Silver WInd Posted October 23, 2007 Report Posted October 23, 2007 Right now I am reading The Birth of the Venus, by Sarah Dunrant. So far the book is quite intresting. It is about a young woman in Renissance Italy, with a passion for art, in a time when it was not really viewed a thing for a woman to spend her time doing, and her struggles to express herself.
Mynx Posted October 23, 2007 Report Posted October 23, 2007 By The Sword - Mercedes Lackey. One of the stories set in the world of Valdemar, this one tells the tale of Kerowyn, as she deals with a magical sword, trains to become a mercinary, and ends up with a "horse" that talks to her A good book if you like fantasy, and a great addition to the Valdemar chronicles.
reverie Posted October 23, 2007 Report Posted October 23, 2007 (edited) other than school texts: When I find the time I enjoy thumbing through Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything And when I can bring myself to bear it I'm struggling to get through John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces. Only about 70 pages left, but it's a hard 70 pages. Nothing difficult about the writing style per se, it's just a freaking weird story. Am also likewise struggling with The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens. He's a poet of ideas, which is nice way of saying abstractions. Nice to know it can be done and done well, just not by me. rev... Edited October 23, 2007 by reverie
Quincunx Posted October 24, 2007 Report Posted October 24, 2007 Old National Geographics, dates ranging from 1985 to the present--but as fast as I devour those, it barely counts as reading.
Gryphon Posted October 25, 2007 Report Posted October 25, 2007 I've got a couple of books on the go at the moment. I'm re-reading both Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, and I'm re-reading Monsterous Regiment by Terry Pratchett. Both are on the menu because they're fun and reasonably light reading which fits in well when my time seems to be taken up doing other things.
Mardrax Posted October 25, 2007 Report Posted October 25, 2007 Shadowmarch by Tad WIlliams. Somewhat on the more typical fantasy side, especially compared to some of his other stuff (although by no means a "been there, done that"), but a good read if you can stomach that sort of thing. Also just read the national kiddybookweek's book, which everyone gets for free here when buying at least $10 worth of children's books during that week, or when working in the school library http://www.themightypen.net/public/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif A barely 100 page story about a kid getting tangled up in a Second Life-like MMO thingy. A tad too moralising for my tastes but decently written. That is, next to piles and piles of schoolbooks, of course
Silver WInd Posted October 25, 2007 Author Report Posted October 25, 2007 Hehe talking about childrens book just made me think. There use to be this halloween version of one of those Choose Your Own Adventure type books that I use to love to read as a kid, though I cannot remeber what it was called now.
Nyarlathotep Posted October 25, 2007 Report Posted October 25, 2007 The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson. Havent actually picked it up in a week. Need to get back into it. Fantastic Steampunk/Neo-Victorian novel.
Silver WInd Posted October 26, 2007 Author Report Posted October 26, 2007 I just started reading Franny and Zoey by J.D. Salinger, but I cannot say much about it yet, becasue I have only just begun it.
Appy Posted October 26, 2007 Report Posted October 26, 2007 Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King, 5th book in the Dark Tower series. I say thankee-sai, it is as wonderful as I've gotten used to throughout the series.
Peredhil Posted October 26, 2007 Report Posted October 26, 2007 Just splurged and bought several Rex Stout books, to feed my detective genre tooth...
Nyarlathotep Posted October 29, 2007 Report Posted October 29, 2007 Now I'm reading *swallows pride* The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. Normally I avoid novels of this genre like the plague, but after seeing the film(loved it) I was compelled to read it. And...surprisingly, it's quite good.
Da_Yog Posted October 29, 2007 Report Posted October 29, 2007 Anything I can find by the Aztec poet Hungry Coyote—He has a very interesting style, though finding good translations can sometimes be difficult. I like the ones where they give phonetic translations as well as textual translations so I can get a feel for the original rhythm as well as the meaning. His work is often concerned with enjoying your life as much as you can because it is bound to be brief. The writings of other students at my college—Tends to be a lot of rough draft work but wildly varying in style and content. So refreshing from that standpoint. Class text books—Necessary reading that can suck the life out of you
Patrick Posted October 29, 2007 Report Posted October 29, 2007 I'm currently reading the Hilton Assignment (link). Not too good, but I'm forcing myself to finish it.
Guinea Pig Posted October 29, 2007 Report Posted October 29, 2007 I've been reading about Sooty! He's my new hero!
Salinye Posted November 4, 2007 Report Posted November 4, 2007 I've been reading the "Twilight" series by Stephanie Meyer. (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse) It's a very entertaining read. It's about vampires of all things (Tamaranis will be proud.) ~Salinye
reverie Posted November 5, 2007 Report Posted November 5, 2007 Franny and Zoey is cool. I like Franny's story better than Zoey's. Salinger needs to get off that mountain or where ever he's currently hiding now and finish the Glass Family Saga. Currently reading "Stumbling on Happiness" by Psychologist Daniel Gilbert. Informative psycho-babble that can summed up as this: For the most part we as a species have no clue what really makes us happy. In what must have been an attempt to include the lay reader Gilbert style goes for funny ha ha and ironic wit. He misses pretty hard, but comedy is not his specialty. Pretty much his style and tone is too cute by half. "Precious" is how my Prof describes it. Still it's an easy read considering all the hard data he crammed into it.
Gryphon Posted November 8, 2007 Report Posted November 8, 2007 I've recently read my way through Terry Pratchett's latest 'Making Money' which revisits the character Moist von Lipwig from his earlier book 'Going Postal'. I also read 'No humans involved' from Kelley Armstrong's 'Women of the Otherworld' series, now in the absence of anything brand new that is shouting at me to read it I'm re-reading Anne McCaffrey's Crystal Line, the third book in her Crystal Singer series. I expect there will be others before long.
Quincunx Posted November 8, 2007 Report Posted November 8, 2007 The era of charging through books has come to an abrupt halt: Star brought home a handful of novels written in Swedish, and I'm meant to practice.
Silver WInd Posted November 10, 2007 Author Report Posted November 10, 2007 Franny and Zoey is cool. I like Franny's story better than Zoey's. Salinger needs to get off that mountain or where ever he's currently hiding now and finish the Glass Family Saga. I just finnised reading it, and it was intresting. I would have liked a little more of Franny's story, but I did quite enjoy Zooey.
Nyarlathotep Posted November 12, 2007 Report Posted November 12, 2007 God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens Reading this has really just been mental masturbation. I was aware of almost everything he has been discussing and agree with it all. Sometimes its nice to read something that affirms everything you believe in and boosts your ego that much more.
Psimon Posted November 12, 2007 Report Posted November 12, 2007 I'm reading my Application to Graduate in 2008 form. Now, I'll admit it's a little preemptive given that I've only just finished my last exam (today), but at least no-one can accuse me of being less than confident in my success!
Silver WInd Posted November 13, 2007 Author Report Posted November 13, 2007 I have just started reading The Silver Wolf by Alice Borchardt and so far it is pretty intresting, right now I am only a little into the thrid chapter but it seems like a good story thus far.
Patrick Posted November 13, 2007 Report Posted November 13, 2007 I finished two books recently. O Jerusalem! - by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins retraces Jerusalem during and before the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Tells the events that happened from all the points of view concerned. Well-written interesting book. Hilton Assignment - by Patrick Seale and Maureen McConville shows a failed plot of toppling Qadhafi in Lybia during the 70s. Not very exciting book.
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