OT: What are you reading (not for school!)?

[drforwhiskers]

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I love to read when I have down time, and I assume there's probably a lot of SDN-er's that like to read for liesure as well, so what are you reading?

I just started Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Lots of friends have recommended it, so I hope I enjoy it 🙂

 

[Whyevernot55]

I was an English major. I'm a huge book nerd. 😀

Just finished Guy Gavriel Kay's "Under Heaven," which was another excellent book. Planning on re-reading a Terry Pratchett book next, then delving into a larger project, like re-reading the George RR Martin books, or maybe Christopher Paolini's "Eragon" trilogy, the Inheritance Cycle. And I have a bunch of Patricia McKillip books to read, and I LOVE her stuff.

*bounce bounce bounce* I love books!

 

[lareinesoleil]

I just finished the newest book in the Thursday Next series. I also recommend The Magicians by Lev Grossman to everyone, so of course I have to mention it here 😀

 

[NStarz]

I'm re-reading Harry Potter for like the 8th time. I'm on book 4 🙂


P.S. This is what I'm doing instead of working on my thesis which is due in three weeks 😉

 

[Pelagia]

Currently it's Stand on Zanibar by John Brunner. I love me some dystopian and science fiction! 🙂

 

[drforwhiskers]

I just finished the newest book in the Thursday Next series. I also recommend The Magicians by Lev Grossman to everyone, so of course I have to mention it here 😀

I love The Magicians!!! I read it over Christmas last winter break.

And I definitely need to check out Stand on Zanibar because dystopian and science-fiction are my favorites!

 

[laitmanvet]

Just finished Half Broke Horses and Espresso Tales (Alexander McCall Smith). Both are great. Half Broke Horses is written my Jeanette Walls who also wrote The Glass Castle which was amazing. Espresso Tales takes place in Edinburgh 🙂 and has some really charming and relatable characters.

I decided to read Cormac McCarthy next and since the Borders here is going out of business, I bought All the Pretty Horses and The Road.

 

[Pelagia]

And I definitely need to check out Stand on Zanibar because dystopian and science-fiction are my favorites!

Hehe, well if that's the case, here are a few more suggestions. Dystopias are my favorites, too:

The Wanting Seed by Anthony Burgess: The world is so overpopulated that homosexuality and non-procreation are encouraged, wars are frequent, and couples that have more than one child are forced to "recycle" the additional child.
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood: a dystopia/post-apocalyptic novel in which over zealous genetic manipulation in humans left them vulnerable to a disease which wiped out most of the population. The story follows the survivors, with flashbacks of how the world fell apart.
Ubik by Philip Dick: Like most of Dick's books, pure tripiness. Not sure how to describe. Just read it. It's weird. And good.
This Perfect Day by Ira Levin: The world is run by a computer which constantly keeps people drugged via monthly injections so that they remain happy and compliant. People's mates, jobs, and even deaths are programmed by the computer.

Ahhh, I could go on and on (did I mention I love dystopias? 😛) but this is a good list to get you started! I am totally not doing these excellent books justice with my crappy descriptions, so just wikipedia them for the plot premise if I've piqued your interest!

 

[awaring1]

I LOOOOVE BOOOKS!


I recently read the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies trilogy and found them thoroughly entertaining. I read the Prequel on my flight to Iowa for my interview and had it finished by the time I landed back in Syracuse. 👍


Just returned Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter to the library. It was alright, but I liked P&P&Z more.

HUGE fan of the Hunger Games trilogy. They may be marketed as "young adult" but they are absolutely incredible.


I could go on and on but then I would get sad that I have to actually study for Microbiology and can't just lose myself in a great story. 🙁

I will definitely be checking out a lot of these books that people mention. They look great!

 

[scb44f]

I'm not reading it for class, though I originally bought it for one that I later dropped, but I'm about halfway through The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Up next once I'm done with this one, either They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky or Their Eyes were Watching God.

I'm pretty happy with my reading habits lately. Since July, I've finished four books for leisure and one for class. My record in the other four years of college doesn't even come close!

 

[Whyevernot55]

Speaking of dystopian novels, has anyone read Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go"? It's on my Nook and on my to-do list, but I haven't gotten around to it.

Also, anyone who enjoys hilarious, witty British humour wrapped up in fantasy should check out Terry Pratchett. He's amazing. Ahhhhh-mazing. He's got this HUGE series of Discworld novels, set on a world that is flat and carried through space on the backs of 4 giant elephants on the back of a giant turtle (which should give you an idea of his sense of humor), and one book called "Good Omens" co-written with Neil Gaiman. Gaiman's another favorite of mine. Good Omens is about the antichrist and the apocalypse. And it's hilarious. Srsly. 👍

 

[bee83]

I'm finally getting around to reading Watership Down, because people have been recommending it to me since I first learned how to read. It's quite good!

 

[Graduatedly]

The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes 😛

 

[awaring1]

The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes 😛

YESSSSS!!!

This book inspired me to get my zoo internship! (which then made me not want to work on exotics, haha)

I was usually just as interested in the author's bio because I always wondered what they had to do to get such awesome jobs.

 

[drforwhiskers]

Awaring - I also loooooove the Hunger Games! I made one of my roomates read the series after Mockingjay came out so I'd have someone to talk about it with!

I also really want to read Water for Elephants. It's actually about a vet who drops out of Cornell when his father passes away and goes to work for the circus.

 

[goldnretrivrgrl]

Water For Elephants was amazing! I finished it last week! I love all things Stephen King so I'm currently on Four Past Midnight. Yay! 🙂

 

[anjabryn]

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga was amazing, I loved it!
Right now I am reading On Beauty by Zadie Smith, I am only on page 40 so not sure what I think of it yet.

 

[Chinola]

I'm not reading it for class, though I originally bought it for one that I later dropped, but I'm about halfway through The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Up next once I'm done with this one, either They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky or Their Eyes were Watching God.

I'm pretty happy with my reading habits lately. Since July, I've finished four books for leisure and one for class. My record in the other four years of college doesn't even come close!

I was just thinking about rereading Their Eyes were Watching God yesterday! I just finished a report on rabies and it reminded me of this book. You'll enjoy it! 🙂

Like Whyevernot I also have a degree in English. That was one of the first books I had to read for my major 😍

I'm currently reading Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. It was a recommendation from my aunt who also has an English degree. I'm about a 1/3 in and still deciding how I feel about it.

If anyone wants a really great African (Nigerian specifically) novel read Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. They refer to her as the "daughter" of Chinua Achebe. So far it's my favorite book that I've read.

 

[Cautionary Tail]

I recently read the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies trilogy and found them thoroughly entertaining.

I bought P&P&Z for my brother (enthusiast of all things zombie) a couple of years ago, and I think it may be lurking at the parentals'... think someone who would've hated Pride & Prejudice might like it?

 

[Dsmoody23]

Read Lonesome Dove.

Can't lose.

Also, reading a chapter of Travels with Charley, by Steinbeck most nights.

 

[Pelagia]

Speaking of dystopian novels, has anyone read Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go"? It's on my Nook and on my to-do list, but I haven't gotten around to it.

Yes, I have! Lol, like I said, I kind of am into dystopias...although I actually found that one less satisfying than most. It was very indirect, and never mentioned the organ harvesting more directly. But still an interesting concept.

The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes 😛

OMG Yessss! I really want to go into zoo med now in part because of this book! I loved every story in there, and am really excited that two of the authors (Lewbart and Stoskopf) are profs at my school! Yay!

 

[EllieGirl89]

Compliments of a book trade with Squibby, I am currently reading Vetting: The Making of a Veterinarian by Dr. Pete Freyburger. So far so good!

 

[Alhazred]

I am working my way towards having read everything by H. P. Lovecraft, and I just finished rereading my favorite novel, Dune 🙂

 

[HopefulAg]

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood: a dystopia/post-apocalyptic novel in which over zealous genetic manipulation in humans left them vulnerable to a disease which wiped out most of the population. The story follows the survivors, with flashbacks of how the world fell apart.

She has another one called Oryx and Crake which I believe is in that same genre and is (supposedly) very good. Haven't read it yet.

Also 'The Road' is another good post-apocalyptic book by Cormac McCarthy. As is 'On the Beach' (Nevil Shute), 'Alas, Babylon' (Pat Frank), 'The Postman' (David Brin), 'Eternity Road' (Jack McDevitt), 'A Canticle for Leibowitz (Walter Miller), and 'The Day of the Triffids' (John Windham).

Guess what one of my favorite genres is. 😀

 

[bee83]

YESSSSS!!!

This book inspired me to get my zoo internship! (which then made me not want to work on exotics, haha)

I was usually just as interested in the author's bio because I always wondered what they had to do to get such awesome jobs.

Same here, on all counts 😛

 

[SWells2178]

I love this thread

I'm in the middle of Water for Elephants.

And I finished Little Bee by Chris Cleave and the Almost Moon by Alice Sebold last month.
I lvoe anything Alice Sebold writes- but her memoir Lucky was a bit graphic and certainly not for the faint at heart.

I'm loving all the suggestions for when I'm done with this book.

And if you have not read it "The art of racing in the rain" - amazing book and any dog person should read it

 

[roughleggedhawk]

You mean books exist outside of school and exams and studying that I could read for, y'know, FUN?

Actually, come to think of it, I've been reading my copies of some of Shakespeare's plays when I get a little downtime, so I haven't been totally away from reading.

Once I'm finished school and caught up on my sleep, I'm going to read the most recent of the Wheel of Time book (Towers of Midnight) which has been staring at me from the corner of my desk since I got it in January. The series is finally coming to a close. There will be ringing swords, political machinations and a lot less self-loathing from the main character. Looking forward to it.

Love both Guy Gavriel Kay and Margaret Atwood, though I found Oryx and Crake rather depressing. Also a huge fan of Pratchett, with well-loved copies of almost all the Discworld books lounging on my bookshelf.

 

[awaring1]

Once I'm finished school and caught up on my sleep, I'm going to read the most recent of the Wheel of Time book (Towers of Midnight) which has been staring at me from the corner of my desk since I got it in January. The series is finally coming to a close. There will be ringing swords, political machinations and a lot less self-loathing from the main character. Looking forward to it.

I was obsessed with WoT in High School. I stopped reading at like book #9 because I felt things were getting a little drawn out and a little obvious. But I am sure I will return to them in due time and enjoy the hell out of them.

If you like WoT you must read the series A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin. Absolutely amazing books. I think HBO is airing a series based on it?

 

[bbeventer]

I was an English major. I'm a huge book nerd. 😀

or maybe Christopher Paolini's "Eragon" trilogy, the Inheritance Cycle.

I have all three current books of the Inheritance Cycle! Can't wait for the fourth to come out!

I read Pride and Prejudice not to long ago and just bought Watership Down because I have always wanted to read it.

 

[LabLove3]

HUGE fan of the Hunger Games trilogy. They may be marketed as "young adult" but they are absolutely incredible.

AWESOME series. I've made so many people read them, regardless of age.
They're making them into a movie now... makes me a bit worried. I always love the book more!

 

[Pelagia]

She has another one called Oryx and Crake which I believe is in that same genre and is (supposedly) very good. Haven't read it yet.

Oryx and Crake IS good. It's actually the prequel (sort of) of Year of the Flood. Features many of the same characters and more fully develops their stories. I forgot to put that one on the list; it's also one of my faves.

Another good dystopia is Blindness by Jose Saramago. Super interesting novel about how society breaks down when everyone becomes blind. I highly recommend it.

Ok, must stop talking about dystopias....haha. I just love the genre so much and you guys keep roping me in to this discussion, lol! 😍 Dystopian literature.

 

[Cautionary Tail]

I'm just starting The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (story of the woman they obtained HeLa cells from), and am halfway through C.J. Peters' Virus Hunter. Not as thrilled with the latter as I'd hoped... I want more Ebola and less personal anecdotes regarding the author's academic/romantic endeavors. Excessive romance kills a book for me. Female species FAIL. 😛

I love to read, but find that I don't do it much while I'm taking classes. I tend to like autobiographical stuff or medical and/or forensic fiction.

 

[Ausheya]

I'm reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, too. I got roughly halfway through it before school started and I started a different book (The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks). So both of those are distracting me. It's really good, though! Much better than I thought. The only reason I got it was because it was free (the school does a "[Universty] Reads" thing every year, and that was the book this year). I was thinking of reading it anyway, so that was really convenient.

 

[HopefulAg]

If you like WoT you must read the series A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin. Absolutely amazing books. I think HBO is airing a series based on it?

I would highly recommend 'A Song of Ice and Fire' (first book is 'A Game of Thrones') to anyone who's not read it yet! The next book comes out in June too!

And yes, they're making an HBO series based on 'A Game of Thrones'. You can watch the first 10 minutes here.

Personally I think they pretty well nailed the aesthetics. I'm a bit confused though as to whether the creature they showed was an Other or a Wight. It doesn't look anything like the way the Others were described but they ran into an Other first, not a Wight.

 

[SouthJerseyBell]

I haven't read anything during undergrad except for the Twilight series (please don't throw stones at me! ) and the Chronicles of Narnia again. When I went back to work I was scolded for not knowing who James Herriot was, so here I am, almost done "All Creatures Great and Small" and I love it! Charming and really makes me excited to be a vet. It made it super difficult to decline Edinburgh though cause it is set in Scotland.

My other childhood favorites: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass books. I love the murder mysteries and of course author Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown 😍 "Field of Thirteen" by Dick Francis, and The Redwall series by Brian Jacques. Hopefully I can catch up on some reading this summer before vet school hits! I have a feeling I will be reading enough books then!

 

[roughleggedhawk]

I actually did read A Game of Thrones. Great writing, rich world, but it was a bit too dark for me. I like characters to go through trials, yes, but I want at least most of them to have happy endings. 🙂

And for those who abandoned WoT when things got all drawn out, fear not! The Gathering Storm is great, because things finally start happening. Sanderson did a great job taking up Jordan's mantle, and I plan to find more of his books to read.

Also must track down some of the other great books being mentioned on this thread!

 

[awaring1]

I haven't read anything during undergrad except for the Twilight series (please don't throw stones at me! ) and the Chronicles of Narnia again. When I went back to work I was scolded for not knowing who James Herriot was, so here I am, almost done "All Creatures Great and Small" and I love it! Charming and really makes me excited to be a vet. It made it super difficult to decline Edinburgh though cause it is set in Scotland.

My other childhood favorites: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass books. I love the murder mysteries and of course author Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown 😍 "Field of Thirteen" by Dick Francis, and The Redwall series by Brian Jacques. Hopefully I can catch up on some reading this summer before vet school hits! I have a feeling I will be reading enough books then!

His Dark Materials is another one of those trilogy claiming to be "young adult" but they are just amazing books cleverly disguised for highschoolers. The Amber Spyglass is one of my favorite books of all time. There were some parts so intense/vivid I literally had to stop and catch my breath while reading.

 

[RadRadTerp]

Over spring break I read Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein and I loved his sense of humor and ability to write about the grittiness of war through a futuristic lens.

I've had book 7 of the Dark Tower series by Stephen King on my shelf waiting to be finished for the longest time, but I keep putting it off. Perhaps I loved the first 4 so much that I can't stand to finish the series since the others weren't as enjoyable to me.

Cormac McCarthy is one of my favorite writers and I want to re-read The Road. I also highly recommend Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, as someone else mentioned. For those of you that like verbose lit, I want to throw my support for anything Umberto Eco, especially The Island of the Day Before.

 

[CurrySpice]

About halfway through City of Thieves by David Benioff. WWII novel set in Russia, but it's as comedic as it is sad. Love the writing style!

I bought it at Border's last weekend during a 50% off whole store, 70% off fiction sale. The one perk of businesses failing!

 

[MustLoveCats]

Read Lonesome Dove.

Yay! Lonesome Dove is my favorite book!
I'm currently reading Gone with the Wind and Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin.

My other fav. books are Sophie's World (not Choice), Shantaram, Middlesex, and 1984. I also love anything by Wally Lamb or Tom Robbins!

The only thing I'm not looking forward to in regards to vet school is the time it will take away from my leisure reading!

 

[awaring1]

I am bookmarking this thread so I make sure to read all these great looking books! 😛

 

[Tiktaalik]

I'm not reading it for class, though I originally bought it for one that I later dropped, but I'm about halfway through The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Up next once I'm done with this one, either They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky or Their Eyes were Watching God.

I'm pretty happy with my reading habits lately. Since July, I've finished four books for leisure and one for class. My record in the other four years of college doesn't even come close!

Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of my all-time favorite books.

I just finished Moonwalking with Einstein by Josh Foer, which is about the competitive memory circuit. He was on Colbert promoting it the other day, too - it's a nerdy subject, but the book is a total page-turner.

 

[Whyevernot55]

His Dark Materials is another one of those trilogy claiming to be "young adult" but they are just amazing books cleverly disguised for highschoolers. The Amber Spyglass is one of my favorite books of all time. There were some parts so intense/vivid I literally had to stop and catch my breath while reading.

Yessssssss. I remember when these books first came out when I was younger, and literally DYING of anticipation for Amber Spyglass. Still some of my favorites - I have them in hardcover and paperback! 😀 HATED the movie they made of Golden Compass a few years ago. I also tried to re-read Narnia earlier this year, but knowing more about Lewis and his views makes me enjoy them less. I also read a book called "Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials" by Leonard Wheat which is an analysis of the allegory in the books, as well as their relation to and an opposition of the Narnia books. English nerd. Like I said.

Also need to re-read Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children again. I try to read it every year or other. And re-read some Jane Austen interspersed between my fantasy novels! I love her.

 

[deleted387118]

Yay! Lonesome Dove is my favorite book!
I'm currently reading Gone with the Wind and Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin.

Temple Grandin is an amazing speaker. If you ever get a chance to hear her talk, don't walk - RUN to wherever she is speaking.

 

[Tiktaalik]

Temple Grandin is an amazing speaker. If you ever get a chance to hear her talk, don't walk - RUN to wherever she is speaking.

She gave an amazing seminar at one of our SCAVMA meetings free of charge a few months back because she was already in town for an autism conference. I sort of lost control of my speech when I met her. :/ Totally awesome lady.

Also, Phillip Pullman is (in my opinion) one of the best fiction authors alive today. Those books changed my life.

 

[Packen]

I haven't read anything during undergrad except for the Twilight series (please don't throw stones at me! ) and the Chronicles of Narnia again.

Haha! During the last few years when I was going to school and working full time, my reading list looked extremely similar, except add in a few Harry Potter books. (Honestly, it was like I regressed to being 15 and couldn't bring myself to read something that was written for adults 🙂 )

I am always a sucker for a quick James Patterson read - I like that I really don't have to think too much - find myself gravitating to those after a big exam.

Now I am on a Richard Yates (Revolutionary Road) kick. And my friend who is a Medieval History PhD (yes, such a thing does exist) is trying to get me to read some books on Scotland's history - told her that they must be in novel form or I will not touch them - it's about to be summer break so no history text books for me, thank you very much. She recommended Mary Queen of Scots and a few others. Will be checking them out on the next trip to the library.

@awaring - great idea, I think I am going to make a list from here too!

ETA: I also will read aanything by Nicholas Sparks (what can I say, I am a hopeless romantic). Fwiw, The Choice's main character is a veterinarian.

 

[that redhead]

I just started Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Lots of friends have recommended it, so I hope I enjoy it 🙂

I read that and ugh, it does pick up but it gets super weird and creepy. There are two others that I've considered picking up but I'm a little careful now 😉

I'm a huge Atwood fan but finished up my stash. The two mentioned I haven't seen before so I'll hunt them down! I'm seriously the non-pickiest reader EVER - my mom gets me a huge box of used books for Christmas every year and I read them all. My two favorite authors are Janet Evanovich (hilarious) and Robert Parker (also hilarious, fast, good reads). Now I have a craving for another pile of books!

 

[Bacci]

I finally have a chance to finish Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz. I read about 2/3 of it but had to return it to the library because it was waaaay overdue. (Probably could have bought the thing for the library fees I paid on it!) Luckily, my uncle just happened to see it at the store and thought it would be good for me, so he sent it to me not knowing that it was "one that got away." If you are interested in behavior at all, I highly recommend it!

Also, if you guys haven't read Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, it truly is an American classic and you must read it. 😍 Its humor was/is ahead of its time. Just an all around great book, one of my all time favorites.

 

[pennyonthefloor]

You all have provided me with an excellent "must read" list for this summer...

....might just take my SO up on the offer of buying me a Kindle...

 

[Whyevernot55]

You all have provided me with an excellent "must read" list for this summer...

....might just take my SO up on the offer of buying me a Kindle...

I got a Nook this year after vehemently protesting that I'd never have an e-reader. I love the darn thing. My boyfriend got a Kindle for his birthday last year, and he loves it, too. It's SO nice for portability when traveling, taking to school for reading between classes, etc.