Summer reading

[Wyes]

It's winter for me! But I'm reading;
The Stand by Stephen King
The Dresden Files (second and third books on order) by Jim Butcher
If I can afford it, World War Z by Max Brooks

 

[Ascarus]

... and I plan on starting the Wheel of Time series.

here is a tip ... read the first 5, then skip to number 11. you may not understand what is going on, but here is the thing, you probably wouldn't understand what is going on if you had read all of them anyway, and you won't have carved your eyes out.

you see around book 6 jordan completely loses control of the series and the amount of material he has to cover. and he seems compelled to delve so deeply into every little motivation and detail it made my eyes bleed. it gets so bad, that in book 8 it takes jordan nearly 80 pages to get 3 characters over a few hill tops. it was excruciating.

i never finished books 7 or 8. i skipped 9 and 10. book 11 was pretty good and i only read it at the behest of my brother in law. i haven't read the most recent one (book 12), but upon reading the book jacket i was terrified by the description as it appeared to be a near repeat of what had just occurred in book 11.

i may just wait until book 14 .. the supposed final book where it all (thankfully) ends.

 

[Continuity]

OK, let me see..

I'm currently reading Tolstoy's Anna Karenina which is very good, other books i've been reading or plan to read this summer:

Ulysses - James Joyce (I will finish this one day!)
Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
The voyage out - Virginia Woolf (I enjoyed it a lot, more of a novel than her other books)
Hamlet - Shakespeare (I try to read at least a couple of plays a year, I may track down some more Strindberg and Moliere too)
The Borgias - Alexandre Dumas (fascinating political intrigues of 15th century Vatican Rome and the Borgia family)
Cousin Bette - Honore de Balzac (I read lost illusions last year which I enjoyed immensely, I want to see what some of his other novels are like, he certainly wrote enough of them)
The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch (just one of those books I picked up randomly, I've heard Iris mentioned by critics several times so that was enough to pique my interest)

I may also read the Iliad as I read the Odyssey a couple of years ago. To be honest though I don't plan my reading more than a book or two ahead because my reading fluctuates quite a bit, I also read various sci-fi and fantasy novels when the mood takes me, or even religion and philosophy.

 

[philosophicalbastard]

I have this stupid summer reading project that forces me to read two books. So far I've read Ender's game which is pretty good, but now I have to chose a book that was written by someone in this list of authors I don't know. After I read the books I have to provide quatations from the book describing the setting, character, and conflict. My mother won't allow me to read any other books until the project is finished, but I refuse to do it.

 

[Continuity]

I have this stupid summer reading project that forces me to read two books. So far I've read Ender's game which is pretty good, but now I have to chose a book that was written by someone in this list of authors I don't know. After I read the books I have to provide quatations from the book describing the setting, character, and conflict. My mother won't allow me to read any other books until the project is finished, but I refuse to do it.

Tell us the author list, maybe we can recommend something.

 

[kurupt87]

I'm just starting The Passage by Justin Cronin. Apparently it's similar in style to Stephen King and has the appropriate literary community abuzz; so, I'm expecting good things of it.

 

[Kajt]

Metro 2033 at the moment. I have no idea what I'll read after that though.

 

[MatParker116]

Before I forget:
Got Fight-Forrest Griffin
Becoming the Natural-Randy Couture
Why I Fight-BJ PEnn

 

[Shapsters]

Lord of the Rings series, as an avid reader I wonder why I have never read them before...

 

[Cheery Lunatic]

Rereading the Harry Potter series (shut up) and the Lord of the Rings.

I have to start reading The Crucible, The Tipping Point, and Birth of the Republic or some shit like that. Kill me now, lord.

 

[Flishiz]

Benjamin Graham's: The Intelligent Investor. Do not read if you have anything more exciting to do, believe me.

 

[AvsJoe]

I've got a ton of books to catch up on including Moby Dick, The Day of the Dolphin, The Iliad, and The Odyssey.

 

[Danny Ocean]

Oh God, let me find the pile...

The New Economics- A Bigger Picture- 160 pages- Started
Capitalism, Socialism, And Democracy- Shumpeter- 357 pages
Das Kapital- 356 pages
Philosophy and Philosophers- An Introduction To Western Philosophy- 310 pages
Political Ideologies- An Introduction - 326 pages
Think- 298 pages
Political Ideology Today- 297 pages
Invitation to Philosophy- 170 pages
And Introduction to Political Philosophy- 208 pages
What is Politics? - 194 pages

So yeah. Just a bit of light reading.

 

[philosophicalbastard]

Tell us the author list, maybe we can recommend something.

Joan Aiken. Dane Bauer. Karen Cushman. Robert Cormier. Bette Green. John Feistein. Pual Zindel. Walter Dean Myers. William slaetor. Karen Hesse. Gary Blackwood. Rick Riordan. Lloyd Alexander. Meg Cabot. Agatha Christie. Chris Crutcher. Virginia Hamilton. Will Hobbs. Chris Lynch. Gary Paulsen. Larry Colton. Joan Bauer. S.E. Hinton. Amelia Atwater Rhodes. Avi Marion. Carline Cooney. Carl Deuker. Lois Duncan. Brian Jacques. Harry Mazer. Phillip Pullman. Ann Rinaldi. Mike Lupica.

I'm a slow typer, so I spent a good amount of time making that list.

 

[Midnight Crossroads]

For class: some chemistry, calculus, and algebra
For fun: The Sun Also Rises

 

[Croaker42]

I know its not the same but I have been on a huge audio book kick. I just like to play games and listen.
I just downloaded the entire Wheel of Time set on audio book and I must say that it accompanies quite a few games well.
I just got through the audio book of Abraham Lincoln Vampire slayer and need to point out that it rocks.
As far as hard back books I am amost done with the Black company books by Glen Cook (good fantasy/militaristic set)

 

[Aphroditty]

Just started Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. So far the writing is fantastic, the characters are engrossing, but the man lists a bit too much for too little purpose--I stress that I'm still early on, however.

After I finish with that I'm probably going to go back through some Pratchett, and then Harry Potter.

EDIT:

here is a tip ... read the first 5, then skip to number 11.

*snip snip*

i may just wait until book 14 .. the supposed final book where it all (thankfully) ends.

Come on now. Yes, I will agree with you that Jordan gets far too political and up his own ass with the characters, but between all that important events DO happen, concerning the Forsaken, Ebou Dar, Mat and Perrin (trying really hard not to spoil here). Yes, it could have been narrowed down ALOT (especially Ebou Dar, Perrin and Mat). I got burned out on book 6, then again on book 10, but book 11 was great and book 12 was absolutely fantastic. Sanderson (the new author) is much more straightforward and to the point. You really should read it, more events happen in it than books 7-10 combined.

I have to agree with Icy. After, say, maybe six (I was able to gut through it all right), it turns into a real slog--but (with the absolute exception of 10) there are enough important and engrossing events to necessitate reading them, and keeping them from turning into a shitfest. The most recent book is a serious return to form, improving in virtually every way on Knife of Dreams. I really am appreciating that Sanderson guy.

But seriously, nobody should ever read book 10.

 

[Vek]

So what's everthing reading this summer? on my bedside table, coming on holiday with me is:
World War Z
Neuromancer
Axis of time Trilogy
SS-GB
Ghost in the Shell
Radio Free Albemuth
The Twlight Saga (Lost a bet, kill me now)

SS-GB is interesting. Good read.

Let's see, what am I reading this summer?
A Brief History of Time
We Were Soldiers Once... And Young
The Old Breed
The Magnificent Bastards
Phantom Warriors
13 Cent Killers
Titanicus (just finished)
The House on Giribaldi Street
A Roadside Picnic
The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783
A Storm of Steel

and more as I buy them.

 

[IcyEvils]

I plan on starting the Wheel of Time series.

Excellent, it's about time more people read them. I'm rereading the series for book 13, on 6 now.

here is a tip ... read the first 5, then skip to number 11.

*snip snip*

i may just wait until book 14 .. the supposed final book where it all (thankfully) ends.

Come on now. Yes, I will agree with you that Jordan gets far too political and up his own ass with the characters, but between all that important events DO happen, concerning the Forsaken, Ebou Dar, Mat and Perrin (trying really hard not to spoil here). Yes, it could have been narrowed down ALOT (especially Ebou Dar, Perrin and Mat). I got burned out on book 6, then again on book 10, but book 11 was great and book 12 was absolutely fantastic. Sanderson (the new author) is much more straightforward and to the point. You really should read it, more events happen in it than books 7-10 combined.

I just downloaded the entire Wheel of Time set on audio book and I must say that it accompanies quite a few games well.

I take it you've played Dragon Age? I swear that game 'borrows' so much. Wardens/Warders, Shadowspawn+Darkfriends/Darkspawn, the Tower, Logain/Loghain, Arl Eamon/Eamon Valda, the Blight, just to name a few.

Edit-

Phillip Pullman.

Read the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy. It's surprisingly good, not really that childish either.


By the way, all of those reading 3 or 4 (or more) books at once- why? Isn't it more logical to read one and put your full attention on it, finish it and start another?

Oh and OT: I finished Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer.. thought it was pretty good. Maybe a bit of an anticlimax, and parts were more than graphics (sister gang raped by soldiers and being forced to watch as a kid? Really?) but the book was great overall.