Re: What Are You Reading?

[Hello Danger]

I'm reading The Princess Bride!

[Kathryn Lacey]

I have yet to read that book. I really want to because the movie is a classic.

[Lara]

The movie's one of my favorites, but quite honestly, I think the book is absolutely awful. >.>

"I knew I had never loved you more than I do now. And then I realized that my love for you had grown to be twice that size. And in the next minute I discovered that the amount of love I thought I had for you paled in comparison to what I felt now. Another minute passed. I knew then that I couldn't possibly love you any more than at that very moment, yet in the next I realized that my love for you had tripled..."

Blahblah, something to that effect. I couldn't even read the book.

But I do love the movie. Honest.

--
In the end, I did start reading the next Sue Henry novel.

[Hello Danger]

I like it alright, some parts are a little or

But I've liked more parts about it than I haven't liked.

[Guest]

I kinda want to read The Princess Bride, but I love the movie too much to do so...

I'm still trying to make it through The Drawing of the Three, the second book in the Dark Tower series by Stephen King...>__<

Its just taking me a while to get into it.

[Kathryn Lacey]

Yeah. Sometimes books ruin movies. I used to love the movie The Mists of Avalon, but I read the book, and now I think the movie is retarded. ^^_^^;;

[Lara]

So I ended up putting down my Sue Henry book, and I picked up Star Wars Legacy of the Force: Invincible. It's the final book in a series of nine, and I read the other eight months ago. I had to wait a while in order for it to come out on paperback, and by the time I bought it, I had grown bored.

But I started it this morning, and I'm about three-quarters of the way through now.

[Lara]

Double post~.

Having finished my Star Wars book a few hours ago, I've now swiped back my copy of Half Blood Prince from my sister, and am starting to reread it.

[Guest]

Just finished "War Dogs" by A.J. Venter, who I surmise is either English or South African, and I'd lean towards the latter, since most of the fellows he writes about are either South African, ex-Rhodesian or connected to either in some fashion.

It's a history of mercenaries in Africa from the Congo days to the modern era with a post-script on Iraq -- Venter notes that out of the nearly 100,000 PMC guys in Iraq, many of the guys who do the shooting are South Africans.

The book is extremely damning of the United Nations as a peacekeeping entity, and argues for the hiring of privatized militaries, like Executive Outcomes was in the 1990's, to settle conflicts the way they did in Sierra Leone and Angola.

I'm not sure I buy the part about hiring mercs, but I'll agree that the UN's peacekeeping missions are a good way to get troops kidnapped and an overall waste of resources that just allow both sides to rearm.

My other reading, as of the day before yesterday, is "The Coldest Winter" by the Pulitzer prize-winning reporter David Halberstam, who was notable for his reporting, on behalf of the New York Times, during the Vietnam War. As Korea is truly the 'forgotten war' it's hard to find good books on the topic.

This book tries to redress that oversight; it's well written, but fundamentally a broad survey for the reader who has no real awareness of what went on. It's a bit Stephen Ambrose-ish in that it does a lot of that battlefield red meat people like to read about.

A variety of arguments about American self-esteem, historic amnesia and machismo can be made as to why it's forgotten. I've read a few other accounts like David Hackworth's autobiographical "About Face" (highly recommended) and so I'm familiar with the material anyway.

[Rusty Wings]

Rereading The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. It's one of my big favorites. <3

[Igraine]

Just started "Quicksilver," by Neal Anderson. Since I'm something of a history buff, and I enjoy well-written dialogue, I've got to admit the beginning, at least, has me pretty much spellbound.

Final opinions on "worthiness" will come later, of course.

[Guest]

Halberstam's book is good; halfway through and it is evident that it is a survey for the reader, describing the background and nuances of the political front of that era, foreign and domestic.

It's actually a hell of a read, and one can gain some startling and interesting insights into current events by giving it a read. One doesn't have to know this stuff because Halberstam is adept at breaking down people like Mao, George Kennan and Douglas MacArthur, who are complex subjects, into fairly digestible bits that get to the essence of the players involved; I've read biographies and deeper reading in general on both, but can say that the man has the measure of the people he's describing in this history, the policymakers.

I'm getting close to the point of saying that this is a must read for anyone with even a passing interest in history.

[Guest]

"Guadalcanal" - Richard B. Frank

Other books were written, earlier, about the battle, but Frank was the first to have access to Japanese primary source materials and remains the champ.

[Rusty Wings]

Dude, I just finished V for Vendetta (and noticed that the maker of this thread has a V sig, so had to say it xD). SO AWESOME!!!!! <3

[Kathryn Lacey]

Um... I don't have a V for Vendetta signature... Mine is associated with Avatar: The Last Airbender. I'm the creator of the thread.

[Rusty Wings]

Oh, sorry, my B. >< The person at the top of this page. Definitely had a brain-fart there. ^^;;

[Lara]

I'm reading Green Rider, by Kristen Britain.

For some reason, I ended up giving up on the fifth Harry Potter book really quickly.

[m00se4brainz]

Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk

I like this author. Books are awesome. My bro first introduced me to his work.

[Guest]

"Nixonland" by Rick Perlstein. Socio-political history of the 1960's, particularly the opening salvos of the Culture Wars.

(That, for those of you who don't realize there's a name to what people your parents' age were always screaming at each other about, is what we call the nasty spat between people who liked Reagan and people who liked Clinton, and yes, it fundamentally started in the 1960's, even though it has roots in FDR. )

Probably interesting for a casual reader, so long as that reader is interested in politics and social history.

[Igraine]

"Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Yes, it's been out for some time, but I'm only just now getting the chance to sit down and give her story the attention it deserves.

[Deadpan]

What I've read thus far this summer;

Hitman - Parnell Hall
Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut
EVE: The Empyrean Age - Tony Gonzales
William Napier - Attila

Hitman is what I started off my summer with. Really good book, great mystery novel as usual from Mr. Hall. Tons of twists and crazy revelations, great read overall, and funny too.

Sirens of Titan is just a classic. Typical sci-fi Vonnegut, really good read. Nuff said really.

The Empyrean Age is a really REALLY good book if you know EVE. EVE is an MMORPG based in space, if you've never played it, the immersion is incredible and it is a wonderful game. Really top notch. This book explains some of the events that happened in game in great detail, it's a great read for anyone who knows anything about EVE lore or events in game. Really well written.

Attila is a book about, well, Attila, and his invasion of the Roman empire. Great book, very informative and a good read.

Currently I'm beginning the Aeneid by Virgil, looking forward to getting into the thick of it. I can see what people mean by saying its so much better than the Odyssey and the Illiad. Virgil really is the master of his craft.

[Guest]

Sirens of Titan is just a classic. Typical sci-fi Vonnegut, really good read. Nuff said really.

You can say that again. I love that book so much I think I have three copies sitting around. It's good 'comfort food' reading when you're pissed at human nature.

I miss Vonnegut. Out of all the people that have died in the last four years, including Michael Jackson, his was the most important to me-- he left a void that won't be filled.

[RedBaku]

Uhm, at the moment I'm reading Edgar Allan Poe: The Masque Of Red Death. Next I'll be looking for a good alien Sci-fi book.

[Guest]

Uhm, at the moment I'm reading Edgar Allan Poe: The Masque Of Red Death. Next I'll be looking for a good alien Sci-fi book.

Anything by John Scalzi is good. "The Android's Dream" is amusing, "Agent to the Stars" is good. The "Old Man's War" series starts out a little too much like a copy of Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" and then gets much better.

[RedBaku]

Not a big fan of Starship Troopers, but I'll check out the others.

I'm always open to new ideas and books.

While I was thinking about it. Some survival horror or horror books would be nice too.

[Guest]

I'm reading Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Abyss. So far it is a really great book...though i think I should have waited until all of the series was out before I started, like I did with Legacy of the Force.

[Guest]

Still reading "Nixonland" but when I'm not in the mood for politics, I've started the Wheel of Time series again.

I'm sort of treading water until the last book of that or the new George Martin book, actually come out. You know, the one George has been putting off for years?

[Kathryn Lacey]

I finally finished The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Now I'm reading the book I won from GoodReads. It's called Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon.

Her style is very... surreal feeling at times.

[Gadreille]

The Edge of the World by Kevin Anderson.

It's beginning was a bit...well, not my taste, but it is getting better

[Kathryn Lacey]

That happens to me a lot, too. The beginning sucks, but if you can just push through it, it'll get better... most of the time anyway. =3

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