What are you reading?

[ShiroiHikari]

Something From The Nightside, by Simon R. Green. It's...well, I've already read one of his other books so I know he can write better than this.

About to finish the unabridged Les Miserables. There are a lot of digressions about sewers and convents and things like that, but there's also a lot of rich detail that I missed in my abridged version, and I've enjoyed that.

Started reading The Belgariad by David Eddings. The beginning is boooooring. But then it makes a sudden gear change and gets interesting, so I'm enjoying it now that I've gotten past the opening chapters.

And I'm about to start A Game of Thrones.

[Atria35]

Nanny Ogg's Cookbook by Nanny Ogg and also Terry Pratchett, Stephen Briggs and Tina Hannan.

Is that an actual cookbook, and if so, are the recipies an good?

Oh, yeah! Managed to get Behemoth, second book in the Leviathan series. And the Terry Prachett books, Wyrd Sisters, Guards! Guards!, and Pyramids from the library.

[Nami]

Yes, yes, yes! So glad you liked it! Do plan on reading the sequels?

More on-topic, I'm reading Airman by Eoin Colfer.

I loved it. And yes I fully intend to read the sequels!!:3

Oh, tell me if that's good (I love Colfer's writing)

Currently I'm reading the 5th book in the Dreamhouse King Series called]Whirlwind[/B] written by Robert Liparulo. Excellent books. Good reads, great family feel and lots and lots of mystery. I love them so far. :3

[GeneD]

Is that an actual cookbook, and if so, are the recipies an good?

Yes it is. I am not sure if all the recipes are doable, but most of them seem to be legit. I haven't tried any yet though. There's also a large section on etiquette.

[ShiroiHikari]

Reading A Game of Thrones now. I started it yesterday and I've already read like 200 pages of it. It's addictive and I love the writing style, but it's sometimes hard to read because there's always something bad happening to SOMEBODY. Also many of the characters are dirty rotten so-and-sos. I am looking forward to seeing said so-and-sos get what's coming to them.

[Ally-Ann]

Just finished reading "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer". I love that book! =D

[MomentOfInertia]

Ach, Crivens! it's been almost a month since I posted in here.

Since I don't want to kill you I've read:

The first book in Terry Pratchet's Tiffany Aching series: The Wee Free Men
A wonderful book, silly enough for younger readers well written enough for their parents/older siblings.

Just finished the second Tiffany Aching book: A Hat Full of Sky
Just as good as the first, if not better. The first book to make me laugh out loud in a long time.

Also re-read #4-10 of The Dresden Files. I'm getting a lot more of the over-arching plot this time trough. looking forward to the new one coming out in July. (I think.)

[JerRocks2day]

The Walking Dead volume 1
Bone volume 1
some Hellboy stories from Right Hand of Doom

just to name a few...

[Okami]

I just bought David Sheff's "Beautiful Boy." I've been wanting to read it for a couple years now, haven't had the money to buy it, and just found it yesterday for $3! 8D

[ich1990]

“His Autobiography” by Benjamin Franklin

Old Ben Franklin is a household name. Ask a child why they know if him and you will find that he is remembered, perhaps, because he penned such enduring bits of sage wisdom as “Little strokes fell great oaks” or “No gains without pains” in his Poor Richard's Almanac. More likely you will find he is remembered as the man who flew a kite in a thunderstorm and proved that lightening is merely electricity on a grand scale (a find which earned him a place in the Royal Society).

What he is not remembered for is his defense of the American frontier against French and Indian incursions. He is not remembered for establishing one of the first city wide fire departments in America. He is not remembered for inventing improvements to lamp lighting and heating stoves and refusing to patent them so all people could make use of them. He is not remembered for starting his own publishing business from scratch, without a penny to his name. He is not remembered for fighting for colonial rights in both the American and British political systems. He isn't remembered for this, but he did it all and more.

What is further, he accomplished all of this while being constantly taken advantage of by friends, family, politicians, generals, the British, and his fellow countrymen.

He is often called a Founding Father of America, or the epitome of the Self-Made American Man. After reading his story through his own humble, simple writings I am not inclined to argue. There is wisdom to be found in his autobiography and encouragement too. It is a pity that it is so incomplete. You should read it. 9/10

[uc pseudonym]

Well, I've been gone due to a dying electrical grid and now network issues. Hopefully I'm (mostly) back, but in any case lack of internet doesn't stop me from reading...

Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women by George McDonald

Someone said this was to modern fantasy what The Time Machine was to science fiction, so I had to read it (easy thanks to Project Gutenburg). It reads surprisingly modern for being in the neighborhood of 150 years old, but it still has the model of events happening without much plot or theme to unite them. What makes it notable is how different in form it is from the fairy tales of the surrounding time, presenting more unity than you generally see in such books.

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

A certain member here gave me feedback on my novel and noted that this book sounds extremely similar to mine, hence it was added to my reading list. There are a surprising number of similarities, but thankfully they go in different directions. For example, both magic systems use a metaphor of light, but while mine is abstract, Weeks has each part of the spectrum create a physical material of a different kind. Anyway, I'm glad the coincidence led me to read it. While it's not high on my priority list, I will keep it in mind when the sequels come out.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin

Though I don't have many negative things to say about the worldbuilding, characters, or prose, this novel was ultimately a disappointment. Very little is developed and the resolution has very little to do with anything the protagonist as done. I think I'll stop there instead of getting into all the other problems I had with the book.

Reading A Game of Thrones now. I started it yesterday and I've already read like 200 pages of it. It's addictive and I love the writing style, but it's sometimes hard to read because there's always something bad happening to SOMEBODY. Also many of the characters are dirty rotten so-and-sos. I am looking forward to seeing said so-and-sos get what's coming to them.

If you get through the first book without feeling too depressed, I think you'll enjoy the series. Bad things keep happening to people, but not as many as the series goes on. As "gritty" as it sells itself, I think the plot is likely to end more typically "happily ever after" than some might think.

[Ally-Ann]

I'm reading a classic; Alice in Wonderland. I'm loving it so far. C=

[the_wolfs_howl]

I finished Lord Sunday - what a great ending to the series! The climax was like

And I've read about half of Dostoyevsky's short story "The Dream of a Ridiculous Man." I think that's got to be my favorite beginning of all of his stories; I was immediately hooked. As ever with Dostoyevsky, I have no idea where any of it is going, but I keep reading because I know I'm going to love it by the end, whether I understand it or not.

[sh51]

reading Demonsbane, a diablo novel

[J.D3]

Currently reading Red Square Blues: A Beginner's Guide to the Decline & Fall of the Soviet Union by Kim Traill.
Never really knew much about Russia & the whole Soviet business, so this is quite helpful so far.

[FllMtl Novelist]

Finished Airman by Eoin Colfer, finally! Geez I should have hurried up with this. -_-

It was pretty good. I liked it better than what I read of Colfer's Artemis Fowl series. My only problem is, there was a plot thread that seemed to get mixed up near the end (which either I'm imagining, or it isn't a huge deal, because nobody in my family remembers it XD). I liked the characters and the attention Colfer paid to the details of the flying devices. Really appreciate those details, it makes it feel more real. [spoiler]And Uncle is my favorite minor character to get introduced in the last fifty or so pages. XD[/spoiler] I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have, because I read it so slowly (my fault), but it was good. I think you'd like it, Nami.

[sh51]

Reading Legacy Of Blood, a diablo novel by Richard A. Knaak

[Edward]

As soon as I finish Warbreaker, I'll start reading [s]Going Postal by Terry Pratchett.[/s] The Harry Potter series.

[Davidizer13]

I started up The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, and got halfway through it in a single day. It's the best book I've read in a long time, a true non-fiction page turner.

[ich1990]

“She Stoops to Conquer” by Oliver Goldsmith

Mis-information is a long standing staple of comedy, but it is a tricky stratagem. If the audience knows more than the characters, it can easily lead the reader to boredom as the characters rush about trying to catch up with the audience. This has happened to a great many works –even Shakespeare's “Twelfth Night” suffers to an extent. It is with admiration, then that I say that “She Stoops to Conquer” manages not only to avoid boredom, but also to play the misinformation card to humorous effect.

While some of the story relies on cultural standards that aren't readily apparent to the modern reader, most versions of the story have a small preface that will tell one about how countryside Inns operate or why it is polite to get the servants drunk. Just be sure that one reads the preface if it is available in order to understand most of the jokes.

While nothing is life changing or deep about the play, it is pretty good entertainment. A fine replacement for a evening's worth of sitcoms. 8/10.

[FllMtl Novelist]

Just finished the amazing Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld. The wait for the next (and last) book is going to kill me, I love this series! >_<

[Atria35]

Just finished the amazing Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld. The wait for the next (and last) book is going to kill me, I love this series! >_<

I started reading that, then left it back at my parents! I feel like an idiot- it was great!

[Xeno]

Just downloaded "Love Wins" by Rob Bell. Not sure how much I'll agree with the content of the book but a friend of mine read it and found it interesting. So I guess we'll see.

[Edward]

Putting Harry Potter on hold to read the Old Kingdom Trilogy by Garth Nix.

[uc pseudonym]

The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman

This is my first general recommendation in a while to any fans of fantasy, westerns, or steampunk. It has elements of those things without feeling like it is just another entry into those genres. Part of me wants not to talk about it so much, since I enjoyed discovering the consistency of the world for myself as the novel progressed.

The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick

I'm not sure how to comment about this book without sounding as irritating as this author's fans. Suffice it to say, it was somewhat fun but disappointing as a work of literature and mediocre as a work of fantasy.

Among the Hairy Earthmen by RA Lafferty

Have the Lafferty people here read this? Normally I feel like I can interpret his allegory, but I'm not sure about this one. Is he making a statement about the human tendency to view those behind great or terrible actions as other than human? Except he would seem to be supporting this, as the boy who stays behind represents technology. Perhaps we're just opposed on this, but that would seem a disappointing interpretation of the story.

[bigsleepj]

Among the Hairy Earthmen by RA Lafferty

Have the Lafferty people here read this?

No, I haven't read it. Or heard of it. On the whole I prefer his short stories (with the exception of PAST MASTER, the novel).

[the_wolfs_howl]

Putting Harry Potter on hold to read the Old Kingdom Trilogy by Garth Nix.

I love those books!

I'm now reading On Writing by Stephen King. It's his autobiographical advice on how to write, and is pretty interesting. Dunno how helpful yet.

[Atria35]

Finished Pyramids and The Female Brain.

When people see you reading a book called 'The Female Brain', someone is gonna think you're reading a book of pickup lines, not about biology and neurochemistry. Aaaawkward!

[MomentOfInertia]

Finished Pyramids and The Female Brain.

When people see you reading a book called 'The Female Brain', someone is gonna think you're reading a book of pickup lines, not about biology and neurochemistry. Aaaawkward!

At first glance that looked like:
"Finished Pyramids and The Female Brain."
Wait wuuut??? ... oh, ok.


I read Scott Westerfeld's Behemoth, great book can't wait for the next.

Terry Prachett's Wintersmith and I Shall Wear Midnight, or Tiffany Aching 3 & 4. Very good, this series seems to be getting more mature as it continues.

Finished my reread of the Dresden Files: up through Changes and Side Jobs.
Waiting on Ghost Story now....

Working on Shadomarch Volume One By Tad Williams

[FllMtl Novelist]

I'm now reading On Writing by Stephen King. It's his autobiographical advice on how to write, and is pretty interesting. Dunno how helpful yet.

I read that, and found it interesting too. Possibly because Stephen King is pretty opinionated about some things. (In particular, I remember him all but declaring that discovery writing is The Only Way To Write--I outline, so I disagree there. XD)