Anybody here into reading? Just wondering if there's any interest in a book recommendation/review thread...
I'll submit a review of this weeks Auto Trader Seriously. That's a good idea. I'd like to start by recommending Freakonomics. It's a non "clean room" tour of real world scenerios, from cheating sumo wrestlers, the motivations of your friendly real estate agent, to how inner city drug gangs that have corporate structures much like McDonalds. It's a very well written read, with lots of stats, and unusual relational topics that keep the book interesting from cover to cover.
Im in the process of reading 3 books right now First one is a leadership book called Its your ship..it is a very well written book by a Navy warship captain on leadership tactics. Second book I am reading is the fourth in a series of Dave Pelzer's autobiography called The Privilege of Youth. His story is heartbreaking. As a child he was physically and verbally abused by his mother. It started when he was 4 and continued till he was about 12. His childhood was one of the three worst cases of child abuse in California history. His mother stabbed him, held his arm over a lit stove, strangled him, starved him,beat him, made him eat his brother's feces, made him drink ammonia, and was referred to as "the boy" and eventually, "it." Now he writes and travels promoting inspiration and resilience. Third book im reading is a novel by Stephen King called Dreamcatcher. Ive seen the movie and the book has been in the house for a few years..Finally picked it up and started reading it. I am a pretty big Stephen King fan. I have read most of his books.
I'll second Freakonomics. Best book i've read in a while. "Sex drugs and cocoa puffs" is also good but more for relating life to pop culture instead of economic theory. Davinci code if you have not read it yet..hrm what else...oh and if you are interested in religion at all check out "why christianity must change or die". It's written by an episcopalian priest who is less than well liked for his views on the scripture. Very very well written.
Glad there's some interest. I tend to be reading 3-4 books in parallel, and currently working on: The Lemon Table by Julian Barnes. Barnes is one of those writers that I love to read regardless of the subject; his writing style is outstanding and very engaging. The book itself is about death / end of life -- sounds like a dark subject but Barnes does treat it nicely and gently. The Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers by Tom Wolfe. Couple of great essays. The Radical Chic which I just wrapped up is from the early 70s, when it was considered hip and 'in' to throw parties for various radical groups in New York; this one is about Leonard Bernstein inviting the Black Panthers for a get-together. Great read, and Wolfe has an eye for all the interesting little details. Also re-reading Holidays in Hell by PJ O'Rourke. If you ever want to get the inside view of some places that you'd likely never consider visiting, this is the book for you. Great humor and insightful observations. Some other stuff I can recommend that I've read or re-read recently: House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski Ham and Rye, Factotum and the Post Office by Bukowski And for some light but greatly entertaining reading, anything by Clive Cussler.
The Fair tax book and Mario Puzo's Omerta. and the last book before he died The Family is the last one but haven't read yet,I'm big fan of the mafia/family busniess books & movies. That Freakonomics book sounds good too.
I've heard a lot about Freakanomics but have only flipped through it at the bookstore. I'm normally reading through Ray Bradbury stuff. Going to reread "The Illustrated Man" today.
true... but between all the technical stuff i have to read all the time, its hard to read just for pleasure
I have my freakanomics and "sex drugs and cocoa puffs" books here if some one/everyone wants to borrow then. Milo you might have to have it airmailed or something but you really would enjoy them both as starter books Moose, i'm now very glad my new place is 2 blocks from a giant borders
Ive been reading up on Palahnik's works (ie Fight Club). I just finished Lullaby and have started Survivor. I'm also enjoying Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas (bathroom reader).
Well, just read part 2 (Sunstorm) of Clarke and Baxter's "Time Odyssey" series. It was good enough to keep me up until 2:30am (cover to cover in 5 hours), and I highly recommend it and its predecessor Time's Eye. Good sci-fi.
Kris, I'm also reading dreamcatcher, good stuff... Wish I wouldn't have watched the movie first. Alex, Fear & Loathing is great, try Where the Buffalo Roam after that. I love anything my Tom Clancy, and Clive Cusler is good. And... the New Testament can be read over and over(4 me anyways)
The new Clancy stuff just isnt the same, it honestly begs the question if whether or not he has someone writing his shit for him these days...
Funny, I was just about to post the same thing. Old Clancy was fantastic, but even the hardcore fans I know haven't enjoyed his recent ones. There's a persistent rumor that the guy who co-wrote the Op-Center stuff is actually writing the Clancy books now.
Yeah, the newest I've read is Executive order(1100 pages!). I've read a couple op-centers which I agree suck. I'm thinking he has very little to do with those books. Just like Terentino putting his name on movies he has nothing to do with just to sell tickets. Red Storm Rising was prolly my favorite book, followed by debt of honor.
Dreamcatcher is a really good book but, my favorite books are still Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, both by Ayn Rand. I've read almost all of the John Grisham books and I like all of them except for two. Oh, and the sci-fi/fantasy series Wheel of Time is really good too, 12 books in the series.
Wow, I'm not the only one reading Rand. Have you read Anthem? It's a little lighter than Atlas Shrugged (what isn't?) but pretty enjoyable. Atlas Shrugged was fantastic but at times it just draggggggged on... Never got into Wheel of Time, but then again I can't do fantasy for some reason. Tried Donaldson's Covenant stuff and couldn't stand it. His Gap series (sci fi) is amazingly great though.
Actually I haven't read Anthem, I think most people read it for school? But I never had to and I don't like reading short books as much, even though I heard it was really good. O yah, I'm reading another sci-fi book right now it's called Battlefield Earth, it's fricking long as hell, 1100 pages or something but, It's supposed to be a really good book so I'm reading it now.
(With a possibilty of sounding like a small child) I've been reading Harry Potter this summer . Haha, over the summer I've read the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and just finished the 6th last night. To those who haven't read any I know it sounds ridiculous, but the books are just so much fun. As for other stuff, Chuck Palahniuk's "Invisible Monster" was the last thing I read before the Harry Potter marathon I just went through. Just wanted to let you know my reading abilities are above that of a 12 year old. I believe I've listen tot he book on tape of this with my dad on a long trip a while ago. It is very long. I don't know if you've seen the movie, but it ends only about halfway through the book.
How is that? I heard it was more drawn out that it had to be. More details than the reader needed to know. I am almost done with "it's my party too" a book for democrats who want an insight into the rebublican base. hell, a good book, well writen, and not too long ( and available from me for only $2!!hnoes: , hell, free!:ddirty: )
lol, i'm actually only on page 150ish. During the summer i read really slowly because i like doing other things better. So yea, haven't been reading much. But up to now, it's not too bad but it's not too good either. Just at the beginning.
Probably going to date myself a little here, but two of my favorite Sci-Fi books are Battle Circle by Piers Anthony and Armor by John Steakley. Battle Circle is actually a series of books sold as a collection now. Armor is a series short stories about war, with a sci-fi bent.
I heard Armor is really good, might have to check that out. As for Piers Anthony, I used to like his stuff when I was in my teens and for fun went back and re-read one of his books recently; the guy's a seriously dirty old man with a pedo streak like you wouldn't believe. This wasn't Battle Circle though, so can't comment on that series.
Hahahaha! Don't think I have read anything else by Piers Anthony. The Battle Circle series was/is very good though, can't remember any "dirty" stuff in it...:ddirty:
Let's just say that one of his books (Firefly) has a character in it named Nymph that's five years old and seduces older men.
I've been meaning to mention Bukowski's poetry work as well. Recommended some of his books above, but the poetry ones are worth a read. Example: Quotable she is an old woman now still quite beautiful she has known many famous men. we are sitting in a Mexican cafe and she tells me, "Hemingway was an amazing man, he'd sit and make these off-hand remarks, one after another, these astonishing truthful statements..." I like that. but I have nothing to say. well, I do. I tell her: "the red sauce in the little bowl is very hot so don't use it unless you like that sort of thing." - such statements don't create a legend but for ordinary mortals they still have a rather sturdy worth.