Angury

I'm so glad to have found a thread about the Wheel of Time - it's one of my all time favourite fantasy series. Has anyone read the final book? I was a bit disappointed by some of the scenes. Here's a brilliant image of Moiraine from the cover of the ebook Fires of Heaven: http://www.tor.com/images/stories/blogs/FiresOfHeaven_DanDosSantos.png She looks exactly as I imagined her. There's also some articles on the Tor website where a fan has analysed every chapter in the books (or so I remember).

Has anyone read Pratchett's new novel, Raising Steam? I looked it up, and it seems to be about the character Moist von Lipwig, so I'm going to start reading Going Postal (which is apparently the first novel he appears in) and work my way through to Making Money, then Raising Steam. I know you can read the novels in any order, but I prefer to begin at the start of a characters storyline to see how they develop. It was particularly interesting seeing Vimes change throughout his story arc. What did you think of Guards! Guards!I'm currently reading The Reaperman, although I've taken a short break as it seemed to be turning into a chore for me. I do love Death though, so I'll come back to it. The Hogfather is also high on my to-read list. I agree with you Athena, I think you need to be in a certain mood to read them. My favourite novel in the series so far is Small Gods - I loved the humour tied in with religion, particularly the idea of the "Great God Om" being stuck as a turtle. Poor guy.

Yeah, I found it a bit simple as well. It just surprised me how popular it is, and how much it is raved about in the media. Then again, self-help books seem to be gaining popularity, and perhaps I just had high expectations from the beginning. Best of luck with your reading.

Those are some very interesting points you've made, I've never really thought about the story from Lolita's point of view. I just thought of her as an innocent girl.. but I guess that's because of the biased narration. I have to keep reminding myself that Lolita didn't always know what was going on in Humbert's head, and Humbert himself must have been a good actor to hide his feelings. I agree with your last point - I think the absence of a male figure in Lolita's life previously had quite a role to play in their relationship.

What did you think of Dale Carnegie's book on "How to Win Friends and Influence People?" At the time I thought it was a good read and believed it would even help my personality. But after reading Susan Cain's "Quiet" book on introversion, I've taken a bit of an opposite view on it. Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the book. Perhaps the reader's reaction is based on whether they see themselves as more extroverted or introverted?

I find it rather interesting that you're aiming to keep acquired books to a minimum and only buy books you know you will be able to read quite soon after. I've noticed that I buy way too many books, then end up getting confused about which one to read first! I may steal your idea. I looked up the "101 Experiments in Philosophy" book on Goodreads, it sounds thought-provoking, I have put it on my to-read list. As a fantasy fan, I looked up Steven Erikson's books as well, and have added "Gardens of the Moon" to my list. I also wanted to comment on "House of Leaves" by Mark Danielewski that you've got on your list. You've got some stamina to be willing to read that book I have to admit - I finished it last year after goodness knows how many months, but I think it's worth the trek. You also have three of Stephen Fry's books on your list - excellent taste. You've got a long list of Haruki Makurami's books on your to-read list - have you read 1Q84? And I also love the fact that you have a list dedicated to Books on Madness. By the way, would you recommend Candide by Voltaire (I realise it's on your recommended reading list)? I would like to give it a go, but am worried it may be a bit dense for me.

Interesting idea. I nominate: Vladimir Nabokov Terry Pratchett Oscar Wilde

Amazing reading log, I spent a long time looking through it and marvelling at your collections. Have you been collecting for a while now? I would love to buy more books once I get my own place. Reading through your lists, I also wondered how you manage to find the time to read so much!

Regarding the bit in bold, I wonder how much of the blame can be put on Lolita. I've read a couple of reviews where the reviewer puts some of the blame on Lolita, as they thought she knew what was going on and seduced Humbert. I can't say I agree with that view at all though, and even find it a bit bizarre. Regardless of how much Lolita may have known about what was going on inside Humbert's mind, she was still a child at the time. I feel that most of the blame lies on Humbert as the adult in the situation (although not all of it). Thank you for those recommendations, I shall look them up on Goodreads. It sounds like you are a big Nabaokov fan - which book of his would you say is his best? Have you read any of his short stories? I've read Signs and Symbols, which got me hooked enough to make me buy a collection of his short stories.

Has anyone read any of Lydia Davies' short stories? They introduced me to the genre, and made me realise how the most mundane everyday tasks can be transformed through writing. I'd recommend her work, she has a gift of making you see things differently. I've also recently bought a collection of Vladimir Nabokov's short stories. I loved his novel Lolita, so decided to read one of his short stories, Signs and Symbols and was hooked - it's also available online for free! Here's a list of some of his short stories: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/52412-the-top-10-nabokov-short-stories.html#path/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/52412-the-top-10-nabokov-short-stories.html I'm really starting to get into short stories now, I've found some of them make you think more than a lot of novels I've read.

I think what is wrong or right depends on the context, the time and the place. Homosexuality was considered "wrong" and was illegal in the UK, but now is legal, and indeed homophobia is now considered to be "wrong." Incest is currently thought of as being wrong, but I'd like to hope that changes in the next few decades.Bringing that back to GoT, there are some things which would probably be considered to be "right" in the GoT world - such as executions and beheadings, but would be entirely wrong in the Western World. In fact, in some countries in the real world, executions are still considered "right." Right and wrong is a manmade concept which changes over time. I currently thing execution is wrong, but if something ever happened to one of my family members, I would probably back the execution of the person who committed the said crime against my family, and to me that execution would seem right in my eyes. I also don't think there is always a choice - some people have more knowledge and experience than others, and therefore will have more choices available to them (not to mention the fact that money and power can open up a lot of choices as well). Sometimes it may appear that a person has a choice, and to us as the reader it may seem obvious what the "right" choice is, but that may not be the case for the character - they have a different background, different motives and a different perspective. You used the example of a life and death decision - I think death is quite an easy choice to make. A harder choice would be either to do something or see your family suffer. Some people may not see a choice in there at all, because they could never do anything to hurt their family - I don't think I would see myself as having a choice in that situation. To an outsider it may seem obvious that there is a clear choice, but it's the perspective of the person affected that matters. I believe everyone has a limit, and will do something they would never have dreamed of because they feel trapped and don't think they have a choice. Have you read about Milgram's experiment or ZImbardo's experiment? (this isn't related to GoT ) They're interesting experiments that show how people will do things they wouldn't normally do because of the situation they're in.

I agree there will always be people who can live in a brutal world while holding onto their moral values.. but I think most people need to adapt to their environment. No one is perfect, and when it comes to people we love, I think many people will do things they would never dream of doing otherwise to protect them. The circumstances someone is in can have a huge impact on their behaviour - no one is courageous or moral all of the time. Also, morals change. Some of the things Cersei did may have been acceptable in the society she lived in. I can see you're an optimist, just as you can probably tell that I'm pretty pessimistic. I'm not sure if I can agree with your final point, I think there are many factors that lead to the sorts of things you mentioned. In some societies these things are acceptable to do.. such as women seen as being inferior to men etc. I think what I'm trying to get across is that I can see where Cersei is coming from. I can't say I agree with all of her actions, but love, money and power can make you do stupid things, and we are all flawed.

I don't think it's as black and white as that. The actions may be wrong for us, but for the character they may be the right thing to do - the GoT world is so brutal, I don't think anyone would survive for very long if they acted the way we do in reality. Given the circumstances, and her position both in power and as a woman, I think Cersei has done what was needed for her and her family to survive. She's done some brutal things, but I don't think that makes her a bad person.

I've recently discovered Swedish House Mafia, so currently listening to their track Greyhound (the music video to Save the World is adorable as well!).

I didn't really enjoy The Book Thief, but seem to be in a minority compared with my friends. I'm looking forward to watching Noah when it comes out. Mostly because it's directed by my favourite director, and the trailer looks good.

When I tell people this is one of my favourite books, I often receive weird looks. I think it's a bit of a brave topic to write about, particularly from the point of view from Humbert. I actually began to feel a bit sorry for him near the end - not that I forgive him for his actions. What kept me going though was the writing. The first paragraph is pretty famous, and I think the rest of the novel maintains that level of writing. I've become rather fond of Nabokov since reading Lolita, and I recently bought another book of his - Ada or Ardor. I've read a couple of his short stories, and he writes just as well as he did in Lolita. I'm glad that Lolita wasn't just a one off, and I hope Ada or Ardor is consistent with his beautiful way of writing.

This is one of my favourite books. The way it's narrated through Scout's eyes makes it a fun read, especially regarding such a difficult topic. Some of my favourite scenes in the book come from Scout's innocence throughout the book - it gives such a refreshing light to the racist background revolving around the trial. My favourite quote comes from Atticus though: That quote gives me a boost when needed - Atticus is a bit of a hero of mine. I was a bit surprised to see that Harper Lee hasn't published anymore books since, but I guess all the fame means you've got a lot of expectations to keep up with.

I don't mind waiting for him to publish the final books. I prefer the fact that he takes the time to flesh out the plot and work on the writing. GoT is my favourite fantasy series at the moment (with The Wheel of Time a close second), and although it is a bit frustrating having such a long wait in between books, I guess I can use that time to reread the series. I've forgotten some of the plot points already. My favourite character has changed throughout the series, which I think illustrates George's ability to show his characters as human - no one is inherently good or evil.

1Q84 is the first book of Haruki's that I'm reading, mainly because it seems to be such a popular novel. Although I've been told Norwegian Wood is a better book to begin with if you haven't read his books before, since 1Q84 is pretty long. Despite only being 100 pages in, I'm enjoying it - I think he writes very well and there are some beautiful sentences in his chapters. Anyway, I forgot to say what I would write about if I wrote a book.. I think I'd probably write a fictional book about mental illness - maybe from the point of view of the person suffering from it, but you don't realise they're ill because you're seeing everything through their perspective. I think I'd start off with a short story though. I'd also like to write a nonfiction book about healthcare, particularly mental health - things like how people view the mental health services, differences between physical and mental health, and the way medicine is changing as more patient-centered. I also think the placebo effect is very interesting, and the argument on how it can be used to benefit patients, what with deception being a big issue. I have a lot of ideas being thrown around my head, so I think I'd probably just write some blog posts to begin with, to try and find my voice.

I use Goodreads a lot to track my to-read list as well as books I'm currently reading. I've stopped looking at reviews before I read a book now though, because I've found myself disagreeing with the reviews a lot of the time. I guess I'd rather read a book with a clear perspective before looking at what other people have to say. It's a great community though - bookworms unite.

I like your idea of a young wizard inheriting a kingdom, sounds like a fun read. I'm a fantasy fan myself which is probably why it appeals to me so much. It'd be nice to have some more humour in the genre rather than the typical good vs evil archetype.Your idea reminds me of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series (love the username btw ). I have to remind myself of this often. I used to have an English teacher back in school who published a book and won many awards for it. At the time I wanted to be just like her, but what I didn't see was the years of work that went on behind her success, all the competitions she entered and the hours of work she put into her craft everyday.I've decided that my aim isn't to be published, but just to write everyday. I've found it reveals so much about your mind and how your thoughts come together, not to mention the improvements you notice as you keep writing.

You are about to dive into an incredible world. I am currently reading 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, which I'm enjoying so far. His writing is very easy to get into, and there's some phrases that I might note down because of his choice of words. Although I've got the entire trilogy as one massive book so look a bit silly carrying such a tome around coffee shops. I'm also currently reading Collected Short Stories by Lydia Davies. I've been thinking about entering a short story competition, so decided to look around a bit to become familiar with the art. Glad I did, I didn't realise you could write about absolutely anything, no matter how mundane until I read Lydia Davies. I'm also reading The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine by James Le Fanu, as healthcare is something I'm interested in. Yeah, I read three books at a time..

Apologies if there is already a thread about this author, I couldn't find one. Sarah Hall has become one of my favourite authors. I've read How to Paint a Dead Man by her which I thought was written wonderfully. She has such a way with words, she could describe the most mundane of things in a beautiful and eloquent way. I also finished reading her collection of short stories in The Beautiful Indifference and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work. She also won the BBC National Short Story Award with her story called Mrs Fox. I'm still trying to hunt it down atm. Are there any of her fans around here? I am trying to find more of her work to read, it's such a wonderful escape delving into her writing.

I thought this was interesting: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jan/06/nathan-filer-costa-award-first-novel The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer wins the Costa Award. There was also a 11-publishing bid war over the book. It's now my next book to read. The story sounds very interesting, about a boy with schizophrenia. Especially since the author is a mental health nurse.

I started reading these books a few days ago, and I'm hooked. So far I've read Mort and Small Gods, and I'm just about to start Guards! Guards! I was about to start reading Thud, but then came across this: http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg So thought it might be best to start with Guards! Guards! first. I know there's no particular order to the books, but is it best to follow the above guide, to understand the characters arcs? I was hoping to go on to Thud straight after Guards - does it matter that I'll have skipped some of the books in the Nightwatch 'series'? What are your favourite books from Discworld? I've heard a lot about Sam Vimes which is why I've decided to give Guards a go. I also enjoyed the character of Death in Mort, I'm planning to buy Reaper Man soon.