Good Books

[GreenLantern]

I am currently on book 8 of the Wheel of Time series. I was very impressed with the first 5 books.. meh with 6 and 7, so far book 8 is meh, although I am only a hundred pages in.

I understand they have started talks about turning this series into a movie(s).. will be interesting to see how they go about it.

[Traditional_Ale]

Playing Off The Rail - David McCumber

Its about pool hustlers. I mean Billiards and not pedos at public pools.


Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman

Wicked one-shot fiction. Neil Gaiman is a genius. He produced Beowulf, as well as penned American Gods, and a novel with Terry Pratchett "Good Omens."


Spares - Michael Marshall Smith

Reading this now. Ex cop who has family murdered ends up a "Rapt" addict tending to a "spares" farm. Spares are clones of human who are dissected as their masters injury/disease needs require. He educates them and breaks them out heading back to New Richmond (a 220-story crashed floating-mall that has become its own living hell) to settle things...

Its completely f***ed.



PEACE!

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by Phaneuf3

Intriguing titles. Care to give a synopsis?

Average American Male - how the male mind works. extremely vulgar yet brilliant at the same time. Guaranteed to offend some readers

Practical Guide to Racism - explores each race and the stereotypes against them. Very risque but absolutely hilarious. May offend some readers

[Aeneas]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

Playing Off The Rail - David McCumber

Its about pool hustlers. I mean Billiards and not pedos at public pools.


Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman

Wicked one-shot fiction. Neil Gaiman is a genius. He produced Beowulf, as well as penned American Gods, and a novel with Terry Pratchett "Good Omens."



PEACE!

And wrote STARDUST!!

[Ro]

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller is the best book I've ever read. Can't go wrong with that one.

[JerzeeGirl]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

I am currently on book 8 of the Wheel of Time series. I was very impressed with the first 5 books.. meh with 6 and 7, so far book 8 is meh, although I am only a hundred pages in.

I understand they have started talks about turning this series into a movie(s).. will be interesting to see how they go about it.

I've been reading the WoT since 1991 when the 1st book came out - and while it did have a bit of a drag in the middle to some, the last few books (10 & 11 esp) have been really good! I just hope that the fellow who is writing the A Memory of Light (Book 12) can do the series finale justice!

As for a movie.....I shudder to think at how badly that could be done - the story is really just too big with too many characters and storylines to do the tale justice.

[Flash]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Krack Korn

I'm reading The Pillars of the Earth right now. I'm about half way through and so far, I'd have to agree, awesome. Very engaging story.

I have Pillars of the Earth, but can't seem to get into it. I've heard about how amazing it's supposed to be but I've been having a hard time with it, the beginning seems very slow to me. I've been meaning to give it another try, I'd really like to read it given all the incredible reviews it's received.

[REDVAN]

Originally Posted by wpgflamesfan

Average American Male - how the male mind works. extremely vulgar yet brilliant at the same time. Guaranteed to offend some readers

This is my favorite book. The ending makes me a little sad, being a 24 year old young man on the dating scene, but nonetheless, I loved this story.

It's not how my mind works... but it's a rather unique perspective on things.

[simonsays]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman

Wicked one-shot fiction. Neil Gaiman is a genius. He produced Beowulf, as well as penned American Gods, and a novel with Terry Pratchett "Good Omens."

Gaiman is a good author and if you like Neverwhere (which I think is his weakest of novels) I'd suggest you try out the Sandman comic books. From Preludes & Nocturnes to The Wake, there are few better stories around.

Originally Posted by GreenLantern

I am currently on book 8 of the Wheel of Time series. I was very impressed with the first 5 books.. meh with 6 and 7, so far book 8 is meh, although I am only a hundred pages in.

Stop reading. He dies. Not the main character, but the author. He made up to book 12 of 13!!

Personally I've been enjoring myself with Bernard Cornwells "Last Kingdom" series for a little while. Historical fiction about the rule of King Alfred combined with just plain fun.

[C_Rush]

The Raw Shark Texts - Steven Hall. Exactly as it's described, the love child of "Jaws" and "The Matrix."

Weaveworld - Clive Barker.

Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris

The Gunslinger series by Stephen King

[kermitology]

London is by Edward Rutherfurd and is quite good.

I suggest:

Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden: a book about two cree snipers in the First World War. It's absolutely amazing.

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder: a novel on the history of philosophy. It's a little hard to get started, but once you get about a quarter of the way in it's enthralling.

White Teeth by Zadie Smith: quirky novel from a young British author. She's one of my favourites.

How to be Good by Nick Hornby

[FLAMESRULE]

Just found my new favourite author - Christopher Moore. He's written:
"Lamb - The Gospel according to Biff" - Basically a highly fictionalized account of the first 30 years of Jesus' life. Easily one of the funniest books I've ever read.

"A Dirty Job" - A "beta" male in San Fran is now a death dealer and has to fight off the evil underworld to save humanity. Again, Moore's written style is pure genius. He plays on both extremes of emotion, you could be laughing hysterically one minute and on the verge of tears teh next.

"Fluke" - Not done this one yet, but its about a Marine Biologist who almost finds out the mystery behind Humpback whales singing.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by simonsays

Stop reading. He dies. Not the main character, but the author. He made up to book 12 of 13!!

But he did map out the way he had wanted the story to wrap up and there is another author finishing it from his notes.

Mind you, I haven't read the last couple - I got frustrated a the long waits and decided to wait until the final book was just about done then go back and re-read the previous few so I could remember everything that was going on. There were so many characters and plot lines, I would forget about a few in the 3+ years between books.

[octothorp]

Speaking of series that never got finished properly, one of my favorites is Mervyn Peake's Gormanghast Trilogy. First two books are among the best writing I've ever read; it's a beautiful dark gothic story, but for anyone who enjoys structure and syntax and language, Peake is amazing. Unfortunately, he died before completing the third book, and as it stands it just doesn't come close to the other two, and I kinda wish the series had been left at just two books.

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

People always ask me "what's your favourite book," since I'm a writer and literary scholar, but it's a hard question for me to answer without listing about 30.

In a previous thread there was a discussion of a "book draft" to go along with the movie and music drafts. If someone was willing to organize it, I think that would be awesome.

On the topic of "great books interrupted by the author's death," my very nerdy contribution is Melville's Billy Budd--if he had lived another 10 years, my feeling is he'd be remembered for that over Moby-Dick.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

People always ask me "what's your favourite book," since I'm a writer and literary scholar, but it's a hard question for me to answer without listing about 30.

In a previous thread there was a discussion of a "book draft" to go along with the movie and music drafts. If someone was willing to organize it, I think that would be awesome.

On the topic of "great books interrupted by the author's death," my very nerdy contribution is Melville's Billy Budd--if he had lived another 10 years, my feeling is he'd be remembered for that over Moby-Dick.

I can start a workshop thread, but I'll need lots of input from others on categories etc . . .

[habernac]

King of Russia about Dave King coaching in the Russian super league was terrific. Not much of a novel reader, I'm almost exclusively into the biography stuff. Patrick Roy : Winning. Nothing Else is also a very good. Reading another hockey book on Bill Barilko as well, not bad for a book on the Leafs.

[ok, ok,....I get it]

Death's Men by Denis Winter, about the raising of Kitchener's army and life in the army...interesting read