Forums / Media / Books & Comics

In honour of the birth of the Books & Comics board, I bring you the KYM Book Club! This isn't the first Book Club thread to be created on the site; the previous two may be found here, and here.

So, what have you been reading lately? Got any personal favourites or recommendations? Maybe have a scathing review of something you believe was highly over-rated? I'm hoping for this to become a place for people to find new authors and maybe even expand their horizons a little.

SPOILERS

i tried to sympathize with the main character of Their eyes were Watching God, but all she ever does is complain about not being able to find the perfect man, she cheats on the first one because instead of treating her a like a princess he has her work then she cheats on him and breaks up with him, oh yeah the dude has an emotional break down from it and she could still give less of a shit, then the next guy she gets does treat her like a princess and she doesn't seem to like that because he doesn't give her a say, i mean yeah the guy was a sexist prick and all, but what that tells me is that she wants to be pampered and treated like a queen while having the same authority as the man, um sorry but it doesn't work like that, so then the guy is dying of something (i forget what it was) and he realizes that he was being unfair to her and apologizes to her on his death bed, and she pretty much tells him to fuck off. Nice. Then the 3rd guy turns out to be the perfect man, but then he gets bit by a rabid dog and dies. In all honesty him and the first dude were the only people i felt sympathy for, the 2nd was an asshole and the main character is someone who always wants things to go her way.

I've been reading On Truth And Untruth by Nietzche recently. There are a few good points in it, but the rest is really meta and involves him philosophizing about other philosophies. I've heard that Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a bat better in that regard, but I haven't read it yet.

I am reading The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky, I've been trying to get into reading the classics and I think it's really good. Not that far in so can't say a whole lot.

Catch-22=Best Book Ever

Maybe have a scathing review of something you believe was highly over-rated?

Boy do I ever! Worst book that I ever had to read was Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. The only reason why I even read this book was because I had to read it for high school English. Twice. It's considered classic literature but it may very well be the most infuriating book I've ever read. The characters are all annoyingly whiny and they refuse to take responsibility for their own actions. The book tries to paint the title character's wife as cold and uncaring but you know what? After listening to Ethan whine like a little bitch about how life is against him and how he can't just run off with his wife's cousin instead, I can't help but feel more for the wife.

And despite knowing what would happen, I still found myself wishing for Ethan and the wife's cousin's death from their sled connecting with a tree but nope. They have to survive and be crippled for life instead, continuing to be annoying and bitchy. God, this book pisses me of.

Matthew J. Kirby, my new favorite author.

I'm reading Journey to the West. The Monkey King is quite likely the most entertaining character in any novel.

Highly recommend to anyone who wants to read something classic and very long.

Ah, one of the four Chinese classic. 西游记.
I also recommend 三國演義, Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

You know I have the animated cartoon version. Have you seen it?

You also need to watch the 1986 television series. There's a full season 1 subtitled playlist on YouTube, if you want I can send you a link.

Wukong, Bajie, Wujing, these were the characters of my childhood. You know, this brings back so many memories I'm considering rewatching them. Proud to be Chinese.

Most of my exposure to literature comes from school, as I'm not a recreational reader. However, I read the Lord of the Rings books and they are by far my favorites. I never thought I'd enjoy reading so much, but Tolkien is just… incredible. I'm near to the end of the third book, so it's about time for me to start over with the first again.

might as well bump this.

Awhile back, i got the chance to read the book "Edge of Tomorrow" (Originally called "All You Need is Kill" which personally, is a terrible and very japanese title) The book itself brought some interesting science fiction ideas, like the idea time resetting and the concept of using this situation like a checkpoint in a videogame to get better and change certain situations. Each time the MC enters a new cycle, certain situations can change depending on what he does next, either by following his usual routine, or by taking another route which can trigger a different event to occur, simillar to what we see in games like dragon age and persona.
The other thing that peak my interest is the idea on terraforming

I see no one has posted here for awhile, so I'll bump as well, since I've read a few books recently.

A couple months ago I finished the Divergent series, slightly before the film came out. Having read all three books, I'd have to say that the ending was pretty disappointing. The first one is an interesting look at a dystopian society where everyone is forced to choose a class or "faction," based on one of five predefined positive characteristics they feel they excel in. They are then required to be initiated into their respective faction, and those who fail become part of the "factionless," who live in squalor and poverty. To be factionless is seen as worse than death, and many express their desire to die rather than join them. It has an interesting premise which transitions relatively well into the second novel, revealing a gigantic and unexpected plot twist at the end. Unfortunately the third and final novel starts to fall apart when too many different plot points and scenarios come into play and the ending leaves the reader with little change in the outcome of the character's choices. As for the film adaptation…it had some good cinematography and decently choreographed action sequences, but was overall not worth watching for the admission price.

I recently picked up the Maze Runner Trilogy due to an interest in seeing the upcoming film. I'll post here again after I've read through them as well as a small review on the movie if this thread is still active.