Whatcha Readin?

Much like a certain song, I've been devouring books lately. Not sure why the sudden surge but I'm running out of stuff to read. So, before I take all my used books�to Powell's to get new ones I need some recommendations.�Please tell me what you are currently reading and/or what was the last book you read.

The Davinci Code.

I *highly* recommend it.
Just started it this morning and I'm about 3/4 of the way through.

Oo Oo Oo The Davinci Code! Wowowow. It Was an awesome book. Hoy, totally amazing. Tell me what you think of the ending....Hm.

You should read The Cider House Rules, it was an OK movie, It was an AMAZING book. Try it.

Tru dat, grrl.� I read the book first, and it was a whole lot better than the movie.� And speaking awesome books made into bad movies, check out Sphere by Michael Crichton (sp?)� That is a fantastic book.

��

Oh, dude, yeah.... Sphere was a kickASS book.

Shitty movie, tho.

mmmMMMMMmmmSphereTheBook

"FUNNY = FULL OF FUN?"

Author?

michael crichton. see above. :)

i'm rereading speak by laurie halse anderson.

THAT is a good book. It's upsetting the ending was ruined for me before I read it though.

I've actually met Mrs. Anderson. In a Blockbuster movie rental store. She's my friend Steph's mom. :o)

Apparently, there's a sequel coming/has come? I heard rumors.

The book is always better. But I enjoyed both in this case. And I hear ya about Charlize...I wonder, is it the name?

The book is almost always better but not always. The film Being there was better than the book. I haven't read it but I have heard from many people that the same was true of Jaws.

I haven't read it but I have heard from many people that the same was true of Jaws.

That is very true. Jaws the book was crap from start to finish but the movie was so good. And I think i like the movie of "Wonderboys" better than the book. Even though the book was amazing, the movie just floors me every time i see it.

I really need to read Wonder Boys. It might well be the best movie about writers out there.

Fight Club was half like that. There are a lot of things the book does better (first meeting with Tyler), but the book's ending was awful.

I was hoping it would be a better movie, really. but then, I'm just bitter because of how much it disrupted on campus while they were filming it. it got a lot of people's classes canceled because the rooms were needed for the film, despite being completely modified to look nothing like they do in real life, and being able to be filmed just as easily in a studio.

at least the outsides of the buildings were recognizable.

I've recently started reading The Hobbit for the umpteenth time.� No matter how many times I read it, I still love it :D

Before that was Life of Pi by Yann Martel.� Very awesome book.�

And a bunch of French books, too, but... yeah.� they're in French :D

After each new Harry Potter I have to read the new one followed by a reread of all subsequent books and then the new one again. It's getting to be quite a process!

I had to read this book for class: Russell Baker's Growing Up

It is a memoir of a man who lived through the depression, nonfiction.� But it's an excellent book and I recommend it to any & everyone.� It's the only book I really enjoyed reading in college.

I'm reading the Land of Oz. I'm not sure when I bought it but I found it in my "to read" pile.

the wheel of time.� as penned by robert jordan.

ten books long thus far.� it's a LONG read, tough to get into the first couple chapters of the first book, but well worth it thus far...

�-= george =-

Can't go wrong with disc world, my personal fave is "Guards, Guards"

Can't go wrong with Prattchet!

The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism, by Karen Armstrong.
Verrrrrry interesting.

The Portable Dorothy Parker.

I just skipped one of the poetry sections. Snooze.

House of leaves by mark z danilewski dark little thriler/horror psychological number.

Immortality by milan kundera amazing book bout philosophy and life and love and the meaning of life and all sorts.� Really interesting comments on nature of the novel too.

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegurt junior....blew my socks off, he rally did witness the fire bombong of Dresden which he talks about in this book.�

Oh my god. Milan Kundera is one of my favorite authors ever. Immortality wasn't my favorite but certainly an interesting read.

I just finished The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Note: I did NOT read it strictly because she is mentioned in MBLABOA (which is kinda what I did with Love in the Time of Cholera, but I ended up having to read One Hundred Years of Solitude for AP English anyway). My boyfriend actually bought the book for me because he thought it was a good book.

Anyway, I was thoroughly impressed by it. It was a book that I actually sat down to read... and READ. I didn't skim it, or flip through pages and miss complete parts (like I do with most books), I actually read it. That impressed me to no end.

Anyhoo, I recommend it.

I read The Handmaid's Tale while in Spain because it was in my professor's library and I was desperate for a non-Spanish book. I completely drowned in it.

Drowning in it... good thing or bad thing?

I believe it is a good thing :D� It was in a list of books to choose from to read in my first year college English book.

Absolutely wonderful.� I loved it.

Well, I *did* just read "Fifth Business" by Robertson Davies because of the song. It's very bleak, but it picked up momentum and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy.

Reading a collection of Rumi's poems.

Oh, wait.� I forgot.� I'm not supposed to be rereading it or editing.� Gotta keep that word count up!� ;)

Once I'm done with the novel (or the first of December arrives, whichever happents first) I will start in on some more Terry Pratchett - I am slowly working my way through his works.� I think I'll become a reading junkie once again.� *waits impatiently for 18 more days to pass*� (OMG! is that IT?!?)

I just finished Red Storm Rising (again).� My last� four books have been Clancy re-reads... my next one will probably be one as well.

Without Remorse is probably his best.� It shows that he can write characters, in addition to writing military and spy fiction.� Avoid his non-fiction:� it's painfully dry.

I'm also looking forward to the new Mercedes Lackey, and a decent starting point on the Discworld chain.� Any suggestions?

with disc world you can realy start anywhere, the first one though is "The Color of Magic"

No it isthe Colour of Magic J

I really would read the first couple which go together before I started bouncing through the series.

I'm currently reading "The Crysalids" by John Wyndham because the student I'm tutouring is reading it for her class and I want to know what I'm talking about when I help her go through essays and stuff.� I'm only a few chapters into it, but it's really interesting so far.

The Bureau and the Mole by David A. Vise.

It's a non-fictional account of the story of FBI spy Robert Hanssen. Sounds boring, but really, it was quite an interesting read. Unusual, since that's not generally my "thing".

Also, on the flight over to spain, I read A Box of Matches by Nicholson Baker. It's a neat little book... written from the perspective of a guy who wakes up very early every morning for a month and writes about whatever is on his mind after starting a fire in the dark. Each chapter is a day, and it's got some very interesting thoughts about life in general. It's a quick read, and I'd recommend it highly.

I just finished reading Lost in Place by Mark Salzman (awesome and hilarious), Black Ice by Lorene Cary (meh. Not very enticing), and Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison (not for the weak of heart. Terribly depressing, but a wonderful book). Currently, I am reading Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. College sure has gotten me reading quickly. Unfortunately, reading a 500+ page book within two weeks leaves little time for mingling on FHDC.

Oh man... I saw the movie for Bastard Out of Carolina..... oy...
What a depressing and awful story.

Not awful in a badly written way... just.... yeah.....
Causes pain to the heart.

Yeah. I don't think I'm up for depressing right now.� Not that I need light and fluffy but...

Wow.� I'd forgotten completely about that book.� It's been years since I read it.

http://www.joshway.com/review.php?id=34

(and that is just part one)

Wow...thanks. That's quite helpful (and I LOVE Dirk Gentley!!!!!)

For some reason I read "Dirk Gentley" before "Hitch Hiker's..." and I just couldn't get into Hitch Hikers after that. I think I was just spoiled. And like I said, I loved the literary spin in Dirk Gentley.

http://www.joshway.com/review.php?id=39

Dude, Where's my Country by Micheal Moore, once again, a witty, in your face fuck you to corporate America.� Personally, I think his books, this and Stupid White Men, are much better put together than� his movies, wheas Roger and Me and Bowlinf for Columbine are very good films, they are basically him bitching about stuff, whereas his books both bitch AND give ideas on how to better things.

I was wondering about these!! I've liked his movies but not LOVED them so I wasn't sure if the books were worth the investment. Thanks for the recommendation.

I'm reading "Dude, Where's My Country?" as well, and it's scaring the shit out of me.� You 'Mericans have *got* to get George W. out of the White House before he and his conies take away everything that makes America what it claims to be.� Land of the Free? Not for much longer....

And please, don't anyone tell George where Canada is.�

... by Alexander McCall Smith. I started it last night and couldn't put it down until almost 4 this morning.

Funny this poll should come up, because I found myself at the library last night. I also grabbed Tom Robbins' Villa Incognito and Neil Gaiman's American Gods (hi Carey! :) )

And in my pile of books to delve into I've got Jurgen by Cabell (courtesy of the estimable Gordon, who else?) and a little tome called The Art of War by Sun-Tzu. Also Why I Am A Catholic by Garry Wills, which I got partway thru this summer but then dropped for awhile, and a trio of works by Castaneda.

And about 75 others that I can't name off the top of my head, but they're sitting in a pile on the spare room floor, planning a bookish revolution if I don't start tending to their needs.

nothing! give me recommendations.� I'm going to the library on Saturday probably.

i finished neil gaiman's 'american gods' on monday. and now i've just started 'love in the time of cholera' by gabriel garcia marquez. *hums innocently* :D and i am still in the middle of about 5 other books, including TTT and jurgen. i'll get there eventually, i promise. :)

Yay Jurgen! Finish it and I'll love you forever.

Yay Jurgen! Finish it and I'll love you forever.

Yay Jurgen! Finish it and I'll love you forever.

and he's not kidding! He said it three times for emphasis!

bwahaha. :D

As a literary snob I was determined not to read Da Vinci Code but I did and it is fab and I recommend to ALL. Truly defines "recreational reading".

Also:

I'm Not Scared by Niccolo Ammaniti (part thriller, part coming of age, part political commentary - I am on a one woman crusade to get this book to the "masses" - it is just fab)

Sickened by Julie Gregory (memoir of a munchausen by proxy childhood - very interesting if you like psych and fucked up childhoods)

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk (sexual addict makes a living by working in a colonial tourist site and by pretending to choke at various restaurants - not for the easily offended)

Fluke or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore (whale scientists discover a hidden world - not quite sci fi but still very fun)

The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin (much better than� you would expect - more psych stuff - obsessive compulsive man wins the "most average american" award...)

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (memoir of an addict's recovery - very dense and heavy but well worth the time)

What NOT to read:

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (shallow, only takes into account western ideals, boring...you get the idea)

Persuasian by Jane Austen (uggh - it may be a classic but this reminds us that there is a difference in reading for "appreciation" and reading for pleasure)

Bel Canto by Anne Pratchett (who made this the read of the century? it is terribly disappointing, dull, predictable and she gives the entire ending away within the first twenty pages. skip it.)

Umm... why would being a literary snob preclude the reading of Davinci Code?

Well, I tend to ignore the huge bestsellers (often to my detriment, I fully understand) and stuff that is being really pushed by the press and by big time marketing campaigns. I guess it is an old school holdover that the only really good stuff is "underground."� Plus, I really like to discover great books on my own - its a control thing but we won't go there.

Ahh... well, I suppose I missed the "hype" .. I just heard about it from my family, and so I borrowed the book from my sister.

*shrugs*

It's certainly worth reading.
Absolutely fascinating.

The what not to read is great. I've had others in my life suggest Bel Canto only to then admit they never finished it themselves...whatever.

I was interested in the Steve Martin but needed to hear a review.

Thanks!

Yeah, the Bel Canto is SO blown out of proportion. Out of a book club of 25 folks, only one liked it. Which goes back to why I don't like to read those hugely recommended books!

Def pick up the Steve Martin - it turns out he is a very talented guy - actor, director, producer, singer, visual artist AND writer. I was so surprised at how well written and funny it was I will be picking up Shopgirl to see if it is more of the same.

I am currently working on The Amazing Adventures of Kavaliar and Clay by Michael Chabon.

That's a good one. Read it on my trip to Spain, although finished it on my 4th day (6 hour plane trip and 6 hour train ride=plenty of reading time). I wonder if they'll make a movie out of it.

I have just finished "Stupid White Men" by Micheal Moore, and have just picked up "LIES, and the Lying Liars who Tell Them" by Al Franke, if anyone likes Micheal Moore's stick it the man philosophy, you will truly enjoy Al Franken, who somewhat has the same kind of genre and philosophy in his books as Moore, only much more articulate and intelligent.

I bet I'm the only one here that's read that unless Nicole is around.

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty� By Anne Rice, writing as AN Roquelaure.� Dude... I have never been so turned on by a book.�

The Emperor of Ocean Park-Stephen Carter