Be prepared... Tough read.Quote:
Originally posted by Schmear
Up next: Lolita. Never read it, figure I better add it to the cache.
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Be prepared... Tough read.Quote:
Originally posted by Schmear
Up next: Lolita. Never read it, figure I better add it to the cache.
Since this was originally a summer reading topic, i.e., "what should I read on the beach?", do yourself the ultimate favor and go pick up "The Deep Blue Good-By" by John D. MacDonald, the first in the Travis McGee series, and thank me later.
Trust me on this one.
I read a nice book entitled On the Beach a decade or so ago. It was about the last months of the human race following global nuclear war. Set in southern Australia as the extreme southen hemisphere would be the last place on earth to get nuclear fallout.Quote:
Originally posted by iceman
Since this was originally a summer reading topic, i.e., "what should I read on the beach?"...
Yeah, I read that too, about 30 years ago. Nevil Shute. Not exactly cheerful, but a decent book nonetheless. But like I said, do yourself a favor and try John D. MacDonald.
I'm a weird fucker... I never read one book at a time... I keep my palce in usually 3-6 books at one time. It must be my short attention span. "Stupid TV... ruined my... uh... what was I saying?" -Homer
Currently reading:
Atlas Shrugged
Secret Life of Dust
The Cruise of the German Raider Atlantis
Currently Rereading:
The Effects of Nuclear Weapons
Terrorism
Military Radiobiology
On the top of my stack (all rereads):
Summit
Terror in the Mind of God
The Demolished Man
1984
Very good book. Listened to that on tape while driving across Kansas once.Quote:
Originally posted by Viva
I read a nice book entitled On the Beach a decade or so ago. It was about the last months of the human race following global nuclear war. Set in southern Australia as the extreme southen hemisphere would be the last place on earth to get nuclear fallout.
Your comment is music to my ears.Quote:
Originally posted by 13
Be prepared... Tough read.
For beach novels nothing beats a good Elmore Leonard novel. Since our family vacations down in FL I try to read FL books, another good one florida crime novel writer is E.C. Aires.
Carl Hiaasen's Stormy Weather is a riot. I love stupid criminals.
Jesus Christ, no one you are so damn hostile.Quote:
Originally posted by SummitCo 1776
German Raider
Nuclear Weapons
Terrorism
Military
Terror
Demolished
Cant, MacDonald is the original Florida mystery writer, Hiaasen does the intros to the new release that is taking place now.
If you like Hiaasen, "Tourist Season" is his funniest, absolutely stupid criminal fun.
James W. Sherman is another Florida guy I like, not as silly as Hiaasen or as well-wrought as MacDonald, but good just the same.
lolQuote:
Originally posted by CantDog
Jesus Christ, no one you are so damn hostile.
Demolished Man is great scifi by Alfred Bester about telepathy
Nuclear was my field of study.
... and I like military history :p
Clancy rules his genre by being a publishers dream. A series of character driven books which draw the readers in awaiting each new development. Whether you like the prose or not, he does appeal to the masses. Will it be regarded as true literature in the future, I doubt it.Quote:
Originally posted by iceman
Which puts them in direct opposition to Clancy's pile of steaming shit.
But, that being said, the man knows his shit. His technical/strategy novels from what I've heard are pretty spot on. Though rather dry they are interesting in their own way.
You may not like him Ice, but give "Without Remorse" a try. Pretty good character study, unlike most of the Clancy stat-o-thons.
BobMc
Bob, I've read a couple, and I must admit that they've been page-turners. I still think he's a poor writer, but he does have a flair for plot, no question. Unfortunately I know too much about Clancy the man at this point and I can't seem to read his stuff without filtering it through what I know.Quote:
Originally posted by BobMc
Clancy rules his genre by being a publishers dream. A series of character driven books which draw the readers in awaiting each new development. Whether you like the prose or not, he does appeal to the masses. Will it be regarded as true literature in the future, I doubt it.
But, that being said, the man knows his shit. His technical/strategy novels from what I've heard are pretty spot on. Though rather dry they are interesting in their own way.
You may not like him Ice, but give "Without Remorse" a try. Pretty good character study, unlike most of the Clancy stat-o-thons.
BobMc
Clancy didn't write most of the books with his name on it. The ones he did write are pretty decent:
Clancy books I liked:
Red Storm Rising (GOLD)
Sum of All Fears (SWEET)
Rainbow Six (fun the whole way through... odd for a Clancy book)
Hunt for Red October (except for the slow parts, thte movie producers didn't read these parts (ie anyhting not on a ship/sub))
Books that were so-so:
Patriot Games, cool parts but a lot of slowness
Clear and Present Danger too much writing, too much sucking
Books that reall sucked ass:
Op Center series (all 475296 of them)
His hacker series... forget the name... all sucked ass
Bear and the Dragon or whatever
edit: I agree with iceman... he is great at plot... not the best writer
Currently, Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich
One of my all time favorites is King Rat by James Clavell.
Bonfires of the Vanaties by Tom Wolfe is an excellent read.
Hells Angels by Hunter S. Thompson is fantastic.
Very strange, but I can't get past page 40 or so of On the Road.
I also looked through a dog eared black market Hustler this morning.
From a literary standpoint you are right, Clancy is a hack. Very little in the way of literary devices. One could possibly argue that his books do, at least, have a theme, but not much else. Very little foreshadowing and virtually no symbalogy ;) as far as I can tell.Quote:
Originally posted by iceman
Geezus, don't give that hack Clancy any more of your money, please.
He is, however, one hell of a story teller. If you have an interest in millitary or political affairs and don't mind his complete and utter patriotism, his books are very entertaining. I have read most of his Jack Ryan books, I think all of them up to Executive Orders. I have also read a few of the books that have his name real big across the top, and the actual authors name very small at the bottom, and most of them suck ass. The internet hacker series is by far the worst.
Other writers that are sort of in his Genre that I have read include:
Michael Crichton's-
Jurassic Park-Awesome
Congo-also very good
Andromeda Strain-Kind of sucked
The Lost World-Sucked big time. It was obvious he only wrote it for the money. You can't kill carecters in one book and then bring them back just because they didn't die in the movie.
The Great Train Robbery- Amazing. Without a doubt one of the best books I have read.
James Patterson- I read several of his books about a D.C. detective. They pretty much all sucked. His writing style seems to be for people with GED's.
Steven King- I realize that he isn't in the same Genre as the aformentioned but I'll include him anyways.
IT- Amazing.
Green Mile-Also amazing.
Bag of Bones- Boring as hell.
The Eyes of the Dragon- Great book, not the style you would expect from King, but he pulls it off.
I tried getting into his Gunslinger series but just couldn't do it.
I recently read a nonfiction by Clive Cussler called the Sea Hunters, about finding famous shipwrecks. Interesting read, although it lacked some of the excitement I would have expected.
At the bookstore today I passed on buying a copy of The Godfather because I could have sworn there was a copy in my house somewhere, but now I can't find it. :mad:
well, i get to do alot of reading at work when its slow in the middle of the night....i just finished....in the last month...
The Lakehouse...James Patterson <not too bad>
The Five People You Meet In Heaven...Mitch Albom<great read...chick book>
Angels and Demons...Dan Brown<excellent>
The Face...Dean Koontz<love him>
and now...The Da Vinci Code...Dan Brown<starting very slow...but have been told to stick with it...so off i go>
Heres something from the "just read it" list.
couple recommendable beach readings,if you fancy a bit lighter ones..
-Supernaive : Erland Loe ( a guy has a middlife crisis at his 28th birthday..)
-A Cooks Tour or Kitchen Confidential: Anthony Bourdain (For food and travel lovers. Bourdain is a top chef that has a tendency to either love or hate things. every things.)
-Them : Jon Ronson (a intresting, funny and disturbing book of world´s different conspiracy theorists. a respectable british journalist makes some investigations...)
Some not so light one´s (well,hell, summer cant be all about nancyfancy):
-In Cold Blod : Truman Capote. (American classics...Harper Lee is next in line..shees..)
-Japanese Folk Architecture: Kawashima (Dont ask.)
-The Games Climbers Play: Ken Wilson (Novels compiled by wilson of different climbing stories. Good overwiev in climbings recent history.)
-Climbing Anchors: John Long ( take a piece of small cord to the beach and amuse your girl by buildin a SLCD and micronut protected belay anchor. it never gets better.)
I agree on Jurassic Park and the Lost World. I thought Andromeda Strain was good. Sphere was great (movie sucked). Airframe was great too (but I think that's just from my interests).Quote:
Originally posted by PaSucks
Michael Crichton's-
Jurassic Park-Awesome
Congo-also very good
Andromeda Strain-Kind of sucked
The Lost World-Sucked big time. It was obvious he only wrote it for the money. You can't kill carecters in one book and then bring them back just because they didn't die in the movie.
The Great Train Robbery- Amazing. Without a doubt one of the best books I have read.
I forgot about Sphere. Good one. I think I could only sit through part of that god-awful movie. I read Andromeda Strain so long ago that I don't even remember why I don't like it, but I don't. Never read airframe. I also keep meaning to read Eaters of the Dead, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.Quote:
Originally posted by SummitCo 1776
I agree on Jurassic Park and the Lost World. I thought Andromeda Strain was good. Sphere was great (movie sucked). Airframe was great too (but I think that's just from my interests).
If you haven't read The Great Train Robbery and you like Critchton, I highly recomend it. It's based on a true story about a train robbery (who'd a thunk it?) in Victorian London in the 1850's. The factual information about the London underworld was great. All kinds of cool shit about pickpockets and safe breakers and what not.
I am suprised I haven't seen much Steven King in this thread. Of all the contemperary authors out there I see him as the one whose work will actually withstand the tests of time. 100 years from now I could see Eglish profs assinging IT or Cujo to their students. I doubt the same could be said for most of todays profit hungry writers.
Guns, Germs, and Steel: Jared Diamond. Absolutely mandatory reading if you ever want to understand anything about people, cultures, technology, and why modern civilization developed where and when it did -- and not be bored. This book kicks so much butt.
The Blind Watchmaker: Richard Dawkins. Evolutionary theory explained with beautiful clarity. It's like a bunch of little mystery short stories: what about the eye? What about altruism? What's with insects, anyway? Fascinating, especially for anyone who has lingering doubts that the world might have actually been created in 4004 BC. If you have not read this you can't really hope to understand people, or anything at all really.
On the lighter side:
Kitchen Confidential: Anthony Bourdin. An insider's look behind the kitchen doors of fine restaurants. Sex, drugs, and lots of bad language. Came highly recommended to me by a professional chef.
Airframe is about an aircraft accident investigation... he actually makes it into an interesting mystery.Quote:
Originally posted by PaSucks
Never read airframe. I also keep meaning to read Eaters of the Dead, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.
If you haven't read The Great Train Robbery and you like Critchton, I highly recomend it. It's based on a true story about a train robbery (who'd a thunk it?) in Victorian London in the 1850's. The factual information about the London underworld was great. All kinds of cool shit about pickpockets and safe breakers and what not.
Eaters of the Dead is supposed to be good.
I'll take your advice. Great Train Robbery is now at the top of my to read list.
Forgot to mention this earlier, if you like hockey, I read a great book by Gary Ronberg entitled "The Violent Game." It is all about the history of violence in hockey, with pictures. Pretty good stuff, albeit a bit dated. If you think the Bertuzi hit was bad, you have not seen shit. Trust me.
Out of Africa - Isaak Dinesen
The End Of The Game - P Beard (pictures to go with above, as well as a rather depressing view of humanity)
King Leopold's Ghost
The Arm's of Krupp - W Manchester
Another one I forgot to mention. The best assingment I have ever had in school- reading Frank McCourt's "Angelas Ashes" for my Irish Lit class. Pullitzer Prize winner for a reason folks, McCourt's sense of humor is great, and his ability to recall his youth is equally amazing. Unfortunatly, I lent my copy to a girl I was trying to nail, and now she doesn't talk to me, so I don't think I'll be getting that one back.
The sequel, 'tis, was also good.