Re: What Are You Reading?

by **Blackrock** Thu Jul 22, 2010 3:05 am

I finished reading Simonov's trilogy dealing with USSR's part in World War 2 (or as they call it, The Great Patriotic War) and I have to say this is the only book that brought me to tears. A relatively unknown, but brilliant author, can't believe I hadn't heard of him before.

Now I'm moving on to some sci-fi, starting with Ender's Game from Orson Scott Card. I've heard a lot of good things about the book, so I'm quite hopeful about it.

by Guest Thu Jul 22, 2010 6:02 am

Ender's Game is a great book, read it a couple of months ago. So I hope you enjoy it too! Smile

by Lyonesse Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:11 pm

I'm currently on Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan, a pretty good novel about faeries in Elizabethan England. For comics I'm going back and rereading The Sandman by Neil Gaiman. I'm currently on volume 3

by Guest Mon Aug 02, 2010 7:04 pm

I just finished one of my favorite books of all time: Mistborn; The Hero of Ages, the third and final book in the Mistborn series.

If you haven't read the Mistborn series, I highly recommend you do so. It is a great blend of the cores of Final Fantasy VII and LOST. It really can't get any better than that.

by **Dax** Tue Aug 03, 2010 2:45 pm

I just finished a huge blitz of reading books. Two weeks of vacation does that to me. Smile

Anyway, I finished the two amazing, benchmark books from Ian Kershaw that talks about, in a neutral (well, about as unbiased when you talk about Hitler which can be hard at times, especially during the end of '44 and '45) way of Hitlers life. It is his biography, if you want. The books are Hitler: Hubris 1889-1936 and Hitler Nemesis 1936-1945. If you want to learn more than any Discovery Tv show or history text book can teach you about Hitler and his rise to power as well as his descent into pure madness this is what you have to read. Just be warned, both tomes average 800 pages and the writing can get hard on the eyes because of its size. But the content is well worth it.

Another amazing book is Guns, Germs and Steel from Jared Diamond that finds to explain the evolution of human societies through the ages. It is a rather easy read. He explains things in ways that anyone can understand and it is not a brick like the Hitlers. This one I recommend to anyone who is interested in human development.

Also, I just read The Pelican Brief from John Grisham. As you could guess, I loved it. I mean come one, who doesn't like a good political/action-thriller, right? Besides, John Girsham is an amazing writer.

FInally, there are two last books. The Father of us all by Victor davis Hansen and Napoleonic Wars by Charles Esdaille. The Father of us all is an ok book, although I wouldn't really recommend it. I found that, throughout the reading, the author on many many occaisons was blinded by his own patriotism which led to some annoyance. Although it did prove pretty interesting insight on the stunningly similarities between ancient Greek warfare and the present conflict in Afghanistan.

On the other hand, Napoleonic Wars is one of the hardest books to read I find. That is because the pure amount of information that is held in that book literally made me put the book down and take a walk. The beginning isn't so bad when he explains Napoleons early life... but it is when he starts explaining the historical and military context that really causes you to read everything with extreme attention because if you miss one thing, you get completely lost. All in all though, it is a good intellectual exercise!

I think that is all for me right now. Smile

by Guest Wed Aug 11, 2010 8:22 pm

Despite the lengthy list of books I own that I still need to read, I picked up a new book at Borders today. It is called The Darkness That Comes Before, book one of The Prince of Nothing (out of three), by R. Scott Bakker. From the two pages I've read, and the blurb thing on the back, I'm really excited about it. I'm hoping not to be disappointed.

by Lyonesse Sat Aug 14, 2010 7:59 pm

The Midnight Mayor: Or, The Inauguration of Matthew Swift by Kate Griffin. It's a sequel to her wonderful, wonderful A Madness of Angels. Both books are the most innovative and engaging urban fantasy novels I have ever read. I highly suggest them to anyone who's a fan of the genre, but looking for a new twist beyond sexy vampire/werewolves/whatevers.

by **Gadreille** Sun Aug 15, 2010 11:57 pm

I'm reading Warbreaker, by Brandon Sanderson. The magic use is so odd, but the characters had me sucked in at page one. I am so frustrated at not knowing what in the world is going on I just want to keep reading...but not too fast, because it is a stand alone book!

by Shekinah Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:53 pm

I can't choose between Under the Dome by Stephen King and The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub, so I take turns between them Razz

by Guest Wed Aug 18, 2010 6:54 pm

I just finished The Darkness That Comes Before, book 1 of The Prince of Nothing series by R. Scott Bakker. It is very likely the most entertaining books I have ever read. While it is not an easy read, it is definitely rewarding. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good, creative fantasy. But be warned...it can be a bit..."grown-up".

I am just starting the second book of the trilogy, The Warrior Prophet.

by **Blackrock** Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:20 pm

Yep, Ender's Game was definitely a good book. However, what I really liked, what I can safely call great has got to be what that book in particular spawned. Speaker For the Dead, Xenocide and, finally, Children of the Mind. These four books have got to be some of the best stuff I've laid my hands on. Now, I can't claim to have read a vast amount of books, but I can certainly say that I did not expect that. Ender's Game was a good, action-packed, I'd say, light philosophical story. The other three though, damn, it really shows you how Card developed his idea over the years. They have quite a few good sociological and political observations (some of which I do not agree with, but you can't deny their brilliance) that help broaden your horizons vastly.

Without turning this into an essay, I can recommend this series a hundred percent.

Now I'm starting a more light-hearted read by Poul Anderson, called "The High Crusade". It's a story of a bunch of medieval folk who get "invaded" by another civilisation, only they manage to wrestle the spacecraft away from them and embark on a crusade through space. It promises to be quite interesting Smile

by Lyonesse Sat Aug 21, 2010 4:41 pm

On to Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci. It's an anthology of short stories and a few comics about anything and everything geeky or nerdy. The stories have all been great so far, ranging from hilarious to genuinely sweet. Definitely recommended for anyone who has ever proudly been considered a geek or a nerd.

by **Gadreille** Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:43 pm

I started reading The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling out loud to Taeo, which put him to sleep in a few pages. However, I'm hooked, so I'll continue reading this to him at night. It will take forever, but worth it I'm sure.

by **Shadow Moonseye** Wed Aug 25, 2010 6:43 pm

I'm currently tackling House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. Ho boy, is it a doosy. I am enjoying it, however. Its written in a delightfully ambiguous way causing me to become so enthralled in my suspension of reality I have come to question on several occasions if this could possibly be a true account. The textual layout at times is dizzying but it definitely adds to the story. I'll be sure to let you all know my thoughts on it once I finish the book.

by The Melancholy Spirit Mon Sep 06, 2010 1:05 am

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

by Guest Sun Sep 12, 2010 7:58 pm

I've started the third book of the Prince of Nothing trilogy, and I can't wait to really get into it. I have very high hopes for it.

I've also started a graphic novel series called The Walking Dead (...its about zombies, incase you couldn't tell). It is absolutely wonderful Very Happy

I love the characters so far, and even though the zombies are slow, they are still appropriately terrifying. I would certainly recommend it to any zombie fan. However, I would get the compendium version. It is the largest version, but the least expensive in proportion.

by **Dax** Sun Sep 12, 2010 8:55 pm

I moved on from my rather warlike books to a more litterate setting.

I am currently reading The Vinyl Cafe and Les Cerfs-volants de Kaboul.

The first one is a bunch of little short stories in one book, and the second is the life of a kid in afghanistan in the 70's. I am pretty sure that it is originally in english, it is just that I prefer to write it in french since I am not reading the english version.

by Guest Mon Sep 20, 2010 2:39 am

I am currently reading The Walking Dead, a wonderful graphic novel about...zombies. Need I say more?

Oh, and they are making a television series off of it. Hopefully it doesn't suck.

by Guest Mon Sep 20, 2010 3:30 pm

I'm reading Predator - Life and Death in the African Bush by Mark C. Ross and David Reesor. Really fascinating book about 5 predators in Africa (leopard, cheetah, lion, hyena and crocodile). There are lots of good pictures of them and interesting and good facts. It makes me want to visit and go on a safari...

by Guest Wed Oct 06, 2010 10:15 pm

Just finished Lifeguard by James Patterson. No idea what I'm reading next. I tapped out the school library last year >.<

by Guest Thu Oct 07, 2010 8:05 pm

Decided on The Hunger Games series.

by xraineyesx Thu Oct 28, 2010 5:06 am

I'm reading "Memoirs of a Geisha". I also just finished two books by Jane Green, "Second Chance" and "The Beach House." I recommend reading one or the other; they're basically the same story. Neutral

by Shekinah Fri Nov 19, 2010 9:36 am

Erhm, currently The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, but only until the book I have to review arrives.

by xraineyesx Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:01 pm

You review books, Shekinah? Or do you have to do it for class?

I hope to finish "Memoirs of a Geisha" and start reading something else over beak, not sure what yet. I might even be able to finish it. We'll see though what with NaNo and such.

by Lyonesse Fri Nov 19, 2010 10:27 pm

I'm reading a fun book right now called the Midnight Guardian. It's about vampires in Nazi Germany. Really interesting ideas and likeable characters so far.

by **Kathryn Lacey** Sat Nov 20, 2010 3:04 am

Shekinah, you do GoodReads, right? Is that what you mean by the book you have to review arriving?

Raine, I really loved that book when I read it. It was extremely interesting and entertaining.

Lyonesse, I've never heard of that one. I'll have to look it up.

I'm currently reading Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander. It's the fourth book in the Chronicles of Prydain. It's an easy series, and all of the books are quick reads, but they're very entertaining, and the character development throughout them is really good.

by Guest Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:16 am

The answering of questions is always a double-edged sword, and never more so for me than in reading Halo: The Forerunner Saga; Cryptorum, by Greg Bear. Unfortunately, I am hooked, and the things I despised about it are slowly making more sense and are more enjoyable. I highly recommend this book to any Halo fan.

by **Shadow Moonseye** Thu Jan 20, 2011 10:25 am

Greg Bear? As in the Greg Bear?

Shit. I thought I was done with Halo books, but I just might have to pick that one up...

Buuuut, onto what I'm reading. Been forever since I posted in this thread, and man oh man have I been reading a lot.

I'm currently re-reading an old childhood favorite: A Sending of Dragons by Jane Yolen.

After having read Darwin's Radio and Darwin's Children by Greg Bear(if you're at all interested in human evolution and its many possibilities, these are must read books. They're kinda freaky in just how possible they might be.) last week I have also decided to make my second attempt at reading Eon by Greg Bear. This time, it's actually going quite well and I'm looking forward to seeing how this story plays out.

by Guest Thu Jan 20, 2011 10:42 am

I can't get distracted! I am trying for the second time to get through the Wheel of Time series. I got halfway through the fifth (I think) book last time and gave up. I just finished the first again and had just started the second when this Halo book came out. But that wasn't an opportunity I was going to pass up. Hopefully when I finish it I will still be in the mood to continue with the Wheel of Time.

Those books by Greg Bear sound very interesting though. I will have to give them a look-see at some point.

by **Dax** Sun Jan 23, 2011 8:11 pm

Well, I went on a mega book buying spree, so here is what is on my list for the months to come:

The Third Chimpanzee - Jared Diamond

The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene

33 Strategies on how to win a War - Robert Greene

The Prince - Machiavelli

Long Walk To Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela - Nelson Mandela

Northern Connection: Inside Canada’s Deadliest Mafia Family - Peter Edwards

Yah, so... I have no idea how long this will take me to read, but still...

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