Author, Author !!!

[Cygnus Q'ol]

In this overwhelming visual age of video gaming, television ruled households, big screen mania, and PC slavery, does anyone ever read books anymore?

 

Of course, the answer is yes.

But, what kind of reading could possibly lure you away from your favorite TV show or a computer game's visual delight?

 

Personally, I like a little mystery and intrigue. More often than not, I gravitate towards Sci-fi and fantasy. (big surprise)

 

If you have the time and are so inclined, share some of your favorite books and authors.

 

Also, if you could, describe a little of the story for us. I'm always on the lookout for another good read. (please keep it short and sweet)

 

...few of my favs:

 

Ben Bova - "Colony" and "Orion"

Trevannian - "Shibumi"

Orson Scott Card - "Ender's Game" and "Ender's Shadow" (both are excellent)

Fritz Leiber - "Swords Against Death" or "Swords in the Mist" or any of the "Swords" series.

Michael Stackpole - the entire 'Rougue Squadron' series.

...Oh, and anything by Robert Heinlein.

 

There are many more, what are some of yours?

[Point Man]

Lord of the Rings

Don Quixote de La Mancha

Agatha Christie

Morte d'Artur

Tain bo Cualigne

Beowulf

John Grisham

Dune

[ForceFightWMe12]

I love reading. I don't always get much done, but...

 

 

David Baldacci- The Winner, Split Second, and Hour Game

Gregory Maguire- Wicked and Son of a Witch

Orson Scott Card- Ender's Game

Philip Pullman- His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass)

Christopher Paolini- Eragon

Eoin Colfer- Artemis Fowl, AF: Arctic Incident, AF: The Eternity Code, AF: The Opal Desception

J.K. Rowling- Harry Potter series

[Hallucination]

Frank Herbert-Dune series

Orson Scott Card-Ender's Game series

Isaac Asimov-Foundation series, the Gods Themselves, others that I can't think of

Ray Bradbury-Something Wicked This Way Comes, Fahrenheit 451

There are tonnes of other ones, but I can't remember them all.

[Jae Onasi]

Well, Star Wars stuff, of course.

 

I love Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series. She (and now her son) do a wonderful job of creating an entire culture and developing entertaining stories for it.

Her Rowan series is also good reading, but I haven't read those in awhile.

CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia

Asimov's Foundation series

Tom Clancy--esp the Jack Ryan series. They're great if you can make it through the first 100 pages or so where you're trying to figure out who's on what side. It's much easier if you read them all in order. The stories are very exciting.

John Grisham--The Firm is one of my favorites.

Barbara Hambly's _Those Who Hunt the Night_. It's a vampire mystery set in 1800's England.

Lillian Jackson Braun's _The Cat Who..._ series. If you like Siamese cats and mysteries, these are a lot of fun.

Emily Brightwell's Mrs. Jeffries series--set in Victorian times, a housekeeper and crew helps solve mysteries for her bumbling Inspector boss.

Agatha Christie--esp. the Miss Marple mysteries.

WEB Griffin's series--he's been writing awhile but I just started reading these and enjoy the adventures.

Steve Martini's series of Paul Madriani mystery/adventures.

 

For those who get into CSI--these are 'rated R' because of violence and graphic descriptions of crime scenes, but they'll keep you reading til very late because you just can't put them down.

Patricia Cornwell

Jeffrey Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme novels.

 

Dante's Inferno--as my history prof said, "where else do your enemies but in hell?" It's very interesting to see what the medieval/Renaissance mind thought were the worst crimes compared to what we consider the worst crimes these days.

 

Humor--

The Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison

Anything by Henry Beard, like French for Cats and Latin for All Occasions

Anything by Dave Barry

Delia Ephron's _How to Eat Like a Child and Other Lessons in Not Being Grown Up_.

 

Non-fiction--

Gardening books

Scrapbooking books

Peterson's Guide to North American Birds (great for birdwatching)

Just about anything on Taekwondo

Bible, anything by Ravi Zacharias or CS Lewis. Zacharias in particular is very deep reading, but he gives some of the best intellectual, dispassionate, philosophical defense of Christianity that I've ever read. If you like philosophy, whether or not you're a Christian, you will find his arguments intriguing, even if you don't agree with him.

Eye-related medical journals (not really books, but the journals are far more current than any medical books, so I count them)

[Cygnus Q'ol]

@ Jae

Holy Frijoles Batman!

 

It's a wonder you ever get time to play Vids. That's quite an eclectic mix of goodies. I delved briefly into Anne years ago in school. Very fun, quick reading.

 

I found Clancy a bit of a bore when I first tried him. Then after experiencing "Rainbow six" my appreciation and patience grew and I was able to digest better.

 

Foundation series will always be one of my favs. Remember the 'Mule'?

 

Grisham, "...snore"!

 

Arthur C. Clarke is my hero. I love his collection of 'shorts'.

 

Have you ever read anything on Jeet Kune Do? Bruce Lee was an incredible man. I think you'd enjoy. There is much still to learn. I am intrigued in the 'way of the intercepting fist'.

 

@Hallucination. Anything by Bradbury merits reading. Ever read "The illustrated man"? Too cool.

 

@JF66 With toothpics in my eyes, I forced myself through DUNE.

All I can say is that it was better than the movie. (Slightly) His drawn out descriptions took away from the shallowly drawn characters. Of course this is just my muted opinion. But, I have nothing else to do right now.

 

@ForceFightWMe Have you read "Ender's Shadow"? If you loved Ender's Game, you'll love this incredible parallel story from Bean's point of view. It really is good, unlike the other two sequels which were very bad.

I loved it as much as Ender's Game (almost).

[Bob Lion54]

Personally' date=' I like a little mystery and intrigue. More often than not, I gravitate towards Sci-fi and fantasy. (big surprise) [/quote']

Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes and The Lost World.

 

The Lost world is a wonderful book. The show they made shares only its name. If you haven't read it you should.

 

Sherlock Holmes- The Greatest Detective ever. The stories are wonderful and are a must read for everyone.

[Jae Onasi]

@ Jae

Holy Frijoles Batman!

 

It's a wonder you ever get time to play Vids. That's quite an eclectic mix of goodies. I delved briefly into Anne years ago in school. Very fun, quick reading.

 

Heh, I've had a few years to collect that list. And I'm blessed with the ability to read quickly. I started reading Anne and Asimov in high school. I read every night before I go to sleep, and usually have about 4 different books sitting on my bedside table to read depending on my mood that night. We have other books scattered all over the house (depending where we last sat down with a given book). Even during finals week in college, I took a little time every day (even if it was only 5 or 10 minutes) to read something totally unrelated to school, just to keep my sanity. I needed some escapism after studying organic chem and physics formulas ad nauseum. Usually it was The Cat Who series because it's an easy read and it can be picked up and put down easily. Sometimes I'll even read during commercials of a TV program, though I don't watch hours of TV every day.

I found Clancy a bit of a bore when I first tried him. Then after experiencing "Rainbow six" my appreciation and patience grew and I was able to digest better.

He's always slow in the first 100ish pages, but then he picks it up after that and I find it impossible to put his books down once I've figured who does what. I particularly like anything with Mary Pat in it. She's quite the spy.

 

Grisham, "...snore"!

 

Ah, you have to pick the right ones for the adventures. The Firm and The Pelican Brief are more entertaining if you're into action. Some of his other books do move about as fast as the sleepy Southern town, Clanton, MS, moves.

 

Arthur C. Clarke is my hero. I love his collection of 'shorts'.

I think I read a couple things by him a long time ago, but I never got into his stuff. I may try him now that I'm older. I read CJ Cherryh's Cuckoo's Egg in high school and didn't quite get all of it, though I was really sheltered at that age. I read it again about 10 years later after getting some 'life experience' (read, aging) and it made more sense to me then. Clarke may be the same.

 

Have you ever read anything on Jeet Kune Do? Bruce Lee was an incredible man. I think you'd enjoy. There is much still to learn. I am intrigued in the 'way of the intercepting fist'.

I haven't yet, but I've only been doing TKD for about 3.5 years. There's always something new to learn in any martial arts. I read somewhere that at one school, when the master gives his student a black belt, he says to them "Congratulations, you have now learned how to walk." My master, who's 6th Dan, says he's still learning new things, and I don't doubt that one bit.

 

@JF66 With toothpics in my eyes, I forced myself through DUNE.

Heh, that's why it's gathering dust on our shelves instead of sitting on my bedside table. I picked it up one time and put it down very shortly thereafter and never have looked at it since.

 

I picked up the Archeaology Study Bible today--very interesting (especially since I'm a social history junkie in addition to being fairly religious). It puts the verses into context with the history, archeaology, and culture, and includes little vignettes on archaeological sites and how they apply to the text itself. It gives some very colorful insight.

[Cygnus Q'ol]

@Bob Lion54 Thanks for the tip. I'll add that to my list of 'to gets.'

I've never seen the show. But, I'd rather read this one.

 

@Jae If you need to, chech this out.

Sorry, I don't know how to make a link yet. Do you? Also, how do you snip portions of a post to reply? I've seen that done often.

http://www.westlord.com/brucelee/eng-home.html

(edit)Holy crapola, it did it for me. Now, don't I feel smart right now?

 

I usually read two to three at a time, depending on mood and time, and if there's a new video game out. When TSL first came out, I hardly read at all.

 

Has anyone read the Davinci code? Should I read it before the movie comes out?

[Commander Obi-Wan]

I suppose J.K Rowling and Tolkien....that's all......

[Darth InSidious]

Arthur C. Clarke

Terry Pratchett

Douglas Adams

Agatha Christie

P. G. Wodehouse

Robert A. Heinlein

Timothy Zahn

Tom Holland

J. R. R. Tolkien

 

...As well as pretty much any of the regular authors of the Doctor Who NA/MA series.

[JediMaster12]

Well I guess I am the boring school teacher because I like to read Codices

I actually have a wide reading list ranging from classic literature to contemporary and it's really quite exhausting. Still I'll list a few from my extensive list that I have been developing since I was oh, 5.

 

North and South-John Jakes

Frankenstein-Mary Shelly

Dracula-Bram Stoker

Their Eyes Were Watching God-Zora Neal Hurston

Brave New World-Aldous Huxley

Dark Nest Trilogy (Star Wars)

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn-Mark Twain

Left Behind-Tim LaHaye

Holy Blood, Holy Grail

Angels and Demons, The DaVinci Code-Dan Brown

 

Here it is I actually have these books. I have WAY too many yet I love them.

[Det. Bart Lasiter]

I wait for the movie to come out. Give me two hours and I can be done with the "book"

[ForceFightWMe12]

Well that's no fun, Jmac

[Pavlos]

Yay! A thread about reading books on the internet. While writing this reply I could have read part of my book... oh well.

 

Hmm:

 

The Count of Monte Cristo

His Dark Materials Trilogy

Lord of the Rings

Lord of the Flies - My, what an absolutely amazing read!

Pride and Prejudice

Jurassic Park

The Queen and I - Reading it at the moment; strangely gripping...

Pretty much anything by P.G. Wodehouse

Brave new world - So very, very provocative

Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy... eh, "trilogy" .

Foundation trilogy

 

There are many more... my favourite at the moment really is "Lord of the Flies." It has so much in it. One can read it either as an action and adventure book, or as a thesis on mankind.

[Pavlos]

Yay! A thread about reading books on the internet. While writing this reply I could have read part of my book... oh well.

 

Hmm:

 

The Count of Monte Cristo

His Dark Materials Trilogy

Lord of the Rings

Lord of the Flies - My, what an absolutely amazing read!

Pride and Prejudice

Jurassic Park

The Queen and I - Reading it at the moment; strangely gripping...

Pretty much anything by P.G. Wodehouse

Brave new world - So very, very provocative

Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy... eh, "trilogy" .

Foundation trilogy

 

There are many more... my favourite at the moment really is "Lord of the Flies." It has so much in it. One can read it either as an action and adventure book, or as a thesis on mankind.

[REDJOHNNYMIKE]

 

Lucasforums!

 

Not much lately:(

When I was little reading was one of my big pass times, sometimes skipped a night or two of sleep, the result being a current attention deficit approach to anything more than 1/4 inch thick:lol:

[Sabretooth]

Amen, I love reading as well. I mostly read mystery/horror/fantasy/history. I can't name any favourite books, honestly, but here are a few:

 

JRR Tolkien - The Lord of the Rings

JRR Tolkien - The Silmarillion

Bram Stoker - Dracula

Cervantes - Don Quixote

Joseph Finder - Paranoia

Dan Brown - Angels & Demons

Dan Brown - The Da Vinci Code

Agatha Christie - The Pale Horse

 

There must be more, but I can't seem to remember them. Man, I have so many more books to read...

[Reclaimer]

Timothy Zhan and Eric Nylund.

 

'nuff said.

[Cygnus Q'ol]

@Sabertooth & JM12 I haven't read the 'Code' yet. Is there definate proof that Christ married and thus created another bloodline?

HolyBlood, Holy Grail or the DaVinci Code, which one is considered fiction and which one is 'non'?

Is there proof that DaVinci hid clues in his art and architecture of this 'secret society' and their mission to keep everything hushed? Is it worth the read?

 

The adventures of Huck Finn was instrumental in my reading development as a kid. So was Jack London's White Fang and Call of the Wild. Anyone remember those?

 

@Darth InSidious I take it the Douglas Adams you mentioned was Hitchhiker's Guide right? Hilariously ridiculous but, entertaining nonetheless.

 

@Pavlos. Lord of the Flies is an incredible book for so many reasons. Nice one. Also, I loved Jurassic Park. It's much better than the movie.

I dig Crichton, always have ever since the Andromeda Strain.

 

2 Absolute favs: (Nightfall - Asimov) & (Door Into Summer - Heinlein) must reads before you die.

[Jae Onasi]

I love Mark Twain. He has such a dry sense of humor.

I read Andromeda Strain, too. Great book.

Brave New World--that's one I've read several times, and the older I get, the more I appreciate it, though I thought it was a good book the first read through.

Lord of the Flies--it's a very well written book, but it was a little too depressing for me.

1984--doubleplusgood.

 

The current bestseller The DaVinci Code is fiction. I don't know if the others are fiction/non-fiction.

[Bob Lion54]

I love Mark Twain. He has such a dry sense of humor.

Mark Twain is one of my favourites. I love the way he writes. Thats pretty much the same thing with Dickens, who I consider the English version of Clements. (Twain is sardonic, Dickens is more sarcastic.)

 

I really dont like any modern books exept for the Harry Potter series. Most of what I read was written at least 100 years ago.

[Sabretooth]

@Sabertooth & JM12 I haven't read the 'Code' yet. Is there definate proof that Christ married and thus created another bloodline?

HolyBlood, Holy Grail or the DaVinci Code, which one is considered fiction and which one is 'non'?

Is there proof that DaVinci hid clues in his art and architecture of this 'secret society' and their mission to keep everything hushed? Is it worth the read?

 

The book is definitely worth the read, if not more. The suspense, the fast-paced storytelling, the shocks and twists, everything is ueber.

 

Holy Blood, Holy Grail, as far as I know is the non-fiction and is a study over the theory and phenomenon of Jesus having a bloodline.

 

Da Vinci Code takes HBHG and throws it into a pot along with technology, Da Vinci, the Priory, gripping storyline and all the stuff that made it cool.

 

There is no proof, as you call it, but it's just there. A different perspective of looking at Da Vinci's work. There are numerous sources talking about the Priory, of Vinci hiding messages etc. It has all been compiled together.

 

There is no proof, again, but they're all signs pointing to one source and where the signs are real or not, is dependant on you, until there is concrete evidence and vocal statement.

[Vaelastraz]

The Hobbit

LOTR

And tolkiens other 2 books concerning middle earth and its history (i dont know the english name)

 

Hitchhiker's Guide

 

I used to like Karl May Western-Books when i was younger... i read about 15 of them

 

Of all Star wars books ( i know just a few) my fav is one from Michael Stackpole, that is what i call detailed writing!

 

Terry Pratchett's Discworld series

 

Dick Francis! I 've read more than 15 of his books, they are just great

 

There are way more books i really like.

I usually read very much, and very fast also! Such a fat Harry Potter takes me just a week

[Lantzen]

Most of the books by David Eddings and Dean Koontz. I have just finish all the books in the serie Wheel of time, or all that is releases in sweden