NLSC book discussion thread

[Doobie]

Well I don't know how many people here like to read, but I decided to make a book discussion thread for those who do. I know this thread is going to fall apart soon, but I wanted to see who here reads and what books are you reading or have read recently.

Well one book I've read recently is Of Mice and Men. Excellent story and I know most of you will read it or have read it already either in school or during your spare time. Another book I just started reading today is Flowers for Algernon. Another great book and I'm wondering if anyone here has read it. Be free to discuss any other books.

[cyanide]

I love George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. It's just chilling to imagine yourself in a dystopian society.

For some reason, I really enjoy reading stuff from Oprah's Book Club. I Know This Much is True and She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb are good reads. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy can be very dry, but I found it to be a great classic.

For short reads, Night by Elie Wiesel and Animal Farm are good reads too.

Edit: I want to read A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. I've heard too many good things about it.

[Jing]

I've found Remaking Eden and Aquariums of Pyongyang to be great reads.

Eden is about the investigation of the cloning issue and all while Pyongyang is more or less like a memoir/recap of a North Korean's time in the Yodok Concentration Camp and then his escape to China and eventually South Korea

[[Q]]

I like the short stories written by Raymond Carver who you probably never heard of. THe best short stories i have ever read. Michael Crichton (Timeline), A Farewell To Arms, Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)

There's a book called Round Trip that's pretty cool. it's a kids picture book that after you rad through you turn it over and rad upside down and back to the front of the book and the pictures are still good.

[Mazzocchi]

I finished up "The Alphabet Of Manliness" while in the Doctors office this afternoon and I must say it is quite the book. If your a fan of Maddox or are just looking for a funny read, by all means pick it up

[Axel]

I liked To Kill a Mockingbird myself, though I know it doesn't appeal to a lot of people. I recommend anything by John Grisham if you're into law and criminal cases. Another excellent book that I read last year is "Absolute Power" by David Baldacci. Currently, Angels and Demons is on my "to read" list... if i ever get time

Edit: Another great book I read awhile back is Solarflare by Larry Burkett... one of my all time fav books.

[rabbitx]

I love George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. It's just chilling to imagine yourself in a dystopian society.

fahrenheit 451 is a great book as well...

harry potters okay

if u like action and technology, i recomend artemis fowl, its a kids book but still pretty good

ummm... a wrinkle in time mary 'lengle

i dont really have a prefernce for books, i just read them all...

to killa mocking bird is by far my favorite book ever

[Riot]

I've read three books recently. All three of those books had to do with the War in Iraq (soldiers writings from their experiences there). The first one was Just Another Soldier which was written by Jason Hartley. Out of the three books this guy was probably the more intelligent one. Although, Paul Rieckhoff isn't too bad himself. He talks a lot about the mental side of the War and he gives a lot of his opinions on some moral issues. The guy really gives you a great mindset and you can tell he really cares. He is just a normal guy. I really enjoyed this book. I actually e-mailed him a few times back and forth and he is cool to talk with, too. He invited me to a book signing with him and Colby Buzzell, the author of another book I read, but it was in New York City. I give this book two thumbs up for everyone.

The second book I read was My War: Killing Time in Iraq by Colby Buzzell. Colby joined the military because he had no sense of direction in his life. He actually wanted to go fight in the War. The guy is kind of hardcore and he likes to drink and party. This is a great book, however I must admit that it was my least favorite of the three books I read from the soldiers. That isn't a knock on him because his book was great, too. He talks into detail about the everday life of soldiers. It's another good read. I couldn't put any of these books down when I got them. I finished them up like they were nothing. I give this book two thumbs up, as well.

And finally, the third book I read was called Chasing Ghosts by Paul Rieckhoff. This was a very interesting book. I knew going into it that this guy was very anti-Bush and anti-War. However, I decided to pick it up and read it because the guy was there and he could give me insights on what is going wrong with the War. He talks a lot about the politics of the War and also about why we aren't doing well as we should be doing in Iraq. He takes a lot of shots at Rumsfeld and Bush in the book. I had to bite my tongue but overall it was very well done. When I put this book down I knew I gained something from it. This book was amazing and this is coming from a guy who doesn't agree with the author's opinions. Very good book.

After reading the three books I've come to realize a lot of things involving the War in Iraq. We are doing good things there and the people do want us there. I think that is the thing we still need to stress. The people want us there to help them, but at the moment we aren't helping them. They don't feel safe with us there right now and that is why they want us gone. They were so happy to see us because they wanted us to bring security and protection to them and we haven't been able to do that. The big reason why we can't do that is because our of policies involving going after the bad guys. It's very hard for our soldiers to get the guys that are causing the trouble. The intelligence is awful and the chain of command is awful. There are times when our soldiers can see and eliminate the enemy but they are not allowed to engage until they get confirmation from command. That could take minutes to hours to days. By then the enemy is gone and they are on to terrorize more troops or innocent people.

So finally, I really do suggest you guys pick up atleast Chasing Ghosts and Just Another Soldier from your book store. Those are two very good books and you'll learn a lot about the current situation in Iraq from the grunts point of view. It is A+ quality.

[Null17]

Last book I read, not counting graphic novels, is Adam Copeland on Edge. The writing reminded me of Foley's and it provided some nice stories about how wrestlers are backstage. It was a little short but still a nice read. And damn expensive.

For the graphic novels, I've read Death: The High Cost of Living, Death: The Time of Your Life and The Day I swapped my Dad for 2 Goldfish. All by Neil Gaiman. All fun and original reads. Especially the Death ones which are Sandman spinoffs. The last book is more of a children story that was just a little outrageous.

[Jugs]

I had to read The Hobbit for school but I didn't read it and I have to have chapter summaries and character notes so I googled it and I found a site made by some grade 5's from New Zealand about the Hobbit's and they had real brief chapter summaries which is great.

[Cable]

THe best short stories i have ever read. Michael Crichton (Timeline)

That is one good book. Have you seen the movie? I haven't, but I don't know if I want too.

I read a lot, mostly spy/secret agent/war type stuff. Favourite authors; hmm, Robert Ludlum (Bourne Identity), Jack Higgins (The Eagle Has Landed), Tom Clancy's okay I guess.

[NNpF]

I liked To Kill a Mockingbird myself, though I know it doesn't appeal to a lot of people

Sorry, just found that pretty funny.

But anyways, I'm not much of a reader outside of PC Gamer magazines, but I have an addiction to Tom Clancy books. A couple years ago I would never pick up a book unless I needed to for school so my mom brought me home a book by Tom Clancy.

I thought, "What the hell, maybe I'll like it". So I read it and I loved it, bought another one and I have read five to this time and I'm currently working on another one.

I would really like to work on starting to read different books, I'm starting university soon and I'll have tons of time between classes so I'm going to be trying out different books and seeing what I enjoy. As a matter of fact, if anyone can recommend any good books that would be a great help.

I'll definitley try out some of the books mentioned in this thread.

[Its_asdf]

I love George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. It's just chilling to imagine yourself in a dystopian society

I find that quite funny because I always pretend to read that book during English class when we were forced to read silently for 20 minutes, or else we'd get a detention. Now that you've actually recommended it, I might actually read the text for once.

[J@3]

I really enjoy reading stuff from Oprah's Book Club.

Oh man, I have NO respect for you right now

I don't read much, since I spend like 2-3 hours a day reading other people's trash at the NLSC I don't really feel the need to read someone elses more literate trash in a book. I used to read alot when I was younger, but I kinda get bored with it and find other things to do now. Books I do like include The Power Of One, Tandia, The Potato Factory, April Fool's Day, most of John Grisham's stuff and Stephen King books, mostly IT though.

[Axel]

I liked To Kill a Mockingbird myself, though I know it doesn't appeal to a lot of people

Sorry, just found that pretty funny.

I fail to see what is so funny about it?

[[Q]]

To Kill a Mockingbird was a decent book. it was a good movie too with Gregory Peck.

Yeah I heard Timeline the movie was worse than Gigli (The Jennifer Lopez/Ben Affeck blockbuster hit)

[nets4life]

dont like reading at all but id thought id warn you guys not to read Great Expectations!

[Fenix]

dont like reading at all but id thought id warn you guys not to read Great Expectations!

What's wrong with Great Expectations ? I love that book.

I read quite a lot, especially once the school starts. I spend a lot of time on trains, so I had to spend my time somehow. I buy mostly used books and paperback editions and I've become quite a fan of certain authors (especially Phillip K. Dick and Chuck Palahniuk). The last book I've read? Young Lions, Irwin Shaw.

[The X]

I've been reading a few books lately....they include The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons & Prey (all good books....Prey is epic, starts slow, but a must read book)....I'm currently reading Tom Clancy's Shadow Watch....next book on my tall boy to read is The Guilty Heart....

I haven't really read since I read Timeline years ago, but since it takes me 35-40 minutes on train to work each way, I'm starting buying cheap paperbacks....

[OuT KasT]

Harry Potter I enjoyed and one I'm reading at the moment..

The Don.

[cyanide]

I really enjoy reading stuff from Oprah's Book Club.

Oh man, I have NO respect for you right now

I've been sheltered all my life. Does that make a difference?

[Andrew]

A huge bump here, but has anyone read any good books lately? I read Mick Foley's "Tietam Brown" a couple of days ago, not the heaviest book you'll find but very well-written. I'm thinking of picking up John Swartzwelder's books off Amazon as they're supposed to be very entertaining.

[Jackal]

Latest books I've read:

The Road - Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men)

The Kite Runner - Khaled Houseinni

I'm reading Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants right now and I've also recently what is in my opinion the best book, it had everything for me and it kept me amused given the depiction and topic is something I'm familiar with. Extremely well written and amusing.

Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts.

[Oznogrd]

Into the Wild was fantastic like the movie and showed a little bit more of a full story than the movie did. Must read if you've ever been fed up and wanted to live life on your own terms.

Also Stephen Colbert's I Am America and So Can You is pretty hysterical.

[Joe']

Anyone read "All Flowers Die" or "Disappearing into View" by Andrew K. Stone?

I just finished reading both of them and they're both amazing, very realistic books. They both focus on different aspects of human relations, although in a completely different way.

Also, I've recently finished to read Stephen King's "From a Buick 8". Great sci-fi book, one of the best I've read. Can't wait for the movie in '09, hope it doesn't suck.