Book Thread

Can somebody recommend me a good book which will be about the slave trade and that era in America. Something similar to Roots.

Currently reading The Catcher in the Rye. Then I've got The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn to read. Then Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Then I have a heap of other books to read which don't really interest me. They're just books I've bought for the sake of it or been given to for free. Had the LOTR books for 10 years and not read them. I have the Girl With the Dragon tattoo series and not read them either. Then I have a few sport books and autobiographies I need to get through.

They don't seem to interest me though anymore. English Lit lessons this year have inspired me to want to read books like Animal Farm, 1984, Great Expectations etc etc etc

Oh, and Doctor Faustus is my favourite old piece of literature ever.

Marlowe >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Gay Shakespeare

I have read The Catcher in the Rye

Forest wrote:Can somebody recommend me a good book which will be about the slave trade and that era in America. Something similar to Roots.

Currently reading The Catcher in the Rye. Then I've got The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn to read. Then Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Then I have a heap of other books to read which don't really interest me. They're just books I've bought for the sake of it or been given to for free. Had the LOTR books for 10 years and not read them. I have the Girl With the Dragon tattoo series and not read them either. Then I have a few sport books and autobiographies I need to get through.

They don't seem to interest me though anymore. English Lit lessons this year have inspired me to want to read books like Animal Farm, 1984, Great Expectations etc etc etc

Oh, and Doctor Faustus is my favourite old piece of literature ever.

Marlowe >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Gay Shakespeare

Incidents in the life of a slave girl by Harriet Jacobs. Life and times of Frederick Douglass. Uncle Toms Cabin. Benito Cereno if you want something shorter, could probably get that on the internet.

I've never heard of Roots but all those are about slavery.

Highly recommend Flowers for Algernon.

Have you read Brave New World, Forest? It's similar to 1984.

Just bought some limited edition of Dracula, looks good.

Rei Andros wrote:Highly recommend Flowers for Algernon.

Details please

Clark wrote:Just bought some limited edition of Dracula, looks good.

Welcome back, Clark.

dena wrote:

Rei Andros wrote:Highly recommend Flowers for Algernon.

Details please

Scientists create a drug that can artificially create geniuses. They try it out on a mouse first, and it works. They then get a guy who has an IQ of 50 as the first human test subject. The book is his story.

Replay is also another great one. The main character dies of a heart attack in 1989 at age 40 something, but gets transported back to his 20 year old self. He then lives hi whole life over again, only to die of a heart attack at the same date and time as before. When he goes back this time, he is a bit older. Each time he dies, he is resurrected as an older version of his previous replay.

Last thing I read was Six Characters in Search of an Author, crazy play.

I have read in the past few weeks:

Dharma Bums - Jack Kerouac
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Hurston
Light in August - William Faulkner
Day of the Locust - Nathaneal West

and currently reading Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison.

Anyone read any of them?

SBSP wrote:Have you read Brave New World, Forest? It's similar to 1984.

That's an option of our grade 11 curriculum and most classes do it. I never got to do it though. Heard it's a pretty crazy book, heard it was good though. Surprised me too because the people that say it's a good book are people that I'd not expect to appreciate reading.

Invisible Man is amazing, one of my favorite books.

I see you gettin' your black on zzonked.



You get the Durant daps btw.

A fair bit, it's for uni so a lot of them are 20th century American novels, with race obviously a hot topic.

I'm only 100 pages in, but enjoying invisible man so far. The prologue where he's just smoked weed was really confusing though.

Im trying to make my way through on the road by Jack Kerouac now but it's so hard to follow wtfs going on.

At the moment in A2 english, I'm doing Beowulf and The Tempest, and i'm doing Hamlet next term

Ted wrote:Im trying to make my way through on the road by Jack Kerouac now but it's so hard to follow wtfs going on.

I read like half of that then lost all momentum and never went back to it. Might actually just get through it quickly when I get a chance, think I'd be more into it now than I was.

The writing style is really good, love the energy and it just feels like a more natural way of reading when you get into it. Think it helps if you learn a bit of the philosophy surrounding it and such, maybe why I got more into the Dharma Bums because I was studying it then.

Anyone read Heart of Darkness. Would be surprised if anyone had.

As in Joseph Conrad?

Yes.

I have as well. Didn't really care for it.

It's such a dull read. Not a book you should read for the plot.

Agreed. As a piece of literature is a masterpiece because of just how convoluted it is. Kinda like Lolita actually. I have a new found respect for Nabokov as a writer after hearing each aspect of the novel explained.

Currently reading the first book of the Prince of Nothing Trilogy. Great so far.

I've read it as well.

That book is deeeep, man.

I'm hoping to read The Hobbit before the movie release. I read it years ago when I was about 8, but can't remember a great deal.

My coursework is limiting me though as I have to keep re-reading Catcher in the Rye and The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn.

I have Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Secret Footballer, Girl With The Dragon Tattoo an a host of other books on my 'To Read' list.

This makes so much more sense to me now.

Hamlet is pretty great.

In Britain is it the same where everyone despises Shakespeare like over here? Or do people generally enjoy Shakespeare?

I'm probably one of the few people I know that enjoys Shakespeare. Mind you I wouldn't read one on my own time, but when we read it in class I actually find it enjoyable.

I enjoy Shakespeare as well, he is very clever with his various wordplay techniques.

Just purchased A Song of Ice & Fire, the box set of 7. £25 was a good price.

If you like reading fantasy, try The Second Apocalypse series. It is magnificent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Scott_Bakker#The_Second_Apocalypse