Books again

[Slamz]

Books read recently, for some values of recently:

Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files" series. Modern day wizard-detective. Great series, good writing, good humor, likable main character. Nothing fancy, really, just a generally good series and an enjoyable read. I'm waiting for Amazon and the publisher to stop fighting over the 12th book so I can read it on the Kindle.

Jim Butcher's "Codex Alera" series. Standard 'high fantasy' series I decided to try. It's completely different than the Dresden Files but I thought it was enjoyable. It's got a bit of "rah rah good guys win again" syndrome, especially at the end, and some people probably won't like it for that reason, but I thought it was an enjoyable read. And the whole series is out, from start to finish, so no worries about getting caught up in another fucking epic unending fantasy series where the author dies or goes insane without finishing it.

"On Wings of Eagles". Non-fiction tale of Ross Perot's efforts to extract some imprisoned executives from Iran during the Iranian revolution (this was prior to Carter's botched hostage rescue). Not my style of book, really, but pretty interesting. Basically two American executives -- Perot's employees -- got arrested and held by the Iranian government without any charges and with an insane bail set. The government was basically extorting Perot's company for cash. Perot, having no luck through all legal channels, rounded up a team to get them out and the book is about that.

"The Falcon and the Snowman". Another non-fiction similar to above. This one is a true espionage tale about two Americans mixed up in selling CIA secrets to the Soviets via Mexico in the 60s I believe it was (maybe 70s). Pretty well written, if you're into this sort of thing.

"American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. I seem to keep buying this guy's books. They're basically "dark fantasy". He's a great writer but utterly humorless. I also read "Stardust" which was quite good -- the ol' ordinary-man-has-a-run-in-with-the-fairy-realm kind of book. Not exactly classics but solid reads.

"Unseen Academicals" by Terry Pratchett. Funniest fantasy author known to man. Sadly, he was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's so I'm not sure how many more books we're getting out of him. "Unseen Academicals" is one of the Discworld books -- a "wizard" book, if you're familiar with the series. Basically the wizards of Unseen University realize that in order to maintain their current level of funding, they are contractually obligated to have a football team...



I just started one called "Reluctant Swordsman" by Dave Duncan. It has good reviews on Amazon but I'm not far enough into it to say how good it is.



What do you have that you've read recently?

[Fretty]

Finally reading Rainbow Six.
I'm sure everyone here knows what it's about.
Outstanding book. 90% complete so far, I can't see it failing me in the last 10%.

Re-read Ender's Game just before that.
Once again I doubt I have to inform you all of what that book is.
Loved it for the third time.

[Breand]

You can (partially) thank my sister for the Dresden Files, she's the editor who picked up the series. She convinced Butcher to rename it to the Dresden Files, too...he originally called them the Dresden Chronicles. Of course, my sister has nothing to show for their incredible success....

I just read Farenheit 451, somehow I avoided having to read it in school...it was excellent. I also read "Flash Forward" which was the book that inspired the TV series. It is completely and totally different from the show. I liked it for the most part, not the best of writing ever but it was interesting.

Ive actually been devouring every graphic novel from my library I can get my hands on. "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" by Alan Moore has been great, definitely check out the Walking Dead series if you like the zombie genre (Frank Darabont is writing/directing a TV adaptation).

If you are liking Gaiman, get the stuff he was famous for: "The Sandman" graphic novel series.

And of course, if you have not read George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series you are doing yourself an extreme diservice. It's the best fantasy series ever written and yes, I will even blaspheme and say it's better than Lord of the Rings.

[Moristans]

Last month, I read the entire Orcs series by Stan Nicholls. Entertaining read for some lazy vacation days at the GFs parents house, but all it would have taken was something even mildly more entertaining to pull me away.

Right now, I'm trying to pummel my way through The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Fatal Revenant again. It's my third time trying after buying it in hardcover when it first came out. I got through the Runes of the Earth pretty easily, but I think it's just another case of having to wait until the series is finished that's keeping me from really committing to it.

[Snowreap]

books I've read recently, that didn't suck:

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
Black Magic Sanction

-ken

[Jakensama]

"American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. I seem to keep buying this guy's books. They're basically "dark fantasy". He's a great writer but utterly humorless. I also read "Stardust" which was quite good -- the ol' ordinary-man-has-a-run-in-with-the-fairy-realm kind of book. Not exactly classics but solid reads.

Anansis Boys is a psuedo sequal to that thats entertaining if you liked American Gods - theres also a story about Shadow in his short story anthology Fragile Things.

Sandman recommendation of his is spot on, I dont like most comics but thats the best one ever written up there with Watchmen and Preacher..


Other than that I've been reading Dostoyevsky lately and Gibbons History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, exciting stuff I'm sure everyone was looking for

And of course, if you have not read George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series you are doing yourself an extreme diservice.

Great and all but I refuse to recommend it to anyone until he finishes it, if you look at a picture of his fat ass and read his blog that he spends time writing about football in instead of finishing his damn book - you will see its fairly obvious he will pull a Jordan and kick off before its over. Series should be good on HBO tho.

It's the best fantasy series ever written and yes, I will even blaspheme and say it's better than Lord of the Rings.

I'll blaspheme and say Lord of the Rings is not that well written to begin with, it just holds a place in our hearts since it was the first..

[Zirak]

'The Hiding Place' is the true story of Corrie ten Boom and her family who hid Jews during the Nazi occupation of Holland and ended up in a concentration camp for it.

I have not yet read but recently picked up the latest of Dan Abnett's Gaunt's Ghosts series of Warhammer 40K books. This is a wonderful series with many of the books being a sort of sci-fi version of historical battle situations.

I just started reading Barbara Hambly's 'The Time of the Dark'. I'm not very far into it yet but it has been mildly interesting so far.

[Vllad]

My latest reads.

As I commented in another thread I read "The Sign" by Raymond Khoury. I am still convinced someone in Purge wrote that book. I will reservce comment until others in Purge have read it.

I read "The Catch" by Gary Myers. I would recommend it for anyone who is a football fan. It isn't just about Joe Montana and Dwight Clark. The book really shows the details about how the NFL in general changed from that period forward compared to the periods before it.

I also read "The Basketball Book" by Bill Simmons. A very well written book with some unique views which are refreshing. While Bill is unique I just can't get past how much of an idiot he is.


There was a new release I was looking forward for 20 years. The sequal to "Inferno" by Pournel and Niven. Inferno would make a great MMO. There are very few books I have ever enjoyed more then Inferno. The sequal wasn't quite is as good but if you read Inferno you have to read the second part.

For those that never heard of the story,

It is about a Science Fiction writer who dies and goes to hell. The story is based upon his life in hell and his quest to see if he can get out.


Vllad

[Fretty]

books I've read recently, that didn't suck:

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
Black Magic Sanction

-ken

If you liked the Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter book, you should check out Pride & Prejudice & Zombies by the same author.

[Snowreap]

telling me about a book I told all of you about months ago doesn't count.

http://thepurge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?...51#p110851
http://thepurge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?...03#p123503

-ken

[Fretty]

telling me about a book I told all of you about months ago doesn't count.

http://thepurge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?...51#p110851
http://thepurge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?...03#p123503

-ken

Heh, sorry, didn't know that.
But for those who haven't read it yet, take Snow's advice and read it!

[Dustie]

I liked Fahrenheit 451. I too skipped it in school for some reason.

I want to read "On the Wings of Eagles" now, it sounds good and I had no clue that Perot was involved anything of the sort - neat.

Here's my list for the last 6 months or so:

Books:
-Snowball / Alice Schroeder
Snowball is awesome for Buffet fans if you want to know about his life and not just a picked apart picture of his investing prowess.

-Alexander Hamilton / Ron Chernow
Chernow's Hamitlon was my favorite and has completely converted me to a Hamilton fan. He is so blatently pro Hamilton that its almost irrirating, but the sheer amount of information he bring forward is amazing.

-The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin / H.W. Brands
My first full Franklin biography so I can't say too much, its certainly seems well done to me.



Audio Books (titles are self explanatory, recommended ones in bold):
-A history of Ancient Rome / by Frances Titchener
-Great minds of the Western intellectual tradition. Part 4 of 7
-Waking dragon : the emerging Chinese economy and its impact on the world / Peter Navarro
-Argumentation : the study of effective reasoning / David Zarefsky
-Civil liberties and the Bill of Rights Part 1 of 3 / John E. Finn.
-Civil liberties and the Bill of Rights Part 2 of 3 / John E. Finn.
-Founding brothers : the revolutionary generation / by Joseph J. Ellis
-Brotherhood of the revolution : how America's founders forged a new nation / Joseph Ellis
-High seas, high stakes : naval battles that changed history / Timothy B. Shutt

edit:
Forgot "Outliers" and "Atlas Shrugged" -- recommend them both. Gladwell goes too far imo pushing luck over hard work, but he at least acknowledges the importance of both. I only differ with him on the societal implications of success and what people "owe" back to the society that created the condintions for them to be successful. As far as Atlas Shrugged goes, now I know why Jake has called me Ayn Rand several times in the past. =)

[Kakarat]

I am just finishing up a series by Richard Knaak

Ogre Titans

1. The Black Talon (2007)
2. The Fire Rose (2008)
3. The Gargoyle King (2009)

Its not a that bad even after reading RA Salvatore books, but you can't compare it to his.
The idea is an Ogre/elf cross(Golgren) is leading the Ogre race,trying to reunite the Ogres clans as one. Any normal Ogre that challenged Golgren in a fight has lost. That is where it starts, and the story expands from there. There are many twists throughout that keep you guessing. Its not a very predicable series. If you enjoy your fantasy books, go ahead and grab this series.