What are you...reading?

[Jack_Ian]

I can generally give film-makers the benefit of the doubt, but some become completely ridiculous.
"Blown Away" for example, has absolutely awful Irish accents and the scene where they drink "Guinness" in the pub had the whole cinema laughing it was that bad. It looked more like flat Coke.

[pikachamp]

I was already a Terry Pratchett fan, and I wanted to check out Niel Gaiman, so I read Good Omens and loved it.

I'm now reading American Gods. It's pretty good so far,. but I'm wondering if I should be looking up the names of what I assume to be gods to see what they actually are, or just let the book tell me.

[jesternl]

It's more fun to try and figure it out, though some gods are pretty obscure.

I thought Good omens was one of the worst of his books, the rest is much better. I very much recommend Neverwhere

[Scurra]

A lot of the joy of Good Omens comes from the straight up parody of the Just William books though - if you haven't read them then it will seem pretty weird (I would imagine that most people in the UK will have done; those that read, anyway!) Have you, jesternl?

I would agree that Neverwhere is probably his best novel. (I mean, if you are excluding things like Sandman, of course.)

Anyway, I'm currently nearing the end of Snuff (Terry Pratchett) which is, well, as good as Pratchett always is* and yet slightly disappointing at the same time because he really has run out of scenarios now. Whilst the underlying subject matter is as interesting as ever (albeit a little bit of a riff on the Orc in Unseen Academicals), the Sam Vimes story is a bit too predictable. Sure, the big action sequence is tremendous, but only in a "wish this was a movie" sense...

*especially now he has got the hang of his new writing method (i.e. voice dictation.) Some years back I was worried that he was really losing it, given his condition, but it's clear that he is finding ways to overcome the problems that were impeding him.
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_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[jesternl]

Nope, never read Just William, maybe that was the piece I was missing.

[Jedo the Jedi]

I liked Good Omens for the Hitchhiker's Guide brand of humor. Though the angel saying "Fuck" was particularly brilliant.
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[greenhuman]

Right now I’m reading “Six Sense” book by Laurie Nadel. I like to read this book because this book is all about unlocking human mind.

[Gomez*]

I've currently got two books on the go. The first is The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie, and the second is Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein.

I'm only about 100 pages into each, but so far I'm enjoying Satanic Verses enormously. It really is breathtakingly well written, although I'm struggling to understand what was so "offensive" about it.

I'm less keen on Heinlein's book. I don't really dig the guy's writing style, a little stiff and robotic in places. Also, the idea of a "Fair Witness" seems a little daft. Why not just bring a video camera?

[3iff]

So, you don't 'grok' it?

[Scurra]

The Satanic Verses isn't remotely offensive unless you have such a shaky faith that anything that might suggest that some sacred texts were not divinely inspired would make you stop believing. Like (in Christian circles) Jerry Springer: The Opera, Monty Python's Life of Brian or The Last Temptation of Christ, which are routinely condemned by those who haven't actually bothered to read/see them.

It's even more odd in this specific case because the book isn't about the theology at all really, it's about multiculturalism and protecting identity; the elements involving Islam are mainly discussed in that context rather than in the religious context. (As I recall, anyway. it's been a while since I read it.) And naturally - as with the protests against Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy - the message that rigid, hierarchical systems are generally a bad idea was resented by those same rigid, hierarchical systems, but their protests and edicts merely served to reinforce the original message...
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_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[Jedo the Jedi]

Christian backlash over those types of books (e.g., Golden Compass, Da Vinci Code) just shows how shallow and insecure their faith is. Never mind that they usually miss the point.

Finished Anathem, and it was awesome! I did have a feeling of depression at it being over, but that's usually a desire to continue spending time with the characters. Don't get me started on how despondent I'm going to be when I finish the final WoT book.

Next up, Souls in the Great Machine by Sean McMullen. I don't know much about it. Hopefully I can breeze through it pretty quickly because I'm rather intent to get to A Game of Thrones.
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[jesternl]

I think i'll queue up The Satanic verses on Audible

[The Ragin' South Asian]

Satanic Verses offended me by being too long and up it's own ass.

On the subject of Stephenson, I'm reading Cryptonomicon. The past story line (spies! wartime!) seems much more interesting that the present day story line (businessmen! programmers!), but it seems like it might pick up.

[itisally]

Jedo,

I say just skip to A Game of Thrones. The whole series is awsome! I laughed I cried, I gasped. I am currently reading Dance of Dragons, but I am a very slow reader.

I am with you on the Wheel of Time. I ws just starting to like Rand again. They become friends. The nice thing about books it that I can go back and do it again with just the parts I liked.
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I could agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.

[Jedo the Jedi]

The McMullen book was fine. I wish it wasn't actually a trilogy, but I'll probably finish it to say I did.

Starting A Game of Thrones. I'm excited.
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[jesternl]

For those that read Stephenson, the Baroque Cycle is beyond awesome...

[Jedo the Jedi]

You people need to stop adding to my list. It's literally already some 20-30 books long, and those are just the ones I'm going to borrow. I have at least 80 books on my shelf which I bought over the past three years and haven't read. Not to mention grad school in the fall...


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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[Scurra]

You should only worry when your To Read list gets taller than you are when stood in a pile. Although it does sound as though yours might be past that already!

I am reading A Study in Sherlock, which is one of those nicely themed short story collections. It's quite hard to pastiche Conan Doyle without it coming out a bit too much like parody; some authors here have understood that and have gone for entirely different approaches (the cartoon one is pretty funny.)
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_{still Quiz Olympiad champion. Must get a life.
New definitions: COFFEE - someone who is coughed upon}

[The Ragin' South Asian]

I've never understood people with long "to read" lists. I mean, I understand how a list can balloon because hearing about an interesting book is a lot faster than reading one, but it seems like you're just as likely to end up not reading a book on a list over 100 deep than if you just hope you remember it next time you're looking for a book.

[Undercover Monk]

Started reading the Pendragon Books in highschool got through book 6 of 10. but didnt want to spend the money to buy them (cause Im poor not cause the series isnt worth it and Im already collecting like 4 tv shows on dvd)

Then earlier this week I found the last 4 books in the Public library. immidiately checked them out. finished the first one that night and am already halfway through the second. The writting is on a harry potter level but the story telling is fantastic. Start with Merchant of Death if you like it continue cause the books get better and better with each installment.
_________________
The Classic Blunders:
1. never get involved in a land war in Asia
2.Never go in against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line
3. Never release Peyton Manning

[Death Mage]

I just finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I can't wait to read through the last one.

I'm also curious as to what she's going to do now. She's made enough money to retire. Hell, she's made enough money to buy a country, or build Hogwarts for real. On the other hand, anything she writes next will be guaranteed to sell. And, given the quality of writing form these books, is a pretty good bet that it will be a damn good read.

I must admit, I am far more impressed with these books than I was expecting to be.

Now watch, it'll turn out Twilight is actually decent as well, and not just some horrible tween CRAP that makes me convinced that the devil *IS* real and you really CAN sell your soul to him for success.
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* These senseless ramblings brought to you by Insanity™. If you just can't figure the dang thing out, it must be Insanity™.
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[Deception]

If you can help yourself... don't read the last harry potter book.

Well, actually no. Read it.

Read it so that you can hate the series as much as me. Read it so that you can realize that J.K. Rowling gave up with the last book and that the series never had any direction (as in, zero). Read it so that you don't bring up the series in a good light in conversation with someone who read the last book and ruin their day.

It's the most disappointing 700 pages or so you'll ever read.

Sorry to be a downer, that's just my experience.

[Undercover Monk]

seriously I thought book 7 closed the series nicely. not perfectly but I dont hate it. but to each his own. I will never read twilight, but thats just because I dont like vampires in anything. Never thought they were that interesting werewolves are boring too
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The Classic Blunders:
1. never get involved in a land war in Asia
2.Never go in against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line
3. Never release Peyton Manning

[Jack_Ian]

I'm with you on the Twilight series, but I did like the Vampire Chronicles.

[jesternl]

I'm reading Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
A Swedish Vampire story...

[Jedo the Jedi]

Twilight is just bad writing regardless. I read the first one because people were claiming I was judging it without having read it. I can now confidently say her grasp of the English language is too poor to be writing "bestsellers."

The story is also less than compelling.
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[Death Mage]

I do hope everyone realizes I was joking about Twilight. You couldn't pay me to read it. I've seen enough of it to KNOW it is poorly written crap that I don't need to suffer through an entire book.

On a more on-topic note, I still haven't picked up the latest Richard Castle book either...hrm...
_________________
* These senseless ramblings brought to you by Insanity™. If you just can't figure the dang thing out, it must be Insanity™.
[YOUR AD HERE!]

[Jedo the Jedi]

I somehow missed your original post, DM...

Don't listen to Deception. It may be disappointing to you, but it's exactly the ending she was aiming at the whole time. I know because I figured out what she intended to do based on the clues she dropped in previous books.
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[Deception]

[Jedo the Jedi]

She claims it was based on Christianity in some sense, so that helps explain the "near perfect" ending.

Also, it's a children's book (for all intents and purposes) and it's a textbook (the whole time!) pitting of good vs. evil. How could you not expect Harry would defeat Voldemort and still live? What kind of ending did you want? A half-dozen well-loved, major characters were killed off!
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[Deception]

First off, I started reading the books when I was pretty young. I wasn't just going to not read the last books.

The derivation of the theme is irrelevant to me, especially something as typical as religion.

I'm not sure what I would have done to end the series, but I'm the guy who didn't come up with the ending to Source Code or Law Abiding Citizen.

But I'm ranting... I just prefer grand plots with amazing resolutions.

[Zag]

[Undercover Monk]

[Nsof]

For the many fans of 'A Song of Ice and Fire' and 'Wheel of Time', the following might make sense.
A couple of nights ago I was browsing reddit when I noticed there was an Ask Me Anything thread titled - "IAmA 74-time Jeopardy! champion, Ken Jennings. I will not be answering in the form of a question" with Ken Jennings. (As a side note, the guy is really funny. e.g. his username is WatsonsBitch. Worthwhile reading if you have the time).
While reading, I noticed someone posted the following

[Jedo the Jedi]

I'm just going to say that I don't know how I'm going to continue in this series. I just finished the part with Joffrey and Mycah and Arya and the wolf and all that, and I'm friggin' pissed!
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[Jedo the Jedi]

Yup. I definitely hate these books. They are utter garbage. Seriously, who kills off this many good characters so quickly?

Anyway, A Game of Thrones finished. My list of upcoming books:
Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson (a YA foray similar to Lemony Snickett)
Dresden Files: Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Neuromancer by William Gibson
The Ethics by Spinoza
Love Unknown by Ruth Burrows (Arhcbishop of Cantebury 2012 Lent reading)
The next ASOIAF book somewhere in there...
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Paragon Tally: 19 mafia, 3 SKs (1 twice), 1 cultist, numerous chat scum...and counting.

[Nsof]

The Release Date for A Memory of Light Has Been Set - January 8, 2013
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Will sell this place for beer

[Gomez*]

I'm reading The Sociopath Next Door by Dr. Martha Stout. It's a fascinating look at the psychology of sociopathy, and the ramifications of it's relatively widespread presence in society. Did you know that sociopathy (or "anti-social personality disorder", to use the clinical term) affects approximately 4% of the population? To put that in perspective, if you've got 400 friends on Facebook, approximately 16 of them have no conscience, no understanding how their actions affect others, and no ability to grasp why that might be a problem. Interestingly, if we focus exclusively on corporate CEO's, the proportion rises to 10%. Great book. Highly recommended.

[Jedo the Jedi]

[Chuck]

11/22/63 by Stephen King.

An unexplained time portal to September 9, 1958 at 11:58 AM. It always leads to the same time and place but you don't meet yourself on successive trips because any changes made to the past on previous trips are reset. With the Kennedy assassination being five years away, there's plenty to time to save him. 849 pages.