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calverson · May 28, 2011, 03:52 PM

Just finished Atlas Shrugged. New a new book to read.

Recent books I have read:

Hunger Games
The Stieg Larson Girl Series
The Dark Tower Series
Accidental Billionaires

Books I read a while back but really liked:

Stranger in a Strange Land
LOTR
Tai-Pan
Fight Club
The Foundation Series

No Harry Potter or anything to do with vampires, please

Doofy · May 28, 2011, 04:01 PM

Some Jules Verne. Recently done a few and enjoyed.

calverson · May 28, 2011, 04:03 PM

Did some scoping, I have definitely heard of him and his fiction.

Any specific titles? Apparently there are some issues with translations – publisher/version that you read?

imitchellg5 · 04:15 PM

I've been reading some 19th century classics like Anna Karenina and Crime and Punishment.

Doofy · May 28, 2011, 04:06 PM

@ Calv re Verne:
I just read whatever versions are on the iTunes store.

Around the World in 80 Days.
Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
From the Earth to the Moon.

calverson · May 28, 2011, 04:24 PM

Awesome, I'll check it out.

Ever read the Lensman series? I've heard those are good, too.

freudling · May 28, 2011, 05:07 PM

"In the Plex". Inside story of Google.

Also, "Reinventing the Wheel", inside story of how the Segway came to be. This was a great book.

Dean Kamen, the guy behind the Segway, granted an author inside access to the project early on because he thought it was going to be that big and he should document the making of it.

Lots of cool stuff in there, including first hand quotes from Steve Jobs in meetings with Kamen, along with Jeff Bezos from Amazon and the usual suspects from Kleiner Perkins.

It's a story of a consumer product so hyped up by these people, they were sure it was going to change the world. But it didn't. I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

Railroader · May 28, 2011, 06:39 PM

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (free on amazon and itunes)

Shaddim · May 28, 2011, 11:15 PM

The Prince - Niccolò Machiavelli
Ulysses - James Joyce
A People's History of the United States - Howard Zinn (since you now live here)

Okay, okay, how about some fantasy fluff instead?

A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
The Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson
The Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson

He's dead Jim · May 28, 2011, 11:46 PM

You can find a book or two on this site.
Project Gutenberg - free ebooks online download for iPad, Kindle, Nook, Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, Sony Reader

calverson · May 29, 2011, 03:27 PM

Read the first two chapters of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Not bad.

Also purchased In The Plex – definitely looks interesting.

Rumor · May 29, 2011, 09:29 PM

The Shanarra series by Terry Brooks is good. Before reading Genesis you need to read the Word and the Void series as they tie into each other.

P · May 30, 2011, 08:25 AM

I would like to add Iain M. Banks Culture series - probably best to start at The Player of Games - and Robin Hobb. Many of the earlier Bujold books were great as well, although I didn't like anything recent. Also, if you liked Heinlein (Stranger in a Strange Land) and Palahniuk (Fight Club), they have both written several books of the same type that might be worth checking out.

Some of the books you've read are of the lighter variety, while others (like Dark Tower) are significantly deeper. What do you like best? I'm hesitant to recommend something like Shanarra to someone who has already read Dark Tower - in my experience people tend to move to progressively deeper books until they find their comfort level, and then stop - but it's certainly a matter of taste.

Paco500 · May 30, 2011, 11:41 AM

The Once and Future King by T.H. White. It's Arthur and Camelot, but also a beautifully written book.

Anything from the Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett. Nominally fantasy, but in the same vein as Hitchickers Guide to the Galaxy was Sci-Fi. There are about 30 in the series and each one is a gem. It's amazing that someone so prolific can turn out so much quality. The first in the series is The Colour of Magic.

mattyb · May 30, 2011, 11:41 AM

Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield

Can't recommend it enough.

P · May 30, 2011, 01:52 PM

Originally Posted by Paco500

Anything from the Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett. Nominally fantasy, but in the same vein as Hitchickers Guide to the Galaxy was Sci-Fi. There are about 30 in the series and each one is a gem. It's amazing that someone so prolific can turn out so much quality. The first in the series is The Colour of Magic.

While I love most of Pratchett has produced...not every one is a gem. It takes some time for him to find his tone, and even among the later books there are some stumbles (notably The Last Continent). If you're going to try Pratchett, I'd start with Mort or one of the earlier City Watch books, but it's not exactly the same type books as your examples.

Atheist · May 30, 2011, 01:53 PM

The Last Child by John Hart which I liked much more than Down River.

Cold Warrior · May 30, 2011, 02:00 PM

@imitchell:
Anna Karenina is good, I really enjoyed it. I read it some spare time in Moscow one summer (in English though, not Russian) while skipping out on college classes.

The Master and Margarita is enjoyable.

calverson · May 30, 2011, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by P

Also, if you liked Heinlein (Stranger in a Strange Land) and Palahniuk (Fight Club), they have both written several books of the same type that might be worth checking out.

Some of the books you've read are of the lighter variety, while others (like Dark Tower) are significantly deeper. What do you like best? I'm hesitant to recommend something like Shanarra to someone who has already read Dark Tower - in my experience people tend to move to progressively deeper books until they find their comfort level, and then stop - but it's certainly a matter of taste.

I'm definitely all over the place. Obviously, the underlying denominator is a "good story". But I agree with you on the progressive depth of books. I used to read a lot of Michael Crichton when I was younger and recently read Airframe and Prey – and I found them trite.

Probably I enjoyed Atlas Shrugged, Stranger in a Strange Land and Tai-Pan the best. I enjoyed those the most. The Steig Larson books were a good way to kill some time, but didn't leave me with enough. The same with Hunger Games. The Dark Tower series was/is awesome, but pretty damn slow and annoying at times. I really liked Wizard and Glass – the story of Ronland and his chick was pretty intensely moving.

P · May 30, 2011, 04:50 PM

Then I stand by my recommendations. To firm them up with titles: Several of Heinlein's other books, in particular The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers (which is nothing like the movie, btw). Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion and Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice are both fantasy stories of the non-standard type. Tad Williams' Otherland. Maybe - because this is one you'd either love or hate - Stephen Donaldson's The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. Warning that that last is a very disturbing book in places.

calverson · May 30, 2011, 05:04 PM

Great!

From Wikipedia:

Stephen R. Donaldson's works are infused with psychological undertones involving an exploration of the darker side of the protagonist Thomas Covenant whilst preserving strong humanist ideals. The contextual richness of the Land's varied geography, races, cultures and history enables all three series of the Chronicles to explore and expand upon an increasingly diverse and storied environmen

Sounds amazing

I have read most of Heinlein – both those you mentioned. I really also enjoyed To Sail Beyond the Sunset and The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. I have read a ton of Heinlein – I should have put that up there already.

But this is good, I now have a 10 book reading list. Should keep my busy for the next couple months!

Doc HM · May 30, 2011, 05:27 PM

Just finished Anno Dracula by Kim Newman. Yes I know you said no vampires, but it's really not that sort of book, and I don't read or like Twiglet or that sort of rubbish.

AD is basically an alternative history in which Dracula manages to marry Queen Victoria (eh) with a whole load of Jack the Ripper mythology mixed in plus a smattering of Sherlock Holmes. Written by a man with an obvious love of the whole victorian genre. It's more an examination of Victorian society than anything overtly vampiric.

+1 on Iain M Banks, however start where he started, with Consider Phlebas not Player of Games.

Like non fiction? try Blood River, a journey up the Congo river by canoe.

kenna · May 30, 2011, 05:34 PM

Whenever anyone asks me for a book to read, I always refer them to Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. I think it's one of the best books I've ever read, if not THE best book I've ever read. It covers a lot of things in life and can really give you a new perspective on life and it's choices. I think the story is great because you go on the journey with the character and discover the omens as he goes with him. It's also a nice story of someone who wants to discover the world and does his everything in order to achieve it even though he is really naive.

It's a great book and I thoroughly recommend it...

P · May 31, 2011, 03:51 AM

Originally Posted by Doc HM

+1 on Iain M Banks, however start where he started, with Consider Phlebas not Player of Games.

I started there, but that is a much harder book to get in to, and there is no real continuity that requires you to read that book. Also, the first things written are the Culture stories in The State of the Art, so you might as well start there. Or here.

moonmonkey · May 31, 2011, 05:23 AM

Originally Posted by Doofy

Some Jules Verne. Recently done a few and enjoyed.

I like the idea of that, is it a relatively easy read?
I only get 15 mins before I fall asleep so I give up easily.

Paco500 · May 31, 2011, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by P

While I love most of Pratchett has produced...not every one is a gem. It takes some time for him to find his tone, and even among the later books there are some stumbles (notably The Last Continent). If you're going to try Pratchett, I'd start with Mort or one of the earlier City Watch books, but it's not exactly the same type books as your examples.

I'd agree with you up to a point. True, not all of his books are as good as his best, but they all have moments and sequences that are a joy to read. While I love the City Watch, I have to say that the witches are my favorite recurring characters.

Doofy · May 31, 2011, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by moonmonkey

I like the idea of that, is it a relatively easy read?
I only get 15 mins before I fall asleep so I give up easily.

Yep. Very easy.

mduell · May 31, 2011, 03:58 PM

Oil 101

calverson · Jun 1, 2011, 12:32 PM

Finished Sherlock Holmes, started with the Thomas Covenant Series (Lord Foul's Bane).

Somewhat grotesque, but severely entertaining.

andi*pandi · Jun 1, 2011, 12:36 PM

You've finished all of sherlock holmes, or just the first book?

I'm revisiting classics too. Treasure Island and Swiss Family Robinson. The swiss family is a bit fussy, but Treasure Island was lots of fun.

calverson · Jun 1, 2011, 12:38 PM

Finished the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – which I guess is the first book? It's this one: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Download The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes with iBooks

andi*pandi · Jun 1, 2011, 02:32 PM

Look for the Return of Sherlock Holmes too.

Also fun, a modern sherlock-ish tale, the Sherlockian.

Doc HM · Jun 2, 2011, 05:25 PM

Remember

or was it just a british thing.

P · Jun 6, 2011, 01:39 PM

Sherlock Holmes is a lot of short stories and four novels: The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Sign of Four, A Study in Scarlet and The Valley of Fear. Wikipedia lists 5 collections of short stories, with the one you read being the first. The second is The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, ending with the short story The Final Problem which was meant to be the last. The Return of Sherlock Holmes is literally that, a return after a long period away, shall we say. The last two (and the final novel, The Valley of Fear) are a bit different and - especially the last collection - not as good.

SpaceMonkey · Jun 6, 2011, 02:32 PM

I got all of my Sherlock Holmes from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Demonhood · 11:05 PM

Hyperion

Shaddim · Jun 6, 2011, 10:26 PM

Kushiel's Dart