What are you reading?

[mitsuki lover]

Currently I'm reading The Darwin Awards,dedicated,as it says on the cover,
to "Commerating those indiviuals who ensure the long-term survival of our
species by removing themseleves from the gene pool in a sublimely
idiotic fashion".
In other words it's about people who kill themselves in the most hilariously
moronic style.

[Lady Arianrod]

I'm read the Scarlett Letter. Wonderful book.

I had to read that one for school. Someday, I'll read that book more thoroughly.... It seemed good.

[dareiq s'an]

The hobbit its pretty good but a tad childish

[Lady Arianrod]

The hobbit its pretty good but a tad childish

I haven't read the Hobbit yet. The Silmarillion is good, though.

[uc pseudonym]

I have been curious about The Darwin Awards book but never pursued it.

Personally, I did not greatly like The Scarlett Letter. However, I gained a great deal of respect for Nathaniel Hawthorne after reading his "updated" Pilgrim's Progress.

[Jasdero]

The Custom House from The Scarlett Letter was really hard for me to read. I didn't enjoy it at all, and once I had finished it, I didn't really see the point of having it in there.. It gives some background knowledge (mostly about the author), but I barely noticed it because I was so disinterested. After that chapter, I enjoyed it. ^^

[uc pseudonym]

Similarly, I thought that The Custom House was unnecessary. However, it was added to increase the page count of the original novel to a more acceptable level by the original publisher. At least I am fairly certain that is the case.

[Mangafanatic]

I didn't read the "Custom House". Started it, but I simply couldn't make myself finish it.

[uc pseudonym]

Currently, I am reading The Mouse that Roared by Leonard Wibberley. From my initial impressions, it shows a great deal of promise as an interesting satirical novel.

[Jasdero]

I'm reading Richard Hofstadter's American Political Tradition. I love history. X3

Similarly, I thought that The Custom House was unnecessary. However, it was added to increase the page count of the original novel to a more acceptable level by the original publisher. At least I am fairly certain that is the case.

XD]I didn't read the "Custom House". Started it, but I simply couldn't make myself finish it.[/QUOTE]
^^; You saved yourself a lot of headache... @_@

[uc pseudonym]

Currently, I am reading The Mouse that Roared by Leonard Wibberley. From my initial impressions, it shows a great deal of promise as an interesting satirical novel.

I will point out that I highly recommend this book. The time from my last post has been quite busy, and yet I have still read through 80% of the book. It is similar to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in that you do not want to put it down, though the humor is more satiric and generally far more pointed.

For a course, I will be reading Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. He earned my respect with The Picture of Dorian Gray but we'll see how I like this.

[Technomancer]

Currently, I am reading The Mouse that Roared by Leonard Wibberley. From my initial impressions, it shows a great deal of promise as an interesting satirical novel.

Neat, I've only seen the movie so far. Anyways, currently I'm reading "The Scar" by China Meiville.

[Ducky]

I am currently reading Frank Herbert's Dune,Stephan Lawhead's The Sword and the Flame and various school-related books. Herbert's mastery of characterization is inspiring and even though I've only read the first sixty or so pages I am loving picking his work apart.

I love the Lawhead book because it explores some really interesting Christian themes within the context of a fantasy world and it has revealed some nifty little truths about a practical walk with God to me (not to make the book sound more important than it is, just that I really appreciate a book that is truly fantasy and truly Christian for once(and mebe only once)).

As to Oscar Wilde, he lost my respect with Dorian. The writing wasn't particularly bad, and the main plot was actually quite good. The strong homosexual undertones bothered me a little bit though, especially when viewed within a context of Wilde's views on such and my homosexual classmate's reaction to the book ... all in all I don't care for him.

[Lady Arianrod]

For a course, I will be reading Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. He earned my respect with The Picture of Dorian Gray but we'll see how I like this.

The Picture of Dorian Gray was an interesting book. I enjoyed it... The book had insightful satire, but the prose was a bit too... flowery. Not that the description wasn't wonderful, but he went overboard at times.

[Sephiroth]

I'm Currently reading the Halo novel : First Strike, (based between Halo & Halo 2)

[uc pseudonym]

As to Oscar Wilde, he lost my respect with Dorian. The writing wasn't particularly bad, and the main plot was actually quite good. The strong homosexual undertones bothered me a little bit though, especially when viewed within a context of Wilde's views on such and my homosexual classmate's reaction to the book ... all in all I don't care for him.

I can understand that. I primarily value the work due to the main plot, as you mentioned. Vaguely on topic, Salome (included in the same book as Earnest) is very strange.

[Hari]

Currently reading...?

Ah, it seems a thing of the past, this leisure reading! However, my latest non-school-related book is Vanity Fair. It makes me shake my head, and the writing style hilariously complements the story. The movie, I hear, portrays the main character as too sympathetic, though -- understandably, because as a reader I am very unsympathetic toward her. Ick.

A book I recently read in a matter of days, and adored, was the non-fictionalized Not Without My Daughter, by Betty Mahmoody. Must-read, the movie is a must-see, and the two actually tell the same story! It is remarkable, a powerful story of what has and does go on in some countries.

For school... Raymond Carver's got me reading, John Gardner's 'The Art of Fiction' enthralled me, and I'm reading various playwrights' works (I'm not so sure I enjoy the latter, though it certainly is different). I truly enjoyed Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author! If you want something really fascinating, read Pirandello's prologue to it. I was OK with the play, but I fell in love with it after reading the prologue!

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

I've almost finished "Nicolae" book three of The Left Behind series. I will then go on to read Soul Harvest (book four), then Otherland book 3: The Mountain of Black Glass. I love reading!

The Left Behind books are pretty good, not worth selling millions, but good and they are not scriptual.

[Lady Arianrod]

The next novel that I have to read for school is The Third Man by Graham Greene. I really don't know what to expect with this one...

[Hari]

I will point out that I highly recommend this book. The time from my last post has been quite busy, and yet I have still read through 80% of the book. It is similar to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in that you do not want to put it down, though the humor is more satiric and generally far more pointed.

For a course, I will be reading Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. He earned my respect with The Picture of Dorian Gray but we'll see how I like this.

The Importance of Being Earnest is excellent, in my humble opinion. I loved The Mouse That Roared! I read it during my lunch breaks last Summer, at work. It was thoroughly inspiring as a writer -- I loved the idea of everyone taking shelter from the bomb indefinitely! The possibilities definitely had me writing...

[uc pseudonym]

I completed Earnest today. A thoroughly trivial play, but one that is so quite cleverly. It was an interesting read, at the very least.

What makes me think regarding The Mouse That Roared is the scientific concept of quadium. I spent some time wondering how much of it was fact, how much was theory and how much was purely fantasy. If fantasy, they did a good job of creating a doom-weapon premise that didn't ruin suspension of disbelief.

[mechana2015]

I just finished Gentile Girl, a book about a christian girl attending BYU, and I am currently reading William Gibson's Neuromancer.

[GhostontheNet]

I've recently finished The Last Disciple by Hank Hanegraaff and Sigmund Brouwer. Although it's been a long time since I've read any fiction, I was all too curious at how anyone would pull off an orthodox preterist series of novels, presumably to counter the interpretation set forth in the Left Behind. The answer is quite simple, tell the events how they happened according to the historical sources available on the time. The book introduced many of the major characters involved in the events of A.D. 64-70 in Rome and Judea (Nero, Titus, Vespasian, Florus, Cestius, John of Gischala, etc.) though some majors have yet to show (Galba, Otho, Vitellius, with Josephus as one possible character later on). Add a mix of characters who would have the ability to be involved with the events, and some who would (quite plausably) have an interest in the message of the recently released Book of Revelation and similar prophecies (Hanegraaff, like me, seems to agree with John A.T. Robinson's thesis that all the New Testament was written before A.D. 70), and thehe end result is that this book fleshes out some of the basics of the orthodox preterist interpretation and functions as a good historical/prophetic fiction book because it does so well at fleshing out the events and places. Although my knowledge of the era has detracted somewhat from my enjoyment as I've been able to spot some plot events way down the road that would be unknown to many like I had a sniper scope (for example, I know what the document written in the reign of Tiberius that would be so damaging to Nero is). I also thought that the eve of the war between the Romans and Judea, when either peace or war was possible depending on the course of events was an excellent time for the end of the book.

[Technomancer]

"In the Blink of an Eye" by David Parker. The book discusses the nature of the so-called Cambrian explosion, which occured ~550 million years ago. The period saw the widespread emergence of multi-cellular life (or at least its fossil remnants), and was contained within a very short period of time geologically speaking. Despite its importance to earth-history, the reasons for the event remain controversial, and are not well understood.

[Technomancer]

"The Computational Brain" by Patricia Churchland and Terrence J. Sejnowski

"To understand how neurons give rise to mental life, we must know what they do, both individually as single cells and collectively as coherent systems of cells. The idea that brains are computational in nature has spawned a range of explanatory hypotheses in theoretical neurobiology, This book represents one slant on current conceptual foundations and the benchmark studies.

It should be a good book, even if it is a little dated (published in 1992).

[Hari]

I completed Earnest today. A thoroughly trivial play, but one that is so quite cleverly. It was an interesting read, at the very least.

What makes me think regarding The Mouse That Roared is the scientific concept of quadium. I spent some time wondering how much of it was fact, how much was theory and how much was purely fantasy. If fantasy, they did a good job of creating a doom-weapon premise that didn't ruin suspension of disbelief.

Yay for Earnest!

I'd have to reread TMTR to offer a more in-depth discussion of quadium (I'm a bit of a physics buff, after the sci-fi genre ), but my gut sense from memory is that you're right. Suspension of belief is attained, and it's near enough scientifically sound to work, certainly for the time it was written.

Feel free to pm me if you want to hash the physics out! I'd love that

Take care! Godspeed!

[LostChild]

right now i have to read The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, for U.S. History, but when January rolls around, i'm gonna start reading LOTR again for, like, the 6th or 7th time (i've made a commitment to read it at least once a year, every year).

[Mave]

I'm taking on the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin starting this week. I'm curious about the whole evolution topic and thought I might as well begin with the book that most probably kicked off everything.

[Technomancer]

I'm taking on the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin starting this week. I'm curious about the whole evolution topic and thought I might as well begin with the book that most probably kicked off everything.

It's a worthwhile read, but a bit plodding in parts. Darwin is very repetetive in offering examples, but does make his point well (albeit over and over again). The material is easy to grasp of course, since he wrote it so that any horsebreeder could have understood it. His 'Voyage of the Beagle' BTW was a far better read IMO, but lacked the significance of his later work.

[Mangafanatic]

It's a worthwhile read, but a bit plodding in parts. Darwin is very repetetive in offering examples, but does make his point well (albeit over and over again). The material is easy to grasp of course, since he wrote it so that any horsebreeder could have understood it. His 'Voyage of the Beagle' BTW was a far better read IMO, but lacked the significance of his later work.

Furthermore, a great deal of Darwin's original theory is no longer accepted by modern scientist.