this summer, iuve been reading alot and i want some suggestions for new books. has anyone read the davinci code? I'm reading 1984 for the first time right now, and always harry potter.

I read the DaVinci code... was pretty good... a nice fast read. I found it interesting, because growing up in Catholic School I'd always hear these fantastic tales of the Knights Templar and the Grail and stuff... It's hardly 1984, but it's harmless enough...

I'm actually reading several books on reading people and body language, and how to use it to your adnatage in business situations... dry, but fascinating stuff.

1984 is good...it depends on what you like to read. i'd recommend:

anything by camus, especially 'the plague'.
anything by dostoevsky, 'the idiot' and 'notes from underground' being my favorites...almost anything by oscar wilde is brilliant...
brave new world, if you're into the dis-utopian theme, a la 1984...
obviously, anything to have been written by jd salinger is a safe bet...
i could go on and on, but i'll spare you...

i've been re-reading these two books of inspired silly short stories by woody allen, called 'side effects' and 'without feathers', respectively. they make me laugh out loud, but, then, i am a fan of his...

we must discuss. this is one of my favorite topics and I'd be interested to talk about it at bar 23, as we people-watch.

Sounds like a date... should I bring a wrist corsage for you?

nah, beer money

(Edited by richarddawson at 3:35 pm on May. 31, 2004)

Cool people don't read books.

On that note, the past 2 weeks I've finished:

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
3rd time through with this book. The first book of a series. Very light reading, but very enjoyable. Fantasy, humor, science fiction, allusions to literature. Probably the most shamelessly entertaining book I've read in awhile.


Plan of Attack by Bob Woodward
Very enlightening book on the build up to the Iraq War. Woodward has an amazing skill in allowing people to draw their own conclusion from the facts, which is the primary job of a journalist.

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Very based in religion. Very quotable. Kind of picaresque. A boy, a tiger, a raft.

Censored 2004
The 25 most censored news stories of the past year. Informative, yet scary.



I haven't decided what I'm going to read this upcoming week. I've kind of started rereading The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis and Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, however they may be too diametrically opposed to read in unison.

I've also read "The DaVinci Code," and "Angels & Demons," both by Dan Brown. I read "Charlie and the Chocolate Factroy," "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass."

Right now I'm reading "High Fidelity" and "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius."

I also reccomend "House of Leaves." Weird book, that one.

high fidelity is brilliant. i liked the movie, but i think the book is even better. plus, it mentions the auteurs at some point, which is nice.

I really like it. It's fun to read books about what men feel.

I'm reading Boundaries by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend. It's interesting, but a little too Jesusy for me.

One of my professors told me that Jackson Pollock was also very into this. But I think he was more into body language as a form of psychological torture. Supposedly at bars he would pick up a stranger's drink, rotate it 45 degrees, put it back down, and the stranger would not touch it again. I think I might start trying this because drinks are expensive.

If you're into the non-committal pleasure of the short story genre, Dan Chaon's "Among the Missing" is wonderful.

Charles Baxter's "The Feast of Love"

And don't let the description "1000 page Victorian novel" deter you--Vanity Fair kicks ass. Or don't let the words "Reese Witherspoon" deter you and someone promise to come see the upcoming film version with me. I don't think neuboy will be with me on this one.

(Edited by etcetera at 5:34 pm on May. 31, 2004)

right now i'm reading Girlfreind in a Coma by Douglas Coupland

it is quite strange.

White Oleander, so much better than the movie.

and Henry and June by Anais Nin.

Anything by Vonnegut is good, but especially "Breakfast of Champions" and "Timequake." "Confessions of a Wallflower" is good. One of the coolest books written in this decade is "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius," by Dave Eggers. Speaking of genius, "Book of the Subgenius" is good, provided you have already severed all ties with your local southern Baptist church."

Anything by Salman Rushdie is kick-ass; "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" is what I just finished, and it was balls-to-the-wall, for any fans of Greek mythilogy or of rock music.

Don't waste your time on the DaVinci code, Read Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum. Italians know how to tell a good story. I think some review called it "the Davinci Code for grown-ups." anything Stephen Hawking is always good for a laugh. I also recommend the Bible. Stick to the old testament if you dont want a Jesusy read.

i recommend natsume soseki and kenzaburo oe, especially soseki.
-courtesy of my japanese lit class last semester

I am reading the first canto of Srîmad Bhâgavatam, with commentary by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupâda. It reads very, very slowly. But it's been quite interesting so far.

(Edited by jamiecarroll at 10:51 pm on May. 31, 2004)

I had every intention to read the rest of the Harry Potter series after loving the first one, but that isn't happening as of now. I'm currently wading through books for my summer class...

I knew I wasn't cool anyway, but I just finished the fifth Harry Potter book (Order of the Phoenix) it was pretty messed up. I read a lot of stuff simultaneously so I am also reading "Seinfeld and Philosophy", "The Dark Tower Series", "The Hobbit", and "Pure Drivel." I intend on reading more classics this summer. (I say this every summer.)

Currently Reading:

"Uptight: The Velvet Underground Story" by Victor Brockis and Gerard Malanga (whenever I am waiting for class to begin)