what are you reading?

[grue]

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

I've tried 4 times in the past to read LotR but couldn't get past the prologue about hobbits. A week ago I tried again and I can't seem to be able to put it down.

I've read better fantasy but lotr feels full of charm now. If only the songs were left out...

Being addicted to the game must have helped too.

[xan]

I am busy reading the Swallows & Amazons series of childrens books by Arthur Ransome. My grandfather and mum were both read them as children. I read them when I was ~10-13, and then not again since then. Found and liberated the whole series from my grandparents' garage a few weeks ago.

So far I've made my way through: Swallows & Amazons, Swallowdale, Peter Duck (metabook written by the characters themselves), Winter Holiday, Coot Club and Pigeon Post.

They're even better than I remembered, and I've been a bit surprised to find myself totally engrossed.

Fuck Harry Potter. Swallows & Amazons are the best

Hooray! Another Ransome fan!

I love Swallows & Amazons, bloody good books. Have read most of them numerous times while growing up, but not for a while... think I might need to dig them out again!

If you like those, you might try the "Green Sailor" books by Gilbert Hackforth-Jones. Originally written for a radio series (I think) and then published as a series of books. Really engrossing stuff, but a little more of a Sailing slant than the Swallows & Amazons books.

[Istar]

"Matter" by Iain M. Banks. His latest Culture novel. Only about 25% into it so far, and it was a little hard-going in the first two or three chapters, but it soon hits its' stride and is shaping-up very nicely.

Before that, I did "First Meetings in the Enderverse" by Orson Scott Card. Which was ace. Why isn't there an Enders' Game film yet, dammit.

Next on the list is "Use of Weapons", again by Banks, being an earlier Culture novel and the last I haven't read yet. Although I might inject "The Children of Hurin" (Tolkien) in between Matter and UoW.

[betamax]

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

I've tried 4 times in the past to read LotR but couldn't get past the prologue about hobbits. A week ago I tried again and I can't seem to be able to put it down.

I've read better fantasy but lotr feels full of charm now. If only the songs were left out...

Being addicted to the game must have helped too.

You're doing it wrong

Books first, then game!

[Istar]

Just started Ender's Game. I hope it delivers because everyone and their mum swears by it.

It definitely delivers, but don't expect much from the rest of the Ender saga. They're still good books, but they just don't live up to Ender's Game.

I refer the honourable gentleman to my comments on this matter back on page 30 of this thread, and would respectfully point out that he is obviously madder than a sack of badgers.

I've read all the Ender books. As people are saying the first one is definitely the best but for me that's not saying much since I found the first one pretty "meh". I just found it pretty dull. I didn't empathise with any of the characters. Maybe I should have read it when I was a misunderstood teenager

I liked the first one - the content seems a bit stretched out and the "shock twist" at the end was a tad predictable, but overall it was an interesting concept.

The later sequels just seemed to be some form of misguided attempt to cash in and promote some odd ideas and beliefs. A bit like the Wizard of Oz, where there's literally dozens of sequels.

Oh dear gh0d, they're multiplying. Badgers everywhere!

[HGFB]

I've just read Foundation's Fear and Foundation and Chaos. I've started Foundation's Triumph. When I've done with that I plan to reread Asimov's original Foundation series.

On my phone while waiting for noodles to cook I've just finished The Atrocity Archive and I've now started Heliconia Summer.

[SimonB]

Recent books have been:
the SFX Pulp Idol winners for this year
Under The Weather by Tom Fort - an interesting look at weather obsessives and forecasters over the years

Now reading An Utterly Impartial History of Britain by John O'Farrell. Quite funny and reminding me of bits of history I'd forgotten.

In audio terms I finally finished listening to the Pern series, took a break from sagas with Tony Hawks - A Piano In The Pyrenees, followed that with Terry Pratchett's Last Continent then having seen this earlier in the thread

Oddly got the urge to re-read Belgariad and Mallorean the other day.

Am now listening to those - on Queen Of Sorcery right now.

[limb_clock]

not reading, per se, but i did get my hands of Snow Crash Audiobook, which i listen to whilst doing the leet animations.

[axel000]

Saturn's Children by Charles Stross

http://www.amazon.com/Saturns-Children- ... 0441015948

I'm enjoying this one a great deal, nice android sci-fi yarn.



(US hardcover edition pictured)

[HGFB]

Haha. They've changed the US cover since I bought mine



It's a homage to late-era Heinlein and very well done indeed.

[F-ZeroOne]

I'm currently reading "Dark Ararat", by Brian Stableford. Its about some colonists fleeing Earth on a Slower-Than-Light spaceship and arriving at a new colony world several hundred years later. Things have gone a bit awry, and everyones finding the incredibly purple-tinged planet they've arrived on a bit strange and full of stingy fauna.

All, that is, except the resident Australian, who points out that where he came from, everything is weird and everything is pretty much toxic.

[funkstar]

"Matter" by Iain M. Banks. His latest Culture novel. Only about 25% into it so far, and it was a little hard-going in the first two or three chapters, but it soon hits its' stride and is shaping-up very nicely.

This.

[grue]

I just finished the Lord of the Rings and I'm about to start Moby Dick. I can't wait!

[Deckard]

iWoz and frankly it feels a bit childish, too eager? Only read 60 pages so far so hope it improves...

[Gorecki]

I'm about to start Moby Dick. I can't wait!

You are in for a very rare treat. One of the finest books I've ever read.

I'm currently re-reading A Spy in the House of Love by Anais Nin and Cormac McCarthy's Child of God has just turned up in the post.