Besides reading crappy economics Heilbroner, I picked up The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho about a month ago while waiting at the Hong Kong Airport.

I can't think of anyways to describe it except classical. A simple, classic story about following your dream, the language is plain but effective in conveying the message and inspiration. I believe everyone should read this book. I haven't finished it yet but I can be safe to say it's well on its way on becoming one of my favorite books.

I also shifted through Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis while in the bookstore at Hong Kong. I don't usually like autobiographies by musicans and actors, usually because they're overly pretentious without any real content except on how fabulously rich and awesome they are but Scar Tissue was a highly entertaining read. Like a eating a giant bag of Lay's potato chips with a 2 liter bottle of Coke, it's nothing deep but Kiedis does have a way with words and his story is relatively interesting, if you're into Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Mote in God's Eye is an excellent book, though I can't recall reading The Gripping Hand. If you like Niven's work you should check out the Ringworld books as well.

I just finished some book by Orson Scott Card. The fifth and final in the series, though I can't recall the title of it at the moment. I am currently reading The Binding Curve of Energy which details the early, care free days of nuclear weapon development with a paralell commentary on the faesibility of a person being able to contruct and detonate a nuclear weapon single handedly. Interesting stuff though possibly a little dated since it was written in 1975.

I'm currently reading 2 books by Ayn Rand:
Anthem
and
The Fountainhead.

Recently finished Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Vol. 1, although it really can't be considered a book, but instead a manga, which is in my opinion, a genre unto itself.

Want to make out?

I've read that one two or three times myself, and you've inspired me to read it again since it's been about seven years since I've read it.

The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan.

This is only my second time reading it. I probably read the novel about four or five years ago during the summer, but went through it too quickly for a class. I'm taking my time now.

The user manual for a HP DesignJet 5500 series printer. The one at work is broke, and I have no idea how to fix it.

I never thought it was a stupid book, as it has very mature themes and such in it, but I didn't think it warranted the amount of attention lavished on it by my school district. I had to read it twice: once in 7th grade and again in 10th. Most the people in my English lit. class had read it in 7th, most didn't like it, and we thought it was pretty redundant to go through it again. But OH WELL.

Have you read the 'sequel' of sorts, Tales from Watership Down? Since I was one of the 2 people in school that didn't completely loathe the novel, I found it and bought it. Never read through the whole thing, but it was interesting. As with most anthropomorphic animal novels, the main attraction is the invented myths and culture of the animals, which is what Tales... is all about.

For my money, I've always been fond of Mary Stanton's Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West and the sequel, Piper at the Gate. It's similar in construction to WD, but with horses and more emphasis on the myths of the horses.

I've read that one. A great thing about it is that people can read it, just as I did, without reading its predecessor (I need to get around to reading that...). Rather fond of mythology, the tales of El-ahrairah were quite enjoyable. I also found it quite clever of Adams to incorporate a rabbit language. Ingenious.

Currently reading:
Les Miserables, Victor Hugo (pg. 150 out of 1500... grrrr)

Just finished:
Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert

Harry Potter: Scorcerer's Stone. Yeah, I am late but I barely remember the movie so the book is still refreshing.

I recently found a copy of Shadows of the Empire at work and snatched it up. I enjoyed the N64 game back in the day, but I'm liking the book a lot more. It goes a lot more into Prince Xizor's character than the game, which didn't even touch it, aside from being jealous of Darth Vader and wanting Luke Skywalker dead so he could take his place, if I remember correctly.

en~i am a new person,i am in china ，i am reading the book-The Da Vinci Code recently ^^

Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting. Lately I've been losing so much interest in books (which is horrendous, since I don't really have time for them during school and now is the perfect time)... but this one is thoroughly entertaining, disturbing, and captivating. Once your brain gets into the rhythm of the phonetic dialect, it's excellent, ken? I haven't actually seen the entire film, though I prefer the novel already. Ewan McGregor just isn't Rents.

I've been reading the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin as of late. I just finished A Feast for Crows and am eagerly awaiting the next installment.

I'm also reading the Inheritance trilogy by Christopher Paolini. Its alright and a fairly easy read. Not the best I've ever read, but I'd be interested in seeing what this young author produces later on in his writing career.

I've been trying to get into Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and the Margarita but I keep getting distracted and such. It's a shame, since it's a good book (from where I got) and I would like to finish it. I know I will have more chance for focus in August so I will try again then.

Oy, my favorite book, ever. Hands down. I've been trying to do a comic or something based on it, but like most of my projects it doesn't go anywhere. Which translation do you have (unless you're reading it in Russian, of course ;)). After you read that, you might want to check out Heart of the Dog, also by Bulgakov -- or you could read that one first. It's much shorter and not as heavily written, so you wouldn't have to devote so much time to it.

Also, check out this website after or while you're reading the novel. ;)

Im reading tuesday with morrie (kind of an old book huh). gotta read intuition by allegra goodman and march by geraldine brooks after it. damn, got too many books with too little time.

It's been a while since I read a book.. but I'm starting to pick some up. I just started Da Vinci Code and I like it a lot. I like suspense and character development in books.

This is easily one of my favourite books. I highly recommend it as well.

I'm reading I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan. I'm only 30 pages in, but it seems interesting. God has offered Lucifer a chance to get back into Heaven, but he has to live a good life on Earth first. Lucifer is the narrator, and he gets off topic a lot, so it's kind of annoying, but still amusing.

The last book I read was Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I had to read it for class, but I loved it. It was like reading a soap opera.

Re-reading A Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick before I see the film.

I want to see the fucking film NOW. It's not in UK cinemas as far as I know though :(

That is one amusing book! I really liked it (although I usually like anything to do with the devil/angels/demons, especially when it's British). Since you've only just started reading it, give it some time. The only funnier book I've come across in that vein is Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman; if you haven't read it, you really should.

Also, if you want the 'soundtrack' to I, Lucifer by The Real Tuesday Weld/Clerkenwell Kid, I have it. Just PM me.
That is, if you haven't heard it yet.

Just started Greg Keyes 'The Blood Knight', which is the 3rd book in his Kingdoms of Thorn & Bone series. The series isn't as epic as, say, Martins Song of Ice & Fire, but it's some pretty fun throwaway fantasy in a well-developed world.

After that will be Terry Pratchett's 'Monstrous Regiment'.

Finally finishing American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. After that it's either Glamorama or the Informers.

@Arkhangelsk, I meant people who haven't read it are the ones who just assume the novel is stupid/kiddy after they hear the story is about rabbits.

I've read Tales of WD and it's not really that great. The myth stories weren't as good as the ones in WD. I do have the novel though. It got it at a book sale for cheap, and it has a nice cover.