What books are you reading?

I'm buying a few books for my neice on Amazon, and I can get one more book for myself to get free shipping. But I realize that I don't know what I want to get.

My books tend to be about 95% non-fiction, so I'd like to get into more fiction or literature. I'm not really sure how to get into it, since I'm pretty out of touch with fiction writers.

In the past I've enjoyed reading JRR Tolkien and many Tom Clancy books (but his last few books tend to be more geo-political than military thriller). The last book I finished was "Fear of Flying" by Erica Jong, kind of a sexual revolution story, and only barely erotic (probably good stuff in the early 70s).

So are there any books you would really recommend for someone to read?

The "Master and Commander" series by Patrick O'Brian

Don't let the fact that it takes place during the Napoleanic Wars deter you, great writing, exciting books.

It seems novels get lamer every year; it's pretty hard to find a good one these days.

But I recently moderately enjoyed a new release called The Devil's Wind, by Richard Rayner. It's set in the 1950s, the central character is a corrupt and cynical modern architect, and the action takes place in Las Vegas, Palm Springs and L.A. There are mobsters, crooked deals, adulterous sex, atomic bombs, modern architecture, murder and Vegas shenanigans. So it was pretty hard for me to resist.

I like non-fiction a lot better but you didn't ask for any recommendations but I'll give you the names of a couple of books I just loved recently: The Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe, by Simon Singh, and Sinatra: The Life, by Summers and Swan.

Just when you thought everything that could be known about Sinatra is out there, this book comes along and is absolute catnip. I loved the part where Ava Gardner is quoted as saying she hates cheaters, can't abide cheating in a relationship, and will absolutely terminate a relationship if she's cheated on. And then the authors proceed to list all the airline pilots and bullfighters and stuntmen she screwed while she was married to Frank Sinatra. The whole book's like that. Couldn't put it down.

[ Edited by: Satan's Sin 2005-10-03 16:24 ]

Well, since your into the "tiki thing" I'd recommend Michener's Hawaii and Tales of the South Pacific. Both are great reads. For non-fiction there's Paul Theroux's The Happy Isles of Oceania.

I mostly read non-fiction myself but lately I've grown tired of surfing the net at work so I've taken a fancy to public domain ebooks. Like those found here. It's a nice way to kill some mindless hours at work and enrichen yourself with classic literature (stuff you might not read in your free time) at the same time. I've recently finished Conrad's Heart of Darkness and am nearly finished with Melville's Typee.

If you like Clancy style military thrillers, I've got an ebook that was posted on another forum by the author as a freebie. It's his first, but it's quite a good read. If you want it I can email ya.

ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card is a must read.

I also second Granite Tiki's recommendation of the Master And Commander series by Patrick O'Brien.

Sabu

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2005-10-03 16:53 ]

Definitely read Ender's Game if you haven't already. A friend gave me a copy about fifteen years ago, and I've made a practice of buying a copy for someone every year since then.

Last new book I read was Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. It's darned funny and made me fall completely in love with Abraham Lincoln.

Eragon and Eldest, great dragon fantasy stuff, could not put it down. Also anything by Dennis Lehane. Oh and The Historian, a awesome big read!! A perfect book for October and Halloween.

If you like pictures of pets being shamed, I recommend these two:

and

On 2005-10-03 16:14, The Granite Tiki wrote:
The "Master and Commander" series by Patrick O'Brian

Don't let the fact that it takes place during the Napoleanic Wars deter you, great writing, exciting books.

I've read the whole series three times. Good stuff. I saw O'Brian on one of those "meet the author" PBS shows. What a nervy, little, full of himself, chauvanist he was. Too bad he passed away. I liked him, the bugger.

Right now I'm reading "The Game". I don't know what to make of it. Sure wish I could do what these guys say they're doing. What a shot in the arm it must be.

I'm currently reading The Skrayling Tree, one of the newest Elric/von Bek/Dreamthief books from Michael Moorcock.

From Publishers Weekly:

In this engrossing sequel to The Dreamthief's Daughter (2001), Moorcock weaves history, myth and alternate realities into a seamless whole. In 1951, Oona, the Dreamthief's daughter, and her albino husband, Ulrik von Bek, are enjoying a much needed vacation in Nova Scotia when Indian warriors kidnap Ulrik and drag him into the sea. Oona's search for Ulrik leads her through a maelstrom and into an America nearly 1,000 years in the past. At the same time, Oona's father, the albino Elrik of Melnibon‚, who is soul bonded to Ulrik, faces disaster. In a desperate attempt to save himself, Elrik dreams himself into the same mythic past in search of the beings who forged his black sword. Ulrik, meanwhile, learns that he was not so much kidnapped as recruited to save the multiverse. The tale's power stems largely from the astounding lyricism of the author's prose, the only flaw being the sometimes stilted and overly expository dialogue about the nature of the multiverse. Yet without these explanations, the complexity and mechanics of Moorcock's creation would confuse many readers, particularly those new to the series. An epilogue promises another installment, which should make fans of well-written and highly original fantasy extremely happy.

"How to Talk to a Liberal...if you must" Ann Coulter (non-fiction, for sure)
I laughed, I cried.

I read Ender's Game last year around this time. Many people have raved on and on about the book. I read it, I figured out what was happening and was let down with the book in general. Then to top it off, right after I read it, I ventured into a Toys'r'Us store and low and behold, there it was on the rack for sale to beginning readers...pretty much adding insult to injury...:)

Right now I am re-reading the Song of Ice and Fire books from George R.R. Martin, including Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings and Storm of Swords, in anticipation of the forth-coming Feast for Crows. IMHO, I think these are modern masterworks in the Fantasy genre. If you haven't read them, I highly suggest checking them out.

When you read the first 100 pages of Game of Thrones (the first book), you will have a feeling that its no different than anything else in the genre, then the book really takes off and you cannot put it down.

The Otherland series by Tad Williams is my suggestion. Quite a few characters and subplots, so takes a little time to get into the story, but quite a story it is.

"A pirate of exquisite mind" about the explorer/Naturalist/buccaneer William Dampier.

Also rereading "The Malay Peninsula" by Alfred Russell Wallace.

Both good...Wallace was amazing.

..."it takes a family"... by rick santorum...

..."marriage under fire"... by dr.james dobson...

..."the truth about hillary"... by edward klein...

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I re-read it every few years, best thing I've ever read. It is an economics textbook about capitalism written as a fiction story. You can't help from getting sucked into the story and rooting for the main characters while their world comes crashing down around them. It will take you a while to finish the 1200+ pages.

The story is set in the 1930's, 1940's (the time frame is intentionally ambiguous) and focuses on Dagny Taggart, a female vice president of the country's largest transcontinental railroad company. It takes place in a world where people have lost all respect for those with skill and ambition, and for this reason, all of the most talented people in America go on strike. All of the most intelligent people start disappearing from industries, and Dagny, as well as the rest of the world, have to figure out how to deal with it.

Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club.

All that said, Atlas Shrugged is not for everybody. It has very strong political, philosophical, and moral undertones. You will either love it or hate it.

"Who is John Galt?"

"On Stranger Tides" by Tim Powers

My favorite "tropical" adventure fiction novel. I've read it several times. Pirates, Voodoo, Zombies, Ghost ships, Wizards, Black Beard, and even a few monsters. It's was written long before the Disney Pirates of the Caribbean movies, yet you can see a few similarities to this book. Perhaps the writers had read this book, (I think a Strong chance indeed!) I wish I could find more books dealing with this subject matter. Or at least adventure that takes place in a tropical, "tiki" like setting. Any one have any suggestions?

Here's what the back of the book says......

" ... Tim Powers is the apostle of gonzo history, and On Stranger Tides is as good as story-telling ever gets. He has found a way to bring together powerful Indian magic, black vodun, a British scientist driven mad with grief over his wife’s death, and Blackbeard himself, determined to live forever. Opposing them all is John Chandagnac, a one-time puppeteer who has come to the Caribbean to confront the uncle who cheated John’s father out of his rightful inheritance. Captured by pirates, John finds himself rechristened Jack Shandy; he also finds that his old skill as a puppeteer can save his life.

Personally, I liked Tim Powers' "The Anubis Gates" more than "On Stranger Tides", but I'm a sucker for Victorian time-travel novels that feature Jack the Ripper, werewolves, Freemasons, ancient Egyptian sorcerers, and armies of mutant clowns that roam the London sewers.

I also just finished Dan Simmons' books "Ilium" and "Olympos", which explore the very bizarre premise of transhumans who pose as gods and use quantum teleportation to tunnel into an alternate universe where they force the Greeks and Trojans to recreate Homer's Iliad on a terraformed Mars. Despite having to resort to Pantheistic Solipsism and a literal Deux Ex Machina to end the story, it was a pretty gripping read.

I just got finished re-reading Cad: A Handbook for Heels. I love this book. First found out about it from Java's Bachelor Pad website.

Here's a link to what Java's site has to say about the book.

http://www.javasbachelorpad.com/cad.html

MMM! Wicked looking cover on dat book!

Okay, here's the other reason that "On Stranger Tides" is a good Tiki-fied book. (Even though it has no tikis in it.) It all takes place in the Caribbean - a tropical setting, and it's one of the only adventures where the author graphically describes everyone drinking RUM! Really getting falling down drunk... on RUM... on the beach! Now, that's a tiki-fied adventure!

Just finished another good "pulp" adventure novel. Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter by Michael Reaves. Good writer! I also like his BATMAN novel "Fear Itself". I know, I read alot of "Pulp" adventures. Not very high brow stuff. You see, when I first started reading, I read Edgar Rice Burroughs's books. Like ... all of them! All the Tarzan novels, all the John Carter of Mars novels... everyone I could get my hands on. It made such a huge impact on me, I'm still craving a good pulp adventure novel 40 years later.

That's Eve Meyer on the cover of Cad: A Handbook for Heels. She's the late ex-wife of the late filmmaker Russ Meyer.

For anyone interested more in this book, check out this link on my blog. I posted a blog entry about my thoughts on this book. Plus there's a link in my blog that links to more pictures of Eve Meyer.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=180372336&blogID=260084646&MyToken=b524a23c-52a5-416e-8afb-445ebc51197b

Just finished 'Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe' by Laurence Bergreen

I don't know what I thought I knew about Magellan but this book was full of surprises. Makes Thor's journey across the Atlantic look like a vacation. This book has everything: mutiny, murder, cannibals, sex and real adventure. I can't think of a better subject for a miniseries. Let's read it again!