Anybody read a good book lately?

[Diomedes]

Sucker.

[General_Failure]

REAMDE by Neal Stephenson. I really enjoyed this, but it took me forever to read. I think at the end there's about a dozen main characters running around, and he's shifting perspectives every page or two.

It hits all the usual Stephenson points. Hackers, outlaws, religious fanatics, guns, and taking the story to Asia for the hell of it.

[rjs246]

Read The Green Mile series by King and enjoyed it but didn't totally love it. One of the very few instances where the movie was more satisfying than the book.

Also re: this...

blah blah blah

So I immediately went out and bought Contagious, by Scott Sigler. It's about alien invasion, so, yeah. It blends science and science fiction in an intelligent and totally entertaining way (so far) and is providing exactly what I needed.

This book was farging awesome. I mean, it's ridiculous but it's all army explosion tough guy beating alien mauling mind control nuclear holocaust amazingness. Well written, completely enjoyable and the first book I've read in forever (maybe since World War Z) that got me all fired up to smash some imaginary bad guys.

I should note that this book is a sequel to a Sigler book entitled Infected. I didn't read the first one because I didn't know that it existed, but it didn't take away from the reading experience of Contagious.

I finally read Infected and it was also good, though the sequel (Contagious), which didn't have to spend as much time introducing characters and setting up back-story was even faster-paced and kicked some more ass.

Next up, I have The Orchard Keeper by McCarthy and a graphic novel called Daytripper.

[rjs246]

REAMDE by Neal Stephenson. I really enjoyed this, but it took me forever to read. I think at the end there's about a dozen main characters running around, and he's shifting perspectives every page or two.

It hits all the usual Stephenson points. Hackers, outlaws, religious fanatics, guns, and taking the story to Asia for the hell of it.

I farging loved Cryptonomicon but can't decide whether I would commit to any of his other novels. I like the sense of humor in his writing but he's time-consuming as shtein to read because he has so many characters, so many plot lines and his stories are so long.

[rjs246]

Oh yeah, I also finished Outer Dark by McCarthy a while back. To overly simplify the book I would call it a toned-down version of Blood Meridien. In fact, I am curious about which of those two books was written first (yes, I could just look it up, shut up) as Outer Dark seems like a bit of a character-experimentation warm-up for Blood Meridien.

[Geowhizzer]

Oh yeah, I also finished Outer Dark by McCarthy a while back. To overly simplify the book I would call it a toned-down version of Blood Meridien. In fact, I am curious about which of those two books was written first (yes, I could just look it up, shut up) as Outer Dark seems like a bit of a character-experimentation warm-up for Blood Meridien.

From Wikipedia:
Outer Dark - 1968
Blood Meridien - 1985

[General_Failure]

REAMDE by Neal Stephenson. I really enjoyed this, but it took me forever to read. I think at the end there's about a dozen main characters running around, and he's shifting perspectives every page or two.

It hits all the usual Stephenson points. Hackers, outlaws, religious fanatics, guns, and taking the story to Asia for the hell of it.

I farging loved Cryptonomicon but can't decide whether I would commit to any of his other novels. I like the sense of humor in his writing but he's time-consuming as shtein to read because he has so many characters, so many plot lines and his stories are so long.

You might want to try Zodiac. 320 pages, almost normal sized for a novel, and deals mostly with Boston harbor in the late 80s. No shifting perspectives, just the first person perspective with one guy.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Any of you geniuses read the newest King book 11/23/63 yet?

[Geowhizzer]

Right now I'm reading 46 Pages, a blend of a Thomas Paine biography and historical background of his pamphlet Common Sense.  Interesting, but the author at times comes across as more of a Thomas Paine fanboi than legitimate historian.

[rjs246]

Oh yeah, I also finished Outer Dark by McCarthy a while back. To overly simplify the book I would call it a toned-down version of Blood Meridien. In fact, I am curious about which of those two books was written first (yes, I could just look it up, shut up) as Outer Dark seems like a bit of a character-experimentation warm-up for Blood Meridien.

From Wikipedia:
Outer Dark - 1968
Blood Meridien - 1985

Yeah, I looked it up too. Thanks for the effort. I enjoy having my theories validated.

REAMDE by Neal Stephenson. I really enjoyed this, but it took me forever to read. I think at the end there's about a dozen main characters running around, and he's shifting perspectives every page or two.

It hits all the usual Stephenson points. Hackers, outlaws, religious fanatics, guns, and taking the story to Asia for the hell of it.

I farging loved Cryptonomicon but can't decide whether I would commit to any of his other novels. I like the sense of humor in his writing but he's time-consuming as shtein to read because he has so many characters, so many plot lines and his stories are so long.

You might want to try Zodiac. 320 pages, almost normal sized for a novel, and deals mostly with Boston harbor in the late 80s. No shifting perspectives, just the first person perspective with one guy.

Added to my goodreads queue.

[Rome]

http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/cpopelars/2012/01/borrowing-from-rem/

that's great.

[General_Failure]

FTW by Cory Doctorow. I haven't been able to find anything new that's been enjoyable to read, and this wasn't it either, but at least it didn't cost me anything. This was an economics lecture wrapped up in a heavy handed story about the zesty working conditions in Asia.

[Geowhizzer]

Just finished 46 Pages, a book about Thomas Paine's writing of Common Sense.  Read it as part of our Teaching American History grant.

Interesting read, but sometimes the author (Scott Leill, a member of the Thomas Paine National Historical Association) comes across as more of a fanboy than as a real scholar.

[rjs246]

Haha. Yeah dude we know.

[Munson]

haha I'm glad Geo is back