velalezalezalez
Mini-Mutant
It's mercy, compassion and forgiveness I lack; not rationality.
Posts: 5
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Post by velalezalezalez on Aug 17, 2004 20:09:49 GMT -5
Currently reading "High Fidelity". While it does not make my Top Five Best Books of All Time List (Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Fountainhead, The Princess Bride, Stranger in a Strange Land, Fight Club), it is a great read, and I'd recommend it to the seeker of a light, humourous "beach" book.
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Post by pythianlegume on Aug 18, 2004 19:08:01 GMT -5
Most Nick Hornby is like that.
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Post by duckie on Aug 18, 2004 22:46:51 GMT -5
I saw a TV movie (done by I think HBO) based on that. Rutger Hauer starred in it. Yup, HBO did a movie based upon the book. I haven't seen it, though. By the way, Uber... I managed to find my copy, before heading out of town today. Am about 150 pages in so far, am really enjoying it. I'll probably finish it in the next week, will let you know what I thought of it... |
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Post by duckie on Aug 18, 2004 22:50:54 GMT -5
Currently reading "High Fidelity". While it does not make my Top Five Best Books of All Time List (Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Fountainhead, The Princess Bride, Stranger in a Strange Land, Fight Club), it is a great read, and I'd recommend it to the seeker of a light, humourous "beach" book. I picked up High Fidelity when I was in the UK a number of years ago (before the movie was out, and before I had heard anything about Nick Hornby). I'd agree with you - while it didn't make my top-five list, it was still a good read. Good enough for me to read almost everything else he has written since then. Oh, and referring to a top-five list when discussing High Fidelity made me laugh  |
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Post by Magill on Sept 3, 2004 8:36:51 GMT -5
I just reread Robert Sawyer's Calculating God. The plot synopsis sounds like the start of a corny joke--an alien lands at the Royal Ontario Museum and says "take me to your paleontologists." Of the 3 worlds this alien has found intelligent life on (including its own), all have the same pattern of mass extinctions and all at the same time. This, and other things, lead the alien to conclude that this is evidence of the extistence of God. The human protagonist is an athiest and plays the skeptic. There's a tedious side plot involving Christian fundamentalitst. It's a good read--it does some quick explanations of conditions required for life and evolution. And it goes to show that one can be a scientist and still believe in God.
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Post by duckie on Sept 5, 2004 17:26:58 GMT -5
I just finished Fatherland, by Robert Harris. Really enjoyed it - thanks, Uber! I'll have to pick up Enigma soon...
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Post by hyperconfused on Sept 6, 2004 12:06:04 GMT -5
*His dark materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
-The golden compass
-The Subtle Knife
-The Amber Spyglass
*Fantasy
*A while ago, these books were set to be made into a movie by New Line Cinema... I don't know if the project has been shelved or what, but I'd be thrilled to see the movie!
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Post by PoolMan on Sept 23, 2004 12:58:52 GMT -5
Foundation by Isaac Asimov Science Fiction An excellent novel done as a set of short stories taking place after the fall of a Galactic Empire. The stories are done very cleverly and the endings to each are never really obvious. Probably one of the best sci-fi books ever written. Madler was kind enough to lend me his copy, and I just finished it the other day. That's a VERY thin description of the plot, but he's right, it's a fantastic read. |
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Post by TheLuckyOne on Sept 23, 2004 15:02:07 GMT -5
*His dark materials trilogy by Philip Pullman -The golden compass -The Subtle Knife -The Amber Spyglass Yeah, I read those a few years back. I don't at all agree with his ideas about religion (and they seem a bit deep for children's literature), but all the same, they're extremely well-written, engaging books. Definitely worth a look. -D |
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Post by turtleheart on Sept 29, 2004 23:22:30 GMT -5
* The Curse of Fenric by Ian Briggs
* novelisation (extreme cringe factor there...)
* this is probably only for Doctor Who fans, but its actually really good... he expands on some of the subtext, to the point where he's exploring gay subtext I wasn't even aware of until I read the book (no, the Doctor is not gay. The Doctor is asexual and should remain so.) But yeah, its actually a pretty good book in its own right. Not great, but not exactly the kinda thing most people would seek out of their own accord, so I feel obliged to force it on people.
Also, anything by Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club.) They're very readable, partly because he mostly sticks to a blatant formula. Still good though.
And Oscar Wilde.
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Post by The Batman on Oct 11, 2004 22:17:56 GMT -5
Is Game of Thrones first in the series? Yes it is. I love the series. Anyone who calls themselves a fan of fantasy needs to pick up Martin's series. I'm not even a big fan of the genre and I love them. I'm also reading as much Hunter S. Thompson that I can get my hands on. I even read his collumn at ESPN.com even though I know zitch about sports. He's one of the greats. |
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Post by Head Mutant on Oct 12, 2004 8:57:34 GMT -5
Yup. Can't recommend the "Song of Ice & Fire" series loud or long enough.
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Post by Ms. Jellybean on Oct 12, 2004 12:01:04 GMT -5
The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint.
Have never read any of de Lint's work, but it's highly recommended. So I checked out every de Lint book in the public library yesterday and am planning to read them all while on vacation. ;D
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Post by Lunabird on Oct 28, 2004 0:04:49 GMT -5
The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint. Have never read any of de Lint's work, but it's highly recommended. So I checked out every de Lint book in the public library yesterday and am planning to read them all while on vacation. ;D Ahhh... The Onion Girl was...good. Not "The Most Fantastic Book I Have Ever Read", but... good. Not light reading. For "Fantasy" it's one of the grittiest and most realistic feeling books I've ever read. It's not pretty. It's not light reading either. It has it's highs, and when you hit them they are spectacular soaring highs. However, there are long "dull" periods between said highs. It was a struggle for me to get through, but I'm glad I did get through it. On another note I suppose I should reccomend a book and I'll reccomend... The Brand Spakin' New Terry Pratchett Book! It's called Going Postal and it is fantastic. It's the best Pratchett I've read in a long while. It's even better than Night Watch IMO. A lot of passion was poured into this book and it shows. |
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Post by Ms. Jellybean on Oct 28, 2004 11:33:36 GMT -5
Ahhh... The Onion Girl was...good. Not "The Most Fantastic Book I Have Ever Read", but... good. Not light reading. For "Fantasy" it's one of the grittiest and most realistic feeling books I've ever read. It's not pretty. It's not light reading either. It has it's highs, and when you hit them they are spectacular soaring highs. However, there are long "dull" periods between said highs. It was a struggle for me to get through, but I'm glad I did get through it. I agree. I ended up only reading that one on vacation, and it was good for the lulls in travel (i.e. I-40). I was overall satisfied with the book... The Tin Princess by Phillip Pullman, for those who like his work. |
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