»

[merylsilverburg]

It seems "book" threads aren't very popular but I thought to give it another go since I'm trying to read more now and would be interested to find out what others are reading.

I'm currently reading a couple of books:

- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (nearly done, the story reads like a fairy tale but it's actually disguised as one of those enlightenment "finding yourself" sort of crap. An annoying ploy and I'm a bit irritated since I hate reading these sort of things but didn't realize the story was going to turn out like this...still, I will finish it to find out whether the boy finds his treasure or not.

- The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro (just started into 10 pages but quite intriguing so far)

- Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (read the title story, a perfect example of selfish humans and different cultural upbringings)

- Pirates! In an Adventure with Ahab by Gideon DeFoe (in the middle, I enjoyed the first book In an Adventure with Scientists! but this one seems a bit stale in its humor and characterizations)

I finished reading:

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. This is a fantastic book and watching the film based off it made me like the book better. It's so controlled in its tone and narration which really fits the mind of the main character and the overall story is just very sweet and sad.

Entombed by Linda Fairstein. This book I thought would be interesting since I enjoy reading mystery/thriller novels but this one really falls flat. It's got Edgar Allen Poe background (the title and story is loosely based off of his story The Premature Burial) but the entire book and ending is just so dumb.

The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy. Never read a Tolstoy story before although I wanted to read War and Peace but I never got around to it. This story was shorter and gave me a feel for his style. A very impressive short story that really captured realistically the anguish and torture of a man realizing his unfulfilled and untruthful life before his death. The entire theme of death and life and the way Ivan's "friends" reacted to Ivan's death really applies to human nature.

[GuitarHero30017]

resident evil by S.D Perry

[Beretta55]

Resident Evil Zero Hour by S.D. Perry and the first Hellsing manga.

Yeah, I'm not what you'd call a scholar or anything.
Always better to read something and not at all is how I look at it.

[Pu the Owl]

Coelho? Never looked very intriguing to me. Seemed one of these editorial cases that appeal a vast audience without really deserving it. I tried reading some pages in bookstores, just to have an idea, and I always ended being convinced it wasn't worth the time.


I just finished reading The Prestige by Christopher Priest. After watching the movie and being completely baffled by the idiocy of some of its elements, I decided I wanted to give the book a try to see if it was also like that. I admit both movie and book, despite being silly for many reasons, are quite entertaining. Maybe the written material even more than the movie. The book is a good "bathroom" book, one of those I like reading especially while taking a bath or in other moments when I don't want anything taxing. But honestly, some plot elements were way too lame

I've been reading the book by Priest as a break from other two books I am in the middle of reading. Magic Seeds by V.S. Naipaul and The Last Days by Raymond Queneau.

The Naipaul book I was particularly enjoying, but some plot events created in me a sense of unrest and anxiety and I couldn't go on. I intend to finish it soon though. Something similar happened before with other books, the worst case of it being The Count of Montecristo, where a plot twist resulted so unbearable that for a month I could not think about opening the book again

I haven't finished the book by Queneau simply because it is not one of those books you have to read with great attention. There isn't a plot or anything, there are only characters, with names I have to say I forget at times. I find it a witty and extraordinarily ironic work, at the same time very relaxing. Too much relaxing in fact... I cannot read it all the time.

I'm nearly done with Banana Yoshimoto's Umi no futa. I got it as Christmas present, but started reading it only two days ago. I don't know if the book has an English translation yet. The works from this writer have always been linear and refreshing, something you can only appreciate if you're in the right state of mind. I also liked the positivity contained in them, despite it being a little simplistic. But it's been like this for years. She's starting to irritate me: she never renews her stories and situations, it's all variations on the same theme, with less than satisfying results during the last years because she lost some of the genuine touch she used to have.

Another book I am reading very slowly is The Long dark tea-time of the soul by Douglas Adams. This one I am reading slowly for a different reason: it's the last Douglas Adams book I have, after this one I know there will be no more and it makes me quite sad to think about it. I know I can re-read all the others again and again till the end of times, but you know the feeling when you like something and you know there will be no more of it? Well, I'm trying to make it last longer!

I am also reading Once on a time by A.A. Milne. I started it yesterday and the first half of the book is gone. I think I will finish it today. It's a lovely and hilarious book where a typical fairy tale turns into a parody of fairy tales themselves. And I have a side note on this book: I got it used from an amazon seller as it is out of print. It's a very old copy printed in 1968, there are no new editions. The inner cover has written on it in blue ink with a very childish and sloppy hadwriting "LET ME OUT OR I WHIL TELL DADDY". After much speculation about the story behind this sentence - who was writing? who was the other person? why was this person being held somewhere? why writing on the book istead of telling the other in person? where were these people at the time the sentence was written? were they both kids? did daddy actually solve the matter among the other two? were they really only two or the person writing had more opponents? etc. - I decided some mysteries are better left unsolved. I'm still very curious about it though.

[Berserker]

The complete stories and poems of Edgar Allen Poe , always loved his style of writing.

That's mysterious Panuru, that's the kind of stuff that get people so curious that they keep thinking about it for a loooong time. Bit Stephen Kingy when I think about it.

[trunks69420]

Re reading the harry potter series again... and re reading the uk version of a clockwork orange as soon as i'm done with that...after that i'll be raiding my book shelves for something else because as much as i love the potter series... I'm starting to think i'll never read anything else.

[DragonSphere]

Man I'm so bad when it comes to finishing books - not that I don't enjoy 'em - but that I only read maybe a book or two a year now. It's so easy for me to put off reading after not being able to read it for a few days b/c of school and whatnot, then all of a sudden that week turns into months, months turn into... well, you know where this is going. Funny thing is, it's the same way with my games too (ie, FFXII, which I haven't played in over a year).

Anyway, what I'm hoping to finish in the very near future is World War Z, by Max Brooks. I read his other one before it - The Zombie Survival Guide - and while both books aren't told in a traditional narrative, it makes for a pretty exciting/thrilling world to read about.

[Faile]

I still have the second half of the complete sherlock holmes on the go. Also, The Waves by Woolf is waiting, and there's lots more Coupland too. I need to read more this year.

[Pu the Owl]

Originally Posted by Berserker

[I]That's mysterious Panuru, that's the kind of stuff that get people so curious that they keep thinking about it for a loooong time. Bit Stephen Kingy when I think about it.

Yes! It's very mysterious! And if you could see the way it's written! I can't scan it now, but I assure you actually seeing it adds a lot to the simple way I'm telling you! And in a book like that, so old, all yellowed and creased... I'm sorry there isn't a name or anything on the first page. Some people mark their books, but not in this case. I have to confess I thought about contacting the original owner to know the story behind that message, but there's no way of locating this person. Anway, as I said, that's pure curiosity, nothing else, because thinking about it, finding the owner would probably ruin the sense of mystery! Unless... unless the true story is really Stephen Kingy and the book is cursed or something!

[Berserker]

If you tried to scan it it would probably turn out blank and little creepy kids will start to show up in mirrors and stuff....brrrrrrr.

[Pu the Owl]

You saved my life! I didn't think about it! I don't mind them in mirrors, but you can't expect cursed children to limit themselves to mirrors only. I wouldn't like the idea of them pulling cats tails or singing in the background when I'm watching a movie. That would be annoying.

But really... you should sell your idea to Hollywood! They'll make a movie, they like these things!

[Hylas]

I am reading Atonement because I've heard it mentioned everywhere for weeks now, because of the movie and all, and also when I was at a bookstore lately I saw it was among most sold books and it didn't seem as stupid as other books in the same top list. Maybe I'm not a good reader, I find it well written but a little boring

[Pu the Owl]

I have Atonement at home, somebody gave it to me months ago as a present, but I can't force myself to read it. I don't know, I don't find it appealing at the moment.

Today I started reading Orsinian Tales by Ursula Le Guin. It's a good book for characters' study and unexpectedly subtle in some of its parts, also quite refined in style. It's weird to think it's labeled as sci-fi, because apart from the fact of being set in a sort of fictional universe - an imaginary central European country - there's nothing of the sci-fi genre in it.

[jjmoohead]

I am reading WWE superstar Chris Jerichos book called A lions Tale. Its pretty funny and I am almost done.

[merylsilverburg]

Originally Posted by Psychopu

Coelho? Never looked very intriguing to me. Seemed one of these editorial cases that appeal a vast audience without really deserving it. I tried reading some pages in bookstores, just to have an idea, and I always ended being convinced it wasn't worth the time.

Yes, I really wouldn't recommend reading his books. Granted, I've never read his other stories but just from The Alchemist I think I can pretty much deduce how his style and meanings are and I think it's going to be the same thing over and over.

Originally Posted by Panuru

I'm nearly done with Banana Yoshimoto's Umi no futa. I got it as Christmas present, but started reading it only two days ago. I don't know if the book has an English translation yet. The works from this writer have always been linear and refreshing, something you can only appreciate if you're in the right state of mind. I also liked the positivity contained in them, despite it being a little simplistic. But it's been like this for years. She's starting to irritate me: she never renews her stories and situations, it's all variations on the same theme, with less than satisfying results during the last years because she lost some of the genuine touch she used to have.

Heh, one time I saw this one Banana Yoshimoto book and flipped through it to get a feel. Then I picked up another one of her books to see how that's like and I got the feeling she writes similar stories in her books just from the titles and narratives. I guess I was right.

Originally Posted by Hylas

I am reading Atonement because I've heard it mentioned everywhere for weeks now, because of the movie and all, and also when I was at a bookstore lately I saw it was among most sold books and it didn't seem as stupid as other books in the same top list. Maybe I'm not a good reader, I find it well written but a little boring

Please let us know how the story turns out because I also heard rave reviews about the film and wondered how great the book truly is.

Has anyone here read The Historian BTW? My sister started reading it recently and wondered how slow-paced the story really is.

[Hylas]

Originally Posted by merylsilverburg

Please let us know how the story turns out because I also heard rave reviews about the film and wondered how great the book truly is.

The problem I have with this book is it's very inconstant. First of all it requires a lot, and with that I mean at least 150 pages, to get into the story. It made me think more than once to close the book before anything noteworthy actually happened. Throughout all the book there are interesting parts, but the author is very discontinuous in the narration and it's unnerving to have the story often interrupted with excessively long and boring ambient descriptions that are not interesting at all. In these lenghty parts the writer is annoyingly showing off, like he wants to demonstrate how good he is at writing, but I don't care at all if he's good at writing. If he's annoying and I as a reader am not interested and I keep on yawning hoping he'll go back to narration instead of going on with description, then he can't be that good after all. If you don't mind these things in a book, maybe you will like it, since as I said before it's well written enough.

[merylsilverburg]

Originally Posted by Hylas

In these lenghty parts the writer is annoyingly showing off, like he wants to demonstrate how good he is at writing,

Ugh, yeah I hate it when they do that. It always make you lose focus on the narration when they add long-winded details that sometimes span for half a page to a page long. Good luck if you decide to continue reading it to the end.

[Pu the Owl]

In some books long descriptions are not annoying, but they must be used really well to not seem superfluous and misplaced. When they're overused, the reader starts thinking about other things, doesn't follow what's written in the book anymore and becomes distracted. I don't like when a writer uses descriptions to make the reader think about the greatness of his ability. That is completely pointless and I suppose also negative for the book, unless the book is something autoreferential or er... avant-garde? I assume we're talking of books with a narration, a story. Essays etc. work differently. In that case could be the fact you have to reflect on things that are completely external is a necessity. Anyway, most avant-garde books end being pretentious and irritating, and avant-garde writers don't have a clue themselves about what they're writing

[tempted]

Last week i read, From Baghdad, With Love. by Jay Kopelman and The Secret. by Rhonda Byrne, it took me about 4 nights to read both. And the other night i started reading Marley and Me by John Grogan, so that's what i'm reading now.

[Redpyramidhead]

I just bought The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama.

I havent read that far but so far I am enjoying it. Barack is an extraordinarily amazing writer. What I like about the book so far is that it... well I definately can't say it doesn't have an agenda...BUT... it is presented in an approachable manner. Even if you didn't or don't plan to vote for him, I would reccommend checking out this book. Obama is pretty motivational in a seemingly more genuine way than your average politician... and you may not get that impression from his campaign ads.. thats why I dug a little deeper and decided to read some of his writing.

RED