Kyle’s Comments (group member since Sep 30, 2012)

Kyle’s comments from the *~Can't Stop Reading~* group.

"People of the page"... I like that! Welcome Brian, and I'm jealous that you're a lit major; I like to think I was such a major in another life, in a land where the commerce is mental exchange and the currency is made up of ideas and experiences.

Alison wrote: "Hello Kyle, you should visit Skye but I must warn you that you will want to up sticks and move here like I did!"

You're probably right... that means I should hurry up them, right? Haha. I'll just need to figure out a way to get a little more sun. :D

Justin wrote: "Hey there Kyle thanks very much, yeah WWZ was amazing and to be honest the movie looks good maybe i will just have to try and forget the name and just say zombie movie. The problem is the book itse..."

You'll have to give us a review if you finally take the plunge. :)

Justin wrote: "Hello everyone my names Justin, reading has been one of main passions for about as long as i can remember along with writing. I have just finished reading [book:World War Z: An Oral History of the ..."

Welcome Justin! I'm glad you enjoyed WWZ. I have heard good things about the movie, but I don't know if that's from people who have read the book or not.

Alison wrote: "Hi, I'm Alison and I live on the beautiful Isle of Skye and am lucky enough to work in a book shop! My to read shelf is growing by the minute!"

I've always wanted to visit Skye (and the rest of Scotland). Living there and working in a cozy bookstore sounds like a dream life!

Andrew wrote: "Hi everyone! Im 22 from the USA. I just started reading on my own almost a year ago, and have done nothing else in my down time since. I love crime, fantasy and horror, but I am open to most any ge..."

That's wonderful, Andrew! I'm pretty sure you came to the right place, so welcome!

Discuss Truman Capote's classic true-crime work here!

Discussion thread for The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

Ctgt wrote: ""The optimum population," said Mustapha Mond, "is modelled on the iceberg---eight-ninths below the water line, one-ninth above."

I found this line very interesting, especially after the recent Occupy movement. "

I too was struck by that statement, though perhaps more in disgust than anything else. I will admit that pretty much every civilization has been modeled as such, but the idea that the "optimum" population should be modeled like that, gives me chills.

Robin wrote: "Wow.

This timeless book demands to be contemplated. I need to give it a little time to percolate. So much so that I think I have to reread parts to jot down my thoughts and questions. (Kyle, I in..."


Definitely! :) Even though I rated it 4 stars, I think I still consider this a favorite book. There was a lot to chew on, and I can't help but admire Huxley for all the big ideas he managed to cram into such a thin novel.

Ethan wrote: "Wow, this was published in the 1930's?! With maybe a few small exceptions (ford) it hardly seems dated at all!"

Robin wrote: "As I continue to read, I find Huxley's future vision just incredible. Terrifying in the '30s, no doubt, but terrifyingly within reach today. Soma, anyone?"

It's actually pretty amazing. I didn't know the book was published in the 30's until I was about 1/3 of the way through it and flipped to the front. One can seem pretty prophetic when one is able to look at trends and see connections, I suppose. :)

Robin wrote: "Chapter 5 - Holy Ford! "Orgy-porgy, Ford and fun..." may well be my favourite mindless mantra yet... Aside from the orgiastic recreation, is it my uninformed imagination or do the other rituals in ..."

Yeah, that was pretty entertaining. I also think you're probably pretty accurate on your religious ritual idea, though I'm not sure I would limit it just to religion. Ritual itself, whether it's the ritual of buying something in a store or inviting someone over for dinner, is essentially a structure/rule book for controlling and dictating our actions and how we behave. We've been trained since birth about the culturally proper way of doing things, and I think Huxley is exploring what might be possible if that type of training could be more intentionally focused.

Kate wrote: "I was really looking forward to reading The Book Thief, after hearing such good things about it and it didn’t disappoint me. This was such a great story and so heartfelt, it had me close to tears t..."

Glad it made such an impact on you! Isn't it great when you get to the end of a book and realize you've become a different person? :)

I still haven't managed to like e-books or e-readers, but I definitely couldn't imagine trying to switch back and forth between the two for the same book! I'm glad the trusty ol' paper book was able to save you (and chapter 3). :)

Robin wrote: "So, have you read Chapter 3 yet? I just finished and I think I have to read it again.... the spacing, I think, is key to understanding, and my crappy ebook copy really screwed that up. Let me know what you thought of the style and Huxley's intent in setting up Chapter 3 that way."

I moved your question here Robin, so other group members could see it. :)

It would suck if your ebook copy screwed up the spacing of chapter 3. I really dug that chapter; the pace and transitions of it set a tone that highlights the madness of the society, and the interactions between everyone in it, which I feel was part of Huxley's intention. I also see the chapter as serving a couple other purposes: it allows more info-dumping in a way that is entertaining and fast-paced, and while it is doing that it allows some rapid-fire insight into the main characters at play. As we bounce from character to character, we see a glimpse of each one's intentions and how they see the world.

I think it was a pretty brilliantly done chapter, but I'm also glad Huxley didn't continue on with that method of storytelling, as I think it would have gotten old fast. He was right to only keep it to that one specific chapter. :)

So, are you reading both the ebook and the paper copy, or are you just trying to do the ebook copy?

Yeah, it seems like the first chapter is basically one big info dump, but it's very well presented and I found it engaging. It manages to get the reader thinking about a lot of things early on, including the value of human life and role of nature. Good stuff.

Robin wrote: "Ok, so my free ebook has 150 pages and is riddled with errors so far. :( I have an old paperback (1977) with 206 pages and I see that many other editions have many more pages. Am I missing somethi..."

That does seem a bit short, unless your e-reader font is super small, or your screen is super big. The version I have has 259 pages (that's actual story, not introduction or extras).

I saw the movie! :D

Discussion thread for Anne Rice's signature book!

Discussion thread for Huxley's classic.

Sandra wrote: "I started it yesterday; about 60 pages in. So far, I really like it!"

Excellent. Hope it's staying that way for you!