What Are You Reading Now?

[Commando]

It's an outstanding book. I read the German translation of the book on my mission, a few miles from Hitler's birthplace. Not exactly on the approved reading list, but I felt it gave me a lot of insights into the local culture (rationalizing was another talent I developed on my mission).

Ha. I read the Popol Vuh on my mission. It didn't really help that much and it's pretty short, but, much like The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, was also not on the approved reading list.

[SteelBlue]

National Book Critics Circle Awards announced:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/18/bu...ward.html?_r=0

Paul Beatty’s novel “The Sellout,” a scorching satire that wrenches humor out of painful subjects like slavery, police violence and segregation, won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction on Thursday. The novel, which was widely praised by critics, features an unhinged social scientist and marijuana dealer who is taken before the Supreme Court for reintroducing segregation and owning a slave.

The nonfiction prize went to Sam Quinones’s book “Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic,” a deeply reported account of the devastation that opiate and pain pill addiction has caused in small towns and suburbs across America.

[Northwestcoug]

On the advice of an owner of a small bookstore in Oregon, I started reading Sanderson's 'Mistborn'. I really do like fantasy, but I don't like gambling my time on bad authors. Because of this, I've only read a few authors; Zelazny, LeGuin, Rowling, and Mull. But I figured there's some more good stuff out there and I asked for a recommendation.

I'm over halfway through and I am enjoying the world Sanderson created. I think it's very creative; I haven't seen anything like it before. It's not only fantasy, but there's some good social/political commentary. I think I'll stick with him until I finish the series.

And hey, he teaches at the Y! Didn't know that until I looked him up on the web. That's the second Mormon author I unknowingly started reading.

[MartyFunkhouser]

On the advice of an owner of a small bookstore in Oregon, I started reading Sanderson's 'Mistborn'. I really do like fantasy, but I don't like gambling my time on bad authors. Because of this, I've only read a few authors; Zelazny, LeGuin, Rowling, and Mull. But I figured there's some more good stuff out there and I asked for a recommendation.

I'm over halfway through and I am enjoying the world Sanderson created. I think it's very creative; I haven't seen anything like it before. It's not only fantasy, but there's some good social/political commentary. I think I'll stick with him until I finish the series.

And hey, he teaches at the Y! Didn't know that until I looked him up on the web. That's the second Mormon author I unknowingly started reading.

I thought I hated fantasy. I read Song of Ice and Fire. I realized I don't hate fantasy.

For someone like me that is limited to reading the Gray Bearded Glacier, how do you think I would like it.

I've heard good things on CB about some series self published called Psion Beta. I hear it is second only to the Father of Family X series.

[Northwestcoug]

I thought I hated fantasy. I read Song of Ice and Fire. I realized I don't hate fantasy.

For someone like me that is limited to reading the Gray Bearded Glacier, how do you think I would like it.

I've heard good things on CB about some series self published called Psion Beta. I hear it is second only to the Father of Family X series.

I've only seen a couple of Game of Thrones episodes (boobies!), and haven't read anything from him. So I don't know much about his works. But I have heard there is a fair amount of political intrigue in that series. So far, Mistborn has a lot of that. There are some interesting aspects to the magical realm he's writing this series, and he goes into detail to make sure the reader understands those rules. I like that.

The book is a little thick, and the only reason why I was looking for a new book was because of spring break. I'm not sure I would have tried to start reading it if I didn't have some time.

[LiveCoug]

I finished Patrick Rothfuss Name of the Wind and Wise Man's Fear. I enjoyed them much more than I thought I would. Bummed that he is taking so long to finish the final book in the series.

I'm not a huge fantasy guy, but I've heard good things about Sanderson's work, so I might give it a whirl

[SteelBlue]

Finally read Stegner's Angle of Repose. What a brilliant and beautiful novel.

[Paperback Writer]

On the advice of an owner of a small bookstore in Oregon, I started reading Sanderson's 'Mistborn'. I really do like fantasy, but I don't like gambling my time on bad authors. Because of this, I've only read a few authors; Zelazny, LeGuin, Rowling, and Mull. But I figured there's some more good stuff out there and I asked for a recommendation.

I'm over halfway through and I am enjoying the world Sanderson created. I think it's very creative; I haven't seen anything like it before. It's not only fantasy, but there's some good social/political commentary. I think I'll stick with him until I finish the series.

And hey, he teaches at the Y! Didn't know that until I looked him up on the web. That's the second Mormon author I unknowingly started reading.

Thanks for the recommendation. I have a singed copy of Elantris on my reading stack that I haven't gotten around to reading. Brandon Sanderson and I attended the same High School. He was in Elementary School when I graduated HS but my parents knew Brandon and his parents. That's how I ended up with the signed copy of Elantris that I have yet to read. Maybe I'll pick it up soon. I corresponded briefly with him since we shared the same HS and University. He was very personable.

[Northwestcoug]

Thanks for the recommendation. I have a singed copy of Elantris on my reading stack that I haven't gotten around to reading. Brandon Sanderson and I attended the same High School. He was in Elementary School when I graduated HS but my parents knew Brandon and his parents. That's how I ended up with the signed copy of Elantris that I have yet to read. Maybe I'll pick it up soon. I corresponded briefly with him since we shared the same HS and University. He was very personable.

It takes some chutzpah for a fantasy reader to comment on someone else's nerdiness, but he does look like what I would call a prototypical sci-fi/fantasy author. I'm curious; do you have any insights about if he was destined to be an author since his early years?

[Paperback Writer]

It takes some chutzpah for a fantasy reader to comment on someone else's nerdiness, but he does look like what I would call a prototypical sci-fi/fantasy author. I'm curious; do you have any insights about if he was destined to be an author since his early years?

I don't really know but wouldn't be surprised if he was. Most of what I know comes second hand from my Mom and has some passive aggression mixed in. My mother was a teacher and liked to read papers I wrote in English classes; especially creative writing. When I opted to study computer science and accounting in college, she didn't hide her disappointment. Years later, when Sanderson published Elantris, I heard a lot about it from my Mom. The insinuation was that since we had similar backgrounds with both being LDS, same HS, BYU, etc., I could have been a writer. Then a book arrives as a Christmas present with an inscription encouraging me to write. Since our mothers were friends, I corresponded briefly with Brandon and he was very helpful and encouraging. Reflecting on that, I feel bad that I haven't read Elantris but it's not a genre I typically read. With your recommendation, perhaps I'll start reading it.

[Mormon Red Death]

Finally read Stegner's Angle of Repose. What a brilliant and beautiful novel.

One of my favorites. The last 100 pages are tremendous.

[SteelBlue]

Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists announced today. Nguyen's The Sympathizer won for fiction, which is a solid choice and was my favorite read last year. Kelly Link's "Get in Trouble" was a finalist, a short story collection that I really liked. "Maud's Line" by Verble was the other finalist, a book I'd not heard of until today.

[I.J. Reilly]

Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists announced today. Nguyen's The Sympathizer won for fiction, which is a solid choice and was my favorite read last year. Kelly Link's "Get in Trouble" was a finalist, a short story collection that I really liked. "Maud's Line" by Verble was the other finalist, a book I'd not heard of until today.

I'm very surprised that Between the World and Me didn't win for non-fiction. I guess I'll have to check out Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS. Also surprising to see two wins for the Tampa Bay Times for two different stories. Good for them.

[pelagius]

Look Who's Back - Very funny and very strange book about the return of Adolf Hitler, who inexplicably wakes to find himself lying on the ground in modern Berlin. People assume he's some kind of method comedian and he winds up with his own talk/comedy show where he spouts the same hateful rhetoric he did in the 30s and 40s and people treat him like a comic genius. The book was a huge hit in Germany, where it was also made into a movie, also a hit (though "Suk Me Shakespeer 2" -- the first Suk Me Shakespeer apparently having also been quite popular -- remains the biggest comedy of the German year: http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015...vie-box-office). The book is very funny but also discomfiting. I would recommend it.

The movie adaptation is now on Netflix. I watched it l last night, and like it a lot: very funny at times and pretty effective satire.

[Topper]

The movie adaptation is now on Netflix. I watched it l last night, and like it a lot: very funny at times and pretty effective satire.

Thanks for the recommendation.