Topic: Books Thread

[Frankenkit]

Yeah. Best paragraph in the whole thing... almost.  I loved how he said he liked the ST1100. 

[Rocking-M]

I read that a few years ago.  Combines historical fact and fiction, Inuit mythology, and a ghost/monster story.  It was very good.

SRust, I sent it to Dave (Upperlake) and told him to read it this winter whilst in his cabin
on one of those iced over N, Saskatchewan Lakes.  Come to think of it, I should have heard
a report by now. 

[BobbyR]

I have read this book three times over the years. I was given it as a present and I avoided reading it for a year or two. It is a extremely good book. It is a book with almost no bullsh1t  bravado. It is the chronicle of his expediences as a slick driver in Nam. It takes no sides. The book is what it was for him.   

[Markcb750]

The best Vietnam book I have read.

I read it every few years.

[BeSeeingYou]

I read that a few years ago.  Combines historical fact and fiction, Inuit mythology, and a ghost/monster story.  It was very good.

SRust, I sent it to Dave (Upperlake) and told him to read it this winter whilst in his cabin
on one of those iced over N, Saskatchewan Lakes.  Come to think of it, I should have heard
a report by now. 

Let's hope he didn't take it out to read while he was ice fishing.

[BeSeeingYou]

I have read this book three times over the years. I was given it as a present and I avoided reading it for a year or two. It is a extremely good book. It is a book with almost no bullsh1t  bravado. It is the chronicle of his expediences as a slick driver in Nam. It takes no sides. The book is what it was for him.   

I read that one about 10 years ago and still have it.  It was a very good just like you describe.

[sangyo soichiro]

I've read some of the usual suspects on the Vietnam War.  I got to say that the one that stuck out the most for me was this one.



It gives you a glimpse of what it was like for a young village girl.


Another great book is this one.



This is a great story of a Vietnamese family that came to the U.S. after the war.  The author is a very good writer.  He chronicles his visit to Vietnam in the 1990s as a young adult, riding his bicycle from Saigon to Hanoi.  During this, he describes his family's escape from Vietnam by boat, some of the hardships they went through right after the war and when they got to the U.S., and he compares and contrasts this new Vietnam with the one he remembers, and also with his life in the U.S.  It's a book that made me laugh and cry.


A really good movie along these lines is this one.  (The Youtube clip isn't showing up in the preview, but the movie is called Journey from the Fall (2007).)

Many of us Americans forget that the war didn't end when America withdrew.  For the Vietnamese in the South of Vietnam, life was hell in the commie's "re-education" camps.  



These books and movie hit really close to home for me, because my girlfriend is Vietnamese, and her family had to go through this until they left Vietnam in 1994.

[Kframe]

Not MC related, but one of my favorite books ever.


A wonderful read for anyone that likes the great outdoors.
-K

[lordmoonpie]

Currently reading a new book about self experimenting scientists called "Exploding teeth and screaming ears" and it is impossible to put it down! Awesome what some people foolishly did to further science and horrible are the things we are exposed to on a daily basis now that we don't know about....eg. there is an additive listed on some crisps (chips in the US) that ONLY comes from human hair. It's in recognition of the number of factory worker hairs that drop into the production process. There is even a regulated acceptable amount of rat excrement allowed in popcorn!!

One I read recently that is hugely thought provoking is Ishmael by an American writer called Daniel Quinn. With today's concerns over global warming etc, this really does make you think hard about your life...

[pdxPope]

How the #$%* did I miss this thread???!?!?!?!?!??

Since I've got a little catching up to do, here goes...

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is crap. I got more of each reading Peter Egan's Leanings AND it was entertaining!

Twain WAS a genius. It is easy to dismiss his writings as folksy storytelling, but if you look a little deeper it is brilliant social commentary.

On the topic of great American writers, Scott Fitzgerald is my all-time favorite. I named my daughter after one of the characters in Great Gatsby.

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Vonnegut. LOVED Cats Cradle. Reading it at the tender age of thirteen gave me hope that not ALL adults were retarded.

Tom Robbins is good, but I prefer Another Roadside Attraction to most anything else he's done.

I had a harder time with the beat poets than I want to admit. On the Road was good. Naked Lunch was a mess.

+2 on the story of the Essex. It is an amazing read.

Kit, I loved Dune also. To this day, it is the only book I read cover to cover in one sitting.

You want post-apocalyptia? How about A Boy and His Dog. Harlan Ellison can get a little campy (especially his later stuff) but I challenge anyone to read I have No Mouth and I Must Scream and not want to scrub yourself with bleach.

Same for Chuck Palahniuk’s Haunted. I heard that people faint when he does live readings of it and it wouldn't surprise me a bit.

And finally, I just finished Over the Edge of the World by Laurence Bergreen. It tells the story of the first circumnavigation of the globe by Ferdinand Magellan. It’s brilliant.

Just started the Time Traveler's Wife.


Phew!


-JP

[BlindJoe]

Glad you found it , thanks for posting

[sangyo soichiro]

Something that bugs me...

A lot of reviews on Amazon for older books usually say something about the book being "dated."  I hate that.  I understand mentioning it for nonfiction books, but for novels it seems silly to say that it's "dated."

When I read an older book, I'm not turned off that the characters are not using cell phones, or talking about old technology (old to us) as if it's some far in the future thing.  I get a kick out of it actually.  It gives me a glimpse into that specific time period.  Older novels not only can entertain you, but they can also provide a really neat glimpse into the culture of that time.  You just have to remember when it was written to keep everything in context, otherwise you might say it's "dated."    


For the people that complain that a book is dated, I don't understand why they require that the book be placed in their time period rather than placing themselves in the time period of the book.   


I thought about this reminiscing about Black Sunday (1975) by Thomas Harris.  That is a great book, but some folks complain that it's "dated."   

[BeSeeingYou]

The Bounty Trilogy by Charles Nordhoff & James Norman Hall
This is a compilation of three books

Mutiny on the Bounty
Men Against the Sea
Pitcairn's Island

    These are historical novels based on British Admiralty records, Captain Bligh's logs, and accounts written shortly after the discovery of the community on Pitcairn's Island in 1808.  The story starts in 1787.
    The first book details the voyage to Tahiti, the mutiny, the search for and arrest of some of the mutineers by H.M.S. Pandora and their return to England for trial.  It also details the wreck of the Pandora on the Great Barrier Reef and the subsequent small boat voyage of the survivors to the Dutch base on Timor.  
    The second book details the voyage of Captain Bligh and 18 loyal members of the crew after they are set adrift in the ships launch, an open boat 23 feet long and 6 feet 9 inches in beam.  In this small craft Bligh carries his men 3600 miles across the Pacific to Timor.  One of the greatest small boat voyages of all time.
     The third book tells story of the return to Tahiti by the Bounty.  Here the company splits up with Fletcher Christian and eight mutineers, along with 18 Polynesians (12 women and 6 men) departing in the ship for an unknown destination.  Nothing is heard of them for 18 years.

Each book is told from the perspective of a single individual and it is very effective in conveying a sense you are there. First published in 1930.


    

[BobbyR]

I wandered into a small bookshop in Bangor Maine. Sitting at a table was a guy with creepy eyes and a stack of books. I was browsing books by Maine authors. I was looking at books and the the guy at the table says Stephan King is pretty good. So I pulled out a book by Stephan King called Firestarter and there was the guys picture on the back. I walked over and he signed it. Then he asked if I liked Westerns which I do. He handed me one of the books on the table, he said they were a limited printing, so he signed that one and I bought it. It was the first of the Dark Tower series which did not come out commercially for several years later. The limited edition is quite valuable. If you like Westerns and Fantasy check this one out.


 

[sangyo soichiro]

That's a pretty cool story Bobby.   

Seems like King's a pretty good salesman too.   


The Stand was my favorite of King's (actually, one of my favorites, period).  Although I haven't read that many of his books.  'Salem's Lot was also very good.

[BobbyR]

That's a pretty cool story Bobby.   

Seems like King's a pretty good salesman too.   


The Stand was my favorite of King's (actually, one of my favorites, period).  Although I haven't read that many of his books.  'Salem's Lot was also very good.

The Stand is amazing and I have read both versions several times. I am reading The Dome right now. It is kinda like the Stand, but so far it;s kinda like The Stand. In the Dark Tower series, all of his Villains appear. Randall Flagg (the walking Dude) was the most prominent.

"My life for you"

                    -Trashcan Man

[demon78]

Bobby are you into military flying? if so there's one you should read called "Terror in the Starboard Seat" about a nav in Mosquitoes, by Dave McIntosh ( no relation). Both funny and scary.
Bill the demon.

[Kframe]

That's a pretty cool story Bobby.   

Seems like King's a pretty good salesman too.   


The Stand was my favorite of King's (actually, one of my favorites, period).  Although I haven't read that many of his books.  'Salem's Lot was also very good.

King can wrap a story around your head like no other. 
A couple of my favorites are Christine and Needful Things.  Also the short story "The Body". 
And some people hated it, but I really enjoyed The Eyes of the Dragon.
-K

[BobbyR]

Bobby are you into military flying? if so there's one you should read called "Terror in the Starboard Seat" about a nav in Mosquitoes, by Dave McIntosh ( no relation). Both funny and scary.
Bill the demon.

The farther I get from it the more interested in I have become.    I just read a review if it and it looks good. I used to know a bomber pilot who flew many missions of Germany. Interesting times. I will see if I can get a copy.

[pdxPope]

For me, King's appeal wanes thin pretty quickly.
I've never been much of a fan of his horror, (it seems to be the same basic formula) but prefer his other stuff. Eyes of the Dragon was good. So was The Talisman.
I enjoyed The Dark Tower series, unitl it got stupid.


-JP

[modzsquad]

How the #$%* did I miss this thread???!?!?!?!?!??
Give another read to Fierce invalids home from hot climates!  Or have you read Pygmy by Paulichnuik?

For me, King's appeal wanes thin pretty quickly.
I've never been much of a fan of his horror, (it seems to be the same basic formula) but prefer his other stuff. Eyes of the Dragon was good. So was The Talisman.
I enjoyed The Dark Tower series, unitl it got stupid.


-JP

Since I've got a little catching up to do, here goes...

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is crap. I got more of each reading Peter Egan's Leanings AND it was entertaining!

Twain WAS a genius. It is easy to dismiss his writings as folksy storytelling, but if you look a little deeper it is brilliant social commentary.

On the topic of great American writers, Scott Fitzgerald is my all-time favorite. I named my daughter after one of the characters in Great Gatsby.

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Vonnegut. LOVED Cats Cradle. Reading it at the tender age of thirteen gave me hope that not ALL adults were retarded.

Tom Robbins is good, but I prefer Another Roadside Attraction to most anything else he's done.

I had a harder time with the beat poets than I want to admit. On the Road was good. Naked Lunch was a mess.

+2 on the story of the Essex. It is an amazing read.

Kit, I loved Dune also. To this day, it is the only book I read cover to cover in one sitting.

You want post-apocalyptia? How about A Boy and His Dog. Harlan Ellison can get a little campy (especially his later stuff) but I challenge anyone to read I have No Mouth and I Must Scream and not want to scrub yourself with bleach.

Same for Chuck Palahniuk’s Haunted. I heard that people faint when he does live readings of it and it wouldn't surprise me a bit.

And finally, I just finished Over the Edge of the World by Laurence Bergreen. It tells the story of the first circumnavigation of the globe by Ferdinand Magellan. It’s brilliant.

Just started the Time Traveler's Wife.


Phew!


-JP

[SteveD CB500F]

I've just read "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (called "The Man who Hated Women" in Swedish)

What a great read - and the film is released here on Friday. I believe that it's in Swedish with subtitles: a guaranteed cult classic.

Unfortunately, I also hear that Sony has bought the rights for a Hollywood remake 

[BobbyR]

In High School I avoided reading most of the books they required, so I would Cliff note it or get a paper someone else wrote. After I made an unscheduled semi controlled landing, I had a couple of weeks on my hands. Wasn't much to do so I picked up this book and never put it down. I have read it five or more times, while it may be "dated", the writing is so achingly beautiful and powerful. It may be the finest American Novel. I would recommend it to anyone.

     

[Caaveman82]

I just finished Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. Very insightful book.

[img width= height=]http://dreamfactoryblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/blink1.jpg[/img]

[SteveD CB500F]

Do you guys ever get to see "Dr Who" over there?
UK prime time sci-fi drama from the BBC.

The scariest episode of them all was called "Blink"