Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine So what are you READING?

Just finished "Guardian" by John Saul. Good book. Saul writes good books - each with its own subplot of controversy. Who would read a book if it were dull, anyway?

Women

And Scientists

And women scientists

You calling Oprah a scientist?

Scary.

I just read Paris to the Moon. It was... interesting, I guess. *shrugs* I'm always a bit apathetic to school reading. Silly college.

I'd recommend it if you like non-fiction, though (which I do) 'cause it's full of interesting politics and observations.

I just loaded the DaVinci Code to my PSP. It is the last of Brown's books for me to get to. I hope I've saved the best for last.

PSP? Play Station Portable?

Yep. I watch my TV shows, movies, read comics and books as well as play games on my PSP. Best little electronic buddy I've ever had.

By the way, Scott, has Caroline heard of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova? I'm reading it right now. It's a novel about a girl's search for her father, an historian, who's gone in search of Dracula, who apparently is still alive. It's rather well written, but slow paced. It just came out 2 weeks ago, but is already climbing up the best seller list.

Yep. Had it on order at Amazon since early this year. Got it week before last. We decided to wait for the large print edition so her mom could read it too.

Oh, and the movie rights have already been bought up. I think even before it was published.

Am currently reading Book of Leaves - it scares me!

I've been on a reading binge since school let out. I'd need notes to remember them all.

I read a huge number of Anne McCaffery book ending with the early Pern novels. It seems every time a reread one I find more sex. ;7

I've also recently read The Lost Tomb by Ken R Weeks. It's a great book about the excavations in kv5, the tomb of the sons of Rameses II. One of the nice parts is that it's got a website (www.kv5.com) that has regular updates on the project, so for once I don't feel like I'm reading out of date history.

Taking a break while I wait for more Pern books, I decided to read The Mummy by Anne Rice which is semi-coincidently about Ramses II. Not a bad book, but I'm glad there's no sequel. I suspect it would just be one non-stop orgy.

The Mummy led to Interview With a Vampire, and The Vampire Lestat. I thought I'd read both before, but I didn't remember any of Interview. It was really different from what I expected. I thought it would be a "noble" vampire novel, where the vamps never do anything really evil. That would have been more fun, but this was a lot more thought provoking than I expected. I'm reading Lestat now and it, at least, is familiar.

Semi's been recomending Shadowmarch by Tad Williams. I agree, that's a really, really good book. Better than Dragonbone Chair, and I loved Dragonbone Chair.

I'm really struggling through "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova. I've read about 400 pages and still have 250 or so to go. The writing is decent, but the pacing is off. It's supposed to be a suspense novel, but the characters spend all their time having 3 square meals a day. That just doesn't seem right. I can't recommend it unless you like a long leisurely novel and have a lot more patience than I do.

Next up, Olympos by Dan Simmons. It's the sequel to Illium, one of my very favorite books in a long time.

Do you finish a book whether or not you enjoy it? Some people do see a book right through to the end, but I don't have the patience.

I'm looking forward to Olympos also - don't know if I'll shell out the $$ to buy it, or wait for the library - which could take months. So I'll probably buy it - and Locked Rooms by Laurie King - next in the series of Mary Russell ("Sherlock Holmes' wife") series.

books and movies.....no matter how bad i have to finish 'em!!

I try and finish the books I start. I'm afraid that I'd never finish anything if I gave up when my interest started to flag - because it always does at some point in every book. The only book that I couldn't finish was "The Little Friend" by Donna Tart. I got through about 400 pages with 100 pages to go and I gave it up. I hated it so much and was so disappointed. I'm told I didn't miss anything since the story was never resolved.

With me it is usually not my patience that wears thin or I don't like the book, it is my reading interest in general. I got on a kick there for a few months where I was reading almost like I did when I was a teen. Growing up I could devour a novel a day, two if they were Mack Bolans or a similar genre.

But as my life progressed to where I was getting into technical fields I found my interest in real reading fading. I'll go through occasional periods where I read anything in sight but then that other side of my brain kicks in and I'll drop a book I'm thoroughly enjoying mid-way in (like I've done with Dies the Fire). Eventually I'll pick up where I left off.

I'm with you. If I'm not enjoying the book, what's the point in continuing? It's a recreation activity, after all...

Of course, I have come back to books before when I'm older/in a different mind set and sometimes enjoyed them greatly.

I just read some of Reefer Madness by Eric Schlosser for class -- it was pretty interesting. There's lots I didn't know about the porn industry and stuff...

I guess I differ - reading isn't always a recreational activity for me. I'll stick with a book in the hopes that the overall experience will be rewarding in a manner that I can't discern while still in the midst of the book. One book that I struggled with at serveral points was "The Glass Bead Game" by Herman Hesse. I stuck with it though, and in the end found it thought provoking and deeply moving. Even though I read it many years ago, I still think about it often. Sometimes you just can't tell what the impact of a book is going to be until after you've finished it.

Whether I finsh a book or not generally depends on what I have waiting to read next. My level of patience varys.

Right now I've just dropped everything to read Vision in Death by JD Robb. Major gulity pleasure SF-mystery-thriller type series of books. I got it today and I'm already half finished.

I'm still on my fantasy kick right now. Reading "An Armoury of Swords"....a group of short stories about Saberhagen's swords by other authors.

I'm not much for fiction, but I read a lot of biographies. I've just finished The Maverick and his Machine by Kevin Maney. It's a biography of Thomas Watson Sr. and IBM. The company worshipped him like a cult leader in those days.

http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/music/music_clips.html

"Ever Onward" must be experienced to be believed.

Ok I finished Shogun a while back finally. Great book. Basically a huge chess match and I loved it.

I read the first three Lemony Snicket books. That was fun. I bought for my daughter but I loved the film so much I read them. The first was suprisingly wasn't the best IMO. Like 2 and 3 more.

Now I am reading Capitan Alatriste! Good ole sword adventures in the 17thcentury in Spain. How can I not like it! Viggo is currently making the film for this in Spain...and in spanish! Anyways the author is the same guy who wrote Club Dumas (aka the Ninth Gate film with Depp). The author is Arturo Perez-Reverte. So far I recommend it to anynone.

"Do you finish a book whether or not you enjoy it? Some people do see a book right through to the end, but I don't have the patience."

Yes. So many times I am not enjoying a book but 10 pages later I am loving it.

One book that I never can finish is Count of Monte Cristo though. I enjoy it but lose patience with it.

Me, too. I like it, but it's so long that I get distracted before I finish it.

I'm within spitting distance of the end of "The Historian." I can't recommend it. While the writer has a facility for English, she knows diddly squat about pacing or plot development. (I blame her editor for not trimming this overblown book to make it readable.) Description is thrown, seemingly because the writer just can resist the urge to describe the characters 3 meals a day, despite the fact that they're on the run and shouldn't be stopping for a meal. While she should be building to the climax, she goes on digressions about medieval manuscripts and their authenticity. Huh? I think Elizabeth Kostova has promise, but she needs a lot of help from her editor.

So if you thought Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell was tedious (RTVU2) stay far away from this book. It will try your patience.