The Book Review Thread

[amir05]

Just finished The Shining by Steven King and got the idea for this thread. It was really Good though I found it hard to understand.This was the first Adult Book I've read and I found King's style of writing different from the Books I normally read, but I really enjoyed it and I didn't want it to end 9/10
What about you?

[doyle]

for school,
open letters by vaclav havel

[Prof. Frink13]

Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quinonez. Not a bad book. Definitely the best one I've had to read for school in a long time. 4/5

[My Little Needle]

this has been done before, but I just read

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Crashing the Party by Ralph Nader
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rolwing
To Bedlam and Partway Back by Anne Sexton
Island by Aldous Huxley

[grissom]

The Hobbit for school, read it before, but interesting to read again anyway

[do what donny dont does]

"Play poker like the pros" by Phil Hellmuth

[penny]

Re-reading "Intensity" by Dean Koontz. Haven't read it in years.

[Necromancer]

1984 for the fifth or sixth time.

[Dr Zaius]

Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (all the movie hype made me buy this).
Also an old Goosebumps book I dug up.

I know, I need better books.

[Snack Related Mishap]

The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night Time for the bazillionth time. I love this book, and it is the only one I can read multiple times from my collection. I think I am gonna start Flowers for Algernon today, but I have got so many books I want to read.

[Leopold]

Thomas Manns Death in Venice and other stories. I've just started reading the first short story, but it seems alright.

[Jayrayman]

Fever Pitch - Suprised it took me this long to read it, but im glad i finally got round to it. Excellent book ; funny and at the same time emotional. Also great to read about the old football games.

[Grippa]

Dan Browns Angels and Demons

[Scott]

Abarat By Clive Barker - Good
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Very Good
Lovecrafts combined works (C'Thulhu et al) Early work was slow, but later stuff is great

[grissom]

Dan Browns Angels and Demons
I'm halfway through that right now ironically

[EspanolBot]

Witches Aboard by Terry Pratchett
and
The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde (a murder mystery based in a fictionalised verion of my home town.)

[Drew]

Last book I read was "Holes", they later turned it into a movie with the kid from "Even Stevens". This was also in mid 2003.

[brockman1988]

http://ai.pricegrabber.com/muze_images/books/6/65/0312319665_150x150.jpg
At first it's like Office Space meets Shaun of the Dead (minus the gore), but the ending is so preposterous, I felt like I was reading a screenplay to a bad sci-fi movie. This is like the book version of Manhunter: perfect up until the end. A-

http://ai.pricegrabber.com/muze_images/books/1/58/1573223158_150x150.jpg
Not as good as A Million Little Pieces, but Frey's still one of the best writers around today. I love how he rarely writes in complete sentences. A-

http://ai.pricegrabber.com/muze_images/books/0/94/1557836094_150x150.jpg
A good recount of his films. This guy writes many good books on directors, but this is no Dark Eye: the Films of David Fincher, by James Swallow. B+

[Haoie]

Financial statement analysis and security valuation, Stephen Penman.

Boring.

[Sam]

slaughterhouse five
going to sit on my porch and read the old man and the sea soon

(Beep)

[kupomog]

Across the Wall by Garth Nix. I'll read anything of his, but especially anything that has to do with his Old Kingdom Trilogy.

[billi vanilli]

balzac and the little chinese seamstress.

good short read, cute, funny, compelling. B.

matchstick men.

about the same kind of thing. enjoyed it a bit more than balzac.

[Greased Scotsman]

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by JK Rowling.

Currently reading Cosmos by Paul Sagan.

[SideshowTim]

war of the worlds for english. meh.

[kuumuus]

kaffir boy by mark mathabane. that was a few months ago. man, me gots to read more.

[Wasteland]

I just finished Red Planet by Robert Heilein, and am currently reading Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. I am also re-reading a collection of poems by T.S. Eliot. That is where I got my username, from his book The Wasteland.

[EnigmaticLisa]

I just finished Everything's Eventual by Stephen King. Needless to say it renewed my obsession of his morbid humour and... well... him. :aww:

[Mr. Putter]

Across the Wall by Garth Nix. I'll read anything of his, but especially anything that has to do with his Old Kingdom Trilogy.
Hey, me too.

[amir05]

I've just started Firestarter(Stephen King) so far so good.

[vinceq]

currently reading And The Ass Saw The Angel by Nick Cave.
last book I finished was The Princess Bride by an author whose name is currently escaping me.

[Sampson]

carl hiassen - skin tight
don delillo - the body artist

[Bort]

I'm reading Ivanhoe right now for school. It's OK.

[Hapablap]

In the middle of "America (the book)", its quite hilarious. Steven kings The Stand(the uncut long assed version) is still my favorite book ever.

[Paul]

A Series of Unfortunate Events. The first one. Quite entertaining.

[Slack Motherfucker]

the trial by franz kafka

[PhthaloType]

"The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene. About superstring theory. Admittedly I only got about 2/3 of the way through before returning it to the friend I borrowed it from. The part about general relativity blew my fucking mind, though.

So the last whole book was "Vipers In The Storm" by Keith Rosenkranz. Necro knows.

I read a lot this summer, more books in the past three months than in the past three years before it.

[KevinB]

Jungle Peace by William Beebe

[ItchyScratchy100]

I am currently reading 2 books (proper books, not the graphic novel of Fruit's Basket I borrowed from the Libary). They are:

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole (Aged 13 3/4) by Sue Townsend

&

Shakespear: The Animated Tales- "MacBeth" (Adbridged, Released in conjunction with the TV broadcast of the animated 30-min film for a special mini-series by the BBC & S4C) originally by William Shakespear, arranged by Leon Garfield, Illustrated by Nikolai Serebriakov

[Nerd Groupie]

Currently reading Manson in His Own Words, which it seems like I've been reading forever. I just need to devote more time to reading. Last full one I read was Gasping for Airtime by Jay Mohr.

[Harbinger]

A Seperate Peace by John Knowles

Sucked asss....

Last good book I read:
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

better than the movie by all accounts.

[Mayor Quimby]

A Seperate Peace is pretty boring. I just finished Brave New World. The book was average but his predictions for the future of society were dead on.

[rickey]

Since I was busy working all freaking summer, I now had the chance to read Freakonomics. it was a fantastic read. I really enjoyed the chapter on abortion and the dropping crime rate. Really ingenious ideas, excellent research to back up his points, and a good economist to boot. I'm almost a business major so I really enjoyed his regressional analysis,etc. Cuz, you know, it's stuff that I learn about at school.

[bart-a-carumba]

HARRY POTTER!! !!!!! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! !! ! !! ! !! !

[Homer Jay]

The Historian's Craft by Marc Bloch this is pretty good way to start a history course. He shows some good ways of looking at historical evidence, but I really didn't like his explainations of a lot of things.

[Ihaveblink]

1984. Very good.

I'm currently reading America (the book) again.

[My Little Needle]

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

[Eddie]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1565124200.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[kelly]

everything is illuminated

[Rekart]

How to Be Good - Nick Hornby
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

[Paul]

Read the second two A Series of Unfortunate Events books, but unfortunately they're becoming a little samey.

[StrideR]

Half Blood Prince.

I don't read much.

[grissom]

Finished Dan Brown's Angels And Demons today. Excellent.

[Sam]

Read the second two A Series of Unfortunate Events books, but unfortunately they're becoming a little samey.

1-4 are basically identical. 5 adds a new element slash formula. 6 is the same format as 1-4 but fucking awesome. 7-8 are a new format. 9 and 10 have their own individual flows

haven't read 11

(Beep)

[billi vanilli]

^ you nailed it.

i'm reading beowulf right now for my english class. i'm enjoying it. which is quite rare for a school mandatory book.

anyway, the last whole book i read was 'the satanic nurses and other literary parodies.'

hahahaha. freakin' hilarious.

i'm gonna start on 'the pleasure of my company' again next week.

[amir05]

His Dark Materials-Northern Lights 5/5

[Homer Jay]

Captives by Linda Colley. I really liked this book, it took an interesting look at the early British Empire. I thought she made some odd decisions concerning what events to include and which ones not to, especially with concern to actions taken in North America

[conor.]

last book- epic of gilgamesh (for english)

[Gatorgod]

"Antlers in the tree tops" ~ by WhoGooseMoose?

[Thats A Paddlin]

The Time Machine Did It
---By John Swartzwelder

Brilliant, very Simpson-esque

[Milhouse Van Houten]

johnny got his gun - dalton trumbo

my second favorite book of all time.

[Orange-Neck]

The last book I read for school was the Scarlett letter. What a boring assed piece of shit.The only thing it's good for is a cheap alternative to Valium.

I just started readin Salem's Lot. I now on a mission to read every king book.

[Patriot]

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

[Hooray For Everything!]

I'm in the middle of three books right now-"Wild Ducks Flying Backwards", a collection of Tom Robbins' short writings, "Notes of a Dirty Old Man" by Charles Bukowski, and "Summer for the Gods" by Edward J. Larson. The last one is a historical novel that is required reading for school, so it doesn't really count. It's the literary equivalent of nachos Flanders-style.

The last book I completed was "Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas" by Tom Robbins.
It's written entirely in the second person narrative. Bitchin'!

[Caitlyn's_Best_Friend]

Caitlyn's naughty secrets

[Cyclone]

The last actual book I read was Stephen King's "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon",and that was like a year ago,pretty good book I guess.

Currently I'm reading Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince.

[Jayrayman]

The Game

[Homer Jay]

The Iliad

[Gatorgod]

The House Rabbit Handbook ...I'm tring to litter box train our pet rabbit


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/gatorgod/GatorGoof.gif (http://gatorgod3000.tripod.com/SimpWalls/index.album?i=2)

[Keller]

The Scarlet Letter

[Garp]

Sin Noticias de Gurb (Something lke "No news from Gurb") by Eduardo Mendoza.

Incredibly funny.

[amir05]

Needful Things

[The mayor of Albuquerque]

Crossing the Rubicon by Mike Ruppert. All adults should read this book.
Also reading America, The Book. It's good for a laugh.

[Thomas]

To Kill a Mockingbird - 6/10. Had to read it for school.

[The Brain]

I'm not much of a reader but the last book I read was The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Great stuff.

[Lizard Queen]

I Did It,I'm Sorry

[My Little Needle]

Dress Your Children in Corduroy and Denim by Dave Sedaris

[EspanolBot]

Thud! by Terry Pratchett, awesome book! Everyone go and get it!

[Milhouse Van Houten]

Life of Pi, yeah..I know i'm one of the last people in the world to read it. And yes, it did live up to the hype.

[GirlIncognito]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. 10/10. Am currently re-reading all 7 books of the Chronicles of Narnia. (And they're all in one book! Bought it yesterday. It was on sale.)

[TheOne&Only]

i don't see what the big deal is about Harry Potter.. those characters are old and washed up... i get it Rons nervous, harry faces dangers and learns something about himself and Harmonie is hot and the only reason that males over 12 go to see this movie is because each sequel she makes her tits get bigger....

anyway, is T.V guide a book, Son of Snicklet, Catherine Hetburns ME ?? (sp)

[Homer Jay]

The Odyssey-The first half was great, but it really started to lose steam once the action moved inside Odysseus’ palace, and I really didn't like the last three books

[matt]

which translation were you reading

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/catalog_cover.pperl?0-679-42303-6

i am reading my way through a collection of franz kafka's short stories. they are pretty much good although some are really quite short indeed

[Homer Jay]

Robert Fagles

[matt]

yeah his are the best, plus they have really great notes and introductions etcetera

and oh yeah i think i like the odyssey more than the iliad but i hardly ever think about it

[Homer Jay]

I liked it better mainly because I could relate to Odysseus better than Achilles or anyone in the Iliad. It was also a more complete story.

[matt]

yeah i really like odysseus. did you hear they found his tomb (http://maderatribune.1871dev.com/news/newsview.asp?c=167178)?

[ultraderecho]

steppenwolf (Herman Hesse)

[Semaj]

The City Reader

[PeterGriffin525]

The Car by Gary Paulsen

[Patriot]

Frankenstein

[Haoie]

Audit and assurance services in Australia, Gay and Simnett.

Boring, again.

[Curtis]

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton, very good.

[Widgets and doobobs]

The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions
by
Mark Lewisohn

[SebDE]

Well throw stones at me or the like, but atm I'm reading Stupid white men. I just have to know what's so freakin odd about Moore's Books and as a side note: it's the first whole english book I read :)

Well I'm going to read more english books in the future. Continuing with Against all enemies from Richard A. Clarke and then prolly Starship Troopers. Yeah it also exist as book, I just noticed this lately myself.

[billi vanilli]

just finished woody allen's 'without feathers' and 'side effects' for the umpteenth time. i love his writing so much. i'd really love to perform one of his plays, but i'd never know where to find the correct venue.

anyway, now i'm reading the canterbury tales by chauser for english class. it's pretty funny, but i find myself reading some lines multiple times to fully comprehend what they mean.

next i'm gonna try to read something non-fiction. i've got some david mccullough books lying around that i think i'll read next. 'the great bridge' has been catching my eye lately.

[Milhouse Van Houten]

The Car by Gary Paulsen
are you 10 years old?

[Gatorgod]

The Big Book of Rock Poster Art. *I was lookin' more than readin'* :ashamed:

[Joey Jo-Jo Junior Shabado]

"Fidel: A critical portrait" by Tad Szulc. "In theory, communism works. In theory".

[ItchyScratchy100]

Shakespere: The Animated Series- Twelfth Night

I'm not very interested in Shakespere, I'm reading these books for home-school. But I really like the TV series, though.

[Reverend Lovejoy]

I've recently finished reading Adrian Mole and the weapons of mass destruction

[ultraderecho]

Faust 1(Goethe)

[ppoi307]

Well I'm Reading The Runaway Jury

[Rekart]

Conversations with Tom Petty
It's a great book, but for some parts, it helps to really know his entire catalog, because they really get into each song. Luckily, I do know basically all of his music.

[Gatorgod]

Clive Barkers - "Tortured Souls"

[Homer Jay]

Hind Swaraj-I gained some more admiration for Gandhi's political methods, but lost a little in him as a nationalist figure.

[Gatorgod]

The Blackcoats (Salem Street) - Paul Feval

[Darunia]

I've been reading a lot lately.

-Emily Brönte - Wuthering Heights. I liked it, especially the insanity in some of the characters (be it overt or covert). It also has a very dark and Romantic feel to it, with Heathcliff at the center of everything.
-Coetzee - Waiting for the Barbarians. Short, but very powerful.
-Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness. "The horror, the horror!" Kurtz rocks.
-A. L Kennedy - So I Am Glad. I'm only halfway through this but I like it a lot, probably because it's so weird. The narrator is a radio voice who has a thing for SM and is in love with a guy who claims to be the classic fictional character Cyrano de Bergerac. So that should explain it a bit.

[grissom]

The Da Vinci Code

I actually liked Angels and Demons (the prequel) better. Still a good book though.

[brockman1988]

http://ai.pricegrabber.com/muze_images/books/0/2X/078572902X_150x150.jpg
Had to read this for school. Interesting, but I would've liked it better if I didn't find baseball so very boring. B

[Milhouse Van Houten]

everything is illuminated.
+
http://www.bookpalace.com/acatalog/Blankets-Thompson.jpg

[Gatorgod]

Queen of the damned ~ Anne Rice

[grissom]

Digital Fortress, again, by Dan Brown. Also great

[ItchyScratchy100]

Shakespere: The Animated Series- The Taming of the Shrew

Better than Twelfth Night in my view. The biggest downside has got to be the 2nd servant's moustach (it's VERY revolting, basically!).

[Milhouse Van Houten]

how i became stupid - martin page

[My Little Needle]

we read the odyssey (fagles version) in english.

plus I finally got around to reading lolita by vladimir nabokov and I loved it. I also read she's come undone by wally lamb, which was tedious but wasn't bad.

[Homer Jay]

I just finished reading Ovid's Metamorphoses (Martin translation). It's probably the second most beautiful thing that I've read behind The Divine Comedy

[amir05]

The Hobbit- J.R.R Tolkien
Harry Potter and the HBP- J.K Rowling

[D DEBBS]

Dark Remedy-don't know the author's last name; only know his first name is Trent.

It's about the history of a very diabolical drug called thalidomide and what it did to 10,000 babies all over the world (mostly in Germany and England).

[groaning]

With Nails: The Film Diaries of Richard E. Grant

[EspanolBot]

'Thud!' by Terry Pratchett again

[amir05]

The lion, the witch and the wardrobe(re-read it before watching the movie)

[Homer Jay]

Lucan's Civil War, not bad but really hard to read.

[jwbph]

Perks of Being A Wallflower

[The mayor of Albuquerque]

The Early Church - Henry Chadwick
Modoc - Ralph Helfer

[Kuje]

Nearly finished "Inside Out: A personal history of Pink Floyd" by Nick Mason. Awesome book.

Then it's on to "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" by Tom Wolfe.

[Wasteland]

Wanted to start my own thread on this question. Glad I checked. I will just bump this one.

I just finished "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis.

[Kuje]

Ooh I was the last to post :) Inside Out is awesome, highly recommended.

Well, since then I've read:

http://bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp/bimgdata/FC0425182134.JPG

Also hugely entertaining, although probably partially fabricated.

and

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/c0/c142.jpg

Brilliant colection of short stories, I love Clarke's style.

I started The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe but wasn't really enjoying it. Next stop:

http://www.brloh.sk/images/obalky/knihy/k2401.jpg

Arrived in the post today.

[shhbly]

reading Dracula right now.

Whitby is one of my favorite places in the world.
I went on the Dracula walk last time I was there
and realized I had never actually read the book ..
I thought it was about time.

[The mayor of Albuquerque]

Dreamland by Stephen King. Not bad but would have been better if it were 100 pages shorter.

I never could get into The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test either, I don't like Wolfe's writing style.

[Kuje]

I never could get into The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test either, I don't like Wolfe's writing style.

Glad I'm not the only one :)

[kevin]

one flew over the cuckoo's nest by ken kesey. almost as good as the movie

[doyle]

freakonomics

good shit.

[vinceq]

reading Flowers For Algernon - pretty good
finished both of Swartzwelder's books - both pretty funny

[Homer Jay]

Blameless in Abaddon-I have some problems with Morrow's views on theodicy, but really enjoyable especially for something I have to read for school

I'm in the middle of reading It Didn't Happen Here: Why Socialism Failed in the United States-pretty good, so far there doesn't seem to be too much incite. I've heard many of the theories before, but they are put forth well and in a easy-to-read manner

[Willmak5389]

I read "The Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe" and finished it like 2 days ago

[Bart2009]

The last book I read is Treasure Island for a class in school.

[Keller]

The Great Gatsby

[Greased Scotsman]

I just picked up The Da Vinci Code last night, and I'm already halfway through it. I have barely put it down - I can understand why it's become such a phenomenon.

[buh]

the groucho letters: letters from and to groucho marx - groucho marx

and now i'm reading

hello, i must be going: groucho and his friends - charlotte chandler

[Homer J Brannigan]

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Almost as good as the movie.

[bluemoose]

Timequake, by Kurt Vonnegut. It's one of his newer ones. It was really good, part memoir, part fiction. I give it a 9.6/10

[Jeff]

Moneyball, read it along time ago but just never posted it here. picking up "game of shadows" sometime this weekend.

[Wasteland]

I am just about to start "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck.

[brockman1988]

http://ai.pricegrabber.com/muze_images/books/5/67/0743273567_150x150.jpg
Great American novel my ass. This was hardly the book people had built it up to be. I liked the symbolism and the whole "society is in moral decay" storyline, but reading it I never felt like I knew this "great" Jay Gatsby. The main character the book is about (other than Nick Carraway) never seems fully developed. C+

[Klia]

I am just about to start "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck.

Did you like it? Because I thought it was a sentimental if just a bit overhyped book.

I recently finished The Plot Against America by Philip Roth.

So good I began to wonder if Charles Lindeburgh, the famous 1920's/1930's aviation hero who flew over the Atlantic to Paris-and possible Nazi sympathizer- had ever been the president of the United States. Definitely one of the better "memoirs" I've ever read.

A-

[Ivan]

The Ellie Chronicles :: While I Live (by John Marsden)

For those who have never heard of it, there is a series of books called "The Tomorrow Series" where Australia is taken over by enemy invaders while eight teenagers are away camping. They are the only free people left in the country and they have to free their people from the enemy camps. There's seven books in the series and the book i mentioned above is a second series, which is the teenager's lives after the war has finished.

[Scott]

Just read "I am Legend" by Richard Matheson, was totally awesome, loved it. I also found out when i read up on the guy that he was one of the major contributors to the original twilight zone, and was responsible for the gremlin one, and many others.

[Semaj]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0385513836.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

For my English class.

[box elder]

http://ai.pricegrabber.com/muze_images/books/5/67/0743273567_150x150.jpg
Great American novel my ass. This was hardly the book people had built it up to be. I liked the symbolism and the whole "society is in moral decay" storyline, but reading it I never felt like I knew this "great" Jay Gatsby. The main character the book is about (other than Nick Carraway) never seems fully developed. C+


my god, if i didn't think you were a total moron before, i certainly do now. i think maybe you need to wait a few years and gain some more experience in life and then try reading it again. if you do that and still don't "know" gatsby, then you're hopeless.

anyway, ironically i just finished reading "a moveable feast" by hemingway.

[Mayor Quimby]

Great Gatsby is my second favorite book of all time. Only To Kill a Mockingbird is better as far as I am concerned. Gatsby is the greatest book I've ever read in English class. I have no idea how you can't connect to either Carraway's or Gatsby's ideals. I've never read another F. Scott book partly because I doubt it can even come close to matching Great Gatsby. I also concur with BobsYerUncle and wait and reread it.

Finished Rainmaker by Grisham, really enjoyed it. I much prefer his more legal oriented books over stuff like the Broker.

[kevin]

just finished 'the kite runner.' great book; very powerful.

[Zero the Hero]

Catcher in the Rye, definitely one of my favorites.

[billi vanilli]

just finished 'naked' by david sedaris... before that, i read 'me talk pretty one day' and now i'm reading 'frankenstein' for english.

me talk pretty one day is absolutely hilarious.

edit: just noticed this post on the last page, and couldn't believe what i was reading. Great American novel my ass. This was hardly the book people had built it up to be. I liked the symbolism and the whole "society is in moral decay" storyline, but reading it I never felt like I knew this "great" Jay Gatsby. The main character the book is about (other than Nick Carraway) never seems fully developed. C+
i guess i'd expect this from a conservative christian who claims to be obsessed with carmen electra in his sig.

[Homer Jay]

I didn't like Gatsby that much either, I got really annoyed by the over-the-top symbolism that dominated the novel

[Dr Zaius]

Alfred Hitchock's "Tales To Make You Spellbound"
A collection of short stories the friggin' master picked out himself. Not bad.

[box elder]

I didn't like Gatsby that much either, I got really annoyed by the over-the-top symbolism that dominated the novel


please cite examples of how the symbolism was "over the top."

[Homer Jay]

I'm trying to remember one example when it wasn't. Let's see the Wasteland, the eyes of Hickenlooper or whatever his name, and the green light. Characters refered to them as symbols in the novel, something which can't really be done without the symbolism becoming over the top. The ceased to being symbols and instead were aspects of the narrative, the ring in Lord of the Rings is a similar example. I really don't remember that much about the book other than seeing the symbolism from the moment their mention.

[Willmak5389]

I'm reading the sun also rises for english class. Not a bad book, but I'm not a big fan of the style Hemingway uses

[box elder]

to HJ:

you kind of missed the entire point of the novel. the novel exists in the past, and it's about the past. therefore these symbols are representative of how we distort the past (either to glorify it or tear it down). you see, the "green light" can never be reached. Jay's idealized memory of Daisy cannot be created in reality, and when he attempts to do so, it's a disaster. how can you view that as "over the top"? just because a character recognizes a symbol and refers to it, it's automatically "over the top"? besides, it's obvious that the only symbols you picked up one were the ones that were directly refered to, so if they hadn't been you're libel to've said "there wasn't enough symbolism" or some shit. there's so much subtle symbolism in that book that i find it hard to even have this argument without becoming angry. re-read the first description of Daisy's house, or her daughter, or Tom, one of Jay's parties, or anything and tell me there isn't more symbolism than the obvious ones you pointed out. almost every word in that novel has a deeper meaning.

[Malachy]

In Dubious Battle

[billi vanilli]

to HJ:

you kind of missed the entire point of the novel. the novel exists in the past, and it's about the past. therefore these symbols are representative of how we distort the past (either to glorify it or tear it down). you see, the "green light" can never be reached. Jay's idealized memory of Daisy cannot be created in reality, and when he attempts to do so, it's a disaster. how can you view that as "over the top"? just because a character recognizes a symbol and refers to it, it's automatically "over the top"? besides, it's obvious that the only symbols you picked up one were the ones that were directly refered to, so if they hadn't been you're libel to've said "there wasn't enough symbolism" or some shit. there's so much subtle symbolism in that book that i find it hard to even have this argument without becoming angry. re-read the first description of Daisy's house, or her daughter, or Tom, one of Jay's parties, or anything and tell me there isn't more symbolism than the obvious ones you pointed out. almost every word in that novel has a deeper meaning.
i totally agree with you, but i think that's what pisses hj off about the book.

i love it, though... totally agree with every word you said.

[box elder]

i thought he meant that the symbols were too heavy-handed and obvious (especially considering the three examples he chose) and all i'm saying is that the book is full of very subtle, vague symbols and metaphors.

[Willmak5389]

I read this book last year for English. Not a bad book. I'm not a big fan of the Lost Generation, but it has its good points.
Anyway, my teacher had us, as an assignment, pick out symbols every night when we were reading. It is heavy with symbolism, but I think this help with the intrinsic value of the book.

[brockman1988]

http://ai.pricegrabber.com/muze_images/books/6/29/0192806629_150x150.jpg
Read this for English. It's much better than Great Gatsby. Sometimes the massive attention to detail is a little much (I'm assuming it's ironic because the society she's criticizing doesn't really know anyone very well), but the bitter dialogue of the characters really makes the book a seething critique. Movie is even better. B+

[box elder]

Movie is even better.


right there's how much stock one should put in your opinion of literature in a nutshell.

[brockman1988]

The book is great. The movie captures the book without being overdone. I appreciate literature. Usually not a fan of forced reading, as I would assume most people are.

[The mayor of Albuquerque]

I just finished Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity by Bruce Bawer. The author has done excellent research and makes many good points about the two main approaches to Christianity in America today. His preference is clear, but his reasoning is sound. Although this book was published in 1997, it is completely relevant today. I also found it to be a fairly easy read, which books on religion often are not. I strongly recommend this book.

[Keller]

The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck. It's long, but well worth the read.

[Gatorgod]

Entropy for beginners *2nd edition*

[bluemoose]

Just reread Life of Pi...fantastic book, 10/10

[grissom]

At the moment I'm reading Deception Point by Dan Brown. Before that I believe it was Deep Six by Clive Cussler, it was pretty good

[Willmak5389]

Over the past two weeks in English class we have read 1984 by George Orwell, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

[Homer Jay]

Fear and Trembling by Kiekegaard. Brilliant look at the story of Abraham and Isaac. I really had to think long and hard about the implications of what he wrote.

[brockman1988]

http://ai.pricegrabber.com/muze_images/books/5/25/0812976525_150x150.jpg
Hold your criticisms for just a minute. This is another case where the book is terrific in its own right, but the movie is even better. This book is incredibly well-written, but the film does a wonderful job of expanding the better details of the book into comedy gold. It also makes Nick come across as less of a selfish prick. This book is still laugh out loud funny, though. B+

[Gay4Moleman]

Just finished "Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown, and started reading "The Once and Future King" by T.H. White. Both are very good, but "A & D" was excellent; I couldn't put it down! I'll be starting "The Da Vinci Code" by tomorrow.

[JonHillier]

I recently finished reading "Why Not Me?" by Al Franken, and started Will Self's "My Idea of Fun".

[Kuje]

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0747563691.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Guy goes and interviews the nine remaining astronauts to set foot on the moon and asks how it's affected their lives.

Just started it, so far so good!

[Ben Allman]

(Been a while since I've been on these boards....)

Funny, I've just written a paper for my American Novel course on three of the books that you guys have mentioned on this last page: The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises, and The Catcher In The Rye.

Just to throw my opinion in on the Gatsby argument that happened weeks and weeks ago, it is one of the most brilliantly layered and enigmatic novels I have ever read.

I haven't read a novel for a while as I'm writing a paper on some of Shakespeare's histories...sigh...

[mikeymansimpsons]

from russia with love, excellent novel

[JonHillier]

Guy goes and interviews the nine remaining astronauts to set foot on the moon and asks how it's affected their lives.

Just started it, so far so good!


Yeah, I read this a couple of months ago. It's seriously good, especially the chapter that discusses Edgar Mitchell - but its fascinating to read how the experience changed their understanding of the world.

[brockman1988]

I'll be starting "The Da Vinci Code" by tomorrow.

You'll be disappointed. "Angels & Demons" is much better. DVC is still good though, and it'll be a great movie.

[bluemoose]

I really disliked The Da Vinci Code. I thought it was, at best, airplane reading material (i.e. junk), and not even close to the literary masterpiece that it has been hailed as by many of the people I know. I haven't read Angels and Demons.

[grissom]

I liked DVC, but A&D was excellent. A&D had a lot more suspense and a story that drew you in more

[The mayor of Albuquerque]

Also recently finished Angels & Demons. A good read - Dan Brown does write books that make you want to see what happens next. I thought it was a little better than the DaVinci Code. It would have been much better, but that one thing at the end - you know what I mean - was unrealistic and unnecessary and brought things down a bit.

About to finish The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson. It may be a novel, but it has a lot in common with his earliest journalistic work. Recommended for fans.

[George]

been reading hearts in atlantis here and there, but due to dns's recommendation, got catch-22 in audiobook format. only reached the second chapter now, where yossarian and the other guy (clevenger (?)) call each other crazy in the games tent.

[Ryan]

i'm a few chapters into "The DaVinci Code". I just had to see what all the fuss is about.

[grissom]

Bump.

I read Into Thin Air last week. It was a required book for school, but it was really good.

[Sniper Squirrel]

I've just finished reading "All Quiet on the Western Front"

[Kuje]

I was looking for this thread the other day!

I finished Moondust, and read...

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/8809/034532240101lzzzzzzzri0.th.jpg (http://img80.imageshack.us/my.php?image=034532240101lzzzzzzzri0.jpg)

Which I thoroughly enjoyed.

and

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/8793/074939569902ss500sclzzzzzzzv1056477309cp8.th.jpg (http://img80.imageshack.us/my.php?image=074939569902ss500sclzzzzzzzv1056477309cp8.jpg)

Which was fascinating, although not brilliantly structured.

[Run CMB]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0312351747.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Pretty good. I'm not crazy about Neilan riding style, but there were more than a few moments that I laughed aloud.

http://trashotron.com/agony/images/palaniuk-choke.jpg

I was skeptical of his minimalist style but it really works. Better novel than Fight Club, IMO. It was hard to finish at times, but I'm really glad I stuck it out.

[caribou]

http://buy.overstock.com/images/products/muze/books/0879515058.jpg

Semi-fictionalized account of his addiction to and "recovery" from amphetamines. Totally, totally great; just as good an author as his father. These were the only two novels he finished before he died, though.

[Dewey Finn]

http://media.bestprices.com/content/isbn/48/0380834448.jpg
One of my favorite English books: Someday Angeline.

It's a pretty story, good plot, story, humor and cute

[billi vanilli]

finished extremely loud and incredibly close a while back. really really enjoyed it. such a cathartic story and oscar is such a deep character. loved every page.

now i'm reading the adventures of kavalier and clay. delightful.

[Kuje]

I'll be starting "Who moved my Blackberry?" by Martin Lukes on the train to London today, managed to borrow it from my Bro.

[Nameless]

A Doctor Who adventures novel - "The Stone Rose". Enjoyable if a little hard to follow in places.

[God]

'against all odds' by chuck norris. not really good. there's a friggin chapter on TotalGym.

[My Little Needle]

finished extremely loud and incredibly close a while back. really really enjoyed it. such a cathartic story and oscar is such a deep character. loved every page.
I adored it and am making all my friends read it. you must definitely check out Everything is Illuminated (it's way better, if you can believe) though you might only be able to fully appreciate if you're jewish

I'm currently reading American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. It's awesome. the movie is one of the best adaptations I've seen (though I won't compare them since that's lame.

[the 'house always wins]

Right now i'm finishing up Generation X by Douglas Coupland....I would also HIGHLY recommend his book JPod. I found the humor in JPod to be very Simpsonian...Coupland is a huge Simpsons fan.

http://trashotron.com/agony/images/2003/03-news/06-23-03/coupland-generation_x.jpg http://www.tropicofcubicle.com/wp-content/themes/toc1/images/temp/jpod.jpg

Next up for me is either Life After God by Coupland or The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks.

[Kuje]

I finished Who Moved My Blackberry? (in 2 train journeys). It was a really good read, very light and easy to pick up again. It would be even funnier if I weren't being groomed by University to become like the arrogant, work-obsessed, management-speak loving protagonist!

[Q-Tip31]

Betrayal by Fiona McIntosh. It's the first book in a fantasy trilogy that I recently bought.

[Kuje]

Animal Farm

Like most people my age it was a book I knew all about but hadn't actually read, so I started and finished it today- it's a lot shorter than I would have imagined!

I did enjoy it, but couldn't help thinking that after the characters/symbolisms were drawn, the story was really just going through the motions until the impact could be made within the last few pages. I understand now that it really couldn't have worked as a longer book unless the metaphors were a lot more veiled and complex. I guess I just approached it too expectantly.

*edit* Upon reading the background to the story I've learned a few of the real life comparisons of which I was unaware, and am willing to let Mr. Orwell off on this one ;)

Next up is 1984, followed by Tommy Chong's autobiography; The I Chong: Meditations from the Joint.


*edit* Also, does anyone else think this should be moved to Media Discussion?

http://www.networkingtheinternet.com/images/nineteen-eighty-four-book.jpg

*edit* 1984 was brilliant, I'm glad I didn't watch the movie before reading it because I don't think anything can look as scary as how the decrepid Winston confronting the mirrors is described

*edit* Come on people, READ!

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1416915540.01._PE10_OU02_SCMZZZZZZZ_V57529099_.jpg

Just finished this (within about 3 days of light reading). To be honest, it wasn't what I was expecting at all. It's not really an autobiography, Tommy gives a very brief outline of his childhood (which is very interesting), then the rest of te book is about his experiences in prison (also very interesting and heartwarming), and his views on the state of the US and his beliefs in religion and spirituality.

All in all it's a good read, but not worth buying in hardback. It's very, very short. One funny thing to note is, although he only mentions cannabis a handful of times in passing, the book is pretty fragmented and scattered, with leaps of about 50 years taking place from one paragraph to the next! It's easy to see the effect that smoking for a lifetime has had on his writing and his memory :D

Next up is Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, by HST.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0446313645.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[the 'house always wins]

just finished microserfs by douglas coupland...not sure what's next on tap...maybe another coupland book...or Ender's Game

I also read, The Time Machine Did It by John Swartzwelder...very funny in a Simpsons/Futurama kind of way

[Homer Jay]

I tried reading Sex with the Queen, but I found a lot of fault with the author's arguments as well as her style and the amount of space she devoted to specific queens

[billi vanilli]

haha, luke's post is funny.

just finished on writing by stephen king. funny. probably the only book of his i'll ever read though.

[Wasteland]

I just finished The Great Gatsby a few days ago, and now I'm working on Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner, and The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

[42 Is The Answer]

Reread 'Dante's Inferno,' by the legendary Dante Alighieri. This is one of those literary works that change who you are. You haven't lived until you've walked alongside the Pilgrim on his journey through Hell.

[PeterGriffin525]

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

[Necromancer]

mostly harmless

[Homer Jay]

Reread 'Dante's Inferno,' by the legendary Dante Alighieri. This is one of those literary works that change who you are. You haven't lived until you've walked alongside the Pilgrim on his journey through Hell.You need to read the entire Divine Comedy. The Inferno is the most famous, but I found that I like the Purgatorio more.

[Simpsons Forever!]

Needful Things by Stephen King. Pretty weird, but also kind of creepy.

[The mayor of Albuquerque]

Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, as Told By Its Stars, Writers and Guests by James A. Miller and Tom Shales. Pretty interesting if you like the show. A bit heavy on the Lorne, though.

The Hellfire Club by Peter Straub. Meh.

Now back to some serious stuff.

[aoife]

http://buy.overstock.com/images/products/muze/books/0879515058.jpg
I loved this book when I was your age! It's still one of my favorites.
He didn't live that long, but he had a pretty sad life. He would have definitely had gotten closer to his dad, when his dad got older.

[raheem]

Just finished "The Fifth Business" now starting "Famous Last Words".

[Dr Zaius]

"The Rum Diary" by Hunter s. Thompson.
Can't believe I've gotta wit 2 years for the film to come out.

[The mayor of Albuquerque]

They're making The Rum Diary a film? Why? Why not Hell's Angels if they want to put HST on screen again? Hell, I'd even rather see The Curse of Lono. Just sayin'.

[Kuje]

I'm almost done with ...on the campaign trail, it's really given me an insight into American politics. Before this I really didn't know about the primary elections and all that shit. Not sure what to move on to next, I haven't read F&L in LV yet, but might read The Rum Diary first.

[Dr.Nick.Riviera.]

The Demon In The Freezer by Richard Preston

The book's about smallpox. I am not terribly fond of it, but other people I know like it.

[Wasteland]

I'm almost done with ...on the campaign trail, it's really given me an insight into American politics. Before this I really didn't know about the primary elections and all that shit. Not sure what to move on to next, I haven't read F&L in LV yet, but might read The Rum Diary first.

I have both F&L in LV and I]...On The Campain Trail[/I]. I read ...OTCT in high school, on the advice of my Government teacher.

F&L in LV the book is way better than the movie.

[Kuje]

Decided to buy Naked Lunch by William Burroughs to read next.

Cool, Wasteland. My Friend has LV so I will borrow it after Naked Lunch. I've always preferred books to movies, hopefully having seen the movie first won't harm the book reading.

On a side note, I thoroughly maintain that Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey series are far better than the movie(s2010]).

[the 'house always wins]

F&L in LV the book is way better than the movie.

agreed...but I still love the movie.

[Dewey Finn]

Love That Dog: first one for the summer reading

Flowers For Algernon: second one for the summer reading. Strong plot, realism and touching

Someday, Angeline: Not a summer reading book, just enjoyed it

[SideshowTim]

mark baker's 'the fiftieth gate'. pretty interesting for non-fiction. the author supports his historical and statistical documentation about the holocaust with recounts from his parents memory.

[buh]

i am half way through anthony kiedis' autobiography, "scar tissue". it's a really interesting book

[Adamm R)))]

i am half way through anthony kiedis' autobiography, "scar tissue". it's a really interesting book
Awesome, me too. I was going to mention it when I'm done, but I'll still probably review it then. It's a really good book. I'm just about up to Hillel's death.

[buh]

haha, oh man, i am just about up to that part, too. wow

[Pie-Man]

Last book I read was "Holes", they later turned it into a movie with the kid from "Even Stevens". This was also in mid 2003.
Shia LaBeouf was the actors name.
Latest book I read was Every Man A Tiger - Tom Clancy.

[yob elddif]

John Stossles Myth, Lies, and Downright Stupidity Get out the shovel why Everything You know is Wrong. jk The Berenstain Bears Go Out for the Team

[Dr.Nick.Riviera.]

The book I am currently reading is The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer. This book relates philosophical concepts to the Simpsons. This is a very enjoyable book.

I am looking forward to reading The Psychology of The Simpsons: D'oh! This is a book of the same style, however written by different authors.

[rickey]

The Satanic Verses. Love it.

And since people here love rating shit, TEN OUT OF TEN.

[grissom]

Treasure Island, for school. Eh, it was okay. Nothing spectacular.

Right now I'm about 100 pages into The King Of Torts by John Grisham. Pretty good so far.

[Kuje]

Just finished Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 the other day, and now I'm really in the mood to read more HST, but Naked Lunch is up next.

[film_girl]

I just finished reading "IV" by Chuck Klostermann -- good stuff.

I've got a ton of shit I have to read for school, but in terms of my "fun" books, I'm re-reading one of those trashy Janice Dickinson memoirs -- she's insane, it's fantastic. I've also been meaning to finish up the updated version of "Mommie Dearest" -- a book that is soo much fun to read and revel in. Oh, and in honor of the new season of "The Wire," I'm re-reading David Simon's "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets" -- which is, hands down, the aboslute best account of actual police/detective work I have EVER read and "The Corner" which was turned into a mini-series on HBO and was co-written by the other guy that EP's "The Wire" with Simon.

[DotheBartman]

Nickel and Dimed and What's the Matter with Kansas?. Both for school, though I enjoyed both. Right now I'm starting on Why We Can't Wait by MLK Jr.

[the 'house always wins]

finished Ender's Game...now I'm onto Speaker for the Dead...next up after that, either All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren, Life After God by Douglas Coupland, or Polaroids from the Dead by Douglas Coupland.

[aoife]

I'm re-reading one of those trashy Janice Dickinson memoirs -- she's insane, it's fantastic.

I have EVER read and "The Corner" which was turned into a mini-series on HBO and was co-written by the other guy that EP's "The Wire" with Simon.
Hahah, I would love to get a free copy of the Janice Dickinson book. I like her style of crazy, and it would be a good fast read.

I read The Corner years ago, while raiding my uni library's sociology section. It's depressing, but interesting...I think it's weird but cool that this became a mini-series. I had heard of the show first, which makes it even weirder.

[The mayor of Albuquerque]

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart D. Ehrman
Brilliant

[Homer Jay]

The Peopling of British North America: An Introduction by Bernard Bailyn. I really liked this book, it had a lot of good information and was brilliantly written. I found out a lot about the diversity that existed within the colonies as well as more things which could tie the colonies to England

A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia by Thomas Harriot. This was a pain in the ass to read, it was a copy of the original thus u's looked like v's and many s's looked like f's. It was funny to read we sucked the pipe though

[tim]

the ultimate hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.

having a hard time finding time to read it, though =\

[Dewey Finn]

Fahrenheit 451. It's about society that banned books...

It's just a great story written in 1953 when McCarthy was being an $#@ to the society

[Homer Jay]

Antigone-one of the handfull of greatest plays over written

[Kamerica]

vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions


well, im still reading it, but whatever.

[camelenchilada]

Don't know if this counts, but I'm in the process of reading the 9/11 Commission Report.

[nathaniel]

http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/11420000/11420065.gif

real good. looking forward to the novel

[Homer Jay]

I just finished reading The Return of Martin Guerre, I liked it. My major problem was that the writer did not go into the depths of the possible religious problems, and only hinted at it. I would have liked to know what her lines of thinking in this area were

[Milhouse Van Houten]

killing yourself to live by chuck klosterman

he mentions in the book that without a doubt some people will go online and make a blog entry about how he is trying way to hard to be hunter s. thompson. prior to reading that part, i was going to do just that.

[the 'house always wins]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0671874349.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

I quite liked it...next up...not sure, maybe All the King's Men

[Homer Jay]

The Unredeemed Captive-I thought this was very well written, and provides some good insight into how Indians and English colonists interacted

The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop-This was a fairly standard biography. It doesn't provide anything that really seemed to shake up how we look at Puritans, but does provide a good look into the mind of one of their leaders

[jayzamann]

I broke down and read "Stupid White Men" by Michael Moore to see what he was spurting about. It was 5 years old, but still packed a punch. I know he is biased as all hell, but there is merit to what he says - as serious as you can take him.

[Adamm R)))]

Finished Scar Tissue about a week ago, I absolutely love it. What I really love is that AK doesn't talk about regretting all of the shit that he's done at all, he tells it exactly how he felt at the time, which is really effective. The whole story is really interesting too, both in and out of the band. He lost his virginity at age 12 to his dad's 18 year old girlfriend!

Also, I'm reading To Kill a Mockingbird for school at the moment. It's a decent enough book, but school's sucking all the fun out of it. I mean, I really don't want to analysise it to the extent that we are and I'm a GD nerd. Not to mention, when we read it in class, my teacher puts on this horribly bad South American accent for all of the dialogue.

[Henrik P]

Last book I read was Barry Trotter. A parody of Harry Potter. Pretty entertaining. The guy who wrote it obviously has a great taste of humour. ;) Maybe not really the sort of books I like but it was alright. I'll rate it with 4/5.