What book are you reading?

[Lykan]

I just finished reading Dune and really enjoyed it. Right before that i read Ringworld. Right now i'm reading The Ringworld Engineers, and after it i'm going to read Dune Messiah.

So what are you reading?

[ismu]

Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosaki
Cashflow Quadrant - Robert T. Kiyosaki
Guide to Investing - Robert T. Kiyosaki
Business School - Robert T. Kiyosaki

I read all of those this week. I want to make some $bucks$ :D

Edited: name misspell

[Banshee]

Floating Dragon - Peter Straub. :)

[sjmarsha]

Foundation & Empire - Isaac Asimov

Ismu

You must be mad, any ideas in books will be out of date and used already. You are better off using your head...

[ismu]

Originally posted by sjmarsha

Ismu

You must be mad, any ideas in books will be out of date and used already. You are better off using your head...

Huh? is there some newer books? What's your recomendation? :bugeye:

[Bebelina]

Embracing the Beloved, by Stephen and Ondrea Levine. Great book about relationships and love.

[Pollux V]

Welcome back, Lykan!

Right now I'm reading Lord of the Rings for the second time, I'm about six hundred pages through my one-book volume.
Dune is great but Dune Messiah is terrible, I hate to say this but to get to the good books, i.e Children of Dune and God Emperor of Dune, you have to read Dune Messiah. Good luck on it, though.

Sj a few months ago I read Foundation and started Foundation and Empire. Maybe I should go back, the series has I think seventeen books.

[oedipus]

yeah Lykan keep reading Dune,
im reading The Folk of the Fringe by Orson Scott Card
im also reading Dreams of a Final Theory, by Steven Weinberg.

[Lykan]

I tried reading Foundation a couple months ago. It was interesting in some ways but i ended up getting bored and stopped reading it.

[Lykan]

Before i read Ringworld i read A World Out of Time by Larry Niven, an AWESOME book that i highly recommend. Easily one of my all-time favorites, i didn't want to take any breaks from reading it. The 18 reviewers on Amazon have given it an average of 5 out of 5 stars, which is no small feat.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345336968/qid=1021745247/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-5910783-0267817


Another awesome though hard-to-find book is Replay by Ken Grimwood. Imagine if when you eventually die, you suddenly wake up at the age of 18 again, and can live the latter part of your life all over again however you want to.

And then it happens again.

And then it happens again.

And then it happens again.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/068816112X/qid=1021745611/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-5910783-0267817

[sjmarsha]

Originally posted by Pollux V

Sj a few months ago I read Foundation and started Foundation and Empire. Maybe I should go back, the series has I think seventeen books.
17!!! I only have 6... better look for some more in the shops...

[Pollux V]

I heard it on the news I think....croicky I don't know.

Lykan I can understand your dislike of Foundation, the reason I didn't read the second book is because I was just burnt out from the boredom, even if it is more of an intellectual novel. I think ithad one little bit of action-when this engineer guy shot this other engineer guy with a 'nucleic' blaster (one of my all-time favorite words), Asimov did a good job of describing his head collapsing in on the vaporized matter of the guy's chest :D

[Cris]

Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglass Hofstadter. This was a Pulitzer Prize winner.

The description goes: A metaphorical fugue on minds and machines in the spirit of Lewis Carroll.

Cris

[Neutrino_Albatross]

Before the Begining by Martin Rees

I recently finished Dreams of a Final theory

[orthogonal]

The Elegant Universe : Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory, by Brian Greene

"There is an ill-concealed skeleton in the closet of physics: "As they are currently formulated, general relativity and quantum mechanics cannot both be right." Each is exceedingly accurate in its field: general relativity explains the behavior of the universe at large scales, while quantum mechanics describes the behavior of subatomic particles. Yet the theories collide horribly under extreme conditions such as black holes or times close to the big bang. Brian Greene, a specialist in quantum field theory, believes that the two pillars of physics can be reconciled in superstring theory, a theory of everything."

Review by M.E. Curtin

Excellent thus far,
Michael

[Cactus Jack]

The Science of Love - by Anthony Walsh.

The selected works of Robert Louis Stevenson.

[sjmarsha]

If you don't like Science Fiction then you are not gunna like the Foundation series....

[Gifted]

And what if I decide to Write , instead of read?

[*stRgrL*]

The Christian Myth
by Burton Mack

[Voodoo Child]

Mrs. Warren's Profession

By George Bernard Shaw

[UberDragon]

Right now i'm reading The Two Towers and a bunch of Anne Rice books. I'm kinda in the middle of all of 'em

[Neutrino_Albatross]

Just moved on to Axemaker's Gift by James Burke.

[goofyfish]

The "graphic novel" Watchmen.

It's a wonderful examination of and critique of the entire "costumed super-hero" genre. The best and most original point comes when the villain (I won't say who -- read the book), having explained his Evil Plot, is met with the response, "When were you planning on doing this?" by the heroes.

To which he responds,” I’m not a Republic serial villain. Do you think I would be telling you my Master Plan if there were any chance of your interfering? I did it fifteen minutes ago."

If you haven't read it, I strongly suggest you do so.

Peace.

[Thirty Seven]

I am reading <u>Specter of the Past</u> by Timothy Zahn and another book by Aristotle.....the name eludes me.

[Bebelina]

Have now started The divine invasion by Philip K Dick.

[Adam]

The Watchmen is by far the best comic book I have ever read, and well worth the read even for those who don't care at all for comics. (I used to collect some.) Very good stuff.

[Banshee]

Dark Rivers Of The Heart - Dean Koontz. :)

It's a bout a man (with a hidden past) who is looking for a woman who is chased by a secret, dark agency with "evil" intentions. It's pretty good.

Good story, good character describing. A book you keep on reading. I'm not that far with reading it at this moment, it's getting better by the page, though...:)

[tristesse]

hyperspace by michio kaku. i don't understand the concept of 'strange' anymore.
or maybe i haven't read enough.

[Asguard]

at the moment i am reading Terri Brooks's books
don't know what the seirse is called but its the book after "running with the demon"

[Agent@5]

I read a book called, 'veronica decides to die'//// quite a clever book

[Agent@5]

Can anyone suggest a good thriller Or maybe something just overwhelming? I want a story book though, I read enough theory books at Uni....

[NenarTronian]

Cryptonomicon

By Neal Stephenson

[Agent@5]

cool ill check it out...... will it scare me?

[NenarTronian]

OooOh, no! I meant, that's "what i'm reading" sorry for the confusion

[ratbat]

I'm re-reading "The Vampire Lestat" & some H.P. Lovecraft.

[Agent@5]

heheh eoh damn... thats cool.. no good scares then huh!

[Gifted]

I posted this list a long time ago, and I finally found it! These are good books and authors and worlds. Enjoy!

*Terry Brooks(Shannara books)
*Robert Asprin(the Myth Series)
*Christopher Rowley(Bazil Broketail)
*David Weber(Honor harrington, the paladin books that I can't remember the series name for)
*David Eddings
*Margeret Wies and Tracy Hickman(Dragonlance, The Death Gate Cycle, Darksword Trilogy)
*Orson Scott Card(Ender's Game, etc.)
*Elizibeth Moon(Paksinarion)
*Dougalas Adams
*Anne McCaffrey(Pern, the ship books)
*Brian Jacques(Redwall)
*Alan Dean Foster(the Flinx and Commonwealth books)
*Anything else Dragonlance
*The Hole in the Ozone Scare(some of doesn't work, but they bring up some good points)
*Dune wasn't that bad, I've been told that the sequels were, and I enjoyed the the prequels.
The only classic I read were miscelaneous stuff from school, the only Shaekespeare I read was "Romeo and Juliet" and the only Dickens I read is "Great Expectations." I wouldn't heve read any of it if my teachers hadn't had it in the curriculum.

[NenarTronian]

Gifted,

What dragonlance books are you reading right now? Most of them are good, but the original "Chronicles" was the best. My quote is dragonlance : )

[Deepuz]

Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

The Two Towers - Tolkien (again) (In prep for the film - now is that a good thing or a bad thing?)

[*stRgrL*]

Perfect Health by Deepak Chopra

&

Natural Remedies - forgot the author

[Tyler]

Agent - It by Stephen King

[*stRgrL*]

It by Stephen King

Good one:) I seen a movie named Rose Red the other day by Stephen King. But I had never heard of it being a book. Anyhoo, it scared the bejesus out of me! Well, it creeped me out alot, I dont get too scared about anything:D

[wet1]

Yes Rose Red was good. I rented it on DVD and watched it. Outstanding movie. See it...

[Agent@5]

Red rose huh.... might go and check it out.... read it i think... Im reading a beautful mind. You know the new movie. I was told that it was a good film so I got that book, its a bit slow starting off though

[Tyler]

A real bio of Nash will make you almost disgusted in the movie!

Anyway, It is freaky as all hell.
"Take every one of your nightmares and add a clown."


The Exorcist book is about a million fucking times scarier. Reading the book as you're going to sleep will fuck you up good!

[le coq]

Kudos on: GEB Eternal Golden Braid - I never finished it. I got 86ed. I've been working out, though.

Kudos on: The Divine Invasion. Classic Dick; if you know anything about Berkeley then the first half of the book is especially entertaining.

Currently on: The Fabric of Reality, by David Deutsch. Finishing The Chemistry of Conscious States, by Alan J. Hobson. Last novel finished was the Fall of Hyperion, by I forget at the moment. Reading Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain aloud to the wife.

John Le Coq

[BobG]

I've just finished Tolkien-Silmarillion. I have now started Aldous Huxley-Brave New World

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Thief of Time - Terry Pratchett

[Pollux V]

Cujo->Steven King

Just finished "Speaker for the Dead," and "Shadow of the Hegemon" by Orsonn Scott Card.

[Joeman]

Communication Systems - Salehi
Difficult conversations - don't remember who. My boss asked me to read it.

[ratbat]

Marley & Me
By: Don Taylor

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Cujo->Steven King
Just finished "Speaker for the Dead," and "Shadow of the Hegemon" by Orsonn Scott Card.

Cujo->Former Goalie of the Maple Leafs :D Curtis Joseph :)

How'd you like Speaker for the Dead and Shadow of the Hegemon, Pollux V? Aren't they fantastic? :)

[Avatar]

History of Civilizations

(by. some latvian historian, doesn't matter)
[actually the book is in the other side of the house and I'm too lazy to go and look for the author:p]

[goofyfish]

The Jesuits:
The Society of Jesus and the
Betrayal of the Roman Catholic Church

"...the harrowing behind-the-scenes story of the 'new' world-wide Society of Jesus. The leaders and the dupes; the blood and the pathos; the politics, the betrayals and the humiliations..."

Harrowing. Yeah. But it is interesting.

Peace.

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Black Swan, White Raven - Short stories (twisted fairy tales..mmm..)

Norby Through Space and Time - Isaac Asimov and Janet Asimov (soooo hilarious! gotta love Norby)

Death and Shadows - ??? (didn't finish...)

Currently reading :

Maskerade - Terry Pratchett (another wonderful tale of Discworld, and Nanny Ogg, famous witch)

[goofyfish]

&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; "What kind of man offers to share dry crackers with death?"

Think you're too old for cowboy stories?

You're all grown up now and think that cowboy stories are strictly for kiddies. You gave them up about the same time as you stopped drinking Kool Aid (which I still happen to love). Now you read real books discussing important issues like …well anything other than when Jed will move the horses to the new ranch.

To describe Cormac McCarthy’s books as cowboy stories would be like calling George Bush a dope - completely accurate but wholly inadequate. He is a storyteller in a great tradition, telling tales of hardship and adventure. But, for me, the real impact of his books comes from the beauty of his language. He doesn't use quotation marks for dialogue. He doesn't tell you who is talking; you have to figure that out from context. He doesn't even use apostrophes -- it's "dont" not "don't" in the text. Key passages are presented in Spanish, without translation, once again forcing those of us who do not read Spanish to try to decipher the meaning from context. Although uncompromising and often stark, his words envelop you and draw you into the story. They resonate in me long after I have finished them.

His greatest work (IMHO) is The Border Trilogy, and the best of that is the first book All The Pretty Horses. It was made into a disappointing film a couple of years ago, an example of Hollywood (again) failing to capture the spirit of a popular book. If you saw the film don’t let it put you off. The book is magnificent.

Peace.

_____________
Youth is the first victim of war - the first fruit of peace.
It takes 20 years or more of peace to make a man;
it takes only 20 seconds of war to destroy him.-- King Boudewijn I, King of Belgium (1934-1993)

[Avatar]

Douglas Adams "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"


I'm at this place now v

It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.

[Jenyar]

I finished all the classics - Douglas Adams, Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Terry Brooks, Terry Pratchett, Tolkien, CJ Cherreh, Mercedes Lackey, Frank Herbert, RE Feist, David Eddings... even Jean Auel.

NOW I'm reading Anna Karrenina - man, Tolstoi really knew human nature! After that I'll read my girlfriend's books: Vikram Seth, Margaret Atwood, Hemingway, AS Byatt, Isabel Allende...

And whenever I can I watch the movie as well :)

(For further reference, please consult your local library's catalogue)

[goofyfish]

“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way...”

I have David Magarshack’s translation of Anna Karenina, but have not
been able to “get into it” on three separate tries. Ah, well.

Peace.

_____________
Youth is the first victim of war - the first fruit of peace.
It takes 20 years or more of peace to make a man;
it takes only 20 seconds of war to destroy him.-- King Boudewijn I, King of Belgium (1934-1993)

[Jenyar]

I admit it's pretty hard to keep it up - it's like a lot of those old classics, Middlemarch, Mayor of Castorbridge, Portrait of an artist, Sons & Lovers... they're long winded and quite descriptive, but worth digging in. I think we've been spoiled by the quick satisfaction of running stories!

[EvilPoet]

Serendipity - Accidental Discoveries in Science
by Royston M. Roberts

[Walker]

Siddhartha by Hesse.


I finished all the classics - Douglas Adams, Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Terry Brooks, Terry Pratchett, Tolkien, CJ Cherreh, Mercedes Lackey, Frank Herbert, RE Feist, David Eddings... even Jean Auel.

Cool, man.

[Angelus]

Guardians Of The Lost - Volume 2 of the Sovereign Stone Trilogy
by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

Definately some of my favorite writers I read all their other series they've done together, good stuff.

Recently finished up Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings, the Belgariad's looking to be a good series.

Currently awaiting the next Wheel Of Time novel by Robert Jordan and trying to get around to reading Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind from his Sword Of Truth series.

Also waiting for the next book after The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling. Good Book.

And attempting to write my own fantasty novel.

PS
Anyone know of a good vampire series like that of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Scratch that, nothing can compare to Anne Rice, but a good series of vampire novels where the vampire is the hero and not the villian? Thanks.

[CounslerCoffee]

Siddhartha by Hesse

Walker thats a great book!

Currently reading American Gods By Neil Gaimen

[Firefly]

I'm currently reading the books subscribed for my course. :( (This is not a good thing)

[Frieda]

currently reading:

- Jingo by Terry Pratchett (a new one's coming out in November: The Night Watch.. YAY!)

- A Son Of The Circus by John Irving

- Somewhere South of Here by William Kowalski

[Avatar]

"Life, the Universe, and Everything" by Douglas Adams

[m0rl0ck]

Eye of Spirit by Ken Wilber

I've bored every one on the science and society board to death with it :)

[Adam]

Currently reading the science-fiction story Hidden Empire, which is the first of the series The Saga Of Seven Suns, by Kevin J. Anderson.

[Rowen]

I am devouring Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. It is an amazing book that was developed into an amazing movie. Highly recommended if one is up for questioning societies definitions of reality.

[pumpkinsaren'torange]

John Irving. the guy is a genius with his writing-style. he is awesome!!!!!!!!! i love the way he puts his stories across; makes me feel like i am actually there..
i am currently reading his: A Prayer For Owen Meany. (i recently finished his book, CiderHouse Rules and The World According to Garp) the guy is really good...i recommend him..

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy!!

Seriously one of the most amusing books I've read in a long time, I'm trying to get all my friends to read it. I know, I know, I'm reading it kind of late, but hey, better late than never. :)

[Munki]

The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test

And may I recommend it to anyone who has an interest in Drug Culture. From whatever angle.

And aside from that it's a "Ripping Yarn"

Does anyone say that still in this day and age?

"Ripping Yarn?"

Christ, you can tell it's Monday.

[Munki]

Oh and i'm about to read Porno by Irvine Welsh.

Apparently it's the Sequel to Trainspotting.

Cannae wait t see how Begie settles his score with Renton.

[Firefly]

I bought a couple of Animorphs books the other day, finished them both today. :)

[Voodoo Child]

Tao of Politics

Fifty Great Eastern Philosophers

Java 2 book

And the Satanic Bible (http://thesatanicbible.cjb.net/)

[Xev]

Beyond Good and Evil --Friedrich Nietzsche
Developing some critiques of his idea of "higher" culture. Pretty much crap, IMO. For some reason his critiques both of democracy and women just reek of something a slave moralist would say. I am not even fucking kidding.

Clay's Ark -- Octavia Butler

I like her stuff. Very "dark" and disturbing scifi, and yet infinitely plausible.

Rowan:

"Fight Club" is genius, have you read "Choke" or Palchunik's new book?

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Originally posted by Firefly
I bought a couple of Animorphs books the other day, finished them both today. :)
HOORAY!!!! :D :D :D Which ones? Are they good? Of course they're good, they're Animorphs! :D

[incendiary]

I just finished Stranger In A Strange Land. very good book i must say.

[John MacNeil]

"David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens. No one surpasses Dickens for astute observation. This book is perhaps his best, a classic of classics.

[lordjin]

I'm reading Kierkegaard: Either/Or

[wet1]

The Final Encyclopedia by Gordon R. Dickson for the umpteenth time. Still a good read...

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

A Covert Agenda: The British Government's UFO Top Secrets Exposed
I'll let you guys know when I've become more paranoid than I already am.

[reformedtopunk]

"CENSORED:20 years of censored news" by carl jenson and project censored.

[John MacNeil]

"The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan is a delighful novel. It was her first and received rave reviews, which were well deserved. I've just gotten her book "The Bonesetter's Daughter" from the library today, and it has the feel of being well told, as well.

[Pollux V]

I've started the Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien.

I've been reading Heretics of Dune for some time now.

I started the Idiot by Dostoevsky

I'm reading Beowulf in my english class.

I'm also reading Night Shift by Stephen King.

[Thor]

Erm.... British Army Careers Guide

Thinking about becoming a Combat Medical Technician. That means when someone calls 'Medic' I have to run to them and get my ass shot off. Sounds good to me :bugeye:

[goofyfish]

Originally posted by %BlueSoulRobot%
I'll let you guys know when I've become more paranoid than I already am.No, you won't.
We won't let you.
&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;http://www.smilies.nl/space/alien378.gif

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Originally posted by goofyfish
No, you won't.
We won't let you.
&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;http://www.smilies.nl/space/alien378.gif
:eek:!

:D....:eek:

[Frieda]

"Night Watch", the new Terry Pratchett!

[shinobi]

Erewhon by Samuel Butler.

My bookmark is in page 85, (Chapter 8 The Prison).

[Giesela]

The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston

Richard Preston is an award winning science writer that
can write non-fiction in a totally entertaining and understandable
way. This particular book is about smallpox, bioterrorism, the vaccine with some
info about the anthrax attack as a subtext.
Highly recommended - good info to know as well.

Giesela

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Originally posted by Frieda
"Night Watch", the new Terry Pratchett! :eek: :D!!! NEW? I must acquire this book! *jumps out the window and rushes to the bookstore* I thought Terry Pratchett stopped with "The Last Hero"..?<hr>I'm reading "Witches Abroad" by Terry P. It's so funny! :D


Your book sounds great, Giesela, and Welcome to SciForums! :)

[Neutrino_Albatross]

I'll let you guys know when I've become more paranoid than I already am.
If you want paranoia you need to read the Illuminatus trilogy by Rbert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson. I still havent quilte recovered.:eek:

"Night Watch", the new Terry Pratchett!
YAY! A new Terry Pratchet book.:D If only I had money :(

[Xev]

Juliette, by the Marquis de Sade.

Am, after 18 hours with the damned thing (I read at work, so I can clock my reading) 3/4 of the way through.

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Originally posted by Neutrino_Albatross
[B]If you want paranoia you need to read the Illuminatus trilogy by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson. I still havent quilte recovered.:eek: Thanks, I'll look into it. :) And it's quite all right..the aliens only want to be your friend. :D

[UberDragon]

I'm reading the Shadow series by George Lucas and Chris Claremont. They're based on the movie Willow.

[grazzhoppa]

I'm reading Plato: The Republic :eek:

It's gonna take me awhile

[Frieda]

Originally posted by %BlueSoulRobot%
:eek: :D!!! NEW? I must acquire this book! *jumps out the window and rushes to the bookstore* I thought Terry Pratchett stopped with "The Last Hero"..?<hr>I'm reading "Witches Abroad" by Terry P. It's so funny! :D

i just got it last thursday.. my bookstore always calls me if a new Terry Pratchett comes out.. UK import! :)

[Rowen]

You want to fall into a mind maze read Sonnet 74 by William Shakepeare. Really read it though or you shall never know what I mean.

-Shakespeare is a God.-

Rowen

[NenarTronian]

ZODIAC by Neal Stephenson (author of Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash and The Diamond Age)

Pretty good book so far. As always, very humorous too. Stephenson rocks :cool:

Its about this bad ass environmentalist who goes around giving big-name corporations shit for pollution and stuff. Sounds really dumb, but its WAY better than i make it out to be. :D

[Gifted]

finished Flight os the Old Dog saturday. Very good.

[EvilPoet]

Currently reading:

The Best Short Stories of J. G. Ballard

The Symbolism of Evil by Paul Ricoeur

God is Red by Vine Deloria, Jr.

[axonio98]

I´m reading a very big book called "Phisics of immortality" by Frank Tipler. It's a plausible fantasy about the final destiny of mankind. It will make your brains fry.

[pumpkinsaren'torange]

Forces and Fields (a study of acton at a distance in the history of physics ..yawn) by, Mary B. Hesse

[Walker]

Graham Greene novelas.

[1119]

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.

Though I'm not sure if you can call it a proper book. It's actually a graphic novel. After reading it, I can understand why it, along with Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" re-defined the comics medium in the 80's.

[zagen]

just finished the fountainhead - ayn rand, and now reading atlas shrugged.

dont know if i'm going in the right order or not, but it probably doesnt matter.
I highly recommend the fountainhead to everyone. It can give you a new perspective.

[Walker]

Zagen: You should check out The Virtue of Selfishness. It's probably the most informative/comprehensive Rand nonfiction, and it may give you more insight into her novels.

I just found my copy of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay, so I'll probably read it the coming week.

[grazzhoppa]

Dune

[pumpkinsaren'torange]

I Know This Much Is True/by Wally Lamb

[NenarTronian]

Sovereign Stone Trilogy #2 "Guardian of the Lost" by Weis/Hickman. Its your typical fantasy world, elves dwarves dragons humans halflings orcs..plus other stuff to make it truly unique. For instance, monks tatoo the history of the world all over their bodies, and are then placed in tombs for future historians to read, and dragons protect their tombs.

The books the second in the series, in the first book they found this stone that makes these magical knights, "dominion lords". The human king at the time thought it would serve to bring the world together, peace etc. Yadda yadda yadda, the king's son becomes an evil dominion lord because the stone had all 4 elements PLUS the VOID in the middle of it (evilness, chaos).

Second book's just a quest to find all the pieces, fight against evil, typical elven politics, etc.

The book is WAY WAY WAY better than i make it out to be. Check it..well the first one, then it..out. :cool:

[wstlnd]

Atlas Shrugged by the Ayn Rand
The Way of Zen by Alan Watts
The Tao Te Ching

[EvelinaAnville]

The Ambassadors by Henry James
I keep surprising myself at how much I actually remember of the story when I walk away from it. It seems to be so esoteric that I cannot get a grip on it in my mind, then I suddenly find myself thinking about the inner state of Strether.
SW:NJO: Balance Point by Kathy Tyers
Pretty good. I know I liked Jedi Eclipse because I breezed through it.

Oh, and a book about Regency England.

[ICARRYALOTOFBULLETS]

the bible

[Gifted]

I'm reading that, too. Also I finished the Elenian, probably start on the Tamuli after cleaning my room.

[notme2000]

I just finished reading The Outsider (aka The Stranger) by Albert Camus, awesome book. Now I'm reading The Myth Of Sisyphus by Albert Camus as well.

[Don H]

The Field

[Jerece Hunters]

:m: I read last "Yaban" by Yakup Kadri ..the author mentions about Turk's Istiklal War to get free..;) :mad:

[Vortexx]

I just finished Freedom or Death by Nikos Kazantzakis;)

and now in the midst of NULL-A by AE van vogt

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

"The Saturated Self" - Kenneth J. Gergen.
About: Dilemmas of Identity in Contemporary Life.

"Becoming Human" - Jean Vanier
About: Vanier's human vision of creating common good for all.

"Distant Suffering" - Luc Boltanski
About: Moral and political implications for a spectator of the distant suffering of others as presented through media.

"Ospreys: A Natural and Unnatural History" - Alan F. Poole
About: The magnificent osprey's life, habitats, and activities.

Finished
"Isaac Asimov: It's Been A Good Life" - Isaac Asimov
About: Asimov's autobiography, pieced together from letters and experiences into a lovingly crafted book about Asimov, edited by his wife Janet Jeppson Asimov. RIP, Good Docter. :(

Want to read
Anything I can find on Sparta, my new obsession. Got any suggestions? :)

[Avatar]

re-reading
Nietzsche: "Thus spoke Zarathustra"

[Dreamsa]

I am reading:

1. Skeleton Crew by Stephen King

2. The Shining by Stephen King

3. Curse by Andrew Neiderman

4. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Nice books especially by Stephen King!!!

[Nightpoet]

Well, I re-read (for like the 30th time) The Wizard of Oz this morning (hey, I was trying not to study for Latin) and over Christmas, I will be cracking into Hindu Myths. And I'm also reading The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Old Testament and should be reading Aeschylus' Agamemnon.

[EvilPoet]

Just finished reading:
The Best Short Stories of J. G. Ballard
God is Red by Vine Deloria, Jr.

Still reading:
The Symbolism of Evil by Paul Ricoeur

About to start reading:
the selfish gene by Richard Dawkins
Christmas Books by Charles Dickens

[Avatar]

just started:
Stephen Hawking - "Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays"

[Asguard]

the newish terry brooks series

[Mina]

I just started reading 'Richthofen'. Before that I was reading 'The Art Of Human Destructiveness'.

[Avatar]

Let me be the first to welcome you at Sciforums, Mina

your name remembers me of the book "Dracula"

[Asguard]

i gess that makes me no 2 to say hi:p

IM THE FIRST MOD THO:p

[Thor]

I've been reading this book on my bus journeys to visit someone and it's most probably one of the best reads I've ever had!!

It's the first book of the 'Mission Earth' series by L.Ron Hubbard and is titled 'The Invaders Plan'

It's a great read so if anyone (especially you Sci-Fi buffs) sees it, grab it, it's a classic from the same man who wrote the award winning 'Battlefield Earth' (much, much better than the film!!)

[Mina]

*waves* HI! :)

[EvilPoet]

"Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man really
wants to make a million dollars, the best way would be
to start his own religion" Reader's Digest reprint, May
1980, p.1

Hubbard later created the Church of Scientology... (http://www.xenu.net/roland-intro.html)

Nuff said.

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

I'm bored.

When I'm bored, I read the dictionary.

"Must...drag self to...library..."

_blu% :m:

[Slacker47]

Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley

In the Wake of the Plague (school reading)

Both good-recommended

[reformedtopunk]

"The Science of Vampires" by Katherine Ramsland, Ph.D.

[Gifted]

The Magic Engineer, by L.E. modesitt Jr.

[YoungWriter]

Currently:

Thief of Time- Terry Pratchett

After that:

More than complete hitch hiker's guide to the galaxy- douglas adams

Napal and Silly Putty- George Calin

Lord of the rings+ hobbit

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Originally posted by YoungWriter
Currently:

Thief of Time- Terry Pratchett That book is awesome! :D I love the philosophy of Wen, the Eternally Surprised. I even typed up an excerpt ... must find it...Ah! Here it is:

<i>The first words that are read by seekers of enlightenment in the secret, gong-banging, yeti-haunted valleys near the hub of the world, are when they look into The Life of Wen the Eternally Surprised.
The first question they ask is: 'Why was he eternally surprised?'
And they are told: 'Wen considered the nature of time and understood that the universe is, instant by instant, recreated anew. Therefore, he understood, there is in truth no past, only a memory of the past. Blink your eyes, and the world you see next did not exist when you closed them. Therefore, he said, the only appropriate state of the mind is surprise. The only appropriate state of the heart is joy. The sky you see now, you have never seen before. The perfect moment is now. Be glad of it.'</i>

Unless you are not at that part yet ... then I'm terribly sorry for ruining it for you. :(

[Gifted]

That sound kinda like something Douglas Adams would write.

[reformedtopunk]

Journals - Kurt Cobain

[silver]

Currently reading :
Avengers - Brian Lumley
The Wizard First Rule - Terry Goodkind
Titus Crow - Brian Lumley

Just finished : Death's Door - Michael Slade

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Originally posted by Gifted
That sound kinda like something Douglas Adams would write. Come to think of it, yeah, it does. :)

[UberDragon]

Dune (never read it,stone me if you will)

a book based on Warcraft 3 - The Last Guardian

Wizard's First Rule (for the fourth time)

[Nova1021]

Over Christmas break I've read:

"Pale Blue Dot" and "Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan
and
"2001: A Space Odyssey" by Arthur C. Clark
and
"From a Buick 8" by Stephen King

It's so nice to be able to read what I want instead of what I'm assigned.

[sycoindian]

White Teeth by Zadie Smith... its awesome...

[tablariddim]

The last 2 books I read were, The Surgeon and Bloodstream, both by Tess Gerritsen... brilliantly intelligent and suspenseful!

[notme2000]

I'm reading The Matrix And Philosophy. About how the Matrix has almost every element of philosophy in it and how it's introducing philosophy to pop-culture, and what pop-culture's response is. Very interesting.

[Firefly]

Sounds interesting. Who's it written by?

[Adam]

Silver: I like that Brian Lumley stuff. :D

Currently reading: Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets, and The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup. Next up is Space, by Stephen Baxter.

[EvilPoet]

Just finished reading:
The Symbolism of Evil by Paul Ricoeur
the selfish gene by Richard Dawkins
Christmas Books by Charles Dickens

About to start reading:
The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins
Language and Myth by Ernst Cassirer
A Little Book Of Coincidence by John Martineau

[Circe]

Collected Fictions - Jorge Luis Borges

[pumpkinsaren'torange]

The Return of the Native ~ by Thomas Hardy

[notme2000]

The Matrix and Philosophy is by William Irwin.

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Sounds cool, notme2000 :)

Reading:
Lao-Tzu: Te-Tao Ching (translated, of course)

Want to read:
The Iron Dream by Adolf Hitler (wanting Coldrake's copy) :D

[NenarTronian]

Finished "The Catcher in the Rye" a few days ago.

Half-way through "The man in the high castle" which is about America, which didnt win WW2, and is jointly owned and controlled by Germany and Japan, slavery is still around, and all Jewish are dead or live under assumed names..

The idea behind it sounds awesome, but the story isn't as good as it could be.

[NenarTronian]

Oh yeah. Over holiday break i finished "To your scattered bodies go" Riverworld book #1, also Hitchiker's guide to the Galazy #2 and #3...all three of them pretty good. Although "To you....go" was a little creepy..:eek:

[Rowen]

Brave New World-Aldous Huxley

The English patient-Micheal Ondaatjie

Blackwood Farm-Anne Rice

Philosophy!!!!!!

-My mind giggles-

Rowen

[Nascere]

"THE PRINCE" by Niccoló Machiavelli (1469-1527)
ALSO: Niccoló Macchiavelli

"Men are always wicked at bottom unless they are made good by some compulsion."

The first great political philosopher of the Renaissance was Nicolo Machiavelli (1469-1527). His famous treatise, The Prince, stands apart from all other political writings of the period insofar as it focus on the practical problems a monarch faces in staying in power, rather than more speculative issues explaining the foundation of political authority. As such, it is an expression of realpolitik, that is, governmental policy based on retaining power rather than pursuing ideals.


THE PRINCE. Machiavelli opens The Prince describing the two principal types of governments: monarchies and republics. His focus in The Prince is on monarchies. The most controversial aspects of Machiavelli's analysis emerge in the middle chapters of his work. In Chapter 15 he proposes to describe the truth about surviving as a monarch, rather than recommending lofty moral ideals. He describes those virtues which, on face value, we think a prince should possess. He concludes that some "virtues" will lead to a prince's destruction, whereas some "vices" allow him to survive. Indeed, the virtues which we commonly praise in people might lead to his downfall. In chapter 16 he notes that we commonly think that it is best for a prince to have a reputation of being generous. However, if his generosity is done in secret, no one will know about it and he will be thought to be greedy. If it is done openly, then he risks going broke to maintain his reputation. He will then extort more money from his subjects and thus be hated. For Machiavelli, it is best for a prince to have a reputation for being stingy. Machiavelli anticipates examples one might give of generous monarchs who have been successful. He concludes that generosity should only be shown to soldiers with goods taken from a pillaged enemy city. In Chapter 17 he argues that it is better for a prince to be severe when punishing people rather than merciful. Severity through death sentences affects only a few, but it deters crimes which affects many. Further, he argues, it is better to be feared than to be loved. However, the prince should avoid being hated, which he can easily accomplish by not confiscating the property of his subjects: "people more quickly forget the death of their father than the loss of their inheritance." In Chapter 18, perhaps the most controversial section of The Prince, Machiavelli argues that the prince should know how to be deceitful when it suits his purpose. When the prince needs to be deceitful, though, he must not appear that way. Indeed he must always exhibit five virtues in particular: mercy, honesty, humaneness, uprightness, and religiousness. In Chapter 19 Machiavelli argues that the prince must avoid doing things which will cause him to be hated. This is accomplished by not confiscating property, and not appearing greedy or wishy-washy. In fact, the best way to avoid being overthrown is to avoid being hated.


Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy at a time when the country was in political upheaval . Italy was divided between four dominant city-states, and each of these was continually at the mercy of the stronger foreign governments of Europe. Since 1434 Florence was ruled by the wealthy Medici family. Their rule was temporarily interrupted by a reform movement, begun in 1494, in which the young Machiavelli became an important diplomat. When the Medici family regained power in 1512 with the help of Spanish troops, Machiavelli was tortured and removed from public life. For the next 10 years he devoted himself to writing history, political philosophy, and even plays. He ultimately gained favor with the Medici family and was called back to public duty for the last two years of his life. Machiavelli's greatest work is The Prince, written in 1513 and published after his death in 1532. The work immediately provoked controversy and was soon condemned by Pope Clement VIII. Its main theme is that princes should retain absolute control of their territories, and they should use any means of expediency to accomplish this end, including deceit. Scholars struggle over interpreting Machiavelli's precise point. In several section Machiavelli praises Caesar Borgia, a Spanish aristocrat who became a notorious and much despised tyrant of the Romagna region of northern Italy. During Machiavelli's early years as a diplomat, he was in contact with Borgia and witnessed Borgia's rule first hand. Does Machiavelli hold up Borgia as the model prince? Some readers initially saw The Prince as a satire on absolute rulers such as Borgia, which showed the repugnance of arbitrary power (thereby implying the importance of liberty). However, this theory fell apart when, in 1810, a letter by Machiavelli was discovered in which he reveals that he wrote The Prince to endear himself to the ruling Medici family in Florence. To liberate Italy from the influence of foreign governments, Machiavelli explains that strong indigenous governments are important, even if they are absolutist.

[Tiassa]

Recent:

Michael Moore, Stupid White Men
Steven Brust, The Paths of the Dead
Robert McCammon, Speaks the Nightbird

Present:

Sir James Frazer, The Golden Bough.
Bruce Campbell, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor

:m:,
Tiassa :cool:

[Adam]

Bruce Campbell is my hero. Well, at least his little essays are interesting.

[Coldrake]

non-fiction. Allan Palmer's <i>The Rise And Fall Of The Ottoman Empire</i>

fiction. Just finished David L. Robbin's <i>The End Of War</i> and have started rereading <i>To Reign In Hell</i> by Steven Brust.

[Tiassa]

Steven Brust's To Reign in Hell: I think this should be required reading for anyone trying to delve Christian theology and mythos. It's an awesome story. 'Nuff said for now.

Enjoy that book.

(Also a thumbs-up to Lumley's Transition of Titus Crow. A beautiful macabre, as such.)

thanx,
Tiassa :cool:

[Coldrake]

Originally posted by tiassa
Steven Brust's To Reign in Hell: I think this should be required reading for anyone trying to delve Christian theology and mythos. It's an awesome story. 'Nuff said for now.

Enjoy that book.

(Also a thumbs-up to Lumley's Transition of Titus Crow. A beautiful macabre, as such.)

thanx,
Tiassa :cool:

Yeah, I read <i>To Reign...</i> in the mid-80s. I was going through boxes in my attic last night looking for another old book when I found all my old Brust books (I love the <i>Jhereg</i> series). The book is a great read for anyone not familiar with it or Brust. A truly creative writer.

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

"Do Androids dream of Electronic Sheep?" - Philip K. Dick
(and possibly the sequels by Jeter.)

BLADE RUNNER IS AWESOME! Best movie I have ever seen in the longest time!

[Coldrake]

Bladerunner is an excellent movie, with some of the best cinematography I have seen in a movie. The uncut version rocks.

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Uncut ... do you mean the one with Deckard's original narration and the gratuitous happy ending? Because I watched the director's cut version, and a bit of the OV, and I found the DV much better than the OV with the VO.

(lol) :D

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Neuromancer by William Gibson, because

a) It is a Blade Runner spinoff type thingie
b) Pollux mentioned it, as well as a bunch of others (woohoo!)
c) and I've always wanted to read it

[Pollux V]

When they aired it on the scifi channel I couldn't really get into Blade Runner. I might just have to watch it without an eight minute commercial break every time there's a pause in the movie.

I want to read more of Neuromancer (because it is just so awesome), but as always it seems I've got a ton of books I'm in the middle of and not enough time to finish all of them in the foreseeable future.

-A Short History of the World, which is well written but does not go into depth on any of the topics that it discusses. Then again, that's what the title would suggest.

-Thus Spoke Zarathustra is making for an interesting read, even if Nietzsche is redundant at times, reading his language feels like drinking a milkshake.

-Second Foundation I haven't picked up in almost a month, I only started it, and I intend to finish it sooner or later. The series really picked up toward the end of the book, with the unveiling of The Mule, etc etc...

I also ordered a few books a few days ago, about fifty dollars worth. I bought a Lovecraft book, which looks awesome, Fight Club, Empire of the Sun, and then something else but I forget...
Bah, I'll find out in a week or two.

Also, blue, you can gauge the coolness factor of someone depending on if they have read Childhood's End. If you--

+Hear them compare it to something in a conversation then they are automatically ultra~mega cool.

+Feel them vomit on you and then vomit back because of how awful the vomit felt on your face then they are automatically a nonreigner. This even may have had to do with Childhood's End (which is one of the coolest books ever written) but it isn't necessarily a prerequisite for the vomitting-upon.

[Circe]

2001 Space Odyssey - Arthur C.Clarke

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Originally posted by Pollux V
When they aired it on the scifi channel I couldn't really get into Blade Runner. I might just have to watch it without an eight minute commercial break every time there's a pause in the movie.Yeah, the one I watched was on TVO, and it played straight from beginning to end, which makes a lot more sense, because the movie doesn't make a lot of sense in chunks. Right now, for instance, watching "The Rock", and it's "mega cool" (:D) but then you have "action action buy Preparation H, eat at Wendy's back to action action" ... it's just wrong. :rolleyes:
-Second Foundation I haven't picked up in almost a month, I only started it, and I intend to finish it sooner or later. The series really picked up toward the end of the book, with the unveiling of The Mule, etc etc...Yeah, the Mule was when the real fun started. It was because Asimov was growing bored with it before being forced by his publisher to finish it, also urged on by his fans. Thank goodness he finished it!
Also, blue, you can gauge the coolness factor of someone depending on if they have read Childhood's End. If you--

+Hear them compare it to something in a conversation then they are automatically ultra~mega cool.

+Feel them vomit on you and then vomit back because of how awful the vomit felt on your face then they are automatically a nonreigner. This even may have had to do with Childhood's End (which is one of the coolest books ever written) but it isn't necessarily a prerequisite for the vomitting-upon. I read Childhood's End ... but I've never used ultra~mega cool until now. :eek:

Signing off now (damn Math classes have been compressed into this final week before exams so I can have more "study time" for Math exam), cheerio!

[Asguard]

hich hikers guide to the galaxy:D

[Neutrino_Albatross]

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk. Not nearly as good as Fight Club IMO.

[Xev]

Neutrino, have you read "Survivor"? None of his other books compare to Fight Club, but "Survivor" and "Choke" (although Choke was a bit slow) are good.

Invisible Monsters is something that has to grow on you. I liked it better the second time I read.

[Neutrino_Albatross]

No, only Fight Club. I do plan to read the others though.

[Gifted]

Gary Paulson is good.

[storni]

Re-reading: A hundred years of solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
(in Spanish.)

Currently immersed in the singular, beautiful depths of Steppenwolfe by Herman Hesse.

[NenarTronian]

Comprendo español muy bien pero... no pienso que puedo leer un libro en español, todavía. :D

[storni]

That was very well said NenarTronian :D

You don´t need to start from García Marquez, his use of language is much too complex, even for me, a spanish speaker.

However, you could start from much simpler books, even poetry in spanish hehe, which is also quite good.
(Some personal favorites: Octavio Paz, Cesar Vallejo and Pablo Neruda.)

[NenarTronian]

Muchos gracias storni, buscaré y leeré de los autores y sus libros en AMAZON.COM

Hasta ;)

[Circe]

One hundred years.. was one of the best books I had the pleasure to read. Thanks for reminding me, I think I will reread it soon as well ;)

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Currently:
Neuromancer - William Gibson

Will be reading:
Harry Potter and the Bible - Richard Abanes
Shadow Puppets - OSC!!! (My hold came through! WOOHOO!!)

[Captain_Crunch]

'MARXIST ECONOMIC THEORY' by Ernest Mandel

I cant stress how interesting this book is, you have really got to read it for yourself. A good read for those wishing to find out in alittle more detail the theory of Marxist economics.

Im planning on reading it again after i have read 'Das Kapital' by Karl Marx in an attempt to more fully appriciate the connection and refferences the author has made to it in parts.

Cant find any proper reviews on this title.

Cheers.

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Neuromancer was bloody AMAZING. Gibson is an artist with his words; from his first sentence <i>"The sky above the port was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel."</i> you know you're in for an adventure. The ending was absolutely riveting. I read till 4 am, and now I'm too tired to study for my exam tomorrow. :o I'm so screwed. *winces*
--- --- --- ---

Reading the first couple of chapters on Harry Potter and the Bible. First off, the writing style is terrible. Apart from the zillions of references, the continuous redundancy of occultism and witchcraft is grating on my nerves. The entire book can be summed up in a well-written 5 page essay. We freakin' get it!!

The author has written over a dozen books on the occult; kind of says something about where his priorities lay, eh? It is also a sin to be so compelled to delve so deeply and so interestedly into the dark arts, even if the goal is to glorify God. :rolleyes:

I think I will continue reading Harry Potter. Muah ha.
--- --- --- ---

So eager to start on Shadow Puppets .. alas, the damned exam is in the way. I'll have to save it for tomorrow. :(

[Coldrake]

Just started a reread of Thomas Hobbes' <i>Leviathan</i>.

Also picked up a copy today of Erwin Black's the <i>Transfer Agreement</i>.

[Balder1]

Last couple weeks.

1984 - Pretty good. Seems impossible to me, though. Of course, the Nazis and Germany seems impossible, too. :rolleyes:

Trainspotting - About heroin addicted kids. Very good, if you can get into the Scottish accent that it's written in. Really good characterization and I could really empathize with the characters. Franco Begbie reminds me of one my friends. :(

Reading now - The Naked God by Peter F. Hamilton, part of the Reality Dysfunction series.

[silver]

I need something really interesting to read. I read every genre. Anyone have a few really great titles to offer??;)

[stray dog]

Rare Earth
Why complex life is uncommon in the universe.

by Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee

[EvilPoet]

Just finished reading:
Language and Myth by Ernst Cassirer
A Little Book Of Coincidence by John Martineau

Still reading:
The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins

Just started reading:
Essential Zen by Kazuaki Tanahashi
Zen Poems by Peter Harris
What is Tao? by Alan Watts
Early Greek Philosophy (Penguin Classic)

[gladzic]

I've finished reading "Anne Frank: A diary of a young girl" It was great!

I'm almost finished with "Journey of Desire" by John Eldredge

Will start reading "One Hundred years of Solitude" (English version) as soon as I'm done with Journey of Desire.

Then, further on my line up is "Different by Design", and "Youngblood 2"

[NenarTronian]

Just finished "Slan" by Van Vogt. All in all, a great book. So many surprises and twists..one really sad part too. It's about a subrace of superhumans and their oppression in a human dominated world, and one slan boys quest to find other slans like himself... it's a great book...GO READ IT

[%BlueSoulRobot%]

Finished "Shadow Puppets"! It was .... ok. Too much loveydovey. Not enough military tactics! Use of the word "baby" too much. :bugeye: And Achilles death was not the spectacular dramatic earth-shattering event I thought it would be!

Reading:
"Guide to the End of the World" - Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz

"Handwriting Analysis" - Peter Dennis (Very cool)

Have Read:
"Dreamspeak: How to understand the messages in Your Dreams"
- Rosemary Ellen Guiley
(Poorly written and organized book. Very little real insight. Do NOT borrow! Note to self: In future, do not borrow books just because of naked people on front.)

Will Read:
"Blade Runner: Replicant Night"
and
"Blade Runner: The Edge of Human" - K.W. Jeter
(Hope they are as good as they sound!!!) :D

[Shadowstrife911]

I just picked up a new title, Emperor: The Gates of Rome by Conn Igguldon. It's his first book and so far its not that bad. Since I'm finally learning stuff about Julius Caesar (I've been wanting to for a while) I'm happy even if the writing isn't the greatest (but not the worst). I cruised through the pages rather quickly and give it a 8 / 10.

Now I'll be starting 'One Great Mischief' by Allister Macleod.


Edit: Finished the book, the last chapters made the book a lot better :)

[Tiassa]

Some general recommendations; I noted the death of a "Best Books Ever' thread so I thought I'd cough up a few good ones, as I am not well-enough read to make an assertion to the "Best".

- J.D. Salinger, Raise High the Roof Beams Carpenters, and Seymour

Salinger is an example I use. When people ask where the novel is, I generally make a host of excuses designed to avoid this part of the discussion. There are people who write me off the page; Barker and Bradbury write the best genre fiction I know of; Joyce Carol Oates and Jack Cady leave me breathless. But I was having the dreaded conversation today about writers and noted, as always, that between fame, wealth, and literary influence, I would prefer to be the next Salinger than the next Oates or the next Stephen King.

Within Salinger's work are recurring characters and themes. One need not read all of Salinger's work to get a full dose of this volume, but it is helpful if one is familiar with Franny and Zooey and Nine Stories (specifically "A Perfect Day for Bananafish").

If you're one of those who knows Salinger primarily for Catcher in the Rye, you're in for a treat.

- Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird

Possibly the greatest American novel ever written. The movie is even worth a watch, being one of the most outstanding adaptations of a novel I've ever seen.

There is little to say about this novel other than to acknowledge that it is a perfect nexus of style, substance, and character.

- Clive Barker, Weaveworld

This massive novel was my first exposure to Barker, and is still my favorite. It is one of a few stories constituting the high point of the 1980s Golden Age of the horror literary genre. Barker is part of a pantheon of writers who made me want to write (Silverstein, Bradbury, Barker, Yolen, and others).

- Robert McCammon, Boy's Life

This is the end-all of the aforementioned Golden Age of horror. As King faltered with Four Past Midnight and Needful Things, as Barker labored over The Great and Secret Show and Imajica, as Streiber struck hard with Billy, Straub beat down the walls with Houses Without Doors ....

Rober McCammon put this one down and everyone knew it was over. This novel is so damn good that it simply knocked the whole genre out of the water. It was a nexus of nostalgia and joy and fear and lexical artistry that left everyone wondering where to go from there. King killed off Castle Rock, Straub digressed further into suspense, Barker spun into the fantastic, and splatterpunk made another desperate grab for the spotlight.

But ... Boy's Life is a bit like King's The Body mixed with the southern appeal of Lee's Mockingbird.

- Peter Straub, Houses Without Doors

Contains the story, "The Juniper Tree". This is the scariest story I have ever read.

- Randall Kenan, Let the Dead Bury the Dead

A strong showing from the "linked fiction" market where several short stories are intended to read as a collective. Rich language, interesting history, and a complex simplicity not unlike a peppery merlot. A compression of the black experience in the US.

- Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried

What can I say? He really is that good. War stories, but important ones. Linked fiction, perhaps my favorite example of the form.

- Raymond Carver, Where I'm Calling From

A collection of Carver shorts. Carver is one of the reasons I haven't developed a taste for post-Microserf cyberpunk ranting. Tight language, fast stories, and above all a sense of honest dignity absent from modern faux-literature.

- Joyce Carol Oates, The Assignation

Short fiction works. Not even stories. Oates is a stylist above all else for these fragments. But they're gripping, insightful, and tend to distort reality in the sense that you have to step back, shake it off, and remind yourself that these are just stories.

- Jack Cady, The Jonah Watch

This isn't a vital literary piece at all, but since Oates awarded Cady the Iowa Award in 1972, I often think of them in the same moment. Cady is an astounding writer. I recommend Inagehi or The Off-Season, the latter being exceptionally lighthearted. Singleton is an amazing and introspective piece. It's a tough read, though. The Jonah Watch has my fascination because it's a ghost story, a sea story, and above all else a study of a complex writer in motion. Much of what makes this book good to me is that I've spent a few years trying to figure Cady's writing. Where Bradbury, for instance, moves quickly so that you sometimes have to go back and count through the dialogue to figure out who is speaking (it doesn't happen if you're paying attention to what you're reading, but ...), Cady peppered the narrative with incidental dialogue that brings to mind more of the Jack Cady, actor and writer and teacher, than it does Jack Cady, sailor and trucker. You're not supposed to know who's talking because it's filler dialogue for rhythm's sake, and it's very well done in this occasion. It's a great story, though, and much recommended.

- H.P. Lovecraft, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

If you find Poe stuffy, this will drive you nuts. But a number of zeniths reveal themselves. The novel is a lesson in lexicon and mood, a study in rhythm, and a paramount example of story construction. Incredibly thick, occasionally esoteric, and sometimes digressive language makes this short novel a difficult read, but if you ever want to know what horror writers aspire to, this is it.

- Douglas Adams, "Hitchhiker's Trilogy"

Six stories long (five novels and a novella), this monument to the late Douglas Adams forever changed a generation of readers. I can't even begin to express how vitally these books can affect one's perception. But parts of the Hitchhiker's saga are fundamental to me the way the Bible is to others.

- Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

A delightful romp. "British humor". Apocalyptic.

Okay, I've ranted enough. Go read.

:m:,
Tiassa :cool:

[pragmathen]

<b>Currently reading</b>

<i>To Say Nothing of the Dog</i> / by Connie Willis
It's purported to be as funny as <i>Three Men in a Boat</i>, although I've never read that. Quite well-written, with a nice upbeat sense of progression. It's about time-travel and what happens when things go awry in the past due to blundering.

<i>Fallen Dragon</i> / by Peter F. Hamilton
I just couldn't get enough of his <i>Reality Dysfunction</i> series and so I waited til this came out in paperback and scooped it up. It's wonderfully hefty and has a unique enough plot and story to match Hamilton's previous books.

<b>Highly recommend</b>

<i>Gap series</i> / by Stephen R. Donaldson
The first book, <i>The Real Story</i>, has one hell of a hook that just grabs hold of you. Great dark storyline, very well-developed characters, and a good ending. Gritty stuff.

<i>It</i> / by Stephen King
Yeah, I know I keep championing this novel every time I post about books. But it is just so exceptionally well-contained. One of those start-to-finish books that devours you, then spits you right back out. Very memorable.

<i>Foundation Trilogy</i> / by Isaac Asimov
A series which seems to pivot in a direction you would not guess upon reading the first book. It's been a bit since I've read the whole thing again (technology may be outdated), but it has some very classical themes of good, bad & questionable running throughout.

<b>Attempted, but have put off (indefinitely)</b>

<i>War & Peace</i> / by Leo Tolstoy
I tried to get into this beast, but it abruptly changed story lines 100 pages into it and I just lost touch with it. I'd really like to get back into it, but since no one else I know seems to have finished it, I don't know if it's actually worth it.

<i>Crime & Punishment</i> / by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The first half of this was really quite riveting. Right up to the part where he kills his landlady and some of the time afterwards, I couldn't put it down. But then it seemed to get sidetracked on uninteresting tangents and I found a reason to put it down.

Thanks!

prag

[Balder1]

Finished recently
The Foutainhead by Ayn Rand
Atlus Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger
Ordinary People

Those books by Ayn Rand seem very brainwashing and convincing, but at least its for a good cause. Highly reccomended, at the very least to see a partisan opinion.

Currently reading
The Republic by Plato
Thus Spake Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche
Dawn by Theodore Dresier
The Winds of War by Herman Wouk

[purple_hairstreak]

Finished Reading: Fatal Cure by Robin Cook, Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan
Just Began: Life At Blandings, by PG Woddehouse (hilarious!)

[Asguard]

reading winters heart (SLOWLY) so that dad finishes the new one

[Spector]

Green Eggs and Ham - Dr. Suess
Gamepro Magazine - Some dudes
Back of a milk carton - 1% Milk
Microwave warantee card - GE

Can I also suggest the "billboards" series, by "the street I take to work every day"?

[notme2000]

Damn you Spector, when are you going to read Flowers For Algernon!?!?

[SwedishFish]

textbooks :rolleyes:

when i get a spare minute, i'm reading lotr again. it makes me happy to escape into fantasy since all other reading is textbooks and journals (unless you count psych journals ;) :p)

[Circe]

"Contact" Carl Sagan

[Exilus]

- A series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room (Just finished!)
- A series of Unfortunate Events: The wide Window (Starting)

[whitewolf]

Currently reading:
1 American History text book (damn college)
2 Mythago Wood

I'm waiting for my friend to finish Neuromancer so that I could borrow it.

I wish it was possible to read all the good books. But such task can never be done.

[geodesic]

Skylark Three - E E 'Doc' Smith
Just bought this in a second hand bookstore.

[Fafnir665]

Quicksilver - Neal stephenson
Do andriods dream of electronic sheep - Philip K Dick
Pattern Recgonition - William Gibson

I just finished Neuromancer, and Idoru by gibson, and mr dick up there is listed as influences, along with gibson, for my favorite author, mr stephenson. So I'm in the process of reading every book by them, and others, including Pynchon. Those would be new books I've read though... I also in the same time period of reading those finished for the 3rd time gravity's rainbow, along with diamond age (stephenson) and im having a hard time convincing myself to read quicksilver all the way through (500 pages in, after 2 weeks [keep rading other books] its hard to get into) because its not his classic cyber punk feel, it bumps back to the early english era, 1600ish. Oddly enough, he now has fantasy in his novels ( :( ) because (for fans) enoch root is alive (the same as from his other novel cryptonomicon) in these books, and he makes a point of saying it is the SAME enoch, who "posesses an unusual longevity", which at this point in time is a fantasy. Boo, at least his other books have stayed in the realm of possibility.

[geodesic]

the early english era, 1600ish I personally would describe early English era as being 1066-1350. 1600s is Stuart era, between Tudor and Georgian

[top mosker]

The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell 1914-1944
His wartime letters are almost inspiring in these trying times...

[Fafnir665]

I personally would describe early English era as being 1066-1350. 1600s is Stuart era, between Tudor and Georgian
I guess if you want to be technical you could say that. Im not into history so much as i am electronics, and cyberpunk, which is the genre stephenson had been writing in up till this point. I used a gift cert to buy that book, and i will be damned if i dont read it. It kind of teaches me a lesson for buying a book because of the author, and not for the story. It does pick up after the first 400 pages... I think its exactly 1000, and this is volume one of 3

[gendanken]

Koestler's "Janus"

And Heilbroner's "Worldy Philsophers"- why?
Because I've always sucked at economics and this man is showing me that even stupid little girls (that failed accounting twice) can be the next Greenspan.

Last but not least- Dr. Phil's "How to Stop Eating and Stop the Madness, You Fat Untermenchen Gendanken"

[Spyke]

Decline And Fall Of The Ottoman Empire - Alan Palmer

[kevincme]

Walden

[slotty]

The Third Reich, by Michael Burleigh.
Viz issue 141
Connections by James Burke
Diamonds in the Sky. A social history of air travel, by Kenneth Hudson.

[spidergoat]

History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire
http://www.cca.org/cm/rome/

[Undecided]

I bought 6 books for my Christmas present...and I am currently reading

Middle East Illusions by Noam Chomsky.

It's pretty good...

[isis25]

i am reading a collection of short stories full of useless shit. also i am reading anna karenina. which i don't like much. but tolstoy is brilliant so im hoping some of it will rub off on me.

[certified psycho]

Hiroshima by John Hersey. Very nice book. Detailed alot.