Unofficial What are you Reading Thread?

[The Wizard]

Ha! Lovely. What's the author's name?

[Luna]

Crap.  120 pages to go through to compile a reading list...  This is gonna take awhile...

[Cain]

Ha! Lovely. What's the author's name?

Brandon Sanderson.  His Mistborn trilogy is worth a read if you have the time, as well.

[The Wizard]

Brandon Sanderson.  His Mistborn trilogy is worth a read if you have the time, as well.

Thanks. Will definitely check out next time I'm in a bookstore.

[Suu]

The Decameron at the same time as The Homeric Hymns.

[Faust]

I've started Wittgenstein's mistress, It has an interesting concept. Something about a woman who has either convinced herself that she is the last person in the world, or that it is in fact reality.

[LMNO]

I've started Wittgenstein's mistress, It has an interesting concept. Something about a woman who has either convinced herself that she is the last person in the world, or that it is in fact reality.

Author, please.

[Prelate Diogenes Shandor]

Did I mention that I'm reading " The School of Licentiousness" (Aka. " The One-Hundred-and-Twenty Days of Sodom") by His Excellancy the Most Honorable Donatien Alphonse Francois,  Marquis De Sade

[Prelate Diogenes Shandor]

Did I mention that I'm reading " The School of Licentiousness" (Aka. " The One-Hundred-and-Twenty Days of Sodom") by His Excellancy the Most Honorable Donatien Alphonse Francois,  Marquis De Sade

Its a really fascinating read, by the way. Especially the last three chapters, which describe acts^* so bizarre in their perversity, that, so far as I can tell, not even the Urban Dictionary has names for them


<sub>^* Such as the Forty-forth criminal passion, in which (squick warning) a man confines a monkey to a basket and engages in anal sex with it while the monkey is donkey-punched^** by a prostitute.

^** Ordinary donkey-punching is the twenty-seventh criminal passion, btw .</sub>

[Juana]

Burning Chrome by William Gibson

[Faust]

I've started Wittgenstein's mistress, It has an interesting concept. Something about a woman who has either convinced herself that she is the last person in the world, or that it is in fact reality.

Author, please.

David Markson. I couldn't pirate it, had to amazon.

[Cain]

Reading The Crippled God, the final part of the Malazan Books of the Fallen series.

The only problem is that its been so long since I've read the series, I've forgotten who at least half of the (incredibly large list of) characters are.

[Kai]

Reading Naming Nature: the clash between instinct and science by Carol Yoon.

And I can only put it down long enough to write this. Seldom does a book simultaneously infuriate and inspire me so well that I read it in one sitting. Best systematics popular science book out there, to be taken with both a grain of salt as all pop sci books should be. READ IT.

[LMNO]

THIS ONE'S GOING OUT TO KAI!

[Cain]

Reading The Crippled God, the final part of the Malazan Books of the Fallen series.

The only problem is that its been so long since I've read the series, I've forgotten who at least half of the (incredibly large list of) characters are.

This part made me lol

'Still nervous?' Hedge asked him. 'I'd be, if I was you. Khundryl like their horses. A lot. Between a warrior's horse and his mother, it's even odds which one he'd save, if it came down to choosing. Then you just went and killed 'em.'

'They were dying anyway, sir. In a single day, a horse needs more water than four soldiers, and those Khundryl were running out. Try bleeding a dehydrated animal, sir – it isn't easy.'

'Right, so now they got undead horses and still no water, meaning if you'd done that a week ago, why, all that sacrifice wouldn't have been necessary. They want to kill you, alchemist – it took me half a day to talk 'em out of it.'

Bavedict glared at Hedge. 'You just said, between horses and their mothers—'

'They'd save their mothers, of course. What are you, an idiot?'

The alchemist sighed.

'Anyway,' Hedge continued after a moment, 'we're all Bridgeburners now. Now it's true, we killed a few officers every now and then, if they was bad enough. Who wouldn't? Get a fool in charge and they're likely to get you all killed, so better top 'em first, right? But you ain't done nothing to earn that. Besides, I need you and so do they. So it's simple and all – nobody's gonna cut your throat.'

'I am most relieved, Commander.'

Hedge moved closer, dropping his voice. 'But listen. It's all about to fall apart – can you see that? The Bonehunters – those regulars – they're losing it.'

'Sir, we're not much better off.'

'So we don't want to get caught up in the slaughter, right? I already told my captains. We're gonna pull out hard as soon as it starts up – I want a hundred paces between us before they start looking for somebody new to kill.'

'Sir, do you think it will get that bad?'

Hedge shrugged. 'Hard to say. So far, the marines are holding 'em all in check. But there's gonna come a scrap, any time now, when a marine gets taken down. And the smell of blood will do it, mark my words.'

'How would the Bridgeburners have handled this, sir? Back in the day?'

'Simple. Sniff out the yappers and kill 'em. It's the ones who can't stop bitching, talking it up, egging on the stupider ones to do something stupid. Hoping it all busts out. Me' – he nodded to the column walking beside them – 'I'd jump Blistig and drag him off into the desert – and for a whole damned day nobody'd be sleeping, 'cause of all the screaming.'

'No wonder you all got outlawed,' Bavedict muttered

And this is why the Bridgeburners are one of my favourite fictional regiments.