I'm reading The Wastelands - the third volume of the The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Definitely enjoying it so far, as I've blazed through the past two. The only thing is that I haven't heard a lot of good things about how the series ends, so I'm kind of nervous. But other than that, I'm having a lot of fun with Rolan and his Ka-Tet
I had that goal at New Year's. A book a week, how hard can it be? I think I've read thirteen or fourteen books this year, so far. Right now I'm reading The Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe, at the urging of my father. I love it, even though (or maybe because?) I'm almost 100 pages in and I still can't see any discernible plot.
I just finished Charles Yu's How to Survive in a Science Fictional Universe. A very entertaining read. In parts, it's uproariously funny, and then it can become quite touching. Right now, I'm reading Incognito, by David Engelman, a very well-written analysis of how the unconscious mind affects what we often regard as solely being the realm of the conscious mind. Fascinating stuff. On the fiction side, I'm re-reading The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, the play that Herman Wouk wrote after he wrote the novel, The Caine Mutiny.
I'm reading Nabokov's Lolita for the first time, and I have to say, you pick a page in that book and the rich use of language just astounds me every time. It reallly is amazing at times, a true lesson in how to write
Like Summit Racing? That one? I'm reading Coming of the Storm by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'neal Gear. It's historical fiction. A lot of people have a really hard time reading their novels (info overload, lol) but I love them. I've read them all. This one is the first book in a new series they've started.
This one takes place in 1539 when Hernando de Soto invaded south Florida and the Native American tribes there. The first book I ever read by them (and their first one) is called People of the Wolf and takes place in the dawn of history. Their novels follow the progression of Native American history all the way up to the current one. The authors are archaeologists.
I'm reading Anthony Burgess's rather speculative biography of Shakespeare, called, not surprisingly, Shakespeare. I'm just starting it, but I'm a big Burgess fan, so I'm sure I'll enjoy it.
Gone For Soldiers ~ Jeff Shaara. (Half-finished) Gods and Generals ~ Jeff Shaara. (Finished. Poor General "Stonewall" Jackson. ) The Killer Angels ~ Michel Shaara. (Half-finished) The Last Full Measure ~ Jeff Shaara. (Not started) Gone For Soldiers is about the Mexican-American War. The others are about the American Civil War. All worth a read if you're interested in that period. @ Suadade- Why would that book be illegal?
No it won't. Just started The Scar by China Miéville. I'm going to follow it up by finishing the New Crobuzon set with Iron Council.
Because it depicts a romantic relationship between a grown man and a 12-year-old girl. Our society has come far enough to ban a book like that (or at least censor it, like some kooks did with Tom Sawyer a while back), despite it being great literature.
If it was to be taken seriously and was published today, then I might agree that some attempt at censorship would be made. As it is, it's a satire and was published the best part of 60 years ago. Society then was far more restrictive than it is now, and it got published (albeit as pornography in France). An attempt may be made to get it censored by knee-jerk reactionaries once it's in some way implicated into a paedophile ring, but most right-thinking people won't stand for the banning of it. If it were a video game, then the story would be very different, but it's a book, and a revered part of the modern literary canon.
Reading the Marcus Didius Falco series by Lindsay Davis! A mystery series set in Ancient Rome and VERY hard to put down!
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I had known about this book for years but never got around to it. Finally, on a whim, I took it out from the library and find it to be filled with incredibly useful techniques to fight against writer's block. I'm trying to just skim through it, but most of it is too interesting to do so. I'm also reading Up In The Air by Walter Kirn. It's good, but not exactly a "page turner". I'm reading it to compare it to the movie, which I loved. The verdict is still out.
I'm re-reading 'The Guide' by Dr. William Holden. I haven't actually read such a life changing book as this before and I'm sure I'll be reading it again in years to come. It's a real eye opener on how others treat you, I can tell you. You have no idea how much people put you down or make little negative comments to you until you've read this. My writing has improved dramatically as a result of this book too. I'm confident in my writing and know that it's good. I feel that it's good. I think if you are serious about writing it's well worth a read, helps you overcome all sorts of barriers. Fantastically practical advice too with step by step guide. That's what I love about it most, so quick and easy to understand and very well written. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's worked miracles in my life but it's come extremely close. Amazing! I still can't get over it.
