Books you're currently reading???

[Perry Winkle]

"Gunslinger IV: Wizard and Glass", by Stephen King

It's a good yarn, but a bit uneven and inconsistent. For instance, there is a scene where Bert's bird skull is explicitly put in his saddle-bag, but at the end of the scene it's back on his saddle horn. I'm not quite sure whether this is artifice or a slip-up.

If this Susan Delgado bit doesn't end soon I'm going to be upset. She's hotter than Salma Hayek, she and Roland fall deeply in love, and the citizens of Mejis Barony are supplying Farson and his democratic revolution. I get it, move the fuck on, man.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by grant

If this Susan Delgado bit doesn't end soon I'm going to be upset.

Not to give anything away... (highlight) but you'd best start skimming then. Her story is pretty much the book. But I know a lot of people who thought it was the best of all the Gunslinger books, so maybe you'll get more engaged in it soon?

[funkykule]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

I loved The Time Traveller's Wife. I recommended it to everyone I know who reads.

So do I! I loved it. Can't recommend it enough.

I still love the classics I adored as a child. I could almost recite Little Women and The Secret Garden for you! There was a time (when I had endless summers) that I would finish either one and just start again.

I recently read "I'm not Scared" by Niccolo Ammaniti. I'd recommend it.

[Dagney]

Am currently reading "Getting Things Done - the Art of Stress Free Productivity"

My thinking is that it will help me in my next job - seeing that I quit this one today.

[Perry Winkle]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Not to give anything away... (highlight) but you'd best start skimming then. Her story is pretty much the book. But I know a lot of people who thought it was the best of all the Gunslinger books, so maybe you'll get more engaged in it soon?

Maybe the reason I dislike it is that the love-story part of it is resonating a little to deeply for comfort.

[cklabyrinth]

I'm not currently reading it, but Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny is one of my favorite books, to the point I'd include it in here.

Right now, though, I'm reading Buddhism: A Concise Introduction by Huston Smith and Philip Novak. It's pretty elucidating so far. I don't see how it couldn't be, though, as it's the first book I've read on true Buddhism and not simply Zen, or any religion other than Christianity for that matter. One interesting passage I've found follows:

Buddhism begins with a man. In his later years, when India was afire with his message and kings themselves were bowing before him, people came to him even as they were to come to Jesus asking what he was. How many people have provoked this question--not "Who are you?" with respect to name, origin, or ancestry, but "What are you? What order of being do you belong to? What species do you represent?" Not Caesar, certainly. Not Napoleon, or even Socrates. Only two: Jesus and Buddha (3).

For fiction I'm trying to get started reading The Briar King by Greg Keyes. Its synopsis makes it sound exactly like Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series so I've been having some trouble getting into it.

[wolf]

Finally clawed my way through all the paperbacks of the Dresden Files series, just about to start Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman.

[cklabyrinth]

If that one's anything like Neverwhere, expect it to be good. I should see if it's out in a mass market paperback now.

[Ibby]

schyeah!

But American Gods pwnz Neverwhere...

[Happy Monkey]

Yeah, it's not a whole lot like Neverwhere, outside of the "ancient magic hidden in the modern world" angle, but it's a very good book. Especially if you read any Anansi stories as a kid, or watched Reading Rainbow.

[perth]

I made the mistake of picking up the first Discworld book, 'The Color of Magic' by Terry Pratchett. It's going to cost me way too much to read the complete series. If you haven't heard of Discworld, the simplest analogy is to think Hitchhikers Guide set in a fantasy universe. It seems to me, however, that Discworld is more accessible and more consistently funny (tastes may vary). I'm reading 'Wyrd Sisters' now, which features Granny Weatherwax, a witch who quickly became a favourite character of mine in 'Equal Rites'.

I vaguely remember the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy being discussed a long time ago in this thread. I read the first book late last year and have been unable to find the second so far. Hopefully I'll get the rest read soon. A wonderful first book, from the first page I could vividly imagine the world in which it was based, and felt emotionally attached to the characters.

John Swartzwelder, 'The Time Machine Did It'. The cover touts it as 'by the writer of 59 episodes of The Simpsons'. Episodes I count among my favourites. I really thought I was in for a treat and ordered this one online (which I don't really like to do). Weak story wrapped around mediocre jokes. I was disappointed when it arrived, the book was very short. I had no idea what a blessing this was.

Uh, 'Freakonomics' was good, but I'm talking too much.

[Perry Winkle]

Originally Posted by perth

I made the mistake of picking up the first Discworld book, 'The Color of Magic' by Terry Pratchett.

I'm reading them "in order", and I'm just starting "Mort." It probably has the strongest start of any of the Discworld books I've read so far.

I started Elmore Leonard's "Pagan Babies" last night, but only got a handful of pages in before he some of the characters started using what was apparently a Bantu language. Then I had to go lookup the language and get all linguistics-geek on it.

I'm a Leonard virgin; so far I'm not liking his style.

[Ibby]

Island, Aldous Huxley.

Wonderful counterpoint to Brave New World; a true utopia, one that so far seems absolutely perfect to me, 176 pages in.

[perth]

Originally Posted by grant

I'm reading them "in order", and I'm just starting "Mort." It probably has the strongest start of any of the Discworld books I've read so far.

I've skipped 'Mort', Borders didn't have it when I looked. I'm very eager to read it, as I understand Death plays a bigger role. Hopefully they'll have it and the next couple books after 'Wyrd Sisters' next time I go in. I hope some of the later books contain more references to the gods playing D&D style with the lives of mortals. Those passages (in the first book) were riotous.

[Happy Monkey]

Anyone see the cartoons? Apparently there was also a Hogfather live action special this past holiday.