List 5 (Or less if you can't think of anymore) books you've read recently, and if you want, a short explanation of why. See if we can't find some new reading material for us all!

1. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. You really need to read this book. It is both incredibly disturbing and utterly hilarious at the same time. You even get a healthy dose of social commentary. Bonus points for picturing all these things done by Christian Bale. I read this for the first time last summer and have probably blown through it another three times. READ IT!

2. Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov. I just finished this about a week ago. I always see this on top 5 reading lists so I thought I'd check out the hype. The back cover proclaims it "the only convicing love story of the century". I'm not sure if that's necessarily the case, but it's definitely up there. Nabokov works so well with English - it's truly incredible.

3. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond. This book's stated goal is to dispel the notion that there are certain races that are intrinsically inferior. The argument Diamond lays out is simple yet extremely compelling, making it understandable for those of us who aren't history or science nerds. Lays out a system for analyzing different cultures and why some succeeded and why some didn't, and managed to pick up a Pulitzer Prize in the process.

4. Inside by Michael G. Santos. This is a random book I got assigned for a class in college. Mike Santos was a cocaine dealer who got busted when he was in his early 20s and got sentced to 18 years. In jail he decided to change his life around, and he received both his BA and MA while behind bars. He wrote this book from behind bars (He's still in prison). If you're a fan of Lock Up or any shows like that, this narrative should be very entertaining for you. There are many memorable characters (CRIP TANK!)that are very likable, despite the fact that they are constantly stabbing people. There are many books about prison life, but I'm not aware of many that are written entirely during incarceration, especially in such an articulate and well-developed fashion. Oh, and this book will make you think twice about doing something that could end you up here!

"The War Within", by Bob Woodward


I am not finished yet, but it is quite an interesting read. I do not like Woodward, but I enjoy his writing style. He does a nice job of giving some explanation to the disconnect between Bush and the military commanders who were charged with carrying out his 'grand design'.

I just finished A Feast For Crows. Last book in the George R.R. Martin series. My favorite series to date.

Got The Count of Monte Cristo on the way. Have not read it in like 15 years. Its time to brush up, one of my favorite books though.

Also have the first book in the Malchazen series. Will let you know how it goes.

Also have The Zombie Survival Guide on the way. Looking forward to that,

The Cat in the Hat series

- Predictably Irrational
- Outliers
- JavaScript: The Good Parts (mainstream appeal there!)

Recently finished the Red mars, Green...,Blue...series By Kim Stanely Robinson. good series if you like Techno Sci-Fi.

I wanna go back and re-read something i remember from many years ago but cannot decide between the Thomas Covenant series or Ring World.

Recently finished the Red mars, Green...,Blue...series By Kim Stanely Robinson. good series if you like Techno Sci-Fi.

I wanna go back and re-read something i remember from many years ago but cannot decide between the Thomas Covenant series or Ring World.


From experience, it is hard to get back into this one from an older frame of reference. Too easy to find comparisons in RL.

So I started Gates of the Moon. Seems ok so far, its starting to get interesting, but its definitely no Martin yet. No one is nearly as interesting as Cersei, Ser Jaime, or Tywin Lannister yet.

1632
Song of Fire and Ice series
Gardens of The Moon

Sadly, my recent reading time has been wasted in the guilty pleasure of giantess fetish porn.

NSFW:
http://www.gts2.net/links/index.php

On the plus side, it's gotten me interested learning Daz 3d and Poser! Finally I can direct, and I don't have to be any good at 3d art...just cinematography and editing.

>:-D

Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach) by Douglas Hofstadter. Highly recommended for anyone that is interested in math or philosophy (regardless of how much of either you may have studied).

Math? Pala you havn't changed <3.

So I started Gates of the Moon. Seems ok so far, its starting to get interesting, but its definitely no Martin yet. No one is nearly as interesting as Cersei, Ser Jaime, or Tywin Lannister yet.

Hehe, wait for it. This story is multi faceted and IMMENSE!

His work does get better as you go along the books as well.

Okay, I have not read this recently, but have ordered it so that I can read it again, because it really is a fun, and thought provoking, read. It was this topic thread that got me thinking about some of my favorite past reads that I wanted to revisit, so thanks. :)

Johnathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach.


"Johnathan Seagull discovered that boredom and fear and anger are the reasons that a gull's life is so short, and with these gone from his thought, he lived a long fine life indeed."

Older thread but if you like alternative history books, then a good one is "Weapons of Choice" by John birmingham, which is book one of a trilogy about a multi-national advanced battle fleet from the year 2021 which is sent back in time into the middle of world war 2 after a quantum experiment goes wrong. Most of the ships end up right in the middle of the american battle fleet headed to midway and unfortunately the first thing the people from the 1940's see is a japanese defense force stealth cruiser......
The rest of the book deals with the ramifications of everything and how they deal with it. The other books continue the story from the first. A decent read if you like that sort of thing.
He also has had a book out recently where most of the people in north america and some of south america dissapear and what happens and what it means to the world after...

The City & The City by China Mieville has racked up a ton of this year's top awards. I've been on a detective story kick lately, with lots of Dresden Files and a series by Richard K. Morgan that begins with Altered Carbon, and The City & The City is part of this current reading trend. It's a murder mystery that takes place on our earth, our time, but in a pair of fictional cities with a very interesting relationship. I won't give it away except to say that the story provides an interesting window into how cultures view one another and how those viewpoints can dominate one's mindset. A very interesting read.

I also recommend Richard K. Morgan's "Takeshi Kovacs" novels (starting with Altered Carbon, a story in which the title character is hired by a wealthy man who wants to find out who murdered him). They take place in a far future where consciousness is transferable. The first book is great, if convoluted; the two that follow (Broken Angels and Woken Furies) follow the character through different sorts of adventures. Takeshi is quite the anti-hero, and the books rack up a high body count. Altered Carbon won the Phillip K. Dick Award.

Griftopia. Ayn Rand chapter is worth it by itself.

Err, bit of a running theme with mine (ie not a single book of fiction - and all history!), but here they are:

1) William the Silent - C. V. Wedgwood. Classic from the 1950s, Wedgwood is a master narrator and the Prince of Orange was an absolutely spellbinding figure, leading the Dutch to independence against Spain during the height of its global power.

2) Stopping Napoleon - Tom Pockock. This guy does naval history better than anyone, and this story was stuffed-full of fascinating anecdotes and mini-adventures in the Med during the French Wars. Lots of little Nelsons cruising around with their own heroic battles.

3) Caesar - Christian Meier. I was hesitant to pick this up as it's translated into English from the German, but it's lost none of its capacity to dazzle with an indepth and almost poetic account of Caesar's life. It's supposedly the best biography in German, but I definately think it's the best one in any language.

4) Brothers of the Raj - Harold Lee. Awsome biography of Henry and John Lawrence, an area of my own interest being the British Empire in India. These guys were at the forefront of British expansion into the North-West, and largely defined the formation and current politics of the Punjab and North-West Frontier (today's Pakistan).

5) The Count-Duke Olivares - J. H. Elliot. Masterful biography from the late Elliot, pretty much the authority on Spanish imperialism during the early modern period. An interesting biography of a leader struggling to keep the Spanish power from disintegrating and declining in the face of rising France.

Hmmm...looking at the above, I think I have a 'thing' for biographies.

I am, and for the foreseeable future will be, reading The Wheel of Time Series. I read very slow and don't typically take time out of my day to read other than at the gym.

Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach) by Douglas Hofstadter. Highly recommended for anyone that is interested in math or philosophy (regardless of how much of either you may have studied).

Bought this for my brother for Christmas. T Y PALARAN :spade

Chanur you should read World War Z if you like the Zombie survival guide

Only books I got for Christmas were from Niece, and they were the Stieg Larrson trilogy. :o

And then she gave me the 2nd movie, so I have to go get the first before I watch it.


Trying now to decide how interested I could get in a tattooed girl kicking a hornets nest while she plays with fire.......:rolleyes:

I have been reading a lot of Brad Thor and Vince Flynn lately. They are politcal/military CIA thrillers with a decidedly anti-liberal stance. They are pretty predicable, but entertaining with tons of terrorist torturing goodness.

http://bradthor.com/#/home/
http://www.vinceflynn.com/


Just finishing up The Athena Project and next is Flynn's: American Assassin...

Had to take a break from Wheel of Time books... I am not ejoying them as much as I had hoped I would.. They just trudge on and on....

They pick back up in 9, 10, an 11. The New Author that is co-writing the remaining ones moves a lot faster too.

Good. I really want to like them. I love a good long fantasy series, but wow, these are slow.