Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
I've been reading Terry Brooks' Shannara series. I am on the last book of the series right now and it has been pretty good. A lot of it felt like LotR, but then again i think any epic fantasy book series is going to borrow from LotR in one aspect or another.
Secret Daughter: A MIxed Race Daughter and the Mother who Gave her Away
by June Cross
She is a CF TV news and documentary producer who did a Frontline documentary about her story, then expanded it into this book. Fascinating look at racism, illegitimacy, dysfunctional families etc.
(12-03-2011 08:22 PM)Arkved Wrote: [ -> ]I've been reading Terry Brooks' Shannara series. I am on the last book of the series right now and it has been pretty good. A lot of it felt like LotR, but then again i think any epic fantasy book series is going to borrow from LotR in one aspect or another.
I love Terry Brooks, but I did not finish the entire series. I'm glad to hear it stayed consistently good. Maybe I'll go back and pick them back up again.
I found Brooks infinitely easier to read than Tolkien, personally. Tolkien bored me to tears--and I'm a strong reader.
I can't read Anne Rice, either. (She's awful.)
Have you read Brooks' The Black Unicorn series? I think it's a trilogy. The first one is _Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold_ . He's also written some modern fantasy, but I have not read any of it yet.
He's one of my favorite writers!
Jen M.
I'm currently reading "God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything" by Christopher Hitchens. With his death yesterday and all the God bashing and Hichtens bashing, I thought I'd give a read.
So far I'm very impressed with his writing and his point of view on god and Religion. I've never read anything of his before but I have seen him in numerous interviews. He always came across as a pompous ass but I am enjoying his writing style very much.
I'm just a few chapters in so I can't wait to get through the book.
Please do let us know how it is. I think I've read his stuff here and there. He was a very good writer.
Jen M.
I'm still working my way through one of those big literature compilations that most of us encountered in high school and college. I'm currently working through the poetry section, and I'm enjoying it very much. I'm discovering and re-discovering poets that I really like.
I believe the next section is Drama, and I will probably skip most of it, because if I recall correctly, I've read most of what's in there.
Jen M.
The first 4 Shannara books are the only books I've ready from Brooks. I will probably go back and pick up another series of his, but right now I am starting in on the Sword of Truth books by Terry Goodwin. So far I am really liking this book. Some unique ideas for a fantasy world that I've not read before in other series so it is refreshing.
Brooks is definitely easier to read than Tolkien. Tolkien just went TOO deep in to descriptions of every little thing. It made for a hard read, but I loved the LotR series so much that it was worth dealing with Tolkien's style of writing. The one book of his that I found to be the hardest to read was the Silmarillion....HOLY CRAP I had to re-read every other paragraph to grasp everything he was saying.
I'll check with my friend on the other Terry Brooks series, he is a BIG Terry Brooks fan and has read almost, if not all of his work.
(12-15-2011 10:47 PM)Bittercat Wrote: [ -> ]I found Brooks infinitely easier to read than Tolkien, personally. Tolkien bored me to tears--and I'm a strong reader.
Have you read Brooks' The Black Unicorn series? I think it's a trilogy. The first one is _Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold_ . He's also written some modern fantasy, but I have not read any of it yet.
He's one of my favorite writers!
Jen M.
God Is Not Great, I find, is difficult to read. I don't know if it's his writing style or the fact that he's British and uses words that I've never heard of.
It's not a light and breezy read but it's thought provoking for sure.
(01-06-2012 09:24 AM)NKBurlington Wrote: [ -> ]God Is Not Great, I find, is difficult to read. I don't know if it's his writing style or the fact that he's British and uses words that I've never heard of.
It's not a light and breezy read but it's thought provoking for sure.
I bought the book years ago, but haven't read it yet. I have about 500-600 books, and I've read only a fraction of them because I read so slowly--my mind wanders like I've got the ADD. Anyway, I love his points on religion, I agree with him wholeheartedly, but I can imagine it's a bit dense in style.
Oh, wow. That DOES look like a great read!
Jen
I'm digging Sarah Andrews mysteries now. A Sandra Dallas novel, and lots of vegan cookbooks.
I just finished Emily Alone, by Stewart O'Nan. I HIGHLY recommend it for people here. It's about an elderly woman living alone. Her kids are far away and uninterested in her. It's fascinating and rings very true to life.
That sounds like a good book, CNK. I'll keep my eyes open for it.
Jen
I have been reading a biography of Marilyn Monroe. What a totally fucked up childhood she had. She was bounced around to about a dozen homes before she reached 16! And then she was married off so she wouldn't have to go to yet another orphanage (she'd already been in an orphanage twice). Talk about sad - her life was such a trainwreck as a small child. Her mother had terrible mental illness and was unable to care for her. She lived with relatives, friends, foster families - you name it. I had no idea that her early life was so difficult.
Yikes! Her childhood sounds very similar to Oprah Winfrey's. (Similar--not exactly the same.)
I'm still working through that literature volume. Currently, I'm reading an Ibsen play, "The Wild Duck." It's not bad, but I have learned from reading it that I really don't like reading plays. I much prefer to see them performed.
I'll be skipping a lot of the plays in this book, because I have read most of them.
Jen M.
Yeah, apparently no one wanted her. I don't think she lived in one home more than 2 years growing up.
I just finished V is for Vengeance, am now reading Science Ink(about scientists' tattoos)-- it has photos of the tattoos and explains the scientific concepts behind them.
(02-13-2012 12:40 PM)catsnotkids Wrote: [ -> ]Yeah, apparently no one wanted her. I don't think she lived in one home more than 2 years growing up.
That's reallly sad.
Jen
Science Ink sounds fascinating!
Jen M.
Just finished "Zeitoun," the book about Abdulrahman Zeitoun and his horrible true experiences in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. After his family evacuated, he stayed behind to look after his house and his rental properties and to help people. He's a well-known painter, contractor, builder and landlord, the owner of a long established successful business. He figured he could be of service. He had a canoe and went around saving people trapped in their homes, fed starving dogs left behind inside houses by worthless dog parents, shared food and water with anyone who needed it. Then he was arrested for no reason at all, locked up in a makeshift outdoor cage jail at the Greyhound Bus Station, refused a phone call to let his family know what had happened to him, and then transported to a maximum security prison and treated like a murderer and accused of being a terrorist because he's Syrian. No trial, no phone call, no rights, just non-stop abuse. His wife was frantically trying to find out what happened to him, and she was stonewalled at every turn by some fucking Louisiana moron on the phone. And this happened to a huge amount of people.
Reading the book clearly reminded me of why I'm so happy I got the fuck out of New Orleans and Loser-anna in general. Yes, you can blame the breakdown of everything on the storm and the chaos and military presence. But the lack humanity, the bureaucratic red tape that locks everything in a non-working standstill, the cruelty, the shocking incompetence and rudeness and hatefulness, that's pure New Orleans. Not allowing him a phone call, not even bothering to tell him why he was arrested, the brutality, the lack of sympathy and care---that's all New Orleans. That town is, and always has been, a shitty third world dump, and all Katrina did was amp it up a little and turn a huge spotlight on it so the whole world could see. Why people went back (only a couple of my friends left permanently) I'll never understand. It's the kind of place that's so incompetent and unworking that you flip a light switch on the wall and are amazed that lights actually do come on. How can the lights come on when no one knows how to do a damned thing and doesn't give a shit about anything? Yes, it's that bad. So glad I'm gone.
OMG. That's horrible! Sounds like a very tough (emotionally) read but a good story.
I'd ask what became of him, but I'd rather read the book and find out myself.
Reminds me of the movie, "The Visitor."
Jen M.
My BFF gave me a CD with over 2000 e-books! I'm so happy.
Just last night I was on line at my local library looking for some James Patterson. The CD has at least 20 JP books! John Grisham, Kathy Reichs, etc...
Also some classics; 1984, 2001 A Space Odyssey. All FREE!!!!!
Can't wait to dive in.
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17