Reading List Thread
- Thread starter hyena
- Start date
i currently read
neal stephenson - cryptonimicon
dense stuff, but i guess you'll have to be at least a bit familiar with mathematics and computers
and hopefully i'll get the illuminatus trilogy for christmas
neal stephenson - cryptonimicon
dense stuff, but i guess you'll have to be at least a bit familiar with mathematics and computers
and hopefully i'll get the illuminatus trilogy for christmas
overkiller
seventh milestone
stanislaw lem - solaris
-the best novel of all times
george orwell - 1984
-the best criticism to totalitarianism
alfred bester - the demolished man
-murder in a society full of telepats?
alfred bester - stars my destination ( or tiger tiger, the same book with different names)
- what an ordinary person can be, when he is ambitious
larry niven - ringworld
- for the ones keen on alternative worlds. very scientific, a great book.
william gibson - neuromancer
- the bible of cyberpunk
-the best novel of all times
george orwell - 1984
-the best criticism to totalitarianism
alfred bester - the demolished man
-murder in a society full of telepats?
alfred bester - stars my destination ( or tiger tiger, the same book with different names)
- what an ordinary person can be, when he is ambitious
larry niven - ringworld
- for the ones keen on alternative worlds. very scientific, a great book.
william gibson - neuromancer
- the bible of cyberpunk
manuelgv
Back now...hopefully
Thomas Mann-The Buddenbrok
A great book about the stages a family goes through,from wealth to poverty
John Kennedy Toole-A confederacy of dunces
A hilarious book about a guy in NOLA
A great book about the stages a family goes through,from wealth to poverty
John Kennedy Toole-A confederacy of dunces
A hilarious book about a guy in NOLA
rahvin
keeper of the flame
my suggestion for the month is john steinbeck. for those not familiar with the name, he's a bestselling american writer that wrote most of his works during the middle years of the xx century.
his novels are all set in america during the years when pioneers conquered land and made huge fortunes (sometimes) over empires based on farming and trading. it might sound unappealing, but his novels - most of them rather short - do not revolve around wars or the joys of farming: they sport a deep level of social inquiry and subtly debate - always in the form of story-telling - the different moral and psychological sets a human mind can adopt to achieve what it wants or merely to survive.
character analysis is so well thought-out and all-round as to be absolutely enlightening for a myriad of feelings and moral situation you probably didn't even know existed.
steinbeck's prose is harsh and cruel, with just a hint of irony here and there. every time the author comments on the situation depicted, the sheer lucidity of his vision manages to cast all previous readings of real-life circumstances into a different, paler light.
one of my favourite examples is the following snippet out of "east of eden", one of his longest works:
"when a child first catches adults out - when it first walks into his grave little head that adults do not have divine intelligence, that their judgements are not always wise, their thinking true, their sentences just - his world falls into panic desolation. the gods are fallen and all safety gone. and there is one sure thing about the fall of gods: they do not fall a little; they crash and shatter or sink deeply into green muck. it is a tedious job to build them up again; they never quite shine. and the child's world is never quite whole again. it is an aching kind of growing"
i cannot even begin to tell how i feel every time i read about the world falling into "panic desolation".
rahvin.
his novels are all set in america during the years when pioneers conquered land and made huge fortunes (sometimes) over empires based on farming and trading. it might sound unappealing, but his novels - most of them rather short - do not revolve around wars or the joys of farming: they sport a deep level of social inquiry and subtly debate - always in the form of story-telling - the different moral and psychological sets a human mind can adopt to achieve what it wants or merely to survive.
character analysis is so well thought-out and all-round as to be absolutely enlightening for a myriad of feelings and moral situation you probably didn't even know existed.
steinbeck's prose is harsh and cruel, with just a hint of irony here and there. every time the author comments on the situation depicted, the sheer lucidity of his vision manages to cast all previous readings of real-life circumstances into a different, paler light.
one of my favourite examples is the following snippet out of "east of eden", one of his longest works:
"when a child first catches adults out - when it first walks into his grave little head that adults do not have divine intelligence, that their judgements are not always wise, their thinking true, their sentences just - his world falls into panic desolation. the gods are fallen and all safety gone. and there is one sure thing about the fall of gods: they do not fall a little; they crash and shatter or sink deeply into green muck. it is a tedious job to build them up again; they never quite shine. and the child's world is never quite whole again. it is an aching kind of growing"
i cannot even begin to tell how i feel every time i read about the world falling into "panic desolation".
rahvin.
Wolfman Von Jones
The trouble with you
Brian Lumley - The Necroscope Saga.
The books are basically about this man named Hary Keogh who has powers such as talking ot the dead and drawing form their knowledge,and teleporting through space/time via the Mobius Continum.
He basically is part of this secret british organization called E-Branch, which is full of people with special abilities (telepaths, scryers,etc,etc), and Harry works with them to destroy vampires that got to this Earth from a gate to another dimension in the Ural Mountains.
Great books, very well written and entertaining. There are about 10 Necroscope books in all.
Nick
The books are basically about this man named Hary Keogh who has powers such as talking ot the dead and drawing form their knowledge,and teleporting through space/time via the Mobius Continum.
He basically is part of this secret british organization called E-Branch, which is full of people with special abilities (telepaths, scryers,etc,etc), and Harry works with them to destroy vampires that got to this Earth from a gate to another dimension in the Ural Mountains.
Great books, very well written and entertaining. There are about 10 Necroscope books in all.
Nick
Onde Erik
Member
Yes! Please check this out. It's a fascinating story about a man who's lost everything but the lust for revenge.
A suggestion of my own would be China Miéville's Perdido Street Station, a book that should be read by those who have lost their faith in fantasy. It's not really traditional fantasy though... More of a mix between fantasy, science fiction and steampunk.
The plot revolves around scientist Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin who gets a job offer that will not only make him doubt his own sense of ethics but also puts him at odds with the fascistoid Parliament that runs the town in which the story unfolds.
Cautions:
There are some gruesome descriptions of how the Parliament treats their prisoners. Some people might also be put off by the idea of an insectoid and human having sex.
Now reading: Neil Gaiman - American Gods
Tranquillian
Svartmetallist
thunderstruck67
Master of the Thunder
My favorite book is Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. It's a fantasy, sci-fi type of story. The range, and depth of it, is just amazing. It's basically about 4 life-long friends who go hunting each year, only this year...something goes wrong...
I am currently reading "Stupid White Men" by Michael Moore. The same guy who brought you "Bowling for Columbine". The book examine the American government and its culture and comparing it to other countries in the world in a very negative light. It has a lot of Corporate America and George W. Bush bashing and harsh criticism about them. The book is definitely a good read and the humor keeps it going.
Douglas Adams - The Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy (a trilogy of five books)
wonderful sci-fi story about the future happening now, when the earth gets demolished to create an intergalactic bypass...
people who doesn't like humour on the written side of it, please avoid this book and take the next bus...
fathervic (marvin)
wonderful sci-fi story about the future happening now, when the earth gets demolished to create an intergalactic bypass...
people who doesn't like humour on the written side of it, please avoid this book and take the next bus...
fathervic (marvin)
Joseph Heller - Catch 22
Which, as most of you will know, is a classic satire set in the second world war about a man in the US air force determined to escape the war. It's an excellent parody...
"I said to him, sir, that you couldn't find me guilty of the offense with which I am charged and still be faithful to the cause of . . ."
"Of what? You're mumbling."
"Stop mumbling."
"Yes, sir."
"And mumble 'sir' when you do."
"Metcalf, you bastard!"
"Yes, sir," mumbled Clevinger. "Of justice, sir. That you couldn't find--"
"Justice?" The colonel was astounded. "What is justice?"
"Justice, sir--"
"That's not what justice is," the colonel jeered, and began pounding the table again with his big fat hand. "That's what Karl Marx is. I'll tell you what justice is. Justice is a knee in the gut from the floor on the chin at night sneaky with a knife brought up down on the magazine of a battleship sandbagged underhanded in the dark without a word of warning. Garroting. That's what justice is whan we've all got to be tough enough and rough enough to fight Billy Petrolle. From the hip. Get it?"
"No, sir."
"Don't sir me!"
"Yes, sir."
"And say 'sir' when you don't," ordered Major Metcalf. Clevinger was guilty, of course, or he would not have been accused, and since the only way to prove it was to find him guilty, it was their patriotic duty to do so.
Which, as most of you will know, is a classic satire set in the second world war about a man in the US air force determined to escape the war. It's an excellent parody...
"I said to him, sir, that you couldn't find me guilty of the offense with which I am charged and still be faithful to the cause of . . ."
"Of what? You're mumbling."
"Stop mumbling."
"Yes, sir."
"And mumble 'sir' when you do."
"Metcalf, you bastard!"
"Yes, sir," mumbled Clevinger. "Of justice, sir. That you couldn't find--"
"Justice?" The colonel was astounded. "What is justice?"
"Justice, sir--"
"That's not what justice is," the colonel jeered, and began pounding the table again with his big fat hand. "That's what Karl Marx is. I'll tell you what justice is. Justice is a knee in the gut from the floor on the chin at night sneaky with a knife brought up down on the magazine of a battleship sandbagged underhanded in the dark without a word of warning. Garroting. That's what justice is whan we've all got to be tough enough and rough enough to fight Billy Petrolle. From the hip. Get it?"
"No, sir."
"Don't sir me!"
"Yes, sir."
"And say 'sir' when you don't," ordered Major Metcalf. Clevinger was guilty, of course, or he would not have been accused, and since the only way to prove it was to find him guilty, it was their patriotic duty to do so.
PrinnyD00d
Everyone's Bitch
Originally posted by VultureCulture
i currently read
neal stephenson - cryptonimicon
dense stuff, but i guess you'll have to be at least a bit familiar with mathematics and computers
and hopefully i'll get the illuminatus trilogy for christmas
I started that a while ago...never took the time to get into it, but probably will at some point. I guess I'm not hardcore Computer Science enough, hehe.
Wolfman Von Jones
The trouble with you
Currently Im reading Werewolf the Apoclypse: Tribe Novels. There are 11 books in all, and Im not number 10. The stories are written by various authors, and are very interesting.
Nick
Nick
oh, i think you don't need to be a real techie, but you'll probably miss some hints. just give it another go. i'm still not finished with it yet.
rahvin
keeper of the flame
Wolfman Von Jones
The trouble with you
Originally posted by DeepInMisery
@fathervic:
that book is just so god damn hilarious
a true masterpiece
yeah, the whole book is amazing...with little gifts like this one:
"How many escaping capsules are there?"
"None"
"What? Have you counted them?"
"Yes, twice"
ah...I simply love it when it looks so simple to make good humour
fathervic (vogon poetry)
Melancholia
Eternal daydreamer
well,i haven't read much from Douglas Adams,just the Hitch-hiker's guide and a bit of the restaurant (or was it life the universe and everything??????? errrrrrrrrrrrrr.the second book anyway shame on you melancholia ) but i think he is a genious.... really good humour
From John steinbeck,which rahvin mentioned,i've just read "mice and men" which was quite okey...but personally i wouldn't recommend it to anybody.....
generally i read a looooot... A few days ago i finished Pratchett's "only you can save the mankind" (good and easy to read)...... Today i started Pratchett's "small gods",i've just read 5-6 pages.....i'm reading it in spanish btw and strangely enough it is easier than i thought....
I enjoy Pratchett a lot,though i'm quite new to it...My first try was almost a year ago with "the 5th elephant",which hmm went baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad....... But since i read " Good omens" thinsg changed Good Omens is now one of my favourite books
Books with good humour are always welcome and offer me good moments,but what i enjoy a bit more and in someway what fits me more is books that in some way are a bit closer to reality.... sometimes with sad stuff,but generally books/novels about people,books which can make me think a bit more,stories that could have been true....I know some people wouldn't really find "pleasure" in such stuff and for sure it's not like i find "pleasure" in it,but there is sth in them that attracts me....
From John steinbeck,which rahvin mentioned,i've just read "mice and men" which was quite okey...but personally i wouldn't recommend it to anybody.....
generally i read a looooot... A few days ago i finished Pratchett's "only you can save the mankind" (good and easy to read)...... Today i started Pratchett's "small gods",i've just read 5-6 pages.....i'm reading it in spanish btw and strangely enough it is easier than i thought....
I enjoy Pratchett a lot,though i'm quite new to it...My first try was almost a year ago with "the 5th elephant",which hmm went baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad....... But since i read " Good omens" thinsg changed
Good Omens is now one of my favourite books Books with good humour are always welcome and offer me good moments,but what i enjoy a bit more and in someway what fits me more is books that in some way are a bit closer to reality.... sometimes with sad stuff,but generally books/novels about people,books which can make me think a bit more,stories that could have been true....I know some people wouldn't really find "pleasure" in such stuff and for sure it's not like i find "pleasure" in it,but there is sth in them that attracts me....
