I recently finished the Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston, and City of Falling Angels by John Berendt.
If you've read the Hot Zone,the Demon in the Freezer is basically like that, but about small pox and anthrax. It talks a lot about the anthrax attacks after 9/11, and also a lot about how small pox was eradicated. It's amazingly interesting, and also really scary (in a this is non fiction and bad things could happen kind of way, not a pop out and yell, "Boo!" scary.)
City of Falling Angels is a lot like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil except its in Venice, Italy, and it doesn't have a murder mystery that it follows. Although much of the things in the book center around a fire that burned down a famous theater. It's amazing the kinds of people Berendt met and things he got to see which he writes about in the book. Reading this you really get the feeling that truth is stranger then fiction.
I have no idea why so many people on this forum don't like [Harry Potter].
Frankly, I can't stand the writing. I just find the style to be childish and generally awful. The story itself is good, but the writing makes we want to murder the author...
I just got around to reading through Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It's actually a pretty interesting message, but I also need to point out that it is the second funniest book I have ever read.
I also want to recommend Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card. I can almost guarantee you'll like one of them.
Shout out to Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve! Any book about cities that eat each other is pretty awesome.
Right now I'm reading the classic Les Miserables by Victor Hugo for school, since I haven't read books in my free time in a long time (I miss them though). It's a great book after the first part, which was sort of boring.
I've been reading The Dreseden Files series by Jim Butcher and have been really enjoying it. While the series isn't terrible deep, it's a lot of fun to read. The author does a great job creating moments that seem almost cinematic because of their description, and the combination of mystery, action, and fantasy have made me fly through this series faster then any other that I've read.
I'm going to recommend the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books which I just finished. They were selling the Ultimate collection of all of them at B&N for like $20.
Anyway I'll specifically recommend the first three: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Restaurant at the End of the Universe and Life, The Universe, and Everything. Which are brilliant and completely ridiculous.
If you can read then you should read Ultimate hitchhiker's guide! If You like hitchhiker's guige then you should check out "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency,"the sequel ,"The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul,"and "The Salmon of Doubt," ttibute to Douglas Adams containing various writtings of his and the unfininished 3rd Dirk Gently. I've also been reading the haruhi suzumiya light novels on my DS e-reader and so far they are pretty good. On an unrelated note I didn't know that there were dresden files books, I've only seen the TV series.
I'm going to recommend the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books which I just finished. They were selling the Ultimate collection of all of them at B&N; for like $20.
Anyway I'll specifically recommend the first three:Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,Restaurant at the End of the UniverseandLife, The Universe, and Everything. Which are brilliant and completely ridiculous.
If you paid more than $5.95, you got ripped off. Those things have been in the bargain bins since I bought mine in 1998.
If you paid more than $5.95, you got ripped off. Those things have been in the bargain bins since I bought mine in 1998.
It's worth $20, heck I'd say its worth $40. I don't feel ripped off in the least.
If you can read then you should read Ultimate hitchhiker's guide! If You like hitchhiker's guige then you should check out "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency,"the sequel ,"The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul,"and "The Salmon of Doubt," ttibute to Douglas Adams containing various writtings of his and the unfininished 3rd Dirk Gently. I've also been reading the haruhi suzumiya light novels on my DS e-reader and so far they are pretty good. On an unrelated note I didn't know that there were dresden files books, I've only seen the TV series.
I was told about the Dirk Gently books when I was at Katsucon. I'll have to remember to add them on my list of books to read. And I read the first Haruhi light novel not long ago, and I would agree that its good. I'm looking forward to reading the other ones.
I read Freakonomics last year and thought it was pretty good. I especially liked the parts about the gang heirarchy and about how abortion lowers crime rates.
I really like Orson Scott Card's work, I would recomend anything he did. But I can't believe no one has mentioned greats like Piers Anthony or Fred Saberhagen (may he rest in peace). These men are my favorite scifi/fantasy writers. Right now I'm reading the Vampire Earth series by E.E. Knight. Knight is a good writer; I wouldn't say fantastic, but good; and good story teller. I'm also reading Godless: The Church of Liberalism by Anne Coulter; She's extreme on most issues whereas I'm more moderate, but it's fascinating to see that she is almost right on some things.
J.K. Rowling's only problem is that she can't write; She is a fantastic story teller, But she couldn't write her way out of a paper bag.... Then again look at the target audience of the Harry Potter books
J.K. Rowling's only problem is that she can't write; She is a fantastic story teller, But she couldn't write her way out of a paper bag.... Then again look at the target audience of theHarry Potterbooks
I think it would be pretty reasonable to say that most people don't care much about the writing style; all they want from the writing is for it to be out of their way. The setting, the characters, and the story, it seems to me, are what modern audiences care about.
The setting, the characters, and the story, it seems to me, are what modern audiences care about.
OH NO! Something STRANGE has happened! And it seems to for some reason revolve around that one young boy! Ah! Semi-relevant side stories! And what's this!? Said strange thing was part of a deeper plot? What? Danger?! Oh, nevermind! A deus-ex-machina has saved that boy at the last minute! Hurray for that boy!
I soon found that Mohr is a whiny piece of crap. He had a job that most people can only dream about, but he spent most of his time there complaining about his panic attacks and how small his dressing room was. In his first season, he became so "panicked" that he threw his phone out the window of his seventeenth floor office. Everyone was all upset, and when the police came, he totally lied to them and said that maybe someone had broken into his office. In his second season, he totally lifted a stand-up bit from some guy (I mean word-for-word) and made it into a sketch that actually made it onto the air. Then, when SNL was inevitably sued, he told Lorne Michaels straight up that he had never seen that stand-up guy's act. SNL had to settle and it can never show that episode again. A few pages later, he gets all indignant that SNL didn't want to pick him up for a third season.
I'd recommend this book if for no other reason than to see what a waste this guy made of a opportunity that most people would trade nearly anything to experience.
The setting, the characters, and the story, it seems to me, are what modern audiences care about.
OH NO! Something STRANGE has happened! And it seems to for some reason revolve around that one young boy! Ah! Semi-relevant side stories! And what's this!? Said strange thing was part of a deeper plot? What? Danger?! Oh, nevermind! A deus-ex-machina has saved that boy at the last minute! Hurray for that boy!
Sigh...
I'm not sure what you're saying, but I'm going to assume you're agreeing with me.
I've started reading Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill, and I'm really enjoying it. It's been a while since I last read a horror book, and this one is excellent.
I've started readingHeart-Shaped Boxby Joe Hill, and I'm really enjoying it. It's been a while since I last read a horror book, and this one is excellent.
That's a good book. It actually scared me at times, and that doesn't happen very often.
I really like Orson Scott Card's work, I would recomend anything he did. But I can't believe no one has mentioned greats like Piers Anthony or Fred Saberhagen (may he rest in peace). These men are my favorite scifi/fantasy writers. Right now I'm reading theVampire Earthseries by E.E. Knight. Knight is a good writer; I wouldn't say fantastic, but good; and good story teller. I'm also readingGodless: The Church of Liberalismby Anne Coulter; She's extreme on most issues whereas I'm more moderate, but it's fascinating to see that she is almost right on some things.
Wow, I can't even touch a Anne Coulter book without feeling somewhat dirty. I actually went to a library and sat and read part of one of her books because I couldn't even stomach the thought of giving her money. She is a attention whore who only says things to get noticed and be controversial. Calling her Extreme is a understatement.
On the other side though I'm really enjoying Orson Scott's Cards works. (slowly making my way through his Ender saga currently getting through Children of the Mind).
I hate putting forth the investment of starting a new book without knowing for certain if it's worth my time or not. I've been looking at buying two books as of this week, one being American Psycho, and the other The Third Policeman. The former, from what I've read on Wikipedia, seems like a Palahniuk-esque, surreal novel. I like books with unreliable narrators. The latter was mentioned on the Wikipedia page for House of Leaves, which became one of my favorite novels after I read it a number of weeks ago. Apparently it's just as surreal, but much more comedic and about philosophy.
So, forumites, have any of you read either one of these books and, if so, are they worth checking out?
Comments
If you've read the Hot Zone, the Demon in the Freezer is basically like that, but about small pox and anthrax. It talks a lot about the anthrax attacks after 9/11, and also a lot about how small pox was eradicated. It's amazingly interesting, and also really scary (in a this is non fiction and bad things could happen kind of way, not a pop out and yell, "Boo!" scary.)
City of Falling Angels is a lot like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil except its in Venice, Italy, and it doesn't have a murder mystery that it follows. Although much of the things in the book center around a fire that burned down a famous theater. It's amazing the kinds of people Berendt met and things he got to see which he writes about in the book. Reading this you really get the feeling that truth is stranger then fiction.
I also want to recommend Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card. I can almost guarantee you'll like one of them.
Right now I'm reading the classic Les Miserables by Victor Hugo for school, since I haven't read books in my free time in a long time (I miss them though). It's a great book after the first part, which was sort of boring.
Anyway I'll specifically recommend the first three: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Restaurant at the End of the Universe and Life, The Universe, and Everything. Which are brilliant and completely ridiculous.
J.K. Rowling's only problem is that she can't write; She is a fantastic story teller, But she couldn't write her way out of a paper bag.... Then again look at the target audience of the Harry Potter books
Sigh...
I soon found that Mohr is a whiny piece of crap. He had a job that most people can only dream about, but he spent most of his time there complaining about his panic attacks and how small his dressing room was. In his first season, he became so "panicked" that he threw his phone out the window of his seventeenth floor office. Everyone was all upset, and when the police came, he totally lied to them and said that maybe someone had broken into his office. In his second season, he totally lifted a stand-up bit from some guy (I mean word-for-word) and made it into a sketch that actually made it onto the air. Then, when SNL was inevitably sued, he told Lorne Michaels straight up that he had never seen that stand-up guy's act. SNL had to settle and it can never show that episode again. A few pages later, he gets all indignant that SNL didn't want to pick him up for a third season.
I'd recommend this book if for no other reason than to see what a waste this guy made of a opportunity that most people would trade nearly anything to experience.
On the other side though I'm really enjoying Orson Scott's Cards works. (slowly making my way through his Ender saga currently getting through Children of the Mind).
I hate putting forth the investment of starting a new book without knowing for certain if it's worth my time or not. I've been looking at buying two books as of this week, one being American Psycho, and the other The Third Policeman. The former, from what I've read on Wikipedia, seems like a Palahniuk-esque, surreal novel. I like books with unreliable narrators. The latter was mentioned on the Wikipedia page for House of Leaves, which became one of my favorite novels after I read it a number of weeks ago. Apparently it's just as surreal, but much more comedic and about philosophy.
So, forumites, have any of you read either one of these books and, if so, are they worth checking out?