the way through, and I am thoroughly enjoying it, none of the boredom I was forewarned about has even threatened to rear itself. So there


----------



## Rhiannon

> Ooooooo........Rhiannon...sounds fun.



It is 

I read Katharine Weber's _The Little Women_ in one sitting last night (didn't sleep until 4am), and really enjoyed it, especially as one of three sisters; The book is very loosely inspired by Alcott's _Little Women_- there are three sisters named Meg, Joanne, and Amy, and their family is inclusive and 'perfect'- until they find out their mother had an affair. And their father doesn't really react to the news. So...the sisters leave. 

What really interested me in the book was the inclusiveness of the 'perfect' family; because that's _my_ family. We're not perfect, but we are very clannish. I, at least, am very wrapped up in my family.


----------



## Arebeth

I just read "Le diable et le bon Dieu", by Sartre. See my deep thought (for those who don't speak French -you should learn-, it means: "You'll never be like them. Not better nor worse: different. And if you agree with them, it will be because of a misunderstanding." Well, something like that.
Good book, the guy had a gift to make quotes. Good ideas, too. The problem is, he was an obscure communist who hated all kind of religion and couldn't help reminding that at every single page. A bit boring in the end.

And Rhia, I'm always Lady Macbeth, too! One of the best female characters ever, if you ask me... I also loved the Alchemist (but who didn't?). Just a bit frightening when you realize that you don't do much of what he writes so well.


----------



## Rhiannon

I just finished _Preludes & Nocturnes_, vol. I of _Sandman_ by Neil Gaiman, which was great as promised; I _love_ Death. FoaT, do the other volumes tell more about Dream's family?

I'm also halfway through with my re-read of _Till We Have Faces_ by CS Lewis, for my book group (I think this meeting will be most interesting). I really really love that book.

As soon as I'm done with it, I'll re-read _Sunshine_ by Robin McKinley, now that's it's been officially released and I have my gorgeous new hardback in hand.

And in between I am reading a smattering of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple short stories (fun and not demanding), and working on the _Mabinogion_- the Mabinogion proper, just the original four branches, not the romances.


----------



## Finduilas

I just finished Terry Pratchet's _The Last Hero_ and am now reading Martin Karbowski's _Social Experiment_. It's a lovely but Bulgarian book and therefore unknown to most of you.


----------



## Eliot

I'm almost done reading the old English version of _Macbeth_. After finishing that, I'll start _Julius Caesar_. I've also just started Brian Jacques' _Loamhedge._


----------



## Rhiannon

I finished re-reading _Till We Have Faces_. I. Love. This. Book. I was very disturbed when my friend- one of the intellectual-type ones- _didn't know what it was_. Of course, he didn't know who Ray Bradbury was either. _That_ felt like betrayal. When when three _more_ of my friends didn't know _either_....where did I go wrong? Where?

So, according to my calendar this week is TEEN READ WEEK. I'm kicking off my celebration with my promised re-read of _Sunshine_, some Patricia McKillip, a little Miss Marple, and who knows what all else.


----------



## Manveru

> _Originally posted by Rhiannon _
> *I finished re-reading Till We Have Faces. I. Love. This. Book. I was very disturbed when my friend- one of the intellectual-type ones- didn't know what it was. Of course, he didn't know who Ray Bradbury was either. That felt like betrayal. When when three more of my friends didn't know either....where did I go wrong? Where?*


You think it's your fault? C'mon...

And I must admit I haven't heard of him either, but I'm not an "intellectual-type", I guess (shallow... Am I really? ).


----------



## Eliot

I finished _Macbeth_, and have now started Gus Russo's _The Outfit: The Role of Chicago's Underworld in the Shaping of Modern America_. It's a book I've been meaning to read for a long while, just haven't had the time till now. It's very interesting, especially for one like me who's been living in the Chicago area all my life.


----------



## Rhiannon

> You think it's your fault? C'mon...



I have failed in my duty to spread the bookish-goodness all over the world...



> And I must admit I haven't heard of him either, but I'm not an "intellectual-type", I guess (shallow... Am I really? ).



Well, some of my friends read more than others, and these were some of the ones that _read_, like read-about-as-much-as-I-do kind of read. Ray Bradbury is one of the Grand Masters of Science Fiction: He wrote _Farenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, Dandilion Wine_ and _Something Wicked This Way Comes_, among lots of other things.


----------



## Manveru

This name... still can't remember having heard of him, but... someone recommended me once one of the books you mentioned above: _Dandilion Wine_. Now I know at least who wrote it.

So... 

I guess your "duty to spread the bookish-goodness all over the world" is completed in a way, again. Keep doing so...


----------



## Rhiannon

_Dandilion Wine_ is my favorite of the Bradburys I've read. Definitely recommended.


----------



## Manveru

I'll definitely read that.
THX again.


----------



## Courtney

Oh wow! I love Ray Bradbury.... I've probably said that like a thousand times, but it is true!!! You should try reading some of his newer stuff... like "From the Dust Returned" I think that is what it is called. Anyway, I just think it is a mazing that he has been writing books for more than half a century now, and they are all good!!!

Now I am doing that thing when I read tons of books at the same time. I started Jane Eyre yesterday. Sigh... what a great book...


----------



## Rhiannon

I _loved_, really loved _From the Dust Returned_. There is so much Bradbury I need to read...I need to try _Something Wicked This Way Comes_. I started it when I was younger, and freaked out more easily. It was too creepy for me.

Celebrating Teen Read Week with my new mattress and Robin McKinley's _Sunshine_, which I'm halfway through.


----------



## Courtney

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" is one of the best! It is extremely creepy, but I think most of his books are... Yeah I still get creeped out thinking about it...but it is worth it!


----------



## Rhiannon

Rhian is an unashamed whimp- the supernatural is especially scary. But she's much better now.


----------



## Rhiannon

...and speaking of the supernatural, I finished re-reading _Sunshine_ by Robin McKinley. Man, but that book is _crawling_ with great one liners!

Next up: I told Tal I would start _Winter Rose_ again, so I will. Because I do whatever Tal tells me too (mostly).


----------



## Rhiannon

And I finished _Winter Rose_ in almost-one sitting. Most of it last night. Wowee. I kind of wished that the ending had had more to it, but I was happy just the same. 

So now, _Eregon_, _In the Forests of Serre_, or _Song of the Basilisk_?

I think I'll pick up _In the Forests of Serre_ and then take a break from McKillip with _Eregon_...

So, am I the only one reading anything these days?


----------



## Manveru

Wow, Rhiannon, you're like a little _readin' machine_

Yeah, I'm reading some... (though I've had so little time recently). I'm soon to finish that _Dumas's_ book (although _someone_ told me I'm too old for reading Dumas...well, as I didn't have time--read: wasn't interested in reading anything when I was younger--I have to do this now... I love those musketeers' stories).

BTW: Maybe everyone's reading so 'pationately' that they have no time to talk about it here?


----------



## Rhiannon

> Wow, Rhiannon, you're like a little readin' machine


Thanks!  I'm finally getting my stride back, hurrah! I haven't read this much in a while- I had the dread Reader's Block over the holidays, and then I was sick...I'm miserable when I'm not reading much 

You know, I love a good swashbuckling, but I didn't care for Dumas when I read that years ago...My response was Less Sleeping Around, More Swords! That's mainly what I remember. I should read it again and see how I feel now.


----------



## Eliot

Hey! I read too! 

I'm reading the next book in the _Redwall_ series, _Loamhedge_. It's all right.

I'm also reading _The Outfit: The Role of Chicago's Underworld in the Shaping of Modern America_ by Gus Russo and _Front Page History of the World Wars_ as reported by _The New York Times_. It's pretty interesting.


----------



## Rhiannon

...and I _still_ don't even have _Triss_.

I took my mother in to the bookstore, held both of them up, and said "Okay. Look very closely. Redwall books I don't have."


----------



## Eliot

Can't you just get them at your library?


----------



## Rhiannon

Well, I collect them (I collect the Redwall books, I collect books by Robin McKinley in various covers and formats, and I collect Patricia McKillip hardbacks with cover art by Kinuko Y. Craft. And I collect fairy tale/mythology books in general).

Also the library here is _awful_. I don't even go there. Fortunately I have plenty of books of my own to read...if I ever run out, _then_ I will be in trouble.


----------



## Eliot

Well, can't you just buy them yourself?


----------



## Rhiannon

Yes...except I've purchased four...no five...no _six_ new books lately, and after I worked so hard to save money...I think I was dehydrated. But I need to buy a plane ticket, and fabric for my costume and....

I'm counting on Christmas.

Anyway, last night when I went to bed at 2am, I made the mistake of starting _In the Forests of Serre_- I made it to chapter four before I conked out. So far I'm loving it.


----------



## Eliot

Yay! I finished _Loamhedge_ last night.  It was pretty cool, IMO.


----------



## Rhiannon

*plugs ears* La la la I-don't-want-to-hear-about-Loamhedge la la la....

I am _inhaling_ In the Forests of Serre. I can't believe Tal didn't like it...But there's still the potential that I'll hate it if certain things happen to the characters.


----------



## Manveru

I've been able to get my hands on another book by P. Coelho _Veronika decides to die_, so my little "book-schedule" is about to have a little break, but only until I finish P.C.'s book (so till tomorrow, I guess).


----------



## Eliot

I'm reading _Wrigley Field_ right now. It's a really cool book. It's "A Celebration of the Friendly Confines."


----------



## Rhiannon

I finished _In the Forests of Serre_ a few days ago- I _loved_ it- and now I'm halfway through _Song for the Basilisk_. Most of my reading time is in between classes and before bed right now, so it's kind of slow going, but I really really love McKillip.


----------



## Eliot

Just finished _Wrigley Field_...  

I've started _What Bears They Were_ by Richard Whittingham. It's pretty cool. It's about the Chicago Bears.


----------



## Celebthôl

Im on LOTR again, im on "In the house of Tom Bombadil"


----------



## Courtney

I am reading a book about someone who lived a long time with the orangutans. It is called: Reflections of Eden by Birute Galdikas. I really like it, and I don't usually like nonfiction. I love orangutans, though! They are sooooooo cute!


----------



## Rhiannon

Courtney, you'd probably enjoy _A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons_ by Robert M. Sapolsky. A very funny, often moving book. I really liked it.

Let's see, I finished _Song for the Basilisk_- enjoyed it a lot, though I don't think it's my favorite McKillip- and _Set This House in Order_ by Matt Ruff, a really riveting novel about multiple personality disorder. That was an excellent book.


----------



## celebdraug

ive started on the sil again!
really good book!
im on the first chapter!


----------



## Eliot

I finished _What Bears They Were_ a couple days ago. It was good.  Yesterday, I started _Baseball's Greatest Games_ by Dan Gutman. Very interesting.


----------



## Lantarion

We're analyzing 'The Waste Land' in English right now, so I won't be reading much else, it's so crazy; or sleeping, for that matter. 
No but it's an amazing poem, though so complex under its outwardly weirdness that it will definately take us a while to take it all in.

Well, a little 'book' that I am reading right now is an etymological dictionary of the Finnish language: i.e. where many Finnish words come from. It's called _Sanojen synty_ (read 'sa-no-yen' and 'süntü'), 'the birth of words', and although it doesn't have nearly all of the words of the Finnish language it has several thousand, and is actually very interesting indeed.


----------



## Rhiannon

I tried to start _Eregon_, which is a recent best-seller written by a teenager, but my enjoyment is stifled by the fact that I keep thinking 'I could do this *so* much better.' I can't help thinking the book could have used a few more re-writes...but I'm not very far in at all. Maybe it gets less stilted.


----------



## Thorondor

Human Resource Management and also the thrilling read: Modern Labor Economics, Theory and Public Policy...*sigh*


----------



## Persephone

The Bible - from Genesis to Revelation


----------



## flame

the two towers


----------



## Thorondor

Right now: Lies, and the lying liars who tell them. A fair and balanced look at the right by Al Franken

It's a great read! While I'm not a Liberal, he shows blowhards like Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter for what they are.

Side note: The auther(Franken) announced he wants to run for Senator for Minnesota in the next election! Maybe I'll have to put off moving so I'll be able to vote for him.


(note: My opinions on the book, and those people discussed are my opinions, and if others may feel differently that is fine, but I do NOT want to get into any political agruments in this thread)


----------



## Eliot

I finished _Baseball's Greatest Games_ days ago, and then I read _America Storms the Beaches: 1944_. I forgot the author's name. I finished that in a couple days. Now I'm trying to finish _The Return of the King_ for the third time.


----------



## Rhiannon

Thoronder, is that book really harsh, ie does it get personal and nasty? My family (especially my dad) are pretty solidly right (and he reads Ann Coulter and listened to Rush religiously and all of that), but I like to keep things in perspective. But I usually hate anything political because half the time it's like being beaten over the head.

I recently read, in one afternoon, _Eva Moves the Furniture_ by Margaret Livesy (sp?), a very strange, pretty book. I enjoyed it a lot, but I can't think of anyone I'd recommend it to. But it really suited my needs at the time. It's been a rough last two weeks and I needed a retreat.


----------



## Lantarion

Whoo, well I just started Chaucer's _The Canterbury Tales_ two days ago.. I must say, despite the incredibly archaic and difficult language, the book is extremely funny and interesting! Here's a tidbit for you all. 



> Whan that April with his showres soote
> The drought of March hath perced to the roote
> And bathed every vein in swich licour,
> Of which vertu engendred is the flowr;
> Whan Zephyrus, eek, with his sweete breeth
> Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
> The tender croppes, and the yonge sonne
> Hath in the Ram his halve course y-runne
> ...



Haha, by the way:
*eek* = also.


----------



## Wolfshead

Currently reading: Book 8 of the Wheel Of Time! A/The Path of Daggers. It came into the library exceptionally quickly, which was nice.

Can't remember if I said this before, but I thoroughly enjoyed _Magician_ by Raymond E Feist, despite being warned about it being no good. It was even voted number 89 in the BBC's Big Read project (the nation's favourite books).

I've read a couple of Sharpe novels by Bernard Cornwell since then as well. Very good, of course, Richard Sharpe is a superb character.


----------



## Rhiannon

> I thoroughly enjoyed Magician by Raymond E Feist, despite being warned about it being no good.


It was enjoyable- not really to my taste, but enjoyable.


----------



## Manveru

Yesterday's night I finished reading _By the river Piedra I sat down and wept_ by Paolo Coelho (his books rock!!). I read it nearly at one sitting (a little interruptions of this 'real-world-things'). Now, I'm having a little break (delving 'The Sil'---> preparing Fingolfin's bio, I'm already late with that--should be done soon). Anyway... still reading, right?


----------



## Eliot

I'm also reading Michael Shaara's _The Killer Angels_, which the movie _Gettysburg_ was based on. Though it isn't fiction, it IS a novel. An interesting book.


----------



## Elbereth

Well, I just finished my last Tolkien book "The Tolkien Reader" tonight. So afterward, I ran to the book store to pick up "Wicked, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West."

it is the behind the scenes tale of the Wicked Witch of the West from the OZ story. I heard great things about this book...so I look forward to a fun, carefree read.


----------



## Ice Man

The Winter King


----------



## Turin

I just finished 'Under Drakes Flag, A tale of the Spanish Main', its about the english sea captain Francis Drake. It is very good I'd recommend it because its not like most biographys.


----------



## Wolfshead

> _Originally posted by Arcanjo _
> *The Winter King *


 By Bernard Cornwell? It's very good. Have you read any other Cornwell novels?


----------



## Thorondor

> _Originally posted by Rhiannon _
> *Thoronder, is that book really harsh, ie does it get personal and nasty? My family (especially my dad) are pretty solidly right (and he reads Ann Coulter and listened to Rush religiously and all of that), but I like to keep things in perspective. But I usually hate anything political because half the time it's like being beaten over the head. *



Is it harsh? Yes. Is it nasty? Well some chapters are called: "Ann Coulter: Nutcase," or "You Know Who I Don't Like? Ann Coulter," or "Bill O'Reilly: Lying, Splotchy Bully," or "Vast Lagoons of Pig Feces: The Bush Environmental Record." But it is one thing to just have ad hominem personal attacks, but quite another to back them up with actual documented facts. If your dad likes reading Ann Coulter or Limbaugh(or as Franken calls him: a Big Fat Idiot) this book would make his blood boil. But Franken is a satirist, I think it made it an interesting read, but critics will try to dismiss it as liberal name calling


----------



## Rhiannon

> ran to the book store to pick up "Wicked, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West."


Everyone I know says it's great- I was drooling over it last night myself. But I have his _Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister_ waiting for me at home  Mm, sounds like a good way to spend my afternoon....


----------



## Ice Man

> _Originally posted by CraigSmith _
> *By Bernard Cornwell? It's very good. Have you read any other Cornwell novels? *



Actually not, I have never read any of his books before.
I was just wandering through some old boxes of mine and found the book, which was given to me at the end of 2001. I started to read it yesterday, and I've been loving it so far.


----------



## Wolfshead

> I started to read it yesterday, and I've been loving it so far


 That's good, it's a book I'd recommend to anyone. I seem to remember getting myself into some bother with some Christians on here after quoting from Merlin in my signature, which I thought quite funny


----------



## Arebeth

I'm currently rereading each and every Oscar Wilde book... I never realized there so great when I read them in French... and I'm also reading "La part de l'autre" by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, if anyone knows him.


----------



## Isilme

Cool! I'm reading 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde in English class right now.


----------



## Ice Man

> _Originally posted by CraigSmith _
> *That's good, it's a book I'd recommend to anyone. I seem to remember getting myself into some bother with some Christians on here after quoting from Merlin in my signature, which I thought quite funny  *



I'm already at page 180-something. I could have read more, but these were busy days. The more I read, the better it gets.  Artur rocks, and I loved how Derfel 'became a man'.


----------



## Courtney

The Importance of Being Earnest is hilarious! I think it is the funniest play I have ever read! The movie is pretty good too.


----------



## Talierin

*sings*

The western wind is blowing fair
Across the dark Aegean sea
And at the secret marble stair
My Tyrian galley waits for me

Come down the purple sail is spread
The watchman sleeps within the town
O leave thy lily flower bed
O lady mine, come down!

I love the soundtrack to that


----------



## Rhiannon

Heehee, Wilde is _such_ fun 

I started _Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister_, and it's good, but I'm not feeling the need to pick it up again. 

_I want to read non-fiction_.

This is really just too weird, because I _never_ read non-fiction, but I'm halfway through _Mere Christianity_ by CS Lewis and loving it.


----------



## Arebeth

> _Originally posted by Isilme _
> *Cool! I'm reading 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde in English class right now. *



I've just read it too. Actually I'm trying to persuade my drama teacher to let me play Cecily as second scene for my exam in March (as the first is from Macbeth ) I can't find the movie. Is there a DVD?
And I must read "Des grives aux loups" for History class. And after that "Germinal". I'm fed up with realist literature. It's depressing.


----------



## Shaky_the_Mohel

I'm reading a few stories by Kafka ("Metamorphosis", "In the Penal Colony") and a few from Bruce Sterling's cyberpunk anthology _Mirrorshades_


----------



## Starflower

> This is really just too weird, because I never read non-fiction, but I'm halfway through Mere Christianity by CS Lewis and loving it.


You should read the other C S Lewis ones as well, especially Screwtape Letters, which is very thought-provoking. 

I'm actually fed up with reading at the moment, I work so much that when I get home there's all the housework to be done and no time for reading... I'm trying to read the latest Wheel of TIme book, but its massive, I bought it four months ago and I have read about 200 pages... but I'm going away for the christmas period so I expect I'll catch up then... plenty of time to do nothing but read


----------



## Talierin

Yeah, any of C.S. Lewis' books are excellent. Screwtape Letters is my favorite, and then The Great Divorce


----------



## celebdraug

im eading the sil. at the moment!

very good book!!


----------



## Thorondor

I've started RotK again. Mainly to refresh my memory so I can:
1. Explain what the heck is going on for my less than knowledgable friends at the movie.
2. Make my own mental criticisms of PJ's "interpretation"


----------



## Lantarion

> _Originally posted by Isilme_
> I'm reading 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde in English class right now.


Haha, I've seen the movie based on the book; it's hilarious! 

And Canterbury Tales is really funny too.


----------



## Rhiannon

> You should read the other C S Lewis ones as well, especially Screwtape Letters, which is very thought-provoking.


I've read all of his fiction except for the science fiction trilogy (we don't own it), and I've always _meant_ to read the non-fiction but never have. 

This non-fiction spasm thing knows no bounds...much as I love the Bible, I've never really been _interested_ in Genesis before.


----------



## Eliot

Well, I finally finished _The Return of the King_ for the third time. I loved it all over again.  I forgot how good it is. I'm now reading the Appendices.

I'm still reading _The Killer Angels_, it's going kinda slow. Oh well, I'll finish.


----------



## flame

im reading hunted liverpool 8 by tom slemen

(tom slemen is a local auther who investigates local storys of liverpool (were i live) his storys range from ghoast storys to local storys that have kept people in wonder (like a ninja killing in Haunted liverpool 5). and yes i have read all 7, im reading 8th now


----------



## FoolOfATook

_The Eyre Affair_, by Jasper Fforde.

Because I have promises to keep...


----------



## Rhiannon

The Fool of a Took is back! You haven't been around in forever...

And speaking of promises, I've probably read _Preludes & Nocturnes_ twenty times now, especially the last one. I _love_ Death.

I finished _Mere Christianity_ tonight, and I've started on _The South Was Right!_ so that I'll be able to hold a conversation with my father.


----------



## Wolfshead

In addition to _The Path Of Daggers_, I'm also reading a biography of Otto von Bismarck called _Bismark, The Man And The Statesman_ by AJP Taylor for some background reading for Higher History. Quite interesting, really.


----------



## FoolOfATook

> I've probably read Preludes & Nocturnes twenty times now, especially the last one. I love Death.



Yeah, "The Sound of Her Wings" is incredible. Neil Gaiman wrote two mini-serieses(?) featuring Death, and they're both tremendous. 

You have a lot to look forward to in Volume II, The Doll's House- The Cornithian, Rose Walker, finding out how vicious Desire can be, and the first appearance of a struggling playwright/actor from Stratford-Upon-Avon in the series... Will something 

You already know this, but _The Eyre Affair_ is delightful. The Rocky Horror Picture Show production of _Richard III_ practically had me in tears.


----------



## Rhiannon

Must...buy...more...volumes!

I knew you'd love the _Richard III_


----------



## FoolOfATook

Finished _The Eyre Affair_. Tremendous book. While I wait for the library to get in a copy of the sequel, I'm continuing my progress through the James Bond novels, by Ian Fleming. Now I'm on _Thunderball_. If you've only seen the movies, the books are surprising- James is very different in the novels.

I'm also working on _Fight The Power_, the autobiography of Chuck D. (The frontman of Public Enemy).


----------



## Rhiannon

I'm bouncing back and forth between several books at the moment..._The Aboliton of Man_ by CS Lewis, _Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers_ by Mary Roach (my brother's Christmas present, shh), my seventh re-read of _The Deed of Paksenarrion_ by Elizabeth Moon, and of course _The South Was Right!_. I abandoned _Eregon_, too annoyed by the fact that I just _know_ I can write better, though I might pick it up again later, and I'm itching to start _Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence_ and Neil Gaiman's _Neverwhere_, both of which are sitting temptingly here in front of me...


----------



## Halasían

*The Black Company*

I been reading the Black Company series, having finished the first four books. I await Sahow Games, the first of the Books of the South to be delivered.


----------



## Eliot

Have any of you read _The Wheel of Time_ series? If so, how did you like it? I'm going to be getting _Book I: The Eye of the World_ from my library. It's pretty large, so I'm not sure if I want to read it or not. Could I have some advice?


----------



## Rhiannon

The first six Time books I thought were really, really good. I enjoyed them. After that, things just got really long...the series keeps going and going and going etc. and because long and convoluted and I only kept reading because I was attached to two of the characters.


----------



## Eliot

OK, thanks Rhi. I think I'll try reading the series.


----------



## gilgalad

I'm just starting Homer's Iliad. I read the Oddyssy(or however you spell it!) and felt i was after missin out on a lot of important backround info so i'll prob end up reading that again afterwards for completions sake.

PS Eliot, what's the signiture about?


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by gilgalad _
> *PS Eliot, what's the signiture about? *



OK, all this stuff has to do with the Chicago Cubs, a Baseball team. 

AC005895: AC is something Latin, something to do with Bears. 00 means 0 years since the Cubs won their Division. 58 means fifty-eight years since the Cubs went to the World Series. 95 means ninety-five years since the Cubs _won_ the World Series.

"Eamus Catuli!" presumably means "Go Cubs!" in Latin.

And on the bottom, are all the years the Cubs have been to the World Series. The years in *BOLD* are the years the Cubs have actually won the World Series.


----------



## Talierin

Read only the first three books of Wheel of Time, heh.... other ones are crap... I made it up to 6 before I quit reading... 4, 5, and 6 aren't very good...


----------



## Rhiannon

Yeah. But Nynaeve is _such_ fun!


----------



## Wolfshead

There's no point in just reading the first 3 of WoT. I'm on book 8, and while it is so complicated, and does drag occasionally, I'd recommend it to anyone. By this stage, I know all the characters, and I don't know what it'll be like when the series finishes and there's no more from them...


----------



## Eliot

I finished Michael Shaara's _The Killer Angels_ on Monday, and now I'm starting Jeff Shaara's (the son of Michael) _Gods and Generals_, the prequel to _The Killer Angels_.

Another book I read (very quickly ), was _Out of the Blue: The Remarkable Story of the 2003 Chicago Cubs_ by the staff of the Chicago Tribune. It was awesome. 

I'm also slowly reading _The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien_. It's ok. A wee bit boring though. Oh well. I shall strive to finish it.


----------



## Rhiannon

I've never made any kind of attempt to read the _Letters_ straight through. I use the index a lot, and flip through it, and look up random references, which is great fun.

I'm almost done with _The Abolition of Man_, which is really interesting- I think I'm going to end up using it a lot in my pro-homeschooling arguments.


----------



## FoolOfATook

I'm re-reading certain essays from the wonderful collection of scholarly articles about the HoMe, _Tolkien's Legendarium_.

Also, after seeing _Master and Commander_, I have an interesting compulsion to read _Moby ****_. But, the library called today and said that the copy of _Confessions of an English Opium Eater_ that I requested has come in, and I might let that tide me over while I wait for them to get in either _Lost In A Good Book_ (Rhiannon- you've made me a Fforde addict!) or _The Spy Who Loved Me_.

Edit: Oh come on... Moby ****?


----------



## Rhiannon

> (Rhiannon- you've made me a Fforde addict!)



Mwahahahaha. I only peddle the very best bibliocrack.


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by FoolOfATook _
> *Edit: Oh come on... Moby ****? *



Haha! Look, I can do it: Moby D¡ck.   

I just started _The Eye of the World_ yesterday. It's pretty interesting.


----------



## FoolOfATook

I picked up Jasper Fforde's _Lost In A Good Book_ from the library yesterday- it got in earlier than expected. I'm halfway through it, and it's tremendous. 

Because she tipped me off to Thursday Next, I think it can be officially noted that Rhiannon rules.


----------



## Rhiannon

Just doing my part to make the world a better, happier, Thursday-Next-loving place  

I finished (finally) _The Aboliton of Man_, and I've started _The Great Divorce_- I suppose I'll have to find a copy of the _Four Loves_ soon. 

I'm also reading _Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers_ still, but I'm almost done, and I've started _Sophie's World: A Novel about the History of Philosphy_, which is very interesting. 

But all this rather serious reading is going to take a hit, because it's absolutely imperative I find a copy of _The Book of Three_, book one in Lloyd Alexander's wonderful Prydain Chronicles, and proceed to devour the entire series for the first time in several years (it will also be more interesting now, after I've read part of _The Mabinogion_).


----------



## klugiglugus

I just read 'The Hobbit' its a bit complex and I didn't really understand it that well, the themes are a deep array of mystery to me and that bit where they go into the forest with all the spiders, well lets just say I soiled myself that evening...

I advise every body on this forum to read the Hobbit because they clearly haven’t read it already...


----------



## Eliot

I just want to announce that I'm lovin' Jordan's _The Eye of the World_. I'm only at Chapter Nine, but it's gotten pretty awesome so far.


----------



## FoolOfATook

> I advise every body on this forum to read the Hobbit because they clearly haven’t read it already...



Actually, the vast majority of us have. I've read it several times, including the annotated edition which includes the original version of the Gollum/Bilbo encounter.


----------



## Lantarion

I'm pretty sure everybody here at TTF, with very few exceptions, has read the Hobbit.. It is the common introduction to Tolkien's world. 

Hm, I'm still reading 'Canterbury Tales', "The Knight's Tale": It's very entertaining and even funny, but if you have a dislike for really arhaic and practically Anglo-Saxon English, then don't read it. 
No but seriously I think anybody could get _something_ out of it. 

I am seriously planning to read the Silmarillion front front to back at some point too; even though I've read it some 5 times I haven't picked it up in over half a year, except to look up some quotes now and again.
And since I've joined deviantART I've had a growing liking for drawing things, and I've decided to start drawing things from Tolkien's works. I've just finished drawing and colouring my version of the 'Sceptre of Annúminas'. Relating to that, would somebody know a direct quote about it? I've searched for a long time but I haven't found a quote; even though I remember at least one.


----------



## Rhiannon

I finished _The Great Divorce_ and _Stiff_ this morning, so now it's just _Sophie's World_ and _The Deed of Paksenarrion_.


----------



## Eriol

> _Originally posted by Lantarion _
> *Relating to that, would somebody know a direct quote about it? I've searched for a long time but I haven't found a quote; even though I remember at least one.*



Appendix A, a footnote to the heirlooms of the house of Isildur:



> The sceptre was the chief mark of royalty in Númenor, the King tells us; and that was also so in Arnor, whose kings wore no crown, but bore a single white gem, the Elendilmir, Star of Elendil, bound on their brows with a silver fillet (I, 157, III, 123, 137, 145). In speaking of a crown (I, 182, 261) Bilbo no doubt referred to Gondor; he seems to have become well acquainted with matters concerning Aragorn's line. The sceptre of Númenor is said to have perished with Ar-Pharazôn. That of Annúminas was the silver rod of the Lords of Andúnië, and is now perhaps the most ancient work of Men's hands preserved in Middle-Earth. It was already more than five thousand years old when Elrond surrendered it to Aragorn (III, 251). (...)


----------



## Malbeth

Right now I am reading LOTR, but I don't know how many times I've read it (between 25 and 30 times I guess)... but I made a short interruption to read a book of tales from ancient and medieval times; I had to tell a story in a storyteller's workshop that concluded yesterday and I thought that would give me good material; I was not disapointed, these old tales are very witty, and, in a way, very true... wonderful!


----------



## Talierin

What's your deviantart name, Master Lanty? Mine's http://talierin.deviantart.com


----------



## FoolOfATook

I've finished the Fforde book, and for reasons that I can't quite identify, I've been reading Mark T. Sullivan's detective novel _The Serpent's Kiss_. So far it's kind of a police procedural meets _The Da Vinci Code_ kind of affair. It's far from the worst book I've read, but I can't explain why I keep reading it.

This weekend I'll probably start in on De Quincey's _Confessions of an English Opium Eater_ and spend a great deal of time with Goddard, Auden and Bloom's respective essays on Shakespeare as a method of preparing for my exam on the Swan of Avon's early works.


----------



## Lantarion

Eliot thank you for the quote.. I was actually looking for a physical despcription of the Sceptre, but that's ok.  I've already finished it anyway.  I suppose I'll do another version of it though.

Haha Tal! I checked out your gallery, and WOW! 
The meager fruits of my imagination can be found here: ~inziladun.


----------



## Eliot

I believe you're referring to _Eriol's_ quote, not mine.


----------



## Elbereth

I am now reading "The Mists of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

I saw the miniseries on TNT awhile back, so I was a little intrigued. It is nice to be able to see the inner depth of the story that is always cut out in translation to the small screen. Although I have just started it...I can already tell it is going to be a good read. And for anyone who is into the legends of King Arthur, I definately think this book will be for you!


----------



## Lantarion

Woah Elbereth sounds fascinating. 

LOL sorry Eriol.. I always get you two mixed up.


----------



## Talierin

Everyone should go read Mister Monday by Garth Nix, tis a fablous book... can't really explain what it's about though, it was very odd, but really good...


----------



## Rhiannon

I read _Mists of Avalon_ way back and really enjoyed it, but since then I've kind of gotten tired of the 'pagan feminist' theme. It seems like every Arthurian re-telling is one now. 

_Mister Monday_ is in my room waiting to be read- I borrowed it from my friend months ago and just haven't gotten to it yet


----------



## FoolOfATook

I've finally decided to read Stephen King's _Dark Tower_ books. I've just begun the second one, although I won't be able to read as much as I like for the next few days because of exams.


----------



## Arebeth

I've finally started Germinal by Zola (for French class), and I must say it's an incredible good book, even if I'm not really into French realism/naturalism. I'm rather a romantic...


----------



## Rhiannon

My brother loves the Dark Tower books...one of these days I'll have to read them.

I'm still working on _Sophie's World_, and now I'm reading _The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club_ by Dorothy L. Sayers, and _The Gilded Chain_ by Dave Duncan, both fun, escapist type reads.


----------



## arisen pheonix

right now im deep into the Wheel of Time..... im on book 6 the lord of chaos.....really good


----------



## Captain

Right now I'm reading Don Quixote for school. It's pretty funny, but I've got to read the whole 1000 pages in a month, and I have many other things to do (midterms, research papers, science fair project, etc.)


----------



## Elentári

I am on The Great Hunt (book #2 in the Wheel of Time.)

I would have to say that I love the series so far, the first book I read in three days. I always have to pull myself away from the book to work on my homework!


----------



## Courtney

Well... since I have been here last, I have finished Jane Eyre, The Lost World (Crichton), The History of Middle Earth (the one with the Lost Road)... and I am going to try not to start another book until I am finished with exams next week.... grrr...


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by Courtney _
> *The Lost World (Crichton)*



Ooooooo.....that's a good book, IMHO. How did you like it, Courtney? Have you read _Jurassic Park_?


----------



## Courtney

Oh yes!!! I read Jurassic Park for the first time in 5th grade, so of course I didn't understand much of it, except that there were dinosaurs... 

I really love both books... and they are much better than the movies... grr... in the Lost World, the little girl does some gymnastics trick and kicks the velociraptor. Yeah right!!! And the third movie was just not neccessary, but I still like them because it is the closest I can get to seeing dinosaurs... 

and I have read some of Crichton's other stuff... Sphere, Congo, I can't remember what else, it was a while ago.


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by Courtney _
> *Oh yes!!! I read Jurassic Park for the first time in 5th grade, so of course I didn't understand much of it, except that there were dinosaurs...*



Haha, I never even knew about JP until I saw the movie when I was 5.   



> _Originally posted by Courtney _
> *I really love both books... and they are much better than the movies... grr... in the Lost World, the little girl does some gymnastics trick and kicks the velociraptor. Yeah right!!! And the third movie was just not neccessary, but I still like them because it is the closest I can get to seeing dinosaurs... *



Yeah, the books are a LOT better. I read both of them when I was 12. I had some trouble understanding some different things, but I also had trouble putting the book down. 



> _Originally posted by Courtney _
> *and I have read some of Crichton's other stuff... Sphere, Congo, I can't remember what else, it was a while ago. *



I haven't read any thing else of Crichton's. I've seen Congo, but IMO, it was dumb. My dad read Prey, but I really have no idea what that's about. Wasn't Sphere also a movie?  I think I remember seeing a movie called Sphere.


----------



## Lantarion

You mean 'The Sphere' with Dustin Hoffman and Samuel L. Jackson etc.? Man now that is a scary movie... 
But excellent.

Maybe I should read the Jurassic Park books. They sound enjoyable.


----------



## Húrin Thalion

Right now: Guns, germs and steel. A short conclusion of how human history has been the last 13.000 years. By Jared Diamond.

A highly interesting book about human history, Diamond tries to give his answer to why the many civilizations have developed so differently, and for example why the European one dominated the world for such a long time and still does. 

Måns


----------



## arisen pheonix

> _Originally posted by Elentári _
> *I am on The Great Hunt (book #2 in the Wheel of Time.)
> 
> I would have to say that I love the series so far, the first book I read in three days. I always have to pull myself away from the book to work on my homework! *




its an awesome series....whos you fav character so far?


----------



## Eledhwen

The Visitation, by Frank Peretti, is my current read. On Thurs/Fri I read Pride and Prejudice, because seeing it 2nd on The Big Read reminded me that I hadn't read it. Excellent stuff. The jury's still out on Peretti; I know his style, so I think I know what will happen, but we'll see.


----------



## Inderjit S

Currently, my non-fiction reading consists of _War and Peace in the Middle-East_ by Avi Shlaim, _The Best Democracy Money Can Buy_ by Greg Palast and _Rogue State_ by _William Blum_.

My fiction reads, are _Nervous Conditions_ by Tsitsi Dangarembga, _The Color Purple_ by Alice Walker, _Regeneration_ by Pat Barker and presently the delightful, if controversial _Lolita_ by _Vladimir Nabokov_, which I cannot seem to put down!

Yet, despite his charms Humbert can never measure to one of my favourite literary characters, Stephen Wraysford from _Birdsong_ *swoon* those big, brown impassive eyes, his sweetness, his charm...it's enough to make a guy cry.  

I still have to get round reading _Doctor Zhivago_ if only because I loved the T.V adaptation last year mainly because of the very beautiful Keira Knightley. I still remember seeing her for the first time looking into that shop window. *sigh* my heart was all fluttery for days after. 

Anyway anyone want to discuss Birdsong, Regeneration or Lolita. (Or Keira Knightley!) Or Animal Farm?


----------



## Eliot

Well, I don't really have time to discuss it, but I really really enjoyed Orwell's _Animal Farm_. That's a great book.


----------



## Elentári

> its an awesome series....whos you fav character so far?



Wow! Hard thing to choose!

I really don't think that I have one yet. 

Maybe Perrin because I love wolves so much. But I think that they are all really cool and well developed characters.


----------



## Eledhwen

> _Originally posted by Inderjit S _
> *Yet, despite his charms Humbert can never measure to one of my favourite literary characters, Stephen Wraysford from Birdsong *swoon* those big, brown impassive eyes, his sweetness, his charm...it's enough to make a guy cry.
> 
> Anyway anyone want to discuss Birdsong, Regeneration or Lolita. (Or Keira Knightley!) Or Animal Farm? *


Birdsong came 13th in the BBC book promotion "The Big Read"*. I haven't read it, but after seeing the promotional film on it, it's on my list.

* www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread


----------



## Captain

Sphere was one of the best books I have ever read. I suggest you guys read it. It feels like its playing with your mind while you're reading it. Also Prey is great, and it is especially involving because it is from the first person perspective.


----------



## Elessar II

> Sphere was one of the best books I have ever read. I suggest you guys read it. It feels like its playing with your mind while you're reading it. Also Prey is great, and it is especially involving because it is from the first person perspective.



Ah, I see you are a Crichton fan as I am. The guy is brilliant, although I have to say my favorite book of his is definitely Timeline.


----------



## Lantarion

Two things that rock: 
1. Keira Knightley
2. Animal Farm (well, Orwell in general)


I have to watch Dr. Zhivago when it comes on here, it comes on just after Christmas here.. Mmm, Keira..


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by Lantarion _
> *Two things that rock:
> 1. Keira Knightley
> 2. Animal Farm (well, Orwell in general)
> *



I second that.  Speaking of Knightley, I'll be seeing Pirates of the Caribbean today on DVD.


----------



## Wolfshead

Yes, Keira Knightly, good person to talk about. Rather excellent looking in Pirates Of The Carribean 

Still reading _The Path Of Daggers_ by Robert Jordan. I seem to have so little time for reading these days 

I think I'm going to try and get a hold of _The Art Of War_ by that foreign fellow, and _Mein Kampfe_ by that other foreign fellow. Should be interesting reads. Let's see how much money we get for Christmas...


----------



## Lantarion

> _Originally posted by CraigSmith_
> I think I'm going to try and get a hold of The Art Of War by that foreign fellow


Aw dang it I'm stupid.. Was it written by Confucius or Sun Tzu? 

I have to get Tao te Ching, by a very famous foreign fellow called Lao Zi. I claim to be a Taoist, and haven't even read the Tao Te Ching..


----------



## Wolfshead

I believe it was infact Sun Tzu


----------



## e.Blackstar

I just finished the Screwtape Letters and am in the middle of the Hobbit.


----------



## Rhiannon

Hey Craig, I heard that Jordan was publishing _New Spring_ as a full-length novel. Do you know anything about it?

I can't seem to concentrate on one book. I'm still working on _Sophie's World, Gilded Chain, Deed of Paksenarrion_, and now I've started _No Constitutional Right to be Ladies_....yikes. Rhi, girl, you need to get yourself together...


----------



## Wolfshead

> Hey Craig, I heard that Jordan was publishing New Spring as a full-length novel. Do you know anything about it?


I don't even know what _New Spring_ is...


----------



## Rhiannon

It's a novella that was published in the _Legends_ anthology, about how Lan and Moraine met- I liked it (but then, I have a thing for Lan. I didn't bother with the most recent book because I heard he was barely in it). Anyway, I saw an advertisement for 'New Spring _The Novel_' at our local bookstore. It didn't say anything else useful, like when it was supposed to come out


----------



## Wolfshead

Hmm, sounds interesting, perhaps I shall look into it.

Oh yes, just looked into it, it's coming out in January.


> Before the war against the Shadow began, the Aes Sedai hunted the land for the Dragon Reborn. It was the destiny of one warrior and one of the most powerful Aes Sedai to find him. But first they must find each other. NEW SPRING is the powerful story of how the events of the Wheel of Time series came to unfold. Find out more about this title and others at www.orbitbooks.co.uk


I suspect I shall read it at some stage, but not till I've finished up to book 10.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...88808/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_3_1/026-9598538-7289268


----------



## Starflower

i'm starting 'Dancing Barefoot' , a collection of short stories by Wil Wheaton. yes - it's Wesley Crusher form Star Trek - The Next Generation ! And he's all grown up!


----------



## Húrin Thalion

I see you have caught your senses, Lantarion, after our msn conversation where I tryed to convince you that Orwell was in fact the best writer writer ever, second only to Tolkien. But, animal farm has never fascinated me much, it is far too allegoric in my opinion, leaves too little space for a story. I love 1984 more than most books, a masterpiece is what it is, such darkness, such descriptions and so human yet unnatural a world has never been seen before, nor will they be. I also like some of his writings as a war correspondent in Spain, a man who fought for his ideals!

Måns


----------



## elf_queen

I was reading the Silmarillion. But it's such a hard book without (in my opinion) much action and excitement, that I've had an irresistable desire to read the fifth HP book again. Nonetheless, I kept on track until I got The Theif Lord as an early Christmas present. Then my restraint finially cracked, so now I'm reading The Theif Lord.


----------



## JOSHUASIGEP44

The Companion's by: Tina Daniell

Dragon Lance Saga


----------



## Eliot

I'm _almost_ done with _The Eye of the World_. I should be able to finish it tonight.


----------



## Eledhwen

> _Originally posted by Treyar _
> *I just finished the Screwtape Letters and am in the middle of the Hobbit. *


I thought _The Screwtape Letters_ was very imaginative as well as being good. I also liked Orwell's 1984, and remember well the discussions on how far it had come to pass when the year actually arrived. Its review on The Big Read showed that, technologically and socially, we're almost there!

I've just started to read Life of Pi. Review anyone?


----------



## Eliot

> _Originally posted by Eliot _
> *I'm almost done with The Eye of the World. I should be able to finish it tonight. *



Yay! I finished it!  But I wasn't able to finish it last night, because I need some sleep every once in a while.  I finished it this morning.


----------



## Wolfshead

Eliot said:


> Yay! I finished it!  But I wasn't able to finish it last night, because I need some sleep every once in a while.  I finished it this morning.


And I should (hopefully) finish book 8, _The Path Of Daggers_ tonight. Failing that, tomorrow. Which will be nice


----------



## Eliot

Well, my crazy library doesn't have _The Great Hunt_, so I'm going to have to wait till it _does_ get it. Oh well, I shall have to be patient.


----------



## Rhiannon

Well, _my_ crazy library doesn't have a copy of _The Book of Three_ by Lloyd Alexander, which should be some kind of felony.


----------



## Eriol

I've got a load of books for Christmas, and I'll get even more later . Right now I'm reading Stephen Hawking's very pretty "The Universe in a Nutshell" -- among others .


----------



## Wolfshead

You lot think you have bad libraries? A couple of the books in the WoT I had to wait 6 months for! And I had to buy two of them because they don't have them _and_ I'd been waiting for one of those two for 6 months before they told me they couldn't get it!

I seem to remember ordering _The Great Hunt_ for my sister (she's only read the first one) some time ago, and it hasn't come in yet. I think perhaps I should check that the order was actually placed!

Well, didn't finish _The Path Of Daggers_ last night due to my being on here till almost 2, but I WILL finish it today. No doubt about that. I hope...


----------



## Eledhwen

CraigSmith said:


> You lot think you have bad libraries? A couple of the books in the WoT I had to wait 6 months for! And I had to buy two of them because they don't have them _and_ I'd been waiting for one of those two for 6 months before they told me they couldn't get it!
> 
> I seem to remember ordering _The Great Hunt_ for my sister (she's only read the first one) some time ago, and it hasn't come in yet. I think perhaps I should check that the order was actually placed!
> 
> Well, didn't finish _The Path Of Daggers_ last night due to my being on here till almost 2, but I WILL finish it today. No doubt about that. I hope...


Libraries in England have two tiers of ordering service: you can order within county for a token fee (50p here, free for childrens books), or they will do a national trawl for the required book for (in Wiltshire) about £2.50. With database linkups, I don't see why libraries can't source a book, provided that someone has it somewhere.


----------



## ely

"The Growth of the Soil" by Knut Hamsun. And I like it - it's interesting and easy to read - a wonderful and rare combination.


----------



## Jesse

I'm reading "Animal Magick" by D.J. Conway. It talks about Animal totems.


----------



## Wolfshead

Eledhwen said:


> Libraries in England have two tiers of ordering service: you can order within county for a token fee (50p here, free for childrens books), or they will do a national trawl for the required book for (in Wiltshire) about £2.50. With database linkups, I don't see why libraries can't source a book, provided that someone has it somewhere.


 I loved the library when I lived in Luton. I would visit once a week, and from the children's section I could order a book, if on the off chance they didn't have it, and when I was in the next week, it would always be there! Then I was moving onto the adult books before I left, it was easy because there were so many books to choose from! I didn't need to order anything, but it did cost 50p. Up here it costs nothing to order, which is nice. Anything I order comes in from other libraries all around the Highlands. It's more difficult due to the rural nature of the area, but it works to an extent.

Going to finish _The Path Of Daggers _this evening. I must!


----------



## Thorondor

elf_queen said:


> I was reading the Silmarillion. But it's such a hard book without (in my opinion) much action and excitement, that I've had an irresistable desire to read the fifth HP book again. Nonetheless, I kept on track until I got The Theif Lord as an early Christmas present. Then my restraint finially cracked, so now I'm reading The Theif Lord.


Blasphemy!!!! jk...I went home for christmas and got a major Tolkien bug, and all my precious bookses were in my apartment over 100 miles away. I really wanted to read the Sil or UT, but all I had was my sis' LotR, but I had just finished reading that, so I sat down and read thru the Appendixes of LotR...


----------



## Gildor

The Secret Book of Paradys III & IV by Tanith Lee. Dark, strange stuff, but good.

Also re-reading Ringworld by Larry Niven. I want a tasp.


----------



## 33Peregrin

I am reading The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. And next I will read a book I got for Christmas called Eragon. Does anyone know if it's good?


----------



## Eliot

33Peregrin said:


> And next I will read a book I got for Christmas called Eragon. Does anyone know if it's good?



I haven't read it yet, but I've heard critics say that it will appeal to fans of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. It sounds interesting to me. I plan on reading it eventually.

Well, I got _The Great Hunt_ from my library, and I'm really enjoying it so far.


----------



## Rhiannon

I bought and started Eregon, but I wasn't really impressed with the writing (it was written by a fifteen year old, who is 19 now). I couldn't stop thinking 'I would have done this better...' Yeah, I have a huge ego. But I know several people who enjoyed the book but didn't love it.


----------



## Niirewen

Right now I'm reading _Black Beauty_. I love classics.


----------



## Wolfshead

I finished _The Path Of Daggers_, which was excellent, as expected. I then read _Wee Free Men_. Terry Pratchett's latest Discworld offering for children. Very good nonetheless and I am now rapidly getting through _Winter's Heart_ the 9th part of Jordan's Wheel Of Time. I should have spent the last 2 days studying but have been reading instead! Tomorrow is my last day of holiday and I've got 2 weeks worth of homework to do! Not to mention exams starting in 9 days. Oh well, just shows how good WoT is, I suppose


----------



## Ice Man

I'm reading one of Terry Pratchett's books about Discworld, The Light Fantastic. It's absolutely hillarious.


----------



## Rhiannon

Pratchett rules- I got _The Last Hero_ for Christmas and loved it.


----------



## Tinuvien21

I'm reading _Eragon_ by Christopher Paolini, and then I'll read the rest of _Beowulf._


----------



## Eliot

Tinuvien21 said:


> I'm reading _Eragon_ by Christopher Paolini



Hey Tinuvien, when you're done reading it, could you tell me how you liked it? I have it reserved at my library, so I want to to know if it's really worth reading or not.


----------



## perdita

Yay! Another Pratchett reader! A guy that I work with got me and another girl hooked on Pratchett. Now we're trying to get another one of our friends to start...I slipped a copy of "Men at Arms" to my sister last week...trying to spread the joy! 

I'm finishing _Masquerade_ (2nd time) by Terry Pratchett. I'm also partway through _Unfinished Tales _ (having trouble getting through some of that one). Just finished reading _The Silmarillion _ (2nd time also). Before that, _LOTR_ (I have no idea how many times I've read it....about 12 or 13 so far).


----------



## Turin

I just finished reading 'The veritas project, volume 1, The Hangman's curse' by Frank Peretti. Its a good book and I set my record in reading it in the fastest time I've ever read a book(probably 5 hours). Though it took my sister about 2 hours to read it  .


----------



## Starflower

reading book 2 of The Liveship Traders trilogy:Mad Ship by Robin Hobb. It's got some fairly horrid and tragic turns of events, but superbly written as always, and it fits nicely timewise between the other two trilogies, the Assassin one and the new Fool trilogy.


----------



## Tinuvien21

OK,Eliot. I'm on pg. 475, or something.Close to the end. But I wonder if anyone has read Beowulf. Probably that person w/ the screenname Grendel.


----------



## Niirewen

I've read parts of it, but not the whole thing.


----------



## e.Blackstar

I just finished The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett. I am now re-reading The golden compass by Philip Pullman


----------



## Eliot

Well, I finished _The Great Hunt_ about a week ago, and *NOW* I'm waiting for my library to get _The Dragon Reborn_.


----------



## LegolasLuver

Right now I'm reading the Simlarillion


----------



## Niirewen

> I am now re-reading The golden compass by Philip Pullman



Woahh.. how crazy is that, that's what I'm reading too! And I just finished one by Terry Pratchett as well, only it was Night Watch, not Feet of Clay. *is freaked out*


----------



## celebdraug

LegolasLuver said:


> Right now I'm reading the Simlarillion


Same here!


----------



## Rhiannon

Niirewen said:


> Woahh.. how crazy is that, that's what I'm reading too! And I just finished one by Terry Pratchett as well, only it was Night Watch, not Feet of Clay. *is freaked out*


Have you read the other two books, Niri? (in Pullman's trilogy, not Pratchett). What did you think of them?

I'm still reading _Neverwhere_ by Neil Gaiman...writing a novel cuts down on my reading time.


----------



## Niirewen

I haven't read the other ones actually, as this is my first time reading Pullman's trilogy. I'm almost finished with _The Golden Compass_ though, and I've been enjoying it. I don't have the other two yet, but I just got some baby-sitting money, so hopefully I'll be able to do some book-shopping soon.

I own _Neverwhere_, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. How do you like it? It doesn't really seem like my type of book, but I'll probably give it a try.


----------



## Lantarion

I'm reading and analyzing 'Macbeth'.

"Is this a dagger I see before me?"


----------



## Rhiannon

Niirewen said:


> I haven't read the other ones actually, as this is my first time reading Pullman's trilogy. I'm almost finished with _The Golden Compass_ though, and I've been enjoying it. I don't have the other two yet, but I just got some baby-sitting money, so hopefully I'll be able to do some book-shopping soon.
> 
> I own _Neverwhere_, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. How do you like it? It doesn't really seem like my type of book, but I'll probably give it a try.


The last book in the trilogy is pretty polarizing, so I'm curious to hear how you like it. I'm loving _Neverwhere_. It's not the sort of thing I usually read either, but it is really fascinating and original.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Currently I'm dipping into "The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien." What a treat!

Lotho


----------



## Starflower

Niirewen said:


> I haven't read the other ones actually, as this is my first time reading Pullman's trilogy. I'm almost finished with The Golden Compass though, and I've been enjoying it. I don't have the other two yet,.



Golden Compass ? Here ( in the UK) the books are called Northern Lights, Subtle Knife and Amber Spyglass. I wonder why the title was changed....?
I have read them all and I think they are really good, meant for pre-teens but enjoyable anyhow.


and no I am not a pre-teen thank you very much


----------



## Niirewen

Well, I finished _The Golden Compass_ yesterday, and loved it. I'll get the other two as soon as I can get to a bookstore. But, seeing as I might have to wait awhile (I won't get my license until next month.. so not being able to drive myself I'll have to wait until it's convenient for someone else to go) maybe I'll start on _Neverwhere_..


----------



## Rhiannon

Starflower said:


> Golden Compass ? Here ( in the UK) the books are called Northern Lights, Subtle Knife and Amber Spyglass. I wonder why the title was changed....?
> I have read them all and I think they are really good, meant for pre-teens but enjoyable anyhow.
> 
> 
> and no I am not a pre-teen thank you very much



I wouldn't really say that they're meant for pre-teens....marketed to them, maybe, but most of the people I know who've read and loved them are adults. But, I hang out with a bunch of people who read YA fantasy in general. Limited by a genre, you should not be...


----------



## Niirewen

I wonder why the first book has two different titles? That's odd..


----------



## Rhiannon

Books often have different titles in the US than they do in the UK- Mostly it's a marketing thing. The His Dark Materials trilogy in the US is all objects; compass, knife, spyglass.


----------



## Niirewen

Really? Hmm.. didn't know that. Interesting.


----------



## Ice Man

I started to read Alan Moore's Voice of the Fire today. So far, it's been quite a strange reading.


----------



## Rhiannon

Niirewen said:


> Really? Hmm.. didn't know that. Interesting.


Of course, now that I've said that the only other example I can think of is 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' vs. 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'.


----------



## Starflower

Rhiannon said:


> Of course, now that I've said that the only other example I can think of is 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' vs. 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'.




that's because in UK 'Philosopher' has the same meaning as 'alchemist', where as in the US the meaning is different


----------



## celebdraug

i have to read "the crucible"  for my school project! *sarcastically* OH JOY!  Has anyone else read it?


----------



## LegolasLuver

I've heard of it but never read it. I'm getting ready to start reading LotRs again though. As soon as I finish reading the Simril I mean.


----------



## jejeje

Hi, i hate tacking a reply onto a thred that has been going on for about 70 years, but who cares?
i just read Junk, which is a very good book by Melvin Burgess. It's about heroin addiction and it really puts you off drugs. 
I just did the crucible for my english coursework! I kinda liked it actually, but writing a massive essay on it puts you off. I went to see A view from the bridge, which is another Miller play, and that was really good.
Just read His Dark Materials again,too, and the first Sally Lockhart book. Philip Pullman is one off my favourite authors


----------



## Niirewen

> i have to read "the crucible" for my school project! *sarcastically* OH JOY! Has anyone else read it?



Yes.. it wasn't great but it wasn't horrible either, I thought. In my English class we're reading Huckleberry Finn, but I'm not actually reading it because 1) I've already read it and 2) I'm not a fan of Mark Twain.


----------



## Lantarion

The Crucible is an excellent play (it is a play right, or am I going crazy?).. The movie is also excellent (*drools*: Winona Ryder..) 

I really want to read 'Catcher in the Rye' and practically all of Steinbeck's works. I've only read 'Cannery Row' by him, which was so wonderful.


----------



## Rhiannon

The only Steinbeck I've actually read was _Travels with Charlie_ (which I loved), and excerpts from his unfinished writing on King Arthur. I really should read _The Grapes of Wrath_ one of these days.

I'm almost done with _Neverwhere_, but I've given in and started _The Time Traveler's Wife_. I'm inhaling it. So far it's wonderful.


----------



## Niirewen

> I really want to read 'Catcher in the Rye' and practically all of Steinbeck's works



I've recently read Steinbeck's _East of Eden_, which I really liked. I enjoyed writing a paper on one of it's main themes- man's freedom to choose good over evil. I haven't read any of his other works, but I plan to sometime in the future.


----------



## Éomond

I'm currently reading _Black Hawk Down_, the New Testament of the Bible, and (drum roll)

_The Silmarillion_! Yay! It's some-what confusing but really, very good.


----------



## Lindir

Lantarion said:


> I really want to read 'Catcher in the Rye' and practically all of Steinbeck's works. I've only read 'Cannery Row' by him, which was so wonderful.


'The Catcher in the Rye' is not by Steinbeck, it was written by J.D. Salinger. Still a good book though.


----------



## Rhiannon

I finished _Neverwhere_ by Neil Gaiman this evening. It *rocks*. Highly recommended, though it might not be for everyone.


----------



## Lindir

Rhiannon said:


> I finished _Neverwhere_ by Neil Gaiman this evening. It *rocks*. Highly recommended, though it might not be for everyone.


'Neverwhere' is a fantastic book, as everything by Gaiman. If you have still to read 'Good Omens' and 'American Gods', you are lucky. Those are great.
I have just finished 'Fool's Fate' by Robin Hobb, the last book in 'The Tawny Man' trilogy and 'New Spring' by Robert Jordan. I'm a bit lost now as what to read. Probably something I've already read.


----------



## Lantarion

Lindir I know it isn't by Steinbeck. maybe I worded the sentence wrong.


----------



## Lindir

Lantarion said:


> Lindir I know it isn't by Steinbeck. maybe I worded the sentence wrong.


I'm sorry that I got it wrong. No offence intended.


----------



## Eriol

After finding my old copy of "Guns, Germs, and Steel" (by Jared Diamond) buried beneath some other books, I'm rereading it. It's very interesting. Subtitled "A History of Everybody for the last 13,000 Years" . Highly recommended.


----------



## Eliot

Éomond said:


> I'm currently reading _Black Hawk Down_



Ah yes, _Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War_. I love that book. It's a great book, IMHO. How are you liking it, Éomond?


----------



## Rhiannon

Now I am sick- blah, I feel so rotteeeeen....- but fortunately I have _The Time Traveler's Wife_ to go cuddle up with. Mm, yummy novel.


----------



## Thomas Baggins

Hey congrats Éomond, the Sil! Very, very good read, especially about Turin!!! New Testament huh? Cool!


----------



## Niirewen

> I finished Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman this evening. It rocks. Highly recommended, though it might not be for everyone.



I started it yesterday.. I'm about halfway through. So far I really like it.

PS- Feel better Rhi


----------



## Rhiannon

I predict you'll love the end, Niri  I drew the reading of it out pretty long; after the holidays I was really burned out and I had been reading several books that I didn't finish, so a nice, slow read of a good book was very nice.


----------



## Sam_Gamgee

Started LOTR again, yeah yeah yeah i know. 

1 peter, didn't even realize my sig was from there i put that up a long time ago.

Next semester will be reading Dante's Inferno, world lit class.


----------



## Niirewen

Finished _Neverwhere_ today. Loved it. Started _The Da Vinci Code_, because my mom has been pestering me about reading it for awhile.


----------



## Ireth Telrúnya

Elendil3119 said:


> I'm currently reading LotR (again ) and The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. What about you guys?



Hi, 
I read some tales from the Canterbury Tales during Christmas Holidays...and in english, though finnish is my native..I also read then "Timeline" by Michael Chrichton and reread "The Children of Dune".

Right now I'm reading a scifi by Megan Lindholm (who also uses an alias Robin Hobb) and it's called "The Reindeer People".
It's in english too. I love this language and I think it's better to read books and novels in the language of the author.

And I'm considering of reading The Return of the King again in the near future..


----------



## Rhiannon

Niirewen said:


> Finished _Neverwhere_ today. Loved it.


Isn't the ending perfect, Niri?

I'm halfway through _The Time Traveler's Wife_ and I'm absolutely eating it up. (though, it does have a fair bit of mature content- not hugely graphic, but present)


----------



## Lantarion

Sam_Gamgee said:


> Started LOTR again, yeah yeah yeah i know.
> 
> 1 peter, didn't even realize my sig was from there i put that up a long time ago.
> 
> Next semester will be reading Dante's Inferno, *world lit class*.


Are you in the IB? We have World Lit too, or we have to write essays about it.. 
But I've always wanted to read the entire 'Divina Commedia', just haven't got round to it.


----------



## Niirewen

> Isn't the ending perfect, Niri?


Yes! It made me so anxious when he went back to his normal life, and I kept thinking- "What do you think your doing? Don't you realize you don't belong there?" When he finally went back to London Below it was a huge relief. Great ending.

Suprisingly, I'm really enjoying _The Da Vinci Code_. Mystery-thriller type books aren't what I usually go for, but I've hardly been able to put it down. It's very interesting.


----------



## Rhiannon

I just finished _The Time Traveler's Wife_ this evening. I _loooved_ it. I'm still in post-really-really-really good book haze.


----------



## Niirewen

I just finished _The Da Vinci Code_. I really liked it. Too bad I missed the class my church was having on it.. I would've liked to have gone to it. I don't know what book I'll read next..


----------



## Niniel

I'm currently reading the works of Raymond Feist. I've already read the Krondor trilogy, I've almost finished Magician and I'm going to read Silverthorn next (obviously). I enjoyed them, though not as much as LOTR of course.  
I did like the Divina Commedia BTW, you should really read it if you have a chance, but take an edition with a lot of notes or you won't understand most of it.


----------



## Inderjit S

Reading More's 'Utopia' will follow that up with Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby', Edith Wharton's 'The Custom of the Country' and John Stuart Mills political commentary 'On Liberty and Utilitarianism' as well as Robert Kagan's 'Paradise and Power'. 

Just read Camus's 'The Outsider' which was brilliant!

Can anyone recommend any good old fashioned romances? Also any John Keats fans here?


----------



## Rhiannon

It's not exactly a good old fashioned romance, but _The Time Traveler's Wife_ is wonderful and gorgeous- you might give it a try. It's the best book with a romantic theme that I've read in a long time. 

I like John Keats, but I don't read as much of him as I do John Donne. Wordsworth I can't stand. 

I'm reading _My Antionia_ by (I think) Willa Cather, and _Dandilion Wine_ by Ray Bradbury for my book group.


----------



## arisen pheonix

just finished out Penmans The Queens Man and Dragon's Lair....was ok....and some more of the Poe collection...must say House of Usher is STILL my fav....and New Spring by Robert Jordan...good...and the Demon Lord of Keranda by Eddings...also good....


----------



## Eliot

I finished _The Dragon Reborn_. I've started _The Shadow Rising_.


----------



## (MiThRaNdIr)

Im reading Return of the King, im in THE LAST DEBATE chapter.


----------



## Niirewen

Let me know how you like _My Antonia_, Rhi. My mom gave me it for Christmas (I've been reading a lot of American classics lately) but I haven't read it yet.


----------



## Halasían

*Black Company Books*

I have been reading Glen Cook's Black Company series and have finished the first four. Like the Silmarillion, the first one is a bit hard to start, but after getting through the first couple chapters it went well. Even learned a new card game from these books. I am currently reading *Bleak Seasons*, which is book 1 of the 'Glittering Stone' series. May be a bit dark for some who prefer the lighter Tolkienesque fantasy, but well worth the read in my opinion. Kudos to Moonbiter who prompted me to started reading them a few years back, though I didn't start until last year.


----------



## Thorondor

I'm almost through reading The Da Vinci Code. I think it is an great book. Murder, betrayal, corruption, history, what else could you as for?


----------



## Dengen-Goroth

Just finished Les Liaisons Dangereueses! And I must say, Choderlos de Laclos was nothing short of a brilliant genius of a man! Anyone else come across this book?


----------



## Niirewen

> I'm almost through reading The Da Vinci Code. I think it is an great book. Murder, betrayal, corruption, history, what else could you as for?


I liked it too, but for different reasons- mostly because of my interest in religion and just that it was very thought-provoking and absorbing.

In response to my last post- in my English class we actually just started reading My Antonia today..


----------



## Thorondor

Niirewen said:


> I liked it too, but for different reasons- mostly because of my interest in religion and just that it was very thought-provoking and absorbing.


I loved that part too. I thought the ideas brought up were very interesting...Now that I've read it, I really want to learn more about the topic...After I finish rereading the Sil...


----------



## Rhiannon

RE _My Antonia_; I like it, it's _good_, but it's not holding my attention. It's good literature, but not really riveting, and I want riveting at the moment. So I think I'll set it aside for now and pick up a novel with more suspense.

And in the meantime I'm reading a non-fiction book; _Wild at Heart_ by some guy who's name I can't remember. But it's very interesting.


----------



## Turtle

I'm reading the Bhagavad Gita, also reading a book on Buddhist Logic, Lord of the Rings, Walden by Thoreau, and a collection of books by William James.


----------



## Sarde

The Bhagavad Gita, cool. I used to be a Krishna-devotee. I am reading LotR right now (first time). Siege of Gondor. Been stuck there for a few days on account of not having enough time. After LotR I am going to (re)read The Hobbit and after that I am going to read the Silmarillion (first time). Oh and eh... I should really be reading stuff for school...


----------



## Ol'gaffer

I'm currently reading Screenplay by Syd Field and The Guerilla Film Makers Blueprint by various contributors.

Both are for my future career.


----------



## Starflower

im actually reading nothing at the moment... waiting to get paid so I can raid my neighbourhood bookshop, there are a lot of books I have not read, I m a little behind in my reading


----------



## Wolfshead

I've just finished book 10 of the Wheel Of Time, _Crossroads Of Twilight_ which was frustrating in that people are being incredibly dense and in that it didn't really go anywhere. Still, it is the beginning of the end of the series, maybe something interesting will happen in book 11? Gotta wait till 2005 though...

Now I'm on _Sharpe's Fortress_ which will no doubt be excellent, as I've come to expect from Bernard Cornwell


----------



## Starflower

reading 'Into the Labyrinth', book 6 in the Death Gate Cycle. Had it for ages, and now re-reading it in waiting for some new books to come in...


----------



## Lantarion

We're reading Gabriel García-Márquez's short stories in Finnish class; I would like to at least read the _English_ translations, but the Finnish text is enjoyable too. Very surrealistic writing, I love magical realism! 
Also, I've begun reading 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles', a fairly epic work of English literature. It has some wonderful countryside descriptions so far, and the story itself is quite intriguing.


----------



## Rhiannon

I loved Gabriel Garcia Marquez's _One Hundred Years of Solitude_. I read it during the summer, and it was just perfect. I have _Love in the Time of Cholera_ somewhere in the piles of unread books lying around in my room, but I haven't gotten to it yet.


----------



## Wolfshead

I've just got _Mein Kampf_ out of the library. For someone who likes history enough to want to study it at university, is it worth sticking with?


----------



## Beleg

Mein Kampf is good reading material; not awefully attractive though. 

For me, I am going to start on Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New world'.


----------



## Rhiannon

Beleg said:


> Mein Kampf is good reading material; not awefully attractive though.
> 
> For me, I am going to start on Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New world'.


I was _so_ depressed after reading _Brave New World_. Had unpleasant dreams for a whole week.


----------



## The-Elf-Herself

I dunno, I thought it was funny meself. In a dark, disturbing way.


----------



## Eriol

As dystopias go, Brave New World is quite mild... For really unpleasant dreams I recommend "1984".


----------



## Rhiannon

I keep thinking I should read _1984_, and then I think _naaaaw..._ I doubt it would be good for my mental and emotional equilibrium. Another book I found incredibly depressing was _The Metamorphosis_. I _hate_ Kafka. Goodness gracious. I was downcast for a whole month after that little gem of darkness. He wakes up a bug, he goes through all this stuff, and then... Yeah. 

And in other news, I'm reading an ARC of _The Game_ by Laurie R. King--the latest installment in her Mary Russell series, due out next month. Very good reading.


----------



## Lantarion

Rhiannon I do suggest you read '1984', even thuogh it is quite nauseating and depressing. It also makes you think on so many levels, and the characters are so utterly relatable.


----------



## Ol'gaffer

Currently reading:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

so far, so great.

very similar to Neverwhere, which is also great.


----------



## pipin

the star stone


----------



## Rhiannon

After making false starts on _My Antonia, Jim the Boy,_ and...something else that slips my mind at the moment, I've started _Love in the Time of Cholera_ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. So far so wonderful--I think this one will stick. 

I also recently read _Feet of Clay_ by Terry Pratchett--I love Vimes. There's a very good reason that he's my brother's favorite character.


----------



## Lantarion

'Kiss of the Spider Woman' by Manuel Puig.


----------



## numen

*ohh me*

I am reading "Waterland" By Graham Swift...and i just finished "The Monk" that was great, i reccommend to all.


----------



## Rhiannon

Lantarion said:


> 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' by Manuel Puig.


Wasn't that made into a Broadway musical?


----------



## Inderjit S

For any fans of surrealist works, I recommend, Albert Camus's 'The Outsider'; BRILLIANCE! Though I daresay it would depress Mrs. anti-Kafka Rhiannon. (hehe) it is better then 'The Castle' and 'The Trial' though 'The Trial' gives it a close run. Also need to read 'Love In The Time of Chorea'. 

Craig, as for political books, I think you should trudge through some of the classics, Marx and Engel's _The Communist Manifesto_, J.S Mill's _On Liberty_, Rousseau's _The Social Contract and it's Discources_, Machiavellia’s _The Prince_ and of course Adam Smith's _The Wealth of Nations._ 

On German history, I recommend _The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich_ (William Shirer) and Alan Bullock's _Hitler a Study In Tyranny_ though there are lot's of other books on Hitler, which would be better then you buying the incoherent paradigm's of that idiot. Though of course if you really want to read _Mein Kampf_ then do so.

And I deplore anyone who hasn't read 1984---what is wrong with you?  

Currently going through 'Vanity Fair' pretty good so far.


----------



## Ireth Telrúnya

I'm currently reading the Silmarillion and understand a great deal of more of Tolkien's "Eä" and "Arda". 
I've been wondering the name "Silmarillion". I see it's Quenya and means "About/on the Silmarils"..(right?) 
It's this word "silmarilli" that sounds quite familiar to me. (I don't have a clue how Tolkien would pronounce Silmaril or Silmarilli...) You see, "Silmärillit" means eyeglasses (spectacles) in Finnish.(though a bit archaic word used by older people since they are usually called "silmälasit". "Rillit" refers to the frames of the glasses while "lasit" are literally glasses.
It's kinda nice to think this particular word had something to do with the invention of the Silmarils in Tolkien's head..true or not, who knows..


----------



## Asha'man

I'm reading Tom Clancy's "Teeth of the Tiger" right now, it's pretty good. Just got past a very good reason to carry concealed.  

"If you kick the tiger in his ass, you'd better have a plan for dealing with his teeth." 

Ash


----------



## Rhiannon

> And I deplore anyone who hasn't read 1984---what is wrong with you?



A big TBR stack and a mild aversion to dystopian lit?


----------



## Aiwendil2

Inderjit wrote:


> For any fans of surrealist works, I recommend, Albert Camus's 'The Outsider'; BRILLIANCE!



This is the same book as _The Stranger_, right? Just a different translation of the title? If so - I agree, it's brilliant. One of a relatively small number of books that I read for high school and really liked.



> I think you should trudge through some of the classics, Marx and Engel's _The Communist Manifesto_, J.S Mill's _On Liberty_, Rousseau's _The Social Contract and it's Discources_, Machiavellia’s _The Prince_ and of course Adam Smith's _The Wealth of Nations_.



If you really want to understand the history of political thought, I think you've got to go back to ancient Greece and read at least Plato's _Republic_ and Aristotle's _Politics_. Frankly, I don't think that either of these is very good in itself, but they did form the basis of a lot of later political thought.

I'd actually recommend certain other works by Marx in place of the _Manifesto_. His early "economic and philosophical manuscripts" are very good. And the later _Capital_ is I think a much more serious and profound work than the _Manifesto_.

Also, I think that Hobbes's _Leviathan_ should be read to see the starting point taken by Locke, Rousseau, and others.


----------



## Inderjit S

> This is the same book as The Stranger, right? Just a different translation of the title? If so - I agree, it's brilliant. One of a relatively small number of books that I read for high school and really liked.



Yes, they are one and the same. 

On Plato's 'The Republic' I will be soon reading 'The Iliad' but I think all the archaisms give me a headache. If it is anything like More's bore 'Utopia' then it will be put down quickly.


----------



## celebdraug

I'm reading Spiderman! (Based on the first movie), All my comics have been confiscated!


----------



## Niniel

'The king's buccaneer' by Raymond E. Feist.


----------



## Lomendanar

Elendil3119 said:


> I'm currently reading LotR (again ) and The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. What about you guys?


I just finished "A Tolkien Miscellany" and am about to start 'Unfinished Tales". Just ordered a used first edition of "Letters of J.R.R Tolkien"


----------



## Dengen-Goroth

Just finished _Love in the Time of Cholera_, one of the most satisfying and engrossing novels I have ever had the pleasure and, daresay, honor of coming across. Marquez is a genius! Moving on to Nietzsche's _Ecce Homo_, though admittedly I'm a bit reserved about it.


----------



## Inderjit S

Reading Homer's 'The Iliad' it is well and truly epic..but there are too many names to remember. 

Finished 'Vanity Fair' a briliant, beautiful satire, a bit dry in parts esp. in the middle but the first and last 100 pages are amazing. And hooray for William Dobbin! 

Hoping to move on to 'Don Quixote' next.


----------



## joxy

To Ireth: Tolkien was very keen on Suomi, and that word for glasses is near enough, so there's little doubt he used it - I haven't seen anything in the works to confirm that, but it's too close a coincidence not to be correct.
To all of you reading Kafka and Camus - and enjoying them!!??: You must be in a tiny microcosmos of your own - but congratulations!
To who's reading Thackeray - and who's reading Spiderman!: Congrats for staying in THIS world!


----------



## Inderjit S

> To all of you reading Kafka and Camus - and enjoying them!!??:



Some can sense some similarities between Kafka, Camus and other surrealists, or Orwell and the _REAL_ world, you just have to be cynical enough.  

About half-way through 'The Iliad' and Zeus and his lackey Opollo are annoying me, I want a fair fight! Plus the Akhaian's are a lot better/cooler then the Trojans. Aias, Aias, Meriones, Patroklos, Antilocho, Agamemnon, Achilles, Diomedes, Oddyseus.


----------



## Ireth Telrúnya

Joxy, this "silmärillit" is a plural form (since we usually need a glass for both eyes) and "-t" is the usual plural ending in Finnish (though in many cases the stem of the word changes too.) So, "silmärilli" is a singular form in Finnish, while in Quenya it's the plural form of these Silmaril gems. And "silmä" means "eye". 

Inderjit S: I've thought for a long time that I should get familiar with the gods of Olympos and read Ilias and other Greek myths. Though I remember I read some illustrated book about them as a child...


----------



## Inderjit S

I too am very much a Greek lit. virgin.

My next read/s should be either 'The Leopard' and 'A Hero of Our Time' by Lampedusa and Lermontiov, anyone got a opinion on these novels? And then the much-celebrated 'Don Quixote' what does everyone thing of this novel?


----------



## Eriol

Inderjit S said:


> And then the much-celebrated 'Don Quixote' what does everyone thing of this novel?



It is everything it is made out to be -- a great, very great novel. Enjoy .


----------



## joxy

Thanks Ireth. I'm convinced that T took your word and just played around a little with the ending to produce his word. I'm wondering now if anything else of his was directly from Finnish - can anyone think of any examples?
Inderjit: I had no idea there was such a stronghold of intellect in Wolverhampton! From Lermontov to Cervantes in a single step - that'll be quite an adventure, and quite a contrast! Give me a good laugh with the Don anytime, and leave those miserable Russians to their introspection. Not that Cervantes doesn't have a lot of important stuff to say; he just does it with a sense of humour - and readably.


----------



## Rhiannon

I have an illustrated, children's version of _The Iliad_ and _The Odyssey_, so I'm familiar with the story and all of the gods, but I haven't quite gotten around to reading the actual poem yet. Or the _Aenid_, or _Beowulf_, for that matter. I read _The Song of Roland_, but it's in nice, short little sections. 

So far my only encounter with Russian lit has been _Anna Karenina_, which I gave a good, solid chance to get interesting. After four hundred pages of thinking 'what the heck is _wrong_ with these people?' I realized that I did not care at all what happened to any of them and I returned the book to the library. 

I'm only reading it in short bursts, but I'm loving _Love in the Time of Cholera_ so far, and to balance it out (and help me get in the right mind-set for the speech I'm doing) I'm planning to re-read CS Lewis' _The Abolition of Man_.


----------



## Ireth Telrúnya

Here are some examples of similarities between Finnish and Quenya words. I found them in a website of a Finnish Tolkien fan. It seems that Tolkien has specifically taken some words and either altered their meaning a bit and it's especially the stems of the words that are similar. By the way, this ä-letter is pronounced like "a" in American English "can". Also, double consonats, e.g. 'kk', are to be stressed and not taken for granted, and the same goes for vowels, e.g. 'aa'; all vowels are pronounced, e.g. 'ie' is pronounced '[ee-eh]' etc.; and the letter 'j' is pronounced as a consonantal 'y'. And a single letter 'a' is always pronuonced as in 'arm'. 
The first is the Quenya word and the second is the Finnish one.


Quenya--------------Finnish
-anta-_='gives' | _anta-= 'give'
-aurinka= 'sunlit, sunny' | _aurinko='Sun'
_kantl= 'a large harp', _/ kantele='harp' | 
_kava-= 'dig' | _kaiva-= 'dig'
_kulu= 'gold' | _kulta= 'gold'
_kumpo_='pile' | _kumpu= 'hillock, hump'
_kú_='Crescent Moon' | _kuu='moon'
_Ó ='be, exist' | stem _o-= 'be, exist' (olla=be, exist)
_pelto= 'hedge, hedged field' | _pelto= 'field'
_pínea= 'small' | _pieni='small'
_qualme= 'death', _qualma= 'deadly' | _kalma (older a bit archaic word) = 'death, dead person'
_táma='this' | _tämä= 'this'
_tie= 'line, direction, route, road' | _tie='route, road'
_tereva='piercing, acute, shrill, sharp' | _terävä= 'acute, sharp'
_tulu-='move, come' | _tul-(tulla) = 'come'
_tunto='notice, regard, perception' | _tunto='perception'
_vene='small boat, vessel, dish' | _vene= 'small boat'
_ya(n)= 'and' | _ja= 'and'


----------



## Lantarion

Ireth that is simply *STUNNING*!!! I had noticed a lot of those myself, but many were unknown to me.. And they are so close too!! Hooray for the Finnish language! 
Also, one that I have seen is the word 'sword'; it isn't quite as obivous though.

Quenya___________Finnish
_macil_________________miekka_


----------



## Ireth Telrúnya

Oh, I didn't know you moderators here can also modify these posts.. Thanks for that additional clarification. And to the guy from whom I got those..
Well, just thinking about pronunciation between English and Finnish... For example the Finnish word "tie" means "road" and in English it means a piece of men's clothing. In English I hear it is pronounced like [thai] but our "tie" must be said something like (if I can demonstrate it in letters at all...) [teah] and without no aspiration in the letter "t". 

I don't know if anyone is interested of this piece of information about "tie", though...

Oh, I guess I should learn more Quenya..


----------



## Lantarion

Yeah Ireth, I find it interesting.. It actually goes to show how completely stupid English pronunciation is! Phonetic spelling and pronunciation is an inherent linguistic quality, I feel, and English just defies that completely! But it does offer a beautifully poetic and diverse language too.

The finnish word _tie_ is pronounced as two syllables: [tee-eh]. Just as in Quenya.


----------



## Beleg

I am extremely thankful to *Eriol* for pointing me towards the direction of the 'Riftwar' series, which I am enjoying at the current moment. 
After that I intend to read 'Women are from Venus, Men are from Mars.' 

Eh and occasional book or two of Agatha Christie and Perry Mason mysteries is often thrown into the mix.


----------



## Niniel

Beleg said:


> I am extremely thankful to *Eriol* for pointing me towards the direction of the 'Riftwar' series, which I am enjoying at the current moment.


I noticed you liked them, by your MSN name... I have just read all of them (the Riftwar trilogy, Prince of the Blood, The King's buccaneer and the Krondor trilogy). I liked them a lot, though they're of course not as good as LOTR (some of them are really too bloody for my taste).


----------



## Ireth Telrúnya

Well, English spelling is much better than for example French spelling! That is a language that has huge load of letters and words and when they are pronounced, it seems there was only one word there.

Yesterday I tried to remind myself of the Finnish grammar of these inessive, ablative, allative, adessive, illative, elative and found out that I really couldn't put them together with the right forms...well, good that I know them anyway...

Ablative and allative are in Quenya too. But I think they are a bit broader and different than the ones in Finnish.


----------



## Ol'gaffer

I just finished reading Neil Gaimans American Gods and now I'm starting to read Bruce Campbells Autobiography "If Chins Could Kill" again.


----------



## My_Precious

"The Queen of Sorcery" by David Eddings. I wonder how come I haven't read his Belgariad books before. They are interesting, funny, and keep you reading til 2 am.


----------



## Rhiannon

Well, as wonderful as I thought _Love in the Time of Cholera_ was, it didn't break my reading slump. Still didn't get past page thirty. So I've moved on to _The Sorcerer and the Gentleman_, which has an extremely promising first sentence that I would quote for you except that I'm too lazy to go get the book and come back. I'm already thirty pages in, so we'll see if I manage to make headway.

I've had more reader's block in the past year than I think I've had my whole life combined. It's truly dreadful.


----------



## Inderjit S

Well I have nearly finished 'Love in the Time of Chlorea' and it is indeed a beautiful book. 

But as for Don Quixote, it has to be one of the greatest books ever written. One cannot help but weep at Quixote's realisation (on his deathbed) that he was indeed rather mad and it is a shame that he had to die so soon after becoming sane again. 

But you still cannot beat the scene when he mistakes two herds of sheep for two opposing armies and he proceeds to rout the unfortunate sheep.


----------



## Rhiannon

Inderjit S said:


> Well I have nearly finished 'Love in the Time of Chlorea' and it is indeed a beautiful book.


It's gorgeous. I just can't seem to concentrate well enough to read magical realism right now. So straight up fantasy it is--my genre of choice since I was five


----------



## Dengen-Goroth

Maybe I'm wrong in this assessment, but I don't believe there's very much of the 'magical' in _Love in the Time of Cholera_. It is quite apart from _100 Years of Solitude_ in that aspect, and it certainly doesn't need it to shine! Rhiannon, give it another go whenever you can- it really gets rolling past page 30 

Just started on _The Sound and the Fury_ by Faulkner, should make for a good read.


----------



## Rhiannon

Dengen-Goroth said:


> Maybe I'm wrong in this assessment, but I don't believe there's very much of the 'magical' in _Love in the Time of Cholera_. It is quite apart from _100 Years of Solitude_ in that aspect, and it certainly doesn't need it to shine! Rhiannon, give it another go whenever you can- it really gets rolling past page 30


From what I understand, _Love in the Time of Cholera_ is still considered a part of the magical realism genre, though not as good an example as _One Hundred Years of Solitude_. Hopefully I'll soon get my brain back and be able to concentrate on things more complicated than Terry Pratchet


----------



## Kementari

I just finnished reading Shirley by Charlotte Bronte and I just have to say Wow, what a great book. Not only it is sweet romantic and complexly and poetically written it really deals alot with society on the whole in a philosofic way, much more than Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte obviously had great perception of human actions and feelings


----------



## Inderjit S

Tried to read Stendhal's 'The Charterhouse of Parma'-not very impressed, though the first 100 pages or so, which deal with the battle of Waterloo are great it starts to get boring when we hear about Fabrizios aunt's private/social life and how she and her lover, Conte move to Parma and then then all the subsuqent incest and murder, get's surprisingly boorish. 

Also read Dostoevsky's 'The Brother Karmazov', which was brilliant, one of the best books I've ever read. Hope 'Crime and Punishment' is as good. Currently reading Edith Whaton's 'The Custom of The Country'.


----------



## Lantarion

I'm still reading Puig's 'Kiss of the Spider Woman'.. It really is an extremely interesting and scintillating novel, I recommend it to anybody who doesn't have trouble with borderline psychotic stream of consciousness thoughts in the text from time to time..  Seriously though, it's a good read.


----------



## Beleg

> I just finnished reading Shirley by Charlotte Bronte and I just have to say Wow, what a great book. Not only it is sweet romantic and complexly and poetically written it really deals alot with society on the whole in a philosofic way, much more than Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte obviously had great perception of human actions and feelings



An excellent book. If you liked it then you should try The Professor and Villette [Sp?]. They are also great. Specially the later one. Charlotte had great preceptional powers but IMO her younger sisters were better, specially Anne Bronte. 


I have been hoping to find time to read Stendhel's _Men In Black._ Have heard it is better then his other works.

Dostovosky is...well, I guess I am not a very big fan of russian literature. 

Hope you enjoy Edith Wharton. After that if you have time, give Henry James a try too.


----------



## Wolfshead

At the moment I'm reading 2 books.

Raymond E Feist - Silverthorn, the sequel to Magician, which is pretty excellent so far

and

ARRR Roberts - The Soddit, being a humourous parody of The Hobbit. In the same vein as Bored Of The Rings. It's funny, but not something that can keep me gripped for more than a few minutes at a time.

Of the other stuff I've read lately, I'd highly recommend everyone read The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. Without a doubt one of the best books I've ever read, and that's coming from someone who's read almost nothing but fantasy and historical fiction for 2 years!


----------



## 33Peregrin

Right now I am reading The Farthest Shore, by Ursula Le guin. That's the main book I am reading, but there are of course a lot more that I am reading at the same time. For English I am reading Brave New World.


----------



## Inderjit S

Well, recently I underwent some kind of super literature fetish. Read, '100 Years of Solitude' by Marquez (better then 'Love In The Time of Cholera', in fact, it is prob my favourite book ever, it was beautiful) 'Midnights Children' by Salman Rushdie (another great book) and 'Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn' by Mark Twain (another great book though the 'Adventures of Tom Sawyer was better, IMO, we get a great character change in the nomadic Huck in the second book, from clichéd, prejudiced southerner to a more egalitarian and understanding southerner. His cause for Jim’s freedom was pretty magnanimous and Sawyer’s Quixote-esque penchant for “playing by the rules” when rescuing Jim, and setting up obstacles that weren’t there was hilarious, as well as Lampedusa's 'The Leopard' all in the space of three days. Subsequent nightmares about having a drunk of a father and having my house haunted by a hell of a lot of crazy ghosts are a rather negative offshoot of my literature super-fetish as well as being perpetually tired and even more idiotic.

Currently reading Calvino's 'If on a winters night a traveller', it's odd and unconventional, but still good. Then onto Dante's 'The Divine Comedy'.


----------



## Ireth Telrúnya

I'm currently reading a scifi 'Shadow Dancers' from Jack L. Chalker. Nice idea of parallel Earths reaching to infinity on both sides of Earth in time and space. 
And a drug that turns you into "a shadow dancer". The main character is a black woman.

And, I still haven't finished 'Silmarillion', it really is quite laborious to read. But I'll finish it after some time... I guess I have to go to library tomorrow and pay my bill for the delayed books...


----------



## Lantarion

Wow Inder, I wish I had time to read that much.. 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' is #1 on my list, after reading so many of his short stories I can't wait to read a full novel.. Marquez's style is simply beautiful.

I finished 'Kiss of the Spider Woman'; truly a magnificent, psychological and thought-provoking read, I recommend it.
Next I'll be reading 'Season of Migration to the North', by Tayeb Salih. It's very good so far, wonderful naturalistic descritptions and interesting use of imagery and symbolism throughout; it's a lot like Hesse's _Siddhartha_ actually.


----------



## Inderjit S

Really it isn't so hard if you try to get a spare hour or half an hour or get up really early, for a solid couple of hours of reading and do the same at night and read for an hour or so in the day, which should leave you free to do whatever you want in the daytime. That is if is the holidays and you are not hungover of course. Though I am an uncommonly speedy reader. 

Finished 'If on a winters night a traveller' and I have to say that is one of the best books I've ever read. I really cannot describe it in a nutshell, but let' say it's kind of a post-modern Arabian nights as well as being a critique of various genres and the publication industry. It is about a reader who buys a book and realises that the next chapter comes from a different book. He then goes on a quest to find out not only the ending of the original book but the ending of the other book he read, only to start a completely different book. I don't want to ruin the story, since any other information would ruin it. But it is brilliant. Each short story deals with a different genre i.e. romantic, political satire etc. It's amazing and is only like 250 or so pages long. Oh well, on to Alghieri….


----------



## Darkknight

I'm currently reading _Schindler's List_ and _The Silmarillion_.


----------



## Talierin

I"m reading Dune cause WM is making me


----------



## Rhiannon

My brother has been trying to make me read Dune for years...but I was badly freaked out by the movie when I was...seven? There was this guy...he exploded...*twitch*

I'm reading _Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior_ by Judith Martin, which I have _always_ adored--though it does give me an aching desire for ladies' double-fold writing paper and white gloves--as well as _Bid Time Return_ by Richard Matheson, more commonly known as _Somewhere in Time_, which was the name of the movie based on it. It's my mom's favorite movie, and the soundtrack was my 'incubation music', so when I realized it was based on a book I went looking for it. I was also curious to read another time-travel romance after loving _The Time Traveler's Wife_. So far, _Bid Time Return_ is disconnected because it's supposedly dictated, rather rough and uneven, but compelling enough to keep me reading. 

I'm still read _A Sorcerer and a Gentleman_ as well. The plot skips around everywhere, and doesn't keep up with any characters consistently, which makes figuring out what is going on frustrating, but it's also compelling enough to keep me going.

And the library book sale was this weekend. I only killed what I plan to eat. I swear. *gloats over new hoard of books*


----------



## Ol'gaffer

Currently I'm reading Neverwhere for the bazillionth time, and like all great books, it never grows old.


----------



## Niniel

I'm still reading HOME 10, but I've finally almost finished it (just read the Athrabeth).


----------



## Niirewen

I've finally gotten around to reading a couple of books my grandma has lent me- the other day I finished _Girl with a Pearl Earring_ by Tracy Chevalier (I thought it was good) and now I'm reading _The Secret Life of Bees_ by Sue Monk Kidd (about 70 pages in, I'm enjoying it). Oh, and before that I read _Life of Pi_ by Yann Martel; I had been hearing a lot about it and it sounded interesting, so I bought it and really liked it. Hmm.. and I might go to a Borders today and browse around.. I have a gift card I've been waiting to spend. (Also I'm procrastinating studying for Chemistry and Precalculus.  )


----------



## Beleg

Tad Williams, Thorn saga.


----------



## Rhiannon

Hallelujah! The Great Big Evil Reading Slump is over!!! After a year of getting almost no reading done, I've finished four books in one weekend. God, it feels good to read. I finished... 

_Somewhere in Time/Bid Time Return_ by Richard Matheson -- The writing was annoyingly uneven in several places, because it was supposedly the transcript of a recording made on a cassette player, but I still found it compelling enough to finish--the second half, the actual traveled-back-in-time-fall-in-love bit (everyone knows what Somewhere in Time is, right? The Jane Seymour movie?), was much better, except that the narrator became increasingly annoying. I'm not sure how it balanced out, but I enjoyed it primarily for the time travel romance elements, which came just short of outweighing the things that annoyed me (especially the first person/present tense much of it was in).

_Mister Monday_ by Garth Nix -- Read it in (almost) two sittings--almost because I started it in the van on the way to Oklahoma City, which doesn't exactly count as a sitting, I don't think, because I had to stop to avoid carsickness. As I mentioned already, I really enjoyed it, though quite as much as _Sabriel_ & co. It seemed less in-depth, the world less fully realized, which is probably due to its being targeted at a younger age group. Still great fun, though.

_A Sorcerer and a Gentleman_ by Elizabeth Wiley -- Goodness gracious. The opening is fascinating; _It is a proverb often quoted but seldom applied, that all a gentleman needs to travel is a good cloak, a good horse, and a good sword._ From there is goes on to have snippets of this debonair attitude while careening wildly through its massive collection of characters, skipping from one to another without any prior warning, sometimes with several years in between. The plot, which is a gargantuan, knotted thing, also bounces around like a badly strung-out bunny rabbit, but for all that it was compelling enough that I now want to hack my way through the rest of the series to that I have a better idea of what on earth is really going on. Also I particularly liked the character of Prince Gaston, though not in a haremable way.

and _The Harp of Imach Thyssel_ by Patricia C. Wrede -- Good, solid, straight-up fantasy. The writing is solid, the characters are likable, the dialogue is fast moving, there is a largely uncomplicated plot and a magic harp--what's not to love? Just good fantasy reading to be found here, very enjoyable. The presence of the harp and in some ways the main character kept reminding me of _The Riddlemaster of Hed_, but otherwise they aren't particularly similar. And now I'm reading _The Raven Ring_, a book set later in the same world, which reportedly features a character named Charis.


----------



## Lantarion

Wow great job Rhi! Those sound like some interesting books indeed. 

Ugh, with my Mock-exam week starting very soon I am revising for the tests.. One book I need to start and read ASAP is Richard Taylor's "The Ethics of Authenticity", for Philosophy.. I've read some already, and the text ism thankfully, not terribly hard (unlike Kant, omg). Good luck for me.


----------



## Inderjit S

Well....since last posting, I have read;

Brave New World; Aldous Huxley-Good, but not as good as 1984. Also a lot less grim.  

'Song of Solomon; Toni Morison; a brilliant novel charting the African-American experience. 

'The Tin Drum'; Gunter Grass; a magic realism novel about a psychotic dwarf n Nazi Germany, who stopped growing at three so he wouldn't have to work in his father's shop, and who kept his drum with him everywhere he went....yes it is as good as it sounds.

'Nostromo'; Joseph Conrad over-rated. Don't like Conrad much. 

Currently reading; Moby ****, Herman Melville; brilliant book....will enjoy writing essay on the homo-eroticism between Ishmael and Queequeg and the pluralistic nature of the Pequod.

Next on my reading list,

'The Human Factor' Graham Greene
'The Temple of the Golden Pavillion' Yuko Mishimia
'Tom Jones' Henry Fielding
'The Periodic Table' Primo Levi
'Emma' Jane Austen
'The God of Small Things' Arundhati Roy
'Tess of D'urbervills' Thomas Hardy
'Nervous Conditions' Tsitisi Dangraembga
'Pale Fire' Vladimir Nabokov

See you in a few months or so.....


----------



## Persephone

I read a lot of Anime (big anime fan) and it's not so much a book, it's more of a comic book (well it does have the word book in it). Anyway, the last story I read was the mangga version of Berserk - brutal and dark. But definitely NOT for kids!

I love reading stories online as well. Most of them are in chinese or Japanese so I wouldn't even tell you about them.



That's it.


----------



## Rhiannon

Best manga I've read = Lone Wolf and Cub. _Definitely_ not for kiddies.


----------



## Persephone

Wow! Rhi another anime fan!!! Cool!! I think I've read those too, and yes not for kids. Do read the Dark Horse versions?


----------



## Lintecoireion

Last book i read was _Sacret Hunger_ by... can't remember.  

Current novel being read is _The Fellowship of the Ring_ by.... well, you know. I think this is my 6th time through it...

I remember reading _A Brave New World_ a while back, very.. interesting/creepy.


----------



## Ol'gaffer

weee! Anime fans galore!

My favorite Manga (the comics) of all time are:

Love Hina - A beautiful and hilarious story of people trying to get into Tokyo University, with one of them doing it because he promised the love of his life to do so when they were children, but who is the girl?

Galaxy Express 999 - The story of a young boy called Tetsuro, who goes on a journey with the beautiful Maetel to the center of the Galaxy Andromeda, to get a mechanical body. On his way, he encouters numerous different people who all show him what it is to be a human. Beautiful fables on life and death. Also made into two amazing movies.


----------



## Rhiannon

Narya said:


> Wow! Rhi another anime fan!!! Cool!! I think I've read those too, and yes not for kids. Do read the Dark Horse versions?



I am a some-time anime/manga fan--I mooch off of my brother's collection 
 His copies of Lone Wolf and Cub are the small mass market paperback sized ones, which I _think_ are put out by Dark Horse, but I'm not sure. 

I'm almost done reading _The Raven Ring_, and enjoying it even more than _The Harp of Imach Thyssel_--but I have a decided preference for books with female protagonists. I counted once, and I think out of some 250 books that I own, less than twenty centered on main characters that were male, and five or so were equally distributed between the sexes...and there's a minority of male authors, too. Does anyone else's personal library have such specific demographics?


----------



## Lantarion

Good luck with _Tess of the d'Urbervilles_ when you get to it, Inder! (It was the only one in that list that I've read  ) It's really remarkable, the way Hardy uses the English language to create situations and emotions and scenes.. Beautiful.


----------



## Persephone

Ol'gaffer said:


> weee! Anime fans galore!
> 
> Galaxy Express 999 - The story of a young boy called Tetsuro, who goes on a journey with the beautiful Maetel to the center of the Galaxy Andromeda, to get a mechanical body. On his way, he encouters numerous different people who all show him what it is to be a human. Beautiful fables on life and death. Also made into two amazing movies.


I cried when I saw this anime! I love this story so much I had to watch it 3 times!!! According to this friend of mine who is like the library of Anime, the maker of this anime also made Starship Yamato (which I think is Starblazer - could be wrong though).

Wow!!! Nice to know there's more than me in this Forum!!!


----------



## Rhiannon

Finished _The Raven Ring_ yesterday morning and really enjoyed it, although I felt that the vague romantic tension wasn't wrapped up very well. Now I'm halfway through Patricia McKillip's _The Sorceress and the Cygnet_, which I have to say I don't care much for--it's one of her ealier books, and while I love _The Forgotten Beasts of Eld_ (her first book), most of her earlier fiction doesn't appeal to me as much as her recent work--I liked _The Riddlemaster of Hed_, but it didn't impress me the way _In the Forest of Serre_ did.


----------



## Ol'gaffer

Narya said:


> I cried when I saw this anime! I love this story so much I had to watch it 3 times!!! According to this friend of mine who is like the library of Anime, the maker of this anime also made Starship Yamato (which I think is Starblazer - could be wrong though).
> 
> Wow!!! Nice to know there's more than me in this Forum!!!



Same here! This is one of my favorite movies of all time, it's such a beautiful story.


----------



## Paul

I'm currently reading the Bible, the Book of Isaiah.


----------



## Zale

I'm currently on "Deadhouse Gates", by Steven Erikson: amazing!


----------



## Starflower

just read 'wandering road', part of 'the fionavar tapestry' by guy gavriel kay.


----------



## Beleg

Would you recommend the series Starflower? I started his sole novel Tigania [Sp?] and it was pretty boring so I stopped reading after a while. 

Just finished Sean Russel's Swan War and George RR Martin's Tuf Voyaging and SandKings. 

On to read some Clifford D. Simak stuff.


----------



## Finduilas

Paul said:


> I'm currently reading the Bible, the Book of Isaiah.



Yes, I'm reading It too now. I'm reading the New and the Old Tastement.

Also I'm slowly getting my way through James Joyce's _Ulysses_. It'll take a while...


----------



## Starflower

Beleg said:


> Would you recommend the series Starflower? I started his sole novel Tigania [Sp?] and it was pretty boring so I stopped reading after a while.
> 
> Just finished Sean Russel's Swan War and George RR Martin's Tuf Voyaging and SandKings.
> 
> On to read some Clifford D. Simak stuff.



well...it depends what kind of books you normally read... the Fionavar Tapestry is pretty heavy on mythology. The underlying idea is that there are several worlds, but Fionavar is the first, the one before everything else. Then there is the idea of 'recycling' myths in our world, most notably the Arthurian myths, that the story of Arthur and Guinevere and Lancelot has been played out in a thousand variations in a thousands worlds.... it is good, gripping fantasy, when you read it it's hard to put the books down. but yes, i do recommend it


----------



## Inderjit S

Well, with 'Tom Jones' and 'The Pilgrim's Progress' out of the way, I will be looking to disrupt my reading list for, wait for it...Ulysses...*scream*....though I may read The Odyssey before I begin that or just stoically throw it away and go on to reading 'Emma' and a lot of other books, before I feel I am ready for Joyce's overly-fastidious masterpiece for pedants and the like.


----------



## Rhiannon

I read the first 1/3 of _Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man_, and realized that I had *absolutely no idea what was going on or what the point was*, and returned it to the library. Never been tempted to try Joyce again. Read _Emma_! I loved Emma. Adored Mr. Knightley. 

I have been reading...manga! Almost done with the first volume of _Rurouni Kenshin_, which is awesome. I love my brother, who buys comic books and then lets me read them...


----------



## Finduilas

Well, I haven't read much still...what's more, have to study for term tests but it really is fascinating ...at least what I have read so far.
As for Emma, I read it from the English lessons and loved it too! Knightly...hmmm...yep...   

Have you seen the film with Gwuineth (can't spell the second name )?


----------



## Beleg

Paltrow? 

Emma is one JA book that I haven't yet got my hands on.


----------



## Finduilas

Beleg said:


> Paltrow?
> 
> Emma is one JA book that I haven't yet got my hands on.



Exactly. 
A very beautiful actress and talented too.


----------



## spirit

Lord of the Flies

For school. It's a boring book  
x_x


----------



## Finduilas

spirit said:


> Lord of the Flies
> 
> For school. It's a boring book
> x_x



Is it?
I recently saw it translated in Bulgarian and thought I could read it after "Ulysses" that is. I have heard a lot about it and thought it should be a good piece of reading.... So....it is not?


----------



## Lantarion

BORING??? You think 'Lord of the Flies' is BORING??   I wonder if we're talking about the same book here.. The one I read has constantly growing tension, death, insecurity, danger, overiding themes of human nature and evil, and a diabolical undertone..
But hey, to each their own.. 
Finduilas, it is absolutely worth a read, it is an extremely subtle and powerful work of fiction.. IMO that is (I should know, my class spent about thre months concentrating solely on that book ).


----------



## Beleg

Lord of the Flies certainly isn't a boring book! 

I seriously was nauseated and extremely exhausted when I finished the book [I read it when I was about 11]. It's a strange and wonderful book, extremely terrifying in its own way. 

I agree with Lantarion in his assessment of Lord of the Flies. Even putting aside its social and cultural impact and moral value, it's an extremely powerful tale in itself, the story is captivating. 

My next books, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking glass. 

Aye, Paltrow is beautiful.


----------



## Rhiannon

I didn't see Gwyneth Paltrow's film of _Emma_--Paltrow scares me  She's so...skeletal....no really!  As my brother says, she looks like she should be wandering the streets at night saying 'Braaaaaiiiinsss'. 

Still reading Rurouni Kenshin. I love Rurouni Kenshin. This week was a terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-week, so I haven't had the time or the brain cells to read anything but manga (and that I only get to read in the bathroom). The era Kenshin is set in is a fascinating one--if you saw _The Last Samurai_, Kenshin is set some four or five years afterwards, and from the opposite side. And it features a girl who runs a kendo school and whales on people with sticks. That's awesome


----------



## Ol'gaffer

Lantarion said:


> BORING??? You think 'Lord of the Flies' is BORING??   I wonder if we're talking about the same book here.. The one I read has constantly growing tension, death, insecurity, danger, overiding themes of human nature and evil, and a diabolical undertone..
> But hey, to each their own..
> Finduilas, it is absolutely worth a read, it is an extremely subtle and powerful work of fiction.. IMO that is (I should know, my class spent about thre months concentrating solely on that book ).



ach! und wi watched the movie! don't forget! supplied by the ever great Gaffer!


----------



## Dengen-Goroth

Moved onto 'Tropic of Capricorn' by Henry Miller. Picked it up via strong suggestions, has anyone read any of Miller's work?


----------



## Starflower

moved on to 'Man from Mundania' by Piers Anthony. One of the many books that I have but never gotten around to reading, it's ok, but I'm getting tired of Xanth books and the endless puns.. i have read through the entire series, bar a couple of out-of-print ones. I much prefer his other writing, the Apprentice Adept series and the Mode series which are more sci-fi than fantasy. but as I'm deseprately trying to accommodate my existing library I am banned from buying any more until we move...so re-reading old ones for the next few months


----------



## Niniel

Just started reading the first book (Eye of the World) of The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. So far I don't really like it, but I haven't got further than page 10, so I suppose I should read on.


----------



## Inderjit S

OMG, Ulysses was CRAP. Utter tosh...a waste of time...what the hell is Joyce going on about? I can only assume it is something that 70 year old university professers understand....and huzzah for them. What is the point of writing such a nonsensical book. My god, it put me off reading for a day, which is a long time.

Emma was nice, not the best book I've ever read, but still pretty good..I hope P&P is better....read The Odyssey...nice tale, not as good as the Iliad, but it explains some of the things from the Iliad....reading 'Three men in a boat'...supposed to be one of the funniest books ever...let's see if it beats Catch-22 or Don Quixote. Also look forward to readin Gargantua and Pantragruel....looks funny.


----------



## Finduilas

For _Ulysses_...haven't got far enough yet to express a complete opinion...haven't reached the end yet! 
So far it seems interesting though I cannot see the point Joyce is making...but that's usually in the end too...  

Ah..._Emma_...as I said, loved it.  
And come on, what about Paltrow? She's not skinny, she's elegant!!! 
One of my favourites. 

Still remember the influance of _Catch-22_...great books don't remain unnoticed....  

Oh, soon will read that famous _Lord of the Flies_! 
And I was also thinking of _Shogun_...Gosh, why should good books be so enormous!


----------



## Inderjit S

'Three Men In a Boat' was funny....not as great as Catch-22 though. Also read 'Crime and Punishment', which was a great book, but no 'The Brothers Karamazov'. 

Just started 'Pride and Prejudice'.


----------



## Rhiannon

Niniel, do yourself a favor and _stop now_. Forcing yourself through the first book is not worth it, especially since the series takes a complete nose-dive around book six. Neeee-ppffffttth. 

No, I'm not bitter towards Robert Jordan. Not bitter at all the *bleep*



> And come on, what about Paltrow? She's not skinny, she's elegant!!!


Yeah. And she named her daughter 'Apple'. *flinch*

Now that I've read all four volumes of _Rurouni Kenshin_ that are available in the US, my life has no meaning. Well, it won't have any meaning once I finish watching the last three episodes of the Tokyo story arc. Unless I go shell out some serious cash to get the six DVDs of the Kyoto story arc. It's a shame I didn't get into Kenshin while I was still in Japan.


----------



## Talierin

OMG I have so many books out from the library right now it isn't even funny. I polished off The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix for the 3rd time this afternoon, love love love it. Then I was off to Grim Tuesday by Nix again, the sequel to Mister Monday, it's excellent as well. Before that I read all the Griffin & Sabine books by Nick Bantock again, in preparation for the final book, which fricking needs to come in at the library soon. Plus I'm *still* reading Dune which is very long but interesting. After I finish those it's onward to Messenger by Lois Lowry, *finally* the end to The Giver series, and Robota, by Doug Chiang, and some other various books by Nick Bantock, The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, the Merlin books by err, I forgot, Artemis Fowl, Dragonology, and then a bunch of art and wwii books :|


----------



## Ol'gaffer

I've started to read The Illiad and the Odyssey again, after watching Troy I was simply just so inspired to read them again.


----------



## Beleg

re-attacking _Lord of the Flies_. 

Will also think of re-reading P and P.


----------



## Finduilas

Talierin said:


> After I finish those it's onward to Messenger by Lois Lowry, *finally* the end to The Giver series, and Robota, by Doug Chiang, and some other various books by Nick Bantock, The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, the Merlin books by err, I forgot, Artemis Fowl, Dragonology, and then a bunch of art and wwii books :|



_Artemis Fowl_ you say....any good reading? 
I've heard of it...somehting like "the bad-equivalent" of _Harry Poter_?
But never received recommendations from somebody who actually read it.


----------



## Clark Griswold

Ishmael - by Daniel Quinn


----------



## aguthasil

I'm re-reading Lord of the Rings. I need some new books, though, I need something else to read. not that LOTR isn't good to read, but it's my third time reading them, i need something new.


----------



## Talierin

Finduilas said:


> _Artemis Fowl_ you say....any good reading?
> I've heard of it...somehting like "the bad-equivalent" of _Harry Poter_?
> But never received recommendations from somebody who actually read it.



It's more like the sillier equivalent of HP. I rather like it, it's kinda stupid but oddly funny. But it's been awhile since I've read the first book, the one I got out now is the second book, and I haven't started it yet. I'll let you know.


----------



## Inderjit S

Pride and Prejudice was a nice book...but not the best. I don't like classic English lit. much....Tom Jones was good, Vanity Fair too, Robinson Crusoe was o-k, D.H Lawrence and Joseph Conrad are not exactly my favourites, though I do like Dickens. Eng lit is not match for Russia lit., Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev, Gogol, Lermontov, Pushkin, Solzhenistyn....*drools*


----------



## Inderjit S

Wuthering Heights was a fantastic, brilliant, beautiful books...most of the characters in it were maniacs....which suits me just fine, the crazier the better whether he be a Yossarian or Raskolnikov or a complete Karamazovian like Heathcliff or a savage with a fetish for Shakespeare, trapped in a soma induced utopian-dystopian future or the hapless Josef K. 

Emma and P&P were good books but, IMO, a tad "dry"

"Look it's that hot hottie duke of Kent"
"Huzzah, I must marry him"
"Yes, you must so you can fall in love with him only for him to dump me for some perfidious little woman from Derbyshire"
"Huzzah! And to think you were in love with that silly little farmboy. I'm you're good friend, but if you married him then well....I couldn't visit you it would be beneath me, instead I will set you up with a whole host of morons"

The female characters are odious and annoying, if they had a fetish for homicide or bigamy then they may have been a tad more interesting.

Started 'A Tale of Two cities' by Dickens.


----------



## Wolfshead

Finished _Sharpe's Escape_ yesterday. Excellent as always from Bernard Cornwell. I'm reading the parody of _The Hobbit_, called _The Soddit_. It's funny, but I can't take a lot at once, so that one's taking a while! Next up is _The Game Of Thrones_ by George RR Martin, book 1 of _A Song Of Ice And Fire_. But I won't start reading that until after my maths exam tomorrw


----------



## Beleg

English Lit is much much much much better then Russian literature.


----------



## Rhiannon

Inderjit S said:


> Wuthering Heights was a fantastic, brilliant, beautiful books...most of the characters in it were maniacs....which suits me just fine, the crazier the better whether he be a Yossarian or Raskolnikov or a complete Karamazovian like Heathcliff or a savage with a fetish for Shakespeare, trapped in a soma induced utopian-dystopian future or the hapless Josef K.
> 
> Emma and P&P were good books but, IMO, a tad "dry"
> 
> "Look it's that hot hottie duke of Kent"
> "Huzzah, I must marry him"
> "Yes, you must so you can fall in love with him only for him to dump me for some perfidious little woman from Derbyshire"
> "Huzzah! And to think you were in love with that silly little farmboy. I'm you're good friend, but if you married him then well....I couldn't visit you it would be beneath me, instead I will set you up with a whole host of morons"
> 
> The female characters are odious and annoying, if they had a fetish for homicide or bigamy then they may have been a tad more interesting.
> 
> Started 'A Tale of Two cities' by Dickens.




I *hated* _Wuthering Heights_. Eish. I don't think I have ever hated a book so much before or sense, unless it was Kafka's _Metamorphosis_. Wuthering Heights was so full of overblown, obnoxious, shrieky people....*shudder* I did _not_ want any of those people to live. Were they real people, I would have go to great lengths to stay very, very far away from them. I much prefered P&P, where everyone sliced each other up neatly with conversational paring knives as God intended. Jane Austen's novels are about the daily idiosyncrasies associated with members of the human race. Emily Bronte's novel was about what happens when idiosyncrasies go terribly horribly wrong. Ooooh, Heathcliff was _such_ a drama queen. Urgh. 

"Dry" is good. Charis likes dry. Charis likes dry British humor. And wit. And metaphysical poetry. None of this icky Romantics nonesense. Wordsworth, egh. Oh yeah, and Charis particularly dislikes Dickens. Dickens, Bronte, Wordsworth, and Shelley--eeeeeew. We hates them, we do. I got halfway through _Anna Karenina_ once--and 400 pages out of 800 is a pretty solid start--realized that I did not _care_ what happened to _any_ of the characters, and returned it to the library. Pfft, they can all get run over by trains for all I care. Real people. Fictional people that can be cared about as much as if they were real. *nods*


----------



## Wolfshead

Beleg said:


> English Lit is much much much much better then Russian literature.


I often think so. I mean, I open the Russian book, get a few pages in, then realise I don't understand a word of it


----------



## Finduilas

Well, ....(have to defend the neighbours.... )....English literature is also extremely different from Russian lit. What's more, from the lit. of the Balkans, including Bulgaria.
A very very big part of our literature as well as the Russian one is devoted to war. We have suffered great wars and an intolearble slavery of 500 years...That certainly has influanced our culture. The Russians saved us...and they have gone through many wars as well...severe wars. They are a people of the Balkan...different history, different characters.
Our (I mean Balkans' ) literature is a bit more laboured |hard| and is filled with numerous historical events and wars that are of a great importance to the people of the country. Bulgarians adore their literature and so do the Russians. 
If you want to try Bulgarian literature, try our titan Ivan Vazov. Start with a poem...finish with the incredible _Pod Igoto_ (Under Slavery). It's an amazing book but very very endeavour-taking...


----------



## Wolfshead

Finduilas said:


> The Russians saved us...


Well, I'll admit I know nothing of Russian or Balkan literature, except Tolstoy (he was Russian, wasn't he?). Perhaps I should read _War and Peace_, any good? So I won't get involved in any discussions on that.

And my knowledge of Bulgarian history isn't quite up to scratch either... You say there the Russians saved you. I'm guessing, and I really mean guessing, you mean that when Bulgaria became part of the Soviet Union, you were being saved from something else? What was that?

I'm genuinely interested in that. I'm a history student (well, come September I will be), and I find far too many historical things interesting...


----------



## Finduilas

What I said hid no shady metaphor. It was as literal as you can say it. 
I meant that the Russians saved us from the Ottoman Slavery of V centuries. It was one of the and even the most horrible periods of our history. The Bulgarians were deprived from their own Church, traditions, rights...they were treated as animals even worse. Women were raped, men were slaughtered, children were converted to Mohamme-danism. It was a nightmare we seemed would never wake up from. Europe, Asia, America....everyone just stood, watching, doing nothing. But we are Slav. We have brothers...the Russians, the Macedonians, the Chezhs etc... And they did think of us. But the Russians were powerful. They had built and Empire that could opose the Turkish. 
We had done a lot for our freedom, we fought as lions, as noone has fought before. But how can a tortured people fight back an empire of beasts? The help of the Russians was most precious to us, and we had used it in the most useful way - our complete freedom... I don't mention the post-slavery slavery we had experienced. Our heroes won a victory we desired and the politicians after that enslaved us again... (this is mataphor..)
We have many heroes but the most legendarium is *Vasil Levski*. Levski comes from "lav" in Bulgarian which means "a lion". He was betrayed and hanged and while trying to escape his enemies, he had done a huge jump which could only be compared to a lion's jump. 
Well, can't explain it in more details...not a history student...
But if you wish to read something more you can visit this page:
http://www.bulgaria.com/history/bulgaria/
There's a lot information there...more than I can offer. 
I hope I've been of any help.


----------



## Wolfshead

Thanks, I never knew any of that. Seems a pretty harsh time (that's me, master of understatements...  ), and I thought we had it hard with the English! But yeah, anyway, I shall definitely give that page a look at some point 

I've finished _A Game Of Thrones_, and it was most excellent. Easily one of the best novels I've ever read, and it was only part one  Very adult, though, and I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but there is perhaps too much sex  I know, shocking  But I can't wait for the next part to come into the library for me.

Next up is _Echoes Of The Great Song_ by David Gemmell, but not till next weekend, because if it's half as good as _A Game Of Thrones_ it will distract me from my revision that I do little enough of as it is!


----------



## joxy

CraigSmith said:


> Perhaps I should read _War and Peace_, any good?


You must be living twenty five hours a day, but to read War and Peace you'll need twenty six!
Let yourself in more easily with Anna Karenina.


----------



## Ol'gaffer

Just finished reading The Illiad and The Odyssey.

Now I'm stuck, there's nothing to read! I probably have to go make rounds at the local bookstore again, they've got classic books there on sale for 1 euro and up. Last books that I bought from there were "Peter PAn" "Count of Monte Cristo" and "Little Women" all great books.


----------



## Wolfshead

joxy said:


> You must be living twenty five hours a day, but to read War and Peace you'll need twenty six!
> Let yourself in more easily with Anna Karenina.


Ah, ok. We shall see then, when I have some more time


----------



## Saermegil

I'm reading _Dance Macabre_ by Stephen King. It's non-fiction and it's about the horror genre in general: Tv, Movies, Books...


----------



## Lantarion

Ol'gaffer said:


> Just finished reading The Illiad and The Odyssey.


YOU READ THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY?!?!   
I have a copy of 'The Odyssey', it's something like 400 pages long, with a small font; and the language is really archaic and beautiful.. How long did it take you to read both?? Wow.

Right now I'm reading through a poetry collection called 'Favourite Verse', with works from most well-known poets from the last 200 years or so. It's very nice, the 'chapters' are divided by the theme of the poems, like 'Death', 'Nature', 'Love' and many many others.. Very good poetry in there.


----------



## Finduilas

So you read _The Illiad_ and _The Odyssey_ in original?
Have only read them in Bulgarian...  probably during the summer in English too...


----------



## Finduilas

*I'm sorry for the double-post...*



Ol'gaffer said:


> Just finished reading The Illiad and The Odyssey.
> 
> Now I'm stuck, there's nothing to read! I probably have to go make rounds at the local bookstore again, they've got classic books there on sale for 1 euro and up. Last books that I bought from there were "Peter PAn" "Count of Monte Cristo" and "Little Women" all great books.



Just wanted to ask...am...have you read _The Hours_ (yeah..not the movie)? It's very interestingly structured...curious...and the book is good. 

Speaking of movies...just wanted to reccomend one......since you have time......._Requiem for a Dream_...if you haven't watched it, you really should...._perfect_....


----------



## Nechana

Well, I am trying to find the time to read The Road To Middle-earth by Shippey... but since it's the end of term I have to study...  Right now I am finishing an excellent book on the religion of the Slavic peoples (no translation to English since it's a fairly new book).


----------



## Starflower

*sigh* have reverted to 'junk' literature these days... reading 'Queen of the Damned' by Anne Rice


----------



## Gamil Zirak

I am reading the Sil for the second time.


----------



## Evenstar373

Right now I am reading The Glorioous Appearing by Tim Lahayne & Jerry B. Jenkins the last book of the Left Behind books!!


----------



## ely

I just started Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye". Now that it's summer and I have lot of free time, I can finally read what I want. Yay!  And the book is good, so far.


----------



## Rhiannon

I'm reading _Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation_ by Lynne Truss. Ha-ha! Other people _do_ freak out when they see someone misusing an apostrophe! It's _y'all_, not _ya'll_!


----------



## Lantarion

Hey I've heard of that author! I read an article where it said that the increasing interest in reinstating Latin as a subject in British schools is supported by many linguists and authors, among them this Lynne Truss. That book sounds quite interesting too, I should check that out.


----------



## Kementari

ely i feel i should warn you my sister was forced to read "Catcher in the Rye" at school and she absoutly hated it, she couldnt finnish it. I tried reading it too (because she insisted it was so bad) i found its doesnt stay on topic (the auther really trails off alot) and its hard to figure out whats going on. Some people might like that style, its like a diary just though id give my two cents worth


----------



## Saermegil

I know this is slighlty off topic, but are any of you reading any good Horror books? I want to order some in time for my holiday abroad. 

On my list I have :
Ghost Sory- Staub
The Shrinking Man- Matheson(?)


----------



## Rhiannon

Lantarion said:


> Hey I've heard of that author! I read an article where it said that the increasing interest in reinstating Latin as a subject in British schools is supported by many linguists and authors, among them this Lynne Truss. That book sounds quite interesting too, I should check that out.


It's great fun. I'm enjoying it immensely


----------



## Finduilas

Kementari said:


> ely i feel i should warn you my sister was forced to read "Catcher in the Rye" at school and she absoutly hated it, she couldnt finnish it. I tried reading it too (because she insisted it was so bad) i found its doesnt stay on topic (the auther really trails off alot) and its hard to figure out whats going on. Some people might like that style, its like a diary just though id give my two cents worth



Yes, didn't quite like it too...

As for horror books, well, I have a collection of Stephen King's works._ Bag of Bones_ and _Firestarter_ are my favourites.
Oh, also _Hearts in Atlantics_.


----------



## Beleg

Catcher In the Rye is among my absolute favorite books! I'd recommend anything by Salinger, but If you are looking for a tightly knitted, deeply plotted book then Catcher in The Rye isn't for you.


As for horror, 

I'd recommend _Lost Souls_ by Poppy Z. Brite as well as the Call of Cuthulu [Sp?] by Lovecraft.


----------



## Saermegil

Thanks people. I've read most of King, including the books you recomend. Although I think I will order the Lovecraft book as I have heard a lot about him but have yet to read one of his books.


----------



## Wolfshead

I've finished my exams and left school now (which is nice  ). So I reckon I can afford to start reading again. So at 2.30am today after getting bored on the internet I began reading _Waylander_ by David Gemmell. I can't get enough of Gemmell's heroic fantasy, and I can tell from this synopsis that _Waylander's_ going to be a cracker!




> The Drenai King is dead - murdered by a ruthless assassin. Enemy troops swarm into Drenai lands. Their orders are simple - kill every man, woman and child.
> 
> But there is hope.
> 
> Stalked by men who act like beasts and beasts that walk like men, the warrior Waylander must journey into the shadow-haunted lands of the Nadir to find the legendary Armour of Bronze. With this he can turn the tide. But can he be trusted? For he is Waylander the Slayer. The traitor who killed the King...


----------



## Beleg

Weren't you going to start A song of Ice and Fire saga? Thats a cracker of series!


----------



## ely

Kementari said:


> ely i feel i should warn you my sister was forced to read "Catcher in the Rye" at school and she absoutly hated it, she couldnt finnish it. I tried reading it too (because she insisted it was so bad) i found its doesnt stay on topic (the auther really trails off alot) and its hard to figure out whats going on. Some people might like that style, its like a diary just though id give my two cents worth


Thanks for the warning but I actually like these kind of writing styles that jump or trail off.


----------



## Wolfshead

Beleg said:


> Weren't you going to start A song of Ice and Fire saga? Thats a cracker of series!



I did, and I finished it in about 4 days  Now I'm waiting for the second book to arrive in the library for me. It was incredibly good, and that book was the reason I gave up reading until after the exams - I was distracted too much! Although there was possibly too much incest for my liking...


----------



## Beleg

Incest is the need of the plot though, I personally didn't find it excessive, it fit just fine with the way Martin had woven the story; and it is a fantasy afterall. 

Who is your favorite character?

I personally favour Bran, Jon and Arya.


----------



## Inderjit S

Well...given that I have read some of the books mentioned in the previous page and somebody did mention how long they took to read the book, then I will give some of my times for the books mentioned.

_War and Peace_-Two days.
_Anna Karenina_-One day and a bit, started it at night and finished it by the next night. 
_The Illiad_-One day-skipped a lot of Hektor's funeral though, that part was boring. 
_The Odyssey_-Well, it took me about three hours maybe four to read this. 

War and Peace could easily be read in a day, you just have to find the time and patience.

Er...and what is with this anti-incest rubbish? Incest makes books incestring...sorry had to include stupid joke in my post, it's a matter of principle. But incest, though at time disturbing is actually, if you look at it, quite funny when you are reading about it happening to some morons in a book, if you are a total nutcase that is.

I also need to read the 'Catcher of the Rye'-sounds like a great book.

Eugh, I envy you craig, having finished your exams, mine have yet to start and they take place in the middle of Euro 2004  And I still don't understand how the hell your revise for John Keats and I cannot be b-o-t-h-e-r-e-d to fastidiously recite all the reforms and screw-up's of the idiotic tsar's....


----------



## Wolfshead

The incest was vital to the plot, but it's not every day you come across a major book which actually has it included at all...



> Who is your favorite character?


Jon, easily. Then it was Eddard, and Bran before he suffered his accident. I was amazed he managed to get away with killing Eddard! Not many people can pull off killing the main character... Sansa and Catelyn annoyed me. Sansa for her annoying snobbery, and Catelyn for her treatment of Jon. Daenerys I was indifferent to - I found myself wishing they'd get back to someone more interesting, where the action was! And I suppose Arya was alright, but there's only so much of a lost child running round a city I can take at once  And why have I just gone into an essay there...?

What about the second book - how does it rank with the first?



> Eugh, I envy you craig, having finished your exams, mine have yet to start and they take place in the middle of Euro 2004


That's unlucky. Are you sitting A-levels? I'd welcome a break to have looked at something like the Tsars - they focus far too much on Hitler here. It's as if they're trying to breed a new world order


----------



## Beleg

> I was amazed he managed to get away with killing Eddard!



Killing Eddard's nothing, Martin possesses a penchance of axking his main characters, Eddard is just the first on a pretty long list of decayed character who in their own time and tale were pretty essential to the story. But even with their chopping and hacking the story moves amazingly well, getting better and better as we progress. 



> What about the second book - how does it rank with the first?



The second book is better, most people are of the opinion that as we progress the story just gets better and better. The book has it all, wars, battles, dragons [but not in the way you might think], betrayal, cunning, Tyrion Lannister, some more incest, Dany gets in the thick of things [Atleast in her part], Jon gets to do intresting things; very good book.

I agree with you, I hated the stupid Sansa and her knights, didn't hate Catelyn as much as her but the Tully sisters came might close.


----------



## Wolfshead

Sounds rather good. I look forward to getting it  But I can't believe I missed Tyrion Lannister off my list! He's my favourite living character along with Jon now. Such a funny guy/dwarf


----------



## Supernita

Yay a thread about books in general, I like that. I can't believe I didn't find this until tonight, it looks like it's been around for awhile. 

Currently I am reading Two Towers, but must admit I've been taking a few breaks to read others. Sometimes I go through a book in a day, but most often than not, I can rarely find the time to read for more than a few minutes at a time, so it takes me several months. I started reading One Hundred Years of Solitude a few weeks ago. I've read a few chapters and it seems interesting, although I haven't really gotten into it. I have a few chapters of Gulliver's Travels to read still, which is actually a very interesting book. I usually have several books on the go, but I recently just finished some non-fictions so I have to figure out which books I want to get into next.


----------



## greypilgrim

I haven't read a book in over a year now...currently reading old Maxim magizenes


----------



## Wolfshead

greypilgrim said:


> I haven't read a book in over a year now...currently reading old Maxim magizenes


Haha  Methinks you probably ought to find a book


----------



## Aulë

Book 8 of The Wheel of Time (The Path of Daggers) by Robert Jordan.
A brilliant series!


----------



## greypilgrim

-the Bible is always a good read...


----------



## King Aragorn

The Visitation by Frank Peretti. Maybe LOTR next, or maybe the biography of J.R.R. Tolkien.


----------



## Dark_Glamdring

"la Eneida" by Virgilio:
One of the post-trojan War stories, besides "The Odissey"


----------



## King Aragorn

I had to read the Odyssey and the Eineid for my English class this year when we were studying mythology.


----------



## King Aragorn

About to begin reading J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter.


----------



## Rhiannon

I didn't like _The Visitation_ nearly as much as I liked some of Peretti's other books--especially _The Oath_ and _Piercing the Darkness_.

I'm reading _Eats, Shoots & Leaves_ still, as well as _So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading_ by Sara Nelson (yay, someone else who freely admits to being a 'low brow' reader), and _The Hounds of the Morrigan_ by Pat O'Shea. I have had a borrowed copy sitting in my room for almost two years now, and I am finally reading it before I meet the owner (an internet friend) in person next week. I really wish that I had in on tape, read by an Irishman, because I think being able to hear the accent would add a lot to it. The first one hundred pages were slow (I had read them before, and then got sick and sidetracked into other books), but things have picked up now.


----------



## King Aragorn

I think that once I'm done with the biography of Tolkien, I will begin reading _The Oath_ by Peretti. That is one of his best books ever!


----------



## LegolasLuver

Hm well I have to say for the second time I'm reading Lord of the Rings again, of course a friend has pointed out another fantasy book that's seems to be intresting it's called Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin


----------



## Beleg

I'll definately recommend _A Game of Thrones_ to anyone who's over a certain age. 


I just finished a series by J.V.Jones. Am reading _Cryptonimicon_ by Neal Stephenson and _The Circus of Dr. Lao_ by Charles Finney. Great books both of them.


----------



## Inderjit S

Well, I have read a few books since I last posted, off the top of my head, they include Thomas Mann's Dr Faustus, which was o.k, if over-fastidious and at times tepid, I cannot wait to read The Magic Mountain and Buddenbrooks, his two most famous works, I have also read Laclos's 'Dangerous Liasons' which was brilliant, 'The Grapes of Wrath' which was superb, a lot better then 'Of Mice and Men', Ford's 'The Good Soldier', which was o.k, and I am currently reading 'Madame Bovary'.


----------



## Niirewen

Has anyone read the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon? I think it's technically romance, though it could probably be fantasy, or maybe fiction. Anyway, my mom really likes them, so I read the first one. At first I didn't like it, but it grew on me. Has anyone else read them? If so, what did you think?


----------



## 33Peregrin

I am actually reading The Lord of the Rings, for my seventh time. It's my yearly reading. But actually, for the first time, I actually feel a little bad for reading it again when there are so many other things to read. Oh well... I have the rest of the summer.


----------



## Rhiannon

I know several people that are addicted to them, Niri--I skimmed through half of one once (which turned out to be some ways along in the series, I think), and thought it was all right--entertaining, but not brilliant.


----------



## King Aragorn

Or maybe I'll read _The Silmarillion_...


----------



## Saermegil

If you havent read the Sil so far, you absolutely MUST read it.


----------



## Supernita

Ooooh I can't wait to read the Sil. I'm so excited. But I still have the rest of LOTR to read first. I bought another book a few days ago, it's called "The Sense of Being Stared At." It's non-fiction, kind of a scientific book I think. I saw it on tv the other day, on some talkshow. It sounds pretty cool, it's about that "sense" people get sometimes when the phone rings, or when someone you know walks around the corner. You know sometimes when you "know" who's phoning like the second the phone rings. And no I don't mean cuz of caller-id. Anyways, I think I'll wait awhile to read that, but it sounds interesting anyways.


----------



## faila

Beleg said:


> I'll definately recommend _A Game of Thrones_ to anyone who's over a certain age.
> 
> 
> .


Game of THrones is awesome but um seriously if it was a movie it would be nc-17...be carefull when reading it....it had incest..and prostitution and other things.


----------



## Beleg

You are correct, faila.  Shae, Cesei, Sansa.......


----------



## Saermegil

Today I bought :
The Lord Of The Flies-Golding
The Day of the Jackal-Forsyth
The Talisman-Straub&King
The Gunslinger-King
Invisible Monsters-Palahniuk(Fight Club guy).

As for "adult" literature, has anyone read "11 Minutes" by Coelho? That was pretty adult but excellent book.


----------



## King Aragorn

I just started _The Silmarillion_


----------



## Rhiannon

Blah. Reading slump has taken hold again. Since my last post I've finished _So Many Books, So Little Time_, _Inkheart_ by Cornelia Funke--interesting, but none of the characters seemed fully realized, and neither did the modern setting--a re-read of _Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher_ by Bruce Coville (it only took an hour--it's a short, simple, uncomplicated book, and I adored it when I was nine years old. It hasn't lost its charm, but I knew even then that it wasn't great literature), _Belles on Their Toes_ by two of the Gilbereth children (I can never remember which)--the sequal to _Cheaper by the Dozen_, the story of a very large and unique family. These books are particularly appealing to us because we _are_ a very large and unique family (though less than half as large as the Gilbereths were/are--I think most of the Gilbereth children are still living, and the mother may be too), and the writing is very warm and humorous. 

I've also gotten halfway through _The Silmarillion_ (much farther than my two previous attempts), but I've come to a standstill because the second volume of CDs has been checked out and hasn't come back in. I finally figured out that my problem with the Sil has always been that I read too fast, and sometimes I fail to absorb important information that who is the father of who, or didn't mentally sort out which name belonged to which group, and I rapidly got lost and repeatedly had to go back and figure things out. Listening to the audiobook forced me to slow down, while simultaneously reading the text forced me to absorb and retain. 

In the meantime, I've just started reading _The Road to Somwhere: Travels with a Young Boy through an Old World_ by James Dodson, a memoir about the author's two-month trip around the world with his ten-year old son (I did not get a world tour when I was ten, though when I was twelve we were shipped off to Japan for three years). So far (page thirty-nine) it's good-natured and humorous and interesting, as long as the author doesn't get sidetracked into pondering the meaning of life (a bad habit of memoir writers).


----------



## King Aragorn

I just finished the silmarillion, after three previous attempts. Right now, I'm reading _The Legion of Space_


----------



## e.Blackstar

Not Exactly the Three Musketeers by Joel Rosenberg. pretty good, a bit of cussing. Also the Screwtape Letters by C.S. lewis (excellent!) and Do penguins have knees? by...er...somebody


----------



## Rhiannon

I am pretty confident that penguins do not, in fact, have knees. Is the book actually about penguin joints, Treyar, or is that just an eye-catching title?

I'm sure everyone here would appreciate the passage I just read in _The Road to Somewhere_, in which the author describes something to his son as a 'Hobbit hole, and not a very nice one either', only to discover (to his horror) that the child has never read _The Hobbit_ (the oversight is immediately corrected by a trip to the nearest bookstore).


----------



## Finduilas

_Don Quixote_ currently...interesting it is...


----------



## Ol'gaffer

I'm currently not reading since I'm enjoying three days of heavy metal!! mwahahahaa!


But seriously. I've just started Don Quixote which is very good indeed.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Rhiannon said:


> I am pretty confident that penguins do not, in fact, have knees. Is the book actually about penguin joints, Treyar, or is that just an eye-catching title?
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, penguins DO have knees (I didn't know that either lol) The book is a bunch of IMPONDERABLE question like what are earlobes for, and what are the dents in cowboy hats for, and the ever present-DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY LIKE FRUITCAKES? Its by David Feldman. V.cool
Click to expand...


----------



## ely

"By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept" by Paulo Coelho. 

His books really make you think...


----------



## Rhiannon

Treyar said:


> Actually, penguins DO have knees (I didn't know that either lol)


....._Where?_


----------



## Elbereth

I'm currently reading two books at the momment:

F Scott Fitzgerald's "Tender is the Night"

and 

Stephen King's "Different Season's" (This book features short stories such as 'Apt Pupil', 'Shawshank Redemption', and 'The Body') 

Both book I am reading are really good ...but at the momment...Stephen King's book is really capturing my attention.


----------



## Kementari

Summer break and lots of time for reading. I've finnished Interview with a vampire by Anne Rice and ive just started the second book in the "Vampire Chronicles", The Vampire Lestat. Rice is my sisters fav author but i was always under the impression they were just horror books, wrong: they are REALLY amazing. I just love the characters, so passionate and sensual.

I've also read the thrid Artemis Fowl book. Does anyone else read Artemis Fowl? They are childrens books, but i think there really funny and charming. I definatly prefer Artemis to Harry Potter hands down


----------



## e.Blackstar

Where, Rhiannon? Okay, you asked.

"They sure do, although they are discreetly hidden underneath their feathers. Anatomically, all bird's legs are pretty much alike, though the dimensions of individual bones vary a great deal among species.
Penguins, like other birds, have legs divided into three segments. The upper segment, the equivalent of our thigh, and the middle segment, the equivalent of our shinbone, or the drumstick of a chicken, are both quite short in penguins.
[...]
So rest assured. Even if you can't see them, penguins have legs (with knees). And they know how to use them."
-David Feldman 


Am currently reading Deep Six by Clive Cussler. Will be going on to Inca Gold and Flood Tide by him.


----------



## Rhiannon

Penguins are so weird.

Still reading _The Road to Somewhere_ and enjoying it very much, and I've just started reading _The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul_, because everyone needs a good cackle now and then.


----------



## King Aragorn

I just finished _The Legion of Space_ and have just begun _The Three Musketeers_


----------



## e.Blackstar

Am now reading Flood Tide by Clive Cussler, as predicted.


----------



## Éomond

I'm in the middle of three books, all of which are very good:

Eastern Orthodox Christianity, by Daniel B. Clendenin
Byzantium, by Michael Angold
The Art of War, by Niccolo Machiavelli


----------



## greypilgrim

Stephen King's "The Bachman Books" are priceless! Check them out Elbe


----------



## Rhiannon

Finished _The Road to Somewhere_ and _The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul_, and have yet to start a new book because I am busy going rapidly insane.


----------



## King Aragorn

Can't decide between Left Behind or LOTR


----------



## Rhiannon

Go for LotR. It's actually shorter for once.  As interesting as the subject matter was, I got bored with the Left Behind series.


----------



## King Aragorn

I really like the Left Behind series. Maybe I'll read both of them at the same time...


----------



## e.Blackstar

Am reading Thief of Time to my dad, am re-reading The Golden Compass (Am almost done with that and will go onto The Subtle Knife), and just finished The Hounds of the Morrigan. (Celtic fantasy, very good)


----------



## Talierin

I'm reading the Princess Bride... finally bothered to go out and buy it and read it - it's great!


----------



## Niirewen

I've been meaning to read that for a long time, too. I just saw the movie. I'll try to remember to get it next time I'm at a bookstore..

Anyway, right now I'm reading _Wicked_. Have any of you read it? I really like it, so far.


----------



## greypilgrim

I've been reading "Dirty Jokes and Beer" ~Drew Carey


----------



## 33Peregrin

Talierin said:


> I'm reading the Princess Bride... finally bothered to go out and buy it and read it - it's great!



Awesome, awesome book! I read it earlier this year. It's great!!!!!! It's been ages since I have seen the movie though, so I really want to see that again.

As for the books I am reading... mostly LOTR related books that I got from the library, like 'Following Gandalf' and trying to read as many of the Letters of JRRT before I have to return that from the library. It's weird how I am reading no 'real' book, but I am hoping to get some good ones for my birthday. I am also thinking about starting 'Watership Down.' Is it good? And I want to read The Sil again.


----------



## Arvedui

I have been reading a lot this summer:
"The Complete Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy" - Douglas Adams
"Downsize this!" and "Dude, where's my country?" - Michael Moore
ans I am now about finished with 
"The Annotated Hobbit" - Tolkien/Douglas C. Anderson (2nd edition)


----------



## Dark_Glamdring

"Magic circle" by Katherine Neville and "Jaws" (yes the book, and it is my first book in english)


----------



## Niirewen

33Peregrin said:


> I am also thinking about starting 'Watership Down.' Is it good?


I loved _Watership Down_! I definately recommend it, 33Peregrin.


----------



## Ruinel

To The Nines, by Janet Evanovich (almost finished)


----------



## Talierin

Watership Down is very good, although I found it a bit scary in places. It'll make you think better of rabbits, heheheh


----------



## e.Blackstar

Lots of books about Elizabeth I and Henry VII, and a few Prattchet books going all at once


----------



## Inderjit S

_Wealth of Nations_ by Adam Smith; I am half way through.

Reading various short stories by Beckett and Tolstoy, recent reads include, 'The Catcher In The Rye', 'The Old Man And The Sea', The Quiet American' (Greene) and some Edgar Allan Poe short stories. I have a couple of hefty Thomas Mann novels for a length coach trip I am going on tomorrow.


----------



## 33Peregrin

OK, I will read Watership Down... soon.  I just borrowed a couple of books from my friend today, like The Davinci Code, Gnomes, Fairies, and Elves: The Little Folk, and The Catcher and the Rye. So I am reading Catcher in the Rye now, just started it today. Pretty good so far! And I also borrowed a book from the Vampire Chronicles, because of this:



Kementari said:


> I've finnished Interview with a vampire by Anne Rice and ive just started the second book in the "Vampire Chronicles", The Vampire Lestat. Rice is my sisters fav author but i was always under the impression they were just horror books, wrong: they are REALLY amazing. I just love the characters, so passionate and sensual.
> 
> I've also read the thrid Artemis Fowl book. Does anyone else read Artemis Fowl? They are childrens books, but i think there really funny and charming. I definatly prefer Artemis to Harry Potter hands down



And I do like Artemis Fowl. I've only read the first book though, because my brother was reading it for school at the time so I took it from him for a while. I have to say I prefer Harry to Artemis though.


----------



## Lhunithiliel

_*The Eddas*_ 

OMG!!! 
I have *never* seen more complicated names than those I'm reading there! Not even the names I've met in the myths of the Atsteki and Maya are so difficult !!!
Arvedui, how, for Othin's sake  , is one supposed to read and remember those names!!!   

And sth. else ... I wonder ... quite difficult it is to understand and to follow the story, mainly in the Poetic Eddas! Therefore the notes and explanations after each couple of stanzas are invaluable! 
But ... where have those people taken that information from in order to explain what one reads in a stanza? Is it from and based upon their knowledge of the _whole_ cycle? 

Oh! And one more thing ... it would be lovely to hear the opinion of someone who has read the Eddas.... 
In the Prose Eddas, I cannot understand why the author made Troy to be the seat of the Aesir Gods; why, at all, the Gods the Norse nations once worshipped should've come out from Asia ... I find it so strange!

Maybe I'd better open a thread about all that ... but I wonder how many people here at TTF have read the Eddas ...  

In any case, these writings are considered as sources for Tolkien's work so I guess they are a must read. 

Oh, and Arv, welcome to the "Hitchhiker"'s club !!!


----------



## King Aragorn

Books that I am reading right now

Left Behind series
LOTR


----------



## Arvedui

Lhunithiliel said:


> _*The Eddas*_
> 
> OMG!!!
> I have *never* seen more complicated names than those I'm reading there! Not even the names I've met in the myths of the Atsteki and Maya are so difficult !!!
> Arvedui, how, for Othin's sake  , is one supposed to read and remember those names!!!
> 
> And sth. else ... I wonder ... quite difficult it is to understand and to follow the story, mainly in the Poetic Eddas! Therefore the notes and explanations after each couple of stanzas are invaluable!
> But ... where have those people taken that information from in order to explain what one reads in a stanza? Is it from and based upon their knowledge of the _whole_ cycle?
> 
> Oh! And one more thing ... it would be lovely to hear the opinion of someone who has read the Eddas....
> In the Prose Eddas, I cannot understand why the author made Troy to be the seat of the Aesir Gods; why, at all, the Gods the Norse nations once worshipped should've come out from Asia ... I find it so strange!
> 
> Maybe I'd better open a thread about all that ... but I wonder how many people here at TTF have read the Eddas ...
> 
> In any case, these writings are considered as sources for Tolkien's work so I guess they are a must read.
> 
> Oh, and Arv, welcome to the "Hitchhiker"'s club !!!



I haven't read the complete *Edda,* so I am not one to give answers to many of your questions, except from the names. These are Old Norse names, and some of them (well, most of them) just become ridiculous when translated. But if you can remeber all the names from _The Silmarillion,_ then those from _Edda_ shouldn't be any problem.    

Oh, and btw it wasn't the first reading of the "Hitchhiker." What a fabolous book. I must try to find a way to afford it in english, though.


----------



## Ol'gaffer

20 Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by: Jules Verne


brilliant book, I'm reading it the second time now.


----------



## Dark_Glamdring

The Necronomicon


----------



## Kelonus

I just finished reading Eragon, Part 1 of "The Inheritance" two months ago. I really enjoyed and love the book. I can't wait for the other two parts to come out. Good job Christopher Paolini!!!!


----------



## Niirewen

33Peregrin said:


> I just borrowed a couple of books from my friend today, like The Davinci Code, Gnomes, Fairies, and Elves: The Little Folk, and The Catcher and the Rye. So I am reading Catcher in the Rye now, just started it today. Pretty good so far! And I also borrowed a book from the Vampire Chronicles


Hmm.. I read _The DaVinci Code_ awhile ago.. it's one of my mom's favorite books. I'm not usually into the mystery/suspense novels, but I thought it was really good-- I read it in a day! I read _The Catcher in the Rye_ last year for my English class.. I thought it was interesting, even funny, but rather depressing. And I've heard a bit about Anne Rice, too.. I've been thinking about reading one of her books.. let me know how you like it!




Kelonus said:


> I just finished reading Eragon, Part 1 of "The Inheritance" two months ago. I really enjoyed and love the book. I can't wait for the other two parts to come out.


I read it. I didn't think it was amazing, but it was a good read. I'll read the other parts when they're out.


Still reading _Wicked_.. it's been so hard to find time to read lately.


----------



## Rhiannon

I'm reading _Tiger's Eye_, a memoir by Inga--somebody. It's very good.


----------



## 33Peregrin

Niirewen said:


> Hmm.. I read _The DaVinci Code_ awhile ago.. it's one of my mom's favorite books. I'm not usually into the mystery/suspense novels, but I thought it was really good-- I read it in a day! I read _The Catcher in the Rye_ last year for my English class.. I thought it was interesting, even funny, but rather depressing. And I've heard a bit about Anne Rice, too.. I've been thinking about reading one of her books.. let me know how you like it!



OK, I don't know how soon I'll be reading it. I am really excited about The DaVinci Code, too. It must be good if you read it in a day. The Catcher in the Rye is really good, I am reading it in like every spare moment I have, and so I'm almost done. It's cool that you got to read it in your English class. A lot of people in my class got to read it, but even though it was my first choice, I got stuck with Brave New World. Anyways, everyone told me how good it was, so I decided to read it. I'm reading a lot of the books that different groups in my class had to read.

And Eragon... I read that too. I like Niirewen can't say I found it especially amazing. It was nice to read, and I will definitely read Christopher's next books.


----------



## Dengen-Goroth

'Why I Am Not a Christian', by that upstanding chap Bertrand Russell. Any Russell fans here? Also about to start on a collection of Michel Foucault's works, that promises to be fun fun.


----------



## Calenfalathiel

I'm in the middle of reading The Silmarillion, and I really like it so far...it's good that i'm learing more about the history of Middle-Earth and not just about the Third Age.


----------



## Inderjit S

Just read some ancient Greek tragedies (Sophocles, Euripides and the like) as well as 'Lord of The Flies'. Will either read Micheal J Fox's 'Lucky Man' or 'Middlemarch' next. 

Other books I have recently read, 'The Magic Mountain; Buddenbrooks' Thomas Mann, 'The Satanic Verses' Salman Rushdie, 'The Picture of Dorian Grey', Oscar Wilde


----------



## e.Blackstar

uh...just finished THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII by Alison Weir, and am re-reading (for school, blegh) THE TRUTH by terry Pratchett


----------



## Finduilas

Recently finished Giovanni Boccaccio's _Il Decameron_ and I'm almost through Dante Alighieri's _La Divina Commedia_.  Beautiful.


----------



## Inderjit S

You lucky thing! Been trying to get my hands on Decmaeron for ages, but it is too hard to get in the shops, and too expensive, and I cannot find it in the local library.


----------



## Finduilas

Inderjit S said:


> You lucky thing! Been trying to get my hands on Decmaeron for ages, but it is too hard to get in the shops, and too expensive, and I cannot find it in the local library.




Well, I found it in a second-hand store. There're many here and it is really very very easy to find. And if not new not so expensive. But...it's in Bulgarian.


----------



## Manveru

Finduilas said:


> Well, I found it in a second-hand store. There're many here and it is really very very easy to find. And if not new not so expensive. But...it's in Bulgarian.


piece a cake, little one...

recently finished mark fisher's "the instant milionaire". now rereading...

'twas nice to read sth other than good ol'classical literature


----------



## Finduilas

Manveru said:


> piece a cake, little one...
> 
> recently finished mark fisher's "the instant milionaire". now rereading...
> 
> 'twas nice to read sth other than good ol'classical literature



Yes, but school...   However, although they were compulsory, I really enjoyed them. Looking forward to _Bel Ami_...heh...the school program changes...My parents and grandparents used to study sicialist literature and _Decameron_ was even a forbidden book....now...well....


----------



## e.Blackstar

Conquerers' Pride (reread) by Timothy Zahn, just finished Firewing by Kenneth Oppel and Shatterglass by Tamora Pierce. Will read LOTR again next.


----------



## Rhiannon

I haven't had any time for reading outside of my classes, so I'm limited to _The Destruction of the European Jews_ by Raul Hilberg, _Night_ by Elie Weisel, 'Araby' by James Joyce, 'Rocking Horse Winner' by DH Lawrence, and chapters 1-2 of Genesis (out of the _Oxford Study Bible with the Apocrypha_). Not to mention _Excursions in Modern Mathematics_ and_Society in Focus: an Introduction to Sociology_.


----------



## TheWhiteLady

Nothing heavy (so to speak). I'm actually reading the whole _Hitchhiker's _ series by Douglas Adams. All in one very big book. It's a little tough to drag to work every day, but it's suprisingly light for a book its size.


----------



## Rhiannon

I love Douglas Adams. I just recently re-read _The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul_.


----------



## Finduilas

Rhiannon said:


> _Excursions in Modern Mathematics_
> 
> Hmm...could you tell me something more about this one? Sounds interesting... I have recently thought of starting a book on the history of Science or Mathematics in particular...something like that.
> 
> As for now..._They shoot horses, don't they_, Horace Mccoy.


----------



## Beleg

_The Wreck of the River of Stars_ by Michael Flynn and _Kushiel's Choosen_ by Jacqueline Carey. 

The former is Science fiction while the later is pseudo-medieval fantasy.


----------



## Persephone

I am actually getting more an more interested in the works of Robert Jordan


----------



## Ireth Telrúnya

Still mostly reading Oxford dictionaries  
I read a holiday brochure yesterday!!!  

I've been trying to read this book by Amy Chua: World on Fire (How exporting free market democracy breeds ethnic hatred & global instability) 
But it seems I mostly just keep reading on the net.
Well, I read like four books during holidays..


----------



## Kementari

Just finnished the first three books of the Vampire Chronicals (awesome!) by Anne Rice and Ive started Ivanhoe by Sir Walter scott. I like it alot, its very..charming but there are MANY historical inaccurasies. For instance king Richard returns from his captivity about 6 months earlier in the book than he really did..along with little pevish things concerning dress and costums ect...I'm still enjoying it very much though


----------



## rohobbits

well what book am I reading right now. I will tell you. I am reading, 
Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix.
Although I admire the works of tolkien and his mind of crazy hobbit 
adventures, I like harry potter alot more. 
I personally like Harry Potter books more than the movies.
But I like the Lord of the Rings movies better than the books.
call me crazy and I am but its my opinion. :]


----------



## TheWhiteLady

Kementari said:


> Just finnished the first three books of the Vampire Chronicals (awesome!) by Anne Rice...



Ooooo! Yea! I LOVE Anne Rice. Especially her vampire chronicles. Do you have any plans to read any more of her books? I could recommend some if you'd like. Ask me anything. 

I'd be more than happy to talk to anyone about any Anne Rice novel. Well, almost, there are still a few I haven't gotten around to reading yet. 

TTFN


----------



## TheWhiteLady

rohobbits said:


> But I like the Lord of the Rings movies better than the books.
> call me crazy and I am but its my opinion. :]



Shhh! don't tell anyone, but I do too.


----------



## greypilgrim

Right now I'm reading "The Bachman Books" by Stephen King. Some of the stories (there are 4 short stories) were written even before Carrie. That was a long time ago. He wrote under the name Richard Bachman. The stories are:

~Rage...about a high school kid taking his class hostage for the day
~The Long Walk...about 100 kids walking until they either die or get shot, last one standing is the winner
~Roadwork...an evil tale about.. (haven't read it yet!)
~The Running Man...futuristic game show

And I have also picked up a copy of Shun Tsu's (sp?) "The Art of War". This manual for warfare is a timeless, classic prescription for waging and winning a war. It includes details on espioanage, financing an army, field tactics, leadership, baciscally everything involved in war.


----------



## Finduilas

Just finished George Orwell's '1984'...now...Physics...


----------



## Rhiannon

Since the semester started I have read:

_Night_ by Elie Wiesel
_Survival in Auschwitz_ by Primo Levi
_This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen_ by Tadeusz Borowski
_Tales from a Child of the Enemy_ by Ursula Duba (poetry)
_The Destruction of the European Jews_ by Raul Hilberg
and
_The Jane Austen Book Club_ by Karen Joy Fowler

Guess which one of those was for leisure. 

Right now I'm halfway through _The Ragamuffin Gospel_ by Brennan Manning, and earlier this week I devoured volume 7 of the _Rurouni Kenshin_ manga. A whole month until volume 8 comes out! Aargh!


----------



## greypilgrim

_Night_ is such an excellent book!


----------



## Dark_Glamdring

A book of tales by Oscar Wilde, one of my favorites writers.
Then I will read "Alexandros" serie of Massimo Valerio Manfredi


----------



## Isilme

I read Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of Being Ernest' in school last year and found it brilliant!
Right now i'm reading 'Blood Kin' by Ronald Kelly, gotta love vampires!!
Next up is the 'Great Hunt' by Robert Jordan.


----------



## (MiThRaNdIr)

Well I just have ended Angels and Demons of Dan Brown, Great Book. 
But right now I am reading The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, 1092 pages long, @[email protected] It will take me about 5 months to finish it, specially because its in English and this is not my origin lenguage.


----------



## greypilgrim

I have that Poe book! It's really spectacular! Right now I'm reading "A Time To Die"...its about the Attica prison revolution back in the '70's.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Right now? Nothing..lol

I just finished Monsterous Regiment by Terry Pratchett and am now rereading the Sil.


----------



## Niirewen

Oh, yay! I'm so glad this thread is back!  



(MiThRaNdIr) said:


> Well I just have ended Angels and Demons of Dan Brown, Great Book.


I loved that book! I want to read _Digital Fortress_ but my mom's friend borrowed her book and never gave it back.. I'm in denial that we probably won't ever get it back (we never see the lady anymore) because I don't want to buy it.



Treyar said:


> I just finished Monsterous Regiment by Terry Pratchett


I'm reading a Terry Pratchett, too. I've just finished reading _Invisible Man_ for my English class.. I didn't enjoy it that much.


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## Rhiannon

I'm probably 3/4ths of the way done with Stephen King's _The Wastelands_, third book in the Dark Tower series--I've refused to read King for a long time because I. Really. Hate. Horror. I have to hit 'mute' and turn around during previews for horror films--I got nightmares from the thirty second television spot for _The Grudge_. I just can't take it. But during one three hour car trip home my brother put in (without asking) the audiobook version of _The Gunslinger_, which I ended up loving. King is an excellent writer, I've just always been turned off by his label as a horror writer--and I'll probably never read any of his other novels unless I have been assured that they won't give me nightmares--but fortunately for me, the Dark Tower series is far more urban fantasy than anything else. 

I also re-read _Beauty_ by Robin McKinley the other night in one sitting, and during finals week I read volumes 3 and 4 of the _Samurai Deeper Kyo_ manga--not as dear to my heart as _Rurouni Kenshin_ (which I finally read volume 9 of), but a lot of fun nontheless.


----------



## Wolfshead

I've finally got round to reading Orwell's 1984, so I'm on that at the moment. I've been busy at uni lately so haven't really had that much of a chance to read - the last two books I read were Dan Brown's Angels & Demons and Terry Pratchett's Monstrous Regiment. Both good books, but Monstrous Regiment started to get just a bit _too_ silly near the end!


----------



## e.Blackstar

Niirewen said:


> I'm reading a Terry Pratchett, too. I've just finished reading _Invisible Man_ for my English class.. I didn't enjoy it that much.



well, try reading Theif of Time or Feet of Clay or Hogfather-they are soooo good!


----------



## balrog

A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin, via audiobook....very long and intensive!


----------



## e.Blackstar

THAT'S A GREAT BOOK! You've read A Game of Thrones, right? excellent excellent. I have yet to read a Storm of Swords...I have to find it in the library or something.
Lessee...I'm re-reading the Timothy Zahn Star Wars trilogy-Heir to the Empire, Dark force rising (I'm in the middle of that one) and the last Command.


----------



## balrog

e.Blackstar said:


> THAT'S A GREAT BOOK! You've read A Game of Thrones, right? excellent excellent. I have yet to read a Storm of Swords...I have to find it in the library or something.
> Lessee...I'm re-reading the Timothy Zahn Star Wars trilogy-Heir to the Empire, Dark force rising (I'm in the middle of that one) and the last Command.



Yes, Game of Thrones was good too, I can't believe the detail and imagination this writer has!! I have yet to listen to Storm of Swords...I downloaded it this morning and it is about 45 hours in audio form (narration)

wow!


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## Beleg

George R.R. Martin is a super cool writer. It is known.


----------



## Halasían

I have the Fire & Ice series but haven't read them yet. They are next on my list, and they are hefty paperbacks.

Recently I read through the *Black Company* series, and they are quite good despite a few dry stretches and some minor inconsistancies. I do say they are unique as Glen Cook doesn't really follow the usual fantasy formula, and I highly recommend them!

Here's a rundown and a list of Glen Cook's *Black Company* series of books:


*The Black Company*
*Shadows Linger*
*The White Rose*

These are the *Annals of the Black Company* and are sometimes called the *Books of the North*. You can usually find the combined hardback of these first three (titled Annals of the Black Company) on ebaY. Start with these. I will say here that the first two chapters of *Black Company* are kind of hard starting. If it seems so, skip to chapter 3 titled Raker. It was a short in a fantasy mag and gets it going. You can always go back and read the first two as a prequel if need be.

Then there is a standalone book that is a 'journal' of one of the characters you get to know in the _White Rose 
*The Silver Spike*
_ An excellent book that takes place after the events of the _White Rose_ where an evil so dark attempts to arise.

Then there are the *Books of the South*:
*Shadow Games*
*Dreams of Steel*
The first of these accounts the rest of the Black Company as they journey south, minus the members who stayed north and are written about in _Silver Spike_. 

There are seven members of the Company left, and its a hard time for the Company. _Shadow Games_ covers what they encounter, and ultimatly, what they get mixed up in as they travel south, and introduces us to the Shadowmasters who fear their coming. After much intrigue and army-building, There come a climatic battle with the shadowmaster's. _Dreams of Steel_ continues from the aftermath of the battle, and is the first book written from a different character's point of view. The writing style is seemingly different, which is a great feat for an author to do in my opinion.

Then there is the more recent *Glittering Stone* series. 
*Bleak Seasons*
*She Is the Darkness*
*Water Sleeps*
*Soldiers Live*
 The account in _Bleak Seasons_ is of the annalist protoge Murgen who we get to know starting in _Shadow Games_. The account parallels events mentioned in _Dreams of Steel_ and is again, a bit different from the earlier writings.

_*She Is The Darkness*_ gets us back to the writings of the original Annalist Croaker, and all he had been through since the end of _Shadow Games_. The last couple chapters I noticed a changed writing style, and I felt the story got a little choppy. It seemed he may had let it sit for a time, and now hurried to finish to maybe meet a deadline. The story worked, but I thought it could have used another chapter to smooth it out. 

_*Water Sleeps, and Soldiers Live*_ are follow up adventures and closes out stories of many of the characters we come to know and love. Some new folk are introduced but not really developed, and it leaves open the door for more books in the future me thinks.

As a series, you can feel the morphing of the story through the years it took Glen Cook to write them, and at time I think he dwells too long on things that really didn't require so much verbage, and doesn't go into things I found intriguing. Overall I highly recommend reading this series.

The Black Company Series bookcovers


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## MOwens143B

Well I just finished reading Of Mice and Men. Before that I read a seriese By Ted Dekker The Books were Black, Red, and White. These books were a cross between LOTR and the Matrix. At the moment i am reading nothing would some one give me some ideas? This is my email if you want to send it there [email protected]


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## Niirewen

Currently I'm reading the first book in Michael Jecks' medieval mystery series (it's called _The Last Templar_). I'm also reading _The Plague_ for my English class.


----------



## greypilgrim

Am reading "Casino" right now. If you liked the movie...definately read this book!  

Oh yeah and I'm reading some Conan books too ..."The Death Lord of Thanza" and "The Gladiator".


----------



## King Aragorn

I'm reading _The Lost Ones_ by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta.


----------



## Hammersmith

King Aragorn said:


> I'm reading _The Lost Ones_ by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta.


 
Is that one of the young Jedi ones? I never much liked Anderson's Star Wars books. His characters all sound the same, and his writing is rather boring. Good storylines though, and nice concepts. If you're into Star Wars and haven't read Timothy Zahn yet, I advise you do.

I'm reading Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy; I'm on the third, "The Last Enchantment". They're good books, but for the best Arthurian saga, look at Bernard Cornwell's "The Warlord Trilogy" (The Winter King, Enemy Of God, Excalibur) or Rosemary Sutcliff's "The Lantern Bearers"


----------



## My_Precious

I am currently reading the Da Vinci Code and also rereading David Eddings' Belgariad, not to mention the Tad Williams' Dragonbone Chair that is currently on hold. Not very consistent...


----------



## e.Blackstar

Erm...I just refinished Xenocide by Orson Scott Card and now I'm rereading Conquerers' Heritage by TImothy Zahn. 


Hammersmith said:


> If you're into Star Wars and haven't read Timothy Zahn yet, I advise you do.



Amen.


----------



## Kementari

Ive been doing alot of reading, just finnished Animal Farm and Fahrenheit 451 for my English class, the later is almost like my new bible.
Im also in a bit of a Charles Dickens phase after reading Tale of Two cities (sosososo amazing) and Great Expectations. Started Davie Copperfield, its charming but i know i will probably never finnish it until Im about 80 years old. Not exactly a suspence thriller.
Also just read Stonehenge by B Cornwell (the guy who writes the Sharpes series) which I HIGHLY recommend for anyone who is an ancient history nut like myself. Couldnt put it down, its incredible and very believeable. Im also starting on Sarum by Rutherford because its suppose to be a very similar novel; hopes its nearly as good...


----------



## Jesse

I am reading DragonQuest by Anne McCaffrey.


----------



## VioletFalcon129

I'm reading Harry Potter and The Order of the Pheonix for about the 5th time. 
*hides from heavy objects being thrown* 
as if you people care... hee hee


----------



## Wolfshead

I'm reading the Redemption of Althalus by David Eddings just now. Read it before a long time ago, but felt like a re-read when I realised I could remember nothing of what happened! And I'm just about to start on 'The Muslim Discovery of Europe' and 'The Crusades Through Arab Eyes' by Bernard Lewis and Amin Maalouf respectively for one of my history courses... should be fun


----------



## Lindir

CraigSmith said:


> I'm reading the Redemption of Althalus by David Eddings just now. Read it before a long time ago, but felt like a re-read when I realised I could remember nothing of what happened!


I'm surprised that you couldn't remember the plot, since it's the same as in all of the other books by Eddings. The redemtion of Althalus is the last Eddings book I'll ever read.
I'm reading George Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, again. Those are good books.


----------



## Wolfshead

Haha, that's true. But it's the general outcome that's obvious, not really the way they get there. And it was a long time ago I read it last.

A Song of Ice and Fire is brilliant - I blame the first one for me only getting a C in my physics exam last year! I've got the third one sitting waiting to be read next. Oddly, I couldn't find Martin's books in Ottaker's bookstore, so I had to get it off eBay instead.


----------



## Ingwë

Now I am reading "The Silmarilion" I begun reading again all Tolkien books I have. I think you know a lot about this book and I must`t tell you about The Sil


----------



## Kementari

Ive started the "Tears of Atramon" serise by Sarah Ash recently for fun (i have a hard time reading fantasy serise's because none are as good as Lord of the Rings, kinda like your first love). It is a really nice story based on the myths of Russia; easy to read and fast paced.

Ive also just finnished the 'Crimes of Charlotte Bronte' - Tully, which was an incredibly shocking and enlightening story (dont want to spoil anything). This has lead me to begin "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" which is the *only* book by the Bronte sisters that i have yet to devour, and i never thought id say this but I believe that it is the best one of them all. It is really a very deep social commentary disguised as a dark beautiful but familar story. Im sure that Huntingdon will remind everyone of somebody that they know, or wish they didnt know. Just a hint this is an *excelent* book for somebody coming off of a bad break-up (as i happen to be) !! Its very reassuring


----------



## balrog

I finished reading A Song of Ice and Fire Series...Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings and Storm of Swords, most excellent reading...can't wait for the upcoming fourth book called A Feast for Crows which will be followed by A Dance with Dragons!

after these encyclopedic readings I picked up Enders Game and read that again. Can't wait for the theaatrical release.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Oh, the Song of Fire and Ice is so good! I've read the first three three times and, like balrog, eagerly await the next two. DragonQuest is good too, isn't it Jesse? Anne McCaffery is brilliant.

Anyway..on my sick day home from school today I've so far read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Prince Caspian. I just started Voyage of the Dawn Treader-I hope to finish the whole sieres by the end of the day. I;ve read them umpteen-million times, and I still love them. They're like Tolkien for simpler souls.


----------



## Hammersmith

e.Blackstar said:


> Anyway..on my sick day home from school today I've so far read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Prince Caspian. I just started Voyage of the Dawn Treader-I hope to finish the whole sieres by the end of the day. I;ve read them umpteen-million times, and I still love them. They're like Tolkien for simpler souls.


 
Classics! Though I don't know what you mean about simples souls. Parts of The Last Battle and The Magicians Nephew contain some of the most mature writing I've seen.

_Take your chance, adventurous stranger_
_Strike the bell and bide the danger_
_Or wonder till it drives you mad_
_What would have followed if you had_


----------



## Niirewen

About the Song of Fire and Ice Saga.. I haven't read it yet, but _A Game of Thrones_ is sitting on my shelf and I am planning to read it soon. I'm glad that everyone seems to really like it, I'm excited to read it.

For now, I am reading the latest book in Diana Gabaldon's series. My mom got me to start reading them a year or two ago, and I really like them.

Just finished _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_ by Ken Kesey for my English class. Not really my type of novel, but I have to say I enjoyed it more than most of the other books we've read in that class so far. I'm not a big fan of existentialism.


----------



## Beleg

Diana Gabaldon as in Outlander?

Reading some good old Jeeves stuff right now. [P. G. Wodehose for the uninitiated] 

(Gotta chime in with all the aSoFaI lovers out there, excellent series and the good news is, A Feast of Crows might actually be released this year)


----------



## e.Blackstar

REALLY? YES, KICK BUTT! Whoohoo! *calms down, clears throat* ahem

PG Wodehouse is good too.


----------



## balrog

Beleg said:


> Diana Gabaldon as in Outlander?
> 
> Reading some good old Jeeves stuff right now. [P. G. Wodehose for the uninitiated]
> 
> (Gotta chime in with all the aSoFaI lovers out there, excellent series and the good news is, A Feast of Crows might actually be released this year)



scheduled for release July 24/05! 5 months to go!


----------



## e.Blackstar

Oh praise the lord! Finally! Yippee! Wow...that made my day. I'll NEVER be able to sleep tonight. sorry. *cough* 

Ahem...yeah, I'm still plugging away at The Silver Chair-I didn't have much time to read today, nor will I tomorrow. So much for the hope of reading them all yesterday.  

The Chronicles of Narnia are so great! Like with the voice and stuff...Lewis and Tolkien are so alike and yet so different. *sigh* and the dialougue/vocab is so anciently British, its wonderful!


----------



## Lindir

balrog said:


> scheduled for release July 24/05! 5 months to go!


I really hope it's true, it's been a long wait, but I'll believe it when I see it. Also scheduled for release this year is the new JV Jones and a new Robert Jordan. It's a great year for Fantasy.


----------



## Aulë

Lindir said:


> I really hope it's true, it's been a long wait, but I'll believe it when I see it. Also scheduled for release this year is the new JV Jones and a new Robert Jordan. It's a great year for Fantasy.


Robert Jordan had better pick up his act for _Knife of Dreams_ (Book 11 of WoT)- I've put a lot of time into his books...and they just drag on and on and on....

I've been reading _Naked Empire_ by Terry Goodkind (from the _Sword of Truth_ saga). A fantastic read!!!! 5 stars all the way! It doesn't mess around with people walking along a road for a whole book (like dear old RJ), but rather it cuts straight to the destination in the next chapter (a little like _The Magician_ by Raymond Feist). The only bad thing about it was that I started reading from Book 8 without noticing (it was a Christmas present), but Goodkind explained things so well that by the end of it, I felt as if I had read the first 7 books anyway! (something that I may do if I get enough spare time)

So I know have a dilemna about what to read before _Knife of Dreams_ comes out: read the first 7 books of SOT, or get into SoFaI (as Beleg has insisted so many times). What should I do?


----------



## Lindir

Aulë said:


> Robert Jordan had better pick up his act for _Knife of Dreams_ (Book 11 of WoT)- I've put a lot of time into his books...and they just drag on and on and on....
> 
> I've been reading _Naked Empire_ by Terry Goodkind (from the _Sword of Truth_ saga). A fantastic read!!!! 5 stars all the way! It doesn't mess around with people walking along a road for a whole book (like dear old RJ), but rather it cuts straight to the destination in the next chapter (a little like _The Magician_ by Raymond Feist). The only bad thing about it was that I started reading from Book 8 without noticing (it was a Christmas present), but Goodkind explained things so well that by the end of it, I felt as if I had read the first 7 books anyway! (something that I may do if I get enough spare time)
> 
> So I know have a dilemna about what to read before _Knife of Dreams_ comes out: read the first 7 books of SOT, or get into SoFaI (as Beleg has insisted so many times). What should I do?


Yes, I hope that Jordan's next book is a lot better than the last one, in which next to nothing happened. I've been reading and re-reading them for years and I visit several different WOT-forums to discuss theories, so I feel I deserve some progress this time. And since he means to finish the series in 12 books, a lot of things will need to happen in the next one. I'm rather hopeful.
I think you should read A Song of Ice and Fire. I've just done another re-read of it, and I absolutely love it to bits. But I can also strongly recommend JV Jones, who is in my opinion one of the best Fantasy-authors ever. Her current series is called Sword of Shadow and it's brilliant, though not finished. She has also written a series called Book of Words (I think) which I really like, although Sword of Shadow is better.


----------



## Aulë

Lindir said:


> Yes, I hope that Jordan's next book is a lot better than the last one, in which next to nothing happened. I've been reading and re-reading them for years and I visit several different WOT-forums to discuss theories, so I feel I deserve some progress this time. And since he means to finish the series in 12 books, a lot of things will need to happen in the next one. I'm rather hopeful.


The annoying thing is that I'm gonna have to re-read ALL of them again as to remember _all _of those many thousands of names that have been cranked out in the series!!

The problem with Jordan is that he feels as if he has to explain *everything* to the reader, down to the last explicit detail. This includes long trecks across....(I have forgotten the names of all geographical landmarks in the WoT....BAD SIGN!). Andor? There was an Andor right?


----------



## Lindir

Aulë said:


> The annoying thing is that I'm gonna have to re-read ALL of them again as to remember _all _of those many thousands of names that have been cranked out in the series!!
> 
> The problem with Jordan is that he feels as if he has to explain *everything* to the reader, down to the last explicit detail. This includes long trecks across....(I have forgotten the names of all geographical landmarks in the WoT....BAD SIGN!). Andor? There was an Andor right?


O yes, there's an Andor. The country that gave birth to the series most annoying person, Elayne. You would remember her as the person who spent a substantial part of the last book bathing.


----------



## Aulë

Lindir said:


> O yes, there's an Andor. The country that gave birth to the series most annoying person, Elayne. You would remember her as the person who spent a substantial part of the last book bathing.


It's also the country that was home to pretty much _all_ the main characters...Rand, Perrin, Mat, Egwene, Min and Nynaeve.  All six of them didn't really achieve much in that last chapter. Mat's character has been ruined by his infactuation with that Daughter of the Nine Moons. Rand has become too high and mighty for his own good. Nynaeve is just a plain nuisance. Perrin has been whipped by that wife of his. And Egwene- ahhhhhh!! {insert numerous vulgar terms}- use your brains you stupid girl! One of the Forsaken is in your camp! Min is the only of those characters who is of any interest still.


----------



## Niirewen

Beleg said:


> Diana Gabaldon as in Outlander?


Yes, as in Outlander. I think I shall finish that book tonight. Then I might start on _Trickster's Queen_ by Tamora Pierce. Not sure though.


----------



## balrog

balrog said:


> scheduled for release July 24/05! 5 months to go!



http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553801503/104-1202797-7709529

oops, 26th of July...1024 pages!


----------



## Beleg

okay, woah. WOW. I really need to cut in here.

Aule,

Did you really, seriously like The Naked Empire? Please tell me you are joking, right? [though I have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that you aren't ] 

I have never met/read/talked to/known a person who loved Naked Empire. Not a single person, not the most ardent Goodkind fan. No, by jove I haven't. You haven't started reading Ayn Rand, have you? 

Strange and more then slightly scary.

Oh and sorry to disappoint ya'll aSoFaI folks, but Feast for Crows isn't complete yet [and it is highly unlikely it will be complete in time for a july release]. Amazon has probably pulled the date out of their ass. The only reliable resource is GRRM's own website, where he posts pretty frequent updates about how the writing is coming through.

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/nextbook.html

Similarly, the third book in Jones' Cavern/Fortress/Sword series won't be released this year. There is no mention of it on her official website and rumors are circulating that the book might be delayed as late as 2007. [her change of publishers plays a large part in this] 

I won't go as far as saying Jones' is the best fantasy author, period. But she certainly is a very good one. Specially her later books [Barbed Coil, Fortress of Grey Ice, Cavern of Black Ice] are really fine standard high fantasy fare and generally considered top-tier works among the fans. 


All females in WOT = Whinny little wasps. 

I tried Gabaldon, I tried really hard, but romantic fantasy mixed with time-travel is just not my thing.  

Anyway, in my, admitted heavily baised opinion, Goodkind blows Martin's wad.


----------



## rickh57

I'm in the middle of _Burning Tower_ by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Beleg said:


> Oh and sorry to disappoint ya'll aSoFaI folks, but Feast for Crows isn't complete yet [and it is highly unlikely it will be complete in time for a july release]. Amazon has probably pulled the date out of their ass. The only reliable resource is GRRM's own website, where he posts pretty frequent updates about how the writing is coming through.



Drat *eblackstar is sad* darn darn darn


----------



## Aulë

Beleg said:


> okay, woah. WOW. I really need to cut in here.
> 
> Aule,
> 
> Did you really, seriously like The Naked Empire? Please tell me you are joking, right? [though I have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that you aren't ]
> 
> I have never met/read/talked to/known a person who loved Naked Empire. Not a single person, not the most ardent Goodkind fan. No, by jove I haven't. You haven't started reading Ayn Rand, have you?
> 
> Strange and more then slightly scary.


Yes, I liked it. Maybe that was because I haven't read the first seven books in the _Sword of Truth_ series? I liked the way the book flowed (perhaps my judgement of this has been tainted by Robert Jordan?), and the way Goodkind described things. Sure, there seemed to be a lot of raping and pillaging going on, but what would you expect from an imperial empire that is invading a group of idiotic people who don't believe in violence? Just because Goodkind doesn't "soften" the truths of war for the readers doesn't mean you should dislike him for it.

Here a few reviews I have read on NE:

This was hands down, the best in the series. I finished it five minutes ago, and I am already drooling over Chainfire. Terry Goodkind kicks ass. His style of writing makes you visualize every minute detail without him having to explain all of it. He also brings some old friends into Naked Empire. A must read for anyone who likes fantasy.
Thank You 

***

Terry Goodkind in my own personal opnion is the greatest aruthor I have ever read. This book was not my favorite in the series, but by no means was not a wonderful book. His characters show real development from previous happenings in the series, exspecialy Richard Rahl. Who has gone from a woods guide, to the most powerful wizard born in over two thousand years, to becomeing the leader of an empire, and curently leading that empire aginst unbelieveable odds in hope of saving humanity's freedom. The book is not a strait forward fantasy, it was never intended to be. Terry is exspresing his views of the world through all of his characters as he has said he does many times. I enjoyed every minute I spent with this book, and half of that was on the edge of my seat in worry. As always well written, and a very stirring story. But must be read with understanding of not only the preceding books, but of Terry's unique writting style.

***

After I finished "Naked Empire," I was at a loss for words and thoroughly disappointed at the cold and angry person Richard Rahl had become. The transformation that occurred to one so gentle and loving was as painful as a smack in the head with a blunt object. After re-reading the entire series I was able to identify with Richard. I realized that Goodkind had made Richard somewhat bitter and resentful because throughout the entire series he is being used to accomplish the goals of other people, while his own friends are dieing. This book should NOT be read as a stand alone novel, it should be read as a chapter in the series Sword of Truth. It is a continuance of a struggle of good over evil, where much like in the real world men are fighting each other over beliefs, in this case were one side is trying to show mankind have a right to live their own life, and the other believing all men are evil from the day they are conceived. In closing this book probably is a bit preachy, but then again, what isn't? 

***

I think Naked Empire was a complete let down. Like others had stated more than once before, over half the book is just repetitive babble of the other six books. Sure there are readers who may catch up, but not on every little detail, no matter how big the importance. If they don't know all the little details then they should go back and read the series first, not start at number seven. Why should all of us readers suffer the monotonousness? I think the best book was Faith of the Fallen, it was definitely the turning point in the series. I don't think Goodkind knew where to go from there, though. He should have stopped and left the series clean and unscarred.

Perhaps that shows why I didn't dislike it- the fact that he was repeating things from the previous books didn't affect me! 



> All females in WOT = Whinny little wasps.


Hahahahaha! 


Oh, and Beleg: how did the Pakistanis go in the cricket?


----------



## Talierin

I finally got around to reading the Ender series by Card and liked it very much... then I read Frankenstein for school (it sucks) and Mercedes Lackey's latest (I don't do her series books, they're all the same, but I like her fairy tale ones). Now I'm *finally* getting around to reading The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey which has been on my To Be Read list for years and years. I like it so far. Also polished off I, Robot for school, and I'm gonna re-read Asimov in order for once.


----------



## Wolfshead

Working on three books just now - _Excalibur_ by Bernard Cornwell, the third part of his Warlord Chronicles being the only fiction one there. For classes I'm working my way through Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (a 12th century source on King Arthur) and Stolen Continents by Ronald Wright (an account of native experiences of the Spanish 'discovery' of the New World). And there's more books that need to be read... I don't know how I find time for anything else anymore!


----------



## Hammersmith

Wolfshead said:


> Working on three books just now - _Excalibur_ by Bernard Cornwell, the third part of his Warlord Chronicles being the only fiction one there.


They're all actually fiction, but that one's the one that he rooted deepest in myth and legend rather than historical guesswork. Anyway - wow! A great series. I think Bernard's historical fictions blow his Sharpe books out of the water. Have you read parts 1 and 2 of the Warlord books yet?

I'm reading the first book of HoME...still


----------



## Ithrynluin

Reading _The French Lieutenant's Woman_ by John Fowles for class. Victorian literature is so dull. *yawn*


----------



## ASLAN THE GREAT

will i'm read lot right now but heres what i'm reading J.R.R.TOLKIEN auther of the century by tom shippey, foowling gandalf by mattow dickerson verry good book, frinding the seeking the secret place a bio on c.s.lewis also very good i do't have time right now to post all of the books i'm reading right now


----------



## Ithrynluin

_'Foowling'_ Gandalf? Is that redneck vernacular for 'fooling'?


----------



## Rhiannon

Let's see, since the last time I posted in this thread (back at the end of December), I've read;


_Wizard and Glass _by Stephen King (4th Dark Tower book)
_On Writing _by Stephen King
_Caught in Crystal_ by Patricia C. Wrede
_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ by JK Rowling (re-read)
_Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_ by JK Rowling (re-read)
_Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_ by JK Rowling (re-read)
_Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_ by JK Rowling (re-read)
_Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ by JK Rowling (re-read)
_The Color of Magic_ by Terry Pratchett
_Rose Daughter_ by Robin McKinley (re-read) 
_A Grief Observed_ by CS Lewis 
_Wolves of the Calla_ by Stephen King (5th Dark Tower book) 
_Maskerade_ by Terry Pratchett (re-read)
_Monstrous Regiment_ by Terry Pratchett 
_Rurouni Kenshin: Wandering Samurai_ vol. 10 by Nobuhiro Watsuki* 
_Rurouni Kenshin: Wandering Samurai_ vol. 11 by Nobuhiro Watsuki* 
_Samurai Deeper Kyo_ vol. 5 by Akimine Kamijyo* 
_Rurouni Kenshin: Wandering Samurai_ vol. 12 by Nobuhiro Watsuki* 

*_denotes manga/graphic novel_ 

At the moment I'm reading _Smoke & Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions_ by Neil Gaiman (which is fabulous--Gaiman has the same mastery of the short story that Ray Bradbury has), and I still haven't finished _The Ragamuffin Gospel_ by Brennan Manning, which I started last semester, but I intend to pick it up again soon. 
This doesn't include all of the fanfiction I've been reading (Rurouni Kenshin fanfiction, mostly, but when I ran out of good fics I hadn't read I started reading Inuyasha), or all of the poetry I've been reading for my British Lit class--which is a lot.


----------



## Kementari

Ithrynluin said:


> Reading _The French Lieutenant's Woman_ by John Fowles for class. Victorian literature is so dull. *yawn*



I completely disagree (Im a 19th cent literature junkie). The way old books are writen can make a very dull event (like say mowing a wheat field) sound wonderful. Big descriptive words and attention to vocabulary is something that i think is missed in most modern work.

Speaking of which i am presently reading Tolstoys 'Anna Karenina' (which is dull even on those standards  ) but im enjoying it on the whole


----------



## Ithrynluin

Good for you. As for me, my heart belongs rather to 'modern' literature. Bonnets and the pretentious upper classes just aren't my thing.


----------



## Rhiannon

Yeeech, _Anna Karenina_. The book that Rhi had absolutely no desire to finish. I got halfway through it and realized that I _did not care_ what happened to _any_ of the people in it, and I didn't like the writing that much either. And it seemed to me that 400 pages was giving it a good solid chance to get interesting. So I quit. 

I am fond of bonnets and the pretentious upperclass, though, as long as it means Jane Austen and the chance to see people slicing each other up with conversational paring knives, as God intended. 

Today I picked up Patricia McKillip's _The Forgotten Beasts of Eld_ and got sucked into re-reading it--_highly_ recommended to everyone that loves beautiful language. The writing is just glorious.


----------



## Kementari

Rhiannon said:


> Yeeech, _Anna Karenina_. The book that Rhi had absolutely no desire to finish. I got halfway through it and realized that I _did not care_ what happened to _any_ of the people in it, and I didn't like the writing that much either. And it seemed to me that 400 pages was giving it a good solid chance to get interesting. So I quit.



Some parts of A Karenina are reeeaaallly hard to get through (the hunting scenes, the elections, the farming.....oii). I think that it is writen well, but sometimes things dont flow properly (probably due to the fact that its been translated a million times). Its worth plodding through all the boring stuff when you get to a part where Tolstoy is describing someones innermost feelings and you think WOW ive thought the EXACT same thing before (maybe im not crazy! ). I think it is amazing how he describes the thoughts of so many varied people in one book.

Ive still got about 150 pages to go (im stuck at a really dry area too, have to force myself through a boring election), and frankly i dont care what happens to Anna at all (shes a horrible person!). The only really likeable characters are Kitty and Levin.


----------



## Rhiannon

I got fed up with Kitty and Levin early on, though. I didn't get attached to anyone. I was bored to tears.


----------



## no1liz

well I'm readin "Wellington at Waterloo" non-fiction, "For Cause And Comrade" non-fiction, "The History of Ancient Rome" likewise non-fiction and because a girl needs a break from all that real warfare, "Legend" by David Gemmel and I might just dip into a nice murder mystery by J.D. Robb, (That's Nora Roberts, romance writer) when I go to bed tonight. Liz in Aberdeen.


----------



## Wolfshead

Hammersmith said:


> They're all actually fiction, but that one's the one that he rooted deepest in myth and legend rather than historical guesswork. Anyway - wow! A great series. I think Bernard's historical fictions blow his Sharpe books out of the water. Have you read parts 1 and 2 of the Warlord books yet?
> 
> I'm reading the first book of HoME...still


Sorry, I worded that badly. I meant Excalibur is the only one of the three books I'm reading just now that's fiction. Of course I know Cornwell's works are all fiction  His Sharpe books are historical fiction as well, though - it's fiction and based (loosely) on real historical events. Infact, you could even say Sharpe is more historical than the Warlord Chronicles because it's based on actual events whereas the latter is based only on speculation and the authors imagination.

It's difficult to say which series of Cornwell's is my favourite because they're all damn good. I wouldn't say the Warlord Chronicles is any better than Sharpe or the Grail Quest. And yes, I have read the first 2 parts, although it was some time ago.

As for HoME - I've never even bothered... parts of Unfinished Tales was enough for me!


----------



## e.Blackstar

The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer and Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (for english, blegh)


----------



## Thorondor

Last week I read _The Alchemist_ twice ( it is that good!!!!) and now its The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats...


----------



## Hammersmith

I'm struggling with _Atlas Shrugged_ by Ayn Rand. It was recommended to me, and I'm trying to finish it, but I'm not enjoying it much at all. It seems like a right wing version of 1984, except there's no logic in any of the characters. It's incredibly frustrating


----------



## Raithnait

I was sedately moving along in _Foxmask_ by Juliet Marillier, which is just about as awesome as the first one(Wolfskin) was, when suddenly _Ender's Game_ by Orson Scott Card came within reach, and I've spent most of the past day inhaling most of the book... It's teh awesomeness...


----------



## Talierin

Oooo, Ender's Game - I just read that whole series in december, excellent stuff!

Right now I'm listening to Dune on audio tape (I gave up trying to read the actual book - much better on audio tape). WM keeps telling me not to read the rest of the series, but I think I'm going to anyways, heheh.

Other than that, I just started The Company Dossiers series, the first book being In The Garden of Iden, by Kage Baker - they're part historical fiction, part immortal time traveller story, and pretty cool


----------



## Mike

> (I gave up trying to read the actual book - much better on audio tape).





Ahghh! Blasphemy!!!

Anyway, I just finished "Russka", a book about Russian history and now I'm reading a novel called "Creation"--about the plight of Prophet Zoraostor's grandson in Persia.

But I've been thinking of dropping it and reading "Dr. Zhivago" again instead.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Still Peace Like a River...and the third HP, because I am bored.


----------



## Maggot

Unfinished Tales and The Lord Of The Rings. I 'm gonna start getting the Home books because I'm bored.


----------



## Corvis

I'm recently have been reading _The Adventures of Tom Bombadil_. It's interesting with it being in all poetry.


----------



## Talierin

Mike said:


> Ahghh! Blasphemy!!!



Shush  I'm a busy girl, I have to multitask anymore to get things done, and reading isn't one of those things, so audio tapes it is


----------



## Walter

I'm still not through with _James, the Brother of Jesus_ by R. Eisenman and with J.Friel/G.Byrns _Going Long_.

Next in the queue are W. Morris' _The House of the Wolfings_ and _The Roots of the Mountains_, two books (in one volume) that are said to have inspired J.R.R. Tolkien.

Also in the queue are D. Schomers _Espresso Coffee: Professional Techniques_ (the "Bible" for the Wannabe-Barista) and A. Camillieri's _La Paura di Montalbano_ (in German, though, not the Italian original) .

Still on the shelf and only in part read: the 2 volumes of "Ancient Europe - Encyclopedia of the Barbarian World".


----------



## Rosalee LuAnn

I'm currently re-reading _The Robe_--*great* book, but historically inaccurate.


----------



## Maggot

Well I've just ordered Tales from the perilous realm and Roverandom off Amazon so soon I'll be getting my teeth into them.


----------



## Rhiannon

Let's see, since my last post I've finished reading _The Ragamuffin Gospel_, re-reading _The Forgotten Beasts of Eld_, re-read _Sunshine_ by Robin McKinley, volumes 1, 2, 3, 12, 20, & 22 of the _Lone Wolf and Cub_ manga, volume 13 of _Rurouni Kenshin_, _Going Postal_, the latest Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, and I'm still working my way through Neil Gaiman's short stories in _Smoke & Mirrors_.


----------



## Corvis

I've just started reading a bunch of books at once. Book 2 of _The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian_, The fifth _Harry Potter_ book, and _the Da Vinci Code_.


----------



## greypilgrim

Navy SEALS at War


----------



## e.Blackstar

Re reading In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce. very cliched fluff.


----------



## flame

i just finished one child by Torey Hayden. very good book.


----------



## Morohtar

I just picked up "Moby ****." (ya, thought that would happen)  It's quite the beast (no pun intended  ), but it seems interesting so far. Mind you, I just finished the first chapter, but 'twas an interesting first chapter. Plus, it'll look impressive on the bookshelf!


----------



## greypilgrim

Ann Rule True Crimes Volumes...they are some good action-packed stories.


----------



## UNGOLIANT

im just re-reading misery, but it just dosent have the same suspense as the first time you read it


----------



## e.Blackstar

The 13th Warrior by Micheal Crichton. A bit dry but pretty good.


----------



## greypilgrim

e.Blackstar said:


> The 13th Warrior by Micheal Crichton. A bit dry but pretty good.


Awesome movie!!


----------



## Maggot

I've finished tales from the perilous realm and I'm just about to finish roverandom. Then I will get the HOME books by C.Tolkien.


----------



## Hammersmith

Rhiannon said:


> Let's see, since my last post I've finished reading _The Ragamuffin Gospel_


I saw Brennan Manning speak a few years back  
Quality bloke.


----------



## Kementari

I recently finnished "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett, a saga about making a medevial cathedral. Its very good but there were a few tiny historical inaccuracies that i picked out. 

I really want to get my hands on Geoffrey of Monmouths History of Engand and also the new Artemis Fowl book ( i cant believe the new ones out im sooo excited!!)


----------



## Hammersmith

Kementari said:


> I really want to get my hands on Geoffrey of Monmouths History of Engand


 
   
You and me both!!!
I'm also after a copy of Dux Bellorum. I think Amazon's Zshops stock "copied" copies of both, but I'd have to check...

Edit: Voila! Dux Bellorum and History Of The Kings Of Britain (Is that the one you meant?)


----------



## alorien

I'm in the midst of reading Chuck Pahlnuik's (sp??) Invisible monster...its weird.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Kementari said:


> also the new Artemis Fowl book ( i cant believe the new ones out im sooo excited!!)



Oh is good book!

I just finished re-re-re-re-re-re-rereading Prince Caspian and am now about 1/3 of the way into 2001: A Space Odyssey


----------



## e.Blackstar

Finished 2001. Now re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-rereading A Clash of Kings.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

As of the beginning of May (2005), I started what I call "the major cycle" of Tolkien. I don't usually get into The Silmarillion except as a reference work. So what I do is start with the Book of Lost Tales, reading the sections dealing with Gandalf's meeting with Thorin as the "prequel" to The Hobbit. Then comes The Hobbit and then of course, LOTR. But I don't finish LOTR until I've gone through all the sections in the appendices which deal with the final endings of all the characters. 

I haven't watched the DVDs in quite a while — burned out on them I guess — but I may get to them after I go through the major cycle.

Barley


----------



## chrysophalax

At present researching the Sil for the RPG "Stranger in a Strange Land".


----------



## Obi-Wan Kenobi

Re-reading Artemis Fowl-The Arctic Incident...


----------



## Varda35

Started my own Tolkien cycle in february. Started with the Sil for te 3rd time then read the Unfinished Tales then I decided to re-read the Hobbit and the LOTR again...then I think I'll take a Tolkien Break for a while (don't want to get burned out ) Then I think it's on to the unfinished tales


----------



## Niirewen

Has anyone read the Guenevere novels by Rosalind Miles? I just started the first one. It's alright so far, but I'm not very far into it yet.


----------



## scotsboyuk

I always seem to be flitting between several books at once ... 

At the moment I am in the process of reading LOTR, Churchill (Lord Jenkins' biography); Life with Jeeves; the Communist Manifesto and Popular Protest in Later Medieval Europe.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

scotsboyuk said:


> I always seem to be flitting between several books at once ...
> 
> At the moment I am in the process of reading LOTR, Churchill (Lord Jenkins' biography); Life with Jeeves; the Communist Manifesto and Popular Protest in Later Medieval Europe.



See if you can get a copy of _Life at Happy Knoll_ by John Marquand. It's a devastatingly funny satire/exposé of what goes on in the golf club locker rooms of the American rich.

Barley


----------



## Inderjit S

Ah-the Communist Manifesto-or a political fallacy in action. 

At the moment or over the last few weeks I have read, or have been reading:

"Capitalism and Freedom" Milton Friedman
"Wise Blood" Flannery O'Connor
"Paradise Lost" John Milton
"The Book of Disquiet" Fernando Pessoa
The Mahabharata
"Dracula" Bram Stoker 
"Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" James Joyce
re-reading "Don Quixote" Miguel Cervantes
"The Road to Serfdom" Hayek
"The Mystery of Capital" Hernando de Soto
"Candide" Voltaire
"Satirical Sketches" Lucian
"Joseph Andrews" Henry Fielding 
Some of Plato's writings.
"In Defence of Global Capitalism" Norberg

That about covers the last month or so though I have read a couple more.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Inderjit S said:


> Ah-the Communist Manifesto-or a political fallacy in action.
> At the moment or over the last few weeks I have read, or have been reading:
> ...The Mahabharata...That about covers the last month or so though I have read a couple more.



Good lord! The ENTIRE Mahabharata, the unabridged version??? That's thousands and thousands of pages!

BTW, have you ever seen the six-hour film version of it by Peter Brook? You must have it, it's available at the Parabola Video Library:

http://www.miracosta.cc.ca.us/home/gfloren/mahabfilm.htm
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...ref=sr_1_1/002-8863139-4456849?v=glance&s=dvd

This reminds me of when I was seeing Saram Khalsa, my physician of years back. I invited his staff over to see it, and for three weekends running, my apartment was flooded with Sikhs and Yogis sitting around watching this fabulous film of The Mahabharata! It was a wonderful time! 

Barley


----------



## Inderjit S

> Good lord! The ENTIRE Mahabharata, the unabridged version??? That's thousands and thousands of pages!



Good god, no I am not insane!  I have a prose version by a Indian author, R.K Narayan-I would like to read the Mahabharata proper, but given the huge size of it, I would have to be stuck on a desert island with nothing better to do.  Seriously, the prose version is great and contains a lot of the main points, besides I prefer prose and the Mahabharta is huge and contains many superfluous details, like battle formations and the names of leaders, which I will problably forget in a few minutes (alas for my goldfish memory when it comes to things which I don't care to remember!)-I remember reading The Iliad and skipping the two or so pages which told us about all the princes involved in the coalition. 

I am not sure if I have seen _that_ version, I have seen _a_ version of the Mahabharta, but that was years upon years ago, when I was like 8. 

Just finished Wise Blood, which was average. It is pretty highly rated though, each to his own I guess.

What do you think of Don Quixote if you have read it? And Candide. Don Quixote is one of the greatest works of literature ever.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Inderjit S said:


> Good god, no I am not insane!



Glad to hear it! 



> I am not sure if I have seen _that_ version, I have seen _a_ version of the Mahabharta, but that was years upon years ago, when I was like 8.



I just bought the DVD version of it as I was making the last post! 



> What do you think of Don Quixote if you have read it? And Candide. Don Quixote is one of the greatest works of literature ever.



I know _of_ those works, but I've never read them. Don Quixote's sidekick Sancho Panza — did you know that _panza_ is Spanish for big belly (like a beer belly)? And Dr. Pangloss: no matter how bad it gets, it's still the best of all possible worlds — how deluded can one get...

Barley


----------



## Alatar

I am reading the stand and bored of the rings(to lighten the mood a little)


----------



## Inderjit S

> I know of those works, but I've never read them. Don Quixote's sidekick Sancho Panza — did you know that panza is Spanish for big belly (like a beer belly)? And Dr. Pangloss: no matter how bad it gets, it's still the best of all possible worlds — how deluded can one get...



I really couldn't recommend the both of them enough-especially Don Quixote, it is brilliant novel-reading is believing my friend. I kid you not when I say it rivals The Lord of the Rings as the greatest novel of all time. 

And no I didn't know that-thanks for telling me. 

As for Voltaire-his book is hilarious, and short, way shorter than Don Quixote, but still great. Voltaire was a brilliant philosopher. 

What about the political books I listed-Capitalism and Freedom, The Road to Serfrom, The Mystery of Capital and In Defence of Global Capitalism. All great reads.


----------



## Ithrynluin

I wonder what makes you hand out all this praise to _Don Quixote_, Inder. I found it quite dull, and only mildly amusing at times, but then again you and I appreciate and look for different things in literature. However, I just wanted to provide Barley with a differing opinion on the book.


----------



## Inderjit S

I don't know. I just loved the characters and the message-Don Quixote was so different from the atypical hero, he was the antihero but he didn't know it-he was bumbling, silly and a plain idiot, yet he was lovable in his idiocy. And Sancho is great too. I think most of the great knights adventures made me laugh at least once. I loved it, but hey thats life I guess.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Inderjit S said:


> What about the political books I listed-Capitalism and Freedom, The Road to Serfrom, The Mystery of Capital and In Defence of Global Capitalism. All great reads.



Alas, ever since I finished my last master's degree, I rarely read anything even remotely resembling textbooks — they give me a rash. 

One of these days when I'm up to it, I'll supply a list of "Barley's All-Time Great Reads" — but not today!

Barley


----------



## Inderjit S

I wouldn't exactly call them textbooks, which are for the most part dry reading, more like political/philosophical criticism. Though Hayek's is an anti-Marxist polemic. 

I really cannot recommend the Mystery of Capital enough-it is a refreshing look on why the Third World is so poor, and comes up with a good conclusion (property rights) backed up with decent facts-well worth the read. (It isn't really academic.) Norberg's book is good too, one to read with Stiglitz or someone who is overly anti-globalization. (Which Stiglitz isn't.)

The Mystery of Capital 

In Defence of Global Capitalism 

The Road to Serfdom 

Don Quixote


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Inderjit S said:


> ...I wouldn't exactly call them textbooks, which are for the most part dry reading, more like political/philosophical criticism. Though Hayek's is an anti-Marxist polemic...



My favorite Hayek is Salma... 

Barley


----------



## spirit

the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy!

It's actually the first time which I'm reading it, and it's really funny. I still have the movie to see, but my parents have said not to see it until my exams aree over and dome with... and I have to follow the silly rules... which "apparently" I'll understand when I'm older...


----------



## scotsboyuk

Inderjit S said:


> Ah-the Communist Manifesto-or a political fallacy in action.



Indeed, but still a worthwhile read.  



> Some of Plato's writings.



Which? I have just been having another look at his Symposium. Are you at all interested in other classical works? I have something of a penchant for classical comedy myself.

@Barely

Thank you for the recommendation. I shall have a look for that book, it sounds most interesting.


----------



## Inderjit S

> Which? I have just been having another look at his Symposium. Are you at all interested in other classical works? I have something of a penchant for classical comedy myself.



I wouldn't exactly describe myself as a classicist, I am no expert in the matter, more of a dilettante to be honest, though that is more due to lack of time than lack of interest. 

Of Plato's works I have read _The Republic_, which I read some time ago, I can't say I like some of the ideas which it espoused, as de Tocqueville said, if the classicists gave reasons against slavery rather than arguing for slavery he would have respected them more, I also dislike it because of its totalitarian nature, though I agree it is nevertheless a erudite and brilliant work and has many good points. I have also read The Last Days of Socrates, which is a collection of various works. I have a lot of other books sitting on my shelf waiting till my exams are over so I can read them, or read them thoroughly-Tacitus, Gibbons, Josephus, Caesar, Confucius, Livy, Lucretius, Cicero, Suetonius, Herodotus, Hesiod and the basic works of Aristotle, which I have read in part. 

As for classical comedy-Aristophanes is great, though the tragedians are funny, albeit somewhat unintentionally, Sophocles also laid the groundwork for that great comedian Sigmund Freud. Lucian's satires are good-especially the one about the philosophers.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

*Barley's All-Time Great Reads*

Here as promised, given in the order in which I spotted 'em on my bookshelves, are the books that have stayed with me through the years:

A Policy of Kindness
Dalai Lama XIV

Reincarnation: The Phoenix Fire Mystery
Head & Cranston

1. How We Believe
2. Why People Believe Weird Things
3. The Science of Good and Evil
Michael Shirmer

Beethoven: Impressions By His Contempories
Ed. Sonneck

Beethoven: His Spiritual Development
J.W.N. Sullivan

The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind
Julian Jaynes

Autobiography of a Yogi
Paramahansa Yogananda

Memoirs
Hector Berlioz

Evenings in the Orchestra
Hector Berlioz

The Gnostic Gospels
Elaine Pagels

Positive Illusions
Shelley Taylor

Words of Sri Anandamayi Ma
Atmananda

The Spiritual Heritage of India
Swami Prabhavananda

Dreams, Illusions and Other Realities
Wendy O'Flaherty

The Concise Yoga Vaseeshta
Swami Venkateshananda

The I Ching
Tr. Richard Wilhelm

The Varieties of Religious Experience
Wm. James

The Principles of Psychology
Wm. James

Conversations With Adam and Natasha
R.D. Laing

Facing the Music
Henri Temianka

Dumbth
Steve Allen

The Farther Reaches of Human Nature
A. H. Maslow

Letters from the Earth
Mark Twain

Memories, Dreams, Reflections
C.G. Jung

I and That
Alex Comfort

1. Gestalt Therapy Verbatim
2. In and Out the Garbage Pail
Friederich "Fritz" Perls

1. The Wizard of Oz
2. The Scalawagons of Oz
3. Lucky Bucky in Oz
L. Frank Baum

The writings of JRR Tolkien

Those who read my posts have heard me say again and again that human beings cannot perceive the existence of things that are beyond the range of our sensoria (including the existence of the "God" of holy books). The books by Jaynes and James are classic cases in point: We have two absolutely stellar geniuses offering brilliant concepts about the way the brain and mind work — and they are wrong! They are wrong because they were operating on insufficient data. 

This happened very early on with the towering genius Leonardo da Vinci, who proffered an absolutely brilliant thesis on the method by which the eye sees. He was fundamentally wrong. And yet these works still make riveting reading, just to see the display of sheer intellectual brilliance in these men. My point: we are limited by our physicomental structure. We have limits we cannot transcend. We can extend our knowledge, but whatever we learn must all be filtered through the limits of our mental and physical natures. And no matter how much we learn, it will never extend to the realities that are forever beyond our abilities to perceive in the first place.

Barley


----------



## scotsboyuk

Inderjit S said:


> I have a lot of other books sitting on my shelf waiting till my exams are over so I can read them, or read them thoroughly-Tacitus, Gibbons, Josephus, Caesar, Confucius, Livy, Lucretius, Cicero, Suetonius, Herodotus, Hesiod and the basic works of Aristotle, which I have read in part.



Gibbons is heavily biased, but still a very worthwhile read. Herodotus is also very much worthwhile, the Iliad being the obvious choice for many, but perhaps the Histories being the more interesting, to me at least.

The Aeneid is also an excellent choice to consider once you have read the Histories. Albeit a work of propoganda it very much captures the essence of Roman nationalism. You may like to compare the Aeneid with the Georgics, which give a very idelaised pastoral view of Italy. Both works are important in the understanding of the Roman ethos being espoused at the time, but of course one should keep Virgil's imperial connection in mind as one is reading them.



> As for classical comedy-Aristophanes is great, though the tragedians are funny, albeit somewhat unintentionally, Sophocles also laid the groundwork for that great comedian Sigmund Freud. Lucian's satires are good-especially the one about the philosophers.



I also enjoy Aristophanes though Plautus is very much one of my favourite classical authors, the Brothers Menaechmi springs to mind. I am something of a conservative though and I tend to prefer to older Greek comedies as opposed to the new Roman. If you haven't read it already I would highly recommend the Satyricon by Petronius, a sort of Roman Abigail's Party!


----------



## spirit

Barliman, wow. I gotta say you've got a pretty cool religious section.  Are you... a buddist.

Hey, PM me if you wanna talk "Religion".


----------



## Inderjit S

> The Aeneid is also an excellent choice to consider once you have read the Histories



I have read The Aeneid and it bored me to death. Virgil was and is over-rated, his best piece of work is when he guided Dante to hell; sadly Dante decided he didn't want to stay there, much against his best judgement.  

Gibbons may be biased, but Herodotus is too. 

Thanks for the recommendations!


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

spirit said:


> Barliman, wow. I gotta say you've got a pretty cool religious section.  Are you... a buddist.
> 
> Hey, PM me if you wanna talk "Religion".



There are many things about Buddhism that are highly appealing to me, but I belong to no one path any more. I would enjoy talking religion with you, but on this thread:

http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?t=17370

As to "where I'm coming from," you might be interested in posts 7 and 8 in the following thread:

http://www.thetolkienforum.com/showthread.php?t=16664



Barley


----------



## Rhiannon

Let's see, since my last post I've read

Smoke & Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions by Neil Gaiman
Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho by Jon Katz
Clerks by Kevin Smith*
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett (re-read)
A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories by Robin McKinley (re-read)
The Secret Life of Cowboys by Tom Groneberg (abandoned)
Samurai Deeper Kyo vol. 6 by Akimine Kamijyo*
The Sandman: Dream Hunter by Neil Gaiman et al*
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (re-read)

*manga/graphic novel

In progress:
Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett 
Firebirds edited by Sharyn November


----------



## Niirewen

I just read _The Other Boleyn Girl_ by Phillipa Gregory. It's historical fiction. I definately recommend it.


----------



## Hammersmith

Niirewen said:


> I just read _The Other Boleyn Girl_ by Phillipa Gregory. It's historical fiction. I definately recommend it.


 
*Promises self to check out*

I've just finished the hadfull of Redwall books that have been published since I last looked; Triss, Loamhedge and Rackety Tam. I've had a nostalgic fondness for the series for many years, but I must say I've recently been disappointed with his latest offerings. They are beginning to get very same-ey and unoriginal. 

I'm still ploughing through Atlas Shrugged.


----------



## Rhiannon

I haven't read those three either, though I own them (I've been collecting the series in hardback for eight years). I think the series started becoming less interesting with _Taggerung_--I may be wrong, but I think that was the first book to come out after Jacques' stroke. Maybe that has something to do with it. 

I finished _Reaper Man_ and started Pratchett's _Sourcery_, re-read Garth Nix's _Sabriel_ and Sharon Creech's _The Wanderer_ (a lot of nostalgic re-reading has been happening this year), finished _Captivating_ by John and Stasi Eldridge, and started _The Hemmingway Book Club of Kosovo_ by Paula Huntley. I'm still working my way through the short stories in the _Firebirds_ anthology.


----------



## Hammersmith

Goodness, I'm out of touch. I never even heard that Brian had a stroke  

I personally think the series went awry with Legend of Luke; it seemed that the story itself only took up a third of the book, with parts one and three occupied with travelling to and from the storytellers. Triss isn't bad, but it's basically Mariel of Redwall repeated, and hurried a bit too much at the end. Racketty Tam reminded me of Mossflower or Marlfox, mainly because of the interesting villain, but Loamhedge was a dry version of Mattimeo, not interesting at all. It's sad really, but I had two eight hour flights to read them all on, so I ended up enjoying them nonetheless


----------



## Beren

I'm currently reading:

-_Crossroads of Twilight_ (book 10 of _The Wheel of Time_)
-_La Vita Nuova_ (love poems Dante wrote to Beatrice in his youth)
-An anthology of French poetry


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Elendil3119 said:


> I'm currently reading LotR (again ) and The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. What about you guys?



• _Boston Blackie Comes Home for Passover_
• _How to Raise Children for Fun and Profit_
• _Latest Discoveries from the Dark Side of the Moon_
• _My Five Years in an Elevator_
• _Across the Sahara by Kayak_
• _Building Your Dream House on $3 a Day Using Tongue Depressors_

Barley


----------



## Beleg

Lets see. Here is something which might please Inderjit. 


Right now I am going through the _The Gulag Archipelago_ by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn. Pretty fascinating, to say the least. (though I am sure I have read it before too, in another language) 

Another book I just started is _Girl 20_ by Kingsley Amis. Funny, quirky and full of witty digs at the upper-middle class, twatish, pseudo-socialist hamsters of after ww2 era Britian. though sometimes he goes too overboard with the political stuff. 

Neil Gaiman rules. 

Beren, 

Do you like what you have read of COT so far? How does it compare to the rest of the WOT books?


----------



## scotsboyuk

@Inderjit

Have you ever read the Decameron?


----------



## Beren

Beleg said:


> Do you like what you have read of COT so far? How does it compare to the rest of the WOT books?


Well, I've only gotten as far as chapter 6; although it's not much in terms of action and battles, I don't exactly HATE it!! (Certainly not like everybody else who say how CoT sucks etc...) But I do think that it's nothing compared to _Lord of Chaos_ for instance.


----------



## Rhiannon

Hammersmith said:


> Goodness, I'm out of touch. I never even heard that Brian had a stroke



It was some time ago--long enough that I was still active in a Redwall RPG at the time, and the news went around the forums. I would have to go searching to tell you exactly when it happened, though. It might have even been between _Lord Brocktree_ and _Legend of Luke_.


----------



## ingolmo

I'm re-reading _Artemis Fowl_ #1, by Eoin Colfer for the third time.


----------



## Hammersmith

The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Last Light Of The Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and I'm still plodding through Atlas Shrugged


----------



## Lord Sauron

Right now I am reading moonraker by ian flemming (one of the james bond novels) and i am waiting for the new harry potter book which comes out in a month


----------



## Mooky87

I am only reading two books right now. No Lord of the Rings right now. I am reading

The Princess by, Lori Wick (Great Romance book with nothing explicit)
The Phantom of the Opera by, Gaston Leroux (It's actually an easier read than most people have told me!)
This does make me sound like a romance fan, but I'm really not.


----------



## Rhiannon

I've been traveling a lot this month--camping trip, wedding, shower, wedding, wedding, and none of them near each other--so in between road trips I read _Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West_ finally, long after most of my friends, and re-listened to the audiobooks of the first Harry Potter and Susan Cooper's _The Gray King_. Now I have several books in progress and can't seem to focus on any of them--James Clavell's _Shogun_, Thomas Hardy's _Jude the Obscure_ (I would really enjoy it, if I didn't know it was going to end badly. The Impending Sense of Doom--it's a Hardy, of course it will end badly, the man was pathologically opposed to happiness-prevents me from investing anything in the characters), and _A String in the Harp_ by Nancy Bond. 

Really I want graphic novels right now--something visual. I read two volumes of Frank Miller's _Sin City_ ('The Hard Goodbye' and 'That Yellow B******') and Max Allan Collins' _Road to Perdition_, which was excellent. I'm really annoyed that my dad's copy of _Batman: Year One_ has vanished, because I wanted to read it, and neither my dad nor my brother seems to be able to find their copies of Frank Miller's _Batman: The Dark Knight Returns_. What's a girl to do? I guess I'll re-read _The Watchmen_ and see if I can pick up a few new volumes of Rurouni Kenshin, since the last one I read was vol.14.


----------



## Firawyn

God forbid I not read a book! lol 

Right now, I am working my way through the RotK, and trying to comvince myself to do the Sil next.

I'm kinda in a Star Wars phase right now, so I just finished "I, Jedi" (Stakepole), and I did a few NJO books before that. 

I'm also midway through CS Lewis' Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and after that one's done I'm on to The Silver Chair (I'm working my way through the Chronacles for the um....80th time; I more or less have the books memorized,and my copies are in shreads!) 

My other currant favs are the Artemmis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer. YAY for Colfer! I need to re-read book one again.....


----------



## yhwh1st

Books, books, books!

I am currently reading 8 books (if you count two books of the Bible).


The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel
Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
Speechless by Steven Curtis Chapman and Scotty Smith. SCC is my fav. artist for about 7 years
The Fellowship of the Ring (by DUH!) _again_
The Silmarillion
The Magicians Nephew
I Samuel
Proverbs
Oh ya! And a book called Desiring God's Will. I don't remember the author's name. So that makes 9.


----------



## Hammersmith

Firawyn said:


> I just finished "I, Jedi" (Stakepole)


I'm sorry. I hope you recover quickly  

I'm reading Pastwatch by Orson Scott Card, and I'm still engaged in a brutal staring contest with Atlas Shrugged, which I seem to be losingstupidselfrighteousprosteletysingbookthatIcan'tseemtogetridofmumblemutter...


----------



## e.Blackstar

The Chosen by Chaim Potok, for Honors English 10. 

And of my own free will:
The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir (author of The Six Wives of Henry VIII...very good books, both)


----------



## Wraithguard

I am currently reading:

_A Decent into the Maelström_ by Edgar Allan Poe
_The Island of the Fay_ by Edgar Allan Poe
_The Doom Stone_ by Paul Zindel (for the third time)

and am also trying to finish up the first horror in my book _The Atrocities of the Black Devil, _and completed a very short story, _Bloodletting._ If you want details just PM me.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Oh yeah! Guess who totally just borrowed Shadow of the Giant by O.S. Card?

Go me!


----------



## greypilgrim

"The Story of World War Two", with a whole lotta pictures and interesting facts about the war. Also, "Greatest Stories of World War Two On Land". this book is full of short battlefield accounts by soldiers mostly. Some letters home, and some grim knowledge is imparted on the reader of this book.


----------



## Lord Sauron

I have just finished Harry Potter and the half blooded prince it was so good. Big twist can't wait dor the next one to come out. But for all you harry potter fans the fourth movie comes out in november so does the video game.


----------



## Beleg

Been reading a lot of United States' young-adult authors.


----------



## Niirewen

Lord Sauron said:


> I have just finished Harry Potter and the half blooded prince it was so good. Big twist can't wait dor the next one to come out. But for all you harry potter fans the fourth movie comes out in november so does the video game.


I read it when it came out, too. I thought it was good. I'm looking forward to the movie this November, because the fourth one was my favorite. Anyway, I just finished the Guenevere trilogy by Rosalind Miles. It wasn't the best in my opinion, but still worth reading.


----------



## Tar-Elendil13

I'm reading The Lays of Beleriand. I really like it so far. I love reading poetry.


----------



## yhwh1st

Hmmm.... Just picked up another book late last night. I'll probably finish it within an hour. It's called The Awakening by Debra White Smith


----------



## Rosalee LuAnn

I recently finished "The Dark Lord of Dernhelm" (at least, I _think _that was what it was called ) And haven't started another yet, which is mostly because there are seveal I want to read, but I know I SHOULD be reading "A Farewell to Arms" for school, and don't really want to... Anybody read it? Is it good/bad/ok?


----------



## e.Blackstar

Rereading Mattimeo while I suffer through the next few days until I can get to the library.


----------



## yhwh1st

Well, I finished the other book within the time I alloted myself. Then picked up another book and only just finished it a bit ago. 315 pages and I couldn't put it down until I was sure that they got out OK. *talks to self* Dur!!! That would be the end of the book Meg! It was called A Shelter In the Storm by the same author as the other one.


----------



## Lantarion

_Chronicle of a Death Foretold_ by Gabriel García Márquez


----------



## Elorendil

I just finished Star Wars: Survivor's Quest. I'm about to start on the final book in the New Jedi Order: Force Heretic trilogy.


----------



## e.Blackstar

I just went to the library! Woot! I'm going to finish Redwall (for continuity's sake) and then start on Sword-born, a novel by Jennifer Roberson. (Or somesuch name.)


----------



## Rosalee LuAnn

I liked the Redwall books awhile ago, but they're getting far too predictable. I haven't read the last few that have come out.

I am currently re-reading "Sarah" by Orson Scott Card. 'Tis a veddy veddy good read. Although I SHOULD be reading "A Farewell to Arms"...


----------



## Wraithguard

Masque of the Read Death by Poe again.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Re-reading Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett  and reading (for the first time) a three-way collaborattion (headed by Melanie Rawn) called The Golden Key. Very interesting.


----------



## Gúthwinë

Taggerung by Brian Jacques.


----------



## reem

Rereading _Prelude to Dune: House Harkonnen_ by B. Herbert and J. Anderson.


----------



## Hammersmith

I took a three day break from my eternal struggle through Atlas Shrugged (still reading that stupid book  ) to read our very own Lonna's _Selah of the Summit_. Absolutely super book Lonna, thanks a lot. My Amazon review for it shall appear eventually.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Still working on The Golden Key (it's a BIG book!) and when I get home, I will be reading the last three pages of The Chosen by Chaim Potok for English.


----------



## reem

Dumped _Dune_ in favour for Shakespeare’s _King John_. So far loving it.


----------



## Aisteru

I'm into LOTR: FOTR for the 5th time. And I'm reading The Rule of Four. Im not sure who the author is though.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Exiles: The Ruins of Ambrai by Melanie Rawn


----------



## Talierin

The list of what I've read in the past month or so:

Lewis Agonistes: How C.S. Lewis can train us to wrestle with the modern and post-modern world - Louis Markos
Faith Beyond Reason - A.W. Tozer
The Pursuit of Common Man - Robert Franck
One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven - Mark Cahill
God's Voice in the Stars
Harry Potter 3,4,5, and 6
The Curse of the Pharaohs - Elizabeth Peters
All my wonderful school books 

Will prolly be reading in the near future:
More C.S. Lewis
How Should We Then Live? - Francis Schaeffer
Orthodoxy - G.K. Chesterton
The Question of God - Armand Nicholi Jr
Modern Art and the Death of a Culture - Rookmaaker
The Long War Against God - Henry Morris
Modern Times - Paul Johnson

ummm.... and the rest of the 100 dollars worth of books I bought at Summit.... I have a lot of time waiting around for classes at school.


----------



## yhwh1st

The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel


----------



## Narsil

Summer reading:

Last month I finished reading _Unfinished Tales_, which made for some excellent reading. Now I'm planning to invest in HOME. 

But to tide me over I've been reading Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea books. I finished _A Wizard of Earthsea_ this past week when I was on vacation and read _The Tombs of Atuan_ yesterday. I found it absorbing reading and look forward to reading more of her stories. It's not Tolkien but it's great fantasy. I'm glad I didn't catch the miniseries on Sci Fi because I always prefer the books anyway and I hear that the miniseries butchered the Earthsea books. So what else is new?


----------



## e.Blackstar

Sword Born by Jennifer Roberson


----------



## Wraithguard

A book not by Poe called the _Chainsaw Man_.

By the way a quick announcement: I have stopped writing Horror stories in favor of Comedy.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Re-reading A Song of Ice and Fire (George R.R. Martin), re-reading The 13th Warrior (Micheal Crichton), and reading (for the first time) Alternate Histories (an anthology).


----------



## wizard2c

Re-reading "The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy...One Book To Rule Them
All"......a striking picture of Gandalf on the cover...thru the mist when the light hits it at a certain angle he almost appears lifelike. I have some things bothering me which need clarification.
Also started another book "Power vs Force" by David R. Hawkins, M.D.,Ph.D.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Paladins by Joel Rosemond. Looks good!


----------



## Fugitive1992

I'm reading TTT. Frist time. i'm enjoying it alot. Aragon didn't fall off a cliff! yay. and i'm also reading in _In the Forests of the Night _by Amilia Atwater-Rhodes. so far so good


----------



## Hammersmith

Well, there's no post on this page yet to say that I'm still reading Atlas Shrugged, so I'll say that I've struggled on to around 2/3 of it finished. I've discovered that Ayn Rand based many of her ideals on Nietzche and that Anton Levey was influenced by it, neither of which endeared me to finishing the book at all. I haven't been reading much in a while; I need to plan a library trip soon.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Paladins was a disappointment.


----------



## DGoeij

Nice question to put to me right now.

I AM reading Moby **** by Herman Melville, but that one I keep at my girlfriend's place, just to be sure there's always something I wish to read there. Yet she just finished one of Raymond E. Feist's books (Mistress of an Empire if I'm not mistaken, it's in dutch, so I'm translating here) and I like those as well. I'm not allowed to read any until she's finished with them though, because she hates it when I read faster then her in the same book.  So no doubt I will start in that one soon.

At home I'm still trying to start in The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond (I got that one for my birthday) and I was re-reading some discworld novel's by Terry Pratchett. In the second hand bookshop, I promised myself to stay away from for the next couple of months and failed, I bumped into an english translation of Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince. I did start in that one.  

I SHOULD be reading books and handouts for school. Especially now, instead of spending time at TTF.


----------



## Wolfshead

Haha, you're reading Moby ****. Has society gone mad? Can't even post a perfectly innocent word when used in the right context!

I'm reading Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell just now.


----------



## Arat Macar

I am reading the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon as well as Dan Brown and Caleb Carr


----------



## Hammersmith

Wolfshead said:


> I'm reading Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell just now.


That's a quality book. Want to know how it ends? 

I've done with Atlas Shrugged. It was pants. Don't read it. I'm now reading some sort of short story anthology.


----------



## Wolfshead

Hammersmith said:


> That's a quality book. Want to know how it ends?


Um, no. Oddly enough


----------



## Hammersmith

Wolfshead said:


> Um, no. Oddly enough



I was kidding 
Have you read much of Cornwell's other work?


----------



## Wolfshead

Hammersmith said:


> I was kidding
> Have you read much of Cornwell's other work?


I know 

I've read a lot of the Sharpe books, all the Grail Quest, and the first two of the Warlord Chronicles. Oh, and I've got a signed copy of Gallows Thief. So, quite a lot - I'm quite a big fan  Yourself?


----------



## Arthur_Vandelay

I was introduced to the Harry Potter series just last week. I have just finished _The Prisoner of Azkaban, and am waiting to secure The Goblet of Fire from my friend, who has the entire series. So, in the interim, I'm working my way through Tess of the D'Urbervilles._


----------



## Wolfshead

Arthur_Vandelay said:


> I was introduced to the Harry Potter series just last week.


Have you been living under a rock for the last 8 years then?  How'd you manage to avoid them?


----------



## e.Blackstar

Re-reading The Iliad and looking for other recommendations...


----------



## Wraithguard

I recommend you compliment the Illiad with the Argonauts.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Just began my umpteenth round of LOTR: Bilbo has just left the Shire for Rivendell, and Gandalf is scaring the stuffing out of Frodo by telling him what the Ring _really_ is.

Barley


----------



## Fugitive1992

i have a friend who has read the LOTR a bunch of times! he says he's lost count though


----------



## Wolfshead

Barliman Butterbur said:


> Just began my umpteenth round of LOTR: Bilbo has just left the Shire for Rivendell, and Gandalf is scaring the stuffing out of Frodo by telling him what the Ring _really_ is.
> 
> Barley


You should have put a spoiler warning there, Barley. There might be people here who haven't read it yet


----------



## Hammersmith

Wolfshead said:


> I've read a lot of the Sharpe books, all the Grail Quest, and the first two of the Warlord Chronicles. Oh, and I've got a signed copy of Gallows Thief. So, quite a lot - I'm quite a big fan  Yourself?


Ah, so you're an expert then 
I'd definitely read Excalibur (is that the third Warlord Chronicle?) - the last is the best in the series. I'm not huge on the Sharpe books, but I've read a few and I watched the series on television religiously. Besides that, I read and enjoyed the Gallow Thief, the Warlords, Stonehenge and the Grail Quests. Excellent author, that man!


----------



## Wolfshead

I don't know why I haven't read Excalibur yet. I even have it on my shelves! I'll get round to it eventually... I've seen some of the Sharpe films as well. They're good too. It'd be interesting, I think, if they were to make more now with a big Hollywood budget. Obviously not with Sean Bean, though - he's too old.

Oh, and I almost forgot, he's got a newish book called The Last Kingdom set in Saxon England. Forgot to read that too, even though my dad has it. Oh well, plenty of time yet


----------



## Firawyn

Has anyone read Sabriel, Lariel, and Abhorsan by Garth Nix??


Awesome books. Highly recomend them. It's a great trilogy.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Wolfshead said:


> You should have put a spoiler warning there, Barley. There might be people here who haven't read it yet



You fonny man! You tell zee joke! 

Barley


----------



## Arthur_Vandelay

Wolfshead said:


> Have you been living under a rock for the last 8 years then?  How'd you manage to avoid them?



Easily: I didn't think they would be my bag. I was wrong, it turns out.


----------



## Wolfshead

Arthur_Vandelay said:


> Easily: I didn't think they would be my bag. I was wrong, it turns out.


Same as my mum. She refused to read them for years. Now she finally has and really likes them. You stubborn people just lose out


----------



## Fugitive1992

i, for 1, am NOT STUBORN!!! i just haven't read the books


----------



## Arthur_Vandelay

Wolfshead said:


> Same as my mum. She refused to read them for years. Now she finally has and really likes them. You stubborn people just lose out



It wasn't a case of being stubborn, necessarily. More a case of aversion to hype.


----------



## Wolfshead

Arthur_Vandelay said:


> It wasn't a case of being stubborn, necessarily. More a case of aversion to hype.


Well, with the same result. I bet people had told you to read them but you refused to due to an aversion to hype. I'm pretty sure that amounts to stubborness 



Fugitive1992 said:


> i, for 1, am NOT STUBORN!!! i just haven't read the books


You should, they're well worth the time.


----------



## Arthur_Vandelay

Wolfshead said:


> Well, with the same result. I bet people had told you to read them but you refused to due to an aversion to hype. I'm pretty sure that amounts to stubborness



No, just a lack of interest. (People tell me I should be watching _Australian Idol_, too .) As a matter of fact, I only know one person who has read the _Harry Potter_ books: the person who is currently lending them to me.


----------



## Wolfshead

Arthur_Vandelay said:


> No, just a lack of interest. (People tell me I should be watching _Australian Idol_, too .) As a matter of fact, I only know one person who has read the _Harry Potter_ books: the person who is currently lending them to me.


Oh well, fair enough. Perhaps they're just not as popular in Australia, or with the people you know. You either enjoy them here, or hate them.

As for the Idol series, I just think they're rubbish  I apologise for it - I think we invented it, seeing as we had Pop Idol and then everyone else follows on, but with their countrys name in front of it (American Idol et al).


----------



## Fugitive1992

Wolfshead said:


> Well, with the same result. I bet people had told you to read them but you refused to due to an aversion to hype. I'm pretty sure that amounts to stubborness
> 
> 
> You should, they're well worth the time.


 
i would but my mother is the stouborn one if you wonna start on that subject


----------



## Wolfshead

Fugitive1992 said:


> i would but my mother is the stouborn one if you wonna start on that subject


Oh no, not more conservative Americans who think HP is evil, is it?


----------



## Arthur_Vandelay

Wolfshead said:


> Oh well, fair enough. Perhaps they're just not as popular in Australia, or with the people you know. You either enjoy them here, or hate them.



I'd say they're about as popular over here as they would be in the UK. The publishers have even gone to the trouble of producing two versions: one with a more "subtle" cover for adults who might feel embarrassed about reading what is widely _perceived_ to be children's literature (I'm not saying it is) on the train. (Personally, it doesn't bother me.)

And I agree wholeheartedly with at least one element of the _Harry Potter_ hype: it _is_ a great way to introduce children (and even adults) to a love of reading.



> As for the Idol series, I just think they're rubbish  I apologise for it - I think we invented it, seeing as we had Pop Idol and then everyone else follows on, but with their countrys name in front of it (American Idol et al).



It's glorified karaoke--without the cheap beer.


----------



## Wolfshead

Arthur_Vandelay said:


> I'd say they're about as popular over here as they would be in the UK. The publishers have even gone to the trouble of producing two versions: one with a more "subtle" cover for adults who might feel embarrassed about reading what is widely _perceived_ to be children's literature (I'm not saying it is) on the train. (Personally, it doesn't bother me.)


They would be this for the childrens edition of the first one, and this or this for the adult editons? That's what we have here. I don't know about the US. I think they just have the incredibly rubbish Scholastic cartoony covers.

I actually bought the adult cover of the new book because I preferred it to the childrens cover, not through any desire to appear more grown up, or less child-like.


----------



## Arthur_Vandelay

Wolfshead said:


> They would be this for the childrens edition of the first one, and this or this for the adult editons? That's what we have here. I don't know about the US. I think they just have the incredibly rubbish Scholastic cartoony covers.



That's correct. Evidently I'm reading the children's editions.


----------



## Firawyn

Wolfshead said:


> Oh no, not more conservative Americans who think HP is evil, is it?



That would be correct my friend. Our mother is not into the HP thing. I've read all of them, although Fugitive has not. 

I really don't get how mother can aprove of LotR with Gandalf and Saruman and all them, but HP is evil.  Oh brother.


----------



## Arthur_Vandelay

Firawyn said:


> That would be correct my friend. Our mother is not into the HP thing. I've read all of them, although Fugitive has not.
> 
> I really don't get how mother can aprove of LotR with Gandalf and Saruman and all them, but HP is evil.  Oh brother.



We have a thread about this over at PE, but I'm three books into the series now, and I can't for the life of me figure out how anyone could deem the Potter books "evil." And that's after 12 years of Catholic education. Perhaps someone can help me out.


----------



## Firawyn

the only substantial point my mother has made it that the muggles (non-magic beings) are treated like dirt in the Potter books. I often wondered how Rowling can make such a point of Half wizard Half muggles are really good, but she rubs in how bad regular muggles are. A worthy point, but the only one she's convinced me of. This is why I have read the books, despite her distaste.

Okay, so maybe that was a little off topic. Well, this is about books, so maybe not. Gur, just wait till you get to this last book. I swear, I cried. You will not believe who the half-blood prince is. Oh baby.

*runs away crying* Must re-read. Got it for my b-day. 

Hey, what book are you on anyway? It's Chamber of Secrets, then Sorcerers Stone, the Prisoner of Azkaban (LOVED THAT ONE), and then whay? Goblet of Fire? I can't remember...


----------



## Wolfshead

Firawyn said:


> Hey, what book are you on anyway? It's Chamber of Secrets, then Sorcerers Stone, the Prisoner of Azkaban (LOVED THAT ONE), and then whay? Goblet of Fire? I can't remember...


It goes as follows

The Philosopher's Stone (or the Sorcerer's Stone in the US, because it was deemed that not enough Americans would know what the Philosopher's Stone is. Which doesn't really say much for America...)
The Chamber of Secrets
The Prisoner of Azkaban
The Goblet of Fire
The Order of the Phoenix
The Half-Blood Prince


Arthur said:


> We have a thread about this over at PE


Initiated by yours truly   People with theological problems with HP really get on my nerves


----------



## Hammersmith

Just picked up a stack from the library. Finished Terry Pratchett's _Going Postal_, chewing through Fydor Dusty's _The Brother Kamarazov_ and lining up something by Guy Gavriel Kay and _The Count of Monte Cristo_ (again) by Alexandre Dumas.


----------



## DGoeij

Hammersmith said:


> Finished Terry Pratchett's _Going Postal_



Bwaaah. I'm still waiting for the pocket edition to show its cover in the stores over here. Life isn't fair.


----------



## Hammersmith

DGoeij said:


> Bwaaah. I'm still waiting for the pocket edition to show its cover in the stores over here. Life isn't fair.


Libraries are your friend, my child


----------



## DGoeij

Dutch libraries are not quicker than bookstores when it comes to adding Pratchett to their collections. Last time I checked even the bookstores who specialize in english books did not have 'Going postal' in the pocket edtion. So I'll have to wait.


----------



## Wolfshead

Is Going Postal any good?


----------



## Aulë

Book 11 in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan: The Knife of Dreams!!!!!

Woooo!  
Better than books 6-10 already!


----------



## Hammersmith

Wolfshead said:


> Is Going Postal any good?


Not bad. It comes in around the halfway mark on the list of Discworld books I've read. It's hilarious and engaging to the end, but doesn't have as much bite as some others. I may reread it, but not for quite a while. Definitely worth reading at least once though.


----------



## Wolfshead

Aulë said:


> Book 11 in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan: The Knife of Dreams!!!!!
> 
> Woooo!
> Better than books 6-10 already!


When the hell did that come out?

*goes to check*

Ah ha, today it seems. Although a reviewer on Amazon apparently bought it in WHSmiths last week. Looks like I'll have to get it at some point in the not too distant future 

Oh, and I'll also read Going Postal. Just checked the university library catalogue and the only Pratchett book they have is Johnny and the Dead, for reasons unknown. And no Robert Jordan. Well, not the RJ in question anyway. Looks like it might be time for me to find a public library in Aberdeen then...


----------



## Lindir

Aulë said:


> Book 11 in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan: The Knife of Dreams!!!!!
> 
> Woooo!
> Better than books 6-10 already!


I was just about to post this bit of good news, bur you beat me to it. Bought it yesterday but won't be finished with it until this evening/night. It's so unfair having to work at times like these.
On a side note: there's a new Gaiman out, a new Hobbs and very soon a new Martin. Autumn's looking up.


----------



## e.Blackstar

I too, just finished _Going Postal_. I enjoyed it very much...it was a little more serious seeming than some of Pratchett's others, and Mr. Gryle was just plain *creepy*, but it wqs good on the whole. 

Now I just have to wait for the library to get Thud!


----------



## Eledhwen

I've borrowed The Hounds of the Morrigan from my eleven year old daughter. Very mystical Irish! I'm too tired and busy to read it very fast.


----------



## Ithrynluin

Reading Dean Koontz's _Frankenstein_. Great suspense, vintage Koontz.


----------



## Elbereth

I just finished reading "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". 

Something I told myself not to do until my nephew was old enough for me to read it to him. Unfortunately though, I had read all of my books in my house and didn't have time to go to the library or book store...so I grabbed the book and read it.

Took me three sittings to read it all. And it probably would not have taken me so long but I didn't want to spend my entire day reading. 

It was a cute book...exactly like the movie really...so nothing was really a surprise for me. 

Would I continue reading Harry Potter...probably...but I wouldn't go out and buy the books....unless it was to give to my nephew when he grows older.


----------



## Wolfshead

Elbereth said:


> I just finished reading "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone".


Harry Potter and the *Philosopher's* Stone, dammit!   

As for me, I've started reading _Harlequin_ by Bernard Cornwell again. It's all about the Hundred Years War, with the Holy Grail involved. A great book, and it's even more interesting for me now because I've been studying medieval Europe at uni recently, and I know the period it's set really well now and know all the history in the story. Brilliant 

If you live in the US the book's called _The Archer's Tale_. I love his mini-rant on his website 



> The first book of the series is Harlequin, unless you live in the United States where the book, to my considerable annoyance, was retitled as The Archer's Tale. Which is not a particularly bad title, but I hate it when publishers do that. Their reason was that there is a well-known series in the States called Harlequin Romances, much like the British Mills and Boon, and it was thought that folks would get confused and, thinking they were buying a bodice-ripper with heavy breathing, find instead that they had a tale of the Hundred Years War with arrow-spitted Frenchmen. So what? Maybe they would have enjoyed the read, because more than one bodice gets thoroughly ripped in Harlequin. Vagabond is a follow-up to Harlequin (The Archer's Tale in the US) - and starts almost as soon as the earlier book ends, carrying on Thomas of Hookton's story. He has been sent back to England to pursue his father's mysterious legacy which hints that the Holy Grail might exist and gets tangled with the Scottish invasion of 1347. He survives that only to discover that various powerful folk in France are pursuing the same quest, a complication that takes Thomas back to Brittany and the brutal fighting about La Roche-Derrien. The third book in the series is Heretic and begins with the fall of Calais.


----------



## e.Blackstar

The Count of Monte Cristo for English class, The Prince of Christler-Coke for fun. Anybody else read the latter?


----------



## Hammersmith

No, but I'm currently rereading The Count Of Monte Cristo


----------



## Wolfshead

I saw the film of that with Jim Cavaziel a couple of months back... good film. Not read the book, though


----------



## Hammersmith

Wolfshead said:


> I saw the film of that with Jim Cavaziel a couple of months back... good film. Not read the book, though


Aye, I've seen the film as well. Great film.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Ja, it's a fantastic movie.


----------



## greypilgrim

I'm reading "The End of the Dream" by Anne Rule, it's a true-crime story, a really good one about professional bank robbers from back in the '70's.


----------



## Urambo Tauro

As some of you may have noticed, I'm putting together a "reading schedule", if you will, for _The Lord of the Rings_. (See my signature.)

For almost two months (between October and December), the group rests in Rivendell before beginning their quest. Starting in mid-December, the story will pick up again in _The Ring Goes South_. Since that is nearly a month away, anyone who is interested in "following the Fellowship" can read up through _The Council of Elrond_ to catch up. Click on the link in my signature for more information.


----------



## Ingwë

I'm reading 'Peter I' by Aleksei Tolstoi. It is a book about the Russian Tzar Peter I the Great. The author tells the reader about the real life in Russia when the tzar was young. Tolskoi show the country through the eyes of two young children, who escaped from their parents. You must read this book


----------



## Lindir

Just finished 'A Feast for Crows' by George Martin. Great book, I loved it. I think Martin is one of the best fantasy authors ever, maybe even the best (and I do include Tolkien).


----------



## e.Blackstar

**is shocked**

   What? WHAT?

When did A Feast for Crows come out? And why was I not informed???


----------



## Wolfshead

Quite recently, wasn't it? It's the fourth one, isn't it? I got half way through A Storm of Swords before getting distracted by something else that actually had something happen in it...


----------



## Firawyn

Lindir said:


> I think Martin is one of the best fantasy authors ever, maybe even the best (and I do include Tolkien).



EEK! Blasphamy!!! 

(no really, Garth Nix is the best, Tolkien included!)


----------



## Beleg

^

The statement is funny on so many levels. 

No really, I love me some Lirael BUT.....

Oh well. Reading 'Siddharta' by Herman Hesse.


----------



## Wolfshead

I'm currently working on The Da Vinci Code again (thought it would be interesting to read it again because I know so much more about the history mentioned now) and Harlequin by Bernard Cornwell. I need to start on Froissart's Chronicles tonight, though cos I've got a documents test on it next Monday


----------



## Rhiannon

_A Game of Thrones_ by George R. R. Martin--I get really involved while I'm actually reading it, but once I set it down I can go days without picking it up. And why do modern fantasy epics have to go careening between ten or so major characters with every chapter? I bond with a character, and then have to read sixty pages about some characters I'm less interested in to find out what happens to her....

Recent reads include Neil Gaiman's wonderful _Anansi Boys_ and a handful of graphic novels, including a couple of volumes of Sin City and _V for Vendetta_.


----------



## Fugitive1992

I am reading ' The Horse and His boy ' by C. S. Lewis.
it's the third book of the Chronicles of Narnia, For those who 
don't know.


----------



## Rhiannon

...depending on how you count. I've always read it as the fifth.


----------



## Fugitive1992

Why? then it would be after Voyage of the Dawn Treader


----------



## Rhiannon

Because that's the order they were written and originally published in--_The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician's Nephew_ and _The Last Battle_. I've always read them in that order, and I'm not a fan of the 'new' order, which is chronological according to events.


----------



## Fugitive1992

i didn't know that.


----------



## Hammersmith

I prefer to do it chronologically, as it lets me get two of my favourites in the first three. On the subject of what I'm reading now, the sad answer is 'nothing', but I'm planning on binging on the whole seven chronicles as soon as I can find a library. My copies are too far away.


----------



## Wolfshead

Rhiannon said:


> _A Game of Thrones_ by George R. R. Martin--I get really involved while I'm actually reading it, but once I set it down I can go days without picking it up. And why do modern fantasy epics have to go careening between ten or so major characters with every chapter? I bond with a character, and then have to read sixty pages about some characters I'm less interested in to find out what happens to her....


Exactly the same reason I got bored of A Storm of Swords. Guess I'll have to pick it up again someday. It was suggested to me that reading all the chapters of one character then moving onto another character doesn't spoil the story at all, so I might try that.

I've almost finished Bernard Cornwell's Harlequin, and about to start Going Postal by Terry Pratchett.


----------



## Rhiannon

Hammersmith said:


> I prefer to do it chronologically, as it lets me get two of my favourites in the first three. On the subject of what I'm reading now, the sad answer is 'nothing', but I'm planning on binging on the whole seven chronicles as soon as I can find a library. My copies are too far away.


 
Mine are in a box in storage somewhere, though I managed to re-read _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_ while I was with my homestay family. I like the publishing order better because I think _Lion_ is the strongest book, story-wise, and a better introduction than _The Magician's Nephew_, and you can see the development of the world. But there's a whole thread devoted to discussing this, isn't there? 



> It was suggested to me that reading all the chapters of one character then moving onto another character doesn't spoil the story at all, so I might try that.


 
I started doing that at the end of _Game of Thrones_, but my brother made me stop  If I keep reading (I want to know what happens, but how willing am I to put up with the author treating me like a ping-pong ball in a match with too many players?) I might do it anyway. 

I'm not quite done with _Game of Thrones_, but last night I started _Good Omens_ by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman anyway. Why on earth did I wait so long to read this? It's _amazing_.


----------



## Firawyn

I expect that the Chronicals will be filmed in Publishing Order, woudl you like that Rhi? lol.

The new book (the last one!) in the Midford series has hit stores. I am going to get it this week!! Can't wait to read it!


----------



## DGoeij

Rhiannon said:


> I'm not quite done with _Game of Thrones_, but last night I started _Good Omens_ by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman anyway. Why on earth did I wait so long to read this? It's _amazing_.



Absolutely. I was pleasantly surprised when I diverted from the Discworld stories for a change. Does anyone know if Neil Gaiman all by himself is equally good?


----------



## Lindir

DGoeij said:


> Absolutely. I was pleasantly surprised when I diverted from the Discworld stories for a change. Does anyone know if Neil Gaiman all by himself is equally good?


O yes, Neil Gaiman is very, very good. I warmly recommend everything he has written.


----------



## Rhiannon

Neil Gaiman is _phenomenal_. Don't read him expecting Pratchett, though--he's very different, though they have similarities. I started with _Neverwhere_ and then _American Gods_, which are both fantastic, and his most recent _Anansi Boys_ is awesome. You might also try his collection of short stories, _Smoke & Mirrors_, which is full of really amazing stuff. 

I'm also a big fan of his Sandman series of graphic novels, which starts with _Preludes & Nocturnes_--not the best volume in the series, because Gaiman and the artists were all finding their stride while doing a very, very unique month comic, but the last episode is still my favorite out of what I've been able to read of the series. Neil Gaiman also collaborated with Dave McKean on the recent fantasy film _MirrorMask_ (he scripted and produced, McKean designed and directed), which has had a very, _very_ limited release, but which is really good.


----------



## Beleg

*Rhiannon* posted,



> A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin--I get really involved while I'm actually reading it, but once I set it down I can go days without picking it up. And why do modern fantasy epics have to go careening between ten or so major characters with every chapter? I bond with a character, and then have to read sixty pages about some characters I'm less interested in to find out what happens to her....



That's certainly a big downside of the narrative structure employed by Martin in aSoIaF. More of Arya and less of that god-forsaken Catelyn would have awesome. Though, as the story pans out and you get better acquainted with the world and the characters themselves, many of these POV's supplement each other very well - often throwing away witty quips or tidbits of interesting information impossible to depict with a single prespective. 

They also help a great deal in character building, adding layers of depth rarely achieveable with the stereotypical third-person narration. The character of Imp is a good example of that. Looking at Tyrion from the POV of, say, Ned Stark will reveal a man very different from what his own POV shows us. 

The fact that Martin is able to juggle such a huge cast of characters as to give every single one of them a distinguishable identity of their own whilst maintaing coherent storylines is one of the fundamental tenants of what makes him, arguably, the best epic fantasy writer ever.  

But than again, I am a rabid Martin fan. I finished AGoT in a single sitting, not even pausing for a meal.  

I'll second Neil's Gaiman's excellence. Though I enjoy everything I have read by him (including certain blog enteries ), his short stories probably contain some of his best stuff. (and by extension some of the best writing done in genre fiction)


----------



## Beleg

I stay well away from comics in general but I wish I could get my hands on the 'Sandman' series. 

Oh, how much I wish! Sometimes, it almost becomes a physical annoyance.  







[Appologies for the double post]


----------



## Ermundo

I am reading The lost years of Merlin by T.A Barron. Has anyone read the book?


----------



## Rhiannon

Beleg said:


> That's certainly a big downside of the narrative structure employed by Martin in aSoIaF. More of Arya and less of that god-forsaken Catelyn would have awesome. Though, as the story pans out and you get better acquainted with the world and the characters themselves, many of these POV's supplement each other very well - often throwing away witty quips or tidbits of interesting information impossible to depict with a single prespective.
> 
> They also help a great deal in character building, adding layers of depth rarely achieveable with the stereotypical third-person narration. The character of Imp is a good example of that. Looking at Tyrion from the POV of, say, Ned Stark will reveal a man very different from what his own POV shows us.
> 
> The fact that Martin is able to juggle such a huge cast of characters as to give every single one of them a distinguishable identity of their own whilst maintaing coherent storylines is one of the fundamental tenants of what makes him, arguably, the best epic fantasy writer ever.
> 
> But than again, I am a rabid Martin fan. I finished AGoT in a single sitting, not even pausing for a meal.


 
I have noticed that, and I really respect Martin's ability to flesh out such a huge cast _and_ keep the story together (and moving forward, unlike Robert Jordan--Wheel of Time = most disappointing fantasy series _ever_; it can't be a good thing when the entire plot comes grinding to a halt somewhere in book seven and still wasn't moving in book ten, when I gave up on the series)--I'm not dissing Martin's ability at all. But as a reader, he really doesn't suit my style of reading--I'm very character oriented, and I like to see the story primarily through the eyes of one (or even two or three) characters, rather than ten. Ideally I like to bond with one character and get emotionally caught up in them, so that I'm really invested in what happens to them. Martin has the ability to do that--I became invested in certain characters, like Arya and Jon Snow, right away--but then deprives me of my bonded characters for thirty or sixty pages. Even if the cast were limited to, say, five POV characters, I think it would suit me better, but that's obviously not Martin's style. The jumpiness just keeps me from being completely enveloped in the world. 



> I stay well away from comics in general but I wish I could get my hands on the 'Sandman' series.
> 
> Oh, how much I wish! Sometimes, it almost becomes a physical annoyance.


 
You haven't been able to find any of the volumes anywhere? It's apparently difficult to get specific volumes in stores (I haven't been able to find volume two, _Doll's House_, except at a Forbidden Planet in London, and then only in hardback), but a lot of bookstores (especially those with well-stocked manga and graphic novel sections) will have at least a handful of volumes. Amazon certainly has them. The spin-off volumes are harder to find--_Endless Nights_, which I just read from the library, has a story about each of the Endless (Destiny, Dream, Death, Desire, Despair, Delight/Delirium, and Destruction), and there are two volumes focusing on Death herself (_Death: High Cost of Living_ and _Death: Time of Your Life_), but Amazon has those as well.

But speaking of, I just finished _Endless Nights_ by Neil Gaiman et al, and I'm not far from the end of _Good Omens_. After that I probably start Neil Gaiman's _Stardust_.


----------



## Rhiannon

Is it sad that recently I've been reading more graphic novels than books? After I finished _Good Omens_ (excellent book, though I thought the first half was better than the second half--maybe because I've seen Gaiman cover essentially the same material before), I read all of the Hellboy my brother had lying around (a couple of collections-- _Hellboy: Right Hand of Doom_ and _Hellboy: The Chained Coffin and others_. I like Hellboy a lot, especially because so much real folklore goes into it), and then he got Sandman vol. 4, _Seasons of Mist_, and the graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman's short story 'Murder Mysteries' (v. good work from P. Craig Russell, and one of my favorite short stories from _Smoke and Mirrors_), and now he wants me to read something called _Bone_. 

I've also started Neil Gaiman's _Stardust_--so far I like it the least out of all of his novels (and I think I've read all of them except for _Coraline_), but it's growing on me. I've also been re-listening to Stephen King's _The Gunslinger_ on tape in my car, since it's a twenty minute drive to work for me. 

I haven't picked up any more George R.R. Martin. I just don't think I have the dedication for it  Sorry, Beleg! I would happily read individual novels about several of the characters, but the whole crew jumbled together is too much for me.


----------



## Wolfshead

I'm now reading _A Dance Called America: The Scottish Highlands, the United States and Canada_ by James Hunter. It's a book about people that emmigrated to North America from the Highlands and what affect they had upon the New World. It's had all sorts of good reviews, and although I'm only a chapter in, I think I'm going to enjoy it more than most non-fiction books I read (indeed, I might actually finish it...).


----------



## e.Blackstar

Currently re-reading _Guards! Guards!_ by the one and only Terry Prattchett.


----------



## Hammersmith

I just splashed out on a really sweet collector's edition of the Chronicles of Narnia, including all seven books plus full colour original illustrations throughout by Pauline Baynes. I'm doing them chronologically and I'm now on The Horse And His Boy. Great read.


----------



## spirit

Currently, half way through Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. It's an excellent book so far, and it even dumbs down the physics side of the story. Now, if I teacher had taught physics to us that way, I would have got an A.


----------



## Rhiannon

I finished _Stardust_ today--I'm kind of ambivalent about it. It's probably my least favorite Gaiman, which is unusual, because it's exactly the kind of book that I normally read by people who aren't Neil Gaiman. It's been nominated as a discussion book for the YA Reading Group at Readerville.com, and I hope it wins so I can discuss it. I can't decide whether I didn't like it because it wasn't what I'm used to from Gaiman (it's not at all like his other books, I think), or because I never became attached to the main character, or...it wasn't particularly clever or exciting or funny. It just kind of went on until it ran out of pages. 

I've been reading more comics--B.P.R.D. _Plague of Frogs_ (Hellboy universe, though Hellboy doesn't appear), and volume 2 of _Top 10_ by Alan Moore (famous for _Watchmen_ and _V for Vendetta_ and _From Hell_), which I really enjoyed. It's about the police force of a city entirely populated by superheroes--if you've read _Kingdom Come_, imagine an episode of Law & Order set in that universe. My brother also has me reading _Bone_, which is kind of cute, but not really holding my attention. I'm more interested in Neil Gaiman's _Books of Magic_ series--I'd read volume 3 already, and I read the first two last night. V. good stuff.


----------



## Rhiannon

Finished re-reading _Watchmen_--I had forgotten how it ended. I hope the move project doesn't happen, it would just destroy the story. And the graphic novel is structurally just amazing--the overlapping stories and elements, the style of art, the layout of panels, the complexity of it all--it's fantastic. No wonder Alan Moore is famous for having incredibly detailed scripts, everything meshes incredibly well. It's a fantastic piece of work--now I remember why my first reading of it happened in one sitting. 

I'm also working, slowly, on _Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary_ by Pamela Dean, a novel based on a Scottish ballad (one of the Childe ballads, if you know what those are) of the same name. I probably wouldn't have picked the book up if I weren't familiar with the song, which is about three sisters, and which was read to me (and my two sisters) when I was little, and which I still have memorized, though the version I know is an 'Englitized' version, not in the original dialect, and is about 'Jennifer, Gentle, and Rosemary'. I'm not very far into it, but the beginning is slow and I think I've just gotten to the actual plot. We'll see how it is from there. 

I've been putting myself to bed with chapters of _Great Tales from English History_ by Robert Lacey, which is Not A Children's Book--it's a history book that looks at many famous figures and anecdotes from English history (like Lady Godiva, Robin Hood, King Arthur, and so on), looks at them in a historical context, and examines how much truth is likely to be in the story as we have it now. It doesn't go into vast amounts of detail--it's concise and accessibly written, and I'm enjoying it a lot (Lady Godiva probably did not ride through coventry naked, in case you were wondering, though she was a real person and is mentioned a couple of times in the Domesday Book).


----------



## Wolfshead

I've decided I need to start doing more reading again, so I've started _Rebel_ by Bernard Cornwell. It follows the adventures of a Northerner, Nathaniel Starbuck who ends up fighting for the South in the American Civil War. It's quite an appropriate read because I begin a course in American history between 1800 and 1900 next week  Cornwell provides a fairly accurate depiction of historical events, so his books help improve my memory on certain events, in this case, the American Civil War.

And I'm also still reading the aforementioned _A Dance Called America_.


----------



## Eledhwen

I've yet to finish a Bernard Cornwell. I'm reading The Hobbit again at present, and also HotLotR book 4 "The End of the Third Age". As a writer, it gives great insights into Tolkien's story development.


----------



## Fugitive1992

the Silver Chair by C S Lewis


----------



## Wolfshead

Eledhwen said:


> I've yet to finish a Bernard Cornwell.


Why ever not?


----------



## Ithrynluin

Just finished reading _American Pastoral_ by Philip Roth. He won the Pulitzer for this very book. My evaluation would be: interesting on the whole but rife with too much needless information that bogs down your reading. The book would benefit from a 1/3 length clipping in my opinion.


----------



## Rhiannon

I'm still reading _Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary_--100 pages later, I think that _now_ I've finally gotten to the plot.

I've also been reading more comics--the first two volumes of the excellent, excellent _Astro City_, and the first six volumes of the wonderful _Usagi Yojimbo_ (I also now have an Usagi Yojimbo wall calendar--yes, this _does_ make me cooler than you). I was reading _Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming_ by Roger Zelazny and some other guy, but got distracted from it easily. I'm about to start reading _I, Coriander_ for Readerville.com's YA Reading Group discussion next month.


----------



## Adanedhel

*Hrm.*

I'm currently reading my way through my most anticipated book in quite a while, _The Bonehunters_ by Steven Erikson, loving it!


----------



## Rhiannon

I finally finished _Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary_. I never did get to the plot until about ten pages from the end, and I'm still annoyed, because the plot was _brilliant_, and Pamela Dean spent 280 pages _killing_ it. 

I've been kind-of re-reading _Running with the Demon_ by Terry Brooks. I started _Fevre Dream_ by George RR Martin but lost interest. I had to take _I, Coriander_ back to the library. I've been kind of re-reading _Sabriel_ by Garth Nix. I started reading _The Thin Pink Line_ by Lauren Baratz-Logsted for my spring break fluffy read. I'm reading volume two of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, 'Doll's House'. I haven't been able to settle down to anything.


----------



## Ithrynluin

Currently reading _Close Range - Wyoming Stories_ by E. Annie Proulx, part of which is also a short story of some notoriety - _Brokeback Mountain_. Shrewd writing.


----------



## Starbrow

I'm rereading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I want to compare it to the A&E miniseries I just watched. Then I'll rent the movie to watch. I wonder what changes the director will make to the story. Sometimes those movie directors just make the dumbest changes (cough, cough, Faramir, cough, cough).


----------



## Rhiannon

Ithrynluin said:


> Currently reading _Close Range - Wyoming Stories_ by E. Annie Proulx, part of which is also a short story of some notoriety - _Brokeback Mountain_. Shrewd writing.


 
She wrote _The Shipping News_, didn't she? I didn't care for that one. Shrewd is a good word for her writing, but I was left cold. My reaction to pretty much everything was 'so what? Why do I care?'


----------



## e.Blackstar

Just finished Orwell's _1984_ for the second time, and am now plugging through _The Rainmaker_ by John Grisham for my English class.


----------



## Wolfshead

Recently started reading _Glory in the Name_ by James Nelson. It's set in the Confederate Navy in the American Civil War. My mum recommended them to me, knowing how much I like historical fiction, and given I'm studying that period just now anyway.

I'm also reading bits and pieces of various non-fiction books, generally about the Civil War too, particulary _America: A Narrative History_ by George Brown Tindall. American history is fascinating me just now - seem to be doing a lot of reading about it and studying it at uni 

I had the newest Wheel of Time out of the library as well, but by the time I'd finished Bernard Cornwell's _Copperhead_ (another Civil War novel...) and done vast amounts of essay-writing (not about the Civil War  ) the month was up and I couldn't renew it because someone else had requested it


----------



## Elbereth

I'm reading Ernest Hemmingway's famous novel "East of Eden"

and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It is definately a page turner.


----------



## gilgalad

Paradise Lost by Milton.


----------



## Morohtar

Plato's Republic. Don't ask me why, I don't know. All in all, an interesting read though.

Im also reading through a book on the Mongol influence on the world during their _Pax Mongolica_. Quite amazing the impact that a small group of clans from the Steppes had on China, Europe, and the Middle East.


----------



## Rhiannon

I re-read _Dealing with Dragons_ by Patricia C. Wrede (favorite book from my childhood) and _Howl's Moving Caslte_ by Diana Wynne Jones over spring break. I love those books--they're still extremely fun and entertaining, especially _Howl_. 

I read Frank Miller's _300_, about the 300 Spartans who fought a doomed battle with the Persians. It's an incredible volume, thoroughly researched, and perfectly suited to Millers art and writing styles. 

I'm reading all of the volumes of _Rurouni Kenshin_ that I missed--19-24. 

I read the Serenity comic book miniseries. The writing is good, though it doesn't quite have the zing of the dialogue of the show without the delivery, and the art is 'pretty', but very very static. I guess I've gotten used to very dynamic comic book art--Frank Miller and Watsuki are both very dynamic artists, with a great sense of movement and design on their page. Their page layouts are incredible storytelling tools. The Serenity comic book (written by Joss Whedon and someone else--I can't say who or who did the art, because I gave it back to my brother already and while I'm not to lazy to tell you _why_ I can't tell you, I _am_ too lazy to look it up) has art that's technically good, in a technically good page layout, but it's just flat. It doesn't move at all. Not a lot of visual interest there. The coloring was pretty, though. 

I'm still sort of re-reading _Running with the Demon_.


----------



## Wolfshead

Still reading _Glory In The Name_ by James Nelson, but also reading _At The Gate of Richmond_ by Stephen W. Spears. It's a non-fiction about the Peninsula Campaign of 1862 in the American Civil War. Very interesting.


----------



## DGoeij

I just finished _Watership Down_ by Richard Adams, of which I found a pocket edition just by coincidence. I was actually looking for a present for my girlfriend when I stumbled upon it. 

I've been looking for one ever since I found the sequel _Tales From Watership Down_ about a year ago. I had never read it, but had seen the movie a few times and I really liked the story.

The Tales are pretty fun too, it's a collection of short stories, about El-ahrairrah and Rabscuttle and others about events which took place after Watership Down with Hazel and his friends.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Re-re-re-re-re-re-re-reading _A Game of Thrones_.


----------



## Rhiannon

The movie version of Watership Down gave me nightmares when I was litle, and I refused to read the book for a long time because of it.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Just finished reading HPs5 & 6. I must say upon re-reading 6 that I find the whole concept of the Horcruxes — splitting one's soul into seven parts and hiding 6 of the 7 parts in enchanted objects so as to ensure immortality — as one of the most original concepts I have ever read. Has anyone ever come across anything like that elsewhere?

Barley


----------



## Rhiannon

It seems like a familiar concept to me, but I can't think of a specific source. Hmmm...


----------



## Lorien

A short history of nearly everything- Bill Bryson (Its great, I recommend it for everyone).

Bad guys souls coming back after killing them (yes, I mean I don't have specific references but I'm pretty sure I've read it somewhere); the Horcrux angle is new though...I had this real shady idea, since Voldie AK'ed Harry and his spell rebounded and all, and his powers (some of them) transferred to Harry, does anyone feel Harry might be a Horcrux (like Nagini might be one?)...


----------



## Ithrynluin

Bryson's _Short History_ is indeed an excellent read. I second Lorien's recommendation.

I have just started reading _Bored of the Rings_. Pretty hilarious. Next up: _The Soddit_ and _The Sellamillion_ by A. R. R. R. Roberts.


----------



## Lorien

Just finished A short History...it was the bestest...

How about Expecting Someone Taller- Tom Holt


----------



## e.Blackstar

Evil in Modern Thought: An Alternative History of Philosophy by Susan Naiman


----------



## Lorien

The Time Traveler's Wife- Audrey Niffenegger (AMAZING BOOK!!)
Who's Afraid of Beowulf?- Tom Holt


----------



## Mike

> Who's Afraid of Beowulf?


 
I am. Wouldn't you be?

Currently, I am reading "Swords in the Mist" by Fritz Lieber. Every once in a while you need a break...


----------



## Rhiannon

I've been hiding from my horrible horrible academic life by re-reading Neil Gaiman's _American Gods_. I'd forgotten how incredibly brilliant it is. I also just finished watching the _Neverwhere_ miniseries, and now I want to re-read the book again. I'm still re-reading _Running with the Demon_ by Terry Brooks (I will never understand why his fantasy sucks _so very much_ while his urban fantasy is pretty good). I'm about to be reading a lot of papers on Nathaniel Hawthorne for a paper. 



Barliman Butterbur said:


> Just finished reading HPs5 & 6. I must say upon re-reading 6 that I find the whole concept of the Horcruxes — splitting one's soul into seven parts and hiding 6 of the 7 parts in enchanted objects so as to ensure immortality — as one of the most original concepts I have ever read. Has anyone ever come across anything like that elsewhere?
> 
> Barley


 
Ah-ha, I found a specific example--the Marquis in Neil Gaiman's _Neverwhere_ (first a BBC miniseries, then a remarkable novel, now adapted into a mediocre comicbook) hides his life (or one of them). Splitting up a soul I don't know if I've heard, but hiding bits or all of it isn't new. I'm sure there are plenty of fairy tales on the subject--for some reason I associate it with Baba Yaga.


----------



## Starbrow

Crown of Stars by Kate Elliot. The 7th and last book in the series. Finally!


----------



## Wolfshead

Rhiannon said:


> I'm still re-reading _Running with the Demon_ by Terry Brooks (I will never understand why his fantasy sucks _so very much_ while his urban fantasy is pretty good).


Is that any good? I've got it lying around but I've never actually read any Terry Brooks...


----------



## Rhiannon

It's an enjoyable, original read. The sequel (_Knight of the Word_) is good too, but I was less interested in the ones after that (_Angel Fire East_ was the title, I think). Not the greatest books ever written, but a worthwhile leisure read. 

But avoid Terry Brooks' fantasy novels at all costs. Shallow, poorly handled Tolkien rip-offs. I must have read somewhere between five and ten of them when I was 13 and reading anything out of the fantasy section. Waste of time. 

I finished re-reading _American Gods_, and now I feel kind of bereft. I've been hiding in it for a week now, and it was nice to be so absorbed in a novel (it'd been so long I'd even forgotten how it ended). Now what am I going to do? My impulse is to re-read _Neverwhere_, which I just re-read a few months ago. Or re-read _Howl's Moving Castle_, which I just re-read a few weeks ago. You can tell that this semester sucks because I want to read comics and familiar comfort books.


----------



## Rhiannon

Since my last post I've read:

Novels: 
_Castle in the Air_ by Diana Wynne Jones
_Treasure at the Heart of Tanglewood_ by Meredith Ann Pierce
_Hexwood_ by Diana Wynne Jones
_The Great Good Thing_ by Roderick Townley
_The Bell Jar_ by Sylvia Plath
_The Decoy Princess_ by Dawn Cook
_Sabriel_ by Garth Nix (re-read, in progress)
_Jujitsu for Christ_ by Jack Butler (in progress) 

Graphic Novels: 
_Batman: No Man's Land_, Vol. 1 by Bob Gale, Devin Grayson et al*
_Swamp Thing Vol. 1: Saga of the Swamp Thing _by Alan Moore et al*
_Batman / Tarzan: Claws of the Cat-Woman _by Ron Marz, Igor Kordey et al*
_Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile_ by Bill Willingham*
_Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm_ by Bill Willingham* 
_Powerless (Marvel Heroes)_ by Matt Chernis, Peter Johnson, and Michael Gaydos*


----------



## e.Blackstar

Re-reading Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card.


----------



## Lindir

Currently reading a biography on James Joyce by Edna O'Brien which is quite good and, inspired by this, I also started reading Ulysses, this time in English.


----------



## Rhiannon

Last night I finished _Jujitsu for Christ_ and I'm going to start _The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay_ tonight.


----------



## Ermundo

Oh yeah well I'm reading Harry Potter....not! Actually I'm reading the Great tree of Avalon by T.A Barron.


----------



## Persephone

I'm currently reading The Temple and the Lodge by [SIZE=-1]Michael Baigent,Richard Leigh (a book about the history of Freemasonry), Just finished Good Omens (hilarious! This is by Gaiman and Pratchett, and one of the funniest books I've ever read! if you haven't read it, READ IT!), and before that Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy, very different book series.
[/SIZE]


----------



## Mike

I moved onwards and am now into "Paradise Lost", a gift from a friend.

Great poem, by the way. I'm on book X.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Alison Weir's "The Life of Elizabeth I", and re-reading "The Iliad".


----------



## Persephone

Mike said:


> I moved onwards and am now into "Paradise Lost", a gift from a friend.
> 
> Great poem, by the way. I'm on book X.



A movie version of Paradise Lost is in the offing, if you don't know it yet. Sort of a prelude to another film that would be delving into much the same issue but focuses on an entirely different demographic.

Just thought I'd share.


----------



## Mike

A...movie...of...Paradise...Lost?

Excuse me?

Milton's Epic Poem is becoming a film?

There is absolutely no way I can see this working. Absolutely none. How do you translate Milton's poetry, Milton's genius, Milton's spiritual vigour, onto the big screen? Without the words the poem is nothing--that's why it's a poem. And why it shouldn't be a film.

I think they've taken things a bit too far this time around...


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

For all the hordes of TTFers who having been frantically searching for the story of the Swedish pop music industry of the 70s, look no further! The book _Bright Lights Dark Shadows_ by Carl Palm, covers it all!

In short, the Swedish pop music industry back then WAS Abba, the most popular music group in the world in the 70s, eclipsing even the Beach Boys and The Beatles. They earned so much money that they were an industry unto themselves, second only to the Volvo car company.

The thing that the Americans never "got" was that Abba never was based in rock and roll, and that's why America (whose doctrine was that to be any good, it had to be rock and roll) was the ONLY country in the world that didn't understand and appreciate them for their music.

Some other things they didn't get: Abba wrote their music in terms of the recording studio and not the stage. The recording studio, with its mixers and sound engineers were additional musical instruments for them. The relied on overdubbing and special effects. Another thing: they weren't particularly interested in how the public would be satisfied with their music. THEY were their own judges, and nothing left the studio until THEY were satisfied with what they'd done, and the public go hang. Of course what they did, the public lapped up virtually every single time — with the exception of the thickheaded Americans, who were into rock and roll and nothing else.

The music has its roots in SWEDEN, folks! Those who don't understand this miss _everything._ Their musical bases were Swedish folk music, _schlagermusik_ (European pop music, sort of "Lawrence Welk-ish"), classical music, jazz, the Beach Boys (for the harmonies), the Phil Specter "wall of sound" concept, and at the end, some of disco. America just never understood this, or that fabulous pop music could actually have a basis in other than rock and roll.

Abba was just the tip of the iceberg. The rest of the iceberg was Polar Music, run by Stig Anderson, who put the group together, and who — starting with their winning the international _Eurovision Song Contest_ — was absolutely determined to take Swedish pop music into the international market. 

The biographies of Anderson, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Anderson, Agnetha Fältskog and Ani-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad are some of the most fascinating characters ever to figure in the annals of popular music, and their biographies range from the hilarious to the deeply human to the downright harrowing. And all this without drugs!

The book is perfectly titled, for indeed: behind the bright lights of their sparkling public personas lay the dark shadows of their private lives. I recommend the book highly: Click here

Barley


----------



## DGoeij

Barliman Butterbur said:


> For all the hordes of TTFers who having been frantically searching for the story of the Swedish pop music industry of the 70s, look no further! The book _Bright Lights Dark Shadows_ by Carl Palm, covers it all!



Mind if I pass? 

I recently started in the Farseer series, by Robin Hobb. Quite a good read IMHO. Funny thing is, the series got recommended to my girlfriend by a employee of our local bookshop, while she was searching for a birthday present for me. Apparently, describing me as both a Tolkien and Pratchett fan, made him point her (and htereby me) toward these books.


----------



## Firawyn

Rhiannon said:


> Since my last post I've read:
> 
> Novels:
> _Sabriel_ by Garth Nix (re-read, in progress)



Ah ha! I have found another Nix fan! Have you read the other two books in that series? Lariel and Abhorsan? Oh dear lord I love that series.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

DGoeij said:


> Mind if I pass?



Migod! How could you, a resident of The Netherlands, one of the countries which heaped _total adoration_ on Abba (and still does as far as I know), _take a pass???!!_   

Barley


----------



## Starbrow

Um, Barley, you know, some Americans did "get" Abba. Please don't lump us all together.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Starbrow said:


> Um, Barley, you know, some Americans did "get" Abba. Please don't lump us all together.



Exactly. _Some_ did. It was a _small_ lump.  These days it's still uncool to admit a love for Abba, although there are a few stalwart rockers who honor them openly, such as Erasure, The Corrs and U2. (When Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus surprised Bono by showing up onstage at one of his concerts, he fell to his knees in joy!) And if you ever watched the utterly charming and hilarious _The Last Video,_ you even saw Cher do a cameo.

After _30+ years,_ a few more Americans are _finally_ getting it.   

Barley


----------



## Ermundo

Barliman Butterbur said:


> After _30+ years,_ a few more Americans are _finally_ getting it.
> 
> Barley



Man, what are you, british.

OK, now I am reading the Wind on Fire Trilogy AND a book called Seeker BOTH By a guy named William Nicholson.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

morgoththe1 said:


> Man, what are you, british.



????????!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't understand why you ask that. I'm American, Abba are Swedish. Where does Britain come in?

Barley


----------



## Rhiannon

Firawyn said:


> Ah ha! I have found another Nix fan! Have you read the other two books in that series? Lariel and Abhorsan? Oh dear lord I love that series.


 
I _adore_ it! I also liked _Mister Monday_, but I still haven't gotten around to reading the rest of them (augh!). But I still have one of the pins that the YA Reading Group at Readerville made before _Abhorsen_ came out--they had a picture of Mogget on them and said 'Society for Those Eagerly Awaiting Abhorsen'.  

I finished _The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay_ a few weeks ago--it was amazing, deserved its Pulitzer, though the last third of it threw me for a loop. Everything pulled together at the end, though. Now I'm reading _Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book_ by Gerard Jones--I'm not very far into it, but I can already see how much Michael Chabon borrowed directly from actual history. 

I'm also reading _Honey, Baby, Sweetheart_ by Debi Caleti, which is fabulous--I love the narrator's voice--and _The Frog Prince: A Fairy Tale for Consenting Adults_ by Stephen Mitchell, which is also lovely. 

It's a good thing I don't work this week, because all of my library books are due in five days.


----------



## DGoeij

Barliman Butterbur said:


> ... a resident of The Netherlands, one of the countries which heaped _total adoration_ on Abba (and still does as far as I know) ...



Mainly because of the adoration here, I'm afraid. Should I inform you there was a musical made here, featuring all the famous abba songs? I'm not sure if it originated here, or abroad.

Mama Mia, it was called. Now that's worth an  

The fact that U2 makes great music, does not mean I have to follow their taste, now does it?

I'm not really getting much reading done at the moments, criminal law and quality control are subjects I'm supposed to take exams in tomorrow.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

DGoeij said:


> Should I inform you there was a musical made here, featuring all the famous abba songs? I'm not sure if it originated here, or abroad.
> 
> Mama Mia, it was called. Now that's worth an



I am very much aware of _Mamma Mia,_ and I've seen generous snippets of it on television here. It's played all over the world in all the major languages and is still going strong. I'm not sure that it originated in The Netherlands — I think it originated in Sweden, under the loving supervision of Benny and Bjorn, and then broke in Britain. Alas, I've no desire to see more of it, I prefer the original group.

Good luck in your exams, Counselor!   

Barley


----------



## Lindir

Barliman Butterbur said:


> I'm not sure that it originated in The Netherlands — I think it originated in Sweden, under the loving supervision of Benny and Bjorn, and then broke in Britain.


Yes, this is correct. They were indeed involved in the production. I haven't seen it, nor am I likely too as I have no fondness for either musicals or ABBA. I never really did take to them, even though I'm Swedish and I grew up in the same town as Björn Ulvaeus. I actually have this vivid memory of seeing the whole group there when I was young, but as I also remember them wearing more or less stage clothes, I suspect it to be a very muddled memory.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Lindir said:


> Yes, this is correct. They were indeed involved in the production. I haven't seen it, nor am I likely too as I have no fondness for either musicals or ABBA. I never really did take to them, even though I'm Swedish and I grew up in the same town as Björn Ulvaeus. I actually have this vivid memory of seeing the whole group there when I was young, but as I also remember them wearing more or less stage clothes, I suspect it to be a very muddled memory.



I'm not sure how old you are — were Abba your parent's generation? My impression is (from reading Carl Palm's book) that Abba was not as popular in Sweden as they were in other European countries — is that right?

Barley


----------



## Lindir

Barliman Butterbur said:


> I'm not sure how old you are — were Abba your parent's generation? My impression is (from reading Carl Palm's book) that Abba was not as popular in Sweden as they were in other European countries — is that right?
> 
> Barley


They're more or less my generation, although I was quite young when the became popular. So I do know that they were well liked by children and teenagers at least, but so were many other groups. I can't recall that there was much hysteria involved in Sweden, but that might be a national trait. We don't, as a group, like to make spectacles of ourselves.


----------



## e.Blackstar

"Ilium" by Dan Simmons. I recommend it.


----------



## Maeglin

I just finished Dumas' classic "The Three Musketeers" for the first time, and I highly recommend it. Now I am on to revisiting our old friend Tolkien for the first time in nearly 2 years...but more specifically, "The Silmarillion" for the first time in nearly 5 years...I look forward to relearning everything I've forgotten.


----------



## Elvenstar

"On the Other Side of the Sunrise" - in English it will be called so.
Actually this is in Russian. It is a detailed story about Beren, Luthien and all folks of those time during the War. I know that it's not translated in English yet, but I hope it will be soon.
But if someone who understands Russian is interested in it, I can send this story in .doc format


----------



## Rhiannon

I picked up *The Saint of Dragons* by Jason Hightman at the library the other day, because the premise and the first page had great potential, but at 60 pages I'm ready to drop it. Poorly drawn characters, unimpressive writing. 

I'm also re-reading _Sunshine_ by Robin McKinley, which I am loving all over again, and reading snatches of _Bradbury Speaks_, a collection of Ray Bradbury's essays, in the bathroom.


----------



## Turgon

The Three Musketeers is such a great book... one of my all time favourites. Such a shame that no film has ever done it justice. I had a great Tolkien RP ready to go, based on The Three Musketeers. It was set well into the Fourth Age of Middle Earth... a few centuries after the Orcs invented Gunpowder... one of my greatest regrets on this forum is never having the chance to do it. It was called 'The King's Musketeer' and set during the reign of Elessar XIII. Turgon Took was the D'artagnan character, the eldest son of the Took family... being a direct descendant of Pippin himself... who, fulfilling the family tradition for the eldest son of the Thain, had to head south to Gondor, and give service to the king.

Meh... but I waffle... the Aramis character was really cool though. He was to be called Aramir... an elf that still lingered in Middle-earth. But instead of the whole deal with Aramis... I'm going to become a priest and such... I had Aramir saying... one day I will leave Middle-earth and take the straight road into the west.

*sighs*

Why did nobody take me up on this RP?

I had foot notes and everything...

But anyway... my original point was... I've just finished reading 'Captain Alatriste' by Arturo Perez-Reverte... a must for all Musketeer fans. Cracking read... and the first in a series.

If you like your swashes buckled you MUST read this book.


----------



## Rhiannon

I'm still re-reading _Sunshine_, but I've set aside _Bradbury Speaks_ for now so that I can work through some of my library books--_Swan Sister: Fairy Tales Retold_, a collection edited by Terri Windling (I want to be her when I grow up) and Ellen Datlow, and _Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell_, which got glowing reviews from almost everyone I know last year, and which deserved every one of them. It's fabulous.


----------



## Lindir

Right now I'm reading lots of Reginald Hill. They are really good and there are so many of them that I'm in no danger of running out for some time yet.


----------



## Starbrow

I'm reading Jaran by Kate Elliot. I haven't read much science fiction lately, but I'm really enjoying this.


----------



## Turgon

Ooh... I absolutely loved _Jonathan Strange & Mister Norrell_. I've not enjoyed a book so much since, well, way back when. I've recently finished _Baudolino_ by Umberto Eco, which was brilliant as always, and _The Crimson Petal and the White_ by (I think) Michael Faber, which was in turn both excellent and exasperating. 

Time to turn my attention back to _This Thing of Darkness_ by Harry Thompson, which is the story of Charles Darwin's friendship with Robert Fitzroy. I was getting quite involved in this book a couple of months back, and then suddenly hit a wall with it. I really need to press on.


----------



## Persephone

Anyone have any book suggestions for Irish folklore and legends? I've been looking for one here, and well, we have a draught of Irish books. Mostly american and british authors. Ever since I've read in the Country of the Young I've been addicted to anything irish but couldn't get my hands on anything. Not here.

So if any of you have any suggestions...I'd appreciate it.


----------



## Rhiannon

Fiction or non-fiction, Narya? I can think of a few books that are based on Irish legends and folklore, but not any non-fiction books that are specific to them.


----------



## Halasían

I'm reading _*The Willing Flesh* by Willi Heinrich_. Its a German account of his experiences written into fiction by a soldier who was on the Russian front in World War 2. The movie _Cross of Iron_ and many of its characters was based on this book.


----------



## Mike

The Elric Saga, Volume II (I already read all the stories in Volume I eralier in life, though they weren't in the two-book hardcover set i just bought.)

I laso bought the entire Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander, so I'll be moving onto that as well.

(I know I'm not supposed to be reading for pleasure in university...but I'm a bilbliophile. I can't help it.)


----------



## Wolfshead

Just finished Timeline by Michael Crichton. Quite good. Now I'm onto Lion Of Macedon by the late, great David Gemmell.


----------



## scotsboyuk

The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet, by Benjamin Hoff.


----------



## Arlina

I'm currently reading between "Tell No One" by Harlan Coben, and so far so good, and "Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets" and yes...that's the second one...my friends have finally forced me to read them...


----------



## Ithrynluin

_The Gold Coast_ by Nelson DeMille. Not the type of book I'd ordinarily pick up, just thought I'd try something different.


----------



## Mike

Conan the Adventurer, by L. Sprague de Camp and Robert E. Howard.

Yeah baby!

(Just finished rereading The Book of Three by Loyd Alexander. I needed a mindless violence break.)


----------



## Eliot

I don't think many of you remember me, but anyway.....I'm reading Sir Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe" for the first time. I'm enjoying it a lot. I think it's a good book, even though it's historically inaccurate (at least that's what I've heard).


----------



## Starbrow

I remember you. I'm a Cubs fan, also, living on the north side of Chicago.

I'm reading A Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
It's not bad, but it usually puts me to sleep right away.


----------



## Maia

I am reading *Lizard* by Banana Yoshimoto. Very japanese. 

- Beleg


----------



## Jaberg

Currently rereading Still Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins. Amazing novel by an amazing novelist.


----------



## Rhiannon

I'm re-reading _The Hobbit_ for a class, I'm working very slowly on _Little, Big_, and I really need to finish _The Place of the Lion_ by Charles Williams and _Lilith_ by George MacDonald. I read Phillip Pullman's _Lyra's Oxford_ (which is a glorified short story, but the little red cloth-bound book _beckoned_ me), and I'm reading _A Fine and Private Place_ for the first time. I'm also forcing myself to not read _Ladies of Grace Adieu_ until I have time to focus on it and I need to re-read _The Golden Compass_ so that I can discuss it with a friend of mine.


----------



## Persephone

I'm currently reading SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD, and currently hunting for XENOCIDE in the local bookstores here.


----------



## Chymaera

I am reading; The Science of Discworld III by Terry Pratchett

The hard science of time travel, number theory, and Evolution rapped up in an interesting fantasy fiction setting (making it seem almost understandable ) 

also looks at the life of Charles Darwin and shows how it was almost impossible to have even gotten on the 'Beagle' let alone write the 'Origins of Species'


----------



## Wolfshead

I'm reading Dragon by Clive Cussler. Just your average adventure novel.

Waiting for some books on Irish neutrality in WWII to arrive so I can read them for uni.


----------



## Mike

Right now I'm reading "The Teutonic Knights" by Henryk Sienkiewicz, about the battle of Grunwald in 1410.

A lot better than "With Fire and Sword", in my opinion. The good humour throughout somewhat surprises me (this is the same guy who wrote "Quo Vadis", after all).

In conjuction, I've also been going through "Masterpieces of Fantasy and Enchantment" collection, compiled by David G. Hartwell, which contains some extremely good short stories written from the 1830s to the present. I'd recommend any fantasy fan pick up a copy.


----------



## Aisteru

I'm am currently wrapped up in Philosphy and books about what makes the mind tick. Right now I'm working on _The Expressions and Emotion in Man and Animals_ and _Motivation: An Experimental Approach._ Very interesting, I suggest anyone interested in such topics to take a look at them.


----------



## Ermundo

I'm rereading *Night *by Elie Wiesel. Saddest book ever, but other than that, no comment.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Elendil said:


> I'm currently reading LotR (again ) and The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. What about you guys?



Currently I'm rereading _The Varieties of Religious Experiences_ by William James (hadn't read it since 1958); just finished _Children of Hurin_ by you-know-who; rereading _Bright Lights Dark Shadows_ by Carl Palm (the story of the rise and fall of ABBA). Soon I'm going to reread _Crooked Cucumber_ by David Chadwick: the biography of Shunryu Suzuki, the monk who came over from Japan, settled in Northern California, and became an important exponent of Soto Zen to America. I also finished reading Al Gore's _An Inconvenient Truth_ and watching the DVD. Truly _terrifying._



Eliot said:


> I don't think many of you remember me, but anyway.....I'm reading Sir Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe" for the first time. I'm enjoying it a lot. I think it's a good book, even though it's historically inaccurate (at least that's what I've heard).



I remember you! Who could forget that Cubs logo? How are ya?

Barley


----------



## Rhiannon

Recently: Re-read _A Wizard of Earthsea_ be Ursula K. Le Guin and _The Last Unicorn_ by Peter Beagle, as well as _The Book of Three_ and _The Black Cauldron_ by Lloyd Alexander. I'm currently working on _Tam Lin_ by Pamela Dean, which would be interesting if it weren't working so hard to be dull as dirt.


----------



## Bethelarien

I am currently read _Sex Lives of Cannibals_ by J. Maarten Troost. It is about neither sex nor cannibals, actually. Quite interesting. I'm almost done, and I'm greatly enjoying it.

I've read quite a few books lately due to the influence of my fiance. One of them: _Heart of Darkness_ by Joseph Conrad. He raved about how great it was. My opinion: quite possibly the dullest book ever written. Seriously.


----------



## Talierin

Inbetween projects I'm in the middle of Gormenghast by Mervin Peake, and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, and rereading all the Harry Potters.

I've got a big reading list for this summer


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Bethelarien said:


> I am currently read _Sex Lives of Cannibals_ by J. Maarten Troost. It is about neither sex nor cannibals, actually. Quite interesting. I'm almost done, and I'm greatly enjoying it.
> 
> I've read quite a few books lately due to the influence of my fiance. One of them: _Heart of Darkness_ by Joseph Conrad. He raved about how great it was. My opinion: quite possibly the dullest book ever written. Seriously.



Two musician cannibals were eating a missonary... nah, better not tell it!

Barley


----------



## greypilgrim

I am reading Palestine, Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter. Also, 1984 by George Orwell (again.)


----------



## Bethelarien

I loved 1984. The only part that I really had to push myself to read was the excerpts from the book. Booorrrrriiiiiinnnnggg.....Very much so. The rest of it was freaking awesome.


----------



## greypilgrim

Bethelarien said:


> I loved 1984. The only part that I really had to push myself to read was the excerpts from the book. Booorrrrriiiiiinnnnggg.....Very much so. The rest of it was freaking awesome.


I think 1984 was prophetic really. Scary, too.


----------



## Starbrow

I'm re-reading Pride and Prejudice and Lays of Beleriand.


----------



## Persephone

I am currently reading Shadow Puppets and loving every bit of it! I'm already addicted to Ender's universe--the only other world other than Middle Earth that I have found entertaining enough to be addicted to.

Love it to bits!!


----------



## yhwh1st

I'm currently reading several books, but am really into The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. _Very_ good book. About the battle of Gettysburg. Fairly easy read too, just sad.


----------



## YayGollum

When Dragons Rage by that Michael A. Stackpole person. After yet another disheartening visit into the newer bookses of the Star Wars universe, I decided to branch out a bit, without straying too far into the unfamiliar. That Michael A. Stackpole wrote one of my favorite Star Wars books, so I decided to try out some of his fantasy. Not too bad. Suitably entertaining, but nothing achingly mind-blowing. I forget the name of the series, but his newest one is more interesting. A Secret Atlas and Cartomancy. I am waiting on the next one in that series. 

Anyways, I was apparently bored to come in here.  Yes, I know that I should read those Tolkien bookses again. Whoops. But then, some nurse has offered to let me borrow some long series of books by someone called R. A. Salvatore. I am not looking forward to it, mostly because that person wrote something in the Star Wars universe that I wasn't a large fan of, and because the only thing I heard about the series that I will be receiving is that it features dark elves. Sounds like some anaesthesia, to myself.


----------



## yhwh1st

I am now reading the prequel to The Killer Angels. A book called Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara (Michael Shaara's son). Did y'all that not only did Michael Shaara's Killer Angels make it to the silver screen, but also a short story as well. Any of you know it?  It's called For Love of the Game.


----------



## Noldor_returned

I'm reading Voyage of the Dawn Treader...well I'm about to...I just finished Prince Caspian...if you couldn't tell I'm reading the Narnia series from beginning to end.


----------



## yhwh1st

Ever read them before?


----------



## Noldor_returned

Yeah...Prince Caspian is my favourite, then Last Battle. That said, they're all pretty good though.


----------



## yhwh1st

LWW is my favorite because my dad _kind of_ read it to me when I was 9 or 10.


----------



## Eledhwen

I have just finished Tunnels, by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. I was attracted by its odd history and the publisher's claims. Under it's original self-published title "The Highfield Mole", the book is fetching huge sums at auction. It was discovered by Chicken House Publishers, who I believe made some editorial changes. If it does take off big time, owning the original could be as lucrative as a 1st Edn Hobbit.

I have to say, it took me a while to get into with its troglodite theme and, for my taste, somewhat over-flowery descriptive language at the beginning; but it was a good read and I'll buy the sequel.


----------



## Firawyn

I am currently (mind you very _slowly_) reading The Day of the Jackal by Fredrick Forsyth. 

It's a great book, I'm just so busy these days it's idiotic. I hate not have time to read.


----------



## Noldor_returned

I am currently reading Arthur and the Seeing Stone by Kevin Crossley-Holland. It's the first in a series of three about a boy whose life has many parallels to the life of King Arthur. Quite a good read actually, it should be made compulsory to study I reckon.


----------



## Majimaune

I'm reading a Jeremy Clarkson book that my uncle gave me to read. Started it last night and its good. He hates Australia, its all the same apparently.


----------



## baragund

I'm reading a bit of light-hearted banter known as The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer. I recently finished watching the documentary "The War" on PBS and got to wondering how mankind got itself into such a conflagration. 

So far I am up to about 1930 and I have a mixture of horror and amazement that such a bunch of misfits got as far as they did...


----------



## Firawyn

Noldor_returned said:


> I am currently reading Arthur and the Seeing Stone by Kevin Crossley-Holland. It's the first in a series of three about a boy whose life has many parallels to the life of King Arthur. Quite a good read actually, it should be made compulsory to study I reckon.




HEY! Amazing read. I love those books. Stumbled upon book 1 years ago and then later found book 2, and I have yet to find book 3. Gosh. I need to re-read that and then get moving on the rest.


----------



## Noldor_returned

Hey that's great I just finished the first again. The third is amazing. My favourite would be the second, then third and finally first, but by no means any inferior to the others. I was lucky enough to receive all three as presents over a year. I try and read them every year if I can.


----------



## Turgon

Reading 'The Assassin's Apprentice' by Robin Hobb, first fantasy book I've read in years if you discount Prachett. Enjoying it very muchly...


----------



## Starbrow

I'm reading First Riders Call by Britain. It's ok by her writing is rather plodding for my taste.


----------



## Eledhwen

*Stephen Donaldson*

I'm reading a book of short stories by Stephen Donaldson, title: "Reave the Just". He's a lively fantasy writer. I read all his Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever. I smiled a bit at the Tolkien derivations in the latter (a powerful ring, Berek Half Hand!, a dark lord, tree dwellers, stone dwellers, Orc-style armies etc) with a Narnia-type time difference problem; but a good read nonetheless.


----------



## Majimaune

I'm reading 48 Shades Of Brown cause I asked my sister to give me something to read and Cyberpunk 2020 because of the nerd I am


----------



## Firawyn

Ohh...okay, I'm currently reading two books...(aka - I'm a little ADD!)

First, re-reading the Unfinished Tales...and I hope I don't have to tell you who wrote that!! 

And then this book. Haha, yes I'm going to make you open the link to good ol' Amazon! 


I blame Barley for this habit!


----------



## Majimaune

There are actually 48 shades of brown mentioned in the book. I'm amazed.

A friend gave me Beowulf to read today so that will be next on my list.


----------



## Eledhwen

Firawyn said:


> Haha, yes I'm going to make you open the link to good ol' Amazon!


I'd be interested in what you think of Heretic's Heart, Firawyn (Oops! I mentioned the book's name!).



Majimaune said:


> A friend gave me Beowulf to read today so that will be next on my list


Great stuff! You may be a bit miffed at the depiction of Grendel's mother if you've seen the film first. My daughter did Beowulf at school, which surprised me as she was in a class of 9 to 10 year olds who are usually into Jacqueline Wilson.


----------



## Majimaune

Eledhwen said:


> Great stuff! You may be a bit miffed at the depiction of Grendel's mother if you've seen the film first. My daughter did Beowulf at school, which surprised me as she was in a class of 9 to 10 year olds who are usually into Jacqueline Wilson.


I haven't seen the film yet for a number of reasons. It has only been out about a week here in Aussieland, my friend told me I had to read the thing first and I'm broke.


----------



## Eledhwen

Majimaune said:


> I'm broke.


Aren't we all!
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat
If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do
If you haven't got a ha'penny - God bless you!


----------



## Firawyn

Eledhwen said:


> I'd be interested in what you think of Heretic's Heart, Firawyn (Oops! I mentioned the book's name!).



Haha, yeah I should have been born in the 50s. I'm such a dork. While my friends are into Brittany Spears and Drew Barrymore, I lean more in the Joan Jett and classic movies! (I just saw a film called _Thelma and Louise_ the other night...really good. Then I followed it with _9 to 5_ staring Dolly Parton, Lilly Tolman, and Jane Fonda!!!) 




> Great stuff! You may be a bit miffed at the depiction of Grendel's mother if you've seen the film first. My daughter did Beowulf at school, which surprised me as she was in a class of 9 to 10 year olds who are usually into Jacqueline Wilson.




Yeah, I understand that. I worked at a golf course for awhile, and spent alot of time talking to older men (the starters and rangers - I was the cart girl) Anyway, one day I was talking to one of the guys, and he had a book in his hand. I asked him what it was, and he said (I quote) "Nothing you would be interested in, too old."

I told him to try me. So he said that he was reading a Fredrick Forsyth book, and then asked me what I was reading. At the moment, I'd been working through _Travels with Charlie_ by John Steinback, so that's what I told him. 

He totally flipped out on me - he said "You read Steinback?! Someone in your generation is interested in Steinback!?"

Anyway, I found that very funny. I'm such a dork.


----------



## Eledhwen

Firawyn said:


> "You read Steinback?! Someone in your generation is interested in Steinback!?"
> 
> Anyway, I found that very funny. I'm such a dork.


All Shakespeare's contemporaries are dead, but his stuff is still being read. It's a mark of good literature that a book is in print beyond the generation of the writer.

(Eledhwen sits back and waits for the contradictory post)

(No she doesn't - she's got to go on a speed awareness course this afternoon for being caught on camera doing a miserable 37mph. At least it will avoid points on my licence.)


----------



## Firawyn

Eledhwen said:


> All Shakespeare's contemporaries are dead, but his stuff is still being read. It's a mark of good literature that a book is in print beyond the generation of the writer.
> 
> (Eledhwen sits back and waits for the contradictory post)



Haha, not all of them. Steinback, Hemmingway, Chauser...


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

I just finished with _Stealing Your Life_ by Frank Abagnale. Frank was the guy who was played by Leonardo di Caprio in _Catch Me If You Can,_ the check forger _par excellence_ who was finally caught by an FBI agent and was in the end _hired_ by the FBI to help them catch defrauders and bunko artists. This book tells you the ins and outs of *identity theft*, how ubiquitous it really is, how easy it is to perpetrate, how it's just a matter of time before someone steals _yours,_ and how you can protect yourself from it. *This one's required reading,* and you can start with the reader reviews at the Amazon link above.

Barley


----------



## Firawyn

Hummm that's been on my Films to see for a while....

Okay...add it to my book list!


----------



## Eledhwen

Barliman Butterbur said:


> I just finished with _Stealing Your Life_ by Frank Abagnale. Frank was the guy who was played by Leonardo di Caprio in _Catch Me If You Can,_ the check forger _par excellence_ who was finally caught by an FBI agent and was in the end _hired_ by the FBI to help them catch defrauders and bunko artists. This book tells you the ins and outs of *identity theft*, how ubiquitous it really is, how easy it is to perpetrate, how it's just a matter of time before someone steals _yours,_ and how you can protect yourself from it. *This one's required reading,* and you can start with the reader reviews at the Amazon link above.
> 
> Barley


This looks useful! I watch The Real Hustle and am astonished at the inventiveness of the criminal fraternity. One guy left his utility bills out in his paper recycling bin. One of the 'hustlers' (the pretty blonde) took them, used a pocket laminator to create a fake gym club card, then phoned a locksmith, claiming to be locked out of her home. She showed the locksmith the ID card and the utility bills and he opened the house for her. The hustlers then removed the living room furniture and set up hidden cameras, waiting for the victim to return home (his face was a picture!). I bought a cross-shredder after that.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Eledhwen said:


> ...I bought a cross-shredder...



We have one too. Abagnale says it's a _must-have_ for every home. 

Barley


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

From the _New Yorker:_ *THE TWILIGHT OF THE BOOKS*

"Reading is in mortal decline and no effort of will can make it popular again. In a few decades, people will have shed old habits like newspapers and novels."

One cannot do a better thing for oneself than to develop oneself into a fluent retentive _reader,_ and for passing this ability on to one's children.

Barley


----------



## Eledhwen

Barliman Butterbur said:


> From the _New Yorker:_ *THE TWILIGHT OF THE BOOKS*
> 
> "Reading is in mortal decline and no effort of will can make it popular again. In a few decades, people will have shed old habits like newspapers and novels."
> 
> One cannot do a better thing for oneself than to develop oneself into a fluent retentive _reader,_ and for passing this ability on to one's children.
> 
> Barley


My children all read. It is encouraged at their schools and also at home (they are allowed bedroom lights on after bed time only if there's a book involved). However, I did have to augment the school's grim "Ginn Reading Scheme" books with Tolkien and Rowling to bring my youngest daughter up to speed (she is now two years ahead in her reading age).

I never understood why people relied on film instead of books for their stories, until I was speaking with a group of friends and mentioned the living scenes that run through one's head whilst reading a good book. Half of my friends did not know what I meant, as they had never experienced this.

I don't know whether this lack of connection with books is the result of not getting really good at reading when young, or if it's just something people suffer from. My friends are all reasonably well educated, so I assumed the latter, until I read the article Barley linked to. There seems to be a correlation between a rise in the quantity and availability of visual storytelling (film and TV) and the decline in reading. I wish I knew what the 1937 poll respondents were reading (ie: what constituted 'a book' in their positive answer), what the socio-economic breakdown of the respondents was, and whether people might have been embarrassed to admit they weren't reading anything.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

To Eledhwen:

Evidently, the difference between how the brain works when reading and when viewing alters the brain's capability: The reader can do everything _and think the way_ the viewer can, but the viewer can't (or at least has great difficulty with) doing and thinking the way the reader can.

That's why the act of reading (whether words or music or math) equips the brain to handle things that require more complex reasoning. Alas, it still, evidently, does not save one from believing ideologies at the expense of reality.

But the bottom line is: reading equips one's brain better than viewing; the more one reads, the "smarter" one becomes. There is a 1:1 correlation between the extent of one's functional vocabulary and performance on intelligence tests of all sorts, be they verbal or pictorial.

(I wonder how many TTFers who saw my post actually read the article I linked to? _The New Yorker_ has, for all the years of its existence, been the one well-known magazine (at least in America) to offer consistent reading challenge to its readers.)

Barley


----------



## Noldor_returned

The Chaser Annual 2007 and before that 'The Bumper Book of Bunny Suicides'


----------



## Majimaune

Noldor_returned said:


> The Chaser Annual 2007 and before that 'The Bumper Book of Bunny Suicides'


That Bunny Suicides book is funny but not in the right way if you know what I mean. Can I borrow The Chaser once your done and I've read all my books?

I'm reading Isard's Revenge (Star Wars book) Almost finished it. The next one I'll be reading is probably going to be _A Game Of Thrones _By George RR Martin. Nice and thick.


----------



## Eledhwen

I was given 'The Other Boleyn Girl' by Phillipa Gregory, for Christmas. It's the fascinating tale of the power struggle between the powerful Howard/Boleyn family and the Seymours during the reign of Henry VIII, as told (in the first person) by Anne Boleyn's younger sister. It highlights the appalling use to which daughters were put in a medieval world ruled by men. I've never read a book like it. I'd finished it by New Year.

I notice that it has been made into a film (out in February 08); but I also notice that even in the trailer it deviates somewhat from the story in the book. I'll probably go and see it anyway. Official film website


----------



## Josephine

I'm reading Gregory Maguire's "Wicked". For those of you who don't know it, it's the life story of Elphaba, the woman who's later to become the Wicked Witch of the West. I rather like what I've read so far. I know the musical based on the book, of course, and I'm curious to find out how different they are.


----------



## Eledhwen

Josephine said:


> I'm reading Gregory Maguire's "Wicked".


That's one I want to read! Pass it over here when you're done.


----------



## Firawyn

Re-reading the Harry Potter books right now...


----------



## Eledhwen

Firawyn said:


> Re-reading the Harry Potter books right now...


I did that, as soon as I'd finished The Deathly Hallows. It was really entertaining to take in the story development with the foresight of knowing what it is building up to. A story in its first bloom is exciting, rich and immediate; but a good book can stand a re-read, producing 'December roses' in its second bloom.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Eledhwen said:


> I did that, as soon as I'd finished The Deathly Hallows. It was really entertaining to take in the story development with the foresight of knowing what it is building up to. A story in its first bloom is exciting, rich and immediate; but a good book can stand a re-read, producing 'December roses' in its second bloom.



I usually enjoy re-reading good books. But for me HP is an exception. I find its underlying substructure so blackly malevolent, I have just pretty much set it aside for good, now that I know the nature of the evil that's been trying to get at Harry from his birth. And the gratuitous gore that builds up as one traverses the volumes is something I don't need to experience again.

Barley


----------



## Firawyn

Eledhwen said:


> I did that, as soon as I'd finished The Deathly Hallows. It was really entertaining to take in the story development with the foresight of knowing what it is building up to. A story in its first bloom is exciting, rich and immediate; but a good book can stand a re-read, producing 'December roses' in its second bloom.



Honestly, the way I read books is...in a word, quickly.

The first time I read, I'm so excited about the plot that that is all I pay attention to. Second reading usually has me examining character development, then perhaps the vocabulary, then examples of foreshadowing, etc.

Basically, I do a different aspect of a literary analysis each time I read the book/s. This way, I find, a book never gets old or over read. (Assuming, of course, it was worth the read in the first place.)


----------



## Majimaune

Firawyn said:


> Re-reading the Harry Potter books right now...


I'll do that...eventually.


----------



## Firawyn

Getting ready to start "The Goblet of Fire".

Year 4 here I come! Yes, I'm am very much on a roll!


----------



## e.Blackstar

I'm reading this strange cocktail of _A Clockwork Orange_ and _Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas_. After that I've got Hermann Hesse's _Siddhartha_ to attend to.


----------



## Rhiannon

I'm almost done with _The Neverending Story_, but I'm also working on _Plan B_ by Ann Lamott and _Bird by Bird_, also by Ann Lamott, as well as a collection of Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry that I've been working on for a couple of months and John Crowley's _Little, Big_, which I have been reading, very slowly, for two years now.


----------



## HobbitGirl

I am currently reading The Languages of Tolkien's Middle-Earth by Ruth S. Noel. After six years of being a fan of (read: being rabidly obsessed with) all things Tolkien, I'm finally, Finally, FINALLY learning Quenya and Sindarin. How sad is that?!


----------



## Majimaune

Paris In The Twentieth Century by Jules Verne.


----------



## Turgon

I'm currently reading Crusade by Robyn Young. I read her first book Brethren last year and quite enjoyed it, this one is the follow up. Sadly I'm a bit confused as I have forgotten most of what took place in Brethren. It's starting to come back to me mind. Just finished reading Young Bloods by Simon Scarrow, which is about the early careers of Wellington and Napoleon. It was quite good. And I never knew the Duke of Wellington had been an accomplished violinist - so there you go.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Mediated: How Media Influences Your World and How You Live In It
Siddhartha


----------



## Mike

Re-reading: Miecz Przeznaczenie ("The Sword of Destiny), by Andrzej Sapkowski.

Also Reading: "Tales of HP Lovecraft" (Currently halfway through "At the Mountains of Madness")

Also Reading: "Weep not Child" by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o for my Postcolonial literature class.

And, actually, reading a lot more non-fiction books - both textbooks and research - for my classes. I'm up to the ears in readings and essays right now...I don't know if I can make it...(especially while simultaneously writing two short stories)


----------



## Durin's Bane

I'm reading Dan Brown's Digital Fortress now... certainly not his best book...


----------



## Aisteru

To mimic the first post to this thread, I am re-reading LOTR as well as The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer.


----------



## Mike

_Kref Elfow_ by Andrzej Sapkowski.

So far (pg. 60), it's excellent. English translation ("The Blood of the Elves") comes out later this month or next month, apparently.


----------



## Prince of Cats

Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring


----------



## Starbrow

I just finished The Return of the King  (for the umpteenth time.) My 7-year-old son is eager to share his Ricky Ricotta series to me. So I am having a few quick reads about giant robots and interesting aliens from outer space.


----------



## e.Blackstar

_Evil in Modern Thought_ (Susan Neiman)
_A Dance of Dragons_ (George RR Martin)
_Zen Flesh, Zen Bones_ (Compiled by Peter Reps)
_The Alchemist_ (can't remember the name offhand...it's Porteguese)


----------



## Aisteru

I believe Paulo Coelho wrote _The Alchemist_. A very cool book, if I do say so myself.


----------



## HLGStrider

"The Complete Guide to Child Care"

My life isn't that exciting nowadays.


----------



## Starbrow

Hi Elgee,

I found child care books to be helpful, if taken with a grain of salt. 

It was wonderful when my children got older and I had time to read novels again. 
I know its hard to find time to read with little ones around. I read many short stories when my kids were young. They are finally independent enough that I can squeeze in a novel now, still takes me a while to get through it though.


----------



## HLGStrider

Right now looking forward to reading kid's books out loud. Got some Dr. Suess, "Are you my mother?", "Is your mama a llama?" (I just like saying that one), and others.


----------



## Eledhwen

Elgee said:


> My life isn't that exciting nowadays.


What you do now will affect your little man's life and personality and, in consequence, everyone he comes into contact with during his long life. Not exciting?


HLGStrider said:


> Right now looking forward to reading kid's books out loud. Got some Dr. Suess, "Are you my mother?", "Is your mama a llama?" (I just like saying that one), and others.


I love Dr Suess' ABC!


----------



## HLGStrider

Actually she's a little lady.


----------



## Elbereth

I am simultaneously reading "The Life of Pi" and "Harry Potter, the Prisoner of Azkaban"...and I have been listening to "Harry Potter, The Deathly Hallows" on audio book in my car during my commute everyday.


----------



## HLGStrider

Life of Pi is interesting. I loved it except for the meerkats. I never really liked that part . . .


----------



## Eledhwen

HLGStrider said:


> Actually she's a little lady.


 Sheesh! Trust me to get it wrong; and four out of my five are girls! I'm blaming all that talk about a name that would suit a boy or a girl (otherwise I'd have to blame myself).

I started to read Life of Pi (after all the hype), but couldn't get into the style at all. I very rarely put a book down once I've started it, but that was one of them.


----------



## Maeglin

I'm not a reading a book, per se...but a huge piece of literary work nonetheless. I'm doing an advanced study on Lord Byron, and right now I'm reading his famous mock epic "Don Juan." Its quite a fun read, though rather long-winded...but I suppose that helps give me plenty of material since it is the topic I have to write my huge thesis on before graduating. Speaking of which, my prospectus for that thesis is due tomorrow...better get back to it...just wanted to take a break and pop my head in the forums and say hello, since I haven't been around much over the past couple months.


----------



## Majimaune

I'm read A Clash Of Kings by George RR Martin. Its definitely better than the first one of the series. Its a very good read even though it drags in places.


----------



## HLGStrider

> started to read Life of Pi (after all the hype), but couldn't get into the style at all. I very rarely put a book down once I've started it, but that was one of them.



I liked the style and the writing and the story, but towards the end the author attempts to make you question the narrative's veracity by throwing in a section that is so completely off the wall that the main character must be insane, and hence the whole story must be made up. There were better ways to accomplish this.


----------



## Echo

I'm reading a few things right now (as always). I'm re-reading _Pride and Prejudice _by Jane Austen (another favorite author of mine) and I'm reading _La Vagabonde _by Colette. I haven't been able to get at them much, due to all my school reading.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Echo said:


> I'm reading a few things right now (as always). I'm re-reading _Pride and Prejudice _by Jane Austen (another favorite author of mine) and I'm reading _La Vagabonde _by Colette. I haven't been able to get at them much, due to all my school reading.



Have you had an opportunity to watch the new PBS version of P&P? They're doing the complete Jane Austin on _Masterpiece._

Barley


----------



## Firawyn

Majimaune said:


> I'm read A Clash Of Kings by George RR Martin. Its definitely better than the first one of the series. Its a very good read even though it drags in places.



That's good advice, Maj. I've read them all - love them! 

I think Martin's mistake was that he tried to develop too many characters at once. By the time you reach the end of book two, and start book three, they've been developed as they should have and the books start to make sense. I remember being frustrated and feeling lost with all the characters to remember, and I was constantly referring to the "Family Trees".


----------



## Echo

Barliman Butterbur said:


> Have you had an opportunity to watch the new PBS version of P&P? They're doing the complete Jane Austin on _Masterpiece._
> 
> Barley



I haven't seen any new versions. My favorite is the BBC version with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. I did see the new version of _Sense and Sensibility_ they had on Masterpiece. It was great and it included a lot of vital scenes from the book that the Emma Thompson version had left out.

What I really want to read is _The Lord of the Rings_ again. I generally read it once a year, but I'm making myself wait until my semester is over and I can get rid of my school books.


----------



## Starbrow

Yea! Another Jane Austen fan, and P&P2 fan. I really enjoyed watching Sense & Sensibility on Masterpiece. I want to reread the book now; it's been a number of years since I last looked at it.


----------



## Majimaune

Firawyn said:


> That's good advice, Maj. I've read them all - love them!
> 
> I think Martin's mistake was that he tried to develop too many characters at once. By the time you reach the end of book two, and start book three, they've been developed as they should have and the books start to make sense. I remember being frustrated and feeling lost with all the characters to remember, and I was constantly referring to the "Family Trees".


Yeah I have to keep going, so who were they fighting for or who were they related to. Its confusing cause there is so much to take in. Only got about 200 pages to go.


----------



## Firawyn

Oh and you have to remember who's screwing (pardon the language) who! Talk about alot to take in!


----------



## Majimaune

Firawyn said:


> Oh and you have to remember who's screwing (pardon the language) who! Talk about alot to take in!


Yes and then remembering where they all are on the map.


----------



## Turgon

Currently reading Clash of Kings too. Only a few chapters in but I'm enjoying it. Strangely the first book is still fresh in my head and I can remember the main plots of A Game of Thrones quite well. Good read.


----------



## Firawyn

Don't stop reading until you reach the end or all of what's in your head will "fly!", as young Robert Arryn would say.


----------



## Persephone

Yay will hate me, but I'm still trying to finish the Ender's Shadow series. I am about to finish Shadow of the Hegemon, and need Shadow of the Giant next. 
Also, since I learned that a film version of it was in the works, I thought of reading Sabriel. Anyone here have an opinion of Garth Nix? Is he good?


----------



## Mike

Just finished Terry Pratchett's _Night Watch _this morning. Funny, as always. _Men at Arms_, though, has always been my favourite Discworld novel (though Rincewind and Cohen are my favourite characters).

Goiung back to cyberpunk and reading _Burning Chrome_ by William Gibson next, get into the swing of short stories again. Also have the two-volume _Best of Robert E. Howard_ that I have yet to get into. SHould be a good summer for reading, anyway. Once exams finished I started devouring the books I really wanted to read at what is becoming an increasingly alarming rate.


----------



## Firawyn

Narya said:


> Also, since I learned that a film version of it was in the works, I thought of reading Sabriel. Anyone here have an opinion of Garth Nix? Is he good?



Garth Nix is AMAZING! I have read and re-read the Abhorsan Trilogy too many times to count. (Sabriel is book one in the Abhorsan Trilogy)

He ranks up there with Tolkien in description, imagination, character development, and just plain class!


----------



## Persephone

Firawyn said:


> Garth Nix is AMAZING! I have read and re-read the Abhorsan Trilogy too many times to count. (Sabriel is book one in the Abhorsan Trilogy)
> 
> He ranks up there with Tolkien in description, imagination, character development, and just plain class!


 
Great! I will collect him then. Thanks!


----------



## Firawyn

You collect away! 


And do let me know what you think.


----------



## Ingwë

I've recently started "The Road Ahead" by Bill Gates. I find it very interesting. In this book Gates lays out his vision of an interconnected world built around the Internet. As he said, the book may be popular now (when it was published), but in 20 years people may laught at it - a part of his prediction might come true, others won't. After 20 years, when I look back into time, I hope to remember this book and see which guesses were right


----------



## Echo

I finished La Vagabonde, and I've started The Gunslinger by Stephen King.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

At this point I'm not reading any books. Been extremely busy with a major photography shoot. I'll have much more about that in a few months. I'm also busy with UCLA support groups and managing their websites and supplying their photography. The only steady reading I've been doing lately is bills and medical records... 

Barley


----------



## Eamon

*Commutation* - a novel by Leonid Kaganov (russian science fiction writer)


----------



## Echo

I'm reading 4 different things right now:

*Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas *(still trying to get through it)
*Neverwhere *by Neil Gaiman
*Maiden, Mother, Crone: Three Faces of the Goddess *by D.J. Conway
*Devil's Cape *by Rob Rogers (Advanced Reading Copy)


----------



## Majimaune

George RR Martin's A Storm Of Swords.


----------



## e.Blackstar

"Thus Spoke Zarathustra" (Nietchze, or however you spell his name)
"A History of God" (Karen Armstrong)

Just finished "Stone Butch Blues" by Leslie Feinberg, and handed it off to my girlfriend.


----------



## Majimaune

Is it just me not posting overly much on here or have you not been here for a while Blackstar?

I'm reading Ender's Game and quite enjoying it.


----------



## Noldor_returned

'Rolling Stone: Interviews' It's a collection of the best interviews since Rolling Stone began until two years ago (I think). Includes interviews with Pete Townshend, David Geffen, Phil Spector, Ray Charles, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, Andy Warhol and many many more.


----------



## Illuin

Nintendo Power. No, actually a friend of mine recommended “_Pillars of the Earth_” by Ken Follett. I’m about halfway through. It’s not as good as I was led to believe, but I’ll finish it anyway .


----------



## Firawyn

Just finished reading "The Shack", by William Young. It was...interesting. I quite honestly haven't decided how I felt about it...there were alot of places where I related so much it made me angry, or made me cry, and other places that made me think "maybe there is hope after all".

Worth the read. Makes you think.


----------



## Mike

"Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel" - Susanna Clark


----------



## Prince of Cats

Finished reading the Silmarillion a couple weeks ago and Plan B 3.0 : free at earthpolicy.org


----------



## Aelfwine

I've just started to read 'The Magicians Guild' by Trudi Canavan. I'm not too far through it yet and would be interested to hear what other people think of it, if they have read it or anything else by Canavan.


----------



## Ermundo

I'm reading an A.P U.S. History Textbook. It's loads of fun, and a _very _interesting read.


----------



## Majimaune

I finished reading Ender's Game the other day and then started on the second part of book 3 in ASOIAF by George RR Martin.


----------



## Persephone

Majimaune said:


> I finished reading Ender's Game the other day...




ooohhhh! Did you enjoy it?


----------



## chrysophalax

I'm just finishing up "The Ghost Who Haunted Itself" by Jan-Andrew Henderson, the man who started the ghost tours through Greyfriars Kirkyard and the Covenanters Prison in Edinburgh. It's very interesting reading a book about paranormal going-on by a man who's a bit of a sceptic, but has no qualms whatsoever scaring the pants off people for fun and profit.


----------



## Persephone

chrysophalax said:


> I'm just finishing up "The Ghost Who Haunted Itself" by Jan-Andrew Henderson, the man who started the ghost tours through Greyfriars Kirkyard and the Covenanters Prison in Edinburgh. It's very interesting reading a book about paranormal going-on by a man who's a bit of a sceptic, but has no qualms whatsoever scaring the pants off people for fun and profit.



lol! That's hilarious! I think I'll look for that book.


----------



## Noldor_returned

Recently read Beowulf and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

I liked them both but found teh latter to be a bit short. Beowulf was really interesting, and it was interesting to note the parallels to LOTR.


----------



## Majimaune

Narya said:


> ooohhhh! Did you enjoy it?


I do believe I did. It was quite good. I finished it at like midnight cause I didn't want to stop reading.


----------



## Turgon

Currently reading 'The Blade Itself' by Joe Abercrombie. A really good read so far - stopped reading A Song of Ice and Fire for the moment as all the characters are annoying me with (amongst other things) their total lack of common sense. Maybe I'm in a bad mood today but it seems like every event in this entire saga is driven by the stupidity of its characters.

Also reading Essential X-men volume 4 as when I went to the bookshop the other day I got a little nostalgic for comics (not read any for about 20 years) and came out with a pile of thick collection type comic books...


----------



## Persephone

Majimaune said:


> I do believe I did. It was quite good. I finished it at like midnight cause I didn't want to stop reading.




I know, right? It's just soooo addictive! Now, you're at a crossroad for this series, Maj. You can either read ENDER'S SHADOW (which is a parallel novel that continues the story of the Battleschool children) or SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD (if you want to follow Ender and Valentine to the edge of the Universe). Both are REALLY, REALLY, REALLY GOOD. You can finish one series (whether Ender's Shadow or Speaker for the Dead) and then follow through with the other one once you're done. 

Orson Scott Card is going to release 2 more books that would tie in both stories.


----------



## Majimaune

Narya said:


> I know, right? It's just soooo addictive! Now, you're at a crossroad for this series, Maj. You can either read ENDER'S SHADOW (which is a parallel novel that continues the story of the Battleschool children) or SPEAKER FOR THE DEAD (if you want to follow Ender and Valentine to the edge of the Universe). Both are REALLY, REALLY, REALLY GOOD. You can finish one series (whether Ender's Shadow or Speaker for the Dead) and then follow through with the other one once you're done.
> 
> Orson Scott Card is going to release 2 more books that would tie in both stories.


I think my cousin has both so I am intending to borrow them off her...


----------



## Kementari

Back to school time and I'm reading constantly (Kinda bummed tho since I had to turn down a course based entirely on the Lord of the Rings because it was in the same time slot as my Creative Writing class/workshop.)

Just finishing Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" which I would recommend to ANYONE. Achebe's culture puts great value in the art of conversation and oral story telling giving him unusual skills as a writer.

I'm also studying the Canterbury Tales in meticulous detail (which really requires you to learn Middle English). They are absolutely hilarious!


----------



## Firawyn

Kementari said:


> Back to school time and I'm reading constantly (Kinda bummed tho since I had to turn down a course based entirely on the Lord of the Rings because it was in the same time slot as my Creative Writing class/workshop.)
> 
> Just finishing Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart" which I would recommend to ANYONE. Achebe's culture puts great value in the art of conversation and oral story telling giving him unusual skills as a writer.
> 
> I'm also studying the Canterbury Tales in meticulous detail (which really requires you to learn Middle English). They are absolutely hilarious!



You know, I took at class in highschool that was the literary study of _Lord of the Rings_. It was amazing. The teacher told me to "let someone else answer" a time or two. 

Middle English...oh fun times. My aunt and uncle (sister and brother, not married) both are fluent in Middle English. It's harder than it looks. Kudos to you. 

I'm currently re-reading _Lord of the Rings_, along with a great book called _Bi Any Other Name_. (Observe the link). Oh, and I'm reading a Kent Weeks book. (Observe this link as well!)

I read alot.


----------



## e.Blackstar

I _was_ working my way through 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra', but it's been put on the back burner for Cormac McCarthy's 'No Country for Old Men' and a reread of 'Neither Wolf Nor Dog' (Kent Nerburn).


----------



## Majimaune

Currently reading A Feast For Crows by George RR Martin. Its the fourth one in ASOIAF. Good so far.


----------



## Firawyn

@ e.Blackstar,

Have you seen the movie "No Country For Old Men"? 

@ Maj,

Good choice! SOIAF rocks! I'm nearly to the point of ready to hunt down Martin and find out what's taking so dern long for "Dance of Dragons" to get done and published!


----------



## e.Blackstar

@ Firawyn: Yep! Watched it a week or so ago, then my friend bought me the book. I'm not really a fan of McCarthy's writing style...though I LOVED the movie.


And hurray for ASOIAF! My favorite fantasy ever...I want ADOD, though!
Did you guys know that HBO is making a show for that series (ala The Tudors or Rome)?


----------



## chrysophalax

Have just started A Game of Thrones, a book I resisted for a long time because I feared it would be something along the lines of Robert Jordans stuff, but wow, was I wrong! George R.R. Martin has a tremendous style, but is a bit too bloodthirsty, what with all the killing off of characters I like. Snarl...

In any case, I look forward to reading the rest of series with great anticipation.


----------



## Ithrynluin

I'm kind of conservative when it comes to reading other fantasy authors/series, and have been holding off reading Martin's saga despite the rave reviews by many, many people. So you'd definitely recommend it, chrys?


----------



## chrysophalax

Most definitely! I am beyond picky sometimes when it comes to fantasy. I refuse to read something if I think its a Tolkien imitation, since I think no one can write the quest like JRRT.

This, however, is not a queststory. Its a story for those who like court intrigue, mysteries, nobility and treachery of the most vicious sort. He takes no prisoners, this author and the reader is the better for it. Plus...it has Dragons!


----------



## Illuin

Still trying to get through this “Pillars of the Earth” thing by Ken Follett. If I’m trying to “get through” a book; it means I should not have started it in the first place. I think I’m just going to go back to my Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader until enough time passes to start on Tolkien again.


----------



## Firawyn

Ithy, I also recommend SOIAF series, if my opinion counts. It's amazing. 

Blackstar, I did know that HBO bought rights to it - do you know anymore than that? I've already started thinking about casting. Ohh...I'm very excited. 

At Chrys, yes, Dragons are good....and they play more of a role in the later books. You'll have to catch up by the time "A Dance of Dragons" comes out (the next book)...I imagine that will really be about the Dragons. 


GOSH GUYS! Now I'm going to have to pick those up again!


----------



## Turgon

I seem to have hit a wall with asoiaf - stopped reading halfway through A Clash of Kings as it had begun to annoy that the plot seems to be driven by the stupidity of its characters. It also worried me that the only characters I gave a damn about anymore were Tyrion and Jon. It's a bit of puzzler as I loved the first book and the first half of the second...


----------



## Firawyn

Turgon, 

I think ASOIAF is about human nature. There's no "good", no "evil", just humanity. I think that makes in an incredible read, as it forces readers to look at what they would have done, or how they would have reacted to those situations. 






PS...Turgon, you're up in "Guess the pic!" Prince is getting bored of waiting. Go post!


----------



## Starbrow

I read A Game of Thrones in the SOIAF series and I didn't really care for it. As someone else said it's pretty bloodthirsty and it seemed to get old. I was interested in what happened to the characters and I'm tempted to read the next book, but all the characters I like will probably die.


----------



## Turgon

I can't really see how asoiaf is about human nature - even on my darkest days (and I have quite a few of these) I've never had such a bleak world view. I mean not everybody is a sociopath or a nutcase. Tolkien gets heavily criticised for his characters being too 'good' yet Martin seems to get nothing but praise for going the opposite route - a bit unfair to Tolkien I think.

I find it difficult to see asoiaf as not being about good and evil either - as to me good and evil are not something that you are - but something that you do. Asoiaf is full of people doing evil deeds - strangely with no other motivation than crazed sociopathy. That's not to say I don't think Martin is a good writer - quite the opposite I think he has a great gift for storytelling. Nor is it to say that I don't like asoiaf - I understand where Martin is coming from - like I said in my previous post - I've just hit the fabled wall of annoyance (a bit like the stairway to heaven - but it doesn't get played so much by would be guitar heroes). I am looking forward to being able to pick up the book again and being able to enjoy it for what it is. A really good read.


----------



## HLGStrider

I haven't read any of Martin's works, but my husband has. I mentioned that I'd heard a lot of mixed reviews on them when looking at them in a book store and that some people really hated them and he said that it was because they had a fairly realistic view of warfare and most people don't want to read about how it really is. As I said, I haven't read them so I can't comment on this, and it seems strange that my husband would draw a comparison between a fantasy epic and his own combat experience (which he really never talks about), but that's what he said so I thought I'd put it out there.


----------



## chrysophalax

Well, I'm glad to learn that two of my favourite characters survive that long. Thanks, Turgon! And I really like Tyrion as well, he reminds me very much of Yay.


----------



## YayGollum

I'll read the series when it's finished. Why sign on for the annoyance of waiting for new books to finally reveal answers? Craziness. Ah, at the moment, I am reading scanlations of manga on this computer thing, as ordered by some old college buddies. Eh. They're okay. I probably like the animes better because I knew them first. *hangs head in shame*


----------



## Kementari

IIluin, I enjoyed "The Pillars of the Earth" when i read it a few years ago. There were some rough patches tho ( its a VERY long book). And some accuracy problems too (a few anachronisms and a dumb sex scene iirc). A sequel year came out last year with a lot of hype surrounding it; my brother is currently trying to "get through it".

BTW. Has anyone here heard of Guy Gavriel Kay? He's a Canadian fantasy writer who actually helped Chris Tolkien edit the Sil. He's making an appearance at my university in a few days but i have never read any of his works.


----------



## baragund

I'm reading "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole. It's blow-your-pepsi-out-your-nose funny!! 

Ignatius Reilly is my new hero! Such a refreshing change from the Frodo Bagginses and the Aragorns and the Turin Turambars of the world...


----------



## Firawyn

Turgon said:


> I can't really see how asoiaf is about human nature - even on my darkest days (and I have quite a few of these) I've never had such a bleak world view. I mean not everybody is a sociopath or a nutcase. Tolkien gets heavily criticised for his characters being too 'good' yet Martin seems to get nothing but praise for going the opposite route - a bit unfair to Tolkien I think.


 
I guess it depends on how you view human nature. For me, personally, I think of human nature as predominently evil, thus seeing the carnavorous nature in these books didn't phase me. To quote another wondeful book - "Life is pain, highness, and anyone who says differently is fooling themselves."

Oh, Elgee, nice comparison. I hadn't quite thought of it that way before.


----------



## Starbrow

I've enjoyed several of Guy Gavriel Kay's books, especially The Lions of Al-Rassan. Some of his books, IIRC - it's been a while since I read his work, mix present time with other worlds.


----------



## Turgon

I've read some Guy Gavriel Kay too. The Fionvar Tapestry (It's a Trilogy) is about a bunch of Canadian students being transport to a fantasy world - I quite enjoyed it. Also read Tigana, which was a really good read too. Not read The Lions of Al-Rassan that Starbrow mentioned - but I've heard a lot of good things about it. He's definitely worth a read.


----------



## Thorin

I am reading Riptide again by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I am a big fan of their novels that have FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast. If you remember that awful movie from a few years ago, 'The Relic' with Tom Sizemore, it bastardized and destroyed the first Pendergast novel (Kind of like what PJ did to LoTR.  ) Riptide is a stand alone novel separate from the Pendergast series.

I love books that have the same characters from one book to the next (Tom Clancy and Michael Slade's books are like that).


----------



## Firawyn

Anyone in here read the Midford Series, by Jan Karon? They are wonderfully refreshing. No swords, no crazy people killers, no sick and crazy criminals...I nice, mellow, interesting drama.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

I just finished reading (for a Yelp book club) Selden Edward's _The Little Book,_ a story of time travel, in which a son, father and grandfather find themselves — without having the slightest idea how it was done — back in time to 1897 Vienna, where there is an opportunity for one of them to kill a then 10-year-old Adolf Hitler...where the grandson has an affair with his own grandmother...where the son pours out his story to an unbelieving Sigmund Freud...and the grandfather murders his own grandson without knowing who he really is... Woohoo! 

This book took the author 30 years to write. I recommend it, it's a mind-bender!

Barley


----------



## Firawyn

Wow. Barley, they call that a soap opera. Yay! I shall read that I believe. 

You know, it's funny you mention Hitler, because I just watched a movie called Nuremberg (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208629/), which was about the Nazi War Crime Trials in Nuremberg (thus the title). It was really good. Based on a book that I have not read. I should do that...read that book I mean.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Firawyn:

The quotes in your sig remind me of one by John Adams upon his impending death: "It will be no heaven if my wife is not there." 

Barley


----------



## Sidhe

Stephen Donaldson: The One Tree, part of the second Thomas Covenant Chronicles, again. Not read it in a while. Have to say his Gap Series was better, but it's still a good read, very dark, almost depressing at times, nice anti-hero of doubt, fights for the right thing in the end, and a bit more adult than some fantasy. 

I think when I read it the first time this was the point I realised fantasy didn't have to be idealised, unrealistic and subject to the everyone who's good is awesomely good and nice ideal that can ruin some fantasy; you know the sort: all motivations are pure, everyone is not a human being but an archetype of principle, they can do no wrong. I can see how it was compared in some respects to Tolkien, it nicely explored the corruptions and motivations that can effect anyone. 

Few authors attempt to include the human aspect into people sometimes, no one is entirely good, and no one is entirely evil, we all have complicated motivations that drive us to make mistakes, even if we are supposedly on the right side. There's nowt wrong with realism in fantasy, as ironic as that sounds.


----------



## Firawyn

Barliman Butterbur said:


> Firawyn:
> 
> The quotes in your sig remind me of one by John Adams upon his impending death: "It will be no heaven if my wife is not there."
> 
> Barley



You know, you don't miss a thing! I just updated my siggy. That's a new quote. Humm, what did you think of the Margot Adler one?


----------



## Kementari

So i met Guy Gavriel Kay!!!!!! I was enchanted. First he read some of his poetry which was beautiful and stood by itself (i was crying at one point). Then he read the prologue of his newest book Ysabel, which sounds fantastic. Tho i plan on starting with the Tapestry Trilogy

I usually shy away from the run of the mill fantasy novel because they are just a pretty story with no depth. But Guy Kay is a frikken genius. He explained how he researches his novels for a year and a half before he starts writing; how he deftly weaves his themes into the story and how he doesnt like to make the themes too obvious because its insulting to an intelligent reader.

I got to talk to him and look right into his sky-blue eyes! I thought "omg this guy has been in the presence of the Tolkien family". And my Creative Writing proff pointed me out as an aspiring writer *faint*

Thanks for your replies guys, i'm just jealous i didn't discover him first

Btw, anybody who's looking for an outlandish but insightfully human story, i would recommend any of Donna Morrisey's books. I also had the pleasure of meeting her recently


----------



## Halasían

HLGStrider said:


> I haven't read any of Martin's works, but my husband has. I mentioned that I'd heard a lot of mixed reviews on them when looking at them in a book store and that some people really hated them and he said that it was because they had a fairly realistic view of warfare and most people don't want to read about how it really is. As I said, I haven't read them so I can't comment on this, and it seems strange that my husband would draw a comparison between a fantasy epic and his own combat experience (which he really never talks about), but that's what he said so I thought I'd put it out there.



It wasn't because of any "realistic" view of warfare that prevented me from finishing the first (GRRM) book. Its the flow of the writing style. It failed to engage my interest enough to make _want_ to pick the book up and read on. I _really_ wanted to like this book, and read the series, but it wasn't going to happen when I had to force myself to boringly trudge through the first seven chapters. Can't say I "hated" it either. I just couldn't get into it.

Finished *Red Skies Over Red Seas* and have to say it wasn't quite as good as *Lies Of Locke Lamora*, but it held its own. I'll definitely read the next book in the series.

Right now I'm reading Lord of the Rings again. It has been awhile and I picked it up to read the prologue to pass a bit of time and got sucked in. Just arrived at Lothlorien.


----------



## Majimaune

Halasían said:


> It wasn't because of any "realistic" view of warfare that prevented me from finishing the first (GRRM) book. Its the flow of the writing style. It failed to engage my interest enough to make _want_ to pick the book up and read on. I _really_ wanted to like this book, and read the series, but it wasn't going to happen when I had to force myself to boringly trudge through the first seven chapters. Can't say I "hated" it either. I just couldn't get into it.


The thing with Martin's ASOIAF is that, with me anyway, I found myself interested with the story with the first two books but the actual interesting parts of the books starts at number 3. But if someone can't get into the first one then they aren't going to keep reading until they get to the third one are they?


----------



## Mike

Lots of school related readings mean I'm reading several things at once:

_The Coming Race_ by the world's worst author, Bulwer-Lytton
_Wild Thorns_
_Rhymes of Robin Hood_
_The Goddess of Atvatabar_
_A Book of Medieval Outlaws: Ten Tales in Modern English_
_Ten Centuries of Polish Literature_
_Roughing it in the Bush_

That's about it for now. God help me when I look at future readings, it just never bloody stops.


----------



## Firawyn

A friend of mine, Lisa, has a nice planner that, in the very back she keeps a chart of every book ever reccomended to her, and the date it was reccomended. Scores of books! Anyway, she reads every one on the list, one at a time, and then fills in "date completed" on her planner when she's finished. A little OCD, but a neat system, I think.


----------



## e.Blackstar

Rereading _Stone Butch Blues_ by Leslie Feinberg. Next up is _The Best of HP Lovecraft_ and Vonnegut's _Jailbird_.


----------



## Majimaune

Well while in school holidays I have read all the books lent to me by friends so I'm half way through the Foundation series by Asimov and halfway through the Ender series by Orson Scott Card. So my point is I had to go to the library. Right now I'm reading _Treasure Box_ by Orson Scott Card.


----------



## Barliman Butterbur

Just finished reading _Dreams from My Father_ by Barack Obama and _Promises to Keep_ by Joe Biden: both absolutely wonderful stuff. Obama has a first-class mind and the writing style of a novelist. His life in Indonesia with Lolo, his stepfather, is first-rate reading and possibly the most fascinating part of his whole childhood.

Biden is a first-rate Irish story teller who triumphed over tragedy that would have destroyed a lesser man. It is fascinating to compare his connection to Catholicism with Tolkien's. 

Barley


----------



## Illuin

> by Barliman Butterbur
> _Just finished reading Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama and Promises to Keep by Joe Biden: both absolutely wonderful stuff. Obama has a first-class mind and the writing style of a novelist. His life in Indonesia with Lolo, his stepfather, is first-rate reading and possibly the most fascinating part of his whole childhood._
> 
> _Biden is a first-rate Irish story teller who triumphed over tragedy that would have destroyed a lesser man. It is fascinating to compare his connection to Catholicism with Tolkien's._


 

You know; I was checking those out recently, but now that I have your recommendation, I think I’ll pick those up. I like those guys (so far ). Obama seems like a real down to earth guy. What a financial mess he’s inherited though. I don’t know whether to congratulate the guy, or offer him my condolences .


----------



## Firawyn

Condolences, I think. I can't think of anyone in their right mind who would want to inherit this mess. 

You know, as a writer myself, I find it really annoying how quickly politicians get published. It's bloody unfair, and as far as my lifetime is considered (some of us are not over the hill ), all the presidents have done this.


----------



## Illuin

> by Firawyn
> _You know, as a writer myself, I find it really annoying how quickly politicians get published. It's bloody unfair, and as far as my lifetime is considered (some of us are not over the hill ), all the presidents have done this._


 

Don’t blame the politicians (at least in this case). This has to do with corporate greed and marketing. It’s the same with music. I’ve spent my entire life working on mastering a musical instrument; and have composed some pretty good stuff (at least some is copyrighted); but that is not how it works these days. It’s all cheap fast-food marketing now. As far as an analogy; well, let’s use popular music for simplicity’s sake. Popular music of the late 60’s, 70’s, and much of the 80’s is to J.R.R. Tolkien - as music of the past 20 years is to the Paparazzi and the National Enquirer. I’m a non-fiction guy when it comes to reading, so I’m not up to speed like you are as far as NF authors; but I’m inclined to believe it’s not much different. Fast food; drive by talent (umm talent?) these days. The Dark Ages once again .


----------



## Firawyn

Illuin said:


> Don’t blame the politicians (at least in this case). This has to do with corporate greed and marketing. It’s the same with music. I’ve spent my entire life working on mastering a musical instrument; and have composed some pretty good stuff (at least some is copyrighted); but that is not how it works these days. It’s all cheap fast-food marketing now. As far as an analogy; well, let’s use popular music for simplicity’s sake. Popular music of the late 60’s, 70’s, and much of the 80’s is to J.R.R. Tolkien - as music of the past 20 years is to the Paparazzi and the National Enquirer. I’m a non-fiction guy when it comes to reading, so I’m not up to speed like you are as far as NF authors; but I’m inclined to believe it’s not much different. Fast food; drive by talent (umm talent?) these days. The Dark Ages once again .



Yea....will the real talent please stand up? And if you are not standing, you may leave the building.


----------



## Starbrow

I've been reading Job by Robert Heinlien. It started out as a promising tale about a guy getting moved to parallel universes, but it started to go downhill at the end where it became more about heaven and hell.


----------



## Alcarinque

These days I am reading "The Red and The Black" by Stendhal. It refers to France of 1830. The hero is an intelligent poor young man who tries to rise above his humble origin but fails to deal with the hypocrisy around him. A romantic, beautiful piece of work!


----------



## ddemetrius456

Brad Lomenick-On the Journey

________________________
*Dining Room Furniture*


----------



## Mike

_The Angel of History_ for my seminar class.

Bought _The Three Musketeers_ and will be reading that on the two-day bus ride home for the holidays, also _The Plot to Save Socrates_, a new translation of _Beowulf_, and _Freedom & Necessity_. Should keep my mind off the various smells and the general problems with sitting in one place for too long.


----------



## Thorin

I'm finishing the last book 'Breaking Dawn' in the Twilight series. Goodness, they are going to have to rate the movie 'R' for some of the stuff in it! Definitely darker, gorier and more mature than the other three books!


----------



## Firawyn

I am currently reading (for the billionth time!) The Harry Potter books.


----------



## Ghorim

The Count... of Monte Cristo!

I believe it's an abridged version... a scant 752 pages of slow-simmering revenge. Very much enjoying the journey... about 100 pages to go at this point. It's one of those universally hailed classics that I never got around to reading.


----------



## YayGollum

Someone informed me that the last book of that The Wheel Of Time (or is it formally as well as merely Wheel Of Time?) series is out, so I am finally starting that series. Many have recommended it to me. I grabbed the first the from the library and just finished the first. Not too bad, so far. *grumbles about reading things that are so sickeningly popular*


----------



## HLGStrider

My husband read that a week ago .,. . and it isn't the "last book." There will be two more. The writer who Jordan's wife picked out to finish his series decided that Jordan's notes and plot lines were too expansive to wrap up in a single volume . . . or the publisher decided that. I'm half tempted to believe the writer wouldn't agree to carry on the "legacy" without at least a three book contract, though as someone who stopped reading about book six because things were just getting ridiculously convoluted, I can understand how it might take a lot of writing to tie up every single character's loose ends.


----------



## Firawyn

Ghorim said:


> The Count... of Monte Cristo!
> 
> I believe it's an abridged version... a scant 752 pages of slow-simmering revenge. Very much enjoying the journey... about 100 pages to go at this point. It's one of those universally hailed classics that I never got around to reading.




That is a fantastic book! It ranks up there as one of my personal favorites, pretty close to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. 

I haven't read those Wheel of Time books, nor have I dared even flip through the darn Twilight books. I already have too many obsessions.


----------



## EdBurke

Currently nearing the end of the Fellowship. (My third reading in full)

Why else would I be at a Tolkien website?!


----------



## Ithrynluin

Rereading _His Dark Materials_, which is one of my favourites (notably the first book).


----------



## Uminya

I am dual-reading _Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed_ by Jared Diamond and a translation of _A History of Wales_ by John Davies, presently.


----------



## Firawyn

_Ten Stupid Things Women to Mess Up Their Lives_, by Dr. Laura Schlessinger has just been moved to the top of my reading pile.


----------



## Súliah

The Iron Tree, by Cecilia Dart-Thornton. I loved the Bitterbynde-trilogy, so I hope this book will be as good as that!


----------



## Starbrow

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. My husband got an e-book last month and I wanted to try it. This was the only book I was interested in reading. The beginning is pretty slow, but I keep hoping I'll get into it.


----------



## Ithrynluin

Starbrow said:


> The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. My husband got an e-book last month and I wanted to try it. This was the only book I was interested in reading. The beginning is pretty slow, but I keep hoping I'll get into it.



Oh I have forgotten about the release of this book. Should be another page turner!


----------



## Dain

I'm reading the Discworld novel: "Soul Magic" by Terry Pratchett and I'm also reading "Monty:the Battles of Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery" by Nigel Hamilton on and off and Shelby Foot's American Civil War Narrative in passing and, now and again, re-reading through the Hobbit. I really should just pick one and finish it...


----------



## Elbereth

Don't bite my head off....I know some of you will....but after resisting for so long...I finally gave into the pleas of friends and family to read the Twilight books

....so far so good....I won't judge it until I am done reading the entire series.


----------



## Elbereth

Starbrow said:


> The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. My husband got an e-book last month and I wanted to try it. This was the only book I was interested in reading. The beginning is pretty slow, but I keep hoping I'll get into it.



I started reading this book too during my lunch breaks too...not bad...although I will have to come back to it once I finished reading the twilight books.


----------



## Turgon

I read _Maus_ yesterday, a graphic novel by Art Spiegelman. It wasn't quite what I expected it to be when I picked it up, what with the Jewish mice and Nazi cats and all. One thing I wasn't expecting was a full on Biography of the writer's parents as they struggled, being Polish Jews, to get through the Nazi Occupation alive. Very good book though, the most moving tale of this kind I've read, and that wasn't because of the animal metaphors, but rather because the voice of Vladek, the writer's father, which really shone through the narrative. Of course I can't say I enjoyed the book, it's pretty harrowing after all. But I'm glad I read it.


----------



## Môrroch

I just finished "Flyboys" by James Bradley. He also wrote "Flags Of Our Fathers" (which I haven't read- yet). Very good, and highly recommended if you're into WWII history.
I also keep a copy of "Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai" in the bathroom for quick reads while I'm in there.
Those samurai were hardcore!


----------



## Firawyn

Elbereth said:


> Don't bite my head off....I know some of you will....but after resisting for so long...I finally gave into the pleas of friends and family to read the Twilight books
> 
> ....so far so good....I won't judge it until I am done reading the entire series.



OH BROTHER!


Still resisting.


----------



## EdBurke

Started Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantal.


----------



## Prince of Cats

Firawyn said:


> Still resisting.



Haha, keep on




. Tolkien lore is luckily just barely esoteric enough for my tastes 

Check out my attached picture to see what I'm reading  YEAHHH deluxe/collectors editions!! I now have four prized possessions, my two cars and my two Tolkiens in hardcover


----------



## Elbereth

Firawyn said:


> OH BROTHER!
> 
> 
> Still resisting.



HA! I knew that was going to be your reaction. 

If it makes you think better of me...I can tell you that I am not a big fan of the character Edward Cullen...he reminds me too much of the overbearing, condescending Casanova's that I used to date in NYC when I was in my 20's. I also find Bella Swan to be overall a very weak character. I like the Jacob 
Black character...his character has much more depth than most people give credit for....but all in all the twilight is a page turner if anything else...and really I understand that only women can truly appreciate the plot line as most men would find it too romantic to take seriously.


----------



## HLGStrider

_Practical Japanese: Your Guide to Speaking Japanese Quickly and Effortlessly in a Few Hours _

Just got it yesterday and I've decided the title is very optimistic.


----------



## Firawyn

You're such a goof Prince...


I am currently reading "Ten Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives" by Dr. Laura Schlessinger...

Very...good? Ouch kind of how can she be that on the mark kind of good!? I'm enjoying it, at any rate.


----------



## Starbrow

> If it makes you think better of me...I can tell you that I am not a big fan of the character Edward Cullen...he reminds me too much of the overbearing, condescending Casanova's that I used to date in NYC when I was in my 20's. I also find Bella Swan to be overall a very weak character. I like the Jacob
> Black character...his character has much more depth than most people give credit for....but all in all the twilight is a page turner if anything else...and really I understand that only women can truly appreciate the plot line as most men would find it too romantic to take seriously.



I read the Twilight series last summer and enjoyed it. Not up to Tolkien's standards, of course, but I tore through the books. Go Team Jacob!

I finished The Lost Symbol and had to force my way through many parts of it - very philosophical at points. 

Right now I'm reading Traitor's Gate by Kate Elliott.


----------



## Ithrynluin

I also finished The Lost Symbol just today, and enjoyed it for the most part. Some parts were too heavy on the historical/philosophical babble, but overall I was eager to learn a lot about things previously unknown to me.

I guess Brown distorted historical (and other) facts again, but I've never seen this as much of a problem as I always find his subject matter so interesting I go and read up on the facts myself.


----------



## apple27

I'm reading a Norwegian book called The Wanderer by Knut Hamsun.


----------



## Persephone

Elbereth said:


> HA! I knew that was going to be your reaction.
> 
> If it makes you think better of me...I can tell you that I am not a big fan of the character Edward Cullen...he reminds me too much of the overbearing, condescending Casanova's that I used to date in NYC when I was in my 20's. I also find Bella Swan to be overall a very weak character. I like the Jacob
> Black character...his character has much more depth than most people give credit for....but all in all the twilight is a page turner if anything else...and really I understand that only women can truly appreciate the plot line as most men would find it too romantic to take seriously.


 
WOW! Elb, we share the same opinions on the characters of this Saga. I read all four books - only for review purposes (I used to write reviews on YA books for money) - and, honestly, Jacob is the only character I can stand. Sorry to all the Cullen-Swan fans, but I really dislike their characters, especially Bella who, in my opinion, should have died half-way through the first book!

Anyway, I am currently reading non-fiction at the moment, Essays and poetry, and brushing up on grammar stuff. Been trying to finish a storyline for TV, and a book. Would love to read THE LOST SYMBOL.


----------



## Gúthwinë

Just got Children of Hurin for Christmas (The only book left I haven't read). Starting on that tonight after work. But the most recent book I've read is Brisingr by Christopher Paolini, the whole time I was reading it, I was thinking about all the comparisons between this and Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.


----------



## HLGStrider

Yeah, Paolini borrows a lot from both of those sources. I have had Brisingr on my bookshelf for over a year now, and I just can't seem to get it started. . .but nowadays I don't usually read a book unless I can finish it in one sitting. I read "The Magician's Elephant" by Kate DiCamillo last night. It's a really soothing read, childrens' book like the rest of DiCamillo's work, but I have developed a preference for good chidlrens' books.


----------



## Gúthwinë

Same for me, I usually can go through several hundred pages over an hour so I finished Brisingr in the matter of a day. Winter break is the best time for me to read since I have next to nothing to do.


----------



## Prince of Cats

I finished Unseen Academicals - Terry Pratchett, Discworld series - this morning and am hurting for the void  Children of Hurin and Tree and Leaf are on their way but I may have to hit the library before then


----------



## Starbrow

I'm trying to branch out and try different genres. Right now I'm reading Trace which is a murder mystery. I like watching procedural-type TV shows, so I should like them in book form.


----------



## Starflower

The Stone by Greg Bear. I don't often read sci-fi books (more fantasy-oriented), but this was on sale for 50p so I could not resist! It's good, just difficult to get really into the space stuff...


----------



## Thorin

I was delving into LoTR again but I put it on hold for Darkly Dreaming Dexter that I rented from the library.

I am also reading The Hobbit to my grade 6/7 students during their free time.

Gotta get this young generation immersed in the blessed realm of Middle Earth! Especially before the movies destroy their imagination!


----------



## Persephone

Just finished reading ORSON SCOTT CARD'S HOME COMING SAGA. Enjoyed the first three books, but the last two, not so much.


----------



## Eledhwen

Lorna Doone
(just re-read all the Austens)


----------



## e.Blackstar

I'm currently stalled partway through 'The Ethical Slut' (non-fiction), plowing into a re-re-re-re-re-read of Orson Scott Card's 'Xenocide', and just finished 'Martin the Warrior', which puts me about halfway through my re-read of the Redwall series (at least the ones I own).


----------



## Prince of Cats

Just finished reading Making Money (Pratchett, of course). One of the things I love about his discworld books is how not having read the previous book, Going Postal, didn't keep me from enjoying MM

Currently re-reading Not in His Image by JL Lash and (for the first time) Tolkien's translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Night


----------



## Starbrow

Rereading LOTR for the umpteenth time and ignoring the stack of new books in the night stand.


----------



## Starflower

Eon by Greg Bear. It's very heavy on mathematics and physics so hard going but I am determined to finish it!


----------



## spirit

Narya said:


> Sorry to all the Cullen-Swan fans, but I really dislike their characters, especially Bella who, in my opinion, should have died half-way through the first book!


 
Reading this made my day! (Actually, anything non-sciency and study-related makes my day!) :*D


Currently reading _Frostbitten _by Kelley Armstrong.


----------



## HLGStrider

Just finished a book, which is rare for me nowadays. The Alchemist, which I had always wanted to read but never got around to. It was an interesting philosophical myth.


----------



## Starflower

I'm back to re-reading things hidden in my bookcase, this time it's Across the Face of the World by Russell Kirkpatrick.


----------



## Prince of Cats

The classic Indian tale Ramayana


----------



## Sulimo

Recently finished Feast of Crow's of G.R.R. Martain's Song of Fire and Ice, and also within last week finished trilogy on audiobook. I am currently re-reading Harry Potter and am on Order of the Phoenix, and listening to Eye of the World from Jordan's Wheel of Time.


----------



## spirit

Prince of Cats said:


> The classic Indian tale Ramayana


 :*up
I've never read it, but I've watch the series on casette. One day..


----------



## Mithrandir-Olor

Currently none, I have 3 I've Bought and intend to get to soon. Book 6 of The Vampire Diaries. The Hunger Games, and of course The Children of Hurin.


----------



## HLGStrider

I'm working my way through the 'Blue Fairy Tale Book,' slowly, maybe a story a night right before bed. I love fairy tales and even if I've read most of them before, every so often I stumble on one in a collection that is new to me, plus different versions of the same story are often interesting, like this version of Sleeping Beauty has a whole added on second chapter where the prince's mother tries to eat their children. . .Which I've seen in other stories, but never in Sleeping Beauty.


----------



## camlost

I'm reading Neal Stephenson's The Baroque Cycle. A couple of years ago I stopped reading it after The Confusion (I'm not sure why, I must have got distracted by other things) so I bought System of the World (the last volume) a couple weeks back and started reading it again from the beginning.


----------



## Sulimo

Wow, I am reading a lot right now. Just finished Stephen R. Donaldson's The Mirror of her Dreams from his Mordant's Need series, and began reading Tolkien and the Critics. This is a very interesting selection of essays on the LOTR from the early 60's. I also am reading Beowulf again, and plan to move on to Finn and Hengrest and Le Mort de Arthur next. 

However, I am also listening to the Wheel of Time books, and I am on The Fires of Heaven for perhaps my third reading through the series. I am super excited about A Memory of Light.


----------



## Starbrow

I am rereading the Crown of Stars series by Kate Elliot. I loved it the first time I read it, but it's even better the second time around.


----------



## Prince of Cats

Starbrow said:


> I am rereading the Crown of Stars series by Kate Elliot. I loved it the first time I read it, but it's even better the second time around.



Thanks for the heads-up :*up

I've _finally_ started reading ... _Children of Hurin_! I've owned it for 6+ months but just cracked the cover yesterday. Unfortunately, I'm already halfway through :*D


----------



## Sulimo

Its funny that you make plans to read all these things, and then they get placed on the back burner. The Borders near my house is going out of buisness, and so I went shopping. I am almost done with White Fang and so tomorrow I will begin A Dance With Dragaons book five in Martain's Song of Ice and Fire. I am super excited, and can only hope that the others will come out quickly. I also picked up some Crichton, Stephen King short stories book Night Shift, and of course some Tolkien: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orffero (?).That should keep me busy for awhile.


----------



## HLGStrider

I'm slowly reading through "The Disappearing Spoon" which has a lot of interesting facts (and amusing anecdotes, as Weird Al might say) about the table of the elements and chemistry in general.


----------



## Elbereth

I am currently reading "A Game of Thrones". 

I love it! Although my pace is slower than I would like because I have been reading it while I am nursing my newborn son, which although it is often....it is only in short spurts.


----------



## Sulimo

Congrats Elbereth, A Game of Thrones is an awesome book, I am currently reading book 5 A Dance With Dragons. It is a very grim series though.


----------



## Tanglefoot

A Dance with Dragons, George R. R. Martin; Anathem, Neil Stephenson; and The Last Werewolf, Glen Duncan. All really incredible so far.

Also, reading through The One Ring rulesbooks from Cubicle7. Few random reads here and there. Vonnegut, China Mieville, Clive Barker. That sort of thing. Lots of Dunsany.


----------



## Ithrynluin

Lots of people reading Martin, I see. The books are long but definitely worth the effort. I'm currently reading book 3, A Storm of Swords.


----------



## Tanglefoot

Elbereth said:


> it is only in short spurts.



*rimshot*
I see what you did there


----------



## Sulimo

I began the Sword of Truth, and am about 300 pgs into Wizards First Rule. Is it just me, or does this book really feel like a original to super Nintendo era Final Fantasy game?


----------



## Prince of Cats

I'm reading a 1881 copy of a Nathaniel Hawthorn collection containing _A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys_, _Tanglewood Tales_ and _Grandfather's Chair_ that I picked up many months or a year ago and have finally started reading. It's a lot of fun


----------



## Starbrow

The Hawthorn collection sounds cool. I'm currently rereading the Harry Potter series.


----------



## Prince of Cats

Starbrow said:


> The Hawthorn collection sounds cool.



It is! _A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys_ and _Tanglewood Tales_ are simple re-tellings (with some changes) of old mythological stories from Greece made more available for children


----------



## Eledhwen

My daughter bought me the first Wheel of Time book "The Eye of the World" by Robert Jordan. When I read it, I was disappointed that it wasn't a self-contained story; but expecting a trilogy, I bought the next book, then the next .... then the next ... by the time I got to book five, I was wondering when it was going to end, but I'd invested so much of my time into the story that I wanted to reach the end. I've just finished reading book 13 today, and now find I'll have to wait until November 2012 for the concluding book - the author having died around mid-book-12 and another author took over. I now have new rules: check to see how many books the story goes on for BEFORE buying book one. Rule 2 is not to read anything by Elizabeth Haydon after she abandoned her characters to their various perils in book six of her fantasy epic and went off to write childrens books from the same fantasy world but in the distant past!


----------



## Bard the Bowman

_When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler, _by David M. Glantz and Jonathan House. A riveting read.


----------



## Mike

_​A Dance with Dragons_


----------



## Firawyn

I'm rereading the Harry Potter books, and THEN...lol...I'm going to start over with the Song of Ice and Fire series, so it's all fresh when I get to _A Dance with Dragons_. 

Is it any good so far, Mike? Worth the VERY long wait?


----------



## Eledhwen

I found a prequel to the fourteen-book epic Wheel of Time series, which I'm reading while I wait for the final book to be published.


----------



## Eledhwen

Mike said:


> _​A Dance with Dragons_


I saw a couple of books in this series yesterday, not having heard of it before; but neither was book 1. Is it good?


----------



## gofica

I just finished _Mortal Engines _by philip reeve. it's about post-apocalyptic world inhabited by moving cities.
it has three sequels but I haven't found them anywhere. at least not where I'm from.
now I should really read Proust, Faulkner,kafka, Camus and stuff like that,.... If only I could find the will.:*(


----------



## panzer71

Morgoths Ring and A View From the Booth,Gil Santos and Gino Capalletti. Im taking a second and third look at the Debate of Finrod and Andreth.Several times Finrod tries to get Andreth to tell him what sin Men committed to be Doomed to die but her answer is always the same.I seem to be stuck thinking about what the Wise amoung Men whisper when they talk about it. As for "View frm Booth",its about two radio announcers that broadcast all the New England Patriots games. " GO PATS " !


----------



## Mike

Firawyn said:


> I'm rereading the Harry Potter books, and THEN...lol...I'm going to start over with the Song of Ice and Fire series, so it's all fresh when I get to _A Dance with Dragons_.
> 
> Is it any good so far, Mike? Worth the VERY long wait?



'Twas good. Far better than _A Feast for Crows_, but unfortunately still not up to the level of the first three. However, with this book out of the way, I can now confidently say that it appears Martin is back on track and stuff is finally happening again.

@Eledwhen: Unless you start from book one , you will be mighty confused. It's one of _those_ series.


----------



## ReadWryt

Daniel 8 from the Old Testament as it relates to Eschatology in Revelation. I find the deeper I dig into the Bible the less time I have to read other writings, though I promise myself I will start making time soon...


----------



## Thorin

ReadWryt said:


> Daniel 8 from the Old Testament as it relates to Eschatology in Revelation. I find the deeper I dig into the Bible the less time I have to read other writings, though I promise myself I will start making time soon...



Hey RW, weren't you like a borderline atheist when you were on the forum long ago? Perhaps I am wrong and am thinking of someone else. I think RangerDave was. Maybe that is who I am thinking of. Time has a way of making things hazy!

Right now I'm reading PD Martin's series with FBI agent Sophie Anderson. Just some books I picked up this summer to read. I like to go back and read my Tom Clancy, Stephen King and Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child standards. I must have read many of my books at least a dozen times.


----------



## Turgon

I'm currently reading Andrew Motion's biography of John Keats, which I'm really getting a lot out of. Also Night's Master by Tanith Lee, the first book in her Flat Earth series, and the only one I hadn't read, couldn't get hold of for nearly twenty years, eventually found on Amazon much to my delight... and then promptly forgot about for six months; and finally Lud-In-The-Mist by Hope Mirrlees, which is just outstanding, and very much a case of 'where has this book been all my life!'.


----------



## Starbrow

I'm currently reading Cold Magic by Kate Elliot. I hope to get The Christmas Carol by Dickens in before Christmas. I've never read it, although I've seen a variety of shows based on it.


----------



## HLGStrider

The Christmas Carol is a really short book as Dickens goes. I'm not a fan of Dickens. I've never actually read any that wasn't required during high school, so maybe I just let myself get turned off by my "choices" or lack thereof (_David Copperfield _was required reading and I'm not a fan of first person writing generally. . .other than that I have _Tale of Two Cities_, which is nominally better, but still not my style and _The Christmas Carol_ under my belt). 

Anyway, I finished _The Shack_ recently which was interesting from a theological point of view and also because it is based in Oregon which is where I grew up and I like reading about home while I'm over here in Japan (Also why I've kind of got into the TV series _Grimm_ which is filmed in Portland and I like seeing the familiar locations). I am now simultaneously reading _The Blessings of a Skinned Knee_ which is helping me mitigate my overly protective parenting instincts somewhat and a book called _Grayson _which the jacket says involves a lost baby whale, but I haven't been able to get past the first two chapters which as of yet have had no whales.


----------



## Mike

_Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West _by Cormac McCarthy.

Scalp, scalp, scalp, scalp, SCALP...


----------



## Turgon

Currently reading 'The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack' by Mark Hodder. I have to admit to having a fascination with the Spring-Heeled Jack legend, which is what attracted me to the book. The book surprised me by being a steampunk novel, but I'm loving it. About 250 pages in after 2 days of reading... so yeah... it's a good 'un. Really strange tale though with Richard Burton and Algernon Swinburne being the two leads. (That's Richard Burton the Victorian Explorer rather than the silver-tongued actor by the way) Burton was a bit of draw too as I think his translation of the One Thousand and One Nights is the best translation of that work I've ever read, and I used to have a least one volume of it on loan from Manchester Central Library at any given time, and he is just one of those really interesting people who pop up in history from time to time. Just got to the part where the villains are revealed and it was very much a WTF? LOL! Moment... but in a complete awesome way. I highly recommend it!

By the way Mike... I eventually got around to ordering a copy of Howard's Solomon Kane stories after a recommendation you made to me years ago. Not gotten around to reading them yet though. Currently collecting and reading the old 'Savage Sword of Conan' comics in trade paperback form...^^


----------



## Prince of Cats

I'm reading Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal by Tristram Stuart. Someone gave it to me as a gift almost two years ago and I'm finally cracking into it.

I just read Terry Pratchett's Snuff a few weeks ago and it was wonderful. It's the latest in the Watch series of Discworld novels. Great entertainment with some really inspirational parts too.


----------



## Turgon

Oh cool! So Snuff is a Watch story? They are my favourite Pratchett books! Still not read the last three Pratchett books I bought... but I will make room for 'The Watch'.


----------



## Starbrow

I got sucked into the Hunger Games series. I have to read Mockingjay before the movie comes out.


----------



## Prince of Cats

Turgon said:


> Oh cool! So Snuff is a Watch story? They are my favourite Pratchett books! Still not read the last three Pratchett books I bought... but I will make room for 'The Watch'.


 
It sure is! And it's 100% Vimes :*D


----------



## Daeorod

Right now I am reading the return of the king and the silmarillion. i finished rereading the hobbit about two days ago


----------



## Bucky

'Mystical Union' by John Crowder

Radical stuff


----------



## Sulimo

I am reading Goodkind's The Pillars of Creation, and the Bible. I recently finished listening to Way of Kings on audio. I am about to start listening to The Chronicles of Narnia which I have already read twice, and I also plan on reading Dune before too long. I also recently picked up the Princess Bride. Wow! I got a lot of reading to do.


----------



## Turgon

Currently reading 'Fingersmith' by Sarah Waters, which is pretty damned good so far, and 'Coleridge: Early Visions' the first book in Richard Holmes' two part biography of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.


----------



## Sulimo

I just waited weeks for the library to get the Audio version of The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe. When I went to check it out this evening I discovered that it was on cassette tapes. I didn't even know that technology still existed. Luckily I have a CD player old enough that sill plays cassettes. Unbelievably lame!!


----------



## Turgon

Hehe! I actually found 'The Hobbit' on cassette tape(s) when I was moving house a few weeks back. It was a radio play rather than an audiobook though. Ended up taking it to a charity shop as I just don't have anything with a tape-player on it anymore.

Finished reading 'Fingersmith' which I enjoyed no end, I highly recommend it, so many twists in it, brilliant writing, a real treat. Best book I've read since 'Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell'. About to start reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantell, not usually into reading Booker Prize winners, as they tend to disappoint, but Mantell's 'A Place of Greater Safety' about the French Revolution was top draw, so I'm hoping this will be a good 'un too.


----------



## Meldon

finished the silmarillion a few weeks ago, now reading the hobbit


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Doing something different now

_To Wake the Dead_ by John Dickson Carr

I found an old copy of it at my local St. Vincent De Paul Store and picked it up, it looks interesting.


----------



## Prince of Cats

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett :*cool:


----------



## HLGStrider

For the last few years I've been lucky to finish a book a month, but since I had Claire there have been plenty of late night feeding sessions where I can read with my free hand. 
So since her birth I've finished "Blessings of a Skinned Knee" which is a great parenting book about (mainly) not over protecting your children, "Wright Three" a fun young adult book about a mystery in architecture, "The Power of a Praying Wife" which was given to me by the head of Mothers of Preschoolers who I've been volunteering with for a little over a year now, "Dewey" a book about a library cat which I enjoyed because. . . because . . .it's a cat, and I'm now starting on "Killer Angels" which has been on my to read list since I watched "Gettysburg" in high school. 

In between "Gettysburg" and the Ken Burns "Civil War" series, I developed a historical character crush on Col (at the time depicted in this book) Joshua Laurence Chamberlain. I guess it was Michael Shaara's portrayal of Chamberlain in "Killer Angels" that brought him sort of out of the background of history.


----------



## Ghorim

YES. "Killer Angels" is a brilliantly evocative portrait of a time and place, even though some historians will tell you that it plays a bit loose with the actual history.

While visiting Gettysburg a couple of years ago, I saw a book for sale that — while praising Shaara's writing in its foreword — went into a blow-for-blow refutation of some of the passages in "The Killer Angels."

Anyway, savor that book, HLGStrider.

Me? I'm wading into Dan Simmons' sci-fi epic "Hyperion," which is sort of like "The Canterbury Tales" set in a distant, surprisingly fleshed-out future. Simmons doesn't hold hands or stop the narrative to explain all of his invented language and speculative history. Rather, he trusts the readers to figure it out as they go. As bewildering as it all seems at first, it makes the act of discovery a joy as the pages turn.

Apparently it's got a fat sequel too, so I've got my reading schedule set for awhile.


----------



## Bard the Bowman

I've been reading about Nardor lately


----------



## BeornTheBear

_The Lord of the Rings_ by J.R.R. Tolkien 

I'm gonna start the fifth Percy Jackson book tomorrow, _The Last Olympian_.


----------



## Meldon

BeornTheBear said:


> _The Lord of the Rings_ by J.R.R. Tolkien
> 
> I'm gonna start the fifth Percy Jackson book tomorrow, _The Last Olympian_.


 
I've read the last book already(TLO), a very good book, and a stunning end. Enjoy it!;*)


----------



## Starbrow

I just finished reading Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. I would highly recommend it. It has to do with time travel back to the Middle Ages in England. I was very engrossed in it and it didn't turn out the way that I expected it to.


----------



## Eledhwen

*Soulkeepers trilogy*

Desperate for reading material, I downloaded a free book "The Soulkeepers" by G.P.Ching on iTunes. I then paid (not much) for the other two books in the trilogy (thankfully I didn't get tangled into a Wheel of Time or Game of Thrones epic!) It was quite good; a fantasy and safe for teenagers/pre-teens to read, should anyone need to know.


----------



## Eledhwen

*The Songs of Power*

This is a re-telling of the Finnish Kalevala by Aaron Shepard. I got it off iTunes again; but his website is here: http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/
I have read a different version of the Kalevala, so I'll be interested to see how this one compares.


----------



## Elbereth

I have not had much time to read since my son stopped breastfeeding. I have been stuck on Les Miserables for months now... I may be stuck on that book for awhile.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Currently reading 'The Road to Oz' by L. Frank Baum. His original books are available for free on the Kindle because they're out of copyright so I've been reading them and while they're children's books, there are also adult themes (not sexual but political and things) that adults can relate to as well. They're awesome!!!


----------



## Prince of Cats

Re-reading Farmer Giles of Ham by You Know Who


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Prince of Cats said:


> Re-reading Farmer Giles of Ham by You Know Who



Voldemort?

lol sorry


----------



## Eledhwen

Prince of Cats said:


> The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett :*cool:


There are three further 'Tiffany Aching' books in the Discworld series: A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, and I Shall Wear Midnight; which chart Tiffany's progress in her chosen career. Pratchett honours a number of his characters in this way; my favourite, apart from Tiffany and her little band of protectors, is the Commander Vimes series.

As I type, "Dark Lord - the Teenage Years" By Jamie Thomson (or is it Dirk Lloyd?) is looking at me, unread. It's a childrens book, but I went on Amazon's 'look inside' and got all intrigued, so now own a copy. I'll let you know.


----------



## Prince of Cats

Eledhwen said:


> There are three further 'Tiffany Aching' books in the Discworld series: A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, and I Shall Wear Midnight; which chart Tiffany's progress in her chosen career. Pratchett honours a number of his characters in this way; my favourite, apart from Tiffany and her little band of protectors, is the Commander Vimes series. As I type, "Dark Lord - the Teenage Years" By Jamie Thomson (or is it Dirk Lloyd?) is looking at me, unread. It's a childrens book, but I went on Amazon's 'look inside' and got all intrigued, so now own a copy. I'll let you know.


 I'm aware - I've become a huge Pratchett fan over the past couple years and the last couple young adult novels are my only ones left. Rincewind is still my favorite


----------



## Sulimo

I still need to read the Pratchett that you recommended to me. I am currently reading the unabridged Les Miserables. However, I only have about a hundred pages left, and I don't know what to read next. Maybe I will pick up some comedy after reading this book. I may give Pratchett a go. After that the new Wheel of Time book should be out. I've been waiting for this book since 1999, and so to say the least I'm pumped!!


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

I'm currently reading 'Beautiful Creatures' by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the new movie is based off it. I saw the movie and that's where I learned about the book and the book is 10000000000000000 times better than the movie. They basically took all the major events from the book, added some extra making out and then threw it into the movie, the book is a lot more detailed, more emotional, less making out and just a lot better.


----------



## HLGStrider

I actually finished reading a book for the first time in what feels like ages last week. I read _Redshirts_ which started out being a satire of Star Trek but ended up actually being having some really interesting meaning of life sort of questions in it towards the end, though some of the "Codas" as the author called the three additional wrap up story lines he tacked onto the end, felt a little unnecessary. I actually found it kind of moving in places but it was also laugh out loud hilarious, though just for my personal tastes I felt all the swearing in the book was also unnecessary but I know that most people don't have my hang ups about that.


----------



## Firawyn

Reading a book? What's THAT?!

Lol I can't remember the last time I had time to sit down a read a book start to finish. Two little ones and a husband keep me pretty busy. 

Erestor, I did hear that Beautiful Creatures was much better a book than movie. The movie trailer did interest me, and I would like to see it, and/or read the book. On the flip side of the coin, I'm starting to feel that Vampires, Werewolves, and Zombie's are being outdone in recent, popular books and films. I'm wondering when the teenage ghost boy will be the next big thing. 


Elgee, I don't know where you find the time to read, write, and keep on top of your girls. Of late, I feel like I've conquored the norm if I get enough time to sit down and read a 10,000 word fanfiction story. Yes, I admit it, I am shamefully fond of fanfiction. :*o


----------



## HLGStrider

Firawyn said:


> Reading a book? What's THAT?!
> 
> Elgee, I don't know where you find the time to read, write, and keep on top of your girls. Of late, I feel like I've conquored the norm if I get enough time to sit down and read a 10,000 word fanfiction story. Yes, I admit it, I am shamefully fond of fanfiction. :*o




I don't sleep. 

Seriously.

My blood content is 90% caffeine. I've also delegated house cleaning to the fairy people who live in the basement. There's one now. . .oooh coffee. . .


----------



## Firawyn

Well...there is that approach. :*rolleyes:


----------



## Halasían

I've been nibbling my way through Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson. When I say nibble, I mean I read it a line gap at a time, and I started almost a year ago. Don't seem to just sit down and read anymore.


----------



## Eledhwen

Erestor Arcamen said:


> I'm currently reading 'Beautiful Creatures' by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, ...the book and the book is better than the movie. They basically took all the major events from the book, added some extra making out and then threw it into the movie, the book is a lot more detailed, more emotional, less making out and just a lot better.


I went to see this as an excuse to leave the house so my husband would have to deal with the plumber. I didn't realise there was a book too, and will order it as soon as I've posted, based on your recommendation.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Eledhwen said:


> I went to see this as an excuse to leave the house so my husband would have to deal with the plumber. I didn't realise there was a book too, and will order it as soon as I've posted, based on your recommendation.



Yes it's a very good book, I read it in a week and on Sunday I ordered the second one (Beautiful Darkness), it came the next day from Amazon.

Seriously if you saw the movie, I'll just say they skipped out on so much, they added extra making out and they killed people that shouldn't have been killed (not Macon), and completely changed scenes. Also, in the movie I think it wasn't that good because they really just summarized the main parts of the book and threw them in a movie, expecting you to know what was going on. I mean I understand that they have to skip some parts and will never make the movie 100% based off the book, look at The Hobbit and LOTR lol, but this movie was ridiculous. There was so much more in that book that helped me to understand what was going on and it was so much better, I'm already 100+ pages into the second and will be buying the third once I'm done with this one. Again, Amazon.com buying the hardback for $10, I got it the next day without paying for overnight shipping lol


----------



## Eledhwen

Thanks to a recommendation from Grond, I have just finished the second of the Mary Stewart trilogy on Arthur: The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills and The Last Enchantment. They are probably the best Arthur/Merlin fiction I have read. Mary Stewart knows her Celtic history and topography, and has spun a tale around them that feels historic, treading lightly on enchantments and prophecy as a mechanism to tell the story, keeping it easily believable as she immerses the reader in the legend of Arthur. 

For me, Mary Stewart's tale is very vivid. Living where I do, I have visited the places mentioned: Tintagel, Stonehenge, the Black Mountains and the rocky coastlines of South West Wales. I have walked along Hadrian's Wall, and played in the remains of the Roman Fort, Galava, at the head of England's largest lake, Windermere, where I lived as a child. I have walked along the edge of the smaller lakes to the north; Rydal Water is nearest, with two small isles; and then Grasmere which has one. I feel that Grasmere is the one that might inspire awe on a misty morning. I already knew of Rheged, whose arms are three ravens; and have visited the castled city of Carlisle, which the Romans called Luguvalium which is 40 miles over difficult land from Galava. 

Only once, in all the stories, did Mary Stewart make me think that she was American; and that was by using "named for" (as in "named for your father") instead of the British English "named after". But apparently she's from County Durham! Her metaphors and other descriptive devices are all skillfully written by an excellent storyteller and contemporaneous with the legend itself (eg: eyes like shield bosses, instead of eyes like saucers).

If, like Bilbo, you find maps fascinating, the reading of ancient British legends can be enhanced by two maps - Ancient Britain and Roman Britain - produced by Ordnance Survey:


----------



## Eledhwen

Eledhwen said:


> I have just finished the second of the Mary Stewart trilogy on Arthur: The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills and The Last Enchantment.


I have had to put aside The Last Enchantment. My daughters have insisted that I read The Host before Friday, when it is released as a film in UK cinemas. They know I won't watch the film first, and they want me to go to the cinema with them.


----------



## Sulimo

I am currently reading the C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy, and I am on the third book That Hideous Strength. I recommend all Tolkien fans to read this book in particular. While I love all of this series for its exceptional writing, and tackling of some of the most profound questions about man, the third book is uniquely intriguing because it has multiple references to Numenor as Altantis and the true West.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

I'm currently part ways through Allegiant of the Divergent series. It's pretty good so far but I'm already kind of guessing what happens. I'm hoping the movies are good though who knows, at least PJ isn't directing :*D


----------



## Eledhwen

I'm reading The Lord of the Rings; Fellowship of the Ring. ... again. :*D Just can't stay out of Middle-earth!


----------



## baragund

I'm re-reading The Dune Chronicles for the first time since I was in college. Frank Herbert's ability to create practically a whole universe with multiple worlds, cultures, political systems, environments, etc. is right up there with The Professor's.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

I finished the Divergent Series, I read the Maze Runner Series (Excellent and the movie looks really good too!), and the Delirium Trilogy (Also amazing). Now I'm going back and going to read more Song of Ice and Fire, I'm on 'A Feast for Crows' and my Kindle app on the iPad says I'm 33% of the way through. I'm ahead of the tv series (except for Bran in the North) and have A Dance with Dragons sitting at home, waiting for me too.


----------



## HLGStrider

Romulus Buckle and the City of the Founders.
I thought since I'm trying to write steampunk, I should actually read some steampunk. This is pretty awesome. The style is a lot "busier" than what I typically like, but it reads quickly and keeps my attention. I'm not sure if "busy" is indicative of the entire genre or just this particular author.


----------



## Starbrow

I'm reading Blackout by Connie Willis and The Wizard of Oz.


----------



## host of eldar

I am reading These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer. I like this sort of book


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Just finished "Dangerous Creatures," by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia and am currently reading "A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder," by James De Mille.

Anyone else have a Goodreads account? Mine can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/18247300-patrick


----------



## King Naugladur

"Unfinished Tales" again.
King Naugladur.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

I just finished The Mistborn Trilogy, which also was excellent. I'm currently reading Xenocide by Orson Scott Card


----------



## TiBoCuthalion

The Children of Hurin


----------



## Starbrow

I got hooked on The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling. The title makes it sound like a horror book, but it's really in the fantasy genre. I just the third book in the series.


----------



## Meisiluosi

_The Hollowing_ by Robert Holdstock.
I've been revisiting Ryhope wood recently, re-reading the whole Mythago Wood cycle... The spell hasn't worn off one bit.
Holdstock was a bloody genius. As John Howe put it - there sure was something of the shaman in his way of side-seeing. And very, very few contemporary writers understand stories and myth quite like Holdstock did.


----------



## Dor-nu-Fauglith

The Silmarillion, 'Of Maeglin'.


----------



## host of eldar

I finished reading Crossfire at Barbed M & Sidewinder Showdown from Ace Double Western series by Tom West. Now reading Terror Town by Stuart M. Kaminsky.


----------



## The mouth of Sauron

Currently re-reading Lord Of The Rings return of the king the scouring of the shire


----------



## Belnorn

The dark tower series. Trying to create my own story encompassing Tolkien to he Sandman.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

I just got done reading _The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood _by Howard Pyle, and now I am reading _Saint Joan of Arc _by V. Sackville-West. It's slow-going and wordy, but I love Joan of Arc, so i'll read it.


----------



## Persephone

Crazy in Alabama by Mark Childress


----------



## HLGStrider

Trying a fairy tale retelling called the Firethorn Crown by Lea Doue.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Getting married in August, 2017 so I'm reading, Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married


----------



## HLGStrider

Erestor Arcamen said:


> Getting married in August, 2017 so I'm reading, Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married


congrats!


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Erestor Arcamen said:


> Getting married in August, 2017 so I'm reading, Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married


Congratulations! Welcome to a new chapter of your life!


----------



## Persephone

I was trying to write a story three years ago - but quit because I didn't have enough time


Erestor Arcamen said:


> Getting married in August, 2017 so I'm reading, Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married



WOW!!! Congratulations!!!!


----------



## Starbrow

Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials, Erestor.

I'm reading Cast in Flight by Michelle Sagara - one of several books I got for Christmas.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Thanks for your kind words all. I also forgot to mention the other book I'm reading, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway


----------



## Azrubêl

I've been reading all of the Númenor-related entries/tales from Tolkien. I'm also reading _The Sun Also Rises_ by Earnest Hemingway and Hegel's _The Science of Logic_.



Erestor Arcamen said:


> I also forgot to mention the other book I'm reading, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway



Wow! Haha, I just saw this. I'm reading that right now too.


----------



## Ingolmin

I have been currently reading War and Peace, truly a masterpiece.


----------



## Starbrow

I'm reading Beren and Luthien.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Chasm City by Alistair Reynolds


----------



## Azrubêl

I am reading The Incal, the comic from Jodorowsky and Moebius. It is impressive.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

_The Silmarillion.
_
CL


----------



## basti255

Beren and Luthien. Got it a couple of days ago and I'm enjoying it very much .


----------



## Andy*

Re-reading_ The Silmarillion_...Just finished_ No Quarter The Three Lives Of Jimmy Page._
Andy


----------



## Starbrow

Spellsmith and Carver


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. I read the first two first, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the Girl who Played with Fire. They're a little slow to start but once you get into them they're excellent. Not sure if I'll read the next two as they weren't written by the original author since he died but the first three were excellent and I highly recommend to any mystery/crime fans.


----------



## Starbrow

I'm reading Spellsmith & Carver: Magician's Reckoning. It's the 3rd book in the series and the best one so far.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

I'm reading "The Club Dumas" by the Spanish writer Arturo Perez-Reverte, which I'd started a couple of years ago, but got sidetracked on. Just came across it again yesterday.

It's one of his Borgesian mysteries, like "The Flanders Panel" rather than a swashbuckler, like "Captain Alatriste".

Both of which I recommend, BTW!


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Finished. Good -- a bit like Eco, as some of the reviews said. Book collectors, occult shenanigans, murders -- fun stuff. End was "open to interpretation", and I was a bit dissapointed not to find out who a major character was, but that's the author's right, of course. It does make me wonder if he intended to write a sequel.

I see Polanski made a film from it:

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0142688/

I'll have to look for it, though it got decidedly mixed reviews.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and it was excellent. I started Isaac Asimov's Foundation and read over half of it in one day it's so good. Going to finish it within a day or two and then start on the second one, Foundation and Empire.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

I am currently reading _Pride and Prejudice, _and it is very enjoyable. I truly do believe every man should read it!

Elizabeth Bennet is one of the best characters in literature. Jane Austen truly knew her craft.

Anyway, highly enjoyable!

CL


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Oh yes, she did. I've read everything I could find, including her juvenilia -- which can be very funny, BTW!


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Oh yes, she did. I've read everything I could find, including her juvenilia -- which can be very funny, BTW!



I'll have to snoop around and see if I can't dig it up. I'd be very interested! P&P is very well written. 

Do you have any ideas where to start after P&P? 

CL


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

I'd say Sense and Sensibility, then Emma.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> I'd say Sense and Sensibility, then Emma.


Okay, thank you!


CL


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

The first, BTW was the subject of an excellent film with Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, and others.

Emma was made into a film with Gwenyth Paltrow. Good, but perhaps not as good as S&S. I think I even prefer the "Clueless" version!

Then there's Northanger Abbey, which is a postumously published parody of the Gothic novels popular in Austen's day.

After that, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion. And that's the big six.

You can Google for her minor works. Have fun!


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> The first, BTW was the subject of an excellent film with Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, and others.
> 
> Emma was made into a film with Gwenyth Paltrow. Good, but perhaps not as good as S&S. I think I even prefer the "Clueless" version!
> 
> Then there's Northanger Abbey, which is a postumously published parody of the Gothic novels popular in Austen's day.
> 
> After that, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion. And that's the big six.
> 
> You can Google for her minor works. Have fun!




Yay! Thanks.


CL


----------



## Starbrow

A & E did an excellent mini series on Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Starbrow said:


> A & E did an excellent mini series on Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.


Ooooooh! I'll have to check that out! Thanks!

CL


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

1995. Shown on PBS in the States too.

It's the one that made Colin Firth famous.

And a year later came Bridget Jones, and her coup interviewing him (in the novel). When the movie version was made , I wondered how they would handle that, since Firth was already in the film, playing one of the romantic leads!

I saw the movie,but so long ago, I can't remember.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> 1995. Shown on PBS in the States too.
> 
> It's the one that made Colin Firth famous.
> 
> And a year later came Bridget Jones, and her coup interviewing him (in the novel). When the movie version was made , I wondered how they would handle that, since Firth was already in the film, playing one of the romantic leads!
> 
> I saw the movie,but so long ago, I can't remember.



Oh cool! Thanks for the information!

CL

(I've been wanting to get into Austen's works, so this really helps!)


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Sure. There are other adaptations too, but nothing beats the original novels.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Sure. There are other adaptations too, but nothing beats the original novels.


For sure! I have been adoring the novel as of late! Jane Austen's diction is remarkable!

CL


----------



## Starbrow

I love Jane Austen. Not quite as much as Tolkien, but she is a great writer.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

I'm now reading H.P. Lovecraft. I never read him before and am really enjoying it. I can see where he was influenced a lot by Edgar Allen Poe but his descriptions and writing seem to go deeper and be more detailed.


----------



## Ithilethiel

I'm reading some US History books, _A Devil of a Whipping The Battle of Cowpens, Miracle at Midway, _and ofc some Tolkien, _BoLT 1, UT _and _The Tolkien Reader._


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

If you're interested in the AWI, I highly recommend this Pulitzer winner:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington's_Crossing_(book)

One of the best examples of original historical research I've ever read. Dispels many of the myths that have accumulated over the last two centuries.

This one performs a similar service for the Saratoga campaign:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1932714855/?tag=r-r-20

Though Luzader is not as felicitous a prose writer as Fischer; I sometimes found myself having to reread a sentence, in order to make sense of it. Still, worth the effort.


----------



## Ithilethiel

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> If you're interested in the AWI, I highly recommend this Pulitzer winner:
> 
> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington's_Crossing_(book)
> 
> One of the best examples of original historical research I've ever read. Dispels many of the myths that have accumulated over the last two centuries.
> 
> This one performs a similar service for the Saratoga campaign:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/1932714855/?tag=r-r-20
> 
> Though Luzader is not as felicitous a prose writer as Fischer; I sometimes found myself having to reread a sentence, in order to make sense of it. Still, worth the effort.



Thx but I've already read them. I'm considered an amateur American Revolutionary War and Alexander Hamilton university level scholar.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

I kind of suspected as much!


----------



## Ithilethiel

CirdanLinweilin said:


> Oh cool! Thanks for the information!
> 
> CL
> 
> (I've been wanting to get into Austen's works, so this really helps!)



If you find yourself loving Austen (who doesn't) Google, Jane Austen Juvenila. There is quite a bit of her early work available on-line and in book format. Some, like JRRT, is fragmentary but she was a prolific writer from a young age. Enjoy! She is amazing.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Ithilethiel said:


> If you find yourself loving Austen (who doesn't) Google, Jane Austen Juvenila. There is quite a bit of her early work available on-line and in book format. Some, like JRRT, is fragmentary but she was a prolific writer from a young age. Enjoy! She is amazing.


Thank you for the info! I recently finished P&P and was grinning like an idiot and laughing like one at the end. It was very enjoyable! On to _Sense and Sensibility_!



I am reading _Last of the Breed _by Louis L'Amour right now, very enjoyable!

CL


----------



## Ithilethiel

Hey CL I've missed you! So glad you're discovering and loving Jane Austen. Her works are so brilliant. Her words ring so true even now. I love her. Next to JRRT and Charles Dickens she's my favorite British author. You're gonna love S&S and Emma. Don't forget Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park and Persausion. If you love her to the extreme and live in NA I recommend you join, JASNA, the Jane Austen Society of North America.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Ithilethiel said:


> Hey CL I've missed you! So glad you're discovering and loving Jane Austen. Her works are so brilliant. Her words ring so true even now. I love her. Next to JRRT and Charles Dickens she's my favorite British author. You're gonna love S&S and Emma. Don't forget Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park and Persausion. If you love her to the extreme and live in NA I recommend you join, JASNA, the Jane Austen Society of North America.


I literally _JUST _joined them! I am very excited that you recommended it! Thank you so much!

_Yes, I will read *all of those*!

_
I've missed you too!

CL


----------



## Barliman

Reading _War of the Ring_ again while I wait for _The Fall of Gondolin_ to arrive.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

BTW, Erestor, I'm a log-time Lovecraft fan too. I've always wanted to read some of the French translations from the 1950's, which apparently formed the basis for his reputation in France as the successor to Poe. Quite an achievement, considering the Poe translations were done by Baudelaire! I wondered how Papy dealt with Lovecraft's adjective-laden prose.

The man was, personally, a mass of contradictions: a putative anti-semite who married a Jew, a writer who could celebrate drinking wine from the skull of an enemy, but who couldn't bring himself to remove a dead mouse from a mousetrap, so threw out trap and all, a recluse who wrote reams of advice on writing to people he didn't know, for no pay.

An exasperating (and now controversial) figure. But still, there are the stories.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> BTW, Erestor, I'm a log-time Lovecraft fan too. I've always wanted to read some of the French translations from the 1950's, which apparently formed the basis for his reputation in France as the successor to Poe. Quite an achievement, considering the Poe translations were done by Baudelaire! I wondered how Papy dealt with Lovecraft's adjective-laden prose.
> 
> The man was, personally, a mass of contradictions: a putative anti-semite who married a Jew, a writer who could celebrate drinking wine from the skull of an enemy, but who couldn't bring himself to remove a dead mouse from a mousetrap, so threw out trap and all, a recluse who wrote reams of advice on writing to people he didn't know, for no pay.
> 
> An exasperating (and now controversial) figure. But still, there are the stories.



I'm actually just reading Lovecraft for the first time. I always liked Edgar Allen Poe and read most of his work so this has been excellent. I'm actually reading this book right now. It has a little paragraph before each story with some background and information and it's really interesting, the stories are very good.

In some of the early ones though, it's a little annoying when there's something horrific and the protagonist says they "can't describe it, it would jar the human mind, etc." So you have no idea what they're actually seeing or experiencing. An example of this is in the story, "The Statement of Randolph Carter." Harley Warren goes down into an underground cave/catacomb under a stone slab in a cemetery and you never learn what he's seeing except that, _"I can't tell you, Carter! It's too utterly beyond thought - I dare not tell you - no man could know it and live - Great God! I never dreamed of THIS!"_

I mean, ok great, he sees something horrific, but I feel like Lovecraft is just using his writing to put out this story without any ability to actually dream up what is so horrific. Maybe it's because this was an early story (December, 1919 according to the book) and he was still maturing as a writer, but it happens in a bunch of the stories I've read so far. I want the actual horror and want to know what's so unimaginable. 

I understand if maybe in one or two stories he wants you to use your imagination but even in this example, therest no real background to even give a hint of what the horror is other than a small book that Warren won't tell Carter anything about. If there was something to help plant the seed of the horror then it'd help my imagination a lot.


----------



## Ithilethiel

Erestor Arcamen said:


> I'm actually just reading Lovecraft for the first time. I always liked Edgar Allen Poe and read most of his work so this has been excellent. I'm actually reading this book right now. It has a little paragraph before each story with some background and information and it's really interesting, the stories are very good.
> 
> In some of those early ones, it's a little annoying when there's something horrific and the protagonist says they "can't describe it, it would jar the human mind, etc." so you have no idea what they're actually seeing or experiencing. An example of this is in the story, "The Statement of Randolph Carter." Harley Warren goes down into an underground cave/catacomb under a stone slab in a cemetery and you never learn what he's seeing except that, _"I can't tell you, Cater! It's too utterly beyond thought - I dare not tell you - no man could know it and live - Great God! I never dreamed of THIS!"_
> 
> I mean, ok great, he sees something horrific, but I feel like Lovecraft is just using his writing to put out this story without any ability to actually dream up what is so horrific. Maybe it's because this was an early story (December, 1919 according to the book) and he was still maturing as a writer, but it happens in a bunch of the stories I've read so far. I want the actual horror and want to know what's so unimaginable.



We demand to be _frozen!_


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## Squint-eyed Southerner

It's true, some of the earlier stories show that characteristic to a greater degree than later ones; by the time we get to "The Call of Cthulhu", HPL seems to start using more concrete imagery. But it still happens, even in late stories like "The Shadow Out of Time".

It's one of the reasons Lovecraft has been considered unfilmable: for instance, how do you show a city built using "non-Euclidean geometry"? Unless you have an unlimited CGI budget, which is unlikely, you're going to be stuck with pretty cheesy effects.

BTW -- Here's a favorite Lovecraft song:






It neatly encapsulates "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" in less than two minutes (so you may want to delay watching it until after you've read the story).

I sing it every Christmas!


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

I am now finally reading _The Hobbit. _I am on the chapter _Over Hill and Under Hill.
_
I am _really enjoying it!!!

_


CL


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## Erestor Arcamen

CirdanLinweilin said:


> I am now finally reading _The Hobbit. _I am on the chapter _Over Hill and Under Hill.
> _
> I am _really enjoying it!!!
> _
> 
> 
> CL



Awesome! Is this your first time reading it?


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Erestor Arcamen said:


> Awesome! Is this your first time reading it?



Yessir!



CL


----------



## Blueduindain

I'm Currently Reading _Darkwing_ by Kenneth Oppel It's a Prequel to the_ Silverwing_ Trilogy. It takes place many generations before the series, from the perspective of Dusk, who is the ancestor to Shade, the main protagonist of the trilogy. The book sets up forshadowing to the war that was mentioned at the beginning of the series; and explains how it started. It explains why war started,along side having themes of change, and embracing it. _Darkwing _explores being different, how it can suck;but it's okay because some people will accept you for who you are.


----------



## Thistle Bunce

Is it completely bad form in a topic like this to confess that I have not gone back to read all previous 82 pages of replies, and just jump in with my contribution? If so, apologies in advance.

I am currently in the middle of listening to the 'Burton and Swinburne' series of steampunk sci-fi novels by Mark Hodder. Actual historic events, seen through the triple lens of speculative cause and effect, time travel paradoxes, and the impact on a society of untrammeled scientific exploration. Some may see this as a cautionary tale, but it's not all that ponderously preachy, for the most part. I especially enjoy the interweaving of historical political figures (Rasputin, Queen Victoria et al) with literary figures, real and fictional. As this is a series that I have experienced only on audiobook, I find that my mental imagery of a world (or at least of Britain and Africa) filled to the brim with steampunk devices is fascinatingly horrifying. Not even a book jacket to influence my imagination, for good or ill.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Thistle Bunce said:


> Is it completely bad form in a topic like this to confess that I have not gone back to read all previous 82 pages of replies, and just jump in with my contribution?



In a thread like this?

Nah. No debate involved -- post away.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Thistle Bunce said:


> Is it completely bad form in a topic like this to confess that I have not gone back to read all previous 82 pages of replies, and just jump in with my contribution? If so, apologies in advance.


Go Wild.







CL


----------



## Starbrow

I'm reading Where the Red Fern Grows. If that's not an obvious sign I teach middle school students, I don't know what is.


----------



## Aithon

Rubicon by Tom Holland.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Aha! I started that one, but got sidetracked at some point. Got to dig it out again -- thanks for the reminder -- and welcome to the forum, Aithon!


----------



## Kinofnerdanel

Aithon said:


> Rubicon by Tom Holland.



Thank you! For some time past I've been looking for great books on Ancient Rome without much luck, since all I found were romantic novels and Quo vadis?, which turned out to be too biased to my taste. But now I have my eyes set on Rubicon.


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## Squint-eyed Southerner

Just keep in mind that it's history, not a novel -- though there _are_ a number of "non-romance" historical novels around; those by Rosemary Sutcliffe come to mind -- I'd certainly recommend "Eagle of the Ninth".


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

I'm now reading more by my second favorite author, Brandon Sanderson. So far I've read the Mistborn Trilogy, the Alloy of Law and Elantris. Now I'm reading the novellas that go along with the novels I've read, in this collection. 

His Cosmere is going to be a bigger universe than even Tolkien's when he's done and his writing is amazing. He goes into such good detail and keeps you hanging on throughout the book. I haven't read a book or novella by him I don't like so far.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

I'm reading The Silmarillion  having previously given up on it many years ago. This time I am really enjoying it. Also The Earth by Richard Fortey which is a kind of geology textbook as travel book; quite stretching.


----------



## Kinofnerdanel

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Just keep in mind that it's history, not a novel -- though there _are_ a number of "non-romance" historical novels around; those by Rosemary Sutcliffe come to mind -- I'd certainly recommend "Eagle of the Ninth".



Thank you! But some sites state it is a novel for children.


Rivendell_librarian said:


> I'm reading The Silmarillion  having previously given up on it many years ago. This time I am really enjoying it. Also The Earth by Richard Fortey which is a kind of geology textbook as travel book; quite stretching.



Someone said that The Silmarillion is for those who have already read it at least once  (I'm also reading it now in English! Good luck though, you are about to enter the hardcore part of the fandom. It is totally worth it.)


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Yes, "Eagle" was promoted and sold as a "children's book". I believe that had more to do with the vagaries of the book industry of the time; books had to be jammed into "categories", whether or not they fit. I can only say that I read it as an adult, and found it gripping, along with the others in the series.

A parallel that comes to mind is Andre Norton, whose early SF and Fantasy novels were sold as "Juveniles"; that category has been renamed "Young Adult", I suppose to make it sound less, um, "juvenile", and so more appealing to teenagers; but the novels themselves remain the same. I indeed read Norton as a teen, but I've since reread a number of them, and was just as entertained as the first time. In fact "Shadow Hawk", her historical novel about ancient Egypt, remains my favorite piece of fiction set in that era.

So unless you insist on a lot of sex in your historical fiction (something I doubt), I still think you should give Sutcliff a try.


----------



## Ithilethiel

Am currently reading too many books on teaching theory but I've been able to squeeze in one guilty pleasure, _Alexander Hamilton The Formative Years _by Hamilton scholar Michael E. Newton who I've had the pleasure to have met! I'm in heaven...

Hope all my friends on TTF are doing well!


----------



## Balin Fundinul

I'm reading "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers". One of the best books I've ever read.


----------



## Pengolodh

Tackling _The Hobbit _in Spanish at the moment (as a way to improve my Spanish, mostly - I am _not_ fluent!), and have also finally got around to starting Hugh MacLennan's _Two Solitudes_. And every so often reading a chapter of _The Silmarillion _with my partner (who is a fantasy fan but had never read it, and so we settled on reading it together because then I can answer all the inevitable questions about names, places, and pronunciation!)


----------



## Miguel

Pengolodh said:


> Tackling _The Hobbit _in Spanish at the moment (as a way to improve my Spanish, mostly - I am _not_ fluent!), and have also finally got around to starting Hugh MacLennan's _Two Solitudes_. And every so often reading a chapter of _The Silmarillion _with my partner (who is a fantasy fan but had never read it, and so we settled on reading it together because then I can answer all the inevitable questions about names, places, and pronunciation!)









_Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age:_


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

As I've previously posted in this thread, *Brandon Sanderson* is my favorite modern author. I can't get enough of any of his writing. His world building is genius and every book, short story and novella of his that I've read has been a page turner for me. So far, I've read:

The Mist Born books 1-6
Elantris
Warbreaker
Arcanum Unbound - All except for Edgedancer since it is part of the Stormlight Archive, which I just started.

I've read everything in *the Cosmere* except for T*he Stormlight Archive*, which I'm happy to say I started last night! So I'm currently reading *The Way of Kings*. If you're looking for epic fantasy and amazing world building, I can't recommend Sanderson enough.


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## The ringbearer

Im read lord of the rings in the second time, but I also have to read The Children of Hurin, Tales From a Perilous Realm, Do Android Dream Of Electric Sheep, The Yard, Robopocalypse, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and The Robots Of Dawn


----------



## Lych92

The Inheritance by C. Paolini. Felt like a drag tbh as I felt I no longer have any interests in finding out how it ends... Although I more or less knew how it ended already, so eh man!


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Not really reading anything but I finished _The Hobbit_!


CL


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## Erestor Arcamen

Words of Radiance - Book 2 of the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. This series is probably one of the best fantasy series I've ever read.


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## CirdanLinweilin

_Ahsoka _by E.K Johnston, in the Star Wars Universe.


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## Squint-eyed Southerner

Based on the real Ashoka?


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## CirdanLinweilin

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Based on the real Ashoka?


Oh, no, or at least I don't know, it's the Canon Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, (and she has earned her place as one of the best Star Wars characters). This is her after surviving Order 66 and dealing with the Empire.


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## Squint-eyed Southerner

I gave up after Episode I, so I don't know what any of that means, but cool!


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## CirdanLinweilin

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> I gave up after Episode I, so I don't know what any of that means, but cool!


Thanks!



CL


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## Olorgando

A rather heavy-weather tome (over 750 pages) by Swiss Catholic theologian Hans Küng, the 5th volume of his (projected, I'm guessing) 24-volume collected works. It centers on his provocative (to some) 1970 book "Infallible? An Inquiry" (English translation 1971). This 1970 book ultimately led to his being stripped, in late 1979, of his missio canonica, his license to teach as a Roman Catholic theologian, but he carried on teaching as a tenured professor of ecumenical theology at the University of Tübingen until his retirement in 1996. _(The Roman “Catholic” church has not really recovered from the backlash on that decision to the present day.)_


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Olorgando said:


> A rather heavy-weather tome (over 750 pages) by Swiss Catholic theologian Hans Küng, the 5th volume of his (projected, I'm guessing) 24-volume collected works. It centers on his provocative (to some) 1970 book "Infallible? An Inquiry" (English translation 1971). This 1970 book ultimately led to his being stripped, in late 1979, of his missio canonica, his license to teach as a Roman Catholic theologian, but he carried on teaching as a tenured professor of ecumenical theology at the University of Tübingen until his retirement in 1996. _(The Roman “Catholic” church has not really recovered from the backlash on that decision to the present day.)_


Yeah, because we're kinda dealing with other ones.


Still, I have not heard of this guy from manners, but he probably didn't teach much in the way of faithful teaching.


CL


----------



## Olorgando

CirdanLinweilin said:


> Still, I have not heard of this guy from manners, but he probably didn't teach much in the way of faithful teaching.


You can find an extensive article on him, Hans Küng, in the English-language Wikipedia.
He was appointed a _peritus_ (expert theological advisor) to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) at its beginning by Pope John XXIII, like his colleague Joseph Ratzinger, the later Pope Benedict XVI. He is very ecumenically minded, with sympathies for Protestantism (and other religions), but is highly critical of the First Vatican Council (1868-1870, adjourned without having finished its agenda). What specifically induced him to write that 1970 "Inquiry" was Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical _Humanae vitae_ about birth control.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Olorgando said:


> You can find an extensive article on him, Hans Küng, in the English-language Wikipedia.
> He was appointed a _peritus_ (expert theological advisor) to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) at its beginning by Pope John XXIII, like his colleague Joseph Ratzinger, the later Pope Benedict XVI. He is very ecumenically minded, with sympathies for Protestantism (and other religions), but is highly critical of the First Vatican Council (1868-1870, adjourned without having finished its agenda). What specifically induced him to write that 1970 "Inquiry" was Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical _Humanae vitae_ about birth control.


Gotcha, thanks.


CL


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Recently finished _The Hobbit _and _The Ascent of Man_ by Jaob Bronowski: watching the 1970s TV series on DVD. This was a personal view of the History of Science. Other blockbuster documentaries at this time were Clarke's Civilisation and Cooke's America. 

There are some standout visuals in The Ascent of Man. One was filming from a tram on the route Einstein would have used on the way to work, There was a tower with a clock behind the tram visible through the back window - and Bronowski described Einstein's thought experiment about what you would see if riding on a beam of light. The more famous one is Bronowski scooping up the mud from a mass grave in Auschwitz - apparently this was spontaneous with only one take. Some of the science is out of date now and the production values are dated, but it's still a remarkable documentary series.


----------



## The ringbearer

I'm reading now _the hitchhiker's guid to the galaxy ... _When I will finish this I will read _The two towers _


----------



## Olorgando

The ringbearer said:


> I'm reading now _the hitchhiker's guid to the galaxy … _


I quite quickly became a Douglas Adams nerd almost as badly - but nothing really compares to JRRT - as soon as I bought "Hitchhiker", "Restaurant" and "Life" in German translation in one raid on my favorite local bookstore. I then went on something of a "completist rampage" that kept the folks at said store on their toes - including one gaffe that made it necessary to re-visit the store to rectify (I kept the "wrong book" anyway). I'm still missing the book that Adams was most fervent about, the 1990 "Last Chance to See" co-authored with (zoologist and) photographer Mark Carwardine about endangered species. Not what his "fans" were expecting, to his disappointment.

I'm guessing that I have just now probably fallen into a typical nerd trap. You are reading the first book, which gave that entire fantasy cosmos its name? Not the following five, four of which Adams wrote himself, and the family-approved sixth volume "And Another Thing …" from 2009 written by Eoin Colfer (appropriately subtitled "Part Six of Three" - Adams himself had been making jokes when books four and five had broken the "trilogy" mold - started by some obscure Oxford Professor whose tome actually *wasn't* one …)


----------



## Olorgando

More on topic: just finished that brick of a book I mentioned in earlier posts here. Things are not going to get "better" in ease of reading with the one I ordered together with the previous one and will now start reading. A kind of "Old Testament" for a specific demographic, almost exclusively one from University circles, and specifically economists:

Adam Smith's 1776 (!!!) book "The Wealth Of Nations" in original (not a German translation - some of these seem to have been defective in a non-trivial sense). I have noticed that in topics that are controversial, both sides of an argument (but one especially) have indulged in more or less extreme forms of "cherry-picking" of "ancient texts" to "prove" their point of view. The extreme form of such "cherry-picking" is taking quotes entirely out of context. Like when an author quotes another's statements, then taking that point to launch on a massive destruction of it. The "cherry-pickers" point to that quote of an author they don't agree with in 99% of his (very few hers in such arguments) of the time, but ignore by selective "quotation" that this author proceeded to run the quoted argument through a massive shredder. I have become seriously not amused by such lying tactics.


----------



## The ringbearer

Olorgando said:


> I quite quickly became a Douglas Adams nerd almost as badly - but nothing really compares to JRRT - as soon as I bought "Hitchhiker", "Restaurant" and "Life" in German translation in one raid on my favorite local bookstore. I then went on something of a "completist rampage" that kept the folks at said store on their toes - including one gaffe that made it necessary to re-visit the store to rectify (I kept the "wrong book" anyway). I'm still missing the book that Adams was most fervent about, the 1990 "Last Chance to See" co-authored with (zoologist and) photographer Mark Carwardine about endangered species. Not what his "fans" were expecting, to his disappointment.
> 
> I'm guessing that I have just now probably fallen into a typical nerd trap. You are reading the first book, which gave that entire fantasy cosmos its name? Not the following five, four of which Adams wrote himself, and the family-approved sixth volume "And Another Thing …" from 2009 written by Eoin Colfer (appropriately subtitled "Part Six of Three" - Adams himself had been making jokes when books four and five had broken the "trilogy" mold - started by some obscure Oxford Professor whose tome actually *wasn't* one …)





Olorgando said:


> I quite quickly became a Douglas Adams nerd almost as badly - but nothing really compares to JRRT - as soon as I bought "Hitchhiker", "Restaurant" and "Life" in German translation in one raid on my favorite local bookstore. I then went on something of a "completist rampage" that kept the folks at said store on their toes - including one gaffe that made it necessary to re-visit the store to rectify (I kept the "wrong book" anyway). I'm still missing the book that Adams was most fervent about, the 1990 "Last Chance to See" co-authored with (zoologist and) photographer Mark Carwardine about endangered species. Not what his "fans" were expecting, to his disappointment.
> 
> I'm guessing that I have just now probably fallen into a typical nerd trap. You are reading the first book, which gave that entire fantasy cosmos its name? Not the following five, four of which Adams wrote himself, and the family-approved sixth volume "And Another Thing …" from 2009 written by Eoin Colfer (appropriately subtitled "Part Six of Three" - Adams himself had been making jokes when books four and five had broken the "trilogy" mold - started by some obscure Oxford Professor whose tome actually *wasn't* one …)


I'm reading all the series (five books), but right now i'm reading the first book


----------



## Olorgando

The ringbearer said:


> I'm reading all the series (five books), but right now i'm reading the first book


I "only" bought the first three books in translation because book four "So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish", being quite different from the other four books Adams actually wrote in the series, was not available. Book five was, but the German title (this kind of garbage also happens when either American or English books cross to the opposite shore of the Atlantic Ocean (not named for the Plato book abort, rather the other way around), when otherwise useless parasites (aka "executives") seem to feel the need to justify their exorbitant salaries) made me doubt that it was a legit Adams book. And in my opinion Eoin Colfer's (rather thicker than the other five) sixth book is at least on a par with those written by Adams himself.


----------



## Olorgando

I have now started off on Adam Smith's 1776 (!!!) book "The Wealth Of Nations". Looks quite promising. But at least the occasional sentence, as was the norm back then, would definitely explode the limits that I am aware of for SMS (dinosaur technology, or necro, in S-eS's terminology) and Twitter (though anything about the latter is pure speculation on my part).


----------



## Halasían

Re-reading Glen Cook's *The Black Company*


----------



## Olorgando

Re-reading Kenneth C. Davis's "Don't know much about mythology: …" in the German translation, ©2006 (original ©2005). It was the fourth book in his "Don't know much …" series which he started in 1992 (though it took German publishers a while to catch on, as that was only translated in 2000 - at the same time as Davis's 1998 second book). I have all four now, ordering the three older ones quite quickly after having first read the fourth one.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

I've just finished Arthur C Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey.

It helps to understand the film better

plusses:
ingenious, inventive story
descriptions of space and space travel
negative:
cardboard characters
female characters all unimportant

But the plusses far outweigh the negatives and the ending leaves you nicely suspended in space.


----------



## Olorgando

Rivendell_librarian said:


> I've just finished Arthur C Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
> ...
> But the plusses far outweigh the negatives and the ending leaves you nicely suspended in space.


In space, yes … but Discovery is orbiting Saturn's moon Japetus, not between Jupiter's moons Europa and Io.
Probably confusing to first-time readers (I know it confused me). Clarke, in his later books (2010 O2, 2061 O3 and 3001 Final O) switched to Jupiter as in the film.
And the lack of women spacefarers is probably due to the film and book predating the first moon landing in 1969. This also changed with Clarke's three later Odyssey books.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

I was thinking of the Star Child contemplating earth as being suspended in space.

One apparent difference.

In the film Dave Bowman seems to age slowly and die in his odd hotel room but this is much quicker in the book.


----------



## Olorgando

Rivendell_librarian said:


> I was thinking of the Star Child contemplating earth as being suspended in space.
> 
> One apparent difference.
> 
> In the film Dave Bowman seems to age slowly and die in his odd hotel room but this is much quicker in the book.


We have something of a "Council of Elrond" thing here, with part 6 of the book "Through the Star Gate", "chapters" 41 to 47, covering 28 pages. Doing this "by the book" would have used up a lot of film footage, So while some things, as you mentioned, were a bit drawn out, much was compressed - with the old saw "a picture is worth 1000 words" helping.
Only "2010 O2" from 1982 was also filmed, in 1984, starring Roy Scheider. There too, some things described extensively in the book were shortened severely for the film. But at leas they (mostly) stayed away from trying to "improve" their book source … 😒


----------



## Ithilethiel

I'm reading three books, Victor David Hanson's, "A War Like No Other," Phillip E. Johnson's, "Darwin on Trial" and "The Abolition of Man" by C.S. Lewis.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner




----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> View attachment 6228


Most relatable title ever.



CL


----------



## Olorgando

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> View attachment 6228





CirdanLinweilin said:


> Most relatable title ever.
> CL


Which I can recycle immediately … cause I don't either … 🤯


----------



## Starbrow

It's the season for A Christmas Carol.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

_Fellowship of the Ring,_ actually.






CL


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Just finished an interesting biography of C S Lewis by Oxford theologian Alister McGrath: recommended.

To go with reading this book I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - and really enjoyed it.

It's not The Hobbit or the LOTR and it's more a book for children but as Lewis says in his dedication to his god-daughter, Lucy Barfield, as you get older you find you "can read fairy stories again". I especially liked the description of the rapid onset of spring which marked the end of the Witch's winter hold on Narnia.


----------



## GrandeMeal

I'm reading The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Both are good so far. It's very interesting to read about the friends of Tolkien and how they influenced one another.


----------



## Olorgando

GrandeMeal said:


> I'm reading The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings ... It's very interesting to read about the friends of Tolkien and how they influenced one another.


For the Inklings, I very much recommend the book by JRRT's official biographer, Humphrey Carpenter, "The Inklings" from 1978. It concentrates on the three "major Inklings", C.S. Lewis (the "gravitational center"), JRRT and Charles Williams. Carpenter mentions that there have been several writings on this supposed influencing each other, but concludes that any actual influence had been rather in a single direction. While JRRT and Lewis were Oxford dons, Williams worked for the Oxford University Press in their London offices. He and his colleagues had moved to Oxford in September 1939 due to WW II. Williams and Lewis had first made contact a bit over three years before. By the time Williams moved to London in 1939, he was 53 years old, while JRRT was 47 and C.S. Lewis not quite 41. The two older men, for several reasons besides their greater age, were not the types to be influenced easily - least of all by Lewis. Lewis at least once commented explicitly on this being difficult with regard to JRRT. The other way around, JRRT once commented that Lewis "was a very impressionable man". One indication of this, and Lewis shifting his "allegiance", can be seen in the discrepancy between the first two books of his science fiction "Cosmic (or "Space") Trilogy", "Out of the Silent Planet" from 1938 and "Perelandra" (also titled "Voyage to Venus") from 1943. While the third volume "That Hideous Strength" from 1945 is much closer in publication date to "Perelandra" than that to the first book, the third one differs from the first two in almost every conceivable way. Not in the least that THS, at just over 400 pages (in my single-volume paperback) is longer than OOTSP (144 pages) and P/VTV (200 pages) combined. Don't let that middle book's publication date fool you. Lewis wrote fast, and, to shift to his better-known publication, "The Chronicles of Narnia", he had finished that long before sensible publishers actually brought those seven books to the market. And during WW II, publication of books (every conceivable thing was rationed in the UK during that time, not the least paper) was on a way-back burner.


----------



## GrandeMeal

@Olorgando thank you for the recommendation & thoughts on this. I just bought Carpenter's book from Amazon and will be reading that next. I'll let you know what I think.


----------



## Aldarion

I am currently reading John Haldon - _The Empire That Would Not Die_. Quite an interesting read on Byzantine ablity to survive... and also rather illuminating on how Gondor could have managed the same feat during the Third Age.


----------



## Olorgando

GrandeMeal said:


> @Olorgando thank you for the recommendation & thoughts on this. I just bought Carpenter's book from Amazon and will be reading that next. I'll let you know what I think.


I do not think Carpenter to be faultless (I do not think this about any of the authors writing about JRRT whose books I own), but certainly worth reading.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

I was annoyed by his specfic in the Tolkien bio. And some of the lacunae in the Letters -- I would especially have liked to read the Professor's full -- and hilarious! -- response to the Zimmerman treatment.


----------



## Miguel

Altered Carbon.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

I finished Words of Radiance, Book 2 of the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson, finally. I go through lulls where I'll read for weeks straight and then I go a while without reading so it takes me some time sometimes to finish a book. Before I start Book 3, I'm reading Blue Moon by Lee Child for something that's not fantasy/sci-fi.








Blue Moon (Jack Reacher, #24)


“This is a random universe,” Reacher says. “Once in a blue moon things turn out just right.” This isn’t one of those times. Reacher i...



www.goodreads.com





Any of my fellow GoodReads members, feel free to add me as a friend https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/18247300-patrick.


----------



## Olorgando

Humphrey Carpenter's 1978 "tri-biography" "The Inklings" (something re-read).


----------



## Starbrow

I just finished reading _The Fifth Season_ by N. K. Jemisin. It was a Christmas gift from my niece (also a Tolkien fan). It was a good read and now I have to get the rest of the books in the series.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Currently reading The Haunting of Hill House, for something different.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Ooh -- read that as a kid! Ever seen the original movie?


----------



## Olorgando

Tom Shippey's 2000 "J.R.R. Tolkien - Author of the Century" (also a re-read).


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Ooh -- read that as a kid! Ever seen the original movie?
> 
> View attachment 6344



Nope, maybe I should. I didn't watch the Netflix series yet either but heard it was good.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

_Joan of Arc _by Mark Twain.

CL


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

_Dune_ by Frank Herbert


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Just getting into Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

The first few chapters describe the life and character of the Bishop of Digne, his sister and housekeeper. This is the bishop who fed and put up Jean Valjean for the night after he had been rejected by the rest of the town ... and allowed himto keep the silverware he stole adding the two silver candlesticks. Hugo describes him and his household beautifully before Valjean arrives. It is very well written.


----------



## Olorgando

Re-reading Tom Shippey's 2003 revised and expanded 3rd edition of his seminal book "The Road to Middle-earth", which I had ordered in April of last year.
This one concentrates on the aspect of JRRT being one of the leading philologists of the English language of the 20th century, something many critics, even those sympathetic to LoTR and his other works, seem to have serious trouble getting into their numbskulls.
"Author of the Century", which I mentioned above, has a different approach, showing that JRRT was very much a modern (though definitely not "modern*ist*") author of the 20th century, a point also made forcefully by Verlyn Flieger in her 1997 "A Question of Time".


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Speaking of whom, I just started reading Flieger and Anderson's edition of On Fairy-stories. Interesting information -- for instance, I wasn't aware that no copy survives of the lecture as originally presented.


----------



## Olorgando

Currently in chapter 8 of Shippey's 2003 3rd edition of "The Road to Middle-earth". This is the one he revised most massively due to criticism by Flieger of "_furor allegoricus_" about JRRT's last self-published shortish story "Smith of Wootton Major" (1967). Wiki states that there is a 2005 edited edition by Verlyn Flieger - but I've had problems ordering another of her books before. Flieger does qualify her criticism (to her credit), because the surviving commentary on "Smith" by JRRT himself that she quotes does not settle the matter. She quotes JRRT's flat statement "This short tale is not allegory." But them _he himself_ immediately qualifies this statement by saying "though it is capable of course of allegorical interpretation at certain points.", and actually provides an example himself. Flieger herself concludes that in this commentary by JRRT he is conducting "a running argument with himself on the question of whether the story is or is not an allegory" - without coming to a decision.


----------



## LikenessofLuthien

I'm reading "The Enchanted" , book four of the Gateway Chronicles.


----------



## Halasían

LikenessofLuthien said:


> I'm reading "The Enchanted" , book four of the Gateway Chronicles.


How are you finding that series Luthien?


----------



## Olorgando

Edward Snowden's autobiography.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Olorgando said:


> Edward Snowden's autobiography.


I need to read that.


CL


----------



## Olorgando

CirdanLinweilin said:


> I need to read that.
> CL


I'm about halfway through, and I definitely recommend it.


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Olorgando said:


> I'm about halfway through, and I definitely recommend it.


Cool.





CL


----------



## Olorgando

CirdanLinweilin said:


> Cool.
> CL


Close to the end now. *I may have to go offline … *

Nah. I'm too old and cynical for that. But the NSA may be prowling this thread since my posting the words "Edward Snowden" above. Psychopaths.

Do we have a thingy appropriate for my comment? Not with fingers (one - US - or two - UK) - so I'll go with 💩


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Finished Dune, it was excellent. Before I start anything big I'm going through my kindle library and reading some of the older, free books I found on Amazon that are in the public domain. Currently reading The Wendigo by Algernon Blackwood, it's < 100 pages and isn't bad so far.


----------



## Starbrow

I'm rereading LOTR for the zillionth time.😁


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Starting The Martian by Anthony Weir tomorrow.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Well be careful -- "they" are watching:









Fan of sci-fi? Psychologists have you in their sights


Psychologists have stigmatised science fiction fans as losers who retreat into fantasy worlds. This is unfair.




www.google.com


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Well be careful -- "they" are watching:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fan of sci-fi? Psychologists have you in their sights
> 
> 
> Psychologists have stigmatised science fiction fans as losers who retreat into fantasy worlds. This is unfair.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.google.com


Oh dear.






CL


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Well be careful -- "they" are watching:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fan of sci-fi? Psychologists have you in their sights
> 
> 
> Psychologists have stigmatised science fiction fans as losers who retreat into fantasy worlds. This is unfair.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.google.com



lol they can watch all they want, I'll read what I want.


----------



## Olorgando

Erestor Arcamen said:


> lol they can watch all they want, I'll read what I want.


_*GROAN*_
Read stuff on wood-pulp-based "media", people, it is absolutely hacker- and spy-proof!!!!!


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Olorgando said:


> _*GROAN*_
> Read stuff on wood-pulp-based "media", people, it is absolutely hacker- and spy-proof!!!!!



I do read on paper. I think out of my last 10 books, 1 was digital. I prefer to either borrow from the library or buy at my local bookshop.


----------



## Olorgando

Erestor Arcamen said:


> Starting The Martian by Anthony Weir tomorrow.





Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Well be careful -- "they" are watching:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Fan of sci-fi? Psychologists have you in their sights
> 
> 
> Psychologists have stigmatised science fiction fans as losers who retreat into fantasy worlds. This is unfair.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.google.com





Erestor Arcamen said:


> lol they can watch all they want, I'll read what I want.





Olorgando said:


> _*GROAN*_
> Read stuff on wood-pulp-based "media", people, it is absolutely hacker- and spy-proof!!!!!





Erestor Arcamen said:


> I do read on paper. I think out of my last 10 books, 1 was digital. I prefer to either borrow from the library or buy at my local bookshop.


Good thing, imo. But you must remember that I am an Internet troglodyte (or Australopithecus or whatever). S-eS's above post got my alarm bells ringing ...
_(so, as has become tradition - at least I've tried to *establish* it as a tradition for myself - it's S-eS's fault! 😁 )_


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Hey -- that was humor! (maybe should be in quotation marks, admittedly).

If you want paranoia, just keep in mind "they" can also track your purchases. 😧


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

I'm reading Fantasy, Myth and the Measure of Truth by William gray (sections on MacDonald, Tolkien, Lewis and Pullman)

Also for fiction: Maigret and the Calame Report


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Hey -- that was humor! (maybe should be in quotation marks, admittedly).
> 
> If you want paranoia, just keep in mind "they" can also track your purchases. 😧



"They" can and probably are also tracking your forum posts 😱


----------



## Olorgando

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> If you want paranoia, just keep in mind "they" can also track your purchases. 😧


An, nope! Just like 99% plus of my reading is wood-pulp based (the longest thing I have ever read online was the essay by Northrop Frye that you were so kind as to provide a link to in another thread), same goes for my purchases: 99% plus cash. And the monotonous drone of a question by all cashiers "do you have a payback card?" gets my at least equally hardheaded drone of an answer "no!".


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner




----------



## Olorgando

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> View attachment 6490


I like to imagine that ol' Obi-wan could have used his abilities with The Force to send all of the server farms of these governmental or private-industry snoops up in flames.


----------



## Olorgando

Back on topic, I'm now reading a German book from 2019 by archeogeneticist Johannes Krause together with scientific journalist Thomas Trappe, titled "The Journey of our Genes" (my translation; original title "Die Reise unserer Gene") dealing mainly with what (archeo-) genetics can currently tell us about the genetic pool in Europe (and western Asia), and how it developed from pre-Neanderthal times of over 400 000 years ago.


----------



## TrackerOrc

Currently re-reading the Discworld novels, plus the Jack Aubrey novels of Patrick O'Brian (which I think are often referred to as the Aubriad).


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Two great series!

I picked up a (fairly) recent edition of Horace's Odes, and am trying to read a couple every night.


----------



## Barliman

Tin Cans, about destroyers in WWII and Atlantic Nightmare: The Longest Military Campaign in WWII


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

The Shining by Stephen King. I figure we're in isolation so no better time


----------



## Olorgando

After having re-read the biographies of Einstein and Darwin by one of our better journalists-turned-authors (these people all seem to have PhDs or at least master's degrees in one of the sciences), now re-reading a book by late former Social Democratic chancellor Helmut Schmidt, from 1996, about quite a few people he had the privilege (his words) to get to know, and some that he never knew personally but still exerted an influence on him - even a couple he terms enemies, but who sharpened his thinking, sharp enough from his earliest involvement in politics in the early 1950s.


----------



## Phuc Do

The witcher book, chronicles of Amber, The burning white and re-reading Wheel of Time, currently on book 8.


----------



## Starbrow

Gifted Hands, the autobiography of Ben Carson


----------



## Alice

I read several books at the same time. Now it is 7 and 10 volumes of HoME, rereading LOTR from my new hardcover edition and Tolkien Companion also


----------



## Sir Eowyn

Lolita. Also working my way through H. P. Lovecraft, complete fiction.


----------



## Alice

Sir Eowyn said:


> Lolita. Also working my way through H. P. Lovecraft, complete fiction.



Wow. And do you like Lolita or haven't decided yet? I've read both in English and in Russian. Nabokov has an unchanging style


----------



## Sir Eowyn

Alice Alice said:


> Wow. And do you like Lolita or haven't decided yet? I've read both in English and in Russian. Nabokov has an unchanging style



I must confess I adore Lolita. That style he's got, and the harrowing tunnel he goes down with it... 

Sadly, I can't read Russian. You're lucky.


----------



## Alice

Sir Eowyn said:


> I must confess I adore Lolita. That style he's got, and the harrowing tunnel he goes down with it...
> 
> Sadly, I can't read Russian. You're lucky.



I felt jealous of ones to whom English is the first language. But when you know two languages there are much more opportunities for reading


----------



## Olorgando

Alice Alice said:


> I felt jealous of ones to whom English is the first language. But when you know two languages there are much more opportunities for reading


I can second that with two languages wholeheartedly. And I was lucky to grow up speaking German and English simultaneously, as my parents and I spent the first 19 years of my life basically in English-speaking foreign countries. And I have one book by JRRT edited by Christopher, the 2007 "The Children of Húrin", in German translation and English original (after having bought the German translation at a rather run-of-the-mill bookshop, I popped over to a more specialized one across the street to order the English original). Having read these two in a short period of time, practically back-to-back, I noticed the difficulty of translating "Silmarillion stuff" into German. We do have a German translation of LoTR that I have read, which I bought for my wife over 20, perhaps over 30 years ago. But I never read the English and German versions shortly after one another, so I don't have that kind of a comparison.

Now German and English have common roots (English being more closely related to the northern German dialects than to south German Bavarian or Swabian). Of course English was polluted by that Latin-derived stuff from Normandy  , but there are still many similarities. But the "Silmarillion" stuff with its almost consistently archaic language is definitely difficult to translate. Even for the less demanding LoTR, I have this general feeling that the many language subtleties that JRRT was capable of and employed (again something the obtuse among his critics failed to grasp) get "lost in translation". Words can have several meanings or, more difficult, allusions. And while the may be an overlap between the meanings of these word in both language, the crucial one might just happen to be one that does not occur in the other language - this would be German.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Tolkien tried to limit his language to "Anglo-Saxon" -- i.e., Old English-derived usages, as much as possible, over French-influenced wording.

An amusing example of his difficulties with this appears in an early draft of Chapter 1, in the scene where Bilbo leaves Bag End. The original has Gandalf saying:

_'Adieu, my dear Bilbo. Or at least, Au Revoir.'_

This was struck through, with a note reading: "No. Gandalf would not speak French".


----------



## Alice

Olorgando said:


> I can second that with two languages wholeheartedly. And I was lucky to grow up speaking German and English simultaneously, as my parents and I spent the first 19 years of my life basically in English-speaking foreign countries. And I have one book by JRRT edited by Christopher, the 2007 "The Children of Húrin", in German translation and English original (after having bought the German translation at a rather run-of-the-mill bookshop, I popped over to a more specialized one across the street to order the English original). Having read these two in a short period of time, practically back-to-back, I noticed the difficulty of translating "Silmarillion stuff" into German. We do have a German translation of LoTR that I have read, which I bought for my wife over 20, perhaps over 30 years ago. But I never read the English and German versions shortly after one another, so I don't have that kind of a comparison.
> 
> Now German and English have common roots (English being more closely related to the northern German dialects than to south German Bavarian or Swabian). Of course English was polluted by that Latin-derived stuff from Normandy  , but there are still many similarities. But the "Silmarillion" stuff with its almost consistently archaic language is definitely difficult to translate. Even for the less demanding LoTR, I have this general feeling that the many language subtleties that JRRT was capable of and employed (again something the obtuse among his critics failed to grasp) get "lost in translation". Words can have several meanings or, more difficult, allusions. And while the may be an overlap between the meanings of these word in both language, the crucial one might just happen to be one that does not occur in the other language - this would be German.



Oh, I tried to learn German in secondary school, but my effort was not successful. And I regret about that a bit. Wow, it's very nice, that you had an opportunity to learn English so effectively. It is an immeasurable pleasure, when you can read books, watch movies, listen to music and understand the original language of it. It is English in the most cases nowadays. But many people don't pay attention to it, so in real life I have no one to talk about that

And Russian is much far away from English, so it is more hopeless to translate Tolkien's books into that. I used to wish to make a translation of the Hobbit, but abandoned this idea


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

I'm reading Hugo's Les Miserables in stages. I did get through the Hunchback of Notre Dame a while ago but struggled with it.
But I'm finding Les Miserables so much better - a French War and Peace. The first section about the Bishop of Digne is so well written and significant for the whole story - laying down the moral backbone as it were on which the story hangs. It's a shame the film and TV versions don't include this early section - too religious I suppose.


----------



## Alice

Rivendell_librarian said:


> I'm reading Hugo's Les Miserables in stages. I did get through the Hunchback of Notre Dame a while ago but struggled with it.
> But I'm finding Les Miserables so much better - a French War and Peace. The first section about the Bishop of Digne is so well written and significant for the whole story - laying down the moral backbone as it were on which the story hangs. It's a shame the film and TV versions don't include this early section - too religious I suppose.



Oh, does Les Miserables resemble War and Peace? I used to like War and Peace when was at school, and at the same time I loved Hugo's Notre Dame. So I just wonder


----------



## Sir Eowyn

Yes, one thing I love about English is its shameless hybrid nature... it can be concrete like the Germanic tongues and sleek like the French, whatever's required. It's all I know how to fluently speak... I'm Canadian, but almost entirely working-class English in origins. Both sides of the family spoke some variation of Yorkshire for the last thousand years, and my tongue has trouble going outside that. They taught us French for six years in school and I came away knowing none of it... later taught myself, from books, enough to get by. I can get the gist of French, but not the nuances, really.

Alice Alice, I recently had to put down a translation of Dostoevsky... could sense there was something tremendous behind it but translation just couldn't bridge me there, not entirely. Got frustrated, picked up some Kerouac.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Alice Alice said:


> Oh, does Les Miserables resemble War and Peace? I used to like War and Peace when was at school, and at the same time I loved Hugo's Notre Dame. So I just wonder



Well the beginning of book 2 of Les Miserables is a description of the Battle of Waterloo along with a discussion of its historical significance so there's a distinct parallel with Tolstoy's description of Borodino and discussion of his theory of history in the appendix. LM doesn't have as large number of characters of W&P and they don't have the Russian habit of the same characters having different names depending on the context! Hugo is more explicitly Christian in his moralising but not excessively so.

Hugo can be quite clever and subtle. For instance, when the bishop of Digne first arrives he quickly exchanges his large palace for the smaller hospital attached to his cathedral - inverting the account of the building of the Temple and Palace by Solomon. This foreshadows the key action of letting Valjean keep the silverware he steals.


----------



## Alice

Rivendell_librarian said:


> Well the beginning of book 2 of Les Miserables is a description of the Battle of Waterloo along with a discussion of its historical significance so there's a distinct parallel with Tolstoy's description of Borodino and discussion of his theory of history in the appendix. LM doesn't have as large number of characters of W&P and they don't have the Russian habit of the same characters having different names depending on the context! Hugo is more explicitly Christian in his moralising but not excessively so.
> 
> Hugo can be quite clever and subtle. For instance, when the bishop of Digne first arrives he quickly exchanges his large palace for the smaller hospital attached to his cathedral - inverting the account of the building of the Temple and Palace by Solomon. This foreshadows the key action of letting Valjean keep the silverware he steals.



Thanks for your answer. Now I want to read Hugo's epic. And can you tell, what do you think of War and Peace as an epic? I mean, is it interesting to read. I'm just willing to know, what people think of Russian classics and of War and Peace as a symbol of it


----------



## Sir Eowyn

I really adore Victor Hugo... he first gave me the courage, writer-wise, to go off on whatever tangents, not worry about it.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

I have read War and Peace. It took a while and the large number of characters made it difficult at times. I found a useful web-page that listed them with their alternative names that helped a lot. What Tolstoy does, arguably better than other novelists, is take you into the mind of each main character in turn. And he does create some wonderful believable characters. Yes, Hugo and Tolstoy do both go off on tangents but I like them. I got the impression that Hugo was a Bonapartist (not a royalist!) who accepted Bonaparte's time had come at Waterloo. And Bonaparte also features strongly in War and Peace. Living now rather than then it is hard to appreciate how important Bonaparte was in Europe and Russia in the early 19th century


----------



## Ealdwyn

Rivendell_librarian said:


> I have read War and Peace. It took a while and the large number of characters made it difficult at times. I found a useful web-page that listed them with their alternative names that helped a lot.


I've tried (and failed) to read W&P a few times before, and it's this aspect that made it difficult. I need to find that webpage!


----------



## Sir Eowyn

There are scenes in War and Peace I will never forget. Most potent of all, quite strangely, is Prince Andrei standing off in the reserves while just a ways away the Battle of Borodino rages, them standing in formation as the odd stray bullet brings one of them down. 

Many others, of course. Translated as it is for me, there's something in Tolstoy so bloody primordial I've hardly read its like.


----------



## Olorgando

Rivendell_librarian said:


> I have read War and Peace. It took a while and the large number of characters made it difficult at times. ...


That eerily sound like one of the criticisms levelled at "The Silmarillion". One critic compared it to a telephone book because of all the names, at least if my memory of the relevant passage in one of the books dealing with JRRT and his works is correct (the usual suspect would be Tom Shippey).


----------



## Ealdwyn

Olorgando said:


> That eerily sound like one of the criticisms levelled at "The Silmarillion". One critic compared it to a telephone book because of all the names, at least if my memory of the relevant passage in one of the books dealing with JRRT and his works is correct (the usual suspect would be Tom Shippey).


At least the Sil gives you a fighting chance with family trees and maps.


----------



## Alice

I guess, names from War and Peace sound more strange to you, than names from Silmarillion.


----------



## Sir Eowyn

I never had much trouble keeping track of who's who in War and Peace... the characters are all memorable, with distinct personalities, names like Natasha, Pierre, and Helena, Dolokhov. But I confess The Silmarillon I never could really penetrate.


----------



## Olorgando

Alice Alice said:


> I guess, names from War and Peace sound more strange to you, than names from Silmarillion.


Quite the contrary. The great Russian authors were translated decades ago, long before the Sil. And for that matter, names from foreign countries, especially European, have been known through the news all over Europe for ages. Getting the *pronunciation* right is an entirely different matter, especially if special letters beyond the 26 of the classical Roman alphabet are needed in transcription. But that's not limited to languages written in Cyrillic script, the Scandinavians have several special vocals, a's and o's mostly - or German, for that matter, with our frequent ä, ö and ü (my name is written with one of those, meaning while living in the US I switched to the writing more comprehensible to the Anglo-Saxons, being ae, oe and ue).
A selection from the Windows character map which I probably would have trouble pronouncing right:

à á â ã ç è é ê ë ì í î ï ð ñ ò ó ô õ ø ù ú û ý þ ÿ ā ă ą ć ĉ ċ č ď đ ē ĕ ė ę ě …

There's more, many, many more …


----------



## Alice

Olorgando said:


> Quite the contrary. The great Russian authors were translated decades ago, long before the Sil. And for that matter, names from foreign countries, especially European, have been known through the news all over Europe for ages. Getting the *pronunciation* right is an entirely different matter, especially if special letters beyond the 26 of the classical Roman alphabet are needed in transcription. But that's not limited to languages written in Cyrillic script, the Scandinavians have several special vocals, a's and o's mostly - or German, for that matter, with our frequent ä, ö and ü (my name is written with one of those, meaning while living in the US I switched to the writing more comprehensible to the Anglo-Saxons, being ae, oe and ue).
> A selection from the Windows character map which I probably would have trouble pronouncing right:
> 
> à á â ã ç è é ê ë ì í î ï ð ñ ò ó ô õ ø ù ú û ý þ ÿ ā ă ą ć ĉ ċ č ď đ ē ĕ ė ę ě …
> 
> There's more, many, many more …



Oh. Then I understand 
Yes, pronunciation is very different from non-Slavic languages. If I was not Russian, it could blew my mind.
Oh and in Russian there is "ë" letter


----------



## Ealdwyn

I speak some Swedish and the additional vowels ö, ä, å, and the Norwegian/Danish ø, æ, å are not a problem. But many years ago I learned a little Russian and always had problems with ъ, ь, ы.
I'm a native British English speaker, so maybe that's why I find the Slavic sounds more difficult than the Scandinavian/Germanic ?


----------



## Alice

Ealdwyn said:


> I speak some Swedish and the additional vowels ö, ä, å, and the Norwegian/Danish ø, æ, å are not a problem. But many years ago I learned a little Russian and always had problems with ъ, ь, ы.
> I'm a native British English speaker, so maybe that's why I find the Slavic sounds more difficult than the Scandinavian/Germanic ?



Well, I am native Russian speaker and I understand, why you find it sounding more difficult  Too much differences between languages, though I have never found English or German sounding strange


----------



## Sir Eowyn

German doesn't sound strange to me, as it's close enough to English... same with the Romance languages. But I must admit, if I had to learn Russian, I don't know if I could do it. I'm always in awe how someone from another world linguistically can learn English... salutations.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Sir Eowyn said:


> I never had much trouble keeping track of who's who in War and Peace... the characters are all memorable, with distinct personalities, names like Natasha, Pierre, and Helena, Dolokhov. But I confess The Silmarillon I never could really penetrate.



Tolstoy is a a novelist of the mind - taking you into the minds of his main characters in turn. More so than being a novelist of scenes - though there are memorable scenes e.g. the two major battles, the ballroom scene.

But there are a lot of characters and Tolstoy does use different names for them (in the Russian way):
List of characters in War and Peace
e.g. Vasily or Vas'ka Denisov

and compare with Les Miserables:
List of characters in Les Miserables


----------



## Olorgando

Not quite in keeping with the thread title, but I *will* be reading John Garth's 2003 _Tolkien and the Great War_, as my favorite book store, where I had ordered it, informed me by e-mail earlier today that it had been delivered. 😃


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Good book! And he has a new one coming out.


----------



## Olorgando

Olorgando said:


> Not quite in keeping with the thread title, but I *will* be reading John Garth's 2003 _Tolkien and the Great War_, ...





Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Good book! And he has a new one coming out.


Finished reading it yesterday, and yes, it is a good book.
Quite possibly, due to to the notice on the front cover "'Tolkien' - Now A Major Motion Picture", one source or inspiration for the 2019 biopic - which I have not seen. But from what I've read about the film on JRRT sites the time covered seems to be pretty similar.

In a small way, I would see it as being something of a companion book about the TCBS to Humphrey Carpenter's 1978 "The Inklings".
Small due to the much shorter time of their existence. The nucleus, in a way, was comprised of JRRT and Christopher Luke Wiseman (after whom Christopher T was named), whom JRRT met at Kind Edward's School in 1905, when Wiseman was 12 and JRRT 13. The TCBS seem to have been formed in 1911, the same year in which JRRT went to Oxford, so very late in his school career. As per Garth's account, they included, for a time at least, more people than the four commonly mentioned, besides Wiseman the younger Geoffrey Bache Smith and Robert Quilter Gilson. At the "Council of London" on 12 December 1914 held at the home of the Wiseman family, often mentioned in other writing, only these four attended, and decided that the TCBS would now be limited to those four. At least JRRT and Wiseman had apparently become disgusted with the attitudes of those others (some named) who were "evicted" at this "Council". With Gilson being killed on the first Day of the Battle of the Somme on 01 July 1916, and Smith succumbing to wounds in 03 December 1916, the TCBS were again reduced to the nucleus of JRRT and Wiseman mentioned above. After the war, as JRRT and Wiseman drifted apart professionally, the TCBS were effectively replaced by C.S. Lewis and of course the Inklings. But JRRT had sporadic contact with Wiseman pretty much up to his death, as Wiseman also lived in retirement on the South Coast of England near Bournemouth, and apparently active in local politics of a sort. 

Garth naturally concentrates on the writing JRRT did in this time, basically culminating in what became "The Book of Lost Tales" volume 1. Which showed much still needing to be written. Later developments are only sketched, as repeating "HoMe" wasn't necessary.


----------



## Sir Eowyn

Gregg Allman's autobiography, "My Cross to Bear."


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Ealdwyn said:


> I've tried (and failed) to read W&P a few times before, and it's this aspect that made it difficult. I need to find that webpage!











War and Peace characters order by appearance - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org


----------



## rollinstoned

I couldn't find a thread here on this subject, so I decided to create one... 

*So... what is everyone reading right now? anything of note?* 

Me - I am planning on starting CIRCE by Madeline Miller, the blurb paints an interesting picture and i do know it is Greek inspired from the Amazon reviews!


----------



## frodolives7601

rollinstoned said:


> I couldn't find a thread here on this subject, so I decided to create one...
> 
> *So... what is everyone reading right now? anything of note?*
> 
> Me - I am planning on starting CIRCE by Madeline Miller, the blurb paints an interesting picture and i do know it is Greek inspired from the Amazon reviews!


Interesting you should mention "Greek inspired"--I like the historical novels of Mary Renault, who often wrote about ancient Greece and the area thereabouts. I recently re-read her _Fire from Heaven_, about the early life of Alexander the Great. Next I plan to re-read _Into the Wild_ by Jon Krakauer (I seem to have been re-reading a lot of books lately; it's a comfort food thing).


----------



## Phuc Do

Welcome.


----------



## rollinstoned

frodolives7601 said:


> Interesting you should mention "Greek inspired"--I like the historical novels of Mary Renault, who often wrote about ancient Greece and the area thereabouts. I recently re-read her _Fire from Heaven_, about the early life of Alexander the Great. Next I plan to re-read _Into the Wild_ by Jon Krakauer (I seem to have been re-reading a lot of books lately; it's a comfort food thing).



I re-read books a ton too, well written books always have little things you notice on re-reads. 

LOTR is a perfect example of that i think...


----------



## Starbrow

I'm reading The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin. It's a rather dark science fiction/fantasy series, but I got hooked. I'm going to look for some more upbeat reading next.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

rollinstoned said:


> I couldn't find a thread here on this subject,


Here it is:








What book are you reading right now?


Gregg Allman's autobiography, "My Cross to Bear."




www.thetolkienforum.com





Maybe you missed it, because it's a sticky.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

rollinstoned said:


> I couldn't find a thread here on this subject, so I decided to create one...
> 
> *So... what is everyone reading right now? anything of note?*
> 
> Me - I am planning on starting CIRCE by Madeline Miller, the blurb paints an interesting picture and i do know it is Greek inspired from the Amazon reviews!



We have a post stickied to the top of this forum. No worries, I'll add your thread to that one.









What book are you reading right now?


I'm currently reading LotR (again :D) and The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. What about you guys?




www.thetolkienforum.com


----------



## Olorgando

John D. Rateliff's "The History of The Hobbit". The original edition from 2007 was of two volumes, I opted for (and had to order) the 2011 single-volume expanded edition of 938 pages. I contains the "complete unpublished manuscript version of _The Hobbit_". Which covers the entire book. Humphrey Carpenter erroneously stated in his 1977 Biography that *only* an incomplete typescript existed when Susan Dagnall read it in 1936 and then recommended it for publication to George Allen & Unwin. The "Third Phase Manuscript" (which I'm just getting into on page 648) which completed the first edition TH already existed when C.S. Lewis read it in early 1933 (and stated so in a letter to his friend from earliest days Arthur Greeves in early February 1933). Somehow Carpenter must have missed that manuscript, but he was at a disadvantage at having to write so early. JRRT did have to complete the *typescript* version to submit it for publication to GA&U, but the story was complete.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis


----------



## frodolives7601

rollinstoned said:


> I re-read books a ton too, well written books always have little things you notice on re-reads.
> 
> LOTR is a perfect example of that i think...


It is indeed!


----------



## rollinstoned

Lol i must as blind as a bat.

(I know Bats are not blind...)


----------



## rollinstoned

Has anyone read that 'Fevre Dream' by George RR Martin? the plot sounds really interesting and he is a solid writer.... but it penned when he was a fair bit younger... the haunted steamboat thing sounds like nightmare fuel


----------



## Hisoka Morrow

Fanfics written by you guys^^


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Yesterday, I was repacking boxes of books, and came across one by my favorite mystery writer, Walter Mosley, that I hadn't read, so I'm reading that.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Yesterday, I was repacking boxes of books, and came across one by my favorite mystery writer, Walter Mosley, that I hadn't read, so I'm reading that.



What's the title?


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Known to Evil. It's the second of his Leonid McGill series. Not part of his more famous Easy Rawlins series, it's set in present-day NYC.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Alice Alice said:


> Thanks for your answer. Now I want to read Hugo's epic. And can you tell, what do you think of War and Peace as an epic? I mean, is it interesting to read. I'm just willing to know, what people think of Russian classics and of War and Peace as a symbol of it


Recently finished Les Miserables. I think it's better than War and Peace

Spoiler alert!

Why?

1. The exciting action sequences that often come at the end of each book. My favourite is the escape to the convent with Javert and his men closing in but there are many others e.g the confrontation in the Gorbeau house when Valjean sticks the hot iron (meant for his torture) into his forearm.

2. The time taken to describe the life of the bishop of Digne - skipped over by the dramatic versions but so important to what Hugo is saying.

3. The religious themes combined with scepticism of the Catholic church e.g. Valjean carrying Marius on his back and the description of life in the convent

4. The darkness of the relationship between Valjean and Marius: so important to Hugo's message about prejudice against convicted criminals

5. Fewer characters than W&P yet each one is an essential building block to the story.

6. Gavroche and what Hugo is saying through him e.g. the moment when Gavroche asks
"This word, Hercle, struck Gavroche. He sought all occasions for learning, and that tearer down of posters possessed his esteem. He inquired of him:—

“What does Hercle mean?"

7. Javert is not a monster but a believable character who has taken a wrong path

8. Hugo even evokes pity for the Thenardier parents though he paints them much darker than the musical! They also are Les Miserables.

9. Eponine's teenage love for Marius and its consequence - tissues required

10. The digressions

There is one moment in the film of the musical that scores for me: when Javert puts his medal of honour on the dead Gavroche. That's not in the book as we next see Javert chasing Thenardier who escapes into the sewers which plays an important part in Hugo's story.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Right now I'm reading a book I was given in a reading group I'm part of.

It's_ Let me tell you about a man I knew_ by Susan Fletcher. The man is Vincent van Gogh during his time in the asylum and the narrator of the book is the wife of the warden of the asylum who got to know van Gogh while he was painting outside, Now you could say this is a woman's novel but I'm enjoying it: it captures the feeling of Provence very well and the human story of the characters is quite fascinating.


----------



## rollinstoned

Hollywood: the Pioneers, It relates to the silent movie era - my favourite era. Tons of pictures, and little interviews from the surviving (at the time of publication) stars. 

Circe has moved further down my list as I am reading some other non-fiction first.


----------



## frodolives7601

Rivendell_librarian said:


> Right now I'm reading a book I was given in a reading group I'm part of.
> 
> It's_ Let me tell you about a man I knew_ by Susan Fletcher. The man is Vincent van Gogh during his time in the asylum and the narrator of the book is the wife of the warden of the asylum who got to know van Gogh while he was painting outside, Now you could say this is a woman's novel but I'm enjoying it: it captures the feeling of Provence very well and the human story of the characters is quite fascinating.


That book sounds intriguing, Rivendell_librarian. I may add it to my list. I just finished re-reading _Into the Wild_ by Jon Krakauer and started a novel called _Miss Iceland_ by Audur Ava Olafsdottir. It's about a young woman writer who comes to live in Reykjavik during the '60s. I've never read a novel set in Iceland before, so the setting interests me as much as the characters.


----------



## Alice

Rivendell_librarian said:


> Recently finished Les Miserables. I think it's better than War and Peace
> 
> Spoiler alert!
> 
> Why?
> 
> 1. The exciting action sequences that often come at the end of each book. My favourite is the escape to the convent with Javert and his men closing in but there are many others e.g the confrontation in the Gorbeau house when Valjean sticks the hot iron (meant for his torture) into his forearm.
> 
> 2. The time taken to describe the life of the bishop of Digne - skipped over by the dramatic versions but so important to what Hugo is saying.
> 
> 3. The religious themes combined with scepticism of the Catholic church e.g. Valjean carrying Marius on his back and the description of life in the convent
> 
> 4. The darkness of the relationship between Valjean and Marius: so important to Hugo's message about prejudice against convicted criminals
> 
> 5. Fewer characters than W&P yet each one is an essential building block to the story.
> 
> 6. Gavroche and what Hugo is saying through him e.g. the moment when Gavroche asks
> "This word, Hercle, struck Gavroche. He sought all occasions for learning, and that tearer down of posters possessed his esteem. He inquired of him:—
> 
> “What does Hercle mean?"
> 
> 7. Javert is not a monster but a believable character who has taken a wrong path
> 
> 8. Hugo even evokes pity for the Thenardier parents though he paints them much darker than the musical! They also are Les Miserables.
> 
> 9. Eponine's teenage love for Marius and its consequence - tissues required
> 
> 10. The digressions
> 
> There is one moment in the film of the musical that scores for me: when Javert puts his medal of honour on the dead Gavroche. That's not in the book as we next see Javert chasing Thenardier who escapes into the sewers which plays an important part in Hugo's story.



Oh. It is a bit sad to hear that War and Peace is worse


----------



## Olorgando

Alice Alice said:


> Oh. It is a bit sad to hear that War and Peace is worse


No need to be sad, Alice.
I've read neither book. but have heard and read a little about both, and both are considered absolute classics.
And it is a matter of taste, anyway.
So while librarian may consider Les Miserables better that War and Peace, that may easily "*even* better" than tis great book, not necessarily putting down W&P. librarian may still consider W&P better that a whole lot of other books.


----------



## Alice

Olorgando said:


> No need to be sad, Alice.
> I've read neither book. but have heard and read a little about both, and both are considered absolute classics.
> And it is a matter of taste, anyway.
> So while librarian may consider Les Miserables better that War and Peace, that may easily "*even* better" than tis great book, not necessarily putting down W&P. librarian may still consider W&P better that a whole lot of other books.


Oh, I understand. I just was a bit sad because I considered War and Peace the greatest russian classic in high school


----------



## Olorgando

Alice Alice said:


> Oh, I understand. I just was a bit sad because I considered War and Peace the greatest russian classic in high school


Well, even there, some people might prefer say Dostoevsky to Tolstoy. And comparing authors from different cultures, writing in different languages, is difficult. I'd have to read anything originally written in Russian, French, Italian, Spanish etc. in translation. As I *have* read books by JRRT in both of my native languages, English original and German translation, I know that even for these closely-related languages, some things get lost in translation. How much more gets lost when translated from more distantly related languages like the Romance or Slavic ones I can only guess.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Alice Alice said:


> Oh. It is a bit sad to hear that War and Peace is worse


I didn't mean any criticism of War and Peace! Les Miserables is very big in France.


----------



## Alice

Olorgando said:


> Well, even there, some people might prefer say Dostoevsky to Tolstoy. And comparing authors from different cultures, writing in different languages, is difficult. I'd have to read anything originally written in Russian, French, Italian, Spanish etc. in translation. As I *have* read books by JRRT in both of my native languages, English original and German translation, I know that even for these closely-related languages, some things get lost in translation. How much more gets lost when translated from more distantly related languages like the Romance or Slavic ones I can only guess.



Yes. So I rarely read anything which isn't written in Russian or in English. Because translation spoils a book


----------



## Alice

Rivendell_librarian said:


> I didn't mean any criticism of War and Peace! Les Miserables is very big in France.



I understand


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Rivendell_librarian said:


> I didn't mean any criticism of War and Peace! Les Miserables is very big in France.


That's an understatement. At Hugo's funeral, the crowds of mourners were so huge, several people were crushed to death.


----------



## Olorgando

Alice Alice said:


> Yes. So I rarely read anything which isn't written in Russian or in English. Because translation spoils a book


That might be overstating it a bit - but then again, I can only judge for books I've read in both English and German (almost all English originals and German translations). I bought "The Children of Húrin" back in 2007 in the German translation first, as it was readily available in almost all bookstores. I had to order the English original (as I have had to do for every JRRT-themed book in the English original since then). The difference, I felt, was in fine points that many would miss.
What is often more difficult to translate is humor. I started reading Douglas Adams's books, the first three, in German: _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy _(1979), _The Restaurant at the End of the Universe_ (1980), and _Life, the Universe and Everything_ (1982). Play on words, double meanings can be untranslatable. The same can be true for poetry. Only the first two books of Christopher Tolkien's _The history of Middle-earth_ book series were translated into German, _The Book of Lost Tales_ volumes 1 and 2. The third volume being _The Lays of Beleriand_ (that's only a guess, but see below) probably put a stop to the translations. It could also be a matter of sales. The whole HoMe series was certainly published in much smaller printings than either LoTR or TH, or even _The Silmarillion_, by orders of magnitude. All of the HoMe books also are even more difficult to read than The Sil.
But then ...
_The Children of Húrin, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, The Fall of Arthur, The Story of Kullervo_ (ed. Verlyn Flieger), 
_Beren and Lúthien_ and _The Fall of Gondolin_ *were* all translated - but this was after the films ...


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

And of course there is the danger of rating a book you've read more recently better than one you've read a while ago.

This applies to other popularity lists as well. Audiences tend to go for PJ LOTR, Titanic and Star Wars V whereas critics go for Citizen Kane, Vertigo and Tokyo Story for instance. But I tried to allow for that.


----------



## rollinstoned

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS by H.G. Wells.

the first time I've read it, and it is unbelievably good.


----------



## rollinstoned

Currently I am reading a great hefty book on the subject of the Hobbit and it's developmental stages - "The History Of The Hobbit & The Return to Bag End" by John D. Rateliff. It has the unfinished 1960 Hobbit rewrite manuscript text included inside with essays and tons of other stuff. A great book and so very interesting


----------



## frodolives7601

I am actually re-reading _The Hobbit_ for the first time in maybe sixteen years! I'm enjoying it quite a bit. Tolkien seems to have such a great time telling the story. And I relate to the tension between Bilbo's love of routine/longing for safety and his adventurous spirit.


----------



## Olorgando

rollinstoned said:


> Currently I am reading a great hefty book on the subject of the Hobbit and it's developmental stages - "The History Of The Hobbit & The Return to Bag End" by John D. Rateliff. It has the unfinished 1960 Hobbit rewrite manuscript text included inside with essays and tons of other stuff. A great book and so very interesting


I commented on Rateliff's HoTH earlier after having read it:









What book are you reading right now?


Gregg Allman's autobiography, "My Cross to Bear."




www.thetolkienforum.com





Rateliff certainly matches the standard set by Christopher Tolkien in the latter's HoMe - including being at times overwhelming in his detail, so a treasury trove for trivia nerds. 🥴 😃


----------



## Ealdwyn

LotR again. 😂 
Started my annual re-read on 22 September, and reading in a leisurely fashion.


----------



## frodolives7601

Ealdwyn said:


> LotR again. 😂
> Started my annual re-read on 22 September, and reading in a leisurely fashion.


I started _The Hobbit_ on the 22nd, too! I'm curious--when you mentioned "reading in a leisurely fashion," how much do you usually read a day (or a week)? This time around, I find that I'm just reading one chapter per evening, and I'm enjoying that slower pace.


----------



## Ealdwyn

frodolives7601 said:


> I started _The Hobbit_ on the 22nd, too! I'm curious--when you mentioned "reading in a leisurely fashion," how much do you usually read a day (or a week)? This time around, I find that I'm just reading one chapter per evening, and I'm enjoying that slower pace.


I'm reading a chapter a day, too. I agree it's a really nice pace, although it's difficult not to hurry ahead to favourite bits. 
Tonight is Tom Bombadil - not a favourite chapter of mine - but tomorrow is the Barrow Downs, which I'm really looking forward to.

Last year I tried to read it day by day with the events of the story, but it was too uneven: some days get a couple of lines in the book, others get 2 chapters, and the 2 months they spend in Rivendell is too long to wait.


----------



## rollinstoned

Olorgando said:


> I commented on Rateliff's HoTH earlier after having read it:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What book are you reading right now?
> 
> 
> Gregg Allman's autobiography, "My Cross to Bear."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.thetolkienforum.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Rateliff certainly matches the standard set by Christopher Tolkien in the latter's HoMe - including being at times overwhelming in his detail, so a treasury trove for trivia nerds. 🥴 😃



No slight to Christopher but i think so far Rateliff has slightly less 'dry' prose, which makes the reading much easier. Some of the Chris essays can drag on for ages.. 

also- 
The name changes are so interesting, that first draft is vastly different too. The first chapter draft in fragment form - 'Pryftan' fragment. All of the characters have their personalities but it's very embryonic, Also the overall plot was going to be so slightly different from the hints dropped in the dialogues. 

It is a lot of info to digest but I really do recommend the book to anyone with the Tolkien fever  

OH and the inconsistencies that are identified with the Humphrey Carpenter Biography on some manuscripts is quite eye-opening. It raises the question of a possibility that other 'facts' could be incorrect within the bio.


----------



## frodolives7601

Ealdwyn said:


> I'm reading a chapter a day, too. I agree it's a really nice pace, although it's difficult not to hurry ahead to favourite bits.
> Tonight is Tom Bombadil - not a favourite chapter of mine - but tomorrow is the Barrow Downs, which I'm really looking forward to.
> 
> Last year I tried to read it day by day with the events of the story, but it was too uneven: some days get a couple of lines in the book, others get 2 chapters, and the 2 months they spend in Rivendell is too long to wait.


Matching the pace of reading with the events of the story is a neat concept, but I see what you mean; it wouldn't always work out in a satisfying way.


----------



## grendel

"The Silent Speaker" by Rex Stout. Love me some Nero Wolfe.


----------



## Lestatomir

Wolfshead said:


> I'm reading _Closing Time_ just now, well, obviously not _right_ now, but you know what I mean  It's the sequel to _Catch-22_ by Joseph Heller.
> 
> And I recently finished _The Winter King_ by Bernard Cornwell. It's a novel of Arthur, incredibly good, I have the second part, _Enemy Of God_ lined up for when I finish _Closing Time_. Then I have the 5th part of _The Mallorean_ to read. So many books, so little time
> 
> FoolOfATook: Did you enjoy _Red Dragon_? I got about half way through a while ago, but I wasn't enjoying it. I think it's Harris' style. I got bored of _Black Sunday_ as well. But I saw the old _Red Dragon_ film, and it was very good.





Wolfshead said:


> I'm reading _Closing Time_ just now, well, obviously not _right_ now, but you know what I mean  It's the sequel to _Catch-22_ by Joseph Heller.
> 
> And I recently finished _The Winter King_ by Bernard Cornwell. It's a novel of Arthur, incredibly good, I have the second part, _Enemy Of God_ lined up for when I finish _Closing Time_. Then I have the 5th part of _The Mallorean_ to read. So many books, so little time
> 
> FoolOfATook: Did you enjoy _Red Dragon_? I got about half way through a while ago, but I wasn't enjoying it. I think it's Harris' style. I got bored of _Black Sunday_ as well. But I saw the old _Red Dragon_ film, and it was very good.


Bernard's Arthur series is wonderful! It's on my list of repeat reads, though I'll wait a few years as I just finished a couple of years ago.

Just finished a run of Classics, ending with Anna Karenina, and I felt the need for a return to Middle Earth, so at this particular moment, I'm in the house of Tom Bombadil 😊


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Just finished the entire Chronicles of Narnia. We're moving into a new house and all my books are in boxes so not sure what I'll read next. But here's a few of the boxes and a look into the real-world life of EA 😬


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

I hadn't read any English Victorian novels for a while so I'm reading Anthony Trollope's Doctor Thorne. Rather like a Jane Austen novel but the style is more conversational, more friendly to the reader.

Also a couple of art books on Constable's skies


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

So I'm not the only Trollope fan on the forum!  

I went on a Dickens tear a couple of years ago, and then Wilkie Collins, who seems to have had a reassessment and revival, in the past few years. 

Heh. I don't know if you're familiar with that rogue, Harry Flashman, but in one of his memoirs, he relates that, having been out of Britain for a couple of years, he was stunned when, after evening mess with brother officers, the presiding general (was it 'Gravedigger' Havelock?) announced that he thought he'd "finish his evening with a little trollop".


----------



## Starbrow

I'm working my way through the Deverry Cycle of books by Katherine Kerr. Currently reading book 5 out of 15.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> So I'm not the only Trollope fan on the forum!
> 
> I went on a Dickens tear a couple of years ago, and then Wilkie Collins, who seems to have had a reassessment and revival, in the past few years.
> 
> Heh. I don't know if you're familiar with that rogue, Harry Flashman, but in one of his memoirs, he relates that, having been out of Britain for a couple of years, he was stunned when, after evening mess with brother officers, the presiding general (was it 'Gravedigger' Havelock?) announced that he thought he'd "finish his evening with a little trollop".



The name didn't hold him back writing so many novels and holding down an important job in the Post Office which required quite a lot of travel.

It's all so English and polite and yet underneath the surface civility, there are plenty of serious goings on. Before Doctor Thorne the novel gets going, the good doctor's unworthy brother has raped a woman and produced a child: the brother is murdered by the raped woman's brother and Doctor Thorne steps in to bring up the child as his niece (which she is). Quality of birth is a theme but the supposedly conservative Trollope makes Mary Thorne an attractive character amongst the snobs. I think this will be a more serious novel compared to The Warden and Barchester Towers which the BBC so memorably portrayed in a series including Donald Pleasance, Alan Rickman, Geraldine McEwan, Susan Hampshire, Nigel Hawthorne, Clive Swift and Barbara Flynn. They don't make 'em like that any more!


----------



## Hisoka Morrow

THE LORD OF THE RINGS：WEAPONS AND WARFARE ?XDD


----------



## Angelimir

I am reading the complete Malazan Book of the Fallen.


----------



## Phuc Do

Angelimir said:


> I am reading the complete Malazan Book of the Fallen.


Ive read that series twice. Re0ally good


----------



## Deleted member 31872

Elendil3119 said:


> I'm currently reading LotR (again ) and The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. What about you guys?


The Deed of Paksenarrion Omnibus which has Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance and Oath of Gold in it. It has over 1200 pages, I am on page 890


----------



## Culaeron

Rereading the Locke Lamorra novels, just finished Cornwall’s Sharpe series for the 3rd time, and listening to the audiobook of the Silmarillion.


----------



## Ynjustice

Currently, back into the Fellowship. Looking for a good map of Buckland and the Old Forest. I get more enjoyment reading with a visual of the lay of the land to refer to as the characters journey.


----------



## Olorgando

Ynjustice said:


> Currently, back into the Fellowship. Looking for a good map of Buckland and the Old Forest. I get more enjoyment reading with a visual of the lay of the land to refer to as the characters journey.


The best for that would be in Barbara Strachey's 1981 book "The Journeys of Frodo". There are Wikipedia articles on both Strachey and the book. I'm not sure if the contents can be accessed anywhere, I own a 1989 reprint of the book.


----------



## Ynjustice

Olorgando said:


> The best for that would be in Barbara Strachey's 1981 book "The Journeys of Frodo". There are Wikipedia articles on both Strachey and the book. I'm not sure if the contents can be accessed anywhere, I own a 1989 reprint of the book.





Olorgando said:


> The best for that would be in Barbara Strachey's 1981 book "The Journeys of Frodo". There are Wikipedia articles on both Strachey and the book. I'm not sure if the contents can be accessed anywhere, I own a 1989 reprint of the book.


Thanks! This is the best I have of Buckland. From "The Atlas of Middle-Earth" by Karen Wynn Fonstad ©️1991


----------



## Halasían

Culaeron said:


> Rereading the Locke Lamorra novels, just finished Cornwall’s Sharpe series for the 3rd time, and listening to the audiobook of the Silmarillion.


I enjoyed Lies of Locke Lamora, but Red Skies lost me and I haven't been inclined to go any further with the series.



Ynjustice said:


> This is the best I have of Buckland. From "The Atlas of Middle-Earth" by Karen Wynn Fonstad ©️1991


I was going to recommend The Atlas of Middle Earth though it has some errors in geography. Not sure how much it has on The Old Forest and Buckland. I had a bookmark for a website called 'Buckland' which was set entirely in teh East Farthing, but it appears it has fallen into the internet ether.

I'm reading 'Deadhouse Gates' by Stephen Erikson. I seem to have a 'start-stop-start' relationship with the Malazan book series. Some parts are really interesting and some parts are really dry.


----------



## Rilien

Currently, Sodom and Gomorrah by Proust. Before that, Tallis, by Kerry McCarthy (very good!). I recently read The Fall of Gondolin, and before that, more Proust, Hardy (Tess of the d'Urbervilles), Eliot (Middlemarch, Adam Bede), The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Brusatte, Shippy's the Road to Middle Earth, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Reading Proust is different...I don't think I've ever been more inside a narrator's head. Tess of the d'Urbervilles was heart-wrenchingly sad. 

I keep meaning to re-read the LOTR at some point, to kind of "reset" my brain after having seen the movies multiple times.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

I got stuck in "The Captive" years ago, and never got back to it. Now I guess I need to start all over.  

I uncovered an unread Alan Furst novel the other day, so naturally dove into that.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

This thread seems to have gone dormant. What happened -- did everyone quit reading? 😀

I was working my way through a book on the Egyptian art of mummification, but as I'm not feeling so well, switched to something lighter: The Daughter of Fu Manchu. 😂


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Death in her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh


----------



## frodolives7601

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> This thread seems to have gone dormant. What happened -- did everyone quit reading? 😀
> 
> I was working my way through a book on the Egyptian art of mummification, but as I'm not feeling so well, switched to something lighter: The Daughter of Fu Manchu. 😂


Hope you feel better soon, S-e S!

I recently finished _Klara and the Sun_ by Kazuo Ishiguro, but I wasn't as thrilled with it as most reviewers seem to be. It got off to a promising beginning, but about 1/2-2/3 of the way through, the author hinted at a possible plot development that would have been very intriguing--then backed off and went in another direction that I found implausible. Sigh.

Now I'm reading _Hamnet _by Maggie O'Farrell, about Shakespeare's son. I'm really enjoying it. I love historical novels.


----------



## Sir Eowyn

Tropic of Capricorn --- Henry Miller. He was born within a month of Tolkien, as it happens.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

frodolives7601 said:


> Hope you feel better soon, S-e S!


Thanks! 😊


----------



## Olorgando

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> This thread seems to have gone dormant. What happened -- did everyone quit reading? 😀


No, but Hostetter's book, as per e-mail confirmation by my favorite bookstore of my order by phone, is still set for September delivery.
My reading has been entirely non-fiction for a while (even my books about JRRT aren't properly fiction, but about it), and all are German books dealing with subjects probably unknown outside of Germany (probably all without any translations into any other language).


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Just finished The Celts by Nora Chadwick and now started British Myths and Legends - also Hornblower and the Hotspur


----------



## Starbrow

I'm reading Cast in Oblivion by Michelle Sagara.


----------



## Culaeron

We had a second hand bookstore in our town that closed its doors years ago. Left all the books on the shelves. My wife manages a business across the street and when the building was recently purchased, the new owner told her to send me over to take what I wished. There had to be at least 10,000 books. Room after room of them, some rooms stacked or piled knee deep. Row upon row of bookshelves wedged into every room. I loaded my van! I’m working my way through some Larry Niven novels now. Next is Ben Bova. Or Zelazney...too many choices...


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

You're living my dream! 

And I bet I'm not alone. 😁


----------



## Shadow

1984.


----------



## Deleted member 31872

I am reading Echoes of Betrayal, which is the third book in a series of 5 of Paladin's Legacy by Elizabeth Moon


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Then I guess you must like her. 😊

I picked up a couple of hers, years ago, but haven't read them yet. I confess I grabbed them at a "Box o' Books Day" at a local junque store, on the off chance she was an old girlfriend of mine.

She's not. 😂


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Carrie by Stephen King


----------



## ArnorianRanger

The second volume of _The Cypresses Believe in God _by José Mariá Gironella. Loving this book, Gironella is Spain's Victor Hugo.
Probably going to start _Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences_ by Edward Tenner here soon enough.

A motley list of books I've been reading on-again, off-again: _After the Last Border_ by Jessica Goudeau, _Last Stand at Khe Sanh_ by Gregg Jones (the beginning of the book is really boring though in my opinion, unenjoyable to get through), parts of _Inferno_ by Max Hastings, started _Mere Christianity_ by C.S. Lewis, _The Thomas Sowell Reader_ by Thomas Sowell, _Babylon's Ark _by Lawrence Anthony, _Mushrooms, Molds, and Miracles_ by Lucy Kavaler, various others.

Recently read through _Heart of Darkness_ by Joseph Conrad, _Things Fall Apart_ by Chinua Achebe, and a number of other classic short stories (_The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, The Yellow Wallpaper, Young Goodman Brown,_ etc.).

Thanks,

ArnorianRanger



Rivendell_librarian said:


> Recently finished Les Miserables. I think it's better than War and Peace
> 
> Spoiler alert!
> 
> Why?
> 
> 1. The exciting action sequences that often come at the end of each book. My favourite is the escape to the convent with Javert and his men closing in but there are many others e.g the confrontation in the Gorbeau house when Valjean sticks the hot iron (meant for his torture) into his forearm.
> 
> 2. The time taken to describe the life of the bishop of Digne - skipped over by the dramatic versions but so important to what Hugo is saying.
> 
> 3. The religious themes combined with scepticism of the Catholic church e.g. Valjean carrying Marius on his back and the description of life in the convent
> 
> 4. The darkness of the relationship between Valjean and Marius: so important to Hugo's message about prejudice against convicted criminals
> 
> 5. Fewer characters than W&P yet each one is an essential building block to the story.
> 
> 6. Gavroche and what Hugo is saying through him e.g. the moment when Gavroche asks
> "This word, Hercle, struck Gavroche. He sought all occasions for learning, and that tearer down of posters possessed his esteem. He inquired of him:—
> 
> “What does Hercle mean?"
> 
> 7. Javert is not a monster but a believable character who has taken a wrong path
> 
> 8. Hugo even evokes pity for the Thenardier parents though he paints them much darker than the musical! They also are Les Miserables.
> 
> 9. Eponine's teenage love for Marius and its consequence - tissues required
> 
> 10. The digressions
> 
> There is one moment in the film of the musical that scores for me: when Javert puts his medal of honour on the dead Gavroche. That's not in the book as we next see Javert chasing Thenardier who escapes into the sewers which plays an important part in Hugo's story.


Old post I know, but it's nice to see another person who made the slog through _Les Miserablés_! It's such a powerful book, I admittedly cried at the end. Hugo does such a great job of building the emotional connections between the characters themselves and then between the characters and the reader.

Thanks,

ArnorianRanger


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

I started the Foundation series a while ago but am finally getting back to it. Currently almost done with Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov, which is the third in the published order of books. The Apple TV+ Foundation series, while pretty good, is very different from the original books. If you start watching it, don't expect much loyalty to the books, though us LOTR fans know ALL about that, don't we? 😋


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

I just finished Shostakovich, a Life Remembered, by Elizabeth Wilson; hence my post in the Music thread.


----------



## Olorgando

A really fat (and heavy!) coffee-table slab about "Old India". I forget when I (we?) bought them,1990's probably, it's a five-book set of c-t slabs (or even more; we have these five). They're all titled "Old ...", the other four dealing with Egypt, Greece, The Orient, and Mexico.


----------



## Elthir

Picked up the Elric series the other day and read a few chapters. There's a new set coming out.









Revealing Omnibus Editions of Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné


To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Saga Press will publish a three-book omnibus of the complete novels within the legendary Elric of Melniboné epic fantasy saga by World Fantasy Lifetime Achievemen…




www.tor.com





That said, a re-read of Dune will probably win out, in expectation of the film.


----------



## Olorgando

There's an Elric story in one of the fantasy compilations (probably a German translation) "dedicated" to JRRT, like that 1992 "After the King".
Gave me the impression of being more in "Conan" territory ...


----------



## Ealdwyn

It's that time of year, so I'm doing a leisurely re-read of LotR. I've just left Bree.


----------



## Goku da Silva

I'm reading Children of Dune, doing a recap before the feature film!


----------



## Barliman

Ealdwyn said:


> It's that time of year, so I'm doing a leisurely re-read of LotR. I've just left Bree.


Don't be a stranger and hurry back.


----------



## Barliman

I'm reading The Battle of the Huertgen Forest by Charles McDonald.
Realizing how easy the Hobbits had it.


----------



## Goldilocks Gamgee

I'm reading the "Unfinished Tales" by J.R.R. Tolkien. Also, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" translation by Simon Armitage (I've already read the Tolkien translation).


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Salem's Lot by Stephen King


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

The Idea of Nature, by R.G. Collingwood.

And feeling like a right dunce.


----------



## Olorgando

After having plowed through my coffee-table slabs on "Old India" and "Old Mexico" (actually Mesoamerica, excluding northern Mexico but including northern Central America), I'm now having a go at the slab "Old Greece". 🥵


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Olorgando said:


> I'm now having a go at the slab "Old Greece". 🥵


That reminds me -- I need to clean my oven.


----------



## Olorgando

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Olorgando said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm now having a go at the slab "Old Greece". 🥵
> 
> 
> 
> That reminds me -- I need to clean my oven.
Click to expand...

?????


----------



## Matthew Bailey

*Consolidation of Philosophy *and *Tractus of Theology *by Boethius; *The Ecclesiastical History of England* by The Venerable Bede; *Grace and Free Will*,* The Predestination of the Saints*, and *Civitas Dei* (aka: _*The City of God*_) by St. Augustine; *The Histories *(*Public *and *Secret*) of Procopius; *The Alexiad*_ by Anna Komnenos; _*Church History *and _*The Life of the Constantine *_by Eusebius¹; *The Hobbit*; and _*The Nature of Middle-earth *_(again, because it is freaking *PAINFUL* to get through the first part of the book, and it reveals a turmoil in Tolkien that is hard to “watch” him go through with his earlier life being so wrapped-up in Vatican I, while trying to accept Vatican II, and seemingly shredding his earlier work in spite of the Church having “betrayed” _Tradition _to _Modernity_ with the “revelations” of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council — i.e. “_Vatican II_”) alongside the latter three volumes of _*The History of Middle-earth*_.

And also re-reading Samuel Delaney’s _*Dhalgren*_, and _*Babel-13*_.

And several works of Kabbalistic Demonology that deal with the “War in Heaven” which is related to Middle-earth in the rebellion of Melkor (and Sauron) beginning in the Ainulindalë, and continuing with the first Three Ages of Middle-earth (Which begin with the return of the Noldor to Middle-earth, or, _rather_, with the return of Melkor/Morgoth to Middle-earth. The earlier Ages are not the _Ages of Middle-earth_, but are the Ages prior to History).

I’ve been slowly collecting the various contents of the Academic Journals on Tolkien Studies, which since the 00s have had some rather specious and tenuous works published regarding Middle-earth that reveal that the authors are nearly wholly ignorant of the below cited quote from *HoM-e, Vol. X*, never mind the works to which they refer, and thus they miss the most relevant parts of Tolkien’s canon of work that more than a little falsify their respective theses.

But even with the tenuous works in the Academic Journals, there is still a larger body that dives pretty deeply into the respective Theology and Metaphysics (some of it _too deeply_, as many of the Christian Tolkien Scholars tend to apply forms of Christian Ideology that were themselves pretty repugnant to Tolkien along with Modernity and the various things he associated with it).

I am hoping to get another look into a book that I used to own by an English Theologian from the 17th Century who was ridiculing the then popular paranoia over “witches:” *The Displaying of Supposed Witchcraft* by John Webster. I used to own one of the only three Manuscripts of the work (there are printed copies, but there existed a dozen written and illuminated Manuscripts. I used to own one of the three surviving manuscripts). But despite Webster being a Protestant, his Theology and respective Metaphysics had a parallel in Catholicism that was a part of the Ecumenicism of the Vatican I Catholic Theology. Both were/are reactions to the Sciences beginning to overturn the Augustinian’, Aquinas’, and other Catholic Theologian’s claims that “God made the Universe to be Knowable, and the Sciences will reveal that ‘Truth©™®‘.” Only the Sciences began revealing that the claims of the Catholic and Christian Churches were rather less than “True,” and resulted in a receding “God” who began to vanish into the gaps in our Epistemic Knowledge of the Universe.

But Webster’s ridicule of the _Witch-Hunters_ and the _*Malleus Maleficarum* _is *highly pertinent* to Middle-earth, as Webster also was a deeply committed Astrologer and Alchemist, who studied what he called “_Real/Natural and Infernal Magic._” He was famous for his defense of the Occultists John Dee and Méric Casabon, and claimed that the former had succeeded in discovering the “Lost Magicks of the Ancients.” Which was rather an irony given his ridicule of Witchcraft.

But Webster’s work is highly pertinent to Tolkien in that he defined the ideas and philosophies that surround Tolkien’s (and Catholicism’s) views on “Magic,” as being essentially “_Satanic,_” and thus _Necromantic_ as well, while what we think of as ‘_Magic’_ that is associated with what Webster called “_The Natural Magicks_” is really an innate ability that is refined like the arts, or any respective “craft.”

It is from he, Dee, and Casabon that the term “The Craft” came to be associated with “Magic.” But Tolkien’s comments in _*Letters*_ on the confusion of _Elvish Magic_, which he puts into the mouth of Galadriel in _*The Lord of the Rings*_ was first stated in those terms by Dee, Webster, and Casabon, whereby Tolkien points out that “The Elves *do not do *_‘Magic’;_” ‘_Magic,_’ as Tolkien points out, is a “_Device of The Enemy,_” and thus would be shunned by the Elves or Maiar.

Anyway… Just some typical “reading.”


1. I should point out that I am not Christian, but Tolkien was, and a pre-Modernist, Vatican I Catholic Christian at that, who was not just _Pre-Modernist_, but actively _Anti-Modernist_, as the First Vatican Ecumenical Council declared Catholicism to be in 1868), and the respective Theology (and Metaphysics) associated with Catholicism, and the particular “flavor” of Catholicism practiced by Tolkien (one that is nearly extinct now) is woven into the fabric of Middle-earth.

Continuing to read the Primary Sources again-and-again-and-again-…-and-again becomes rather vacuous after a while without having the references to specific terms use by that form of Catholic Theology and Metaphysics, where, as Carl Hostetter points out in _*The Nature of Middle-earth*_, with the quote from page x of _*The History of Middle-earth, Vol. X: Morgoth’s Ring*_:




> Meditating long on the world that he had brought into being and was now in part unveiled, he had become absorbed in analytic speculation concerning its underlying postulates. Before he could prepare a new and final Silmarillion he must satisfy the requirements of a coherent theological and metaphysical system, rendered now more complex in its presentation by the supposition of obscure and conflicting elements in its roots and its tradition.



I personally have quoted that passage so many times that I can recite it from memory.

But note: … _he *must *satisfy the requirements of a coherent theological and metaphysical system …_

That says that without knowing what the Theological and Metaphysical Systems in question even are, you cannot know their _requirements_*, *_*NOR *_can you know what is affected by those requirements, and how they are thus affected, at that.


----------



## TrollinSun

Hatreds Kingdom, How Saudi Arabia supports the new global terrorism


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

I'm reading The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff - adventures in Roman Britain focussing on the legion that went missing. Supposedly a children's book but then so is The Hobbit (and LOTR?)


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

There's a movie based -- loosely, as you might expect -- on the novel: "The Eagle", IIRC.


----------



## Endrasil

Elendil3119 said:


> I'm currently reading LotR (again ) and The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. What about you guys?


2666: A Novel by Roberto Bolano


----------



## Culaeron

I'm on a Larry Niven kick. Just finished The Mote in God's Eye, by Niven and Jerry Pournelle


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Interesting -- if cold -- book.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

In going through boxes of old books, I came across some from the Centaur Press, a tiny* publisher from the 1970's that reprinted fantasy and adventure stories that had appeared originally in the Pulp magazines of the 20's and 30's, by writers such as Robert E. Howard and Talbot Mundy. I was happy to discover them, and reread this one, about adventures among the Indian tribes of South America:

That was the first of a series of four, and I'm currently in the middle of the second:


Rip-roaring stuff, which I thought had been lost or destroyed long ago. The covers of these two were by Jeff Jones, BTW.

* So tiny, in fact, that I only ever saw them on sale in one place: in a spinner rack at a small Mom-and-Pop grocery store in Maryland. I happened to be going up there regularly at the time, and always tried to drop by and pick up two or three. Considering what a few of the rarer ones are going for these days, I wish I'd bought multiple copies. 😀


----------



## Olorgando

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> * So tiny, in fact, that I only ever saw them on sale in one place: in a spinner rack at a small Mom-and-Pop grocery store in Maryland. I happened to be going up there regularly at the time, and always tried to drop by and pick up two or three. Considering what a few of the rarer ones are going for these days, I wish I'd bought multiple copies. 😀


This sounds familiar ... 🤔


----------



## Phantom718

One of the things my ADD takes over on is reading. I'm almost ALWAYS reading multiple books at once because I tend to read in spurts. Even those books that I "can't put down" I still shift gears to another story for a bit, and then back to the other one. Currently, I'm going through these:

Skimming through the new LotR illustrated edition
Song of the Saurials
All the Light We Cannot See
Will Haunt You
Goblin


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Reading HP Lovecraft for some Christmas cheer 🐙


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

It's Christmas in Innsmouth! 😊


----------



## Culaeron

I’m on the third book of Tanith Lee’s Flat Earth series, also just restarted Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series (for the third or fourth time), and listening to the Silmarillion read by Richard Shaw.


----------



## m4r35n357

Not an avid reader by any means, but I received a copy of _The Third Policeman_ by "Flann O'Brien" recently for some reason . . .

Quite the _perilous realm_!


----------



## m4r35n357

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> It's Christmas in Innsmouth! 😊


I bought the (cheap!) leatherbound Cthulhu collection a couple of years back and this brought back memories . . . "dynamite Devil Reef"


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson...so far it's just as good as the rest of his Skyward series


----------



## 1stvermont

Elendil3119 said:


> I'm currently reading LotR (again ) and The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. What about you guys?



I am doing a deep study on the middle ages read Canturbury Tales last year. I also did another rerun of LOTR this year. Right now, 
God’s War: A New History of the Crusades​





God’s War: A New History of the Crusades: Tyerman, Christopher: 9780674030701: Amazon.com: Books


God’s War: A New History of the Crusades [Tyerman, Christopher] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. God’s War: A New History of the Crusades



www.amazon.com


----------



## Starbrow

I just started _The Ruin of Kings _by Jenn Lyons. It's pretty good so far.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

I'm reading _The Tenant of Wildfell Hall_ by the other Bronte sister: Anne. It's a study of a marriage break up and benefits from the Bronte use of direct language - not the fuss over semi colons that Jane Austen has. There's a lot of clever biblical and Christian allusions which add to the excellent dialogue. However, the tenant comes over as bit of a prig - and I don't think it was intentional by the author. Definitely worth reading though.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

m4r35n357 said:


> Not an avid reader by any means, but I received a copy of _The Third Policeman_ by "Flann O'Brien" recently for some reason . . .
> 
> Quite the _perilous realm_!


De Selby -- my favorite philosopher!

"Hammering is anything but what it appears to be." 😄


----------



## m4r35n357

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> De Selby -- my favorite philosopher!
> 
> "Hammering is anything but what it appears to be." 😄


Definitely a weird pancake. Those three-page footnotes were the funniest bit IMO


----------



## Fëanor_7

I'm reading an english translation Red Star by Alexander Bogdanov, which is an early piece of Russian utopian fiction. I'd just finished Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy and became interested in this one


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

While my phone was dead, and power was out due to the snowstorm, I went through some boxes of old books, pulling out an Ace Double featuring a couple of early stories by my favorite SF author, which I'd somehow never read:


These Doubles were usually unrelated to one another, but in this case, they shared a common theme: plants getting way out of hand.

Reading by candlelight is an experience everyone should enjoy occasionally.


----------



## HALETH✒🗡

I've recently found an interesting book thanks to Book Crossing. It's name is "How to become a writer in ten hours". The title sounds a bit weird but the book is pretty good.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> There's a movie based -- loosely, as you might expect -- on the novel: "The Eagle", IIRC.


This was on free TV here recently but I gave up on it as they had made changes to try to make it more adult and brought in more (unnecessary) violence - not realising that what is called children's literature appeals to adults as well. Also the acting was as wooden as the trees (except Donald Sutherland as the uncle).


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

I have a copy on DVD, but confess I made it only partway through. I'll probably get back to it -- one of these days. 😄

BTW, she wrote two sequels.


----------



## Olorgando

A © 2021 German translation of Mark Twain's "The Innocents Abroad" - but not of the 1869 version, which was first translated into German way back in 1875.
This unabridged version was apparently published in 1958 by the University of Oklahoma Press in Norman, editor Daniel Morley McKeithan, and titled "Traveling with the Innocents Abroad. Mark Twain's Original Reports from Europe and the Holy Land". A bit over 500 pages, 58 chapters plus appendices, a map of the places visited from the Azores Islands to the eastern shore of the Mediterranean inside the front cover, and a more detailed map of Egypt and Palestine (all then part of the Ottoman Empire) inside the back cover. Hardcover in a slipcase. Now what does all of *that* remind me of? 🤔😁


----------



## Uminya

Olorgando said:


> A © 2021 German translation of Mark Twain's "The Innocents Abroad" - but not of the 1869 version, which was first translated into German way back in 1875.
> This unabridged version was apparently published in 1958 by the University of Oklahoma Press in Norman, editor Daniel Morley McKeithan, and titled "Traveling with the Innocents Abroad. Mark Twain's Original Reports from Europe and the Holy Land". A bit over 500 pages, 58 chapters plus appendices, a map of the places visited from the Azores Islands to the eastern shore of the Mediterranean inside the front cover, and a more detailed map of Egypt and Palestine (all then part of the Ottoman Empire) inside the back cover. Hardcover in a slipcase. Now what does all of *that* remind me of? 🤔😁


I loved reading The Innocents Abroad (the 1869 edition, mind you). It was delightful; I think my favorite bit was his story about the oysters in a layer of earth 

Lately I've been reading a bunch of things, most of which is non-fiction, but after I finished a re-read of the Dune novels, I decided to pick up the Lord of the Rings again. I've gotten Pippin to Minas Tirith, and it's felt very nice to re-read the story after such a long time away from them (I can't even recall the last time I read any Tolkien, aside from Children of Húrin).


----------



## Thorin

'Murder Machine' by Gene Mustain and Jerry Capeci. It is about mafia thug, Roy DeMeo of the Gambino crime family and his prolific killings that he and his crew did for the mob, anyone who would pay and for their own sadistic benefit and pleasure They reckon DeMeo and his crew were responsible for over 200 killings. They moved from being 'gangster hitmen' to 'serial killers'. I've always been a mob buff!


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

I'm on book two of the Southern Reach trilogy, Authority. So far it's been a good but weird series of books but I'm enjoying them.


----------



## Goku da Silva

A Dance With Dragons. The gorgeous leather-bound Bantam edition😍


----------



## m4r35n357

Going over my Cthulhu collection for the second time. Just finished one of my favourites, _The Mound_. Conjures up beautifully grotesque images that I can only describe as _Caligula meets Hellraiser_.

_At the Mountains of Madness_ is next!

Lovecraft is often infuriatingly difficult to read (unlike Tolkien!) owing to his consistent use of very long sentences containing very long words, with little dialogue to break things up. The constant denial and deferral of information takes some getting used to, but the slower second read is paying off nicely!


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

I'm working through the Lovecraft collection from Barnes & Noble slowly and agree he can be difficult to read. The last story I read was Herbert West-Reanimator and I really liked it.


----------



## m4r35n357

Erestor Arcamen said:


> I'm working through the Lovecraft collection from Barnes & Noble slowly and agree he can be difficult to read. The last story I read was Herbert West-Reanimator and I really liked it.


I wasn't aware of that one, looks like it is more complete than mine, but couldn't see a contents list.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

I can take a picture of the table of contents when I'm off work of you'd like. I'm no Lovecraft expert so not sure if it includes everything but it's a huge book


----------



## m4r35n357

Erestor Arcamen said:


> I can take a picture of the table of contents when I'm off work of you'd like. I'm no Lovecraft expert so not sure if it includes everything but it's a huge book


If you get the chance, that would be great. I might well buy it if there is enough extra stuff as it isn't that expensive (I paid £17.50 for mine at the time).


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

m4r35n357 said:


> If you get the chance, that would be great. I might well buy it if there is enough extra stuff as it isn't that expensive (I paid £17.50 for mine at the time).


I found a spreadsheet someone on Reddit made with a list of editions and what they contain. It includes everything that was just him writing, the stuff in the lower rows seems to be things that he collaborated with other authors, and those aren't included.









HPL


General azl_VI,B&N Leatherbound Classics,HPL Collect.,New Annotated,Knick. Class.,Chartwell,Folio Society,Penguin Classics,S. T. Joshi Variorum Editions,Gollancz I may be gone but I am still out here, watching you O,The Beast in the Cave O,The Alchemist O,The Tomb O,Dagon O,A Reminiscence of Dr....




docs.google.com


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Is yours the Joshi-edited one, EA?




m4r35n357 said:


> looks like it is more complete than mine


There are a lot more stories than those dealing with the Cthulhu cycle; many of his early ones were heavily influenced by Lord Dunsany.



m4r35n357 said:


> his consistent use of very long sentences containing very long words, with little dialogue to break things up.


Well, he _was _getting paid by the word. 😄

Someone counted up his dialog total -- only about 5,000 words, out of all that verbiage. Probably a good thing, as he was, to put it mildly, pretty bad at it. No doubt from having no one to talk to.


----------



## m4r35n357

Erestor Arcamen said:


> I found a spreadsheet someone on Reddit made with a list of editions and what they contain. It includes everything that was just him writing, the stuff in the lower rows seems to be things that he collaborated with other authors, and those aren't included.


Big differences, so bought, £20.47 + free delivery, from that awful TV production company


----------



## m4r35n357

m4r35n357 said:


> Big differences, so bought, £20.47 + free delivery, from that awful TV production company


Couldn't get any sense out of that B&N site for the UK . . .


----------



## m4r35n357

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> There are a lot more stories than those dealing with the Cthulu cycle; many of his early ones were heavily influenced by Lord Dunsany.


Apparently a "missing link" between Tolkien and Lovecraft! His first name is a bit off-putting though 

I might investigate online at some point . . . plenty on the plate for now!


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

His first name was Edward, not "Lord". 🤣


----------



## m4r35n357

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> His first name was Edward, not "Lord". 🤣


Spoilsport!


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

I've never read anything by him but ol'Eddy has some good quotes. I'll have to check him out.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, to give his full name, led a similarly full life: beyond publishing nearly 200 books, among other things, he was the pistol-shooting champion of Ireland, and invented an asymmetrical variant of chess. I'd recommend his best-known novel, to start with:


I had, at one time, a book of illustrations by his favorite collaborator, Sidney Sime. A couple of examples:




To bring another TTF favorite into the discussion, in 1977, two members of the British folk/rock fusion group Steeleye Span created an album based on the novel, and featuring no less than Christopher Lee as both the narrator and the king. Here's a cut:


----------



## Olorgando

Re-read John Garth's 2003 _Tolkien and the Great War._


----------



## Halasían

Giving *The Willing Flesh* by Willie Heinrich a re-read since the paperback fell off the bookshelf.


----------



## Olorgando

Re-reading Tom Shippey's 2003 third edition of "The Road to Middle-earth".


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Not exactly "on thread", but since we were talking about Lovecraft:









Guillermo Del Toro Has Been Fighting To Adapt This Book For 15 Years - /Film


"I know the ending we have is one the most intriguing, weird, unsettling endings, for me."




www.slashfilm.com


----------



## Olorgando

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Not exactly "on thread", but since we were talking about Lovecraft:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Guillermo Del Toro Has Been Fighting To Adapt This Book For 15 Years - /Film
> 
> 
> "I know the ending we have is one the most intriguing, weird, unsettling endings, for me."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.slashfilm.com


I have now been reading on this site for almost an hour-and-a-half. 🥴
No, I didn't need that long to read the article on Del Toro. But the next article was titled "War Of The Gargantuas: The Entire Godzilla Series Ranked From Worst To Best" - starting with rank *33!!!* That made me go *"What???"* and continue reading. Now, three (very) long articles after the (very, very) long Godzilla films ranking, I need a break! 🥵


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Hey, nobody forced you. 🤣


----------



## Olorgando

'Course not. But if you take the "right now" of the thread's title *very* literally, probably no one posting here has come closer. 😁🥴😁🥴


----------



## ArnorianRanger

Olorgando said:


> I have now been reading on this site for almost an hour-and-a-half. 🥴
> No, I didn't need that long to read the article on Del Toro. But the next article was titled "War Of The Gargantuas: The Entire Godzilla Series Ranked From Worst To Best" - starting with rank *33!!!* That made me go *"What???"* and continue reading. Now, three (very) long articles after the (very, very) long Godzilla films ranking, I need a break! 🥵



If it makes you feel any better...despite disliking Godzilla films and the like...rank 33 pulled me in too .

Thanks,

AR


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

ArnorianRanger said:


> despite disliking Godzilla


Why? Is this the problem?


----------



## m4r35n357

Erestor Arcamen said:


> I'm working through the Lovecraft collection from Barnes & Noble slowly and agree he can be difficult to read. The last story I read was Herbert West-Reanimator and I really liked it.


Arrived Sunday evening.
Much better than the Cthulhu collection IMO, shows a _far_ wider range of styles with lots more short stories. Far from a one-trick pony!
I have now ordered a Dunsany collection . . .


----------



## Olorgando

Re-reading LoTR. Decided to go with the German translation, the books I bought for my wife well over 20 or 25 years ago, in the original translation by Margaret Carroux from 1969/70.


----------



## Goldilocks Gamgee

I am reading "Murder in the Cathedral" by someone someone Eliot. I just started reading it, for school.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Would that be Tee Ess? 😃


----------



## Goldilocks Gamgee

That's the one.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Thought so.

Do I dare to eat a peach?


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Never mind, I'll go without peaches.


----------



## LadyGaladriel1980

I am reading "Dürre" from Uwe Laub, a book about a horrible future, in which every citizen in germany have a climate account, which shows, how much CO2 a person produce, and these, who produce to much, has to pay very hard for it....and a very cruel climate dictatore developet, the book is about two siblings, which are charged to betray the gouvernement, because they had hide the death of their ill father and use his climate account to have a better life. 
A very creepy book about a dictature, which forces people to produce not much CO2, but the gouvernement himself is rich und lives in luxury.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Halasían said:


> Don't break your glasses Squint Eye....


No worries-- I'm nearsighted.😄


----------



## Peter86

None at the moment, but other than the obvious future readings of Tolkien's books, I also have very serious plans on reading "The Shining" and "Jurassic Park", which I have actually never read.
I have however watched both of the movie adaptations (great movies, both of them), and I know that those movies were very different from the books in a lot of ways;
for example,


Spoiler



Jack Nicholson in the book is apparently trying to fight against the powers of the Overlook Hotel (whereas in the movie adaptation he pretty much seems to enjoy being evil), and I also know that John Hammond in the book is much more cold and arrogant, kind of like Gennaro


.

I have also always wanted to read the James Bond novels;
I guess I will start with "Casino Royale", and work my way up.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

You'll find them _very _different from the movies, to put it mildly.

I was reading the books as the first films came out -- they were getting paperback reprints, as you'd expect. I enjoyed the movies -- at least the early ones -- but grew somewhat disappointed, as they got further from the stories. Learning that another studio had the rights to "Cassino Royale", I held hopes that it, at least, would adhere more closely to the original.

That didn't exactly pan out. 😅


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Just finished John Wyndham's_ The Day of the Triffids_. Not unusually there is more to the book than the film as I remember it. Yes the Triffids are an important factor in the book as a clear threat to human beings but the book is more about how we would cope with a sudden catastrophe that affects nearly everyone. Very much a 1950s Cold War paranoia book written when people had been recently confronted with the possibility of mankind wiping itself out (still true of course). There is a creepy Dr Strangelove meets the Handmaid's Tale theme but as usual Wyndham's strength is setting his SF in the contemporary familiar world and posing big questions about humanity. The story flows naturally without any unnecessary padding, and has great first and last sentences.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

I read that as a 12-year-old. And several times after that. One of my favorites in those distant days. I gave it to my little brother to read, and for a long time he wouldn't watch meteor showers. 😄

I believe it was that novel that caused Brian Aldis to coin the term "cozy catastrophe".


----------



## Rōmānus

I’m reading Akhenaten Egypt’s False Prophet, and rereading Revolt Against the Modern World.


----------



## Barliman

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> I read that as a 12-year-old. And several times after that. One of my favorites in those distant days. I gave it to my little brother to read, and for a long time he wouldn't watch meteor showers. 😄
> 
> I believe it was that novel that caused Brian Aldis to coin the term "cozy catastrophe".


Ummm...that was you who was afraid of watching meteor showers. 🤣


----------



## Barliman

Rivendell_librarian said:


> Just finished John Wyndham's_ The Day of the Triffids_. Not unusually there is more to the book than the film as I remember it.


Which film are you referring to?
The horrendous 1963 version with Howard Keel?
The 1981 TV series with John Duttine - really good interpretation. They even used triffid guns instead of salt water like the '63 verison, or machine guns like in
The 2009 mini series which I haven't seen but which sounds horrible based on reviews.

I think I have the '81 version on DVD.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Barliman said:


> Which film are you referring to?
> The horrendous 1963 version with Howard Keel?
> The 1981 TV series with John Duttine - really good interpretation. They even used triffid guns instead of salt water like the '63 verison, or machine guns like in
> The 2009 mini series which I haven't seen but which sounds horrible based on reviews.
> 
> I think I have the '81 version on DVD.


The 1963 film - I have a very dim memory of it: I remembered Kieron Moore being in it.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

That came as a great disappointment to me. I'd recommend running down the 1981 series. Not a high budget, but it followed the book fairly closely, IIRC.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> That came as a great disappointment to me. I'd recommend running down the 1981 series. Not a high budget, but it followed the book fairly closely, IIRC.




Ah those 1960s film posters - always playing up a sex angle but with a certain mid 20th century restraint - rarely corresponding to any actual scene in the film!
(Spot the high heels!)


----------



## Lithóniel

Elendil3119 said:


> I'm currently reading LotR (again ) and The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. What about you guys?


I’m reading Lotr The Two Towers right now 😃


----------



## Lómelindë Lindórië

On the 16th chapter of _The Silmarillion_.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Just read The Little Prince by Saint-Exupery. Definitely a book for children of all ages. The author's exquisite illustrations add to the story. A simple message that grown ups are very strange people who busy themselves with things that don't matter and that something you care for can become special to you.


----------



## Lómelindë Lindórië

Rivendell_librarian said:


> Just read The Little Prince by Saint-Exupery. Definitely a book for children of all ages. The author's exquisite illustrations add to the story. A simple message that grown ups are very strange people who busy themselves with things that don't matter and that something you care for can become special to you.


I totally agree. 

_Passion is what fuels the heart._


----------



## HALETH✒🗡

Miriel Amaniel said:


> I totally agree.
> 
> _Passion is what fuels the heart._


I suppose Saint-Exupery meant love. Love and passion are not the same things.


----------



## Olorgando

HALETH✒🗡 said:


> I suppose Saint-Exupery meant love. Love and passion are not the same things.


True. Passion can be destructive.


----------



## Lómelindë Lindórië

Olorgando said:


> True. Passion can be destructive.


Not if passion is under control. Love would be a safer option, though, as long as it's genuine and requited.


----------



## HALETH✒🗡

Some time ago I read "Words Living and Words Dead" by Nora Gal. The book is about creative writing, everyday writing and literary translation. There Nora Gal wrote about her experience in transiting "The Little Prince" from French into Russian. In French the same word is used for a female fox and a male fox, while in Russian there're two different words. It was difficult to define whether the fox was female or male. Some experts claimed that the fox was female and that the prince had to choose between his love to the fox and his love to the rose (Saint-Exupery loved two women, by the way), while the others thought that the fox was male, so the fox represents friendship and the rose represents love. Nora Gal chose the second version. In her translation the fox is male. What about the fox from "The Little Prince" in English (or in other languages)?


----------



## Goldilocks Gamgee

Olorgando said:


> True. Passion can be destructive.


So can love.


----------



## HALETH✒🗡

Goldilocks Gamgee said:


> So can love.


In what way?


----------



## Lómelindë Lindórië

HALETH✒🗡 said:


> In what way?


Unrequited love, I suppose. It is the most destructive of all, for it is the one that causes the most grief.

Yet grief can be a powerful healer, and one can learn much from unrequited love if they are lucky enough to be healed and get over it.


----------



## HALETH✒🗡

Miriel Amaniel said:


> Unrequited love, I suppose. It is the most destructive of all, for it is the one that causes the most grief.


I hope that true love isn't destructive even if it is unrequited. To love is more important than to be loved.


----------



## Olorgando

Miriel Amaniel said:


> Unrequited love, I suppose. It is the most destructive of all, for it is the one that causes the most grief.


If it turns destructive, it wasn't love, it was narcissism.
True love may have to mean letting go. It's basically something all parents go through when the children leave the "nest" (or it should be).
That's why I'm dubious about "passion", which too often smacks of narcissism for my taste, the second most destructive emotion after psychopathy.


----------



## jdbliss

I am currently reading The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. Pretty fascinating book, but a lot more difficult read than his book Supernova Era. Great Science Fiction out of China.


----------



## Goldilocks Gamgee

I just finished reading _Much Ado About Nothing_, by Shakespeare, and found it a decent book. I am now thinking about reading the Hunger Games, because my friends seemed to have enjoyed it. Then again, my friends find Tolkien boring, so I don't know whether to trust their opinion...


----------



## Olorgando

After finally finishing my re-reading of my German translation of LoTR, I'm now delving into my 2012 German translation of Douglas A. Anderson's "Annotated Hobbit". After 51 pages of background information, it seems the story is finally beginning ...


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

I'm reading The Lost Shtetl by Max Gross. It's about a Jewish village in Poland who avoided being attacked by Germany and was discovered in the 20th century while they were still living in 1800s Orthodox Jewish tradition. It's kind of like M. Night Shimaloomaloo's The Village movie but without monsters.


----------



## Bunny

Elendil3119 said:


> I'm currently reading LotR (again ) and The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer. What about you guys?


The Atlas of Middle-Earth , by Karen Wynn Fonstad.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Under Western Eyes by Joseph Conrad

wow! Now critics might say "not much happens" but this is a novel of ideas, of character, of guilt - not action, though there is some dramatic action at both the beginning and end. There's some similarity with Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and Conrad's Lord Jim. It's definitely a good idea not to read the Introduction before reading the book, as not knowing the denoument means you enjoy the great tension in this book. The main character (Razumov) has a similar name as well. In the author's note, Conrad coins the term "banality" in a way similar to Arendt - had Arendt read this novel?

Conrad's family background is relevant, being an ethnic Pole who was born in Ukraine and whose father was a Polish nationalist at a time when Poland (or Ukraine) did not exist. His father was imprisoned in Russia and then exiled, dying of TB when Joseph was still young. His mother also died of TB at this time. But rather than follow in his father's footsteps Joseph Conrad chose to go to Marseille and go to sea - eventually joining the British Merchant Navy - and the rest is history. However, there is no sign of the sea here but I think this is one of Conrad's best novels

I struggled with Crime and Punishment. Imo this novel is better with some beautiful prose.


----------



## Olorgando

Rivendell_librarian said:


> I struggled with Crime and Punishment. Imo this novel is better with some beautiful prose.


I'm wondering if part of this has to do with Joseph Conrad writing in English, while I'm guessing that you read Dostoevsky in translation. Perhaps @HALETH✒🗡 can provide some insights on the fidelity of the translations of the great Russian writers into English.


----------



## HALETH✒🗡

Olorgando said:


> Perhaps @HALETH✒🗡 can provide some insights on the fidelity of the translations of the great Russian writers into English.


I'll be happy to do so but maybe a few days later if you don't mind. I'm going to take two English language exams this week and I'm quite busy with the preparation now.


----------



## Persephone

GOOD OMENS


----------



## Elassar

I have just finished the Hobbit for about the millionth time


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Seems like I'm not the first person to see a connection between Conrad's novel and Arendt's famous phrase

Jstor


----------



## Lómelindë Lindórië

Still getting lost in _The Silmarillion _just like how Elwe got lost in Nan Elmoth...


----------



## Elassar

I am now starting the children of hurin again


----------



## Olorgando

Re-reading Jared Diamond's 2005 book "Collapse".


----------



## Persephone

Olorgando said:


> Re-reading Jared Diamond's 2005 book "Collapse".


never heard of Jared Diamond... will have to check him out


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

I read _Guns, Germs, and Steel_, for which he won a Pulitzer. I also read _The Third Chimpanzee._


----------



## Olorgando

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> I read _Guns, Germs, and Steel_, for which he won a Pulitzer. I also read _The Third Chimpanzee._


Got both of those, GG&S in both the original and in the German translation - because the German translation had an entirely different title. The original was an older edition, the translation a newer, expanded edition (Diamond seems to release revised and expanded editions of most of his books after a few years), so I kept both. And I also have his later book, the 2013 (English edition) "The World Until Yesterday" ... which was published in German (again with a different title) in 2012!


----------



## Fëanor_7

Not been around here for a long while 

I've been on something of a Philip K. Dick spree and am currently reading 'The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick'


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

You were here in January-- but welcome back, anyway! 🙂


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> I also read _The Third Chimpanzee_


I just remembered that it was here that I read-- aside from the "we're alone in the universe" idea -- the most depressing hypothesis as to why we have no evidence for alien life I've heard.


----------



## Fëanor_7

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> You were here in January-- but welcome back, anyway! 🙂


Really? I must've completely forgotten, thought it had been a few years!


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Well, it _was _the first time since 2018. 😃


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

Fëanor_7 said:


> Really? I must've completely forgotten, thought it had been a few years!


Well, Alatulië nanci anyways! Glad you came back to TTF!


----------



## Radaghast

_The Gardens of the Moon_ by Steven Erikson. It's been kind of a slog and, with 80-ish pages left to go, I still have almost no idea what's going on  All I can seem to manage is a few pages a day.

Is there anyone here who has read this book or series (_Malazan Book of the Fallen_)?


----------



## Olorgando

Finished reading my 2012 German translation of Douglas A. Anderson's 2002 second edition (original 1988) of his "Annotated Hobbit" a few days ago.
Funny thing is, I'd read the complete annotation part several years ago.
Now there are two German translations of The Hobbit, one from 1957 and one from 1997. For that reasons, the annotations are more extensive than Anderson's, as differences in the two translations are noted. So I'm not quite certain if the version in this book is purely either of the translations, or a combination.

What I noticed is that, due to the German language having kept the differentiation between the formal and the familiar "you" (the latter was "thou", used by JRRT only in one scene in LoTR, IIRC), the formal "Sie" (which also happens to mean "they" ... oh well ...  ) is used quite often. Which I found rather too "modern", as the earlier translation of LoTR (1969-70) which I have circumvented this difference much better. (The same author who did the 1997 translation of TH did the same for LoTR in an edition of 2000, which, however, drew some heavy criticism for using 1990's German "slang" that just grated considering the hypothetical time-setting of the events.)


----------



## Ent

I'm going through LOTR again, reading chapter by chapter, then bringing Hammond & Scull's work alongside.

(Effectively, reading it as though it's an "Annotated LOTR" similar to the "Annotated Hobbit", though Hammond & Scull have their annotations in an entirely separate book.)

That is, I'm reading those when I'm not 'chasing other background' from all the exciting reading etc. here and a couple other places I peek into daily.


----------



## Olorgando

Well-aged Enting said:


> ...
> (Effectively, reading it as though it's an "Annotated LOTR" similar to the "Annotated Hobbit", though Hammond & Scull have their annotations in an entirely separate book.)
> ...


With the latter book, do you mean their 2005 "The Lord of the Rings - A Reader's Companion" - authors given in the order Hammond & Scull -, while you're using their "The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide"- authors given in the order Scull & Hammond -, with volumes "Chronology" and "Reader's Guide" (in the 2006 two-volume version; there's an expanded three-volume second edition from 2017, about which I'm assuming the "Reader's Guide" was expanded to two volumes)?


----------



## Ent

Olorgando said:


> With the latter book, do you mean their 2005 "The Lord of the Rings - A Reader's Companion" - authors given in the order Hammond & Scull -, while you're using their "The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide"- authors given in the order Scull & Hammond -, with volumes "Chronology" and "Reader's Guide" (in the 2006 two-volume version; there's an expanded three-volume second edition from 2017, about which I'm assuming the "Reader's Guide" was expanded to two volumes)?



Yes, "all of the above" so to speak. 
I'm using the 2005 "LOTR: A Reader's Companion" chapter by chapter, as I read through LOTR again.
I also have the 3 volume "Chronology" and "Reader's Guide" (2 vols) - Revised and Expanded Edition (Scull and Hammond) on my desk.

I didn't bother with the 2016 2-vol edition as my understanding is the 3-vol expands that 2-vol entirely - so I didn't see a value in having that one. (Unless I'm missing something.)

The 2005 is nice to 'bring alongside' chapter by chapter as I devour LOTR and it jointly in my recliner.
The 3-vol is a bit too cumbersome for that, so I'm reserving it for a follow-up reading.


----------



## Olorgando

Well-aged Enting said:


> Yes, "all of the above" so to speak.
> I'm using the 2005 "LOTR: A Reader's Companion" chapter by chapter, as I read through LOTR again.
> I also have the 3 volume "Chronology" and "Reader's Guide" (2 vols) - Revised and Expanded Edition (Scull and Hammond) on my desk.


Funny thing is, it was in that 2012 German translation of Anderson's Annotated Hobbit that I picked up the trail of the Hammond & Scull books of 2005 and 2006. Another indication that the 2012 German translation was an expanded version of Anderson's 2002 second edition (Anderson may have contributed to the 2012 German translation).
I'm all but certain that you're not missing anything from my 2006 one-volume "Reader's Guide" compared to your 2017 two-volume edition. When I read about the 2017 expanded edition, I scratched my head about what of interest to me could have cropped up in the intervening 11 years for me to buy the two-volume "Reader's Guide" (there was certainly nothing new for "Chronology") - and arrived at the conclusion "hardly anything". At least for the 2006 edition, it was possible to buy each volume separately ...


----------



## Copia

Currently reading The Silmarillion!


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Currently reading The Stand by Stephen King. Last book that I read was Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It was really good, reminded me a lot of the old scifi books I've read like Arthur C. Clarke, etc.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Erestor Arcamen said:


> The Stand by Stephen King.


That's the last one of his I ever read. 

With good reason. 🙄


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> That's the last one of his I ever read.
> 
> With good reason. 🙄


Didn't like it?


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

All Tolkien. I am reading LOTR and The Silmarillion again specifically-- (In answer to the thread's title)


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Erestor Arcamen said:


> Didn't like it?


You could say that.

But don't let me spoil it for you. 😄


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> You could say that.
> 
> But don't let me spoil it for you. 😄


Hmm... Are these fantasy books, or just... books?


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

He writes horror, scifi and other stuff. This one I think is about a post apocalyptic world when a disease hits.


----------



## Ealdwyn

I've felt the urge to return to the classic of romantic chivalry: Ivanhoe


----------



## Ent

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> All Tolkien. I am reading LOTR and The Silmarillion again specifically-- (In answer to the thread's title)



Same. I'm bringing Hammond and Scull's "A Readers Companion" commentary book alongside LoTR chapter by chapter. But I"m kind of tabling it in favor of a deep dive through SIL now, to get caught up with some things I'm less familiar with...(by far).


----------



## Radaghast

A translation of _The Rig Veda_ by Wendy O'Flaherty. Even the translations need translations


----------



## Starbrow

I'm reading _The Thief Lord _by Cornelia Funke, a recommendation from my son.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

I read _Inkheart_, before passing it on to my nephews.


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

Well-aged Enting said:


> Same. I'm bringing Hammond and Scull's "A Readers Companion" commentary book alongside LoTR chapter by chapter. But I"m kind of tabling it in favor of a deep dive through SIL now, to get caught up with some things I'm less familiar with...(by far).


Sounds very deep and thorough.

Hasty you are most certainly not.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I read this a good while ago but while I remembered a story of action I read it now as a novel of ideas: ideas that seem as relevant as ever these days. Culture reduced to mindless TV shows shown on huge wall sized TVs while the threat of nuclear war is ignored. There are also some prescient comments relevant to school violence. The public let the comic books survive, trade journals and 3D sex magazines of course!

In the Truffaut film the mysterious young girl Clarisse survives and reappears towards the end. Apparently, Bradbury approved of this change and I tend to agree as she plays an important part and it seems odd to just have her mysteriously bumped off by the authorities. I haven't watched the film though.

I really enjoyed this book this time round as I now appreciate it as a novel of ideas. Though short the characters are well drawn - not always true in SF.


----------



## Lithóniel

Rivendell_librarian said:


> Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
> 
> I read this a good while ago but while I remembered a story of action I read it now as a novel of ideas: ideas that seem as relevant as ever these days. Culture reduced to mindless TV shows shown on huge wall sized TVs while the threat of nuclear war is ignored. There are also some prescient comments relevant to school violence. The public let the comic books survive, trade journals and 3D sex magazines of course!
> 
> In the Truffaut film the mysterious young girl Clarisse survives and reappears towards the end. Apparently, Bradbury approved of this change and I tend to agree as she plays an important part and it seems odd to just have her mysteriously bumped off by the authorities. I haven't watched the film though.
> 
> I really enjoyed this book this time round as I now appreciate it as a novel of ideas. Though short the characters are well drawn - not always true in SF.


Yes I read part of this book in Literature class this past year. It was quite interesting. We didn’t have time to finish it though.


----------



## HALETH✒🗡

I'm currently reading a book by Ray Bradbury too ("Dandelion Wine" in the original to be exact).


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

HALETH✒🗡 said:


> I'm currently reading a book by Ray Bradbury too ("Dandelion Wine" in the original to be exact).


Interesting.. In English, or Russian?


----------



## HALETH✒🗡

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> Interesting.. In English, or Russian?


In English.


----------



## Copia

The Return Of The King now. My favorite Tolkien book. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields and Mount Doom chapters are just so amazing I find it hard to describe it. Gives me goosebumpbs like nothing else!

Frodo and Sams struggle, hoplessness and bravery at the end is so beautiful.
Theoden and Eomer's several charges and heroisime on the fields of Pelennor. 

Tolkien is such a legend.


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

Copia said:


> The Return Of The King now. My favorite Tolkien book. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields and Mount Doom chapters are just so amazing I find it hard to describe it. Gives me goosebumpbs like nothing else!
> 
> Frodo and Sams struggle, hoplessness and bravery at the end is so beautiful.
> Theoden and Eomer's several charges and heroisime on the fields of Pelennor.
> 
> Tolkien is such a legend.


Tolkien is a legend, but his works feel so real, and so much more than that!


----------



## Olorgando

Re-reading the 2006 book by former Columbia University Professor Fritz Stern (1926-2016), "Five Germanys I have known", in the 2007 German translation.


----------



## Ealdwyn

Just started re-reading the Culture scifi series by Iain M. Banks


----------



## Deimos

Rivendell_librarian said:


> Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
> 
> I read this a good while ago but while I remembered a story of action I read it now as a novel of ideas: ideas that seem as relevant as ever these days. Culture reduced to mindless TV shows shown on huge wall sized TVs...


(Sorry for the slight necro-post....) 

Don't forget the Little "sea-shells" in the ears constantly pumping out "noise" (commercials, music, slogans..."Denham's Dentifrice" 😱 )


----------



## Deimos

HALETH✒🗡 said:


> I'm currently reading a book by Ray Bradbury too ("Dandelion Wine" in the original to be exact).


In the original....what? Original edition? That would be a 1957 edition.
I have a hardcover 1971 edition...discard from a library...I guess Bradbury's warning was too farfetched for them and, bookburning being frowned upon (currently anyway 😉) they discarded it.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

I believe she meant the original English, as she mentioned below.


----------



## Deimos

I am reading (just started) _The Worm Ouroboros_ by E.R. Eddison (1922)

"Before there was Tolkien there was Eddison."


----------



## Deimos

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> I believe she meant the original English, as she mentioned below.


Oh. OK... didn't see that. My bad 🙁


----------



## Ent

My dear @Deimos - I applaud you, "There are so many swell places for a person to keep his mouth shut." Absolutely excellent.
As the Enting says: "There is much to be said for saying little."

The difficulty is in the doing..!


----------



## Deimos

Well-aged Enting said:


> My dear @Deimos - I applaud you, "There are so many swell places for a person to keep his mouth shut." Absolutely excellent.
> As the Enting says: "There is much to be said for saying little."
> 
> The difficulty is in the doing..!


Thanks for the kudos, but please don't assume it is my original thought/saying because it isn't.
And as far as "doing" (dear God I sound like Yoda), it has taken me over 50 years merely to learn the truth of it. 🙁


----------



## Ent

Deimos said:


> please don't assume it is my original thought/saying because it isn't.



Thank you for the clarification, but even posting it whether yours or not, can put you at risk with some. (People are easily offended these days.) You still earn my applause.



Deimos said:


> dear God I sound like Yoda



Not such a bad thing. Young as he was, he spoke some wisdom nonetheless.



Deimos said:


> over 50 years to merely learn the truth of it



And yet most never do..! So I also maintain my evaluation of "absolutely excellent..!"

😁


----------



## Deimos

Well-aged Enting said:


> Thank you for the clarification, but even posting it whether yours or not, can put you at risk with some. (People are easily offended these days.) You still earn my applause.
> 
> 
> 
> Not such a bad thing. Young as he was, he spoke some wisdom nonetheless.
> 
> 
> 
> And yet most never do..! So I also maintain my evaluation of "absolutely excellent..!"
> 
> 😁


OK... I'll let you do so 😁


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

Just finished Vertigo the novel by the French writing pair Boileau/Narcejac. it's an engaging psychological thriller set in WW2 France with a plot that is similar to the Hitchcock film. There's a lot of French style introspection by the main character, but it's still well above the average murder mystery. Hitchcock used it to produce something better as I've argued elsewhere.


----------



## Ent

Still working through LoTR again, bringing Hammond and Scull's Companion alongside chapter by chapter.
Also nearing halfway though SIL again.
Rereading our own Bosko Took's "_The Dangerous Truth_" again as well, some revision having been done. 
And have brought alongside his other book "_W.B. Yeats and the Secret Masters of the World_."

I can never manage to focus on just one thing at a time it seems.

I seem to be developing a desire to reread Asimov's Foundation series again too... only read through it all once, and recall thinking it was somewhat well written and held together well. Also dealt interestingly with several psychological principles worth pondering.


----------



## Starbrow

I am rereading _Emma_ by Jane Austen. I needed some "comfort food."


----------



## Ugluk

spirit said:


> cool.
> has any1 read harry potter?
> they are basically copies of lotr...but in a shorter and junkier version
> 
> **Edited by Tal**Please refrain from cussing, thanks**


Read them many times. They are not remotely copies of LOTR with a completely different premise and setting. Nor are they junk, rather well crafted and well thought out tales with a strong moral compass, insight into the human condition, and a touch of deft humour.


----------



## Ugluk

I tend to go through books at a rapid pace.

This past week I have read the two latest of the Kydd series about war and sea during the Napoleonic era, _Balkan Glory_ and _Thunderer_. Plus Robert Galbraith's murder-mystery _The Ink Black Heart._

For work I have just finished _Our Robots, Ourselves: Robotics and the Myths of Autonomy._

Currently on the go is a young adult time travel novel _Lost in time _and a history of the "Afghan" cameleers in Australia..

In the "to read" pile are the complete works of Edward Lear, and a book on the Black Summer fires in Australia (which I experienced first hand)



Olorgando said:


> Re-reading the 2006 book by former Columbia University Professor Fritz Stern (1926-2016), "Five Germanys I have known", in the 2007 German translation.


That would be fascinating.


----------



## Deimos

Starbrow said:


> I am rereading _Emma_ by Jane Austen. I needed some "comfort food."


_Emma_, _Pride and Prejudice_, and _Sense and Sensibility_ (not necessarily in that order)...good stuff


----------



## CirdanLinweilin

I'm reading _The Hobbit _but it is slow going as I am dealing with a horrible cold.


CL


----------



## Ent

Deimos said:


> _Emma_, _Pride and Prejudice_, and _Sense and Sensibility_ (not necessarily in that order)...good stuff


@Starbrow as well - thanks. 
I have always had Austen's works in my library, but wondered if they were worth the read. Perhaps I'll have time ere all is done.


----------



## Ealdwyn

Deimos said:


> _Emma_, _Pride and Prejudice_, and _Sense and Sensibility_ (not necessarily in that order)...good stuff


_Persuasion_ is my favourite Austen


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Well-aged Enting said:


> @Starbrow as well - thanks.
> I have always had Austen's works in my library, but wondered if they were worth the read. Perhaps I'll have time ere all is done.


Highly recommended, for anyone who enjoys exquisitely-written English prose.

I once read someone referring to "Jane Austen bodice-rippers" -- from someone who'd obviously never read her. 🙄


----------



## Ent

I confess: I had to look up "bodice-rippers".


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

She was clearly confusing Austen with the "steamy romance" genre of the last few decades.


----------



## Deimos

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Highly recommended, for anyone who enjoys exquisitely-written English prose.
> 
> I once read someone referring to "Jane Austen bodice-rippers" -- from someone who'd obviously never read her. 🙄


Try "_Middlemarch_" by George Eliot. Some background for those unfamiliar with it.
One of the first books I read upon my retirement.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, so much so that I bought it. I typically read the library edition first; and if I like it, I will [eventually] buy it.
(I buy only those books that I am certain I will re-read, or will use for reference.)



Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> She was clearly confusing Austen with the "steamy romance" genre of the last few decades.
> View attachment 15707


And Barbara Cartland in the earlier half of the 20th C.

Good Lord, she could be Liberace's sister


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Though my understanding is that she was against the "steamy" stuff, and stuck to the traditional sort of Regency Romance genre. Everyone kept their clothes on, in other words.


----------



## Ent

Deimos said:


> Try "_Middlemarch_" by George Eliot


Well, another I've had in my library for decades. (at least 2 I think.)
But I just grabbed her 'complete works'. Might as well. 
My only concern is if I read all these that fit into the 'classics' categories, I might actually learn something..!


----------



## Ent

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Everyone kept their clothes on, in other words.


Trust me, at my age this is a very good thing..!!


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Well-aged Enting said:


> Well, another I've had in my library for decades. (at least 2 I think.)
> But I just grabbed her 'complete works'. Might as well.
> My only concern is if I read all these that fit into the 'classics' categories, I might actually learn something..!


You could do worse. I think I may have mentioned somewhere on an earlier page that I spent several months, a few years ago, catching up on all the Dickens I'd neglected for so long -- and also his buddy Wilkie Collins. Very rewarding reading.


----------



## Ent

Yes, Dickens and Collins I have... along with a few others. (Have I read them all? well, umnhhh.... nope. No wonder I'm a few bricks short of a full wall.)

I just discovered much to my dismay that all my Asimov has vanished... 
Now... maybe I'm the only SciFi type reader here, but there are several I do enjoy. Asimov is one, though I had a much harder time getting into his Robot series than his Foundation series... 

I like those where 'worlds' of some kind get built - like Terry Brooks' Shannara series (until the later books) and a few others. Dune wasn't too bad, though it got a bit ponderous after a time. And I liked old E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series, just because it was kind of a 'forerunner' for others in some ways.

Anyway, I need to lay the Foundation series back in. Hankering to read it for some reason.


----------



## Deimos

Well-aged Enting said:


> Well, another I've had in my library for decades. (at least 2 I think.)
> But I just grabbed her 'complete works'. Might as well.
> My only concern is if I read all these that fit into the 'classics' categories, I might actually learn something..!



Following _Middlemarch_ I read _Silas Marner_. It's pretty good but it takes a while to get pulled into it.
Following _ Silas Marner_ I attempted _The Mill on the Floss..._operative word here is "attempted".
Dear God, the first few chapters that set the stage were soooooooo depressing I put the thing down , knowing I would never pick it up again. 
And I haven't, and have no desire to. Yet many many people like it.
And just for the record, I have never stopped reading a book (or failed to start one) solely because the story is depressing.


----------



## ZehnWaters

I'm jumping around The Nature of Middle-Earth. I need to get back to actually reading, though. I've a stack at this point.


----------



## Deimos

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Though my understanding is that she was against the "steamy" stuff, and stuck to the traditional sort of Regency Romance genre. Everyone kept their clothes on, in other words.
> View attachment 15709


HA! "Everyone kept their clothes on" _in print! _
She most cleverly (if not insidiously) left the rest to your imagination.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Well-aged Enting said:


> Now... maybe I'm the only SciFi type reader here,


Nope!


----------



## Olorgando

Well-aged Enting said:


> Now... maybe I'm the only SciFi type reader here, ...


No, I also have a few SciFi books, mainly Arthur C. Clarke:
the four "Oddysey" books,
the four "Rama" books (the last three were collaborations with Gentry Lee),
"The Hammer of God".

Douglas Adams is a somewhat special case, as his "Hitchhiker-Galaxy" books do (mainly) take place in outer space - and were a BBC4 Radio program before they were books. The two "Dirk Gently" books are an altogether different matter.


----------



## Deimos

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> You could do worse. I think I may have mentioned somewhere on an earlier page that I spent several months, a few years ago, catching up on all the Dickens I'd neglected for so long -- and also his buddy Wilkie Collins. Very rewarding reading.


Evelyn Waugh wrote a short story titled "The Man Who Liked Dickens". It's very ...ummm....disturbing. 
I read it in a collection titled "Stories for Late at Night". 
It's not scary, or at least not the way 'scary' is lately defined (think Freddy Kruger ). 
It's scary when you start thinking what it would be like if you were in a similar situation.
In fact, just now thinking about it that way, it's a horrifying story (Waugh could be weird like that.)
There was a short dramatization made with Alec Guinness in the title role. 
His performance captures the "disturbing" atmosphere of the short story.


----------



## Ealdwyn

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> You could do worse. I think I may have mentioned somewhere on an earlier page that I spent several months, a few years ago, catching up on all the Dickens I'd neglected for so long -- and also his buddy Wilkie Collins. Very rewarding reading.


I love Wilkie Collins. Dickens.... not so much. You can tell he was paid by the word - that man lacked a good editor 🤣


----------



## Ent

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Nope!
> View attachment 15710



Is this a book? I can't find it anywhere (yet).


----------



## Olorgando

Re-reading the third and final (2013) book of Swiss Catholic theologian's Hans Küng's (1928-2021) memoirs.


----------



## Deimos

Well-aged Enting said:


> Yes, Dickens and Collins I have... along with a few others. (Have I read them all? well, umnhhh.... nope. No wonder I'm a few bricks short of a full wall.)


I've read a few Dickens' works: David Copperfield, Great Expectations, his Ghost Stories (in which I include A Christmas Carol).
Wilkie Colins is on my list...there are just too many other works that take precedence. 🙁


Well-aged Enting said:


> I just discovered much to my dismay that all my Asimov has vanished...
> Now... maybe I'm the only SciFi type reader here, but there are several I do enjoy. Asimov is one, though I had a much harder time getting into his Robot series than his Foundation series...


Nope, thou art most assuredly not. I read a lot of SF (rather indiscriminately, if truth be told) when I was much, _much_ younger. 
What I have left can fit on a one meter shelf. 
All Clarke is gone except for _2001_. 
All Asimov is gone except for the original 3 _Foundation_ books and his "_Asimov's Mysteries". _It is a collection of short mysteries. Most, if not all are very good. I find myself re-reading them every year or so _even tho' I know how they end_.  😁 

I have several collections of short stories by Theodore Sturgeon, Harlan Ellison, Philip K. Dick, and others, most being of the Golden Age and Silver Age of SF.

I liked the original _Dune_. I enjoyed Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card). 
I read Ursula LeGuin's _The Left Hand of Darkness_, which was OK except for the part about crossing the Gobrin Ice... that was very good. 

I mentioned John Wyndham's stories in the thread about earlier 20th C. movies.
I've also mentioned Ray Bradbury, tho' there is some debate as to describing his works as true SF. 
I think he falls more under the same genre as Hawthorne; that is, stories that have a supernatural and/or fantastic element to them. 

And then there's.....Robert A Heinlein 😁. 
With a few exceptions that are more "adult" (maybe a half dozen come to mind) I thoroughly enjoy nearly all of his "Juvenile Fiction".
The six or so [adult ] novels all predate _Stranger in a Strange Land_ (which I did not care for and prompted me to ignore anything RAH wrote after that).
Oh, and I have his _Past Through Tomorrow_ collection, which contains his early "Future Histories" Stories.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Well-aged Enting said:


> Is this a book? I can't find it anywhere (yet).


You can stop looking. Those are parody covers -- of which there are many.


----------



## ZehnWaters

Well-aged Enting said:


> Now... maybe I'm the only SciFi type reader here, but there are several I do enjoy.


I used to read Star Wars books until Disney de-canonized the EU and substituted it with their own, inferior product.


----------



## Ent

ZehnWaters said:


> until Disney



Disney. "There is much to be said for saying little"...!!!!!!!


----------



## Ent

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Those are parody covers


I see. Thanks.


----------



## ZehnWaters

Well-aged Enting said:


> Disney. "There is much to be said for saying little"...!!!!!!!


They've produced some very high quality content. With two exceptions (Rogue One & The Mandalorian) it hasn't been Star Wars. Also, as a company, ,they're rather terrible and litigious.


----------



## Olorgando

ZehnWaters said:


> Also, as a company ... they're rather terrible and litigious.


Par for the course, if you ask me ... 👿


----------



## Starbrow

> maybe I'm the only SciFi type reader here,


I also enjoy SciFi - Ursula K. Leguin and Robert Heinlein are my favorites.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Starbrow said:


> I also enjoy SciFi - Ursula K. Leguin and Robert Heinlein are my favorites.


I also read Scifi a lot. I read the first three Foundation novels and am taking a break. I also recently read Marrow by Robert Reed, it was a very good scifi story. One of my favorites that I've read was Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke, another excellent story.


----------



## Deimos

Erestor Arcamen said:


> I also read Scifi a lot. I read the first three Foundation novels and am taking a break. I also recently read Marrow by Robert Reed, it was a very good scifi story. One of my favorites that I've read was Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke, another excellent story.


Regarding "Rama" you and I must have read different stories with the same title.
It must a have been over 40 years ago that I read it, and I recall that I didn't like it, or at least was "meh" about it.
And right now (channeling a certain Maia) I can honestly say of the story itself that "I have no memory of it."


----------



## Ent

Deimos said:


> Of the six or so exceptions all predate _Stranger in a Strange Land_ (which I did not care



Precisely. This is where Heinlein lost me as well.


----------



## Deimos

Well-aged Enting said:


> Precisely. This is where Heinlein lost me as well.


Not sure I conveyed my thoughts on this clearly, so I slightly amended my original post.
What I was trying to say was that I enjoy nearly all his juvenile Fiction ,maybe 3 excepted.
Before he wrote SIASL he wrote quite a few more "Adult" novels and most of those I enjoyed as well. As I said, I can name about 6 off the top of my head.
But when SIASL came out (can't recall when, mid 60s maybe)...and were assigned it in SF class I was taking in University,... Well, [I thought] pretty weird.
Then there were the ones that followed: Time Enough for Love, I WIll Fear No Evil.... I only had to read _about_ them, that is, the plot reviews/synopses to decide, OK _really_ bizarre. And not even going to touch The Number of the Beast, To Sail Beyond the Sunset etc.
Thanks, but no thanks... I'll stick with what I already have of his earlier works.

@ Well- aged Enting...FYI .... that quote in my signature that you like?....came from _The Star Beast_. 
Just thought you'd like to know in case you were wondering.... 😁


----------



## Ent

Deimos said:


> Not sure I conveyed my thoughts on this clearly,



Actually, I thought you conveyed your thoughts well. 
Heinlein was very much on my reading list too, until _Stranger in a Strange Land_.
With that book I thought he went a bit off the rails. 
My brief look at the one following, (which I did not buy), confirmed my thought, and I've not read anything of his since. 
His earlier stuff I would reread if i had the time and inclination - it was good stuff. But there are others I would reread first.


----------



## Deimos

Well-aged Enting said:


> Actually, I thought you conveyed your thoughts well.
> Heinlein was very much on my reading list too, until _Stranger in a Strange Land_.
> With that book I thought he went a bit off the rails.
> My brief look at the one following, (which I did not buy), confirmed my thought, and I've not read anything of his since.
> His earlier stuff I would reread if i had the time and inclination - it was good stuff. But there are others I would reread first.


I treat his juvenile fiction as "literary comfort foods"...just pick it up and start reading, goes down pretty easy and never fails to make me feel better.
I can be in the middle of the Iliad (which I re-read avery other year, alternating with the Odyssey) and pick up A RAH novel and still stay focused on the Iliad (in another part of my mind), and just read both. I can do that with most books as long as the genres are totally different. Say, reading ghost stories in tandem with a history or maybe a biography.


----------



## Ent

Deimos said:


> stay focused


It is a bit of a gift to be able to multi-task like that. 
I'm currently working on 4 - not different genres - but with ever-increasing age it's getting more difficult to make the clean breaks needed. 
It's just too many. 
I'm now finding I need to step back for a quick scan of the last little bit to re-engage the brain cells, then proceed.


----------



## Deimos

Well-aged Enting said:


> It is a bit of a gift to be able to multi-task like that.
> I'm currently working on 4 - not different genres - but with ever-increasing age it's getting more difficult to make the clean breaks needed.
> It's just too many.
> I'm now finding I need to step back for a quick scan of the last little bit to re-engage the brain cells, then proceed.


Well there's your problem! You are reading the same genres, or ones that are too similar ! 
Mix it up a bit and it might be easier (or at least less difficult 😉)


----------



## Olorgando

Erestor Arcamen said:


> One of my favorites that I've read was Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke, another excellent story.





Deimos said:


> Regarding "Rama" you and I must have read different stories with the same title.
> It must a have been over 40 years ago that I read it, and I recall that I didn't like it, or at least was "meh" about it.
> And right now (channeling a certain Maia) I can honestly say of the story itself that "I have no memory of it."


"Rendezvous with Rama" is from 1973, so almost, but not over 40 years ago. It's the first book in the series of four, the only one Clarke wrote alone, and the shortest one at 243 pages in my 1990 Bantam paperback edition.
"Rama II", 1989/90, 466 pages, "Garden of Rama", 1991/98, 593 pages, and "Rama Revealed", 1994/95, 602 pages, are all collaborations with Gentry Lee.
From what I vaguely remember, Lee did most of the actual writing, with Clarke providing the framework or "skeleton". The three Lee collaborations appealed less to me that Clake's first solo book.


----------



## Deimos

Olorgando said:


> "Rendezvous with Rama" is from 1973, so almost, but not over 40 years ago. It's the first book in the series of four, the only one Clarke wrote alone, and the shortest one at 243 pages in my 1990 Bantam paperback edition.
> "Rama II", 1989/90, 466 pages, "Garden of Rama", 1991/98, 593 pages, and "Rama Revealed", 1994/95, 602 pages, are all collaborations with Gentry Lee.
> From what I vaguely remember, Lee did most of the actual writing, with Clarke providing the framework or "skeleton". The three Lee collaborations appealed less to me that Clake's first solo book.


My dear Olorgando....perhaps our math is a teensy bit off? 😉
Or maybe you learned "The New Math" in your grade school years.
I must say, the nuns taught me better than that 😁.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Olorgando said:


> "Rendezvous with Rama" is from 1973, so almost, but not over 40 years ago. It's the first book in the series of four, the only one Clarke wrote alone, and the shortest one at 243 pages in my 1990 Bantam paperback edition.
> "Rama II", 1989/90, 466 pages, "Garden of Rama", 1991/98, 593 pages, and "Rama Revealed", 1994/95, 602 pages, are all collaborations with Gentry Lee.
> From what I vaguely remember, Lee did most of the actual writing, with Clarke providing the framework or "skeleton". The three Lee collaborations appealed less to me that Clake's first solo book.


yeah, I've heard the "sequels" all were less than entertaining, from people who've read them.


----------



## Olorgando

Deimos said:


> My dear Olorgando....perhaps our math is a teensy bit off?
> Or maybe your learned "The New Math" in your grade school years.
> I must say, the nuns taught me better than that 😁.


Argh! Must be something like Jack Benny's insisting his age was 39 for decades, forgetting a (in Benny's case more than one) decade ...

... but in base 13 it *is* less than 40 ... 

... and nuns taught me from grades 6 to 8, too.


----------



## Deimos

Olorgando said:


> Argh! Must be something like Jack Benny's insisting his age was 39 for decades, forgetting a (in Benny's case more than one) decade ...


You know who Jack Benny is???!!! Yesssssssss!!!😄


Olorgando said:


> ... but in base 13 it *is* less than 40 ...
> 
> ... and nuns taught me from grades 6 to 8, too.


12 years of Catholic school (grade school and high school) ....best education to be had anywhere, [edit:] _almost _bar none. 😎


----------



## Olorgando

Deimos said:


> You know who Jack Benny is???!!! Yesssssssss!!!😄


My parents and I lived in the US 1966-1975, in my parents' case very early 1975, in mine late.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Deimos said:


> You know who Jack Benny is???!!! Yesssssssss!!!😄


I'm 35 and I know who Jack Benny is . I first learned about him from Looney Tunes, of course...





The Mouse That Jack Built | SuperCartoons


The Mouse That Jack Built:In this spoof of "The Jack Benny Program", a mouse with Jack Benny's personality and poor violin playing ability lives, along with a mouse version of Benny's valet, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, in a hole in a wall of Jack Benny's own home. Jack the rodent takes a mouse...



www.supercartoons.net


----------



## Deimos

Erestor Arcamen said:


> I'm 35 and I know who Jack Benny is . I first learned about him from Looney Tunes, of course...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Mouse That Jack Built | SuperCartoons
> 
> 
> The Mouse That Jack Built:In this spoof of "The Jack Benny Program", a mouse with Jack Benny's personality and poor violin playing ability lives, along with a mouse version of Benny's valet, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, in a hole in a wall of Jack Benny's own home. Jack the rodent takes a mouse...
> 
> 
> 
> www.supercartoons.net


So are you going to stay 35? 😄
Yep, God bless Loony Tunes ....The folks that put it all together--cartoonists, writers, directors, oh and Mel Blanc***--- all incredibly gifted.
I can only think of one current "cartoon" show that is better than L-T in the calibre of writing...The Simpsons.

*** Mel Blanc, can't leave out Mel Blanc "The Man of a Thousand Voices"...no Mel Blanc, no Loony Tunes
Trivia factoid: the way Bugs Bunny munches on a carrot was modeled on the way Clark Gable ate a carrot (the "Carrot scene") from "It Happened One Night".
(And No, Clark Gable did NOT say "What's up, Doc!" in the movie....he just ate the carrot 😉 )


----------



## Olorgando

Deimos said:


> 12 years of Catholic school....best education to be had anywhere, bar none. 😎


The one I went to was a grade school of sorts - extended, perhaps, grades 1-8. When we moved from Queens in NYC just a bit over the border to Nassau County on Long Island, and I entered a definitely good public school there, I found that I had serious deficits in science, despite having had an interest in it from earliest reading age, and up to today.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Deimos said:


> So are you going to stay 35? 😄
> Yep, God bless Loony Tunes ....The folks that put it all together--cartoonists, writers, directors--- all incredibly gifted.
> I can only think of one current "cartoon" show that is better than L-T in the calibre of writing...The Simpsons


I'd love to . I definitely already have the back of someone a bit older but I try to live it up


----------



## Deimos

Olorgando said:


> The one I went to was a grade school of sorts - extended, perhaps, grades 1-8. When we moved from Queens in NYC just a bit over the border to Nassau County on Long Island, and I entered a definitely good public school there, I found that I had serious deficits in science, despite having had an interest in it from earliest reading age, and up to today.


Yeah, I should slightly qualify what I said....NY (metro area) has some of the best Public schools in the nation... always have. Likewise Chicago.
They are highly selective tho'. ****

Catholic grade schools--indeed almost all mainstream religiously affiliated schools--- _were _far better than most public schools in most metro areas, often being better than _any_ of the public schools in the area; and at least the Catholic ones (back then) were more affordable.

The non-denom. " Country Day Schools" were even better, but very very spendy....even now, very good, but very expensive.
Vincent Price attended the C-D school in St Louis [MO], which is where I'm from (but not where I currently live)

**** Mid Town Science School in MCU's Spiderman (Tom Holland) movies is modeled on The Bronx High School of Science.
Even the school logos are [deliberately] similar.
But BHSofS is not your typical public school in that just anyone can attend....it has very stringent admission requirements.
Same with similar schools in Chicago.


----------



## Olorgando

Deimos said:


> The non-denom. " Country Day Schools" were even better, but very very spendy.... even now, very good, but very expensive.


Good thing I checked the link - the image that formed in my mind was what are actually the boarding schools - Andover and Exeter are names I remember from my college days. As to NY public schools, I have dim memories of Forest Hills High School having cropped up in my parents' considerations, which did have stiff admission requirements (and was an easy bike ride from where we lived). But we ended up moving to Nassau County, north shore on or by Long Island Sound.


----------



## Deimos

Olorgando said:


> Good thing I checked the link - the image that formed in my mind was what are actually the boarding schools - Andover and Exeter are names I remember from my college days. As to NY public schools, I have dim memories of Forest Hills High School having cropped up in my parents' considerations, which did have stiff admission requirements (and was an easy bike ride from where we lived). But we ended up moving to Nassau County, north shore on or by Long Island Sound.


oooo....cue Twilight Zone music.....
Did you know that in the Spiderman Comic book world Stan Lee modeled Peter Parker's school on....(wait for it).._.Forest Hills High School. _😮



Olorgando said:


> Good thing I checked the link - the image that formed in my mind was what are actually the boarding schools - Andover and Exeter are names I remember from my college days. As to NY public schools, I have dim memories of Forest Hills High School having cropped up in my parents' considerations, which did have stiff admission requirements (and was an easy bike ride from where we lived). But we ended up moving to Nassau County, north shore on or by Long Island Sound.


Yep, the Schools were literally "*Day* Schools out in the _country_" (meaning not urban, but more like in suburbia) .... as opposed to boarding schools.
Even now at schools that have both kinds of students, the students that don't board are called Day Students.


----------



## Olorgando

Deimos said:


> oooo....cue Twilight Zone music.....
> Did you know that in the Spiderman Comic book world Stan Lee modeled Peter Parker's school on....(wait for it).._.Forest Hills High School. _😮


I checked Wikipedia and did find an article on FHHS.
Among the alumni two names immediately rang a bell: Simon _and_ Garfunkel!


----------



## Lithóniel

I’m reading “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel for my honors lit class. I’m sure you’ve all heard of it before.


----------



## Olorgando

Lithóniel said:


> I’m reading “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel for my honors lit class. I’m sure you’ve all heard of it before.


Not just heard of it, read it in the 2003 German translation (probably a Christman present from friends), which has the title "Shipwreck with Tiger".
Certainly not an everyday setting for a novel!  I enjoyed it.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

I've just started Shippey's _Road to Middle Earth. _The first chapter seemed to be a lot of Oxford academic nit-picking but I'm hoping it gets better. Also having come across the term Kafkaesque so often, I'm reading _The Trial. _Long paragraphs but fairly simple language. The difficulty is the surreal nature of some of the scenes. No spoilers on this book please! The surreal nature makes it more interesting.

I'm also reading a _People's History of Christianity _on the late ancient period. I've just read a fascinating chapter on children's toys and games of the period. There were no Xboxes, but there was hide and seek, blindman's bluff, board games, pebbles rather than marbles, dolls (which boys had as well), toy carts - sometimes drawn by caught mice!


----------



## Olorgando

Rivendell_librarian said:


> I've just started Shippey's _Road to Middle Earth. _The first chapter seemed to be a lot of Oxford academic nit-picking but I'm hoping it gets better.


I'm assuming this is the 2003 third edition.
The first chapter deals with the situation in Oxford (and English studies in the UK generally) between two sometimes hostile factions in the English school. The "Lit" camp is the one which produced practically all of the critics hostile to LoTR upon its publication in 1954/55, while JRRT was a, perhaps during his time the major player in the "Lang" camp - though he did manage to have something of a compromise (perhaps "cease-fire" is the better word) established in the Oxford syllabus round about 1930/31.


----------



## Culaeron

I just picked up David Eddings’ Elenium Trilogy. Almost finished with the first book. On the same visit to the bookstore, I discovered a new Richard Sharpe (Sharpe’s Assassin) which has started me rereading that series again. I’m also rereading Tanith Lee’s Flat Earth series, just started Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, and Christopher Hibbert’s The Days of the French Revolution.


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## Squint-eyed Southerner

If you like Sharpe, you should try Flashman. 😄


----------



## Deimos

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> If you like Sharpe, you should try Flashman. 😄


Are you referring to the Flashman character created by George MacDonald Fraser?


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Yep. Great series! Carefully researched, which unfortunately meant for a slow output.


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

Still poring over The Silmarillion..


----------



## Deimos

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Yep. Great series! Carefully researched, which unfortunately meant for a slow output.


HA! You liked the bawdy parts (with the "naughty bits") too...admit it! 😁


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Well, sure, but they're comparatively mild. I mainly enjoy the entanglements old Harry gets himself into -- but you can learn a lot of 19th century history from the books. I have to say there's a sense of immersion I never got from Sharpe.


----------



## Deimos

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Well, sure, but they're comparatively mild. I mainly enjoy the entanglements old Harry gets himself into -- but you can learn a lot of 19th century history from the books. I have to say there's a sense of immersion I never got from Sharpe.


Yes, I agree ( I've a BA [from ASU] in History (Western Civ) and I enjoyed them (even the bawdy parts) .
Never read the Sharpe series..no reason...just haven't.


----------



## Culaeron

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> If you like Sharpe, you should try Flashman. 😄


I'm looking it up right now. I love historical fiction, especially 18th and 19th century. Seems there are some really interesting character flaws with the protagonist. I'll definitely check out the series. Thanks!


----------



## Deimos

Culaeron said:


> I'm looking it up right now. I love historical fiction, especially 18th and 19th century. Seems there are some really interesting character flaws with the protagonist. I'll definitely check out the series. Thanks!


That, my friend, is perhaps just a teensy bit of an understatement


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

He's a character from _Tom Brown's School Days_ --- specifically, the biggest bully and coward at Rugby, who gets drummed out at the end of the novel. Fraser wondered what might have happened to such a character, deciding that it would likely be the same as that for many otherwise useless sons of the (somewhat) upper classes of the day: purchase a commission in the army.

I'd recommend reading them in the order of publication, if possible; the first is set 1839, as young Flashy finds himself in the retreat from Kabul, during the First Afghan War. The guy always seems to have ended up in every military disaster of the 19th century, somehow not only surviving, but being-- totally undeservedly -- hailed as a hero. Fun stuff.


----------



## Ent

OK so this isn't something I'm reading right now, but wondering if I should lay in to the library.

I've never 'Ray Bradbury'd. Thought I'd give him a chance.
Is his 'Green Town Trilogy" which includes "Dandelion Wine", "Something Wicked This Way Comes", and "Farewell Summer" worth the scanning?


----------



## Deimos

The Enting said:


> OK so this isn't something I'm reading right now, but wondering if I should lay in to the library.
> 
> I've never 'Ray Bradbury'd. Thought I'd give him a chance.
> Is his 'Green Town Trilogy" which includes "Dandelion Wine", "Something Wicked This Way Comes", and "Farewell Summer" worth the scanning?


If you've never read Bradbury I would not start with any of those.
Bradbury has a style that takes a little getting used to. Granted that there are some folks who can jump right in and start with any Bradbury book.
(Probably the same folks who can jump [uninitiated] into Joyce's_ Ulysses_ or a Faulkner story with both feet and have no problems at all 😄)
Anyway, I would start with a collection of his short stories that would (indeed must) include _The Martian Chronicles . _But do not start with TMC.
Start with maybe the collections: _R is for Rocket, The October Country, A Medicine for Melancholy, The Golden Apples of the Sun. _
Sometimes the collections are reprinted in one volume ; for example the last two I mention can be found in a Volume entitled _Twice 22._
After reading maybe 2 or more of the collections of short stories, go for _The Martian Chronicles _and also _The Illustrated Man._

So, a couple of things to know/consider:
1) There are not a few "repeats" of some stories in the various collections. Pretty sure that publishers chose what stories to include in a collection, altho' it was likely that Bradbury was consulted. All the collections I've listed were published when RB was still alive. 
2) If, after reading even a few of his short stories, you really don't care for his style, I can't see that you would enjoy reading his longer works.
Not trying to discourage you, but his style most definitely does not become less Bradbury-ish over time... in fact, it gets more so.
But I like him a lot....always have, since I was about 12. And I started with _Twice 22_ ( _"Medicine_..." and "_Golden Apples.._.")


----------



## Ent

Deimos said:


> If you've never read Bradbury



So last question sir Deimos: 
What about this 'fahrenheit 451' i note is his also, and i've heard many laud through the decades? may be (arguably) his most heralded book?
not for the 'bradbury beginner' either?

I was spying out several of those 'short story' collections as it turned out.... there are several. looked 'chewy' to me for the initial flavor-dip.


----------



## Deimos

The Enting said:


> So last question sir Deimos:
> What about this 'fahrenheit 451' i note is his also, and i've heard many laud through the decades? may be (arguably) his most heralded book?
> not for the 'bradbury beginner' either?
> 
> I was spying out several of those 'short story' collections as it turned out.... there are several. looked 'chewy' to me for the initial flavor-dip.


 It is one of his best...dystopian society. 
But what is really rather scary is, except for the outright book burning, that we are seeing right now what he describes in the story.
But his characteristic way of writing is still there. 
And I know some people, despite being almost desperate to read the book, were put off by his style with a few chapters, if not a few pages, and so put it down. 
Or they resorted to the CliffNotes/SparkNotes which (imo) is kind of like eating a cardboard cutout of a slice of apple pie instead of the real thing. 
Anyway, you don't have to read 4 volumes of collections, but I strongly urge you to read at least one, and also the _Martian Chronicles_.
I just re-read _Twice 22_ over the summer (northern summer 😄) and enjoyed it just as much as always...and that was probably the 15th re-read at least. 
(And I have read F-451 at least that many times, also.)


----------



## Ent

OK thank you. I'm normally quite tolerant of different and 'odd' writing styles so I'm not too concerned about that... but I'll follow your advice.
I've also heard of the 'martian chronicles' from others... 
there's no real reason that I've not approached him before... just that when it was time to 'select another to pursue' others seemed more attractive to me to pick up.
(Though the 'Thomas Covenant' series was a bit of a...well... i don't know. It could have been replaced with something more profitable I'm sure, but once I started it, in spite of my distaste for 'covenant' himself, i just decided to continue. Some parts of it were quite enjoyable. With a good pair of scissors and certain sections cut out for nausea's sake, it could even be worth a re-read perhaps.)


----------



## Deimos

The Enting said:


> OK thank you. I'm normally quite tolerant of different and 'odd' writing styles so I'm not too concerned about that... but I'll follow your advice.
> I've also heard of the 'martian chronicles' from others...
> there's no real reason that I've not approached him before... just that when it was time to 'select another to pursue' others seemed more attractive to me to pick up.
> (Though the 'Thomas Covenant' series was a bit of a...well... i don't know. It could have been replaced with something more profitable I'm sure, but once I started it, in spite of my distaste for 'covenant' himself, i just decided to continue. Some parts of it were quite enjoyable. With a good pair of scissors and certain sections cut out for nausea's sake, it could even be worth a re-read perhaps.)


I have a lot Bradbury on my shelves...
_Dandelion Wine_ is probably as close to an auto-biography that Bradbury ever wrote, but it is not high on my personal Bradbury reading list.
Others may disagree. But there certainly are sections of it that I enjoy very much, so even tho' I cannot say I've re-read the entire book a dozen times, I can assure you that I've re-read parts of it a dozen times.
In fact, whole chapters of it were lifted out to be included in one collection or another, as they were initially written as stand-alone short stories.
As for his novels: _Fahrenheit 451_ is his best. _ Something Wicked This Way Comes_ is next, which was expanded from a short story called _ Dark Carnival _or (alternately) _ Black Ferris_.
Another novel is _The Halloween Tree_. I didn't really care for it at first, but on a second reading I altered my opinion of it and have since re-read it a few times.
I like it enough such that "It stays" and will not go to the second-hand shops.

_The Martian Chronicles, The illustrated Man _and some other collections are sometimes called novels as they have been bound together with a common theme, _TMC_ being the most obvious in theme, and also the most well known. It works very well with _Dandelion Wine _ but much less so with_ The Illustrated Man._
But I would not call them novels (tho' the point could be argued with _Dandelion Wine_.)


----------



## Ugluk

Deimos said:


> Yes, I agree ( I've a BA [from ASU] in History (Western Civ) and I enjoyed them (even the bawdy parts) .
> Never read the Sharpe series..no reason...just haven't.


Most of the books were filmed as 100 minute stand alone episodes with Sean Bean as Sharpe. 

Here's a excerpt from _Sharpe's eagle_. "Can you stand?" 






Culaeron said:


> I'm looking it up right now. I love historical fiction, especially 18th and 19th century. Seems there are some really interesting character flaws with the protagonist. I'll definitely check out the series. Thanks!



You might be interested in the Kydd Series by Julian Stockwin. They trace the life and adventures of Thomas Kydd, a wig maker pressed into the Royal Navy in 1893 as war with revolutionary France breaks out, and his subsequent adventures. Unusually for such books, it is from a lower deck perspective, although Kydd eventually is promoted to an officer and eventually (so far) a Commodore. Such progression was not unheard of, and the books are meticulously written. I have read most of the series about war at sea in that era - Hornblower, Bolitho, Aubrey - and this is by far and away my favourite. The books contain much detail on the social and political context of the times, specially as Kydd progresses up the hierarchy. Be warned, there are 24 books (so far) in the series and it still only 1812. But they are very readable and meticulously researched https://julianstockwinblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/the_thomas_kydd_novels_216.pdf


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## Deimos

I guess everyone that watched the LOTR (PJ) movies caught the little inside Joke when Boromir was wandering around Rivendell where he happened upon the Shards of Narsil and picked up the broken grip, and said?.....


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

I caught something...


----------



## Ugluk

Deimos said:


> I guess everyone that watched the LOTR (PJ) movies caught the little inside Joke when Boromir was wandering around Rivendell where he happened upon the Shards of Narsil and picked up the broken grip, and said?.....


"Still Sharp(e)"


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

Yep..


----------



## Deimos

Ugluk said:


> "Still Sharp(e)"


Bingo.  😁


----------



## Ent

Deimos said:


> I would start with a collection of his short stories that would (indeed must) include _The Martian Chronicles ._



OK sir Deimos, it's all your fault. 😁 After scanning around a bit I've laid in one collection of 100 shorts and The Martian Chronicles. (There seems to be another collection of 100 shorts as well, that I may not be able to resist... but we'll wait until I read a few. Being digital, they're not going anywhere.)

We'll see if Bradbury joins my (select) list of read and re-read worthies.
thanks again for your input.


----------



## Deimos

The Enting said:


> OK sir Deimos, it's all your fault. 😁 After scanning around a bit I've laid in one collection of 100 shorts and The Martian Chronicles. (There seems to be another collection of 100 shorts as well, that I may not be able to resist... but we'll wait until I read a few. Being digital, they're not going anywhere.)
> 
> We'll see if Bradbury joins my (select) list of read and re-read worthies.
> thanks again for your input.


There was a large hardbound volume published, I don't know when, of a 100 of short stories and his novellas (2?) and maybe it included _F451_.
I found an extremely worn/beatup copy at a book fair years and years ago.

IIRC it may have had a few of his Martian Stories in it but not the entire Martian Chronicles.
But it was 50cents so I bought it.
Maybe that is the same volume (or similar) that you found digitally.
In any case, you now have A LOT of Bradbury at your fingertips.

Mine finally fell apart entirely, but I have at least a dozen volumes (regular size) of his short stories along with_ F451 _and_ SWTWC _ and_ The Halloween Tree_.
_HT_ is the only Bradbury I have in paperback.

I have one collection that is titled _The October Country._ Pretty sure at least some of the stories in it will also be in your 100 story collection.
It is hardbound, _stirred, not shaken_ stitched, not glued, was published in 1970 and has a frontispiece of a print by .....(wait for it)... *Goya. *
Is that not extremely cool?

Apropos of the approach of Hallowe'en...if your Collection contains _"The Exiles"_ and also _"Usher II" _ read them (in that order).
_"The Scythe"_ is another very good one for the season, and _"The Skeleton" _and maybe also _The Dragon _(which is more straight fantasy).


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

He also had a TV series in the 80s, where he adapted his stories:




All 65 episodes are on YouTube.


----------



## Deimos

Pax S-eS , but imho Bradbury does not translate well to either stage or screen.
His gift is not just in storytelling but in written storytelling; his descriptive phrasing is part of the story.
Move the story out of the written world and you lose the "Bradbury-ness" of it.
Oh, what is left might be an engaging story, but "it ain't Bradbury."

An attempt was made to dramatize _The Illustrated Man_ , with Rod Steiger in the title role. It flopped, majorly so.
His long short story (or novella) _The Playground _ was dramatized with William Shatner as the Father. I watched it on youtube. it was OK.
Fahrenheit 451 was made into a movie, directed by Francois Truffaut, no less.
Osker Werner was Montag and Cyril Cusack as the Fire Chief. I thought both actors captured the roles pretty well, as Bradbury wrote them, Cyril Cusack especially.
But overall the movie simply didn't deliver the gut wrenching punch as the written story.
I read somewhere that RB was none too happy with the movie.
I think that for someone familiar with RB, watching his stories on stage or screen is like hearing Mozart played on a kazoo; you recognize the melody, you know it's Mozart, bit it's a rather thin presentation of his work, lacking just about everything that makes Mozart worth listening to.


----------



## Ent

Well, I've read both Intros to the collection "The Stories of Ray Bradbury" and found them interesting and informative. Especially RB's "Drunk, and in Charge of a Bicycle" introduction.
Then I read the first short. "The Night". 
Impressive. 
The story setting itself is, in some ways, mundane - ordinary - yet the presentation of the author's real intent with the work is exceptional.

If the rest of his work is done similarly to this one, with regard to the discussions above - 'translating to stage and screen' - I certainly doubt it could be done meaningfully. This short, even as a scene within a larger setting, could simply not be 'acted out' or 'demonstrated' visually for an audience given all that's _internally_ happening within the character - all the realities opening out to a young mind experiencing, realizing, and growing from the circumstances.

And this short covers just a very few hours of time. 

One must wonder if a 'physical picture/environment' such as stage/screen presents even with a young voice narrating the internal workings of the kid's mind by reading directly from RBs text in the background, could ever generate the effect the writing intends to and more than adequately delivers.

I'll be looking for 'translatability to other mediums' as I continue to read now. Glad the above was mentioned..!


----------



## Deimos

The Enting said:


> Well, I've read both Intros to the collection "The Stories of Ray Bradbury" and found them interesting and informative. Especially RB's "Drunk, and in Charge of a Bicycle" introduction.
> Then I read the first short. "The Night".
> Impressive.
> The story setting itself is, in some ways, mundane - ordinary - yet the presentation of the author's real intent with the work is exceptional.
> 
> If the rest of his work is done similarly to this one, with regard to the discussions above - 'translating to stage and screen' - I certainly doubt it could be done meaningfully. This short, even as a scene within a larger setting, could simply not be 'acted out' or 'demonstrated' visually for an audience given all that's _internally_ happening within the character - all the realities opening out to a young mind experiencing, realizing, and growing from the circumstances.
> 
> And this short covers just a very few hours of time.
> 
> One must wonder if a 'physical picture/environment' such as stage/screen presents could ever capture, even with a young voice narrating the internal workings of the kid's mind by reading directly from RBs text, could ever generate the effect the writing intends to and more than adequately delilvers.
> 
> I'll be looking for 'translatability to other mediums' as I continue to read now. Glad the above was mentioned..!


 _The Night _was rewritten later to be included in _Dandelion Wine._ Names were changed; Skipper becomes Douglas.
RB's middle name was Douglas, and that is the name of the elder brother (RB) in _Dandelion Wine_. 
So, I can see right away that you 'get' RB. 😁
Read a handful of the short stories in that ginormous collection you have, move onto the Martian Chronicles, and you'll be thoroughly hooked.
Welcome aboard. 🙂


----------



## Deimos

The Enting said:


> Well, I've read both Intros to the collection "The Stories of Ray Bradbury" and found them interesting and informative. Especially RB's "Drunk, and in Charge of a Bicycle" introduction.
> Then I read the first short. "The Night".
> Impressive.
> The story setting itself is, in some ways, mundane - ordinary - yet the presentation of the author's real intent with the work is exceptional.
> 
> If the rest of his work is done similarly to this one, with regard to the discussions above - 'translating to stage and screen' - I certainly doubt it could be done meaningfully. This short, even as a scene within a larger setting, could simply not be 'acted out' or 'demonstrated' visually for an audience given all that's _internally_ happening within the character - all the realities opening out to a young mind experiencing, realizing, and growing from the circumstances.
> 
> And this short covers just a very few hours of time.
> 
> One must wonder if a 'physical picture/environment' such as stage/screen presents even with a young voice narrating the internal workings of the kid's mind by reading directly from RBs text in the background, could ever generate the effect the writing intends to and more than adequately delivers.
> 
> I'll be looking for 'translatability to other mediums' as I continue to read now. Glad the above was mentioned..!


The only medium I can see his works being compatible with is the spoken word, as in "Books on Tape" or whatever they are called now.
Someone reads you the story. And I would hope it hasn't been "edited for brevity", which would no doubt mean that a lot of the descriptive passages will have been excised.

Such potential editing reminds me of a story I read (possibly apocryphal) about The Sound of Music movie when it was first shown in theatres in the mid 60s.
If you recall it was longer than the average movie was back then... something like 145 minutes with an added intermission of 20 minutes.
In Japan theaters didn't want to run a movie that was longer than 2 hours (get 'em in, get 'em out 😄) but they wanted to show SoM because of the critical acclaim it was receiving, so to bring the time down to less than 120 minutes they edited it....by cutting out all the singing.

Don't know if it's true but it makes for a funny story.😁


----------



## Ent

Deimos said:


> ginormous collection


I had to increase the collection of course... got the other "100 stories" book as well. None of them seem to duplicate. 
I do note that in the first 100, the first Introduction says things like "such and such story and the 5 that follow were collected in his "blah" series" and such..
So it'll be interesting to go from the shorts to the 'collections' where all the related ones are gathered, look for the changes, etc. when the time comes.

With those two and the Martian Chronicles I've probably got enough reading for a couple weeks or so... 😁


----------



## Deimos

The Enting said:


> I had to increase the collection of course... got the other "100 stories" book as well. None of them seem to duplicate.
> I do note that in the first 100, the first Introduction says things like "such and such story and the 5 that follow were collected in his "blah" series" and such..
> So it'll be interesting to go from the shorts to the 'collections' where all the related ones are gathered, look for the changes, etc. when the time comes.
> 
> With those two and the Martian Chronicles I've probably got enough reading for a couple weeks or so... 😁


Reading RB for two weeks.... you'll be more than ready for his novels.
For "the season" read (in addition to the specific short stories I mentioned above) _The Halloween Tree _ and _Something Wicked This Way Comes_.**
Depending on how many of the short stories you will have read by then, you may notice in both of those novels a chapter or three was lifted to be a stand-alone short story in one of the collections. I know the short story _The Dwarf _was lifted from SWTWC.

**FYI in case you didn't recognize it...

_By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes. _
Macbeth Act IV, Scene 1 (spoken by one of the three witches)
----
Forgot to mention...If those two books contain a total of 200 short stories with no duplications, then you probably have every short story RB ever wrote.
After not too long you will be able to tell his early works from his later ones without even looking at publication dates.
As you know nothing is static; a writer either gets better or worse.
RB's style, tho' it is unusual, yet it improves; it loses the "smell of the lamp", little tho' that was present even in his early works.


----------



## ellisa

Reading some fantastic fiction rn. Flowers for Algernon and also a Japanese author called Kawakami


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

Still on the Silmarillion... Hence next comes: The Children of Hurin.


----------



## Ent

ellisa said:


> Flowers for Algernon


It's been many years since I pondered Flowers for Algernon. Maybe it's time to pick it up again... both the early short, and the book he expanded it into several years later. thanks for the reminder.


----------



## Olorgando

Have just started reading "The Great Tales Never End - Essays in memory of Christopher Tolkien", edited by Richard Ovenden & Catherine McIlwaine.

There's a thread about it on TTF here:









Yet Another New Book


This time, centered on Christopher Tolkien. Here's one review: https://www.google.com/amp/s/winteriscoming.net/2022/06/25/christopher-tolkien-review-the-great-tales-never-end-essay-collection-lord-of-the-rings/amp/ And a discussion on YouTube: As a University press book, it's expensive...




www.thetolkienforum.com


----------



## Ent

Olorgando said:


> started reading "The Great Tales Never End


Terrific. Maybe you can do a good, thorough book review on it for us when done. I've been wanting to get to it, but have to keep it to the side for a little while yet in favor of other more immediately applicable reads.


----------



## Olorgando

Well, I've finished chapter 7 of 11. But as the essays range widely, I'll need *at least* a second reading to be able to do anything close to a "thorough book review".

For a starter, your short review in the thread I mentioned above is quite useful:









Yet Another New Book


This time, centered on Christopher Tolkien. Here's one review: https://www.google.com/amp/s/winteriscoming.net/2022/06/25/christopher-tolkien-review-the-great-tales-never-end-essay-collection-lord-of-the-rings/amp/ And a discussion on YouTube: As a University press book, it's expensive...




www.thetolkienforum.com


----------



## Ent

Olorgando said:


> your short review in the thread I mentioned above is quite useful:



geez.. don't tell anybody. ruin my image..!! 

"short" is truly the key there...just a basic intro to contents. I THINK somewhere a regular place for real, more in depth 'book reviews' has been set up... but I can't recall ATM. I know it was discussed...

anyway, glad you're working through it.


----------



## Ealdwyn

I'm halfway through the Quincunx by Charles Pallister. It's a mystery in the style of Dickens and a monster of a book at 1,000 pages, but a real page turner.


----------



## Ugluk

_Lunar science: a post Apollo view _by my old colleague Prof. Ross Taylor and _Black Summer _- stories of the 2019-2020 bushfires in Australia (which I was a 1st hand witness of and participant in).


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Currently reading The Castle of Ontranto by Horace Walpole. For as old as it is, I like it


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Keep your eyes on the skies. 😳


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Keep your eyes on the skies. 😳


Why?


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

How far have you gotten in the story?


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> How far have you gotten in the story?


almost to halfway but not quite, or are you referring to the helmet killing the young prince?


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Yep. 😄

But don't stop looking up.


----------



## Radaghast

I started _The Fall of Gondolin_ but it's been a bit tough going. The writing style strikes me as very strange. I get the sense that Tolkien was trying to write like William Morris or Lord Dunsany.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

You must be reading the sections from BoLT, which were written in a heavily archaizing style. Tolkien read both Morris and Dunsany, so yes, he was likely influenced by them. As was early Lovecraft, BTW. Interesting that as both matured, they moved away from those writers-- each in their own way, of course.


----------



## Radaghast

I started _The Well at World's End_ by Morris and _The King of Elfland's Daughter_ but just stopped and couldn't muster the will to start again (by contrast I enjoyed _The Worm Ouroboros_ by E. R. Eddison; had no problem following the story). I almost have the feeling the same will happen with TFoG. I wasn't a big fan of _Beren and Lúthien_ either, though I don't remember if that was because of the style of writing or because it just collected versions of the story, or both. IMHO, _The Silmarillion_ still has the best versions of both stories.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

That's funny-- I tried _Ouroboros _several times, over many years, but just couldn't get into the style, where I followed _Well _very easily.

I guess it's similar to Clark Ashton Smith: some love his style, some can't stand him.


----------



## Radaghast

Hm. New 'Like' icon. Interesting.


----------



## 🍀Yavanna Kementári🍀

Radaghast said:


> Hm. New 'Like' icon. Interesting.


Yes, @mazzly edited them to make them more Tolkien-related.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Yeah, that's mazzly and EA messing around again. 🙄 I still can't see them yet.


----------



## Ealdwyn

Just tried it. Looks the same to me


----------



## Radaghast

It showed for me as the One Ring, now it's back to a thumbs up.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

mazzly made a suggestion:
Post in thread 'Minor Updates' https://www.thetolkienforum.com/threads/minor-updates.30665/post-566121

Which for a tech-dummy like me, reads as gobbledygook.

You may have to clear cookies, or even log out and back in again.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Clearing your browser cookies/cache (which may require you to log back in) should make them show up. 








Shield Your Internet History: How to Clear Your Cache on Any Browser


Don't let your internet history fall into the wrong hands. It's a good idea to delete your browser history and internet cache on occasion. Here's how to do it on the desktop and mobile.




www.pcmag.com


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

One Ring to bring them all,
And in the forum "like" them.


----------



## Deimos

Erestor Arcamen said:


> Currently reading The Castle of Ontranto by Horace Walpole. For as old as it is, I like it


Oh, I want to read that! It's on my list.
Want to read another one of the earliest Gothic novels?
The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe.

Don't read too much of the Wiki article because of spoilers.
I read it as a two volume work from the public library (Everyman ed).
She spends a lot of time describing the country , but it never bogged down the story.
Likewise with character descriptions... very deep, detailed. 
But it works because when you know the characters so intimately it's easy to get drawn into the drama. 
There is even "comic relief" when things get really bad for the heroine (who faints a lot 😁).
I thoroughly enjoyed it, so much so that I've been trying to find an affordable hardcover edition.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Deimos said:


> Oh, I want to read that! It's on my list.
> Want to read another one of the earliest Gothic novels?
> The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe.
> 
> Don't read too much of the Wiki article because of spoilers.
> I read it as a two volume work from the public library (Everyman ed).
> She spends a lot of time describing the country , but it never bogged down the story.
> Likewise with character descriptions... very deep, detailed.
> But it works because when you know the characters so intimately it's easy to get drawn into the drama.
> There is even "comic relief" when things get really bad for the heroine (who faints a lot 😁).
> I thoroughly enjoyed it, so much so that I've been trying to find an affordable hardcover edition.


I finished it and it was a really good read. Less than 200 pages too so not too bad. I'll have to check that one out too.

Today, I started reading Shutter Island. So far pretty good. I've seen the movie but never read the book.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Don't forget this one:

Possibly the original Gothic, along with Walpole.
Not to mention a number of later Victorian-era gothics, like


But be sure to read Jane Austen's parody of the genre, _Northanger Abbey._


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Don't forget this one:
> View attachment 16408
> Possibly the original Gothic, along with Walpole.
> Not to mention a number of later Victorian-era gothics, like
> View attachment 16409
> 
> But be sure to read Jane Austen's parody of the genre, _Northanger Abbey._


Thanks, gothics are definitely a genre I haven't read a lot of but always like


----------



## Deimos

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Don't forget this one:
> View attachment 16408
> Possibly the original Gothic, along with Walpole.
> Not to mention a number of later Victorian-era gothics, like
> View attachment 16409
> 
> But be sure to read Jane Austen's parody of the genre, _Northanger Abbey._


I learned about _Mysteries of Udoplho _when I read _Northanger Abbey._
Meaning, I unintentionally read the parody first. 
Once I finished _Mysteries_ I re-read _NA_ and enjoyed it much more. 

LeFanu wrote ghost stories too. I have a number of them in various collections.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

_Northanger Abbey _has gotten TV treatment, most rrecently in 2007:


----------



## Starbrow

I just got _The Atlas of Middle-Earth _by Karen Wynn Fonstad, so I've been perusing it.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

It's come in for a few criticisms over the years, but it's still very valuable, IMO.

Check some of the threads on it.


----------



## Deimos

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> It's come in for a few criticisms over the years, but it's still very valuable, IMO.
> 
> Check some of the treads on it.


But it's the only thing like it out there. I wore out my first copy...it finally just fell apart. 
Current copy is not looking too well, but may yet last a while longer.
I know the first one was the second edition. Not sure what ed. my current copy is (and at the moment I'm too lazy to get up and check it 😁)


----------



## Findekano_Astaldo

Currently re-reading, The Children of Hurin, one of my favorite books from a couple of years ago. I'm on hold for The Nature of Middle Earth, pretty excited to see what it'll be like!


----------



## BountyHunter

Star Trek: Collateral Damage by David Mack.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

I recently finished _Black Beauty _by Anna Sewell. I hadn't read it before being put off by thinking it's a book for girls who have ponies. That is true to a certain extent, but a story that starts with "translated from the original equine" was likely to be good. It's a lot darker than I expected with quite a lot of sadness and death, and it conveys the idea of a society where horses were much more important than they are now very well. I certainly didn't think it was too childish or too niche.


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

I read that one also awhile back. It is good. A fine book for children and for any who like horses. 

It has a lot of depth to it, which I liked, and I can handle the sadness after all, since I read Tolkien.


----------



## Ent

Current reads are on language - one on history of, one on writing, and one on editing - and then trying to work through Chronicles of Narnia finally. 
A bit of a struggle for me to get through The Horse and His Boy.
Lewis writes well enough and the stories entertain. Should have read Narnia before I hit double digits in age though. 
I’ll finish the set so I know what’s there then move on to some of his other works.


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

What is it like to read the Chronicles of Narnia in an older age?

I would imagine given some aspects in the book, it changes your perception, does it?


----------



## Ent

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> it changes your perception


Mostly I notice the quality of the writing and development of characters and canvas with pleasure…but the lack of nuance and depth are obviously evident. And not unexpected.

So the purpose and focus for the reading changes. The things targeted for the “takeaway” to justify the time investment get altered.

Pretty much the same thing as happens in any other environment. Taking a thing for what it is rather than what it is not requires a good deal of flexibility, adaptability and maturity.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> What is it like to read the Chronicles of Narnia in an older age?
> 
> I would imagine given some aspects in the book, it changes your perception, does it?


I read them all a few years ago (during lockdown mostly) and kind of just used them as an escape. They were a really easy read to me since I guess they're good for younger people to read, so I found them relaxing.


----------



## Ent

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> some aspects in the book


Another aspect of his writing in Narnia I appreciate is his infrequent 'reaching out directly to his reader' with an aside, quip, comment etc.
He seems to understand 'the younger audience' well, and those little asides tend to jump out and refocus attention pulling the reader closer in, in a way.
Youth has a short attention span. It's likely helpful for them. 
Could be distracting for an adult. We want 'story'. But for youth? Rather a brilliant tool in the kit perhaps.


----------



## Wastrel

Wolfshead said:


> I'm reading _Closing Time_ just now, well, obviously not _right_ now, but you know what I mean  It's the sequel to _Catch-22_ by Joseph Heller.
> 
> And I recently finished _The Winter King_ by Bernard Cornwell. It's a novel of Arthur, incredibly good, I have the second part, _Enemy Of God_ lined up for when I finish _Closing Time_. Then I have the 5th part of _The Mallorean_ to read. So many books, so little time


Cornwell's retelling of the King Arthur saga is quite good. Arthur is presented as a consummate warrior and politician, and Merlin ... well, it's better not to say.

Right now I'm re-reading "Mistress of Mistresses" by E. R. Eddison. I'm taking it slowly. Besides all the flowery language and speeches, it's definitely for adults. I'm catching the disguised eroticism and dirty jokes that I missed the first time.


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

I appreciate both of your thoughts, @The Ent , and @Erestor Arcamen ,
I just have one more question.

Without giving away much of the book and how it works, isn't Narnia a land more for children and the young? At least that is how I had remembered it. What was it like reading about all of those adventures not as a child?

You sort of already answered it, but still. I read it as a very young child, and as soon as I felt old enough. I remember fantasizing about its existence, and jumping into puddles in my backyard or searching for a wardrobe in a furniture store. It was a good time.

While I didn't love the characters themselves that much, the land was thrilling and exciting to me. Full of adventure and brimming with opportunities.


----------



## Ent

@Elbereth Vala Varda - I'll respond to this later. Worthy of some time in response..!! 
Getting ready to take the entwife to "The Great Junk Hunt" at the fairgrounds. 
Not that we need more junk - we've got plenty - but well, she enjoys it. So there you go.


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

Nice! Have fun.


----------



## Elthir

I had _The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe_ read to me by a Catholic nun. I loved it, but didn't know there was more, until later. 

Anyway, at the moment I'm reading the history of Celebrimbor, found in _HME V, Unfinished Tales, the constructed Silmarillion [1977], and the Peoples of Middle-Earth_. It's for a web thingy.


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

Elthir said:


> I had _The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe_ read to me by a Catholic nun. I loved it, but didn't know there was more, until later.


Interesting. Was it different reading the first book, since you had already seen _The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe_?


----------



## Elthir

Hmm. I had LW&W read to me, as I say, but when I found out that there was more, I think I started with my own reading of LW&W . . .

. . . and beyond that, I really can't recall the order in which I read the others (_Prince Caspian _next? Maybe. Or maybe _The Voyage of the Dawn Treader_). I'm not sure if that answers your question.


----------



## Ent

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> isn't Narnia a land more for children and the young?


Back, and back - to your question.
We need to start with 'definitions/explanations.' What is meant by "Narnia" above?

If the meaning is "Narnia the book series" yes, it's more for children and the young. More so than The Hobbit was even.

If the meaning is "the Land of Narnia itself" however, it is full of old people, fat people, skinny people, mean people, youths, some good people, and animalia of all ages, sizes, and abilities to speak. In this sense it is not "a land more for children" - though given its focus on bringing events happening to and around "the children" mostly to the fore, it can feel like it at times. But like Tolkien, Lewis brings forward all the same morality issues, interplay of cause and event, action and response, situation with opportunity for success or failure, to be evaluated, recognized and understood just as we see it in our supposed 'real world.'

Regarding the descriptions of 'the land' itself - i.e. descriptions of those places where the poor live, lifestyles, the establishments of the wealthy, the cities, plains, distances, trees, forests, shrubs and bushes introduced, etc. - i.e. the "panorama" within which the story is set - well - it does seem pleasant - though I find them less well described and so less relatable than much of Tolkien's work. They are left just a little more "to the imagination" due to a bit less textual definition.

I don't really think I find them more 'for the children' except with perhaps the animalia... the talking beasts of every kind. This requires an adult to set aside a great deal of repressive cultural pressure and experience to 'conform' to societal norms - which the adult has a much harder time doing than the youth.

(This is what makes Fantasy at large difficult for so many. Oddly, there is a group that can receive 'science fiction', which frequently contains a great deal of equally "idiotic" conceptualization and acceptance - but it's not "Fantasy". "Science Fiction" tends to 'sound' so much more "realistic and adult" than "fantasy". After all, it contains 'science' does it not? That too is by and large a result of societal pressure, background and experience.)

Such a seemingly simple question you asked... nothing seems to stand alone.

I suppose in short, for Ent, the 'simple' answer would be 'No.' Overall I do not see "Narnia as a land more for children and the young"... unless we're talking about Narnia the 'Book Series' itself and its general target audience.


----------



## Deimos

I first read the Chronicles of Narnia when I was 30.
I have read them dozens of time since then, both as the series, reading all seven sequentially (and in the order Lewis specified), but also individually, just pulling one off the shelf and reading it. I continue to thoroughly enjoy all of them, altho' I do have my favorites.
And I can shift from those books to Tolkien and back again quite easily.
If one has a well developed imagination there really is not any difficulty at all.

I know he wrote them as children's books. He did not, however, write them just for children.
Perhaps it would help to read what he himself said about them.
His essay began with his saying there are bad ways and good ways to write a children's book.
He goes on to describe his way... 

_The third way, which is the only one I could ever use myself, consists in writing a children’s story because a children’s story is the best art-form for something you have to say: just as a composer might write a Dead March not because there was a public funeral in view but because certain musical ideas that had occurred to him went best into that form.

[…]
*Where the children’s story is simply the right form for what the author has to say, then of course readers who want to hear that, will read the story or re-read it, at any age… I am almost inclined to set it up as a canon that a children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story. The good ones last. A waltz which you can like only when you are waltzing is a bad waltz.*_ (Emphasis mine)

_Critics who treat *adult *as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But then into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development: When I was ten I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up._


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

Very intrigued at everything said. I may need to give those books a reread some day.


----------



## Ent

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> may need to give those books a reread


Would be a valuable investment of time. Not only for the refresher on 'all things Narnia' but another review of Lewis's language skill. 
He's pretty adept..!


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

I imagine so! Narnia does look worth a bit of some additional study.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

Is that what you are currently reading? 

I am still plowing through CoH


----------



## Deimos

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> I imagine so! Narnia does look worth a bit of some additional study.


Good lord, don't_ study_ it! 
Read it (or re-read it) for fun, for pleasure of Lewis' writing, for the pure joy of getting lost in something! 
But s_tudy_ it??!!! As Charlie Brown would say: Good Grief! 😉


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

I see. Perhaps I should stick to _reading _it, in my study. You may be right.


----------



## Deimos

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> I see. Perhaps I should stick to _reading _it, in my study. You may be right.


Bingo.😉


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

Alright! Now I know how best to go about it... Yet I am telling you, I have not been unknown to *study *Tolkien's books rigorously.


----------



## Deimos

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> Alright! Now I know how best to go about it... Yet I am telling you, I have not been unknown to *study *Tolkien's books rigorously.


Well, that's OK, so long us you study them (Tolkien's books) AFTER you have read them umpteen times. 😁
But you said you have not read the Narnia Stories for some time (a long time?), so you must re-immerse yourself in Narnia a lot before you get to study it. 
Thems the rules 😉.


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> Perhaps I should stick to _reading _it, in my study.


Or you could _study _it, in your _reading _room.

For Lovecraft fans into audio books, and looking for more tales in the Mythos, here's a six-hour collection:


----------



## Ent

Interesting.
For writers, one of Ent's current books is:



Syme has an interesting little series of books targeting issues keeping writers from writing, helping them grasp what's REAL about writing as opposed to what many of the 'writers about writers' tell us is essential, and so forth..
She has 8 books in the series I think. I've selected 3 to see what she's all about and whether she just duplicates herself in the others.
This 1st one is interesting. I'm looking forward to the 2nd.


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

The last book in era 2 of Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson was released yesterday and came in the mail today, so I'll be reading The Lost Metal all night.


----------



## Elbereth Vala Varda

Interesting. I read a lot through the night. Generally, if slumber doesn't come, I'll read for an hour, or two (or 7.... yep.) It seems to help, or it just exhausts me, but all the same, very fun!


----------



## Erestor Arcamen

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> Interesting. I read a lot through the night. Generally, if slumber doesn't come, I'll read for an hour, or two (or 7.... yep.) It seems to help, or it just exhausts me, but all the same, very fun!


Yeah he's my favorite (living) author and is an amazing world builder.


----------



## Olorgando

The third of four books on Jazz that my dad must have bought in the early-to-mid 1960's, among the few books of my parents that I saved for our already overstuffed "library" when I had to clear my mother's large apartment twelve years ago. One is a biography of sorts of Duke Ellington, copyright of the German translation 1961, a collection of essays and articles. One is the German translation of a Danish (!!!) lexicon of Jazz that strays into the mid-1960's in some entries. And two are books by German "authorities" on Jazz, both copyrighted 1961.

It's fascinating to read about veterans born in the 1880's still being somewhat active, and people born in the late 1920's to mid-1930's being considered "hopeful young musicians" ... 😬


----------



## Amon Rudh

Currently reading _The Two Towers_ (again) and, in preparation for _The Lays of Beleriand,_ slowly taking in _Dante's Divine Comedy_, another epic poem. I am also dipping into Tim Peake's book, _Hello, is this planet Earth?_


----------



## CheriptheRipper

Amon Rudh said:


> Currently reading _The Two Towers_ (again) and, in preparation for _The Lays of Beleriand,_ slowly taking in _Dante's Divine Comedy_, another epic poem. I am also dipping into Tim Peake's book, _Hello, is this planet Earth?_


I've never attempted a book that old, how does Dante's Divine Comedy read?

~~~
I'm reading the Sillmarillion currently, courtesy of Erestor.


----------



## Amon Rudh

It's a translation of course. I got this one 
I'd say it's initially heavy going and eventually you get into the style and format the more you read. I have to look up fewer words as I go through it. In mine there's a helpful summary of the following Canto. I am reading one Canto per day after a chapter of The Two Towers. It flows on surprisingly well!


----------



## Deimos

Augustine's _City of God ..._in English.
Once I get through it in English I'll tackle it in Latin.
It will be good practice for keeping my Latin sharp less sloppy.🙄


----------



## Deimos

CheriptheRipper said:


> I've never attempted a book that old, how does Dante's Divine Comedy read?
> 
> ~~~
> I'm reading the Sillmarillion currently, courtesy of Erestor.


Like all "old" lit it helps a great deal if you are familiar with the era and culture of the writer/poet.
Dante lived in politically interesting times (don't we all tho'? ...😉) so you may want to read_ about_ Dante and his writing of the_ Divine Comedia_ before actually reading the work itself.

And just an aside: if more people (most people?) did that, to wit, familiarize themselves with an author AND his era and culture (like , maybe JRRT 😉....?), there would be a lot less indignation and accusations about the person's assumed racist, sexist, homophobic, colonialist and (insert any pejorative epithet currently in vogue ) by modern readers and reviewers afflicted with historical ignorance.


----------



## Deimos

@CheriptheRipper ...no need to look surprised😄.
I don't intend to read the full 3 Volumes in either English or Latin.
Almost all translated versions are edited such that what is left is equal to about a single Volume.
Augustine made a lot of digressions and went down not a few rabbit holes that had nothing to do with his main theme.
The full work is available but almost no one reads it in its entirety except maybe Classics scholars (and I am no man scholar 😉)


----------



## Ent

Well. While you all dwell in the realms of 'wow', I'm just happy to say my copy of 'Tree and Leaf' arrived today so I can tackle _On Fairy-Stories_, _Leaf by Niggle_, _Mythopoeia_, and _The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son. _

Having read the Introduction, I'm about to begin _On Fairy-Stories. _


----------



## Deimos

Ent said:


> Well. While you all dwell in the realms of 'wow', I'm just happy to say my copy of 'Tree and Leaf' arrived today so I can tackle _On Fairy-Stories_, _Leaf by Niggle_, _Mythopoeia_, and _The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son. _
> 
> Having read the Introduction, I'm about to begin _On Fairy-Stories. _


It's dense... Tolkien was gifted with an incredible imagination, along with the intellect to fully develop and utilize it. 
I've read _On Fairy-Stories_ twice and still haven't completely digested it. 
A third reading will take place in the not too distant future.


----------



## Ent

Deimos said:


> It's dense...


So it's NOT Ent that's dense..!! (well, maybe not.) Whew. I've re-read several passages already trying to get things stuffed into their appropriate slots.


----------



## Rivendell_librarian

For some comfort winter reading, I'm reading Dickens' _David Copperfield_. Not my favourite when I first read it years ago, but I'm really enjoying it this time. His writing is just so clever and witty e.g.

"_In his attempts to be particularly lucid, Mr. Barkis was so extremely mysterious, that I might have stood looking in his face for an hour, and most assuredly should have got as much information out of it as out of the face of a clock that had stopped_,"


----------



## Squint-eyed Southerner

In addition, his portrayal of the streets of London in that book as the entrails of a great beast is one of the things that led to his being regarded the "Father of Steampunk".


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## Rivendell_librarian

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> In addition, his portrayal of the streets of London in that book as the entrails of a great beast is one of the things that led to his being regarded the "Father of Steampunk".


This I did not know.


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## Squint-eyed Southerner

Actually, I guess it's more pronounced in _Oliver Twist. _For his influence on Steampunk and other fantasy genres, see the discussion about it here:



https://sf-encyclopedia.com/fe/steampunk


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## Ugluk

Just finished my last two items of reading relevant to my current work (which finishes today). _Lunar outfitters_ about the design and construction of the ILC Dover Apollo space suits, and _Across the airless wastes _covering the development and use of the Apollo lunar rover used on the last three missions. Three weeks holiday coming up, not sure what I will read next. Much hangs on whether I can get my e-reader off she-who-must-be-obeyed


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## Ealdwyn

Andrew Miller's Ingenious Pain. It's the third book of his that I've read. I really like his work.


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## Rivendell_librarian

Also reading _Shackleton's Boat Journey_ by the captain of the Endurance: Frank Worsley. Wonderful descriptions of Antarctic hardships with temperatures in Fahrenheit and a great sense of exploring the unknown with little previous knowledge of how to do it - rather like the Apollo moon programme.


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## Starbrow

> Also reading _Shackleton's Boat Journey_ by the captain of the Endurance: Frank Worsley. Wonderful descriptions of Antarctic hardships with temperatures in Fahrenheit and a great sense of exploring the unknown with little previous knowledge of how to do it - rather like the Apollo moon programme.


Have you read _Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic? 
I am in awe of what those men accomplished. I will have to read Worsley account to see how it differs._


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## Squint-eyed Southerner

You may also like to try this aptly-titled memoir by a member of Scott's ill-fated expedition.


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## Deimos

Earlier this year I read _Endurance _ by Alfred Lansing (July 21, 1921 – 1975)
"Lansing was an American journalist and writer, best known for his book_ Endurance _(1959), an account of Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic explorations."
There are only two books considered the most complete account of Shackleton's ill fated attempt to cross Antarctica: Lansing's and... uh, someone else's
(I can't remember the name of the other author🙄)

The reason Lansing's account is considered one of the best is that he interviewed the surviving members of the expedition.
Also his book uses the photographs taken by the photographer who went on the expedition ...at least 90% of the photos in the book are from the expedition.
(How so many of the photographic plates were saved from the sinking ship-- but many were still lost---makes for a somewhat harrowing tale)
Lansing is an excellent writer and first rate story teller. You come to know every member of the crew intimately.
I finished the book in two days and very much recommend it.
It really is an engrossing story; "riveting" (as they say).

_Addendum_: I did not select the Alfred Lansing book by pulling [author] names out of a hat.
There have been so many written (and dramatized?) accounts of the Shackleton expedition I didn't know which one to read.
So I read a lot of book reviews. What made it easy to choose the Lansing book was the fact that he had primary source info; the "eye witness" stories of surviving crew members and also primary source photographs.
(Go _ad fontes _whenever possible 😉)


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## Deimos

Just picked up a copy (through *I*nter-*L*ibrary *L*oan) of _ The Romance of the Forest _by Ann Radcliffe (who also authored _The Mysteries of Udolpho_)
It's another Gothic novel (1791).
This novel, like _Mysteries_ was mentioned in Austen's _Northanger Abbey _so, of course, I put it on my reading list. 
And now I have it (until 3 January... no renewals allowed for ILL books) and I intend to thoroughly enjoy it 😁

And if I really do like it I will hunt down my own copy of it.
Still trying to locate a particular _*and affordable *_edition of _The Mysteries of Udolpho_, but that edition, even not in the best condition, is priced in the hundreds of dollars. 😱
I hope that is not the situtation with _The Romance of the Forest _😬....(but it probably is 🙄)


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## Deimos

Rivendell_librarian said:


> For some comfort winter reading, I'm reading Dickens' _David Copperfield_. Not my favourite when I first read it years ago, but I'm really enjoying it this time. His writing is just so clever and witty e.g.
> 
> "_In his attempts to be particularly lucid, Mr. Barkis was so extremely mysterious, that I might have stood looking in his face for an hour, and most assuredly should have got as much information out of it as out of the face of a clock that had stopped_,"


I read _David Copperfield_ for the first time last year, even tho' that one, too, has been sitting on the bookshelves for about 20 years. 
I very much liked it.... a re-read is definitely in the cards 🙂


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## Squint-eyed Southerner

_Our Mutual Friend_, one of his most complex novels, opens with perhaps the grimmest scene in all his works -- as well as introducing a character who gave us the term "podsnappery".


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## Olorgando

Olorgando said:


> The third of four books on Jazz that my dad must have bought in the early-to-mid 1960's, among the few books of my parents that I saved for our already overstuffed "library" when I had to clear my mother's large apartment twelve years ago. One is a biography of sorts of Duke Ellington, copyright of the German translation 1961, a collection of essays and articles. One is the German translation of a Danish (!!!) lexicon of Jazz that strays into the mid-1960's in some entries. And two are books by German "authorities" on Jazz, both copyrighted 1961.
> 
> It's fascinating to read about veterans born in the 1880's still being somewhat active, and people born in the late 1920's to mid-1930's being considered "hopeful young musicians" ... 😬


Now on the fourth book of this collection of my dad's. This one's occasionally a tough slog, as the author (as far as I can tell - not very far!) assumes at least some familiarity with music theory for parts of what he writes. This is Appendix E territory for me, where JRRT goes into philology beyond me (parts of HoMe are even more incomprehensible for me ... 🥴 ).


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## Deimos

Starbrow said:


> Have you read _Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic?
> I am in awe of what those men accomplished. I will have to read Worsley account to see how it differs._


I just realized that you were posting about the same book I was talking about in my later post. 
I didn't notice that at first because you didn't mention the author, and you also mentioned the Subtitle, which I had forgotten.
How 'bout that 1300km voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia in the James Caird, _an open boat_?!! 
The navigated the Drake Passage which is considered one of the most treacherous bodies of water on earth.
It took them 17 days and they did it in this:


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## Ent

Deimos said:


> in the cards


thank you for using this idiom. i decided to look it up. interesting.


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## Deimos

Ent said:


> thank you for using this idiom. i decided to look it up.  interesting.


Evocative, too 😄😉


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## Rivendell_librarian

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> You may also like to try this aptly-titled memoir by a member of Scott's ill-fated expedition.
> View attachment 20632


I've got this but haven't read it yet. I thought I'd read the Worsley book first as it's short and so can serve as an intro to this Antarctic literature.


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## Rivendell_librarian

Starbrow said:


> Have you read _Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic?
> I am in awe of what those men accomplished. I will have to read Worsley account to see how it differs._


No I haven't got this one - looks good though.


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## Elbereth Vala Varda

> What book are you reading right now?


Right now?

Eyewitness: BIBLE LANDS.


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## Squint-eyed Southerner

Deimos said:


> Still trying to locate a particular _*and affordable *_edition of _The Mysteries of Udolpho_, but that edition, even not in the best condition, is priced in the hundreds of dollars. 😱


Are you trying to find a first edition? 😳
Mine's an Oxford paperback. 😄


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## Deimos

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Are you trying to find a first edition? 😳
> Mine's an Oxford paperback. 😄


No, not [necessarily] a FE. I'm not a "Book Collector", just a reader.
But different people write the intros for different editions.
I choose the edition of a book based on several factors.
If it's originally in a language other than English, and has been translated, the faithfulness of the translation to the original is the primary factor.
Then I look at the intro/commentary and especially the foot/end notes.
Then there is the construction of the book. I prefer hardbacks, and the binding to be sewn, not glued (cf. "stirred, not shaken" 😄)
Along with the construction would be the overall condition. I'd like the book to be at least GOOD if not Very Good condition.
But many book sellers play fast and loose with the adjective "Good", which is why I prefer the condition to be "Very Good" , because then I know it will probably be in what I would describe as at least Good Condition.

The _Mysteries _edition I'm looking for is the 2 vol set published by Everyman's Library around 1940 (I think it was around that time).
Most of the time I've only seen Vol 2 available (when all the action takes place 😄).
The one time I found the set that was in better than Good Condition , the price was several hundred dollars.
Of course, if I finally can't find what I want at a price I'm willing to pay, I'll get it in paperback, (and still keep looking) but who writes the intro and footnotes is still a very important factor (for me anyway)


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## Deimos

Rivendell_librarian said:


> Also reading _Shackleton's Boat Journey_ by the captain of the Endurance: Frank Worsley. Wonderful descriptions of Antarctic hardships with temperatures in Fahrenheit and a great sense of exploring the unknown with little previous knowledge of how to do it - rather like the Apollo moon programme.


After re-reading all the posts about the Shackleton expedition, it must be the Worsley book that is the other "best version" that I couldn't at the moment recall in my post.
Published in 1931 and written by an eyewitness, the captain himself.... can't get much closer to the real event than that 😉.


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## Deimos

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Are you trying to find a first edition? 😳
> Mine's an Oxford paperback. 😄


Oxford University Press generally has very good editions of the classics, good commentary/notes and, if the book was originally not in English, faithful translations.
I have the OUP editions of Verne's _Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea _and also _Journey to the Centre of the Earth_.
I bought those editions for those two reasons; the translations are completely faithful to the original (French), and the commentaries/notes are comprehensive.


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## Amon Rudh

In between more testing volumes (JRRT, physics, evolution etc.) I like to cleanse my palate with an easy read usually a biography or similar. Recent books have been Freaky Dancin' (Bez of Happy Mondays fame) and This is a Call (Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters amongst many others, to about 2011 or so). Both excellent in their ownway. The current one is Madness, Before We Was We. It's a lively account in their own words of the life as they grew up and formed the band. Really nice to see into their heads in a sense.


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## Deimos

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> _Our Mutual Friend_, one of his most complex novels, opens with perhaps the grimmest scene in all his works -- as well as introducing a character who gave us the term "podsnappery".


I found a pdf of the novel and read the first chapter. 
(To read any further I will get a copy from the library.)
You are right; the opening scenes and those immediately following are quite grim. 
One might even say "icky" 😬.


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## Starbrow

I'm reading _A Man Called Ove_, which I got for Christmas. I'm enjoying it.


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## Lithóniel

Starbrow said:


> I'm reading _A Man Called Ove_, which I got for Christmas. I'm enjoying it.


Ooh yes that’s a good book! I recently read it for Literature class. 😊


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## Deimos

Starbrow said:


> I'm reading _A Man Called Ove_, which I got for Christmas. I'm enjoying it.


Did you decide to read it because of the movie (A Man Called Otto)? Which is remake of the Swedish movie a Man Called Ove, which is a dramatization of the book you are reading. (Wow., what a chain of causality 😬).
Anyway, just curious as to what prompted you to read it.
I have no interest in the Tom Hanks remake, but I might watch the original Swedish movie (with subtitles, of course), but I am leaning toward reading the book first.


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## Amon Rudh

Having just finished 'Before We Was We' by Madness in their own words (I usually read a palette cleanser between more complex books or often something different) I am now back with Pippin and Gandalf in Minas Tirith reading 'The Return of the King'. Alongside my main book I am still working through Dante's 'Divine Comedy' canto by canto and as I go I'm illustrating the Tolkien with 'The Atlas of Tolkien's Middle-earth'


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## 🍀Yavanna Kementári🍀

Amon Rudh said:


> Dante's 'Divine Comedy'


I love that one...so much philosophy and deep meaning behind it!


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## Elbereth Vala Varda

Vairë said:


> I love that one...so much philosophy and deep meaning behind it!


I have a friend who LOVES that book! May be worth a read one of these days.


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## Lithóniel

Deimos said:


> I might watch the original Swedish movie (with subtitles, of course), but I am leaning toward reading the book first.


I would read the book first because then you’ll see the differences and stuff. The book is definitely better (of course) because it has more details and you can really dive into it. The movie is pretty good, but it’s nothing compared to the book. I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading it because it’s very touching and also pretty funny.


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## Starbrow

> Did you decide to read it because of the movie (A Man Called Otto)? Which is remake of the Swedish movie a Man Called Ove, which is a dramatization of the book you are reading. (Wow., what a chain of causality 😬).
> Anyway, just curious as to what prompted you to read it.
> I have no interest in the Tom Hanks remake, but I might watch the original Swedish movie (with subtitles, of course), but I am leaning toward reading the book first.


It was on my Christmas list because several of my friends recommended it. I didn't know it was being made into a movie until I saw a trailer last week.
I'm not sure if I will see the movie. I think much of the charm of the book comes from author's style of writing - slowly revealing details of the character's life. Besides, much of the book is about Ove's thoughts, which I think is hard to translate into film. I'm sure Tom Hanks will do a wonderful job, though.


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## Maeglin

I'm currently reading (and almost finished with) "The Silmarillion" for the first time in 20 years. I'm loving it and much more able to keep track of it, but I must say it's still a mess of names and places that keeps me going back to the genealogies and maps. It's also extremely depressing, which I knew but had somehow forgotten. Lastly, it makes me even more angry at how horribly Amazon has butchered their series (I know it's not based on Silmarillion, but still...). Part of me hopes the rights to it will be sold to some decent studio (so much awesome material in it for lots of seasons worth of awesome drama), while another part wants it untouched.


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## Deimos

Maeglin said:


> I'm currently reading (and almost finished with) "The Silmarillion" for the first time in 20 years. I'm loving it and much more able to keep track of it, but I must say it's still a mess of names and places that keeps me going back to the genealogies and maps. It's also extremely depressing, which I knew but had somehow forgotten...


I can't recall where I read it but someone (maybe JRRT himself in one of his letters) said that at base his stories are about loss or decline; the loss (or decline) that occurs slowly over millennia, or rapidly (relatively speaking) in a lifetime.


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## Olorgando

Maeglin said:


> Part of me hopes the rights to it will be sold to some decent studio ...


Hasn't that category gone the way of the dodo? 😟


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## Deimos

Ok, I found the JRRT quotation (and somone may have posted this quotation elsewhere in the forums) ... he didn't say it directly of his stories but I think that it can be inferred:

_Actually I am a Christian,” Tolkien wrote of himself, “and indeed a Roman Catholic, *so that I do not expect ‘history’ to be anything but a ‘long defeat’*— though it contains (and in legend may contain more clearly and movingly) some samples or glimpses of final victory” (Letters 255). _ (Emphasis added)

_*ADDENDUM*_: There is a fascinating Wikipedia article about the "Decline and Fall" narrative that permeates all of Tolkien's works.
It is extensively documented/footnoted: Decline and Fall in ME


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## Elbereth Vala Varda

About to embark on Unfinished Tales. Any advice for getting the most out of it?


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## Deimos

Lithóniel said:


> I would read the book first because then you’ll see the differences and stuff. The book is definitely better (of course) because it has more details and you can really dive into it. The movie is pretty good, but it’s nothing compared to the book. I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading it because it’s very touching and also pretty funny.


Thank you. Yes, when a [written] story has been dramatized in some way (movie, play, musical etc) I typically will read the book first, if I can get a copy of it, which is not always possible. I will use the public library or borrow a copy from friends, because I don't want to spend money on something I may not like.
As a last resort I will get a copy from a second hand bookseller, the cheapest copy available.

Whether I will see the dramatization upon finishing the book is not necessarily determined by my like** or dislike of the story.
Other factors come into plays, such as who directed it, the music , the actors etc.
But I do want to know the original story, good or bad, before seeing the movie.

There have been maybe a dozen times where I saw the movie prior to reading the story on which it was based because:
(1) I did not know there was a book,
(2) I could not acquire the book,
(3) It was written in a foreign language and no translated version was available,
(4) The story was written in an era that the English was too archaic [for me] to understand (which is almost like #3 😄)

**If I DO like the book I will buy a good copy of it (second hand if possible)🙂


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## Hisoka Morrow

Has anyone read "Carnage and Culture" yet? It's really a deep research about how recent world's powers' situiation was formed. ^^


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## Squint-eyed Southerner

Have it, haven't read it yet, though I have read two or three of his others. My problem with Hanson is that he's basically been repeating himself-- with slight variations -- for decades.



Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> About to embark on Unfinished Tales. Any advice for getting the most out of it?


It depends on your area of interest, really. Fortunately, UT is divided by Age, which makes it easier. I'd certainly recommend "Of Tuor" to get a glimpse of what the full "Fall of Gondolin" would have looked like, had Tolkien finished it.

The Galadriel section is fascinating, if frustrating. "Aldarion and Erendis" is more or less complete as a self-contained story, and of course heartbreaking.

For me, "Cirion and Eorl" is as moving as anything Tolkien ever wrote. But I wouldn't want to miss any of the rest of the collection!


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## Elbereth Vala Varda

Thanks, Squint! Good place to start!


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## Squint-eyed Southerner

You're welcome-- but you might also want to check out some of the threads in the Unfinished Tales forum. 😉


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## Elbereth Vala Varda

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> You're welcome-- but you might also want to check out some of the threads in the Unfinished Tales forum. 😉


Yeah... I probably should have started with that --- Oh well!


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## Deimos

Starbrow said:


> It was on my Christmas list because several of my friends recommended it. I didn't know it was being made into a movie until I saw a trailer last week.
> I'm not sure if I will see the movie. I think much of the charm of the book comes from author's style of writing - slowly revealing details of the character's life. Besides, much of the book is about Ove's thoughts, which I think is hard to translate into film. I'm sure Tom Hanks will do a wonderful job, though.


According to IMDB the original version is pretty good (decent ratings); the Tom Hanks remake, not so much. 
If I decide to see the movie after I read the book, I will watch the original movie made in Sweden.


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## Erestor Arcamen

During the pandemic Brandon Sanderson was bored so in 2020 wrote four novels without telling anyone and then ran a kickstarter to self-publish them. The first one was released on January 1st as an ebook so I'm currently reading that, Tress and the Emerald Sea.

On another note, his kickstarter raised over $22 million. He also used some of the money to back every other author who had a kickstarter running at the time, which I found nice. https://winteriscoming.net/2022/03/...cked-every-publishing-project-on-kickstarter/


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## Maeglin

Deimos said:


> According to IMDB the original version is pretty good (decent ratings); the Tom Hanks remake, not so much.
> If I decide to see the movie after I read the book, I will watch the original movie made in Sweden.


The original Swedish version is fantastic - watched it a few years ago with my wife. I still haven’t read the book but have been meaning to since watching the film and on my wife’s recommendation. I will add it to the list for this year!


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## Maedhros_Nelyafinwë

I'm currently reading The Silmarillion for the first time, and I must say it's becoming quite possibly my favorite book ever! I was nervous to try reading it at first, because my attention span for reading is short and people kept telling me they think it's dense and boring. I'm finding it anything but boring, though! The stories are all so epic and beautiful and I love that each page is packed out with fascinating stories. It always gives me something interesting to think about.



Maeglin said:


> Part of me hopes the rights to it will be sold to some decent studio (so much awesome material in it for lots of seasons worth of awesome drama), while another part wants it untouched.


I feel similarly, but I lean towards wanting them to leave it untouched. With Hollywood's values being so opposite of Tolkien's values, I just don't see how they could do a faithful adaptation of The Silmarillion. As much as I'd love to see these epic stories brought to life visually, I think there's too great a risk of them ruining it. So for now, I'm content to look at Silmarillion artwork (and create some myself!)


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## Squint-eyed Southerner

Be sure to post it! 🙂


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## Maedhros_Nelyafinwë

Squint-eyed Southerner said:


> Be sure to post it! 🙂


I will! It's about 33% done and I've been working on it for like five weeks now... it's huge, 18x24" paper, and realistic in style so it's a lot of work.


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## Elbereth Vala Varda

Maedhros_Nelyafinwë said:


> I will! It's about 33% done and I've been working on it for like five weeks now... it's huge, 18x24" paper, and realistic in style so it's a lot of work.


Of what?


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## Maedhros_Nelyafinwë

Elbereth Vala Varda said:


> Of what?


Maedhros, post-Thangorodrim! I started it before I even joined this site, actually.


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## Elbereth Vala Varda

Maedhros_Nelyafinwë said:


> Maedhros, post-Thangorodrim! I started it before I even joined this site, actually.


Awesome! I'd loved to see it!


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## Squint-eyed Southerner

Me too! 🙂


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## Starbrow

> The original Swedish version is fantastic - watched it a few years ago with my wife. I still haven’t read the book but have been meaning to since watching the film and on my wife’s recommendation. I will add it to the list for this year!


I finished _A Man Called Ove_ last night. You can add my recommendation to your wife's.


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## Rivendell_librarian

Rivendell_librarian said:


> Also reading _Shackleton's Boat Journey_ by the captain of the Endurance: Frank Worsley. Wonderful descriptions of Antarctic hardships with temperatures in Fahrenheit and a great sense of exploring the unknown with little previous knowledge of how to do it - rather like the Apollo moon programme.


Just finished now - so exciting! Some truly beautiful descriptions of the harsh landscapes. Worsley was obviously a huge admirer of Shackleton as a leader of men, and of his overwhelming concern for their safety. It could be argued that the most dangerous part of the journey was the trek over mountainous icy South Georgia to the whaling stations on the opposite coast: done partly in darkness because of rations and weather. Shackleton chose the three fittest men who were roped together because of the danger of crevasses. Oddly, afterwards each of them reported that they sensed the presence of a fourth person during the trek.

Their appearance was so off putting when they reached one of the whaling stations that it took a while before they could communicate who they were and what they had done. Afterwards a large number of the whalers wanted to hear their story and shake their hands. "These are men" one of them said.

Suffering from heart problems probably made worse by what he had endured, as described in the book, Shackleton tried to volunteer (over age) for the western front. He was involved in a war mission to Spitsbergen and as a military adviser in the British intervention in the Russian civil war. Afterwards he could have settled down to the lecture circuit and writing, but he had to go on one "last" expedition and died of a heart attack on South Georgia. His wife asked that he be buried in the Grytviken cemetery in South Georgia.


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