Anyone read any good books lately?
 

Well since vonnegut died recently (RIP) I have been picking up and reading the books of his I have not read, which are a lot.

I read Hocus Pocus which I thought was a good book, its fiction of course. I had previously read Slaughter House 5 which I also highly recommend

I also got done reading a collection of short stories by Harlan Ellison, there were some great short stories in there. I just thought a few of them lacked development, and thought he should have written more

I picked up a copy of the Quran, but I must admit it is kind of hard to read, no linear story line at all like other religious books.

I want to read Max Brook's new book (Mel Brooks son) World War Z because I loved the zombie survival guide.

anyone else read any good books recently???? I got a used book store down the street from my place and walk up there every now and then a buy a cheap used book.

I have always been a fan of James Harriot. Start with "All Creatures Great and Small" and see if you like his style. His chapters are episodic, so there is no problem with picking it up and putting it down for later.

I also tried reading parts of the Quran, and you are right, it's pretty cryptic. Not like reading, say, Esther in the Bible where the intrigue is very Shakespearian, or Ruth as a prophetic type of the relationship between Israel, the Messiah, and the coming Gentile church.

Now, your question stated "books" and not necessarily "novels", so I will recommend the latest book I read that I thought was very intriguing.

The Creator Beyond Time and Space by Missler and Eastman
http://www.amazon.com/Creator-Beyond...dp/0936728612/

I'm not much of a reader, but the above always kept my attention. And Missler and Eastman always keeps my hiliter moving.

sounds like a good book, gonna add it to my list

http://www.amazon.com/Creatures-Grea...5469109&sr=1-1

For fiction, try some Gene Wolfe. Just about any will do, the man's so talented.

For nonfiction, I suggest Douglas R. Hofstadter, especially Gödel, Escher, Bach.

I know his works aren't considered great literature, but I like Isaac Azimov's books. Not only did he predict a lot of the technology we have today by decades, but his analysis of technology's long term implications makes you think. I forget which robot novel it was, but in one he predicted an obesity epidemic would be caused by robot's doing everything for us and trying to protect us from all possible dangers. That was long before anyone knew how much physical labor would be saved by using computers.

I've read Asmiov's Foundation Trilogy and I, Robot. I like him but he is not my favorite author when it comes to science fiction.

Do you WANT a visit from the FBI? I'm too paranoid to post info that even jokes that I know someone who might have eaten at an Afghani restaurant.

My suggestion would be 1984. I didn't read it in school for some reason...but it's more relevant today than ever.

Coming from San Francisco I'd also suggest Jack Kerouac's stuff. I'm a fan, and it's cool going to his bar for a Guiness. His bar opens at 7AM :D

Careful, the NSA is watching. :eek:

If you're looking for religious texts you should try the tripitaka (or three baskets). It's the foundational texts for most forms of buddhism (both Mahayana and Theravadian). I've always enjoyed reading it.

I'm not a big ficition fan these days, but a couple books I've really liked are Angels and Demons by Dan Brown and Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson.

If you liked Vonnegut because he was irreverant, you should like Christopher Moore. Especially "Lamb" (about Christ's childhood pal, Biff), and "You Suck" (about a modern day Vampire in San Fran, looking for a good Renfield assistant).

LOL that line right there already makes me want to read the book.

You might want...
 

The Victory of Reason by Rodney Stark, arguing the cons and pros of different religious beliefs.

You will, however, love The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies (and his other novels as well) I "discovered" him many years ago and have reead all of the books many times over since. Very learned. Noting much "happens", but the plot and story and characters grow upon you as few others do. I keep recommending him to friends.

I stopped myself posting a joke about the Glasgow Airport bombers on the Joke Thread for similar reasons..

Harry Potter anyone?!

Awesome guys, thanks for all the recommendations. I get paid next week and am gonna go up the used book store and grab a bunch of cheap books. I'll write all the one's suggested down.

Some of my personal favorites:

Hitch hikers guide to the Galaxy (a trilogy in 5 books!) by Douglas Adams

Zombie Survival Guide by max brooks ( i have some weird obsession with zombies, and especially the zombie apocalypse)

Masters Of Deception - Great book about the early hackers and the wars that went between them based on real people
http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Decept...5483953&sr=8-3

Art of Deception - By kevin Mitnick (I actually read all of Mitnick's books)

Great Expectations - Probably my favorite Dickens book, not sure but it always stuck with me

The People's Guide to American History - By Howard Zinn - this guy rules

All the Tolkien books of course

And I love all the Farside comics - I have a few of the collection books

I also read comic books when I get a chance, a few good ones I have read recently are: Marvel Zombies, 30 days of Night, The Last Christmas (this book is extremely funny), and of course Origin the story of Wolverine - I have read it like 10 times its a great story.

Ah, Comics
 

You have to have Modesty Blaise. The one and only:)

I haven't read it but found the wiki page to be very interesting....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modesty_Blaise

Sounds like the original spy type thing, sounds cool. Reminds me of Iron Man though how it says they retire rich and live among the idle and are bored, so they become spies. I better stop though before this thread gets too nerdy!

Travis McGee
 

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I’ve been reading the Travis McGee novels by John D. MacDonald.

If you haven’t read them yet, you’re in for a real treat.
They’re still the best in their genre! :)

East Of Eden by John Steinbeck

The Tao Of Physics by Fritjof Capra

A Pirate Looks At Fifty by Jimmy Buffett

Breaking Open The Head by Daniel Pinchbeck

Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Persig

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

The Hustler by Walter Tevis

I have been meaning to read this for a few years now, but never have. I need to just go buy it.

I'm reading The Tipping Point (How little things can make a big difference), by Malcolm Gladwell.
Very interesting.

You might like "I Am Ledgend" it's a short, but good read:
http://www.amazon.com/Am-Legend-Mill...5543234&sr=8-1

I've also enjoyed "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, here is the first book "A Game of Thrones", I don't know if fantasy is your thing, but these are a very enjoyable read:
http://www.amazon.com/Game-Thrones-S...5543318&sr=1-1

Is this the book that the movie was based on? In case there are multiple movies with that name...I'm referring to the billiards movie with Gleason and Newman.

I've played pool at least once a week, for over 10-years. I probably wouldn't fare too well against any snooker players who might frequent this board...but I can hold my own :cool:

I just watched that movie literally like 2 nights ago. I haven't seen all of the old Paul Newman movies so I got them on my Blockbuster online. Great flick.

Yes, the movie was based in this book. Tevis also wrote The Color Of Money, but the movie was not very faithful to the book. Many claim they are so different as to really be two different stories.

Do you play pool, or just snooker?

Cool, I'll have to read that. The movie was great. I thought the Color of Money was good, but it's hard to top Gleason's performance as Minnesota Fats.

I've actually never played snooker. Mainly 8-ball...but from what I've seen, the average snooker player would school me. They play on a bigger table, smaller pockets, and have harder rules.

Some of the best players on the American circuit are ex-snooker players from the other side of the pond.

...oh wait, this thread isn't about billiards :) I just can't help it.

Looks like I'll be adding to my wish list in Bookpedia...

Let's see. Currently reading Great Apes by Will Self, just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Other books that I've recently enjoyed enough to recommend:

non fiction

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Satan: A Biography by Henry Ansgar Kelly


fiction

Quantico by Greg Bear

Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Book of Dave by Will Self

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornsby


comics

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Fun Home: A Tragic Comic by Alison Bechdel

Popeye Vol. 1: "I Yam What I Yam" by E. C. Segar

Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda by Stassen

Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi

Minnesota Fats actually got his name from that movie. Prior to that he was New York Fats. Prior to that he was Brooklyn Fats.

Ronnie O'sullivan and Allison Fisher do well over here after playing snooker across the Atlantic, but I'm not sure either of them are in the same class as the top Filipino pool players playing in the US. Efren Reyes, in particular, came up on pool and will take on anybody from anywhere. Austria's Jasmin Ouschan is taking the sport by storm lately, beating both men and women left and right, and she has little if any snooker experience.

I think one pocket is much more challenging than snooker. How many other games can a single rack last several hours? 14.1 is also extremely challenging, but for different reasons. Both offer the players as much as snooker, IMO. Eight ball requires extensive strategy to be played well, but most players don't play it in that manner. Few realize that the player with the most of their own balls left on the table has the advantage most times.

I play a lot of eight ball, also, since that's what I came up on. I play some nine-ball from time to time also, mostly in tournaments, but find it significantly easier and less challenging, and therefore less fun. I love 14.1. I haven't played much one pocket, though; it's too tough to find free games.

Don't feel bad; I got sucked in, too.

You know I have always kind of wanted to read the harry potter books but never did. My friend has all of them and he keeps trying to get me to read them. I should probably at least give it a chance

Potter series is an ok read, you'll live without them, though. I read them to be able to talk to my kids about them. They were never into Tolkien, alas. Times are achanging.

I'm in he middle of the last one, it's quite good. On the Harry Potter series: Just like anything, it's not for everyone. But I think the sales prove that Harry Potter is for more people than your average book :). If you like light fantasy reading (in comparison to something like LOTR), give it a shot.

If you into Asian history at all--

Hungry Ghosts - Great Book on Mao's "Great Leap Forward", the biggest man made famine the world has ever seen, and possibly the most important event in history that is largely ignored.

Japanese Inn - Historical Fiction that does a wonderful job covering the unification of Japan in 1590 up until after WWII. I always recommend this book for people starting into Japanese History, easy to read, highly informative.

To Destroy You is No Loss - If you've ever yearned for a simple life, or a restart to society with which we could create a better existence, read this book. It's a biography of a woman who lived through Pol Pot's massacre of 1.8 million Cambodian people for his personal philosophical gain. A must read if there ever was one.

Hiroshima - Recounts the stories of three A-Bomb survivors, and their efforts to save strangers, friends and neighbors. One of the hardest reads I've ever had. It's extremely detailed, and the imagery is brutally vivid. I can trace my pacifistic leanings to this book...

Red China Blues - Excellent autobiography of a Canadian born Chinese who decides to go to college in China shortly after the Kent State Shootings. It traces her journey from a bright eyed college communist to a hardened international journalist who witnessed the Tienaman square massacre.

Anyway, no idea if anyone here has any interest in Asian history, but all these books are written for people with little or no knowledge of the area. Check 'em out :).

I resisted the Harry Potter series at first, but started reading it because my now 14 year old nephew got interested - they're the only books he's ever willingly read. Rowling may not be producing the finest quality literature, but you have to give credit to any writer who can keep the attention of a ten year old for 700 plus pages.

I had fun reading them (okay, a lot of fun - the only reason I didn't finish Deathly Hallows in one sitting is I fell asleep with about 30 pages to go) and now my almost five year old daughter has started asking me to read them to her. I told her I will, soon. I'm looking forward to it.

i just read Mastery by George Leonard, its a really inspiring book dealing with the requirements and commitment for becoming a "master" of your decided lifelong passion. Deals with the pitfalls to avoid, setbacks that are normal, and behavior patterns that lead to sucess.
very encouraging and empowering.

I can really recommend "The Unknown Craftsman" by Soetsu Yanagi.

Fascinating if you’re interested in some philosophical underpinnings of aesthetics. And especially if you’re interested in ceramics. Together with Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada, Yanagi had a huge impact on our view of crafts.