Chic, IL What Book Are You Reading Right Now?

Is anyone reading the new Tolkien book, The Children of Hurin? I haven't picked it up yet but plan on doing so. But I'm really interested in hearing what other people think.

 

I worry about The Children of Hurin the same way I worry about the continuation of the Asimov universe by other authors (which I intend to explore someday). Let us know how it compares.

D'

 

I plan on picking up "The Children of Hurin" this week. Hopefully it was mostly if not fully compiled from nothing but J.R.R.'s notebooks as they're stating. I don't want to read Christopher Tolkien's novel. I want to read more stories by his long deceased father, not someones attempt at their predecessors "style".

I'm currently reading "Chapterhouse Dune". It's the only of Frank Herbert's original "Dune" series that I haven't ever had the chance to read. I'm going to immediately follow it up with the new Dune book "Hunters of Dune" which continues where "Chapterhouse Dune" leaves off.

Yet another son carrying on the fathers work. But where Herbert's was unfinished and I fully accept that the gaps will have been written in by his son. They are pushing the new Tolkien novel off like it is all J.R.R.'s work and his son simply compiled the stories together over the last 30(?) years. I'll have to see if it feels like his work or not. I'll let you know if I like it.

 

OMGZ! Its a metaphorz 4 zeh Bush Aminz!

Finished Outbound Flight. I determined one critical thing about Jedi. They are dumb as stumps. C'baoth was falling to the darkside right before all their eyes and overtly so. What do they do? Talk about how weird he is then go have a cup of tea. WTF? No wonder they went down like fiddy-cent hoes in Ep3!

Overall I enjoyed the book. Thrawn was excellently written and extremely interesting as he usually is. The smugglin' crew was pretty cool.

I'm reading the "follow-up" Survivor's Quest now.

I do plan on picking up Children of Hurin and I'm hoping it is nothing like the Silmarillion. That was a chore to read and not at all enjoyable.

 

Last week I finished The Children of Hurin and absolutely loved it to the point that I'm tempted to start re-reading it right away. It wasn't just the story either which was brilliantly written and beautifully tragic but the entire package from the forward, the appendix, the maps, the illustrations, everything. But at the heart of everything again was the story which will bring me back to the back sooner rather than later. In my opinion fans of Tolkien should read this book.

On another note, after reading this I'm interested in reading more Tolkien beyond The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy but don't want to touch the Sell-a-million. So I was wondering if Unfinished Tales is any good?

 

It's...unfinished. I know that sounds cliché but it's the truth. Basically, Christopher took all of his father's notes and compiled them into a volume. There's good stuff to be had, sure, but just as you get into a particular story it will end abruptly and skip 2500 years. There is no attempt to fill in the gaps or link things together.

It's a good volume to have, a good one to read. Just don't expect any sort of continuous narrative.

 

I think its good to read the Unfinished tales along with the Silmarillion, which is what I've been doing. It puts things in a context, so you can both get the canon story, and the behind the scenes all at the same time (if you read the corresponding unfinished tales part first). The poetry in unfinished tales, I've got to say, is worth the cost of the book in itself, even if it didn't have anything to do with my geeky completionist-nature. Plus you can find one on the interweb for cetns. DO IT.

(at addall.com maybe?)

 

requesting an update on the book club's next meeting.
(if I am missing that thread, please direct me there)


or

the last time I read (somewhere) that it was downtown,
and I went downtown....well, it was not there.....

Am very hopeful to attend

thanks


Ed

 

Book Club is indeed at the Borders on State Street this Saturday at 1 p.m., as stated in the list of Upcoming Events above. The topic will be Dark Nest III: The Swarm War by Troy Denning.

Phil

 

Much thanks Phil,

I have the book now. And will actually read it for the book club.

Am only on Page 17 at this time, and am amazed I still remember

some stuff from other sporadic readings

Ed

 

The Dark Nest series was pretty good, right now I am almost finished with Sacrifice!

 

I'm working my way thru a couple books right now:

Essential Defenders, Vol. 1: The more I read of it, the more I love 70s Marvel; it's got all the daffy joy of sixties marvel, but with added pretension.

Maxwell Strangewell: A new graphic novel from the artists on some of the Clone Wars comics, I believe. It's interesting so far. I don't want to say more till it's over; I'm hoping it will get better.

 

I just started the Virgin Suicides, for a class. Its okay, more depressing than the movies.

 

Currently re-reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (my...third read of it) before re-reading Half-Blood Prince in preparation for the seventh book out next weekend.

 

Before all the Harry Potter stuff starts, I figured I'd squeeze in a plug for "Comedy by the Numbers", a McSweeney's-published instructional manual for all things funny.

#131 - Superheroes
Funniest when asked to do menial or mundane tasks:

Green Lantern diapering a baby
Wonder Woman awkwardly purchasing tampons
Galactus doing his taxes
The Flash with premature ejaculation issues
Beetle Baily as Saigon village raper

Good stuff.

-Le Penguin
"Oh, honey. No."

 

There's a terrible but legible scan of HP:AtDH in pirate land. I've read a bit of the first chapter...but it's a bit of an eye-strain. But if you're dying to dig into it before getting in line tonight to pick up a pulp-copy...link away.

D'

 

When Dragons Rage by Mike Stackpole whose non-SW books are really good and the final Harry Potter book which April and I are switching chapters narrating to each other.

 

That is a pretty good idea Josh. I hadn't even thought to do that with HP.

I grabbed 2 copies for Erica and I.

Holy crap is the book good. I'm about 400 pages in and it is out of control crazy.

Also, I can't believe there is not an HP MMO in the works. It would lend itself perfectly to the genre. Of course licensed MMOs have a real bad rap, thanks SOE.

 

I just finished Sacrifice.

...OMG!!! I mean seriously!?!? Now I have to wait till what...September to see how this plays out....booooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

 

I finished HPH yesterday during lunch.

Wow, just Wow.

I have a feeling we will be straying from Darth Bane this bookclub meeting.

 

And not just because Darth Bane was such a wonderful piece of literature......ugh......

Fett402.....Sacrifice.....yeah, I know..........shocking........

The only bad thing about reading a book out loud though is that it takes much longer to finish and with each passing day I'm worried someone is going to accidentily spoil some part of The Death Hallows for me. If that happens though.....wrath......

 

I'm guessing Bosh will find this a spoiler, but I hear Harry Potter's in this book.

 

You ruined it for me! BASTARD!

 

Joke's on you guys. Turns out the real spoiler is that he's NOT in it.

 

Has anyone ever read Delillo's Underword. I couldn't get a hundred pages into it. Does this appeal to anyone under 50?