Currently Reading: Moby Dick (and have been doing so since May)
Favourite Books: 1984, Watership Down, The Girls he Adored & Water for Elephants.
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Currently Reading: Moby Dick (and have been doing so since May)
Favourite Books: 1984, Watership Down, The Girls he Adored & Water for Elephants.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Smith
Speaking of George Orwell, I also really liked Animal Farm, even though it is incredibly depressing.
You should also chime in on the Red Dwarf thread, Mr. Smith
I had to read a bunch of crap in school... in 50% times I read nothing, I never even saw the book I was supposed to read, and I got 3 or 4 (B or C) :P
If I do any voluntary reading, its gonna be technical stuff or sci-fi or anything UFO related.
Never read Anthem, but I was mainly talking about her philosophical, non-fiction stuff, the stuff she wrote after Atlas Shrugged. Although, I did try to read Atlas Shrugged, and it was a very annoying book.Quote:
Originally Posted by InternalPrimate
I hated Animal Farm, I thought it was pretentious drivel that lacked substance and loathe people who think they're profound just because they know it has vague references to Communism. Not that I'm criticizing you, in fact I think I'll give you some positive rep to prove it.Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMatthews
Too late. I'd already done so by the time you'd posted this :roll:Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMatthews
I guess I really view myself as a libertarian of sorts, but I really can't stand Ayn Rand. I can't stand Robert Heinlein either and he is a "founder" of the libertarian movement...in sorta vague way anyway.
Any novel that is 10,000 pages just isn't worth reading. Sorry guys, I had to read Atlas Shrugged in high school and I just couldn't take it.
The longest book I think I've ever read was a 900 page biography of Jefferson Davis (which was really really interesting!) and even then it started to really lag.
You guys should all read A Canticle for Leibowitz...even if you aren't much into sci-fi it really is one of the best books I've ever ever read. By far. The Stars My Destination and the Demolished Man by Alfred Bester are also excellent books.
I think I'm going to re-read The Man Who Was Thursday now that I remembered I have it.
Has anyone ever read the Sonic the Hedgehog novel 'In the Forth Dimension'? That was awesome :)
As far as serious books are concerned I like James Rollins' stuff - he tends to write stories that feature a lot of real places and have ideas based on facts - recommended if you like Tom Clancy's style.
I also like Stephen King (favourites are The Langoliers and Cujo) and for tacky sex-mad horror you can't beat Richard Laymon - 'Flesh' rules! :)
I read a lot, but I prefer short stories to novels. Novels are long drawn out affairs that you have to commit to, but you can read a good short story in a couple of hours and get the same satisfaction. I mostly read horror and dark fantasy. I like Stephen King, but my favorites are the old pulp novelists like H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, and A.A. Merrit. I also really like Micheal Moorecock, Ramsey Campbell, Karl Edward Wagner, and Brian Lumley. Personally, I would have thought that with today's hectic schedules and short attention spans short stories would be more popular than ever. But that doesn't seem to be the case with people like J.K. Rowling churning out massive decologies with 700+ page installments on a yearly basis (ugh!). I'm glad there are still authors like Stephen King keeping the short story alive.
I used to read every King available to me. Ten years ago, my interests shifted to Terry Pratchett. However, I don't enjoy both authors as much as I used to any more.
My All-Time-Favorites are:
"The Fool on the Hill" by Matt Ruff
"A Conspiracy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
"Watership Down" by Richard Adams
and anything penned by Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft
and I've intended to finally start reading "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco. I've got this book lying around for years now and though I've always wanted to read it, so far I've never even touched it...
The last books I read was 1984, Huckleberry Finn, and The Lord of the Flies. I really love books that have to do with the military and wars, be it modern or ancient history. I like any book as long as it doesn't deal with philosophy.
Awesome book :ok:Quote:
Originally Posted by Phantar
I'm glad we all like Watership Down! It's nice how there aren't any hidden messages or references (other than perhaps animals should stay far, far away from humans); it's just a great story that can be taken and enjoyed purely at face value.
I also read Conspiracy of Dunces, because someone told me I would absolutely love it. They were wrong.
And even Stephen King's short stories are getting ridiculously long, now. Have you read Everything's Eventual? Stories as long as The Mist (my favorite long before the movie) while not even half as good.
I keep a copy of The Bourne Identity for when I can't sleep - it's a great thriller, but it's so dry that reading it's like trying to swallow cotton wool.
So, the last thing I read through was Derren Brown's Tricks of the Mind. It turns a bit Richard Dawkins-y in the middle when he discusses fradulent mediums and psychics, but it's a great look at mind tricks overall.
Despite not having an arcade in my home I do have a room dedicated to video games and a library. My library has a couch and a comfy little recliner along with a carefully hidden lcd tv with cable (hidden in a wood cabinet) and then the room is nothing but built in bookshelves (mahogany) I've ran out of room though and so the books are throughout the house now. Currently I am reading:
Perdido street station by China mieville (and soon his other works)
Soon I will start brisingr by Christopher paolini
And I am also currently reading Making a difference by marcel massini about ferrari's not designed by pinin farina.
I'm looking forward to: Bugatti hunter, and rolenta presse's third edition of Phoenix the history of video games.
mama alwaiz sed i dunt reed too goode, so no, i dunt reed too muwch.
On a related note, fiction is a complete waste of time, it deserves to burn in hell with the likes of Grey's Anatomy and "reality" TV. Any reading I do is non-fiction and mostly online. The only fiction I involve myself with is movies and video games.