Reading!

[James Boba Fettfield]

Also just finished the Great Gatsby, which I thought was sooooo absolutlely pointless! Have any of you guys read it?

I don't believe Gatsby is pointless. Heck, I even thought it was a delightful read that doesn't require the same intensity from the reader that the likes of...oh say Joyce would.

[El Chuxter]

Gatsby is one of my all-time favorites. Go read it again.

[Dominic Guglieme]

"Rise and Fall" is a fantastic book. Gatsby is not objectively bad, but it is force-fed to many people.

And, yes, Fitzgerald beats Joyce hands down. Joyce is a large part of the reason I left English as a major.

[Bel-Cam Jos]

I haven't posted much in this thread lately because...
1) SSG has been down, of course,
2) since my school dropped its 20-minute silent reading period so I haven't had as much time to read, and
3) II haven't had as much time to read (only 4 books in the last few months ).

But, I've read...
Rebel Commando: 000 which was okay story-wise, but well-written nonetheless.

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, which had the most wretched, disturbing first 50-some pages of any book I've ever read. I actually had to put the book down, leave it, and purposely do some other activity to take my mind off it. But, by the end, it was a good read; who cares if it was an "exaggerated" memoir. It could be a good lesson for someone needing a helping hand.

The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie (the guy who plays Dr. Gregory House on... well, House the TV show) which was funny at the start, but petered out by the end. I can see a lot of the character "House" in this story.

And I'm currently reading a new biography of Roberto Clemente (in chapter 4 so far).

As far as TGG goes, I can't label it "THE Great American Novel" (I give that to Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath) but I'd consider it "A Great American Novel." It's meant to show the shallowness and thoughtlessness of the rich at a time when things were supposed to be great. Sorry if my English teacher-ness is oozing out, even if I've never actually taught the novel to my students (here, it's an 11th grade title and I teach 9th and 10th).

[OC47150]

Bel-Cam, you're the first person I know who has read A Million Little Pieces.

I was on a WWII kick for a while. Read The Bunker by James O'Donnell. It was slow at first but picked up. I actually sat it down and read a book or two before coming back to it.

I started to read The Murder of Adolf Hitler, but it delved into medical issues way too much. I couldn't finish the first chapter.

More recently, I read Timothy Zahn's Outbound Flight and Luceno's Dark Lord. Very good. I highly recommend both. I've also read the third book in Jude Watson's Last Jedi series; I'll have to pick up the fourth.

Reading a cheap WWII thriller at home now.

At the gym, I've read Robert Harris' Fatherland, a post-WWII thriller, and am now re-reading Heir to the Empire. It's the second time for Heir; read it about 10 years ago.

And yes, reading at the gym makes the time on the treadmill go by quicker.

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Bel-Cam, you're the first person I know who has read A Million Little Pieces.

And yes, reading at the gym makes the time on the treadmill go by quicker.

I wanted to read for myself to delve through all the hype in the news about it. I find most of that unfounded now. I read The Bridges of Madison County, Who Moved My Cheese?, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe, The Da Vinci Code and Left Behind #1 for the same reasons. Media hype often blows things out of proportion (news flash! really? ).

Read anywhere! I tried doing that while driving, but now I'm floating with a harp, and wings on my back...

[OC47150]

I want to reread The DaVinci Code after I see the movie. I've had interesting conversations with those who've read it.

My niece and nephew live 90 minutes away. I can get through a Jude Watson SW book on the trip up and back.

[LusiferSam]

I just started the The Dark Tower series. One of my uncles lent my the whole series last summer, but just haven't had the time (or wanted to make the time) to start until now. I'm about half way though the The Gunslinger. I'm not sure whether I like it yet or not. There's only been two books I've never finish and less the story picks up a bit one of the later books might be the third.

[mastermatt24]

Gatsby is one of my all-time favorites. Go read it again.

Thats ok- Ive already started on the Catcher in the Rye, which Im enjoying much better.

[El Chuxter]

A'ight. It's no Gatsby, but it is a fine piece of American literature. However, please seek help if you find yourself compelled to buy every copy of it that you see.