What Book are you Currently Reading?

Good choice, The Great Gatsby....

I read, as always, anything trust into my hands. I just finished the first book in Sara Douglass' new trilogy (Darkglass Mountain), "The Serpent Bride", and am moving on to another of Tolkien's other, less known books, "The Children of Hurin".

I don't have much on the horizon, though. I haven't got as much time as I used to for reading.

Ben, if you want something to 'read' that doesn't demand hours upon hours of intensive reading then I suggest something by Nietzsche. I know that could come off weird but it's excellent for short but strong reading sessions. I take my book wherever I go and I read 1-5 pages in it and then I put it away. The way it's written is just to archaic, it would be weird to really 'read' it. You just 'read' it and think about it.

It tends to relax me...

But I like stories. I can read papers by intellectuals until the cows come home, and not really enjoy them (even if I find them interesting). Reading is escapism, it allows me to stretch my imagination, and wonder at the existence of different worlds. I know I'm rather juvenile in that respect - I've always enjoyed speculative fiction books more than any kind of modern-day thriller - but at least I'm true to what I really enjoy about reading.

Some people eat up these books about the suffering of people in Africa. I read the Lord of the Rings a dozen times before most people in my year even knew about their existence. Some people think the best stories are those written by women, under a male alias, back when women were not accepted as writers. I admit I like Harry Potter.

Get my drift?



Mind you, I'll give your idea a go. I killed the first book in two days, and the Tolkien one in a single day. Yes, I just sat and read all day. Tolkien's writing mesmerises me.

I can relate to that, I read The Hobbit in a day as well. You feel guilty when putting it down.

I am currently reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
I don't just love the book, but I have to read if for School.

Ah, how many books have I been forced to read and ended up loving them. I'm thankful that my school actually has such a program, if they didn't then I wouldn't have read about 2/4 of my books. O.o

It seems if I am forced to read a book, I don't get as much out of the book compared to if I read the book for fun. The several page essay on the book drains any fun out of the book, but adds a deep level of understanding.

Close to You by Mary Jane Clark.

I am currently reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and Modern Psychics and Ancient Faith by Stephen M. Barr. I really enjoy reading books where science and religion are blended together instead of a book just support one of the two sides.

I agree.

I devoured Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden yesterday. Not bad in general. Like the world, kinda heavy on the sex though.