I've been meaning to read more books lately, and I've went up and checked some books; though I'd consolt here before buying them. Now, I've heard that Dante's Inferno is good, shall I go and buy it ? Also, The Death Of Ivan LLyich , is it a good gateway to Leo Tolstoy ?

The Inferno is definitely worth it. Although you should just get all of the Divine Comedy. I actually found Purgatorio to be my favorite.

Recently read: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Currently reading: Strangers by Dean Koontz

Books I read this summer (I went on a bit of a political philosophy binge, as you can see):
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
The Republic by Plato
Politics by Aristotle
On Liberty by John Stuart Mill
Rights of Man and Common Sense by Thomas Paine

Currently reading:
Are you kidding? I have so much shit to read for the uni, I don't have any time for leisure reading

I barley ever read. But I have read all of the books written by Chuck Klostermen. Great writer that has a lot of pop culture references while giving plenty to think about in the process.

Just read Hannibal by Thomas Harris. Totally blew my mind. I read the whole thing in one day.

Kaplan SAT Subject Tests: US History 2009-2010


but really, I'm reading At the Mountains of Madness
anyone else imagine T-Bizzle narrating this?

I wish I had time to read a book that wasn't 1. about my thesis (fascism, nazis, swastikas, war and gender) or 2. about some other class i'm taking (middle eastern politics, archaeology, gender, nazis...)

I'ts interesting, it just becomes overdone at a certain point.

Over the summer I read Clarke's 2001 and 2010. Need to pick up Childhood's End, Rendezvous with Rama, and other books by him.

Ziegenbartami wrote:

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

How did you like that book? I really liked it. I got it as a book on tape and listened to it while I was working on school work.

Silchias Ruin wrote:

Ziegenbartami wrote:

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

How did you like that book? I really liked it. I got it as a book on tape and listened to it while I was working on school work.

I really liked it too, but one of my good friends said he hated it. I've heard that that's how it goes with Rand in general--either you love her works, or you hate them. I think next summer or perhaps even over the winter I'll try to read Anthem, We the Living, and/or The Fountainhead.

I hate Rand but start with The Fountainhead.

I read "Ham On Rye" by Charles Bukowski, I need more of his stuff.

This summer I read Reaper's Gale and Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson, The Serenity Falls trilogy by James A. Moore, and A collection of Elric stories by Michael Moorcock (I think that is his name). I also dl'ed a collection of Philosphy books, and a metric shit load of occult lectures.

Michael Moorcock? More like Michael More-Cock!
Sorry guys, had to do it.

Anyway I'm reading Atlas Shrugged right now. I'm enjoying it, overall but Rand's hyperbole is pretty repetitive, and Dagny Taggart is a really annoying character. Also, the sex scenes SUCK, mostly because they combine the two.

My best friend goes on an angry rant every time someone brings up Rand. It's quite entertaining though.

turkeyballs wrote:

Michael Moorcock? More like Michael More-Cock!
Sorry guys, had to do it.

Anyway I'm reading Atlas Shrugged right now. I'm enjoying it, overall but Rand's hyperbole is pretty repetitive, and Dagny Taggart is a really annoying character. Also, the sex scenes SUCK, mostly because they combine the two.

About the only negative thing I found about the book is the whole Mary-Sue aspect of Dagny's character.
Protip: if you want just the objectivist philosophical aspect of the book, read the chapter "This Is John Galt Speaking".

Atlas Shrugged reminds me of bad fanfiction.

turkeyballs wrote:

Michael Moorcock? More like Michael More-Cock!
Sorry guys, had to do it.

Anyway I'm reading Atlas Shrugged right now. I'm enjoying it, overall but Rand's hyperbole is pretty repetitive, and Dagny Taggart is a really annoying character. Also, the sex scenes SUCK, mostly because they combine the two.

That's pretty much what I felt about Atlas Shrugged. Though I always thought the sex scenes were really funny since it was so obvious that she had a fetish for tall, lean guys.

The Gozzfather wrote:

turkeyballs wrote:

Michael Moorcock? More like Michael More-Cock!
Sorry guys, had to do it.

Anyway I'm reading Atlas Shrugged right now. I'm enjoying it, overall but Rand's hyperbole is pretty repetitive, and Dagny Taggart is a really annoying character. Also, the sex scenes SUCK, mostly because they combine the two.

That's pretty much what I felt about Atlas Shrugged. Though I always thought the sex scenes were really funny since it was so obvious that she had a fetish for tall, lean guys.

I thought they were funny at first, but by the third one the novelty had worn off.

I love fantasy books and cant wait for the next Eragon series book. Till then Im reading Harry Potter

Mantooth901 wrote:

I love fantasy books and cant wait for the next Eragon series book. Till then Im reading Harry Potter

Warning: The last Harry Potter book sucked monkey nuts.

I'm presently reading The Mind and The Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force and it may be the most interesting book I've ever read. It combines cognitive neuroscience with quantum mechanics and Buddhist Mindfulness. I also find it really interesting that the author, Jeffrey Schwartz, is a cognitive psychiatrist yet believes in mind/body dualism.

I'm reading Sacred Language, Ordinary People by Niloofar Haeri, a book I'm sure no one but Mostafa would be interested in . It's about Egyptian Arabic and how the language is important to the diffusion of Egyptian culture and Islam.

Rosalind wrote:

Mantooth901 wrote:

I love fantasy books and cant wait for the next Eragon series book. Till then Im reading Harry Potter

Warning: The last Harry Potter book sucked monkey nuts.

because at that point nobody cares if it's actually good or not, they just want to know how the whole thing ends
Rowling didn't have to write a good book for it to sell