Topic: Books Thread

[sangyo soichiro]

First Blood by David Morrell  © 1972


Has anyone read it?  Holy cow it's good!

I loved the 1982 Stallone movie, and I think the sequel movies took a little away from the original (although I loved them too when I was a kid), but the book is really darn good.

I started it last night.  I've read two thirds so far.  It's a little different than the movie in that the sheriff, Teasle, is not such a bad guy.  He's going through a divorce, he's had some bad things happen to him in the past, and he just has other things on his mind.  He was a Marine in the Korean war, did some boxing while in the Marines, and he even won a medal himself - the second highest next to the Medal of Honor.  He himself is no wimp (of course, neither was Brian Dennehy in the movie).

Of course, anyone that's seen the movie knows Rambo won the Medal of Honor.  And was not a Marine, but an Army special forces green beret.  The Rambo in the book is about 10 years younger than the one in the movie.  He is not a bad guy either, but he's just sick of people judging him by his looks, especially given his sacrifices for his country.  He knows if he'd just clean himself up he'd avoid a lot of trouble.  But dammit, he why should he have to?!

In the book we are given these characters' thoughts and histories that the movie can't give.  We see more of what Rambo went through in the war and since he got back, and we learn more about the sheriff.  Rambo himself admits that Teasle is not that bad of a guy, but he's just sick of being wrongly judged.  In a way, Teasle is made to pay for other guys' 'sins.'  

Anyway, we've all probably seen the movie.  Rambo snaps and all hell breaks loose.  In the book, Rambo is a little more psychotic than he is in the movie.  In the movie a few people get killed, almost by accident, and Rambo finds himself just trying to get away until near the end when he goes to town to get revenge.  In the book, Rambo purposely hunts down the cops and kills them.  The dogs too.

In the movie I rooted for Rambo the whole way through.  In the book, half the time I'm rooting for Rambo, the other half I'm rooting for Teasle.  The book does a great job of portraying a situation where there really is no good or bad guys - just a situation that rapidly escalated out of control.  Plus, David Morrell, the author, is a really good writer.  Top-notch prose in my opinion.


I'll update this review after I finish the book if need be.

[Caaveman82]

Just finished reading 'Rant' by Chuck Palahniuk. He also wrote Fight Club, which if you liked the movie just read the book. All I can say is wow. It's a damn fine read. This guy is a great author.

[Operator]

Just started "Jupiter's Travels" the original one from '79 by Ted Simon. 4 years, 60,000 miles on a Triumph Tiger 500. Nuff said...............

[demon78]

I'll toss in another one to the mix, "All the Tunes of Glory" also movie made of it almost dead same as book about  a Scottish Regiment after the war Alec Guinness and John Mills gave masterful performances but book was just as good.
"Generation Of Vipers" by Phillip Wylie helped form my thinking.
Bill the demon.

[modzsquad]

OK first time responding to this thread, but I have seen some posts here and there are some with wit on this site so...,  has anyone read any Tom Robbins?  I think one of his best is "Fierce Invalids home from hot climates" but the rest of his books (with exception to his newest one) are also good reads.
Let me know what you think!

[BeSeeingYou]

The Tree Farm by Robert Treuer
I can't think of a better synopsis than one on the back cover of the book.  "This is the book Thoreau might have written had he gone to Waldon Pond with a wife and children".

[BeSeeingYou]

Just finished Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough.  The latest movie of the same title was based on this book.  It weaves together the stories of John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, the Barker-Karpis Gang, Bonnie and Clyde, Machine Gun Kelly, and lesser known members of the gangs.  It strips away the myths put out by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI and details the two year battle between the young FBI and these criminal gangs, it's successes and also it's many failures. 

This from the inside jacket: In 1933, police jurisdiction ended at the state lines, the FBI was in it's infancy, the highway system was spreading, fast cars and machine guns were easily available, and a good number of the 13 million Americans who were out of work blamed the banks.  In short, it was a great time to be a bank robber.

[MacM2010]

I read Public Enemies over the summer, a pretty terrific book.  I was disappointed in the movie, though - Johnny Depp was a good Dillinger, but the film kept the same myths about Melvin Purvis (that he was a decent cop, that he had any idea what he was doing) alive that the book worked so hard to dispel.  Definitely a good read, though.

[BeSeeingYou]

I have not seen the movie though I hear that it is not that accurate in some parts and yeah, Melvin Purvis does come out looking incompetent in the book.  A friends father who lives near Madison, where some of the filming was done, has a 1930's vintage Ford and he and the car got to be in the movie.  I should see it just for that reason so it's on my Netflix list.

Another good book in the same vein is Go Down Together by Jeff Guinn.  A detailed account of the life and death of Bonnie and Clyde and the Barrow Gang.  This book also dispels many myths surrounding them especially the highly inaccurate 1967 movie.  Another terrific read.

[Trav-i]

I have actually started reading books from Kathy Reich. Also the producer for the Bones TV series.  And I must say she is a fantastic.   writer. I love the show but her books are so much better.  I really recommend the to everyone.

[mystic_1]

This is not a book but rather an essay, by Neil Stephenson, that's a pretty good read:

"In the Beginning was the Command Line"

http://artlung.com/smorgasborg/C_R_Y_P_T_O_N_O_M_I_C_O_N.shtml


mystic_1

[JohnCurW]

This thread is meant to be a place for you to post anything about books. For example, What are you reading now? , What are your favorite books? Book recommendations, reviews etc.

I'll start it off,

Currently reading "Atlas Shrugged", started it during the summer and haven't had much time to read it since school started, looking forward to reading it again over winter break.



Have at 'er

Just found this thread, Atlas Shrugged (took me a year and a half, be patient) and The Fountainhead are two of my all time favorites.  Some of my other favorite authors/books are:

Tom Robbins, especially Jitterbug Perfume and Even Cowgirls Get The Blues
   If you haven't read anything by him he is kind of a strong individualism meets buddism meets massive amounts of LSD type.  If your adventurous with your reading check out Jitterbug Perfume.

Johnathan Saffran Foer, his most recent book is about being a vegetarian (don't think I'll be reading it) but his previous two are about the Haulocaust (manages to make you laugh five pages after you are almost crying, not that a manly guy like me would ever shed a tear) and a new york boy coping with losing his father in 9/11.

Kevin Brockmeier, Things That Fall from the Sky (collection of short stories) and The Brief History of the Dead (a fairly short and easy to read novel).

[JohnCurW]

OK first time responding to this thread, but I have seen some posts here and there are some with wit on this site so...,  has anyone read any Tom Robbins?  I think one of his best is "Fierce Invalids home from hot climates" but the rest of his books (with exception to his newest one) are also good reads.
Let me know what you think!

I read the first post of the thread and responded to it, then went back and read the rest only to find modzsquad referenced Tom Robbins just a few posts before me.  Fierce Invalids is on my Kindle now waiting for me to get around to it.

I thought B is for Beer was entertaining enough I just wasn't really expecting it to ACTUALLY be a childrens book.  It fell way short of his other works though, but if I ever have kids, it will make the bedtime story list.

What are your other Tom Robbins favorites?

[JohnCurW]

Just finished reading 'Rant' by Chuck Palahniuk. He also wrote Fight Club, which if you liked the movie just read the book. All I can say is wow. It's a damn fine read. This guy is a great author.

Chuck Palahniuk is also a favorite of mine, sort of a guilty pleasure really.  Rant isn't one of his best IMHO. Invisible Monster is pretty incredible but you have to have a pretty good stomach to get through parts; After that I'de say Diary or Survivor, but I've yet to read one of his books that I didn't enjoy (including rant).

On a side note, don't you guts hate it when someone hijacks a thread with three posts in a row without anyone responding...?  I just keep finding new things to respond to, I'll stop for a little bit.

[modzsquad]

Just finished reading 'Rant' by Chuck Palahniuk. He also wrote Fight Club, which if you liked the movie just read the book. All I can say is wow. It's a damn fine read. This guy is a great author.

Just Started Pygmy yesterday... pretty strange beginning!

Chuck Palahniuk is also a favorite of mine, sort of a guilty pleasure really.  Rant isn't one of his best IMHO. Invisible Monster is pretty incredible but you have to have a pretty good stomach to get through parts; After that I'de say Diary or Survivor, but I've yet to read one of his books that I didn't enjoy (including rant).

On a side note, don't you guts hate it when someone hijacks a thread with three posts in a row without anyone responding...?  I just keep finding new things to respond to, I'll stop for a little bit.

[BeSeeingYou]

Just finished A Fiery Peace in a Cold War by By Neil Sheehan.
    It's a blend of biography, history, politics, and science that tells the story of the development of the intercontinental ballistic missile through the life of Air Force general Bennie Schriever.  One interesting tidbit I found out reading this book is the attempt by the air force to develop a nuclear powered bomber.  From 1946-1961 7 billion was spent on this till it was finally killed by JFK.  Airborne nuclear reactors crisscrossing the country, what were they thinking.

[CBJoe]

This is not a book but rather an essay, by Neil Stephenson, that's a pretty good read:

"In the Beginning was the Command Line"

http://artlung.com/smorgasborg/C_R_Y_P_T_O_N_O_M_I_C_O_N.shtml


mystic_1

I loved Snow Crash and Zodiac, but the Cryptonomicon and the Quicksilver series bested me....

The Hyperion Series by Dan Simmons was great read.  Some of his other books are good, but these were my favourites.
Caleb Carr's books, The Alienist and The Angle of Darkness were good Mystery reads as well.

[JS550]

Just finished "Big Sids Vincati" good read, great story. Just started "The Vincent in the Barn" which led me to buy "The Hemi in the Barn", both are cool so far.
jim

[number13]

Just finished Fahrenheit 451, just started
Shock Doctrine.
So I am in an apocalypse kinda mood right now.

[BeSeeingYou]

Just finished Fahrenheit 451, just started
Shock Doctrine.
So I am in an apocalypse kinda mood right now.

Here are a few classics of the genre

Lord of the Flies  by William Golding
On the Beach by Nevil Shute
Dhalgren  by Samuel Delaney
Fail-Safe  by Eugene Burdick
War of the Worlds  by H.G. Wells

[CaféElite]

Daemon and its sequel Freedom....

http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/  -> geared towards a younger age group but I thought it was a good short read if your techie.

[Markcb750]

I just finished "Its Not About the Bike" by Lance Armstrong and a ghost writer.


Good story, the people that ride in the Tour de France are tough, the story is about his battle with testicular cancer, Lance is tougher.


Check your nuts boys.

[BobbyR]

Re reading the Grapes of Wrath.

[Buber]

http://avaxhome.ws/ebooks/Shooting_Star.html

For you British bike fans. VERY good read.

[CBJoe]

Just finished Fahrenheit 451, just started
Shock Doctrine.
So I am in an apocalypse kinda mood right now.

Here are a few classics of the genre

Lord of the Flies  by William Golding
On the Beach by Nevil Shute
Dhalgren  by Samuel Delaney
Fail-Safe  by Eugene Burdick
War of the Worlds  by H.G. Wells

Don't forget:

Watership Down by Richard Adams
Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell