What are you reading?

[the_wolfs_howl]

I recently read Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. For half of the book, I couldn't decide whether I thought it was hilarious or incredibly stupid (kind of like Monty Python, come to think of it). For the other half, I found myself extremely offended. It seemed like half of the book dwelt on the soldiers' physical relations with prostitutes, and that just sullied my mind so much. I do not want to read about that kind of thing. Then another thing that offended me a great deal was that the general view of God in the book was the He's stupid, that the World Wars were out of His hands, etc. That just got me so mad. I almost wonder why I even finished the book, but I was on a three-week road trip and had nothing else to read, so I read it all. :/

Now I'm reading a much more satisfactory book, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. So many people talk about it that I thought I'd probably better read it eventually. I really like his logical train of thought.

I'm also reading the fourth book of Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series, Sir Thursday. Fun as always.

[GhostontheNet]

I just recently started reading Burton on Burton by Mark Salisbury.

[Song_of_Storms]

[SIZE="1"]I just finished Ted Dekker's Chosen. It was a first of his for me, and I liked it very much. I finished it in about three days, and can't wait to get the rest of the series.

I've been reading Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn. It's not very interesting, nor captivating. It is, however, a quick read. I hope to finish it soon, so to move on to other, more enjoyable books.

Last, I'm reading two of Tolkien's. The Children of Húrin and the Silmarillion. Both are beyond description, wholly captivating.[/SIZE]

[rocklobster]

I am currently reading From a Buick 8 by Stephen King. It's not one of his better books.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Finished Sir Thursday - as always, a thoroughly exciting and engaging read.

Now I'm reading Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks. It's about neurology and music, and is possibly the most fascinating non-fiction book I've ever read. It's just so cool to hear about how different parts of the brain become activated by music, and all the different odd stories Sacks has encountered in patients, like musical hallucinations and a sudden interest in music, to name a couple. I'm going through it really fast because it's so interesting.

[Fish and Chips]

In the middle of a couple books right now. Halfway into Terry Pratchett's Hogfather, which isn't as gripping as I thought it would be, but more than makes up for it with one of my favorite villains in a long time (the amiably lethal and quite broken Mr. Teatime), and Death being, well, himself.

Also reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance by Robert Pirsig, after being persuaded by my dad. First few pages have been slow, but it is keeping my attention.

And since I'm not familiar with any of Neil Gaiman's work, I've decided to start on his Anansi Boys. I have done so for two reasons:

1. The main character discovers everyone in his family is actually an African animal god. Except him.
2. The villain has a bizarre speech impendiment in that he can only speak in cliches.

I'll keep you guys posted on my after thoughts if I have any.

I recently read Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. For half of the book, I couldn't decide whether I thought it was hilarious or incredibly stupid (kind of like Monty Python, come to think of it). For the other half, I found myself extremely offended. It seemed like half of the book dwelt on the soldiers' physical relations with prostitutes, and that just sullied my mind so much. I do not want to read about that kind of thing. Then another thing that offended me a great deal was that the general view of God in the book was the He's stupid, that the World Wars were out of His hands, etc. That just got me so mad. I almost wonder why I even finished the book, but I was on a three-week road trip and had nothing else to read, so I read it all. :/

I have to warn you, Catch-22 is one of my favorite books, and I don't take criticism of it very lightly. Your tone, however, suggests that maybe it just wasn't "For you." Not your style. Catch-22 is satire, so basically it was written to ridicule and possibly offend certain people. The borderline stupid/hilarious parts were written that way on purpose, and the rest is actually realism (isn't it sad, Yossarian). Though since you seem to have caught that much, I'd say you enjoyed it a bit more than you realize.

[GeneD]

I finished Lord of the Flies yesterday. Is it creepy that my favourite part was where Simon was "talking" to the lord of the flies?

[rocklobster]

America Alone by Mark Steyn. I'd tell you my thoughts, but it's a political book, so I'll obey the rules.

[uc pseudonym]

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier by Alan Moore

This is the first work by Moore that I have read that has deeply disappointed me. Some parts of it were alright, and weaving his world in with the history of 1984 was fascinating, but I became increasingly dissatisfied as I continued. I see where he's going with the fantastical elements; it seems pretty obvious, with lines like "brief stories woven into a blazing continuity".

However, I think this is a mistake. What makes Extraordinary Gentlemen great is its atmosphere, which is broken by the Blazing World and other elements. Furthermore, I feel that including these things breaks continuity: this isn't the world we had been given and it would take a great deal more effort to incorporate successfully the kinds of things he tries to include.

[Maledicte]

Was the 3-D part alright though?

Finished reading Doctor 13: Architecture and Mortality by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. Described by a reader as "DC's version of Nextwave" but it really stands on its own. Nextwave may have had Elsa Bloodstone, Fin Fang Foom, and Aaron Stack, but Doctor 13 has a ghost pirate, a ghost Confederate officer in a tank, an alien who goes by the name Infectious Lass, and a talking vampire Nazi gorilla. Plus the story makes digs at DC's editorial decisions. I'm very much looking forward to Team 13: The Quest for Fear (Coming Soon!)

Currently reading Damnation Falls by Edward Wright, mostly because of the title. It's proving to be an atmospheric murder mystery so far.

Dropped reading Midnight Mass by F. Paul Wilson, because I've a) had enough of vampire novels so far, b) I only liked one character and c) the author seemed kind of pretentious in the foreword, which I should have skipped. I'll stick with Repairman Jack.

[Technomancer]

Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

I think it's one that's worth reading for most people. My only real quibble is that the book attempts to philosophically link Ewan McCameron's shock therapy experiments with so-called "shock therapy" in economics. While an interesting topic in its own right, I found the links to be poorly-motivated.

[rocklobster]

I just started Brisingr, the third book in the Inheritance Cycle.

[uc pseudonym]

I'll be reading a lot of graphic novels over the next month, as my interterm class focuses on them. To avoid spamming this thread, I'll update my reading every few days.

Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud

Decent theoretical look at the medium, though I don't agree with all his points (particularly masking and iconic characters as a substitute for the reader).

Maus by Art Spiegelman

Again. I am reading this yet again. It's an excellent work, but a third time is too much.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Here is a classic work of graphic literature that I haven't read. Between that and a decent topic, I suspect I will enjoy it once I have time to sit down and finish it.

[GhostontheNet]

Having just finished reading Burton on Burton, I must say it is a distinct pleasure to read Burton comment upon his own films. I can't wait to see what he has in store for us in Alice in Wonderland.

[Technomancer]

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Here is a classic work of graphic literature that I haven't read. Between that and a decent topic, I suspect I will enjoy it once I have time to sit down and finish it.

Interestingly, I just watched the animated film of this last night (it was extremely good), but haven't read the comic.

Currently, I'm reading Peter Tyson's The Eight Continent: Life, Death and Discovery in the Lost World of Madagascar

[animewarrior]

Right now I'm reading:

The Shack - by William Young

Now now I know a LOT of people have controversy around this book but I think everything should be taken with a grain of salt... those who wish to dicuss this further can PM me or use SPOILER tags below.

I Kissed Dating Goodbye - by Joshua Harris

~not an usual read for me because I usually dislike non-fiction but I've had a lot of recommendations... it's good so far.

Sword Song - by Rosemary Sutcliff

-A fantasy but it's dragging.. now that's an oxymoron but I read a ton but this book is taking me like 4 weeks to read... not even due to length but a lack of interest..it's just not what I was expecting.. >_< hopefully it gets better soon

[ich1990]

The Shack by William P. Young

After hearing all the hype about this book and having talked with people with greatly varying opinions on “The Shackâ€

[GhostontheNet]

I'm working on finishing up How To Read Literature Like A Professor by Thomas C. Foster.

[the_wolfs_howl]

I finished Lord of the Flies yesterday. Is it creepy that my favourite part was where Simon was "talking" to the lord of the flies?

*shudder* That part seriously freaked me out, though there was that sense of satisfaction that I experience every time I suddenly realize why a particular title was chosen for the book I'm reading.

I finished Musicophilia, which proved extremely interesting all the way through. The only disappointment was that I was kind of expecting some kind of afterword that would sort of draw all the chapters together into some kind of point. But I guess the point was sort of already made throughout the book. It just kind of had the feeling that it ended rather suddenly.

And now I'm reading Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, one of my favorite authors. As ever, her writing is stimulating and inspiring. It makes me want to make tons of unique observations like her. I'm going to try, at least.

[Song_of_Storms]

[SIZE="1"]Since I'm such a Vampire freak, a friend gave me a copy of Twilight. (which she is obsessed) Without ruffling the feathers of so many Twilight fans, which seem to be a majority of everyone, I have one question:

Why?

You'd think by the enormous hype surrounding the series it would be a tad interesting. I've read fan-fictions about Vampires that were more compelling.
This being said, I will now curl up in a corner and accept the bashing. [/SIZE]

[Shao Feng-Li]

The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum.

[Htom Sirveaux]

Continuing (or continuinuinuing?) my Discworld streak, Terry Pratchett's Soul Music.

Also, Mark Z. Danielewski's [color="Purple"]O[/color]nly Rev[color="Green"]o[/color]luti[color="Blue"]o[/color]ns. Love this one. Classic MZD style, with a uniquely written, multilayered story and nifty little "tricks" played with the text itself.
Now if only he'd have The Thousand Year Sword mass-produced. I mean, Stateside, in English.

[uc pseudonym]

DMZ: Volumes 1-6 by Brian Wood

Decent new comic. I don't like most of the characters, nor the decisions they make, but I enjoy the political situations. It's also an interesting form of near futurism.

Animal Man: 1-26 by Grant Morrison

I felt that the early parts were somewhat scattered (human superheroes, a fairly stereotypical arc, the appearance of a cartoon character, etc) but I kept reading for the interesting ideas about continuity. Fortunately, the series continued strongly in that direction, culminating in a conversation between the main character and the author. Interesting writing, interesting art dichotomies, overall interesting reading. I'm not sure I would classify it as great literature, as even the ending has some uneven spots, but it is a great work of graphic arc.

Love and Rockets by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez

It took me a long time to realize I didn't like this series. I kept trying to read it as an intense multi-layered narrative, and kept being disappointed. When some of the shorter stories ended I felt almost betrayed - they just ended, without really saying anything or going anywhere of real value.

[Corkyspaniel]

[color="DeepSkyBlue"] I'm reading "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer and "Thr3e" by Ted Dekker, the latter of those for the second time. I really love Ted Dekker. I've read Showdown, Skin, Thr3e, House, and I've begun reading Saint. (I need to finish it. D:}[/color]

[GhostontheNet]

Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Finished Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Wonderful writing and description, but that's no surprise coming from Annie Dillard.

Now I'm reading Garth Nix's Lady Friday, the fifth book of his Keys to the Kingdom series.

[uc pseudonym]

The New Adventures of Hitler by Grant Morrison

It presents Hitler as a young man, living with a relative and trying to find himself. A fun, brief series filled with black and subtle humor. One of the more obvious bits is Adolf Hitler's brother, who is obsessed with being the lead salesperson in Europe, with a "team of crack salespeople overtaking Poland," who criticizes Adolf for lacking ambition. It isn't all as direct as that, but if you don't find that funny this series isn't for you.

Hitler's Cocaine

I was sure an indie comic with a title like this would be a dark, experimental work. It was a comedy about hippies. Reading this was not only not funny and not thoughtful, it was generally a waste of my life.

Anyway, lest anyone think all my graphic novels course is about Hitler...

Bad World by Warren Ellis

An odd but straightforward series, not actually a narrative at all. The author presents many people who have bizarre views of reality (such as those who claim to be aliens, believe the government has a mind control device, etc) mostly without comment, though he goes on to weave these into an overall message: we live among people who have fundamentally skewed views of reality.

Along with the text are illustrations of how these people think reality is. It wouldn't have had to be a graphic novel, though thanks to this fact I now have a bunch of ridiculous pictures of Jesus with guns.

The Authority by Brian Hitch and Warren Ellis

An answer to the question, "Why don't superheroes just take out third world dictators?" These characters have no code against killing and essentially turn Earth into a totalitarian state. The series could have been about all the consequences of this (which is does cover) but it also exists in an exotic multiverse with plenty of strange characters and worlds. I find it to be brilliant at points and mindless comic book violence at others. Sexual content and high violence content, for those who are concerned.

[Shao Feng-Li]

Just finished Thr3e by Ted Dekker. Now back to The Bourne Supremacy

[Technomancer]

Dedicated Digital Processors: Methods in Hardware/Software Co-design by F. Mayer Lindenberg

This is really a pretty good book on the subject and very readable. I've already come across some very useful information (mostly on TI vs. SHARC DSPs).

Also, Stalin's Secret War: Soviet Counter Intelligence Against the Nazis 1941-1945 by Robert Stephan

[ich1990]

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris

Virtually all of my life, my closest friends have been older then me. In college for instance, I usually become good friends with my professors, but not my fellow classmates. Why? Because most people my age are not ready to take any part of life seriously, sometimes comically so. I still remember the first time that I tried to engage a fellow student in conversation about Aestheticism, it was not encouraging.

With this background, I was excited to hear about a book, for teens, labeled “Do Hard Thingsâ€