Reading log

[Brenden]

I finished Blue Like Jazz, and I'd kind of call it The Way to Love for the less intellectual. There's a lot of similarities, but Anthony De Mello went into greater detail.

As for Blue Like Jazz, I particularly like the part about the confession booth. That was cool.

[Brenden]

I finished Obsessed, it was an good read. The twists were better than those in Monster, proving that Ted Dekker is a better writer than Frank Peretti any day.

[Vlad!]

I've been really lazy about this, but I need to do it before I forget what the books were actually about ^^;

Beyond the Fall of Night: Arthur C. Clarke and Gregory Benford
I was unaware when I got this book that it was the continuation to a Clarke novel, but it seems to stand on its own. It is written in two parts; I have to say that I liked the first part much more than the second, but I still enjoyed the book as a whole. It is an interesting view on technology and how humanity is shaped by it. I'm not sure how much Clarke was involved with this book (nowadays he tends to be a collaborator more than a primary writer), but I can at least see some of his influence, especially in the first part.

Orsinian Tales: Ursula K. LeGuin
This book purports to contain tales of a world called Orsinia, one that I had not heard of before. However, near as I could tell all the stories took place on earth. They also didn't 'feel' like LeGuin--perhaps due to the fact that they seem to be some of her earlier stories--and I can't say I was really drawn in by them. My copy of the book also contained an annoying printing error where portions of a couple stories were left out. A very unsatisfying reading experience, and for those interested in LeGuin I would not recommend this book as representative of her writing.

The Lathe of Heaven: Ursula K. LeGuin
This book, on the other hand, is most excellent. Unlike many of her works which take place in the far future on worlds of her own creation, The Lathe of Heaven is set in contemporary times. It held my interest all the way through and is very well-written. I tend to prefer short stories over novels but this one is at least as excellent as any of the shorter fiction she has written.

I Sing the Body Electric!: Ray Bradbury
Most of these short stories really wouldn't even qualify as science fiction. Not that it matters too much, since they're all still very good. The titular tale is actually sci-fi after a fashion, and I think it may be the best one of the bunch (though there are several contenders). Not having read much Bradbury before, I can't really say whether this collection is better or worse than most of his other work, but I enjoyed it.

Fahrenheit 451: Ray Bradbury
Surprisingly, I had not read this before now. I started it back when I was in sixth grade, but it didn't really hold my attention so I only read the first few pages. I'm not sure how well I would have understood it in any case, so maybe it's just as well. But reading it now, I can fully appreciate the commentary it provides. Some may say that his dystopian view could never truly come to pass, but read the parts again about the "parlor family" and how Montag's wife is addicted to what is essentially interactive television, eschewing the real world for one that entertainment companies provide for her. Given the popularity of inane sitcoms and the continual moves towards increased immersiveness, can something like this really be considered farfetched?

Richter 10: Arthur C. Clarke and Mike McQuay
Listing Clarke as a co-author is a bit of a stretch for this book. As I understand it, he wrote a few-page plot summary and gave it to McQuay, then had no other input into the book until he saw the finished product. Regardless, it was a riveting read. It involved less politics than Jammer, a technical thriller written in collaboration between Clarke and Michael Kube-McDowell, which is good because although political thrillers can be decent politics are stupid. It contains enough science to keep it from being completely acerebral, but I would still consider it to be a thriller of sorts due to the action involved. A good bit of writing, though if you're expecting something more traditional Clarke because it has his name stamped on it, you will probably be disappointed.

[Brenden]

I Sing the Body Electric!: Ray Bradbury
Most of these short stories really wouldn't even qualify as science fiction. Not that it matters too much, since they're all still very good. The titular tale is actually sci-fi after a fashion, and I think it may be the best one of the bunch (though there are several contenders). Not having read much Bradbury before, I can't really say whether this collection is better or worse than most of his other work, but I enjoyed it.

Was that the one with the story about the woman plant luring a man into the water and drowning him, then making an amusing remark?

Fahrenheit 451: Ray Bradbury
Surprisingly, I had not read this before now. I started it back when I was in sixth grade, but it didn't really hold my attention so I only read the first few pages. I'm not sure how well I would have understood it in any case, so maybe it's just as well. But reading it now, I can fully appreciate the commentary it provides. Some may say that his dystopian view could never truly come to pass, but read the parts again about the "parlor family" and how Montag's wife is addicted to what is essentially interactive television, eschewing the real world for one that entertainment companies provide for her. Given the popularity of inane sitcoms and the continual moves towards increased immersiveness, can something like this really be considered farfetched?

I loved that book. Another eerily prophetic book was Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

[Vlad!]

Was that the one with the story about the woman plant luring a man into the water and drowning him, then making an amusing remark?

That story was in there, but it wasn't called "I Sing the Body Electric!" (I returned the book to the library this afternoon so I can't look up to see what it was, sorry). IStBE! was about a robot grandmother.

I loved that book. Another eerily prophetic book was Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

Aye, somewhere on this board is a thread started by me called 'dystopia' or something like that where I discuss books such as Brave New World. If you're interested, it can be found here. However, I don't really consider it to be eerily prophetic, because as I recall the societal structure was built around genetic engineering of humans and subconscious conditioning at a young age, neither of which we see in today's society (and most likely will not in the forseeable future).

[Vlad!]

Dracula, by Bram Stoker
I borrowed this from my roommate on his recommendation, and it did turn out to be a good read. It's pretty quick-paced (about 500 pages, but I read it in a couple days) and very entertaining. I didn't really find it horrifying in the 'keep you up at night' sort of way, but it was still an interesting read. Much like Lovecraft's work, Dracula contains enough prosaic description that it fails to thrill in the same sense that some more modern books that might stoop to cheap sensationalism might, but what it lacks in sheer emotion it makes up for in fodder for the imagination, since each scene is so well-put-out that it may as well be a screenplay for the theater of the mind.  

[RokrantheGreat]

I enjoyed Dracula myself when I read it. And I did find it scary at some parts- pathetic as that may sound.  

Anyway, just finished Starship Troopers by Heinlen (which I picked up at a thrift store a few days ago), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Never saw the movie, but I'm guessing the book is alot better.    

[Usadingo]

I'm a multiple book reader.  So, here's my current list.

Serious book - "One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church"

Fun reading that shows my personality - "Planet Simpson: How A Cartoon Masterpiece Defined a Generation." (it's 400+ pages about the Simpsons.)
 

[Vlad!]

Anyway, just finished Starship Troopers by Heinlen (which I picked up at a thrift store a few days ago), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Never saw the movie, but I'm guessing the book is alot better.  

The book is great. The movie is one of the worst I have ever seen and doesn't even stay true to the book.

I read Lois Lowry's The Messenger today. It is a recently-written sequel to both The Giver and Gathering Blue, two books that have often been classified as kids' books but are among my favorites. The Messenger is an excellent sequel, and though I thought the ending was a bit cliche and trite, the book overall was very well-done and is a worthy continuation to a beloved series.

[Wildcatblue7]

Roger Zelazny's The Doors of His Face and the Lamps of His Mouth is excellent.

I'm currently reading Arthur by Stephen . . . oh, I don't remember.    

[oneafroboy]

Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Classic children's fantasy tales. A nice breath of fresh air from my usual school reading assignments.  

[bethany]

Good-Bye, Chunky Rice by Craig Thomas

 

[Tom]

i just finished "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning.
great book, i highly recommend it to anyone.

[Silvah]

A Ring of Endless Light- Madeleine L'engle
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- JK Rowling

[RedcoatJones]

[bethany]

Blue Like Jazz

The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde - which I would recommend VERY highly to anyone who has an interest in literature. It's very clever and amusing - sort of like a grown up Harry Potter/Lemony Snicket, with lots of literature in-jokes.

The Ragamuffin Gospel

[-Silvah-]

The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde - which I would recommend VERY highly to anyone who has an interest in literature. It's very clever and amusing - sort of like a grown up Harry Potter/Lemony Snicket, with lots of literature in-jokes.

 

That's the one where Jane Eyre gets kidnapped out of her book right?

[bethany]

The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde - which I would recommend VERY highly to anyone who has an interest in literature. It's very clever and amusing - sort of like a grown up Harry Potter/Lemony Snicket, with lots of literature in-jokes.

 

That's the one where Jane Eyre gets kidnapped out of her book right?

Yep, that's part of it.  

[Vlad!]

I finally finished my book of Ray Bradbury short stories. In general, I prefer a 500-page book of short stories to a 500-page novel, so I am already biased towards this particular form of writing. I liked a good many of them, disliked some, and felt ambivalent towards a few. Overall, though, I thought it was a great collection and I am glad to have expanded my knowledge of Bradbury's work.

I also jumped on the wagon upon which the band is playing and read Blue Like Jazz, since my brother happened to have it lying around. It's a good book, and my thoughts are spelled out more specifically in the eponymous thread.

[Brenden]

I read The Five People You Meet in Heaven. It failed to keep me interested, so I ended up skimming just to find out how it ended.

[RedcoatJones]

I finished Plot Against America. Very good, thought provoking book. It really does make you think about the things that "couldn't happen here," and question.

Plot synopsis (Amazon.com):

The Plot Against America explores a wholly imagined thesis and sees it through to the end: Charles A. Lindbergh defeats FDR for the Presidency in 1940. Lindbergh, the "Lone Eagle," captured the country's imagination by his solo Atlantic crossing in 1927 in the monoplane, Spirit of St. Louis, then had the country's sympathy upon the kidnapping and murder of his young son. He was a true American hero: brave, modest, handsome, a patriot. According to some reliable sources, he was also a rabid isolationist, Nazi sympathizer, and a crypto-fascist. It is these latter attributes of Lindbergh that inform the novel.

The story is framed in Roth's own family history: the family flat in Weequahic, the neighbors, his parents, Bess and Herman, his brother, Sandy and seven-year-old Philip. Jewishness is always the scrim through which Roth examines American contemporary culture. His detractors say that he sees persecution everywhere, that he is vigilant in "Keeping faith with the certainty of Jewish travail"; his less severe critics might cavil about his portrayal of Jewish mothers and his sexual obsession, but generally give him good marks, and his fans read every word he writes and heap honors upon him. This novel will engage and satisfy every camp.

To me, the novel was mostly about living with fear and stereotypes. The Roths, upon Lindberg's election, spend the next few years terrified of a repeat of what was happening in Europe - some of the fears are realized, some are not. Additionally, it shows how the "gentiles" stereotype the jews - often to their harm, but it also shows the stereotypes the jews have for the gentiles. As in life, some individuals break those stereotypes, but too many live up to their preconceptions.

Great book. Highly recommended.

[AldaForPresident]

To me, the novel was mostly about living with fear and stereotypes. The Roths, upon Lindberg's election, spend the next few years terrified of a repeat of what was happening in Europe - some of the fears are realized, some are not. Additionally, it shows how the "gentiles" stereotype the jews - often to their harm, but it also shows the stereotypes the jews have for the gentiles. As in life, some individuals break those stereotypes, but too many live up to their preconceptions.

Great book. Highly recommended.

I pretty much totally agree with you regarding the book. I really liked it, but one thing that annoyed me on a very superficial level was Roth's tendency to write incredibly long, sometimes rambling run-on sentences. There was one page with maybe four sentences on it because they were so long. It's the only book I've read by him, so I don't know if that's typical, but it irritated me at the time.

But great synopsis. I concur.

[starhawk]

Just finished reading Dream Thief by Stephen Lawhead, and it was...awful.  I loved his Pendragon Cycle,  but boy was I dissapointed with this one.  His prose was clunky and repetitive- almost like it skipped the editorial process.  I felt like taking a red pen and correcting it myself.  His lead character wasn't very likeable- it may have been purposeful, but I was consistently turned off by Spence's social-outcast attitude.  I felt like smacking him in the head more than once.  And why on earth the lovely blonde falls in love with him...and the romance was all developed in an awkward way.  And possibly the worst aspect of all- the secret Christian agenda that was revealed later.  Blech.  Of course I am not against sharing your Christian beliefs, in fact I'm for it, but not in this trap-door kind of way.  All of the goodguys are eventually revealed to be Christians, all of the badguys are of course non-christians, even the freaking Martian is revealed to be a Christian.  Blaaah.

But I started reading The Paradise War by him, and it's already a hundred times better, so he's still a good author in my book.

I'm also re-reading His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.  Extremely well written, even if the story is contravercial.  I personally find it refreshing to be able to read a book (fictional, but still...) that has a very negative view of Christianity, yet still feel comfortable with being a Christian afterwards...if that makes any sense at all.  But regardless of that, the story is really well developed and the characters compelling.

[bethany]

I highly recommend all of the following (except Hypocrite in a... which I recommend only for those with a sense of humor and who aren't easily offended):

Thursday Next novels by Jasper Fforde... The Eyre Affair, The Well of Lost Plots, Lost in a Good Book

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

Hypocrite in a Poufy White Dress by Susan Jane Gilman

Real Sex by Lauren Winner

Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson

 

[Josh]

Just finished The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain. At 114 pages-- many of which just have a paragraph or two of text on them-- it's a very quick, easy read. And, since it's a Twain work, it's filled with sharp humor and astute observations of human nature.

The book alternates between Eve's accounts and Adam's, and it takes them from the creation of Eve all the way to Eve's death. The book begins with hilarious observations about the differences between men and women, and Adam's reactions to his new companion are priceless. The book gradually grows more serious, though, when the Fall takes place, and especially when Abel is killed by Cain.

Not all of Twain's scenarios are biblically accurate, but all are entertaining and insightful. For such a short, comic novella, it raises some surprisingly tough questions. Like, was it really fair of God to punish Adam and Eve's immorality when He created them without a sense of right and wrong?

Heavy stuff, but ultimately a light and enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

[dgp11776]

Real Sex by Lauren Winner
 

I've heard a lot of good stuff about that book.  My pre-marriage days book of choice upon said subject was The Book of Romance: What Solomon Says About Love, Sex, and Intimacy by Tommy Nelson.  'Twas a great read.

[adriftconscious]

I finished Guns, Germs, and Steel on my Colorado trip while I wasn't gawking at the views. The book is by Jared Diamond and it takes an environmentally determined stance on the development of human societies, rather than a racial "Well, white Europeans dominate the culture of the world today, so they must be racially superior" attitude. Basically, the tune of the book is that because Eurasia held something like fifty of the fifty six largest seeded grains in the world it would develop farming first. Because of its east/west primary axis, rather than north/south like the America's and Africa technological discoveries could spread quicker. Eurasia could also support a larger population, which inevitably leads to a faster rate of discovery because more minds can work on a problem. Also, because animals, particularly the large ones, on the Americas and Australia evolved-- or if you have trouble with that word-- developed is isolation from humans, the arrival of said humans on those continents precipitated their downfall, thus depriving societies there of suitable domesticable animals, their rate of discovery was much slower. Glatisant and I have had a interesting conversation on this. One thing I'd like to throw in at the end of having read this obviously atheistic book is something that Diamond apparently is surprised at. He marvels at the fact that the Fertile Crescent is the native area of most of the worlds primary grains. Did he ever think that's because that's where God originally had us? Right smack in the middle of that area?

Anyway, that's that book. Now, I'm reading Augustine's City of God and a book on the Crusades in alternating chapters. I'll finish the Crusades book much earlier than Augustine's.

[Tom]

i just finished "The Magician's Nephew" for the first time. awesome book!

[Brenden]

I'm reading Ted Dekker's new book, The Slumber of Christianity.

It's good so far, I'm about halfway through.

[Brenden]

I finally finished the book, and he made a lot of goodpoints, I enjoyed it. I'll probably blog about my thoughts later.

[dgp11776]

The List - Steve Martini

[Tom]

nearly finished with "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" and "The Slumber of Christianity."

both are great books.

[starhawk]

Roaring Lambs.  I have to read this for my journalism course.

 

[Aaron]

Roaring Lambs.  I have to read this for my journalism course.

Interesting.  Do you attend a secular or Christian institution?  

[Tom]

recently finished "A Wrinkle In Time" by Madeline L'Engle

[starhawk]

[-Silvah-]

The White Mercedes- Phillip Pullman
James and the Giant Peach-Roald Dahl
Mansfield Park-Jane Austen

[Vlad!]

I finished Sabatini's Scaramouche last night. It is incredibly good. Sabatini's understanding of humanity and the human spirit is top-notch, and it remains entertaining and interesting throughout. Normally I am only mildly interested in historical fiction, but I assure you that this one is exemplary. Even though it was published in the 1920s, I am not the only one to see value in it so there are paperbacks out from as recently as this decade--I suggest you check your local library and, if they don't have it, move to a city with a better library

[Rough Draft]

I read A Confession by Leo Tolstoy.  It does ramble on sometimes, especially in a long segment where Tolstoy quotes Solomon, Buddha, and Schopenhauer to say that life is an absurdity and an evil.  It didn't move me as much as I had hoped it would.  What Tolstoy seemed to be saying was that one should believe in God because only then is one able to live.  But he also believed that God was disproven by reason.  

His final illustration is depressing.  It is of him suspended in mid-air by invisible stretchers.  Almost in every position he is in danger of falling; but he finds that when he stares into the heavens he is supported.  So to him belief is a necesity in lieu of death.  The book vaguely troubled me.  

It is cited as a good book on the topic of the meaning of life, so if anyone is interested in that, it might be a worthwhile read.  

[worldofcm]

I just finished up White from the Circle Trilogy.  Before that, I finshed up The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe.

I'm currently reading The Magician's Nephew & 30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary.