Does anyone have any recommendations for good books on or tangentially related to the subject of flight? Fiction and nonfiction are fine, but for this I prefer the essay/memoir format - my two favorites are Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and West with the Night by Beryl Markham.
Dabbling back into the world of books (maybe)...
...at the recommendation of my cousin, I've finally started going through this book:
I'd read the first chapter a few months ago and stopped, but decided to pick it back up and ended up getting sucked in and now I'm about halfway through.
Only really reading for an hour a day, half hour each way on the train...but I can get at least one chapter done per train ride so I'm making my way through. My style of reading has always been slower and deliberate. Trying to craft the visuals in my head. Trying to read dialogue at the pace and structure as if it were a movie.
Maybe everyone does this and I'm just slow at it, but I feel like the pace at which I read makes me enjoy the stories more...and if I find myself skimming paragraphs for interesting content I know that I'm not really enjoying the book. This one has been pretty damn solid the entire way thus-far.
Characters are interesting. World is interesting. Plot is taking shape nicely. All good so far!
Once I get through with this I'll need to decide if I pick up the Dark Tower series again or if I keep plowing through this series.
Indeed. Actually, everything of Brandon Sanderson is pretty darn good so everyone should read through his whole works. He's a beast too and writes 1-2 epic sized books a year. He's also on the Writing Excuses podcast which is great for aspiring writers or anyone who just wants to know how authors think.I really enjoyed the rest of the Mistborn series, I'd advise that you keep reading
Finally getting around to House of Leaves.
Have no clue what to expect.
I really enjoyed the rest of the Mistborn series, I'd advise that you keep reading
I just finished Ender's Game for the first time, and The Hunger Games before that. I think I want to read some more spacey-wacey stuff for my next book. It annoys me that 2001: A Space Odyssey is not in a real ebook and the ebook version of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a re-write.
Can anyone give me some recommendations? Kindle format preferable.
On Ender's GameIt surprised me how the Peter stuff ended up. I understand it was necessary, but it was very anticlimactic. Clearly he was only there for the contrast or lack of contrast to Ender.
Currently going through a Harry Potter marathon (lol).
But right now I'm the middle of
Yes I do have that exact edition
After that, I think I'll finish Blankets
Would you mind telling a bit more about this. Been wondering if I should get this or not for a while now.
Would you mind telling a bit more about this. Been wondering if I should get this or not for a while now.
Indeed. Actually, everything of Brandon Sanderson is pretty darn good so everyone should read through his whole works. He's a beast too and writes 1-2 epic sized books a year. He's also on the Writing Excuses podcast which is great for aspiring writers or anyone who just wants to know how authors think.
One of my favorite new fantasy authors, I'm such a fanboy of him.
Since we're on Sanderson, has anyone read The Way of Kings? I've been on a bit of a sci fi kick recently but I might pick it up next if it's any good
I absolutely adored Way of Kings. It takes a bit to get going but once it does it is super great. The magic system is a bit too much like Allomancy from the Mistborn books (in that it involves a lot of pushing and pulling) but beyond that the world is super interesting and there are plenty of exciting moments. And the climax of the book is incredible.
Normally, I'd be wary of getting involved in a planned 10 book series where only the first book is published, but, as was mentioned earlier, Sanderson is a writing machine.
Have you read Battle Royale? The Hunger Games was pretty good but seemed a little too "young adult", Battle Royale is a little more intense and violent. I'd check it out after you're doneOnce I am done with this series, I am probably going to pick up The Hunger Games and give them a read through, I've been hearing lots of good things about them and I intend to watch the movie as well.
It's wonderfully drawn, and told in a very raw way. It follow's Thompson's relationship with his brother, girlfriend, and God. I wasn't expecting so much exploration of faith, but there it is.
It's a wonderful graphic novel. It doesn't wrap up neatly, and you will probably have questions when you finish it, but you'll be so wrapped up in its naked humanity that you'll forgive those things.
I'm not really good at summarizing without giving everything away, and luckily I don't have to, because Alucard did a great job!
It really is beautifully told. His openness about events that were painful or embarrassing is great.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a book about snipers? The guy that was on Conan last night has me interested but from the reviews it sounds like his book deals a lot with his personal/domestic life and not his military action. Are the books about Carlos Hathcock any good - White Feather perhaps?
In Our Time is a great place to start. It's a collection of great short stories and will ease you in nicely. In terms of novels, you can't go wrong with The Sun Always Rises or For Whom The Bell Tolls.Does anyone have any recommendations on where to start with reading Hemingway?
Finished up Heechee Rendezvous and on to the final book - The Annals of the Heechee
The Annals of the Heechee by Frederik Pohl
(still working on It as well)
Do 2666. I've just started it, and it's pretty interesting so far.Well the last book I read was shogun a while back and I want to get started with a new book. After seeing the cover of Hard-Boiled Wonderland on the last page I'm really interested in reading something by Haruki Murakami. Or I can join in on the Feb book club and read 2666. So gaf what should I do?
Does anyone have any recommendations on where to start with reading Hemingway?
February is short, so my nominations are for 4 short novels (1 per week) + Catch 22 for those who have not finished it.
The short novels are as follows:
1, The old man and the sea - Ernest Hemingway
2, Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
3, Candide by Voltaire
4, The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
So this is just a more challenging alternative for those that want to take up a better reading habit.
Well the last book I read was shogun a while back and I want to get started with a new book. After seeing the cover of Hard-Boiled Wonderland on the last page I'm really interested in reading something by Haruki Murakami. Or I can join in on the Feb book club and read 2666. So gaf what should I do?
Do 2666. I've just started it, and it's pretty interesting so far.
Well the last book I read was shogun a while back and I want to get started with a new book. After seeing the cover of Hard-Boiled Wonderland on the last page I'm really interested in reading something by Haruki Murakami. Or I can join in on the Feb book club and read 2666. So gaf what should I do?
On the 2nd part of that book now about half way through, its left me speechless so to speak, I am still going over some of the things i read last night today at work.
I had this mad cap idea that I'm going to follow through:
The Old Man and the Sea is thoroughly recommended. It won him the Pullitzer and helped him to gain a Nobel Prize. It was also one of his last novels, if not his last published work.
You are in luck. The book club thread is reading that book this month.
GAF Book Club (Feb 2012) - "2666" by Roberto Bolaño
That 4 short novel read could be fun. I have copies of 3 out of 4 but have only read one. Is that this month's book club?
Do 2666. I've just started it, and it's pretty interesting so far.
You are in luck. The book club thread is reading that book this month.
Yep, Alloy of Law was a bit rough compared to main trilogy but I still loved it. The ways allomancy affects new technology like guns, and how previously useless metals are now valuable, I think Sanderson is extremely clever in the way he approached it.Have you read The Allomancy of Law yet? I think it came out fairly recently and it's set a few hundred years after the Mistborn Trilogy. It wasn't quite as good imo but it was still extremely enjoyable, and has some promise.
Since we're on Sanderson, has anyone read The Way of Kings? I've been on a bit of a sci fi kick recently but I might pick it up next if it's any good
We Need to Talk About Kevin is a 2003 novel by Lionel Shriver, published by Serpent's Tail, about a fictive school massacre. It is written from the perspective of the killer's mother, Eva Khatchadourian, and documents her attempt to come to terms with her son Kevin and the murders he committed. Although told in the first person as a series of letters from Eva to her husband, the novel's structure also strongly resembles that of a thriller.
Man, the 50 books is easy but I can't think of 50 movies to watch.If you haven't already, join up to this thread, if you want or are seeking a challenge or two:
50 Movies. 50 Books. 1 Year.
Man, the 50 books is easy but I can't think of 50 movies to watch.