
I have been reading Moby Dick. It is one of those texts that an English teacher is "supposed" to have read, but which I never encountered in high school or college. I thought that the text was going to be dry and overly philosophical, but I have been pleasantly surprised at how comical the narration can be. There is a scene where Ishmael meets Queequeg for the first time in a tavern; they have to share a cot for their first night together, and it is laugh-out- loud funny. Melville's descriptive writing and use of imagery is masterful. He spends 6 pages just describing the allure water has on people.
Julia wrote: "Another really awesome sci fi book is Ready Player One by Earnest Cline; it's postapocolyptic (but NOT dystopian), when the world is in ruins and the main character, like many others, retreat into ..."Ms. Lonardo (another 9th grade teacher) loved ready player one and I am told that it is perfect for the 80/90's gamer/ lover of science fiction. I will add it to my list.

Yup. I read Ender's Game game in high school and the follow up about the porcine species of aliens (?) Is that Pathfinder or is Pathfinder a newer text? Hasn't Orson Scott Card gone off the deep end of politics recently. I remember reading something pretty extreme?

Thoughts? I wouldn't mind reading a really good science fiction text if somebody has a rec.