Since we have threads denoting movies we're watching, I would loike to install this thread on books we are all currently reading (or intend to read). Write down your reviews and comments on authors and titles for our great literary discussion! Eat - err, I mean - read a book!

First off this year for me:

I kicked off the new year reading two novels that I've read before. The first one is Dorothy MacArdles' The Uninvited. This was made into a movie way back in the 40s - and I own it - and is a sober ghost story about a bother and sister team trying to find out who's haunting their seaside house in England. The book is edgy and rich in characterization and atmosphere, but it is much more literary than what you'll read from the likes of Stephen King or even Anne Rice. It isn't so much "frightening" as it is just a good, literary read. If you find this one (I got it at the library), you have to be able to commit to reading it rather than it gripping you like a fast-paced thriller of today.

The next book I read again was one of my favorites: Sphinx, by Robin Cook. This too was made into a movie back around 1980 and starred Frank Langella and Lesley Downs. A good, archeological thriller about a young Egyptologist who gets mixed up with the black market dealing in antiquities.

I have just finished reading The Good Life, which is the autobiography of Tony Bennett. I was always curious about his life and his success as a "crooner", and found a bird's eye view of his life up until the time he won a Grammy for his acoustic singing on MTV's Unplugged back in 1994. He talks about his singing stints with many great musicians and songwriters of now and long ago. However, I think he whitewashes over his addiction to cocaine and alcohol, and somewhat has a tendency to blame his ex-wives for his marital problems rather than owning up to any of them himself. Still, remarkably good to discover the life of a famous singer and the world of recording and music.

I have just began reading William Goldman's Marathon Man which was another novel that became a motion picture and starred Dustin Hoffman. He made the phrase "Is it safe?" one of the most uncomfortable and painful questions in cinematic history! You'll never want to go to the dentist again. Most of you will know him as the author and screenwriter for The Princess Bride.

When we were on vacation, I picked up a book that I normally would have left on the shelf - The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell. This one is historical fiction, a genre I wasn't overly familiar with.

It is the story of Uhtred, the son of a minor noble, set against the late 9th century in England. This is the first book of a series written to give us insight into Alfred the Great, and features some truly outstaning writing. I particularly enjoyed the depictions of the Norse invaders, and of life among them.

I cannot recommend this book enough!

I'm not much of a reader. If I read anything it is almost always a comic or a system book for roleplaying. I am, however, battling through Neil Gaiman's American Gods which I truly recommend for anyone. If you don't know what it is about, I am really surprised based on the forum. It is about the old Gods (Norse, Egyptian, Greek, etc.), an upcoming war between them and the new Gods (Media, Technology, etc.), and a single guy who gets involved. It is a really good read (so far anyway).

I'm obsessed with informational books, and i think everyone should read this book, whether you're prego or not...have kids or not...are young or old: The Complete Organic Pregnancy
Be healthy!!

Oh, and my quick review: It's utterly amazing. You'll never think of anything the same way again. This kind of knowledge will stay in your brain.

Well, I finished reading William Goldman's Marathon Man, and I found it to be a good literary read.

It has a dark premise, and an interesting twist, and if you like spy-thrillers, you would probably like it. A friend of mine, Robert Hawks, has been wanting me to read some of his new works about the Manson Family, and I had to beg off it because he is so vivid and detailed, and I no longer can stomach hefty violence. Hawks is a great writer, though; he has published several YA (young adult) novels early on.

At the moment I am reading Amsterdam, by Ian McEwen, a British author. Since I watched the movie, "Atonement", based on his novel, I've decided to read his works. Amsterdam is a literary novel that details the life of two men who shared a romance with a vivacious woman whi is dead at the beginning of the book. Yes, not a lot of action in it, but high literary elements.

I just finished The Godfather Returns. If you haven't already read it and you're a fan of the godfather, read it.


It's good.

Amsterdam? The book must also be about the life in that city then, otherwise I wouldn't see why the title wouldn't include more than just the place where it happens, right?

At the moment, I'm sort of a Hellboy fan, and there are some very nice novels written about this superhero. It's written like fantasy, but in the current age. Most of these have strong connections with the actual folklore, religions and tales of (ancient) cultures. While we mostly know Hellboy from the action-packed movie, these books focus on more than just a bunch of battling. And I feel more connected to what is going on, since it is fantasy in my own world. It is recognizable, but with all the elements that I like in fantasy books.

In 'Bones of Giants', for instance, Hellboy and his team dig into the Scandinavian culture and his mind is slowly taken over by the spirit of a legendary warrior as a giant from the old world rises, and creates chaos.

Tonio Kroeger by Thomas Mann. It's about a German aristocrat born with a foreign mother. Actually that's just the protagonist, it's really about what it takes to be a true artist (creator, they call it) and what it's like to be successful without fitting into a clique.

ein Buerger auf Irrwegen. Tough to be translated to English, but basically means an aristocrat (burgious) on the wrong path. I saw a translated English copy at a book store and was curious - turns out they just translated the phrase to French and put it in italics. lol I guess some things just can't be expressed in English.

I was a little disappointed, as it didn't sweep me up as much as his previous works (especially Tigana or the Lions of Al-Rassan), but still very satisfying.

It's the story of a young teen vacationing in Provence, when he gets swept up in a story that has its beginnings in ancient times.

I am enjoying a book by S.M. Stirling called Dies the Fires. It is an alternate history where something happens in 1998 called The Change. Basically the laws of physics are changed in a split second and everything mechanical stops working. Guns, engines, electricity, anything that is high energy just stops and the world is thrown into chaos.

Much like Stephen King, the jewels of this book are the characters. He creates these interesting characters that you really like or hate and takes you for the ride along with them.

The book requires a high level of suspension of disbelief. He doesn't explain why the change happens and the logic of it is strained in some places.The author also has a thing for Wiccan beliefs and goes on and on about them. But if you can put that aside, it is an interesting look at the base level of human nature and the will to survive - no matter what.

I read A Meeting at Corvallis by S. M. Stirling. Same deal, apocalyptic event occured that killed all modern weaponry and machines and stuff.

That Dies the Fires guy must be one of them thar "green" liberals who want technology to die! Viva Bush! Viva Oil! sarcasm intended
Heh. Almost finished with McEwen. Very interesting read; literary novels can be drudgery if you're not into them, but this British fellow does a good job in spinning the tale. It has a composer in it and I enjoy the "artistic" temperament the character has.

I think you are confusing them with the Luddites that believe all of societies problems are because of Gene Roddenberry. :-)

I've recently read the Trilogy, 'His Dark Materials' otherwise known as the series in which 'The Golden Compass' begins. As a quick note, I did not start reading it just because of the controversy surrounding it. In the end it was a great time.

I'm also just finished 'Beka Cookper: Terrier' by Tamora Pierce, which tells the story of a girl in a fictional-mythical-medieval setting (so I don't know how to exactly classify it) via journal entries. Rebeckah is a Guardswoman-in-training. Pretty nice read.

Currently half-way or so through the sequel to Inkheart, Inkspell. Pretty good too so far.

Okay, so now I have to read at least two non-fiction works this year as well as novels.

I've started by reading Umberto Eco's Turning Back the Clock: Hot Wars and Media Populism. This book is a series of articles Eco wrote concerning modern viewpoints, expecially when it comes to our global society and how things have changed in how we declare war and how we have peace nowadays. Very interesting, for the most part.

Eco touches upon how the war on terrorism is so very different from the World Wars and even the Cold War. He discusses racism and religious persecution and increasing liberalism in today's military. He argues about how the media has turned world events into a circus (for the good and for the bad). He discusses how modern wars are waged without boundaries and how the media brings it into our living rooms and makes everything almost every-day.