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Jarkko
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by Jarkko »

Thanatos wrote:After dark and creepy creatures from outer space I am switching back to something more human.

Albert Camus - The Stranger
Good for you. I on the other hand feel like drifting away from humanity, book by book.
My current bathroom reading includes:

The Republic by Plato (the philosopher)
-- A good 400-page dialogue, on which the characters attempt to define "righteousness" for first 100 pages without coming to conclusion - and I guess the rest explains Plato's opinion about an ideal nation... I'm somewhere halfway. This tome ain't a quick book-open-read-close -case at all - It requires deligate digesting.

The Universe in a Single Atom. The Convergence of Science and Spirituality
by Dalailama
-- While being Dalailama's personal biography from some points, it also introduces rather nifty viewpoints in terms of how Buddhist (and any other?) philosophies, theology, spiritualism and modern science could be related to.

I would've never expected to read this stuff. In fact the shopkeeper of my local book store was mildly astonished, when I went to order those titles - being like: "Yeah, I don't think, we have that in shelf right now..."

But once you open one, read it for a while, understand it - It just devours you.

Is there any longer way of saying "Hi, I'm a newcomer to the forums."?
Last edited by Jarkko on January 2nd, 2010, 3:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Thanatos
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by Thanatos »

Possibly not, but you're definately welcome.
One who reads Plato just for fun is highly appreciated here. ;)

To add something on-topic:
Yeah, after my last Camus I am somehow continuing what I started.
A three-book delivery just arrived. All Camus.
Think I'll start with his essay called "The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt", and then continuing with "The Plague" and some more essays...
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Girgistian
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by Girgistian »

The sixth and seven books of Moses (or the Dark Bible, if you prefer) and a big pile of Finnish spell-poems.

Fun. 8)
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by thespaceinvader »

The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb. Last of my major Christmas pressie books. I have a few others, but they're not stories to hold the attention, they're more fun and/or facts.

Fun fact. Since Christmas, I have also read The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson, and Tickling the English by Dara O'Briain. I read too damn fast for my own good >.<
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by Cloud »

The Lost Symbol is my current book. Unfortunately the times I'm keeping (and the ability to watch TV irrespective of internet connection and being able to see my girlfriend in the flesh) doesn't leave much time for reading, so I've only read The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer since Christmas (unless the Mock the Week Year Book counts).

The Sea of Trolls is almost a bit of a childish story about Viking legends. A shame really, as if it was geared to a slightly older audience it'd be a brilliant read. It tops as good to fair for me.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, is just another Dan Brown book. Complex and exquisite so far, the only slight niggle I have with it is the sheer volume of chapters, which makes my ideal of 'just one more chapter' too short lived, especially when it covers two chapters in two pages. That aside, brill.
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artisticdude
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by artisticdude »

Cloud wrote:'ve only read The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer since Christmas
Really? I own all three books in that trilogy, and I have to tell you that I think the first one's the best by far. The last two are far to disorganized and random, and don't really settle most of the issues. I have to agree that it's written more for younger kids, though. Right now I'm reading Battle Fleet, the third in a trilogy by Paul Dowswell. Full of blood and gore, too. It's a pretty good book, but I think the first one was better. The story centers around a kid who gets pressed into service in the British Navy and serves as a powder monkey until he is framed by an enemy and sent to the 'New South Wales' (that's Australia today) prison colonies. He eventually gets pardoned and returns to England, and that's as far as I've gotten in the trilogy. Overall these are good books, but they are definitely not for younger kids.
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by anakayub »

I've just finished reading "Crusades - The Illustrated History". A great book, regardless of your own personal perspective.
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Thanatos
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by Thanatos »

I just finished Hugo von Hoffmannsthal "Death and the Fool".
Guess in English it's not as good as in the German original, still I can absolutely recommend it.
For the German readers, there is a review at my blog.
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Tomsik
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by Tomsik »

Has anybody mentioned Kurt Vonnegut? Just finished "Cat's Cradle", it was pretty cool, although "Slaughterhouse Five" seemed more interesting to me.
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Midnight_Carnival
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by Midnight_Carnival »

Tomsik wrote:Has anybody mentioned Kurt Vonnegut? Just finished "Cat's Cradle", it was pretty cool, although "Slaughterhouse Five" seemed more interesting to me.
That would be me.

Read The Sirens of Titan, one of the most bitter and deprssing scifi novels available.
...apparenly we can't go with it or something.
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Bellerophon
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by Bellerophon »

I recently read Robin Hobb's Farseer: Royal Assasin and Orwell's Homage to Catalonia, both of which I highly recommend.

Currently reading: The Sirens of Titans :3 wut r teh odds, eh...
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Tomsik
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by Tomsik »

Midnight_Carnival wrote:Read The Sirens of Titan, one of the most bitter and deprssing scifi novels available.
I've been wondering which of his books I should read next, that helps, thanks. :)
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by JackBarber »

I finished reading The Circle, and The Twilight Series a few months ago i think...
The Circle was great but had a few references to The Bible, all in all it was good and I'm thinking of re-reading it.
The twilight series isn't EXTREMELY girly or anything, I laughed at how weird it was a few times...
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Bellerophon
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by Bellerophon »

Currently reading: Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones, turned out to be quite worhty of my attention, I especially like the typical style of writing common to so many italian and spanish writers...

Next on the list: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick
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Midnight_Carnival
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Re: What are you reading right now?

Post by Midnight_Carnival »

Storm of Swords by George RR Martin.

I'll be honest with you, I'm reading it becuase I got this far in the series and see no point in turning back, more than out of injoyment. But still, it has its moments I suppose. Do not be surprised if I post within the next ten days taking back everything I said and claiming it was the best thing I ever read and that it changed my life irevocably.

...be dissapointed.

(sorry, I'm having a bad day, don't take me seriously)
...apparenly we can't go with it or something.
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