Amazing book! The guy tells it very well and it gets pretty intense.Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
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Amazing book! The guy tells it very well and it gets pretty intense.Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceaxe
Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Just finished "A Feast For Crows" (Book 4 in Games of Thrones series) and "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell, which I consider to be on one of the most compelling and unique novels in our time. Brilliant. Can't wait to see what they talented directors and actors do with the movie when its released in October.
Great book! I read it in the early 1990's. I was just talking about this book Saturday night. Our conversation was about how much has changed in society over the last 25 years. EnjoyQuote:
Originally Posted by restrac2000
I have been. After reading Cloud Atlas I did some internet searching and stumbled across a blog that talked about relabeling such works as "Conceptual Fiction". Margaret Atwood was at the top of his list of successful works in that genre. So far the other books on that list have been my most enjoyable and though provoking novels.
Also just read "The Night Circus", which I highly recommend. The author handles the idea of magic with immense grace and the plot is well executed. Reminded of me of my multiple visits to Burning Man and the authentic sense of the surreal.
Conceptual Fiction; interesting. Thanks for the link. When you have finished the book, I will share the context of the Saturday night conversation. :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by restrac2000
Got turned onto Jo Nesbo a few weeks back. He's a Norwegian author, writes some gritty, dark murder/cop stuff. So I'm reading The Snowman now and it's excellent. Already ordered the other books in the series. Can't wait.
I also want to start up another LONG fantasy series. I've read all the normal stuff (good kind, weis,Martin, Jordan, and brooks).
Might start up the Jordan series or good kind series again unless you guys have a good recommendation for something new.
Have you read Dan Simmon's stuff? Someone turned me onto his Hyperion Cantos series and I found it entertaining and compelling. Its a sci-fi/fantasy series. He has also won awards for several of his other series, like Ilyium/Olympos, which play in different fantasy genres. Very different than Martin, the only author I have read amongst those you mentioned. I have never read anyone with the detail of Martin that I enjoyed as much. His style is unique. I am new to fantasy though.Quote:
Originally Posted by nelsonccc
Just finished "The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss. (Well, actually my 4-yr-old had to read it to me cuz I had some trouble with the bigger words). That krazy tall-hatted cat is one big pain in the arse!! He claims he'll come back, but I hope he doesn't.
I just finished the Eragon / Inheritance series and thought it was pretty good (but not great).
I just finished the first Beyonders Book and liked it, but it seems like Brandon Mull takes a long time to get his series started (I loved the FableHaven series but the first book was too slow for me).
I also just finished the first book in the Ranger's Apprentice series. So far the Ranger's Apprentice is the best series I have started this summer and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books (but I have to wait to read them aloud with my wife).
As you can tell, I like young-adult fiction :)
Martin definitely has his own style. I've read a ton of fantasy and when I first read him I thought he wasn't really fantasy. But in the end I read all three books (that he had written at the time) and thinking of re-reading the series to read the two new books.Quote:
Originally Posted by restrac2000
I'm going to check out the Cloud Atlas book.
Cloud Atlas is distinct as well. I don't know of anyone that has intermingled so many genres into one narrative like Mitchell did.
Heads up...the first two chapters don't resemble anything like fantasy. Without giving much away, I didn't enjoy the first chapter until the end.
Will be interesting to see what others think of his book. I really don't know how to describe it or categorize it, except for the Conceptual Fiction idea which seems to be used by a small # of people.
As far as Martin, I only discovered him recently and loved the first four novels thus far in the "Fire and Ice" series. I haven't started a Dance with Dragons yet but look forward to the plot thickening. I just saw that there seven books planned for the series which means he must still be working on the sixth.
His style took a 100 pages to get adjusted to. He is rather verbose (pot or kettle?) but you learn quickly how important every work and dialog is needed for him to paint the vivid and deep story he has. I foresee myself rereading that series a few times in my life.
On my visit to the states this summer i picked up Ranger Confidential by Andrea Lankford which i liked.
It gives a glimps in the life of a nps ranger and makes you appreciate the rangers a bit more, since they're not always that popular around here.
Just got a coupon code to get the first Eragon ebook for free. Curious to try it.Quote:
Originally Posted by DiscGo
I'm reading this right now - anyone else read it? Would like to discuss with someone who has.
Attachment 58236
http://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=72
[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial]Do Americans have a constitutional right to bear arms? Or is this power vested solely in government? Recent years have seen a sea change in scholarship on the Second Amendment. Beginning in the 1960s, a view emerged that individuals had a
Quote:
Originally Posted by hank moon
Oooo! Looks interesting! Lemme know if it's any good, you spicy little pony head. :)
I just started the Sword of Truth series and am so far really enjoying it.
I read up to pillars (the 7th book) years ago but the caught up and now there are another 4 books. Ive been contemplating reading the series again. Liked it a lot.Quote:
Originally Posted by DiscGo
Just finished reading a Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, and currently Reading the newest Terry Brooks. All great authors.
I'm reading Steven Pinker's new book 'The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence has Declined'. It's a long book, and I'm only about 1/3 of the way through it, but I think it's an extremely good book. It's not as much work to read as some of his other books ('How the Mind Works' and 'Stuff of Thought'), but it might be more important, at least in my opinion. The book includes an impressive amount of data with some decent analysis behind it, and in reading his detailed ideas about why he thinks violence has declined, I've learned more about Enlightenment thinkers, economic and political theory than I did in my college Humanities class (although that class might have given some important background in reading this book).
A lot of what Pinker discusses in this book has some direct relevance to many of the threads in this forum, at least the ones in the basement.
Pretty amazing book. I'm more impressed with this book than I was with Jared Diamond's 'Guns, Germs,and Steel', and I thought that one was a masterpiece.
halfway through "No Easy Day"
I just downloaded a copy.Quote:
Originally Posted by oldno7
Spoiler alert.... bin laden dies.... hahaha
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"The Giver" by Lois Lowry.
Its my wife's favorite backpacking book so I thought I would give it a go.
I just completed "No Easy Day" by Mark Owen (fictional name). Excellent read and other than a few jabs at Obama and Biden, there was (IMHO) no OPSEC/PERSEC violations.
Just finished book one of the Lord of the Rings and heading into book two.
X2Quote:
Originally Posted by BruteForce
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Haunted Self - simply brilliant book!
And also,
Goodnight Moon
All the Dr. Sues Books
John Muir and the Brave Little Dog
Dora Helps Diego
Owl Babies
The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer
By Philip Carlo
A stomach-turning account of the multiple atrocities committed over 43 years by Richard "The Ice Man" Kuklinski. This sucker was nothing but a sadistic killer.
I just finished Tyler Hamilton's book:
The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs
It's a great read, I couldn't put it down.
Just finished Killing Kennedy. I have also read Killing Lincoln and the Kennedy book (imo) was better.
LOVING this book!
Siegel D. (2012) "Developing Mind, Second Edition: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are"
Here is a sample chapter for anyone interested. The book it pricey!
I'm reading this and highly recommend it. Free for the Kindle!
Dellenbaugh, Frederick Samuel. A Canyon Voyage The Narrative of the Second Powell Expedition down the Green-Colorado River from Wyoming, and the Explorations on Land, in the Years 1871 and 1872.
This looked interesting, so I picked up the Kindle edition. I'm about half way through it now. The main conclusion I've come to is that colonial Americans were a cantankerous bunch, and they sure liked their guns - not that different from now.Quote:
Originally Posted by hank moon
It's been really interesting to read about how the Bill of Rights came about. The reasoning behind even having/not having it is fascinating.
2/3 way through "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed. So far an excellent book. I give a quick abridged review.
This story is about a lady in her mid-20's who's mother has recently passed away from cancer. She takes her mother's passing extremely hard and ends up filing for divorce from her husband, using heroine, and quitting her job. During all this she somehow manages to stumble into REI for the first time one day and grabs a book off the check out line shelf about the Pacific Crest Trail.
From this point she packs it all in (what is left of her life) and decides to hike the trail. The book is particularly entertaining considering she is not an outdoors person, has no idea what an ideal pack weight should be, is very out of shape, and is lost in life.
I find her reflections on her life while on the trail to be particularly introspective. She confronts her mother's passing, her father who abandoned her, her divorce, drug usage, and who she really is, all while by hiking the PCT.
This book was highly recommended to me by my mother (book store manager) along with Amazon reviewers (4 stars). For anyone who is interested in the PCT, how nature can provide the space to find oneself, or just a good non-fiction read, this will fit the bill.
http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Found-Pac.../dp/0307592731
I am nearly done with the 11th of the 12 books in the Sword of Truth series. Thank you so much @Deathcricket for recommending them to me. I have LOVED the series. A couple of the books were a little slow, and some parts were more graphic than I would have liked, but largely I have LOVED the series and have found it really shaping some of my opinions. Great series!
I'm currently rereading
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
by Alfred Lansing
It's one of the best books I've ever read. If you are an adventurer and haven't read this book yet you are really missing out.
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Well Ice...now I know what to pick up. My sister sent me a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card for X-mas, and I've been there twice, roaming the aisles and leaving empty handed...today, even. You should have posted earlier, dude! Oh well, I'll swing by there again tomorrow...hopefully they'll have it.
Shackleton is the man! One tough SOB. They made a shitty movie version that couldn't capture the adventure of it all. Great read.