desert rose
Footballguy
I'm reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
Every single chick on my train for the past six months is reading that book.I'm reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
So he writes like he speaks. Good to know.Just picked up Games That Changed The Game by Ron "Jaws" Jaworski. Really good so far, very detailed but not so much you get bored. His writing style comes across like talking to one of your buddies who is very excited about something and wants to tell you all about it.
I'm about halfway through and it is outstanding.Book 13 of the Wheel of Time series came in this week and is next in the queue.Just finished Fall of Giants by Ken Follett. I absolutely loved it. Although it deals with a different time period, it's similar in style to Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. Can't wait till the next one comes out.
interesting...In the last few months I've been swallowing a lot of ****,
My favorite author, Haruki Murakami, has two primary translators, and I can tell a huge difference--and have a huge preference--between the two.Translations really are an art form all their own. Word-for-word literal translations work for things like menus, but not for novels. That's why you'll never see a novel capably translated by a computer program.yeah it was originally written in Swedish tongue, but if it really was the translator not trying then that sucks since Google Translate could just convert from one language to another.Though much of the series so far is so extreme minded in that almost every male other then the main character is a sex offender/murderer/thief it is a little bit unrealistic but overall a great story which IMO will be a fantastic film (David Fincher is in middle of shooting the American version)Wasn't that series translated from another language? Could just be a crappy translator, the book probably reads much better in its native language. Never read any of them, just a thought.I am midway through the Larsson Trilogy series. Am halfway through Girl who played with Fire to be specific. Am I the only one who finds the actual writing to be horrible but the story is so exciting and well thought it its still a good read? Sounds weird but every other sentence is a cliche we have heard a million times like "you can cut the tension with a knife"What do you guys say about the series?
I think I've bought this book three times. Will bump it near the top of my list.Holy #### that turned out to be a great book. Best one I've read in the last few years. Highly recommended.Just started Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which, so far, is excellent. Reminds me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, with a young narrator trying to figure something out that he really has no idea about. His father was killed in 9/11 and he's trying to make sense of what dad left behind. Apparently it will be made into a movie with Hanks and Bullock.
This book reminded me of Stephen King, who raved about it. It's basically about how one bad decision can lead to another and another and eventually to disaster. Pretty horrific glimpse into the rationalizations 'normal people' can make to justify terrible actions.Now onto A Simple Plan by Scott Smith
Holy #### that turned out to be a great book. Best one I've read in the last few years. Highly recommended.Just started Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which, so far, is excellent. Reminds me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, with a young narrator trying to figure something out that he really has no idea about. His father was killed in 9/11 and he's trying to make sense of what dad left behind. Apparently it will be made into a movie with Hanks and Bullock.
Pretty sure there's no reading going on there
Through part 1 (Years 5-1 BV) and think it's fantastic. Seems like some people felt it dragged in the middle so I'm preparing myself for that.The Passage by Cronin. Based on this thread and the ***Official*** thread, I'm pretty excited, despite the mixed reviews. 50 pages in, and loving it so far...
I'm doing my senior thesis on Blood Meridian and Absalom, Absalom! Two absolutely incredible books.Blood Meridian. Not the easiest read in the world, but I feel like I'm in the presence of greatness as I read.
Sure there is. It just takes forever to finish a book 3 minutes at a time.Pretty sure there's no reading going on there
Read Lethem's Chronic City over vacation. It's brilliant and bizarre. Would love to hear what other's think about it. I'm still not sure about certain parts.I'm at 123 pages after starting it a little while ago, just setting the book down now to rave here. I've already laughed out loud several times.
There was a lot of praise in here for Beat the Reaper, I'd highly recommend this to fans of that book, as this is in a similar vein in terms of plot and setting. The main character is a small time crook trying to find out who killed his boss and why. Oh, and he has Tourette's syndrome. Lethem's descriptions of the character's tics, both verbal and physical, are hilarious. According to the wiki page kupcho linked above, Ed Norton is involved in adapting a film version.
What's the connection? Or does it not matter?I'm doing my senior thesis on Blood Meridian and Absalom, Absalom! Two absolutely incredible books.Blood Meridian. Not the easiest read in the world, but I feel like I'm in the presence of greatness as I read.
I put them on my bookshelf so guests can see how awesome I am.Ok, this is probably the best audience for this question so I'll throw it in here.What do you guys do with your books (for those that buy actual books) when you're done?Was thinking of trying to sell off some books to clear some shelf space and make some spare $ to help pay for a Kindle.Looks like books don't go for much, if anything, anymore though (on ebay, half.com, amazon anyway).
seinfeld's takeOk, this is probably the best audience for this question so I'll throw it in here.
What do you guys do with your books (for those that buy actual books) when you're done?
Was thinking of trying to sell off some books to clear some shelf space and make some spare $ to help pay for a Kindle.
Looks like books don't go for much, if anything, anymore though (on ebay, half.com, amazon anyway).
If they are good...I do my best to pass them on to somebody who I think would like them. If they aren't good (or I don't pass them on, this is most of my books)...I'll donate them to the library book re-seller so they can maybe make .50 on it in 4 years when it sells (but I feel like I'm doing something good at least).Ok, this is probably the best audience for this question so I'll throw it in here.What do you guys do with your books (for those that buy actual books) when you're done?Was thinking of trying to sell off some books to clear some shelf space and make some spare $ to help pay for a Kindle.Looks like books don't go for much, if anything, anymore though (on ebay, half.com, amazon anyway).
What's the name of that book again?Well written, maybe a little long but interesting book about the history of the sicilian mafia and its origins
The only praise I've ever heard for Banks was for The Wasp Factory, which is good but not sci-fi.Just finished the first Culture novel by Iain Banks. Sucked. I haven't found much sci-fi over the years that I actually enjoyed, but I was pretty excited about this one as I had heard such high praise for Banks. Just boring. Cardboard characters that I didn't care about. An uninspiring story that I didn't care about. And a society and way of life that I didn't care about. Probably my last Banks novel.
I thought it was very good. Now on to The 42nd Parallel (book 1 of the U.S.A. trilogy) by John Dos Passos.Comprising two distinct but interrelated plots, the narrative runs back and forth between the two, taking up each plotline in alternating chapters.
The odd chapters tell the 15 year old Kafka's story as he runs away from his father's house to escape an Oedipal curse and to embark upon a quest to find his mother and sister. After a series of adventures, he finds shelter in a quiet, private library in Takamatsu, run by the distant and aloof Miss Saeki and the intelligent but more welcoming Oshima. There he spends his days reading the unabridged Richard Francis Burton translation of A Thousand and One Nights and the collected works of Natsume Sōseki until the police begin inquiring after him in connection with a brutal murder.
The even chapters tell Nakata's story. Due to his uncanny abilities, he has found part-time work in his old age as a finder of lost cats (a clear reference to The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle). The case of one particular lost cat puts him on a path that ultimately takes him far away from his home, ending up on the road for the first time in his life. He befriends a truck-driver named Hoshino. Hoshino takes him on as a passenger in his truck and soon becomes very attached to the old man.
Nakata and Kafka are on a collision course throughout the novel, but their convergence takes place as much on a metaphysical plane as it does in reality and, in fact, that can be said of the novel itself. Due to the Oedipal theme running through much of the novel, Kafka on the Shore has been called a modern Greek tragedy.
I hope you like it - I hype this trilogy to people all the time but it seems like nobody ever takes me up on it. I think it's great. When they were all alive and writing, Dos Passos, Faulkner, Hemingway and Fitzgerald were all considered peers. But as time went by, for some reason Dos Passos dropped out of their league. Let us know what you think.Now on to The 42nd Parallel (book 1 of the U.S.A. trilogy) by John Dos Passos.
See the bottom of my signature for an ideaOk, this is probably the best audience for this question so I'll throw it in here.
What do you guys do with your books (for those that buy actual books) when you're done?
Was thinking of trying to sell off some books to clear some shelf space and make some spare $ to help pay for a Kindle.
Looks like books don't go for much, if anything, anymore though (on ebay, half.com, amazon anyway).
For all of you into the post-apocalyptic stuff I just finished a great, quick read that is a very real possibility One Second After. Excellent novel, highly recommend it.Currently reading Generation Kill. Enjoyed the mini-series, enjoying the book even more.I finished The Passage a few weeks ago (based on FBG thread of course) and loved it. I even have my wife reading it now, and she normally hates the post-apocalyptic genre.
Now I'm reading this one and also liking it quite a bit.
My wife actually will get a new book, put it up for sale online, then read it. When she's done she ships it out. I share mine with people that read the same type books then keep them on a shelf. (eventually boxed and put away)What do you guys do with your books (for those that buy actual books) when you're done?
Finished this over the weekend. Started Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time series) yesterdayI'm currently reading his (Ken Follett) Fall of Giants.
Great book. If you like Murakami, you'll never read a better book than The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, which I'm sure krista has already attested to.Just finished Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.
Just finished this. Outstanding book looking at how different coaches created different offensive/defensive packages and changed the game. He picks one game he thinks highlighted the emergence of the new package and breaks it doen. Jaws also gets comments from the coaches themselves, players who made ths systems work, and observers from around the NFL. Really cool book.Just picked up Games That Changed The Game by Ron "Jaws" Jaworski. Really good so far, very detailed but not so much you get bored. His writing style comes across like talking to one of your buddies who is very excited about something and wants to tell you all about it.
I keep a select few on my bookshelf. But only those that I really like and plan to either re-read or hand off to someone else. Everything else I simply give to my public library. The library has saved me a ton of money over the years so I like to help pay back in whatever small way I can (aside from the taxes I pay).Ok, this is probably the best audience for this question so I'll throw it in here.What do you guys do with your books (for those that buy actual books) when you're done?Was thinking of trying to sell off some books to clear some shelf space and make some spare $ to help pay for a Kindle.Looks like books don't go for much, if anything, anymore though (on ebay, half.com, amazon anyway).
Yeah, I've read TWuBC and will probably read more Murakami once I work through the current USA Trilogy, Lowboy and Peace Like a River.Great book. If you like Murakami, you'll never read a better book than The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, which I'm sure krista has already attested to.Just finished Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.
A hardcover thesaurus?Examples of hardcovers worth keeping:Roget's Thesaurus
Yes. A Fourth Edition, if that matters.I prefer hardcovers for obvious longevity reasons.A hardcover thesaurus?Examples of hardcovers worth keeping:Roget's Thesaurus
I have a couple hardcover reference books—a usage manual and CMOS. But I use those all the time. I think I pick up a thesaurus a few times a year, but I guess if you use it a lot that changes things.Yes. A Fourth Edition, if that matters.I prefer hardcovers for obvious longevity reasons.A hardcover thesaurus?Examples of hardcovers worth keeping:Roget's Thesaurus
I keep books I like a lot and/or might read again someday or try to interest my kids in reading when they're a little older. But it seems like we hardly ever buy books anymore - unless it's a present or a "special request" we hit the library for almost everything.I do have one "collection" which I started without trying. I have 1st editions of every David Foster Wallace book, hardback and paperback, with the exception of the extremely rare hardback 1st edition of his first novel, "The Broom of the System." My prize possession is a signed copy of the uncorrected advance proofs of "Infinite Jest." I bought it on eBay probably about 6 or 7 years ago for $50; after his death I saw another copy being auctioned for $2000. I also have a set of the proofs for his story collection "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" which I scored when my wife was working on the arts desk at a daily newspaper - they used to get hundreds of unsolicited review copies of books.It started when I became a fan of his non-fiction in Harper's in the mid-90s - I went and got copies of his first two books, then grabbed Infinite Jest when it first came out and then just bought each subsequent book of his as soon as they came out.igbomb said:I keep a select few on my bookshelf. But only those that I really like and plan to either re-read or hand off to someone else. Everything else I simply give to my public library. The library has saved me a ton of money over the years so I like to help pay back in whatever small way I can (aside from the taxes I pay).Ok, this is probably the best audience for this question so I'll throw it in here.What do you guys do with your books (for those that buy actual books) when you're done?Was thinking of trying to sell off some books to clear some shelf space and make some spare $ to help pay for a Kindle.Looks like books don't go for much, if anything, anymore though (on ebay, half.com, amazon anyway).