Currently Reading / Just Read (Books/stories/whatever)

[Rei]

When I have time to breathe I want to read that one.

[Luet]

I didn't enjoy it as much as most other seem to. It was a little heavy on the details for me.

[Gravity Defier]

I finished Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging (posted in the book club) and CotM, which just served to remind me of 1) how badly I want a real-life Jane, 2) how much I love Ender-as-Peter, and 3) how much I love/respect the character of Ender.

I also finished A Knight of the Word (I don't like how graphic it can be -violence that sometimes gets described and sometimes is just hinted at-which is where I think my discomfort comes into play when I read this series) and can't wait to get to the last in the trilogy (Angel Fire East or something close to that). But, it'll have to wait.

I have Ender In Exile and the IGMS anthology that I have to get to since they're only 10 day loans. I'll be reading the Enderverse stories in IGMS, then EiE, then go back and read the other stories in IGMS.

Then the last in my trilogy.

After that, I might pick up Deathly Hallows again...I don't know. I need to read at least 3 more books (I think, though I'd have to check my spreadsheet to be sure) before the 25th to stay on track of my annual goal and after these couple books, I won't have anything I feel I need to read.

[locke]

3) how much I love/respect the character of Ender.

After that, I might pick up Deathly Hallows again...I don't know. I need to read at least 3 more books (I think, though I'd have to check my spreadsheet to be sure) before the 25th to stay on track of my annual goal and after these couple books, I won't have anything I feel I need to read.

cough*A Mind of its Own*cough

As for 3, I'm a bit nervous about Ender in Exile. someone once explained to me why she, as a jew, could not let herself read the women of Genesis series because those figures are extremely important to her, and many of her fellow jewish women, and she didn't want her understanding of them taxed by OSC's mormon oriented mis-interpretation of them.

I'm not sure I'm ready for RWROSC's interpretation of Ender. it is with trepedition that I'll buy and read the book.

[Darth Petra]

I just finished "The Grapes of Wrath"...what a strange ending.

[locke]

I finished rereading the Colour of magic. And although I know it's not well liked today, I like it quite a lot. Twoflower and Rincewind and the Luggage are an awesome trio, and the wacky supporting cast is also excellent. I love the digs at Pern and other fantasy series. Not a great discworld book but it's quite fun.

[Mich]

Not well liked? I've never heard that! Curious, as it remains one of my favorite Discworld books, and was the first one I read. It is written a bit differently than many of the others, but that doesn't make it a great satire of the fantasy and role-playing genres.

Ah, yes, that was back in the days I cared about reading them in order. Silly me. Silly, silly me.

[Valentine]

I just finished reading several chapters of Financial Management: Theory and Practice. Let me tell you, it's enthralling.
That's about the only book I have had time for recently

[surditate_vero]

Luet wrote of Eifelheim

I didn't enjoy it as much as most other seem to. It was a little heavy on the details for me.

Yeah, no kidding. It's however, a very accurate portrayal of the medieval worldview. I quite liked the book for its implicit argument that while we have a hard time understanding the medieval period and its thought processes, if medieval people were to suddenly appear in our time, they'd have a hard time understanding our thought processes and 'translating' modernity in such a way as to fit in their worldview.

I'm now on Sara Douglass' Crucible series, which focuses on Europe during the Black Death - fun times, indeed....

[Gravity Defier]

As long as there are no time-limits imposed (for book club purposes), I'll read A Mind of Its Own. My main library and a lot of the branches are in transition between a temporary building and their new permanent buildings, so they're über-slow in getting books out of storage.

As for 3, I'm a bit nervous about Ender in Exile.

I'm not sure I'm ready for RWROSC's interpretation of Ender. it is with trepedition that I'll buy and read the book.

Yes, me too. Which would explain why I've picked it up, stared at it, started to open it, and then set it down again multiple times. We've been doing this dance since before I went to bed and I didn't stop upon waking.

[Luet]

It's however, a very accurate portrayal of the medieval worldview. I quite liked the book for its implicit argument that while we have a hard time understanding the medieval period and its thought processes, if medieval people were to suddenly appear in our time, they'd have a hard time understanding our thought processes and 'translating' modernity in such a way as to fit in their worldview.

I have enjoyed other books about medieval times, namely, Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. My husband found that book too boring but I enjoyed it enough to read it multiple times. But I wasn't able to get into Eifelheim as thoroughly.

[surditate_vero]

Luet, I suspect you'd like Ken Follett's two books as well, along with Sara Douglass' Crucible series.

Douglass knows her history and theology cold. Follett's depictions of medieval England are spot-on and vividly detailed. They're two splendid series (okay, Follett's really two book-ends, but considering the gargantuan length of both of his novels, it's pretty much a two-book series, really).

[zeroguy]

RWROSC

Right-Wing Republican?
Really Wacky Righty?
Read Write Read?
Repeatedly Writing Retcons?
Ronald Wilson Reagan?

Okay, I think I'm done.

Edit: No I'm not.

Rythmically Whacking Raccoons?
Running and Writhing Reaganomically?
Relinquishing Whiskey Rapidly?

[locke]

close:
Right-Wing Radio

[Luet]

Luet, I suspect you'd like Ken Follett's two books as well, along with Sara Douglass' Crucible series.

I have read Pillars of the Earth and enjoyed it, but I'll have to check out the others you mentioned.

[locke]

just reread Equal Rites.

It's very much lesser Pratchett, but it's so damn interesting to read it in perspective of the vastly superior Tiffany Aching books, and it's interesting to see it in the context of the earlier iteration of discworld that was less developed. Particularly the proto Granny weatherwax and the wizards pre-Ridcully. In a lot of ways the Aching books are a do-over of Equal Rites.

I really hated the reference to Steven Spielberg and the older style of often referencing our world. More out of place in this book than in the first one because discworld is at this point coalescing into a coherent universe and is less an Adams-esque riff.

[zeroguy]

(From Hell):

Also, anyone who's into epic poetry (think Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, for instance) might also like Milton's Paradise Lost.

I've actually been looking to at least try reading this for awhile now. Is there any particular version (e.g. editor) that people recommend?

[LilBee91]

I read Candide this weekend. I think I appreciated the humour more when I was telling the story to people afterward. Good stuff all around. I'll have to read more Voltaire.

[lyons24000]

A new book called Helix by Eric Brown. The beginning and the middle are both very good but the end moved waaaaaaaaay too fast. 7/10

Pebble in the Sky--Isaac Asimov is another one I'm reading. I'm only a couple of chapters in but it is very good.

Also, I'm almost finished with The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlin. Extremely good book. I was a little put off with the new dialect spoken by Luna's inhabitants but after a while you get used to it and even learn to ignore it.

Another book that I finished reading a little while back was 1984 by George Orwell. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 8.5/10

I also started reading War of the Worlds online but had to quit because it's hard reading a book on the computer. I'm going to go check it out from the library and finish it.

Since The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a library book and I've been going kind of slow reading it, I'm planning on finishing it before I buy EinE so that I won't be overdue. I know for a fact that I'll put off reading Harsh Mistress to read EinE.

[Gravity Defier]

I have ~100 pages left of New Moon and I have to say, I sort of hate it. The plot, if you can call it that, is ridiculous. I can only make it two or so pages at a time before I have to take a break because even in my most pathetic moments, I have nothing on Bella.

Not sure what book is next; the books I want to read are all on hold at the library.

[Jakt]

I've been putting off reading Shadow of the Giant for about 4 days now, I read all the other shadow books last week. I guess I'm afraid that if I finish this one then I'll have no more in the series, and I honestly hate that feeling because then I have to reconnect with brand new characters and sometimes the good ones are hard to find. I guess I still have Ender in Exile to look forward to since I've been delaying it until I finished all the others.

Anyone have any post-Ender's Game recommendations? I was thinking about reading The Last Kingdom because I've heard good things about it but it is short and I'd finish it quickly.

[lyons24000]

I just got through with "The Stars, Like Dust" and I was very disappointed. I am happy that Asimov himself agreed with me and called it his worst book.

The problem I saw with it was that it wasn't very well planned out. It seemed he rushed through it almost as if he woke up bored one morning and said, "I'm going to write a book to pass the time" and "tSLD" was the outcome. You know that feeling you have for the first fifty or so pages of a book where you know that it is the beginning? Well, I felt like that for the entire book. It was over before I was able to accept the fact that I had passed the first fifty pages!

6/10 (My lowest rating yet for an Asimov book)

When I'm done with Asimov I'm probably going to read Herbert and Heinlin. I tried reading "Dune" before but quit. I'll try it again while being excited this time about it.

[locke]

post Ender's Game genre authors to look into reading

Scott Lynch
Robin Hobb
Terry Pratchett
Anne McCaffrey

much darker authors:
George RR Martin
Scott R Bakkar
Neil Gaiman

other Card you might want to read:
Songmaster
Hart's Hope
The Alvin Maker Series
Pastwatch
Lovelock
Lost Boys

[Jayelle]

Neil Gaiman! Neil Gaiman! Neil Gaiman!


(sorry, I have to do that anytime someone mentions him)

[Dr. Mobius]

Robert Jordan's The Eye of the World. A friend of mine has been trying to get me to read the Wheel of Time books for years and I guess I finally am.

[zeroguy]

post Ender's Game genre authors to look into reading

John Steakley (for Armor).

other Card you might want to read:

Worthing Saga.

[Young Val]

2666

Just like everyone else on the planet.

[elfprince13]

I finished rereading the Colour of magic. And although I know it's not well liked today, I like it quite a lot. Twoflower and Rincewind and the Luggage are an awesome trio, and the wacky supporting cast is also excellent. I love the digs at Pern and other fantasy series. Not a great discworld book but it's quite fun.

have you seen the TV adaption? its pretty hilarious.


adding on to the list of post-EG reading material, I'd suggest Terry Brooks, though I'm not a huge fan of the original Sword of Shannara, the series gets much better as it progresses.

for everyone approaching EiE with trepidation, have faith. OSC's beliefs are the same as they were when he wrote EG, and I didn't pick up on any hidden "wacko righty agenda"

also, for non-fiction I'm currently -c-r-u-i-s-i-n-g- making my way through Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

[locke]

also, for non-fiction I'm currently -c-r-u-i-s-i-n-g- making my way through Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

Brilliant book, btw! one of my favorites.

[elfprince13]

Brilliant book, btw! one of my favorites.

have you read The Miracle at Philadelphia?

[VelvetElvis]

locke, I have to say that I support your recommendation of Anne McCaffery one hundred percent.

[elfprince13]

locke, I have to say that I support your recommendation of Anne McCaffery one hundred percent.

especially older Anne McCaffrey. both the Talent series, and the Pern series are very good. I'm not a big fan of the new Pern novels with Todd McCaffrey.

[surditate_vero]

I read Candide this weekend. I think I appreciated the humour more when I was telling the story to people afterward. Good stuff all around. I'll have to read more Voltaire.

Hee. Oh, Voltaire.... Candide was quite a good read, and short as well. I have to agree - you don't really appreciate Voltaire until a while after you've read him: "Oh, so that's what was so funny about him....."

I'm currently re-reading Lolita by Nabokov. Every now and then I like to read books that were once on the Church's index of prohibited books - sometimes I think that's the best reading list out there...is it wrong of me to think that?

[Rei]

Banned books are very often some of the best books. People can't stand a good read that makes them think.

[Jayelle]

Not to open a big ol' can of worms, or to single out either of you two, but...

Yes, there are many books on the banned book list that "makes people think" and many that were banned because of stupid reasons (Harry Potter, Where's Waldo spring to mind).

However, it's fashionable to read banned books that aren't objectionable anymore or not objectionable to you. I'll bet there are some books and some subjects out there that repulse you enough that you wouldn't read them. Go read those books, or try to publish a picture book on child pornography and then talk to me about freedom of the press and enjoying banned books.

[/rant]

(this, of course, is not entirely because of what you said, but as a result of working in a library and having this discussion multiple times with people who get all on their high horse about banned books)