books

[Prismatic Sphere]

A whole variety of stuff I suppose. I love Atlas Shrugged and basically everything else by Ayn Rand like The Virtue Of Selfishness.
The Anti-Capitalist Mentality by Ludwig Von Mises is also really good and really relevant to our times.

I also just read Traci Lords' self-penned autobiography "Underneath It All" which was really interesting.

I love horror and stuff like H.P. Lovecraft and Daphne Du Maurier.
"Echoes Of The Macabre" may be the best compilation I've read yet.

Also I'm a sucker for fantasy and sci-fi. You know Harlan Ellison, Guy Gavriel Kay, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, and the granddaddy of all of 'em: Homer.

 

[theodyssey]

Been reading Terry Goodkind books. Yeah, rhapsody-esque, but pretty good.

 

[Sympozium]

Anything buy Raymond E Feist. Other fantasy stuff \m/

 

[SilentRealm]

I havent read anything lately, I started on the Dark Tower series (book 1) a while back, but then I saw the odyssey for like 12 bucks or somethin at the bookshop so I started that instead, and didnt end up finishing either

..I know King says himself that The Gunslinger isnt that great and to wait till around the 3rd book before it starts to pick up, but I really was pretty bored by the 3/4 of it that I have read which is not normal for me (I think I've read nearly every single book King has published), so thats a bit of a downer.

 

[The Metal Chick]

I also just read Traci Lords' self-penned autobiography

I hope you realize that 'self-penned autobiography' is redundant. I know its a dumb thing to post about but I just found it funny that you said that

 

[Beelzebub]

Oh and stop bashing To Kill a Mockingbird. Granted, I didn't much like the subject matter, but as a piece of literature, it has a lot of meaning and truly is a classic.

The problem I have with that book is that people read it subjectively. They take it personally and are like "OH MY GOD THIS BOOK IS SO PROFOUND" when it really isn't. It's not the only book out there about racial discrimination; try Black Like Me, A Raisin in the Sun, Black Boy, or just read some poetry by Langston Hughes.

I like reading about history, try Howard Zinn: A People's History of the United States

Oh yes, I stupidly forgot to mention one of my favorites, LORD OF THE FLIES! that book 0wnz, man.

 

[Zax666]

Noone's mentioned Pratchett yet? Man, I'm dissapointed in you.

 

[the_satanic_rabbit]

I ain't got time to read...I mean bleed.

But if I do, it's usually some technical mumbo jumbo or some kind of educational book. Last book I read was for first time fathers.

 

[kosh]

Noone's mentioned Pratchett yet? Man, I'm dissapointed in you.

Yeah Terry Pratchett rules, though I only read one or two books from the "Diskworld" series. His imagination and humor are unique.

Also I love Edgar Allen Poe, but I have some difficulties reading his works in english for their huge amount of vocabulary I ain't familiar with, so I read these in german.

H.P. Lovecraft owns in a similar way. I suppose if Poe's drug was alcohol, Lovecraft did some stranger things for inspiration, when I think of stories like "Celephais", "The Shadow out of Time", or "Dreams in the Witch-House".

@OfSinsAndShred: I have "The Screwtape Letters" here, but haben't managed to read them yet.

"Sinhue the Egyptian" by Miika Waltari also is a great book, better than his other, similar works.

If you can get hold of it, make sure to check out "The Perfume" by Patrick Süßkind, should have been released in the US as well.

Other than that my favourites are Tolkien, Asimov, A.C. Clarke, Jack Vance (fantastic - "The Eyes of the Overworld" and the following book), and a lot of other sci-fi and fantastic writers, simply too much to list.

EDIT= Oh right, forgot to mention the last I read. That was Charles Eric Maine's "The Man who owned the World". Found that by chance on my shelf and had nothing to read by then. Cool story with quite a disturbing end.

 

[v01c354nd51gn5]

Oh and stop bashing To Kill a Mockingbird. Granted, I didn't much like the subject matter, but as a piece of literature, it has a lot of meaning and truly is a classic.

to quote Homer Simpson (i think it was him that said this): "...they dont even teach you how to kill a mockingbird " but yeah, classic.

has anyone read the DaVinci code and would like to tell me if its worth reading it?

 

[Soul of Ice]

A lot of people have said they love the book, a lot of other people who didn't like the book said that it was written for those with ADD. Makes me wonder lol.

 

[Beelzebub]

A lot of people have said they love the book, a lot of other people who didn't like the book said that it was written for those with ADD. Makes me wonder lol.

umm which book?

 

[Soul of Ice]

DaVinci Code

 

[lunar still X]

besides symphony x liner notes what else do you guys read? me, im not that much of a reader. i'd rather be writing/playing music. but im gonna get more into reading. i got off to a slow start this summer ... only read the prologue of The Da Vinci Code, but that counts as something. Has anyone read that book? i wanna know if its worth reading it. i hear a lotta good things about it. any other worthy books out there?

American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Lots of mythology in it... veryyy awesome.

 

[Ayreon Guardian X]

My favorite book series is the Dragonlance Chronicles/Legends as well as the Star of the Guardians series. I also love the Mithgar series by Dennis L. McKiernan. As is obvious, I LOVE fantasy stories. I also loved Dracula by Bram Stoker and want to read Dante's "Inferno" (otherwise known as the Divine Comedy) on my next long school break...

 

[The Metal Chick]

I also loved Dracula by Bram Stoker

I'd forgotten about that one. I loved that book too.

 

[Rose Immortal]

My favorite would have to be 1984 - Orwell's the man. Dante's Divine Comedy comes in at a close second. Animal Farm also rocked.

I've read a lot of the classic stuff thanks to one kickass English teacher for 3 years. Scarlet Letter and all that kinda stuff.

Has anyone ever read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis? AWESOME book, totally made me think of metal because it's about hell and such, and it also kinda makes you look at yourself and why you do what you do.


I forgot Shakespeare. Last year I finally read some Shakespeare, and his command over language blew my mind. Awesome stuff.

Wow, you definitely have great taste in reading material! Although I wasn't as crazy about The Scarlet Letter, I love all the other things you've mentioned here...1984, the Divine Comedy (though I stopped at the beginning of Paradisio...should try again someday!), Animal Farm, Shakespeare...

But if I had to name a favorite author, I would definitely say C.S. Lewis. I started out with The Screwtape Letters as well, and I thought it was quite good. Is that the only book of his you've read, or have you read others?

 

[Beelzebub]

I remember reading the Chronicles of Narnia a looooooooooooong time ago. They went a little slowly, but I liked them anyway.

 

[Metal-X]

I like the older Science Fiction stuff.
"Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein
"The Foundation" by Isaac Asimov
"Dune" by Frank Herbert
"Out of the Silent Planet" by C.S. Lewis
"Childhood's End" and "2001" by Arthur C. Clarke.
I read "The Odyssey" in lit class in college a few years ago. It was good, and seemed different from the version they make you read in High School. Lots of death, animal sacrifice, and sex. There's another classic book called "The Golden Ass" by Apuleius. It was a comedy and pretty racy. Good book. Old school.

 

[wicked34]

I know King says himself that The Gunslinger isnt that great and to wait till around the 3rd book before it starts to pick up, but I really was pretty bored by the 3/4 of it that I have read which is not normal for me (I think I've read nearly every single book King has published), so thats a bit of a downer.

yeah, the first one does drag on a little i guess. not a whole hell of a lot happends. its just kinda building up the story cause it IS a very long series so not everything can happen in the first book. the first one i just wanted to read through and finish cause it was just so weird and i needed to know what was gonna happen. the second one i couldn't put down. King is just such an amazing writer. i'de say give em a chance. might not be your kinda thing though so i dunno.