Official Interference Summer Reading Thread

[U2girl91289]

Thanks. I don't want to have to read anything unecessary, because I have so much other stuff to read

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

I got my copy of The Lovely Bones in the mail yesterday. I can't wait to read it.

I'm finishing up Positively 4th Street, about the lives of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Farina and Richard Farina. Not as engrossing as I thought it'd be, but a fascinating read nonetheless.

 

[u2popmofo]

Actually, I started and finishedEnder's Shadow yesterday, but I might re-read it if i get a chance,because I have so much spare time on my hands, and nothing to do!LOL

I've only read the first book in the series, and I thought it was fantastic. It was a few years back though, and I've been meaning to read all of them sometime. Are you a fan of the series?

A few years back I was standing in the Sci Fi section of Barnes and Nobles looking at books and I look over and Orson Scott Card is standing next to me looking at books too. I did a major double-take. He had a giant stack of books in his arms that he walked off with. That's my story.

That's about the only person you could consider a celebrity that I've ever just "bumped into" in Utah, unless you consider the Osmonds' kids that lived in the apt. directly below mine a few years ago..... I wouldnt consider them celebrities at all personally, but they were actually extremely nice guys. Ok, that's the end of the stories.

 

[U2girl91289]

I just got into Orson Scott Card books, but I love them. I thinkEnder's Shadow is better than Ender's Game, but maybe that's just my opinion. I just started Speaker for the Dead , and I really like that. That's really cool that you saw Orson Scott Card in person!

 

[EdgeVox]

Reading The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway, Stupid White People by Michael Moore and Tragic Sense Of Life by Miguel De Unamuno........all really really good books, would recommend them to anyone...

 

[AvsGirl41]

I just started "The Crimson Petal and the White" and so far, I like it. I'm only on the third chapter or so. The descriptions of Victorian London slums will make your skin crawl.

 

[FizzingWhizzbees]

I'm just finishing The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Next I want to read Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (hope I spelled that correctly). After that I'd like to read some more books by African authors, so if anyone has any recommendations I'd love to hear them.

*Fizz.

 

[elizabeth]

i'm glad i skipped to the last page...i love Orson Scott Card. His books are fab...I was considering writing my senior honors thesis on the experiences of mormon women in the west and i actually communicated with him by email for awhile..it was a great time for me to chat with one of my fave authors, and he was really generous with his time.


That said, i need readers to help me remember a book...all i can remember is that two men in the story do not get along well at all...and the wife of one of the men is somewhat..."weak in the brain" as they call it...but she calms down around the other man (who is not her husband). Oh, also, the man she calms down around is a quiet drunk...i think maybe the uncle of the narrator?

he drinks beer or wine from bottles that he hides in his golf bag, then carts out at night and buries them to hide his drinking.

that's all i can remember.

anyone know what book i'm talking about?

 

[elizabeth]

I have to read 13 books for high school next year, because I'm going to be in 9th grade, but 10th grade honors English, so in order to stay on the safe side, I'm reading every book on both lists. The 9h grade books are: My Name is Asher Lev,1984,Oliver Twist,The Call of the Wild and Marjorie Morningstar. The 10th grade books are:Into the Wild,The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Chosen,My Antonia and Cold Mountain. For 10 Honors I have to read: Atlas Shrugged,Cat's Cradle and The Power of Myth. On top of that, I'm reading the Lord of the Rings Trilogy(again),The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales,Ender's Shadow, Speaker For the Dead, and I will read the new Harry Potter when the shipment arrives.

About Atlas Shrugged- The version I have is 1084 pages. I don't mind reading that, but is it supposed to be that long?

this sounds like a great reading list! My favorites are My Antonia, 1984, and Cat's Cradle. I didn't care for Oliver Twist (and it didn't help that John Irving constantly talked about it in Cider House) and I haven't read a few of the others.

I wanted to mention that I am not in agreement with Ayn Rand's philosophy, which i believe is called objectivism. Correct me others if I am incorrect, but she expresses an idea that there is no such thing as true altruism...or a true kindness done without some benefit for the doer, so there is no sense in faking altruism and one should just live for oneself.

this idea was illustrated brilliantly, i think, in an episode of "Friends" when Phoebe attempts to disprove it and Joey shows her how she's failed each time. Comedic, simple, yet effective. I don't agree with Ayn Rand...but it's hard to debate against her philosophy for the main reason that doing something altruistic makes the doer feel better...thus gaining some benefit...thus proving Rand's point.

 

[pax]

I've now finished (and started) a couple more books:

Enemy Women, Paulette Jiles
I think I mentioned this one before--Civil War-era historical novel, etc. It was okay, but not as good as I thought it would be.

The Virgin of Bennington, Kathleen Norris
Another book I thought I would enjoy more than I did. I'd read some of Kathleen Norris's other writing (The Quotidian Mysteries, some of her poems), but her memoir spent far too little time reflecting on herself and ended up being a poorly organized collection of anecdotes in the second half (or more) of the book.

For the Relief of Unbearable Urges, Nathan Englander
Now *this* book was GREAT. It was a really cool short-story collection focusing on Jewish people--mostly Orthodox Jews living in the contemporary era. Witty and emotive without being sappy. If you're a short-story enthusiast, pick this one up.

I just started The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, but that's mostly for school. Have to start thinking about my feminist philosophy tutorial for the fall.

 

[Popmartijn]

Hello,

I almost forgot about this thread! Or rather, forgot to post in here. Since the end of June I've finished 2 books, so I thought I'd mention them here:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (of course ). Don't worry, I won't reveal any spoilers. I thought it was a good read, but not as good as books three and four (The Prisoner of Azkaban & The Goblet of Fire). IMO, it lacked a bit of structure, it really seemed like a transitional book between the early years and Potter's last two years at Hogwarts. Not that I know anything about books six and seven. Those aren't written yet...

Crosstown Traffic: Jimi Hendrix and post-war pop by Charles Shaar Murray. Yep, this is a Hendrix biography, although not your standard life-story. You can rather compare it with John Water's U2 biography Race Of Angels, focussing more on the music and the context than the actual life of Jimi Hendrix (the author puts the standard biography thing in one chapter, which is enough). Instead, he focuses on the Sixties generation, the black artist and the white audience and of course Hendrix's influences from and on blues, soul and jazz. Luckily, Charles Shaar Murray can write (more in the style of Bill Flanagan than John Waters), so it was a pleasant read.

At this moment I'm reading a Dutch book again: De Doodshoofdvlinder by Jan Wolkers. Don't know the exact translation of it in English (the title refers to a butterfly, the same one as was used in Silence Of The Lambs).

I'll post more when I've read it.

C ya!

Marty

 

[IWasBored]

trainspotting
the man who made ireland: the life and death of michael collins

 

[AvsGirl41]

t
the man who made ireland: the life and death of michael collins

That is a *great* biography.

I was just thinking about that buying that one...

 

[AvsGirl41]

Summer reading update...

Gave up on:
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber (boring!!)

Finished:
The Lady with the Pet Dog and other Stories
The Poisonwood Bible
A Room of One's Own

In the Middle Of:
About a Boy
The Hobbit

Soon to Start:
Harry Potter 5


I think my eyes are going to fall out.

 

[filledeperle]

Just Finished:
"Leap of Faith" by Queen Noor

Right now I'm just browsing the bookstores.
I plan to start reading Flanagan's book soon.

Perle

 

[pax]

I also started reading Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon.

 

[HelloAngel]

Just finished -
"The Day I Went Missing" - Jennifer Miller

About to finish -
"The Devil Wears Prada" - Lauren Weisberger (no idea how this got published)

About to start -
"You Shall Know our Velocity" - Dave Eggers
"The Crimson Petal and the White"
"Stupid White Men"
"Atonement" - Ian McEwan

Gave up on -
"The Corrections" (just couldn't do it)

 

[sulawesigirl4]

in the midst of two very large books.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Lake in the Clouds by Sara Donati

both are turning out to be quite good.

 

[AvsGirl41]

"You Shall Know our Velocity" - Dave Eggers

Did you get the new paperback edition? With all the added stuff?
There's a whole new story added!

I adore Dave Eggers, but I'm quite upset he did that to me, considering how long I had to wait in line for the hardcopy.

Let me know what you think of The Crimson Petal and the White--I only got halfway through.

 

[sharky]

reading Seabiscuit now, starting The Science of Harry Potter next. from the book cover, it sounds like they may explain scientific whipping willows and such.

 

[HelloAngel]

Did you get the new paperback edition? With all the added stuff?
There's a whole new story added!

I adore Dave Eggers, but I'm quite upset he did that to me, considering how long I had to wait in line for the hardcopy.

That is SO funny you say that about the hardback - I went to Borders and Barnes&Noble every week for what seemed like a year - and NO ONE ever had the hardback edition! I was so worried that it sucked and the publisher did a limited run.

But then - the paperback appears - and WOO - I got it as a birthday present! I didn't even know about the extra stuff! Thank you for letting me know!

Dave Eggers

 

[pax]

ALL READING PROJECTS HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED AS I FINALLY RECEIVED MY COPY OF DOUGLAS COUPLAND'S HEY NOSTRADAMUS! IN THE MAIL TODAY!

 

[U2girl02]

I'm currently reading:

Unforgettable Fire: Past, Present, and Future... I've been reading it off and on since December I have no idea why it's taking me so long...

To School Through the Fields It's little stories about a girl growing up in rural Ireland and it's pretty good so far... it's the biggest best-seller in the history of Ireland so I figured it must be good lol.


I'm about to start The Secret Life of Bees and The Looking Glass. Anyone read either of these? Any good?

 

[FizzingWhizzbees]

I've been reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson and I've just started reading Stupid White Men by Michael Moore, about two years later than everyone else, lol!

 

[AvsGirl41]

That is SO funny you say that about the hardback - I went to Borders and Barnes&Noble every week for what seemed like a year - and NO ONE ever had the hardback edition! I was so worried that it sucked and the publisher did a limited run.

But then - the paperback appears - and WOO - I got it as a birthday present! I didn't even know about the extra stuff! Thank you for letting me know!

Dave Eggers

Apparently, Dave Eggers pulled a fast one on the corporate chains and only sold the hardback to independent bookstores. All these B&N managers were at the Tattered Cover bitching about it--but buying the book, so score one for the independents!

He dd a signing at the Tattered Cover, so I got the hardback and he drew one of his strange cartoons in my book.

All the commentary/story by Hand is new. I'm not sure what else has been added or removed. I must go get a paperback....!

 

[HelloAngel]

You met him??????????????

 

[AvsGirl41]

You met him??????????????

I did! It was a blast, but I was all by myself and had no one to share it with. It was an...interesting crowd. I actually expected him to be a little stranger, but he's really laid back, cool and hysterically funny.

It took him forever to sign the books because he drew cartoons in each book. He started to draw in mine and then said
"Oh, crap, I messed up. I'm so, so, so sorry."
"That's ok."
"Well, see, this is a ring, here. It's supposed to be a ring. Nose ring...not like, nosering, you know?"
The drawing is a nose and a ring, hung on hooks...and it says "Beth, I meant this in the best possible way." It's a treasure, although I still don't get it.

He was going to take everyone out to a bar after, but I couldn't go. I could have drank with him!

If he comes to Denver again, fly out and we'll go.

 

[Popmartijn]

Finished reading Jan Wolkers' De Doodshoofdvlinder yesterday (still haven't found a good translation of the title yet). It was nice, but nothing shocking IMO. And you do have to like his style (fairly graphic, with an emphasis on nature, or rather the rotting objects in nature).

I think that next up is a biography of one of the most successful Dutch bands, Doe Maar. It's one of those biographies with lots of photo's, etc. So I can look again in shock to the style people had in the early Eighties.

C ya!

Marty (who's running out of unread books though)

 

[HelloAngel]

He was going to take everyone out to a bar after, but I couldn't go. I could have drank with him!

I'm actually jealous.

 

[IWasBored]

i finished reading trainspotting