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What are you reading?; Because we were strangely lacking this.
Topic Started: Mar 5 2012, 11:23 PM (4,037 Views)
Romanticide
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Yeah, I think you guys get how these threads work by now. Read books, post them here, and post thoughts on them if you wish. It's not rocket science.

Also, idk about you guys, but I'll take any recommendations you have, insofar as they are not obviously shit (like Twilight), too mainstream (if I see it in Wal-Mart in hardcover, odds are I know of it), or Dean Koontz (because I've likely read it).

I just hope I'm not the only one here who will actually get use out of this thread. I guess that wouldn't be the worst thing ever, but it would kind of suck.
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BigMac
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I gotz three books.

I just finished The Help for my Lit Class' book club. It really is good, and, not gonna lie, I was *this* close to just bawling my eyes out at points. Well written, and has some great scenes that should have been in the movie. 4/5

Currently, I am reading Huck Finn for Lit. I haven't really gotten far enough to post anything substantial, but I like it so far. My class saw a mini-play on it a while back, and that was good (even though some douches were like "omahgawd they left out so much like this and this and this and it sucked bawwww". Stfu. The group that performed it traveled, and so only had 4 people and limited props, and only had an hour to perform, and they still did a pretty good job).

Also, I began rereading 2001 today. This book is obviously in my top 5 books of all time (OF ALL TIME), and it's a bit better to read the book first and then watch the movie (Darkie), since you actually will understand what's happening.
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Romanticide
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Because I don't really like posting my shit in an OP...

I made this thread mostly as a quasi-inspiration to actually read more. I used to read far more than I do now, if only because checking out a book/getting them from my grandma is free. While I doubt I'll ever get back to the days where I read multiple books in a week on a regular basis, I figure maintaining an average of at least a book a week would be a commendable thing.


Before I got caught up in Mad Men and such, I was reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. If you don't like novels where "not a lot happens", well, you're not going to like this. Then again I'd be hard-pressed to say that action is really the focus of the novel; it's the interaction between the characters.

The thing that really slows me down with this novel (Dickens too) is the dated language. Nobody talks or writes like this anymore. Even so, it's still a pretty decent read if you can get past the lack of action and the focus on courting/romance. I'll likely finish it sometime within the week.

Anyway, that said, my queue:
James Patterson - The 10th Anniversary
John Sandford - Shock Wave
John Elder Robison - Look Me in the Eye
Paul Bloom - How Pleasure Works
Malcolm Gladwell - Outliers
George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series (only requested the first three for now so I don't have too much to read)
Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina (I don't find this book boring, overly long, or anything; I just didn't find the time to get through it the first two times I checked it out.)

Also anything else I may find in my own collection. Thinking I should read the non-fiction stuffs there that I haven't touched.
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kmr95
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I'm reading Brave New World for LA right now. It's pretty good so far, and I'm pretty excited to see how it pans out in the end. Since we're covering dystopian fiction in LA, I chose this over 1984, so I'll probably read that next. I'll also get to reading All Quiet on the Western Front sometime, and that should fulfill my reading requirement at school.
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DrFreshey
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I'm reading Superfreakonomics. It's the sequel to Freakonomics. In the book, the two writers talk about economics in layman's terms, and apply the economic theory to real world situations (like the economic disparity present in the prostitution business).
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Snowman
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kmr95
Mar 5 2012, 08:05 PM
I'm reading Brave New World for LA right now. It's pretty good so far, and I'm pretty excited to see how it pans out in the end. Since we're covering dystopian fiction in LA, I chose this over 1984, so I'll probably read that next. I'll also get to reading All Quiet on the Western Front sometime, and that should fulfill my reading requirement at school.

BNW was great. Still need to get around to 1984, though. Anyways, I really liked the arguments towards the end of BNW (won't spoil anything, you'll know what I mean when you get to it).

Recently read:
-- Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley
-- Slaughterhouse-Five -- Kurt Vonnegut

Currently reading:
-- Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea -- Jules Verne

Next:
-- A Clash of Kings (book two in the series A Song of Ice and Fire) -- George R. R. Martin

The rest here aren't in any particular order, I just wanna read them:
-- The Time Machine -- H. G. Wells
-- The Invisible Man -- H. G. Wells
-- Foundation -- Isaac Asimov
-- I, Robot -- Isaac Asimov
-- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? -- Philip K. Dick
-- The rest of the Dune series that I haven't read (I read the first two) -- Frank Herbert

io9 posts about new/modern sci-fi and fantasy books a lot so occasionally I see an interesting one there, but I think I want to read more classic sci-fi first... If that list didn't imply that for you.
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BigMac
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After I finish everything, I think Imma start the Hunger Games series. I keep hearing from literally everyone it's ZOMGAWESOMESAUCE.

Also, to anyone who likes ironic/satirical stuff, I really recommend Kurt Vonnegut (beyond Slaughterhouse Five) to anyone who hasn't read him (except for Slaughterhouse Five), especially Jailbird.

Oh, and the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Series.



KMR: I read BNW last semester. Awesome book, but all I will say about the ending is brace yourself.
Snow: Fucking. Read. 1984.
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Pwner
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Just finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo. It was good, but I wish that there weren't so many interest rollercoasters. It could be boring one minute then dramatic another and pretty much keeps that for the entire book.

I'm also reading It because I love Stephen King, Lord knows I do. about 200 pages in. Might read Salem's Lot afterwards.

BTW, I read The Time Machine and I really liked it, after you get around all of the psychobabble at some points.

EDIT: I also want to read Herbert West: Reanimator by H.P. Lovecraft at some point.

also, I read Freakonomics but not Superfreakonomics yet. I thought it was good, very interesting premise. I'm also going to read Outliers again, or maybe another Malcom Gladwell book.
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paige5999
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Well, technically I'm not reading it, but I am listening to the audiobook of The Hunger Games. I really like it so far.

I'm also reading The Leftovers for my book club. Although I haven't read much of it. It's a really interesting premise (basically the rapture happens and a bunch of people just vanish into thin air, and then people start cults and go crazy and stuff). I'm just having a hard time getting into it. None of the characters really interest me.
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dwestfan13
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In the middle of 'The Restaurant at the End of the Universe'. Just barely started this one. I really enjoyed the first 'Hitchhiker' book so I'm looking forward to getting deeper into this one.
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DarkFlashlight
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BigMac
 
This book is obviously in my top 5 books of all time (OF ALL TIME), and it's a bit better to read the book first and then watch the movie (Darkie), since you actually will understand what's happening.

The movie and the book are the same story told in different ways. The movie intentionally left out details that the book explains because Kubrick wanted it to be more ambiguous and left to the viewer. The book explains what's actually happening because Clarke disagreed with Kurbrick's unaimed approach. Yes, you'll understand the movie more clearly if you read the book, but the point in the movie is NOT TO have what's happening be definite.

Same thing happened with The Shining, although slightly more annoyingly because who could ever find metaphorical value in a dogsuited man giving a BJ?
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Asfan
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kmr95
Mar 6 2012, 12:05 AM
I'll also get to reading All Quiet on the Western Front sometime, and that should fulfill my reading requirement at school.

I don't know if this is an option for you (it was for me), but I'd try a different book. I couldn't really get much enjoyment out of that at all. I guess you might enjoy different things though, so whatever. Maybe you should just disregard this.
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kmr95
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I can definitely read something else, but I thought it would be interesting >.>
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paige5999
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I had to read All Quiet on the Western Front in 8th grade. All I remember was that it was boring. Although I'm guessing part of that was because I was in 8th grade and I'm sure I didn't really read it on a very deep level.
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Romanticide
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Heh, plenty of things mentioned that I should read at some point. >.>

Anyone who hasn't read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series needs to re-evaluate their life and do so. Idk if I could recommend the Eoin Colfer novel in good conscience, though. A huge reason the series was so good is that the satire often pointed out problems with society that still persist today. While that satire element isn't completely gone, it's far more ridiculous (and thus less poignant) than it was in any of Adams' novels.

Put in a request for Franz Kafka's The Trial and Metamorphosis. Also found a Christopher Hitchens book at the library I should read, even if it'll feel like preaching to the choir because I already accept his basic premise. I am seriously surprised that the library carries his work, though I shouldn't be.


Anyway, thoughts on what I've read. I don't expect to maintain this pace, though there will certainly be days where I can knock out 3-4 books. <.<

James Patterson - The 10th Anniversary
James Patterson is pretty much the Michael Bay of popular literature - I go to him for a book that will take me ~2 hours to finish but not intellectually stimulate me.

It doesn't help that this is his inferior (adult) series. The quality started to taper off after the 4th novel. The 9th novel was his best effort since at least the 4th, but this returns the series to meh tier. Sure, there are some interesting ideas and Candace Martin is a decent character, but as usual, Patterson forsakes further elaboration (especially on the shitty Cindy sideplot that NEEDS it) for a more concise, action-packed novel. I'd only recommend reading it if you were masochistic enough to stick with the series.

If these were as overblown/emo as new Scarpetta novels, I'd have abandoned this series long ago. As it is, I only read this series because I can fly through the books so damn fast that it doesn't feel like a waste of time. I suppose there's something to be said for not overstaying your welcome.

John Sandford - Shock Wave
Y'know, I think I enjoy the Virgil Flowers novels more than the Davenport novels. Probably because that fuckin' Flowers is a funnier and more interesting character, a character that I think I would like more than Davenport if he were real. I haven't read every Davenport novel (there are 21 or some shit), but I never really felt as if Sandford let me into Davenport's head, which is pretty important to me, especially when the entire series relies on the reader liking the main character. With each Flowers novel, I'm finding out new things about the character.

Sandford knows his shit about small-town Minnesota. Not that I consider a town of 18k "small town Minnesota" when I live in a town of 250, but a lot of the interactions between town residents ring true - the extramarital affairs, the spread of gossip, that sort of thing.

The only bad thing about this book is that when the criminal's scheme starts to fall apart, it falls apart *fast*. It's a pretty decent scheme, too (I sure didn't think... oh wait spoilers), yet it falls apart like a house of cards in the span of a few pages. The whole ending and the accompanying explanations feel rather rushed to me, as if Sandford had to meet a deadline or a page limit or something.

John Elder Robison - Look Me in the Eye
This is one of the better memoirs on Asperger's that I've read. It doesn't beat you over the head with the idea that the author's childhood fucking sucked, nor does it beat you over the head with silly anecdotes (which admittedly are fucking hilarious) or feel-good bullshit. I suppose what I'm trying to say is the balance is good. As for his descriptions of what Asperger's is like, I found myself nodding along with all of them. He nailed it there.

Asperger's aside, it has some things that will interest most of the users here. There are a good number of chapters dedicated to the author's experiences in the music industry, and 2-3 about his time working on guitars for Ace Frehley. Ever wonder how Ace's guitars could do all that cool shit? Read and learn from the guy who made them. There's also a chapter about his work for the company that made the Microvision system, which is decent reading for anyone with an interest in video game history.
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