Author Topic: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?  (Read 189697 times)

Offline Phrubruh

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #990 on: August 20, 2011, 08:30 PM »
Now reading "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown.



Let's start with the question every Dan Brown fan wants answered: Is The Lost Symbol as good as The Da Vinci Code? Simply put, yes. Brown has mastered the art of blending nail-biting suspense with random arcana (from pop science to religion), and The Lost Symbol is an enthralling mix. And what a dazzling accomplishment that is, considering that rabid fans and skeptics alike are scrutinizing every word.

The Lost Symbol begins with an ancient ritual, a shadowy enclave, and of course, a secret. Readers know they are in Dan Brown territory when, by the end of the first chapter, a secret within a secret is revealed. To tell too much would ruin the fun of reading this delicious thriller, so you will find no spoilers here. Suffice it to say that as with many series featuring a recurring character, there is a bit of a formula at work (one that fans will love). Again, brilliant Harvard professor Robert Langdon finds himself in a predicament that requires his vast knowledge of symbology and superior problem-solving skills to save the day. The setting, unlike other Robert Langdon novels, is stateside, and in Brown's hands Washington D.C. is as fascinating as Paris or Vatican City (note to the D.C. tourism board: get your "Lost Symbol" tour in order). And, as with other Dan Brown books, the pace is relentless, the revelations many, and there is an endless parade of intriguing factoids that will make you feel like you are spending the afternoon with Robert Langdon and the guys from Mythbusters.

Nothing is as it seems in a Robert Langdon novel, and The Lost Symbol itself is no exception--a page-turner to be sure, but Brown also challenges his fans to open their minds to new information. Skeptical? Imagine how many other thrillers would spawn millions of Google searches for noetic science, superstring theory, and Apotheosis of Washington. The Lost Symbol is brain candy of the best sort--just make sure to set aside time to enjoy your meal.
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Offline Matt_Fury

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #991 on: August 21, 2011, 12:05 AM »
I still think Deception Point and Angels & Demons were he best works.

And both movies sucked out loud.
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Offline Tracy

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #992 on: August 27, 2011, 12:23 PM »
Tom Clancy's "Dead or Alive."

I finished W's book and enjoyed his insight.  Now I'm going to try to cram in a little fiction before my next class starts.

Dead or alive was a good read.

I'm currently reading Steig Larson's Millenium trilogy.  I've finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and am in the middle of The Girl Who Played with Fire.  Excellent books.

Same here - just finished The Girl Who Played With Fire - I liked it even better than the first one.  I am getting ready to start  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  I am looking forward to seeing the first film this Christmas - curious to see how the portray everything - I assume they will focus more heavily on the second half of the book. 
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Offline Matt_Fury

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #993 on: August 27, 2011, 01:23 PM »
I won't ruin it for you, Tracy, except to say it's really good.  A real shame that Larsson passed away.  If you have netflix and are able to stream movies, I reccommend the Swedish versions of the movies as well.
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Offline Tracy

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #994 on: August 27, 2011, 05:37 PM »
I do have Netflix - but I think I will wait on the Swedish version until I see the new release in December.  The trailer leaves nothing and everything out all in one turn.  Brilliant.
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Offline Ryan

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #995 on: August 27, 2011, 08:11 PM »
I started reading this book almost two and a half years ago, before I stopped to read The Watchmen and didn't ever get back to it. I never made it more than 40 pages or so into the book so I just started over. McCarthy has such an amazing literary voice, and he is quickly becoming my favorite author. The Road is probably my favorite book. I wouldn't mind see some quotation marks in his books though. Does anyone here know why he doesn't use them?



The men as they rode turned black in the sun from the blood on their clothes and their faces and then paled slowly in the rising dust until they assumed once more the color of the land through which they passed." If what we call "horror" can be seen as including any literature that has dark, horrific subject matter, then Blood Meridian is, in this reviewer's estimation, the best horror novel ever written. It's a perverse, picaresque Western about bounty hunters for Indian scalps near the Texas-Mexico border in the 1850s--a ragged caravan of indiscriminate killers led by an unforgettable human monster called "The Judge." Imagine the imagery of Sam Peckinpah and Heironymus Bosch as written by William Faulkner, and you'll have just an inkling of this novel's power. From the opening scenes about a 14-year-old Tennessee boy who joins the band of hunters to the extraordinary, mythic ending, this is an American classic about extreme violence.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2011, 08:12 PM by Ryan »
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Offline Phrubruh

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #996 on: September 1, 2011, 01:33 AM »
Now reading, "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov



The three laws of Robotics:
1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm
2) A robot must obey orders givein to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

With these three, simple directives, Isaac Asimov changed our perception of robots forever when he formulated the laws governing their behavior. In I, Robot, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot through a series of interlinked stories: from its primitive origins in the present to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future--a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete.

Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-read robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world--all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that has become Asmiov's trademark.
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Offline Phrubruh

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #997 on: September 12, 2011, 09:05 PM »
I, Robot was lots of fun. Way better then the crappy movie was.

Now reading, "The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive)" by Brandon Sanderson.



This massive tome is the first of a 10-part epic fantasy series from relative newcomer Sanderson (Mistborn), best known for his efforts to complete the late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. In a storm-swept world where history has dwindled into myth, self-serving aristocrats squabble over mystical weapons that render their bearers immune to mundane attacks. The ambitious scholar Shallan learns unexpected truths about the present, the virtuous aristocrat Dalinar reclaims the lost past, and the bitter and broken slave Kaladin gains unwanted power. Race-related plot themes may raise some eyebrows, and there's no hope for anything resembling a conclusion in this introductory volume, but Sanderson's fondness for misleading the reader and his talent for feeding out revelations and action scenes at just the right pace will keep epic fantasy fans intrigued and hoping for redemptive future installments.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #998 on: September 12, 2011, 11:51 PM »
I'm wrapping up Trench: A History of Trench Warfare On The Western Front

Kind of self-explanatory what it's about, but it's surprises are in the accounts from the soldiers themselves, and the sometimes surprising reactions people had to the horrors of this particular theater.

It's something I've had laying about, and have wanted to read for a while, and I just decided to get into it this Summer and I'm just about to wrap it up here.  I keep getting sidetracked though.
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Offline Angry Ewok

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #999 on: September 28, 2011, 10:36 AM »
McCarthy has such an amazing literary voice, and he is quickly becoming my favorite author. The Road is probably my favorite book. I wouldn't mind see some quotation marks in his books though. Does anyone here know why he doesn't use them?

I suppose he would have the reader wonder how much is actually spoken aloud, versus thought to oneself. In Blood Meridian, The Road, and Suttree, this is particularly effective, I think, because the characters are withdrawn/mysterious/aloof/etc.

Offline Chris M

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #1000 on: September 28, 2011, 12:31 PM »
My next class starts next week, so in the mean time I'm getting caught up on a Christmas present from my brother last year...just in time for another run this year.

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Offline EpicGon

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #1001 on: October 21, 2011, 03:31 PM »
I just finished reading L´envers et l´endroit  by Albert Camus.

A book which expresses his feelings about nature, Europe, loneliness, misery in the humain being and hope trhought contemplation of religious art and nature.

Offline Angry Ewok

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #1002 on: October 21, 2011, 04:30 PM »
Finished Waverley last night. One of my new Top 5 ever.

Offline Angry Ewok

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #1003 on: October 21, 2011, 04:34 PM »
Oh, and now I'm reading Ovid's Metamorphosis.

Offline Phrubruh

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Re: JD Book Club: What Are You Reading Now?
« Reply #1004 on: October 22, 2011, 11:26 AM »
Metamorphosis is a strange little book.
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