So, what are you reading right now?

[Kolby Jack]

Not really a political guy, myself, but my mom has a copy of G. W. Bush's book Decision Points, which sounds pretty interesting after what I've seen about it on wikipedia and the like. And since I'm in-between bases right now and won't have much to do until I get settled in my new home, I may borrow it.

 

[NeoShinGundam]

I'm almost done with the last book in the Star Wars: Republic Commando series "Order 66." Karen Traviss is my new favorite author, and I HIGHLY recommend the books to anyone who's seen ANY of the Star Wars films. Yes, If you've seen all 6 then you know how the Clone Wars end, but the story of Omega Squad is one of the BEST series I've ever seen

Like, Firefly or later Babylon 5 good.

 

[Brainpalm]

I'm reading "The Machine of Death", "John Dies At The End" (for like the 7th time) and "Going Postal"

-snip-

Someone else who knows John Dies At The End!!! Legend.

It is a truly great novel, everyone should read it.

 

[thecatsme0w]

I just finished Widdershins by Charles de Lint. It's the sequel to The Onion Girl and they both should be read because his handling of myth and magic in an urban setting is masterful. I'm actually going to be getting a pair of crows tattooed on me (for Maida and Zia, the Crow Girls). I seem to have a bird theme going.

I really want to re-read Dies The Fire by S.M. Stirling. Really gripping alternate history/apocalyptic fiction. First in a series of so far 7 (and he averages a book a year, consistently, unlike some OTHER series authors I can think of). He's one of two authors I'm willing to buy in hardcover as soon as it comes out.

 

[Zoe Castillo]

--

 

[mikev7.0]

The Gears of War novels. I'm thoroughly absorbed.

What do they talk about?

"I leant out from behind a wall and fired. I went back behind the wall. I reloaded, and then celebrated like I won an olympic gold medal because I put the magazine in quicker than usual. I leant out again and fired. Leant out and fired. Leant..."

I ran down the muddy brown road, I could hear some brown horror scream as it chased me from behind, so close it's footsteps slapped the dirty earth only metres behind me. My huge grey gun and grey armour were weighing me down, I knew I could not outrun the foul beast, so I took cover behind a small chest-high brown wall. I leant out from behind the wall and fired. The muzzle flash bringing a sudden flash of violent red into the otherwise brown and grey landscape, only for a second, and then it was gone. I leant out again and fired. Leant out and fired. Leant...

To Teabag or not to Teabag, that is the question.
Whether tis nobler in the gaming mind to suffer the lucksack headshots of some campers outrageous fortune,
Or to simply wade into the fray and lo, have my buttocks handed to me thusly for headgear....

JUST KIDDING. War novels can actually be great stuff. I used to enjoy the Battletech books a great deal, yet something tells me Gears of War isn't really going to compare to the adventures of Jamie Wolf and the Comstar gang. I mean turning a product overhaul (from 3025 inner sphere and comstar tech to 3050 and the clans) into a plot point was brilliant.

I'm currently reading About Time by Paul Davies, a highly educational book about quantum physics and it's effect on absolute time. Riveting and important stuff, which is what I usually think about books from this Scientific discipline. (Also finishing up todays paper)

 

[Quextamon]

I'm reading Anna Lee Waldo's Sacajawea. I also just finished the most resent book in the Tunnles series.

 

[mikev7.0]

The last thing I read was Ender's Game, but that was a while ago. Good book though.

I'm currently trying to decide which of the few books that I have but that I haven't read yet to start on. The choice is:

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Dune by Frank Herbert
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Robots And Empire by Isaac Asimov
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
The Wasp Factory by Ian Banks

Any suggestions on where to start, oh Escapist?

Oh that's an easy one. Foundation. Even if all you get from it (and I highly doubt this) is learning about Psychohistory.

Enjoy!

 

[Jinjiro]

I've just finished reading The Painted Man by Peter V. Brett - good book, I recommend it.

I'm about to read Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

The Gears of War novels. I'm thoroughly absorbed.

What do they talk about?

"I leant out from behind a wall and fired. I went back behind the wall. I reloaded, and then celebrated like I won an olympic gold medal because I put the magazine in quicker than usual. I leant out again and fired. Leant out and fired. Leant..."

I ran down the muddy brown road, I could hear some brown horror scream as it chased me from behind, so close it's footsteps slapped the dirty earth only metres behind me. My huge grey gun and grey armour were weighing me down, I knew I could not outrun the foul beast, so I took cover behind a small chest-high brown wall. I leant out from behind the wall and fired. The muzzle flash bringing a sudden flash of violent red into the otherwise brown and grey landscape, only for a second, and then it was gone. I leant out again and fired. Leant out and fired. Leant...

You know, Gears of War 2 actually had very colorful and varied environments. I'm not saying the games are great or anything, but they are, at the very least, creative, ESPECIALLY the environments. In fact, this comment always bugs me. In every game that's been accused of being a brown shooter (Gears of War, Modern Warfare, Killzone) I've seen plenty of variation and color in the environments. If you're going to criticize these games, there's plenty things they actually did wrong. You don't have to make up flaws.

Besides, the environments in Half Life 2 were WAY more generic then any of the games listed above. YEAH I FUCKING SAID IT.

OT: Storm of Swords, book 3 of George RR Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" series. In preparation for book 5. (OUT THIS JULY!!!!! FUCK YES!!!!!)

 

[Merkavar]

"So, what are you reading right now?

Inspired by the point Obama made about how gamers should switch...." is what im reading now

but in all seriousness im not reading any books atm. considering reading game of throne books. last book i read was blood of elves. the latest english translated witcher book.

 

[dark_mist34]

Age of zues

 

[standokan]

De helaasheid der dingen by Dmitri Verhulst, yeah, I didn't feel like transalating.

 

[Pegghead]

I'm reading a book called Duma Key.

It's pretty good, but I'm eager to finish it so I can move onto the other Steven King books at the library I got it from.

 

[Matt-the-twat]

East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

 

[Reaper195]

The final Dark Tower book. Fuck I love this series.

 

[Aurgelmir]

A Storm of Swords. The Third book in "A Song of Ice and Fire"

(Thats Game of Thrones to you TV people )

 

[mangus]

Against All Things Ending, By Stephen R. Donaldson. Book 3 of 4 of the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

 

[Teh Ty]

At the moment, this.

Spoiler

Inspired by the point Obama made about how gamers should switch off the consoles and pick up a book.

What are you reading? If it is something not so common, give a little description, and your opinion on it.

I'm reading 'Game of Thrones' at the moment.
I'm also poking fun with my copy of 'Three Men in a Boat', picking a chapter randomly and reading it when I feel I need to have a good laugh and relax.

The last book of the Millennium trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest.

Probably one of the best series of books I've ever read. It's a damn shame that it's the author's first, and last series. The poor man died before he even saw his books on shelves.

One of the best and orignial heroines in modern literature.

Samus Aran should have had the personality of Lisbeth Salander, not that thing in Other M.

I am reading Children of the Mind (the forth book in the Ender Quartet) for the 5th time since I was 11ish

The Gears of War novels. I'm thoroughly absorbed.

"A Feast for Crows" and goddamn, it's boring me to tears. I don't care about any of those water dudes at all. I'm almost at the half of the book. But I most finish it, "A Dance with Dragons" awaits me.

I am reading Children of the Mind (the forth book in the Ender Quartet) for the 5th time since I was 11ish

I'm reading Xenocide now.

I'm also reading The Forever War, The Prince, and The Truth. Obama hasn't got anything on me.

This topic.

I myself am not interested in books usually so I tend to avoid reading them. Though I do enjoy most books I get assigned at my school.

The Gears of War novels. I'm thoroughly absorbed.

What do they talk about?

"I leant out from behind a wall and fired. I went back behind the wall. I reloaded, and then celebrated like I won an olympic gold medal because I put the magazine in quicker than usual. I leant out again and fired. Leant out and fired. Leant..."

I ran down the muddy brown road, I could hear some brown horror scream as it chased me from behind, so close it's footsteps slapped the dirty earth only metres behind me. My huge grey gun and grey armour were weighing me down, I knew I could not outrun the foul beast, so I took cover behind a small chest-high brown wall. I leant out from behind the wall and fired. The muzzle flash bringing a sudden flash of violent red into the otherwise brown and grey landscape, only for a second, and then it was gone. I leant out again and fired. Leant out and fired. Leant...

Quicksilver, by Neal Stephenson.

Very heavy, very involved historical fiction. Definitely have to be in a reading mood to take everything in, and its only book one of three "The Baroque Cycle"

I just started reading Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon. It is about a writer stuck in a rut with a severe case of Writer's Block and how it consumes him.

I 'm going to start reading Petronius' Satyricon since I missed Felini's version at the cinema

hehe Full Pipe, your avatar brought me memories.

Right now I've just about finished "Rubicon - The Triumphy and Tradgedy of the Roman Republic."

After watching the HBO/BBC miniseries "Rome" and playing a couple of Roman themed city builders, I decided it might be worth learning some actuall Roman history.
For anyone wanting to learn a bit about Rome, particularly about Roman culture and the rise (and fall) of Caeser, this is a really good book. It's very easy to pick up and read and little to no prior knowledge is required. The author (Tom Holland) constructs an easy to follow narrative that touches on history, culture and the personalities and excentrisities of some of the major figures like Caeser, Pompey and Sulla. It's a book I'd recomend to anyone with even the slightest interest in history.

The Mammoth Book of Mindblowing Science Fiction

Up next on my read list is the Xeelee Omnibus

I'm re-reading the mortal engines quartet & Fever Crumb as they are together excellent novels. The quick background is after a nuclear war changes the landscape for good(the US is a giant crater), a couple thousand year's pass when the city of london decide's to get some tracks and eat other cities leading to every city doing the same, now add some fanatical hippies who don't like traction cities as they have turned most of europe, northern africa & south america into the somme, that's the first three books, the forth complicates it.Without going into spoiler's if steampunk & action is your thing order these books.

Currently working my way through Pillars of the Earth [http://www.ken-follett.com/bibliography/the_pillars_of_the_earth.html] by Ken Follett. It's set in the 12th century, it's kinda cool.

I read his newest book Fall of Giants without realizing it's the first of three books, so I have to wait for the next one to come out. D:

Currently reading
Clash of Kings - after watching game of thrones i went out and bought the entire series
and
Do Androids Dream of electric Sheep - its been on my to read list for some time.

Both of these books are excellent, would definitely recommend to any sci-fi or fantasy fan.

I'm reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I'm about 45% of the way through reading it... and considering that it's 35,000+ pages on my Kindle, that's saying something.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Not quite as good as the show, but intoxicating nonetheless.

I've just read the Mass effect novels, and before that I read all the books in ender ?serie?

And currently I do not have anything to read =(

Any suggestions?

I'm reading the Call of Cthulu and other weird stories by H.P Lovecraft a disturbing and brilliant collection of short stories by the true master of horror. read the Picture in the House and not get shivers down your spine

Inspired by the point Obama made about how gamers should switch off the consoles and pick up a book.

What are you reading? If it is something not so common, give a little description, and your opinion on it.

just finished the last Vladimir Tod book, I know its kind of childish but its nice to read a teenage coming of age story that's able to take itself not totally serious all the time. (also it was pretty adept at poking fun at Twilight). Also finished Romeo and Juliet for school, enjoyed it a hell of a lot more than I ever thought I would as a kid. Now I just found that my Library has the entire first run of Ultimate Spider-man, about on book 14

I'm currently reading Children of Dune. I should have finished it by now but procrastination is a *****.

Im currently reading Dune and some of the Mass Effect books

I am reading three books right now, "The Wise Man's Fear" by Patrick Rothfuss which is the followup to "The Name of the Wind". George RR Martin recommended this author when years ago fans were hounding him about A Dance of Dragons. The books follow the exploits of a magic user/fighter who is now retired and works in an Inn. The best thing about the books is character development.
I am also reading Colin Wilson's "The Space Vampires" a pretty bad film adaption of this was made in the early 80s, a movie called Lifeforce. Mr Wilson cannot help heavy handing his immense crime/serial killer/speculative history knowledge into the fiction he writes but his ideas can be pretty darn cool and his prediction of future tech can be innovative.

Third is Cliver Barker's Galilee. Clive Barker is an amazing author sort of in the Hiyo Miyazaki way IE amazing feats of imagination. I recommend any and everything he has written. too bad his video game ideas are not nearly as good as his books.

But, seriously, I finished up Great Gatsby to see why people liked it so much, and I thought it was great. I wouldn;t say it was the best book ever, like some people call it, but I still liked it. In the manga side, I'm reading Blue Exorcist, which my friend lent me. And there's also Yokai doctor, which I'm going to start looking for more volumes, seeing how I only have one volume. I also have Romance of the Three Kingdoms on my shelf that i've been meaning to read, but the names are confusing and it's really long. ;-;

 

[SenorNemo]

Right now I'm reading Shogun. It's great, but I've been reading it mostly at bedtime, which means keeping track of all the characters is...err...interesting at times. Still, it's really long, but it's paced well, and entertaining. After that, I'll probably be reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.