It's the tenth!

[eleanoreader]

Once a month book_memes demands to know: What are you reading?

What book are you currently reading?
How far in are you?
What's it about?
Are you enjoying it?


[my answers in comments]

Comments

[eleanoreader]

What book are you currently reading?
Dracula by Bram Stoker

How far in are you?
About a third

What's it about?
Count Dracula leaves Transylvania and comes to London to nibble people.

Are you enjoying it?
Far, far more than I expected to. It's told in diary excerpts, letters, articles, etc which keeps the point of view changing and tells a wonderfully layered story. It's thoroughly unnerving in places, and the vampire horror canon (bats, wolves, garlic, scaling walls upside down etc.) doesn't even read as cliché, which really surprises me.

[travelingmonkey]

It doesn't read as cliché because it started it. There was no cliché at the time, there were only 3 real vampire stories in existence then and two of them were very short. Dracula and Varney the Vampire were what "made" vampires. But yeah, I felt the same way when I read it. I had thought it might be a little dull/slow, like so much classic stuff from that period tended to be, but it was a highly enjoyable read. The only thing that bothered me was the view of women as frail helpless creatures with lesser intelligence. But it's hardly Stoker's fault, it was the view of the time.

[eleanoreader]

*coughs politely* I was careful to use the word 'canon' so as to avoid the impression that the potential for cliché was anything other than retroactive.

I with you on the degree of womanly helplessness... and male anxiety on their behalf... but I've been on a classic-fiction reading kick for a few months (and sci-fi before that, don't get me started) so I'm both noticing it more, and letting it intrude on the story less.

[travelingmonkey]

Oh I didn't let it get to me when reading the story either, just kinda groaned at each "Wow she is such a remarkable woman! She actually uses her brain (and has one to use, even!) and figured this out!!" thing and shoved it to the back of my head. Most things like that I try to just shove off while reading (people being able to do stuff they very likely wouldn't have, etc), so long as the story itself is good. But when reviewing afterwards, it tends to leave some kind of impression, depending on just how much it was done. And he definitely did it tons in Dracula, lol. It's kind of amusing though, because he really thinks he's being flattering; Mina is such a gem of a woman! She can think, figure stuff out, make reasonable suggestions, doesn't fall into a dead faint at the drop of a hat, like omg, she must be the best woman EVAR! LoL

[queen_ypolita]

I picked Dracula for my book group a couple of years ago mostly out of "it's a classic, I should read it", and found myself enjoying it far more than I had expected, the structure and use of different text types in particular.

[travelingmonkey]

I'm still reading Life and Times of Grigorii Rasputin (Alex de Jonge), I've been slacking to play Sims, lol, so it's been a few weeks now, I should have finished at least a week ago!

How far in are you? p262 of 341. Almost done.
What's it about? Title says it all. It's a lot more history of Russia/Siberia than I had anticipated, though.
Are you enjoying it? Yes, quite a bit. It's very interesting. I didn't know all this stuff about Russia's past, nor really anything at all about Rasputin, aside of his name. Hence wanting to read it and find out why he was important enough that I do know his name. The book does a very nice job of presenting history and narrative in a compelling read. I was worried that it would be some dull bio about a semi-boring guy who was famous for whatever reason, but the author did a nice job at making both his life and the history of Russia an intriguing read, and wove them together quite well. Plus, it turns out he really was quite the character! heh.

[shanaqui]

What book are you currently reading?

The Earth Hums in B Flat, by Mari Strachan. Also Half a Crown, by Jo Walton, and The Naked Sun, by Isaac Asimov.

How far in are you?

With The Earth Hums in B Flat, about two thirds of the way. Half a Crown, barely five chapters. The Naked Sun, about halfway.

What's it about?

The Earth Hums in B Flat -- Set in Wales. A mystery story, but also a story about families and, I think, some very tangled webs.
Half a Crown -- The third book of a trilogy, set in an alternate history where Britain made peace with the Nazis, and over time began to slide into fascism itself.
The Naked Sun -- A man and a robot investigate a murder.

Are you enjoying it?

Yes, all three of them.

[senmut]

The Naked Sun is one of the actual Robot stories, isn't it? +has a hard time remembering Asimov+

[shanaqui]

It's the second book of the Elijah Baley trilogy, which is linked to all the others in the larger narrative.

[senmut]

+nods+ Okay. I read Asimov in grade school, ages ago, so...

I suppose I should tackle him as an adult one of these days.

[somuchforendings]

What book are you currently reading?

Primarily, The Stand by Stephen King

How far in are you?

148/1153. So, not very.

What's it about?

A world-ending flu plague and society afterwards (or so I assume).

Are you enjoying it?

Very much so. I like having the whole background of the primary characters and such before the shit hits the fan. I am hoping that there's a really good reason all the survivor types seem to be having dreams about a cornfield, though (I mean, I know that it IS foreshadowing, I just hope there's a good reason everyone's having the same dream).

[travelingmonkey]

Wow, you've never even seen the movie?? They actually did a really good job on it, given the difficulties to tackle with such a lengthy detailed novel.

[somuchforendings]

No. I try not to watch anything based on a book before reading the book itself, since movies/tv shows (as Stephen King aptly put in the intro to The Stand, actually) tend to limit imagination. That said, I'd only heard of the miniseries vaguely in passing from a few people, none of whom seemed too warm on it, so I never really thought about checking it out.

[travelingmonkey]

I like to read stuff without knowing what's going to happen, but I'm also not going to wait 16 yrs to watch something just 'cause it came from a book I haven't read yet! ;P haha.

[somuchforendings]

Well, if it came out sixteen years ago, then I was only five and didn't have much an interest in Stephen King, lol. But, usually, I see a trailer for a movie I think looks interesting and, if it's based on a book, I read the book then see the movie. So no years involved. In the case of The Stand, though, I'm not particularly interested in watching the movie (though I will probably watch it someday), so there's no waiting involved, either. ;p

[travelingmonkey]

lol, yeah, I get what you're saying. For me, it just kinda depends what it is. I saw Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, and Clear and Present Danger all long before reading the books, and didn't have a problem with it. It depends on the subject, and the individual one in question, too. The thing is, movies of books tend to kind of suck, horribly, in comparison; so lots of times I kind of prefer to see the movie first, so I don't watch it and just get utterly peeved about how horribly they killed it, but instead see it and enjoy it, then go read after, and am pleased by how much better the book was. =P

[draigwen]

Are you reading the unabridged version? I've never read the original cut, but I love the unabridged version for all the extra chapters about what else is going on.

As has already been said, the mini-series is well worth it. I watched it before reading The Stand (it's the reason I got into Stephen King), and I thought after I read the book I'd probably end up hating watching it again. But I can't watch it enough.

[somuchforendings]

Yeah, it's the unabridged version. :)

[vorpal]

What book are you currently reading?
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson and Catching Fire by Suzanne Clarke. Two books with "fire" in the title, and they're both sequels. :P

How far in are you?
About 200 pages into The Girl Who Played with Fire, and I just started Catching Fire, so not very far into either.

What's it about?
The Girl Who Played with Fire: A crime thriller/mystery set in Sweden. Two journalists who are about to publish an exposé on the sex trade are murdered and all hell breaks loose. Part of the increasingly popular Millennium Trilogy.

Catching Fire: The sequel to the The Hunger Games. Science fiction for young adults. Katniss Everdeen lives in a dystopian future that's controlled by a ruthless government called the Capitol, and after the last book, she's found herself on their bad side.

Are you enjoying it?
Yes, very much. So far, they're both living up to their predecessors.

[senmut]

What book are you currently reading?
Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century | Volume I: Learning Curve 1907 - 1948 by William H. Patterson, Jr.

How far in are you?
271 pages, or 20 chapters read. I'm taking it slow, because I have been very active in my creative works. Also, it's heavily annotated, and I am taking time to read the references.

What's it about?
It's a biography, written by a man I call my friend, of a man I have a lot of respect for. Glimpsing not only Heinlein, but also his late wife, who helped with this book heavily, is making me consider many things I had presumed.

Are you enjoying it?
Very much so. I've actually been fortunate enough to be on the outskirts of the researching of the book, watching it come to fruition, so having the final product (at least the first volume) is awesome.

[queen_ypolita]

What book are you currently reading?
Luftslottet som sprängdes by Stieg Larsson

How far in are you?
On page 12; I just picked it up today

What's it about?
It's the third part of the Millennium trilogy, and as far as I can tell, it picks the story up from the point where Flickan som lekte med elden stopped, but that's as far as I've got.

Are you enjoying it?
With the previous parts of the trilogy, it's taken me at least 200 pages to feel I'm getting into the story, so it's far too early to tell :)

[trialia]

What book are you currently reading?
The Ruby Knight by David Eddings.

How far in are you?
About 100 pages, but this isn't the first time I've read it.

What's it about?
A knight searches the continent over to try to find a magical cure for his poisoned queen, while dodging the political machinations of the high-ranking churchman who wants both queen and knight dead, and the dark gods behind him.

Are you enjoying it?
I always do :) Eddings can be a little repetitive in terms of dialogue, but the stories are like fantasy comfort food.

[draigwen]

I gave up reading David Eddings after reading the Belgariad and Malorean. I'd been part of too many discussions where my friends described characters from his other series' which were exact replicas of those in these two. That said, I loved these two so probably should read the rest eventually.

[draigwen]

Currently reading two books... one on the Kindle and one 'real' book.

Real book: Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey. I'm 40% in according to GoodReads. It's a sci-fi/fantasy book about, well, dragons, and is the first of a very long series that I remember my dad reading when I was very young. I'm not sure yet whether I like it - there are many things that annoy me about it. But I'm willing to keep going and see how it ends. It's good enough that I'll read more of the series - particularly since I've been told it gets better.

Kindle book: Use of Weapons by Iain M Banks. Again, about 40% of the way through. Another sci-fi book about a guy who works for this 'peaceful' group of aliens, going to planets and fighting wars and killing people. I'm absolutely loving it. The characters are awesome and I love Banks' writing style.

[willidan]

This has been an odd book month for me. I haven't really been reading anything, and I don't know why. But I've got plans!

What book are you currently reading?

I'm about to start The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold

How far in are you?

Page one.

What's it about?

Third, and last, in the Chalion series, but does an excellent job of standing alone.

Are you enjoying it?

I've read it before and it made me cry, which is a good thing. So yes, I will enjoy it.

[heartequals]

What book are you currently reading? The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami! I'm also shoulder deep in Byron for school.

How far in are you? About 3/4 of the way through. It got pushed aside for classwork, unfortunately.

What's it about? Life is magical and painful.

Are you enjoying it? Yes, very much.

[amanda_in_pajamas]

I have been sick for the last few days and have not felt up to tackling any of the books I'm reading (or about to begin) so I've been wallowing in FF.

I am about 1/3 of the way through King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as told by Roger Lancelyn Green.

The book contains 3 parts: The Coming of Arthur, The Knights of the Round Table, and The Quest for the Holy Grail.

I am enjoying it immensely. I don't actually know much about the tails of Arthur and his knights, but having watched 2 seasons of Merlin, I became curious and wanted to know more of the legend. I was a huge fan of Disney's Sword in the Stone as a child, but I never really explored the legend outside of that.