The last book you read?

[Sgt. Josh Underpants]

Just finished The Puppet Master- Jan Coffey.

Pretty good book, great read if your into the whole twists and turns things

[Drama Queen]

Just finished reading the 1st Harry Potter book to my kids.  Took a couple weeks, but it was cool.

How old are the kids. I tried reading Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe to my son when he was five, he was well into it until he came across the DVD one day and watched it whilst we were half-way through the book!



Recently I have read 5 different Mark Twain novels as I mentioned in another thread. I am sad that there are no more that I know of

I took a brief break through it all to read Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World" which is a VERY intense read. I still prefer 1984 as far as prophetic novels go, but this one beats it for overall tone.

I recently read a Scott Westerfeld novel about the cut-throat "cool" industry called "So Yesterday" which was surprisingly clever. I wanted to check out his work outside of the "Uglies" universe, and though it was not in the same league as that saga, neither was it disappointing in itself. I actually see a lot of similarities between Twain and Westerfeld and I reckon the former must surely have been an influence on the latter.

I am currently reading "The Gambler" by Fayador Dostoevski (spelling?), which I am surprisingly enjoying. What is even more surprising is just how much I can relate to it. I had no idea that the same sort of eejits and douche-bags existed in 18th Century Europe as does universally today! I swear it even has the equivalent of modern day emo-kid outbursts in it (cept stork on the roof are the mundane symbol of uniformism instead of the white picket fence)

[Zombie Gunn]

My oldest is 5 and he loves it. My other is 3 and while he probably doesn't understand the story, he likes to just sit and listen.

Just started book 2 last night.

BNW was a great book as is 1984. The thing about BNW is that it just kinda peters out with no reason at the end.

[Drama Queen]

BNW was a great book as is 1984. The thing about BNW is that it just kinda peters out with no reason at the end.

Well I can somewhat agree here. Whilst the Savage's struggle with the BNW is the main point, for me the intensity was heightened so much with the characters of Bernard Marx and Helmholtz Watson, such a contrast to each other yet summing up such a wide range of humanity between them. Marx's flaws were so disgustingly human that they made me ashamed of myself and I cringed almost anytime he did or said or even thought anything. What was the real catch was that he starts off with noble ideals that the reader can surely identify with... proving that just because someone preaches all high and mighty and thinks themselves as a nice guy by no means makes them so! The book kind of revolved around him for me, even though I'm aware it shouldn't have.

However with regards to the Savage, I get what you mean. Things fizzled out whilst he ran for sanctuary, but it did turn out to be something of a clam before the storm and with him being stalked by the public it gave Huxley a chance to slam home some last points about the sheeplike stupidity of humanity. Then of course the final "orgy" was climatic enough for me (no double entendre intended). I got the point of it and was satisfied and remember feeling kind of numb after it. But I can totally see where your coming from, ESPECIALLY if you happen to share my interest in the Savage's friends.

I kind of like how Mustapha Mond was quite open and candid about the whole system, great exposition but in a plausible manner. I kind of liked him as a character after that... but yes, then he too was no longer involved in the story and again, as much as I enjoyed the story to the end it did lose something after the others departed. Though perhaps Huxley intended the reader to feel the same loss as the character, who knows?

My oldest is 5 and he loves it. My other is 3 and while he probably doesn't understand the story, he likes to just sit and listen.

Hmmm... I might try it. Not sure if mine is ready yet... we got through one and a half of the Spiderwick Chronicles, and I already told you about Narnia, so perhaps it is a bit of a jump yet.

[Drama Queen]

Finished "The Gambler" by Dostoevski and then for a total change of tone read (or more accuarately listened to, but that's a given with me these days) Philip Pullman's "Golden Compass". I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this, and well a tad alarmed at the sinister tone achieved in a book recommended for ten years and up.

As far as YA fantasy goes it surpasses Harry Potter, and just falls short of Narnia and Uglies. Then again, I have only read the first installment and cannot wait to get my hands on "The Subtle Knife".

Hmmm, I wonder if the movie does the book justice? I might check it out.

Tomorrow I will be starting on John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath" I have the first four hours of it put into my i-pod. I've been warned that I may find this one somewhat depressing.

[Jennifer]

Worst rename ever. Good book, shit change. Espcially because the ... thingy is supposed to be LIKE a compass, not literally one. Yeah though, dark for akids book.

[Drama Queen]

Worst rename ever. Good book, shit change. Espcially because the ... thingy is supposed to be LIKE a compass, not literally one. Yeah though, dark for akids book.

What was the book originally called? Nevermind, just wiki'd it. Northen Lights does seem like a better (more relevent) title from a reader's POV. I guess though from a marketing point of view the Golden Compass fits better with the Subtle Knife and Amber Spyglass.

[Tim-Æ]

just finished "Shutter Island." Great book.

Just started (and am 1/4 through) "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" which is set to be adapted by the Coens.

[Conor]

Finished "The Gambler" by Dostoevski and then for a total change of tone read (or more accuarately listened to, but that's a given with me these days) Philip Pullman's "Golden Compass". I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this, and well a tad alarmed at the sinister tone achieved in a book recommended for ten years and up.

As far as YA fantasy goes it surpasses Harry Potter, and just falls short of Narnia and Uglies. Then again, I have only read the first installment and cannot wait to get my hands on "The Subtle Knife".

Hmmm, I wonder if the movie does the book justice? I might check it out.

Tomorrow I will be starting on John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath" I have the first four hours of it put into my i-pod. I've been warned that I may find this one somewhat depressing.

I cried like a little bitch at the end of "The Amber Spyglass." It'll happen to you!

I picked up "A Lion's Tale," Chris Jericho's autobiography. It was a pretty quick read, but very enjoyable. Hopefully he'll give us a sequel in a few years time to cover his WWE tenure. I'm now reading "Watchmen" again. I've got a bunch of books lying around that I've been meaning to get into, but I downloaded "Crisis on Infinite Earths" a while back and I've been making my way through that in my free time.

[LJB]

I'm currently in the middle of reading Bram Stokers Dracula.

[Ryan Ruckus]

I do a lot of what most would call assigned reading for my desert reading. That said, I just finished "Hero With 1,000 Faces" by Joseph Conrad. It's supposed to be a be all end all for writers, due to it's in-depth study of comparative mythology. But it was only okay. I like "The Writer's Journey" by Christopher Vogt WAY better.

Also reading "Nightmare Town," a collection of hard-boiled detective stories by the master of the genre, Dashiel Hammet. It's mostly tonal research for a film I'm working on, but I found the writing is quick and sharp. I'm digging it.

[Jack Kaiser]

Just read Superman vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon.  Definitely an interesting read, giving a glance at how Hollywood seems to work (and think).  Funny, interesting, and, at times, kind of worrisome...all at once.

Half-way through Death of WCW by the guys from Wrestlecrap.  Also an interesting read.

[Drama Queen]

Damn, I've lost track of what I read since I last posted here.

The Grapes of Wrath was fricking amazing (in a very depressing way admittedly). It really changed my outlook on life and on people. I am hoping to be a better person for reading it. Steinbeck gives you an outsider's view of the whole entire situation. It just really hammers home the fact that all of those homeless or sick people or immigrants or old folk or unemployed that are such an "inconvenience" have their own story.

Read the much hyped  read the much hyped Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. Was 24 hours long on audio which means it must have been an 800 pager in print. So much sex and politics though, makes me wonder if any courtiers back in the day even scratched themselves without some calculating ulterior motive behind it! Very entertaining story though, refreshing to give history some personality. I'm lead to believe she keeps the factual stuff accurate.

Nearing the end of Pullman's trilogy now, I'm about half way through the Amber Spyglass. Not sure what to make of it. Too many characters switching allegiences back and forth, this is why I stopped watching wrestling. I think the third part of the trilogy whilst having some VERY interesting points and dramatic actio sequences, nontheless drags somewhat and it just seems to take itself way too seriously. Good job the Knife is more subtle than Pullman's "message". I don't buy into him as any more of a philosopher than JK Rowling, he is certainly no CS Lewis.

Read the Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks. Nice spin on the vampire thing, quirky story, entertaining and well told for what it is. Overall highly enjoyable.

[LJB]

I just finished A War of Gifts an Ender Story by Orson Scott Card. This was a nice little side story set during the events of Ender's game I enjoyed it a lot.

[LJB]

Kiowa Trail by Louis L'Amour.