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Bandwagon Central => General => Topic started by: MURP on March 16, 2002, 12:34:25 AM

Title: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on March 16, 2002, 12:34:25 AM
?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on March 16, 2002, 10:19:39 AM
Great thread.  Yep; I've had the opportunity to read and write quite a bit lately.  My tastes tend to vary, though.  Here are a few.....

Green Hills of Africa, Ernest Hemmingway-- this was his attempt at creative non-fiction, and it was pretty good; though, it was steeped in a bit of hyperbolic self-inflation for non-fiction.

The Dirt, Motley Crue--  Good one.  I'm not a big Crue fan, but the presentation was intuiging.  Really, it's quick reading in the form of numerous self-contained anecdotes from each band member.  They were nuts.

The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemmingway-- probably my favorite Hemmingway novel-- and my favorite last line of any book. Re-read this one to get the taste of his non-fiction out of my mouth.  I think it's a great novel, but my wife thinks it's boring.  I guess that's why they make vanilla and chocolate.

The Fourth Hand, John Irving-- a little slow and you have to like John Irving's stuff in general to enjoy.  He's the guy who wrote "The World According to Garp," and this is in the same sort of style.

Prayers for Rain, Dennis Lehane--  this one was up my alley, as I'm a big fan of the detective genre in general (I even worked it into my Master's thesis, which isn't really the rage in academia).  The book itself was pretty solid, though the ending went a little too far and sullied an otherwise good work.  Still worth a read.

Advice to Writers, Jon Winokur-- Great, great book if you like to write.  Really easy reading as it's really just a compendium of quote on the various aspects of writing from famous authors.  

Cuba Libre, Elmore Leonard-- I hadn't read any of Leonard's westerns, so I though I'd give this one a shot.  Think "Get Shorty" set in Cuba in the late 19th century.  Pretty good, though.

Gunman's Rhapsody, Robert B. Parker-- I used to really enjoy Parker's Spenser series (before they became a bit too rote), so I thought I'd check out his version of Wyatt Earp's tale.  It was Spenser meets the old west.  Not a bad read, but shouldn't be on the top of your list.

Sunset Limited, James Lee Burke-- If you do like detective fiction, you must read Burke.  He injects a nice literary flair into the genre with his two series characters.  The atmosphere he creates with his New Orleans backdrop is great.  Sometimes he can be a bit over-the-top, but his overall writing skill mitigates this feeling.  Good stuff.

The way of Aikido, George Leonard--  I studied Aikido for about five years, so this book had some additional meaning for me; but you could be a novice and get something from it.  The book is pretty slim and worth a look.  Non-fiction, of course.

Voodoo River, Rober Crais--  I wanted to see how another writer would handle a detective story set in New Orleans.  Crais was first a TV writer, and I think it shows.  Not bad, but doesn't compare favorably to Burke.


See, now you have me started...there are a bunch more I have in my head that folks should know about, but I'll stop here before it gets unbearably boring.  Anyone wants more, say the word.... ;D
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on March 16, 2002, 11:32:26 AM
The Art of War (http://www.gutenberg.org/index/by-title/xx134.html) by Sun Tzu

Anything from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. I've only read Lords and Ladies and Men At Arms, but I would suggest any as the series doesn't have to be read in order to be enjoyed.

I've read the first book in the Elminster series, I would love to read the rest. I can't get any weirder than the first one, right? :paranoid

Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on March 16, 2002, 12:34:01 PM
I am a big Dean Koontz fan and I just read two great books by him. "False Memory" and "From the Corner of His Eye." False Memory was one of the most farged up books I've ever read.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: GoinLong on March 16, 2002, 12:51:39 PM
I'm in the middle of Rizzo by Sal Paolantonio. Very good look at not only former Mayor Frank Rizzo's life, but also the modern history of Philadelphia.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on March 16, 2002, 03:01:50 PM
I'm currently reading The Glory and the Dream, A Narrative History of America 1932-1972, by William Manchester. I'm up to 1960. Manchester is always readable, obviously covers a lot of ground in this far-ranging review of life in the US during that time period.

Other titles that I've read recently -

Dylan, by Bob Spitz, an informative bio of the singer/songwriter that would have been better if the author wasn't trying so hard to be clever.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt. Interesting true murder mystery set in Savannah, Georgia, with lots of fascinating characters throughout. A movie was made from it.

No Ordinary Time, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Acclaimed historical work about the Roosevelt White House during WWII. Excellent.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Butchers Bill on March 16, 2002, 03:15:48 PM
Liars Poker by Michael Lewis...pretty funny book about stock trading.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Gene on March 16, 2002, 04:39:01 PM
I'm sort of hooked on the Spy/Action  genre type of books.......

Anything written by Frederick Forsythe is a page turner......."The Odessa File", "Day of the Jackal", "Icon", "The Fist of God", etc.......

Jack Higgins is another favorite of mine, but in all honesty reading his work sometimes is akin to reading a comic book.......

Have to be in the mood for John LeCarre.......

Tom Clancy is another favorite of mine, but as of late his books have become to long winded and seem to me the story could be told in several hundred pages less than he takes to do it.......mostly enjoyed his earlier works.......
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on March 17, 2002, 04:53:42 AM
(http://www.concretefield.com/YaBBImages/avatars/ichiro1.jpg)
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: GoinLong on March 17, 2002, 10:26:26 AM
Quote from: Fan_Since_64 on March 16, 2002, 03:01:50 PMDNo Ordinary Time, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Acclaimed historical work about the Roosevelt White House during WWII. Excellent.

Is it that book from which the charges of plagiarism arose?

Did Manchester write American Caesar?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on March 17, 2002, 01:26:05 PM
Quote from: GoinLong on March 17, 2002, 10:26:26 AMIs it that book from which the charges of plagiarism arose?

Did Manchester write American Caesar?

I think that the plagiarism charges arose from a more recent book by her, but I'm not absolutely certain.

Manchester did indeed write American Caesar. He also wrote The Last Lion, about Winston Churchill, and The Death of a President, about the JFK assassination.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Reidme on March 17, 2002, 01:37:35 PM
I'd like to reccomend a good book, but sadly I feel compelled to share this ... I cannot read. I believe anyone who has seen some of my posts can attest to ... ::)
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: GoinLong on March 17, 2002, 01:42:43 PM
Quote from: Reidme on March 17, 2002, 01:37:35 PMI cannot read.

Is your name Johnny?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Gene on March 17, 2002, 01:49:16 PM
QuoteIs your name Johnny?

Dexter Manley perhaps?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Bristow on March 17, 2002, 02:57:04 PM
There was a good article in this months issue of Penthouse. I don't do muich reading besides my supscriptions to that and "Asain Porn Monthly Magazine"
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PA_Hunter on March 19, 2002, 09:21:16 AM
I am currently reading "Fellowship of the Ring" if that counts.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: AE on March 19, 2002, 12:43:57 PM
My undergrad degree is in English Lit.  Absolutely ruined reading for pleasure.
I read a lot of "Think Tank" articles.  I am a geo-political junkie.  My website has some links.
www.cato.org  A Libertarian site (though not affiliated with the party)
www.aei.org  Good for international affairs
www.rand.org Tackles many issues

Periodicals on the web:
www.opionionjournal.com Wall Street Jounal's online editorial page.  "Best of the Web" feature is a daily dose of amusing and perplexing articles.
www.weeklystandard.com Conservative magazine
Of course, I read a good deal of George Will, online.  He can be found at the sacbee site or the Washington Post.

I print a lot of articles and read on the bus home from work.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Tomahawk on March 19, 2002, 01:31:02 PM
I recently finished "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainence." Read it.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on March 19, 2002, 01:52:42 PM
Quote from: Tomahawk on March 19, 2002, 01:31:02 PMI recently finished "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainence." Read it.

That was a good one. His next effort, Lila, wasn't nearly as good, though.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on March 19, 2002, 03:34:03 PM
Quote from: Tomahawk on March 19, 2002, 01:31:02 PMI recently finished "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainence." Read it.

A Brzezinski favorite, how can you go wrong?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: diomedes on March 20, 2002, 04:06:41 PM
Wow, could I take this topic and run!

But I won't.  No need to thank me, I know your gratitude very well.

I am just beginning The Far Side of the World, by Patrick O'Brian.  It is the 10th volume in a 20 volume series of historical fictions set at sea in the British Navy during the Napoleanic Wars.  The stories follow two friends: Captain Jack Aubrey, and his particular friend (and sea-going surgeon), Stephen Maturin, who also happens to be an intelligence agent.  The books are a very even mixture of the swashbuckling Dumas, the dark, fatalistic brooding Conrad, the historical accuracy translated into fiction of Vidal, and the society of Austen.  Absolutely fantastic read.  I figured I'd get bored after the first or second installment in the series, as I did with Herbert's Dune series, or so many others.  I have been very pleasantly surprised to find myself eating them up.  They are very literate, very deep stories, while at the same time also very human and technical.  I do not doubt that I will finish the entire series, or that I will reread them all again before I die.  Being half way through these books is like being halfway through Tolkein when you're a kid.  It's incredible, and there's still so much to come, but it's also sad, because the end is visible....
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Gtrain on March 26, 2002, 01:46:42 PM
I'm almost done with Phantoms, by Dean Koontz, AWESOME BOOK, but if the ending sucks I'll let yah know.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on March 26, 2002, 02:30:04 PM
Quote from: gtrain on March 26, 2002, 01:46:42 PMI'm almost done with Phantoms, by Dean Koontz, AWESOME BOOK, but if the ending sucks I'll let yah know.

Read "False Memory" and "From the Corner of His Eye" next...my favorite 2 Koontz books.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on April 30, 2002, 09:03:12 PM
im working on a good book called "The Religions of Man." by  Huston Smith.  It covers the major religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.  Of course its not an extremely in depth book, cause it would take a hundred thousand pages to cover all those topics in depth.  Gives some interesting insight on the similarities and differences of these major religions.

(and no i dont want to get into a religious discussion on the board or anywhere for that matter, just wanted to share an interesting book if your into this kind of stuff.)
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on April 30, 2002, 09:17:08 PM
Quote from: MURP on April 30, 2002, 09:03:12 PMim working on a good book called "The Religions of Man." by  Huston Smith.  It covers the major religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.  Of course its not an extremely in depth book, cause it would take a hundred thousand pages to cover all those topics in depth.  Gives some interesting insight on the similarities and differences of these major religions.


Another interesting book that I've read along those lines is "A History of God" by Karen Armstrong. It deals primarily with Christianity, Judaism and Islam, also provides excellent insights without going overboard.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on April 30, 2002, 10:08:17 PM
The Giver by Lois Lowry. This is designed for children, but it was interesting. ;)
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on May 16, 2002, 10:22:51 AM
I recently got some tapes of Eagles games from '89 and '90.  I'm 27 years old, and have been a fan since I was four, and I probably saw some of these games, but I was young, and if I did see any of them, I don't remember them like many of you do.  Likewise, names like Jerome Brown are not meaningless to me, but at the same time, they have never meant as much to me as they do to many of you, because I was busy being a kid.  I have been getting into Eagles history a bit more lately, and these tapes are helping a great deal.  I found a book called Broken Wing, Broken Promise, by Phil Anastasia, listed at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0940159201/qid%3D1021557632/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F0%5F1/103-8379613-6702257) today:

Furthermore, I found this summary (http://www.caminobooks.com/wing-in.html) of the book at the publisher's web site.

Has anyone read the book?  Is it worth buying?  Can anyone suggest a good Eagles history book?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on May 16, 2002, 12:56:13 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on May 16, 2002, 10:22:51 AMHas anyone read the book?  Is it worth buying?  Can anyone suggest a good Eagles history book?

Interesting, I'm not familiar with Anastasia's book, but it covers the same season as Bringing the Heat, by Mark Bowden. As a number of people on this board will confirm, Bringing the Heat is excellent, and I would highly recommend it.

There's also a book that came out in the last year about the 1960 Eagles championship team - I haven't read it yet, although I happen to know that FS61 got it for Christmas. It looks interesting, and I hope to have my own copy in the near future.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on May 16, 2002, 02:10:26 PM
No one mentioned Pat Croce's "I Feel Great and you wiil too!"

I was surprised at how good this book was. I read it in one day...I would definitely suggest it. It really makes you realize what a good guy he is and what hard work can get you in life.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: joneszilla on May 16, 2002, 02:27:08 PM
False Memory was a pretty wild book.  Dark Rivers of the Heart, Intensity, & Sole Survivor were also good books by Koontz.  Last book i read was Lion of Ireland, it is a good read in the Braveheart mold but set in Ireland(struggle for freedom, wars, etc.).  I have read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy in the past and continue to read anything by Terry Goodkind.  His Sword of Truth series is excellent.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on May 16, 2002, 02:32:01 PM
joneszilla...have you read the other one I listed by Koontz? "From the Corner of His Eye"...its fantastic.

False Memory really freaked me out.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: joneszilla on May 16, 2002, 02:41:11 PM
Nope...never read it.  I will pick it up later this week and check it out, I haven't read any Koontz in a while.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on July 04, 2002, 04:42:33 AM
I am not sure if I should have named it. Anywayz, I am now trying to buy Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060938455/qid=1025771832/sr=2-1/104-8663441-3643939), maybe because I am hungry now. Has anyone read it? I just ask if it is good or not. Looks interesting or boring for you? ???
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Eaglesfan30 on July 04, 2002, 07:24:11 AM
I read Fast Food Nation...don't waste your money.  It's pure alarmism at it's best.  Just some guy trying to panic the entire world into not eating at McDonalds.
Gee, they actually kill cows to make hamburgers?  I never would have guessed.   ::)

...back to the original thread, I usually read a book each week (not sure who else here goes to the library, but I gotta tell you, even out here in the middle of nowhere, the library rules.).
Too numerous to list, but I'd recommend anything by PJ O'Rourke...he's one funny writer.

Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Gene on July 04, 2002, 08:55:05 AM
Quote from: Eaglesfan30 on July 04, 2002, 07:24:11 AMI'd recommend anything by PJ O'Rourke...he's one funny writer.




Jean Shepherd is good........

And more times than not I'm laughing so hard I have tears rolling down my face when  reading anything by Dave Barry........


p.s. Ef30.....Is that the same O'Rouke that used to write for "National Lampoon"  all those years ago?  Now there was a funny magazine!  Wish they'd bring that one back!
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Eaglesfan30 on July 04, 2002, 09:26:45 AM
Quotep.s. Ef30.....Is that the same O'Rouke that used to write for "National Lampoon"  all those years ago?  Now there was a funny magazine!  Wish they'd bring that one back!

It sure is...he was also a travel correspondent for Rolling Stone for awhile, but his Lampoon stuff is classic.  I've been buying old Lampoons on Ebay for the past couple years (to replace the ones I foolishly threw away in my younger days).
I was a subcriber back when they went out of business...I remember that they switched all subscribers over to Spy magazine which was also funny & which also went out of business), but it was never anywhere as good as National Lampoon.

...by the way, have you ever checked out the National Lampoon website?  Good stuff...
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: CSD on July 04, 2002, 11:58:44 AM
If any of you enjoy detective/forensic novels, I would recommend the Bone Collector series by Jeffery Deaver and the Prey series by John Sandford. Jeffery Deaver also has some books that aren't part of the Bone Collector series that are also excellent.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: stillupfront on July 04, 2002, 12:20:50 PM
WEBGriffin's Corps series

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan books
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on July 04, 2002, 12:36:32 PM
Quote from: Gene on July 04, 2002, 08:55:05 AMAnd more times than not I'm laughing so hard I have tears rolling down my face when  reading anything by Dave Barry........

 :yay  Dave Barry is some funny stuff.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: CSD on July 04, 2002, 12:47:48 PM
Have any of you ever read Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy series? Real funny stuff.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on July 04, 2002, 02:50:01 PM
Just started a Koontz book I never read...."Door to December"

I'll let you know what its like when I'm done...the first 20 pages were complete gore, though...LOL
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on July 05, 2002, 09:36:24 AM
Quote from: PhillyGirl on July 04, 2002, 02:50:01 PMJust started a Koontz book I never read...."Door to December"

I'll let you know what its like when I'm done...the first 20 pages were complete gore, though...LOL

Read that one; it gets less gory and is a decent read.  Actually, as I recall, it was a much different read than I thought it would be after the first part of the book.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: AE on July 05, 2002, 11:55:32 AM
Quote from: Satoshi on April 30, 2002, 10:08:17 PMThe Giver by Lois Lowry. This is designed for children, but it was interesting. ;)

I think I read that, also.  I can't remember much, but I think it had infantcide in it.  The course I was taking (when I read the book) compared the society in the book with modern China (the big one).

I just finished Slander, by Ann Coulter.  Wow, she took the gloves off in that book.  Worth a read, for sure.  Currently, I'm reading Illiberal Education, by Dinesh Desouza (spelling is likely off).  
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: tnt4philly on July 09, 2002, 04:30:22 AM
I just got done with my two week annual training with the PA Army National Guard. Not to be outdone by their active counter part, the NG knows how to play the "hurry up and wait" game just as well. Anyways, I had alot of time to read. I read the "People history of the United States. I am a very patriotic, conservative person, but this book really changed how I view some things. Actually it did not changed my views as much as giving it another perspective. Another good book I read was"They dare to speak out" It was written by ex senator, Paul Findley. The book is about how powerful the Pro-Israel lobby is here in the US, and how much they control our Congress.

Both books were eye openers.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on October 08, 2002, 09:25:18 AM
Tomorrow, the book You Are Being Lied To will be sent to me. Can't wait! Not sure if I have time to read in a month though. FYI, Russ Kick, the author of the book, published his new one in April; Everything You Know Is Wrong. Now, I am being forced to read Lord of the Flies...

Quote from: General_Failure on March 16, 2002, 11:32:26 AM
The Art of War (http://www.gutenberg.org/index/by-title/xx134.html) by Sun Tzu
I know that book is Spurrier's favorite.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on October 08, 2002, 09:37:14 AM
Lord of the Flies is a pretty good book, though I disagree with Goldman's "man is inherently evil" theme...at least I did at the time I read it; considering recent events, I may have to reconsider my position :undee: .
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: stillupfront on October 08, 2002, 11:36:13 AM
I am in the process of reading Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy. It occurs after Patriot games and before Red October.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on October 08, 2002, 01:10:02 PM
Always nice to see this thread return to the top.  :)

Oh, and I'm reading "The Fifties", by David Halberstam. Lots of interesting stuff, and covering a very broad range.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Gene on October 08, 2002, 06:35:49 PM
Quote from: stillupfront on October 08, 2002, 11:36:13 AM
I am in the process of reading Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy. It occurs after Patriot games and before Red October.



If I remember my basic Tom Clancy correctly, "The Hunt For Red October" came before "Patriot Games".......didn't it ???
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PSULions on October 08, 2002, 07:30:25 PM
That may be so, but as far as the main character, Jack Ryan goes, it goes in the previously stated order.  Clancy has Ryan aging and getting younger with each new book, you just never know.  I guess it's just whichever suits his purpose at the time....  I always liked the one where he gets it on with the homeless whore...... ;D
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: RomeyRome on October 09, 2002, 03:29:48 PM
Like PG I am a Dan Koontz fan.

Must reads are the series Fear Nothing and Sieze the Night, it is the first 2 parts of a 3 part series, which the next book is coming out soon.  PHENOMENOL reading, GREAT characters and great story lines.
Here is news of newest book:
What's Next:
Dean's next novel will be "Ride The Storm," a third novel in the Christopher Snow series! (first was Fear Nothing then Seize the Night.) Unfortunately, "Ride the Storm" won't be available for awhile, Dean said in recent interviews that he hopes it will be in bookstores in late 2002.


Here is other Dean Koontz books I've read, although I wouldn't recommend all of them:
The Bad Place
Cold Fire
Dark Rivers of the Heart
Hideaway
Intensity
Ice Bound
Lightning
Watchers
Shadowfires
Night Chills
Midnight
The Key to Midnight
One Door Away From Heavan
Phantoms
Sole Survivor
Strange Highways (a book with a few short stories)
The Voice of the Night
Winter Moon
False Memory (PG is right, that book is insane)
Demon Seed (weak book)
Dragon Tears
Mr. Murder
The Face of Fear
and of course my 2 favorites, Fear Nothing and Sieze the Night.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: RomeyRome on October 09, 2002, 03:37:38 PM
Oh and I'm reading From the Corner of His Eye right now, so that will be my 26th Koontz book.
If I were to recommend any of them they'd be:
Fear Nothing & Sieze the Night
The Bad Place
Intensity
Shadowfires
Phantoms
The Voice of the Night
Winter Moon
Dragon Tears
The Face of Fear

I don't remember them all, but these are good ones.

Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PSULions on October 09, 2002, 08:01:58 PM
I agree with the "man is inherently evil" point, but I disagree with "Lord of the flies".  What a stupid book.  John Calvin theorized that Man is inherently evil and all his deeds are evil, unless those deeds are performed to bring glory to God.....  Try reading the "Five points of Calvinism" sometime.....  You might not agree with it, but it might cause you, nonspecific, to do some heavy thinking on the existence of God and His purpose....
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: stillupfront on October 11, 2002, 12:09:02 PM
Quote from: Gene on October 08, 2002, 06:35:49 PM
Quote from: stillupfront on October 08, 2002, 11:36:13 AM
I am in the process of reading Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy. It occurs after Patriot games and before Red October.





If I remember my basic Tom Clancy correctly, "The Hunt For Red October" came before "Patriot Games".......didn't it ???

NO

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/nvdaydreamer/pers/jackryan.htm (http://pages.sbcglobal.net/nvdaydreamer/pers/jackryan.htm)
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Butchers Bill on October 14, 2002, 09:33:11 AM
I just finished Sean Hannity's "Let Freedom Ring".

Dio, you may want to check it out.   ;)
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on November 14, 2002, 04:27:00 AM
wooohooo... just finished my first Koontz book "Dark Rivers of the Heart"... it was good stuff.   :yay
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on November 14, 2002, 09:01:43 AM
Quote from: gthistle on October 08, 2002, 09:37:14 AM
I disagree with Goldman's...
Actually it is Golding. ;D
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on November 14, 2002, 09:20:53 AM
Quote from: Joel1972 on October 14, 2002, 09:33:11 AM
I just finished Sean Hannity's "Let Freedom Ring".

Dio, you may want to check it out.   ;)

Yeah, I read it.  Powerful stuff.  Went straight to the post office to change my registration to Republican.  Then, having seen the light, I went and posted some signs in the poor (black) neighborhoods which told the residents to make sure they pay all their parking tickets and their rent, and their child support, and their taxes, before voting, otherwise....
Sean would be proud.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on November 30, 2002, 10:59:26 AM
Always good to keep this thread going!  8)

My current selection is "Mayday: Eisenhower, Khruschev and the U-2 Affair" by Michael Beschloss. Very detailed, with lots of insight into that particular period of Cold War history.  
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on November 30, 2002, 04:16:15 PM
I'm in the middle of "One Door Away From Heaven" by Dean Koontz. Its one of his newer books. Read the first 250 pages in one day, that's how good it is!
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on November 30, 2002, 06:35:11 PM
I look at this thread and wonder if anyone here reads anything I do, like John Grisham, James Patterson, or Stephen King. I read Salem's Lot when I was somewere around 18, and it's still one of the best books I've ever read. It's nothing like the cheesey TV movie.

I've heard that Koontz is way out there, even more so than King. I might have to give him a try though if you guys and gal think his books are that good.

A couple of friends tell me Koontz's books are hard to follow, and that the plots are really complicated. Is this true? If it is, he might be a little too much for my Eastern Shore intellect.

I was  wondering something also, how much are you guys paying for paperbacks? I just bought Cat and Mouse, by Patterson, and it was $7.99 at Food Lion. It's not much too cry about, but I've seen paperbacks at Wal-Mart for 4.99 sometimes. Eight bucks just seems a lot to pay for a paperback.

Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on November 30, 2002, 06:39:52 PM
shorebird...I've read all of King's, all of Patterson's and all of Grisham's books....and Koontz is better than them all.

The beginnings are tough to follow, because each chapter introduces a new character....but they all tie up at the end and they're fantastic.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on November 30, 2002, 07:03:04 PM
Well, on that recomendation, I'll damn shore give him a try! I've seen his books everywere, just never bought one.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on November 30, 2002, 10:04:14 PM
Im now reading Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Not a bad book, but it makes my life somewhat hopeless... :(
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on November 30, 2002, 10:11:19 PM
Shorebird... why not just use the Library... or find a used book store.  They usually sell paperbacks for half price or less.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on November 30, 2002, 10:26:42 PM
Go to the library for his earlier works. I actually got the one I am reading now from Ebay. The book was 27 bucks in the bookstore (it was in hardback only when I bought it) and I got it for 7 bucks on Ebay. :)
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on December 25, 2002, 12:00:20 PM
I got Bowden's Bringing the Heat for Christmas.  It has quickly moved to the top of the "next" pile.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: RomeyRome on December 25, 2002, 04:34:16 PM
QuoteI've heard that Koontz is way out there, even more so than King. I might have to give him a try though if you guys and gal think his books are that good.

A couple of friends tell me Koontz's books are hard to follow, and that the plots are really complicated. Is this true? If it is, he might be a little too much for my Eastern Shore intellect.

Koontz is definately WAY out there, but his books are not that hard to follow.  Like PG said, he introduces new characters that have their own seperate stories, and when you go from chapter to chapter the stories will jump a little from character to character and story to story, but then they ALL lead to the same story and it is definately a different style, not original, but different.

I think he is a  genius in 3 important aspects,

1) Usually has great characters
2) Great at describing a scene without overdoing cheeziness
3) Insane imagination, really coo coo!! ;D

Like all authors he has some horrible books, but most of them are great stuff.

Fear Nothing and Sieze the Night, once again I must reccommend for the 50th time, that would be a great way to start reading Koontz.  The 3rd book of that series is about to come out, so you could catch up and read the new one. ;D

Patterson is good stuff, never read Stephen King though, his movies have ruined him for me.  Don't like Grisham, again his movies ruined him for me, and I don't like his type of books, too realistic.

When I read, I want the "escapism" experience of imagination, not the realism of cases in a court. ;D
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Gene on December 25, 2002, 05:37:47 PM
As a kind of gag gift my mom gave me a book she first gave me as a present from Christmas of 1971!

It was my old  copy of:  "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories"....and other disasters.......


It was authored by Jean Shepherd who was the creator (and narrator) of the movie:  "Christmas Story  which has been marathoned by TNT today......

She heard my moaning awhile back that I better get control of the TV at least once today so I can get a chance to see that movie.....Mom found the book somewhere in the house and wrapped it up for me...... ;D
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: BrewCrewLeader on December 26, 2002, 02:13:51 PM
Try your local Goodwill store as well..I just got 10 books for a crisp $1.00 bill...a virtual potpourri of titles too...and hey you're helping the cause as well....

Just finished Polar Star a book about murder and espionage on a Fishing Factory Ship 'Russian"...a half decent read to be honest...
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: CSD on December 26, 2002, 05:05:30 PM
Have any of you read American Soul by Jacob Needleman?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Gene on December 26, 2002, 05:33:20 PM
Quote from: BrewCrewLeader on December 26, 2002, 02:13:51 PM
....

Just finished Polar Star a book about murder and espionage on a Fishing Factory Ship 'Russian"...a half decent read to be honest...

"Polar Star"  was a good read....if you're interested that book was a sequel to "Gorky Park".........."Red Square" was a 3rd novel witten by Martin Cruz Smith that featured Detective Arkady Renko as the hero......
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on December 26, 2002, 10:16:14 PM
I'm in the middle of reading "Justice" by Dominick Dunne.

What a great read!

A background on the author....

His daughter was the older daughter in the movie "Poltergeist". She was stalked and strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend. He was let off practically scot-free and after being at her trial (which the first story he told and was one of the most angering and heartwrenching thing I've ever read), her father became obssessed with trials. He goes on to write about very high profile trials like the Menedez boys, Claus von Bulow, Vicki Morgan, Michael Skakel, OJ simpson and others.

Good book, I suggest it.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on December 27, 2002, 09:41:30 AM
MURP, help me out...

When I made a thread named Great Eagles books or something, you introduced me four books. Thanks. And they are: Bringing the Heat, I hate Dallas Cowboys, The 1960 Philadelphia Eagles, and...

I can't remember what it was and lost the list on ehich I wrote down those titles. Could you please tell me again?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on December 27, 2002, 09:52:31 AM
Quote from: Diomedes on December 25, 2002, 12:00:20 PM
I got Bowden's Bringing the Heat for Christmas.  It has quickly moved to the top of the "next" pile.

Move it from the "next" pile to the "NOW" pile.

Thats one book you shouldn't wait to read... ;D
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: BrewCrewLeader on December 27, 2002, 10:27:55 AM
Was it Sunday Warriors ?  A good historical of the Birds from 1939 - 1995....
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on December 27, 2002, 11:29:35 AM
As previously stated in another thread, I just read Sun Tzu: The Art of War.  Excellent book.  Another great book is One Tough Marine.  It's the biography of a Marine who served in Korea and then lost his leg below the knee.  Despite that he still met all the physical standards for Recon and served 3 tours in Vietnam.  Very inspirational.  Most of the reading I do revolves around the Marine Corps or American History.  On a sports related topic, Hoop Dreams was great.  I read it a few years ago, but it's one of my all time favorites.  Oh, January's Playboy is pretty good too.   ;)
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: JackStraw on December 27, 2002, 03:55:40 PM
Unfortunately, the pressure to remain competitive in the workplace requires that periodicals and research occupy my eyeballs most of the time. :(

That said, five books are currently in the nightstand rotation:

"Antietam, by James McPherson. There are more exhaustive accounts of Antietam, (or Sharpsburg depending upon your geography!) but this recent take goes beyond the battle and converges its attendant, pivotal domestic and international implications nicely. The battle was essentially for "homefield" advantage - with the results sending the participant teams into two different directions.

"A World Lit Only by Fire", William Manchester  I believe someone mentioned Manchester earlier. This is a great read about the dark ages - where life was hard, brutish and short - kinda like our Kotite era!

"Another Country, Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders" Mary Pipher Insightful reading for anyone with parents who are "getting up there".

"The Lexus and the Olive Tree - Understanding Globalization", Thomas Friedman Friedamn and the rest of his NYT ilk generally annoy me, but I've put my distaste aside to try to better understand the lefts perspective on why the Euro-wankers and most of the rest of the world dislike us.

The Real Frank Zappa Book, Frank Zappa 'Nuffsaid

(PG, I've never read Koontz, but I used to read a lot of King. The "Stand" in particular was my favorite for it's "Odyssey" styled backdrop against a battle of good vs. evil. IMO it was King's best, and I was wondering if Koontz had anything like it.)
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: stillupfront on December 27, 2002, 04:08:34 PM
Quote from: PHILLYSPORTSNUT on December 27, 2002, 11:29:35 AM
As previously stated in another thread, I just read Sun Tzu: The Art of War.  Excellent book.  Another great book is One Tough Marine.  It's the biography of a Marine who served in Korea and then lost his leg below the knee.  Despite that he still met all the physical standards for Recon and served 3 tours in Vietnam.  Very inspirational.  Most of the reading I do revolves around the Marine Corps or American History.  On a sports related topic, Hoop Dreams was great.  I read it a few years ago, but it's one of my all time favorites.  Oh, January's Playboy is pretty good too.   ;)

Try "The Corps" by WEB Griffin. Part of his series on WWII. Griffin books are written in series and a large cast of characters who move in and out of all the books.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on December 27, 2002, 05:37:53 PM
Quote from: JackStraw on December 27, 2002, 03:55:40 PM

"Antietam, by James McPherson. There are more exhaustive accounts of Antietam, (or Sharpsburg depending upon your geography!) but this recent take goes beyond the battle and converges its attendant, pivotal domestic and international implications nicely. The battle was essentially for "homefield" advantage - with the results sending the participant teams into two different directions.


Thanks for the quick reviews, JackStraw. I'm curious, have you ever read "Landscape Turned Red" by Stephen W. Sears, which was also about Antietam/Sharpsburg? If so, how would you say the McPherson book compares? I liked the Sears book a great deal, which I read several years ago, and am familiar with McPherson (a professor at Princeton, I believe) who has done some excellent Civil War work previously.

BTW, I've mentioned William Manchester on this thread and have read several of his works (not the one you mentioned), all of which I liked. I hope to finally get around to reading "The Death of a President" in 2003.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: RomeyRome on December 27, 2002, 06:54:30 PM
Hey Kuz did you hear that there is a new Dean Koontz book out?

I think it is called "By the Light of the Moon" or something.  I don't even know what it is about, but I saw something about it somewhere.

Just thought you might wanna know.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on December 27, 2002, 07:40:27 PM
Just saw it while I was out. :)
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on December 30, 2002, 09:27:07 AM
Quote from: stillupfront on December 27, 2002, 04:08:34 PM
Try "The Corps" by WEB Griffin. Part of his series on WWII. Griffin books are written in series and a large cast of characters who move in and out of all the books.

I've been told good things about that book.  I'll be sure to pick it up after New Year's.  Also, if any of you are curious about what it's like to go through boot camp in today's Marine Corps check out Making Marines.  It was written in 97 or 98.  Very good book.  It's funny though because I do not consider myself "old" at all but there are so many differences in bootcamp in 97 than in 94 when I went through that it almost makes me "Old Corps".  
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on January 18, 2003, 03:01:48 PM
Wow, this thread really got buried!  :o  Been a busy couple of weeks!  8)

Okay, I've been reading "The 1960 Philadelphia Eagles: The Team That They Said Had Nothing but a Championship" by Robert Gordon. I'm sure that a few people on the board have read it by now. While I've run across a couple of annoying factual errors (it says that Vince Lombardi was the defensive coach and Tom Landry the offensive coach for the Giants back in the late 50s - the opposite was true), the game accounts are quite good and obviously well researched, as well as the background stories on a number of the players.

I think the thing that I've enjoyed the most, though, is how well the book gets across how different the NFL culture was in 1960 than it is now. Players and coaches were part-timers who had to juggle off-season jobs with their football careers. Pro football was on the rise, but not yet the sports goliath that it has become. There was certainly less of a "big business" quality to the league, and the teams, than there is today. On the field, QBs called their own plays and were true field generals (well, unless they played for Paul Brown in Cleveland), and many of the players were more versatile and less locked into specialized roles than is the case today.

Of course, some things definitely haven't changed. The Giants and the Eagles are still fierce rivals. Cohesive teams can overachieve; teams with greater talent but less cohesion still underachieve. And it's still all about controlling the line of scrimmage.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the Eagles, specifically, or the NFL in general.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on February 04, 2003, 11:35:17 PM
Today I finished Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. I usually don't read classics, but that book drew my interest at the book store. And it was not bad. Now I'm trying to read Scott Ritter's book.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: BDCBuckCBuckRun on February 05, 2003, 12:49:48 AM
I just finished the coolest book in the world.....

Frindle :o  :o
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on February 05, 2003, 07:59:01 AM
Quote from: BDawkBWest2036 on February 05, 2003, 12:49:48 AM
I just finished the coolest book in the world.....

Frindle :o  :o

It's the coolest book in the world, and that's all you have to say about it?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 05, 2003, 11:13:17 AM
Quote from: Satoshi on February 04, 2003, 11:35:17 PMToday I finished Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.  Now I'm trying to read Scott Ritter's book.

Hawthorne can write.

Ritter, well, be careful who sees you carrying that book around.  I'd put a brown cover on it if I were you.  In these parts reading that book makes you a commie pinko fag, and anti-American, which is to say, a target.  

I'm almost finished reading Bringing the Heat.  I'm impressed.  I did not think it would be as good as it is.  I think I'll read Friday Night Lights the next time I crack open a football book.

Next up however is Gibbon's complete Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: stillupfront on February 05, 2003, 11:28:51 AM
Black House by Stephen King.

Not bad. Too sci-fi for my taste. Easy to follow. Good plot line.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on February 05, 2003, 03:33:59 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on February 05, 2003, 11:13:17 AM
Ritter, well, be careful who sees you carrying that book around.  I'd put a brown cover on it if I were you.  In these parts reading that book makes you a commie pinko fag, and anti-American, which is to say, a target.  
Thanks, Dio. But don't worry I always put a cover. Whatever he writes, I think it's worse reading at least once. I'm not an anti-American and will support the attack as long as it's rational.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on February 27, 2003, 12:55:42 AM
I have also just finished the 1960 Eagles championship book.  It was a great read.  Man was football different back then or what!  FS64 sums it up quite well.   :yay
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 27, 2003, 03:41:52 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on February 05, 2003, 11:13:17 AM
Next up however is Gibbon's complete Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
I don't know if the copy I have at home is Gibbon's or not.  I've had it since high school and haven't read it since then.  What ever version I have, I'm going to have to read it again since I enjoyed it in hs and will probably have a greater appreciation for it today.  
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on March 14, 2003, 04:34:37 AM
A few days ago I finished The Clash of Civilizations and the Remarking of World Order. I don't say if the book is good, but it obviously gave me the great impression. A very informative book and a good way to know how the world was, is or will be. Also, I already finished the first half of The Big Picture. Those two book worth a read. At least I think so.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on March 30, 2003, 04:19:38 PM
Okay, got a couple of recent additions to add to this one.

First, there's "The Quiet One - A Life of George Harrison" by Alan Clayson. Not a bad read, although the copy editing was atrocious. Clayson, who is British, does a nice job of recounting what life growing up in Liverpool in the 50s and early 60s was like, and also wants Harrison, who was so often overshadowed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in life, to get his due (this book was published before Harrison's death, incidentally). He is hardly fawning, and is often quite critical of some of Harrison's work. And the book falls into the problem area that all books about musical artists fall into - the author's personal taste in music can get in the way. If the author prefers a particular style or genre, then what the artist did that fits into that vein is "good". Anything else is "bad". But it only reminds the reader to think critically of the judgments being made in turn, and to listen and come to his or her own conclusions. At least, if you read this particular book, you can listen to Harrison's stuff with some insight into what was driving him when he created and performed it.

Second, "President Kennedy - Profile of Power" by Richard Reeves. I've read a number of books about Kennedy over the years, and in terms of getting into JFK's head and really giving the reader a sense of his leadership style, decisionmaking, personal interactions, and all the rest of it - which is the author's stated goal - this is the best of the bunch. It deals strictly with his presidency, so if you want to know about the early years, you should probably read something like Herbert Parmet's "Jack - The Struggles of John F. Kennedy". But for insight into his presidency and the times that he governed in, this is an excellent work.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: AE on March 30, 2003, 04:33:43 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on February 05, 2003, 11:13:17 AM
Ritter, well, be careful who sees you carrying that book around.  I'd put a brown cover on it if I were you.  In these parts reading that book makes you a commie pinko fag, and anti-American, which is to say, a target.
C'mon, Dio.  The guy is losing it.  Gets snagged for trying to rape a teenager (statutory rape), very recently states the US is going to lose the war (no matter how folks feel about it, almost no one thinks the US will lose).

What value is there in his book?  How to score with teenage chicks?  I have my own conspiracy theory.  I think he dabbled in his sickness while in Iraq.  Iraqi agents show him the pics and tell him to change his tune or they release 'em.  Far fetched?  I don't put anything past the sick freak.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on March 30, 2003, 04:52:50 PM
I wouldn't call it a good book, but I'll mention it anyway. I just finished the short story Anthem by Ayn Rand. Rand is far from a great fiction writer, but I burned through it anyway since the guys in my current gaming group are Randists.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: AE on March 30, 2003, 06:49:11 PM
What is a "Randist?"
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on March 30, 2003, 07:41:10 PM
Quote from: Airborne Eagle on March 30, 2003, 06:49:11 PM
What is a "Randist?"

Oh wow, I didn't think there were any left! Ayn Rand had quite the cult following for many years, right up to when I was in college (all those years ago!  :o  ). Supposedly, Alan Greenspan is, or was, a "Randist". I had a girlfriend in college who purported to be one, and as a result I slogged my way through "Atlas Shrugged" one summer. GF, you are quite right, she's no great fiction author, but wow, what a polemicist! And if everyone bought into her philosphical system, the world would be a far more bleak place than it is.  :paranoid  
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: AE on March 30, 2003, 08:10:16 PM
I read some of her work. but never realized there were "Randists."  I guess I'm more close associated with the Heffnerists.  That is, if I read the articles.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on March 31, 2003, 08:09:45 AM
Quote from: Airborne Eagle on March 30, 2003, 08:10:16 PM
I read some of her work. but never realized there were "Randists."  I guess I'm more close associated with the Heffnerists.  That is, if I read the articles.

Ah yes, the Hefnerists were in their heyday at the same time as the Randists, but the Guccionists and Flintists (a truly sorry lot) have made inroads in the years since. And the internet has spawned a whole new generation of imitators, which may lead to yet a new group of "ists" of that genre.

Um.....but I'm only familiar with the interviews.  ;)
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on March 31, 2003, 11:30:34 AM
Quote from: PHILLYSPORTSNUT on February 27, 2003, 03:41:52 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on February 05, 2003, 11:13:17 AM
Next up however is Gibbon's complete Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
I don't know if the copy I have at home is Gibbon's or not.  I've had it since high school and haven't read it since then.  What ever version I have, I'm going to have to read it again since I enjoyed it in hs and will probably have a greater appreciation for it today.  

Dio, I checked at home and the copy I do have is from Giddons which I read back in high school.  I was looking on the net last week at Barnes and Noble or something and found a 6 book set from Giddons.  The book I have at home  isn't numbered so I don't know if it was part of the series or not.  Have you read just 1 book or did you read the entire series?  I was thinking about ordering it but it was like $80 for the series and before I dropped that much cash on some books I was hoping to find oot if it's worth it.    
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: AE on March 31, 2003, 05:59:24 PM
Ever hear of a library?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on April 01, 2003, 02:32:46 PM
Quote from: Airborne Eagle on March 31, 2003, 05:59:24 PM
Ever hear of a library?
.

I can't even remember to take videos back to the store after I've had them for 3 days, there is no way in hell I'd remember to return books after having them for a week or two.  Besides, I know it's kind of pathetic but I don't even know where the public library is in this small KC suburb and I've been living here for 3 years now.  I wonder if they even have their own library here....never seen one.   ???
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on April 07, 2003, 08:45:17 AM
I'm reading Stephen King's Dreamcatcher. I'm not a huge fan of him, but this book is really awesome. hehe. SSDD.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on May 31, 2004, 08:27:52 PM
I just finished the third and fourth books in the Firestar series by Michael Flynn. It's a near future story that starts in 1999 (which was the near future when the first book was published) about a wealthy CEO and her overwhelming fear of asteroids. She starts up her own privately funded space program in Brazil without letting most of her presidents or shareholders know. The first book covers her, the space program in Brazil, the test pilots in the program, her family, one pilot's family, and a few students and teachers from a "quasi-public" school district her corporation runs in northern New Jersey.

Right now I'm in the middle of the fifth book, which takes place late 80's of the 21st century. I'm finding it a little tougher to follow than the first book, mainly because the 16 characters in the book all have strange names. Still a good read. It's a nice departure from the first four books with plenty of reminders how the characters from those books changed the wolrd they live in.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on May 31, 2004, 08:58:42 PM
I just re-read the August 1998 issue of Playboy while I was on the throne.   ;D
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on June 01, 2004, 03:07:18 AM
I am trying to find time to finish the Catcher in the Rye. That is really interesting to me. :yay
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on June 01, 2004, 11:31:43 AM
I read that in high school, but I didn't get it until I reread it.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on June 01, 2004, 03:57:52 PM
Quote from: Satoshi on April 07, 2003, 08:45:17 AM
I'm reading Stephen King's Dreamcatcher. I'm not a huge fan of him, but this book is really awesome. hehe. SSDD.

SSDD Satoshi, I am too reading this now and it is good.  Although I enjoy alot of Stephen Kings books.  My fav. being the gunslinger series, which is excellant.  
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on June 02, 2004, 07:18:12 AM
Mussa, that book is great but the movie sucks. You will be dissapointed if you see it. :boo
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on June 02, 2004, 09:48:27 AM
i actully saw the movie before the book and yes it did suck.   :boom
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Philly_Crew on June 02, 2004, 10:40:44 AM
Read the two-income trap.  Good book for couples with children.  It advocates the theory that the reason couples with children have increasing bankruptcy rate is that they get straddled with mortgage payments that require two incomes and if one parent gets sick or laid off..... poof.  They suggest it is directly related to relative quality of schooling and how parents leverage themselves to get a "good" house in a "good" school area.  A way out is to improve schooling everywhere or the voucher system.  Another problem is the growing cost of college education.  Why does every school think it has to have the highest rankings in all categories?  Keep state schools affordable and screw the latest and greatest technology and professors that are more into research than teaching.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on June 02, 2004, 11:05:06 AM
right now i am in the middle of Stephen Ambrose's "Band of Brothers"...the one that spawned the HBO mini-series of the same name. it's very good.

next on my list is the latest by Harlan Coben, which the title eludes me right now. but if i were to recommend something by him i would tell you to read "Gone for Good" and "Tell No One" very good mystery/suspense novels.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on June 02, 2004, 11:58:53 AM
Quote from: Wingspan on June 02, 2004, 11:05:06 AM
right now i am in the middle of Stephen Ambrose's "Band of Brothers"...the one that spawned the HBO mini-series of the same name. it's very good.

next on my list is the latest by Harlan Coben, which the title eludes me right now. but if i were to recommend something by him i would tell you to read "Gone for Good" and "Tell No One" very good mystery/suspense novels.

That's funny.  I run into Harlan Coben on occasion.  Had a pretty good conversation with him at the shop-and-stop not too long ago.  His stuff is toss-away readible, but that's not at all a bad thing.  Nice guy, too.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Greenfeather on June 02, 2004, 04:25:37 PM
Anything by Ray Bradbury I highly recommend.

"whatever you do...don't step off the path....

A Sound of Thunder
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: RomeyRome on June 02, 2004, 07:49:28 PM
Dean Koontz :-X
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on June 02, 2004, 07:58:33 PM
Quote from: NB on June 02, 2004, 07:49:28 PM
Dean Koontz :-X

i figured you would have shredded through all of his by now!

Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on June 03, 2004, 12:25:13 PM
Quote from: NB on June 02, 2004, 07:49:28 PM
Dean Koontz :-X

i've read one of his books, Demon Seed. which i liked. but never bothered to read anything else by him.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on June 28, 2004, 03:25:21 PM
I just read 'Animal Farm' last night. Very interesting read.

I went out and bought a few books...they were havinga  sale at Barnes. Walden, Adventures of Huckelberry Finn, The Jungle and 1984. Those are on my list...when I finish them...nobody knows.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: RomeyRome on June 28, 2004, 04:52:59 PM
Quote from: Wingspan on June 03, 2004, 12:25:13 PM
Quote from: NB on June 02, 2004, 07:49:28 PM
Dean Koontz :-X

i've read one of his books, Demon Seed. which i liked. but never bothered to read anything else by him.

Honestly that is one of his worst books, IMO.  He has written many books much better than that one.  His other writings are filled with much more imagination, creativity, and suspense then an evil computer-run house that takes over and tries to kill people.  Just so you know and ever consider reading anything else of Koontz works, that one is by far one of his worst, and considering you liked it you would more than likely enjoy other works of his.

Quotei figured you would have shredded through all of his by now!

I'm up around 30 now, just read a book called "The House of Thunder", which may sound like a cheezy name, but was a decent read.  Wasn't one of his best, but was definately one of his more unpredictable books.

I'm about to read a Koontz book called Strangers, which is almost 700 pages long :o  His books are usually in the 250-400 range, but this one will take awhile.

Hey MURP, have you read anything since that one Koontz book "Dark Rivers of the Heart" you said you read and liked?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on June 28, 2004, 04:54:39 PM
I started "Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk last week.

Interesting read so far, reminds me alot of Fight Club, which the auther also wrote.

Anyone else read this?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: RomeyRome on June 28, 2004, 04:57:23 PM
Isn't that the book about HBs mom?  Something about polls, chugging, fists, and choking?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on June 28, 2004, 05:10:12 PM
I'm a huge fan of Kurt Vonnegut, to me, he's the greatest writer of our time.

Anyways, here's a little Vonnegut titled Cold Turkey (http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0512-13.htm) that I ran across the other day...enjoy.


Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on June 28, 2004, 05:19:21 PM
Quote from: SD_Eagle on June 28, 2004, 05:10:12 PM
I'm a huge fan of Kurt Vonnegut, to me, he's the greatest writer of our time.

Anyways, here's a little Vonnegut titled Cold Turkey (http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0512-13.htm) that I ran across the other day...enjoy.




Voonegut is great, I read a few of his last year.  I need to pick some of his up again.

Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Mad-Lad on June 28, 2004, 05:26:42 PM
I have a tendency to pick up a book, read a third of it, set it down and forget about it.

the last couple i've tried and failed are:

Naked - David Sedaris (short stories)
Neuromancer - William Gibson
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on June 28, 2004, 05:37:15 PM
Quote from: SD_Eagle on June 28, 2004, 05:10:12 PM
I'm a huge fan of Kurt Vonnegut, to me, he's the greatest writer of our time.

Anyways, here's a little Vonnegut titled Cold Turkey (http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0512-13.htm) that I ran across the other day...enjoy.




wow, good read.  thanks

Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: RomeyRome on June 28, 2004, 06:03:53 PM
Cold Turkey can be summed up with a lot of  :'( and some  >:(, with plenty of questions, accustations (plenty of which I AGREE with mind you) and little to no answers.  Poor guy seems tortured.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on June 28, 2004, 06:20:32 PM
Quote from: NB on June 28, 2004, 06:03:53 PM
Cold Turkey can be summed up with a lot of  :'( and some  >:(, with plenty of questions, accustations (plenty of which I AGREE with mind you) and little to no answers.  Poor guy seems tortured.


Read the Bio (http://www.vonnegut.com/) on his official site. It gives you a little insight on his life and helps you understand why he thinks the way he does.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on June 28, 2004, 06:23:22 PM
I recently read Time Enough for Love, by Robert Heinlein. While I grew up reading a lot of sci-fi, I had gotten away from fiction of any variety as an adult, but like to read a good novel or collection of short stories from time to time. A number of people I've known over the years - typically conservative-leaning libertarians - raved about Heinlein and urged me to read his stuff. So, awhile back, I went out and bought Stranger in a Strange Land, Friday, and this book. I read the first, which is something of a cult classic, a few years ago and liked it, although I wasn't moved to become a Heinlein cultist as a result. Time Enough for Love is more imaginative, IMO, and I stuck with it because I was curious to see how it would all end up. However, while I do appreciate Heinlein's imaginative approach to sci-fi storytelling, I find his blatant editorializing to be more than a bit much at times. The man, who has been deceased for awhile now, definitely had way too high of an opinion of himself, and went unnecessarily far in blatantly inserting his opinions on politics, society, religion, etc. into his stories. Granted, he isn't quite in the same league with that rampant polemicist Ayn Rand, but only because he was a better writer. There were times when I was ready to throw the book at the wall and shout "you are so full of it, you arrogant prick!", which for me is a mighty rare reading experience!  ;) But I did indeed become so engaged in the action that I finished it, so I guess somewhere Heinlein is smiling and saying "Too bad, I win", and if a writer's job is to not only be creative but contentious as well, then he did his job.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on June 28, 2004, 06:27:32 PM
I finally finished all the Douglas Adams books. I had already read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, so this past month it was The Resteraunt at the End of the Universe (didn't expect it to be that end at all), Life, the Universe, and Everything,  So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, and Mostly Harmless. The end of the last one was a little upsetting, but I suppose it couldn't have ended much differently.

Finally read The Hobbit last month. After I finish Neuromancer I'll get back to reading the entire LOTR set.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: RomeyRome on June 28, 2004, 06:27:56 PM
I read parts of his bio, and I get a miniscule sense of where his apparent negativity comes from, but I really don't know anything about him.  
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on June 28, 2004, 08:07:54 PM
yeah NB i've read some since Dark Rivers of the Heart.

IMO:
Icebound- sucked
Darkfall- ok
False Memory- awesome
Seize the Night- pretty good
The Eyes of Darkness- sucked
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on June 28, 2004, 08:14:48 PM
I'm in the middle of reading "I Still Hate to Lose" about Larry Bowa. Really good book so far.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on June 28, 2004, 08:15:38 PM
anyone here a William Gibson fan?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: RomeyRome on June 28, 2004, 08:23:01 PM
Quote from: MURP on June 28, 2004, 08:07:54 PM
yeah NB i've read some since Dark Rivers of the Heart.

IMO:
Icebound- sucked
Darkfall- ok
False Memory- awesome
Seize the Night- pretty good
The Eyes of Darkness- sucked

I could have told you all that. ;)  So you read Seize the Night huh?  That is part 2 of a 3 book series, and it would have helped if you read part one, but no biggie, atleast you thought it was pretty good.

If you ever read one again, try Midnight or Intensity.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: RomeyRome on June 28, 2004, 08:24:50 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on June 28, 2004, 08:15:38 PM
anyone here a William Gibson fan?

blog!
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on June 28, 2004, 08:39:46 PM
Quote from: NB on June 28, 2004, 08:23:01 PM
Quote from: MURP on June 28, 2004, 08:07:54 PM
yeah NB i've read some since Dark Rivers of the Heart.

IMO:
Icebound- sucked
Darkfall- ok
False Memory- awesome
Seize the Night- pretty good
The Eyes of Darkness- sucked

I could have told you all that. ;)  So you read Seize the Night huh?  That is part 2 of a 3 book series, and it would have helped if you read part one, but no biggie, atleast you thought it was pretty good.

If you ever read one again, try Midnight or Intensity.

We have both. I went a little Koontz crazy on Ebay. got like 10 books for a total of 5.00. lol
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on June 28, 2004, 08:44:12 PM
Quote from: NB on June 28, 2004, 08:23:01 PM
Quote from: MURP on June 28, 2004, 08:07:54 PM
yeah NB i've read some since Dark Rivers of the Heart.

IMO:
Icebound- sucked
Darkfall- ok
False Memory- awesome
Seize the Night- pretty good
The Eyes of Darkness- sucked

I could have told you all that. ;)  So you read Seize the Night huh?  That is part 2 of a 3 book series, and it would have helped if you read part one, but no biggie, atleast you thought it was pretty good.

If you ever read one again, try Midnight or Intensity.

well then just tell me about all of em so i dont have to read em!!  :D    yeah i realized that Seize the night was book 2 after i was done reading it.. doh!  the book made sense by itself anyway which was good.   I def want some plot twists in the books.  Some of the ones I read were too predictable.  Is Midnight or Intensity predictable at all?
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on June 28, 2004, 09:43:37 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on June 28, 2004, 08:15:38 PM
anyone here a William Gibson fan?

I'm still at the beginning of Neuromancer, so I haven't formed an opinion of his bookwork yet. I did enjoy Johny Mnemonic though. Once I'm done my reading list I may take a look at his Alien 3 script.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on July 07, 2004, 04:30:37 PM
I just bought False Memory...all the hype PG gave it was too much to resist. As soon as I'm done with 1984, I'll read that one.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on July 08, 2004, 08:38:27 AM
Quote from: hbionic on July 07, 2004, 04:30:37 PM
I just bought False Memory...all the hype PG gave it was too much to resist. As soon as I'm done with 1984, I'll read that one.

Both MURP and me gave it the hype. That book actually scared me to a point where I needed to put it down for a few minutes...LOL. It also farged with my dreams.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: joneszilla on July 08, 2004, 09:08:19 AM
Quote from: PhillyGirl on July 08, 2004, 08:38:27 AM
Quote from: hbionic on July 07, 2004, 04:30:37 PM
I just bought False Memory...all the hype PG gave it was too much to resist. As soon as I'm done with 1984, I'll read that one.

Both MURP and me gave it the hype. That book actually scared me to a point where I needed to put it down for a few minutes...LOL. It also farged with my dreams.

I read False Memory as well.  you won't be disappointed.  It is definitely one of Koontz's best.


Right now i am reading Bernard Cornwell - 'Enemy of God'.  It's the second book in a series which revolves around the Legend of Camelot.  It's excellent thus far.  I recommend all his books, especially the Quest For the Grail (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=mHu147IqUF&isbn=0060505257&itm=6) series.  His books mix in a ton of historical facts with some excellent fiction to make the story go.  
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on July 15, 2004, 02:58:49 PM
I just finished up two books. Neuromancer by Williams Gibson and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. I'm pretty sure both can be classified as cyberpunk.  I liked them both, but I enjoyed Snow Crash more. I thought they both ended a little too abruptly.

Snow Crash is a little odd for me to describe, so I'll just take a quote off the back cover.

QuoteIn reality, Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza for Uncle Enzo's CosaNostra Pizza, Inc,. but in the Metaverse he's a warrior prince. Plunging headlong into the enigma of a new computer virus that's striking down hackers everywhere, he races along the neon-lit streets on a search-and-destroy mission for the shadowy virtual villain threatening to bring about the infocalypse. Snow Crash is a mind-altering romp through a future America so bizarre, so outrageous...you'll recognize it immediately.

Didn't really care for the part where the 15 year old sidekick had sex with the much older villain, but it wasn't that descriptive and moved the story along.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: thrillhouse on July 16, 2004, 12:59:57 AM
I liked "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. Its a  murder mystery with a huge scandal.  It says that the book is based on true events, but Im not sure about that.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on July 16, 2004, 01:05:23 AM
Its pretty impressive a lot of you guys read books. I like people who read books. :yay

The Great Gatsby is waiting for me for 4 months....
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: henchmanUK on July 16, 2004, 06:17:19 AM
Am reading Marketing Your Dreams, the Pat Williams book on Bill Veeck. It's a bit syrupy and over-sentimental at times, but still a lot of fun on the Tube going to/from work. Oh, and Pat Williams BLEEDS EAGLE GREEN too. I might have to start rooting for the Orlando Magic again (they were the first American pro sports team I ever saw) now they have Jameer Nelson!
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Purple_Hayz on July 16, 2004, 12:01:16 PM
Didn't see it mentioned in here anywhere so I figured I'd give a shout out to The Proving Ground by Lars Andersen.  It's an interesting read, especially for anyone who was a fan of the short-lived Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: henchmanUK on July 16, 2004, 12:16:41 PM
Quote from: Purple_Hayz on July 16, 2004, 12:01:16 PM
Didn't see it mentioned in here anywhere so I figured I'd give a shout out to The Proving Ground by Lars Andersen.  It's an interesting read, especially for anyone who was a fan of the short-lived Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL.

This is the book about the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe, rather than Las Vegas Outlaws. PH, don't believe everything you read. I'd take a lot of the stuff in there with a very large pinch of salt.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on July 16, 2004, 12:25:23 PM
I'm reading a pretty cool book right now called "Lovely Bones". Its a story told through the eyes of a 14 year old girl who was murdered and is now in "her heaven". She sees her family grieve and fall apart, friends move on and grow up without her and the murderer try to cover his tracks. Some pretty gory shtein, but a really great perspective.

Kind of reminds me of the Showtime series, "Dead Like Me" only in the show, there is no murderer...just a toilet seat. LOL
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Purple_Hayz on July 16, 2004, 01:25:40 PM
Quote from: henchmanUK on July 16, 2004, 12:16:41 PM
Quote from: Purple_Hayz on July 16, 2004, 12:01:16 PM
Didn't see it mentioned in here anywhere so I figured I'd give a shout out to The Proving Ground by Lars Andersen.  It's an interesting read, especially for anyone who was a fan of the short-lived Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL.

This is the book about the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe, rather than Las Vegas Outlaws. PH, don't believe everything you read. I'd take a lot of the stuff in there with a very large pinch of salt.
Yes but most of the characters in the book end up in the XFL.  Given that "gentleman Jim" coached the Outlaws and brought quite a few Claymores with him (and others, like Crandell, couldn't wait to play against him) I thought it was relevant.

Also, I take everything I read with a few grains of salt-most reporters these days don't let the facts get in the way of a good meme or story and I see no reason to except sports journalism from that maxim.  I'm still curious as to what you found to be distorted or untrue in the book though. :)
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on July 16, 2004, 01:32:52 PM
Quote from: PhillyGirl on July 16, 2004, 12:25:23 PM
I'm reading a pretty cool book right now called "Lovely Bones". Its a story told through the eyes of a 14 year old girl who was murdered and is now in "her heaven". She sees her family grieve and fall apart, friends move on and grow up without her and the murderer try to cover his tracks. Some pretty gory shtein, but a really great perspective.

Kind of reminds me of the Showtime series, "Dead Like Me" only in the show, there is no murderer...just a toilet seat. LOL

i've actually read that book. the author of that book (who's name i cant remember) is from the main line (malvern, pa).

she has another book called lucky, in which she is not so...

i thought both of her books kind of lose a little steam after about 3/4 of the way though it. she does provide very interesting perspectives on events.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: NGM on July 16, 2004, 01:43:33 PM
Angels and Demons is 10x better than the Da Vinci code.  Also The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Drunkmasterflex on July 16, 2004, 02:17:55 PM
I recently read a book called the Bedford Boys.   It is about a small town in Virginia and the price that it paid on June 6, 1944.  It is truly a heart wrenching story, I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in WWII history.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Yeti on July 16, 2004, 03:05:31 PM
Just finished Wolves of Calla, book five in Stephen Kings Dark Tower series.  Some of his books tie into the series, Salems Lot, Black House, Hearts of Atlantis which is pretty cool.  I like Stephen King's style of writing and I like the way he uses a name or a detail from another story as sort of a "private joke" between him and his "constant reader".  Don't let the movies put you off, they do the books no justice.  If you want a good Stephen King book to start off with, The Stand is great.  Best book I read by Dean Koontz was The Watcher.  That was one smart dog!  Just finished Henry James Turn of the Screw from the 1800's.  Lost something in the antiquity of the language.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on July 16, 2004, 03:14:45 PM
I tried reading King before, but couldn't get into it. I didn't get very far into Misery. I'm pretty sure that's which one it was.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on July 16, 2004, 03:20:46 PM
Misery was actually a good Stephen King movie.  Nothing like Kathy Bates to get your balls shrinkin.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Yeti on July 16, 2004, 04:02:06 PM
(http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=KATHY+BATES/v=2/l=IVS/*-http://www.filmkultura.iif.hu/2003/articles/films/images/schmidttort/schmidtort19.jpg)

Just for you Murp.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on July 16, 2004, 04:03:24 PM
lol.   I almost blew chunks when i saw that in About Schmidt.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Spackle on July 22, 2004, 02:17:36 PM
Quote from: MURP on July 16, 2004, 04:03:24 PM
lol.   I almost blew chunks when i saw that in About Schmidt.

i almost blew chunks when i saw that movie period
absolutely terrible
i've had more excitement watching grass grow
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on July 22, 2004, 02:18:42 PM
good point, it blew chunks all around.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: RomeyRome on July 22, 2004, 02:58:11 PM
Strangers -- Dean Koontz
Almost 700 pages long, does a novel writer's version of Quenten Tarantino, jumping all over the place, different stories/characters, and then weaves them in towards the last third of the book and ends up in a crazy azz place.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on July 26, 2004, 04:16:51 PM
Reading a book called "Blue Blood". Author is a Harvard-educated NYPD officer who wrote the "Cop Diary" columns in the "New Yorker" magazine.

Pretty good so far. About 600 pages of a big hardback book and I'm about 150 into it.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Philly_Crew on October 25, 2004, 12:16:50 PM
Quote from: GoinLong on March 16, 2002, 12:51:39 PM
I'm in the middle of Rizzo by Sal Paolantonio. Very good look at not only former Mayor Frank Rizzo's life, but also the modern history of Philadelphia.

Saw your recommendation and I started the book.  Excellent!
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Philly_Crew on October 25, 2004, 12:22:32 PM
Quote from: tnt4philly on July 09, 2002, 04:30:22 AM
I just got done with my two week annual training with the PA Army National Guard. Not to be outdone by their active counter part, the NG knows how to play the "hurry up and wait" game just as well. Anyways, I had alot of time to read. I read the "People history of the United States. I am a very patriotic, conservative person, but this book really changed how I view some things. Actually it did not changed my views as much as giving it another perspective. Another good book I read was"They dare to speak out" It was written by ex senator, Paul Findley. The book is about how powerful the Pro-Israel lobby is here in the US, and how much they control our Congress.

Both books were eye openers.

I would recommend every American read "They dare to speak out".  I would argue that our aid to Israel is 100% more to do with Arab terrorism against the United States than because of their hatred of democracy and freedom.  In light of current situation in Israel, this book is a must read for understanding historical response of the US towards Israel and the rest of the middle east.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on October 25, 2004, 12:44:11 PM
Quote from: Philly_Crew on October 25, 2004, 12:22:32 PMI would argue that our aid to Israel is 100% more to do with Arab terrorism against the United States than because of their hatred of democracy and freedom.
And the evidence which speaks to their goals (i.e. their videotaped statements, press releases, official testimony in detention, etc.) would support your argument.  Al Queda has been clear, consistent and resolved from the beginning:  U.S. out of Israel and Saudi Arabia.  That's their goal.  All this hoo-ha about freedom hating is a bunch of nationalist propaganda.  Read their press releases, listen to their statements.  They want the occupiers out.

I'm reading Graham Greene's Heart of the Matter.  He's one of my favorites.  I've also read The Power and The Glory, The Comedians, Our Man in Havana, and The Quiet American.
Title: Re:Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: since75 on October 25, 2004, 12:50:41 PM
Quote from: Philly_Crew on October 25, 2004, 12:16:50 PM
Quote from: GoinLong on March 16, 2002, 12:51:39 PM
I'm in the middle of Rizzo by Sal Paolantonio. Very good look at not only former Mayor Frank Rizzo's life, but also the modern history of Philadelphia.

Saw your recommendation and I started the book.  Excellent!

That sounds neat. My Grandfather was on the short list for Police Commissioner along with Rizzo. The two hated each other, and both had sworn retirement if the other got the job. Rizzo got it, and true to his word, Pop retired. This all happened before I was born.

I'd love to read about Rizzo. Knowing my Grandfather the way I did, it would be interesting to see what Rizzo was all about, and try to figure out why the two had so much bad blood.

Great suggestion...for me anyway. Thanks.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: since75 on October 25, 2004, 01:00:18 PM
Since I took one, I should give one. I am reading "The Glorious Cause," by Jeff Shaara. Its about the American Revolution, and is hugely enlightening in terms of a) Being historically acurate but moreso b) Giving you a feeling of what was going on in the Founding Fathers/Army leaders' minds during the war.

You can't start with it though, it is the sequal to "Rise to Rebellion," which starts back in 1774 and takes you through the events that lead up to the Declaration, and the War.

I just happened by the first one, and picked it up off of a shelf because it looked interesting. I knew nothing of the author. Soon, I got to the point where I just couldn't put this thing down, and it made me curious about the author.

He's the same guy that wrote "Gods and Generals," which was recently made into a movie about the civil war.

If you want to become an expert in American History...these books are an excellent place to start...and entertaining at the same time!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: troyhstewart on January 14, 2005, 09:45:40 PM
I just read Da Vinci's Code, finished it in three days. Pretty astonishing considering I haven't read a real book in over 5 years.  :o 

I highly recommend it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on January 15, 2005, 02:56:06 AM
dug this one out of the grave eh?

if you like Da Vinci Code, read his other books... same style.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on January 15, 2005, 10:53:21 AM
Quote from: MURP on January 15, 2005, 02:56:06 AM
dug this one out of the grave eh?

if you like Da Vinci Code, read his other books... same style.

I just started reading 'Angels and Demons', so far it's pretty good.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ILLEAGLE on January 15, 2005, 02:07:55 PM
If you want to read a book that will scramble your eggs for a few weeks, try "Nothing in this book is true, but it's exactly how things are" by Bob Frizzel. A very transcendental approach to the whole universe.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Drunkmasterflex on January 15, 2005, 02:12:45 PM
Masters of Chaos (The Secret History of Special Forces)

Highly recommend for anybody into military/history.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Yeti on February 17, 2005, 11:43:31 AM
Call of the Wild  Jack London.  Awesome
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: stillupfront on February 17, 2005, 11:46:17 AM
All the WEB Griffin books except the Badge of Honor series.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ILLEAGLE on February 17, 2005, 01:35:27 PM
I just started to re-read "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking. The last time I tried I only made it 1/3 of the way through, and started to feel stupid. The way the guy's brain works is amazing.

I would recommend ANYTHING by A.T. Mann.  :yay
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on February 17, 2005, 04:35:22 PM
Quote from: ILLEAGLE on February 17, 2005, 01:35:27 PM
I just started to re-read "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking. The last time I tried I only made it 1/3 of the way through, and started to feel stupid. The way the guy's brain works is amazing.

thats because nothing else works on him
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on February 18, 2005, 07:33:17 AM
I just started reading John Sandford's series of prey novels. There are 16 books so far in the series. I'm addicted. I've read 8 of them so far.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on February 18, 2005, 08:14:04 AM
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on February 18, 2005, 07:33:17 AM
I just started reading John Sandford's series of prey novels. There are 16 books so far in the series. I'm addicted. I've read 8 of them so far.

i've read a bunch of those. Rules of Prey rocked.

i also like Winter Prey, Certian Prey and Chosen Prey
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on February 18, 2005, 10:51:57 AM
Yeah, I really like books where the author has a series containing the same characters. After finishing Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta series and Karin Slaughter's Grant County series...I found Sandford's Prey series.

I just started Secret Prey this morning.

Certain Prey and Chosen Prey I ordered. Those are the final two I need to buy and I'll have the whole series.

He has a new one coming out in May.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: stillupfront on March 16, 2005, 03:28:21 PM
Reagan's War. Outstanding read. Would really piss off Dio!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Philly_Crew on March 16, 2005, 04:01:24 PM
"The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power"  Daniel Yergin.  Didn't know that the oil industry started in PA and other great historical facts.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on March 16, 2005, 06:01:50 PM
Quote from: Philly_Crew on March 16, 2005, 04:01:24 PM
"The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power"  Daniel Yergin.  Didn't know that the oil industry started in PA and other great historical facts.

Titusville, I believe.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on March 18, 2005, 11:44:08 AM
Homicide Special by Miles Corwin
Killing Season by Miles Corwin

I just finished John Sandford's Prey Series (16 books total) and he has a new one out in May.

I enjoyed Sandford's series. I am a fan of the detective series theme. I read Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta series and am up to date on Karin Slaugter's Grant County series too and I loved them all.

I need some suggestions on what to read next. I'm out of ideas. I like police stuff mostly.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: NGM on March 18, 2005, 11:47:16 AM
I'm in the fourth book of the "Wheel of Time" series by Robert Jordan.  All the books so far have been great.  Usually I find if I start a series that already has multiple books I get tired of the authors stlye two or three books in.  This is not so with Jordan.  For anyone who is in to sci-Fi/fantasy I would highly recommend them.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on March 30, 2005, 10:32:16 PM
I'm a little upset with anyone that suggested Dan Brown's books were worth reading. I got Digital Fortress on Saturday, thinking I'd have something to read while I'm alone at work after 3 am, but I finished it on Sunday. The story was alright, but nothing great. I really hated how the characters were done. "She's the hottest, smartest chick in the universe." It was a little light compared to what I usually read, but it kept me busy for about 5 hours. It might as well have been a movie script, though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 30, 2005, 10:54:35 PM
Just finished Woodward & Bernstein's All the President's Men.  How quickly we forget, and my how time's have changed.  Glad I read it.  Next up, something less topical:  Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Susquehanna Birder on March 30, 2005, 10:55:06 PM
I'm almost finished with T.O.'s book. Really didn't give me a whole lot of insight into the guy...but it was okay.

G_F...have you read "The Blue Nowhere" or "The Cuckoo's Egg"? One is fiction, one is sadly non-fiction.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on March 30, 2005, 11:17:59 PM
Haven't read those yet, but I'll look for 'em next week after I finish Pattern Recognition by William Gibson.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 31, 2005, 09:12:01 AM
I like Gibson very much.  I don't recognize that title (no pun intended).  Is it new?  Good?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on March 31, 2005, 12:49:40 PM
It came out in '03, I think, so it's fairly new. I haven't started it yet. I don't want to fall into the same problem I had with Digital Fortress and finish it before I even get to work. All I know for sure about it is it's set in the present instead of the near future.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on March 31, 2005, 12:58:13 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on March 30, 2005, 10:32:16 PM
I'm a little upset with anyone that suggested Dan Brown's books were worth reading. I got Digital Fortress on Saturday, thinking I'd have something to read while I'm alone at work after 3 am, but I finished it on Sunday. The story was alright, but nothing great. I really hated how the characters were done. "She's the hottest, smartest chick in the universe." It was a little light compared to what I usually read, but it kept me busy for about 5 hours. It might as well have been a movie script, though.

Deception Point was much better in my opinion. and i would have recommended davinci code a year ago, but there's been so much hype around that that it could never really live up to expectations anymore. it was best to read it before all the "broom in the ass groups" started banning it and trashing a FICTIONAL story.

i really wish it were true, just to piss the BITAG's off even more. they really wouldnt know what to do with themselves.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Susquehanna Birder on March 31, 2005, 01:02:10 PM
If it helps, Brown does believe, philosophically, much of what he wrote. He just wound his manifesto around a nice little suspense tale to keep people from nodding off.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on March 31, 2005, 01:20:13 PM
I like all 3 of Browns books i've read so far.  havnt read deception point yet but that is on my list.  Each book gives you something to think about after you have finished it, a lot of mindless action, and some decent plot twists.  Thats about all I expect from a fiction book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on March 31, 2005, 01:20:24 PM
Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted on this thread - since Time Enough for Love in fact, which was several books ago. Guess I haven't felt moved to talk about anything that I've read since, at least until now. I recently finished What It Takes: The Road to the White House by Richard Ben Cramer. The book came out of the 1988 presidential election, and has received a great deal of acclaim, but I resisted reading it until now. First off, it became instantly trendy to read, and there's a part of me that doesn't like "trendy" (a big part, actually  ;) ). Secondly, it's long - over a thousand pages. Having now read it, I can say that it's very readable and absorbing, and certainly thought-provoking. Cramer wasn't interested in writing yet another "this is what happened during the campaign" type book, ala Theodore H. White or Jules Witcover et al. What he did was to pick six of the candidates - two Republicans, four Democrats - and delve into their lives and campaigns, asking throughout "what sort of person runs for president?" and "what does it take to run the presidential election gauntlet?"

What unfolds is a book that gives trememendous insight into the five candidates that he followed (George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, Michael Dukakis, Gary Hart, Joe Biden, and Dick Gephardt) as well as a sense of how utterly byzantine the presidential campaign process is. If it looks like total mayhem from the outside, the answer is - it is! A candidate gets his personal life ripped open, is forced to whore himself for cash, must juggle running around the country with family life, and a whole host of other considerations that most people would gladly forego. All to end up discarded along the way (the most likely result, by far) except for the utterly exhausted victor, who gets to absorb four years (or more) of abuse in the White House.

The book is heavy on the front end stuff - the key events in each candidate's life, early campaigning and posturing, etc. You're 800 pages or so into it before the Iowa caucus occurs - and feel about as drained as the candidates. I think it could have been edited down a bit and the author's aim would have still been served, but all-in-all, I'm glad I read it. And I am so glad I got out of politics!  :P
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on March 31, 2005, 01:25:03 PM
Quote from: Susquehanna Birder on March 31, 2005, 01:02:10 PM
If it helps, Brown does believe, philosophically, much of what he wrote. He just wound his manifesto around a nice little suspense tale to keep people from nodding off.

oh, i understand that. and him believing that probably helped it in terms of his story. personally, i loved the book. i read it twice 2 summers ago. then the hype exploded over it. and i dont think it would meet peoples expectations they would have going into it now.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 31, 2005, 01:29:02 PM
I have no idea if I've posted in this thread in the past but anyone who likes fiction and unique writing style should check out Satanic Verses by Rushdie. Absolutely unlike anything I've ever read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on April 03, 2005, 09:33:00 PM
[Star Wars Geek]
I bought Star Wars:'Revenge of the Sith' lastnight and finished it today. It's over 400 pages long and is really well written. Obviously if you don't want to know the plot and details of the next film I recommend not buying it. Of course, if you know anything at all about Star Wars what's revealed in the book is not much of a surprise.

I'm going to start Star Wars: 'Labyrinth of Evil' next. It takes place right before ROTS and deals a lot with General Grievous and the Clone Wars.
[/Star Wars Geek]
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 05, 2005, 02:10:53 AM
Just finished Pattern Recognition. A nice change from Dan Brown's stuff. Obnoxious, flawed characters, slow moving plot, and the story wasn't half bad either. I'll probably have to read it again to catch everything, but it was worth reading the first time.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: henchmanUK on April 05, 2005, 06:41:47 AM
I am going to start reading Friday Night Lights today. Any good? The movie doesn't come out over here until next month, so I thought I'd better read the book first.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 05, 2005, 01:34:27 PM
Quote from: henchmanUK on April 05, 2005, 06:41:47 AM
I am going to start reading Friday Night Lights today. Any good? The movie doesn't come out over here until next month, so I thought I'd better read the book first.

Very good book.  I think you'll enjoy it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 05, 2005, 02:42:02 PM
But you have to read it slowly, and with a Texas drawl.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: henchmanUK on April 06, 2005, 05:44:52 AM
Quote from: General_Failure on April 05, 2005, 02:42:02 PM
But you have to read it slowly, and with a Texas drawl.

No way. I read everything with a fleshpop Van Dyke comedy Cockney accent.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Father Demon on April 11, 2005, 04:17:25 PM
I just finished "Under and Alone" by Billy Queen last week.  The true story of an undercover ATF agent who infiltrated the Mongols motorcycle gang.  He was patched in, and even was elected into an officer position all while gathering information for the largest and most damaging investigation into the world of bikers.

A good, entertaining read.  Knowing what this guy had to go through for 2 1/2 years, and how it affected him emotionally was very interesting.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 11, 2005, 04:32:19 PM
Didn't Charlie Sheen do a movie about that?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Father Demon on April 11, 2005, 05:01:29 PM
Good call (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103805/)

(http://www.weatherby.ws/cf/beyond%20the%20law.bmp)

That movie was about another undercover guy, but still based on a true story.  I'll have to look into it....
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on April 28, 2005, 02:40:19 PM
I bought slaughter-house 5 by vonnegut last night.

also bought a book called Ghost Wars.  The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden from soviet invasion to sept. 10 2001. written by steve coll.  looks like a very interesting book.

anybody read these two?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 28, 2005, 03:01:45 PM
Slaughterhouse 5 is great. But it's exactly the same sort of story as his other books. If you've read one, you've sort of read them all. Good stuff though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on April 28, 2005, 04:04:13 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on April 28, 2005, 03:01:45 PM
Slaughterhouse 5 is great. But it's exactly the same sort of story as his other books. If you've read one, you've sort of read them all. Good stuff though.

Vonnegut's my favorite writer. Aside from his writing style, characters names, and the political/social/religous undertone in all of his books, they're completely different.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: RomeyRome on April 28, 2005, 06:36:41 PM
(http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/covers/0-553-58788-9.gif)

No it's not the same old story, it is a new version.  For the Koontz fans, there is also a book called Velocity coming out in May.

Has anyone read this, or read "The Taking" by Koontz?

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 28, 2005, 07:42:39 PM
Quote from: SD_Eagle on April 28, 2005, 04:04:13 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on April 28, 2005, 03:01:45 PM
Slaughterhouse 5 is great. But it's exactly the same sort of story as his other books. If you've read one, you've sort of read them all. Good stuff though.

Vonnegut's my favorite writer. Aside from his writing style, characters names, and the political/social/religous undertone in all of his books, they're completely different.

No way dude. Completely the same.  In every single way. Seriously, I'm never wrong.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on April 28, 2005, 10:17:41 PM
I finished the DaVinci Code a couple of weeks ago and just started reading The Republic from Plato.  I had to read the first couple of pages a few times just to get in the right frame of mind to read it.  Same thing if I ever read anything by Shakespeare or something similar.  Gotta read the first few pages a couple of times so that I'm able to decifer the funny language it's written in.  :paranoid. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Don Ho on April 30, 2005, 05:31:06 PM
John Grisham's "Bleachers".   Very fast reading, good airplane book.  I really enjoyed it.

Currently reading "The Caroliona Way" by Dean Smith.  Not bad.  Smith relates his dealings with UNC basketball to the real and business world.  I usually can't stand those books where ex-jocks try to use the old sports cliches and incorporate them into today's business enviornment.  "Do it for the team' football teaches you teamwork, blah, blah, blah.  This book isn't as bad.  If you're involved in coaching at any level you will enjoy this book.  Smith really had a grasp on things.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on May 01, 2005, 05:50:54 AM
EDIT: Whoa was I farged up lastnight  :-D
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on May 01, 2005, 02:45:38 PM
Quote from: SSgt PSN on April 28, 2005, 10:17:41 PM
I ... just started reading The Republic from Plato. I had to read the first couple of pages a few times just to get in the right frame of mind to read it. Same thing if I ever read anything by Shakespeare or something similar. Gotta read the first few pages a couple of times so that I'm able to decifer the funny language it's written in. :paranoid.

You read Ancient Greek?!?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on May 01, 2005, 02:49:17 PM
Quote from: SD_Eagle on May 01, 2005, 05:50:54 AM
EDIT: Whoa was I farged up lastnight :-D

You do know you can delete your own posts, right?  You don't have to edit them out.  I was pretty farged up last night, too.  I don't remember making a post at 1 a.m. , but I made one.  When I saw it, I realized why I woke up on the couch in the computer room instead of my bed.  I had been drunken posting, got tired, and hit the closest pillow.  LOL
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on May 01, 2005, 03:35:55 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on May 01, 2005, 02:45:38 PM
You read Ancient Greek?!?

Only when it's translated into English. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on May 01, 2005, 03:54:03 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on May 01, 2005, 02:49:17 PM
Quote from: SD_Eagle on May 01, 2005, 05:50:54 AM
EDIT: Whoa was I farged up lastnight :-D

You do know you can delete your own posts, right?  You don't have to edit them out.  I was pretty farged up last night, too.  I don't remember making a post at 1 a.m. , but I made one.  When I saw it, I realized why I woke up on the couch in the computer room instead of my bed.  I had been drunken posting, got tired, and hit the closest pillow.  LOL

Nah, didn't know that. If I did I would have saved myself a lot of humilation  :-D Oh well, thanks for the heads up.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on May 15, 2005, 04:20:30 AM
I picked up For Us, The Living by Robert Heinelin last Saturday. Finished it Wednesday. I wasn't prepared for an economics lecture when I started reading it, but I figured if I could read Rand I could handle this. I can't really comment on the whole economics side of it, I suck at what the kids call "the math."

The story was alright to a point, but it really felt like it was only there to string along the lectures. My guess is it feels that way because that's exactly how it is. I thought the ending was a little rushed, too. When I read a story with the word wench in it I expect to read about those thingies that push a woman's jugs up to her neck instead togas and free-hanging hooters. I didn't mind the whole "everybody likes to be bare-assed" gimmick, but it really doesn't go with wench.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on June 12, 2005, 08:13:26 PM
A good friend recently lent me Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt (the "rogue economist") and Stephen J. Dubner. Very readable, very interesting, and covering everything from how sumo wrestlers cheat to why the crime rate dropped in the 1990s. Levitt comes to some very fascinating conclusions that occasionally challenge the orthodoxies of both liberals and conservatives utilizing nothing more than statistical analysis. Can't say that I buy every word of it, but if you don't mind having your beliefs challenged by some very unconventional wisdom, it's well worth reading.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Philly_Crew on August 31, 2005, 11:43:21 AM
Read Atlas Shrugged - Definately good but I still disagree with her on a few points.

Read Of Paradise and Power - America and Europe in the New World Order by Robert Kagan.  Good book on differences between American and European foreign policy and why it will probably not be congruent again.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on September 08, 2005, 03:13:40 PM
Not sure who here is a Dean Koontz fan for fiction, but I'm reading "Velocity" right now and its fantastic so far.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 08, 2005, 03:33:02 PM
I'm reading Poker Face by Katy Lederer (Howard Lederer and Annie Duke's little sister). It's a whiny memoir about her siblings being more successful than her and how her family put a priority on games rather than, ah I don't know. She's a whiner. Wah wah wah.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on September 08, 2005, 03:35:13 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on September 08, 2005, 03:33:02 PM
I'm reading Poker Face by Katy Lederer (Howard Lederer and Annie Duke's little sister). It's a whiny memoir about her siblings being more successful than her and how her family put a priority on games rather than, ah I don't know. She's a whiner. Wah wah wah.

lmfao...why are you reading it then?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 08, 2005, 03:39:00 PM
I stopped with about 40 pages left. I couldn't take it any more. I did the same thing with two different Nick Hornby novels (How to be Good and Speaking With the Angel). If you ever want to read a very talented author who has a nack for making you HATE HATE HATE his characters, pick up a Hornby novel. If you're like me and you can't finish a book when you want to stab all of the characters, don't bother.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on September 08, 2005, 03:41:48 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on September 08, 2005, 03:39:00 PM
I stopped with about 40 pages left. I couldn't take it any more. I did the same thing with two different Nick Hornby novels (How to be Good and Speaking With the Angel). If you ever want to read a very talented author who has a nack for making you HATE HATE HATE his characters, pick up a Hornby novel. If you're like me and you can't finish a book when you want to stab all of the characters, don't bother.

Thanks. I've wanted to do that before. Some of the fluff books I read (chick lit) on occasion have chicks so farging dumb in them, I want to stab em. But since they are so stupid, its humorous, and therefore I continue to read them.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 08, 2005, 03:44:44 PM
Quote from: PhillyGirl on September 08, 2005, 03:41:48 PM
Thanks. I've wanted to do that before. Some of the fluff books I read (chick lit) on occasion have chicks so farging dumb in them, I want to stab em. But since they are so stupid, its humorous, and therefore I continue to read them.

THis is more like people choosing to farg their lives with every single decision they make. Or doing completely nonsensicle things because they are going through epiphanies that they don't know how to deal with and doing stupid mindless shtein that drives the reader to the brink of insanity. I guess that's his point but I can't do it. Same reason I stopped readin Confederacy of Dunces.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on September 08, 2005, 03:52:28 PM
Like depression?  Read some Hemingway.


I did a term paper on "A Farewell to Arms" in high school and felt like drinking myself to death.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on September 08, 2005, 07:03:56 PM
I just read a book by Richard Bachman, who turned out to be one of Stephen King's psuedonyms, called "The Regulators". I'm normally not a huge fan of King's, but this book absolutely kicked ass.  I bought it at Barnes and Noble for $1.00 in hardback. They had no idea who really wrote it. Go stuff.  :yay
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 08, 2005, 07:17:38 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhaninDC on September 08, 2005, 07:03:56 PM
I just read a book by Richard Bachman, who turned out to be one of Stephen King's psuedonyms, called "The Regulators". I'm normally not a huge fan of King's, but this book absolutely kicked ass.  I bought it at Barnes and Noble for $1.00 in hardback. They had no idea who really wrote it. Go stuff.  :yay

Get Desperation, by Stephen King. Almost the same story, told from a different perspective in a different town. A lot of tie-ins and cool story overlaps. I read them together when I was a teenager. Good stuff.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on September 09, 2005, 01:03:39 PM
Yeah I read Desperation when I was kid. Good damn book. I read some Stephen King, but never had the time nor patience to get into alot of his work. I was think about reading the whole dark tower series starting soon.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 09, 2005, 01:16:00 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhaninDC on September 09, 2005, 01:03:39 PM
Yeah I read Desperation when I was kid. Good damn book. I read some Stephen King, but never had the time nor patience to get into alot of his work. I was think about reading the whole dark tower series starting soon.

The Dark Tower series kicks ass. The last few books weren't as good as the first few, and King got a MAJOR God complex towards the end, but I would happily read every one of them alll over again.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Cerevant on September 09, 2005, 04:42:55 PM
Wow - you guys hit on almost everything I had in mind, but I think I can come up with a few new ones.

First, my thoughts on the books/series mentioned already:
Stephen King, The Dark Tower series - loved it.  Really messed up brain twisting...can't describe it.  Not a horror story.

Stephen King, The Stand - also loved it.  Again, outside the "typical" SK

Robert Jordan, The Wheel of Time - If you liked Lord of the Rings, you will *love* this series.  Less dry than Tolkein.  Later books feel unfinished - I think the publisher wanted him to make more, shorter, books more often so the flow gets a little broken.  Still excellent.

J.R.R. Tolkein, The Lord of the Rings - can be a little dry, but the depth of his world is just amazing.

Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan novels - The early ones were the best, although I really enjoyed Executive Orders.  I was never able to get through Sum of all Fears...

Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's guide series - very funny if you like british humor.

Ok, now for some stuff that hasn't been mentioned:

Patricia Cornwell, Kay Scarpetta novels - if you like CSI, these are the books for you.  Excellent murder mystery, with good forensic detail.  Weak on computer tech knowledge, but I can ignore it if I try...

Michael Connelly - Also very good murder mysteries.  Love the Harry Bosch stuff, but his other work is just as good.

Harry Potter - Don't laugh - these are actually quite fun, and are reasonable adult reads.

Terry Pratchett, Discworld novels - Parody fantasy, these are hilarious, if you like Adams, you will like these as well.

C
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 09, 2005, 04:47:24 PM
For Tolkein fans, I read the Silmarillion. Dry dry dry. But utterly amazing. I am a massive dork. I like dorky books and dorky movies, but if you like the LOTR that book is a must. Tolkein was a freaking genius.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Cerevant on September 09, 2005, 04:49:36 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on September 09, 2005, 04:47:24 PM
For Tolkein fans, I read the Silmarillion. Dry dry dry. But utterly amazing. I am a massive dork. I like dorky books and dorky movies, but if you like the LOTR that book is a must. Tolkein was a freaking genius.
Agreed - listening it on audio makes it much better.

audible.com is my friend.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on September 09, 2005, 05:06:33 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on September 09, 2005, 04:47:24 PM
For Tolkein fans, I read the Silmarillion. Dry dry dry. But utterly amazing. I am a massive dork. I like dorky books and dorky movies, but if you like the LOTR that book is a must. Tolkein was a freaking genius.

No. I have it, can't read it. It's unreadable by sober people.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on September 14, 2005, 07:36:19 PM
I went out and bought that book If Football's A Religion, Why Don't We Have A Prayer and Anthony Gargano's book on last season...

I started out with Longman's book and I'm about 50 pages in. This is the one with Shoulderpad Sean on the dustjacket. I thought they just picked him to be on the cover like the Eagles picked him to be in their brochures for season tix. Wrong. The author talks about Sean a lot and has quotes from him...the story about him ripping his bicep muscle and his appendix bursting and him still going to the TB playoff game in 2001.

But other than the story on him....I have enjoyed the book so far. It's a day by day account so far starting right before the Dallas game last year when TO broke his leg.

I'll keep updating...but I enjoy it so far.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on September 15, 2005, 06:08:06 AM
I just bought From A Buick 8 by Stephen King. Anybody read it?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 15, 2005, 08:10:43 AM
Quote from: Satoshi on September 15, 2005, 06:08:06 AM
I just bought From A Buick 8 by Stephen King. Anybody read it?

I started it years go but couldn't really get into it. Let me know what you think.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on September 15, 2005, 01:46:05 PM
I finished up Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell  by Susanna Clarke this week. It's basically 800 pages of dry British wit wound around a fictitious history of early 1800s England and the revival of practical English magic. The story drags on, you know, because it's British, but it stays entertaining to the end.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on September 15, 2005, 01:51:33 PM
Wow...that sounds very much like something I wouldn't want to read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 15, 2005, 01:54:18 PM
Quote from: Zanshin on September 15, 2005, 01:51:33 PM
Wow...that sounds very much like something I wouldn't want to read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on September 16, 2005, 08:35:04 PM
So I finished "If Football's A Religion, Why Don't We Have A Prayer?" last night and I enjoyed reading it. Like I said ... it had a little too much of Shoulder Pad Shaun in it for my liking but the stories of the other families, fans and people affected by their love of the Eagles made it a good read. I would recommend it to y'all.

Two things about Shoulder Pad Shaun in there that I found disturbing/funny:

1. He claims that he farged a girl while she was wearing his shoulderpads. Supposedly she saw them sitting in his closet and asked to wear them while getting plugged.

2. He was picked to be on Survivor but couldn't do it because his foot got run over by his trash truck.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MDS on September 16, 2005, 09:28:19 PM
That "girl" he farged was just a transvestite hooker. Thats all he gets.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: WEST is GOD on September 16, 2005, 09:46:27 PM
I didn't know they allowed dirty talk in those books.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyGirl on September 27, 2005, 07:59:16 AM
Just finished "The Cove" by Catherine Coulter.

Creepy but really good FBI thriller book. Made me think of the movie "The Village" because of the way the townspeople were all in on some big plan.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on September 27, 2005, 10:37:28 AM
Almost done with Somerset Maugham's The Razor's Edge.  Good book.  Great character study.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MDS on November 06, 2005, 06:14:45 PM
Just got done with the Sports Guy's book. Not bad. Hopefully the next one is all original stuff (this was compilations of past columns, most of which i never read or dont remember reading). But just reading through, this dude is so freakin lucky.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on November 07, 2005, 06:40:43 AM
I bought the Colorado Kid last week. I have no time to read these days though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on November 07, 2005, 09:21:50 AM
Quote from: MDS on November 06, 2005, 06:14:45 PM
Just got done with the Sports Guy's book. Not bad. Hopefully the next one is all original stuff (this was compilations of past columns, most of which i never read or dont remember reading). But just reading through, this dude is so freakin lucky.

the sports guy sucks. he hasnt written a decent column in well over a year.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on November 07, 2005, 09:32:04 AM
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on September 16, 2005, 08:35:04 PM
1. He claims that he farged a girl while she was wearing his shoulderpads. Supposedly she saw them sitting in his closet and asked to wear them while getting plugged.

A little too "Scary Movie" for me to believe it. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on November 07, 2005, 12:58:48 PM
Faithless - Karin Slaughter

Slaughter writes a series (Grant County Series) about a small town in Georgia. She resembles Patricia Cornwell's "Scarpetta Series" in the sense that they both are medical examiner/police type series'. Faithless is her latest novel in the series and possibly the best one yet. She is a new author and I enjoy reading her.

Predator - Patricia Cornwell

This is her latest Scarpetta book. I'm still in the process of reading it but I like it so far.

Cabinet of Curiosities - Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

First book of theirs that I have read. Kinda weird but in a good way. Still in the process of reading ths one too.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on November 07, 2005, 03:05:19 PM
Appoloosa, by Robert B. Parker.  Pretty standard fare, really.  Entertaining, but not especially "good".  It's his usual stuff, but set in the old west.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on November 07, 2005, 04:11:00 PM
Quote from: PhillyGirl on September 27, 2005, 07:59:16 AM
Just finished "The Cove" by Catherine Coulter.

Creepy but really good FBI thriller book. Made me think of the movie "The Village" because of the way the townspeople were all in on some big plan.

Have you read any other stuff by her, PG?

I've heard she was good but never read anything yet. Are they a series or just single novels?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on November 07, 2005, 04:14:52 PM
I don't enjoy most female novelists. They can't write male characters and since I'm a misogynistic pig, I don't want to read about whiny women. Having said that, one of my favorite books is 'Momma Day' by Gloria Naylor. I would recommend it to all of you jerks.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on November 07, 2005, 04:21:52 PM
With Slaughter and Cornwell I haven't noticed a problem with them portraying the dudes in their books.

But I have read books where I know what you're talkin about...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on November 07, 2005, 07:25:19 PM
Books like that are awful. It's like reading the Lifetime channel.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on November 08, 2005, 08:06:10 AM
i saw capote last week and am currently reading in cold blood for the fourth time...what a great book
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on November 10, 2005, 02:36:41 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on November 08, 2005, 08:06:10 AM
i saw capote last week and am currently reading in cold blood for the fourth time...what a great book

Excellent book.  But four times?  That's a little excessive, don't you think? 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on November 10, 2005, 02:59:44 PM
maybe...but i love true crime and its probably the greatest of its genre
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on November 10, 2005, 04:02:53 PM
It is the greatest of its genre, not least because it invented the true crime genre.

My favorite scene in the book is when Perry and Kickock are hitchhiking, singing that old gospel tune about the lord looking over them, or something like that.  Great image.  You must remember the actual song..what was it?

I refuse to watch the movie, afraid that it will supplant images from my imagination with images from someone else's.  I'm like that with movies.  If the book was good, I skip the movie.  My imagination is better than any movie.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on November 10, 2005, 04:08:30 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on November 10, 2005, 04:02:53 PM
I refuse to watch the movie, afraid that it will supplant images from my imagination with images from someone else's.  I'm like that with movies.  If the book was good, I skip the movie.  My imagination is better than any movie.

while i don't refuse to watch a movie from a book. i have very low expectations of the movie. there are some occasions on where the movies do the book justice. but those are very few and far between.

however, on occasion, i do like seeing the movie first before the book, doing that gives you the idea of the book, but the added detail makes the story work better.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on November 10, 2005, 04:34:31 PM
If you're talking about Capote, the way I understand it, that's not really a film version of In Cold Blood as much as it is about Capote and how he related to In Cold Blood.  I'm not sure how much you got beyond the book, but ther was some interesting peripheral stuff with Capote surrounding the conception of the book.  Almost as interesting as the book itself.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on November 10, 2005, 04:58:49 PM
Yeah, I'm aware of the difference between the current movie Capote and the film version of In Cold Blood.  I'm looking forward to seeing the former, but I will probably never see the latter.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: stillupfront on November 11, 2005, 10:54:59 AM
(http://www.ilovebacon.com/111105/052901signobeaver.jpg)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on November 11, 2005, 12:44:17 PM
You can't read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: satoshi on November 27, 2005, 08:00:58 AM
'Carrie' by Stephen King. What a book!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on November 27, 2005, 10:46:08 AM
Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

Excellent.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: DutchBird on November 27, 2005, 03:15:52 PM
I do not know if already suggetsed, but the "Great men of Rome" series by Colleen McCullough.

It is a series of 6 books, roughly 900 - 1000 pages each, which describes the life of Caesar, and hence the fall of the Republic. Roughly halfway the first book Julius Caesar is born, and roughly halfway the 6th book he dies. The timeframe of the book roughly stretches from 120 BC to 40 BC IIRC.

Many of the more famous Romans in history do occur in Gaius Marius, Sulla, Pompey the Great, Julius Caesar (of course), Marcus Tullius Cicero, Gaius Junius Brutus, Marcus Antonius and a few minor characters. As well as a few of the women involved in their lives. Events that occur are, of course, Julius Caesar in Gaul, during the Civil War, Julius and Cleopatra, Julius and the pirates, Julius in Asia Minor (the famous "veni, vidi, vici": I came, I saw, I conquered).

As far as I can tell it gives a fairly accurate description of life in the upper classes of Roman society of the period. So far I have not encountered gross historical errors. 

The titles are: The first man of Rome, The grass crown, Fortune's favorites, Caesar's women/i], Caesar and The October horse.

Another good one: James Clavell's Shogun. Which portrays Japan between roughly 1590-1600. Many of the characters can be traced to historical figures.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on November 28, 2005, 09:28:07 AM
Just finished George Eliot's Middlemarch.

Now I'm reading John Perkins' Confessions of an Economic Hitman.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on December 05, 2005, 03:54:32 PM
For those of you who enjoy police/detective series like John Sandford's Prey novels I would recommend Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther series. I am in the 3rd book of that series and they're pretty good.

I also picked up Grisham's The Broker but haven't started it yet.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Philly_Crew on December 05, 2005, 04:34:06 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on December 05, 2005, 03:54:32 PM
For those of you who enjoy police/detective series like John Sandford's Prey novels I would recommend Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther series. I am in the 3rd book of that series and they're pretty good.

I also picked up Grisham's The Broker but haven't started it yet.

The Broker is a quick read.  Probably take you a day.  Recommend Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat.  It is on the best-seller's list but is actually quite good.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on December 05, 2005, 05:08:13 PM
Read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time last week.  Good shtein.  Written through the eyes of an autistic 15-year old, it's really different and an awsome read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on December 05, 2005, 05:08:16 PM
About 2 weeks ago I was watching The Daily Show and Jon Stewart had some dude named John Hodgman on pimping his new book.  Dude seemed pretty funny and his book sounded decent so I picked it up over the weekend.   It's called "The Areas of My Expertise" 

I've only read a chapter or 2 but so far the book is pretty damn funny.  I think it's humor would be appreciated by mostly everyone here.  I'll let you guys know how it turns out. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on December 05, 2005, 06:10:03 PM
Quote from: phattymatty on December 05, 2005, 05:08:13 PM
Read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time last week.  Good shtein.  Written through the eyes of an autistic 15-year old, it's really different and an awsome read.

Nerd.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on December 06, 2005, 09:49:29 AM
Now I'm reading Joyce Carol Oates' We Were the Mulvaneys.  I'm sure you care.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Philly_Crew on December 06, 2005, 11:59:34 AM
Quote from: phattymatty on December 05, 2005, 05:08:13 PM
Read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time last week.  Good shtein.  Written through the eyes of an autistic 15-year old, it's really different and an awsome read.

Basically it's like reading T-Hawk's posts.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Tomahawk on December 06, 2005, 12:07:59 PM
Only probably more coherent.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Fan_Since_64 on December 31, 2005, 11:23:46 AM
Okay, last day of the year and it's time for me to update this thread with what I've been reading since summer, starting with.....

Chronicles: Volume 1, by Bob Dylan - No disappointment here for anyone who wants to gain insight into this creative genius. It reads like Kerouac's "On the Road" and is striking in its imagery. If being observant is a significant aspect of artistry, then Bob Dylan has been very observant indeed.

Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan, by Howard Sounes - An excellent follow-up to Dylan's own recollections. Sounes has written a carefully researched biography of a person who is very private and has kept much of his personal life hidden, and has done so with evenhandedness and thoroughness. He clearly admires Dylan and his work, but is not afraid to present his subject warts and all. A number of people who have known Dylan well and have not spoken to previous biographers spoke to Sounes - the man even had the balls to call William Zantzinger (of "Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" infamy) to ask how he liked being so immortalized by Dylan, with predictable results.

If you read "Chronicles" and "Down the Highway" and then watch the PBS "No Direction Home" documentary, you will definitely gain both a deeper appreciation of where Dylan came from and how he achieved success and fame, as well as why he became reclusive and frustrated with the downside to that fame.

Are You Ready for the Country, by Peter Doggett - If you enjoy learning about the history of music as well as listening to it, and enjoy rock and/or country, this book is essential reading. Doggett gives a well-researched narrative of, first, how rock came to influence country music and then how country melded into rock. The material on Dylan, Gram Parsons, Hank Williams, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash - to name a few of the artists discussed in the book - is outstanding, and you definitely come away with a clearer understanding of who was influencing whom along the way.

Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity, by Bruce Bawer - Okay, a real digression from the titles above! But in many ways, this was the most significant book I read all year. Bawer writes from the perspective of a liberal (excuse me, non-legalistic) Episcopalian. His impressive research is thought provoking as well as extremely informative. The book holds together well, and for those of us who are neither atheist nor doctrinaire in our concept of God, it is deeply affirming. If you don't think much of religion, you will get plenty of ammo from this book to back you up. If you are a believer but deeply disturbed by the aggressiveness and influence of the Religious Right, you will get plenty of ammo, too. If you just want to learn something about what lies behind some of the debates that have made the news in recent years, you will find this book quite helpful, too. Bawer has written something impressive and important, but your own viewpoint will determine what you take from this book.

That's more than enough for one post lol. I've been reading histories of the Democrats (by Jules Witcover) and Republicans (by Lewis L. Gould), but will review them seperately.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Gene on December 31, 2005, 06:11:55 PM
"The Spy Who Came In From The Cold".........John LeCarre
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on January 02, 2006, 09:15:49 AM
I read If Football's a Religion, Why Don't We Have a Prayer? by Jere Longman over the weekend.  It was a decent recounting of the playoff run, the negative of the book is that it focused incredibly too much on Shaun Young.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: henchmanUK on January 10, 2006, 10:37:37 AM
I am currently reading Coach by Keith Dunnavant, a biography of Bear Bryant. A lot of bio's are quite dull and chronological I find, but this one is a very good read. Recommended.  :yay
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on January 10, 2006, 10:40:13 AM
Eagles Encyclopedia.  It's pretty much what you'd expect, but interesting nonetheless.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on January 10, 2006, 04:09:50 PM
I've been a bit behind on my geek reading, so I'm going through Discworld novels from the beginning. I just finished up The Color of Magic and I'm halfway done The Light Fantastic. I've read a few out of order before, so it's nice to see how the whole thing started off.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on January 10, 2006, 08:27:51 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on January 10, 2006, 04:09:50 PM
I've been a bit behind on my geek reading, so I'm going through Discworld novels from the beginning. I just finished up The Color of Magic and I'm halfway done The Light Fantastic. I've read a few out of order before, so it's nice to see how the whole thing started off.

What in THE WORLD is that?  Never heard of it.  ???
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on January 10, 2006, 08:37:08 PM
http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Philly_Crew on February 01, 2006, 01:05:55 PM
Quote from: Fan_Since_64 on December 31, 2005, 11:23:46 AM
Okay, last day of the year and it's time for me to update this thread with what I've been reading since summer, starting with.....

[
Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity, by Bruce Bawer - Okay, a real digression from the titles above! But in many ways, this was the most significant book I read all year. Bawer writes from the perspective of a liberal (excuse me, non-legalistic) Episcopalian. His impressive research is thought provoking as well as extremely informative. The book holds together well, and for those of us who are neither atheist nor doctrinaire in our concept of God, it is deeply affirming. If you don't think much of religion, you will get plenty of ammo from this book to back you up. If you are a believer but deeply disturbed by the aggressiveness and influence of the Religious Right, you will get plenty of ammo, too. If you just want to learn something about what lies behind some of the debates that have made the news in recent years, you will find this book quite helpful, too. Bawer has written something impressive and important, but your own viewpoint will determine what you take from this book.

I took your recommendation and read this book.  Definitely made me think, even as what he would call an evangelical.  You know right away that he has an agenda when he identifies himself as gay on the first page.  Also, denying the resurrection, divinity of Christ and other beliefs, it would be hard to identify him as christian.  I always enjoy different perspectives and thought his was thought provoking.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 01, 2006, 01:09:47 PM
I finished Ugly Americans last week. Same dude who wrote Bringing Down the House. He's carved out a good niche for himself, writing novels about unique/shady ways that young smart people have gotten rich.

It took me two days to read it. Interesting story. Won't win any awards but a great way to pass the time.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on February 01, 2006, 02:47:44 PM
Just read Ghost Wars by Steve Coll.  Excellant book about CIA's ivolvement from Russian invasion in Afganhistan to September 11th.  No bias, just facts and top secret info that was released.  shocking, and stunning and idiotic on our own part. 

Prob start reading Slaughter House 5, I bought it awhile back.  I want to get Stephen Kings new book, Cell.  Sounds awesome. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 01, 2006, 02:48:39 PM
Slaughter House 5 kicks ass.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on February 01, 2006, 02:54:25 PM
my toilet book right now is Hang Tough Paul Mather.  it's about 85 pages and is a 4th grade reading level.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on February 01, 2006, 03:11:38 PM
I would like to find the time to read Tucker Max's book, "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell".

But I don't want to buy it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on February 01, 2006, 03:18:54 PM
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell.  But I don't want to buy it.


that particular book is going for 8-9 bucks right now but in general half.com is incredible for books and cds at discounted prices...books many times go for a buck or two

i think a third of my cd collection has come from it...including many almost impossible to find albums
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 01, 2006, 03:23:24 PM
I refuse to give Tucker Max any of my money. While I find his site and his exploits to be ratehr hilarious, you might as well take my life and the life of my friends for the 8 years between 1997 and 2004 and replace his name with any of ours. He was just ego-maniacal enough to post his drunken assholiness on a web site for the world to see.

Drunken-dickfore-who-is-rude-to-strangers, picks-up-broads-only-to-perform-random-and-degrading acts-with-them, says-witty-things, goes-on-road-trips-with-the-sole-intention-of-getting-drunk and publicly-makes-an-ass-of-himself is my middle name, and the middle name of most of the people I am friends with. We were just too lazy to let the world (outside of general shouting distance) know about it. I hate him. And love him. But mostly hate him.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 01, 2006, 05:23:40 PM
I'm about halfway through Demons and Angels.  It's written by Dan Brown, the same dude who wrote The DaVinci Code. 

So far it's a very good book but pales in comparison to The DaVinci Code.  DaVinci Code was teh awesum. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on February 01, 2006, 05:31:16 PM
it's Angels and Demons.

tard.

and it's better than the DaVinci code, ya housewife.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on February 01, 2006, 05:34:10 PM
I read somewhere that Dan Brown's made just an absolutely obscene amount of money from The DaVinci Code.

Hundreds and hundreds of millions.


I need to learn how to write good well.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 01, 2006, 05:37:28 PM
Actually, they are the exact same book. Same story formula. Same archetypal characters. Same suspense-filled plot twists. Blah blah blah. But you are a housewife.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 01, 2006, 05:42:05 PM
Quote from: Wingspan on February 01, 2006, 05:31:16 PM
it's Angels and Demons.

tard.

and it's better than the DaVinci code, ya housewife.

Whatever.  I spend my team reading the book, not the cover. 



Quote from: FFatPatt on February 01, 2006, 05:34:10 PM
I read somewhere that Dan Brown's made just an absolutely obscene amount of money from The DaVinci Code.

Hundreds and hundreds of millions.


I need to learn how to write good well.

Yeah, he made a killing with that book.  He's already sold the movie rights to it and it should be out this year I beleive.  Last I heard, Tom Hanks had the lead role. 

Quote from: rjs246 on February 01, 2006, 05:37:28 PM
Actually, they are the exact same book. Same story formula. Same archetypal characters. Same suspense-filled plot twists. Blah blah blah. But you are a housewife.

They are very similar because they're both based on religion and secret societies, etc.  But I think that DaVinci Code is a little more "believable" I guess you could say. 

I haven't finished Angles and Demons or Demons and Angels yet so I still can't fully pass judgement on it yet.  But so far, I prefer DaVinci. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 01, 2006, 05:43:37 PM
Whatever, housewife.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on February 01, 2006, 05:44:19 PM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 01, 2006, 05:42:05 PM
Yeah, he made a killing with that book.  He's already sold the movie rights to it and it should be out this year I beleive.  Last I heard, Tom Hanks had the lead role. 

Yep, and Ron Howard's directing it. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382625/)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 01, 2006, 05:44:25 PM
Cram it hippy. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on February 01, 2006, 05:44:29 PM
I've read all of the other Dan Brown books other than the Davinci Code.  And I never will just out of spite.  Just like I will never in my life watch Titanic or Armageddon.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 01, 2006, 05:46:37 PM
Keep fighting the good fight, Matt.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 01, 2006, 06:18:08 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on February 01, 2006, 05:37:28 PM
Actually, they are the exact same book. Same story formula. Same archetypal characters. Same suspense-filled plot twists. Blah blah blah. But you are a housewife.

Digital Fortress follows the same formula, too. I'm so happy to see someone that agrees with me about Dan Brown. Not happy enough to make out with you in a bar like college pseudolesbians, but still fairly happy.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on February 01, 2006, 07:50:53 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on February 01, 2006, 06:18:08 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on February 01, 2006, 05:37:28 PM
Actually, they are the exact same book. Same story formula. Same archetypal characters. Same suspense-filled plot twists. Blah blah blah. But you are a housewife.

Digital Fortress follows the same formula, too. I'm so happy to see someone that agrees with me about Dan Brown. Not happy enough to make out with you in a bar like college pseudolesbians, but still fairly happy.

i was wondering about Digital Fortess. is it worth reading? i liked the popular ones enough...but my favorite of his was Deception Point...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 01, 2006, 07:52:58 PM
If you like Dan Brown you'll like Digital Fortress. It's more of the same, that's pretty much all I can say about it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on February 01, 2006, 10:39:33 PM
i think it just depends on what you read first, i read deception point first and thats my favorite too.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 01, 2006, 11:07:10 PM
Quote from: mussa on February 01, 2006, 02:47:44 PM
Just read Ghost Wars by Steve Coll.  Excellant book about CIA's ivolvement from Russian invasion in Afganhistan to September 11th.  No bias, just facts and top secret info that was released.  shocking, and stunning and idiotic on our own part.

I got this for Christmas, but haven't started it yet.  It's near the top of the pile.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: henchmanUK on February 02, 2006, 06:00:29 AM
Quote from: Philly_Crew on February 01, 2006, 01:05:55 PM
Quote from: Fan_Since_64 on December 31, 2005, 11:23:46 AM
Okay, last day of the year and it's time for me to update this thread with what I've been reading since summer, starting with.....

[
Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity, by Bruce Bawer - Okay, a real digression from the titles above! But in many ways, this was the most significant book I read all year. Bawer writes from the perspective of a liberal (excuse me, non-legalistic) Episcopalian. His impressive research is thought provoking as well as extremely informative. The book holds together well, and for those of us who are neither atheist nor doctrinaire in our concept of God, it is deeply affirming. If you don't think much of religion, you will get plenty of ammo from this book to back you up. If you are a believer but deeply disturbed by the aggressiveness and influence of the Religious Right, you will get plenty of ammo, too. If you just want to learn something about what lies behind some of the debates that have made the news in recent years, you will find this book quite helpful, too. Bawer has written something impressive and important, but your own viewpoint will determine what you take from this book.

I took your recommendation and read this book.  Definitely made me think, even as what he would call an evangelical.  You know right away that he has an agenda when he identifies himself as gay on the first page.  Also, denying the resurrection, divinity of Christ and other beliefs, it would be hard to identify him as christian.  I always enjoy different perspectives and thought his was thought provoking.

As a humanist who is pretty sceptical about religion, I'll give this a read. Had a look on Amazon and most people think it's good and thought-provoking. He's got a book coming out called: While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam Is Destroying the West from Within. Should be interesting!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on February 02, 2006, 09:03:12 AM
I agree that Dan Browns books all follow the same formula, but I enjoy the formula. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on February 03, 2006, 01:15:02 PM
Quote from: mussa on February 01, 2006, 02:47:44 PM
Just read Ghost Wars by Steve Coll.  Excellant book about CIA's ivolvement from Russian invasion in Afganhistan to September 11th.  No bias, just facts and top secret info that was released.  shocking, and stunning and idiotic on our own part. 

Prob start reading Slaughter House 5, I bought it awhile back.  I want to get Stephen Kings new book, Cell.  Sounds awesome. 

Mussa I just finished Cell last night. farging awesome. Everytime my cell phone rings I look at it a little differently now. Good old fashioned King.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on February 03, 2006, 01:33:18 PM
nice, yea the cover art is pretty rad too. 

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v101/ananumuss/CELL.jpg)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on February 03, 2006, 01:37:00 PM
Quote from: mussa on February 03, 2006, 01:33:18 PM
nice, yea the cover art is pretty rad too. 


It was the first King book since Desperation that I didn't put down except while at work. Start to end was three days. Get it at Borders, it's 40% off, think I paid thirteen bucks for it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on February 03, 2006, 01:54:54 PM
nice i got a gift card :yay
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: fansince61 on February 03, 2006, 02:03:00 PM
I have read all Dan Browns books and think they kick ass.  I am almost done with "The Last Templar" (author is Khoury I think).... it's not as good as the DaVinci Code but good.  If the Catholic Church didn't like the DaVinci Code they really won't like "The Last Templar" :paranoid
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on February 18, 2006, 06:00:24 PM
Just finished reading Night by Elie Wiesel. He won the Nobel Peace Prize and is a holocaust survivor. The fact this book wasn't mandated reading (along with the Diary of Anne Frank) when I was in school is baffling. I hope it is now. Only 120 pages, but the most powerful 120 pages I have ever read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 18, 2006, 06:05:51 PM
I had to read Wiesel in high school.   CT public high school, circa '90 or so.  Wasn't this book just selected by Oprah for her book club?  I think she wanted a memoir that wasn't a lie.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on February 18, 2006, 06:07:48 PM
Not sure about the Oprah thing, but she's bound to finally pick a decent book after all the tomes of crap she has pushed.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 18, 2006, 06:10:23 PM
In her defense, she's picked some very good books.  And even the ones I don't like are still books.  She singlehandedly caused more people in America to read than anyone in history, including Jesus and Stephen King.  We're talking about a whole lot of people who don't read at all, and the only reason they ever have is Oprah made a show about it.

edit: found a link (http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/readers/lists/oprah.htm) to all the books she's selected. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on February 18, 2006, 06:13:09 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhaninDC on February 18, 2006, 06:00:24 PM
Just finished reading Night by Elie Wiesel. He won the Nobel Peace Prize and is a holocaust survivor. The fact this book wasn't mandated reading (along with the Diary of Anne Frank) when I was in school is baffling. I hope it is now. Only 120 pages, but the most powerful 120 pages I have ever read.

I read that years ago.  It was required in high school- I think it was my sophomore year (along with Black Like Me).  For me, that would have been 1986-1987.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on February 18, 2006, 06:13:36 PM
I'll give you that.  She still is a fat, nauseating pig though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 18, 2006, 06:14:35 PM
Don't pretend you wouldn't hit it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on February 18, 2006, 06:16:17 PM
Next book I have for the weekend is blink by Malcolm Gladwell. Same guy that wrote The Tipping Point, which I haven't read. At first I told the person that suggested it that I don't read self-help books, but they urged it wasn't. Anyone read either works by the author?

Quote from: General_Failure on February 18, 2006, 06:14:35 PM
Don't pretend you wouldn't hit it.

Quite the contrary. I am due for a safari.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MDS on February 18, 2006, 06:16:57 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhaninDC on February 18, 2006, 06:13:36 PM
I'll give you that.  She still is a fat, nauseating pig though.

k
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 18, 2006, 06:30:04 PM
The only thing in the world I hold against Oprah is Dr. Phil.  Why she had to inflict that pusbag on America, I don't know and I'll never forgive her for it.  Other than that, I love Oprah.

Incidentally, this thread was started on March 16, 2002, (by MURP) and has 323 replies.  The "Anyone seen a good movie" thread was started on December 09, 2004 (by henchmanUK,) more than two and a half years later.  It has 1930 replies.

:-D
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on February 18, 2006, 06:37:32 PM
Just finished re-reading Ian Fleming's Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel.

Good, engrossing spy novel.  None of the gadgetry that is prevalent in the movies.  Bond relies on his quick thinking and abilities as a spy, not to mention his ability to play chemin de fer.

I'm very interested in seeing how they adapt the book to the movie concept of James Bond.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Tomahawk on February 18, 2006, 07:10:50 PM
Quote from: Geowhizzer on February 18, 2006, 06:37:32 PM
Just finished re-reading Ian Fleming's Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel.

Good, engrossing spy novel.  None of the gadgetry that is prevalent in the movies.  Bond relies on his quick thinking and abilities as a spy, not to mention his ability to play chemin de fer.

I'm very interested in seeing how they adapt the book to the movie concept of James Bond.

There is already a movie version of Casino Royale. If I remember correctly, it sucked.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on February 18, 2006, 07:34:56 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on February 18, 2006, 06:05:51 PM
I had to read Wiesel in high school.   CT public high school, circa '90 or so.  Wasn't this book just selected by Oprah for her book club?  I think she wanted a memoir that wasn't a lie.

that was required in my high school.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 18, 2006, 07:58:20 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on February 18, 2006, 06:30:04 PM
Incidentally, this thread was started on March 16, 2002, (by MURP) and has 323 replies.  The "Anyone seen a good movie" thread was started on December 09, 2004 (by henchmanUK,) more than two and a half years later.  It has 1930 replies.

People will admit to watching a movie a lot quicker than they will reading a book, even if it's a good book. I've read 13 Discworld novels so far this year, and I don't think I've mentioned those here.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on February 18, 2006, 08:03:24 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on February 18, 2006, 07:58:20 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on February 18, 2006, 06:30:04 PM
Incidentally, this thread was started on March 16, 2002, (by MURP) and has 323 replies.  The "Anyone seen a good movie" thread was started on December 09, 2004 (by henchmanUK,) more than two and a half years later.  It has 1930 replies.

People will admit to watching a movie a lot quicker than they will reading a book, even if it's a good book. I've read 13 Discworld novels so far this year, and I don't think I've mentioned those here.

Nerd! Keep it to yourself!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on February 18, 2006, 08:17:28 PM
Quote from: Tomahawk on February 18, 2006, 07:10:50 PM
Quote from: Geowhizzer on February 18, 2006, 06:37:32 PM
Just finished re-reading Ian Fleming's Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel.

Good, engrossing spy novel.  None of the gadgetry that is prevalent in the movies.  Bond relies on his quick thinking and abilities as a spy, not to mention his ability to play chemin de fer.

I'm very interested in seeing how they adapt the book to the movie concept of James Bond.

There is already a movie version of Casino Royale. If I remember correctly, it sucked.

There has not been an "official" Bond movie (by EON productions). 

There have been two adaptations of Casino Royale:

1.  A one-hour US television  (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0310853/) version in 1954 which featured an Americanized "Jimmy Bond."

2.  A Peter Sellers spoof called "Casino Royale (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061452/)." 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 18, 2006, 08:42:40 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhaninDC on February 18, 2006, 08:03:24 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on February 18, 2006, 07:58:20 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on February 18, 2006, 06:30:04 PM
Incidentally, this thread was started on March 16, 2002, (by MURP) and has 323 replies.  The "Anyone seen a good movie" thread was started on December 09, 2004 (by henchmanUK,) more than two and a half years later.  It has 1930 replies.

People will admit to watching a movie a lot quicker than they will reading a book, even if it's a good book. I've read 13 Discworld novels so far this year, and I don't think I've mentioned those here.

Nerd! Keep it to yourself!

Quiet you, or I'll send you back to where I found you.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 18, 2006, 08:46:52 PM
That's no joke, PhillyPhanBig Brother just leveled up, so now he's got Involuntary Transportation IV, which can't be resisted short of Mana Shield V, which you probably don't have because you're clearly neither High Elf or Level 60.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 19, 2006, 12:18:53 AM
High Elf. That sounds like a good title for you Dio.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on February 19, 2006, 11:20:03 AM
Quote from: General_Failure on February 19, 2006, 12:18:53 AM
High Elf. That sounds like a good title for you Dio.

(http://www.hostile.org/eq/EQ000186.jpg) = Dio
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on February 19, 2006, 11:26:59 AM
Donald Harstad writes a series about an Iowa sherriff that I enjoyed. I read all of the books already. It's a police procedural type book.

My latest reads are Steve Hamilton's Alex McKnight series. Pretty good. A little short for my liking (only about 330 pages on average) but good nonetheless.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Tomahawk on February 19, 2006, 04:28:34 PM
Quote from: Geowhizzer on February 18, 2006, 08:17:28 PM
Quote from: Tomahawk on February 18, 2006, 07:10:50 PM
Quote from: Geowhizzer on February 18, 2006, 06:37:32 PM
Just finished re-reading Ian Fleming's Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel.

Good, engrossing spy novel.  None of the gadgetry that is prevalent in the movies.  Bond relies on his quick thinking and abilities as a spy, not to mention his ability to play chemin de fer.

I'm very interested in seeing how they adapt the book to the movie concept of James Bond.

There is already a movie version of Casino Royale. If I remember correctly, it sucked.

There has not been an "official" Bond movie (by EON productions). 

There have been two adaptations of Casino Royale:

1.  A one-hour US television  (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0310853/) version in 1954 which featured an Americanized "Jimmy Bond."

2.  A Peter Sellers spoof called "Casino Royale (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061452/)." 

The Peter Sellers version is the one I've seen and to which said BOOOOOOOO!

I'm done now though. Sorry for ruining a thread about books with my nonsensical movie jibberish.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 20, 2006, 03:02:17 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhaninDC on February 18, 2006, 06:00:24 PM
Just finished reading Night by Elie Wiesel. He won the Nobel Peace Prize and is a holocaust survivor. The fact this book wasn't mandated reading (along with the Diary of Anne Frank) when I was in school is baffling. I hope it is now. Only 120 pages, but the most powerful 120 pages I have ever read.

This is why I hate Oprah. She's turning one of the most powerful books ever written into pop culture. She thinks she's doing right by people to get them to read good literature but all she's doing is cheapening classics and mixing in some other bullshtein worthless books on a lark.

Also, it drives me nuts that people have completely discarded A Million Little Pieces as an inspirational story of personal triumph because the details of this dude's legal history were smudged. It's an amazing book and if there was a sentence on the first page that read "This book is BASED ON my life and my struggle with Alcohol, Crack, Glue, PCP and Gasoline" all of this nonsense would have been avoided. Ignorant fargs who think that since his memoirs aren't 110% true (and no one's are, trust me) that it isn't worth reading or that what he overcame wasn't worth being amazed by should stuff their Oprah worship into a speargun and impale themselves on it. And good farging riddance. The most powerful media figure of our time shouldn't make it her business to build up or tear down people who write. Writing a book is farging difficult. Writing a book that speaks to people is nearly farging impossible. Oprah can get farged.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 20, 2006, 06:33:16 PM
Call your sponsor, dude.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 20, 2006, 06:37:13 PM
So Oprah's bad for making reading "cool"?  How is getting people to read classics going to cheapen it?  It's a book, not a band.  It's not like the book is going to crossover from it's gritty and creative roots to attract a bigger audience. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 20, 2006, 06:44:45 PM
You're missing my point. She isn't making it cool. She is single handedly determining which books are worthy and which are not to an audience of millions of sheep that hang on her every word. People SHOULD read Night. Not because Oprah says so, because its an important book about an important event.

Oprah taking it upon herself to help the greater good is nonsense. She has become judge jury and executioner. Do you know how many people will now not read A Million Little Pieces because she didn't stand behind it? She put her personal embarrassment ahead of any sort of respect that she should have for a man who wrote a very powerful book, and the sad thing is that she has the media power to do that whenever she pleases because her 'Book Club' has become the end all and be all of what the masses will read. It's a farging sham.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 20, 2006, 06:46:55 PM
How many of those people were going to read it anyway?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 20, 2006, 06:48:29 PM
Who cares? Literature is the most powerful medium that we have and it is not her place to lord over what gets read and what doesn't and she has done exactly that.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 20, 2006, 06:53:49 PM
To be fair, she's lording it over people who watch daytime talk shows. Any book without watercolor pictures is probably going to be over their heads.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 20, 2006, 06:54:31 PM
Yeah, if that was your point then I totally missed it. 

I look at it like this though, if she's interested people in reading who otherwise might not be then she's doing more good than bad, regardless of what she's telling them to read.  I don't watch Oprah, don't follow her and for the most part, don't really care.  But I do know that she's extremely generous with here time and money.  She's worked hard for everything she's got and earned every red cent and I can't fault her for doing something to help enrich other people's lives.

So she didn't get behind a particular book.  I don't see the big deal (admittedly, I've never read A Million Little Pieces).  No matter how big she might be, she's not the know all, end all on literature and I think a good majority of her audience knows that.  Sure, there are some who hang on her every word and if Oprah doesn't like it, they won't read it.  But let's be serious here, what are the odds that they would have read it without her? 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 20, 2006, 06:55:24 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on February 20, 2006, 06:46:55 PM
How many of those people were going to read it anyway?

Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 20, 2006, 06:54:31 PM
But let's be serious here, what are the odds that they would have read it without her?

This is bad.  This is very, very bad. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 20, 2006, 06:56:04 PM
Focus on rjs' irrational hatred and stop copying me, bith.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 20, 2006, 06:56:54 PM
I'm not a bith anymore.  I'm the Keeper League Champ.  :P
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 20, 2006, 06:57:44 PM
Somebody's awful sensitive about being called a bith.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 20, 2006, 06:58:01 PM
BTW, I wasn't copying you.  You posted while I was typing mine. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 20, 2006, 06:58:09 PM
Fair points, but the fact that her book club more or less dominates the best seller list is proof enough that a)people are farging sheep, b)she almost certainly actively takes away from the sales and exposure of current worthy novelists by doing things like pimping a 50-year old classic that everyone should have read in high school anyway and c)she has far more power over the literary world than anyone should.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 20, 2006, 07:00:26 PM
Make your stand somewhere. Start pimping more books here and wherever else you go on the web. Hell, pay Ed fifty bucks to mention them on the 385 boards he goes to daily if you want. And give me a 10% commission for thinking it up.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 20, 2006, 07:02:32 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on February 20, 2006, 06:58:09 PM
people are farging sheep

T-hawk proved that years ago.  Oprah had nothing to do with it. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 20, 2006, 07:04:05 PM
My sig is always available for rent.  Have your people call my people and we'll crunch numbers and get some of your favorite books advertised. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on February 20, 2006, 07:14:56 PM
I tend to agree with RJS to the extent that she is choosing what to showcase, and by doing so, is possibly swaying people towards a particular brand of writing, or distracting people (inadvertently or otherwise) from other genres of writing.
On the flip side, I agree that anytime you can get a person to read anything, it can tend to turn the light the on so to speak, and they will generally search out other books from that point on their own. So if she is nudging bored housewives, and stay-at-home types into reading anything instead of watching the boob-tube, I guess I am all for it.

Doing a quick look on Amazon.com's list of her books, there are some seriously good books there, that can branch out all over the place.


Linkage
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/598543/102-0338792-9985777)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 20, 2006, 07:23:42 PM
I'm not saying that she shouldn't encourage people to read, I'm saying that IF she is going to encourage people to read it isn't her place to tell them WHAT to read. And more to the point if she does have the audacity to tell people what to read, she should farging stand behind her choices. Ugh.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on February 20, 2006, 07:24:39 PM
Slaughterhouse Five is absolutely awesome.  I saw that a few pages and thought I'd mention it.

Subversion at its best.

:yay
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 20, 2006, 07:25:34 PM
Agreed. Slaughterhouse Five is an outstanding novel.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on February 20, 2006, 07:33:09 PM
Loved Slaughterhouse 5 myself. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on February 20, 2006, 07:47:29 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on February 20, 2006, 07:23:42 PM
I'm not saying that she shouldn't encourage people to read, I'm saying that IF she is going to encourage people to read it isn't her place to tell them WHAT to read. And more to the point if she does have the audacity to tell people what to read, she should farging stand behind her choices. Ugh.

Her face and bulbous trunk of a body are plastered on the cover of a magazine entitled "Oprah" every farging month.

She's the very definition of the term "self-involved."

For all her faults, (and there are many) encouraging people to read isn't one of them, IMO.   After all, she's recommended books by Tolstoy, Faulkner, Pearl S. Buck, Elie Wiesel among others.  Considering her usual audience, exposing them to the collected works of those authors can't be a bad thing.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on February 20, 2006, 08:58:46 PM
I'm disturbed that Oprah is the topic of discussion in here.

All of you should chop off your fingers. NOW!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on February 21, 2006, 09:03:54 AM
Reading Stephen King's new book, The Cell.  So far it is awesome.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on March 17, 2006, 12:44:26 PM
the nerd in me decided to read this (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345477324/ref=pd_lpo_k2a_1_img/103-0523369-0264647?%5Fencoding=UTF8)....havent read one of these since high school.

got to say, i enjoyed it. shutting up now.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on March 17, 2006, 12:58:04 PM
Quote from: Wingspan on March 17, 2006, 12:44:26 PM
the nerd in me decided to read this (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345477324/ref=pd_lpo_k2a_1_img/103-0523369-0264647?%5Fencoding=UTF8)....havent read one of these since high school.

got to say, i enjoyed it. shutting up now.

I read it, wasn't bad. Filled in the gaps nicely, I like how they give you a glimpse into Vaders mind. Luceno is a good writer.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on March 17, 2006, 01:01:23 PM
Quote from: SD_Eagle on March 17, 2006, 12:58:04 PM
Quote from: Wingspan on March 17, 2006, 12:44:26 PM
the nerd in me decided to read this (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345477324/ref=pd_lpo_k2a_1_img/103-0523369-0264647?%5Fencoding=UTF8)....havent read one of these since high school.

got to say, i enjoyed it. shutting up now.

I read it, wasn't bad. Filled in the gaps nicely, I like how they give you a glimpse into Vaders mind. Luceno is a good writer.

it was written well...while i'm in nerd mode, is his prequel to ROTS worth it? (Labyrinth of Evil)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on March 17, 2006, 01:03:26 PM
Labyrinth of Evil was his best book IMO. Well worth the read, will explain a lot of stuff about Dooku and Greivous that you might not understand. Even better written than 'The Rise of Vader'.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on March 17, 2006, 01:17:07 PM
Quote from: SD_Eagle on March 17, 2006, 01:03:26 PM
Labyrinth of Evil was his best book IMO. Well worth the read, will explain a lot of stuff about Dooku and Greivous that you might not understand. Even better written than 'The Rise of Vader'.

until this, i hadnt read a star wars novel since high school (when i read the Thrawn trilogy)...so this was kinda fun.  may have to check out Labyrinth of Evil...might as well.

in my nerd discussion with a few friends, i thought greivous was a rebuilt darth maul.  (testing the vader transformation, ala vader testing the carbon freezing on solo).
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on March 19, 2006, 08:37:42 PM
just finished Life of Pi, awesome book.  don't want to ruin it if you haven't read it but i suggest you buy a copy, it's great.

or if ayone has read it, there are a few things i'm curious as to what others think.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 26, 2006, 04:57:22 PM
I just finished The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini. Fantastic book. Not exactly a feel good story, but extremely interesting and well written. Wonderful characters. Nearly impossible to put down and especially interesting for anyone (like me) who didn't know the first thing about Afghanistan outside of the fact that bin Laden hails from there and that some ex-NFLer died in combat there.

Phatty, the ladyfriend really liked Life of Pi too. I think the Atlanta Hippy read and liked it too. I've never gotten around to reading it. I'll put it on the list.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on March 26, 2006, 05:14:45 PM
Cell- Stephen King. Good read, not his best book. Really cool concept.  Begining was awesome and really intense and then it kind of trailed off as you got to the end.  If you like King, read it, if not, its not going to change your mind about him.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on March 26, 2006, 05:21:26 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on March 26, 2006, 04:57:22 PM
I just finished The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini. Fantastic book. Not exactly a feel good story, but extremely interesting and well written. Wonderful characters. Nearly impossible to put down and especially interesting for anyone (like me) who didn't know the first thing about Afghanistan outside of the fact that bin Laden hails from there and that some ex-NFLer died in combat there.

Phatty, the ladyfriend really liked Life of Pi too. I think the Atlanta Hippy read and liked it too. I've never gotten around to reading it. I'll put it on the list.

Nice, I read the Kite Runner a few months ago when I went to the dominican republic.  one of my favorites that i've read in a while.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 26, 2006, 05:32:19 PM
Quote from: mussa on March 26, 2006, 05:14:45 PM
Cell- Stephen King. Good read, not his best book. Really cool concept. Begining was awesome and really intense and then it kind of trailed off as you got to the end. If you like King, read it, if not, its not going to change your mind about him.

Cell and Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk are next on my list... followed by Life of Pi, now.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on March 26, 2006, 05:44:11 PM
I read Choke, I'll have to pick another of Chuck P's books next.  I am about finished with Slaughter House 5.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 26, 2006, 06:00:18 PM
Quote from: mussa on March 26, 2006, 05:44:11 PM
I read Choke, I'll have to pick another of Chuck P's books next. I am about finished with Slaughter House 5.

I liked Choke. The only other Palahniuk book I've read. He's got some sick shtein going on in his head, but it makes for good reading.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on March 26, 2006, 06:56:24 PM
I've read all of Palahniuk's books, and they're all good but yes, dude has some problems.  invisible monsters is actually one of his more disturbing, if not the most.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on March 28, 2006, 10:32:51 AM
there's a book fair in my lobby, it feels like santa's workshop.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on March 28, 2006, 11:41:01 AM
I plan to read "Life of Pi" this summer.  You all care.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on May 30, 2006, 04:11:44 PM
Bought "Shooter" today.  Auto-biography of the top ranked marine sniper.  Sounds like an interesting read.  Anyone read this?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on May 30, 2006, 04:34:27 PM
i just finished The Nymphos of Rocky Flats (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060833262/sr=8-1/qid=1149021044/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-9995254-0540708?%5Fencoding=UTF8)...it's written by an ex soldier about an iraqi war vet who kills an innocent family, and in turn of events comes home a vampire...

it was very good, i flew through it...i was surprised how compelling of a story it was.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Yeti on May 31, 2006, 11:34:02 AM
Into the Wild.  True story about a kid from a rich family who decided to go into the wilderness to live.  He died.  Dumbass.

I'll pick up Cell next, didn't know King had a new one out.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on May 31, 2006, 12:10:01 PM
Quote from: mussa on May 30, 2006, 04:11:44 PM
Bought "Shooter" today. Auto-biography of the top ranked marine sniper. Sounds like an interesting read. Anyone read this?

Shooter is good, if you like those kinds of books, check out this one too. Hathcock was a farging bad ass.
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425103552/sr=8-1/qid=1149091712/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-1035637-7052053?%5Fencoding=UTF8)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on May 31, 2006, 12:14:39 PM
another good one is "One Shot, One Kill"  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671682199/naviseek/002-6775459-2414402
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on May 31, 2006, 02:35:24 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhaninDC on May 31, 2006, 12:10:01 PM
Quote from: mussa on May 30, 2006, 04:11:44 PM
Bought "Shooter" today. Auto-biography of the top ranked marine sniper. Sounds like an interesting read. Anyone read this?

Shooter is good, if you like those kinds of books, check out this one too. Hathcock was a farging bad ass.
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425103552/sr=8-1/qid=1149091712/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-1035637-7052053?%5Fencoding=UTF8)


There is mention of Hathcock in the beginning of the book. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on June 12, 2006, 03:52:09 PM
In the last couple week I just finished reading Interpreter of Maladies and The Book of Illusions.  Both pretty good reads.

Maladies is a collection of 10-12 short stories all about Indian life.  Some funny, some depressing, but overall pretty good. 

Illusions starts out pretty slow, but gets much better as it goes along.  About this professor who has some very bad things happen to him in life, then becomes obsessed with some silent film actor from the 30s and ends up becoming an expert on the guys works and it takes him on a very weird path.  Definitely a little too long, but not bad.  Some people will definitely have a hard time finishing this one though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on June 12, 2006, 04:15:05 PM
Quote from: phattymatty on June 12, 2006, 03:52:09 PM
The Book of Illusions

i just read 1st paul auster book in about 10 years or so, i read Timbukto i really liked it...and i have Book of Illusions to read later this summer.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on June 12, 2006, 08:00:48 PM
i just finished that if football is a religion why does god hate the eagles or whatever its called by jere longeman...and it just might be the worst book ive ever read
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 14, 2006, 08:14:58 AM
I finally finished Life of Pi. It was great. The ending was meh, but the story was fairly amazing and the author keeps your attention in spite of the completely unrealistic nature of the events. Definitely recommended.

Next up, Blood Meridian.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on September 14, 2006, 08:53:52 AM
Blood Meridian is excellent. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Philly_Crew on September 14, 2006, 09:35:19 AM
1776 - Interesting but I wouldn't say it is a must read.  A friend recommended Richest Man in Babylon, anyone read it?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on September 14, 2006, 09:39:53 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on September 14, 2006, 08:14:58 AM
I finally finished Life of Pi.

Yeah one of my favorites of the last few years.

I read a lot over the spring/summer, and then rarely touch a book during football seaon.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on September 20, 2006, 07:30:52 PM
I just finished Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage.

It was excellent.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on September 20, 2006, 07:41:39 PM
Read 'The Game' by Neil Strauss. Great book, highly recommend it if you're single or looking (not that I am)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on September 20, 2006, 08:02:20 PM
What is that, a self help book?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on September 20, 2006, 08:48:59 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on September 20, 2006, 08:02:20 PM
What is that, a self help book?

Sort of, depending on what you're trying to get from it. It's a true story about a bunch of average chumps who are taught from a guy known only as 'Mystery' how to become pick up artists.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on September 20, 2006, 08:50:58 PM
A whole book about it?  One word:

money.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on September 20, 2006, 08:55:27 PM
Not really, the book is almost 500 pages long and only cost $12. Its a very interesting read and it might even teach you a thing or two on how to deal with women (I know, you're all super studs and don't need the help). Anyways, there's a whole online community with a message board called 'The Mystery Method' where you can get the same advice for free thats in the book. I recommended it to two of my friends and they loved it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on September 20, 2006, 09:32:46 PM
I got all my advice from a guy called Rhythm.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Feva on September 20, 2006, 09:47:40 PM
OK... I admit it.  I write under the Ghost Name: Neil Strauss.

You're welcome, you helpless mutherfargers....
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on September 20, 2006, 11:27:22 PM
You'd never pick a name like Neil.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on October 04, 2006, 04:36:58 AM
I finished Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy) and Lunar Park (Bret Easton Ellis) this week.

They were both similar in a couple of very important ways.

First both authors are brilliant. This was my first McCarthy book and he managed to write an incredibly dense and wordy story about hideous violence and inhumane behavior that was impossible to put down. He shuns conversational punctuation and tends towards run-on sentences which is normally a pain in the ass to read. But he made it interesting and it gave the reader and author a feel of detachment from the gruesome behavior of the characters.

Similarly, Ellis, frequently uses run-on sentences but his prose is always easy to burn through and his stories are fascinating. His obsession with detail was annoying (but necessary) in American Psycho, but here it works a little better and his insight into his own egomania (he is the main character in a semi-autobiographical story) makes for extremely entertaining reading. I actually laughed out loud at a couple of the passages about his absurd behavior at the height of his fame.

The other thing that the books have in common, unfortunately is that they are flawed stories. Blood Meridian seems to have been written simply for the purpose of dispelling the romantic image of the American West. There is a definite 'Satan' character but no protagonist for the reader to associate with (unless you can associate with a band of marauding murderers). In the end you're just sort of left with nothing to take away from the story other than the knowledge that people are capable of something terrible. No shtein.

Lunar Park morphs from an awesomely insightful auto-biography into a Stephen King novel and Ellis is not very good at the kind of supernatural story-telling that is required for it. Ellis is at his best when he is exploring the egotism of the privileged and in this book he tries to become a good father and husband and fight spirits that are haunting him in the process and its BOR-ING.

Blood Meridian is an amazingly written novel, with an extremely dark insight into what humans are capable of and for that reason I would recommend it.

Lunar Park is also well written, and interesting if you're interested in Ellis as a person, but American Psycho was better and had more of an interesting social message. Not recommended.

You all care.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on October 05, 2006, 02:19:51 AM
It was brought to my attention that my review of Blood Meridian made it sound like I thought it sucked. I didn't think that at all. I just thought it fell short of its potential to be one of the greatest books I've ever read. Definitely recommended though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on October 05, 2006, 07:50:42 AM
I've read three or four of McCarthy's books.  I think he's one of the best living writers in America/one of the best English language authors living in the world.  Don't know how you'd actually rank them, so that's a silly comment to some degree, but I stand by it.

He's got a new one out, a post-nuclear-apocolyptic nightmare setting, rather than the brutal westen setting.  From the reviews I've read, it's at least as good as anything he's done before.  I'll pick it up someday.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on October 05, 2006, 07:52:44 AM
Borders just sent me an email about his newest. The Highway, I think it's called. It's very high on my must-buy list.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Philly_Crew on October 17, 2006, 01:55:41 PM
Quote from: Philly_Crew on September 14, 2006, 09:35:19 AM
1776 - Interesting but I wouldn't say it is a must read.  A friend recommended Richest Man in Babylon, anyone read it?
Richest man in Babylon was a quick read and just okay.  Started Grisham's Innocent Man, which I don't think will change anyone's mind on capital punishment but a good easy read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on October 19, 2006, 08:39:44 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on October 05, 2006, 07:52:44 AMThe Highway, I think it's called. It's very high on my must-buy list.

It's called The Road.  I bought it last weekend, started it on the train yesterday.  (Finally finished Graham Greene's Travels with my Aunt, after forgetting it at a friends house in MD.  Liked it very much, but of course I did.  I luv me sum Greene).

McCarthy is flat out great.  People will read his books in 200 hundred years (if people still exist in 200 years).  I don't find his refusal of standard dialogue punctuation hard to follow at all, never have.  And the language he uses, the prose he strings together is just awesome.

The guy writes better than I wipe my own ass.  And I'm pretty good at that.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 14, 2007, 11:02:06 PM
Wow, page five. Illiterate bastiches.

I read The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Godfather and the first Harry Potter book over the holidays.

Sierra Madre takes about 220 pages to get to its point. It takes its sweet farging time and tells an incredibly boring story in the mean time. But eventually the point is interesting. I won't be reading it again.

The Godfather is a farging must for anyone who's a fan of the movies. A great read that made me appreciate the movies that much more because they stuck to the story almost exactly. (Thanks, Sun.)

The Harry Potter shtein. I purposely avoided reading these books because I couldn't believe how many people wanted me to read them. And when I asked these people why they liked the books so much they said that "They are easy reads." To me, that is not a reason to read a book. But anyway, I got it for christmas and read it and it was enjoyable. The story was good. It was a page-turner. Took me a day and a half to finish it. I guess I would recommend it, but mostly I think it was a GREAT book for kids. Commence with the name-calling.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on January 14, 2007, 11:05:42 PM
I'm just about finishing up Flags of our Fathers.  It's a pretty good read and give a World War II account on a personal level.

Next up for me is David McCullough's 1776, which I got for Christmas.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 14, 2007, 11:08:51 PM
That sort of tangentally reminds me... I've recently come to the realization that there are two kinds of people. Those who want to read fiction and those who want to read non-fiction. Rarely have I come across anyone that enjoys them both.

I, for one, am bored to tears by non-fiction but have known people who don't like and can't get through fiction.

What's the deal with that? And can anyone explain to me why non-fiction books are the slightest bit interesting? Might as well just sit down and read a history book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on January 14, 2007, 11:39:14 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on January 14, 2007, 11:08:51 PM
That sort of tangentally reminds me... I've recently come to the realization that there are two kinds of people. Those who want to read fiction and those who want to read non-fiction. Rarely have I come across anyone that enjoys them both.

I, for one, am bored to tears by non-fiction but have known people who don't like and can't get through fiction.

What's the deal with that? And can anyone explain to me why non-fiction books are the slightest bit interesting? Might as well just sit down and read a history book.

I tend to be the latter. I don't really get into fiction (though I do enjoy a good spy novel now and again).

Of course, I may be the wrong person to ask, as I am a history teacher.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 15, 2007, 07:05:48 AM
I don't know why we teach History.  Not trying to be funny...I really don't see the value.  No one has ever learned from history; it repeats itself no matter what.  Math, language, music, science...these things I understand; they are the gymnasium for the mind, without mastering which you are basically just a shell of a thinking person.  History however seems far secondary to these and really frivolous.  For some I'm sure it's fun and interesting, and surely I enjoy the clever conclusions they present at the museums, but I am bored senseless by reading the stuff.

Like rjs, I recently admitted that I can't stand non-fiction.  Books on politics, history books, all of it...bore me to death.  For most of my life I've been forcing myself to read things like Caro's The Power Broker, or Lukas' Common Ground until sometime last year I realized that I never get more than 250 pages in before I have to fight my way through the rest....which is always alot because history writers never heard of the concept of brevity.  I just get bored.  Who gives a farg about these dead people. 

I'm currently reading Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, having read The Road a little while ago.  It's the fifth book of his I've read, and gives me further proof that he is a master.  Before it, I finished a bevy of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett titles.  Good stuff.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on January 15, 2007, 07:54:20 AM
Quote from: Diomedes on January 15, 2007, 07:05:48 AM
I don't know why we teach History.  Not trying to be funny...I really don't see the value.  No one has ever learned from history; it repeats itself no matter what.  Math, language, music, science...these things I understand; they are the gymnasium for the mind, without mastering which you are basically just a shell of a thinking person.  History however seems far secondary to these and really frivolous.  For some I'm sure it's fun and interesting, and surely I enjoy the clever conclusions they present at the museums, but I am bored senseless by reading the stuff.

Like rjs, I recently admitted that I can't stand non-fiction.  Books on politics, history books, all of it...bore me to death.  For most of my life I've been forcing myself to read things like Caro's The Power Broker, or Lukas' Common Ground until sometime last year I realized that I never get more than 250 pages in before I have to fight my way through the rest....which is always alot because history writers never heard of the concept of brevity.  I just get bored.  Who gives a farg about these dead people. 

I'm currently reading Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, having read The Road a little while ago.  It's the fifth book of his I've read, and gives me further proof that he is a master.  Before it, I finished a bevy of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett titles.  Good stuff.

This probably won't change your mind, but this (http://www.studentsfriend.com/onhist/uses.html) probably answers the question better than I could, especially with my lack of time this morning.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: BlueHeart on January 15, 2007, 08:03:54 AM
I like both.

If the writer doesn't have a stick up his bum a non-fiction book can be just as entertaining as fiction. Obviously, the most important thing is finding a book on a subject you're interested in.

I think that's the biggest problem people have. Thinking they have to read some nerd book that so-called intellectuals proclaim is the second coming of the Bible (which was a dreadful bore for the most part- sorry God), on a topic they'd want to kill themselves listening to someone talk about, let alone pouring through 400 pages...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on January 15, 2007, 08:34:47 AM
Ladies of Grace Adieu - short stories, same author and world as Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Some were better than others. My review doesn't matter, since you guys wouldn't ever read it.

Pattern Recognition - reread it again. Still a good book. Trying to get other people to read William Gibson is like giving a cat a bath.

Count Zero - more Gibson. Most people seem to think it's not as good as Neuromancer, and it probably isn't, but it's still enjoyable. See above.

Idoru - been on a Gibson kick. Still in the middle of it, but enjoying it. See above above.

Discworld, misc (Hogfather, Carpe Jugulum, The Truth, The Fifth Elephant, Feet of Clay, The Thief of Time,  Night Watch, Mounstrous Regiment, The Wee Free Men, Hat Full of Sky, The Wintersmith - no particular order) - Finished reading all of the 3,000,091 books in the Discworld series now. Seems to get better as the world evolves. Again, more stuff you dicks don't give a crap about.

The Chocolate Hollow Bunnies of the Apocalypse - Crime-solving toy bear in Toy City (formerly Toy Town). All the nursery rhyme characters are being killed. Good book. Another book you guys would never read.

The Toyminator -  Haven't read it yet. It's next on my list. Sequel to The Chocolate Hollow Bunnies of the Apocalypse.

Good Omens - Angels, Demons, babies switched at birth, demonic mistakes relating to switching the wrong babies, Four Horsemen, witch hunters, and so on. Good book.

Neverwhere - Guy meets a girl, helps her, she ruins his life, turns out he's happier without his old life. Along the way he becomes the great hunter of the London Sewers. Once again, you guys wouldn't read it.

That covers most everything since October. I forgot a few, though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 15, 2007, 09:44:18 AM
I luv me sum Gibson.  But I know what you're saying..people hear a description of his work, file it under "sci fi" in their little binary heads, and that's where it stays forever, never to be read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on January 15, 2007, 10:02:40 AM
Finished Blood Meridian  a little while back- great book.  Look forward to picking up some other material by McCormack
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on January 15, 2007, 11:36:15 AM
Based on the recommendations here, I'm picking up "The Road" this afternoon.  Sounds intriguing.  I love the post-apocalyptic sub-genre.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 15, 2007, 11:41:01 AM
I hate that it gets dropped into a genre or sub-genre instead of being taken for what it is.  It's a Cormac McCarthy book..not a post apocalyptic vehicle for some zesty thriller.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on January 15, 2007, 12:41:07 PM
the last book i read was Choke by Chuck Palahniuk.

not bad.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 15, 2007, 01:12:17 PM
Quote from: Wingspan on January 15, 2007, 12:41:07 PM
the last book i read was Choke by Chuck Palahniuk.

not bad.

I liked Choke.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on January 15, 2007, 03:46:16 PM
I read Blood Meridian awhile back, and didn't like it as much as most people in this thread.  But I think that's because I was relegated to reading in 20-minute or less interrupted increments, and for books of that ilk I like to get into it for at least an hour a clip. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on January 15, 2007, 05:01:45 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on January 15, 2007, 11:41:01 AM
I hate that it gets dropped into a genre or sub-genre instead of being taken for what it is.  It's a Cormac McCarthy book..not a post apocalyptic vehicle for some zesty thriller.

LOL.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on January 15, 2007, 05:58:02 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on January 15, 2007, 01:12:17 PM
Quote from: Wingspan on January 15, 2007, 12:41:07 PM
the last book i read was Choke by Chuck Palahniuk.

not bad.

I liked Choke.

me too. it did drag on for a bit, and i almost put it down. but as soon as Denny started collecting rocks it kept my interest until the end
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Drunkmasterflex on January 15, 2007, 06:58:03 PM
Just finished Beyond Band of Brothers: War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters.  It is a good book to read if you enjoyed Band of Brothers. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 18, 2007, 09:03:04 AM
I just ordered this, The Best Book Concept Ever  (http://www.amazon.com/World-War-Oral-History-Zombie/dp/0307346609/sr=8-1/qid=1169128700/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3996801-4744839?ie=UTF8&s=books).
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on January 18, 2007, 09:29:16 AM
I've read the Zombie Survival Guide by him. I think you'll enjoy that.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on January 18, 2007, 09:32:43 AM
i read this (http://www.amazon.com/Nymphos-Rocky-Flats-Novel/dp/0060833262/sr=8-1/qid=1169130630/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-5664294-2506420?ie=UTF8&s=books) about a year ago. solid book, funny at parts, and the story was well thought out. if you're into vampire books(which i am usually not), this is a good one.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on January 26, 2007, 09:16:40 PM
I just finished 'The Name Of The Rose' by Umberto Eco.

My vocabulary has gone up a few levels. I've never had to reference a dictionary so much.

Takes place in a 14th century Italian Abbey. A former inquisitor and his scribe are sent to the Monastery by the Emperor to investigate a murder.

This book shed light on the struggle between different schools of thought and belief on poverty and wealth within christianity at that time, the struggle of the church and the Kings, and the thirst for knowledge and those in possession of intellectual power.

Interesting book if you've got time to burn...the first part of the book is a bitch to get through...but once you do, you cruise through the next few hundred pages.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 26, 2007, 09:34:24 PM
Quote from: hbionic on January 26, 2007, 09:16:40 PMMy vocabulary has gone up a few levels. I've never had to reference a dictionary so much.

Ha.  Reminds me of a quote I found recently:

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."   -- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on January 27, 2007, 06:04:54 PM
Quote from: hbionic on January 26, 2007, 09:16:40 PM
I just finished 'The Name Of The Rose' by Umberto Eco.


I started reading that about a year ago.  I lasted about 10 pages.  I'm sure some day I'll get back to it, but it definitely seems like you really have to be in the mood for that type of deep shtein, which i wasn't.  It just wasn't enjoyable.

Right now I'm reading a book called How Soccer Explains the World and it's really good.  It's this guys theory on globalization and he uses soccer as an analogy to explain all kinds of human issues.  Like the gangster lifestyle in the former Yugoslavian countries, the Protestant-Catholic fighting in Ireland and Scotland, the Jewish stereotype, etc.  I'm only on the third chapter because I just started reading but it's pretty cool.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 31, 2007, 09:50:30 PM
I just rediscovered one of my old favorites today, Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do : The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in Our Free Country (http://www.amazon.com/Aint-Nobodys-Business-You-Consensual/dp/0931580587).

Reading it cover to cover is boring and a pain in the ass, but this is the most excellent piece on personal freedoms that I have ever read.

Synopsis...

QuoteThe author argues that not only are our constitutional rights violated by punishment for such crimes, but that enforcing ineffectual, costly laws results in the needless jailing of thousands each year, and yield suffering and social discrimination for many harmless non-conformists.

Those of you who love to be told what is right and wrong, what to do and where to do it, what to eat and how to protect yourself from yourself will be appalled at McWilliams' radical notions. But he lays his points out very simply for you cavemen and easily demonstrates how laws against 'consensual crimes' are not only ridiculous, but harmful, unconstitutional, fiscally irresponsible and frequently based on religious doctrines that are supposed to be separated from the legal doings of this country.

Anyway, it's a great book that all of you cretins should be required to read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on January 31, 2007, 11:18:55 PM
I'll wait for the movie.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 01, 2007, 08:38:12 AM
Quote from: Wingspan on January 31, 2007, 11:18:55 PM
I'll wait for the movie.

Even a cartoon version would be too complicated for you.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on February 01, 2007, 10:08:33 AM
Probably
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on February 01, 2007, 01:51:45 PM
I'm finally reading "Life of Pi".  Martel's an excellent storyteller and has caught me off guard a few times already.

IMDB.com says the movie's coming out in 2009, for those who don't read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 01, 2007, 01:56:59 PM
Quote from: FFatPatt on February 01, 2007, 01:51:45 PM... for those who don't read:  start, or kill yourself.  One or the other.  SRYSLY
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on February 01, 2007, 01:57:15 PM
Quote from: FFatPatt on February 01, 2007, 01:51:45 PM
I'm finally reading "Life of Pi".  Martel's an excellent storyteller and has caught me off guard a few times already.
IMDB.com says the movie's coming out in 2009, for those who don't read.


yeah it really is a good book.  one of my favorite fictions of the last two years or so.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on February 01, 2007, 11:40:12 PM
read "Thats not in my American History Book" -  some good info on history that is taught in school that is total BS.  also some other good stuff like how Abe Lincolns wife was totally insane and would beat him up.

Also read "Unsolved Mysteries of History"-  kind of a book version of the discovery channel. 

About to finish up Sidney Lumet's  Making Movies.   great book.

next up-  Quicken 2007 the official guide...  burn!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on February 02, 2007, 09:11:22 AM
Quote from: MURP on February 01, 2007, 11:40:12 PM
next up-  Quicken 2007 the official guide...  burn!

You don't need a guide for Quicken.  Confusion is fun.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Cerevant on February 02, 2007, 02:24:02 PM
I luv me some Chuck: Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, Lullabye

Another Pratchett Discworld: Going Postal (http://www.amazon.com/Going-Postal-Terry-Pratchett/dp/0060502932/sr=1-1/qid=1170443762/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-9396833-1491124?ie=UTF8&s=books)

Keep up to date on what I should know about my kid: The New Father: A Dad's Guide to the Toddler Years (http://www.amazon.com/New-Father-Guide-Toddler-Years/dp/0789204800/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b/104-9396833-1491124)

Don't start a new home renovation without reading: Make it Right (http://www.holmesonhomes.com/shop/index.php).  This guy is a badass contractor who goes around and bails out people from bad renos by cheap/lazy/incompetent contractors, and has a show on HGTV Canada (he's on Discovery Home in the US).  This book describes how to assess the current condition of your home, how to find a good contractor, what a good contract looks like, and important details and techniques for Basement, Bathroom and Kitchen renos.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 11, 2007, 09:20:25 AM
Books I read while in the New Zealand airport:

Anansi Boys - Sequel to American Gods, but on the light side. Good book, easy reading.

The Toyminator - Sequel to The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse. Toy bear and his teenage boy companion drink beer and solve crimes. This time they head to 1950s Hollywood and spoof a bunch of action movies. Extra cheese. Another good book.

Catch 22 - This is one of those books I put off reading because everyone always says it's a classic, but they never tell you how farging awesome it is. Easily the greatest story I've ever read. I can see how it got some bad reviews early on, but I loved it. I think this book was written just for the people here. Yes you. Go get it and read it. Now. Again if you have to. Do it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 11, 2007, 09:28:39 AM
Quote from: General_Failure on February 11, 2007, 09:20:25 AM...one of those books I put off reading because everyone always says it's a classic
Jesus, man.  Pick up some classics.  They're called that for a reason.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 11, 2007, 10:16:20 AM
Yeah, like I'm going to try to read David Copperfield a second time.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 11, 2007, 10:24:59 AM
Fair enough.  But don't let that stop you from reading George Eliot or Graham Greene or Jack London or any of the other greats.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: NGM on February 11, 2007, 10:32:00 AM
Speaking of classics I just finished "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen for my Brit Lit class.  I have to say it wasn't all that bad, but the only way I could ever get trhough a book like that is because I was forced to by a college class.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 11, 2007, 10:36:05 AM
I love Austen.  Not a manly author to love, but farg it.  She's a master.

What did you find difficult about the book? 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: BlueHeart on February 11, 2007, 06:56:13 PM
Quote from: MURP on February 01, 2007, 11:40:12 PM
read "Thats not in my American History Book" -  some good info on history that is taught in school that is total BS.

"Lies My Teacher Told Me" by James Loewen is another good one.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: NGM on February 11, 2007, 08:37:20 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on February 11, 2007, 10:36:05 AM
I love Austen.  Not a manly author to love, but farg it.  She's a master.

What did you find difficult about the book? 

Basically it was syntax intially, but once I got over that it was extremely romantic indulgence of the characters (which I know was the point).  It was enough to gag me.  I did really enjoy her satire and extremely dry wit though.  And ultimately I did enjoy the book. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 11, 2007, 09:02:59 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on January 18, 2007, 09:03:04 AM
I just ordered this, The Best Book Concept Ever  (http://www.amazon.com/World-War-Oral-History-Zombie/dp/0307346609/sr=8-1/qid=1169128700/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3996801-4744839?ie=UTF8&s=books).



Finished World War Z a few days after I bought it. Written by Max Brooks, who is Mel Brooks' son. Amazing. A really excellent 'thought exercise' story. Completely entertaining. Loved it.

Plus its about farging zombies. Buy it. Now.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: NGM on February 11, 2007, 10:25:53 PM
Is the book supposed to be "dark humor?"  I cannot tell from the description of the book whether or not the tone is serious in it's satire or funny. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 11, 2007, 10:30:19 PM
It's written in a very serious manner, but there are bits that are funny. It was actually a very well thought out story with remarkably few plot holes considering it's a novel about the human's war with zombies.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: NGM on February 11, 2007, 10:35:12 PM
I'm in.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on February 12, 2007, 03:14:53 PM
Quote from: phattymatty on January 27, 2007, 06:04:54 PM
Right now I'm reading a book called How Soccer Explains the World

Finished this about a week or two ago and it was great. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Cerevant on February 12, 2007, 03:22:55 PM
I'm currently reading The Princess Bride by William Goldman and it is fantastic.  I always figured they hammed up the script a bit to make it more funny, but the book has the same language and humor as the movie - big shocker, when the screenplay was written by the author of the book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on February 12, 2007, 04:44:56 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on February 11, 2007, 09:02:59 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on January 18, 2007, 09:03:04 AM
I just ordered this, The Best Book Concept Ever  (http://www.amazon.com/World-War-Oral-History-Zombie/dp/0307346609/sr=8-1/qid=1169128700/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3996801-4744839?ie=UTF8&s=books).



Finished World War Z a few days after I bought it. Written by Max Brooks, who is Mel Brooks' son. Amazing. A really excellent 'thought exercise' story. Completely entertaining. Loved it.

Plus its about farging zombies. Buy it. Now.

nice. i need a new book. sounds awesome
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 20, 2007, 10:54:46 AM
This is next on my agenda:

Gates of Fire (http://www.amazon.com/Gates-Fire-Novel-Battle-Thermopylae/dp/0553580531)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on February 20, 2007, 01:11:21 PM
picked up world war z, scar tissue and the gunslinger 1 sunday.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 20, 2007, 01:13:21 PM
The Gunslinger is a great series. Actually, the first 5 books were great and then King sort of lost it until the last book. Anyway, the first five are some of my favorites and definitely my favorite King novels.

You know my thoughts on WWZ.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on February 20, 2007, 01:18:58 PM
Started reading No Country for Old Men the other day.  I had never heard of Cormac Marcarthy until I heard some of you talking about him and Borders had it in their 3 for the price of 2 new releases so I picked it up.  It's pretty awesome.  At first it's a little annoying because he writes with a lot of "he did this, he did that" without names, so sometimes it takes a full page until you realize who he's talking about, but once you get used to it it's no problem.  anyway, it's pretty awesome so far, i'll probably finish it in about 3 days.

might have to pick up his earlier shtein.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 20, 2007, 01:22:33 PM
Blood Meridian, by McCarthy was one of the most impressive novels I've ever read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on February 20, 2007, 03:46:26 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on February 20, 2007, 01:13:21 PM
The Gunslinger is a great series. Actually, the first 5 books were great and then King sort of lost it until the last book. Anyway, the first five are some of my favorites and definitely my favorite King novels.

You know my thoughts on WWZ.

Yea I read the Gunslinger series also. I let a friend borrow book one and never got it back, so I picked it up since it was cheap. I think its the most amazing series of books Ive ever read. Its Kings masterpiece for sure.  I though they just got better and better. I can see why you thought the last book wasn't as good, but I think its his own weird way of ending the series. I enjoyed them all and would highly recommend.

WWZ is pretty good so far  :yay
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 20, 2007, 04:03:26 PM
My problem with Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susanna and The Dark Tower was that King inserted himself into the story as a god figure. Which was unnecessary and ridiculously self-absorbed and took him WAY too far outside of the world he had created with the other characters.

I actually like the way he ended the story and The Dark Tower was better than the other two I just mentioned, but none of them can even come close to the first five books.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 20, 2007, 04:11:50 PM
If people are still around in 500 years, they'll be reading and studying Cormac McCarthy.  They will not be reading or studying Stephen King.

The former is a master, one of the greatest American writers ever.  The latter is a decent and prolific story teller, but there's nothing great about his work.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 20, 2007, 04:16:57 PM
For the vast majority of King's work I would agree with you, Dio. But I do think that The Stand and (the majority of) The Gunslinger series stand out as exceptional works.

But for the most part, you're right. He is what he is, which is a great 'storyteller', and not a great 'writer'.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 20, 2007, 04:26:31 PM
Maybe he'll be read by a few fans of the genre, or studied as part of studying the times in which he lived, but I don't think he's written anything that could be called great.  Not to say he's trash...just that McCarthy is writing on a level that blows most writers out of the water.  His writing is permanent and eternal and timeless...it doesn't require knowing anything about the times in which he wrote, or about which he wrote.   Blood Meridian is flat out great literature.  It will always be relevant.

I'm repeating myself.  You get the point.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 20, 2007, 04:31:02 PM
Of course. They aren't in the same ballpark. I just didn't want to minimize the few extraordinary achievements that King has under his belt.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on February 20, 2007, 04:32:31 PM
I have not read anything by the genius of McCarthy, that will be my next book for sure.

And your right, King is a great storyteller. I wasn't saying he a master of literature or anything, I just meant to say he's the best at what he writes and that the Gunslinger series is his master.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on February 20, 2007, 04:34:32 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on February 20, 2007, 04:03:26 PM
My problem with Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susanna and The Dark Tower was that King inserted himself into the story as a god figure. Which was unnecessary and ridiculously self-absorbed and took him WAY too far outside of the world he had created with the other characters.

I actually like the way he ended the story and The Dark Tower was better than the other two I just mentioned, but none of them can even come close to the first five books.

Okay, I see what your saying.  Yea that was def. self absorbed, but he could of written jesus in himself and i would of still been glued to every word.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on February 20, 2007, 04:42:37 PM
PET SEMATARY 2 was the greatest literary work ever.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 20, 2007, 04:44:38 PM
Nuh uh.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on February 20, 2007, 04:46:07 PM
Quote from: FFatPatt on February 20, 2007, 04:42:37 PM
PET SEMATARY 2 was the greatest literary work ever.

Too bad it was never a book and only a movie. douche. FOLFTKCP;QChopter...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on February 20, 2007, 04:55:18 PM
Screenplays are literary works.

It was robbed come Oscar time.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on February 22, 2007, 12:40:27 AM
Quote from: phattymatty on February 20, 2007, 01:18:58 PM
Started reading No Country for Old Men the other day.

Finished this book and it's pretty good.  Not ready to anoint him the best writer of our generation but he does a really good job of mixing good ol' violence and action with relevant social commentary.  the ending was not what i expected, and i'm not yet sure if it made it better or if it was a letdown.  this might be one that i'll have to read again in a year or so.  but i'll definitely be reading some more of his stuff.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on February 22, 2007, 11:50:29 AM
I'm more than half-way through WWZ on two nights reading. I'll be done by nxt week, prob. Awesome so far.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 22, 2007, 11:57:52 AM
Are you having dreams about it yet? Every night from the time I started until I finished I dreamt about the Zombie world war.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on February 22, 2007, 12:21:24 PM
ya know i haven't noticed, yet. i know when i read the dark tower series, i would get crazy dreams.  :-D
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 22, 2007, 12:30:34 PM
Quote from: phattymatty on February 22, 2007, 12:40:27 AM
Quote from: phattymatty on February 20, 2007, 01:18:58 PM
Started reading No Country for Old Men the other day.
Finished this book and it's pretty good.  Not ready to anoint him the best writer of our generation but he does a really good job of mixing good ol' violence and action with relevant social commentary.  the ending was not what i expected, and i'm not yet sure if it made it better or if it was a letdown.  this might be one that i'll have to read again in a year or so.  but i'll definitely be reading some more of his stuff.

I have not read No Country for Old Men, but I have read The Road, The Crossing, All the Pretty Horses, Cities of the Plain, (which comprise the Border Trilogy) and Blood Meridian.  Of these, the latter is his best. 

One thing I've never associated with McCarthy is social commentary.  And certainly not topical social commentary.  Insofar as he writes about men in the world, and considers his nature, I guess you could call that social commentary...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 22, 2007, 12:37:15 PM
It isn't John Stewart, up-to-the-second, pop social commentary, but I definitely see what phatty is saying.

You could call it 'considering the nature of things' or anything else, but in a broader sense it is certainly social commentary.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on February 22, 2007, 12:38:10 PM
the whole underlying theme is how some people are just inherently evil and some are good.  about how theres a whole generation of new people that are so different from how things used to be.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on March 22, 2007, 09:47:52 AM
So, I had to take a long break from "Life of Pi" while I was studying for an exam.  I started from the beginning a couple of weeks ago and polished it off yesterday.  It's a hell of a story and one I'd recommend to anyone.  I'm just glad it wasn't around when I was in high school, because I'm sure it's overanalyzed to shtein.  You have to be able to appreciate it from all angles without being too certain of any specific symbolism or any specific truth.

Solid 4.5/5.  I took .5 off for having "questions" at the end designed for discussion.  Haha.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: NGM on March 22, 2007, 05:34:39 PM
Just finished World War Z by Max Brooks on RJS's recommendation.  I have to say I was really surprised at how good this book was.  I went in expecting to be entertained certainly, but there were moments in the book that I thought were brilliant.  For anyone who is in to any sort of fiction I suggest you read this book.

Up next, Blood Meridian by Corman McCarthy.  Recommended by RJS and Dio.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on March 22, 2007, 06:34:06 PM
I finished WWZ a few weeks ago and yes, I have to agree, awesome book. i want them to make a movie.

reading Scar Tissue, autobiography of Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 22, 2007, 06:43:39 PM
Farenheit 451 for the first time.  Halfway through, will finish after another day or two commuting.  Never had to read it as a kid, and it's such a simple idea I didn't really need to read the book to pick up what it is about, but I'm very happy to find the book more than compensates for it's rep and status.  Fine writing.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 28, 2007, 01:01:41 PM
This makes me irate. Like really really REALLY angry. farg Oprah. (http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/03/28/books.winfrey.ap/index.html)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on March 28, 2007, 01:14:08 PM
because you're going to get to see an interview of one of your favorite authors?  sounds horrible.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on March 28, 2007, 01:16:47 PM
It's not "cool" anymore if Oprah's viewers start reading it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on March 28, 2007, 01:17:27 PM
Probably because it's going to be those "once it's too popular, it's no longer cool" things.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on March 28, 2007, 01:20:46 PM
the book sounds good, in an particluar order for reading McCarthy?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on March 28, 2007, 01:21:56 PM
Quote from: Wingspan on March 28, 2007, 01:17:27 PM
Probably because it's going to be those "once it's too popular, it's no longer cool" things.

<cartman>  That's what I said! </cartman>
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 28, 2007, 01:27:36 PM
Oprah farging pisses me off. Who is she to tell people what to read? Who is she to pass judgement, favorably or not, upon any book? She's a farging talk show host but her 'Book Club' acts as judge and jury for books and novelists because so many mindless iceholes watch her show and listen to what she says. farg her. Go to college and get an education you farging hicks. Oprah isn't going to make you any less of an idiot.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on March 28, 2007, 01:30:53 PM
i hope she goes to hell for getting people to read more.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on March 28, 2007, 02:00:57 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on March 28, 2007, 01:27:36 PM
Oprah farging pisses me off. Who is she to tell people what to read? Who is she to pass judgement, favorably or not, upon any book? She's a farging talk show host but her 'Book Club' acts as judge and jury for books and novelists because so many mindless iceholes watch her show and listen to what she says. farg her. Go to college and get an education you farging hicks. Oprah isn't going to make you any less of an idiot.

LOL - rjs has him some jungle fever for Oprah.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 28, 2007, 02:11:56 PM
Quote from: phattymatty on March 28, 2007, 01:30:53 PM
i hope she goes to hell for getting people to read more.
That's the point, this power that she weilds to 'get people to read more' is disgusting. Why is it that these farging sheep didn't listen to their teachers, or parents, or professors, or friends, or anyone else who also probably told them repeatedly to read more? Why would anyone ever do something simply because Oprah told them to? She makes me sick because of what this shtein represents. People would rather listen to the advice of the talking head on their television than heed their teachers' suggestions to read. People would rather have their TV tell them what to do than decide on their own. farging people kill me.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on March 28, 2007, 02:24:55 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on March 28, 2007, 02:11:56 PM
me farging kill people.

That's what you meant to say. Take her out. You'll be immortal.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 28, 2007, 02:56:12 PM
I love Oprah and I also love Cormac McCarthy.

Quote from: mussa on March 28, 2007, 01:20:46 PM
the book sounds good, in an particluar order for reading McCarthy?

I'd read the border trilogy first.  All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, Cities of the Plain.  If you enjoy the first book, then you'll like all three.  If you like all three, then you'll be familiar enough with his style to tackle Blood Meridian, which is pretty dense.  It's one of the best American books I've ever read.

I'd leave the The Road for last.

meh...you asked.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 28, 2007, 03:01:47 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on March 28, 2007, 02:56:12 PM
I love Oprah...

This belongs in the Men Should Act Like Men thread.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on March 28, 2007, 03:06:28 PM
I'd throw oprah a bang. Only when she's done up. She has a hotness to her.

Without make up though, she's totally cameron diaz without makeup.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on March 28, 2007, 03:25:53 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on March 28, 2007, 02:56:12 PM
I love Oprah and I also love Cormac McCarthy.

Quote from: mussa on March 28, 2007, 01:20:46 PM
the book sounds good, in an particluar order for reading McCarthy?

I'd read the border trilogy first.  All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, Cities of the Plain.  If you enjoy the first book, then you'll like all three.  If you like all three, then you'll be familiar enough with his style to tackle Blood Meridian, which is pretty dense.  It's one of the best American books I've ever read.

I'd leave the The Road for last.

meh...you asked.

fair enough, thanks  :yay
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on March 28, 2007, 03:26:52 PM
Quote from: hbionic on March 28, 2007, 03:06:28 PM
I'd throw oprah a bang. Only when she's done up. She has a hotness to her.

Without make up though, she's totally cameron diaz without makeup.

End yourself.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on March 28, 2007, 05:54:49 PM
I'd try to get Oprah pregnant if she weren't post-menopausal.  $$$
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 28, 2007, 05:58:10 PM
I watched a spectacular fisting clip this morning. I feel like you would need boxing gloves in order for Oprah to feel anything.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 28, 2007, 06:22:49 PM
I don't get the Oprah hate.  I'm still a little ticked at her for unleashing Dr. Phil on the world, but otherwise she's farging awesome.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 28, 2007, 06:39:18 PM
She is the God of this country's simpleton population. farg her and her flock of brainless, gawking fans.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 28, 2007, 06:43:45 PM
There is something wrong with you.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 28, 2007, 06:45:04 PM
I'm not arguing that, but it doesn't change the fact that Oprah, and every one of her fans, should be thrown into the nearest trash compactor.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on March 28, 2007, 07:09:59 PM
Jessica Alba is an Oprah fan.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 28, 2007, 07:11:03 PM
Don't try to confuse me with your lies!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: BlueHeart on March 28, 2007, 07:54:45 PM
Quote"Mr. McCarthy respects her work, admires what she has accomplished, has an awareness of her book club, and thought it would be interesting to participate in the conversation with Oprah," McCarthy's publicist Paul Bogaards of Alfred A. Knopf, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

That and it pretty much guarantees selling a jabillion copies of your book.

Oprah rocks. And the woman puts her money where her mouth is. Gotta respect that.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on March 28, 2007, 11:05:40 PM
She's no Jerry Springer, so she can't exactly be god to the worst of America's population.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MadMarchHare on March 30, 2007, 06:37:24 PM
Quote from: BlueHeart on March 28, 2007, 07:54:45 PM
Quote"Mr. McCarthy respects her work, admires what she has accomplished, has an awareness of her book club, and thought it would be interesting to participate in the conversation with Oprah," McCarthy's publicist Paul Bogaards of Alfred A. Knopf, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

That and it pretty much guarantees selling a jabillion copies of your book.

Oprah rocks. And the woman puts her money where her mouth is. Gotta respect that.

Yes, she spends money.  But she does it for the glorification she receives from it.  Just watching her walk out to start a show "Yay, cheer me!" makes me want to vomit.  Look, Bill and Melinda Gates give away way more money, and perform such extensive due diligence that there is evidence that the funded charities get more funding in the future.  And they don't go around expecting people to tell them how great they are.

Oprah sucks.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on March 30, 2007, 08:32:09 PM
I'm about 1/3 of the way through "The Road" and it's one of the most haunting books I've ever read.

It's one of those books that I'll read and can't put down and then I'll put it away for several days because I can't stand it anymore.

McCarthy's prose is breathtaking.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 30, 2007, 11:43:10 PM
Beautiful. Breathtaking...

Find your balls.


(And by the way, McCarthy's prose is actually breathtaking. But Rome is still a nonhetero.)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on March 31, 2007, 08:01:19 AM
Da Road is fargin awesome man.  It's like sad and gray and dirty and like the man and da kid are like walking through the wasteland and shtein and it's like farging weird.


Better?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 31, 2007, 10:07:54 AM
No.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: NGM on March 31, 2007, 06:55:56 PM
Just bought Book of Air and Shadows.  Its about finding a lost Shakespear work, it is kinda like Da Vinci code for literary geeks.  I actually thought it was much better than Da Vinci code but I'm not sure if I would say its better than Angels and Demons. 

Anyway, a fresh take on an idea that is rapidly becoming overdone. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on March 31, 2007, 07:45:03 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on March 28, 2007, 06:45:04 PM
I'm not arguing that, but it doesn't change the fact that Oprah, and every one of her fans, should be thrown into the nearest trash compactor.

I can understand the annoyance with the people who take her word for the gospel, but I still don't get the issue with Oprah.  I don't blame Jesus because people worship him.  I blame the people for being idiots. 

I think your anger is misplaced.  Don't hate the playa, hate the game. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 31, 2007, 11:46:35 PM
You think my anger is misplaced? Wow. What an astute observation. You clearly missed your calling.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 31, 2007, 11:46:44 PM
Oh, and farg Oprah.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on April 04, 2007, 02:48:36 PM
Dr. Seuss keepin' it real:


(http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/2058/children10qc1.jpg)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on April 04, 2007, 03:42:55 PM
oprah fans arent even in the same douchebag universe as the kids that worship movies like 300

soccer moms > trenchcoat mafia
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 04, 2007, 03:46:58 PM
You don't read. Go whine about people who like stuff you don't in another thread.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 08, 2007, 11:47:46 PM
Bought McCarthy's The Road on Friday for my flight home (with a big old "Oprah's Book Club" emblem on it just the way I like it).

Just finished it. Amazing. Everyone should read his shtein. Everyone except Oprah. And anyone that likes Oprah.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Eagles_Legendz on April 10, 2007, 02:42:43 AM
I'm about halfway through The Alienist by Caleb Carr.  It's really a very good serial killer book for anyone who is interested in that type of thing.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 10, 2007, 07:08:40 AM
I forgot to mention that I finished Gates of Fire. It's the more historically accurate story of the battle of Thermopylae, which is the same story that inspired 300.

The story is fascinating, but as with most ancient-historical-fiction it wasnt especially well written and I had trouble getting through it. History buffs will probably love it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on April 10, 2007, 07:52:51 AM
Finished Johnny Cash's autobiography, good read if you're a fan, if you're a casual listener you probably wouldn't like it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on April 10, 2007, 08:00:53 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on April 08, 2007, 11:47:46 PM
Bought McCarthy's The Road on Friday for my flight home (with a big old "Oprah's Book Club" emblem on it just the way I like it).

Just finished it. Amazing. Everyone should read his shtein. Everyone except Oprah. And anyone that likes Oprah.

Beautiful!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 10, 2007, 08:11:58 AM
I think it was actually 'breathtaking' but yes.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on April 10, 2007, 10:33:35 AM
I was referring to your review.  I do agree that McCarthy's prose is breathtaking, though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MadMarchHare on April 13, 2007, 06:47:09 PM
I just finished The Road last night, and I'm still horribly disturbed by the ending.  I have a 5 year old boy, and completely related to the father (and am cynical enough to relate to the situation too).  And I'm still not quite able to deal with the ending, and it's implications.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on April 15, 2007, 09:21:25 PM
I also just finished Gates of Fire and I agree with RJS.   Good story that got bogged down at times.   I thought the info about them training was awesome.   Go farg a tree!!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on April 15, 2007, 11:40:01 PM
Quote from: Eagles_Legendz on April 10, 2007, 02:42:43 AM
I'm about halfway through The Alienist by Caleb Carr.  It's really a very good serial killer book for anyone who is interested in that type of thing.

I read that book and thought it was very good. A historical view of NY with a twist of horror.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on April 17, 2007, 10:09:19 AM
McCarthy won the Pulitzer yesterday for The Road.

I bought it a few days ago to read on a flight but ended up sleeping most of the way.  Will definitely finish it soon.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 17, 2007, 10:53:56 AM
It's a quick read, which is much different than Blood Meridian, but holy god was it good. It's almost depressing how good he is at writing.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on April 19, 2007, 05:09:24 PM
picked up All The Pretty Horses, By McCarthy for my trip. was surprised how small the book was and almost bought the 2nd book, but thought i better try this one out before i go and do that. sounds like a good book, excited to start it  :yay
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on April 21, 2007, 01:18:23 PM
I did finish John Hodgman's "The Areas of My Expertise" a few weeks ago.  It's mildly amusing to read all the way through, but as it's a faux almanac, it's probably better suited for reading a few sections while on the crapper.

I admit I didn't get through all 700 hobo names yet.


Went to the library today and picked up "All the Pretty Horses", "Child of God", and "The Crossing" since all you people can't stop gushing about McCarthy.  Found out my wife has actually read both of the first two.  Anyway, I'd planned on starting with "Pretty Horses", since it's basically his first highly-acclaimed novel.  Which one should I read after that?

Also, according to his IMDB page (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0565092/), "No Country for Old Men" has already finished filming.  The Coen brothers made it, with Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, and Woody Harrelson.  Apparently, "Blood Meridian" will be made with Ridley Scott directing and the screenplay adapted by William Monahan (won an Oscar for "The Departed").
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on April 30, 2007, 01:38:37 PM
finished The Road yesterday and apparently am in the minority because I don't see why it's so great. 

i enjoyed No Country for Old Men much more.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on April 30, 2007, 02:10:43 PM
Quote from: FastFreddie on April 21, 2007, 01:18:23 PM
I did finish John Hodgman's "The Areas of My Expertise" a few weeks ago.  It's mildly amusing to read all the way through, but as it's a faux almanac, it's probably better suited for reading a few sections while on the crapper.

I admit I didn't get through all 700 hobo names yet.


Went to the library today and picked up "All the Pretty Horses", "Child of God", and "The Crossing" since all you people can't stop gushing about McCarthy.  Found out my wife has actually read both of the first two.  Anyway, I'd planned on starting with "Pretty Horses", since it's basically his first highly-acclaimed novel.  Which one should I read after that?

Also, according to his IMDB page (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0565092/), "No Country for Old Men" has already finished filming.  The Coen brothers made it, with Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, and Woody Harrelson.  Apparently, "Blood Meridian" will be made with Ridley Scott directing and the screenplay adapted by William Monahan (won an Oscar for "The Departed").

well since All the Pretty Horses is book 1 in a trilogy. then i'd say go for book number 2...

^-^
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 30, 2007, 02:39:38 PM
Quote from: phattymatty on April 30, 2007, 01:38:37 PM
finished The Road yesterday and apparently am in the minority because I don't see why it's so great. 

i enjoyed No Country for Old Men much more.

I've been waiting for someone to say that. I knew there had to be someone out there who would read it and think, meh. I think you're nuts, but I figured there had to be someone who wasn't blown away by it.


I read Fahrenheit 451 last week for the first time. The first 50 pages were so well written and the message of the book is so important that those two points more than made up for the silliness of some of the sci fi details of the story. Read it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on April 30, 2007, 02:46:22 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on April 30, 2007, 02:39:38 PM
Quote from: phattymatty on April 30, 2007, 01:38:37 PM
finished The Road yesterday and apparently am in the minority because I don't see why it's so great. 

i enjoyed No Country for Old Men much more.

I've been waiting for someone to say that. I knew there had to be someone out there who would read it and think, meh. I think you're nuts, but I figured there had to be someone who wasn't blown away by it.


I read Fahrenheit 451 last week for the first time. The first 50 pages were so well written and the message of the book is so important that those two points more than made up for the silliness of some of the sci fi details of the story. Read it.
Gotta love Catholic school.  We had to read that book 3 separate times.  5th, 8th, 10th grades. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on April 30, 2007, 03:43:36 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on April 30, 2007, 02:39:38 PM
I've been waiting for someone to say that. I knew there had to be someone out there who would read it and think, meh. I think you're nuts, but I figured there had to be someone who wasn't blown away by it.

I'm not sure I'd even put it on my top 5 of just this year alone.  i thought it was really drawn out, repeating the same things over and over.  i can't believe it won the pulitzer.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on April 30, 2007, 03:44:50 PM
Now you're just baiting rjs.  Let's see how this turns out.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on April 30, 2007, 03:50:39 PM
i actually can't believe it was even published.  i wouldn't use it as toilet paper.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on April 30, 2007, 03:54:17 PM
Quote from: phattymatty on April 30, 2007, 01:38:37 PM
finished The Road yesterday and apparently am in the minority because I don't see why it's so great. 

Don't feel bad.

I asked Chris Steuber what he thought of the book and he hated it too. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 30, 2007, 03:55:22 PM
I'm not going to get into an argument about it. Matt and I usually have different tastes in shtein like this. (Speaking of, I finally read it and The Celestine Prophecy sucks balls. So badly written that it was basically unreadable.)

Basically comedies (movies) are the only forms of non-booze entertainment that we usually agree on.

Of course, I'm not sure how one of the least dense, 300 page books ever can be drawn out or repetitive, but what do I know?

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on April 30, 2007, 04:03:52 PM
i was joking about the toilet paper part but it just wasn't interesting to me, or moving at all actually.  to his credit i guess there's not a whole lot you can do with two people just walking for months.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on April 30, 2007, 04:06:05 PM
***spoiler***


we ate beans.  then walked.  then we built a fire.  then walked.  ooh, a person.  lets eat, build a fire and camp and then walk.  afterwards we'll maybe eat something out a can and then maybe sleep by a fire.  then walk some more, of course.  etc. etc.  the end.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on April 30, 2007, 04:07:08 PM
Well... he can certainly display some breathtaking prose.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 30, 2007, 04:07:23 PM
Quote from: phattymatty on April 30, 2007, 04:03:52 PM
i was joking about the toilet paper part

Don't explain your jokes to me, mister.

Quote
but it just wasn't interesting to me, or moving at all actually.

That's really the difference. It was very moving to me. A father who knows he's going to die basically using every second of his life and every ounce of his strength to preserve his son's life for as long as possible... YOU HEARLTESS DICKHOLE!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on April 30, 2007, 04:08:24 PM
You're so fatherly, rjs.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 30, 2007, 04:09:57 PM
I know. You should see me kick my dog. It's got the tenderness that only a father could exibit.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on April 30, 2007, 04:10:32 PM
i punched my daughter in the face last night for looking at me funny
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on April 30, 2007, 04:14:18 PM
The younger one, or the older one?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on April 30, 2007, 04:15:11 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on April 30, 2007, 04:07:23 PM
That's really the difference. It was very moving to me. A father who knows he's going to die basically using every second of his life and every ounce of his strength to preserve his son's life for as long as possible... YOU HEARLTESS DICKHOLE!

yeah what a great dad.  preserve your kid's life until you die just so he can die right after.  alone and scared.  father of the year.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on April 30, 2007, 04:16:11 PM
I'm enjoying this discussion.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on April 30, 2007, 04:17:59 PM
Quote from: FastFreddie on April 30, 2007, 04:14:18 PM
The younger one, or the older one?

i don't remember, i was drunk.

it could've been my wife actually. 

whoever it was, they won't be looking at me funny anymore.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on April 30, 2007, 04:18:47 PM
Imagining myself in the man's shoes is exactly why the book was so disturbing.  Faced with that sort of choice, what would you do?  End it quickly while the boy was sleeping or fight to live as long as possible?

In a very real sense, he's asking humanity to consider making the same choice.  Do we annihilate ourselves in a brief moment of insanity or do we learn to live with each other in relative peace?  At least that's the question I took away from the book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on April 30, 2007, 04:22:12 PM
maybe it's the fact that i don't have nor do i want any kids.  i didn't care what happened to the little shteinhead.  i would have eaten him after two hungry days.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 30, 2007, 04:24:54 PM
Quote from: phattymatty on April 30, 2007, 04:15:11 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on April 30, 2007, 04:07:23 PM
That's really the difference. It was very moving to me. A father who knows he's going to die basically using every second of his life and every ounce of his strength to preserve his son's life for as long as possible... YOU HEARLTESS DICKHOLE!

yeah what a great dad.  preserve your kid's life until you die just so he can die right after.  alone and scared.  father of the year.

Right. As a father he's faced with an impossible situation and an impossible choice. Does he murder his son to spare him this awful existence? Or does he try to preserve the life of his son in an unimaginably hostile environment? How does someone make that decision? Obviously, SunMo would murder his child. But what would someone with all of their chromosomes do?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on April 30, 2007, 04:29:32 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on April 30, 2007, 04:24:54 PM
[How does someone make that decision? Obviously, SunMo would murder his child.

I think you know me better than that...seriously.

I would rape the kid first.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on April 30, 2007, 04:30:54 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on April 30, 2007, 04:07:23 PM
Obviously, SunMo would murder his child. But what would someone with all of their chromosomes do?

I swear to Christ, sometimes I read this board and laugh like an idiot, moreso than watching TV or stand-up comics. This is an example of what makes me spit shtein on my desk.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on April 30, 2007, 04:37:28 PM
Quote from: SunMo on April 30, 2007, 04:29:32 PM
I would rape the kid first.

Just when I thought you couldn't get any worse (sic), you say something like this....

...and COMPLETELY REDEEM YOURSELF!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on April 30, 2007, 11:00:13 PM
Green Eggs & Ham.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 30, 2007, 11:37:18 PM
I liked the line about how the ash closed behind their footsteps as they passed through a valley of ash.  Something about the dust closing over like silent fish kisses.

What a fargin image.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on May 01, 2007, 09:09:21 AM
what the farg.  shut up.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on May 01, 2007, 09:43:47 AM
ha
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on May 01, 2007, 12:16:23 PM
all the pretty horses

started off very slow and didn't introduce the characters or who they were and was not easy, but as the story progressed and stayed at the present time things came together quickly and i started to really enjoy the book. i'm alittle over halfway done. hope to finish it by th end of the week.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on May 02, 2007, 04:06:09 PM
finished All the Perty Horses last night.

As I said before a slow start but a great finish. Wow, just a very emotional, tragic story. I loved it  :yay

Only grip is all the spanish in it w/out explaining, but he usually filled you in and most of the time you could piece together what it all meant.

So does The Crossing...continue w/ John Cole's story or what?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on May 02, 2007, 04:13:25 PM
Quote from: mussa on May 02, 2007, 04:06:09 PM
Only grip is all the spanish in it w/out explaining, but he usually filled you in and most of the time you could piece together what it all meant.


He did that in Blood Meridian too. It took some time to get used to, but ultimately I was happy that he didn't feel the need to explain every little thing that was said.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on May 02, 2007, 09:12:18 PM
Quote from: mussa on May 02, 2007, 04:06:09 PMSo does The Crossing...continue w/ John Cole's story or what?

no comment
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on May 09, 2007, 10:06:24 PM
Quote from: FastFreddie on April 21, 2007, 01:18:23 PM
I did finish John Hodgman's "The Areas of My Expertise" a few weeks ago.  It's mildly amusing to read all the way through, but as it's a faux almanac, it's probably better suited for reading a few sections while on the crapper.

I admit I didn't get through all 700 hobo names yet.

I read that probably about a year ago or so.  You summed it up pretty good but I thought it was slightly more that mildly amusing.  Perhaps, moderately amusing. 

Thor the Bum-Hammer is my favorite hobo name. 

I finally got around to finishing Deception Point on the plane heading out to KC.  Another enjoyable Dan Brown novel. 

Before boarding the plane in KC to head back, I picked up Possible Side Effects.  I'm about halfway through and I don't think I've ever read a book that's actually made me laugh out loud before.  It's written by the same dude who wrote Running With Scissors (Augusten Burroughs) which I suppose I'll have to pick up after this one. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on May 28, 2007, 09:45:57 AM
Cormac McCarthy to appear on Oprah on June 5th. (http://www2.oprah.com/newsletter/obcnews/newsletter_road_20070525.html)

Let the self-flagellation begin.   :-D
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on May 28, 2007, 10:02:49 AM
Just finished Flags Of Our Fathers.  Pretty good historical narrative.  It gives a good, if sometimes gory, look at the Battle of Iwo Jima, and perhaps a glimpse into the Cult of the Media.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on May 28, 2007, 10:42:02 AM
"if somewhat gory"

how could any account of that battle be less than gory?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on May 28, 2007, 10:43:39 AM
Quote from: Diomedes on May 28, 2007, 10:42:02 AM
"if somewhat gory"

how could any account of that battle be less than gory?

Let's just say less sanitized than other accounts I've read.  More details than I've seen in other works.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Drunkmasterflex on May 28, 2007, 01:51:32 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on May 28, 2007, 10:42:02 AM
"if somewhat gory"

how could any account of that battle be less than gory?

because the battle is only a small part of the book, it is more about the boys that raised the flag and how they were used by the media.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on June 05, 2007, 10:56:30 AM
so i'm about halfway through ESPN: The Uncensored History and I can't put it down.  it's really interesting to read about all of the behind the scenes stuff of a network i basically grew up on.  i can't ever remember not watching sportscenter.  anyway, it goes deep into the sexual harrassment problem that has plagued them basically since the begining.  mike tirico surprisingly was one of the biggest culprits back then.  it tells of all the drugs and gambling going through the office.  even tells of gary miller shaving his ass in front of everyone at a party once.

anyway, there is a lot more actual history (people involved in starting and growing the network) than there is "party stories" but it's a great read for anyone who loves sports and non-fiction.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on June 06, 2007, 02:22:22 PM
The Cormac McCarthy interview on Oprah was sandwiched between a discussion with Michael Moore & a full-on salad tossing of Bono by Oprah.

I did learn the impetus behind "The Road" though.  Mr. McCarthy was staying in El Paso with his young son and one night he began staring out the window of his hotel room.  He began imagining what the town would look like engulfed in flames because of a nuclear attack.  He said he wrote a couple of pages and then put it aside.  A few months later he woke up on vacation in Ireland with the realization that the story he was contemplating was, in fact, worthy of an entire book.

Other than that tidbit of information we got little more than the standard witless questions from the fat retard billionaire.  A lot of stuff about McCarthy being poor, divorced three times, etc.  Yawn.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 06, 2007, 02:33:15 PM
I read The Children of Men by PD James last week. Good stuff. The movie was changed significantly and for obvious 'political statement' reasons, but a very good book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 15, 2007, 09:41:15 AM
I bought The Alphabet of Manliness by Maddox and have been skimming through it. Some of it is legitimately hilarious. Some of it is stupid beyond comprehension. Similar to his site. When he's on, though, he farging cracks me up.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on June 19, 2007, 06:25:06 PM
Just started reading 'I hope they serve beer in Hell' by Tucker Max. So far, so good.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 19, 2007, 06:30:06 PM
Quote from: SD_Eagle on June 19, 2007, 06:25:06 PM
Just started reading 'I hope they serve beer in Hell' by Tucker Max. So far, so good.

From the skimming I did through that book, there wasn't one story that he doesn't have published on his web site.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on June 19, 2007, 06:55:16 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on June 19, 2007, 06:30:06 PM
Quote from: SD_Eagle on June 19, 2007, 06:25:06 PM
Just started reading 'I hope they serve beer in Hell' by Tucker Max. So far, so good.

From the skimming I did through that book, there wasn't one story that he doesn't have published on his web site.

You're right, I was just on the website and there are some differences but most of the funny shtein in the book is on the website. I borrowed it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on June 19, 2007, 07:53:50 PM
He's slightly amusing, I guess.  I've read a few of his stories.  "Tucker Tries Anal" is hilarious.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MadMarchHare on June 19, 2007, 10:31:30 PM
On rjs' advice, I read that on my lunch break at work.  I had to leave I was laughing so hard.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Yeti on June 20, 2007, 03:37:12 PM
I tried reading "Paradise Lost" by John Milton.

I don't think I am smart enough.  Got half way through and called it quits.  Good story about how Satan gets the boot from heaven and then tries to scheme his way back in.  Problem is it is in poetry form from the 1600s.
I wish I could find the same story in a normal format.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on June 20, 2007, 03:40:15 PM
QuoteNow...what can we say of John Milton's "Paradise Lost"?  Well, it's a very long poem, it was written a long time ago, and I'm sure a lot of you have difficulty understanding exactly what Milton was trying to say.  Certainly we know that he was trying to describe the struggle between good and evil, right?  Okay.  The most intriguing character, as we all know from our reading, was Satan.  Now, was Milton trying to tell us that being bad was more fun than being good?

...


Okay... don't write this down, but I find Milton probably as boring as you find Milton.  Mrs. Milton found him boring, too.  He, uh, he's a little bit long-winded, he doesn't translate very well into our generation, and his jokes are terrible.  But that does not relieve you from your responsibility for this material!  Now, I'm waiting for reports from some of you!  Listen, I'm not joking!  This is my job!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 20, 2007, 03:46:59 PM
I thoroughly enjoyed Dante. Haven't every tried to tackle Milton though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on July 10, 2007, 04:27:52 PM
I took Matt's suggestion and picked up ESPN: The Uncensored History the other day...I'll dig into it soon.

I also read that the book that the ESPN series The Bronx Is Burning is based on, Ladies and Gentleman The Bronx Is Burning by Jonathan Mahler, is excellent

I will pick that one up next. It doesn't just talk baseball, but captures the mood of NYC in 1976 and 1977 when Son of Sam (that case interests the hell out of me, as does The Zodiac in San Fran) was running around plugging people.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Drunkmasterflex on July 10, 2007, 06:41:10 PM
I read Eagle Recon, it is about an SF type unit of Marines during Vietnam.  The author was out here at one of the Shopettes selling it.  It was interesting, but it was horribly written.  It was way too short, there was no character development, and it was like reading a script to a cheesy 80's war movie.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on July 10, 2007, 07:29:16 PM
read "Education of a Coach" the Belichick book.  Decent overall,  had some good insight on the behind the scenes stuff and how Belichick became such a great coach. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on July 12, 2007, 09:15:33 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on June 15, 2007, 09:41:15 AM
I bought The Alphabet of Manliness by Maddox and have been skimming through it. Some of it is legitimately hilarious. Some of it is stupid beyond comprehension. Similar to his site. When he's on, though, he farging cracks me up.

Finished it lastnight and this is pretty accurate. The O for Obedience chapter is gold.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 12, 2007, 09:49:34 AM
Read Ender's Game over the weekend. I am a nerd and this book was awesome. Non-nerds need not give it a look.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 20, 2007, 04:45:44 PM
For any book reading nerd who want to nerd it up by keeping track of what you've read, what you want to read and what your friends have read, Check out this web site. (http://www.goodreads.com)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on July 20, 2007, 05:14:55 PM
thanks for the link.  I have made lists of books I've read and want to read before, but never kept it up for long.  I suspect if I use this site it will end up being the same thing because i'm a farging loser though
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on July 22, 2007, 03:10:43 PM
went camping this weekend and spent most of my time reading Jimmy Norton's book Happy Ending's

it's basically a bunch of essays with no cohesion but for someone who is a fan of his it was really good read.

http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Endings-Tales-Meaty-Breasted-Zilch/dp/1416950222/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-9568898-0243108?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185131617&sr=8-1
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on July 22, 2007, 04:03:10 PM
Started to read Black Brothers Inc. about the philly Black Mafia.  Really seems to tie in well to Frank Matthews and the new flick American Gangster.  I only tend to read about sports or illegal activities so this fit right in. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on July 22, 2007, 04:37:17 PM
I just finished re-reading Wolf: A False Memoir by Jim Harrison and I'm starting in on Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates next.


Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: NGM on July 22, 2007, 04:49:37 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on July 12, 2007, 09:49:34 AM
Read Ender's Game over the weekend. I am a nerd and this book was awesome. Non-nerds need not give it a look.

You'll be interested to know (if you didn't already) that WB is making this movie.  Card actually penned the screenplay, so it shouldn't totally suck. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 23, 2007, 07:17:59 AM
So I finished No Country for Old Men this weekend. If it had been written by anyone other than McCarthy I would have been far more impressed. But after reading Blood Meridian and The Road it seemed kind of pedestrian. In fact, I got the feeling throughout the book that he was basically telling the same story that he was telling in Blood Meridian only this time he inserted some protagonists that the readers could root for to make the story more palatable.

Anyway, all of that aside I thoroughly enjoyed it. The fact that this book, which was excellent, was 'weak' for him speaks volumes about how high he has set the bar for himself.

By the way, it's being made into a semi-star-studded movie to be released later this year.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 23, 2007, 07:21:18 AM
Oh yeah, I also read Hannibal Rising last week. Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs were outstanding books that Thomas Harris had to do a lot of criminal and forensic research in order to create and deliver the stories. That effort paid off and both of those books are outstanding. Hannibal and Hannibal Rising aren't even close to being as good. They were just money-grab pieces where he made up some stories about Hannibal Lecter and threw them together into a couple of books. Hannibal Rising was a little better than Hannibal, but not much.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on July 25, 2007, 02:54:41 PM
Reading Blaze by Richard Bachman (Stephen King's pseudonym). Pretty good stuff. According to the foreward, the book was written back in King's early days, and it shows. Pretty visceral stuff at times. A good read so far.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on August 14, 2007, 03:44:17 PM
Finished Under the Banner of Heaven last night.  Holy shtein was it good.  Joe Smith was the man.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on August 14, 2007, 03:49:38 PM
i thought he'd have a better pro career though
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on August 14, 2007, 03:54:35 PM
I just finished Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. Definitely the worst of the three books I've read by him. He basically took a bunch of short stories that he wrote and tried to force a plot line together that would link them all. Several of the short stories are exceptional but as a coherent plot the book doesn't work. 4/10

Taken separately though it's worth reading as a collection of short stories. 8/10
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on August 14, 2007, 03:55:54 PM
reading is so 1950's
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on August 14, 2007, 03:57:29 PM
yeah i haven't heard anything too great about haunted.  that and diary i think are his only two i haven't read yet.  i feel like he's starting to run out of ideas.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on August 14, 2007, 04:02:09 PM
Quote from: phattymatty on August 14, 2007, 03:57:29 PM
yeah i haven't heard anything too great about haunted.  that and diary i think are his only two i haven't read yet.  i feel like he's starting to run out of ideas.

Lullaby, Diary, Survivor, Rant and Fight Club are left on my list (so most of his books). The problem is that each book I've read by him has been worse than the previous one. I need to read something great by him soon or I'll probably never bother again.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on August 14, 2007, 04:05:45 PM
survivor is probably the best out of that bunch.  none of them are as good as choke or invisible monsters.  i know i read lullaby but don't remember what it was even about. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on August 14, 2007, 04:15:00 PM
Word. I'll narrow the list down to Survivor and Fight Club and be done with it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Dillen on August 14, 2007, 11:15:49 PM
I read The Kite Runner. It was good. The ending sucked ass.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on August 21, 2007, 02:29:07 PM
I just read a book called I Just Want My Pants Back, and it was really funny.  Laughed out loud several times.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on August 21, 2007, 02:44:16 PM
I'm in the middle of East of Eden and holy god is it good. I've almost completely stopped reading classic literature (and this barely even counts since it was only written 50-some years ago) but there's a definite trend of contemporary english-speaking authors striving to be as off-the-wall and unique as possible (whether through surrealism, or drug abuse or extremely graphic sex/violence and sometimes at the expense of the story), and it's refreshing to read a straightforward, linear story that is told so well.

I enjoy the Vonneguts and Palahniuks and Rushdies and Thompsons of the world as much as the next guy but Steinbeck's story is as old as any we have and his ability to tell it is remarkable. I'm only 1/4 of the way through but I can tell this will be a favorite of mine.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on August 21, 2007, 04:45:07 PM
So I read the new Potter book. Meh... The middle dragged along and was hard to read.

I'm moving on to 'the old man and the sea' next because I have it laying around.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on September 06, 2007, 01:19:24 PM
Read 'Gilgamesh' for my Humanities course - easy read and not bad for a story that's so old.

Just started reading 'The Making of Star Wars' - only on chapter 3 but so far its outstanding. Lots of stuff about Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, American Graffiti, and how close he came to making Apocalypse Now. I have a new found respect for Lucas after seeing how much effort he had to put in to getting Star Wars off the ground. His early writings of Star Wars are night and day different than the finished story.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on September 06, 2007, 11:02:52 PM
Finished up Spook Country by William Gibson last night. Another fine Gibson book. Picks up one of the characters from Pattern Recognition and has another woman off scouring the world looking for stuff. And as the name implies, lots of people spying on each other.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 07, 2007, 09:18:18 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on August 21, 2007, 02:44:16 PM
I'm in the middle of East of Eden and holy god is it good. I've almost completely stopped reading classic literature (and this barely even counts since it was only written 50-some years ago) but there's a definite trend of contemporary english-speaking authors striving to be as off-the-wall and unique as possible (whether through surrealism, or drug abuse or extremely graphic sex/violence and sometimes at the expense of the story), and it's refreshing to read a straightforward, linear story that is told so well.

I enjoy the Vonneguts and Palahniuks and Rushdies and Thompsons of the world as much as the next guy but Steinbeck's story is as old as any we have and his ability to tell it is remarkable. I'm only 1/4 of the way through but I can tell this will be a favorite of mine.

Finished. Fantastic. Probably didn't reach the 'all time favorite' level that I was anticipating but a classic none the less.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 07, 2007, 09:21:19 AM
Oh yeah, I drove down to DC last week and listened to the book on cd of A Thousand Splendid Suns by the same dude who wrote The Kite Runner. It was similar to The Kite Runner in that it is a devastatingly sad story about the wars that have been ripping Afghanistan apart for the past several decades. It was good. Maybe even very good, but I hated listening to the girl's voice telling the story.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 15, 2007, 10:22:01 PM
Finished A Farewell to Arms (Hemingway) and All the Pretty Horses (McCarthy) on my last business trip.

They are authors cut from the same clothe. They use an economy of words to describe very real and devastating situations and they are both very 'masculine' writers who in this case were basically writing love stories. Love stories that included war, violence and mayhem on several levels as only brilliant men could write them. Both books were phenomenal and both books made me want to read a comedy for fear that I would decide to kill myself.

Next up, An American Dream by Norman Mailer.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on October 12, 2007, 04:47:01 PM
I seem to be the only one contributing to this thread but what the hell...

I just finished An American Dream and I'm not sure where to begin with this book. On the one hand, it's well written and rife with promiscuity, devious sex, murder and booze. All of which sort of kicks ass. On the other hand, Norman Mailer has succeeded in writing a story that actually made me wish there was LESS testosterone and more actual insight. (Yes I know that the beatniks didn't write to provide insight, they just wrote matter-of-factly and let the readers find their own insight, but farg that. The beatniks can suck it. Oh, and On The Road sucked.)

The main character is a German-stomping war hero, a former college football star, a former Senator, a TV talk show host, a close friend of JFK and an existential philosophy professor. You know, your basic average Joe. But wait, it gets better. He murders his wife (who he says is sucking the life out of him but makes no noticeable effort to explain how), is called a sexual 'genius' after he has anal sex with the maid, sleeps with another woman and gives her her first orgasm, drinks like a fish, fights like a drunk and stares down police officers and professional boxers with his toughness. His father in law thanks him for murdering his daughter, and then he beats his father in law in the head with an umbrella. In the end, he drives to Las Vegas, wins a shteinload of money and flees to Mexico to evade the law.

This book could be seen as tongue in cheek, an ironic glimpse into a twisted 'American dream' of roided-up masculine fantasies, except for one major problem, MAILER STABBED HIS WIFE IN REAL LIFE. So the dude tries to kill his wife and then writes a book about getting away with murdering your wife. Right. Real tongue in cheek there Norman.

With every word that Mailer writes he is jerking himself closer and closer to climax until at the end of his fantasy all you can picture is a walking, talking, vein-bulging erection occupying the pages of the book.

Even given all of that, I'm giving it 3 stars out of 5 because after anally violating his wife's maid, which she loves, he demands that she take a shower. He then sleeps with another woman without actually showering himself. In fact, he does not take a shower for the remainder of the book. Which is sort of gross and hilarious.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on October 12, 2007, 05:10:06 PM
I thought Mailer's Executioner's Song was great, but I havne't liked anything else of his I tried.  Which is to say I didn't like The Naked and The Dead.  I haven't read anything else of his.

I would contribute to this thread but I haven't read a book in forever now.  Been slogging through one after another and quitting on each because nothing has grabbed me.

Reading is for snobs.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on November 07, 2007, 08:37:40 AM
I just finished Everyman, by Philip Roth. Just like any book that is well written, the message came across and had an impact on me, but I didn't love it. The main character struggles throughout his life with an overwhelming fear of death. As such almost all of his thoughts and actions are tainted by his fears and he is constantly trying to recapture his youth. This leads to doubt and regret and self-loathing and all kinds of other shtein that I have no patience or respect for. Maybe I'll be able to relate as I grow older and death is more imminent, but ultimately that's the problem I have with this book. No matter how well written or touching or human the story is, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was nothing more then 181 pages of an old man's whining.

(On the plus side, this is the second straight book I've read where the protagonist makes anal love to a European lady as part of a major plot point. The chances of that can't be very good.)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on November 07, 2007, 09:50:01 AM
I just finished "Sundog" by Jim Harrison.  I don't know how I missed reading this in the past but man it was terrific.

Highly recommended if for no other reason than Robert Corvus Strang might be the most farged-up protagonist in all of Harrison's canon.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on November 07, 2007, 10:29:31 AM
Finished up "Running With Scissors" - Augusten Borrows about 2 months ago but forgot to post about it here.  Basically just a bunch of memior-like short stories about his life told in no particular order.  The chapters were all relatively short which made it a great book to read on the can since you could squeeze in a chapter in roughly the same time it takes to squeeze out a deuce.  Hilarious book that's extremely detailed to allow you to really visualize the story being told. 

I'm in the middle of reading Stephen Colbert's "I Am America (And So Can You!)" but I'm having a hard time with it because it's literally making me laugh myself to tears. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on November 07, 2007, 10:31:39 AM
I'm waiting for paperback on Colbert's book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on November 07, 2007, 10:36:48 AM
Lame
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on November 07, 2007, 10:39:10 AM
Frugal
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on November 07, 2007, 10:40:49 AM
Library?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on November 07, 2007, 10:42:25 AM
Die.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on November 07, 2007, 07:00:21 PM
Finally finished David McCullough's The Path Between The Seas on the Panama Canal.  It is well-written, but it was McCullough's first book (about 1976), and it reads a bit too much like a college textbook.  It's 620 pages long of pretty small font.  Interesting to see how a lot of that went down, but I could see someone not interested in history not being able to get through it.

Just started on McCullough's 1776 a few days ago.  Even though I'm only about 20 pages into it, you can tell how much McCullough's writing style changes over 30 years.  Much easier to get though, and very interesting in the short time I've had to read it.

After that I'm going to re-read Bruce Catton's A Stillness in Appomattox.  Catton is still my all-time favorite Civil War author.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on November 19, 2007, 11:19:09 AM
Finished Heaven is a Playground last week. I normally don't dig non-fiction but it was about sports so I enjoyed it. There isn't much to say other than that it was a very interesting look into 1970s ghetto life and that white people are goofy.

I've decided to dedicate myself to reading Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon next. This is going to be quite a project and I'll almost certainly start and finish several other books before I finish it but it's been sitting on my bookshelf for a while now so I'm gonna give it a shot.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on November 19, 2007, 01:02:58 PM
It took me an entire semester of college to finish Gravity's Rainbow.  Good luck with that one, hoss.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on November 19, 2007, 01:40:09 PM
Yeah one of my buddies just read it and it took him 4+ months.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on November 19, 2007, 01:45:12 PM
sounds fun.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on November 19, 2007, 01:45:21 PM
The only other book I've read that was more difficult in terms of keeping focused throughout was Finnegan's Wake.  To be totally honest I still don't understand that book and never bothered to re-read it.

The best way to read Gravity's Rainbow is to read a chapter at a time then sit it down for a day or so then re-read it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on November 19, 2007, 01:55:39 PM
Yeah I'm definitely not going to read and re-read each chapter, but I am going to have to remind myself not to read it after I've been drinking. I have a habit of doing that. With some books it doesn't matter. Something tells me this isn't one of those books.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on November 19, 2007, 02:27:11 PM
Read Slaughterhouse-Five over the weekend, I had read Cat's Cradle and a lot of  Vonnegut's work, but this one always slipped through the cracks.

Since I've started going to college again, I have rediscovered the public library. I haven't read this much in years, and I think the TV was on for two hours total the past two weeks. I watched maybe the first quarter of the Eagles game, and ditched it in favor of Slaughterhouse.

Also, two things I picked up in the library - The Elements of Style (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style), and On Writing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Writing) have been absolutely astounding. If you write, or have ever had the inclination to do so, these are great books.

After going back through this thread, I'm going to start in on McCarthy, whom I have never read. Where to start?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on November 19, 2007, 02:33:22 PM
I would start with All the Pretty Horses. It's a good intro to his writing style not to mention a phenomenal book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on December 04, 2007, 05:33:05 PM
Going on a rare business trip next week so I checked out "The Road" at the local library to read for the trip.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on December 05, 2007, 06:17:35 PM
Be sure to take a porn mag with you so you can cut out some pictures and randomly place them in your hotel room's bible. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on December 05, 2007, 07:32:35 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on November 19, 2007, 02:33:22 PM
I would start with All the Pretty Horses. It's a good intro to his writing style not to mention a phenomenal book.

Just try not to picture Matt Damon as the protagonist.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on December 05, 2007, 07:37:19 PM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on December 05, 2007, 06:17:35 PM
Be sure to take a porn mag with you so you can cut out some pictures and randomly place them in your hotel room's bible. 

Like those closet Romes aren't already looking at porn. Make it interesting...put clippings from the Koran in there.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on December 05, 2007, 08:13:18 PM
Quote from: FastFreddie on December 05, 2007, 07:32:35 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on November 19, 2007, 02:33:22 PM
I would start with All the Pretty Horses. It's a good intro to his writing style not to mention a phenomenal book.

Just try not to picture Matt Damon as the protagonist.

I steadfastly refuse to watch that movie. In fact after reading the book I can't begin to imagine how any film-maker could have chosen it to adapt. Absolutely not a story for the big screen.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on December 05, 2007, 09:34:31 PM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on December 05, 2007, 06:17:35 PM
Be sure to take a porn mag with you so you can cut out some pictures and randomly place them in your hotel room's bible. 

Awesome!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on December 05, 2007, 09:36:51 PM
Well I figured I'd be reading The Road throughout this trip but I got through half of it on the flight already. It's very intense, very good, and very disturbing. I think I might read it a few times on this trip as there's some really deep stuff going on that I might miss the first time around.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on December 06, 2007, 07:41:51 AM
Four books I haven't finished of late:


The Sporstwriter - Richard Ford.  Story about an adulterous upper middle class New Jersey dweller who writes about sports for a living.  Lots of mumbo jumbo about dreaminess and being disconnected from the world on account of a son dying young (8 or so?).  The writing itself is decent.  Descriptive passages about common everyday things like the Jersey Pike or the small town in which he lives are very good.  I basically didn't care about the protagonist.  There was no discernable plot after 150+ pages (out of 375), and I was forcing myself to read every page.  So I gave up.
Of the four books mentioned here, this is the one I am least likely to ever try again.
I have not read anything else by Richard Ford.

Quicksilver - Neal Stephenson.  Fantasy historical fiction.  Based during the time of the conflict between Newtonian and Leibnizian claims on calculus, this book has no pretentions to being literature...it's supposed to be fun.  It is loaded...LOADED...with historical scientific name dropping.  It's as though the author felt that he had to include every name that ever mattered, from Galen to Spinoza.  A bit ridiculous.  But that can be left aside as part of the confection of the book.  The language is not period..it's construction and diction is very modern.  Discourse between characters is reasonable period, but descriptive passages and asides use what feel like much more modern constructions.  I put it down for much the same reason as the above..I was deep enough into the book that I expected a plot to have revealed itself.. (200 pages out of 1000).  I realize I may seem an impossible reader, but at the 1/5th mark, I want the hook.
Of the four books mentioned in this post, this is the book I am most likely to go back to, however.  The writing is entertaining and humorous at times, and I gotta believe the hook is in there somewhere.  It's also part of some kind of trilogy..ah, the dreaded trilogy!
I have not read anything else by Neal Stephenson

The Naked and the Dead - Norman Mailer.  Jesus Christ was a miserable book.  I gather that this is regarded as his masterpiece or some such shtein.  I found it to be intolerable.  It wasn't that I didn't care about the main characters...that would have been nice...I disliked them.  I was rooting for them to get wiped out by the Japs.  And speaking of main characters, I also gather that there isn't really any one protagonist, that this book is more an effort to describe the whole gang and thereby produce an image of the whole thing, but that left me lost and disinterested.  I suppose the plot is taking the island, but if that's all it was, then I wasn't hooked. At 250 of 560 pages, I dropped it.  The passages I like most were those told from the god's eye view, tying the vignettes of hateful little men together.  "The campaign had slowed after beating back the initial....," etc.  These made the rest of it have some context and sense.  I do think a few of the episodes were extrememly well done, if also unsettling.  There's a scene where a jap surprises one of the characters, who is essenitaly paralyzed by being startled, and the Jap is shot down by one of his pals.  That was well done.
Of the three books mentioned here, this is the one I am second most likely to try again someday, based solely on its reputation.  I feel like I SHOULD read this book more than the others.
I have also read Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song, which I thoroughly enjoyed and positively devoured.

We Were The Mulvaneys - Joyce Carol Oates.  Apparently, this is the story of the unravelling of a New England family.  I got only about 60 pages into this one time Oprab book club, 450 page novel before I let it go.  It has something to do with somehting happening to one of the daughters (she gets raped or something I guess) and how that in turn effects the rest of the family.  I didn't really care about that daughter, or care to find out what happened to here.  Especially since it seemed unlikely I'd be able to beat off to the passage if it DID exist.  Maybe the book gets better, I certainly didn't give it much room to impress me.  But farg it, I'm the reader..if I no likey, I no readey, no matter what point I'm at.
This is the book I am third mostly likely to return to, because I gave up so early, because I liked another Joyce Carol Oates product, and yes, because if Oprah says it's good, I'll trust her (that lying piece of shtein dope fiend whatshisname aside).
I have also read Joyce Carol Oates' treatise "On Boxing," and liked it very much.  An ode to the sport that can be enjoyed and best appreciated by people who love boxing, but is a great way to explain a love of boxing to people who don't get it but are curious why we do.

There may be another book or two in the past year or two that I haven't finished...but I can't recall.  A few non-fiction books, but that's normal.  I'm a fiction guy and every time I try to read non-fiction I am reminded as much.  The authors of late who I have been enjoying are Somerset Maugham, Dasheil Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and the too-oft discussed in this thread Cormac McCarthy.

I am currently working on Philip Roth's American Pastoral, which is excellent so far.  This author has won every damn writing prize worth having twice and I can already see why.  He's obvioulsy a master.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on December 06, 2007, 08:20:12 AM
Chandler is great.  I find Hammett to be less great, but still good.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on December 06, 2007, 08:21:42 AM
Quote from: Diomedes on December 06, 2007, 07:41:51 AM
Four books I haven't finished of late:

QuoteAnybody read a good book lately?

::)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on December 06, 2007, 08:36:31 AM
Jesus, if I tried to list the books I've started and not finished for some reason it would take me a month. The one's I plan on going back to are: The Moor's Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie (because I loved The Satanic Verses), The Man In the High Castle by Philip K. Dick and Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Cerevant on December 06, 2007, 11:35:12 AM
In the brain candy aisle, check out The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.  There's been a bunch of fundies all upset about this "Harry Potter"-ish trilogy, including a threat to ban the book in an Ontario Catholic school district, so I had to read it.  I think it is actually a good commentary of the potential clash between technology and morality, and it is a bit heavy for the Potter pre-teen market.  I found it entertaining and less cliche ridden than other low-end fantasy I've read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on December 06, 2007, 12:01:15 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on December 06, 2007, 07:41:51 AM
Four books I haven't finished of late:



[We Were The Mulvaneys - Joyce Carol Oates. 

There may be another book or two in the past year or two that I haven't finished...but I can't recall.  A few non-fiction books, but that's normal.  I'm a fiction guy and every time I try to read non-fiction I am reminded as much.  The authors of late who I have been enjoying are Somerset Maugham, Dasheil Hammett, Raymond Chandler...


By the way, if you like Oates and Chandler, you'd probably be interested in the essay Oates wrote about Chandler, assuming you haven't seen it already.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on December 06, 2007, 12:18:26 PM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on December 05, 2007, 06:17:35 PM
Be sure to take a porn mag with you so you can cut out some pictures and randomly place them in your hotel room's bible. 

And charred babies. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on December 06, 2007, 01:21:08 PM
Wingnut, I see what you did there.  How clever.   And hilarious.  You sir are clever and hilarious.

Quote from: rjs246 on December 06, 2007, 08:36:31 AM
Jesus, if I tried to list the books I've started and not finished for some reason it would take me a month.

I can't stand to put a book down..makes me think I'm a quitter.  But some books I just can't finish..so it becomes a drawn out thing where I force myself to read, accomplishing less and less as time goes by until I finally just give up, feeling defeated.  I would like to be cavalier about it, but it's a hang up.  What can I say.

I forgot to say Graham Greene in what I've read lately and like.  Love actually.  Love his work.


Quote from: Zanshin on December 06, 2007, 12:01:15 PMBy the way, if you like Oates and Chandler, you'd probably be interested in the essay Oates wrote about Chandler, assuming you haven't seen it already.


Thanks for the tip Z.  I did not know she wrote something about Chandler.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on December 06, 2007, 01:32:03 PM
I can't stand to put a book down..makes me think I'm a quitter.


is suicide a form of quitting....if it isnt please proceed
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on December 06, 2007, 01:39:13 PM
suicide is a brave triumph.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on December 06, 2007, 01:47:46 PM
i stopped a movie halfway thru the other night....i feel like such a failure
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on December 06, 2007, 01:50:25 PM
what movie
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on December 06, 2007, 01:51:53 PM
300
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on December 06, 2007, 01:52:38 PM
ha
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 04, 2008, 11:16:30 AM
Gravity's Rainbow. So, I finally finished this tome. I fluctuated between "It's great and I want to have filthy sex with it" and "Why are there so many words and characters? My eyes are bleeding." On the plus side, I was surprised by how funny it was. People tend to talk about the shockingly graphic sex but I thought that Pynchon's sense of humor was far more noteworthy. On the down side, it's cumbersome and I agree with a lot of the general criticisms that I've read about it being overwritten. I wasn't sure what to think of it initially, but the story is absolutely fascinating and Pynchon is a genius so overall I ended up really liking it.

My one complaint is that Pynchon felt the need to stray so far outside of the developed storyline during the last chapter to pull together his message. He made it fairly clear throughout that the science of building the rocket and the universal obsession with and paranoia about the rocket had reached religious levels, but to veer off and specifically point out that man is designed to destroy and the rocket represents the perfect achievement in the field of destruction, making it God-like, was unnecessary I thought.

Next up I'll be finishing The Interpreter of Maladies and starting The Quiet American.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on February 04, 2008, 11:26:20 AM
interpreter of maladies is good, especially if you're boning an indian girl.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on February 04, 2008, 11:37:28 AM
Currently about 75% through Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner. It's a history of the CIA. It uses a lot of very recently declassified material, and tons of interviews and excerpts from other, older interviews of persons either once in the Agency or in charge of it, and those who had to deal with them to build a history.

It would be farging hilarious if it were not true. Terrifying and sad that it is though. Some of what I've been reading is startling and shameful. Failed coups, covered up deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of volunteers and/or revolutionaries, fixed elections, drug testing on innocents, etc. farging amazing the blind audacity and pride they have displayed, without ever being made to answer for the failures.

Amazingly good book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Gene on February 04, 2008, 11:43:25 AM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PBEqYnFyL._SS500_.jpg)


:=)  :=)  :=)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on February 04, 2008, 12:39:57 PM
HA!


Just finished The Mauritius Command. Based on real early 19th century Royal and French Naval battles. I like this series though hard to get through sometimes with the authentic language and English Navy slang. This one was a great read.

Next up I'm going to read some short stories by Anton Chekhov. He's thought to be one of the greatest short story writers of his time.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on February 04, 2008, 12:47:37 PM
The wife just finished "A Thousand Splendid Suns".  She recommended it, but instead I read "I Am America, and So Can You!"

I feel I made the right choice.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 10, 2008, 05:07:08 PM
Read the first two books in Neal Stephenson's The Baroque Cycle, Quicksilver and The Confusion. More historical alternate universe stuff, nothing you neanderthals would would be interested in. Wars, French nobility having gay and lesbo sex, pirates, Isaac Newton inventing sciences and having gay sex, and a guy with no wang getting into all kinds of trouble.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 10, 2008, 05:58:42 PM
Quote from: Phanatic on February 04, 2008, 12:39:57 PMThe Mauritius Command

I love this series...the Aubrey/Maturin characters and stories are among my alltime favorites.  O'Brian is awesome.  I've read all but the last one (#21 I think) because I am relishing the idea that there is still one more to go that I haven't read.  I will read them all again.  Great work.

GF After 250 pages or so of Quicksilver, I was real tired of Stephenson.  He name drops every important thinker/scientist/doctor in the most annoying manner...his references to Spinoza particularly annoyed me....and I just couldn't get a hold of the plot...had no idea where any of it was going.   But they are very popular and I've been mistaken before.  Some day I will probably try it again but for now I've had enough of him.

I read William Gibson's All Tomorrow's Parties recently.  It was like a book version of a decent-but-not-great hollywood sci-fi flick.  I'm not really sure what happened at the end...the Idoru cloned herself??...and I don't much care.  Certainly not enough to re-read the last 20 pages or anything like that.  Gibson really infuriates me with his addiction to the word "some" as an adjective, presumably to convey a general atmosphere of vast variety and choice.  A typical sentence he might write (but which I have made up myself:) "Laney had the Suit get the stuff from some Guatamalan-rastafarian dealer who's sources had connects with some city state agency."   A high school English teacher would know better and so should Gibson.

Reading Tim Johnson's Tree of Smoke right now...just started it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on April 10, 2008, 06:17:46 PM
Yeah O'Bian is my go to author for the rare times I travel. I've only read 3 thus far so I've got plenty more to read and I always enjoy them though sometimes it seems like too much time is spent on land and I can't wait till they get to sea again.

I finished 'The Road' on my trip late last year and it was real depressing. Excellent book but what a downer.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 10, 2008, 06:24:48 PM
Denis Johnson, not Tim.

Read O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series in order if you can.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on April 10, 2008, 06:26:53 PM
Yeah got the first three in order so far. I'll probably get the next one from the library at some point in the near future.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 10, 2008, 06:29:02 PM
Man what great characters.  Maturin and Killick are my favorites, but there are so many great ones..
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 10, 2008, 07:11:24 PM
I know Gibosn is very fond of a few words (polychrome, for example), but I hadn't noticed the addiction to "some". I'll have to add it to my Gibson drinking game.

Quicksilver doesn't really lead anywhere specific, at least not the with scientists. Until Eliza and Half-cocked Jack show up, there isn't much of a plot at all. I had a hard time getting into it too, but since I started reading it while stuck in a Hawaiian bus terminal all day I didn't have a hell of a lot else to do.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 10, 2008, 07:20:48 PM
I didn't get to Ezra and Half-cocked Jack...this sounds like the part where things get better...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 10, 2008, 07:33:51 PM
That would be book 2 of Quicksilver. Which is also how long it takes that damned boat to leave the harbor in Massachusetts.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 10, 2008, 07:39:48 PM
I was tuning out with the plague and the live dog dissections...but I'm an admittedly stupid man so who knows...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 11, 2008, 01:23:27 AM
Oh, you're not even into the kidney stones yet. Just wait.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on April 11, 2008, 02:34:53 AM
Quote from: Diomedes on April 10, 2008, 06:29:02 PM
Man what great characters.  Maturin and Killick are my favorites, but there are so many great ones..

I'm a Lucky Jack fan myself. Especially at sea. I love the image of the fine tuning of the ship when he gets a new command. Working the guns and making her into something special. Even better with the The Mauritius Command was that all the action at sea was based on real historical events. Plus he really nailed the personalties of some of the captians under Jack with their flaws and how those flaws were projected on their crews and ships. It's hard to get into the flow of the books at first because the language is 17th century English Navy talk when the charecters are conversing but he uses Maturin well as a novice to help get the reader through those bits. The little scientific interludes are sometimes a really cool way to break things up and sometimes I'm eager to get on with it. Overall though the best series I've read in a very long time though I don't read like I used to.


Anybody used to be a fantasy head from back in the day? I was thinking of revisiting some of those fantasy novels I read as a teen. Dragon Lance, Rift War, Thomas Covenant the unbeliever and shtein like that. Piers Anthony too. Or maybe there are some good current fantasy novels but I wouldn't know what to pick. Robert Jordon was good at first but I lost interest after the 4th 700 pager or so.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 11, 2008, 07:50:45 AM
Don't reread the books you read as a kid. You'll regret it. No matter what it was, they didn't age well.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on April 11, 2008, 10:55:53 AM
Your probably right... I should just leave it as a positive impression and move on...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 12, 2008, 08:00:06 AM
That's probably half my issue with Gibson.  Last time I read his writing I was in high school.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 17, 2008, 05:17:41 PM
Finished up all the short stories in I Am Legend. I'm going to start a petition to have a warning label put on this book. It will say:

Warning: 1950's ham-fisted pulp.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on May 11, 2008, 12:30:46 AM
So I'm on Amazon looking at the reviews for the latest Sandford book and this is the first one that pops up...

QuoteHey . . . where's the Kindle version? Minnesota may be the land of 10,000 lakes but how about caring about some trees as well?

Sandford and pub -

Look at the newly released works by your contemporaries - Kellerman, Coben, Baldacci . . . all available in ecologically (and economically) sound Kindle format.

I've read every Sandford work to date . . . but my eco-terrorist days are over. No more hardbacks. Make Phantom Prey available in a $9.99 Kindle version and I'll download it immediately. Otherwise, I'll take the same route I do with overpriced, first run movies . . . wait for Netflix . . . or in this case, wait for a second or third run book version also available in Kindle format for about $7.49 - like previous Sandford publications now available for Kindles.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Cerevant on May 11, 2008, 08:25:20 AM
Hmmm...I wonder if the Kindle is RoHS compliant? (Hazardous materials free).  It is easier to grow a new tree than to clean up lead and cadmium...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on May 12, 2008, 01:15:34 PM
I re-read World War Z last week. It was amazing. Again. There's something wrong with me.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on May 12, 2008, 01:16:46 PM
I just read world war z about 2 months ago.

Pretty good. Some of the chapters made me think a little more than i expected to.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on May 12, 2008, 03:30:41 PM
you guys do know they are making a movie from that book right?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on May 12, 2008, 03:41:50 PM
Yes.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: NGM on May 14, 2008, 05:33:15 PM
I was looking for a good Mystery/Suspense or Whodunit book to pick up.   Does anyone have any suggestions. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on May 14, 2008, 06:41:37 PM
The Appeal - John Grisham

Wild Fire - Nelson DeMille

The Prey Series (about 20 books) - John Sandford

Jack Reacher series - Lee Child
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on May 14, 2008, 07:08:05 PM
Quote from: NGM on May 14, 2008, 05:33:15 PM
I was looking for a good Mystery/Suspense or Whodunit book to pick up.   Does anyone have any suggestions. 

You've read Raymond Chandler I presume?  Dashiell Hammett?  Eric Ambler?

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on May 15, 2008, 07:45:33 AM
Charlottes Web
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on May 15, 2008, 10:39:24 AM
Quote from: Diomedes on May 14, 2008, 07:08:05 PM
Quote from: NGM on May 14, 2008, 05:33:15 PM
I was looking for a good Mystery/Suspense or Whodunit book to pick up.   Does anyone have any suggestions. 

You've read Raymond Chandler I presume?  Dashiell Hammett?  Eric Ambler?



There are a few MacDonalds worth reading, too:

Ross MacDonald (Lew Archer), Gregory McDonald (Fletch), John D. MacDonald (Travis McGee)

You might also want to check out older Robert B. Parker (Spenser) stuff, or some Dennis Lehane-- you might like Shutter Island, in particular.  James Lee Burke (Dave Robicheaux) is an excellent writer, too.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on May 20, 2008, 02:24:20 PM
I'm reading God Save the Fan and it is farging outstanding. It BADLY need an editor though. At one point the author refers to the Pittsburgh/Carolina superbowl of 2006... which, of course, never happened.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on May 20, 2008, 02:51:30 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on May 20, 2008, 02:24:20 PM
It BADLY need an editor though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on May 20, 2008, 02:58:11 PM
Cut me a break. My editor is on vacation.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on May 20, 2008, 03:03:27 PM
Liar.  We're all editors around here. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on May 24, 2008, 08:46:55 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on May 20, 2008, 02:24:20 PM
I'm reading God Save the Fan and it is farging outstanding. It BADLY needs an editor though. At one point the author refers to the Pittsburgh/Carolina superbowl of 2006... which, of course, never happened.

Finished. The first 1/3 and the last 1/4 of the book were fantastic. The middle lagged and got a little preachy. Definitely recommended, though. He does a good job of communicating the rising level of frustration among fans and is pretty funny to boot.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on June 11, 2008, 11:26:16 AM
So I finally got around to reading All the Pretty Horses...I can't say that I liked it all that much. There just wasn't much going on, I didnt see the point of the two even setting off to go to mexico.

I actually enjoyed the last 40-50 pages of the book and made up for the first 3/4 of it, and brought some closure to the story.

And while I realize that it was to add realism, the misuse of punctuation, and the use of spanish with no translation, really bugged me and detracted from the story, big time.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 11, 2008, 11:28:29 AM
Fail.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on June 11, 2008, 11:37:34 AM
I normally read 2 to 3 books a month, and this one took me 4 weeks to get though.

I've never had to re-read so many sections to make sure I could follow along with who was saying what. And if it was even dialogue at all. It could have been a brilliant story (it wasn't) but it's hard to see when it's almost a chore to read the damn thing.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 11, 2008, 11:42:56 AM
I read All the Pretty Horses in less than 3 days.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on June 11, 2008, 11:46:02 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on June 11, 2008, 11:42:56 AM
I read All the Pretty Horses in less than 3 days.


(http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/images/smilies/bananahuge.gif)

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on June 11, 2008, 11:46:27 AM
i'm with wing, i've read two of his books and can't seem to get on the mccarthy bandwagon.  i didn't necessarily think the two i read (the road and no country) were hard to follow, but rather they were both kind of pointless.  especially the road, what a piece of shtein that was.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 11, 2008, 11:48:18 AM
FTL
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on June 11, 2008, 01:32:37 PM
All the Pretty Horses took me sometime to get into myself....the Crossing took even longer. The endings though on both books keep you glued. I'm excited to read the final, but I can't find it anywhere. I'm more excited to read his recent titles, but I'm trying to read them in order somewhat
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on June 11, 2008, 01:38:07 PM
The road made me cry so I hate it...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on June 11, 2008, 01:38:23 PM
Quote from: mussa on June 11, 2008, 01:32:37 PM
All the Pretty Horses took me sometime to get into myself....the Crossing took even longer. The endings though on both books keep you glued. I'm excited to read the final, but I can't find it anywhere. I'm more excited to read his recent titles, but I'm trying to read them in order somewhat

Obscure Link (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679747192/ref=s9k2a_c3_img4-rfc_p-2991_g1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=1KQHV4KMGS6K1PZAG0QE&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=292858901&pf_rd_i=507846)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on June 11, 2008, 01:50:28 PM
What a silly name for a bookstore!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on June 11, 2008, 02:11:28 PM
never heard  of it
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on June 11, 2008, 04:54:07 PM
Finished An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves and the Creation of America by Henry Wiencek.

It's an interesting read in that it deal with Washington's struggle with the nation's, as well as his own, hypocrisy of trying to start a nation based on democratic principles while at the same time taking steps to protect the right to own slaves.

It also shows the slow evolution of Washington from one who did not bat an eye at selling slaves and splitting families, to one who made certain that his own slaves would be emancipated in his will - even detailing how they were to be taken care of by Washington's heirs.

Not an easy read, but one I did enjoy.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on June 12, 2008, 12:46:50 AM
Quote from: Geowhizzer on June 11, 2008, 04:54:07 PM
Finished An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves and the Creation of America by Henry Wiencek.

It's an interesting read in that it deal with Washington's struggle with the nation's, as well as his own, hypocrisy of trying to start a nation based on democratic principles while at the same time taking steps to protect the right to own slaves.

It also shows the slow evolution of Washington from one who did not bat an eye at selling slaves and splitting families, to one who made certain that his own slaves would be emancipated in his will - even detailing how they were to be taken care of by Washington's heirs.

Not an easy read, but one I did enjoy.

That does sound interesting. I loved the HBO John Adams series for the window it provided into the founding fathers lives. Jefferson was brilliant and seemed to know that slavary was wrong yet kept his slaves till the end. Emancipated his closest after his death but had to sell the rest to pay his debts I think. Adams who you might think would go the other way loathed slave ownership and never owned any himself. Of course he was from the north I guess.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on June 12, 2008, 08:21:06 PM
the constitution was written to ensure that the upper class (of which the founding fathers belonged of course) stayed caked off...slavery was a huge part of that...many were clearly racist but most of them had money on their minds more than enslaving blacks
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on June 12, 2008, 08:32:04 PM
what what!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on June 12, 2008, 08:53:35 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 12, 2008, 08:21:06 PM
the constitution was written to ensure that the upper class (of which the founding fathers belonged of course) stayed caked off...slavery was a huge part of that...many were clearly racist but most of them had money on their minds more than enslaving blacks

And the north-south delineation wasn't there yet.  Many of the founding fathers from New England also owned slaves.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on June 12, 2008, 09:07:28 PM
nevertheless, New England kicks ass

farg Florida, Texas, California
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 23, 2008, 09:56:21 AM
I am slowly slogging through The Hamlet by Faulkner.

I never read Faulkner and always assumed that he would be a typical turn of the century writer who was overly wordy, overly serious and unreadable.

I was right about him being overly wordy, which is why it's taking so long to read, but was very wrong on the other two points. I'm actually enjoying the book quite a bit and will almost certainly check out The Sound and the Fury and As I Lay Dying at some point...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on June 23, 2008, 10:58:49 AM
Faulkner ignores punctuation and writes in a stream of consciousness style like your favorite author McCarthy. Hard to get into.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 23, 2008, 11:23:40 AM
There are actually a fair number a parallels between the two authors in terms of style. The major difference of course is that McCarthy uses an economy of words to get his story across while Faulkner is a whole lot more verbose. Anyway, as I said, I'm enjoying it even if it is taking me forever to get through.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on June 23, 2008, 11:27:46 AM
Speaking of McCarthy, Entertainment Weekly did its "best of the past 25 years" issue this past week and The Road was judged to be the best novel of that period.

I actually giggled a little when I saw it because I knew I'd be able to mention it here.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on June 23, 2008, 02:13:50 PM
Parallels aside I could easily read McCarthy but I struggled with Faulkner.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 23, 2008, 02:15:22 PM
Quote from: Phanatic on June 23, 2008, 02:13:50 PM
Parallels aside I could easily read McCarthy but I struggled with Faulkner.

Completely understandable. Like I said, Faulkner's wordiness makes a hell of a lot more work to read than McCarthy.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on June 23, 2008, 09:54:35 PM
Faulkner's style is often tedious to read.  His sentences usually drag on forever and he often interjects statements from characters who haven't even been introduced yet.  Eventually he gets around to explaining them (usually) but it is taxing especially considering he wrote in a southern dialect that was very specific to the era in which he wrote.  I like his stream of consciousness narrative style, personally, but Faulkner just beats you over the head with it as if he's challenging you to stay with him.

I do like his short stories, though, especially "A Rose For Emily".
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on June 23, 2008, 10:03:10 PM
Quote from: Rome on June 23, 2008, 09:54:35 PM...as if he's challenging you to stay with him.

This rings true for me regarding Faulkner--and also for Joyce--and I simply cannot stand writers who do it.  farg 'em, I'll read other stuff.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on June 23, 2008, 11:11:11 PM
I read Faulkner because I had no other choice.  The same can be said for a lot of other writers, though.  I liked reading Hemingway and to a lot of snooty fargs, Hemingway was no better than a dime novelist.  I say farg 'em too.  Sometimes a great fish story is just that, right?

It took me about six weeks to get through Ulysses.  In all honesty I had to use cheat sheets to get through it and I still don't understand half of it.  I mean, I get what Joyce was trying to do, but a lot of it is just unenjoyable to read because unless you're familiar with early 20th century Dublin, a lot of it makes no sense at all.  It's a lot easier reading it when you have someone explaining it all the way through, though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 07, 2008, 11:11:48 AM
I listened to 'I Am America, and So Can You' by Stephen Colbert on my way to Berwick this weekend. Colbert did the actual reading, which made it much more effective. It was funny and smart. Nothing Earth shattering.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on July 07, 2008, 11:29:44 AM
Yes on the book, but no on your weekend plans.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 07, 2008, 11:41:41 AM
Agreed on both counts.

But in its defense, Berwick got me nicely wasted. Was pretty sure I was going to harf all over the ladyfriend for most of the ride home yesterday.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on July 07, 2008, 11:47:11 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on July 07, 2008, 11:41:41 AM
harf

FTL
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MDS on July 08, 2008, 07:12:37 PM
i just finished 'the soul of baseball,' where a writer followed around buck o'neil has he went around across the country to talk about baseball and the negro leagues and such. it was really quite good, if you like baseball and old black men doing things that most of us will never accomplish on our lives.

also read a book a month or so back called desperate networks. its all about the current state of network television, offers great re-telling of stories of how things were pitched, how hit shows were chosen, how the business operates, etc. if you like tv, youll like it. if you dont, suck my ass.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on July 09, 2008, 10:51:48 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on July 07, 2008, 11:41:41 AM
Agreed on both counts.

But in its defense, Berwick got me nicely wasted. Was pretty sure I was going to harf all over the ladyfriend for most of the ride home yesterday.

Did you hang out with Ron Powlus and get drunk at Orlando's?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 09, 2008, 11:04:16 AM
No. And no. I drank a keg of awful Coors Light and ate an absurd amount of vodka watermellon in my aunt's back yard. Basically the same experience as hanging out at Orlando's I would imagine.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on July 09, 2008, 02:31:33 PM
Coors light shouldn't qualify as beer.  Actually, it shouldn't qualify as any type of beverage.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Yeti on July 10, 2008, 10:42:03 PM
Slapstick - Kurt Vonnegut.

Life Voyage of a Yeti President.  I liked it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Father Demon on July 11, 2008, 08:52:48 PM
Just finished reading Armed and Dangerous: The Hunt for One of America's Most Wanted Criminals by William Queen (the same guy that wrote Under and Alone: The True Story of the Undercover Agent Who Infiltrated America's Most Violent Outlaw Motorcycle Gang).

It wasn't as good as Under and Alone, but it was a very fast and interesting read.  I read it in two nights in bed.  If you like the true-story of cop versus bad guy, then I recommend it.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on July 18, 2008, 12:15:16 AM
Finally finished the third book in The Baroque Cycle -  System of the World. After adjusting to reading the first two, I was able to enjoy this one a lot more and even catch the jokes. For the first time I can remember, I wanted to skip over to the next page to find out what happened. All 80 or 90 of the plots and subplots were wrapped up nicely.


The only complaint I have from the 3,000 some odd pages (for the whole thing, not this book itself) was the Monty Python reference. It was funny and well done, which means he did it wrong. Everyone knows a Monty Python reference is supposed to be the antithesis of Python humor. It's supposed to be obvious and verbatim, not funny and unexpected.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on July 18, 2008, 12:24:14 PM
Trying a fantasy novel for some reason. Game of Thrones. Started off very badly and wasn't well written at first. Author got his shtein together and it is passable at the moment. Not sure why I'm sticking with it but it seems to get better a it goes along. Gots lots of sex and incest in it like real kingdoms of yore...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on July 18, 2008, 12:26:46 PM
Quote from: Phanatic on July 18, 2008, 12:24:14 PM
Trying a fantasy novel for some reason. Game of Thrones. Started off very badly and wasn't well written at first. Not sure why I'm sticking with...


lots of incest in it...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on July 19, 2008, 01:11:56 PM
I'm going to buy David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets today....heard it was a pretty good read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on July 19, 2008, 01:28:09 PM
They have libraries in Texas, right?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on July 19, 2008, 01:29:57 PM
 :-D

I think so. But B&N is closer. And I like to buy the books.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on July 19, 2008, 01:36:24 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on July 19, 2008, 01:11:56 PM
I'm going to buy David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets today....heard it was a pretty good read.

I saw this book on a shelf in the library of one of the guys I work for yesterday, and briefly considered taking it home, but decided I should finish the book I'm in right now first.

Having just finished season 4 of the Wire, I need a fix of real life Baltimore without actually going out and getting shot myself.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on July 19, 2008, 05:34:31 PM
Quote from: Rome on July 19, 2008, 01:28:09 PM
They have libraries in Texas, right?

Book depositories, at least.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on July 19, 2008, 09:10:09 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on July 19, 2008, 01:36:24 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on July 19, 2008, 01:11:56 PM
I'm going to buy David Simon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets today....heard it was a pretty good read.

I saw this book on a shelf in the library of one of the guys I work for yesterday, and briefly considered taking it home, but decided I should finish the book I'm in right now first.

Having just finished season 4 of the Wire, I need a fix of real life Baltimore without actually going out and getting shot myself.

I'm 100 pages in and hooked.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on July 19, 2008, 09:21:39 PM
go on, tease
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 19, 2008, 09:31:55 PM
I'm reading The Year of Living Biblically. Pretty interesting and enjoyable so far.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on July 19, 2008, 09:34:44 PM
Did he get to the point of stoning his neighbor for worshipping false idols?

yay mumbo jumbo
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on July 20, 2008, 01:00:25 AM
Quote from: Diomedes on July 19, 2008, 09:21:39 PM
go on, tease

The way he writes has drawn me in...giving little bits and pieces of crimes while shaping up the guys in the unit he's writing about has been the best part. He'll give a back story and let it develop a bit, then he'll switch to another guy and so on until you're caught up in present time following the case-leads.

It's about 700 pages long so I hope it continues to be this good throughout.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on July 25, 2008, 02:52:59 PM
I'm honestly not much of book person, but i do enjoy books dealing with gangs and crime. 

I just saw TJ English talking about his new book "Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Re (http://www.amazon.com/Havana-Nocturne-Owned-Cuba-Revolution/dp/0061147710/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217011776&sr=1-1)volution" , its about the Mob, and how the italian mob owned Cuba pre Castro, definitely will be picking this one up.  I really enjoyed his "Paddywhacked (http://www.amazon.com/Paddy-Whacked-Untold-American-Gangster/dp/0060590033/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217011829&sr=1-1)" about the irish mob. 

Other good books i've read dealing with the underworld stuff: 

Red Mafiya-Robert I. Friedman (http://www.amazon.com/Red-Mafiya-Russian-Invaded-America/dp/0316294748)

Black Brothers Inc. (http://www.amazon.com/Black-Brothers-Inc-Violent-Philadelphias/dp/1903854369/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217011857&sr=1-1)

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on August 19, 2008, 05:26:52 PM
I have finished The Year of Living Biblically (AJ Jacobs) and The Crying of Lot 49 (Pynchon) over the past two weeks.

The Year of Living Biblically was surprisingly good. As someone who is not at all religious, I worry about how best to frighten my as-yet-unborn children into behaving themselves without ending up in prison. Religion is a lot of things to a lot of people, but its greatest value to me is that at every religion's core lay a lot of sound moral guidelines. Respecting others, living healthy, etc. In the absence of the threat of fire and brimstone it becomes easy to say, 'well there are no real rules, why not do whatever the hell I want and act like a self-obsessed shteinhead all the time?' Anyway, the author struggles with this problem as he is in the process of raising his first son and wants him to have some moral fabric to cling to. It's a lot more interesting to read from that angle than to obsess over the minutiae of the rules that he attempts to follow (though that part of the book is pretty entertaining, just not very insightful).


The Crying of Lot 49. This is the second Pynchon book that I've read and will probably be the last. He never comes out and says it, but the point of his books seem to be to mock the human condition. Maybe 'mock' isn't the right word, I don't know.

Both Gravity's Rainbow and The Crying of Lot 49 seem to revel in the idea of humans doing silly, dangerous, embarrassing, debasing or socially unaccepted things in an attempt to find some meaning to their lives. This COULD be a noble undertaking... but it isn't with Pynchon. The problem is that every single one of Pynchon's characters ultimately fails to do anything other than contribute to the random and chaotic cycle of life. No one ever advances. No one ever learns more about themselves or their situations (outside of the occasional realization that they are searching aimlessly for meaning).

He is an interesting writer, and his style is very different than the Hemingway/McCarthy/every-male-American-author-of-the-past-70-years, and I DID enjoy reading this book, but his stories only serve to inform the reader that life is pointless. And since I already suspected this, I don't think I'll be reading anything else by him. No need to drive that nail home any further.

To lighten things up I am now reading I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson.
And still trying to make myself finish The Hamlet, by Faulkner.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Reidme on August 20, 2008, 08:36:25 AM
I am all over the place on some reading of late ..... and forgive me if these have been covered.

Last Lecture - touching and insightful, especially knowing the outcome. But this guy was a bit out there, as most professors are ... not that theres anything wrong with that.  :paranoid


Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama, good read in terms of actually hearing what Obama is about. Sound ideas, not alot of details. A little boring at times, and boy is he p*whipped.

Lone Survivor - True story of Seal Team 10, inserted into Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan Mountain. They are discovered by three goat herders and are faced with the decision to kill them or let them go. Pretty repetitive description of basic training for seals, but man it gets gripping. Almost finished currently. Update - compelling book. Would recommend.

Engulfed in Flames - Sedaras? Next on the list .... Update - Read one chapter (actually listened to, on audio book while driving) smirked once, very affectionate descriptions of his life with his soulmate Hugh, I'm out. Anyone interested in an audiobook? The guy had a smoking skeleton on the cover, I was expecting Dennis Leary.


Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on August 22, 2008, 12:28:04 PM
Ha. David Searas is very funny and very very gay. Somebody probably should have warned you of that if it was gonna turn you off.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on August 22, 2008, 12:32:36 PM
Finished I Am Legend. I'm a sucker for apocaylptic survival stories and this was a good one. Very short at 170 pages and sort of heavy handed in its message, but completely enjoyable. Would recommend.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on August 22, 2008, 12:46:06 PM
Why would we read it when there's a Will Smith movie for it?!?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Magical_Retard on September 12, 2008, 02:13:11 PM
just finished the kite runner.

amazing book. one of the best ive ever read.

want to watch the movie now but i heard bad things about it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on September 13, 2008, 03:05:01 PM
Anyone have a good source for audio books? I spend 2 hours a day in the car going back and forth and I want something a little heavier sometimes for the ride. Just need a way to get the stuff into my non ipod mp3 player.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on September 13, 2008, 06:04:02 PM
1. go to library
2. borrow books on cd
3. rip to pc
4. copy to mp3 player

5. profit
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on September 20, 2008, 01:55:07 PM
I think I am going to buy Jeff Pearlman's book about the Cowboys; Boys Will Be Boys.

Sounds interesting.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on September 20, 2008, 02:08:03 PM
I just finished Joe Queenan's "True Believers".  Great stuff especially about Eagles fans.  We're a sick, desperate group, all of us.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: NGM on September 25, 2008, 12:02:58 PM
(http://www.johnjosephadams.com/images/AbouttheAnthology_10D6F/the_living_dead.jpg)

An anthology of the "best" zombie short stories over the past 30 years.  Haven't read yet but I'm going to pick it up soon.  Thought other zombie fans might be interested too. 

Edited by John Joseph Adams. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on September 25, 2008, 04:46:54 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on September 13, 2008, 06:04:02 PM
1. go to library
2. borrow books on cd
3. rip to pc
4. copy to mp3 player

5. profit

Dio,

I finished David Simon's Homicide the other week. It was very good. Basically just a blow by blow of his year spent working with the homicide department. I'd recommend you picking it up.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on September 25, 2008, 08:02:19 PM
I did so last week.  I'm 200 pages in already, and liking it a lot.

I finished Tree of Smoke, by Denis Johnson.  A spook novel set in Vietnam.  I can't say much good about the book because I didn't really like it.  Nor did I dislike it either though.  The guy can write some fantastic sentences and paragraphs.  But his characters didn't get me and the plot was either too obscure for my philistine sensibilities, or non existant.  Of all the characters only one made any sense to me or made me care what happens to him, and I spent a lot of time not really understanding what was going on.  Maybe it's just too literary and I need to read it again.  I do have one friend who read it and I'll be seeing him this weekend.  I hope to see what he has to say and maybe get my mind around it a little better.  Lots of critics loved it, and there's no question the guy is massively talented.  But that doesn't mean I enjoyed reading it.

here is the NYT review of it
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/books/review/Lewis3-t.html
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on September 26, 2008, 07:29:46 PM
Today I picked up 'Weird Pennsylvania' written by Matt Lake. Perfect book to read on the can.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MadMarchHare on September 26, 2008, 07:55:23 PM
We've got Weird Illinois at home.  Lots of good day trips in there.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on October 04, 2008, 12:47:02 AM
So I bought "Boys Will Be Boys" by Jeff Pearlman. After waiting about two weeks for it to come in because of it being back-ordered, I am about 140pgs deep.

Some highlights so far:

* Charles Haley was/is batshtein crazy. Not only did he run around naked and half jerking himself off all the time, the end game for him in SF was because he went and took a shtein, came back to a meeting room and threw zesty TP at his position coach. He bullied everyone and the only people who could control him were Ronnie Lott and Roger Craig. He called Jerry Jones "Massa Jerry" to his face and every QB was a "Hoyda flag ass motherfarger"

* Michael Irvin was almost traded to the Raiders. He only wasn't because the Raiders did not offer enough. The book didn't say the offer, but even Jimmy Johnson questioned if he could make it in the league because he did not have top end speed.

* Jimmy Johnson was a Steve Walsh guy through and through. He wanted Walsh to win the job in a bad way.

* Johnson and Jones' relationship soured pretty early on. Johnson was sick of Jones bringing celebrities in to the locker room and on the sidelines and they fought over who really built the teams.

* Andre Waters quote to Emmitt Smith "I'm going to break your motherfarging leg, Hoyda".

*GCobb is quoted a few times in the book, one of them talked about how much of a whiner Dan Marino was after he took a big hit. Said he cried all the time whereas Aikman took his beatings like a man.

* Johnson HATED playing the Eagles.

* Johnson did not want to draft Emmitt Smith. It took RBs coach Joe Brodsky literally standing on top of the draft room table screaming for them to take him.

So basically Johnson, despite being the master motivator and great at drafting the lower tier guys and picking up role players, did not want Aikman or Smith and thought hard about trading Irvin. He also traded two picks for one of his U boys, Alonzo Highsmith and started him over Moose.

This book is a great read so far and I highly recommend it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on October 08, 2008, 10:31:35 PM
Had an hour to kill between class so I bought Barack Obama: Audacity of Hope. What a breath of fresh air. The more I read the more I can't wait for him to become President.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on October 09, 2008, 01:03:06 AM
Read Nation by Terry Pratchett last week. First non-Discworld book I've read by him in a while, and thanks to his Alzheimers will probably be the last. Very good book though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on October 09, 2008, 10:10:48 AM
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on October 04, 2008, 12:47:02 AM
So I bought "Boys Will Be Boys" by Jeff Pearlman. After waiting about two weeks for it to come in because of it being back-ordered, I am about 140pgs deep.

Some highlights so far:

* Charles Haley was/is batshtein crazy. Not only did he run around naked and half jerking himself off all the time, the end game for him in SF was because he went and took a shtein, came back to a meeting room and threw zesty TP at his position coach. He bullied everyone and the only people who could control him were Ronnie Lott and Roger Craig. He called Jerry Jones "Massa Jerry" to his face and every QB was a "Hoyda flag ass motherfarger"

* Michael Irvin was almost traded to the Raiders. He only wasn't because the Raiders did not offer enough. The book didn't say the offer, but even Jimmy Johnson questioned if he could make it in the league because he did not have top end speed.

* Jimmy Johnson was a Steve Walsh guy through and through. He wanted Walsh to win the job in a bad way.

* Johnson and Jones' relationship soured pretty early on. Johnson was sick of Jones bringing celebrities in to the locker room and on the sidelines and they fought over who really built the teams.

* Andre Waters quote to Emmitt Smith "I'm going to break your motherfarging leg, Hoyda".

*GCobb is quoted a few times in the book, one of them talked about how much of a whiner Dan Marino was after he took a big hit. Said he cried all the time whereas Aikman took his beatings like a man.

* Johnson HATED playing the Eagles.

* Johnson did not want to draft Emmitt Smith. It took RBs coach Joe Brodsky literally standing on top of the draft room table screaming for them to take him.

So basically Johnson, despite being the master motivator and great at drafting the lower tier guys and picking up role players, did not want Aikman or Smith and thought hard about trading Irvin. He also traded two picks for one of his U boys, Alonzo Highsmith and started him over Moose.

This book is a great read so far and I highly recommend it.

put any running back behind that o-line. hall of fame
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on October 09, 2008, 11:30:12 AM
Agreed, even Lorenzo Booker with Tony Hunt as his lead blocker. Probably the greatest O line in the history of the NFL.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on October 13, 2008, 07:43:42 PM
Reading "Everyman" by Philip Roth right now.  Excellent thus far.  About 1/2 through it and should be done in a couple of days.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on October 13, 2008, 07:46:07 PM
I didn't like Everyman. Old man whines about his life and dies. Has some anal with a model in the mean time. The end.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on October 13, 2008, 07:49:55 PM
Jew hater.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on October 13, 2008, 07:51:29 PM
Roth escapes me.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on October 13, 2008, 08:00:46 PM
The Plot Against America is next up for me.

I like his writing quite a bit.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on October 18, 2008, 12:37:09 AM
Finished up reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson a couple days ago. It is a very good 250 page story, but that is wrapped up inside of almost 700 other pages of lecturing and jibberish words he made up. I really liked it, but I probably would have liked it more if it hadn't stopped every ten pages to start up a new lecture.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on October 19, 2008, 10:52:58 AM
Quote from: General_Failure on October 18, 2008, 12:37:09 AM
Finished up reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson a couple days ago. It is a very good 250 page story, but that is wrapped up inside of almost 700 other pages of lecturing and jibberish words he made up. I really liked it, but I probably would have liked it more if it hadn't stopped every ten pages to start up a new lecture.

weird i literally just two days ago started reading my first neal stephenson book, quicksilver.  pretty cool so far.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on October 19, 2008, 08:51:38 PM
If you can get through the first 80 pages, Quicksilver is a good read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on October 29, 2008, 02:52:37 PM
Yeah so I finished David Simon's Homicide and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Murder detective is one hell of a job, an honorable one.  I learned a bunch about the profession and a bit about Baltimore.  I usually don't care for non-fiction, or for real crime writing per se, but the connection to Baltimore and The Wire led me to it and I'm glad I read it.  A couple images stick with me from Homicide, mainly about the mentality of a murder police.  These guys are the real deal, I'm glad they're out there.  They also have a wicked sense of humor that most of us at :CF relish.

Just picked up Lush Life by Richard Price.  I hear good things about it, we'll see.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on October 29, 2008, 03:15:51 PM
They are Murder Police
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on November 11, 2008, 11:56:24 AM
I am reading Slash, which is Slash's autobiography. It's interesting because I heart GNR but it pretty much just reads like a series of stories about stuff that happened to him. There's no insight into anything. It's mindless and enjoyable, but probably a waste of time for anyone who doesn't care about Guns N Roses (or Velvet Revolver, I guess, but I'm not sure that anyone anywhere cares about Velvet Revolver).
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on November 11, 2008, 12:02:26 PM
After not liking All the Pretty Horses...and really not liking the movie No Country for Old Men. I decided to read No Country for Old Men. I enjoyed the book much more than the movie....
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on November 11, 2008, 12:07:26 PM
Don't make me hit you.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on November 11, 2008, 12:10:20 PM
I said I liked it.

All the pretty horses sucked though. Seriously...who cares about two teenagers riding through the desert doing nothing? It was like an unfunny western seinfeld episode.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on November 11, 2008, 12:22:20 PM
Other books i've randomly read in the past 6-7 months

Phantom Prey - meh...not very good Sanford book (part of the Davenport series).
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon/Stephen King - Better than I thought it would be.
Prey/Michael Crichton - Good, but it's basically Jurassic Park on a nano scale
The Mistress of the Art of Death/Ariana Franklin - Pretty grisly historical fiction about murdered kids in the 1100's...pretty solid read.
The Husband/Dean Koontz - sucked, koontz hould stick to horror, and leave the chase/suspense to other people.
The Taking/dean koontz - pretty good survival horror type book. ending a bit weak, but still solid.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on November 11, 2008, 01:33:50 PM
Quote from: Wingspan on November 11, 2008, 12:10:20 PMAll the pretty horses sucked though. Seriously...who cares about two teenagers riding through the desert doing nothing? It was like an unfunny western seinfeld episode.

It's a gorgeous book.  If you hadn't followed this criticism up by posting a reading list comprised of nothing but books they sell in the grocery store, I'd try to talk to you about it.    But you did so now I understand what kind of reader you are.  There's nothing wrong with going for the easy-to-read page turners; it's better than not reading at all.  But all the same, maybe you should stick to Stephen King and Tom Clancy.

I just picked up Anna Karenina.  I liked War and Peace a dozen years ago, so I'm betting this will be good.  A friend told me it's got the best opening sentence of any novel he's ever read, and that as the pages pile up you return to it as an idea throughout the novel.  We'll see.  It's not the most stunning sentence I've ever read:

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on November 11, 2008, 01:38:03 PM
Oh and yeah, I know I'm an elitist prick.  It pleases me to belittle people who don't read, or who don't read anything significant.  It's the small pleasures in life you gotta relish.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Wingspan on November 11, 2008, 03:27:24 PM
That's cute.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 02, 2009, 10:43:32 PM
I'm reading All the King's Men right now and holy shtein is it good. Like knock your socks off blow a load in your pants wonder why you never read it before good.

Oh, and I read Watchmen a last month. That shtein was dope too. Surprisingly adult and it really made me hope (and doubt) that the movie can match up.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on January 02, 2009, 10:55:07 PM
All the King's Men is one of the best books ever published. It has stood and will continue to stand the test of time. It's one story that will never grow old. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 02, 2009, 11:18:05 PM
whoa, nelly

It's one of the best modern American books...and that's quite an honor.  But let's not get carried away. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on January 02, 2009, 11:19:54 PM
Modern? It was published in the 40's.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 02, 2009, 11:25:42 PM
that's pretty modern.  plenty of books have been loved for 70 years and forgotten after 100.

There are hundreds and hundreds of books in line as "one of the best books ever published" before a 20th century american novel about southern politics.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on January 02, 2009, 11:28:30 PM
1947 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_King's_Men) to be exact. That might not be considered 'Modern', when it comes to literature in the grand scheme of books, but it's old as dirt too me.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on January 02, 2009, 11:30:13 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on January 02, 2009, 11:25:42 PM
that's pretty modern.  plenty of books have been loved for 70 years and forgotten after 100.

There are hundreds and hundreds of books in line as "one of the best books ever published" before a 20th century american novel about southern politics.

Well then, it will have to go down in history as one of the best books I've ever read.  ;)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on January 03, 2009, 12:00:32 AM
I've got to give props to those on here who read on a regular basis. I wish I was that disciplined...

Thanks for giving me a pseudo list of books to read.

Back to your bickering.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MadMarchHare on January 03, 2009, 08:36:45 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on January 02, 2009, 10:43:32 PM
I'm reading All the King's Men right now and holy shtein is it good. Like knock your socks off blow a load in your pants wonder why you never read it before good.

Oh, and I read Watchmen a last month. That shtein was dope too. Surprisingly adult and it really made me hope (and doubt) that the movie can match up.

You might not have to worry about it.  Fox won a lawsuit with Warner and the producer, and has filed an injunction to prevent it's March release.  This has the potential to get real ugly if the two corps. can't sit down and work out revenue sharing agreement.  One blog site I read predicted at least a delay to 2011.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 03, 2009, 10:07:10 AM
Quote from: hbionic on January 03, 2009, 12:00:32 AM
I've got to give props to those on here who read on a regular basis. I wish I was that disciplined...

Reading is relaxing for me. I wish I could do more of it. I don't really understand the idea of reading being a chore or something that requires discipline.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on January 03, 2009, 11:21:33 AM
All reading should require, for people that don't like to read, is a quiet bathroom and some Mexican food earlier in the day.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 03, 2009, 12:50:22 PM
If reading is a chore, you're reading the wrong stuff.  That or you're a goddamned idiot who should die sooner than later.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on January 03, 2009, 02:25:05 PM
I dont read because I dont make the time for it...but Dio, what would you consider the right stuff to read?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 03, 2009, 02:45:30 PM
Jesus, that's a hell of a question.

It's most important to read something, anything, I suppose.  Between not reading and reading garbage like Dan Brown, reading is better.

But I think it's important to read great books, important books, books that challenge.

By great I mean a timeless book, one that speaks beyond it's era and subject.  The Iliad.  Shakespeare.  etc.  I don't think you can know a book is great if it has only been around a few decades.   The newest American fiction I would consider great is Faulkner, Hemingway, etc.  And who knows, in 100 years people may no longer give a damn about them.  But they'll still be reading Milton and Machiavelli, we know that.

Any great book is important, but there are important books that are not great.  All the Kings Men, for example.  It's not something people all of the world should read; it doesn't speak to all times and eras.  But it is a very important book for our culture and time, and it has influence lots of writers.

And challenging, I try to read books that take a little work.  Of course, I also want to enjoy myself so I'm not consuming a steady diet of Heidegger and Mann, but I do put more difficult books into the mix.

Finally, never ever read criticism unless you are a fleshpopsucking professional academic unwilling to live with your own intrepetation of what you have read without propping it up on the crutches of other academic dick suckers.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on January 03, 2009, 02:47:46 PM
read the hot zone bionic....its incredibly scary and its amazing
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 03, 2009, 02:55:08 PM
There is no way to answer hbionic's question. Different shtein speaks to different people. But Dio is spot on about one thing. Reading something, anything, is incredibly important. It's the seed of intellect and understanding and the ability to understand perspectives outside of your own. Without reading all we know are the things that we have experienced directly in our lives. What a narrow and pathetic plot that would be.

To use an IGYism, MA doesn't read. Unless you count the bible.

(Speaking of which, I just retrieved a bible from my parents' house and am planning on reading it. See what all the hubbub is about.)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 03, 2009, 02:57:10 PM
Good luck with that, it's pretty lousy reading.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on January 03, 2009, 02:58:00 PM
i hate books and its fabulous...ive read less than ten books in my life and ive read the hot zone twice
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 03, 2009, 02:58:13 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on January 03, 2009, 02:57:10 PM
Good luck with that, it's pretty lousy reading.

It absolutely can not be any more difficult to get through than Gravity's Rainbow.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 03, 2009, 03:01:50 PM
Let us know how you make out.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 03, 2009, 03:05:50 PM
Well GR took me about 5 months to read so when factoring in all of the other shtein I'm reading I assume it will be a while before you have your update.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on January 03, 2009, 03:05:56 PM
Thanks Dio....

Thats pretty much what I thought...only after my recent English class in college did my horizons open up a bit more regarding reading, poetry, shakespeare, etc. I agree reading is as important as eating and breathing. Actually A Farewell to arms is one that has been recommended to me. The only important books I can sadly say I have read are 1984 and Animal Farm. I have a lot of work to do. Believe it or not I actually love reading when I actually make the time.

IGY, Ill look into that book this year...I'll post my review by the end of 09...Allah willing.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on January 03, 2009, 03:33:44 PM
Hbionic,

I agree with Dio that great and important books should be included in your reading list.  Personally, Shakespeare is a chore to read, but I try to digest one from time to time.

But, to kickstart, find something in your interest zone.  Like spy movies?  Perhaps a good spy novel will whet your appetite for reading.  Maybe a biography on an Eagle, or a book on team history.  Not every moment reading needs to be "heady."  My personal tastes runs to history books rather than novels.

My last three books include two history books, An Imperfect God (George Washington) and David McCullough's Truman, which I am finishing, with Devil May Care (latest James Bond novel) wedged in between. 

One more piece of advice:  Read now, while you can.  Once you start your family, your time for everything, including reading, will evaporate.  I usually end up with about 15 minutes to read, on a good day.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on January 03, 2009, 03:39:45 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on January 03, 2009, 02:58:13 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on January 03, 2009, 02:57:10 PM
Good luck with that, it's pretty lousy reading.

It absolutely can not be any more difficult to get through than Gravity's Rainbow.

Breathtaking?


And I just finished Clarke's 3001: The Final Odyssey.  Pretty cool science fiction and definitely superior to 2010.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on January 03, 2009, 03:56:30 PM
One of the first books that I read was Red Storm Rising.....by Tom Clancy...I think I read another one of his...regarding the North Koreans...I actually read one by Dean Koontz....False Memory...recommened by PG early on in this thread.

I'll take your advice as well Geo....Isn't McCullough the historian? Damn...15 minutes? Time to log off the net. Thanks.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 03, 2009, 04:01:03 PM
Quote from: Rome on January 03, 2009, 03:39:45 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on January 03, 2009, 02:58:13 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on January 03, 2009, 02:57:10 PM
Good luck with that, it's pretty lousy reading.

It absolutely can not be any more difficult to get through than Gravity's Rainbow.

Breathtaking?


Pretty sure that we were talking about The Road when you whipped out that gem.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on January 04, 2009, 02:05:43 PM
Quote from: Geowhizzer on January 03, 2009, 03:33:44 PM
Hbionic,

I agree with Dio that great and important books should be included in your reading list.  Personally, Shakespeare is a chore to read, but I try to digest one from time to time.

But, to kickstart, find something in your interest zone.  Like spy movies?  Perhaps a good spy novel will whet your appetite for reading.

If you want to read a spy novel, you have to read Ian Flemming. I talking about his early work from the 50's. Live and Let Die, Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, or Dr. No. You don't really know James Bond until you read Flemming. I first read Dr. No when I was 14, and was hooked on James Bond forever.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on January 04, 2009, 02:37:04 PM
Quote from: shorebird on January 04, 2009, 02:05:43 PM
Quote from: Geowhizzer on January 03, 2009, 03:33:44 PM
Hbionic,

I agree with Dio that great and important books should be included in your reading list.  Personally, Shakespeare is a chore to read, but I try to digest one from time to time.

But, to kickstart, find something in your interest zone.  Like spy movies?  Perhaps a good spy novel will whet your appetite for reading.

If you want to read a spy novel, you have to read Ian Flemming. I talking about his early work from the 50's. Live and Let Die, Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, or Dr. No. You don't really know James Bond until you read Flemming. I first read Dr. No when I was 14, and was hooked on James Bond forever.

If you go with Fleming, the first novel was Casino Royale.  If you watched the Daniel Craig film, it is pretty faithful to the novel's plot, though a tad modernized. 

Whatever you do, don't start with The Spy Who Loved Me.  That's was Fleming's experimental novel, and really throws you off a tad.  I made the mistake of trying to read that one first, and didn't get through page ten on the first read.  After I went to some of the others, I went back to TSWLM, and was able to finish it.  Still my least favorite Fleming novel, but I could at least appreciate it (Bond doesn't even appear until about halfway through the book).

In some ways, the Fleming novels has be taken as historical novels.  Fleming had detailed descriptions about the locales, and the Cold War era runs through the novels, even when Russia isn't directly involved in the plot.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on January 04, 2009, 02:38:50 PM
Tad!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on January 04, 2009, 02:41:39 PM
Quote from: Rome on January 04, 2009, 02:38:50 PM
Tad!

A bit?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on January 04, 2009, 04:31:23 PM
Quote from: Geowhizzer on January 04, 2009, 02:37:04 PM
Whatever you do, don't start with The Spy Who Loved Me.  That's was Fleming's experimental novel, and really throws you off a tad.  I made the mistake of trying to read that one first, and didn't get through page ten on the first read.  After I went to some of the others, I went back to TSWLM, and was able to finish it.  Still my least favorite Fleming novel, but I could at least appreciate it (Bond doesn't even appear until about halfway through the book).

I agree, it seems Flemming lost something after Moonraker. The Spy Who Loved Me was also my least favroite and I had to suffer through it. Casino Royal was a great book, but I have to say my favorite was Goldfinger.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on January 05, 2009, 02:08:53 PM
I just finished up PaddyWhacked: A history of the Irish Gangster. I started this 3 years ago and read 2 books in the mean time. It was a great book if you like movies like Gangs of New York or the Departed which this book gives you the true stories behind the movie.  Next up is Havana Nocturne another book by TJ English
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on January 05, 2009, 02:38:13 PM
I'm reading 1776 right now about the American revolution.

Someone got me the coffee table large print version with lots of pretty pictures.

Someone else got me Adams vs Jefferson so that is next I suppose.

After that I'll be needing something light and a little less tedious.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on January 05, 2009, 04:52:47 PM
started cities of the plain, cormac mccarthy. can't wait to finish this up and get to the road or blood meridian
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on January 06, 2009, 11:30:24 AM
I've started reading more of Nelson Demille's stuff and I enjoy his books. He's written a lot and I'm glad I found his stuff because I was in need of something new to get into.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on January 14, 2009, 06:36:44 PM
They had 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy at my schools book store for 10 bucks so I picked it up.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on January 14, 2009, 09:17:32 PM
Quote from: SD_Eagle on January 14, 2009, 06:36:44 PM
They had 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy at my schools book store for 10 bucks so I picked it up.

It's a great book but really dark and depressing. I read it around Christmas time and that was a mistake.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 15, 2009, 08:04:26 AM
It did not depress me in the slightest.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on January 21, 2009, 12:28:28 PM
Pretty much done with Cities of the Plain, wrapping up McCarthy's border trilogy. Any suggestions on which one I should read next? Blood Meridian or The Road?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 21, 2009, 12:44:31 PM
Blood Meridian might be the best book written in the past century, but it is not an enjoyable or easy read.
The Road is much more accessible and easy to get through, but again not exactly uplifting.
If I had to re-read one right now I would choose Blood Meridian.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on January 21, 2009, 12:50:16 PM
I felt that way about the trilogy, all 3 books were not that enjoyable either until the endings. I think I'm going to go with Blood since it actually came before the Trilogy...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 21, 2009, 12:51:36 PM
I thoroughly enjoyed All The Pretty Horses. Thought it was enjoyable and readable throughout. Having said that I haven't been able to get started on The Crossing. Doesn't seem as engaging...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on January 21, 2009, 12:56:30 PM
It gets better. I'm not sure if it was the fact that they started slow or if I didn't commit as much time to reading them as I did with Cities of the Plain. I enjoyed all 3
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 21, 2009, 05:56:30 PM
Blood Meridian is easily his best.  It's inscrutable, beautiful, horrible.  A master work.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on January 21, 2009, 06:06:35 PM
if i find a book hard to read and not enjoyable at the same time, i pretty much don't consider it a good book. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 21, 2009, 06:12:50 PM
That's fair.

Do you ever go back to a book you thought that about?  If so, ever find that in the interim it's become good to you?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on January 21, 2009, 09:37:14 PM
i have to agree, Blood Meridian is a tough read, but somehow it is awesome.  Cant say I've read anything else quite like that before.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on January 21, 2009, 10:11:33 PM
Finally finished David McCullough's Truman last weekend.  As are most of McCullough's books, it was a long read (just shy of 1000 pages), but it was well-written and, to a history-oriented person like myself, very interesting.

Truman is a fascinating study in character. The last president to not have received a college education, Truman had multiple jobs before being installed as a county judge by the Pendergast machine of Kansas City (in KC, the position was administrative, not judicial).  From there, Truman would become Senator, Vice President under FDR, and President when Roosevelt died.  He, more than any other single person, helped to shape the post-war world, and perhaps the entire last half of the century.

For those that enjoy a thorough, and sometimes heady, read in American history, I can whole-heartedly recommend this book.

I'm taking a break, though, before diving into John Adams.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 22, 2009, 09:30:03 AM
At some point the Benjamin Franklin biography will get read by me... I've been saying that for four years since I bought it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 22, 2009, 09:32:02 AM
Motherfarger Anna Karenina is long.  Vronsky and Anna just split town together (after her confinement and his attempted suicide).  500 pages down, another 450 to go.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MDS on January 23, 2009, 12:36:43 AM
About to finish "the late shift." im a tv dork. if you are too, then you will like it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Phanatic on January 23, 2009, 11:51:46 AM
Finished David McCullough's 1776 and it was a good read. Amazing how close we came to not being a country. The book focuses on Washington and his troubles through the begining of the American Revolution but it really doesn't wrap it up. You get a good view of the people who fought on both sides and the charecters behind the scenes somehwhat but I was left wanting more. I wanted to follow Washington's army and his failures and successes to the end of the war after reading this but it just sort of stops in 1777. Hence the name I guess. Good but now I'm looking to read something to wrap up the war.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 29, 2009, 10:02:58 AM
The Plan: Big Ideas for Changes in America, by Rahm Emanuel and Bruce Reed.

So first let me say the Rahm Emanuel looks like every coniving henchman in every political/espionage thriller ever made. He was clearly forged from the molten rock of pure evil. I find the man fascinating. He has a reputation for being unflinchingly partisan which I hate and cutthroat and profane which I love and has twice landed himself positions in the whitehouse because of these traits. So when I saw this book I figured I'd drop the $14 and see what pure unadulterated fascinating evil has to say about how to cure what ails our country.

It turns out that he has some interesting ideas. Some of which are obvious in hindsight (modernizing our country's broadband offerings), many of which are desperately needed (modernizing the healthcare system, modernizing the education system, balancing the budget) and a few of which are absolutely awful (requiring Israeli-like military service, I went back and forth on this originally, and I think it has its merits, but introducing it now would be disastrous and I believe that increasing the incentive to serve our country/communities is a much better option than trying to force patriotism on the population).

The books is INCREDIBLY partisan and should be rewritten without all of the overt haymakers at Republicans. I have no problem taking jabs at a failed President and his failing failure of a cabinet or the minions who surrounded him, but Republicans are not inherently wrong about everything and in fact many of the ideas in this book could be mistaken for being Republican.

Anyway, my obsession with policy-thinking and how it impacts the country continues...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on January 30, 2009, 08:28:11 AM
This is now on my list (http://www.nypost.com/seven/12282008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/lies__damn_lies__statistics_146124.htm?page=0).
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 30, 2009, 11:55:10 AM
Anyone ever read anything by Mario Acevedo?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 30, 2009, 01:04:47 PM
nope
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 30, 2009, 01:06:22 PM
He writes Vampire and Zombie lit. I'm not guessing many people have actually read his shtein but if I hear that any of it is actually readable I'll be picking one up. Probaby X-Rated Blood Suckers.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on January 30, 2009, 01:58:13 PM
I have about 4 zombie books on my to read list right now.  I lent World War Z to a girl I work with and she won;t stop talking about how awesome it is.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 02, 2009, 11:07:08 AM
Holy shtein. (http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,books/products_id,7847/title,Pride-and-Prejudice-and-Zombies/)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on February 02, 2009, 11:27:11 AM
that is awesome.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 08, 2009, 08:01:20 AM
I finally finished Anna Karenina last night.  It was way too long for what it had to say, but it was well worth reading nevertheless, and now that I've got through it once, if I ever need to read it again it will be a much easier task.  There are gorgeous passages sprinkled throughout the book, especially those parts which focus on the agricultural life of the countryside.  In particular, an episode in which the character I take to be Tolstoy's protagonist, Levin, spends the day mowing, impressed me.  The ending is powerful and really saves the book.  Levin's revelation of faith is convincing and not trite or obtuse.  Ruminations throughout the novel on truthfulness, to oneself, to others, to God, etc. are complicated and make comparisons between the characters and their fates interesting.  I'd love to be back in college seminar having read this with a twenty or so other people who have also just read it so I could bounce ideas off other people and consider theirs too. 

So now I've read both Tolstoy's master works.  I think I prefer War and Peace, but that was so long ago I should probably re-read it now.  I do think they are great works, but I don't enjoy them as much as other epic so-called realism novels of the same era from Europe, like Middlemarch.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 09, 2009, 10:28:40 AM
I finished All the King's Men and confirmed my thoughts from my first post about it. One of the best books I've ever read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Father Demon on March 03, 2009, 08:50:15 PM
QuoteUnited States was ranked as having the fifty-third freest press in the world, tied with Botswana and Croatia. According to the World Health organization, the United States had the fifty-fourth fairest health care system in the world, with lack of medical coverage leading to an estimated 18,000 unnecessary deaths a year. And according to the Justice Department, one in every thirty-two Americans was in jail, on probation, or on parole.

So, if you think the US is going to hell in a hand basket, here (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060898771?ie=UTF8&tag=offsitoftimfe-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0060898771)'s how to put your money overseas, protect all your assets from lawsuits/inflation/privatization/scum of the earth, get a passport from another country, and how to escape urban warfare.

I'm going to read it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on March 04, 2009, 09:08:42 AM
Blood Meridian is getting really good. Def. started slow, but its gaining momentum.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on April 11, 2009, 09:58:22 AM
just started reading savage inequalities (yes i know im 20 years late)...the first chapter on east saint louis and its schools would not be believable if it wasnt true...just incredible
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Father Demon on April 11, 2009, 11:08:35 AM
Sadly, it's 100% true.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 30, 2009, 09:55:58 AM
Love in the Time of Cholera: Gabriel Garcia Marquez is a great writer but this was a farging romance novel. It had its moments (and I sort of compare it to reading LOTR or The Hobbit, an excellent literary work from a genre of unreadable crap) but it was still a farging romance novel.

The Time Traveler's Wife: A dude can travel through time but has no control over it. Gets to sleep with his wife at various (younger) ages. Has some seriously farged up problems due to time travel. The characters are sort of unlikable but it's a good book. Original. Worth checking out.

Now reading The Crossing by McCarthy.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on April 30, 2009, 10:16:47 AM
Blood Meridian - def. my fav McCarthy book so far. Are they turning this into a movie?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 30, 2009, 10:18:55 AM
I appreciated Blood Meridian for what it was, but it would be the worst movie ever. There's no plot.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on April 30, 2009, 10:23:38 AM
it would make a pretty violent movie. maybe i just want to see a burning tree with dead babies hanging in it. i guess the road is next.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on May 06, 2009, 01:41:32 PM
what is a "remainder mark"
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Tomahawk on May 06, 2009, 01:51:16 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on May 06, 2009, 01:41:32 PM
what is a "remainder mark"

http://reviews.ebay.com/What-exactly-is-a-Remainder-Mark_W0QQugidZ10000000001625850 (http://reviews.ebay.com/What-exactly-is-a-Remainder-Mark_W0QQugidZ10000000001625850)

It's basically to mark the book as overstock to be sold at a discount. The mark will prevent a purchaser from being able to return it for a full price refund
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on May 06, 2009, 02:00:09 PM
and its always on the top of the book like they show in that picture?....it would never be on either of the covers would it?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Tomahawk on May 06, 2009, 02:05:06 PM
You'd think they'd always put it on the pages as to not deface the book, but you never know. For more information, I suggest contacting LeVar Burton
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on May 06, 2009, 02:12:25 PM
(http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/voracious/readingrainbow.jpg)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on May 06, 2009, 10:02:54 PM
Chuck Palahniuk tells you how to pronounce his name. (http://www.bordersmedia.com/features/audio/palahniuk2.asp?cmpid=SL_20090505_REW)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on May 07, 2009, 12:09:38 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on April 30, 2009, 10:18:55 AM
I appreciated Blood Meridian for what it was, but it would be the worst movie ever. There's no plot.

considering what hollywood considers "plot", that might make it the best movie ever.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on May 07, 2009, 06:26:35 AM
In the Heart of the Sea, by Nathaniel Philbrick, an account of the whaleship Essex, which was rammed and sunk by a sperm whale in 1820 in the pacifiic ocean, which event was heavily mined by Melville for Moby Dick, is a fascinating, quick read.  I couldn't put it down and enjoyed every minute of it.

In addition to the riveting action at the center of the story, Philbrick manages to place that scene very adeptly in the general context of American history, describing Nantucket history customs and importance with relatively few words but great skill. 

Highly reccomended to any history buff, fan of sea writing or survival writing, and of course anyone who loves Moby Dick.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 03, 2009, 06:50:29 AM
Finished The Crossing by McCarthy last night. It's the second book in the Border Trilogy. Of course it's not really a trilogy because none of the characters are the same and the stories have nothing to do with each other outside of taking place along the Mexican border, so I'm sure McCarthy is pretty embarrassed about that little slip-up. It is almost identical in tone and pace to All the Pretty Horses but not nearly as good so I won't be rushing out to grab the third one (which I think is called Cities of the Plain, but I'm not sure off the top of my head). Of course, despite being luke warm about it as a McCarthy book, when compared to books by anyone else it was quite a literary achievement.

Anyway, if you like/love/lust-after Cormac McCarthy it's a good read, but it was the least enjoyable of the McCarthy books I've read because it was so similar to All the Pretty Horses.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is up next.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on June 03, 2009, 06:56:20 AM
The central characters from The Crossing and All the Pretty Horses appear in Cities of the Plain.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 03, 2009, 07:03:17 AM
Whatever, showoff.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on June 03, 2009, 07:16:07 AM
lol
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on June 03, 2009, 08:22:37 AM
just finsihed the 100 best philadelphia sports arguments....i dont think it even had an editor as there were literally dozens of typos and wrong info but its still a good read for a philly fan
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on June 03, 2009, 08:24:18 AM
So MDS wrote it?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on June 03, 2009, 09:39:48 AM
Quote from: Diomedes on June 03, 2009, 06:56:20 AM
The central characters from The Crossing and All the Pretty Horses appear in Cities of the Plain.

And Cities of the Plain I would say is the better book of the TRILOGY

Picking up The Road next
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on June 03, 2009, 09:40:29 AM
I bought Worth the Wait on sunday.  I'll probably read it sometime in the next 3 years
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Father Demon on June 05, 2009, 05:26:28 PM
Anyone here use the Kindle?  Or for that matter, ever even seen someone using one?

I haven't seen one, but it seems like an incredible waste of money.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on June 05, 2009, 05:50:56 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 03, 2009, 08:22:37 AMthere were literally dozens of typos and wrong info but its still a good read for a philly fan

Hmm...what is so right about this statement.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on June 05, 2009, 05:51:54 PM
Quote from: Father Demon on June 05, 2009, 05:26:28 PM
Anyone here use the Kindle?  Or for that matter, ever even seen someone using one?

I haven't seen one, but it seems like an incredible waste of money.

Richard, my friend's mom had one...I thought she was playing a video game...but it looked...like a portable video game system but instead of a fun game, there were fun words on it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Father Demon on June 05, 2009, 05:55:05 PM
h

hbionic

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Eagaholic on June 05, 2009, 05:55:59 PM
Quote from: hbionic on June 05, 2009, 05:51:54 PM
Quote from: Father Demon on June 05, 2009, 05:26:28 PM
Anyone here use the Kindle?  Or for that matter, ever even seen someone using one?

I haven't seen one, but it seems like an incredible waste of money.

Richard, my friend's mom had one...I thought she was playing a video game...but it looked...like a portable video game system but instead of a fun game, there were fun words on it.

you're friend's mom has a strange name
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on June 05, 2009, 09:29:59 PM
Quote from: Eagaholic on June 05, 2009, 05:55:59 PM
Quote from: hbionic on June 05, 2009, 05:51:54 PM
Quote from: Father Demon on June 05, 2009, 05:26:28 PM
Anyone here use the Kindle?  Or for that matter, ever even seen someone using one?

I haven't seen one, but it seems like an incredible waste of money.

Richard, my friend's mom had one...I thought she was playing a video game...but it looked...like a portable video game system but instead of a fun game, there were fun words on it.

you're friend's mom has a strange name

consider the source.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on June 08, 2009, 12:43:28 PM
Just finished "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair.

(after 5 years of being in my possession and inspired by rjs to actually read it).

Story about a Lithuanian immigrant in Chicago's Packingtown in the early 1900's and how his dreams of prosperity are shattered by the realities of life as a proletariat. The story has a socialist tone to it when you start understanding the hopeless situation the worker has, specially one without connections. It was a good eye opener for those who want a better understanding of what life was like before labor unions, elimination of child labor, regulation, etc.  I can't imagine having gone through shtein like the main protagonist "Jurgis" did. But, you can also see how his struggles relate to current day situations out here with job loss, stress, foreclosures, and surviving in general.

For this reason, I think this book is timeless and easy to relate to and you don't need a thorough understanding of U.S. History to be able to enjoy it.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 08, 2009, 12:53:22 PM
The book reminds you why Unions are needed. Now if we just had some way to actually keep the Unions in check and operating under rational rules, that would be swell.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on June 08, 2009, 01:08:52 PM
Quote from: Father Demon on June 05, 2009, 05:26:28 PM
Anyone here use the Kindle?  Or for that matter, ever even seen someone using one?

I haven't seen one, but it seems like an incredible waste of money.

i see at least one or two people each week reading one of them on the metro.  looks pretty retarded to me since it doesn't seem to be any smaller than an actual book. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on June 08, 2009, 01:14:47 PM
Yeah, I haven't used it first hand, so I'm not a great judge...but I don't really get it at this point. It's pricey, the books you download aren't all that cheap, and it's doesn't seem especially convenient to tote around.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on June 08, 2009, 02:41:39 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on June 08, 2009, 12:53:22 PM
Now if we just had some way to actually keep the Unions in check and operating under rational rules, that would be swell.

its called the national labor relations board and its where i work....holla
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on June 08, 2009, 02:43:23 PM
well you suck at your job
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 08, 2009, 02:45:04 PM
No doubt. Bringing it down from the inside.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on July 01, 2009, 08:28:18 PM
what do you iceholes think of this?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/books/02salinger.html?hp

yay for copyright laws?  boo to Salinger?  banning a book?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on July 01, 2009, 08:48:08 PM
You can't make money off fanfic without the original author's consent, or waiting until it enters public domain. And this guy really needs to brush up on America. Banning books is way up on the list of things we do.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 01, 2009, 08:49:09 PM
I think that's pretty lame, but am basically meh about the whole thing.

First of all, Catcher in the Rye never spoke to me in any way so I have a hard time caring. Second of all, it's silly and self-important of the old man to copywrite a character, but it would appear that it's within his rights to do it, so whatever. The world needs less people who still care about Catcher in the Rye and more people preparing for the rising of the dead.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on July 01, 2009, 08:53:00 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on July 01, 2009, 08:49:09 PM
The world needs less people who still care about Catcher in the Rye and more people preparing for the rising of the dead.

I am so writing Zombie in the Rye when Salinger croaks.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on July 01, 2009, 08:57:22 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on July 01, 2009, 08:53:00 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on July 01, 2009, 08:49:09 PM
The world needs less people who still care about Catcher in the Rye and more people preparing for the rising of the dead.

I am so writing Zombie in the Rye when Salinger croaks.

Technically, I think you'd have to wait an additional 70 years
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on July 01, 2009, 08:58:24 PM
I can't wait that long. I probably won't even outlive him in the first place.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on July 01, 2009, 09:05:21 PM
Catcher In The Rye is a tedious book.  That said, Salinger has every right to protect his intellectual property and that's what this amounts to.  Still, farg him anyway.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on July 01, 2009, 10:13:24 PM
I don't get what he's protecting.  Does S.D. Salinger really think this guy is going to ruin his work, his income, his reputation?  What's the big deal?  So some guy might sell a few books because he's writing about a character from another book.  So what?

Maybe I'll mail a copy of it to his local public library.



Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD_Eagle5 on July 01, 2009, 10:14:06 PM
Quote from: Rome on July 01, 2009, 09:05:21 PM
Catcher In The Rye is a tedious book.  That said, Salinger has every right to protect his intellectual property and that's what this amounts to.  Still, farg him anyway.

He'll be dead soon, so you win.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MadMarchHare on July 03, 2009, 09:32:10 AM
Quote from: Diomedes on July 01, 2009, 10:13:24 PM
I don't get what he's protecting.  Does S.D. Salinger really think this guy is going to ruin his work, his income, his reputation?  What's the big deal?  So some guy might sell a few books because he's writing about a character from another book.  So what?

Maybe I'll mail a copy of it to his local public library.





It's not like he's the first.  JK Rowling has been pulling this shtein for work a lot more venal that CitR.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on August 24, 2009, 09:48:27 AM
Later in Life Lawyers. Reduced the terrifying anxiety I feel about my plan to go back to school.
The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman. A person is smart. Humanity is a destructive, chaotic, disastrous disease upon this planet.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: reese125 on August 24, 2009, 10:37:08 AM
The World Without Us sounds like a feel good story that exudes positivity
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on August 24, 2009, 11:23:39 AM
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
Awesome. Page burner. I liked how he kept you wondering how it all went down, leaves much to the imagination. I once was a fan of the apocalypse, now I just hope I don't have a kid when it goes down. Can't wait to see the movie.

Survive!: Essential Skills and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere. By Les Stroud (from survivor man on tv) - good read so far. very informative.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on August 24, 2009, 11:25:20 AM
Quote from: reese125 on August 24, 2009, 10:37:08 AM
The World Without Us sounds like a feel good story that exudes positivity

Actually it was awesome. Thought exercise books where the author takes an unlikely premise and thinks out the ramifications (like WWZ) are fascinating. What's even more fascinating is seeing how humanity has become a force of nature in and of itself rather than being subject to the Earth's whims and the impact that that has had on the planet but knowing that over a long enough timeline humans will go extinct as well and the Earth will more or less start over without us.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 02, 2009, 09:18:10 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on August 19, 2008, 05:26:52 PM
And still trying to make myself finish The Hamlet, by Faulkner.

Over a year later and I finally picked this back up and finished it. Faulkner's writing is impressive in its imagery and scope, but goddamn was this a slow story.

It's basically the story of the Snopes family moving into a tiny southern town and slowly, slowly, slowly, SLOWLY manipulating everyone and everything until they own nearly all of the useful property and have married themselves into all of the money in the area. Then, when they've sucked everything and everyone dry they pack up their shtein and leave town to act as absentee landlords.

It's an impressive work, but boring. Pass.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: fansince61 on September 18, 2009, 03:26:01 PM
Just got Dan Browns "The Last Symbol".  Hope it doesn't let me down as I've liked everything else he wrote. :yay  
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on September 18, 2009, 03:32:04 PM
looking forward to reading that as well.  it's a guilty pleasure. 

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on September 18, 2009, 04:30:01 PM
Oh sorry, I thought this was the good book thread.

As a public service, here's what will happen in the book.

A conspiracy will be uncovered. The protagonist will be hunted by an unusual assassin. His/her good friend will appear to be helping every step of the way, but will in fact be the villain. Good guy/girl wins, gets the girl/guy.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on September 18, 2009, 06:03:17 PM
everyone who went to see titanic in the theaters already knew the ship would sink at the end and it didn't stop them from making it one of the top grossing films of all time. 

browns' books are decent entertainment that allow for "lazy" reading.  in other words, i typically don't have to re-read paragraphs or look a bunch of words up in the dictionary to understand what's going on. 

the dialogue between the characters is usually cheesy and simple but he does really good job of going into detail and painting a vivid picture of everything that's going on.  visually, just about everything in davinci code and angels & demons looked almost identical to how i pictured it while reading the books. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 18, 2009, 06:13:01 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on September 18, 2009, 04:30:01 PM
Oh sorry, I thought this was the good book thread.

As a public service, here's what will happen in the book.

A conspiracy will be uncovered. The protagonist will be hunted by an unusual assassin. His/her good friend will appear to be helping every step of the way, but will in fact be the villain. Good guy/girl wins, gets the girl/guy.

Well done.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on September 18, 2009, 06:16:23 PM
I've got a friend in the publishing business that leaked it to me.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on September 30, 2009, 11:50:30 AM
wow the people in this country are so dumb right now....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/ref=pd_dp_ts_b_1 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/ref=pd_dp_ts_b_1)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on September 30, 2009, 11:51:42 AM
Where the wild things are is farging badass and you know it
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on September 30, 2009, 11:53:32 AM
i was mostly talking about 2 and 3. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on September 30, 2009, 12:18:43 PM
maybe it's just me, but i'm really not interested in reading someone's memiors when they are only midway through life.  granted, i'm not interested in reading palin's at all but i don't really understand why people are putting their life story out there when they still have a lot of life left to live. 

hell, lebron james has a movie coming out that i guess is somewhat of a biography and dook is like 23 years old.  why the farg would i be interested in lebron's story right now? 

i know it's all just a marketing ploy and way for people to make more money, blah blah blah, but to me, a person's life isn't worth reading about until they've expired.  otherwise, it's an incomplete story. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on September 30, 2009, 12:30:35 PM
wonder if the movie will have Nike Confiscating a clip of him getting dunked on by some other kid
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on September 30, 2009, 01:17:14 PM
lol.  that whole ordeal was pretty damn funny.  especially since lebron really didn't get dunked on.  it's not like that kid went straight at lebron and threw it down in his face or anything.   
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on November 11, 2009, 10:20:59 AM
I don't know if I ever posted my review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but here it is: If you like Jane Austen and are embarrassed about it you'll probably enjoy having an excuse to read this book. Or if you enjoy zombies and want to culture yourself for your girlfriend who likes polite English costume dramas about polite English society and polite English cultural observations from the 1800s, then this book is a decent compromise.

If you don't fall into either of those categories, this book is really goddamned boring and the zombie action is weak and thrown into the story without much rhyme or reason making for a pretty choppy read.

I'll give it 3 stars because you have to applaud the effort, but in reality, blah.


The Men Who Stare at Goats: Here's my problem with this book. The author manages to string together a long series of random tidbits in what appears to be a coherent manner, but ultimately there was no point to anything we as readers have learned. "Hey everyone, look at all of the weird things our armed forces experimented with during the war on terror! They played a Barney song over and over! They played a Sesame Street song and the composer tried to sue for royalties! Maybe the CIA killed someone once or maybe they gave them LSD in an experiment and they lost their shtein."

It's all sort of fascinating in its premise (did the secretary of the armed services really believe that he could walk through walls? can you really kill gerbils with your impure thoughts?), but when I was done reading I wasn't sure what the point was. Sometimes the author is praising the idea of alternative battle methods. Sometimes he's mocking. Sometimes he's indifferent as a reporter. Sometimes he is actively goading people into delivering absurd information.

It was entertaining, but by and large it didn't really deliver on its promise as an absurdly entertaining collection of information with a defined message of some sort.


Fup: Only 50 pages or so and very enjoyable. Just a short story about swilling whiskey and fatass ducks and hunting wild boars.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 22, 2010, 10:23:50 AM
The Science of Fear: Very farging good. Does an excellent job of explaining why people are convinced that we are living in awful, scary times when in fact humanity has never had it so good. We are more educated, more healthy, longer living, more free and less prone to violence than at any time in the whole of human history. We are also consumed with worry and fear. Advertising, journalism and politicians take the lion's share of the blame here, but our natural inability to understand risk on a large scale is described in great detail.

Fascinating book. Highly recommended.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on January 22, 2010, 10:25:14 AM
I'm reading World War Z now.  it's about zombies.  zombies are bad.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 22, 2010, 12:22:34 PM
For all the McCarthy fans out there, I read a book of literary criticism of Blood Meridian put together by this professor at the Univerity of Idaho. I have no idea where one would go about finding it, but it was fantastic. It completely enhanced the experience of reading Blood Meridian and provided a lot of historical and literary context to the book. Great great stuff.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on January 22, 2010, 03:28:28 PM
That book was so bad ass
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Eagaholic on January 22, 2010, 04:42:00 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on November 11, 2009, 10:20:59 AM

The Men Who Stare at Goats: Here's my problem with this book. The author manages to string together a long series of random tidbits in what appears to be a coherent manner, but ultimately there was no point to anything we as readers have learned. "Hey everyone, look at all of the weird things our armed forces experimented with during the war on terror! They played a Barney song over and over! They played a Sesame Street song and the composer tried to sue for royalties! Maybe the CIA killed someone once or maybe they gave them LSD in an experiment and they lost their shtein."

It's all sort of fascinating in its premise (did the secretary of the armed services really believe that he could walk through walls? can you really kill gerbils with your impure thoughts?), but when I was done reading I wasn't sure what the point was. Sometimes the author is praising the idea of alternative battle methods. Sometimes he's mocking. Sometimes he's indifferent as a reporter. Sometimes he is actively goading people into delivering absurd information.

It was entertaining, but by and large it didn't really deliver on its promise as an absurdly entertaining collection of information with a defined message of some sort.

It sounds pretty much like the movie. It was worth seeing, mostly because it was a mildly refreshing change from all the same old reheated Hollywood drivel, but the weak ending left it kind of flat. If still alive, Hunter S. Thompson should have been consulted. It had much unrealized potential for something experimental involving hallucinogens, automatic weapons and armored vehicles.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on January 25, 2010, 01:21:13 PM
actually read TWO books on my cruise

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513Z%2Bf35CaL._SS500_.jpg)


frightening portrait of a man and his family in the bush administration's post katrina new orleans


(http://www.continuumbooks.com/images/BookImages/9780826419231_Thumb.jpg)

talks about the making of one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time and how it affected the author - a nerdy black kid who was into punk music before hearing this album and how it transformed his life....im a huge hip-hop head and the album is my all time favorite in the history of music so i thought the book was fantastic
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: reese125 on January 25, 2010, 02:19:25 PM
igy--you deeply touched someone with your post...so much so a guest is printing it out. nice job.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 01, 2010, 10:41:07 AM
Ugh, I've found myself reading mostly non-fiction lately and it's really grating on me (currently reading McMafia, which is pretty interesting). I do enough thinking on my own, I don't need to be learning while trying to enjoy my free time as well... anyway, any recommendations for some interesting, quality fiction would be great.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on February 01, 2010, 11:01:55 AM
nice RJS, i'll have to check that out.  I've said it a million times, but Check out any TJ English books
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 01, 2010, 11:26:28 AM
Wait, TJ English write non-fiction. I'm looking for fiction you sneaky basterd!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on February 01, 2010, 11:31:01 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on February 01, 2010, 11:26:28 AM
Wait, TJ English write non-fiction. I'm looking for fiction you sneaky basterd!
ha, a cool name like TJ English sounds like a fiction writer, but he does in depth Underworld stuff.  I'm a big fan.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 01, 2010, 11:33:49 AM
Underworld, as in Kate Beckinsale in skin-tight leather, or some other sort of Underworld that no one cares about and isn't nearly as sexy?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on February 01, 2010, 11:35:24 AM
unfortunately not about Kate Beckinsale and werewolves, but he does write about Cuba and the secks shows Lansky and Luciano attended
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Eagles_Legendz on February 01, 2010, 01:45:18 PM
Just read the Gunslinger as part of the Dark Tower series.  It was fun.  Didn't 'wow' me but got me interested enough to read the 2nd book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on February 01, 2010, 02:51:01 PM
Quote from: Eagles_Legendz on February 01, 2010, 01:45:18 PM
Just read the Gunslinger as part of the Dark Tower series.  It was fun.  Didn't 'wow' me but got me interested enough to read the 2nd book.

Don't worry it gets much better. Much being an understatement.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on February 01, 2010, 05:04:14 PM
<----------jerk off
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 01, 2010, 05:16:36 PM
Wrong thread sucka.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on February 10, 2010, 11:06:24 AM
I picked up "America The Book" written by the folks at the daily show published in
'04. I can't stop laughing its so farging hilarious. 

If you have any sense of humor...spend the $5 bucks I did and buy it.

Good times.  :yay
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 15, 2010, 08:10:06 AM
I'm slowly getting through McMafia and it is fascinating for two reasons.

First, there is a whole lot of discussion of human trafficking and I'm in the middle of season 2 of The Wire so all of the international and domestic trafficking themes are meshing nicely between the book and the show.

Second, the book asserts that there are two major contributing factors to the expansion of international organized crime over the past 20 years. The fall of the USSR (leaving a massive and chaotic economic vacuum) and the deregulation of international financial markets which opened the door to globalization and international money laundering on a stunning scale. Obviously the topic of regulating financial markets is pretty topical, what with the recession that everyone keeps talking about.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on February 15, 2010, 08:20:37 AM
Wait, recession? When the farg did that happen?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on February 15, 2010, 09:12:09 AM
Stephen King-Just After Sunset. A great collection of short stories. I go through one at a time per visit to the can. My kind of reading. King is a great short story writer. Not all authors can do it.

Quote from: Eagles_Legendz on February 01, 2010, 01:45:18 PM
Just read the Gunslinger as part of the Dark Tower series.  It was fun.  Didn't 'wow' me but got me interested enough to read the 2nd book.

I loved the Dark Tower series. It's a sci-fi, horror blend. Why someone hasn't tried to put this story on the big screen I don't know. Most movies from King stories are bad, a few were good, one, The Green Mile, was just plain great, one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's interesting that King started writing the series when he was just 19, and it took 22 years for him to complete the books. He wanted to write something comparable to The Lord of the Rings. I think he surpassed his expectations, and if someone in hollywood could do it right, they'd have a blockbuster series of movies on their hands.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on February 15, 2010, 09:26:57 AM
I have a question just out of curiosity. Does anyone here read a book twice, or maybe even more? I can't do it. I tired it, and I've had to put the book down after a few chapters, Even if it's been years since I origionally read it. With Non-Fiction, I go back to certian chapters just to confirm a fact or event, but thats it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on February 15, 2010, 09:39:39 AM
Why wouldn't you read a great book more than once if it's a pleasure to read?  I've read some books three or four times just because there are passages that make me laugh hysterically.   John Updike's "Rabbit" series is a good example as are the novels of Tom Robbins.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on February 15, 2010, 09:49:38 AM
It just doesn't do it for me if I can't capture the same feeling from reading it the first time.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on February 15, 2010, 10:56:59 AM
Red Mafiya really covered both of those topics well, obviously from the Russian Organized crime standpoint.  I particularly enjoyed when they talked about setting up shill banks to take advantage of the deregulation of the banking system, and milking accounts dry. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on February 15, 2010, 10:58:24 AM
I do with several books. Sometimes because the books are great, other times because it evokes a feeling from a different time in my life. Sort of like an amplified memory.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 15, 2010, 11:39:34 AM
Some books I've read at least a dozen times. I rarely catch everything the first time through, so I get a chance to appreciate good writing a little more. I'm currently on my second go through Terry Pratchett's Unseen Academicals.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 15, 2010, 11:42:16 AM
i've read the same safety magazine cover to cover well over 3 dozen times because no one's put new reading material in the crapper at work since october. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on February 15, 2010, 11:49:20 AM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 15, 2010, 11:42:16 AM
i've read the same safety magazine cover to cover well over 3 dozen times because no one's put new reading material in the crapper at work since october. 

lol!!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on February 15, 2010, 12:33:48 PM
lol @ sassy whacking it to osha.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 15, 2010, 12:37:13 PM
you should see the centerfold.........the chick in there has some of the nicest, most perfectly formed ear plugs i've ever farging seen.   
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 15, 2010, 06:54:11 PM
yeah, of course I re-read books.  I've read Moby Dick three times I think. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 24, 2010, 11:04:03 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on February 15, 2010, 08:10:06 AM
I'm slowly getting through McMafia and it is fascinating for two reasons.

First, there is a whole lot of discussion of human trafficking and I'm in the middle of season 2 of The Wire so all of the international and domestic trafficking themes are meshing nicely between the book and the show.

Second, the book asserts that there are two major contributing factors to the expansion of international organized crime over the past 20 years. The fall of the USSR (leaving a massive and chaotic economic vacuum) and the deregulation of international financial markets which opened the door to globalization and international money laundering on a stunning scale. Obviously the topic of regulating financial markets is pretty topical, what with the recession that everyone keeps talking about.

Finished. Recommended.

Now plowing through Cities of the Plain (McCarthy), which I will probably finish this weekend.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 02, 2010, 09:22:13 PM
I finished Cities of the Plain.

John Grady Cole and Billy Parham have catapulted themselves to the top of my list of favorite literary characters. I've heard and read reviews of this book that claim it pales in comparison to the first two books in the Border Trilogy. Bullshtein. It was phenomenal.

It was so good, and it impacted me so much that I had the urge to read something that was total fluff right away so I wouldn't dwell on the story. 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.

Jesus Christ McCarthy books really farging get in my head.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on March 02, 2010, 09:38:44 PM
Just saw that whole re-read a book convo.

I just re-read The Great Santini for the hell of it. I forgot how much that book pissed me off when I first read it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on March 02, 2010, 11:24:47 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on March 02, 2010, 09:22:13 PM
I finished Cities of the Plain.

John Grady Cole and Billy Parham have catapulted themselves to the top of my list of favorite literary characters. I've heard and read reviews of this book that claim it pales in comparison to the first two books in the Border Trilogy. Bullshtein. It was phenomenal.

It was so good, and it impacted me so much that I had the urge to read something that was total fluff right away so I wouldn't dwell on the story. 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.

Jesus Christ McCarthy books really farging get in my head.

You are one book reading mf. No way I'd have the time with my one page every 2 minutes to read like you do
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Susquehanna Birder on March 03, 2010, 07:41:30 AM

Recently finished "The 5000 Year Leap." It's a bit melodramatic, a tad dry, and it needs to be read with an open mind. I don't agree with some of it, but overall, it has some good concepts about the history and principles of the Constitution.

Now I'm working on two books: "Escape from Cubicle Nation," by Pamela Smart, and "Vision Mongers," by David duChemin. I'm hoping that both of them inspire enough confidence so that I can leave the corporate rat race behind.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 03, 2010, 07:43:04 AM
I have never been able to read more than one book at at time.  I rarely finish either of them and never both. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 03, 2010, 07:44:19 AM
Quote from: shorebird on March 02, 2010, 11:24:47 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on March 02, 2010, 09:22:13 PM
I finished Cities of the Plain.

John Grady Cole and Billy Parham have catapulted themselves to the top of my list of favorite literary characters. I've heard and read reviews of this book that claim it pales in comparison to the first two books in the Border Trilogy. Bullshtein. It was phenomenal.

It was so good, and it impacted me so much that I had the urge to read something that was total fluff right away so I wouldn't dwell on the story. 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.

Jesus Christ McCarthy books really farging get in my head.

You are one book reading mf. No way I'd have the time with my one page every 2 minutes to read like you do

I spend a lot of time on planes/trains.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Susquehanna Birder on March 03, 2010, 07:47:14 AM
Quote from: Diomedes on March 03, 2010, 07:43:04 AM
I have never been able to read more than one book at at time.  I rarely finish either of them and never both. 

Well to be honest, one of them is at work, and the other one is at home, next to the crapper.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 03, 2010, 07:55:41 AM
I read a lot more when I commuted 2.5 hours a day by train.  Nowadays, I drive to work.  Plus, when I get home, I'm physically tired, which ain't exactly conducive to reading.

Then there's the marijuana, video game, and internet habits.  All of which put a hurt on my reading. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Susquehanna Birder on March 03, 2010, 07:58:37 AM
I totally understand. Besides the internet, my main nemesis is the damned television.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 03, 2010, 08:00:04 AM
I def. read less during the NFL season.  And Thursday nights I'm pretty much locked on The First 48.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on March 03, 2010, 01:13:00 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on March 03, 2010, 07:43:04 AM
I have never been able to read more than one book at at time.  I rarely finish either of them and never both. 

ha!  i was just thinking the same thing.  i know i've got some concentration issues because i'm farging lazy as hell and if i tried reading 2 books at the same time, i'd have a hard time seperating them in my head and they'd eventually just merge together and form 1 big story.

besides, i do enough reading here.   
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Susquehanna Birder on March 03, 2010, 02:50:46 PM
I agree. It helps that I'm reading non fiction.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on March 03, 2010, 02:52:27 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on March 03, 2010, 07:55:41 AM
I read a lot more when I commuted 2.5 hours a day by train.  Nowadays, I drive to work.  Plus, when I get home, I'm physically tired, which ain't exactly conducive to reading.

Then there's the marijuana, video game, and internet habits.  All of which put a hurt on my reading. 

Audio books. No shame in them, same exact stuff from the book, with cool sounding folks reading them. I get shteinloads form the public library and use them when I drive anyway, or just lay in a dark room and listen to them to unwind a bit. They also come in MP3 format at the libraries for IPods and the like.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on March 17, 2010, 04:09:18 PM
just finished an outstanding book called the immortal life of henrietta hicks about a dying black women in 1951 who unknowingly had a tissue sample snipped from her cervical cancer tumor by jonhs hopkins doctors...back then no human tissue cells had ever survived in a laboratory but this womens were different...they not only lived but they multiplied at an amazing rate

since then bilions of these hela cells have been used in treatments and cures of numerous diseases...the side story being that while all this happened this womens family remains piss poor and health insuranceless...its basically a real life story of modern medicine  bioethics and race relations
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on March 17, 2010, 05:59:42 PM
Incase you didn't know already...this is probably one of the best threads in teh history of the internet. Ever.

I have purchased some books based on some of your suggestions and they are books I never would have thought of buying.

Keep up the good work bitches! :yay

*now...to make time to read them all.  :-X
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mpmcgraw on March 17, 2010, 06:47:01 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on March 17, 2010, 04:09:18 PM
just finished an outstanding book called the immortal life of henrietta hicks about a dying black women in 1951 who unknowingly had a tissue sample snipped from her cervical cancer tumor by jonhs hopkins doctors...back then no human tissue cells had ever survived in a laboratory but this womens were different...they not only lived but they multiplied at an amazing rate

since then bilions of these hela cells have been used in treatments and cures of numerous diseases...the side story being that while all this happened this womens family remains piss poor and health insuranceless...its basically a real life story of modern medicine  bioethics and race relations
are you sure you didn't just watch the daily show last night and are just pretending you read the book they talked about?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 17, 2010, 07:25:48 PM
Ahem.


OH SNAP!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on March 17, 2010, 09:28:09 PM
Quote from: mpmcgraw on March 17, 2010, 06:47:01 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on March 17, 2010, 04:09:18 PM
just finished an outstanding book called the immortal life of henrietta hicks about a dying black women in 1951 who unknowingly had a tissue sample snipped from her cervical cancer tumor by jonhs hopkins doctors...back then no human tissue cells had ever survived in a laboratory but this womens were different...they not only lived but they multiplied at an amazing rate

since then bilions of these hela cells have been used in treatments and cures of numerous diseases...the side story being that while all this happened this womens family remains piss poor and health insuranceless...its basically a real life story of modern medicine  bioethics and race relations
are you sure you didn't just watch the daily show last night and are just pretending you read the book they talked about?


nope in fact i read the last three chapters at work today...one hand turning the pages the other surfing the net...all paid for by you derelicts

daily show last night was jude law anyway

oh and if youd like i can send it to you....might do your cave dwelling ignorance some good
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MDS on March 17, 2010, 09:29:34 PM
lol @ reading 3 chapters of a book at work

you live in a fantasy world that i want to live in
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on March 17, 2010, 09:30:47 PM
Quote from: KDS on March 17, 2010, 09:29:34 PM
lol @ reading 3 chapters of a book at work

you live in a fantasy world that i want to live in


its all to real my friend and jealousy will get you nowhere
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MDS on March 17, 2010, 09:41:16 PM
then how do i get to be where you are

im in bville covering a high school baseball game living on diet of pasta and tacos
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on March 17, 2010, 09:42:15 PM
www.usajobs.gov
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on March 17, 2010, 10:06:01 PM
Seriously, government office workers do very little work most days. There may be certain crunch times of the year where they're working every minute, but for the most part their quotas can be hit in two hours.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MMH on March 17, 2010, 11:42:04 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on March 17, 2010, 04:09:18 PM
just finished an outstanding book called the immortal life of henrietta hicks about a dying black women in 1951 who unknowingly had a tissue sample snipped from her cervical cancer tumor by jonhs hopkins doctors...back then no human tissue cells had ever survived in a laboratory but this womens were different...they not only lived but they multiplied at an amazing rate

since then bilions of these hela cells have been used in treatments and cures of numerous diseases...the side story being that while all this happened this womens family remains piss poor and health insuranceless...its basically a real life story of modern medicine  bioethics and race relations

I'm gonna nerd out a bit here.  Not only were HeLa cells the first cell line ever to grow in culture, they grow like kudzu.  If you put those cells in an incubator with any other cell line, they somehow migrate and take over all the other lines, suffocate them out.

It's estimated something like 20-30% of all human cell lines are actually HeLa in disguise.  I always figured this was karmic retribution.

And this story isn't anywhere near as bad as the syphilis experiments thing.

I also am not sure what you mean by "used in treatments and cures of numerous diseases".  They are certainly one of the most studied cancer cell lines, but we haven't cured cancer yet, and you can't treat anything with cancer cells.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on March 18, 2010, 07:02:38 AM
Quote from: MMH on March 17, 2010, 11:42:04 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on March 17, 2010, 04:09:18 PM
just finished an outstanding book called the immortal life of henrietta hicks about a dying black women in 1951 who unknowingly had a tissue sample snipped from her cervical cancer tumor by jonhs hopkins doctors...back then no human tissue cells had ever survived in a laboratory but this womens were different...they not only lived but they multiplied at an amazing rate

since then bilions of these hela cells have been used in treatments and cures of numerous diseases...the side story being that while all this happened this womens family remains piss poor and health insuranceless...its basically a real life story of modern medicine  bioethics and race relations

I'm gonna nerd out a bit here.  Not only were HeLa cells the first cell line ever to grow in culture, they grow like kudzu.  If you put those cells in an incubator with any other cell line, they somehow migrate and take over all the other lines, suffocate them out.

It's estimated something like 20-30% of all human cell lines are actually HeLa in disguise.  I always figured this was karmic retribution.

And this story isn't anywhere near as bad as the syphilis experiments thing.

I also am not sure what you mean by "used in treatments and cures of numerous diseases".  They are certainly one of the most studied cancer cell lines, but we haven't cured cancer yet, and you can't treat anything with cancer cells.

slow ya roll son...no one ever said this was the tuskeegee experiment...or that cancer has been cured (it hasnt right?)

hela cells have been used to study far more than cancer....for example they were used by jonas salk when he was coming up with the polio vaccine...and they have been used in over 50,000 scientific studies

read the book it far smarter than i am.....and thats what the thread is for
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on March 18, 2010, 07:19:46 AM
Quote from: General_Failure on March 17, 2010, 10:06:01 PM
Seriously, government office workers do very little work most days. There may be certain crunch times of the year where they're working every minute, but for the most part their quotas can be hit in two hours.

Not mine.

We're so understaffed right now that there's six of us doing the work of legitimately ten appraisers.  It's insane and it's going to get worse.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: smeags on March 18, 2010, 09:30:32 AM
tolkien's silmarillion.

very good book and i hear they may try to make it into a movie.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on April 13, 2010, 09:20:23 AM
not a book but gene weingarten won the pulitzer this week.  he's usually is more of a humor-lighter side of things guy from what i can recall of him, but he won the features category for this column about parents leaving their babies in cars.  pretty intense.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549.html?sid=ST2009030602446 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549.html?sid=ST2009030602446)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 13, 2010, 04:37:40 PM
that's some terrible shtein right there
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on April 13, 2010, 04:43:22 PM
Quote from: smeags on March 18, 2010, 09:30:32 AM
tolkien's silmarillion.

very good book and i hear they may try to make it into a movie.

not sure if it my age when i attempted to read this book, but it was painfully hard to get through. i believe tolkien died when the book was being written and then his son picked it up years later and finished it. either way, it was cool to learn about the history of middle earth, but insanely confusing and even has a glossary of names in the back to keep track of all the damn characters and their relation to characters in the LOTR Trilogy. a bit too much for me at the time. i never finished it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on April 13, 2010, 05:41:57 PM
Quote from: phattymatty on April 13, 2010, 09:20:23 AM
not a book but gene weingarten won the pulitzer this week.  he's usually is more of a humor-lighter side of things guy from what i can recall of him, but he won the features category for this column about parents leaving their babies in cars.  pretty intense.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549.html?sid=ST2009030602446 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549.html?sid=ST2009030602446)

jesus farg man, why the hell would you post that ish?  that's got to be one of the most depressing/rage inducing/creepy things i've ever read.  not to mention that i could probably talk about that article for 3 days straight and be no less confused/sad/angry than i am right now.  then again, he probably won the pulitzer since that article taps into nearly the entire emotional spectrum.  because if you can read that whole thing without feeling a variety of emotions, then you aint human.   
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on April 13, 2010, 06:25:47 PM
tell me about it with the spectrum of emotions, i laughed, giggled, chuckled and smiled knowingly.  i ran the full range.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 13, 2010, 06:28:38 PM
No stiffy, no full spectrum.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on April 13, 2010, 06:31:19 PM
is a stiffy an emotion? 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 13, 2010, 06:35:45 PM
An animated one, yes.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on April 20, 2010, 11:12:36 PM
http://theotherwesmoore.com/

this was written by a buddy of mine from high school.  comes out later this month. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 20, 2010, 11:18:32 PM
You've read this?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on April 20, 2010, 11:25:14 PM
read?  no.  it's not out yet.  but i'll order a copy though.  but i know the story....at least most of it and it should make for a good read.  there's a video preview of the book at the bottom of the bottom of the page. 

i didn't meet moore until high school so i didn't really know him during his "troubled" years but when the light finally came on for this guy, he turned into a serious over achiever.  this dude has accomplished more in the last 10 years than i probably would given 2 life times.  smart guy, but laid back and easy going.  one of those dudes that's so likable, you hate him.  lol. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 22, 2010, 04:16:02 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on March 02, 2010, 09:22:13 PM
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.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 22, 2010, 04:18:01 PM
I recently listened to World War Z on tape and found it pretty weak.  It was written about as well as the cut scenes in a good video game.  So it was mildly entertaining, but not worth half the hype it got from fanboys like you.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 22, 2010, 04:20:31 PM
You need to shut your whore mouth.

Also, books on tape were meant for Charleton Heston reading The Old Man and the Sea, not some schlub (or group of schlubs) reading World War Z. Medium matters.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 22, 2010, 04:21:06 PM
you are to zombies what mds is to the wire
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 22, 2010, 04:22:54 PM
What can I say? I can't wait for those fargers to a)destroy humanity and b)provide me with a guilt free avenue to take advantage of my gun lust.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 22, 2010, 04:29:23 PM
Move to Arizona and you can shoot at trespassing Mexicans all you like.  They're kinda like zombies by the time they get across the desert.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 22, 2010, 04:30:58 PM
I said "guilt free". Now if they were French Canadian, then I'd be on board.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on April 23, 2010, 01:22:21 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on April 22, 2010, 04:20:31 PM
You need to shut your whore mouth.

this made me laugh.

We should all get together and brush our teeth. Naked.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 23, 2010, 09:29:35 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on April 22, 2010, 04:16:02 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on March 02, 2010, 09:22:13 PM
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.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on April 23, 2010, 01:03:34 PM
(http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/9445/51y1y2h2mjlbo2204203200.jpg)

I'm half-way through this right now.

Not McEwan's best but it's not bad.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 23, 2010, 11:44:55 PM
I have been referred a book called Feed (http://www.amazon.com/Feed-Newsflesh-Book-Mira-Grant/dp/0316081051/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272078806&sr=8-3). As I understand it, this is a political thriller with zombies. Sounds like something perfect for rjs, so I'm passing it along.

What exactly I was told about this book:
QuoteWhat's it about? It's about a world twenty years after The Rising, when 100% of the world's population was infected with Kellis-Amberlee and over 30% of them had died from it. It's about a world where the traditional news media isn't trusted as much as the people willing to risk everything to get at the truth: bloggers. It's about a world where George Romero is hailed as the saviour of mankind and children are named in his honour.
Georgia and Shaun Mason - one a Newsie (committed to fact untainted by opinion) and one an Irwin (committed to poking dead things with sticks) - are invited to cover a presidential candidate's campaign across the US.
It's a political thriller with a healthy dose of realistic technology, blogging, ratings, violence, virology, humour and, of course, zombies.

This isn't a zombie book. It's a political book with zombies and it's the best damn thing I've read all year.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 23, 2010, 11:49:53 PM
Ooh, its got bloggers. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on April 27, 2010, 11:46:03 AM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on April 20, 2010, 11:12:36 PM
http://theotherwesmoore.com/

this was written by a buddy of mine from high school.  comes out later this month. 

for rusty - he'll be on oprah today pimping his book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 27, 2010, 12:02:00 PM
I love her so much.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on April 27, 2010, 10:38:54 PM
i know what you like.  we're soulmates bra!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on May 07, 2010, 09:47:28 AM
I finished War Without Death: A Year of Extreme Competition in Pro Football's NFC East last night.

It was fun to relive the 2006 season with a little bit of hindsight for perspective. There isn't really a lot of insight into the teams that rabid fans wouldn't already have gleaned by now, but there is a lot of lockerroom / front office coverage which was interesting. There was a whole lot of talk about labor negotiations and strife between NFL owners, which was sort of interesting, but got old quickly. Mostly it was great to read the author try with all of his might to offer balanced reporting of the four NFC East teams when he clearly thinks that Jerry Jones is an eccentric weirdo, Dan Snyder is a clueless bully and Wellington Mara is a God among men (he seems largely complimentary but ambivalent about Lurie).

Anyway, like I said, it was fun to read. Not great, not bad at all. Recommended for fans, of course.

Oh, and Scott Young needs to die screaming.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on May 07, 2010, 10:33:40 PM
(http://www.nflcombinetraining.com/images/scott.jpg)

RUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSTY!!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on May 21, 2010, 12:20:26 PM
just finished columbine by dave cullen

the best true crime book ive ever read if you are into that kind of stuff...it was incredible


(http://spillitsister.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/columbine-cover.jpg)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on May 25, 2010, 08:00:13 AM
I assume you have not read Truman Capote's In Cold Blood then.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on May 25, 2010, 08:06:05 AM
i have and columbine is better...both are awesome tho

in cold blood is iffy as to what parts are true crime and what parts are novelistic

what makes columbine so good is the depth of which the author goes into the lives of all the people involved and the crime itself...much of the time it reads like a police investigation report...but one with personality and heart...never at any point are you questioning whether or not this happened exactly as hes telling it
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on May 25, 2010, 08:09:27 AM
Quote from: ice grillin you on May 25, 2010, 08:06:05 AM...columbine is better...

I very much doubt it, but okay.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on May 25, 2010, 08:12:01 AM
as a tru crime book it is

if youre talking about quality of writing well im sure truman capote is a better writer than a ny times newspaper columnist

but im a neanderthal and i dont care about things like sentence structure and prose
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on May 25, 2010, 08:20:55 AM
Hey, it's possible the book is better.  What do I know, I haven't read it.   Maybe someday I will, though I don't really care about those kids or that story at all. 

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on May 25, 2010, 04:05:11 PM
Just picked up Tinkers by Paul Harding. It got the Pulitzer for fiction in 2009.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on May 25, 2010, 06:03:08 PM
I'm reading Dracula by Bram Stoker and it is farging awesome.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on May 25, 2010, 06:48:16 PM
Were the Twilight books all sold out?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on May 25, 2010, 07:03:27 PM
Yes.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on May 25, 2010, 07:08:20 PM
But you reserved a copy, right? 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on May 25, 2010, 07:21:55 PM
Why reserve a copy of a book that I already have memorized?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on May 25, 2010, 07:24:13 PM
For dry humping. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on May 27, 2010, 05:29:50 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on May 25, 2010, 06:03:08 PM
I'm reading Dracula by Bram Stoker and it is farging awesome.

For the first time?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on May 27, 2010, 07:18:36 AM
check out the big brain on brad!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on June 13, 2010, 06:27:52 PM
I picked up some new books for the first time in forever.

Zodiac by Neal Stephenson
Feed by Mira Grant
World War Z by Max Brooks

These should last me about a week.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on June 13, 2010, 06:54:43 PM
Stephenson...that's the guy who writes the fictional thrillers chock full of scientific greats, etc?

World War Z...not much better than a well flushed out back story for a zombie video game.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on June 13, 2010, 07:04:19 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on June 13, 2010, 06:54:43 PM
Stephenson...that's the guy who writes the fictional thrillers chock full of scientific greats, etc?


And also books about science monks meeting inter-dimensional travelers.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on June 13, 2010, 07:05:24 PM
What Dio means to say is World War Z is awesome and needs to be made into a movie ASAP


I just read the two Gears of War Books that had been written by Karen Traviss, who wrote the story for the upcoming 3rd game, that go along with the story. Makes me both extremely nerdy, and even more interested than I already was in the story. Good stuff. The 3rd one comes out August 31st. Then a 4th to follow it that's supposed to lead right into the 3rd game when it comes out in April
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on June 13, 2010, 08:38:32 PM
Bought the wife a Barnes & Noble Nook thing today.  Pretty cool.  Also have a Kindle on the way, so she can compare side by side and return the one she likes less.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on June 14, 2010, 07:57:08 AM
the immortal life of henrietta lacks is going to be an hbo movie next year
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: charlie on June 14, 2010, 09:03:33 AM
Quote from: FastFreddie on June 13, 2010, 08:38:32 PM
Bought the wife a Barnes & Noble Nook thing today.  Pretty cool.  Also have a Kindle on the way, so she can compare side by side and return the one she likes less.

I read a ton. Probably 30-40 books a year. I don't get the appeal of just one of those things... let alone two of them.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on June 15, 2010, 03:39:07 PM
Finished reading Feed today. Sure enough, it is a political/zombie thriller just like I was told. I wasn't expecting much, but it turned out to be a pretty good book. It has a tendency to rehash some topics a bit too much, but considering I tore through a 570 page book in two days I can't say it made the story less interesting.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 15, 2010, 03:40:10 PM
I'm at the beach and trying really really hard to read Chicks in Chainmail. It's a bit too political for me. Seriously.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 15, 2010, 03:42:18 PM
Oh, and I finished Dracula and it was awesome. I usually despise turn of the century English literature but this was so good.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on June 15, 2010, 06:50:29 PM
My testicles shrink a little every time you guys post how much you read.  :boom
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on June 15, 2010, 08:20:49 PM
That's the point, isn't it?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: shorebird on June 16, 2010, 09:11:48 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on June 15, 2010, 03:42:18 PM
Oh, and I finished Dracula and it was awesome. I usually despise turn of the century English literature but this was so good.

Have you read Mary Shelly's Frankenstien?? Just as good. One of the amazing things about it is that she was only eighteen when she wrote it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on June 19, 2010, 12:23:38 AM
Finally finished Neal Stephenson's Zodiac. The story is about a chemist working for some tree hugger organization, taking his boat around Boston Harbor looking for dumped chemicals. A hell of a lot more entertaining than Anathem was, but I know I have to read it again. I always seem to miss important things in Stephenson's books.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on June 19, 2010, 09:51:58 AM
the movie zodiac might be the most underrated picture ever
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on June 19, 2010, 09:53:23 AM
MOST BEST WORST EVER!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on June 19, 2010, 10:00:22 AM
precisely
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on June 19, 2010, 10:05:18 AM
i'm almost through solar by ian mcewan.  the protagonist, michael beard, is the sort of character i'd love to punch in the face repeatedly.   
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on June 21, 2010, 06:33:19 PM
I took a cue from rjs and took up "McMafia"...I just finised the intro and Chapter 1 regarding Ilya Pavlov, Bulgaria, and post-cummunist Eastern Europe...all I can say is farging wow. I'm getting ready to divulge into another chapter here now...but I'm hoping it finishes as good as it has started.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on June 21, 2010, 06:54:46 PM
You're getting ready to delve into another chapter.

Long ago, you thought it was a good idea to divulge your semen thirst to :CF and we remember well.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on June 21, 2010, 08:44:06 PM
Yes...that.  :paranoid

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 21, 2010, 08:52:37 PM
Parts of that book are fascinating and others are a little dry, but it is an exceptional book overall.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on June 22, 2010, 08:28:21 AM
just finished "Grasping for Airtime" by Jay Mohr about his two years on Saturday Night Live.  it's a decent read, little short.  a lot of it ends up being him talking about his panic disorder and how the disorganization of the show enhanced that.  good stories about Chris Farley who appears to be every bit of the good guy people say he was.  David Spade and Rob Schneider appear to be douches, which is not hard to believe.


starting War Without Death now, the book RJS recommended about the NFC East in 2006.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on June 22, 2010, 10:01:25 AM
i've been trying to read chuck palahniuk's new one, pygmy, but it's easily the hardest book in the world to read. it's from the point of view of a 12 year old foreign kid, so you literally have to translate his literal english every sentence. its like the entire book was translated from a different language to babelfish and then on to the page. it gets easier as the book goes on but it doesn't seem like a fun enough read to even bother anymore. i'll finish it but farg this guy.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on June 22, 2010, 10:08:53 AM
the same feeling I have for Joyce:  farg this smug icehole.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on June 22, 2010, 01:46:36 PM
Quote from: SunMo on June 22, 2010, 08:28:21 AM
just finished "Grasping for Airtime" by Jay Mohr about his two years on Saturday Night Live.  it's a decent read, little short.  a lot of it ends up being him talking about his panic disorder and how the disorganization of the show enhanced that.  good stories about Chris Farley who appears to be every bit of the good guy people say he was.  David Spade and Rob Schneider appear to be douches, which is not hard to believe.


starting War Without Death now, the book RJS recommended about the NFC East in 2006.

War Without Death is $4.48 on Amazon.

I'm ordering it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on July 13, 2010, 04:10:44 PM
It took three weeks to finish it but I'm finally done Solar.

Nothing happens in the end.  NOTHING.  It just ends.

angerragehatemurderdeathkill.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on July 13, 2010, 04:13:58 PM
Quote from: SunMo on June 22, 2010, 08:28:21 AM
j
starting War Without Death now, the book RJS recommended about the NFC East in 2006.

very good book.  my only complaint is that it dealt a little too much in labor relations and the offseason.  that was two-thirds of the book.  the regular season was really glossed over and i would've liked a little more detail about locker room interactions during the year and stuff like that.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on July 17, 2010, 11:08:24 AM
been reading this book lately called the evolution of artificial light...which pretty much traces the history of man made light and its intended and unintended consequences...sounds really boring but its pretty fascinating
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on July 17, 2010, 11:19:10 AM
just figured out that something cant be pretty fascinating....the book is really interesting
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on July 17, 2010, 11:28:15 AM
tool
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on July 17, 2010, 12:46:51 PM
Started reading Hunter Thompson's Hells Angels. Great so far.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on July 17, 2010, 12:50:07 PM
hunter thompson writes some non fiction doesnt he...like a lot of his books are biographical and memoirs arent they...or am i way off and they are all novels
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on July 17, 2010, 12:55:44 PM
please tell me you're kidding.

please?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on July 17, 2010, 01:02:56 PM
i dont get it
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on July 19, 2010, 02:48:36 PM
Just finished RJS's recommended "McMafia".

Definitely one of the best books I've read in terms of opening your eyes on how the world works. There are so many subjects you can delve into just from this book alone. You'll be smarter for having read this book.

Some parts of the book that I found interesting:

1. The correlation of the growth of organized crime and the fall of the Soviet Union
2. Post-Apartheid South Africa and how it is divvied up.
3. The impotence of law enforcement throughout the world to in regards to organized crime
4. The willingness of Gov'ts to turn a blind eye when it favors them in regards to organized crime
5. The Yakuza in Japan (also the fact that japanese prostitutes are off limits to foreigners...and the number of Columbian women trafficked into Japan)
6. Canada. How High?
7. China. Scary.
8. Columbia. Made it seem like mission impossible there.
9. U.S. Policy and its effects throughout the whole world on crime, money laundering, financial networks, etc.
10. The Balkans
11. Israel and human trafficking and its brothels

I can continue...I recommend this book as did rjs. If anything you'll have a better grasp of what is going on out there.

9 of 10 for overall value it gives you.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on July 19, 2010, 04:05:18 PM
I recently learned that organized criminal gang leaders will pay to have some very valuable art stolen and stashed, not so they can sell it for money, but so that, in the event the gang leader is popped for something else like racketeering, he can say to the cops...find a way to lower my sentence and I might remember where that Rembrandt is stashed.  And it works.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 29, 2010, 01:47:30 PM
I finished Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis and The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss on my most recent trip.

Less Than Zero is excellent in that way that only Ellis can pull off. Hopeless. Nihilistic. Awful. But somehow a page turner.

The 4 Hour Work Week will change some people's lives. I'm still working out what I can apply to my own life, but there's no doubt that this guy is on to something. It's geared more towards entrepreneurs, but a lot of the principles can be applied to anyone's life. Good stuff. I'll be rereading.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on July 29, 2010, 02:04:00 PM
im guessing this is why you read it but the sequel to less than zero just came out
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 29, 2010, 02:10:31 PM
That, combined with the fact that The Rules of Attraction has been on Showtime a bunch this month, reminded me that I've been meaning to check out more of his stuff. Also picked up The Rules of Attraction and am about halfway through that.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on July 29, 2010, 02:12:34 PM
I'm convinced you are a demon rjs. It explains why:

a) You are miserable
b) You read so much in so little time
c) Your association with Zombies
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MURP on July 29, 2010, 04:28:51 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on July 29, 2010, 01:47:30 PM


The 4 Hour Work Week will change some people's lives. I'm still working out what I can apply to my own life, but there's no doubt that this guy is on to something. It's geared more towards entrepreneurs, but a lot of the principles can be applied to anyone's life. Good stuff. I'll be rereading.

Ferriss has a good blog with more info as well.

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 29, 2010, 04:48:58 PM
The blog, with its tools, ideas, tips and stories actually looks like it has the potential to be just as interesting and far more practically useful than the book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on July 29, 2010, 05:16:47 PM
shut up
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on July 29, 2010, 08:08:02 PM
Touche. Classic point/counterpoint.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 29, 2010, 09:15:38 PM
I feel like Matt is struggling with what he really wants to say.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on July 29, 2010, 09:39:12 PM
he's expressing my opinion nicely
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on July 29, 2010, 09:45:53 PM
Somebody got stonewalled at the milking room today.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on July 29, 2010, 11:51:32 PM
Quote from: phattymatty on July 29, 2010, 05:16:47 PM
shut up STOP DRINKING

Could it be any clearer?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on August 09, 2010, 03:22:31 PM
I finished The Rules of Attraction a few days ago. Meh.

The main character in Less Than Zero seemed to be lost and nihilistic but at least aware enough to see and acknowledge what he was. These characters are just as empty but completely lacking any awareness of how uninteresting they are. The book was fine, I guess, and totally got its point across, but I wouldn't really recommend it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on August 09, 2010, 03:39:17 PM
Less Than Zero is one of the few books I've read that is actually worse than the movie.

Also - I started reading Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross this weekend.  It's actually fairly stunning how good it is so far.  I'm about 100 pages in and plan on finishing it this week...

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on August 12, 2010, 10:43:39 AM
Currently reading The Garden of Eden by Hemmingway.

It's got lesbians.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on August 12, 2010, 10:54:36 AM
Madame and Eve, not Adam and Steve?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: joneszilla on August 20, 2010, 10:13:18 AM
I read 'Wolf Hall'  by Hilary Mantel last month.  Excellent.   :yay    Even better IMO than the only other book I read by her called 'A Place of Greater Safety', which was pretty good.  I usually read historical fiction novels but I am currently reading 'Gardens of the Moon' to get my fantasy fix b/c I don't think George R.R. Martin will ever write another book, seems he's concentrating on an HBO series based on his books that starts in 2011.  bastich.

I plan to read 'Matterhorn' by Karl Malantes next, I heard good things about it. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on August 27, 2010, 07:04:28 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IS5SVNSxL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)

I saw this at the bookstore the other day while picking up some FF mags. Someone read it and tell me if it's any good, please.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on September 03, 2010, 09:21:03 PM
All quiet on the western front.

One thing that they say is that emotions do not evolve, that our ancestors felt the same emotions as we do now, so I think a lot of what this soldier was going through can apply in modern times. I can understand why this story became so popular. Definitely recommend this read if you want to catch up on some of the 'classics/must read/everyone has read it and I want to be part of the conversation' category.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on September 03, 2010, 10:52:03 PM
The more you read, the longer that list gets.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MMH on September 04, 2010, 03:40:22 PM
'Struth.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on September 04, 2010, 03:54:49 PM
No, I haven't.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on September 15, 2010, 10:11:21 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on August 12, 2010, 10:43:39 AM
Currently reading The Garden of Eden by Hemmingway.

It's got lesbians.

It was good. Tense and strange but so well written. Hemmingway makes me wish I had talent.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on September 16, 2010, 12:49:34 PM
I started reading Zero History by William Gibson yesterday. After not reading him for so long, I'd forgotten what a brick wall his style is. It might take me a couple weeks to finish it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: joneszilla on September 16, 2010, 03:34:41 PM
I like Gibson.  Dio actually put me on to him. 

The best book i've read in the last few years is Shogun by James Clavell.  It's an amazing read. The kind of book you never want to end.  :yay  Clavell's Tai Pan was also excellent.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on September 19, 2010, 04:49:10 PM
Powered through the rest of Zero History last night. Better than Spook Country, not quite as good as Pattern Recognition. It would be nice to see him write something other than "Rich guy hires protagonist to find someone for no particular reason" but he does it pretty well. With the number of returning characters, it felt like fan service at times.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on September 19, 2010, 07:50:51 PM
I tired of his style, but I'll be forever well disposed towards him on account of his earlier works which I read when I was young, and which completely captivated my imagination.  He likes the word 'some' way too much.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on September 19, 2010, 07:59:56 PM
At least he's stopped using the word polychrome.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on September 22, 2010, 09:27:20 AM
Just started reading Darwin and the Bible by Richard Robbins.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on October 03, 2010, 10:01:40 AM
I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett. Alzheimer's hasn't slowed him down any, as he's still putting out a new book every year. This one wraps up a few loose ends from previous books, but with the number of old characters showing up it felt like fan service at times.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on November 02, 2010, 05:33:25 PM
I'm reading the Walking Dead graphic novel, it's really good.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on November 09, 2010, 02:52:28 PM
I'm reading The Passage (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/08/AR2010060804591.html) by Justin Cronin right now. First hard cover book I've bought since World War Z. This time, it's a Vampire Apocalypse and holy shtein is it awesome.

Ridley Scott has already bought the movie rights. Boing.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on November 09, 2010, 03:00:26 PM
Brad Pitt has owned the movie rights to World War Z for a few years now...wish a real director would have bought it, maybe it'd move along faster
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: reese125 on November 09, 2010, 08:10:36 PM
Pat Kirwan's book-Take Your Eye Off the Ball: How to Watch Football by Knowing Where to Look

Phenomenal stuff.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on November 09, 2010, 09:04:16 PM
Oh yeah I can't wait to get into it. I'm waiting until I hop on the plane in a week.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on December 01, 2010, 03:17:27 PM
Child of God by McCarthy. Another brutal story written in a way that makes it impossible to put down. Actually it's more a character study than anything. What happens when you're poor, uneducated, forgotten by society and prone to self serving acts of meanness and violence? Lester Ballard happens.

Fantastically written as always but not as enjoyable as his other works. Outer Dark is next.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Eagaholic on December 01, 2010, 03:33:11 PM
Quote from: reese125 on November 09, 2010, 08:10:36 PM
Pat Kirwan's book-Take Your Eye Off the Ball: How to Watch Football by Knowing Where to Look

Phenomenal stuff.

Fills a sore need of taking even hardcore fans to the next level of understanding the game with info that isn't otherwise easily available.

Kirwin does a better job as an analyst using just the medium of radio than probably any guy on tv, and I'd include Jaws in that. He's all the better with the book, which is an easy read as well. You learn about as much as possible without having to actually study. Now if someone could just get him off Gil Brandt's shrived, senile 90 year old dick.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on December 01, 2010, 03:43:31 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on December 01, 2010, 03:17:27 PM
Actually it's more a character study than anything. What happens when you're poor, uneducated, forgotten by society and prone self serving acts of meanness and violence? Lester Ballard happens.

or charles starkweather

read caril by ninette beaver.....its awesome and best of all true
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on January 05, 2011, 10:03:00 AM
i just got done Jackie McMullen's book about Magic and Bird.  great read.

NFL Unplugged by Gargano is next

also got Chuck Gormley's Flyers book and Lincoln Unmasked from my girl for christmas
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on February 07, 2011, 12:57:08 PM
just finished this....

(http://flickamag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/the-wave.jpg)

really good and interesting read...

and the author is quite milfy

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-november-30-2010/susan-casey
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on February 07, 2011, 06:43:59 PM
I don't which is funnier:  the fact that you read a book or you read one about waves.

Either way, I'm proud of you.

And yes, it's a fantastic book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: reese125 on February 07, 2011, 07:50:43 PM
this reminds me of the movie Billabong Odessey-- which was awesome.

you want the real deal...here it is. hold your nuts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdFBtHU-SmU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdFBtHU-SmU)

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on February 08, 2011, 07:23:13 AM
Quote from: Rome on February 07, 2011, 06:43:59 PM
I don't which is funnier:  the fact that you read a book or you read one about waves.

Either way, I'm proud of you.

And yes, it's a fantastic book.

thanks pops

that shtein about the pieces of glacier falling into the bay in alaska and causing 1700 foot waves is effing amazing
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 10, 2011, 04:22:33 PM
About four years ago I picked up Poker Face by Katy Lederer (Howard Lederer and Annie Duke's little sister). I thought it sucked so put it down. Then recently I saw it sitting there taunting me and decided to try again. Terrible idea.

Pretend that you're reading a Ben Mezrich book (he wrote Bringing Down the House, Accidental Billionaires, Ugly Americans, etc). It's all about smart young people, doing shady shtein and getting rich. Only, instead of Mezrich gleefully guiding you through a sordid life of excess, Lederer is appalled and sickened by the things around her (she even cringes at her own participation in the shadiness) and desperately wants the reader to be appalled too. There's no fun behind the writing. It's just bitterness and judgement. 'Wah, my brother and sister were mean to me when I was young (sort of) and now they make gobs of money playing games instead of having normal jobs. Wah wah wah.' Shut up, Katy Lederer. To make matters worse she sprinkles in flowery observations about her surroundings as though she can barely contain her desire to write unbearably sappy poetry. Just stop it already. (By the way, she does actually write sappy poetry and has had some of it published. Why.)

If you're a curmudgeonly, judgemental old hag who bregrudges the people around them their successes and happinesses this book is for you. If you aren't an awful person who sucks at life, skip it
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: reese125 on February 10, 2011, 04:31:21 PM
what-did you think you were buying a book on poker tips? what was written in on the back of the book that possessed you to buy it?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 10, 2011, 04:32:38 PM
It was given to me and I hate not finishing books. Smart guy.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 10, 2011, 04:37:20 PM
I've read a lot of terrible books because of that habit. The only thing I can remember not finishing was the Lord of the Rings books. Tom fargin' Bombadil.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 10, 2011, 04:42:08 PM
I have a friend who stopped reading at that point in the books too and hasn't shut up about for the last 10 years. Shut up about it already. Tom Bmbadil is not important. Get past it.

Anyway, I have several books that I've started but not finished (The Man in the High Tower, Cryptonomicon, The Moor's Last Sigh, Fast Food Nation, etc) and I plan on getting to the bottom of all of them goddamnit.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on February 26, 2011, 08:53:34 PM
I finished Hunger Games today, really great book.  Took me about 3 hours total reading to finish it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Eagaholic on February 28, 2011, 10:46:51 PM
I'm reading "Learn Just Enough to Get Laid."  It's a well written and thought provoking work by DeAngelo and Emmett.  

I just opened to the chapter on cooking and it has a nice section on how to properly boil water. Pot selection is a key element and I learned to always turn the heat knob to high rather than medium or low. It boils faster and the full rotation creates muscle memory for how to properly arouse a nipple. I'm looking forward to the next section "Eat, Pray, Masturbate; what definitely not to serve (so I'll probably play it safe and stick with the water). OK, back to the stove for some knob practice.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 01, 2011, 06:57:33 AM
lol, bizarre
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 10, 2011, 08:26:38 PM
Meld a painstaking historical novel about the failed British Royal Navy Discover Service attempt to find the Northwest Passage by Sir John Franklin in the mid 1800's with, for lack of a better way to say it, a Stephen King horror novel, and you get Terror, by Dan Simmons.

I got lost in this book for a month or so and loved every minute of it.  Serious literature this isn't, though.  The writing does the job but it's nothing special.  Simmons' research into the history of the expedition is however spot on, from what I can tell.  I knew a bit about it already from other reading and since reading this I've looked into it more.  Not a single thing I've looked up was wrong, from Inuit diet to the locations of graves and names of sailors buried in the ice.

I've always like sea novels, and survival stories, and now I'm very much interested in learning about the man who eventually made the first successful passage through the arctic, Roald Amundsen (sp?).

I didn't like the ending as much now as I would have when I was 16, but whatever.  It was a good read. 

Short it ain't, so if you're ADD or stupid, don't even think about it. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on March 10, 2011, 09:04:10 PM
On a lark I picked up Naked Lunch from my bookcase & started reading it again.

Jesus Christ Burroughs was a lunatic.  Great stuff, though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 11, 2011, 11:51:57 AM
I'm currently reading Cryptonomicon. It's really enjoyable but like 1200 pages long. Bah.

Also, just came across this (http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/11/leading-atheist-publishes-secular-bible/), which I will definitely be checking out.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 11, 2011, 07:52:17 PM
I'm surprised you care enough to even consider looking at that book.  

what I mean is I don't care at all what the "leading" christians, muslims, or hindus have to say, why should I care about what a "leading" atheist has to say

farg them all and their grinding axes
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Eagles_Legendz on April 11, 2011, 08:26:15 PM
Read all 4 of the Song of Ice and Fire books in the last month.  Last one was meh but the first three were pretty awesome.  I'm very much looking forward to Game of Thrones now.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 12, 2011, 09:13:24 AM
Quote from: Diomedes on April 11, 2011, 07:52:17 PM
I'm surprised you care enough to even consider looking at that book. 

what I mean is I don't care at all what the "leading" christians, muslims, or hindus have to say, why should I care about what a "leading" atheist has to say

farg them all and their grinding axes

I'm suprised that you wouldn't have any interest, as a parent. I know I'm barking up the wrong tree with you, but religion generally provides positive messages in the way of morality and treating yourself and others well. When you get into the specifics and the zealotry it inspires hatred and a lack of understanding. Seems to me that this Atheist bible could cover the good while filtering out the bad parts of religion.

Anyway, that's just a long way of saying farg You, Dick.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 12, 2011, 05:02:55 PM
I'm so awesome that I don't need a god, a holy book, or an atheist manifesto, to raise my son to become a decent man.  Reason, which his parents possess in sufficient supply, can lead the way just fine thanks.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on April 12, 2011, 05:07:41 PM
Agreed.

Self analysis, and a perspective on life. A connection of the self and the universe is all that is needed. Spirituality doesn't include or exclude deitys or a fantasy land after-life. It becomes what you think it is.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 12, 2011, 05:54:44 PM
Seems to me that this book focuses on reason, which is exactly what you're espousing. Stop being contrarian.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 12, 2011, 06:16:56 PM
A book about atheism, or by a "leading" atheist, is just a damn book by someone trying to make some money.  What is so farging hard to understand here?  I have as little interest in reading an atheist book as I do a christian book.  

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 12, 2011, 06:23:55 PM
Oh I get it. I just think your rationale is misguided.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 12, 2011, 06:36:21 PM
Probably so but I'm sticking to it, Friend of Smart People.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 12, 2011, 06:49:00 PM
I answer to iPhone-owner or Alero-rocker these days. Try to keep up.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on April 12, 2011, 06:51:46 PM
How 'bout iLero doosh?  Pretty much sums it all up. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 12, 2011, 06:53:47 PM
Also acceptable.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 12, 2011, 06:55:38 PM
Maybe you should change the shocks on that Alero.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MDS on May 11, 2011, 02:08:22 AM
just finished play their hearts out, a book chronicling an AAU team from the time they started (10/11 years old) to their high school graduations.

ill keep it short: if you like basketball, even remotely, you need to read this book. unbelievable depth of reporting and detail about not only these kids' lives, but the disgusting AAU scene and the god-awful people who run it. weve all heard some stuff about this life and now here it is, clear as day.

i realize im on the wrong board trying to get people to talk hoops but this is easily the best sports book of the last decade.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Don Ho on May 11, 2011, 04:06:58 AM
Thanks Todd.  I need to read this.  I coach Freshman basketball and club ball.  I do it for the fun of it but my god the shtein you see is disgusting.  9 out of every 10 parents thinks their kid is the next Michael Jordon.   
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on May 11, 2011, 05:58:54 AM
Even I've heard AAU is a corrupt organization, and I don't really understand what it is.  The old man across the street, born and raised on the block, a local star in sports in his time, spits when AAU is mentioned in conversation.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on May 11, 2011, 06:42:45 AM
Quote from: MDS on May 11, 2011, 02:08:22 AM
just finished play their hearts out, a book chronicling an AAU team from the time they started (10/11 years old) to their high school graduations.

ill keep it short: if you like basketball, even remotely, you need to read this book. unbelievable depth of reporting and detail about not only these kids' lives, but the disgusting AAU scene and the god-awful people who run it. weve all heard some stuff about this life and now here it is, clear as day.

i realize im on the wrong board trying to get people to talk hoops but this is easily the best sports book of the last decade.

For some reason...you don't come across as a hoops-faring person.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MDS on May 11, 2011, 02:39:56 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on May 11, 2011, 05:58:54 AM
Even I've heard AAU is a corrupt organization, and I don't really understand what it is.  The old man across the street, born and raised on the block, a local star in sports in his time, spits when AAU is mentioned in conversation.

the top of AAU is run by people like pat barrett who have massive deals with shoe companies and give away free gear to make all-star teams with the best younger players of his area (for barett its so cal). if 1 or 2 of the guys on your time wind up being big time and you deliver them to USC or whatever school you have relationship with, you get paid. then if that kids make the nba, you get paid.

barrett was, just to site 2 examples, caked off by tyson chandler after he got drafted out of high school and caked off by ucla after he delivered them kevin love. so hes running these teams and pimping these kids out specficially so he can get paid when and if they go pro or make it to top d1 schools.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on May 11, 2011, 03:47:06 PM
when are you going to write your own book on the aau tennis circuit?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on May 11, 2011, 04:14:30 PM
there's a juicy new behind the scenes of ESPN book coming out soon. it's like 700+ pages but I love reading that stuff about the guys we grew up watching on sportscenter.  lots of fun excerpts coming out already...

QuoteYou hear about the "Rug Races?" Well, [redacted] had this place near [redacted] and we used to go out there for meetings a couple times a year. There was a lot of drinking that went on there, a ton of drinking. [Redacted] and his buddies apparently called these hookers and in front of [redacted], he got them to lie naked on the floor on their backs with their legs spread and apparently [redacted] and one of his buddies kneeled down naked in front of them and just started licking them and sort of like pushing them along the floor, with their tongues in the girls' crotches
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on May 11, 2011, 04:16:48 PM
Who the hell licks a hooker?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on May 11, 2011, 04:19:56 PM
Quote from: MDS on May 11, 2011, 02:08:22 AM
just finished play their hearts out, a book chronicling an AAU team from the time they started (10/11 years old) to their high school graduations.

ill keep it short: if you like basketball, even remotely, you need to read this book. unbelievable depth of reporting and detail about not only these kids' lives, but the disgusting AAU scene and the god-awful people who run it. weve all heard some stuff about this life and now here it is, clear as day.

i realize im on the wrong board trying to get people to talk hoops but this is easily the best sports book of the last decade.

Sounds kind of like a new, more in-depth Hoop Dreams....which was an excellent read.  Might have to check this one out. 

Quote from: hbionic on May 11, 2011, 06:42:45 AM
For some reason...you don't come across as a hoops-faring person.

That's because Todd only played AAJew ball. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MDS on May 11, 2011, 05:34:13 PM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on May 11, 2011, 04:19:56 PM
Sounds kind of like a new, more in-depth Hoop Dreams....which was an excellent read.  Might have to check this one out.

its sort of a remake of hoop dreams, very much in the same vein following these kids around. except hoop dreams was really before the AAU circuit took over the game, so in many ways its different. i cant recommend this book enough, its like 400 pages but itll go by quickly.

Quote from: ice grillin you on May 11, 2011, 03:47:06 PM
when are you going to write your own book on the aau tennis circuit?

at least those kids get paid a little bit. p.s. you especially need to read this book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on May 11, 2011, 06:55:37 PM
i have zero interest in something like that
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on May 11, 2011, 07:03:59 PM
Quote from: Zanshin on May 11, 2011, 04:16:48 PM
Who the hell licks a hooker?

I went to a bachelor party that had two strippers....one stuck a lollipop in her cooch and one of the dudes grabbed it from her and stuck it in his mouth.

Bitch was dirty. And so was the stripper.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MDS on May 11, 2011, 07:09:49 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on May 11, 2011, 06:55:37 PM
i have zero interest in something like that

why learn about something you dont know?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on May 11, 2011, 07:16:02 PM
cant know everything about everything so i gotta prioritize and aau basketball doent make the cut
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MDS on May 11, 2011, 07:17:19 PM
it aint aau hoops, its hoops in general. but why do that when you can see horror movies and watch hockey.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on May 11, 2011, 08:36:34 PM
I saw that too about the ESPN story. Supposedly a lot more salacious stories set to come out and Berman, Kolber and Erin Andrews are especially nervous per Deadspin.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on May 11, 2011, 08:40:23 PM
Quote from: MDS on May 11, 2011, 02:08:22 AM
a book chronicling an AAU team from the time they started (10/11 years old) to their high school graduations.

Quote from: MDS on May 11, 2011, 07:17:19 PM
it aint aau hoops


you sure?

a 400 page book about an aau hoops team sounds suicide inducing

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on May 11, 2011, 08:41:46 PM
please please read it
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on May 11, 2011, 08:45:07 PM
im currently reading 'exit the rainmaker' about a well to do well known pillar of southern maryland society who in 1982 one day decided to just up and leave his family friends and life without notice to anyone...im not even half way thru but its great so far

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GX3ZGBFYL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on May 11, 2011, 08:47:53 PM
I heard that you won't be able to put it down.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MDS on May 11, 2011, 08:54:00 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on May 11, 2011, 08:40:23 PMyou sure?

a 400 page book about an aau hoops team sounds suicide inducing

of course its aau but its more than that, dingus. its the way in which every single bball player is brought up. if you want to know why kids are the way they are and want to know why the system is what it is, you can explore that. or you can just...read books about rich people from maryland.

Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on May 11, 2011, 08:36:34 PM
I saw that too about the ESPN story. Supposedly a lot more salacious stories set to come out and Berman, Kolber and Erin Andrews are especially nervous per Deadspin.

already pre-ordered on amazon...i think its somewhere in the 15 buck range.

the erin stuff has be details about all her athletic cock hoggling.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: lurking wierdo on May 12, 2011, 01:37:18 PM
http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/new-childrens-book-go-the-f-to-sleep/ (http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/new-childrens-book-go-the-f-to-sleep/)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on May 25, 2011, 08:57:18 AM
I pre-ordered Those Guys Have All the Fun and it just got delivered to my house...haven't been this excited for a book in a really long time, maybe ever.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on May 25, 2011, 10:04:30 AM
Yeah I ordered it last night. Looking forward to reading it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on June 01, 2011, 01:10:26 PM
I was in a thrift store yesterday and found what looks like a first edition Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance for two dollars.  It's my kid's 11th birthday today so that was one of her presents this morning.  It might be a little too advanced for her but it's such a great book that she can read it when she's ready.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on June 01, 2011, 04:51:13 PM
Quote from: Rome on June 01, 2011, 01:10:26 PM
I forgot it was my kid's birthday and I'm cheap so I went to a thrift store and bought my kid a book that she will have 0 interest in so I can actually keep it for myself. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on June 21, 2011, 04:37:12 PM
I finished reading Deadline by Mira Grant this week. Second part of a trilogy that started with Feed. The story is still all about zombies and people covering political scandals. I enjoyed it, but a couple of little things that annoyed me carried over from the first book.

I'm currently reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I'm not very far in, but I'm disappointed that it takes itself seriously.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 21, 2011, 04:49:00 PM
I'm about 80% of the way through Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson and it is the most enjoyable book I've read in a long time. It's almost 1200 pages long so it takes some time to get through but holy crap is it good. I've found myself laughing several times and the storylines are completely engrossing.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on June 21, 2011, 04:52:33 PM
If you liked that, check out Quicksilver, The Confusion, and System of the World. Avoid Anathem like the plague.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on June 21, 2011, 08:21:24 PM
I tried one of his books once and just couldn't break through ... if I'm not hooked at page 200...I'm not reading the rest.

Unless it's Dickens Proust or Eliot, in which case I know the payoff is coming and I keep on.

Have I mentioned how much I love Middlemarch?  F'n great book.

I'm in the Steig Larsson trilogy right now, about 200 pages into the second book.  Plot pacing and characters are very good.  Actual writing isn't anything special..it gets the job done but this guy was no Chandler, Ambler, or Hammett.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Eagles_Legendz on June 21, 2011, 08:24:14 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on June 21, 2011, 08:21:24 PM
I tried one of his books once and just couldn't break through ... if I'm not hooked at page 200...I'm not reading the rest.

Unless it's Dickens Proust or Eliot, in which case I know the payoff is coming and I keep on.

Have I mentioned how much I love Middlemarch?  F'n great book.

I'm in the Steig Larsson trilogy right now, about 200 pages into the second book.  Plot pacing and characters are very good.  Actual writing isn't anything special..it gets the job done but this guy was no Chandler, Ambler, or Hammett.

Have only read the first of Larsson's which was very entertaining.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on June 21, 2011, 08:38:20 PM
That's exactly the word.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MMH on June 21, 2011, 11:47:05 PM
Not very polished as an author.  But he winds a good tale.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on June 22, 2011, 08:21:27 AM
I'd read somewhere that his wife did much of the writing.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: charlie on June 22, 2011, 10:24:21 AM
He's also dead, so there's that.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through book 2 as well. I like it more than I thought I would.

I know he started to write a 4th, the family said they'll never finish it for him.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on June 22, 2011, 11:16:46 AM
Quote from: charlie on June 22, 2011, 10:24:21 AM
He's also dead, so there's that.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through book 2 as well. I like it more than I thought I would.

I know he started to write a 4th, the family said they'll never finish it for him.

Hence the "did'.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: lurking wierdo on June 22, 2011, 12:49:59 PM
The Bible
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 22, 2011, 12:59:49 PM
Freak.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on June 22, 2011, 03:08:05 PM
The Bible was the greatest story ever told about good and evil until George Lucas gave us Star Wars. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on June 27, 2011, 08:02:03 PM
Finished reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K Dick. I've tried sitting down to watch Blade Runner any number of times, since it seemed to be a regular thing that popped up on the Sci-Fi channel, but I could never finish it. The book was a lot easier to follow, and pretty enjoyable.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on July 02, 2011, 12:55:51 PM
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. A man sneaks into a house and kills a family, except for a baby who escapes and winds up at a nearby graveyard. The ghosts and other people of the graveyard decide to raise the baby themselves.

There's something about Gaiman as a person that I don't like, and I can't quite put my finger on it, but his books are always good.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on July 09, 2011, 03:46:37 PM
Slaughterhouse Five. It took me a while to get around to this one, but I'm glad I did. Sure as hell wasn't what I was expecting, but it was great to read.

Starship Troopers. Typical preachy Heinlein, but I can see why people shtein all over the movie adaptation. I don't think it would be possible to make a movie true to the book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on July 09, 2011, 04:36:23 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on July 09, 2011, 03:46:37 PM
Slaughterhouse Five. It took me a while to get around to this one, but I'm glad I did. Sure as hell wasn't what I was expecting, but it was great to read.

I'm a big Vonnegut fan. Slaughterhouse Five is one of the top 10 books I've ever read. Cats Cradle and Breakfast of Champions are my two favorite books by Vonnegut.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on July 09, 2011, 05:28:58 PM
All this happened, more or less.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on July 11, 2011, 05:44:11 PM
Halfway through Fahrenheit 451, and I'm not sure that I can finish. This is the most depressing book I can remember reading.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on July 11, 2011, 05:56:44 PM
But it's got a happy ending.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 11, 2011, 06:32:50 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on July 11, 2011, 05:44:11 PM
Halfway through Fahrenheit 451, and I'm not sure that I can finish. This is the most depressing book I can remember reading.

I loved the first half of that book and struggled with the rest but it's worth finishing.

Also I finished Cryptonomicon and farging loved it. Bobby Shaftoe for president.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MMH on July 11, 2011, 10:26:40 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on July 11, 2011, 05:44:11 PM
Halfway through Fahrenheit 451, and I'm not sure that I can finish. This is the most depressing book I can remember reading.

If you're looking for gouge your eyes out depressing, try Michael Moorcock.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on July 11, 2011, 10:30:50 PM
Or, just take seriously any part of what you read at :CF.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on July 18, 2011, 11:12:05 AM
finished the ESPN book a few days ago. almost 800 pages. solid read though not nearly as scandalous as they hyped it up to be. still interesting as a sports fan though.

i've never read any of these nerd trilogy books but i just picked up RR Martin's Game of Thrones...Clash of Kings etc. four pack for summer vacation reading. i'm sure someone here had read them all. any good?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: mussa on July 18, 2011, 11:15:00 AM
Im 200 pages into the first book and it's starting to get good. I got the 4 book deal as well. It can be sort of overwhelming at first but eventually you start to memorize characters and how they are all connected in the story.  :yay
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on July 19, 2011, 09:17:49 AM
I'm half way through Game of Thrones, the show was as faithful to the literature as any adaptation i can remember.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on July 19, 2011, 09:09:40 PM
Anyone read Carl Jung's Red Book?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on August 21, 2011, 11:22:14 PM
I do a lot of reading on my tablet these days, but I haven't been able to get books for it easily. The thing is set up to work with Barnes & Noble's online deal, but they don't accept paypal, so I've been reading a lot of pirated and public domain books, none that have been very interesting.

So I finally got around to looking up how to remove Amazon's DRM from their Kindle books and bought a couple. First up is Zoo City by Lauren Beukes. I'm only a couple chapters in, but I'm enjoying it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Zanshin on August 22, 2011, 12:03:57 PM
My wife has a Nook and I read on my Droid X. You can find just about any book you want in torrents. Do a search on BTjunkie.com....you'll find thousands and thousands of books.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on September 10, 2011, 05:58:10 PM
I just read Everything We Had, "by" Al Santoli.  I use quotes there because it is actually not written by Santoli:  the book is a collection of oral histories from 33 different Vietnam Veterans about their service in that conflict.  I'm not a Vietnam buff or anything, it just kind of landed in my pile and I read it.

Holy crap, the U.S. had no business in Vietnam. 

Vietnam.  Iraq.  Afghanistan. 

We have got to stop invading and nation-building.  The waste of money and humanity is staggering.

It's worth a read, and goes pretty quick because of all the different vignettes and perspectives.  Some very moving stuff in there.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on September 10, 2011, 06:26:05 PM
We didn't belong in Iraq or Vietnam, I agree.

Afghanistan is another matter.  Those iceholes harbored the bastiches who directly attacked us and therefore should have reaped total farging catastrophe from us.

Should we have been there for 10 years?  No.  Obviously not.  Bush and his gang of thugs royally farged up a relatively simple mission and Obama has continued on with that clusterfarg despite promising to end it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on September 10, 2011, 07:02:06 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on September 10, 2011, 05:58:10 PM
I just read Everything We Had, "by" Al Santoli.  I use quotes there because it is actually not written by Santoli:  the book is a collection of oral histories from 33 different Vietnam Veterans about their service in that conflict.  I'm not a Vietnam buff or anything, it just kind of landed in my pile and I read it.

Holy crap, the U.S. had no business in Vietnam. 

Vietnam.  Iraq.  Afghanistan. 

We have got to stop invading and nation-building.  The waste of money and humanity is staggering.

It's worth a read, and goes pretty quick because of all the different vignettes and perspectives.  Some very moving stuff in there.

My politics have become almost a nihilistic resignation, but with all the posturing about balancing the budget and cutting spending, this seems to be the common sense approach.

Stop invading nations for the purposes of regime change or "promoting democracy."  We've been longer "rebuilding" Iraq that we did Japan, and we freakin' nuked them for goodness sake.

Stop trying to police the world, reduce our military to a defensive force, with the ability to ratchet it back up in case of emergency.  Right now, the biggest bullies of the world appear to be us, and that causes more problems than it causes.

Take some of that infrastructure money and invest it on our own damn crumbling roads, bridges, and economy.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: MMH on September 10, 2011, 07:16:15 PM
Agree.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on September 10, 2011, 07:36:39 PM
Quote from: Rome on September 10, 2011, 06:26:05 PMAfghanistan is another matter....
Should we have been there for 10 years?  No.  Obviously not.  Bush and his gang of thugs royally farged up a relatively simple mission and Obama has continued on with that clusterfarg despite promising to end it.

It most certainly did not have to be an invasion.  A f'n land war in Afghanistan, for Christsake.  Who the hell thinks that is a good idea?  An occupying force, yay America!  Fighting the people we had been arming against a former enemy and then abandonded when it became inconvenient for us to keep helping them...

Awful.


One of the principal things I took away from that book was how much was wasted...an amazing amount of young, smart, energetic life was snuffed out for nothing....and not just the people who died.  The ones who did the killing, the ones who were stuck in the middle of all that...so many of them were wasted by what they did and saw..imagine what all those people could have been.   On all sides.

F'n pointless.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on October 21, 2011, 09:29:56 PM
I just finished 'Dark Market' by Misha Glenny...the same chap that authored 'McMafia' which good 'ol rusty recommended.

McMafia had  a lot of information on a lot of elements regarding the black market and crime rose after the soviet union collapse. It touched on the drug trade, from South America to Africa to Asia, human trafficking and the like. It was well written.

Dark Market was more an anecdote about carding, skimming, hacking, and cracking, it's players, and sites such as carderplanet, cardermarket, and darkmarket. It touches on the role of law enforcement and vulnerabilities, laws, and future cybercrime.

A relatively easy read, it was good to have a perspective about that subject. Personally, I didn't know how it worked, and still don't, but at least I'm more familiar with the stuff that goes on. Just a tad. But the most interesting thing I found was that as I read this book, never at one point did I feel like I was reading about criminals, even though they were responsible for syphoning hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of dollars from institutions and individuals alike. It got to the point where I was almost pulling for them not to get caught.

Weird.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on October 27, 2011, 08:57:12 PM
This might be the best learning resource I've ever come across:

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/

Basically there's 2,000 free courses offered online by MIT.   Very cool.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on October 28, 2011, 02:01:56 PM
Quote from: Rome on October 27, 2011, 08:57:12 PM
This might be the best learning resource I've ever come across:

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/

Basically there's 2,000 free courses offered online by MIT.   Very cool.

That is farging amazing. Something in the back of my brain tells me that I knew this was out there, but to have a link and actually be able to see the vast amount of free education just there for the taking from one of the country's finest institutions is pretty farging cool.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on October 28, 2011, 02:15:01 PM
I've been reading "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption". It's god damned amazing. A story about a guy who is in the Olympics prior to the war breaking out, becomes a member of a bomber crew in the Pacific, and survives a crash while on a rescue mission. He's lost at sea for 47 days, lands on an island occupied by the Japanese and gets tortured, starved, and brutalized for two and a half years all over Japan. It's all based on a true story, and is an awesome read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on October 28, 2011, 03:41:09 PM
I just finished Consider the Lobster, by David Foster Wallace. It's a bunch of essays that he wrote for various publications over the years. Lots and lots of people don't like the way Wallace writes (he also has legions of fans who think he's a genius) and I can understand why. He uses footnotes to explore related thoughts, provide context and cite sources and it makes for a very disjointed reading experience. I also think it makes for a reading experience that closely mimics the way we think, or at least, the way I think. One thought will lead to other, related, thoughts which themselves become part of the conversation or story or chain of thought or whatever.

His writing can be difficult to navigate and the thread of the story he's telling can be hard to keep hold of because of his extensive use of long-winded footnotes but I seriously enjoyed his writing. He's exceptionally funny and intelligent and I'm considering picking up Infinite Jest now, despite the fact that I've made fun of lots of people for reading it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on October 28, 2011, 06:54:09 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhanInDC on October 28, 2011, 02:15:01 PM
I've been reading "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption". It's god damned amazing. A story about a guy who is in the Olympics prior to the war breaking out, becomes a member of a bomber crew in the Pacific, and survives a crash while on a rescue mission. He's lost at sea for 47 days, lands on an island occupied by the Japanese and gets tortured, starved, and brutalized for two and a half years all over Japan. It's all based on a true story, and is an awesome read.

I bought this for my step Mom for her birthday. She loved it. Might have to borrow it from her
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on October 28, 2011, 07:55:43 PM
I picked a random lit course from the MIT site and read a series of commencement speeches, one of which was by Steve Jobs to Stanford in 2005.

Seriously eerie in his foreshadowing of his own demise but incredibly inspiring just the same.  I actually went to work with a slightly more positive outlook after reading it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on October 28, 2011, 08:45:21 PM
Sucker.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on November 11, 2011, 01:04:47 PM
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.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on December 29, 2011, 10:38:40 AM
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...
Quote from: rjs246 on April 23, 2010, 09:29:35 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on April 22, 2010, 04:16:02 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on March 02, 2010, 09:22:13 PM
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.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on December 29, 2011, 10:42:22 AM
Quote from: General_Failure on November 11, 2011, 01:04:47 PM
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.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on December 29, 2011, 10:59:21 AM
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.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on December 29, 2011, 12:00:54 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on December 29, 2011, 10:59:21 AM
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
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on December 29, 2011, 12:31:07 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on December 29, 2011, 10:42:22 AM
Quote from: General_Failure on November 11, 2011, 01:04:47 PM
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.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on December 29, 2011, 01:24:27 PM
Any of you geniuses read the newest King book 11/23/63 yet?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on December 29, 2011, 01:51:56 PM
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.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on December 29, 2011, 02:02:25 PM
Quote from: Geowhizzer on December 29, 2011, 12:00:54 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on December 29, 2011, 10:59:21 AM
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.

Quote from: General_Failure on December 29, 2011, 12:31:07 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on December 29, 2011, 10:42:22 AM
Quote from: General_Failure on November 11, 2011, 01:04:47 PM
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.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on January 07, 2012, 07:34:36 AM
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/cpopelars/2012/01/borrowing-from-rem/

that's great.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on January 08, 2012, 12:17:17 PM
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.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on January 08, 2012, 01:06:36 PM
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.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 08, 2012, 08:37:12 PM
Haha. Yeah dude we know.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on January 08, 2012, 08:38:43 PM
haha I'm glad Geo is back
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 29, 2012, 02:18:28 PM
After seeing and thoroughly enjoying the Fincher Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I decided to read the book. Lot of people I know have read it and all of them liked it, I figured it was a slam dunk that I would enjoy it.

It farging sucked.

There was very little plot. The main character is cloying and uninteresting. Lisbeth Salander, who everyone fawns over, is totally one-dimensional. And, inexplicably, everyone has sex with each other. With the exception of about 50 pages towards the climax as the mystery is being solved, I felt like my intelligence was being insulted just about from beginning to end.

A word about Lisbeth... her character read like a middle aged man's malformed impression of what a young smart goth chick would be like, if that middle aged man had never actually met a young smart goth chick. He kept pointing out that she was different by actually using the word 'different' over and over again. It was like an old man trying to explain his vision of Lisbeth to another old man without either one of them having any frame of reference for what they're talking about. If I conjured up a fantasy about a computer hacking amazonian from the Congo and tried to write a book about her I would expect that my descriptions of her behavior would be wildly unbelievable and laughably pieced together. People would laugh at how stupid my descriptions were and how off base my assumptions about her behavior are. That's basically what Larsson did here, but for some reason everyone ejaculates in their pants over how interesting Lisbeth is. Idiots.

Beyond the plot and the characters the language used is written at like a 6th grade level. This might be the fault of the translator, but over and over again the author uses idioms and then explains the idiom to the reader. What the farg is the point of using an idiom in your writing if you're just going to explain what it means in the next sentence?

This book farging blew. Don't believe the hype...

And yet I'm still going to read the second one. I absolutely cannot explain why, but I feel compelled to find out if this guy was a total hack and all of his legions of readers are farging morons, or if maybe there's something that I missed that grows on you about these characters.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on January 29, 2012, 04:19:16 PM
my girl reads almost a book a week....she reads EVERYTHING and always all the way to the end...but she said dragon tattoo is as close as shes ever come to not finishing a book
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on January 30, 2012, 08:34:44 AM
I read the Hunger Games trilogy this weekend. Excellent story, even if teen angst and the corresponding love triangle are intertwined with it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 21, 2012, 07:47:24 PM
I read all three Larsson books.  I enjoyed them, but I was underwhelmed.  His language was rudimentary, and that's not the fault of the translation.  His descriptions were stale and boring, he put dialog such as "it's just like a crime novel," in his character's mouths, he grinds and grinds and grinds the "lots of men are pigs, bullies, and thieves," axe.  The bad guys are all bigots, the good guys are all paragons of liberal morality.  Everyone has great sex.  Yawn.
I wouldn't give a shtein about any of that if I had picked up the books thinking that I would just check out for a while with a fun romp through a present day dsytopian crime novel, but I had heard so much hype that my expectations were higher.  Chandler, Hammett, Ambler, this guy is not.
Now that I've read them, I'm looking forward to watching the movies.

in the meantime, I've just discovered Evelyn Waugh.  I gobbled up The Loved One and after my demon spawn has been put to bed tonight, I'll pour out some liquor and start A Handful of Dust.  This guy could write, and holy crap, he's vicious. 

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 21, 2012, 08:40:56 PM
Just finished Freedom. It was excellent, although I think that Franzen Hoydad out at the end and didn't punch the reader in the face the way he should have. Really good book though.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on February 22, 2012, 06:07:09 AM
I have no interest in reading a novel that concerns the disintegration of yet another white bread marriage.

I picked up Seal Team Geromino at the library yesterday.  I'm not typically into that sort of book but I saw an interview with Chuck Pfarrer on that was held here in Daytona Beach and I became casually interested in the subject.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 23, 2012, 09:47:32 PM
Do any of you elitist book readers know anything about Roald Amundsen?  Can you recommend a good book about him?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 23, 2012, 09:50:36 PM
I don't, but I'd start with his biography if I were you. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 23, 2012, 10:25:13 PM
Very funny, screwball.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on February 23, 2012, 11:26:03 PM
The Stephen King 11/22/63 book is really good. It's 800ish pages and I am about 2/3rd's of the way through it and its been hard to turn the light off at night to go to sleep.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 24, 2012, 09:18:40 AM
Because you're scared?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on February 24, 2012, 09:25:14 AM
bedwetter
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Sgt PSN on February 24, 2012, 09:43:55 AM
And now we've found the connection.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on February 24, 2012, 10:00:29 AM
lol

Well maybe I would be ok if one of you heartless bastiches would come tuck me in?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Don Ho on February 25, 2012, 07:18:06 PM
J, that would be worse than any nightmare imaginable.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on February 25, 2012, 07:44:35 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhreak54 on February 24, 2012, 10:00:29 AM
lol

Well maybe I would be ok if one of you heartless bastiches would come tuck me in?

Into bed or your penis between your legs?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on March 01, 2012, 04:55:11 AM
I've started and given up on a whole bunch of books so far this year, so I'm done looking for new things to read. I'm rereading Discworld books until the next one comes out, Terry Pratchett finally has enough of alzheimers and offs himself, or I get bored. Whichever comes first.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on March 02, 2012, 03:00:08 PM
I just finally read a book I've had sitting on the shelf for about 12 years now....

"A brave new world" by Aldous Huxley

I'm sure most of you have read it...I'm still letting it all soak in. The messages within the story, symbolism, and how it relates to the present. It would be a good one to discuss. The foundation of the story gets laid out in the first half of the book and the last half it picks up rather quickly. I'll give it a  :yay
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 02, 2012, 05:39:25 PM
lol

A thumbs up, that's good.  Huxley would be pleased.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on March 02, 2012, 05:46:11 PM
He'd probably be most gratified by the use of an emoticon in a critique of the crowning achievement of his life's work.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on March 02, 2012, 06:20:59 PM
Quote from: hbionic on March 02, 2012, 03:00:08 PM
I just finally read a book I've had sitting on the shelf for about 12 years now....

"A brave new world" by Aldous Huxley

I'm sure most of you have read it...I'm still letting it all soak in. The messages within the story, symbolism, and how it relates to the present. It would be a good one to discuss. The foundation of the story gets laid out in the first half of the book and the last half it picks up rather quickly. I'll give it a  :yay

Read it in high school, going on 25 years ago now.  May have to pick it up again for a refresher.  If I remember correctly, Brave New World was one of the better novels I was forced to read...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on March 02, 2012, 06:24:07 PM
Canterbury Tales.  Hated it beyond reason.  Also wasn't thrilled with reading Shakespeare in high school either although that eventually grew on me.    When you see the plays live it makes reading the stories much more palatable especially at that age.

I saw James Earl Jones in Othello on Broadway when I was in high school.  Completely incredible. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 06, 2012, 09:36:14 PM
The Loved One - 1948 - Evelyn Waugh:  Vicious little novel set in the Hollywood mortuary/british expat/show business societies.  Waugh was a masterful writer. His diction is impeccable and his ability to describe a scene are awesome.  I re-read paragraphs in this book on several occasions just to soak in the imagery.  He's also very funny.  His portraits of the American and Brits alike are textbook satire and very ruthless.    In fact, so ruthless as to make the book seem bitter.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed it.
Read this if you are into 20th century English literature, Catholicism (Waugh was a staunchly conservative Catholic and it seeps through everything he wrote, as far as I can tell), biting satire, or the mortuary trade.  I liked it enough to move on to a longer, more important work from Waugh, A Handful of Dust.  So far so good on that one.

Chronicles - 2004 - Bob Dylan:  I was pleasantly surprised by how good this was.  I found some sections describing his internal revelations to be rather tedious, especially in the section regarding his work with Daniel Lanois.  But on the whole, the book served as further proof that the word genius is not at all an overstatment of this man's artistic talent.  The language is lyrical and kind of simple, but not in the least song-like or played-out.  It felt like a true memoir in the sense that I think it gave a good impression of what it sounds/feels like inside the head of a great artist.
Not just for Bob Dylan fans, but it certainly helps.  If you are a student of folk music, this book is a gold mine, as he spends a great portion of the volume talking about songs, singers, and albums of artists who most of us have never heard of.

Alive - 1974 - Piers Paul Read:   I couldn't put this book down.  It's a straightforward, meticulously researched, detailed account of the infamous crash of the Uruaguayan Air Force Flight 571, which occured in the dead of winter in the middle of the Andes.  45 passengers on the plane, of which 28 survived the crash, and then 72 days later, 16 were rescued.  The headline story is Cannibalism, of course.  But the portrayal of the day to day challenges these people faced, the dynamics of their personalities, the consequences of their decisions, was stunning.  It's a shocking story beyond the man eating part and I loved every word of it.  Last book I read that captivated me like this was another cannibalism tale (mmm, flesh), about the real-life sinking of a whale ship (the Essex) by an extremely pissed off sperm whale.  That book lacked the volume of detail that this one had though, and of course, many of the survivors are still alive.  It is unreal what the human body and mind can survive, and even moreso what a group of people working together can survive.
Highly recommended to anyone who digs on manflesh, survival stories, mountaineering, or just likes to get captivated by a thrilling, horrific story.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on March 07, 2012, 03:36:21 AM
I think I'll take you up on 'Alive'. Sounds really interesting.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on March 07, 2012, 07:24:01 AM
just finished '100 things flyer fans should know before they die'

thought it would be cheesy but it had a ton of cool information and is a must read for any flyer fan...dont get me wrong its a bathroom book but its still really good refeence material
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on April 05, 2012, 08:41:26 PM
From The New York Times...

QuoteWhere Death Shaped the Beats

By DAVID J. KRAJICEK

THE scene of the crime, Riverside Park at the foot of West 115th Street, is in full spring bloom, carpeted in the butter-colored flowers of lesser celandine. It was here 68 years ago, on a slope descending to the moonlit Hudson River, that Lucien Carr, 19, the Beat Generation's charismatic, callow swami, buried a knife in the heart of David Kammerer, 33, his besotted, dauntless hometown stalker.

Carr is often characterized as muse to the Beats, but he was more than that. Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg were acolytes, captivated by Carr's profane rants about bourgeois culture and the path to transcendence through pure creative expression — his "New Vision," after "A Vision" by Yeats.

Carr's "honor slaying" of Kammerer, as The Daily News called it, served as an emotional fulcrum for the group a decade before Kerouac, Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs published their seminal works; the violent death in their midst lent credibility to the tortured-soul narrative they yearned for.

Columbia University was critical to that narrative, and its Beaux-Arts campus is featured in a film now in production, "Kill Your Darlings," starring Daniel Radcliffe as Ginsberg. The university stood as a kind of crucible for the Beats, who were emerging "like a wild seed in a city garden," wrote the Beat historian Bill Morgan. Many of their haunts in Morningside Heights remain (all within a few blocks of the 116th Street subway station on Broadway), including the venerable dorms where they lived — Hartley and what is now Wallach. Any pilgrim's archeological Beat tour, inspired by the movie or not, must begin with the university itself, a useful antagonist in the iconoclasts' quest for artistic self-actualization.

"They all loved to feel they were sleeping in the camp of the enemy somehow," said Ben Marcus, a novelist and associate professor at Columbia's School of the Arts. "As much as universities should be cauldrons of creativity and breeding grounds for new creative activity, the Beats needed to feel that they were being stifled by forces at the university."

They seemed to enjoy the idea, he added, "that these forces were straitjacketing them, whether it was true or not."

"Kill Your Darlings," from Killer Films, an independent production company, was adapted from "And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks," a roman à clef written in 1945 by Kerouac and Burroughs but unpublished until 2008. (The title was derived from an apocryphal story concerning a radio newscast about a zoo fire.) In addition to Mr. Radcliffe, shedding his Harry Potter guise to play Ginsberg, the film stars Michael C. Hall, the agreeable serial killer Dexter on Showtime, as Kammerer; Jack Huston, from HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," as Kerouac; and a relative unknown, Dane DeHaan, as Carr.

Kammerer's pederastic interest in Carr began when Kammerer was Carr's Boy Scout leader in St. Louis, where both came from privileged backgrounds, according to Mr. Morgan's "I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg."

Carr was a boy Aphrodite. In "Hippos" Kerouac called the Carr character "the kind of boy literary Romes write sonnets to, which start out, 'O raven-haired Grecian lad....' "

Kammerer, a whiskered redhead, taught physical education and English at Washington University. In about 1940, when Carr was 15, his mother, Marian, discovered a cache of "desperate" letters from the older man, according to James Campbell's "This Is the Beat Generation." She sent him to boarding school in Chicago, but Kammerer trailed him there — and then to Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass.; Bowdoin College in Maine; and, finally, Columbia.

The Beats began to form during Carr's first semester there. He and Ginsberg, a freshman from New Jersey, lived in an overflow dorm at the nearby Union Theological Seminary. At Christmastime in 1943, according to Mr. Campbell's book, Ginsberg heard Brahms wafting from Carr's room and knocked to find out who was listening to the music he loved. Ginsberg was smitten. In his journal, he called Carr his first love and "sweet vision."

That winter Carr introduced Ginsberg to Kammerer and Burroughs, who had been schoolmates in St. Louis and were neighbors in Greenwich Village.

Kerouac, another Columbian, was ushered in a few months later when he met Carr at the West End, the saloon at 2911 Broadway, a 60-yard dash away from Columbia's College Walk. (Kerouac initially found Carr to be pretentious and obnoxious, although he used a more vulgar description in "Vanity of Duluoz," another of Kerouac's gauzy autobiographical novels.)

By then Ginsberg and Carr were living at Warren Hall Residence Club, at 404 West 115th Street (now a parking lot). Kammerer was an occasional visitor, sometimes stealing in through the fire escape to watch Carr sleep, according to an often-repeated anecdote in Beat biographies, including Mr. Morgan's "Beat Generation in New York: A Walking Tour of Jack Kerouac's City." Kerouac stayed with his girlfriend, Edie Parker, in Apartment 62 at 421 West 118th Street, a plaster-frosted walkup off Amsterdam Avenue.

In August 1944 Kerouac and Carr schemed a Merchant Marine adventure to France, where — in the midst of war — they had an irrational plan to retrace the Paris footsteps of the 19th-century poet Arthur Rimbaud, whom Carr regarded as a doppelganger.

The plan fell apart on Aug. 13, when they got drunk and were late getting to their ship, and the men rued their broken dream that night at the West End (now called Havana Central at the West End). Kerouac left Carr at midnight and crossed paths on campus near St. Paul's Chapel with Kammerer, Carr's relentless birddog.

Kammerer asked his usual question: "Where's Lucien?"

Kerouac sent him to the West End.

"And I watch him rush off to his death," Kerouac wrote in "Duluoz."

Kammerer and Carr left the bar at 3 a.m. New York was sweltering, and they toddled downhill to Riverside Park for cool air.

An account of the crime in The New York Times at the time explained that Kammerer made "an offensive proposal." The article continued:

"Carr said that he rejected it indignantly and that a fight ensued. Carr, a slight youth, 5 feet 9 tall and weighing 140 pounds, was no match for the burly former physical education instructor, who was 6 feet tall and weighed about 185 pounds."

"In desperation," the account added, "Carr pulled out of his pocket his Boy Scout knife, a relic of his boyhood, and plunged the blade twice in rapid succession into Kammerer's chest."

Had Carr run to the police, he probably would have been hailed as a hero against a pervert. But he did something quite different.

He rolled the body to the river's edge, bound the limbs with shoe laces, stuffed rocks in the pockets, and watched his longtime lurker sink.

Carr hurried to Greenwich Village and reported his deed to Burroughs, who advised him to tell the police he was the victim of a sex fiend. Instead Carr woke Kerouac, who recounted that eye-opener in "Duluoz":

"Well," Carr said, "I disposed of the old man last night."

He didn't seem nettled. As much as anything, Carr seemed satisfied, by all accounts, that he had finally done something noteworthy. The two men walked up West 118th Street to Morningside Park, where Carr buried Kammerer's eyeglasses, which he had pocketed as evidence of his feat.

He and Kerouac traipsed about Manhattan, dropping the Boy Scout knife in a subway grate on 125th Street. They visited the Museum of Modern Art, a hot dog stand in Times Square and a cinema where they watched "The Four Feathers."

Carr finally walked into the district attorney's office and announced the killing. Prosecutors thought he was crazy — "the imaginings of an overstrained mind," The Times wrote. Carr sat there reading Yeats, to the bewilderment of police officers and crime reporters.

The police were convinced only when Carr led them to the buried glasses the next day, at about the time Kammerer's body bobbed up off West 108th Street.

A week after the killing Ginsberg wrote the poem "Hymn to the Virgin," which hinted at a complex relationship. Written to Carr in Kammerer's voice, it begins, "Thou who art afraid to have me, lest thou lose me." (Two months after the death Ginsberg took an apartment at 627 West 115th Street, about a hundred paces from the death site.)

Carr pleaded guilty to manslaughter. A judge had mercy on "young, good-looking Lucien," as The Times called him, and sent Carr to the Elmira Reformatory, not prison. (Burroughs and Kerouac were confined briefly as accessories. While he was jailed Kerouac was escorted by the police to his courthouse wedding with Parker, and the newlyweds later moved to another Morningside Heights Beat pad, at 419 West 115th Street.)

Carr returned to New York after 18 months away and joined United Press (later United Press International), beginning a 47-year career there. (He had three sons with his first wife, Francesca von Hartz, including the novelist Caleb Carr.) He remained close to Ginsberg and Kerouac, even as he tried to scrub himself from Beat history. He insisted that Ginsberg remove his name from the dedication of "Howl," and the publication of "Hippos" waited until after Carr died in 2005.

An archive of letters and postcards to Carr at Columbia's Butler Library shows that Kerouac and Ginsberg continued to solicit his approval long after they became famous writers — Ginsberg in intimate, lyrical letters and Kerouac in wisecracking postcards.

Yet in his journal (published in his "Book of Martyrdom and Artifice") Ginsberg wrote of Carr: "He must prove that he is a genius. He cannot do so in creative labor — for he has not the patience, says he, nor the time, says he, nor the occasion, says he. None of these reasons is correct. He seems not to have the talent."

Carr certainly was a talented editor. A 2003 history of United Press International called him "the soul of the news service." He did not talk about his life among the Beats or his crime, and former colleagues say Carr would have been livid about "Kill Your Darlings."

Joseph A. Gambardello, a longtime newspaper editor, was a protégé of Carr's at U.P.I. in the mid-1970s, when the news service was based in the Daily News Building on East 42nd Street.

"When I met him he was a hard-drinking, hardworking journalist," Mr. Gambardello said. "He did not come across as a pretentious jackass at all." He added, "The person I had read about with Kerouac and Ginsberg didn't exist anymore."

Carr occasionally sent Mr. Gambardello to Louie's East, an adjacent bar, to fetch a "Lou Carr Special" — a lot of vodka, a little Coke.

He had gotten over Rimbaud.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Don Ho on April 09, 2012, 04:55:28 AM
Quote from: hbionic on March 07, 2012, 03:36:21 AM
I think I'll take you up on 'Alive'. Sounds really interesting.

Alive is a fantastic book bionic.  I actually read it back in the day.  Highly recommend it. They've tried to make it into a movie several times. I believe one was a Spanish or Italian version that was horrible.  The one made in the early 90's was ok.  Descent Hollywood cast. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on April 13, 2012, 06:35:30 PM
Just finished reading, "A Single Roll of the Dice" by Trita Parsi.

It basically highlights the Obama Administration's policy towards Iran since Obama took office.

You get a better understanding of the forces at work both undermining Obama (Israel, AIPAC, and the congress it controls), war-hawks, and the political in-fighting in Iran paralyzing them from making decisions.

Also, the geopolitcal fears amongst Isael and Saudi Arabia of Iran's growing influence in the region.
Iran's demand for 'mutual respect' and recognition of its deserved influence in the region, it's strategical importance to the U.S. on issues on Iraq, and Afghanistan. It's demand for its recognition to enrich uranium on its own soil.

But overall, you get a sense on how "Fear, and mistrust has become institutionalized" between both countries that it makes negotiation a virtual impossibility. Explains the nuclear fuel swap deals by the Vienna group and the one negotiated by Turkey and Brazil. It also gives a small window of how sanctions have hurt all U.S. 'allies' by forcing them to stop doing business with Iran and giving China and Russia carte blanche on all of Iran's industries.

George W. Bush had an amazing opportunity to have put this issue to rest when Iran had sent terms to have inspections, have enrichment outside of its soil, and to stop aiding Hamas and Hezbollah. But the arrogant President gave them a big middle finger.



----Anyways...pretty easy reading, and for sure a stepping stone into further reading about the dynamics of this current issue going on today. It gives a little insight into the pressures the President is faced with and some of the dynamics behind negotiation on a global scale.

Let's see what happens this weekend in Turkey.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on May 15, 2012, 04:06:30 PM
Anyone looking to get an in depth understanding of our country's cultural/political roots and how they still dominate voting trends, geographic culture and ethos today should check out American Nations. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on May 15, 2012, 04:09:26 PM
I'll show you my Ethos
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on May 15, 2012, 04:11:06 PM
Sexy.

Oh, I also read The Hunger Games trilogy, the first two of which were surprisingly good. The third was hot garbage but tied up the story so whatever.

Read the second Guilermo Del Torro vampire book, The Fall. Total brain candy crap but enjoyable in the same way that all books about swarming supernatural baddies are fun.

Just started White Noise. Already annoyed by it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on May 15, 2012, 04:55:41 PM
Agreed on "Mockingjay." Took forever to get through some of the menial stuff. Quickly rushed through important stuff.

I am hoping they split up "Catching Fire" into two parts for the movies, instead of "Mockingjay." Also, I'm glad we can both talk about the teen girl novels we read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on May 15, 2012, 05:07:19 PM
you should both delete those last two posts and keep this stuff to yourselves.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on May 15, 2012, 05:13:06 PM
I would be inclined to agree with you Phatty...but picturing the both of them talking to each other on the phone, while twirling their hair as they lay on their stomachs on their bed, kicking their feet up and down as they talk is getting me a little turned on.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on May 15, 2012, 05:36:46 PM
Since my last post I read another 50 pages of White Noise and have decided that I love it. Fickle.

Also Hunger Games / Catching Fire were totally enjoyable. On the one hand, I'm mildly embarrassed to join FF and the legions of apalachian teenaged girls who enjoyed the books. But on the other hand, eat my balls. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 21, 2012, 09:27:07 AM
White Noise ended up being great. Social commentary was spot on, but more importantly the climax was amazing as the slow burn of American cultural nonsense turned into an outburst of psychotic flailing about.

It stole too many themes from Gravity's Rainbow and there were times where I thought that it could have been written by a 14 year old, but all in all I ended up really liking it.

Currently reading The Rum Diary.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on August 20, 2012, 10:11:22 PM
I've read Dead City and Apocalypse of the Dead in the last two weeks, by Joe McKinney. Very good zombie books. Nothing ground breaking but just very enjoyable reads. I have the 3rd book, Flesh Eaters already and the 4th one apparently came out this past Spring.


I've also picked up on two zombie series' aimed towards teenagers, Rot & Ruin by John MAAAyberry, and The Enemy by Charlie Higson.. The writing is simplistic and obviously geared towards a younger crowd (especially The Enemy series) but I still got enjoyment out of the books.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on August 21, 2012, 11:34:36 AM
Are the McKinney books 'good' or just fluff filler summer read turn your brain off type shtein? I'm not sure which answer would make me more or less likely to read them but I'd like to factor it in to the equation.

Finished The Rum Diary. Meh. It was his first book and clearly he was holding back and trying to be serious. It was fine and touched on some of the same themes that he championed with his later writings, but it wasn't anything I'd go out of my way to read.

Currently reading Infinite Jest and, even though it will probably take me the next year to finish it (not even remotely exaggerating), so far it is one of the greatest things I've ever read. I can't say enough good things about it and I now have a small dude-woodrow for the late David Foster Wallace.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on August 21, 2012, 12:14:17 PM
Dead City is pretty much non-stop action, minus the first few pages where you're introduced to the character. It would, IMO, make a decent zombie movie. Apocalypse of the Dead is almost twice as long and is a bit more involved, following a bunch of different groups and people and POVs.

I'm not book nerdy enough to know what would qualify as 'good' vs. fluffer....But if you mean substance, AOTD has more of that while Dead City is more "fluff".
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on August 23, 2012, 07:59:34 AM
"No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden" hits stores September 11th. It's written by a Seal Team 6 member who was in the room when Bin Laden was shot. It's the real account of the story, not the crap the media has told us. Should be a good read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on August 23, 2012, 08:09:07 AM
cool that a seal is writing it but i dont know how much more stuff he can have than whats already out there...they stormed the compound the helicopter fell and they shot bin laden...the detail will be much more precise obviously and he will have a lot on the preperation for the raid which i guess could be interesting...

also i thought seal team 6 was not allowed to talk about themslves much less missions...i thought i saw a quote somewhere from one of them that said we cant talk about seal team 6.....there is no seal team 6

personally im much more interested in the years that led up to the raid....the intelligence aspect of it and the search for obl is much more fascinating to me than the raid on the compound...probably the difference btwn someone who has been in the military and someone who hasnt
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on August 23, 2012, 08:48:36 AM
The book wasn't vetted by the white house and they're not too happy he wrote it, but the Seal had a guy who worked for the CIA review it thoroughly to make sure there wasn't any tactical or security violations revealed when he wrote it. The Seals contention is that what the media coverage regarding the raid was completely wrong and the book is about the year leading up to the raid from what I understand. So everything you want is contained in the book.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: DH on August 23, 2012, 09:16:52 AM
I'd be curious to hear some of your thoughts on this..

http://chronicle.com/article/An-Academic-Ghostwriter-Comes/133904/#disqus_thread (http://chronicle.com/article/An-Academic-Ghostwriter-Comes/133904/#disqus_thread)

I went to college with this kid, and have probably chill w him 2 times a year. Good dude, I honestly had no idea he was doing this till our mutual friends told me. Made me wish I knew back in college.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on August 23, 2012, 10:09:18 AM
That looks really interesting, DH. And Tomar is right about our institutions of higher learning. Prices go up and up and up and the results remain static. Or, when you consider how little a college degree gets you now compared to what it got you 20 or 30 years ago, the results have even decreased.

Anyway, looks like an eye-opening peak behind the curtain.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on August 23, 2012, 10:12:46 AM
does sound interesting but perhaps more as an expose than an entire book
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: DH on August 23, 2012, 11:33:50 AM
I almost want to go through college all over again to see if I would be able to skate my way through by having people write my papers, take my exams, etc than to have done it the way I did.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on August 23, 2012, 06:44:28 PM
Quote from: SD on August 23, 2012, 07:59:34 AM
"No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden" hits stores September 11th. It's written by a Seal Team 6 member who was in the room when Bin Laden was shot. It's the real account of the story, not the crap the media has told us. Should be a good read.

So the Seal who wrote this changed his name to 'Mark Owens' for security reasons. But Foxnews couldn't resist and ousted his real name and home state to the public:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/fox-news-navy-seal-bin-laden_n_1825146.html

Way to put a hero in danger
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on August 23, 2012, 06:49:00 PM
I try to imagine an organization that is worse than Fox News and it's actually difficult to come up with one.  The Klan comes to mind but even they have limits.

Those bastiches are just the absolute epitome of evil.   It's a shame Obama isn't the prick they say he is because nothing would make me happier than seeing Fox News headquarters in a steaming pile caused by a "malfunctioning" cruise missile.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on August 23, 2012, 08:09:06 PM
Quote from: SD on August 23, 2012, 06:44:28 PMWay to put a hero in danger

farg him.  He wants attention, otherwise, he wouldn't write a book about himself.  That's what he gets for breaking the code.

Besides, I presume he can defend himself.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on August 23, 2012, 08:11:34 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on August 23, 2012, 08:09:06 PM
Quote from: SD on August 23, 2012, 06:44:28 PMWay to put a hero in danger

farg him.  He wants attention, otherwise, he wouldn't write a book about himself.  That's what he gets for breaking the code.

Besides, I presume he can defend himself.

Just so we're clear, you're siding with FOX News on this one.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on August 23, 2012, 08:17:17 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on August 23, 2012, 10:09:18 AMAnyway, looks like an eye-opening peak behind the curtain.

(http://cdn.eurweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/tattoo_penis2012-BIG-ver.jpg)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PoopyfaceMcGee on August 23, 2012, 08:20:02 PM
I wonder if the guy is related to that hockey player.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on August 23, 2012, 08:28:55 PM
Quote from: General_Failure on August 23, 2012, 08:11:34 PM


Just so we're clear, you're siding with FOX News on this one.

He is a registered Republican
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on August 23, 2012, 08:55:23 PM
The looks I get from the fat black women who "work" the polls on election day are worth the price of being registered Republican in a deep blue state, let me tell you.   White guy, registered Republican...eye roll city.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on August 23, 2012, 08:57:59 PM
Do you show up wearing a sport coat and khakis?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on August 23, 2012, 09:12:57 PM
Quote from: Munson on August 20, 2012, 10:11:22 PM
I've read Dead City and Apocalypse of the Dead in the last two weeks, by Joe McKinney. Very good zombie books. Nothing ground breaking but just very enjoyable reads. I have the 3rd book, Flesh Eaters already and the 4th one apparently came out this past Spring.

I'm reading the 3rd book now, it's not as good as the first two. It reads a bit more like a bunch of short stories about the main characters blended together to make a book. He's tried too hard to tie a certain scene to a part of the characters past. "Suddenly so-and-so, looking at the moaning creatures walking toward her, remembered a time when blah blah blah."Maybe he did this as often in the first book, but I don't remember it. The story is still interesting, but definitely not as good a read as the other two books so far.

He does make a few pop culture references that I liked and gave a time frame for the story finally. Mentions The Walking Dead, and "The World War Z movie"
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on August 23, 2012, 11:22:02 PM
I'm reading the Game of Thrones book one.  I'm pretty well sucked in and not very proud of myself.  There are like, 3500 more pages of this crap and I can't stop reading it.

So far:

Every time there is some kind of gargoyle or skeleton or skull, it is described as seeming to watch someone.  Or someone feels like it has no love for him/her.  Etc.

I've read only four hundred pages and I don't know how many times I've come across the following formula: Blank character had enough Blank quality to (or not to) Blank reaction.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on August 27, 2012, 02:54:33 PM
Kind of like:


Dio had enough CF bullshtein one day that he finally dug his OWN ditch and threw himself in.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on August 29, 2012, 07:50:10 AM
"No Easy Day" the book about the Osama raid has been moved up to September 4th due to popular demand. Amazon is accepting preorders.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on September 03, 2012, 07:23:57 PM
I'm reading a book about reading body language which is written by Allan and Barbara Pease. Fascinating stuff.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on September 13, 2012, 12:16:01 PM
I haven't read anything new in months, just rereads, but when I'm finished those I'm going to check out Fifty Sheds of Grey (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fifty-Sheds-Grey-not-too-modern-ebook/dp/B0096BJCAI/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1347112426&sr=1-1).
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on September 20, 2012, 09:45:40 PM
Just finished "Dead of Night" by Jonathan MAAAberry. Yet another zombie book. Pretty good, if a bit cheesy at times. Though I get the feeling he tries to be cheesy on purpose sometimes.

This is the first book I've read where I was legitimately creeped out at times, though I'm not sure why. Apparently he has a scientist friend who told him that the way he starts the plague in this book could be possible in theory. Not sure how accurate that is, but that's what the nerdy guy at the book store told me.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on October 09, 2012, 02:13:09 PM
Humble Bundle (http://www.humblebundle.com/) is doing an ebook bundle for the next two weeks. The point of these bundles is to pay what you want and decide which percentage goes to the authors, charity, and the Humble Bundle people.

Pirate Cinema by Corey Doctorow
Pump Six by Paolo Bacigalupi
Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
Invasion by Mercedes Lackey
Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link
Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link

Those are the books you get for being a cheapass and paying a buck. If you pay more than the average, which is $10.21 at the moment, you also get

Signal to Noise by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
Old Man's War by John Scalzi

I couldn't say if most of them are any good, but Zoo City was pretty enjoyable.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on October 10, 2012, 10:20:26 PM
shake the devil off - most of you probably remember the post katrina new orleans murder where that dood dismembered his girlfriends body and cooked it on the stove and in the oven....this book gets past the immediate reaction of mocking the murderer making gruesome jokes about his crime and digs deep into why he actually did it....ptsd from fighting in kosovo and iraq....such a terrible narrative.....also focuses in on much of post katrina new orleans and how far the city done fell and the senseless and mostly allowed crime wave that overtook it...a few of yu know i was a victim of this and so for me the book really hit home and at times made me feel glad to be alive (no hyperbole)....a super easy read that i finished over two days on vacation this week...i say read it for no other reason than this upcoming eagles roadie....its super NO based
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on October 10, 2012, 10:23:30 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on October 10, 2012, 10:20:26 PM...a few of yu know i was a victim of this and so for me the book really hit home and at times made me feel glad to be alive

you're a survivor, man, not a victim...oh...actually, you're just part of the 47%

anyway, I want to know more about how you were dismembered and cooked on a stove. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on October 10, 2012, 10:24:47 PM
all body parts still intact....but your concern means a lot
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Tomahawk on October 11, 2012, 09:32:28 AM
He was a victim of a mugging, right? That's how Bruce Wayne's parents died.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on October 11, 2012, 09:48:55 AM
i read a book called chronic city recently....loved it. never heard of this jonathan lethem dude but going to check out more of his stuff. i have a feeling several of you will like it, he sounds super pretentious but after a while i learned to love it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on October 11, 2012, 09:53:46 AM
Just finished Fight Club. Loved it. Even having read tons of Palahniuk and even having seen the movie repeatedly I was not disappointed or bored for a second. So good. Let's go cause a little anarchy.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on October 11, 2012, 10:00:54 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on October 11, 2012, 09:53:46 AM
Just finished Fight Club. Loved it. Even having read tons of Palahniuk and even having seen the movie repeatedly I was not disappointed or bored for a second. So good. Let's go cause a little anarchy.

The book is great.

Finished 'No Easy Day' which was the story about the Bin Laden raid. The first half of the book is about SEAL training and previous missions. The Bin Laden stuff is pretty good but if you watched the 60 minutes special with the author you get the gist of what happened.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhanInDC on October 11, 2012, 10:22:18 AM
God Is Not Great - Christopher Hitchens. Fantastic book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on October 11, 2012, 11:58:23 AM
Quote from: PhillyPhanInDC on October 11, 2012, 10:22:18 AM
God Is Not Great - Christopher Hitchens. Fantastic book.

What is that one about? I'm curious. (Seriously) Is it completely fantasy about some dumb bitch's bad day or does it present an argument about god.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Tomahawk on October 11, 2012, 12:39:05 PM
google that shtein on yahoo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Is_Not_Great)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on October 11, 2012, 01:14:18 PM
Oh, that's a Bing zing!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on December 04, 2012, 11:35:41 AM
just finished The Passage...it was crazy good. it's vampires but none of this Twilight bullshtein...these things are legit badasses. probably going to start the second book, The Twelve, shortly.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on December 19, 2012, 03:01:36 AM
http://longform.org/

Its not a book but a site that has collections of long form articles collected from newspapers and magazines.

Great site
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on December 27, 2012, 12:52:57 PM
got this book for xmas....if you like this kind of stuff (the hot zone for example) its phenominal

(http://www.ohio.com/polopoly_fs/1.341463.1350079690!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_270/spillover14.jpg)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 31, 2013, 09:10:58 AM
Quote from: phattymatty on December 04, 2012, 11:35:41 AM
just finished The Passage...it was crazy good. it's vampires but none of this Twilight bullshtein...these things are legit badasses. probably going to start the second book, The Twelve, shortly.

I just finished Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace. It would be impossible to comment on this book without sounding like an even bigger, even more pretentious douche, so I'll refrain, but for anyone who wants to read something completely different by one of the most gifted writers of the last century, it's worth the time.

The Twelve is next for me.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on January 31, 2013, 09:12:22 AM
what's it about, guy?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 31, 2013, 09:27:13 AM
Drug Abuse, futuristic French Canadian separatists, familial strife, experialistic foreign policy, tennis, infidelity, the nature of entertainment in society...

See? Don't you hate me just a little bit more for typing all of that?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SunMo on January 31, 2013, 09:30:06 AM
i checked out after futuristic french canadian separatists
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on January 31, 2013, 09:34:01 AM
Good boy.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 19, 2013, 05:03:38 PM
Finished The Twelve. It was amazingly good.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 27, 2013, 02:24:19 AM
I don't know if this has come up before, but you can borrow ebooks and audio books from your local library, which you can find via overdrive.com (http://overdrive.com). So here I've been, rereading books and not reading new ones.

Also, if you don't have an ebook reader, get one. They're like $30 now.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 16, 2014, 04:50:34 PM
Just finished Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson.   It was a fun romp, on par with Gibson's best stuff, but with more intellectual substance.  Which is another way of saying, long passages of namshubbery.

I tried to read Quicksilver a while ago but couldn't get into it after two hundred pages or so.  Maybe now that I've chewed on a smaller work of his, I can try it again.

GF, I assume you've read all of his major works....worth it to read the whole trilogy?

I think I'll read a "serious" book next.  I've never read any Thomas Mann.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on January 16, 2014, 06:15:40 PM
Definitely worth a read. And Cryptonomicon when you're done those, which has both aged a little poorly and become more relevant. The only book of his I haven't reread a dozen times is Anathem, but that one jumps straight in to the bad writing idea of making up bullshtein words for things that already exist so they sound alien.

The thing with Stephenson novels to keep in mind is they're going to ramble on. You can get a couple hundred pages in and not know where the story is going, but it will eventually get there. You'll probably have to wade through some parts that are caused by whatever part of the autism spectrum he sits on, like a chapter about how to properly eat Cap'n Crunch.


In my own reading, I've read all the Shadowrun novels between last August and now. They're mostly terrible, as you'd expect nerdshtein tie-in novels to be, but two of them were actually good books.

Last week I got around to reading Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett. The book says it was written by him, but you wouldn't know that just from reading it. Alzheimers has farged him up pretty bad. His books have been getting worse in quality, but even then they were still better than most things you could read. This one, though, is depressingly bad. Characters he's been writing for up to 30 years who had amazing personalities are unrecognizable. Characters just deliver monologues at each other to advance the plot. Bad things are supposed to be happening, but there's no tension because it isn't happening to the main characters. When bad things might happen to those characters, they solve it immediately because suddenly they can do no wrong. I wish I'd never read it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Don Ho on January 22, 2014, 03:10:59 AM
Not sure where to put this but an incredible American Masters on PBS tonight about J.D. Salinger.  Absolute must see if you get a chance.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on February 14, 2014, 02:04:04 PM
this is awesome

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Nights
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 26, 2014, 04:19:44 AM
Quote from: General_Failure on January 16, 2014, 06:15:40 PM
In my own reading, I've read all the Shadowrun novels between last August and now. They're mostly terrible, as you'd expect nerdshtein tie-in novels to be, but two of them were actually good books.

I've finished these awful things. All of them. I hate myself even more, and more strongly wish I were dead than usual. Six farging months of reading nothing but the shteintiest tie-in fantasy novels this side of Star Wars. This isn't hyperbole, these books have made me less of a human being.

I read about so many Asians Orientals. So many stoic Native Americans Amerinds. So many trans-dimensional magic insects coming to enslave humanity. So many middle age white guys who are the most blatant author inserts. So many page-long descriptions of the outfits these characters are wearing. And so very many shamelessly stolen ideas from William Gibson that even he stopped writing about twenty years ago because he understood that reality had turned out way more bizarre an interesting than he had dreamed up in the early 80s.

Look at this farging garbage.

QuoteLuppas steered the sports car with one hand, aiming it down I-5 at the Spike Wheels clustered near the crash-and-dash. The gangers were ready to buzz turbo from the scene. If Norris Caber had left anything behind in the wreck, Luppas wasn't going to let it be taken. A feral grin split his face as he drew fire from the go-gangers, closing on them as they tried to get away.

Six months of that! I'm going to reread some older Terry Pratchett books to remember what good writing looks like until I can find something decent to read.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on February 26, 2014, 04:36:03 AM
 :-D

I can't stop laughing. Pretty funny stuff.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 26, 2014, 07:24:52 AM
Quote from: General_Failure on February 26, 2014, 04:19:44 AMSix months of that! I'm going to reread some older Terry Pratchett books to remember what good writing looks like until I can find something decent to read.

Middlemarch is pretty good.  By the time you've finished it, all the damage from the Shadowrun series will have been repaired.

I'm reading Native Son right now.  At the pace I read, this will take months but I am a warrior, I will not quit.  Anyway...I have the ugly sensation that something bad is about to happen to/because of Bigger. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 23, 2014, 01:47:20 PM
I read five of The Witcher books that have been translated from Polish to English. They weren't completely terrible, but I might as well have read A Song of Ice and Fire for as political, rapey, murdery, and incestuous it got. When I say rapey, I mean it got super rapey. If the narrator is talking about one of the female main characters, someone's gonna want to rape her.

I was expecting a boring story about a guy killing monsters and sometimes banging hot sorceresses, and there wasn't a whole lot of that compared to everything else. It beats the garbage I was reading, but not by enough.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on April 23, 2014, 02:23:42 PM
reading james mcphersons civil war book....unbelievably good....long tho...im on like page 300 and secession only just started
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 23, 2014, 05:43:06 PM
I'm in the Civil War right now too (though not that book)...Lincoln was just elected, secessions about to start ticking off before he's even inaugurated.

If there's one thing I'm taking from this little excursion into history, it's that the arguments I've heard all my life about the war not being just about slavery, or about slavery being only a secondary reason, are full and total bullshtein.  The Civil War was fought over slavery. 

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on April 23, 2014, 06:12:13 PM
Ask any Republican and he'd tell you you're full of shtein.  They freed the slaves, after all, so they would know.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 23, 2014, 06:16:15 PM
Yeah, he'd also tell me that voter fraud is rampant, that climate change is a vast liberal conspiracy, and that George W. Bush served honorably.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on April 23, 2014, 07:35:09 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on April 23, 2014, 05:43:06 PM
If there's one thing I'm taking from this little excursion into history, it's that the arguments I've heard all my life about the war not being just about slavery, or about slavery being only a secondary reason, are full and total bullshtein.  The Civil War was fought over slavery.

110%...states rights tho....yeah the right of the southern states to have slavery...

shtein the south tried to invade and/or buy cuba so they could turn it into a slave state...and of course what really sparked the initial rage among the south was the fugitive slave law and the refusal of the federal government to allow the western territories to be slave states...its was ALL about slavery
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on April 23, 2014, 08:51:59 PM
The slavery issue reared its ugly head from the very beginnings of the nation.  Thomas Jefferson originally put the following into the Declaration of Independence:

Quote from: Thomas Jeffersonhe [King George III] has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating it's most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. this piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the CHRISTIAN king of Great Britain. determined to keep open a market where MEN should be bought & sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain this execrable commerce: and that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, & murdering the people upon whom he also obtruded them; thus paying off former crimes committed against the liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another.

(Never mind the fact that Jefferson owned several hundred slaves himself.)

This wording was attacked by the southern states, and was deleted by the Congress during deliberation.

Then, of course, there is the infamous Three-Fifths Compromise in the Constitution.

Quote from: The ConstitutionRepresentatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.

Again, this wording was put into the Constitution to secure southern buy-in to the new Constitution.  The Constitution also said that the African slave trade would continue unimpeded for at least 20 years: 

Quote from: The ConstitutionThe Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.

Some say that this clause was designed with the assumption that the southern population would grow much faster than in the north, and that supporters of the slave trade would easily be able to block any movement to ban it.  Which, without the Industrial Revolution, may have happened that way, but it turned out to be a rather large miscalculation.

Slavery wasn't the only issue.  The Nullification Crisis of 1832 was centered around the other main difference between the North and South:  The North supported protective tariffs for their growing industry, while the South suffered economic hardship from their need to import many of the products being taxed.  Of course, that also became something of a personal pissing match between Andrew Jackson and John C. Calhoun, both southerners.

Slavery was, however, the primary issue, particularly as the South began to see the exploding population in the North as more of a threat.   Igy's comment about the South wanting to annex Cuba is absolutely true, and for the expressed purpose of adding a future slave state).  It was also a motivation for the Mexican-American War, which was far more popular in the South than in the North.  In fact, many historians believe that the final break between North and South started with the proposal of the Wilmot Proviso, which would have banned slavery in all territory acquired in the Mexican War.  Many Southern leaders had dreams to annexing the entire Mexican nation.  Others had designs on Central America for the same purpose.

If you look at the standard American History curriculum, a large percentage of the class is how the U.S. tried to deal with the question of slavery.

- Northwest Ordinance (1787) - banned slavery in territories (for now)
- Annexation of Florida (1819-1820) - Because Spain was freeing runaway slaves that converted to Catholocism when arriving in Florida.
- Missouri Compromise (1820) - Created one free state (Maine separates from Massachusetts) and one slave state (Missouri) to retain "balance" in the Senate.
- Texas Revolution (1836) - Partially because Mexico had abolished slavery in the 1820s.
- Annexation of Texas (1845) 
- Wilmot Proviso (1848) - Tried to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico (New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah)
- Compromise of 1850 - Allowed California to become a free state, in return for allowing slavery in New Mexico and Arizona, and also passing a tough Fugitive Slave Act.
- Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) - Opens the two territories to the possibility of slavery, allowing a vote on the issue ("popular sovereignty")
- Bleeding Kansas (1856) - What happened when the pro- and anti- slavery forces clashed during the vote in Kansas, which predictably ended up with two contesting governments.
- Dred Scott (1857) - The Supreme Court (still dominated by Southerners) declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, and said that slaves were property protected by the Fourth Amendment, placing anti-slavery laws in the North in jeopardy.
- Harpers Ferry (1858) - John Brown dreams of starting the "great slave rebellion" and tried to capture guns in a federal arsenal in what is now West Virginia (then still part of Virginia).
- Election of 1860 - Disintegration of Democratic Party along regional lines guarantees a Lincoln victory, even though he doesn't even appear on the ballot in most Southern states.

Those are just some of the highlights off the top of my head.  Clearly slavery was a central issue, particularly as the increasing population in the North began to give them a stranglehold on both the House of Representatives and (eventually) the Presidency.  The North was also growing more anti-slavery, though not nearly as stridently as believed by the South.  In fact, most of the anti-slavery sentiment in the North was when Northerners believed their states' rights were being violated (i.e. in the Fugitive Slave Act and Dred Scot v. Sanford). 

Also remember, every one of the 13 original states had slavery in the beginning.  Pennsylvania passed the first abolition law in 1780, but it didn't complete the task of freeing all its slaves until 1840.  Ohio was the first state to be created with abolition in its constitution.   New Jersey still had a few slaves in 1860.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on April 23, 2014, 08:56:00 PM
Geo knocks it outta the park.

Nice job
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 23, 2014, 11:17:19 PM
I've read lots of books since the last time I posted in this thread.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on April 24, 2014, 06:10:51 AM
Game of Thrones doesn't count, Nerd.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on April 24, 2014, 11:01:14 AM
Quote from: Diomedes on April 24, 2014, 06:10:51 AM
Game of Thrones doesn't count, Nerd.

True.

A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords:
Brainless garbage. And no one gives a shtein what every single character is wearing or eating or drinking at all times. Seriously awful writing. I have enjoyed them immensely.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
A very calming read full of philosophy, pseudo-psychology and lots of inaccuracies. I enjoyed it immensely, despite the fact that it is probably all lies and misinformation about motorcycle maintenance and mental illness.

V for Vendetta:
Brilliant.

Cosmopolis:
DeLillo is great. This book was short and strange and I enjoyed it immensely.

14 installments of The Walking Dead:
Mostly brainless garbage. I enjoyed them immensely.

The Sisters Brothers:
An anti-western in the vein of McCarthy but with a sense of humor. Fantastic.

Bossypants:
I am not afraid to admit that I would do sex to Tina Fey.

The Orchard Keeper:
A bleak look into southern poverty and crime in the vein of McCarthy. Written by McCarthy.

Fight Club:
farging yes.

Downtown Owl:
I had read some of Klosterman's writing online and enjoyed it immensely. This book? Also immensely enjoyed.



Immensely.

Currently reading 2312 (Kim Stanley Robinson) and Arguably (Christopher Hitchens).
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 03, 2014, 02:31:56 PM
Finished 2312. It was the first scifi I've read since I was a kid. The thought-experiment part of the book was fascinating. Robinson's imagining of humanity's advances and failings 300 years into the future was fascinating and really well fleshed out. Totally grounded in reality, but with quite a bit of imagination mixed in. Sadly the story itself was really thin and the main character was a whiny spoiled shtein. Totally worth reading just to experience the future through the mind of an imaginative dude.

Also just tore through The Corrections by Johnathan Franzen. This was not a fun book to read. It was the opposite of fun. It was unfun. The characters were farging intolerable. But, of course, Franzen is a superb writer so from that point of view I appreciated the book. From another, less nerdy, point of view I would rather kick myself in the beanbag than read this book again.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phillycrew on June 03, 2014, 08:07:07 PM
Finished Duty by Robert Gates.  Interesting memoir from a SecDef that spanned two presidents and served in other WH.  I thought the inside perspective on decision-making was interesting.  For you Dems, it may give another perspective on Hillary v. Biden.

Now that I have some free time I might have to look through these lists.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on June 17, 2014, 05:34:18 PM
God damn, I'm so behind in my reading.

Just finished "The Wave". IGY, I think you read it right?

This book brings you up close and personal with waves...weird, but it's almost like I have a connection with waves now...like I understand and could surf them if I wanted to. At the same time, it makes you appreciate the behemoths. She also delves into the technical parts of a wave as well as how frequent these giant waves are around the world, and makes you appreciate their power.

Anyway, great read, hard to put down, I want to kiss Laird Hamilton.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on June 18, 2014, 08:21:22 AM
yeah thats a great farging book
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phillycrew on June 27, 2014, 11:39:03 AM
That used to be us - Friedman and Mandelbaum  Old by now but still a good read.  For all the teachers or those interested in education, I thought he made some good points.

The Unwinding - George Packer.  Some great stories.  Nothing like some biographies that show so many perspectives of the American experience.

I am looking for some interesting business/financial crisis books/articles if anyone comes across some.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on June 28, 2014, 08:41:39 AM
Quote from: hbionic on June 17, 2014, 05:34:18 PM
like I understand and could surf them if I wanted to.

lol no.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on June 28, 2014, 10:23:56 PM
I've been rereading Neal Stephenson books, and I'm starting to think he's not as good a writer as I want him to be. Or he's a shteinbag. Or he's got ideals that I can't get behind after seeing their attempts in the real world. Might be all three.

I could probably forget about his love of cryptocurreny, open carry groups, writing about how poorly treated Christians are, Glorious Nippon, his successfully funded Kickstarter campaign that hasn't delivered the product that was promised to the poor suckers who backed it, and his 18th century suits. I could forget all about that stuff if I didn't know that any time a decently written female character shows up in his books, she gon' get raped. Sometimes gang raped, sometimes multiple times over the course of the story.

Oh, hey, here's this character. She's doing stuff. Oh no, now she's in trouble and now there's a fleshpop in here for no reason. Don't you feel bad for her now? Boy, that was tragic. I sure hope it doesn't happen- there's another dick! This woman has somehow become a magnet for rapedicks! How ever will she make it to the end of the story? Oh, wait, these male characters got unwanted dicks up the butt here, that evens things out a little.

Honestly, I think he's written three books where someone's not getting surprise sexed, and one of those still had an attempt at it. That's kind of a zesty track record, and maybe just a tiny bit lazy. So that leaves two books, and one of those is about math monks from an alternate universe so full of bullshtein made up words I never bothered to read it twice.



Between this and Terry Pratchett's slow descent into Alzheimer's I'm really running low on can't-miss authors.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on October 16, 2014, 12:32:14 AM
I started reading THIS (http://www.amazon.com/Tomorrow-Thomas-Sweterlitsch/dp/0399167498) today and I'm 200 pages in.  Had to take a break from it because my brain is literally going to explode.

Holy shtein...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on October 16, 2014, 11:01:56 PM
Finished it.  Absolutely brilliant.  One of the best books I've ever read. 

Jesus...
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Yeti on October 17, 2014, 12:52:41 AM
I'm going to give that one a read. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on October 17, 2014, 07:24:55 AM
You have to like tech and post-apocalyptic dystopian themes, but his world building is just astonishing.   It's like Phillip K Dick on HGH.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: hbionic on October 17, 2014, 03:15:28 PM
I too will take that recommendation. You better not let me down Romey.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on October 17, 2014, 03:25:48 PM
Fall of Night, Jonathan Maberry's followup to Dead of Night, was awesome. Again he's not the best writer in the world but the story is fun and cool and zombies. Most entertaining zombie books outside of World War Z for me.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on November 30, 2014, 11:35:00 PM
The Peripheral, by William Gibson. I really enjoyed Gibson's last three books, but it was nice to see him take another stab at the future, especially since he does two different points in the future with this one. Easily the best book I've read in the last two years.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Don Ho on December 01, 2014, 01:34:24 AM
I always like to read when I travel.  If I don't have anything I'll grab a book my son has already read for school or will later in the school year.  I recently grabbed ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY by David Sedaris.  Loved it.  Funny, witty, just a great read. Excellent collection off short stories based on his life.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on December 16, 2014, 09:59:52 PM
Sycamore Row by Grisham is really good

It's another story with Jake Brigance as the lead
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on December 18, 2014, 09:41:04 AM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514GoYVgT6L.jpg)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: SD on December 18, 2014, 09:51:02 AM
My cousin handed me 48 Laws of Power over the weekend and told me to read it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Eagles_Legendz on February 05, 2015, 10:58:33 PM
Got Tomorrow and Tomorrow today.  Plot synopsis seemed like something I'd like.  I plan to blame Rome if I don't like it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: smeags on February 13, 2015, 10:15:03 AM
found an audio version of jrr tolkien's, silmarillion. much more enjoyable then reading the book.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 18, 2015, 03:49:23 PM
Just Kids: A long time ago Patti Smith dated an artist dude who turned out to be gay. Then he died and she wrote a book about him. That book is called Just Kids and it's sort of ok. Much more interesting as a window into the NYC art scene in the 60s and 70s than as a story about some flighty artists.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being: Soviet rule was bad. Sex and Lust and Love are all different things. Removing one's self from society's rules and temptations leads to more happiness. Really good book that I just ruined for you. You're welcome.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Geowhizzer on February 18, 2015, 04:12:26 PM
The Fiery Trial by Eric Foner
Deals with Lincoln and his evolving viewpoint on slavery.  Early on, he was antislavery but mostly as it affected the marketplace.  His views began to edge toward a more stridently abolitionist viewpoint only during his presidency, and it was interesting to see that shift.  Foner credits Frederick Douglas with a large amount of influence over Lincoln's shift during his presidency.  It's a good read.

The Dark Horse:  The Surprise Election and Political Murder of President James A. Garfield by Kenneth D. Ackerman
I'm in the middle of this one now.  I wanted to read a book not based on my curriculum, and have not really delved much into Garfield or his presidency.  Not the deepest book I've read, but it's an easy read and I've found it interesting.  And Roscoe Conkling was a sonofabitch!
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on February 18, 2015, 05:58:45 PM
The Collector by John Fowles. A terrifying look into what it would be like if MDS was into girls and butterflies instead of sports journalism.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on February 18, 2015, 07:21:32 PM
I made the mistake of picking up The Forest of Hands and Teeth because that's a pretty cool title for a zombie novel. Dear god, it's teenaged melodrama in the vein of The Hunger Games and (I suspect) the Twilight books only way more teeny-juvenile-love-triangle-but-tee-hee-no-sex horse-shteint-y. It's so farging bad. But hey, great title.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on February 18, 2015, 07:32:48 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on February 18, 2015, 07:21:32 PM
I made the mistake of picking up The Forest of Hands and Teeth because that's a pretty cool title for a zombie novel. Dear god, it's teenaged melodrama in the vein of The Hunger Games and (I suspect) the Twilight books only way more teeny-juvenile-love-triangle-but-tee-hee-no-sex horse-shteint-y. It's so farging bad. But hey, great title.

lol

I posted about his YA series before here, but Jonathan Maberry's Rot & Ruin series is pretty good for YA. The main protagonist is 15 or 16, so there's definitely a few parts of the book that are corny, but overall it's a good 4 book series. It has a bit of a love story in it, but it's only noticeably annoying once or twice from what I remember. Definitely not in the same vein as Twilight, and I think a bit less melodramatic than the Hunger Games.

If you're looking for a good adult zombie book instead, go with Maberry's Dead of Night" and it's sequel "Fall Of Night". They also serve as kind of a prequel to the Rot & Ruin series. Joe McKinney's Dead City (And the rest of the Dead World series) is also good, but you may have read that one already.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on March 21, 2015, 09:03:40 AM
Snow Falling On Cedars.  It was popular and celebrated when published, and I suppose I can see why, but that's not a compliment.  Modern people, especially Americans, are probably the stupidest humans ever to live.  But I digress.  It's a small town murder trial drama set in upper NW fishing island around 1955.  Accused is Japanese-American, veteran.  Victim is white, also veteran.  Everyone knows everyone, and there are connections between them all that are not known, etc.  It has a facile, tidy, hopeful ending and justice prevails.  Everyone is healed, or has hopes of it, the storm ends, the lights come back on, etc.  I liked the description of the community and the era, which I reckon was not inaccurate, but the characters never grabbed me and the plot was pedestrian.  The actual writing was okay, but not good enough to make me stop reading, re-read a passage and consider it for any reason.  Style, meaning, etc.  I don't usually read books like this--contemporary fiction that goes bestseller--because I often end up with a review like this one.  Mostly, it's okay stuff but what passes for a great book in our days usually isn't even close to great.

So, casting about through my books for the next title, I fell upon Homage to Catalonia.

I cannot overstate this:  Orwell is a master.  I am enjoying every sentence.  It's like going from a steady diet of Coldplay to one of Fugazi.

Also, to follow up on a discussion from some time back:  I got Richard Newcomb's Iwo Jima for Christmas, and read that.  It was exactly what I was looking for, and I'm no longer completely uneducated regarding that terrible saga.  If you have any interest in the subject, read it.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on March 21, 2015, 09:46:32 AM
Cool I remember you looking for more reading stuff on Iwo Jima - I'm going to buy it.

The Snow Falling caught my attention bc I like murder mysteries and that era is also an attention grabber for me...I may read it to see if I like it
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 25, 2015, 09:12:19 PM
Finished The Forest of Hands and Teeth. It was awful. Trying to decide what to read next but I'm worried that the brainless dreck I just finished has ruined my brain for the short term. Send help.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on March 25, 2015, 09:28:53 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on March 25, 2015, 09:12:19 PM
Finished The Forest of Hands and Teeth. It was awful. Trying to decide what to read next but I'm worried that the brainless dreck I just finished has ruined my brain for the short term. Send help.

Like I said before, if you're still looking for zombies, do Dead of Night by Jonathan Maberry. Or Dead City by Joe McKinney, if you haven't read that one yet.

If you want more YA zombies, get Maberry's novel Rot & Ruin. Some cheesy teen moments but not nearly as bad as what it sounds like you were describing.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on March 25, 2015, 09:32:23 PM
Are you farging retarded. I do not want any more YA shtein. Jesus christ.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on March 25, 2015, 09:32:51 PM
Jack Reacher series.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on March 25, 2015, 09:39:37 PM
Quote from: rjs246 on March 25, 2015, 09:32:23 PM
Are you farging retarded. I do not want any more YA shtein. Jesus christ.

:-D Alright alright. Just saying Rot & Ruin has gotten good reviews for YA, seems a lot of adults enjoy it. I haven't read Hunger Games yet so i can't comment on if it's as bad as you say that is.

Get Dead of Night and Dead City, both are pretty enjoyable, and not YA.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: smeags on April 28, 2015, 12:38:51 PM
Quote from: smeags on February 13, 2015, 10:15:03 AM
found an audio version of jrr tolkien's, silmarillion. much more enjoyable then reading the book.

finished the book. great actually. i hope they leave this book alone and not try to make it into a movie. i know the tolkien family ownes the rights but you never know down the road. be impossible to make the whole book into a movie considering it spans 2,500 years.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on April 28, 2015, 01:14:27 PM
Didn't they rip half of it out to put in the thirty seven Hobbit movies they crapped out?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on June 16, 2015, 09:54:50 AM
Finished up The Dog Stars, which was excellent, and The Killer Inside Me, which was very good. Just started Trainspotting but I'm not sure I have the patience to wade through Welsh's need to spell every word the way the scots pronounce it. It's like reading A Clockwork Orange but with heroine instead of Vodka Milk.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: smeags on June 16, 2015, 10:00:16 AM
Quote from: General_Failure on April 28, 2015, 01:14:27 PM
Didn't they rip half of it out to put in the thirty seven Hobbit movies they crapped out?

nothing from the silmarillion has been in the movies. the events are from 2500 years prior to the hobbit.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on June 16, 2015, 10:10:59 AM
Then I look forward to not watching those three movies when they come out.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: smeags on June 16, 2015, 11:59:11 AM
Quote from: General_Failure on June 16, 2015, 10:10:59 AM
Then I look forward to not watching those three movies when they come out.

i would def go see them. that in no way indicates they would be quality movies, just shows how much of a tolkien geek i am.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on June 16, 2015, 08:52:57 PM
Anyone read Piketty's Capital yet? Bought it a couple weeks ago and am considering getting started...but afraid I'll be bored to tears.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on July 24, 2015, 02:23:39 PM
Just read Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Incredible.

Everyone should read it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 24, 2015, 02:46:22 PM
I've been reading some glowing reviews of that. Can I borrow?

Also, I read finished Trainspotting and The Great Gatsby last week. Trainspotting was very good, but mostly just served to remind me of how perfect the film is. The even the minor changes that Boyd made when he brought it to the big screen (combining characters, changing the tone of Renton's betrayal at the end) were absolutely perfect.

I read Gatsby as a freshman in highschool and thought it was stupid because I was farging 15 and a story about class struggles the emptiness of wealth in the gilded age didn't mean shtein to me. Rereading it, I could certainly appreciate the themes more, but it still wasn't the transcendent piece of literature that it gets credit for being. It was well told and well written for sure, but it didn't bowl me over the way I expected.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on July 24, 2015, 03:00:01 PM
That's because there's not a single redeeming feature in any of the characters. 

Fitzgerald was a hack.  If he was writing today he'd be working on a TV network soap opera or selling soap on Madison Avenue. 

farg Gatsby too. Glad he got shot at the end.   And Daisy was a twat too.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 24, 2015, 03:07:41 PM
The characters were not meant to have any redeeming qualities. They were meant to illustrate the vapidity of the elite. Ridiculous social views, absurd parties, no human connections. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that the whole thing was just underwhelming. Once you get the point the story isn't meaty enough to keep you interested.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on July 24, 2015, 03:34:45 PM
Nick Carraway was meant to be sympathetic and so was Gatsby to a lesser extent.  Gatsby's noble futility in chasing the illusion of Daisy was, in the end, just a ridiculous allusion to Americans chasing the brass ring in that era. 

Awful rich people win. 

farg all of 'em.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 24, 2015, 03:47:40 PM
I didn't find Carraway to be anything other than a neutral narrator. He's a bond dealer who is also chasing the brass ring, albeit in a more traditional manner. He toys around with the idea of being with a girl for social status reasons. What's to like? Gatsby is a bit of a sympathetic character, I guess, but his attempts to attain status are desperate and driven by a misunderstanding of what love is.

I don't know man, I don't really think F. Scott was trying to make any of them especially likable.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on July 24, 2015, 03:59:33 PM
I read it in high school and only mildly disliked it then.  I read it again years later after seeing the Redford movie randomly on cable, and only then did I truly begin to despise it.  My own life experiences have colored my views as well, having dealt with spoiled, rich, tone-deaf fargheads in these last couple of decades.

I admit it freely. I can't stand the sort of 1%'ers the book skewers.  My raging socialist soul loathes everything about them.

Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on July 24, 2015, 05:52:23 PM
It's a time piece.

Next.

I'm reading Sons and Lovers.  Another dated work, I'm afraid.  We'll see.  Lots to go.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on July 24, 2015, 07:52:44 PM
My daughter has finished her high school reading list and is starting her college list now.  She's going into 10th grade.  That is weird to me and I was a voracious reader in high school.

Anyway, pride and whatnot.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on July 24, 2015, 09:26:16 PM
Christ, that's as cool as Zanshin's rock star son.  Good on you.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on July 25, 2015, 09:02:39 AM
some chick just came out with a novel called gonzo girl that acts as a loosely based real life experience of her time as hunter s thompsons assistant in the early 90's thats supposed to be very good
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: rjs246 on July 25, 2015, 03:57:43 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on July 25, 2015, 09:02:39 AM
some chick just came out with a novel called gonzo girl that acts as a loosely based real life experience of her time as hunter s thompsons assistant in the early 90's thats supposed to be very good

IN
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on July 26, 2015, 03:10:44 AM
Quote from: rjs246 on July 25, 2015, 03:57:43 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on July 25, 2015, 09:02:39 AM
some chick just came out with a novel called gonzo girl that acts as a loosely based real life experience of her time as hunter s thompsons assistant in the early 90's thats supposed to be very good

IN

yeah i figured you and dio would be IN
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Seabiscuit36 on August 06, 2015, 04:02:02 PM
I was mildly disappointed that the title wasn't about her time in the Adult Film industry
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: smeags on September 08, 2015, 03:38:10 PM
thought this would be the best place to post this - not sure how many of you may have read the comic strip "bloom county" back in the day but Berkeley breathed started it back up in july.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on September 08, 2015, 03:48:56 PM
X
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: phattymatty on September 08, 2015, 04:12:47 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on July 25, 2015, 09:02:39 AM
some chick just came out with a novel called gonzo girl that acts as a loosely based real life experience of her time as hunter s thompsons assistant in the early 90's thats supposed to be very good

i read this a week or two ago. meh. i mean i guess it was entertaining enough but knowing what it was based on, i expected more.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on August 14, 2016, 03:28:02 PM
Went up to Deep Creek this weekend for three nights.  Read a book.

John Renehan's The Valley

Thriller/detective style novel set in modern day (war-consumed) Afghanistan.  It was a page turner.  I have some confusion about who did what and how it all went down in the end.  Perhaps that's the point, I don't know.  Seems more like the end wasn't flushed out as well as it could have been.  With another edit and review, the author might have retained all the excitement and suspense, but cleared up some of the confusion.

It was well received and may have said it gives a good primer to what life is like in our current war in Afganistan. 

Fell into my lap and I read it; have no particular interest in the genre, if you will.

Now that I'm back to normal life, probably won't actually finish a book for a long time.   Well, other than the ones I read to my children.  Recently wrapped up Treasure Island, moving on to Call of the Wild next.  Reading these aloud at night turns out to be more fun than getting drunk and watching football.  that is incredibly accurate.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Yeti on September 08, 2016, 10:29:26 PM
Read the whole Fire and Ice series from Martin.  Good story, too much time spent on food and banner descriptions.  Now i'm waiting for the next book like the rest of the world
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on October 20, 2018, 10:16:29 AM
The older I get the less I can tolerate television and movies.  I watch basically nothing but Eagles football.  I can go years without seeing a movie.  The only way I can entertain myself is by being active, not passive.  Games and puzzles work.  That is, I'm able to forget myself for a while as I'm busy figuring shtein out in the game.  And of course, there's reading.  Without books, I'd probably just rather die. 

Recently:

Frederick Douglass --  Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave - Holy shtein this man was a giant.  Fascinating to read this man's first account of his life as a slave in parts of the world that I know pretty well.  Among other things I liked Douglass' observations of people's character.  He put flesh and blood into the figures of different slavers who traded him, as well as some of his fellow slaves.  I could see in my imagination the fields he was made to work under Covey, and also the ships at Fell's Point in Baltimore.  Fascinating read. 


Nicholas Monsarrat --  The Cruel Sea - An account of wartime life aboard the British corvette class convoy escort ships of WWII.  I knew little of this part of the war prior...America sitting over there doing farg all as the Germans enjoyed years of target practice taking out merchant ships from their U boats.  I was surprised by how modern the language was--a few anachronistic phrases and the like but generally it was the same English we use today.  It's characters are good at Sea but on land, and in matters of domestic life, they flag and their stories smack of cliche.  From what I gather, this book was an amalgamation of several shorter pieces Monsarrat had written previously, and is considered his best work.


Erik Larson --  Devil in the White City - Two subjects addressed in tandem, set in the same time and place (roughly):  the effort by Chicago's (and eventually, America's) leading architects to produce the World's Fair of 1893, and the career of on of America's first famous serial killers.  I found the former story fascinating, and ate it up, but the latter uninteresting and a chore.  I couldn't care less about serial killers and their methods.  The cop who eventually figured it all out was interesting.  As for the Fair, I couldn't get enough of that.  As a carpenter, I was fascinated by the scale of the building, and the characters who lead the Fair are a laundry list of Important people from the time.  Well worth the read just for the education about Chicago and the Fair at the end of the 19th century. 


Phillip K. Dick --  The Man in the High Castle - Billed as "alternate history" and "science fiction" at once, this is the first of Dick's work that I've read.  I'm broadly aware of his place in the canon of American writing, and also that he was an all-time speed freak, neither of which helped me to appreciate the book any better than I might have done if I came to it completely ignorant of the man.  As it happened, I suspected from the start that I was merely being dragged along in the frantic uppers-rush of his writing by the idiotic genius you think you've become amidst the crazy flow of thoughts that cascade relentlessly though an amphetamine-besotted mind.  The actual language was interesting and if not exactly a pleasure to read, it was definitely something more accomplished than the unremarkable style of Erik Larson, which I read just before this.  At the end of Man..Castle, I was just glad to be done, and despite his reputation for putting big questions to the reader, I didn't find anything in it too very interesting.  Clever idea, Japan taking the U.S. from CA to the Rockies, and the Germans getting the rest, etc.  But the whole circular, self-referential b.s. about an important author writing a book of alternate history in which America wins the war was just too clever by half.  I could be persuaded otherwise perhaps, but I don't think this is anymore than pseudo-intellectual jerking off, that passes well in coffee shops with young edgy people...  I'll give his work another chance some day, as I'm told that Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is better.


John Le Carre --  The Spy Who Came in from the Cold -- This was my first exposure to Le Carre, and I loved it.  What an outstanding breath of fresh air the writing was after the jarring staccato of The Man in the High Castle.  Concise, sharp, excellent writing, with good characters and momentum.  I'm not a spy novel guy, or into mysteries, so this was not typical reading.  The closest I've come to the genre is some Eric Ambler.  I was glad to find that it is not a page turning spy thriller along the lines of Tom Cruise movies, but instead more of a rumination on black questions about how far one can go in opposing evil without becoming so.  I often wonder it it will always require a Stalin to defeat a Hitler, as it were, and the abdication of morality that is accepted, even embraced, by the spies who are supposedly fighting to preserve good things, is good shtein to chew on with a second deep whiskey in the evening.  I will read Le Carre again now that I find he's doing more than just spinning yarns about dashing spies.

Richard Price -- The Whites  - Very good modern American writing, page turning cops story, written in short passages that come off more like a script for the Wire than as a novel, but entertaining nevertheless.  Hardly an important work, nothing really to chew on here, but a pleasant read and Price nails modern urban American life.  I've also read Lush Life--which I think was better than The Whites--and would recommend Price as a not-quite frivolous page turner, but that's all.  If for no other reason, his language is top notch.  Some passages are so packed with fresh, accurate descriptions of people's motives, or expressions, etc. that they warrant re-reading and underlining as examples of talented writing.

Edgar Lee Masters --  Spoon River Anthology - Published 1915, this book is something else.  Masters offers a portrait of small town middle America that strips the facade of wholesome rural-values, and reveals the truth:  sex with people you'r not supposed to farg, murder, suicide, lifelong misery, graft and charity alike, all these things better and worse, thrive wherever the human heart beats...not just in the big cities.  The most interesting thing to me, other than the indictment of those small town Americans who like to see themselves (in today's lingo) as people of family values, as being no better than those denizens of iniquity in the City, is the way the story is told:  Master gives the reader an epitaph from each of dozens and dozens of townfolk.  Short passages that link one to another, the more so the better you pay attention.  But that's the rub:  he's given the reader such small chunks of narrative that it's easy to sample a bit now and a bit later, like snacking, rather than taking good long sections at a time, like a meal.  If the reader succumbs to the lure of taking the tale in bits and pieces, he will miss a great many of the connections that give the book depth.  In order to appreciate the larger tapestry, you really need to read the book through in big sections, but the format almost begs the reader to take small bites rather than a whole meal.  I'd love to ask Masters why he chose this method.  I think I will re-read this one some time sooner than later, because I'm sure I've missed subtle connections that enrich the work.

Next up, either The Sot Weed Factor, by John Barth, or Toland's Adolf Hitler.  Likely, the latter.  When reading The Man in the High Castle, I was ashamed by how little I knew of the few prominent Nazis mentioned.  I mean, I broadly get that Rommel was a tank guy in Africa, and Goebbals was the propaganda guy and all that, but I realized that I need to know the Nazis and their history better than I do.  Toland was recommended to me as an excellent start upon the European WW2 and Nazi history.  I do like big books, too...if they are good there's nothing like 1000 pages of something to suck me out of my own world.  This one might not be such a pleasant diversion as Middlemarch or Moby Dick, but it comes highly praised as being readable, etc.  We'll see.

Anyone else doing some good reading?
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on October 20, 2018, 08:35:10 PM
I forgot to mention:

William March -- Company K -- Another book, like Spoon River Anthology, composed of vignettes from fictional characters, rather than a long form narrative.  This one also has connections between some of the different accounts, but is not as reliant on the inter-relations between the characters for the reader to appreciate the work.  This is a book about serving in World War 1 -  March was a U.S. Marine - and it's brutal shtein.   Here is another book (like Cruel Sea that was published at a time - 1933-- when i would have thought social mores would prevent such frank language and treatment of terrible things, and again, it's surprisingly modern in language.  I guess not a lot has changed in the 90 years or so since it was published, but it's just not full of terms of phrase or idioms that I find archaic.  Could just be a (very old) grandpa speaking straight to you.  Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed it, if you could call it that.  The characters are dreamt up, but Studs Terkel couldn't tell you that if the author claimed otherwise, they seem so real.  Highly recommended.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on January 16, 2020, 01:50:07 PM
Since my last post, I've been reading more books.  I ought to read more, but I'm a pseudo-intellectual, not the real deal.

Hitler - John Toland
Straight history, this one.  Very little commentary from the author at all.  I read this because, as mentioned above, I was woefully ignorant of the principal Nazi players, and figured a biography of Hitler was the best place to start because he was the Sun about which all these other monsters orbited.  Turns out, Hitler is far less interesting to me than they are, which I suspected would be the case.  To my way of thinking, AH was little more than a (wildly successful) cult leader.  His henchmen though, they were a different matter, much less inscrutable.  Now I have a much better understanding of who they were, which one did which when, etc.  As with any good book, I find that now I want to read more on the subject.  In particular, it's clear I don't know nearly enough about Stalin, Churchill, or Roosevelt.  I need to take up similarly brick-sized bios of those three before I go too much deeper into WWII, I think.  But other subjects and people are also interesting to me now that I know more of the European theater and the Nazis generally.  A book on the henchmen would be a good idea, too.   I recommend this one highly to anyone who wants a good primer on Hitler, the Nazis generally, and the European theater as well.  It's not a page turning thriller, but neither is it a slog.  The research is top notch, etc.

A Tender Soldier - Vanessa Gezari
Here is a book about another horror - the so-called war on terror, and in particular, Afghanistan.  This one focuses on a program by which the U.S. Army started embedding trained social scientists, actual anthropologists, with combat teams, because they recognized that the lack of cultural understanding was causing the military to make incredibly bad decisions about who to kill and who to partner with, etc.  Our military is so clueless that they were/are literally killing people who hate the Taliban, but make their money as criminals or drug dealers, and we can't tell anyone from anyone because we're  the ultimate foreigners.  The story centers on one incident, but fans out to give a picture of the whole program, and reads like a very long article for the Atlantic, or some such piece.  Huge index/source list to back up the reporting, etc.  Well written.I have to say though, that I had the sneaking feeling I"ve read the story of people who think they can make war better before.  It never ends well.  It usually ends horribly.  There's a scene mentioned in this book about a soldier who's brand of community engagement is screaming STOP MOTHERfargER at checkpoints, and to be honest, I'm not sure his tactics were any worse than the program described, sending over people to act as not-spy spies who understand the locals. Once you're at war, seems to me that "kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out," is no worse an attitude than any other.

Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry
A great great pleasure.  Woodrow Call added to my short list of favorite characters, ever.  I love to get high, have taken very large doses of strong drugs that made me see hear and feel shtein that was fantasy....no drug has ever come close to the kind of transport that a great book like Lonesome Dove can do.  For a few weeks, I could check out of this shtein life and into the plains, damn near smelling the horses and coughing on the dust from the driven herd of cattle.  I was moping about for a few days after finishing the book, wishing it had gone on for another 700 pages.  There are four or five other volumes that McMurtry wrote in this universe.  If any one of them is half as good as this was, they'll all be worth my time.  I look forward to them.
I don't watch moving pictures often because I begrudge the power they have to supplant the impression of a work that my imagination has created.  I don't want to see Robert Duvall in my head every time I think of Gus McCrae; I want to think of the fuzzy, poorly defined version of my own.  So I won't be watching the mini-series, but I hear it's also great, so if you can't read the book, then I suggest taking in the mini series.  It's apparently almost as good as the book.

The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge - M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
This is a clever tale for young readers (10-14) written in both pictures and chapters.  In order to understand the story, you need to read both, by following the picture chapters closely, and then of course, reading the prose chapters.  It's a tale about perception of others, of the enemy in particular, of understanding, etc.  I enjoyed it.  If you know a thoughtful kid with an interest in art, especially gothic styled art, this might be a good birthday or Christmas present.

Red Notice - Bill Browder
Brisk, succinct, plainly written account of the tale that, eventually, concluded in the passage of the Magnitsky Act in the United States.  Russia is a corrupt place.  Bill Browder spells out how he learned that, and what it cost him to learn it, without too much boring financial exposition or detail about the diplomatic work it required to bring the world's attention to bear upon corrupt Russia.  The sections of the book in which Mr. Browder talks about falling in love with each of his wives can be skipped.Russia is a pretty lousy place, folks.

The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight - Jimmy Breslin
This is a satire, loosely based on the criminal career of Joey Gallo, known previously to me only by the Bob Dylan song "Joey" on the album Desire.  To be frank, it's a timepiece.  I got through it, and did laugh at a few of the barbs, but in order for a good satire to work, you have to be familiar with the subject being skewered.  I've read a few books and seen a few movies that give me an idea of the times, but it's hard to appreciate from my vantage point.  Readers who remember the days when Italians ran the mob in NYC might appreciate it better.  Breslin's writing -- a bit dated -- is very good, of course.

The Dog Stars - Peter Heller
Dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction centered on a man who has survived the collapse of modern American civilization by partnering with a prepper/gun-nut survivalist.  The two live in the remains of a tiny airport, constantly patrolling the perimeter and occasionally fighting off intruders.  The protagonist ventures out beyond the perimeter, and things happen.  The writing is especially good, and the characters interesting.  There were a couple passages that were suspenseful to the degree that I put the book down, got up, and walked it off for a few minutes before returning.  Talented writer, I was disappointed by a few minor things that distracted from the overall effect.  If one employs very unusual words, (e.g. 'soughing') or uncommon metaphors, (e.g. 'the winter of his/her eyes'), one ought not to repeat them in close proximity to each other in the text.  Or at all, actually.  There's something about the way the author depicts the relationship between the protagonist and two different other men that's really deep.   It's a buddy novel, in a way.  On balance, I enjoyed the book a lot. 

Fatal Voyage - Dan Kurzman
An account of the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis in August of '45.  The ship was a special one, fast and pretty, and used as the flagship for Admiral Spruance, among other things, one of which  was close to my family:  bombardment of Iwo Jima prior to landing.  Anyway, right at the end of the war, the ship was sent on a secret mission to deliver critifcal parts of "Little Boy."  Having successfully completed that mission, the Indianapolis was returning when a lucky Japanese submarine sunk it.  Bad news for those sailors.  But it got worse:  the damage was so immediate and severe, the giant ship sank so rapidly, almost no SOS signals were issued.  And since the ship was sort of special, and on a special trip, and the Navy is a rats nest of bureaucracy, no one noticed that the ship had not returned...for five days.  Almost 900 men survived the sinking, only to be left for five days in shark infested waters, with no food water, or in many cases, even rafts.  316 survived, barely, after  a chance spotting by a U.S.pilot on a routine patrol.  Worst disaster in U.S. Naval history, just as the war ending.  To make matters worse, the Navy scapegoated the captain of the Indianapolis (who survived) and it wasn't until 1990 that his name was finally cleared by an act of congress.  That was of little consolation to the dishonored captain, who killed himself well beforehand.Well researched  and documented story.  Well written.  Glad I know more about it now, but this one is just grim all around.

The Overstory - Richard Powers
This novel won the Pulitzer for fiction in 2018.  Extremely well crafted and balanced, with powerful writing.  I stalled out for a while trying to get to the point where the various threads start being woven together.  You can file this one under "serious" or "important" reading, rather than "fun" or as an "escape."  The subject matter is trees, forests, and the damage we do to them, and ourselves, by consuming ever more, always more, than can be replenished.  It's called "environmental fiction" in reviews, but I think that's not quite fair.  I mean, it does focus on the unqualified disaster we are creating and witnessing, but the questions it raises about what life is, which life deserves value, etc. are questions that run deeper than "the environment."  Some of you meatheads won't give it a second thought but it's a serious question worthy of sustained discussion:  what makes a human so much more valuable than a tree?  Highly recommended reading.


The "to read" stack is a more of a tower.  I'm not sure where I'm going next.  Probably something fun and escapist.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on January 16, 2020, 03:31:23 PM
I'll be coming back to your list. I want to read the Hitler one and like you dive into the central players in WWII. It's my favorite period to read and learn about.

I've got about nine books to plow through. All fiction stuff (Lee Child, Stephen King, etc)
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: ice grillin you on January 22, 2020, 04:24:59 PM
its wwII for dummies not any sort of deep dive a 700 page book is going to give you but netflix has a excellent really well done series called greatest events of wwII thats redone in color....its probably not great for wwII nerds but for beginners i dont think you can do any better...and a lot of the video they have from the war is so good
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: PhillyPhreak54 on January 22, 2020, 04:31:12 PM
Agree. I watched that when it came out. Really well done.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: General_Failure on January 25, 2020, 03:54:45 PM
Just finished Agency by William Gibson. A sequel to his last book where Russian oligarchs are running the world after the apocalypse wiped out 80% of the population and most species, and for fun they connect to a Chinese server that lets them interact with an alternate timeline that splits off as soon as they make contact, 2015 at the earliest.

It was great, but I'm a sucker for Gibson's writing style.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Rome on April 05, 2020, 10:46:59 AM
Few good things have emerged from this plague but one for me is the chance to start reading again.  I read Ben Lerner's "10:04" yesterday.  Fantastic read.  Lerner's poetry is striking. 

Also just began Helen DeWitt's "The Last Samurai."  I'm about 50 pages in and it's interesting.

My aim is to read two books a week if possible. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 09, 2021, 09:56:17 AM
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
I read the unabridged and I though I will never suggest anyone read a novel in any form other than it's original (or a translation thereof), I can understand why people are tempted to do that with a book like The Count.  Holy farg it goes on and one forever in places.  Back in the day (1844), readers were apparently so farging bored, they'd read anything about anything, with any number of pointless diversions and side stories.  The story is so famous I don't have to mention it here.  It was pretty entertaining in places, but on balance I found the book tedious, mostly for it's baldly ludicrous dependence upon outrageous coincidence, unbelievably gullible characters who cannot recognize anyone they haven't seen for a minute if that person should don a costume, and interminable unrelated side stories.  Even though I recognize that I'm reading a very old story, I recoiled at the treatment of the female characters.  Really though, there are no characters, only set pieces for the moving around of a revenge tale that doesn't really have any depth.  Although it was 20 years ago, I remember liking the Three Musketeers much more.  Unless you have a real interest in the period, I would not suggest putting in the work to slog through this time piece.  Watch the movie and move on.

The Power of the Dog - Don Winslow
File under thriller, this book is a decent run through the chaotic, brutal politics of the drugs economy in the United States, Mexico and Central America.  A lot of people will like this, but I didn't.  There's the renegade protagonist cop, dark, wounded and compromised, etc.  The hot prostitute with a special place in her heart that only the Irish assassin from Hell's Kitchen can access, the ruthless drugs kingpin who...etc, etc.  It will make a great movie for people who like shooting guns and menacing sex scenes.  The author is celebrated as being the Mario Puzo of the modern-day organized crime/drugs genre...I don't know.  Nothing about the writing made me want to pick up the next in the series, and of course, there's a series.  Hollywood wants sequels.  Pick this up if you love a gory, fast paced thriller with better-than-average pacing and momentum.  For reference, I'd place this in the same category as The Whites, which I read a while back and mentioned here.  The latter is better, with fresher language and more resonant observation, to go along with less gratuitous violence and mass appeal plotting.

The Great Escape - Paul Brickhill
Fascinating.  Most of you have probably seen the movie based on this book.  Don't settle just for having watched the movie..the book is fantastic.  It was written by one of the POWs who participated in the events, and in a voice and style that couldn't be made up.  Although the language is period, it's original, which makes it fresh to my ear.  I smiled at many a turn of phrase or piece of dialogue.  One of the more fascinating aspects of the story to me was the kind of respect and orderliness of relations between the German jailors and the Allied prisoners.  Since those being held were all officers, and Germans of the time were if anything, respectful of rank and military tradition, there was a kind of fraternity of sorts in place even across the line of prisoner and guard.  I learned more still about the war generally from this book--in particular how poorly the Nazi decision to murder most of the escapees turned out to be.  That respect between prisoners and jailors was not just in the moment.  When it was understood broadly what had happened to the escapees, the disgust was powerful and helped to shock the conscience of people who had until then been able to look the other way.  Highly recommended.

Labyrinths - Jorge Luis Borges
I tried reading this stuff because I have pretensions to intellectualism...and that's all they are.  I'm actually just a fake and a dolt.  I managed maybe half of these short stories, if that's what you call them.  Bizarre shtein that I could not make heads nor tales of, most of it seems to me more like an exercise in word play or philosophy of some kind.  So many heavies have lavished praise and credited Borges with having influenced their work that I can't begin to disagree, but nor can I say any of it was good.  Mostly, it was baffling, meaningless, and for me a waste of my time.  If you're into conceptual literature, or poetry, I think this might be for you.  I can't stand either.  As I said, I'm a pretender to the ivory tower, not actually worthy of entry.

Our Man in Havana - Graham Greene
Not one of Greene's important works, this one lacks the moral horror that he can reveal in other books, but it's still Graham Greene, which is candy to me.  The writing itself is worth the price of entry.  If I had time, I could read everything Greene ever wrote and enjoy it.  As it stands, I've read (and in some cases re-read) half a dozen or so of his books.  In this one, a drinking American in Havana, single father with debts and bills, gets himself accidentally enlisted as a secret agent, and, lying his way around to keep collecting checks, digs himself into a real life and death piece of espionage.  Greene's contempt for human motives and methods shines throughout, and is delicious to this reader, whose heart is small and dry, and full mostly of fear and hatred.

Don Quixote - Cervantes  (translation by Grossman)
By far the best thing I've read in a very long time and easily one of the best I've ever read.   I had to read it in College, but was too young, and had too little time to give it justice.  This time, I read it carefully, with pencil and post-its in hand.  It is a miracle of literature:  ludicrous, beautiful, hilarious, sad, bizarre.  More than 400 years since it was first published, I'm reading it and laughing aloud on the regular.  How can that be possible?  I don't think I laughed even once for The Count of Monte Cristo.  Maybe a smirk or two at a decent line...but in D.Q., I'm laughing throughout as I read, and I'm laughing later, as I think about, or describe, what I read.  I don't know that really I can say about it other than it's utterly foundational and literally every thinking person should read it closely, and argue about it with friends.  Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are more real to me than most actual people, and now that I know them, I feel like I know the world better.  I don't know...I can't find the superlatives to lavish...just magnificent.  I wish I could read it in the original Spanish.  My 11 year old son is Spanish bilingual, and reads voraciously, though not in Spanish so far.  While working my way through this he would occasionally ask me what was happening, and would himself laugh just upon my retelling of whatever idiocy DQ and SP had gotten into...it's a parent's hope that his child will be able to appreciate something this wonderful in its original language.  How proud I would be if he someday read DQ in Spanish.


the pile to read is not getting smaller...I'm more than midway through a very good book now, about murders in Alabama and Harper Lee's attempt to write about them--more on that the next time I post about what I've read..you can't wait, I know......and I'm already experiencing that weird feeling of mourning for the impending conclusion of a good book, mixed with salivatory expectation of the next one, topic and title as yet unknown
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on February 10, 2021, 08:48:59 AM
One more, since I just tore through it.

Furious Hours - Casey Cep
This tightly written non-fiction book is part murder history, part literary history.  It treats the subject of a famous murder story in Alabama from the early 70's as a preamble or foreground setting for Cep's investigating into the author Harper Lee's failed effort to write a book about it along the lines of In Cold Blood, which she had helped Truman Capote research a dozen years prior.  [If you haven't read In Cold Blood, you should.]  The story of the murders, and the characters involved, is compelling enough, but Cep does a great job of turning the shock and pulp of a mass murder/vigilante murder tale into a larger portrait not only of the famously unproductive Great American author, but of the South more broadly.  I was impressed with how well the story is told, and by the succcinct, clear writing that draws the reader from one sentence to the next, one paragraph to the next.  She packs a great deal into her work without it feeling cluttered, etc.  If you have any interest in Harper Lee, the American South, or bizarre true life crime, this book delivers on all counts.  If however you're not interested in Lee at all, skip the book.  Although it spends fully two thirds of the volume treating the murders and trials, the book really is about Harper Lee, and what happened to her apparently serious attempt to write another book, under the crushing pressure of being the author of arguably America's favorite book.  Thoroughly reseacherched, there's a robust section of references and notes to support the work.  I enjoyed it very much.

and a side note psa:  I am amazed by how cheaply you can get books off ebay.  I liked this book so much I decided to get a few copies of it to send to friends.  For less than $20 with shipping I have three hard cover copies of this one coming.  Often, you can find a book for under $4, shipped. 
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Diomedes on June 05, 2021, 11:29:52 AM
Read a bunch of Sherlock Holmes stories.  Fun, but only.  Nothing serious to be found in those.  He's basically a comic book super hero before they had comic books.  Good entertainment.

To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf
Somehow I made it 46 years on Earth as a native English speaker without reading anything Woolf authored--not even the mega-celebrated short story "A Room of One's Own."  I'm a fake intellectual, so books like this one are difficult.  More poetry than the straightforward prose I'm more naturally comfortable with, and lacking much in the way of dialogue, action, or plot, the book still made a big impression on me.  Long passages are exceptionally beautiful, and Woolf does an incredible job of presenting the movements of interior thought/feeling, especially in how well she presents the rapidity with which people can move from one very strong emotion to another, opposing emotion.  Her portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey are haunting, in a good way:  before reading To the Lighthouse, I had no Ramseys in my life, as I do Ahab, or Anna Karenina, or Dorothea Brooke, or Hector...huge characters that I've had no choice but to remember and know (in my own way) since encountering them....now I have these two characters and I feel the better for it.  I can't say I enjoyed the book, or that it entertained me, but I'm very glad to have read it, to be no longer so ignorant of an incredibly important author and work, etc.  Damn if I don't feel that most of it went sailing by me though.

Next up, perhaps after a brief diversion for something short and fun, is War and Peace again.  When I first read it, I was in college, which is to say, young and stupid, and under an aggressive deadline, so I read too quickly, and gathered very little from it, other than a strong impression that it was marvelous.  Anna Karenina I read more recently, as an adult anyway, and positively loved it.  I've got a reading buddy who has agreed to read it with me at the same time, so I'm kind of excited for it.
Title: Re: Anybody read a good book lately?
Post by: Munson on August 10, 2021, 07:11:54 PM
Forgot this thread existed, but I read Jonathan Cohn's Ten Year War about the history of the ACA and how we got it and how we got to where we are now with health care policy. It's a great read.