Official Book Club

[Hunter]

Illiterates NOT welcome. :O


Seems like me and JP are the only reading kind in all of Sestren, but I am hoping there are more of you. So, what books do you all enjoy? Recommend? Currently Reading?

I will post some suggestions and recommendations when I get more time.

[YankeeH8er]

The Ghosts of Onyx mother fucker.

[Luminous]

The Ghosts of Onyx mother fucker.


Just finished it this morning. I am serious.

My next book will be Eragon that my wife was nice enough to get me.

I pretty much stick to the sci-fi/fantasy world when it comes to books.
This has actually been a year in which I have read a few books. usually I just watch movies.

I read this year:
-Star Wars Revenge of the Sith - you get so much more detail on the movie.
-Star Wars Dark Lord:The Rise of Darth Vader - takes place just after RotS, great read
-Star Wars Republic Commando: Triple Zero - awesome story about 2 squads of Commandos
-Star Wars: Shatterpoint - Mace Windu on an adventure during the Clone Wars
-Halo Ghosts of Onyx
-The Chronicles of Narnia:The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - they are very easy reading books made for children. Very short as well. Again the wife bought me the Chronicles set this year.

For me that is an amazing amount of reading in one year.

So what if 4 of them are Star Wars books....... :SM20

[YankeeH8er]

The 4 Halo books will be my reading for the year. I am all most done GoO. I hope they announce a new book soon. I am guessing there won't be a new book until Halo 3 comes out though.

[Hunter]

I'm a Big Sci-fi/Fantasy fan, so you'll note most of the books I read fall in that Genre. So, first, Books I have read.

The ColdFire Trilogy

The Coldfire Trilogy is a science fiction/fantasy trilogy written by Celia S. Friedman. It includes:
Black Sun Rising (1991)
When True Night Falls (1993)
Crown of Shadows (1995).

Setting
The books take place on the fictional planet of Erna, a planet where human fears and dark thoughts manifest themselves as "demons." A side effect is that higher technology typically fails to work because the more complex the instrument, the less likely observers are to have faith in it.
Two forces work to allay the threat of the demons, sorcerors who have learned to control their thoughts to thereby control the demons, and The Church, loosely patterned after Roman Catholicism, which leverages the collective faith of its followers to provide protection.

My View

Truly awesome series, with my favorite most bad-ass Anti-Hero of all time. As evidenced by my username AND Avatar. The Hunter, Gerald Tarrant rules. The Hero is pretty damn cool too. These books really need to be made into movies. They are not too heavy a read for most folks, but have plenty of depth.


The Wheel of Time

The Wheel of Time (abbreviated WoT or less commonly, tWoT) is a bestselling fantasy book series written by Robert Jordan. It is known for the extreme density of its plot, the intricate detail of its imaginary world, and complexity of relationships and interactions among characters. There are 11 books in the series so far. Books 8-11 have each reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and most of the books have been on the list at one time or another. The series has spawned several games, and even a soundtrack.
Prequel: New Spring
Book 1: The Eye of the World
Book 2: The Great Hunt
Book 3: The Dragon Reborn
Book 4: The Shadow Rising
Book 5: The Fires of Heaven
Book 6: Lord of Chaos

Book 7: A Crown of Swords
Book 8: The Path of Daggers
Book 9: Winter's Heart
Book 10: Crossroads of Twilight
Book 11: Knife of Dreams
Book 12: A Memory of Light
My Take

These are some of the best fantasy written. Well, for the most part. The series starts to drag in the later book, but 1-6 are pure gold, as well as the prequel. Book 7 is still very good. 8 is good, 9 is decent, and 10 is a snorefest. However, things pick back up in 11 and I have high hopes for 12 which is going to be the last in the series.There's also plans for two more sequels if Mr. Jordan doesn't die. Plenty of action, and a kind of magic that isn't as pussified as in most books. We're talking about bad-ass, ultra-powered, building-smashing magic. Very goof stuff. LONG read here, each book being usually closer to 1,000 pages than 500.

Halo Books

Halo: The Fall of Reach (2001)
Halo: The Flood (2003)
Halo: First Strike (2003)
Halo: Ghosts of Onyx (2006)
My Take
Come on. You guys have to at least read these. They put the games in a whole new light, creating a fantastic backstory. Very well written, and explain quite a bit thats missing from the games, you truly come to appreciate just how bad-ass MC is. A must read for any Halo fan. A light read, though there are four books now.


A Song of Ice and Fire
A Song of Ice and Fire (commonly abbreviated as ASoIaF) is a series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R.R. Martin. According to the author, the series will consist of seven novels.
Four of these novels have been completed and published:
A Game of Thrones (1996)
A Clash of Kings (1998)
A Storm of Swords (2000)
A Feast for Crows (2005)
The books are known for complex characters, sudden and often violent plot twists, and intricate political intrigue. In a genre where magic usually takes center stage, this series has a reputation for its limited and subtle use of magic, employing it as an ambiguous and often sinister background force.[1] Finally, the novels do not (presently) center around a climactic clash between "Good" and "Evil;" plotlines have centered primarily around political infighting and civil war, with only one or two even suggesting the possibility of an external threat.
My Take
Good books. A lot graphic stuff here. Lots of sex in detail, which sometimes makes me feel like I am reading some kind of novella or some shit. So that's kind of a turn off. But the character development is awesome. Magic is very downplayed here, with it being more based off of historical england than anything else. I preffer the Wheel of Time books, but most people will tell you these are better. Depends on what you're looking for. If your opinion of more Mature requires tons of graphic violence and sex, then this series is for you. I am about halfway through the fourth book right now. VERY LONG read. Each book is usually around 1,000 pages and there will be at least 7 books.


Ender/Bean Series

The Ender's Game Series (or simply Ender Series) is a series of science fiction books by Orson Scott Card, started with the short story "Ender's Game", which was later expanded into the novel Ender's Game. It currently consists of eight novels and one short story collection (a ninth novel is in the works). The first two novels in the series, Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, each won both the Hugo and the Nebula awards, and the two books were among the most influential science fiction novels of the 1980s.
Ender's Game | Speaker for the Dead | Xenocide | Children of the Mind

Starting with Ender's Shadow, four more novels have been released which tell the story of the people whom Ender left behind — this has been dubbed the Shadow series (also known as the "Bean Quartet"). Ender's Shadow is a parallel novel to Ender's Game, telling many of the same events from the perspective of Bean, a mostly peripheral character in Ender's Game, while Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets and Shadow of the Giant tell the story of the struggle of world dominance after the Bugger War, in which the Battle School children, as well as Ender's brother, Peter Wiggin, are involved.
Ender's Shadow | Shadow of the Hegemon | Shadow Puppets | Shadow of the Giant

My Take
These are actually two series set in one universe. Each following two character, Ender and Bean, respectively. I personally think Ender's Game the best of the series, followed by Ender's Shadow, both being the same story told from two different perspectives. The sequels to each are pretty good, but get to philosophical for my tastes. Individually they are light reads, but there eight so far and more to come. Good stuff nonetheless, and everyone should at the very least read Ender's game.



I have tons more, but I'll stop, here. Hope to see more stuff from you guys.

Oh, and cjg, I like the Eragon Series. Pretty good stuff. You can tell it's written by a kid, but it's not bad, and I very much enjoyed the second book. Can't wait to see the movie. I also read RotS. Awesome book, makes the movie look like crap. I wish I hadn't read it before seeing the movie, sucked all the fun out. :( And yeah, I am planning on going through the Narnia stuff soon.


Also, Ghosts of Onyx RAWKS!!!. But yeah, we won't see another for a while.

[Luminous]

Hunter I waited until after the movie before I read RotS. So for me it made the movie better after reading it.


I figured you knew already, but I have also read the other 3 Halo novels. Great stuff and I will read through them again.

[DarthArcturus]

sadly I wish I read more other than text books. I use to read a lot of star wars books (Zimmer series was wonderful) and stuff req. for school. Personal favorites from school are The Giver and The Great Gatspy. I've wanted to read more sci-fi stuff but never knew were to start I might check out some of hunters suggestions!

[Hunter]

What kind of stuff you like darth? I figure if you're looking at sci-fi, you should start with Halo, since it's familiar. The Ender stuff is good but I only consider enders game to be sci-fi. The rest is a bunch of poltitcs. wit. and philosophical rants and raves with good character devlopment of very interesting characters.

[shinjirod]

im reading eragon, narnia, and then some more oscar wilde. i always go back to wilde after reading some series n stuff. i want to read the wheel of time next year, and hopefully the last potter book to go along with the shitload of reading and writing ill have to do on communication theories for my thesis next semester.

[DarthArcturus]

I think i'll pass on the halo stuff. I want something thats not a tv show, movie, or video game. I can't say what I like in a novel because outside of school because my reading is pretty slim. I forgot about Wilde, which I read in senior year of high school. Great witty stuff :D

[shinjirod]

hes my favorite author of all time. I really REALLY want to do the importance of being earnest sometime in my life. Thats the perfect play. wilde and Moliere rule at comedic plays.

[Hunter]

Yeah. I usually avoid stuff with ties to other media, but the halo books really chabged my mind on that. They are very good sci-fi.

Shinji, if you are gonna start the wheel of time, get ready for a long haul with some serious ups and downs. I love the series but I'd only recommend if you're the guy who cam follow through on something that is already pretty massive and still has a ways to go.

[shinjirod]

i think i can handle them. at least ill give them a try. i like fantasy, and if its not my kind of thing, i can always stop early on. they sound like something i will enjoy tho. hopefully i will. :)

[Hunter]

Well then I look forward to having long discussion with you about the nature of balefire. gholamsand the one power, why mat is so awesome, what color dress elayne will wear tomorrow. Oh wait, strike the last one. :p

[jp]

Balefire. :drooling:


Coolest concept ever.


Balefire duel at the end of the "Fires of Heaven". :drooling:

The end of "The Dragon Reborn". :drooling:


Despite all the bullshit you have to go through to get to the end of Jordan's books, the ending is almost always worth it.

[shinjirod]

lol sure. ill start buying and reading with the new year. :)

[Hunter]

The fights between rand and baalzamon are epic. Rhavin too. But for some reason, the battle at Dumais Wells is my favorite in all the books. It would be amazing to see that done in a movie. Or the battle at rhuidean. Crap, I'm gonna stop before I spoil the whole damn series.

[DarthArcturus]

ah I knew a kid in high school who was always reading those. Now I know what its all about

[Luminous]

Darth being the Star Wars fan that you are I would definitely read Revenge of the Sith and Dark Lord:The Rise of Darth Vader. I know they are SW books, but both are great. At least read Dark Lord.


I agree with Hunter, the Halo novels are great sci-fi.

[DarthArcturus]

Hunter or anyone else have you read Eon? I went on various sites just to see what people consider some of the best sci fi books and this one caught my eye.

[Hunter]

Never heard of it. I'm more of a fantasy than sci-fi guy. But I've heard the Hyperion series is the best in existence, still haven't read em though, but I will. However, I'm probably going to go through all of the Dune books first.

[shinjirod]

im now moving my contacts to try and get all wheels of time books for free. muahahaha.

[Hunter]

lol, that's one way to go. :p

[shinjirod]

meeeeh fuck that! while i could get them for free in the spanish version, the fuckers who nagged the rights split each book in two, the book sequence is fucked up, and the prices shall i miss one or something are of over 30 bucks each half book!

fuck that, im ordering the sets on amazon for 15 bucks. i prefer them in english anyways.

[jp]

Lately short stories have been my brain food. I love the works of H.P. Lovecraft, no one can write horror like him.

I picked up some Ursula LeGuin and Jorge Borges at the recommendation of my literature professor, though I haven't started into any of their work yet.


Other than that, I enjoy the classic short stories by the likes of Faulkner, O'Connor, Vonnegut, Whitman, Fitzgerald, and... a lot more.


For some good quick license based writings I would highly recommend the Alien books, especially the ones written by Steve and/or Stephanie Perry. Steve Perry, of course, being responsible for the Star Wars classic "Shadow of the Empire". I believe he also wrote the Alien vs. Predator novels but I could be mistaken on that.

[Hunter]

Yeah. I am also thinking of getting into some of leguinns earthsea novels. I've heard good things about them but I have the same problem I have with dune. I have seen the miniseries, so now I know the major plot points and ending. That makes it hard for me to motivate myself to read em. Evebt though I know they are going to be good.

I've also been thinking of looking into lovecraft but I don't understand what he does. I am a fan of scifi fantasy, not horror, but tons of scifi fantasy fans recommend him, so I am torn.

[jp]

Lovecraft is kinda on the fence with horror/scifi.


Basically, in almost all of Lovecraft's works, the protagonist is a scientist of some sort (if not an actual scientist, at least a highly educated individual). So, these individuals often come across the unknown (whether it be beings from another planet or "The Ancient Ones" aka evil gods like Cthulhu who wish to destroy humanity), investigate, and then are like "Holy shit, I cannot believe I survived that." But almost all of Lovecraft's works read like transcript's written by scientists. So... its VERY intelligent reading.

A lot of Lovecraft's works can be considered science fiction (i.e. "Colour Out of Space" and "The Whisperer in the Darkness") whereas a lot of his works are true horror ("The Shadow Over Innsmouth", "Pickman's Model", "The Rats in the Walls", "The Picture in the House", and my personal all time favorite, "The Dunwich Horror"). And even then a lot of his works are flat out surreal (anything with "Dream" in the title or involving Charles Dexter Ward) and sometimes the truly fantastical ("The Shadow Out of Time" blew my fucking mind. I guess its closer to science fiction, but oh my God that story was so amazing).


If you want to get a really nice cheap look at some of his best works (ranging from his early horrific short stories all the way up to some of his best science fiction) you should check out "The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre", don't let the title fool you, there's some splendid sci-fi in there (mind you, its early 20th century science fiction).

If you want to dive in and get almost all of his best works, then look no further than the Library of America's collection titled "H.P. Lovecraft: Tales". Very nice book. $30 though.

[jp]

Oh, shinji:


Fair warning. The second book in the "Wheel of Time" series is fucking painful to read. The ending is AMAZING. But thats like, the last 50-100 pages out of a 700 page or so book. For the most part, that book is painful. But hang in there, because it gets better after that.

Granted, whichever book had Rand roaming the desert wit the Aiel was pretty painful too. But not as bad as the freaking "Grean Hunt". Oh my God. :disgust:


Just giving you a heads up shinji, because if two of my best friends hadn't gotten me into the series and insisted I continue reading, I probably would've quit at the second book.

[shinjirod]

cool. i shall be perseverant!

and i support you. lovecraft is the shit. It reads a lot like fantasy, specially the cthulu books. I also enjoyed reading the necronomicron with his notes. :)

[Hunter]

Personaly I loved every minute of the Great Hunt and the Shadow Rising. There's a ton of cool extra mythos exposed in those books that add so much to the world and make it just that much cooler.

I guess I'll be looking into lovecraft after dune, which probably won't come until after Lawhead. So much to read, so little time.

[jp]

The thing about the Great Hunt that killed it for me was:

"We have the item, we lost the item, we found the item, we have the item, we lost the item, we chase the item, we have the item, we lost the item, we have the item, we lost the item, we chase the item, we have the item, OH MY GOD BOMB ASS SUPER DUPER ENDING OF GREAT GO RAND GO!!!!!!!!!!"

Granted, the development of all the characters in those books is truly astounding. If you think back on what Rand was like in book 1 and consider who he is now... its truly amazing. Same thing goes for Mat and Perrin.

I hate the Aes Sedai politics parts. And I hate it when they go through "The Ways". Oh my God I hate reading that shit.


So I read "The Shunned House" by H.P. Lovecraft last night. Very good stuff. One of the best haunted house stories I have ever read (some would argue its a vampire story, it could go either way really). I got started on Lovecraft's "He" this morning, but I didn't have time to finish it before work.

If you guys want to read some truly hilarious classic literature I highly recommend Herman Melville's "Bartleby the Scriviner". It is hilarious. And very deep. A VERY good read.

[Hunter]

I love the ways. I've always wanted to see Machin Shin duke it out with Mashadar, but alas that will never happen. :(

It seemed like it almost might happen that one time Machin Shin almost came out of the Waygate in Shadar Logoth.

[DarthArcturus]

well I went to the bookstore today and looked for Ender games and no luck. They had other Orson Scott Card books and I found one that sounded interesting called Treason. Can't wait to start reading (pretty short)

[DarthArcturus]

so far story is really interesting. The place is really depressing atm, and damn the main character has it rough so far. I can't wait to see where this story goes.

[shinjirod]

im reading watchmen.

[Hunter]

so far story is really interesting. The place is really depressing atm, and damn the main character has it rough so far. I can't wait to see where this story goes.


lol. That sounds like Card alright. :p

[YankeeH8er]

Hey Hunter I bought Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow yesterday. Katie loved those books and so I will read them after I finish off the Harry Potter books.

[Hunter]

Nice, but don't expect great Sci-fi. I mean, they are GREAT books, but I'd say Card sucks at Sci-fi. His story's are character driven, and his characters are awesome. Especially Ender, though he has a really peculiar view of the future.

[YankeeH8er]

It is good that I don't like sci-fi then. I loved Advent Rising so I figured I would check out some of his other stuff.

[Hunter]

Yeah, Advent Rising was awesome.

[Katie]

I'm currently reading Laurel K Hamilton's Anita Blake series, which is about vampires, were-animals, and other preternatural goodness. And her Merry Gentry series, which is supposed to be about a Faerie princess (lol) having to fight for her life, but there's more sex in it than anything. But it's NOT a romance novel. Those make me gag. ;)

I also want to reread the Harry Potter series, and reread Stardust, Coraline, and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman..

[Hunter]

I hear Neil Gaiman is some good reading, never gotten around to his stuff though. Katie, you into high fantasy?

[Katie]

I don't really have any particular preference. I've read and enjoyed all kinds of books.. non-fiction, fantasy, children's, suspense, and, uhhh.. what do they call normal books? lol Just no romance or westerns. Bleh!


If you decide to try Gaiman out sometime, check out Neverwhere. That seems to be his most popular book. It was made into a British mini-series a while back, and is currently being released as a comic. American Gods was also really good. He's got a unique writing style that took a little getting use to for me, but it was a nice change.

[YankeeH8er]

Has anyone read Watership Down? That is my favorite book of all time, well it is tied with 1984.

[Bruhaha69]

How did the movie compare to the book (Watership Down)?

I don't enjoy reading very much but I thought the movie was pretty good. If it's your favorite book, I'm guessing you probably hated the movie.

[Hunter]

I've never read 1984 oddly enough. Farenheit was awesome.

[YankeeH8er]

How did the movie compare to the book (Watership Down)?

I don't enjoy reading very much but I thought the movie was pretty good. If it's your favorite book, I'm guessing you probably hated the movie.

I own the movie and I enjoy it. It is dark like the book, but the book is darker. They also cut a lot for the movie. When I was a kid TNT would show that movie every year for around Thanksgiving and I never could figure out why.

[Bruhaha69]

I've never read 1984 oddly enough. Farenheit was awesome.

Farenheit 451? That's actually one of the few books I've read and I actually thought it was great. It's not often that I read a book and actually want to keep going on it for long periods of time.



How did the movie compare to the book (Watership Down)?

I don't enjoy reading very much but I thought the movie was pretty good. If it's your favorite book, I'm guessing you probably hated the movie.

I own the movie and I enjoy it. It is dark like the book, but the book is darker. They also cut a lot for the movie. When I was a kid TNT would show that movie every year for around Thanksgiving and I never could figure out why.

Yeah, definitely not a feel-good movie. Not for kids, either.

My dad actually took my sister to see that when it was released. They were thinking it was a kid's movie. Apparently, a lot of people thought that. There were refunds aplenty at the theatre that day. It was a cartoon, so I guess I can understand.

My hi-jacking of the book club is over now.

[DarthArcturus]

I couldn't finish reading Treason by Card. I got tired of the ridiculous amount of gore he used for no point. It felt like a 12 year old was writing making it sound cool with all the gore.

[Hunter]

Really? That's odd. Never seen him use any gore in any of the ender series. Well, a little maybe.

[Katie]

The only books I've read by Card are Enger's Game and then Ender's Shadow and the rest of the Bean series... they really weren't gorey, so it's surprising that he used so much in another book. :(

[DarthArcturus]

well the story goes that the main character is a "rad" a radical regenerative - one who grows unwanted body parts. He is a heir to the leader of his nation, but once they find out he is a rad he is sent on a mission possibility a suicidal one. About half way though the book he regenerates an entire new him out of his body. Then he has to kill it and goes into great detail about breaking his skull with brains pouring out. The bad thing about it was I really liked it until it got like that. very interesting story :(

[Hunter]

there is a little gore later on in the ender series when some aliens kill some people but it is necessary There is also a little at the end of the bean series.
, but nothing major.

[daumal]

My recommendations:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Scar-China-Mieville/dp/0330392905/ref=pd_bbs_1/026-2335772-8568439?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175174812&sr=8-1
- The Scar by China Miéville

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jonathan-Strange-Norrell-Susanna-Clarke/dp/0747579881/ref=sr_1_1/026-2335772-8568439?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175174870&sr=1-1
- Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susannah Clarke

http://www.amazon.co.uk/American-Gods-Neil-Gaiman/dp/0755322819/ref=sr_1_1/026-2335772-8568439?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175174904&sr=1-1
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASH-Secret-History-Mary-Gentle/dp/1857987446/ref=sr_1_1/026-2335772-8568439?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175174955&sr=1-1
- Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle (Everything else by her is pretty much shit though)

I haven't read any really good new books in a while, although Susannah Clarke and China Miéville both released decent books of short stories. At the moment I'm more on the classics - Turgenev and Jorge Luis Borges. Speaking of which...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Labyrinths-Selected-Stories-Writings-Classics/dp/0141184841/ref=sr_1_1/026-2335772-8568439?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175175034&sr=1-1
- Labyrinth: Selected short stories by Jorge Luis Borges. I simply can't tell you how much I recommend this, even to the extent of saying that if you only read one book for the rest of your life then as far as I'm concerned this should be it. It's short stories but someone once wrote of Borges that he would take what somebody else would write as a novel and cram it into five or six pages. Sounds weird, but it's sheer genius. As far as I'm concerned he's the best writer I've ever read anything by. Highly, highly recommended.

[Hunter]

Im getting the narnia series today, never read it, but always wanted to. I know they are kids books, but even so. :p

[YankeeH8er]

I read Ender's game and Ender's Shadow and they were both amazing. Since then I have read Neverwhere, I think it might be my new favorite book, and I am now reading American Gods.

[Hunter]

Cool, glad you liked the ender stuff. Ive been meaning to read some of Gaiman's stuff, but the descriptions never appeal to me.

[Katie]

I'm running out of recommendations for Tony. :(


I'm rereading Stardust right now since I recently saw a movie trailer for it and that perked up my interest, as well as finishing up a book called Microserfs.

Gaiman is an great author. His prose is a bit different than others, so it took me a little getting used to, but I love the stories he tells. I've read most of his books and can't wait for him to put out something new.

His children's book 'Coraline' was also really good, and last I heard, it's also being made into a movie.

[daumal]

If you like Gaiman, you'll probably like Susannah Clarke. As far as I can tell they're good friends, and he loved Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.

[Hunter]

For those of you interested, Robert Jordan also wrote several Conan books. Six I think, all of which I've read, they were great. You can usually find them in compilations. I've never read any of the original Conan novels, though I intend to.

Stupid Dune hasn't arrived yet and I'm really itching to read it. I will be starting Narnia today at least. :)

[shinjirod]

just ordered the first 6 wheel of time books. theyll arrive to the hotel where im staying in 3 days. w000000t.

[shinjirod]

i now have the first 6 in my possession. i shall start tonight the wheel of time!

[Hunter]

Wow nice man! let me know what you think! I just re-read 1&2

[bahn]

My girl reads TONS of books, some sci-fi, some romance and some action... but overall, she reads a LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (she's registered on here in case you're wondering). I've asked her to jump on here and chat with ya when she has the time or is feeling up to it.

[YankeeH8er]

I have been reading through all of Gainman's books. I just finished American Gods and I am now reading Stardust. American Gods was good but not as good as Neverwhere. I also just read the neverwhere graphic novel, but I did not like it at all.

[ssbomberman]

I been reading a lot of comics lately -- I can highly recommend the Walking Dead (best damn zombie story ever) and Y the Last Man. Also read a ton of manga -- favorites right now -- genshiken, bleach, old boy, and To Terra.
As far as books, I've been catching up on classics, most recent "new" book I am reading is the latest Murakami short stories collection. Also recently read Brief History of the Dead, which was disappointing...

[Hunter]

Hey shinji. so have you started readin WoT yet?

I am almost done with the Narnia series.

[jp]

I been reading a lot of comics lately -- I can highly recommend the Walking Dead (best damn zombie story ever) and Y the Last Man. Also read a ton of manga -- favorites right now -- genshiken, bleach, old boy, and To Terra.
As far as books, I've been catching up on classics, most recent "new" book I am reading is the latest Murakami short stories collection. Also recently read Brief History of the Dead, which was disappointing...

If you haven't read "World War Z" then I highly recommend it. It isn't a comic, but its a damn good book.

[shinjirod]

yup, just started, but made almost no progress sadly, coz ive had to read too many stuff for my thesis, but after next week i should have more reading time.

[Hunter]

Sweet! Let us know what you think when you get the chance!

[Katie]

I started Wicked, by Gregory Maguire this week. He writes stories, twisting around famous old stories so that the bad character is actually good. I saw the musical a year or two ago, and it instantly became my alltime favorite, surpassing Phantom and Les Mis, which I didn't really think was possible. So now I'm reading the book.. I can tell already that I'll like it.

[YankeeH8er]

Let me know how it is maybe I will read it in anticipation of going to the show with you.

[daumal]

I have been reading through all of Gainman's books. I just finished American Gods and I am now reading Stardust. American Gods was good but not as good as Neverwhere. I also just read the neverwhere graphic novel, but I did not like it at all.

I thought American Gods was far superior to Neverwhere. Neverwhere is an adaptation of a TV programme and I think it shows - never actually gets deep enough into what's happening for my liking.

Check out the TV show if you can find it. It was on the BBC in the '90s and seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth since then. I found a DVD on a market stall a long time ago and have never seen it since.

[YankeeH8er]

I will check out the TV show, I think that Katie has it.

[sapphire]

I read quite a bit-nora roberts, nora roberts as j.d. robb, lisa gardner, julie garwood, dean koontz, tami hoag,Karin slaughter, andrew coburn, scott turow, joshua spanogle, Linda howard, catherine coulter, Michael Crichton . Have been reading alot of F.B.I.-military-type books, mostly killer suspense type ones though.:) I know theres more, I tend to read alot of random suspense authors.

[Hunter]

I just started Stephen Kings Dark Tower series. It's ok so far, not sure Ill continue it.

[jp]

I just started Stephen Kings Dark Tower series. It's ok so far, not sure Ill continue it.


If you can make it past the first two books it gets really awesome after that. Though I did enjoy the first book...

[Hunter]

Hmm, I'll try. The first book is very meh so far. I can get two more obooks for free, so Ill use it up on those. Hopefully you're right and it's worth it.

[jp]

The third book is really cool. And the end of the third book/beginning of the fourth book is one of the main things that stands out to me about the series.

[Hunter]

I'll take your word for, and if that fails me, I'll take your money. :O

[Wildcat]

Ah, books. Since I work at a bookstore, I ought to be reading something...

I've been bouncing around 3 books as of late. Wicked by Macguire (quite interesting...excellent characterization too), Voyage of the Manteno by John Haslett (this guy came to the store to promote his book and it's quite interesting. He sailed the Pacific ocean on a balsa raft. O_O ) and Voyage of the Moon & Sun by Cyrano de Bergerac (although I'm still swimming in the introduction of who he was). I like them all so far. I'm about off work, so I'll post more next time.

[Hunter]

So I finished The Gunslinger. I really don't want to start book 2. That whole book felt like nothing but filler. :|

[jp]

So I finished The Gunslinger. I really don't want to start book 2. That whole book felt like nothing but filler. :|


And book 2 is the worst of the series IMO. :p


Just like Book 2 in the Wheel of Time series. :o


Actually, now that I think about it Two Towers was my least favorite in the LOTR books as well...

Hmmm...

[Hunter]

You suck lol. Book 2 of WoT was awesome, as was the Two Towers. Maybe I will like book 2 of Dark Tower after all . . .

[Hunter]

Well I decided to re-read the Dragon Reborn instead. Ill continue with the Dark Tower a bit later.

[Celebrant]

So I'm a little LTTP here, but it seems like you guys are into scifi/fantasy; has anyone recommended George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series?

I don't want to hype it too much, but for me it beats out the Wheel of Time series. He has written 4 books of what he says is a 7 book arc, and he's dragging his feet with book 5, so it might be a bit risky to get into the series now. Just to warn you.

[Hunter]

If you read the first page you'll see I am into it. Im very much anticipating the next book. That said, IMO, he is nowhere near as good as Jordan. WoT is much better IMO.

I mean, he's really dragging his feet just like jordan. It will probably end up 10 books. Aside from that, some stuff seem like blatant rip-offs of jordans stuff. The wolves and the wolf dream?

And it's really annoying how he kills off characters after spending so much time on telling us their stories and developing. It wouldn't be bad for one or two chars, but at this point I really don't give a shit about any side characters anymore, since it seems like he's just gonna kill them all anyways. Arya is starting to piss me off as well as John Snow. Right now, the only character I have any real interest in is Bran. There's tons more stuff about the series I dislike. But in the end, the good very much outweighs the bad. So for now, i am happy with the series. :)

[Hunter]

Making my way through Dune, I know the story already, but the book is still quite enjoyable.

I also read the first two books of Babylon 5. Good stuff, I recommend if you're into the show and looking for more stuff to tide you over until the next DVD release.

[Hunter]

I finished up Dune and am re-reading the Shadow Rising. I am also reading the Third Babylon 5 book, Blood Oath. On top of that, I just picked up dune Messiah. YAY!! That will be next.

[Wildcat]

Reading Watership Down...interesting so far.

[sapphire]

I am Reading --Exile--by Richard north Patterson..736 pages, and about halfway through pretty good so far.

[DarthArcturus]

I'm reading Weather Analysis by Dusan Djuric it sucks :lol:

[Wildcat]

sapphire - He has a new book due on next week. ^_^

[sapphire]

oooo..I must get :)..Thank you, although I have to many other books to read already, I think I'll pick it up. I'm impressed with this book so far. (Exile)

[daumal]

Getting away from high fantasy for a bit...

Darkmans by Nicola Barker (http://www.amazon.com/Darkmans-Nicola-Barker/dp/0061575216/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/102-6030779-4396142?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192966108&sr=8-2)


Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, Darkmans is an exhilarating, extraordinary examination of the ways in which history can play jokes on us all... If History is just a sick joke which keeps on repeating itself, then who exactly might be telling it, and why? Could it be John Scogin, Edward IV's infamous court jester, whose favorite pastime was to burn people alive - for a laugh? Or could it be Andrew Boarde, Henry VIII's physician, who kindly wrote John Scogin's biography? Or could it be a tiny Kurd called Gaffar whose days are blighted by an unspeakable terror of - uh - salad? Or a beautiful, bulimic harpy with ridiculously weak bones? Or a man who guards Beckley Woods with a Samurai sword and a pregnant terrier?

Darkmans is a very modern book, set in Ashford [a ridiculously modern town], about two very old-fashioned subjects: love and jealousy. It's also a book about invasion, obsession, displacement and possession, about comedy, art, prescription drugs and chiropody. And the main character? The past, which creeps up on the present and whispers something quite dark - quite unspeakable - into its ear.

The third of Nicola Barker's narratives of the Thames Gateway, Darkmans is an epic novel of startling originality.

Fantastic novel. Long, but so well-written that it flies by.

[Hunter]

You're into high fantasy? Got any recommendations?

[daumal]

China Miéville - The Scar is his best in my opinion, but others prefer Perdido Street Station. The third set in the same world - Iron Council - is excellent if you can get past the really awful first half of the book.

M. John Harrison's worth a look too; a fantasy-writing veteran who never seems to get as much praise as he deserves.

I'm willing to send anyone who wants it my own copy of the Scar, such is my conviction that it needs to be read by anyone with even a passing interest in fantasy. ;)

[Hunter]

Hmmm, let me look into it, and I may get back to you. ;)

[Newport420]

Thanks to Hunter I have taken up reading books again. He was kind enough to loan me the Halo books and I am already half through the first book. Really digging it too as learning more about Halo's fiction is something I definitely welcome.

[Newport420]

Well I finished up the first Halo novel Fall of Reach on the plane trip out here to Minnesota. First off totally awesome book and I am just pissed I left the second at home and now I have to wait a couple weeks for more.

Thanks again to Hunter for setting me up with those and renewing my love for reading.

Also gotta give myself daps on the back as this is the first book I have read to completion in so long I can't even figure it honestly. I mean I read all the time but for pleasure I tend to just game etc.

So I can't wait to get on to the second as I am chomping at the bit.

[Luminous]

Well I finished up the first Halo novel Fall of Reach on the plane trip out here to Minnesota. First off totally awesome book and I am just pissed I left the second at home and now I have to wait a couple weeks for more.

Thanks again to Hunter for setting me up with those and renewing my love for reading.

Also gotta give myself daps on the back as this is the first book I have read to completion in so long I can't even figure it honestly. I mean I read all the time but for pleasure I tend to just game etc.

So I can't wait to get on to the second as I am chomping at the bit.

You have 4 more to read!!!!

The Flood
First Strike
Ghost of Onyx
Contact Harvest

I haven't started Contact Harvest yet....

[Newport420]

I know and the fact that I have three more at home in Cali while I sit here in the hotel in frigid MN has be slapping my forehead homer simpson style.

D'OH! Why did I not bring the next one? WHY?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(

[Hunter]

WTF? Contact Harvest?! *RUNS TO AMAZON*

[jp]

You guys know there is a prequel book out for Mass Effect that follows Saren and talks about how he got his ship?

I need to read that.

[DarthArcturus]

You guys know there is a prequel book out for Mass Effect that follows Saren and talks about how he got his ship?

I need to read that.

WHAT!? :o I had no idea there was a book. Hmmm I should check it out too.

[jp]

WHAT!? :o I had no idea there was a book. Hmmm I should check it out too.


Yup, it was written by the same guy that wrote for the game too. :nod:

[Newport420]

Well perhaps I will move on to that after all the Halo books..... just four more to go!!!!!

[Hunter]

I actually just bought the Mass Effect book, I saw it as I was buying the Halo one.

[squall_vb]

I finished Stupid White Men by Michael Moore last night. A full review will come, just as soon as I finish stuff I've been putting off for the site. To give myself some balance, I'll read The Political Zoo by Michael Savage this weekend.

Twice the Michaels, twice the hot wind, twice the fun...

I bought them both at the same time at the book store last week. The cashier appeared to be a college student. As she was scanning them, she looked at me as if I was confused. Ah, the joys of being politically independent. :D

[Hunter]

Started the Mass Effect Novel. Enjoying it so far. Also still on Shadow Rising, this read through is taking me a while. It's gotta be my fourth of fifth time reading it.

[Hunter]

Still reading the ME novel. I suck :(. Also finally started Dune Messiah.

[DarthArcturus]

taking fiction course right now. First novel we read was The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym by Egar Allen Poe. Hated it and could not finish it. Now reading My Antonia by Willa Cather and I'm enjoying this much more. Beautifully written setting and characters

[Newport420]

Well I am now half way through the Ghosts of Onyx. Fucking great shit man though I am a bit pissed at what Kurt did to the Spartan IIIs.

[Luminous]

I am over halfway through Contact Harvest, another good Halo novel so far. :)

[Hunter]

I finished Mass Effect. Never finished Dune Messiah. Went back to rereading WoT instead. I'm currently about a third of the way through the fires of heaven. I keep meaning to start Contact Harvest as well, but to be completely honest, I really don't give a shit about Johnson.

[Newport420]

While I would rather read about Spartans I think the Johnson stuff could be really good too... plus its still the Halo universe so......

Also Hunter did you know there is a Crimson Skies book out there too?

[Hunter]

Nope, but Crimson Skies never interested me much.

[jp]

How was the Mass Effect book?


I never did get around to reading it. :frown:

[Luminous]

I finished Mass Effect. Never finished Dune Messiah. Went back to rereading WoT instead. I'm currently about a third of the way through the fires of heaven. I keep meaning to start Contact Harvest as well, but to be completely honest, I really don't give a shit about Johnson.



How you hurt me. Sgt. Avery Johnson is the man. Forget that he was modeled after Sgt. Apone in Aliens. He kicks ass. Not as much as the Spartans of course, but still.....

:SM36

[jp]

How you hurt me. Sgt. Avery Johnson is the man. Forget that he was modeled after Sgt. Apone in Aliens. He kicks ass. Not as much as the Spartans of course, but still.....

:SM36


And then he goes and gets pwned by Guilty Spark of all things. :frown:

[Luminous]

And then he goes and gets pwned by Guilty Spark of all things. :frown:


Yeah I know, it sort of reminded me of how Mace Windu went out in Revenge of the Sith. Only that was ten times as weak. :frown::frown::frown:

[Hunter]

How was the Mass Effect book?


I never did get around to reading it. :frown:


It was pretty good. Gives you a bit of backstory on johnson and captain anderson.

[Wildcat]

I just finished Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Awesome book, I loved all of it. Not very happy, but very moving and powerful.

[Hunter]

Having trouble reading of late. Started Contact Harvest, but couldn't get into it.

[Newport420]

I need to finish Ghosts of Onyx. I was at the part where it war really starting to take off and..... life got hectic and I have not set aside the time to read. This weekend I will make sure to pick it back up again.

[Hunter]

For not having the MC in it, Ghost of Onyx is a VERY good book.

[Newport420]

It is a great book... one that I am near finishing. There is so much good stuff in here.. .stuff beyond the games. Its mind boggling to Halo Whores like myself. :chief:

[Hunter]

I gotta start reading Contact Harvest, I just can't bring myself to. I really don't give a rats ass about Johnson.

[jp]

I'm reading "Coincidence, Chaos, and All That Math Jazz" right now. Damn good read, for math nerds and non-math nerds alike. :nod:

[Wildcat]

I'm reading and EXTREMELY enjoying Lies My Teacher Told Me. An excellent book about all the things high school history textbooks fail to educate us on. It's changing my viewpoint on a lot of things.

[Hunter]

For the first time in a long time, im reading, nothing . . .

[jp]

I'm finishing up Ron Paul's "Revolution: A Manifesto".

Brilliant read. Its like a straight injection of common sense. Too bad everyone else is fucking retarded...


After that, I recently ordered the timeless masterpiece "Don Quixote", so I'll be reading through that again for old time's sake.

[Hunter]

Just finished up the Sword of Shannara. Very derivative, but enjoyable.

Im reading Brisingr now. Took me a while to get back into it, and I still dont remember a lot of crap from previous books.

[Jdeath13]

You guys should give Shoggoth's Old Peculiar a read sometime. It is Neil Gaiman's comedic take on the town of Innsmouth from the Lovecraft stories. If you know the mythology it is hilarious.

Speaking of Gaiman, his A Study In Emerald (playing off the Sherlock Holmes story A Study In Scarlet) combines the world of Sherlock Holmes and Lovecraft in pretty awesome ways. Especially if you like reading Holmes and know both worlds decently.

Picking up Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors collection of short stories is worth it for Shoggoth's Old Peculiar and Murder Mysteries alone.

If you are interested in the subject, Hostage To The Devil by Malachi Martin is a very interesting read as well.

[Hunter]

The new wheel of time book finally came out. Did anyone pick it up? JP? I'm almost done with it, and I've definitely got a lot to say about it, a few things that have pissed me off, a few things that are pretty WTF, but overall, so far I must say it's a great read. You can definitely see the differences with the new author, but that was to be expected. Regardless, still a pretty amazing book so far. Will post full impressions once I finish.

[jp]

Unfortunately, I haven't even thought about WoT much since... Jesus, 4-5 years ago, so for me I'd have to start all the way at the beginning.

Maybe when I'm working on my doctorate and I have a better job I'll give the series another shot and read it to completion. :)

[Hunter]

Really? Where did you leave off then? Winters Heart?

[jp]

Ummm... I don't remember. After the fight between Rand and some dude where they were throwing bale fire around the books become a blur to me, mainly because the one with like, two sentences pertaining to Rand and a lot of Aes Sedai nonsense bored me to death.

[Hunter]

That may be the Shadow Rising, which is book 4, but who knows how far you got beyond that. Yeah, things really derail around book 8. Book 9 is decent, and book 10 is kind of a waste. But everything gets back on track in book 11. I loved books 5 and 6, and thought 7 was good too.

[jp]

That may be the Shadow Rising, which is book 4, but who knows how far you got beyond that. Yeah, things really derail around book 8. Book 9 is decent, and book 10 is kind of a waste. But everything gets back on track in book 11. I loved books 5 and 6, and thought 7 was good too.

I think book 8 or book 9 is where I stopped reading.

Also, are you including the prequel book in all that?

[Hunter]

Nah, the prequel is separate. So 1-7 are good IMO, with 7 being the weakest there. This is how I'd rate each out of ten. 1 being not fit to use as toilet paper, 5 being mediocre and 10 being Mind Blowingly Awesome.

P. 7
1. 10
2. 9
3. 9
4. 10
5. 10
6. 10
7. 8
8. 6
9. 7
10. 5
11. 7.5
12. Haven't finished it yet but I'm getting close, and so far I think will like be around an 8.5 or maybe a 9. We'll see how it ends.

[Hunter]

Been reading through the Dune series. Hard to follow, but definitely an awesome series.

Also, read Elantris and the Mistborn series, by Brandon Sanderson. The guy picked to finish the Wheel of Time Series. Really good books, although the end of Elantris was a bit lacking.

Anyone else been doing any reading?

[Hunter]

So I eventually burned out on Dune and decided to take a hiatus. I finished God Emperor of Dune and began Heretics of Dune when I figured I'd had enough for now. Not that it was bad, I loved all of it. Just too much of a good thing I guess. Four books straight in the same area was just a bit much, and the end of God Emperor actually made for a good break point. You could actually ready any of those four books, and leave off at any of them feeling pretty well satisfied. I'll definitely get back to Heretics and Chapterhouse some day. Maybe even check out some of Brian Herberts prequel/sequel stuff.

An odd note is today is the first time I ever made the connection between Fat Boy Slim's Weapon of Choice and Dune. There's a part of the song where he says, Walk without rythm and you won't attract the worm. Never thought about it before, but it just hit me today.

Aside from that, I decided to try out Earthsea. I've heard nothing but great praise for the books and pretty much anything LeGuins done. I started with a Wizard of Earthsea. It was somewhat dissapointing. It was good, but maybe I hyped myself up a bit too much. The annoying narrator didn't help much, he dramatized too much. I still intend to continue that series at some point though.

For now though, I've started the Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons. I've heard nothing but tons of praise. It seems deserving so far, I'm really enjoying it and plan to go through the series entirely, so i think I'll be sticking with this mostly.

Also finished some Forgotten Realms books, since I was always interest in Drizzt but never got the chance to read it. They're not as good as I remember, but still interesting. Read the three Dark Drow and Icewind Dale Trilogy books. Started on the Legacy series, but got burned out there. Not sure if I'm going back, but I likely will at some point.

Tried to start Dragonlance as well, I'm not sure yet if I'll continue yet. Started with the original books. I don't know, this D&D stuff seems a bit lacking now that I'm older. I loved it when I was younger, and wish I could have enjoyed it then. Now, I'm not sure it measures up to the stuff I've been exposed to since, but I'm going to give it a fair chance.

Finally, I've done some more LoveCraft reading. Call of Cluthlu, Color Out Of Space, and some other I can't recall at the moment.


Is anyone else doing any reading? Or am I alone in this?

[Wildcat]

Oh no, I've been reading. Although, I tend to not read fantasy/sci-fi all that much, but I'll happily ramble about what I have been reading.

In the last few days, I've read an ARC of Twain's Feast by Andrew Beahrs, which is an anthropological take on Twain's list of foods he wanted to eat when he returned home from Europe. Very good stuff. I finished Riding Invisible, a YA book by a local author I happen to be friends with, which was also good. I'm currently past halfway through the Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon now, and I'm digging it so far.

[jp]

I read all the time. Though virtually all of my reading is in math books now. :nosay:


But, the books I'm studying these days are:
Russel Gordon's "The Integrals of Henstock, Denjoy, Perron, and Lebesgue"
Charles Swartz "An Introduction to Gauge Integrals"
A.I. Markushevich's "Function Theory of Complex Variables Vol. I-III"
Paul Nahin "An Imaginary Tale: The History of sqrt(-1)"

And thats about it these days...

[Hunter]

I can never be certain if you read those for entertainment or not jp. :p

Wildcat, this isn't really a sci-fi/fantasy reading thread. Or even a fiction reading thread. It's kind of like the movie thread.If you've read anything you enjoy, post it. Maybe you'll pique someone elses interest. I'm not quite interested in the list of foods Twain wanted to eat, but you never know who might be.

[jp]

Those are for entertainment. :p


The math books I'm reading in school are:

"Matrix Theory and Applications in MATLAB" by D. J. Hartfiel
"Applied Partial Differential Equations" by David Logan

[Wildcat]

Cool, then, I was just observing a certain slant towards sci-fi/fantasy, that's all. I'll happily continue my contributions to this topic, then.

Still on Shadow of the Wind, contemplating what to read next...

[Hunter]

Well we are geeks. We'l tend to slant that way. ;)

[Wildcat]

Gah. I need to read. This last week has been hectic. I'm going to try to wrap up Shadow of the Wind tomorrow so I can move on to something else. Not quite sure what that'll be yet, though.

[Hunter]

Making my way through the Fall of Hyperion. I think I might swith to Hitchhiker's after this. Need the change of pace. Also, still slowly going through Dragons of Autumn Twilight.

[Wildcat]

Taking a break from Shadow of the Wind to read some non-fiction. Dabbled a bit with Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island, and am currently reading Sarah Vowell's Partly Cloudy Patriot. The first was fine so far, but I haven't dug into it as much as I did the other two books I've read of Bryson's (Shakespeare and The Mother Tongue). Vowell's book is mostly essays, and it's the kind of book where the writing is nice, and the topics are interesting, but I can't imagine reading any of them twice. I'll be handing off the book once I'm done. Nice I only paid a $1 for it. :p

[Hunter]

Someday I shall have to look into this "non-fiction" you speak of.

[Wildcat]

Finished Partly Cloudy Patriot - I liked it, as I said, but I don't have any desire to read it again. I also read Road through the Rainforest by David Hayoto for my cultural anthro class, which was a great read, too. I'm not 100% what I want to read now, though. XD

[Wildcat]

Started the Complete Essays of Ralph Ellison, and like what I've read so far. Need to get bak into it, though - I've got summer apathy BAD right now. XD

[Hunter]

Almost done with Endymion, I'll likely get through Rise of Endymion and then switch to the Hitchiker books. These have me slightly interested in reading some of John Keats poetry, but I still hate poetry too much to give it a try just yet.

[Hunter]

Wow, definitely been a while since anyone posted here. I've lost track of the books I've read. I'm currently going through the Elfstones of Shannara though as well as the latest wheel of time book, Towers of Midnight. Kind og crazy to think that by this time next year I will be finishing up the final books after SO many years. No more Wheel of Time :(

Anyways, good stuff for the most part.The new writer has screwed up a few things and continues to do so in the latest book. Mostly in regards to Mat's comedy, which, early in the book, he can't seem to get right. He gets better by the end though. There's just so much awesome in the rest of the book though, that you can easily overlook that stuff.

[Wildcat]

Since I'm posting more often, I'll begin yapping about books again (despite being laid off from my job...sigh)

I've been enjoying Mark Twain's Autobiography as of late. It's a mammoth book, but half of it is notes, so it's not as daunting as it seems. Twain's writing is great - he dictated most of it, and it shows, as it reads like you're chatting with the man. So far, so good!

[Hunter]

Yeah, he was definitely a very interesting fellow. Still can't see myself reading a biography, auto or otherwise.

I've read so much crap recently I can't keep track of it. Let's see, off the top of my head:

Recently Read
Foundation
Foundation and Empire
Mass Effect Ascension
The Elfstones of Shannara

Currently Reading
Watership Down
Second Foundation

[Wildcat]

What do you think of Watership Down? My wife and I adore that book.

[Hunter]

Yeah, I had heard so many people rave about it for so long I figured I'd have to read it. It's enjoyable thus far, but I've been too tired lately to read too much. Taking a break right, but I'm about 2/3 of the way through. I thnk I will enjoy it quite a bit overall, assuming the ending doesn't royally suck ass.

[Hunter]

Currently reading Ender in Exile and re-reading A Game of Thrones in anticipation of the new HBO series, and the release of the next book after a bajillion years.

Recently finished the original Foundation Trilogy, but am kind of stuck, because I want to go back and read the Robot series, but stupid Kindle doesn't have a lot of the short stories I need to get started. Grrr.

[Wildcat]

Fell off the reading wagon for a bit there, but I have finally reached the actual beginning of Mark Twain's Autobiography, so I hope it's as solid as the notes were.

[Hunter]

Finished Ender in Exile, and move onto the Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Liked a lot of his stuff, but some of his stuff is starting to be a bit too formulaic. Too many of the same main characters across his series. This one doesn't appear to be much of an exception. Still this is supposed to be his big epic series that he's wanted to make forever. So I'll work my way through.