What book(s) have you read recently?

[Dralha]

A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony -- the first of the Xanth novels. If this series were ever made into an anime, it'd certainly have the 'ecchi' tag.

[JagdPanther]

I'm currently reading Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel by Karen Traviss.

Republic Commando: Hard Contact by Traviss was excellent, I felt. Since then, the novels have become progressively worse. I've discovered that she actually is a terrible writer (not in a technical sense; though, some of her UK English grammar drives me insane because, as an American English speaker, we have a few marginally different grammar rules/tendencies). Someone told me, and I have yet to confirm that, that Traviss was nearly boastful about having written these novels despite having never read a Star Wars novel before. Well, if true, it shows. She is awful. Her idea of the Mandalorian culture makes me want to find her and say, "What. The. ****."

[Revelation]

Just finished House of Leaves (Still don't fully get it... but it was amazing in its own right.), and The Art of Racing in the Rain. (A nice little story from the perspective of a dog with his racecar driving owner and family.)

Now currently reading And Then There Were None, even though the entire solution was spoiled for me.

[Magin]

Originally Posted by Dralha

A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony -- the first of the Xanth novels. If this series were ever made into an anime, it'd certainly have the 'ecchi' tag.

This is true for pretty much all of older teen/adult fantasy... I don't think I've read a fantasy aimed at older teens and adults that didn't feature high amounts of nudity descriptions

[agoodcupoftea]

Dying Eye, Higasino Keigo. Interesting, suiri(English?)/sci-fi-ish. This girl gets run over. Ages later guy working at bar gets attacked. Attacker turns out to be husband of roadkill girl. Bar guy has a lot of free time. Starts going around checking out where attacker (who killed himself same night) lived, and stalking anyone related to the accident (in which he was involved). Bar guy's girlfriend dissapears as bar guy becomes in la-la-land about a mysetrious lady customer. Just got past the part where bar guy is held captive at mysterious girl's house. girl turns out to be the one he and some other dude ran over. Or at least thinks she is. Turns out attacker/husband was a manekin (sp?) designer and was totally obsessed with making a AI doll of his dead wife, so maybe she's AI or maybe she's a ghost in a manekin. Pretty interesting^_^ Way the sex scenes play out with bar guy and the mysterious chick tested my supension of disbelief a bit, but still. Definitely worth the read. Kind of noir-ish with its twists and turns.

EDIT: It's not sci-fi. Finished that book day after I posted this. Last 100 pages, everything becomes clear. I never would've guessed who the mysterious woman was.

[7thMethuselah]

Just finished a book by Stephen King (Needful Things) which I didn't like at all, it was very predictable and just dragged on too long, the story would've been better off with 1/3rd less pages. A pity, it's been years since I read anything from Stephen King and I sorta hoped it would be a good change to the stuff I usually read.

And today I completed "Atlantis" by David Gibbins. Intrigueing book where Gibbins tries to combine alot of pre classical elements in a possible answer to the Atlantis story. The historical part of it is quite enjoyable (if sometimes a bit far stretched for evidence). For some reason however the writer found a need to add an action novel halfway through the tale where the dusty archeologists suddenly become highly trained members of a special force unit (being able to use nuclear subs, attack helicopters and various heavy weaponry??). Too bad or the book would've been excellent.

Think I'll read something fantasy next, not usre yet what, several books waiting

[Alchemist007]

Down to the last 20 pages of Gears of War: Anvil Gate. It goes back and forth between 32 years in the past (17 years before Emergence Day) and the Gears' survival in present day (between GOW 2-3). Current day is about finding an island that's not decimated from the apocalyptic worldwide Hammer strikes and fighting more with Stranded and allying with them eventually and their old Pendulum war rivals the UIR (their world's equivalent of Russians..."Gorasnaya") to fight the Lambent. They use tactics that Colonial Hoffman used at Anvil gate against the Gorasni to fight the Lambent...which was some inhumane shit brought on by desperation (months with low food/water for thousands of people...faking a surrender to ambush the enemy).

[Endless Soul]

I just finished Terry Brooks' Bearers of the Black Staff, pretty much his standard fare. Now I'm reading David Drake's Hammer's Slammers Vol. 1. I've been aware of this series ever since it came out, but I never read any of the books. So far I'm "meh" about it, but I'm only a few chapters in.

[DonQuigleone]

Pelopennesian War, Thucydides.

The Spartans and Athenians make for an interesting contrast.

[Xagzan]

Almost finished with the Odyssey. The translator is top-notch, but his style makes for kind of a dry read. Maybe I'll go for Fagles next time. Hear it's more mellifluous.

Next thing on my list - probably the Aeneid. Though I did read most of it in school, so maybe I'll go right to Beowulf. And I do want to get to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, and catch up on the Redwall books I've missed, now that no more will be written. RIP Brian Jacques

[ganbaru]

I just finished a compilatiopn of all the work of Rudyard Kipling. It was long ( about 500 stories) even if I passe the stories than where in double, but it was worth it.

[DonQuigleone]

Originally Posted by Xagzan

Almost finished with the Odyssey. The translator is top-notch, but his style makes for kind of a dry read. Maybe I'll go for Fagles next time. Hear it's more mellifluous.

Next thing on my list - probably the Aeneid. Though I did read most of it in school, so maybe I'll go right to Beowulf. And I do want to get to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, and catch up on the Redwall books I've missed, now that no more will be written. RIP Brian Jacques

Odyssey (and Iliad) are some of the most translated books ever, so thaere's a lot out there to choose from. Who did you read?

Personally I'd go for E.V. Rieu, which is the translation Penguin uses (and I think they still use), I found it an easy enough read at 13 (and we all know how much patience 13 year olds have...). That said, it's been a while since I read it.

The major problem I have is that you can't easily get any of these translations in E-Book form, and the only translations on Gutenberg usually date back to the 1800s and aren't quite as good.

[Xagzan]

Originally Posted by DonQuigleone

Odyssey (and Iliad) are some of the most translated books ever, so thaere's a lot out there to choose from. Who did you read?

Personally I'd go for E.V. Rieu, which is the translation Penguin uses (and I think they still use), I found it an easy enough read at 13 (and we all know how much patience 13 year olds have...). That said, it's been a while since I read it.

The major problem I have is that you can't easily get any of these translations in E-Book form, and the only translations on Gutenberg usually date back to the 1800s and aren't quite as good.

I read Lattimore, both for this and the Iliad before it. It was a favorite of a professor I had, and Lattimore's is I believe the closest to an accurate English rendering of the Greek meter you can find. But as I said, the language can be pretty stilted and dry sometimes. It's not a beginner's version, that's for sure. I've also read parts of Lombardo's version, which flowed better but had some funky language at points.

Oh, and that is definitely not an issue with me. I like paper media when it comes to books, and have zero interest in a kindle or anything like that. If I were to buy another version, I wouldn't be e-booking it.

[RadiantBeam]

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Currently working through its sequel, Dragonfly in Amber.

[DonQuigleone]

Originally Posted by Xagzan

I read Lattimore, both for this and the Iliad before it. It was a favorite of a professor I had, and Lattimore's is I believe the closest to an accurate English rendering of the Greek meter you can find. But as I said, the language can be pretty stilted and dry sometimes. It's not a beginner's version, that's for sure. I've also read parts of Lombardo's version, which flowed better but had some funky language at points.

Well I'd definitely give my reccomendation to Rieu, it's also the edition that penguin uses, and in fact his translations of the Odyssey and Iliad were (I believe) the first Penguin Classics.

Personally I don't think an "accurate" translation is necessarily the best way forward, usually it's better to communicate what the original author intended. So for instance in French "Mon petit chou" is a term of endearment, but the literal english translation is "My little cabbage" which most english people would consider a weird thing to say, better to translate as "My dear" or "Honey" etc.

I'm not particularly keen on the translations that try and maintain the metre and poetry of the original greek, seems like an exercise in futility. Better to transfer into prose.

[Haladflire65]

I'm currently reading Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card, and Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw for English... I'm liking Ender so far, but I think the first book was more engrossing. And as for Joan... well, it's an English book

[ganbaru]

Zadig ou la destinée, Jeannot et Colin, L'ingénu, L'homme aux 40 ecus, La princess de babylone, Les oreille du conte de Chesterfield et le chapelain Goudman, and Le taureau Blanc, all by Voltaire

[lunarpisces]

Kralın Gözleri-The Eyes of a King Catherine Banner

[Eryons]

At the moment, i'm reading Across the Nightingale Floor. It's set in feudal Japan, and is about a 16 year old's village being destroyed by a clan, him being the only survivor after being saved by a Lord. The boy then starts training to take down one of the most feared clan in the country. Worth the read.

[Haak]

A World of Trouble: America In The Middle East by Patrick Tyler

It's a book that gives a detailed history of how all the Presidents handled the Middle East after World War II. I'm up to Ronald Reagan. What I find amazing is the sheer dickishness of just about every single politician on every side. The only decent character I can see is Jimmy Carter and he still fucked the Iranian Revolution of 1979. What I find amusing however is how Israel just keeps fucking around with America.