Books

[rhinoceroceros]

I've seen threads about movies and music here but I can't find one about books, so I made one!
Any books you're in to, DIY, sci-fi, history, nonfiction, etc...

I'm more of a sci-fi guy so that's what I tend to read, I just finished Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. Awesome book, but I love everything he does! Also Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson is fantastic if you're into strange futuristic versions of America

 

[Goofynewfie]

L. Ron Hubbard was a wacko, but I highly recommend Battlefield Earth. My fave series is by Margaret Atwood, the madaddam trilogy. book 1 is Oryx and Crake,#2 is year of the flood and the 3rd is not completed yet.

 

[SharonaZamboni]

I'm not really into sci-fi, but was assigned "Ender's Shadow" by Orson Scott Card in a leadership class. So I spent the rest of the semester reading the whole Ender series and then named my new dog Bean.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

All the new stuff I've read lately has been beer related, I just finished Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher, good read, I am gonna try to run the beer side of a beer dinner. A lot of the stuff was stuff I knew already from brewing and other books, but some was new. I got the Oxford Companion to Beer for Christmas and I'm going to eventually read every word from that but that will be an undertaking. I'm re-reading How to Brew by John Palmer. I've read it fully already and read it for reference a thousand times, but I want to read it all again, figure it doesn't hurt to have all that memorized.

As far as other books, I'm not really a big reader. Mainly because I don't invest the time in finding stuff I like and I feel like a bad book is a much bigger bummer than a bad movie. But my favorite book series of all time has to be anything Tolkien and Middleearth. I've read the Hobbit and LOTR several times, and love them. I've read the Silmarillion and other Tolkien books (forgetting the names) as well to try to grasp the world better.

 

[rhinoceroceros]

I'm not really into sci-fi, but was assigned "Ender's Shadow" by Orson Scott Card in a leadership class. So I spent the rest of the semester reading the whole Ender series and then named my new dog Bean.

Such an awesome series! It really goes past sci-fi and incorporates so many themes

 

[Tex]

+1 for the Ender series, read Ender's Game as an assignment in junior high and couldn't get enough of them.

I'm currently audiobooking the Emberverse series from SM Stirling. I read Dies the Fire a couple months back and I'm now listening to The Protector's War while at work. It's an entertaining sci-fi series.

 

[Subsailor]

Battlefield Earth +1
Enders Series +1
Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey
Well of Souls series by Jack L. Chalker
Most horror by Stephen King and Clive Barker
Any biography on some of history's greatest generals/leaders

I will read almost anything and I am a voracious reader!

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I'm a fan of Bukowski, Clive Barker, Richard Matheson, William Burroughs, Thomas Harris, Harold Schechter, Stephen Hawkings, B.F. Skinner, Freud. and that guy who wrote the book of love. he made my baby fall in love with me.

 

[nukebrewer]

For my fiction it's almost entirely fantasy and my favorite author is Raymond E. Feist. I read Magician: Apprentice in high school on the recommendation of a friend and the rest, as they say, is history. Except for the last couple books I've read them all. He's the only author I've stuck with from beginning to end, but I would like to find some other fantasy books to read. I got six books deep into The Wheel of Time and got bored with it, but I would give it another try. Of course I'd have to start over from the beginning because I don't remember much of anything about it. The author that really got me started on fantasy, though, was Robin Hobb. The Farseer Saga has got to be the best fantasy series I've read. I've read it three times and plan to read it again soon (same goes for Feist).

Non-fiction it's pretty much whatever I feel like. Beer, computer programming, various hobby books; pretty much anything is game.

 

[Tex]

I'm a fan of Bukowski, Clive Barker, Richard Matheson, William Burroughs, Thomas Harris, Harold Schechter, Stephen Hawkings, B.F. Skinner, Freud. and that guy who wrote the book of love. he made my baby fall in love with me.

Im about halfway through Naked Lunch by Burroughs but I struggle with how perverse it is, he has a sick, sick mind. Love Bukowski.

 

[estricklin]

For my fiction it's almost entirely fantasy and my favorite author is Raymond E. Feist. I read Magician: Apprentice in high school on the recommendation of a friend and the rest, as they say, is history. Except for the last couple books I've read them all. He's the only author I've stuck with from beginning to end, but I would like to find some other fantasy books to read. I got six books deep into The Wheel of Time and got bored with it, but I would give it another try. Of course I'd have to start over from the beginning because I don't remember much of anything about it. The author that really got me started on fantasy, though, was Robin Hobb. The Farseer Saga has got to be the best fantasy series I've read. I've read it three times and plan to read it again soon (same goes for Feist).

Non-fiction it's pretty much whatever I feel like. Beer, computer programming, various hobby books; pretty much anything is game.

I just finished reading 13 books of the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, if your into fantasy (which I'm not obsessed with personally), you'll love those books.

I read anything, I'm hooked on my Kindle. I switch back and forth between fiction and non fiction. Also read the Hunger Games recently, which was ok. Right now I'm reading some books on wine and Atlus Shrugged.

 

[oldstyle69]

For my fiction it's almost entirely fantasy and my favorite author is Raymond E. Feist. I read Magician: Apprentice in high school on the recommendation of a friend and the rest, as they say, is history. Except for the last couple books I've read them all. He's the only author I've stuck with from beginning to end, but I would like to find some other fantasy books to read. I got six books deep into The Wheel of Time and got bored with it, but I would give it another try. Of course I'd have to start over from the beginning because I don't remember much of anything about it. The author that really got me started on fantasy, though, was Robin Hobb. The Farseer Saga has got to be the best fantasy series I've read. I've read it three times and plan to read it again soon (same goes for Feist).

Non-fiction it's pretty much whatever I feel like. Beer, computer programming, various hobby books; pretty much anything is game.

i really like the Feist books as well...ive been thru almost everything he wrote when i was in highshool. he has a somewhat new one out that i thought about checking out. The last book to the WoT comes out in Feb i think. i also like Hobb, good stuff! im currently re reading the illuminatus trilogy. its a trip. the first book that got me in to sci-fi/fantasy was a short book i found in jr. high called Exiles of Colsec. then found the Dark Elf books with Drizzit and got lost in those books for along time. im done rambling. sorry. haha.

 

[oldstyle69]

I just finished reading 13 books of the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, if your into fantasy (which I'm not obsessed with personally), you'll love those books.

i read most of those as well. i kept getting the story mixed up with the WoT books that i was reading at the same time. i picked up the Wizards first rule thinking it was just a single novel.

 

[Lushife]

I'm a big fan of Vonnegut I like classic King too. I haven't had much time to read lately though.

 

[oldstyle69]

I'm a big fan of Vonnegut I like classic King too. I haven't had much time to read lately though.

i really liked the Dark Tower books... i guess they are making a movie and tv series from those books, directed by Ron Howard.

 

[Lushife]

i really liked the Dark Tower books... i guess they are making a movie and tv series from those books, directed by Ron Howard.

I don't have that one. Is that the one about the gunslinger?

 

[Big_Blue]

Listing what I've read would take entirely too long. I'm schooled in British and American (though mostly literary) Fiction. Favorites? D.H. Lawrence mainly.

What I really like is horror, though it's a genre plugged full of sh*t. King is, clearly, king. This is easy to say because even the closest runner up is miles behind. King isn't even always horror. That's sad.

His son isn't that great (Joe Hill) which is even more sad.

Just read: The entire Song of Fire and Ice series (in three months), Duma Key, some no name horror anthologies and The Passage by Justin Cronin (currently reading).

I'll read anything that has a Forgotten Realms setting (save for bunk done by Mr. Salvatore). Read the Sembia: Gateway to the Realms series and the Erevis Cale series (great!). In that RPG/Sci-Fi genre, Richard Lee Byers is my favorite author and the War of the Spider Queen and the Haunted Lands trilogy are absurdly good.

 

[oldstyle69]

I don't have that one. Is that the one about the gunslinger?

yep. Roland is his name, and he is a badass. haha.

 

[Big_Blue]

i really liked the Dark Tower books... i guess they are making a movie and tv series from those books, directed by Ron Howard.

Yeah. They're still trying to find a studio to actually make it. The most recent, Wind Through the Keyhole (add that to my read list), was a great holdover, if you appreciated that series and were horrified it was "over."

 

[nukebrewer]

I just finished reading 13 books of the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, if your into fantasy (which I'm not obsessed with personally), you'll love those books.

I read anything, I'm hooked on my Kindle. I switch back and forth between fiction and non fiction. Also read the Hunger Games recently, which was ok. Right now I'm reading some books on wine and Atlus Shrugged.

Yeah, I read the Sword of Truth over the course of about six months while I was on deployment and thoroughly enjoyed them.

 

[nukebrewer]

I'll read anything that has a Forgotten Realms setting (save for bunk done by Mr. Salvatore).

I also love the Forgotten Realms books, but just out of curiosity, what do you have against Salvatore? His were my favorite Forgotten Realms books.

 

[Big_Blue]

I also love the Forgotten Realms books, but just out of curiosity, what do you have against Salvatore? His were my favorite Forgotten Realms books.

His characters were, for the most part, invincible. He relies entirely too heavily on deus ex machina for my tastes.

 

[nukebrewer]

His characters were, for the most part, invincible. He relies entirely too heavily on deus ex machina for my tastes.

I can see that, but as long as the story itself is good and exciting I am willing to overlook it.

 

[Big_Blue]

I can see that, but as long as the story itself is good and exciting I am willing to overlook it.

To each their own, eh? Still, a great setting.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

The Dresden Files (series) by Jim Butcher, 1st book is Storm Front. If you like a sci-fi fantasy combo, you'll like The Chronicles Of Amber (series), 1st book is Nine Princes In Amber, by Roger Zelazny. I've been a fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs since I was a kid, Tarzan, or the Mars series are good, but I think my fav would be The Lost Continent.

A Sci-fi/adventure novel I really liked was The Long, Loud Silence by Wilson Tucker, good luck finding it though, it's been out of print for a while. I enjoy historical fiction too, especially the Earth's Children (series) by Jean M. Auel, 1st book is Clan Of The Cave Bear.
Regards, GF.

 

[passedpawn]

Trodding my way through Humbolt's Gift by Saul Belllows. This author has an incredible way with words - just brilliant. The story is rambling though, with just a hint of conflict to be resolved.

A really cool story for you sci-fi guys is Ready Player One. This one read like a movie (i.e., like Hunger Games). I wouldn't be surprised if it shows up on the big screen some day. It was a very entertaining page-turner.

 

[The_Dog_42]

When I was 8, The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop first got me hooked on fantasy. Then in school, The Once and Future King by TS Elliot showed me that fantasy didn't have to be for children.

For those who like the WoT series (the last book is out BTW), I recommend the Recluse saga (series?) By L.E. Modesitt, Jr. Or if those series are a little long (13+ books each), the Imager Portfolio by L.E. Modesitt, Jr. is a good read as well.

I tried to branch out a little recently though and read The Blindwatchmaker by Richard Dawkins. I could not get into that book at all, just felt like he presented arguments with gaping holes a lot. I have been enjoying The Little Black Book of Innovation by Scott D. Anthony.

 

[weirdboy]

A really cool story for you sci-fi guys is Ready Player One. This one read like a movie (i.e., like Hunger Games). I wouldn't be surprised if it shows up on the big screen some day. It was a very entertaining page-turner.

The author has already sold the rights to make a film from it, I think Warner Bros picked it up, but I could be wrong. He said it was ironic, because he sort of deliberately wrote a book that he figured they couldn't possibly make into a film due to all the stupid licensing issues with various TV shows, songs, etc.

Did you know about the Easter Egg Hunt he did last year? I finished the first couple of gates, and then the last gate turned out to be kind of insane.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrGfQpxMFLs]Easter Egg Hunt[/ame]

 

[Barnzy02]

Just finished the Dark Tower Series, dove right into book one of 'Song of Ice and Fire' (ie Game of Thrones).

Apart from fantasy, my favorite writers are Hunter Thompson and Charles Bukowski.

Also enjoy Cormac McCarthy.

Always looking for good reads.

 

[Subsailor]

A really good Science Fiction story from awhile back by Tom Godwin -"the Cold Equations"

 

[weirdboy]

Oh, I forgot to mention what I've been reading lately. According to my phone, I've read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which was an excellent read that I really enjoyed, as well as recent re-reads of Tolkien's The Hobbit and Old Man's War by John Scalzi, which are also excellent page-turners. If you like Heinlein stuff and haven't read the Old Man's War series, you really ought to.

Lately though I have been reading the somewhat pulpy Jack Reacher series. I like the actiony bits, but whenever the author tries to write "mystery" or "suspense" stuff I get annoyed because it's always so plainly obvious what the author is trying to lead up to, and then I have to slog through 100-200 pages of eye rolling where the protagonist uncovers more and more blindingly obvious "clues" before they finally figure out what's going on. Stick to the action bits, Lee.

 

[Lushife]

I picked up The Gunslinger today, I didn't get to crack it yet. I'll probably have to barricade myself in the bathroom tomorrow to get a few pages in.

 

[oldstyle69]

i forgot about another series that i liked alot. Mickey Zucker Reichert's "Last of the Renshai".

 

[DrunkleJon]

Must agree on the Jim Butcher Dresden series and the Princes of Amber series by Zelzany. I am attempting to reread the WOT series as it is all out now. King books, yes please.

 

[teal]

I got the Oxford Companion to Beer for Christmas and I'm going to eventually read every word from that but that will be an undertaking.

Make sure you read the corrections wiki - there's more than a bit of bad info in that book.

Corrections Wiki

Issues according to Martyn

Martyn's first blush at it

Ron's take

Jeff's take

I bring them up, not to slag Garrett - he was given an impossible task but because I also really respect Martyn's and Ron's work. SUPER well researched blogs on the history of various beers. The book DOES have some very legitimately criticized holes and inaccuracies.

I bring up Jeff's because he does make a good point:

Take the category of brewery. Obviously, not every brewery on the planet warrants a mention. But doesn't the fifth largest American craft brewery? It's Deschutes, and it gets none. The 25th, Rogue, does get a mention, though. I started comparing the list of the 50 largest American craft breweries to the list in the book. The further west of New York the brewery was located, the less likely it was to be in the book. Notable exceptions omissions include Widmer (top ten), Bell's (8th), Alaskan (12), Stone (14), Full Sail (18), Summit (20). Perhaps not by coincidence, the editor's own brewery, Brooklyn (16), is included.

I questioned my own judgment here--bias runs both ways, after all, and Pac Ten guys always complain that the New Yorkers neglect them. But then I looked at the "brewing regions" Oliver deemed critical to our understanding of beer. It mainly includes countries and a few key cities or regions (Burton Upon Trent, Flanders), but also four five American cities/boroughs. They are: Chicago, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. If your inner researcher is tingling with anxiety, join the club.

 

[rhinoceroceros]

Just finished a book called "Beat the Reaper" by Josh Bazell. Awesome story about a new MD who had mob ties. Really interesting medical stuff tied in with tense action. I just wish it was longer!

 

[Darwin18]

Finished the Hangman's Daughter - it was cheap on Kindle and fairly good. It's set in the Middle Ages in Germany and the main character is the town executioner.

Working on Book #8 of the Wheel of Time Series - A Path of Daggers. At this point in the series Jordan's writing style and lack of plot movement are infuriating. I find myself skimming through chapters instead of reading them in the hopes that something, anything, significant will happen. Some scenes, especially chapters with the Forsaken are well written, but most of the book is still about how Rand/Perrin/Mat don't understand women, Egwene/Nynaeve/Aviendha/Elyane (let's be honest they're the same character but with different hair color) don't understand men, and how the Wise Ones/Aes Sedai dislike each other. Jordan must have been paid $100 for every reference he made to smoothing skirts, characters glaring at each other, or even in depth descriptions of the color of grass. I know this series gets better...at some point, and the fact that Brandon Sanderson wrote the final book is my motivation.

 

[passedpawn]

Chomping through yet another Demille book, The Lion's Game. Mediocre writing style but great scripting. Like Grisham.

 

[CloverBrew]

just bought and finished a book i originally bought for my son by Neil Gaiman..... The Graveyard Book. sooo good. loved the sandman comics, and ordered Good Omens.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Finished the Hangman's Daughter - it was cheap on Kindle and fairly good. It's set in the Middle Ages in Germany and the main character is the town executioner.

Working on Book #8 of the Wheel of Time Series - A Path of Daggers. At this point in the series Jordan's writing style and lack of plot movement are infuriating. I find myself skimming through chapters instead of reading them in the hopes that something, anything, significant will happen. Some scenes, especially chapters with the Forsaken are well written, but most of the book is still about how Rand/Perrin/Mat don't understand women, Egwene/Nynaeve/Aviendha/Elyane (let's be honest they're the same character but with different hair color) don't understand men, and how the Wise Ones/Aes Sedai dislike each other. Jordan must have been paid $100 for every reference he made to smoothing skirts, characters glaring at each other, or even in depth descriptions of the color of grass. I know this series gets better...at some point, and the fact that Brandon Sanderson wrote the final book is my motivation.

Yeah there is a lot of that. It is because he comes from a reniasonce background where the clothing really matters. I am ready to scream due to all the good stout two rivers woolens, calming a dancing horse, etc, but it does get better. And there are more than 1 sanderson written book.

just bought and finished a book i originally bought for my son by Neil Gaiman..... The Graveyard Book. sooo good. loved the sandman comics, and ordered Good Omens.

Good Omens was great. I especially like how it was co-written by Pratchett and they would send chapters to each other to see who could crack the other up most.