Recommended Reading
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Agent
Member # 2210
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written Tuesday, December 28 2004 09:48
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Having finished Aesop Without Morals, The Famous Fables, and a Life of Aesop by Lloyd W. Daly, I am looking for some recommended light reading. Unfortunately, my local library does not have The Rats, Bats, and The Ugly by Dave Freer and I do not wish to buy it. Any good books out there worth reading. -------------------- Wasting your time and mine looking for a good laugh. Star Bright, Star Light, Oh I Wish I May, I Wish Might, Wish For One Star Tonight. Posts: 1084 | Registered: Thursday, November 7 2002 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 4942
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written Tuesday, December 28 2004 10:53
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1984 is my new favourite. But hey, that ain't exactly light reading. What genre are you specifically looking for? -------------------- Wham Bam Shizam Posts: 247 | Registered: Monday, September 6 2004 07:00 |
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This Side Towards Enemy
Member # 3098
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written Tuesday, December 28 2004 10:59
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I can't think of any suitable books to follow on from your previous reading. However, if you're just looking for fiction, I recommend Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. -------------------- Voice of Reasonable Morality Posts: 961 | Registered: Thursday, June 12 2003 07:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 5322
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written Tuesday, December 28 2004 11:51
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the da vinci code is quite good. as long as you remember to totally ignore the ending. :-) Posts: 73 | Registered: Saturday, December 25 2004 08:00 |
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By Committee
Member # 4233
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written Tuesday, December 28 2004 12:01
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Patrick O'Brian's "Master and Commander" series is quite good - I've read 13 of 20 so far. The nautical terms are a bit daunting, but otherwise it's not too challenging - kind of like Jane Austen for men. Speaking of which, you may actually want to give "Pride and Prejudice" a go. I was quite "prejudiced" against the notion of reading it at first, but at the prompting of my fiancee, I took it on, and actually really enjoyed it. Jane Austen's style is witty and her humor delightfully dry. Otherwise, I recommend the "Aeneid." It doesn't take too long to read, and is very enjoyable, I reckon, aside from it being the unfinished master propaganda piece of Augustan Rome. Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 164
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written Tuesday, December 28 2004 12:39
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"Lost in the Cosmos" by Walker Percy is worth a read. -------------------- Awesome BoA Graphics MSN: bleusoulilcercatore@hotmail.com AIM: Byzantine Jones Posts: 635 | Registered: Monday, October 15 2001 07:00 |
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Master
Member # 4614
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written Wednesday, December 29 2004 12:00
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NightWatch by Terence Dickinson. Or not, if you're looking for fiction. You might possibly look here and see if you can find some more of them Aesop fables. :' [ Wednesday, December 29, 2004 12:07: Message edited by: 4614 and 4808 ] -------------------- -ben4808 For those who love to spam: CSM Forums RIFQ Posts: 3360 | Registered: Friday, June 25 2004 07:00 |
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Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Member # 919
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written Wednesday, December 29 2004 17:11
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Anything by Nathaniel Hawthorne. What an amazing author. -------------------- And though the musicians would die, the music would live on in the imaginations of all who heard it. -The Last Pendragon Polaris = joy. In case of emergency, break glass. Posts: 3351 | Registered: Saturday, April 6 2002 08:00 |
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BANNED
Member # 5219
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written Wednesday, December 29 2004 18:01
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I don't read anymore. Only books that provide information are good. And of course, books that I'm required to read because of school. :( Before Star Wars were good books. -------------------- You can take my Windows XP when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 394 | Registered: Saturday, November 20 2004 08:00 |
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Master
Member # 4614
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written Wednesday, December 29 2004 18:47
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Oh, come on. Books can be a good source of entertainment, and good time-killer, and a good way to home up your reading skills. Additionally, most, even fiction, are very educational. -------------------- -ben4808 For those who love to spam: CSM Forums RIFQ Posts: 3360 | Registered: Friday, June 25 2004 07:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 3804
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written Wednesday, December 29 2004 19:21
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Pride and Prejudice was alot of fun to read, it really gives a very interesting/witty outlook on the customs of those times. It's a good read unless you have some problem with a book that's mostly in a womans point of view, but if that's not you then i'd reccomend it. As for the Da Vinci Code it's a pretty good read too, i wouldn't say mindblowing but really intriguing. It's really all in the way that it deals with things that could very well be true in real life. And if you like art history then definitely go for it, though i don't think you'll have an easy time picking one up at the library just yet. (A little off topic, but dosen't anyone think that the Da Vinci Code's been a little over publicised? Here in Australia they've come out with at least 5 books about the original, hardcover editions with pictures, a documentary as well as the prospects of making a movie about it. It's crazy. Not to mention that documentary was just terrible.) Another good series that i've always liked is the Earth's Children series by Jean. m Auel. In the first book ( Clan of the Cave Bear ) we're introduced to the main character called Ayla, who is separated from her family and lost. Then who she meets is what really begins the story, but i won't tell you much if you do happen to want to read it. All i can say is that it really gives a beautiful human quality to people many have long considered uncivilised. It's a really good book, and if it doesn't get you into wanting to read the rest of them the first time i'd be surprised. -------------------- "This......is a TREE! What's it for?" -Exile III Posts: 75 | Registered: Saturday, December 20 2003 08:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 4238
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written Wednesday, December 29 2004 19:27
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Anything by Raymond E. Feist, though you should probably start with Magician: Apprentice. George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series is also excellent if you can appreciate his more "realistic" take on the fantasy genre. Posts: 70 | Registered: Monday, April 12 2004 07:00 |
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Agent
Member # 2210
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written Thursday, December 30 2004 05:28
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I am waiting for A Feast For Crows by George R.R. Martin. It should be very good. I have started the book Lost In The Cosmos by Walker Percy-- a rather nice romp through allegorical dissimilitude and humorous thought exercises. I rather like it. The next thing on my list to read is Michael Chabon -- The Final Solution. The Aenaeid should be called the Trojan's revenge. I rather liked it. It is the sequel to the Iliad. -------------------- Wasting your time and mine looking for a good laugh. Star Bright, Star Light, Oh I Wish I May, I Wish Might, Wish For One Star Tonight. Posts: 1084 | Registered: Thursday, November 7 2002 08:00 |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Thursday, December 30 2004 05:30
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I'm buying Homeward Bound as soon as possible. Because I have not read it yet, I wish the same fate upon you, be it good or bad.  Sexy. [ Thursday, December 30, 2004 05:34: Message edited by: Fear Uncertainty and Custer ] -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 3610
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written Thursday, December 30 2004 10:04
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Oof, where to start: Anything written by Mercedes Lackey is bound to be amazing, especially those stories from the world of Velgarth. Start with Black Gryphon As Mr. Miller stated, Patrick O'Brian's Aubry and Maturin series is quite good, though the last few books leave something to be desired, and the "21st Book" is really a joke. Start from the begining with Master and Commander, though the story has nothing to do with the recent movie of the same name, which was also quite good. The movie was based on a real event that happened in the Anglo-American War of 1812, and is chronicaled in Far Side of the World, which comes later in the series. In the same type of setting, I would also read the Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester, starting, of course, with Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. It's a bit lighter than O'Brian's work, and isn't nearly as hard a read. Interestingly, Hubert Horatio Humphry was once introduced as Hubert Horatio Hornblower. Next up on my list is the Wheel of Time series by Mr. Robert Jordan. The first book, The Eye of the World has been divided in two for younger children. If you are younger, you can start with To the Blight, otherwise, I'd just start with Eye, if only for financial reasons. I would also read the Swallows and Amazons series by that clasic English author, Arthur Ransom. It's really a well done series about some English teens durring various holdiays. It's possibly my favorite book and serries of all time. You should begin with Swallows and Amazons. I should note that the last four books, Great Northern, The Picts and the Martyrs, Missee Lee, and The Big Six, are not published in the US. Of those, The Picts and the Martyrs and The Big Six are really quite good, while the other two, especially Missee Lee are not quite as good as the rest of the series. Moving on to non-fiction. My first selection really bridges the gap. I highly recomend the works of C. Iulius Caesar. His Commentarium de Belo Gallica is especially impressive. You can read it in the original, if you know Latin, which is a bit better, or in translation, if you wish. Being a naval history buff (as you might have guessed), I would highly recomend anything by Admiral Samuel Elliot Morison, Ph.D. I especially liked his 15 vollume History of United States Naval Operations durring World War II. Adm. Dr. Morison was a professor of history at Harvard (though not yet and admiral) on December 7, 1941. On the 8th, he called up President Roosevelt suggesting that maybe, seeing as this would probably be a naval war, there should be a contemperary historian to portray it from inside the American Navy. The Presdent said somthing along the lines of, "Gee Sam, sounds great. Gimme a second here. Okay, I have just written orders making you a Commander in the United States Naval Reserve, orders moving you to active service, and orders telling you to write that history." Dr. Morison did so with aplomb. It is written to an intelligent person of that day, and is interspereced with lines from all the great poets and writers, but it does not require a post-doctorate degree in Naval history to read. I loved how he used a quote from Theuclydes on the Battle of Salamis to describe the aftermath of the Battle of Savo Island. It also has a wonderful personal touch. For istance, when describing Japanese torpedoes, the author notes that, "Japanese torpedoes were perfect. The author particularly is thankful to God, Fate, or the tired factory worker who caused the torpedo that struck the stern of a cruiser the author was serving on to be a dud." Lastly, I would like to suggest the work of Sir Winston Churchill. His seven volume set on World War II, starting with The Gathering Storm is almost as good and Morison's work, and does not stop fifty meters from the the shore. Posts: 129 | Registered: Tuesday, October 28 2003 08:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 4942
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written Thursday, December 30 2004 10:29
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I think Garth Nix had a few good books out. Sabriel is pretty good. The next two in that series are not that great. The first was good the way it was. Shade's Children was also an interesting apocalypse book. -------------------- Wham Bam Shizam Posts: 247 | Registered: Monday, September 6 2004 07:00 |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Thursday, December 30 2004 13:12
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 -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Friday, December 31 2004 15:46
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In keeping up my level of New World Order paranoia, I'm planning to read the Illuminatus trilogy as soon as I can get my hands on it. Hundred Years of Solitude was just recommended to me by my father; his recommendations are often somewhat dry but still fascinating to read, so I will. ;) -------------------- The Encyclopaedia Ermariana <-- Now a Wiki! "Polaris leers down from the black vault, winking hideously like an insane watching eye which strives to convey some strange message, yet recalls nothing save that it once had a message to convey." --- HP Lovecraft. "I single Aran out due to his nasty temperament, and his superior intellect." --- SupaNik Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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Agent
Member # 2210
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written Friday, December 31 2004 16:50
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If you want to read some solid conspiratorial views of the world try Ralph Epperson-- The Unseen Hand, and The New World Order -- very right wing christian but well written and intelligent. For a left version try Noam Chomsky -- What Uncle Sam Really Wants, and Manufacturing Consent; The Political Economy of the Mass Media. It will give you some things to think about. Another equally well written account about the mass media is Into The Buzz Saw: Leading Journalists Expose the Myth of the Free Press. Foreword by Gore Vidal written by Kristina Borjesson. They are interesting reading but like any of this stuff, you have to take it with a grain of salt. -------------------- Wasting your time and mine looking for a good laugh. Star Bright, Star Light, Oh I Wish I May, I Wish Might, Wish For One Star Tonight. Posts: 1084 | Registered: Thursday, November 7 2002 08:00 |
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Bob's Big Date
Member # 3151
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written Saturday, January 1 2005 13:19
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quote:One Hundred Years of Solitude is like being hit in the brain with a sledgehammer, in a good way. Reading it is like watching God make love to a movie star. Comes heavily recommended, and is probably not as 'dry but fascinating' as you'd think. -------------------- The biggest, the baddest, and the fattest. Posts: 2367 | Registered: Friday, June 27 2003 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Saturday, January 1 2005 15:01
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quote:That good? :P -------------------- The Encyclopaedia Ermariana <-- Now a Wiki! "Polaris leers down from the black vault, winking hideously like an insane watching eye which strives to convey some strange message, yet recalls nothing save that it once had a message to convey." --- HP Lovecraft. "I single Aran out due to his nasty temperament, and his superior intellect." --- SupaNik Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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Shock Trooper
Member # 3605
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written Saturday, January 1 2005 15:17
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I am a great fan of George R.R. Martin. He has a nice way of breaking some of the clichés in the fantasy genre. Gore Vidal has some intresting historical novels, and i suggest you read Creation. It even has a sprinkling of philosophy and Christian history (in the book Julian). Bertrand Russell wrote a compehensive book on philosophy. It is (to other philosophy books) comparitivley easy to read, and he has a good way of explaining the more complicated philosophical arguments and theories. Finally Bernard Cornwells "Grail Quest" series. Not mutch to say about it, apart from its fiction (but realistic fiction, no magic and miracles). -------------------- "Fair and unbiased" Posts: 358 | Registered: Monday, October 27 2003 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 2984
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written Saturday, January 1 2005 17:03
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quote:I can only agree. He has this nasty way of unexpectedly killing off characters I liked, but otherwise he's just fascinating to read. -------------------- The Encyclopaedia Ermariana <-- Now a Wiki! "Polaris leers down from the black vault, winking hideously like an insane watching eye which strives to convey some strange message, yet recalls nothing save that it once had a message to convey." --- HP Lovecraft. "I single Aran out due to his nasty temperament, and his superior intellect." --- SupaNik Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00 |
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Agent
Member # 2210
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written Saturday, January 1 2005 17:13
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If you truly like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, you will probably like Isabel Allende, The House of the Spirits. It is as good but different. Magical realism is a wonderful form of writing. -------------------- Wasting your time and mine looking for a good laugh. Star Bright, Star Light, Oh I Wish I May, I Wish Might, Wish For One Star Tonight. Posts: 1084 | Registered: Thursday, November 7 2002 08:00 |
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This Side Towards Enemy
Member # 3098
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written Sunday, January 2 2005 14:19
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I'm amazed you people think Martin is the height of realism in fantasy. It's more gritty than traditional fantasy, but that's not hard. I don't read very much fantasy (although I read a fair bit of SF) and I can think of several far more hard edged than he. -------------------- Voice of Reasonable Morality Posts: 961 | Registered: Thursday, June 12 2003 07:00 |