What Are You Reading?

The first person to respond to "What are you reading" with "This thread" gets pelted with bologna, so let's get that out of the way.

Honestly surprised there isn't a dedicated topic for books/comics on the Geekjuice forums, where all things geek are celebrated, but I suppose this'll do.

I was digging through boxes of old books to find my age-appropriate horror stuff for my daughter (she likes John Bellairs) when I came across the 1995 novelizations of the game DOOM. These are honestly rather fun! They're aimed at a young adult audience, so the wording can run a little simplistic, but the story itself is worthwhile.

From a game where you play as an unnamed soldier killing hellbeasts and that's it, they managed to craft four books worth of interesting sci-fi out of it. You get an explanation of what the creatures are, where they came from, and their purpose, and the fun thing is that we're unraveling the mystery in real time with the characters (yes, there are other people besides "unnamed soldier.") There's a whole lot of "walk down corridor/shoot zombie/unlock door," but they manage to poke fun at the repetition, as well, and explain why the layout of the base is as insane as it is in the game. Overall, it's a good effort at explaining video game logic in a fun, real world way, while sneaking in references to the classic style of scifi that these books are emulating - and they even manage to find time for a pretty compelling love story that doesn't feel wedged in there at all. I'd check them out if you can track them down (I believe they're out of print, but that's what used bookstores are for).

Some of my guilty pleasures are bad novelizations of existing properties, but this series was unique; it's gonna be fun to read through them again nearly twenty years later.

Plot summaries at the Wiki link

I haven't been reading all that much recently. If the new Song of Ice and Fire book comes out any time soon, I'll read that. Otherwise, my reading has been fairly limited.

Been reading "Christine" by Stephen King lately.

I also haven't been reading much lately, Kevin, but I go through phases. I guess this series I'm re-reading will be the start of a new phase, so yay.

That's a decent one, Mr. Walken, but have you read The Dead Zone? Seems appropriate, somehow...

I've not been reading much lately either - bit too busy. Most I'll do lately is flip through a magazine here or there.

You're good, Captain. For a peek at my insanity, check out Scott Adams' God's Debris. Yes, the Scott Adams that wrote Dilbert also wrote one of my favorite theoretical religious texts (and I went to Catholic school for 12 years).
Also? It's available as a free ebook. You can get it with the man's blessing here.


It gets a bit wonky, with Scientology-type rules and shit, but that's on purpose - he was purposely trying to obfuscate his own views in nonsense, but they're in there. What I particularly like is the idea that "God" was the origin point of the Big Bang, and it was his matter that spread out and created the universe as we know it. This makes us all a piece of the divine, as well as everything around us. But there's a generally accepted theory that the universe is now shrinking back upon itself, and this is "God" beginning to reassemble. This theory both fits in with the conservation of matter (something can't come from nothing) and the way that the internet is bringing humans together, equalizing information and turning us into a sort of hive mind (or we're all becoming God again, together, if you like).

Anyway, I like that concept. It's a very short book, and thought provoking (the subtitle is "A Thought Experiment,") so check it out if you're bored.

Meh, Dilbert got kinda old after awhile for me. Don't get me wrong, it was a funny strip, but there's only so many "Oh, Dilbert's boss is a moron" jokes or "Dogbert/Catbert is an evil genius" jokes before I just had to skip a few days of reading it.

I'm currently reading The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. Great book part of the Witcher Saga that inspired the Witcher video game series which are also amazing.


I also picked up Pet Semetary so I'm gonna read that some time soon but I actually got quite a few books I still gotta read.

Dustin, you should be reading ads for computers that are for sale!

But Pet Semetary is still an awesome book.

Currently I'm reading Mary Shelleys Frankenstein...mostly when I'm taking a dump.
Guess the next one will be the last Hunger Games-Book.
Read the first two because they were really easy to read and they weren't that bad...still have to watch the movie though.
Other possibilities would be the Star Wars Thrawn-Books by Zahn or I could finally get to read the Song of Ice and Fire-Books, because I got the first 4 Books pretty cheap when the TV Series started.

I should get back to the Song of Fire & Ice books sometime. I was halfway through the second one before I got busy and distracted and haven't had a moment to pick it back up in a few months.

Dustin K. wrote:

I'm currently reading The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. Great book part of the Witcher Saga that inspired the Witcher video game series which are also amazing.


I also picked up Pet Semetary so I'm gonna read that some time soon but I actually got quite a few books I still gotta read.

The games are pretty awesome. I've heard mixed things about the books. Mostly that a lot of it doesn't translate to English well because Polish doesn't translate to English well.

Kevin Daley wrote:

Dustin K. wrote:

I'm currently reading The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. Great book part of the Witcher Saga that inspired the Witcher video game series which are also amazing.


I also picked up Pet Semetary so I'm gonna read that some time soon but I actually got quite a few books I still gotta read.

The games are pretty awesome. I've heard mixed things about the books. Mostly that a lot of it doesn't translate to English well because Polish doesn't translate to English well.

Well there are only 2 so far that are translated I'm still on the first about half way and it's great so far. The third book will be released in english next fall so I'll be getting that when it comes out.

I really think you should check them out Kevin, what I've read so far is amazing and the games covered so much from the books and did a really good job with it.

ChristopherWalken wrote:

Meh, Dilbert got kinda old after awhile for me. Don't get me wrong, it was a funny strip, but there's only so many "Oh, Dilbert's boss is a moron" jokes or "Dogbert/Catbert is an evil genius" jokes before I just had to skip a few days of reading it.

Dilbert doesn't have a damn thing to do with it, trust me. Fairly fascinating book.

Glad to see I'm not the only one that hasn't read Martin's "Song" books, I sort of feel less of a failure now.

I am proud to say that I'm caught up on "The Wheel of Time," though, even if I don't care for Brandon Sanderson's interpretation of the style.

From the same box the "Doom" books came out of.




Some of these are going on Amazon for $300, being Indiana Jones "Choose Your Own Adventure" books written by R.L. Stine and out of print since 1985. I'm just gonna read 'em, as I thought they'd been sold at a yard sale years ago.

Holy Shit, Indiana Jones Choose Your Own Adventure books? Would have loved that as I kid. I remember the novels.


This is the only one I read but it was fucking awesome. Would have made a great movie. I should check out the others if I ever get in an Indiana Jones mood.

At the moment I'm reading hannibal - Thomas harris.
Quite good so far, really need to get more books, so glad I got back into reading again, so glad.

That was a weird one, though much better than the Ridley Scott film.

Found a used paperback of "The Glass Teat" by Harlan Ellison on my way out of town - I'm gonna be the weird guy at the pool with my reading selections for the week.

I received Stephen King's "Full Dark No Stars" for Christmas so I will most likely be reading that shortly.

^ Also very good, but dark. I guess that's the joke of the title, that there's no hope to be found whatsoever.

If you're looking for the more traditional sort of King, I really can not recommend 11/22/63 enough. That honestly might be my favorite time-travel story ever.

I read X-Man #11 last night. It had the Xecutioner in it. Thought he was lame. But it guest starred Rogue and she was totally fine wearing a white bathing suit. Probably keep reading X-Man till my next shipment gets in. Going to get the reprints of Knightfall and read them again.

read Batwoman #15 and loved it! I'm really liking this current version of Batwoman and the way she is a realistic lesbian character. I also like how her being lesbian doesn't dominate her storylines too much, but it's still there.

And no, despite being Canadian, I'm not a fan of Northstar

I have a bunch of books I still gotta read just sitting on my shelf. I'm just finishing off the first Witcher book now & then I have to start reading Deus Ex Icarus Effect over again then either start on Game of Thrones, Dune, Wheel of time and maybe after get to all those Stephen King books I have but haven't finished plus I have a ton of comics I haven't gotten to in over a year I really should but hesitant because of all the stuff I've heard of new 52.

Dustin K. wrote:

I have a bunch of books I still gotta read just sitting on my shelf. I'm just finishing off the first Witcher book now & then I have to start reading Deus Ex Icarus Effect over again then either start on Game of Thrones, Dune, Wheel of time and maybe after get to all those Stephen King books I have but haven't finished plus I have a ton of comics I haven't gotten to in over a year I really should but hesitant because of all the stuff I've heard of new 52.

Also I've been reading a shit ton of pen & paper RPG books.