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| Author: Posted: Sep. 8, 2002 | This Page Viewed: 7,008,761 |
Question of the Week: 103 - 3/17/2003 What Are You Reading? What was the last book(s) that you read or what favorite book would you recommend to others? When in the bookstore or library, which section do you head for first? Do you prefer fiction or non fiction? Do you read mostly for enjoyment/entertainment or for knowledge/information? What media besides books do you read? What is your literary skeleton in the bookcase (such as comics, fashion mags, tabloids, showbiz gossip, sports)? |
| Reponses: There are 95 responses posted to this question. | Reverse Sort |
| BOOKS | Mar 18th. at 1:38:23 pm EST |
| Cat (TX) | Age: 37 - Email - Web |
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Ok to start I read anything with print. Yes even the backs of soap bottles and toilet paper That said I LOVE, truly LOVE good science fiction! Currently I am reading a book on Texas Wildlife. I love good satire and great mystery writing. I can list hundreds of great authors but the ones that are most memorable... Andre Norton, Anne McCaffery, Hiessen (sp?) , Dick Francis, Pearl Buck... the list just goes on. I read the newspapers, I read everything I can find on the computer, I just love to read... I also read many books on all paths. I am a true eclectic Pagan. |
| If It Has Pages, I Will Try To Read It. | Mar 18th. at 2:18:17 pm EST |
| Sheila (Creola AL) | Age: 47 - Email |
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Currently I’m reading “101 Myths of the Bible” by Gary Greenberg. Before heading over to the coffee section (1 café mocha please) you’ll find me in either the New Age or alternative medicine areas. I prefer science and fantasy fiction as well as anything by Anne McCaffrey for enjoyment. Well written historical books such as The History Of (*.*) series by Will Durant and anything that makes me think. My bookcase (such as it is) is filled with natural health and healing, books on non-Christian spirituality, anything to do with cooking and quilting. Skeletons? Oh yeah, um, a couple of paperbacks I picked up in an adult shop. |
| Gave Up On _Paradise Lost_ (for Now) | Mar 18th. at 3:47:44 pm EST |
| Bran (Minnesota) | Age: 24 - Email |
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So I'm reading Michael Craft's _Eye Contact_. I have a weak spot for mysteries by queer authors: R.D. Zimmerman, Mark Richard Zubro, Katherine V. Forrest, etc. I really am hacking my way through _Paradise Lost_. I'm on a comparative mythology kick and wanted to read literary interpretations of Satan to compare them to Trickster myths in other pantheons. Which means I'll have to read _The Inferno_ at some point. Oh, joy. I'll read almost anything, though my first loves are mystery and fantasy (Robin Hobb's writing a sequel trilogy to "Farseer;" how cool is that?) . I get pretty pumped about well-written non-fiction, especially memoir. Mark Doty's _Heaven's Coast_ is the most heartbreaking book about the personal impact of the AIDS epidemic that I've ever read, and David Sedaris's _Me Talk Pretty One Day_ made me laugh so hard I snorted cream soda out my nose. Everyone should read them. Immediately. I'm also, like most Pagans, a freak for anything religion-related (in a non-dogmatic way) . Paganism, the kabala, tarot. I read a number of local publications: "Minnesota Women's Press, " "Lavender, " "Minnesota Blues News, " and "Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly" (I don't own a bike. I just want one) . I don't go into bookstores often, but when I do I start with books that either my library doesn't have or that one reading won't do justice to, like Starhawk's _The Spiral Dance_ or Scott Cunningham's _Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner._ My literary 'skeleton, ' is that in any periodical I read, the first things I flip to are the fluffiest ones. The Sunday comics. The serialized fiction in the local GLBT publication. "***s to Watch Out For." I also recommend Annie Lamott's _Bird by Bird_. You'll laugh hysterically. And then you'll go out and write something. Which is really all any of us readers could ask for! |
| In A Pinch, I Will Read The Ingredients On A Ketchup Bottle | Mar 18th. at 3:52:37 pm EST |
| Cian CuAlltha (Portland, Oregon) | Age: 35 - Email |
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I read constantly, and typically have at least two or three books going at a time. I read for both education and entertainment, often simultaneously. Currently, for educational purposes, I am (re) reading Wiccan Warrior by Kerr Cuhulain. I finished Full Contact Magick recently, and wanted to go back to Wiccan Warrior to review some of the concepts. Both are excellent books, and I highly recommend them to anyone and everyone. Don't let the titles discourage you, it's not about violence or "power-over" thinking at all. In fact, it's quite the opposite. For entertainment, I just finished Red Branch by Morgan Llewellyn and found it quite enjoyable, and an effective way to present the Red Branch mythology in a user-friendly format. It is neither complete nor 100% faithful to the source material, but that is not the intention. A good bus read, though. My "skeleton" is comics. I am just finishing up my umpteenth read of Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. You will not find a better example of graphic literature anywhere. I am also a fan of Ronin by Frank Miller and Grendel by Matt Wagner. The through-line is that all of the these are rather dark and dystopic, so they are not recommended for people who don't enjoy wallowing in their own darkness occasionally.... Cian |
| Blessed Be | Mar 18th. at 4:40:40 pm EST |
| ledrevir (usa) | Age: 41 - Email - Web |
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I like non-fiction for knowledge usully but there is wisdom in 21 Lessons of Merlin by Douglas Monroe and all the books by JRR Tolkien. I love all the books by Ian Corrigan, Raebeth, Silver Ravenwolf and DJ Conway |
| Currently Reading | Mar 18th. at 6:57:48 pm EST |
| Starlight Bunnybutt (FL, USA) | Age: 26 - Email |
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I'm currently making my way through Carlos Casteneda's books on the teachings of Don Juan. Many people have blasted Casteneda for his advocacy of hallucinogens and his sloppy archeological work. However, I have decided to treat these books as "moral fiction" works and I am enjoying them greatly. When I am finished, I might compare the lessons he has proposed in this book to "Island" by Aldous Huxley and see where the differences and similarities of oppinion overlap. Recently I have found that my steady diet of fantasy and (new school) sci-fi has gotten a lot more roughage from the non-fiction worlds of archeological texts and books about modern politics. Plus I'm finally having some positive introductions to Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clark, who's works I hadn't been happy with until now. Maturing taste maybe? In the bookstore I still make a bee-line for "New Age" even when I know I'm only going to be dissapointed by the sticky sweet rush of "instant magick" spellbooks. (Why is it I can only find books on Paganism that are mostly books on spells? Where have all the Dianic authors gone?) Only occasionally have I found a gem like "The Complete Idiots Guide to Women's Spirituality". I like to shop at our local used book store and baffle the ladies who work there with requests for Merlin Stone or Robert Graves, in the hopes of getting something intellectual to read. My next trip is to the fantasy section to drool over Charles de Lint's latest opus and sigh because I can't afford it. Or rant because they don't have any at all. I do heartily recommend any book by Charles de Lint, many Wiccans should be absolutely delighted with his urban faerie tales. Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" series is complex and might turn some people off, but it is a rich mythic allegory that manages to combine both Pagan and Catholic mythos into a fascinating story. "Island" by Aldous Huxley is a dense read but very worth while, he even includes some of the arguments against halucinogens that come up so often. If you have read "Brave New World" or was forced to by your school, you should find "Island" to be a much more appealing Utopic tale. D.J. Conway has written a wonderful book on Celtic Shamanism, which might not be entirely accurate (not my usual bag of tricks) but is very easy to read and follow. I mentioned "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Women's Spirituality" before, if you're not sure about feminist spirituality, this book gives you a wide range of concepts to help you pin down what you feel. "The Vagina Monologues" by Eve Ensler will make you laugh and cry, and maybe make you a little braver about your own body (I mean if you're female) . Now I'm gonna go and read all of your recommendations, happy reading. |
| A Must Have! | Mar 18th. at 9:44:01 pm EST |
| Moon_shyn (Northern NY) | Age: 25 - Email |
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Book:OSTARA By: Edain McCoy This book has been a blessing for me as a parent. It has given me inspirational ideas for traditions that I can now begin to pass on to my daughter (age 2&3/4) . It has also helped me break down the explanation of what OSTARA is, so that I may explain it to my daughter with out to much confusion on her part. On another note, it would also serve as a terrific introduction book for the beginner pagan. One looking for more of a break down on this particular Sabbat. |
| Mama Silver Of Course! | Mar 18th. at 10:50:16 pm EST |
| Jade Moonraven (Shawnee Kansas) | Age: 16 - Email - Web |
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I am currently reading "To stir a Magick Cauldron:A Witch's guide to casting and conjuring" by Silver Ravenwolf. I love her attitude and style of writing. I study extensively from her. It is great! |
| Serious Mythology | Mar 19th. at 1:38:39 am EST |
| Sharon (Erie, PA) | Age: 30 - Email |
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I'm currently reading Thomas Kinsella's translation of the Tain, a.k.a The Ulster cycle of Irish mythology. This is about my third time through but for those who read it for the first time, I recommend having a *good* dictionary of Celtic Mythology handy (Miranda Green's is a personal favorite) . My Deadicant's group in our ADF Grove (techinically Protogrove) is reading this currently & I just learn more & more every time. If you really want to get a feel fo what the pre-Christian Celts were up to, this is fantastic place to start. Not for fluff-bunnies. |
| You Wouldn't Believe It If I Told You........ | Mar 19th. at 4:30:53 am EST |
| Lavender Moon (Wisconsin) | Age: 37 - Email - Web |
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I have been reading "The Ultimate Book of Shadows for the New Generation" by Silver RavenWolf. She has got to be one of the best authors I have read in a long time. All of her books are very direct, to the point, and easy to understand. I know that they were originally designed for teens but I enjoy her writing techniques. Just a note to Newer members of the Craft...Check out USED Bookstores. You can find the Coolest Deals. Happy Reading and Blessed Be to All! |
| I Love To Read | Mar 19th. at 7:58:50 am EST |
| clio (York PA) | Age: 3 - Email |
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I am currently reading two books at the same time. I am almost finished "We Were Soldiers Once and Young" by Lieut. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway (I've been reading it on my breaks at work) and at the same time I am rereading "Wicca: The Complete Craft" by DJ Conway. Recommendations of favorite books: For anyone interested in photography, I highly recommend "The Complete Idiots Guide to Photography Like A Pro". The book is chock full of information, tips, and suggestions. For those who enjoy studying World War Two, please read "Panzer Commander", which is the war time memoirs of Colonel Hans von Luck. I also recommend anything written by Stephen Ambrose and John Keegan. My favorite bookstore sections: When I enter my local Borders, the first section I ALWAYS go to without fail is their military history section. There I check out intently how many shelves they've devoted to works about World War One (which sadly is never more than two shelves) and see if there are any new titles that reach out and grab me. Then I walk over to the Wicca/Magic/New Age section (since they moved areas around in the store, it is now a mere five feet away from the military history section) and see if any titles there stand out. Then I wander through the Nature section and check stuff there, too. Preferences: I read TONS more non-fiction than I do fiction. Tolkien's works have been the only fiction I've read in the last almost-a-year. My historian brain needs exercise, so I have read books like "The Rommel Papers" and volume one of "The Patton Papers" and a lot of Civil War biographies. I definitely read for both enjoyment and knowledge--those are my only purposes for reading. Other media: My mom and I have gotten National Geographic magazine for years and I always anxiously await each issue. I am a member of the National Air and Space Museum and read my copies of Air and Space Smithsonian magazine at least three times each. And since I have developed an obsessive passion for photography, I have subscribed to Outdoor Photographer magazine and Peterson's PHOTOgraphic magazine. That is all. I promise :) |
| I Do Not Read That Often But... | Mar 19th. at 12:26:07 pm EST |
| Star Devil (Glendive, Montana) | Age: 22 - Email |
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Recently I went a picked up a book that was recomended by witchvox by Ann Moura "Witchcraft: An ALternative Path". I LOVE IT and I am not even through with it yet. The book covers all the basics plus if is very thorough. I would definatly recomend anyone pick up this book as reference material or just to read. Love and Light, STar Devil |
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