redundancy....

Reading A Clockwork Orange. It is a challenge to sort through the made up language in this book.

I really enjoyed the Road, although, I kept wondering where the child got his compassion from, that most likely means I didn't understand the book, and that may be the case. I enjoyed it none the less. It never really says exactly what the cause of the world being in the state it was....Volcanos? or??

I finished Ender's game. it was good. not as great as I imagined but still good.
i would give it a 9/10 for writting and characters. but a 6/10 for story. i mean, it doesn't really move too fast. so 7.5/10 overall.

I'm gonna start 2 others soon. Lamb and The road after xmas.

Anyone ever read Sophie's World or The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder?

I read Sophie's World back in high school. I didn't think too much of it, frankly. Interesting subject, but it seemed like Gardner was just looking for a way to make a textbook that was more interesting to read. Also, that ending was just strange, and not in a good way.

it doesn't seem like this topic gets much activity and is just a dumping ground for a book comment here or there. how about we turn this topic into an actual book club type thing? like vote on books to read, read them, then discuss them. i think it's an interesting idea and could be fun if enough people are interested...

if it's stupid, feel free to call me an idiot

Just Finished Terry Brooks Sword of Shannara Trilogy, Which was alright... And now I am reading... Harry Potter ( The First book anyways... my son wanted me to start reading it to him but I want to read it first to see if it is alright to read him. I've heard the books can get kinda dark and violent. So far the first is a suprisingly good read.

Don

I think it's a good idea. Many of us seem to have such different tastes though.

I just heard about a newer book series from Russia that is becoming quite popular. In fact I had to order the first 2 used from Amazon because they were out of stock on the new ones. It's called The Ringing Cedars series by Vladimir Megre.
My friend went on and on about how this series has been raging like a wildfire from west to east. I'm really looking forward to starting it and I will let you guys know how it is.
Has anyone ever heard of it?

Lolita. Lo.Lee.Ta.

This is the 3rd time I'm reading that book, and I must say, I actually root for Humbert Humbert. Way before I read it, I imagined Lolita to be an innocent, clueless child, and Humbert Humbert to be a glowering, evil villain. The author, Vladimir Nabokov sure knows how to win over readers. And, his power over English is remarkable.

Call me creepy, but I'd do anything to have a passionate lover like HH. (Sans the sick obsession). Oscar Wilde once said, "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written or badly written", and it's true in this case.

I got into the the first few chapters of the Drums of Autumn (i think?) and couldn't do it. Her style just doesn't lend itself to my kind of reading. Searching for some old Asimov to read.

I just finished reading "The Catcher in the Rye" this evening. I always suspected that my inner voice would have taken something from Holden Caulfield, and so it was.

One of the best books I've read, simply because so much of it resonated.

The uncomfortable mix between hero worship and contempt, the desire to be drunk most the time, the helpless urge to keep starting fights you know that you'll lose, the heightened sense of prudishness fighting against the desire to get laid, the desire always to be on the side of the outsider, the rejection of hypocrisy, the almost automatic contempt of anything that you find yourself wanting too much, the painful self awareness, the lack of concentration....

So much of it rang true.

I just finished the last book in Terry Goodkinds Sword of Truth Series.
Been reading the series over the last 5 years as the books come out. Definitely enjoyed it.

Before That I read George R.R. Martins A song of Ice and Fire series... waiting for the next book to come out! Definitely enjoyed it. a bit slower paced then I'm used to but very enjoyable.


need to find another fantasy book to read... its a bummer not having a book to pickup at the moment... anyone that enjoyed those series have any suggestions?

I just finished Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore.

I find Moore to be hit and miss. Sometimes I find myself laughing out loud constantly other times I'm bored reading him. I enjoyed Lamb, it was a fun read and full of puns galore and but I found it did drag around the middle of the book.

I just read "America's most notorious author"'s new book, BRight Shiny Morning (by James Frey). I enjoyed it a lot. A bit of it is redundant and a few good characters were hardly seen, while other ridiculous ones were over used. Over all I'd give it a 7.2/10.

Other book/essays I've read lately:

Blood Meridian By Cormac McCarthy 8.7/10
A Man Without A Country by Kurt Vonnegut 9/10
In Defense Of Atheism by Michael Onfray 7/10

Since I've been on vacation since the 4th I've finished 3 books.

The Bell Jar- Silvia Plath
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest-Ken Kesey

and my new favorite:
Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture- Ariel Levy

On the first two, I just like reading what I consider classics and iconic

On FCP; This was the first book I've ever read that dealt with feminism today and it's completely changed my views. I recommend it to ANYONE. It has literally changed my life.

I would like to recommend The Trial by Franz Kafka. It's one of my favourite novels.

Without any ideas what else you have read, I'd recommend looking up David Gemmell. Most of his books are standalone, though there are some 'related' books. My favourite is called "Knights of Dark Renown"...just leaning over in my office, I can see it is Copyright 1989 - so not that new :), but still a good read.

Also a big fan of RA Salvatore - the Dark Elf books and others.

Finished "Haunted" by Chuck Palahniuk, moved on to "Diary" by him, and I just won "Choke" on Ebay. I love his twisted way of describing shit.

Just re-read Christopher Moore's Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. This is like the fifth or sixth time I've read it, and I laughed every time.

Also just finished all of Robin Hobb's "Farseer" books. Her first trilogy, the "Assassin" books were freaking brilliant, and I adored them. I liked her second trilogy, the "Liveship" books a little less, but still enjoyed them. The third trilogy was better-- the "Golden Fool" books-- and pleased me. I read the two books of her new "forest mage" trilogy that have been released so far, and they were OK, but nowhere near as good as the others.

Recently re-read Ursula K. LeGuin's original "Earthsea" trilogy. She wrote a couple of follow-up books to that trilogy that I thought really sucked, so I hadn't read the original three in years. I forgot how good they were! They were just fantastic! What amazing pieces of work! No clue what happened to her talent as she got older....

Any Haruki Murakami fans out there? I have read 3 or 4 of his books and am currently waiting for Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - i was mainly attracted my it title!

You know, putting links to commercial sites into threads like this one makes you look an awful lot like a spammer. Luckily I checked your posting history first and figured out that you aren't.

LOL - actually i am just a internet boff/geek/enthusiast if you will with far to much time on my hands, a layabout, a waster, a student. You know standard stuff . . .

Just finishing Duma Key

That is completely right. It's the explosion of youth; indifference found in knowledge, privilege equaling sardonicism. It's a bleak look at the evolution of man and the moment where it became semi-acceptable among youth to talk about the pains of growth and puberty.

I love that novel. It speaks to me as a 22 year old and it spoke to me as a 14 year old. I've read that novel about 50 times. I think I own four copies.

i've decided to give the Harry Potter books a second chance. I read the first one a few years ago and thought it was awfully simplistic and left no possibilities to the imagination (rather than allow the reader to wonder what was going on, Harry always had to think "Is Snape trying to get the Stone? Did he send Dumbledore away? Did Snape let the Troll in on Halloween?" etc., etc.) I've been assured the books get better, but we'll see

The Truth by Terry Pratchett. It's one of the few books in his Discworld series that I haven't read.

"The Shack" by William P. Young

I saw this book at my local used book store. While I'm not overly religous, I am finding myself moved by this novel.

Don

Although I already made a new topic about it, I have to encourage anyone to read:

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher - Kate Summerscale

Its a true story, and the original detective story (quite literally). Its an historical novel as much a crime novel, and (without spoilers), right to the end you arent sure which way its gonna go, and then when you think its all settled, it really hits you in the guts.

just starting "Blood Meridian"