Samuel Dravis Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Just finished reading "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" yesterday. I liked it, Dorothy was always kind of irritating. editsky: merged my previous post with this one I just read "Till We Have Faces" by C.S. Lewis. It is a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, done through Pysche's oldest sister's (Orual) point of view. When I started reading it, the book didn't seem very impressive (given the reviews I'd read) and the characters fairly uninteresting. Only near the end did I begin to realize exactly how much I had become attached to Orual's character - and how much she was not as she thought herself. Very powerful story. Excellent book. 5/5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Obi-Wan Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 And I just recently completed reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Probably the only book I'll be reading this summer. I enjoyed it. 5 wands out of 5 wands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish.Stapler Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Everything in the Ender series and it's parallel involving Bean. This can't be emphasized enough, that series is amazing. And I don't know what you people are talking about with Speaker for the Dead, once I started reading I couldn't put it down . I implore you to stay away from Atlas Shrugged. Please. Please. You'll really wish you had listened to me if you end up deciding to read it, her writing style is atrocious, and even ED who liked her books admits that her ideas suck . Most of the books I read are history. I'd have to know 1. if you like history 2. what eras before I could reccommend stuff you'd enjoy I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 If you like history, you have to read "1066 and All That". It's a hilarious take on British history. I laughed all the way through that book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Point Man Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 Jimbo, the next couple books in the series were..not very interesting, to me anyway. Sad day! The best one out so far in my opinion was Faith of the Fallen, the one you just finished. I am waiting for the next one, however. Maybe it will rescue the series from the doldrums. I finished all of Terry Goodkind's works about three weeks ago, but I have been so busy with work that I haven't had a chance to report on it. Samuel, you have to pick up the rest. Books 3-5 were the nadir of the series. Starting with Faith of the Fallen, it really picks back up. Naked Empire dropped back a little, then in Chainfire and Phantom, Goodkind gets into a great storyline that will be resolved when Confessor comes out this November. I can't wait! I was so disappointed when I found out that I had to wait four months before the final installment comes out. In the meantime, I have started Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. He creates a memorable world and characters you really care about, but after reading 11 books by Terry Goodkind (over 7000 pages) in two months, I found Jordan's pacing to be a little plodding. I also wish he would, "Show more, tell less." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Not sure how most people feel about non-fiction, but I'm very much enjoying a book titled Moondust: In Search of the Men Who Fell to Earth. It contains stories from and about each of the men that walked on the moon and how that experience affected them. I got turned on to it when I learned that it was required reading for each of the cast members in the movie Sunshine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabish Bini Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 4 words: The Secret, Rhonda Byrne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mur'phon Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 Just read the most amazing book ever: Whatever you think, think the opposite by Paul Arden. To use its own description: it explains the benefits of making bad decisions, it shows how risk is your security in life, and why unreason is better than reason (this ones for you Achilles). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 Just read the most amazing book ever: Whatever you think' date=' think the opposite by Paul Arden. To use its own description: it explains the benefits of making bad decisions, it shows how risk is your security in life, and why unreason is better than reason (this ones for you Achilles).[/quote'] If you like that sort of thing then you'd probably enjoy Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Good ol' Dostoyevsky puts forth the idea of guilt as a means to redemption and Raskolnikov's monomania is rather enjoyable to explore . Then again, depending on your tastes, you may prefer Great Expectations by the master storyteller himself, Charles Dickens. G.E. is more to do with cause and effect and the idea of never going back than it is about guilt - though it features heavily and it's one of the things that allows us to draw parallels between the two works. Incidentally, G.E. is my favourite Dickens novel and one of the best books you could ever hope to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth InSidious Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 If you haven't read Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies, you must. Not reading it is just too, too frightful. Perfectly shame-making, in fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salzella Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 Best sci-fi ever: Ian M. Banks to give him his assumed name. Srsly. SOme of the most vibrant, imaginative, lively writing i've ever read, and his universes are believable, his characters rock. I'm a fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMojo Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 Oh, and Nightwatch by Terry Pratchett. Brilliant stuff. Oh yes! Someone did mention Terry Pratchett. Pratchett's books are so cool. I haven't read them all, but I can recommend "Mort" and the "Rincewind trilogy". They are hilarious! - For instance - In one of his book, I can't remember which, he describes dragons. And since dragons can breathe fire, the most important discussion subject for dragons are of course their digestive system! If a dragon have a bad digestive system, the dragon will explode. A swamp dragon on the other hand will explode if it gets: Excited, scared, happy etc etc... Also Dragonlance Chronicles (trilogy) - by Margeret Weis and Tracy Hickman. They have also written the sequal - Dragonlance Legends, which is also a trilogy. Both series are a good and easy read. God I hope they'll make a movie of those books soon. I actually enjoyed them more then "Lord of the Rings". Speaking of "Lord of the Rings", I can also recommend "The Hobbit". It's a childrens book, but still very catchy even for an old geezer like me. And if you're into vampires... I can recommend "Interview with a vampire" by Anne Rice. That book is so poetic and amazing, so even if you're not into vampires, I can still recommend this book. "Interview with a vampire" also have a sequel called "The vampire Lestat". Again it's very good, but I must admit I'd never finished it... got a bit fed up with vampires. hehe And if you want a book with details, and by God will you get them. Read "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo. It's French, but unless you're brilliant in French, read the Unabridged English version as I did. It's still a very demanding read, and I must admit I got a bit fed up with all the details in the end. Still, it's a very touching and gruesome story that I deeply recommend. Also, I don't know if you can get the books in English, but authors I can recommend is: Astrid Lindgren and Dennis Jürgensen But, I'm nearly finished with Dragonlance Legends... again - but I think that I'll give Terry Goodkind a try. Thanks for the tip. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediMaster12 Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 There is one book I recommend for people who like romances but also like the flair of the magic of witches, sorcerers, vampires, the land of Eire. Morrigan's Cross is the first of the Circle Trilogy in which the chosen six are to wage war against a vampire queen bent on taken over the world of Geall and ours. The six learn to work together and a bit about what they are up against. A novel full of swordplay and action. Written by Nora Roberts it is a treat for all who imagine the things that go bump in the night. Also This is one book that I have come across and was recommended to me by an ole fart of a friend. Gryphonrider the story of a girl born to a race of warrior women. Aided by a magical sword and a mystic creature she battles against the evils that come across the lands. It is the first in a series and will actually grip your attention. Written by Nick Lorence, I have found it an interesting story full of action an philosophy that makes you think about the way things are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Dravis Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 I've recently read both Siddhartha and Narcissus and Goldmund, by Herman Hesse. Proto-TK102 recommended them to me and I have definitely enjoyed both. They're both about people in search of meaning in their lives, and they're very absorbing reads. Thanks TK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 I've recently read both Siddhartha and Narcissus and Goldmund, by Herman Hesse. Proto-TK102 recommended them to me and I have definitely enjoyed both. They're both about people in search of meaning in their lives, and they're very absorbing reads. Thanks TK! This is odd... I've just bought both of these books... they're next on my list of things to read. I'd recommend anything by Raymond Carver. Cathedral, Will You Please Be Quiet Please both good collections and there are yet others. I recently had a university interview for English Literature and the second interviewer described Carver's style as "The action's over there but we're focussing on a coffee pot." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uilleand Posted December 11, 2007 Share Posted December 11, 2007 I can't pass by one of these threads without recommending Guy Gavriel Kay. Every single word I've ever written for my own pleasure has been inspired by his work. While The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy holds a special place in my heart, I think Tigana is truly his best work to date. GGK has this horrible talent for making you love, love his characters, taking all that wonderful emotion from you, tying it up into tiny, tight little knots and handing it back to you, just to hear you say "OW!" I love that man. Just finished the second of Scott Lynch's The Gentleman Bastard series, which I am *truly* enjoying....if you love a bit of the rogue, these guys are for you...it's funny, funny, funny...and gut wrenching all at the same time... Also, for a more modern twist, 9Tail Fox by Jon Courtenay-Grimwood puts a magical twist into the existance of a San-Fran cop... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee Hoon Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 I've recently read The Time-Traveller's Wife and My Sister's Keeper. Gah, I'm such a sucker for those tear-jerkers T_T Nevertheless, they were both excellent reads and I would heartily recommend them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serpentine Cougar Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 I'd recommand the Dune books, by Frank Herbert - epic space fantasy at its best. Almost the LotR of sci-fi. I'm almost finished with the last in this 6-book series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyMojo Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 Argh, sometimes I hate living in Denmark! I have to wait until after Christmas before I get the books I ordered; because they need to order them from England. *grumble* But hopefully I'll get Terry Goodkind - Wizard's First Rule and Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses" in this year *more grumbling* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salzella Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 I think Tigana is truly his best work to date. GGK has this horrible talent for making you love, love his characters, taking all that wonderful emotion from you, tying it up into tiny, tight little knots and handing it back to you, just to hear you say "OW!" I love that man. Amen, it's great. Such a vibrant world Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthStrider Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 For those who are interested in The Lord of the Rings type stuff, Eragon and Eldest (of the Inheritance trilogy) by Christopher Paolini are very good books. For those who are interested in Modern Fantasy, The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud are also a very good series of books. Garfield (cartoon) by Jon Davies is always good for a laugh. The book version of Doom is a good read for Sci Fi people, just beware of all the swearing. Well, there are some of my recommendations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev7 Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 I highly recommend The Oath by Frank Peretti. So far that is the best book that I have ever read mainly because I spent 5 hours straight reading it. It was a movie in my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinkle Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 I've recently read both Siddhartha and Narcissus and Goldmund, by Herman Hesse. Proto-TK102 recommended them to me and I have definitely enjoyed both. They're both about people in search of meaning in their lives, and they're very absorbing reads. Thanks TK! Try The Glass Bead Game on for size. I can't say it's not difficult, but it's definitely worth the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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