Book Thread

[Stone Cold]

I'm reading the Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn right now, and I'm on Dark Force Rising, the second in the trilogy. Finished reading Heir to the Empire last week, and I'm absolutley loving this series. It's brilliantly written, and Zahn really seems to love the Star Wars universe, or at least have a total grasp on what attracted people to the films in the first place.

I'm reading it slowly though, like a chapter a day at some times because that's how I read books usually (seen as I spend a lot of time on the computer and whatever) but it's just an awesome book. I've also got the Jedi Academy Trilogy to read after this, so me got lots of reading coming.

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If you like Zahn's Star Wars books check out Survivors Quest. It's what i'm reading now and it's been full of twists and turns since the beggining.

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That's the one with Mara Jade and Luke on the cover isn't it? I've got that one as well, but it'll take me a while to get through the five I've still got before I get to that.

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[~The Missionary Guy~]

I am looking for some decent books to read, Horror, Sci Fi sort of Genre's anyone got any ideas's

[Thrilla]

Right then, I haven't really had too much spare time to read books over the last year barring ones related to my Uni course, which included all the work of George Orwell, so it wasn't that bad. But this summer I'm hopefully going to read a few books.

I've already finished Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, which I had never read before and completely took me by surprise. Mainly because my perception of the book had been so warped by films and visual representations of Frankenstein, and his monster, that to find out that the monster is actually an overly emotional and intelligent being was a nice surprise and one that made me endeavour to read more as the story went on. It was a little bit of a struggle, as I found the book to be very wordy, for lack of a better term, in places and I often found myself re-reading sections of the book to get a better understanding of what had actually gone on. The dialouge and the descriptive writing is often overly complex in places, but I enjoyed the reading the book and actually felt satisified at the end of the book.

My Mum has just given me her copies of Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels and Demons' (I believe its called), which I will be starting in the next few days. My Mum reccommends the books, so I will see what all the fuss is about, especially in regards to Da Vinci's Code.

[Emperor Fuckshit]

I decided to re-read 'Words' and 'Nausea' by Sartre in order to get me back into the existentialist mood neccesary to start on his Roads to Freedom trilogy today or tomorrow or whenever. A friend tells me they're not particularly well written, but then again I'm genuinely more appreciative of JPS' writing style than he is.

For anyone looking for a gentler introducting into existentialism, I'd check out Camus' absurdist works, probably the Stranger, the Outsider and the Plague over everything else. I'm going to knock off the Stranger whenever I can get around to it, although I'm pressed for time at the moment. My mom, who had never read anything much besides chic lit, enjoyed the Stranger and the Plague a lot upon reading them, so I guess they're pretty accessible, and the former also fairly short.

Before the school holiday I started to read War and Peace, and got a few hundred pages into it. I'll probably resume it when I go back in September. It's decent enough at the moment, but I imagine it'll get better when it isn't primarily focussing on the ins and outs of tawdry Russian aristocratic affairs. A bit dull so far to be honest.

Found out the school library is quite well-stocked. Was going to start 'If On a Winter's Night...', but this version has a massive introduction I can't quite summon myself to either undertake or dismiss entirely, so I don't know if I'll bother with this or not. Also tried to start Aurelius' 'Meditations', but, like a lot of pre-Renaissance philosophy it is in places either completely irrelevent or horribly obscure or both. It's also written in that annoying 'numbered propositions' form, which was unwieldy if understandable when used by Wittgenstein, and at least I cared about what he was saying.

To prepare for A2 English I have to read Stoker's Dracula, which I'm doing now, and some stuff by Margaret Atwood and Angela Carter. Bleh.

Finally, I'm going to try and squeeze in some Dostoyevsky short stories and, now that I've finally got a copy, Thoreau's 'Civil Disobedience/Walden'. Should keep me busy for a while.

[Thrilla]

What EF is really saying, is that he is smarter than us.

[TGC]

So far this summer I have read:

-Along Came A Spider by James Patterson (reread)

Great book by an easy to read yet great writer. Basically put, the Alex Cross Novels, of which this is the first, are mystery/crime novels that are engaging, witty, smart, and just truly excellent. If you've seen the movie it doesn't do this novel justice. Grade A

-Kiss The Girls by James Patterson (reread)

2nd of the Alex Cross Novels, and again far superior to the movie. Not as good as the first, but still a great read. Grade B+

-1st To Die by James Patterson

1st novel in The Women's Murder Club Novels, and a book I absolutely devoured, reading it in 2 days while still working 8+ hours a day. Best book I've read in years, and I'm not even sure why I liked it so much. Grade A+

-The Dark Tower Book I: The Gunslinger by Stephen King (reread)

Since I need to get and read all The Dark Tower Books, I got stalled on Wizaed And Glass in 1998 and never went back to it, I decided to start back at the beginning. Fun, quirky, book that deserves the cult status it enjoyed for so many years. Grade B

-Angels And Demons by Dan Brown

I stalled out on this book halfway through, but came back after a few weeks and enjoyed the second half of it. I don't think he is a great writer, although his style is VERY reminiscent of James Patterson, but he is skilled in some ways. Not a great book, but not bad. Grade C

-Dracula by Bram Stoker (reread)

Classic. What more is there to say? Grade A+

-Lightning by Dean Koontz (reread time number 10)

Ten times should say how much I adore this book. I will pick a Saturday or a Sunday and sit down and not get up til the book is finished. In my top five all time favorite books. Grade A+

I am currently reading:

When The Wind Blows by James Patterson

A hard book to get into, and an even harder book to stay into. The 1st book in a series, followed by Lake House and Maximuum Ride, but not horrible. Not what I was expecting either though. No matter how this turns out I already own the next two books and I am a completist. Current Grade D+

And next up are:

2nd Chance by James Patterson

Lake House by James Patterson

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman

Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

I HIGHLY recommend ANYTHING by James Patterson, especially The Alex Cross Novels and The Women's Murder Club Novels, and Lightning by Dean Koontz.

TGC

Edited July 27, 2005 by thegarvincomplex

[Emperor Fuckshit]

What EF is really saying, is that he is smarter than us.

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[Thrilla]

I was never really a fan of 'Coming up for air' and 'Keep the Aspidistra flying' was one of his weaker books, although admittedly not as weak as the dire 'Clergyman's Daughter'. As you didn't mention it there, I'm guessing you haven't read 'Burmese Days'? If not, I'd reccommend it. It's Orwell's first novel and in the same vein as all his other work is very autobiographical, with the central character of Flory obviously being based on Orwell's own time out in Burma as an Imperial policeman. Its a good read and while not as strong as 1984, it is, in my opinion, above everything other novel he wrote.

As for his reportage work, 'Wigan Pier' is really two books in one. The first half of the book is basically his journal of his time in Wigan and other mining towns and features a number of Orwell's negative points (disregardment of women and their views, south/north views, etc), but it is a solid piece of work on the whole for describing what the mining towns were like. There are points were he uses creative license to make the book flow better (something that makes the book a better read than Down and Out), as if you look at Orwell's journal notes for the Wigan journey, there are numerous date differences. The second half of the book is Orwell's first real foray into the world of socialism, as he points out why he believes that socialism has failed in Britain and what it would need to do to succeed. Its an interesting but often misguided section to read that caused a lot of contraversy at the time it was written. If you're interested in Orwell's poltical views though you should read his long essay (20,000 approx) 'The Lion and The Unicorn', which was written in 1941, which is about English Socialism (IngSoc >>>> 1984 ) and also has his views on fascism and the Second World War.

Speaking of fascism, 'Homage to Catalonia', great read in my opinion and in terms of being truthful reportage work, is the standout work from Orwell as he wrote this as a counter to all the negative press that the socialists/Trotskyites militias (Who he fought for) were receiving in Britain and the rest of the world. You should also try and read 'Spilling the Spanish Beans', a short essay Orwell wrote that was published shortly after Homage, so you're looking at 1937/8.

Edited July 27, 2005 by Natural Born Thrilla

[Emperor Fuckshit]

Thanks for that. I will check out Burmese Days, it sounds like a pretty good read. I was aware of the...uh...two-partedness in RTWP, and I'd be much more interested in tracking down the essay on socialism (part two) than the first, narrative part.

1984 slipped my mind in the first post. I'd say it's a good read and perhaps the most accessible of his works, other than AF. However, from a modern perspective, it seems bizarre that such an important anti-authoritarian work has fallen into the culture of petty, pop-liberalism today. BIG BRUTHA IS WATCHIN YOU, MAH FREND. But still, Orwell can hardly be blamed for that...

I will try to find '...Spanish Beans' on the internet somewhere, sounds interesting. I agree HTC is one of Orwell's best and certainly his best work of reportage.

Dissapointed you didn't think much of CUFA or KTAF. The latter in particular probably appeals more to the idealistic young anti-capitalist in us all (well, in me anyway). I might re-read it to see if I still like it now I've matured a bit. Another one added to the pile, I guess...

[Eric]

I read The Death of WCW by the guy from WrestleCrap and the dude from Figure Four Weekly. The book is really fucking good, and the entire end 3/4 of it is obviously mostly written by the guy from WrestleCrap, because he points out the horrible storyline mishaps. Good stuff.

[Maxx]

Finished off Al Franken's "Lies and The Lying Liars Who Tell Them" a few weeks ago. Excellent read that tears apart the whole "liberal media bias" idea with facts and references that are actually REAL.

Now reading "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn

[Benji]

I read The Death of WCW by the guy from WrestleCrap and the dude from Figure Four Weekly. The book is really fucking good, and the entire end 3/4 of it is obviously mostly written by the guy from WrestleCrap, because he points out the horrible storyline mishaps. Good stuff.

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It is an awesome book, I don't think a lot of people understood exactly how big WCW was and therefore how big it's downfall was because they 'tuned in late'. Definately the best factual book I've read.

[Johnny Latino Heat]

I'm currently reading George Orwell's 1984. The last book I've read was Dreams & Nightmares by Stephen King, and my next book, as soon as I finish 1984, is H.G. Wells' War Of The Worlds.

[EWRFan]

The Hobbit....read it in three days because I could not put it down.

BTW, does anyone know if the D & D, Diablo, Halo and other video game novels are good?

[gunnar hendershow]

The Hobbit....read it in three days because I could not put it down.

BTW, does anyone know if the D & D, Diablo, Halo and other video game novels are good?

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D & D = Good

Diablo = Meh

Halo = Haven't read because nobody's told me they are worth it

[Thrilla]

Thanks for that. I will check out Burmese Days, it sounds like a pretty good read. I was aware of the...uh...two-partedness in RTWP, and I'd be much more interested in tracking down the essay on socialism (part two) than the first, narrative part.

1984 slipped my mind in the first post. I'd say it's a good read and perhaps the most accessible of his works, other than AF. However, from a modern perspective, it seems bizarre that such an important anti-authoritarian work has fallen into the culture of petty, pop-liberalism today. BIG BRUTHA IS WATCHIN YOU, MAH FREND. But still, Orwell can hardly be blamed for that...

I will try to find '...Spanish Beans' on the internet somewhere, sounds interesting. I agree HTC is one of Orwell's best and certainly his best work of reportage.

Dissapointed you didn't think much of CUFA or KTAF. The latter in particular probably appeals more to the idealistic young anti-capitalist in us all (well, in me anyway). I might re-read it to see if I still like it now I've matured a bit. Another one added to the pile, I guess...

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Spilling in the Spanish Beans can be found here on - http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/site/index.html - as can a lot of his other essays. If you do read Burmese Days, I'd suggest reading both 'Shooting an elephant' and 'A hanging', both are short essays, which talk about incidents in Orwell's life in Burma and both are good reads.

Looking back I remember very little about KTAF now, which probably indicates I read it in a few days before my seminars on the book. The only thing I really recall is the 'Money God' stuff and trying to live a dream before being beaten back by the capitalist society. Plus Orwell's view of middle class Londoners. I may have to re-read it again sometime.

[Ananas]

I was camping this weekend and read "America: A Citizens Guide to Democracy Inaction" by John Stewart, which I have mixed feelings towards. On one hand, the book is both reasonably informative to the American polisci newcomer and funny in spots. On the other hand, there's little that I took from it, having spent the past 6 months studying the American political system and the beauracracy, so the humour was all I could really take from it. It's a fun little book that is unlikely to educate many, but is certain to entertain fans of the Daily Show's humour. Don't go out of your way for it, but if it's available, I'd give it a shot.

[Liam]

Considering I read a lot, I'm surprised I haven't replied to this yet.

Firstly, to respond to what some have said, I agree that Dan Brown isn't a great writer by any means, but the Da Vinci Code (and to a greater extent, Digital Fortress) were good, but as pointed out before, the Da Vinci Code has a poor ending. He does nothing that hasn't been done better by authors such as Harlan Coben, Kyle Mills and Lee Childs.

I have a problem where I tend to remember book titles, not authors, which isn't always good. I recently finished reading A Cold Heart, by something Kimmelman...having read The Murder Book by him, it wasn't as good as that, but was still an alright read. Chasing The Dime by Michael Connolly was another recent read of mine, and that was a quick read, short, and very engrossing. I then read Fury (can't remember the author, but its about a character called Frank Corso) which I enjoyed, mainly because I liked the main characted (which always helps).

At the moment, as I bought it at a charity shop years ago and never got around to reading it, I've started to read It by Steven King. Not far enough into it to say what I think, but I generally like Steven King stuff, so I expect it to be good.

I also recommend The Blue Nowhere by Jeffery Deaver to any Crime/Thriller fans. Jeffery Deaver is the bloke who wrote The Bone Collector, but this is a book outside of the Lincoln Rhyme series, and is very good. Also, Michael Crichton's Prey is another good book to check out.

[Clawson]

The only things I have read this summer are Half-Blood Prince and a whole shit load of Ian Rankin.

Half-Blood Prince was a good way to set up Book 7 and really showed me why certain things happened in previous books.

As for Ian Rankin he has been my favourite author for well over a year now with John Rebus being my favourite character in any novel by far. By far he's the most badass detectives that I have ever read. Other than that I also picked up all three of Ian Rankin's books when he's writing as Jack Harvey. I'm only on Blood Hunt but Gordon Reeve (the book's main character) is like a more violent, less chain-smoking, less drunkness version of Rebus so it's all good.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Eyeing up Battle Royale again but has been a slow couple of months books-wise. Might read another Haruki Murakami cos I love the guy, or buy Paluhniak's new book...