[News] What are you currently reading?

Originally Posted by Fire On Ice

I've just got my hands on the first two books in "The Gentleman Bastards" sequence, "The Lies of Locke Lamora" and "Red Seas Under Red Skies". I've got to admit, it was a slow start and I actually stopped reading the first book for a few weeks but my brother kept pushing me to keep reading and I'm glad he did. I really loved it. It's about this guy Locke Lamora who is a natural born con-man. He and his "family" of other such people, the Gentleman Bastards, work together to get as much money and stuff from the people of their city, Camor. I love the way this guy writes, he's very articulate and has a very colourful language which is a lot of fun to read sometimes. Good timing, lots of twists, very clever and great characters. For people who are a fan of George R.R. Martin books, he is a big fan of the series as well. That's what got a friend of mine into reading them as well.

I've been pushing these books on people since Lies came out. Best modern Fantasy book, and the first fantasy book I've read in ages that I didn't immediately put down and get bored of because it was Dragonlance-Tolkien-Forgotten Realms on each page.

I've been going over Milton's Paradise Lost again recently, as well as Gladwell's Tipping Point and Dead Leprechaun in a Tire Swing by T.G. Flemming. It's hilarious.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Lawhead wrote a series, I forget the name of, and I've been tearing through the first few books. Hood and Scarlet. As one might glean from the titles, they're a take on the Robin Hood myth (a personal favourite of mine), done in a sort of gritty fashion that really catches my interest. It doesn't neglect the original stories, just gives them a nice new coat of paint. The paint, in this case, being glue and sandpaper. A nice follow-up after a quick re-read of the Corwin books of the Great Book of Amber.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Josiah

I had been meaning to read The Chronicles of Narnia ever since "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" premiered in theaters, even more so with the approach of "Prince Caspian", but I never quite got around to it for the longest time. I found a solution: I rented a CD audiobook of the series from the local library so I could listen to it on my iPod during a good chunk of my workday. I've been going chronologically, and I'm about halfway through The Last Battle now. Interestingly enough, this one is read by Patrick Stewart. Hearing him imitate the "hee-haw" of a donkey was hilarious. And I'm liking the books, too.

You know, I never was able to make it through Chronicles. I just don't like the way C.S. Lewis writes. Didn't dig the movies, either. The BBC lion the witch and the wardrobe has a special place in my heart, but man... do I not care for average joe English kid goes through a wardrobe and then becomes a brilliant military strategist and great warrior stories.

I've been tearing through George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series lately (I've been on a fantasy kick, can you tell?) and am just finishing up with Feast for Crows. I'm thinking after that, it might be time to dig into a few of the Philip K. Dick works I haven't gotten to yet.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Cellius

How is it? I read Game of Thrones and Clash of Kings when those were the only two published and I loved them, but resolved to wait until the entire series was finished before I read any more.

They're good, I still vote the first two were the best of the four so far, but they certainly aren't massive disappointments or anything. Definitely worth the read. The grit factor is there, they just lose some of the cohesion as the series goes on. Lots of hope for the fifth book, though.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by mscbutterfly

i just finished a series by Terry Goodkind, The Sword of Truth. Pretty good books, I enjoyed that imensely. Now it's onto an American literature book, Microeconomics, and intro to astronomy

Goodkind? Really? I would chalk that up as the worst fantasy series I've ever read any of. Worse than the Wheel of Time. Terry is just... awful. I always found his stuff horridly formulaic. Oh hey, Kahlan got kidnapped. Again. Oh, here's the portion of the book that we get to see how Goodkind's wife clearly won't let him have rough sex with her, so he'll get it out on the page. Oh, so this is the point that his self inserted character gets to be Superman. Or how about the part where he topples communism by building a statue to FREEDOM? He had some good ideas in there, or at least some I didn't hate, but at the end of the day, the man was on a soap box thumping his chest and writing diatribes about politics thinly veiled as fantasy. And Richard was just so bloody infallible, making him, by far, the least interesting hero I've ever seen. He's the only Seeker, AND the last war wizard, AND the only male confessor, AND the only man able to survive a confessor's touch etc... etc... And Kalahn was just so bloody useless. She was the Princess from Super Mario. All she was good for was getting kidnapped to further the plot.

What I'm trying to say is Goodkind is a shoddy author. Seriously, go read some Scott Lynch.

I've personally been derailed in my readings lately by T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars. Great book. Sure, the guy was lying about the majority of it, but the philosophy and depth of language used makes it worth the read.

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Originally Posted by Capo

Add Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, 1972 to that list. His coverage of that year's pivotal presidential election for Rolling Stone is alternately hilarious and dispiriting, but, as always with Thompson, highly entertaining.

Thompson is one of those dudes I get sick of hearing the hipster kids wax intellectual about, but man, I can't knock the sheer readability of his works. He's a smart guy, no doubt. And his stuff was certainly up there in terms of quality, but he's like the literary version of the Che Guevara bag. You know 3/4+ of the people who have it on them are doing so more for fashion than for substance, yeah? Palahniuk is getting that way, too.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by knkwzrd

I was just reading through the earlier posts in this thread and saw some appreciation for Stephen Lawhead. I really wasn't sure how well known he was, but he's actually a pretty good family friend. Him and my uncle are chummy as all hell. Holiday dinners together and such. Signed first editions out the ass.

Regarding Thompson, I find you can usually tell the hipster douchebags from the genuine appreciators of his work by talking about his sportswriting. Hipsters can't handle his love of football.

That was me, with the Lawhead love. I'm sort of 50/50 on his stuff. Not all hyped on his Arthurian stuff, but I love the Robin Hood work. That's cool that he's a family friend, though. He's a talented guy. I hate you for your first editions. You prick. (<3 the knk)

Also, yeah. The difference is palpable when it comes to Thompson fans.

FELIPE NO

Chaucer's not all that bad. Just like anything else that's used widely in school settings, it's over analyzed, and as such, incredibly dreary. The actual linguistics of it are really interesting, the usage of old and middle English for punning and comedic effect. Now, I find a lot of the old stuff incredibly dull. I get that Virgil and Chaucer are incredibly important, but I've read them once. And that's enough, yeah?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by LaMenina

The Way of All Flesh, by Samuel Butler: I've just started this one, so I've only been introduced to Mr. Pontifex...

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: GREAT BOOK. Written by Anne Fadiman, it's about the cultural difference between a Hmong family whose daughter has epilepsy, and the Californian doctors that want to treat the epilepsy...except Hmongs believe that people with epilepsy are blessed by God, and they don't see it as the life threatening condition that modern American society does. It's fabulously written, and it's really really good.

The Golden Compass, by Phillip Pullman: Ummm...I finally got around to reading this because people kept on telling me how amazing it was, but I don't know if I like it or not so far. I like the story line, but not the way he writes it...

Philip Pullman is great if you're 12. After that, holy christ dull.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Schadenfreude

Right now I'm reading Bunker 13 by Aniruddha Bahal. Got it for cheap at a warehouse clearance sale (like, USD$1.50 or something?) and I have to say that I'd have paid quite a bit more for it, judging by what I've read so far.

It's set in India, deals primarily with a reporter getting involved with a certain regiment (is that the proper word?) of the Indian army involved in the Kashmir (Kashmiri?) conflict who are, for lack of a better term, morally loose.

It's a bit demented, perhaps, as a review would have it, but I'm liking it so far.

The quote from the Guardian on the cover goes like: "Imagine Catch 22 rewritten by Hunter S. Thompson [and] set in an unapologetically modern India.", which may just describe it quite well. I'm not familiar enough with Catch 22 and/or Hunter S. Thompson to say for sure, though.

I very, very strongly recommend you grab Catch 22 next. And then some Hunter S. Thompson. Can't go wrong with either.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Schadenfreude

Will do.

I've been meaning to do so, actually but got side-tracked by my sudden desire to read Burroughs' Naked Lunch (which I have now finished, by the way. I liked it.).

Would Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas be a good starting point in regards to Hunter S. Thompson?

I'd probably dive in regardless, though.

Godddamn, I love Naked Lunch. Ever seen the movie adaptation? It's tremendous.

Anyway, yeah, Fear and Loathing is a good starting point, in that it really does a nice job of acclimatizing you to Thompson's sheer madness.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Schadenfreude

It's an awesome book, isn't it? Quite... crazy, if I do say so myself. Haven't seen the movie adaptation, though. Will try and track it down.

Ah, ok then, Fear and Loathing it is.

One of the few times the movie is as good as the book, but that's largely because the movie is just so excellently handled. Absolutely brilliant.

And cheers, have fun with Fear and Loathing.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by CGally

I read kids' books. Seriously. I have Asperger's, is that an excuse? I'm a nerd.

No you fucking don't. No one does. Complete horse shit. Being a socially awkward prat isn't a disorder. Get out of your house. Interact with people. Asperger's. Please. Fucking internet disorder.



I've gotten into THE END OF FAITH, by Sam Harris. Fantastic book about the clash between organised religion and rational thought. A little simplified at times, but the man makes no end of good points. Tolerance of religion is encouragement of idiocy, basically. Can't argue with him on that. Definitely something anyone with half a brain should give a read.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by CGally

Lol, probably true about the Harry Potter comment! Although people who read it have an "excuse" as well - the author herself said that Harry Potter was originally intended specifically for adults.

J.K. Rowling also considers herself a fantastic author.

Protip: This isn't true.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Naka

Just finished World of Warcraft: Tides of Darkness. It's the novelization of Warcraft 2. It was actually quite good. I've been on a Warcraft book kick lately. Before that I read the War of the Ancients trilogy.

I just started reading the first Harry Potter book last night.

Just tore through The Great Derangement. Everyone needs to read it. Especially the religious. Same with The End of Reason.

On a less religious note, Mistakes Were Made is a fantastic read about memory and how it works. Brilliant.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Shively

Right now I am reading this horrible play called Othello, The Moor of Venice. Its required for a lit class I have.

This is sarcasm, yeah?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I'm currently reading through every single Nero Wolfe novel by the unbelievable Rex Stout. Best pulp detective novels ever.

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