Upvote Upvoted 17 Downvote Downvoted
1 2
Summer Reading?
posted in Off Topic
31
#31
2 Frags +

moby dick

moby dick
32
#32
5 Frags +

Just finished up the book The Waste Lands(Dark tower III) and a couple novellas, The Old Man and the Sea and Of Mice and Men. The Darktower series has had me captivated for a while now, I make sure to break it up with novels in between so I don't rush through it. I was really surprised by The Old man and the Sea, I picked it up on a whim despite it's uninteresting plot but damn if I wasn't sucked in by the characters and dialogue in such a short story.

As for what I am currently reading, I am a few chapters into Slaughterhouse 5 and enjoying it so far. My first intro to Vonnegut was through The Sirens of Titan which I adored so I had to find more of his work.

If we want to include audiobooks, I am in the middle of The Martian and it is also excellent. I am sure it a great read but the narration is SO good, it feels like the book was made to be audio. And for non-fiction I like to listen to Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World as I lie in bed

Just finished up the book The Waste Lands(Dark tower III) and a couple novellas, The Old Man and the Sea and Of Mice and Men. The Darktower series has had me captivated for a while now, I make sure to break it up with novels in between so I don't rush through it. I was really surprised by The Old man and the Sea, I picked it up on a whim despite it's uninteresting plot but damn if I wasn't sucked in by the characters and dialogue in such a short story.

As for what I am currently reading, I am a few chapters into Slaughterhouse 5 and enjoying it so far. My first intro to Vonnegut was through The Sirens of Titan which I adored so I had to find more of his work.

If we want to include audiobooks, I am in the middle of The Martian and it is also excellent. I am sure it a great read but the narration is SO good, it feels like the book was made to be audio. And for non-fiction I like to listen to Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World as I lie in bed
33
#33
0 Frags +

ne1 here scifi?
big larry niven fan myself, but theres way too much out there to decide on a favorite

ne1 here scifi?
big larry niven fan myself, but theres way too much out there to decide on a favorite
34
#34
7 Frags +

my yearly summer tradition is to re-read my entire collection of none other then redwall

http://www.chukw.com/Critters/Redwall_Detail_1.jpg

best book series fucking EVER

my yearly summer tradition is to re-read my entire collection of none other then redwall

[img]http://www.chukw.com/Critters/Redwall_Detail_1.jpg[/img]

best book series fucking EVER
35
#35
4 Frags +
futuremy yearly summer tradition is to re-read my entire collection of none other then redwall

http://www.chukw.com/Critters/Redwall_Detail_1.jpg

best book series fucking EVER

I fucking love you.

[quote=future]my yearly summer tradition is to re-read my entire collection of none other then redwall

[img]http://www.chukw.com/Critters/Redwall_Detail_1.jpg[/img]

best book series fucking EVER[/quote]

I fucking love you.
36
#36
1 Frags +

Anything by Brandon Sanderson is awesome, Blood Song by Anthony Ryan is also a great book.

Anything by Brandon Sanderson is awesome, Blood Song by Anthony Ryan is also a great book.
37
#37
1 Frags +

.

.
38
#38
1 Frags +

Moby .... wait for it .... Dick

The Lord of the Rings is an amazing series; if you think you've already been there with the movies...you haven't. Fantastic story.

If you are at all interested in physics and space, Parallel Worlds by Dr. Michio Kaku is extremely fascinating.

Moby .... wait for it .... Dick

The Lord of the Rings is an amazing series; if you think you've already been there with the movies...you haven't. Fantastic story.

If you are at all interested in physics and space, Parallel Worlds by Dr. Michio Kaku is extremely fascinating.
39
#39
2 Frags +

I'm working on the Grey Knights Omnibus.

I'm working on the Grey Knights Omnibus.
40
#40
1 Frags +

If you're into philosophy/human psychology, Dostoyevsky is a great author to look at, particularly The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov.

Haruki Murakami is another great "postmodern" author whose stories can be very surreal.

If you're into philosophy/human psychology, Dostoyevsky is a great author to look at, particularly The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov.

Haruki Murakami is another great "postmodern" author whose stories can be very surreal.
41
#41
1 Frags +

Planning on getting around to some of my warhammer 40k books. My priorities are The Founding and The Saint

Planning on getting around to some of my warhammer 40k books. My priorities are The Founding and The Saint
42
#42
0 Frags +
TLRThe Kingkiller Chronicles

book 3 when ;_;

[quote=TLR]The Kingkiller Chronicles[/quote]

book 3 when ;_;
43
#43
1 Frags +

Have to back kermit up here, the kingskiller chronicles are just so well written, it's probably the best fantasy autor i've read so far.
Another great fantasy series for me is the black magician trilogy by trudi canavan, good story and characters. She published another series which i got told is even better than the black magician trilogy. Have to try that out when i'm getting back into fantasy, it's called the age if five.

Peter V. Brett evolved his writing skills with his first books and created an interesting world with the demon cycle.

If you wanna try some science fiction, i can basicly recommended most of the books of Sergej Lukianenko, he's great and unique.

I'm trying out some classical literatur right now, Sienkiewicz's Quo vadis was kinda hard to get into but it was defenitly worth sticking to it.

Reading the jungle by upton sinclair right now, easy to read, timeless and exiciting book.

Have to back kermit up here, the kingskiller chronicles are just so well written, it's probably the best fantasy autor i've read so far.
Another great fantasy series for me is the black magician trilogy by trudi canavan, good story and characters. She published another series which i got told is even better than the black magician trilogy. Have to try that out when i'm getting back into fantasy, it's called the age if five.

Peter V. Brett evolved his writing skills with his first books and created an interesting world with the demon cycle.

If you wanna try some science fiction, i can basicly recommended most of the books of Sergej Lukianenko, he's great and unique.

I'm trying out some classical literatur right now, Sienkiewicz's Quo vadis was kinda hard to get into but it was defenitly worth sticking to it.

Reading the jungle by upton sinclair right now, easy to read, timeless and exiciting book.
44
#44
0 Frags +
joetf2Has anyone read Maximum Ride before?
I remember reading it when I was like 13 and loved it.

Same, but that series fell off the bus hard somewhere around Book 3/4.

Anyway, some stuff I'd recommend people based off the kinda Young Adult reading level shown here:

Red Rising Trilogy
The second book came out at the start of this year, and both books have been incredible so far. Couldn't recommend them enough. It's Hunger Games meets Ender's Game, but way better than that sounds.

The Inheritance Cycle
They made a shit movie out of Eragon, and it's rightfully criticised for its borrowing from LotR, but it's still a really good read.

I'd also recommend Scott Westerfeld's books - the Uglies series is young adult dystopian fiction at its best, and The Risen Empire is one for fans of longer SciFi epics.

[quote=joetf2]Has anyone read Maximum Ride before?
I remember reading it when I was like 13 and loved it.[/quote]
Same, but that series fell off the bus hard somewhere around Book 3/4.

Anyway, some stuff I'd recommend people based off the kinda Young Adult reading level shown here:

[b]Red Rising Trilogy[/b]
The second book came out at the start of this year, and both books have been incredible so far. Couldn't recommend them enough. It's Hunger Games meets Ender's Game, but way better than that sounds.

[b]The Inheritance Cycle[/b]
They made a shit movie out of Eragon, and it's rightfully criticised for its borrowing from LotR, but it's still a really good read.

I'd also recommend Scott Westerfeld's books - the Uglies series is young adult dystopian fiction at its best, and The Risen Empire is one for fans of longer SciFi epics.
45
#45
0 Frags +
Not_MatlockI'm working on the Grey Knights Omnibus.
Show Content
First two stories rock, third blows dick imo.

If you're keen on keeping up the 40k tradition, a 40k must-read is Brothers of the Snake. I'd then recommend Legends of the Space Marines. Unlike the RTS and tabletop games, you benefit from staying within the Imperium when it comes to reading. Dan Abnett created an absolute legend for the Imperial Guard known as Ibram Gaunt but it is a bitch to get the omnibus editions since GW stopped publishing them for some ungodly reason. I've only got The Saint and I've held off on reading until I snag The Founding so I can at least wait and try to nab The Lost (that last one is $44 minimum on Amazon from 3rd party retailers but you can purchase all the books in them individually for much cheaper).

The Horus Heresy is great if you want to get a look inside the formation of what the video games present as the ruinous Chaos Space Marines, also by Abnett.

[quote=Not_Matlock]I'm working on the Grey Knights Omnibus.[/quote]
[spoiler]First two stories rock, third blows dick imo.[/spoiler]

If you're keen on keeping up the 40k tradition, a 40k must-read is Brothers of the Snake. I'd then recommend Legends of the Space Marines. Unlike the RTS and tabletop games, you benefit from staying within the Imperium when it comes to reading. Dan Abnett created an absolute legend for the Imperial Guard known as Ibram Gaunt but it is a bitch to get the omnibus editions since GW stopped publishing them for some ungodly reason. I've only got The Saint and I've held off on reading until I snag The Founding so I can at least wait and try to nab The Lost (that last one is $44 minimum on Amazon from 3rd party retailers but you can purchase all the books in them individually for much cheaper).

The Horus Heresy is great if you want to get a look inside the formation of what the video games present as the ruinous Chaos Space Marines, also by Abnett.
46
#46
1 Frags +

"Battle Royale" by Takami Koshun.
"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes.

"Battle Royale" by Takami Koshun.
"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes.
47
#47
0 Frags +

Next on on my scifi list Hyperion, would anyone recommend it?

Next on on my scifi list Hyperion, would anyone recommend it?
48
#48
0 Frags +

i've been reading it. I'm not very far in it, but its okay so far.

i've been reading it. I'm not very far in it, but its okay so far.
49
#49
0 Frags +

if u want to get into philosophy i highly recommend Russell's History of Western Philosophy. it's 850 pages, but i think its the best work at really explaining philosophy's history and it brings u up to speed so you can go from it to pretty much anything you want (schopie, ludie, nietzsche, kierkegaard, foucalt, or older too). i read it to start this summer and thought it was amazing, what he does really well is place thinkers in a context to previous and future thinkers and also historical events and their personal context. its never boring, because to be honest its basically 10 or so pages per thinker (sometimes less) and these were the people that were on the cutting edge of thought for their times.

if u want something shorter i think that Hume's Enquiry is probably the most significant philosophical work ever made and its short and written for a layperson

if u want to get into philosophy i highly recommend Russell's History of Western Philosophy. it's 850 pages, but i think its the best work at really explaining philosophy's history and it brings u up to speed so you can go from it to pretty much anything you want (schopie, ludie, nietzsche, kierkegaard, foucalt, or older too). i read it to start this summer and thought it was amazing, what he does really well is place thinkers in a context to previous and future thinkers and also historical events and their personal context. its never boring, because to be honest its basically 10 or so pages per thinker (sometimes less) and these were the people that were on the cutting edge of thought for their times.

if u want something shorter i think that Hume's Enquiry is probably the most significant philosophical work ever made and its short and written for a layperson
50
#50
0 Frags +
justus_1DeaGCHaMP2666

Couldn't get into this one. I loved reading the prose but after a few sentence/paragraphs I start to wonder what I'm reading. I think I need an annotated version.

Oh well!

shruggerThe Old Man and the Sea

Great choice, that is one of my absolute favorite stories. So accessible and easy to read, yet such a classic! I've read it more than 3 times for sure.

I finished CivilWarLand in Bad Decline a little while ago, that was a fun read. Also really enjoyed The Good Lord Bird. -- reminded me of Django Unchained but way more whimsical.

shruggerThe Martian

I think this next on my list of "movie books." I think you should check out All the Light We Cannot See. I bet it would be great on audiobook.

[quote=justus_1DeaGCHaMP]2666[/quote]
Couldn't get into this one. I loved reading the prose but after a few sentence/paragraphs I start to wonder what I'm reading. I think I need an annotated version.

Oh well!
[quote=shrugger]The Old Man and the Sea[/quote]
Great choice, that is one of my absolute favorite stories. So accessible and easy to read, yet such a classic! I've read it more than 3 times for sure.

I finished [i]CivilWarLand in Bad Decline[/i] a little while ago, that was a fun read. Also really enjoyed [i]The Good Lord Bird.[/i] -- reminded me of Django Unchained but way more whimsical.

[quote=shrugger]The Martian[/quote]
I think this next on my list of "movie books." I think you should check out [i]All the Light We Cannot See[/i]. I bet it would be great on audiobook.
51
#51
0 Frags +

The Transall Saga

The Transall Saga (also known as Blue Light in the United Kingdom) is a 1998 novel by Gary Paulsen. It is a survival story like most of his other books, but also involves the science fiction genre with its post-apocalyptic setting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Transall_Saga

Honestly one of my all-time favorite books. It's a short read and definitely very compelling, even for younger readers Plus it has a nice romance sub-plot so if you're into that kinda junk you don't have to explain to your mom why you're reading another one of her romance novels - just read this!

[b]The Transall Saga[/b]

The Transall Saga (also known as Blue Light in the United Kingdom) is a 1998 novel by Gary Paulsen. It is a survival story like most of his other books, but also involves the science fiction genre with its post-apocalyptic setting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Transall_Saga

Honestly one of my all-time favorite books. It's a short read and definitely very compelling, even for younger readers Plus it has a nice romance sub-plot so if you're into that kinda junk you don't have to explain to your mom why you're reading another one of her romance novels - just read this!
52
#52
0 Frags +

all the philip k dicks stuff really

all the philip k dicks stuff really
53
#53
2 Frags +

I've been on a nonfiction kick recently so I've been reading a lot about history. Currently working through Vanished Kingdoms, it's about European nations that have since disappeared and I've been loving it. I never knew that Lithuania used to be the largest kingdom in Europe and while I knew that Poland hasn't always been this rundown, I hadn't realized that it used to be one of Europe's greatest superpowers.

I'm also reading a biography on Sam Houston and a history of the Mongol Invasions.

Over the summer I'll also likely hit The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (probably my favorite modern author) and In Defense of Lost Causes by Slavoj Zizek because Zizek is the funniest author I've ever read in my life. Maybe some Harold Bloom because I have a fetish for crotchety, overweight, elderly Jewish men.

I've been on a nonfiction kick recently so I've been reading a lot about history. Currently working through Vanished Kingdoms, it's about European nations that have since disappeared and I've been loving it. I never knew that Lithuania used to be the largest kingdom in Europe and while I knew that Poland hasn't always been this rundown, I hadn't realized that it used to be one of Europe's greatest superpowers.

I'm also reading a biography on Sam Houston and a history of the Mongol Invasions.

Over the summer I'll also likely hit The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (probably my favorite modern author) and In Defense of Lost Causes by Slavoj Zizek because Zizek is the funniest author I've ever read in my life. Maybe some Harold Bloom because I have a fetish for crotchety, overweight, elderly Jewish men.
54
#54
1 Frags +

A lot of really great books listed so far this thread, I'm impressed tftv. One scifi author that hasn't been mentioned is Haruki Murakami, his writing is somewhat unique and certainly makes you think. I highly recommend Kafka on the Shore.

I've been reading great British fantasy recently, specifically Discworld and also a bit of Diana Wynne Jones. I'm also partway through the first Harry Potter book in German, I'm not very good at the language so it's a slog but I think the book almost comes across even better in German, some of the sentences are just so perfect.

A lot of really great books listed so far this thread, I'm impressed tftv. One scifi author that hasn't been mentioned is Haruki Murakami, his writing is somewhat unique and certainly makes you think. I highly recommend Kafka on the Shore.

I've been reading great British fantasy recently, specifically Discworld and also a bit of Diana Wynne Jones. I'm also partway through the first Harry Potter book in German, I'm not very good at the language so it's a slog but I think the book almost comes across even better in German, some of the sentences are just so perfect.
55
#55
0 Frags +
MapleI've been on a nonfiction kick recently so I've been reading a lot about history. Currently working through Vanished Kingdoms, it's about European nations that have since disappeared and I've been loving it. I never knew that Lithuania used to be the largest kingdom in Europe and while I knew that Poland hasn't always been this rundown, I hadn't realized that it used to be one of Europe's greatest superpowers.

I'm also reading a biography on Sam Houston and a history of the Mongol Invasions.

Over the summer I'll also likely hit The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (probably my favorite modern author) and In Defense of Lost Causes by Slavoj Zizek because Zizek is the funniest author I've ever read in my life. Maybe some Harold Bloom because I have a fetish for crotchety, overweight, elderly Jewish men.

If you like non-fiction and reading about how the world was different before I can recommend you Empire by Polish author Zbigniew Kapuściński.
It's about his journey across the USSR just when it was falling and it was a last chance to do so. It's so nice that I actually bought it twice as the first copy got stolen.

[quote=Maple]I've been on a nonfiction kick recently so I've been reading a lot about history. Currently working through Vanished Kingdoms, it's about European nations that have since disappeared and I've been loving it. I never knew that Lithuania used to be the largest kingdom in Europe and while I knew that Poland hasn't always been this rundown, I hadn't realized that it used to be one of Europe's greatest superpowers.

I'm also reading a biography on Sam Houston and a history of the Mongol Invasions.

Over the summer I'll also likely hit The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (probably my favorite modern author) and In Defense of Lost Causes by Slavoj Zizek because Zizek is the funniest author I've ever read in my life. Maybe some Harold Bloom because I have a fetish for crotchety, overweight, elderly Jewish men.[/quote]
If you like non-fiction and reading about how the world was different before I can recommend you Empire by Polish author Zbigniew Kapuściński.
It's about his journey across the USSR just when it was falling and it was a last chance to do so. It's so nice that I actually bought it twice as the first copy got stolen.
56
#56
0 Frags +

Definitely not going to be for everyone but if you like nonfiction, a book titled Endurance tells the amazing story of a shipwrecked Antarctic expedition in the early 1900s. If you don't already know the story don't read the Wikipedia and spoil it, just read the book. It's left me completely dumbfounded that it all actually happened.

Definitely not going to be for everyone but if you like nonfiction, a book titled Endurance tells the amazing story of a shipwrecked Antarctic expedition in the early 1900s. If you don't already know the story don't read the Wikipedia and spoil it, just read the book. It's left me completely dumbfounded that it all actually happened.
57
#57
1 Frags +

Books I've gotten recently that I still need to read:

    So You've Been Publicly Shamed
    Ghost in the Wires
    Starship Troopers
    Childhood's End
    Earth Abides
    Agent Zigzag
Books I've gotten recently that I still need to read:

[list]
So You've Been Publicly Shamed
Ghost in the Wires
Starship Troopers
Childhood's End
Earth Abides
Agent Zigzag
[/list]
58
#58
0 Frags +

Fiction:
Dune (Frank Herbert)
Sci-Fi masterpiece with a lot of weird Zen and Muslim influence
The Dark Tower series (Stephen King)
Stephen King's magnum opus features amazing plot and mindbending surrealism

Judging by your tendency towards existentialist literature
Non-Fiction: The Masks of God (Joseph Campbell), Works of Love (Soren Kierkegaard),Thus Spake Zatharathustra (Friedrich Nietzsche)

Fiction:
[u]Dune[/u] (Frank Herbert)
Sci-Fi masterpiece with a lot of weird Zen and Muslim influence
[u]The Dark Tower[/u] series (Stephen King)
Stephen King's magnum opus features amazing plot and mindbending surrealism

Judging by your tendency towards existentialist literature
Non-Fiction: [u]The Masks of God[/u] (Joseph Campbell), [u]Works of Love[/u] (Soren Kierkegaard),[u]Thus Spake Zatharathustra[/u] (Friedrich Nietzsche)
59
#59
0 Frags +
nopehasn't been mentioned is Haruki Murakami

Namedropped him on page 1. I had to read A Wild Sheep Chase and it was one of the better books I've read, very enjoyable even though it was for coursework. Even wrote a paper on it.

[quote=nope]hasn't been mentioned is Haruki Murakami[/quote]
Namedropped him on page 1. I had to read A Wild Sheep Chase and it was one of the better books I've read, very enjoyable even though it was for coursework. Even wrote a paper on it.
60
#60
0 Frags +

Forgot to mention I have also been reading Lovecraft stories. The 2 most recent I read was Rats in the Walls and Colour Out of Space.

nopeA lot of really great books listed so far this thread, I'm impressed tftv. One scifi author that hasn't been mentioned is Haruki Murakami, his writing is somewhat unique and certainly makes you think. I highly recommend Kafka on the Shore.

.

Odd that you mention that, I'm reading a Murakami book either next book or the one after. Also been meaning to get into Discworld series, first I'm probably gonna pick up Good Omens though.

Forgot to mention I have also been reading Lovecraft stories. The 2 most recent I read was Rats in the Walls and Colour Out of Space.

[quote=nope]A lot of really great books listed so far this thread, I'm impressed tftv. One scifi author that hasn't been mentioned is Haruki Murakami, his writing is somewhat unique and certainly makes you think. I highly recommend Kafka on the Shore.

.[/quote]
Odd that you mention that, I'm reading a Murakami book either next book or the one after. Also been meaning to get into Discworld series, first I'm probably gonna pick up Good Omens though.
1 2
Please sign in through STEAM to post a comment.