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[Vinci]

Good to hear. I've just read the first few chapters, but I'm liking it so far.

Skip Matter, btw. It was a pretty weak book in the series.

 

[jon bones]

just finished this wonderful book:

about to start:

and then finally start:

 

[Guileless]

 

[BlueTsunami]

There are implications that

Spoiler

Eddie is a Cuthbert Twinner

.

Yeah, I didn't get that at first but definitely at some point King started to allude to it. In a way I prefer Cuthberts sense of humor though, its pure not bogged down by pop references and whatnot.

I definitely have to check out the comics then, if it follows the original groups travels.

 

[Doytch]

I don't know if anyone reads this thread or just posts, but I figured I'd ask here. Now that classes are out, I have time to read again (even if I'm on co-op). Now, I was at the bookstore today, and I was looking through some stuff, and I sort of got overwhelmed. I'm a huge fan of Slaughterhouse V and Catch-22, which are my favourite books along with 1984. That said, I've never read another book by Vonnegut or by Heller. They each had a lot of books there, and Amazon reviews haven't really helped since they're all around 4ish stars. I ended up getting World War Z, but which book by those two authors should I get after I finish reading WWZ?

 

[Cosmic Bus]

I haven't read any Heller, but to me, Cat's Cradle is THE Vonnegut novel.

 

[octopusman]

Finnaly that this nightmare of a spring semester is done I can focus back on some reading

Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre
The Wind Up bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Being a philosophy major I definitely plan on getting some more reading done this summer, taking the classes by itself just isn't enough.

 

[VistraNorrez]

Cat's Cradle is THE Vonnegut novel.

Also Slapstick, which I understand Vonnegut didn't think much of, but it is hilarious.

 

[Mike Works]

Hey guys, I'm looking for a recommendation. Here's my situation:

I'm leaving for a 2 month trip in 10 days. I'm still reading Altered Carbon, but will hopefully finish it by then. So I'm going to need at least one book for my trip. I'm really into Fiction, here's a list of some of my favorite stuff:

A Song of Ice and Fire, Grimus, Wicked, Altered Carbon, Ender's Game

So mainly creative stuff (though I kind of like it have a sense of being grounded... not really into fantasy or anything).

I was given The Road to read by a friend, so I might take that, but I was wondering if there was anything out there that you guys could recommend based on that list above?

 

[Mifune]

Mike, The Road is fantastic but you'll probably tear through it in a week at most. So you need something else.

I would give Snow Crash a try if you liked Altered Carbon. It's fun, fast, funny cyberpunk.

Some other random brilliant reads:

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Pretty much any of his novels are must reads, but this is his masterpiece. Details the history of two comic book creators in the first half of the twentieth century. God it sounds boring when I describe it like that but it's an amazing read, and Chabon can write a sentence like a motherfucker.

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem
A twentieth century detective novel where the detective has Tourette Syndrome. Mind-boggling wordplay in this one.

 

[afternoon delight]

hat said, I've never read another book by Vonnegut or by Heller. They each had a lot of books there, and Amazon reviews haven't really helped since they're all around 4ish stars. I ended up getting World War Z, but which book by those two authors should I get after I finish reading WWZ?

Sirens of Titan
Sirens of Titan
Sirens of Titan
Sirens of Titan

Cannot be said enough. If you're a fan of essays, Man Without a Country is a very

Spoiler

genius, insightful, disgustingly full of black-humor-saddening-truth

well written opinion collection by the distinctly humanistic author.

So mainly creative stuff (though I kind of like it have a sense of being grounded... not really into fantasy or anything).

I know it's recommended here a lot, but The Man in the High Castle is super-fucking-great alternative science fiction from Philip K. Dick. Have you read any Murakami? The Wind Up Bird Chronicle is long, well paced, intricate, and amazing.

 

[Verdre]

Finished Sphere by Michael Crichton and thought it was verging on horrible. One of the few cases where the movie was better than the book. (Though the movie wasn't exactly great.)

 

[Mifune]

Just finished:

Holy hell, Steve Erickson is a good writer. Imagine, if you will, an American outlaw becomes Hitler's personal writer of pornographic adventures, and alters the history of the world we know in the process. That's this book. It's alternate history ala The Man in the High Castle but even more trippy.


Starting:

I love me some Lethem.

 

[Tieno]

Recently finished this

Basically a history of science, of what we know and don't know. He also tells alot about the scientist themselves, often humorous, weird and quirky anecdotes. It's so awe-inspiring, humbling and incredible. I love the chapters on biology, species, origins of life and evolution. He ends on a rather sad, cruel note...yet at the same time wonderfully and fascinatingly beautiful: a chapter on extinct species.

Very well written and put together, with great wit.

Bryson describes graphically and in layman's terms the size of the universe, and that of atoms and subatomic particles. He then explores the history of geology and biology, and traces life from its first appearance to today's modern humans, placing emphasis on the development of the modern Homo sapiens. Furthermore, he discusses the possibility of the Earth being struck by a meteor, and reflects on human capabilities of spotting a meteor before it impacts the Earth, and the extensive damage that such an event would cause. He also focuses on some of the most recent destructive disasters of volcanic origin in the history of our planet, including Krakatoa and Yellowstone National Park. A large part of the book is devoted to relating humorous stories about the scientists behind the research and discoveries and their sometimes eccentric behaviours. Bryson also speaks about modern scientific views on human effects on the Earth's climate and livelihood of other species, and the magnitude of natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and the mass extinctions caused by some of these events.
An illustrated edition of the book was released in November 2005

If this book has a lesson, it is that we are awfully lucky to be here—and by “we” I mean every living thing. To attain any kind of life in this universe of ours appears to be quite an achievement. As humans we are doubly lucky, of course: We enjoy not only the privilege of existence but also the singular ability to appreciate it and even, in a multitude of ways, to make it better. It is a talent we have only barely begun to grasp.
We have arrived at this position of eminence in a stunningly short time. Behaviorally modern human beings—that is, people who can speak and make art and organize complex activities—have existed for only about 0.0001 percent of Earth’s history. But surviving for even that little while has required a nearly endless string of good fortune.
We really are at the beginning of it all. The trick, of course, is to make sure we never find the end. And that, almost certainly, will require a good deal more than lucky breaks.

 

[MaizeRage25]

For pleasure:

For school:

 

[Fatalah]

 

[Future PhaZe]

Just finished the Night Angel series and this showed up today!!!!

Going to dive in tonight

oh shit you've gotta tell me how it is :O

 

[Bulla564]

Reads more like a research paper, and turns into a "look how many people I can quote", but in the end it invites to rebel against external factors which lead to anxiety, as a way of discovering yourself and being happy with yourself. Written in the 50's, it still applies today, and after reading it, I'm surprised to see so many movies/stories have this message in their core.

I guess the author was onto something.

 

[nyong]

I started reading The Road and I've gotta say, I am not a fan of a his prose.



"He pulled the blue plastic tarp off of him and folded it and carried it out to the grocery cart and packed it and came back with their plates and some cornmeal cakes in a plastic bag and a plastic bottle of syrup."

 

[ultron87]

Skip Matter, btw. It was a pretty weak book in the series.

I didn't mind Matter. The ending is a bit rushed, but the Shellworld and the structure of the society across its various level is really entertaining to learn about.

Most people seem to really like Consider Phlebas but I haven't been interested enough to read the last 3 or so chapters I have left in it. The backdrop of the war is interesting, but the characters themselves seem kind of blah.

Excession is easily my favorite Culture book. Are there any others that deal so heavily with the Minds and Ships?

 

[dragonlife]

Thanks to last month's thread, I believe, I bought:

I also bought the second, in case I liked it...which I'm unsure about upon reaching chapter 5. Hopefully it picks up.

I also bought A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings.

 

[Narag]

Thanks to last month's thread, I believe, I bought:



I also bought the second, in case I liked it...which I'm unsure about upon reaching chapter 5. Hopefully it picks up.

I also bought A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings.

I picked up Way of Shadows myself and despite a slow start its really grown on me.

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Starting: [The Fortress of Solitude]

I love me some Lethem.

Have you read You Don't Love Me Yet? That'll test your "love" of Lethem. I still think the man is one of the great American writers, but Christ, I wanted to throw that one right in the trash.

 

[Blackace]

oh shit you've gotta tell me how it is :O

Been trying to savor it. But damn it is good... on the cover flap they tease you about a barbian who wants to become a better man (as one of the main characters of the book) it is someone from the last series but not who you think..

it was great that he placed it in the world he made and it is like an old shoe.. I wish more writers would do this..

 

[Burger]

Hey guys, I'm looking for a recommendation. Here's my situation:

I'm leaving for a 2 month trip in 10 days. I'm still reading Altered Carbon, but will hopefully finish it by then. So I'm going to need at least one book for my trip. I'm really into Fiction, here's a list of some of my favorite stuff:

Get the other 2 Takeshi Kovacs books by Richard Morgan (Woken Furies, Broken Angels), I loved Altered Carbon, and loved the other 2 just as much. Don't get Black Man (Thirteen in the US I think), it's pretty average.

 

[Burger]

I didn't mind Matter. The ending is a bit rushed, but the Shellworld and the structure of the society across its various level is really entertaining to learn about.

Most people seem to really like Consider Phlebas but I haven't been interested enough to read the last 3 or so chapters I have left in it. The backdrop of the war is interesting, but the characters themselves seem kind of blah.

Excession is easily my favorite Culture book. Are there any others that deal so heavily with the Minds and Ships?

What's the opinion on The Algebraist ? I'm 1/3rd through it and it's boring as shit. I enjoyed Consider/Use of Weapons/Player of Games.

 

[Acid08]

 

[Mifune]

Have you read You Don't Love Me Yet? That'll test your "love" of Lethem. I still think the man is one of the great American writers, but Christ, I wanted to throw that one right in the trash.

Thankfully, I have not. I'll read Girl in Landscape and Gun, with Occasional Music before I get to that one, so I will hopefully have a big stockpile of love by then.

His next book, Chronic City, sounds interesting though.

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Yeah, I'm hoping Chronic City can be a return to his usual excellence. I really want a new short story/essay collection sometime, too; the ones he's released so far have been fantastic.

 

[dragonlife]

I picked up Way of Shadows myself and despite a slow start its really grown on me.

Yeah, it's growing on me as well! I just reached chapter 13 and I must say that it's a simple and entertaining read--I like it a lot.

 

[Eggo]

Currently reading this...

 

[Ravager61]

I like it a lot so far. Really creepy vibe to it.

 

[dragonlife]

I like it a lot so far. Really creepy vibe to it.

Ooooh...that's my type of vibe! Would you mind elaborating? I'm genuinely interested...

EDIT: Just read up on it. I think I found my next book...thanks!

 

[Tashi]

Despite the horrible cover, a really great book. After having read this I was really sad to see Bungie taking Halo in pretty much a completely opposite direction. The book's story and tone were so much better.

I'm about halfway through and I'm really loving it so far. I hope Halo: Reach touches on the stories in this book and also adds new stuff.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

Life of Arthur Schopenhauer by William Wallace. Really great, but I guess you would have to be...into German philosophers.

King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard. I really like these older adventure yarns. Very Indiana Jones. A racially insensitive Indiana Jones, to be sure. Still, this must be the equivalent of a 19th century kids book and it assumes a baseline intelligence above most popular genre fiction.

The Flight of Peter Fromm by Martin Gardner. Gardner is a well known skeptic and logic puzzler, but he's also a Fideist. This is the only fiction he's written and I think it might be slightly autobiographical about how he left a more traditional Christian orthodoxy.

 

[Big-E]

Currently reading You Gotta Have Wa by Robert Whiting. Really great read so far and fascinating just how two sports can develop when they are each isolated from one another.

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

I am about a third of the way through and the scope of this book (and series i assume) has blown the fuck up. Very entertaining.

 

[Blackace]

I am about a third of the way through and the scope of this book (and series i assume) has blown the fuck up. Very entertaining.

Book 2 is little slow, but book 3 is great

only problem I have is

Spoiler

characters ideas and actions seem very year 2000 to me maybe it is how they speak as well...

but besides that minor thing I really enjoyed the whole series..

 

[Blackface]

Possibly my favorite fantasy book ever, at least in the last few decades. Honestly can't wait for the second one. In my honest opinion, it is superior to a Song of Ice and fire. It's very different though.

 

[oatmeal]

Just finished Watchmen, am now reading the first book in my brothers second fantasy trilogy.

This one titled The Guards of the Rim.

 

[Ravager61]

Possibly my favorite fantasy book ever, at least in the last few decades. Honestly can't wait for the second one. In my honest opinion, it is superior to a Song of Ice and fire. It's very different though.

I just finished this a week or so ago and really loved it. I wasn't as engrossed by it as I was with ASoIaF but it was still very awesome.

 

[Fafnir]

The Night Angel trilogy is pretty good, one bit of cheesiness in the 2nd book when

Spoiler

Kylar faces the Godking, but is quickly laughed off

. I liked the use of magic and teh cool magic weapons.

Finished the "The Name of the Wind" couple weeks ago. I didn't know anything about it, just glanced at some NeoGAF recommendations for it and thought it was a single book until half way through thinking that there was not enough time for another 2 days in the book, then realized..."DAMN! suckered into another trilogy!" =/

Just finished "Assassin's Apprentice", not sure if I want to start "Royal Assassin" as I have other books I want to finish before finishing up the trilogy and then starting on the other trilogy that connects to it. At least these series are finished...

Trying to finish Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book" during lunches. After reading so much sword & sorcery it's hard to get into a book set in "modern" times.

Coworker saw me reading a bunch of assassin books so he let me borrow "Roadmarks". He said it was a standalone book about 10 assassin's after some dude on the highway of time.

 

[Blackface]

I just finished this a week or so ago and really loved it. I wasn't as engrossed by it as I was with ASoIaF but it was still very awesome.

I am the opposite. I was engrossed by the story of "In the name of the wind", and feel his writing was masterful. Although the book dragged on slightly toward the end.

With A song of ice and fire (and I have only read the first book) Martin's writing, especially anything sexually related, is extremely akward and pretentious. The book is heavily inflated, sometimes you can skip 3 pages or so, and it does not impact the story, or rob you of anything. It's almost like he wanted his book to be a doorstop, and just wrote in a bunch of meaningless filler.

Spoiler

Like using an entire chapter to explain all the roof's Bran ran across and every single thing he has ever climbed

I like both though, and maybe my opinion will change when I read the rest of a song of ice and fire.

 

[iamcool388]

I read this every once in a while for reasons which shall remain unenumerated.

 

[Yo. Check It]

Just got back into reading fiction recently. I have to say, really loving this book so far.

 

[Night_Trekker]

I just finished:

I'm about to start on No Country for Old Men.

 

[Keen]

Halfway thru:

Really good so far, and seems like a return to form. While the last few books were good, they weren't great like those preceding, and including, the Black Angel. Not too much action so far, but it has a great "feel" to it.

 

[Salazar]

The second volume of Richard Holmes' biography of Coleridge. 'Darker Reflections'. It's terribly good: full of stunning quotations from STC, and stuffed with Holmes' own creditably poetic writing.

 

[Cdammen]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/410191RD07L._SS500_.jpg

I like it a lot so far. Really creepy vibe to it.

I might have found my next book. Is it written as a diary/journal, non-fiction with lots of facts or is it classic storytelling?

I'm reading The Prospector by J.M.G. Le Clézio and it's really dragging.

I dunno, maybe I just dislike books that progress slowly. Even though I don't like it I can say that it's very well written and colorfully descriptive, almost like reading an exotic travel journal. I'll stick with it, it might pick up some speed.

 

[abstract alien]

Loving every moment of it. A great read, right from the first page...