What Are You Reading?

Pigwidgeon

I've given up on the hobbit, I've tried and I've tried but I just can't get into it, I'm finding it so boring.

Moving onto book 2 of the millenium trilogy now, can't remember why I didn't finish all three when I read the girl with the dragon tattoo.

Jamie Starr

Pigwidgeon wrote: »

I've given up on the hobbit, I've tried and I've tried but I just can't get into it, I'm finding it so boring.

Ooooooh. I am not a Tolkien fanboy by any means (I don't even like the films and I can take or leave the LOTR trilogy) but oooooooooh. The Hobbit was a favourite of mine when I read it. It's properly good if you just take your time with it. At least I think so. Then again the amount of people who've had a go at me for finding the LOTR films overlong, dramatically stilted CGI wankfests is innumerable at this point. And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Jesus Juice

Reading To Kill A Mocking Bird... Again. Just come out already Boo, christ.

Jackobyte

Agnostic Mantis wrote: »

Ooooooh. I am not a Tolkien fanboy by any means (I don't even like the films and I can take or leave the LOTR trilogy) but oooooooooh. The Hobbit was a favourite of mine when I read it. It's properly good if you just take your time with it. At least I think so. Then again the amount of people who've had a go at me for finding the LOTR films overlong, dramatically stilted CGI wankfests is innumerable at this point. And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Since the start of the Christmas holidays, I've (re)read The Hobbit, read The Alchemist and The Lord of the Flies.

The Hobbit was enjoyable, but still have to say I find Tolkien's writing stilted. Plot and imagination is great but his presentation is frustrating.

Don't get all the hype with The Alchemist. It was a nice book, but not a whole lot more. Was nowhere near life-changing. Felt very rushed in parts and didn't seem as magical as I had expected. The translation to English may have been to blame for these though.

Lord of the Flies also was a bit of a let down as well. The philosophical angle it took was interesting but other than the

soliloquy with Simon and the Lord of the Flies,

the storyline was mediocre. I hadn't even realised Simon was meant to be an important character 'til I read some analysis on it after.

ShatterResistant

The Secret Race - Tyler Hamilton

because Lance Armstrong was a serious schnaaaaake.

Ash_M

Felicia's Journey - William Trevor. Reading it for college at the moment - IT IS SO GOOD, SWEET LOVE OF DIVINE JUST GO READ IT.

Yeah, so I'm really enjoying it, it's just gripping and intriguing and all kinds of wonderful.

LoonyLovegood

Reading Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. It's a beast of a novel, I'm only 7% through, according to the Kindle.

Namlub

CTYIgirl wrote: »

Reading Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. It's a beast of a novel, I'm only 7% through, according to the Kindle.

I know I'm going to be dying to read that once I've seen the film. Almost bought a cool second-hand edition while I was in Paris, but reading it in French would probably be a bridge too far at the moment...

JamJamJamJam

I just started reading a long list of facebook statuses about snow. It's okay, but a bit too long and repetitive.

Jesus Juice

Just read Kurt Vonnegut's A Man Without A Country. That man is now favourite person to have ever lived.

Here's an amazing quote:
"Practicing an art, no matter how well or how badly, is a way to make your soul grow for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousey poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something"

Colm!

That quote alone might have convinced me to check the book out. Nice.

Jackobyte

Jesus Juice wrote: »

Just read Kurt Vonnegut's A Man Without A Country. That man is now favourite person to have ever lived.

Here's an amazing quote:
"Practicing an art, no matter how well or how badly, is a way to make your soul grow for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousey poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something"

Have been meaning to read some of his stuff ever since it was referenced in Looking for Alaska. Slaughterhouse-5 has been on my kindle for a year, just haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

On another note, finished "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" today. I have to say, it was a rather nice book. Enjoyed how it didn't shy away from controversial issues. Was rather wánky in parts, as Slow Show had warned me, but it was acceptable in the overall context of the story. Ending felt rushed and was a bit of a let down though.

bluejay14

Finished Wuthering Heights. For a classic it was a bit of a let-down, don't know what I was expecting to be honest but I've read far better books.

Now onto the next on my list of free books from the kindle app, I'm far too broke to spend money on stuff. Still though, reading on a tablet just doesn't have the same charm about it as an actual book......

LoonyLovegood

Flicking through Les Mis at the minute, it's just so long! Also reading Pride and Prejudice, which is much nicer. I think it's my favourite Austen book.

Jesus Juice

Jackobyte wrote: »

Have been meaning to read some of his stuff ever since it was referenced in Looking for Alaska. Slaughterhouse-5 has been on my kindle for a year, just haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

On another note, finished "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" today. I have to say, it was a rather nice book. Enjoyed how it didn't shy away from controversial issues. Was rather wánky in parts, as Slow Show had warned me, but it was acceptable in the overall context of the story. Ending felt rushed and was a bit of a let down though.

I read Slaughterhouse 5 this week, you should most definitely read it.

Ash_M

The Blackwater Lightship, just started but I'm already hooked by it - also got stupidly over-excited as I started looking at post-grads and the author is a lecturer at Columbia and I want to go there and IT IS A SIGN, HONEST IT IS

Jackobyte

Jesus Juice wrote: »

I read Slaughterhouse 5 this week, you should most definitely read it.

Had actually started reading it the night I posted that. Progress is slow though as mocks are getting in the way.

iamanengine

Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, win!

Zugzwang

I just started reading The Colour Of Magic by Terry Pratchett again... great book.

iamanengine

Bought 1984 and Animal farm yesterday, excited to get them read!

94Conor

iamanengine wrote: »

Bought 1984 and Animal farm yesterday, excited to get them read!

I read 1984 recently, it's brilliant. I should really get Animal Farm soon...

Jackobyte

Jesus Juice wrote: »

I read Slaughterhouse 5 this week, you should most definitely read it.

Jackobyte wrote: »

Had actually started reading it the night I posted that. Progress is slow though as mocks are getting in the way.

Procrastination leads to much reading.

Finished it today. Not sure what to make of it. Was very interesting, and was surprisingly easy to follow despite the complete lack of any chronological order. Writing style was nice as well, in an odd, very simple way.
Example:

She was a dull person, but a sensational invitation to make babies. Men looked at her and wanted to fill her up with babies right away.

Plot didn't seem to go anywhere though.

Like, Edgar Derby's execution was so underplayed after we were told it was to be the climax of the book earlier.

Also, the only illustration was great.

Jamie Starr

Jackobyte wrote: »

Procrastination leads to much reading.

Finished it today. Not sure what to make of it. Was very interesting, and was surprisingly easy to follow despite the complete lack of any chronological order. Writing style was nice as well, in an odd, very simple way.
Example:


Plot didn't seem to go anywhere though.

Like, Edgar Derby's execution was so underplayed after we were told it was to be the climax of the book earlier.

Also, the only illustration was great.

Part of my FYP's on Slaughterhouse Five. And because of that I know a lots about of da tings insides the buke.

First of all, at the very beginning Vonnegut's narrator tells us of his struggle to give the novel any sense of plot, beginning or conclusion. The introduction prepares us to read an account of massacre, the whole book really being a representation of the senselessness of war. To explain: for example, it is very hard to write an account of Dresden with a logical plot when we're told within the first few pages that military information about the bombing is still top secret, despite the numbers that died from it. As the narrator says "Secret? My god, from whom?" The bombing of Dresden exemplifies indiscriminate destruction on a large scale, conducted by forces who were supposedly "good", where there was no real target or aim- this means that it is not something that can be logically unravelled in a start-middle-end way. Ultimately, any attempt to understand or rationalise a massacre evokes the same kind of decision making that caused the massacre in the first place. So it's the writer's intention to create a plot that can't go anywhere, that simply is there and stays there- with all other places in time existing around it, as the Trafamadorians believe.

Ah, nerding over. You should read Breakfast of Champions if you like something a bit more solid plot wise. Has a ton of illustrations too (my version at least).

Jackobyte

Agnostic Mantis wrote: »

Part of my FYP's on Slaughterhouse Five. And because of that I know a lots about of da tings insides the buke.

First of all, at the very beginning Vonnegut's narrator tells us of his struggle to give the novel any sense of plot, beginning or conclusion. The introduction prepares us to read an account of massacre, the whole book really being a representation of the senselessness of war. To explain: for example, it is very hard to write an account of Dresden with a logical plot when we're told within the first few pages that military information about the bombing is still top secret, despite the numbers that died from it. As the narrator says "Secret? My god, from whom?" The bombing of Dresden exemplifies indiscriminate destruction on a large scale, conducted by forces who were supposedly "good", where there was no real target or aim- this means that it is not something that can be logically unravelled in a start-middle-end way. Ultimately, any attempt to understand or rationalise a massacre evokes the same kind of decision making that caused the massacre in the first place. So it's the writer's intention to create a plot that can't go anywhere, that simply is there and stays there- with all other places in time existing around it, as the Trafamadorians believe.

Ah, nerding over. You should read Breakfast of Champions if you like something a bit more solid plot wise. Has a ton of illustrations too (my version at least).

The comment on the illustrations was just laughing at the fact that of the two that were included in the book, one was of crudely drawn boobs.

Regarding the plot,

when I said that it didn't seem to go anyway, I was remarking about the lack of climax in the story. It was unnerving to come to the end without a particular point that stood out as what the author was building up to. Thats not to say I didn't enjoy the plot, just that it was odd.

FreeFallin94

Reading The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. Took me a little while to get in to it but now I'm really enjoying it! I'm glad that it's good as one of my favourite books The House At Riverton is also by Kate Morton, and I didn't want to be disappointed!

wnolan1992

So I got a tablet on Friday. And I've downloaded the "Wattpad" app that has a load of free eBooks on it. Currently reading some book set during some war between France and England in the 1800's. :P

The troubling thing is, there is an unholy amount of One Direction fan fiction "books" on this thing. It's quite disturbing...

Insect Overlord

wnolan1992 wrote: »

The troubling thing is, there is an unholy amount of One Direction fan fiction "books" on this thing. It's quite disturbing...

Didn't the whole "50 Shades" thing grow out of some weird Twilight fan-fiction creation?

wnolan1992

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Didn't the whole "50 Shades" thing grow out of some weird Twilight fan-fiction creation?

That's why it's disturbing.

We could end up with another sh*tty porn book that everyone's Mom reads, except this time starring Blayn Maluk, Neil Moran, William Hurt and Barry Moyles.

Jackobyte

wnolan1992 wrote: »

So I got a tablet on Friday. And I've downloaded the "Wattpad" app that has a load of free eBooks on it. Currently reading some book set during some war between France and England in the 1800's. :P

The troubling thing is, there is an unholy amount of One Direction fan fiction "books" on this thing. It's quite disturbing...

fbreader and epub/mobi files are great if you want to read books on your tablet.

wnolan1992

Jackobyte wrote: »

fbreader and epub/mobi files are great if you want to read books on your tablet.

Will check those out. Gave up on wattpad. Pretty much all crap on there tbh.