Now Reading...

[ashaman7122]

Been on a thriller kick lately...

Just finished - L.A. Requiem by Robert Crais (the Elvis Cole books just get better and better)

Now Reading - Hard As Nails by Dan Simmons (Dan Simmons is A-1 in my opinion, and the Joe Kurtz books are gritty fun)

On deck - The Swarm by Frank Schatzing (eco-thriller reminiscent of The Day After Tomorrow...also a total impulse buy...)

 

[Yippee38]

Oh, an addendum regarding 40 Days of Rain - the majority of it takes place in the DC area. As much as I found the character discussions about breast milk to be a snooze, I was entertained by how often I could say "I know exactly where they're talking about" with regards to various downtown tourist locales, Metro stations/stops, Georgetown, etc.

I read a book by Richard Knaak once called "King of the Grey." Actually, it was recommended to me by him. I ran into him standing in the local Waldenbooks looking at the Sci-Fi section. It is set in Chicago and the suburbs. It starts with the main character on the train coming home from work. The main character "lives" blocks from where several of our friends live. It was kind of cool.

 

[Zero Dude]

Day By Day Armageddon: J.L. Bourne

 

[Wandrail]

I just found a book i've been looking for for a while at a used book store by me - Red Branch by Morgan Llywelyn. Its great so far. If you're anywhere near as much of a celtophile as I am, you shouldn't pass this up if you come across it. It centers around Cuchulain and combines a number of the tales from the Ulster cycle into a single well-done narrative. Very nicely written with well-thought out characters and a lot of subtext going on about human nature, war, lust, etc. It is much more thoughtful and mature than your average fantasy novel. Llywellyn's research is obviously great as well, as things are fleshed out just enough with facts and descriptions of the old celtic way of life to satisfy celtophiles like myself and to educate the neophyte - all without being overbearing. Its probably the best novel of its type i've read.

 

[Rakosh]

I Am Legend - Richard Matheson (as if you didn't know )

Also, I saw the new movie last night at the Atlanta sneak preview, and it was entertaining...but NOTHING like the book, so don't go in expecting it. The overall feel of loneliness/frustration that the book centers on is there, but in the end, the rest of it was Hollywood-ized. Somewhat disappointing, but not unexpected.

 

[Harvester]

Big thumbs up to the Slash's biography. He didn't pull any punches (i.e Stephen Pearcy was an asshole) and spilled the beans on everyone (i.e. He & Mustaine hit the blow and wrote some great stuff together). He was also very candid about the psycho known as Axl Rose (i.e. Matt Sorum almost beat the shit out of Axl for walking off the stage and refusing to come back on).

Biggest laugh in the book:

Slash & Izzy having a three way with some chick in a small bed in a warehouse back when they were dirt poor & living there. He was laying on one side and felt something hit his leg. It was Izzy's spunk.

 

[Cheiron]

Still re-reading L.K. Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series - up to Obsidian Butterfly (the fun read book)
** I love this author, I love this character - she's as sarcastic as I am - and could read these books over and over again **

This is about where I stopped. Maybe I read the one after, I'll have to go back and look. But now its moreso juts vampire sex fiction. Which has gotten annoying. The Ardor was intereting for a while, and now it just feels like an excuse for erotica. I was waiting to hear if she stopped doing that with the books, but I haven't read any reviews of the last 2 ones.

I also haven't read her other books from other series.

 

[ALowerDeep]

Soren Kierkegaard: A Biography by Joakim Garff, Chronciles of the Otori Clan, The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy, and anxiously awaiting the next books in the Steven Erikson's The Malazan Book of the Fallen, and Robin Hobb's The Soldier Son Trilogy

 

[Burnout]

I just started reading I Am Legend by Richard Matheson.

 

[Ruthven]

I'm reading Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint-Germain novels - well, the first five, then I'll probably read something else (there are 20 Saint-Germain books). They are vampire novels, but different in tone than either Rice or Hamilton. Yarbro has actually been writing vampire fiction as long as Anne Rice has, but the focus in her books is on history than supernatural elements. The supernatural element is often downplayed and while Saint-Germain has some superhuman abilities, he usually relies on wits and cunning; Yarbro's vampires are not immeasurably powerful, and this allows for more problems. Saint-Germain is also extremely compassionate, the horror element comes from the absolutely despicable humans he battles (which is the point of the series - humanity's inhumanity to others). He is extremely negligent in protecting people, though. I highly recommend them for fans of historical fiction with a supernatural edge.

 

[Ruthven]

I just started reading I Am Legend by Richard Matheson.

That book features my all-time favorite realization.

 

[Pellaz]

I'm reading Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint-Germain novels - well, the first five, then I'll probably read something else (there are 20 Saint-Germain books). They are vampire novels, but different in tone than either Rice or Hamilton. Yarbro has actually been writing vampire fiction as long as Anne Rice has, but the focus in her books is on history than supernatural elements. The supernatural element is often downplayed and while Saint-Germain has some superhuman abilities, he usually relies on wits and cunning; Yarbro's vampires are not immeasurably powerful, and this allows for more problems. Saint-Germain is also extremely compassionate, the horror element comes from the absolutely despicable humans he battles (which is the point of the series - humanity's inhumanity to others). He is extremely negligent in protecting people, though. I highly recommend them for fans of historical fiction with a supernatural edge.

I read Hotel Transylvania and loved it. According to my book queue I have The Palace and two others by Yarbro, but I'm not sure where they are.

 

[Burnout]

Just picked up Hard As Nails, Summer of Night and Children of Night by Dan Simmons.

 

[J-Dubya 777]

Around The World In Spandex - The Chris Jericho Story

GREAT book if you are even a slight fan of professional wrestling
(& wickedly funny, too!)

 

[Pellaz]

now reading: Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, The Palace.

My hardback edition has a really weird portrait on the cover that reminds me of Data from ST:TNG. (!)

Just picked up Hard As Nails, Summer of Night and Children of Night by Dan Simmons.

Summer of Night was brilliant. Recommended to me by none other than Kirk "I'm a bookworm, Paul!" Hammett, and I never looked back.

 

[Ruthven]

I need to read "Children of the Night," there are so few vampire horror novels coming out these days. It's mostly stuff by romance clowns that make me embarassed to be a vampire fan.

 

[Yippee38]

Summer of Night was a truly forgettable novel to me. It seemed very much to me like he was trying to mimic Stephen King. That's not a good thing IMO.

"Children of the Night" OTOH was a great vampire story.

 

[Pellaz]

Summer of Night was a truly forgettable novel to me. It seemed very much to me like he was trying to mimic Stephen King.

Hmm, I suppose I might have missed that connection, since I hadn't read much King at that time (only Firestarter, I suspect.) For that matter, I'm one of approximately four people in the United States who haven't read that much King since.

 

[Burnout]

King has never really grabbed me, though I haven't given him much of a chance. At this point, at least, I prefer Simmons.

 

[Pellaz]

King has never really grabbed me, though I haven't given him much of a chance. At this point, at least, I prefer Simmons.

The neet thing about Simmons is that he works proficiently in multiple genres: horror, SF and fantasy, and produces good-to-great work in each.

Clive Barker's Imajica comes to mind as another example of several genres coming together...in one book.