anybody reading a good book??

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Originally posted by iceman
Geezus, don't give that hack Clancy any more of your money, please.

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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.

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.)

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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.

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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).

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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).

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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.

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.

Quote:

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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.

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Airframe is about an aircraft accident investigation... he actually makes it into an interesting mystery.

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.

Read: The Alchemist -overall a good book not great but good, worth the read
Reading: Angels and Demons -so far so good
To Read: Its not About the Bike (lance armstrong)
Touching the Void
Steven Hawkings Book on Physics :cool:

recently read:

The Last Temptation - Nikos Kazantzakis. Great book, can't believe they excommunicated him for writing this.

Holy War - Karen Armstrong. A brief history of the crusades. Gives a good insight into how they have affected the current situation in the middle east.

The Salmon of Doubt - Douglas Adams. What can I say other then the man was a master and he will be dearly missed. Contains one of the greatest short stories of all time, "The Private Life of Genghis Khan."

all time favourites:

Duluth, Live From Golgotha - Gore Vidal.

Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

Anything by Kurt Vonnegut

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Originally posted by iceman
God I hate Don Delillo. Talented, certainly. The guy can write, no question about it. Pretentious and overwrought? I think so.

IMVHO, of course.

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I actually agree with you there, but thought White Noise was good even if all his follow up stuff was dissapointing. Palahniuk and McCarthy have the same problem to a lesser degree in some of their other work too, but Delillo definitely only got it right once.

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Originally posted by 13
Be prepared... Tough read.

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Wow, to each his own, I guess. I thought it was a really easy read. One of my all-time favorites for sure. Nabokov is definitely a master of the written word.

The last book I read ended up being a tough read for me: The Last Full Measure by Jeff Shaara. More because I'm in a mode where I'm only reading a few pages before bed than anything else. It took a long plane trip to finally knock that one off. I would definitely recommend The Killer Angels by Jeff's dad Michael to anyone. Excellent historical fiction about Gettysburg. The movie Gettysburg was based on this book.

If any of you like the Dan Brown "literature", like DeVinci Code or Angels & Demons, then please do yourself a favor and read Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco.

Excellent book that deals with the topic of the Knights Templar (discussed in Angels & Demons). However, Eco is a MUCH better writer.

A GREAT read.

England's Dreaming - Jon Savage. History of the Sex Pistols in particular and punk in general in the 70's. A bit overwrought perhaps but inspiring stuff.

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom - T.E. Lawrence. Classic adventure story, really interesting.

Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon. Surrealist WWII goofiness. A very tough read (coming from a guy who likes tough reads).

For Whom the Bell Tolls - Hemingway. Perhaps my favorite book ever.

The Iranians - Sandra MacKey. History of Iran/Persia. Interesting.

Dead Babies - Martin Amis. Funny, meanspirited stuff. Amis is a bit too entralled with his own writing in my opinion, but he's a master of this kind of satire.

A billion other books.

Quote:

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Originally posted by iceman
God I hate Don Delillo. Talented, certainly. The guy can write, no question about it. Pretentious and overwrought? I think so.

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Amen. I tried to read Underworld and instead just slept really well.

http://tetongravity.com/forums/showt...150#post161150

why people reinvent the wheel I'll never know

read Abbey, any Abbey if you like the outdoors and/0r the western US

http://www.abbeyweb.net/bibliography.html

Yeah, about 300 pages into Underworld my dog chewed the shit of the book, destroying it. I decided that her criticism was apt and never got another copy. I do agree White Noise was better, but man was I sick of that book by the end.

Currently: White Teeth by Zadie Smith, surprisingly good.
Recently: The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen. Long overdue on my list, again far better than I expected given its theme.

A few all-time favorites:

John Fowles - Mantissa
Vladimir Nabokov - Invitation to a beheading
Milan Kundera - Immortality
Ayn Rand - The fountainhead
Joseph Heller - Catch 22
Salman Rushdie - The Satanic Verses
Mihail Bulgakov - The Master and Margarita

...and as tonghands says, a billion other books.

I struggled with Pynchon, read his V. but didn't get through Gravity Rainbow.

Of course the tough read to beat them all is James Joyce's Finnegans Wake. Here are the first couple of paragraphs:

riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings
us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.
Sir Tristram, violer d'amores, fr'over the short sea, had passencore
rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggy isthmus of Europe
Minor to wielderfight his penisolate war: nor had topsawyer's rocks by the
stream Oconee exaggerated themselse to Laurens County's gorgios while they
went doublin their mumper all the time: nor avoice from afire bellowsed
mishe mishe to tauftauf thuartpeatrick: not yet, though venissoon after, had
a kidscad buttended a bland old isaac: not yet, though all's fair in
vanessy, were sosie sesthers wroth with twone nathandjoe. Rot a peck of pa's
malt had Jhem or Shen brewed by arclight and rory end to the regginbrow was
to be seen ringsome on the aquaface. The fall
(bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonnerronn tuonnthunntrovarrhounawnsk
awntoohoohoordenenthur- nuk!) of a once wallstrait oldparr is retaled early
in bed and later on life down through all christian minstrelsy. The great
fall of the offwall entailed at such short notice the pftjschute of
Finnegan, erse solid man, that the humptyhillhead of humself prumptly sends
an unquiring one well to the west in quest of his tumptytumtoes: and their
upturnpikepointandplace is at the knock out in the park where oranges have
been laid to rust upon the green since devlinsfirst loved livvy.

Good stuff, horizon

I just finished studyiing for an exam that required me to read the book "Analysis of Equity Investments: Valuation." As much fun as that was, I'm now looking for something a little less strenuous.

I picked up "Villa Incognito" by Tom Robbins this morning. "Glue" by Irvine Welsh is in the on deck circle.

I'll throw a few more in the ring.

Crichton's "Travlers" or "journey" i forget what the title was. Intersting insight to his life.

The Dan Brown stuff is good reading.

One of my tougher reads was "love in the time of Cholera"

Entertaining reads, anything by Krackauer (sp) or Bill Bryson.

Quote:

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Originally posted by horizon
Of course the tough read to beat them all is James Joyce's Finnegans Wake.

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For me it's Moby Dick. I made it through, but God it was slow.

Someone else mentioned Irvine Welsh. The Marabou Stork Nighmares is a great read.

Just finished The Poisonwood Bible, very, very, good book in my oppinion- I reccomend it

Just started Crime and Punishment- confusing with all the russian names and stuff, yes, but very interesting so far

In the middle of both Da Vinci code and The Monkey Wrench Gang (abbey) but I keep getting more books to read for school that take up my reading time, so they are on the backburner for now...

Just finished Atlas Shrugged. WoW.

Reading Intelligence in War-Keegan

just ordered Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson.


don't care what you read, just read. additionally encourage kids to do the same.

However, as far as Kiyosaki goes. The man is an abject fraud. Rich Dad is a lie. This is of not issue, I like fiction. Just not fiction that is sold as true.

edit: want more?? http://www.johntreed.com/Kiyosaki.html

Just read all of the Dan Brown stuff:

Da Vinci Code
Angels & Demons
Digital Fortress
Deception Point

While travelling I read The Memory Cathedral by Jack Dann. An interesting, pseudo-historical, novelized account of Leonaro Da Vinci's life, with some speculation about an historically unacounted year of his life. During which, among many other things, he realizes his dream of creating a manned flying machine and, employed as a military engineer, uses a fleet of the devices to fight a war in Africa.

While travelling I also became intimately familiar with the British Airways Flight Safety Card. An interesting tale (and nicely illustrated). It tells the story of a tragically downed aircraft and how the passengers attempt a futile escape using silly-looking yellow slides and flotation devices. It was so good, I read it over and over - even the Chinese and Russian versions. Highly recomended. The humor and human tragedy really emerge after the free drink cart has rolled by your aisle several times.

http://www.cancoon.de/_safetycards/4000-4499/4396.jpg

Currently I'm reading "The Roaring 90s" by Joe Stiglitz. Economics is usually boring, but he makes it presentable.

Also reading "Kavalier and Clay" by Michael Chambon. It came very highly reccomended to me and so far I'm liking it, but it hasn't completely sucked me in. I'm also reading "Positively Fifth Steet" by James McManus about the WSOP and murder in Las Vegas - i'll definitely get through it quick cause I love playing cards, but pretty poorly written considering the plot subject he's given.

Great summer reading for me is anything that can get me so involved that I'd rather just sit outside and read than DO most anything. Life of Pi I read last summer and it was awesome!

Clavell somebody mentioned is great for this. Robert Louis Stevenson, Alexander Dumas, Vonnegut all do the trick for me.

If anybody reads spanish literature I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez and would reccomend Alberto Fuguet to anybody. "Mala Onda" and "Las Peliculas de mi Vida" are both just spectacular books. I would think there are english language translations available. A little girlier, but definitely fun, light reads (written in english) are books by Julia Alvarez (How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents, Yo!).


Which Vonnegut book should I read next? So far I've read:
Slaughterhouse 5
Cat's Cradle
Breakfast of Champions
God Bless You Mr. Rosewater
Timequake
And that's all I can remember...

Quote:

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Originally posted by shamrockpow
Also reading "Kavalier and Clay" by Michael Chambon. It came very highly reccomended to me and so far I'm liking it, but it hasn't completely sucked me in
...
Great summer reading for me is anything that can get me so involved that I'd rather just sit outside and read than DO most anything. Life of Pi I read last summer and it was awesome!

Clavell somebody mentioned is great for this. Robert Louis Stevenson, Alexander Dumas, Vonnegut all do the trick for me.

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I read Kavalier and Clay and have to say it never really sucked me in. It keeps moving ok, and I had no trouble finishing it, but just didn't have that extra something.

A book I thought of that's one of those that you'd rather read over anything else is Hawaii by Michener. It's been many years since I read it, but I remember being engrossed at the time.

Quote:

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Originally posted by shamrockpow


Which Vonnegut book should I read next? So far I've read:
Slaughterhouse 5
Cat's Cradle
Breakfast of Champions
God Bless You Mr. Rosewater
Timequake
And that's all I can remember...

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I would suggest his short stories. I believe it's called Welcome to the Monkey House or something like that I read it a while ago and I thought it was some of the most interesting stuff he had written. I also thought Jailbird was good.

"The Rise of the Creative Class" by Richard Florida is my current read but I don't think it would be a good beach book. It is interesting especially when you put it in the context of what local politicans tell you needs to be done to revive a local economy.

Shamrock, make sure to read the Sirens of Titan. That was a good one!
Sprite
(big Vonnegut fan)

Schmear, as I said in the other thread, Lolita is my alltime favorite book, ever. It's amazingly poetic and bizarre and funny.

I just finished something called Confessions of a Tax Collector by Richard Yancey. Surprisingly witty.

Am reading Alexander McCall Smith's series of books, starting with The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I'm on book two. They're a great summer read.

Quote:

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Originally posted by TRock
Good stuff, horizon

I just finished studyiing for an exam that required me to read the book "Analysis of Equity Investments: Valuation." As much fun as that was, I'm now looking for something a little less strenuous.

I picked up "Villa Incognito" by Tom Robbins this morning. "Glue" by Irvine Welsh is in the on deck circle.

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Just finishing up Glue. Good read with quite a few laughs mixed in with some brutal shit, so a typical Welsh novel. Also great for becoming proficient in Scottish slang in case you have been neglecting it...

Not quite on par with Trainspotting or Ecstasy.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Spats
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.

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The Dawkins book is a great read. Although I still have no hope of understanding people, or anything at all really.

:D

At the time I read that book, I was living in Alabama. The schools had just decided to put a sticker on the inside cover of high school biology textbooks explaining that evolution was just a theory, and as such, deserved to be considered on par with other theories, such as Creationism.

damn did not want to post in here again but
\
spats:

Quote:

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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.

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a freakin men!

& green pow guy: I have read damn near everything the man has written & Bluebeard is by far my favorite.

from Breakfast of Champions ( 2nd favorite)
he brings back "the erstwhile American painter Rabo Karabekian, a one-eyed man" the depth of this book is different than the rest & blew me sideways

big thumb pointed skyward


Hal Clifford writes good bout ski towns too

Quote:

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Originally posted by mr_gyptian
Just finished Atlas Shrugged. WoW.

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For the twentieth time, I'm sure.

edit: vitriol removal service.

Nick Hornby "How to Be Good"
A definitely twisted and humorous way to look at the world.

Irvine Welsh "Filth"
A great book to read aloud to women that liked to talked dirty to.

Will Rhode "Paperback Original"
Author gets involved in drugs and the mafia in India to get his inheritance.

Harvey Oxenhorn "Tuning the Rig"
Searching for humpback whales on a tall ship in the arctic guarunteed to hook in those crunchy granola beach types.


The only thing you're going to realize one day is you could have saved yourself $150,000 on an education with a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library.

I'm going thought voggnegut right now. (Yes I read, alot in fact.)

Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut right now. Also, Eldridge clevers autobiography, Soul on Ice

Just finsished his sons book too. The Eden Express. Great book.

And people wonder why Americans have no facility for planning or critical thinking, and why our white-collar jobs are being exported to India as fast as companies can train the new workers.

People look at the Taliban and cluck their tongues about how horrible it is that religious extremists keep their population ignorant by burning Western books and teaching the Koran as the only law.

But somehow this is different than Christians wanting to ban books because they're a "corrupting influence on our young", and ban the teaching of evolution because it's against the Bible.

You can have a functioning technology-based economy, or you can have religious fundamentalism, but you can't have both. God won't tell you the proper laminar flow equations to shape an airplane wing or a combustion chamber.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Twoplanker
The Dawkins book is a great read. Although I still have no hope of understanding people, or anything at all really.

:D

At the time I read that book, I was living in Alabama. The schools had just decided to put a sticker on the inside cover of high school biology textbooks explaining that evolution was just a theory, and as such, deserved to be considered on par with other theories, such as Creationism.

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but GWB knows good & bad cuz Gawd tells him so we are OK!

Quote:

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Originally posted by Spats

People look at the Taliban and cluck their tongues about how horrible it is that religious extremists keep their population ignorant by burning Western books and teaching the Koran as the only law.

But somehow this is different than Christians wanting to ban books because they're a "corrupting influence on our young", and ban the teaching of evolution because it's against the Bible.

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I disagree. The difference is that the Taliban controlled which books were available to the entire country. You were not allowed to read these books. Here we've just got a few goofballs acting like morons.

I'm an atheist Libertarian. I do not believe in any Religion, not even a little bit, and I do not want any laws based on religion (which is not the same thing as having a religious person in office, which I don't care about either way). But the bad rap religion gets in this country is out of proportion. Most religious people in this country (and probably every country) are good, decent people. Just because they have different world view than you or me does not mean that they're bad people, or that somehow their views represent some real threat.

That said, a small percentage of religious people are real wack jobs, but they're powerless. People go on about the threat that the religious right represents. They represent no threat whatsoever. They're total and complete failures. Look at our society 30 years ago versus today.

Abortion is now legal, it wasn't 30 years ago (Ok, maybe 32 years or so). Yes some changes on the fringes have occurred, but it's legal and it's going to stay legal, because the American people want it to be legal. If it were to be made illegal, I would expect riots on the streets and that whoever was behind the change would be recalled immediately and their party would not see the inside of the White House for years to come. The real battle here is for what American's believe in, and the Religious right has lost in what turned out to be a landslide.

Look at what's available on TV or the Radio. Sitcoms starring gay characters. More T&A than you can shake a stick at. Radio goofballs trying to be as outrageous as possible. The Religious Right loathes all of this and yet is powerless to stop it. Yes, Stern is under pressure, but you watch, he's not going anywhere.

The Religious Right has lost every single battle of consequence over the last 30 years or so. Because by and large the American people don't want what they're selling, not because the government is protecting us.

As far as our lack of critical thinkers goes, I don't see this at all. Did the pace of innovation suddenly stop in this country? The evidence seems to say no. Look at the internet, biotech, a million other things. Heck, look at the critical thinkers on this board. Look at the news in all of it's various forms, I do not see people standing in line accepting what the government says, especially now.

It has become a trusim that Americans are stupid and lazy. We are not. We would not have the economy we do or create the things we if we were stupid. One is always hearing that Americans are stupid, but the person who says this never includes themselves in the stupid group. I would guess that this says more about human nature than about Americans. What the speaker usually means is that on some topic of interest to the speaker, many people don't agree with the speaker's opinion, or are simply uninterested in the topic.

Hating religion has become sport in this country. And for many people, they hate religion because the people who practice it are different than themselves (not aiming this at Spats, who's presenting a well reasoned argument). Which is supposedly the reason that they hate religion in the first place. Most of the Founding Fathers were deeply religious men, and yet they founded a country based on the rule of law, not the rule of god. Which I take as proof that religion, like most other things, is what you make of it.

Now where's that bourbon?

(sorry for the long post, work is dull today)