What are you reading?

[DecooPunk]

I just re-read Princess Academy. I love this book~ <3

[the_wolfs_howl]

Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare - interesting, kind of reminded me of The Scarlet Letter, but certainly not one of my favorites.

[yukoxholic]

Finally getting around to reading A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin. These books make me want HBO's GoT to return ASAP.

[SierraLea]

I read a chapter from "For Women Only". This is a book all about guy's minds, and is actually really insightful. I highly recommend it.

[rocklobster]

Just finished Never Trust a Liberal Over Three, Especially a Republican by Ann Coulter. Will be starting Allegiance tonight.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos - This is a really great book about a boy with ADHD, and the wacky trouble he gets himself into before he gets the right medication and is able to settle down. It's a very simple, fun read, a wonderful look into the mind of someone in that position.

[Mr. Rogers]

I've been reading through an interesting book called Besides the Bible. It's a collection of books that the authors believe all Christians should be familiar with besides the Bible and Christian literature. These are books that are considered to have shaped our culture to some degree.

Here's part of the description:

"Besides the Bible is a guide to the really great books that you should read—ones that matter. Covering a wide array of subjects and authors, from Christian bookstore best sellers to classics of Christian history and more, you'll find yourself agreeing with some titles, shaking your head at others, and even shocked by a few. This isn't a dry catalog with dull summaries of books authored by a bunch of dead guys. Dan Gibson, Jordan Green, and John Pattison, along with an all-star team of today's most interesting Christian thinkers—including Donald Miller, Derek Webb, Phyllis Tickle, Steve Taylor, and William P. Young— will re-ignite your love for reading or if you're a little lazy, give you enough information to make it seem like you're incredibly well read."

[ich1990]

“Survivors” by James Rawles (read 12/8/13)

God, Guns, and Gold make up Rawles’ holy trinity of the post apocalyptic world –and God isn’t mentioned all that often. In this “novel of the coming collapse” the world is plunged into darkness via American hyper-inflation, creating the classic lawless environment that vindictive authors love to torture their characters within. Rawles puts a new twist on the classic apocalypse, however, instead of torturing his characters he tortures his readers.

His main tool of choice is endless descriptions of guns, ammo, and silver transactions. Not a single item is allowed to pass by without detailing its value in silver. Not a single gun is ever mentioned without detailing its model, caliber, state of maintenance, number of spare magazines, and associated ammo supply. I wish I was joking, but these two events: the gun description and the value-in-silver item appraisal make up 80% of the book.

Out of the remaining 20% we are treated to some hilariously inept emotional moments. The chapter detailing a character’s romantic involvement with his girlfriend before the collapse of America is worth its weight in post-apocalyptic gold. I haven’t read a romance story so poorly written since, well, since the Left Behind series. Instead of 30 year old non-Christian virgins, however, we are treated to long and detailed scenes of creepy friend-stalking, which is an archaic version of face-stalking --apparently, Rawles doesn’t know that facebook exists. Another humorous scene includes our intrepid hero trying to talk about how hot his girlfriend is in a full length swimsuit with attached shorts; the reader certainly gets mixed messages. The awkwardness climaxes in a marriage proposal before the couple has even held hands. He has literally touched her only twice. The first time was an accidental brush against her hair when he put headphones on her head. The second was a pat on the shoulder. Then he pops the question.

But that isn’t all of the blundering emotion-related writing. Other standouts include a couple’s daughter getting burned alive by Molotov cocktails, which gets precisely one sentence worth of grieving. Also, the death of our hero’s brother, which causes our macho man to “try to hold back a tear”, and then continue on as if nothing ever happened. Lastly, we have an average citizen ease his family’s fear of rioters by offering to mow down the rowdy crowd in the middle of the suburban street with his silenced machine gun. The family is comforted by this offer and sleeps easy that night. The weirdness and wrongness continues almost indefinitely. A man throws away his food and water so he can carry more ammo. The evil and secretly powerful United Nations conquers America. Etc.

While it is awash in poor writing, this book has one fundamental flaw that eclipses all others; it makes the apocalypse look dangerous and undesirable on one hand, while preaching hard-core Ayn Randian values on the other. It never reconciles the fact that the government-less principles that its characters repeatedly espouse don’t match up with the actual government-less reality that they are living in. “There is no government like no government” the characters happily chant, meanwhile gangs rape and pillage their way across no-government-America. It should be a satire, but it isn’t. 3/10

[Kaori]

Green Angel by Alice Hoffman: Got this book at Half Price for 50 cents, and that is probably the best 50 cents I have spent in recent memory. It is a short but achingly beautiful and poignant story of the title character’s journey through grief and the process by which she opened herself up to life and happiness again. Very fairy-tale-like in the way that external things represented an inner reality and in the way that the kind deeds that Green did for the animals and people around her were repaid to her later. My biggest complaint about the book is that the opening premise is rather cliché; other than that it's an excellent and well-written story.

Just recently finished reading all of the books which Catholics refer to as the Deuterocanon, which was a goal of mine from several months ago. Tobit and Judith are interesting little moral stories. In 1 and 2 Maccabees, I'm moved by the unswerving piety of the Jews who refused to worship idols, but I'm skeptical of the stories of military victories, which the JB suggests are exaggerated out of a sense of nationalistic enthusiasm. In Wisdom of Solomon (Wisdom) the influence of Greek thinking is plainly evident, but Wisdom 2 contains one of the clearest cases of a Messianic prophecy fulfilled by Jesus, and that is a passage that rightfully ought to be known and loved by all Christians. Wisdom of Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) has some really beautiful and wise teachings, but it also have several chapters that directly contradict the gospel teachings by advising that one not do good to an evildoer. Nothing from Baruch really stuck in my memory. The additions to Esther elaborate on the story in such a way that Esther's faith in God is emphasized (in contrast to the Hebrew version which does not ever mention God). The additions to Daniel include the fanciful story Bel and the Dragon and the truly beautiful prayer Song of the Three Young Men (i.e. of the three youths cast into the furnace). Moving on next to those texts which are included in the Bible by the Orthodox but not by the RCC or Protestants.

Have also now finished three of the four volumes of Fr. Hopko's series The Orthodox Faith.

Volume 2 - Worship: In particular, the spiritual reality of what goes on in the Divine Liturgy according to Orthodox doctrine is simply awe-inspiring.

Volume 3 - Bible and Church History: The first part of the book simply gives a broad overview of the Bible, and I don't have much to say about it. The last section of the book is a century-by-century overview of church history. This church history section focuses almost exclusively on the history of the Eastern church, with usually about a paragraph at the end of each chapter to summarize what went on in the Western church during that century. This, of course, is just like the way that church histories written by Western Christians tend to focus exclusively on the West and not say very much at all about Eastern Christianity, so it is a good corrective for the fact that I knew almost nothing about the history of Christianity in the East prior to reading this book. Also, nothing quite fills me with fear the way that church history does. It is at times very ugly and messy, and the distinction between heresy and orthodoxy is at times not at all as clear as one would like it to be. Fr. Hopko's negative view towards Western Christian influences makes itself apparent from time to time, but he is very candid about problems like the incredibly confused state of jurisdiction among Orthodox churches in America and so on, so it isn't as if he's writing a sugar-coated panegyric of Orthodoxy. Very interesting read. Unfortunate that it is so short, however. Even when discussing Eastern Christianity Fr. Hopko only gives a very brief overview of some of the most significant things that happen--but that's unavoidable since this section on church history is just one section of one volume of a work that is about Orthodoxy as a whole, not specifically a work focusing on church history.

[Sammy Boy]

New Worlds in the Cosmos: The Discovery of Exoplanets (Mayor, Frei & Roukema; Cambridge University Press)

Much more readable than I expected.

[Sheenar]

*Still* reading Les Miserables. I am now 50% through the book. This is the longest it has taken me to finish a book --I used to be such a quick reader --and I still can be sometimes. It's just that my attention span hasn't been there enough to make quick progress --it's not a book I find boring --it's a very good story --with beautiful, resonating themes --I am just having a hard time getting through it.

I've taken several breaks of about a week at a time and then came back to the book.

At this point, after all this time, I am ready to be finished so I can start something else. Something not 1,000+ pages long.

[ClaecElric4God]

At this point, after all this time, I am ready to be finished so I can start something else. Something not 1,000+ pages long.

Ooh, ooh! I have one! Silas Marner! It's totally exciting and not at all boring! That is if you can get through the chapters and chapters of description and backstory and getting inside peoples' heads and other not at all boring stuff.

[rocklobster]

Started book 2 of Mortal Instruments.

[Yuki-Anne]

I've been reading Les Miserables for... quite some time. It's very long. And kind of hard to get through.

[Sheenar]

I've been reading Les Miserables for... quite some time. It's very long. And kind of hard to get through.

Good to know I'm not the only one. haha

[Adie]

Just started The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.

[Panda4christ:3]

Finished The Great Gatsby yesterday, and starting on Insurgent (I couldn't find it in stores for ages ;-;).
I've also got the first infernal devices book, but I'm slowly losing interest :T

[Adie]

Sovereign by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee, from the "Books of Mortals" series.
I loved the first book, but thought the second was rather underwhelming (until the end chapters). I'm hoping the third book goes back to the level of quality that was found in the first. But my favorite character died in the first chapter, so... we'll see how things progress. :p

[rocklobster]

Started the grand finale for Ranger's Apprentice, The Royal Ranger. Poor princess Maddie. She was so bratty she got kicked out of the castle.

[ClaecElric4God]

Howl's Moving Castle. I enjoy this book immensely. I'm just laughing at the random little moments where it's exactly like the anime (like Howl cracking eggs one-handed and throwing the shells to Calcifer), while other more relevant things are very different. Nonetheless, I love the writer's style, and I'm glad Panda recommended it.

Don't shoot me, but I still like the anime better.

[Panda4christ:3]

Don't worry, I like the anime a little better too :3
My favorite part of the book is probably just the chapter names XD;;

[rocklobster]

Started The Maze Runner yesterday.

[Schokolade]

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. It's for an English class and... surprisingly bearable. I won't have time to read something I'm interested until I'm finished. I need to knock out the last book of Infernal Devices or I'm just never going to get to it.

[Hikaru]

I've been reading a book called "dark to mortal eyes" it's really good and sort of a thriller. It's about a spiritual battle between good and evil.

[rocklobster]

Started The Book Thief last night.

[Xeno]

I've become absolutely captivated by The King in Yellow by Robert Chambers. I have Can Such Things Be? (An Inhabitant of Carcosa) lined up next. Thank True Detective for getting me into the inspiration material for H.P. Lovecraft.

[Jonathan]

I'm reading "The Silmarillion" by J.R.R. Tolkien and "Just as I am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham" by Billy Graham.

[PLCDreamcatcher14]

I'm about half-way through Howl's Moving Castle. I had started reading the book a few years ago after I saw the movie but never got around to finishing it before I had to take it back to the library then I kind of forgot about it until recently. I still love it and I can't decide which one I like more: the book or the movie. ^_^

[rocklobster]

Reading Vampire Syndrome, a book I got from the writer himself! Even got it autographed!

[PLCDreamcatcher14]

Wow rocklobster! Cool.