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I just finished Replay by Ken Grimwood. It follows the lives of a man who at 43 dies of a heart attack. He wakes up suddenly in the year 1963 in his 18 year old body with all the memories of his life for the (next) 25 years. I just want to say how loving amazed I am at this story. I just spent 7 hours finishing the book. (I couldn't stop reading once Pamela was introduced to the story) What a beautifully tragic story. READ THIS BOOK.
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Jul 22, 2007 06:05
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Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank It was an alright read about a small town in Florida surviving a nuclear war with the Soviet Union in 1959. It was fun reading about my hometowns of Tampa and St. Petersburg becoming craters of radioactive glass. But drat, some parts of this were boring too. It had a completely transparent plot where every event came completely expected and the outcome fully predictable. Some of the dialogue in the beginning was pretty retarded with all women being portrayed as either retarded or hysterical. The book even opened from the point of view of a character that turned out to be next to useless and played an extremely minor role throughout the story (except to occasionally make some ungodly stupid remark). I know it seems I'm complaining an awful lot but this book was somewhat enjoyable. The parts that were good were very good. However, the parts that were bad were loving terrible. Next is Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk.
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Jul 28, 2007 19:31
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Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk I think I've found a new favorite author. I really enjoyed his minimalist style of writing and it was refreshing not being able to guess exactly what was going to happen at every event unlike the last book I read. I think the next book of his I'll read is Choke as I've heard it's being filmed right now. Great story about the last survivor of a cult in middle America and his rise and fall as a media messiah. Next is Time Traveler's Wife.
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Jul 30, 2007 17:09
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porkchoppie posted:I read The Time Traveler's Wife earlier this summer. It wasn't really what I expected, but it was really, really good. Enjoy. All I'm expecting is a tragic love story that is light on the science fiction of time travel, am I on the right track?
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Jul 31, 2007 00:08
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porkchoppie posted:Essentially it's more about the tragic love story than about the inner workings of time travel itself, but the time travel plays a pretty big role in what happens to Clare and Henry. So yes, in a way you're on the right track. Excellent, and exactly what I was looking for.
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Jul 31, 2007 04:10
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Tommah posted:Farenheit 451 I could have done without the robot dog but I loved the family in the TV.
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Jul 31, 2007 23:48
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I just finished The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and I'm an emotional wreck right now. Holy poo poo, what a tragic story. I knew it was a sad story from the beginning and I was concerned that I didn't care enough about the characters to have the events give me any emotional impact. At the first of a series of blows to the heart I was quickly proven wrong. Amazing story. Read it.
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Aug 5, 2007 02:56
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Cyberdud posted:i just finished reading Insomnia by Stephen King. Was the Robin Williams movie based on this?
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Aug 8, 2007 02:26
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Settling Accounts: In at the Death - Harry Turtledove The final conclusion to the Timeline 191 series. I skipped like half of the book not caring to read about half of the character's stories and mainly just wanted to find out what happened to Featherston and who nuked who first. Good conclusion but half of the characters were completely unnecessary, but such is the case for most of Turtledove.
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Aug 8, 2007 17:38
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BobDoleBobDole posted:Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk. This and Rant are the only two Palahniuk books I've read so far, but I really like his writing style and plan on reading all of them. I liked Survivor, but the ending wasn't as strong as I hoped it would have been. Definitely a good read though. https://www.chuckpalahniuk.net has a more in depth explanation of the ending by the author if you need more closure or you just want to know if you got it right.
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Aug 9, 2007 13:08
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Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. I loved Survivor and Fight Club is one of my favorite movies so I decided to give another Palahniuk book a try. I heard that Choke is being filmed right now so I decided this would be my next by him. At first I thought the book wasn't going anywhere but the last 80 pages or so made this a really awesome story and I can't wait for the film. I've already bought Haunted and will read it in a little bit.
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Aug 15, 2007 03:08
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death of socrates posted:The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau Why do such fantastic novels have such loving awful remakes? I should have included War of the Worlds but it isn't one of my favorites by him.
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Aug 15, 2007 12:41
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geeves posted:Just finished Rendezvous with Rama and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to read more of Clarke's work as I read 2001 a couple years ago. I'll probably wait a few weeks to read the others as I have other things that I want to get a start on. If you really want to enjoy it you'll pretend there are no sequels.
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Aug 18, 2007 22:03
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etement posted:I just finished Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. Thinking of maybe reading another novel by him next. Read Survivor, it's pretty great.
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Aug 20, 2007 14:55
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The Guns of the South - Harry Turtledove HOLY CHRISTING poo poo, TIME-TRAVELING WHITE-SUPREMACIST SOUTH AFRICANS GO BACK IN TIME TO GIVE THE CONFEDERATES AK-47'S TO WIN THE CIVIL WAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, once I got past the seemingly ridiculous plot I found that this was one of Turtledove's best novels. There were no skin-crawling sex scenes, no cast of a million characters with their own subplots and no endless repeating of certain descriptors (uniform colors over and over). It broke Turtledove's usual practice of having characters mainly be fictional and instead followed General Robert E. Lee for most of the book. It was also a very intelligent book and had tons of discussion on nation building and policy which I found endlessly entertaining. After reading 20 of his books, this has been my favorite of his.
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Aug 26, 2007 19:09
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Ogmios posted:2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke. It was a good follow up to 2001, and I really enjoyed it. After reading this, I wish we would put more emphasis on space travel in our society than we currently do. I liked the sweeping nature of the book. I will read the the third one in the series some time soon. I hated how he suddenly changed the planet and moon that all the events were centered around. The only lame excuse he could come up with was, "Oh each of the books takes place in its own seperate universe."
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Aug 28, 2007 20:41
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The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley I bought it solely because of the incredible blurb on its cover: "John Varley is the best writer in America" - Tom Clancy. I laughed out loud and because it was so cheap I bought it. There were parts that were entertaining but weighed as a whole - it sucked. The best writer in America, Mr. Varley is not.
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Sep 4, 2007 15:34
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Mack the Knife posted:It Can't Happen Here An awesome book, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I would like to warn you away from Plot Against America though. I thought it was a heaping mass of dog poo poo and continually stole from Lewis. I think I ranted about it in this thread.
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Sep 5, 2007 02:16
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Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut This was my first Vonnegut book. I always saw this (along with Slaughterhouse V and Breakfast of Champions) as his most famous work so decided to give it a try based on the BB Hall of Fame. It did not disappoint. The frequent chapter cuts made it really easy to digest and the writing was easy to follow. I thought Bokonon was hilarious and enjoyed his cynical sense of humor thoroughly. I will definitely read some more of his works very soon. Next is Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
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Sep 6, 2007 03:26
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Zero Karizma posted:Just finished Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. A coworker of mine who is a former chef is always quoting from that book. He loved it and says it is largely very true.
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Sep 6, 2007 20:58
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Mack the Knife posted:Well, I had the Roth book and took the Lewis out of the library first after reading the review. I think Roth is concentrating more on the fallen hero Lindbergh. I don't know if they do it in the book, but if the baby's kidnapping was pinned on a Jew instead of a German (many people believe Hauptmann was a patsy, or just someone holding the money) I could imagine it leading to something like the book describes. I'll shut up and discuss it when I'm done reading it, though. I look forward to hearing what you thought about it.
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Sep 7, 2007 04:08
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FURY-161 posted:Just done with Neville Shute's On The Beach. Where did you find it? None of the stores around here have copies and I don't have the patience for shipping times.
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Sep 11, 2007 03:44
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Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk It was kind of like a modern Canterbury Tales, with a group of individuals going on a writer's retreat for three months to complete their masterpiece. With the prospects of their masterpieces being completed look more and more dim, they start inventing a story to tell the press when they are eventually "rescued". In order to make the story "better" things get more and more disturbing throughout the story. This is occasionally interrupted by short stories told by the individuals of the retreat and each story was pretty entertaining. This book should have been a lot shorter. There's something like 24 short stories packed into this while the events are trying to piece together their own story. Chuck could have cut out half the characters and cut the book in half. Some of those short stories would have made awesome novels by themselves and I really wished a few of them went on longer. Chuck is still one of my favorite writers. My girlfriend gave me a copy of Tuesdays with Morrie that she has told me I have to read so that will be next. On the side I'm also reading Richard Dawkins' The Blind Watchmaker. Total Party Kill fucked around with this message at 17:06 on Sep 18, 2007 |
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Sep 18, 2007 17:03
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Zero Karizma posted:A lot of people hate it, but if you didn't pay for it and it only takes you a day it's a really inoffensive book. Plus, if you can still swallow Chuck Palahniuk overexposed tripe, then you've got a fair tolerence for overblown pop-trash. Yeah, I'm not really worried about the Albom book. I might get some enjoyment out of it, I might not. Oh, I think I'll survive the Palahniuk comment. I recognize that his stuff isn't deep or meaningful, heh. Defenestration posted:A very kind review. I agree and disagree with you at the same time. Definitely not the worst I've ever read by far but not one of the best by far either. There's some plot holes and like I said it's way too long and is, like Zero Karizma said, "overblown pop-trash", but worst ever? I agree that it would have been much better as 24 non-related stories and possibly some made into their own novels. Defenestration posted:Also, I was under the impression that the short stories were interrupted for the flimsy writers' colony arc, not the other way around. I think it's one of those 'is the glass half empty or half full' things.
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Sep 18, 2007 19:06
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russia is HERE posted:Albom truly isn't worth reading. His prose is mediocre and his plots are at the very best predictable. I was required to read The Five People You Meet in Heaven for a class in high school, and it was remarkably terrible. I actually see he and Palahniuk as contemporaries who appeal to different crowds, but are basically both "deep" writers. Palahniuk has done some great stuff, don't get me wrong, but he really is just the underground Albom. I understand. I've never pretended either of the two writers was any Bill Shakespeare. I'm a pretty pessimistic person and I really enjoy Palahniuk's shitastic view of the world, that's all. Coming from someone who read nothing but science fiction until this year, this is a big step. I'd love to get into other writers who not necessarily write like Palahniuk but have a similar outlook on the world. I'm reading the Albom book only because my girlfriend told me I should. I got her to read some books I thought were great so I'm returning the favor. A week from now I'll write my little blurb about it and I'll never speak of ti again.
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Sep 19, 2007 13:08
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Zero Karizma posted:JESUS CHRIST! Will you ever stop telling us about your undying love for Mitch Albom and Chuck Palahniuk!? We get it. Nothing can top them. EVER. Just because the world of literature has never birthed such talent as what has been realized in Palahniuk and Albom doesn't mean you have to get pissed because they make every other writer to EVER hold a pen look like a pile of puke.  Zero Karizma posted:But yeah, I read it as a favor too. There are infinitely worse books you could be obligated to read for other people. The Secret and any lunatic left wing propaganda books come to mind... No one will ever get me to read The Secret. People lose all respectability points when they praise that book in front of me.
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Sep 19, 2007 16:25
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Pompous Rhombus posted:You might like Iain Banks's The Wasp Factory. I just read some about it on Amazon and its got some good reviews so sometime in the near future I'll give it a try.
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Sep 19, 2007 18:00
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LooseChanj posted:If you just finished it, I think you mean "wanted to read it before I saw the movie", don't you? He must not have liked it much as we got barely a sentence out of him about it, too. I hate it when people do that.
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Sep 21, 2007 02:11
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LooseChanj posted:I'm always conflicted about not wanting to spoil the plot, yet not wanting an entire post to consist of "OMG WOW YOU GOTTA READ/SEE/TASTE/SMELL THIS" or "don't bother, it sucks". It's an important balance one must maintain, tis true!
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Sep 21, 2007 02:38
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Rubber Biscuit posted:Having read and enjoyed Haunted THANK GOD I'm not the only person in this thread that enjoyed Haunted. I nearly had everyone ripping me apart for that one. I'm very persecuted.
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Sep 21, 2007 16:31
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Well over the weekend I got through Tuesdays with Morrie... What an unimportant book. I had some real problems with Morrie. Like, somebody should have told Morrie that funerals are not for the dead, they are for the living and that have a living funeral is one of the most vain hosed up things I can imagine. HEY IM ABOUT TO DIE SO EVERYONE THAT KNOWS ME SHOULD CROWD TOGETHER AND TELL ME HOW GREAT I AM. NEVER MIND CANDID HEARTFELT RANDOM MOMENTS - YOU ARE COMING HERE FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF CELEBRATING ME WITH EGO BLOWJOBS. Also, the "aphorisms" that got Morrie noticed are the most inane, watered-down, hallmark card, poo poo. "when you're in bed, you're dead." Wow, let me go pick up my jaw. Those took no thought and to demonstrate, I'll make some up right now on the spot: "A word is actually worth a thousand pictures, they decide how you are seen." "The days of your life are like building blocks, make something beautiful." That took 10 seconds and I think they are 2318752378532x better than Morrie's. The whole book was rushed and I expected at any moment for Mitch to lean Morrie back, open his limp jaw and slide his tongue into Morrie's mouth. Yes, I get it, people change over time. Go choke on a coffin full of dicks.
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Sep 24, 2007 14:42
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Mack the Knife posted:Find some used local bookstores, older editions are usually a few bucks and sometimes much nicer. I'm sorry to hear that Roth's Plot Against America didn't fill you with white hot rage like me.
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Sep 27, 2007 16:38
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Rubber Biscuit posted:Just finished Survivor. I'm a little confused about the ending though. If you really need to know whether you have the ending right chuckpalahniuk.net has an explanation of the ending as explained by Palahniuk himself. If you don't want to be able to interpret it yourself.
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Oct 1, 2007 03:29
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Pocket Billiards posted:I just finished the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. I was thinking about reading that soon, would you recommend it?
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Oct 2, 2007 13:18
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Zero Karizma posted:If you really want your atheistic viewpoint spit back at you, verbatim, then yes. Otherwise you pretty much already read the book. It's a decent book, but nothing you haven't heard before. Plus he's one of those "tee hee Spaghetti Monster!" atheists. Dawkins also wholeheartedly believes that wars would cease to exist if religion was gone. I'm an atheist, so I did mildly enjoy the book verbally calling me awesome over and over. But if you've got better books to read, then by all means, skip this one. You already wrote it in your head. That's the thing, I'm not sure if I'm an atheist or not. I'm reading another Dawkins book right now and am enjoying it. Is this the sort of thing for someone to read that will "convert" them?
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Oct 2, 2007 15:19
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Pocket Billiards posted:I would suggest reading The Ancestors Tale and The Selfish Gene before passing judgement on Dawkins as an author though. I will hopefully be finishing The Blind Watchmaker this week. Does that count?
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Oct 3, 2007 04:40
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The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins Having grown up in a very strict fundamentalist Christian home, I was always taught that evolution is an evil plot put forth by the scientific community to destroy my faith. For a few years I have been questioning everything that I blindly believed in and thought that learning some new ideas would be interesting. I'm also thinking about reading Dawkins' The God Delusion. This was also my first non fiction book that I've read by choice! Total Party Kill fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Oct 8, 2007 |
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Oct 8, 2007 00:40
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RobertKerans posted:I'd go for The Selfish Gene as well, probably before The God Delusion, the best dissection of evolution I've ever read, taken from the point of view of genes. For other well written books on evolution and associated biological questions, On Being the Right Size and Other Essays by JBS Haldane is well worth reading (title essay here), and basically anything by Steven Jay Gould is fantastic. Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan is great as well, concerned with cosmology. Thanks! I will probably follow your advice. I am in the process of trying to have a "fair and balanced" self-education on these matters and picked up Lee Strobel's The Case for a Creator but I've had to make so many notes in it and post-its pointing out errors or outright lies that I'm considering just putting it down. I'm also watching a critical analysis of the documentary of the same name on youtube and it is just filled with footnotes on his errors. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH3i4a6HSGs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bofjcIK-isM
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Oct 8, 2007 16:14
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Blindness - José Saramago God, this story was long. Not a ton of pages but for some reason it really seemed to drag on. I don't think there was enough description of what was going on in the story (yeah, I know most of the characters were blind :v ) and the lack of punctuation and long run-on sentences were extremely annoying. We have punctuation and grammar rules for a reason: they make reading easier. The last book I read with this sort of lack of punctuation was Drown and even then it drove me up a wall. Not to completely poo poo all over the book, there were parts that were enjoyable. The story was clever but the writing style, huge portions of unnecessary writing, and a retarded anticlimactic ending made me dislike this book, despite its being in the TBB Hall of Fame.
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Oct 11, 2007 04:28
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LooseChanj posted:Cat's Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut I am now a devout Bokononist
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Oct 15, 2007 00:58
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