Currently reading:

Jack Kerouac's On The Road
Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead
Dai Sijie's Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Ron Paul's End The Fed

Great books. I've become to understand the "beat" generation much more through the Kerouac than through Wikipedia, and I've only started the first couple chapter of the Rand; I can already see her philosophy, Objectivism, shining through it. Interesting. The third book is for my AP English class. It's okay; I am not a real big "ethnic" reader... and the fourth book is the non-fiction of what I am reading up on. It talks in great detail of the Federal Reserve and how the U.S. should audit and ultimately end the centralized banking here.

I've always wanted to read The Fountainhead, but it looks like such a daunting task...

reading Dark Watch by Clive Cussler. About time I find a decent action book.

I've always wanted to read The Fountainhead, but it looks like such a daunting task...

Take it from a previous non-reader (and let me tell ya, I read nothing) that the book is quite amazing. You start to forget how many pages there are, and you actually become saddened as you look at the book and see your bookmark come closer and closer to the end of the book.

But anyway, definitely check it out-- it's quite amazing, however, I would recommend do just 10-minutes worth of reading up on Ayn Rand and Objectivism (Wikipedia is nice for that kind of thing). It'll give you just a smidgen of direction. :)

When It All Falls Apart by Pema Chodron. It's about Buddhist ways to solve conflicts and such. It's interesting.

Atlantis Found by Clive Cussler

Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series

The Host - Stephenie Myer
(Really confusing and boring so far)

"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." It's a short story, not a book. 'Tis with mentioning, however.

A girl told me about The Late Great State of Israel: How Enemies Within and Without Threaten the Jewish Nation's Survival by Aaron Klein. I'm going to jump on that next.

I haven't read a mystery recently, but I have read "The Life of Pi" and found it a very good book.

Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October.

Definite classic, suspenseful until the last 3 pages. Planning to do a book review on it soon...

One thing that really bothered me was that it had way too many climaxes and settings. I think one chapter had the climax of three separate plots... but the end they all converged.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge, and a book of his poetry, by Rilke

The Book of Secrets (Osho's discourses on Vigyan Bhairav Tantra)

Bought The Five Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly, can't wait to start it!

I finished Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom a few days ago. It was a nice, easy to read book =)

Just finished the Hunger Games. I loved it, though apprarently it's a rip-off of some book called Battle Royale, or something like that. I'm not sure I'll like the second one, since my favorite part of the first was, well, the Hunger Games. Still gonna read it anyway, though. :P

I haven't read a mystery recently, but I have read "The Life of Pi" and found it a very good book.

Just read that for book club.


Just finished the Hunger Games. :P

Also just read that for book club.

*High fives musical chocolate*
\o/

I'm currently reading Le Rouge et le Noir (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_and_the_Black) and the Historian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Historian).

Ooo ooh, book thread!

Over the last two months for A.P. english I read:

1984
Brave New World
The Handmaid's Tale

and I also read
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

I wasn't a huge fan of Brave New World, and 1984 was just meh. I really liked The Handmaid's Tale though. I loved Lone Survivor, it's a pretty awesome book.

recently finished the series "Midnighters"

About the 25 hour of the day, and how only people born on the stroke of midnight can live in it.
^-^ pretty interesting

I'm currently reading "Lord of the Flies."

Kind of boring to me, but it's about these group of boys who are lost in an island because of a World War. They first were joking around and goofing off, thinking they can do whatever they want, but later on, they actually need to learn how to survive in the wild. They hope that they can get rescued soon.

It's a survival book and I don't really dig into those stuff since I've read many of them. They get old over time. I prefer pure action like the Mistborn series and such. TT

^ That book isn't really a "survival book", it's a satirical novel about the nature of mankind.

Silence, mongrels! I've got the conch!


I've been catching up on Fate/Zero.

Working my way through The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Hopefully my stuff will get here soon so I can read some more Vonnegut.

hell,havent bought a new manga in months

^ That book isn't really a "survival book", it's a satirical novel about the nature of mankind.

My fault about that. Sorry. :P

Anyway, I'm currently reading "Tricks".

H.I.V.E.
love that book

The Count of Monte Cristo <- still reading it.

Any other opinions on that book?

just got bag full of manga from library yesterday

1-kekkishi
2-deathnote
3-phD:

1 phD:
6 deathnote
11 kekkishi

^ oooh, Deathnote and Kekkaishi are pretty good.

yeah so far their great

They get better ;P

Really? Once L died, death note was shit.

I'm reading Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice.

Once L died, the plot turned into something else, not exactly worse, but not better either...

i dont like to read chapter books :P...i only read manga or those childish books with stuff like flip flaps or the pop up ones...:D cause they have a little bit of words...:D

Just finished Count of Monte Cristo...



Mind's still burnt from what-ta-hell-happened and who's related ta who.


It's a small world, I guess... :V

Just finished Count of Monte Cristo...



Mind's still burnt from what-ta-hell-happened and who's related ta who.


It's a small world, I guess... :V

But that's the fun of Monte Cristo: OMFGWTFBBQ.

Two Fs in one acronym :P


Yeah, I'll probably have ta reread that ta fully understand it. What's more amazing is that it was published in volumes, yet ta plot was still so well thought-out...

UNLIKE CERTAIN OTHER VOLUME-PUBLICATIONS COUGH COUGH BLEACH

I was actually thinking Twilight for an example of that. But that's just me.

*dodges fangirl's flinging feces*

they came out with a comic version of twilight

What...?

*Anime fall*

yeah i have a copy

they came out with a comic version of twilight

Yeah, and they also have a manga for Maximum Ride series. Oh boy... On the cover of the second volume, I almost freaked out with the dude lookin' like Kanda from D. Grayman! :blink:

I died after they made ta manga Bible :/

I died after they made ta manga Bible :/


WTF...?!?!?!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga_Bible_%28series%29

OMG WHAT THE HEAVEN.

http://www.thebricktestament.com/

and my personal favourite image from about website:

http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/sexual_discharges/lv15_16a.jpg
Yes he is doing what you think he's doing

Also, YAY COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO :D :D
Leik, ma favourite film evar.

1. Romeo and Juliet *A classic*
2. Just Shonen Jump magazines... The ads are the most interesting in there. :3

The Book of Secrets (Osho's discourses on Vigyan Bhairav Tantra)

A year later, finally finished this.

Over 9000 1000 pages on some of the most profound things known by a few enlightened ones, that most people will never know in their entire lifetimes.

Time to read it again.

Halfway through Roverandom, a short little book by Tolkien. It's about a little dog who goes to the moon and chases moon butterflies and moon dragons and stuff. It's also one of the most profound things ever written by man. Also my second read-through, the first being like ten years ago when I was a little kid. The book is still fucking awesome, hahah. XD

i am currently reading tales from jabba's palace, a star wars short story compilation, and rereading ender's game, which is one of the best books i've ever read, out of one of the best series in existance. =)

George's Lean Six Sigma book along with the Coad Series version of Test Driven Development and a shitton of Rich Hickey blog posts (he needs to write a book on Clojure rather than toss it around).

Reading Odyssey by Homer. Not a bad book to read. I actually enjoy it. :3

Love, Freedom, Aloneness: The Koan of Relationships - Osho

Everything you need to know about why just about everyone's idea of Love in all its contexts are dysfunctional, neurotic, and ultimately destructive.

And what is Love? Not your personal idea of love, but the big one, capital L, Love itself, the Love beyond all possible conceptions and limitations, the eternal?

Love, Freedom, Aloneness: The Koan of Relationships - Osho

Everything you need to know about why just about everyone's idea of Love in all its contexts are dysfunctional, neurotic, and ultimately destructive.

And what is Love? Not your personal idea of love, but the big one, capital L, Love itself, the Love beyond all possible conceptions and limitations, the eternal?

Finished this.

Do you have heart-aches? Do you get hurt or hurt others in your relationships with people? Does love hurt more than you'd like it to?

If so, then this book might be a revelation...

Just finished reading White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison.

I just found this on sale in Barnes and Noble, picked it up, bought it, brought it home, read it for 3 days straight, finished it, found out that it's the 7th book in the series of Rachel Morgan. That's just perfect... I haven't even read the first six books! TT;;

So... I can't really explain what the book is about since it might be a spoiler to the first six books. Though it deals with vampires, weres, witches (They're awesome), banshee, and all that paranormal stuff.

Tantra: The Supreme Understanding - Osho


Says Jesus, "If you lose yourself, you will attain. If you cling to yourself, you will lose. If you die, you will be reborn. If you can efface yourself completely, you will become eternal, you will become the very eternity."

I wonder how many people are capable of understanding these words?

If they do, they will have eternal bliss, love, right now, and forever. An indestructable bliss that is affected neither by outer circumstances, nor inner circumstances. A love that washes through all appearances.

Just finished reading, "In the Miso Soup" by Ryu Murakami. Absolutely amazing book. Here's a couple summary/review type readings on it:



"Easygoing young Kenji makes good money guiding Americans through Tokyo's seamy nightlife. His teenage girlfriend has no objections, as long as he reserves New Year's Eve for her. But Kenji's latest client, a simmering psychopath called Frank, disrupts those holiday plans. He wants to regale Kenji with crazy monologues as he hypnotizes low-level sex workers. A fat man with superhuman strength, skin that's metallic to the touch, and an unsettling habit of telling contradictory lies, Frank immediately raises the guide's hackles. Kenji even suspects that this ugliest of Americans dismembered a local schoolgirl and immolated a homeless man. But until he can prove his suspicions--and for a disturbing while after--Kenji will keep leading this monster man from one bizarre scene to another. It's a compelling nightmare for Kenji and the reader, who both hope he'll either wake up screaming or escape and alert the cops. Instead, everyone remains in evil's thrall until it's too late. A wicked meditation on the worst traits of American and Japanese society, this is a creepy culture clash indeed." --Frank Sennett




'A blistering portrait of contemporary Japan, its nihilism and decadence wrapped up within one of the most savage thrillers since THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.' Kirkus Review 'Deft and fascinating ... a grisly tour of the darkness and confusion of the human mind.' --The New York Times 'In the Miso Soup is quality pulp made out of Japan's crushed, dark heart: our pride, it suggests, is matched only by our self-hatred ... In the Miso Soup often reads like a collaboration between Stephen King and Michel Houellebecq, with off-key karaoke going on in the background. He gives you shocking blood-violence, but the social critique is never far behind.' --LA Weekly 'His latest oozes darkness and ambiguity and reads like a cross-Pacific bullet train.' --Entertainment Weekly


I found it rather interesting, as I'm (of course) interested in modern Japanese culture, and relations between American and Japan today, on a personal level. Sure, this isn't a comparative essay that puts everything into light, but it shines on some subjects and characterizes both of the society's which are the same, yet when you look deeper have a different specific problem. This book made me want to turn the page... it made me stay two hours after work today to finish reading it, and even though blood and gore had some attributes to the story, I didn't feel like it was a sadistic Saw movie going on. Amen.

4.5/5

Currently reading The Langoliers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Langoliers) by Stephen King. After having seen the miniseries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Langoliers_(TV_miniseries)) and the Nostalgia Critic (http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/30198-the-langoliers) review, I became curious about the actual book :heh:

It's actually pretty good so far, a lot better than the miniseries, that's for sure.

The Price of Mist - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
:D! It was good, but his other books (The Shadow of the Wind & The Angel's Game) were much better. I think this is because they were written for adults though, and The Prince of Mist is a young adult's book. I highly recommend this author :D.

Rave New World by Lynne Hansen. I got to meet her live in my classroom and got her to sign my book! :D

let's see (you shouldn't have asked^^^^^^^^^)
The adoration of Jenna Fox
Angels in my hair
Blood on my hands
across the universe
the girl who could fly
all house of night novels(the main character sucks.....but believe it or not the story itself keeps improving)
the hunger games (1+2+3)
beautiful creatures (+2)
tymes end
.......so....I'll stop here ^^^

Blue Truth: A spiritual guide to life & death and love & sex - David Deida

Horribly offensive to many, profoundly enlightening to some.

The entire book is filled with practices to approach the latest stages of human evolution, which most people will never reach in their entire lifetime. Think Jesus, or Buddha - they do it, so others don't have to.

Currently reading The Langoliers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Langoliers) by Stephen King. After having seen the miniseries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Langoliers_(TV_miniseries)) and the Nostalgia Critic (http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thatguywiththeglasses/nostalgia-critic/30198-the-langoliers) review, I became curious about the actual book :heh:

It's actually pretty good so far, a lot better than the miniseries, that's for sure.

Man, the movie adaption of The Langoliers scared me a lot as a child. Stephen King as an author is such a hit-miss, but I really liked Carrie, Salem's Lot, Stand By Me, and The Stand. He just writes so much that it makes it a bit hard to take him very seriously.

Finding God Through Sex: Awakening the One of Spirit Through the Two of Flesh - David Deida

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I want to buy Moneyball, the book that is, and the new documentary book on the stages of Lincoln's Assassination. Forgot the title on that one though.

Currently re-reading the Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix.

Currently re-reading the Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix.

I'm in a two person book club and we picked this series to tackle first!

It's a really good series, I've read it many times.

I have too, the last time was maybe four years ago though.

Dear Lover: a woman's guide to men, sex, and love's deepest bliss - David Deida

From the last chapter:

Goodbye

Our time together has come to an end, as every relationship does, sooner or later.
I love you.
Others willing to share their love with us have opened your heart and mine.
I pray that our shared love serves to open the hearts of others, many others.
Goodbye, dear lover.

Zero, did you suddenly take an interest in Sexual Psychology? I'm noticing a pattern in your book choice. I miss your Osho postings!

Osho had alot to give in the mind/awareness domain, more than most humans ever will be aware of in their entire lives. He wasn't perfect, but he gave alot.

But I wouldn't call Deida's work sexual psychology. I'd call it sexual spirituality if I had to name it. Although, it's more like the direct recognition of the nature of existence through the body, and how to incarnate that, fully into your entire being, which is a lifelong discipline and art that is both profoundly blissful and excruciatingly painful. His first book Intimate Communion might be a good place to start. You'll see...

I will start tonight: Inside the Brazilian Rhythm Section by Nelson Faria & Cliff Korman.

Been reading "Killing Lincoln" by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard. Pretty intriguing to learn how Lincoln's assassination unfolds through the assassin's eyes and events. Supposedly, this book is under "Non-Fiction History," so it's basically true based on info and research by the authors, but the way O'Reilly wrote it, it's pretty hard to put the book down.

The Joy of Pickling (www.amazon.com/dp/1558323759/)
Configuration Management Best Practices (www.amazon.com/dp/0321685865/)
Continuous Delivery (www.amazon.com/dp/0321601912/)

Kafka on the Shore by Murakami.

It's a bit weird, but I think I like it.

^ I've been meaning to read that. I read Sputnik Sweetheart by Murakami... and absolutely loved it. /looking forward to getting 1Q84...

My reading list from this past term at school:

Natalie Zemon Davis-- The Return of Martin Guerre
Great non-fictional, historical book... great information and take on the legend of Martin Guerre.

Shakespeare-- The Tempest
Meh. It's enjoyable to watch, and terrible to read.

Plato-- The Republic
Plato can stay in his cave, thanks.

Wasilly Kandinsky-- Concerning the Spiritual in Art
Absolutely great read. Anyone interested in the arts, or even those who want to understand 20th century art deeper should read this short book. It's absolutely wonderful.

Alison Bechdel-- Fun Home
This is a graphic memoir of Bechdel's young life (up until the age of ~20) and focuses mostly on her memories of her father, and trying to find out the reason behind his death. It's a great read, for sure... focuses a lot on homosexuality as well. Check it out, it's great.

OSGi and Apache Felix 3.0 Beginner’s Guide


God damn JEE is whipping my ass... Why didn't they teach any of this in College?!

I fucking lol'd at "The Joy of Pickling."
By far the least pretentious sounding book in this thread. Simple pleasures make life worth living! =D
Right now I'm reading a few of the Loomis books...how to draw heads and hands, and human anatomy.

They're great, and they're public domain. Google them if you want to learn how to draw people!

I fucking lol'd at "The Joy of Pickling."
By far the least pretentious sounding book in this thread. Simple pleasures make life worth living! =D
Right now I'm reading a few of the Loomis books...how to draw heads and hands, and human anatomy.

They're great, and they're public domain. Google them if you want to learn how to draw people!

It is indeed a joy to pickle things :D

^Heh, I believe you. My room is full of plants I've had for years now. Keeping them not-dead is a satisfying hobby. I imagine pickling is the same way!

Wasilly Kandinsky-- Concerning the Spiritual in Art

Alison Bechdel-- Fun Home

Both of these are freaking fantastic. Fun Home is so touching and poignant.

@RD-- ABSOLUTELY. They're both so amazing... reading Kandinsky was sort of like reading many of my own views on art :) And Fun Home was a fun little journey for me. I'm not homosexual, but it still enlightened me to a lot of points in my life that I can relate to with my own family, etc.

Currently reading:

http://threebooksandamovie.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/thegoddelusion.jpg

I've been neglecting reading this book. I don't mean to start anything about religion in this thread, but this is yet another book to further poke my brain :)

^ It may be worthwhile to delve into the evolution of religion. Survival and replication applies to mental ideas as equally to genetic material.

I'm going to start The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison and re-read Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland soon.

Books that I got for Christmas:

1Q84 (all 3 books bound in 1) by Haruki Murakami-- JUST started reading this last night a little bit and this morning... and I have to say, the first chapter is so amazing, and almost nothing has happened. Typical Murakami descriptive writing, making facts and experiences so appealing to read.

The Jazz Piano Book by Mark Levine-- More of an instruction book on starting to play in the jazz style on piano, this is certainly the best book to buy on the subject when it comes to learning "book" knowledge on playing jazz.

Books I'm currently getting for my next Freshman Studies Class, next term:

Stanley Milgram-- Obedience to Authority

Stephen Jay Gould-- Bully for Brontosaurus: Reflections in Natural History

Jorge Luis Borges-- Collected Fictions. (Trans. Andrew Hurley)

I really want book 2 & 3 of Hunger Games since I already own the first one. It's exciting but I'm not pumped for the film as of yet... maybe I'll change my mind.
I'm reading the Book Thief as we speak! So far so good.

The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci

So far, it's pretty good.

Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism - Chögyam Trungpa

Read of the year for me!

Out Stealing Horses - Per Petterson
From the Mouth of the Whale - Sjon

The Psychopath Test - Jon Ronson

I just finished:
Only The Paranoid Survive - Andrew Grove
The Quantum Universe: Everything that can happen does happen - Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw

And I've got
Effective C++ - Scott Meyers
to read at some point

I started reading Frankenstein yesterday

Reading The Outsiders again.

My roommate is having me read Werner Herzog's "Of Walking in Ice"

A friend brought up a very interesting passage from "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" by Richard Carlson Ph.D:

Imagine that Everyone is Enlightened Except You

This strategy gives you a chance to practice something that is probably completely unacceptable to you. However, if you give it a try, you might find that it's one of the most helpful exercises in self-improvement.

As the title suggests, the idea is to imagine that everyone you know and everyone you meet is perfectly enlightened. That is, everyone except you! The people you meet are all here to teach you something. Perhaps the obnoxious driver or disrespectful teenager is here to teach you about patience, the punk rocker might be here to teach you to be less judgmental.

Your job is to try to determine what the people in your life are trying to teach you. You'll find that if you do this, you'll be far less annoyed, bothered and frustrated by the actions and imperfections of other people. You can actually get yourself in the habit of approaching life in this manner and, if you do, you'll be glad you did. Often, once you discover what someone is trying to teach you, it's easy to let go of your frustration. For example, suppose you're in the post office and the postal clerk appears to be intentionally moving slowly. Rather than feeling frustrated, ask yourself the question, "What is he trying to teach me?" Maybe you need to learn about compassion--how hard it would be to have a job that you don't like. Or perhaps you could learn a little more about being patient. Standing in line is an excellent opportunity to break your habit of feeling impatient.

You may be surprised at how fun and easy this is. All you're really doing is changing your perception from "Why are they doing this?" to "What are they trying to teach me?" Take a look around today at all the enlightened people.

Now reading Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen. I've been having the need to reread a lot of books now. xD

I just finished reading The Hunger Games Trilogy in three days. Ending could of been better, but I hate it because I now have this emptiness inside, yearning for more or a better ending.

Finished The Picture of Dorian Gray the other day. Currently reading This Side of Paradise.

Is the Picture of Dorian Gray any good? I've been trying to get into classic literature more recently.

I've actually been wanting to read Dorian Gray myself... so tell us!

In other news, it's been a while since I've touched a text on Buddhism. I'm working at a resort/lodge place my school owns this Summer, and a co-worker of mine lent to me:

Touching The Earth: 46 Guided Meditations for Mindfulness Practice by Thich Nhat Hanh

It's great so far ^_^

I liked Dorian Gray a lot. I had read previously how it was used during Wilde's trial, so I was expecting it to be a bit more graphic, or daring at the least, and it wasn't, even for the time of its publication. The homoerotic portions of it were extremely subtle, and I think if you're not looking for it, you won't notice.

All that aside, the writing is truly beautiful, and at times poetic even. It definitely meets the standard for high literary merit.