Personally, I just finished James Ellroy's LA Confidential and I'm halfway through Stephen King's Dreamcatcher. I've got the three-volume collection of Lord of the Rings on my shelf waiting, and I've also waiting to begin Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho.
So ...
What is everyone else reading?
Posted by USS Vanguard (Member # 130) on :
Just finished Clockwork Orange by Burgess, and Do Androids Dream Electric Sheep by Dick. Currently reading The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thorton Wilder.
Was LA Confidential good? I loved the movie.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
"American Psycho" is horrid.
Last thing I finished was "The Stroy Of B," by Daniel Quinn. Before that was "Borderliners," by Peter H�eg.
Up next...either "The History Of Danish Dreams" or "Tales Of The Night," both also by H�eg or a reread of "One Last Time" by John Edward.
Posted by MIB (Member # 426) on :
I am currently reading 'All the Trouble in the World' by P.J. O'Rourke. After I finish that, I'm planning on reading 'Holodays in Hell' and 'Give War a Chance' both also by P.J. O'Rourke.
Posted by Jeff Kardde (Member # 411) on :
LA Confidential is great! It's enough like the movie that you've got a vague idea what's going on, but it's different enough that the mystery (who is doing what when where and how) is different enough from the movie version to make it still interesting and compelling.
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
I'm currently reading Moral Philosophy: A Reader edited by Louis Pojman, The Elements of Moral Philosophy by James Rachels, and The Right Thing to Do edited by James Rachels. I'm also reading a book on international relations and politics. Gotta love summer school!
I plan on going into the Tolkien experience soon. A friend and I are going to rip through The Lord of the Rings prior to the release of the first movie. I'm going to hit The Hobbits and The Simarillion pretty soon as well.
Other than that, I'm reading the TV Guide.
Posted by Mr. Christopher (Member # 71) on :
After about 2 years, I finally finished LotR. Most of that was spent on Return of the King. Slow book to start off with...
After that I read the TNG S31 novel Rogue. I finished that a couple of nights ago and now I'm reading the DS9 relaunch, Avatar.
I don't usually read much outside of Trek, but I read the Batman: No Man's Land novel, and The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Dear God, it's my 5th most hated thread topic of all time.
I am not reading anything. I am far too busy being lazy to read.
Posted by Daniel (Member # 453) on :
I just finished reading Deepsix and Abandon in Place, both...interesting science fiction books. Not bad at all. I AM required to read three of the following this summer though:
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
All of which seem to be extremely depressing. You've got to love AP English.
Posted by USS Vanguard (Member # 130) on :
Summer reading eh? Well nothing's worse than getting through Crime and Punishment. That book's a monster. Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
Ok, just finished Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horowitz.
Waterloo: Sharpe's Final Adventure Campaign by Bernard Cornwell
Now reading:
Major Washington by Michael Kilian
Gone for Soldiers : A Novel of the Mexican War by Jeff M. Shaara
And as opposed to Liam...I love this stuff. So na na na na.
[ June 13, 2001: Message edited by: Jay the Obscure ]
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Guns, Germs, & Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond.
Technically I've got bookmarks in The Complete Tales & Poems of Edgar Allan Poe and a collection of horror stories my friend loaned me, along with about umpteen other books in a pile. But those bookmarks have been in there for a long time.
Mostly, however, I'm reading this delightful little story, not finished, by an author near to my heart.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Just finished reading Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space while on holiday. Have to get back to reading the Eddings' Redemption of Althalus at some point. Must finish Bridget Jones' Diary or my girlfriend will never forgive me.
Posted by The_Evil_Lord (Member # 256) on :
I know why the caged bird sings is a nice, touching book that deals with one of the larger social issues... it's also partially autobiographic... I'd recommend it to you, but you're already *supposed* to read it anyway Posted by MaGiC (Member # 59) on :
Just bought the HGTTG 'trilogy' for my holiday. Never got around to reading them before.
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
Just finished Morrow's "The Eternal Footman"
In the middle of "Field Guide to Demons and other Malevolent Spiritual Creatures."
Yes, really.
Posted by Daniel (Member # 453) on :
Hitchhiker's Guide? Is that what you're talking about? That is such a great series!! I personally love Marvin, the robot.
Posted by Nimrod (Member # 205) on :
HGTTG? Don't try and smother a sneeze, just let it come, sweetie.
I'm about to read "1984", and I'll try and hit off as many "Honor Harrington"'s as I can during the summer. I'm at 1 out of 9 presently.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Well, I'm trying to finish up Dickens' Barnaby Rudge which has been taking me forever. I just finished re-reading the HGttG "trilogy" (well, it was the first time I'd read SO Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, but second time on the other four). I'm also re-reading Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe, but that's a physics book, so I doubt most of you are interested... :-)
Posted by PopMaze (Member # 302) on :
Currently reading Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels, then going through all of Jeff Shaara's novels: Gods and Generals, The Last Full Measure, and Gone for Soldiers. I'll probably also get Rise to Rebellion from Jeff Shaara too. Can't wait for the movie for Gods and Generals to be made and released.
Posted by Jubilee McGann (Member # 99) on :
I'm currently reading Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women.
Posted by Nimrod (Member # 205) on :
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
I have just finished reading Slaughterhouse Five.
I am currently reading this thread.
I plan to read the New Frontier books in the near future.
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Jubes, that reminds me of this book I saw at B&N , "Uppity Women Of Ancient Times." Looked good.
Posted by Jeff Kardde (Member # 411) on :
Interesting little tidbit about LA Confidential...
Anyone who has seen the film knows that Bud White has a "thing" about helping women in trouble. In the book, his investigation into a string of prositute rape/murders leads him to the Pierce Patchit "movie-star" prostitution rings.
One of the rape/murders Bud investigates is that of a 14-year old Kathy Janeway.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Wow. Uncanny. Mind you, it's been years since I read what is now generally called the Dudley Smith trilogy - which actually consists of four books, The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential and White Jazz. All excellent. Then there's the Lloyd Hopkins trilogy (Blood on the Moon, Because the Night and Suicide Hill), the first of which was made into a movie, Cop starring James Woods - again, all recommended. Recently he's turned to the 60s and Kennedy, Cuba, the mob, etc. - in American Tabloid and newly-released The Cold Six Thousand - definitely something I'll be looking to read soon as.
Posted by Nimrod (Member # 205) on :
Incredible, I went to my store to get the HH books and they only had TWO LEFT!!! And entirely wrong volumes, as well. Apparently they've gotten popular... And Robin Hobb was signing books, so it took two minutes just to get out of the goddamn place! Posted by Jeff Kardde (Member # 411) on :
HH? Horatio Hornblower? Good series.
Er -- Robin Hobb? As in the Farseer Trilogy? I love her work! Not quite so thrilled with the "Mad Ship" trilogy, but I love that it's in the same "world" as the Farseer was set -- !
Posted by USS Vanguard (Member # 130) on :
Yes, since those A&E miniseries, Horatio Hornblower has really had a boost in popularity.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
I would have to guess "HH" meant "Hitchhiker", given the previous conversation. And their sudden boost in popularity would be due to Douglas Adams' death just over a month ago.
Posted by USS Vanguard (Member # 130) on :
I dunno, Hitchhiker's been pretty popular for a while. Ihaven't really noticed any "boost" per se.
Posted by Nimrod (Member # 205) on :
I assume you guys are trying to break the current world record for subtle, subliminal sarcasm, because I just talked about Honor Harrington in my first message, old ladies.
The Douglas Adams books were just referred to as HHGTTG.
Of course, TSN is known to have slight problems with such things as "Page 2" and such (we don't need to get into that) , I shouldn't be so baffled. I am be swede and turnip so perhaps I need to say things twice before it sinks in and you raise an eyebrow, like my prime minister did to Dubuya a couple of days ago on the top meeting.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
The Skystone by Jack Whyte; Timequake by His Eminence the Right Honourable Kurt Vonnegut; and just possibly, maybe, if I have a death wish War and Peace by that Tolstoy fellow.
[ June 15, 2001: Message edited by: The_Tom ]
[ June 15, 2001: Message edited by: Sol System ]
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Resurrection being in vogue...
I am reading too many things, currently.
The Name of The Rose, by Umberto Eco. For my medieval philosophy class. "What do you know about it?" a neighbor asked. "It has Sean Connery in it," I said.
Walking on Glass, by Iain Banks.
Metamagical Themas, by Douglas R. Hofstadter.
Some essays, by people. This last one is important, because it too is for a class, one about writing essays. The problem is, rather than just read them, we're supposed to write them. Which is what I'm not doing at this moment. Which is why I'm thread-dredging.
Um, so, anybody else writing essays? Or planning to? Or have in the recent (or, heck, distant) past?
Music to listen to while not writing essays (essays which, you suspect, may be too personal to attack, but then you fear that writing in general is too personal, and despair for awhile): Future Bible Heroes.
Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :
I'm reading, for the first time, The Lord of the Rings. Just finished the Hobbit and am halfway through Fellowship. I've was given these books as a present about 20 years ago but I couldn't get through the Hobbit, since all I read at that time was hard SF. I liked the movie, so decided to have another go. Already, I'm surprised how much the events of Fellowship are telescoped in the movie. In the book there's, like, 20 years between Bilbo's disappearance and the start of Frodo's journey. In the movie, they seem like only a few hours apart. A good change, I think; speeds things up a lot.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
I just recently read Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. First book I've read since Dune Messiah over a year ago (whic I never finished, by the way...)
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Verdict: Prophecy bad, Mercerism surprisingly good.
Posted by Woodside Kid (Member # 699) on :
I'm on one of my periodic alternate history kicks, so I just finished Harry Harrison's Stars & Stripes In Peril. Next on the list is The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson. The premise of that one is that the Black Death wiped out all of Europe, not just one-third.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
Flare Forums......
Posted by Grokca (Member # 722) on :
I am currently reading 5 Ideas that changed the world, Barbara Ward Blood of the fold, Terry Goodkind 32 problems in world history, Edwin Fenton Just finished Donovan's brain, Curt Siodmak Andromeda Strain, Micheal Creighton Just starting Eagles brood, Jack Whyte Tom you should like this series of books, I have been reading it all out of order but they stand on their own well. I also read books on history, sciences all the time, but usually only as things I pick up and read for a while then stop and pick it up later. I guess I have a short attention span with some books but I ususlly finish novels but I am also usually reading 2 or 3 at a time. Kinda like switching channels on tv I guess.
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
I'm getting through
Capitalizing book titles correctly, volume Two
Posted by Grokca (Member # 722) on :
Sorry I didn't realize this was supposed to be a bibliography. It has been 17 years since I had to write one. I only learned about the M.L.A. a week ago.
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
I am currently reading;
How to Write a Mi��ion and The Prometheus Deception.
I have on my shelves to read; The Sigma Protocol, The Forever War, Gateway (read it years ago but forgot what happened), the last 3 books of the Acorna series, Mars, Moonrise, Pegasus in Space, the Foundation Trilogy set after Isaac Asimov's series, Blue Mars, the Uplift Series and 24+ other books that I can't be arsed to list.
Come the end of univsersity I shall be spending my free hours reading, reading and reading (with a bit of writing and sailing and moving house thrown in for good measure).
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
Well, I've just read most of the New Frontier books and i'm also reading Stalin: Breaker of Nations, which is quite good. I have also recently read Lord of the Rings as well as Redcoat by Richard Holmes and several of the Sharpe books.
Posted by akb1979 (Member # 557) on :
New Frontier books? Yeah, read them all (up to "Being Human" - any more out?) and the Section 31 books and first two DS9 relaunch books. Also read pretty much all the Star Wars and New Jedi Order books too.
Just wish that I could read books all day for a living - parents say it doesn't pay - what do you lot think?
Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
Doubt it...
Currently reading "A Canticle for Lebowitz"
Just finished the Babylon 5 Technomage triology (pretty good), the DS9 Millenium trilogy (an awful mess), and Frameshift by Robert Sawyer (surprisingly good for something I picked up from the shelf as an impulse)
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
Grocka: Actually, I never really developed a liking for Whyte's books after Skystone... Haven't picked up any of the sequels since I posted that message. IMHO, Whyte is just too damn dry to make reading fiction fun. Thirty-page explanations of Roman army formations and the like.
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry is presently half-finished buried under a heap of Western Civilization textbooks.
Posted by Grokca (Member # 722) on :
Tom perhaps it because of my strange taste in reading, I regularly read old history texts, and this is sorta what I like. Whyte seems to fit right into that. Oh and I didn't even notice the date on that post. I was wondering how a post got so big on me when I just checked the board yesterday. d'oh.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
DS9 Millenium trilogy (an awful mess)
Oh, come on, Millenium was COOL...
I'm reading "The Guns of the South" at the moment. Pretty well written thus far.
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
quote:Originally posted by akb1979: New Frontier books? Yeah, read them all (up to "Being Human" - any more out?) and the Section 31 books and first two DS9 relaunch books. Just wish that I could read books all day for a living - parents say it doesn't pay - what do you lot think?
Amazon doesn't have any more recent than 'Being Human'. I may have to order 7 and 8; my local bookshop only ever has the first few and 'Restoration'. Are the DS9 relaunch books any good?
As for your idea, well, you never know till you've tried Posted by MaGiC (Member # 59) on :
Have been reading almost nothing but Buffy books at the moment. I am taping the new series on Sky for a friend as she doesn't have Sky. I think she is repaying me in books. I am getting two a week from her at the moment. I have almost read every Buffy book written in the last couple of months. I have the new Anne Rice vampire chronicle (Blood and Gold) to attack next. I read Merrick a couple of weeks ago and would highly recommend it to any Anne Rice Fan. On the shelf is Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. Not that I like horror or vampires or anything 8-)
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
Currently, I'm rereading "Gorky Park" by MArtin Cruz Smith for the n zillionth time. I really, really, REALLY like the Arkady Renko books, although "Havana Bay" was a little iffy. I don;t really have any NEW books, though. Too poor.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
I'm currently re-reading Paul J McCauley's Confluence series, all in one go in the vain hope it might make sense this time.
This thread has at least reminded me I must pick up James Ellroy's latest to read on holiday. Thanks! 8)
Posted by Dat (Member # 302) on :
Brave New World from Aldous Huxley and I still have a stack of books on my shelves to choose from.
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
I'm currently reading a new book that's just been published by one of my old history professors. It's Empire and Revolution: The Americans in Mexico since the Civil War by John M. Hart. It's a pretty fascinating look at American industrial and financial influences in Mexico over the past century and a half.
I've also got a couple books around here from the O'Reilly series of web and Internet references. One is Javascript: The Definitive Guide; the other is VBScript in a Nutshell.
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
Huh. Well, I've mostly stuck with Trek books since this thread was created. I'm currently reading the TNG novel "A Hard Rain". In the queue:
"The Battle of Betazed" (TNG) "The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Vol. 2" (TOS) "S31: Shadow" (VGR) "Miracle Workers" (SCE)
Non Trek books in the queue:
"Mostly Harmless" (HHGttG) "Unfinished Tales" "The Hobbit" "The Silmarillion"
Plus various publications of Maxim, FHM, and Loaded. Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Brave New World from Aldous Huxley
ACK! NO PLOT!
Posted by Malnurtured Snayer (Member # 411) on :
Isn't that what we said about your play?
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
I'd say BNW has an unconventional plot, but one nonetheless. An odd book, that.
I'd also say Jeff's not-so-good-natured prodding of Omega is getting tiresome.
Posted by CaptainMike (Member # 709) on :
Just re-read "Red Sector" by Diane Carey.. great book. Before that was "Spock--Messiah!".. wierd book.. SCE "Miracle Workers" & "Have Tech, Will Travel;" ENT "Buy the Book;" Gateways "Doorways into Chaos" (yuck! editors shouldn't write!); "Demons of Air and Darkness" (love the DS9 relaunch); "Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonian Soong" [woo-hooooo! it all makes sense now]; "Shadows on the Sun" (my first time, making wonder how i ever liked MJF's writing, its a bit of a stinker..).. pending me getting a Waldenbooks gift certificate and actually buying another Trek book, I'll probably reread "Dreadnought!" or Section 31 "Cloak" next.
Non-trek, I've been reading "Fahrenheit 451;" "Hitler and Nazism" text; Fleming's "Thunderball;" "The German Navy in World War II" text; Satie's "Memoirs of an Amnesiac;" Bradbury's "I Sing the Body Electric" compilation; and the compilation "Mars, We Love You" My literary comics picks lately for (re)reading: The collected "Watchmen;" "Vext" by Giffen (Ambush Bug too!); the "Inferno" comic; Vertigo Verite's "Girl;" Marvel's "Generic Comic Book" one-shot
[ April 14, 2002, 21:39: Message edited by: CaptainMike ]
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
This is all well and good, but no one has volunteered to write my essay yet.
Posted by Vice-Admiral Michael T. Colorge (Member # 144) on :
I just finished reading Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. And still I'm wondering where my Swiss slice went...
Posted by Jernau Morat Gurgeh (Member # 318) on :
[ April 15, 2002, 00:18: Message edited by: Jernau Morat Gurgeh ]
Posted by Balaam Xumucane (Member # 419) on :
Anyone in here ever read any of the "Hammer's Slammers" series? Hovertanks and all that rot. My apprentice has just lent a couple to me. It seems interesting.
Just started "Stupid White Men".
[ April 15, 2002, 01:15: Message edited by: Balaam Xumucane ]
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
You have an apprentice? I want an apprentice.
Posted by Balaam Xumucane (Member # 419) on :
Be a master.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
Buy them from Wal-mart? They seem to have everything now...
Posted by MaGiC (Member # 59) on :
Sol, I can't believe you are good enough at anything to have an apprentice....
Posted by StarFire (Member # 748) on :
Just got finished with: - "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." by Stephen Chbosky. (for the 50th or so time)
Working on: - Book one of The Wheel of Time Series, "Eye of the World" by Robert Jordan. (good stuff, about 300pgs. into it.)
Still waiting in line (on my bookshelf):
TREK: - Star Trek: The Eugenics Wars: The Rise and Fall of Kahan Noonien Singh, Vol. I. - Star Trek TNG: The Genisis Wave Book II. - Star Trek DS9: Avatar Book II. - Star Trek S.C.E. Book I. - Star Trek StarFleet Year One.
NON-TREK: - "Speaker For the Dead" by Orson Scott Card. - "Shadow of the Hegmon" by Orson Scott Card. - "The Presence" by John Saul. - "Black Lightning" by John Saul. - "The Redemption of Althalus" by David and Leigh Eddings.
*whew* I think I'm set for a couple of years...espically with tackling the Wheel of Time books... *goes and reads*
Posted by Kosh (Member # 167) on :
quote: You have an apprentice? I want an apprentice.
Maybe you can get an intern!
Posted by OnToMars (Member # 621) on :
I just finished Starship Troopers. Now I'm reading Starship Troopers. Currently in the bathroom, on top of the toilet is Stranger In A Strange Land. When I get home, Fight Club is at the top of the list.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
You're trapped in some sort of crazy temporal loop, man.
And what's with all the player hating? Honestly, I do my thing, and all I get is grief.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
That seems kind of rough, having a Stranger from a Strange Land in the bathroom.....
I need to get to Barns & Noble.... The best place in town to buy books....
Been reading the Help Wanted ads a lot.....
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
Reading or purchased and on my 'to read' pile:
"The Moscow Option: An Alternative History of the Second World War" by David Downing (I love alternate history)
"Rising Sun Victorious: The Alternate History of how the Japanese Won the Pacific War" by Peter G. Tsouras (Did I say I love alternate history?)
"The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century" Harry Turtledove (Editor) & Martin H. Greenberg (Editor) (I REALLY love alternate history!)
, I shouldn't be so baffled.