I also found Into the Wild quite fascinating and am still undecided as to whether Chris was a dreamer, an idealist, a rebel, just plain stupid, or a mix of all the above!

I remember thoroughly enjoying Brave New World when I read it, and always intended reading 1984 to compare the two, just haven't yet gotten around to that (says she, 25 years later). Maybe now that you've sparked my memory of it, klinski ...

Reading "The Hobbit" to my sister when she was about ten is one of the most cherished memories, for both of us. Because of that experience, we both read to our own older children (past the age of picture books) and, again, these are some of the best memories and bonding experiences we've had. All of those now adult children are readers, who intend to read to their own kids...

"Nothing wrong with child literature, copago! I bought Eragon for myself"


So funny you should mention that! I finished Brave New World, and decided 1984 should be next! I just finished it as well, and decided Eragon would be a good project while I'm digesting my dystopias . I'm starting it tonight.

I haven't checked the thread since posting last, so it's quite odd that things played out this way.

Well, I read Barrel Fever, a collection of essays and stories by David Sedaris a few days ago. It wasn't as good as some of his other work (I loved 'Me Talk Pretty One Day'), IMO. Last night, I waited up for Santa and finished 'The Great Gatsby.'
I'll be picking something new tonight. I'm thinking either 'A Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess, or 'Great Expectations' by Charles Dickens.

The Tender Bar J.R. Moehringer
I really coud not put this down What a wonderful book
Its a memoir of the author's childhood, so beautifully told . Please read it.

After watching Band of Brothers multiple times, I am now reading the Stephen Ambrose book. I am not a huge fan of history, but the book really brings the personal stories of the men of the Easy Company to an incredibly vivid life.

I ended up going to Barnes and Noble to spend a gift card I got for Christmas, so instead of my other two choices, I'm reading Christopher Paolini's "Eldest." It's the second in a series of books about Eragon, the first dragon rider in centuries in the land of Alagaesia.
I can see lots of influences from J.R.R. Tolkien and R.A. Salvatore, even down to some of the names in the book. Still though, nothing's new, and the story is keeping me on the edge of my seat. I'm glad I started reading them. After seeing the movie, I was a bit put off. Thankfully, as is usually the case, the book is far superior to it's silver screen adaptation.
Also, I still have some money left on the gift card, so I can go get the third book sometime next week!

I've bought a book designated by my Book Club as the book of discussion for January, called 'The Sisters Brothers' by Patrick DeWitt,a Canadian born author currently living in Oregon. It was a Man Booker prize finalist,a Giller prize finalist and it was Amazons' Best Book of 2011. One of the descriptions of it is 'True Grit' as told by Tom Waits. Just started it. I not usually one for westerns but what the heck.

I enjoyed The Sisters Brothers quite a bit - it's not your ordinary western...

Since I am a h.s. language arts teacher, I select to read only that literature which is of the highest caliber. That is why I am reading Patricia Cornwell's "The Scarpetta Factor." *snicker* I'm only halfway into the story, but it's typical Cornwell fare. Lots of cursing by the cop and the billionaire lesbian niece; some rather lame sex (or rather non-sex) scenes between the lead characters, Kate and Benton, and a decent (if long-winded) who-done-it murder plot.

If you are tired of trying to impress your friends by reading Post-Postmodernist dreck, skip that section at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com and head right on into the fiction section. I had to suffer through tomes of "great works" in college, and to be honest, the canon is pretty good. I highly recommend that everyone read every Norton Anthology cover to cover, then switch to guilty pleasure.

For purposes of FT, read all of Tolkien and Rowling (I've read not word one of either, and cannot abide the thought of spending time in front of a screen watching the movies). God save us all if people start writing quiz after quiz about the Twilight series. (Sparkly, animal-blood only, loving vampires? Really? sheesh)

Sorry, that's probably another thread. I'll hush now.

"That's not writing, that's typing." -- Capote (on Kerouac)

In the correct thread this time:

I finished Eragon over the Christmas holidays (I read it in the car while being driven to Belgium). It shows promise from the author, or at least a good understanding of the mechanics of writing a fantasy novel. However I found it superficial and rather clichéd, immature is possibly the term to use. It has all the typical fantaisy elements: the young untried farm hand going on a quest and 'finding' his true self along the way, all the usual themes of honour, loyalty, good vs bad, etc, but it just doesn't pick up anywhere. It seems to me to be a bit like a 'fantasy novel by numbers' kind of thing. All kudos to the author, who is only a teen, but he needs to develop his own style a bit, develop his characters a lot, and generally go for a lot more depth in his future writing.

It's disappointing to read already that the sequels go downhill, as I would have hoped he could have improved with time and experience. Ah well, he's young yet, plenty of time for his writing to catch up.

I've just finished RR Martin's 'Game of Thrones', a much more gripping fantaisy novel, a bit too brutally violent in places, but gripping none the less with a political intrigue storyline going on that kept me turning the pages. There were several chapters that I skimmed through or practically skipped altogether, but all in all a very satisfying read.

The quandry now is: do I buy the sequels in book format or do I invest in that Kindle that is beginning to nag on the borderlines of my wish-list, and invest in the special offer bundle of the remaining volumes for a mere 15 € or so???

Buy the Kindle! I was resistant for a long time because I held fast to the idea that I like the solidity of a book. Turns out that I like paying less for said books more than anything. And now that many libraries are starting e-book lending, there is no comparison.

I do so like an enabler, bubblesfun I think I'll just bide my time till my next pay packet, and go for it then

I've been sorting through the books I've been stockpiling for my grandaughter.. the Anne of Green Gables series, Little Women, Mary Grant Bruce Billabong series etc, so before I hand them over, I needed to re read them ! She is almost 10, and just started the Heidi series. Delighted she loves so many of the books I used to love. She has her own favourites as well.. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Harry Potter, Judy Moody etc, but is very taken with "Nan's old books".

Hi Tezza. Back in 2000 there was a thread of Childrens' Favourite books
http://www.funtrivia.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/37271/Children_s_Favorites#Post37271
I was re reading it and thought you might like to see it.

Thanks Ren. Since posting above, I found another two books I had forgotten I had.. "Flying Nurse" and "Sugarbird Lady", both by Robyn Miller - she was a West Australian nurse who also qualified as a pilot and worked with the Royal Flying Doctor Service - died at the age of 35 in 1975..so they are next on the list !
Incidentally, the "Sugarbird" refers to her her work administering the anti poliomyelitis Sabin vaccine.. she used to fly into remote communities, run a clinic, and fly out to the next place. The Sabin vaccine was administered orally, via a sugar cube.. hence Sugarbird Lady.

I've just finished about the most frustrating book I've ever read! : Kazuo Ishiguro's The Unconsoled. It moves constantly, without any structure or warning, between 'reality' and 'unreality' in terms of space, time, memory, and just about everything else ... but, as is typical with Ishiguro, the pace of the novel is so slow and the nature of the action is so mundane, that it feels like wading through treacle while someone is scraping a knife across a baking tin!

GG, I was glad to finish it!

Not surprisingly, perhaps(!), critics are divided between those who see it as one of the greatest novels of the past 30 years, and critics like the one who said it had created its own category of badness!

Would I recommend it? Yes ... but only to my enemies

To get my head back together I'm now re-reading Albert Camus' The Outsider (haven't read it since school*). Short novel, very economical prose, brilliant book! (*Read it in the original French then - L'Étranger - but couldn't manage that these days!)

I did very well for books at Christmas. I'm finishing A Day in Tuscany by Frances Mayes. I've loved all her Tuscany books; it's fascinating to compare the relaxed attitude towards her life in Italy with the fervour of the earlier books. As always, the food descriptions are mouth-watering.

With hopes that it's not too late for me, I'm also reading Eats Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. Described as the "Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation", it's a passionate defence of using correct punctuation.

I thoroughly enjoyed the three Christopher Paolini books. I found the characters engaging and fell in love with "Saphira".

Ren, I copied the list so I could have a really good look.. interested (and saddened) that The Secret Garden didn't make it.. but it was an American list, so not really surprised.
An Aussie list might be interesting to compare.. "Snugglepot & Cuddlepie", "Blinky Bill" and all the other May Gibbs and Dorothy Wall characters I think would rate a mention.
A UK list would certainly have an Enid Blyton or two - maybe the Enchanted Wood series or the Naughtiest Girl ?
Another series - English again - that I had, and my kids read, and that I am now stockpiling for my grandson are the Blackberry Farm books..

I would also put all of the Noel Streatfeild "Shoe" books on the list. I just reread Skating Shoes, and I read both Ballet Shoes and Circus Shoes at least once a year.

Any of Noel Streatfeild's are worth reading..I think the first one I read of hers was "Curtain Up', about 50 years ago..and I have a small collection of her work in my "Issy" stockpile.

Well, after a discussion with Miss Issy (aged almost 10), I am told that Norman Lindsay's Magic Pudding should be included in any Australian list, as should Ruth Park's Muddleheaded Wombat !

Anyone in the UK beware. Although Kindle is the most popular e.book reader by far, and is always recommended as a best buy, it is NOT compatible with the e.book system installed in most of our libraries, so you cannot download library books onto a Kindle.

Hi all. Please could we get back on to the subject of what you are reading?
If you want to discuss things like Kindles there is a thread. Thanks

Reading a Hap and Leonard book by Joe Lansdale, "Rumble Tumble". These books are a guaranteed good time if your tastes run to the silly and profane. I especially recommend listening to this series in audiobook - Phil Gigante reads them and does a fantastic job. Kinda like listening to a "My Name is Earl" mystery/thriller.

Currently reading "Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN" by James Miller and Tom Shales.

I grew up watching ESPN (well starting in the late 80's) so it's quite interesting to me. I'm a little over half way through it and it discusses the network from the very beginning. Lots of great stories, funny, sad, interesting, etc. Miller and Shales interviewed 100s of people, from reporters, studio talent, and production all the way up to executives and CEO's.

It's a little different in how it's written, it's more a collection of actual quotes from people that were there, organized in a way to tell the story. There is very little of Miller's writing in it, just to tie things together or explain where we are in the "story" of ESPN. If you have an interest in ESPN history I'd recommend it. Great book thus far.

I was advised to read Sarah Waters, so I bought two. The first one, "Fingersmith", I was not very impressed with, I think it was rather a lame plot. I am so much more enjoying "The Night Watch", set in wartime London. Fastmoving and intriguing-everything "Fingersmith" wasn't. It just goes to prove my theory , one I always tell my students,that we write so much better about things we know and have experienced.

Santana202

If you enjoyed "Pillars of the Earth" you might also like "Lie Down With Lions" by Ken Follet.

I had it on audio-books and it was very good. It was good enough that I wasn't scared of "Pillars" length.

I read it before America was at war in Afganistan, it was mostly set there during that time. Doesn't sound like something we'd want to read, but the characters were very good.

Strong female lead, with lots of plot turns.

I'm currentlty plowing my way through Tom Clancy's "Bear and Dragon" a little more concentration needed to follow the plot---or maybe I need to just sit and read?

I enjoyed the emotional resonance of "Fingersmith", though I agree with Ren about the storyline. Maybe I'll give "The Night Watch" a try, then, if it's better.