Restricted Section: Term XXVI - Read, Reading, To Read

[sanalith.livejournal.com]

Activity: Read, Reading, To Read
Points: 10 points for your initial comment, 2 points for every substantial response, max 30 points
Deadline: August 30 @ 11:59PM UTC (Timezone Converter)

Details: Since this will be my only activity of Term XXVI, I wanted to both do something relatively simple AND take the opportunity to get to know you guy, so we're going to have a discussion post about our recent reading habits. For your initial comment, write at least 150 words talking about books you've recently read, are currently reading, and/or what you plan to read next. You can talk about any aspect of the books you wish, but some ideas would be why you selected the books, what you liked/didn't like about them, whether you'd recommend them to others, etc. For your responses, you'll need to write at least 50 words. Make sure you're saying something more than, "I read that book and liked/hated it!" Try to open a dialogue about what was good or bad, or even why you chose NOT to read it. Anything goes, as long as there's substance to it.

If you have any questions, direct them to the appropriate thread. As always, don't forget to sign each comment with your name/house or a sigtag.

Also, do remember that I wiped the roster clean, so if you have bonus items, make sure you register them HERE as soon as possible to earn your extra points. I won't be giving grace periods, so please double-check that you're good to go!

Comments

[daughterjudy.livejournal.com]

I go on serious stints when I read. I'll go weeks without reading more than my monthly issue of Popular Science (I'm a subscriber), to reading book after book. I reread Ender's Game in preparation for the movie at the beginning of November. Now I'm trudging slowly through the rest of the Ender-verse, I like to reread Abarat every few months. I was also given the complete works of Sherlock Holmes a few months ago and I would love to make it through those too.

Ender's Game: Orson Scott Card. Despite my loathing of the author himself for his closed minded world views, this book is one of my favorites. Its space travel, its aliens, its war games, but its also more than that. Its about a super intelligent child forced to grow up too quickly because he must save the world.

Abarat: Clive Barker. This book is stunning visually. You only get the beauty of this book with the hard copy or a scanned edition. Its the first book of a Trilogy with plans for 5. Clive painted hundreds of pieces for each book. Its in a nutshell a young girl traveling from mundane to amazing by means of the Sea of Isabella. Very very worth rereading.

Sherlock Holmes is Sherlock Holmes. I've always liked Sherlock but never really had the motivation to read them until the BBC show. Its slow going, because of the vastness of the books but I will succeed eventually.

Popular Science I read because I like keeping up with science news, I love Scientific American but its not available on my nook. :(

Jaime/Lion/269

[daughterjudy.livejournal.com]

OOOO that looks fantastic I'll def look into it. Thank you!!

[wasureneba.livejournal.com]

Oh god Ophelia I didn't need more books for my list jkajdfka. This just looks good. I was so sad when I finished the Casebook because there wasn't any more Holmes left---now to go on to the Holmesian riffs, I guess.

Anieclaw

[passerine.livejournal.com]

I love the Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes. I like picking it up every now and then and reading a story or two over coffee. Even though it's one of my favourite collections, I find it's best to tackle it little bit at a time. Like you said, it can be slow going (especially all at once), but it's worth going through at least one time.

Julia // Slytherin

[wasureneba.livejournal.com]

Haha, I had a very different experience with that canon---I basically devoured it in a very short period of time. The Adventures and The Memoirs I pretty much inhaled, and then I still ended up kind of rampaging through everything else quickly, too.

I do like the short stories, though, because you CAN just read one or two over a cup of coffee. It's really pleasant.

Anieclaw

[passerine.livejournal.com]

I've done both at different times, but I think my ideal way to read Holmes is on a rainy night with too much coffee and nothing else to do. You're right, the short stories are perfect for that.

Julia // Slytherin

[wasureneba.livejournal.com]

Oh, rainy night with a cappuccino, PERFECT night for Holmes.

Or maybe a cup of PG Tips with milk and sugar, in bone china. ;)

Anie

[bowl-of-glow.livejournal.com]

I’ve read a few Sherlock Holmes stories after seeing the BBC mini-series. I wouldn’t say I’m such a fan of the ACD’s books, since there are stories I didn’t even bother to read, but there were quite a few I enjoyed (it would be great if they could work The Adventure of the Dying Detective into a Sherlock episode XD or even into Elementary since I’m a fan of both shows).

Last summer I read The Seven-Per-Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer, which was a perfect light summer read and I which I really enjoyed. I think it’s the only book I’ve ever re-read from cover to cover (it’s quite short) - I usually re-read single chapters or parts of a book, but never the whole thing!

Can anyone rec good Sherlock Holmes pastiches? The House of Silk sounded good, though as usual there are mixed reviews on Goodreads.

Giulia | Ravenclaw | #03

[caitieness.livejournal.com]

I love Ender's Game but am so on and off with the rest of the Saga. One of my favorites is Xenocide, which apparently is the most hated for the entire series? In the Shadow part of the saga, I kept getting so confused because there was so. much. politics and so many characters that I couldn't keep up with it all. I finally read Ender in Exile last year and was so disappointed that if there are any more Ender books, I'll probably stay away from them.

caitie / puff

[meredith44]

I had to read Ender's Game for my children's literature class, and I loved it. The professor recommended that I follow it up with Ender's Shadow, but I hadn't gotten around to checking it out before I heard about Orson Scott Card's views and I couldn't bring myself to do it yet. I do love that first book, though.

I read the complete Sherlock Holmes back in 8th/9th grade, and I liked it. I don't remember much about it now, though, as that was a long time ago. I don't know if I'd like it as much now, as so many of the tales have been retold in various ways. So what would have seemed new before, wouldn't anymore. Good luck with it.

Meredith // Hufflepuff // 6

[evening12]

I have Ender's Game on my list of books to read...but I haven't gotten around to it yet. It's rather funny that movies are often a reason to spur on me to read a book. I'd never heard of Ender's Game before the buzz surrounding the film so now I want to check out the book. Although yea...the author :(

I think I've read Sherlock Holes when I was younger. That being said I don't remember much about it. Heck, I might have even read it in French. I think I remember liking it. But you are right about it being slow paced because of the time it was written, the style and the vastness of it all.

Martine//claw

[daughterjudy.livejournal.com]

I read Ender's Game before I read about OSC's bigoted worldview. I find it humorous that he wrote about love and accepting those that are different than yourself, but he still spouts his words of hate. Ugh. I always want to read books but then some of the ones I like get adaptations (either movies or tv shows) and then I feel like I'll be judged for reading them "because they're getting an adaptation." Like Vampire Diaries, or Dexter (though I didn't realize that had a book when I started watching the show, A Song of Ice and Fire, Howl's Moving Castle (which I did end up reading after seeing the movie and loved the book so much more) or the Sookie Stackhouse books. >> So then I put them on my kindle/nook and no one knows the difference.

I got the Complete Barnes and Noble edition as a gift a couple months ago and only got partway through "A Study in Scarlet" before I quit. Mostly cuz the book is huge and I don't want to drag it around. >> I will sit down and finish it before I die (long term goals are key XD)

Jaime//Lion