Reading...amongst other things

Hello viewers

I had my second day of University, which turned out to be worse than the first in terms of being valueless and frustrating. Once again i spent the day with Edd, which softened the blow somewhat, especially as we decided to go bowling after the induction. I now know less about what's going on than I did before!! I don't know which subjects I'll be studying or why and I'm not even sure when I go in next!! I think I'm doing Prose and Screenplay like last year, and I think I'm going to do what's been called the "Samurai Module" and get involved in a writing project for children with learning disabilities... if they said it right!

Right- onto reading, I once posted up a reading log on this 'ere blog o' mine and I believe I will continue as it is the kind of thing we are encouraged to do at University and you never know you may find it interesting. I've recently finished a collection of short stories by Edgar Allan Poe ( as in 10 minutes ago) so this has prompted me to post up a list of my chosen literature of late. I'll post up what I've read recently, what I'm reading currently and what I hope to read soon- not that 'recently' will encompass anything I've read over the past few months that I can remember well enough to write about.

But first, a little on my methods. I'm quite methodical when it comes to reading in a number of ways, for example if I read I will read a chapter, a whole chapter and unless I've got plenty of time for more I won't read on- I hate leaving a chapter or short story unfinished and if I have to do this because of inconvenient things like eating then I will rush straight back to my book so I can finish it. I also tend to read set books at set times, I usually have a Train Book which I read, surprisingly enough, on the train- to and from Uni. This tends to be a classic novel so i can fill my brain with good literature before entering the lecture room and it also means that since I have nothing better to do I'm more likely to read it and get through it, rather than at home where I'm more likely to find something else to do. Lastly if a book is in a series I absolutely MUST read that series in order- I consider it my highest literary crime to read book 3 before 1 and 2, and will only do it if I have to or don't know- and then I'll rush out and buy the preceeding books! As you can see I'm quite fastidious (ooh- that'll be my word thingy!) when it comes to absorbing literature.

Right, on with the list shal we?

Stuff I read recently

Oliver Twist: Charles Dickens - Undeniably an excellent novel, though Dickens doesn't half know how to ramble on about things!! Despite this I found the story a gripping and very entertaining one. I don't need to tell you what it was about, but it was interesting to note differences between the novel and the musical and film adaptations, as well as seeing the patterns in the "installments" when it was originally published in newspapers before being bound up in book form.

Starship Troopers: Robert Heinlein - I've yet to see the film, but the book is excellent. It describes a future, military based, society and is an interesting look at how humanity might be if spread out across the stars. Set against the backdrop of the war against the bugs, this book goes deep inside the mind of a soldier from boyhood to leading an elite platoon into battle. It had a clear, understandable style clear of unnnecessary technobabble yet also in a clear futuristic setting.

High Rhulain: Brian Jaques - The Redwall series, should not be mistaken for just being children's literature about talking mice and squirells. These books take the genre and take it seriously, creating stories about wars and heroes in a world much smaller than our own.

Ex Machina, volumes 1 and 2: Brian K Vaughan - I actually commited crime number 1 and read the second volume first, but I coped since this is an excellent series, possibly the greatest superhero series ever written since the classic days of Superman and co. It centers on Mitchell Hundred aka The Great Machine, bestowed with the ability to command any machine to do his bidding. But he decides that he'd do more good as Mayor of New york instead, and so the story centers on his political life while revealing his superhero background in the process. Fantastically written, excellently illustrated- recommended to anyone who can cope with a fair amount of swearing and the odd gory bit.

Selected Tales: Edgar Alan Poe - this falls into my 'train book' category, even though I haven't used the train in a while. A master of words, though also fond of using them rather liberally he also helped create and establish several genres, for example his character Dupin was one of the first detective characters in fiction, and Poe wrote very elaborate mysteries for him to solve, one of which was based on an unsolved murder in Americe, Poe turned out to be right in his assumptions as to who did it and how it was done!! He also wrote some terrible nonsense, such as the Imp of the Perverse, which is about the most boring thing I have ever read, it was an essay on the blatantly obvious fact that human beings like to do things even though they know it's wrong (it's called sin genius!!) and then described the actualy story in about two paragraphs!! But on the whole very readable.

The big four: Agatha Christie - Poirot takes on international super-criminals in this excellent book. I bought it on audio for my dad and then quickly borrowed it as soon as he'd finished with it- I quite like hearing books though I'm more prone to drifting off, then i have to wander across the room to rewind the tape!!

Stuff I'm reading now

With Poe out of the way, a substantial amount of my reading is done, but there are a few things still on the go and I'm certain I shall soon start others.

Cat Amongst the pidgeons - A lot less action than the previous book, yet somehow just as gripping- I think the fact that I have no idea what's going on, and neither do anyt of the characters, makes me enjoy it more- but that may change when Poirot shows up!! Again I'm listening to this one- it's good for when I'm resting my eyes from books and computering

Star Wars Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines : Karen Traviss - The second in the Legacy of the Force series (don't worry I have read the first, I just forgot to mention it!!) and quite entertaining. The galaxy is falling apart (again) but as once friendly planets attack each other it's hard to to tell who are the good guys and the bad guys, and this makes it much more interesting than alien invasions or superweapons- plus Boba Fett's back!!

The Book of Psalms: God et al - Besides being the infallible word of the Lord Most High this is quite a readable book, it is interesting to see the Psalms that don't always get quoted and how king David and others trusted God not just when they were 'in the valley of the shadow of death' but in quite specific places, battles and situations too.

Stuff I'm going to read

Well, I'm quite tired now so you'll have to find out in my next post on reading

Goodbye on and all

Me

Word: Fastidious