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

[sanalith.livejournal.com]

Questions?

[sanalith.livejournal.com]

I've actually had a rather unusual craving for dystopians lately, so I've been reading a lot of them. I tend to like dystopias in general, but I have to be in a very certain frame of mind to want to read them, since they do obviously tend to be depressing, and I mainly prefer my books on the Happily Ever After side of the scale. But the mood struck me, so I began with Matched (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7735333-matched) by Ally Condie, where a Society controls everything about people, including who they'll marry. While the writing wasn't always strong in some places, I really enjoyed the world-building. I liked, for example, that people didn't HAVE to be Matched. They could choose to be Single and were still seen as equal members of Society. And while there definitely is a sort of love triangle, it's not *completely* front and center, and I felt like the main character stood well on her own outside of the two boys. I'm a little wary of continuing on in the series, as the reviews I've read tend to indicate it goes downhill with each book, but my plan is to at least try.

Next I read The Selection (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10507293-the-selection) by Kiera Cass, which was advertised as a crossover between The Hunger Games and The Bachelor, but I can't help but feel that's a bit misleading. In this world, everyone is divided into castes, with Ones being the royal family and Eights being homeless Untouchables, basically. The main character is a Five, and she is deeply in love with a Six. However, the Prince recently came of age and is looking for a bride, so one girl from each province is chosen to compete for his affections. This selection is not based on caste, and is supposed to instill morale in the people to show that anyone can be raised to a One. I didn't feel this was as strong as Matched, mainly because the world building is practically non-existent, and what little is there doesn't make much sense. The love triangle is also a lot more prominent, and I'm not completely sure how I feel about that. Again, the reviews for the second book seem much lower than the first, but I'm still going to give it a shot,

Finally, I had the opportunity to read a book for the museum where I work: Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1148240.Power_Up) by Chris Kohler of Wired Magazine. Chris came to visit us to write about our International Center for the History of Electronic Games, so myself and two of my co-workers read the book to familiarize ourselves with questions he might ask. It wasn't the most riveting piece of literature I'd ever read, but I'm very interested in Japanese culture in general, and it's always fun to be "forced" to read things like that for work.

Next up on my plate, I think, will be Veronica Roth's Divergent (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13335037-divergent), to continue with my dystopias while I'm still in the mood. I'm hopeful it will be as good as everyone makes it out to be!

Shannon//Ravenclaw//559 words

[meredith44]

I have a tendency to get obsessed when I'm reading. The two things I've been reading most recently are a testament to that.

First, I read Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs. It is set in an AU where fairies and werewolves have announced their existence to the world. (Vampires and other supernatural creatures also exist, but they are still not known to everyone.) The main character is Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson, a mechanic who also happens to be a coyote shapeshifter, and who also happens to be married to the Alpha of the local werewolf pack. The story was interesting and the characters were intriguing enough that I then went on and read all of the other books in that series.

And, not being content with just that, I then read all of the books in her prequel series, Alpha and Omega. Overall I didn't care for that series as much, but I liked the set up for things that would happen in the later series, such as character choices and the like. I think my main problem with it was that it was so much focused on the love story between the Alpha Wolf, Charles, and the Omega Wolf, Anna. It seemed like basically every outside plot still mentioned constantly something about their relationship or something about how special/exotic Anna was as an Omega. And I thought that made the story drag some. But if you like love stories, perhaps that might be a plus.

The other recent obsession I have started when a friend convinced me to try a comic book. I'd read a couple of comic books in the '80's, but they never really interested me, and I didn't care for the art. She had me start with Astonishing X-Men, because that series was written by Joss Whedon, and I like Firefly. I loved the first ones and liked the next couple. And then I was hooked. There's just something about some of those characters and outlandish plots that makes me want to read more. In the last couple of months I have read every recent-ish X-men title I can get my hands on. I've read New X-Men, House of M, a Daken and X-23 title, The Magneto Testament, and more. I just checked out another library's stock of titles, so I have about 20 more books to go through. I don't know what I'm going to do when I run out of titles at my library as A) this could be a very expensive habit and B) I love being able to just run right through them without having to wait for the next installment!

(I'm totally willing to discuss any books that I've read, and I'd adore more recommendations. Typically I read fantasy, generally urban fantasy, but also high fantasy. In the last couple of years I've read The Lightbringer Chronicles by Brent Weeks, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss, all of Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire's stories, The Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones, the Alex Verus series by Benedict Jacka, and many, many, many more.)

[scarletladyy.livejournal.com]

My recent reading habits, for the past year or two, have been taken up completely by ASOIAF! I watched the first series after everyone raved about it, not expecting much, and loved it, so checked out the books. The first book was great, but I realised that I was finding it a hard slog to read because I'd already watched the tv programme and knew what was going to happen (as AMAZING as the programme is, the books are better). So, I made sure I read the second book, A Clash of Kings (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/822995.A_Clash_of_Kings), before the second series, and then I vowed to do the same with the third, except that didn't go too well xD For a myriad of reasons it took me a while to get through A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/768889.A_Storm_of_Swords), and then a month or so ago I finally started on A Storm of Swords: Blood and Sand (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/147915.A_Storm_of_Swords), and I am loving it! I do not want to watch the tv series until I'm caught up, so I've put that on the back-burner for now while I finish A Storm of Swords: Blood and Sand (I'm currently on page 184 of 607, so 30% of the way through).

The reason I chose ASOIAF is because everyone raved about it and I didn't think I'd like it, not really liking fantasy (Harry Potter and a rare few others seem to be an exception :P), but I did. So I continued to read, and it just gripped me. Every chapter brings something new and unexpected, and there are secrets and surprises everywhere. There are little clues to everything that's going to happen, and while some can spot them, I only notice them retrospectively. His characters and his world are just so intricate and complex. I think GRRM is a genius writer, almost as good as JKR, and his books are truly captivating. I'd recommend them to absolutely everyone, and if you want to watch the series too, my advice is to read the books first!

I did, however, manage to sneak in a much smaller and stand-alone book a month or so ago, entitled She's Never Coming Back (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13072709-she-s-never-coming-back) by Hans Koppel. I love thrillers and crime fiction, and when I came across this I had to buy it. The summary just caught me, and I was not disappointed. It was a very easy read so I got through it in a matter of days. It certainly is a thriller! In the last few chapters my heart was racing as I flicked through the pages, reading as fast as possible to see what was going to happen. It was brilliant and I'd definitely recommend it. I actually just leant it to my mum, though not sure if she's read it yet.

At the same time that I bought She's Never Coming Back, I also bought Bunker (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12226040-bunker) by Andrea Maria Schenkel and Talk Talk (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243911.Talk_Talk) by T.C Boyle, which are both of a similar vein as they're also thrillers. I've started Bunker, I'm on page 36, and so far, so good. It's a nice, easy read with the potential to get your heart going. As much as I love ASOIAF, you do have to concentrate so you don't miss anything important!

I'm happy to discuss anything mentioned here and any books you see that I've read or want to read if you want to check out my GoodReads (http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4775998-fairy) :) You can add me there too, if you'd like, but please let me know so I know who you are :) Ooh, and one last thing, please do not spoil me for A Song of Ice and Fire! ♥

Fairy//Hufflepuff//604 Words

[passerine.livejournal.com]

Just finished (for the millionth, bajillionth time) "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg. I first read it in Intro to Poetry in university and I was the only one in the class who didn't hate it. I'm really fond of the Beats in general, but particularly Ginsberg. His energy is something that really resonates with me, and his seeming inability to end a sentence reminds me of myself (I have so many words to make up this thought I have and this thought is really damn important so I'm not sure where to stop - I really want you to get the point I'm trying to make here!). What I like about "Howl" is how blunt and descriptive it is; Ginsberg describes the "best minds of [his] generation", his close friends and other artists in his community, in the longest section of the poem, and goes into detail about their sexual debauchery, drug use, and experiences in mental institutions. I keep coming back to "Howl" when I feel disillusionment with the world - technology, greed, money, etc. - because it goes deeply into the same kinds of things, but it ends on a positive, hopeful note. It just gets me in a way that no poetry has before or since.

I'm just about to start reading "Veronika Decides to Die" by Paulo Coehlo. I'd already be reading it but it's taking forever to make it to the hold shelf at my library. A lot of my friends are really big Coehlo fans and have recommended him to me for the longest time, but for some unknown reason, I've never bothered to check out any of his work... until now, of course. A complete stranger on the internet recommended it to me and I looked it up - the synopsis was so interesting that I couldn't pass it up. I'm really interested in works that focus on psychological and emotional issues, and this seems perfect for that.

As for books I want to read in the future... "Last Exit To Brooklyn" by Hubert Selby Jr. I don't really know much about the writing style or anything, but it sounds totally interesting. Again, another book about people with flaws and how they go about their lives. The reason I haven't picked this one up yet is because I'm afraid of how life-ruining it might be. Based on the summary, it's hard to see how this could have anything resembling a happy ending, and I have to go into those kind of stories prepared for that (I'm secretly very emotional, you see).

Julia // Slytherin

[tralfamadore.livejournal.com]

In the past decade or so, it seems as though I’ve all but forgotten the existence of a fiction genre in literature. I’ve been reading so many nonfiction books for so long that I had all but convinced myself that I probably don’t even care for fiction any more. Fortunately, I’ve taken to proving myself wrong in that over these last couple of months. I’ve finally found my way back around to reading more fiction, and I’m having a lot of fun with it.

One of my recent reads was The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I’m not sure how I managed to avoid reading this book until now, but I’m so glad that I finally took the advice of so many people in my life and gave it a try. This book is everything I love about the fiction genre. I’m utterly convinced that Adams was an absolute genius. His unbelievable dry wit and his ability to craft whole worlds with deceptively simple writing is just second to none. I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of his series.

I’ve also recently read The Cuckoo’s Calling by you-know-who. (Not that you-know-who, but… you know.) I’d be more than happy to talk about that if anyone is interested in hearing my senseless yammerings about it. Spoiler-free or otherwise. I’d love to hear what others think of it as well, if anyone else out there has gotten the opportunity to read it.

Also, I’ve really been getting into graphic novels and comic books as of late. I’ve started in with Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye run, and Mark Waid’s Daredevil. Absolutely loving every last bit of the latter, and really enjoying the former as well. (Though I’m a bit hot-and-cold on it at different times.) I’m taking a Graphic Novels course this semester purely for the enjoyment of it, and I’ve got a mile-long reading list that I’m really looking forward to getting started on there. I’m also looking into picking up Wolverine Max, and a couple of Dr. Strange storylines. I’m still very new when it comes to the world of graphic novels and comics, but I’m enjoying it thus far.


Andie; Ravenclaw

[caitieness.livejournal.com]

It's so hard for me to talk about my recent/current/future reads because they are all mid-series or the end of one.

I am currently slogging through A Feast of Crows by George RR Martin, the fourth A Song of Ice and Fire book. I loved Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings (which I read in June) and liked A Storm of Swords slightly less (which I read immediately before this one), so I'm not sure if I'm just wearing myself out on ASOIAF or if this one just isn't as interesting as the first three. I DON'T KNOW. I plan to read A Dance With Dragons next because I like to power through a series and then mourn the loss of it by gorging on adaptations and fanfic. This is my life now.

Recently I finished the Spiritwalker Triology by Kate Elliot with Cold Steel and tbh I've recc'd Cold Magic (the first of the triology) so many times here that I'm sure everyone has heard of it by now. But to sum up: magic, strong female characters, familial relationships, romance, sword-fighting, revolutionaries, spies, lawyers that are feathery trolls, etc etc.

And somewhere on my list is Plague by Michael Grant, which I can't find a copy to borrow for free currently so I keep putting it off. It's book 4 (lol a series~) of a 7 book series about what happens when everyone over the age of 15 disappears and a dome forms around your town and everyone starts developing super powers and some of the kids are straight up sociopaths. It's actually really disturbing considering the age of the characters and audience (definitely a "young adult" series).

caitie / puff

[rabidmunkee.livejournal.com]

I've actually read quite a few books (I've been on summer vacation). Yesterday I read the 7th book in the Diary of the Wimpy Kid Series (it's a nice break from the other books I read, quick and funny). Right now I'm reading a Doctor Who Book called Borrowed Time. I love reading the Doctor Who books because they're a great escape from reality and can hold my attention. I picked up a couple of books to read (I doubt I'll get to them before school starts, but I'm going to try). I finally got The Casual Vacancy by our beloved JK Rowling. I've been wanting to read this book for a while, but I hate paying exorbitant prices for books in hardback (even though this was still $18 in paperback). Then I bought The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostava. I really loved her book The Historian so I'm hoping I'll enjoy this one as well. As for the other books on my To Be Read shelf I have more Doctor Who books, a book about the Titanic Inquiries in Britain and America (reading about the Titanic is a pasttime), a couple books by Symon Elkeles. I also have The Red Pyramid series to read too. As you can tell I read a variety of different books. If you're looking for something fun and quick definitely give the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series a chance. I know one night in the ER I was reading it and was laughing myself silly. Which kind of concerned the nurses. Haha. Also if you like Doctor Who definitely check those books out. I know there are a ton of them. I stick to the newer series books myself because I've never watched Classic Who. If any of you guys have read The Swan Thieves Let me know if it's any good. Or if you have any suggestions let me know. I'm always open to new books :)

Edit: I also wanted to throw in that I finally got around to reading The Book Thief. Amazing book. If you haven't read it I strongly suggest you do. It wasn't a fast moving book, but I couldn't put it down. That's how intriguing I found it.

Shawn//Hufflepuff

[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

[herloved-beauty.livejournal.com]

I haven't really had much time to sit down and read a book recently, which devastates me as a bookworm. I started The Casual Vacancy a few weeks ago, and thus far, I'm not impressed. I was told that it takes a bit to get into, and I wanted so bad to like it because it's a JK Rowling novel. I was also informed, through another activity on here, that Elie Weisel's Night is actually part of a trilogy series, so that has definitely made the list of books for me to read.

As far as what i usually read, I tend to enjoy YA novels. Having seen the movie adaptation, I really want to read the Beautiful Creatures book. Along the same lines, I really want to start reading The Mortal Instruments series'. Young adult fiction has always fascinated me, hence why I enjoy Harry Potter so much.

Megan // Gryff

[bowl-of-glow.livejournal.com]

My plan for this summer (which failed miserably) was to read a bunch of classics of English literature, with maybe a couple of Russian novels thrown (I was thinking Dostoevskij) because admittedly I haven’t read many English classics, and practically zero Russian novels. I did download some free books from Project Gutenberg but I haven’t gotten around to reading them yet.

I’m currently reading Dicken’s Great Expectations, which I actually started in October but had to put aside once uni started to focus on other things.
A Tale of Two Cities was also on my to-read list after I listened to a great BBC radio adaptation (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018gzm8#programme-broadcasts) of the novel (which I recommend if you’re into radio dramatizations) but I highly doubt I’ll manage to read it now.
As for novels I’ve recently read: I was really excited when John Irving’s In One Person and I finally bought it last month (I only read The Cider House Rules and I’ve been meaning to read more books by the same author). I have to say I was a bit disappointing. It wasn’t a horrible book but it left me a bit… meh. Shoddy characterization - writers writing about writers has been done to death, and I couldn’t bring myself to really care about any of the characters. So not as good as I was expecting.
My mother bought Mozart’s Last Aria by Matt Rees for me, thinking I would like it since I went through this Mozart-obsessed phase. I wanted to like it but I didn’t. I read it mostly because my mom would be disappointed if I didn’t. Maybe the Italian translation didn’t help, I don’t know (some sentences sounded a bit funny?) but the plot was slightly ridiculous at times.
I haven’t been reading only disappointing books, though! I claimed Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke in a book giveaway and I quite liked it. Have you read it? What did you think of it?

| # 01

[pretty-panther.livejournal.com]

For a long time I didn't really read fictional books and would devour non-fiction tombs like chocolate bars but for health reasons I haven't been able to do that so much in the past year and started poking around fiction again, which was a bit strange. I like mysteries, fantasy, sci-fi, and recently I've been trying to read some older classics because I feel like it is something I should do but I think that is going to go out of the window because I'm really not enjoying them at all.

Fictionally, a few of my latest reads have been.

Dracula by Bram Stoker ~ It was ok but I think it was spoiled in many ways by me having grown up hearing about Dracula, seeing many different adaptations and so on. The mystery and excitement that I'm sure would have been there when it was published was taken away by me knowing what was coming a lot of the time. I spent a lot of the chapters going 'Can't you see it is a vampire?!'. I'm also not big on diary entries and first person point of view which is how Dracula is written so that would get at my nerves too but I'm still glad that I read it.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly ~ I enjoyed this a little more because what I thought I knew turned out to be very wrong. The original story is very different from versions I've seen growing up. I don't want to spoil it but the monster itself is far more sophisticated than I expected. The writing style of the time is not one I'm overly fond of but I still enjoyed this book a lot.

Christopher Paolini's Inheritance saga. I read the final two novels in this within a 2 week span. I wish I had read it when I was younger as now looking back a lot of the grammar feels like Paolini is trying to sound grown up and it can get clumpy in places but in others it can read very prettily. I loved the world that he built. A lot of it has similar aspects to other novels and I found in places I was like 'you got that from X, you got that from Y' but it is very hard to be original these days with dwarves, elves, dragons and new magical races. I think he did pretty well with his world building and I couldn't predict the plot which is always good. I'd recommend them to anyone that likes that sort of genre but it is important to remember that he was a teenager and in some places that shows in his writing.

Sam/Claw /448

[la-loony.livejournal.com]

I just finished Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bernett and it was just really really good. It's a fantasy novel with steampunk elements. You got steel dragons that are fueled by magic and their riders protect the country from whoever threatens it (mostly the neighbours because there has been a war with them for centuries). The 4 characters who get their POV represented in the book get linked together in different ways and of course end up saving everybody. The beginning is a bit slow when it comes to things actually happening, but you quickly get the feeling that something is cooking which kept me reading because I really really wanted to know what was going on. I found all characters relateable on a certain level, though obviously some are more my favourites then others. The jumps between POVs is definitly a plus and gives the reader 4 very different sides of the things happening, but you don't get too confused like you might with all the POVs in Game of Thrones^^

Right now I'm reading Mortimer and Arabel from Joan Aiken for nostalig reasons. I have a whole bunch of those books from when I was younger and they are really cute. I got this one for my birthday I think because my parents know I'm still a child and read them and this is one I definitly don't have yet.

After that I'll start Madita from Astrid Lindgren (on the children's book trip a bit I knowxD) because I didn't read it when I was in the target group but know the stories from the movie and really like them. I just ordered the follow up books to Havemercy so I'm pretty sure they'll be next before I tackle the stack of unread books I have in my bookshelf.

[liliths-requiem.livejournal.com]

When I read, I’m always looking more for graceful manipulation of language than anything else. While plot and character development are important to me, if a book/poem has amazing grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, I’m sold. Some of my favorite books, therefore, include Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson, Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon Van Booy, and pretty much anything ever written by David Leviathan. My favorite book in the last few months is This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz—both because it takes place in my home state and it is one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I love reading a book and feeling like the author took every single word into account as (s)he wrote it down.

I just finished a historical nonfiction book entitled Do Penance or Perish: Magdalen Asylums in Ireland by Frances Finnegan. I’m working on a story about a “child” and a nun in this environment, so this book was solely for research purposes. The next book on my list is The Golden Oriole by Raleigh Trevelyan, another historical nonfiction book about an English family in India. I’m getting ready to enter grad school in the field of British Imperialist History, thus the recent book list.

I’m a huge fan of LGBT*QIA literature, and some of my favorites are Rat Bohemia by Sarah Schulman, The Empress of the World by Sara Ryan, and Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden. For the most part, however, I tend to stick to poetry. Some of my favorite poets, old and new, include Sappho, Jinji Moon, Richard Siken, Byron, Margaret Atwood, Jeffrey McDaniel, and Charles Bukowski.

Nicole//Ravenclaw//Initial Post

[cassinea.livejournal.com]

I recently read the Silo Saga (http://www.amazon.com/Hugh-Howey/e/B002RX4S5Q/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1) that ended with Dust released only a few days ago. It's one of those unique stories of self-publishing success. For those of you who don't know, Amazon has something called CreateSpace which allows you to self-publish ebooks. You split the share of profits with them and if you sell nothing, you pay nothing.

Author Hugh Howey cashes in on the whole post-apocalyptic/dystopia genre in a way that's utterly unique. We're not talking angsty teenage girls caught in love triangles. This is the real deal. The writing is very clean and clear, the characters strongly outlined and thoroughly worth rooting for. The mystery of just what the hell happened is tantalizing. If you've ever wanted to support a self-made author, this is the one.

To give you a brief synopsis without spoilers: The world ended. Literally. The last of mankind lives in a gigantic metal silo buried deep into the ground. The outside air is poison. To leave is to die. How does this society of thousands living in a vertical structure with only stairs survive? Surprisingly well! But being human, it's our nature to muck things up so what do the silo people do with troublemakers? They're called "cleaners" and they are sent to clean the only camera lens, the only connection, the silo has to the outside world. They are sent outside to clean. And die.

[queer-theory.livejournal.com]

I used to read 50+ books a year, but within the last three years, I haven't managed to get anywhere near that, so at this point, I'm just trying to find books that interest me enough to keep me reading. I've fallen into some kind of funk - where once I start reading a book, I generally get into it and I can finish it, but it's so hard for me to take that first step to just start reading. I hate this, because the joy I used to have for reading feels gone.

That said, I have actually been reading some things lately. I read a lot of non-fiction and topics are really varied there. The fiction I read skews toward dystopian. I've loved dystopian books since I was a kid. Some sci-fi, some fantasy, some historical fiction... Some of my all-time favorite books are Making History by Stephen Fry, Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, Radio On by Sarah Vowell, Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The last few books I've read:

ASOIAF - I'm reading Game of Thrones right now, so I'm not very far along. I'm really enjoying it so far and I fully intend to read everything. I've never seen the series, and I don't know that I want to watch it until I've read further. I think I'd at least like to get past where the show currently is, which I know because I've been spoiled like mad for all of this.

The Invention of Murder: How The Victorians Reveled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime by Judith Flanders - This book is both interesting and difficult to read for more than a few pages at the time, which is why I'm still reading it, even though I've been reading it for over a month now. I'm fascinated by the way the Victorians turned crime into an industry of entertainment, but the book is a little slow.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman - I LOVED this book. I felt like it captured childhood incredibly well, within the context of mysterious and magical things, of course.

[schizophrenic0.livejournal.com]

Well, I actually finished about four books these past couple of weeks. Two of them were books I had already been reading for quite sometime, and two I read all the way through in a few days (I blame this on the fact that my computer died on me and it took a week to get a new one). The two that I had been reading for a while were two Jasper Fforde books: The Last Dragon Slayer and The Woman Who Died A Lot (the latest in his Thursday Next series). I'm a huge Jasper Fforde fan, so I loved both of them. The Last Dragon Slayer is a bit more in the Teen Genre, but it's still a very smart and creative story (and I can't wait for the sequel to come out in September!), dealing with magic and dragons in a funny and unique way (it was not what I was expecting it to be). I already had read the previous books in the Thursday Next series, so I had a good grasp on the characters and world in The Woman Who Died A Lot. I will say I was surprised to see pretty much no interaction between Thursday and the book world (though, from the sound of it, that's what the next book will have more of). One really great thing about both of these books (besides being really creative and unique) is that both series have a strong female protagonist at their core, which is something I always appreciate.

I recently read The Casual Vacancy as well, my first time reading it. Obviously, this was a big moment in Rowling's career, seeing as it was her first adult novel and was following her Harry Potter success. I know it got mixed reviews, but I thought it was good. I do have some criticisms with it. For one thing, there were times where the dialogue with the teenage characters felt a little forced, for lack of a better word, and even though there weren't really villains in this as there are in Harry Potter, it was painfully obvious who the "bad guys" were. It definitely did not end the way I had expected, and the ending was a bit unsatisfactory, but I don't really mean that in a bad way, if that makes any sense. It left me wanting more.

In addition, I also just finished The Hunger Games. I had been meaning to read it for a while, but never found the time. Having already seen the movie, I wasn't really surprised by much. I mean, considering the story is told in first person, it's pretty obvious that Katniss is not going to die anyway. But still, reading the deaths seemed even more gruesome in the book than in the movie (especially Cato's). One thing I will say is that the pace seemed really quick at first (I didn't expect for the reaping to happen within the first chapter) which seemed a bit jarring at first since I felt we had barely even met Katniss and established the world in which she lives, but bits and pieces began to fill in more as the story went in.

Right now I'm onto Catching Fire!

Colleen//Ravenclaw

[erzsebet.livejournal.com]

Recently read:
For awhile now I've been on a non-fiction kick. Most recently with that I finished Not Without my Sister by Juliana Buhring, Celeste Jones, and Kristina Jones. They are three sisters who grew up in the Children of God / Family International cult. It detailed the horrible abuse they suffered, their survival and escape from the cult. It was a hard read - some of the things they detailed were extremely graphic and it hurt to read - but I'm glad I finished it.

After that I wanted something a bit more lighthearted though, so yesterday I read Alcestis by Katharine Beutner. It's a fiction novel based on the Greek myth of Alcestis, who sacrificed her own life and died in her husband's place. I'd actually had the book for awhile but hadn't bothered with it, always putting other books before it. I'm glad I finally had the urge to read it though, because it was surprisingly good! Basically the author took a myth about what was held as the ideal wife - a woman who loved her husband, a king, so much that she was literally willing to die in his place - into a three dimensional character with her own thoughts, desires and ideas. The added lesbian relationship threw me off, but only because I wasn't expecting it and then suddenly BAM! XD But it was good, and heartbreaking, and I wish the book hadn't ended.

Currently reading:
I'm actually switching between three books right now because I can't fully get into any of them but I don't want to abandon them. XD Pox by Michael Willrich, The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century by Ian Mortimer and Trial by Ice: The True Story of Murder and Survival on the 1871 Polaris Expedition by Richard Parry. Not a ton I can say about those. They all started well and now are just dragging on and on.

Plan to read next:
I'll probably start up another fiction book here in the next few days to break up the monotony of the three listed about, lol.


Liz | Gryffindor

[evening12]

Read: The last three books that I read, I pretty much read within days of one another. I read Always the Bridesmaid by Whitney Lyles and Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella because I was looking for some fun fluffy reading and those were the two books my betsfriend recommended to me . I adored both of these books. They are the types of books that I love to read when I don’t want to take myself too seriously but still read something good. Lately, I’ve also been on a Young Adult kick so I started the Matched series by Ally Condie. I finished Crossed which is the 2nd book in the series. What I love best about the series is the world-building. And I find that that part got better in the 2nd book. I loved reading about how the society became one were not only does the government decide who you should be married to (as determined by psychological and biological testing to find your optimal match) but also how culture got reduced to a set of government approved number of books, films, activities, sports, etc.

Reading: Right now I’m about halfway done Huntress by Malinda Lo. I had read another of Malinda’s book (Ash), and really enjoyed it. I loved how she tooks a fairytales (like Cinderella) and made them something wickedly awesome. And as a bonus, her story feature lesbian characters. Because I enjoyed Ash I thought that I would give Huntress a try .

To read: Let’s see I just rented Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, Reached by Ally Condie and Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel. All three are books that are either part of a series that I’ve enjoyed previously.

I read a bit of everything so feel free to suggest books you think I might enjoy. I also have goodreads so give me a heads up and we can be friends there too :)

[jamie-love13.livejournal.com]

Oh man. Aha, years ago I used to read 100+ books within a summer, let alone a year but now I get nowhere near that because I read so much online. However, I was telling Julia/corcaigh earlier this morning that I am 4'11" and have a stack of books next to my bed that reaches my stomach/mid-waist, and I wasn't lying one bit. The stack itself is a mix of non-fiction and fiction. Some of the non-fiction books include -- Excel 2013 Simplified (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16287085-excel-2013-simplified) and Excel Formulas and Functions for Dummies (http://www.amazon.com/Excel-Formulas-Functions-Dummies-Computer/dp/1118460847/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377242472&sr=8-1&keywords=excel+formulas+and+functions+for+dummies). There's also Adobe Illustrator CS6 Digital Classroom (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15868887-adobe-illustrator-cs6-digital-classroom) and other related books [this one (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13594520-photoshop-cs6-and-lightroom-4) and this one (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588553-flash-cs6)]. There's also The Complete Idiot's Guide to Google Chrome and Chrome OS (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9392842-the-complete-idiot-s-guide-to-google-chrome-and-chrome-os) Twitter Tips, Tricks and Tweets (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7675904-twitter-tips-tricks-and-tweets) and Teach Yourself Visually Pinterest (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15027177-teach-yourself-visually-pinterest). These are next to my bed because I like learning more about things I use on a daily basis, and sometimes I'll create little guidebooks for myself or friends and stuff. The last non-fiction book I have is this one (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2600598-1001-books-for-every-mood), mostly so I can find more books to read at some point in my future ;)

As for fiction -- I'm actually going away this week, hence the large amount. There was this one time I brought 25+ books with me and read them all in the single week I was away! Anyways! I have Clockwork Angel (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7171637-clockwork-angel?ac=1) [and Prince (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10025305-clockwork-prince?ac=1). I've had the mortal instruments on hold for a year or so now at my library [where I coincidentally work, hence the books] and found these two. I originally thought it was a different series but learned otherwise. I'm about halfway through the first one! I also have The Future of Us (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10959277-the-future-of-us?ac=1) being read, but that's slow.

I have the first two books in this (http://www.goodreads.com/series/69365-darklight) series, all in this (http://www.goodreads.com/series/44755-halo) series, and this (http://www.goodreads.com/series/40332-book-of-ember) series. I have this book (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14780701-the-kiss) and fricken finally, My Sister's Keeper..

I know, it's a lot of books. But I have all week to read them :D

Jamie / Gryffindor

[brightflower]

I just recently discovered a new author who I really enjoy named Matthew Dicks. The first book of his that I read is called Something Missing. It's about a man with OCD who makes his living by stealing things from other people. He only steals things that will never actually be noticed, such as extra cans of food or bars of soap that sit around in pantries/linen closets for a long time. It's pretty brilliant, because upon thinking of it, things do go missing around the house from time to time, don't they? So I found it a plausible premise. And because Martin has OCD, he's so incredibly careful about the way he does things, and leaves no trace of himself in any of his clients' (as he calls them) houses. Along the way, Martin grows to care for his clients and finds himself in a whole entanglement of hijinks when he decides to start bettering their lives without their knowledge. This book is so clever, funny, and entertaining. I know from my description you may not like the main character because he's a thief, but seriously, he is the nicest thief you will ever met, and I genuinely loved reading about him. I stumbled upon this book at my local used bookstore and just thought it looked interesting, and it really made me want to read more by this author.

So I did. I went out and bought another book by Dicks called Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend. And again he is just so clever, because he's created this whole world of children's imaginary friends, who can communicate with one another but can't be seen by any humans other than the one who imagined them. The main character is Budo, the imaginary friend of Max, a young boy who's on the Autism spectrum. Budo is such a complex and fascinating character because he so desperately wants to live, even though he knows that he will disappear forever once Max stops believing in him. So he has to balance his love for Max with his need to survive, and things get really complicated when Max falls into a really dangerous situation and Budo has to try and rescue him despite the fact that nobody else can see him. It's truly a fascinating story, with fears and thrills.

I'm excited to have this activity to share those two books, actually, because I would definitely recommend them to anyone. I love creative, character-driven books more than anything, and both of these have amazing characters and some truly clever worlds and events.

Crystal of Puff

[pinksonia.livejournal.com]

I'm a rather eclectic reader, but generally my favorite genres are historical fiction and the personal memoir. So to bring receipts on the eclectic, here are the things I've read in the past month (with some thoughts) followed by the things that are in various states of being read.

Things I Finished in August

• Dewey (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3257136-dewey) - This one was bad. It was horribly twee and very repetitive. Really I only read it because we in the lab have a silly thing at work where we will gift each other the ridiculous things people leave on the freebee table and I was gifted this book.



• David Copperfield (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58696.David_Copperfield) - It comes up all the time, but I love Victorians and the Victorian era, so David Copperfield fits right into that. I find that I always have to remind myself when I read Dickens, that he isn't being predictable, he just started a lot of the plot twists that have now become cliche. Also, Dora annoyed me greatly, but then she was supposed to.



• Cast Member Confidential (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6936341-cast-member-confidential) - A personal memoir of someone who worked back stage at Disney World. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed this book more or less if I was more of a fan of Disney World, but it was definitely interesting. And who doesn't like a good tale about the seedy underbelly of something pristine.



• A Night Like This (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12731293-a-night-like-this) - We've had various discussions around chat about the preference for ebooks or physical books and this is the perfect example of on of my loves of ebooks. I officially don't read Romance Novels. If you asked the majority of people who know me they would tell you that I would never read something so frivolous. But really, I LOVE regency romances, particularly if they involve the plot cliches endemic to fanfic. Reading on the ipad, no one at all has to know what I am reading because the cover doesn't show. Also, who names their dashing hero Smith-Smyth?



• Sex and Punishment: Four Thousand Years of Judging Desire (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13235790-sex-and-punishment) - Nicely informative book on the laws governing Sex in the Western World (with some stops in Egypt/Mesopotamia for the precedents). There is nothing like being able to tell your co-workers that Graham Crackers were developed as an anti-masturbation aide.

Things I am in the Various States of Reading

• Running Through Corridors (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8509434-running-through-corridors-volume-1) - A positive exploration of all the 60s episodes of Doctor Who (so covering the first and second doctors). I've made it through the First Doctor, who's era I love and am currently bogged down in the Second Doctor's era which I am less fond of. But regardless, the opinions of the two authors are always interesting, particularly the degree that they read into everything.



• Shirley Jones: a memoir (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17864514-shirley-jones?from_search=true) - Yup, all about the memoirs. I'm particularly excited to hear about her Broadway career, but there is also plenty of television and movie stuff, as well of the promise that she wont seem so innocent by the end. Who doesn't love some not involving me drama?



• Playing Well With Others (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14944563-playing-well-with-others?from_search=true) - A guide to etiquette in the kink community (particularly BDSM, but also some swingers and general leather groups). Interesting, though I'm not sure I'm into the writers' tone, I'm not sure why.
  
  
• The Silent Governess (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6624391-the-silent-governess) - My next up: Historical fiction with more Victorians (I told you I love Victorians). I somehow missed that this was Christian Fiction when I bought it (though I should have been tipped off by it winning a Christy Award -- I love Christy) but that isn't really a deal breaker.


So yeah, a window into my August

Allison/Ravenclaw

[empressempoleon.livejournal.com]

I am an avid reader, even if my time with books lately has been decreasing. My favorite genres are romance, realistic fiction, young adult, and historical fiction. My guilty pleasure is mystery - I love mystery books, especially ones written by Agatha Christie, however, I'm also fond of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys.

I just finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusack. While it did have a slow start, it was hard to put down later on. The perspective from which the story was narrated from was very unique, and while it was confusing at times, the book painted really beautiful pictures with its descriptions, quirky narrating, and emotion. I also love the message of the book, about the power of words. I would strongly recommend this to people who enjoy reading deeper and more metaphorical works - it really gets to you, especially at then ending. Though, this might not be the best book for someone who enjoys lots of action.

Currently I'm reading Hunger by Michael Grant. Hunger is the second book of the Gone series. I read Gone a few months back. I love the plot. The idea is amazing and it really makes you think about how you would have acted had you been placed in a situation like the characters had. I would say I'm about half-way through it, so no spoilers please! I plan on finishing the series, no matter how long it takes me. However, my only thing against it is just the style of writing - my personal taste is for deeper and more thoughtful writing, so while this is still a young adult novel and has good action, it doesn't completely satisfy my personal taste.

Next on my long to-read list is The Mortal Instruments, which I feel like everyone has read except me. :P I've heard lots of great things about it, and a few not-so-great things about it, but I'm approaching it with an open mind, so when I'm done with Hunger, I'll jump right into it. Any thoughts on it?

[pinkphoenix1985.livejournal.com]

I have this weird fascination with time travel and I was just giddy when I found Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict (http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Austen-Addict-Laurie-Rigler/dp/B000Z4GQ3G) and its sequel/continuation Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict (http://www.amazon.com/Rude-Awakenings-Jane-Austen-Addict/dp/0525950761/ref=pd_sim_b_1) by Laurie Viera Rigler. I loved the premise but the actual writing was a very big let down for me because it was sometimes too simple and very modern especially when the story was set in Regency times. The 21st century Courtney was just really whining all the time which I really hate. I liked that the 19th century Jane was really confused by the 21st century technology which is appropriate and I liked that she I did enjoy the books though but I am glad that I didn't buy them.

If you like time travel and Jane Austen and want a nice book to read for a hour or two then I would suggest the books.

My next book to read (I've just started today) is Game of Thrones. I couldn't get into the series but maybe I will get into the books?

Danipuff//wc=150//01