What Are You Reading?

[Bloo]

I picked up some IDW GI JOE graphic novels and two of Robert Parker's western novels at books a million this weekend, so I guess I'm going to start reading those

[Maui]

picked up the latest Sookie Stackhouse book A TOUCH OF DEAD, it's actually a short story collection. It's 4 short stories revovling around sookie. A VERY quick read, did it in a bout an hour an half, but enjoyable nonetheless, wished there would have been more, but...

OH! I forgot about this.

I'll have to check it out. Do we find out which Vamp Niall preferred? Nah, don't tell me, I'll be reading it eventually.

[Bloo]

picked up the latest Sookie Stackhouse book A TOUCH OF DEAD, it's actually a short story collection. It's 4 short stories revovling around sookie. A VERY quick read, did it in a bout an hour an half, but enjoyable nonetheless, wished there would have been more, but...

OH! I forgot about this.

I'll have to check it out. Do we find out which Vamp Niall preferred? Nah, don't tell me, I'll be reading it eventually.

I'll just say one of the best, but strangest stories involved Niall

like I said, it's good, but a quick read 4 just wasn't enough

[Maui]

I'll just say one of the best, but strangest stories involved Niall

like I said, it's good, but a quick read 4 just wasn't enough

Did Harris even revisit the marriage thing with Sookie and Eric?

[Maui]

I finished Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride. While I enjoyed the book, it certainly wasn't as good as The Blind Assassin. It really meandered in parts and I usually find Atwood's writing very engaging. I still need to read Alias Grace, which I hear is as good as TBA.

I picked up The Likeness by Tana French as well as Saturday by Ian McEwan. Both books come highly recommended by my family and McEwan is one of my favourite authors, so really can't go wrong with any of his stuff.

[Bloo]

I'll just say one of the best, but strangest stories involved Niall

like I said, it's good, but a quick read 4 just wasn't enough

Did Harris even revisit the marriage thing with Sookie and Eric?

he only really has a part in 1 or 2 of the short stories, and really only a lead in one, they are all kind of stand alone stories but she does provide the time line where each story takes place in her introduction

but that one he's in is great, a real fun short story in which a lot of the supes appear and revolves around a very infamous Supe

[Maui]

I'll just say one of the best, but strangest stories involved Niall

like I said, it's good, but a quick read 4 just wasn't enough

Did Harris even revisit the marriage thing with Sookie and Eric?

he only really has a part in 1 or 2 of the short stories, and really only a lead in one, they are all kind of stand alone stories but she does provide the time line where each story takes place in her introduction

but that one he's in is great, a real fun short story in which a lot of the supes appear and revolves around a very infamous Supe

Cool, good to know. If it's that quick of a read, I may just mosey into B&N, plant myself in a cozy chair and soak up the short stories.

[MadCapsule]

Just finished Hater by David Moody. I found myself being a bit bored with the first 3/4 of it, but after finishing it I think I might have had the wrong expectations of it and judged it unfairly. Having read Moody's first zombie novel Autumn (which I enjoyed), I should have realized that it wouldn't be super fast-paced.

Overall, I'd say it was a decent read and I'm looking forward to the remaining two books in the trilogy. I'm also excited to see what the now completed film adaptation of Autumn is like and how the upcoming movie for Hater turns out.

I was hoping that the library would have my reserved copy of The Walking Dead (which, supposedly, just needed to be put back on the shelf) ready for me, but apparently not. Not sure what to read next.

[Raziel]

Currently reading a collection of classic spooky stories called Anthology Of Fear, and Paul M. Sammon's Future Noir: The Making Of Blade Runner.

[Maui]

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins starts off with this quote from Douglas Adams: "Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?"

Dawkins has put together an insightful indepth study on religion and science, arguing that science and religion are mutually incompatible: science examines facts, religion is believing without any evidence. Dawkins writes with a somewhat humourous approach - some of his experiences/stories with colleagues are so absurd and ridiculous - you just have to chuckle. This book isn't just for the non believer, it's for disgruntled churchgoers and Sunday school dropouts as well.

WARNING: If you are an extremely religious person, stay away from this book!

Saturday by Ian McEwan

A day in the life of Neurosurgeon, Henry Perowne. You can certainly tell that McEwan had 9/11 on his mind while writing this novel - his words ooze unease in a post 9/11 world. A troubling tale that takes a violent turn. I've yet to read a McEwan novel that disappoints, Saturday is no exception.


The Likeness by Tana French

A whodunit murder mystery which is French's followup to In the Woods which revisits a troubled private detective Cassie Maddox, solving the case of her dead doppelganger. The story centers around Cassie taking the identity of her dead 'likeness', befriending her college roommates while trying to solve which one is the murderer. While I've had my share of nonconforming college intellectuals (in literature and in California), it's still an intoxicating and worthwhile read.


I've picked up Blue Heaven (2009 Edgar Winner) by C.J. Box. I also grabbed Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood and I've got IT by Stephen king waiting in the wings.

[Pacino86845]

Reading a Richard Dawkins book is something that's been sitting way in the back of my mind for years now... why would you say a religious person shouldn't read it? Do you find his critiques to be outright aggressive (or would be considered so by a more devout reader) ? One of my cousins is more religious than I am (or so I think) and he's a huge admirer of Richard Dawkins.

[Maui]

"I am hostile to fundamentalist religion because it actively debauches the scientific enterprise. It teaches us not to change our minds, and not to want to know exciting things that are available to be known. It subverts science and saps the intellect". - Richard Dawkins

Dawkins debunks all religions, why would someone extremely religious want to read that? It's like a Muslim reading a book titled "The Qur'an Sucks". Oh sure there is curiosity and then news of the author going into hiding.

I think his writing may seem a bit aggressive to a religious person who is not used to having their faith questioned/mocked and who is a firm believer on Intelligent Design and after life because Dawkins argues the hell out of this (Natural Selection vs. Intelligent Design) and it's the best part of the book. Well that and the Poe-like horror stories of Islamic fundamentalists and Christian Right in the US. There is also the bit on the ineffectiveness of prayer that I quite liked.

The book really speaks to the Atheist choir, get out of the closet, don't put up with this nonsense, speak up. Atheism isn't a bad word, don't be ashamed because after all, religion might be the end of us all. However, if you are religious AND open minded enough to form your own opinions about God and religion, then tread carefully and this book likely won't offend you.

My Mom recommended the book to me – she is a huge fan of Dawkins.

[TheBaxter]

religious people are exactly the type of people who need to read dawkins. but that's also exactly why the never will, and why if they ever did, they'd probably get nothing out of it.

[Pacino86845]

Are you dissin' my cousin, yo?

[DennisMM]

I, Robot: The Illustrated Screenplay - I've not read this since it came out in the mid-'90s, but my viewing of Alex Proyas's awful film (from a completely different screenplay) revived my interest. Harlan Ellison weaves the plots of several Isaac Asimov robot stories into a semi-mystery narrative with a Citizen Kane structure. Sometimes one can see Ellison working too hard to be clever; he has that problem. Still, Asimov loved the script and it probably would have been quite the movie had they found the money and fortitude from any studio to make it. Imagine, if you've read Asimov's stories, Joanne Woodward as Susan Calvin. Wow.

[magicmonkey]

religious people are exactly the type of people who need to read dawkins. but that's also exactly why the never will, and why if they ever did, they'd probably get nothing out of it.

I know you live in America and are surrounded by nuts, and I'm struggling myself with what I see belief-wise on the internet, but I gotta say, not all the religious people I've met are nuts. I think a belief in God and science is easily possible, for a religious person they just have to think that say, the bible for example, explains creation in a simplistic fashion and that real science is an underlying principle that God found a bit too hard to explain at the time, what with the atom not being discovered. Indeed many religious folk pursue science in order to prove scientific references in the Bible. To just be victim of a tv evangelist out to make money is just as foolish as it would be with a scientific evangelist doing the same...

[TheBaxter]

i'm not gonna go off on my thoughts towards religion or the religious, that's what the GOD thread is for. but just in response to maui's saying religious people should stay away from that book, i think it's the exact opposite. i'd like to think that religious people could read it and it would change their minds, and of course there may be a few for whom that happens, but for the vast majority of them it probably would not make a difference. belief in god is not based on logic or reason, so a book that argues against belief in god on the basis of logic and reason won't have much impact. but even if it opens the eyes of just a few, it's still worth it.

i would NOT recommend religious people read that hitchens book, though, because he uses the same sorts of specious arguments and appeals to emotion that the pro-religionists use. hitchens' book is just a diatribe, and not even a very good one at that. unlike dawkins, hitchens isn't going to change ANY minds. it would only harden the opinions of the religious that all atheists are out to get them.

[Wolfpack]

Just finished reading Necroscope by Brian Lumley (Vampires and KGB? Brilliant!), now reading World War: Tilting The Balance by Grande Rojo Turtledove.

[Maui]

Just finished reading Necroscope by Brian Lumley (Vampires and KGB? Brilliant!

Which one? Isn't there an entire series?

[Maui]

I finished Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. Atwood has put together fact and fiction with this compelling story of Grace Marks, a 16 year old Canadian girl (a housemaid) who was accused of killing her employer Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery in 1853. Atwood has incorporated oodles of newspaper articles into the story, a fictional doctor who interviews Marks, as well as detail into Mark's pardon from Sir John A. MacDonald (Canada's first Prime Minister). In the end, you are left still very much undecided as to whether or not Marks did commit these murders. Her character still remains an enigma.

Highly recommend this book, an enthralling read.

[Pacino86845]

That's my mom's favorite Atwood book, but I still haven't got around to reading it. Maui at this point you can probably write a complete Atwood retrospective, is there anything of hers you haven't read? A Year in the Flood maybe?

[Maui]

That's my mom's favorite Atwood book, but I still haven't got around to reading it. Maui at this point you can probably write a complete Atwood retrospective, is there anything of hers you haven't read? A Year in the Flood maybe?

Yeah, that's it and NY Times gave The Year of the Flood a sweet review. I went to the library the other day and I'm 79 in the hold queue for The Year of the Flood! Not happy about that at all!!!

[Pacino86845]

It would be neat if libraries prioritize who gets to borrow certain books based on a combination of a cardholder's "credit rating" (how quickly a person turns over books) and preferences.

First-come-first-served is communist claptrap.

Your librarians are commies.

[Maui]

It would be neat if libraries prioritize who gets to borrow certain books based on a combination of a cardholder's "credit rating" (how quickly a person turns over books) and preferences.

First-come-first-served is communist claptrap.

Your librarians are commies.

Well see that's another thing. You start off with an excellent rating (on the library card) regardless of book return history. Doesn't make sense. You should earn your rating. I always return my books before the 3 weeks that it's due, I should get a gold star for that or atleast get bumped up in the queue.

[Worst Part's Almost Over]

[Wolfpack]

Just finished reading Necroscope by Brian Lumley (Vampires and KGB? Brilliant!

Which one? Isn't there an entire series?

The first one.

[DennisMM]

Sitting on the desk between me and the monitor is Philip José Farmer's To You Scattered Bodies Go, the first book of the Riverworld series. I think this is my ninth or tenth reading since the early '80s. One thing I admire about this book and the second in the series, The Fabulous Riverboat, is that each is a compact, tight bit of writing. The first book runs barely 200 pages and tells a complete story in spite of the teaser ending. The second, while obviously part of a series due to its cliffhanger finale, runs 250 pages. Today the same novels would fill 500 pages each and have no more plot. Here's to the economical storytelling of the past!

[minstrel]

Four words for Dennis: Reader's Digest Condensed Books.



I don't really care how long a book is, so long as it's good. I wouldn't want Moby Dick to be any shorter than it is. For Whom The Bell Tolls is Hemingway's longest novel, and also my favorite of his. East of Eden is Steinbeck's longest, and my favorite of his. "Economical" storytelling has its place, but lavish detail can really build a vivid world when used by a good writer, and vividness is a plus!

[Bayouwolf]

I picked up McCarthy's"The Road" , and Crichtons "Prey".

The Road was just about the saddest thing I think I've ever read. Great read, and definitely one of my favorite books now.
I can't wait for the film... but at the same time, knowing what happens, I almost don't want that kind of gloom hanging over my head...I'll have to schedule this as a double header with whatever sappy Dreamworks inspired craptacular flick is out at the same time...

Prey, on the other hand, is just another book by Crichton. It's got great build up, a wonderful story idea, but ultimately fails at the end. Think Congo, Sphere, etc etc etc... Why this guy spends so long building up a story, only to waffle at the end with some lame-ass wrap-up that really doesn't give you any real closure or a feeling that the book has ended. I'm always perplexed that nearly everyone of his books end like there should be at least a brief final chapter, or epilogue.


The Road = 8.5/10 (Point deducted for making me tear up on a plane...)
Prey = 5/10 (fast paced, enjoyable light reading. Ending sucked major donkey balls.)

[minstrel]

I picked up McCarthy's"The Road" , and Crichtons "Prey".

The Road was just about the saddest thing I think I've ever read. Great read, and definitely one of my favorite books now.
I can't wait for the film... but at the same time, knowing what happens, I almost don't want that kind of gloom hanging over my head...I'll have to schedule this as a double header with whatever sappy Dreamworks inspired craptacular flick is out at the same time...

Bayouwolf, check out this thread. Talk about The Road all you want!

[DennisMM]

Four words for Dennis: Reader's Digest Condensed Books.



I don't really care how long a book is, so long as it's good. I wouldn't want Moby Dick to be any shorter than it is. For Whom The Bell Tolls is Hemingway's longest novel, and also my favorite of his. East of Eden is Steinbeck's longest, and my favorite of his. "Economical" storytelling has its place, but lavish detail can really build a vivid world when used by a good writer, and vividness is a plus!

Ah, but I'm not talking about Hemingway or Steinbeck or Faulkner. I'm talking about fiction lite, King and Crichton and Koontz, and how every genre has fattened up over the past few decades. You cannot find a brief novel anymore unless it's deliberately short. Writers are conditioned to create long books because they cost more. Publishers like that.

Or so runs my theory, which I'm not renouncing.

[Pacino86845]

I wonder if the counter-argument wouldn't be more true... having longer books might be a way to justify the increasing prices. A 200-page book doesn't look as impressive in hardcover as a 400-pager. Most of a book's retail price goes to the retailers and publishers, right? So that would mean for very little additional costs to the publisher they could easily double the length of a book (printing costs and paying author and staff)... it could be a tactic to get people to pay more for a book? Buyers would feel they're getting more for their money... if this is true I wouldn't even accuse publishers of acting out of greed, reading culture has seen a steep decline in the past few decades (I don't have any stats to back up my claims but I have a funny and semi-educated feeling that it has).

[Maui]

I finished reading Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami, Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, and The Secret History by Donna Tartt. They are listed in their order of awesomeness.

I picked up Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle as well as The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga - both Man Booker prize winners. I hope to start these soon!

[stereosforgeeks]

I finished reading Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami, Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, and The Secret History by Donna Tartt. They are listed in their order of awesomeness.

I picked up Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle as well as The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga - both Man Booker prize winners. I hope to start these soon!

What did you think of the Murakami?

[Bloo]

working on five count them 5 books at the moment

King's "On Writing" for the umpteenth time

Card's "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" for the first time

Robert B Parker's "Gunman's Rhapsody"

Parker's "Appaloosa"

"Time Traveler's Wife"

[justcheckin]

I just bought Under the Dome by King. About to start... da da daaaaaaaaa

[Wolfpack]

I just bought Under the Dome by King. About to start... da da daaaaaaaaa

Maybe this one involves Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin being eaten by a monster?

[Pacino86845]

I just bought Under the Dome by King. About to start... da da daaaaaaaaa

Over 1000 pages, huh? Good luck with that!

You guys wanna know something funny?

This:

King's "On Writing" for the umpteenth time

is the only Stephen King book I've read... it was most excellent, though!

[Bloo]

yes it is most excellent

[TheBaxter]

I just bought Under the Dome by King. About to start... da da daaaaaaaaa

Over 1000 pages, huh? Good luck with that!

You guys wanna know something funny?

This:

King's "On Writing" for the umpteenth time

is the only Stephen King book I've read... it was most excellent, though!

didn't you start reading the dark tower seven-ology? if so, you've got a couple 1000-page books ahead of you...

[justcheckin]

I just bought Under the Dome by King. About to start... da da daaaaaaaaa

Maybe this one involves Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin being eaten by a monster?

Well, I am 100 pages in and no Pauly Shore... sorry to disappoint.

[Maui]

What did you think of the Murakami?

I really enjoyed it. I just love how this man writes. If it wasn't for the fact that it's a library book, I'd be underlining ALOT of stuff. Curious how the narrator's name is K. Ring any bells?

[Ribbons]

Curious how the narrator's name is K. Ring any bells?

[Maui]

Curious how the narrator's name is K. Ring any bells?

[DennisMM]

Only 30 years later than most, I'm about to dive into The Portable Nietzsche. I have never read more than the briefest excerpts from the man. I'm not sure the current state of my brain is up to this.

[magicmonkey]

Curious how the narrator's name is K. Ring any bells?

HAHA! I gotta admit that that K was only thing that sprung to my mind. Kafka on the Shore will explode your mind. Heh.

Shit, the only thing I am reading at the moment is "J-Horror: The Definitive Guide to The Ring, The Grudge and Beyond " by David Kalat (another K), pretty damn good read.

[Nachokoolaid]

I'm reading THE SCARLET LETTER by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Man, he was so excellent at really driving a point home using metaphor and symbolism. And some of the understated things in the small character moments are really special and he so subtlety conveys fear or despair or anguish with just the slightest bit of dialogue. A true classic. One of my favorites.

I'm about to start ANIMAL FARM, and I'm a little excited, because I haven't read it since high school.

[justcheckin]

I'm reading THE SCARLET LETTER by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Man, he was so excellent at really driving a point home using metaphor and symbolism. And some of the understated things in the small character moments are really special and he so subtlety conveys fear or despair or anguish with just the slightest bit of dialogue. A true classic. One of my favorites.

I'm about to start ANIMAL FARM, and I'm a little excited, because I haven't read it since high school.

I loved Animal Farm but I have to say that the only book I absolutely hated in school was the Scarlet Letter. It would probably be ok to read again now that I am super old but I just can't bring myself to do it. I HATED that book.