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I just began It by Stephen King for probably the 4th time. Sometimes, you just want to take a break from reading your normal stuff and get back to a childhood favorite. I think of classic books from Stephen King as my palate cleanser in between meals.
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Mar 18, 2011 01:15
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Just finished the last book "The Eagle" in Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicle's. This was a very well written Arthurian Legend series - 9 books in all. The series starts with the Roman's vacating Brittania and ends with Arthur's crowning moment. A nice twist, which isn't a spoiler is that the author writes a mini-story around Excalibur - in the book its a sword with "magical" properties because it was formed w/ ore from a meteorite. Hence its strength - simple but elegant. All in all I'd give it a 10 out of 10. Excellent storyline (even though well known), plot development (Cornwall vs Pendragon), and characters (two generations). I might just read it again.
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Mar 18, 2011 01:55
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Picked up Rashomon and other stories today. I just watched (and loved) the movie and I'm curious to see how it compares. I also grabbed a couple of used books, too: Stephen Bach's Final Cut a book about Heaven's Gate, the movie that killed an entire film studio, and Prometheus Bound, another Greek tragedy I've been meaning to read.
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Mar 18, 2011 05:34
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Started seriously reading Sarita Mandanna's Tiger Hills today. I kind of took a risk buying it since this is her first book and it was just published a little over a week ago but I'm really enjoying it so far. It's about the relationship between two young people in late-1800s South India, from when they were inseparable best friends as little kids to when the boy falls in love with the girl, even though she swore to marry a famous hunter when she was just ten and stands by that even when she grows up. It's not usually my kind of story, but the prose is really good so far. I'm still not too far into it, but I'm really liking this so far
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Mar 18, 2011 05:53
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barkingclam posted:Picked up Rashomon and other stories today. I just watched (and loved) the movie and I'm curious to see how it compares. I also grabbed a couple of used books, too: Stephen Bach's Final Cut a book about Heaven's Gate, the movie that killed an entire film studio, and Prometheus Bound, another Greek tragedy I've been meaning to read. Akutagawa is quite the story teller and I hope you enjoy his work.
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Mar 18, 2011 07:03
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A third of the way into Old Man's War by John Scalzi, voted the best SFF book of the last decade on Tor.com It's absolutely hilarious and full of a ton of nifty ideas. I particularly like that every character has an overly friendly computer implanted in their brain, and the main character names his "rear end in a top hat". Also there is a pretty cool gay secondary character who has had some good lines.
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Mar 18, 2011 14:12
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Just started The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I'm quite a bit behind, I know! I've been meaning to read it for years, and decided to finally start it. It's quite funny so far (first dozen pages or less).
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Mar 20, 2011 05:55
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Just started Pink Boots and a Machete. It's about Mireya Mayor, the host of the National Geographic Wild channel. I'm not too far in, but it's really interesting. She goes from being a cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins to a jungle explorer. Really inspires the urge to travel, and I'm only a few chapters in. Some of the stories and pictures she hints at are just goddamn insane (one day from death on her first journey, sleeping on a mountainside in a tent held up by a single pin, charging gorillas). Just the idea that this stuff actually happened to a person is amazing.
Axel Serenity fucked around with this message at 07:18 on Mar 21, 2011 |
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Mar 21, 2011 07:13
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Just started the Doc Savage pulp serial novels, from the thirties -- the first one's The Man in Bronze. It's pretty hilariously bad and also pretty hilariously awesome, at least so far. There are several hundred of them, so I'll see how far I get. I may do a thread on thirties pulp sometime soon -- cover Doc Savage, Fu Manchu, perhaps a few others.
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Mar 21, 2011 13:07
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Just got Women by Bukowski and And the Hippos were Boiled in their Tanks by Burroughs and Kerouac. Have started on Women and it's pretty good so far. The simple and straightforward narrative was just what I needed after reading books like Naked Lunch and Gravity's Rainbow >_<
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Mar 22, 2011 14:33
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I myself have finally found Deep Black by Andy McNab (took me ages to find this...) and have started it. Very good read, as it's a typical McNab. Also got Brute Force when I got Deep Black, as my next read; since I didn't want to go any further into his series without reading the others.
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Mar 23, 2011 10:03
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I'm almost halfway through The Trial. It's interesting how K. changes as he realizes more about the goings-on behind the trial; I love how arrogant he's getting.  Also just started On the Road by Jack Kerouac. Only 40 pages in but I like the style. It was recommended to me by Doug on the show Weeds, ha. ALSO This morning the university library emailed me saying my request of The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin came in. I friggin love the library but 3 books at once is my limit.
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Mar 24, 2011 05:14
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I've made a start on Dante's Inferno, the Penguin Classic version translated by Robin Kirkpatrick. I read Cantos 1-10 last night and was surprised at how quickly those two chaps breeze on through those circles of hell, Virgil is a power walker! I'm not too sure what to make of this translation. I awaited the infamous line 'abandon all hope ye who enter here' and was instead greeted with 'surrender as you enter every hope you have'. It's hard to know which translation is moth faithful to the original text, although I admit I like Kirkpatricks as I looked upon the Hellgate in a totally new way.. I've also noticed he puts a translators spin on certain names. In circle 3 he is talking to Ciacco, yet in the English he is called Hoggo. Hmm.
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Mar 24, 2011 09:13
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I just started The Given Day by Dennis Lehane.
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Mar 24, 2011 11:43
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Dr Scoofles posted:I've made a start on Dante's Inferno, the Penguin Classic version translated by Robin Kirkpatrick. I read Cantos 1-10 last night and was surprised at how quickly those two chaps breeze on through those circles of hell, Virgil is a power walker! Internet says my complete set (Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso) is the best. It's translated by Mandelbaum.
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Mar 24, 2011 12:51
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I'm just starting High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. I read Juliet, Naked back in January as my inaugural book for 2011's plan to read 52 books this year, and I really enjoyed it. I've heard this one is even better, so I finally gave in and picked up a copy at a used bookshop. Hopefully I like it as well as I did Juliet, Naked.
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Mar 24, 2011 13:29
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Wen't and picked up "The Lost Gate" by Orson Scott Card on audio book (I do a lot of driving). I listened to the entire Ender/Shadow saga on CD and I'm really looking forward to hearing part 1 of the Mirthmages saga. There's just something about Stefan Rudniki's voice that is so soothing.
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Mar 24, 2011 17:48
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soupcan58 posted:I'm just starting High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. One of my favorite books ever. Such a great story.
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Mar 25, 2011 14:25
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I just started The Judging Eye by R. Scott Bakker, the first book of the Aspect-Emperor trilogy. We used to have a Prince of Nothing thread, and since the second A-E book is right around the corner I was thinking of starting a PoN/A-E thread. I'm about 1/3rd of the way through this book so far and it's definitely a worthy follow-up.
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Mar 25, 2011 21:29
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I just started LA Confidential. It's pretty good, I like the writing style, and the vernacular is interesting. Them using words like beef, hard-on, and beat really put you in 1951.
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Mar 26, 2011 04:31
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Just started Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, can't stop reading. The ranch and the characters living in it are so drat fascinating!
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Mar 26, 2011 18:26
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Beastie posted:I just started LA Confidential. It's pretty good, I like the writing style, and the vernacular is interesting. Them using words like beef, hard-on, and beat really put you in 1951. Great book. Also my favorites by him are White Jazz and The Black Dahlia.
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Mar 26, 2011 20:53
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Beastie posted:I just started LA Confidential. It's pretty good, I like the writing style, and the vernacular is interesting. Them using words like beef, hard-on, and beat really put you in 1951. I love Ellroy. You should really read the whole L.A. Quartet (The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential and White Jazz) and then the Underworld USA series that came after them (American Tabloid, The Cold Six Thousand and Blood's a Rover) in that order. They are all one long series and are, with the exception of the classics like Chandler and James Cain, as good as pulp/crime writing gets in my opinion.
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Mar 27, 2011 00:10
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Old Janx Spirit posted:I love Ellroy. You should really read the whole L.A. Quartet (The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential and White Jazz) and then the Underworld USA series that came after them (American Tabloid, The Cold Six Thousand and Blood's a Rover) in that order. They are all one long series and are, with the exception of the classics like Chandler and James Cain, as good as pulp/crime writing gets in my opinion. I am amazed no one has made White Jazz into a movie.
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Mar 27, 2011 02:03
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nate fisher posted:I am amazed no one has made White Jazz into a movie. Paging Curtis Hanson.
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Mar 27, 2011 02:32
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I'm about 15 chapters into the first Wheel of Time book Eye of the World. I wanted to check out the series sooner or later and so far it's great although I'm probably going to have to take breaks in between books.
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Mar 27, 2011 22:15
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Speaking of Ellroy I picked-up a book he recommended, Savages by Don Winslow. It is one of those modern day California drug crime novels. So far pretty loving good. Really enjoying it! Also just read that Oliver Stone is adapting it into a movie. Maybe he can finally make a good movie again (I doubt it).
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Mar 28, 2011 02:26
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The fact that the Freehold Borders is closing is a bad thing. I the past two months, I got the following: Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson Sunset Park by Paul Auster An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin You Lost Me There by Rosecrans Baldwin Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon The New Yorker Presents 20 Under 40 To top it all off after those purchases, I went through all the books I brought when I was going to school and never had a chance to read because of all the stuff that I had to read, including the ones that are on my Nook and it turns out that I have to read 115 books before I buy any more. I really hate my life right now, but at least I'll be set for a while.
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Mar 28, 2011 05:53
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screenwritersblues posted:Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson Be sure and let us know what you thought of this one. I love Craig Ferguson and really enjoyed his autobiography, but if I'm correct this is a serious novel? I'm still contemplating buying it.
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Mar 28, 2011 23:45
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I just started Peter F. Hamilton's 'The Reality Dysfunction'. It jumps right in, and is kind of daunting, but I pressed through the big words and metric system of the opening battle, and then through even bigger words and even more metric system of the Blackhawk scene, to have it finally slow down. I think I'm finally getting the gist of the world. I have to say that I'm already thinking the Edenists are stupid. They remind me of philosophy majors.
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Mar 29, 2011 01:41
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I just got Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne, I got it in French. The book is not science fiction like most of Jules Verne's works. And also Orientalism by Edward Said, it speaks of the attitude of the Western society towards the East. I think this phrase from wikipedia best explains what the book is about "subtle and persistent Eurocentric prejudice against Arabo-Islamic peoples and their culture". Might also get two more books by end of the week.
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Mar 29, 2011 22:09
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screenwritersblues posted:The fact that the Freehold Borders is closing is a bad thing. I the past two months, I got the following: Do they have any store-closing sales, or is everything still normal prices?
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Mar 29, 2011 22:24
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Arnold of Soissons posted:Do they have any store-closing sales, or is everything still normal prices? It's the last week and its 50-70% off. The last time I was there, it was pretty slim pickings and it was down to pretty much to two shelves of fiction and everything else wasn't selling. Unless you what a lot of crap, then don't bother going. If you want cheap random books, then by all means go.
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Mar 30, 2011 02:05
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I just started The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. It's a somewhat modern English translation, though well done and still poetic (I'm using the Nevill Coghill translation). Can I say I've still read it even though it's not in Middle English? Sometimes I feel like I'm cheating. I can stumble through the Middle English okay if I take my time with it and look up some of the words/have a side-by-side translation, but I don't want to spend half a year reading it.
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Mar 30, 2011 02:57
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Ulio posted:And also Orientalism by Edward Said, it speaks of the attitude of the Western society towards the East. I think this phrase from wikipedia best explains what the book is about "subtle and persistent Eurocentric prejudice against Arabo-Islamic peoples and their culture". I know this isn't a book, but if your interested there is a pretty decent documentary called Reel Bad Arabs which discusses Orientalism in cinema. Pfirti86 posted:I just started The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. It's a somewhat modern English translation, though well done and still poetic (I'm using the I would say yes. A translation is a translation, be it from Middle English, French, Italian and so on. Like I posted earlier, I'm reading the Commedia in English and I am aware that it is not sticking entirely to the original Italian, I'm still reading the book though. I find I can only understand Middle English if I read it out loud and force myself to phoneticize the words.
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Mar 30, 2011 08:51
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screenwritersblues posted:It's the last week and its 50-70% off. The last time I was there, it was pretty slim pickings and it was down to pretty much to two shelves of fiction and everything else wasn't selling. Unless you what a lot of crap, then don't bother going. If you want cheap random books, then by all means go. Sounds like it's not worth the trip, then. Thanks for the info. Pfirti86 posted:Can I say I've still read it even though it's not in Middle English? Sometimes I feel like I'm cheating. I can stumble through the Middle English okay if I take my time with it and look up some of the words/have a side-by-side translation, but I don't want to spend half a year reading it. I think if you say "I read {something not written in English}" as an English speaking person in an English speaking country that people assume you read a translation. Otherwise you'd probably say "I read {something not written in English} in the original {not English}." I'd say that I've read Count Of Monte Cristo, (I don't read French.) I'd say I read Ovid's Metamorphasis in the original Latin.
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Mar 30, 2011 13:38
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Arnold of Soissons posted:I think if you say "I read {something not written in English}" as an English speaking person in an English speaking country that people assume you read a translation. Otherwise you'd probably say "I read {something not written in English} in the original {not English}." Yeah, that's how I normally role (I'm impressed with your Latin skills though, I only made it out of 101 a few years ago and I've forgotten most of my grammar  ). I feel like this is a little different though, as it's still in a form of English that is vaguely readable. Another example would be those new 'translations' of Shakespeare you can get from the 'No Fear Shakespeare' books; people have rewritten line-for-line entire plays in modern English. Sure, it makes them more understandable and is a nice aid for high school kids, but it kills the beauty that is inherent in reading a Shakespeare play as originally written, and if someone claimed they read the play and they only read something like that (and not the original), I don't know if I'd buy that. Not to be too pedantic or anything.End derail.
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Mar 30, 2011 13:58
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Just started Gregory David Roberts' Shantaram on the recommendation of a co-worker. I'd never heard of it, but the Amazon reviews make it sound like one of the best books ever. It better be good; it's a long bastard.
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Mar 30, 2011 14:26
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Just starting Midnight's Children because according to my dad, that's the best place to start with Rushdie (though if I hear enough people arguing for Satanic Verses instead, I could be swayed.)
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Mar 30, 2011 15:45
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dinosaurtrauma posted:Just starting Midnight's Children because according to my dad, that's the best place to start with Rushdie (though if I hear enough people arguing for Satanic Verses instead, I could be swayed.) Satanic Verses, which is a fine book in its own right, has a certain notoriety as result of the fatwa it earned Rushdie. But Midnight's Children is the work that made him relevant as an author (and is generally regarded as his best work).
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Mar 30, 2011 17:28
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