What are you reading?

[BorderCollie-san]

Post what you're reading, give a description, comments, whatever.

Currently I'm reading Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy. My grandfather left me a large box of classics when he died, and since that was almost ten years ago I decided I better make a start. A lot of them I've already read, but there are about 20 or so in the box that I haven't, so I'm set for a while. I'm enjoying it a lot.

From the blurb:
A haunting love story, Jude is the most outspoken, the most powerful and the most despairing of Thomas Hardy's creations.

Jude Fawley, the stone-mason, whose academic ambitions are thwarted by poverty and the indifference of the authorities at Christminster, appears to find fulfilment in his relationship with Sue Bridehead. Both of them have fled from previous marriages, and together they share a 'two-in-oneness' rarely matched. Ironically, when tradgedy strikes it is Sue, the modern, emancipated thinker - the last and greatest of Hardy's heroines, ranking with Emma Bovary and Anna Karenin - who is unequal to the challenge.

[J A Eyers]

I'm currently on the last chapter in The Informers, by Bret Easton Ellis (he of American Psycho infamy).

The city is Los Angeles in the very recent past. The Informers chronicles the lives of a group of people, fusing their voices into an intense, impressionistic narrative that spans and blurs genders, generations and even identities - all of them suffering from nothing less than the death of the soul.

Which is the usual pretentious bullshit they bung on the back of books. I usually distrust everything they use to try and sell books, especially quotes from people I've never heard of, or even worse, when they just attribute them to the New York Times, as there is a quote on the back of this book, as if that newspaper has stated as fact that this book is yada yada yada.

Personally, I think the book's okay, not as good as his first two, Less Than Zero and Rules Of Attraction, but better than American Psycho, which I found repetitious, monotonous and unrewarding.

[dedhed]

right now, i'm reading Hamlet and A Streetcar Named Desire, both for English Lit.

i can't wait until the summer, when i'll be able to choose what i want to read again...

BC: i've been put off Hardy by The Return of the Native. bloody awful book. i don't suppose you've read it, have you?

[BorderCollie-san]

No. The only other ones of his I've read are Under the Greenwood Tree and The Woodlanders, both of which I enjoyed.

[Injektilo]

Nearing the climax of Michael Crichton's 'Prey'. Interesting concept, but had a lot more potential if you ask me. Doesn't come anywhere near Timeline, Jurassic Park, Sphere or Andromeda Strain, all of which I enjoyed immensely.

Flying nanomachines that reproduce & evolve at an exponential rate...could've done a helluva lot more with the story other than what I've read so far - I'm hoping for an Andromeda Strain type ending...

[Kimarhi Ronso]

Armor by John Steakley.

Its kinda like SST (Right down to the powersuits and giant "ants) but its more about being a grunt with crappy logistics than politics. Its pretty good, the backstory involving Felix is pretty interesting.

As is the subplot (or in actuality, the main plot) with the other characters.

Its good if you like the monster vs. man, man vs. himself, type books.

[shirbz]

Originally posted by Injektilo
Nearing the climax of Michael Crichton's 'Prey'. Interesting concept, but had a lot more potential if you ask me. Doesn't come anywhere near Timeline, Jurassic Park, Sphere or Andromeda Strain, all of which I enjoyed immensely.

Flying nanomachines that reproduce & evolve at an exponential rate...could've done a helluva lot more with the story other than what I've read so far - I'm hoping for an Andromeda Strain type ending...

I fear you will be disappointed.

I am currently reading a non-fiction book called 'Life At The Extremes - The Science of Survival' by a scientist named Frances Ashcroft (a Professor of Physiology at Oxford). It's about human survival and adaptation in the extremes of nature and physics ie. at high altitudes, fast speeds, high pressure, extreme temperatures etc. It's absolutely fascinating and I have learned some very practical things. For example, if I hyperventilate for 30 seconds prior to holding my breath, I can hold it for around 20 seconds longer than usual due to the lower amount of Carbon Dioxide in my blood.

Also, I have been re-reading many of the articles in 'Dispatches from the Tenth Circle', a collection of pieces that have appeared in The Onion over the years. My favourite is the point/counter-point involving Jesus; "It was then that I carried you"/"Bullshit, Jesus. Those are obviously MY footprints"

[Kimarhi Ronso]

I like those quotes posted by Onion because they can go both ways.

Finished Armor. Started on Hyperion (again). Its one of my favoritist books ever. Seven unique stories, told beautifully through different styles of narrative.

One of the stories reminded my of the last few days I had with my grandpa. As a woman ages backwards, she forgets everything that happened in her life the day after. Thus she remembers being 34 and six days, but not thirty four and seven days. My grandfather was the opposite, but still there was enough similarities there to make me feel a little sad. It touches on many topics: war, love, despair, and even religion. Its a good book for those looking to stretch the imagination. Feels more like fantasy than scifi, but its set in a scifi world.

Its good like the first Matrix is good. The rest of the Hyperion novels are only average. None are as deep as the first book or as compelling.

[Canopus]

i m reading Night Ocean of Lovecraft...
very stranges stories...

[Firetalon]

I'm just starting The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes. Artemio Cruz is on his death bed, and as he dies, he remembers the things he's done in life. I suppose I'd describe it as sort of a metaphor for Mexican history, and a description of the conflict between progress and tradition.

[Yeyende]

I just finished reading "The Door Into Summer" by Robert A. Heinlein. Great book. Time travel and paradoxes and interesting stuff like that. Its set in the "near future" of 1970 (it was written in like 1955) and ends up in the year 2001.

[thrillseekah]

prelude to dune: house atreides

great book from the first page, especially if u liked the games. the whole setting comes to life

[SM]

Just got done reading Singapore The Pregnable Fortress by Peter Elphick. Started slow by giving a lot dry background to Imperial Japan and the setup in Singapore in the late 30's; early 40's. Second half describing the Japanese invasion of Malaya and the Allies getting the arses well and truly kicked was much more interesting.

Also just read Heinlein's Starship Troopers. Not bad at all, and I reckon the film was fairly faithful to the spirit of the book. I can see why most of the changes were made from book to film. As is, the book wouldn't have worked as well.

Currently on Force Heretic 3 - Reunion. Somehow these Star Wars NJO books generally start off being fairly boring, but manage to drag me in each time.

[Xenomrph]

Currently reading: 'Halo: The Fall of Reach'

Prequel novel to the XBox game "Halo", and first book in a (currently) three-book series. There's 'The Fall of Reach', which is the prequel to the game, then 'The Flood', which is the novelization of the game, and then 'First Strike', which happens between "Halo" and "Halo2". I imagine a novelization of 'Halo2' will come out sometime, too.

[Rogue9]

I'm currently in the middle of How to Shit in the Woods, but I've also started to read my FTM (Field Training Manual). After that, I don't know. Without any new SW books after the NJO series, I'm looking for other stuff to read.

[J A Eyers]

Well, I finished The Informers and now, well, I'm doing something I've not done in six or seven years or so: read a movie tie-in book. Even worse, it's an Aliens comic novelisation, the one for Nightmare Asylum. I was just in the mood for an Aliens fix that hasn't been sated by the new AvP featurettes.

[Kimarhi Ronso]

Originally posted by J A Eyers
Well, I finished The Informers and now, well, I'm doing something I've not done in six or seven years or so: read a movie tie-in book. Even worse, it's an Aliens comic novelisation, the one for Nightmare Asylum. I was just in the mood for an Aliens fix that hasn't been sated by the new AvP featurettes.

I do that alot. None of the books are particularly good, but they are fluid and easy to read. Plus people die. By aliens.

[Xenomrph]

I love the 'Rogue' novelization, personally. And the Labyrinth one is cool, too (but the comic is better).

[SM]

Even worse, it's an Aliens comic novelisation, the one for Nightmare Asylum. I was just in the mood for an Aliens fix that hasn't been sated by the new AvP featurettes.

Don't you have the films handy? Or is it just because your a close personal friend of Steve Perry?

[Kimarhi Ronso]

Originally posted by Xenomrph
I love the 'Rogue' novelization, personally. And the Labyrinth one is cool, too (but the comic is better).

Well I mean they are entertaining, I just don't think they are five star books are anything, like Hyperion.

[Xenomrph]

Originally posted by Kimarhi Ronso
Well I mean they are entertaining, I just don't think they are five star books are anything, like Hyperion.

Well, I agree there. Then again, I own around 300+ books in my personal collection, and maybe 5 of them are "five-star books".

[Phalaenopsis]

I got the complete trilogy of four "The hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy" by Douglas Adams. I had already red the first and the second one, but I'm more than please to start them over.

For those who don't know the book, it's about a men whom is about to have his house bulldozed to make way for a new highway. At the same time, one of his friend, who is an extra-terrestrial, writer for a book called "The hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy", receive a call that the Earth is about to be destroyed to make way to a new interstellar highway... The rest is about the consequences and tribulation of these guys, an hilarious english humour, comedy-sci-fi, that rocks big time.

A classic.

[SM]

And truly tragic that a talent like Douglas Adams died so young...

[The Flaming Llama]

I'm in the middle of The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian. I love how vivid the tales are. Plus, the way Howard sets up an entire world, and is able to make the episodic stories fit together. It's like Lord of the Rings, but on fire, going 80 through a shopping mall being chased by ninjas on motorcycles. That are also on fire.

[J A Eyers]

Douglas Adams died so young? He wasn't exactly twenty seven...

As for Aliens, yes, I have the movies handy, but you can't really put them on for twenty minutes before you go to bed. As a very slow reader, the books also last much longer than the films. I'll still be reading Nightmare's Asylum in a fortnight. I could watch the entire Quadrilogy several times over in that time. I've also started playing AvP2 again when I don't feel like reading. Aliens Aliens Aliens...

[Fek'lyr]

I am currently reading Reaper Man - another disworld novel from T erry Pratchett which I have read before. I sent Zonigian inFlux a copy and remembered how much i enjoyed reading it...so have started again. Its easily teh funniest book ive ever read.

[zog!]

"YES. IT WILL BE A GREAT ADVENTURE."

[Everlong]

I'm reading Mr Nice by Howard Marks. So far it's very enjoyable. He is a guy that smuggled a lot of dope a while ago, he was wanted by a fair few people and then went to jail. It's him teling stories about his life

[Fek'lyr]

"I AM NOT KNOWN FOR MY SENSE OF FUN."

[SM]

Douglas Adams died so young? He wasn't exactly twenty seven...

49 isn't old either.