Chaos Reading discussion
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What are you reading right now?
Rida wrote: "Lesley wrote: "Well read 4 books in the last 3 days on vacation and so just started Afterwards: A Novel"FOUR BOOKS IN THREE DAYS?! O.O"
Isn't that a normal vacation? If you can't finish a book a day, you're not relaxing enough!
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Am about to start Palm Island: Through a Long Lens, since it is particularly relevant to my new job and home.
Also started reading a bit of Possible Side Effects, since Augusten Burroughs always cheers me up.
Just started The Monkey Wrench Gang and I'm quite liking it so far. I understand it's going to be made into film at one point and, for once, I think I'll be interested to see how it's approached.
Finally got to the end of The Fellowship of the Ring and I found it half-enjoyable and half-hard work. (For any Tolkein aficionados, I understand that as the progenitor of epic high-fantasy it certainly has a place as a classic, but as for the writing I can't say it impresses - not that it isn't well crafted, lyrical English prose, but it is just far too wordy. A little less description and a lot fewer songs and poems, coupled with a bit more characterisation and plot driven narrative and this would, I think, have been a truly great book.)
Now I need something light, easy and fun, so I'm going to have a quick re-read of Reaper Man before going on to The Kite Runner which, if it's anything like A Thousand Splendid Suns, won't be at all fun, though it hopefully will be another great read.
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Finished B.P.R.D.: 1947 -- (Meh). Finished re-reading A Game of Thrones -- (Beautiful, but flawed).
Finished The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck -- (Magnificent!).
Started and finished Cinderella: Fables are Forever -- (Also meh, but it ties in to an event in the latest volume of the fantastic main series).
Started and finished Children of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, Islam -- (Meh).
Started and finished Fables, Vol. 17: Inherit the Wind -- (Wonderful!).
Started & still reading His Majesty's Dragon -- (Great so far).
Started & still reading The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction -- (Disappointing so far).
Started & still reading I Am Not A Serial Killer -- (Graphic!).
Elise wrote: "Finally got to the end of The Fellowship of the Ring and I found it half-enjoyable and half-hard work. (For any Tolkein aficionados, I understand that as the progenitor of epic high-fantasy it c..."
My friend had the same complaint about Guy Gavriel Kay and Lovecraft that you had about Tolkien -- too wordy. For my part, I loves me the purple prose.
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Finished re-reading A Game of Thrones -- (Beautiful, but flawed).
Finished The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck -- (Magnificent!).
Started and finished Cinderella..."
Wow. You've been doing some serious reading!
I, on the other hand, have struggled to read much of anything over the last few days. I've been so incredibly busy and stressed with the interstate move, I haven't been able to focus my mind on anything else.
I eventually managed to finish: Lord of the Flies on the weekend - really bad timing given my current location and state of mind! I haven't had time to write the review yet. I picked up Possible Side Effects but couldn't get into it. I really feel like reading 2666, but the book's too enormous to take on the light plane with me next week. Hmmm.... decisions...
Ruby wrote: "Ian wrote: "Finished B.P.R.D.: 1947 -- (Meh). Finished re-reading A Game of Thrones -- (Beautiful, but flawed).
Finished The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck -- (Magnificent!).
Started and finishe..."
Ha ha! You go, girl! I say follow your heart.
And my list is far less impressive when you realize that most of those are graphic novels. ;)
Ian wrote: "My friend had the same complaint about Guy Gavriel Kay and Lovecraft that you had about Tolkien -- too wordy. For my part, I loves me the purple prose."Kay's spent far too many years editing Tolkien :-)
Though actually I love both Tolkien and Kay. I started The Last Light of the Sun last week, because I didn't recall reading it. I read the front and back covers and flaps, still didn't recognize it. Then I read the first sentence, which if I recall correctly, was "There was a horse missing." And it all came back to me!
I'm reading This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike. and Annabel
I'm about to start Apex Hides the Hurt since I just received a copy in the mail. I have high hopes since I've really liked Colson Whitehead's work in the past.
Also, in a fit of epic procrastination, I decided to go through my entire TBR list to see if anything jumped out at me. I found Satantango and I am totally ordering that MF right now.
I am new here and currently reading Fire and Rain, The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY and the lost story of 1970 and Avogadro Corp, the later being a Sci Fi about a runaway A.I.
Finished I Am Not A Serial Killer (Amazing debut novel) and started Dawn Land (based on the work of Joseph Bruchac).
Karen wrote: "I am new here and currently reading Fire and Rain, The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY and the lost story of 1970 and Avogadro Corp, the later being a Sci Fi about a runaway A.I."You are one busy reader. Many of us click right above comment box add book to put in the link. That way if someone thinks your material is interesting they can hit the link. Welcome! And fun reading!!!
Lesley wrote: "Karen wrote: "I am new here and currently reading Fire and Rain, The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY and the lost story of 1970 and Avogadro Corp, the later being a Sci Fi about a ..."
Lesley wrote: "You are one busy reader..."Not so much, I think. That was only two books:
Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970 and Avogadro Corp
Roshni wrote: "Started The Devil and Miss Prym"That was probably the most interesting Paulo Coelho book I read.
I'm reading Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur.It's good so far but it's not the greatest of memoirs I've read before.
I'm finishing up Sense and Sensibility. This is my first time reading it, and while it won't replace my favorite Austen (Persuasion), it has been a lot of fun to read. I especially like the edition I'm reading, the 1949 Great Illustrated Classics version, which includes "illustrations reproducing drawings for early editions and photographs of historical scenes together with...anecdotal captions by Basil Davenport." It just happened to be the edition my library had.
Just started "The Breif History of the Dead."
I just finished The Time Traveler's Wife and enjoyed it more than I expected to. I'll have to gather my thoughts and write a review in a bit.edit: Review! http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I'm reading The Godfather, (and no, I haven't seen the film). Usually I have trouble caring about big crime sagas (Scarface, for example), so we'll see how I go. I'm still chipping away at Walden & Civil Disobedience, but it's VERY dry.
I just finished Dog Boy: A Novel as an ebook. An abandoned boy lives with a pack of dogs and fends for his life. Anyone who loves dogs would love this book. It really takes you into the dog's world in a very dramatic way. It's grim, though, as the reality of child poverty and homelessness (in Moscow) is rendered unflinchingly. As a change of pace and format, I picked up Polar Star as a paperback and am enjoying being reacquainted with Arkady from Gorky Park.
Derek wrote: "Lesley wrote: "You are one busy reader..."Not so much, I think. That was only two books:
Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970 and Avog..."
Oh I see that now it was really long title that thee me off! Anyway happy reading!
Zanesh wrote: "As a change of pace and format, I picked up Polar Star as a paperback and am enjoying being reacquainted with Arkady from Gorky Park. "I love those - there's far more than just the two books.
I just finished The Scar. Here's my little review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... I wish I didn't finish it during my lunch break. Now I don't want to go back to work, I just want to sit quietly in a corner and think about it all, until smoke comes out of my ears! What an incredible book.
Anyway, as soon as I pull myself together I'm jumping intoFingersmith, my book for the eevile challenge ^^
Been on a real fantasy/sci-fi humour kick over the last few days - I've read Reaper Man, Witches Abroad and Small Gods and listened to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Primary Phase, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Secondary Phase and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Tertiary Phase. Now moved on to The Kite Runner - a lot less humour, but so far so good.
Ian wrote: "Finished I Am Not A Serial Killer (Amazing debut novel) and started Dawn Land (based on the work of Joseph Bruchac)."I really liked that book by Dan Wells. I stumbled upon it in the library and the title caught my attention. I didn't know it is now a trilogy, so I'm going to get #2!
Frozenwaffle wrote: "I just finished The Scar. Here's my little review http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... I wish I didn't finish it during my lunch break. Now I don't want to go back to work, I just want..."
I felt like that right after I reading The Giver. In a utopian future almost all choice and difference is taken away.
Frozenwaffle wrote: "Anyway, as soon as I pull myself together I'm jumping intoFingersmith, my book for the eevile challenge ^^"I've been meaning to read Fingersmith for so long. Please let us know what you think!
Elise wrote: "Been on a real fantasy/sci-fi humour kick over the last few days - I've read Reaper Man, Witches Abroad and Small Gods and listened to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Primary Phase, The H..."
I love Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams so much.
I just started The Crying of Lot 49 on my commute this morning. Too soon to tell.
I just finished
and am currently reading
and
- I have been TRYING very hard to stick with Life of Pi, but I have found most of the 60+ pages so far hard to keep my interest.
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How is "This is how"? I tried to start Possible Side Effects the other night, but it was a bit.... meh. That could've just been my mood though! I did love Dry and A Wolf at the Table.
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I wish I didn't finish it during my lunch break. Now I don't want to go back to work, I just want..."
SO glad you loved that as much as I did. And I agree - I don't want to live in a world without Bastard John. Perhaps that's why I'm putting off moving onto Iron Council...
How cool is an ill tempered dolphin character, right? I actually looked up for Bastard John references, I think this may be it: "John Bastard (c. 1787 – 11 January 1835) was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812, rising to the rank of post-captain. He also entered politics and became a Member of Parliament."Ruby wrote: "Perhaps that's why I'm putting off moving onto Iron Council... "
I know, I'm thinking reading the Bas-Lag ones first may have ruined (or at least diminished) my appetite for his other books. Like a GR friend commented yesterday, I'm afraid from now on it will be "ok, this is cool, but its not Bas-Lag. take me back!" =/
So, I think I'll save the Iron Council for later. instead I'll try Un Lun Dun next since I already have it :D
Ruby wrote: "Gina wrote: "I'm reading This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike. and Annabel"How i..."
Yeah I couldn't get into Possible Side Effects, either but loved Dry. This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More. For Young and Old Alike. I gave 3 stars. It is full of good advice but not very humorous in my opinion, which is what I love about Augusten.
Finished The Kite Runner - almost as good as A Thousand Splendid Suns, though not quite; a few too many coincidences. Also listened to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Quandary Phase today.Now on The Book Thief - different to what I expected, but another really good read.
I think the next one has to be The Two Towers since I finished The Fellowship of the Ring last weekend.
Elise wrote: "Finished The Kite Runner - almost as good as A Thousand Splendid Suns, though not quite; a few too many coincidences. Also listened to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Quandary Phase today...."
I absolutely loved The Book Thief!
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Theo wrote: "Elise wrote: "Finished The Kite Runner - almost as good as A Thousand Splendid Suns, though not quite; a few too many coincidences. Also listened to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Quandary ..."I'm loving it too. Nearly finished, though, which is a shame, I don't want it to finish.
Chaos Reading
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Elizabeth Gilbert (other topics)
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Cool, I've been wondering about whether to TBR that book for ages, but had the same expectations as you, but now I think I will.