What Are You Reading?

[Guest Knorg]

Read Zadie Smith's On Beauty. Didn't find it funny (supposed to be hilarious? perhaps I'm not intellectual enough for high-literary wit), but it was an entertaining and well plotted read.

Also very recently read Louis Theroux's Call of the Weird, where he writes about re-visting with the previous subjects of his documentaries. Those poor Prussian Blue kids sure have a nasty-crazy mum.

As for right now... really not sure what to start on reading next. Got the new volume of collected Caballistics Inc strips ordered, though that's more a mention for the comics forum... bah.

[Iggy_lovechild]

"Red Bride" by Christopher Fowler. It's a little odd...British psychological thriller/horror. Good stuff, been a total mindfuck so far.

[Guest Big Samurai]

Now that I have a little more time for reading (stupid holiday hours), I'm plowing through A World Called Camelot by Arthur H. Landis. It's good, old-fashioned late 1970s / early 1980s science fiction, just the way I like it. Admittedly, this is a second read, but it's been about seventeen years since the first read, so it's all good. Also attempting to read Star Of The Morning by Lynn Kurland, but I'm finding the writing style to be rather week, so I might just drop that one and grab something else.

[NightScribe]

The String of Pearls by Anonymous; no one's really sure who wrote it, possibly three to four hired 'hacks.' The story originally appeared as a serial in a penny dreadful and was never published as a book until a couple of years ago.

It's both an easy read and a hard one. Bounces all over the place, from humor to mystery to romance, and some of the sentence structure and grammar has me doing a double take, but other parts are pretty damn funny.

[Nanaea]

My oldest left Quidditch Through The Ages lying around a while back, and I spent an enjoyable afternoon reading that. It was both informative, and amusing.

I am currently working through The Dark Crystal. I really like the authors writing style. It also gives a bit more background and explanation for many things than the movie does.

[JustS]

Man, you guys' reading lists make me look bad. And I'm meant to be an English literature student

I've never been a big novel reader. The book I'm currently reading is a Star Trek Deep Space Nine novel Avatar (book one) and the last book I read before that was a Star Trek Enterprise novel called The Last Full Measure.

I guess the last book I read before that was Madame Bovary for my course... but I didn't finish it and that was the most of any novel I've read for the course!

[Keith Inc.]

Let's see, i currently have bookmarks in:

Last Laughs, quotes from tombstones and famous last words

The Face in the Abyss, because someone thought it was my inspiration for Lamia

The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, which WAS my inspiration for several chapters of Lamia

Shadow Divers, salvage divers finding a WWII German Submarine, which will be an inspiration for a story once i finish it

And i just finished 'Fragile Things' by Neil Gaiman, which seems to be a collection of stories that are not story-shaped.

[redsliver]

I'm just starting on Thud!

[foeofthelance]

Old Soldiers by David Weber (Last survivng Bolo and last survivng commander of the 39th Dinochrome end up trying to save one of man's secret colonies.)

Waiting for:

A Deeper Blue by John Ringo. Not entirely sure what it is about, but it's book five in the Paladin of Shadows series. The main character is an ex-SEAL with a BDSM fetish, his group of Viking Warrior Mercenaries, their beer, babes, and guns. Not sure what this one is about, but should be fun. The MC is now running around with a nuke as well as enough blackmail potential to wreck the civilized world, as well as several million dollars. And for some reason someone thorws a whole bunch of SAM trucks around Disney world.

Hell Hath No Fury by David Weber and Linda Evans. Interdimensional civs cross each other by accident, at what turns out to be a major cross roads. One uses magic, the other technology. War ensues. What fun!

[Hermione Malfoy]

Cecilia Dart Thornton - Lord of the Rings with WOMEN and Attitude! I am on the last of the Bitterbynde Trilogy. It's unputdownable... I love it.

[WotanAnubis]

I'm just starting on Thud!

Enjoy.

Although personally it took me a few readthroughs before I really started appreciating the book. Same with Monstrous Regiment, really.

Anyways, I'm currently reading Good Omens. Again.

[Hermione Malfoy]

I like Terry Pratchett; and I like Thud so far although my favourite would have to be Wyrd Sisters I loved the mock take on Macbeth.

[redsliver]

My favorite Pratchett is and will remain Lords and Ladies. I'm just a fan of evil elves.

[Guest Madapple]

I'm trying to trudge my way through American Gods.

It is taking a while to get into it. I am reading it upon recommendation of a friend. She was enthuastic.

I don't think it's for me, but I am persevering. I have vowed to finish it.

[redsliver]

American Gods was like that for me too. I always found Gaiman to be a good storyteller but he keeps telling shitty stories.

[Hermione Malfoy]

I read Lord and Ladies and it was brilliant wasn't it the sequel to Wyrd Sisters though?

[redsliver]

I read Lord and Ladies and it was brilliant wasn't it the sequel to Wyrd Sisters though?

And Wyrd Sisters was the sequel to Equal Rites. There are plenty of witch books, though most often I prefer the Watch books.

[foeofthelance]

I second the watch books, though I still need to track down a copy of The Last Hero. Not sure if it counts, but it has Carrot in in it, which almost seems to require constant Vimesing.

[Mourningstar]

I'm also a fan of Pratchett's, and I have all of the main Discworld novels sitting on my bookshelves, which are slowly but surely reaching UU Library-esque measures... Hmm, it's really dashed difficult to choose a favourite, but I tend to prefer the Watch books. Out of the other Discworld books I've acquired, Nanny Ogg's Cook Book is another awesome piece. The recipes are great and the delivery is brilliant.

Oh, but didn't Witches Abroad take place between Wyrd Sisters and Lords and Ladies?

Currently I'm reading P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves&Wooster stories, though. I just love them... The characters are brilliant and the narrative is absolutely compelling, for me at least. Mind you, my friends have started to feel a bit baffled about being greeted "What ho!".

[EveKnight75]

I've finished my last list already. I can't remember how long ago that was. Irish Tales was a bit of a let-down, but I am so glad that I finally got to read Carmilla. I think it does a much better job exploring the lesbian angle than the more romanticized versions of the vampiric tales about Countess Bathory. At the same time, I don't feel that Mircalla is overly romanticized because she manages to keep this unsettling, gory, and evil air about her.

There is one book I would recommend. I've just finished reading The Courtesan by Susan Carroll about two weeks ago. I just couldn't put that book down because I loved it so much, and it has been years since I could truly say that about any book. I'll try to get my hands on the rest of the Dark Queen trilogy. I think the only issue is that it's often categorized as historical fiction. The historical basis is very loose, and anyone who read the book expecting that would be disappointed. It's more of a romance, but not necessarily Harlequin-esque despite the number of sex scenes. The main character's a courtesan - what do you expect? What I loved about it is that all of the characters are strong and realistic (my only issue is that they all prescribe to the view that rape is the fault of the perpetrator rather than the victim despite the fact that it's the 1500s), and though the settings aren't historically accurate, they're believable. An all-around good read.

I probably won't get much reading in until official Reading Week. Thankfully, it's coming up later this month, and I've been told that the profs avoid giving out assignments during that time. On the other hand, I have to help organize a Hispanic book fair and there's a French book fair going on as well. We're allowed to read whilemanning the tables, so I can read books written in Spanish while working my shifts, and I'm one of the people advertising the French fair, so I get to read the books without buying them whenever I visit. The rest of the time I can kick back with a book in English. An all-around promising Reading Week.

[StoryJunkie]

still reading invoices and bills all day. *sighs*. Okay, the truth is: (ready for it?) My overdue library books fine was over $30, so I haven't taken out any good mysteries since '99. Last series I read was to do with this retired alcoholic newshound who had a siamese cat who helped him solve crimes in the small town he retired to. Can't remember the name of it though, but it was entertaining. Ah, memories!

[DarkCabaret]

I've been re-reading the Harry Potter series. I keep finding myself telling everyone well this was in the book but not the movie or that shouldn't have been in the movie it wasn't in the book! Also I've been reading numerous books about Executions. Like I have one that recalled the first ever execution in america and goes on talking about famous cases and stuff. It's interesting. Also attempting to read Angel of Death at work. It's fascinating about cops and killers that sort of thing. (WHY OH WHY did I grow up with parents who were law enforcement?!)

[Guest Opalescence]

I'm rereading a book by Emma Holly to wash away the bad taste of a self help book a well intending family member gave me. Bleh.

Come on Emma! Work your magic!!!

[Guest Yhitzak]

What a great thread! I only recognize a handful of the titles listed, which makes me think that I need to check out a bookstore. Lovely to see so many people with so many different interests. Here's my current list:

I've been into classic fiction, lately, and just finished reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, as well as Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. Both books are outstanding, and don't really resemble any of the motion pictures done about either.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire (he also wrote Wicked and Son of a Witch).

For nonfiction I've been reading Lao Tze's Tao te Ching, Aleister Crowley's Liber Aleph: The Book of Wisdom or Folly, and some textbook about the history of homosexuality in art. I've also begun to research political philosophy and theory, and I've read bits of Hobbes' Leviathan and bits of Locke's Second Treatise. Locke is worth it if you're feeling idealistic.

Still, I think every healthy reading-list should contain at least one comic, if for no other reason than that we all need a visual every now and again. Because this one is a one-shot comic (available in a single hard or soft-cover volume), I have to recommend How Loathsome. The art is by Ted Neifah (of Courtney Crumrin fame) and the story is by Tristan Crane. It's one of the most frightening and true-to-life accounts of anything that I've ever read. I have only four words for you: San Francisco underground sex.

[Nanaea]

Wicked is on my list of books that I want to pick up and read some day.

I am finally reading The Last Unicorn and I am completely enchanted by it. The animated movie was a favorite when I was little, but untill now, I had never read the book.