Oh, that’s one of my favorite books! Glad you’re enjoying it.
I just went to the bookstore tonight, actually, and bought The Tolkien Reader and a collection of Victorian comedies, the latter because it contains W.S. Gilbert’s Engaged, and as one of the G&S societies I’ve worked with is staging it this summer and I’m hoping to be involved with the production I figured it might be a good idea to read the play. Haven’t started it yet… (BTW, one of the other plays in it is by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, of “It was a dark and stormy night” fame.)
I haven’t been reading the Tolkien Reader stuff in order – I’ve read “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth,” which I really liked, but it’s probably not to everyone’s taste (a good working knowledge of Old English poetry really helps), and “Leaf by Niggle,” which is wonderful, very touching.
Stuff I’m reading for school includes The Coming of the Book by Lucien Febvre and Henri-Jean Martin, a classic history of the printing industry (I’m taking a course called “The Book in Early Modern Europe,” which is a lot of fun, especially since we meet in Special Collections so we can look at 400-year-old books), various collections of 17th-century poetry (the course is very Donne- and Jonson-heavy, which I consider a definite plus), and the various sources for my MA thesis (in which I discuss Jonson’s appropriation of antitheatrical tropes in Volpone. This entails reading a lot of 16th- and 17th-century antitheatrical writing, which is interesting, if repetitive, but since most of what I have is printed in blackletter and reproduced on microfilm it’s not always easy on the eyes). My favorite secondary source is Jonas Barish’s The Antitheatrical Prejudice, which is basically a rundown of opposition to the theater (obviously!) in western culture since the time of Plato.
I just finished Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier, for the third time. And now I’m currently in Ayn Rand’s Anthem (my first Ayn Rand book ever!) and Ruth Rendell’s King Solomon’s Carpet.
I don’t think it’s geeky to plan out your books, Dante, I do it a lot. I eventually want to reread some Stephen King and Ira Levin novels, finally finish The Wasp Factory, and start on some Mario Puzo.
Finished that one. Now reading Northern Lights by Philip Pullman, the first part of the His Dark Materials trilogy. I’m about one-third of the way through so far and am very much enjoying the atmosphere.
Guess I’m going to drag the intellect level down quite a bit but I am reading for the second time Real Ponies Don’t Go Oink by Patrick McManus. Pure escapism, down right funny, makes you wish for the simpler times. Can’t wait for his next book.
Yeah, I hate his political agenda and he’s often too wordy, but I do enjoy the way he can take a whole ton of sub-plots and mesh them together into one big story. Whenever I read his books, several I times I think to myself, “Ohhhhh, so that’s what that stupid little thing a couple hundred pages ago meant!”
And Hollywood special effects is no match for the imagination.
Angry Lead Skies, by Glen Cook, who is a god and should be selling out stadiums just to watch him. This is the latest in the Garrett Files series, about a hard-boiled film-noir detective who happens to live in a fantasy world (like Ankh-Morpork, but less wacky).
Cook first hit it (relatively) big with the Black Company series, which were kick-ass military stories that just happened to be in a fantasy world as well (different one from the Garrett stories, though). He can write well and convincingly in all three genres (fantasy, military and mystery), and he deserves to sell way more books than he does. So go check him out already.
I’ve only managed to read two Atwood novels all the way through, The Handmaid’s Tale and * Surfacing*. I’ve tried others, but… On the other hand, though, I absolutely love her books of short stories. If you haven’t read any, I’d suggest * Wilderness Tips* as a good place to start if you’re interested.
He manages to sustain the quality right through the trilogy. It’s my first dip into fantasy since LOTR etc. fifteen odd years ago and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. The philosophical sub-text will wreck your head though - every time you think you have a handle on the message he’s trying to deliver, something happens to make you re-think.
Of course not, that’s why I made this thread.
Thank you to everyone who replied, I now have a great list of new authors and books to choose from. I really appreciate it.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Dante *
**I’m pulling some of the old classics out of the library for the daily train ride to work, so I’m re-reading Asimov’s Robots series, and then I’ll be moving on to the Foundation series.
Dante, I recommend you read the three Galactic Empire novels before you start the Foundation series as they set the stage for the Foundation series.
Currently reading
A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar … bought it last summer while visiting Princeton during the filming of the movie.
Guns, Germs, and Steel … The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond ? just started.
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz … gift from my brother.
Economics Explained by Robert Heilbroner and Lester Thurow … thinking about pursuing a masters degree in economics.
Can’t tell yet if I’m going to like it, but this version has a foreword in which the author calls George Orwell mediocre so already we’re on the same wavelength.
Recent reads:
Slackjaw by Jim Knipfel
Another Charles Bukowski manqué ends up in New York, but with a twist: he’s going blind due to retinitis pigmentosa. Likeable but not earthshattering.
Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris
Biography of T. Roosevelt’s presidential years. The author leaves us the impression that T.R. led the country on personality alone. (The same author wrote a bio of Ronald Reagan) For registered Republicans only.
O.K. In fairness, the author won a Pulitzer for The Early Years, part one of a meticulously planned and researched trilogy on Roosevelt, and it’s probably more difficult to get any actual truth about what a president did or did not actually do than about most people.
Gravity by Tess Gerritsen
A bit farfetched and emotional for my tastes but I finished it. A few years ago my favourite bookstore was giving out advance transcripts amidst great fanfare, but I recently found the hardcover in a bargain bin. Draw your own…
The Captain from Connecticut by CS. Forester (re-read for the umpteenth time). Horatio Hornblower played as an American, for a change.
Lawrence of Arabia by Jeremy Wilson – the authorized (!) biography, using previously unavailable British documents. authorized in 1990 by Lawrence’s youngest brother, who must’ve been 90 at the time.
Mad as the Dickens by Toni L.P. Kelner – the latest in her Laurie Ann detective series. Her Shakespeare-quoting husband quotes Dickens in this one.
Angel Fire East by Terry Brooks. Last of a trilogy that, AFAIK, doesn’t have it’s own name. The first 2 books are Running with the Demon, and A Knight of the Word.
Before this I read C.S. Friedman’s Coldfire trilogy (wonder if our resident moderator has heard of it?), which I greatly enjoyed. A good, dark, hard fantasy series.
Haven’t started it yet… (BTW, one of the other plays in it is by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, of “It was a dark and stormy night” fame.)