GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Books

POSTED BY: KAYLEESTHEGREATEST
UPDATED: Tuesday, May 23, 2006 06:13
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Monday, May 22, 2006 1:06 PM

KAYLEESTHEGREATEST


Books are in my opion awsome. I have read many of them tough the course of my 14 yrs of exsistance and i would like to know, what are the best books that anyone has read.

Someday the verse will spit in your soup but at least they gave you soup.
one day
one plan
one mission
one army of browncoats
june 23rd serenity day

-Our mission as browncoats is to make us known.

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Monday, May 22, 2006 1:11 PM

FOLLOWMAL




I would recommend "Dune" by Frank Herbert.

And then all the Dune series, but wow they are long and it's quite difficult and involving.



"You hold. Hold 'til I get back." Mal

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Monday, May 22, 2006 1:12 PM

SHINYDS


Hmm... I was never a huge booklover, and my first year of college has reinforced that, lol. Nevertheless, there are some good ones out there. Let's see...
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Aliens: Earthhive by Steve Perry
Firestarter, Carrie, and The Running Man by Stephen King
The Switch by R.L. Stein (much better than those Goosebumps books, imho)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
the Germanic legend "Das Nibelungenlied"
the Icelandic legend "Grettir's Saga"
and the shortstory Der Wolf by Hermann Hesse

"If I hear the words 'that's final' coming out of your mouth again, they truely will be."

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Monday, May 22, 2006 1:28 PM

LITTLEALBATROSS29


since you like Firefly ,try Stephen King's Dark Tower series. The main character is alot like Mal.

Or if you prefer a little humor try The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy, By Douglas Adams.
I could go on & on & on.I love my books !
Bryce
******************************

I swallowed a bug.

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Monday, May 22, 2006 1:28 PM

THESOMNAMBULIST


Hey Kayleesthegreatest :D

Ok my personal favourite books are as follows:

(1) One Hundred years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

(2) Notre Dame - Victor Hugo

(3) Genesis - Eduardo Galeano

(4) Love and other Demons - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

(5)The Never Ending Story - Michael Ende

(6)A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemmingway

(7)Don Quixote - Cervantes

(8)The Arabian Nights

(9)Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

In fact if I don't stop know I'll just go on and on...

Anyway how about you - you didn't mention your favourite books?

Cheers
The
Somnambulist

www.cirqus.com

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Monday, May 22, 2006 1:37 PM

MORWEN112


Ah books! I personally couldn't live without books. And anyone who burns or descrates books deserves to die!!

That little rant over, moving on to my personal favourites:

The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion- JRR Tolkien (the father of modern fantasy)

The Harry Potter books- JK Rowling

A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels- Libba Bray

The Da Vinci Code- Dan Brown (really have to go see the movie soon)

The Dear America and Royal Diaries series- by various authors

The Claidi Diaries- Tanith Lee

anything written by Donna Jo Napoli, examples include Zel, Spinner, Daughter of Venice...

anything by Shakespeare, though I'm not sure those count as books...

The list could go on awhile but those are the books that I'm always picking up to reread.

I'm also currently reading Beowulf (in modern English, though I want to get the Old English version) and it's proving to be really good.


Mine is an evil sugar high laugh! Bwahahahaha!

Morwen

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Monday, May 22, 2006 1:41 PM

SOULQUAKE


"Memoirs of A Geisha" is a fantastic book :)

Also "Wonder Boys" and "The Lovely Bones"

---
"Sun came out, and I walked on my feet and heard with my ears. I ate the bits, the bits stayed down, and I work. I function like I'm a girl. I hate it because I know it'll go away."

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Monday, May 22, 2006 2:02 PM

DC4BS


Again in the humor vein...

Look for ANYTHING by Terry Pratchett. You will NOT be sorry. They can be found in 3 sections in most book stores (childrens, teens, fantasy/sci-fi) depending on the story/series.

Personaly, I head for the childrens section of every bookstore I enter hoping to find a copy of "Johny and the bomb" as it's the only book he's written I don't own a copy of (near 40 books now) aside from "Thud" which hasn't hit paperback yet.

I read his first diskworld novel "The Color of Magic" in Jr. highschool (library loan) and have been a die-hard fan ever since.

One thing though. He is fantastic at hiding loads of politics & subtle humor and things in the books along with the straight up obvious jokes so don't expect to get every single joke the first time you read it.

I loved em when I was a teen and having recently reread a bunch of the early books, I got a lot more out of them that I missed the first time through. Im almost 40 now and I'm sure there is still stuff in there I havn't "gotten" yet so I'm looking forward to mining more goodness from them in another 10 years or so. ;)

-----

Next, you might look at Piers Anthony.
The Blue Adept series and the Xanth series. The first 5-6 books of Xanth were prety good. After that, I started losing intrest in them.

-----

H. Beam Piper: The Fuzzy series. Very good books about fuzzy little aliens that man stumbles across while exploring the universe and how they eventualy become our friends and partners.

-----

Kieth Laumer: The Stainless Steel Rat series about the universes greatest high-tech thief. It's slightly dated in some of the tech now but still worth reading.

-----

Prety much anything by Isaac Asimov.

COOLNESS NOTE: ;) I got to meet him once! He gave a comencement speech at my university and had a party/book sighning afterwords.

Hope this helps give you some ideas and directions to look next time you are in a library or book store.



------------------------------------------
dc4bs

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Monday, May 22, 2006 2:06 PM

GIXXER


The Princess Bride - The Good Parts version by S Morgenstern (OK, William Goldman)

The Killing Floor - Lee Child.

First Light - Geoffrey Wellum

The Jolly Rogers - Tom Blackburn

Spitfire - Geoffrey Quill

Anything by P G Wodehouse

Chickenhawk - Robert Mason

The Right Stuff - Tom Wolfe

Anything by William Diehl

Anything by Christopher Brookmyre. (Serious recommendation. Like Carl Haissen, except good.)

Anything by Mark Berent

Anything by James Nelson

Anything by Harold Coyle

Anything by Allan Mallinson

Anything by Joseph Wambaugh.

Yeager - Chuck Yeager and Leo Janos. Then go and visit an aviation museum. His trademark was a slow roll at 50 feet. Find an F-4 Phantom, "...Gulp..."

That's him in the title sequence of "Enterprise" In a Bell X-1, unique experimental rocket plane, and he's actually doing aerobatics with it? He was laconic in Flight School.

All the above are excellent in terms of content, emotion, soul and effective and often beautiful writing.

For brain out stuff, early Clive Cussler. Shocking writer, but sort of sucks you in. Later stuff is really terrible, though.

Matthew Reilly. Cardboard cutout characters, not the greatest writing in the world, but damn good fun. Exactly the same as watching Aliens. Weirdly, reading the books is somehow deafening.


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Monday, May 22, 2006 2:17 PM

SLAYER730


1. ANYTHING by Chuck Palahniuk (he wrote Fight Club among many other things) I own every book he's ever written.

2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (the man's a GOD) This is the fantasy book you always wished you could write, but never had the words.

3. I have to re-recommend Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I kinda live and die by them. (Say thank-ya!)

4. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. Anyone that says books can't be terrifying never read it.

5. The Incarnations of Immortality by Piers Anthony. A PHENOMENAL fantasy series where normal people take the jobs of Death, Time, War, etc. This is the most expertly interwoven series I've ever read.

6. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. (Yes, it was a book first.) It's one of my all-time favorite books and a fantasy classic.

7. Lord of the Flies by William Golding. That book kicks my butt and I've read it a million times.

8. The Sword-Dancer Saga by Jennifer Roberson. It's pretty typical sword and sorcery fare, but with a twist. AND - it shows girls can kick butt too.

9. Beloved by Toni Morrison. Never have I been more moved. Morrison is a master at her craft and makes a seemingly un-relatable incident poignant and relevant.

10. Johhny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. If you can get past the stream of consciousness pov, you're golden. This book is a brilliant anti-war novel, and at the very least, a great story.

***Never judge a book by its movie***

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Monday, May 22, 2006 2:19 PM

EMBERS


If you haven't tried Jim Butcher's Dresden series (latest one out is called 'Proven Guilty') they are fantasy/mystery... (a Wizard as private eye in modern Chicago)

I've also been reading & loving all of Terry Pratchett's Disc World series (kind of sci-fi/fantasy)

David Brin's 'Kiln People' is a huge favorite

and Jasper Fforde's Tuesday Next books...particularly 'The Eyre Affair'

(I also really love books...but I always go for the genre : mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, or a mix of all three)

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Monday, May 22, 2006 2:22 PM

DC4BS


Ummm... Guys? I agree with all the great books & authors listed above, but...

Keep in mind that you're reccomending books for a 14 year old. ;)

I listed books I've reccomended and or loaned that my nephiew (14 as well) liked.

Oh! Two more Authors (how could I forget) Arthur C. Clark and Robert A. Heinline... Sci-Fi masters.

Beowulf in the Old English? YIKES!

------------------------------------------
dc4bs

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Monday, May 22, 2006 2:29 PM

CITIZEN


Off the top of my head:
The Hitch Hikers series - Douglas Adams
Beyond question.

Red Dwarf Books - Rob Grant/Doug Naylor
All the humour of the TV show, but better and more elaborate plots.

Pompeii - Robert Harris
Sucks you into the life of Romans in Pompeii really well.

Beast - Peter Benchley
The characterisation of the creature is amazing, the book is better than Jaws IMHO. Shame about the TV dramatisation they made of it which was, and let’s be fair to it, utter crap.

The Self-Destruction Syndrome - Steve Edwards
Harrowing doesn't really say it.

Economic Values - Steve Edwards
Funny and thought provoking and I have a signed copy .



More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
"I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalog: 'No good in a bed, but fine against a wall'." -- Eleanor Roosevelt.

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Monday, May 22, 2006 2:29 PM

HIXIE129


I loved the first 6 Harry Potter books.

I Read them several times...




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Monday, May 22, 2006 3:15 PM

DAVESHAYNE


As well as a number of worthy books already mentioned:

Catch - 22 by Joseph Heller. Possibly the best novel ever.

Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov. Classic sci-fi.

Neuromancer by William Gibson. The book that defined cyberpunk.

David

"Not completely as well as the series of Firefly..." - From a review of Serenity at amazon.de

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Monday, May 22, 2006 3:22 PM

RMMC


Terry Pratchett Discworld books.
J.D. Robb books (In order helps, but isn't necessary)
The Lord of the Rings/Silmarillion - J.R.R. Tolkien
The Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy-- Patricia McKillip
Amelia Peabody mysteries by Elizabeth Peters
Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling
Any Ellery Queen Mystery
The Saint series by Leslie Charteris
The Bloody History of Scotland Yard by h. Paul Jeffers
The first 3 or 4 Anita Blake books by L. Hamilton (it went rapidly downhill after that)
Thrice Upon a Time by James P. Hogan
Callahan's Bar series by Spider Robinson
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books by Douglas Adams
Any Ray Bradbury, especially 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'
The Three Musketeers By Alexandre Dumas
Shakespeare. Yeah, all of it.


*****
RMMC

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Monday, May 22, 2006 4:15 PM

SAVEWASH

Now I am learning about scary.


So many books, so little time!

I must recommend Watership Down, by Richard Adams. Don't ever let anyone tell you it's "just" about rabbits; there's much to learn about leadership, trust and loyalty, as well as a lot of excellent characters and a compelling story.

And almost any Ray Bradbury, especially the early short stories. He's the greatest.

There are many more but it looks like you already have a good list to start with.

By the way, I applaud you for your love of books! This will stay with you for your whole life and make it much richer.


"We need to keep our heads so we can ... keep our heads."

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Monday, May 22, 2006 4:21 PM

HERA


When I was the same age as you, I read the John Christopher trilogy, and it rocked my world. I re-read it recently, and it was just as good as I remembered.

The White Mountains
The City of Gold and Lead
The Pool of Fire

He also wrote a prequel, The Tripods.

I heard a rumour that this was made into a TV series in England.

My brother and I also really loved Rendesvouz with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Supposedly soon to be a movie with Morgan Freeman, if you can believe Hollywood.

The two books I re-read habitually:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Razor's Edge by Somerset Maugham

I recommend the former as a movie. The second you should avoid.

"Wanna?" – Mal to Kaylee, Out of Gas

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Monday, May 22, 2006 4:54 PM

ADAMWANKENOBI


Brave New World

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Monday, May 22, 2006 6:06 PM

RHYIANAN


Pride and prejudice by Jane Austen
Anything by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (if you're into non-traditional vampire stories)
Anything by Tamora Pierce
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The Alvin Maker books by Orson Scott Card
The Symphony of Ages series by Elizabeth Haydon

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Tuesday, May 23, 2006 3:47 AM

DEEPGIRL187


Little Miss Strange: Joanna Rose

The Phantom Tollbooth: Norton Juster

Companions Of The Night: Vivian Vande Velde

A Time To Kill: John Grisham

Anything by Michael Crichton (especially Timeline, the movie doesn't do it justice)

Anything by Stephen King (pay special attention to his earlier works, like Carrie, Salem's Lot, and It; those are generally the best)


I would recommend a few other authors as well, like Anne Rice, Nancy A. Collins, and Laurell K. Hamilton, but some might not consider those to be age-appropriate. Though in my case, I was already reading most of these authors at that age. It's really a matter of the level of maturity that the person has (as well as the wishes of their parents).

**************************************************

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you."

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Tuesday, May 23, 2006 5:55 AM

SAMEERTIA


The summer I was 13 I broke my ankle. While my siblings were out playing, I was stuck on the sofa with my foot in the air.
They felt sorry for me!

HAH!
I rode out with the Rohirrim in "Lord of the Rings".
I got much much "Thinner"...(and didn't sleep for a week.) AND fought vampires in "Salems Lot".
I rode dragons with F'lar and Lessa on "Pern" and sang the crystal with "Killashandra".

I swashbuckled my way through "The Three Musketeers" and became an enduring fan of Dumas. It may seem a tough read at 14, but believe me, it's worth it!

Many happy reads!


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Tuesday, May 23, 2006 6:13 AM

MERCURY002


the once future king is a good book by t h white

also the communist manifesto will change your point of veiw if you understand it

dhammapada is a book full of little sayings from buddha probably an online version, but its a good little book that makes you think and remember with little sayings, no paragrahs, easy reading.

i think my fav sayings are:
Not in the sky, nor in the mid-ocean, nor in a mountain cave, is found that place on earth where abiding one may escape from (the consequences) of one's evil deed.

and

Not in the sky, nor in mid-ocean, nor in a mountain cave, is found that place one earth where abiding one will not be overcome by death.

Simon:"If the battle was so horrible, why did he name the ship after it?"
Zoe:"Once you've been in serenity you never leave"

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