The Book Club
 

Here is a place for the discussion of literature....in all its forms. From the Classics to the latest fiction, cookbooks to sappy romance.

so....who starts?

it's not literature... But he did say cookbook... I just bought Rachel Ray 365: No Repeats cookbook... Lots of great recipes, all take less than 30 minutes to complete. She's got a lot of 'master' type recipes then suggestions to make some changes to it so you can easily create a repitiore of easy, but very tasty recipes. I actually like this cookbook because she doesn't always give exact amounts.. which is how I cook... I tend to just throw stuff in - though it's funny to read in a cookbook, "twice around the pan" for an amount of olive oil - and her use of EVOO instead of olive oil is a little annoying... But she writes how she seems to be on the food network - and I'm not sure there are 365 unique recipes... but I was looking for something different cause i'm tired of cooking the same things... all in all - -good purchase... three out of four stars...

I'll admit we have yet to crack the hour mark on those 30-minute recipes.

Not sure if this counts either, but I just finished reading "Setting Limits for your Strong-Willed Child", which will hopefully help us improve the quality of our lives :-)

I'm just starting A History of God by Karen Armstrong, which I've been looking forward to.

fwiw, my all-time favorite novel is Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

Mal, that's exactly why I like Rachael Ray. Nothin' exact about her recipes, just do what tastes good :)

Might have to buy this one...

That is an incredibly interesting book. It bogs down a bit in a few places, in my opinion, but if you can power through...well, like I said, it's a very interesting book. I also recommend Holy War and her book on Jerusalem.

Currently, I'm reading a compilation of 'Bertie Wooster & Jeeves' stories by P.G. Wodehouse (The Return of Jeeves...Bertie Wooster see it through...). Hugh Laurie, who played Bertie Wooster in a series for the BBC, recommended them in a magazine article.

I just finished the second part of the Dark Tower series. Amazing books. I really look forward to starting the third one, but I am going to read Don Quixote for my friend. He loves the book and told me I have to read it so I am going to humor him. So far its humerous and not too hard of a read, but I do have to go a little bit slower with it than I did with the Drawing of the Three.

I would definitely recommend the dark tower series, at least so far.

I just finished Tom Wolfe's new(ish) "I Am Charlotte Simmons." I liked it, as an interesting interpretation of the modern college experience. And some of the characters were incredibly well-drawn and there were some fantastic moments. And, true to Wolfe form, he runs circles around modern grammatical use.

I only have a few complaints. Firstly, it ended far too abruptly, (but that's a problem I'm finding more and more, especially with authors like Wolfe and Maguire.) Secondly, seeing as I'm greek, the blatant anti-greek sentiment in the book was hard for me to swallow, but probably generally truthful in the end.

Lastly, and most frustrating, was how much I hated the main character (Charlotte, naturally.) When it comes to main characters, there has to be an element of love. I don't mean a romantic entanglement, I mean that we as readers need to empathize and care for the character. We can like them, or we can love to hate them, but there has to be some element of theirs to which we are attracted. Charlotte was incredibly well-written. She was, as all great characters are, flawed. But her flaws were just too great. I hated her. She was intelligent, but spiteful towards those less intelligent, wanted everyone to love her, but in turn, was hateful towards everyone, and incredibly judgemental. She used people, and even in the last two pages of the book, she almost admits she hasn't changed at all in that regard. It wasn't even fun to hate her as a character. She was the biggest disappointment in the whole novel, by far.

So, overall, it's an interesting character-study of the instution of college itself, but prepared to want to scream at the main character as you read it.

Oh, I will be stopping by this thread frequently for ideas! Thanks for the Rachel Ray cookbook tip, Mal, I'm all over that.

Currently, I'm reading the latest from Diana Gabaldon. If you are a history buff AND don't mind a little supernatural element, then jump on these. The first book is "Outlander" and most places have it mis-marked as a romance. It has romantic elements, certainly, but it's a whole lot more than that. The first couple books start in 1740's Scotland, and move to England, France, the Caribbean, and then the Colonies. Right now, in the (I *think*) 5th book, we're in the Colonies right before the War for Independence.

Why I love these books: they bring the past alive in a real, visceral sense; it's not just what they're wearing, but how things smell, the textures, the sights and sounds, the beauty and the gross in life. I am not a fan of books that spend too much time describing every last detail either - this feels like a natural progression, as if you were sitting in the person's head noticing what they notice.
The characters are strong, with each of them growing throughout the books they live in. They're engaging and funny and human, all at once. This is FICTION, but I find myself often wondering what the various characters might think of our world now. That's how real they become. Because the main characters, like Claire (and later, others, but I won't spoil it for you), are not from the 1700's either, seeing things from their eyes gives an interesting perspective on the past.

LOVE THESE BOOKS. I do.

I need to get on re-reading them from the beginning--I have all of them up through Fiery Cross but I think it'd be nice to read them again all the way through.

I'm going to have to get digging in boxes, though...they're buried somewhere.

I agree completely with what you've said, JustJess--Gabaldon has a style that feels authentic. You can tell she knows her shit, and that's what makes it easy to suspend disbelief about other things.

Just consumed "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" by Jared Diamond. It is an excellent exploration of both ancient and modern societies and why some succeed and some fail. It is a really good read and an important one for anyone concerned with where the world and their nation is headed.

Now reading a bit of fluff for a change - "Stonehenge" by Bernard Cornwell.

As you can see from my sig, I am a huge fan of The Dark Tower. I would love to keep up with your progress if you are so inclined.. I started the series in the late 80s and finished it last Jan... but am on the second book again. So damn good.


As a post script, I lobbied to name our dog after a character, but my wife won.. we have Emma as her name.

I have just finished Anne Bishops last book called Sebastian. It's a goooooodd book. It is on the romance side of the fence but there is enough dark fantasy and the constent strugggle of light vs. dark to make it a great read.(I consider it fantasy) She dosent go into many of the "gory" details, but the main character is half incubi(?) half human ... Its a really good read... I like her dark jewel triology better but i highly doubt there will ever be anything that tops that on my list. This book is worth getting your hands on it will take you to a landscape nothing like our own but you will feel familure with it. 437 pages of page turning excitment

On the theme of discussing literature and a book club, do y'all think it would be feasible to create a book club on TFP(if we had enough interest) such that we would choose a book and read it together and discuss it while we go along?

Of course, I think it's a great idea, maybe about a book a month divided up so we only discuss sections at a time, then about a week after we finish before we announce the next book. Right now I'm reading Milton's Paradise Lost for the first time(a reference to it in The Sea Wolf by Jack London sparked my interest). Not that we have to start with me, but it's a suggestion, if any of you like the idea I'm more than open to suggestions about what to read next to get this rolling.

I could read her books all day long (and sometimes do lol) I have to say though that the first one is my ab fav of the series

I've been spending my time rereading every book Victoria Holt ever wrote

THE DAVINCI CODE
 

Has anyone read this book yet? And if so was it a good read?
Its all i've heard about lately ... it has me curious.

My last read was a bio of Dany Kane, "Hell's Witness"
An interesting peak into their sub culture. I would recommend
it if you are into that kind of thing.

Favorite of mine would be Tolkien's LOTR's, (and the Hobbit, of course).

I'm reading Edvard Radzinsky's "Alexander II: The Last Great Tsar". Its very interesting, and there are even some anecdotes that he's found that are new to me (such as the tsarina's crown falling off during the coronation ceremony), and he's drawing some very interesting paralells between Alexander and Gorbachev. The translator's chosen to keep the words "glastnost" and "perestroika" unitalicized in the text throughout which is less distracting that I would normally find. However, the translator (Bouis) hasn't corrected some of the sentence structure that's acceptable in Russian but not English, and that's really distracting at times.

Since I realize that not everyone is the Russofile that I am, Alexander II ruled from 1859 to 1881 and was the one who freed the serfs, introduced the jury system to Russian law and reformed the army. He was assassinated by a group called "The People's Will" as he was about to transform Russia into a constitutional monarchy, although that was unknown to the general population at the time.

Davinci code? Thought it was about the worst book I've ever read. No exageration, it was abysmal.

anyone here who has read paolo coelho books? the alchemist is my favorite!

Books, books and more books.
 

DaVinci Code... I read it and adored it! It is a brilliant and well thought out work of fiction (in my opinion which is just that mind you... my opinion). It makes you think and promotes a healthy workout of brain cell synapses.
If you liked DaVinci code, Mr. Brown has written 3 other books as well. The best in my opinion (again only my opinion) being Angels and Demons. (Another good mind screw.)

I recently read a book by a "new to me" author named Chuck Palahniuk, the books title is "haunted". Alas, it is not for the faint of heart, as in the back it states that when he read a short excerpt from the book many people fainted. The book itself is eloquently written and extremely messy, if you will with blood guts (literally) and gore. Definately not for the faint of heart!

I'm just getting started with Collapse. Jared Diamond is a genius and his earlier book Guns, Germs and Steel changed a lot of my thinking in a good way.

I would love to participate in this. Problem is we need to seperate them into genre so to peak interest.

I think Collapse is a more relevant and interesting read, and less preachy than Guns. But both are must reads for anyone interested in history and knowing how we got to where we are and where we might be going.

I have a third book of his The Third Chimpanzee which is OK, but not comparable to the other two.

My wife reccomended "Five People You Meet in Heaven" and I read the first 120 pages in one sitting (earlier today) and will probably finish tonight.

the made for tv movie wasn't near as good as the book - but it was still good.

I loved that book - really made you think... was a little sappy but it's kind of expected from the author... :D I still wonder who the five people I meet in heaven (should I get there) will be - and who I will be on the welcoming committee for... Enjoy it.

I wanted to get "Choke" at the library but it was out, so I picked up the latest Stephen King novel, "Cell". So far it's basically "The Stand" meets "Night of the Living Dead", but it's a quick read (I'm 120 pages in already) and not terrible so far.

"Cell" wasnt half bad but I still say "From A Buick 8" is Stephen Kings best work. "Choke" was funny but not nearly as good as "Haunted" by the same author.
I am currently reading "Killer Dreams" by Iris Johansen and am fairly disappointed as it mimics another of her novels. I have higher hopes for "The Husband" by Dean Koontz which is next on my list.

I recently read "Anal Health and Pleasure". I was surprised at what a neat book it was. I was looking for ideas for a bit of diff'rent lovin' but it turns out to have all sorts of neat things in it about how to feel better about you bum, how to fix constipation and hemorrhoids, and just be heappy and healthy in general. It talks about power gradients in sexual relationships too, and that has actually helped me to get along better with the wife and, as a spill oer effect, to be nicer to my kids.

After that, I re-read the 6 Michael Moorcock "Corum" books, and realized that they're just a short step up from Edgar Rice Burroughs, and then Neal Gaiman's "Neverwhere", which is awseome.

Right now, I am poking through Gore Vidal's "Burr", which may not end up holding my attention.

I recently stumbled across a book called "The complete Idiots Guide to Stepparenting". I tell ya what, from dating someone with kids to learning the ropes on how to deal with children in general, it is a very funny and straight up book. It informs you on many of the "games" kids play and bring to light things such as; you can't tell little Jane she cant have nookie til shes married yet you have your unmarried significant other spend the night so you CAN. I'm only a few pages in but its great for learning and laughing... 2 elements that help you remember whats important.

I loved all that Moorcock stuff years ago. Especially the Corum and Elric stuff. Good fun.

I agree that Cell was only okay, but we disagree on From a Buick 8. I would rank it in the bottom of his work. I've read nearly every Stephen King book and I would rank the Dark Tower Series, The Stand and It was his best

Call me crazy (since I certainly am) but I have tried 3 times to read the first of the dark tower series and I just cant get into it. I did love "the stand" though and "it" was fabulous. Alas, variety is the spice of life and to everyone their own taste. :D

Book 1 of the Dark Tower is basically a 150 page prologue. Books 2 and 3 are the best

If youve ever read Dean Koontz I think his best ever books were "Watchers" which 2 terrible movies have been made and "Phantoms"

just stumbled across my copy of Eleanor Rigby by canadian author Douglas Coupland... it is slightly far fetched, like all of his work, but uyses his extreme veiws of reality to really connect to you through the fiction. It's just as the book would suggest, a lonely celebration.

"The Husband" Dean Koontz. I loved it! Marvelously well written positively nail biting and so engrossing that I finished it by candlelight in a power outage last night.

ooh i saw that book in the store the other day and was gonna get it- it soudned good but his books of late has just been so bad, my groupiedom on his has waned... guess i'll have to get back into the spirit of it again..

I am debating wether I should start another novel or dip into all that leftover yarn and make something..... Ok I will read another book... "Wither" by J.G. Passarella... we shall see how this one works.

If you like Sci-Fi novels I would definitely suggest "The Old Man's War" John Sciali. It was a great read, very reminiscent of "Starship Troopers" but not in a bad way.

Just read the first Harry Potter.... I could not put it down... havent been to bed all night and cant wait to start the second. The movie left out so much! The books are definately a treat for child and adult alike and answer many questions the movie doesnt.
It has been a long time since a book has sucked me in so completely.

Just ordered a few books from Amazon, most are best-sellers, but I had always wanted read them:

Freakonomics
Bringing Down the House
Ugly Americans
Moneyball
The Art of War
Ella Minnow Pea -- the one I've been looking forward to the most!!

How much of a nerd am I that I want to read one of my fiancees college textbooks for fun?

A couple of novels I recently read and recommend:

Freddy and Fredericka by Mark Halprin - a satire of Charles and Di who are sent to America to recapture the colonies

Zorro by Isabel Allende - a fun retelling of the Zorro legend

Funny you say that. I kept some of my college books exactly because I wanted to read them eventually.

Update:
Finished Ella Minnow Pea and Bringing Down the House

Used to read a lot of Koontz.

From what I can remember Twilight Eyes was pretty good.

Last book I finished was Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. It was better than the movie. I found it to be funny and entertaining while portraying serrious political views. It was a very quick read as the scenes are very simple, but described with commedic detail.

Another book I read was called The Automatic Millionaire. I read it in a day, but was pretty borring explaining how to set ones self up financially through different programs the government offers. It however did have an inspirational mini story throughout the book.

Before that was The Game by Neil Strauss. This book was pretty interesting as I try to be quite active in the Pick Up community. It is about a group of guys who call themselves pick up artists and live together in a house on Sunset Blvd., in Los Angeles, CA, with the soul purpose of picking up women. They develop all kinds of tactics and scientific methods to aid them in their never ending quest. The book is a true story told from Strauss's point of view with plenty of drama in it.

The college book was a bomb.... who would have thought a PhD would contradict themselves so many times in the first 65 pages? One of the few books I never bothered to finish.

If your talking about Sun Tzu's, then have fun. Great reading!

I'm about to purchase Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010: Odyssey Two, 2061: Odyssey Three, and 3001: The Final Odyssey. I know a little about the story already, and it sounds amazing, so I'll let you guys know how it goes.

I've been stuck on Arthur Nersesian's works as of recently. So far I've read "Suicide Casanova", "The Fuck-Up" and I've just started "Manhattan Lover Boy."

His most easily accessible and engrossing book would be "Suicide Casanova." It's a story of obsessive love and relationships - that's nothing new but it's his incredible writing style that makes it so that you can't put the book down. He tells the story of a twisted love affair concerning multiple characters and he does this from several different points in time. The story develops naturally and unexpectedly....he turns turns NYC into a character and allows the city to speak for itself....amazing character development.

I assure you that you won't see a thing coming and you won't be able to put it down.

More in-depth reviews:

Suicide Casanova Reviews

I love Freakonomics - couldn't put it down.

I recently finished Ross King's <u>Ex Libris</u> I was quite happy with it, just the kind of cozy quasi-mystery that I enjoy. Nothing deep and filled with history.
Presently I'm exploring the works of Arturo Perez-Reverte. First, I have <u>Flanders Panel</u> then onto <u>The Club Dumas</u>. I'm hoping for a bit better the second time around. It took nearly half way through the book to get anything I found interesting. When book is compared to <u>Name of the Rose</u> I'm quite the sucker for it. <u>Ex Libris</u> did deliver more for me.

I am a HUGE fan of Diana Gabaldon!! I have all of her books 1-5 and will be going out to buy book #6 this weekend - 'Breath of Snow and Ashes' I'm so excited that this one was just released (in paperback) because it shows that she might not be finished telling us the story of Jamie and Clare! I don't think I can let these guys go!

One of my favorite topics of conversation with a girlfriend of mine is discussing who would play Jamie in a movie version of the book. I think our general agreement is that they would have to find an unknown Scottish actor to fill the spot because there's so much about Jamie that he would have to live up to. And if you have any preconceived notions of an known actor than it wouldn't work.

I have honestly spent an entire night reading these novels - never went to sleep - I just couldn't put the book down!

I'll keep you updated on how 'Breath Of Snow and Ashes' plays out - though I'm sure it'll live up to the rest! :thumbsup:

I recently started the series by T. A. Barron called The Great Tree Of Avalon. He definately has some interesting concepts on Merlin and Avalon!

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just found out that they are printing a new Hannibal book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hannibal Rising
Dec 5 is the release date!!!!!

Hannibal the Carthaginian General of the Punic Wars, or Hannibal the Cannibalisitic Psychiatrist? :lol:

Hannibal the "Hello Clarice"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

<u>Flander's Panel</u> actually had some unexpected twists inside an intriguing mystery. I found it slow and uninteresting but for more reasons of my peccadillos than the book's lack. It spoke to my aesthete side.

<u>The Club Dumas</u> is a much finer work in just the first three chapters. Happily, I can say, The Ninth Gate movie didn't deter me from reading it.

I am 86 pages into the Richard Matheson book "I Am Legend/Hell House" combo. I am having a very hard time putting it down.l.. sucked me right in it did.

Ok, wow, Ray Bradbury was smokin something when he wrote The Martian Chronicles..... Wow.... so far its quite.... well I am getting my moneys worth in laughs... or maybe I am just that odd...

Ok, so I am talking to myself but eventually someone may join me here for a post or 3. Being close to that dreaded holiday I have been banned from buying books for fear I will buy something on my list. So I scoped out a new author.

Janet Evanovich. Her Stephanie Plum series is completely off the hook. Never in my days have I read a series so humorous and gripping. I used to read the Sue Grafton Alphabet books, those got way too predictable. These, however, wow... just wow. Talk about your underdog and dysfunctional families! This is a must read series if you like a who-done-it mixed in with a comedy.

I finished Collapse by Jared Diamond a few weeks ago, and thought it was a great book. It goes above and beyond saying "This is what is wrong!", and also does not simply attack big business, but Jared realizes that incorporating big business into using their resources more wisely is the best way to go about 'saving' our world. I would highly suggest it.

I really like this idea. It would help force me to keep up in my reading as I find some days I'll surge ahead, and then for weeks I'll barely touch a book. I'm not particular about genres, because I tend to find a genre I like, and stick with it for a long time when I would really like to get more breadth in there. If anyone else is interested I think this is a great idea; if the book is not at my small library, or my local bookstore it would take a few days for me to snag the reading.

I read Lullaby and Survivor. I enjoyed Lullaby more than Survivor, but thoroughly enjoyed both. I did not read Choke, because I don't like reading one author over and over. I find I'll start slowing down in my reading as I get tired of their style. I might have to pick up Haunted instead of Choke though for my next read from him.

The same thing happened to me when I read Harry Potter. I refused to read them, because of the hype, but took the first three books overseas with me last year, and ended up buying and plowing through the whole series. Order of the Phoenix was my favorite, but I'm afraid the movie will leave out so many details. I'm excited to see what happens in the 'last' book.

I'm currently reading The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois. I know it sounds like a Sociology course read, and that's actually how I was initially introduced to Du Bois' style of writing. I really enjoy it! I must admit it's taking me longer to get through, but I'm almost done, and it has not disappointed.

I started Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, and so far it has intriqued me, but stories of wilderness survival always have.

My friend sent me Adrift by Steven Callahan last year, and I could not put it down.

After I finish Into Thin Air I think I'm going to finally read Ancient Iraq. It's been sitting on my shelf for too long without being touched.

I have Something Wicked This Way Comes comeing in the mail so I am pretty psyched about it. Plus one of the last couple Peter Hathaway Capstick books I have yet to read.

I'm not a devout Bradbury reader but ever since R is for Rocket in 9th grade I have wanted to read some more of his.

Try reading, after reading Krakaeur's account, the account written by Anatoli Boukerev (it's called "Climb", IIRC), the Russian guide who Krakaeur blames for some of what happened on the mountain. It is is very instructive to read the accounts of the other survivors - Krakaeur's account is the most widely circulated because of his skill as a writer, but it is not neccessarily the truth.

How come this thread doesn't get more action?

I recently read The Road by cormac mccarthy. I have to say it was pretty good, in a bleak sort of way. It's got post-apocalyptic cannibals. I think i will probably read it again.

World War Z was pretty good, too. Though apparently i'm the only person i know who's into reading books about zombies.

Also, on the nonfiction front, i highly recommend a book called Infrastructure: a field guide to the industrial landscape by brian hayes. Hayes basically traveled around for over a decade taking pictures of various industrial structures like mines, power plants, steel mills, infrastructure-y things and then wrote this book explaining roughly how all those things work. It's pretty interesting if you happen to be one of those people who wonders what all that stuff is about.

Lessee.

Not long ago I read The first Instrumentailities of Night book - <I>The Tyranny of the Night</I>. Late middle ages to Renaissance Europe and Dar al-Islam with some seriously odd magic and walking gods/ghosts/fairies. Glen Cook at his best, really. Sort of Black Company-ish with the feel of a historical fiction. (All the names have been changed to protect the sensibilities of nations, and Gibraltar is an ithsmus rather than a strait, making the geography of the Mediterranean a little different. )

Then I read the second one - <i>Lord of the Silent Kingdom</i> - which was not quite as satisfying as the first, as it didn't resolve as well as the first (but then, Cook will go on these two, three, four book mini-series within a series where the resolution waits till the last book of the mini0series - no worries). Left me wanting more. A third book. Immediately.

Next, finished SM101. Basically an intro college course to BDSM. Highly, highly recommended for anyone thinking about any sorts of power gradient informed sex.

As long as I was in that headspace, finished <i>The Story of O</i>. Kind of disappointed at how abruptly it ends. Also, while I understand and appreciate the necessity for the author to take long excursions into O's mental state, it really got tedious from time to time. If ever a woman deserved the whippings she got.... Not seriously, but sheesh!

At the moment, re-reading <i>Shadowmarch</i> by Tad Williams. He's got the kind of sinister grasp of faeries that Neal Gaiman shoots for (and misses low to the horror side - nothing wrong with that, mind you). Very rich world he has going there. Meaty. Believable politics. I've got the second book waiting on my loveseat for when I finish the first one.

I was just pleasantly surprised by finishing the first three Kushiel books by Jacqueline Carey. I haven't cared enough about a character to cry when I finished a book in years, but I did when Phedre finally came to the end of her long quest. Great series, and I plan on picking up more by the same author. If you get a chance, grab Kushiel's Dart and give it a read.

[QUOTE=filtherton]I recently read The Road by cormac mccarthy. I have to say it was pretty good, in a bleak sort of way. It's got post-apocalyptic cannibals. I think i will probably read it again.

QUOTE]

If you enjoy McCarthy you have to check out Blood Meridian. It is indescribable as a novel. Bleak, bloody, scary yet the prose is some of the best I've ever read.

It's on my to-read list. Unfortunately, my to-read list only gets larger.

For McCarthy, I personally enjoyed Suttree more than any of the Borderline / Western series, but I haven't read anything by him that I've not liked.

Currently taking a break from non-fiction and just enjoying "Harlequin" by Bernard Cornwell, self-indulgent historical fiction at its finest.

Not long finished "Tribes of Britain" which is non-fiction, a history of the British people - not of the wars and empires and kings - but of the people, their migrations, and languages, and how modern Brits became who they are.

i have not noticed this thread before.
go figure.

let's see....the last novels i read were:
thomas pynchon, against the day
1100 fucking pages. that much of anyone gets tiring. the good bits were very good indeed. and there was ALOT of other stuff.

mark z danielewski: house of leaves.
a fine fine creepy interesting book. i found myself wishing at times that danielewski was a more disciplined writer, but those times passed. absolutely worth reading.

i am reading djuna barnes' nightwood.

i love this book:

So...as advised, I'm starting with The Hobbit. I ordered the illustrated version by Alan Lee last week, got it yesterday and finished Chapter one before bed time. What a beautiful book!!! I enjoyed it for the most part thus far. The thing that I don't get is the (bracketed comments) in the book. I see that on almost every page. To be honest, it's throwing me off a little. Is that how Tolkein intended it or some smart ass editor thought it would be a good idea to put commentaries smack dab in the middle of a sentence, paragraph, page?

I just finished Catcher In The Rye. I was never able to finish the book prior times I have read it, and now that I finished it I remember why. It drags on and on and is simply a bore.

I'm currently reading More Proficient Motorcycling, and Introducing Your Children to the Outdoors. I think after that I will go back to a C. S. Lewis book.

Would anyone still be interested and reading a book and discussing it together?

I'm finishing up East of Eden right now, and I love it. The only other work I've read by Steinbeck is Of Mice and Men, and I like that one too, so I think I'm going to pick up another of his books in the near future. Haven't decided which one yet.

Any Ken Follett fans here? I heard a year or so ago that he is working on a sequel to Pillars Of the Earth...anyone else heard anything about this? If it's true, then I'm buying it the day it comes out.

And, of course, I'm eagerly awaiting the final Harry Potter release.

Kurty...I have to disagree with you on Catcher In the Rye. It's one of my all time favorites :thumbsup:

Why an all time fave? It makes some great statements about people, and the kid has the potential and capacity and simply does not apply himself. I spent the entire book wondering what all of it was building up to, in my mind imagining some either horrendous ending, or life-changing moment. Nope... Maybe that's the greatness of it?

Finished Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. I enjoyed it but just couldn't get into it as much as some of his previous works.

Right now I'm about 3/4 of the way through The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson.

Not sure what I'm going to pick up next, either another of Thompson's books (probably Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72) or reread World War Z by Max Brooks.

Chronicles of Clovis - Saki.

Pwns.

I just reread The Pillars of the Earth and still rate it as a great (long!) read.

Follett's site has info on the sequel "World Without End"
http://www.ken-follett.com/bibliogra...thout_end.html

The series A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin. Dragons, bastards, dwarfs, incest...its got it all.

Bernard Cornwell
 

Highthief, That is an outstanding series, as is his "Warlord" series of Arthurian books. Am waiting to get the final Chapter in his "King Alfred" series. Picked up Cornwell on a whim one day, and have become a devoted reader...

Hey Rube - Hunter S. Thompson

I've only read his Warlord series. It was lent to me by my GF's father as something I might like and I really quite enjoyed it. So much so that I tend to judge re-tellings of the Arthur legend by it.

yeah, that house of leaves is definitely worth a read. odd, but interesting. i don't know what i'm going to read next; i feel like something good.

you arthurian legend folk; what is this warlord business i see above? how would it compare, say, to mary stewart's merlin trilogy? i'm sure its not like a de troyes or mallory gig, and probably not a t.h. white thing if its a trilogy. just curious if i need to actually read it; is it like a dragon lance thing with arthurian knights?

I know this post is from half a year ago, but I just read this (in one four hour sitting :crazy: ) after not having read any books when I wasn't on a plane (I can usually finish one on an average 3 hour flight) in almost two years. Not a bad story, but pretty blah literature...his interactions with his Asian mom were interesting, but I just didn't engage with them/him like I do with some of my favorite books.

I used to read ALLLL the time, but have gotten out of it. I tore up the science fiction aisle at the library something fierce...well crafted alternate futures, specifically Robert Heinlein or James P. Hogan, make me happy.

Any recomendations for some delicious fictional booky morsels, with a leaning towards scifi or anything to do with clever (Sherlock Holmes, etc) main characters?

I do the same. It used to be Mary Stewart's Arthurian Trilogy (Crystal Cave, Hollow Hills. Last Enchantment), but I think Cornwall has absolutely the best. Try his Grail series as well. Just as good.

On to another series, I am actually reading the Harry Potter series. I always refused to read them, but man, they are hard to put down. I read the 3rd book in about 3 days, (every waking moment) and have started on Goblet of Fire. My 10 year old daughter started reading the 1st one, and kept telling me it was better than the movie, and she was right.

I read "Choke" by Chuck Pahluniak on my flight to Amsterdam. One of my favorites by him so far

The Once and Future King
 

I've heard that One and Future King is, basically, THE definitive King Arthur book and I'd always felt guilty for not having read it. I finally picked it up because I was there buying Mists of Avalon and I thought I should have "the original" also.

I'm utterly shocked. It's a children's book. What the?!? I was expecting some Tolkienesque grand legend, perhaps written in that odd celtic style I have such a hard time reading through, but... it's just goofy. Arthur is a little boy named "The Wart". Merlin has worms and mice living in his hair. Sir Ector is a joke. Everyone sort of is. I'm torn as to whether or not to like this book. It doesn't make any sense, but I feel like its a parody of the King Arthur sagas I've always loved so much.

And yet, Goddess help me, I can't help but like dear King Pellinore.

hmm... in my very first week as a member here, I came across a thread in which someone had compiled a very thorough list of books that were recommended by their fellow members here on the boards, but I have not been able to locate it since. :(

Could someone who knows what I am talking about please point me in the right direction to obtain said list(I believe it was an outside link to a text format or something similar). Any help at all would be most appreciative on my part. :)

Does anyone here read Sharyn McCrumb? Specifically the Ballad Books? I've read them all

The Ballad of Frankie Silver (based on a true story)
The Songcatcher
Ghost Riders (based on true story)
The Rosewood Casket
She Walks These Hills
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter (havent been able to find this one yet)
If ever I Return Pretty Peggy-O (havent found this one either)

They are making a movie out of The Rosewood Casket, and while this is my least fav of the set I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

I can never decide which is my absolute favorite, but as I am on a "civil war in the north carolina mountains" kick Ghost Riders (about one of the few female disguised as a male soldiers) in the war.

Sharyn has a way of weaving history and present day in such a way that makes the books really hard to put down for me. Each book has two stories going on at once, one in the past and one in the present and somewhere in there they tie together.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

I've been trying to get into this book for about 5 years now and every time I try I just lose interest for some reason. This time I'm determined to finish, and I'm actually enjoying it.

A compilation of 76 Short Stories by Saki. I love his works, they're a lot like the ones Oscar Wilde used to pen down. Oddly, many animals and formidable aunts play a role in his stories.

I'm about to star [U]American Gods[U]. I've heard great things about it.

Scratch that, it wasn't that great.

I disagree. It isn't Gaiman's best work (personally I found Stardust and Neverwhere to be better) but it is really quite good.

Anyway, what I'm reading right now is Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

It's a slight interlude for me. I've been re-reading the Ian Flemming Bond books. I read Casino Royale, Live and Let Die, Moonraker and Diamonds Are Forever on my vacation up at the cottage and just finished From Russia with Love. Basically I have to wait until I get paid next week so I can pick up the next batch.

I was actually very pleasantly impressed with The Quickie by James Patterson.

I do adore a book that proves my detective skills very screwed up and makes you forget why you are suspicious of someone then remind you with a slap in the face. The ending is sure to suprise you!

This book has more twists and turns than any other book I have ever read.

holy crap... you read James Patterson? woah... ive never encountered someone that could relate to my Alex Cross addiction.... if you like him, have you ever read James Lee Burke? - I've only read Dixie City Jam, but if you like James Patterson, you'll love James Lee Burke.

Is it just me or was the end of Cross a complete cop out? Do not fret, however, for I can not wait for Double Cross to come out.

lol i havent read it yet. i read so fast that i wait for a few books to come out at once and read them one right after the other

Starting to read Ender's Game tonight. anyone have any good things to say about that serie? how are the 2nd and 3rd book in the serie? worth buying? (i'll decide if i want to buy up to 7 or 8 after the first 3).

Welcome to the fold they're very good. It really doesn't get much better than Ender's game but you'll probably still enjoy them a lot. I also really liked Ender's Shadow.

as anyone read the gun seller by star of NBC's house, Hugh Laurie?

i just finished it, it's pretty funny, and i can't help but hear his voice when i read it, making it that much funnier. guy can write...

I loved Choke. I've been saying "for serious" ever since..

I just finished Lullaby last night. I can't really talk about it without spoiling it but I didn't really like the ending. It felt rushed and.. I dunno.. Maybe I misinterpreted some of the characters.. but it just didn't feel right. I still enjoyed the book though.

I also downloaded and listened to Survivor from iTunes. I loved the Narrator's voice. The story was also excellent.