Now Reading...

[Mxgonzo]

Seems this thread is heavy into fiction for the most part, which is cool. I didn't read all 24 pages, but any other History nerds in the House? I've just finished 1787 by David O Steward and am now reading Revolutionary Characters.

Huge History nerd here. Right now I'm reading "Benjamin Franklin- An American Life".

 

[Heavenly Call]

Loved that Franklin book! The Summer of 1787 was awesome as well. Have you read 1776? I haven't, but I've heard it was good.

 

[Yippee38]

Seems this thread is heavy into fiction for the most part, which is cool. I didn't read all 24 pages, but any other History nerds in the House? I've just finished 1787 by David O Steward and am now reading Revolutionary Characters.

Yeah. I'm reading "The Gathering Storm" by Winston Churchill kinda off an on.

 

[Wholesome Annie]

I just finished DaVinci Code last night!! I know, I know, I'm behind but I had time off of school so I wanted to read something for ME!

Anyways - I loved it! I've been told that I should read Angels and Demons next....thoughts?? Any other recommendations along these lines?

Thanks!

 

[thedelicateflower]

I just finished DaVinci Code last night!! I know, I know, I'm behind but I had time off of school so I wanted to read something for ME!

Anyways - I loved it! I've been told that I should read Angels and Demons next....thoughts?? Any other recommendations along these lines?

Thanks!

...angels and demons is great too....the movie should be out sometime next year....

 

[Cheiron]

Is the DaVinci Code a lot like Angels and Demons? My problem with the latter was the use of the '!'. Punctuationally (created word, brownie points +4), it was way over used. Sure, it was a fast read. But while I found the story interesting, the writing style made me want to curl up in a ball. Everything felt so rushed. So, 'wow at the last second I had a revelation about what this means!'

I liked the DaVinci Code movie a lot.

 

[spag]

Seemed like the same book to me, as far as I could get through it that is. It didn't hold my interest. DC was a quick read, but if there is a lesson on how to write a best seller, I guess it's to write at a sixth grade level or something. I couldn't stand the writing, even though the story was good.

 

[Wholesome Annie]

Punctuationally (created word, brownie points +4)

haha - nicely done!

if there is a lesson on how to write a best seller, I guess it's to write at a sixth grade level or something.

Unfortunately - I've been finding this to be VERY true!! If you think about it though, they've gotta sell whats "readable" to the majority of the public...and what's that reading level at???

 

[Pellaz]

Is the DaVinci Code a lot like Angels and Demons? My problem with the latter was the use of the '!'. Punctuationally (created word, brownie points +4), it was way over used. Sure, it was a fast read. But while I found the story interesting, the writing style made me want to curl up in a ball. Everything felt so rushed.

I really hate it when a writer's odd style 'drops you out of the story' by way of distraction. I recently re-read some older books by Mercedes Lackey (got them used, thanks; I will not buy her books new for any reason whatsoever) and her incredible overuse of italics really gets to me. I guess I didn't notice it as much the first time around.

Unfortunately - I've been finding this to be VERY true!! If you think about it though, they've gotta sell whats "readable" to the majority of the public...and what's that reading level at???

Between 6th and 8th grade, basically.

Reading is fun. duh. Mental!

 

[Mxgonzo]

Loved that Franklin book! The Summer of 1787 was awesome as well. Have you read 1776? I haven't, but I've heard it was good.

Can't get enough of Ben Franklin. The man was a genius.

Yes. I've read 1776. It was good, not a heavy in-depth study but it covered the major players and key events.

 

[jaimek]

I really hate it when a writer's odd style 'drops you out of the story' by way of distraction. I recently re-read some older books by Mercedes Lackey (got them used, thanks; I will not buy her books new for any reason whatsoever)

Neither will I. I read the Vanyel trilogy a long time ago, which is supposed to be the pinnacle of her writing, and I found it terribly melodramatic and I couldn't summon up the interest to read anything else. She's nearly as crazy as Anne Rice, too.

History - while I have a couple of books on the Plantagenets and a rather large text on Edward I, straightforward history novels tend to be a little too dry for me (although I've been eyeballing 1776 for a couple of years) so I end up reading the fictionalized accounts - Sharon K. Penman, Anya Seton, and I just recently picked up a Phillipa Gregory book that was ... okay.

 

[sh0kr0k]

I just finished DaVinci Code last night!! I know, I know, I'm behind but I had time off of school so I wanted to read something for ME!

Anyways - I loved it! I've been told that I should read Angels and Demons next....thoughts?? Any other recommendations along these lines?

Thanks!

I've read all of Dan Brown's books and Angels & Demons is my favorite of the set. I really liked Deception Point and Digital Fortress too, tied for 2nd. The DaVinci Code is the least of my favorites, though when I when I first started, I thought it was the most thrilling thing I had read in ages and prompted me to check out his other works!

Is the DaVinci Code a lot like Angels and Demons? My problem with the latter was the use of the '!'. Punctuationally (created word, brownie points +4), it was way over used. Sure, it was a fast read. But while I found the story interesting, the writing style made me want to curl up in a ball. Everything felt so rushed. So, 'wow at the last second I had a revelation about what this means!'

I liked the DaVinci Code movie a lot.

Honestly, I don't remember about the ! in Angels & Demons. While I completely enjoy Brown's writing style, (typically I am irritated by most writing styles) I do sympathize with you on some styles provoking the fetal-position. Kim Newman and Zecharia Sitchin come to mind. :Smug:

I guess it's to write at a sixth grade level or something.

So what does it mean if I love his writing style No wonder I get frustrated with many authors. I thought it was just their writing style, not my comprehension abilities

She's nearly as crazy as Anne Rice, too.

AND I've read nearly every Anne Rice book on the market, so I'm really in the minority at the moment!

 

[ashaman7122]

I finished Cryptonomicon. Not sure how I feel about the book. It was interesting, but I kept having to ask 'so what?' The crypto/math/tech stuff wasn't really new to me, even if some historical parts were. I don't know. I liked lots about it, just not sure....

Yeah, it's a weird read, kinda tough to get through, but yet, somehow, it goes quickly. I tore through 300 pages or so, realized I didn't really care about anything in the book enough to finish it, and put it down...

Wanted to like it...just didn't generate any serious grab...

Rock on!

 

[JenniferLynn]

Finished Faust - but dammit, the one I have, killer translation but omitted parts and just explained what happened for most of the second part which ticked me off... So I'm now searching for a copy of part twoo (or one and two) in a translation as good as or close to the one I had...

Started reading Dante's Divine Comedy (the brain book)

Still re-reading L.K. Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series - up to Obsidian Butterfly (the fun read book)
** I love this author, I love this character - she's as sarcastic as I am - and could read these books over and over again **

And ever week I get my weekly issue of The Hockey News and read that...

Poe's next to read on the brain book list

 

[jaimek]

I finished the aforementioned Kim Stanley Robinson book. It took him THREE HUNDRED PAGES to get to the rain in the title; the rest of it read like a Nano novel with no real point to it. Argh.

 

[Yippee38]

Has anybody noticed that when checking out the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section at whatever bookstore you shop at, that the vast majority of new fiction on the shelves is written by women? I noticed that a long time ago (maybe 5 years or so) and it still seems the same. I wonder why that would be the case, or is it just my imagination.

 

[jaimek]

Probably because the vast majority of new fiction on the sci-fi shelves seems to be paranormal romantic fantasy these days...

 

[jaimek]

Oh, an addendum regarding 40 Days of Rain - the majority of it takes place in the DC area. As much as I found the character discussions about breast milk to be a snooze, I was entertained by how often I could say "I know exactly where they're talking about" with regards to various downtown tourist locales, Metro stations/stops, Georgetown, etc.

 

[Rakosh]

Probably because the vast majority of new fiction on the sci-fi shelves seems to be paranormal romantic fantasy these days...

Precisely. Ugh...


Anyways, just finished Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. Excellent near-future fiction where computer savvy teens bring down the Department of Homeland Security...or at least attempt to. It won't be out until next year, but it'll be worth watching for.

:Smokin:

 

[Magius]

Confessor.