[PalJoey]

Douglas Adams - The Salmon of Doubt. A posthumously-released collection of various short stories, articles, essays, etc., plus several chapters of an unfinished Dirk Gently novel. Enjoyable reading thus far (about a third of the way in).

 

[DLeeWebb]

 

[sathyam]

 
Jared Diamond's Seminal work: Guns, Germs, and Steel. Half way through. This book is eye opening.

 

[jipan]

The Grey King by Susan Cooper (The Dark is Rising series).
 
This series is old but gold books!

 

[WraithApe]

Imperial Bedrooms, Bret Easton Ellis - for the second time - can't get enough of the guy!

 

[the_equalizer]

Zen Teachings - Bodhidharma
 

 

[DLeeWebb]

 

[metalsonata]

I'm going to start posting in this thread more often, because this is a cool thread. ^^
 
Recently finished:
 
Dubliners (1914), by James Joyce
Haven't read this since my college days, and figured it was past time to give it a re-read. The stories aged as gracefully as I figured that they would, and this time around I was paying special attention to Joyce's writing itself--I think he's got a lot to teach to aspiring fiction writers, particularly those interested in realism. As much as I adore his later works, I can't help but wish that Joyce had written more in this vein. The stories of Dubliners are truly stories for any mood. I think I'll be revisiting them on a more regular basis in the future than I have until now.
 
Dune (1965), by Frank Herbert
Dune turning 50 seems as good a reason as any to re-read it. I'd forgotten how much I loved this book until I was about 100 pages in--why have I not re-read this since high school (during which I think I read it cover to cover a half dozen times or so)? Great sci-fi from (arguably) sci-fi's golden age, and boy has it aged wonderfully, at least compared to many of its contemporaries. Thinking I should probably try to re-read the remainder of the Frank Herbert-penned Dune books, while I'm at it. Maybe I'll spread them out over the next year or two.
 
Partial English translation of Bodleian Library manuscript Bodley 764 (mid 13th century), translation by Richard Barber
I've started re-reading T. H. White's The Once And Future King recently, and remembering a particularly wonderful description of a medieval bestiary that occurs slightly later in the book, I was determined to get my hands on a facsimile copy and a translation of one to read through before I advanced that far in White's novel. Luckily they're easier than ever to obtain these days (White himself produced a translation at one point, which I shall have to track down), and those with the money to spend can get truly fine editions of them, if you're so inclined. At any rate, it was a breezy enough read (finished it in just a couple of days) but for all of its brevity an immensely enlightening one, comically misinformed and penetratingly astute in almost equal measure, and all the more fascinating for its attempt at using the wonders of the animal kingdom to inform Christian theology. Now I just need to spend the rest of my life learning to read Latin, so that I can read the untranslated bits, as well as all the other Latin stuff I've always yearned to read in its original language!
 
Currently reading:
 
The Once and Future King (1958), by T. H. White
I encountered this one when I was in high school, coming away from a decade's long obsession with Tolkienian fantasy. I've only read it in its entirety once, but upon completion of that initial reading I was quite convinced that it was the best stand-alone fantasy novel I'd ever read. Time to see if I still think so. Thus far I will say that it's both funnier and more beautiful than I remember it being, but also perhaps a bit more heavy-handed with its anachronisms and politics--not enough to feel preachy, though I am admittedly a member of the choir, in this case. 
 
The Faerie Queene (1596), by Edmund Spenser
I've been itching to re-read Chaucer, but figure I need to build up to the challenge first. I'd read bits and pieces of this epic poem through the years, particularly during my education, but I'd never approached it in its entirety. Having heard from friends and acquaintances that they found it to be nigh unreadable or dull to the extreme, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself mowing through the first canto without any difficulty, and indeed with much enjoyment. A very early encounter can only be described as Lovecraftian, and things quickly get even weirder. Are people so put off by the archaic language that they cannot enjoy the madcap story that lies beneath it? Nonetheless, this one will take me quite a while to get through--it's of hugely intimidating length, and for all I know I have not yet encountered the unreadable, dull bits.
 
The Sound and the Fury (1929), by William Faulkner
Faulkner is something of a literary blind-spot for me, at least with regards to his novels. I'd describe myself as moderately familiar with his short stories, but despite long thinking that I'd probably enjoy his novels, I've never stepped up to the plate. What better place to start than that which is often described as his most difficult work, I figured? Haven't actually started on this one yet, but will be doing so tonight, armed with a volume of commentary, just in case the worst should happen and I find myself utterly rudderless. 
 
Edit: The Golden Ass (late 2nd century), by Apuleius, translated by E. J. Kenney
Somehow managed to forget that I was reading this one, though as anyone who has read it before in any translation knows it's quite the unforgettable book. Particularly enjoying Kenney's modern rendering of it, though if you're a stickler for more faithful translations you might not enjoy it quite as much. If you're looking for some easy to get into ancient literature to enjoy, look no further. 
 
Edit: 

 
Jared Diamond's Seminal work: Guns, Germs, and Steel. Half way through. This book is eye opening.

What a great book. Read this one a couple years back and was completely enthralled by it. 
 

  Douglas Adams - The Salmon of Doubt. A posthumously-released collection of various short stories, articles, essays, etc., plus several chapters of an unfinished Dirk Gently novel. Enjoyable reading thus far (about a third of the way in).

Came across my somewhat tattered copy of this when I was boxing up my books for moving a few weeks back. A forcible reminder that a thorough re-read of Adams's work was long overdue on my part, and also that I never got back my omnibus edition of the Hitchhiker 'trilogy' from an ex. I guess I shall have to re-buy them.

 

[PalJoey]

  I'm going to start posting in this thread more often, because this is a cool thread. ^^
 
Recently finished:
 
Dubliners (1914), by James Joyce
Haven't read this since my college days, and figured it was past time to give it a re-read. The stories aged as gracefully as I figured that they would, and this time around I was paying special attention to Joyce's writing itself--I think he's got a lot to teach to aspiring fiction writers, particularly those interested in realism. As much as I adore his later works, I can't help but wish that Joyce had written more in this vein. The stories of Dubliners are truly stories for any mood. I think I'll be revisiting them on a more regular basis in the future than I have until now.
 
Dune (1965), by Frank Herbert
Dune turning 50 seems as good a reason as any to re-read it. I'd forgotten how much I loved this book until I was about 100 pages in--why have I not re-read this since high school (during which I think I read it cover to cover a half dozen times or so)? Great sci-fi from (arguably) sci-fi's golden age, and boy has it aged wonderfully, at least compared to many of its contemporaries. Thinking I should probably try to re-read the remainder of the Frank Herbert-penned Dune books, while I'm at it. Maybe I'll spread them out over the next year or two.
 
Partial English translation of Bodleian Library manuscript Bodley 764 (mid 13th century), translation by Richard Barber
I've started re-reading T. H. White's The Once And Future King recently, and remembering a particularly wonderful description of a medieval bestiary that occurs slightly later in the book, I was determined to get my hands on a facsimile copy and a translation of one to read through before I advanced that far in White's novel. Luckily they're easier than ever to obtain these days (White himself produced a translation at one point, which I shall have to track down), and those with the money to spend can get truly fine editions of them, if you're so inclined. At any rate, it was a breezy enough read (finished it in just a couple of days) but for all of its brevity an immensely enlightening one, comically misinformed and penetratingly astute in almost equal measure, and all the more fascinating for its attempt at using the wonders of the animal kingdom to inform Christian theology. Now I just need to spend the rest of my life learning to read Latin, so that I can read the untranslated bits, as well as all the other Latin stuff I've always yearned to read in its original language!
 
Currently reading:
 
The Once and Future King (1958), by T. H. White
I encountered this one when I was in high school, coming away from a decade's long obsession with Tolkienian fantasy. I've only read it in its entirety once, but upon completion of that initial reading I was quite convinced that it was the best stand-alone fantasy novel I'd ever read. Time to see if I still think so. Thus far I will say that it's both funnier and more beautiful than I remember it being, but also perhaps a bit more heavy-handed with its anachronisms and politics--not enough to feel preachy, though I am admittedly a member of the choir, in this case. 
 
The Faerie Queene (1596), by Edmund Spenser
I've been itching to re-read Chaucer, but figure I need to build up to the challenge first. I'd read bits and pieces of this epic poem through the years, particularly during my education, but I'd never approached it in its entirety. Having heard from friends and acquaintances that they found it to be nigh unreadable or dull to the extreme, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself mowing through the first canto without any difficulty, and indeed with much enjoyment. A very early encounter can only be described as Lovecraftian, and things quickly get even weirder. Are people so put off by the archaic language that they cannot enjoy the madcap story that lies beneath it? Nonetheless, this one will take me quite a while to get through--its of hugely intimidating length, and for all I know I have not yet encountered the unreadable, dull bits.
 
The Sound and the Fury (1929), by William Faulkner
Faulkner is something of a literary blind-spot for me, at least with regards to his novels. I'd describe myself as moderately familiar with his short stories, but despite long thinking that I'd probably enjoy his novels, I've never stepped up to the plate. What better place to start than that which is often described as his most difficult work, I figured? Haven't actually started on this one yet, but will be doing so tonight, armed with a volume of commentary, just in case the worst should happen and I find myself utterly rudderless. 
 
Edit: The Golden Ass (late 2nd century), by Apuleius, translated by E. J. Kenney
Somehow managed to forget that I was reading this one, though as anyone who has read it before in any translation knows it's quite the unforgettable book. Particularly enjoying Kenney's modern rendering of it, though if you're a stickler for more faithful translations you might not enjoy it quite as much. If you're looking for some easy to get into ancient literature to enjoy, look no further. 
 
Edit: 
What a great book. Read this one a couple years back and was completely enthralled by it. 
 
Came across my somewhat tattered copy of this when I was boxing up my books for moving a few weeks back. A forcible reminder that a thorough re-read of Adams's work was long overdue on my part, and also that I never got back my omnibus edition of the Hitchhiker 'trilogy' from an ex. I guess I shall have to re-buy them.

Dubliners - much more readable than Joyce's more notorious books like 'Ulysses'. Highly recommended.
 
Dune - David Lynch proved that a book with 70% internal dialogue and exposition was unfilmable... by filming it. With Sting in wingéd underpants. Actually, 'Dune' is a good bit of writing. The sequels are a bit more variable as regards quality.
 
The Once and Future King - I read and loved it many times over the years, but the author's later addition 'The Book of Merlyn' (which chronologically slots in near the end of the original novel), written later and has a much darker, introspective and despairing tone, will re-adjust your whole approach to the stories. It is a bit like the way 'Titus alone' puts a very nihilistic post-holocaust turn on the 'Gormenghast' trilogy.

 

[metalsonata]

  Dubliners - much more readable than Joyce's more notorious books like 'Ulysses'. Highly recommended.
 
Dune - David Lynch proved that a book with 70% internal dialogue and exposition was unfilmable... by filming it. With Sting in wingéd underpants. Actually, 'Dune' is a good bit of writing. The sequels are a bit more variable as regards quality.
 
The Once and Future King - I read and loved it many times over the years, but the author's later addition 'The Book of Merlyn' (which chronologically slots in near the end of the original novel), written later and has a much darker, introspective and despairing tone, will re-adjust your whole approach to the stories. It is a bit like the way 'Titus alone' puts a very nihilistic post-holocaust turn on the 'Gormenghast' trilogy.

Indeed, it's somewhat of a shame that Joyce has a (deserved) reputation for being difficult, because when you tell someone that you're reading Dubliners and imply that you think they'd enjoy it, they tend to go on about how they like their stories to have punctuation, thank you very much. Ah well. And honestly, I don't think his more difficult work is very hard work--it all depends on how you approach it. I had a lot of luck getting the girlfriend to read Finnegans Wake with me--the key, we found, was to take turns reading it aloud to one another. Amazing how much of a difference in enjoyment and understanding that it made.
 
With regards to the Dune sequels, I quite enjoyed them when I was younger--curious to see if I will appreciate or enjoy them now. I suspect that they may contain some low points for me, particularly the last two. I'm not counting the continued Dune series after Frank Herbert's death, of course. I tried one of those not long ago, and found it miserable. 
 
Ah, Gormenghast. There's yet another fantasy series I need to re-read. Titus Alone was something of a haunting experience for me, as was the short-story companion to the series, Boy in Darkness. These two works certainly did cast some darkness upon the first two books, which were already fairly dark (albeit comic), to my memory. I have read The Book of Merlyn, but don't recall much about it, other than it seemed to me as if a lot of the material in it was already incorporated into The Once and Future King, either explicitly or in bits and pieces. I might check it out from my library upon finishing Once and Future, just for the sake of completion. 

 

[PalJoey]

  Indeed, it's somewhat of a shame that Joyce has a (deserved) reputation for being difficult, because when you tell someone that you're reading Dubliners and imply that you think they'd enjoy it, they tend to go on about how they like their stories to have punctuation, thank you very much. Ah well. And honestly, I don't think his more difficult work is very hard work--it all depends on how you approach it. I had a lot of luck getting the girlfriend to read Finnegans Wake with me--the key, we found, was to take turns reading it aloud to one another. Amazing how much of a difference in enjoyment and understanding that it made.
 
With regards to the Dune sequels, I quite enjoyed them when I was younger--curious to see if I will appreciate or enjoy them now. I suspect that they may contain some low points for me, particularly the last two. I'm not counting the continued Dune series after Frank Herbert's death, of course. I tried one of those not long ago, and found it miserable. 
 
Ah, Gormenghast. There's yet another fantasy series I need to re-read. Titus Alone was something of a haunting experience for me, as was the short-story companion to the series, Boy in Darkness. These two works certainly did cast some darkness upon the first two books, which were already fairly dark (albeit comic), to my memory. I have read The Book of Merlyn, but don't recall much about it, other than it seemed to me as if a lot of the material in it was already incorporated into The Once and Future King, either explicitly or in bits and pieces. I might check it out from my library upon finishing Once and Future, just for the sake of completion. 

I haven't read 'Finnegan's Wake', but found the reading aloud method very effective with 'Ulysses'.
 
'The Book of Merlyn' appears to have been incorporated into later editions of 'The One and Future King', either in its entirety or partly. I don't recall it being part of the edition I read as a child.
 
As for Mervyn Peake, there's a big anthology called 'Peake's Progress', which includes an early version of 'Boy in Darkness', as well as other stories (like Mr Slaughterboard), poems (ranging from epic to comic), illustrations (a wide variety of styles) and scripts (one stage play, one radio play). It includes another Gormenghast-related tale, too (The House of Darkstones) and an adventure story he wrote as a child.

 

[metalsonata]

 
As for Mervyn Peake, there's a big anthology called 'Peake's Progress', which includes an early version of 'Boy in Darkness', as well as other stories (like Mr Slaughterboard), poems (ranging from epic to comic), illustrations (a wide variety of styles) and scripts (one stage play, one radio play). It includes another Gormenghast-related tale, too (The House of Darkstones) and an adventure story he wrote as a child.

Interesting, haven't heard of this volume. I will have to look into it, perhaps as an accompaniment to my next re-read of Gormenghast, whenever that will be!
 
Anyways, Recently Finished:
 
The Golden Ass (late 2nd century), by Apuleius, translated by E. J. Kenney
What a breezy read! While the novel is probably most famous as being the source of the tale 'Cupid and Psyche,' it's well-worth reading in its entirety for the rest of the story of the fool Lucian, transformed into an ass and frowned upon by Fortune. Stylistically the novel is exuberant and quite wicked--not only is it clever, but also often raunchy and puerile and exceedingly violent, at least until the final book/chapter, where the tone whiplashes into pious and rather dull moralizing. Last chapter aside it's an engrossing, shockingly modern-feeling read, though this is of course aided in large part by Kenney's translation, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommended.

 

[metalsonata]

Recently Finished:
 
The Once and Future King (1958), by T. H. White
I suspect some readers would accuse it of being overly sentimental, or hate it for taking modern attitudes and politics and grafting them onto such old stories, but I found it, as I did the first time I read it, to be a novel of immense beauty and big-heartedness. I love, love, love this book. For my money and time easily one of the finest fantasy novels ever written, and a shining exemplar of everything that a masterfully-wrought tragedy can be.
 
Currently Reading:
 
First Love (1860), by Ivan Turgenev, translated by Isaiah Berlin
I commonly see Turgenev described as being one of the great Russian writers--he's also one that I have very little, if any, familiarity with. This slim volume (less than 100 pages) caught my eye, and I thought, what the hell. Let's give it a shot. 
 
Under Milk Wood (1954), by Dylan Thomas
Everyone knows and loves Thomas for his poetry, including myself, but what of his other work? How does it compare? I couldn't really say, but I hope to have a better idea after giving this radio drama a read.
 
The Golden Fleece (1944), by Robert Graves
I'm relatively familiar with his (classicists would say bastardized) treatment of the famous Greek myths (though I'm due for a re-read of them), but his generally acclaimed poems and novels I have no familiarity with, though I'd like to give both a try. Until yesterday I hadn't realized that one of his novels was a re-telling of the Argo story. I figured there probably wouldn't be a better entry point into the rest of the man's bibliography than this. 
 
I'm still working my way through The Faerie Queene (enjoyable enough, but I'm taking it at a very slow, irregular pace) and The Sound and the Fury (kaleidoscopic and difficult and brutally sad, but not un-enjoyable, in its own way).

 

[PalJoey]

Roger Ebert - I hated hated HATED this movie! One of his anthologies of reviews of bad films. An entertaining read.
 
Kenneth Grahame - The Golden Age. One of his memoirs of childhood (along with Dream Days). Beautifully written and funny.
 
P.J.O'Rourke - Holidays in Heck. A follow-up (of sorts) to the brilliant Holidays in Hell, but still one of his better books.
 
Next up, Look who's back by Timur Vermes, in which a certain A.Hitler shows up in 21st-century Germany and is assumed to be a genius impersonator who never breaks character. Should be fun.

 

[sathyam]

I am about 25% done with The First World War: A Complete History by Martin Gilbert.