Shrek
Having a great season
I just saw this at the book store yesterday. I thought it looked interesting. Thanks for the review.
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Whatcha readin now? (book, books, reading, read) (7 Viewers)
- Thread starter shuke
- Start date
Sabertooth
Footballguy
Yes, Sunrise. I think this is the first book in a second series. My brother got it for me for Christmas. Looks like there are some preceding books as well. I'll do some research on it later because he's solid. I'd like to start at the beginning of the series after finishing this book.ETA: Looks like the Willamette trilogy came before this. This series is called The Change. Looks like there are two novels out now, with a third to follow.Just looked this up. I'm assuming you're talking about The Sunrise Lands? This looks like a series. How many books are in it?
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shining path
:prettyplease:
I'm on a huge Stephenson kick right now. Just starting the third book of his Baroque Cycle trilogy, which I cannot recommend enough - just an incredible series. He wrote the original draft longhand. Each book is about 1000 printed pages long.I also just finished Snow Crash, which I thought was brilliant and very flawed. I've got Diamond Age and Cryptonomicon lined up after that.
You will dig The Diamond Age and Cryptonomicon. Both are excellent.
the rover
Footballguy
Since my marriage imploded over Christmas I've been reading a ton. Just finished Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill (Stephen King's son). Pretty good horror novel.
Also really enjoyed Nick Harkaway's The Gone Away World. Post-apocalyptic fiction with an original story and a good sense of humor.
Also read the Eragon series (meh), Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys (slightly better than meh), and Mark Haskell Smith's Delicious and Salty. Kind of a Carl Hiaasen/Elmore Leonard type of thing. Nothing special, but decent if you like that genre. Bunch of other forgettable stuff, too (Charlie Huston's The Shotgun Rule sucks. He should stick to vampire detective stories). Working on World War Z right now.
Also really enjoyed Nick Harkaway's The Gone Away World. Post-apocalyptic fiction with an original story and a good sense of humor.
Also read the Eragon series (meh), Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys (slightly better than meh), and Mark Haskell Smith's Delicious and Salty. Kind of a Carl Hiaasen/Elmore Leonard type of thing. Nothing special, but decent if you like that genre. Bunch of other forgettable stuff, too (Charlie Huston's The Shotgun Rule sucks. He should stick to vampire detective stories). Working on World War Z right now.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Wow, couldn't put this down. Very powerful. Storyline seemed so simple, yet I don't think I've ever cared more about characters in a novel.10/10Finished reading this on a plane tonight and started crying, wanted to hug my son.
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shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Next up: Wormwood by Poppy Z Brite. Short story collection, I picked this up ages ago but never got around to reading it.
facook
Footballguy
Wow. I came in to post that I'd given up on it 200 pages in. Just never was interesting to me...a story that required me to learn a foreign language about characters and a world I never cared about. Happy for you that you're into it; just not my thing.
oso diablo
Footballguy
Godly Republic - A Centrist Blueprint for America's Faith-Based Future, by John J. DiIulio, Jr.
Sundays Rule
Footballguy
Not really a big King fan but I really enjoyed Salem's Lot, a great vampire tale.
roadkill1292
Footballguy
A recommendation from Maurile led me to Traffic (Why we drive the way we do). Pretty interesting stuff so far. Punctures a lot of assumptions that nearly every driver makes with lots of evidence to back it up.
Hawk Fan
Footballguy
Can't go wrong with the early stuff. I'd rank them off the top of my head:1. The Shining
2. The Dead Zone
3. The Stand
4. Pet Semetary
5. Misery
6. It
7. Carrie
8. Salem's Lot
Currently reading The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester, winner of the first Hugo Award in 1953. Good so far. I was a big fan of Bester's The Stars My Destination.
D_House
Footballguy
Thanks. I just downloaded a free ebook version of The Stand. Hopefully it's as good as Pet Semetary.
Shrek
Having a great season
Hopefully you got the complete and uncut version. Either way, you're pretty much going right for the jugular when it comes to King IMO. The Stand is probably his best stand alone novel (It and The Shining are right up there too). But if you really enjoy King after a few books, nothing beats the Dark Tower series, especially the early books.
piratemike
HARRRRRLite™
Lolita
Chiwawa
Footballguy
The Power of the Platform is a book on success, with each chapter written by a different author.
Some of the authors:
Brian Tracy
Jack Canfield
Les Brown
Stormie Andrews
Stormie is a close friend of mine and sent me a copy. Great book!
Some of the authors:
Brian Tracy
Jack Canfield
Les Brown
Stormie Andrews
Stormie is a close friend of mine and sent me a copy. Great book!
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maxwelledison
Footballguy
Creasy's The 15 Decisive Battles of the Western World.
Great if you like Military History.
Great if you like Military History.
the rover
Footballguy
Just picked up Babylon by Bus after listening to an interview with the authors on NPR.
Two guys pay their own way to Iraq, without any permission, governmental ties or jobs. They end up landing relatively important positions with the Coalition Provisional Authority without any experience, all the while ignoring the rules and spending as much time as possible outside of the Green Zone. And they do the whole thing drunk and on liquid valium, which is freely available without a prescription.
Two guys pay their own way to Iraq, without any permission, governmental ties or jobs. They end up landing relatively important positions with the Coalition Provisional Authority without any experience, all the while ignoring the rules and spending as much time as possible outside of the Green Zone. And they do the whole thing drunk and on liquid valium, which is freely available without a prescription.
pantagrapher
Footballguy
Sundays Rule
Footballguy
Gardens of the Moon Steven Erikson
Just finished Cook's Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Confidential...0263&sr=8-1 Mixed feelings on it. He's a gifted writer and easily brings the reader in. The super macho style is kind of lame though. But definitely interesting.
J
J
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nephilim
Footballguy
the start of a GREAT series. he has seven more in print - most 800-1000 pages long. it is great the way he ties everything together. something you consider a throw off in one book shows up as a main theme in a later book. everytime i get a new book, i start reading the series at book one.
Kruppe
Footballguy
Stephenson is one of the best. You probably already know but Cryptonomicon is loosely related to The Baroque Cycle.
piratemike
HARRRRRLite™
I actually just finished this yesterday. It was the second time I've attempted to read it--the first time I got about one-quarter through and just couldn't keep going. This time around it took me about 3 weeks to get all the way through. It's a very dense, challenging read IMO. Challenging in that it's verbose, layered, and the subject matter can be difficult at times to deal with. That said, it was an extremely enjoyable read. Nabokov is a master of language, and Humbert Humbert is a truly amazing character. The prose flows brilliantly. The book is equal turns hilarious, gripping, and grotesque. Lolita is probably the greatest piece of literature I've ever read, and I'm glad that I took the time to get through it.One of the hardest parts about reading this book is that I felt like a pervert wherever I took it. Work, on the bus, wherever. I actually got stuck sitting next to a 7 year-old girl and her father on a four-hour flight from San Diego to Minneapoils while reading the book, and I kept thinking the whole time he was going to reach over and punch me in the face. That's interesting to me though--the idea of literature as powerful or dangerous. I've never felt weirder carrying a book around than I did with this one. Maybe Mein Kampf is another that could create this feeling, either in the reader or in those observing the reader. Just a thought.
nephilim
Footballguy
kruppe - a round little man... i presume you know that kruppe is a major character in erikson's novels.... why choose that particular character?
Kruppe
Footballguy
Great book. One of those books that kept me up til 3am because I didn't realize I had been reading so long. As soon as I finished it I had to find out what else of his I could read. Checked out his website. The good news: this is the first in his Millenium series. The bad news: he died in Nov/04 while writing the 4th. RIP to a great writer.
Kruppe
Footballguy
Not really a major character as far as face time but he certainly makes an impression in his limited appearances. I love the genre but I am finding it harder to find good fantasy. Erikson is one of the few I really enjoy.
nephilim
Footballguy
limited time, major impact (as well as massive intellect... ;-) ). erikson has pretty much ruined me for sci-fantasy - no one else writes as well or with such expanse. i've also run the gamut on military scifi - weber/ringo/taylor/deitz/drake just don't put them out fast enough. i picked up 'toll the hounds' in september and still haven't read it - i know when i finish it will be awhile before the next volume come out... though i may start it tonight... have you read c. j. cherryh's 'the dreaming tree' ( a combination of the dreamstone and the tree of swords and jewels). not a series per se but a fine example of sci-fantasy.
something else to try is greg bear's 'songs of earth and power' - different but an excellent example of the genre. plus, both are 400+ and 700 pages long respectively- always a bonus...
Kendall
I heart waffles
I just finished Thunder Run by David Zucchino. It was about the American Armored strike force that captured Baghdad. It was a good and realitively quick read. I'm not the biggest war story person, but I found both this book and Generation Kill to be extremely worthwhile.
shining path
:prettyplease:
Yeah, The Stand is his magnum opus. By far his best book IMO.
Reg Lllama of Brixton
Footballguy
Just finished "Captain Alatriste" by some Mexican dude. Good read. Going to see if I can find the rest of the series.
Jethro Q. Walrustitty
Footballguy
Finished American Pastoral by Philip Roth (Portnoy's Complaint, Human Stain). Excellent book. Roth working his way up my list of favorite authors.
About mid-way through World Made By Hand by James Howard Kunstler. It's....okay.
About mid-way through World Made By Hand by James Howard Kunstler. It's....okay.
pantagrapher
Footballguy
You should really read Pale Fire, if you haven't already. It's Nabokov at the top of his game, and I find it even more fulfilling than Lolita. Like Lolita, you'll be sitting around thinking about Pale Fire for months afterward, maybe years. And you'll definitely want to read it repeatedly.piratemike said:I actually just finished this yesterday. It was the second time I've attempted to read it--the first time I got about one-quarter through and just couldn't keep going. This time around it took me about 3 weeks to get all the way through. It's a very dense, challenging read IMO. Challenging in that it's verbose, layered, and the subject matter can be difficult at times to deal with. That said, it was an extremely enjoyable read. Nabokov is a master of language, and Humbert Humbert is a truly amazing character. The prose flows brilliantly. The book is equal turns hilarious, gripping, and grotesque. Lolita is probably the greatest piece of literature I've ever read, and I'm glad that I took the time to get through it.One of the hardest parts about reading this book is that I felt like a pervert wherever I took it. Work, on the bus, wherever. I actually got stuck sitting next to a 7 year-old girl and her father on a four-hour flight from San Diego to Minneapoils while reading the book, and I kept thinking the whole time he was going to reach over and punch me in the face. That's interesting to me though--the idea of literature as powerful or dangerous. I've never felt weirder carrying a book around than I did with this one. Maybe Mein Kampf is another that could create this feeling, either in the reader or in those observing the reader. Just a thought.pantagrapher said:
Socrates11
Footballguy
Just finished Stephen King's latest, Just After Sunset:Stories. Not bad, but not as good as some of his other short story collections like Skeleton Crew. A few really good stories, a few pretty good, and some meh. Worth a read though, especially the one about the guy who was supposed to be working in the World Trade Centers on 9/11 but called in sick instead.
3/5
3/5
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Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
That's about how I felt about it, too - worth it for King fans. I took this one, along with Joe Hill's collection - 20th Century Ghosts - on vacation last month. I have to say I liked Hill's book better. There are a couple of stories in there that are among the best & most disturbing I've ever read.
piratemike
HARRRRRLite™
Thanks for the tip. The only reason I got back into Lolita in the first place is because I randomly picked up his autobiography Speak, Memory. Have you read it? His account of himself as a four-year old displaying awareness for the first time is phenomenal. The way he writes just really grabs me. So that made me want to go back and see what all the fuss was about.You should really read Pale Fire, if you haven't already. It's Nabokov at the top of his game, and I find it even more fulfilling than Lolita. Like Lolita, you'll be sitting around thinking about Pale Fire for months afterward, maybe years. And you'll definitely want to read it repeatedly.piratemike said:I actually just finished this yesterday. It was the second time I've attempted to read it--the first time I got about one-quarter through and just couldn't keep going. This time around it took me about 3 weeks to get all the way through. It's a very dense, challenging read IMO. Challenging in that it's verbose, layered, and the subject matter can be difficult at times to deal with. That said, it was an extremely enjoyable read. Nabokov is a master of language, and Humbert Humbert is a truly amazing character. The prose flows brilliantly. The book is equal turns hilarious, gripping, and grotesque. Lolita is probably the greatest piece of literature I've ever read, and I'm glad that I took the time to get through it.One of the hardest parts about reading this book is that I felt like a pervert wherever I took it. Work, on the bus, wherever. I actually got stuck sitting next to a 7 year-old girl and her father on a four-hour flight from San Diego to Minneapoils while reading the book, and I kept thinking the whole time he was going to reach over and punch me in the face. That's interesting to me though--the idea of literature as powerful or dangerous. I've never felt weirder carrying a book around than I did with this one. Maybe Mein Kampf is another that could create this feeling, either in the reader or in those observing the reader. Just a thought.pantagrapher said:
facook
Footballguy
Checked out Gone-Away World after seeing rover's post here. REALLY enjoying this book.Harkaway kind of reminds me of Neal Stephenson in Baroque/Cryptonomicon when he's having fun. Very talented writer, and very entertaining style. Highly recommended.
the rover
Footballguy
One of my favorite books of the past few years.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
This sucked. 1, maybe 2 decent stories. 3/10.Next up: Mockingbird by Walter Tevis
"Set in a far future in which robots run a world with a small and declining human population"
Gigantomachia
Footballguy
Guns, Germs, and Steel.
Not bad. Few too many historical oversights for my taste, but worth the few days it will take to read it.
Not bad. Few too many historical oversights for my taste, but worth the few days it will take to read it.
Read this in a day... and keep in mind this was the first book I've read in over 5 years.
http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Belief-Findin...4152&sr=8-1
I couldn't put it down.
http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Belief-Findin...4152&sr=8-1
I couldn't put it down.
the rover
Footballguy
Just finished this. Unbelievable first-hand account of post-invasion Iraq leading up to the attempt to turn the government back over to Iraq, told from the point of view of two guys partying through the whole thing while they just happened to be hanging around the events that shaped the current picture in Iraq. It's gonzo journalism at its finest, only they weren't journalists.
D_House
Footballguy
I just finished this, and I agree. Like a lot of comedy, I think this one may be less a classic than a document of its time. It reads like one very long and very profane Woody Allen rant. Portnoy is definitely reminiscent of Woody or Jerry Seinfeld, with his neuroses, his difficulties with women, and his overbearing parents. Anyways, I think a lot of the shock and hilarity value of the book has worn off because of the TV and film iterations of the Portnoy character.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
Just ordered Dan Simmons' new novel Drood from Amazon - comes out the 9th.
Here are some reviews:
From Simmons' Site
Also ordered Scott Lynch's Lies Of Locke Lamora & Red Seas Under Red Skies. Anyone done these? I've heard nothing but good stuff about them.
Here are some reviews:
From Simmons' Site
Also ordered Scott Lynch's Lies Of Locke Lamora & Red Seas Under Red Skies. Anyone done these? I've heard nothing but good stuff about them.
pantagrapher
Footballguy
Finished The Tipping Point, which was one of the two worst books I've read in recent years. Started No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July. Enjoy it so far.
(Still meandering through Don Quixote, which I'm loving.)
(Still meandering through Don Quixote, which I'm loving.)
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