So...what's everyone reading?

[Lord_of_Me]

I've reread the lotr books, i'm about halfway through return of the king

[Fellfrosch]

Starship Troopers is one of my favorite books...probably why I hated the movie so much. On that note, however, I recently heard that the DVD of Starship Troopers includes a director's commentary in the form of a scene by scene justification of why he did the movie the way he did it. Sounds pretty interesting.

[Prometheus]

I haven't watched the movie, but given what I understand they did with it, that'd take some mighty justification. So far as I can tell, they took everything the book was about and made it something it entirely wasn't.

Having 5 users logged on at once is fun.

[House of Mustard]

I've been rereading Hugh Laurie's "The Gun Seller" which is both a smart and hilarious spy novel.  You may remember Laurie from Wooster And Jeeves, Blackadder, etc..  I would recommend the book to almost anyone - so long as you can handle a little bad language - well, a lot of bad language.

[Kid_Kilowatt]

I've been rereading Walt Simonson's run on The Mighty Thor on the recommendation of my brother (which means that this probably belongs on the comic book thread) and I've been surprised at just how crappy they are.  It is supposed to be the classic high point for the Thor character, but most of the plotlines are nice epic stories ruined by lame devices.  First, Simonson introduces the lamest character in the history of Marvel comics - Beta Ray Bill.  He dresses just like Thor and has a magic hammer with identical powers, but he's a horse-faced alien with a giant spaceship named Scuttlebutt.  HUH?!?

Among the other travesties committed, Simonson has the Asgardian heroes invading Hel's realm using M-16s that they borrowed from the US army, and he turns Thor into a frog for four issues.  A talking frog.  It is just UNBELIEVABLY lame.  Yet some people seem to think it's a landmark comic series.  Anyone care to defend Thor?  Because I just don't get it.

[Slant]

Hey, my personal favorite rendition of thor was the cheesy barbarian in the live-action tv hulk movie some years ago.  He was an arrogant, ignorant cuss who liked to drink himself silly, pick fights, and wench all night, and unlike the comic book version he didn't dress like an erotic dancer.

[Kid_Kilowatt]

My favorite Thor is a similar characterization of the character in Neil Gaiman's Sandman, where he is an arrogant, alcoholic womanizer and stone-stupid to boot.  My favorite Thor line from Sandman (paraphrased):

"So when we woke in the morning, she asked my name.  I told her I was Thor, and she said, 'You're thor?  I'm tho thor I can hardly pith thtraight!'"

Hahaha!  Maybe Mister Pleasington should use that for his signature line.  Or this:

"They call me MISTER Pleasington!"

[Mr_Pleasington]

How dare you bash Beta Ray Bill, KK! If it weren't for him and that future Thor we would have never seen the Thor Corps

That quote's pretty funny, but taken out of context it loses a lot.

Your second suggestion reminded me that in a few years I can say "The call me DOCTOR Pleasington!"

Sadly, I've never seen Mr. Tibbs.

[Fellfrosch]

I can't say that I've read that particular run of Thor, but only because I could never get into the comic at all. I've always considered it the weakest of Marvel's headliners, and possibly the weakest of their backburner schlock. But maybe I'm just being unfair.

[Slant]

Right now I am reading a book called Fighting Monsters.  it is a non-fiction bookk explaining why it is important for small children to be able to identify with violent protagonists (such as comic-book superheroes) and to act out their fantasies in aggressive play.  It's fascinating as all hell.  Just thought I'd share my two bits.

[House of Mustard]

I've been reading Stephen Ambrose's "The Wild Blue" about the B-24 crews of WW2.  For those of you who don't know, Ambrose is basically credited with the current revival of interest in WW2 - he has written dozens of books, including Band of Brothers, he started the official U.S. D-Day Museum about fifteen years ago (in Louisiana for some odd reason), he was the historical consultant on Saving Private Ryan, etc...   Also, for those of you who don't know, "The Wild Blue" is the book that he was accused of plagarism for.  I've heard both sides of the argument and I don't know quite what I think.

However, I would like to say that despite all of this guy's credentials, he is a really awful writer.  I don't mean that the stories are boring (they're non-fiction anyway), but he can't even put a paragraph together.

[stacer]

Back to Witch Child--just saw someone's question from 2 months ago--I think the 1st book is definitely better than the 2nd. The second is the one I think that broke faith with the reader. It does follow a different character, but it goes back in time to the first, so that's fine, but the things the first character does are just dumb. The first book was better, storywise, in my opinion.

[Slant]

Right now I am reading "Dying for Action" (no, it isn't about a Star Trek fans fruitless search for some lovin') which details the life and films of Jackie Chan.  Way cool stuff, to be sure.  And on a related note, the sequel to Shanghi Noon will soon be hitting theaters.  it will be called Shanghai Knights and the two heroes of the old west will find themselves in London.  I am sooo there.

[Nicadymus]

Desperate Star Trek Fans?!  

Is there anything but a Desperate Star Trek Fan?!  

[Slant]

I have just started reading Perdido Street Station by China Meiville and I am enjoying it immensely.  It sort of reminds me of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere (another must-read book).