Anybody read a good book lately?

[rjs246]

Wow, page five. Illiterate bastiches.

I read The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Godfather and the first Harry Potter book over the holidays.

Sierra Madre takes about 220 pages to get to its point. It takes its sweet farging time and tells an incredibly boring story in the mean time. But eventually the point is interesting. I won't be reading it again.

The Godfather is a farging must for anyone who's a fan of the movies. A great read that made me appreciate the movies that much more because they stuck to the story almost exactly. (Thanks, Sun.)

The Harry Potter shtein. I purposely avoided reading these books because I couldn't believe how many people wanted me to read them. And when I asked these people why they liked the books so much they said that "They are easy reads." To me, that is not a reason to read a book. But anyway, I got it for christmas and read it and it was enjoyable. The story was good. It was a page-turner. Took me a day and a half to finish it. I guess I would recommend it, but mostly I think it was a GREAT book for kids. Commence with the name-calling.

[Geowhizzer]

I'm just about finishing up Flags of our Fathers.  It's a pretty good read and give a World War II account on a personal level.

Next up for me is David McCullough's 1776, which I got for Christmas.

[rjs246]

That sort of tangentally reminds me... I've recently come to the realization that there are two kinds of people. Those who want to read fiction and those who want to read non-fiction. Rarely have I come across anyone that enjoys them both.

I, for one, am bored to tears by non-fiction but have known people who don't like and can't get through fiction.

What's the deal with that? And can anyone explain to me why non-fiction books are the slightest bit interesting? Might as well just sit down and read a history book.

[Geowhizzer]

That sort of tangentally reminds me... I've recently come to the realization that there are two kinds of people. Those who want to read fiction and those who want to read non-fiction. Rarely have I come across anyone that enjoys them both.

I, for one, am bored to tears by non-fiction but have known people who don't like and can't get through fiction.

What's the deal with that? And can anyone explain to me why non-fiction books are the slightest bit interesting? Might as well just sit down and read a history book.

I tend to be the latter. I don't really get into fiction (though I do enjoy a good spy novel now and again).

Of course, I may be the wrong person to ask, as I am a history teacher.

[Diomedes]

I don't know why we teach History.  Not trying to be funny...I really don't see the value.  No one has ever learned from history; it repeats itself no matter what.  Math, language, music, science...these things I understand; they are the gymnasium for the mind, without mastering which you are basically just a shell of a thinking person.  History however seems far secondary to these and really frivolous.  For some I'm sure it's fun and interesting, and surely I enjoy the clever conclusions they present at the museums, but I am bored senseless by reading the stuff.

Like rjs, I recently admitted that I can't stand non-fiction.  Books on politics, history books, all of it...bore me to death.  For most of my life I've been forcing myself to read things like Caro's The Power Broker, or Lukas' Common Ground until sometime last year I realized that I never get more than 250 pages in before I have to fight my way through the rest....which is always alot because history writers never heard of the concept of brevity.  I just get bored.  Who gives a farg about these dead people. 

I'm currently reading Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, having read The Road a little while ago.  It's the fifth book of his I've read, and gives me further proof that he is a master.  Before it, I finished a bevy of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett titles.  Good stuff.

[Geowhizzer]

I don't know why we teach History.  Not trying to be funny...I really don't see the value.  No one has ever learned from history; it repeats itself no matter what.  Math, language, music, science...these things I understand; they are the gymnasium for the mind, without mastering which you are basically just a shell of a thinking person.  History however seems far secondary to these and really frivolous.  For some I'm sure it's fun and interesting, and surely I enjoy the clever conclusions they present at the museums, but I am bored senseless by reading the stuff.

Like rjs, I recently admitted that I can't stand non-fiction.  Books on politics, history books, all of it...bore me to death.  For most of my life I've been forcing myself to read things like Caro's The Power Broker, or Lukas' Common Ground until sometime last year I realized that I never get more than 250 pages in before I have to fight my way through the rest....which is always alot because history writers never heard of the concept of brevity.  I just get bored.  Who gives a farg about these dead people. 

I'm currently reading Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, having read The Road a little while ago.  It's the fifth book of his I've read, and gives me further proof that he is a master.  Before it, I finished a bevy of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett titles.  Good stuff.

This probably won't change your mind, but this probably answers the question better than I could, especially with my lack of time this morning.

[BlueHeart]

I like both.

If the writer doesn't have a stick up his bum a non-fiction book can be just as entertaining as fiction. Obviously, the most important thing is finding a book on a subject you're interested in.

I think that's the biggest problem people have. Thinking they have to read some nerd book that so-called intellectuals proclaim is the second coming of the Bible (which was a dreadful bore for the most part- sorry God), on a topic they'd want to kill themselves listening to someone talk about, let alone pouring through 400 pages...

[General_Failure]

Ladies of Grace Adieu - short stories, same author and world as Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Some were better than others. My review doesn't matter, since you guys wouldn't ever read it.

Pattern Recognition - reread it again. Still a good book. Trying to get other people to read William Gibson is like giving a cat a bath.

Count Zero - more Gibson. Most people seem to think it's not as good as Neuromancer, and it probably isn't, but it's still enjoyable. See above.

Idoru - been on a Gibson kick. Still in the middle of it, but enjoying it. See above above.

Discworld, misc (Hogfather, Carpe Jugulum, The Truth, The Fifth Elephant, Feet of Clay, The Thief of Time,  Night Watch, Mounstrous Regiment, The Wee Free Men, Hat Full of Sky, The Wintersmith - no particular order) - Finished reading all of the 3,000,091 books in the Discworld series now. Seems to get better as the world evolves. Again, more stuff you dicks don't give a crap about.

The Chocolate Hollow Bunnies of the Apocalypse - Crime-solving toy bear in Toy City (formerly Toy Town). All the nursery rhyme characters are being killed. Good book. Another book you guys would never read.

The Toyminator -  Haven't read it yet. It's next on my list. Sequel to The Chocolate Hollow Bunnies of the Apocalypse.

Good Omens - Angels, Demons, babies switched at birth, demonic mistakes relating to switching the wrong babies, Four Horsemen, witch hunters, and so on. Good book.

Neverwhere - Guy meets a girl, helps her, she ruins his life, turns out he's happier without his old life. Along the way he becomes the great hunter of the London Sewers. Once again, you guys wouldn't read it.

That covers most everything since October. I forgot a few, though.

[Diomedes]

I luv me sum Gibson.  But I know what you're saying..people hear a description of his work, file it under "sci fi" in their little binary heads, and that's where it stays forever, never to be read.

[MURP]

Finished Blood Meridian  a little while back- great book.  Look forward to picking up some other material by McCormack

[Rome]

Based on the recommendations here, I'm picking up "The Road" this afternoon.  Sounds intriguing.  I love the post-apocalyptic sub-genre.

[Diomedes]

I hate that it gets dropped into a genre or sub-genre instead of being taken for what it is.  It's a Cormac McCarthy book..not a post apocalyptic vehicle for some zesty thriller.

[Wingspan]

the last book i read was Choke by Chuck Palahniuk.

not bad.

[rjs246]

the last book i read was Choke by Chuck Palahniuk.

not bad.

I liked Choke.

[Zanshin]

I read Blood Meridian awhile back, and didn't like it as much as most people in this thread.  But I think that's because I was relegated to reading in 20-minute or less interrupted increments, and for books of that ilk I like to get into it for at least an hour a clip.