Reading List

LloydBrown · Jan 27, 2006

I recently read Stephen King's On Writing, and it reinspired my dedication to reading. I've cut TV back to about 5 hours a week (I watch Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy with my wife, and ER when it's new), and it's making a big difference.

So, then I read Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain on the 21st (in about 4 1/2 hours).
Then John Grisham's The Summons.
I read 28 chapters of a friend's unpublished ms (about 65,000 words).
I read Michael Stackpole's I, Jedi between the 24th & 25th.
Now I'm reading George Martin's A Clash of Kings. It's going to take a few days because it's a monster.
Then Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. That should take an afternoon.

Then I go back to the library.

It's a good time.

Shadow_Ferret · Jan 27, 2006

TV isn't my problem.

My kids are.

You want 'em?

Noob · Jan 27, 2006

Shadow_Ferret said:
TV isn't my problem.

My kids are.

You want 'em?

he he. Good one

LloydBrown · Feb 13, 2006

To Kill a Mockingbird is done.

So is Martin's A Clash of Kings, which was a 1,000-page beast.
At the library tonight, I picked up Last of the Mohicans, Lord of the Flies, and Beowolf's Children, sequel to Legacy of Heorot, one of the best sci-fi pieces from the last 40 years, IMHO.

I have questions about TKAM, but they have to wait until morning.

Shadow_Ferret · Feb 13, 2006

Beowolf's Children? Is it written in unrhymed, four-beat alliterative metre of Old English poetry too?

kristie911 · Feb 13, 2006

I'm in the middle of Stephen King's new novel, Cell. Awesome so far...

Then it's on to Patterson's, The 5th Horsemen and Iris Johansen's, On The Run.

After that, well, who knows?

WerenCole · Feb 13, 2006

kristie911 said:
I'm in the middle of Stephen King's new novel, Cell. Awesome so far...

Then it's on to Patterson's, The 5th Horsemen and Iris Johansen's, On The Run.

After that, well, who knows?

King's new novel was pre-ordered for me during Christmas, but was sent to my parents house. . . I just need to drive a hundred miles to go get it.

Anyway, I am doing a research project on cynicism in the later years of Mark Twain's life, so I am up to my ears in Twain research. . . I would suggest Letter's From The Earth. . . . hilarious blasphemy, if you believe in that blasphemy stuff. . . or maybe try picking up The Mysterious Stranger and other short works. . . Twain was very biting in his later years.

BlackCrowesChick · Feb 13, 2006

kristie911 said:
I'm in the middle of Stephen King's new novel, Cell. Awesome so far...

I'm reading Cell, too. I'm almost finished with it. I like it, too.

travNastee · Feb 14, 2006

I finished Cell last night (after not reading it other than 35 pages the day I bought it.)

Let me know when y'all finish because I have some stuff that I really need to rant about over it and they are technically spoilers. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but...

Right now, though I've picked up Company by Max Barry. I'm about 50 into it, and it's pretty good so far.

I'm going to go back and re-read White Noise after that, and I might pick up Tyrannosaur Canyon.

Nicholson James · Feb 14, 2006

I finished Dave Eggers's A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius two nights ago. It's one helluva manic-depressive read, but I'd recommend it to anyone.

So now I'm about halfway through Dennis Lehane's A Drink Before the War. This man is rapidly becoming my favorite author.

(And King's On Writing is an amazing little friend.)

kristie911 · Feb 14, 2006

travNastee said:
I finished Cell last night (after not reading it other than 35 pages the day I bought it.)

Let me know when y'all finish because I have some stuff that I really need to rant about over it and they are technically spoilers. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but...

I finished Cell tonight and loved it! I'd love to know what you didn't like about it but we'd better not spoil it for everyone...

blisswriter · Feb 15, 2006

I'm still reading Bless Me Ultima. I was reading Foundation (but got stuck at the last few pages) and bell hooks' all about love (but put it down because I couldn't concentrate on it at the time).

I've gotten a bunch of new books from the Re-Store (Habitat for Humanity's "thrift" store) and I hope to break one open soon.

A few asides:

Does anyone else here shop at the Re-Store? We've been a few times since we moved to Carolina and I really like it. The down side is that it's across town and will be even further away when we move next month.

Also, is there anyone else here who never minds spoilers? I always like to hear the details, especially for movies. I feel like seeing it isn't the same as hearing it and seeing it on the screen always differs wildly from what I imagine from hearing it.

With books, spoilers are okay for me because if I plan to read it any way, the experience of reading it for myself is totally different from how I relate to it being told to me by someone else.

Maryn · Feb 15, 2006

I'm like you, Blisswriter, in two ways--spoilers can ruin movies for me, but not books, plus I shop thrift stores (although we don't have a Re-Store) frequently. It helps that my critique group's daytime meetings are near the best one.

But I understand that for some people, any and all spoilers ruin the experience, so I try hard not to mess it up for them by labeling my messages that give away important plot elements.

It's a rare book that's truly ruined by a spoiler (Shutter Island comes to mind), but obviously that's just me--and you.

Maryn, who reads less when she writes more

robeiae · Feb 15, 2006

LloydBrown said:
and Beowolf's Children, sequel to Legacy of Heorot, one of the best sci-fi pieces from the last 40 years, IMHO.

I didn't like Beowolf's Children at all, though I thought Legacy was pretty good.

Rob

Jaycinth · Feb 15, 2006

I'm working on two Ben Bova books now. I plan to grab the new King book, but after that....anybody want to give me suggestions? Horror, Sci-fi and Fantasy are my Holy Grails.

LloydBrown · Feb 15, 2006

robeiae said:
I didn't like Beowolf's Children at all, though I thought Legacy was pretty good.

I'm not liking the generational conflict. I'm about 232 pages in so far. The characterization is almost as good as Legacy, but the tension is far less intense...so far not as good as Legacy.

I think I'm going to start a new thread for my discussion on TKAMB.

LloydBrown · Feb 17, 2006

Beowulf's Children is done. Eh.

Lord of the Flies next.

robeiae · Feb 17, 2006

Have you read "The Mote in God's Eye"?

Rob

LloydBrown · Feb 17, 2006

robeiae said:
Have you read "The Mote in God's Eye"?

Nope.

I'd give these guys another chance, although I was disappointed with Beowulf's Children. I saw a lot that I liked. Unfortunately, the storyline wasn't it. Ouch!

Sarita · Feb 17, 2006

Lloyd: I just finished On Writing for the second time. It's a great read, isn't it? It really made me start writing down my ideas for short stories and future projects, now if I would only finish what I have going so I could get to some of them!

Now, I'm reading The Pacific Between, by Ray Wong. So far, so good

special needs · Feb 17, 2006

I just read "Go Ask Alice" again. I read it in 3rd grade during math class, and never understood it...I can only hope that my dad had no idea that it's not all-that-appropriate-for-a-seven-year-old....

robeiae · Feb 17, 2006

LloydBrown said:
Nope.

I'd give these guys another chance, although I was disappointed with Beowulf's Children. I saw a lot that I liked. Unfortunately, the storyline wasn't it. Ouch!

Leagacy/Beowulf is Niven, Pournelle and Barnes.

Mote is just Niven and Pournelle. It leaves Legact in the dust, IMO.

Rob

LloydBrown · Feb 26, 2006

Add Lord of the Flies to the list. Finished it today. I started Last of the Mohicans today, and it's typically long-winded for the period.

LloydBrown · Apr 4, 2006

Over a month to read Last of the Mohicans. Ugh. Or Hugh! as Cooper says.

I'm rewarding myself with Frankenstein and then Michael Crichton's Timeline. Frankenstein is short--about 60,000 words, I think, and Shelley's easy reading compared to Cooper.

LloydBrown · Apr 8, 2006

Done with Frankenstein. 90 minutes later, I'm done with Call of the Wild. That was a blast! Next!

Reading List

Court Jester

Court Jester

Happy to be here

Funny what? Do I amuse you?

Uptown Girl

in a bulletproof vest...

Happy to be here

blissed beyond belief...

Baaa!

Touch and go

Your Cuddly Sociopathic

Touch and go

carpe noctem

Resident Airhead

Touch and go