War and Peace

[Kyle]

Has anyone read it? It was one of those books that I always thought I should read, so in college I had a teacher agree that he'd give me a credit if I read it (and write periodic papers about the themes- but we both agreed those were bullshit).

I liked it.

[Stan]

I read it in high school and liked it but it's not a favorite or something I want to reread.

[Zen]

It is one of many on my long list of "I should read that" books. My favorite story about it has to do with the guy who I started playing D&D with. We met in 6th grade. We were in the same class merely because we both played saxophone in 5th grade and, in our school district, all of the sixth graders were in one building, Central Elementary, and they put you in class by the instrument you played in 5th grade. While it wasn't a middle school, it wasn't quite your standard elementary setting either. It was the original high school for the area, then the junior high when the new high school was built, then an elementary once the fancy newer high school was built for all the baby boomers. Since it was roughly three times the size of the average elementary school, they had K-5 on the first floor of the main section of the building, then sixth grade in the newer section and the second floor. So the band could have sectional practices at various times without disrupting all of the classes by pulling kids out, you were placed in classes by instrument, even if you weren't continuing in band, like me.

Randy was the guy I got closest to in my new class. He was really smart. And I mean REALLY smart. At the time, I don't know that I had ever met someone who was as smart as he was. He was also hellishly bored with school. We had two teachers and switched after lunch, one for science and math and the other for English and social studies. One day, in the English class, he was being his usual bored self and the teacher had had enough and called him out on it. He told her he didn't need to pay attention to any of this because he wasn't learning anything anyway. Her response (and this was something I never quite figured out... Did she think he was actually NOT smart and was acting out because he was an idiot? I don't know...) was to ask, "Oh, yeah? What was that last book YOU read?" He looked her straight in the eye and replied, in a deadpan voice, "War and Peace". She stood there, silent, for about five seconds, blinked a couple of times, then proceeded to go on teaching the rest of the class and, for the most part, ignored him for the rest of the term.

[Tahlvin]

I've started it once or twice in the past, and never got very far. Not from lack of interest/engagement, but from a lack of time. But it's on my ever-growing list of books to read once I retire (or at least become financially secure enough that I can cut back my hours).

[Kyle]

Warning: It's a love story. Almost to the point that I'd categorize it as a classic romance novel. Still great though.

[Zen]

[Kyle]

Yeah- I actually love it too. My favorite literature class in college was Victorian Romance Literature.

[Zen]

I'm not saying I like cheesy, badly written stuff... I prefer it to be well written romance, and if there are other plot elements as well that's even better, but a well written romance is... well... just great! I'm a softy...