books to read? (aka what's your favorite book?)
07-04-04, 04:51 PM
#27
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Originally posted by Scarecrow
Washington's Crossing can be had for about $25 new or $10 used from Amazon.
Washington's Crossing can be had for about $25 new or $10 used from Amazon.
07-08-04, 01:38 AM
#29
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Since you still got a couple of weeks...
Robert Asprin - MYTH series - light fun fantasy, only think I've really reread that wasn't directly related to school.
Crista Wolf - Cassandra - retelling of beginnings of the Trojan War related through the eyes of Cassandra, interesting read for me at the very least.
Stephen King - 4 past midnight and different seasons - 4 past = quick reading of horror stories without the dragging parts in some of his books, different seasons = shows him doing stuff other than just fantasy (plus 3 out of 4 got made into movies.)
Batman: DArk Knight Returns TPB - can't really say, but I liked it =)
o ya, the George RR Martin fantasy recommended and Candide by Voltaire was pretty good too.
Robert Asprin - MYTH series - light fun fantasy, only think I've really reread that wasn't directly related to school.
Crista Wolf - Cassandra - retelling of beginnings of the Trojan War related through the eyes of Cassandra, interesting read for me at the very least.
Stephen King - 4 past midnight and different seasons - 4 past = quick reading of horror stories without the dragging parts in some of his books, different seasons = shows him doing stuff other than just fantasy (plus 3 out of 4 got made into movies.)
Batman: DArk Knight Returns TPB - can't really say, but I liked it =)
o ya, the George RR Martin fantasy recommended and Candide by Voltaire was pretty good too.
07-08-04, 01:48 AM
#30
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Can i add Eyes of the Dragon to the Stephen King recommendation. Liked it because it was set in a fantasy setting, and also, it has the main bad guy from his Dark Tower series in it.
07-11-04, 02:00 PM
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For Civil War related reading, "Battle Cry of Freedom" and "The Killer Angels"(I hear the follow ups by the author's son are good too)
Two epic length books that really moved me when I read them many years ago were "Hanta Yo" and "Papillon" and I don't think I've ever seen them on these types of favorite lists, so I thought I'd throw them in.
For fun and adventurous reads, I recommend Wilbur Smith, Stephen Hunter, Greg Bear, Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston, Robert McCammon, Gary Jennings, and Lee Child.
Two epic length books that really moved me when I read them many years ago were "Hanta Yo" and "Papillon" and I don't think I've ever seen them on these types of favorite lists, so I thought I'd throw them in.
For fun and adventurous reads, I recommend Wilbur Smith, Stephen Hunter, Greg Bear, Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston, Robert McCammon, Gary Jennings, and Lee Child.
07-11-04, 02:24 PM
#32
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I highly recommend the Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies, specifically Fifth Business which is the first novel. Each novel stands on its own (and can be read in any order), but they all have strong inter-connecting storylines which do a great job of fleshing out the whole picture. It is also one of the few books that I try to go back and read every few years.
Red Dragon is Thomas Harris' best novel, though I have yet to read Black Sunday. While I may claim Fifth Business is my all-time favorite novel, I think I've read Red Dragon more times.
I also enjoyed the first two or three parts of Kavalier and Clay, but have yet to finish the entire novel. I definitely need to pick this up again.
Originally posted by rfduncan
Also try some Thomas Harris - Red Dragon & Silence of the Lambs
I'm currently enjoying Michael Chabon's (Wonder Boys) The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay which is also pretty darn great!
Also try some Thomas Harris - Red Dragon & Silence of the Lambs
I'm currently enjoying Michael Chabon's (Wonder Boys) The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay which is also pretty darn great!
I also enjoyed the first two or three parts of Kavalier and Clay, but have yet to finish the entire novel. I definitely need to pick this up again.
08-09-04, 02:39 PM
#34
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Probably too late... but what the heck...
For the Bible, just pick a modern translation like the NIV. It's written in a very easy to understand modern US English.
Other recommendations:
I recommend Dan Simmons work. Also, I can second the McGammon's recommendations above. I also recommend the works of Umberto Echo, though they are not often easy reads.
History is a tough genre. If you want some alternative history, try Harry Turtledove, though it may have less impact on one who doesn't have a great grasp of the actual course of history. Still, his writings do tend to highlight the themes of modern history as viewed in a world quite different from our own. I find it interesting how far you can bend actual history and reshape it based on common characteristics and traits found in most modern societies.
For the Bible, just pick a modern translation like the NIV. It's written in a very easy to understand modern US English.
Other recommendations:
I recommend Dan Simmons work. Also, I can second the McGammon's recommendations above. I also recommend the works of Umberto Echo, though they are not often easy reads.
History is a tough genre. If you want some alternative history, try Harry Turtledove, though it may have less impact on one who doesn't have a great grasp of the actual course of history. Still, his writings do tend to highlight the themes of modern history as viewed in a world quite different from our own. I find it interesting how far you can bend actual history and reshape it based on common characteristics and traits found in most modern societies.
08-11-04, 01:37 AM
#35
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I am sure you have read these as all of them are popular, but they are my favorites.
The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
Tragic, yet beautiful book. One of the only novels that I actually liked in high school.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
I have always loved this book since I was a child. Funny and off the wall. Out of all of my books, this is the one I have come back to time and time again.
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Excellent novel that makes me laugh and shudder at the same time.
Tropic of Cancer/Tropic of Capricorn - Henry Miller
Miller is excellent. I would have loved to sit down with him and chew the fat about these two wonderful "novels".
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
The film is excellent. The novel is much better.
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
A very funny novel.
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
Classic. That's all that needs to be said.
The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
Tragic, yet beautiful book. One of the only novels that I actually liked in high school.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
I have always loved this book since I was a child. Funny and off the wall. Out of all of my books, this is the one I have come back to time and time again.
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Excellent novel that makes me laugh and shudder at the same time.
Tropic of Cancer/Tropic of Capricorn - Henry Miller
Miller is excellent. I would have loved to sit down with him and chew the fat about these two wonderful "novels".
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
The film is excellent. The novel is much better.
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
A very funny novel.
The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
Classic. That's all that needs to be said.
03-25-05, 12:46 PM
#36
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Stop-Time by Frank Conroy. IMHO, the best book ever. It's an autobiography, to boot.
Virtually anything by Stephen huneter, esp. Dirty White Boys or Point of Impact.
The Patrick O'Brien series, esp. Master and Commander.
I would also check out the book Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyageby Alfred Lansing. Great read
Virtually anything by Stephen huneter, esp. Dirty White Boys or Point of Impact.
The Patrick O'Brien series, esp. Master and Commander.
I would also check out the book Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyageby Alfred Lansing. Great read
04-16-05, 12:14 PM
#38
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Ohmigod, some of my favorites are on your lists. 
Way cool.
Civil War readers might also like Don Robertson's books -- they're out of print but secondhand copies are out there.
Paradise Falls (post-war, follows some of the characters), The River and the Wilderness, By Antietam Creek, The Three Days. Robertson's books are from the ordinary soldier's point of view, no romanticizing or sentimentality.
Robertson also wrote what IMHO is the Great American Novel -- The Ideal Genuine Man. That one's a bit easier to find, because Stephen King liked it so much he published it himself.
Way cool.Civil War readers might also like Don Robertson's books -- they're out of print but secondhand copies are out there.
Paradise Falls (post-war, follows some of the characters), The River and the Wilderness, By Antietam Creek, The Three Days. Robertson's books are from the ordinary soldier's point of view, no romanticizing or sentimentality.
Robertson also wrote what IMHO is the Great American Novel -- The Ideal Genuine Man. That one's a bit easier to find, because Stephen King liked it so much he published it himself.
04-19-05, 11:20 AM
#40
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Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, by Michael Chabon
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said and A Scanner Darkly, by Philip K. Dick
The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way, by Bill Bryson
Franny and Zooey, by J.D. Salinger
The Beautiful and the Damned, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Into the Wild and Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer
Salt: A World History, by Mark Kurlansky
are all favorites of mine. If you read Under the Banner of Heaven, make sure to have a copy of The Book of Mormon to enhance your experience/understanding of the subject. The Book of Mormon is actually a really fascinating read.
cheers,
-the Jesus
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, by Michael Chabon
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said and A Scanner Darkly, by Philip K. Dick
The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way, by Bill Bryson
Franny and Zooey, by J.D. Salinger
The Beautiful and the Damned, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Into the Wild and Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer
Salt: A World History, by Mark Kurlansky
are all favorites of mine. If you read Under the Banner of Heaven, make sure to have a copy of The Book of Mormon to enhance your experience/understanding of the subject. The Book of Mormon is actually a really fascinating read.
cheers,
-the Jesus
04-19-05, 11:35 AM
#41
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Originally Posted by Scarecrow
By far the best fiction I've read in quite a while would be the Song of Fire & Ice series books by George RR Martin. These books have the best-developed characters & don't fall into the usual things that hurt fantasy titles. Although it's technically fantasy it's really more like historical fiction set in some far off land. Also Martin has no real "pet" characters which makes the books that much more interesting.
My current favorite, though, is A Tale of the Malazon Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson. Try The Gardens of the Moon. The series (about 5 books and 2 novellas so far) are available out of the states, I think only the first one (Gardens) is readily available in the US. So, if you liked the first one, when you leave again you should be able to pick up the rest.
04-24-05, 11:56 AM
#42
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Some of my favorites
Life of Pi- Yann Martel
Memoirs of a Geisha: A novel- Arthur Golden
The Bonesetter's Daughter- Amy Tan
Balzac and the little Chinese Seamstress: a novel- Dai Sijie
Daughter of Fortune: a novel- Isabel Allende
Angry Housewives eating bon bons by Lorna Landvik
Life of Pi- Yann Martel
Memoirs of a Geisha: A novel- Arthur Golden
The Bonesetter's Daughter- Amy Tan
Balzac and the little Chinese Seamstress: a novel- Dai Sijie
Daughter of Fortune: a novel- Isabel Allende
Angry Housewives eating bon bons by Lorna Landvik
04-24-05, 09:48 PM
#43
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I've been reading a lot of Roald Dahl recently and it's great!
His autobiography, Going Solo, is amazing. It's about his exploits as a World War 2 flying ace. I still want to read the book about his childhood, Boy.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is also fantastic!
(and it looks like Wes Anderson is doing a movie of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, also by Roald Dahl, but I haven't read that either)
I just finished Esio Trot and am reading Danny, Champion of the World.
Oh yeah, one more vote for Watership Down. I think that's the only book I ever read in one day, because it was so good.
His autobiography, Going Solo, is amazing. It's about his exploits as a World War 2 flying ace. I still want to read the book about his childhood, Boy.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is also fantastic!
(and it looks like Wes Anderson is doing a movie of The Fantastic Mr. Fox, also by Roald Dahl, but I haven't read that either)
I just finished Esio Trot and am reading Danny, Champion of the World.
Oh yeah, one more vote for Watership Down. I think that's the only book I ever read in one day, because it was so good.
