"Mais Manu vivre libre, c'est souvent vivre seul."

[fan_elune]

Gakked from the_grynne:

The current top 46 books from whatshouldireadnext.com. Bold the books you have read. Italicise the books you might read. Leave the rest.

1. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (No. Comment.)
2. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger (How did I not read this book until now? Brilliance.)
3. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams
4. The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
7. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
8. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter 6) - J.K. Rowling
9. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
10. Animal Farm: A Fairy Story - George Orwell
11. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
12. The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
13. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
14. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
15. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
16. 1984 - George Orwell
17. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) - J.K. Rowling
18. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
19. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
20. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
21. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
22. Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
23. Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
24. Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
25. Neuromancer - William Gibson
26. Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson
27. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
28. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
29. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
30. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
31. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
32. Ender's Game (The Ender Saga) - Orson Scott Card
33. Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
34. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
35. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis (well, I don't think I finished it, but...)
36. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
37. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
38. The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
39. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
40. Good Omens - Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
41. Atonement - Ian McEwan
42. The Shadow Of The Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
43. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
44. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
45. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
46. Dune - Frank Herbert

Which brings me to: god, I used to read so much. I always had two or three books going on at the same time, and I finished them quickly, too. Now it's a struggle to get through one, because, very simply, I don't take the time anymore. When and where do I read? On the metro. And that's it. The internet has swallowed up my literary life.

Part of me would like to go "oh, resolution! now I shall read more once again! go back to those glorious days when I read ten books in a month, instead of one!" But I just know that it won't happen. The internet has swallowed up my literary life, and it sucks, but at the same time I know I'm not ready to give up any of my internet-related addiction to remedy to that.

So, um, yeah. This is pointless whining. I'll shut up now.

Comments

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

I'm exactly the same. I used to get through so many books, but now I can't settle down for long enough to read more than a few pages at a time. I always end up feeling guilty that I should be doing something more productive... Like the internet is so productive. *g* The problem is that I buy as many or more book than ever, so they just pile up on my shelves, scolding me with their presence. I'm technically in the middle of about 8 different books, all of which I like, and none of which I have the energy to finish. Except maybe "Anasi Boys", which I just started this weekend. It's quite short, so maybe I'll finally finish something within the next month or two.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Oh, god, yes. It took me two or three weeks to go through 1984, which is just wrong, and about as long for Catcher in the Rye, and I loved these two books. I'm still in the middle of Narnia, and the Cycle of the Grail, and I never did finish Jude the Obscure, which is utterly unlike me because I never don't finish books. And after the Grail I want to move on to the Icelandic Saga and why on earth do I keep wanting to read those massive works? So, so many books piling up that I should be reading, but I can't be bothered.

One exception - Karin Lowachee's novels. I've read each of them several times, and they always go by so quickly, because they make me take the time to read them. I strongly recommand them - especially to you, actually, I'm sure you'd love them. Warchild is the title of the first one.

[the-grynne.livejournal.com]

They sound good. I'm always looking for new science fiction recs (it's so hard so sort out the junk from the good stuff because the reviewers are often less than reliable), but if it's being likened to Ender's Game, I'll definitely give it a try. Thanks. :)

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Her stuff's absolutely brilliant, it's completely my pleasure to rec her to other sci-fi fans. You'll have to let me know what you think, when you get around to it. :)

[shadesofbrixton.livejournal.com]

I actually find I've been reading a bit more now that school's out, despite the fact that I used to read on the bus. I think it's more the fact that I used to devour books without credit to subject matter or taste, and now I'm actually discerning about what I'll read. I do miss glutting myself on literature, though. Staying up until four a.m. to finish a thriller.

Julie's been sending me novels online, and I can't bring myself to read them on the computer. It makes me feel dirty.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

*squees at your icon* *has Atreju love*

Yeah, but see, I used to devour books, now I trudge my way through them. It's highly annoying. I don't get as much enjoyment from it as I used to, even when I'm in awe of them. It seems like a chore, almost, and books should never be that damnit what's wrong with me. Grmpf.

As for e-books, I read a couple like that, part of a fantasy cycle which I did not want to buy because hello, ten books and going? I didn't want to ruin myself on it. But it's not the same and I like books, with pages, and I dropped it after a couple of books. I'll read the rest of that cycle when I'm rich and can afford it.

[faeries-wing919.livejournal.com]

You should read The Time Traveler's Wife. It's got a really interesting idea with the whole time travel thing. And the characters are great. I got attatched to them very quickly. I think you'd really like it. )

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the rec! I'll definitely give it a try at one point or another. :)

[thevelvetsun.livejournal.com]

You really should read To Kill A Mockingbird. I had no idea what it was about before I read it...but it's not about birds. It's about prejudice in small towns and it's really good.

[fan-elune.livejournal.com]

Yeah? All I can remember about it, vaguely, is what was in Capote. I'll have to give it a try.