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Post by Al on Mar 18, 2005 20:03:07 GMT -5
I'd second that. Dan Brown is not brain food by any stretch of the imagination, but his novels are fun and fast reads with lots of neat facts that help to support a really *really* thin plot and some pretty shamelessly pulpy writing. I'd also warn against reading his books too close to one another, or you'll stumble upon the relalization that he has used the same plot four times in a row. For the record, I am endorsing Oogie's recommendation--check them out, just be aware that Foucault's Pendulum this is not.
Al
On a side note, it's this same characteristic of Dan Brown's writing that will doom The Da Vinci Code movie to, at best, stolid mediocrity. At worst, I don't want to think about it.
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Post by kylerexpop on Mar 21, 2005 20:55:31 GMT -5
regarding james bond novels . . . the ian fleming books are "fun" in an odd sense, where if you want to know the source material and see what a creative (though food and accoutrements-obsessed) mind could devise regarding the world of espionage in the '60s, then you might enjoy them. but i don't really recommend them for a casual reader. they might be a little too slow, boring, and so unlike the films that even an enthusiastic reader gets un-enthused quick. i do like "you only live twice" and "on her majesty's secret service" quite a bit. i own "colonel sun" by kingsley amis, but haven't read it. sorry. the john gardner books are decent, and much more in tune with the tone of the film while retaining as much of the original fleming vision as possible. he gets credit for striving to do new things with bond, including fiddling with his rank and giving him a couple romantic interests that actually last longer than a single novel (!), but he gets bogged down in trying to do new things and in trying to keep things realistic. if you just want fantastic bond stories, not all the gardner books will appeal to you. if you want to try him out, "license renewed" and "nobody lives forever" are your best bets. raymond benson took over the literary world of bond in 1997 with "zero minus ten." tried to read it. didn't like it. benson's work, while a much better fusion of the original fleming and the film series than gardner's, just tries too hard to keep it realistic. oh well. "high time to kill" is possibly one of the best james bond novels ever for the casual reader to try out, because it keeps the tension high all throughout, the visuals are astounding, and bond is true to fleming's original vision while still retaining enough cinematic characteristics that you'll feel right at home imagining him looking like connery, moore, dalton, lazenby, or brosnan. have fun!  |
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Post by Head Mutant on Mar 22, 2005 11:19:17 GMT -5
Following my love of the weird fantasy novel Perdido Street Station, I'm finishing up the second book in the series (The Scar) and prepping for the third (Iron Counsel). These are seriously some of the most inventive fantasy books I've ever read... totally digging it.
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Post by WildOblivion on Mar 25, 2005 22:44:36 GMT -5
Someone ought to read The Outstretched Shadow. It's pretty good. About 700 or more pages, but worth almost every one. That is, if you've ever read anything else of Mercedes Lackey's, you'd know that a good work by her is a rare gem.
The book is basically about this kid named Kellen who grows up rich, etc. and gets kicked out of the "City" by his father (who rules the City) and learns he has a sister, etc. It's a typical storyline including the unicorns, magic, demons, and elves, but it's so original that none of that really matters.
I was surprised by this. Then again, she's co-writing with John Mallory. Alas, enough, before I become eloquent and give away the book. Chao.
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Post by dajaymann on Mar 28, 2005 23:43:32 GMT -5
I've been on a Theoretical Physics and Quantum Mechanics kick recently - I just finished Stephen Hawking's The Universe in a Nutshell, and I'm currently reading The Elegant Universe by someone named Boone or Moore or something. I can't remember. Don't feel like googling it to find out. But it's pretty sweet, in a "my head's going to explode as I read this" kind of way.
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Post by PoolMan on Apr 6, 2005 13:05:03 GMT -5
I just read Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. That's a fun read. VERY Doug Adams-y.
Basically, you have one angel and one demon whose history with each other and mankind goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. The demon (Crowley) gets assigned to deliver the baby Antichrist to an American family, but it ends up going to a British one. Come the child's 11th birthday, the world will end as he gains his powers, as predicted 300 years ago by Agnes Nutter, the world's only completely accurate seer. Crowley and his angelic enemy/friend Aziraphale decide they actually LIKE the world, and try and avert the Armageddon, despite orders from their superiours.
Awesome, awesome read. Gaiman's flair for supernatural drama and plots with Pratchett's flair for witty humour and asides. A must for HHGTTG fans.
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Post by Magill on Apr 6, 2005 17:43:50 GMT -5
More Neil Gaiman--I read a book of his short stories, Smoke and Mirrors. Some of my favorite stores are "Chivalry," "Nicholas Was . . .," "The Price," "The Daughter of Owls," "The Sweeper of Dreams," "Murder Mysteries," and "Snow, Glass, Apples." After you read that last one, the story of Snow White just never seems the same.
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Post by Al on Apr 6, 2005 19:00:30 GMT -5
I might also recommend "Murder Mysteries" and "Snow Glass Apples" done on audio in Two Plays For Voices. Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith!) and Brian Dennehy are brilliantly chilling. It's really worth your money, but then again, I'm obsessed with audiobooks. Al |
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Post by duckie on Apr 9, 2005 9:33:37 GMT -5
I enjoyed both Good Omens and Smoke and Mirrors. I've been patiently waiting for the movie release of Good Omens... it's been on-again, off-again, but now it's back in the off-again phase  |
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Post by MC on May 7, 2005 2:04:34 GMT -5
The mutants in x-men and x-men 2, i'm like that, i'm a mutant human. It sounds dumb but it's true. Call me by my mutant name, Zap.
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Post by Head Mutant on May 7, 2005 15:59:04 GMT -5
It sounds dumb for a reason.
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Post by mysteriorockanova on May 7, 2005 19:28:21 GMT -5
Everybody should by and read the book Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. It's about presidential assassinations and tourism and is awesome.
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Post by Head Mutant on Jun 14, 2005 7:34:31 GMT -5
Caramel and I go to the library on weekends, usually, because they have a super-discounted bookstore in there -- this past weekend we were able to fill up a bag with 44 books for just $5. I only selected a few promising-looking scifi novels, but I struck gold with this one:
Expendable, by James Alan Gardner. The premise is not only kinda intriguing, but the book is split into all of these mini-chapters that really kept me turning pages. It's hard to explain, but I loved that type of narrative style, and I'm going to have to try my hand at writing like it some day.
In any case... funny, funny book that's also imaginative and even moving. It's about this girl who's part of a select group of space explorers who are deliberately kept ugly or disformed somehow so that when they're put into ultra-dangerous situations and die, their genetically perfect crewmates won't feel as sad. They call themselves "expendable crew members".
As this is the first book in a sort-of series, I'm going to have to hunt down the other ones. Really tremendous author.
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Post by kylerexpop on Jul 10, 2005 23:39:18 GMT -5
"surfer girl: a guide to the surfing life" by sanoe lake is fantastic so far. i was just going to check it out, but had to pick it up because it's so cheap, colorful, and fun of interesting factoids and cultural observations. it's not only chok full of pictures and cartoons, but it also delves into the lifestyle and culture of surfing. totally awesome, and perfect to augment your knowledge if you're land-locked and want to show up your friends, who know only what they see on 'the o.c.'
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Post by bladestarr on Jul 18, 2005 10:51:56 GMT -5
Hey, didn't I just see you over at the Fantastic Four board? You certainly get around!
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