What are you reading?

[Koroviev]

about halfway through Star Wars: Survivors Quest. Not the best timothy Zahn written in a galaxy far far away, but by no means the worst star was book ive read.

after that, got big collection of Philip K. Dick books to devour, then the new hitchikers guide,, new bernard cornwell book about the vickings (another one just came out have to get that one as well!) hungers games to read and maybe twilight. if i can stomach it. and if no one tells anyone...

Have you read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Love that book.

 

[Chased]

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clake and Bardo Thodol (The Tibetan Book of the Dead).

 

[Koroviev]

Yes, that's very true. I'm unsure what translation of War and Peace I've got as it's still at the parent's house after I recently moved out. Not that I plan on reading it anytime soon lol.

Gonna finish Kafka's The Castle and then maybe jump back into The Wheel of Time series in preparation for the next one to be released in paperback. Although I do have Dune so maybe I'll get through that first...I dunno. And I'll definitely pick up Kafka on the Shore and Master and Margarita soon, thanks to your recommendations.

I've read Kafka's novel The Trial, his novella The Metamorphosis, and a collection of his short stories. I'm really partial to the short stories, although The Trial and The Metamorphosis certainly serve as recommendable nightmare fodder.

I haven't read anything from the Wheel of Time series (yet).

And I don't think you'll be disappointed! :>

 

[greyghost81]

Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammet. It's a noir crimes story.

 

[Bob_Dobb]

Playboy... FOR THE ARTICLES. I'm actually reading Monster Blood Tattoo by D.M. Cornish It's a book about a kid who turns street lights on.

 

[Tips_of_Fingers]

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clake and Bardo Thodol (The Tibetan Book of the Dead).

My sister tried to get into Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell but found it rather difficult...or dull. I can't remember what her reasons were. I thought it sounded awesome. Opinions so far?

about halfway through Star Wars: Survivors Quest. Not the best timothy Zahn written in a galaxy far far away, but by no means the worst star was book ive read.

after that, got big collection of Philip K. Dick books to devour, then the new hitchikers guide,, new bernard cornwell book about the vickings (another one just came out have to get that one as well!) hungers games to read and maybe twilight. if i can stomach it. and if no one tells anyone...

Have you read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Love that book.

Great book and great author. I think A Scanner Darkly is probably my favourite Dick novel though. It's probably the book I've reread the most (about 3 times) and I rarely ever reread books unless I've been blown away completely.

On the subject of Philip K. Dick, I have an interesting story.

Spoiler: spoilered for neatness

While on the train home from London with my girlfriend, we were sitting at a table seat opposite a guy aged roughly 45-50 years old. I was doing some research on HP Lovecraft for an essay and, as such, was reading a critical theory book written by him. The guy opposite us struck up a conversation about Lovecraft with me and eventually he asked me this:

"Who is the best Sci-Fi author?" Without hesitation I told him "Philip K. Dick." He smiled, and for the next hour and a half we discussed the merits of various Dick books. Somewhere in the conversation, the guy asked where I went to university and when I said "Winchester" he replied with "My best friend's daughter goes there." Offhandedly, I asked who she was, not expecting it to be anyone I knew (especially since Winchester has around 6000 students).

As it turns out, the girl was my housemate at the time and a very good friend. In awe of this Dick-style coincidence, we chatted some more and just before I got off at my stop, the guy asked for my address so he could send me some old Dick novels that he needed to get rid of. I gave it to him but never really expected anything to come from this exchange.

A week later however, 6 books arrived with a letter from the guy giving his various opinions on each novel he'd sent me. I never saw or heard from him again.

Just goes to show how a shared interest can lead to something amazing, something that causes you to go: "huh, that's pretty cool."

So yeah, just thought I'd throw that out there lol.

EDIT:

I've read Kafka's novel The Trial, his novella The Metamorphosis, and a collection of his short stories. I'm really partial to the short stories, although The Trial and The Metamorphosis certainly serve as recommendable nightmare fodder.

I haven't read anything from the Wheel of Time series (yet).

And I don't think you'll be disappointed! :>

Yeah I recently finished [The Metamorphosis and other short stories[/i]. I have to say that I wasn't massively blown away by The Metamorphosis but it could have something to do with the huge amount of hype surrounding it. I just felt a little let down by it. Amongst that collection though, my favourite has to be the short story [A Report to an Academy[/i], a 10 page piece of brilliance about an ape recounting his change from ape behaviour to human behaviour at a scientific conference. It's amazing and I loved it so much more than Kafka's widely regarded "best work".

 

[damocles23]

Midnight Children for college, and Blood Rites by Jim Butcher.

 

[subjectseven]

I haven't read a book since I was 12, 10 years ago. I like to think JRPGs have been my substitute for books. Though I have read very small portions of books for my research project, Michel Chion's Audio-Vision: Sound On Screen.

 

[Koroviev]

Have you read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Love that book.

Great book and great author. I think A Scanner Darkly is probably my favourite Dick novel though. It's probably the book I've reread the most (about 3 times) and I rarely ever reread books unless I've been blown away completely.

On the subject of Philip K. Dick, I have an interesting story.

Spoiler: spoilered for neatness

While on the train home from London with my girlfriend, we were sitting at a table seat opposite a guy aged roughly 45-50 years old. I was doing some research on HP Lovecraft for an essay and, as such, was reading a critical theory book written by him. The guy opposite us struck up a conversation about Lovecraft with me and eventually he asked me this:

"Who is the best Sci-Fi author?" Without hesitation I told him "Philip K. Dick." He smiled, and for the next hour and a half we discussed the merits of various Dick books. Somewhere in the conversation, the guy asked where I went to university and when I said "Winchester" he replied with "My best friend's daughter goes there." Offhandedly, I asked who she was, not expecting it to be anyone I knew (especially since Winchester has around 6000 students).

As it turns out, the girl was my housemate at the time and a very good friend. In awe of this Dick-style coincidence, we chatted some more and just before I got off at my stop, the guy asked for my address so he could send me some old Dick novels that he needed to get rid of. I gave it to him but never really expected anything to come from this exchange.

A week later however, 6 books arrived with a letter from the guy giving his various opinions on each novel he'd sent me. I never saw or heard from him again.

Just goes to show how a shared interest can lead to something amazing, something that causes you to go: "huh, that's pretty cool."

So yeah, just thought I'd throw that out there lol.

EDIT:

I've read Kafka's novel The Trial, his novella The Metamorphosis, and a collection of his short stories. I'm really partial to the short stories, although The Trial and The Metamorphosis certainly serve as recommendable nightmare fodder.

I haven't read anything from the Wheel of Time series (yet).

And I don't think you'll be disappointed! :>

Yeah I recently finished [The Metamorphosis and other short stories[/i]. I have to say that I wasn't massively blown away by The Metamorphosis but it could have something to do with the huge amount of hype surrounding it. I just felt a little let down by it. Amongst that collection though, my favourite has to be the short story [A Report to an Academy[/i], a 10 page piece of brilliance about an ape recounting his change from ape behaviour to human behaviour at a scientific conference. It's amazing and I loved it so much more than Kafka's widely regarded "best work".

Wow, that's pretty neat. I've been meaning to read A Scanner Darkly, it just hasn't shown up at the used bookstore yet. I read the first chapter on Amazon and it was great. I'll look into picking it up from my school's library once I'm finished with Woman in the Dunes (almost!).

 

[Mechsoap]

Well i'm currently reading the Dragonlance book ''The gate to Thorbardin'', its a really good read, it got dwarves and shit.

The author is Dan Parkinson, and its genre is fantasy.

 

[Triangulon]

Last two books:

Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry - Epic western about a cattle drive by two grizzled ex-Texas Rangers

Wellington: The Iron Duke - Richard Holmes - Excellent biography of the Duke of Wellington

Current Book

A Week In December - Sebastian Faulks - Thought provoking and clever social commentary on modern Britain

Next Book

Tail-End Charlies: The Last Battles of the Bomber War 1944-45 - John Nichol - Account of the last few bomber raids of WWII along with the shocking treatmen of bomber crews post-war and their status as social pariahs.

 

[Tips_of_Fingers]

Wow, that's pretty neat. I've been meaning to read A Scanner Darkly, it just hasn't shown up at the used bookstore yet. I read the first chapter on Amazon and it was great. I'll look into picking it up from my school's library once I'm finished with Woman in the Dunes (almost!).

Trust me, it's incredible. Look for Philip K Dick collections in this used bookstore of yours. I found one for £2 that had 5 stories in it including A Scanner Darkly. I bought it despite having read 3 of the stories already because...well...it was £2!!!

 

[Koroviev]

Wow, that's pretty neat. I've been meaning to read A Scanner Darkly, it just hasn't shown up at the used bookstore yet. I read the first chapter on Amazon and it was great. I'll look into picking it up from my school's library once I'm finished with Woman in the Dunes (almost!).

Trust me, it's incredible. Look for Philip K Dick collections in this used bookstore of yours. I found one for £2 that had 5 stories in it including A Scanner Darkly. I bought it despite having read 3 of the stories already because...well...it was £2!!!

I volunteer there, so I am able to check the stock room haha.

I know you didn't request any, but here are a couple more recommendations: Confessions of a Mask, the story of a homosexual young man growing up in polite post-war Japan, and Temple of the Golden Pavilion, the story of a disaffected Buddhist acolyte whose disturbed nature culminates in the burning of the Golden Temple. Both novels are fiction, although the latter is based on true events. You seem interested in international authors, so I figure it's pertinent to mention the works of Yukio Mishima, another one of my favorite authors.

 

[Taham]

Rereading Terry Pratchett's 'Jingo'. An excellent book which makes racists look like idiots, (which they are), while keeping an intriuging (not sure how you spell that) storyline. However, there is some humour which is best described as... British. A worthwhile read.

 

[Tips_of_Fingers]

I know you didn't request any, but here are a couple more recommendations: Confessions of a Mask, the story of a homosexual young man growing up in polite post-war Japan, and Temple of the Golden Pavilion, the story of a disaffected Buddhist acolyte whose disturbed nature culminates in the burning of the Golden Temple. Both novels are fiction, although the latter is based on true events. You seem interested in international authors, so I figure it's pertinent to mention the works of Yukio Mishima, another one of my favorite authors.

I'm interested in pretty much all books lol! Even if I dislike a novel, I can usually find some sort of redeeming feature to discuss (like the character of 'Septimus' in Mrs. Dalloway). It's only recently that I've got some form of interest in non-English authors. I studied English and American Literature at university and came across so many different kinds of books. I did a module called 'Globalization and contemporary fiction' which mainly dealt with Asian and Far Eastern authors...many of whom were living in American when they wrote the novels I studied.

I'm trying to broaden my horizons even further with non-English authors and figured that the likes of Dostoevsky and Kafka would be a good start...although I was interested in Kafka waaaaay before my interest in "international" authors, as you put it. I guess the first translated book I read was Don Quixote which, despite taking fucking forever, I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend if you have some time on your hands.

 

[Chased]

My sister tried to get into Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell but found it rather difficult...or dull. I can't remember what her reasons were. I thought it sounded awesome. Opinions so far?

I'm very much enjoying it and I'm going to guess that she found it to be dull. The story is incredibly dry but I think it makes sequences of action that do happen all the more spectacular. Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell isn't presented in the traditional sense that works of the fantasy genre usually are. The setting is around the early 1800's and magic is found to be sparse and almost nonexistent. The great thing about this is that the story sounds almost plausible, as if all the events in the book actually took place and were just gradually forgotten over time.

 

[Koroviev]

I know you didn't request any, but here are a couple more recommendations: Confessions of a Mask, the story of a homosexual young man growing up in polite post-war Japan, and Temple of the Golden Pavilion, the story of a disaffected Buddhist acolyte whose disturbed nature culminates in the burning of the Golden Temple. Both novels are fiction, although the latter is based on true events. You seem interested in international authors, so I figure it's pertinent to mention the works of Yukio Mishima, another one of my favorite authors.

I'm interested in pretty much all books lol! Even if I dislike a novel, I can usually find some sort of redeeming feature to discuss (like the character of 'Septimus' in Mrs. Dalloway). It's only recently that I've got some form of interest in non-English authors. I studied English and American Literature at university and came across so many different kinds of books. I did a module called 'Globalization and contemporary fiction' which mainly dealt with Asian and Far Eastern authors...many of whom were living in American when they wrote the novels I studied.

I'm trying to broaden my horizons even further with non-English authors and figured that the likes of Dostoevsky and Kafka would be a good start...although I was interested in Kafka waaaaay before my interest in "international" authors, as you put it. I guess the first translated book I read was Don Quixote which, despite taking fucking forever, I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend if you have some time on your hands.

Yukio Mishima and Jorge Luis Borges, an Argentinian author, both have some excellent short stories that can be read online. Mishima's "Patriotism" is a graphic depiction of ritual suicide. (It's worth noting that Mishima ultimately committed seppuku himself.) Borges only wrote short stories, but I can't complain: they are some of the most though-provoking stories you will ever encounter. "The Lottery of Babylon" and "The Garden of Forking Paths" are two I would certainly recommend.

I have a huge hardcover copy of Don Quixote that I picked up from the used book store a few years back...it's rather intimidating...

 

[Tips_of_Fingers]

[
Yukio Mishima and Jorge Luis Borges, an Argentinian author, both have some excellent short stories that can be read online. Mishima's "Patriotism" is a graphic depiction of ritual suicide. (It's worth noting that Mishima ultimately committed seppuku himself.) Borges only wrote short stories, but I can't complain: they are some of the most though-provoking stories you will ever encounter. "The Lottery of Babylon" and "The Garden of Forking Paths" are two I would certainly recommend.

I have a huge hardcover copy of Don Quixote that I picked up from the used book store a few years back...it's rather intimidating...

Oh yeah, I've come across Borges before! Oh and thanks for the other suggestions.

And yes, Don Quixote is huuuuuge! I assume you have the whole of it? Both part 1 and part 2? Part 1 is a bit of a chore but it's worth getting through for the sheer ingenuity of part 2. It;s difficult to explain the premise of part 2 but it's so, so worth it. I'd suggest some authors to you but I'm sure you'll have read them already though lol.

Oh, actually, with regards to the Wheel of Time, I highly recommend it for some light reading. Despite the size of the series and the size of its books, it's such an easy read and a compelling page-turner...just don't expect the greatest of prose. The middle of the series sees the prose take some terrible turns but by that point you're so engrossed in the plot and the fate of the characters that it doesn't matter. By the time you hit the books that were finished by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan's death, the quality of the prose picks up again and - with the inclusion of a different author - the style of the writing feels refreshingly new whilst staying familiar.

 

[luclin92]

ive just started reading mogworld by Yahtzee Croshaw. i think its genre is fantasy/comedy because its a pretty fun book to read and im almost halfway through the book.

 

[Dr Pussymagnet]

I'm reading Infinity Blade: The Awakening. It's kind of weird in the sense that I don't think it's written very well but I still think the Infinity Blade universe is pretty interesting, despite what little there is to be seen from the game.