What books are you reading?

[PrairieDog]

Listening to the classic SciFi novel Hyperion on audiobook right now. About halfway through and I can't believe I've never experienced it before. I am sure I'll follow it up with the sequel right away. Phenomenal book!

There's 4 books in that series, all amazing - Endymion and the Rise of Endymion take place hundreds of years after the second book, but continue the story and are well worth the read. If you like this series, you should also pick up Ilium and Olympos (also by Simmons), just brilliant stuff.

[mister_mcgoo]

Currently I'm reading the fifth book in the Song of Ice and Fire Series (Dance with Dragons) by George RR Martin, and a book (somewhat outdated yet highly relevant) by Noam Chomsky called "Failed States" -- general about US exceptionalism and foreign policy. It's very readable, though.

I'm reading A Dance With Dragons now too, probably only 100 pgs to go, I have no idea what I'll do when I finish I'll be stuck waiting til next year to find out what happens However, I am looking forward to seeing how they adapt the series to the last 2 books...the way the author chose to split the storylines is not going to fly well in TV format I suspect so it will be interesting to see how they compose it.

I saw Chomsky speak in university, the man is just scary smart and insightful. The last book I read of his though (Hegemony or Survival) depressed me to no end though, the way he lays out how the game is actually being played is just painful to read...very much an example of our modern day 'Game of Thrones' if you will

[doulos]

There's 4 books in that series, all amazing - Endymion and the Rise of Endymion take place hundreds of years after the second book, but continue the story and are well worth the read. If you like this series, you should also pick up Ilium and Olympos (also by Simmons), just brilliant stuff.

Well Sci-Fi is my latest trend. Trying to read through/listen to as many of the 'top books' as I can. A few years ago it was Post-Apocalpytic, and last year it was more Non-Fiction stuff.

If you have any other suggestions, fire away. Dune, a few more of Niven's things etc, are all on the list.

[mounD]

I'm reading A Dance With Dragons now too, probably only 100 pgs to go, I have no idea what I'll do when I finish I'll be stuck waiting til next year to find out what happens However, I am looking forward to seeing how they adapt the series to the last 2 books...the way the author chose to split the storylines is not going to fly well in TV format I suspect so it will be interesting to see how they compose it.

I saw Chomsky speak in university, the man is just scary smart and insightful. The last book I read of his though (Hegemony or Survival) depressed me to no end though, the way he lays out how the game is actually being played is just painful to read...very much an example of our modern day 'Game of Thrones' if you will

I'll definitely give Hegemony or Survival a look. Chomsky certainly has a way of elucidating immensely important information, sometimes admittedly of the dry variety, though always in an entertaining and compelling manner. That must have been an awesome experience seeing him speak.

[mister_mcgoo]

OK so I'm finished with Game of Thrones for the nonce and won't be able to pick that up again until he finishes the next one sometime next year. I'm placing an Amazon order tonight and am looking for suggestions to add to my summer reading list.

If you had to choose a really fantastic book or two what would they be? Bonus points if it's something a little less well known because there's more chance I haven't read it

I'll throw out a couple titles too when I get a moment

[ross10019]

OK so I'm finished with Game of Thrones for the nonce and won't be able to pick that up again until he finishes the next one sometime next year. I'm placing an Amazon order tonight and am looking for suggestions to add to my summer reading list.

If you had to choose a really fantastic book or two what would they be? Bonus points if it's something a little less well known because there's more chance I haven't read it

I'll throw out a couple titles too when I get a moment

What genres do you like?

[horrorfan]

OK so I'm finished with Game of Thrones for the nonce and won't be able to pick that up again until he finishes the next one sometime next year. I'm placing an Amazon order tonight and am looking for suggestions to add to my summer reading list.

If you had to choose a really fantastic book or two what would they be? Bonus points if it's something a little less well known because there's more chance I haven't read it

I'll throw out a couple titles too when I get a moment

The Long Walk - Stephen King.

[ross10019]

I'll definitely give Hegemony or Survival a look. Chomsky certainly has a way of elucidating immensely important information, sometimes admittedly of the dry variety, though always in an entertaining and compelling manner. That must have been an awesome experience seeing him speak.

Chomsky fans will love Chris Hedges "The Death of the Liberal Class", great read.

The state of "Permanent War" is an unfortunate reality in our society, and a sad state indeed.

[mister_mcgoo]

The Long Walk - Stephen King.

good read but I've read that one unfortunately, I read all his stuff up until the Gunslinger series and then sorta lost interest

What genres do you like?

like music I don't discriminate, I red everything as long as it's good...maybe some authors would help:

"classics": dostoevsky, hardy, dickens, austen, wilde, orwell, heinlein, tolein, steinbeck, heller, huxley, faulkner, hemmingway, robert penn warren, wharton, vonnegut

modern day: david sedaris, chuck palahniuk, george rr martin, john irving, cormac mccarthy, douglas coupland, nick horsby, tim o'brien, mordecai richler, tom robbins, ian mcewan, malcolm gladwell, neil gaiman

[Dakkster]

I really enjoyed The Gum Thief by Coupland, if you haven't read that one.

Like I said earlier in the thread: Anyone who grew up on 80s and early 90s pop culture and is even the least bit nerdy should read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

If you like Gaiman you should check out Perdido Street Station by China Mieville, or The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi.

Other good books I've read in the last few years are Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem (about a mob flunky with Tourette's), 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami and the best one I've read in the last year: The Fault in our Stars by John Green. I've also started on The Pale King by David Foster Wallace and so far it's been interesting.

[ross10019]

good read but I've read that one unfortunately, I read all his stuff up until the Gunslinger series and then sorta lost interest



like music I don't discriminate, I red everything as long as it's good...maybe some authors would help:

"classics": dostoevsky, hardy, dickens, austen, wilde, orwell, heinlein, tolein, steinbeck, heller, huxley, faulkner, hemmingway, robert penn warren, wharton, vonnegut

modern day: david sedaris, chuck palahniuk, george rr martin, john irving, cormac mccarthy, douglas coupland, nick horsby, tim o'brien, mordecai richler, tom robbins, ian mcewan, malcolm gladwell, neil gaiman

McGoo, as a Canadian, I think you'll appreciate The Shipping News very much. One of my favorite books. The author, Annie Proulx, is American but this is a quintessential Canadian novel in my view, perhaps because she spends part of each year in Newfoundland.

The Hollywood movie was such a waste of a fantastic cast, in my view. Spacey, Blanchett, Dench, Pinsent, and yet they never really captured the feel of the movie, not sure why.

I had started reading Infinite Jest by Foster Wallace but got caught up in other stuff, but man what a ride! Plan to finish it some day, when I have 3 weeks and can sit on a beach or something.

[mister_mcgoo]

awesome gents, thanks for the suggestions

[doulos]

Finished the God Delusion.

Dawkins comes across as a Grade A jackass, but makes some good points. Not too much new in it, but I can see the draw. Interesting read for those who like those kinds of books.

[Dakkster]

Then you will probably not enjoy Sam Harris, as he's a bigger *******. Either way, I like the points they make in the books.

[HockeyProphet]

Finished the God Delusion.

Dawkins comes across as a Grade A jackass, but makes some good points. Not too much new in it, but I can see the draw. Interesting read for those who like those kinds of books.

I'd be a little disappointed if he didn't come off that way! You know what your getting with that guy HA.