What Are You Reading Thread of Practicing for Using the Internet

Surely browsing the GUFU boards isn't the only reading you do, right?

I don't read as much as I'd like, but now that I'm on vacation, I have plenty of time to catch up. The first book I've read so far is William Gibson's cyberpunk classic Neuromancer. Really trippy, especially as it gets closer to finishing, but very forward-thinking and well-written. Considering the subjects it deals with, the fact that it still manages to feel so prescient is pretty incredible. 

I had been reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame shortly before heading off to school, but I left it behind, and I didn't much miss it. I'm about 100 pages in, and it's very rich, but the plot hasn't exactly begun yet. Slow-moving in the way that old novels tend to be. My dad (who knows my taste in books very well) assures me that it becomes fantastic, so I may pursue it further next, and get it finished. 

After that, I'm staring at a stack of about six books that have been brought to my attention over the course of the holidays, ranging from pulpy sci-fi to Dostoyevsky and Nietsche (intimidating stuff). Not sure where to go next. I've got jury duty coming up, so I guess I'll have plenty of time to read then. :wink: I'll be lucky to get through one other book of those, so who knows where I'll start. 

What books are you reading, GUFU? What books do you like? What books do you hope to read in the future? 

I'm re-reading Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising. It's an incredibly detailed, realistic, and fascinating take on when a resource-starved Soviet Union launches a surprise offensive against Western Europe and Iceland. I love how the war is told through both sides, on land, sea, and air. The beleaguered merchant escort fleet has a particularly interesting bit, as well as a squad of American soldiers who must try and survive on Soviet-occupied Iceland, and a Soviet officer who becomes increasingly cynical of the war and the Politburo as the conflict draws on. This was one of Clancy's earlier, more unique works, but I'm wishing he wrote more like it. I'm not a fan of the slew of current books that are a manifest of his Covert-Ops/Jack Ryan fetish.

At the moment reading a supplementary self-help vocals book that my vocal coach gave me. But that's not what you were after.

Last fiction piece I was reading was a Lovecraft short story. I think I was re-reading Shadow Over Innsmouth again, after one of my friends recently discovered "Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth".

Recently delved into some epic poems; Beowulf, Paradise Lost, both very interesting if you get what's going on. Fiction-wise, I've started The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. I haven't opened it yet, but I got a book for Christmas called "Dead Philosophers". All about pretty much every major philosopher, their views on death, and how they actually wound up dying. Should be fascinating. :DIAmRodyle

That does sound facinating. I'm completely interested now. Who's the author?

Between my work, gaming, social life, chatting and activity on GS, I don't do nearly as much reading as I used to. But I had read much of Grisham, Michael Crichton, some of Neil Gaiman's novels (Good Omens and Neverwhere) and Stephen King's magnum opus, the 7-book Dark Tower series.

I also used to read alot of comics

Mainstream - Capt America, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, X-Men, Spawn, Punisher (Ennis series)

Mature Readers titles - Sandman, Hellblazer, 100 Bullets, Preacher, Swamp Thing, The Crow (the original mini series)

And of course the great graphic novels - Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, Killing Joke, Arkham Asylum, Son of the Demon, X-Men: God Loves Man Kills, V For Vendetta

[QUOTE="IAmRodyle"]Recently delved into some epic poems; Beowulf, Paradise Lost, both very interesting if you get what's going on. Fiction-wise, I've started The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. I haven't opened it yet, but I got a book for Christmas called "Dead Philosophers". All about pretty much every major philosopher, their views on death, and how they actually wound up dying. Should be fascinating. :DLocke562

That does sound facinating. I'm completely interested now. Who's the author?

Simon Critchley. The full title is The Book of Dead Philosphers. 

Sorry, for the delay, final voting begins now, and will close at 11:55, PM PT More goes herelafigueroa

wrong thread. this is about books, not GUFU GOTY

[QUOTE="lafigueroa"]Sorry, for the delay, final voting begins now, and will close at 11:55, PM PT More goes hereblizzvalve

wrong thread. this is about books, not GUFU GOTY

Glitchspot :(

That post was supposed to be about me reading Watchmen

I just ordered "After Dachau" by Daniel Quinn. I haven't read it yet, but basically the Axis powers developed nuclear weapons first and won the war. They then killed all undesirables until only white people are left. Time goes on until an event happens that allows the white people to realize it wasn't always like this. I'm unsure what happens from there, but I'm a big fan of Daniel Quinn. I recommend everyone read Ishmael. The premise is odd (a gorilla can talk to others) and he seeks out students to teach.

The Ancestor's Tale:  A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution by Richard Dawkins.TreyoftheDead

Oh wow, that's a monster. Started it but didn't get very far--but Dawkins is my favorite science writer.

Simon Critchley. The full title is The Book of Dead Philosphers.

IAmRodyle

Lol. Before I knew about this, I've been manually looking up how each philosopher died. Awesome, now it's all catalogued in one leatherbound book :D 

The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution by Richard Dawkins.TreyoftheDead

When he's not attacking Christian fundamentalists, this guy owns.

Read The tales of Beedle the Bard, and The absolutely true diary of a part time Indian. Waiting to get Kafka's The Trial from the Library and Watchmen.grapefruit21

Is Beedle the Bard good? I liked the Harry Potter series and I was wondering if it was worth my while reading this stuff. I mean, I like reading those books in Morrowind and Oblivion, so yeah being a book in a book doesn't really bother me, as long as it's good. 

I actually went by the library in my town and took out some books.

• Splinter Cell: Fallout by David Michaels
• Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse (Collection of pieces from numerous authors)
• The Steel Wave by Jeff Shaara
• Sunborn by Jeffrey A. Carver

I'll probably start a few of them tonight.

Lets see, the last book I finished was A Clockwork Orange. After I managed to wrap my head around all the slang I started to enjoy the book.bc1391

I've been wanting to pick that up since I'm a huge fan of Kubrick's adaptation. How similar is it? 

[QUOTE="bc1391"]Lets see, the last book I finished was A Clockwork Orange. After I managed to wrap my head around all the slang I started to enjoy the book.TreyoftheDead

I've been wanting to pick that up since I'm a huge fan of Kubrick's adaptation. How similar is it? 

To be honest all the books I've been reading recently are for school because they all got dumped on us at the end of last year. Fortunately they were all good. I read Pride and Prejudice, True History of the Kelly Gang and I'm Not Scared which is an Italian crime novel.

Also I bought The Name of the Wind because I liked the blurb. I haven't had much time to read it but it seems like a pretty good fantasy epic, if a little formulaic. And then I was reading My Uncle Oswald by Roald Dahl, which is... borderline pornographic :shock: but very funny in a dry sort of way.

I finished Splinter Cell: Fallout last night. I wasn't a fan of the ending, it seemed rushed. But overall it was a decent book.

I'm going to pick up where I left off in Mass Effect: Revelation today and try to start Sunborn as well.

I had jury duty last week, and while I was waiting to be called, I finished The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Victor Hugo.

It takes a while to get moving. Victor Hugo is absolutely obsessed with Paris, such that he meticulously goes about recreating the entire city as it was when the book takes place (1482), through various events and asides that are, at best, tangential to the main plot of the book. Though there are moments, it's generally pretty boring during this period. 

About 200 pages in, though, the main characters are finally given room to act, and the world that was constructed brick by brick in the earlier pages is given a purpose and movement. And from that point onward, it's fantastic, with well-developed characters, great description, and an engaging story that carries you through to the end. It's a pretty monumental achievement. 

I'm glad I read it, but you need a lot of patience to get through to the meat of the tale. 

I'm glad I read it, but you need a lot of patience to get through to the meat of the tale. 

sonicmj1

And some tissues on hand...

[QUOTE="sonicmj1"]

I'm glad I read it, but you need a lot of patience to get through to the meat of the tale. 

Verge_6

And some tissues on hand...

No lie. 

I had jury duty last week, and while I was waiting to be called, I finished The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by Victor Hugo.

It takes a while to get moving. Victor Hugo is absolutely obsessed with Paris, such that he meticulously goes about recreating the entire city as it was when the book takes place (1482), through various events and asides that are, at best, tangential to the main plot of the book. Though there are moments, it's generally pretty boring during this period. 

About 200 pages in, though, the main characters are finally given room to act, and the world that was constructed brick by brick in the earlier pages is given a purpose and movement. And from that point onward, it's fantastic, with well-developed characters, great description, and an engaging story that carries you through to the end. It's a pretty monumental achievement. 

I'm glad I read it, but you need a lot of patience to get through to the meat of the tale. 

sonicmj1

A friend of mine has been pratically begging me to read it for months now, but I just don't have time. :?

Maybe I'll bump it up on my list.

Since last post, I started and finished Watchmen, and now I'm reading the second Dexter book instead of the first... >_>Jandurin

I've actually been re-reading Watchmen. I originally read it, not when it was 1st published, but maybe 1988-90. Damn I can't believe it's been close to twenty years for me. So naturally my memory is a tad fuzzy. I can remember how it begins, and how it ended, but much of the smaller details in the middle I'm hazy on. And I want to bone up on the literature before seeing the movie.

From my perspective, learning there would actually be a movie on this is.... shyte this may be the closest to a religious experience I ever had in my life :lol::lol: I mean at first I couldn't digest the reality of it, thinking I had dreamed seeing the poster the night before, a result of latent childhood wishful thinking.

But it WILL soon be upon us, Dr Manhattan, Rorschache, Night Owl, Comedian, Silk Spectre, Ozymandias... actually in the flesh!! I tell you these will be the longest 3 months I have ever endured. :D:D

[QUOTE="Jandurin"]Since last post, I started and finished Watchmen, and now I'm reading the second Dexter book instead of the first... >_>AdobeArtist

I've actually been re-reading Watchmen. I originally read it, not when it was 1st published, but maybe 1988-90. Damn I can't believe it's been close to twenty years for me. So naturally my memory is a tad fuzzy. I can remember how it begins, and how it ended, but much of the smaller details in the middle I'm hazy on. And I want to bone up on the literature before seeing the movie.

From my perspective, learning there would actually be a movie on this is.... shyte this may be the closest to a religious experience I ever had in my life :lol::lol: I mean at first I couldn't digest the reality of it, thinking I had dreamed seeing the poster the night before, a result of latent childhood wishful thinking.

But it WILL soon be upon us, Dr Manhattan, Rorschache, Night Owl, Comedian, Silk Spectre, Ozymandias... actually in the flesh!! I tell you these will be the longest 3 months I have ever endured. :D:D

What did you think of Watchmen Jan?grapefruit21

[QUOTE="grapefruit21"]What did you think of Watchmen Jan?Jandurin

[QUOTE="Jandurin"][QUOTE="grapefruit21"]What did you think of Watchmen Jan?grapefruit21

[QUOTE="grapefruit21"][QUOTE="Jandurin"][QUOTE="grapefruit21"]What did you think of Watchmen Jan?Jandurin

Not so much reading as critically engaging and extracting and extrapolating the points he's making in this book.FrozenLiquid

I'm now reading The Hero With a Thousand Faces by literary scholar and field expert Joseph Campbell. Not so much reading as critically engaging and extracting and extrapolating the points he's making in this book. It's seriously a great read.FrozenLiquid

I've been meaning to read that. Ever since I heard of it through a George Lucas interview back when I first started to get interested in making films.