What Books Are You Guys Reading?

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

fine, i'll read it.

I mean, it's fine if you don't really read, not to read it.. but if you like the movie, and you also like to read sht like Hemingway, you would absolutely love it, I think. Plus, it's always nice to read something that was written, you know, within the last 60 years.

[Dirtydutch 8]

i h8t himmingwai.

[SuitedAces21 2,722]

I mean, it's fine if you don't really read, not to read it.. but if you like the movie, and you also like to read sht like Hemingway, you would absolutely love it, I think. Plus, it's always nice to read something that was written, you know, within the last 60 years.

I read in spurts. I just have a lot of reading to do right now for school, but since I never do it, I should have time for this.

[DinkDonk 1]

No love for Faulkner? I suppose I will continue with Hemingway. But I have to say, "As I Lay Dying" might be my favorite novel of all time.

[PMJackson21 0]

Same here. Next one should be awesome if he is taking so much time on it.I'm into all the fantasy sci/fi stuff also. I'm currently reading Chainfire which is the 10th book in the Sword of Truth series. I really like this series.

OMG, please never say you like Terry Goodkind. How can you read GRRM and even handle reading that crap Goodkind puts out? Sigh, knowing people like his books puts me on tilt. However, this might interest you: http://www.legendoftheseeker.com/ . Anyone that enjoys fantasy should check out Steven Erikson's Malazan series, or failing that, R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series. Erikson is a bit wordy (originally not released in the US because the publisher felt it was too 'intelligent' for Americans), but his world building is second to none.

[king_tanner 84]

OMG, please never say you like Terry Goodkind. How can you read GRRM and even handle reading that crap Goodkind puts out? Sigh, knowing people like his books puts me on tilt. However, this might interest you: http://www.legendoftheseeker.com/ .

I understand its not as good as Song of Ice and Fire, but I've got to read other stuff while I wait years and years before the new book comes out. The last Goodkind books definitely don't stack up to the earlier books in the series, but I can't stop midseries. Why the hate for Goodkind? Which books did you read that you didn't like?I'll definitely check out Malazan series if the stuff I'm reading is such crap.

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

OMG, please never say you like Terry Goodkind. How can you read GRRM and even handle reading that crap Goodkind puts out? Sigh, knowing people like his books puts me on tilt. However, this might interest you: http://www.legendoftheseeker.com/ . Anyone that enjoys fantasy should check out Steven Erikson's Malazan series, or failing that, R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series. Erikson is a bit wordy (originally not released in the US because the publisher felt it was too 'intelligent' for Americans), but his world building is second to none.

IN other crappy fantasy news, Robert Jordan is still dead, but I've heard that TOR is hiring some other hack to finish the series. He couldnt' possibly do a worse job witting than Jordan, I imagine. It does break my heart, however, that the series is being finished. There was something poetic about that good awful, indulgent 12 book crap fest being left unfinished at 11 books, breaking the hearts of all the hard core WoT fans, making them waist all that time and money on an unfinished epic. Alas, my dreams are not to be realized.

[HollywoodAFD 0]

I've been pretty lax on my fiction reading lately. I've got "All the Pretty Horses" and I plan (hope) to start it soon.

I'll wait on the movie

[hank213 1,823]

Do any of you fantasy readers read Feist?Just curious.

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

Do any of you fantasy readers read Feist?Just curious.

that crappy canadian singer/songwriter broad?

[LadyGrey 6]

Old man and the sea might be the perfect short story.

I lovelovelove Cat in The Rain, one of my favourite short stories. Edit: I read Old Man and The Sea last year and it was brilliant, but CitR is closer to my heart.My other favourites are from Flannery O'Connor: A Good Man Is Hard To Find and Everything That Rises Must Converge. I enjoy Graham Greene's short works also.

The Bible

Get out of my thread, you Theist, you.I just got given two books as a gift:The Drifters by James MichenerEast of Eden by John Steinbeck (I've read and adored The Grapes of Wrath)Anyone have views on these? No spoilers though, I obviously haven't had time to read them yet.

[RonBurgundy 0]

East of Eden by John Steinbeck (I've read and adored The Grapes of Wrath)

damn near perfect

[PMJackson21 0]

I understand its not as good as Song of Ice and Fire, but I've got to read other stuff while I wait years and years before the new book comes out. The last Goodkind books definitely don't stack up to the earlier books in the series, but I can't stop midseries. Why the hate for Goodkind? Which books did you read that you didn't like?I'll definitely check out Malazan series if the stuff I'm reading is such crap.

I'm sorry if that came off harsh, but I just hate Goodkind. Mainly because his writing is awful (and at times I question whether or not he has an editor), but also because he 'borrows' a lot from other authors/fantasy series. Not as blatant as Terry Brooks in his first series (hey, i'll just re-write LOTR, but shitty!), but still pretty bad.I think I've read the first 4-5....maybe more, I can't recall. I enjoyed the basic story of the first few (besides the before mentioned 'borrowing' and his writing, or maybe in spite of the last one) so I'm interested to see what the tv show is like. Probably awful, but it shouldn't be too hard for the screen writers to adapt Goodkind's book to a script. IIRC, I lost interest with the one about some sort of magical plague or something.If you do read the Malazan series, be patient with the first one. Erikson kinda just throws you into the world without the normal slow build up, and it can be difficult to follow along. Also, the first book was written about 10 years before the second, and his writing is a lot more polished now (although, it still was on the wordy side).

[PMJackson21 0]

IN other crappy fantasy news, Robert Jordan is still dead, but I've heard that TOR is hiring some other hack to finish the series. He couldnt' possibly do a worse job witting than Jordan, I imagine. It does break my heart, however, that the series is being finished. There was something poetic about that good awful, indulgent 12 book crap fest being left unfinished at 11 books, breaking the hearts of all the hard core WoT fans, making them waist all that time and money on an unfinished epic. Alas, my dreams are not to be realized.

Hey, that would be me! I enjoyed the first few, was disappointed in the next few, and read on in horror at how bad it became the last few (although the last he wrote was a bit better, mainly because he knew he was dying and tried to finish it). He really got bad once his wife became his editor...The author they brought in was Brandon Sanderson, who actually has a few books out with decent reviews. I read a bit of one online and it didn't seem too bad, or at least not any worse then what I came to expect from Jordan. Considering I read the first one when I was 13, I just want closure to the f'n series already lol.Goodkind and Jordan are alike in that they both learned how to milk a cash cow for all it's worth.

[Balloon guy 158]

I'm sorry if that came off harsh, but I just hate Goodkind. Mainly because his writing is awful (and at times I question whether or not he has an editor), but also because he 'borrows' a lot from other authors/fantasy series. Not as blatant as Terry Brooks in his first series (hey, i'll just re-write LOTR, but shitty!), but still pretty bad.I think I've read the first 4-5....maybe more, I can't recall. I enjoyed the basic story of the first few (besides the before mentioned 'borrowing' and his writing, or maybe in spite of the last one) so I'm interested to see what the tv show is like. Probably awful, but it shouldn't be too hard for the screen writers to adapt Goodkind's book to a script. IIRC, I lost interest with the one about some sort of magical plague or something.If you do read the Malazan series, be patient with the first one. Erikson kinda just throws you into the world without the normal slow build up, and it can be difficult to follow along. Also, the first book was written about 10 years before the second, and his writing is a lot more polished now (although, it still was on the wordy side).

I thought that same of Terry Brooks, glad to see he improved.Have your read the Stephen Donaldson series White Gold Wielder? Probably my favorite.

[Balloon guy 158]

I just got given two books as a gift:The Drifters by James MichenerEast of Eden by John Steinbeck (I've read and adored The Grapes of Wrath)Anyone have views on these? No spoilers though, I obviously haven't had time to read them yet.

James Michener is great to get a good grasp of countries and history.I reread Hawaii everytime I am going there, and Alaska, Poland, The Source, and a few others.

[qyayqi 11]

more than human, theodore sturgeon.

[PMJackson21 0]

I thought that same of Terry Brooks, glad to see he improved.Have your read the Stephen Donaldson series White Gold Wielder? Probably my favorite.

I don't know if Brooks has improved; I think I read some of his other stuff when I was a kid, but the only ones that stand out to me are the first trilogy (Sword of Shannara etc). I just assumed he ran out of Tolkien books to copy. :)White Gold Wielder = Thomas Convenant the Unbeliever? I read the first trilogy in that series last year, and had a hard time getting into them, but once I did I enjoyed them. It's hard to like Thomas at first (or ever), but any fantasy that doesn't follow the normal cookie cutter mold is interesting (not often the main character/'hero' rapes someone).

[king_tanner 84]

I'm sorry if that came off harsh

No problem, I enjoy the criticism. If there is better fantasy out there I should be reading it. I guess I just like the genre so much that I even enjoy the books that most readers think are crappy. For example I liked the Shannara series by Brooks. Often times I will just go to the fantasy section, see that a book has more than 500 pages with a map on the first page, and I'll buy the book without looking at the reviews.

[PMJackson21 0]

No problem, I enjoy the criticism. If there is better fantasy out there I should be reading it. I guess I just like the genre so much that I even enjoy the books that most readers think are crappy. For example I liked the Shannara series by Brooks. Often times I will just go to the fantasy section, see that a book has more than 500 pages with a map on the first page, and I'll buy the book without looking at the reviews.

I enjoyed the 2nd book, Elfstones of Shannara, in the same way I'd enjoy a no plot action movie. Fun enough, but not too serious. I couldn't get past the LOTR connections in the first one though, and the third was so-so. Def check out Erikson, and his co-creator Esslemont's books (his first is due out in the US soon, already out in UK). So far the books have come once a year (great for someone used to Martin), with no drop in quality. If you have read any of Glen Cook's Black Company books, then you will like Erikson; he does the common soldier well, and a lot of the humor (humour in this case) has a morbid sense to it. Like I mentioned previously though, the first book has a different feel to it then the ones following it, mainly I think because the time between writing them. It is the kind of book that is much better on re-read, mostly because things make better sense. The second is much better though, and the third is on par for me with A Storm of Swords by GRRM, which is probably my favorite fantasy book.

[Piddle Duck 0]

Contract Law for ParalegalsLegal Research and WritingTort Law for ParalegalsRIVETING!

[brvheart 1,752]

Get out of my thread, you Theist, you.

I was just trying to be honest. As for another book I just finished... "Winning" by Jack Welch. It was really good. Unless you don't care about business non-fiction, then it would suck.

[LadyGrey 6]

I was just trying to be honest. As for another book I just finished... "Winning" by Jack Welch. It was really good. Unless you don't care about business non-fiction, then it would suck.

Actually in terms of business non-fiction, I saw a guy on CNN the other day who wrote a book called "The Wolf on Wall Street" about how he used to be a Wall Street guy and screwed his clients out of tons of money etc. It sounds really interesting, but I try not to buy books new. I go to thrift stores, libraries or borrow from other people, so I doubt I'll get my hands on that book anytime soon.

[Lucky shoes 0]

I just started Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. Good so far but I'm only a short way in so who knows. I loved Dance Dance Dance so I have high hopes for this one.

[qyayqi 11]

if you're looking for a solid fantasy series, try the fionavar tapestry by guy gavriel kay. he really doesn't get enough love for his books. i almost cried at one point. yeah, i can be a sap.