# What Are You Reading ? The FAF Book List



## ryanleblanc (Aug 14, 2011)

I recently bought a new book (well not exactly new, it was published ages ago, but it's new to me). For those who are curious, it's Stephen King's "Christine". 

Now onto the thread, I was wondering what you guys/gals are reading at the moment or what you have recently read. Was this book of yours any good? If you want, you could even give us a small review of your book or a short synopsis. The rules to this thread are as listed below:

- Keep all spoilers to a minimum
- If your post contains spoilers, please indicate this at the top of your post in *bold*
- Keep it clean, I couldn't care less about your erotic fiction (see below for further explanation)
- Remember this is "books", not webcomics, they don't have to be furry related either
- E-books such as those read on Tablets and E-Readers do count as books
_- _You may also post reviews/synopsis's of theatrical plays
- Audiobooks do count as books

What counts as erotic fiction/smut?

Books with sex scenes that are "frequent" and/or "explicit" will not be permitted in this book list. They will be treated as erotic fiction (smut) and will be reported and removed if posted. However, if your book is for example, a romance novel, in which sex scenes are infrequent, inexplicit (hazy/vague in description), and meaningful (ie. not just sex for the sake of sex) then your book will be permitted in this list.


Thanks to everyone who contributes to the book list. I know the rules are a pain, but I want to keep this book list orderly so we can all enjoy it!


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## Fay V (Aug 14, 2011)

At the moment. The complete collection of Sherlock Holmes vol. 1. 
Personally I really like it, I find it hilarious. Doyle has a great sense of humor, the best scene is the first time watson reads an article by holmes, that's just classic sitcom stuff. 
I'd recommend it, but at this point if you're unaware of holmes and the style nothing I say will really help. 

What I've been reading of the summer. Every Single Discworld book. Starting from colored magic to Unseen Academicals. I recommend these books so much it's silly. But again they are so popular that those that are fans of the style would probably have read it. 

Does reading plays count? cause I've been spending some time reading theatre of the absurd style plays.


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## ryanleblanc (Aug 14, 2011)

Fay V said:


> Does reading plays count?



Yes plays count. The rules have now been updated to include plays. Although books will hopefully be our main priority in the book list, plays are allowed to help spice things up.


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## Fay V (Aug 14, 2011)

Okay. I shall update my list then 

The importance of being Earnest. Because it's fucking Oscar Wilde! 
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. This one takes an interest in Theater of the Absurd, and some deeper reading. If you just read it as is...well it's just two crazy people being assholes and a lot of alcoholism. If you read a bit closer, it's really tragic and awesome. Don't Watch The Movie. 
Generally they say the play is better, but in this case the movie changes some dialogue and actually fundamentally changes the story and makes it...just bleh.


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## Tomias_Redford (Aug 14, 2011)

I'm currently working my way through my Torchwood book collection.  Just finished reading Ba Of The Dead, Slow Decay and Border Princes.  I'm taking a break from Torchwood for the moment, and having a read of Varjak Paw by S.F. Said.  Decent book, and a little bit of trivia, I've beenc ast as Varjak for a Youtube Animation project, based around the books =3

Another few books I've read recently, Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl, 1984 by George Orwell, and I think thats about it at the moment.


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## General-jwj (Aug 14, 2011)

Reading the Eisenhorn trilogy, by Dan Abnett.

So, in the grim darkness of the far future (where there is only war, blabla ...), makind is beset not only from the exterior threat of invading armies, but also the ennemy within : corrupt cultists and malcontents hellbent on toppling the Imperial Regime from the inside. 
The only line of defense against these threats is the Inquisition : a secretive and feared order of ruthless and fanatic servants of the Emperor, whose mission in life is to insure the continuing stability of the Imperium.
We follow the adventures of Gregor Eisenhorn, a respected and renowed Inquisitor, as he hunts down a particularly dangerous heretic terrorist. But he will then unveil a plot several centuries in the making that could change the face of the Galaxy, a plot he'll have to sacrifice everything to stop.


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## Hendly Devin (Aug 14, 2011)

Im currently reading the screenplay continuation of the film *RashÅmon *written by akira kurisowa and shinobu hashimoto which was based on the short story "in the grove" by ryÅ«nosuke akutagawa

Its basically a story that illustrates the ambiguity of truth in the desires and perceptions of human beings. Its a story about the percpectives of three men detailing the events of a single murder and how each mans story, while still presenting the same basic event, ultimately contradicts in smaller details and motivations making a very obvious impact in the ability to find the best truth out of them.

Nothing is what it seems.

*Recent books ive read and reccomend:

graphic novels:*

*Logicomix:* based on the life of mathematician and logician Bertrand Russel and the impact of his theories, proofs and experiences have on the history of logic, truth, and computers. If you have any interest in philosophy, logic, math, or science this is an excellent piece of literature filled with exciting and illuminating thoughts in a very entertaining and beautiful story.

*Barefoot Gin*: The story of a young boy who lived in Hiroshima during World War II and survived the Hiroshima bombing. An amazing and heart wrenching story about the horrors of war, and the fragility of humanitarianism.

*Books:

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle*Maintenance*: Robert M. Persig. A philosophical novel illustrated during a motorcycle journey by the narrator and his son as he slowly recollects the life of Phaedrus, and alternative personality the narrator once had when younger. The story deals with an innate lacking certainty in the scientific process, the metaphysics of truth and good, subjectivity and objectivity.

*Thus spoke Zarathustra:* Freidrich Nietzschie. A philosophical novel*composed in four parts between 1883 and 1885 dealing with*ideas such as the "eternal recurrence of the same", the parable on the "death of God", and the "prophecy" of the*Ãœbermensch. Having read it several times over, i find it one of the most enticing philosophy books in terms of language, but i still havent really figured out what Nietzsche means half the time... tho i have a good idea...

*The Brothers Karamazov:* Fyodor Dostoyevsky. A novel about three brothers reunited and in conflict over the humanity of their distasteful father, their faiths, and their futures. It is told mostly through the eyes of the youngest brother Alyosha whom intends to keep his family together in the face of all of its issues and failures. It contains a great deal of commentary on faith, the reason of a religious moral systems, and human nature. One chapter in particular is very well known "The Grand Inquisitor" which is a*fictitious*allegory*told by Dimitry the middle brother about the second coming of christ during the spanish inquisition.

*Phaedrus*: Plato. A dialogue between Socrates and his young friend about love, speech composition, the metaphysics of quality in relation to speech writing. Its a small book but its heavy so it takes along time to read. I have a bit of a feeling that Socrates and Phaedrus were lovers, and were in fact doing it as they spoke of love and speeches. (the content of this book is what inspired Persig's character Phaedrus in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.)

Im also reading *Beyond Good and Evil**by Freidrich Nietzschie which is one of his latter books involving the same philosophies as Thus spoke Zarathustra but in a more*concise*less metaphorical language that is still just as potently engaging and interesting but perhaps easier to understand when it comes to the finer details of his thought. I haven't come close to finishing it... not even a quarter the way through so i cant say much as to what its about... but its quite the classic.


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## TechnoGypsy (Aug 14, 2011)

Fay V said:


> The importance of being Earnest. Because it's fucking Oscar Wilde!



My theatre's doing that this September!! How amusing!

I'm doing a whole bunch of John Grisham.
So far; The Rainmaker, The Pelican Brief, The Firm, The Runaway Jury, The last Juror and The King of Torts. All of them have some aspect of courtroom business in them. Even The last Juror which evolves around the experiences of a journalist.

By far my favourites would be Rainmaker and Runaway Jury. Mailny due to them being so ridiculous at times (money or evidence wise) that I burst out laughing. As well as being incredibly well written.

Apart from John Grisham, I've been reading the Monster Blood Tattoo series by D.M. Cornish. He's very effective in turning small, meagre events into the backbone of the story.


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## FlynnCoyote (Aug 14, 2011)

General-jwj said:


> Reading the Eisenhorn trilogy, by Dan Abnett.



Excellent read, b sure to follow up with Ravenor and the upcoming Bequin stories as well.  

I have read these and many other stories from the Black Library publishers. Beyond this I have also read the Inheritance cycle, a few books from the Temeraire series and a couple from the Conclave of Shadows saga. 


I`m generally a sucker for a good scifi/fantasy read as long as it contains something (like a strong theme or character journey) to catch my interest.


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## Fay V (Aug 14, 2011)

Hendly Devin said:


> Nietzsche


So far as I can tell "Fuck you, I do what I want!". Or I suppose "don't hold yourself back with made up concepts of morals" but I'm no expert. I'm Kantian 
I do like that book though, Nietzsche had some great ideas and is certainly a hell of a lot better to read than Kant. 
Ever read the Gay Science? It's got my favorite hypothetical in there.


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## Hendly Devin (Aug 14, 2011)

Fay V said:


> So far as I can tell "Fuck you, I do what I want!". Or I suppose "don't hold yourself back with made up concepts of morals" but I'm no expert. I'm Kantian
> I do like that book though, Nietzsche had some great ideas and is certainly a hell of a lot better to read than Kant.
> Ever read the Gay Science? It's got my favorite hypothetical in there.


haven't gotten to gay science... still working on figuring out the ins and outs of zarathustra and good and evil...

but yeah... philosophically you and i will find little in common... Kantian humanism is pretty much bull shit in my view. Especially the concept of a universal law of reason that will guide man towards an emancipation of tyranny... in fact i think it does just the opposite, it creates more subjective and idealized "truths" and thus leads man in a direction all too manipulable and all too precarious. Nietzschie isn't about "removing the made up morals that hold you back" he is about realizing a fundamental flaw in man's language and thought that cannot propose to ever know an ultimate reason, or an universal process of truth. To reduce all to*philosophical*values to nihl the nature of reality left us with hence nihilsm, the necessity of morals exist, however we will never know the reality of them unless we manage a status of Overman.


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## ramsay_baggins (Aug 14, 2011)

A Song Of Ice And Fire series.
I'm on book 2, A Clash Of Kings.

God, I love these books! SOOOOOO much! Martin has done very well in making me very emotionally invested in his characters, and the TV show is a really good companion.


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## Sar (Aug 14, 2011)

1984 by George Orwell. It was written in 1948. Some of the ideas portrayed in the book are suprisingly accurate to the present day.


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## General-jwj (Aug 14, 2011)

Sarukai said:


> 1984 by George Orwell. It was written in 1948. Some of the ideas portrayed in the book are suprisingly accurate to the present day.



Sorry, couldn't resist.


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## greg-the-fox (Aug 14, 2011)

Do audiobooks count? I don't actually "read" anything anymore... damn the internet for destroying my attention span...
The longest thing I can read in one sitting is a Cracked or Onion article


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## Sar (Aug 14, 2011)

greg-the-fox said:


> Do audiobooks count? I don't actually "read" anything anymore... damn the internet for destroying my attention span...
> The longest thing I can read in one sitting is a Cracked or Onion article


 I think audiobooks count as your listening to someone reading to you.


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## Rakuen Growlithe (Aug 14, 2011)

The last book I read was Fell, which I reviewed here http://www.flayrah.com/3630/review-fell-david-clement-davies

Currently I'm reading Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Of course I actually started about four years ago and stopped halfway because the writing is really exhausting to read. Last time I was reading I found a 10-line sentence. It might sound great but that length of sentence takes a serious amount of effort to follow.

When I finish Robinson Crusoe, or when I take a break again, I'll be moving onto Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy by Matthew Scully. I'll be reading this because I can't find Peter Singer's Animal Liberation.


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## Sar (Aug 14, 2011)

This is a good thread.


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## General-jwj (Aug 14, 2011)

I know it's not exactly the point of the thread, but I was planning in reading a few books next year (mostly books I've heard of a lot but that nobody I know's ever read) and I was wondering if any of you had any opinions on them.

So, there was "The Silmarillion", "A Song of Fire and Ice" (the whole saga thing, obviously), "The Divine Comedy", "The Art of War", "War and Peace" and "The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe" (wanted that one since I read "Necronomicon : The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft". EDIT : almost forgot "Roadside Picnic" (one of the inspirations for the Stalker video games)


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## Gavrill (Aug 14, 2011)

Re-read "Mister B. Gone" by Clive Barker. Didn't want to, friend said I should. That book is really unsettling.


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## Hendly Devin (Aug 14, 2011)

General-jwj said:


> I know it's not exactly the point of the thread, but I was planning in reading a few books next year (mostly books I've heard of a lot but that nobody I know's ever read) and I was wondering if any of you had any opinions on them.
> 
> So, there was "The Silmarillion", "A Song of Fire and Ice" (the whole saga thing, obviously), "The Divine Comedy", "The Art of War", "War and Peace" and "The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe" (wanted that one since I read "Necronomicon : The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft". EDIT : almost forgot "Roadside Picnic" (one of the inspirations for the Stalker video games)



the simarillion:
Tolkien is the first true writer i ever read outside of high school required texts... The Simarillion is personally my favorite book of his. It reads like the bible but if you can get beyond that kind of archaic language its stories are millions of times more epic and romantic and poetic than LotR or the Hobbit. (if you are a tolkien fan and like sci fi too i suggest reading the Dune series by Frank Herbert. its like taking Tolkien's ability to create entire histories languages and cultures in his books, and adding entire intergalactic economic and political systems with psychic drugs, lazers,*Bedouin*knights, and dragonfly helicopters. Just as immersive, just as visionary, just as cinimatic as tolkien but with a dark*vampiristic space*odyssey*edge. A must read)

Divine Comedy is great too... im a big fan of heretical religious novels like that... very dramatic, very metaphorical.

Art of war is alright... reading it isnt going to make you into a superb goh player, or strategist but it will*definitely*disillusion*you from a lot of western war/political practices. Its a meh read... but classic in its history. Its like the Tao De Ching, you really have to read it and study it for years to even come close to being even an apprentice of its theory.

War and Peace i never read, but tolstoy is the shit and again its immense in its standing as a classic of modern literature. Be prepared to dole out a month on one or two chapters tho... russians are notoriously long winded writers and War and Peace would probably take a reader like me (which isnt really much of a reader) more than a year to finish not including three month long breaks inbetween. @_@

Poe is excellent too... just dont read his works and figure you've found your favorite poet, or your favorite horror genre writer for that matter. There are many much better writers of poetry and horror and Im sick of talking to kids about writers and having them tell me Poe is their favorite poet (oh so typical). it reminds me of emo/goth kids who read it cause its dark so attach themselves ball in chain to him as they close their minds to anything else outside of him. all the while they talk like they are some sort of poetry buff; its total bull shit. Poe in my eyes is a great writer for intermediate horror readers*especially*when there are books like Mary Shelly's Frankenstein (all time favorite novel btw), Bram Stoker's Dracula, the Ann Rice novels, H.P. Lovecraft, and not to mention Stephen king on book shelves everywhere.

i guess all im saying with Edgar Allen Poe is don't become the typical "Poe is the best poet ever" kid.... Dont get me wrong, Poe has all the right to stand next to Tolstoy, Sun Tsu, and Dante. Again a classic writer of the highest*caliber. but fuck the mindless cult followers.


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## General-jwj (Aug 14, 2011)

Thanks for the advice Hendly. I think I'll be ok with war and peace : I read fast and I read often. I finished 800 page books in 1 or 2 months, so how hard can it be ? ^^

I'm not really gonna read Poe for the "fanboy-ism" though, it's just that I was always hearing or reading "Lovecraft inspired this, Lovecraft inspired that ..." so I read his stuff, and loved it. Then I read all over the place that Poe inspired Lovecraft, so there it is. I'm kinda following the lines of inspiration to see where they'll take me.


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## Hendly Devin (Aug 14, 2011)

General-jwj said:


> Thanks for the advice Hendly. I think I'll be ok with war and peace : I read fast and I read often. I finished 800 page books in 1 or 2 months, so how hard can it be ? ^^
> 
> I'm not really gonna read Poe for the "fanboy-ism" though, it's just that I was always hearing or reading "Lovecraft inspired this, Lovecraft inspired that ..." so I read his stuff, and loved it. Then I read all over the place that Poe inspired Lovecraft, so there it is. I'm kinda following the lines of inspiration to see where they'll take me.


no for sure... war and peace is readable... i'm just ADHD when it comes to words and reading a 600 page book tends to take me several months if i ever even do finish it.

thats why i read a lot of graphic novels and manga <.< *>.>

BUT HA! thats exactly how i got into lovecraft and poe too...


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## Bliss (Aug 14, 2011)

General-jwj said:


> "The Silmarillion"





Hendly Devin said:


> It reads like the *bible* but if you can get beyond that kind of archaic language its stories are millions of times more epic and romantic and poetic than LotR or the Hobbit.


So true. It practically tells the history of Middle-Earth and gives insight to characters and lands. It's rather hard to keep up with, changing constantly the setting and perspective.

 But it seriously is like a Bible; read only if you're a fantasy nerd. And I still prefer the Hobbit. D:


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## General-jwj (Aug 14, 2011)

Lizzie said:


> But it seriously is like a Bible; read only if you're a fantasy nerd. And I still prefer the Hobbit. D:



I want to read that book soooo bad now D:


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## Bliss (Aug 14, 2011)

General-jwj said:


> I want to read that book soooo bad now D:


It has family trees of the hobbits and has a dictionary for words of different languages like Elvish and Westron.


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## Ariosto (Aug 14, 2011)

Quite a few things for college and a few others for my amusement. I'll only post fiction:
-_Krik? Krak!_(Edwige Danticat): essentially, a book of short stories that is deeply concerned about the haitian identity. It has a few beautiful passages, and the stories set in Haiti are (unsurprisingly) the best of the lot. It also has a good management of thematic connection: the haitian culture is not the only link, the characters, the places, the minor themes are and a few other things (such as not revealing a few of the character's outright, possibly to emphasise how they gain an identity by making a connection with their culture).

-_Theogony_ (Hesiod): I'm on the first few lines (around the 60th) and it's interesting in that it discusses many of the things about which we spoke in class, such the poet's role, his relationship with the muses, his possibilities as an "inspired" and the fact the muses,and therefore the poet, could be, in fact, lying.

-_The Trial_ (Franz Kafka): Weeee! I'm having a blast with one. It's world does not make one bit of sense and yet it's perfectly coherent in itself (horray for dream logic) and K. is a pretty complex character, one whose gestures and actions seem to contradict every single thing that the narrator tells him about us or whatever he says (the best thin?, this is also pretty coherent). Speaking of gestures, I had never read a book in which the invasion of personal space felt so deeply concerning. If it keeps like this, it will become a favorite.

-_Casanova in Bolzano_ (SÃ¡ndor MÃ¡rai): a book that began with an interesting and quick-paced aesthetic and three tremendously entertaining initial chapters, then it turned into a glacially-paced cavalcaade of pages of similes, paragraphs and paragraphs of similes (apparently, slavic writers are prone to this).


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## greg-the-fox (Aug 14, 2011)

I only read non fiction, preferably science/technology or sociology related. I think the public school system has pretty much ruined fiction for me...


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## Bliss (Aug 14, 2011)

I'm reading a biography of Obama. Fffff- his family died. D;


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## M. LeRenard (Aug 14, 2011)

Recently read:
Foucault's Pendulum, by Umberto Eco.  It's basically a much more intelligent take on the concepts that inspired The DaVinci Code.  In the story, a group of guys who all work for a publishing agency get a project from their boss, to compile a huge amount of information about ancient conspiracy theories (the Rosicrucians, the Knights Templar, etc.) and the occult.  They find the project really amusing, so they end up going through all this information and making up connections to put in the book, until they devise this thing they sarcastically call The Plan, a story about some ancient secret that controls the whole universe.  But it just so happens there are some people in the world who take all of these things seriously, and that The Plan that they made up might actually be real.
I'd recommend it, but I will warn that the middle section is incredibly dull, because that's where they sit and develop The Plan, and the author seemed to want to stroke his 'cock of obscure knowledge' for the audience.  So not much story happens there; instead, you get to sit through a whole lot of the three guys sitting around going through ancient literature and coming up with connections.  But the rest of the book makes up for it.

Oliver Twist, by Dickens.  Dickens was a bitter, bitter old man.

No Oath Sworn, by Phil Geusz.  I wrote a review of it here.  It's a neat sci-fi book.  Phil Geusz also happens to be a longtime member of our little fandom.

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King.  It's a collection of novella-length works, all very dark, nothing supernatural.  The point is basically to demonstrate what might happen when that little seed of evil we all have in our hearts gets the better of us.  The first story, while good, is probably the weakest, just because it gets pretty absurd by the end, but I'd still recommend the whole collection.  If you're a Stephen King fan, here he is doing what he does best.


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## CAThulu (Aug 14, 2011)

M. Le Renard said:


> Recently read:
> Foucault's Pendulum, by Umberto Eco.  It's basically a much more  intelligent take on the concepts that inspired The DaVinci Code.  In the  story, a group of guys who all work for a publishing agency get a  project from their boss, to compile a huge amount of information about  ancient conspiracy theories (the Rosicrucians, the Knights Templar,  etc.) and the occult.  They find the project really amusing, so they end  up going through all this information and making up connections to put  in the book, until they devise this thing they sarcastically call The  Plan, a story about some ancient secret that controls the whole  universe.  But it just so happens there are some people in the world who  take all of these things seriously, and that The Plan that they made up  might actually be real.
> I'd recommend it, but I will warn that the middle section is incredibly  dull, because that's where they sit and develop The Plan, and the author  seemed to want to stroke his 'cock of obscure knowledge' for the  audience.  So not much story happens there; instead, you get to sit  through a whole lot of the three guys sitting around going through  ancient literature and coming up with connections.  But the rest of the  book makes up for it.


  Reading it now, and finding it fascinating.  I'm just hitting the middle now.  Eco seems to flaunt his knowledge of the obscure throughout the whole book, but I love reading that sort of stuff, so it doesn't bother me too much.  It's a book for intellectuals by an intellectual, so there's going to be some showing off in it 

I have several on the go, including:
The Gospel of Mary of Magdaline:  This is written by Karen L. King, a professor of Ecclesiastical Histary at Harvard in the Divinity School.   It is also recent; first edition was 2003.  There have been 3 scrolls that have been found that contain the gospel of Mary M.  Importantly, one of them was written in Coptic, a language that was used almost exclusively by Christians in Egypt.  It rejects that Christ didn't suffer and die to bridge the gap between man and God, but focuses on his teachings being a path to inner spiritual knowledge.  It also shows that Mary being a prostitute was a complete work of fiction so that the gospel given to her by Jesus was viewed as unreliable, and that she wasn't a desciple.  It's completely heretical in the eyes of the modern church, but it makes some excellent and compelling arguements for why it the scrolls shouldn't be dismissed outright as lies.  It's a brilliant read and needs to be read with an open mind and a grain of salt 
The Middle Way by The Dalai Lama:  The book is basically a transcript of his talk in Toronto in 2004.  He advocates faith grounded in understanding and reason, especially in this age of science and technology.  "What we need is a skeptical curiosity and constant inquiry, a curious mind, drawn toward al possibilities; an dwhen we cultivate that, the desire to deeply investigate naturally arises." (HH the Dalai Lama).  

Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat:  A book about the relationships between animals and people, and why we look at certain animals the way we do as either a companion, a pest, or food.  

I _love_ libraries!


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## Stratto the Hawk (Aug 14, 2011)

I've been re-reading Warriors, but I'm going to start on the Griffin Mage Series later today.


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## Aleu (Aug 14, 2011)

I'm re-reading _The Fallen_ which is my favorite series to date. If you like biblical fiction, I recommend it. One of the few books that made me cry at the end.

I want to be able to get _The Last Vampire_ series. I started reading them in high school but I never got the chance to finish.


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## M. LeRenard (Aug 14, 2011)

CAThulu said:
			
		

> Reading it now, and finding it fascinating. I'm just hitting the middle now. Eco seems to flaunt his knowledge of the obscure throughout the whole book, but I love reading that sort of stuff, so it doesn't bother me too much. It's a book for intellectuals by an intellectual, so there's going to be some showing off in it


Clearly, yes.  I'm just not familiar with most of that stuff, so I found it hard to follow.  But I love the general message, so overall I thought it was really good.


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## Torrijos-sama (Aug 14, 2011)

The Adolescent, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.


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## Conker (Aug 14, 2011)

I just finished _Don Quixote_, which took me almost two months to get through. Damn 900 page books  Very fun book though, hard to read large chunks at a time (I had to settle with maybe thirty or forty pages at a time), but it's surprisingly funny and easy to read for being so old. Most of those older books can be a chore to get through. 

Just started _One Day on Mars_ by Travis S Taylor. Typical low brow science fiction. It's been fun so far, but it's not the best sci fi book I've read. He's busted out a few cliches already, and I've noticed some minor grammatical errors :[ Still, seems like it'll be a really fun plot read. Already starting to get good in that department. 

I've a huge list of books I plan on reading after:

_Paradise Lost
King Lear
Gauntlegrym
The Metamorphosis
The Blind Watchmaker
_More stuff by H.P. Lovecraft. I've a .pdf file with all of his works on my computer.
And those don't include the things I want to reread >.<


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## ryanleblanc (Aug 14, 2011)

Rules have been updated to include audiobooks.  Great contributions so far! Keep it up!


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## Onnes (Aug 14, 2011)

I recently finished _The Devil You Know_ by Mike Carey. It was a fairly entertaining supernatural detective story, and I quite liked the setting of an occult-infused London. The writing was actually quite good considering the genre. It's the first of a series, and I'll probably pick up the others once I finish my current backlog of books.

Currently I'm reading _Cloud Atlas_ by David Mitchell. Lord do I hope this book has an aim beyond showcasing the author's English skills.


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## Sarcastic Coffeecup (Aug 14, 2011)

I'm reading these wonderful schoolbooks :V


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## Larry (Aug 14, 2011)

Books aren't really my thing, but right now, I'm reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I'm over halfway through the book, but I don't care if it's 5 days overdue and I owe 70 cents for it, I'M GONNA FINISH THAT BOOK.


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## Aetius (Aug 14, 2011)

Right now...some book on the German military and the eastern front.

I mostly look at the pictures.


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## lobosabio (Aug 14, 2011)

Just today I finished reading _Mussolini: His Part In My Downfall_ by Spike Milligan.  I rather liked it, though the book had the odd tenancy to snap back and forth between being very funny and very depressing.


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## Flatline (Aug 14, 2011)

Currently reading _Just After Sunset _by Stephen King.


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## Hendly Devin (Aug 14, 2011)

Larry said:


> Books aren't really my thing, but right now, I'm reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I'm over halfway through the book, but I don't care if it's 5 days overdue and I owe 70 cents for it, I'M GONNA FINISH THAT BOOK.


 that has been on my reading list for a long time. :0


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## Larry (Aug 14, 2011)

Hendly Devin said:


> that has been on my reading list for a long time. :0



It's fucking good so far. I've never imagined myself reading a 700+ page book (I rented the Large Print version), but I can't put the book down once I pick it up. David Fincher (Fight Club, The Social Network, Benjamin Button) is directing the American movie adaptation of the book. Check out the trailer, it's amazing.


----------



## Sar (Aug 14, 2011)

I liked 'the crucible' by Arthur miller. A play based on the Salem witch trials, its themes of tolerance and hysteria clench me as I imagine what I am reading.


----------



## Fay V (Aug 14, 2011)

Hendly Devin said:


> haven't gotten to gay science... still working on figuring out the ins and outs of zarathustra and good and evil...
> 
> but yeah... philosophically you and i will find little in common... Kantian humanism is pretty much bull shit in my view. Especially the concept of a universal law of reason that will guide man towards an emancipation of tyranny... in fact i think it does just the opposite, it creates more subjective and idealized "truths" and thus leads man in a direction all too manipulable and all too precarious. Nietzschie isn't about "removing the made up morals that hold you back" he is about realizing a fundamental flaw in man's language and thought that cannot propose to ever know an ultimate reason, or an universal process of truth. To reduce all to*philosophical*values to nihl the nature of reality left us with hence nihilsm, the necessity of morals exist, however we will never know the reality of them unless we manage a status of Overman.



You'd be surprised really. I do actually enjoy Nietzsche's views quite a bit, my project partners for my ethics research were both avid Neitzcheans. which lead to some rather interesting contests with our subject results, but meh. Being Kantian is in itself a contradiction, not only because his own writing leads to holes, but also because neuroethics blasts more holes in it than a blunderbuss. Essentially I wish human beings could be deontic and could manage to be moral, but when left to themselves an individual person is so easily manipulated that I don't think it's possible for a single person to be a reliable moral agent. In fact the only way I see it as being possible is to change into something that isn't even close to human. 
So I suppose I misspoke. I am not so much a Kantian, as an ethicist with an interest in Kant. 

This reminds me, since graphic novels seem to count. The Watchmen.


----------



## Kranda (Aug 14, 2011)

Larry said:


> It's fucking good so far. I've never imagined myself reading a 700+ page book (I rented the Large Print version), but I can't put the book down once I pick it up. David Fincher (Fight Club, The Social Network, Benjamin Button) is directing the American movie adaptation of the book. Check out the trailer, it's amazing.



Boo, the original Swedish versions already are better. The Lisbeth they have for the english version looks awful.


----------



## Krystal Harmonia (Aug 14, 2011)

Finished 1984 yesterday (seems like everybody's been reading that book!), read all 7 Harry Potters in 5 days (I read fast), read His Dark Materials a few weeks ago, probably going to revisit the Artemis Fowl books soon.


----------



## bmo (Aug 14, 2011)

I'm reading Truancy by Isamu Fukui. Great read, Lots of violence, what more could you want?


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 14, 2011)

Krystal Harmonia said:


> read His Dark Materials a few weeks ago



Heeeeeeell yeah homeboy *high five*


----------



## cad (Aug 14, 2011)

Does fan-fiction count? That's all I ever tend to read nowadays.


----------



## Hendly Devin (Aug 14, 2011)

First off my friend Dan at the house told me to tell you all that books are for poor people who are bored in jail! Get yourselves some television!



JesusFish said:


> The Adolescent, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.


Yay Dostoyevsky. I love him... don't you love him? i do.... id love him, id love him reaaaaaaal hard...




Fay V said:


> You'd be surprised really. I do actually enjoy Nietzsche's views quite a bit, my project partners for my ethics research were both avid Neitzcheans. which lead to some rather interesting contests with our subject results, but meh. Being Kantian is in itself a contradiction, not only because his own writing leads to holes, but also because neuroethics blasts more holes in it than a blunderbuss. Essentially I wish human beings could be deontic and could manage to be moral, but when left to themselves an individual person is so easily manipulated that I don't think it's possible for a single person to be a reliable moral agent. In fact the only way I see it as being possible is to change into something that isn't even close to human.*
> So I suppose I misspoke. I am not so much a Kantian, as an ethicist with an interest in Kant.*
> 
> This reminds me, since graphic novels seem to count. The Watchmen.


I have no idea what neuroethics means... but ill look into it... dictionary of philosophy here i come.

but yeah... to be quite honest its a rather difficult endeavor to remain a true kantian humanist in what is essentially an anti-humanist/post-modern society. but maybe much of my Kant hate is formed out of ignorance... alas i have never read the critique of pure reason. (for shame)

And the watchmen was fantastic... an all time favorite graphic novel. "jon... i did the right thing didn't i? in the end?" .... "There is no end." *poofs to a different galaxy**




Sarukai said:


> I liked 'the crucible' by Arthur miller. A play based on the Salem witch trials, its themes of tolerance and hysteria clench me as I imagine what I am reading.



Awwwww... i read that in high school... so glad i did... it was amazing. "I HAVE KNOWN HER SIR!"




Krystal Harmonia said:


> Finished 1984 yesterday (seems like everybody's been reading that book!)



For sure... 1984 is stupendous... For a while i was put off by it for a long time figuring it to be just anti-stalinist propaganda, which most of my commie friends had been saying for years... But really its not... its as much a critique of a potential capitalist nation as it is a communist nation, However its not so much a critique of despotism or *even fascism whether leftist or right... its about a world of super powers with government control over language. Essentially a future where Political correctness is absolute.

I have my other ideas about how a political structure such as that would come about... but its pretty silly.


----------



## Conker (Aug 14, 2011)

Viscra Maelstrom said:


> Does fan-fiction count? That's all I ever tend to read nowadays.


You poor soul :[ Get your ass to a library, stat!


----------



## Waffles (Aug 14, 2011)

For anyone looking for a good Fantasy series:
MALAZAN TALE OF THE FALLEN.
I've just finished the second to last book, and I -love- the series. Beautifully written, lots of war and action, and even the gods can be killed by a simple knife between the ribs. It's amazing. A lot of long reading, 10 or so 800 page novels, but it's well worth it.


----------



## ryanleblanc (Aug 14, 2011)

Viscra Maelstrom said:


> Does fan-fiction count? That's all I ever tend to read nowadays.



Well unless this fan fiction was officially published into book, e-book, audio book, or theatrical play format, then no, I'm sorry, that doesn't quite fit the scope of this thread. ;D


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## Ieatcrackersandjumpcliffs (Aug 14, 2011)

The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand.


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## Fay V (Aug 14, 2011)

Hendly Devin said:


> I have no idea what neuroethics means... but ill look into it... dictionary of philosophy here i come.
> 
> but yeah... to be quite honest its a rather difficult endeavor to remain a true kantian humanist in what is essentially an anti-humanist/post-modern society. but maybe much of my Kant hate is formed out of ignorance... alas i have never read the critique of pure reason. (for shame)


Neuroethics has two parts. 1. philosophers are using neuroscience to look at the brain when subjects are making moral choices. This is the part that I'm really interested in and why I don't think a person can't be Kantian. people are emotional, and make decisions without realizing it, then making up reasons after the fact. you can't be a reasonable person if you make choice unconsciously.


but blah blah. I like his critique of pure reason. it brings up good points against hume. As for Dostoevsky. Fuck yes! I love him!


----------



## Hendly Devin (Aug 14, 2011)

Ieatcrackersandjumpcliffs said:


> The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand.






it is in my own rational self-intrest to say....

http://rlv.zcache.com/fuck_ayn_rand_bumper_sticker-p128906790544780398trl0_400.jpghttp://rlv.zcache.com/fuck_ayn_rand_bumper_sticker-p128906790544780398trl0_400.jpg



Fay V said:


> Neuroethics has two parts. 1. philosophers are using neuroscience to look at the brain when subjects are making moral choices. This is the part that I'm really interested in and why I don't think a person can't be Kantian. people are emotional, and make decisions without realizing it, then making up reasons after the fact. you can't be a reasonable person if you make choice unconsciously.
> 
> but blah blah. I like his critique of pure reason. it brings up good points against hume. As for Dostoevsky. Fuck yes! I love him!



(sorry if this gets messed up from that link... i dont get the formatting on this site yet...)

but I have through various experiences in my life. that are not entirely scientific processes, found that all decisions are made in an instant by two factions within the super ego in constant dialectic rationality. all decisions are made thusly,*unconscious*but still rational.

i think i'm more an enemy of Hume than i am Kant... so i've always wanted to read critique of pure reason... when i read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Persig used a paraphrasing of Kant's CoPR highlighting the human concept of time as being a priori rather than being simply a solipsistic concept devised by us with Hume's pure reason.

cant say much more about Fyodor than what has already been said.


----------



## Evan of Phrygia (Aug 14, 2011)

Re-reading Being Wrong by Kathryn Shulz.probably my favorite book.Good times, good times....





			
				Hendly Devin said:
			
		

> It is in my best interest to say...*link*


yes.


----------



## Ieatcrackersandjumpcliffs (Aug 14, 2011)

Hendly Devin said:


> it is in my own rational self-intrest to say....
> 
> http://rlv.zcache.com/fuck_ayn_rand_bumper_sticker-p128906790544780398trl0_400.jpg



To tell you the truth, I think she got off on stuff like that.


----------



## Hendly Devin (Aug 14, 2011)

Ayn Rand... the greatest troll of the 21st century...


----------



## Evan of Phrygia (Aug 14, 2011)

FUCK i lost my book. It was here a week ago D:Regardless, I can't read Ayn Rand anymore. It's just...like...fuck.


----------



## Ieatcrackersandjumpcliffs (Aug 14, 2011)

Hendly Devin said:


> Ayn Rand... the greatest troll of the 21st century...



Indeed she was. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. She was, indeed, the most epic troll in the 21st century. Too bad Peikoff couldn't fill her shoes. 

Also, this is pretty funny. I never knew Murray Rothbard, but from what I hear he was a pretty fun guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIk5C2qsRH8


----------



## Antonin Scalia (Aug 15, 2011)

readin' 

Griftopia - Matt Taibbi 
The Waste Land and Other Writings - T.S. Eliot
Strategy for Social Protest - ??????? someone


----------



## johnny (Aug 15, 2011)

I just finished "A Clockwork Orange" By Anthony Burgess
It was amazing. I could not put it down :3


----------



## Obtuse tail (Aug 15, 2011)

Almost done with "A Long Way Gone" By Ishmel Beah


----------



## CAThulu (Aug 15, 2011)

*looks through the posts*  Huh.  looks like most of us are reading some pretty heavy and highbrow stuff


----------



## Fenno (Aug 15, 2011)

For intellectual stimulation, I am reading Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan, Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku, and a bunch of classics. Currently I have just finished Ethan Frome, and I'm picking up Aerosmith.

I read Jim Butcher, Arthur C. Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein, Card, Verne, and Kafka for funsies, though.


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 15, 2011)

Fenno said:


> For intellectual stimulation, I am reading Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan, Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku, and a bunch of classics. Currently I have just finished Ethan Frome, and I'm picking up Aerosmith.
> 
> I read Jim Butcher, Arthur C. Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein, Card, Verne, and Kafka for funsies, though.



Asimov, for the sake of simplification, is the guy that writes about robots and stuff, right ? Coz' that might be cool as well.


----------



## Fenno (Aug 15, 2011)

That's what he's best known for, but he also has a really long, immersive series called Foundation which I like. It ends up having robots, but it is more about the fall of a galactic empire and efforts to preserve knowledge, etc. Future can be predicted with so e accuracy using a form of mathematics called psychohistory.... It's pretty cool stuff. 

I also forgot to mention: Charles Sheffield is probably one of my favorite hard sci-fi writers.


----------



## Ekho (Aug 15, 2011)

I've been very remiss with reading in recent months, but I'm trying to pick up Mars Life by Ben Bova again.  It's part of his Grand Tour series that sees humanity expand itself out into the solar system, I think as far as Saturn.  I've read three other books in this series so far (Mars, Return to Mars, Jupiter), and I'm planning to read more after finishing this (Leviathans of Jupiter, Venus).  

I love reading about space, especially explorations of Mars.  Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy is among my favorites.  



Fenno said:


> I read Jim Butcher, *Arthur C. Clarke*, *Asimov*, Heinlein, Card, Verne, and Kafka for funsies, though.



Clarke and Asimov are great.  I really enjoyed Clarke's Space Odyssey series (besides 3001).  I haven't read Asimov's Foundation series yet, but a may start it in the future.  I'd also like to read Frank Herbert's Dune series at some point.


----------



## Aetius (Aug 15, 2011)

A massive picture book about North Korea, which I bought from a bookstore for 6 dollars.


----------



## Conker (Aug 15, 2011)

Antonin Scalia said:


> readin'
> 
> The Waste Land and Other Writings - T.S. Eliot


Man, it's been ages since I read _The Wasteland. _Now that I'm more read in terms of "high brow literature", I should read it again. I'd get more of the references and allusions he makes. It's also just a good poem, even if it's confusing as all fuck


----------



## VoidBat (Aug 15, 2011)

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder.
It can be both a joy and a pain to read, depends what chapter you're plowing through. I recommend having a pen and a piece of paper close by, so that you can scribble down all your thoughts and questions about the different subjects and philosophies.


----------



## cad (Aug 15, 2011)

ryanleblanc said:


> Well unless this fan fiction was officially published into book, e-book, audio book, or theatrical play format, then no, I'm sorry, that doesn't quite fit the scope of this thread. ;D


I thought so. Well then, good thing I asked.


----------



## Krystal Harmonia (Aug 15, 2011)

General-jwj said:


> Heeeeeeell yeah homeboy *high five*



My daemon would be a pony. Or a dragon of some sort. I dunno.


----------



## ryanleblanc (Aug 15, 2011)

jcfynx said:


> I've been reading ________________________________.
> 
> It's pretty groundbreaking post-modern stuff. Genderqueer adventurers.
> 
> You've probably never heard of it.



After having read three chapters of this book from a preview on Blogspot, I can confirm the book you have submitted is indeed erotic fiction. Therefore, you have violated the rules of this thread. Please keep your smut to yourself in the future, thank you. Your post has been reported and will be addressed by a moderator.


----------



## ryanleblanc (Aug 15, 2011)

As for everyone else, we're seeing a lot of really good books here, some well known, some unknown, I only wish we could live long enough to read them all. ;D Keep up the great recommendations everyone! I'm definitely putting some of these on my reading list. 


I would also like to draw attention to a *change* in the rules of this thread. I have now included a clearer definition of what will be considered smut, which is not permitted in this thread. Please refer to the beginning of the thread to check the changes. Thank you!


----------



## Hendly Devin (Aug 16, 2011)

ryanleblanc said:


> After having read three chapters of this book from a preview on Blogspot, I can confirm the book you have submitted is indeed erotic fiction. Therefore, you have violated the rules of this thread. Please keep your smut to yourself in the future, thank you. Your post has been reported and will be addressed by a moderator.



Well to be fair i would consider Nabokov's lolita to be glorified mysogynistic smut but apparently its an international classic. Thusly if the literary world were to say its not yet you were to say it is... Im not sure you or anyone on this forum is qualified to make such a contrary distinction when the difference seems to be such a fuzzy grey barrier.


----------



## TreacleFox (Aug 16, 2011)

I have been reading some furry novels by Kyell Gold. The stuff that I have read from him is amazingly good for something that came out of the fandom.


----------



## Corto (Aug 16, 2011)

Re reading David Wong's *"John Dies at the End"* for about the thousandth time. The retarded price of books in my country (as reference? With how much a new book costs I could live for_ half a bloody month_) coupled with my lack of money (I must live for half a month on the price of a bloody book. My funds are insulting) means I haven't gotten any new material in a long time. And all the local libraries I've found carry nothing interesting. 

I'll start checking used book stores. And maybe finally finish "War and Peace".


----------



## keretceres (Aug 16, 2011)

Right now I am reading a book called 'Theoretical Botany' volume one of two. It used to be a textbook of mine and is filled with all the wonderful intricacies of pant life.. 

Spoiler:If you don't like plants and their chemical processes don't read it.

I am also reading 'The Lack Prism' by Brent Weeks, it s rally a gripping book,nice and hefty too, a definite must read fora good Fantasy fan who wants to try a new twist on magic as we know it in literature.


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 16, 2011)

Krystal Harmonia said:


> My daemon would be a pony. Or a dragon of some sort. I dunno.



Mine would be a cat or something similar. Basically the most lazy, unpredictable animal you could get your hands on (that has enough precedent in the books for me to know that they're a possibility)


----------



## jcfynx (Aug 16, 2011)

ryanleblanc said:


> After having read three chapters of this book from a preview on Blogspot, I can confirm the book you have submitted is indeed erotic fiction. Therefore, you have violated the rules of this thread. Please keep your smut to yourself in the future, thank you. Your post has been reported and will be addressed by a moderator.



I'm sorry. I just ruin everything. \:

I await my punishment.


----------



## Ad Hoc (Aug 16, 2011)

My attention span for books is basically shot. I'm supposed to be reading Til We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis but it's really slow going for me, considering it's basically a kid's book. The last book that I finished was Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. 



Krystal Harmonia said:


> My daemon would be a pony. Or a dragon of some sort. I dunno.


Helllll yes _His Dark Materials_. Mine'd be a dog no doubt though, boo.


----------



## ryanleblanc (Aug 16, 2011)

jcfynx said:


> I'm sorry. I just ruin everything. \:
> 
> I await my punishment.



No punishment necessary! You just didn't interpret the rules the right way. I can't blame you, I didn't describe them clearly enough until after we dealt with your post. My bad ;D Anyway, If you have any other books that might fit the scope of this thread better then I'd love to have them join the list.


----------



## Conker (Aug 16, 2011)

Ad Hoc said:


> My attention span for books is basically shot. I'm supposed to be reading Til We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis but it's really slow going for me, considering it's basically a kid's book. The last book that I finished was Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin.


I had to read that one for school last semester. It starts off a tad slowly, but it's actually a pretty good book. You'll enjoy it once you get a good thirty pages in, I hope.


----------



## Stawks (Aug 16, 2011)

Just finished Venus in Furs. Really liked it. Not quite as good as The City and the Pillar, but quite lovely.


----------



## ryanleblanc (Aug 16, 2011)

Stawks said:


> Just finished Venus in Furs. Really liked it. Not quite as good as The City and the Pillar, but quite lovely.



There you go Stawks, those are acceptable!  Good Job!


----------



## Kit H. Ruppell (Aug 16, 2011)

I just finished Shirow Masamune's "Black Magic" and "Dominion". Now working on "Orion".


----------



## Kihari (Aug 16, 2011)

A while back I read _Fahrenheit 451_; I found it a little slow in the beginning, but towards the end it really picked up, so I quite enjoyed it after all.

Currently reading _Commodore: A Company on the Edge_ (about the computer company, and a truly fascinating story) and _The Name of the Wind_, which I'm having a bit of trouble getting into.

On my want-to-read list: _The Catcher in the Rye_, _Daemon_, and _The Hunger Games_ (which I got as a birthday gift after seeing the movie's teaser one-sheet at work).


----------



## jcfynx (Aug 16, 2011)

ryanleblanc said:


> There you go Stawks, those are acceptable!  Good Job!



Gosh, Ryan, you are the best mod.

I wish the others could be as kind and sweet as you.


----------



## Dr. Durr (Aug 16, 2011)

A Christmas Carol.
I'm using it to make eBooks for MS-DOS


----------



## Stratto the Hawk (Aug 16, 2011)

Ad Hoc said:


> Helllll yes _His Dark Materials_. Mine'd be a dog no doubt though, boo.



I always imagined that my Daemon would be a cat or something. I love that series. I need to re-read it at some point.


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 16, 2011)

Stratto the Hawk said:


> I always imagined that my Daemon would be a cat or something. I love that series. I need to re-read it at some point.



Just so I'm sure I'm not crazy, was I the only one annoyed by Will Parry's "goody two shoes" attitude when he was introduced in book 2 ? I mean, after spending book 1 with strong-headed, do-whatever-the-hell-I-want Lyra, getting stuck with mister nice guy bossing her around felt wrong.


----------



## Irreverent (Aug 16, 2011)

I just finished Cornelia Funke's Ink-series (Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath) and am just starting Scott Orsen Card's "The Lost Boys."   Having read his Ender series, I have high hopes.


----------



## Ad Hoc (Aug 16, 2011)

Conker said:


> I had to read that one for school last semester. It starts off a tad slowly, but it's actually a pretty good book. You'll enjoy it once you get a good thirty pages in, I hope.


I'm actually about halfway through now, and I agree that it's pretty good. I just have no attention span.


----------



## Conker (Aug 16, 2011)

Ad Hoc said:


> I'm actually about halfway through now, and I agree that it's pretty good. I just have no attention span.


Ah. I believe it was Lewis' last book, or somewhere about being his last, so it's one of his best written ones. I took a course on him and had to read a sizable chunk of his works.


----------



## Rukh_Whitefang (Aug 16, 2011)

So, I mind as well jump in on this, even if people don't want to hear it.

Books:
Obviously the Holy Bible, I am always reading that.

As for others,
Radical, by David Platt
Radical Together also by David Platt
Weight of Glory (the book not the essay) by C.S Lewis.
Systematic Theology-an intro to Biblical doctrine (This is a 1400 page book) by Wayne Grudem.


----------



## Krystal Harmonia (Aug 17, 2011)

I forgot to mention the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Now _those_ are some goddamn good books.


----------



## Torrijos-sama (Aug 17, 2011)

Foxfire 10. (Foxfire book series on Appalachian culture).


----------



## Stratto the Hawk (Aug 17, 2011)

General-jwj said:


> Just so I'm sure I'm not crazy, was I the only one annoyed by Will Parry's "goody two shoes" attitude when he was introduced in book 2 ? I mean, after spending book 1 with strong-headed, do-whatever-the-hell-I-want Lyra, getting stuck with mister nice guy bossing her around felt wrong.



They're two completely different characters. They even come from completely different societies and have led completely different lives. Lyra was an orphan living on her own at Oxford under the care of the professors and the occasional interference by her uncle. Will was sort of the man of his house and had a better established sense of responsibility than Lyra, so it didn't really annoy me all that much when he was more, er, "goody two shoes" than Lyra, because it simply didn't surprise me. Quite frankly, it would annoy the hell out of me if we were presented with two completely identical characters (or at least increasingly similar ones). Just my 2 cents.


----------



## Elric (Aug 17, 2011)

Books by Michael moorcock are great, if you happen to like science fiction and fantasy. The one I'm currently reading one of his newest books "the dream thiefs daughter" set in world war II it's about a albino man who won't give up his family sword to the Nazi officers. Somehow, the sword has special powers.


----------



## Stormtail (Aug 17, 2011)

I've been re-reading Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse because I have to write a paper on it. It's about a man who feels torn between two opposing natures: the bestial, antisocial wolf and the intellectual, bourgeois man. It's one of my favorite books.

I've was also in the middle of the Dune series a while ago when I stopped reading, and I've been meaning to pick it up again. I would recommend it to anybody.

Edit:
Oh, also I read The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll maybe once every week or two because I love it so much. It's a long nonsense poem about a group of people searching for the Snark.


----------



## Hendly Devin (Aug 17, 2011)

Rukh_Whitefang said:


> So, I mind as well jump in on this, even if people don't want to hear it.Books:Obviously the Holy Bible, I am always reading that.As for others,Radical, by David PlattRadical Together also by David PlattWeight of Glory (the book not the essay) by C.S Lewis.Systematic Theology-an intro to Biblical doctrine (This is a 1400 page book) by Wayne Grudem.


So are you a hobbiest theologian or something? Thats alot of religious/theology texts. 

My brother is looking into a major in christian appologetics and philosophy. Im essentially an athiest myself but im really interested in theology and religious studies.


----------



## Surgat (Aug 17, 2011)

Currently: _Amusing Ourselves to Death_.


----------



## Krystal Harmonia (Aug 17, 2011)

Stratto the Hawk said:


> They're two completely different characters. They even come from completely different societies and have led completely different lives. Lyra was an orphan living on her own at Oxford under the care of the professors and the occasional interference by her uncle. Will was sort of the man of his house and had a better established sense of responsibility than Lyra, so it didn't really annoy me all that much when he was more, er, "goody two shoes" than Lyra, because it simply didn't surprise me. Quite frankly, it would annoy the hell out of me if we were presented with two completely identical characters (or at least increasingly similar ones). Just my 2 cents.



True dat, brudda. Seriously, though, by the end of that series, Lyra was really starting to piss me off. She's a lying, cheating, two-faced bitch, if you actually think about it.

Will was a bit better. And Pantalamion kicked all kinds of ass.


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 17, 2011)

Stratto the Hawk said:


> They're two completely different characters. They even come from completely different societies and have led completely different lives. Lyra was an orphan living on her own at Oxford under the care of the professors and the occasional interference by her uncle. Will was sort of the man of his house and had a better established sense of responsibility than Lyra, so it didn't really annoy me all that much when he was more, er, "goody two shoes" than Lyra, because it simply didn't surprise me. Quite frankly, it would annoy the hell out of me if we were presented with two completely identical characters (or at least increasingly similar ones). Just my 2 cents.



I perfectly understand the need for different characters, and those two complement themselves very well, but I mean at the beginning of book two he pissed me off. Then after a few chapters he started growing on me then everything was fine.

But I was stilled pissed by the part where they take stuff from the empty shops in Cittagazze and he insists on leaving money on the counter. Seriously. Good thing he got the magical dagger and started kicking ass later on.


----------



## Ad Hoc (Aug 17, 2011)

General-jwj said:


> But I was stilled pissed by the part where they take stuff from the empty shops in Cittagazze and he insists on leaving money on the counter. Seriously. Good thing he got the magical dagger and started kicking ass later on.


I liked that. >> Nothin' wrong with morally upright characters, he had no idea that everyone was [REDACTED] at that point. 

One thing that did bother me about the series was how almost most of the not-our-universe people made me _feel lonely as shit_. They have daemon's in Lyra's world, the Gallivespians have their dragonflies, the mulefa only ever work in pairs, the angels are telepathically linked or some shit . . . Damn. Only exception were the Panserbjorne, and non-daemon'd humans from misc worlds.


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 17, 2011)

The difference being the Panserbjorne are crazy awesome and we're just people. Also, If I remember well they are actually linked to their armor ina way similar to a person and his daemon, so actually they are probably less lonely than we are.

But then again, we can't black out in the case anyone grabs our animal-pal.

Metatron consufed the hell out of me also, since I kept reading his name as Megatron and reading his lines in a raspy robot-voice :V


----------



## Stratto the Hawk (Aug 17, 2011)

Krystal Harmonia said:


> True dat, brudda. Seriously, though, by the end of that series, Lyra was really starting to piss me off. She's a lying, cheating, two-faced bitch, if you actually think about it.
> 
> Will was a bit better. And Pantalamion kicked all kinds of ass.


 Lyra pissed me off a bit with how stubborn she was. Good thing Pan was there to help balance her out a little bit. :/


General-jwj said:


> I perfectly understand the need for different characters, and those two complement themselves very well, but I mean at the beginning of book two he pissed me off. Then after a few chapters he started growing on me then everything was fine.
> 
> But I was stilled pissed by the part where they take stuff from the empty shops in Cittagazze and he insists on leaving money on the counter. Seriously. Good thing he got the magical dagger and started kicking ass later on.


 I guess I can understand what you mean about it being irritating at the beginning. It's a bit annoying any time you're given a sudden shift from one character to another, especially if they are _that _different.


Ad Hoc said:


> One thing that did bother me about the series was how almost most of the not-our-universe people made me _feel lonely as shit_. They have daemon's in Lyra's world, the Gallivespians have their dragonflies, the mulefa only ever work in pairs, the angels are telepathically linked or some shit . . . Damn. Only exception were the Panserbjorne, and non-daemon'd humans from misc worlds.


Yeah. The daemons especially made me feel sad because the idea itself is just too cool. It's also a little terrifying because your are almost literally wearing your heart on your sleeve. 

At any rate, I really do need to re-read these books again because there are things that I'm beginning to forget. Oh well, I still need to finish The Griffin Mage series. >_>


----------



## Conker (Aug 17, 2011)

Stormfur said:


> Oh, also I read The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll maybe once every week or two because I love it so much. It's a long nonsense poem about a group of people searching for the Snark.


Lewis Carroll wrote some of the most fun poetry out there. I love "Jabberwocky." Shame he was a pedophile :V

And all yall are makin me want to reread the _Golden Compass_ series again. Guess I have to get on that ^_^


----------



## Wreth (Aug 17, 2011)

I love reading, but I read so ridiculously fast that I get through books I want to read very quickly and then have nothing to read.


----------



## Alderic (Aug 17, 2011)

I'm Reading a book called "Hitler's Panzers" by Dennis Showalter
It's a book on Warfare and how the Germans revolutionized it


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 18, 2011)

Because I spent too much time reading books about sci-fi inquisitors I'm gonna acquire an english (or maybe french, depending on the quality of the books) translation of the infamous "Malleus Maleficarum" (the hammer of witches). Also known as the Inquisition's handbook. It has a badass name and will be sure to provide ample entertainment.


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Aug 18, 2011)

Conker said:


> And all yall are makin me want to reread the _Golden Compass_ series again. Guess I have to get on that ^_^



Funny, I started reading Northern Lights just yesterday thanks to this thread


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 18, 2011)

TechnoGypsy said:


> Funny, I started reading Northern Lights just yesterday thanks to this thread



You won't regret it


----------



## Radiohead (Aug 18, 2011)

Reading a book I read in 7th grade called Empress Of the World. It's sad.


----------



## Tiger In A Tie (Aug 18, 2011)

Back in 10th grade I started a book called "Robots of Dawn" by Isaac Asimov, and it's the final book in a trilogy. I never finished it, and it's been ages since I finished reading a full book. Last one I can remember is junior year in high school reading "Childhood's End" for my Sci-Fi class. I can't recall reading a book senior year.


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## General-jwj (Aug 18, 2011)

Tiger In A Tie said:


> Back in 10th grade I started a book called "Robots of Dawn" by Isaac Asimov, and it's the final book in a trilogy. I never finished it, and it's been ages since I finished reading a full book. Last one I can remember is junior year in high school reading "Childhood's End" for my Sci-Fi class. I can't recall reading a book senior year.



As far as I'm concerned a life without reading is a sad, sad life. Then again I'm one of the only people I know from real life who thinks that?


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## Tiger In A Tie (Aug 18, 2011)

General-jwj said:


> As far as I'm concerned a life without reading is a sad, sad life. Then again I'm one of the only people I know from real life who thinks that?



Oh I used to be absolutely obsessed with reading. I'd carry two books with me around my house- the one I was currently reading then another one to read as soon as I finished the current book I'd start the second one. Nowadays I spend much more time on my art, so i supposed it's kind of replaced reading.


----------



## Alderic (Aug 18, 2011)

Tiger In A Tie said:


> Oh I used to be absolutely obsessed with reading. I'd carry two books with me around my house- the one I was currently reading then another one to read as soon as I finished the current book I'd start the second one. Nowadays I spend much more time on my art, so i supposed it's kind of replaced reading.


I do that with just about any book that interests me xD I read parts of a book then get bored of it though -_-


----------



## Bliss (Aug 18, 2011)

I just acquired two _huge_ books. The biographies of Hillary and Bill Clinton!


----------



## Sarcastic Coffeecup (Aug 18, 2011)

John Grisham- The last juror


----------



## Lunar (Aug 18, 2011)

Brisingr (again) to re-familiarize myself with Alagaesia before the last book FINALLY comes out.  God, Paolini took his sweet damn time.


----------



## ArielMT (Aug 18, 2011)

Tiger In A Tie said:


> Back in 10th grade I started a book called "Robots of Dawn" by Isaac Asimov, and it's the final book in a trilogy. I never finished it, and it's been ages since I finished reading a full book. Last one I can remember is junior year in high school reading "Childhood's End" for my Sci-Fi class. I can't recall reading a book senior year.



The Robots trilogy finishing with "Robots of Dawn" begins with "Caves of Steel," another great book.

The rules of this thread are a bit iffy regarding the book I just finished, so I won't mention its name or author.  It's a furry anthology dealing with sex and sexuality (the reason why I won't mention it), relationships, genetic engineering, culture clashes, and the development of families in a somewhat soap-opera fashion.

The book I'm about to start into is "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley, and I've got Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" and George Orwell's "1984" lined up after that.

One of the books I find myself re-reading quite a lot is "Songs of Distant Earth" by Arthur C. Clarke.  Depressing and hopeful at the same time.

Edit: Also, "Ender's Game" followed by "Speaker for the Dead" by Orson Scott Card.  Highly recommended science fiction.  "Ender's Game" is the only novel I ever read that brought tears to my eyes when I got to the last page.


----------



## Stratto the Hawk (Aug 18, 2011)

General-jwj said:


> Because I spent too much time reading books about sci-fi inquisitors I'm gonna acquire an english (or maybe french, depending on the quality of the books) translation of the infamous "Malleus Maleficarum" (the hammer of witches). Also known as the Inquisition's handbook. It has a badass name and will be sure to provide ample entertainment.


 I read bits and pieces of the Malleus last semester as a part of my English class (the subject was demons and the devil; it was quite intriguing). That book is seriously bizarre and mostly smacks of misogyny. :/


TechnoGypsy said:


> Funny, I started reading Northern Lights just yesterday thanks to this thread


 I have tons of other things to read (in fact, my "to-read" list has grown to a stack of about 20-30 books and I just get to caught up with other things), otherwise I'd be re-reading the series myself. It really is quite good and I hope you enjoy. 


General-jwj said:


> As far as I'm concerned a life without reading is a sad, sad life. Then again I'm one of the only people I know from real life who thinks that?


It's sad how many people I know that don't like reading. I enjoy a good novel whenever I can afford to really sit (or lie) down and truly enjoy it. It was much easier in High School when I could basically fuck off and read instead of getting buried neck deep in complicated math and such. >_>


			
				Lunar Helix said:
			
		

> Brisingr (again) to re-familiarize myself with Alagaesia before the last  book FINALLY comes out.  God, Paolini took his sweet damn time.


He did didn't he. I recall that I ended up skipping large portions of every single book of his because there are some parts that are very long and very dry (especially the dwarven politics in Brisingr). Normally I have a good attention span, but I can only take so much exposition before _something _needs to happen.


			
				ArielMT said:
			
		

> Also, *"Ender's Game"* followed by "Speaker for the Dead" by Orson Scott  Card.  Highly recommended science fiction.  "Ender's Game" is the only  novel I ever read that brought tears to my eyes when I got to the last  page.


I've got this one on reserve at the library and I'm something close to 45th in the line. >_<


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 18, 2011)

Stratto the Hawk said:


> I read bits and pieces of the Malleus last semester as a part of my English class (the subject was demons and the devil; it was quite intriguing). That book is seriously bizarre and mostly smacks of misogyny. :/



Yeah but come on. I'll be able to make jokes about that for years. Whenever someone bothers me, I'll be like "I'm an inquisitor, bitch" or "you're a witch. Trust me, I know". It's going to be awesome. :V


----------



## Bliss (Aug 18, 2011)

_"Most of the women accused as witches had strong personalities and were  known to defy convention by overstepping the lines of proper female  decorum."
_
_ "The Malleus Maleficarum accuses witches of infanticide, cannibalism,  casting evil spells to harm their enemies, and *having the power to  steal menâ€™s penises*."_
_"The Devilâ€™s power is greatest where human sexuality is concerned, for it  was believed that women were more sexual than men. Libidinous women had  sex with the Devil, thus paving their way to become witches. According to the Malleus â€œall witchcraft comes from carnal lust, which is in women insatiable."_
Estimated number of executions: 35.184 â€“ 63.850
I think someone was a little bitter and insecure.



General-jwj said:


> Yeah but come on. I'll be able to make jokes  about that for years. Whenever someone bothers me, I'll be like "I'm an  inquisitor, bitch" or "you're a witch. Trust me, I know". It's going to  be awesome. :V


That's not the only book you can use. :V


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 18, 2011)

Oh man stop it with the quotes I want that book so bad now it sounds awesomely terrible. (or terribly awesome, I guess). Outdated old religious crap like that is comedic gold.


----------



## Tiger In A Tie (Aug 18, 2011)

ArielMT said:


> The Robots trilogy finishing with "Robots of Dawn" begins with "Caves of Steel," another great book.
> 
> 
> The book I'm about to start into is "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley, and I've got Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" and George Orwell's "1984" lined up after that.



I agree, the first two books were very awesome. Asimov has a lot of great works.

And I didn't care for Fahrenheit 451 or 1984, but that might have been because I was forced to read them in school. Although 1984 confused the hell outta me, Fahreneit 451 had a solid plot.


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 18, 2011)

I wish my school made me read books like those. Instead we used to read crap from french authors (you know, it being a french school and all )

They always made use read the most useless crap, I'm sure there'd be twice more readers amongst my ex-classmates if they'd just not forced us to read those wretched things.


----------



## Krystal Harmonia (Aug 19, 2011)

Just bought the newest Artemis Fowl book today. I'm probably going to read it, finish it, and be back on here within 2 and a half hours (I read fast).


----------



## Fenrari (Aug 19, 2011)

Audobon's Mammal Guide 2000 edition. Don't really know why but it's still an informative read.


----------



## Stratto the Hawk (Aug 19, 2011)

Krystal Harmonia said:


> Just bought the newest Artemis Fowl book today. I'm probably going to read it, finish it, and be back on here within 2 and a half hours (I read fast).



I just got the newest Warriors Book (yes, the latest Super Edition) today with my textbooks for class. I might spend a little bit of time before going to sleep reading that. I love reading too much I'm afraid because I get a bunch of stuff that I _want _to read, but can't because of... well... life. :/ I think it's a curse I picked up from my mom (she practically runs the library and has exceeded the checked-out quota several times).


----------



## Stormtail (Aug 19, 2011)

Stratto the Hawk said:


> I just got the newest Warriors Book (yes, the latest Super Edition) today with my textbooks for class. I might spend a little bit of time before going to sleep reading that...



I love the Warriors books! I've really been meaning to get back to reading them. Last time I was at the bookstore I looked for the latest one and they didn't have it. Thanks for reminding me because I'm going back tomorrow. Now I'll just write "Warriors" on my hand so I remember.


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## Krystal Harmonia (Aug 19, 2011)

Done. I was wrong, it only took 2 hours and 18 minutes. And I wasn't even speedreading.

I seem to remember the Warriors book from my childhood (AKA last week). Do they involve fighting cats? 'Cuz that's what comes to mind for me.


----------



## Stormtail (Aug 19, 2011)

Krystal Harmonia said:


> Done. I was wrong, it only took 2 hours and 18 minutes. And I wasn't even speedreading.
> 
> I seem to remember the Warriors book from my childhood (AKA last week). Do they involve fighting cats? 'Cuz that's what comes to mind for me.



Cats, yes. And less than 2 1/2 hours? that's impressive! Of course, I don't know how long that book is, but it sounds impressive.


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## Krystal Harmonia (Aug 19, 2011)

It's 352 pages, hardcover. I'm telling you, I read fast. I read all seven Harry Potters in 3 days. And that was just on the side when I was bored.


----------



## Kit H. Ruppell (Aug 19, 2011)

_Gunsmith Cats: Burst_ by Kenichi Sonoda


----------



## ExplodingPiglets (Aug 19, 2011)

Breathless by Dean Koontz


----------



## Hendly Devin (Aug 20, 2011)

Recently Finished Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick; I give it an even B

Its the book that they based the film Blade Runner off of (with some major tweeks... but all the characters have the same name.)

Basically its about a bounty hunter that has been left on a decemated and irradiated Earth with nothing but humans with too low of IQs or pocket books to make it to the Martian collony. His job on earth is to capture rogue servant androids posing as human beings, and his current assignment involves the most capable and realistic androids yet. All the while trying to come to terms with what makes him human, his faith in this weird virtual reality religion, and his love for his wife and robo sheep.

Its a quick read.. only took me a few days. i am now a fan of Dick.


----------



## Tiger In A Tie (Aug 20, 2011)

Hendly Devin said:


> Its a quick read.. only took me a few days. i am now a fan of Dick.



-snicker-

Although I have been curious about reading that book. It has an interesting title and Sci-fi is my favorite genre. First I gotta finish Robots of Dawn.


One day. Eventually.


----------



## Conker (Aug 21, 2011)

Was up in Madison today helping my bro move into his new apartment for college. We stopped in at a Borders that was closing and having major sales to get rid of everything. Ended up picking up the two sequels to _One Day on Mars_, _The Tou Ceti Event_ and _One Good Soldier_ by Travis S Taylor. He may not be the best sci fi writer out there, but he's entertaining enough and shit, I'll want to know what happens. I couldn't pass up 60% off.

Sadly, they did not have the Richard Dawkins book I wanted. _The Blind Watchmaker_ will have to wait.


----------



## SelenaRevkin (Aug 22, 2011)

Currently I'm reading Harry Potter and the half blood prince. I'm reading this book for the 3rd time; i still love to read it


----------



## ArielMT (Aug 22, 2011)

Uh oh.  The spammers are learning to read, too.

Fully on topic, I've also got Benjamin Franklin's autobiography in my list of books to read.


----------



## Gavrill (Aug 22, 2011)

_Final Exits: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of How We Die.


_Satirical writing about death statistics. I love it.


----------



## Hendly Devin (Aug 25, 2011)

Conker said:


> Sadly, they did not have the Richard Dawkins book I wanted. _The Blind Watchmaker_ will have to wait.



Fuck dick dawkins. And fuck nu-atheism. And Fuck christopher hitchens too.


----------



## Conker (Aug 25, 2011)

Hendly Devin said:


> Fuck dick dawkins. And fuck nu-atheism. And Fuck christopher hitchens too.


And yourself as well my good sir!


----------



## Hendly Devin (Aug 25, 2011)

Conker said:


> And yourself as well my good sir!


Why do insult me so sir? Why so do you bite your thumb? Have you a flutter in you heart for a foolish man of selfish pride in his own work and words? Do you hold a glimmer if infatuation for he and his friends whom all suffer the same fundemental prejudices? Do you swoon for his ponderless and pointless pseudo phillosophical rhetoric? Do you honestly feel as a shudder of grace from his thoughts as if they are any more relavant than any given atheist writer since the days of the enlightenment? Why else would you place insult unto me when i exclaim in most laymen terms my displeasure of men whom figure it pertinent to phallate his own practices as if they were his own ego or sceptre?

He and mister hitchens are a pointless pair of men with pointless words and preposterous notions of truth, humaninty, and semantics. I may not believe in god but i certainly dont belive in a love or at the least even a slight reverence to men that think science can prove anything to a perfection. Let alone assume that "proof" befits a death of faiyh in such form as mister dawkins does seem assumed, as if his life is not but more than paved in bricks built of clay built of grains of mighty faith.

So sir...i privy unto thee sir... I beg of thee sir... I pleade sir I pleade; why sir do you figure he requires an insult onto me for his misfortunate foolish sense of pride? Why my good sir? why?


----------



## ryanleblanc (Aug 25, 2011)

^ That post was the best thing I've read in several weeks.


----------



## Azure (Aug 25, 2011)

Hendly Devin said:


> Why do insult me so sir? Why so do you bite your thumb? Have you a flutter in you heart for a foolish man of selfish pride in his own work and words? Do you hold a glimmer if infatuation for he and his friends whom all suffer the same fundemental prejudices? Do you swoon for his ponderless and pointless pseudo phillosophical rhetoric? Do you honestly feel as a shudder of grace from his thoughts as if they are any more relavant than any given atheist writer since the days of the enlightenment? Why else would you place insult unto me when i exclaim in most laymen terms my displeasure of men whom figure it pertinent to phallate his own practices as if they were his own ego or sceptre?
> 
> He and mister hitchens are a pointless pair of men with pointless words and preposterous notions of truth, humaninty, and semantics. I may not believe in god but i certainly dont belive in a love or at the least even a slight reverence to men that think science can prove anything to a perfection. Let alone assume that "proof" befits a death of faiyh in such form as mister dawkins does seem assumed, as if his life is not but more than paved in bricks built of clay built of grains of mighty faith.
> 
> So sir...i privy unto thee sir... I beg of thee sir... I pleade sir I pleade; why sir do you figure he requires an insult onto me for his misfortunate foolish sense of pride? Why my good sir? why?



So you're agnostic. Good for you. Science and faith are incompatible beings, but as far as religion, it's pretty much dead in the water, sorry to say. Dawkins may be a self righteous, over wordy bastard.  But science, ah, that's another thing entirely, proving things that semantics and preposterous notions of truth never could. People never can take being told off by pricks, even if they're right.

Myself, I just finished reading Naked Lunch. Not bad, but not great.

EDIT- and your spelling, gah, sweet virgin it is fucking awful. FELLATE.


----------



## Gavrill (Aug 25, 2011)

I've been reading _Oliver Twist _and writing something as well. I don't expect it to take on full novel form, but it's a good distraction. I've decided to call it _Coward _and it's pretty dull, as far as most young adult writings are concerned. Just about a girl who witnesses the suicide of a stranger, has nightmares and paranoia, and eventually offs herself. Nothing special, but I've grown fairly attached to the characters.


----------



## ArielMT (Aug 25, 2011)

Let's please not get into a religion argument in a damned *book* thread!

On topic, I'm adding Ben Franklin's autobiography to my to-read list.


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 25, 2011)

Borrowed World War Z from my sister. I just read the 70 first pages (it was a really fast read, at this rate I'll have finished it in 2 or 3 hours max) and it's a really entertaining book. I really like the journalistic approach and the way you see the events unfolding through the eyes of the people being questioned. The way it treats the subject of how a worldwide zombie pandemic could occur is also quite good and down-to-earth and realistic (as realistic as a plague of the undead can get anyway).

All in all, it's definitely shaping up to be a good read.


----------



## Evan of Phrygia (Aug 25, 2011)

You Are Here by Colin Ellard (Not too far in, but this book is an enjoyable read so far...plan on getting books of its nature to cross-compare some theory)

The First Idea by Stanley I. Greenspan and Stuart G. Shanker

It's interesting, I've started to almost completely lose enjoyment in most fiction. Sci-fi is still pretty good, though. I plan on checking out 1984 sometime-always heard a lot of great things about that book, ashamed that i've yet to read it.


----------



## Conker (Aug 25, 2011)

Hendly Devin said:


> Why do insult me so sir? Why so do you bite your thumb? Have you a flutter in you heart for a foolish man of selfish pride in his own work and words? Do you hold a glimmer if infatuation for he and his friends whom all suffer the same fundemental prejudices? Do you swoon for his ponderless and pointless pseudo phillosophical rhetoric? *Do you honestly feel as a shudder of grace from his thoughts as if they are any more relavant than any given atheist writer since the days of the enlightenment?* Why else would you place insult unto me when i exclaim in most laymen terms my displeasure of men whom figure it pertinent to phallate his own practices as if they were his own ego or sceptre?
> 
> He and mister hitchens are a pointless pair of men with pointless words and preposterous notions of truth, humaninty, and semantics. I may not believe in god but* i certainly dont belive in a love or at the least even a slight reverence to men that think science can prove anything to a perfection.* Let alone assume that "proof" befits a death of faiyh in such form as mister dawkins does seem assumed, as if his life is not but more than paved in bricks built of clay built of grains of mighty faith.
> 
> *So sir...i privy unto thee sir... I beg of thee sir... I pleade sir I pleade; why sir do you figure he requires an insult onto me for his misfortunate foolish sense of pride? Why my good sir? why?*


I was going to mimic your posting style for my rebuttal, but that would be a right pain in the ass it would.

Bold1: I don't want to say I hold Dawkins to a higher regard than any other writer on atheism, but the truth is, he's really the only one I know of. I vaguely recognize Christopher Hitchens' name, but I don't know who he is. 

Bold2: I do hold science to a very high degree, and I do think it can answer questions. I don't know if it can prove anything to a perfection, but I have to give it props for trying. Not to mention, The Blind Watchmaker isn't supposed to be strictly atheist propaganda, but more an explanation of Evolution. I know Dawkins will bring that into religion and show how evolution counters religion, but I more want it for the former part--information on science that I wish I knew more about--than the latter half. The latter half is more a bonus, as I find Dawkins' writing style to be quite enjoyable. I'd rather read an author I like and can easily understand than one I cannot. 

Bold3: You dismissed a small series of words with no real reason as to why, and I figure instead of taking the high road I'd go with the low one


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 25, 2011)

ArielMT said:


> Let's please not get into a religion argument in a damned *book* thread!



Just a kind reminder of the current situation. Don't mind me. I'm just gonna sit over there and stare at nothing now.


----------



## Hendly Devin (Aug 25, 2011)

Azure said:


> Science and faith are incompatible beings, but as far as religion, it's pretty much dead in the water, sorry to say.



Omg lyke... w/everrrrrrrrr....

you should lyke... ask plato... ask Aristotle... ask Kant... ask Aquinas.... Ask Persig.... The lyke*fundamental*metaphysical properties that lyke structure scientific processes are entirely lyke axiomatic, and thus essentially lyke faith based assumptions because lyke "our language makes them*necessary*to exist but we cannot prove whether or not they do"

So like... i dunno... proof my ass.

And lyke like you said... people lyke dont lyke being called out by pricks... My attitude towards Dawkins and Hitchen fan boys is that they dont lyke lyke it when I call them out for lyke being lyke foolish... lyke yeah... omg btw what is dawkins right about to begin with? Hes lyke spouting out the same stuff Voltaire was only hes doing it lyke 300 years later with the assumption that lyke hes saying something pertinent and new... Hes not... old news bff... old news...

lyke and my spelling is just lyke fine ok? gosh!




ArielMT said:


> Let's please not get into a religion argument in a damned**book**thread!



Nuhuh... we are totally lyke discussing authors and their work ok... omg stop acting lyke my mom or something... cause if you want to play that game lyke i can throw a temper tantrum until lyke you get me that new Prada bag...


----------



## Azure (Aug 25, 2011)

And of course, an argument without substance, and childish to boot. Good show, ole chap, why don't you "punx" something up some more, or maybe, you could, lyke, grow up?


----------



## ryanleblanc (Aug 25, 2011)

Azure, must you provoke Hendly? This is a book thread and it's getting a little off the topic of books. I know this argument is originally about an author and atheism but this is going a little too far. This is a thread about book suggestions not a place to discuss atheism. Please feel free to open an atheism and dick dawkins thread if you would like to continue. Thanks you two!


----------



## Hendly Devin (Aug 25, 2011)

ryanleblanc said:


> Azure, must you provoke Hendly? This is a book thread and it's getting a little off the topic of books. I know this argument is originally about an author and atheism but this is going a little too far. This is a thread about book suggestions not a place to discuss atheism. Please feel free to open an atheism and dick dawkins thread if you would like to continue. Thanks you two!


 goodness now that you put it that way. I appologise for my childish nonsense. 

-sticks his tongue out at azure-

on topic: just finished reading to kill a mocking bird... for the fourth time... is it me or is atticus finch possibly not really the cool as sombitch everyone seems to think he is... "kissing on a black man is against the laws of our society" but he doesn't say particularly that said law is particularly wrong... just that it exists. Atticus... i am not a fan.


----------



## Azure (Aug 25, 2011)

ryanleblanc said:


> Azure, must you provoke Hendly? This is a book thread and it's getting a little off the topic of books. I know this argument is originally about an author and atheism but this is going a little too far. This is a thread about book suggestions not a place to discuss atheism. Please feel free to open an atheism and dick dawkins thread if you would like to continue. Thanks you two!


I'm not provoking him, I'm provoking thought. Pardon me for taking exception to something that was poorly written and thought out. Thanks!


----------



## Hendly Devin (Aug 25, 2011)

Azure said:


> And of course, an argument without substance, and childish to boot. Good show, ole chap, why don't you "punx" something up some more, or maybe, you could, lyke, grow up?


 


Azure said:


> I'm not provoking him, I'm provoking thought. Pardon me for taking exception to something that was poorly written and thought out. Thanks!



If you dont think its substantial then explain to me how so? (Probably in a new thread since this isnt the place to critique rhetoric.) Otherwise im not sure your accusation is any more substancial than you think mine are.

On topic: recently read Its Bigger Than Hip Hop, by m k asante jr. Its pretty interesting... very much against the kanye west type moguls. Im kinda glad i read it, but generally its not the best critique of mainstream music i've ever read. id only*recommend*it to fans of rap music and hip hop culture.


----------



## Azure (Aug 25, 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJhnRQAkTC4


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## moonchylde (Aug 25, 2011)

Oh, for fucks sake, this is a thread about books. If you want to argue religion (even though at this point it's mostly personal insults and comments about spelling errors), take it to PM, before another potentially interesting thread gets locked because of shenanigans. Fucking furries... 

And on topic, I'm currently reading "The Portrait of Dorian Gray." My gods was Oscar Wilde long winded... I had to get halfway through the book before it even got interesting. It's like if Anne Rice could write something under a thousand pages. I'm going to finish it, though, if for no other reason then it's the only book in the bathroom right now.


----------



## Radiohead (Aug 25, 2011)

Pet Sematary.


----------



## Crazzity (Aug 28, 2011)

Right now I'm reading about Greek and norse mythology, very interesting, but I don't count it to what I actually read.

I'm currently reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of time. It's the best fantasy series I've ever read. Thought im just on the 6th book XD Its about 18 book in English I think... and about 25 in Swedish, cuz the translators, for some odd reason split the books in half ._.


----------



## Elric (Aug 28, 2011)

Farenheit 451 by ray bradbury. Really great book, suggest it to anyone looking for a sci-fi classic. The symbolism really is great and can relate to our society pretty easily. I read it for summer reading thinking it would be terrible, but when I read the back I thought when it said "fire fighter" I thought it meant like the ones who *put out fires.*


----------



## Ariosto (Aug 28, 2011)

*Historia universal de la infamia* (An universal history of infamy)- Jorge Luis Borges: AKA: The first Borges. It's pretty weird. These hage the same style of *Ficciones*, but they're not about metaphysics and episthemology. These are... tales of blatant lies, one could call them. They seem to pursuit the same objective as his later tales, but are more *ahem* oral.


----------



## Bliss (Aug 28, 2011)

The Catcher in the Rye.

This American classic is so emo. 3:


----------



## moonchylde (Aug 29, 2011)

The Shrodinger's Cat Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson.

I think my brain just exploded across eleven dimensions.


----------



## Aden (Aug 29, 2011)

Just restarted Scar Night by Alan Campbell, since unfinished stories tend to fade after I haven't read them in a while.


----------



## Branch (Aug 29, 2011)

American Gods.


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Aug 29, 2011)

I've been recently bullied into reading the Furnace series.

Dark, evil youth prison deep in the earth patrolled by Goliaths in suits and skinless dogs.
Neh, It seems to be reading alright thus far, despite the constant reference to the protagonists' weak knees.


----------



## IkodoMoonstrife (Aug 29, 2011)

Currently reading The God of Clocks, 3rd novel in The Deepgate series by Alan Campbell and waiting for Aden to finish the first two books so we can discuss! (I am a SLOW reader, so it is likely he will finish the series before me ) I highly recommend this series if you like dark Steampunk fantasy.

Also listening to Stephen King's The Dark Tower series whenever Aden and I take long drives.  Even only starting book 4 out of 7, I can already highly recommend this series as well.


----------



## General-jwj (Aug 29, 2011)

IkodoMoonstrife said:


> Also listening to Stephen King's The Dark Tower series whenever Aden and I take long drives.  Even only starting book 4 out of 7, I can already highly recommend this series as well.



Having waded (for want of a better word) through the thousands of pages of this saga, I too recommend this epic tale.


----------



## Azure (Aug 29, 2011)

IkodoMoonstrife said:


> Currently reading The God of Clocks, 3rd novel in The Deepgate series by Alan Campbell and waiting for Aden to finish the first two books so we can discuss! (I am a SLOW reader, so it is likely he will finish the series before me ) I highly recommend this series if you like dark Steampunk fantasy.
> 
> Also listening to Stephen King's The Dark Tower series whenever Aden and I take long drives.  Even only starting book 4 out of 7, I can already highly recommend this series as well.


Read The Dome. It's long as fuck, but a pretty fun read. I loved the Dark Tower series.


----------



## Aktosh (Aug 29, 2011)

I'm re-reading 20000 miles under the see by Jules Vernes right now. I think everybody here knows that one. I'm re-reading it because I had to read it for school and didn't really enjoy it because I had to read it.

The last book I read was Homo Faber by Max Frisch (yay he's swiss). Some of you may know it because you had to read it in school. My sister gave it to me because she thought it would interest me and it did. It become one of my favorite books. What I like about it is how it is written and the character Walter Faber. He is a really really deep character. The story is pretty interesting to but I can't really tell any of it without spoiling so I'm just gonna tell what happens in the beginning. (since the author himself spoilers more than half of the book in the description.)

*Beware: Mild Spoiler
*​


_It's set around the 1940s. So Walter Faber is on a businesses trip, he's in a plane and gets to know that guy who happens to know a good friend of him. The plane crashes but it doesn't seem to bother him. He then decides to come with this guy he got to know to meet his friend. When they arrive at the place where their friend works they find him dead. He hung himself. But even this doesn't bother Walter at all... But later he meets that girl called Sabeth.(Sorry this was a really bad description. Just go read it.)
_
So yea.. I highly recommend this book. (and I have no idea if the English translation is good or bad. I read it in German.)


Other notable books I've read:

Eragon: I like mostly the first book... The rest of the series is ok.
The Chronicles Of Narnia: Read them they're really good.
The Cry Of The Icemark: Fantasy, but a bit dark, really like the writing style of this one.


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## moonchylde (Aug 29, 2011)

IkodoMoonstrife said:


> Also listening to Stephen King's The Dark Tower series whenever Aden and I take long drives.  Even only starting book 4 out of 7, I can already highly recommend this series as well.



I loved that series right up until "Wolves of the Calla." It was all downhill from there. Honestly, the last book made me wish he had just never finished the series instead of putting out that load of garbage. 

On the other hand, I'll definitely check out the Deepgate series, sounds right up my alley.

Currently re-reading "Soulless", the first of the Parasol Protectorate series (I've read the first three several times, trying to come up with the money for the fourth one). Probably one of the best steampunk fantasy/supernatural stories I've ever read.


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## Conker (Aug 29, 2011)

I got a job, but it's not a particularly enjoyable job. Very boring. Very tedious. So, we can listen to music while we work on the computers, and I figure it would be better to listen to an audiobook since I'm sitting on my ass doing mind numbing work for eight hours. Grabbed some Stephen King :3 See if I can be scared while on the job. The one I grabbed is _The Tommyknockers_


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## General-jwj (Aug 30, 2011)

Conker said:


> The one I grabbed is _The Tommyknockers_



That's the first Stephen King book I read ! D:
I thought it was really awesome, it's got atmosphere and all and it's cool.


----------



## PenningtontheSkunk (Aug 30, 2011)

Dead Withes Tell No Tales-Kim Harrison


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## Conker (Aug 30, 2011)

General-jwj said:


> That's the first Stephen King book I read ! D:
> I thought it was really awesome, it's got atmosphere and all and it's cool.


Listened to it for seven hours today  It's pretty good. There are some parts that are a bit iffy, but yeah, I really like it. Made work go by faster than just music.


----------



## Stormtail (Sep 9, 2011)

I just started reading Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand's 1897 play. I saw most of it on tv recently, so I thought I'd try reading it. It's really good so far. It's funny.


----------



## Brotherwolven (Sep 11, 2011)

I read Cyrano a couple of years ago for the first time.  Loved it.

My current read is "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus".  Interesting insight into the opposite sex.


----------



## Citrakayah (Sep 11, 2011)

As of right now, I'm re-reading my 400 page camera manual. Last real book I read though, was A Dance of Dragons.


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## Fenrari (Sep 11, 2011)

A Mercy... a bit old now, but a damn good read.


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## Gavrill (Sep 11, 2011)

Branch said:


> American Gods.


Could you (or someone else) tell me what this book is about? I've been hearing it a lot lately and wanted to check it out for myself eventually.

Currently reading _I Am America and So Can You! _by Stephen Colbert. Man's a wealth of cynicism and sarcasm.


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## TechnoGypsy (Sep 11, 2011)

I'm reading 'the internet is a playground' by David Thorne.
And judging by the way he replies to various emails, it is. An example is when he tries to pay off a $233.95 Chiropractors fee with a drawing of a 7 legged spider (Which he claims should settle the matter).


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## Aden (Sep 11, 2011)

Gavrill said:


> Currently reading _I Am America and So Can You! _by Stephen Colbert. Man's a wealth of cynicism and sarcasm.



Wow, I forgot I had a copy of this. I need to dig it up and read it again


----------



## VoidBat (Sep 11, 2011)

Dead Space: Martyr by B.K Evenson. 
Great story and I just love how he portrays the characters paranoia and decaying mental stability.


----------



## Winkuru (Sep 11, 2011)

Sun Tzu's Art Of War. I have been wanting to read this for years but haven't gotten around doing so.


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## Onnes (Sep 11, 2011)

TechnoGypsy said:


> I'm reading 'the internet is a playground' by David Thorne.
> And judging by the way he replies to various emails, it is. An example is when he tries to pay off a $233.95 Chiropractors fee with a drawing of a 7 legged spider (Which he claims should settle the matter).



David Thorne is awesome--he's basically a professional troll. One of my favorites of his involves a fake advertisement for a free snowboard.


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## Hendly Devin (Sep 11, 2011)

Stormfur said:


> I just started reading Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand's 1897 play. I saw most of it on tv recently, so I thought I'd try reading it. It's really good so far. It's funny.


 cyrano is fantastic!!!!! It is my all time favorite play. "your nose, sir, is rather large!" good stuff man good stuff.


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## Xeno (Sep 11, 2011)

About half-way through the 4th of "The Power of Five" series by Anthony Horowitz.
I would love to read "Angel" the latest installment of the Maximum Ride series but, sadly my school library doesn't have it.


----------



## Hendly Devin (Sep 11, 2011)

I finished the collection of short stories by murakami titled "after the quake" which is a series of short stories loosely related to each other but holding a retrospective of the kobe earthquakes as a common theme. It was pretty good. The famous Super Frog Saves Tokyo story was included in the collection. It was perhaps one of my favorites. Its a quick read, i suggest lending it from a library.


----------



## Vorthon (Sep 13, 2011)

Currently reading Nemesis by Isaac Asimov. And some fantasy novel I can't remember the name of.


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## Stormtail (Sep 13, 2011)

I just started re-reading Flowers for Algernon. It's a great book. Sad.

Edit:



Hendly Devin said:


> cyrano is fantastic!!!!! It is my all time favorite play. "your nose, sir, is rather large!" good stuff man good stuff.



Yeah, I loved it!


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## Aktosh (Sep 21, 2011)

Next book I'm reading is: "The Sorrows of Young Werther" by Johan wolfgang goethe. Really old but from what I've hear/read from it to this point is really interesting.


----------



## Wobblegong (Sep 21, 2011)

_Nonfiction represeeeeent._
The second to last book I read was The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan. Nonfiction, starts with the question "what should you have for dinner?" and explodes in all directions from there. Among other things, explains how corn won the cosmic lottery, why nobody can agree on what "organic" means, and that most human understanding of mushrooms is just a fancy scientific name at the top of a page full of blank boxes and question marks.

(Just, if you can help it, don't read the first half on a full stomach, and don't read the second half hungry.)


----------



## Xeno (Sep 21, 2011)

Finished Necropolis (bout time). Now I'm reading book two of the hunger games.
Can't wait for the movie.


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## Conker (Sep 21, 2011)

Still physically reading that one silly sci fi book. It's not that good, so I haven't been reading it that fast.

But, for audiobooks to amuse me at work, I've now killed four Stephen King books and I'm almost done with a fifth.

_Tommyknockers
Pet Cemetery
The Shining
Cujo
Firestarter
_
_Cujo_ has been the only bad book I've read by Stephen King; the others have been pretty good. I really like _Firestarter_, though it took a dip into the "not that interesting" today. I'm not sure what I'll "read" next by him.


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## TechnoGypsy (Sep 23, 2011)

I finished reading Eoin Colfer's The Supernaturalist for the umpteenth time.
With it not being his best book (Artemis Fowl, hello?) and that is was written with young teens in mind, didn't carry the same humour as it did all those years ago.
BUT. For the first time ever I actually followed the storyline and clarified the meaning of Cosmo + co. going to the satellite, ending up in Myishi's vats for the second time, and why they suddenly stopped killing Un Spec-4 etc.


----------



## Lunar (Sep 23, 2011)

I can't remember if I already posted this:
Still reading the Dragon Factory, about an army of Neo-Nazis and another of genetically engineered superhumans that are closer to monsters than men, which the Department of Military Science has to control before shit gets really out of hand.


----------



## Fenrari (Sep 23, 2011)

Robinson Crusoe... Part of me must really want to know if I can survive on a tropical island...


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## Gavrill (Sep 23, 2011)

Battle Royale. Bunch of middle school kids are trapped on an island and have to kill each other because of some government program. It's my favorite book from middle school, never stops being entertaining.


----------



## VoidBat (Sep 23, 2011)

The Legend of The Deathwalker, by David Gemmell. 
It's been pretty enjoyable to read so far, and Gemmell possesses a great vocabulary.


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## Razorscab (Sep 23, 2011)

I'm currently in the middle of The Catcher in the Rye. I always wondered what it was about and I always wanted to read it but from what I remember my high school didn't have it (or it was always out. I can't remember). I went to a local library to get it and even they didn't have it so I had to get it through ILL. 

In my opinion it was worth it. It's one of those books you just don't want to put down.


----------



## Radiohead (Sep 24, 2011)

Lolita. I was convinced it was terrible just by association, but I was pleasantly surprised by the writing. It has a very engaging story, as well.


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Sep 24, 2011)

The Five Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly.

YAAAARRRRRRRR These books are awesome.


----------



## Stormtail (Sep 24, 2011)

I'm reading The Sorrow of War for class. We had to read The Things They Carried over the summer. They're both about the Vietnam war. One's from the perspective of a Vietnamese, one from an American's. TTTC was very depressing. I think SofW has more gore and violent killing, but it wasn't as depressing.


----------



## Surgat (Sep 25, 2011)

_Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go_ and _Influence: Science and Practice (5th Edition)_.


----------



## PenningtontheSkunk (Sep 25, 2011)

I'm currently reading _1,001 Facts That'll Scare the S#*t Out of You_.


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## Conker (Sep 28, 2011)

I needed a quick book for work, so I downloaded _Twilight_ and shoved it onto my iPod. It's really as fucking awful as people say it is, perhaps moreso now that I've listened to it. Everything is just bad, and I don't know how it could have this following it does. Where are the standards? 

Edward is a fucking violent scary creeper stalker, yet when Bella finds this out, she's actually happy and FLATTERED. Yeah, that dude who could kill you, and whenever he talks sounds like he wants to rape you, watches you sleep all night. Every night. But sure, find that attractive. 

Bella is the stupidest most uninteresting narcissistic predictable bitch of a character, yet Edward thinks she's both smart, the narrator thinks she's "old for her age" and Edward also thinks she's unpredictable. BLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH

They play some version of fagpire baseball. 

Edward falls in love with Bella because she smells nice, Bella falls in love with Edward because he's pretty. Are most romance/love stories this shallow?

SO BAD :[


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## CAThulu (Sep 28, 2011)

Ihttp://i727.photobucket.com/albums/...t Joy/Motivational_Poster___Twilight_by_e.jpg have this above my computer monitor so I can see it whenever I write 
http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/...t Joy/Motivational_Poster___Twilight_by_e.jpg


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## Half-Priced Pregnancy (Sep 29, 2011)

About to finish reading Stephen King's _"On Writing"_. Finding it to be strangely amusing.


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Sep 29, 2011)

I've been reading Terry Deary&Neil Tonge's _Terrible Tutors_ to pass the time before I can go get something else.

Either John Grisham's _Broker _or.....or.....I can't remember the name of it.


----------



## CAThulu (Sep 29, 2011)

Religious Literacy: What every American needs to know - and doesn't by Stephen Prothero.   

Read the summary. This book has really changed how I view the political/ social landscape of America (and even Canada).


----------



## Cowslip (Sep 30, 2011)

_God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater_, by Kurt Vonnegut. I got it from the school library a few days ago. It's really old, possibly a first edition, and has that nice "old book" smell. It's a very (darkly) fun story so far, basically all about the way money can screw people up.


----------



## Azure (Sep 30, 2011)

Thoughts without a thinker; Psychotherapy from a Buddhist Perspective. Wild shit, and definitely one of those books you burn through in a scant few hours.


----------



## Vega (Sep 30, 2011)

Just finished reading "Turn Coat" by Jim Butcher, 11th book in the Dresden Files.  Think I might take a break from the Dresden Files and read "The Mammoth Book of Wolfmen" which has several werewolf short stories.


----------



## Volkodav (Sep 30, 2011)

STILL LIFE
- Adventures in Taxidermy


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Sep 30, 2011)

_The Book of Lies _â€‹by James Moloney


----------



## Sarcastic Coffeecup (Oct 1, 2011)

The lord fo the flies. Stupid school book that is mandatory to read >:C


----------



## General-jwj (Oct 1, 2011)

The Ultramarines : Warriors of Ultramar. Second book in the Ultramarines omnibus I brought.


----------



## Rakuen Growlithe (Oct 1, 2011)

I've suspended my earlier reading and am now reading The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins. My aunt brought it over for me after she went to England. I can finish it before it's even available in the US.


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## ryanleblanc (Oct 1, 2011)

Sarcastic Coffeecup said:


> The lord fo the flies. Stupid school book that is mandatory to read >:C



I remember that book! It wasn't great, but it was better than than I thought it would be.


----------



## Arceale (Oct 1, 2011)

A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire


----------



## ryanleblanc (Oct 2, 2011)

Passarola Rising by Azhar Abidi, great book.


----------



## Neuron (Oct 2, 2011)

I'm reading I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. It's really goddamn good and interesting.

Next I'm reading The Gods Themselves.


----------



## Cowslip (Oct 2, 2011)

Cowslip said:


> _God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater_, by Kurt Vonnegut. I got it from the school library a few days ago. It's really old, possibly a first edition, and has that nice "old book" smell. It's a very (darkly) fun story so far, basically all about the way money can screw people up.



Never mind this nonsense. Just finished it, and it's obvious now that it's about a lot more than how money affects people. Anyway, I'm now reading _Deathless_ by Catherynne M. Valente.


----------



## Conker (Oct 2, 2011)

After _Twilight_, _Harry Potter_ is the best thing ever. But, I won't be getting ahold of the second HP audiobook for another few days, so I guess _New Moon_ is the next easy to find piece of shit that'll help pass the time. I bet it's as terrible as the first :3


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Oct 12, 2011)

Yahtzee Croshaw - Mogworld

I'm reading a preview which starts at pg 180, and by the way the books reads I really should borrow it.


----------



## VoidBat (Oct 12, 2011)

The First Chronicles of Druss The Legend by David Gemmell.
If you're a big fan of heroic fantasy, look no further. This is one of those books people have to bend from your iron grip, it's slightly addicting.


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## ramsay_baggins (Oct 12, 2011)

I love David Gemmell! Only read 3 books though: Dark Moon, Echoes of the Great Song and Bloodstone. Loved them all.


----------



## Idlewild (Oct 12, 2011)

I'm currently working my way through a few books, but I haven't made much progress since the fall semester started. Here they are:

_The Year of the Flood_, Margaret Atwood
_Pride and Prejudice_, Jane Austen
_Jane Eyre_, Charlotte BrontÃ«
_A Game of Thrones,_ George R.R. Martin

So far, I've found _Pride and Prejudice_ a little dry. I really enjoyed the movie so I was hoping I'd like reading the book. But it seems to consist of a lot of talking and not much else. It's nice to see Darcy's point of view though.



Conker said:


> After _Twilight_, _Harry Potter_ is the best thing ever. But, I won't be getting ahold of the second HP audiobook for another few days, so I guess _New Moon_ is the next easy to find piece of shit that'll help pass the time. I bet it's as terrible as the first :3



I actually enjoyed New Moon much more than Twilight. I prefer Jacob to Edward "My personality rivals that of a table lamp" Cullen so the less of him, the better. And I still hate Bella.


----------



## Idlewild (Oct 12, 2011)

*EDIT*: AH! Double post! Ignore this please. ;~;


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## General-jwj (Oct 12, 2011)

In the middle of the last book of my Ultramarines omnibus, "Dead Sky, Black Sun". Even more entertaining than the rest of the series, that was already pretty entertaining.
I also love how the main character actually got punished for breaching "the rules" to save the day after some desperate heroics in the previous book, rather than the whole thing just being brushed under the rug and forgotten about.


----------



## Conker (Oct 12, 2011)

Finished off the second HP book and _Eclipse_. I have to say, _Eclipse_ was surprisingly worse than _Twilight_, which I didn't think could be possible. Gonna hit up the third HP book next.

I really should read read something to. Haven't touched my bookshelf in awhile. Just been chuggin along with the audiobooks at work.


----------



## ryanleblanc (Oct 12, 2011)

TechnoGypsy said:


> Yahtzee Croshaw - Mogworld
> 
> I'm reading a preview which starts at pg 180, and by the way the books reads I really should borrow it.



Zero Punctuation is probably the best series of videos on the interwebs. Everything yahtzee writes is pure cynical genius! (This post may have been a tad off the topic of books.)


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Oct 13, 2011)

ryanleblanc said:


> Zero Punctuation is probably the best series of videos on the interwebs. Everything yahtzee writes is pure cynical genius! (This post may have been a tad off the topic of books.)


Off topic, yes. But insanely true! 

Pity, The libraries in my area don't have that book.
So I guess I'll read A.K Dewdney's _Beyond Reason_. It's not fiction per say, it describes the limitations of science (i.e Perpetual motion, chaos).


----------



## Calemeyr (Oct 13, 2011)

Physics 325: Classical Mechanics I, my 300-pg course notes. Right now we're doing Fourier Series. Happy day! :V


----------



## VoidBat (Oct 13, 2011)

ramsay_baggins said:


> I love David Gemmell! Only read 3 books though: Dark Moon, Echoes of the Great Song and Bloodstone. Loved them all.


Hell yeah! He was a very talented writer. 
I've never read any of the mentioned books above, but hope to do so! I highly recommend his Rigante and Drenai novels.


Anyway, to pass time in college I'm currently reading Midnight Falcon - by David Gemmell.


----------



## Antonia (Oct 13, 2011)

Hawksong. I'm reliving childhood.


----------



## w33muz (Oct 13, 2011)

I recently read "The Island Of Dr Moreau" By HG Wells.
I highly recommend it, very thought provoking and not too taxing.


----------



## Conker (Oct 13, 2011)

w33muz said:


> I recently read "The Island Of Dr Moreau" By HG Wells.
> I highly recommend it, very thought provoking and not too taxing.


HG Wells wrote a lot of really awesome sci fi books. I should look into that one. _The Time Machine_ is really good if you haven't read it, and it had a nice unsuspecting twist at the end.


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Oct 15, 2011)

I'm up to page.....two of Tom Lloyd's _The Stormcaller_.

Someone has scribbled over the inside cover 'Page 71 & 72 missing. Thanks for the heads up.


----------



## IkodoMoonstrife (Oct 19, 2011)

Gavrill said:


> Battle Royale. Bunch of middle school kids are trapped on an island and have to kill each other because of some government program. It's my favorite book from middle school, never stops being entertaining.



Was there a movie made based on this book? I remember seeing a similar movie several years ago, the movie was comical and ridiculous!


----------



## Antonia (Oct 19, 2011)

^Iirc Battle Royale had an anime, novel, movie, and manga.

Speaking of manga, I'm reading Usagi Drop.


----------



## Micahchu (Oct 19, 2011)

Running With Scissors is actually a really good book. It's by Augusten Burroughs. In the book he talks about being a young, gay, closeted male...it's basically his messed up childhood story. There's also a movie out for the book. He also has a fiction one out called Sell-O-Vision, where he exposes his winkie on a Toys For Tots infomercial


----------



## WhoYouGoonaCall? (Oct 20, 2011)

Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines his Former Life on Drugs
guess what its about

moral of the story being: don't do drugs, stay in scho--wait a second...


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Oct 21, 2011)

_Worldshaker _by Richard Harland.
This is probably the first steampunk genre book I've read, it's great!


----------



## Gavrill (Oct 21, 2011)

IkodoMoonstrife said:


> Was there a movie made based on this book? I remember seeing a similar movie several years ago, the movie was comical and ridiculous!


yuuuuup.

I never saw it because I knew it wasn't as good as the book.


----------



## triage (Oct 22, 2011)

right now i'm reading michael lewis' _moneyball. _I don't care much for baseball nor math and I didn't watch the movie, but i'm reading this and i'm like hooked.


----------



## Falux (Oct 22, 2011)

I'm reading _Final Fantasy and Philosophy_.


----------



## Waka Flocka Flame (Oct 23, 2011)

_Journey to the End of the Night_ - Louis-Ferdinand CÃ©line
_Gravity's Rainbow_ - Thomas Pynchon
_The Unfortunates_ - B.S. Johnson

Be educatin oneself 



EVERYBODY PACKIN', LIKE NICKI MINAJ ASS


----------



## VoidBat (Oct 23, 2011)

Legend by David Gemmell.
Interesting storyline, probably one of the best heroic fantasy books I've ever read.


----------



## Kapherdel (Oct 23, 2011)

I'm working on Desperation by Stephen King at the moment, and just finished Bag of Bones by the same author.  Certainly not my favorite by him (Bag of Bones) but I'm finding Desperation very interesting, a real page turner.  I've been reading too many of his books, I currently have a huge list of books I want/need to read, but I keep on finding some awesome looking Stephen King book that I just have to read.


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Oct 25, 2011)

I finished up Worldshaker this morning, and now I'm getting started on Michael Connelly's _The Scarecrow_.
I couldn't get _The Poet_, which is the story before _The Scarecrow_, but hopefully I won't run into too many issues.


----------



## VoidBat (Oct 27, 2011)

The Swords of Night and Day - David Gemmell. 
Story takes place 1000 years after the events in the White Wolf book. Enjoyable reading as always.


----------



## Gavrill (Oct 27, 2011)

Algebra For Idiots.


It has decent characters, but it needs a better plot.


----------



## Conker (Oct 27, 2011)

Finished _Salem's Lot_today. Pretty good; I enjoyed it. As with most Stephen King books, there were pacing problems where the book dragged on a bit as he introduced more characters than was needed.


----------



## Ulma (Oct 28, 2011)

Dance with Dragons 
George R R Martin 

I'm so close to finishing it. I don't want to.
I can't.
I've let that book sit there for a week because. Don't want it... to ... end....

Can anyone recommend another book or series of similar quality that I could pick up once I do finish?


----------



## Ariosto (Oct 28, 2011)

*Poetics (Aristotle)*: selected passages for our Theory class.
*Epistola ad Pisones (Horace)*: downright brilliant (and even illuminating) in absolutely everything it proposes, and the final verses are very funny. Also for Theory class.

Yeah, that class takes a lot of time.


----------



## Imperial Impact (Oct 28, 2011)

Golden Sun


----------



## Art Vulpine (Oct 28, 2011)

Last book I read was The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. Very cool book!


----------



## Conker (Oct 28, 2011)

Started the newest Dan Brown book today. I don't even know what it's called. Audiobook and whatnot. So far, it's like his other books; it's not the best written thing out there, and the characters aren't that impressive, but OMG A CONSPIRACY THAT MIGHT BE TRUE! This one screams of more bullshit than the others, at least _The Da Vinci Code_ seems plausible. This one not so much. 

It'll be some nice fun to last me a few days at work though.

I do plan on starting Ovid's _Metamorphosis_ today or tomorrow, but I'm lazy so that might not happen.


----------



## Laura (Nov 1, 2011)

Few weeks back I started reading â€œHouse of silkâ€ by Anthony Horowitz. The author has given a new life for the â€œSherlock Holmes novelâ€ by the release of this book.


----------



## ~secret~ (Nov 1, 2011)

American Gods, for what seems like the 20th time.


----------



## Conker (Nov 1, 2011)

Dan Brown is a shitty writer. 

I'll be finishing _The Lost Symbol _tomorrow. It's not a good book. Why do I keep listening to shitty books :[


----------



## Ariosto (Nov 1, 2011)

Conker said:


> Dan Brown is a shitty writer.
> 
> I'll be finishing _The Lost Symbol _tomorrow. It's not a good book. Why do I keep listening to shitty books :[



Because they are the key to know which are the GOOD books.

*Julio CortÃ¡zar*-_Historias de cronopios y de famas_: I'm having a lot of fun with this one, its tales are pretty good for not being even a page long and just as playful and weird as anything CortÃ¡zar has written.


----------



## Evan of Phrygia (Nov 1, 2011)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (i think i spelled the first name wrong)

it's funny, I had to restart this book recently because i basically lost it two years ago. The bookmark was even still there when i found it


----------



## GingerM (Nov 1, 2011)

I tend to have several books on the go at once  Currently

"Devil's Cub" - Georgette Heyer
"Starship Troopers" - Robert A. Heinlein
"A Fall of Moondust" - Arthur C. Clarke
"Busman's Honeymoon" - Dorothy Sayers
"The Grapes of Wrath" - Steinbeck, and probably going to drop it again. I didn't like it in school, I don't like it nearly 20 years later. Fortunately I don't have marks riding on it this time 
"Introduction to Linden Scripting Language for Second Life" - Jeff Heaton
"Fundamentals of DC and AC Circuits" - Mark Hazen. I felt a need to refresh myself on the basics


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Nov 1, 2011)

This is Tides said:


> The Book Thief by Markus Zusak


Loved that book 

I'm reading _Curious & Curiouser _By Dr Karl Kruszelnicki.
It's all about popular science theories like spontaneous human combustion and repressed memory.


----------



## Conker (Nov 1, 2011)

This is Tides said:


> The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (i think i spelled the first name wrong)
> 
> it's funny, I had to restart this book recently because i basically lost it two years ago. The bookmark was even still there when i found it


Oh, that's a fantastic book.


----------



## Hateful Bitch (Nov 1, 2011)

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le CarrÃ©
not much to say about it so far I guess
only a chapter in, reading a bit every now and then

I had totally forgotten for a lot of the time in the first chapter that it was set in the cold war, around the berlin wall
and I actually didn't have anything to picture, so I had this image of everything unfolding like the "these aren't the droids we're looking for" scene in star wars. but with spies instead of droids


----------



## Tissemand (Nov 1, 2011)

A few textbooks. Currently reading Psychology: An Introduction. Too lazy to read anything else |3


----------



## Vibgyor (Nov 2, 2011)

_Teatro Grottesco_ by Thomas Ligotti.


----------



## Jon1128 (Nov 2, 2011)

Currently Reading
_________________________________
Dan Brown - The Lost Symbol (just started)
Stephen King - Just After Sunset (6th story)
Thomas Harris - Hannibal Rising (just started)
Game Informer October issue 
Game Informer November issue


----------



## Kit H. Ruppell (Nov 2, 2011)

The _Inukami!_ manga


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Nov 9, 2011)

I'm reading something I won't usually read:
A.S Byatt's _Possession _


----------



## VoidBat (Nov 9, 2011)

Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose. 
It's got a lot more details in it then the TV series, and it's actually quite interesting to read about Easy's travels during the WWII campaign.


----------



## Ad Hoc (Nov 10, 2011)

"A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn

That first chapter

Excuse me while I go be upset somewhere.


----------



## ryanleblanc (Nov 13, 2011)

Currently reading the classic, "A Tale of Two Cities." Starts out slow, but when you make some progress through it, it gradually becomes a better story. I'm about two thirds of the way through now.


----------



## Ariosto (Nov 13, 2011)

ryanleblanc said:


> Currently reading the classic, "A Tale of Two Cities." Starts out slow, but when you make some progress through it, it gradually becomes a better story. I'm about two thirds of the way through now.



You sire... are infinintely more patient with Dickens than I am.


----------



## ryanleblanc (Nov 13, 2011)

AristÃ³crates Carranza said:


> You sire... are infinintely more patient with Dickens than I am.



It does start out *PAINFULLY SLOW... *Hehe


----------



## Ariosto (Nov 13, 2011)

ryanleblanc said:


> It does start out *PAINFULLY SLOW... *Hehe



Yes it DOES. I mean with Dickens in general, I don't like his writings. The only one that I was enjoying was _Great Expectations_ and I haven't found i physically and in Englisht.


----------



## ryanleblanc (Nov 13, 2011)

AristÃ³crates Carranza said:


> The only one that I was enjoying was _Great Expectations_ and I haven't found i physically and in Englisht.



Great Expectations seems to have gotten good reviews, 4.5/5 stars, maybe I'll read it next.


----------



## Catilda Lily (Nov 13, 2011)

I just finished with The Chronicles of Narnia.


----------



## Conker (Nov 13, 2011)

Finally started Ovid's _Metamorphosis_. Two chapters in and three women have been raped by gods, plus the attempted rape of another one. Fun book.


----------



## Ariosto (Nov 13, 2011)

Conker said:


> Finally started Ovid's _Metamorphosis_. Two chapters in and three women have been raped by gods, plus the attempted rape of another one. Fun book.



Tell me when you get to the incest, the attempted rape of men by women, the bestiality and all sorts of paraphilias.


----------



## Aden (Nov 13, 2011)

Conker said:


> Finally started Ovid's _Metamorphosis_. Two chapters in and three women have been raped by gods, plus the attempted rape of another one. Fun book.



Ovid was one interesting writer, I'll give him that. Though I would never have even considered liking the Metamorphoses if they weren't written and translated so damn well.


----------



## Conker (Nov 13, 2011)

Aden said:


> Ovid was one interesting writer, I'll give him that. Though I would never have even considered liking the Metamorphoses if they weren't written and translated so damn well.


Yeah. I was a bit hesitant going in, because this was published in 8  But, it reads pretty easily. The pacing is kind of crazy though, with so much shit happening in a little amount of space. I wish it had more breaks or chapters or something. I feel exhausted after reading just one.


----------



## ryanleblanc (Nov 14, 2011)

Guys I hate to be a party-pooper and get all strict with the rules, but we do have a limit on how explicit the content of the books can be. That book may be a historically significant piece of literature, but would you want a 13 year old to read it? I know it sounds unfair but I may have to delete the suggestion.

*EDIT: *With the help of Aristocrates Carranza, I have been able to review the explicitness of the language and detail in the book and thanks to it's "RAVISHING" lack of detail it is acceptable for this thread.

Hehe "Ravishing."


----------



## ~secret~ (Nov 14, 2011)

Ridley's Evolution :/

I am boring today.


----------



## israfur (Nov 14, 2011)

I'm rereading the first Harry Potter book.
Feel free to flame lmao.


----------



## kyle19 (Nov 14, 2011)

I'm rereading World War Z by Max Brooks, I dont know how many rereads this would make it, probably 5th or 6th time


----------



## Ad Hoc (Nov 14, 2011)

Still reading A People's History if the United States, this might be the first book I finish in a long time. This is the first little bit that actually made me smile:



> Around the same time, in New York, an election pamphlet urged New York voters to join "Shuttle" the weaver, "Plane" the joiner, "Drive" the carter, "Mortar" the mason, "Tar" the mariner, "Snip" the tailor, "Smallrent" the fair-minded landlord, and "Johnpoor" the tenant, against "Gripe the Merchant, Squeeze the Shopkeeper, Spintext and Quible the Lawyer."


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Nov 14, 2011)

I'm a chapter through _The Devil You Know_ by Mike Carey. I like it so far.


----------



## ryanleblanc (Nov 29, 2011)

Finished a tale of two cities a while ago now, have to say, Charles Dickens, he was a writer, did he write particularly interesting stories, no. Was A Tale Of Two Cities a particularly interesting book, no. Was it painful to read, a little. 

Was the ending worth it? SUFFER THROUGH READING IT TO FIND OUT! MUAHAHAHA!


----------



## Dragonfurry (Nov 29, 2011)

Winter's Heart.-By Robert Jordan-Wheel of Time Series.


----------



## Evan of Phrygia (Nov 29, 2011)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak...the ending is probably going to absolutely kill me with the profound emotional scale that has been escalating thus far


----------



## Xeno (Nov 29, 2011)

The Keys to the Kingdom: Grim Tuesday
I would recomend the series to anybody that likes Adventure type books.


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Nov 29, 2011)

Oliver Bowden's _Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade_
This makes a brilliant companion to the game. The first two parts are of Altair as seen in the game, and the next two parts continue on from the moment that Altair acquires the Apple.


----------



## Namba (Nov 29, 2011)

Watership Down


----------



## Surgat (Nov 30, 2011)

_Parecon: Life After Capitalism_, and _Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs_.


----------



## Ricky (Nov 30, 2011)

Actually, not all of those XD

Just the second one down to brush up on some stuff.


----------



## General-jwj (Nov 30, 2011)

Vampire Wars : The Von Carstein Trilogy - Book 2 : Dominion

Hell yay for Warhammer Vampires. These blokes ain't some pansy-ass twinkleskins. They sucker-stab priests and conquer Empires like it's going out of fashion.

PS : my fave vampire count is Vlad, the original, the one and only. He was one smooth motherfucker.


----------



## Slighted (Nov 30, 2011)

I just finished the Magicians by Lev Grossman, and I quite enjoyed it. (It even has a little goose TF sequence in it, for those who like such things, ahem.) 

Before that I read Ready Player One, which was good but dragged a bit at the end.


----------



## VoidBat (Nov 30, 2011)

Viva Mallorca! by Peter Kerr.


----------



## ryanleblanc (Dec 8, 2011)

Just started another classic, "The Great Gatsby". Why do I keep reading classics like this? Because something had to make them classic, and hopefully that something is a good story.


----------



## Mollfie (Dec 8, 2011)

^ Looove The Great Gatsby. I had to study it for A Level English Lit at college and it's still one of my favourite books.

I review YA/Teen/9-12 books and have a pile of about 12 to get through (was 14). At the moment I am reading Wolf Blood which is a historic fantasy. Celts, warriors, werewolf. It's pretty good so far and has avoided the "oh great another werewolf" thing very well.


----------



## ryanleblanc (Dec 8, 2011)

Mollfie said:


> ^ Looove The Great Gatsby. I had to study it for A Level English Lit at college and it's still one of my favourite books.
> 
> I review YA/Teen/9-12 books and have a pile of about 12 to get through (was 14). At the moment I am reading Wolf Blood which is a historic fantasy. Celts, warriors, werewolf. It's pretty good so far and has avoided the "oh great another werewolf" thing very well.


While fantasy is not one of my favourite genres, I do LOVE historical fiction. There's just something about how it takes you to a past time, and being able to point out the correlations between the story and genuine historical fact. It's fun to try and spot all the references and see just how tightly a story is wound to it's historical material.


----------



## Mollfie (Dec 8, 2011)

ryanleblanc said:


> While fantasy is not one of my favourite genres, I do LOVE historical fiction. There's just something about how it takes you to a past time, and being able to point out the correlations between the story and genuine historical fact. It's fun to try and spot all the references and see just how tightly a story is wound to it's historical material.



That's what this book does very well. The story is a little slow but I enjoy the characters, setting and history enough to not be worried about that. The werewolf aspects do not dominate the rest which is fantastic, it is a part of the story. There are lots of Romans, Celts, druidry etc mentioned and seen so all in all it's just lovely. Plus the werewolf is great because rather than it being your typical man/wolf it's shapeshifting so he becomes an actual wolf. Makes a nice change.


----------



## Rotsala (Dec 8, 2011)

Absolute Sandman - Volume II

AKA so much comic oh god someone he;lp


----------



## FoxPhantom (Dec 8, 2011)

Eragon for the fourth time by Christoper Paolini, The artists way by Julia Caneron, Earth Dance Drum by Blackwolf and Gina Jones (It's a native American spiritual book.) and Dragon Drums by Anne McCaffery


----------



## Criminal Scum (Dec 8, 2011)

Currently reading _The Way of Shadows_ and _A Feast for Crows_. I'm going to start reading the new _Rangers Apprentice_ book and _Dragon Fate_ once I can get a hold of them. ^ I should read _Eragon_. For some perverse reason I haven't.

I just can't read any of the _Song of Ice and Fire_ books (_Game of Thrones, Feast for Crows_) without taking a break by reading another book; they read so slowly and I just can't stay focused.


----------



## Vibgyor (Dec 8, 2011)

I'm currently reading an H.P. Lovecraft collection titled _Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre._


----------



## ryanleblanc (Dec 8, 2011)

Mollfie said:


> That's what this book does very well. The story is a little slow but I enjoy the characters, setting and history enough to not be worried about that. The werewolf aspects do not dominate the rest which is fantastic, it is a part of the story. There are lots of Romans, Celts, druidry etc mentioned and seen so all in all it's just lovely. Plus the werewolf is great because rather than it being your typical man/wolf it's shapeshifting so he becomes an actual wolf. Makes a nice change.



I am intrigued.


----------



## Conker (Dec 8, 2011)

Currently reading the first Game of Thrones book. It's fantastic.


----------



## Criminal Scum (Dec 9, 2011)

I loved Game of Thrones. The level of detail and realism in the world and its characters make it seem as if it could have been an actual historic account. Jon Snow is definitely my favorite character.


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Dec 9, 2011)

Jeff Abbot's _Trust me. _Good thriller stuff.


----------



## FlynnCoyote (Dec 9, 2011)

Finished reading the Inheritance cycle. 

Not bad for Paolini`s first ever series. Not bad at all.


----------



## Mollfie (Dec 9, 2011)

Criminal Scum said:


> Currently reading _The Way of Shadows_ and _A Feast for Crows_. I'm going to start reading the new _Rangers Apprentice_ book and _Dragon Fate_ once I can get a hold of them. ^ I should read _Eragon_. For some perverse reason I haven't.
> 
> I just can't read any of the _Song of Ice and Fire_ books (_Game of Thrones, Feast for Crows_) without taking a break by reading another book; they read so slowly and I just can't stay focused.



I loved the first book, Game of Thrones, and I do want to read the rest at some point. I have the first Ranger's Apprentice sitting beside me and it look very good, I'm looking forward to getting around to reading it.

I remember trying to read Eragon and I just couldn't get into it, I'm not sure why.


----------



## Namba (Dec 9, 2011)

After I get through with Watership Down, I'm gonna finish The Stand. Damn, that's a long book, but an awesome story.


----------



## Stormtail (Dec 9, 2011)

I'm now reading Tales from Watership Down. Watership Down is one of my favorite books. This is like a collection of the rabbits' stories and folklore, mostly about El-ahrairah.


----------



## Dragonfurry (Dec 9, 2011)

Anyone reading the The Wheel of Time Series? I am on Winter's heart right now.


----------



## Criminal Scum (Dec 9, 2011)

Game of Thrones was awesome, but a bit depressing at points. It's realistic, though, so of course it's got its ups and downs in terms of mood.

Ranger's Apprentice is great, since it reads fairly quickly.


----------



## Mollfie (Dec 9, 2011)

Stormtail said:


> I'm now reading Tales from Watership Down. Watership Down is one of my favorite books. This is like a collection of the rabbits' stories and folklore, mostly about El-ahrairah.



That sounds really interesting, will have to put it on my 'to read' list.


----------



## Conker (Dec 9, 2011)

Criminal Scum said:


> I loved Game of Thrones. The level of detail and realism in the world and its characters make it seem as if it could have been an actual historic account. Jon Snow is definitely my favorite character.



Agreed. Probably the best fantasy series I've encountered, both from a story point of view and just overall polish. It's very well crafted.


----------



## Namba (Dec 9, 2011)

Stormtail said:


> I'm now reading Tales from Watership Down. Watership Down is one of my favorite books. This is like a collection of the rabbits' stories and folklore, mostly about El-ahrairah.


I dearly wish I had a copy of that.


----------



## Ricky (Dec 10, 2011)

http://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Elements-Reusable-Object-Oriented/dp/0201633612

It's a really good book.  I highly recommend it.


----------



## Gelltor (Dec 10, 2011)

I don't know if any of these have been posted already but here are 4 excellent books: The Power and Glory by Graham Greene, To The Last Man by Jeff Shaara, Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky, and The Naked and The Dead by Norman Mailer


----------



## Commiecomrade (Dec 10, 2011)

I am not reading it right now but recommend it: The Kite Runner. Full of twists and surprises, and very excellent writing.


----------



## Conker (Dec 10, 2011)

Dragonfurry said:


> Anyone reading the The Wheel of Time Series? I am on Winter's heart right now.


If I can find them on audio books, I'll end up listening to them at work. I've been told they are fantastic.


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Dec 10, 2011)

When the library opens tomorrow I'm getting Oliver Bowden's _Renaissance._


----------



## HeroHoxha (Dec 10, 2011)

I don't read a lot of fiction; more along the lines of history and theory for me.

I'm reading through Another View of Stalin again. Good read when it comes to the USSR. The State and Revolution is basic Marxism, but it never hurts to go back and read. I'm also browsing through an article called "He Used to Say," written by a former Yugoslav Communist who speaks about how shitty Tito's system was and was pro-Albanian.


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Dec 14, 2011)

Okay, they didn't have Renaissance.
But they did have Eoin Colfer's _Artemis Fowl - The Atlantis Complex, _which I finished yesterday.
Got to love that humour in those books.


Spoiler: funny parts



Butler ripping out the front seat of a small rental car so he could drive from the back seat in relative comfort.

And Butler saying "Here, let me kick that for you" Just before he sends his boot into Bobb Ragby's behind (He was offering it to Mulch, but Mulch was unconscious at the time)


----------



## Stormtail (Dec 14, 2011)

I've now finished Tales from Watership Down. The third section of it continued the story of Hazel's rabbits on the down. It was very good! A must-read for any Watership fan.

I'm now skimming through The Magic Mirror of M.C. Escher. He's one of my favorite artists.


----------



## Dragonfurry (Dec 14, 2011)

Still on winters heart.


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Dec 15, 2011)

Right now I'm bouncing between Chris Ryan's _Strike back _and James Patterson's  _Maximum ride_â€‹


----------



## Chupaflor (Dec 17, 2011)

Among some light reading, Im reading Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. Again. Its one of the few books that really stuck to me, so to speak. But I am a huge Dante fan...


----------



## Evan of Phrygia (Dec 17, 2011)

TechnoGypsy said:


> Right now I'm bouncing between Chris Ryan's _Strike back _and *James Patterson's  Maximum ride*â€‹



oh wow, i HATED that book upon rereading it.


----------



## Stormtail (Dec 17, 2011)

I'm now re-reading The Golden Compass for the third or fourth time. All three books are great!


----------



## Blondegoth (Dec 17, 2011)

I have just finished Black Man by Richard Morgan. Its really really good, I highly recommend it.


----------



## Kinuki (Dec 18, 2011)

Blondegoth said:


> I have just finished Black Man by Richard Morgan. Its really really good, I highly recommend it.


Marketed as Thirteen in the States and, yes, it really is. A hauntingly plausible vision of how America might end up (heh, the Bible Belt Republic).


----------



## ShÃ nwÃ ng (Dec 18, 2011)

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk


----------



## ryanleblanc (Dec 19, 2011)

Nearly finished The Great Gatsby. I wish i had more time to read, but I guess I'm fine chugging along through a book as the opportunity arises. The story, while somewhat simple, is fairly entertaining, and I'm enjoying the book thoroughly. Highly recommended.


----------



## TechnoGypsy (Dec 19, 2011)

I finally decided get a start on reading The Lost Symbol.


----------



## Ruby Dragon (Dec 19, 2011)

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom.

Essentially it is about a former college student who meets with his dying proffesor (who has been diagnosed with ALS) to discuss life and it's meanings..


----------



## ~secret~ (Dec 19, 2011)

Gear by Doug TenNapel.


----------



## Gillie (Dec 19, 2011)

I recently decided to read through George R R Martin's Songs of Fire and Ice series, I'm on Clash of Kings at the moment, which is the second book in the series of five. Really enjoying it so far. The amount of backstabbing and plotting is fantastic. The story is really weaving and twisting and there have been lots of surprises so far.

It's about the politics, treachery, war and struggle for power between almost all of the varied cultures and families in a lowish fantasy (so far?) medieval setting. Each chapter is told from the point of view (but still in third person) of a handful of the main characters, jumping from character to character. That makes it sound like it can get a little muddled, but it really works well.
There are three main story arcs so far, all linked, but each having their own unique mood and setting to them.
The characters are fantastically varied, from the most truthful and honest soldier to the most dark, backstabbing bitch.

I really would hate to spoil anything for anyone interested in the books, as so far they have been deliciously thick with plot. If you're interesting in the series and havn't watched the TV series, I really recommend *not* looking this up on wikipedia.


----------



## FlynnCoyote (Dec 20, 2011)

Picked up Deliverance Lost the other day, and will read that when time permits.


----------



## Gryphoneer (Dec 20, 2011)

House of Suns by Al Reynolds. Daaaammmnn, easily the best sci-fi I ever read.


----------



## Azerane (Dec 20, 2011)

I just finished reading _Dewey_, a book about a library cat. See here: http://deweyreadmorebooks.com/

And I'm currently in and out of Watership Down again. I often pick it up just to read certain parts or remember particular pieces of information. I love it.


----------



## Aden (Dec 20, 2011)

Not so much _reading_ as _gazing with longing eyes_, but Fraktur mon Amour, a compendium of blackletter fonts

\type nerd


----------



## ~secret~ (Dec 20, 2011)

Aden said:


> Not so much _reading_ as _gazing with longing eyes_, but Fraktur mon Amour, a compendium of blackletter fonts
> 
> \type nerd



I would scorn you for this, but it's actually pretty interesting looking.


----------



## Conker (Dec 20, 2011)

TechnoGypsy said:


> I finally decided get a start on reading The Lost Symbol.


I think _The Da Vinci Code_ was better, but it's Dan Brown, so it's not like he's the cream of the crop, as old people are wont to say.

I'm putting away Ovid's _Metamorphosis_ and picking up something easier to read for now. I just don't have the stamina or want to read that old shit right now. Get home from work and I'm just too tired to concentrate on it. Time for shitty sci fi or fantasy.


----------



## Dragonfurry (Dec 21, 2011)

Crossroads of Twilight- Robert Jordan.


----------



## Ariosto (Dec 23, 2011)

Shamelessly taken from one of my posts on another forum where I visit regularly, because I haven't anything to add and don't feel like writing the whole thing again:


_La VorÃ¡gine_ - JosÃ© Eustasio Rivera:
I once deemed it as "the worst book ever"; looing at it now, I don't get what was so hard to understand back then. It's not a straighforward novel with a straightforward structure that's for sure, but it's not tremendously uncomprehensible like I once made it to be. That said, the prose is too florid at times, effectively stopping the action, so I guess that's why I dismissed it initially.

_Anton Chekhov's first published short stories (1883-1885)_: 
Also my third approach to Chekhov and the first official one (in printed form, that is)... these are... absolutely wonderful! It's reading these that I remember why I chose literature as my career: the diminutives, the short yet incredibly precise descriptions, the subtlety and the complete feel of every single "scene" no matter how short all of them are all make for one of the most compelling experiences I've had in all my years as a reader. "Short and good is twice as good" they say, and all these stories are proof of that.

_Historias de Cronopios y de Famas_ - Julio CortÃ¡zar
CortÃ¡zar stroke me as a most intriguing figure ever since I read his _Continuidad de los parques_, a tale with a surprise ending that managed to impress me at a young age. Nowadays, I still find that tale thoroughly entertaining and coherent in its construction, but I think it wasn't until now that I actually started to appreciate his writing on a deeper and more personal level.
See, my college (though quite classical in its approach) actually managed to open me the possibilities of what one must consider in his/her analysis of a text, even if it basically boiled to refinements on things that I had already considered but had never actually put in practice. This semester, however, brought the most important lessons for me:
-Every academic, every critic, every researcher, is a reader at heart, and enjoyment out of an specific aspect is quite possibly the best motivation and starting point of an analysis.
-Sometimes, the first thing that comes to your head can a good starting point. Recognizing the most basic and obvious patterns is actually helpful as well, not to mention the "overaching themes" aren't as blatant until those tiny elements have been assembled into coherent criticism. 

Back in the day, I tried to get the "big themes" first before even trying to analyze the basic structure, and consequently ended speaking trite and not saying anything actually interesting, not to mention I deprived myself of all the fun in this search for "meaning".
And with that in mind I tried to get into texts again, both as a student and an aficionado, and without the stress of having to "get" the texts due in a day, I've managed wonderfully (this I had started to practice in class), especially with CortÃ¡zar.
His texts are practically games: wordplay, "strange" and unusual topics, allusions to caligrams, self-absorbed characters and child-like naÃ¯vetÃ¨, all of that also accompanied by erudite references, occasional nods to french, english and latin, and even argentinian popular culture, go figure. And that's why I've come to enjoy him much more these days, he used to feel distant, "weird", more "interesting" than enjoyable, in all honesty, but a change in my approach has helped a lot: he's not afraid of speaking about anything, he doesn't mind that his texts sometimes aren't inmediately understandable, he's not pretentious, he's permanently exploring those "others" we ignore in the big scheme of things (and this particular book makes that very clear). CortÃ¡zar knows what he's doing, he's not into some big existential search or the big depths of humanity that are critic bait, he's just exploring the language, having fun, mixing forms and structures and making a great job out of it; and for that, I admire him.

Some (roughly translated) highlights:

"While opening the wardrobe to pick a shirt, an old calendar falls and undoes itself, tears itself, covers the white clothings in thousands of dirty paper butterflies". 
(Original:
"Al abrir el ropero para sacar una camisa, cae un viejo almanaque que se deshace, se deshoja, cubre la ropa blanca con miles de sucias mariposas de papel".)

"A small cronopio searched for the the street door's key in the bedside table, the bedside table in the bedroom, the bedroom in the house, the house in the street. Here, the cronopio stopped, for he needed the street door's key to go out to the street".
("Un cronopio pequeÃ±ito buscaba la llave de la puerta de calle en la mesa de luz, la mesa de luz en el dormitorio, el dormitorio en la casa, la casa en la calle. AquÃ­ se detenÃ­a el cronopio, pues para salir a la calle precisaba la llave de la puerta".) 

...

Whew.


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## Lazykins (Dec 24, 2011)

Rereading Dwarves and War of the Dwarves by Markus Heitz.

I don't know why, but I love his books.


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## Chupaflor (Dec 25, 2011)

World war z. Max Brooks. Im barely in three first chapter.and Im like woah


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## TechnoGypsy (Dec 25, 2011)

Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves

Edit: By Matthew Riley
So far, so good. I haven't progressed far but it's already made me laugh with the ridiculousness of the situation


Spoiler: The situation



Russian island has found to have a deadly atmospheric weapon
The Pentagon worry, since it takes six weeks for it to reach the end of Phase 1
The Pentagon worry even more when they find out that the weapon has been going through Phase 1 for the last six weeks
They find out that the launch of Phase 2 takes off in several hours
They find out that Russia has launched a nuke at the island
They find out that it was diverted by people on the island

Whoopdedoo!


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## Archon (Dec 25, 2011)

Was reading Dragon Champion : Book One of the Age of Fire. Sadly my attention span sucks. I'm on like page 126 and haven't touched it in about 2 and a half months.


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## Ariosto (Dec 25, 2011)

_El otoÃ±o del patriarca_-Gabriel GarcÃ­a MÃ¡rquez:
My most requested christmas gift. So far, it hasn't disappointed me one bit.


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## Vaelarsa (Dec 26, 2011)

The rerelease Sailor Moon manga.
I just got done with volume 2, yesterday, which was a gift,
and I plan to get volume 3 at the beginning of next month.


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## General-jwj (Dec 26, 2011)

Dante's epic 3 part-poem "The Divine Comedy", coupled with Gustave DorÃ©'s 135 "Illustrations for the Divine Comedy" ... both translated in English because I couldn't find similarly priced editions in French and I can't read Italian.


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## Tricky (Dec 26, 2011)

_Anna Karenina. _â€‹My third or fourth time reading it, but it never gets old. <3


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## Evan of Phrygia (Dec 26, 2011)

1984 for school.

Cannot deny my great excitement for this book.


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## TechnoGypsy (Dec 26, 2011)

General-jwj said:


> Dante's epic 3 part-poem "The Divine Comedy", coupled with Gustave DorÃ©'s 135 "Illustrations for the Divine Comedy" ... both translated in English because I couldn't find similarly priced editions in French and I can't read Italian.


I'm reading that as well, minus the illustrations.


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## Inciatus (Dec 26, 2011)

Finally got Watership Down. I'm starting that book.


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## Hateful Bitch (Dec 26, 2011)

Got this big book of HP Lovecraft stories. So I'm reading that <:


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## gokorahn (Dec 26, 2011)

I plan on reading Spice and Wolf volume 3 soon, I liked the other two, don't know why I haven't read this one.


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## Onnes (Dec 26, 2011)

A collection of all of Hemingway's canonical short stories. I just like his style too much not to finally go through more of his works, even the extremely short and equally bizarre ones.


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## thedogon11 (Dec 27, 2011)

I just finished R. A. Salvatore's _Servant of the Crystal Shard._ It is a great book, albeit a tad slow at first. 

A quick synopis would be that a guildmaster allianced with another tries to destroy on object of power.

Best I could come up with on the fly.


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## General-jwj (Dec 27, 2011)

Hateful Bitch said:


> Got this big book of HP Lovecraft stories. So I'm reading that <:



Read a book like that a couple of years ago. It was radically awesome.


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## TechnoGypsy (Dec 27, 2011)

Okay, I finished Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves.
I liked it. But the beginning chapters irked me with all the pop culture references in an attempt to establish the setting.

As of now, I'm bouncing between _The Book of Awesome_, _the internet is a playground_ by David Thorne, a book on lies, a book about wirelessly hacking systems, and _How to be a Gentleman_â€‹ by Thomas Nelson.


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