What are you Reading Now?

I'm currently reading a bit of nonfiction: Man-Eaters of Kumaon by Jim Corbett. It's a pretty interesting account of the years Corbett spent hunting man-eating tigers and leopards in the Kumaon region of India. I was honestly shocked at the body counts racked up by some of these man eaters he killed. The Champawat Tigress killed 436 people before Corbett finally hunted her down.

 

Wow, that is pretty shocking.

This is one reason I enjoy hanging out here at MS (or the internet in general). It never before occured to me to ask the question: how many people can an individual man-eating tiger kill in a lifetime? The answer is downright amazing. I guess the 'man-eating' appellation is even more deserved than I ever realized. Thanks for that--

 

I am depressed. I was forced to close The Silmarillion halfway through in defeat, after having sworn that this would be the time I'd finally read it all the way through. It just got too overwhelming. Maybe I'll pick it back up after a few weeks, once I've recharged my batteries with some less challenging books. Damn you, ADD!

 

Halfway through. I quit just before the birth of mankind. I'm really annoyed at myself for putting it down--this is the third time I've failed to read it through to the end!

 

I tried reading the Silmarillion a while ago. I think I got up to the bit where Illuvatar and Melkor have some kind of rap battle and eventually just lost interest. Don't get me wrong, it was fascinating to get a glimpse into Tolkien's incredible, detailed imagination. I just couldn't wade through the bible-esque prose.

 

Don't beat yourself up, man. Tolkien is dry at the best of times. In Silmarillion he's practically desiccating. It's a hard book to get through, with it's abrahamic prose and dense narrative. I've never been able to get through it myself, either.

 

Nah, it's not the prose--actually, I really like the prose. It has a beautiful, poetic quality that reminds me of a translation of Beowulf I read awhile ago. I just have a hard time digesting large chunks of text. For instance, I also took a breather between Game of Thrones and Clash of Kings, just because starting another big book right after I finished one was threatening to overwhelm me!

 

Just finished a translation of The Epic of Gilgamesh. Surprisingly, much easier to get through than the Iliad or The Odyssey (albeit, quite a bit shorter)

 

Finished Red Seas Under Red Skies last night. Started Tom Merritt's Citadel 32 this morning. Needed a break from fantasy.

 

I read the two Splatter Elf short stories by Philip Overby (from here) and loved them. Definitely would recommend.

2 new books I ordered have arrived now but I don't know which to read first :|
Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
and Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

Might just close my eyes and spin around on my chair, then open my eyes when I stop and choose whichever one I'm looking at/is closest to where I'm looking.

 

Gnome saga?? Please elaborate.

 

I'm currently reading 'Consider Phlebas' by Iain M Banks. And yeah, it's pretty good. I've decided that if I was given the opportunity to live in any fictional society, The Culture would be my choice, easy. It's a communist utopia, a secular heaven. You don't have to worry about money or work, because there is no scarcity of resources and everything is provided and run by machines and AIs. You can do anything you want as long as you don't hurt anyone. You can live for hundreds of years. You can have drug glands embedded in your body and you can choose to stoned however long you want with no side effects. It would be great!

 

Should be finishing Titus Groan in another couple of days. Amazing book. One of the coolest things I've ever read. My earlier comments stand. I'd ask if there was anything else like it, but I know the answer would be abundantly clear: No! One thing is certain, this is NOT a book for readers who do not like description. Also, if you're expecting a 'normal' narrative mode, look elsewhere--it does not handle plot in the traditional way.

It'll be a while before I tackle the next book in the series. Hugely looking forward to it, though.