The Book Thread

[Cihan]

I love books. It would take too long to say what books I like and why but here's a brief list of my favourite authors (and a tiny sample of their 'best' books):

Haruki Murakami (Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle)

James Clavell (Shogun)

Kurt Vonnegut (The Sirens of Titan)

Dean Koontz (Fear Nothing)

Just a small sample of my favourites, I dont really stick to one genre, I like to read anything out there, fiction or fact. Nice to see Ender's Game mentioned in the thread, loved that book, the sequels were also great, havent got round to reading the last of Ender's arc though (Children of something?) or the books dealing with the side story arc concerning that other kid.

Factually I like me some Noam Chomsky and also philosophical/historical stuff.

Right now I'm not reading anything, life's too hectic and my brain wont concentrate on words. I was reading book 5 of Clavell's Asian Saga (Noble House) but I gave up until my life's more calmer.

[KatieIsland]

What are the best five books you've read in the past year? mine are...
1. Everything Laurell K. Hamilton (there's a vampire series that starts with Guilty Pleasures and a fairy series that starts with A Kiss of Shadows.)
2. The Devil's Teeth (it's about the Farrallon Islands and the sharks- it hit the best seller list for awhile)
3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon (a unique murder mystery artistically done)
4. Kitty and the Midnight Hour (more vampire/werewolf stuff)
5. Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson (not a mystery... a sappy chick read... but I know guys that have cried reading it too.)

And least favorite reads of the year?...
1. My college text books
2. Illumination of Everything- it seemed so promising when I started reading it...
3. Confessions of an Heiress by Paris Hilton- yes, I did read it, no, I don't know why.
4. Rogue State by William Blum- the one advocated by Bin Laden in one of the recent tapes... it upset me.
5. Did I mention my text books? I really hate those things...

[Annie]

Whoa! What possessed you to pick up Paris Hilton's book? It wasn't HOT, then? Hee Hee.

Text books suck. I used to avoid reading them and just take really good notes.

Vonnegut fans, did you hear the references on LostCasts about Cat's Cradle and Lost?

[matt]

Haven't read 'Lies My Teacher Told Me'...Yet. I'll check it out, though. I do recommend 'A People's History of the United States', by Howard Zinn. Like a lot of people, I checked it out after watching Good Will Hunting, and did not regret it.

I recently read a terrific crime novel called "The Power of the Dog", by Don Winslow. Follows the drug wars of the 80s. Realistic and moving but not for the faint of heart.

[corey]

"The Dark Tower" series by Stephen King - Do you like fantasy? Do you like westerns? Guess what? This has elements of both! Lots of literary references and insane plot twists (especially a big one at the end of book 5) that will make you question the books view of reality. Plus, it has a number that shows up everywhere (19). Kinda like LOST. Tolkien fans and LOSTologists should like it(and not just because of the number thing. It has a lot of LOST-esque weirdness). HOWEVER, the series is seven books long. So if you have little patience, you might not like it this.

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman- I just started reading this two days ago, and I'm hooked. Very humorous. Lots of mythological references.

Any Discworld Novel by Terry Prattchet- The best fantasy/humor writer, bar none. All his books take place in a Middle Earth-esque world called Discword, which is a flat world carried on the back of four elephants, who themselves are carried on the back of a giant space turtle(yeah...its a tad weird). Its very funny. Has lots of memorable characters(including a cowardly inept wizard and the personification of Death, who oddly enough likes kittens). Good stuff.