Any of you tweakers even got time for reading? I'd love to hear some recommendations from you folks. I figure since we all inevitably get to know each other, someones thoughts on a book are a little more meaningful when you know whose thoughts they are. Also I could always use some christmas gift ideas. I'm don't read much myself, perhaps 1 book a month. Right now I'm finally reading Hitchhiker's Guide. I've never read anything like it before, but boy is it ever enjoyable! And funny, actually laugh out loud funny! I would recommend it to anybody. Not too long ago I finished Bad News. Non-fiction about the declining quality of foreign news. Interesting enough I guess. I think everyone probably realizes international journalism isn't all it could be, and I think this book does a pretty good job of explaining why. If it's something you're interested in I'd recommend it, I found it pretty insightful. I put some serious effort into reading Don Quixote but at about half way I could suffer it no more. If anybody could explain to me how this book is significant, not even good but just significant, please do so. I subscribe to Macleans magazine too. But I probably only read 10% of any one issue
I read ender's game like 5 years ago, i thought it was pretty good! Not reading anything any more!!! mwahahahaha
I just read: Brave New World Stranger in a Strange Land The Fountainhead Illuminatus Trilogy! Schrodingers Cat Trilogy (I've been trying to read alot more lately...gotta get in my Required Geek Reading and since the library was closed over the weekend, I picked back up my copy of The Ultimate Hitchiker's Guide, and I'm re-reading it. then it it will probably be American Gods, and maybe Ulysses, if I can understand it.
"wizard and glass" by stephen king. it's the 4th book in the dark tower series. i usually am not a big king fan but these books are great! i've the read teh previous 3 in the last few weeks.
I've read Gunslinger, but it never really pulled me in. Perhaps alot of it went over my head because I don't often read anything close to this style of fiction. Does the series improve as it goes on? Appreciate all the recommendations so far guys... I'll be looking into all of them eventually I'm sure.
I'm too busy reading for school, I just finished: In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio And started: Golden Arches East: McDonald's in East Asia Go go modern anthropology!
the series improves greatly as it goes on. i didn't like gunslinger that much, either, but the books just get better as the series progresses.
Don Quijote (Quixote for you Anglos) was written in Spanish. I think some stuff is probably lost in translation.
I Just finished reading "A Happy Death" because i loved the stranger. Right now im back and fourth between "Notes from Underground" by Dostoevsky and Ray Kurzweil's, "The Singularity is Near"
Currently reading a few HP Lovecraft books. If you're looking for sci-fi to read, try anything by Charles Stross, Alistair Reynolds, Iain M. Banks, or Richard Morgan. Not to spoil things for you, but the quality drops off in the last 3 books, #6 in particular is pretty bad. The first 4 are fantastic, I agree, but he it seems like he threw away whatever ideas he had for the last couple of books since he started writing the series in the '70s, and based them around a much more recent event in his own life. The later books are different in style to the first one, try reading the 2nd and see what you think.
noooo don't tell me they get bad. i'm pretty much committed to finishing the series anyway, we'll see what i think. also, great list of authors. i'd say reynolds was one of my top 5 favorite writers, all his scifi is awesome. stross is ok, i the atrocity archive just because it was different, but wasn't that impressed with accelerando. bank's culture books are also great. just to throw in a few more of my favorites, have you read dan simmons, neal stephenson, or william gibson?
Just bought a bunch of books, but don't know which ones I'll read right away. The first ones I picked up are "How to draw cars the hot wheels way" and "The Leadership Engine".
Definitely finish it, there are still plenty of good bits. Yeah, Accelerando wasn't his best, Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise were both better I think. Yes, yes, and yes Dan Simmons' Hyperion/Endymion books are great, and the Ilium/Olympos pair are pretty good too. Neal Stephenson is one of my favourite authors, I enjoyed his Baroque trilogy even though it was historical fiction and not sci-fi. Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon etc are all great. As for Gibson, I've read Neuromancer, and have a couple of his other books that I just haven't gotten around to reading yet.
The Essential Mystics by Andrew Harvey The Enlightened Mind by Stephen Mitchell School books aren't that bad when you get deep into your major.
I'm just finishing up a book called "the world is flat" by Thomas freedman. its about the effects that technology has had on the world economically and nationally and the barriers its leveled around the world. Its from a business standpoint for the most part so It can be a little dry, but I’m a nerd like that.
My introduction to Neal Stephenson was Cryptonomicon. I enjoyed it enough I guess, but I'm not sure it was the best book to start off with as far as Stephenson goes. I've only just started the Baroque Cycle trilogy, but it's a pretty daunting task, I just hope it's rewarding. If I finish it by this time next year I'll be doing well. Maybe I'll just go get Snowcrash before I go any further, as a primer of sorts.
I haven't read a book since my freshman year in highschool. Required reading was "Great Expectaions" fucking boring ass book. The book before that was "Slaughter House Five" by Vaunegut Jr. It was interesting enough....kinda weird though.
right Now im reading: Storm Of Swords by George R.R. Martin Hitler's Scientists: Science, War, And the Devil's Advocate by John Cromwell Flags Of Our Fathers by James Bradley I Just Finished Rereading the Wheel of Time Saga by Robert Jordan and just finished The Game of Thrones and The clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
awesome, you read all the same shit i do cryptonomicon is one of my favorite non-scifi(sort of) books, but it's definitely difficult to get into. i would recommend stephenson's 'the diamond age' as an introduction to his writing just because it doesn't have some of the more complicated elements that his other books have.
Just finished "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote a couple of days ago. Reeeeeeeeeeally good writing. I read through it like butter because his writing just flows and you understand everything the first time through. Then I went to Barnes & Noble to pick up "Music for Chameleons" by Captoe also. It's been recommended by two people. But neither of the BN's had it. So I ordered it online on Saturday and am waiting for it. I get sad on my lunch breaks cuz I dont have a book to read.
oh yeah I forgot in cold blood...I read that one inbetween illuminatus! and Schrodinger's cat. I didn't like it as much it just wasn't a compelling read for me.
Sounds like it Edit: have you read the various Dune books? The 6 that Frank Herbert wrote are amazing, but his son and Kevin J Anderson (worst sci-fi writer ever IMO) have made a real mess of the others.
