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Whatcha readin now? (book, books, reading, read) (5 Viewers)

shuke said:
Is Speaker for the Dead as good as Ender's Game?
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Some characters are the same, totally different kind of plot. I actually like the plots of the next two a lot, but they're a little slower because there's not as much bubble gum action. If you like Ender's Game, check out Ender's Shadow - it's a retelling of the Ender's Game story from Bean's perspective, which is pretty cool, especially if you have Ender's Game fresh in your mind.
 
shuke said:
igbomb said:
American Gods - Neil Gaiman

My BIL and SIL have been trumpeting his work to me every time I see them for the last couple of years, so I finally picked up one of his novels. While I don't think I am as big of a fan of his as they are, the book was pretty damn good. I really enjoyed the Gods as relatively ordinary people angle. I'll be checking out more of his work soon.

Shock Wave - Clive Cussler

Standard Dirk Pitt fare. Decent escapist fiction.

A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon

Decent follow-up, but nowhere near as good as The Curious Incident. The main character was a little too neurotic for my liking.

Xenocide - Orson Scott Card

Third book in the Ender series. Not bad, but not even in the same ballpark as Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. The story bogged down at times and got a little too philosophical.

The Man from St. Petersburg - Ken Follett

Dull. In a month, I won't even remember what the book was about.
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I thought American Gods was meh. I've got Neverwhere sitting on my shelf, but haven't been tempted to read it yet. Let me know if you do.Is Speaker for the Dead as good as Ender's Game?
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IMO, yes it is as good if not better. But they are written in totally different styles. Ender's Game is more action oriented, while Speaker for the Dead is a slower, more cerebral book. I could easily see someone liking one a lot and the other not at all.
 
bostonfred said:
My last two books were life of pi and the curious incident of the dog in the night time. I liked both a lot. I'm looking for something similar, but don't know where to start. Also interested in audiobooks, so I can put them up on my iPod and listen on a long flight. Any suggestions?
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I would both of those books in my top ten that I've read in the last year.Some others that I really like include:The Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniThe Memory of Running by Ron McLartyThe Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz ZafonThe Beach by Alex Garland
 
Right now I am in the middle of a Robert Ludlum book called The Sigma Protocol. I bought it at the airport as something to read on the plane and during my commute if I didn't finish it on my trip. I wound up talking to the girl sitting next to me for most of the flight and watching X-Men 3, so I didn't really get into it on the plane. I am now about halfway finished with it and it's a pretty good book. It could make a good movie too. It's not intelligent reading, but it's still a fast-paced, good spy type of story, like most of Ludlum's work.

 
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bentley said:
The Screwtape Letters. I love the way those dead English dudes wrote.
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Finished 'Screwtape' a few weeks ago--frakkin' loved it. Currently reading "The Secret World of the Irish Male" by Joseph O'Connor, due to finish today. It's a decent book by a self-depracating Irish journalist. Funny and witty at times, though he's usually complaining throughout. Reminds me of "Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs" a bit, though maybe not as funny.Next stop: the Miles Davis autobiography.
 
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Native Tongue by Carl Hiaasen

Probably my least favorite of Hiaasen's books (I've read about seven others). But it's still better than 90% of the stuff out there. IMO, the funniest guy publishing novels.

 
Ironically, given the recent discussion, I also just finished Ender's Game. In a word ... meh. OK, no where near as good as expected (given the hype).

Now reading "The Collector" by John Fowles. Good book so far.

 
kupcho1 said:
Ironically, given the recent discussion, I also just finished Ender's Game. In a word ... meh. OK, no where near as good as expected (given the hype).

Now reading "The Collector" by John Fowles. Good book so far.
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American Gods was probably my least favorite gaiman. You really need to read the sandman comics (released in graphic novels). We actually read them in a college course if that gives you any idea how well respected they are. I liked Neverwhere much better than AG. Also if you are in the mood for some great comedy I would recommend Gaiman and Pratchet's Good Omens. One of the funniest books I've read.

 
igbomb said:
bostonfred said:
My last two books were life of pi and the curious incident of the dog in the night time. I liked both a lot. I'm looking for something similar, but don't know where to start. Also interested in audiobooks, so I can put them up on my iPod and listen on a long flight. Any suggestions?
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I would both of those books in my top ten that I've read in the last year.Some others that I really like include:The Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniThe Memory of Running by Ron McLartyThe Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz ZafonThe Beach by Alex Garland
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The Beach was a GREAT read. Too bad the movie butchered it and made people avoid the novel. Have you read anything else by garland? I am interested to check out his others.
 
Fiddles said:
igbomb said:
bostonfred said:
My last two books were life of pi and the curious incident of the dog in the night time. I liked both a lot. I'm looking for something similar, but don't know where to start. Also interested in audiobooks, so I can put them up on my iPod and listen on a long flight. Any suggestions?
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I would both of those books in my top ten that I've read in the last year.Some others that I really like include:The Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniThe Memory of Running by Ron McLartyThe Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz ZafonThe Beach by Alex Garland
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The Beach was a GREAT read. Too bad the movie butchered it and made people avoid the novel. Have you read anything else by garland? I am interested to check out his others.
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The Tesseract was okay. The Coma kind of sucked.Neither book was anywhere near as good as The Beach. He's got a new book called Sunshine that is due for release in the UK next month. Looks like a sci-fi novel.
 
igbomb said:
bostonfred said:
My last two books were life of pi and the curious incident of the dog in the night time. I liked both a lot. I'm looking for something similar, but don't know where to start. Also interested in audiobooks, so I can put them up on my iPod and listen on a long flight. Any suggestions?
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I would both of those books in my top ten that I've read in the last year.Some others that I really like include:The Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniThe Memory of Running by Ron McLartyThe Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz ZafonThe Beach by Alex Garland
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Thanks a lot!
 
A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell

Excellent book. A Thread of Grace is a fictional account of the German occupation of northern Italy in the last years of WWII. Russell's previous two books were science fiction (and good ones at that), so it's a big departure for her to jump into historical fiction. She pulls it off and then some. There are a lot of characters in this one, but she has a list at the front of the book as well as some maps to help the reader keep up. Highly recommended. :thumbup:

 
Two books, "First Things First" by Stephen Covey (of 7 habits fame) and "America's Victories" by Larry Schweikart.

 
igbomb said:
A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell

Excellent book. A Thread of Grace is a fictional account of the German occupation of northern Italy in the last years of WWII. Russell's previous two books were science fiction (and good ones at that), so it's a big departure for her to jump into historical fiction. She pulls it off and then some. There are a lot of characters in this one, but she has a list at the front of the book as well as some maps to help the reader keep up. Highly recommended. :thumbup:
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I read the sparrow and wasnt sure if I liked it or notdefinitely stuck with me but wasnt an enjoyable read

pretty disturbing

Ill check this one out though, thx

 
Recently finished:

Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain :thumbup: (Love the swipes at Emeril)

The Afghan - Frederick Forsyth :thumbup:

Currently reading:

The Areas of My Expertise - John Hodgman (Very funny, wacky writing. Great for kind of piece-meal reading.)

The Righteous Men - Sam Bourn (Kind of Da Vinci-esque, only interesting. And with Jews.)

 
Godless: The Church of Liberalism, Ann Coulter

The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale

 
Just picked up Sun Tzu's The Art of War over the weekend to read while I have free time at work.

I wish Bush would pick up a copy of this.

 
Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson

Worst one yet. I first read his books to see why he sells so well. Now I read them just to give my brain a rest. But this last one was so weak that I may have to give it up.

 
Until I find You -- Just finished this John Irving book. It was good, but not one of Irving's best.

Cider House Rules -- I'm a big Irving fan, so I picked this one up and am about halfway through. Good stuff.

Read two Grisham books on vacation:

The Bretheren -- Relatively entertaining, mindless thriller. Kind of a letdown ending, though.

A Painted House -- Grisham's attempt at literature. It was awful.

Also on vacation, I read:

Handmaid's Tale -- Pretty interesting book, especially in light of the Patriot Act and other liberties we surrender in the name of the war on terror.

After Cider House, I plan on picking up Kite Runner. I've heard from a lot of people that it's very good.

 
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whoknew said:
Until I find You -- Just finished this John Irving book. It was good, but not one of Irving's best.

Cider House Rules -- I'm a big Irving fan, so I picked this one up and am about halfway through. Good stuff.

Read two Grisham books on vacation:

The Bretheren -- Relatively entertaining, mindless thriller. Kind of a letdown ending, though.

A Painted House -- Grisham's attempt at literature. It was awful.

Also on vacation, I read:

Handmaid's Tale -- Pretty interesting book, especially in light of the Patriot Act and other liberties we surrender in the name of the war on terror.

After Cider House, I plan on picking up Kite Runner. I've heard from a lot of people that it's very good.
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Have you read any other Atwood? I liked Oryx and Crake quite a bit, thought Handmaid's Tale was okay, and then abandoned The Blind Assassin about 15 pages into it. I think I just got tired of her style.
 
igbomb said:
whoknew said:
Until I find You -- Just finished this John Irving book. It was good, but not one of Irving's best.

Cider House Rules -- I'm a big Irving fan, so I picked this one up and am about halfway through. Good stuff.

Read two Grisham books on vacation:

The Bretheren -- Relatively entertaining, mindless thriller. Kind of a letdown ending, though.

A Painted House -- Grisham's attempt at literature. It was awful.

Also on vacation, I read:

Handmaid's Tale -- Pretty interesting book, especially in light of the Patriot Act and other liberties we surrender in the name of the war on terror.

After Cider House, I plan on picking up Kite Runner. I've heard from a lot of people that it's very good.
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Have you read any other Atwood? I liked Oryx and Crake quite a bit, thought Handmaid's Tale was okay, and then abandoned The Blind Assassin about 15 pages into it. I think I just got tired of her style.
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Nope. First one I've read, but based on your recommendation, I'll pick up Oryx and Crake.
 
Harry Potter - the Goblet of Fire :bag:

Actually, it's funny how I got started on these books... my daughter came home from school and said she had to pick a book to read for independent reading in school and the assignment was that she had to tell a parent what she read. So she picked Harry Potter and the Scorcerer's Stone.

So she starts telling me what's going on in the book and I'm thinking "how do I know if she's right or not? She could be making this up or just telling me what she remembers from watching the movie." So I started reading the book as well to keep ahead of her and kinda 'quiz' her on what was going on in each chapter she was supposed to have read.

Well, four books later... I'm hooked. :unsure: She's still on Chamber of Secrets and I'm almost done with Goblet of Fire.

 
Rhino said:
Harry Potter - the Goblet of Fire :bag:

Actually, it's funny how I got started on these books... my daughter came home from school and said she had to pick a book to read for independent reading in school and the assignment was that she had to tell a parent what she read. So she picked Harry Potter and the Scorcerer's Stone.

So she starts telling me what's going on in the book and I'm thinking "how do I know if she's right or not? She could be making this up or just telling me what she remembers from watching the movie." So I started reading the book as well to keep ahead of her and kinda 'quiz' her on what was going on in each chapter she was supposed to have read.

Well, four books later... I'm hooked. :unsure: She's still on Chamber of Secrets and I'm almost done with Goblet of Fire.
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No shame in that. They're on my list as well. I figure that with their level of popularity, there must be something to them. And with young kids, you get the added benefit of being able to discuss the books with them. I've also heard some really good things about Artemis Fowl.
 
just finished time & the soul by jacob needleman

currently -

bhagavad gita (easwaran translation)

alan turing: the enigma - played a critically important role in WW II for the allies... a key figure in the code breaking efforts that helped turn the tide of the war...

 
I'm re-reading Vineland by Thomas Pynchon.

I've never understood why Vineland seems to be so ill thought of generally. Granted, its not his best work; but second rate Pynchon is still better than most other books. And given the current political climate, you'd think Vineland would be a popular read these days.

:shrug:

 
igbomb said:
Native Tongue by Carl Hiaasen

Probably my least favorite of Hiaasen's books (I've read about seven others). But it's still better than 90% of the stuff out there. IMO, the funniest guy publishing novels.
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Big fan of Hiaasen, my favorite was Double Whammy. You should try Tim Dorsey, another FL writer with gonzo humor.
 
I seem to get stuck on an auther when I find one I really like. I have been devouring the collaboration novels of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - if you like Crichton you'll like these guys. I'm on my seventh straight now, "The Cabinet of Curiosities". Every one of them has been a fast moving page turner with one leading right into the next. Horror mysteries with a tiny bit of supernatural thrown in.

 
Justice by Larry Watson

Not bad. I'm not even sure how I first came across his books, but they are definitely not in large circulation. He's a solid writer with a focus on the northern U.S. Having grown up in the frigid winters of Wisconsin, I like the local feel.

 
Joe Mammy said:
igbomb said:
Native Tongue by Carl Hiaasen

Probably my least favorite of Hiaasen's books (I've read about seven others). But it's still better than 90% of the stuff out there. IMO, the funniest guy publishing novels.
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Big fan of Hiaasen, my favorite was Double Whammy. You should try Tim Dorsey, another FL writer with gonzo humor.
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Double Whammy was one of his better ones, but I think I still list Lucky You as my favorite. I'm about to start Strip Tease within the next week or two.And I'll definitely check out Dorsey. Thanks.

 
kupcho1 said:
I'm re-reading Vineland by Thomas Pynchon.

I've never understood why Vineland seems to be so ill thought of generally. Granted, its not his best work; but second rate Pynchon is still better than most other books. And given the current political climate, you'd think Vineland would be a popular read these days.

:shrug:
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Pynchon has a new one coming out the end of November. I'm really looking forward to it. "Against the Day"I finished Mitch Albom's new one over the weekend, 'for one more day.' Takes me where all his books have. :thumbup:

 
Sabertooth said:
Tides of War by Steven PressfieldStory of Alcebiades, pretty interesting guy in ancient Greece.
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i am also reading this, about half way through. very good read. recently finished pressfield's gates of fire, also very good.
 
Fiddles said:
roadkill1292 said:
facook said:
The Afghan - Frederick Forsyth :thumbup:
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Hadn't heard of this one. Thanks for the heads up. Nothing better than a new Forsyth novel on a cold winter's weekend.
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ive never read anything by him although ive seen his name plentywhats he all about?
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Military espionage, black ops, special forces, etc. Check out his titles -- there's some real heavyweight works of fiction in his list. I'm always entertained by his work. No superstar characters with superhero powers, just persistent guys digging deep for the facts.
 
Fiddles said:
igbomb said:
bostonfred said:
My last two books were life of pi and the curious incident of the dog in the night time. I liked both a lot. I'm looking for something similar, but don't know where to start. Also interested in audiobooks, so I can put them up on my iPod and listen on a long flight. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
I would both of those books in my top ten that I've read in the last year.Some others that I really like include:The Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniThe Memory of Running by Ron McLartyThe Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz ZafonThe Beach by Alex Garland
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The Beach was a GREAT read. Too bad the movie butchered it and made people avoid the novel. Have you read anything else by garland? I am interested to check out his others.
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bostonfred said:
Fiddles said:
igbomb said:
bostonfred said:
My last two books were life of pi and the curious incident of the dog in the night time. I liked both a lot. I'm looking for something similar, but don't know where to start. Also interested in audiobooks, so I can put them up on my iPod and listen on a long flight. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
I would both of those books in my top ten that I've read in the last year.Some others that I really like include:The Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniThe Memory of Running by Ron McLartyThe Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz ZafonThe Beach by Alex Garland
Click to expand...
The Beach was a GREAT read. Too bad the movie butchered it and made people avoid the novel. Have you read anything else by garland? I am interested to check out his others.
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:confused: Is this post a bump? I don't get it.
 
Whoops. When I posted that, there was text. Don't know what happened there.

I was writing to say I picked up the Beach off of the recommendations here (thanks) and also people at the bookstore who saw me looking at it and said it was good. I'm about 120 pages in so far and I like it a lot.

I also picked up Kite Runner from the recommendation here, although it sounds kind of heavy to me. The thing that convinced me was that it seemed like everyone said it was better than they expected, so I must not be the only person who had reservations about it. If I end up liking it, I'll post about it later.

 
Joe Mammy said:
I seem to get stuck on an auther when I find one I really like. I have been devouring the collaboration novels of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - if you like Crichton you'll like these guys. I'm on my seventh straight now, "The Cabinet of Curiosities". Every one of them has been a fast moving page turner with one leading right into the next. Horror mysteries with a tiny bit of supernatural thrown in.
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Been a fan ever since The Relic. Reliquary and Mount Dragon were lesser efforts, but I think they know how to finish a story much better than Crichton.Utopia by Lincoln Child was decent as well, but I haven't read Douglas Preston's solo efforts.Currently reading: Midnight Mass by F. Paul Wilson. If you remember Stephen King when he could actually stay focused and write a decent story, check out Wilson's books. The Repairman Jack novels are good if you're into series.On deck: Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. Figured I'd check this out before seeing the Showtime series (although the concept has been done in other shows before).
 
Just finished reading two books about escape and survival during WWII era.

We Die Alone by David Howarth - details one man's escape from the Nazi's after he's SpecOps mission goes bad.

The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz - Rawicz a Polish national tells the story of his arrest, imprisionment, and escape from a Siberian labor camp.

Both are recommended highly by historian Stephen Ambrose but are relatively easy reads.

 
malice said:
Joe Mammy said:
I seem to get stuck on an auther when I find one I really like. I have been devouring the collaboration novels of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - if you like Crichton you'll like these guys. I'm on my seventh straight now, "The Cabinet of Curiosities". Every one of them has been a fast moving page turner with one leading right into the next. Horror mysteries with a tiny bit of supernatural thrown in.
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Been a fan ever since The Relic. Reliquary and Mount Dragon were lesser efforts, but I think they know how to finish a story much better than Crichton.Utopia by Lincoln Child was decent as well, but I haven't read Douglas Preston's solo efforts.Currently reading: Midnight Mass by F. Paul Wilson. If you remember Stephen King when he could actually stay focused and write a decent story, check out Wilson's books. The Repairman Jack novels are good if you're into series.On deck: Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. Figured I'd check this out before seeing the Showtime series (although the concept has been done in other shows before).
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I started with The Codex, a Preston solo and then went to the Diogenes trilogy at the recommendation of my librarian starting with Brimstone, Dance with Death and then the current bestseller Book of the Dead. Then I went back to Relic and Reliquary and now Cabinet of Curiosities - I've thoroughly enjoyed them all.Kinda like the X-Files that were not alien related with the hero FBI character "Agent Pendergast" a freaking trip. Reminds me of Robert R. McCammon's early works too...<pendergast>EXCELLENT</pendergast>
 
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