I ish readding 'Blood and Chocolate' By Annette Curtis Klause

actually The Song of Ice & Fire by Geaorge R. R. Martin

(same book, different cover)

should i read the avalon-cycle after this and the next book of The Song of Ice & Fire, or this time (since decades) a non-fantasy-book....mhh, decicions, decicions.....

Ryu-Kun wrote:

should i read the avalon-cycle after this and the next book of The Song of Ice & Fire, or this time (since decades) a non-fantasy-book....mhh, decicions, decicions.....

You should continue reading Song of Ice and Fire. It's quite a good series, though when the book will be out is anyone's guess...

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/nextbook.html

Not really reading anything pleasurable lately, mostly Property, Administrative Law, Civil Procedure and Criminal Procedure. I've been re-reading comics, especially Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and Miracleman. Ah, the classics.

i'm waiting for the 12th book of the left behind series to come out: Glorious Appearing. i'm working on another series by Tim Lahaye: Babylon Rising.
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currently reading untangling my chopsticks by victoria abbot riccardi
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the most recent book i've read was Lord of the rings trilogy and the hobbit, but that was like 3 years ago.
I prefer to watch than read...
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Beside Musashi I reccomend this two From Me fav Eiji Yoshikawa :

*smacks everyone with the Hagakure and the Budo Shoshinshu*

Chugging through The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Yes, in all its 2,500+ rice paper-like pages. Just got finished w/the Mikhail Bakhtin part.

Here's a description: http://www.wwnorton.com/college/titles/english/natc/contents.htm

Here's a table of contents: http://www.wwnorton.com/college/titles/english/natc/toc.pdf

arnel98 wrote:

the most recent book i've read was Lord of the rings trilogy and the hobbit, but that was like 3 years ago. I prefer to watch than read...

heheh i agree! though i finished hobbit before those 3, id rather watch them than read.. they bore me to tears >__<
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Right now I am reading Kaleidoscope by Dorothy Gilman.

It is a mystery (I usually read mysteries and fantasy.)

right now: Connan The Cimmerian (the originals Howard writings)

Never thought I would ever read that, but I must admit it's quite enjoyable (and perfectly fitted to my current schedule, for stories are both short and independant, which prevents me from feeling compelled to read the book in one shot)

after that I will probably try a new Murakami Ryu or Haruki Murakami book, or some other japanese author. Or a chinese one. Unless I find an interresting W.S. Burroughs book (everybody should at least read Naked Lunch)

MixxDreamer wrote:

heheh i agree! though i finished hobbit before those 3, id rather watch them than read.. they bore me to tears >__<

I too agree on this point, I felt quite disapointed by those bought (but the fact I was reading a translated version might be part of the cause)

Duneman wrote:

i'm going to read genji monogatari after that.

Personnaly I found the first part (appart from the two first books/chapters, which where a bit special) of this one a mix of good ideas (the story itself) and boredom (well, reading pages of gifts and social niceties definitly isn't my thing). Now, the second (and contested) part, starting around book/chapter 42, was really strong... I almost cried

I was also disapointed that I did not have enough cultural/symbolic references to understand the waka; but then my personnal shortcoming are at fault, not the book :p

about the Wheel of time
I read the first 9 books in the span of a month (summer holydays, I tend to avoid the sun and only go out at night) ans I even enjoyed the tenth a few month later. Then, I still agree with what most of you said (and with my friends): after the third (or th sixth, it depends on how tolerant you are) book, you will only truely enjoy it if (like me) you like side-stories and are not overly concerned with the main plot going anywhere. The world in itself is interresting but the variety of characters sometimes feel illusionnary (especially as far as women are concerned: is there only strong willed manipulative women fighting to see whose the most bull-headed in this world???)

my friend told me bout the wheel of time, and shes trying to convince me that its a good book, i believed her but im having 2nd thoughts of it, can u tell me more bout them?
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world
A square piece of land divided in a few kingdom, with very different customs. On two sides lies a seemingly endless sea while on the east huge mountains keep the desert at bay. In the north, the courageous borderland fight endlessy agains the monstrosity spouring from the lands in which the dark one has been imprisonned thousands years ago.
The setting is mainly medieval, european, with a few twist and some oriental (not asian) feeling to some kingdom. The known land is populated by humans, save for a handfull of Ogiers, large peacefull humanoids specialized in gardening (or , more exactly, TreeSinging). In the desert live the feared Aiel, nomadic tribes of hardened, and highly honorable, warriors while from the north come the rampaging Trollocs, the most numerous servant of the Dark-One (its most dangerous, however are probably its flock of corrupted humans). The world has a two thousand years old history (even more, sometime ;> ) which is used to its fullest without becoming a nuisance.
Magical items, at the beginning at least are a rarity and nobody remembers how to make them. Magic, in fact, is only practiced by a group of women, named Aes-Sedai, whose number dwingle by the years. Men are forbiden to ever use magic, since doing so slowy destroy their sanity (a curse placed by the dark while he was being caged by the magic of men).
Moreover, a prophecy says that a male magic user will vainquish the Dark-One, And destroy the world thereafter . . .

books
basically, the first book is quite enjoyable fantasy and self contained (meaning, in particular that you can end here and feel like you have read a full story), so you definitely should try at least this one.

Then, what I would call the second arc run through books 2 and 3, the story is still quite fast paced, even if less focused since the main characters part during most of those books (there is about three groups at most, however).

After that, I would divide the story in three books arcs:
from 4 to 6: the story broaden in scope and become somewhat political.
from 7 to 9: The story focus more and more upon the secondary characters and plots, and you can read almost half a book without feeling any advancement of the main plot. On the other hand, many interresting things are unveiled in those secondary plots... The main trouble is that, whatever the plot, the women (and they are very important in the Wheel of Time) always seem to follow the same comportemental pattern.

The last published book (the tenth, in fact there is also an other book but somewhat external to this storyline) seems to have disapointed many readers : while it is still an enjoyable read, most of it focus on event of minor impact, like what the wife of on the friend of the lead character is doing while emprisonned. I personnally enjoy it, but I like it when stories take their time to make me discover the characters and the world around them. For those longing for the big world changing events and epic fights, I understand their disapointement.


much additional information , including spoilers, can be found at dragonmount

xiangh wrote:

world A square piece of land divided in a few kingdom, with very different customs.dragonmount

whoa, you wrote a whole lot...
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<kizuna>

lisasan wrote:

whoa, you wrote a whole lot...

lol

It does happen sometimes,
especially when I have work I'm not quite crazy about doing...
( writing 100 lines of post or modifying 1 line of science article... guess which is less exhausting... )

its ok if its long, this thread is also for book reviews and recommendations
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Had to compliment that The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism I've been reading for months. Whew. The literary equivalent of eating meat (Atkins plug unintended) all the time, it seems.

And, so, I just started:

Man. Thank God for Latin.

Suzuki Koji- Ringu. Came out on paperback recently so I grabbed it as fast as I could. No way in hell I'm paying $25 for hardback.

Oh yeah, and I want my Battle Royale II. They changed the movie too much.

Just reading something that I've read from school couple of years back..

KEEPING A GOOD COMPANY - Jonathan Charkam