Favorite books / What are you reading?

Edmond Dantès said:
This is also where Rand brakes down. She never, ever considers the fact that there are people who truly require state-help to in fact simply stay alive. In her ideal happy capitalist world I'm quite afraid as to what would happen to handicapped people, or as a matter of fact, people who are, bluntly said, stupid. But the book does help to bring into question the claims that people can make with regard to the position of other people, and if we let them legitimately make these claims, to what degree these claims remain legit. A society with a strong social security system will invariably have to deal with 'looters' while supporting the legit people, whereas a society without or with less of such a system might very well have more homeless and troubled people as in America right now, but this might also stimulate competition and counter complacency.
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Removing social security is a great way to stimulate growth of mental disorders. Also, one funny thing about the social security - in my country the more one contributes money in taxes, the less one can count on social security. It's kinda sad, when one works hard to pay for government officials and for pathological families, but when one needs government help, receives only a kick.
 
Rereading Ice Station. Still a really fun book. I also have Contest from the same author that I'll probably read after Ice Station. Then I have have a book on the battle of Tobruk I've been meaning to read.
 
Heh, the book I'm currently reading has an introduction wherein the author implicitly and explicitly makes quite clear that he didn't like The Da Vinci Code that much either.

That same book, and author, I can highly recommend by the way: Mark Gregory Pegg, A most Holy War. The Albigensian Crusade and the Battle for Christendom (Oxford 2008). If you're ever interested in the Albigensian crusade, or Cathars for that matter, this is quite a good and especially readably book. Also, for once this is a hardcover you actually can buy without having to get a second mortgage.

The narrative style of the book can be a point for criticism at the same time as well though, as the vivid imagine of historical events he paints sometimes seem to lack historical credence.
 
I am currently reading "The Road" for my American Literature II class. Little over half-way through, and its pretty good so far. Could be a new favorite of mine... but if zombies or vampires show up I will forever hate it. :lol:
 
Just finished Frank Herbert's The Santaroga Barrier. It's not Dune, but neither are those dreadfull prequels that his son spews out. I refuse to go anywhere near that rubbish.
Definately a product of it's time (late 60s) - touching on issues like higher planes of consciousness through drug use in a cult like society. Far out man. :shock:

Now onto Asimov's Nemesis. Anybody read much of his? I've read a lot of his short stories (I, Robot) and really enjoyed them, but he has a pretty...dry style.

edit: As far as The Road goes. I really love McCarthey's prose, he's got it. But it's not the kind of book that you can really enjoy, in the sense that you wouldn't enjoy going to a funeral either. It's gratifying, but on a different level.
As a father myself, that book rips me up something fierce. You don't ever want to have to think or do things or become like that as it relates to your kids.


DaVinci Code is great for laughs. I find the conspiracy theory stuff somewhat entertaining on it's own, but the novel itself is little more than a flat one-dimensional vehicle to deliver these little conspiratorial tidbits. That's all. It's a half-assed, disposable airplane novel, nothing more. I'd rather watch a good documentary on the background stuff than be spoonfed through the transparent guise of a mediocre novel.
 
I'm on the ninth book in Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander series, Treason's Harbour. Only 11.5 books to go after this one!
 
Just finished Stephen King's "The Stand"
It took me a long time... but it was worth it. It is one of the best novels i've read. I've also just started "Blood Music" by Greg Bear, so far, so good....
 
Now I'm on the fifteenth book, The Truelove. My complete set has the pages numbered continuously from volume to volume, so I'm around page 4500. :mrgreen:

BTW, the fifteenth book is as every bit as good as the first. Impressive.
 
I'd really like to read Metro 2033 but the fucker apparently hasn't been released in english yet.
I just saw the cover online and knew that I fucking need that book.

Do you guys know any good post-apocalyptic books or novels? I'd really like to read them, I've read The Dark Tower books by Stephen King and loved it.
 
Casey fucking Ryback said:
Do you guys know any good post-apocalyptic books or novels?
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I finished reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy last month and it was pretty damn good. It should be a fast read, the author's style is really well constructed and I found myself wanting to read more and more. Plus the movie is coming out in November, so you can be one of those people who say "I read the book/the book was better" (although I have high hopes for the film being good).

I hear Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank is really good, though I haven't gotten around to reading it myself.

Anyway, this thread should be useful.
 
Hey, apparently The Road has gained some praise, and is relatively new, so I guess I'll read that.
Yay! The book is available at my local library, maybe I'll pick it up tomorrow.
I was hoping for something that isn't made in the 50's or 60's, so maybe this will be to my liking.

Thanks for the tip.
 
I raelly enjoyed Alas, Babylon. It's been a long time since I read it but it was a solid read. One of my favorite books I was "forced" to read for summer reading.

I've done some light reading lately, recently finishing Thirteen Reasons Why and Treasure Box.

Thirteen Reasons Why (Jay Asher) was a teen novel about a girl who killed herself. It was enjoyable, and useful for what I needed but not really compelling writing if you're looking for something smart.

Treasure Box (Orson Scott Card) is a cheap thriller a la Dan Brown's stuff. Again, very light stuff but still, entertaining.


I'm about to start Elliot Perlman's Seven Types of Ambiguity. Mostly interested in how it handles the multiple perspectives. I'll keep you posted as I progress in it.
 
I finished Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels last night. 6500 pages, and not a bad one among them. I feel a bit depressed now, wondering what I'm going to read next and doubting I'll like it as much.
 
Four little gems in my bag :

Stephen King - Firestarter
Terry Pratchett - The dark side of the sun
Robin Hobb - Assassin's apprentice
Ray Bradbury - Martian chronicles
 
I had this old sci-fi novel, Nova by Samuel R. Delany, sitting on my shelf. I read it once a long time ago, and decided to give it another go. It was a little hard to get into because in the beginning the characters seem to form implausibly close relationships out of thin air, but once I got past that part it became much more engrossing. I like it now. It's got one of those far-future settings, since it takes place somewhere around 3500AD. One funny detail is that the human civilization in the book has long ago completely eliminated all infectious disease, so everyone is filthy all the time since they can't get sick.
 
So I read The Road, and enjoyed it quite a bit, but reading it only took me a day so it could have been longer. The end kinda bummed me out and left me feeling empty, but it was a good book.

I Guess now I'll go back to reading the dark tower, if I still remember where I stopped reading :/. The dark tower series is the best post-apocalyptic book I've read, but it is too long in my opinion, and I dont really appreciate the "fantasy" themes and I'd like it to be more "realistic". I am aware of my failing logic in that statement.
 
Casey fucking Ryback said:
The dark tower series is the best post-apocalyptic book I've read, but it is too long in my opinion, and I dont really appreciate the "fantasy" themes and I'd like it to be more "realistic". I am aware of my failing logic in that statement.
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I really enjoyed the first book (a very vivid, memorable PA setting, I agree), but I quit reading the second book after the first few pages. It lost my interest for some reason. Actually, I remember why, but it would be a spoiler, so I won't bother. :D
 
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