Read any good books?

[Lise]

Don't laugh but I hust read Harry Potter series and they're not bad.

[Spec 4]

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.

[Admin]

[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]

[Mzbehaven]

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.    

[P.C.]

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="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/froehlich/d030.gif" border=0]

[Admin]

[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.

[P.C.]

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="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/froehlich/g030.gif" border=0]

[Sportsdude]

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.

[Future Canadian]

 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)  

[Future Canadian]

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.

[kitten]

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.

[Marik]

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.

[kitten]

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.

[tenkani]

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...

[kitten]

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.