Haven't seen a general book thread in a while...

[Taedirk]

1. What are you reading now?

I picked up a couple of H.P Lovecraft collections today. I always meant to read some of his works ever since I first seeing Cthulhu jokes. Already started to read a bit of them and really liked what I've seen so far.

2. What is next on your list, and why?

After these, I have Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver. I liked Necronomicon but usually read mostly fantasy novels. Harry Potter has been pre-ordered for some time with release-day-delivery guaranteed. I've got the Illuminatus! trilogy sitting around, the Elric saga somewhere, and waiting for October 11th for RJ's 11th.

3. What do you recommend for the other Graffies to read soon?

Damned if I know. Give in and read Harry Potter if you're one of the 7 people who haven't read it yet -- I managed to reread the series in 5 days. Listen to everyone else and read the Song of Ice and Fire series. Recently read Necronomicon, the Icewind Dale trilogy (after much harassment), reread Wheel of Time which is much better when you think of it as one looooooong book, and bits of the post-mortem Douglas Adams book, the name of which escapes me.

And for Queen of Wands fans: http://www.queenofwands.net/d/20030328.html -- Actual poster versions available now, wee

[Rooster]

Amen. That's why I call them the LOST generation.

EDIT: Reading David Weber at the moment. I have a new thing for military Sci-fi.

Not all of us are lost...i am 20 and in college and i manage to read about 1 book every week or so on top of a couple of books for architecture design lab each week (along with drawings, models, etc). So yes others may read more than me but i do feel that reading is a must if ANYONE wants advance in character as well as in the outside world. Put down the video game and experience the world.

Currently reading Design of everyday things and Towards a New Arch. by Le Corbusier
Next on the list for fun is ive heard stranger in a strange land is a good read but i dunno anything about it, anyone wanna recommend it to me?
In the future im going to reread the Chronicles of Narnia
Would Recommend July, July by Tim Obrien, possibly my favorite writer and also Towards a New Arch by Corbu if anyone is interested in arch out there.

[Zaes]

I just don't read because I've been turned off to it by all of the horrible books we are supposed to read for school. If I can get by reaidng those terrible schoolbooks on sparknotes and than getting the notes in our in-class discussions than I'll take that as opposed to wasting my time reading about mental paitients in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest or about the diary of a girl who died in the holocaust.

If you can steer me in the direction of a book that won't suck than I'm all ears.


Oh and the problem with skirt chasing is the fact that in order to chase something I need the people in my high school to speak to me. Right now I'm just that kid that everyone knows and talks to in school but once the clock strikes 3pm I vanish off the face of the earth. So i spend my weekends waiting for people to want to do something with me and I play WoW to pass the time.

[Lysandor]

No offense, but you need a hobby that attracts girls. The one you have repels them.

Try surfing, or guitar playing. Even if you suck, it's a lot more interesting then WoW.

As for reading, it's all about laying the groundwork. If you don't like the Diary of Anne Frank, or One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest, try reading something else. This thread is full of fairly good examples, btw.

[DmitrytheWizzy]

I just don't read because I've been turned off to it by all of the horrible books we are supposed to read for school. If I can get by reaidng those terrible schoolbooks on sparknotes and than getting the notes in our in-class discussions than I'll take that as opposed to wasting my time reading about mental paitients in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest or about the diary of a girl who died in the holocaust.

If you can steer me in the direction of a book that won't suck than I'm all ears.


Oh and the problem with skirt chasing is the fact that in order to chase something I need the people in my high school to speak to me. Right now I'm just that kid that everyone knows and talks to in school but once the clock strikes 3pm I vanish off the face of the earth. So i spend my weekends waiting for people to want to do something with me and I play WoW to pass the time.

Well, a little direction might help. Have you ever read anything you liked?

How about a genre you like. For instance the early Spencer books cannot be beat for fun reads if you like detective fiction.

Do you not like the long books? Read "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" by Hemingway. It's one of the best short stories ever.

For sheer dumb fun readability, get your hands on the L.E. Modesitt books of Order and Chaos.

[ShaardEQWizard]

Originally Posted by BananaPeel
If you can steer me in the direction of a book that won't suck than I'm all ears.

Well, I'm a huge fan of Fantasy books, so if you are slightly interested, please look up these books. They are all fantastic IMHO:

1. The Harry Potter books. You may think they are for kids, but I guarantee you if you read them you will love them.
2. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. This is the first of many books in the world of Shannara. This is the book that got me hooked on fantasy. A great read.
3. Wizard:Apprentice by Raymond Feist. Awesome book, also the first in a series.
4. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. I'm reading this now, and I can only say it is awesome so far, and all my friends that have read it can't say enough good things about it.
5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein. Once you get past the first 50 pages or so you'll never put it down.
6. Although they are science fiction more than fantasy, I've read a bunch of the Star Wars novels, and they are great. One in particular is Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina. If you like Star Wars at all, read this, you'll love it.

Originally posted by Beli Flinthammer
My next book will be Harry Potter (that's coming out in July).

Oh yeah Beli, I forgot to put the 6th Harry Potter book on my list - I can't wait.

[PPatty]

OK...
1. What are you reading now?
2. What is next on your list, and why?
3. What do you recommend for the other Graffies to read soon?

1. Just swung by the bookstore this afternoon and walked out with Richard Russo's Empire Falls and Evelyn Waugh's The Loved One.

2. I don't know. I usually stroll through the bookstore without a definite title i mind and just pick up books that look interesting. Based on my recent buying habits, it will probably be modern drama and/or a book of history.

3. Hell in a Very Small Place, by Bernard Fall. The author died 38 years ago, but this is still the best account of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu that I have read.

[PPatty]

also Towards a New Arch by Corbu if anyone is interested in arch out there.

Le Corbusier was the AntiChrist of architecture.

[Rooster]

Le Corbusier was the AntiChrist of architecture.

I hope this is some kind of joke because he is overwhelmingly regarded as the greatest architect of the 20th century along with mies.

[PPatty]

I hope this is some kind of joke because he is overwhelmingly regarded as the greatest architect of the 20th century along with mies.

He is undoubtedly the most influential architect of 20th century, but the greatest? Opinion is divided on that one. Le Corbusier's sterile metaphor of the house as a machine for living led to soulless blocks of concrete masquerading as institutional and communal buildings. Only in the last 25 years or so has global architecture finally started shaking off his lifeless vision.

[Mihoko Ishii]

Bananapeel: Disconnect from WoW right a way. In five years you will look back and think, damn I wish I had that 2-4 years of my life back that I spent playing EQ, I mean WoW. From there options:
1)Start working out (no wanking off does not count)
2)Start reading a book or so often (Switch it up between books for enjoyment and books for knowledge(I went straight tech books for three months and got super burnt out on reading))
3)Pick up a hobby like archery or basketball or golf...something to get outside and meet people or if you are into fantasy worlds see your local DnD group (at least you are wasting time using your imagination and socializing with people you can see)
4) So, you've got a posse now, some jokes, and a hobby

[Mihoko Ishii]

Bananapeel: Disconnect from WoW right a way. In five years you will look back and think, damn I wish I had that 2-4 years of my life back that I spent playing EQ, I mean WoW. From there options:
1)Start working out (no wanking off does not count)
2)Start reading a book or so often (Switch it up between books for enjoyment and books for knowledge(I went straight tech books for three months and got super burnt out on reading))
3)Pick up a hobby like archery or basketball or golf...something to get outside and meet people or if you are into fantasy worlds see your local DnD group (at least you are wasting time using your imagination and socializing with people you can see)
4) So, you've got a posse now, some jokes, and a hobby
i)locate a member of the opposite sex (or same sex if you swing that way)
lower on the sexual food chain than yourself and try to get a date

[Marcus]

1) The Truth by Terry Pratchett (For some reason I keep thinking the chief dwarf curmudgeon is named "Ringo" , instead of Goodmountain...)

2) More disc-world stuff, You Slay Me II, GRRMartin (if it ever actually is published, a librarian friend says July...Which I will believe when I am actually holding it), and , of course, the next Harry Potter book.

3) Any of the above...

--D

[Mihoko Ishii]

Bananapeel: Disconnect from WoW right a way. In five years you will look back and think, damn I wish I had that 2-4 years of my life back that I spent playing EQ, I mean WoW. From there options:
1)Start working out (no wanking off does not count)
2)Start reading a book or so often (Switch it up between books for enjoyment and books for knowledge(I went straight tech books for three months and got super burnt out on reading))
3)Pick up a hobby like archery or basketball or golf...something to get outside and meet people or if you are into fantasy worlds see your local DnD group (at least you are wasting time using your imagination and socializing with people you can see)
4) So, you've got a posse now, some jokes, and a hobby
i)locate a member of the opposite sex (or same sex if you swing that way) lower on the sexual food chain than yourself and try to get a date
ii) after sucessfully completing i, increase the value of i until it is equal to yourself (partner swarming should occur some time around here (I never figured this out... it is weird shit)) and you've reached the top of the sexual food chain and are rocking out with your penis so that bitch better fasten her seat belt
5)You've pretty much won at life now don't do too many drugs and see the financial food chain for more challenging feats.

[silverblaze]

I just don't read because I've been turned off to it by all of the horrible books we are supposed to read for school. If I can get by reaidng those terrible schoolbooks on sparknotes and than getting the notes in our in-class discussions than I'll take that as opposed to wasting my time reading about mental paitients in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest or about the diary of a girl who died in the holocaust.

If you can steer me in the direction of a book that won't suck than I'm all ears.


Oh and the problem with skirt chasing is the fact that in order to chase something I need the people in my high school to speak to me. Right now I'm just that kid that everyone knows and talks to in school but once the clock strikes 3pm I vanish off the face of the earth. So i spend my weekends waiting for people to want to do something with me and I play WoW to pass the time.

I used to be pretty much like you about school books. I still think alot of what we had to read in high school and hell even in universirty is pretty crappy. Then sometime around the summer of my 8th grade, just about to enter HS, a close family friend of mine introduced me to the wonder of The sword of shannara by terry brooks. I'd never read LoTR (in fact when I did I was like wtf, this book is so similar to TSoS) Anywho, the moral is, that book really sparked by thirst for reading. In that 1 summer I read 6 novels, in 3 months as opposed to reading something like 2 for pleasure in my entire life before that

The hard part is finding a good book. YOu like WoW, so you like fantasy. I'd suggest going to the local library and just go into the fantasy aisles and look at the books. Hell one of the reasons I got into the dragonlance series (Which is a great book to read if you like fantasy and just starting in fantasy, despite what Dmitry thinks) was from the cover art. So just pick out books that looks good, read the back cover, if it sparks your interest in the least bit, check it out (it doesn't cost anything) and go from there. One thing I loved about EQ soloing was the downtime, gave me lots of time to read Also my comp took 10 odd minutes to zone so that was also a plus

Enough blog. Go to the local library, look for a genre that sounds interesting and peruse and then pick 1 book. Even if its a short book and get started on a life long voyage.

[Ambrielle]

I just don't read because I've been turned off to it by all of the horrible books we are supposed to read for school. If I can get by reaidng those terrible schoolbooks on sparknotes and than getting the notes in our in-class discussions than I'll take that as opposed to wasting my time reading about mental paitients in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest or about the diary of a girl who died in the holocaust.

If you can steer me in the direction of a book that won't suck than I'm all ears.

I stopped reading from age 12 to 16, because the way we studied books at school completely turned me off reading for pleasure so I sympathise. To this day I cannot face Shakespeare, I'm only glad we never had to study Austen or Hardy else I might never have picked up Persuasion or Jude the Obscure.

If you have an interest in the fantasy setting, you could try "Pawn of Prophecy" by David Eddings (book 1 of the Belgariad). It's far from a masterpiece, but he tells a good, involving story. The books are undemanding and not massively long, so should give you a feel for whether or not you enjoy the genere as fiction.

To answer the questions at the top of the thread:

Current book - The Kindly Ones, Gaiman
Next book - The Wake, Gaiman, since I've been reading them all from start to finish
Recommended author/books :
Jane Austen, but only if you like ironic humour or it will be wasted on you. P&P, Emma or Persuasion
Something I read recently and would recommend was "The curious incident of the dog in the night time" by Mark Haddon (Amazon link )

[DmitrytheWizzy]

I hope this is some kind of joke because he is overwhelmingly regarded as the greatest architect of the 20th century along with mies.

IM Pei is coming over your house to bite your nuts off.

[Neofelis]

Currently:

Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis

Hyperspace : A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension - Michio Kaku

On the Far Side of the Mountain - Jean Craighead George

A Charlotte Mason Companion : Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning - Karen Andreola

I also have several books related to self sufficient living and timber frame construction I'm perusing right now.

[luxum]

Really? I read "Wicked" and while I found the ideas to be great -- his fleshing out of Oz was wonderful, and I say that as someone who owns all the Baum Oz books -- I found the execution to be really clumsy, to the point that it interfered with my enjoyment of the book quite a bit. I felt like, unless I was the book critic for the "New Yorker," he didn't give a shit whether or not I actually enjoyed the novel.

Hmm. Care to elaborate? It's been awhile since i read it, but i really did enjoy it, i liked the perspective shift immensely - wicked witch as protagonist. Eh, maybe it just speaks to me on a personal level.

Hyperspace : A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimension - Michio Kaku

I like this book a lot. Similar structure as Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe but not as maddeningly dumbed down. It's unfortunately not quite as up to date though.

[DigitalDemon]

Just finished rereading Hitchhiker's in preparation for the movie, and after that started reading If Chins Could Kill by Bruce Campbell. Almost done with that now.

Lined up are The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Tales and A Game of Thrones, since everyone seems to like it.