What's the last book you've read?

[karkatvantas]

So now that I've regressed back into nerd-dom (hooray!), I've begun to find time for reading books again, specifically pleasure reading. However, I don't want to limit this thread to those 'for fun' readers only! So, if it's required reading for school, or light fare for the weekend, tell us about it!

I'll start, I finished reading Dracula by Bram Stoker yesterday, and I've moved on to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.

Dracula was a dense read, it was heavy and slow, but somehow it still managed to be cleverly riveting. If you're into vampires at all, you should really read up on the original (and the best, in my opinion) undead menace. I would give it an 8.5/10, simply because the reading is so thick. It was written in 1897, so take it with a bit of a grain of salt.

Definitely a recommend.

PS: Please feel free to recommend books for me to read, I have a handy list here of suggestions already, and things I've read.

Happy Hunting! Raucous Reading!

[Kaerth]

I had planned to make a thread for this eventually! I'm glad to see one came up.

I recently finished "The Pillars of the Earth" By Ken Follet. It's a powerful story involving multiple families, a village and the ambition to build a grand cathedral. The story takes place over multiple generations, the book is a bit of Doorstopper (at around 970 pages), but once you get past all the introductory material it's almost as if it loses that weight.

My favourite aspect of the book had to be how Ken Follet manages to give an authentic dark ages feel. People who commit terrible crimes get away with it because of their ignoble status, there's sexism, violence, murder, rape, all the vices which thrive in the chaotic society of the times. However he also maintains a mood of cautious enthusiasm throughout, giving hints that there's enough good in the world that things will eventually turn around.

I'd highly recommend to anyone willing to take up a larger reading project.

I also recently finished 1984, which I'm glad to see is on your list of completed Dr. Hanky Panky. Winston Smith was an interesting fellow to follow in his journey, however I couldn't help but question the feasibility of the whole situation. I remember after I finished the book I was reasoning the world situation out in my head. I did like it though, its worth a read if only to make you think a little differently about, well, the way you think and what holds society together.

Next Up I'll read... Probably something I pick up from my friends used book store. That or I could always go back to my reading list on wiki-source, Ulysses was next on there.

[Adrian2040]

I've recently re-read "Far from the Madding Crowd". It's a long book, but it is my favorite book of all time and I wanted to read it again.

It's a VERY OLD book, written by Thomas Hardy, about a beautiful but vain girl who becomes the owner of a farm in a time when working woman were not a common sight at all.

There's much more into the book, but even making a summary would take at least an hour.

I seriously recommend you to get this book. It's so old that you could easily get it on iBooks or for the Kindle for free. (Legally of course.)

[Loken]

Most recently I read 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' against my will but it was actually pretty good. Although reading it was a bit bothersome because all my English teacher has us read about is black oppression and feminism, the former being the more tolerable to read about constantly. Before that I read 'Heart of Darkness' by Joesph Conrad for the second time, it's a very interesting short novel.
As of now I'm reading a fantastic biography of Theodore Roosevelt. I'm about halfway done but I'm a notoriously slow reader.

[Blues]

Last book? "The Three Musketeers' by Alexandre Dumas. Very adventurous (though that's to be expected), and surprisingly lengthy given its reputation. I'm also surprised by how cut-up the story tends to be in adaptions- most of them barely resembles the book's full plot (though that's not to say some of them aren't enjoyable in their own right).

After reading this I was thinking of re-reading 'Hound of the Bakervilles' just for fun, and maybe even more Sherlock Holmes after that if it's enjoyable enough/I have to time, ^{sad to say}.

[karkatvantas]

I literally just finished reading Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
Twas a great read.

[Dashe]

At NYCC some lady gave me a free copy of Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks. I wasn't expecting it to be anything to write home about, but it turned out to be really awesome. It's not like regular fantasy, it's set in a crapsack near-future Earth, and it featured a band of street kids that reminded me of the characters in the Thief Lord, but more hardcore.

The bad news? It was the first in a trilogy and ended in a cliffhanger. Guess that was why they were handing them out for free. The good news? The cliffhanger ended in 1998, so I don't have to wait to finish it. But I wound up looking up the spoilers anyway, just in case.

[karkatvantas]

I read the first book in the Dresden Files series the other night. Took me about 2.5 hours. 350 pages.

[Kyle]

'How Many Miles to Babylon' by Jennifer Johnston.

The book is part of my English curriculum, so it's already down a couple of points. But the book itself..... OH GOD!

In a nutshell, it's some sexually repressed woman's wet dream. The book has absolutely NO redeeming factors, apart from the depressing descriptions of the trenches in WWI, and the protagonist's interesting relationship with his parents. Most of time, however, it's Yaoi. Pure. Yaoi. (Eat your heart out, Spec.)

I wouldn't recommend that any of you read it. EVER. :17:

[Edich]

Catcher in the Rye:

You know, I get the book, I guess. I understand what the author was going for, the message he was intending to get across with all the main character's teen angst and rebellion and how he was the hypocrite he hated yadda, yadda and how it's a different experience reading it as a teen where you'll agree with the character and as an adult where you'll see things differently, etc. It's really well-written and the author conveys what he wants and it's pulled in a wide audience. But I really just did not enjoy reading it. I actually kind of hated it, even though I'll admit it was objectively a good book.

A Walk to Remember:

Made me tear up at the end. It's a romance story, so I came in with the expectactions I always have for romance. A very similar progression as all romances, just with a different execution. And since I eat up romance like no other, I enjoyed it. Very sad ending, but it left the main character and the reader with a bit of hope n the end. It has big religious influences so if you can't tolerate stuff like that you should avoid it, otherwise I recommend it if you're looking for a non-happy ending romance.

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream:

Okay, technically not a book but a short story, and not my first time reading it. I decided to re-read it after reading a Gameinformer article about the old-school videogame based off of it since I have a sort of masochistic love for the story. You see, H.P. Lovecraft, creator of the Cthullu Mythos, spent pretty much his entire writing career trying to sort of crush a person's soul through his stories of Cthullu and Yagsathoth and such, but most people, including me, just walked away from his stories thinking they were really cool. This short story, however, was legitimately soul-crushing and depressing if you let it be; and I respect, hate, and love it for that.

Okay, I really need to turn to a happier, or at least fun(preferably both), story. If anyone needs me, I'll be marathoning the Weekenders and Dave the Barbarian, then I'll see about picking up the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Been meaning to read it, love me some thieves in high-fantasy settings.

[Speculator]

Yes. I love that. A Walk to Remember. I love the movie too.

Try out some of these: The Notebook and Dear John and watch Lake House with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, Serendipity with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale and Sweet Home Alabama with Reese Witherspoon if you're a romantic.

Anyways, Books I recommend:
Ender's Game series
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series
+other Rick Riordan works
Artemis Fowl series
Kite Runner
Portrait of a Young Artist
Siddartha
Short Story: Doll House

[Z-Mania]

mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book-Z-H-2.html

[Edich]

Dec 7, 2011 21:28:07 GMT -5 Speculator said:

Ender's Game series
Artemis Fowl series
Siddartha

You made me nostalgia hard with these three.

Orson Scott Card's books were probably my first introduction to certain hard sci-fi concepts, loved both the original tetralogy and the spin-offs starring Bean; Artemis Fowl was one of my first ever anti-heroes; and Siddhartha(Herman Hesse's novel, right?) planted the seed of philosophy in me. Now I'm remembering the Seventh Tower series, that was another great read. The Icecarl, Milla, was one of my favorite female characters ever. Loved these books growing up.

Anyway, thanks for the nostalgia trip, I'll look into you're other recommendations later. But first, early 2000 Disney cartoons created by Doug Langdale.

[Speculator]

Seventh Tower series huh? I'll look into those.

Oct 27, 2011 16:54:40 GMT -5 Kyle said:

'How Many Miles to Babylon' by Jennifer Johnston.

The book is part of my English curriculum, so it's already down a couple of points. But the book itself..... OH GOD!

In a nutshell, it's some sexually repressed woman's wet dream. The book has absolutely NO redeeming factors, apart from the depressing descriptions of the trenches in WWI, and the protagonist's interesting relationship with his parents. Most of time, however, it's Yaoi. Pure. Yaoi. (Eat your heart out, Spec.)

I wouldn't recommend that any of you read it. EVER. :17:

LOL I just read this post. You want to talk about sexually repressed non redeeming books?

Beloved.

[Z-Mania]

pfft sorry i posted the wrong page like a narb. I meant to post the cover not a bunch of WTF. XD mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book.html

Hanky: Bram Stokers Dracula?! I LOOOVED that book! Omg that is such an epic book I read it in jr high!