Does anybody around here read?

[Waterfaller]

How's the Kindle waterfaller?

I think meant runback22. I'm a firm believer in good ol' fashioned books.

[InternalPrimate]

I think meant runback22. I'm a firm believer in good ol' fashioned books.

Woops

Just finished The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein



I really enjoyed this one. A coworker recommended it as we're both dog owners. And that's exactly who this book is meant for. The story is told from the perspective of Enzo, the dog of an aspiring race-car driver. Not NASCAR, mind you, but European style racing. If I could give you an exact name of the circuit, I would, but racing has never been my thing.

The story is really about Denny and the tragedies that befall his family, but thanks to the unique perspective there's always a funny and loving view of the events. Enzo harbors unconditional love for his master, and when Denny loses nearly everything he receives strength from his dog. It's pretty touching, and there are multiple tear-jerker moments.

The best thing a novel can do is elicit an emotional response from the reader, and The Art of Racing in the Rain does this incredibly well. It's a great book that will probably be appreciated more by dog-lovers or anyone who's owned a pet, yet I'd still recommend it to anyone else.

[NavesRegge]

Finished Hitchhiker's Guide a while ago and have been reading Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five.



This is one hell of a book. The premise of a man who meets aliens and randomly travels through time seems silly, but it is really well written and when you're reading it doesn't seem silly at all. This could easily be one of my favorite books ever, but I still have to finish it.

[Vyse of Arcadia]

I'm reading William Gibson's Neuromancer after being told to read it for years and years and years.

I'm disappointed. It's a good deal more "literary" than I thought it would be. A lot of obtuse descriptions and metaphors. And a lot of "I'm going to make my characters do <crazy thing> just to be controversial." It comes off as pompous.

I can easily see how influential the book is, but I gotta say, I'm not a fan.

[InternalPrimate]

Here are my most recent reads (because I'm soooo important):



I'm a big fan of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, but I always take a long time getting through the books. I had been putting A Feast For Crows off for that exact reason. I knew that once I began, I wouldn't be able to read anything else for another couple of months. And guess what? That's exactly what ended up happening!

A Feast for Crows is the least regarded entry in the series. I think it's an unfair reputation though. Along with A Dance with Dragons, A Feast for Crows is one super long entry in the series. It contains half of the characters you're familiar with (the other half being in A Dance with Dragons) and a few new ones to get acquainted with. There's the problem: unless you're a huge fan of Cersei, Jamie, Sansa (who is?), or Brienne, you're stuck. Favorites like Jon, Tyrion, and others aren't given time at all. So it's understandable that fans would be frustrated. Instead of waiting five years to find out what happened to Tyrion, fans have had to wait eleven.

But that doesn't mean A Feast For Crows isn't a good book. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The writing is just as quality as all other entries in the series. One of the biggest complaints about the book is that the story doesn't move very much. That's mostly true, but the tradeoff is that you get massive amounts of character development. Cersei, in particular, is gone into great detail, and you'll love all of her chapters. George RR Martin has always created complex characters, and A Feast For Crows may be the best example of this yet.

I enjoyed it. Maybe it's because I don't have to wait an additional six years to start A Dance With Dragons (which I'll likely begin in a week). Either way, I feel that I'm less biased than your typical Martin hardcore fan. Don't buy into the hate, A Feast For Crows is an excellent read.



Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children was an impulse buy. I love spending time in bookstores, just looking around, and I discovered this one with my girlfriend one afternoon. I bought it purely because of its gimmick: the author uses real "odd" pictures from the 30's and 40's (a teenager covered in bees, for example) and builds a story around them.

It was good, not great, and I'll probably end up getting its sequel. Just a few complaints:

1. The plot is fairly derivative of Harry Potter: boy finds out he has mysterious powers, visits a magical place only visible to a few, fights a great evil, etc..
2. Some of the stories explaining the pictures feel very forced. Just because you found a crazy picture doesn't mean it needs to be included in your novel. It only results in stories feeling "shoe-horned" in.
3. No real ending. Sure, it's the beginning of a series, but a wrap up of even some small plot points would've been nice.



I decided to read a military Sci-Fi novel after watching the entire Battlestar Galactica series (recent) on Netflix. I'm a sci-fi fan, but have never gotten into books like Starship Troopers. The Forever War was described by a friend as "the best science fiction ever", so I went with that one.

I'm very glad I did. While Hyperion still reigns as my favorite science fiction novel ever, The Forever War is a close second. Yep, better than Dune. Suck it Frank Herbert.

The Forever War is a take on the Vietnam war. It's about a young man who, because of the time degradation associated with a war in space, comes back to an Earth that has completely changed. He no longer fits in with society, and because of this, he becomes a career military man; despite the fact that he's a pacifist and doesn't agree with the war itself. Thousands of years pass by, and his disconnect with humanity grows ever larger.

It's a great book. One of the best I've ever read. Haldeman is able to create real emotional ties to his characters in very little space. The Forever War is a quick read, but you'll feel just as satisfied as if you'd finished an 800+ pager. My only complaint, and it's just as much a compliment, is that you'll find yourself really wanting to explore the universe and races that Haldeman has created. When Lt. Mandella gets to Heaven, for example, you'll wish more time was spent exploring the alien landscape.

The book is brilliant, and should be read by any science fiction fan. The ending is near-perfect, and you'll finish wanting more. I've heard mixed things about the sequels (one of which isn't a direct continuation), but I'll sure as hell give them a chance. Very glad I got to read this one.

[Olls]

I read all the time.

I'm especially fond of the works of agostinhobaroners, Guntz, and 16-bitter. The last one is pure high class literature.

[Bastardcat]

Not a word. I am completely illiterate.
That said, if I did have the ability to read, I would read sexy books, like the Shatnerverse Star Trek novels.

[Jesse813]

Just got done reading this good book

[DanceroftheShadows]

Hardcore gaming 101'


otherwise i only read in jail

[Clessy]

I just wish there was some way for me to understand what has been wrote here....

I read all the time.

I'm especially fond of the works of agostinhobaroners, Guntz, and 16-bitter. The last one is pure high class literature.

I see you like comedy novels.

[Baloo]

Well, I just started this book:

[old man]

I just finished the John Sanford book "Bad Blood". I've also read one other book of his called "Rough Country". I think he's obsessed with sex. His photo on the back of the book depicts an older liberalish baby boomer type. So I'm not surprised.

[Waterfaller]

The last book I read was Phantoms, by Dean Koontz, and now I'm reading another one of his books, Dragon Tears.

[InternalPrimate]

I finished Stephen King’s latest novel 11/22/63 today, and I’ve already come to the conclusion that it’s one of his all time bests.

I’ve been a big Stephen King fan for about nine years now. I was given Wolves of the Calla as a Christmas gift in 2003, but unfortunately it was the fifth book in King’s Dark Tower series. Because I’m a nerd, and had plenty of time on my hands, I decided to jump into the series with both feet.

Since then, I’ve finished all seven books of that series, and have read a number of King’s best. These include The Shining,The Stand, IT, Bag of Bones, and The Dead Zone. If he’s not my favorite author, he’s definitely in my top three.

Because King has such a large back catalog of classics, I tend to stick to most critically acclaimed rather than his new stuff. A big reason for this is Under the Dome, a recent novel by King which I found pretty disappointing. In fact, much of what King has written in the last decade or so feels like it doesn’t match up to his 1970s and 80s works. 11/22/63 proved that King still has plenty of brilliance in him.

11/22/63 is about an English teacher going back in time, and attempting to stop the assassination of JFK by Lee Harvey Oswald. Without spoiling the plot, the past won’t make that change easy for him. Along the way, our hero meets and falls in love with people of the past. It’s a simple story that should be known as one of Stephen King’s best.

What makes 11/22/63 so good, what makes it specialis its characters. That stands true for all of King’s best novels. Would IT be as interesting without the losers club? Of course not, IT would be a silly story about a scary clown. King created a realistic group of children for readers to relate to, and that made their plight all the more frightening.

Would The Stand work without its cast of believable characters? Would The Dark Tower work without Roland, Eddie, Jake, and Odetta? Not a chance. In 11/22/63, Jake Epping may be our protagonist (and he’s a fantastic character who grows as each page turns), but the story really focuses on the town residents of Jodie, Texas. You’ll learn to love Sadie, Deke Simmons, Miz Mimi, Mike Cawslaw and the rest. You’ll feel like you know them, and by the time you end the book, you’ll feel remorse over leaving them behind.

That all means that King did an amazing job.

Any book about time travel is bound to be categorized as science fiction. But 11/22/63 really doesn’t fit into the Sci-Fi mold. This is a story about love, consequences, and humanity. Yes, the plot centers around stopping antagonist Lee Harvey Oswald, but you’ll end the book more concerned about the fictional Sadie Dunhill.

I really can’t recommend 11/22/63 enough. It’s a biggie at over 800 pages, but if you’ve read Stephen King before, you’re used to that. The payoff is well worth the effort, not a page is wasted fluff. Pick it up if you haven’t already.

[old man]

Have you ever read any of his recent short story collections? 'Full dark no stars' has some really wild stuff in it. I consider it some of his best work. Don't worry if you think things might not be as filled out. He's a master of that medium as well. Plus a SK short story is about the same length as a short novel written by someone else.