Reading

[Zierro]

Never even read LoTR, I find it too....well...thick. Tolkien writes 3 pages long about surroundings, where he could have done in 3 sentences. I like a quicker/easier read.

 

 

 

Ugh, I hated that. I could only ever get through The Hobbit after about four attempts.

 

 

 

They explain it very well in Clerks 2. :lol:

[i_love_burritos]

 

 

 

I hate to judge a book by its cover... But my god, who designed that? It's absolutely disgusting. The tag line is idiotic, too.

 

 

 

Well I do judge books by their covers, and this one takes the cake at the height of the printed crapola.

 

 

 

Stephen9o3, don't buy it, much less read it.

[Lateralus]

Delivered today:

 

 

 

Hunger - Knut Hamsun

 

Journey to the End of the Night - Louis-Ferdinand Celine

 

Memoirs from the House of the Dead - Dostoevsky

 

The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner

 

The Bandini Quartet - John Fante

 

The Plague - Albert Camus

 

 

 

This completes my collection of Camus and leaves me with only a few Dostoevsky left to go. I also went to see my grandpa yesterday to talk about what it was like in the Communist party and the war, and he gave me:

 

 

 

The New York Trilogy - Paul Auster

 

Principles of Literary Criticism - I.A. Richards

 

Ten Days That Shook the World - John Reed (Apparently very popular with communists)

 

Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe

 

The New Journalism - Compiled by Tom Wolfe

 

 

 

Bookshelf is looking good.

[Millard]

Just finished reading Angels and Demons, wanted to read it before i see the film. I forgot how much Dan Brown sucks at writing, some bits were painful to read.

[Nom]

Just finished reading Angels and Demons, wanted to read it before i see the film. I forgot how much Dan Brown sucks at writing, some bits were painful to read.

 

 

 

To this day the only book I have started but not finished is The Da Vinci Code. The movie was at least entertaining but the book . . . Jesus.

 

 

 

I also had a quick read from the first book of that Cherub thing people were spazzing about on the last page. It was terrible. The dude needs an editor, a few English classes, and a more interesting premise.

 

 

 

Almost done with Frankenstein. Brave New World is next on the list for English class.

[mmmcannibalism]

Just finished reading Angels and Demons, wanted to read it before i see the film. I forgot how much Dan Brown sucks at writing, some bits were painful to read.

 

 

 

To this day the only book I have started but not finished is The Da Vinci Code. The movie was at least entertaining but the book . . . Jesus.

 

 

 

I also had a quick read from the first book of that Cherub thing people were spazzing about on the last page. It was terrible. The dude needs an editor, a few English classes, and a more interesting premise.

 

 

 

Almost done with Frankenstein. Brave New World is next on the list for English class.

 

 

 

Brave New World>Frankenstein

 

 

 

Frankenstein is a good idea for a story but I find it be quite badly written

 

 

 

Brave New World however is very well written and the plot is quite enthralling

[Kiriyama]

Just finished reading Angels and Demons, wanted to read it before i see the film. I forgot how much Dan Brown sucks at writing, some bits were painful to read.

 

 

 

To this day the only book I have started but not finished is The Da Vinci Code. The movie was at least entertaining but the book . . . Jesus.

 

 

 

I also had a quick read from the first book of that Cherub thing people were spazzing about on the last page. It was terrible. The dude needs an editor, a few English classes, and a more interesting premise.

 

 

 

Almost done with Frankenstein. Brave New World is next on the list for English class.

 

 

 

Brave New World>Frankenstein

 

 

 

Frankenstein is a good idea for a story but I find it be quite badly written

 

 

 

Brave New World however is very well written and the plot is quite enthralling

 

 

 

Though admittedly, the first few chapters do drag on a little, but it all helps to understand the book more.

[1_man_army]

 

I just ordered these on Amazon, I've been meaning to read The Inferno for so long and I'm a huge fan of the Vintage classic covers as well. I have loads of them on my list to order later. I'm so glad that I'll have time to read again with uni finishing next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hide=]

[/hide]

 

That's on my Amazon Wishlist, to my shame it was Russel Brand who made me aware of the book with the TV series where he made a similar trip.

[Nom]

Brave New World>Frankenstein

 

 

 

Frankenstein is a good idea for a story but I find it be quite badly written

 

 

 

Brave New World however is very well written and the plot is quite enthralling

 

 

 

From what I've read of Brave New World just skimming, I see a lot of that as the difference between products of two different centuries. But I agree with you; even by the standards of the times, Frankenstein is extremely overwritten in some parts. There was a page or two where Victor is talking about his marriage to Elizabeth, and I must have read the word "union" in that context ten times. And you can only elucidate so much about the themes before they get tiring.

 

 

 

Still, those themes are very thought-provoking and the application is sound. And for what it's worth it was Shelley's debut.

[mmmcannibalism]

Brave New World>Frankenstein

 

 

 

Frankenstein is a good idea for a story but I find it be quite badly written

 

 

 

Brave New World however is very well written and the plot is quite enthralling

 

 

 

From what I've read of Brave New World just skimming, I see a lot of that as the difference between products of two different centuries. But I agree with you; even by the standards of the times, Frankenstein is extremely overwritten in some parts. There was a page or two where Victor is talking about his marriage to Elizabeth, and I must have read the word "union" in that context ten times. And you can only elucidate so much about the themes before they get tiring.

 

 

 

Still, those themes are very thought-provoking and the application is sound. And for what it's worth it was Shelley's debut.

 

 

 

Agreed, the deeper meaning of the book is quite nice; my least favorite part is the two page rambling on how pretty the coastline is

[Jernlov]

I love to read anything that is based on solid fact. Fiction in any form is undesirable unless it's either a play, or poetry; and then, I much prefer to read a play or poem that is based on either historical fact or something that happened in the life of the playwright/author.

 

 

 

I think I find fiction tedious because I was force-fed boring book after boring book from year 7 upward. Up until then, I had been reading various articles of non-fiction. I'm certainly not looking forward to studying 'Of Mice and Men'. However, I did find J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls' absolutely enthralling to read. I didn't get a chance to see it performed on stage, though. I guess I'm quite closeminded when it comes to literature, but I like reading non-fiction and expanding my general knowledge.

[Stephen9o3]

[book cover]

 

 

 

I hate to judge a book by its cover... But my god, who designed that? It's absolutely disgusting. The tag line is idiotic, too.

 

 

 

Well I do judge books by their covers, and this one takes the cake at the height of the printed crapola.

 

 

 

Stephen9o3, don't buy it, much less read it.

 

 

 

I decided to look for some reviews:

 

 

 

http://www.bookspotcentral.com/2008/10/ ... f-shadows/

 

The Way of Shadows has been a book that I have wanted to read every chance I have gotten, it made me turn off television, it made me skip dessert, it even made me skip a shower once. That has not happened in a long time with a book, and unless something extraordinary happens in the next month or two, this is going to be my book of the year for 2008.

 

 

 

http://www.sffworld.com/brevoff/494.html

 

Granted, the novel is a debut and isnt without its flaws however minor they are. At times, the characters tend to speak anachronistically. That is, some of their phrasing and objects to which they refer seem out of synch with the implied technological level and societal advancement. Some of the names struck me as less than original. I doubt Weeks was aware of Joe Abercrombies novels which also feature a character by the name of Logen when he was writing The Night Angel trilogy. However, the name Logan is already very popular as the comic book character Wolverine. That said, Brent Weeks is off to a solid career as a fantasy novelist with The Way of Shadows, the most impressive debut novel Ive read this year.

 

 

 

http://fantasyscifibookreview.blogspot. ... weeks.html

 

 

What you get in the end is a suspenseful, quick-reading action adventure. You have assassins, mad kings, crime lords, prostitutes and nobles all taking on major roles. You see Azoth's development from a desperate child on the street to an accomplished killer. You see Durzo fight his need to connect to other human beings while being convinced that he's better off alone. And even after almost 700 pages, I can't wait to get my hands on the next book.

 

 

 

Last paragraph from the first 3 hits on google for reviews, I usually only ever read the conclusion of reviews. Overall very decent reviews. Not sure how reputable those sources are but still, I prefer reviews from average joe's rather than those who know everything there is to know about literature, as I am someone who definitely doesn't.

[Lateralus]

I've been meaning to read The Inferno for so long and I'm a huge fan of the Vintage classic covers as well.

 

 

 

The Inferno is incredibly difficult to read. You'll be in for a lot of research, owing to the (probably) thousands of allusions in the text. It's extremely rewarding of course, but it takes a long time.

 

 

 

Brave New World>Frankenstein

 

 

 

Frankenstein is a good idea for a story but I find it be quite badly written

 

 

 

Brave New World however is very well written and the plot is quite enthralling

 

 

 

From what I've read of Brave New World just skimming, I see a lot of that as the difference between products of two different centuries. But I agree with you; even by the standards of the times, Frankenstein is extremely overwritten in some parts. There was a page or two where Victor is talking about his marriage to Elizabeth, and I must have read the word "union" in that context ten times. And you can only elucidate so much about the themes before they get tiring.

 

 

 

Still, those themes are very thought-provoking and the application is sound. And for what it's worth it was Shelley's debut.

 

 

 

Agreed, the deeper meaning of the book is quite nice; my least favorite part is the two page rambling on how pretty the coastline is

 

 

 

The author was the wife of the poet Shelley, who wrote Prometheus Unbound. The two titles are very similar thematically (as the "modern day Prometheus" subtitle would suggest). If you don't like the execution of Frankenstein, but appreciate the theme, then Prometheus Unbound would be a very good choice. Everyone should read it anyway.

[ThurinEthir]

[Directed to the posts about that book with the blurgh cover] Obviously, different people have different tastes. Even with terrible writing, there will still be people who like it. (Ahem...Twilight :P )

 

The Lord of the Rings is also a good example. Most people either love it or hate it. Tolkien's thick detail either ensnares the reader, or makes the reader have no idea what is going on. I don't know if it seems like it, but I don't mean to say that those of you who don't like LotR are stupid or anything. I might think lower of you, but to each his own. ;)

 

So yea. Of course I love Tolkien.

 

I also finished The Sword of Truth series a few weeks ago. I only started because of a thread on this forum, by the way. Anyway, they weren't amazing, but not terrible. A good read if you have some spare time, I guess, although the books are very long.

 

So now I've re-read Ender's Game, and now am halfway through Ender's Shadow. (Which I didn't read when I first read Ender's Game/Speaker For the Dead/Xenocide/Children of the Mind) Good stuff.

 

For school, right now I'm reading Oliver Twist. Some good ole [bleep]ens. I've read a ton of Shakespeare this year (and for the record, my teacher assigns the most books in the school), though that means I've missed out on some of the "classics", like Of Mice and Men and The Catcher in the Rye. Like usual, most people hate them, but I'd say that's because of all the analyzing, so I've decided I'll probably give them a go this summer.

 

Speaking of which, I love summer reading. Last year, I went out and got Epic and the first four Ranger's Apprentice books (once again, not awesome, and probably aimed for younger ages), and ended up staying until 3 AM the next few days.

 

Enough ranting. I'm off to bed to read. Oh [cabbage], that was so cheesy...

[ElkNight]

In class we're now reading The Metamorphosis, man this story is really weird. Stupid bug/human.

[fastortoise]

As genetics is probably going to be my field of research, I'm currently reading The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Depressing but good.

[Forerunner]

Have to read J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye for English now.

 

It's not too dull, but 5 chapters in & the kid's life is just as depressing as it was since Page 1.

 

 

 

Although it's amazing how similar his attitude is to modern teenagers (this book is around 50 years old). Only real difference I can make out between him & my generation is that swear words have changed (or 'evolved') & kids nowadays have more & greater access to technology.

[Howlin0001]

Anyone ever read James Joyce's Ulysses book? If so what's it like?

[Jernlov]

The Lord of the Rings is also a good example. Most people either love it or hate it. Tolkien's thick detail either ensnares the reader, or makes the reader have no idea what is going on. I don't know if it seems like it, but I don't mean to say that those of you who don't like LotR are stupid or anything. I might think lower of you, but to each his own. ;)

 

So yea. Of course I love Tolkien.

As I said, I'm not one for fiction, but I do think "The Hobbit" is very good.

[Loge_05]

Anyone ever read James Joyce's Ulysses book? If so what's it like?

 

 

 

By comparison to other novels, it's patchy. I liked the first four chapters: the characterisation, dialogue were fantastic. But after the cemetery-scene it becomes a bit self-indulgent, although there are some highlights (the scene with the fireworks). The final chapter, though, is by far Joyce's finest writing - if you don't read the full book, the last 30 pages are worth a skim at least.

 

 

 

As an example of Modernism, however, it's required reading. If you unsure about attempting Ulysses, then I'd suggest Jacob's Room, by Virginia Woolf, or Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, also by James Joyce, to act as a prelude for things to come.

[Clay_More12]

Have to read Stone Cold, nearly finished 8-)

[mmmcannibalism]

In class we're now reading The Metamorphosis, man this story is really weird. Stupid bug/human.

 

 

 

that book is really depressing; interesting read but really odd story.

[Racheya]

Got my t-shirt today :twss:

 

 

 

Check that hottie out. And I mean the t-shirt not me :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not an official Black Shirt :D

[ElkNight]

In class we're now reading The Metamorphosis, man this story is really weird. Stupid bug/human.

 

 

 

that book is really depressing; interesting read but really odd story.

 

We havent gotten very far, but Kafka is [bleep]ed up. :lol:

 

My friend was telling my about some of his other stories.

[i_love_burritos]

I did find J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls' absolutely enthralling to read. I didn't get a chance to see it performed on stage, though. I guess I'm quite closeminded when it comes to literature, but I like reading non-fiction and expanding my general knowledge.

 

 

 

 

 

Mmm. Indeed. An Inspector Calls is one of my favourite plays to read. Has all the elements of a great piece of literature. I especially like the twist at the end. And how each major character has a element in the death. Foreshadowing in the first few scenes gives it away though.

 

 

 

Should have been a Hitchcock film. Is the perfect Hitchcock film

 

 

 

In class we're now reading The Metamorphosis, man this story is really weird. Stupid bug/human.

 

 

 

that book is really depressing; interesting read but really odd story.

 

We havent gotten very far, but Kafka is [bleep] up. :lol:

 

My friend was telling my about some of his other stories.

 

 

 

Read the Hunger Artist. One of the less depressing stories he has done. Wacked out too.

 

 

 

The Castle is good too.