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I just finished a few. First was Christopher Moore's A Dirty Job. This was the first I read by him, and I enjoyed it alot. It was pretty funny, and kept me entertained. I'm going to have to pick up some more of his stuff pretty soon. After that was The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. This was also pretty good. It's a memoir of her childhood, and definitely worth reading. Then I read Augusten Burrow's Running with Scissors. It was kind of funny, but I didn't think it was great. I had heard alot about this book, and I guess I was expecting more from it. It was interesting, though.
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Feb 19, 2007 19:42
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I just finished Frankenstein, which was one of the most tragic and human stories I've ever read. I have no idea where anyone in Hollywood got their version, because it is categorically wrong. The Monster is super intelligent and super fast, not some lumbering idiot. Where did they even get that from? The design of him could still be used... but the Monster can RUN. He can leap up mountains and across the icy tundra. Also, this book is 100% filmable... I just don't get why no one has ever done it. It wouldn't be a horror movie, per-say. More of a tragedy punctuated by jump scares. But still, it's perfectly doable. I want my accurate Frankenstein movie.
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Feb 19, 2007 20:19
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I just finished Dave Egger's A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. The style of the novel was so god damned fantastic I am now pissed off that I cannot write in the same style in the future, as it's been created, polished, and mastered in this one book. I really don't want to explain the basis of the thing, but rest assured, whoever the hell reads the forum: The title, it is a loving accurate title.
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Feb 19, 2007 20:43
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Zero Karizma posted:I just finished Frankenstein, which was one of the most tragic and human stories I've ever read. I have no idea where anyone in Hollywood got their version, because it is categorically wrong. The Monster is super intelligent and super fast, not some lumbering idiot. Where did they even get that from? The design of him could still be used... but the Monster can RUN. He can leap up mountains and across the icy tundra. Dean Koontz <shudder> has done an extension of Frankenstein called Prodigal Son which I found entertaining to read. He actually co-wrote them which means they might not be his words at all  .Anyways...there are currently two books of a yet-to-be-finished trilogy and the story is set in the current era. I won't reveal more, but it's worth a read if you can get by the stereotypical supporting characters surrounding Frankenstein.
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Feb 20, 2007 00:23
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DJ ChemE posted:Dean Koontz <shudder> has done an extension of Frankenstein called Prodigal Son which I found entertaining to read. He actually co-wrote them which means they might not be his words at all Ah, the classic Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell As Written By David Michaels syndrome!  http://www.amazon.com/Clancys-Splin...ie=UTF8&s=books
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Feb 20, 2007 00:35
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Zero Karizma posted:I just finished Frankenstein, which was one of the most tragic and human stories I've ever read. I have no idea where anyone in Hollywood got their version, because it is categorically wrong. The Monster is super intelligent and super fast, not some lumbering idiot. Where did they even get that from? The design of him could still be used... but the Monster can RUN. He can leap up mountains and across the icy tundra. Kenneth Branagh's version of it is pretty close to the book. I really enjoyed it. And Frankstein is probably one of the best books ever. My literature course in college we read the book and watched Branagh's version and compared the two.
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Feb 20, 2007 01:59
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calandryll posted:Kenneth Branagh's version of it is pretty close to the book. I really enjoyed it. And Frankstein is probably one of the best books ever. My literature course in college we read the book and watched Branagh's version and compared the two. Doesn't the monster not talk in that, either? Plus I thought I read that he actually makes a Bride monster or something.
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Feb 20, 2007 03:54
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I just finished Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson. The stuff in this book is probably old-hat for big history buffs, but I think Swanson tells the tale so well that those who know the events well will still get swept up in the excitement. For people like me who never got to study this moment in American History classes, the entire book was a revelation. I had no idea that Booth escaped capture at Ford's Theater, or that other members of Lincoln's cabinet narrowly avoided assassination that night as well. I also had no clue that the racist prima-donna jackass Booth was such a looker.
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Feb 20, 2007 10:00
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nabukii posted:I just finished a few. First was Christopher Moore's A Dirty Job. This was the first I read by him, and I enjoyed it alot. It was pretty funny, and kept me entertained. I'm going to have to pick up some more of his stuff pretty soon. That is one of my last reads, too. I've read the German translation, though. And now I am curious as to what the Russian nurse's/neighbour's catchphrase is originally. Everything is "like bear" if you would translate it back to English.
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Feb 20, 2007 12:35
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The Clumsiest People in Europe: Or, Mrs. Mortimer's Bad-Tempered Guide to the Victorian World, edited by Todd Pruzan. Two hundred pages of calumny and libel against every race, ethnicity, and nation of the world (except the English and some of the peoples who are almost English) for children of the early Victorian era. Bad Astronomy by Phil Plait, operator of the website of the same name. Astrologers, UFOlogists, creationists, moon deniers, kooks, and other freaks are attacked over the course of this book as the author tries to knock the bunk out of each of them. I'm part of the choir to whom he was already preaching so my views are pre-colored.
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Feb 21, 2007 03:16
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The Partly Cloudy Patriot, by Sarah Vowell. I had read Sarah's Assassination Vacation, and don't recall being annoyed with her as much as I was with this collection of essays. Her writing is good (not great) when talking about subjects other then herself, but when she slips into autobiography mode, the effect actually sickens me. I have no problem with essayists writing about themselves (I'm a fan of David Sedaris), but Sarah's attempts to paint herself as a quirky-yet-lovable gal in the big city who does zaanny things like chop celery to the B-52s "Rock Lobster" (and in case you weren't sure, she drops in several of these examples so you know how lovably wacky she is) bore and irritate me. TPCP was way too cutesy for me. Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut. Out of all the Vonnegut books I've read, this one was the least focused on plot - although this didn't harm the novel. BoC felt like an almanac to me, with Vonnegut sharing stories and defining concepts in ways that were cutting and sometimes charming. The illustrations are a nice touch, and even though BoC is quirky, by the end, the story is actually somewhat moving. With BoC, Vonnegut is not at all tied down to the trappings of fiction, and I think this works in his favor; this book feels like pure, unadulterated Vonnegut. I recently heard that there is a movie version of this, which I have filed away in the "How the gently caress?" area of my brain. bobservo fucked around with this message at 05:36 on Feb 21, 2007 |
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Feb 21, 2007 05:17
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The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier One sentence synopsis: There exists a city where the remembered dead live on, and we are introduced to it parallel to the story of Laura Byrd, a wildlife biologist deployed in Antarctica by Coca-Cola in the near-future. The novel's premise would work as a short story, but it lacks life [unsurprisingly]. For instance: Throughout the novel, none of the characters are described. At all. That's poor writing, to me. And the book seems to plod on and on when anyone with half a wit has gotten the point already. I wanted to read a good novel, but it looks like I'll have to crack open Cloud Atlas or Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell for that. 
aude omnia fucked around with this message at 06:49 on Feb 21, 2007 |
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Feb 21, 2007 06:45
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I just finished Bill Maher's 2002 book: When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Osama. It was right in the aftermath of 9/11 and his decision to say that suicide bombers are evil, but not "cowardly." (An opinion I still give him credit for expressing... hell, someone needed to!) Bill's gone apeshit California latte-sippin' hippie in recent days, but it's good to know that when I look back at his opinions during the 9/11 aftermath, they're still about 85 - 90% in sync with my own. It's not going to convert any non-believers, but if you like Bill, you'll probably like this book. I'm glad I finally read it.
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Feb 21, 2007 20:31
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I just finished John Ringo/David Webers We few. It was really a good series, in my opinion. It's the end of a series chronicling the journey of Roger MacClintock, having been sabotaged in space, and hisjourney with a troop of marines halfway across a barbarian planet. I don't really want to give everything away.. I think that any fans of Military Sci-fi would enjoy the series (March Upcountry, March to the Sea, March to the Stars, and We Few). Currently reading Cally's War by John Ringo, as well as Life of an Amorous Woman by Ihara Saikaku (for a class, but it's interesting nonetheless).
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Feb 22, 2007 01:22
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Tedronai66 posted:I just finished John Ringo/David Webers We few. It was really a good series, in my opinion. Hahaha! These guys in this thread would like to speak with you.
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Feb 22, 2007 03:15
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The last book that I read that wasn't part of one of my courses was Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions. It is absolutely hilarious and has easily entered my top 5 favorite books of all time. I read it in one sitting. So god drat good. edit: Oh I guess someone has finished this too. Red_Giant fucked around with this message at 07:26 on Feb 22, 2007 |
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Feb 22, 2007 07:06
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The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalalaljaanin (if it was a good book I might've bothered to look up his name and spell it right) Two words to sum up the book: Unreliable Narrator. It's just under "it was all a dream!" for worst plot resolution device ever, and this book is a paint-by-numbers look at the technique. If you've read more than 1 book in your life, you'll know the "twist" ending after the first chapter. If you've only read 1 book ever and that book was "Fight Club" you'll still know the twist. I hate this book and so should you! Quick summary: Laurel was attacked and almost raped while biking three years ago and she's still freaked out about it. She works at a homeless shelter. One of the homeless guys they help dies and they find a bunch of photos he had, including some of Laurel just before she got attacked. Laurel tries to figure out who this guy is and why he was taking those pictures. Also the book The Great Gatsby is involved for some reason. SPOILERS Turns out the homeless guy was just a crazy homeless guy but his son was one of Laurel's attackers. Laurel actually was raped but blocked it out and her coping mechanism was making up a weird family history for the homeless guy that involved The Great Gatsby. THis might sound kinda cool but the way it's handled in the book is very average, and the fact that Laurel is making up most of her experiences causes most of the book to make no sense at all. Not in a "woah total mindfuck!" way either, just in a "that's loving stupid" way.
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Feb 23, 2007 04:02
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I'm on a serious readin' kick these days. Read & Reviewed: Rumble on the Bayou by Jana DeLeon. Blech. I think the only thing more soul-crushing than reading by-the-numbers romance would be writing it. DeLeon is a first-time author. It shows. Badly. Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde. Fforde is over his first-time jitters and the Thursday Next series is starting to kick real rear end. Check it out if you're into British humour and metafiction. Finished and on-deck for Review next week: Dope by Sara Gran. A modern noir. Gran has a good voice, very reminiscent of Chandler or Hammet. On the other hand, her well-researched "By God it's NYC in 1950 and don't you forget it!" setting gets dull, and her plot has the classic private eye problem: Talk to person, get new contact, talk to new contact, get clue, trace clue to next person, lather, rinse, repeat ad nauseam. It does have a nice double-reverse trick ending, though. Read but not Reviewed: Skin by Roald Dahl. Beautiful short fiction, though the common theme - "This is so pleasant and nice and OH GOD STEPHEN KING CONTENT OUT OF NOWHERE!" - starts to tire when you read the collection fast. Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. M'eh. I definitely agree with the underwhelmed response another goon already expressed about this. Relentlessly kooky, frequently funny, and it's got a definite dark side. Still it's quite unfocused, even for a memoir, and the ending - 'I shall become a writer so I can share all these zany experiences!' - made me want to plant those scissors in Burroughs's back.
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Feb 23, 2007 18:50
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Modern Life Is War posted:Casino Royale by Ian Fleming. Introduces sex, gambling, and tobacco addicted MI6 spy James Bond as he goes after KGB spies across Europe. Hey, me too!  I thought it started off a little slow but got better in the second half or so. I found it to be a little grittier then some of the other Bond novels.
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Feb 23, 2007 21:54
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I just finished the last book of the Dresden Files. I read the first four at the beginning of february, and last week I started with the fifth. They're great books, but not really deep or anything. Good entertainment. Think wizards in a contemporary setting, but more grown up than Harry Potter, and with pretty much every type of folklore critter thrown in. Faeries, vampires (in three varieties no less), werewolves (four types), dragons, holy knights of the Cross (with a capital C), demons, fallen angels, and so on. I can't wait for the next book to come out. Luckily, that'll be in April. Jim Butcher (the author) writes like a madman, almost as fast as Stephen King.
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Feb 23, 2007 22:16
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I just finished reading The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks. Its an interesting story about two groups, the Travelers who can seperate their souls (or Light as the book calls it) from their bodies and travel to different realms and the Bretheren who are trying to set up a Virtual Panopticon to control the world. The story is well written but the most interesting thing about the book is the author. Nobody knows anything about John Twelve Hawks, even his real name. He contacts his publisher and editor only through sat phones. No one knows where he lives or what he looks like, the man is an enigma. I would say that considering the subject matter of the book that this is only a way to drum up press for his book except for the fact that they don't tell you this anywhere in the book. I only found out when I was looking up information for the sequel.
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Feb 23, 2007 23:45
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The Black Ice by Michael Connelly. This is the 2nd of I think 11 Harry Bosch novels from Connelly (with the 12th on the way this year). The first, Black Echo, won the author an Edgar award for best first mystery novel. This one gets a little ridiculous in the commando, rogue detective scenario, but all-in-all was better than the first. I am one of the stubborn, read-them-in-order types. More to come...eventually.
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Feb 24, 2007 18:54
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just finished 1491 by Charles Mann (about the pre-Columbus Americas) http://www.amazon.com/1491-Revelati...ie=UTF8&s=books also just finished 1776 by David McCullough, which was a great book on the year 1776 in American history, I wish he would do 1777, 1778, etc... http://www.amazon.com/1776-David-McCullough/dp/0743226720/sr=8-1/qid=1172341208/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-9787871-4248147?ie=UTF8&s=books seems odd that both of the books had numerical titles but just a coincidence 
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Feb 24, 2007 19:21
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Wolf in Shadow(1987), by David Gemmell. now, alot of Gemmell stuff seems to be regurgitated across his different books/series, and there's almost always the same theme, redemption of the wicked/ugly/mean by being a hero, but... I keep going back, and this one was alot of fun. Hominids(2002), by Robert J Sawyer. What happens when Neanderthal physcists from a parallel universe open a hole into ours? culture shock, that's what! and the realisation that humans suck at life compared to Sawyer's Neanderthals. This book was interesting, but the conflict wasn't very gripping. It was, however, interesting enough that I picked up both sequels. Goblin Quest(2006), Jim C. Hines. This was one of the funniest fantasy books I've ever read, in the vein of Dungeon Keeper, it sets the monster as the hero. Hines pulls it off, though, and even the tensest moments are usually flecked with comedy. Plus, Wil Wheaton liked it!
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Feb 24, 2007 21:38
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DJ ChemE posted:Dean Koontz <shudder> has done an extension of Frankenstein called Prodigal Son which I found entertaining to read. He actually co-wrote them which means they might not be his words at all I bought this book (or the first in the series or something) on impulse once because I needed something to read, and after ten pages I threw it right in the trash. I've never done something like that before, it was just so goddamn awfully, embarrassingly written, I just couldn't take it. On the other hand, i just finished Hemingway's For Whom The Bell Tolls, and it was completely awesome. I guess there's a reason classics are classics.
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Feb 25, 2007 15:09
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Static Rook posted:Quick summary: Laurel was attacked and almost raped while biking three years ago and she's still freaked out about it. She works at a homeless shelter. One of the homeless guys they help dies and they find a bunch of photos he had, including some of Laurel just before she got attacked. Laurel tries to figure out who this guy is and why he was taking those pictures. Also the book The Great Gatsby is involved for some reason. Am I a huge nerd for immediately thinking, "Dude, that's almost exactly like the plot of The Maxx!"? I actually just finished My Tank is Fight!, but that's pretty light reading. Before that it was Shaw's Major Barbara. I absolutely love Shaw's ability to throw weighty ideas around in dialogue and thoroughly explore them without it seeming forced or unnatural to the characters. Of course, you really have to see it performed live for the full effect, but it's still great to re-read.
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Feb 25, 2007 16:32
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Slackerish posted:Does it at least draw you in faster than Cuckoo? :| Hmmm... well, there's an awful lot of slowish backstory in Sometimes a Great Notion, most of which continues throughout the book. I'd say that Cuckoo was actually easier to get into.
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Feb 26, 2007 01:05
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Just got through with Four Spirits by Sena Jeter Naslund. It's a look at racism in Birmingham, Alabama in the sixties. I liked her style. Her imagery is really good and the dialogue was well-written, but I'm just tired of reading about this subject. It's a huge formative period for the social landscape in the South, but it's something that I've read about and studied at every single level of education.
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Feb 26, 2007 06:05
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Tamburlaine, Doctor Faustus, Edward the Second, and The Jew of Malta - Christopher Marlowe. Albeit, they were required for my English course, but I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed these. As an English major, I have been getting really sick and tired of primarily studying the 16th and 17th century, but Marlowe's stuff has been wonderful so far. Hell, I'll go on to say I enjoy his works more than Shakespeare's - Marlowe seems to take a lot more risks with his plays, especially Edward the Second.
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Feb 27, 2007 18:02
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Just finished Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five. I read it years ago, but forgot a lot of it, so I figured it was time to fix that. Obviously, it was very good. I did like Cat's Cradle a little bit more though.
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Feb 27, 2007 18:41
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All of the following are audiobooks, as I have a two hour commute each day and not enough time to read real books anymore. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. This should have been the version Spielberg made. Victorian England being destroyed by Martians. Very cool and waaay ahead of its time. The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss. Kind of a tongue-in-cheek James Bond of late Victorian England - a nice "bit of fluff" as the author refers to it. Agent Lucifer Box has to save the world (or at least Europe) from an evil secret society. Just as a warning, Lucifer swings both ways and there are sections of the book showing this in detail... Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson. Dear God, this is quite possibly the best book I've read (listened to) in a long, long time. Now I wish I hadn't waited so long to pick it up. A mix of cyberpunk dystopian future, Middle Eastern myth, and black humor - an odd mix that works. Kind of an off kilter ending too - the closure you expect isn't quite there. Very cool book though - it contains the best pizza delivery scene you will ever read. And Fido. I think next up will be The Diamond Age also by Neil Stephenson. I figured that I liked the last one so much, maybe this one will be good too.
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Feb 27, 2007 20:44
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I just finished James Clavell's Shogun. It follows the journey of an English navigator who ends up marooned in Japan. Really hefty book, but engaging throughout (for a historical fiction nut like me, at least). Except for the sheer size, it's a fairly easy read, and isn't groundbreaking in any sense of the word- just the usual love! action! peril! I'm not sure how accurate it is in terms of portraying the cultural idiosyncracies of Japan at that point in time, but WOW. Committing suicide was a valid recreational activity over there, apparently.
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Feb 27, 2007 22:50
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I just finished reading The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, which I finally decided to read (I enjoy the movie a great amount), and for the most part I liked it, though I preferred some things in the movie more. I will next go back to Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, which I had read a chapter of but then forgotten about.
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Feb 27, 2007 23:20
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Just finished rashomon and the first book of the illuminatus! trilogy. Gonna finish reading Feather Men by Ranulph Fiennes... SAS in civvy street action ;>
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Feb 27, 2007 23:27
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I just finished Giles Foden's The Last King of Scotland, which I picked up before the movie came out and I just got around to reading it. I guess what I would say about it is that it has to be a better movie. Although originally written in English, and I'm a born and raised American, the character of Nicholas Garrigan is Scottish and I felt like a lot was lost in translation. That has NEVER bothered me before, but it really did in this book, as I felt some humor and character justifications were lost on me. It is strange, this book. I was reading it, and for the first time in a long time, thought, wow...this would make a great film. I can see the appeal in that aspect, for sure. (I haven't seen it yet!) I must say, however, that half way through the book, I began reading only because I was half way through it at that point. I couldn't wait for it the novel to finish, but I'm glad I read it. It makes the reader definitely thankful that he or she is not living in Amin's Uganda. Contradictory and strange, I suppose, but this post is the very definition of "mixed feelings".
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Feb 28, 2007 04:06
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I just finished Barack Obama's Dreams From My Father. My Mom gave it to me and I read it so there was something we could actually talk about, since she's become his number one fan. If I still had a college fund, she would have already given him all of it by now. The chapters about Kenya at the end were the hardest for me to get through. I guess it's because I'm an imperialistic white man. Next up is Under The Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty. I wanted to learn more about the depths of Norko crazy.
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Feb 28, 2007 06:55
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I just finished the Hostile Takover trilogy by S. Andrew Swann. The first book was assigned in my sci-fi class and I decided to finish the thing out. It's fairly typical space opera taking place on Bakunin, a completely anarchist planet. It wasn't bad, nothing special but fun reading. I haven't decided if I want to start another book or not, considering all the class reading I have. I'll either continue Under the Black Flag or start Neuromancer.
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Feb 28, 2007 09:04
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I just finished Counting Sheep: The Science and Pleasures of Sleep and Dreams by Paul Martin. This was quite the interesting read, and I learned alot about the importance of sleep, an importance that is greatly underestimated by American Society. Some of the information this book presented was unsurprising, but none-the-less eye opening. Martin has a casual writing style mixing information together with literary quotation, Shakespeare more often than not. One thing that alarmed me more than the damages of sleep deprivation was how often I fell asleep reading this book (and I'm not making a statement about the book's liveliness). I even rolled over and creased the front cover during one of my naps, a damning reminder of all the book said and warned about. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn a little more about how they're spending a third of their lifetime.
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Feb 28, 2007 09:54
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Four volumes of Henry Mayhew's Life and Labour of the London Poor. I usually read this at least once a year because it's pretty amazing in its scope. It's the 1861 edition and basically he just went all around London interviewing anyone who would grant him an interview. Pea-soup sellers, prostitues, mudlarks, ham sandwich men, watercress girls, dealers in street literature like lurid tales of murders... I just really love it. His writing is pretty excellent even for the standards of the day, there are a few passages that are just absolutely gorgeous. And even beyond that, a lot of it is told in "their own words"---he often just lets the interviewees speak for themselves. Just the sheer chaos of London of the era comes right through. You get such a drat clear picture of how crowded, loud, and dirty and alive it really was. (Also it's available online.)
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Feb 28, 2007 21:37
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Ender's Game again! I love this book! pew pew lazers (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Mar 1, 2007 05:44
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