What are you reading right now?

[smiley_cow]

I was indifferent to high school. I had high points, I had low points, just like any other aspect of life. Honestly I think people put way too much emphasis on the place; I know people who still identify themselves based on events that happened while they were high school. It's probably a good thing too, otherwise I'd have a tricky time going back there to teach every term.

But I pretty much agree with Kimra on this one. A high school is just another setting, logically there's no reason why it can't be just as good as a story set somewhere else.

[LordRetard]

logically there's no reason why it can't be just as good as a story set somewhere else.

'Course not, but why can't we name that many good high school novels then?

[smiley_cow]

Just because a high school novel can be good doesn't mean they necessarily are. I theorize it's because they can be crappy and still sell.

[LordRetard]

Oh, I wasn't saying high school novels can't be good. I'm just suggesting why the reading and writing of them doesn't really attract a lot of adults.

[mountainmage]

I can't recall any books about high school, but I still say that my favorite high school assigned novel is the Count of Monte Cristo. The abridged version was great, and the unabridged version is even better.

[LordRetard]

I didn't read much that was assigned to me and I liked almost none of it. I did like Catch-22 but in that case my teacher let us pick the book, and even though we were supposed to pick one about Canadian history he let me use it because he wanted to see what I would do with it, and also I was shit at the class anyway and he figured I'd be better off if he just let me do whatever I wanted. And that's how I saved my history mark by writing assignments about nazis.

[Apocalyptus]

My class had to read The Outsiders in year 8. I really enjoyed it, and bonus - I now get 'stay gold Ponyboy' references when most Australians wouldn't.

[smiley_cow]

I think my favourite book we had to read in high school was Water Ship Down. Violent bunnies FTW!

[Cirtur]

When I was 11, my English teacher was a sleazy drunk. He gave us a porn mag to read once.

So that would have to be my favourite book.

[LordRetard]

Finished reading Israel Potter. Melville is incredibly clever. Sometimes what he says is kind of strange and it's hard to remember sometimes that he is actively mocking the people he is talking about. Excellent book A++ would read again.

I bought Márquez's Doce cuentos peregrinos yesterday but I think it's still beyond my reading comprehension, I can't really grab anything out of it other than a few key phrases. Still it's neat to know that the school bookstore carries some real Spanish books, and hopefully I'll have time to take a hack at it soon.

[Kimra]

Finished reading Casino Royale.

Was a well written book, though it had a lot more illusions to men's sexual power than I expected (for example when he gets all excited about sleeping with her because it'll feel almost like rape). More to the point, I never actually pictured James Bond as a woman hater, but he seems very much so in that book.

If you have any interest in cars, or gambling in French (I had a lot of trouble following the card games) and the acceptable attitudes of men toward women in the fifties, I recommend this book. It's certainly enlightening.

[LordRetard]

Hmm, I'm very sexist but I'm not much for gambling or cars. Maybe it's not for me.

[Cirtur]

more illusions to men's sexual power than I expected.

So it didn't really happen then?

[Kimra]

Well men don't actually have any power, sexual or otherwise. So yes illusions.

[LordRetard]

Well I'm kinda strong so that counts for something right??

My friend said that I'm not a sexist because I'm the only guy that hits her. It was an extremely uncomfortable moment*.

*I don't hit her hard or anything! Just, like, jokingly. Or whenever she's out of line. Or out of the kitchen.