quote:

Originally posted by Sandy:
"State of Fear" which is a slow starter, but if it is up to Michael Crichton's usual standard, should pick up speed. I need something a little less depressing than the book I've just finished - "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro, my favourite modern author.

I love Ishiguro, too!

Couple of notes on the previous posts here before I list mine.

I think "Hard Times" is one of Dicken's worst (this is relative to Dickens, of course). "Tale of Two Cities" is a personal fave, but I'm always drawn to the classics.

If you liked Twain's "The Mysterious Stranger" check out "Letters From Earth," another of his late-era athiest screeds (and a good one at that).

Okay, now mine.

Just finished "Moby Dick" (love the classics) and have started Rudy Rucker's "Infinity and the Mind," a semi-obscure pop science text on the history and meaning of concepts of infinity by one of science fiction's lesser known wizards. Good stuff, so far.

Will probably go for some Bentley Little next. His new one just came out.

quote:

If you liked Twain's "The Mysterious Stranger" check out "Letters From Earth," another of his late-era athiest screeds (and a good one at that).

"Letters from the Earth" is certainly awesome, but I wouldn't call it atheist. It's just very critical of popular Christianity.


Also, I just got done reading "The $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories," a 500+ page collection of Twain short stories. Several of the stories had me laughing out loud. Twain is so great. Easily my favorite author ever.

I'm halfway through "Fathers and Sons," a novel by Ivan Turgenev. Bertrand Russell praised Turgenev in a book of his that I read, so I picked one up. It's pretty good so far.

I'll probably read some sort of sciencec book after I'm done with "Fathers and Sons." Then I want to read "Catcher in the Rye."

Finished "Forests of the Heart" by Charles de Lint (I'm a slow reader and like to reread pages as I go along) and now have started "Franklin Flyer" by Nicholas Christopher. The de Lint novel was urban folklore fantasy and as with all his books I've read so far, his characters are all well written and seem very believeable. I enjoyed his "The Little Country" best, so far.

This is the 3rd Christopher novel for me. His stories seem to move all over the globe and envelope many different ways of life. I'd recommend his "A Trip to the Stars" as a good place to start for Christopher's books.

Now I'm reading "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charlse Dickens. I've been trying to catch up on classical literature, which I haven't read nearly enough of. I just have trouble reading Dickens' stuff at any kind of decent speed. It takes me forever. Still haven't gotten to "Catcher in the Rye" yet.

Also, I'm reading "Asimov on Astronomy," yet another collection of Isaac Asimov science essays. There've actually been a couple dud essays in this book, full of vacuous speculation, and I'm not learning as much as I usually do reading Asimov.

Just started on Clifford Simak's "City" this week. I'm getting a sense of this being a tail er I mean tale of dogs ruling the earth after man has abandonded it, to the point where man is considered a myth.

I've always liked Simak's brand of sci-fi, particularly "The Goblin Reservation".

"Return to Self" - Anthony Storr

On Beauty by Zadie Smith...I loved White Teeth and am looking forward to this one big time!

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon

interesting novel about an autistic teen.

quote:

Originally posted by joji:
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon

interesting novel about an autistic teen.

I hope you enjoy it. I couldn't really get into it, but my wife liked it.

I just started (for the 2nd time) 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley.

Does manga count in this thread? A friend got me hooked on "Flame Of Recca", "Seraphic Feather", "Planet Ladder" (great series now finished), "3x3 Eyes", "Video Girl Ai" and "Shadow Star". She gave me a few graphic manga novels, so I read these when I want something really light. I have a backlog of Recca's to read, so that should get me through the holidays.

Just finished Andrew Sarris' "Poltics & Cinema," a collection of his film reviews/articles from the 1970s. A good read. Sarris was the chief film critic for "The Village Voice" and one of the giants of film criticism.

I just started "Spinning Blues Into Gold: The Chess Brothers & the Legendary Chess Records." Nadine Cohodas wrote the book, which came out in 2000. It is exactly what the title says it is, a history of Chess Records, a legendary Chicago Blues record label.

I've started in on "Anna Karenina" by Tolstoy. It's over 800 pages, and I'm about 220 in. I haven't been in a reading kind of mood lately, so it'll probably take me a week or two to get through the rest of it.

Starting the "In Search of Lost Time" series by Proust. I've made it 150 into Swann's Way and I don't know how much longer I can make it.

Currently reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (after finishing Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and being blown away)

Also more measuredly reading the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer.

Up Next: Monster of God by David Quammen

As a side-note: I'm surprised how many people seem not to have liked Crichton's Prey. I thought it was one of his best.

quote:

Originally posted by jorgethemolar:
Currently reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (after finishing Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and being blown away)

Also more measuredly reading the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer.

Up Next: Monster of God by David Quammen

As a side-note: I'm surprised how many people seem not to have liked Crichton's Prey. I thought it was one of his best.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle should blow you away as well. It, along with Hard-Boiled, are my two favorites by him. I have read all Murakami's stuff save Kafka on the Shore. As for David Quammen, he's a great writer. I took a nature writing class in college and we read a lot of his essays.

I have just finished reading The Gates of Rome by Conn Iggulden - Brilliant read and could not put it down until finished!

Right now I'm reading Romeo and Juliet and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

quote:

Originally posted by Ginny:
Right now I'm reading Romeo and Juliet and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

I think Restaurant... is my favorite of the "trilogy."