What what what? That seems like too many numbers, isn't it?
Game of Thrones
Clash of Kings
Storm of Swords
Feast for Crows
Was there anything else released that I'm missing? It's been a long time since I've paid attention to that series because of the repeated delays for Dance with Dragons.
Dan Brown's best book is one that nobody really ever talks about. Deception Point is a cool read if you like conspiracy theory type stuff. I'm also a big Crichton fan. Congo, Jurassic Park, etc..
If you're looking for highly entertaining and interesting contemporary non-fiction then I would recommend Malcolm Gladwell of The Tipping Point fame. He has about 5 books now. I'm just in the middle of reading his latest one What the Dog Saw and it is pretty good.
They're quick reads rooted in real life fascinations. For example he explores why there are tonnes of different types of mustard but only one type of Ketchup. The story follows food marketing and food psychology. Interesting stuff.
Speaking of hitchhiking, Jack Kerouac's On the Road is fantastic.
Inspired me to hitchhike back in December.
I've never understood the love for this book. Or why Sal Paradise hung around with that annoying loser Dean Moriarty. He has to tell him not to try to hump a 13 year old girl at Sal's friends place, so instead he sits in the corner "sweating staring at this girl and saying "Yass, Yes, Yass".
If you are into history/military history at all – two of my favorite books of all time are about the Vietnam War.
The first one is fiction (sort of), and is called ‘The Things They Carried’ by Tim O’Brien, a Vietnam veteran. It’s a book that is all at once amazingly entertaining and deeply touching. May be my favorite book ever.
From Wiki:
O'Brien feels that the idea of creating a story that is technically false yet truthfully portrays war, as opposed to just stating the facts and creating no emotion in the reader, is the correct way to clear his conscience and tell the story of thousands of soldiers who were forever silenced by society. Critics often cite this distinction when commenting on O'Brien's artistic aims in The Things They Carried and, in general, all of his fiction about Vietnam, claiming that O'Brien feels that the realities of the Vietnam War are best explored in fictional form rather than the presentation of precise facts.
This is a really great book for anyone who enjoys war-fiction. It goes onto a different level and somehow keeps you interested while going to in-depth descriptions of the soldiers.
__________________ "In brightest day, in blackest night / No evil shall escape my sight / Let those who worship evil's might / Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"
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You should try the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.
Most Martin fans despise Goodkind (probably something to do with the pages and pages of speeches about Objectivism, not to mention all the crazy/arrogant things he says in interviews). I fought my way through the series, being too stubborn to quit once I started, but regret it given how much better stuff there is in the genre these days.
John Dies at the End by David Wong (aka Jason Pargin, editor in chief of Cracked.com)
Here's a selected passage from the prologue that really sets the tone of the novel. The tone of insanity...
(Story edited out for space...read the original post)
Heh, I heard that story as a riddle years ago, but it went something like this...
A traveler stumbles upon an old man in the woods splitting firewood & comments on the quality of his axe...
The old man states how it is the best axe he has ever had and goes on to explain that over the last 20 years he has only had to replace the handle twice and the head once...
Is it truly the same axe?
Lately, I have been reading more short-stories/compilations as I don't seem to have the time or commitment for anything longer.
A couple I'd recommend:
A Good Man Is Hard To Find and other storiesby Flannery O'Connor.
Twisted, Southern, bible-belt fiction...at it's best! Hard not to read with a Southern drawl in your mind...kind of depressing stuff though.
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. Short and relaxing with a slew of great characters that you'll wish you knew...and might remind you of people you do know.
If your into fishing, particularly fly-fishing, you can't go wrong with any of the John Gierach books...Even Brook Trout Get the Blues or The View from Rat Lake are a couple that come to mind. The River Why by David James Duncan and A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean are also books that I've enjoyed.
As already mentioned The Road is a great read. Different than any book I've read. I would highly recommend it.
Also A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson is excellent if you are looking for a good non-fiction book. Great writer with a good sense of humor. You don't even realize that you're learning stuff.
If you are into fantasy I would recommend...Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A. Heinlein.
A really good read, it takes an interesting look at religion and proving one's faith on religion as experienced by a modern Job. But if you're new to Heinlein, I'd actually recommend "Stranger In A Strange Land".
From Amazon: Stranger in a Strange Land, winner of the 1962 Hugo Award, is the story of Valentine Michael Smith, born during, and the only survivor of, the first manned mission to Mars. Michael is raised by Martians, and he arrives on Earth as a true innocent: he has never seen a woman and has no knowledge of Earth's cultures or religions. But he brings turmoil with him, as he is the legal heir to an enormous financial empire, not to mention de facto owner of the planet Mars. With the irascible popular author Jubal Harshaw to protect him, Michael explores human morality and the meanings of love. He founds his own church, preaching free love and disseminating the psychic talents taught him by the Martians. Ultimately, he confronts the fate reserved for all messiahs...Can you grok it?
cause I don't get to read more from that series.
