...at the end of Clive Cussler's Deep Six . It's the first book of his I've read, and liked it much more than expected. Still say Dirk Pitt is a silly name for a lead character, but the book was almost as much fun to read as DaVinci Code or Airframe, which is one of my favorites.

Plus, now that Sahara has been made into a movie, will have to pick that book up at some point.

ah.. clearly Im a fool!

The Conquest of Mexico - Hugh Thomas

Not a bit of it.

Just not so great with the keywords. :thumbsup:

I've been reading philosophy notes for days now...

The last book I've finished is Motion in Poetry, a collection of poems/lyrics by Toronto based feminist rap artist Motion. We studied the book in Lit, and she came in to speak to us. It was awesome. If you want to hear more about her, or download two of her tracks, here's a website.

http://www.cspi.org/womenspress/books/m/motion.htm

American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis.

Currently half-way through Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

The "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series. Almost done with "Life, The Universe and Everything."

On deck: "The Hobbit" and a collection of William Faulkner books.

jan potocki: a manuscript found in saragossa

V for Vendetta (Alan Moore) and The Demon Haunted World (Carl Sagan)

I'm still working on Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. I'm not in any hurry, since I've read it before. Basically, I'm always reading this book. Once I finish it, I start reading it again.

The two other books I'm reading at the moment:

Have Spacesuit - Will Travel, by Robert Heinlein

Southern by the Grace of God, by Michael Andrew Grissom

Reading:

"The Matarese Countdown" - Robert Ludlum

My favorite author ever, and this book is just awesome. It flows well with the previous one "The Matarese Circle"

I've picked up the last few M.Y.T.H. Inc. books by Robert Asprin. It's been fun to get back into the story of Aahz and Skeeve and the rest of the group. Right now, I'm reading Something M.Y.T.H. Inc.

I'm also reading "Why Buildings Stand Up" by Mario Salvadori.

The Hobbit. Somehow I never read this one as a kid.

Just finished Engines of Destiny. Star Trek, Scotty goes back in time to save Kirk from the Nexus, and screws up the timeline...then puts him back and fixes it. 336 pages to tell me that...

silent bob speaks (the collected writings of kevin smith) -- very funny and very good. it gives you a good insight into his life as well as ben affleck's and a couple of other peoples. if you like the man or the movies, check it out.

Lolita, Vladmir Nabokov

A master of the English and, from what I hear, Russian language... I could read his opening to this book time and time again and never tire of it.

I just finished the "His Dark Materials" series. It was recommended...by someone here...I think...

Anyway, I wasn't all that impressed with it, but maybe because I'm a bit older (it was in the young adult section of the local library :) ) and expect more from stories like this.

Currently reading two books.

Across the Nightingale Floor, which is interesting, but the writers style is throwing me off a bit.

Longitudes and Attitudes - Thomas Friedman. I thought this was an actual book. Turns out it's just a collection of his columns, which to me...isn't an actual book at all. It seems kind of a cheap way to author a book.

On deck are the Harry Potter books to get me ready for the next installment in July. Tee hee!

"A love supreme" which is a lovely book about the music of John Coltrane. Not him, seriously the plot revolves around the genius of his music.

wheel of time-book 3

I've been finally reading the Harry Potter books :)

on the 3rd one now.

For some reason, they are good, and i'm enjoying it ..

I think the fact that they are childrens books is somehow affecting my appreciation ..

(yet there are a couple kids books in my fave books ever list) ...

dunno.

:shrug:

Sun Tzu The Art of War-
It looks to be a good read, but the first half of the book is rather boring. Its entirely about the history of the text, and trying to put it in context with the time it was written in. I can't wait until I get to the good stuff.

I've finished Heinlein's Have Spacesuit - Will Travel and I'm now reading Farmer In The Sky, also by Heinlein.

The Last Samurai. After that, I'll be flashing back to the past and re-reading the Pyrdain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. I read the latter when I was very young and loved it so much, it's stayed with me and I only recently rediscovered the chronicles.

Same, bought the entire set minus Half-Blood for 40$.
Just started book 3.

Reading GLUE by Irvine Welsh. Its pretty good, his best in years.

I've finished Farmer In The Sky and I'm now reading Heinlein's Rocket Ship Galileo.

"Make your own damn movie," By Lloyd Kaufman. Great book on everything you need to know about making your own movie. Very funny. Lioyd Kaufman is president of "Troma" studios. The same people who brought you "The Toxic Avenger." :D

Just finished up "One of a Kind": The Rise and Fall of Stuey "The Kid" Unger by Nolan Dalla. A great look into this poker legend's brilliant and self-destructive life.

Governance of the Consuming Passions by Alan Hunt. It's a history of sumptuary law through the ages. :)

Just finished "As I Lay Dying" by William Faulkner. Moved onto "The Sound and the Fury", which is a REALLY HARD READ!

well i'm not reading it RIGHT now...

but in half an hour i'm goin to be reading Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince...

I don't get mine until 2 hours and 41 minutes from now. But in the meantime I have a Potter Party to attend that will keep me entertained!

I am working on two books right now

Jane Austin Sense and Sensibility (second try) I might trade out for House of Leaves by Danielwieski(I think) the musician Poe's brother it goes along with her CD Haunted

Agatha Christie Crooked House

I just finished a really cheesy mystery (not even worth mentioning) and Haunted by Chuck Palahnuik (disturbing but good)

I am on a Sherlock Holmes-inspired kick. All the books use the character as its basis. Presently, and will finish within the hour, "A Three-Pipe Problem" (modern setting), then "The Moor" (Sherlock), then "Against the Brotherhood" (Mycroft).

nature's numbers by ian stewart

it's a book about the mathematical occurances in nature, so far so interesting

Fight Club- Chuck Palaniuk

Speaker For The Dead - Orson Scott Card

Misery- Stephen King :D

just finshed "spanglish" by Ilan Stavans.
has nothing to do with the adam sandler movie
(which i like, incidentally)

this particular book is an analysis of the blending of the two language both north and south of the rio grande, with a peek into how spain feels about it all... as if we care. :p

interesting for those into the two languages, or any one into border cultures / assimiliation issues at all.

i second that emotion.

just got my copy back that i lent out over a year ago.
might just have to reread it.

Right in the middle of "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince"

so far it's pretty good. even if Ron is being a prat. And I may be speaking to soon. But Harry must be completely dim if he hasn't figured out who the prince is yet.

I just finished the last Harry Potter. It was pretty good. My thoughts are in the Potter thread.

Now I'm reading Bruce Campbell's latest. Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way

Funny stuff, but I would expect no less.

Next is a book by Cornelia Funke (I hope I spelled that right :) ) I can't remember the title as I don't have it right in front of me, but she's supposed to be Germany's answer to J.K. Rowling, so I thought I'd give her book a go and see what's what.

read the first third of Freakonomics today

pretty interesting stuff...so far the author, an exceptionally creative individual with a background in economics, analyzes the validity of conventional wisdom WRT a variety of situations. he uses simple math to support unique correlations dealing with crime, cheating, morality, etc.

EDIT: here's a link to his papers if you're interested
http://pricetheory.uchicago.edu/levitt/LevittCV.html

I just finished "1776" - not too bad but it was a little hard to follow, if only because it picks up and ends with the year itself. I plan on now going out and finding a few more books about the war so help fill in the gaps.

I'm back to Robin Cook novels, kinda "Crighton" like.

Trace by Patricia Cornwell. I like all but the last Scarpetta novel, I'm really not liking the way the books are written in third person instead of first, but as a loyal fan, I have to find out what's going on.

Finished Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand like 5 days ago... man that book was a lot of work to read... had to stay focused on it or i wouldnt absorb it... but it was pretty good

and then earlier today finished the Harry potter and the half blood prince book... it was good...


tryin to figure out what to read next... maybe enders game or maybe into thin air by jon krakauer

Just finished The Taking by Dean Koontz..

Next I'm thinking Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison, it looks interesting...

After finishing Half-Blood Prince 6 hours after buying it, I've been in a rut. Can't focus on any book longer than 20 or 30 pages. Can't really find anything else I want to read without going to the store and buying a book. Which I might. Might get "Until I Find You," The new John Irving, although his last book wasn't that great and this one seems like a rehashing of all his old stuff, most notably "Garp."

I do want to check out "The Historian" though...

The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova. Pretty good so far.

A Heartbreaking of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers (founder of McSweeneys)



Incredible book so far. Has to be one of my favorites of all-time, and I'm not even half way through yet.

I used to read a lot of Dean Koontz and recently Elmore Leonard. If you havent, i would reccommend trying them out. Just some FYI.

Anyway, right now im reading NAM by Mark Baker. It is very very good. Its about vietnam and it is just a bunch of stories told by the soldiers who were actually there. Some of the stuff you hear these guys say will blow your mind. I reccommend this to anyone interested in learning about what it was like over there.

Its interesting to see that a lot of what you see in the movies, is pretty accurate. But with the book you get all the behind the scenes stuff. They even get some nurses to tell their stories.

Let me see if i can find a short one and i'll give you a little taste:
Spoilers!!(I guess) better to be safe:
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"Chapter: Grunts"
I had jungle rot so bad on my hands that the only way I could carry my rifle
was to cradle it in the bend in my elbows with my hands up in front of my
face. I couldnt hold on to it my hands were so sore and burning. My feet
were like that too.

Same Chapter:
You know how you stop the shits? You eat the peanut butter in the C-rations. You wouldnt shit again until you drank the Grape Juice. Drink the grage juice you shit your brains out. Between the grape juice and the peanut butter you were regular.

Those are just some mid-level stories, they got some real good stuff in there.

"Nightmares & Dreamscapes" by Stephen King

"Myth-Ion Improbable" by Robert Asprin

I'm about to start "The Porno Girl and Other Stories" by Merin Wexler

I just started reading "Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life among the Pirates" by David Cordingly. The book is about the history of pirates. The book is fascinating to read because it distinguishes between the myths and truths about pirates.

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, its really good, I like Vonnegut's stuff a lot

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. Again.

To be honest, I think the games are better than the book, and I don't even like the games a huge amount. I just need something to read right now.

Re-reading Jack London's The Iron Heel. For the third time in a year.

I'm reading Nicholas Sparks' A Bend in the Road I love his books. They are for all you hopeless romantics out there

I'm reading the classsic Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming. I'm reading all the Bond novels again in order to get ready for my flight to Spoiler: Prague in 2006 to watch the filming of (and maybe be an extra in) Casino Royale.

Trilogy of Death by Micheal Levine and Susan Kavanau.

Great book I'm on my second reading of it and love the story.

I won't get into much just to say that it's a book on a new drug and MIcheal Levine bases it on a real DEA case he was in deep undercover with.

Having just finished Napalm and Silly Putty - George Carlin, The Zombie Survival Guide - Max Brooks, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - Mark Haddon, I think I'll move on to The Fury - John Farris... just because Stephen King says to. He hasn't steered me wrong yet (though I can't remember ever taking advice from him before... save maybe advice he put down in On Writing.).

John Stossel's GIVE ME A BREAK. An absolutely wonderful read, and ultimately sad book about not only how clueless many of our goverment programs are, but also how harmful they are in trying to help.

Next on deck--Neil Boortz and some Congressman's THE FAIR TAX PLAN or something like that. The wife picked it up first, so I'll be waiting a week or so, I guess.

The Seven Healing Chakras..not exactly riveting....

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 - Hunter S. Thompson
Hey Rube - Hunter S. Thompson
Everything and More - David Foster Wallace I just put this down though and I don't think I'll be returning to it, it becomes a pure mathematical text. The First 100 pages were great though, giving the ancient historical construction of our concept of infinity.
Oblivion - David Foster Wallace
The Odyssey - Homer (Fagles trans.)
The Portable Nietzsche
The Last Place on Earth - Huntford A nonfiction account of the first two expeditions to reach the South Pole. The Norwegians made it back, the Brits didn't. Really interesting in terms of leadership styles and team dynamics.

That's it right now.

Elmer Keith's Life Story... "Hell I Was There"

i'm not a very big reader at all but this book really has got my attention. its an autobiography of his life and the hardships of growing up as a cowboy in the early 1900's. he was a world known big game hunter and writer for several outdoor magazines. one of my favorite quots from the book...

"those were rough times in montana in those, and a man carried his law with him."

The Nanny Diaries (thanks mal!!) which I'm enjoying.

The Da Vinci Code, which I'm also enjoying.

Juiced by Jose Canseco (finished this cover to cover in a day, good stuff although I don't know how much of it is true)

3 Nights in August by Tony Larussa (interesting so far)

The Human Stain by Philip Roth.

The curious incident o fthe dog in the night-time by mark haddon

This book is wonderful... It's sad, it's funny, it's heartwarming.. .the narrator of the book is a 15 year old boy named christopher, and while they never say so, it's implied that the boy is autistic. He starts an investigation into the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers some stuff he probably never wished he knew.

Currently reading Charles Mingus - Beneath the Underdog

This is as much exaggeration as auto-biographical, but maybe we learn more about Mingus that way?

and if I ever get known as a 'pinko commie' then realise I don't hate countries, because every country has so many different peoples living there and there are so many talents, decent, kind, non exploiting people making their way.

Philip Roth is a hell of a US writer and I respect him. This is not my fav story but he's one of the best writers of prose in the world, easy.

I just finished Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson - really enjoyed it - present day and WWII treasure hunt.

Just finished "Slaughterhouse 5" by Kurt Vonnegut.

Currently reading "Everything's Eventual" by Stephen King

Next up, "Cather in the Rye" by JD Salinger

Currently reading The Corner Of His Eye by Dean Koontz (i'm not sure thats the exact title :))

Pretty good so far, there was one chapter a guy did something and i have no clue why! I read the chapter twice with no hints, I sure as hell hope its explained later

The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin.
Am I insane for loving this book? :D

At the same time, I'm enjoying the only good thing anyone has ever done by Sandra Newman. Amazingly quirky style of writing that fits with my ADHD so very well. Storyline bobs and weaves in a very satisfying manner. I'm addicted to it. Only let myself read bits and pieces of each to make them last longer. Usually I finish a novel in a few hours.

"Idiot's Guide to conquering fear and anxiety." he he........... :|

"The Celestine Prophecy"

A friends gave it to me, its not well written, but its more of a new age design for life type thing than a novel.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. I've read it before, but sometimes you just have to read it again because it's so good.

If you haven't read the stupidest angel by him, do so, it's priceless...

"Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger

Don't know what's next....new library in town opens tomorrow though

I've read all his stuff.....he's a great author. I suggest anyone go out and pick up any of his books. They're great.

Kind of saving all my new books for my upcoming trip. Breezing through Lumley's Wamphyri for the week. Also listening to Koontz' Life Expectancy(unabridged) while driving. Open on my night stand are Democracy in America, Santorum's It Takes a Family and one of the NJO books that I haven't picked up in like 3 weeks.

A Light In August by William Faulkner

Slaughterhouse 5 - funny in parts, but I don't see what all the hub-bub was about.

The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde - Hard to explain exactly what this series is about... Book policing agencies in a world slightly 'sideways' to our own. Books that aren't just books, but little worlds of their own with their own police squad, Jurisfiction. It sounds remarkably goofy, but Fforde does very well in handling all the ridiculousness. If you have a healthy history with books and a passing familiarity with Monty Python, you might get...2/3 of the jokes and references. Not to mention all the real facts, figures and such that he throws in there just to keep you on your toes. This guy is remarkably clever.

Stranger in a Strange Land - Just started it. Never read it. Thought I should.

The Harry Potter series, damn they are good. I always wondered what made my daughter read like there was no tomorrow when they came out..now I know...

Ray Bradbury's October Country...I'm keeping my date of reading this book or at least most of the stories in it every October.

I just finished 1984. While it was a good read, I was expecting something that was life-changing and influential. The ending, [not a spoiler], wasn't what I expected it to be and just seemed a bit disappointing [I'll leave it as that].
A bit of a surprise that Orwell was such a nymp. :lol:

6.5/10

It took me nearly two months to finish the book, as a result of being shelved pretty often due to other reading at college.

Next up: [See signature] Vonnegut's cat's cradle. This will be #4 for me [after SH5, BoC, DD], and another excellent book, if it's on par with the others. Plus, it will be a great read to get away from the academic reading.

After that, who knows - probably the book versions of either trainspotting, godfather, or fear and loathing in LV.

catcha back on the flipside,
will.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
I finally decided to jump on the Harry Potter bandwagon, and I eschewed the "adult version" of the books for the garishly coloured kids version.

Eragon.

I've found the first few chapters to be exceptionally well written, and I am being drawn into the world and the relationship between Eragon and Saphira very quickly.

Love me some dragons.

Just finished Dracula (the original, Bram Stoker one) and loved it. I just love how the suspense is slowly and masterfully risen with each seemingly non-related event.

Now, I'm re-reading Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. Pretty standard brainless quick read, but I needed something to read on planes and trains, so that works pretty well.

Ironweed

A friend gave it to me, I like it. About half way through.

Spoiler: I think the point was, man - that that was Winston's true rebellion. A song, a diary, an sex act, a day in the country... this was his revolution against the party, and the only one that was possible. He died because everybody dies, and he was broken because what else was possible, but his small rebellions, his tiny personal moments of freedom were his attack on the party, and they were succesful acts, he still died a man, even if he died before he was shot. IMO, anyway.

Finished Chainfire by Terry Goodkind yesterday.

If anybody actually reads the Sword of Truth series, they'll be happy that this book doesn't suck. Like the previous 2.

While it's nothing fantastic, it's not terrible. I personally hoped that they would've gone another way ie: Spoiler: Richard being bat shit insane but they chose not to do that. Which I can deal with, so i'm just waiting for book 10 now.

Swan Song, by Robert McCammon. Got it in a book exchange with a friend. It's interesting so far, but really really depressing. Hopefully it lightens up some.

Just finished "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

Just started "Brave New World" by Aldus Huxley

Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress - Edited by Lawrence E. Harrison and Samuel P. Huntington

If you like non-fiction, economics and/or political science, it's a very interesting book :) Not to mention, it doesn't need to be read straight through since each chapter is basically an essay by a different person on various related topics. However, there are arguments and counter-arguments made throughout the text, so it doesn't hurt to read it in order. ;)

Of course, not many people get entertainment out of non-fiction reading. Oh well.

Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear

Not bad, not great....But it's something to read before bed...

I just finished Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan.

Much, much better than the last two books, though this one felt a bit rushed. From what I understand (and I could be wrong, wrong wrong) the next book is the last book, which means all this has to be tied up in one final push of 600+ pages, which seems a bit hurried compared to all the other books.

Right now it's E=mc2. Watched the Nova special and picked up the book. Interesting reading even though I know once I put the book down I'm going to forget everything. :)