10-16-2003, 07:28 AM | #1 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: Oz
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Read any good books lately?
I recently read Generation X by Douglas Coupland. It was really good, i recomend it.
Im currently reading 'Children of the Albion Rovers' which is a collection of short stories by youngish Scottish writers like Irvine Welsh. Its pretty good- very gritty. What have you been reading lately? |
10-16-2003, 09:40 AM | #4 (permalink) |
Knight of the Old Republic
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
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Last book I read was Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix this past summer. Most excellent!
-Lasereth
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"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert |
10-16-2003, 11:28 AM | #5 (permalink) |
Addict
Location: Boston
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Bringing Down the House (How 6 MIT students took Vegas for Millions)
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you think i got my eyes closed but i've been lookin' at you the whole f&ckin' time... ------------------------------------------------ Posting from the home of the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox |
10-16-2003, 12:41 PM | #6 (permalink) |
With a mustache, the cool factor would be too much
Location: left side of my couch, East Texas
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I recently read "Ghost of Sonora" by Morgan Hill.
It's a fictionalized account of Joaquin Murieta and his travails in Old California. (It's a Western.)
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10-16-2003, 03:23 PM | #8 (permalink) |
Addict
Location: Texas
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Recently finished books that were great:
American Gods-Gaiman Thief of Time-Pratchet Of Saints and Shadows-Golden and currently, the first book in the "dresden chronicles" although I can't remember it's name...quite good if you like anita blake books, similar vein.
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" ' Big Mouth. Remember it took three of you to kill me. A god, a boy, and, last and least, a hero.' " |
10-16-2003, 05:30 PM | #9 (permalink) |
Psycho
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Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan one of the best new sci-fi writers on the market.
Slowly making my way through Quicksilver by Neil Stephenson.
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"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.” ~ James Bryant Conant |
10-16-2003, 08:19 PM | #11 (permalink) |
WoW or Class...
Location: UWW
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Currently reading The Choice A Fable of Free Trade and Protectionism by Russell D. Roberts. Great book, really moving.
[/sarcasm] Horrible book. The entire 100 pages is just a conversation between two guys. Every ten pages you feel the instinctive urge to gouge your guys out. If for some reason you absolutely love economics though and you are a freak of some kind, you might enjoy this book.
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One day an Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman walked into a pub together. They each bought a pint of Guinness. Just as they were about to enjoy their creamy beverage, three flies landed in each of their pints. The Englishman pushed his beer away in disgust. The Scotsman fished the fly out of his beer and continued drinking it, as if nothing had happened. The Irishman, too, picked the fly out of his drink but then held it out over the beer and yelled "SPIT IT OUT, SPIT IT OUT, YOU BASTARD!" |
10-16-2003, 10:05 PM | #12 (permalink) |
Crazy
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mm. I'm currently re-reading Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. most excellent book, if you're into Russian lit. reminiscent of Tolstoy, though more concise, and less... detailed than Solzhenitsyn. though for fantasty books, I'd suggest the Song of Albion Trilogy or the Hall of the Dragon King Trilogy by Stephen Lawhead, as well as his 5 part series Taliesin; Merlin; Arthur; Pendragon; Grail, if you're into Arthurian legend. For that, too, Jack Whyte has a 7 book series out (I forget the titles offhand) that's excellent for arthurian myth.
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Being intelligent is not a felony. But most societies evaluate it as at least a misdemeanor. -- Robert Heinlein |
10-17-2003, 05:18 AM | #13 (permalink) |
Psycho
Location: NC
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Just finished the three books by Dan Brown:
Deception Point...a NASA involved thriller Angels and Demons The Da Vinci Code...two books featuring the same protaganist, a symbologist, Robert Langdon finds himself in a super-fast paced adventure with a wealth of information coming at you. These are great in their writing and action and STILL make you think!
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The sad thing is... as you get older you come to realize that you don't so much pilot your life, as you just try to hold on, in a screaming, defiant ball of white-knuckle anxious fury |
03-22-2004, 10:38 PM | #15 (permalink) |
Cosmically Curious
Location: Chicago, IL
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I just started Laurell Hamilton's 'Anita Blake' series, and for anyone who is a fan of fantasy / vampire literature, this is an absolute must for you! From the first chapter I fell in love, and I just can't put the books down! I think I read the first one, Guilty Pleasures, in about 6 hours total, and the second of the series I've just started is every bit as good as the first.
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"The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there’s little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides" -Carl Sagan |
03-29-2004, 01:03 PM | #17 (permalink) | |
Crazy
Location: belgium
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Quote:
Last book I've read was Paul Auster's Oracle Night, I recommend it strongly, just as anything he has ever written! |
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03-29-2004, 01:30 PM | #18 (permalink) | |
Junkie
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Quote:
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...books&n=507846 Very interesting and so well written... Mr Mephisto |
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03-29-2004, 01:39 PM | #19 (permalink) |
Junkie
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Personally I prefer non-fiction. With that in mind, I recommend the following.
The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes Extremely well written history of this herculean effort by the Allies in World War Two. This book deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize. The Civil War trilogy by Shelby Foote Probably the best written, most enjoyable, comprehensive and altogether enjoyable history of the American Civil War. Foote has a beautiful style and you really get drawn into this amazing story. An Anatomy of Thought - The Origin and Machinery of the Mind by Ian Glynn One of the best introductions to the human brain, conciousness and neurology. Very readable, very interesting and very well written. On the fiction side, I recommend The Life of Pi by Yann Martel Recent Booker Prize winner and a very deserving one at that. Uplifting, fantastic story on the physical and spiritual journey of a ship-wreck survivor as he floats across the ocean on a life-raft... alone except for a tiger for company... Catch 22 by Joeseph Hellar The best satirical anti-war novel you are ever likely to read. Laugh out loud funny, whimsical, passionate, heart-breaking, thought provoking. A true 20th century masterpiece. I could go on, but that's enough to keep you busy for some time! Mr Mephisto |
03-29-2004, 01:49 PM | #20 (permalink) |
beauty in the breakdown
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
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Ill second Catch 22. Incredible piece of work.
I read Born on the Fourth of July this weekend. Very good, moving book.
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"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato |
04-02-2004, 06:08 PM | #22 (permalink) |
Psycho
Location: Princeton, NJ
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Straight Man, by Richard Russo, is a great comedic novel. Basically about a middle aged eccentric english professor at a low-grade state university in the middle of Pennsylvania's rust belt. Those of you connected in some way to academia will especially appriciate it.
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04-03-2004, 02:57 PM | #24 (permalink) |
Observant Ruminant
Location: Rich Wannabe Hippie Town
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Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett. Life's hard right now and I'm in escapist mode and reading a lot of Pratchett's Discworld fantasies, like SG. But Small Gods really has got a lot of important thinks to say about belief and religion -- with a good plot and a lot of Monty Python-like humor thrown in (watch for the penguin).
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04-04-2004, 09:07 AM | #25 (permalink) | |
Femme Fatale
Location: Elysium
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Quote:
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I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust. Something horrible is happening inside of me and I don't know why. My nightly bloodlust has overflown into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip. |
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04-04-2004, 09:11 AM | #26 (permalink) |
Registered User
Location: Pittsburgh
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I just finished The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea. I bought Ulysses by James Joyce last night. One chapter in and I can already see why there are so many "Ulysses companion reader" books out there.
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04-04-2004, 09:21 AM | #27 (permalink) |
Minion of the scaléd ones
Location: Northeast Jesusland
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I've been on a tear lately. In the last week I have read <i>American Psycho</i>, which was the most loathesome thing I have ever soiled my eyes and mind with. Not a good book (though well written), and then, to counteract that, I read the following:
Raymond Feist: <i>King of Foxes</i> (The second Conclave of Shadows book) As usual, it is well written and uplifting, and a pretty standard quasi-medaeival sword and sorcery type of book. Light reading. Very light. I got ahold of a galley copy, so it should be out generally in the summer. Steven Brust: <i>Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grill</i> - This is Brust's favorite among his own work, and I can see why. It is remeniscent of Zelazney at his best, and Alfred Bester too, but not so introspective, and far more playful. The ending could have been a bit stronger, but the rest of the book more than makes up for that. I highly recommend it. Neil Gaiman et. al. - <i>The Sandman - vol. 4, Season of Mists</i> and <i>vol. 5 - A Game of You</i> - Fantastic! I completely understand why he won a science fiction award for these. I really can't say much about these without giving away an unacceptable amount of plot, but they has excellent continutity with the first several books, and the world Gaiman has built takes root and grows in your head. Everyone should read these books. Everyone.
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Light a man a fire, and he will be warm while it burns. Set a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life. |
04-06-2004, 10:44 PM | #29 (permalink) |
Not Brand Ecch!
Location: New Orleans
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After having its mass glower at me from a shelf for the last six months, I finally picked up Don Quixote. Like a lot of classics, it's something I really felt an obligation to read, and it's been a lot of fun. (The fact that Sancho was tossed in a blanket is not half as funny as the fact that he found it incredibly humiliating).
Before that, I read Venus on the Half-Shell, that Vonnegut-inspired scifi story by "Kilgore Trout". Also fun, but the intentionally campy social-commentary probably came across better in the 70's.
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Killing that robot makes me want to go home. |
04-07-2004, 02:12 PM | #30 (permalink) | |
Jesus Freak
Location: Following the light...
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Quote:
I'm reading about Socrates and his philosophies as recorded by Plato and others right now. Very interesting.
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"People say I'm strange, does that make me a stranger?" |
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04-08-2004, 07:00 AM | #31 (permalink) |
Addict
Location: Taxachussetts
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Just Finished Al Franken's Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right...
GREAT Book...well researched, impactful and FUNNY!!
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Not only do I not know the answer...I don't even know what the question is!!! |
04-14-2004, 03:20 PM | #32 (permalink) |
Guest
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I read To Kill a Mockingbird at least 2 or 3 times a year. It is by far the best book I've ever read.
The Virgin Suicides was a good one too. The subject matter is way out in left field, but the writing is absolutely amazing, very lyrical. Also, I've just started reading Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen. It's shaping up to be pretty good... |
04-18-2004, 11:32 PM | #33 (permalink) |
Upright
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I just finished reading Gaiman - American Gods. Great Book and one of the most original books that come out in a while.
Diergray - The sequel to Altered Carbon just came out, Broken Angels. I would recommend that you pick it up. Kovacs is just a great character. Right now Im reading The Black Company by Glen Cook. It reminds me of GRRM only a little more feeling of doom and gloom. |
04-19-2004, 08:56 PM | #35 (permalink) |
Addict
Location: Texas
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Trash: the Dead until Dark series. I don't know why I do this to myself, but I do.
Not quite so trash: The New HP Lovecraft Circle. Wow, this has got some great stuff in it.
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" ' Big Mouth. Remember it took three of you to kill me. A god, a boy, and, last and least, a hero.' " |
04-19-2004, 11:19 PM | #36 (permalink) |
Comment or else!!
Location: Home sweet home
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Romance of Three Kingdoms
its a chinese story but had been translated in many other languages, I read it in vietnamese. I really recommend this book (3 books actually) to any one who's interested in chinese history and literature. English version is available.
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Him: Ok, I have to ask, what do you believe? Me: Shit happens. |
05-07-2004, 02:54 PM | #38 (permalink) | |
Junkie
Moderator Emeritus
Location: Chicago
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If you haven't read Digital Fortress yet, do so, it's outstanding-- it's a little technical in the beginning, but then the story just rolls along.
Basic gist of the story -- a renegade programmer invents an encryption algorythm that is impossible to break -- It's got enough tech stuff to satisfy my math geek side, but it's also got government intrigue, some funny moments, a little romance... I love Dan Brown's writing style - -he best come out with a new books soon Quote:
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Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.
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05-07-2004, 02:58 PM | #39 (permalink) |
Junkie
Moderator Emeritus
Location: Chicago
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Also reading Mary, Called Magdalene by Margaret George.
This is a recreation of Mary Magdelene's life story taken. I'm not sure how much of it is really true - but it's fascinating reading so far. Wasn't a book I would have normally selected for myself, but on my way thru the airport, I stopped in the bookseller, and asked for a book, I really didn't care what it was - it was only a 2 hour flight, and I had read practically everything in the genre I liked-- so they picked me this book - -Excellent suggestion.
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Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.
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05-07-2004, 03:04 PM | #40 (permalink) | |
Junkie
Moderator Emeritus
Location: Chicago
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Quote:
There was a Civil War Series that was outstanding -- Gods and Generals, The Last Full Measure, there are two other books in the series as well -- the first three were written by Jeffrey Shaara the last book in the series, was written by Michael Shaara. Movies were made of the first two books, but the books were so much better than the movies.
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Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.
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