What Are You Reading??

Started The Fountainhead.  Three chapters in.

Not liking Howard Roark--too sui generis.  He's bizarre and intimidating and comes from nowhere.  "People had always lost their sense of existence in Roark's presence," my hairy ass.  He barely exists at all in the story so far...

Kinda liking Peter Keating--more human.

Not liking how Howie and Pete are kinda obviously two halves of one man, Howard as the public face and Pete as the shadow.  Lil too cut and dried.  And the whole thing is so easy to see as a 70's movie.

I'm willing to be surprised.  I'll keep reading.

Only ever tackled Rand's Atlas Shrugged.  I did enjoy it, but find that I have to be in a certain frame of mind to re-read it......same with the Thomas Covenant: Unbeliever series.

But then again, I am a little bit of a moody reader.  I can't just pick up any old book, at any old time and read it.  I have to be "in the mood" for that particular genre/author.

And I never did do well with the "you must read this" situation.  The "it's a classic" just makes me that much more resistant to ever picking it.  Mulish Monk, that's me.

And I never did do well with the "you must read this" situation.  The "it's a classic" just makes me that much more resistant to ever picking it.  Mulish Monk, that's me.

Totally agree.

I read all of Ayn Rand when I was at Uni - one of those things everyone was doing then. She also had a foundation - and maybe a web page??

I find Ayn Rand pretty painful to read. But each to his/her own. I agree with Lotus that most award winning novels are not so good. I feel they simply show the bad taste of the general public or the pretensions of the judges or academics awarding it.

I have just finished reading Jim Bishop's Dresden Files, then found they had been made into a tv series. The books are good. the series is still downloading but seems to suck.

Nightside series by Simon Green, excellent too, and his Drinking Midnight Wine.

Light reading.

Now reading Bazil Broketail series by Christopher Rowley.

Into a very light reading phase I guess. Probably because of the non-fiction I am re-reading.

I have just finished reading Jim Bishop's Dresden Files, then found they had been made into a tv series. The books are good. the series is still downloading but seems to suck.

Yeah, Butcher's Dresden Files are a good read.  Wizard who doubles as a PI and has a real (fairy) godmother?  Who could resist?  I tried to watch the TV show....once.  Just couldn't stomach it.  Too far off from the book, and not sufficiently original to keep my attention (unlike the Dexter series). 

By the way, Book 11 is due out sometime next April.  I've got my order in at Amazon.

AMonk, if you like those books, might I recommend the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde and "The Big Over Easy" and "The Fourth Bear" by the same author? I think you'll enjoy them immensely.

Thanks, Eric I'll certainly give them a LookSee.

Butcher, yes, not Bishop. I meant to write Butcher. I was surprised by the correction, went back and looked. Why the hell did I write Bishop? No sodding idea.

Sober too long mayhap.

My bad.

Still reading The Fountainhead.  Up to chapter 14.

Can there be a book more filled with so many doom-laden people so frustrated?  With "Architecture" as the main character?  My God!  Architecture is the main character!  How can you have Architecture as the main character?!

I wonder when Howard will realise that what he wants most is for people to work with him?

Howard is not a person; he's a cold, hard, awful principle.  Unfortunately, I find it very attractive.


Waiting in the wings...  Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist.

'The Pedagogy Of The Oppressed' by Paulo Freire.

A classic (I am told) and, so far into it, a wonderful guide to what teachers should do in China, at least.

It could serve well in some schools in London as well.

Jasper Fforde Nursery Crimes series. The big over easy. The fourth bear. Good writing. Kind of metafantasy. Not bad, will try his Thursday Next series next thursday.

Mr. N, you're in for a treat. The Thursday Next series is amazing. If you liked the nursery crime books, check out Malcolm Pryce's Aberystwyth series. Welsh metafantasy noir. Spectacularly entertaining.

Still reading The Fountainhead.  It's awful.  I love it.

The whole thing is one giant INTJ glare in horror at the ENFJs amongst us.


(And love/hate for the ESFP shadow inside.)

Ayn Rand. Complex social philosopher. Boring author.