What are you reading?

[Technomancer]

"Lucy's Legacy" by Don Johanson and Kate Wong. The first half of the book concetrates on Johanson's own fieldwork in the Afar region of Ethiopia, as well as the significance of his most famous find. Some discussion is also given to related work that has been fleshing out other parts of the hominid family tree.

The second half of the book concentrates on Lucy's descendents leading up to the appearance of our own species. Given the size of ground this covers, this part of the book is rather less focused than the first half. However, it is still a very interesting summary of many of the most recent discoveries regarding human evolution.

http://www.amazon.com/Lucys-Legacy-Quest-Human-Origins/dp/0307396398/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241008282&sr=1-1

[The Doctor]

I'm currently reading:

Liberty and Tyranny by Mark R. Levin
The Downing Street Years by Margaret Thatcher

I finished reading Destined to Reign by Joseph Prince and would recommend it to anyone.
I am currently reading his daily devotional.

[Heronwing]

Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer.

[mysngoeshere56]

I just finished "The Wounded Spirit" by Frank Peretti (took me long enough - I got so busy with everything else). Beautiful. Read it. It's the world from my perspective. <3

[-Frail-Dreams-]

Patriots: The Men Who Started The American Revolution by...someone or another, I forget.

[Radical Dreamer]

Okay. I've got quite a list of books I plan to read this summer. XD Hopefully, making this list will keep me on track. XD

I've been reading Les Miserables for the past 4 years. Kind of. At any rate, I've picked it up again and I plan to finish it before the end of this year (2009). So that's one for the list. XD The rest:

The Harry Potter series (I'm close to finishing book one. XD)
Macbeth
Animal Farm
The Great Gatsby
The Princess Bride (I'd really just like to finish this one XD)

I may add to this list, but I'm hoping I'll just read what I've got in front of me!

[Sheol777]

The rest:

Animal Farm

This is next on my list...if I can find the time.

[rocklobster]

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman

[KumaruRockz]

I am currently reading The Final Warning: A Maximum Ride Novel

Its the fourth in the series

[ich1990]

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Well, upon the recommendations of a plethora of fellow readers I picked up Gaiman's “Neverwhere” a while ago. While I liked the characters and freakish “Alice in Wonderland” setting, I felt that it was strangely bi-polar, flipping from dead serious to flippant in the span of a paragraph. Following that, I picked up a few issues of Sandman, which, I found, was a very high quality comic that contained a bit more nudity than I was comfortable with. This left me virtually undecided as to whether or not I liked Gaiman as an author. Undecided, that is, until I read “The Graveyard Book”.

As you would expect from a book with the word Graveyard in its title, this book has a very Gothic flavor. All of the usual species are present: ghosts, ghouls, a witch, a werewolf, and even a vampire. Despite coming from a worn out genre, however, Gaiman manages to write from a fresh perspective. So unique was his take, in fact, that I barely recognized some of the archetypes when I saw them. Stephenie Meyer fans should read this, if only to see how vampires and werewolves are supposed to act. Of course, the good guys aren't the only great characters; the villain is, as is usual for Gaiman's works, superb.

Gaiman's strong suit has always been his excellent control over the atmosphere of the story, and this book is no exception. If you don't believe me, read the first couple of sentences. My only real complaints are that the adjective “velvety” is used way to often and that it might be too violent for its target audience (the book starts out with the murder of women and children). Excellent reading, over all, for adults as well as kids. 10/10

[Htom Sirveaux]

I'm officially throwing in the towel on Gravity's Rainbow. It's just too abstract and rambling. Near page 50 and it hasn't really gone anywhere yet, nor does it show signs of doing so anytime soon.

So I've started reading Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising. Never read a military tecno-thriller before, and this is turning out to be a pretty good place to start.

[Sheol777]

Through the Looking Glass - Not bad but Alice in Wonderland was better, more memorable.

Animal Farm - Nice. I knew I would like this book and it paid off. "Four legs good, Two legs bad!"

Starting The Catcher in the Rye

[uc pseudonym]

Roughly 5/6 through Brothers Karamazov, slowed because meanwhile I finished:

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

This was a surprisingly good book, quite apart from the stereotypes and pejorative terms that have since been associated with it. It is, however, incredibly up front about its abolitionist message (which hardly seems offensive today) ranging from the author interjecting homilies on the evils of slavery to some very nice subtle touches.

Everyone seems to focus on Legree when talking about this novel, but he is a surprisingly short section of the book. Far more interesting to me was St. Clare - it isn't often enough we see that kind of apathetic intellectual in fiction. Though the anti-slavery stuff can come off a little heavy handed for today's readers, the book flows much better on religious matters, which are sadly secondary.

[ich1990]

“The Power and the Gloryâ€

[mysngoeshere56]

I just finished Nightmare Academy by Frank Peretti.

[rocklobster]

The Youngest Templar Book I: Keeper of the Grail by Michael P. Spradlin

[bigsleepj]

“The Power and the Glory” by Graham Greene

I tried reading THe Power and the Glory once, but couldn't get into it. Despite that, what I've read stayed with me and I constantly think to it a great deal.

Also, if you want more Graham Greene, check out the famous movie he wrote: The Third Man as well as The Fallen Idol, which he also wrote for the screen. Both were based on memorable short stories of his, but are better remembered as movies.

[ich1990]

I tried reading THe Power and the Glory once, but couldn't get into it. Despite that, what I've read stayed with me and I constantly think to it a great deal.

I think it mirrors Endo's "Silence" in that fashion. It is powerful stuff with many sides to consider, but it is not so easy to get through.

Also, if you want more Graham Greene, check out the famous movie he wrote: The Third Man as well as The Fallen Idol, which he also wrote for the screen. Both were based on memorable short stories of his, but are better remembered as movies.

Ah, thanks for the recommendations. I had actually looked into getting The Third Man a few weeks ago, before I even knew who Graham Greene was, simply because of its excellent reviews. After reading "The Power and the Glory" however, I will be sure to give The Third Man a try. I will also see about The Fallen Idol but to be honest most lesser known (or even slightly aged) films are hard to find where I live.

[Radical Dreamer]

Finished reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban tonight! I plan to start reading The Great Gatsby now, as I continue reading through the Harry Potter series with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I'm really enjoying these books so far; I can tell why people have liked them so much for the past several years now! XD

[Htom Sirveaux]

Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Gosh crap but this is a great book! So minimalistic (borderline nihilistic) but so utterly heart-wrenching. Definitely among my top three, along with Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves and Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club.

[rocklobster]

The Wind Singer by William Nicholson.
Great book! Thanks, LAdyRushia!

[ich1990]

“Surprised by Joy” by C.S. Lewis

In this autobiography, Lewis writes the story of his life in relation to his conversion. Like most of his works, the writing is superb and the emphasis is theological and philosophical. Thus, while you won't find many facts or dates or events, you will find the philosophical musings that were inspired by facts, dates, and events. In my opinion that makes this a much better book than most biographies. The only detraction that I could find, in fact, is that C.S. Lewis spends the majority of the book chronicling his childhood and only the last few chapters detailing his (significantly more interesting) life as an adult.

One of the more striking things about this volume is its heavy emphasis on literature. A quick read through “Surprised by Joy” makes it obvious that books were one of the most important things in Lewis' life. As such, he talks about them constantly. While this provided great enjoyment to a bibliophile such as myself, the average reader who is unfamiliar with classic literature may find certain sections of the book unintelligible.

For readers of the classics, those inclined towards philosophy, or those who wish to better understand how someone as intelligent as Lewis could convert from atheism to theism, this autobiography is highly recommended. For those who would rather read a typical biography, however, then I recommend “Jack: A Life of C.S. Lewis” by George Sayer as an alternative. 9/10

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I've been reading "The Scions of Shannara" by Terry Brooks now that I've finished rereading LOTR. It's been pretty good so far, but it's been really slow.

[ich1990]

I've been reading "The Scions of Shannara" by Terry Brooks now that I've finished rereading LOTR. It's been pretty good so far, but it's been really slow.

I read most of the Shanara books a few years ago (about 15 books all told), and I remember "The Scions of Shannara" being one of the slowest in the series. If it is any consolation, I remember subsequent volumes in the Heritage quadrilogy being much more interesting, if not fast paced.

If you are looking to continue reading Shannara books, I recommend The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Trilogy and the High Druid of Shannara Trilogy. Terry Brooks' plots tend to be very repetitious, but those two trilogies are fairly unique.

Now if he would only stop attaching himself to a word and using it over and over again.....

[Aka-chan]

Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Murakami Haruki. In English because I am lazy.

[RFC]

Currently reading Eragon.
Uh, boy, not sure what to say except: MURTAGH ROKZ!

[the_wolfs_howl]

Currently reading Eragon.
Uh, boy, not sure what to say except: MURTAGH ROKZ!

*dies* Don't remind me! 400 pages into Brisingr, and Paolini still hasn't managed to make more than one or two scenes that were mildly interesting. I wish he'd cut the crap and make all of these idiots stop blathering at each other pointlessly. The last thing I read was Orik telling Eragon he's going to show him "a forest of stone". I said, "If he doesn't make anything important happen in this stupid forest place...I won't be surprised."

[RFC]

*dies* Don't remind me! 400 pages into Brisingr, and Paolini still hasn't managed to make more than one or two scenes that were mildly interesting. I wish he'd cut the crap and make all of these idiots stop blathering at each other pointlessly. The last thing I read was Orik telling Eragon he's going to show him "a forest of stone". I said, "If he doesn't make anything important happen in this stupid forest place...I won't be surprised."

Oh, I don't mind. You have every right to rant. My friends have warned me that reading the whole series is a painful experience, but I'm going to brave it!
It is my challenge!

[Azier the Swordsman]

Everything's Eventual - Stephen King

[shade of dae]

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams-
I don't have much to say other than I enjoyed it quite a bit, and want to read the next book. Of course, the library only has the 1st, 2nd, and 5th books in the trilogy, so I'll have to pre-order the 3rd one, which means I won't be able to read it for another week or so.

The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope-
This was a book I picked up at random off from a library shelf, and I thought I would get it considering it was a book that didn't look modern, and it was one I hadn't heard of. Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed it. It wasn't the best book I had ever read, but it had a certain old fashioned charm about it, and having it be a ghost story without the ghosts trying to take their revenge on anyone was interesting.