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Books
May 12, 2006 19:40:37 GMT -5
Post by UNIT 0918 on May 12, 2006 19:40:37 GMT -5
Come on! Does anyone here read any books? If you do, share your favorites!
Eragon and Eldest- These books rock. The story is about an ordinary farm boy named Eragon finding a dragon egg, which later hatches for him, making him a rider, a warrior with great strength, long life, and magic. Almost every part of the book is fun to read, even the calm parts. I think the movie will play at around November. I think the movie will be like The Lord of the Rings, so, if you enjoyed that, then I think you should watch it.
Robotech- I first picked these book out at the library, and it was fun with a story that isn't all about the giant robots. It's pretty enjoyable, with surprising twists. Reading these books makes me want to watch the anime. I see them at Sam Goody's, but I don't want to buy the entire box set.
Harry Potter- Yeah, the popular story about a boy who survived a killing magic spell point blank without getting so much as a lighting-shaped scar. J.K. Rowling is currently writing the final seventh book. My sister is obsessed with Harry Potter(or rather, Emma Watson/Herminone Granger). If you let her go on the internet, then she'll immediately go on the Harry Potter website.
Halo- These books are hard to find in the library since it's so popular. I read the prequal and the novel for the game. I enjoyed the books and actually understanded them, unlike the game since I can't hear a word they're saying and that there are no subtitles.
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Books
May 12, 2006 20:38:02 GMT -5
Post by Rage on May 12, 2006 20:38:02 GMT -5
Surprising, I do read not much though. Basically when I am force to read books for school and dad's air force times.
The outsiders: a gang war about 2 young boys who shanked a dude and they are on the run.
That was then, this is now: drugs...I think. It has this deep story kind of thing and they have a hippie. Great book though.
I suggest you read them both. I like the Outsiders movie too.
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Books
May 13, 2006 1:16:33 GMT -5
Post by Santa Melty on May 13, 2006 1:16:33 GMT -5
Books? I actually don’t read very much. Not much free time. So, I have to be sure the reading that I do get is as entertaining as possible. Thus, I only buy highly acclaimed, best-selling novels. The strategy usually works very well. I’ve come across nary a book I couldn’t enjoy. However, because of this method, any books I say are good will probably be a “Well duh” sort of affair. Perhaps it’d be better if I just mentioned a few authors.
First J. K. Rowling, since she’s already been mentioned. I’m sure most here have read the Harry Potter series, so I’m sure it requires little explanation. The stories are excellently written, and overall, they are just easily enjoyable.
Second, Douglas Adams, the man known mostly for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, which was a very uncommon, for whatever reason, mix of science fiction and humor. You’ve probably at least heard of the movie, though I’ve never seen it myself. I’m no literature buff, but I felt that the humor stemmed from a mixture of not only the stories’ ludicrous concepts, but also Adams’ writing style. I just have a difficult time imagining a movie doing his books justice.
His books seem to be something of a specialized taste... It seems that anyone I ask who’s read his books either loves them or hates them. For the most part, I thought his stories were a bit lackluster. In the Hitchgiker’s bunch, the plots seemed to lack a strong, driving force, and most of the time it felt as though the characters were just being randomly dragged through his interpretation of the universe. But that was the fun part of it, since so many neat things happened as the dragging was occurring. The path of the stories is erratic, right from the start of the first novel in the series. Arthur Dent tries to prevent his home from being torn down so that the county can construct a new road through where it is currently standing. In the process of his protest, the Earth explodes. Most of the story thereof is paced likewise. The ending of the series was pretty grim, unfortunately. It is a shame Adams died before he could finish a sequel.
In the Dirk Gently novels, the story felt a bit stronger, though overall it was much slower than the Hitchhiker’s books. The plot revealed itself much more slowly, and the jokes were slower-paced. It was still very enjoyable though, and as far as the humor went, there was less of it, but what was there kept me giggling for days.
Though those are the two series that he is most known for, he also wrote several other books, as well as the script for a British sci-fi television series at one point, and I’m sure several other things that I know nothing about, if anyone is interested. He was a busy guy.
Let’s see... Yann Martel. Neat guy. Got into his writing after reading Life of Pi. The plot wasn’t amazing; there is only so much one can do with a boy stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean as he waits for rescue. Still, it was a wonderful story. The way he portrays the boy’s feelings and thought, and how he was slowly weakening and becoming more desperate over time... it kept things interesting. Not the kind of book you need to do much interpreting for, as in classical literature, but it does get poetic in it’s telling. And I was able to get a few laughs out of those Japanese workers that come and collect the boy’s testimony after he reaches land.
As for his other works, I’ve only read one other. The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios was the title. It was a collection of four even more oddly-named short stories Martel wrote previously. Again, the plot wasn’t incredible and complex and riddled with conspiracy and woe, but he kept things very interesting, even deep. I’d recommend it for some light reading; it doesn’t take much time to breeze through each of the stories.
Next... Dan Brown. You’ve heard of him, I’m sure. Mystery/Thriller is my favorite genre, and the guy writes them like a demon. Not a speed demon, mind you. A new novel from him looks pretty far off. So, just a really mad demon, I suppose.
The draw is a simple one. He makes things thrilling. There are a bunch of people with different values and beliefs, and one of them tries to kill and conspire against the other. All the while, philosophies and little-known facts about the world get tossed around with perfect timing.
Some of his books have been controversial. Like the thing with Harry Potter encouraging witchcraft, but worst, and with slightly more basis. I know that Angels and Demons has had the crud analyzed out of it, as has The Da Vinci Code. I myself really couldn’t care less if he got the name of a monument wrong or accidentally left out a vital fact or two, nor does it matter to me how disturbing some of the historical facts brought up might be to some people. The books were still great, and I’d recommend them to anyone.
I think there were a few more authors I wanted to mention, but I can’t remember them at the moment. There are a few books specifically that I wanted to mention though.
- To Kill a Mockingbird. Yes, I know, it’s required reading and all. If you haven’t read it yet, you most likely will. However, unlike most required reading, I actually found this book to be very enjoyable when I read through it. A bit deep, but not too overly descriptive, once you get through the first chapter or two. And it actually has some humor peppered over it. Or perhaps I’m just morbid and laugh at odd things. Either way, I liked it.
- Savannah. A historic fiction by John Jakes about a couple of kids in the south during the Civil War. Lighthearted and, now this part is important in historical novels, fairly short. No overdescriptions, just story, which is what I like. Sometimes a romance, sometimes a drama, sometimes just simple storytelling, and maybe a comedy. I don’t like historic novels very much, but this one was half decent.
- The Broker, by John Grisham. Grisham has written quite a few books, though this is the only one of his I’ve read. A thriller about a guy who used to be a huge information trader in D.C., before he got involved is some shading dealings and got arrested. He then tried to start a new life, but ends up getting betrayed and hunted down by various parties for what he knows. It made for a pretty good thriller, though overall I felt that it could have been better. The thriller portions of the book were sweet, but short, and despite all that building up of suspense with the president and the planning and such, the story seemed to go out inconclusively, with a whimper. Still, a good book.
- The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom. Simply put, a guy dies, goes to heaven, and gets taught a five lessons about life by people that he affected during his life, using parts of his life as an example. Deep, and more about philosophy than religion. I am cold and heartless and don’t get touched by a lot of things, but this book almost brought a tear to my eye at one point. Almost. Anyway, a great book all around, and I recommend it. And just a little tidbit, for some reason the book jacket and the front of the hardcover book spells out the title in lower-case letters.
- Lies My Teacher Told Me, by James Loewen. It’s actually nonfiction book about the flaws of modern-day American high school history curriculums. I haven’t actually read the entire thing; nonfiction is not my forte. They repeat themselves too much. But I should recommend at least one, just for balance. Or at least, I recommend the first chapter or two, just so you get the point. It was very enlightening for me, since I never bothered doing any research or thinking outside of what was required of me.
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Books
May 14, 2006 17:31:45 GMT -5
Post by Servbot42 on May 14, 2006 17:31:45 GMT -5
- Harry Potter Series
- Artemis Fowl Series
- Charlie Bone Series (Though I haven't read past the second book. I really need to read the rest.
- The Halo Books (Currently Re-reading The Fall of Reach.)
- His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass.) I read these at least once a year.
- Redwall Series
- Inheritance Trilogy (Eragon, Eldest, Empire.)
- The A Series of Unfortunate Events ... Series
- The Chronicles of Narnia (Just started reading this.)
I don't like to read books if they aren't part of a series, though I have read That was then, This is Now. It was pretty good. I also enjoyed H.G. Well"s The War of the Worlds.
And what do you mean you can't hear what they're saying in Halo? Just turn the volume up. But, if you've read The Flood, then I guess you really wouldn't have to worry about what they're saying.
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Books
May 14, 2006 18:18:42 GMT -5
Post by Dashe on May 14, 2006 18:18:42 GMT -5
Like nearly everyone else here, I've read the entire Harry Potter series so far. Personally I hope Rowling conclusively finishes the series with HP#7 instead of continuing to milk the series for all its worth. I've read The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons (I liked DaVinci Code better, my sister liked Angels and Demons better), and Digital Fortress (also by Dan Brown), currently working on Deception Point. To Kill a Mockingbird was really good, and if you ever wind up getting forced to read The Poisonwood Bible, that was good too, that and Frankenstein.
I've read The Little Prince in French, and it's better in French than in English, to be honest. In English it just doesn't read quite right, as with most translations. I didn't like it much until I read the original French version. I also enjoyed The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, even if I haven't read it since I was in third grade. That's the book that originally got me hooked on pirate stories (yes, I have also read Treasure Island) and probably spawned my obsession with the Bonnes and air pirates.
Usually when I want to read a book I go to the library and arbitrarily start grabbing stuff off the fiction shelves. Sometimes I'll only pick books with cool cover pictures, sometimes I'll only pick books whose authors' last names begin with a specific letter, I think of new ways to grab books every time, but I can only recall one incident where I ended up with a book I had to go out and buy for myself, and that was Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde, which was excellent.
I know I've read more stuff, but honestly those are the only books I can think of off the top of my head (yeah, bad memory, what else is new...)
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Books
May 15, 2006 20:03:43 GMT -5
Post by UNIT 0918 on May 15, 2006 20:03:43 GMT -5
Inheritance Trilogy ( Eragon, Eldest, Empire) Wha? You know the title of the last book of the Inheritance Trilogy? Does that mean that it'll come out soon?
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Books
May 16, 2006 5:52:23 GMT -5
Post by Servbot42 on May 16, 2006 5:52:23 GMT -5
Oh, I've known the the name for a long time now. I read about it on Wikipedia.
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Books
May 16, 2006 20:07:49 GMT -5
Post by Rage on May 16, 2006 20:07:49 GMT -5
I read Animal farm early this year, and wasn't that much of a great book though. Today my teacher was giving away all of the books sort of. She actually thorwing them away, so I "borrowed" them and I'm going to donate them, burn them or sell them on E-Bay.
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Books
May 21, 2006 11:27:31 GMT -5
Post by TronBonne on May 21, 2006 11:27:31 GMT -5
I don't read that many books, I'm the slowest reader ever. Still, I have read a few books I really enjoyed, but a few of them were books I had to read for school.
School books: Lord of the Flies by William Golding: I was supposed to read Life of Pi, but thank goodness my teacher let us read LotF. I was surprised by how much I liked this book. I'm sure most of you know, but it's about a group of boys who have been sent away to an island to escape the war in Britain. During their time on the Island, they basically become savage-like. This book got a little boring at times, but I thought the themes were really well done.
Macbeth by Shakespeare: Aside from the stupid old English, the plot is pretty cool. Macbeth starts out as a hero, and follows the path of destruction. I wouldn't recommend anyone reading it though if they have a hard time understanding Shakespeare books, because you probably won't enjoy it. I only understood what was going on because I looked on the Internet for notes. =p
Random Books that I have read: Black Beauty: I read this book 3 times when I was a kid and I never understood it. I picked up bits and pieces, but overall I thought the book was pointless. After reading it again last summer, I thought reading about that horse was cool. The journey of that horse was interesting, I couldn't believe I missed so much the first 3 times that I read it >.<
Timmy tiptoes! Ok, so this is a kiddy book, but it's been my favourite kiddy book since I was 3.
The other books I read are basically books that involve a mystery around death, so there's a lot of those that I've read. I need more books to read, I'll probably end up checking out some of the books you guys mentioned.
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Books
May 22, 2006 19:41:42 GMT -5
Post by UNIT 0918 on May 22, 2006 19:41:42 GMT -5
Marley and Me- This book is basically a biography of the author and his troublemaking Labrador Retriever. It was pretty fun. I cried a lot at the end! I recommend it!
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Books
May 23, 2006 23:56:03 GMT -5
Post by aarond on May 23, 2006 23:56:03 GMT -5
Death Gate Cycle and Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman Magic of Recluce by LE Modesitt The Great American Novel by Philip Roth Lamb by Christopher Moore
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Books
May 27, 2006 0:30:20 GMT -5
Post by Musashi on May 27, 2006 0:30:20 GMT -5
My favorite series is the Shadow Children books, aka "Among the" series, by Margrat Peterson Haddix. I've only read the first book of Harry Potter, and I wasn't really into the series..I mean its well written, but I don't like it T_T.
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Books
May 28, 2006 9:30:05 GMT -5
Post by Servbot42 on May 28, 2006 9:30:05 GMT -5
I'm reading Dune right now. It's pretty good.
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Books
Jun 2, 2006 22:54:18 GMT -5
Post by Pitch on Jun 2, 2006 22:54:18 GMT -5
*sigh* well, I'm not really one to read many books.. not even "required" reading. I cannot stand non-fiction, or... even just normal fiction. Reality diappoints me. Give me a good fantasy or sci-fi.
I really enjoyed Ender's Game. Good book that was. Had aliens, space ships, massively multiplayer laser tag in an anti-gravity chamber.. Pretty decent plot, too, though it seemed a bit harsh at times.. It really made ya think at times... like, I dunno.. how there are no real directions in Anti-Gravity. I never considered that. Lots of other stuff, too. Main character - Ender -'s some sort of strategic genius.
I thought The Martian Chronicles was pretty good. It really drew me in when I started reading it, hearing about these unique ideas about the Martians houses and such.. I was a bit disappointed though, because as the story moved further and further it became less about the actual Martians and more about the humans. Imaginative, beautifully descriptive details turned back to the ordinary. Just about every bit of it seemed to contain some sort of irony though, and I must say, I love a good irony, so it was okay.
I absolutely love Greek(or maybe it was Roman..) myths. Those were a phun read, especially for required reading. The naturey ones in particular were pretty good. I liked the one with Persephone(Purr-seff-uh-nee; it's a pretty name), the way it explains winter/summer. Very clever. Pretty nice. They were all pretty good, some were a bit strange though..
I mentioned I'm not one for reality in writing, but I thought the book The Great Gatsby was pretty well written. Lotta nice imagery, painted the picture pretty well, it was like you could actually see what was going on. Like watching a movie or reading a manga. xD It was pretty cool, only thing I didn't like about it was that it didn't have a happy ending. I can appreciate why it didn't, but the imagery was so nice.. it would've been nice to have a happy ending.
There's something else too, but I can't think of it.
I found Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy a while ago, I'm gonna get on reading that.
I really dislike Harry Potter. The books were okay when I was a bit younger, but eh... it's a nice story I guess, but I dunno. Just not a lot to keep me reading, couple that with the insane length of those buggers and well yeah. I don't like 'em..
I did kinda enjoy the first Lord of the Rings book. Took me forever to finish it, but in my defense, I was a bit younger at the time. I oughta actually read the second and third books. I really did enjoy the movies, if that really means anything.
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Books
Jun 5, 2006 20:13:38 GMT -5
Post by UNIT 0918 on Jun 5, 2006 20:13:38 GMT -5
OMG. I thought the Lord of the Rings books were extremely boring, no offense. I guess I just can't stand old books that detail every-single-action-made-by-the-heros-from-how-they-eat-to-un-related-con-versations!
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