After I watched the movie I felt very unsatisfied so I decided to get the book to clear some things up. As opposed to the movie, I ended up loving it, really felt like paper was the better medium then film to portray the story
Reading Now:
Comes off incredibly pretentious at times, but it has been interesting so far. I was already an atheist before I started reading, but it does a good job of solidifying why.
Will Read Next:
Heard alot about it, wonder if it will swear me off fast food for good.
Bleach, of course. In terms of books I'm reading my usual non-fiction history books, with a focus on Japan for a reason. Actually I'm reading less an watching One Piece before I go to bed mostly.
Wish I was cool enough to post about socially-conscious, topical, well-regarded books that everyone is supposed to read.
I was actually looking for some good books to read at work when I have nothing to do.. I wanted something like Harry Potter. If I get bored while reading I might fall asleep, and sleeping at work isn't good lol
On April 14 2010 08:17 jpak wrote: 1984 by George Orwell. Cannot believe I didn't read this earlier.
The SCARIEST AND MOST HORRIFYING BOOK I have ever read. Bar none.
lol, you haven't read many books then. 1984, BNW, We (by Yvegeny Zamyatin) and all the other "zomg dystopia" books get dry and repetitive after awhile.
Am currently going through Shakespeare's stuff. I have read Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth and Othello so far and I am reading King Lear at the moment. Don't know where I'll proceed from there, but there's still a lot more to be read by the master.
I have a nasty habit of reading things in parallel (typically, one thing to read in spurts [bathroom, trip] and another for chapters/whatever division) so I'm working on The Complete Sherlock Holmes (compilation of all ofSir Arthur Conan Doyle's work) and Stephen King's Skeleton Crew (collection of short stories). Quick note: "Survivor Type" in Skeleton Crew freaked me out for awhile. Rarely does a story bother me, but that one creeped me out hard. I didn't pick up the book for a couple weeks after reading that story ... which gave me time to read Under the Dome.
Im rereading my Jack Vance collection again lol (for the 1000th time) i just love all his work the dying earth books are just a master piece but i just finished;
Planet of adventure
A great fantasy space opera and one of the most exciting books ever written,every couple of years i try to write a screen play for it lol.
Great book and great movie. It's hard to get into it though because of the broken english but once you get used to the broken english it becomes hilarious. The movie is one of those movies which can make you both cry and laugh.
And get through the proofs of Weil Conjectures. Unfortunately there's no picture of Freitag & Kiehl notes on etale cohomology, which is more useful, containing the proof by Deligne. That cleans up Grothendieck's original approach.
Actually this is global class field theory. The edited notes by Cassels & Frohlich on the theory has a large gap in the proof of "second inequality" of class formations in the case of functions fields with degree extension *not* coprime to the field characteristic. This has the notes that fill the gap, and more!
Absolutely awesome series that I recommend to everyone. Brings the humanity into fantasy, something which I think is severely lacking in this day and age.
Oh and cheers to the guy who recommended Orson Scott Card's Shadow series. That one was brilliant.
I own all of max's books, they're soooooo good. kind of sad this is ending though, wonder what he's gonna put out next. any recommendations that are similar that i'd probably enjoy?
This is actually a really good book. Besides learning about the idea behind thin slicing, and gathering lots of information from small observations- the things you read about and the instances he brings up are really interesting.
This also, as I'm guessing you hope, could really help you with Starcraft, especially with scouting, and guessing about your opponents number of expansions and intended unit composition. I don't think I was nearly good enough a Starcraft player when I read it, and still am not, to get any really benefit from it. My guess is you'd have to be B (or Platinum) or better to really gain any insight to your game from it. Feel free to PM me if you find differently, I'd be really interested in what you feel can be applied to Starcraft. :D
Amazing book so far, it's the first I'm reading related to astronomy and I find it to be absolutely incredible. Definitely looking into studying more about astrophysics on college. Anyone else have other recommendations for similar books?
On April 14 2010 14:53 NeVeR wrote: this thread seems like a bunch of people posting a bunch of shit while at the same time not giving a shit about any of the shit anyone else posts
I did! And I think you're 90% right though... I laugh at those types of threads all the time... really funny man. TY
edit: That's pretty much the reason they changed the "post your Fantasy PL team" threads, just 10's of pages with absolutely no content.
My girlfriend has that book and I can highly recommend it for it's semi serious content mixed satirical nature mixed with strategies on how to survive, the best way to escape and what weapons to use etc.
It even dates all the know sightings of zombies and how they were dispatched.
If you like it i recommend reading more of Dostoievski's books. He's an amazing writer, i enjoyed reading him even though at times it makes you feel bad about humanity as he always shows you the bad side we never want to see in humans.
I just finished reading this:
I don't recommend reading it unless you're seriously into abstract literature. It's a novel full of symbols, where everything he narrates about substitutes something else. I'd call it a hard book.
My boss suggested it so I just picked it up from the library. (I work for a technology company and I do marketing for new innovative tools, so this is something that I would need to know)
It's pretty good even for casual reading... any business folks should probably check this out
Reading Next I never know what I'll be onto next. I like to sharply switch gears (re: Palahniuk -> Dostoevsky), but sometimes I'll read the same author back to back. It all depends on how I feel coming off the last book. The Idiot is definitely going to leave an impression, though. And I'm only 70 pages in.
On April 14 2010 14:53 NeVeR wrote: this thread seems like a bunch of people posting a bunch of shit while at the same time not giving a shit about any of the shit anyone else posts
I posted mine to get it out of the way. Now I'm working my way back from page 5 to see what everyone else posted.
Those Sci-Fis looked pretty interesting. I haven't read anything along similar lines since Piers Anthony's On a Pale Horse, which was rad. I have some of the others from that series.
I also recommend American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It's for everyone.
I haven't touched Leo Tolstoy yet but I'll get around to him some day. One intense Russian at a time.
I remember that AP Bio book from my senior year of high school
Pretty neat little story, but the writing style seemed a bit strange to me. Sentences would sometimes last over 1-2 pages. Worth the read though for sure.
Thinking of reading something by Kafka, maybe starting with The Metamorphosis (already read it but it was fairly interesting) and then going onto The Trial maybe? We'll see what I go to read.
On April 14 2010 14:53 NeVeR wrote: this thread seems like a bunch of people posting a bunch of shit while at the same time not giving a shit about any of the shit anyone else posts
I posted mine to get it out of the way. Now I'm working my way back from page 5 to see what everyone else posted.
Those Sci-Fis looked pretty interesting. I haven't read anything along similar lines since Piers Anthony's On a Pale Horse, which was rad. I have some of the others from that series.
I also recommend American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It's for everyone.
I haven't touched Leo Tolstoy yet but I'll get around to him some day. One intense Russian at a time.
I remember that AP Bio book from my senior year of high school
I'm going the opposite way - Tolstoy to Dostoevsky =D
American Gods is definitely on my list for the next 10 books I wanna devour.
BTW, for anyone looking for good sci fi I recommend Pandora's Star by Peter Hamilton. Just epic.
On April 14 2010 14:53 NeVeR wrote: this thread seems like a bunch of people posting a bunch of shit while at the same time not giving a shit about any of the shit anyone else posts
I posted mine to get it out of the way. Now I'm working my way back from page 5 to see what everyone else posted.
Those Sci-Fis looked pretty interesting. I haven't read anything along similar lines since Piers Anthony's On a Pale Horse, which was rad. I have some of the others from that series.
I also recommend American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It's for everyone.
I haven't touched Leo Tolstoy yet but I'll get around to him some day. One intense Russian at a time.
I remember that AP Bio book from my senior year of high school
I'm going the opposite way - Tolstoy to Dostoevsky =D
American Gods is definitely on my list for the next 10 books I wanna devour.
BTW, for anyone looking for good sci fi I recommend Pandora's Star by Peter Hamilton. Just epic.
I'd recommend:
Revelation Space Series - (Epic Space Opera - Hard Scifi) - Alastair Reynolds (he also has standalone novels that are very good too, like Pushing Ice, Century Rain, etc)
Night's Dawn Trilogy, Commonwealth Saga, Void Trilogy - (Epic Space Opera / Hard Scifi) - Peter F. Hamilton
Delightfully twisted characters, witty dialogue, brutal and violent, lots of intrigue and suspense. An eyeopener in some regards even when compared to:
A song of ice and fire (yeah, you already know it) Malazan book of the fallen (this is also a nobrainer, though a bit heavy on pathos)
Oh, and I really rather dislike Tolkienesque fantasybooks, so if you're of similar taste - Pick up "The First Law - The blade itself" nowish!
On April 14 2010 08:28 Manit0u wrote: Re-reading (need it for my work at univ):
Do you attend a military academy of some sort? Thats alot of war books lol.
No (but maybe in the future... Who knows?). I'm currently writing about ethical problems during military actions in modern times/future. And for that, I need to know more about war in general (what is it exactly, how is it percieved etc.).
On April 14 2010 14:53 NeVeR wrote: this thread seems like a bunch of people posting a bunch of shit while at the same time not giving a shit about any of the shit anyone else posts
I posted mine to get it out of the way. Now I'm working my way back from page 5 to see what everyone else posted.
Those Sci-Fis looked pretty interesting. I haven't read anything along similar lines since Piers Anthony's On a Pale Horse, which was rad. I have some of the others from that series.
I also recommend American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It's for everyone.
I haven't touched Leo Tolstoy yet but I'll get around to him some day. One intense Russian at a time.
I remember that AP Bio book from my senior year of high school
I'm going the opposite way - Tolstoy to Dostoevsky =D
American Gods is definitely on my list for the next 10 books I wanna devour.
BTW, for anyone looking for good sci fi I recommend Pandora's Star by Peter Hamilton. Just epic.
I'd recommend:
Revelation Space Series - (Epic Space Opera - Hard Scifi) - Alastair Reynolds (he also has standalone novels that are very good too, like Pushing Ice, Century Rain, etc)
Night's Dawn Trilogy, Commonwealth Saga, Void Trilogy - (Epic Space Opera / Hard Scifi) - Peter F. Hamilton
I haven't read Night's Dawn Trilogy yet, but the Commonwealth Saga (Pandora's Star + Judas Unchained) blew my mind.
However, I must disagree on the Void Trilogy. I think Void is pure trash... he just doesn't do fantasy well IMO =(
I wonder if there is any interest in a book club... I know Lemonwalrus(?) started one a little while back with limited success. In a little while I'll be done exams and definitely interested in looking at some cool literature.
On April 20 2010 15:04 meeple wrote: I wonder if there is any interest in a book club... I know Lemonwalrus(?) started one a little while back with limited success. In a little while I'll be done exams and definitely interested in looking at some cool literature.
what books did you have in mind? I'll try to participate this time... last time I had read WWZ but slacked off in the discussion anyway. My semester's done in about a month. Been meaning to read this:
On April 20 2010 15:04 meeple wrote: I wonder if there is any interest in a book club... I know Lemonwalrus(?) started one a little while back with limited success. In a little while I'll be done exams and definitely interested in looking at some cool literature.
Yep I've run the two instances of tl book club that have happened so far. (although I would not stand in your way if you wanted to run the third, infact I welcome you to it.) I would probably participate as well. I unfortunately don't think I am going to run one myself for a while, as my work/living arrangements for the summer are not as glued down at the moment as I would like them to be.
I sort of failed at running them tbh, so maybe a fresh approach would be good.
I'm reading R.A. Salvatore's The Ancient. And Stephen King's The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
Haven't been doing my usual gobbling up loads of books recently, but I intend on getting back on track and getting like tons of stuff out from the library.
Things I've read recently?
Read Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law trilogy, and Best Served Cold. As well as R.A. Salvatore's The Highwayman. And Dean Koontz, Brother Odd, and Midnight. Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I enjoyed all of these books, nothing that stuck out as amazing. (Like a Song of Ice and Fire.) but they were pretty darn good.
Oh, and I've been reading A bunch of learning to write books, (like the one by Stephen King, that I can't remember the name of.)
I’ve also been meaning to read a bunch of Dean Koontz novels, and I wouldn’t mind expanding my reading horizons a little further into more mysteries and such. And of course some of the books posted here look interesting so I might have to check some of those out.
(I don’t know how to post pictures of the books, but considering the amount of books I named it would take up a huge amount of the screen and I don’t like taking up that much space anyway.)
This thread reminded me to actually take these out of the library So cheers for that (obviously I am only reading the English translation of the first book, unfortunately I am too stupid and lazy to ever be bi-lingual)
On April 20 2010 21:04 gogogadgetflow wrote: This week: Must read+ Show Spoiler +
I spent about 30 minutes at borders last weekend staring at this and + Show Spoiler +
not able to decide which one to get and ended up not getting either one. When you finish it I would greatly appreciate a review of some sort, even if it is as simple as a pm saying "Read it".
On April 21 2010 06:26 DeathByMonkeys wrote: Couple books in this thread I might add to my list of things to read
Same here :D
I also reccomend this:
Which translates into something like "The First Law: The Voice of Swords". 3 books. It's quite awesome, easily on par with R.R. Martin if not even better. Game of Thrones is of course also amazing.
This is damn good as well, more for all kinds of readers even if its fantasy and pretty action packed, consists of two books:
This. i wanted to change my habits and stop reading only fantasy/sf. Huge huge mistake. The only book that bored me like that was the Dead Souls (by Gogol).
I might go for the last book of the wheel of time if i happen to find it here
On May 19 2010 23:47 SweeTLemonS[TPR] wrote: I just read Prey my Michael Chrichton... EXCELLENT book. Starts off a little slow, then it sucks you in by about page 70 or so.
Yea Prey starts very slow but after a certain point you won't put the book down. I really enjoyed it.
Currently starting on book one of the Dresden Files...should have read it long ago but never started it. If all the books are like Book 1 I'll like it.
On May 19 2010 23:47 SweeTLemonS[TPR] wrote: I just read Prey my Michael Chrichton... EXCELLENT book. Starts off a little slow, then it sucks you in by about page 70 or so.
Yea Prey starts very slow but after a certain point you won't put the book down. I really enjoyed it.
Currently starting on book one of the Dresden Files...should have read it long ago but never started it. If all the books are like Book 1 I'll like it.
Made a deal with a friend to read Dresden Files if she'd read what I shove at her, now for me to borrow the books and finally complete the transaction Care to elaborate on how Dresden Files are? Looking for ways to make a deal to force her into actually finishing up the rest of A Song of Ice and Fire, finding things to nitpick at with Dresden might help
Let's see, Japanese wise a bunch of light novels, no one cares about that. A dry spell for Chinese, don't feel like I have seen anything worth reading for the longest time. English wise I haven't been reading much since I finished A Feast of Crows other than some Bradbury short story collections.
On May 20 2010 00:02 Liquid`NonY wrote: Don Quixote lolol gr9 book
Only in parts...some of the parodies seem to be completely beyond me. But I do love the parts where I don't need to be a Spaniard of that age to understand.
Rereading the Malazan series by Steven Erikson. Excellent writing, complex plots. Right now on the second book.
Deadhouse Gates by Steven Erikson
Historical:
Details the life and rise of Hideyoshi, the peasant man who would become the ruler of all Japan. In the age of the samurai, such a thing is nearly unthinkable, yet he did it.
Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa
Caesar needs no introduction. One of the most towering figures in all of history.
Caesar: Life of a Collosus by Adrian Goldsworthy
Sorry for lack of cover shots, but I'm rather limited here at work.
Reading this^, really interesting if you like math and its history.
Listening to the audio version of this^, it's really good. best fantasy i've read since George R R Martin. May even turn out to be better depending on how the next book in the series turns out.
On May 19 2010 23:47 SweeTLemonS[TPR] wrote: I just read Prey my Michael Chrichton... EXCELLENT book. Starts off a little slow, then it sucks you in by about page 70 or so.
Yea Prey starts very slow but after a certain point you won't put the book down. I really enjoyed it.
Currently starting on book one of the Dresden Files...should have read it long ago but never started it. If all the books are like Book 1 I'll like it.
Made a deal with a friend to read Dresden Files if she'd read what I shove at her, now for me to borrow the books and finally complete the transaction Care to elaborate on how Dresden Files are? Looking for ways to make a deal to force her into actually finishing up the rest of A Song of Ice and Fire, finding things to nitpick at with Dresden might help
Dresden files has 12 books currently
Storm Front is the 1st one. Changes is the last one.
The most simple way I can look at it is really... it's somewhat like Harry Potter but with a target audience directed towards adults.
Obviously it's a bit more complex than that but the main character is not a fool pushover and the plots Jim Butcher comes up with are very very good.
On April 20 2010 21:06 Not_A_Notion wrote: This thread reminded me to actually take these out of the library So cheers for that (obviously I am only reading the English translation of the first book, unfortunately I am too stupid and lazy to ever be bi-lingual) + Show Spoiler +
Good luck with Wittgenstein's, I honestly couldn't get past the 10th page. The style and structure of his writing is really messy, very diffent from the Tractatus (which I can't stand either but it's because I massively suck at formal logic).
This. i wanted to change my habits and stop reading only fantasy/sf. Huge huge mistake. The only book that bored me like that was the Dead Souls (by Gogol).
I might go for the last book of the wheel of time if i happen to find it here
Oh really ? I read it a few years ago and I thought it delivered. I guess it's a matter of taste since the book is very introspective.
If you're into fantasy and haven't read the first few Elrics by M.Moorcock you should. It's a must read for any fantasy fan. The storyline kinda runs out of steam in the later volumes but it's entertaining nonetheless.
I'm currently reading Proud Beggars (mendiants et orgueilleux) by Albert Cossery. It takes place in Cairo Egypt in the 40's. Pretty fucked up but interesting story and nicely written. Characters are highly couloured.
While it's true that this is probably one of the most read books of all time... I'm still young, and it's my first time going through it. It's a fairly easy read, so I recommend it to people who are interested in starting a novel, and don't have too much experience with much else.
On April 14 2010 11:36 Pinnacle55 wrote: Current Series:
Absolutely awesome series that I recommend to everyone. Brings the humanity into fantasy, something which I think is severely lacking in this day and age.
Oh and cheers to the guy who recommended Orson Scott Card's Shadow series. That one was brilliant.
you should read steven erikson too then (the guy who is quoted on the front cover of that!)
Reading For Whom the Bell Tolls right now, and after that I'll be reading a book about Darwin and whatnot. Should be a good read. After that, I'm reading The Rape of Nanking, which is incredibly informative.
I hadn't read anything the last couple of years because I didn't have time. I picked up Under the Dome by Stephen King knowing absolutely nothing about it, just because he's one of my favorite authors and I have some free time. I've read about a third and it is absolutely amazingly awesome and epic for a story that takes place in a small town.
The whole saga. I needed something huge enough to withstand my abality to finish books in no time.
I guess these books can have their fans. The authors knows her job, the only thing i have against her story is that i really dislike the main character, which is slightly annoying when you've got 6 books of 500 pages to read.
It is worth a try, especially if you like robin hobb's novels.
(In Spanish). Reading it for the 3rd time, hell yeah!
Spanish as well, which sort of makes it confusing at times and at first I thought it would be dull, but as I read it, it came very strongly and interestingly.
(In english) The inferno part, it's a nice read, at the very least for the way it's written. Uh that's just a random image by the way, I'm reading Charles Norton's translation.
I hadn't read anything the last couple of years because I didn't have time. I picked up Under the Dome by Stephen King knowing absolutely nothing about it, just because he's one of my favorite authors and I have some free time. I've read about a third and it is absolutely amazingly awesome and epic for a story that takes place in a small town.
I picked it up recently but haven't worked up the guts to start on it yet. I'm currently warming up with Four Past Midnight.
Also, how are you a defiler with 70 posts? If you don't mind me asking.
Edit: Nevermind, your post history in your profile cleared it up.
I have a page-long list now of books from this thread. Well I guess it's good I have nothing to do this summer .
I'm really happy to see everyone's choices in books! Atheist books, sci fi, science & history!? Yay! Even Thomas Paine?! Yay some more!
Just Read:
This was recommended in a different tl thread, but I really loved it. It has quirky humor with some manly appeal to manliness (adventures and beautiful women) and a really interesting plot.
Reading Right Now:
A fun book for understanding the basics of insect biology.
and
I'm kind of bored by this book and I've sort of abandoned it.
Recommended:
For those interested in atheism I'd totally recommend Friedrich Nietzsche. Especially The Gay Science and Thus Spoke Zarathustra. I'd also recommend practically any Christopher Hitchens and of course Dawkins. They are both excellent writers that are very fun to read. (If you are knowledgeable scientifically, don't bother with the science books written by Dawkins and jump straight into textbook science books simply because his are too easy).
This is an interesting book I picked up at Borders. If you're curious about the brain and want a condensed summary (and don't mind too many typos) this is a good read.
Also try Lord of the Flies if you like to delve deeply into a story to find the inner meaning of everything. Plus it's pretty short, whether or not that's a plus.
Thanks everyone for your recommendations! I really love these threads because it helps me discover so many great books!
People, stop posting books that everyone is supposed to have read in school. It makes you look like a retard.
And stop posting gigantic book covers while not giving any hint as to what the book may be about. This thread would have a point if the posts contained something valuable, even a one-sentence review. But what we have here is just garbage.
On June 29 2010 20:46 HnR)hT wrote: People, stop posting books that everyone is supposed to have read in school. It makes you look like a retard.
And stop posting gigantic book covers while not giving any hint as to what the book may be about. This thread would have a point if the posts contained something valuable, even a one-sentence review. But what we have here is just garbage.
This thread should be closed.
Seriously, out of all the terrible threads in "General", you're complaining about the one about books and reading? It may come as a surprise to you, but there are other countries, where not everyone reads the same books you did in school.
I've just finished reading All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque:
At a measly 200 pages it's a very powerful book. A very personal, touching, yet down-to-earth, cold, calculating and digusting take on war. Not your average "war is bad, ok?" presentation. It makes it even more interesting that he was on the german side of the war (WW1). It was banned and burned in the Nazi Germany, and I can certainly see why: no propaganda ever would motivate a young man to enroll into the army after reading this. I'd certainly recommend it if you don't dislike war novels.
Now I'm starting (continuing) Thomas Harris' Hannibal, so far its shaping up to be a decent pulp/thriller.
I havent read any other book in the series, and while I dont feel the need for it a 100 pages in, I wonder if the rest are any better/worse. Did anyone read these books? Which ones would you recommend, if any?
One of the most sobering accounts of war I've ever read. I honestly think everyone should read this book - especially politicians. It's stark honesty, nothing more. No self-indulgence, no silly heroism, no pretension, just the way things were as seen through the eyes of a combat marine. It has been called the greatest military memoir ever written and is on the USMC suggested reading list.
Alexander the Great is the man. Period. An in-depth look at the man, the myth, the legend, his life and impact, as well as his political and military triumphs. Did I mention Alexander the Great is a total bad ass? I'd love to see a general/king/politician ride into combat with his troops - leading the charge - these days. I suspect if one was expected to, there would be far fewer wars.
One of the best novels I've ever read. Some of my friends thought it was boring, I thought it was riveting. There are so many aspects of this story that speak to us on so many levels. The book is better than the movie, and far more grim. My penchant for apocalyptic imagery may have been what got me interested in this book but my interest in the way the world works, what drives people, and whether morals are subjective or objective, kept me from putting it down.
On June 29 2010 20:46 HnR)hT wrote: People, stop posting books that everyone is supposed to have read in school. It makes you look like a retard.
And stop posting gigantic book covers while not giving any hint as to what the book may be about. This thread would have a point if the posts contained something valuable, even a one-sentence review. But what we have here is just garbage.
This thread should be closed.
Seriously, out of all the terrible threads in "General", you're complaining about the one about books and reading? It may come as a surprise to you, but there are other countries, where not everyone reads the same books you did in school.
The difference is, those other threads that are "terrible" don't have the potential to be much better.
In this age hardly anyone outside of the third world would not have heard of, say, George Orwell. If you don't know, or cannot find out for yourself, what are the universally agreed-upon classics of a given literary tradition, those books "everyone is supposed to read or have read," then regardless of where you are from in the developed world you are an idiot.
just finished reading saul bellow's seize the day. i'll read anything by bellow, but seiz" is definitely no Herzog. bellow does narcissists better than anyone.
hT, there are more classics that could have been read in school than most people have the time to read. unless you studied english lit
What does that have to do with anything hT? This is meant to be a thread for people to share what they're reading right now, not what they think classic literature is. Not to mention that 95% of what's been posted in here wouldn't qualify as classic literature anyway.
It's true this thread isn't great but that's more to do with it being one of those threads where everyone posts but nobody reads. It'd be nice if we could get some kind of discussion going about the books.
This book just gave me a lot of interesting facts about ants and their complex societies. How is an ant programed and why they are so effective organisms. And its well written.
Just finished the Dune trilogy. By the end of the third book I wasn't feeling it anymore, but overall its an amazing set of books. Working on this now -
On June 29 2010 21:54 Orome wrote: What does that have to do with anything hT? This is meant to be a thread for people to share what they're reading right now, not what they think classic literature is. Not to mention that 95% of what's been posted in here wouldn't qualify as classic literature anyway.
It's true this thread isn't great but that's more to do with it being one of those threads where everyone posts but nobody reads. It'd be nice if we could get some kind of discussion going about the books.
Then one would need a thread with no pictures allowed.
Making a book thread filled with pictures of covers is absurd. I mean can't anyone else see that? It's ironic, considering books stand for a dying culture of words and letters, while the need for bright images and the sensual stimulation they represent is symptomatic of the new culture of techno-propaganda, psychological conformism and instant gratification. If you think about the meaning of what we see here in this thread, you ought to be saddened by it.
Plus, the domination of images simply makes it hard to read.
take it easy HnR)hT, i don't think this thread is for literary criticism. i kind of see this thread as a substitute for browsing a bookstore and looking at interesting covers for prospective reading material. I'd rather browse through book covers in this thread that have been selected by mostly competitive SC players than having to go through every book filled with time-wasting garbage in the bookstore. Usually if there is a good book ppl will quote and state their opinions..also it lets me know of new releases i haven't heard of :p But yes i agree it is pretty lame when people post their assigned school readings :[ but not much we can do about that, can we ?
One of the greatest analytical pieces on 3 well-documented battles, from the individual psyche and its influence on battle to the importance (and sometimes futility) of strategy.
Ok then this one's for you, HnR)ht, as I kind of agree with you.
I think this establishes Nick Cave, once and for all, as a guy who is not only able to write brilliant lyrics, but also brilliant books. The book is a very Nick Cave-ian account of a man burning through life to the point of extinction (no spoilers here, the book is, after all, called the death of bunny munro).
The book is exactly what the movie could've been, but wasn't. A very serious account of a soldier returning from Vietnam to a world that hates him for having fought for his country, people calling him a vagrant, spitting on him. When I started it I feared it would be yet another pro-american war bullshit book, but it's quite the opposite, and it's the human rage that's the main current in this book. I've never actually read such a "mainstream" action-oriented book before, an action-book (behold!), but this one lets having things to say and action coexist very nicely.
I've seen the movie before reading the book and I must say it's really difficult doing things in this order, because usually characters from the movie pop in your mind when reading the book. But Dennis Lehane provides enough insight, depth and detail for Sean Penn and Tim Robbins to fly right out of your mind, as he gives you a very thick and through description of the world his action takes place in. I gotta say that after Mystic River, having read 3 other books by him, he's close to being my favorite author right now, as his grittyness in writing is so gravel grinding rough that it seems other worldly. Seriously recommending this one.
Just finished my latest bathroom reader while taking a dump this morning:
A collection of witty, clever essays from America's favorite armchair intellectual. For those not familiar with Chuck Klosterman, he has a gift for making the reader examine the seemingly meaningless in unexpectedly meaningful ways. He covers everything in this book from time-travel to american football to Ted Kaczynski - all the while elaborating on the larger themes of how the modern media has shaped our lives.
edit:
Currently wrapping up my night-time reading which is White Noise by Don Delillo, a pretty short little novel from the 80s that most people have probably heard of. I don't really read a lot of fiction so this was a nice change of pace. Delillo is a brilliant writer and his wonderful use of the english language makes me feel profoundly stupid on a nightly basis. I have enjoyed this novel so much that I went and picked up his much longer work Underworld the other day to get cracking on next. All I know is there is something about the Cold War in it...
edit2: Also, it'd be really nice if people could elaborate on what they're reading, like give us a bit of their impressions as opposed to just posting a cover image. It's hard to determine what's worth picking up without some sort of insight =[
Its about a writer who takes a year and then some off to try to get as good as he possibly can at golf and maybe make the PGA tour. Its very interesting, hes a good writer and its pretty funny. Its a great read for anyone, but if you enjoy golf at all youll really love it.
Got stuck on the absolutely awful Wheel of Time series. I would not recommend it to my worst enemy. A close friend swears that is the best thing ever written, which has gotten me up to book 10. Nothing has happened since book 5. I promise you. Nothing that cannot be described in a paragraph has happened in the last 5 800 page books. I would have stopped if not for the knowledge that the author dies and a superior author takes over the series. At least I know that the series will only get better once I get to Brandon Sanderson's bits. I regretfully care enough about the characters to see how it ends.
Read Neuromancer for the first time recently. Was very disappointed. There was little depth, and I think it was merely the first guy to take modern technology and try and imagine its implications for the future. That being said, it was a quick and pleasant read coming from Wheel of Time.
On June 29 2010 20:53 snotboogie wrote: Taking a break from Anna Karenina (not enough action) to read:
Hehe, yeah if you ever want a detailed look at like every single aspect of Russian society of the time, including extensive theorizing about the best methods of farming, read that book. But don't expect things to happen fast.
^ If you can make it until around chapter 3, then you're probably good for the lot of it. The book is a mixed bag, and Joyce is using every trick in the literary book. Some will work, others won't--a fair warning and all. It took me 6 months to read it all at a pace where I felt I understood what was going on instead of just "reading words".
All of that said, the final few chapters are amazing in a way I cannot properly describe.
(and, fyi, everyone I've ever known, whether through the internet or otherwise, gets second thoughts around page 6 or so. Buck Mulligan is pissant).
not to show off how super intellectual i am but The Myth of Sisyphus with its collection of essays is my favorite book, ever. i've read Summer in Algiers sooo many times, and i keep an old edition of it in a plastic bag on the windowsill, it's 5 feet away from me right now.
as for the guy who disliked neuromancer, i gotta say you'll either love it or hate it. i thought it was brilliant and phenomenal, like fireworks going off in my head.
Currently wrapping up my night-time reading which is White Noise by Don Delillo, a pretty short little novel from the 80s that most people have probably heard of. I don't really read a lot of fiction so this was a nice change of pace. Delillo is a brilliant writer and his wonderful use of the english language makes me feel profoundly stupid on a nightly basis. I have enjoyed this novel so much that I went and picked up his much longer work Underworld the other day to get cracking on next. All I know is there is something about the Cold War in it... + Show Spoiler +
I couldn't get through that one. I mean I think I could see where it was going and what the points he was making were, but it felt like a chore to actually do the reading, ingenious as it was.
On Neuromancer: I also could not get into this one, although it was a long time ago and mainly because I comprehended only like 25% of what was actually happening. I'm thinking of giving it another go, I'm significantly more worldly/well read/comprehending than I was then.
On June 29 2010 17:06 scrdmnttr wrote: I have a page-long list now of books from this thread. Well I guess it's good I have nothing to do this summer .
I'm really happy to see everyone's choices in books! Atheist books, sci fi, science & history!? Yay! Even Thomas Paine?! Yay some more!
Just Read:
This was recommended in a different tl thread, but I really loved it. It has quirky humor with some manly appeal to manliness (adventures and beautiful women) and a really interesting plot.
You should try Another Roadside Attraction by him. That is my favorite of his so far, it's quite amazing. I've also read Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas and part of the above but wasn't really in the mood for a while and ended up losing my enthusiasm
Yeah, so in my latest attempt to beat procrastination I've resorted to reading sport psychology books. Motivational books don't work for me period. I feel very motivated after reading them, for about a day. Then my enthusiasm quickly peters off. It's the same thing with inspiring quotes. Sure, they're inspiring, for five minutes. Then what?
So this book looks promising (I have a few books lined up after this one as well). Mental toughness is a trait most coaches assume athletes already have. The author of this book disagrees with that. A sports psychologist himself who works with all sorts of athletes, he has this mental workout program, that's practical, short, and builds mental toughness the way an exercise program builds muscle.
Table of Contents: Phase 1 The Mental Workout
Chapter 1 Centering Breaths: Controlling Your Biology 17 Chapter 2 The Performance Statement: Simple and Concrete 29 Chapter 3 The Personal Highlight Reel: Seeing Is Believing 47 Chapter 4 The Identity Statement: Influencing Self-Image 69 Chapter 5 Another Centering Breath and Away We Go 79
Phase 2 Goal Setting for Greatness
Chapter 6 Effective Goal Setting: Creating and Achieving the Dream 87 Chapter 7 Personal Rewards Program: Enhancing Motivation 101 Chapter 8 Tapping the Power of Goals: Train Hard Enough to Make Competition Easy 119
Phase 3 Relentless Solution Focus
Chapter 9 Always Have a Solution on the Board 137 Chapter 10 The Solution-Focused Tool 149 Chapter 11 Mental Toughness: Knowing What and How to Think 169 Appendix A Mental Training Through the Year 179 Appendix B Work Sheets 183 Notes 191 Glossary 193 Index 195
I study German literature and this is just one of those classics you need to have read before the end of your studies. Great book.
Thomas Mann is the bomb, yo.
You might want to try Death In Venice if you haven't read it already.
In the mean time, I'm going to read the one you posted.
Seeing German books with their English titles is so weird. :o
Yeah I've read Death in Venice but I didn't really appreciate it because I was very young and forced to read it for school. I should probably pick it up again sometime.
Gl if you're going to read Buddenbrooks, it's probably the Thomas Mann book (he wrote it when he was 25 and later got the nobel prize for it) but it's a lot longer than Death in Venice.^^
I've seen this a couple of times already (I think) in this thread, how good is it? Do you actually recommend it?
I know quite a bit about North Korea being Chinese, have relatives who visited, and have done research on NK for a grad lvl course.
It's fairly easy to read and it shines a light on matters that are pretty unknown to westerners. I've read a few books on the relation China has with Communism and so far I'm really enjoying this one because there aren't a lot of books on NKorea. It's not a big book (169 pages, but maybe 1/4 of the page is blank or used to put pictures) but it goes straight to the point. It doesn't try to shove information down your throat but there's a lot to digest. The parts on propaganda were amazing, but I'm a big fan of WWII propaganda so that might be biased.
The latter is a free ebook from her website. Practical, plain-spoken advice for writing, especially novel writing. I'm finding it very helpful since I'm working on a novel at the moment.
I'm a couple hundred pages in and it's great so far. It's basically like Moneyball applied to soccer. A couple of economists examine stuff like racism in clubs, penalty kick logic, mistakes clubs make in signing players, etc. It's worth it just for the story about the ManU/Chelsea penalty shooter in the CL finals.
Finished:
It was fucking terrible. I was interested in the subject of it, but the book is written quite poorly, and it really paints an awful picture about what id is really like. I don't know if the writer just did a poor job of describing the people in the book, but they are just such caricatures that it's hard to believe they are real, and if they are... god help them.
Just a bunch of random Bush, Cheney, and other elected officials quotes. Have to say it's really sad that these people got elected in the first place....
Collection of essays about random stuff. Saw this is one of the older book threads and when I saw I figured I had to pick it up. Really interesting stuff, especially the one about The Real World, and The Sim's. Two things that I will never look at the same again, heh. Have to pick up some of his other books sometime.
Reading Now:
I am only about 70 pages or so into it, but already it is blowing my mind.
Next:
I am somewhat of a zombie movie buff, so this looks like it should be interesting.
Just a bunch of random Bush, Cheney, and other elected officials quotes. Have to say it's really sad that these people got elected in the first place....
Collection of essays about random stuff. Saw this is one of the older book threads and when I saw I figured I had to pick it up. Really interesting stuff, especially the one about The Real World, and The Sim's. Two things that I will never look at the same again, heh. Have to pick up some of his other books sometime.
Reading Now:
I am only about 70 pages or so into it, but already it is blowing my mind.
Next:
I am somewhat of a zombie movie buff, so this looks like it should be interesting.
I have all of Klosterman's books and they are all just as good/funny as Sex Drugs and Coco Puffs Downtown Owl is actually a work of fiction but it's pretty interesting as well, definetly go buy them all
Few notes: Freakonomics is awesome... though the sequel is not quite as good and both have raised some questions in recent years about their methodology used (especially in the sequel).
Soccernomics is awesome. They give pretty detailed accounts on the logic behind their regressions which is really cool for any potential econ majors.
Interesting book. I like it a bit more than Predictably irrational because it makes some direct connections between the research and applications. Halfway through it a quick summary for the book would be "addressing the information side(assumption) of perfect competition."
Going to read this one after that:
Annd lastly an oldie but a goodie comfort book.
She writes pretty damn well though she's been becoming more romancy and less fantasy lately. That and a bit of a feminist streak at times which is annoying in that it's blatant.
Redwall books are great, when I was younger I'd read them all the time. Sadly I haven't in a few years, I think most of my Redwall books are in storage ><
Finishing my last book in a batch I got a few months ago, need to go get more, or live in a library... In the mean time I'll reread A Clockwork Orange for the billionth time.
I have to read this for my Grade 10 class starting in September :D Is it any good?
It's good if you don't have to read it for class. Seriously, like read it beforehand because it's an awesome book, and then read it again for class because you have to.
I have to read this for my Grade 10 class starting in September :D Is it any good?
It's good if you don't have to read it for class. Seriously, like read it beforehand because it's an awesome book, and then read it again for class because you have to.
If you like a book what does it matter where you read it? If anything you have a better chance to enjoy a book if you are reading it for class, since you will most likely discuss it and maybe pick up on some of the more subtle points.
I have to read this for my Grade 10 class starting in September :D Is it any good?
It's good if you don't have to read it for class. Seriously, like read it beforehand because it's an awesome book, and then read it again for class because you have to.
If you like a book what does it matter where you read it? If anything you have a better chance to enjoy a book if you are reading it for class, since you will most likely discuss it and maybe pick up on some of the more subtle points.
There is a big difference between reading a book for pleasure and reading a book because it is assigned. While discussion of the themes in the book with your teacher/professor can be a great way to understand the book better, reports and essays have a way of sucking all the fun out of reading.
My brother (can't remember TL handle) started reading his stuff at around age 12. After borrowing Salamandastron from him, I was hooked.
Finbarr is my homeboy.
Since my local library is quite small, I've read the sci-fi fantasy section down to the bones it seems. I stumbled across Tad Williams and The War of the Flowers a while ago. Not the kind of usual fairy stories I'm used to and I liked the unusual spin he put on an old tale.
I finished World War Z by Max Brooks recently. Prior to reading this book, I never understood people's fascination with zombies, but this book definitely opened my eyes. So I naturally picked up the Zombie Survival Guide and unfortunately I'm having a hard time getting into it. I'm not saying it's a bad book, but it's more of a device that lets you understand what foundation World War Z was written upon. It feels like Max Brooks laid out all the glorious details of the zombie world into the Survival Guide and subsequently plunged into a full-blown story with World War Z; in a way, it feels like I'm reading his research material for the actual story.
Assassins is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman, based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr. It uses the premise of a murderous carnival game to produce a revue-style portrayal of men and women who attempted (successfully or otherwise) to assassinate Presidents of the United States. The music varies to reflect the popular music of the eras depicted.
I read his other book, A Deepness in the Sky. Its really good if you like hard sci-fi, probably the best i've ever read in terms of world building and stuff.
This one is supposed to be even better and I just resumed reading it.
On July 07 2010 05:16 Sulli wrote: I finished World War Z by Max Brooks recently. Prior to reading this book, I never understood people's fascination with zombies, but this book definitely opened my eyes. So I naturally picked up the Zombie Survival Guide and unfortunately I'm having a hard time getting into it. I'm not saying it's a bad book, but it's more of a device that lets you understand what foundation World War Z was written upon. It feels like Max Brooks laid out all the glorious details of the zombie world into the Survival Guide and subsequently plunged into a full-blown story with World War Z; in a way, it feels like I'm reading his research material for the actual story.
I had the same exact experience. WWZ is one of my favorite books, but I hated the Survival Guide. It takes itself way too seriously.
The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen's rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.
For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, their lone surviving mage, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities, yet holds out. It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze.
However, the Empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister, shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand . . .
Conceived and written on a panoramic scale, Gardens of the Moon is epic fantasy of the highest order--an enthralling adventure by an outstanding voice.
Someone recommended me this book, I'm going to go buy it from Chapters tomorrow.
This also looks like a great book. If I manage to read both of the books above along with some of the books I plan to read for school, Ill definitely read this.
Must read for anyone interested in human health and nutrition
A bit ranty and heavy on the feminist politics, but contains some good points, particularly about the destructive nature of agriculture and necessity of animals to sustain the ecosystem
Bookerman prize winner (And I think a nobel prize winning) novel:
A very complex book that deals with a lot of touchy subjects set in South Africa. I'm not gonna lie though, what I loved most about this book was the prose. The writing was just so crisp and economical. He manages to say so much, with such PRECISION, using so little. He also carefully weaves some very pretty and incisive metaphors into his writing as well.
I think anyone who wants to learn to write better should carefully study this book.
anyone recommend me a horror book? i know stephen king has a lot of good ones, but which one would you recommend? so far ive read kite runner and the last days of michael jackson
On July 21 2010 13:58 QuoC wrote: anyone recommend me a horror book? i know stephen king has a lot of good ones, but which one would you recommend? so far ive read kite runner and the last days of michael jackson
The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It's also incredibly written.
Just finished the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Amazing book. Now reading the book "A boy called It". And I'm not crying at least. It does gives me some thought though.
God that book made me want to shoot myself. The next one (Crossroads of Twilight) made me stop reading the series until I heard that book 11 had come out and was good. It was. 12 (written by Sanderson after Jordan's death) was also really good. 13 comes out in November.
Also want to say that this:
On April 14 2010 08:01 HazMat wrote:For Whom The Bell Tolls right now.
exactly how substances like MSG (glutamate), hydrolyzed vegetable protein, aspartate, and the army of pseudonyms used by food industries kills you. how any wholesome food can be turned into a soft-kill poison with the addition of these visually imperceptible substances.
A bit ranty and heavy on the feminist politics, but contains some good points, particularly about the destructive nature of agriculture and necessity of animals to sustain the ecosystem
Being a vegetarian transitioning to vegan I was intrigued at this book, and decided to do a little research. This is the first thing that came up:
The Malazan Empire simmers with discontent, bled dry by interminable warfare, bitter infighting and bloody confrontations with ancient and implacable sorcerers. Even the imperial legions, long inured to the bloodshed, yearn for some respite. Yet Empress Laseen's rule remains absolute, enforced by her dread Claw assassins.
For Sergeant Whiskeyjack and his squad of Bridgeburners, and for Tattersail, their lone surviving mage, the aftermath of the siege of Pale should have been a time to mourn the many dead. But Darujhistan, last of the Free Cities, yet holds out. It is to this ancient citadel that Laseen turns her predatory gaze.
However, the Empire is not alone in this great game. Sinister, shadowbound forces are gathering as the gods themselves prepare to play their hand . . .
Conceived and written on a panoramic scale, Gardens of the Moon is epic fantasy of the highest order--an enthralling adventure by an outstanding voice.
Read it once before but that was years ago. This time I'm reading the entire series and i figured I'd start from the beginning.
Fantastic choice. Greatest fantasy series ever written, IMO. It's on book 9 (of a total of 10) at the moment and I have to say it's getting a bit bogged down but still far and away the best fantasy.
Last read: This was such a fun read I'm thinking of reading it again soon.
A lot of information in this book. Stephen Hawkins has a difficult time simplifying anything when it comes to complicated subjects. That is why "A brief history of time" also has a sister book called "A Briefer History of Time". Additionally, he helped with "The Illustrated Brief History of Time" because people found images helped explain Stephen Hawkins writings a little bit better. Its the same as the original, just with some illustrations. "Universe in a Nutshell" is really good as well. Same style of writing.
This is a very well made, illustrated book. Highly detailed. Touches on so many things in the Astronomy and physics fields.
This one is a doozy. Its all about quantum physics. He talks about a lot of cool theories.
On June 29 2010 23:53 zizou21 wrote: take it easy HnR)hT, i don't think this thread is for literary criticism. i kind of see this thread as a substitute for browsing a bookstore and looking at interesting covers for prospective reading material. I'd rather browse through book covers in this thread that have been selected by mostly competitive SC players than having to go through every book filled with time-wasting garbage in the bookstore. Usually if there is a good book ppl will quote and state their opinions..also it lets me know of new releases i haven't heard of :p But yes i agree it is pretty lame when people post their assigned school readings :[ but not much we can do about that, can we ?
I think you're in the wrong place man D:
I agree with you. I'm scrolling through this topic, and saving the pics of the books that I might want to read. Its not like I'm getting a lot of detail about the book, but I can do the research myself later.
The ending of "For whom the Bell tolls" ist just so good. And yeah Blood Meridian is highly recommended, but it's extremely violent and puts some distance between the reader and the protagonists, so it might not be a good book for everyone. Nevertheless it's brilliantly written, the best writing style I have ever read.
On July 08 2010 10:26 zergpower314 wrote: Required for school: + Show Spoiler +
Hopefully reading it required doesn't ruin it. That's the 2nd best book I've ever read.
What I'm reading now:
I'm only on the third page, so I haven't gotten into it, I have high expectations though, since HST's reporting style is like an encompassing wave of truth that grips you and pulls you right into the events, unlike anything you read from anyone else.
These books (in the spoiler) were the books i read while i was in jail for about 30 days (i just got out). + Show Spoiler +
These books are what I'm currently reading:
Also read somewhat recently two books by my grandfather William R. Dunn,
and War Drum Echoes which I can't find a picture of online. Old book about the cheyenne and arapaho and other colorado tribes, their warfare and way of life during the civil war. He adopted my mom who is cheyenne arapaho and i'm her son obviously. He was also the first ace pilot of WW2, just a little info! :/
On July 24 2010 16:02 NVIDIAMOUSE wrote: These books (in the spoiler) were the books i read while i was in jail for about 30 days (i just got out). + Show Spoiler +
These books are what I'm currently reading:
Also read somewhat recently two books by my grandfather William R. Dunn,
and War Drum Echoes which I can't find a picture of online. Old book about the cheyenne and arapaho and other colorado tribes, their warfare and way of life during the civil war. He adopted my mom who is cheyenne arapaho and i'm her son obviously. He was also the first ace pilot of WW2, just a little info! :/
How was Lewis Black's book? Good? I really like him as a comedian, and if he's a satisfactory author I'd love to buy his book.
It sucks, I find him funny on the daily show and as a commentator, not as a stand up comedian. His book so far (im about 1/3 through) is exactly like his normal banter which lacks his physical comedy obviously, and the substance of the book is lousy with nothing informative about atheism or religion or what not.
On July 07 2010 08:58 GoTuNk! wrote: Gonna start after my last exam.
Did you finnish it and do you like it if you have finnished it?
Yeah, awesome book. It's like the libertarian bible- although it's now being hijacked by the Tea Party just because it strongly supports free-market economics. But the philosophy extends well beyond economics, and covers Rand's epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics through prose. I like her metaphysics and epistemology a lot more than I like her economics- only because her philosophical connections start to fall a part a bit at that layer of Objectivism (the Ayn Rand philosophy).
For the Sci-Fi/Fantasy readers- George Martin and Raymond Feist have already been suggested... Definitely excellent authors. But I would HIGHLY recommend Terry Goodkind, he is, in my opinion, the best speculative fiction author EVER.
SS officer during WW2 starting at russia invasion and the start of thinking " whats the optimal way of kilingl all jew " very historical and interesting
Best, most comprehensive book about video games history. You will learn that steve jobs is a fraud, everything good comes from japan and starcraft gets the attention it deserves
I am currently reading: Plato's The Republic, my Kaplan MCAT Study Book (I take the MCAT on Wednesday, wish me luck!), and Patient Zero. I like to get a solid mix of respected classic literature, useful skill/nonfiction learning, and cheesy sci-fi/fantasy at the same time.
i tried that world war z book-reading TL club thing. i read it off of a pdf, but there were too many mistakes and i didnt trust it by like the third chapter i think x_x
I don't know if it's been suggested already, but Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstatder is a marvelous book. Ostensibly it relates to Godels uncertainty principle, but my ability to comprehend runs out somewhere in the middle of the book. :p
Nevertheless it is filled with interesting points and Carroll-esque vignettes. It will also show an interesting usage of the word meta, but then you'll remember that Liquipedia is infallible and forget about it.
For those politically inclined, The Prince is the most important political work solely concerned with politics. I'd be afraid it would warp your sensibilities but I'm not convinced there's much of a difference between not knowing you know nothing and mistakenly believing you know something.
Was very astounded that it had not been mentioned before since its such a popular book. But I would highly highly recommend it to guys who are having trouble with woman, getting them and approaching and get the to bed or as girlfriends. The book is about a guy writer that goes in to the underground pickup community to learn and overcome his shortcomings with women. He goes from average Joe to becoming an incredible pickup artist. This book should be used as a stepping stone towards becoming more comfortable with women. Many different ways of doing that is mentioned in the book and you can pretty much choose what "school" you lean most against. The author has been with Mutley Crue, Marilyn Manson, and in the porn industry and written books about his experiences. And none of them came even close to giving him the experiences he got from his life in the game. Would recommend it to anyone not that comfortable with women. And on a SC forum i guess that's a couple
It will change your outlook on women and human interaction and social dynamics, I guarantee. May also trigger you to becoming a ladies man Has helped a lot of my friends as a stepping stone into a more secure confident person Highly recommended
Even if you're not into that particular genre or not a fan of Hunter S. Thompson's works, its a very interesting and entertaining read to say the least.
If by any chance you've seen the movie and liked it, you'll love the book. While I think Johny Depp's performance was absolutely excellent, and I do mean that, I've watched a bunch of documentaries about Hunter S.Thompson and he executes his persona flawlessly - I find the book gives a much better atmosphere to the story than the film and is generally more absorbing.
I recommend both the movie and the book, eventho I know most people wont even get them since they're a bit odd, much like the author, and will probably just see it like 2 junkies messing about in Las Vegas but even then I think at least one would find it entertaining =)
Just finished this. I was amazed at the creativity and unusual style of the guy who wrote Fight Club.
Just started this and so far it's well written and interesting for a guy who hosts a late night talk show. He is witty and has an honest yet comical spin on the events of his life and how he got to be where he is today.
Both have been ordered and should be arriving in the next day or so. I already read Financial Peace and it was excellent, so I decided to get a copy of my own.
On July 07 2010 08:58 GoTuNk! wrote: Gonna start after my last exam.
Did you finnish it and do you like it if you have finnished it?
I'm reading Atlas Shrugged right now and it is not enjoyable to read. The book just feels exhausting to read and I don't want to read more than 50 pages at a time.
Finished reading Crisis Four, I thought it was a pretty good action-y type book. I've resumed reading Anna Karenina, and I gotta say it's fast becoming one of my favourite books. I don't believe I've ever read anything as well written, and I can only imagine how it flows in its native Russian. Furthermore, it's clear Tolstoy had a very intimate understanding of the human condition. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and I can see why so many call it the greatest novel ever written.
On July 07 2010 08:58 GoTuNk! wrote: Gonna start after my last exam.
Did you finnish it and do you like it if you have finnished it?
I'm reading Atlas Shrugged right now and it is not enjoyable to read. The book just feels exhausting to read and I don't want to read more than 50 pages at a time.
It's definitely a thinker... if you have patience with it and don't mind some long monologues, it is really interesting though. the ideas ayn rand puts out can make you think about how being selfish isn't necessarily a bad thing. On the other hand don't just believe it right away... and so on. : )
I read Prey by Michael Chrichton earlier this year. Since then, my friend has been trying to get me to read the Halo books, which just seems unbelievably gay to me.
Prey was awesome though, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone. The first fifty pages are a bit of a bore, but you don't want to put it down after a while.
On August 21 2010 13:35 {CC}StealthBlue wrote: Good?
Amazingly Good, I love Carl Sagan. Someone was selling a copy of it in my college's book fair (is that the word?). He was selling for R$ 3,00! (it is 1.70 dollars). I bought the book and gave as a gift to someone. =)
On August 08 2010 14:04 snotboogie wrote: Finished reading Crisis Four, I thought it was a pretty good action-y type book. I've resumed reading Anna Karenina, and I gotta say it's fast becoming one of my favourite books. I don't believe I've ever read anything as well written, and I can only imagine how it flows in its native Russian. Furthermore, it's clear Tolstoy had a very intimate understanding of the human condition. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and I can see why so many call it the greatest novel ever written.
I thought they called War and Peace the greatest novel ever written? I've been trying to read W&P but it's incredibly...well, epic I guess, but not in the best way. It's a little tedious at times, though maybe something happened in translation. I also have Anna Karenina and didn't know which to read first. Has anyone read war and peace, and does it "ramp up" in flow and excitement after around 3-400?
On August 08 2010 15:21 SweeTLemonS[TPR] wrote: I read Prey by Michael Chrichton earlier this year. Since then, my friend has been trying to get me to read the Halo books, which just seems unbelievably gay to me.
Prey was awesome though, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone. The first fifty pages are a bit of a bore, but you don't want to put it down after a while.
I liked prey in fact I own a copy.
I'm reading A most wanted man, by John le Carre. Never read anything by him the book was a gift. So far its pretty good.
Best books I've read recently (past 3 months) : The brothers karamazov by Dostoyevsky
On August 08 2010 14:04 snotboogie wrote: Finished reading Crisis Four, I thought it was a pretty good action-y type book. I've resumed reading Anna Karenina, and I gotta say it's fast becoming one of my favourite books. I don't believe I've ever read anything as well written, and I can only imagine how it flows in its native Russian. Furthermore, it's clear Tolstoy had a very intimate understanding of the human condition. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and I can see why so many call it the greatest novel ever written.
I thought they called War and Peace the greatest novel ever written? I've been trying to read W&P but it's incredibly...well, epic I guess, but not in the best way. It's a little tedious at times, though maybe something happened in translation. I also have Anna Karenina and didn't know which to read first. Has anyone read war and peace, and does it "ramp up" in flow and excitement after around 3-400?
I have never read War and Peace but I always hear that it is far more difficult than Anna Karenina. AK focuses on a few families and is more intimate, while W&P is supposedly far more sprawling and "epic".
BTW Anna Karenina tops Greatest Novel lists more often than any other book, I believe.
It's a 1946 book that partly deals with the holocaust. It doesn't elaborate on the gory details of the holocaust, but rather asks what allows man to carry on in the most extreme situations. It's a fairly quick read, I'm half-way through so far, and so far it's quite powerful.
Initially, it felt a little silly to be reading about a man's self-help type of book, but it's been great so far. I didn't realize it, but there's quite a few books that deal with this subject. The topic's in line with the Nice Guy syndrome that some modern men face. The author establishes that some men these days are affected too much by the feminist movement. The fathers are often times working all day and boys aren't receiving the fathering that they need. Instead, the boys are mothered to a point where men are taught to uphold feminine values and constantly seek validation from women. The book provides tools and emphasizes the importance of really establishing his N.U.T.s, which is an acronym for Non-negotiable, Unalterable Terms. Interesting stuff.
On February 23, 2010, Jeff Garlin released his first book, My Footprint: Carrying the Weight of the World, a memoir which documents his journey to lessen both his physical and carbon footprint.
lol I wonder if he realizes that by losing weight his carbon footprint will be bigger since he will live a lot longer and use a lot more resources.
Shades of Gray, by Jasper Fforde. Which is a very interesting book, while also being witty and engaging. And Fevre Dream, by George R.R. Martin. Not as good as A Song of Ice and Fire, but still really good, and easily my favorite vampire book, which I usually don't like. And it has some really good scenes in it.
Books I'm reading, or am about to read. The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. Suggested to me by a friend. Moby Dick, by Herman Melville. A book I've wanted to read for a long time, but never got around to it.
Books I intend to read in the near future. I Shall Wear Midnight, by (Sir) Terry Prachett. Love Terry Prachett, reading this book as soon as it comes out. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson. I've heard good things about this book, and reading through this thread and seeing it mentioned several times made me decide to look into it. And I'm also thinking about grabbing Catch-22 another book I've been meaning to read for a while.
I also need to go through this thread another time and write down the names of all the interesting books looking books. As there are several.
My most recent books were The Godfather, The Shining, and The Exorcist. Right now I'm going through Night Watch by Stephen King. For those of you that don't know, it's a collection of his short stories. Really good, not too scary but they're awesome stories.
On April 14 2010 07:26 FragKrag wrote: Reading now:
T_T
Holy crap! lol, my friends were carrying that around everywhere last year, lol. Never thought it'd be appearing in a TL thread. They loved it more than Palmer apparently... Bastards.
Too much Ayn Rand in this thread. If you're going to read Anarcho-Capitalist non-sense, at least read the consistent ones like Murray Rothbard and Ludwig Von Mises. Rand's fiction is ok, but her non-fiction books are pretty terrible, and she is certainly a sub-par philosopher.
Currently Reading:
The latest Chomsky book. I've got a stack of his others to work on after I finish this one.
A dense read, but very interesting stuff.
Finally getting around to reading this classic. Liking it so far, but going to look into something a bit more in-depth once I finish it. If anyone knows a good book on labor history let me know.
Fiction is for the masses. JK I'm slowly working my way through:
This is the best novel about the Pacific Northwest. I've lived here my whole life but Kesey describes the environment in such a vivid way it feels like my eyes are being opened.
I am currently reading this. The book looks like its going to be awesome. Brent weeks first series, the night angel series was super awesome. cant wait to finish this one
I am reading "The hero of ages" by Brandon Sanderson but I just picked up his new release "The way of Kings" and "Warbreaker" at a book signing and got my whole mistborn trilogy signed and my two new books as well. He was a really great guy, he took his time with each signing, allowing everyone to ask him a few questions and discuss things and even gave some advice to aspiring writers. The line was slow but it was definitely worth it. I got #551 of The way of kings =) I am excited.
I just finished the new Dan Brown book, The hidden symbol or some shit like that. I don't recommend it at all, the book was so damn obvious, i figured out the big shocker that they mention on page like 446 on page like 100.
Right now i'm currently reading "A game of Thrones" from the series "A Song of Ice and Fire" so far its been very good. They are also making a HBO series on it which will obviously be amazing since HBO can't make a bad tv show even if they tried.
On September 01 2010 22:42 DaJuliaN wrote: I just finished the new Dan Brown book, The hidden symbol or some shit like that. I don't recommend it at all, the book was so damn obvious, i figured out the big shocker that they mention on page like 446 on page like 100.
Right now i'm currently reading "A game of Thrones" from the series "A Song of Ice and Fire" so far its been very good. They are also making a HBO series on it which will obviously be amazing since HBO can't make a bad tv show even if they tried.
I really don't know if Martin will ever finish the series... It's taking him forever to finish writing/publish A Dance with Dragons.
I really don't know if Martin will ever finish the series... It's taking him forever to finish writing/publish A Dance with Dragons.
I haven't read much about the series, that's cool that it's not over, i knew there were like at least 4 books out since my brother had them all. I went on vacation and i needed a book to read and he was bugging me to read the series. I'm not disappointed. P.S. I'm sure Martin will get it done lol
In fact check out the entire series, it's really good. And if your a fan of the japanese novel kind of ting, look at a book called shogun, it's hands down my most favorite book of all time.
On September 02 2010 00:02 Ramiel wrote: Currently:
Tales of the otori, grass for his pillow.
In fact check out the entire series, it's really good. And if your a fan of the japanese novel kind of ting, look at a book called shogun, it's hands down my most favorite book of all time.
This is one of the best series i have ever read. All the books are great and the whole series keeps you on the edge of your seat. Definitely one everyone should read if you like that genre.
On September 01 2010 22:42 DaJuliaN wrote: I just finished the new Dan Brown book, The hidden symbol or some shit like that. I don't recommend it at all, the book was so damn obvious, i figured out the big shocker that they mention on page like 446 on page like 100.
Right now i'm currently reading "A game of Thrones" from the series "A Song of Ice and Fire" so far its been very good. They are also making a HBO series on it which will obviously be amazing since HBO can't make a bad tv show even if they tried.
I really don't know if Martin will ever finish the series... It's taking him forever to finish writing/publish A Dance with Dragons.
Yes, it's the endless joke now that humanity will be dead and long gone, and Martin will still be there with two cockroaches and a typewriter.
It's a fantastic series and I heartily recommend it, but it's gotten to the point where I feel more comfortable pointing people to Malazan Book of the Fallen for their epic fantasy needs. The tenth and final book will be published in 2011, while Martin is still struggling with number five.
Great western, its the best piece of western media I've seen. Beats all western movies, music, and video games that I've seen.
seriously one of the best books I've ever read, fantastic characters, great build-up, suspense, athmosphere and from all the people with whom I talked about the book, all of them were able to completely identify with a mixture of the two main characters, making all the dramatic events even more gripping
Very interesting book about the physical and psychological changes technology is triggering in our brains. Particularly relevant to those (like most people on this forum) who absorb a great deal more information (in various forms) from the internet than from any other source.
It is also interesting to post in this thread, since the author discusses the loss of the ability to focus on reading for long periods of time as a result of internet 'skimming' and lack of regular reading.
Also, although there is some discussion of biology etc, the writing is far from dry, and has held my attention (and I am digital arts major with some ADD, ha).
I've got a bunch of books on World War II, and this one is one of the best. I don't particularly endorse Ambrose's claim that the battle of Normandy was the turning point in the European theater (Kursk is a better candidate for that title), but the way Ambrose presents his testimony is outstanding. Definitely a must-read if you enjoy military history at all.
All the books are mandatory read for my class and I have to say, Kite Runner and Dinner at the Homesick were absolutely spectacular reads. Kiss and Tell, err, I had to skim through it (since I procrastinated), so can't really comment. Haven't read Their Eyes yet, but I will finish it within the next 4 days, before my class starts.
Great western, its the best piece of western media I've seen. Beats all western movies, music, and video games that I've seen.
seriously one of the best books I've ever read, fantastic characters, great build-up, suspense, athmosphere and from all the people with whom I talked about the book, all of them were able to completely identify with a mixture of the two main characters, making all the dramatic events even more gripping
Either of you read The Last Picture Show?
Thinking of going for that one soon. I haven't read anything by him, but these both sound interesting.
Really just could not get into this. Found Fight Club way better, I was glad when this was over honestly.
Ikigami:
Bought the first volume then read the rest of the chapters on the internet, its up to about 25 now. I believe this is still continuing? The premise is crazy as fuck but interesting. The government of Japan injects every schoolchild when they are young with this capsule, which will rupture at a predetermined time anywhere between when they are 18-24, about 1 in 1000 have this and noyone knows if they have one or not. 24 hours prior to death they are informed by an Ikigami, some person who works for the government.
It is seriously interesting. Follows the perspective of this ikigami deliverer who begins to doubt the moralness of the whole program. Then you have the people who find out they are gonna die. Some try to make things right with loved ones while others seek revenge on people who hurt them in the past. Worth a shot if you are into manga, you can read it here http://www.mangathat.com/ikigami/1
Scott Pilgrim 1-3:
So far I am really into it.
Reading Now:
Just kinda reading this bit by bit, not that far into this yet. So far, It is just stuff I already know but I look forward to reading this more.
Reading Next: The rest of Scott Pilgrim when it comes. After that I think its time to start:
I'm hoping a more detailed understanding of the transition from ancient to manoeuvre warfare and everything in between will improve my APM, because god knows it needs work.
right now i'm actually waiting for baldacci's new camel club book and for a dance with dragons... which will probably take another year, since martin seems to be veeery slow at the moment.
What was that one website about books, were you type in novels you like, and it comes up with similar novels, and the website url ends with the letters f e c h a?
Earlier in the thread someone was crying that this thread is useless because people were posting stuff that is typically read in schools in the US and that there are just pictures in this thread. Well like others said not everyone reads the same books in school. Also there are people from different countires here. As for myself I read less that 10 books in my entire high school and previous education. I could not sit down and read at that age. I always wanted to be outside playing sports etc. so i used cliff notes lol. However, now im quite into reading and doing a bit of catching up. I love this thread. Helps me remember the classics and gives some good ideas
Since I'm "car free" by choice myself I found this book really hit home for me.
Finishing the last few pages of this short novel. I learned alot of new vocab from this one haha. The story is very interesting and unique.
On September 30 2010 23:32 kr_priest wrote: Waiting for the English translation of Haruki Murakami's 1Q84. But that's not coming out until next year ㅠ.ㅠ
The fun fact is that the German translation of 1Q84 will be out in October. Sadly I prefer English translations of Murakami so I will have to read it twice
I've been reading Stephen King alot lately and i like the Black Tower series very very much (only missing the last book [got to find it from libary sometime when it's free]). However i noticed there's also other books related to Black Tower and if someone knows these books i would be really glad!
P.S I'm reading Hearts in Atlantis - atleast I guess so since I'm reading it on my native language and we are stupid enough to also translate the titles of movies, books, etc. In finnish it's "Beast's Heart"
I found Room very interesting. It's about a 5-year old boy and his ma imprisoned in an 11 by 11 foot space by someone the boy refers to as "Old Nick". Sorta similar to that case in Austria where a father imprisoned his daughter in a basement for 24 years and had 2 kids by her.
For my literature class. I really have no idea what's going on, but Diderot seems to be speaking to me directly through this book. Since it makes me feel special, I enjoy it.
Finally, almost done this book (just about 50 more pages to go). It was good until it got really repetitive; the same problems, the same complaints, and the same hardships repeated over and over.
I'm actually really looking forward to start reading this one:
Just started but the book seems to be very popular in Sweden and it's supposed to be really good.
It's about an old but very healthy man who's about to turn 100 years old and there's supposed to be a big celebration which the old man doesn't want so he leaves the retirement home and set off on an road trip of sorts. At the same time the story of the man's life is told, how he met important people and influenced big events through out the 20th century.
This book is basically a journal of a french man named Jean-Dominique bauby who suffered a stroke that left him in lock-in symdrome, leaving him completely paralyzed except his left eye and brain are still functioning. His only means of communicating is by having someone recite the alphabet and having him blink his eye at the letter he wants to use eventually making full sentences. He wrote this whole book by painstakingly using JUST his left eye, and he created one of the most moving and personal books I've ever read. Highly recommend.
I also highly recommend the movie. I wish i hadn't watched the movie before reading the book though =/
On October 10 2010 16:45 thedeadhaji wrote: Only @ the introduction, but it seems promising for people enamored with Silicon Valley culture. + Show Spoiler +
It's a good read, but it is very pro Apple an Steve Jobs. To see the full picture and the failures Steve made in his career i recommend this as well.
On October 10 2010 16:45 thedeadhaji wrote: Only @ the introduction, but it seems promising for people enamored with Silicon Valley culture. + Show Spoiler +
It's a good read, but it is very pro Apple an Steve Jobs. To see the full picture and the failures Steve made in his career i recommend this as well.
Anyone have any recommendations for things similar to the two Michael Lewis books? I found both very interesting and would love to read anything similar.
Finished Scott Pilgrim, which was amazing. I wish more american comic books would use the style of manga, looks so beautiful. Now to watch the movie!
Reading Now:
I saw this from someone in a thread last year and looked good so I picked up. Not too far into it, but the way he talks about training in Thailand, it's like you are really there. Can't wait to read more of this.
Next:
Actually bought this quite awhile ago, but playing through Yakuza 3 right now really wants to make me pick it up.
trying to catch up on all the Diablo, Starcraft and Warcraft books I'm not a very fast reader and I only like to read in short bursts so it takes me a good week or so to finish one of them.
I picked this up the other day because I watch Zero Punctuation and for the most part I like Yahtzee's comedy. I was a little skeptical at first because there wasn't a good critical review of it but damn it all did it suck me end.
I'm looking for some Sci-fi books to read. I've read the first 10 pages of this thread and some people recommended Commonwealth Saga - Peter F. Hamilton. Could you guys recommend me some more? I'd like to take at look at several books before chosing what to read. Thanks alot!
haven't been through half of it yet, still an exciting read so far. i read it very slowly because i have to look up for the meaning of the word i dont know, and there're a lot!
and planning on reading this when i finish child 44.
Against All Things Ending by Stephen R. Donaldson. The 9th book in the overall series, 3rd book of the final chronicles. Uuuuuuuuuuuugh I have to wait 3 years until the last book T_T
Have read in the last few months (I read quite a bit so I can't remember all of them :p)
The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. And Best Served Cold (talking about revenge of course) which is set in the same world, just a little disconnected from the actual trilogy. They are definitely interesting. I think they're the first books I've read that use a lot of vulgarity. Though they still have a strong story and interesting characters. Suggested
Ab Urbe Condita by Livy (From the Founding of the City): Books 1-10,20-29, and 36-43. None of the others survive =/
And my favorite history book (and possibly my favorite overall) Lost to the West by Lars Brownsworth. I highly suggest it if you have never read much on the Eastern Roman Empire. Well I actually just suggest it regardless
Recently downloaded the Dark Tower series by Stephen king, the audio books. If you have a job requiring little concentration, and your allowed headphones, you can turn an 8 hour shift into an impressive amount of reading. Best shifts I ever had were spent listening to the 7 Dark Tower novels.
I haven't been able to read as much as I would have wanted this 2010- I really need to make time for it again. I'll be doing lots of traveling next year, so I hope I'll be able to read more then.
I am in English C and we have homework to finish reading an English book in 1month, and I am reading this one. It is the first book i have read in English and it is actually good.
The First World War:A Complete History by Martin Gilbert
Just finished it and read his complete history on the second world war before that, I mainly study military history but do enjoy philosophy, economics, and all forms of science, in fact all subjects besides fiction are very appealing to me personally. I gotta say this thread is the exact reason why I love the starcraft community, how many other places could you find such intelligent "gamers". Love you TL, you are all a big inspiration
Reading it in order to be up to date when The Crippled God is released. The series is so epic I can't remember who half the characters are in this book despite them being important players in previous books. The series needs a proper wiki asap.
1) 1984 2) Pride and Prejudice 3) To Kill a Mockingbird 4) Catch-22 5) Lolita 6) Animal Farm 7) Jane Eyre 8) Brave New World 9) Lord of the Flies 10) Ulysses 11) Frankenstein 12) Robinson Crusoe 13) Adentures of Huckleberry Finn 14) Don Quixote 15) The Kite Runner 16) Fahrenheit 451 17) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 18) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 19) Moby Dick 20) As I Lay Dying 21) All the King’s Men 22) Animal Farm 23) Atonement 24) The Blind Assassin 25) Go Tell it on the Mountain 26) Gone With the Wind 27) Invisible Man 28) Watchmen 29) The French Lieutenant’s Woman 30) The Great Gatsby 31) Slaughterhouse Five 32) The Good Soldier 33) A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 34) The Sound and the Fury 35) Darkness at Noon 36) Under the Volcano 37) I, Claudius 38) The Golden Bowl 39) A Clash of Kings
What do you guys think? Should I add/remove something in particular? I'm only looking after classics. I've read stuff like Harry Potter or DaVinci Code (infact I think thats about it).
I came in here expecting some lame shit and that's mostly what I got but I see some sweet stuff too. Dostoevsky, Murakami, Camus, etc. Those are some serious books.
I actually loved Emma, her character is fantastically well written cause you really get experience both her flaws and great aspects through her slightly warped perspective.
I just finished The Magicians by Lev Grossman, and it's a brilliant novel, basically a postmodern adult philosophical reaction to the "real world -> fantasy" genre like Harry Potter and Narnia (it references both of these directly and through very clear copying quite a lot), and despite how I just described it, it's not at all devoid of heart and the plight of the characters gets quite sad in parts. And the guy can write.
Now started The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon (gotta explore the artistic contributions of my own city), not sure if I'll get through it, I'm finding it slightly obnoxious so far, despite the fact that I was instantly hooked on the third page when he described walking down an exact piece of sidewalk I used to walk a lot, looking at his reflection in the exact windows I always did, and then chided himself for being a devout narcissist basically exactly like I would.
Oh and I made my third attempt at getting through Neuromancer, this time I made it halfway or so before I got bored. The ideas are so much better than the actual writing that it feels like a chore to actually read the meat of it to me.
mprs: that's quite a weighty list, I would just know which ones are lighter so if you get bogged down you can turn to those. Namely Catch 22, Hitchhiker's Guide, they are extremely fun books (while still being brilliant worthy reads). Lolita can be fun if you are an extremely literary (I mean beyond just your average "I like to read") person. It's easier to see its brilliance than its fun, which I felt like I was only scraping the edge of when I read it.
1) 1984 2) Pride and Prejudice 3) To Kill a Mockingbird 4) Catch-22 5) Lolita 6) Animal Farm 7) Jane Eyre 8) Brave New World 9) Lord of the Flies 10) Ulysses 11) Frankenstein 12) Robinson Crusoe 13) Adentures of Huckleberry Finn 14) Don Quixote 15) The Kite Runner 16) Fahrenheit 451 17) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 18) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 19) Moby Dick 20) As I Lay Dying 21) All the King’s Men 22) Animal Farm 23) Atonement 24) The Blind Assassin 25) Go Tell it on the Mountain 26) Gone With the Wind 27) Invisible Man 28) Watchmen 29) The French Lieutenant’s Woman 30) The Great Gatsby 31) Slaughterhouse Five 32) The Good Soldier 33) A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 34) The Sound and the Fury 35) Darkness at Noon 36) Under the Volcano 37) I, Claudius 38) The Golden Bowl 39) A Clash of Kings
What do you guys think? Should I add/remove something in particular? I'm only looking after classics. I've read stuff like Harry Potter or DaVinci Code (infact I think thats about it).
If you liked Huxley so much, try his "Heaven and Hell" and "The Doors of Perception". They are related and also AMAZING reads..
I've currently just finished "A feast for Crows" by George RR Martin, was epic like all of his other books and have just started reading "Dying of the Light" by the same author.
Just finished reading Dune for the first time, and thought it was pretty good. Two chapters into Dune Messiah now and so far it hasn't grabbed my attention. I'm hoping it'll pick up and I'm definitely going to finish it regardless.
On December 12 2010 16:47 Jonoman92 wrote: Just finished reading Dune for the first time, and thought it was pretty good. Two chapters into Dune Messiah now and so far it hasn't grabbed my attention. I'm hoping it'll pick up and I'm definitely going to finish it regardless.
Dune sequels overall: not worth it. Just stick with appreciating the original.
On December 12 2010 22:15 Cambium wrote: Just ordered these three books, really looking forward to reading them during the holidays:
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
I really loved Surely You're Joking. We really need a new 'face of science' these days. Someone who knows how to explain the science of our day in ways that make the general public not only understand, but really enjoy and appreciate it. Another Feynman or Sagan.
I can only feel ashamed I'm reading it so many years after reading Ender's Game.
However, it's a great book and i recommend everyone who liked ender's game to read this sequel. I will be moving on and start with the next one, Xenocide .
Last read: So fcking amazing! O'brien is hands down my favorite character of all time, off all time!
Reading now: Gets abit boring at times because it describes EVERYTHING in the most extreme detail, lmao. Other times however the descriptions are like poetry. Not sure if I'd recommend it or not yet but halfway in it's fairly good and I believe it's gonna get alot better towards the end because so far all it's really done is set the mood for something to happen.
Will read next, notthing'd carved in stone yet but I believe something by Stephen king, probably misery but I'm very open to other suggestions aslong as their less than 400 pages long. It would be fun to know wich stephen king book stephen king would recommend, lol. (seriusly anyone knows? o.o)
Alternatively I might read another classical novella or novvelete (or whatever it's called, the 80-150 pages kind) since I loved 'of mice and men', 'the old man and the sea' and 'animal farm'.
1) 1984 2) Pride and Prejudice 3) To Kill a Mockingbird 4) Catch-22 5) Lolita 6) Animal Farm 7) Jane Eyre 8) Brave New World 9) Lord of the Flies 10) Ulysses 11) Frankenstein 12) Robinson Crusoe 13) Adentures of Huckleberry Finn 14) Don Quixote 15) The Kite Runner 16) Fahrenheit 451 17) The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 18) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 19) Moby Dick 20) As I Lay Dying 21) All the King’s Men 22) Animal Farm 23) Atonement 24) The Blind Assassin 25) Go Tell it on the Mountain 26) Gone With the Wind 27) Invisible Man 28) Watchmen 29) The French Lieutenant’s Woman 30) The Great Gatsby 31) Slaughterhouse Five 32) The Good Soldier 33) A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 34) The Sound and the Fury 35) Darkness at Noon 36) Under the Volcano 37) I, Claudius 38) The Golden Bowl 39) A Clash of Kings
What do you guys think? Should I add/remove something in particular? I'm only looking after classics. I've read stuff like Harry Potter or DaVinci Code (infact I think thats about it).
Watchmen is a comic book isn't it? Hardly a classic, lol
Don't believe I see The catcher in the rye there, that's a boom I'd recommend. To kill a mocking bird is also something I would expect to see on a list like that, I haven't read it personally but it's probably good and if you're looking to read through all the classics that one is probably a must, lol.
On December 12 2010 22:15 Cambium wrote: Just ordered these three books, really looking forward to reading them during the holidays:
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
I really loved Surely You're Joking. We really need a new 'face of science' these days. Someone who knows how to explain the science of our day in ways that make the general public not only understand, but really enjoy and appreciate it. Another Feynman or Sagan.
Same, I really enjoyed this book =3
And btw, can people who are quoting spoiler the book pics? They're kinda big.. especially when people post multiple books at once.
If you like Dystopias like "1984" or "Brave New World" then it's pretty possible you will love this book:
It's about children raised for a special purpose. The special thing about this book is the fact that it is showing the perspective of the children themselves. I'm almost through and it's pretty moving and disturbing.
I can only feel ashamed I'm reading it so many years after reading Ender's Game.
However, it's a great book and i recommend everyone who liked ender's game to read this sequel. I will be moving on and start with the next one, Xenocide .
That smile is probably going to fade soon, Xenocide is just a mess, it's a plodding, slow, joyless read. I read at least 5/6th of it and I can't even remember if I finished it now, or if I just couldn't muster that will. Speaker for the Dead (which I agree was excellent) is as far as you want to go down that line.
On December 13 2010 05:17 Kamek wrote: This is one of my favourite books ever. It is told from the point of view of an autistic boy - very interesting to see the world through his eyes.
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It was a fun read. His newer book Spot of Bother is pretty good too
On December 12 2010 22:15 Cambium wrote: Just ordered these three books, really looking forward to reading them during the holidays:
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
I really loved Surely You're Joking. We really need a new 'face of science' these days. Someone who knows how to explain the science of our day in ways that make the general public not only understand, but really enjoy and appreciate it. Another Feynman or Sagan.
FANTASTIC book(s)! I loved that, one of the best autobiographies I've read, although I have to say I'm skeptical of how embellished the stories are... was he really that balling? Perhaps.
On April 14 2010 07:53 Dark.Carnival wrote: Started The Gathering Storm, newest book in Wheel of Time series. Going to begin another Feist series afterwards.
What I'm reading too. ^^
On December 13 2010 00:16 Pika Chu wrote:
I can only feel ashamed I'm reading it so many years after reading Ender's Game.
However, it's a great book and i recommend everyone who liked ender's game to read this sequel. I will be moving on and start with the next one, Xenocide .
Wth, I didn't realize there was more than one book in the series. Only read Ender's Game, in grade 8 or something. I remember it being pretty good.
Now it's very likely I'm going to read the entire series over the break. Gonna order them into the library by my family's house and go wild.
I can only feel ashamed I'm reading it so many years after reading Ender's Game.
However, it's a great book and i recommend everyone who liked ender's game to read this sequel. I will be moving on and start with the next one, Xenocide .
That smile is probably going to fade soon, Xenocide is just a mess, it's a plodding, slow, joyless read. I read at least 5/6th of it and I can't even remember if I finished it now, or if I just couldn't muster that will. Speaker for the Dead (which I agree was excellent) is as far as you want to go down that line.
Speaker of the Dead, is probably my favorite book. I also loved Xenocide and Children of the Mind, while they might not be streamlined and yes some of it may seem confusing, the issues the books deal with and some of the questions raised are extremely interesting and thought provoking.
However, I don't really think the notion of having liked Ender's Game means you will like Speaker is true, the books are extremely different. Ender's Game might as well be from a separate series with separate characters, Speaker for the Dead takes place some 20,000 years + after Ender's Game, I just don't want people to run out and purchase(or if your smart, get them from a library) these books, spend time reading them, then be extremely disappointed, they are really good too me, but many don't like them(see above poster, and many posters in the recommended sci-fi books thread don't like them either even though they loved Ender's Game. I find Ender's Game to be good, but I like the following three much more).
This book just doesn't feel new, I'm almost done with it, his books always pull me in I just like the way he writes and keeps you interested, but I feel I'm reading Angels and Demons, and especially Da Vinci Code over again. Same plot, different names for things... quite literally. If you liked those, probably worth reading, otherwise nothing special.
Finished this Tuesday. Has been recommended to me a lot, just never started. Now that I'm done with the first one I am looking forward to the next one, pretty light read, so I recommend at least the first book to everyone.
I can only feel ashamed I'm reading it so many years after reading Ender's Game.
However, it's a great book and i recommend everyone who liked ender's game to read this sequel. I will be moving on and start with the next one, Xenocide .
That smile is probably going to fade soon, Xenocide is just a mess, it's a plodding, slow, joyless read. I read at least 5/6th of it and I can't even remember if I finished it now, or if I just couldn't muster that will. Speaker for the Dead (which I agree was excellent) is as far as you want to go down that line.
Speaker of the Dead, is probably my favorite book. I also loved Xenocide and Children of the Mind, while they might not be streamlined and yes some of it may seem confusing, the issues the books deal with and some of the questions raised are extremely interesting and thought provoking.
However, I don't really think the notion of having liked Ender's Game means you will like Speaker is true, the books are extremely different. Ender's Game might as well be from a separate series with separate characters, Speaker for the Dead takes place some 20,000 years + after Ender's Game, I just don't want people to run out and purchase(or if your smart, get them from a library) these books, spend time reading them, then be extremely disappointed, they are really good too me, but many don't like them(see above poster, and many posters in the recommended sci-fi books thread don't like them either even though they loved Ender's Game. I find Ender's Game to be good, but I like the following three much more).
This book just doesn't feel new, I'm almost done with it, his books always pull me in I just like the way he writes and keeps you interested, but I feel I'm reading Angels and Demons, and especially Da Vinci Code over again. Same plot, different names for things... quite literally. If you liked those, probably worth reading, otherwise nothing special.
Finished this Tuesday. Has been recommended to me a lot, just never started. Now that I'm done with the first one I am looking forward to the next one, pretty light read, so I recommend at least the first book to everyone.
Day9 recommended the Jim Butcher novels, I've been interested in them ever since. Might have to pick them up soon
Reading it in order to be up to date when The Crippled God is released. The series is so epic I can't remember who half the characters are in this book despite them being important players in previous books. The series needs a proper wiki asap.
past The Boy Who Set The Fire - recommended to anyone who has smoked hashish before or cannabis (short stories about the Riff, Morroco, or riffians) + Show Spoiler +
present The Omnibus by Jules Verne - Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, The Mysterious Island, From the earth to the Moon in one + Show Spoiler +
future Cosmos by Carl Sagan - recommended to anyone who looks up at the night sky and wanted to learn more+ Show Spoiler +
Reading this for the first time and I even though I'm an atheist I really didn't like this book all that much. I think the book is to soft on religion and it doesn't address the real problems with religion unlike the book "God Is Not Great".
reading this again, saw an article about it somewhere and it brought back some memories. Like most of you probably know this book is really great and not exactly obscure.
I'm also trying to force myself to finish the Qur'an but I doubt I will get done with it any time soon.
Going to read: [image loading] Been putting this off waaaaaay too long. It looks soo heavy and slow but I really like this kind of books, so we will see. Anyone read it? Is it good?
They actually meet the whale at the last 3 chapters of the book.
Quite frankly, I heard that this book was considered one of the "best American literatures" but it was only because America during that time was desperate to find American literature. The book sucks.
I just got both of these today, and look forward to both of them.
I have always enjoyed John Grisham novels. he is such a great legal drama writer. As for the former President's book, I can't wait to see some first person insight into his thoughts and decisions regarding some of the most controversial points of his presidency. It will be a good look, I think, into what a leader goes through when having to do the unpopular thing for, in his opinion, the betterment of the people whom he is leading.
These are the Books I read this year. Cormac McCarthy - I am always impressed by his books the guy is a living legend, I've read All the Pretty Horses and I guess I'll get around to reading Suttree and No Country for Old Men sometime. Found this in the library while I was deployed overseas one of the best books I've read. Its about a wildlife activist who saves wolves from cattle farmers. The rest of the books I've read are all non-fiction stuff. I am also reading the God Delusion but the one book that lead me the most to reject religion was actually the Bible. You know what it says "Seek and yea shall find, knock and the door will be open" well not enough people actually follow that advice and objectively look for answers when it comes to their spirituality.
quote from review from website:http://www.allreaders.com/topics/info_11185.asp
Pocket, Apr 2002, 25.00, 406 pp. ISBN: 9743406117
On Corfu, a wealthy artifact collector Nikos seeking the DNA of Jesus opens up a twenty-century-old artifact. He has unleashed Pandora's box containing an extinction event in the form of an airborne plague, last seen early in the first century. All die who come into contact with this particular disease.
Desperate to find a cure to halt the pandemic plague that threatens mankind, a scientific task force gathers at Los Alamos. However, the brilliant group is divided. The purists who want to save humanity are led by twenty years old Miranda Abbott. On the other side are egomaniac Edward Cavendish and his supporters who want to turn earth into their playground with human clones serving as guinea pigs.
Archeologist Nathan Lee Swift has fallen from grace as he turned from promising student into grave robber in his mentor's quest to find the historical Jesus. He has a chance at redemption through Miranda if they can access a Corfu-resistant gene from those in the first century who managed to survive the first deadly run. Could Edward's cloning provide such a specimen?
YEAR ZERO is an action-packed apocalyptic thriller that has two prime story lines that eventually merge into an exciting climax. Neither plot slows down as the audience observes a tale at hyperspeed, which means the key charcaters are either too perfectly good or corrupt. Fans of taut end of the world thrillers will want to read Jeff Long's tale that leaves the audience captivated into a one sitting read in spite of the length of the novel.
I live in the same town as Alan Moore who wrote Watchmen, and see him in town pretty often (he is very distinctive). He's really nice, and always willing to talk about his work and how much he dislikes the film adaptations ^^. Highly recommend reading V For Vendetta if you haven't already.
Finished: The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon. Showed writer potential with interesting description styles and writing but the novel doesn't really take advantage and leave you with anything lasting except a mild curiosity about some aspects of the city (for me who's lived there for practically my whole life at least).
Also finished The Bridge to Terabithia, polished that off in 1 day on Christmas Eve cause I saw it at my aunt and uncle's place. Amazing book, written with class and capturing the soul of its characters. I saw the movie a little while ago and loved it so this was just basically confirmation.
Reading: Watership Down, all I know is I'm scared for the rabbits so far. And working through The Great Shark Hunt by Hunter S. Thompson, but I've been reading that for ages, it's fantastic, great to read a story from it whenever I'm in the mood.
Got 3 books for Christmas, The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman (very excited about this one), Zero History by William Gibson (not as excited about), and Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay (what Dexter the show is based on, in the middle excited about).
Been busy with holidays, and little free time I've had has been gaming, but I did get a chance to start and finish Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy the other day at the airport and on the plane... I thought it was pretty good. It's short and easy to read, and has some good humor in it. I recommend it to anyone that likes Sci-Fi, and wants something simple. Im sure most people have read it, but this is actually my first time reading it, never seen the movie.
I saw Dawn Treader on Christmas day with my family(lots of little cousins/brothers/sisters). My recommendation, go read the book. I loved the whole series of books, but while I think The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe did a decent job, Dawn Treader did an awful job of converting the book to the movie(never watched Prince Caspian). The narnia books are really easy reads, you can get them from the library and probably finish them in a week or so just with light reading.
Currently reading, A Game of Thrones, this book is supposedly extremely awesome. I don't know, im only a chapter or two in, I got it for Christmas. Looking forward to reading this , after holidays are over I'll be able to pick up my reading.
Future Reading: The Prefect by Alistair Reynolds , The Gift by James Patterson, not so sure about either of these, some family members got them for me, I like Reynolds, but I haven't read the books that come before this one, so I don't know If I want to read this one, or go back and read the others. The Gift I know absolutely nothing about, looks... interesting i suppose, we'll see, it's also a sequel to Witch and Wizard, so gotta find that one first. Probably gonna end up continuing the Game of Thrones series instead when I get back to Nevada. Also got dresden files, Fool Moon on E-Book, so gonna read that one asap as well.
On December 27 2010 09:22 Perguvious wrote: Reading Kafka on the Shore right now
Oh god, this book was so messed up. Easily the most surreal of Murakami's works. I thought maybe I was tripping on acid the whole time or something. To this day I still don't understand it.
On December 27 2010 09:22 Perguvious wrote: Reading Kafka on the Shore right now
Oh god, this book was so messed up. Easily the most surreal of Murakami's works. I thought maybe I was tripping on acid the whole time or something. To this day I still don't understand it.
I hated that book. Truly ridiculous. Ghost librarian pedophile romance that time traveled. Just wtf.
We have a old germanic grave in our village. It is really hidden most people don't even know about it. When I discovered it I found out it is from the early bronze age so it is somewhere around 3500-4000 years old. I started to image how some old german walked exactly were I walked 2000 b.c and the thought was so intriguing that I wanted to find out how those people lived.
I am now halfway through the book and it is exactly what I looked for. Right now it's around Cesar's time and I have already learn so much about our ancestors
The new Wheel of Time book is a given for me. Then I'll probably start reading the Jim Butcher series and after that anything that involves R.A Salvatore
On December 27 2010 12:10 ZapRoffo wrote: And working through The Great Shark Hunt by Hunter S. Thompson, but I've been reading that for ages, it's fantastic, great to read a story from it whenever I'm in the mood.
Hey, me too! I got it for Christmas, tearing through it ;P. Always engaging, thought provoking, surprising and above all hilarious.
Operation Dark Heart About targeting taliban leadership cells on pakistan border and how huge bureaucracy disrupts on the ground capabilities.
God Is Not Great My favorite speaker - Christopher Hitchens. The darker side of religion etc.
Just finished god is not great (literally 25 mins ago). Good book. If you like those type of books, I recommend The End of Faith and the Future of Reason and A Letter to A Christian Nation, both by Sam Harris.
Next books on my list are: Naked Lunch (most shocking book in the English language, a terrifying journey into the depths of the human pscyhe, according to the blurb on the back) and Concrete Island, which is a modern day Robinson Crusoe about a man stuck on a traffic island, by J Ballad the same author as High Rise (great book, if I remember rightly the first sentance is "as i sat on my balcony eating the dog")
I live in the same town as Alan Moore who wrote Watchmen, and see him in town pretty often (he is very distinctive). He's really nice, and always willing to talk about his work and how much he dislikes the film adaptations ^^. Highly recommend reading V For Vendetta if you haven't already.
:O Already ordered V for Vendetta, its next on the line along with Animal Farm
i JUST finished reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins as well as the sequels Catching Fire and Mockingjay, all three were really good books. I dont like how the third book came out but it wasnt bad. However the first two are rlly entertaining and its a rlly easy read.
Before these i read an even more amazing series. the Old Man's War series. AMAZING books,i would seriously put them on par with Ender's Game. They are that good. And the science behind it is not SO ridiculous that its totally unbelievable i strongly recommend that if you're looking for a good sci fi series to read, try Old Man's War by John Scalzi.
and do urself a favor and pick up all three because you'll just end up having to drive back for the others. Read: Old Man's War, then The Ghost Brigades, then The Last Colony. and then thank me when your done ;]
As for my next books to read, i have no idea. so many options i havent read. 1984 maybe? dune? hyperion? Asimov's Foundation? the girl with the dragon tattoo? ian banks culture novels?the belgariad? a fire upon the deep?world war z? day by day armageddon? interview with the vampire? too many choices and im too indecisive so ill probably read the reviews on each and go from there ;]
On December 28 2010 03:45 HeavenS wrote: As for my next books to read, i have no idea. so many options i havent read. 1984 maybe? dune? hyperion? Asimov's Foundation? the girl with the dragon tattoo? ian banks culture novels?the belgariad? a fire upon the deep?world war z? day by day armageddon? interview with the vampire? too many choices and im too indecisive so ill probably read the reviews on each and go from there ;]
1) Dune (whole series) 2) A Fire Upon the Deep 3) Culture Novels
Better post the one book I read this year before it ends: I don't like reading, and the only book I could say I honestly enjoyed reading before this one was Steven colbert's I am america, and so can you (but this book is nothing like it.) But this one was very deep and enjoyable. Short book from 1890s. I can't desccribe it without giving it away.
A really really good book. Basicly it's a short history on science, and how we know what we know. The great thing is is that the author isn't a scientist, so its very easy to read even without any scientific background.
Currently devouring Discworld novels like their were ice-cream sandwiches. Terry Pratchett is a truly amazing writer. Gone through 5 of them in the last month.
On December 28 2010 03:45 HeavenS wrote: As for my next books to read, i have no idea. so many options i havent read. 1984 maybe? dune? hyperion? Asimov's Foundation? the girl with the dragon tattoo? ian banks culture novels?the belgariad? a fire upon the deep?world war z? day by day armageddon? interview with the vampire? too many choices and im too indecisive so ill probably read the reviews on each and go from there ;]
1) Dune (whole series) 2) A Fire Upon the Deep 3) Culture Novels
Rest are meh.
WTH So according to you Foundation is 'meh'! I strongly disagree.
On December 28 2010 03:45 HeavenS wrote: i JUST finished reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins as well as the sequels Catching Fire and Mockingjay, all three were really good books. I dont like how the third book came out but it wasnt bad. However the first two are rlly entertaining and its a rlly easy read.
Before these i read an even more amazing series. the Old Man's War series. AMAZING books,i would seriously put them on par with Ender's Game. They are that good. And the science behind it is not SO ridiculous that its totally unbelievable i strongly recommend that if you're looking for a good sci fi series to read, try Old Man's War by John Scalzi.
and do urself a favor and pick up all three because you'll just end up having to drive back for the others. Read: Old Man's War, then The Ghost Brigades, then The Last Colony. and then thank me when your done ;]
As for my next books to read, i have no idea. so many options i havent read. 1984 maybe? dune? hyperion? Asimov's Foundation? the girl with the dragon tattoo? ian banks culture novels?the belgariad? a fire upon the deep?world war z? day by day armageddon? interview with the vampire? too many choices and im too indecisive so ill probably read the reviews on each and go from there ;]
You my friend have good taste in Hard Scifi. :3
I just finished reading Ilium by Dan Simmons, who also wrote Hyperion and it's quite good. I'm also looking for book recommendations in the Science Fiction area as I've read most of the books you've listed with the exception of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Maybe I'll pick that up!
On December 28 2010 03:45 HeavenS wrote: As for my next books to read, i have no idea. so many options i havent read. 1984 maybe? dune? hyperion? Asimov's Foundation? the girl with the dragon tattoo? ian banks culture novels?the belgariad? a fire upon the deep?world war z? day by day armageddon? interview with the vampire? too many choices and im too indecisive so ill probably read the reviews on each and go from there ;]
1) Dune (whole series) 2) A Fire Upon the Deep 3) Culture Novels
Rest are meh.
WTH So according to you Foundation is 'meh'! I strongly disagree.
Foundation is quite boring, actually. It's legendary for the scope, but it definitely lacks the opera portion of space opera.
Operation Dark Heart About targeting taliban leadership cells on pakistan border and how huge bureaucracy disrupts on the ground capabilities.
God Is Not Great My favorite speaker - Christopher Hitchens. The darker side of religion etc.
Just finished god is not great (literally 25 mins ago). Good book. If you like those type of books, I recommend The End of Faith and the Future of Reason and A Letter to A Christian Nation, both by Sam Harris.
Next books on my list are: Naked Lunch (most shocking book in the English language, a terrifying journey into the depths of the human pscyhe, according to the blurb on the back) and Concrete Island, which is a modern day Robinson Crusoe about a man stuck on a traffic island, by J Ballad the same author as High Rise (great book, if I remember rightly the first sentance is "as i sat on my balcony eating the dog")
Yeah, big fan of Harris too. I read The Moral Landscape this past summer which was pretty good.
He's a rolling stone journalist who goes undercover in two circles: an end-of-days Christian fundamentalist group, and a 9/11 Truth group, and tries to provide insight into why so many Americans are drawn to these ideologies. The book is very wry and clever (as one would expect from a journalist), and does provide a fair amount of insight (more than one would expect from a journalist).
You might find it somewhat offensive if you subscribe to either of said ideologies.
On December 28 2010 03:45 HeavenS wrote: As for my next books to read, i have no idea. so many options i havent read. 1984 maybe? dune? hyperion? Asimov's Foundation? the girl with the dragon tattoo? ian banks culture novels?the belgariad? a fire upon the deep?world war z? day by day armageddon? interview with the vampire? too many choices and im too indecisive so ill probably read the reviews on each and go from there ;]
I would recommend starting with caves of steel and going from there through the whole series (including the foundation trilogy) in storywise chronological order:
Caves of Steel The Naked Sun The Robots of Dawn Robots and Empire
Pebble in the Sky The Stars, like Dust The Currents of Space
Prelude to Foundation Forward the Foundation
Foundation Foundation and Empire Second Foundation
Foundation's Edge Foundation and Earth
I read them in the wrong order first and then re-read them in the correct order and it's interesting to see how every book connects to the previous and following books in some way.
As for me, i'm reading "The Pragmatic Programmer - From Journeyman to Master" and hope to finish it before end of the year, though lately i'm reading too little, usually i read at least a hundred pages a day. Next on the list might be "Design Patterns" from Erich Gamma and others (IIRC).
Until some asshole at my house spilled beer all over it, didn't tell me about it, and therefor allowed a book of 1000 pages to become one solid block of sticky paper.
William Gibson - Count Zero William Gibson - Mona Lisa Overdrive William Gibson - Pattern Recognition Frederik Pohl - Man Plus Jiro Taniguchi - Die Sicht der Dinge (orig.: Chichi no Koyomi) Jiro Taniguchi - Zoo in Winter Janne Teller - Nichts was im Leben wichtig ist (orig.: Intet) Tolkien - The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun Twain - Letters from the Earth Twain - A Tramp Abroad Vernor Vinge - Marooned in Realtime Vernor Vinge - True Names
How's that going? I loved Time Enough For Love, but the descriptions I found for Sail make it seem like just an extension of the more insane and disturbing parts of TEFL.
Finishing the Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. It's a really fun read and some of it is quite clever, I am disappointed however.
A number of the chapters are good, but the chapter on firearms is quite weak, and he makes a few oversights on the packing of supplies. Also, basing the entire book on the assumption that zombies can't run bothers me severely. Why? Hope for shufflers, prepare for sprinters. Max Brooks essentially ignores the possibility of sprinters.
How's that going? I loved Time Enough For Love, but the descriptions I found for Sail make it seem like just an extension of the more insane and disturbing parts of TEFL.
I'm only a few pages into it, but I can tell you that it is part of heinleins whole "space-time philosophy" epic. So far, it reads like most of his other novels, which if you like heinlein, is a good thing.
I definitely wanted to start getting into reading so I decided to start off with a basic book about something I liked. I'm reading BJ Penn Why I fight. It's a decent book, definitely interesting to see what goes through his head. Feel like I could be reading better books. Will be going through this thread for recs.
everything of WW II literature, currently Antony Beevor - D-day. but time to change subject and go outer space, got a new book for christmas: Cosmos. looking forward to start it. soon i can tell you all there is to know about Aiur!