What are you reading?

[rocklobster]

Get ready for a looong book, bakura. Frank Herbert loves to drag on his books.

[bigsleepj]

I'm currently reading a steampunk alternate history story called Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, which is about bookish librarian called Wellington Books and his new assistant, Eliza Braun (a New Zealander) who are paired together and have to fight off an ancient evil of sorts.

[Edward]

I just finished The Two Towers, so I'll be reading The Return of the King starting tomorrow.

I think this is where I stopped reading the last time I attempted to read this book. I just couldn't get past the part describing Minas Tirith.

edit: And now I really wish I had continued reading anyway. I'm really starting to get excited about the upcoming battles. Oh well, I think I may have been reading an abridged version anyway, 'cause there was a lot of stuff in The Two Towers that I didn't remember from the last time I read it.

[Atria35]

Devices and Desires - Engineer Trilogy book 1 (although since the engineer trilogy name isn't out there in big letters, the librarian looked at me like I was checking out something dirty). Very interesting- I can already tell this will be full of war, politics, and other stuff that makes a series great ^.^

[ich1990]

Devices and Desires - Engineer Trilogy book 1 (although since the engineer trilogy name isn't out there in big letters, the librarian looked at me like I was checking out something dirty). Very interesting- I can already tell this will be full of war, politics, and other stuff that makes a series great ^.^

I have long had my eye on that series, simply because of my profession, but its size was daunting. Let me know how it goes, if you please.

[rocklobster]

Just finished Sandman vols 1-4

[Masquerade1412]

Nemesis by Agatha Christie.

It was excellent!

[the_wolfs_howl]

I finished Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King (D:< Grrrr, I SOOOO want to put a 'the' in there! ). Not bad! It was quite interesting, and I can see now why he's such a bestselling author. He's really good at making a page-turner, because he'd always leave something dangling at the end of each section, so you'd have to read on. I patted on myself for spotting the foreshadowing when it first appeared

Now I'm on to the next story in the anthology I'm reading: Apt Pupil. This is oddly, vaguely, reminding me of a character of my own

[bigsleepj]

I finished Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

The movie is better in my opinion.

[Nanao]

I'm kind of all over the place with books right now. Right now I'm reading:
The Sword and the Circle by Rosemary Sutcliff.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. My niece wanted me to read it. It's not bad, but not the best book I've ever read either.
Count of Monte Cristo. I'm still working on it. I forgot it when we went on vacation so it's going quite a bit slower than books normally do for me. I really like how Dumas explores his characters.
Last on this list is the Confessions by St. Augustine.

[Rylynn4869]

Right now I'm reading the Borrowers by Mary Norton so that I can give my mom a review for it. When I'm done with that I'm going to start reading the Circle series by Ted Dekker! I'm really excited about it!

[uc pseudonym]

A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin

I feel like the series is closer to back on track, but reserve judgment until the next book. There were still some issues, like people who take most of the book to finish a journey. Our POV characters are also more passive than normal, Jon being an exception. I've never been one of those people who hated Daenerys, but I disliked her chapters in this book. She doesn't really do anything proactive, just has a special bloodline.

There are added POVs, as in A Feast for Crows. Some of them were helpful additions, some mediocre, one was pointless but thankfully with limited chapters. I just wish he'd title these chapters like all the others instead of inventing new things. Only two characters, Arya and (spoiler), have any reason to be changing their names.

GRRM claimed a large part of the delay was due to the "Meereenese knot" - I have no idea what it was. The situation in Meereen had a large number of players, but there were no elaborate plots or clever solutions. This and a few other things leave me interested but skeptical about the series. Winter has finally arrived by the end of the book, but I worry when the Others finally amble on stage the conclusion might not live up to the political machinations of the rest of the series.

[Ally-Ann]

Just finished reading The Hunger Games. It. Was. Epic. I'll be reading the next book in the saga, Catching Fire, next.

[Edward]

Reading Brain Candy by Garth Sundem.

[Kaori]

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf. Beautifully written, though I don’t enjoy the superficiality of the society Woolf portrays, among other things.

No Graven Image by Elizabeth Elliot. Elliot, of course, was a missionary in South America herself for a number of years, and this is a fictional novel narrated by a new and naïve missionary entering the field in Ecuador (where Elliot also did missions work) for the first time. I’ve never read anything quite like this before—that is, a fictional work about a missionary written by a missionary. At first I was simultaneously intrigued by the missionary-eye-view and a bit put off by the frequent appearance of Christianese and platitudes. However, as I got further into the novel, it became evident that there’s quite a strong satirical undertow. For example:

More often it seemed that nothing had worked very well and I returned to my house disheartened, feeling that I had gained little either in friendship or in language data. These were the times, I decided, when I had not been led. My faith worked best when things worked as I had planned.

The narrator goes through thoughts such as wondering whether giving to the poor does anything to help them, questioning whether a missionary should use expensive imported soap in order to maintain her health, and debating whether missionaries ought to employ a maid in order to focus solely on their work or live simply in order to identify with the nationals. Sometimes she tells herself she has arrived at “God’s will for [her] life,” and sometimes she second-guesses herself. When a photographer comes to document her work, she says (not aloud) that his understanding is superficial and that he’s going to go home and write propaganda. This book is meant to be unsettling: the narrator asks hard questions, and Elliot gives us no easy answers. In that respect, Silence inevitably comes to mind as a comparison, though this book is not so stark.

This is Elliot’s first (and I think her only) novel. Although the writing is not bad, her inexperience with the genre does show through. However, as an honest look at the real struggles and vicissitudes of a missionary’s life, I would recommend it. The ending was really something; to avoid spoilers, I will just say that Elliot has a lot of guts as an author, which should be no surprise given that she chose to go live for a while among the tribe that killed her husband.

[the_wolfs_howl]

The movie is better in my opinion.

Having seen the movie just last week, I have to agree with you, though the difference isn't terribly huge. (Plus, I also thought the first scene was unnecessary, which is handy because you might want to skip it anyway because of the sex.)

Well, Apt Pupil is shaping up to be way more intense than I suspected at first glance. It's still good writing - one twist literally made my jaw drop, and that's not something that happens too often anymore. But I don't really feel I can recommend this to anyone; it has way more explicit sexual references and scenes than I'd ever like to see in a book, and if I didn't have to finish it for a class, it would already be back on the shelf.

[bigsleepj]

Having seen the movie just last week, I have to agree with you, though the difference isn't terribly huge. (Plus, I also thought the first scene was unnecessary, which is handy because you might want to skip it anyway because of the sex.)

No, the difference is not terribly huge, but it is the small things that make it such a great adaptation. The director (who also wrote it) added small things that add up to something awesome.

[quote="the_wolfs_howl (post: 1493726)"]Well, Apt Pupil is shaping up to be way more intense than I suspected at first glance. It's still good writing - one twist literally made my jaw drop, and that's not something that happens too often anymore. But I don't really feel I can recommend this to anyone]

I haven't seen the film version of this movie but the story was rather good, if rather dark and unsettling. I remember it as a 'good read', though I doubt I'd ever read it again.

[bakura91]

Just finished a volume of short (1940s I think) Scifi stories by L. Ron Hubbard (No Im Not a Scientologist I just like old scifi stories) Now Im reading "Dune" (a scifi novel by Frank Herbert) and Im reading "The Infidels guide to the Koran". In The Bible Ive been reading Genesis, and Proverbs alot lately

[Edward]

I just finished reading Mouse Guard Fall 1152. I really liked it and I'll probably get the rest of the books sometime soon.

[That Dude]

I've been reading "The Bondage Of The Will" by Martin Luthor, and "The Everlasting Man" by GK Chesterton. Also been doing books on CD, and just finished "Elantris" by Brandon Sanderson, and am starting "Warbreaker" by the same author.

[mysngoeshere56]

I'm almost finished with the first Artemis Fowl book. I've heard good things so I checked it out of my library. Now that I have a library card again, I'm going book-crazy and reading like I've never read before. ^_^ So far, I've also checked out (and read) a Nancy Drew book called "The Curse of the Black Cat" and lots of manga and graphic novels.

[Edward]

just finished "Elantris" by Brandon Sanderson, and am starting "Warbreaker" by the same author.

Good books, both of those. Have you read the Mistborn trilogy yet? If not, I would highly reccomend it, they're even better Elantris and Warbreaker. The Way of Kings is the best, but it is very long (1001 pages in hardback).

[Rylynn4869]

I just finished Black and read the first couple chapters of Red from the Circle Series by Ted Dekker. I must say, I am thoroughly impressed with this series and can't wait to read his other works!

[mysngoeshere56]

I just finished Black and read the first couple chapters of Red from the Circle Series by Ted Dekker. I must say, I am thoroughly impressed with this series and can't wait to read his other works!

That's a great one! I admit, it does get a bit bizarre, but it's still great! I was very impressed with it. I still have to read "Green" but that one didn't come out until well after I finished the trilogy, if memory serves me right...

Anyway, I finished Artemis Fowl. Overall, I'd say it was very interesting. I'll definitely be reading the next book when I get the chance.

Also waiting for some library books I ordered for home delivery to come.

[Xeno]

"Stuff Christians Like" by Jonathan Acuff

This book is fantastically loaded with sarcasm.

I provide this except to prove such:

Being Slightly Offended That The Pastor Has A Nicer Car Than You Do
Christians like their pastors humble, and by humble I mean driving a domestically made mid-sidzed sedan with high milage.
I'm not saying I want my pastor to be poor, just that my assumption is that to be a man of the the cloth means the seats of your car shouldn't be made of leather. I'm fine if you have a luxury car, if it was a gift from a church member who happens to own a car dealership. Otherwise, I want to be honest, if I see you driving around in a tricked-out Mercedes-Benz, my first two thought are going to be:
1. I guess that pastor hates starving children in Africa.
2. I had no idea my tithe was going directly to the procurement of rims.
I want you in a hooptie, not a whip. I want you on a donkey, not a Denali. I want you to know mortal fortitude that comes with having to push a car off the side of the road at least twice a year when it breaks down.
Me? What am I driving? Whoa, let's get back on topic; you're the Varsity Christian, not me. If God chooses to bless me with a Rolls Royce, should I refuse that? Would Abraham or Solomon have scoffed at God's gifts? Think of the great witnessing I can do simply by driving down the highway with spinning rims. Think of the lives that will be touched and transformed when I pull up to a red light and make an automotive declaration, a vehicular proclamation if you will, to the goodness and graciousness of God.
But pastors? You better keep it low key.

[Edward]

I'm reading The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson.

[mysngoeshere56]

So, I've finally decided to check out Harry Potter. I went to a private school that always said it was evil. The books were banned from campus and everything. I've heard it doesn't deserve the bad rep it received, so since I'm finally graduated and can choose what I read (and have a library card again!), I figured I might as well try it out. ^_^ About halfway through the first book.

Also reading "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris (the first book in The Southern Vampire Mysteries/The Sookie Stackhouse Novels/The True Blood Series/the series by Charlaine Harris that has sooooo many different names).

[Sheenar]

Currently reading Confessions of a Good Christian Girl: The Secrets Women Keep and the Grace that Saves Them by Tammy Maltby.

This isn't a typical Christian self-help book ---it doesn't give pat answers and it's not an expose (don't know how to add accent) or airing of dirty laundry --it goes in depth on the real struggles that Christian women go through/find themselves in and brings the reader face to face with a God who saves and loves them in the midst.

I am currently at chapter 5. So far, the book has covered the topics of suicide, sexual sin and abuse.

[Furen]

Chosen, book one of 6 by Ted Dekker (though, I've been in it for a year or so now, I'm so slow...)

[Htom Sirveaux]

Taking another crack at Stephen King's IT. A couple years ago I tried to read this doorstop of a novel and ran out of gas just shy of halfway through. Dangit, but I'm gonna finish it this time.