What 📔book are you reading right now?

[Barliman Butterbur]

Firawyn:

The quotes in your sig remind me of one by John Adams upon his impending death: "It will be no heaven if my wife is not there."

Barley

 

[Sidhe]

Stephen Donaldson: The One Tree, part of the second Thomas Covenant Chronicles, again. Not read it in a while. Have to say his Gap Series was better, but it's still a good read, very dark, almost depressing at times, nice anti-hero of doubt, fights for the right thing in the end, and a bit more adult than some fantasy.

I think when I read it the first time this was the point I realised fantasy didn't have to be idealised, unrealistic and subject to the everyone who's good is awesomely good and nice ideal that can ruin some fantasy; you know the sort: all motivations are pure, everyone is not a human being but an archetype of principle, they can do no wrong. I can see how it was compared in some respects to Tolkien, it nicely explored the corruptions and motivations that can effect anyone.

Few authors attempt to include the human aspect into people sometimes, no one is entirely good, and no one is entirely evil, we all have complicated motivations that drive us to make mistakes, even if we are supposedly on the right side. There's nowt wrong with realism in fantasy, as ironic as that sounds.

 

[Firawyn]

Firawyn:

The quotes in your sig remind me of one by John Adams upon his impending death: "It will be no heaven if my wife is not there."

Barley

You know, you don't miss a thing! I just updated my siggy. That's a new quote. Humm, what did you think of the Margot Adler one?

 

[Kementari]

So i met Guy Gavriel Kay!!!!!! I was enchanted. First he read some of his poetry which was beautiful and stood by itself (i was crying at one point). Then he read the prologue of his newest book Ysabel, which sounds fantastic. Tho i plan on starting with the Tapestry Trilogy

I usually shy away from the run of the mill fantasy novel because they are just a pretty story with no depth. But Guy Kay is a frikken genius. He explained how he researches his novels for a year and a half before he starts writing; how he deftly weaves his themes into the story and how he doesnt like to make the themes too obvious because its insulting to an intelligent reader.

I got to talk to him and look right into his sky-blue eyes! I thought "omg this guy has been in the presence of the Tolkien family". And my Creative Writing proff pointed me out as an aspiring writer *faint*

Thanks for your replies guys, i'm just jealous i didn't discover him first

Btw, anybody who's looking for an outlandish but insightfully human story, i would recommend any of Donna Morrisey's books. I also had the pleasure of meeting her recently

 

[Halasían]

I haven't read any of Martin's works, but my husband has. I mentioned that I'd heard a lot of mixed reviews on them when looking at them in a book store and that some people really hated them and he said that it was because they had a fairly realistic view of warfare and most people don't want to read about how it really is. As I said, I haven't read them so I can't comment on this, and it seems strange that my husband would draw a comparison between a fantasy epic and his own combat experience (which he really never talks about), but that's what he said so I thought I'd put it out there.

It wasn't because of any "realistic" view of warfare that prevented me from finishing the first (GRRM) book. Its the flow of the writing style. It failed to engage my interest enough to make want to pick the book up and read on. I really wanted to like this book, and read the series, but it wasn't going to happen when I had to force myself to boringly trudge through the first seven chapters. Can't say I "hated" it either. I just couldn't get into it.

Finished Red Skies Over Red Seas and have to say it wasn't quite as good as Lies Of Locke Lamora, but it held its own. I'll definitely read the next book in the series.

Right now I'm reading Lord of the Rings again. It has been awhile and I picked it up to read the prologue to pass a bit of time and got sucked in. Just arrived at Lothlorien.

 

[Majimaune]

It wasn't because of any "realistic" view of warfare that prevented me from finishing the first (GRRM) book. Its the flow of the writing style. It failed to engage my interest enough to make want to pick the book up and read on. I really wanted to like this book, and read the series, but it wasn't going to happen when I had to force myself to boringly trudge through the first seven chapters. Can't say I "hated" it either. I just couldn't get into it.

The thing with Martin's ASOIAF is that, with me anyway, I found myself interested with the story with the first two books but the actual interesting parts of the books starts at number 3. But if someone can't get into the first one then they aren't going to keep reading until they get to the third one are they?

 

[Mike]

Lots of school related readings mean I'm reading several things at once:

The Coming Race by the world's worst author, Bulwer-Lytton
Wild Thorns
Rhymes of Robin Hood
The Goddess of Atvatabar
A Book of Medieval Outlaws: Ten Tales in Modern English
Ten Centuries of Polish Literature
Roughing it in the Bush

That's about it for now. God help me when I look at future readings, it just never bloody stops.

 

[Firawyn]

A friend of mine, Lisa, has a nice planner that, in the very back she keeps a chart of every book ever reccomended to her, and the date it was reccomended. Scores of books! Anyway, she reads every one on the list, one at a time, and then fills in "date completed" on her planner when she's finished. A little OCD, but a neat system, I think.

 

[e.Blackstar]

Rereading Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg. Next up is The Best of HP Lovecraft and Vonnegut's Jailbird.

 

[Majimaune]

Well while in school holidays I have read all the books lent to me by friends so I'm half way through the Foundation series by Asimov and halfway through the Ender series by Orson Scott Card. So my point is I had to go to the library. Right now I'm reading Treasure Box by Orson Scott Card.

 

[Barliman Butterbur]

Just finished reading Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama and Promises to Keep by Joe Biden: both absolutely wonderful stuff. Obama has a first-class mind and the writing style of a novelist. His life in Indonesia with Lolo, his stepfather, is first-rate reading and possibly the most fascinating part of his whole childhood.

Biden is a first-rate Irish story teller who triumphed over tragedy that would have destroyed a lesser man. It is fascinating to compare his connection to Catholicism with Tolkien's.

Barley

 

[Illuin]

by Barliman Butterbur
Just finished reading Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama and Promises to Keep by Joe Biden: both absolutely wonderful stuff. Obama has a first-class mind and the writing style of a novelist. His life in Indonesia with Lolo, his stepfather, is first-rate reading and possibly the most fascinating part of his whole childhood.

Biden is a first-rate Irish story teller who triumphed over tragedy that would have destroyed a lesser man. It is fascinating to compare his connection to Catholicism with Tolkien's.

You know; I was checking those out recently, but now that I have your recommendation, I think I’ll pick those up. I like those guys (so far ). Obama seems like a real down to earth guy. What a financial mess he’s inherited though. I don’t know whether to congratulate the guy, or offer him my condolences .

 

[Firawyn]

Condolences, I think. I can't think of anyone in their right mind who would want to inherit this mess.

You know, as a writer myself, I find it really annoying how quickly politicians get published. It's bloody unfair, and as far as my lifetime is considered (some of us are not over the hill ), all the presidents have done this.

 

[Illuin]

by Firawyn
You know, as a writer myself, I find it really annoying how quickly politicians get published. It's bloody unfair, and as far as my lifetime is considered (some of us are not over the hill ), all the presidents have done this.

Don’t blame the politicians (at least in this case). This has to do with corporate greed and marketing. It’s the same with music. I’ve spent my entire life working on mastering a musical instrument; and have composed some pretty good stuff (at least some is copyrighted); but that is not how it works these days. It’s all cheap fast-food marketing now. As far as an analogy; well, let’s use popular music for simplicity’s sake. Popular music of the late 60’s, 70’s, and much of the 80’s is to J.R.R. Tolkien - as music of the past 20 years is to the Paparazzi and the National Enquirer. I’m a non-fiction guy when it comes to reading, so I’m not up to speed like you are as far as NF authors; but I’m inclined to believe it’s not much different. Fast food; drive by talent (umm talent?) these days. The Dark Ages once again .

 

[Firawyn]

Don’t blame the politicians (at least in this case). This has to do with corporate greed and marketing. It’s the same with music. I’ve spent my entire life working on mastering a musical instrument; and have composed some pretty good stuff (at least some is copyrighted); but that is not how it works these days. It’s all cheap fast-food marketing now. As far as an analogy; well, let’s use popular music for simplicity’s sake. Popular music of the late 60’s, 70’s, and much of the 80’s is to J.R.R. Tolkien - as music of the past 20 years is to the Paparazzi and the National Enquirer. I’m a non-fiction guy when it comes to reading, so I’m not up to speed like you are as far as NF authors; but I’m inclined to believe it’s not much different. Fast food; drive by talent (umm talent?) these days. The Dark Ages once again .

Yea....will the real talent please stand up? And if you are not standing, you may leave the building.

 

[Starbrow]

I've been reading Job by Robert Heinlien. It started out as a promising tale about a guy getting moved to parallel universes, but it started to go downhill at the end where it became more about heaven and hell.

 

[Alcarinque]

These days I am reading "The Red and The Black" by Stendhal. It refers to France of 1830. The hero is an intelligent poor young man who tries to rise above his humble origin but fails to deal with the hypocrisy around him. A romantic, beautiful piece of work!

 

[ddemetrius456]

Brad Lomenick-On the Journey

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Dining Room Furniture

 

[Mike]

The Angel of History for my seminar class.

Bought The Three Musketeers and will be reading that on the two-day bus ride home for the holidays, also The Plot to Save Socrates, a new translation of Beowulf, and Freedom & Necessity. Should keep my mind off the various smells and the general problems with sitting in one place for too long.

 

[Thorin]

I'm finishing the last book 'Breaking Dawn' in the Twilight series. Goodness, they are going to have to rate the movie 'R' for some of the stuff in it! Definitely darker, gorier and more mature than the other three books!