What's Everyone Reading Continued...

topic posted Mon, August 30, 2004 - 11:23 AM by  Unsubscribed
Because I will only scroll so far.


Currently I'm reading a science fiction paperback I picked up at my fav second-hand store: "Clade" by Mark Budz.

Not bad at all.
posted by:
Unsubscribed
  • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

    Mon, August 30, 2004 - 11:25 AM
    Darkly Dreaming Dexter - a very interesting novel where the protagonist is a serial killer - but a "good" one (he only kills other vile serial killers) - interesting first novel, with a sequel planned so i'm wondering how the end will turn out.

    Then it's the hollow chocolate bunnies of the apocalypse
    • Dexter

      Sat, May 3, 2008 - 12:21 AM
      Sorry, I haven't read the book. I just saw the first season of "Dexter" on dvds from Netflix. It was VERY fabulous! I love the way it was done--just so very creative!
      • Reading now

        Sat, May 3, 2008 - 12:24 AM
        I should have answered the question while I'm at it. I'm all involved in Doris Lessing's Canopus in Argos series. I just finished the third one (out of five, I think), The Sirian Experiments. It was short-listed for a Booker prize. It was a bit dry and repetitive in the beginning, I thought, but brilliant! I can't wait to read more of her stuff. I'm about to start the fourth one once I get it from the library. I have "Briefing for a Descent into Hell," too, so I might start that one as well.
  • Unsu...
     

    Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

    Tue, September 7, 2004 - 9:48 AM
    I'm reading the first of Jonathan Stroud's 'Bartimaeus Trilogy', 'The Amulet of Samarkand'. Juvenile fantasy, and very well written.

    The setting is London, and fledgling magician Nathaniel has just summoned his first djinni, Bartimaeus, to steal for him a rival's amulet. He discovers that he's over his head, and darned if Bartimaeus didn't learn Nathaniel's birth name...

    The book alternates between the first person (Bartimaeus) to third (Nathaniel). Wonderful descriptions, good sense of humor, a well-constructed world, and not a bad plot, either!

    'The Golem's Eye', the second volume, has just been released.

    Along a similar vein, check out 'His Dark Materials', by Philip Pullman.
    • Unsu...
       

      Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

      Tue, September 7, 2004 - 3:29 PM
      I read the Golden Compass earlier this summer and loved it. My son turned up his copy of the last of the trilogy. I need to get my hands on the second one.
      • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

        Tue, September 7, 2004 - 3:31 PM
        All three books were SUBLIME!!!

        Every time someone mentions the Harry Potter series (whose appeal completely escapes me), I encourage them to read this one instead.
        • Unsu...
           

          Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

          Tue, September 7, 2004 - 3:43 PM
          My son read the Pullman books after he read the first couple of Harry Potter books, which he badgered me into reading. I thought they were okay. But I resisted his efforts to get me to read The Golden Compass. I figured it would be no better than the Rowlings books. Which, to be honest, aren't so much bad as they are over-hyped.
          • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

            Tue, September 7, 2004 - 3:45 PM
            I agree. There's nothing particular AWFUL about the Harry Potter series (except for my one tiny objection that has already been addressed by this Tribe, who, you should know, generally lovelovesLOVES Harry Potter), but there's also nothing to particularly RECOMMEND them either.

            As opposed to the Pullman books.
            • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

              Tue, September 7, 2004 - 5:50 PM
              There are things to recommend about the harry potter books, there may not be TO YOU - but there are things to recommend including the honesty, the fact that the good guys don't always succed, the fact that it's pretty likely (and expected now) that after book 7 there will be NO CHANCE for a book 8.

              And the pullman books are brilliant too.

              And Michael Chabons Summerland is a beautiful story for children written by a pulitzer prize winner.
              • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

                Tue, September 7, 2004 - 7:29 PM
                <And the pullman books are brilliant too.>

                I agree. I have immensely enjoyed both the Rowling books and the Pullman books, but found each to have merit and appeal almost entirely unique from the other. I know that many people are likely to draw comparisons because of the age of the characters, the "genre" and the (alleged) target audience, but in my mind, that's where much of the similarity ended.

                Regarding the Potter books--as well as other similar publishing phenomenons--it is amazing (and largely unfair) how much guff a book or author can take as a result of overexposure due to either an overly aggressive marketing campaign or rabidly zealous and irritating fans. Their behavior can border on being cultish at times.
                • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

                  Tue, September 7, 2004 - 7:34 PM
                  same thing happens all the tiem

                  "sell out" is a term used when the band you love that no one knows about suddenly hits it big. I hate that. If they don't change the music or the art, they aren't selling out :)
                  • This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
                    Unsu...
                     

                    Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

                    Tue, September 7, 2004 - 8:15 PM
                    And then again, changing the music or the art might just be part of the artists' creative growth.

                    So why won't there be an HP 8?
                    • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

                      Tue, September 7, 2004 - 8:26 PM
                      well it is considered spoiler and speculation at the same time

                      many die hard potter fans infer from odd mentions in books and interviews that harry potter will die in book 7 - it's not that much of a stretch if you take in that each book has gotten progressively darker. Prophecy is "murky" - it can be seen that they both die. Who knows.

                      I'm not a die hard so i haven't thought too much about it - but it wouldn't surprise me to see him die.
                      • Unsu...
                         

                        Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

                        Tue, September 7, 2004 - 8:34 PM
                        If you read it backwards, does it say "Harry is dead."?
                        • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

                          Tue, September 7, 2004 - 8:37 PM
                          no - it's not that asinine

                          rowling said in an interview that a lot of people ar asking the "wrong" questions, and speculating in the wrong direction - may be intentional misdirection - but i think she'll want out.

                          Interestingly there were rumors of a "second series" she was starting, i was awaiting them, not to see if they were any good, but seeing if she was just writing to make the money (publish under her own name) or trying to stretch her talent and see if it "takes" (publish under a pseudonym)
                    • Unsu...
                       

                      Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

                      Wed, September 8, 2004 - 5:46 AM
                      Rowling has said again and again that she's only continuing the series through the final year of Hogwarts. She's not very specific, but I feel she doesn't want to wring the life out of a wonderful story. People generally have a hard time letting things go, which leads us to Big Brother 5, The Godfather Part III, and Attack of the Clones.

                      She's said she might write a book or so for charity, like the Hogwarts 'textbooks' she wrote a few years ago for Comic Relief. Personally, I'm hoping for 'Hogwarts: A History'.
              • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

                Wed, September 8, 2004 - 7:51 AM
                Thanks for the recommendation! I see that my library has a copy and have added it to my weekly list.

                :-)

                But I'm not getting into any more Harry Potter discussions in HERE! Whoa, Nellie, no! I know what I'm up against!

                :-D
              • Unsu...
                 

                Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

                Wed, September 8, 2004 - 8:30 AM
                I remember the Summerland cover. It is by William Joyce, or someone in a similiar style, is it not? Did Chabon write the Mysteries of Pittburgh, or am I just more confused than usual this mornin?. In any event, I'll put it on my prowl list at the 2nd-hand bookstore!

                Need another cuppa coffee. Tried the dark roast yrgacheffe. Very tasty but not as much caffiene as the medium roast.
                • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

                  Wed, September 8, 2004 - 9:01 AM
                  don't know much about cover art. The art is nice but the book is good.

                  I know that chabon did write a colleciton of short stories about pittsburgh, but it's not as well known as his others (one of which was turned into (in my opinion) excellent movie and the other which won some prize and acclaim)
    • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

      Mon, April 23, 2007 - 3:36 PM
      I'm really enjoying the Bartimaeus trilogy. the footnotes and the interesting 3rd person descriptions ( actually I have no idea what to call that vantage and curious as to what you would define it as ) from the shape shifted demon add some layers that you don't often find in juvenile fiction. I found the author consistently suprising me with huge new circumstances and felt there was a tangible character growth ( and decline ) going on, so even though I may not care for a character you still have an investment in their fate.

      I'm just winding up the 3rd in the series and half way through the author has smacked me on the upside and I'm reeling. really, did not see any of that coming, although I knew something *big* was cooking.
  • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

    Sun, June 3, 2007 - 10:37 AM
    Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

    I really want to read the Chez Panisse chronicle that just came out, but am not willing to shell out for the hardcover, and it's not at my local library yet.
    • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

      Mon, July 2, 2007 - 3:03 AM
      "The Grapes of Wrath". Much better than I expected. I am a science teacher & have been listening to my students whine about this book for almost 30 years. I tell them that they would bitch about "The Hungry Caterpiller" if it were required reading.
      • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

        Wed, July 18, 2007 - 1:44 PM
        Just finished the Pullman trilogy thanks to the recommendations here. Loved it! Also a Rowling fan but the Pullman series is just a totally different scene. Other than having kids be the protagonists and the presence of magic/witches there is little to compare between the two. Thanks for the heads up on that. Now I need more!
      • Unsu...
         

        Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

        Tue, August 7, 2007 - 1:41 AM
        Grapes is a fine book, and of mice and men for all its 98 pages is a great read.Personally I like msot of his work, cannery row ,tortilla flat great stuff about real life.
  • Unsu...
     

    Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

    Tue, August 7, 2007 - 8:31 AM
    I'm reading 'The Beautiful Room is Empty' by Edmund White. I'm also reading 'Oath' by Elie Wiesel.

    Good reads

    oona
    • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

      Tue, August 7, 2007 - 4:20 PM
      Salambo by Flaubert

      a historical action novel set during the Mercenary Revolt against Carthage in the third century BC

      "an exercise in sensuous and violent exoticism"
      "lurid tale of blood-and-thunder"
      • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

        Tue, October 9, 2007 - 4:19 PM
        I'm in between things - that's why I'm trolling for recommends :) ...just finished a couple of Macarthy's - The Road and No Country for Old Men - the latter has a great ending - which I cant imagine them pulling off in the upcoming film....but the Coen's are unpredictable...

        Thinking about trying the new Vachess/Burke...("Terminal") - anyone read it yet?
        • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

          Fri, October 12, 2007 - 3:24 PM
          I am curently reading Mao:The Untold Stor. A fascinating insight into the character of Mao with lots of new information uncovered in recent years.
          • Unsu...
             

            Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

            Sat, October 13, 2007 - 12:22 PM
            I just finished reading "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker,I'd never read it before and saw the movie once before years ago,I didn't think I would like it but I have to admit I loved it,just deeply moved me,one that I couldn't put down.
            • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

              Sun, October 14, 2007 - 7:06 PM
              I just finished reading "Dead Souls" by Gogel. nice profound satire about provincial life in Russia in the early 1800s. a shifty character tries to buy dead peasants (who are still on the official gov census) off of eccentric gentry so he can morgage them. this causes bizarre rumors about the anti christ to ciculate. lots of kooky characters. clever devices. brilliant writing. etc.

              Im not a fan of depressing russian existentialist stuff so i avoided this one for a long time. "dead souls" sounds depressing. when i heard it was kooky like Gogels play "the inspector" I gave it a shot. very very nice.

              the patriotism and preachyness does wear thin at times and the ending seems rushed. but the books is very entertaining, insightful, profound, world-wise etc.
              • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

                Wed, October 24, 2007 - 12:56 PM
                Erewhon - swiftian subversive social satire. profound
                • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

                  Fri, November 2, 2007 - 2:55 PM
                  I just read The Doomsday Book, Connie Wilis. Itis all about historians who do their fieldwork within the time periods themselves, though there is otherwise a ceretainly futility in time travel - mysterious laws otherwise unspecified make it impossible for time travelers to tamper with fates long ago decided.

                  So in this tale, the young time travelling sudent gets more thanshe bargained for when she is sent by mistakeinot the Black Death - she had been scheduled for a decade that would have missed it. As babysitter to the children, she gets rather more attached to the members of her local community than was good for her, as everyone around her dies.

                  I enjoyed it, it reminded me of Camus's book on the plague only insofar that the main character there too tried to save lives but in the absesnce of anibiotics, did so in vain.
        • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

          Thu, November 22, 2007 - 5:56 AM
          well this is a lot late but LOL
          Thinking about trying the new Vachess/Burke...("Terminal") - anyone read it yet?

          i read it and loved it ...then again i'm a die hard burke fan and count down the months lol we went a really long time before mask market and now as a present we got terminal less than a year later :) sure hope we don't have to wait as long as clancy is making me wait for the next ryan jr. book lol
          • Re: What's Everyone Reading Continued...

            Sun, November 25, 2007 - 7:42 AM
            I'm reading a novel by Joyce Cary called The Horse's Mouth, about a cranky old painter in 1930s London. Lots of William
            Blake references. A fun novel! And I'm flipping through a book by Roberto Calasso called The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony, all about the Greek gods and goddesses, really poetic and beautiful!

            Happy to be a book club member!