Read any good books lately?

Smaug · 2003-08-22, 02:08 AM

I never really read much until late 8th grade year when I moved to vegas. I bought a copy of the hobbit and just loved tolkiens writing so much that I bought LOTR and read all of that. Then the silmarillion. I don't know what it is about fantasy but it just holds me, unlike nonfiction. After reading other obscure tolkien works like farmer giles of ham and such I looked elsewhere to newer writings. I found Forgotten Realms and have since read about 10 books from there all by bob salvatore. Now I'm just finishing up Redwall by Brian Jacques. I never thought I would get into books but that changed about a year and 3 months ago and I hope I never go back. Just wondering if you guys have had any similar experiences.

Sentrosi · 2003-08-22, 02:19 AM

Reading now: Prophecy by Elizabeth Haydon (2nd book in a 3 book series)

Recommended in the past:

Anything by Mike Moorcock (elric, corum, Hawkmoon, Count Brass, etc.)

Terry Goodkinds Sword of Truth Series, though it's sort of lagging. His latest book seems to be a long drawn out story. Recommend you read the first book, Wizards First Rule and go on from there. There are now 7 books and a short story in the Legends anthology.

Legends Anthology. I hear there's a 2nd one out there. Haven't read it yet.

Piers Anthony

Issac Asimov, though he tends to get very technical in his writings. Sometimes seems I'm reading a book on schematics than the guts of the story.

Clive Barker. Better than 3/4 of the horror/suspense writers out there still.

The first two series in the Dragonlance saga by Weis and Hickman. Don't bother to read off all the spinoffs by other authors. I think they're called the Dragonlance Chronicles and Dragonlance Legends.

Mark Twain = boring

Anne McCaffery's Pern books. all of them are good if you don't mind the feministic viewpoints she points out in her books. It can get kinda thick in there.

Orson Scott Card

David Gemmel. Great author.

Robert Jordan = waaaaaaaayyyyyy toooooooooooooooooo frickin long.

About 3 or 4 I can't remember off the top of my head.

Mejwell · 2003-08-22, 02:27 AM

If you like those fantasy books, I would suggest the Song of Ice and Fire (forgive me if I'm a bit off) series by George R.R. Martin, and the Chronicles of Thomas the Unbeliever, by Stephen Donaldson. Now, these series are a bit more *ahem* "adult" then the ones you have mentioned, so if you're under the age of 17 you should forget everything I just wrote, and everything else that's contained within the rest of this post. Now. And don't ever read it again.

Now that's out of the way, I suggest:

Breakfast of Champions, Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

G�del Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstader

The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand

Grendel, damned if I can recall the author at the moment

and The Hitchhiker series, by Douglas Adams.

THESE ARE ALL DAMN GOOD BOOKS

Enjoy, and if you're not old enough, don't.

BUGGER�GHO�T · 2003-08-22, 02:51 AM

call me gay or a nerd, but i read the new harry potter book....in like 3 days......

tho just finished the hobbit and now reading Ender's Shadow. and if ya wanna kno wher i got the name Bugger, read Enders Game.

Revenant · 2003-08-22, 03:00 AM

I'm currently reading a book called '999: 20 Original tales of Horror and Suspense'.

The title basically explains it. 20 tales of horror and suspense. Short stories and parts of novels, all written be some of the biggest authors in the horror field.

Now it might not be "classic reading", but horror doesn't get enough reconition.

-----------------------

Also for a classic, 'Cujo' was pretty suspense-full, even after all this time...

Smaug · 2003-08-22, 04:47 AM

Originally posted by Mejwell
If you like those fantasy books, I would suggest the Song of Ice and Fire (forgive me if I'm a bit off) series by George R.R. Martin, and the Chronicles of Thomas the Unbeliever, by Stephen Donaldson. Now, these series are a bit more *ahem* "adult" then the ones you have mentioned, so if you're under the age of 17 you should forget everything I just wrote, and everything else that's contained within the rest of this post. Now. And don't ever read it again.

Now that's out of the way, I suggest:

Breakfast of Champions, Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

G�del Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstader

The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand

Grendel, damned if I can recall the author at the moment

and The Hitchhiker series, by Douglas Adams.

Enjoy, and if you're not old enough, don't.

More 'adult' how? Like porno?

or is it just graphic battle scenes or what? I'm 15 but I think I could handle it. Plus my parents aren't really big on the whole censorship thing.

EarlyDawn · 2003-08-22, 02:06 PM

Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive are execelent, defined the cyberpunk universe. All written by William Gibson.

Glorious Cause is very good, a great deal of tactics from the Revolutionary war.

I have every book in the Resident Evil series, fun to get inside the heads of the characters.

If I think of anything else I'll let you know.

Happy lil Elf · 2003-08-22, 02:56 PM

The Belgariad and the Mallorean by David Eddings are good. They're long stories (5 books each 250-300 pages/book) but there is some great dialogue and the world is interesting. Same goes for the Elenium and the Tamuli. The Elenium/Tamuli have, for the most pat, more interesting characters and dialogue imo but they're both very good.

If you're into the Forgotten Realms series (DnD novels) at all most of the stuff by R.A. Salvatore is pretty good. He has an excellent talent for describing fight scenes and the Drizzt series of books (total of like 9 or 10 books) has a lot of action. The Cleric Quintet again by R.A. Salvatore isn't too shabby either but less action oriented and more story oriented.

Smaug · 2003-08-22, 05:48 PM

Yeah the only books I've read in Forgotten Realms are by bob salvatore so far(Icewind Dale Trilogy, Dark elf Trilogy, and the Legacy of the Drow). After I finish up redwall I think I'll start reading war of the spider queen.