Well the title pretty much sums it up... thought id get to know the gamers a little better by asking.

i myself love Piers Anthony... once i sober up ill get a little more detailed

Brian Jacques, David Eddings and Matthew Reilly.

Currently reading Redemption of Althalus.

Right now I am reading Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice as well as The Dutch Republic: It's Rise, Greatness and Fall by Jonathan Israel.

Roger Zelazny
Harry Harrison
H.P.Lovecraft
Terry Pratchett

Clive Cussler (dunno, I really loved his books as a kid, now they're not that much fun anymore :eeeeeh: )

Isaac Asimov..The Foundation series...i reccomend it to you all.it's a great story.
:ok:

Yea, Foundation was pretty great.

Harlan Ellison is still one of my fave authors though.

Mario Puzo: The Godfather
C.S. Forester: The Hornblower Series
Tom Clancy: The Cardinal of the Kremlin

Tolkien, Cricton, Lovecroft and those are at the moment.

But I read anything but romance..couldn't drink enough to read those

I am rereading Gerge R R Martin's A Clash of Kings, in anticipatio of the next book in the series, A Feast For Crows, which will be out soon.

Terry Pratchett only. I hate reading :)

I'm currently reading "Het Reservaat" by Ward Ruyslinck, the moment the exams are over I'm going to go to a bookstore to get something decent to read... not that dutch literature is bad per se, just preachy.

I mostly read Irvine Welsh.
(I love his work. :ok: )

I like the good old classics like Conrad, Stevenson, Dickens, Goethe, Bradbury... they were rewieved by the time passed!

Including the first trilogy right?
The naked sun... The steel caverns... The robots of the morning dawn (not sure if these are correct titles in english because I only read the trilogy).

Otherwise you'll never fully understand the ending - when they redescover Earth and the planet that became the center of the unverse...

uhm..
Clive Cussler (yey! someone else knows him!)
Gervase Phinn
R.E. Fiest
Those are my favourites

Andrzej Sapkowski
Philip K. Dick
Umberto Eco
Henry Lion Oldi (two russian writers, if you find any of their book, you should buy it. They write very orignal fantasy books, so if you are bored of dragons, heroes, dwarfs, etc. you have to try them. But I think it's pretty hard to get any of their books outside Russia. In Poland the are onlu 4 books :)

I read much more, but here are favourite authors. Now I'm reading some H.P Lovercraft stories.

There was a thread like this before. There was quite a number of interesting book discussions, so you might wanna run the search engine.

Edit: I mean this thread. :angel:

Here is what I wrote in that thread:

Philip K. Dick
Asimov
Erich von Däniken
John Caldwell and Jeffrey Stone (awesome parodies :D )
J. K. Rowling (I know it seems childish, but I DO like the Harry Potter series :) )
P. Howard

By the way: does anyone have PHilip K. Dick books? I'd like to read them in original language, but I cannot find English versions here in hungary, no matter how hard I search :(

well I have no favourit book.

Currently reading Druids. Nice interesting book

My recommendations from the previous thread still stand:

Currently reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (the one Apocalypse Now! was based on). Looks good so far.

EDIT: More book recommendations in this old thread.

which daeniken books? all of them or do you like a specific type? ive personnaly only read a couple of the "God" books that have to do with aliens. interesting

---------------------

sorry for opening up the thread... didnt find another one like it.... but i was drunk at the time :D

I'm a fan of a book called Mortal Engines, it's pretty good. Quite shorth though, about 220 pages.

Other good books include : Anything by Pratchett mainly. The Barry Trotter books are good too (by Michael Gerber).

Since this is the most recent book thread I found:

I have read many different books ranging from horror to fantasy, from tragedy to insanity.

But my favorite book of all time has to be Robin Hood. I have read many different versions of it, but the one I like the best in the children's classic collection... err... I'm not certain about the author but here's something to help:
"Robin Hood with an introduction by Goerge Cockburn Harvey.
Illustrated in Black and White
Color illustrations by Donald E. Cooke.

Made especially for J. G. Ferguson Publishing Company"

Anywhere, I like it because it uses simply and poetic language. (And the book smells nice too.). It is the only book I read more then three times.

If any of read it, please tell me if you thought the same. (Not about the smell, though, unless you really want to. :D )

Besides that I have read :

Quite a few Dean Koontz's books.
Some Agatha Christies books.
Anne Macarthy's Tower and Hive series.
"The Sword of Shannara", "Elfstones of Shannara" and "Magic Kingdom For Sale/Sold" (all by the same author)
Enid Blyton's "Famous Five series", "Five Find-Outers series", "Secret Seven Series", a few of the "Mystery series."
"The Three Investigator series"(don't know by who)
"Doctor Dolittle" (I think all of them)
Michiel Ende's "Neverending Story". (Hated the movies they made about it, except for the one with that song "behind the rainbow, you will find the answer to the neverending story").

At the moment I am reading The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. I love the library, they just ordered Book 8 & 9 of the series for me when I couldn't find it there, what great people they are. :ok:

Too bad I am a free-loader, cause if I wasn't I'd go out and buy all the Harry Potter books, even though I probably will read it only once.

BTW is there a book club thread where we can discuss similar books that we read.

I don't read much any more.........

but my favorite authors would be Crichton, Rollins and Asimov. I,Robot and The Incredible Journey are great! :ok:


Has anybody read Shadow Divers, by Kurson (can't remember first name)?
Really good true story nonfiction about deepsea scuba diving. Really interesting.

robert rankin
just check the link, it saves me explaining. he 0wns pratchett. pratchett only sells more than rankin becuse his stuff is quite cute and cuddly and nowhere near as occult. read his stuff christians, he knows more about the bible than you do!

Currently reading Terry Pratchett's ''Wyrd Sisters'' and ''Stories from Celtic mythology'' by Laura Vasconcellos.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Bret Easton Ellis so far. :blink:

Other favourite books: "A Clockwork Orange" (universes between this and Kubrick's flick)
"The Short Timers" (again)
Not so much others that were made for eternity, allthough a little Shakespeare is NEVER wrong...

Hey, someone mentioned Iain Banks - my favourite is probably The Bridge, and maybe Player of Games for his sci-fi.
I like shakespeare too Chuck, although reading it's nothing like seeing it done well on stage.

I enjoy all of Shakespere's stuff. However I MUST say my favorite books are Frank Frazetta's works, the Death Dealer series. Very hard to find because they are out of print I have managed to find Book 1,2, and 4 out of 5.

Really? How do you feel about Pericles, then?

JK Rowling
Stephen King
David Brosnson (sp?) Author of ''The Opponax Invasion''(sp?)

Fecking Awesome movieish book.

Pericles was only half by Shakespere.
I never read it, but it does sound wonderful. Guy suffers shipwrecks, bad landings, improbable events and the such, turning all the way around to be reuinted with his family. Many had said it was awful, but I cannot see how, seeing how it's by Shakespere. Well, somewhat.

Shake A Spear Sucks!!!!!!!!!! :P

If I lived when he did I really would enjoy his works as they are of high quality, I do not however like having to put effort into deciphering his cryptic phrases. The plays he wrote would be good if they were only modernized.

eek.!! you cant do that!! i actually like that about his stuff.

I agree.

It's great poetic writing. I like it even before I could fully understand it, and after I did I simply loved it.

However, Romeo and Juliet did mess me up. After reading it I wrote something, although poetic, was completely embrassing. Mahar never ever act like a such fool again :wall:

Well, that's not entirely clear. Anyway, Pericles is hilarious: There's a character who vows never to cut his hair again twice in a row. It's almost as much fun as Cymbeline, with the headless body and the bad guy hiding in a chest and creeping out at night to steal the heroine's ring (and to leer a bit, of course)... :D

Even some of the good ones are utterly ludicrous - there's some really daft stuff in the garden in Othello, for instance.

Yeah, that's quite a mental one. If I remember correctly then Twelfth Night was odd also.

Is that the one in which a girl pretending to be a boy pretending to be a girl pretends to be a boy?

I love Anything by....

Frank E Peretti
Ted Dekker :angel:

Absolutely WOW authors!

Feist,Chrichtion,and King are all awesome....
Now: Tom Clancy, kardinal at the kremlin ^_^
Is love craft good? I looked him up on Amazon/BarnesandNoble but all I got was collections of short stories.... :tai: and Harry Poter is ick, its...borring....Oh Oh OH!!!
Whell Of time 11!!!!!
Oct. 11 mark your calendars!!!!!
:kosta: :Brain: :kosta: :Brain:

I have a problem with reading, it puts me to sleep, even if I enjoy the book. Just something in my body doesn't let me do it.

I like to read fantasy though..

I have only finished a few novels/books in my life..voluntarily: The Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings..

Sephen E Ambrose these days.
he not done many books but the ones he has done are awesome

J

That's all he wrote; some of them are long enough to count as novellas though, and some just a few pages - the ones in between those lengths tend to be his best IMO.

evryone should go through a lovecraft stage at least once in there lifes, mmm squiggly faceless ainchent things that sliver around. they taste good roasted with a medly of vegetables and gravy.

Frederick Forsyth! :bleh:

J.K.Rowling
Robert Ludlum
Philip Pullman
Ranulph Fiennes
JRR Tolkien
Dan Brown
Jonathan Lunn
Tom Clancy
Conn Iggulden
Colin Forbes
Terry Goodkind
Clive Cussler
Chris Ryan
Ian Fleming
Robert Harris
Colin Dexter
Anthony Horowitz
Karin Slaughter
Stan Lee

Thats all i can think of at the moment :D

Anthony Horowitz, I remember reading his books back when I was... younger. Does he still write?

Books are a topic always worth discussing. I didn't want to start a new thread as there have been several of them in the past, so I decided to *bump* this one. Besides, the recommendations above are still valid, I'm sure.

My girlfriend is a real history buff, and so some time ago I bought her a bunch of Horrible Histories books (as she once showed interest to one of them in a book shop). I was pleasantly surprised of the way the authors had managed to make even the dullest parts of history entertaining and fun. While they're not comprehensive at all, they do make the study of history far more accessible for kids - and yet they're not too childlish.

Currently our favourites in the series are The Rotten Romans and The Frightful First World War for their splendid humour and accurate information. A special mention go for The Woeful Second World War; while it obviously recognizes the issue being far touchier than the others and thus tries not to step on anyones toes, it still mentions some very controversial issues such as the Katyn massacre.

One of the other fine recent findings has been The Count of Monte-Cristo by Aleksandre Dumas the older. While it drags a lot about halfway into the book, it still manages to entertain. A problem for me was that I never really got to like or even properly understand the main character, as the development of his persona was largely ignored. Also, his nearly superhuman abilities were annoying, no matter how true this was to the common style of adventure literature.

Ah, yes, Horrible Histories rock. :w00t: My favourite was The Vile Victorians, I think. And Wicked Words is quite good as well. I still check the bookshops for new ones from time to time, and I always get strange looks from the booksellers. But the books are well worth a bit of embarassment.:D

Terry Pratchets Discworld series.

As always, the great Terry Pratchett. (just finished witches abroad for the .. uhm 4th or 5th time).

And I recently discoverd Robin Hobb and I'm now reading the Farseer triology...

Douglas Adams stuff. Hurrah for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Dirk Gently series :D

Ermm

JKRowling
John Brosnan (1 book of his I've read.. cant find more.. it r00led)
Stephen King

I don't read books because of the author.. I find a story that looks good and read it.

My school's library recently bought the entire set of Horrible Histories, Horrible Science and The Knowledge :D I do have quite a sizeable collection at home, though.

Anyway, Discworlds are always good, I'm reading James Clavell's Shogun now (nearing the end), it's damn good, I've also read King Rat by him and I planning on either Tai-Pan or Thud! (new Discworld book) next.

Wow, I have no idea which authors wrote the books I'm reading now.

Anywho, I have never used the school library.

They're evil people..

They send the most evil teacher ever after you if your book is 2 days late..

My library is a little different my brother has about 7 books from when he first started secondary school. He has now finished school and is in his 2nd year of college. So He's 17/18 now and was... 11/12 oo thats a gap of... 6 Years outstanding :whistle:

My school didn't even have a school library, actually. (And yes, we also had to walk fifteen miles through the snow and all that. Barefoot.:P)

:eeeeeh: Uhmm... :crazy:

I do that without walking to school!
And without any motivation to do it whatsoever! Yayzor!

As for books...

Brian Jacques
Orson Scott Card
&
Bob Dole

I'm reading Simon Winchester's Krakatoa right now. Good stuff! :ok:

OMFG

*DREAMS OF RAFFLES BARE FEET*

You so have to know me a little better to TRULY get this.... :eeeeeh:

:blink:
I am SO avoiding you...
wierd barefoot guy...

Who's avoiding who?
Going barefoot is the best.
Screw shoes, I like the little leaves and rocks and pointy objects attacking my feet.

Barefoot is good. I have now evolved this new thing where I really dont care if my feet are cold.

My feet are cold.

Stay on topic please.

I have recently read a book on the Roman army. From its earliesrt history as a phalanx to the late Emperial army. Very good read. It was a gif from a friend.

Yes, great book. Winchester's a pretty decent non-fiction writer. I also quite liked The Surgeon of Crowthorne, but I suppose that's because I have a slight obsession with the OED...:whistle:

That one (or at least its American title, The Professor and the Madman) has been on my list for quite a while. Krakatoa was the first book of Winchester's that I read (finished it last night), and I definitely like his writing style.

If you're at all interested in dictionaries, you should definitely read it. The OED plays a more central role than the title might suggest.;)

Oh, by the way, whenever you read something by Simon Winchester, watch out for "serendipity". He loves that word and manages to sneak it into every single text he writes, I swear. The Surgeon of Crowthorne has it at least three times.:D

I have read so many books i cant even start the list.

I am currently reading again eragon by christopher paolini

Great book

Ah, I know someone who's read that..
Wait a second.. thats my sister who's read Eragon..
well, I read 2 books at once. 1 at school, 1 at home. I cant be bothered to move the book for every english lesson or every time I want to read it.
Usually the book I read at home is finished faster.

I've just finished Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm.
I'll propably go and read some Umberto Eco as well as some mandatory Dutch literature next.
After that there's always some more Greek philosophy to read into :D

I just finished The Knight of the Burning Pestle and am now reading The Shoemaker's Holiday. Jacobean city comedies, yay! (And yes, they're about as exciting as they sound...)

I'm currently reading Wuthering Heights, and The Screwtape Letters

Wuthering Heights isn't too bad, actually. It's not the soppy love story you'd expect.
Are you reading it for fun or for school?

I just finnished "Future Tense" By Gwynne Dyre. Now I am flipping through "The Road Less Traveled" By Scott Peck.

Wow...A Clockwork Orange is.....dissapointing...

Oh god.
How many times have I heard that?
Read it again, wait, I bet you read the first paragraph and said "WTF?"
Seriously though, try to figure out their slang and the book is much more enjoyable, in fact, deciphering their speech is one of the more entertaining parts of the book.
A Clockwork Orange is one of the best books I've ever read, I can't see how anyone can be dissapointed in it.
Unless those people are the certain few who only read horrors, fantasies, and science fiction titles. :D

I'm reading the Bible now, not the King James one, that one is crappy. Although I'm not absolutly sure I believe in God, the Bible is still a great book, :w00t:

Its not the slang, I can sorta understand that...
Its the crimes n stuff they do, in the first 10 pages they go and umm..beat up a guy, I'm not exactly sure what they do because of the slang, but I don't really care for books like that where its descriptive n all about rape...

i just finished The Perfume (for the 3rd time) wich is one of the best books i've ever read. Now i'm gonna reading The Firewall by Henning Mankell (for the 2nd time)

Interesting thing to say about a Science Fiction title.

I'm just finishing Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly, then it's on to Surrender by Sonya Hartnett, then the Nome Trillogy, then I'll probably read the Narnia Chronicles. Haven't decided where I'll go from there.

Narnia? Ewwwww! I liked those when I was a kid, then tried to reread them last time I was at home for the holidays, and they're horrible! The dialogue is incredibly dated and strikes me as never having been believable, and the thinly-veiled weird religious nutcasery is nauseating. I had to stop after a chapter and a half and go back to a good kids' book like Lemony Snicket's.

Well I haven't read them yet and I been told I have to read them at least once. I still have to read Lemony Snickett's too. I have a lot to read. I have about 25 books on my desk lined up for me to read.

Have you ever heard that interview with Pullman? He loathes Narnia. One more reason for liking the Northern Lights trilogy, I suppose...:D

@Scarecrow: Seven Ancient Wonders? Never heard of it. Is that a new one? I quite like Matthew Reilly. Actually I even managed to sneak a reference to Ice Station into my thesis, but nobody seems to have minded.:P

Yeah it came out about 2 weeks ago or so. He's Australian so it might come out here before other countries.

And I love the Northern Lights trilogy, but isn't it called the Dark Matter Trilogy?

Maybe I wont like Narnia. My mum likes it and wants me to see the movie with her thats comming out so I'd like to read them before seeing the movie.

It's the His Dark Materials trilogy, actually, but for a moment the name had slipped my mind.:)

Don't let me jaundice your view of them, just don't bother with The Magician's Nephew, it's the worst of the lot.

Pullman's trilogy is His Dark Materials, isn't it? I didn't get on with The Northern Lights - I didn't like the main character which made enjoying it a bit difficult - same problem I have with Harry Potter. I should probably give the Pullman another shot.

as for Lemony Snicket, I can't recommend them highly enough. I'm reading the latest one at work at the minute and it's bloomin' marvellous. They have a distinctive style, an air of mystery, interesting characters, wonderful humour for both kids and adults and aren't shy about using a long word and explaining it to the reader, so he might actually learn something.

Hm. I liked the Narnia novels, but rather as fairy tales, not as fantasy books. They're more or less like Enid Blyton's works, but in a bit different setting.

The upcoming movie looks disturbing, by the way. Hopefully it's because of a flawed trailer, but it looks like they've made Lord of the Rings our of Narnia - complete with orcs. Aslan looked somehow strange as well. There was some magnificent scenery, though.

The next book on my to-do list is The Devils of Dostoevsky. Looks promising.

I actually think I would find having to read an explanation to the "long" words quite irritating. Not that I would know the meaning of them all but I can usually get a good idea of what an author is trying to say even if I don't know the exact meaning of a word. These explanantion would have to stop the story momentarily interupting the flow of the story and if I read something that doesn't flowtoo well then I get a little upset, I couldn't stand the flashbacks in The Da Vinci Code, they were so out of place.

I guess thats Hollywood these days...

<!--QuoteBegin-Iron_Scarecrow@Nov 9 2005, 02:17 PM
I couldn't stand the flashbacks in The Da Vinci Code, they were so out of place. [/quote]
I couldnt stand the Italian words. :bleh:

As for books Im currently reading a book called Ceasar by Conn Iggulden. Its the first book in a serie (rather new I think). My father liked it so he recommended it. Dont know if its any good, only read the first chapter. Im not in the mood for reading at the moment...

Interesting thing to say about a Science Fiction title. [/b][/quote]
It's not science fiction.
It's actually far from it, where in god's name did you get that assumption?

That's pretty much the impression I had of them when I first read them (I was about 7 then), but they're actually steeped in theology, which Enid Blyton definitely isn't. C.S. Lewis was a theologian, and it shows...

I didn't really explain that very well, it's not irritating at all, they're usually very entertaining and I personally enjoy watching the author revel in the language and make it part of the book, rather than just the format in which it is presented.

C.S. Lewis can be a good writer, but some of his work was too religious. For instance, there's a trilogy he wrote (Out of the Silent Planet, Voyage to Venus, That Hideous Strength - I think) where the aliens are all good and man is evil and the main character has to stop the bad men from doing what he describes as an alien version of the crucifiction of Jesus. I don't like it when I read a book like that and they mingle in their own religious beliefs as facts.

Anyway, I generally only read science fiction. I do read some Piers Anthony, but I can't get all of his series of books as whole sets. My consistent favourite would have to probably be Robert Heinlein or Isaac Asimov. I've read all the Foundation books (except Caves of Steel - I am about to read that), and thought they were great.

Most of the books on top are ones that I haven't read yet. I seem to be able to buy them quicker than I can read them. Here's a photo of my book collection (mostly science fiction):

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/7071/bookshelf1wf.jpg

Also I have a high-res version for those with a good connection who want to see the titles of all the books:

http://img423.imageshack.us/img423/1...0016zo.opt.jpg

It's not science fiction.
It's actually far from it, where in god's name did you get that assumption? [/b][/quote]
The concept fits into the very nature of Science Fiction. It is undoubtedly sci fi. It disturbs me that you'd find otherwise. Know the genres.

What a small bookshelf. It shall bow infront of the loads we have. We must have at least 5 room-height bookshelves...

The concept fits into the very nature of Science Fiction. It is undoubtedly sci fi. It disturbs me that you'd find otherwise. Know the genres. [/b][/quote]
It's not science fiction.
THIS IS SCIENCE FICTION!

A literary or cinematic genre in which fantasy, typically based on speculative scientific discoveries or developments, environmental changes, space travel, or life on other planets, forms part of the plot or background.

There is no fantasy in Clockwork Orange, there are no major changes to society and/or enviromental/scientific advancements.
It's fiction, so much fiction in fact, that the side of the original edition and the new edition both cleary printed upon them read "Fiction". To add onto that, the writer even stated that it was Fiction.
It was Moralistic Fiction, not Science Fiction.
Know YOUR genres before you contradict me.

Hee hee, it's like poking a caged lion with a stick. Lookat him dance.

Maybe, but at least it's not watching a ego-maniac laughing at his abuse of defenseless animals.

Perhaps you should learn to stop flaming me at this moment Midget.

Ego maniac? Naw, just bored.

I wasn't actually speaking of you, just of my couch, which is a Nazi and thinks highly of itself.
So I sat on it.
I want to give you a hug Midget.

Ooh, right now, Ender's Game is awesome!
I'm going to start reading Speaker For The Dead afterwards.

And then, I shall read the Redwall series once again, same with the LOTR series and the Narnia series.
It will be fun.

Reading at the moment:
The Friendly Dictatorship: A study of Canadian parliamentary systems
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Oryx and Crake
A short history of nearly everything
and
sorta drifting through The Silmarillion, again.

By the way, do everyone know about www.bookcrossing.com already? It's an excellent way to find something to read, and to have a small community aspect to it as well. :)

Have you ever managed to find any of those books? I haven't. It's a very nice idea, though.

Have you ever managed to find any of those books? I haven't. It's a very nice idea, though. [/b][/quote]
Yep, several. It works quite fine, at least in this area.

In fact, tomorrow I'm going to release some myself (Dances with Wolves and something else).

Well, I'm certainly not going all the way to Finland just to catch that one.:P

Hey, I got it from the Philippines myself. And it's got a price tag in British pounds, so I suppose it has travelled quite a bit already. ;)

EDIT: Going a bit off-topic. The book in question is Dances with Wolves by Michael Blake - the very novel Kevin Costner based his movie on. The book is a very nice read, and it made me appreciate the film more, as it follows the original text very closely. The style of Blake's writing is nice and detailed, and it offers a very nice view to the happenings inside the main characters head. Recommended.

Doesn't anyone read Darren Shan???

Those are ace books
I do like Eoin Colfer to.... :max:

Darren Shan books are the ones about that teenage vampire, right? I've never actually read them, though. Are they any good?

I'm currently reading "The vampire Lestat" which is the second book in the Vampire Chronicles.

I think someone in my Tutor group likes his books. I'll ask him...

I read Interview With A Vampire, excellent book.
Movie was dissapointing though.

Although it doesn't apply to all flicks, there's a kinda rule, if you like the book, don't watch the movie.

Of course, The Shining, Lord Of The Rings, they all break that.

And Harry Potter of course. :ph34r:

I just discovered this page. The journalist took the list of 100 best novels of Time Magazine, and then went on Amazon to see what people had said about the books. Some of the reader reviews are truly hilarious (and worrying):

LOL

LOL That's a hilarious article. But I think my favourites would have to be:
Dang! There was I hoping to have a jolly good time reading about racism, abuse and religion, and this silly author has to go ahead and spoil it...
and
I'm seriously thinking of sigging that one even though it's presumably not a quote by Beef - although, come to think of it, who knows?:P

I'm about to start on a bunch of Middle English romances with such fascinating titles as Havelok the Dane, King Horn and - my favourite - Sir Launfal. Fun, fun, fun.

Came across a weird book, The Planiverse. Very interesting concept, depicts a 2d universe, describes the physics and science behind it, and follows the life of an inhabitant of this place.

http://sci.ui.ac.ir/math/SSS/Takvar/planiverse6.jpg

Gravity’s Rainbow (1973)

Author: Thomas Pynchon

“When one contrasts Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five with this book, it’s like comparing an Olympic sprinter with an obese man running for the bus with a hot dog in one hand and a soda in the other.” great simile :))

You know, Evad, at first I thought you were actually posting in this thread to recommend Pynchon as a ripping good read.LOL

I read the discworld books, I advise that everyone else does to :D

Honestly, I have neither heard of this book, nor the author, but that simile made me smile(pun intended)

Alan Moore is awesome.....
"Beneath this cloak there is more than flesh and blood Mr. Creedy, there is an idea, and ideas are bulletproof..." -V for Vendetta
*stabs Harry Potter to death*
grrr....
man, the next couple of weeks are gonna suck, in English we have to read books in groups, meaning that people in the calss have to want to read what you want to read, so no Clockwork Orange for me... Probly will have to read Harry...Potter (UGH!) or Aragorn or sumtin..... :tai:

Pynchon has the reputation of being extremely difficult to read. Compared to him, James Joyce is easy bedtime reading. Gravity's Rainbow is one of those so-called "classics" that hardly anybody has read. (And no, I haven't read it either.);)

Jens Bj?rneboe (1920-1976) 'Moment of Freedom'
Siegfrid Lenz 'German Lesson'
Witold Gombrowicz
Italo Calvino 'If on a Winter's Night a Traveler'

ok, now few great English writers
Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness (writer of Polish origin)
Foster, Huxley, Lawrence, Woolf

most recently read:
Michela Wrong: In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz
Khaled Hosseini: The Kite Runner (great book)
:kosta:

Ah, yes, Conrad is brilliant. Nostromo is probably my favourite.

I'm reading ''The Prince'' by Machiavelli.

That's one of those books that aren't really what you expect them to be like when you pick them up, isn't it? Like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I remember reading The Prince and thinking "What on earth was all that fuss about?" He's making a good point in a sensible and rational manner. But from what people wrote about him you might think he had been the devil himself.

my fav books of all time!!!!

i'm currently reading:
mostly harmless
wyrd sisters
i-robot original not film version

i like;
terry pratchet
douglas adams (that man is a god!)
anthony horowitz
james herriot (very british even many brits wont of heard of it)
j.k rowling (i am 14)
edge chronicles
robert rankin
asterix
snoopy :D
and even newscientist

Indeed, the book is more like a small treatise on Political Science. And I was expecting a bunch of cunning schemes to overthrow opponents, etc. :D

You do actually get that, but only the obvious stuff.

I just love Robert Jordan for his Wheel Of Time series.
And Terry Goodkind's Sword Of Truth.

The funny thing is that those series are actually almost EXACTLY the same, just look at it...

Sisters Of The Light -- Aes Sedai
Trollocs -- Gars
Hell Hounds (or whatever those dog things are) -- Heart Hounds
Dragon -- War Wizard

There's some much that's familair, it's like they're copying off eachother's notes without even noticing it.
Right now I'm re-reading Frank Herbert's Dune for the tenth time, then I'm moving on to the Illiad after I finish Beowulf.
Maybe a little Shakespeare in-between.

The latest Wheel of Time book wasn't quite as dull as the previous one, but the books seem to be getting longer and longer but with less and less actually happening in them. Gah!

The funny thing is that those series are actually almost EXACTLY the same, just look at it...

Sisters Of The Light -- Aes Sedai
Trollocs -- Gars
Hell Hounds (or whatever those dog things are) -- Heart Hounds
Dragon -- War Wizard

There's some much that's familair, it's like they're copying off eachother's notes without even noticing it.
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Hmm, I kind of tend to disagree, the creatures and stuff are basically the same, ok, but its pretty much the same with most fantasy books, I mean, in WoT, if you say the Darklord's name you get bad luck, and in HP its "he who shall not be named" "We don't speak his name Harry".

In Sword of Truth its more of a love story (although in Wot it is sorta a love story too) and in WoT its kind of a blend of a lovestory with fantasy, in Sword of Truth theres only really 2 main characters so you get to focus on them a lot, but in Wot theres like....20.....so its less focused and doesn't seem as "mushy" and Beef, you read the latest!? Lucky....I need to get my hands on a copy....

And ya, I've read bolth of the series...just....so ya know ;)

Are there really more Dirk Gently books? The only one I've read is Hollistic Detection Agency. It was a really good read, and if anyone knows the names of any others, I can look for them...

As far as I know there's only one other Dirk Gently book: The Long, Dark Tea-time of the Soul. Shouldn't be too difficult to get. Douglas Adams was planning to write more, but he died a bit too soon...

The Salmon of Doubt contains the bits he was working on when he died and some things that were on his computer; it's part of another Dirk Gently book and some other bits and pieces.

my favorite author: Eric (Van) Lustbader: oriental thrillers