If any of you like the Steam Punk genre check out China Mieville's Perdido Street Station and The Scar. Not as big a fan of the tweener book Iron Council but it's not bad.
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If any of you like the Steam Punk genre check out China Mieville's Perdido Street Station and The Scar. Not as big a fan of the tweener book Iron Council but it's not bad.
About 101 pages deep into Savages by Don Winslow. Cool PoMo noir thriller about two dope dealing Laguna Beach heshers who take on the Mexican cartels.
Was intrigued that the author gave a shout out to Oliver Stone...lo and behold: it's scheduled to be released in 2012 as a movie.
Plan to dig up a copy of Drive next and whip through it before that flick hits.
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell; it's like 4 stories intertwined in a not very entwined way. Historical-nautical, broke (financially and morally) bi-sexual english composer through to socially aware semi-sci-fi and further out the door combining...things, which you simply won't be able to picture until you've read it.
I also enjoyed Cats Craddle by Kurt Vonnegut, recently. If you liked that you'll probably enjoy cloud atlas.
Knocked out Savages in a day. Good, fast-paced yarn that falls somewhere between the Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen schools of PoMo noir, with a dash of George Pelacanos and some serious SoCal ambiance tossed in for good measure. It's about to become a movie, so we'll see if Ollie Stone keeps true or f@#ks it up.
Didn't get to the bookstore to rummage up a copy of Drive (the book upon which that sick looking new Ryan Gosling film is based) so I started Bone in the Throat, a mafia/food/mystery/noir by none other than Anthony "No Reservations" Bourdain. He, understandably, really captures the nuances of NYC's restaurant/drug/wise guy vibe. The only thing about reading this book is that his sardonic, deadpan voice pings around inside my head while I'm reading. Which isn't a bad thing (it's like an existential audio book), but it's a trip.
Time's Arrow or the Nature of the Offense ... Martin Amis.
i've been getting into my kindle a lot lately...
unbroken - super good. this will be a movie in no time.
psychopath test - super interesting. makes you wonder how many are on tgr.
inside scientology - fascinating history of l. ron hubbard and how he formed scientology.
the year of living bibically - interesting and funny account of a guy who tries to adhere to the bible literally in every detail.
I VERY highly recommend the following book. It is one of those books that will remain with you for a very long time.
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Here's a the first part of a review for it. You can google up many more.
A Review of "Ishmael", By Daniel Quinn
"I first read Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn, after giving it to my sister as a birthday present. Actually, I read it before she did. I was impressed, and told her it was an incredible book. She read it, and agreed with me completely. A short time later, with my sister's permission, I loaned it to a favorite teacher of mine. She read it, and promptly ordered 30 copies for her classes to read. My "Literature of The Third World" class read it, and spent just about the rest of the year in discussion of it. Ishmael has an effect on people. It makes them think about the way they live their lives and how their society functions, and it makes them question.
As Ishmael opens, the author writes of a day in his life when he found what he thought a truly ludicrous advertisement in the personals section of a newspaper:
TEACHER seeks pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person.
This book won't let you down.
Other books I highly recommend are:
The Kite Runner
Seven Years in Tibet
The Life of Pi
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now the time turn on to the future ...i like the book revolution of 2020.........
Unbroken (obvious choice) or:
http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Survivor-...3876261&sr=1-1
Attachment 106365
Halfway through Unbroken. Can't wait to read more.Quote:
Originally Posted by nogophers
I liked Lone Survivor, except that certain parts got kinda political. Wish he would have kept that out, but that's his prerogative and right.
Anything by Jonathan Safran Foer is worth while.
if you havent read the sun also rises recently, well, you should
The Folly of Fools: The Logic of Deceit and Self-Deception in Human Life by Robert Trivers.... the review blurb from Discover mag is accurate..“Weaving together examples from biology, psychology, history, and immunology, evolutionary theorist Robert Trivers argues that we deceive ourselves in order to better deceive others, and do so in order to survive, procreate, and generally get ahead…. [A] thoroughly researched, thought-provoking read.”.....but doesn't hint at the many examples of Trivers arguments and assumptions..... well worth reading, if only to more thoroughly understand shitbrains like DBT, Jer, et al.
The Golden Spruce: a true sorry of myth, madness, and greed by John Vaillant.
Absolutely fantastic read for anyone even mildly interested in the wild and forests of north america and how they are being managed
http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/di...=9780676976458
Zone One by Colson Whitehead. Post-apocolyptic, zombie-filled book. Not very good character development, but a fun read nonetheless.
Attachment 106976
Everybody should read Ishmael at least once.
Just got on the list for Unbroken at the Library. Thanks for the suggestion.
I've been stuck trying to finish McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales for the past several months. I love me some short story collections, but for some reason, lately, they all seem to end the collection with a really long, boring story that's near impossible to finish. This is a trend that needs to stop (at least stick the long, boring story in the middle so you have some good ones before and after it. Sticking it at the end just leaves you unmotivated to finish the collection).
That said, in the interim I've read The Award-Winning Sage of The Swamp Thing (an old 1982 compendium of the first 3 issues of the classic series by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson) and just started How To Lose Friends & Alienate People. The latter is in stark contrast to all the seemingly important, philosophical books y'all have been recommending as it's about an obnoxious British journalist whose main goal in life is to be a starf@#ker fan boy. To wit, however, it's well-written and engaging, even if the subject matter is shallow.
I'm reading an oldie right now I've been meaning to read for a long time "On the Beach" by Nevil Shute. The premise is that a nuclear war has destroyed the northern hemisphere and the only people left alive are those in places like Australia, South Africa and South America. However, the radiation cloud is slowly making its way south and even in Melbourne (where the book takes place) they know they only have a few months left before they also will die. The main characters are an Australian naval officer, an American submarine captain who's crew survived by being underway when war broke out, and an Australian girl who becomes the sub captain's love interest. I have to say I've been totally engrossed. It was made into a movie in the late '50s that some of you have probably seen.
Classics...Finally read "The Count of Monte Cristo" (free download on my ipad). A prison break AND revenge? How could one go wrong? Slow in parts, but most of it was great.
i just finished "boomerang" by michael lewis. it has the same financial/economic meltdown theme as his book "the big short", but this book is shorter, 5 chapters, and the 1st 4 chapters deal with a country (iceland, greece, ireland, germany). the 5th is about california. if you thought the big short was worth reading ( as i did) you will feel the same about this one.
i grew up on Stephen King. have not read anything from him since Rose Madder which was awful. i am however, very much enjoying 11/22/63. total page turner. can't wait to find out what the 'jimla' is.
i just added 'Hitler's Hangman the life of Heydrich' to my kindle.
That was a decent movie...Quote:
Originally Posted by The AD
AD, you may want to read ken jennings new book .."maphead"...
map fascination/addiction and gps related activities .. national geograpic quiz.. lots of antecdotes.. well worth the time... and i notice another jeopardy online test this month, you taking it?
i used to read tons of stephen king. i never really thought he was a great writer, but formulaic yet still enjoyable for what he did. easy to read and still effective. i got kind of bored with it. somebody gave me "on writing" for xmas so it's been interesting to revisit him and read about his progression in writing.Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
Jerusalem, the biography , big book, 500 plus. but worth it. big epic historical drama. quick read.
yep, my views changed when i read "on writing" as well. gained a bit of respect for the guy after reading about him back in the early days, sitting in the closet next to the hot water heater, typewriter on his lap, typing away into the night.Quote:
Originally Posted by spook
yeah. i haven't read anything from him in so long. i'm really liking 11/22/63. if you have not read him in awhile, it's classic Stephen King. right down to the Rolling Stones and Plymouth Fury's.:biggrin:
currently reading "The Devil in the White City' by Erik Larson.
anybody? i fucking love this book.
historical crime drama situated in late nineteenth century Chicago.
read it now!
It's been a few years, but my recollection is it started out great, but sort of lost momentum toward the end. This probably had more to do with my interests than anything, though. I thought the stuff dealing with planning and designing the Fair was more interesting than the crime part.Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
I'm not eligible since I'm in the contestant pool for this season.Quote:
Originally Posted by up an down
Quote:
Originally Posted by The AD
good luck!. let us know if you get a call
'Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
I loved it. Been meaning to read his other books.
They are pretty much the same - or at least "In the Garden of Beasts" and "Thunderstruck" were. buildup, background, anti-climax, fadeout. interesting anecdotes, definitely some things he missed and tries to make important.Quote:
Originally Posted by zion zig zag
i should have read this thread from the start, doh!Quote:
Originally Posted by zion zig zag
yeah, i'm loving it.
There's a separate thread about it somewhere, but I'm just finishing up "Among the Thugs" by Bill Buford. His account of soccer hooligans - pretty entertaining.
shantaram by gregory david roberts. Probably in this thread already, I read it at like 200 pages/day. Awesome book.
"Taxi" by Khaled Al Khamissi
Fell off shelf into my lap sitting near the wood stove...
Tony Danza and Danny DeVito don't make any appearances...it's a good book anyway..
Tales of "modern" Egypt through the eyes of mouths of numerous Taxi drivers in and around Cairo....it was risky to have this published. Good flow...if you wanna learn a bit of real life in Egypt, or just need something to pass the time...
Sci Fi - In Her Name. Michael R Hicks.
6 books - You should read them because they're very good.
Oh and triple thumbs up for Shantaram too. Just don't google the bloke until you've read it.
blood fued by kathleen sharp.. very good and experienced author, her primary job is a reporter... the books theme is how johnson&johnson and amgen ignored their own safety warnings as well as the fda regulations and hurt/killed many patients by the overuse of one of their hugely profitable drugs.... told mainly from the viewpoint of one of the drug reps/salesmen, and how his life changed radically, and how he tried to redress injustice through the courts..... it reads like a thriller, very well paced , with plenty of specific details about how drug companies distort the marketplace with corrupt and dangerous practices.
Vertical, Rex Pickett's follow up to Sideways, is damn funny. Quick read.
The Prohet, Khalil Gibran - A poet and philosopher writing on life. Written as a series of answers to lifes issues. Very nice and surprisingly light read.
Don Juan series, Carlos Castaneda - A series describing what starts off as anthropologist Carlos' interest in Yaqui indian mysticism but soon becomes a description of his apprenticeship to 'man of power' Don Juan. It raised questions about our normal truths, attitudes and manner of living, a most mushroom book.
Three cups of tea, Greg Mortenson - Wonderful story of mountaineer turned humanitarian getting to know the balti people living high in northern Pakistan. Learning their cultures and embracing their way of life.