What are you reading?

[ARASHIKAGE]

I got my hands on a tiny little book called: "As A Man Thinketh" by James Allen. It's only 68 pages long but it packs a punch, I'll share a page with you.

A man does not come to the pothouse or the gaol by the tyranny of fate or circumstance, but by the pathway of grovelling thoughts and base desires. Nor does a pure-minded man fall suddenly into crime by stress of any mere external force; the criminal thought had long been secretly fostered in the heart, and the hour of opportunity revealed its gathering power. Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself. No such conditions can exist as descending into vice and its attendant sufferings apart from vicious inclinations, or ascending into virtue and its pure happiness without the continued cultivation of virtuous aspirations; and man, therefore, as the lord and master of thought, is the maker of himself, the shaper and author of environment. Even at birth the soul comes to its own, and through every step of its earthly pilgrimage it attracts those combinations of conditions which reveal itself, which are the reflections of its own purity and impurity, its strength and weakness.

[Outrider]

Not much these days, but I do have a copy of "Machine of Death (http://machineofdeath.net/)" next to my bed that I've been meaning to finish.

[Sinue_v2]

I've been slacking off on my reading lately. Been meaning to pick up either Darwin's Origin of Species or Anna Karenina, but so far I haven't gotten more than a few pages in on either of them. What I've probably read the most of lately is largely brain-rot... a "modernized translation" of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations and Evolution Exposed by those wonderful jokesters over at Answers in Genesis. Meditations is presented in a very folksy layman's English, which (while enjoyable in it's own right) is putting me off as I feel I'm losing a the essence of the work. It's something I really would prefer to read a more faithful translation of first to see how credible the new translations are. Still the way it's broken up between short musings, notes, ruminations, and reflections makes it easily digestible... like a book of quotations... and that is largely what has kept me going.

Evolution Exposed is just... yeah... it's fucking horrible. It's like a reading a comedic tragedy, in that the comedy comes from the laughable errors and assertions made... and their logic which extends only to the fulfillment of an agenda and no further. The tragedy of it comes from knowing that a lot of people actually believe that shit, and are promoting it to be taught in schools, for no other reason than accepting any excuse to insulate their favorite myths and delusions from reality. It's not even a run down of a competent opposing theory which better explains the evidence... it's just trying to discredit evolution and assuming that "magic man" of some sort is the only other viable alternative. I don't think it's even mentioned Lamarkism yet.

[Nitro Vordex]

Psh, and all I'm reading is one of the Mass Effect books. Where do you guys find all these intellectual books, I'd love to read them.

[FOkyasuta]

Reading my head. Just seems to come up with good storys now and then.

[Sinue_v2]

Oh, and I found this just today. For as horrible a read the Great Gatsby turned out to be, the game might actually salvage Mr. Fitzgerald's work for me.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqTUKgQ_Cz4

The sad part is, I think it's more faithful to it's source material than EA's Dante's Inferno. Here's hoping they make a version of To Kill a Mockingbird or a "Lost in Blue" inspired Lord of the Flies.

[Split]

I just finished reading Out by Natsuo Kirino, recently translated to English. It's sort of a feminist commentary, about a female factory worker who murders her husband and gets her friends to help her dispose the body. In addition to being a biting critique of the true nature of Japanese society, it's totally twisted, graphic, and awesome. Seriously, can't recommend this book highly enough - a quick and arresting read.

Before that, I read House of Leaves be Mark Danielewski, a really interesting alternative horror novel. Johnny Truant, an apprentice at an LA tatoo parlor, discovers the writings of a creepy and recently deceased blind man living in his apartment. His works are unfinished, and despite his life being totally out of sorts, the intelligent Johnny decides to finish the editing and fill in the missing pieces in the writings, a task which slowly drives him insane. Once again, I highly recommend this; it has a really fascinating and unconventional layout, about 700 pages long, with its use of footnotes and different typeface helping to convey the eerie, supernatural story in a revolutionary way.

[Mike]

I was in the middle of Douglas Adams' The Salmon of Doubt before I put it down. I have yet to finish it but I mean to.

[DoubleJG]

I'm halfway through Seinlanguage. Not much of a novel, but it's something.

[AC9breaker]

I've recently started reading Tomorrow's Eve by Villiers de L'isle Adam. I always thought the quote at the beginning of Ghost in The Shell 2:Innocence was cool, so I picked the book up and I'm quite enjoying it.


I've also been reading on and off again The Fatal Conceit: The Errors of Socialism by F.A. Hayek. It's kind of a heavy read for me so I've been taking it slow cause I wanna make sure I really absorb and understand what I'm reading.

Then I've got various Warhammer 40k novels coming in the mail. Horus Hersey stuff. War Porn.

[McLaughlin]

Almost done Exploiting Software: How to Break Code. Picked it to do a "book report" on for my computer security class.

I haven't read an actual novel in ages.

[Abashi76]

I'm reading the internet!^-^


I've also been reading on and off again The Fatal Conceit: The Errors of Socialism by F.A. Hayek. It's kind of a heavy read for me so I've been taking it slow cause I wanna make sure I really absorb and understand what I'm reading.

There are errors in Capitalism also. I think that there should be a rational mix of Socialism and Capitalism (mixed economy).

[Wayu]

Biology: Seventh Edition.

:(

-Wayu

[Randomness]

Textbooks.

[ARASHIKAGE]

If anyone wants to pick up some personal-development type books, here's a few suggestions:

As A Man Thinketh -James Allen

Think and Grow Rich -Napoleon Hill (this author might be a little nuts fyi) on wealth.

The Riches Man in Babylon -George S. Clason (this book is my favorite, not so preachy) on wealth.

Rich Dad Poor Dad -Robert Kiyosaki on wealth.

The Bible -The people in the book (sixty six books, best seller, a little preachy lol.) But seriously, worth reading no matter your belief. Great stories examples of people on both sides of the ledger, what to do and what not to do.

[Gunslinger-08]

Being the sci-fi geek I am, I've been reading the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order series. I think I've read about 13 of the 19 books so far. Good stuff, even if all the authors involved don't all write on quite the same level.

[FOkyasuta]

The "Other" voice in my head.

[CupOfCoffee]

I've been going through books pretty fast during downtime at work. Recently finished:

Hocus Pocus, The Sirens of Titan, and Welcome To the Monkey House, all by Kurt Vonnegut
Franny and Zooey, by JD Salinger (for the ~5th time)
Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton (lol grade school nostalgia)
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (And I thought it was pretty damn good, as a counterpoint to Sinue's post. Although I will certainly agree with him about how much grander the NES game is.)

Currently halfway through both Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, and The October Country, which is collected short stories by Ray Bradbury. I was never a big fan of Fahrenheit 451, but I'm liking his shorter works a lot--they're way more digestible and generally compact and satisfying, as short stories had ought to be.

[Leviathan]

I finished reading Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich for class. It's not too dense so it was an easy read with just enough interest to keep you going.

After that I need to pick up some books to read for fun. I'm thinking Dostoevsky or Sagan.

I do feel inclined to post this wonderful website.

http://betterbooktitles.com/

[LionHeart-]

I find it quite hard to sit down and read sometimes, so I get most of it done on the Bus lol!

Been reading a few others but currently into a book called Carl Sagan : The Dragons of Eden. Love Carl Sagan, what a brilliant guy, shame that he died, though if anyone wants to vastly improve their vocabulary and learn about the human brain and its origins, then this is the book :D!

Just curious. Does anyone retain much information when reading through the first time or spread reading the book through-out the days?

[Sinue_v2]

I'm thinking Dostoevsky or Sagan.

The Brothers Karamazov and The Demon Haunted World. Those books should be required reading IMO, and I don't think you'll be disappointed with either. If you read Karamazov, be sure to read up a bit on Dostoevsky's life and the loss of his son. It'll greatly flavor how you perceive the character of Alyosha (whom the book generally revolves around), as he was inspired Dostoevsky's own child who died tragically... and his personal grappling with suffering's role in morality and theology is bore out largely in the exchanges between Alyosha and Ivan's conversations as events between their brother and father unfold.

Also, don't be surprised if (after reading) you catch yourself wanting to prefacing every other sentience with "And would you believe". It's kind of infectious.

Crime & Punishment (from what I've read) is a good choice too. Dunno about Notes from the Underground though.

[spoiler-box]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta5qR0JozZc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOO1vZObodI[/spoiler-box]

Special Bonus; Carl Sagan's essay on Marijuana under the pseudonym "Mr. X" (http://hermiene.net/essays-trans/mr_x.html)
(It's just kind of cool, as I never expected Sagan to be a smoker. Though in retrospect, after watching Cosmos again, I guess it's kind of obvious.)

[PhantasyQueen]

Reading through A Brave New World

[DiMiTri]

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami
Candide - Voltaire
Solaris - Lem
Ham On Rye - Bukowski

There are many unread books on my shelf :)

[FOkyasuta]

My head. Still hasnt stopped ya know.

[Palle]

Funny, I'm also reading Murakami. Norwegian Wood. Just ordered Jonny Greenwood's soundtrack for the film as well.

[Nitro Vordex]

I haven't read them recently, but Paulo Cohelo's books are really good. It's a spiritual read, but it also has influences from the Bible and God without sounding too preachy or forceful. I read a few of his books and really liked some of the stuff in them, so much that it actually improved my perception of life for a while.

[Ryno]

The Holy Bible / God's Word

[Blue-Hawk]

The Decent by Jeff Long. REALLY good.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Descent_%28novel%29

[Firocket1690]

This (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Outside-Lines-Students-Disabilities/dp/068486598X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299646543&sr=8-1) came in the mail today. I'll read when I get around to it.

Sometime in Dec, I was buying up christmas gifts for friends. While I was at Strand, I impulse bought The Catcher in the Rye for myself. I'm about halfway through; schoolwork keeps me busy. :/

[AOI_Tifa_Lockhart]

Angry emails from customers at work :(

Tifa

[CupOfCoffee]

I just finished the Matthew Ward translation of The Stranger, by Albert Camus. Very bizarre, very dense little book.

Also House of Leaves again, by Mark Danielewski, but I'm not sure I'm going to finish it. I'm pretty near the end, but it's just pissing me off. Johnny's boring stream of consciousness footnotes bug me (every time I turn a page and see the beginning of a three-page footnote about some inane shit that happened to Johnny, I want to grind my teeth). The whole thing seems to take itself a little too seriously and spend too much time having screwy formatting and not enough time just being a book. And I just realized I'm at about the same spot where I stopped reading last time--will it ever get finished?!

[Split]

Also House of Leaves again, by Mark Danielewski, but I'm not sure I'm going to finish it. I'm pretty near the end, but it's just pissing me off. Johnny's boring stream of consciousness footnotes bug me (every time I turn a page and see the beginning of a three-page footnote about some inane shit that happened to Johnny, I want to grind my teeth). The whole thing seems to take itself a little too seriously and spend too much time having screwy formatting and not enough time just being a book. And I just realized I'm at about the same spot where I stopped reading last time--will it ever get finished?!I like House of Leaves, but the ending is tremendously dissatisfying, mostly because it doesn't really...end? Or at least Johnny's story doesn't. I actually was interested in his side of the story (though his sexual exploits were pretty over-the-top), but it just sort of abruptly gets cut off with no real resolution after he whacks Gdansk man in the back of the head with an empty then beats him to the brink of death. He just sort of runs off after that, and none of the appendices or the index or anything really continue his arc any further. The Whalestoe Letters are really chilling though, and the Navidson Record parts are awesome, in my opinion. In general, the book just has an excess of weird shit that all manages to be really intriguing, but then doesn't get explained....sort of like LOST.

[Delete]

The new Game informer. I never really cared for reading, magically I did super good in school somehow though. Only book I will read anytime/anyday is Goosebumps. Those were my favs. Oh and I'll sometimes read some Manga but even that's rare.

[Outrider]

Also House of Leaves again, by Mark Danielewski, but I'm not sure I'm going to finish it. I'm pretty near the end, but it's just pissing me off. Johnny's boring stream of consciousness footnotes bug me (every time I turn a page and see the beginning of a three-page footnote about some inane shit that happened to Johnny, I want to grind my teeth). The whole thing seems to take itself a little too seriously and spend too much time having screwy formatting and not enough time just being a book. And I just realized I'm at about the same spot where I stopped reading last time--will it ever get finished?!

A couple of my friends read House of Leaves back in college. They seemed to have the same pitfalls, but I think they ultimately enjoyed it.

I actually picked up Only Revolutions, another of Danielewski's books, for around $3 on clearance at a Barnes & Noble. This was a couple years ago and I haven't gotten around to reading it. It's another book with a gimmick - the book is told from two points of view. To read one point of view, you read the book from front to back. To read the other point of view, you read from back to front. Each page is split up to include text for each point of view, and the ratio of one to the other changes as you get further into the story.

Also, every letter o is a different color, from what I can remember of my friend's description of the book.

[Orange_Coconut]

Currently reading articles on social anxiety disorder (SAD). These journal articles really get into the effects of safety behaviors among those with SAD and how they may be more harmful than helpful when talking to another person. According to the articles, this can be due to negative perceptions of an individual regarding anxious behavior. The articles also describe how safety behaviors may inhibit social approach behaviors (which are congruent with correlations in positive perceptions in individuals in conversing with those afflicted with SAD).

[KodiaX987]

For a quickie, I have The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch.

If I wanna get down to serious business, I read Dhalgren - which is a 800-page brick in small print.

[ARASHIKAGE]

I enjoy reading sports or fantasy titles and I feel it's important to find out what you like or what your interested in reading. But It's also good to challenge yourself now and then, and for that I would recommend this book: The Richest Man In Babylon. Great book on wealth, not too preachy, just stories and great ideals.

[Chukie sue]

Finished most of the .Hack books (haven't finished Cell 2 or even started GU yet). I think I'll start The Edge Chronicles back up in addition to some Ethics and Philosophy books along with dat Bible.

[FOkyasuta]

Lord Of The Flys for engrish class.

[Sord]

Hated Lord of the Flys in middle school. Dunno if I'd hate it now though. Probably still would. Almost anything with kids as subject matter tends to wear on me quickly.

Haven't read anything in about a month but the last book I went through was "The Learners," by Chip Kidd. Very very short book, about a commercial graphics artist who went through the Milgrams experiment back in the 60s and how it basically traumatizes the hell out of him. There's also a few interesting foot notes about typeset in relation to advertisement scattered about the book. Though nothing really profound.

Before that I think the last book I read was Anathem by Neal Stephenson. It's a big ass book, I don't remember the number of pages specifically though. Excellent world setting, has some math, philosophy, and politics in there. I really enjoyed it.

Long of the short, there's these sort of monasteries for people seeking pure knowledge, usually through some form of math or logic, hence these places are called "Maths." However they are forbidden to use almost all modern tech. Every so often the maths are open to the public at annual events, and you can pay to go to school there for a year or two or something, similar to college. But actual members are selected at a very young age based on intelligence levels and grow up in the Math most of their entire lives. Whenever a great disaster is about to befall the world, the world governments usually have all the Maths gather and help figure shit out before things go to hell. Naturally, something goes wrong. You'll have to read it to find out, though admittedly is seems to take forever for the main conflict to show up. So much background has to be set up first.

[Kylie]

The Help by Kathryn Stockett :D

[Linka]

haven't read a real book in ages, but one i recommend for dragon-lovers is a trio of books called the Pit Dragon Trilogy. can't recall the author, but the books are, in order, titled Dragon's Blood, Heart's Blood, and A Sending of Dragons. pretty good read, really. first time i'd ever seen any work of fiction get detailed with how the anatomy of a dragon could be.

also, don't be surprised by so many people in the book having a 'tt' in their name, it's part of the way the trilogy's world works.

[Bluestar]

I've hardly gotten to read much of "real" books lately nowadays, ever since I gave Warriors a try it's almost the only thing I'll ever read... Weird I guess, but whatever. Been reading Bluestar's Prophecy and Lord of the Flies.

[Sinue_v2]

I just got a couple new ones on Amazon the other day:

The Quark and the Jaguar; by Murray Gell-mann.
A History of God; by Karen Armstrong
Hellsing Volume 10; Kouta Hirano

I really wanted to get "Machete Season" by Jean Hatzfeld, which is a collection of interviews with a group of friends who were ordered to massacre all of the Tutsi living in their territory during the Rwandan genocide. I just didn't have the money to spare.

I also stopped by the library today and picked up "The Grand Design" by Stephen Hawking & Leonard Mlodinow, and Billions & Billions by Carl Sagan.

[Slidikins]

Last post was in April... not many readers on the site I take it.

Right now I'm reading (simultaneously):
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- Deathworld 3 by Harry Harrison
- The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The first is just an awesome adventure story. Simply written but beautiful at the same time and a definite page-turner. Most of the "classics" I pick up off of the shelves become slow reads after awhile. This one has me definitely intrigued and coming back whenever I get a free moment.

The second is an old Sci-Fi novel that I keep reading for some unknown reason. Maybe it's because the author slips in his atheist opinions at every turn, or because that age of science fiction features supremely educated protagonists to idolize. Either way, it's a series where the hero uses his brains to survive the impossible time and time again.

The third is a brilliant (non-fiction) look at the history of cancer.

[Sinue_v2]

Last post was in April... not many readers on the sight I take it.

Seems to me there are quite a few avid readers on the site. Though for some reason it's just not a topic that comes up very often.

I got a slow start on the Quark & the Jaguar, as other books popped up in between, so I'm still reading that. After I finish it, I'll probably read through Cather in the Rye and Brave New World which I got from Wal-Mart during their back-to-school specials. That is if I don't break down and get a copy of "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" while my interest in Quantum Mechanics is still heightened.

I'd also like the get hold of a copy of Erewhon by Samuel Butler, especially for his chapter on "Darwin among the Machines" which had the foresight to postulate the emergence of machine intelligence via artificial/natural selection even at a time when the cotton gin and steam engine were king. It was widely taken as satire of "On the Origin of Species", which Butler had to correct in the prefaces of later revisions as being a further exploration of a theory he greatly admired. So I wanna see what that's all about.

I also noticed that there's a new (semi)Michael Crichton book called "Micro" which was recently published which I need to complete my library of his work. Oh, and speaking of Sci-Fi, Somnium by Johannes Kepler might be an interesting read if I can find a published copy of it anywhere. Project Gutenberg or the Kindle store might be a good place to find it free (or cheap), but I don't really care for E-readers. A book is best enjoyed when it's a hard cover, at least 30 years old, and slightly water-damaged for that ripe musty scent when you turn the page.

[NoiseHERO]

PSOW forums.

Lots of random manga.

[Slidikins]

I finished up Monte Cristo and I have less than 50 pages left in Deathworld, so I might add The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes to the list. I've already read it, but watching Sherlock makes me want to read through the source/inspiration material all over again. After that I'll probably add some more non-fiction to the list or grab another classic I've been putting off for years.

[Gunslinger-08]

I'm still putting along with George Martin's "A Dance With Dragons." Unfortunately, I keep losing the book every time I put it down, and it ends up being a couple of days before I find it again.

[NegaTsukasa]

OMG! I FOUND SOMETHING TO READ AFTER LIKE 73294693784 years!!!!

Recently picked up Emi Town. It's a Graphic novel based on a personal sketch diary that I found at a toy and comic show and instantly found it funny and awesome <(which, on my scale, is horribly rare for any book).

So why this? well... Its 100% different from other books I've read. that was the first thing. Also coincidentally relatable to things/thoughts that have happened to me/thought about in life (minus the girly stuff). and being an artist, quite inspiring to take a go at doing one of my own. enough random stuff happens to me day by day anyway to simply not document it. XD and it keeps my drawing hand active!

[Palle]

Cicero's On Government and Plutarch's Fall of the Roman Republic, both Penguin Classics editions.

[AlexCraig]

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
The Sorceress by Michael Scott

[Mike]

I bought "Bag of Bones" last night on my Kindle. I've heard good things about it but I haven't read anything by Stephen King before.