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[Doomblade187]

I'll join in. I have a few series I have yet to finish myself, and I read a decent amount of fanfics, so it should be fun.

[varnish]

I don't have a list, because if I make one I'll end up feeling trapped by it. But I figured I probably should choose at least one book to start with, so I went to a used book store to look for something. They had box of penguin classics for three dollars. Awesome.

The first book, chosen at random is going to be Froissart's Chronicles. Good times?

[Sappho]

I'll give this a try, though it's tough to find English-language books around here so I'll probably have to rely a lot on ebooks. Would do me some good to motivate myself to spend more time reading instead of playing games and watching cartoons. Add me to the list please!

[RedKing]

I'll give this a try, though it's tough to find English-language books around here so I'll probably have to rely a lot on ebooks. Would do me some good to motivate myself to spend more time reading instead of playing games and watching cartoons. Add me to the list please!

Surely there's some stores that specialize in English translations of Czech authors? One could certainly do worse than Kafka, Kundera and Havel.

[Il Palazzo]

it's tough to find English-language books around here

Seriously? I've found half a dozen just by googling it. You can also get free EU shipping from Amazon, although not on every item.

[Dutchling]

Why do you want English-language books?

[Sheb]

I'm going to read at least 52 books, but I don't have a list yet. It's going to include the 3 volume of Feymann's lectures on physics, but I don't know beyond that.

[pisskop]

Book on, America.  those lazy crafty Europeans got a head start! 

[AnalysisFailed]

I would very much like to join in on this. Mainly to get suggestions after I'm finished with Glen Cook's Dread Empire series.

I'll start with the 52.

[SomeStupidGuy]

Starting my first book(s) and it's... not actually on my list.
I'm reading the Watson Trilogy by Peter Matthiessen on a whim.

[misko27]

Was I supposed to write a list?

[SomeStupidGuy]

Not really. I just put mine together to make sure I had enough books.

[Jimmy]

Happy New Year!

Date: January 1st, 2013
Title: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Complete
Author: Mark Twain

Review:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

A book I've seen several movie adaptations and read a thousand re-tellings of, but never read before, this title grabbed me and consumed most of my day. Has the plot itself been done prior to this book? I know the modern man transported into historical period story isn't a rare thing these days, but possibly Twain was the first to use the idea? Don't know.

Several parts were quite boring, mostly the sections where Twain uses characters to tell portions of history from the era using the style common to the period. Sandy's telling of the history of the cowboys in particular was somewhat painful, and Twain hangs a lampshade on it by using the Yankee to draw attention to the fact more than once.

The story itself is rather blase about how the Yankee accomplishes such a revolution of development within such a limited timeframe, casting him as a true Renaissance man of ingenuity and knowledge. He invents the printing press, steam engine, gunpowder weapons, electricity and modern military strategy from the ground up with no reference materials at all? Other stories that follow a similar vein usually have some sort of plot contrivance like a laptop computer or smartphone loaded with details on the manufacturing of twentieth century technology, but then such things weren't available when this book was written were they? The whole solar eclipse read like a cliche, but again it was probably new and novel when the book was written, just copied too many times since to have full impact.

Overall the story does a solid job of illustrating the wretchedness of the times, but could have used less liberal application of the stupid stick on the characters. I doubt that the people of the time were as simple as they were depicted. Lack of technology doesn't indicate lack of intelligence.

Finally some sections really didn't make me like the main character. In particular the hanging of the entire band in Chapter 17. He sentences the poor sods to death because their music isn't pleasant? Really no better than the nobles he's ousting if that's his attitude. Read like it was there for a cheap laugh, only distanced me as a reader instead.

One last note: Religion features very prominently in the story and with good reason, especially towards the end. The overall effect was rather preachy however on the subject of liberty and freedom etc. Typical period USA reasoning and a hallmark of the author, but doesn't do very much for me personally.

[Dutchling]

Damn shawty, u read fast.

[Rose]

Question: if a story is published as an ongoing serial but the total thing is (so far) 16 chapters, with the first chapter being 17,000 words, and shorter than the rest, does it count?