View Full Version : What's the title of the last good book you've read?
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Sitri
02-27-2015, 11:20 AM
I'm reading the 3rd book of the Dune series by Frank Herbert and would recommend it to anyone who's a Sci-Fi addict like myself. It has the interesting balance between deep throughs, adventures and interesting ideas.
If you like Dune which is a great read then you will probably like The Foundation Series by Asimov. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series
Elektra Luxx
02-27-2015, 11:56 AM
I'm reading the 3rd book of the Dune series by Frank Herbert and would recommend it to anyone who's a Sci-Fi addict like myself. It has the interesting balance between deep throughs, adventures and interesting ideas.
I love love love Dune. One of my favorite books. When I was in high school I read like 3 or 4 times. I need to read again. I was always afraid to to read the rest of the series because I read a synopsis of books after Dune and didn't like the idea of some some of the characters that died came backs clones.
Flickdreams
02-27-2015, 06:13 PM
^ Where were you guys when I was kicked out of social groups in high school for being 'weird'??? Seriously though- I starved for people with similar interests (let alone emotional empathy/compatibility)
Alright, back to thread.
Reading some wellbeing stuff too; The Journey by Brandon Bays & Who are you really and what do you want by Shad Helmstetter (really good).
NatalieCentro
03-02-2015, 02:42 AM
If you like Dune which is a great read then you will probably like The Foundation Series by Asimov. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series
I literally just finished that :) Thanks. I did totally love it, especially the third book. Was so sad to get done.
Such a cool coincidence.
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NatalieCentro
03-02-2015, 02:44 AM
I love love love Dune. One of my favorite books. When I was in high school I read like 3 or 4 times. I need to read again. I was always afraid to to read the rest of the series because I read a synopsis of books after Dune and didn't like the idea of some some of the characters that died came backs clones.
It's not that bad. It is sad how some of the good characters go bad, but that also teaches a good lesson :)
NatalieCentro
03-02-2015, 02:52 AM
I just started reading Trigger Warning: Short Fiction and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman. I love Neil Gaiman, but it seems like he hasn't written a real novel since The Graveyard Book.
I'm such a slow reader. It takes me days to read a book. One of my best friends form high school can read a book in one night and completely understand it, talked about it. She has amazing concentration skills.
I've never read Gaiman... should this be my next thing? Which of his books should I start with?
Re: being a slow reader - I actually went and took a "Speed Reading" course - where you learn to scan the page without actually sounding out anything in your mind and read down as opposed to side to side, grabbing one line or even a paragraph at a glance. I could do it, but I soon realized that I hate reading this way. There's much less enjoyment from the book, your imagination is limited to the short time span, so in the end I had to struggle with myself to revert to slow reading and no longer care to scan unless I have a deadline. So, @Elektra, trust me, it's a good thing to be a slow reader :)
Flickdreams
03-02-2015, 04:56 AM
^ Gaiman is good.
Elektra Luxx
03-02-2015, 06:51 AM
I've never read Gaiman... should this be my next thing? Which of his books should I start with?
Start with "American Gods", another one of my favorite books. I have the audiobook and I've listened to it 3 times. I love the idea of immigrants coming to America, bringing their gods with them and the gods trying to find people to believe in them. It's such a great story.
lynn2009
03-05-2015, 02:02 PM
The Auschwitz Escape by Joel C. Rosenberg
Sitri
03-05-2015, 03:53 PM
2 more.
Funny and light. the Incantations of Imortality by Piers Anthony https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarnations_of_Immortality
Historical Fiction but one of the most amazing books I have ever read on Joan of Arc by Mark Twain. .99 cents on download I couldn't finish it because he did such a good job on development I couldn't read about her being burned at the stake. Twain researched her from original trial manuscripts and other sources.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Recollections_of_Joan_of_Arc
Raziel
03-05-2015, 05:57 PM
Foundation is alright. New readers will need to be aware that the first couple of books were originally published in serialized format in mid-late '40's to early '50's sci-fi magazines (I believe it was "Astounding Magazine"), so the first one especially is written a little differently than the average book. The following two novels are actually two separate stories published in pairs. The later books are a little more normal.
Raziel
03-05-2015, 06:36 PM
Folks might consider trying out Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy. Neuromancer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuromancer), Count Zero (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_Zero), and Mona Lisa Overdrive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa_Overdrive). I have a feeling many of the ladies in here might get a kick out of Molly Millions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Millions), one of the characters in the first and third novel (though by the time of the third novel, Mona Lisa Overdrive, she has changed her name to 'Sally Shears').
Wikipedia's description of her...
In all three stories, Molly is a physically tough (but not instantly imposing) bodyguard/mercenary cyborg. She is referred to as a "razorgirl" or "street samurai" throughout his stories and also as "Steppin' Razor" by the residents of Zion, a Rastafarian enclave aboard a space station.
A useful contact for dealing with gangs and black market elements, she tends to show little remorse for the opponents she ruthlessly dispatches in the course of her objectives. In fact she shows few deep emotions towards anyone outside of hatred, suspicion or amused contempt. Nevertheless, Molly is always regarded throughout the book as a loyal, morally strong character, opposed to the progressing decay of human relations in the world Gibson depicts.
An exception to her cold, somewhat cynical approach to life was her relationship with Johnny (of Johnny Mnemonic), for whom she still mourned at the time of Neuromancer. This is part of the personal history she relates to its protagonist, Case, in addition to the revelation that she worked as a "meat puppet" (a prostitute) in a "puppet parlor" (a brothel where people loan out their bodies while maintained in a blanked-out state) to pay for her considerable cybernetic enhancements.
Another pseudonym, used when she rents a hotel room in Neuromancer, is "Rose Kolodny", the name by which the Turing Police refer to her. The Turing Police may have simply gotten the name from the hotel's registry, but it is sometimes speculated to be her original name. The later trilogy books speculate that she is "SINless", having been an unrecorded birth and never having been issued a "Single Identity Number". This would give her the advantage of being more difficult to track in the cyberspace environment. Critic Larry McCaffery asserts that the name "Molly" is a reference to her status as a gun moll.
William Gibson has stated that he derived inspiration for the character from the image of Chrissie Hynde on the cover of the first Pretenders album.
Molly's metabolism, sensory input, and reflexes are artificially heightened by means of electronic implants and other advanced medical procedures. She has razor-sharp retractable blades underneath her fingernails, each double-edged and four centimeters in length. Appearing at first glance to be wearing mirrored sunglasses, Molly has in fact had her eye sockets sealed with vision-enhancing mirrored lenses, installed by the skilled black-market surgeons of Chiba City. To accommodate the inset lenses her tear ducts have been re-routed to her mouth; on the very rare occasions she cries, she either spits out or swallows the tears. She never lets others touch the lenses as it would leave messy fingerprints requiring extra cleaning.
Elektra Luxx
03-05-2015, 08:22 PM
I started reading Neuromancer, but got sidetracked and never finished it. I just remember some super hacker I think. It was building slowly, but nothing really happened yet. I'll have to give it another try and stick it out this time.
Raziel
03-05-2015, 09:32 PM
I started reading Neuromancer, but got sidetracked and never finished it. I just remember some super hacker I think. It was building slowly, but nothing really happened yet. I'll have to give it another try and stick it out this time.
Well, i don't know that Case is a superhacker. Just a hacker using tech from about a century in the future. The book picks up once they get out of Chiba city, particularly once Molly gets the sense-net implant (long story, neat little device, thought).
An interesting side note: Most internet terms used today come from that novel. Cyberspace, ICE, the 'Net,' Matrix... stuff like that.
salzsieder67
03-06-2015, 05:24 PM
2 more.
Funny and light. the Incantations of Imortality by Piers Anthony https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarnations_of_Immortality
Historical Fiction but one of the most amazing books I have ever read on Joan of Arc by Mark Twain. .99 cents on download I couldn't finish it because he did such a good job on development I couldn't read about her being burned at the stake. Twain researched her from original trial manuscripts and other sources.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Recollections_of_Joan_of_Arc
Incantations of Immortality is a great series, really enjoyed read it. Twain's book on Joan of Arc is also very good. If you do read that, I recommend reading Barbara Tuchman's "A Distant Mirror" first. It covers the 60 years prior to Joan of Arc and really sets up Twain's book nicely. Even if you don't like history, both are good reads.
Tsepmet1
03-06-2015, 08:27 PM
Just read "Bad Feminist" by Roxane Gay.
Currently working on "Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness" by Pete Earley.
jasmine22
03-07-2015, 08:36 AM
The Story Of O. It is about bdsm, and takes place in France. This book was written over 50 years ago, and is more sexual and extreme than 50 shades of gray. It's not for everyone but is a well written book. I could not get through 50 shades bc it was so badly written.
R-209
03-08-2015, 06:41 PM
Been working my way through a stack of Stephen King novels. So far I've finished "Thinner," "Christine," "Misery," "The Long Walk," and "The Green Mile."
Also read "The Running Man," which has almost nothing to do with the movie.
I didn't know what to expect from "The Green Mile," but based on the trailers for the film, I thought it would be an ultimately uplifting tale like "The Shawshank Redemption," which was based on a King short story. Man, was I wrong...
Currently reading "The Shining."
salzsieder67
03-09-2015, 04:16 PM
The Bürgermeister's Daughter: Scandal in a 16th Century German Town by Steven Ozment.
The true story of Anna Büschler, the daughter of a wealthy mayor in Germany during the Period of Reformation. She was the proto-type of Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and their like. Her behaviour would be considered shocking even by today's standards. She once threatened to deficate in the middle of the court room during a public hearing. She was already the source of much gossip because of the sexy clothing and jewelry she wore, but once her father finds out she is carrying on sexual affairs with two different men things really heat up. The book the does a good job of telling about the repression of women during that time period, it does also give a good view into how everyone (including the wealthy) was repressed in one way or another either by society, the church, or the state. Sometimes history can be fun to read.
Raziel
03-12-2015, 09:14 AM
Terry Pratchet (Author of Diskworld, and Good Omens with Neil Gaiman) has passed away.
Raziel
03-12-2015, 09:16 AM
Also read "The Running Man," which has almost nothing to do with the movie.
True, but considering how that thing ends it's the only movie adaption that one's ever likely to get.
kaninchen
03-12-2015, 05:19 PM
Just read Gillian Flynn, "Dark Places." I don't think she's a very good writer, but she is an excellent storyteller. I enjoyed the suspense even if the writing itself was a bit trite.
"The Man Who Couldn't Stop" by David Adams. An exploratory history of OCD. I really enjoyed this, but if you don't have OCD or know anyone who does, it may not be interesting.
Right now I'm reading "The Paying Guests" by Sarah Waters. It's amazing. Sexy passionate English lesbian love story set in the 1920s. Highly recommend.
HoolaTwister
03-12-2015, 08:18 PM
Fall to Pieces: A Memoir of Drugs, Rock 'n' Roll, and Mental Illness by Mary Forsberg Weiland.
This book is really great, written by the ex wife of Scott Weiland from the band Stone Temple Pilots. She used to be Charlize Theron's roommate too. I love these rock n roll bios!
Elektra Luxx
03-18-2015, 10:08 AM
I just started reading Trigger Warning: Short Fiction and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman. I love Neil Gaiman, but it seems like he hasn't written a real novel since The Graveyard Book.
Is it weird to quote yourself? Anyhoo, I got seriously bored with Trigger Warning. I'm now listening to The Martian by Andy Weir. I got it from audible yesterday and I literally can't put it down. It's about an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars and all the things he has to do to survive.
Raziel
03-19-2015, 12:05 PM
I've never read Gaiman... should this be my next thing? Which of his books should I start with?
Re: being a slow reader - I actually went and took a "Speed Reading" course - where you learn to scan the page without actually sounding out anything in your mind and read down as opposed to side to side, grabbing one line or even a paragraph at a glance. I could do it, but I soon realized that I hate reading this way. There's much less enjoyment from the book, your imagination is limited to the short time span, so in the end I had to struggle with myself to revert to slow reading and no longer care to scan unless I have a deadline. So, @Elektra, trust me, it's a good thing to be a slow reader :)
Neverwhere or Stardust.
Elektra Luxx
03-19-2015, 02:28 PM
Neverwhere or Stardust.
Read American Gods first, if you have read it go with Neverwhere. Both are good, but I really like The Graveyard Book better than either one of those. The last good novel he's written IMHO. There's not really any adult language or adult situations other than the mother, father and sister of the main character are murdered by a knife wielding intruder in the first chapter. It's content is written as more of a young teen, tween book, but it's still a great story.
Elektra Luxx
03-19-2015, 02:37 PM
Terry Pratchet (Author of Diskworld, and Good Omens with Neil Gaiman) has passed away.
This post slipped by me. Yeah, I read headlines off my phone. I was very sad to hear that. The only thing I've read by Pratchet is Good Omens. Would you recommend Diskworld?
PinkMinx
03-19-2015, 10:25 PM
"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
"Big Little Lies" by Liane Moriarty
Both are thrillers with interesting women as the central characters.
Raziel
03-20-2015, 11:25 AM
This post slipped by me. Yeah, I read headlines off my phone. I was very sad to hear that. The only thing I've read by Pratchet is Good Omens. Would you recommend Diskworld?
Diskworld is very good. However, the series changes quite a lot as it progresses, reading the books in their publication order is not necessarily best.
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Red Velvette
03-20-2015, 05:02 PM
The Unfortunate Importance of Beauty (http://www.amazon.com/Unfortunate-Importance-Beauty-Novel-ebook/dp/B00L4HAXKA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1425934586&sr=1-1&keywords=the+unfortunate+importance+of+beauty). I love this book. Read it!
lunapeach
03-22-2015, 06:27 AM
The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker. It's bloody amazing and such a big eye opener for me @
[email protected]
lynn2009
03-22-2015, 06:40 PM
The "If I Break" series, which I think is only available via kindle. I recommend it hesitantly, as the books definetly need editing, but it is good chick lit and the first book is free and the rest are really cheap. There's 4 books total and I read them all this weekend.
R-209
03-28-2015, 08:01 PM
I love Neil Gaiman, but it seems like he hasn't written a real novel since The Graveyard Book.
Haven't read Gaiman yet, but this alone makes me want to give him a try:
http://i.imgur.com/NvReE6I.jpg
One of my best friends form high school can read a book in one night and completely understand it, talked about it. She has amazing concentration skills.
I envy this so much. Every time I sit down to read, I get through about two pages before I'm distracted, usually because a cat is up to something. My concentration is so poor that it's taken me forty-five minutes just to write this! :)
After finishing "The Shining," I think I need a break from King. I was going to start either "It" or "The Stand" next, but those would take me forever. Instead, I'm reading "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. (http://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Shackletons-Incredible-Alfred-Lansing/dp/078670621X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427594847&sr=8-1&keywords=endurance+shackleton%27s+incredible+voyag e)"
Went to a used book sale today where I got a stack of classics ("Frankenstein," "Animal Farm," "The Old Man and the Sea," and so on) for a quarter each. If only I could find a nice, quite place...
Elektra Luxx
03-28-2015, 08:15 PM
Went to a used book sale today where I got a stack of classics ("Frankenstein," "Animal Farm," "The Old Man and the Sea," and so on) for a quarter each. If only I could find a nice, quite place...
"Frankenstein" and "The Old Man and the Sea" are two of my favorite books. I have terrible time concentrating too unless I'm taking my ADD medication. You might try audiobooks.
R-209
03-28-2015, 09:36 PM
^^ I'd been thinking about listening to some audiobooks during my workout. I'm surprised that there are so many popular titles right on YouTube. I wonder why the lawyers don't pounce?
I think I'll go with "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" since I haven't read it since I was a kid.
"Infinite Jest" is on there, too. It's like sixty hours. :)
Elektra Luxx
03-28-2015, 10:17 PM
I think I'll go with "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" since I haven't read it since I was a kid.
I've never read "Infinite Jest", but I've read "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". That's a very good book.
jovannacherry
04-04-2015, 12:30 PM
A piece of cake
isellfriendship
04-04-2015, 12:37 PM
currently finishing High A Party Girls Guide To Peace by Tara Bliss , it's on amazon and worth the read if you are into that sorta thing .
Jay12
04-05-2015, 03:58 PM
Books on Texas Family Laws.
kaninchen
04-05-2015, 04:13 PM
^^ I'd been thinking about listening to some audiobooks during my workout. I'm surprised that there are so many popular titles right on YouTube. I wonder why the lawyers don't pounce?
I think I'll go with "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" since I haven't read it since I was a kid.
"Infinite Jest" is on there, too. It's like sixty hours. :)
Okay, I tried Infinite Jest and I don't get it. If you finish listening to it, plz explain it to me.
I read Gerald's Game by Stephen King yesterday. As in the entire thing. I now understand precisely why Mr. King has been so successful as a horror writer.
Raziel
04-05-2015, 08:20 PM
"Frankenstein" and "The Old Man and the Sea" are two of my favorite books. I have terrible time concentrating too unless I'm taking my ADD medication. You might try audiobooks.
Frankenstein is actually considered the first Science Fiction novel. Sci-Fi was actually created by a woman, yet that never gets mentioned. I wonder why?
R-209
04-05-2015, 08:29 PM
Okay, I tried Infinite Jest and I don't get it. If you finish listening to it, plz explain it to me.
I read Gerald's Game by Stephen King yesterday. As in the entire thing. I now understand precisely why Mr. King has been so successful as a horror writer.
Haven't quite tackled "Infinite Jest;" I've just heard that it is notoriously long and complicated. "Gerald's Game" is actually in my "to read" stack (I wish I had the concentration to finish a whole book in a day!). One thing I've noticed about King is how good he is with the non-horror parts of his work. "Christine" doesn't do anything supernatural or horrific until about halfway through the book. But the characters are interesting on their own and King makes otherwise everyday interactions and events compelling.
I'm still listening to the audio of "Hitchhiker's Guide" while exercising and am wondering if Mr. Jingles from "The Green Mile" was actually a hyper-intelligent, pan-dimensional being sent to conduct experiments on humans.
Elektra Luxx
04-07-2015, 08:39 PM
I'm listening to Star Wars: Dark Force Rising, the second book in the Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. So far pretty good. I downloaded it from Audible.
R-209
04-07-2015, 09:40 PM
I'm listening to Star Wars: Dark Force Rising, the second book in the Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. So far pretty good. I downloaded it from Audible.
I just might start that series once I'm done with the Hitchhiker's audiobooks. I read the Zahn trilogy when it first came out but don't remember too much other than Thrawn being a better villain than anyone from the prequels. Speaking of HHGTTG... someone wrote a sixth book after Adams died?! In 2009?! And I didn't know about it until now?! I'm curious, but reviews seem to be... mixed.
Flickdreams
04-08-2015, 06:14 AM
I'm listening to Star Wars: Dark Force Rising, the second book in the Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. So far pretty good. I downloaded it from Audible.
On Audio? I read those when the first came out- Mara Jade baby, its all coming up Mara Jade.
R-209
04-11-2015, 02:00 PM
Elektra, did you enjoy Good Omens (http://www.amazon.com/Good-Omens-Accurate-Prophecies-Nutter/dp/0060853980/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1428785204&sr=1-1&keywords=good+omens)? A copy almost literally jumped at me from a thrift store shelf today, so I picked it up.
Also, I'd been looking for King's Different Seasons for a while, mostly for The Shawshank Redemption. Then I found three in one day.
Elektra Luxx
04-12-2015, 05:38 PM
Elektra, did you enjoy Good Omens (http://www.amazon.com/Good-Omens-Accurate-Prophecies-Nutter/dp/0060853980/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1428785204&sr=1-1&keywords=good+omens)? A copy almost literally jumped at me from a thrift store shelf today, so I picked it up.
Oh yes, I love Good Omens, it's so funny. I think you'll love it. Read the first 3 or 4 chapters and let me know what you think.
Elektra Luxx
04-13-2015, 08:31 PM
I loved the 2nd book. So exciting and such a great story. Just downloaded the 3rd audio-book in the Thrawn Trilogy from Audible, Star Wars: The Last Command by Timothy Zahn.
Mara Jade baby!!! Does she survive? I can't wait to see how it ends.
Hey Flickdreams, what Star Wars series do you recommend next?
threlayer
04-13-2015, 10:38 PM
a Lincoln bio.
It is nearly the 150th anniversary his assassination.
Flickdreams
04-14-2015, 06:19 AM
^ i stopped reading the StarWars series after that... I got the shits that what I was reading might not be 'real' (as in the version that Lucasfilm would run with)- but now I'm in the age of Game of Thrones, where the film series has overtaken the books, plus, I'm finally mellowing :D So open to suggestions. I think I will wait for the new StarWars films with the kids of the originals.
I seriously love Megan Lindholm/Robin Hobb if you like fantasy. The Soldier Son trilogy was great..