Author Topic: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?  (Read 189639 times)

Offline JediKnight87

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #150 on: April 16, 2005, 05:00 AM »
I'm reading the Robotech Books right now. Good storyline!

Also reading Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane. Very powerful book.
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Offline Scott

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #151 on: April 16, 2005, 10:43 AM »
I just started reading it on the can, last night.

Kevin

I like your style.  :)

As for me, I'm reading On The Road by Jack Kerouac.
I read that last year, I enjoyed it ;)

Offline Jesse James

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #152 on: April 16, 2005, 11:00 AM »
I tore through The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings this past semester.  I finished ROTK just about a couple weeks ago over spring break, finishing my paper on the trilogy now...

Figure since this was bumped and I actually was reading something that wasn't a text, I'd chime in.

The Silmarillion was a rough book to start with I felt, and really kicked the semester off on a bad note.  I'm not fond of the style that Tolkien wrote it in, and I feel it's a little too close to reading the bible for my liking...  Other students were gung-ho on it, but not me.  I barely lagged through it, and really only found the final portion of it truly interesting.

The Hobbit's the easiest of the group of course, and one I already had read.  Still a great story, even if it's not the most complex, and a fun lead-in to a story riddled with themes and undertones... 

The Lord of the Rings is what it is...  Most in this thread have probably read it, and it's regarded by many as one of the modern-day classics.  I've gotten to see a lot of praise and criticism for this story though, and some interesting points of view.  I find often times critics are more offended at the thought of this story being compared to Shakespeare or Dickens rather than having objectively looked at the story for what it is.

It's a great read, difficult to pick everything up on the first go-through unless you have an inkling of the story, but not too difficult that the majority can't pick it up and get immersed in it.  Picking the story apart every week in analytical round-table discussion was a highlight while reading through all these books though.  Always great to sit aorund with fans and brain-storm.  The material's are involved so it's a lot of work, but it's been one of the more eye-opening experiences I've had in school (that didn't pertain to my dull major anyway).

Even Star Wars parallel's being drawn...  What a class. :)
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Offline Scott

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #153 on: April 16, 2005, 11:24 AM »
I agree with all of your takes on all of the Middle Earth Books, Jesse.  I found the Silmarillion to be almost impossible to read.  Its good to read because it gives you a lot of insight in to the whole world but its a very difficult book.  Lots and lots of characters who are hard to keep straight.  Its an Epic and the ideas are familiar and yet its also foreign in a lot of ways

The Hobbit is a great book top to bottom and of the three is one that I will force my boys to read some day.  Its just so great, the Dwarves and Bilbo and all of their adventures.  I hope this one finally does become a movie because it would be great.

LOTR is amazing and probably my all time favorite book.  The thing with Rings is that you need to read it a few times to get everything.  Having these wonderful movies has helped a lot in visual connections as well.  I don't think its on par with Shakespeare or Dickens but it is one of the greatest works of our time.  The allegories put forth in all of the books is something often neglected.  Its sort of the same thing as Star Wars I guess in that both JRR and Lucas weren't intending anything to be a straight metaphor for our world to theirs.  More of similarities that you can draw inferences and make judgements on what is right and wrong. 

The thing that is so awesome with Middle Earth is the amazing amount of history and language that Tolkien created for the books.  The appendices are almost masterworks in and of themselves.  That is where LOTR exceeds Star Wars IMO, the details that he laid out make the story so much richer and real, rather than making it up as you go along and somehow making it all sort of fit in the end.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #154 on: April 16, 2005, 12:55 PM »
I agree that LOTR does surpass Star Wars based on the incredibly intricate background to the Middle-Earth realm...  Tolkien put a lot more effort into creating a world than Lucas did, and for that Lucas will always play second fiddle.  He's let everyone else have a hand in formulating Star Wars as a "real" place, and that's fine too, but Lucas's effort just wasn't as determined as Tolkien's was...  I dont' think Lucas loved his work any less though, but it's just impossible to me to say that Tolkien didn't create something just incredibly more "deep" than Lucas.

I'd disagree that Tolkien isn't on par with the likes of Dickens though...  Shakespeare I maybe give more credit, but still I look at Tolkien's work and I think it's easily as thought-out, and it instills better feelings in me personally than any work I read that Dickens wrote.  To me those were torture to read for the most part, actually.  I can honestly say only a Christmas Carol ever really meant anything to me...  We actually were comparing the two and our prof (the school's English Dept. Head) really loathes Dickens so I maybe have some lingering bias after the class discussion.

I think it's great that your kids will read The Hobbit, Scott.  I read it in 6th grade actually, then watched the toon...  My reading teacher at the time had the class read it, and I was hooked.  It was the first book I read that I didn't feel it was a chore to me, as a child.

You'd have been burned at the stake for praising the LOTR movies though...  The class I was in bitched about them at every turn.  Honestly I thought they helped me visualize Orcs, etc., but from the prof on down, there was a lot of criticism of the films.

Personally, I think the films did the book justice though as well.  I think you can't expect the films to really draw things out like the books, and that changes to characters were necessary to keep the story moving.  As it stands, ROTK was tough for even avid movie-goers to sit through, what with its multiple endings...  I can't fathom the scouring being in there too.
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Offline jokabofe

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #155 on: April 18, 2005, 10:50 AM »
Ever read any of the "History of Middle Earth" books? From what I understand, they are the notebooks that J.R.R. wrote down all of his backstory and ideas in, and then after his death his children found them and published them. Remember how hard "Silmarillion" was to read? Picture that times ten. I picked up one or two of these, and started to read the first one, but it was like reading a history book. Very difficult to read. On one hand, very interesting, but on the other hand, very boring. If you know what I mean.

Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #156 on: April 19, 2005, 04:01 PM »
Getting off the Middle Earth series, all of which I read the for the first time between the release of Fellowship and The Two Towers...

I just finshed reading 2061 for the second time and stated on 3001 for a second pass. I think I'm going to read the odessey series every couple of years. After 3001, I'll be reading Stephen King's: On Writing and then Dan Brown's Angels and Demons.
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Offline Ben

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #157 on: April 20, 2005, 01:58 AM »
I just started reading it on the can, last night.

Kevin

I like your style.  :)

As for me, I'm reading On The Road by Jack Kerouac.
I read that last year, I enjoyed it ;)

I'm liking the whole stream-of-conciousness flow. Reminds of James Joyce.
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Offline Rob

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #158 on: April 20, 2005, 02:30 AM »
I just finished Choke a few weeks ago... I'm reading whatever the latest NJO book I picked up is right now... then up next are The Dante Club and Lullaby.

Offline Imperial Outpost

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #159 on: April 20, 2005, 02:07 PM »
I'm halfway through the sixth book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I'm enjoying it, but I'm not sure whether I would recommend it to others - it's very odd!

Offline Scott

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #160 on: April 26, 2005, 11:58 PM »
So, I just started Asimov's Foundation which is another source from which it is said SW was taken from.  I can see some of that, especially the city/planet capital and The Empire/Empire  I'm only a little way in to say more, but so far, its really good.  In fact I'm on quite a lucky streak for books lately, I have loved almost everything I have picked out (especially the Dune books at the Fire and Ice stuff)



I highly recommend Foundation to anyone.  Its really three-four short stories spread out over a lot of time but it all sort of deals with the same issue.  Neat ideas and a quick read.  You should be able to pick it up at a Used Book Store somewhere

I really think not reading DUNE and this is sort of a diservice to the Sci-Fi that Star Wars loosely took some parts of.  Especially DUNE, that one is a must read.

Right now, I am reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers, its OK, not sure why I bought it other than it looked good, we'll see where it goes from where I'm at right now, its a tad bit pretentious for me I guess.

Offline Lady Jaye

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #161 on: April 27, 2005, 11:02 AM »
I'm behind on the times, just started reading the DaVinci Code, picked it up this week.

I want to get back into reading books, and what a way to start, great book so far!!! Real captivating!!!
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Offline Mikey D

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #162 on: April 27, 2005, 11:39 AM »
I recently finished:

Patriot Reign about the 2001 to 2003 New England Patriots.  I suggest Colman read it.  It gives insite on how a winner is made  :P Volume II should be coming shortly.

Missing Links - pretty quick and humorous read about a group of golfers from a run down public course who make a bet to see who can play an elitist private course first.

Just finished Revenge of the Sith.  Won't spoil anything for those not wanting to be.

Next up - who the hell knows.  I got some Tom Clancy to read (Executive Orders on) and a bunch of books I got cheap from the discount racks at Border, B&N or Buck a Book.  Thinking about re-reading the entire Harry Potter series to gear up for June's release of HP and the Half Blood Prince
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Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #163 on: April 27, 2005, 12:57 PM »
I re-read 3001 over a few days and got though the first 117 pages of Steven Kings On Writing yesterday.
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Offline Lady Jaye

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #164 on: April 29, 2005, 06:02 PM »
Well started reading Tuesay and I am finished with Da Vince Code, I would have finished it yesterday, but was here with the, how was it that Mad Magazine put it, the usual gang of idiots!!!! ;D

Anyhow fantastic read, I probably could not have found a better book to begin my summer reading!!!! If you have not read it, believe the hype, it is that good!!! Highly, highly recommended!!! Now I plan to head to he bookstore to get Plot Against America, another book that seems to have intrigue and mystery all rolled into one. I might order it online instead.
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