What are you reading right now?

xyz72 wrote:I finished 5 more Murakami novels since this time last month. Bathroom breaks and short train trips add up.

Maan I really need to get onto him and Kazuo Ishiguro. But I've been telling myself that since I was 17.

Mod wrote:

xyz72 wrote:I finished 5 more Murakami novels since this time last month. Bathroom breaks and short train trips add up.

Maan I really need to get onto him and Kazuo Ishiguro. But I've been telling myself that since I was 17.

Most of the Murakami I read so far were VERY comfortable and rather quick reads. I'd suggest just grabbing one of his 150-300 page novels and just going for it.

I'm re-re-re reading the Harry Potter books, at PoA at the moment. I'm thinking about re-reading the Game of Thrones books after PoA.. I haven't read them since they came out and it would be nice to have it all fresh in my memory for the upcoming season.

Paragon wrote:

Frigid wrote:The pomodoro technique.

How's it working for you?

I read it and it's not even remotely suitable to my actual work. But it has plenty of good tips and techniques to translate through to other stuff.

I'm reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M. Pirsig. I'm not sure what to make of it right now, it's quite complex and not at all what I expected. One part travel log, part motorbike maintenance, part philosophical discussion, with some emotional and intellectual trauma thrown in. It requires some teasing. I'm told that there's whole online communities dedicated to discussing the concepts in it (such as the "middle way" between the rational/romantic perception dichotomy, and what can be considered to be "True"). It's flowing over my head quite nicely, though.

Also, "Robinson Crusoe" was good. I'm on a classic literature drive (I've too many lit student friends). "Moby Dick" is next.

Alexander: God of war.

Chapter one was helluva boring but chapter 2 brought the characterization, yeah it seems good so far, I'm liking it.

I'm reading


It's really nice to be reading another one of her books; they're funny, insightful, subtle, and modern. Most of all reading her work is so interesting to me because it's the writing that draws me in and not some pumped up plot description.The characters are the things that make her book work not some mention of a mystery or a space station or a faerie kingdom.

I'm actually getting pretty bored of books being described to me on the strength of their story rather than their writing. "Oh read this it has dragons and anyone can die and there's magic! Sometimes..."
I read books like Game of Thrones and chew my way through 'high resolution' scenery descriptions, occasional actions, and people acting like bastards to each other. But most of the actual events get condescend in my mind to a few key scenes and by the end I think "Was that all a gigantic waste of time?"

JackFrost wrote:Alexander: God of war.

Chapter one was helluva boring but chapter 2 brought the characterization, yeah it seems good so far, I'm liking it.

You might be better off with Arian Anabasis or some other first edition source. That's not to say they're any more truthful -they're probably more interesting though?
Besides Alexander wasn't exactly a god of war. Sure he fought a lot of them, But it was his Dad who truly got the ball rolling. Alex was just the one who lived long enough to see it through.

Ok...So I'm about 300 pages into this and I'm now scared as fuck of getting sick I even threw a fit when I started coughing before
But anyway, I can't put the freaking thing down. It's just amazing

I'm going to start reading The Seed and the Sower by Laurens Van Der Post this afternoon.



This is war as experienced in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Java in 1942, but, above all, war as experienced in the souls of men. What follows is the story of two British officers whose spirits the Japanese try to break. Yet out of all the violence and misery strange bonds of love and friendship are forged between the prisoners - and their gaolers. It is a battle of survival that becomes a battle of contrasting wills and philosophies as the intensity of the men's relationship develops.
Goodreads

Meh.

Low Life - Jeffrey Bernard, it's a collection of his articles from The Spectator. It's quite good.

First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

rct3swp wrote:First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

I loved those books! Have fun!!!
I am reading:

Kingsleyer wrote:

rct3swp wrote:First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie

I loved those books! Have fun!!!
I am reading:

I read that one too!!! Have fun, I liked it a lot!

I'm reading a book written by Martina Cole.



I bought it along with two more of her books from a pop-up book shop at work. In total it was £5, so I figured it was worth a buy. It's not bad.

I just finished reading this. I'm doing a children's literature class at uni next semester. It's fun reading a load of children's books again but I get the feeling that it's going to be insanely hard when it comes to studying them. Our first seminar is: "What is Children's Literature?" and I just know with the vagueness of that question that it's going to be a really hard thing to define.
.

Matilda used to be my favorite book growing up!

Kingsleyer wrote:Matilda used to be my favorite book growing up!

Tbh, I'd rather be studying something like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as Mr Willy Wonka is one of the most fascinating characters around. He's completely plastic and I love his portrayal for that reason. I understand why they've gone with Matilda as there's a lot of interesting stuff about gender in there but what I'm looking forward to reading most are these:

Paul wrote:

Ohhhh good memories