Books - we read what we are?

[misscam]

Been writing on a new BSG fic, whereupon I scribbled down the following line: He trusts her with books - "it's a gift, never lend books" - and thus part of him. (What you read is part of who you are, after all. She's a teacher, she knows that.)

I started to think about that - my mind is horrible at wandering off on tangents, truly - and comments from the last post I did concerning my bookshelf. So, are we what we read?

Here are the last ten books I read (or reread). With opinions. Draw your own conclusions.

1.Thud!
This is one of my favourite Terry Pratchett books and I reread it about once a month. It's not the funniest of them. But it is an example of how much a book can tell you about our own world when not set in it.

2. How Soccer/Football Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization
Flawed book, but interesting topic. Don't agree with half of it, but arguing with it in my head was half the fun.

3. A Deadly Brew
I think it was falena84 that recommended these to me while I visted her in Italy. I've been reading the series slowly but surely. It's got crime, which I adore, and it's an interesting visualization of a historical time I've had troubles picturing before. Good book - I even lent it to my mum.

4. What Came Before He Shot Her
I've tried three times to finish this book. I always fail. It's a book set in the world of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, but it's a book about the killer, not the police. It's so relentlessly grim and depressing I can't take it. I'm not the most cheerful of people in my own writing at times, but holy shit I cannot take that book. I need some hope.

5. A Short History of Nearly Everything
I reread this book a lot, because there's so much fact in it and every time, I managed to put more of it in my brain. I love this book. This is a book that shows why science, life and the universe is awesome. It's a gateway into more awesome. It's also the book I would hit hardcore creationists with. Weapon of choice, yes.

6. Nordfronten. Hitlers skjebeområde (by Asbjørn Jaklin)
This is a Norwegian book, the title roughly translating to The Northern Front. Hitler's fateful territory. It's basically about the war in the North during WWII - invasion of Norway, Finland's involvement, the northern battles against the Soviet Union. I knew a lot of the Norwegian stuff already, of course, but this book gave me a lot of sympathy for Finland, caught between Hitler and Stalin. We often write WWII as the war between good and bad, but nothing's that simple. In a battle of Biggest Asswipe, Stalin and Hitler would take it into extratime, seriously.
I want to hug Finland :(

7. War of the Ancients
Why thank you, I am a horrid WoW geek! Now this includes reading backstory. And also Tyrande/Malfurion OTP, yo. Blizzard must love my money. (Bookwise, I rate it average - I've read worse, I've read better, it kept me entertained on the train so did its job.)

8. Simply Love
A Romance Novel. Yes, I read them. I have a vaguely love-hate relationship with the genre, because on one hand I must enjoy it to have kept reading the genre for many years, but on the other hand I've been known to get so annoyed at some books I stop reading midways. This one I liked okay. Sex didn't fix everything, the characters didn't annoy me to death and the romance was built slowly.

9. Stalingrad
Oooow this book. Not because it's bad - it's very well-written, and that's exactly why. This makes all the suffering real and painful and for both sides. It makes a painful truth of war clear - war kills moral highground. Reading Berlin just made this clearer to me.

10. Berlusconis Italia. Historier om makt, mafia og motstand (by Simen Ekern)
This is another book in my "understanding Italy" project, which I started after visiting falena84. Italy has always been football and food to Norwegians, and when I realised I knew more of ancient Rome than modern Italy, I started reading. This is a Norwegian take on it - Berlusconi's Italy. Stories about power, mafia and resistance roughly translated. I'm not sure how my project is doing, but where I before regarded as Berlusconi as a joke and expressed my bewilderment anyone would vote for him, I think I get some of it now. It depresses me, as I can no longer pin it all on Berlusconi, asshat of impressive height. I also have to realise the very sad truth - to my social democratic heart - that in Italy, the left is not particulary better. Between plague and cholera, what do you pick? At least the cholera brings a show. Oi, Italy. I feel for you.

Give me your last ten - or five, if you can't remember ten. I'll tell you what impression of you I get from it. Also, taking book recs eagerly, oh yes.

(Yay football now, and my team won yesterday wheeeee.)

Comments

[evilstorm.livejournal.com]

but this book gave me a lot of sympathy for Finland, caught between Hitler and Stalin.

I know what you mean, but my pity for them is seriously tempered by awe and respect for their sheer fucking batshit awesomeness.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Bwhaha, yes. Though at least half of that is Stalin being a totally paranoid idiot, with his purges and what not. I mean, the close to ploughing over the Germans did at the beginning of their war with the USSR wasn't just Germans doing well. It was the Red Army just not being a fight force.

But yeah, much respect for what Finland did in the face of such an overwhelming enemy. Norwegians in general were and are sympathetic for this reason - sadly, Quisling and the Nazis in Norway used this sympathy recruit Norwegians into the German army. They were told they'd help Finland, and got the eastern front instead. Most died.

Both Stalin and Hitler are so made of fail. Bah.

[denorios.livejournal.com]

I was flicking through that football one in a bookstore the other day - would you say it's worth reading or not?

And all the books I've read so far this year are here. And if you're looking for book recs, have you read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell? It's my all-time favourite book - I'm currently reading it again for the umpteenth time.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

It is, but the author will get on your nerves a bit. Still, a lot of the stuff he brings up got me pondering, so was worth reading for me.

No, I haven't. What genre is it?

[rivrea.livejournal.com]

Yay! Book memes!

The non-fiction books about Stalingrad and WWII in Norway sound very interesting, albeit rather depressing in their own right.

The last ten books I read:

-- J. G. Ballard, Empire of the Sun

-- Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish: the Birth of the Prison

-- Wolf Haas, Das ewige Leben (Eternal Life) & Der Knochenmann (The Grim Reaper): two macabre, quirky and black-humoured Austrian mystery novels about a taciturn private dectective

-- Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

-- Daniel Kehlmann, Die Vermessung der Welt (Measuring the World)

-- Oliver MacDonagh, Jane Austen: Real and Imagined Worlds

-- Andrea Maria Schenkel, Tannöd (The Murder Farm

-- Alice Walker, The Color Purple

-- Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence

WIPs:

-- a business-training book about project management

-- Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Classics. Crime. And interestingly, a book about what made another author's book what they are. I'd say that shows you are not just interested in reading as a past-time, but actually in books as an artform.

I have a partciular interest in WWII non-ficiton books. Got loads of books on various aspects of it. Not sure why it exactly got my attention, aside from Norway's obvious involvement. Maybe it's because it's a war of so many horrors, and trying to understand human "evil" as it were has already been interetsing to be. (Some of that is visible in the sort of crime books I pick too.) But anyway, I do recommend both Stalingrad and Berlin. I think it's actually fairly balanced, abd doesn't reduce the Germans to caricatures.

[despertarse.livejournal.com]

currently reading: 'Kafka on the Shore' by Haruki Murakami

up next: 'Pictor's Metamorphoses' by Hermann Hesse, 'Middlesex' by Jeffrey Eugenides, 'The Dharma Bums' by Jack Kerouac, and 'Hocus Pocus' by Kurt Vonnegut

last books read, only included 3 school required reading books out of many:
'Their Eyes Were Watching God' by Zora Neale Hurston
'The Most Beautiful Woman in Town & other stories' by Charles Bukowski
'The Human Fly and Other Stories' by T.C. Boyle
'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead' by Tom Stoppard
'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad
'Tender as Hellfire' by Joe Meno
'The Lovely Bones' by Alice Sebold
'Geek Love' by Katherine Dunn
'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' by J.K. Rowling

rec: 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini, if you haven't already read it

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I had to google half of these! Interesting mix of contemporary and recent history - very grounded.

I have the book, just haven't read it yet. I'm always weary of things that get hyped too much, so I wait for the hype to leave my brain before I read, lol.

[partly-bouncy.livejournal.com]

My last ten in no particular order...

The Open Brand, When push comes to pull in a web-made world by Kelly Mooney and Nita Rollins It was a book on marketing in a web 2.0 world, information on companies that did that successfully, what certain people did and why it was unique.

1. Zlata's Diary, A child's life in wartime Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic Pretty much what it says. I loved Sarajevo but didn't feel I really had a clue after visiting because so hard to conceptualize that. Gave an idea of what happened from the perspective of 10 to 13 year old child.

2. Three Cups of Tea, One man's mission to promote peace... One school at a time by Greg Mortenseon and David Oliver Relin Biography about a guy who went to climb K2 in Pakistan and ended up building schools in Pakistan.

3. Chasing Ghosts, Failures and facades in Iraq: A soldier's perspective by Paul Rieckhoff Biography of an American soldier's experience in Iraq.

4. Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez Biography about an American hair dresser who went to Kabul to help women learna trade to improve their lot in life.

5. CSI: Grave Matters by Max Allan Collins CSI tie in.

6. Getting Stoned with Savages, A trip through the islands of Fiji and Vanuatu by J. Maarteen Troost About a guy's experience living in Vanuatu and Fiji with his wife. (It made me want to move back to the region before I realized I left that after only three months for a reason.)

7. Love & Blood, At the World Cup with the footballers, fans, and freaks by Jamie Trecker A book about a journalist's experience with the World Cup in Japan/Korea and in Germany.

8. Can I Keep My Jersey? 11 teams, 5 countries, and 4 years in my life as a basketball vagabond by Paul Shirley A book about an American basketball player's experience playing professionally. (And after reading it, I pretty much didn't want to watch another NBA game ever.)

9. The Catcher was a Spy, The mysterious life of Moe Berg by Nicholas Dawidoff A book about an American Jew who was a baseball player and had some real insecurities and identity issues in his life even as he did a few good things for the country.

10. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Violate them at your own risk! by Al Ries and Jack Trout Another marketing book. I liked this better than the first one.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

'Textbooks', biographies, non-fiction? Speaks to your historical interest, heh. Definitely not surprised from what I know of your interests in fandom.

I want that football book, I do.

Last Books I read

[bloodanna.livejournal.com]

1 and 2. Books One: The Summer Tree and Two: The Wandering Fire of The Fionavar Tapestry (a trilogy).

3. The Dead Zone. I don't know why I keep reading his books, I utterly hate his writing, plus he references himself which drives me nuts...

4. Silence of the Lambs. Good, I know how it would go having seen the movie, but still addicting and delightfully creepy.

5. Chocolat. I loved this book though I do think the movie had a (better?) more straight-forward plot.

6. August. Long and a bit boring in places, but the ending wrapped it up and fit so perfectly that I find myself thinking about every-so-often and smiling.

7. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. OMG, I loved this! Definitely one of my favorite books that I'm going to re-read over and over again.

8. Raisin in the Sun. Eh, good. Read it for school.

9. A Farewell To Arms. A "Classic", blagh. Read it for school, hated it. I know it's based on his life and the ending did make me tear up, but his dialog! I mean who the hell talks like that? It even sounds weird in the movie and there it's been tweaked (plus most of it's said by Rock Hudson which helps *laughs*).

10. Grapes of Wrath. Another school book. The later parts about what was happening, yet not about the family personally, I liked, but rest was tedious and the writing was repetitious, if you made a drinking game out of every time he uses some form of the words dust/dusty you'd be sloshed within two pages. Plus the ending didn't seem to... End it, ya know?

Sorry, when I tend to get carried away when talking about my books. :)

Re: Last Books I read

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Good Omens is my most read book, by far. It is awesome and I had to buy a new print because I wore out the old.

Don't like books that are forced on you (from school) but enjoy those who have had a good adaptation? Interesting if movies make you want to read the books. I often go the other way - it's not always a good.

[slickmeister.livejournal.com]

I was going to post my list, then I realised that I read so much it turned into kind of a mess.

"Ok, I got geeky and just re-read the Thrawn Trilogy because sometimes I miss star wars... but before that I....blwuieuifhawehfahh."


Could've read good omens In there... Pretty sure I read fragile things... before that I have no clue.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

To sum up: You read a lot a lot? ;)

[manicr.livejournal.com]

Book meme! Yay!

Hmm let's see if i remember the ones I've recently read.

The Gold Falcon by Katerine Kerr, I'cve read the series so far and will be starting with The Spirit Stone next. I'm somewhat nostalgic about this series and it's not bad.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis this book is actually in a way more suited for cinema, even if the book is better than the movie, given the constant rambling fashion input.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov this book, despite it's controversial content, actually left me untouched. I merely observed that I have known girls (and still do), who like young Dolores "Lolita" "Lo", have found satisfaction for their need for attention from men, men quite older than themselves.

I wonder if this says something about the jaded society we live in or if it's just the girls here in Sweden who see such credential in snaring an older man around their little finger.

Velocity by D. Koontz not his best nor his worst, a pleasant read in a way but for a thriller lacking in thrills.

Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay the worst in the series. A disappointment for someone who enjoyed the original realistic spin instead of this pseudo-scfi he concocted.

A hoard of class literature in programming, syntax and semantics has otherwise kept me busy from reading much new stuff though I have re-read a few of my own books.

These include A few Discworld novels (I adore the Watch series, Thud! included though Night Watch is by far my favourite), I have every single one except Making Money and the Amazing Maurice, Good Omens (again), Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman and a few others.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Interestingly gritty read at times, coupled with fantasy. Like your mind to be challenged a bit, maybe?

Loliya isn't the controversy it once was, I think. Time has jaded us - we know now how much worse it can be.

[space-oddity-75.livejournal.com]

Between plague and cholera, what do you pick? At least the cholera brings a show. Oi, Italy. I feel for you.

*sighs*
Maybe I should emigrate to a Northern European country... If my husband and I didn't have a successful business here, we would have given it a serious thought.
*sighs again*

***

As for books I'm reading, I've become addicted to Neil Gaiman after you suggested that I should read 'Good Omens'. I'm spending a fortune in his books, damn you! ;)

[misscam.livejournal.com]

That bad, huh? I can't really imagine - it's such a different society from what I'm used to.

Ehehehe. But yay, Neil Gaiman rocks - I'm always happy to gain him new readers.

[silvery-lass.livejournal.com]

These are the most recently

The Forge of Mars by Bruce Balfour
Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek
The Gold Falcon by Katharine Kerr
The Spirit Stone by Katharine Kerr
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve
Ro utan åror by Ulla-Carin Lindquist
Jenny by Jonas Gardell

[silvery-lass.livejournal.com]

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy, somehow the last name didn't appear

[bluerosefairy.livejournal.com]

Last five, since I have no time to read, what with all the schoolwork and internships and waiting tables:

1) American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I've just bought a new copy, so I had to break it in. And oh, I heart Samantha Black Crow. And Shadow. And Laura. And Wednesday. And Mr. Ibis and Mr. Jacquel. And even Low Key Lyesmith, just a little bit.

2) Gone for Soldiers by Jeff Shaara. I'm actually a little disappointed. Not enough Lee, Longstreet, and Jackson. Virtually no Grant, and no Hancock or Armistead at all. Though Santa Anna is interesting, and Winfield Scott is interesting in that trainwreck way.

3) Sammy's House by Kristin Gore. "Smart chick-lit" is how it's best described. Not enough politics for me - too much angsty interaction between White House staffer Sammy and her reporter boyfriend Charlie (who is Danny Concannon without the red hair and doofy present-giving).

4) The Importance of Music to Girls by Lavinia Flucker. Don't try Googling it - it's not out yet. I get proofs of unreleased books from my internship for free. :) Loved it, but it occasionally got too British for me, with not enough music analysis. But ooh, I totally got the part about the effect of Deep Purple and Judas Priest on the speed at which you drive.

5) The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. *wails* NOOOOO NOT MY ASRIEL! AND MARISA, WITH THE LYING AND THE GYROPTER-STEALING! Um yes, this series turns me into a flailing, shrieking fangirl, and I have no shame in admitting this.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

You do like your stuff with a bit more meaning beyond just being a good read, I'd guess. And yes, American Gods is v. v. interesting. Particulary as it's my cultural heritage getting a romp in there.

Eight in no particular order (and assuming only books, not comics, doujinshi, etc)

[everysecondtues.livejournal.com]

1. Tender is the Night by Fitzgerald. His prose and metaphors are at times striking and beautiful, at others bogged down and tedious. Furthermore, his representation of women and constant misogynistic references made this a hard read. Almost none of his characters were likable, and the few I did were despite myself. There's a good duel scene and a few other places I might re-read in the future, but on the whole I would call this book a wash.

2. Garden of Eden by Hemingway. One of his posthumous works, this was edited by Jenks, and by "edited" I mean "massacred." I would suggest if you ever have the opportunity to read the manuscripts in Boston. Considering how highly guarded and difficult to access they are, however, the book as is is still worth a read. It's an interesting look at gender roles, nontraditional relationships, and changing identity. Unfortunately, the messages presented are drastically changed by Jenks having cut over half the book and several main characters and plotlines.

3. Small Favors by Jim Butcher. The tenth in his Dresden series, I will be rereading it with the others once I'm done with classes. The end was a little rushed in that there were too many things to tie up with not enough space left, but overall the story was good and I enjoyed the further development of the overall plotlines and characters. I can't wait for book eleven.

4. A Movable Feast by Hemingway. A majority of my class argued that maybe this posthumous book should have never been published--it reads more like a slam book than a regular novel or autobiography, and I don't think he had any intention of actually publishing it. It seemed more a "just in case everyone says terrible things about me, I will write terrible things about them" and really shows Hemingway's later mental and physical degeneration in book form. I enjoyed it, but in a painful way. It's terrible compared to his other novels, but I enjoyed his interaction with Fitzgerald and how he wrote about him in a very shameful way that makes me want to read more about their inevitable break-up. Overall, I would give it an anti-rec on reading, especially if you love his other novels.

5. Farewell to Arms by Hemingway. This book is justifiably a classic and is hilarious in parts to the right people. The main character knows insane amounts about the roads, rivers, and general geography and infrastructure of Italy and other foreign countries, as though he has committed all the maps to memory. It's not my favorite Hemingway novel, but it's pretty good. I have at least one paper in me I'd like to write on it.

6. Sula by Toni Morrison. Despite her assertions that this is not a lesbian novel, that is my main reading of it. Her description, allusions, and overall story are pretty interesting. I'll probably pick up something by her in the future.

7. Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi. It's moving, descriptive, and hits you in the gut over and over again. I'm not a fan of the present tense and I'm sure there are some translation problems, but overall I'd recommend it.

8. Storm Front by Jim Butcher is the first of the Dresden series. On reread, it's obvious that he's improved, but the potential is still there, and I'd forgotten several key plot points in the several years since I'd read it. I would still recommend it as a fun modern fantasy, action/mystery, fast-paced and funny novel. The second is a bit more difficult to get into, but as I said, the series only gets better and better (excepting the second book, which is worth it for the end).

Re: Eight in no particular order (and assuming only books, not comics, doujinshi, etc)

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Quite tough lit to read you've picked - both in authors and topics, with some exceptions. Enjoy a reading challenge?

I've never quite forgiven Hemingway for some of the drivel he'd call opinions at times, I fear *sigh*.

[falena]

Berlu is not a joke, unfortunately. Italy's complicated and I'm not sure I understand all of it. Our recent history (post IIWW) is a tangled web of lies, deceit, murder and political intrigue. The historical/sociological factors that made us they way we are really fascinating but go a long way back (14th-15th century) so it's not easy to understand. And yes, as a whole, the picture you get of Italy is v depressing.
I'm glad you were tempted to learn more about this weird, weird country though.

In the same vein as The Dark Heart of Italy I recommend Alexander Stille's The Sack of Rome: Media + Power + Celebrity = Silvio
Berlusconi. I picked it up right before I started working, so I have barely skimmed, but it seems well written and well researched.

As for the last book I read they are in reverse chronological order:

M. Zanzocchi, Il tuffo in Dio.(lit. Diving into God) Religious stuff. Italian book about a close friend of my mother who died when he was 22and is now undergoing the process of being declared a saint by the Catholic Chruch. I read it because my Mum says the boy (now saint, lol) had a great influence on her formative years.

B. Bryson, Neither here nor there. I just love Bryson's sense of humour.

G. Severgnini, An Italian in Britain. Severgnini is sort of the Italian equivalent of Bryson. This is humorous travel guide about Britain, in a way. Really funny.
C. Bebris, Orgoglio e preveggenza. (Original title Pride and Prescience). A whodunit set immediately after Darcy and Elizabeth's wedding.Mr and Mrs Darcy as Sherlock and Holmes. Lol. Silly and v light reading, but as a Jane Austen fan I liked it a lot.

J. Paxman, The English. I love sociological essays about the English, but this one was boring, pretentious and not terribly innovative, imo.

A. François, Bouquiner. French book about the manias of the compulsive reader. V well-written and absolutely enjoyable.

I. Rankin, The Hanging Garden. One of the Rebus mysteries. I love Rankin, IMHO he's the best crime novelist out there. I think I told you already, but you should start reading his Rebus series. You're bound to like them.

D. Mina, Field of Blood. A crime novel set in the journalism circles in Glasgow, in the 1980s. Well-written and intriguing but not as good as Rankin. :P

K. Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse 5. I read this classic and thought I wasn't going to like it because it was too experimental but I was wrong. Vonnegut is an amazing writer. I would have bought anything he'd tried to write, I reckon.

K. Fforde, Highland Fling. I too am prone to reading some romantic shit from time to time. I usually recommned Fforde's novels, they're very formulaic and usually do not go overboard with the soppiness and implausibility but I'm afraid this one was not her best. Heh.

F. Vargas, Ceux qui vont mourir te saluent. A v good mystery, set in Rome. All the main characters have the names of Ancient Rome Emperors. Lol. You should try and find the English translation, I think you'd enjoy it.

So, what does this say about me?

ps: I'm currently reading the Half Brother that you sent me. It's good, but I cannot carry it with me to work, so it's taking me ages to finish. :D

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Lighter, entertaining books, crime and travel. Hmm. You enjoy mysteries and speculating on solutions and want to see the world.

That book is so heavy it cost me more in postage than the book itself, heh.

Italy is a mystery. I think a lot of it harkens back to beyond the dark ages. Lack of reconcilliation after WWII is a major, major factor by the looks of it, though. From what I can gather, both sides did shit there that's never really been resolved. (Like in former Yugoslavia - Tito just surpressed it, and when he was gone, it all blew.) It's made everything so bitter and barricaded. I mean, I wouldn't vote for the conservatives in Norway, but I don't actually think they're my enemies. They just differ in viewpoint. I feel no urge to hate them, except sometimes the Progress Party when they're being dumb. But that's very light.

Italy seems to still be at war, just with politics and not guns.

[specialagentr-c.livejournal.com]

My last ten books:

1)Green is the New Black - A book about how ethics and fashion can live in harmony. I'm really into DIY clothing and organic resources, so this gave me lots of great ideas of little projects I can keep myself busy with.

2)The Wide Window - Yes, Lemony Snicket. I can't explain it, but I just love these books!

3)Lady Windemere's Fan - After seeing 'A Good Woman' (which is totally worth a look) I just had to read this. One of my favourite plays.

4)Northern Lights - After being bugged by my boss to read this I finally did, and as you probably know it's fantastic. Only disadvantage, being sucked into a new fandom.

5)The Outsider - A little like Catcher in the Rye, but much better, imo.

6)Heart-Shaped Box - I'm a total horror geek, this one by Stephen King's son Joe Hill is original and will definately scare the crap out of you!

7)Selected Poems - Sylvia Plath. What's not to love?

8)The Last Dodo - Doctor Who audio I listened to mainly for Freema's voice of teh sex.

9)Never The Bride - If you like horror/comedy/mystery/noir this book is definately for you. Set in one of my favourite places, Whitby, this book has great characters and a witty plotline.

10)Wetworld - see #8.

I'd recommend all of them to you! Great reads!

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I see many fannish-connected books, heh. Like books that are part of a wider world?

[idreamedmusic.livejournal.com]

Oh, cool idea.
I have to say before my list that most I'm reading these days is uni related.

1 - Andy Warhol's America
2 - Famous for 15 Minutes (Warhol again, both for a paper, but good reads)
3 - (re-read) The Corrections (AWESOME novel)
4 - This is CBS (yawn)
5 - Retrofitting Blade Runner (essays on the film)
6 - Star Trek Memories (shuddup, it's good)
7 - Film Art, An Introduction (not bad)
8 - Double Indemnity (one of the best hard-boiled novels)
9 - The Big Sleep (another hard-boiled one, also great)
10 - The Cherry Orchard

So, not sure what this would say about me, since it's kinda all over the place.

Yay for your team. Mine's sucking so bad :(

[yavannie77.livejournal.com]

Long time, no comments. But I've got to say a few words this time. :) First, about Nordfronten and Finland. I'm glad you read the book and got more information about how it was here. Certainly it wasn't easy dealing with promises given to Germany and on the other hand trying to avoid being occupied by the Soviet Union.

I haven't yet read the book myself, but I gave it do dad for Christmas and when my summer vacation starts, I'll probably read it too. Teaching this stuff (you know, high school history classes) means I've got to find out more in any case. I'm looking forward to learning more about Norway's role in it all.

And then, my last 10 books. (I haven't counted the thesis related researches I've kinda read, but not all the way through properly. That list would include tons of stuff about the British Royal Navy in the 18th century.)

Jonathan Carroll: White Apples
Susanna Clarke: Ladies of Grace Adieu
Neil Gaiman: Fragile Things
Ian McEwan: Atonement
Philip Pullman: Northern Lights
Patrick O'Brian: Post Captain
Günter Grass: Crabwalk
Ian McEwan: On Chesil Beach
Jasper Fforde: The Eyre Affair
Bernard Cornwell: The Last Kingdom

I can heartily recommend Jonathan Carroll's works, as well as Jasper Fforde's novel (first in a series of literary detective novels, I intend to get a hold of them all, the opening was so good). And Ian McEwan - he's amazing! I fell in love with his style immediately when reading Atonement.

Someone already recommended Susanna Clarke's novel for you and Ladies of Grace Adieu is a short story collection with one story set in the world of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Worth reading, for sure.

[evilstorm.livejournal.com]

*ears prick up* You're doing your thesis on 18c. RN stuff? God, that is so cool.

[witchqueenrat.livejournal.com]

Some of my favorites were mentioned above, but here are the rest in no particular order:

Martian Chronicles (anything by Bradbury really) - someone told me recently that BSG reminded him of Bradbury, but I think his books are more Who-ish.

Wicked (Gregory Maguire) - People are probably tired of seeing fangirls fawn over this book. The fact remains that it's a highly-original, elegant book, which can singlehandedly redefine an entire world created by another author. The ultimate fanfiction in my opinion.

Master and Margarita (Bulgakov) - more witches, the devil himself, the story of Jesus and of Pontius Pilate's redemption, magic, love, the demons of writing and madness, humor, and lots of very strong alcohol - all in a communist urban fantasy with an ending that will make you tear up.

The Crimson Petal and the White - a Victorian book about an intelligent, unusual prostitute. It kind of defies description and the pacing is again (just as in Jonathan Strange) rather slow and, well, Victorian.

April Witch (okay, I have a thing for witches). I think the author was Swedish, actually. It's about a severely-disabled woman who can get into the consciousnesses of others (like Granny Weatherwax and the heroine from Ray Bradbury's "April Witch") and her two aging half-sisters. Another urban fantasy but this one is rather dark and infused with dreary realism.

Beauty, by Sherri Tepper makes six, but I cannot skip it. It has time travel and environmentalism within a very interesting version of the tale of Sleeping Beauty (and few other tales).

[melliyna.livejournal.com]

1. Biggest Brother (Larry Alexander): This one was actually the result of my Band of Brothers love. The writing isn't the best but it's such a fascinating story it almost doesn't matter. It's a story about an amazing man.
2. Rumpole of the Bailey (John Mortimer): Possibly it's just that I'm tremendously sick with pneunomia still but I love these books. They are fun, easily to read and actually tremendously informative about the British legal system.
3. Dark Victory (David Marr): An incredibly informative, yet terrifying history/background of the Tampa issue and the wider politics around it. Makes me depressed to be Australian, to be honest because while the government might have enabled it the opposition just folded.
4. Child Soldiers: The Role of Children in Armed Conflict (Ilene Cohn): Actually read for a class, but I'm very glad I did because it's something you need to read about but it's painful, though actually incredibly well written.
5. Good Omens (Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman): When all else fails, this is my comfort book (hey it got me through a fourteen hour plane flight). It's brilliant and will forever remain my favourite Neil Gaiman book.

[jvgymnast.livejournal.com]

I generally read to escape the world for a while, so I don't really have much serious, heavy literature on here (but I do read serious stuff sometimes). Here are the last ten:

1. Candy Girl: A year in the life of an unlikely stripper by Diablo Cody
Interesting, though not quite as good as Belle de Jour: Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl. Intelligently written.

2. The Moon's a Balloon by David Niven
This autobiography has a number of interesting stories about old Hollywood, but parts of it are slow as molasses, especially in the section about his childhood. It's a mixture of sadness, happiness and reckless adventures-- don't read if you're looking to perk up your mood.

3. Murder is Easy by Agatha Christie
Traditional Agatha Christie (which I read a lot), though not with one of her recurring protagonists. I was wrong about whodunit again (as usual).

4. Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
I was disappointed with it-- it isn't nearly as good as The Undomestic Goddess or her Shopaholic books. It felt like a retread of a plot I've seen before.

5. Dear Enemy by Jean Webster (re-read)
One of my favorites-- this is the sequel to Daddy-Long-Legs, when Judy's friend Sally tries her hand at running the John Grier Home orphanage. As with D-L-L, it's epistolary, which gives it a nice spunk and a personal feel.

6. The Chosen by Chaim Potok (re-read)
Every time I read this book, I pick up on new details. It's an interesting look into a different time and culture.

7. The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne
Fun chick-lit, sort of in the vein of Bridget Jones and Shopaholic.

8. Little Lady, Big Apple by Hester Browne
The sequel to the Little Lady Agency. The main thing that bothers me in this book (and the previous one) is how the protagonist seems to grow so much as a character but always regresses to being a milquetoast around her family.

9. Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
This is snarky and fun (and most definitely bitter). Over the course of the book, you can see how the author changes but still retains the edge in her personality.

10. Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs by Dave Barry
An expansion of humorist Dave Barry's initial two columns covering his bad song survey-- always good for a smile.

[stringertheory.livejournal.com]

Ah, books. We loves them, yes (*toes her massive pile of To-Read books under the sofa*).

My last 10:
1. The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities For Our Time - Jeffrey D. Sachs (still reading this one; just started)
2. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
3. Monopoly: The Story Behind the World's Best-Selling Game - Rod Kennedy, Jr
4. The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook
5. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
6. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
7. The Spy Who Came In From the Cold - John le Carre
8. Spoon River Anthology - Edgar Lee Masters
9. After Dark - Haruki Murakami
10. The Jungle Books - Rudyard Kipling

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... I don't know what I have to redact because I'm not supposed to talk about review books.

The last 10ish:

The latest Torchwood trilogy
The latest Who triolgy
Reread about half of Sense & Sensibility
cozy mystery for review, first in a new series
cozy mystery for review, food themed, ninth in series
Survival of the Sickest
Began hardboiled mystery All Mortal Flesh and liking it, but have been scooped in a review, so must put it down in favor of cozy (quilt themed).

When I surface from the review queue and the post-Malice cozy glut, I've got a new book on the WPA that I'm rather interested in reading next, considering the economy.

[onion-slayer.livejournal.com]

1-5)The first five Outlander books- Diana Gabaldon
(Fiction)Re-read, recommended by my mom.

6)Clan of the Cave Bear- Jean M Auel(Filer(Non-Fiction)Recommended by a co-worker.

8)Blue Like Jazz- Don Miller(Non-Fiction) Saw a bunch of people reading it and heard him speaking so I read all of his stuff I could get my hands of.

9)Secret Scars: One Woman's Journey of Overcoming Self Harm- Abigail Robson(Non-Fiction) Recommended by my sister so I could understand a friend.

10)The Five Love Languages-Gary Chapman(Non- Fiction)Recommended by my Grandma so I could have a good relationship with my boyfriend.

[cat-empress.livejournal.com]

Not altered in any way I promise.

Thud! - Terry Pratchett
Reread. This is one of my favourite Discworld books. It creeps me out, and I want to cry every time I read the bit where Helmclever dies.

The Truth - Terry Pratchett
Reread. The first one I ever read, before I was into them. Rereading it made me think a lot about how certain characters are portrayed outside their books. In this case, Vimes.

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
Finally got around to reading this, and really enjoyed it.

The Mirador - Sarah Monette
The third book of a series of four. It took me until this one to really get into it, but really, even if I didn’t like it all that much, it would be worth it just for Mildmay.

Witches Abroad - Terry Pratchett
Took me about three goes to get into this for some reason, but once I did it was really quite good.

The Dante Club - Matthew Pearl
I am so in love with this book. First book I can remember reading from the library and then going straight out to buy it. Also, Longfellow is the best single father in the history of ever.

Kushiel's Dart - Jacqueline Carey
Reread. Still just as good as I remembered it.

It Came From On High - Andrew Harman
Reread. Crack involving the Pope, two eloping aliens, scientists determined to prove they (the aliens) exist, and the entire world’s military forces. Not as funny as I remembered it, but still good.

The Tesla Legacy - Robert G. Barrett
Not quite as good as I expected it, but still fun. Lots of Aussie scenery, albeit in one of the two parts of the country I don’t know that well, inept Americans blowing shit up, and one mad scientist.

Good Omens - Terry and Neil
Reread. I think you know the deal by now.

Hmmm. Not really a good representation of what I’d read over a long period of time. Since the end of 2001 I’ve kept a list of every book I’ve read, so I can’t really stop now. I’m up to about page 7.