What are you reading?

[23623]

I started reading "The man who laughs" weeks ago. Need to finish it to complete my Hugo collection!

Speaking of GRRM, after watching the 6 seasons of Game of Thrones I decided to read the original novels. I read a small part of the first book but I found it really boring. Now I've given up on the series.

Also wondering if I should start reading the Scarlet Pimpernel series but I'm afraid I'll give up halfway due to lack of interest.

[Acaila]

They're quite self contained as I remember. Also quite easy short reads - anytime I've had the urge to read them, I've gone through them really quickly.

[deHavilland]

And what are YOU reading, Acaila?

I bet it's not A Place of Greater Safety.

[Acaila]

Well I read the aforementioned Pimpernel book. Right now I'm reading a lot of scripts for ideas.

[TheRandomPhangirl]

On a whim I picked up a book at the airport on Saturday, called the Second Footman.
Turns out it was a good find: 19th century histfic, a m/m relationship as the main love story *and* it has a really good storyline, if a bit wordy. But then, I'm used to Hugo. I'm ok with 'wordy' .
I'm also reading Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park, but that's mainly for A-level English.

[CC21106]

A Facebook friend of mine is an author and I got her book. How do you say "Not my cup of tea" in a polite enough way? I'm one of her many followers so the question may not arise. "Interesting history there" and "I learned a lot" might do it (it's a historical novel following the alleged romantic relationship between Eleanor Roosevelt and her press secretary). It's just... Eleanor Roosevelt in bed? NOoooooo

[deHavilland]

In re: the Name of the Wind and the Wise Man's Fear that I told everyone to read: it was just announced today that Lin-Manuel Miranda is going to be behind the film/TV/stage adaptation of the series! So start reading them now and get on the hype train early!

They're awesome books and music is such a huge and important part of the series that I think it's really cool that as a project it's going to a musician. I think he'll do something really great with it. Hope so, anyway.

[CC21106]

Warday. Good scary book about what life would be like in the US after a limited (as they go) nuclear exchange. Lots of relief from the rest of the untouched world, and no longer a word leader. Written just before the fall of the USSR.

[deHavilland]

Warday. Good scary book about what life would be like in the US after a limited (as they go) nuclear exchange. Lots of relief from the rest of the untouched world, and no longer a word leader. Written just before the fall of the USSR.

The historical context for when that was written sounds really interesting. Was it "the USSR is about to fall and we're pretty sure that's about to happen" or "we really don't know what's coming down the pipeline, quick build more nukes! Star Wars space program! Go go go!"?

I finally started reading Anne Rice's Prince Lestat last night. It's been sitting on my bookshelf since it came out like two years ago or whatever, but since the latest one came out a few weeks back, I figured I'd best get a move on it. I love the Vampire Chronicles, but I'll be honest and say I really kind of tuned out somewhere midway through The Vampire Armand. I like Armand. I also like Marius and Blood and Gold is okay, I guess, but realistically all I want is 400 pages of Lestat and Louis forgetting why they really shouldn't be in the same room together, hanging out in the same room together, and then going "oh yeah, that's why we don't do that anymore." That's not so much to ask for, is it?

I'm a couple hundred pages into Prince Lestat so far and honestly it feels like I'm good for not remembering any of the crap that happened after Blood and Gold. Blood Canticle? No thanks. Seems like Rice herself has decided to forget basically anything plotty that happened after Memnoch, and I am a-okay with that. But the thing I have always hated about the later VC books is how many vampires there are. Too many. I only care about like six** of them, so stop making new characters, Rice, STOP IT, I SAY.

**Lestat, Louis, Armand, Gabrielle, Marius. I guess I lied and I only care about five of them.
(Nicolas and Claudia don't count.)
Basically if you weren't in The Vampire Lestat or say... the musical, then I'ma speedread through your chapters.

[CC21106]

Warday. ....Written just before the fall of the USSR.

The historical context for when that was written sounds really interesting. Was it "the USSR is about to fall and we're pretty sure that's about to happen" or "we really don't know what's coming down the pipeline, quick build more nukes! Star Wars space program! Go go go!"?

More like the second. From the era when it seemed the USSR was going to be a permanent empire. People took it at its word. The war in question was set off by the US creating a space nuclear command, or something like that, so the USSR preemptively blasted New York, Washington, San Antonio, and a couple other places. Then the US retaliated, leaving the Europeans and the Chinese basically in charge of what's left.

I also just read "A Canticle for Leibowitz," another post-nuclear-apocalypse book that, like Warday, came out just before a huge important change that made the whole thing unlikely. It takes place mostly in a monastery and is based on the idea that the Catholic Church would stay the immemorial same through a post-nuclear dark age, preserving modern writings and speaking Latin the whole time. Vatican II happened the year after Canticle won the Hugo (no relation), blasting the whole premise out of the water.

[CC21106]

Latest reading: "The Name of the Rose," Umberto Eco. Translated, of course. Somebody posted a picture on Facebook of a cross section of an iceberg with the 1/8th above water labeled "Film" and the 7/8ths underwater as "Book." That's what this is like. I have gotten to the point where they are losing themselves in the forbidden labyrinth. My brother says when the movie came out he said "They made a movie of THAT? and put WHO in it?"

Update: Adso has met that sink of sin, a GIRL. Whooee!

Update: More dead monks. The plot thickens with the arrival of a grand inquisitor. If you've gotten to the point where you need a grand inquisitor, your organization's past help.

[23623]

Recently I've been rereading some novels I had read like 10 years ago. Partly due to nostalgia and partly the fact that I still can't get myself to finish "The man who laughs". I'm at about page 200, which is like half of the novel, but I still don't know where the story is heading. Maybe I should stop rereading old stuff and start to really concentrate on it, lol. Anyway, the next one on my rereading list is "A tale of two cities". Everyone knows a line or two from the opening of the book, but actually I love the ending MUCH BETTER. I remember being totally obsessed with Carton's sacrifice when I had just finished the novel. Whenever I got bored in class I just started writing down his last words on my textbook or draft paper.

On the Dickens train of thought, the other day I forced my parents to watch the Polanski movie adaption of Oliver Twist with me. I told them the movie is the adaption of a famous novel, and to my surprise, my mom asked me "you mean Les Mis?"
And I didn't know it was "ARTFUL Dodger" not "ARTHUR Dodger" until that day because I was really dumb. I had been thinking "Arthur Dodger? What kind of nickname is that?" when I read the book, lol!

[deHavilland]

Anybody rocking a Goodreads account? Let me know and I'll add you as a friend!

[CC21106]

Anybody rocking a Goodreads account? Let me know and I'll add you as a friend!

I'm on there. Haven't visited much but need to more... haven't been reading a lot for three months or so, but I'm picking up again. Had a bereavement in the family and just couldn't concentrate to read, except for one book: and you know which one. About the fifth time. Maybe sixth. I need to branch out.

[Rachel]

I really liked Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series. I just thought they were super compelling.