Books/What are you reading?

[Andy92]

Finished reading Ender's Game about a week ago. It was a pretty good read. Thinking about picking up the sequel, Speaker for the Dead.

[Lotha]

Reading the Dresden Files, a series on a professional wizard. But so far all the books have followed a similar structure and the more I read it, the more I feel like it's more of the same. Not quite in the plot itself, but the way the plot is handled and driven. Not a fan of that, don't know if I'll read it whole.

[gbruin]

Just read Thunderstruck by Erik Larson (author of The Devil and the White City and The Garden of Beasts). Very interesting true story about a high profile murder in London and the life of Guglielmo Marconi and how his pioneering work in wireless communication played an integral role in the world wide manhunt for the killer. Larson is a really outstanding writer. Captivating read.

[cheesedip1]

What's so great about Ender's Game? I heard a lot of good things about it.

[Andy92]

What's so great about Ender's Game? I heard a lot of good things about it.

I picked it up randomly looking through the science fiction section. Didn't really realize they made a movie and it was so popular lol. It was a pretty good read though. The main point the book tried to make, at least in my opinion, was the importance of being empathetic to others, even your enemies.

I found it more thought provoking than action packed though. It was interesting, but not always exciting.

[Ubik]

I picked it up randomly looking through the science fiction section. Didn't really realize they made a movie and it was so popular lol. It was a pretty good read though. The main point the book tried to make, at least in my opinion, was the importance of being empathetic to others, even your enemies.

I found it more thought provoking than action packed though. It was interesting, but not always exciting.

Speaker for the Dead is good, though a complete change of pace.

[Andy92]

I'm planning on picking it up next. Figured it'd have a completely different feel just based on the timeframe of where the first book ended.

[\m/Tremonster\m/]

Just finished 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Good Lord, I was bored out of my freaking mind. I kept thinking we were going to find out about Nemo and his gold, how he got the Nautilus, why he was an exile from his own home, etc. Instead, all I got was a bunch of 19th century gentlemanly crap with everybody complimenting each other the whole time (I guess due to the timeframe it was written in), a Canadian Neanderthal that wanted to harpoon everything, and a sychophantic man servant. The sea exposition was nice enough I guess but it wasn't really educational as I knew mostly everything in there about the ocean and engineering. Got to the end and I was just left there thinking "where the hell was the main story?" The whole thing just seemed like an excuse to tie a bunch of things Jules Verne learned together.

I just read it recently, it is truly horrid. Soooo boring with too much description (do you really have to describe every creature with its exact dimensions and all these stupid coordinates?). The only reason it's a classic is because it was one of the first of its kind.

[Nick_917]

I've been reading October Country by Ray Bradbury. What an amazing writer.

[Violent Corpse]

Does anybody else read more than one book at a time?

[Lotha]

I don't read two or more new books at the same time, but if I'm re-reading stuff, then I can mix. I like to focus on reading one thing usually. Plus I most often read trilogies/series so it's easier for me that way.

[Violent Corpse]

I see. Currently, I'm mix-reading more than five books, but then I don't read series..

[Timotheus]

I'm a slow reader in general (10-20 pages a night), so mixing more than one book would make it hard for me to get into the story.

[Violent Corpse]

^ I'm the same. A chapter a day/night. Actually, it's exactly because I am so slow that I begin other books before I am finished with one, because it takes me a long time to finish one book and with half a dozen books lying around unopened, I can't resist the temptation and wait that long. But then, not all the books I'm reading are fiction. It's easier when there isn't a story to follow..

[Lotha]

Oh that's so weird for me. If I read all day, I can read a whole book, 300-400 pages. When it's some lighter reading then it goes even faster. I remember reading Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince whole from 7pm 'til 3am. If I really like a book there's no way I can stop after just one chapter.

[gbruin]

Rereading Bill Walton's autobiography, Back From the Dead. I got an advance copy in December and a final copy last week. It's due to be released March 22. If you are a basketball fan or know him, it's really really enjoyable. It reads just the way he talks. It's still his typical free flowing semi-stream of consciousness but with a steady adherence to his historical timeline and with tons of little anecdotes and Wooden quotes and Grateful Dead lyrics and various life lessons strew about to surprise you as you read. Well done.

[Violent Corpse]

Oh that's so weird for me. If I read all day, I can read a whole book, 300-400 pages. When it's some lighter reading then it goes even faster. I remember reading Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince whole from 7pm 'til 3am. If I really like a book there's no way I can stop after just one chapter.

Damn! How the hell do you do that? For me, reading is a very demanding job...

[Timotheus]

I used to be like that as a kid. We only went to the library once every three weeks with the entire family and were only allowed to bring 5 books with us. I'd be done with them in 7-10 days and then I'd either reread them or reread the books we already had lying around at home. The internet and the fact that I was a horrible teenager kinda messed things up for me. Now I just don't have the time.

[Lotha]

I think going to the library every week and getting two books as a kid also helped me. And I learned to read when I was 5. Reading is a demanding job for me as well, but this speed of reading really works for me. Books in English I used to read in a slower pace, but since college that's improved too.
I understand not having enough time, though. These days I read when I don't have anything better to do. Which doesn't happen very often because I have to work.

[Violent Corpse]

Oh. I started reading pretty late. I read my first novel when I was around 15-16, I think. That must have something to do with my slowness.