What Are You Reading?

[Gordon Smith]

What am I reading today? Joseph Perisco's Roosevelt's Secret War.

[Pepsigirl]

I don't read.

Haha. Anyway, due to a strange turn of events, it's one of those Gossip Girls books. True literature. :D

[Ivan Isaacs]

"Flood Tide" by Clive Cussler and "Dracula" by Bram Stocker. Highly recommended. :)

[Inkthinker]

Hah... this thread was sooooo long, too.

Let's see... right now, I'm reading Midnight at the Well of Souls by Jack Chalker, with occasional doses of The Phoenix Guards by Brust.

[WebSlinger]

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

One of my favourite books ever written. For me, this perfectly highlights and demonstrates how fearful and frightening it can be for guys to commit to relationships. The character Rob Fleming is one of the best and funniest characters you can ever have narrating you through any book you read. I can relate with him on so many levels, though thankfully I'm not nearly half the music snob he is! ;)

Reccomended for all who've not read it yet. Film version with John Cusack ain't bad, nowhere as good as book, though.

[Matt]

Right now? This thread. Ha.
Seriously though, I'm finding myself reading Dr Who novels for some reason.

[SuperGodGinrai]

Gonna start reading the Amboy Dukes by Irving Shulman.
It's actually "based" on my father-in-law's old Brooklyn crowd/gang.

[howyadoin]

Currently re-reading William Gibson's Idoru.

[intmd8r]

Currently reading Book 2 of "A Song of Ice and Fire" from George R. R. Martin: A Clash of Kings.

[JeffreyWKramer]

I'm reading Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card, the third of the "Bean" books, following that character from Ender's Game.

Earlier today I finished The Knight by Gene Wolfe.

[DonC]

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Getting ready for the movie.

[Alchemy]

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Getting ready for the movie.

I'm re-reading it myself :)

[Celisasu]

Currently? Ragnar's Claw and Jedi Eclipse. I'll probably be reading The Great Hunt next.

[Cayman]

I'm reading Kelley Armstrong's "Dime Store Magic" which is the third in her series "Women Of The Otherworld". The first two books were about a female werewolf, this one stars a pair of witches who debuted in the previous book. To me, werewolves > witches, but I'm enjoying this so far. Unfortunately, it has a terrible cover designed to make it look like a Laurell K Hamilton book so it's really embarrassing to read in public.

Cay

[Karl J. Barnes]

Reading Samuel R Delany's Neveryona` , so far, it is like reading a history text. Read Simon R Green's Agents of Light and Darkness , the second book in his series Nightside.I've alos bought the third book(can't find the first one) Nightingale's Lament .

Since I'm such a sucker for those hard-boiled stories mixed with magic and the macarbe, I really enjoyed Agents. It's a mixture of Raymond Chandler's Marlowe and Aspirin's Mything Adventures. Exciting,intriguing and FUN!

[Deathstroke]

I'm reading Perri O'Shaughnessy's Motion to Suppress.

[i_mmmchocolate]

Winter without milk: stories Jane Avrich

[ChibiStarJumper]

Today I am reading Arrow's Fall by Mercedes Lackey. Well, rereading that is. ^_^

[Deathstroke]

Today I am reading Arrow's Fall by Mercedes Lackey. Well, rereading that is. ^_^

I love the Arrow trilogy. My favorite Lackey books.

[Expletive Deleted]

I just finished Neal Stephenson's THE CONFUSION, and now I'm onto John MacDonald's DEEP BLUE GOODBYE. Somebody here recommended it, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

[ChibiStarJumper]

I love the Arrow trilogy. My favorite Lackey books.
One of my favorites too. I can really connect with Talia. Ack...trying to post but living with the mod here, she's fussing at me to go to bed. ::^_^ *sigh*

[ianbrill]

Thomas Pynchon's Crying of Lot 49

Philip K. Dick's Follow My Tears, The Policeman said

[SPAfreak]

Today I am reading Arrow's Fall by Mercedes Lackey. Well, rereading that is. ^_^

That's odd. That's what I'm planning on rereading after I finish Michael Kube-McDowells's "Vectors".

[Perry Holley]

Reading Clark Ashton Smith's Tales Of Zothique, and the anthology Swords Against Darkness #4, edited by Andrew Offutt.

[TSmithPage]

Just finished the epic "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" (1100+ pages), and am starting an intriguing sounding "The Jesus Mysteries." Commenting here just to make sure I can post again...:)

[Corsair]

The Complete Paratime, by H. Beam Piper

[Deathstroke]

One of my favorites too. I can really connect with Talia. Ack...trying to post but living with the mod here, she's fussing at me to go to bed. ::^_^ *sigh*

I liked the series that came after Arrows, the one about the daughter of the queen I think? I didn't read much else after that.

The one I wanted to read but could never find and didn't bother to order was By The Sword.

[FrauPork]

I'm reading The Crystal City by Orson Scott Card. It's funny, I complained so much that it took him from 1998 until 2003 to publish this volume of the Alvin series that you'd think I'd have read it right away in November when it came out, but it's taken me 6 months to get to it :p
So many books, so little time...

[meethraa]

Life After God, by Douglas Coupland

[MarvelKnight]

All In One A+ Certification Exam Guide by Michael Meyers
&
D-Day by Stephen E. Ambrose

[The Gunslinger]

C. S. Lewis The Magician's Nephew

[DarkBlade]

I liked the series that came after Arrows, the one about the daughter of the queen I think? I didn't read much else after that.

The one I wanted to read but could never find and didn't bother to order was By The Sword.
That would be Elspeth, in The Mage Winds trilogy. Winds of Fate, Winds of Change, and Winds of Fury.

By The Sword is about Kerowyn. Y'should pick it up, your library might have it.

[Core]

I didn't post to this board before The Great CBR Reboot of 2004, but I wanted to stop by and recomend this anthology I've been reading. It's called "Fierce Pajamas" and is a collection of humorous writing from The New Yorker. It's been around for a couple of years now, so some of you may have already checked it out, but if you haven't you would be doing yourself a favor to pick it up.

One of the things I like best about the collection the number of pieces in it that contain sentences written before Hemingway eviscerated some of the more colorful aspects of the long sentence. (S. J. Perelman is my new hero!)

Oh yeah, it's edited by Remnick and Finder, incase that will help you find it.

[Jasper]

Right now I'm re-reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix. I just finished Waterchip Down by Richard Adams.

[SPAfreak]

That would be Elspeth, in The Mage Winds trilogy. Winds of Fate, Winds of Change, and Winds of Fury.

By The Sword is about Kerowyn. Y'should pick it up, your library might have it.

Who was Kerowyn again?

[rick]

Just finished the epic "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" (1100+ pages)

Interestingly enough I'm on page 890, right now.

Do me a favor though, don't tell me how it ends. :D

[Core]

Thomas Pynchon's Crying of Lot 49


That is a great book and my favorite by Pynchon. My next read is going to be his Mason & Dixon. I found a new hardcover version in a local book store's bargin bin for $3. (Yay, me!)

[Sleeper]

GRIM TUESDAY - Garth Nix. Best thing about it the first time was that it was a freebie.

[Graham Vingoe]

Currently Valis by Phillip K Dick, with a side order of The Complete WOrks of Corwainer Smith, shortly to be followed by Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem

[Aubergine~!]

Still reading On the Road.

Need to finish it soon, really.

[Sheldon]

I just started Autograph Man by Zadie Smith.....its started out pretty interestingly.....a family trip to see some pro-wrestling....

[jed108]

Dragons of a Fallen Sun by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman

[Agent Cooper]

Let's see...

Just finished the new Martin Amis, Yellow Dog (still like The Information best).

Now reading Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss (examination of the deterioration of punctuation in popular writing); rereading Speed Tribes by Karl Taro Greenfield (excellent book about Japanese subcultures -- highly recommended for any fan of cyberpunk); rereading The Trial of Henry Kissinger by Christopher Hitchens (research for a screenplay I'm writing).

I'm also trying to finish Tokyo Suckerpunch by Isaac Adamson, but it's so blasted boring that it's really, really difficult.

[Tanith]

Who was Kerowyn again?Kero is the (great?) granddaughter of Kethry (from the Oath series), who became a mercenary captain, before acquiring a Companion while fighting for Valdemar. She runs Valdemar's spy network and trains Herald Trainees (and the odd Karsite priest) in hand-to-hand in the later series'.

[TSmithPage]

Interestingly enough I'm on page 890, right now.

Do me a favor though, don't tell me how it ends. :D

:rolleyes: Everytime I picked it up, and I have been slogging through it since Thanksgiving, I would always say to myself, Let's see who those Nazis are killing today... Talk about a perfect storm! I also found it amazing how much of the book covered things that occurred before D-Day. It seems like, after D-Day, things went downhill real fast for the Nazis.

[WebSlinger]

[QUOTE=Agent Cooper]

Now reading Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss (examination of the deterioration of punctuation in popular writing)
QUOTE]

Excellent book and a highly enjoying read - especially for grammer and punctuation sticklers like myself! ;)

[WebSlinger]

An now reading "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" by Ian Fleming.

So far, so good. Have previously read 2 other Bond books and what's so enjoyable about this one so far is how Bond himself is truly captivated by Teresa's beuaty and personality.

[Cyclops]

War Music by Christopher Logue. The British poet's reinterpretation of The Illiad in English, streamlined with a touch of more modern imagery. I think I'm in love.

[SPAfreak]

Kero is the (great?) granddaughter of Kethry (from the Oath series), who became a mercenary captain, before acquiring a Companion while fighting for Valdemar. She runs Valdemar's spy network and trains Herald Trainees (and the odd Karsite priest) in hand-to-hand in the later series'.

That makes sense. I've only read the Arrows series, Exile's Honor and It Takes a Thief. Just never came across her.

[Reptisaurus!]

Biography of Charles Mingus, my favorite musician evereverevereverever who you should all go out and buy the very reasonably priced two-disc anthology on Rhino by. *Plug*

[Bolo Musashi]

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
One of my favourite books ever written. For me, this perfectly highlights and demonstrates how fearful and frightening it can be for guys to commit to relationships. The character Rob Fleming is one of the best and funniest characters you can ever have narrating you through any book you read. I can relate with him on so many levels, though thankfully I'm not nearly half the music snob he is! ;)

Reccomended for all who've not read it yet. Film version with John Cusack ain't bad, nowhere as good as book, though.

I have to agree with you on this one WebSlinger..or is it Mr. Webslinger? A fantastic book and a decent movie.

[jean]

Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen and And If I Perish: Frontline U.S. Army Nurses in World War II.

[The Dosadi Experiment]

Dragon in the Sea by Frank Herbert.

[TitoJones]

Rainbow Six---Tom Clancy

[Tadhg Adams]

Well I was waiting for all three books of the Baroque Cycle to come out before I bought them, but I broke down and got them as a present to myself for lasting the semester. So Last Wed. I set to reread Cryptonomicon, and then move on to Quicksilver, and The Confusion

I am just finishing Quicksilver but am starting to feel a bit burned out. But I love Stephenson more than ever.

[Deathstroke]

Rainbow Six---Tom Clancy

Got that for my Dad as an Xmas present one year. He loves Tom Clancy but I can't even recall if he's read it.

He's been disappointed by the last few books.

Meanwhile, I can't even get past the first chapters of his novels.

[Gordon Smith]

I'm about to start The Shadow War Against Hitler. The author, a German historian, Christoff Mauch, is an unknown to me.

[WebSlinger]

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum



I have to agree with you on this one WebSlinger..or is it Mr. Webslinger? A fantastic book and a decent movie.

Can be Webslinger, or Webs if you prefer. The more and more I read the book each and every time, the more I realise the movie is decent. But honestly nowhere as good as the book is. For a start Rob isn't meant to be as good looking as John Cusack and there was one of the girls from his original top 5 break-ups that the film version missed. Those are minor details, as the book on a whole is a far more enoyable read than the watching of the film could be anyway. Jack Black definitely made the film a lot of fun with his scenes.

[Lone Ranger]

Dark Star Safari - Paul Theroux

Just starting to get into it.

I have done some travelling in Africa and have more coming up this fall, so I was very interested to see what a talented writer like Theroux has to say.

He does a good job of talking to people - who are the true gems of most African nations.

Two slight criticisms:

1. I am picking up on a slightly patronizing tone.

2. He is a a little too concerned with what other think about America.

[Memo]

I'm 300 pages into Quicksilver with not a plot in sight...Yet for some reason I'm loving it.
I too wanted to have the entire Baroque Cycle in hand before I started, but I am dogsitting and had nothing to read.

[Tadhg Adams]

Are you familiar with Stephenson? He's never been exactly plot heavy, but his prose is so entertaining that it's not that bad of an offense.

[Rook]

Revisiting Asimov's Foundation Series. I'm currently on Foundation & Empire.

[Expletive Deleted]

Are you familiar with Stephenson? He's never been exactly plot heavy, but his prose is so entertaining that it's not that bad of an offense.CONFUSION is actually a bit of a reversal on that score. There aren't as many entertaining fifty page tangents on science and economics and there are more pirate battles and political machinations. It's a nice change of pace after QUICKSILVER. I'll be disappointed if SYSTEM OF THE WORLD isn't a return to form, though. As good as CONFUSION was, I read Stephenson for the digressions.

[Jamboon]

I just finished the revised version of Stephen King's The Gunsligner. I don't know if it was the revisions but it was much better than I remembered it. Granted, I read it in French the first time around. I'll definatly check out the other volumes now.

I'll be embarking on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe tomorrow.

[The Adventurer]

Insomnia by Stephen King
'Salem's Lot by Stephen King
Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King
Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett

[spiderbat]

The internet, today Napoleon site(Ultimate) and about Constantinople, the Roman history of that area. EPA site,

http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/index.html


and wondering why we dont have more solar power.


Turok, http://www.psychosaurus.com/frames/turokindex.html

[ChibiStarJumper]

I liked the series that came after Arrows, the one about the daughter of the queen I think? I didn't read much else after that.

The one I wanted to read but could never find and didn't bother to order was By The Sword.
Awww! I'm reading By the Sword right now actually. I finished Arrow's Fall on the bus ride home. I now have a new quest! Find a copy of By the Sword for Deathstroke!!

I also like the Mage Winds series. I've read every Valdemar book except for The Oathbound, Oathbreakers, Oathblood, The Silver Gryphon, Owlflight, Owlnight, and Owlsight.

I have read The Black Gryphon, The White Gryphon, The Last Herald-Mage Trilogy, By the Sword, Take a Thief (about Skif), Exile's Honor, Exile's Valor (EH and EV are about Alberich), Brightly Burning (about Lavan Firestorm), The Arrows Trilogy, The Mage Winds Trilogy, and The Mage Storms Trilogy.

I uh, I think that's all of 'em. ;;^_^

[Tadhg Adams]

CONFUSION is actually a bit of a reversal on that score. There aren't as many entertaining fifty page tangents on science and economics and there are more pirate battles and political machinations. It's a nice change of pace after QUICKSILVER. I'll be disappointed if SYSTEM OF THE WORLD isn't a return to form, though. As good as CONFUSION was, I read Stephenson for the digressions.
Definetely. I forgot how much I really enjoyed Crytponomicon until I reread it this weekend. I even found myself enjoying the LotR references this time around. I think after I finish the Confusion, I'll have pull out Snow Crash and Diamond Age again.

[Pepsigirl]

After a short break upon which I was forced to read some school books and work on a bunch of school crap, I've gone back to reading Once and Future King by T.H. White.

[i_mmmchocolate]

I finished The Wife last night. It was very good as many of the reviews said it would be. I did tear up when I read the last paragraph, I have no clue why...the last chapter was okay and it was kind of predictable. Regardless, a great read.

[Expletive Deleted]

I think after I finish the Confusion, I'll have pull out Snow Crash and Diamond Age again.Eh, I never really got into DIAMOND AGE. The whole "fantasy world" aspect of the Primer seemed to clash with the science fiction and sociocultural elements. And it had even less of an ending than usual.

I wouldn't say it's bad by any means, but I didn't connect with it as much as I did SNOW CRASH, ZODIAC, or the CRYPTONOMICON series. Even BIG U did more for me than DIAMOND AGE.

[Agent Cooper]

Just got Norman Mailer's The Fight from the library. I requested it, and a couple days later, the library's computer called me to tell me it was in. I walked over, scanned my card and the book, and walked out. And now I'm learning more about Ali and the Rumble in the Jungle.

Picked it up 'cause there's a chapter entitled "Our Black Kissinger", and I just happen to be working on a screenplay called "Black Kissinger". World's full of coincidences.

[Justy]

Currently I'm reading Shadowmancer by GP Taylor. Its a good read so far. I'm at chapter four now.

I just finished The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder.

[Patient Boy]

Still reading Hanif Kureishi's The Black Album.
Will probably be done with it by tomorrow, and then pick up something else from the pile to read.

[Reptisaurus!]

Thomas Pynchon's Crying of Lot 49

Philip K. Dick's Follow My Tears, The Policeman said

"Flow My Tears" was so damn good. I read it just after my dad (who was a huge PKD fan) died, and the whole 'flawed souls looking for love in an ill-defined reality' vibe really got to me.

Haven't read "Crying of Lot 49" but Pynchon is probably my favorite "serious literary" type author, and "Vineland" and "Gravity's Rainbow" are two o' my favorite books ever. This is on the very top of my summer reading pile.



Reading Samuel R Delany's Neveryona` , so far, it is like reading a history text.


Yeah, I made it to page 60 or so,gave up, and haven't read Delany since. If it gets better, tell me.

[Memo]

Are you familiar with Stephenson? He's never been exactly plot heavy, but his prose is so entertaining that it's not that bad of an offense.

I've read everything of his except this series...and the second half of "In the Beginning...was the command line."- bit over my head.
I am have a great time with Quicksilver.

[Karl J. Barnes]

Currently re-reading William Gibson's Idoru.


Loved the story, not as ultra-cool as Neuromancer, but still very enjoyable.

[Gordon Smith]

The next book on my reading list is Roosevelt and Churchill: Men of Secrets, by David Stafford. This is a study of how these two leaders managed to collaborate in war-time intelligence activities.

[jed108]

Dragons Of A Lost Star - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

[Karl J. Barnes]

Dragons Of A Lost Star - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

A very good second book, moves the action along fairly quick. But get through it quickly and start reading the third book,Dragons of a Vanished Moon , a great ending to a great series.

[Core]

I started Pynchon's Mason & Dixon today. It's quite an abrupt change of pace from what I was reading, but every few paragraphs Pynchon faithfully delivers a few lines that really blow my top off. Love it.

[Jessie]

Finally dusted off my copy of Cosmos, by Carl Sagan.

[Emma]

Im reading Dracula by Stoker right now.

Next up i have I Am Legend by Matheson and Dhampir by Hendee.
Is it hard to tell im on a vampire binge? :p

[Deathstroke]

Im reading Dracula by Stoker right now.

Next up i have I Am Legend by Matheson and Dhampir by Hendee.
Is it hard to tell im on a vampire binge? :p

Dhampir was a great read. They have another book out, in case you don't know, that is set after Dhampir. It's called Thief of Lives.

[Karl J. Barnes]

Im reading Dracula by Stoker right now.

Next up i have I Am Legend by Matheson and Dhampir by Hendee.
Is it hard to tell im on a vampire binge? :p

I can almost guarantee that you will love Matheson's legendary story.

[Emma]

To death and priest:

Yeah yeah, hold your horses! :p
Im enjoying Dracula very much and i cant wait to tackle both of my next books too. :)

[SPAfreak]

Read all of the Arrows trilogy, moving on to the Illuminatus! trilogy.

I've never read this before. It's pretty bizarre.

[Karl J. Barnes]

Read all of the Arrows trilogy, moving on to the Illuminatus! trilogy.

I've never read this before. It's pretty bizarre.


Did you like the Arrows trilogy?

And saying Illuminatus is bizzare is a bit of an understatement. :p

[Deathstroke]

Yeah the Arrows Trilogy rocks, I hope you liked it.

[The Gunslinger]

C. S. Lewis The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

[Slappy san]

I'm still reading STOLEN:WOMEN OF THE OTHERWORLD by Kelly Armstrong.

I've finished the following scripts this week:

T3: Tempest - Was better than the movie. Thats not saying much as EVERYTHING I've read has been better than the movie.

Virtuosity - It read nicely. I've never seen the movie. Perhaps I should remedy that.

Lost Boys - It appears to be just as filmed except for a few things. The Bill or Ted guy doesnt get staked in the cave so of course he gets it in the last act. The last showdown was longer. The script also didnt read as comically as Schumacher made it.

I think I read another script or two that I can't remember.

[Cyclops]

City Life by Witold Rybczynski. One of the great authors on the topic of architecture.

[WebSlinger]

Im reading Dracula by Stoker right now.



Classical masterpiece which I still love reading every now and then.

[cmdrbond007]

"Casino Royale" for the one millionth time... every year, I'll read "Casino Royale" and all the Ian Fleming books (1954-1966), then
1968's "Colonel Sun" by Robert Markham, the John Gardner 007 era (1981-1996), and finally Raymond Benson's James Bond novels (1997-2002).

[Patient Boy]

T.H. White's "The Once and Future King"

[SPAfreak]

Did you like the Arrows trilogy?

And saying Illuminatus is bizzare is a bit of an understatement. :p

I've read Arrows a few times. It's fair to say I'm a fan.

[Reptisaurus!]

I started Pynchon's Mason & Dixon today. It's quite an abrupt change of pace from what I was reading, but every few paragraphs Pynchon faithfully delivers a few lines that really blow my top off. Love it.

Dear God, Man.

I looked at Mason and Dixon, saw the page count, and put it back.

I got through "Gravity's Rainbow," and, although it was great, I decided I only needed to do that once in my life.

[yonoid]

Right now I'm reading the Star Wars EU novel, Darksaber by Kevin J. Anderson.

[The Gunslinger]

C. S. Lewis The Horse and His Boy

[ragnarok_2012]

I'm reading Neal Stephenson's the Diamond Age. Quite nice.

I just finished A Storm of Swords by George R.R. "I have too many middle initials" Martin

[Donald M.]

I'm reading Koushun Takami's Battle Royale. It's long, boring, I care not a whit for any of the characters (and have a hard time remembering who half of them are with these Japanese name) and the translation is crap.

I'm considering putting it down and moving on but I'm already 400 pages in, so I might as well finish the damn thing.

[WebSlinger]

I'm reading Koushun Takami's Battle Royale. It's long, boring, I care not a whit for any of the characters (and have a hard time remembering who half of them are with these Japanese name) and the translation is crap.

I'm considering putting it down and moving on but I'm already 400 pages in, so I might as well finish the damn thing.

Surprising.

Have heard it's actually a good read, and better than the film in terms of actual character development. There is apparently a manga version of it available as well if the book version is over-long and boring. I'm still going try and get a copy of it at some stage soon myself.

[The Gunslinger]

C. S. Lewis Prince Caspian

[Donald M.]

Surprising.

Have heard it's actually a good read, and better than the film in terms of actual character development. There is apparently a manga version of it available as well if the book version is over-long and boring. I'm still going try and get a copy of it at some stage soon myself.

Yeah, I'd say 600 pages is a bit much for what's essentially blood-soaked pulp full of laughable dialogue and improbable lapses in logic.

For example, if you gave the average high school kid (the average anyone for that matter) in real life a map and a compass set him loose on an island he'd probably still get lost and wander aimlessly, yet every kid in the book is able to flawlessly plot their course to avoid forbidden zones that'll cause their collars to explode. Whatever.

I'm sorry, this book is flat out dumb and one moment in particular had me going, "Oh no ****ing way! This book is officially retarded!" I'm still reading it though

To evoke an old cliche, I think perhaps some things may have been lost in the translation.
It is occasionally entertaining.

[Inkthinker]

A Hatful of Sky by Terry Pratchett.

"Young adult" indeed... I hate to think people might miss this book or pass it up because it gets stuck in the kiddie section at Borders. It's Pratchett, and any Pratchett is better than most anything else.

[The Dosadi Experiment]

I'm reading Koushun Takami's Battle Royale. It's long, boring, I care not a whit for any of the characters (and have a hard time remembering who half of them are with these Japanese name) and the translation is crap.

I'm considering putting it down and moving on but I'm already 400 pages in, so I might as well finish the damn thing.

At least the book doesn't have that horrible over-acting the movie had... and not just the living characters, the corpses too.

[Smell]

RE Feist Magician - revisiting a fantasy book I read in the 80's, still as good as it used to be

Siskind - Perfume - Only a few pages into the book, some sort of french murder mystery with the perfume industry

Just finished Jennie Eclairs Camberwell Beauty.

Funnily enough, coming out of the shop in Camberwell where I bought the book, I was nearlly run over by ms Eclair in her Rolls Royce, as I was crossing Camberwell New Road, so I gave a wave, pulled the book from my bag, and got talking, Jennie (as I now know her) couldn't reccomend the book enough, and gaurenteed I'd enjoy it.

How wrong could the blistering bottle blonde be.

Ok - I did enjoy it, but found the characters so ugly, cruel and horrible, that I couldn't read on. There were many great lines in the book, some great observations of my local community, but some rather poor characterisations and many loose ends and unnesseceray detail.

Actuall Mme Eclair has gone up in my estimation.

Dom

smells of Camberwell

[Emma]

I just finished A Storm of Swords by George R.R. "I have too many middle initials" Martin

I think its pretty obvious why it uses his middle initials. Just some free marketing for sales when people think of another R.R. author. ;)

And i finished Dracula this morning and am already 80 pages into I Am Legend.
That book is a real page turner, to use a cliched term.

[mgs]

Second book of original Dragonlance trilogy. :)

[Core]

Dear God, Man.

I looked at Mason and Dixon, saw the page count, and put it back.

I got through "Gravity's Rainbow," and, although it was great, I decided I only needed to do that once in my life.

LOL...it is a monster, there's no denying that. I haven't read Gravity's Rainbow yet. I'm sure I'll get to it some day though.

I absolutely love the two other novels by Pynchon I've read. The speed of my reading when consuming his work is damn near cut in half, just because the text is so dense, and even at that slow pace I know I'm missing out on half of what he's alluding to. But his writing is so much fun to swim around in, even if I can't encompass all the pretties at once.

[Slam_Bradley]

I just finished reading Burroughs' The Mucker for the first time in about 15 years. This may well be my favorite Burroughs book. It's like he took every pulp fiction convention and setting and tossed them in to one book to see what he'd get. He got a damn exciting read with a complex protagonist.

[JeffreyWKramer]

I'm currently reading DRACULA to juli as a bedtime story, reading about half a chapter per night.

[Donald M.]

At least the book doesn't have that horrible over-acting the movie had... and not just the living characters, the corpses too.

What would be the prose equivalent of horrible over-acting?

I'd say horribly written, often unintentionally hilarious dialogue and you know, the book had enough of that to fill twenty movies.

Crap, that book was dumb. Half the stuff going on didn't even make sense.

Oh well, I guess I can at least say that I finished it.

[Emma]

I'm currently reading DRACULA to juli as a bedtime story, reading about half a chapter per night.

Im 24 and just finished it for the first time. :p

How old is Julia? Is she spooked?

[JeffreyWKramer]

Im 24 and just finished it for the first time. :p

How old is Julia? Is she spooked?

juli's my wife, age 44. The bedtime story thing we do is just a fun little way to end the day while cuddling.

[Emma]

oops! I thought Julia was your daughter. :o

[JeffreyWKramer]

oops! I thought Julia was your daughter. :o
No reason for the "oops." Your conclusion was natural, and you probably haven't seen posts from me talking about my wife.

[Perry Holley]

Just finished reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Power of Persuasion, by Elizabeth Massie.

I tend to like the earlier, shorter BtVS novels, since they feel more like an actual episode of the series, as opposed to the larger, oversized books that have been released more recently.

[OMWOS]

I actually just finished reading the Hellboy movie novel for the third time... *Sigh* I gotta find my WoT books... there somewhere at my mum's house

[jed108]

Dragons Of A Vanished Moon - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

[The Gunslinger]

C. S. Lewis The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

[The Gunslinger]

C. S. Lewis The Silver Chair

[Emma]

I can almost guarantee that you will love Matheson's legendary story.

Love it? Thats an understatement!
I finished it in one day and couldnt put it down. I would say that is easily rivals Dracula and is one of the best short novels i have ever read.

Dhampir was a great read. They have another book out, in case you don't know, that is set after Dhampir. It's called Thief of Lives.

Im about half way through Dhampir and im enjoying it tremendously. I thought this book was going to be filler in between my other reads but its going very well so far. I think im going to pick up their second book and the only other book they also wrote, Blood Memories.

[Deathstroke]

Emma,

If you want another series to check out, try the Glasswright series by Mindy L. Klasky.

Great novels, it's a five book series. The fifth and final book is due out soon.

[Gordon Smith]

Tribes on the Hill, by J. McIver Weatherford.

[The Grand Beef]

Hello Books board!

I'm reading The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien and The Medieval Underworld by Andrew McCall.

Woot!

Beefy!

[Cayman]

I'm reading "Swords Of Night And Day" by David Gemmell. Also, "Dead Witch Walking" by someone whose name I can't remember, but there was a cover blurb by Kelley Armstrong so I got it.

Cay

[atoningunifex]

I'm re-reading Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. next to my bed is the copy of Neal Stephenson's The Confusion that I got for my birthday. It needs to be read. perhaps it will be next.

[JeffreyWKramer]

I'm reading Laurell K. Hamilton's SEDUCED BY MOONLIGHT. So far it's been soap opera and lots of sex, with minimal plot development - in other words, typical of Hamilton's stuff for the past few years. It's pure trash, and she seems to have long run out of adjectives, such that she continues to describe her characters and their sexual exploits in exactly the same manner repeatedly, sometimes within the span of a few pages.

I honestly don't know why I keep reading her books. The same reason many kept watching BUFFY, I suppose. Predicatable schlock can be fun.

[Karl J. Barnes]

Almost finished read Simon R Green's latest Nightside book:Nightingale's Lament . It is as fun as his other Nightside novel,Agents of Light and Darkness .

[Karl J. Barnes]

Just finished reading Simon R Green's latest Nightside novel: Nightingale's Lament . It was enjoyable with some humorous parts , but I felt that the ending was too much of 'god in the machine' type. It seems that every clue, meeting and back story in the book connected at the end. Not that I disliked it, but sometimes not everything in a book needs to be part of the solution at the end.

Also, there was a chapter of a book called Dead To The World by Charlaine Harris from her Southern Vampire series. Has anyone read any of her books? From what I read, she is a lively author and the prose sucked me right into the story. So, it looks like another author that I will have to read.

[Gordon Smith]

The Pity of Achilles: Oral Style and the Unity of the Iliad, by Jinyo Kim.

[berk]

The War With Hannibal, a translation of Books 21 - 30 of Livy's 'History of Rome'. Livy's a good storyteller, but he's way too "rah, rah, Rome is the greatest" for me. This is an entertaining book, but I found Polybius's account of the 2nd Punic War much more interesting.

Gordon, you should do a list of your favourite books about the Iliad. I hadn't heard of the one you're reading right now; how is it so far?

[Mike Smash!]

I'm reading "John F. Kerry: The Complete Biography by the Boston Globe reporters who know him best" by Michael Kranish, Brian C. Mooney and Nina J. Easton

[Gordon Smith]

Gordon, you should do a list of your favourite books about the Iliad.




I'll see what I can come up with later today.






I hadn't heard of the one you're reading right now; how is it so far?



Well, I've still working on the first chapter, so I'm inclined to hold off on an assessment. Very briefly, Kim is supporting what might be called the 'uinitarian' theory of composition, choosing to focus her arguments on the use of pity and mercy as key thematic underpinnings of the epic, presenting them as critical elements in Achilles' struggle to come to terms with the brutal realities of the human condition

[The Adventurer]

currently halfway through Terry Pratchett's A Hat Full of Sky with Larry Niven's Man-Kzin Wars I up next.

I'm taking a break from Stephen King for a bit.

[Glaucon]

I just read The Picture of Dorian Gray written by Oscar Wilde. I loved this book, with only being bored by one chapter, so I read the entire book in two days. Lord Harry in the book is probably the wittiest character in classic literature, he is great. I loved this book and loved the ending, absolutely fantastic.

[JeffreyWKramer]

I'm reading DARWIN'S CHILDREN by Greg Bear, the sequel to his excellent DARWIN'S RADIO.

[Davideaux]

The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler

I love her... she's one of those writers in whom you trust to give you a fulfilling and heartbreaking story.

[Karl J. Barnes]

A Bertram Chandler's John Grimes' novel: The Road to The Rim and am starting on the second novel:The Hardway Up .

[The Gunslinger]

C. S. Lewis The Last Battle

[Perry Holley]

The Doom That Came To Sarnath and other stories - H.P. Lovecraft

[howyadoin]

Recently finished William Gibson's Neuromancer and Virtual Light trilogies for what may be the tenth time. Now I'm plowing into Pattern Recognition again.

[rick]

I'm reading this great little book about the moon landing put out by the New York Times in July 1969 with the title, We Go to the Moon.


It's an interesting little historical document that gives a breathless descrioption of the Apollo 11 mission plus has some great full color photos.

Best of all, it proudly declares on the cover that the Times is proud to present this book to the public less then 72 hours after the end of the historic mission.

The best thing about the book is it does a good job of capturing the wonder and excitment of this great achivement.

[Graham Vingoe]

It's dragging on a bit now, but Ive been reading Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem over the last couple of weeks. so far good, but not great, however as Dylan has only just got hold of the
SPOILER ALERT

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
flying ring, things may get a bit more interesting.

.............

[Karl J. Barnes]

Finished reading A Bertram Chandler's second John Grimes novel The Hard Way Up . Instead of being a single story, this book was made up with episodes that connected only with John Grimes' adventures as being a Captain of a Courier ship( one of the lower assignments of being an officer). The stories were okay though some were pretty dated. Still an enjoyable read.

[Halcyon]

I've just finished the lastest 8th Dr book The Tomorrow Windows.

[jed108]

Hero's Trial by James Luceno

[Rabid Trekkie]

Let's see, I'm currently reading Tales of the Batman, Timeline, No Woman Born, and a new book I got Sunday called Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn.

I really hope Across the Nightingale Floor starts to pick up, yeah so I'm only in the first chapter but still. The author is a little skimpy on the setting (which is something I've been reading about how to write), I wouldn't be able to picture it if the author hadn't of said in the introduction that it is like a fantasy version of medieval Japan. Anyone who's read it know if I should keep going?

[Gordon Smith]

I am reading His Majesty's Secret Service: The Making of the British Intelligence Community, by Christopher Andrew.

[The Gunslinger]

Stephen King The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah

[Slam_Bradley]

I just finished reading a short story by Spider Robinson, Melancholy Elephants (http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200011/0671319744___1.htm). I came across this based on a public domain debate that has been raging on the Classic Comics Board. Good stuff, if you have a few minutes.

[Deathstroke]

I just finished reading Perri O'Shaughnessy's Motion to Suppress.

Now I'm moving on to the ALIAS TV-Tie in prequel novel Infiltration.

[The Dosadi Experiment]

Douglas Coupland.

Hey Nostradamus

Pregnant and secretly married, Cheryl Anway scribbles her last will and testament – and eerie premonition – on a school binder shortly before a rampaging trio of misfit classmates gun her down in a high school cafeteria. Overrun with paranoia, teenage angst and religious zeal in the ensuing massacre's wake, this sleepy Vancouver neighbourhood declares its saints, brands its demons and finally moves on.

http://www.heynostradamus.com/

[Jet Black]

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown... It's a very easy read so far, just like The Da Vinci Code was, but it's still a really fun book.

[Slappy san]

Freefall by Robert Crais

[Deathstroke]

Finished the Alias TV-Tie in novel Infiltration.

Next up is Janet Evanovich's new paperback To The Nines.

[Slam_Bradley]

I'm about half-way through Boss of Bosses: The Fall of the Godfather : The FBI and Paul Castellano by Joe O'Brien and Andy Kurins, two of the FBI agents involved in the survellance of Castellano. Overall it's a good read, but it could have used more background on Castellano and the Gambino family.

[Perry Holley]

Just started reading Clark Ashton Smith's Hyperborea short story collection.

I'm also flipping through The Handy Physics Answer Book by P. Erik Gundersen.

[The Dosadi Experiment]

Douglas Coupland.

Hey Nostradamus

http://www.heynostradamus.com/

I finished it last Saturday, it was quite an entertaining read.

[Gordon Smith]

Linda Evan's Sleipnir.

[The Gunslinger]

The Time Traveler's Wife

[Deathstroke]

I finished reading Janet Evanovich's To The Nines.

Next up is Perri O'Shaughnessy's Invasion of Privacy.

[JeffreyWKramer]

I used to be a big Jonathan Kellerman fan, but I stopped keeping up with his stuff a few years ago. Looking for some light mystery reading, I picked up some of his more recent books at the library and am currently reading MONSTER. Like all of Kellerman's books, it's a mix of psychologically-informed, formulaic mystery with witty (and often sarcastic) little observations about society. Fun, engaging stuff.

[Karl J. Barnes]

Finished Gayle Greeno's The Ghatti's Tale: Book One- Finders Seekers , if enjoy cats then this IS the book for you. I liked it ,since they didn't make the ghatti( cat's with mental powers) too cutsey or all knowing.

Starting Peter Hamilton's The Reality Dysfunction , so far boring and overly techno with alot of the techno-babble and little interest in what is going on, but I have heard taht it gets better. Let's hope.

[Emma]

I just finished Dead Witch Walking by Harrison and i wasnt too impressed. It seemed a bit too 'tame' for me and my dark vamp tastes. :cool:

[I Must Break U]

I am aware that i may be late, so no one pion this out to me. I just finished reading The Crow graphic novel. I consider myself an uberfan so i couldn't own the movie, have action fugures and not have read the book. I purchased it offline for a steep price, received it and finished it yesterday. All and all it's pretty good!

[Deathstroke]

I forgot to mention that in the book I just finished, Janet Evanovich's To The Nines, there was the most absolutely funny birth scene I've EVER read.

[Memo]

I just finished The Thought Gang by Tibor Fischer.
One of the best books I've read in the past few years. Funny as hell.

[The Gunslinger]

Stephen King The Stand

[Cayman]

I just finished Dead Witch Walking by Harrison and i wasnt too impressed. It seemed a bit too 'tame' for me and my dark vamp tastes. :cool:

I have that, read the first chapter. I like Kelley Armstrong books so I was hoping it was similar. I probably won't get back to it for a couple of months though.

Cay

[Cayman]

I just started Poppy Z. Brite's "Liquor". Her "Drawing Blood" novel is one of my favorite-ever books, but I haven't read her in awhile.

Cay

[noodleboy]

You Shall Know Our Velocity - David Eggers

[Emma]

I have that, read the first chapter. I like Kelley Armstrong books so I was hoping it was similar. I probably won't get back to it for a couple of months though.

Cay

It isnt really similar to Armstrong imo.
It is MUCH more tame and teen friendly.

[Slam_Bradley]

I just finished reading Coraline by Neil Gaiman with my 8 year old. Fun creepy fantasy.

[Doug W]

I just finished Scarecrow by matt Reilly and its pretty damn awsome, its like if para-military versions of Captain America and Batman were to team up and kick some ass.

I really like Reilly's fast paced, high-octane approach, although its not for everyone (his books are a little light on characterization ect.)

however I kind of hope he doesn't do a Shane Schofield novel for a while after this one, he's done 3 already that seems like enough for now.
Matt Reilly has alot of potential and I'd hate to see him stuck writeing about the same characters and situations over and over again like Clive Cussler. (come on you've read one Dirk Pitt Novel you've read them all)

[SaotomeMtl]

Recently finished reading The Skystone by Jack Whyte, the start of a re-telling of the Arthurian legend. Also read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, which was a recommendation from my girlfriend. It's about a 14 year-old girl who is raped and killed and how life goes on without her. Then I had a science fiction craze so I read the first two of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the sequel being The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, as well as Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. Being a Gibson fan, this is my first Stephenson book (recommended to me by a friend) and I really enjoyed it. I also tackled Leo Tolstoy's masterpiece, Anna Karenina which consequently became an Oprah Book Club book two weeks later.

I'm now getting ready for a ten-day trip (leaving Wednesday), and I'm bring The Singing Sword by Jack Whyte (sequel to The Skystone), Wizard and Glass by Stephen King (love this series) and Neuromancer by William Gibson, as I've only read the Virtual Light trilogy.

[Karl J. Barnes]

I'm now getting ready for a ten-day trip (leaving Wednesday), and I'm bring The Singing Sword by Jack Whyte (sequel to The Skystone), Wizard and Glass by Stephen King (love this series) and Neuromancer by William Gibson, as I've only read the Virtual Light trilogy.

If you liked(loved) the first book then this one will make you crazy about the series. Neuromancer, though hard to follow sometimes, is just the best.

[Buzz Maverik]

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. The original Batman/Zorro, etc. Look for my review in the Buzz Maverik's Book Club section of AICN Talkback @$$holes comic review column.

[Slappy san]

THE BITCH FACTOR by Chis Rogers

[berk]

Just finished My Cousin Rachel, an amazing book by Daphne Du Maurier; much going on beneath the surface of this masterfully told story.

[Graham Vingoe]

Science Fiction the Years Best 2003 and Barnacle Bill the Spacer by lucius Shepard ( also known as The Beast of the Heartland). The latter is definitely better thn the former, which seems too bogged down in time travel and paradoxes for my liking

[Rich L]

You Shall Know Our Velocity - David Eggers

Read that a couple of weeks ago - was okay with a couple of very funny scenes, but I couldn't get past the fact that the two main characters seemed like a couple of tossers to me.

Getting my trashy novel reading fix at the moment; The Last Juror by John Grisham.

Next up: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire (I think..)

[Patient Boy]

just got done with Chuck Palahniuk's Lullaby.

[Rich L]

Also read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, which was a recommendation from my girlfriend. It's about a 14 year-old girl who is raped and killed and how life goes on without her.

Absolutely fantastic book; apparently the next film from Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh after King Kong.

If you enjoyed it, you might want to try Lucky by Alice Sebold, her brutally honest memoir of her own rape aged 18 and its aftermath.

And of course, her husband Glen David Gold's Carter Beats The Devil may just be the best book I have ever read.

[noodleboy]

Read that a couple of weeks ago - was okay with a couple of very funny scenes, but I couldn't get past the fact that the two main characters seemed like a couple of tossers to me.

Sure they were flaky as hell, but they sure were interesting. I loved the ending where the correlation of the 'Jumping People' and the main character comes to fruition. I thought it was very well written.

Now I am gonna try and finish The Amazing Adventures of K & C or dive straight into the Gospel According to Jesus Christ by Jose Saramago.

[Rich L]

Now I am gonna try and finish The Amazing Adventures of K & C or dive straight into the Gospel According to Jesus Christ by Jose Saramago.


Weird timing! I read Kavalier & Clay just before Velocity a few weeks ago...finish it, its worth it! :D

[i_mmmchocolate]

Suburban Nation

[dougputhoff]

MY LIFE by Bill Clinton
HOW TO GET CONTROL OF YOUR TIME AND YOUR LIFE by Alan Lakein

[howyadoin]

Currently cruising through Hemingway's Across the River and Into the Trees. I started it a couple months back and just couldn't get into it, but now it's really workin' for me.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Just finishing up Robert Crais' THE LAST DETECTIVE. Pretty good, but I'm pretty sure I figured out the big surprise ending about 1/3 of the way through the book.

[Slam_Bradley]

I just finished King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero by David Remnick. Interesting look at Ali's rise to the heavyweight championship focusing on the Liston/Patterson, Liston/Ali and Ali Patterson fights and Ali's conversion to Islam and his relationship with Elijah Muhammed and Malcolm X.

[Slam_Bradley]

I just finished reading Call of the Wild by Jack London with my 8 year old. It had probably been 25 years since I'd last read it. It was interesting to look at it and see that it worked on two very distinct levels. For Nathan it was a good adventure story about a dog thrust in to a primitive world. I saw the allegory that London was clearly pointing to in the title. It did get a tad wordy at times as London wrote about Buck's trasition to a primordial state, but generally, Nate liked it a lot.

[Perry Holley]

The Lurking Fear and other stories by H.P. Lovecraft

[Karl J. Barnes]

The Lurking Fear and other stories by H.P. Lovecraft

Is that the first collection of his short stories?

[The Gunslinger]

Frank Herbert Dune

[Gordon Smith]

The Vanished Man, by Jeffrey Deaver.

[Memo]

I just finished "The Collector Collector" by Tibor Fischer and just cracked the cover on his new book "Voyage to the End of the Room". Fischer is becoming a new favorite of mine...too bad I only have one more book of his until I've polished off everything I can find.
If you want a good laugh read "The Collector Collector" a first person love and sex story told from the perspective of a clay pot...I know it sounds stupid, but it reads like early Vonnegut.

[Perry Holley]

Is that the first collection of his short stories?There's no real order or sequence to the Lovecraft books; although there are occasional cross-references between stories, there aren't any recurring characters (with one exception, the various Randolph Carter stories). In other words, the books (and the collections vary wildly depending on how the publisher is seperating the stories into different volumes) aren't really meant to be read in any particular sequence. So you can pick up any Lovecraft collection at random and dive in.

[dougputhoff]

EATS, SHOOTS AND LEAVES by Lynne Truss. Funny.

[Davideaux]

I just finished "The Collector Collector" by Tibor Fischer and just cracked the cover on his new book "Voyage to the End of the Room". Fischer is becoming a new favorite of mine...too bad I only have one more book of his until I've polished off everything I can find.
If you want a good laugh read "The Collector Collector" a first person love and sex story told from the perspective of a clay pot...I know it sounds stupid, but it reads like early Vonnegut.

Whoa?? A Tibor Fischer fan?? I've never met one before. You must read the "Thought Gang" if you haven't already.

[Glaucon]

I am reading Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler. This book can be very slow at times because of Hitler's horrible writing style. He goes into many rants and he drags his topics on for far to long, but it is very interesting.

[Expletive Deleted]

I'm reading Iain Banks's THE BUSINESS, about a very old, very powerful, very secretive corporation. It's pretty light on plot, but the characters are engaging.

[Memo]

Whoa?? A Tibor Fischer fan?? I've never met one before. You must read the "Thought Gang" if you haven't already.
That was the first book I read. I picked it up on a whim at a used book store because the first sentence was so funny. I then ordered his other 4 books hoping "Thought Gang" wasn't a fluke.

[ghostrider666]

When Eagles Screamed. An out of print book about a soldiers rememberances of being a paratrooper on the 101st in WW2.

[Deathstroke]

I finally finished reading the Perri O'Shaughnessy novel Invasion of Privacy.

Next up is going to be John Sandford's Naked Prey.

[berk]

I just finished E.F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia, which was very enjoyable, although I'm hoping Lucia gets a little comeuppance in the next book in the series; she had things a little too much her own way in this one.

Memo and Davideaux: for someone who's never read any Tibor Fischer, which book is the best to begin with? Or does it matter?

[Mellifera]

Frank Herbert Dune

I just finished that last week. Now I'm practically done Dune Messiah.

[Davideaux]

Memo and Davideaux: for someone who's never read any Tibor Fischer, which book is the best to begin with? Or does it matter?

I'd say begin with "the Thought Gang". In my opinion it is wonderfully funny and degenerate. The story has many touching moments also. It's about a disgraced philosophy teacher who turns to a life of crime. Another worthy book to try is Fischer's first novel, "Under the Frog." It's the story of Hungarian (or Czech) basketball players under Communist rule. It's funny but I thought a little dense with history and politics. I read it after the Thought Gang when maybe I should have read it before it because I was expecting something as frantic as "Thought Gang". Fischer's novels get progressively wilder but I think his first two are my favorites so far.

[berk]

Thanks for the advice, Davideaux. I was leaning towards Thought Gang myself, just based on the little I read at amazon.com.

Right now I'me reading Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami; this is the first book I've read by Murakami and so far I'm pretty impressed.

[Memo]

Thought Gang is a good place to start. Though The Collector Collector is just as mad and beautiful- If you like random acts of hilarity.
I'm about to crack Under the Frog. It looks different- in comparison.

[berk]

Thanks Memo. Thought Gang it is. Though I must admit, I'm fascinated by the title of Voyage to the End of the Room. But I do want to try one of the earlier ones first, and Thought Gang is the one that's caught my interest, especially since both you and Davideaux recommend it.

[howyadoin]

I just finished that last week. Now I'm practically done Dune Messiah.Feel free to add any comments or questions here (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=118), then.

[Patient Boy]

I'm reading Franz Kafka's The Trial for school.

[Expletive Deleted]

China Mieville's THE SCAR, the pseudo-sequel to PERDIDO STREET STATION.

[DrDoomX]

Stephen Kings, Wolves of the Calla....

[Slam_Bradley]

I just finished Twice In Time by Manly Wade Wellman. This was one of horror/fantasist Wellman's infrequent forays in to science fiction. Originally published in 1940 it is a time travel tale that follows Leo Thrasher's adventures in Renaissance Florence, Italy. Interesting book with a twist ending, it owes a bit to De Camp's earlier "Lest Darkness Fall," and looks forward to Moorcock's brilliant, "Behold the Man."

Oh, I might add that Mort Weisinger was the editor of "Startling Stories" that bought this novella.

[Slappy san]

I put off reading this for a.... year (?!?!?!?!). I had read the previous 4 Alias novels and was entertained. Only after I got it did I sit back and realize I didnt really want to read about Vaughan. I would rather read about Marshall.

Well I finially started it reading it yesterday and I'm hooked. The only bad thing about this book is the mention of the Matrix Trilogy which would not have been out when this books supposedly took place.

Hey 'Stroke, do you recommend the next book in the series?

[Bookman]

In the last 2 weeks I've read:

Empire of Darkness - Christian Jacq
The Enemy - Lee Child
The Real Thing - Brian Falkner
Diary of a Fat Man - Paul Jeffries
Biography of Peter Jackson - Ian Pryor
Scaredy Cat - Mark Billingham
How to train your Dragon - Cressida Cowell
From 0 to 130 properties in 3.5 years - Steve McKnight

I am just about to begin Shadow - K.J.Parker, which is the first book in the Scavenger Trilogy.

[Deathstroke]

Hey 'Stroke, do you recommend the next book in the series?

Yes.

So far every Alias TV Tie In novel I've read has been great.

Somehow I missed the "Father Figure" novel though.

[effae]

I just finished reading The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. I couldn't put it down! I know, its chic lit, but its a guilty pleasure (and as I'm a girl, I'm allowed to like it).

[Slam_Bradley]

Read the Manly Wade Wellman short story "The Timeless Tomorrow" last night. Originally published in 1947, it is an interesting little piece dealing with Nostradomus, time travel and witch-hunting. Well worth a short time spent reading.

[berk]

Bookman said

In the last 2 weeks I've read:

Empire of Darkness - Christian Jacq
The Enemy - Lee Child
The Real Thing - Brian Falkner
Diary of a Fat Man - Paul Jeffries
Biography of Peter Jackson - Ian Pryor
Scaredy Cat - Mark Billingham
How to train your Dragon - Cressida Cowell
From 0 to 130 properties in 3.5 years - Steve McKnight

I am just about to begin Shadow - K.J.Parker, which is the first book in the Scavenger Trilogy.

Two weeks?!! You really have earned the right to your posting name.

[Bookman]

Two weeks?!! You really have earned the right to your posting name.
Thank you. Paraphrasing Jim Carrey,

I like to read. I like to read a lot!

[Perry Holley]

The Transition of H.P. Lovecraft: The Road To Madness - a miscallany of Lovecraft's stories, ranging from his early stories written as a teenager, to stuff he helped ghost write and re-write for others, to various other odds and ends.

Wither by J.G. Passarella - horror story set in modern day New England, with good characterization, excellent pacing, and no small amount of humor mixed in with the horror. I'm about 2/3 through this one, and really enjoying it.

[Banner]

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum


How do you like it? I almost picked it up the other day, but went with Neil Gaiman's American Gods. (I'm half way through and it's okay so far).

Banner

[I Must Break U]

I am currently reading a book on relationships written by my professor entitled " building sustainable marriage relationships while healing the pain of divorce". Surprisingly it is a good read.

[dougputhoff]

I just finished read Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. I don't necessarily agree with some of what she wrote about punctuation, but it was an interesting--and oftentimes funny--read.

[Slappy san]

The Long Kiss Goodnight by Randall Boyll

[Slam_Bradley]

I just finished The Man of Bronze by Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent), the very first Doc Savage Tale from way back in 1933. It's been at least 20 years since I've read any Doc. Nice introductory tale. We get to meet Doc and his assistants, learn a little back-story, have some exotic adventure, kill some bad guys. Good depression-era pulp fun.

[i_mmmchocolate]

Hooking Up by Tom Wolfe

[Karl J. Barnes]

Hooking Up by Tom Wolfe

Sounds like a dating book. What's it about,really?

[i_mmmchocolate]

Sounds like a dating book. What's it about,really?

It's a collection of essays that Tom Wolfe published before.

The first essay is about sexual relations/popular culture/ETC in today's times. He goes into what exactly "hooking up" is today, and what it meant a long time ago. So far the first two essays are great!

[Buzz Maverik]

The Sea-Hawk by Rafael Sabatini. I'm having a Sabatini swashbuckling summer. Just finished SCARAMOUCHE, next up CAPTAIN BLOOD, then THE HOUNDS OF GOD.

[cactusmaac]

A History of the Modern World by Paul Johnson.

[jessecuster]

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right by Al Franken

Oh and cracking up all along

[Deathstroke]

I had meant to start John Sanford's Naked Prey, but I came across Faye Kellerman's Street Dreams in paperback last week.

I bought it and I read that first.

Now I'll start the Sanford novel.

[Lone Ranger]

Right now, I am reading (or re-reading after 10 years):

See How They Ran - Gil Troy

It is a history of American presidential campaigns. It is very well written and is certainly a timely heading into this next election.

Troy is a professor who has taught at Harvard and McGill (where he taught me) - I am not sure if it's still in print, but it is certainly worth tracking down fan anyone who really loves election related history.

[Banner]

I just finished The Man of Bronze by Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent), the very first Doc Savage Tale from way back in 1933. It's been at least 20 years since I've read any Doc. Nice introductory tale. We get to meet Doc and his assistants, learn a little back-story, have some exotic adventure, kill some bad guys. Good depression-era pulp fun.

Nice read! I've got a bunch of the old paperbacks from the 60's and 70's. I dust one off ever now and then and read it again. The first Doc Savage I read was "Mad Mesa" and I was hooked. Sometime latter I was able to get "The Man of Bronze" and see how it all started.

[Banner]

I'm looking for a fast moving thriller (would prefer a sci-fic flavor, but not neccessary). Tami Hoag seems to be a good choice (without the sci-fi). I've yet to read the first book. I'm bidding on Kill the Messenger now on ebay. Any suggestions from readers????

[noodleboy]

I put The Master & Margarita down for now, it is quite interesting...but right now I am in the mood for horror and simple written mystery. So with all that said.....

Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z. Brite...I've read Drawing Blood and Lost Souls and had mixed reactions, but I did like some of her writing so I figured why not since it's a library book.

Then next up will be Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich...8th book in the Stephanie Plum bounty hunter series. It's really easy to breeze through and sometimes quite funny. Every now and then I like to read a fun book and the time will be soon.

[Deathstroke]

I'm looking for a fast moving thriller (would prefer a sci-fic flavor, but not neccessary). Tami Hoag seems to be a good choice (without the sci-fi). I've yet to read the first book. I'm bidding on Kill the Messenger now on ebay. Any suggestions from readers????

Tami Hoag had a couple of good novels but I lost interest in her when I read one novel that was a thriller in the beginning and end, then 300 pages of putrid romance novel, in between.

I know she was a romance novelist before switching to thrillers but this was just BAD!

I recommend Night Sins. That was a kickass book.

[Perry Holley]

Lessee, currently reading...

Swords Against Darkness, vol 5, edited by Andrew Offutt

Sanctuary: An Epic Tale Of Thieves' World, by Lynn Abbey

[Karl J. Barnes]

Sanctuary: An Epic Tale Of Thieves' World, by Lynn Abbey

Was it any good? I used to love the shared world anthology Thieve's World though as it went along it got to be very silly.

[Perry Holley]

Was it any good? I used to love the shared world anthology Thieve's World though as it went along it got to be very silly.Haven't finished it yet. So far, it's not bad, but to be honest as it's basically one long novel (as opposed to a short-story anthology like the original TW books), it loses a bit of the uniqueness that the original TW books had. Also, while I understand that this is basically setting the stage for a new TW series that will be more in the shared-world format of the original, the fact that this is set some half-century later than when we left off at the end of Stealer's Sky kinda deflates some of the impact of what happened to some of the original characters. Without giving anything away, some stuff that occurs (in retrospect) to some of the original cast, which would have been shocking had it occured in the original books, loses a bit of it's oomph, since it's over 50 years later, and we know that they're probably dead by now anyways.

That said, I'm still reading it, which means I'm still enjoying it.

[Slam_Bradley]

Just finished up Foundation by Isaac Asimov. It's been a good 10 years since I've read it. It never ceases to amaze me how Asimov can keep these tales interesting with very little action. Not your typical space opera.

[i_mmmchocolate]

The 1920's

[Glaucon]

The Crusades by Geoffrey Hindley
Very good general history book. I strongly recommend it to anyone else with a general interest in the Crusades. Probably not detailed enough if you are writing your thesis in Medieval history, but well written for the public.

[berk]

The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose.

[Gordon Smith]

I am commencing to read Beowulf and the Critics, by one J. R. R. Tolkien. Michael D. C. Droust edited the work.