Read any good books lately? Rate them here

[Ravenshire]

You guys should check out this new book that just came out.  It's called Farenheit 451.  Quite an amazing story.

New?

I hope you're trolling.

[Jericho]

You guys should check out this new book that just came out.  It's called Farenheit 451.  Quite an amazing story.

New?

I hope you're trolling.

Yes, I am trolling. I love reading older books, especially those involving conspiracy theories (Farenheit 451 and 1984 are good examples).

[Ravenshire]

Ahh. Ok.

It wouldn't be the first time a 50+ year old book was presented to me as new.

Since you like old books, have you read any Dickens?

[Jericho]

Yes, actually. I am quite fond of Oliver Twst, though not many people that I talk to seem to like it. Do you like John Steinbeck?

[Ravenshire]

Yes, actually.  I am quite fond of Oliver Twst, though not many people that I talk to seem to like it.  Do you like John Steinbeck?

"Oliver Twist" was quite good, but my fav is still "A Tale of Two Cities." Even though it was written about the French Revolution, it still has themes that resonate today.

Love me some Steinbeck! "Grapes of Wrath" may be the greatest depression era novel ever written, but my personal favorite by him is "Of Mice and Men."

As long as were discussing classics, let's not forget F. Scott Fitzgerald. "This Side of Paradise," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Botton" and "The Great Gatsby" are among the very greatest.

Have you read "The Razor's Edge" by W. Somerset Maugham? Truly epic tale of personal discovery.

The Razor's Edge tells the story of Larry Darrell, an American pilot traumatised by his experiences in World War I, who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life. The story begins through the eyes of Larry's friends and acquaintances as they witness his personality change after the War. His rejection of conventional life and search for meaningful experience allows him to thrive while the more materialistic characters suffer reversals of fortune. The book was twice adapted into film, first in 1946 starring Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney, and Herbert Marshall as Maugham and Anne Baxter as Sophie, and then a 1984 adaptation starring Bill Murray.

Source

The 1984 adaptation still holds up today as a great bit of cinema and was a fairly faithful adaptation as well. The book (as is typical) was better though.

[Rev. Rye]

Honestly, I've read it a few times and I think Catch-22 works better as a portrait of the insanity of war and the human condition. If the writing style undermines the struggle against brutality and bureaucracy, that's only because, well, reality will undermine the struggle. One person can do so little against the military juggernaut.

I couldn't finish it. I read 4 chapters or so. Each chapter seemed to be a portrait of a new and entertaining character. I liked the author's voice, but I just couldn't find a plot anywhere and lost interest. Seemed more like a collection of essays than a novel.

It takes longer for an actual plot to emerge than four chapters.

And if you think that's bad, try reading Geoff Ryman's 253. It's just a brief description (253 words, in fact) of 253 passengers on a London Underground train. Try reading that and dismissing Catch-22 on those grounds!

On a lighter note, I recently read Damien Echols' Life After Death (he deserves a 10/10 after everything he went through) and am currently reading Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth. It's off to a good start.

[Jericho]

Yes, actually.  I am quite fond of Oliver Twst, though not many people that I talk to seem to like it.  Do you like John Steinbeck?

"Oliver Twist" was quite good, but my fav is still "A Tale of Two Cities." Even though it was written about the French Revolution, it still has themes that resonate today.

Love me some Steinbeck! "Grapes of Wrath" may be the greatest depression era novel ever written, but my personal favorite by him is "Of Mice and Men."

As long as were discussing classics, let's not forget F. Scott Fitzgerald. "This Side of Paradise," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Botton" and "The Great Gatsby" are among the very greatest.

Have you read "The Razor's Edge" by W. Somerset Maugham? Truly epic tale of personal discovery.

I agree that 'A Tale of Two Cities' was an incredible novel, for I enjoyed every minute that I spent reading it. I also agree about 'The Grapes of Wrath', for it is one of my favorite novels by Steinbeck. However, my favorite is 'East of Eden', though most don't agree with me. I liked F. Scott Fitzgerald as well. His work on 'The Great Gatsby' was incredible to say the least.

I actually have read 'The Razor's Edge', and I loved it. It took me nearly a quarter of the book to truly get into it, but it was well worth it.

Some of my favorite classics are 'The Sun Also Rises', by Hemingway. As well as 'Animal Farm', by Orwell. A lot of my friends didn't like 'Animal Farm', but I found it pretty amazing. It's funny because I could talk about classics all day. Hell, another favorite of mine is 'Lord of the Flies', by Golding.

In general, I find classic books to be amazingly well-written.

[Edwardo Piet]

The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris 4/5. Could do with more speculation on utiliitarianismish or similar consequentialist type theories suggested. Dawkins sometimes delves slightly too far past his expert field whilst I wish Sam Harris would actually speculate a bit further and write books a bit longer.

[Thumpalumpacus]

It's not as dreary as I remember it, but from the standpoint of a writer, it's far too self-aware a book to do service to the story or, even more importantly for this book, the message. Heller spends too much energy engaging in cutesy self-conscious writing (too many apposite opposites!) which detract from what I sense so far as his point (I'm 180 pages in), which is essentially a paean to the individual in his struggle against reality, against mindless bureaucracy, and against human brutality.

I will finish it this time, I know that much, but I can't yet gauge whether the satisfaction will be a worthy payoff.

Honestly, I've read it a few times and I think Catch-22 works better as a portrait of the insanity of war and the human condition. If the writing style undermines the struggle against brutality and bureaucracy, that's only because, well, reality will undermine the struggle. One person can do so little against the military juggernaut.

A couple of hundred pages further along, I'm thinking that yours is the more accurate summation, and I'm enjoying the book better the deeper I'm in on it. I've got about 70 pages left to read and will likely finish it tomorrow, but even at this point I can safely say that my first impression seems overly harsh.

[Edwardo Piet]

Started reading Brave New World. Bound to be 5/5.