Writing What are you reading?

[Darren]

:animesigh

Unfortunately, I'm reading this book called Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult... My mom's making me... :animedepr

"Why," you may ask. Well, I agreed to read one of her books if she would read The Kite Runner. But, in my mind, that's a totally unfair trade! The Kite Runner is a GREAT book, but my mom just doesn't have great taste in literature. At first she tried to make me read something by Danielle Steel and I was like "HECK NO"

So then I settled on this book because she promises me that I'll like it. Anything is better than Danielle Steel.

This book is about a mother of a 7 year-old who's husband gets killed in a car crash. She remarries a cop and gets pregnant. But the man who is renovating their house to turn it into a nursery supposedly kills both the cop and her 7 year-old. That man becomes the first death row inmate in (however long the book says) and 11 years later, he's finally set to be executed by lethal injection. But then the woman's new child needs a heart because there's something wrong with hers... So now, in order to atone for his actions, the death row inmate wants to be hanged instead so he can donate his heart to the girl. He starts performing all kinds of miracles and such in prison. (Kind of like the second coming of Jesus)

It's not that I hate the fact that the target audience is more for women. Let's just say I'm open-minded about religion, but I don't believe in God, and this book is full of that. Furthermore, I can't help but hate some of the characters just because of the way they act... The mother is just so whiney, (I guess understandably) the priest is an annoying pest, the gay inmate is just boring me to death. (And constantly trying to justify killing his boyfriend) The only character I like in the book is the attorney who's trying to make sure he can be executed by hanging. She's funny.

It's an okay book, but not one I want to continue reading. If anybody's read it, please tell me what happens so I can convince my mother that I've read it. :D

[Cat]

I just began reading a book called [U]Want to Go West Lady?[/U] by Ben Steinlage. I had bought the book as a spur of the moment thing after meeting the author when I went to Tombstone a few months ago. The book starts prior to the Civil war and goes though all the way to twentieth century in in Oregon and California. I haven't read that much yet only about 20 pages however what I've read seems to be pretty good.

[silpheedpilot]

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="SlateGray"]Normally at work I sit and play PSP but today I decided to hit Barnes and Nobles before I went to work and through all the science fiction/fantasy novels section I decided on [B]Warhammer 40,000: The Blood Angels Omibus[/B]. Being that I'm a Warhammer 40k fan I figured why not?

It's actually two books in one with a short story between the two title novels and so far I'm quite enjoying the story.

It's about a Space Marine 'chapter' called The Blood Angels and their struggle on a cemetary planet for fallen warriors against the forces of Chaos, which are Space Marines turned by a demonic force, for control of the planet. Things get even more complicated when one Space Marine, named Arkio, after a great victory in battle claims to be a reincarnation of a great leader of centuries past, while another Space Marine named Rafen, his birth brother, follows him, as other Space Marines do, but with disdain knowing that it's simply untrue.

So far it's really great and if you're a fan of space, killing, space marines, killing with space marines, or space that has killing with marines in high tech battle armor then you'd be alright to pick this one up and two books for 12 bucks? A steal.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Claire]

[FONT="Arial"]I'm supposed to be reading Hamlet for school now, but I'm putting it off until I go to the stupid beach this weekend. Definitely not looking forward to it; I'm going to be watching one of the movies while I look at the Cliff Notes script.

I finished reading [B]Breaking Dawn[/B] (Stephenie Meyer, of course of course) the other day, and it was insane. Definitely not the same insane as Catch-22 or Naked Lunch (so I've heard), but for all the unexpected twists (many of which I predicted, lolz) it was a very surreal thing to read.

I'll probably pick up something else for school very soon, or maybe something by Chuck Palahniuk.[/FONT]

[Malkav]

Just finished reading [B]Shalimar the Clown[/B] by Salman Rushdie. I really like his style of writing, but the story was so depressing I'm scared to read anything else by him. No one came out of that book with a happy ending.

Right now I'm taking a break from fiction and reading [B]Democracy Matters[/B] by Cornel West and [B]The Revolution: A Manifesto[/B] by Ron Paul. The books both talk about an end to American imperialism abroad and focus on solving matters at home. I think after I read those two I'm going to continue my descent into nonfiction hell and get a guide to programming in Python (which is my personal favorite language for scripting) and read some technical books focused on network security and information assurance. Books I'm looking at are

[B]Gray Hat Hacking[/B] by Shon Harris
[B]Reversing: The Secrets of Reverse Engineering[/B] by Eldad Eilam
[B]The New School of Information Security[/B] by Adam
Shostack and Andrew Stewart

That should be my entire reading list over the next 9 months. Oh and the AFOATS manual for field training next summer.

[Rachmaninoff]

Okay, so I finally got around to finishing [B]Wizard's First Rule[/B]... >_> Not that I didn't enjoy it but man... those [spoiler]Mord Sith's were beyond interesting. XP[/spoiler] I finished it but that part of the book was creepy as hell. Though I was pleased with what happened to Princess Violet. [spoiler]Damn spoiled little brat.[/spoiler]

Anyway, I plan on starting on the next one in the series, [B]Stone of Tears[/B]. I do think that what I've read so far is well written, I just hope it's just a tiny bit less graphic in the next book. Though I imagine that hope will be in vain. lol

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Since I've been traveling lately, I will list, in order, the books I've read in the last 48 hours and enjoyed the most. A 1-10 scale will be used.

[center][b]Orson Scott Card's "Children of the Mind[/b] - 5
[b]Frank Herbert's "Dune Messiah"[/b] - 6
[b]Rex Pickett's "Sideways"[/b] -8
[b]Christopher Buckley's "No Way To Treat A First Lady"[/b] -10
[b]Dianna Wynne Jones's "House Of Many Ways"[/b] - 10[/center][/FONT][/COLOR]

[Guest TheDumbening]

Im not reading anything. Its summer. Only for 6 more days at least

[LoLoLaLoco]

I'm reading the original hunchback of Notre dame by Victor Hugo.

I've seen the disney movie and some of the older black and white movies but I always wanted to read the book. The stuff disney cuts out of their movies is unreal, just look at anything that was originally a grimm fairy tale, e.g. snow white.
In the disney movie the evil stepmother only comes once whereas in the original tale she comes three times.
Once with a corset which tries to crush snow whites organs, once with a comb that digs its way into snow whites scalp and then once again with the apple.
I'll give credit where credit it due though, disney did a good job of editing snow white to make it suitable for kids.

(sorry about the rant)

But yeah the original Victor Hugo Hunchback of Notre Dame or [i]Notre-Dame de Paris[/i] as it was originally called is a beautiful novel, and I think I prefer it to the movies.

[TimeChaser]

Currently reading [I]A Devil's Chaplain[/I] by Richard Dawkins, a collection of his essays on various subjects, including a eulogy to his friend Douglas Adams (yep, THAT Douglas Adams).

[chibi-master]

My class just started reading [B]The Giver[/B] by Lois Lowry. We were supposed to read ch. 1-2, but I read the whole thing in a span of 1 day. Maybe less. ...It was a so-so.

[SachiroUchiha]

I've just finished reading the third book of the Vampire Academy series, named Shadow Kiss. It's written by Richelle Mead, and no, it has nothing to do with the Twilight series. This is a different kind of vampire story, and I have to say, Shadow Kiss has its' own heartbreaking parts too. I was sniffling a lot at the end!! But the series is pretty good.

At the same time, I've also re-read (for about the 6th time!) Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever, by James Patterson. This story has twists and turns everywhere, it's quite interesting to read about american-avian hybrids... I'm not sick and twisted!


Hey, Chibi Master, I read the Giver a while back too, with my class. Haha I read it in about the same time as you!! To me it's not a very compelling book, so I'd have to agree with a so-so, too.

:)

[chibi-master]

I'm about 3/4 through Bloody Jack by L.A.Meyer. I'm really enjoying the suspense! But the main character is telling the story, so it's written in the way that an 18th century English orphan would speak...which annoys me.:animeangr AUGH, THE GRAMMATICAL MISTAKES!!!

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial]Just finished [B][U]Duma Key[/U][/B] today; read literally the half of the book I had left in two hours, since there's nothing to do right now. (Which was what, 300 pages or so?) Pretty good gripper, considering I grabbed it off a Wal-Mart display in September.

I would sincerely recommend any aspiring writers or artists read it, provided they can stomach the obsession Stephen King has with the beyond—but not really as a place to learn. Any young writer can pick up useful ideas from an experienced, published, and [I]reputable[/I] author (verdict's still out for me on Steph Meyer and Rowling, sorry), but what really struck me towards the end were the interjected views on just [U]being[/U] an artist. I dunno if I can really speak clearly about it just now, but the ideas resonated strongly with me.

Now I believe I shall attack my Asimovs at long last.[/FONT]

[TimeChaser]

[B]How to Live on Mars: A Trusty Guidebook to Surviving and Thriving on the Red Planet[/B] - Robert Zubrin

An interesting little book. The author writes it from the point of view of his own descendant in the 22nd century, giving advice on how to travel to and live on Mars. It has plenty of real science in it, but it's also mixed with a good amount of humor.

[DeLarge]

[B][SIZE=1]Trainspotting [/SIZE][/B][SIZE=1]by [B]Irvine Welsh[/B]. I've been thinking for a while that I should start reading more seminal novels, and I really enjoyed the film so I thought I'd give the book a whirl. It's very good so far, although I'm taking it slow at the moment to get used to the accent it's written in. For those of you that don't know, the whole book is written in a strong Scottish (Glaswegian, if I remember correctly - someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this) accent[/SIZE], [SIZE=1]so it's not exactly your conventional novel!
[/SIZE]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=#9933ff][font=monotype corsiva][size=4]Just browsing through the forums and I figured I'd give this one a shot. So today I got one of the books I'd ordered for my boyfriend in the mail and I started reading it . Then I decided to just go and make a thread asking peopel what they're reading and what they've read. Because who knows what you could end up looking through that someone else hasn't heard of and may want to read too. Also explaining why you picked up the book and a little of what it's about would be nice too.

So anyways I'll start (as is usually the protocal for when you start a thread :animesigh) Right now I am flipping through and looking at [B]The Black Devil Brigade; The True Story of the First Special Service Force[/B] by [B]Joseph A. Springer[/B]

The book is an oral history of the men from the Devil's Brigade (Black Devil's Brigade) which was made up of men from the US and Canadian Army. Since I haven't really started reading it for real I can't give an accurate description of the book. But the reason I picked this one up and started thumbing through it is mostly because it's sitting next to me. Then because my boyfriend is really into World War Two history (and a little upset that the Canadian military doesn't get enough recognition, but he's Canadian so that could be why) and I figured he'd like this book for his birthday. So far it looks very interesting and I'm glad I don't have to ship it out until near the end of the month.

Okay so now I'm off to read and get ready for work. The rest of you can hopefully reply to this thread.[/color][/font][/size]

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial]Awesome, [COLOR="DarkRed"]CHW[/COLOR], but we actually had a thread for this one already. :p So I'll just plop you over there.

Hopefully I'll be hitting my third Asimov this week. I'd take a run by the library since I'm on break, but for some reason I doubt I'll have much time to get to anything beyond [U]Foundation And Empire[/U].[/FONT]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]Awesome, [COLOR="DarkRed"]CHW[/COLOR], but we actually had a thread for this one already. :p So I'll just plop you over there.

Hopefully I'll be hitting my third Asimov this week. I'd take a run by the library since I'm on break, but for some reason I doubt I'll have much time to get to anything beyond [U]Foundation And Empire[/U].[/FONT][/QUOTE]

[color=#9933ff][font=monotype corsiva][size=4]Thanks I didn't know there was already a thread like this. :animeblus

Now if you'll excuse me I think there's a plot hole that I'll just fall into.[/color][/size][/font]

[Zen]

[color=royalblue][size=1]

I went to the book store and spent all my jew gold.

I gots...

[b]A Clockwork Orange
Fight Club
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
Blood Meridian
[/b]

and many more...

I just finished [b]Catcher In The Rye[/b] a few days ago. I can see why people's heads exploded over it in the '50s.[/color][/size]

[Annie]

[size=1][color=indigo]I have never been a big reader. I have read mostly biographies...which adds up to..2-3. Marilyn Manson, Sully Erna, and (if you count it) Memoirs of a Geisha.

I started reading Gregory Maguire's Wicked series: Wicked and Son of a Witch. I have to find and get A Lion Among Men. Currently reading The Hobbit and Twilight.

Yeah..I know. I finally allowed myself to watch Twilight and didn't think it was all THAT gay...so I am going to read them.[/size][/color]

[Cat]

I just got done reading Labyrinth by A.C.H Smith. This the novelization of the Jim Henson movie Labyrinth staring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. If you like the the movie, I'm sure you would like the book. There are some differences and but not a complete change of story. The book is really hard to find if your looking for a book copy. You will end up paying any wheres from 30 to over 100 for the book. The good news is you can now read it online.

The book I started after Labyrinth is Dangerous Tides by Christine Feehan. I have only read a page or two however if you like Paranormal Romance then you might like her stories. If anyone has read Feehan other stories you would know they are about vampires usualluy, Dangerous tides is about witches instead, making a interesting change.

[Drizzt Do'urden]

I'm currently starting a book called [B]Devil in the White City[/B] by Eric Lawson. It's a historical non-fiction book in which Lawson combines the 1893 Columbian Exposition (1893 Worlds Fair) with the serial killer...oh it's killing me Philidelphia...Holmes...can't remember his first name.

[Rachmaninoff]

Since I finally got a copy of [B]The Cardinal of the Kremlin[/B] by Tom Clancy, that is what I'm currently reading. Certain people here [[SIZE="1"]pokes basement cat[/SIZE]] know why I hunted up a copy of this paticular book.

Oh and I really need to get started on [B]Faith of the Fallen[/B]. I've had a copy of that for a month now and I haven't even started on it yet.

[Lady Asphyxia]

[quote name='DeLarge'][B][SIZE=1]Trainspotting [/SIZE][/B][SIZE=1]by [B]Irvine Welsh[/B]. I've been thinking for a while that I should start reading more seminal novels, and I really enjoyed the film so I thought I'd give the book a whirl. It's very good so far, although I'm taking it slow at the moment to get used to the accent it's written in. For those of you that don't know, the whole book is written in a strong Scottish (Glaswegian, if I remember correctly - someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this) accent[/SIZE], [SIZE=1]so it's not exactly your conventional novel!
[/SIZE][/quote]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]Leith-ian. It used to be the bad-side/neighbour to Edinburgh. I live just near it now. ^.^

And, um, I mostly read non-fiction now. History makes me happy. ...I'm such a nerd. :rolleyes:
[/SIZE][/FONT]