NOW READING

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[!--quoteo(post=133610:date=Mar 31 2006, 09:57 PM:name=Black Ace)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Black Ace @ Mar 31 2006, 09:57 PM) [snapback]133610[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
And a lot of the hard to understand at a frist read philosophy, right? [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/wink.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\";)\" border=\"0\" alt=\"wink.gif\" /]
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It wasn't with the first three, although mabye the first third of book one is difficult because of all the strange words and places, but once I got used to it the rest of book one and books two and three were easy.
 
"The Setting Sun" by Osamu Dazai, a Japanese writer.
Dazai was another dark outsider soul plagued by thoughts of suicide and drug addiction. He tried to kill himself several times only to finally succeed at the age of 39. He drowned himself together with his mistress after he left his family for her.

The little book is autobiographical, although narrated by a female. It reads slowly and is full of poetic imagery. The brilliant meticulous style feels Asian but there is a strong European influence to it.

The story is about an impoverished aristocratic family in post-war Japan. Immorality and pride lose boundaries, decay and death seems to be the only solution for the weak. The main character, Kazuko, finds strength to pursue her love and conceive new life in the ashes.

A quote: “Sails always look dirty when they are rolled up.”
 
I finished God Emperor of Dune and Heretics of Dune a couple of weeks ago. I found that both books were excellent with plenty of twists in the storyline to keep me excited, and I'm really looking forward to getting Chapterhouse: Dune at sometime in the future.

In the past week I have read The Last Continent and Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett. Both these books were very entertaining, I especially liked the way Terry Pratchett used Australia as a point of satire in The Last Continent.
 
[!--quoteo(post=130424:date=Mar 2 2006, 10:32 PM:name=Hunlord)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Hunlord @ Mar 2 2006, 10:32 PM) [snapback]130424[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
Right now I'm reading The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan.

Its a fantasy book, fourth in the Wheel Of Time series. Its about an ancient prophecy about when the last days of the world come The Dragon will be Reborn (The Dragon being the most powerful Aes Sedai ever [Aes Sedai being users of the One Power, wixards of a sort]) and save the world from the Dark One. Sounds cheesy and really simple but there are many different complications and you really get to know the characters.
Well worth a read. The first book in the series is called The Eye Of The World.
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Well, I never saw any wixards in the Wheel of Time [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/tongue.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\":P\" border=\"0\" alt=\"tongue.gif\" /]

Indeed, Robert Jordan rocks. It's just a pity it takes the best part of a year to read the series :: . And there's really no point in trying to sum up the story. If anyone asks me what it's about, I just say 'Wizards and knights and shit on a REALLLLYYY big scale'. And if they try to read the blurb, I hide it (ridiculously crap, generic fantasy blurb that explains nothing and just looks cheesy [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/wink.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\";)\" border=\"0\" alt=\"wink.gif\" /] )

EDIT: Oh, yes, before I forget, I'm trying to finish the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett. The one I'm on right now is Witches Abroad, which has to be one of the funniest books I've ever read. Essentially, it's Pratchett taking the piss out of all fairytale stories and fairy godmothers and the like. Make sure you read Wyrd Sisters first, though-funniest take on Macbeth I've ever read!
 
[!--quoteo(post=135032:date=Apr 17 2006, 06:08 PM:name=Silky)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Silky @ Apr 17 2006, 06:08 PM) [snapback]135032[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
EDIT: Oh, yes, before I forget, I'm trying to finish the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett. The one I'm on right now is Witches Abroad, which has to be one of the funniest books I've ever read. Essentially, it's Pratchett taking the piss out of all fairytale stories and fairy godmothers and the like. Make sure you read Wyrd Sisters first, though-funniest take on Macbeth I've ever read!
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I have read them all up to Carpe Jugulum which is the 23rd in the series.
 
Maskerade is my favourite in the Discworld series, but I'll talk about that some other time.

I've recently read The Plays of Oscar Wilde (by guess who) and I must say it's nothing short of amazing. While his first few efforts are competent but really not much more, his later society comedies (especially "An Ideal Husband" and "The Importance of Being Earnest") are some of the most entertaining pieces I've ever read - packed with sharp wit, humour and memorable quotes - and definitely earns him a place among my favourite authors.

Heartily recommended to anyone looking for a quality read.
 
[!--quoteo(post=135097:date=Apr 18 2006, 04:46 PM:name=Shadow)--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Shadow @ Apr 18 2006, 04:46 PM) [snapback]135097[/snapback][/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]
I've recently read The Plays of Oscar Wilde (by guess who)[/quote]

Walt Whitman? ::

I've only read The Importance Of Being Earnest by Wilde. I thought it was OK, somewhat amusing, but not particularly memorable. But maybe that's just my unhumourous, earnest and uncultivated side.
 
I've been reading a lot of Asimov recently, I, Robot and can't remember the name of the one I'm reading at the moment, but it's good. I've got a shelf full of them lined up to read [img src=\"style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/smile.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\" emoid=\":)\" border=\"0\" alt=\"smile.gif\" /]
 
Last Asimov books I read were The Complete Robot (all his robot stories up to 1982 in one volume) and The Complete Stories, Volume 1. Both are excellent short story collections and must-reads for science fiction fans. I'm currently looking for a copy of the second and, this far, last volume in the Complete Stories series but it has proved itself hard to find (the series were originally meant to comprise all his short fiction but there's been no word of further issues).
 
Ive benn reading H.P. Lovecraft lately, hes a horror writer from the twenties. One o his quotes is on Eddies tombstone on the live after death cover.
 
This summer, unlike the last, I've decided to be a little more productive with my free time* and read at least 10 books this summer. I just finished reading Frankenstein and it was one good read, the rich vocabulary, the dark tale and the different themes discussed in the book were very satisfying; specially the recurring ideas of friendship and the fact that we are social creatures and in the end need some companionship. One of my favorite passages is when the creature tells Victor that even Satan had friends to cheer him on, yet he was denied even this. Fortunately for me I've only seen one Frankenstein movie and it is the latest with Robert Deniro playing the monster. I say fortunately because it is a shame that "Frankenstein" has become synonimous with the monster when it is in fact the creator and the creature, an articulate, reasoning being has been turned into a one dimensional abomination.

So I was able to read the book with little pre-conceived notions and was pleased to see the small changes the movie had made over the original work, while few and minor, I decided I could live with them as they helped the visual action of the movie, something not necessary in print, few movies live up to the book and this version I think does do a good job.

*Free Time is defined as the 60 hours I'll be "working" weekly this summer which will give me plenty of time to surpass my 10 book goal hehe.
 
Done with my second book of the summer: The Pilgrim by Paulo Coelho (better known for The Alquimist). This is an autobiographical tale of his trip through the route of St. James in France and Spain and how it changed his life forever. It falls under the 'religious inspiration" category of books, but even if you are not religious, just open minded, you take a lot from its simple wisdom.
 
Just finished Bernard Cornwells Lords of the North last week.
Anybody who hasnt read any of Cornwells books I would suggest they start now- it will take at least 2 years for you to read them all :D (Although not my favorites the 3 Arthur books are wildy quoted as his best work)
Am now currently on Harry Turtledoves final book in the World War 2 Saga.
 
Ok since I keep getting error messages I won't write what I thought of the books I've read so far but here is the list.
Frankenstein
The Pilgrim (by Paolo cohelo)
Dracula
and currently reading the Crime of Father Amaro
 
Onhell said:
... it is a shame that "Frankenstein" has become synonymous with the monster when it is in fact the creator and the creature, an articulate, reasoning being has been turned into a one dimensional abomination.
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When a popular work of art gets embraced by the general public, it's often the case that the creator is identified with his work and that a complex creation, be it a 'monster' or the book about him, becomes a simplified myth. As sad as it is, it's a natural development.

Keep up your great goal, Onhell. As for me, I'm going back to poetry - you may find bits of what I'm reading in the Poetry Thread.
 
I read Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club and Lullaby over the weekend.

As for Fight Club, I'd take it that you're all familiar with the movie directed by David Fincher. For those of you who aren't, the novel centres on the first-person narrator of the book, a friend of Tyler Durden. When the narrator of the book, whose name is never revealed in the story, meets Tyler, he is thrust into a completely different world - an exciting, dark world that challenges everything in his boring, quotidian life. Other ordinary citizens with ordinary jobs - lawyers, bankers, office workers, and even policemen - are introduced to Tyler's fight club, where violent fights with complete strangers take place. As the plot unravels, more and more is learned about Tyler and the narrator while fight club develops and expands. It asks the question: Has our society debilitated so far that we require pain, extreme violence and organized mayhem to feel alive? Well, I'm not going to go and spoil it for you, I suggest you read it for yourself.

As for Lullaby, the story centers around Carl Streator, a detached journalist who discovers a poem that can kill people while on assignment investigating SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Spoken aloud or thought, if this poem is directed at a person, that person will die. Together with a real estate agent who sells "distressed" or "haunted" houses, her secretary, and her secretary's Wiccan boyfriend, the four of them embark on a cross-country trip across America to destroy all known copies of the poem. A darkly hilarious take on the modern horror genre. :mellow:
 
Shadow said:
I've recently read The Plays of Oscar Wilde (by guess who) and I must say it's nothing short of amazing. While his first few efforts are competent but really not much more, his later society comedies (especially "An Ideal Husband" and "The Importance of Being Earnest") are some of the most entertaining pieces I've ever read - packed with sharp wit, humour and memorable quotes - and definitely earns him a place among my favourite authors.

Heartily recommended to anyone looking for a quality read.
Click to expand...
Ever tried the Canterville's ghost, Shadow? If you enjoy Wilde, this one IS funny.
 
Read it a long time ago but I've forgotten a lot of it now. I remember enjoying it but I was probably a bit too young to understand the more subtle points. But thanks for reminding me - I'll reread it sometime.

Currently reading Nineteen Eighty-Four after finishing Brave New World, but I'm way too tired to talk about those now...
 
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