What Are You Reading?

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

I don't even own a book...

How sad.

Hey don't worry bro, I was merely joking!! In fact I own many books, among them Unseen Academicals, which was not as good as expected, but still a pretty good book...

[sjewkestheloon]

Good stuff, I really do hate it when people dismiss a whole format. There is something for every taste if you know where to look.

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Good stuff, I really do hate it when people dismiss a whole format. There is something for every taste if you know where to look.

Yeah well, I thought everyone on ze intarwebs was familiar with the meme "I don't even own a TV!"... guess you're not hipster enough to get my insightful allusions

[MX7]

Reading Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis, the last book of his I haven't read. Amazing stuff. His skill at creating such a compelling narrative out of such a revolting character doing essentially nothing is just stunning. I still think Rules of Attraction is perhaps my favourite book by him. Probably on par with House of leaves in the sense that it constructs so many lines of contradictory narrative that the concept of there being a 'true' narrative is largely arbitrary. Can't wait for Imperial Bedrooms

I've got DeLillo's White Noise lined up next, and another Raymond Carver collection. I love my muted, depressing Americana, evidently

[Ed Oscuro]

sum new textbooks:

Authoritarianism & Polarization in American Politics (very dry but also very informative and balanced)
Stealth Democracy - don't remember the subtitle but it's something like "How the American people think government should work" (I might skim through and return)
Also a couple books on European politics (Europe Today is the required coursebook)

[Lordstar]

Which version of Journey to the West? Waley's version (Monkey) is cheap, widely available, and actually an easy read. I can't imagine readying the whole thing (Journey to the West)--though I've had friends who have done that.

There is a discussion as to which one i should read earlier in this thread. Im still not sure which one. Im dyslexic so the one which is easiest to follow in english will be high a definite plus in making my decision.

[Radiant Cinnabun]

I just finished Wicked by Gregory Maguire and it's great. A lot darker than the musical, I assume.

Now I'm starting on Under the Dome by Stephen King, which is monstrously big and heavy. Lifting the thing is more exercise than I get otherwise most days.

And with how long it is, it seems for all the world that this is just something King wrote a bit each day just to keep himself occupied.. then he just published it. He has no editors to worry about and his stuff will sell no matter what, so... go for it. At the moment, though, I don't mind a meandering story you can just get lost in.

[Schrodinger's cat]

I started reading The Trial by Franz Kafka while I was at jury duty this week. Needless to say, I hate jury duty.

[CMoon]

There is a discussion as to which one i should read earlier in this thread. Im still not sure which one. Im dyslexic so the one which is easiest to follow in english will be high a definite plus in making my decision.

Just read Waley's Monkey then. If you like it, you can check out the more serious versions. Of the people I know who have gotten into Journey to the West, this is the route they've all taken. With Monkey you are in really good hands; Waley understands his source material and is also committed to making it approachable to a western audience. The 'more serious' translations are, from what I've seen, less approachable, more literatre word-for-word.

As far as why there's an abridged version at all, the story structure is as such that there's a beginning, and end, and then a certain number (over 100 I believe) of relatively unconnected adventures. Monkey chooses the best of those episodes, keeping the beginning and the end, making for something far more approachable.

Anyway, hope that helps.

[CMoon]

After a long LONG hiatus, I'm back to reading science fiction. Plowed through half of Delany's Nova in the last couple nights and also perusing Ballard's short stories. Can't say I'm overwhelmed by either, but both are definitely highly satisfying and keep me turning those pages.

[sjewkestheloon]

I've got DeLillo's White Noise lined up next

Great book, very funny in places. I haven't been able to finish any of his other books however. They are so entrenched in 'Americanism' that I struggle with the them, offering lots of small details that are totally lost on me. It's a shame really as it's my failing as much as it is Delillo's.

[tommyb]

Just finished No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. I went and saw "The Road", and just had to re-read those two novels.

Starting "The Tao of Wu", by the RZA, and then probably moving on to "Everything Is Illuminated" by Jonathon Safran Foer. I started it before, but got side tracked and forgot about it.

[Ravicious]

"Soul of a New Machine" by Tracy Kidder
If you enjoy stories of the design and evolution of computers, you may want to check it out. Simply wonderful!

[CMoon]

Cormac McCarthy

Been holding off on reading Suttree because The Road and Blood Meridian were so damn good. I'd heard those three were his best books and wanted to give it a little time before just plowing through all of them. Yeah, Old Country is good...I'm glad I read it and the film is good too, but still not as good as The Road and Blood Meridian. I've been avoiding the movie of the Road because it would take one hell of a director to make that book into a good movie.

[Acid King]

Slowly working my way through the hardboiled stuff I got for Christmas. Read Double Indemnity in a day, just started I, the Jury and picked up a copy of the Hunter earlier today. I've also been rereading Survival in Auschwitz.

Anyone here use goodreads.com? Here's a link to my profile, if anyone feels the urge. http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1172044

[Lordstar]

Thanks C-Moon I will get on that

[CMoon]

goodreads.com

I like the little progress meter under each book.

A friend of mine is into all the classic hard boiled pulp. I should break into that genre at some point.

[Acid King]

I like the little progress meter under each book.

A friend of mine is into all the classic hard boiled pulp. I should break into that genre at some point.

When you update the progress meter you can also write notes, something I've been too lazy to take advantage of. I've been enjoying the hard boiled stuff, though it's hard to not feel like I've read the stories before, considering how many movies I've seen that use the same character archetypes and genre conventions. Even though some of the stuff feels kinda generic at times, it's mostly due to the backwards way of experiencing them.

Something you may be interested in is Microbrewed Adventures by Charlie Papazian. He travels around to different breweries and countries and talks about drinking and brewing. It's got some cool stories and there's a chapter titled the Bad Boys of Brewing that has short sections about the brewers at Stone, Dogfish Head, Left Coast, Flying Fish, Brooklyn, Rogue and New Belgium. It's a pretty quick read and has 50 odd homebrew recipes including a few clones.

[Vexorg]

It's been a while since I've done much reading here since the light in my apartment was pretty horrible for it until I added a new light. Currently, I'm reading In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd (this is the book that the movie A Christmas Story was partially based on.)

[CMoon]

Finished Delany's 'Nova' last night (a damn fine Sci Fi novel, but reads almost too fast!), started McCarthy's Suttree today. Barely any progress but the text is beautiful. Can't wait to crack this one.

[ST Dragon]

World Without Stars - Poul Anderson

Excellent sci-fi story!

[tommyb]

Cormac McCarthy

Been holding off on reading Suttree because The Road and Blood Meridian were so damn good. I'd heard those three were his best books and wanted to give it a little time before just plowing through all of them. Yeah, Old Country is good...I'm glad I read it and the film is good too, but still not as good as The Road and Blood Meridian. I've been avoiding the movie of the Road because it would take one hell of a director to make that book into a good movie.

The Road was a wonderful movie. That's all I can say about it.

[Klatrymadon]

Revisiting The Stars My Destination (AKA Tiger! Tiger!) by Alfred Bester today. It's still one of my favourite novels; not only is it a fantastic sci-fi yarn, it's also a bloody important work of capital-L Literature, in this drunken dossbag's estimation. If you haven't read it, go and buy a copy. If you don't like it, I'll reimburse you. Unless you somehow end up paying £200 for it, in which case you can awa' an' bile yer heid.

[CMoon]

Cormac McCarthy

Been holding off on reading Suttree because The Road and Blood Meridian were so damn good. I'd heard those three were his best books and wanted to give it a little time before just plowing through all of them. Yeah, Old Country is good...I'm glad I read it and the film is good too, but still not as good as The Road and Blood Meridian. I've been avoiding the movie of the Road because it would take one hell of a director to make that book into a good movie.

The Road was a wonderful movie. That's all I can say about it.

How did it compare with the book? Should it be compared with the book?

[tommyb]

How did it compare with the book? Should it be compared with the book?

It almost successfully captures the depressive mood of the book completely. I really think you would enjoy it. The book is still better, of course, but the movie is a great companion to it.

[AraraSPAMWitch]

Currently reading Selections from the Writings of Kierkegaard....

Not Alex, though, I'm still waiting for that one to come out.

[xris]

DeathWorld Trilogy by Harry Harrison
Loved it. I'm surprised I haven't read this before now, it's the over the top pulp I love. Classic sci-fi, and one of the earliest mentions of a jump drive.

[Never_Scurred]

Currently reading Uncle Tom's Cabin.

[sven666]

I read Hells angels by hunter thompson on my trip from japan, pretty good book, hilarious at times and rambling at others.
it is a great historical document for those interested in outlaw culture anyways.

[Joe T.]

Studying history, all I ever do is read. However, now that I've got some time to read books not assigned to me I've finally gotten around to Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.

About halfway through (it's roughly 1100 pages including notes and errata) and I'm really enjoying it. Highly recommended.