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General Category => Discover Seattle! => Topic started by: Future Canadian on Feb 11 06 11:21

Title: Read any good books?
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 11 06 11:21
This board needs a books thread. I'm currently reading (when I'm not staring at the internet) Salt by Mark Kurlansky. It's a fascinating history of something one never gives much thought to.[/DIV]Recent works that also spring to mind - Firelord by Parke Godwin. It is a work of historical fiction taking on the King Arthur mythos. Very well researched and well written, it gives you a good idea of what Northern Europe was like at the time and makes King Arthur seem very real indeed.[/DIV]Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula le Guin. Great sci-fi. It's about a planet inhabited by humans who are both sexes. It is strange and good.And finally on the graphic novel front, anyone with any interest in sci-fi needs to check out Planetary by Warren Ellis and John Cassady. Each episode riffs on a different classic sci-fi theme-mothra type creatures, Doc Savage, giant bugs, etc. Ellis has a great knack for making sci-fi concepts seem real through convincing science-guy talk.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Admin on Feb 11 06 11:39
I just finished reading What Liberal Media? by Eric Alterman, and I recommend it as an eye-opening look into one of America's most pervasive myths. In short, the whole notion that media in America is "liberal" or even "left-leaning" is utter crap, and I couldn't agree more. It makes for a great sound-bite but it simply isn't true.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Admin on Feb 11 06 11:46
I also just finished a book titled Jennider Government which is extremely funny and well worth the read.

Big Business has taken over and employees take the name of their company as their last name (i.e. John Nike, Ted PepsiCo, etc). It wickedly satirical and well-written. The government has been totally privatized and "The Police" only invesitigate a crime if they can get funding (although they're available to do contract killings at low, low, discount prices!). If you quit your job and your replacement isn't competent, the company sues you for lost profits.

Lots of fun to read.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 11 06 11:49
For anyone interested in science-fiction, I would recommend the Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold.  She seems to consistently write fast-paced, interesting, can't-put-down stories.  Not romantic, mushy lit, but well-defined characters.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 11 06 11:52
Sorry, forgot to mention...........what a great idea for a thread!  I'm sure I'll find many other good authors just from people's recommendations.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 11 06 12:37
Those sound like things I would like to pick up kitten and Admin![/DIV]I also remembered Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee. A well paced story about falling in love with an android. That sounds hokey when I type it out but it really is poignant, dramatic and well written.[/DIV]And I do read more than just sci-fi. Honest.(btw kitten I like your signature)
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 11 06 01:26
I never thought I would be interested in war-based Science fiction, but reading David Weber's "Honor Harrington" series changed my mind.  These are believable people with all the good and bad of humanity involved in a future war.  You can draw lots of parallels between our world of today and the worlds of the future.  Worlds may expand, but human nature remains pretty well the same.  
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 11 06 01:36
  You can draw lots of parallels between our world of today and the worlds of the future.  Worlds may expand, but human nature remains pretty well the same.  [/DIV]
That's what I love about sci-fi. I thought Dune was a great example of this. I recently reread it and enjoyed it immensely.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 11 06 01:55
I haven't re-read that book in years.  I'll have to pick it up again.  Have you ever read "Enemy Mine" by (I think) Barry Longyear?  It was made into a movie starring Lou Gossett, Jr. as the alien.  I thought it was a very touching story of opposing warriors becoming reliant on each other and forming a close bond.  He actually did it justice in the film, which I think is quite unusual.  Usually they take a good story and massacre it for the sake of special effects and dumbed down dialogue.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: P.C. on Feb 11 06 09:23
One of my favourites is 'The Poisonwood Bible'. by Barbara Kingsolver (?)

The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it--from garden seeds to Scripture--is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.  

(I 'stole' the summary, as it was described much better than my attempt would have been.  I'd have gone on for pages) I strongly believe this book should be required reading in our school curriculum.  What an eye opener.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Spec 4 on Feb 11 06 10:47
I just finished The Sling And The Stone - On War In The 21st Century. It's about "4GW", or "4th Generation War", which is what we have in Iraq now. 4GW takes place in a decentralized manner, using all available assets (political, social, economic, networking, etc) and takes decades to play out, not weeks or months as the US Military is used to.

Now that it's a 4GW war in Iraq, basically, we're f*cked- the war will go on forever or until we pull out. We cannot win a 4GW scenario no matter how much $$$ or soldiers we pour into it.  

America has lost both 4GW wars we've been in (Vietnam and Somalia*) and the Russians lost in a 4GW war in Afghanistan. Numerous examples abound, and it's always the same thing- the big conventional military forces get depleted, attrition mounts and cripples the big conventional military force, and eventually they lose.

Mark my words: We will lose in Iraq because it's transitioned to a 4GW type of war. It is inevitable and no amount of flag-waving will change it.

It's interesting reading, but not something that'll make you want to enlist.

*Yes, Somalia was a war, even if they didn't say so out loud. So was Vietnam, despite it being officially termed a "police action".
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: P.C. on Feb 11 06 10:56
Interesting.....I'm not comparing the two, but would a Tom Clancy fan 'enjoy' this book ????
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Sportsdude on Feb 11 06 11:06
Right now I'm reading Orwell's 1984 and The Communist Manifesto by Marx.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 11 06 11:07
What a combo!
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Marik on Feb 12 06 01:56
Some big Edgar Allan Poe book.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Lise on Feb 12 06 07:25
Don't laugh but I hust read Harry Potter series and they're not bad. (http://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/3.gif)
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Spec 4 on Feb 12 06 07:52
Interesting.....I'm not comparing the two, but would a Tom Clancy fan 'enjoy' this book ????

Well, possibly, but it's fairly dry. No action, just a lot of theory with accompanying examples and summaries. I'd guess most people would find it a crashing bore to be honest.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Admin on Feb 12 06 08:25
[span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"]Interesting.....I'm not comparing the two, but would a Tom Clancy fan 'enjoy' this book ???

[/span]If it's like most military theory/doctrine tomes, it'll be a real sleep-inducer. [span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"]
[/span]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Mzbehaven on Feb 12 06 09:15
(http://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/10.gif)I'm almost embarrassed to say what I'm reading right now, compared to all the 'deep' stuff you guys are into.

I'm addicted to detective and true crime stuff.  Always have been.   Right now I'm reading Sue Grafton's 'R is for Ricochet' and waiting in the wings is something my kids got me for Christmas - "A Mind for Murder", real-life files of a psychic investigator.    
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: P.C. on Feb 12 06 09:31
Don't be embarassed over what your interests are, Mzbehave'n.  I think I'd be more embarrassed to say I didn't read at all.  I have eclectic taste when it comes to reading.....I like variety.[/DIV]I even read this trilogy of 'yearling' books a fews years back, that remain in my 'favourites' list.Booky (that's the name of the book)  LOVED them.  They were about this little gal that grew up during the depression....kind of an Angelas Ashes Lite. Laughed out loud and cried out loud.  No embarassment here.[img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/froehlich/d030.gif" border=0]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Admin on Feb 12 06 09:38
[div style="font-style: italic;"]I have eclectic taste when it comes to reading.....I like variety.[/div]
Ahh, a woman after my own heart. I have really eclectic tastes in reading too. I'll read almost anything short of the phone book. I don't do Westerns or Romance novels, but practically anything else is fair game. Like Mizbehavn, I like True Crime too. The library near me is really small, and when my son and I go there we clean 'em out on a weekly basis. They can't keep up with us.

Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: P.C. on Feb 12 06 09:44
OMG.....that's the same 2 catagories that don't make it onto my eclectic list too Admin.  Ptewi [/DIV]And, I also struggle with deep politics, but not because I don't have the interest, more because I don't have the understanding.  I'm working on it.[img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/froehlich/g030.gif" border=0]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Sportsdude on Feb 12 06 09:58
Went to the library near my house to check out any books on Canada.  They only had 2!!![/DIV]One was Pierre Trudeau's Memoirs and the other was a History of Canada.  God, was I pissed.  For a country that is in the same hemisphere as the US they should atleast have more than 2 books on the country other than travel guides.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 12 06 09:59
 I don't do Westerns or Romance novels, but practically anything else is fair game. Don't be too quick to toss them out y'all. Sometimes I need some reading that don't require no thinkin', kinda like watching TV, eh? My wife went on a Louis L'Amour kick a few years back and enjoyed it a lot. And two of the books on my honeyreadthis list look for all the world like Safeway checkout lane romance. [/DIV]One is by Parke Godwin (who I mentioned earlier with Firelord) called Lord of Sunset, it's a work of historical fiction set in 11th century England. Godwin's stuff is so well researched I really feel transported to that era and feel like an instant expert on them.Another is For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale that is one of my wife's all time favorite book.(she'll probably post soon on this thread I'm sure once she gets back from vacation)  
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 12 06 10:27
For those of you that like crime stuff I must represent for Brian Micheal Bendis. If you've never read his stuff or never read a comic or graphic novel, if you search his stuff out you won't be sorry.(most libraries are building up a decent graphic novel section). You will be blown away by the dialogue and plot movement and wonder why isn't this guy writing for movies. His dialogue especially, it has the cadence of everyday speech and is perfectly suited to the graphic novel format.[/DIV]Check out Jinx or Goldfish for great crime stuff (self illustrated so the artwork's a bit raw), or his run on Daredevil which has gone on for quite a while now (don't be scared that it's superhero stuff you won't notice it), or Alias (not related to the TV show) which may be his best work IMHO.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 12 06 11:43
For anyone who's into fantasy, as apart from science fiction, I suggest anything by Mercedes Lackey.  She has written several different series, all of which were great reading.  She's one of the first authors I look for when I check the new books at the library.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Marik on Feb 12 06 06:37
A few years ago, I read GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) - a japanese comic. They translated it to English so I would recommend reading it for a good laugh, especially if you are a student.  I doubt you can find these in any libraries though.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 13 06 02:58
I hate to see a good thread languish!  Have any of you read Robert B. Parker's "Spenser" books?  I think they are well written detective stories., and much better than the T.V. series.  I also like the Evan Hunter/Ed McBain books.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: tenkani on Feb 13 06 03:10
Holy cow! GREAT thread! I'm a big sci-fi fan so thanks for all the recommendations!!! Left Hand of Darkness IS a fantastic book.

Spec 4, I think you're absolutely right. Very well said. I'll try to find that book!

I just finished 1984 and Animal farm a few months back. Highly recommended. Orwell is not the best writer from a technical standpoint, but his concepts are brilliant and very timely.

Right now I'm reading Culture Jam by Kalle Lasn, who I believe is a Vancouver resident. Anyway, it's about consumerism gone mad and how our country has been subverted by a corporate agenda that now controls most aspects of our lives. Anyway, it's a good read. I'm also reading a collection of H.P. Lovecraft stories. Most of them are from his "Cthulhu Mythos" period. Horror/sci-fi at its very best IMO. The man was a master-craftsman. He's got such a unique, creative style that it's hard to imagine he didn't have help from the other side... (http://www.motleycrow.com/ImageHost/cthulhusprite.gif)
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 13 06 03:31
Robert Heinlein was always one of my favourite authors.  What a fine mind he had!  And he was never afraid to challenge established thinking.  The Foundation trilogy was another read and re-read for me.   Asimov was a brilliant man.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: P.C. on Feb 13 06 03:38
Not Sci-fi.....but a couple good reads I remember from way back, were David Nivens.....Bring on the Empty Horses, and Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 13 06 03:53
I seem to remember reading "Bring on the Empty Horses" .  As you say, way back.  I also recall reading Peter Ustinov's autobigraphy.  I think it was titled "Dear Me".  He was an interesting man and I really enjoyed his book.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: tenkani on Feb 13 06 04:49
Ah!

Some of my favorite sci-fi is probably Frederik Pohl's Gateway series and the Mote in God's Eye series by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Yeah, Heinlein and Asimov are the old masters, although both of their stuffs can get a little dry at times.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 13 06 05:04
You probably already know this, but Larry Niven is married to Mercedes Lackey;  also a fine writer.  They have done a lot of work in rescuing endangered raptors and bringing them back to health before releasing them.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Admin on Feb 13 06 05:59
Anyone here like (or ever heard of) Stanislaw Lem? He's written a lot of very funny, extremely satirical Sci-Fi, but also some serious stuff like [a href="http://www.solaristhemovie.com/"]Solaris[/a]. (The original Russian version was better IMHO, but it's also really long.)

Funny stuff:

Pirx The Pilot (good)
The Futurological Congress (REALLY good)
The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age (also REALLY good)
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Sportsdude on Feb 13 06 06:08
I like serious stuff.[/DIV]Philip K. Dick is good.  
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 13 06 06:15
I remember Pirx the Pilot, but I haven't read anything of his in a long while.  I got side-tracked by so many other authors that I forgot about Lem.  I'll have to look those titles up.

Does anyone remember John Creasey?  He was an interesting author.  I also remember John Buchan"s "The Thirty-nine Steps".  But that one goes back a looong way!
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Sportsdude on Feb 13 06 06:26
If I read anything scfi its european I read Americans have lost there way with scifi. Scifi is the most powerful form of literature and Americans turned it into Star Trek.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: greycat on Feb 13 06 06:33
Has anyone read any Iain Banks, the Wasp Factory? I also liked The Age of Reason by Sartre, Life After God by Douglas Copeland, Slaves of New York by Tama Janowitz, Cats Eye by Margaret Atwood. LOVE books, i am always reading, but lots of non fiction these days, books on creativity and whatnot.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 13 06 06:36
Actually, that's generalizing.  There are a lot of  good authors, as well as some real stinkers.  This is true, not only about the U.S., but all over the world.  In fiction, it boils down to two things.....the writer's imagination, and the ability to tell a story in an interesting fashion.  Some are very good at it, others not.  Even in non-fiction, the ability to explain things in a lucd fashion is very important.  Isaac Asimov and Robert Forward were geniuses at this.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 13 06 07:42
 [A href="http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxdm824DFCA" target=_blank][img alt=Dragon src="http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_3_27.gif[/img][/A] For any science fiction readers, there is a great free library at http://www.baen.    I've read a lot of good books there.





[A href="http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb063_ZNxdm824DFCA" target=_blank][img]http://discoverseattle.net/source/spacer.gif?pc=ZSzeb063&pp=ZNxdm824DFCA" border=0][/A]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 14 06 12:25
kitten blessings be upon you for moving this thread along today. What a great range of stuff to read in this thread. I agree with your Asimov and Heinlein recommends. Stranger in a Strange Land was so much more book than I expected, and it gives me that dippy "wow, we're all so wonderful" feeling.[/DIV]My pick to add today is Word Freak by Stephen Fastis. He goes in deep with the top eschelon of competetive Scrabble player. Warning if you like playing Scrabble you will go on a bender after reading this (it even made us go and get a chess clock).
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 14 06 08:17
Here's a link to a great poem, The Song of the Queen Bee by E.B. White.[/DIV][A href="http://littlemissattila.mu.nu/archives/030417.php"]http://littlemissattila.mu.nu/archives/030417.php[/A]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 14 06 09:27
What a wonderful poem!  Thanks for the link.  [img onmouseover="this.style.backgroundColor='#C6D3EF';this.style.border='1px solid #3169C6'; " style="BORDER-RIGHT: #3169c6 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #3169c6 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #3169c6 1px solid; CURSOR: pointer; BORDER-BOTTOM: #3169c6 1px solid; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c6d3ef" onclick="InsertImage('/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/3.gif');" onmouseout="this.style.backgroundColor=''; this.style.border=''" src="http://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/3.gif" align=absMiddle]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Legion on Feb 14 06 09:37
If any of you ever have a hankering for occult/fantasy then you might try these novels by [a href="http://www.jwmt.org/v1n0/dfortune.html"]Dion Fortune[/a].

The Goat-foot God

The Sea Priestess

The Secrets of Dr. Taverner

Winged Bull

Moon Magic
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 14 06 09:56
^^  This reminds me of the writings of and about Edgar Cayce.  He was a strange and fascinating individual.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: TehBorken on Feb 14 06 10:21
Anyone here like the Bolo series by Keith Laumer? How about stuff by Vince Flynn?
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 14 06 10:38
I haven't read the Bolo series (yet!), but I enjoyed his Retief series.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: weird al on Feb 14 06 09:39
I'd like to take this opportunity to  plug Norah Vincent (not so much Norah Vincent per se as her book, Self-made Man), the soi-disant dyke who became a drag king  so she could live as a man among men and record her impressions of men and women through the eyes of a man.

 This book is so fascinating, insightful, compassionate and funny that I'm tempted to spoil it for you by retelling the whole thing. But I won't, except to say that she joins a blue collar men's bowling league, does a retreat at a monastery (where there's a suspicion that she's a gay guy), hangs around a strip joint, and gets into dating a variety of women (not from said strip joint).

 Vincent is brilliant, and a damn good writer. There isn't an awkward syllable or a boring paragraph in the whole book. Here's a link:  [A href="http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/media_player/play.jhtml?itemId=50036"]http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/media_player/play.jhtml?itemId=50036[/A]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 15 06 11:37
I read an excerpt from this in Radar magazine (great mag btw). What a great piece. As a guy you don't realize how much posturing and alpha male behaviour we are just used to and tune it out. It was great to have her perspective. It really made my hatred for salesman grow even deeper.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: weird al on Feb 15 06 11:46
She's got a lot of great stuff out there. Get a load of her Memorial Day address:

 [A href="http://www.letstalksense.com/articles/vincent230503.htm"]http://www.letstalksense.com/articles/vincent230503.htm[/A]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Future Canadian on Feb 15 06 11:49
Jeez...What a speech. I can't add anything to that.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: TehBorken on Feb 16 06 05:08
I'm reading something very good and very funny right now, titled "Of Rice And Men". Copied synopsis from Random House:

Spreading democracy takes more than cutting-edge military hardware.Winning the hearts and minds of a troubled nation is a special mission we give to bewildered young soldiers who can't speak the native language, don't know the customs, can't tell friends from enemies,and–in this wonderfully outrageous Iraq-era novel about Vietnam–wonder why they have to risk their lives spraying peanut plants, inoculating pigs, and hauling miracle rice seed for Ho Chi Minh.

Brash,eye-opening, and surprisingly comic, Of Rice and Men displays the same irreverent spirit as the black-comedy classics Catch-22 and MASH–as it chronicles the American Army's little known "Civil Affairs" soldiers who courageously roam hostile war zones, not to kill or to destroy, but to build, to feed, and to heal. Unprepared, uncertain, and naive, they
find it impossible to make the skeptical population fall in love with them.

But it's thrilling to watch them try.

Among the unforgettable characters: Guy Lopaca, an inept Army-trained interpreter who can barely say "I can't speak Vietnamese" in Vietnamese, but has no trouble chatting with stray dogs and water buffalo. Guy's friends include "Virgin Mary" Crocker, a pragmatic nurse earning a fortune spending nights with homesick soldiers; Paul Gianelli, a heroic builderof medical clinics who doesn't want to be remembered badly, so he never goes home; and Tyler DeMudge, whose cure for every problem is a chilly martini, a patch of shade, and the theory that every bad event in life is "good training" for enduring it again.

Pricelessly funny,disarming, thought-provoking, as fresh as the morning headlines, and bursting with humor, affection, and pride, Of Rice and Men is a sincere tribute to those young men and women, thrust into our hearts-and-minds wars, who try to do absolute good in a hopeless situation.

Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 16 06 12:14
Who is the author of this book?  It sounds terrific.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: TehBorken on Feb 16 06 12:20
Who is the author of this book?  It sounds terrific

Doh! I can't believe I didn't include his name. It's by Richard Galli. Funnier than hell.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Tor Johnston on Feb 16 06 12:42
I'm starting "Freakonomics". Pretty good read so far.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: TehBorken on Feb 17 06 08:54
I just finished the "Of Rice And Men" book, and it was excellent. Highly Recommended!
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Witch on Feb 17 06 09:16
"Four Books Occult Knowledge" by Eliphas Levi, probably the most pompous, bombastic, and boring bunch of crap I've ever read. Not recommended.

"Lion of Ireland" by Morgan Llewellyn. The story of Brian Boru, First High King of Ireland. An excellent telling of the life of this extraordinary man. If you like historical drama, I highly recommend it.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: primefactor on Feb 19 06 10:57
Just re-read the Narnia books with my kids. Some of them are great, others just okay. I didn't want to pollute the story for my kids by telling them that it's secretly a Christian thing. To me it's always been just a fun story. I haven't been able to read the last two Harry Potter books, because the author went totally nuts and I guess no one is allowed to edit her and it's gotten flabby. I tried! I read about a third of the second-to-most-recent, and couldn't maintain enough give-a-crap to finish! I haven't seen any of the movies, so it's not that I just decided to go that route.

My favorite kids' books are the Moomin books by Tove Jansson. Absolutely brilliant.  For my own reading, I have come to read non-fiction almost exclusively, not because of some snooty-pants "I Am an Intellectual" reason, but because it is one of the ways I have come to deal with my aging-Reagan-80s-goth-girl angst about my mortality. I feel panicky about stuffing as much into my head as possibly before I croak. But sometimes I wish there were two of me, and the other one just sat in bed and ate chocolate and read novels all day.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: weird al on Feb 19 06 12:28
I have a hard time reading fiction anymore. Not because I think I'm an intellectual, but because I know the stuff didn't happen. But there's some really entertaining non-fiction out there. And a lot of it's stranger than fiction. Here's one

  [TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=780 border=0][TBODY][TR vAlign=top][TD class=white vAlign=top][/TD][!-- MAIN CONTENT COLUMN --][TD vAlign=top][img height=89 alt="Search Catalog" hspace=0 src="http://www.randomhouse.com/randomhouse/art/search_header_bookinfo.gif" width=576 align=left border=0][BR clear=all][!-- CATALOG CONTENT TABLE --][TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=576 border=0][TBODY][TR][TD vAlign=top][SPAN class=cat_title]Adventure Capitalist
The Ultimate Road Trip[/SPAN]
[SPAN class=cat_author]Written by [A href="http://www.randomhouse.com/randomhouse/authors/results.pperl?authorid=25976"]Jim Rogers[/A][/SPAN]
[SPAN class=cat_info]Business & Economics; Travel | Random House Trade Paperbacks | Trade Paperback | December 2004 | $14.95 | 0-8129-6726-7[/SPAN]

[SPAN class=cat_text][TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=left border=0][TBODY][TR][TD bgColor=#000000][img height=150 alt=9780812967265 hspace=1 src="http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/catalog_cover.pperl?9780812967265" align=left vspace=1 border=0][/TD][TD bgColor=#ffffff rowSpan=3][img height=165 hspace=0 src="http://www.randomhouse.com/randomhouse/art/shim.gif" width=7 align=left][/TD][/TR][TR][TD bgColor=#ffffff][img height=1 hspace=0 src="http://www.randomhouse.com/randomhouse/art/shim.gif" width=1 align=left][/TD][/TR][TR][TD align=middle bgColor=#006666][A onclick="window.DOH!('auto_pic_size.pperl?pic_url=%2fcatalog%2fcovers_450%2f9780812967265.jpg', '450_cover', 'height=450,width=400,resizable=yes,scrollbars=no');return false;" href="http://www.randomhouse.com/randomhouse/catalog/auto_pic_size.pperl?pic_url=%2fcatalog%2fcovers_450%2f9780812967265.jpg"][img height=14 alt=enlarge src="http://www.randomhouse.com/randomhouse/catalog/art/enlargeview.gif" width=80 border=0][/A][/TD][/TR][/TBODY][/TABLE][A name=desc][/A]ABOUT THIS BOOK

Drive . . . and grow rich!

The bestselling author of Investment Biker is back from the ultimate road trip: a three-year drive around the world that would ultimately set the Guinness record for the longest continuous car journey. In Adventure Capitalist, legendary investor Jim Rogers, dubbed "the Indiana Jones of finance" by Time magazine, proves that the best way to profit from the global situation is to see the world mile by mile. "While I have never patronized a prostitute," he writes, "I know that one can learn more about a country from speaking to the madam of a brothel or a black marketeer than from meeting a foreign minister."

Behind the wheel of a sunburst-yellow, custom-built convertible Mercedes, Rogers and his fiancée, Paige Parker, began their "Millennium Adventure" on January 1, 1999, from Iceland. They traveled through 116 countries, including many where most have rarely ventured, such as Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, Angola, Sudan, Congo, Colombia, and East Timor. They drove through war zones, deserts, jungles, epidemics, and blizzards. They had many narrow escapes.

They camped with nomads and camels in the western Sahara. They ate silkworms, iguanas, snakes, termites, guinea pigs, porcupines, crocodiles, and grasshoppers.

Best of all, they saw the real world from the ground up—the only vantage point from which it can be truly understood—economically, politically, and socially.

[/SPAN][/TD][/TR][/TBODY][/TABLE][/TD][/TR][/TBODY][/TABLE]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: primefactor on Feb 20 06 08:33
A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my favorites. I read it about every year. The perfect perfect example of perfect perfect character-driven wonderfulness. It's not like I'm a John Irving freak or anything -- I've really liked some of his books and others have just been okay airplane-reading -- but Owen is such a marvel. I also read Angela's Ashes about every year. Despite the subject matter being so sqalorous and depressing, it is tremendously uplifting. And my Dirty Little Secret read?... When I'm depressed, I will re-read Anne's House of Dreams, my favorite from the Green Gables series. It always makes me feel better.

I so rarely read fiction anymore that is seems like when I get the jones for it, I just want to fall back into one I've already read, like hanging out with old friends.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: TehBorken on Feb 20 06 08:59
I so rarely read fiction anymore that is seems like when I get the jones for it, I just want to fall back into one I've already read, like hanging out with old friends.

Me too. There are a few books I read over and over. "Shockwave Rider", "The Door Into Summer", "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress", the "Stainless Steel Rat" series....and quite a few others as well. It's like eating your favorite candy bar- you know it's gonna be good. :)

Anyone else here like the "Stainless Steel Rat" series besides me?
 
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: weird al on Feb 20 06 09:12
That's Harry Harrison, right? Jim Di Griz or something? Read 2 or three. I think Deathworld was one of Harrison's too. Also Make Room Make Room which became Soylent Green. Great stuff!
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: weird al on Feb 20 06 09:16
Mechasm,  by John Sladek, probably long out of print, was a beautiful read." Daisy, duck!"
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: TehBorken on Feb 20 06 09:47
That's Harry Harrison, right? Jim Di Griz or something? Read 2 or three. I think Deathworld was one of Harrison's too. Also Make Room Make Room which became Soylent Green. Great stuff!

Yep, all excellent books!



Mechasm,  by John Sladek, probably long out of print, was a beautiful read." Daisy, duck!"

I haven't read this, so I'll see the library has a copy in the system.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 20 06 02:58
One of my guilty pleasures is reading anything by Anne McCaffrey.  I don't know how many times I've read "Crystal Singer" or any of the"Dragons of Pern" series.  I also enjoy  the "Darkover" series by Marion Zimmer Bradley.  The real world can get rather depressing at times, what with everybody hating everybody for any or no reason.  That's why I crave the escape into better, brighter worlds.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: primefactor on Feb 25 06 04:23
Would it be cliche to ask people what their Top Five "Trapped on a Desert Island" books would be?

I'm asking anyway -- I love Top Five lists! So, what are your books, and why?

Mine:[/DIV]1) The American Heritage Dictionary, or any dictionary with good etymology. Every time I go to look up a word, I get lost in running across cool other words. I never get sick of it!

2) A Passion for Mathematics, by Cliff Pickover. Full of puzzles, facts, stuff to solve and ponder. Fun!

3) A one-volume set of all the Sherlock Holmes stories.

4) The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. I love almost all the Russian writers, and even though he's a modern one and not a classic, this book has a special place in my heart.

5) Euclid's Elements, because I've always thought that if I had time, I'd read the whole thing.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: P.C. on Feb 25 06 05:04
3) A one-volume set of all the Sherlock Holmes stories.[/DIV] [/DIV]LOL primefactor....I bet you're one of those people that goes through the 12 items or less checkout with  a weeks worth of groceries.  ROFL ROFL.

Me thinks there's some cheating going on with that list.  [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/verschiedene/c010.gif" border=0]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: weird al on Feb 25 06 06:45
I think it's legit to include a one volume collection of stories, since none of the stories would qualify as a book in itself.

 My list:

 The Rosy Crucfixion  ( a trilogy consisting of Sexus, Plexus and Nexus, by Henry Miller);

 Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism - Chogyam Trungpa;

The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade -  by[/DIV]   Alfred McCoy;

 The Sot-Weed Factor - John Barth;

 The Encyclopedia Brittanica ( in one volume).

 Yeah, I cheated. But I have a lot of respect for that 122-item rule. :)

                                                                                 
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: primefactor on Feb 25 06 06:55
P.C. wrote:
Me thinks there's some cheating going on with that list.[/DIV]
Oh, sure, I'll admit it! I was even considering listing the 20-volume set of the Oxford English Dictionary as one pick, but I thought that was going a bit too far.

Incidentally, the computer on which I am currently posting this message is what our family owns instead of the 20-vol OED. (Or half of it, anyway.) For about 18 months I was saving gold dollar coins and putting them in a sack so I could buy the OED, a dream of mine since my teens... but my sweet FC looked so hangdog when my mother bought her new computer that I decided to cash in my savings ($500 at that point, half of what was needed for the big-ass dictionary) and surprise him for Christmas.

And yes, people have told me and told me that A) I can find the OED online, and B) I can get it on CD, but that defies the whole point. The thing I love about dictionaries is flipping through them. The feel and the smell of them, the weight in my hands and the coy magic. There is no substitute!

I have started my savings again, and am up to about $30. I think I can have the money saved in three years. There's a new version coming out in 2007 anyway, so maybe I'll be glad to have waited.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: P.C. on Feb 26 06 12:02
PF....I hope you know I was just havin a little fun with ya [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/frech/p020.gif" border=0]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Sportsdude on Feb 26 06 12:06
Wow PC your a hero Member![/DIV]Congrats.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: P.C. on Feb 26 06 12:09
Hi sportsdude.  I see you're in the smite club too.  [/DIV]We got ourselfves some snow here last night.  So purdy.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Sportsdude on Feb 26 06 12:10
cool. We got drunks and massive amounts of litter.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: P.C. on Feb 26 06 12:12
lol......not so purdy.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Sportsdude on Feb 26 06 12:18
Yeah you should have been there or not been there. People were passing out at 1pm when we got there. People started throwing stuff at this one guys house because he closed the windows and blinds to his mini porno shoot his was shooting. Girls were getting there asses and front sides slapped and gropped from the windows and some girls were having sex. The Cops, well if you know anything about saint louis the cops are the most pathetic on the planet. Except for the "Eye in the Sky" camera which was to catch people urinating in public which didn't do squat because people urinated behind the open air market. The only time the cops got involved was when there was a major fight, a riot (at the one house the cop just runs off the rioter by saying "that shit ain't funny").  Thank God this only happens once a year.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Feb 26 06 08:02
I just finished a truly hilarious book titled "Don't Turn Your Back In The Barn.  It was written by a veterinarian who practices in a small town, Lister, B.C.  He describes his experiences with various animals that he has treated, and his sense of humour makes for a fun read.  The author's name is Dr. David Perrin.  I highly recommend it.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Gopher on Apr 01 06 10:13
Sportsdude wrote:
 Went to the library near my house to check out any books on Canada.  They only had 2!!!

One was Pierre Trudeau's Memoirs and the other was a History of Canada.  God, was I pissed.  For a country that is in the same hemisphere as the US they should atleast have more than 2 books on the country other than travel guides.[/DIV]
 Very sad. However try looking in the fiction department. Anything by W.O.Mitchell is worthwhile - he won't tell you much of Canada's anatomy, but if you want a 'physiological' glance at prairie life in Saskatchewan you won't find better.  
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Future Canadian on May 15 06 08:42
.(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f350/seanfleckenstein/books.jpg)

 
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: laststop on May 16 06 08:29
  Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas.
  ~ Joseph Stalin
 
   
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: weird al on Jul 27 06 01:09
This book is freaking me out something fierce, mainly because it provides so much documentary backup for what we knew already. When I first started reading this thing, I thought, "Jeez, now I don't wanna go outside." As I read on, I started to feel uneasy about staying home as well. Six of one and half a dozen of the other. Probably  scariest of all is the complacency (and apathy) of governments, corporations and guinea pigs alike. Ah, whatever.

               [A href="http://www.hundredyearlie.com/"]http://www.hundredyearlie.com/[/A]    
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Adam_Fulford on Sep 01 06 08:03
I highly recommend, "The World of the Short Story, 20th Century Collection," Selected & Edited by Clifton Fadiman.   Lots of fantastic short stories such as James Thurber's hilarious, "The Greatest Man in the World," Anibal Monteiro Machado's haunting "The Piano," and Margaret Atwood's creepy stalker tale, "The Man from Mars"  It's an amazing range of great tales that resonate in the mind like good songs.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Adam_Fulford on Sep 01 06 07:37
Lise wrote:
"Don't laugh but I hust read Harry Potter series and they're not bad. (http://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/3.gif) "[/DIV]
   [FONT color=#0000bf]They're very well-crafted, fast-paced stories.[/FONT]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Adam_Fulford on Sep 01 06 07:41
[A href="http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/bfm/bfmconte.htm"]BARE-FACED MESSIAH -- a well-researched story about a great con-artist -- is always an entertaining read, and it is free online![/A]

  [A href="http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/bfm/bfmconte.htm"]http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/bfm/bfmconte.htm[/A]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: P.C. on Dec 04 06 06:10
It be here, Kitten. [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/c007.gif" border=0]

    Is your computer still running like molasses?  Mine is PAINFUL.....(only on DS though)
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: weird al on Dec 04 06 07:26
Here's a good one:

[img alt="" src="http://213.253.134.29/jackets/m/029/0297829815.jpg" width=130 border=0]

[A href="http://www.foyles.co.uk/foyles/display.asp?ISB=0297829815&TAG=&CID"]http://www.foyles.co.uk/foyles/display.asp?ISB=0297829815&TAG=&CID[/A]=

  Great book. I'm about a third of the way through it. Twigger's a totally entertaining author. He's got a couple of other books out, one where he spends a year training with the Tokyo riot police. He seems to have a talent for getting himself into epic, grueling situations.

   I've got to pass on this anecdote, from one of his other books, concerning his grandfather, who had for a time been heavyweight boxing champ in the British Army. The old dude loved a good fight, but found it increasingly hard to get into one, since those who knew him knew what a tough opponent he was; and, after he retired, people were not inclined to get into a scrap with an old man.

 So he bought himself an ill-fitting, baggy suit, and began to frequent bars where nobody knew him. Before long, people would  start to make fun of him and his goofy-looking suit, one thing would lead to another, and

 the fight was on! (Which he invariably won)      
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Dec 04 06 07:32
P.C. wrote:
 It be here, Kitten. [img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/c007.gif" border=0]

    Is your computer still running like molasses?  Mine is PAINFUL.....(only on DS though)[/DIV]
   Thank you, P.C.  That's the one I tried to look for and failed.  Another bless for ya.

  It has speeded up some, but still not all that fast.  Earlier I was getting that "page cannot be displayed" notice when I tried to post.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Dec 04 06 07:38
Thank you, weird al,  I'll look for that in the library.  I shut down briefly to finish reading the comic fantasy book.  My next one will be by Mercedes Lackey, "Aerie"  It is one of a series written by her called The Dragon Jousters.  I've always liked her books.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Russ on Dec 05 06 10:09
kitten wrote:
 Thank you, weird al,  I'll look for that in the library.  I shut down briefly to finish reading the comic fantasy book.  My next one will be by Mercedes Lackey, "Aerie" It is one of a series written by her called The Dragon Jousters.  I've always liked her books.[/DIV]
 Shes a good author kitten, Ive read a few of hers. Have you tried Elizabeth Moon?

  Have you tried Anne McCaffrey? She does alot of Fantasy, but she does do some Sci Fi and has done a few with Elizabeth Moon which were pretty good.

  Ill make a list of some of the ones that I have on monday for you, Im preparing for camping this weekend.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Lise on Dec 05 06 10:23
Russ wrote:
 Have you tried Anne McCaffrey? She does alot of Fantasy, but she does do some Sci Fi and has done a few with Elizabeth Moon which were pretty good.

    I read one of Anne McCaffrey's book. Dragons of Pern or something like that. It was ok but I think I got lost trying to figure out who is who.

  (http://i12.tinypic.com/2hp7otu.jpg)

  I'm going to start reading this series. My husband is fanatical about Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time series.  
 
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Russ on Dec 05 06 10:29
Yeah, if you read her dragonriders of pern series you have to read a few books before you really figure out who is who. Not too bad once you get into them, I read the whole shebang a few years ago and it looks like shes pumped out more new books lol.

  I havent read him Lise, what type is it? Looking at the cover I would assume Science Fantasy?
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Lise on Dec 05 06 10:34
Yep, Russ. He's a fantasy writer and my husband swears by him. Has his whole series. Still going strong too.

  Here's a summary of the works. You can read more at Wikipedia.   [H3][SPAN class=mw-headline][A title="The Wheel of Time" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wheel_of_Time"]The Wheel of Time[/A][/SPAN][/H3] You can find chapter summaries for the first eleven Wheel of Time books [A class="external text" title=http://wotmania.com/chaptersummaries.asp href="http://wotmania.com/chaptersummaries.asp"]here.[/A]

 [OL] [LI][A title="The Eye of the World" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eye_of_the_World"]The Eye of the World[/A] ([A title="January 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_15"]15 January[/A] [A title=1990 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990"]1990[/A])  [LI][A title="The Great Hunt" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Hunt"]The Great Hunt[/A] ([A title="November 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_15"]15 November[/A] [A title=1990 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990"]1990[/A])  [LI][A title="The Dragon Reborn" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dragon_Reborn"]The Dragon Reborn[/A] ([A title="October 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_15"]15 October[/A] [A title=1991 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991"]1991[/A])  [LI][A title="The Shadow Rising" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_Rising"]The Shadow Rising[/A] ([A title="September 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_15"]15 September[/A] [A title=1992 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992"]1992[/A])  [LI][A title="The Fires of Heaven" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fires_of_Heaven"]The Fires of Heaven[/A] ([A title="October 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_15"]15 October[/A] [A title=1993 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993"]1993[/A])  [LI][A title="Lord of Chaos" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_Chaos"]Lord of Chaos[/A] ([A title="October 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_15"]15 October[/A] [A title=1994 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994"]1994[/A])  [LI][A title="A Crown of Swords" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Crown_of_Swords"]A Crown of Swords[/A] ([A title="May 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_15"]15 May[/A] [A title=1996 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996"]1996[/A])  [LI][A title="The Path of Daggers" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Path_of_Daggers"]The Path of Daggers[/A] ([A title="October 20" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_20"]20 October[/A] [A title=1998 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998"]1998[/A])  [LI][A title="Winter's Heart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter%27s_Heart"]Winter's Heart[/A] ([A title="November 9" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_9"]9 November[/A] [A title=2000 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000"]2000[/A])  [LI][A title="Crossroads of Twilight" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossroads_of_Twilight"]Crossroads of Twilight[/A] ([A title="January 7" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_7"]7 January[/A] [A title=2003 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003"]2003[/A])  [LI][A title="Knife of Dreams" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knife_of_Dreams"]Knife of Dreams[/A] ([A title="October 11" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_11"]11 October[/A] [A title=2005 href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005"]2005[/A])  [LI][A title="A Memory of Light" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Memory_of_Light"]A Memory of Light[/A] (working title) [/LI][/OL] [A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Jordan"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Jordan[/A]

Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Dec 05 06 10:34
Anne McCaffrey is one of the authors I'm waiting for.  So is Elizabeth Moon.  They don't write fast enough for my liking.  Andre Norton was a good writer as well.  I've read all the Moon, McCaffrey and Lackey books,  as well as all of David Weber's.  I think I've read all of Isaac Asimov's science fiction, and a lot of Keith Laumer, especially his "Retief" series.  
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Lise on Dec 05 06 10:41
I've read Mercedes Lackey too. Can't remember the exact book but she co-wrote with someone else. All I remember was the two lady heros were..... intimate with one another? One was dark, the other bright.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Dec 05 06 10:44
It could have been Rosemary Edgehill.  Mercedes Lackey has collaborated with several people, although I can't recall if she collaborated with her husband, Larry Dixon.  I'm quite sure she did, though.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Lise on Dec 05 06 10:48
Hm. The name doesn't ring a bell there, kitten. Maybe I'll re-read her books when I get the time.

  (http://i11.tinypic.com/2ro2fr9.jpg)

  Here's another one up for recommendation. I love the series. If you like the imagery of Musketeers and swordfights, this is one for you.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Dec 05 06 10:54
A series?  Yay!!  If McCaffrey recommends it, I'm adding it to my list.  Thank you, Lise.  I first read Elizabeth Moon on her recommendation.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Lise on Dec 05 06 10:57
I'm going to look out for Elizabeth Moon too. From the way you guys are decribing her, she must be good.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Dec 05 06 10:59
She's a very good writer, but some of her work is military science fiction.  The heroes are female, though.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Russ on Dec 05 06 11:03
True on Elizabeth Moon. Thats why I like her, I like the Military Sci Fi.

  Gotta give the girls some happiness right? (http://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/7.gif)

    [FONT color=#e6e6e6]Not that they ever will be good soldiers <grin!!!>[/FONT]
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Dec 05 06 11:05
Another excellent author is Lois Bujold McMaster.  I've enjoyed the whole series, and I think it is something that might appeal to you, Russ.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: purelife on Dec 05 06 01:35
Has anyone read the series of Kushiel?  There are 4 books and I believe that this one is the first.

(http://www.eternalnight.co.uk/books/c/careyjacqueline/kushielsdart.jpg)
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: kitten on Dec 05 06 01:39
No, I haven't heard of her.  Is this fantasy or romance?
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: purelife on Dec 05 06 01:54
I think that it's fantasy and some romance.  Someone told me that it's really really good but a difficult book to get into.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Russ on Dec 05 06 03:02
Hey! now I know why Im so confused and cant find some of my posts on books. Theres TWO threads that people have pulled up on books. Sheesh.
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: purelife on Dec 05 06 03:47
LOL RUSS!  Like your chicken said "Yaaarrrrgggghhhh!" (http://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Teasing/12.gif)
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: tenkani on Dec 05 06 05:56
I'm in the middle of reading How Israel Lost: The Four Questions, by Richard Ben Cramer.

If you have even a faint interest in what's going on in the Middle East I urge you to pick this book up. It provides a vivid and sometimes frightening insight into modern (and historic) Israel and the occupied territories. The writer is a funny guy, and manages to point out the ironies and black humor inherent in the region without being disrespectful. Before reading this book I saw Israel and her people as a monolith. Now I can start to appreciate the mind-blowing and energetic diversity crammed into such a tiny nation. More importantly, it helped me to get a handle on Israeli attitudes and policy, which often seem so reactionary and closed-minded.
 
Title: Re: Read any good books?
Post by: Orik on Apr 05 08 09:01
never mind it does belong here too my brain is in need of sugar or sleep

 Lise wrote:
Yep, Russ. He's a fantasy writer and my husband swears by him. Has his whole series. Still going strong too.
 
Here's a summary of the works. You can read more at Wikipedia.
  [h3][span class="mw-headline"][a title="The Wheel of Time" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wheel_of_Time"]The Wheel of Time[/a][/span][/h3] You can find chapter summaries for the first eleven Wheel of Time books [a class="external text" title="http://wotmania.com/chaptersummaries.asp" href="http://wotmania.com/chaptersummaries.asp"]here.[/a][/p] [ol][li][a title="The Eye of the World" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eye_of_the_World"]The Eye of the World[/a] ([a title="January 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_15"]15 January[/a] [a title="1990" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990"]1990[/a])  [/li][li][a title="The Great Hunt" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Hunt"]The Great Hunt[/a] ([a title="November 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_15"]15 November[/a] [a title="1990" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990"]1990[/a])  [/li][li][a title="The Dragon Reborn" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dragon_Reborn"]The Dragon Reborn[/a] ([a title="October 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_15"]15 October[/a] [a title="1991" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991"]1991[/a])  [/li][li][a title="The Shadow Rising" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_Rising"]The Shadow Rising[/a] ([a title="September 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_15"]15 September[/a] [a title="1992" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992"]1992[/a])  [/li][li][a title="The Fires of Heaven" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fires_of_Heaven"]The Fires of Heaven[/a] ([a title="October 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_15"]15 October[/a] [a title="1993" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993"]1993[/a])  [/li][li][a title="Lord of Chaos" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_Chaos"]Lord of Chaos[/a] ([a title="October 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_15"]15 October[/a] [a title="1994" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994"]1994[/a])  [/li][li][a title="A Crown of Swords" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Crown_of_Swords"]A Crown of Swords[/a] ([a title="May 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_15"]15 May[/a] [a title="1996" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996"]1996[/a])  [/li][li][a title="The Path of Daggers" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Path_of_Daggers"]The Path of Daggers[/a] ([a title="October 20" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_20"]20 October[/a] [a title="1998" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998"]1998[/a])  [/li][li][a title="Winter's Heart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter%27s_Heart"]Winter's Heart[/a] ([a title="November 9" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_9"]9 November[/a] [a title="2000" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000"]2000[/a])  [/li][li][a title="Crossroads of Twilight" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossroads_of_Twilight"]Crossroads of Twilight[/a] ([a title="January 7" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_7"]7 January[/a] [a title="2003" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003"]2003[/a])  [/li][li][a title="Knife of Dreams" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knife_of_Dreams"]Knife of Dreams[/a] ([a title="October 11" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_11"]11 October[/a] [a title="2005" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005"]2005[/a])  [/li][li][a title="A Memory of Light" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Memory_of_Light"]A Memory of Light[/a] (working title) [/li][/ol] [a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Jordan"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Jordan[/a][/p]
Sadly the series of novels has come to a end

For those who have not heard or do not kno. Sadly Mr Jordan passed away on the 16th of September 2007 from complications of primary [a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amyloidosis" title="Amyloidosis"]amyloidosis.[/a]  he was undergoing chemo therapy and other treatments at the time. ( i have not written of this before now. i was so terribly heart broken to lose my favorite author. even now, i find myself growing sad. losing his writing is like losing a best freind.) leaving the last book in the series [a title="A Memory of Light" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Memory_of_Light"]A Memory of Light[/a]  partially written yet unfinnished.  Mr Jordan family along with the publisher have brought in Brandon Sanderson to finish the work.  so those of us who are huge fans of his collective writtings, can read the conclussion to this fantastic series of novels.

the estimated release date for A memory of light is november of 2009