Finished it. Wow, what a disturbing book. But brilliant.

Just started Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

quote:

Originally posted by kendocubano:
I loved this book. Turned me off to eel forever, though. At least until I discovered sushi!

Mmm...Unagi...

quote:

Originally posted by Sinister:
Finished it. Wow, what a disturbing book. But brilliant.

Read the other two now. And watch the film!

News Flash: Internet Comes to China!!!
Back in the game, boyzzzzzz...

Just finished John Gray's outstanding critique of utopian thinking as it appears in modern politics, Black Mass.
As a long time admirer of the man, allow me to say, not uncritically; I could not agree with some of his points re: Bush & Blair's war motivations , but he makes me think, and think hard, and that is all I could hope for.

Yeah, I am taking my time on the sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I am about half-way done with it.

In some ways, I thought the sixth was the best of the books. Less repetitive than some, more complex. Still building. There's some payoff, though, of course, not as much as the seventh, but, then, more than the fourth and fifth.

Seymour Hersch Chain of Command.

Absolutely essential reading if you're an American, or a citizen of the planet in fact.

I'm currently reading Mort by Terry Pratchett. I started reading the Discworld novels in publication order. This is the 4th, but so far the weakest for me. Still good, though. Will be taking a break from Mr. Pratchett for a little while after this one.

The only Terry Pratchett I've ever read was his collaboration with Neil Gaiman (whose work I love) in Good Omens. Inspired lunacy. Monty Python does the apocalypse. I highly recommend it to fans of sci-fi, comedy, and the apocalypse. Nearly Douglas Adams good.

Suite Francaise - Irene Nemirovsky

I took a break from this to read something else, but I'm hoping to get back into it this week. It's a wonderful book, originally written in French, but beautifully translated into English. Written prior to the author's death in Auschwitz in 1942, it portrays the everyday lives of the French during the Nazi invasion and subsequent occupation.

If you're not familiar with the story of the book's creation, the reviews on amazon do an excellent job of summarizing it. That she was able to write this in the midst of the Nazi occupation is remarkable, and it's incredibly sad she never got to write the final three sections of her planned masterwork.

I'll write more about it once I've finished it.

Suite Francaise was terribly moving and sad. One of the lovliest books I've ever read. Congratulations on finding it.

From the sublime to the ridiculous. Yesterday I read Chuck Klosterman's "Fargo, Rock City," and today I am reading Stephen Colbert's trifle.

It is awfully funny though.

re-reading haunted by chuck palahniuk, and tryin to get into ret easton ellis. i reallyliked american psycho, but am having a hard time with anything else. less than zero was horrendous.

Well I finished the 6th installment of Harry Potter and I must say that I was quite taken a back. First off, it was a great book but this isn’t the surprising part. I was just surprised with how it ended: the surprises and unfortunate events that took place. I mean, I guess you know something is going to happen but I wasn’t expecting that.

Oh well, now I have to wait an entire year for the movie version to come out. I am debating whether to just finish off the series or to take a break from Mrs. Rowling and re-read some of my classics that I have (The Stranger, Slaughterhouse Five, Siddhartha) or perhaps read something new?

Well anyways, I will let you guys know on what I read next.

I am on a WWII jag, both fiction and non-fiction.

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
Well I finished the 6th installment of Harry Potter and I must say that I was quite taken a back. First off, it was a great book but this isn’t the surprising part. I was just surprised with how it ended: the surprises and unfortunate events that took place. I mean, I guess you know something is going to happen but I wasn’t expecting that.

Oh well, now I have to wait an entire year for the movie version to come out. I am debating whether to just finish off the series or to take a break from Mrs. Rowling and re-read some of my classics that I have (The Stranger, Slaughterhouse Five, Siddhartha) or perhaps read something new?

Well anyways, I will let you guys know on what I read next.

If you'd like to read something relatively new, but thematically similar, I'll make two recommendations. More sophisticated and complex, but mining some of the same territory.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrel by Sussana Clarke

The Book of Lost Things by John Connally

I might check those out, thanks kendo.

Kendo, on your rec, I just started reading Kafka on the Shore. I'll let you know when I'm done.

quote:

The Book of Lost Things by John Connally

i ddint care for this book AT ALL

quote:

Originally posted by MajorNougat:
Kendo, on your rec, I just started reading Kafka on the Shore. I'll let you know when I'm done.

Oh, good for you. It is superb. Be prepared for much strangeness! You have read Murakami before, though, if I remember correctly?

It has talking cats! How can anyone fail to be cheered up by talking cats! And balloons!

quote:

i ddint[sic] care for this book AT ALL

I'm sorry to hear that. I thought it was lovely and moving. It's all about childhood's end. As my children are growing older, I find works that deal with that theme poignant.