What are you reading right now?

[Kei-kun]

Smoke and Mirrors. Short stories by Neil Gaiman.

Babycakes:

A few years back all the animals went away.

We woke up one morning, and they just weren't there anymore.  They didn't even leave us a note, or say goodbye.  We never figured out quite where they'd gone.

We missed them.

Some of us thought that the world had ended, but it hadn't.  There just weren't any more animals.  No cats or rabbits, no dogs or whales, no fish in the seas, no birds in the skies.

We were all alone.

We didn't know what to do.

We wandered around lost, for a time, and then someone pointed out that just because we didn't have animals anymore, that was no reason to change our lives.  No reason to change our diets or to cease testing products that might cause us harm.

After all, there were still babies.

Babies can't talk.  They can hardly move.  A baby is not a rational, thinking creature.

We made babies.

And we used them.

Some of them we ate.  Baby flesh is tender and succulent.

We flayed their skin and decorated ourselves in it.  Baby leather is soft and comfortable.

Some of them we tested.

We taped open their eyes, dripped detergents and shampoos in, a drop at a time.

We scarred them and scalded them.  We burnt them.  We clamped them and planted electrodes into their brains.  We grafted, and we froze, and we irradiated.

The babies breathed our smoke, and the babies' veins flowed with our medicines and drugs, until they stopped breathing or until their blood ceased to flow.

It was hard, of course, but it was necessary.

No one could deny that.

With the animals gone, what else could we do?

Some people complained, of course.  But then, they always do.

And everything went back to normal.

Only...

Yesterday, all the babies were gone.

We don't know where they went.  We didn't even see them go.

We don't know what we're going to do without them.

But we'll think of something.  Humans are smart.  It's what makes us superior to the animals and the babies.

We'll figure something out.

[Rook]

My craving for fantasy proved too strong and once again I put my mystery series on hold and start reading "Another Fine Myth"

[Harg]

Babycakes:

I remember that one!



The Grass Is Singing

The characterization is amazing. On the other hand, I do not understand why she forgets to say anything about the black protagonist of all people, at least a few words, when the critique of the white supremacists not understanding them is a major theme - I could not understand what need there was for a murder at all.

[Rook]

Reading Bite Me before I turn my extra copy in to the used book store (no point putting wear on my signed copy if I can avoid it)

I feel rather foolish, I didn't think to try to get the extra copy signed 9_9
As long as I bought the one copy from them to get a place in the line I don't think they cared if you had other copies, but I didn't bring it with me

[Delfina]

I'm reading "the neverending story"

[Kei-kun]

That is an excellent piece of literature. Movie (only the first one, people) was nice, but it pales in comparison.

[Rook]

"The Ghost and Mrs. McClure"

I don't know why I read so many 'cozy mysteries', they rarely are really good. I kinda liked the theme of this one too (a bookshop haunted by the ghost of a 1950 PI), but I hated how they used it :\
A ghost detective is a cool idea and all, but really the last thing I'm interested in reading is said ghost going on about how he wishes he was alive so he could screw the main character >_O

Edit: Done with that now, thank goodness
Now just started on some of the 'Fletch' books

[Rook]

Down to my last Donna Andrews mystery, stopped at this one because the next was Christmas themed. Bleh

THe book I intended on reading next hasn't arrived yet however. I suppose I could always read another of the Fletch books in the meantime if it doesn't come before I finish this book though

[Rook]

Finished with the bird mysteries I'm now reading a book called "Something's Missing" by Matthew Dicks

About an eccentric master burglar that only steals things that people wouldn't notice are gone and starts to get emotionally attached to the people he steals from

Edit: Moved onto The Spellman Files
About a family of PIs that habitually spies on each other

[Rook]

I can't be the only person here reading...

Finished the last Spellman book (They were really good, I highly recommend them) and started rereading Discworld

[Kei-kun]

Sadly my flow of new books was cut abruptly.
Lately I was re-reading some Borges stories and even more recently Cortazar.

[PeteK]

Finally got a new goddamn book. 

I'm currently reading Seagalogy:  A Study of the Ass-kicking Films of Steven Seagal.

[Harg]

Rice Boy

Can anyone explain to me why "The One Electric" got called one of the best names ever? To me it sounds like saying "something electric", but there may be some sort of reference here that I am missing.

[Signal]

Francis Glebas; Directing the Story - Professional Storytelling and Storyboarding Techniques for Live Action and Animation

Almost done with this one. Haven't decided what to read next.

[Kei-kun]

Christie's "And then there were none". Already know the twist, but goddamn, this is a great novel.

[Harg]

I don't think I have ever read any fanfiction in my life, so for what it's worth:

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is probably the most badass and the only piece of fanfiction I have ever read.

[Harg]

[]LotR written in the style of other authors.]]

There seems to be an extreme amount of literary talent in that thread.

[Signal]

The Video Game Theory Reader. Has many contributors. Best writers are the pros who have worked with games (like Chris Crawford) while some of the academic folks tend to be a little too... academic.