BOOKS

[Smith]

HI I have had a Kindle for about 3 or 4 months and still have barely read anything on it. I was one of those kids that used to read a lot in his free time until he found the internet, and now, while I still enjoy reading, I just don't really know of any good books. Another reason I made this thread is that I can picture that some people here would appreciate a literature thread or something, but in reality I'm just hungry for some good titles.

I guess I'll kick off the discussion with the last two books I read. The first was Fight Club. I had never actually seen the movie so it was a really good read for me! It was obviously very dark but I really liked the idea of salvation through deconstruction, and now I'm THAT GUY who read the book but never saw the movie and claims that EVERYBODY has it all wrong. The second that I read was Three Bags Full, a book originally in German translated to English. The basic premise is it's almost a detective story, but the main characters are all SHEEP looking for their shepherd. It was actually really cute and also very fun to read, while still maintaining a level of seriousness and a look at "sheep culture" that really questioned some basic assumptions about human culture as well! Of course it was also just 8x more endearing because sheep are cute. This book WILL however prevent you from wanting to eat lamb chops.

Anyways post some of your favourite books, respond to others, etc., etc.

 

[Invective]

I've gotten into David Baldacci recently. I'm not sure what it is about his books, but I just love his characters. They're all well developed and have unique and interesting back-stories. My favorite series from him are the Oliver Stone/Camel Club series, mainly because of the characters. The way they interact just gets to me and I could seriously read the books all day. His other series that I really enjoy are the Sean King/Michelle Maxwell series. This one I enjoy because of, yet again, the characters. Taking two Secret Service Agents turned private detectives with one of them being a lawyer (which are two occupations that I feel would enjoy) just worked for me.

Another author I enjoy, who reminds me of Baldacci is Lee Childs. He focused his books more on the exploits on one person adn while I haven't gotten around to reading many of his books, I still enjoyed the ones that I did read.

And a friend of mine has just lent me a Vince Flynn novel and from what I have read so far, it is just as good.

 

[Aerodactyl Legend]

I just started reading one of his novels now, True Blue.

However, my favorite will always be John Grisham. A Time to Kill, The Firm, The Client, The Pelican Brief...damn, his books are good.

 

[MrIndigo]

I'm reading the new Pratchett (Snuff), but after that I don't know. I'm looking to get back into hard sci-fi after reading a few more ergodic or abstract books like David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest and Mark Z Danielewski's Only Revolutions[/c] and Haruki Murakami's The Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.

Banks is my favourite author, and is really underappreciated (especially in the US), I think, as sci-fi authors go. I'd be interested in finding similar stuff to him.

 

[Doomsday94]

I just started reading one of his novels now, True Blue.

I have read it, really good book. As Invective said, the characters work.

I've been reading several books lately, mostly for English Lit class. Train Spotting by Irvine Welsh is a good book, even if reading in a Glaswegian accent is hard at first. Really hard to say what makes it work so well, probably the fact it seems so plausible, and gives an insite into a world few of us will know.

However, the other book I have been reading for class is the Great Gatsby. I don't really understand how this book is praised so highly, it is really bland and predictable. Hopefully the other books I have to study will be a bit better.

I have also been rereading the Inheritance cycle by Christopher Paolini, in anticipation for the last book in the series. They are a series of fantasy adventure novels, and whilst the main character is a bit dull, I love the descriptions and the plot is never dull. Worth a read if you don't mind the size of the books!

 

[Nietzsche]

I started reading George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire books recently. Them's good readin'.

 

[xenu]

books yesssssss

i read sci-fi almost exclusively with a few exceptions. i recently begun reading Isaac Asimov's Foundation series and it is absolutely brilliant; i finished the first two books in little under a week and have since been searching for other good sci-fi. even though i don't have a kindle, i download and read ebooks of books that i'm unable to obtain the physical version of.

SO here are some of the books i've read recently (in no particular order):

this one's an SF classic and a genuinely riveting read. the conclusion is absolutely chilling and i'd recommend this even to a non science-fiction fan; it functions both as an entry-level book and an excellent read even for a seasoned SF reader. mine has a different cover but yeah

hahaha this is a great book. i downloaded the ebook since i couldn't find a physical copy anywhere but this is a funny, satirical and light read that imo everyone can enjoy.

regarded by many as the best scifi novel of all time, and is well deserving of that title. it actually consists of a few different, disconnected stories about the foundation, each set in different time periods. brilliant read, makes you think.

not as great as the first but pretty damn good nonetheless

(not sci-fi)

this is a good read but it's slow and so i put it down midway, might pick it up again and finish it later. it's pretty verbose and heavy so i wouldn't recommend it unless you like that sort of thing

another sci-fi classic, i'm sure most of you have read it. this was actually the book that got me into the genre. it's one of those books that leaves a lasting impression and makes you think even days after finishing it, so if you still haven't read 1984 go do so now


Here's a picture of my ebook library (big image):

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and here's a reading flowchart for fantasy and sci-fi readers

 

[CinnamonBunYogurt]

here's a reading flowchart for fantasy and sci-fi readers

Yes! Stranger in a Strange Land is on here! That book is my favorite by far. It's about Valentine Michael Smith, a man who was born and raised on Mars. He is taken to Earth and teaches his new friends how to grok and discover their inner potential, while also leaning how to be human. I highly recommend it.

 

[Alan]

I liked Harry Potter, they only took me like 2 hours average to watch.

 

[tofucocoa]

not sure why Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card) hasn't been mentioned; it's one of the best books I've ever read.

I just finished Genghis: Bones of the Hills. Fun backtrack through Genghis Khan's era, may not be easy on the stomach for people who can't stand blood or war-y stories.

 

[His Eminence Lord Poppington II]

what happened to my general literature thread ?.?

 

[West]

Art of War by Sun Tzu
48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Both excellent reads, both very helpful

 

[VKCA]

I haven't had to worry about book material for a while now as I've just been making my way through disk world for the past year or so.
Only other books I've read not written by terry pratchet (excluding good omens since that's sort of written by him) are stranger in a strange land and small is beautiful. Both are good, small is beautiful kind of ticked me off because it was so technophobic, but it was definitely interesting food for though. I've read a modest proposal since it was in the back of the copy of gulliver's travels that my parents got me a couple of christmases ago. Also funny.

 

[NatGeo]

I used to read Brian jacques like a madman, my God his books are amazing. I haven't gotten the time to open one of his books but w/e go read them sometime. Anyone who's read Redwall knows the feeling.

Also I'm having to read Amy Tan for an English assignment, it's a book called the Joy Luck Club - pretty good, had I not had to annotate the whole thing >_>

 

[monkfish]

this thread interests me as i am going away without regular internet access and although i have downloaded fuckloads of films i will prolly also want to read (and i can get a kindle) SO with that in mind i would like to read some "must-read" books so that a) i can look intellectual and b) i will enjoy them (i hope?)

 

[Darkamber8828]

I started reading George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire books recently. Them's good readin'.

this.

I read Ender's Game recently, and I don't understand the hype. It felt like I read the first half of a story that stretched for an entire book, and then

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there was literally a twisted ending that said "no, it's the end, surprise"

and then it was over.

Also I just finished Stephen King's Misery and damn that guy is awesome.

THAT GUY who read the book but never saw the movie

I must be the only person to read Jurassic Park in my entire generation.

 

[Snkz]

this thread interests me as i am going away without regular internet access and although i have downloaded fuckloads of films i will prolly also want to read (and i can get a kindle) SO with that in mind i would like to read some "must-read" books so that a) i can look intellectual and b) i will enjoy them (i hope?)

I only read for reason a) Its annoying being that dumb fuck that hasn't read through something before

 

[Fishy]

as avid of a reader that I was when I was younger, I haven't really read that many books outside of popular series (HARRY POTTER) or authors that I like, ie. DEAN KOONTZ

i want to say i haven't had the luxury of time spent reading, but it's really just that i have nothing to read! there are still some koontz books i could finish up, but none within my reach. all my books are back at my father's place, and i'm not too keen on running out and purchasing a bunch of novels at the moment. i would probably love a kindle/nook (which is better/what is the difference seriously??) but i'll make that purchase after i make a list of books i'd like to read, and will spend time reading.

 

[iDunno]

I hate ebooks and I also hate that printed books are ≥$20

You could always verse yourself in those boring books you've always read about in History Textbooks but never bothered to read lol. It's a good opportunity to look like a genius in front of your friends!

 

[Invective]

DEAN KOONTZ

Dean Koontz used to be an author i read a lot back in high school until i finally got weirded out by all the fucked up sexual tones/deviants that were present in about half his books. Some of his books were really good (the Odd Thomas and Frankenstein series) but then some of the times I just couldn't finish the books (that one book with the guy with 4 testicles who was born and raised by his hermaphroditic mother who fucked herself to become pregnant with him). That was the last chance I gave him with books that weren't a part of either the Frankenstein or Odd Thomas Series.
I did however, thoroughly enjoy the first 3 books of the Frankenstein. The plot takes a new twist to Frankenstein and his monsters and I really got into the characters, especially Jocko. I think we can all identify with Jocko on some level.

 

[Aerodactyl Legend]

I must be the only person to read Jurassic Park in my entire generation.

Jurassic Park's the shit. The first one's among my favorites.

 

[Feathers]

I used to read Brian jacques like a madman, my God his books are amazing. I haven't gotten the time to open one of his books but w/e go read them sometime. Anyone who's read Redwall knows the feeling.

This. Favorite childhood series. I was lucky enough to meet him before he passed away, and he was a really incredible person. I actually have a small collection of his books and I cleared the shelf of 20th anniversary editions when I went to London.

My all time favorite novel is Watership Down, which some of you may have been traumatized by as a child. I've done 4-5 essays/projects on it and I used to read it in between waiting for new releases.

I recently read all 12 books of Cherub over four days. Those books are super fun and full of kids being actual kids but also being secret agents (ei. calling each other dicks, doing drugs and thinking about boobs). Easy entertaining reads.

Right now I have ICO: Castle in the mist sitting on my table but I can't let myself read it until I've finished the game... I also really enjoyed Catcher in the Rye which is strange because school required me to read it and I usually don't like those books. Of course the usual classics, War of the Worlds, etc.

Hunger Games isn't bad until you realize the amount of mary-su/gary-stu going on.

 

[Bynine]

Reading the Book of Animal Ignorance, which is sure to make me that guy at the party who randomly brings up facts about bears, but it's really quite good. I've learned some interesting things, and the author presents it in a rather dryly-humored manner that makes it a joy to read.

 

[MrIndigo]

not sure why Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card) hasn't been mentioned; it's one of the best books I've ever read.

I just finished Genghis: Bones of the Hills. Fun backtrack through Genghis Khan's era, may not be easy on the stomach for people who can't stand blood or war-y stories.

Ender's Game is a really good gateway to hard scifi. It's good, but perhaps not as horizon-stretching or ingenious as other sci-fi books; but it's constructed in such a way that it's both enjoyable for adults and young readers (every selective-school kid I've ever known ADORES the book after they read it the first time).

For a more nuanced, but harder, SF with similar themes, I strongly recommend checking out The Player of Games by Iain M Banks. It's his second novel, but IMO his best, it is a really mind-blowing read.


@monkfish: Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace) - it's quite difficult, but it's rewarding to get through. DFW may be one of the best American authors in history. I'm not sure how ebooks handle endnotes, though, which may be a problem since there are about 400 of them.

I'd recommend Mark Z Danielewski's House of Leaves, but it doesn't work well in e-book format because it makes heavy use of formatting.

 

[VKCA]

i want to say i haven't had the luxury of time spent reading, but it's really just that i have nothing to read! there are still some koontz books i could finish up, but none within my reach. all my books are back at my father's place, and i'm not too keen on running out and purchasing a bunch of novels at the moment.

Libraries do exist.