Author Topic: Good Books? (Read 19640 times)

Ocarina Blue · « **Reply #25 on:** July 04, 2003, 12:35:06 AM »

I would recommend One hundred years of solitude by Gabriel Marquez. It's set in a realistic envoroment where not so ordanary thingfs happen. Its a bit depressing at times, but I would easily say its the best book I've eve read. 1984, by George Orwell, is another good book.

Hostile Creation · « **Reply #26 on:** July 04, 2003, 07:22:17 AM »

Other good books by Michael Crichton are Sphere and Travels (his autobiography, and it's very good). I read both of those for school (and reread Jurassic Park) for 2 different assingments: Creative writing autobiography paper and a research paper for English. And despite all that work involved, I still enjoyed all of them.

Hostile Creation · « **Reply #27 on:** July 04, 2003, 07:23:43 AM »

poop

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #28 on:** July 04, 2003, 08:06:24 AM »

Gah, I can't believe forgot Michael Crichton! He's my second favorite author, next to Tolkien. Jurassic Park is magnificent and The Lost World was a good follow up, Sphere is incredible, although extremely weird, Timeline is wonderful, Prey is extraordinary, and the Andromeda Strain is compelling. I'd recommend any of his books. He's one of the few authors that actually makes you believe what you're reading- in Jurassic Park he could've just said they cloned dinosaurs but he went through the process of explaining HOW they cloned dinosaurs, and made it very believable.

Oldskool · « **Reply #29 on:** July 04, 2003, 01:37:41 PM »

If you want to learn about the biggest war ever to hit this planet, read these books:
-Citizen Soldiers by Stephan Ambrose
-D-Day by Stephan Ambrose
-Stalingrad by Antony Beevor
-The Fall of Berlin 1945 (or Downfall: Berlin 1945 in Britain) by Antony Beevor
-Spike Milligan's various memoirs of his time as a soldier with the British 8th Army in North Africa and Italy. Not really for learning but they are funny book.
-The Rape of Nanking by... ack, the authors name escapes. (Be warned, this is a grisly book about a massacre and a mass rape with VERY sickening pictures

Hostile Creation · « **Reply #30 on:** July 04, 2003, 02:10:58 PM »

Mouse clicker is right. Part of my paper was about how Crichton incorporated so many facts, theories, and innovative ideas, and how that made the books extremely realistic. Even Sphere, which is a very abstract concept.

Moonwatcher · « **Reply #31 on:** July 05, 2003, 07:36:13 PM »

One of my favorite books,(and my absolute favorite movie) is 2001: A Space Odessy by good old Clarke. As for Chrichton, Jurasic Park and The Great Train Robbery are his best. Most people havn't read TGTR and that's a shame because it is one of Chricton's most unusual and entertaining books. Anybody guess the inspiration for my handle?

Fish · « **Reply #32 on:** July 05, 2003, 10:40:59 PM »

Terry Pratchett´s books are the best! They got everything, good plot, humor, great chracters, humor, comedy, imagination and little bit humor.

Hostile Creation · « **Reply #33 on:** July 06, 2003, 07:57:38 AM »

Yes, definitely Terry Pratchett. I've read about 24 of his books, and I'm still itching for more.

The Great Train Robbery is also a movie (he actually directed it and everything). Haven't seen it, but I should read the book and stuff.

Moonwatcher · « **Reply #34 on:** July 06, 2003, 04:04:56 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Hostile Creation
Yes, definitely Terry Pratchett. I've read about 24 of his books, and I'm still itching for more.

The Great Train Robbery is also a movie (he actually directed it and everything). Haven't seen it, but I should read the book and stuff.

Hmmm... I'll have to check that out. The book definately is good material for a movie.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention the Dark Tower series by Steven King. These books are far and away King's best work. I just hope he finishes it before he dies! The story can be described as sci-fi-western acid trip. Crazy stuff, really crazy.

nitsu niflheim · « **Reply #35 on:** July 06, 2003, 04:18:10 PM »

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Originally posted by: Moonwatcher
Quote
Originally posted by: Hostile Creation
Yes, definitely Terry Pratchett. I've read about 24 of his books, and I'm still itching for more.

The Great Train Robbery is also a movie (he actually directed it and everything). Haven't seen it, but I should read the book and stuff.

Hmmm... I'll have to check that out. The book definately is good material for a movie.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention the Dark Tower series by Steven King. These books are far and away King's best work. I just hope he finishes it before he dies! The story can be described as sci-fi-western acid trip. Crazy stuff, really crazy.

The fifth book in the Dark Tower series will be out in November 2003. Book 6 and 7 are finished and Stephen King is revising them. The first book, The Gunslinger was just recently revised by King with an extra 35 pages added to the book. The other three didn't get any added content.

Lecter · « **Reply #36 on:** July 06, 2003, 07:40:51 PM »

The Darktower series sounds cool, I may go to the library and check out the first book. As for books I reccomend here goes:

The Phantom Tollbooth (sort of childish book, but its excellent in all aspects)
Soup on Fire
Soup on Ice
Dreamcatcher - Steven King
Thinner - Steven King
14 Soldiers

Hostile Creation · « **Reply #37 on:** July 07, 2003, 08:09:37 AM »

The Phantom Tollbooth is very cool. So is Alice in Wonderland. I like books like that (I also intend to read Through the Looking Glass, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and maybe some others, like James and the Giant Peach).

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #38 on:** July 07, 2003, 08:36:51 AM »

Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass are both extremely good books, but are also extremely weird. Lewis Carrol's opium habit is quite obvious.

Hostile Creation · « **Reply #39 on:** July 07, 2003, 02:06:29 PM »

I sometimes doubt that he was on opium. I've written/thought of things that are extremely weird, and I've never done drugs. He may have had just an absolutely absurd imagination, like me.

Lecter · « **Reply #40 on:** July 07, 2003, 06:44:37 PM »

Did anyone mention the Tell Tale Heart? Could have sworn someone said something, anyway its great along with many other Edgar Allen Poe stories.

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #41 on:** July 07, 2003, 07:04:52 PM »

Hostile: Historians don't base their conclusion that Lewis Carrol did opium on the sole fact his stories were wierd- he didn't live that lnog ago, making evidence of it very easy to attain. Besides, almost every did opium back then since no one knew it was harmful.

Even Edgar Allen Poe, who wrote some extremely weird things as well (Tell Tale Heart gave me a new definition of "weird").

Hostile Creation · « **Reply #42 on:** July 08, 2003, 03:30:21 AM »

Oh, I know. But I doubt they did it enough to get hallucinations or anything. I'm just saying that it's possible that it was plain imagination, whereas most people believe that he couldn't have done it without drugs. The latter theory is ridiculous, though it is possible that it was a result of opium use.

Edgar Allen Poe is cool. And Lecter, did you once go by another name here? Your sig and avatar are both familiar, but I seem to remember a different name. But maybe those are just standard things that many people do. . .

nitsu niflheim · « **Reply #43 on:** July 08, 2003, 04:14:53 AM »

Lewis Carrol is also thought to have been a pedophile. Being his "relationship" or what not with the girl (more than one maybe?) who supposibly inspired Alice.

thecubedcanuck · « **Reply #44 on:** July 08, 2003, 05:25:14 AM »

Quote
Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub just to name a few authors, too many good books to list though.

Steven King and Peter Straub are the same guy, Straub was Kings pen name in the early years.

As for good books I have read this year,

Bush at war
Motley Crue - the dirt
loaded, misadventures on the marajuana trail
the catcher in the rye ( 5th time reading it)
the friendly dictatorship (about the current canadian liberal government)
a good walk spoiled

I would reccomend them all.

nitsu niflheim · « **Reply #45 on:** July 08, 2003, 05:40:12 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: thecubedcanuck
Quote
Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub just to name a few authors, too many good books to list though.

Steven King and Peter Straub are the same guy, Straub was Kings pen name in the early years.

Sorry but you're wrong. Richard Backman was and still is Stephen King's Pen name. Rage, The Long Walk, The Running Man, Thinner and The Regulators were written and published under Richard Bachman.

Peter Straub is a friend of King's and have co-written two books together, The Talisman and its sequel, Black House. Straub started out with general fiction with books like Venus (don't remember if its the complete title), Marriages. He's written supernatural books like, Julia, If They Could See Me Now, Ghost Story, Koko, Mr. X. Floating Dragon, Mystery, The Throat, The Hellfire Club.

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #46 on:** July 08, 2003, 08:26:39 AM »

"Lewis Carrol is also thought to have been a pedophile. Being his "relationship" or what not with the girl (more than one maybe?) who supposibly inspired Alice. "

Yes, he was a bit TOO interested in the 12 or 13 year old girl he wrote Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass for and about. I hink Carrol eventually married his first cousin and they had 12 kids- or maybe that was his parents.

thecubedcanuck · « **Reply #47 on:** July 08, 2003, 09:56:48 AM »

nitsujdark

You are correct, I read Straub but my brain saw Backman.
Thanks for correcting it.

KnowsNothing · « **Reply #48 on:** July 08, 2003, 10:35:54 AM »

Well, I decided to go the library today (sweet, sweet air conditioning) and I picked up It by Stephen King. Looks above my reading level, but I don't care. Dune was all checked out, and I decided against Speaker of the Dead becasue I haven't read any Stephen King ever.

But then I saw Myst: Book of Di'n or whatever it is. I loved the game, although it was much too hard for me to complete without help from my whole family (and a guide). Call us dumb, you'd be correct. I quit Riven because that was harder, and didn't even bother to get Exile. I'm going to try to complete Myst again without help soon.

Anyway, somebody way back there mentioned these books and in what order to read them. I'd like to know more about these books as they intrigue me. So whoever read those books come back....wherever you are...

KnowsNothing · « **Reply #49 on:** July 08, 2003, 10:38:34 AM »

Since I double posted (darn you server...DARN YOU!!!!) I've decided to sing you guys a song in the time it takes to allow me to edit (I min).

Here goes!

La La La La La La La La Do Dooooooo!

La Da De Do Do Do Do Dooooooo!

La Diddy Da Da Deeeee Diddy Da DA DA DO DO DO!

diddy da da da do do de daaaaaaaa......

News:

Author Topic: Good Books? (Read 19640 times)