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Good books

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  • How about setting up a goodreads book group?

    My recommendations:
    Snow Crash
    The Name of the Wind
    Freehold
    The Deed of Paksenarrion
    Starship Troopers
    A Game of Thrones
    Dune
    Old Man's War
    1984
    Brave New World
  • How about setting up agoodreads book group?
    There already is a Geeknights book club with Scrym doing a bunch of episodes on books, but no one gets involved in discussions or book choosing. If you guys are really interested in such a thing, get more vocal on the forums and start creating discussions about the books or what you are looking for in future book club episodes.
  • House of Leaves is a magnificent book. There are mythic parallels you should not ignore. I would post more but I have to check out this closet door* I've never noticed before.

    *It wasn't there before.

    Before what?
  • edited July 2009

    My recommendations:
    . . .
    Old Man's War
    . . .
    I just finished reading the books in this series. They were all good. Not Ethan Frome good, but good enough to be very entertaining.

    I also recently read Infected and Contagious by Scott Sigler and Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry, each of which were about zombie-type outbreaks, and each of which were better than the Old Man's War series.
    Post edited by HungryJoe on
  • Houseof Leaves is a magnificent book. There are mythic parallels you should notignore. I would post more but I have to check out this closet door* I've never noticed before.
    Awesome.
  • Houseof Leaves is a magnificent book. There are mythic parallels you should notignore. I would post more but I have to check out this closet door* I've never noticed before.

    *It wasn't there before.
    Before what?
    Well played, sir.
  • I can't believe no one has picked this yet....
    "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
  • "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
    You know, I actually didn't know that Cosmos was a book. I'm only familiar with the TV series. I'll have to pick that up. But while you're at it, The Demon Haunted World and Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors are both amazing Sagan books.
  • "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
    You know, I actually didn't know thatCosmoswas a book. I'm only familiar with the TV series. I'll have to pick that up. But while you're at it,The Demon Haunted WorldandShadows of Forgotten Ancestorsare both amazing Sagan books.
    Yeah, the tv series is awesome and is actually available fully on Hulu. The audiobook is actually the origin on the famous "pale blue dot" speech.
  • Oh man, I'm totally gonna grab that audiobook.
  • The audiobook of Pale Blue Dot is actually the origin of the famous "pale blue dot" speech.
  • edited July 2009
    The audiobookofPale Blue Dotis actually the origin of the famous "pale blue dot" speech.
    Are you sure? I am damd sure that it was in "Cosmos". Oh well, I guess I'll just re-listen to both of them. ^_^ Yay!
    Post edited by Victor Frost on
  • Has anybody read any books by Nick Sagan, Carl Sagan's son? They're pretty good.
  • Are you sure? I am damd sure that it was in "Cosmos". Oh well, I guess I'll just re-listen to both of them. ^_^ Yay!
    I am. Cosmos was broadcast in 1980. The Pale Blue Dot was taken by Voyager 1 in 1990.
  • edited August 2009
    A call for book recommendations: My birthday is coming up and I will probably ask for books from my parents. Any recommendations on recent or lesser-known gems?
    Post edited by Kate Monster on
  • The Dresden Files is probably the best series of fantasy books I've read. Finally managed to catch up with the most recent one, and now I can't wait for the next.
  • A call for book recommendations: My birthday is coming up and I will probably ask for books from my parents. Any recommendations on recent or lesser-known gems?
    I've heard good things about Twilight. Sounds like it's right up your alley.
  • I've heard good things aboutTwilight. Sounds like it's right up your alley.
    Pete, that is an insult to my honor as a gentlewoman. I challenge you to a duel. Annoying squeaking chickens at 2:47 a.m. tomorrow at the Empire State Plaza.
  • I just finished City of Thieves, by David Benioff. It is surprisingly upbeat for a book about Nazis, but it manages to pull at the heartstrings more than once. Don't be fooled: the plot, summarized, sounds stupid, but it's a fantastic book.
  • The Dresden Filesis probably the best series of fantasy books I've read. Finally managed to catch up with the most recent one, and now I can't wait for the next.
    I've read about 5 of these and they are all really fun light reading.
  • I'm about 2/3 through Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It's really interesting, and it's got me pumped to run for like the first time ever. It's all about this crazy hidden tribe in the mountains of Mexico who run like 400 miles at a time, and how the human body evolved to run long distances, and how running shoes are responsible for most running injuries. The author was on The Daily Show the other day, if you want to check that out -- it's why I'm reading this book.
  • I just finished reading Paradiso by Dante and I'm awed by the visual imagery presented in it. Everyone should read not just Inferno, but also Purgatorio and Paradiso as well as it really doesn't feel complete unless you finish all the entries in The Divine Comedy.
  • I started the new Pynchon novel, Inherent Vice, today. It's pretty awesome. The setting and theme of drug-fueled paranoia remind me of The Crying of Lot 49 a lot, which is my favorite book of his, though I remember reading somewhere that he doesn't think too highly of it.
  • I'm reading the Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, and other than the occasional cringe-inducing writing ("There's this one island...", etc.) it's very good.
  • I'm reading theCryptonomiconby Neal Stephenson, and other than the occasional cringe-inducing writing ("There's this one island...", etc.) it's very good.
    Heh, I've just started reading it too. The first chapter didn't blow my mind, but I'll persist.
  • The first chapter wasn't so great. However, once you meet the other main characters and get into the thick of the plot, it really gets going.
  • edited September 2009
    I couldn't even get 200 pages into Cryptonomicon, and I liked Anathem and at least appreciated Snow Crash. Does it really get that much better?

    Edit: I would also like to reiterate that The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe is a great book. It's honestly the best fantasy novel I've ever read.
    Post edited by Koholint on
  • Pop trivia question! Rym can't answer and Using Google, Wikipedia, etc. is cheating.

    What anime character is also known as "The Hawk of Endymion?"
    Ooh! Ooh! Mu La Flaga! No cheating, I swear!

    Ok, so here's the story. I just read Hyperion and I thought for sure there was a Geeknights episode on it. I searched for it, and found no episode. I searched the forums, and Scott's post from 3 years ago came up. Incidentally, I finished Gundam SEED a few weeks ago, and remembered the guy that could make the impossible possible.

    So yeah, Hyperion. The Priest's story really creeped me out.
  • To Kill A Mockingbird is one of those books I can pick up every few years, read it, and still love it. Some other books in that category are Brave New World, The Dune series by Frank Herbert, 1984, A Clockwork Orange, and Great Expectations.
  • The Priest's story was one of my favorites for some reason. I also really liked the Poet's.
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