Which Awesome Books Have You Read Lately?

[Calixylon]

I mentioned this idea for a thread in the Great Movie thread. So... Here it is!

Whatever books anyone would like to talk about is fine, it can be Fiction, Non-Fiction, Bibliographys, Autobiographies, Instructional books, any intresting reading materials that you think should be checked out, let us know. Conversations on specific books is encouraged, just be aware that not everyone has read the book yet, so give us fair warning if your comment is a spoiler, and could reveal anything about the books ending or storyline.

Heres a few questions if you feel like including a couple things about yourself.

-Whats your favorite genre of literture? (Fiction/Non-Fiction- Sci-Fi, Mystery, Horror, Romance, Historical, Realistic, you get the drift)
-Whats your all time favorite book/s?(Feel free to include more than one, or even top five, i know its hard to pick one)
-If your reading something at the moment what is it?
-What book have you read lately that you would recommend?
-Remember to include the Author along with the title

Feel free to simply recommend a book if you'd rather just do that. Please respect everyones opinion on literture, if you dont like a book than you probably shouldnt commment, unless you have something constructive to say about why you didnt enjoy it. I would like this thread to be open to discussion on the books, and allow any back and forth as long as it remains civil.

A great book can be so much more vivid, and entertaining than any movie or film, its sad that after High School or College many people dont read books, unless they have to.

 

[Calixylon]

Ill start us off, I enjoy Historical Fiction the best, but i also enjoy Sci-Fi and Non Fiction.
My favorite all time books would have to be "Old Man and the Sea", "Catcher in the Rye", "The Hobbit", "Harry Potter Series", "Jurassic Park" "On the Road"

Im currently reading "The Explorer", by Gary Jennings. Very large book, and I read it once before, but I enjoyed it alot and wnated to re read. Its a Fictional account of Marco Polo and his journey across the world, and his experience in the Kublai Khan's Kingdom. Amazing detail laid out by Jennings. The journey Marco Polo took was traveled by Jennings the same way Marco travelled, by horse and camel.

If I would have to recommend a book I would say check out "The Explorer" by Gary Jennings, he also does a series of books on the Aztecs and its all Historical Fiction. He does a great job recreating the time period, and locations, mostly by spending time in the regions he writes about. But I will also recommend the book "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk, he also wrote "Fight Club" Its a twisted intresting story I read years ago but enjoyed alot, very dark, he also wrote a bunch of other good books worth checking out. "Choke" "Lullaby" im drawing a blank, but hes a good author to look into if you like stories like Fight Club.

 

[Seamaiden]

I don't get much chance for books, I'm reading magazines mostly.

My favorite all-time books are Sometimes A Great Notion (number one I think), by Ken Kesey, and... The Right Stuff, by Tom Wolf. He also wrote The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, which I really enjoyed when I read it soon after my first acid trip.

Some other all-time faves would have to be The Good Earth, and Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power, by Victor Davis Hansen.

I generally prefer non-fiction, but fiction is good, too.

 

[happy b]

I loved the Harry Potter books also . and of course game of thrones . there's a Dean Koontz Novel I read years ago that iv never forgot . its called "lightening".its about this mad guy who travels back in time trying to influence certain things . It was a good read . I'm currently reading a star wars book (don't laugh)

 

[Calixylon]

Ken Kesey is great, I have only read "one flew over the cuckoos nest". I have also read "The electric kool aid acid tests" That was before my first trip, i was very into the whole Merry Pranksters history, and alot of the folks like Neil Cassidy, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and other "Beatnicks" ill be honest, alot of their writing is hard for me to get into, but the history of what they did and their voyage "On the Bus" was a cultural revolution. And definetly affected cannabis in the US. Whether it was bad or good for the plant, im not sure. I can say that Ken Kesey probably would have written another great novel if he hadnt been chased by the government, and then been forced to fake his own suicide to get out of jail, becuse of this lovely plant.

 

[happy b]

Have you read any of Irvine Welsh es books like trainspotting, Acid house,ecstacy or filth?I dunno if anyone who isn't Scottish could understand it though.

 

[Calixylon]

Dean Koontz is the man, some serious dark ass shit comes from that dudes mind. I read one book called "night terrors" or something, ill find the name. But i really like his writing.

I also have one of the Game of Thrones books, i havent started it yet, sometimes watching the show first ruins my imagination for the book, so i dont get into the story as much.

 

[Seamaiden]

Ken Kesey is great, I have only read "one flew over the cuckoos nest". I have also read "The electric kool aid acid tests" That was before my first trip, i was very into the whole Merry Pranksters history, and alot of the folks like Neil Cassidy, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and other "Beatnicks" ill be honest, alot of their writing is hard for me to get into, but the history of what they did and their voyage "On the Bus" was a cultural revolution. And definetly affected cannabis in the US. Whether it was bad or good for the plant, im not sure. I can say that Ken Kesey probably would have written another great novel if he hadnt been chased by the government, and then been forced to fake his own suicide to get out of jail, becuse of this lovely plant.

Yeah, my husband just did not enjoy the Kesey book, but I really love how he would put us inside each character's head. It was recommended to me at a time when I found myself being judged, and judged very harshly, by people I had trusted and thought were friends. It was extremely painful to endure. And one of the few people who said, "You cannot judge someone in whose shoes you have never walked" that recommended the book to me, and their suggestion came with the refrain for me to keep in mind that it is a story ABOUT judgements, and motivations.

Motivators fascinate me. It's why I spend so much time observing.

 

[Calixylon]

As for the Star Wars books, i cant hate, ive read the twilight books, as well as all of the Hunger Games. Sometimes you need some of that Literary Crack as i call it, very addicting, easy to read story, better for you than tv. I used to read alot of Forgotten Realms books, giant Fantasy book publisher, really good stories.

 

[pinegrovedave]

Yeah, my husband just did not enjoy the Kesey book...

Right about that darlin...Can't explain it...just didn't work for me at the time. Of course, it took me 3 attempts to finally get through Tolkien's "Silmarillion" and now I feel as if it is as good, if not better, that the LOTR.

 

[Seamaiden]

As for the Star Wars books, i cant hate, ive read the twilight books, as well as all of the Hunger Games. Sometimes you need some of that Literary Crack as i call it, very addicting, easy to read story, better for you than tv. I used to read alot of Forgotten Realms books, giant Fantasy book publisher, really good stories.

I call it candy. No nutritional value, nothing for my brain to chew on. It needs stuff to chew on. That's why I generally prefer non-fiction.

 

[Calixylon]

I really think the psychedelics Kesey had taken allowed him to writein such a creative manner, he had a very out of the box writing style that was unique and very inspired by all the changing times around him. I love how literature can help you cope with tough things around you. The arts whether their music,writing,art, anything creative helps people so much more than society thinks. Its sad that the art classes, music, shop, creative writing is the first to get cut, if those things were pushed more I think it would make this world a better place.

 

[happy b]

I call it candy. No nutritional value, nothing for my brain to chew on. It needs stuff to chew on. That's why I generally prefer non-fiction.

I agree with you there sea maiden . I like to read something that has the possibility of maybe learning something from but im also a sucker for star wars and the like . I'm still a bit of a kid at heart I suppose.

 

[Calixylon]

Hey does anyone know any good books on organic gardening, id like to read about it to get myself better educated on the whole thing. Im familiar with some things, but am looking for something that isnt to dense, but i can keep up for the most part so i want it to be a good book (Just not looking for a text book)

 

[drewski85]

Dean Koontz is the man, some serious dark ass shit comes from that dudes mind. I read one book called "night terrors" or something, ill find the name. But i really like his writing.

I also have one of the Game of Thrones books, i havent started it yet, sometimes watching the show first ruins my imagination for the book, so i dont get into the story as much.

dark rivers of the heart was a good one. I thought the odd series was ok.I like james Patterson. The only book of his I didn't like was Sunday at tiffany's. I'm currently reading Daniel silva's portrait of a spy(fictional book about a mossad assassin).

 

[indicabush]

Mythology..The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Greek Myths, Greek Gods and Heroes, also enjoy Percy Jackson and The Olympians series

Classics:
Pride and Prejudice
Lord of The Flies
Of Mice and Men
The Old Man and The Sea
Dracula
Don Quixote

Also enjoy Sci-fi and Non Fiction

 

[pinegrovedave]

Well, speaking of "candy", for those of you who like your sci-fi then I must recommend Edward E. "Doc" Smith's "Lensman" and "Skylark" series. Smith wrote these series back in the thirties and George Lucas even credits this guy for influencing him with regards to "Star Wars". Smith did in fact write the first "Space Opera" when he wrote the Lensmen series. The quintessential "Good vs. Evil" where the protagonist (Lensman Kimball Kinnison) is the proverbial "Knight in shining armor" and the Boskonian space pirates are simply...evil. The narrative is awesome, but not too "cerebral". His description of the space battles are amazing with superdreadnaughts locking on tractor beams (yes, he coined the term tractor beam that Star Trek uses) and blasting the ships defensive screens into the ultraviolet until they go down....totally badass. Taking entire planets and installing Bergenholm engines (faster than light, inertialess engines for space travel) on them to send them through wormholes as weapons.

And yes...The "good guy" ends up getting the girl. :)

 

[pinegrovedave]

dark rivers of the heart was a good one.

Koontz, right? Read that many, many years ago...very dark, freaky....and good.

 

[happy b]

Well, speaking of "candy", for those of you who like your sci-fi then I must recommend Edward E. "Doc" Smith's "Lensman" and "Skylark" series. Smith wrote these series back in the thirties and George Lucas even credits this guy for influencing him with regards to "Star Wars". Smith did in fact write the first "Space Opera" when he wrote the Lensmen series. The quintessential "Good vs. Evil" where the protagonist (Lensman Kimball Kinnison) is the proverbial "Knight in shining armor" and the Boskonian space pirates are simply...evil. The narrative is awesome, but not too "cerebral". His description of the space battles are amazing with superdreadnaughts locking on tractor beams (yes, he coined the term tractor beam that Star Trek uses) and blasting the ships defensive screens into the ultraviolet until they go down....totally badass. Taking entire planets and installing Bergenholm engines (faster than light, inertialess engines for space travel) on them to send them through wormholes as weapons.

And yes...The "good guy" ends up getting the girl. :)

Sounds like the Sci Fi book to beat all Sci Fi books . Thanks for that.

 

[Cort]

On Seamaiden's recomendation I read Kurt Vonnegut "Welcome to the monkey house" which got me into several of his other books.

I also do the historical fiction with guys like Bernard Cornwell and David Gemmell.