I picked up In Search of Schrodinger's Cat by John Gribbon at the bookstore the other day. It's about quantum theory. I came across it while I was looking at some Stephen Hawking stuff. In the first paragraph of the introduction, Gribbon states that the reason he loves science is it's beauty and simplicity, which happens to by why I like science! So I bought it.

So far so good. I do love a little quantum physics on the side.

I am rereading the entire HP series. :D

for the what-40th time.....I've lost count.

Ya know I am really starting to feel at home here. :)

I've often considered writing a book on the Simplicity of science. But everytime I do a massive Monty-Pythonesque bucket of IRONY nearly squashes me.

Re-reading Gof at the moment trying to find some juicy little clues but so far not so much - waiting for my brother to finish Hich-hikers Guide as I want to read it before the film comes out-which I have to say whets the appetite quite a bit

Feeling the urge to read the whole HP series again from page 1, just to be prepared for the reconstruction project.

And also to avoid working ;)

Also starting in on His Dark Materials again.

I'm flittering about among different books, OotP, RotK, Amber Spy Glass, Orangeism in the 20th century...

I've got a few going also. I'm...slowly...making my way through Ulsysses. Plus I've got Lady of Avalon, Amber...even more slowly than Ulsysses, and Pride and Prejudice. I can't be tied down to one book. It's just too much of a committment.

Finished Ulysses, started again

I've just finished the Harry Potter tapes on car radio. Now I am acquiring Series of Unfortunate events on tape if poss. for traffic jam & boring repetitive commuting journey amusement. So far I'm up to the Ersatz Elevator.

For reading I have Stephen Donaldson's new novel The runes of the earth and a couple of library books I had better finish before I get hoist by my own petard. ;)

Gulliver's Travles.
it's fantastic in every conceivable way.

Ah, I'm glad someone started this thread again!

I'm currently about halfway through Mary Reilly. I had liked the movie so much that I decided to pick up the book. I'm really enjoying it. Just in case anyone hasn't heard of it, it's the story of Jekyll and Hyde from the point of view of a maid in Dr. Jekyll's household. It's very psychological, and the relationship between Mary and Dr. Jekyll is fascinating. So far she hasn't actually seen Hyde, though she comes into contact with him quite a bit in the movie. I'm wondering if we'll ever see her actually meet him, or just hear about him from the other household staff.


Next up, I'm going to read America: The Book, put out by the people from The Daily Show. Really looking forward to it. :D

Along with my happy little book on physics, I'm reading The Catcher in the Rye. Because I've never actually read it. We are using a chapter from it in my interpersonal communications class, and it sparked my interest.

Ah... Catcher is possibly my favourite book of all time.

I'm reading a mess of little student papers on attention and perception and memory :( :blink:
But they can't last forever. :D
Can they? :huh:

After that, I'm starting to re-read The Subtle Knife. This is one of those things like so many where I loved the first book unconditionally, the second book (good as it is) is a bridge rather than a book, and the third one (amazing as it is) spreads out into so many things it never quite lives the promise of that first, fabulous book.

The only trilogy or series I can think of that DOESN'T do that is Lord of the Rings.

*is thinking Belorin is going to come roaring in any minute with flames of Amber's chaos in his eyes. . . *

I don't know, I'm reading more on Amber at the moment, and I really just can't get into Merlin. My sister keeps promising me more of Corwin, but no matter how much I read, he doesn't come back. But I figure Merlin is better than Buck Mulligan. Sorry Godric, I just had to take a break from Buck. I've absolutely no clue what the hell is going on in that book at this moment. <_<

Thats cos you're a shiney galwegian drunkard-cum-conspiracy-nut, though ;)

RE: HDM, i agree wholeheartedly with what Mantha just said. So much was laid out for the massive final battle that was such an anti-climax that i could've ripped the book in two. Still a wonderful series, especially if Pullman can expand on some of the left-overs with the other books he has planned.

Lets hope HP doesnt go the same way, eh?

Don't even joke about such things!
I'm reading Under the Hawthorn Tree at the mo which was my favourite book growing up-haven't read it in years and I have to say I can't really see what I liked about it so much - only on the first few chapters though

I was a little disappointed by The Amber Spyglass, considring how brilliant I considered the first two books in HDM to be. The little elephant things particularly irked me.
It is far from a crime to need a break from Ulysses, Banker, I don't thin I know of anyone who's actuallyred it straight through...

Amber Spyglass really did go off on a massive tangent. I understand Pullman wanted to impress upon us that the church's views on evolution were wrong and that, and that the lives of other intelligent and sentinent creatures were at stake too...but shortly thereafter the book decended into a silly anti-christian rant.

Which was a bit of a pain in the cunt, tbh.

You've got to admit that the liberation of what was left of God, as well as all the Dead, had a lot to recommend it as a statement, and was satisfyingly awful and pathetic (in the case of God) and more than a little moving (regarding the Dead). Actually it fit very nicely with the idea that your alternate or complementary instinctual self is animal, and natural, and dies with you. Any other variation on that is unnatural and needs to be brought back to the original arrangement. I'm with that.

Mum and dad saving your butt by dragging the twisted SOB Metatron down to the abyss with them was fab too. Least they can do, after the mess they made of it all. ^_^ Really a great touch.

But yeah -- some massive tangents. Except the very, very end brought it all round full circle.

*is thinking these posts about HDM should be moved into their own new thread in Other Worlds forum. . . *

I finished The Catcher in the Rye last night. I really liked it. I dunno, it's strange . . . it is a book that is referred to in movies and TV and what-not often, but I feel like what all these media say what the books is about isn't really what it was about. (Yes, I like not making any sense, why did you ask?) Like, even when they (media) discuss the plot, the plot that I've heard alluded to isn't what I read at all! It was totally different from what I expected. I really liked Holden. Not in like a crushy way, but as someone I can totally identify with, much more than I think I would have expected of myself. He was so foreign to me and yet so not.

Heh, I found him a bit annoying after awhile. The book wasn't too bad though. Definitely read worse in school. Plus it gave me a chance to hear a nun say swear words (my freshman english teacher would read it aloud to us).

Hehe, Stephen King said OotP was like Catcher in the Rye without the swearing and the alcohol.

And without the mental problems. If I remember correctly (read it in high school), my english teacher told us that Holden was schizophrenic, which I never would have caught since at the time I was fairly in the dark about what it's symptoms were.


Well, Mary Reilly was great, though it differed in parts from the film, which will happen. Supposedly the whole book was taken from the journals that the author somehow came into possessing. I was rather stumped as the author wondered in her Afterword if the journals were truly real or a fiction. I had always thought Jekyll and Hyde was complete fiction. How could some real maid have a master named Harry Jekyll? Am I dumb? (Banker do not answer).

Anyway, I'm reading Barrel Fever now, another book of hilarious essays by David Sedaris. I plan on putting another quote from him in my signature, provided I can find a really good one that isn't too risque. :D

Right now I'm re-reading A Midsummer Night's Dream for school. I love that play, it gets better each time I read it. And it has one of Shakespeare's greatest lines, IMO- "Lord, what fools these mortals be!". Ahh, too true.

MSND is fantastic, one of my favourite Shakespeare plays, (I'll never lose my bizarre soft spot for the oft-overlooked Two Gentlemen of Verona).
I disagree with your English teacher, Lupinfan. Holden has a combination of teenage angst, depression, meloncholy, attention deffecit disorder, a violent temper, teen stress and a broken heart. Just about the only thing he doesn't have is schizophrenia. I really think he's a fantastic character, though.

That was my MSN name last week, some reference to idiot flamers on 'creative' *CoughYeahRightCough* websites... ^^
I really need to read more Shakespeare... O.o (My English teacher would doubtlesley be overjoyed to hear that...)

I personally don't enjoy reading Shakespeare. I prefer to see people acting it out.

I had to read Peter Singer's One World so I could evaluate his argument fo my ethics class. I was looking for a good literary reference to make about te relationship between random people and remembered Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s Cat's Cradle. :D :D :D I started re-reading the book in the library and it immidiately made me smile and smile like an idiot. Yay to the wisdom of Bokonon.

I hate Shakespeare, myself. His writing is fussy and over-punctuated, his characters are either passionatley over-complex or mind-numbingly mundane.

the ex used to love them though. Which is another reason to hate them.

re-reading Lord of the Flies

I've started reading a book on Buddhism by Huston Smith and Phillip Novak, who are supposed to be respected authors on world religions. I've had a renewed openness to the idea of taking up a religion of late, and Buddhism was one that supposedly had a lot in common with my personal beliefs. So far, it is very interesting and well-written, but I am not sure how much I think I could separate myself from the world for spiritual enlightenment. I'm waiting to see how modern Buddhists practice to see if it's something I want to seriously consider. If not, I think I may look more into Wicca or another earth-based religion. But if you are interested in knowing more about Buddhism, this is a great book that is informational, but doesn't feel like a textbook. It really draws you in and keeps your interest. :thup:

Just finished a new book – The Looking Glass Wars – by Frank Beddor. This was a great premise – that Wonderland is a real world – and that Alyss was its princess. However when her parents, the King and Queen, are assassinated by the Queen’s sister Redd, Alyss escapes with her life to our world – to Oxford London in 1860’s - where she must find a way to live without losing her sanity. A kindly Reverend, Charles Dodgson, listens to her memories of Wonderland – then rewrites them as the fantastical story of Alice in Wonderland. Feeling betrayed, Alyss tries to forget all about Wonderland and to fit in with London society. Until she is beckoned back, to fight for and fulfill her role as the true Queen of Wonderland.

Familiar characters are given new facades: Hatter Madigan is the Queen’s personal bodyguard; Bibwit Harte is a sort of teacher/protocol instructor; there are the four leading families – the Hearts, Spades, Clubs and Diamonds all plotting for power; there’s General Doppelganger, who can morph himself into twins; and the most evil assassin of all – The Cat :o. Lots of other parallel characters too.

While it’s an interesting story – well written and a clever idea – it suffers from not knowing who the intended audience should be. It wavers between a story for adult readers and a story for Young Adult readers. Because it won’t commit to either, it appears weak in the end. It builds to an intended ending – then falls short of it – leaving this reader disappointed. I’d recommend it tho’ - just for its clever idea! :)

So here's a book that made me cry - it was so beautiful. It's 'The Eye of the Wolf' by Daniel Pennac. Hauntingly simplistic - this story is so well-written - a pleasure to read. On the surface it is the story of a lone one-eyed wolf pacing in a zoo cage. A small boy stands outside his cage until finally he is able to look the wolf directly in his eye - and the wolf's story unfolds before him. In return, the wolf asks 'who are you?' and looks into the boy's eyes - and the boy's life of hardship and loss is revealed to him.

The allegorical aspects touch ways we treat children, animals and the environment and there are some deeply philosophical issues to be thought through. The end of the story is deep and magical and positively heart-warming - allowing the spiritual bonding between the wolf and the boy to emphasise the main themes of the story - of love, and of healing, and of the inter-connectiveness of meaningful relationships.

yeah - I loved it. :)

Ok, people, I have a problem. I'm having problems finding a good book to read. The last probably, 10, books I've picked up I haven't been able to finish because they're either badly written, or just boring as hell. Anyone read any fab books lately?

Have you ever read Ender's Game, by Orsen Scott Card, Banker? It's by no means long, but Matt made me read it while he was home, and I found it interesting. Very thought provoking, to be sure.

This might be interesting because of the movie being out . . . have you read the book The Phantom of the Opera? I enjoyed it.

Oh, and my dad suggested to me this book years ago, Vertical Run by Joseph Garber. It's a suspense/thriller type book. I really liked it. I think. I has been ten years since I've read it. It's about this guy who gets up and goes to work one day to find that everyone is trying to kill him, and he's got no idea why.

Banker, Have you read any John Grisham's books ?

I read The testament, and had only gotten to page 10 and I was hooked. I could'nt put it down
good luck finding some good read. at least till JULY !!! :smile

I always suggest he "stephanie plum" novels to people. Not thought provoking in any way but definatly LOL funny. Just outragous and it is a series of 10 so far, so if you like them there is some more wating for you. The first one is called "One for the Money" by Janet Evanovich.

Picked up The Da Vinci Code and a couple of other Dan Brown books the other day.

The Da Vinci Code is great so far, i'm really really enjoying it. I've waited FOUR MONTHS for my friend to give me his copy...but friends are cunts, and i was sick of waiting. Go me.

I must commend the staff of Eason's. Very friendly. And not in the fake American-import Starbuck's style friendly like "ENJOY YOUR COFFEE HAVE A NICE DAY! *forced smile*"

I mean old fashioned, having a good time at work, "Dan Brown? He's great, him. Enjoy your read" style one.

Good work Eason's.

I love the Davinci Code, great book. Haven't read anything else by Dan Brown yet, let me know if it is as good.