The "WHAT ARE YOU READING?" thread

Ok, post in here whatever you're reading at the moment. Don't just post a title, though -- give us a bit of a run-down. If you like it, sell it. If it's horrible, and you're only reading it for school/work/to sound impressive at parties, tear it apart. Make this a thread worth reading, not just posting in.

I'll start.

I'm sort of on a break from reading, because I'm -- well, lazy -- but the books I am in the middle of:

WYRD SISTERS by Terry Pratchett
I'm reading this because I am doing a play version of it for a production company at my old uni. I've never read Pratchett before -- though it had been suggested to me ad nauseum -- so I didn't quite know what to expect. But it's a lot of fun, and I particularly enjoy how much Pratchett was willing to subvert cliches with his characterisation. It's very English, though, so you have to be into that absurdist, ironic kind of comedy, but if that's your thing, you can't do a whole lot better than Pratchett. A familiarity with fantasy literature also helps, obviously. In this case, the story is a mash-up of Hamlet and Macbeth, which is why this company (a Shakespeare-oriented company) has asked me to do it with them.

The play version which I found online -- apparently adapting it yourself is verboten -- is pretty godawful, so I'll be "enhancing" it myself.


I'm also re-reading THE HOBBIT, which I always find to be longer than it was the last time I read it. I manage to forget entire plotlines. Before my last re-read, I forgot entirely about the Battle of Five Armies. But it's one of my favourite books ever -- much more than Lord of the Rings (which is where my aborted username comes from) -- and is such a joy to go back through every time. This is my fourth of fifth time, I guess.


And RIGHT HO, JEEVES by P.G. Wodehouse
This is my third time through this -- my favourite of the hysterical novels by Wodehouse, who came up with the archetypal save-the-day-Butler "Jeeves". This time, I'm actually recording it into an audiobook for my friend's birthday present, so I'm not just re-reading. I've spent about 7 hours on it, and I'm halfway through (the recording software was difficult to get the hang of, so the rest shouldn't take so long). If you have any love of the English language at all, you'll love anything by Wodehouse -- with people like Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Douglas Adams, A.A. Milne, Christopher Hitchens and more all referring to him as the undisputed Master of English comedy writing, how can you not?

I recently finished read Frederic Bastiat - The Law, a ~50 page book written by an economist in the mid-1800s in France. Basically, talking about how the government should only have a role in enforcing the law and contracts, and not infringe on personal liberties. Kind of weird how the problems in 1850s France ring true to America today.

I am currently reading a ~1400 page tome of economics, Murray Rothbard's Man, Economy and State, which is written well enough that an intro student can pick it up and roll with it, but get in depth enough to require several readings to truly master. You can get it legit free from mises.org, but I got a print version from them because, fuck reading 1400 pages on my computer screen.

The Pale King by David Foster Wallace
This novel is about the IRS. I have zero interest in the IRS or taxation—I don't even live in the States—and yet I am enjoying it. So far, there are long, dry sections, but the writing style and insight more than make up for that. If you like Infinite Jest, read this. If you don't like or haven't read Infinite Jest, don't read this.

I spent the fall reading A Song of Ice and Fire. I hate George R. R. Martin with every fiber of my being, but I also love him so much.I am now anxiously awaiting the next book while I slowly grow old and die.

I then caught up on my Star Wars books. I was about 3 books behind in the Legacy of the Force series. Ascension by Christie Golden was stunningly awesome. My expectations going into it were low, because her first Star Wars book in the series was mind-numbingly dull and the second one was wholly forgettable. This one just blew me away, though. It's the penultimate book in the series, and the final one will be released sometime in March.

Once I finished that, I picked up Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion via Kindle Lender's Library. I've been putting off reading it for years because I usually find Dawkins a bit too preachy for my tastes. I'm a chapter or so into it and it's pretty good so far. There's little I've read that I didn't already know, but it's still a decent read.

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (2nd book in A Song of Ice and Fire series)
I normally don't read much anymore (besides comics) and so I was pleasantly surprised with how great the first book in this series, A Game of Thrones, was. A Clash of Kings (as well as the other books in the series) is considered "high fantasy" and is set in sort of a medieval time period. I'm normally not crazy about elves and magic and other typical fantasy tropes but so far most of the story deals with non-magical humans.

Each book in the series is told from the perspective of about 8 different characters (some "perspective characters" change from book to book). Overall the story is very dense. There are a fuck ton of different characters and subplots. It's very enjoyable but sometimes I have to stop and look at the map or the character appendix. My favorite characters to read are Arya and Jon.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KT.

It's very enjoyable but sometimes I have to stop and look at the map or the character appendix.

---

By 'but', you mean 'and'.

No she doesn't.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by KT.

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (2nd book in A Song of Ice and Fire series)
I normally don't read much anymore (besides comics) and so I was pleasantly surprised with how great the first book in this series, A Game of Thrones, was. A Clash of Kings (as well as the other books in the series) is considered "high fantasy" and is set in sort of a medieval time period. I'm normally not crazy about elves and magic and other typical fantasy tropes but so far most of the story deals with non-magical humans.

Each book in the series is told from the perspective of about 8 different characters (some "perspective characters" change from book to book). Overall the story is very dense. There are a fuck ton of different characters and subplots. It's very enjoyable but sometimes I have to stop and look at the map or the character appendix. My favorite characters to read are Arya and Jon.

---

I'm reading a Storm of Swords, and oh man GoT and CoK were great but this book is just awesome

Actually, Martin doesn't write high-fantasy. I think it's called vulgar fantasy or low fantasy or something.

point is, high-fantasy is very black and white - think LotR. The good guys are tragic, but clearly good: Boromir may have tried to steal the Ring, but he did it because he genuinely was trying to save his people. Moral dilemmas are virtually non-existent, so the Boromir case is probably the most morally taxing situation you'll come across throughout the series. Bad guys are clearly evil - they look evil, act evil etc

Martin's series isn't this clear cut, and that's the difference. Jon Snow is a good guy, but he goes out

buttsoup

banging Ygritte and breaking his oath

. Jaime starts out as a legimate bad, by

breasts

kicking Bran out a window, banging his sister unrepentantly, killing Stark's men without remorse, among other things like regicide

but he looks like a good guy: blonde hair, blue eyes, rich, famous. Sandor Clegane is another great example of the mixed-value, really interesting characters, because he

genitals?

will casually run down a child on orders, but will also go out of his way to save Arya

, even though he looks like a bad guy and runs with the bad guys.

While the Song of Ice and Fire is listed as having elements of high fantasy, such as taking place in a parallel world with no primary world and being a multi-volume saga with a large scope, the traditional hallmarks of high-fantasy are missing from it.

Also, Martin's books are nice in that there is a minimum of magic, although he's starting to ramp it up as the books go on. I'm really disappointed with some of his decisions in story-telling in books 4-5, but that might be because I'm an elitist when it comes to fantasy.

In thread related news, I just finished reading (surprise, surprise) the Impotence of Being Earnest and I'm now into Lion in the Streets by Judith Thompson. I also just finished reading Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini(sp?), which was a really good read. He managed a fantastic contrast between ignorant victim and knowing victim on the backdrop of Afghanistan as it reaches the point where 9/11 happens. The story got a bit hokey in its final pages, but all in all it was an interesting and worthwhile journey.

For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

It's about a US Spanish teacher who is involved in the fighting in Spain. He is a demolitions expert and falls in love with some chick named Maria with a shaved head. They do it a few times. She's kind of loose.

At first I liked it but I've gotten to the middle of it and am having to trudge through that part. Maybe it will pick back up.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Atomic

For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

---

I was reading that for school when I was on a multi-day deep sea tuna fishing trip out of San Diego, and was able to confirm spanish swear words with the mexican deckhands

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by coqauvin

Actually, Martin doesn't write high-fantasy. I think it's called vulgar fantasy or low fantasy or something.

point is, high-fantasy is very black and white - think LotR. The good guys are tragic, but clearly good: Boromir may have tried to steal the Ring, but he did it because he genuinely was trying to save his people. Moral dilemmas are virtually non-existent, so the Boromir case is probably the most morally taxing situation you'll come across throughout the series. Bad guys are clearly evil - they look evil, act evil etc

---

oh well I was using wikipedia's definition of "high fantasy"

Quote:

---

High fantasy is defined as fantasy fiction set in an alternative, entirely fictional ("secondary") world, rather than the real, or "primary" world. The secondary world is usually internally consistent but its rules differ in some way(s) from those of the primary world. By contrast, low fantasy is characterized by being set in the primary, or "real" world, or a rational and familiar fictional world, with the inclusion of magical elements.

---

(I understand genres are very subjective)

oh my bad

That's a pretty disingenuous use of spoiler tags. http://i.imgur.com/BDfBU.gif

I've been reading some books by Michio Kaku(theoretical physicist)Parallel Worlds and Physics of the Future, POTF talks about how physics, and technology, will change over the next 100 years, gives a detailed account of day to day life in certain aspects. Towards the end it gets a little too hippie for me, which surprised me because I didn't really think of Kaku like that, still a good read though. Parallel Worlds explores different dimensions. I like reading books like these, I also read Paul Davies How to Build a Time Machine, which describes how you could use physics to alter the perception of time, using black holes/wormholes and faster than light travel, and light speed travel and it's all written pretty humorously.

Currently reading Naked Empire by Terry Goodkind, I started reading The Sword of Truth series while I was in jail, and now I just want to finish it. I also like the fantasy novel, but not D&D style.

man, fuck terry goodkind

him and all his diehard fans are a human centipede attached to ayn rand's anus

yea, I've noticed his political views in his books, I don't like the dude at all, but I can't let a series go unfinished, especially since I've read so far into it.

Speaking of which, I need to finish the Dark Tower.

Edit: I was once given "Atlas Shrugged" by my mom, because she knew it was popular, and I was reading a lot of philosophy at the time. I couldn't make it past the third page it bored me so much.

I'm a bit of the way into a couple of books, but nothing has been piquing my interest lately.

Are the Game of Thrones books really that good? I don't know anyone irl who has read them, so I have no source.

Depends on your taste, really. What kind of books do you tend to like? More importantly, do you like really, really long stories?

VS, that's ironic because Atlas Shrugged is not philosophy and popularity is not a good indicator of quality in philosophy. If you're deep into The Dark Tower, it won't take that long to finish.

coq, when you call it a really, really long story, that gives poor connotations about its pacing.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mr. E

I'm a bit of the way into a couple of books, but nothing has been piquing my interest lately.

Are the Game of Thrones books really that good? I don't know anyone irl who has read them, so I have no source.

---

Did you watch the television series? If you did and you enjoyed it then I think you will really enjoy the books (well at least the 1st book and the first half of the 2nd book since that's as far as I've gotten). I don't even normally read books without pictures and I am really getting into the series.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mutton

VS, that's ironic because Atlas Shrugged is not philosophy and popularity is not a good indicator of quality in philosophy. If you're deep into The Dark Tower, it won't take that long to finish.

coq, when you call it a really, really long story, that gives poor connotations about its pacing.

---

this is true

though, especially in the later books, he really pisses me off in how he paces major events

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mr. E

I'm a bit of the way into a couple of books, but nothing has been piquing my interest lately.

Are the Game of Thrones books really that good? I don't know anyone irl who has read them, so I have no source.

---

they are that good

The unbearable lightness of being - Milan Kundera

such a philosophical and thought provoking novel about Czech life during the communist period. Such a good read. Really interesting concept of love/relationships and unfaithfulness. Haven't finished it yet though.

also.... Spears of twilight - Phillipe Descola

French anthropologist living in the amazon jungle with Achuar tribe. Popular book even with non-anthropologists.

The newest issue of McSweeney's, published a couple times a year with short stories, essays, and poetry. They're big volumes with really great pieces by great writers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mutton

VS, that's ironic because Atlas Shrugged is not philosophy and popularity is not a good indicator of quality in philosophy. If you're deep into The Dark Tower, it won't take that long to finish.

coq, when you call it a really, really long story, that gives poor connotations about its pacing.

---

I need to read the 6th and 7th books.

If Atlas Shrugged's 3 pages of content I read was any indicator of Ayn Rand's books, I don't want to read anything she has.

I didn't know there was popular philosophy... Ayn Rand and Nietzsche are the only popular philosophers I can think of, without going to Ancient Greek. I don't read philosophy anymore.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

If you know who Neil Gaiman is you'll know why I'm enjoying this. It has a similar tone to his work on his Sandman comic. and successfully incorporates Norse Gods, and various legendary mythological figures into the story. And the arrival of New Gods based on the obsessions of each American.

If you like Gaiman's work defiantly worth looking into, especially since HBO bought the rights and are planning to turn it into a show.

I second the recommendation for American Gods, even if you don't like fantasy. It's nothing like high fantasy, to begin with.

The Last Days of Socrates by Plato (edited by Harold Tarrant)

3 4 books about the last days of Socrates life before he was sentenced to death. He discusses the immortality of the soul, the trial of Socrates and the death of Socrates.

ShitFace, aren't there 4 dialogues in that compilation? You described Apology and Phaedo, but not Euthyphro and Crito. Also, to be more of a nut wrangler, it's not just the days before he was sentenced to death, but the days after as well.

I'm currently rereading Lion in the Streets, by Judith Thompson. It's a short, weird Canadian play that is rather fluid, making it difficult to follow. The main character, Isobel, is a ghost on stage and sticks around for the whole play. There are only 2 acts, but each "scene" in the play transitions from one to another with just one or two characters, none of which actually show up later. It's difficult to follow, very dark and personal and, by the end, shocking and uncomfortable. Thompson really has a way of bringing her characters to life through their dialogue that I appreciate, but it's so strange to read the thing.

I'm also in the process of writing an essay on George Luis Borge's poem The Other Tiger.

The History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters is next on my to-read list.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mutton

ShitFace, aren't there 4 dialogues in that compilation? You described Apology and Phaedo, but not Euthyphro and Crito. Also, to be more of a nut wrangler, it's not just the days before he was sentenced to death, but the days after as well.

---

correct, i just couldn't rememeber what the last one was about.
also thanks for the names, didn't have the time to look them up.

The Withces Of Eastwich by John Updike - I like Updike's style a lot but the story so far is a little thin. I'm about a third of the way through and I really just want to finish it so I can move on to something else, probably Murakami's The Wind Up Bird Chronicle which I bought a few days ago.

I'm also going through Julia Childs' Mastering The Art Of French Cooking, another book I picked up on a whim, mostly just to pick up tips and improve my cooking skills.

And Ben Goldacre's Bad Science is my current "dip in and out" book. It's basically extended versions of his Guardian column, in which he takes on abuses of science, the scienctific process and statistics. It's well worth reading.

Finally getting around to the two books that have been on my to-read list for a while:

The Big Short - Michael Lewis
Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheOriginalGrumpySpy

Finally getting around to the two books that have been on my to-read list for a while:

The Big Short - Michael Lewis
Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain

---

How is the Big Short? I enjoyed Liar's Poker a fair bit, but not enough to run out and get the rest of his stuff - someone told me that LP was his best work.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by coqauvin

How is the Big Short? I enjoyed Liar's Poker a fair bit, but not enough to run out and get the rest of his stuff - someone told me that LP was his best work.

---

It's a great little read. It does one of two things: 1. explains quite simply how the crash of 2007/2008 came about, and 2. portrays very interesting characters who caught onto the credit default swap problem and sought to make a lot of money betting against basically everyone.

Haven't read LP but if you are looking for an analysis of the CDS/CDO crash and a fun story to go along with it then I highly recommend it.

Kitchen Confidential is a great book.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ShitFace

Kitchen Confidential is a great book.

---

Just started it, it's hard to put down! Very very good.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Atomic

For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

It's about a US Spanish teacher who is involved in the fighting in Spain. He is a demolitions expert and falls in love with some chick named Maria with a shaved head. They do it a few times. She's kind of loose.

At first I liked it but I've gotten to the middle of it and am having to trudge through that part. Maybe it will pick back up.

---

This sounds very interesting. I had some small desire to read more Ernest Hemingway.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ShitFace

The Last Days of Socrates by Plato (edited by Harold Tarrant)

3 4 books about the last days of Socrates life before he was sentenced to death. He discusses the immortality of the soul, the trial of Socrates and the death of Socrates.

---

I'm taking an introductory ethics course and we just finished reading this. I don't know if it is just Plato or maybe that's just be ancient Greek, but the it was written or spoken to get points across is convoluted and kind of a headache.

I just finished readingGrounding for the Metaphysics of Morals On a Supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns byImmanuel Kant, and I'm guessing because it was published so much closer to my time than Plato's works that it seems easier to read and less of a headache yet a major headache nonetheless. I have to reread it and much more carefully to get a better understanding, but I'm slowly picking up the pieces. Kant himself seems to be, from what I heard, an interesting guy who was a college professor, loved to gamble, drink, smoke, and all sorts of other vices.

Also recently finished Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion by David Hume, and that was also a pain. Though, I keep rereading it from time to time and starting to like more and more as I better understand it. I guess David Hume really liked ancient Greek philosophy that he modeled this imaginary conversation on how debates would go in ancient Greece.

What I'm currently reading is Reason, Religion, and Morals which is a collected works by 19th century social reformer, lecturer, and feminist Frances Wright. I was thinking that I'm not engaged by a lot of historical or important female figures from the past or today. I don't agree with what all she has to say, but I'm liking that she says it and does so passionately. While I've only read a few passages from the book, I'm really taking a shine to her.

Everything I've listed has been for college. I don't think I've read a book for the fun of it or just out of personal desire in probably two or three months.

I have not read those except for the Plato dialogues, but that's the first time I've seen someone say Kant is easier to read than Plato or Hume. (Plato and Hume are considered among the best writers in philosophy. Kant is considered among the most obtuse.)

Kant did not do any of those things except drink, as far as I'm aware. He stuck to a relatively austere daily routine, with fixed times for eating/discussing/walking/reading/writing. Recent biographies do claim young Kant was flamboyant.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mutton

I have not read those except for the Plato dialogues, but that's the first time I've seen someone say Kant is easier to read than Plato or Hume. (Plato and Hume are considered among the best writers in philosophy. Kant is considered among the most obtuse.)

Kant did not do any of those things except drink, as far as I'm aware. He stuck to a relatively austere daily routine, with fixed times for eating/discussing/walking/reading/writing. Recent biographies do claim young Kant was flamboyant.

---

After reading that article, maybe I'm confusing him with someone else that I was told about. That was a very interesting read. I do remember being told - and I think I should probably do some more research before parroting told facts - that he never left his neighborhood or never travelled abroad. Something like that.

Right now I'm reading Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey. I read a few of the Pern books back in middle school, so I'm goign back to them for nostalgia (plus I've forgotten a lot of it). I don't know how far I'll get into the series before I stop (there are like 30 books or something ridiculous). I have several things on tap for when I decide to pick up something else.

Currently reading a book of collected poems and short stories from Charles Bukowski in Run With the Hunted: A Charles Bukowski Reader edited by John Martin. I'm about halfway thrilled and loving it. I don't know what it is about Bukowski, but I really like him.

As of late I've been on a book buying spree, so I'm starting to read leisurely more often than previously this season. I picked up Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. The book was on clearance for $2, and I've read and surprisingly loved his other book The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

Dune.

At the moment, I'm reading James Patterson's Alex Cross series, currently on Jack & Jill. HE is very quickly becoming my favourite author.