Books, books, books...

[Kolzig]

I suck at reading books even though it's one of the most entertaining things to do in life.

I'm surprised that I have read 11 of those books as I was expecting even closer to zero, but this list is good stuff. I have to make my goal to read everything from there someday except The Da Vinci Code, Twilight and Harry Potter. Couldn't care less for those three.

Edited March 15, 2011 by Kolzig

[ThunderPeel2001]

I've read 15, including The Da Vinci code (highly enjoyable, sorry) and Harry Potter (loved it). I plan to read more. I'm irked that I've never even heard of "One Hundreds Years of Solitude" considering how big and red it is.

Also, surprised that the Count of Monte Cristo isn't listed. I've not read it, but I've heard great things about it.

[DanJW]

About 15 for me too.

There is always going to be a weight towards pop for more recent stuff. Time gives perspective.

There's nothing really surpising there though, which is to be expected from a cloud. I'm sure there are more interesting nuggets that everyone ought to read by few people have done so, so cannot recommend. Like the works of Jung, or The Hero With a Thousand Faces, which of course I never shut up about.

It does all seem to be novels doesn't it? There ought to be a non-fiction list.

[ThunderPeel2001]

It does all seem to be novels doesn't it? There ought to be a non-fiction list.

I'd like to see that. I'd recommend Storming Heaven by Jay Stevens. Changed my life!

[Roderick]

The Selfish Gene did that for me, on I do believe the same topic

[ThunderPeel2001]

The Selfish Gene did that for me, on I do believe the same topic

Lol. I think not. The Selfish Gene isn't about the 50s and 60s US counter-culture revolution... it is awesome, though.

[Roderick]

Well, then not I suppose!

Finally, a use for this one:

[syntheticgerbil]

Yeah, this is the only Terry Pratchett book I read. It works as a standalone; there's cameo appearances by recurring characters, but you don't know it until you hit Wikipedia later. Funny stuff; some scenes in it had me laugh out loud.

This is kind of why I feel obligated to read Discworld in chronological order and have so far ignored the way most read them (I think) by starring characters. I've only read the first 10 but plan to get to the rest one day. I think besides the Rincewind books, all of them are very self contained stories that tend to reexplain a lot but in different ways that are equally amusing. Granny Weatherwax is sort of rebooted in Wyrd Sisters with no reference at all to Equal Rites, which I hear Pratchett really doesn't like (it is bad). I imagine they just keep getting better, although the last one I read, Moving Pictures, was stand alone and somewhat mediocre and unmemorable.

Out of the 10 I've read, I absolutely love Pyramids, Mort, and Guards! Guards! Mort is my absolute favorite as I find it to be a very clever story that is paced incredibly well and comes off very sincere with the comedy mixed into all the right places. Guards! Guards! seems to be great to me for similar reasons but has the added dimension of crime and intrigue like I imagine all following City Watch novels have.

On the 100 books to read list, I also rank similar to most of you at 16, with only tfour read for myself and not as a school assignment. There are definitely at least 15 more books on there I would be interested in reading but I have a hard time getting around to consuming media that lacks visuals. If I do get past the initial phase of opening the book and reading the first fifty pages, I'm usually set to finish.

I didn't count Moby Dick in there, even though I've read it halfway through twice so that I could read a good seafaring tale and understand all the references, but both times I gave up at the part where the narrative just completely halts and pages and pages of information become devoted to the anatomy of a ship and the biology and habits different types of whales. It just came off as a spectacularly bad idea for Melville to structure his novel like that. Maybe I'll try again someday, as I'm almost sure it gets really good once it gets past that. It's probably doubtful the narrative breaks again like that in the book as well.

I know I'm going to seem like a major dick for criticizing 1984, but I had a similar problem with reading "a book within a book" for that one as well. I guess it's all fair game for anyone to write however they want, but that's one of those things that works better in video games as branching research or information instead of dropped in the middle.

[thl]

not to derail the thread but i want to throw a recommendation in for a book called Lucky Wander Boy by D.B. Weiss. I just finished it and found it to be pretty good.

It's about a guy who decides to write about all the classic video games until he gets stuck on one game that he can't find a ROM for. Although "Lucky Wander Boy" (the mysterious video game) is fictional, it's loosely based on the "Polybius" urban legend and it gets pretty weird.

If you like video game novels, or surreal novels, or surreal video game novels, this is one!

resume cloud-talk!

[Thyroid]

How is that derailing the thread?

Anyways, still reading Oliver Twist. It's great, but I don't know why I can't seem to concentrate on reading these days. I read half a page and fall asleep. I miss the days when I could read an entire book in one sitting.

[syntheticgerbil]

My favorite is rereading a page ten times over and realizing you still weren't paying attention to a damn thing going on in the story.

[ThunderPeel2001]

not to derail the thread but i want to throw a recommendation in for a book called Lucky Wander Boy by D.B. Weiss.

A BOOK RECOMMENDATION IN THE "BOOKS" THREAD!!! *shakes fist in frustration*

[thl]

A BOOK RECOMMENDATION IN THE "BOOKS" THREAD!!! *shakes fist in frustration*

i know... I KNOW!!!

[Thyroid]

I have a lot of work to do, so my reading time is fairly limited. That being said, I love Oliver Twist. It's very relaxing, but simultaneously suspenseful and thrilling. It's very funny. I hope Charles Dickens's other books have that same quality. I can see why he was - and remains - so beloved. Few people can pull off that quality, but he manages it, seemingly without effort.

[Sully907]

I've never actually read many of those dickens classics. I need to make some time for that.

[Orv]

I just finished reading TNotW and TWMF in succession, just because, and I weep for the world that will not possess Book 3 for years.

[Thyroid]

This thread has worked an irrevocable urge in me to read The Name of the Wind and The Way of Kings. Grr!

I'll settle for my own backlog, but I'm devouring those two the second it's empty.

Almost done with Oliver Twist. It's Really Quite Something, and it's remarkable to think that he wrote it when he was so young. It's only his second novel, and just one among his almost a dozen classics. Charles Dickens is the shit.

I think I'm going to start On Stranger Tides next.

[Sully907]

Has anyone read any of the Mass Effect books? I really like the expanded universe of that series, but I can't imagine some contracted sci fi books would be particularly interesting or well written. Can anyone tell me otherwise?

[Roderick]

I want to read them. They're written by Drew Karpyshynnshynnshynn, the actual writer of the (first) Mass Effect. So at least they'll be very consistent in tone. I don't expect them to be super good, but I like the ME universe more than enough to enjoy some side story pulp.

And who knows, it might be better than I imagine!

[Gwardinen]

They're all right. Good in terms of game tie-in books, average in terms of sci-fi in general. If you like the universe you'll probably enjoy them but I can't honestly tell you to run out and grab them immediately.

[Scrobbs]

... considering how big and red it is.

[Scrobbs]

I'm a big fan of Discworld but it is a little bit of a problem, because the start is not particularly great so if you insist on reading them "in order" it may take a while to get to the good stuff. That said, there are many standalone novels in the Discworld "series" that don't really require having read any of the others. One of the better ones for that might be Monstrous Regiment, but there is also a genuinely standalone novel of his called Nation. No relation to Discworld, and I found it quite enjoyable.

I wholeheartedly disagree with this. I've always thought the best ones were the early Rincewind novels (maybe because I remember as a wee lad my friend handing me The Colour of Magic and being besotted). Others that I enjoyed were Eric, Mort. the first Granny Weatherwax one and the one where Carrott(sp?) comes to Ankh-Morpork. The latter ones I can take or leave. Guess I just got bored of his style.

[subbes]

Mort was my first (it's considerably shorter than most others), followed by Pyramids. I recommend Pyramids.

[Scrobbs]

Pyramids. Yes, I'd forgotten about that one. Good old Pteppic. The Camel names always creased me up too. I seem to remember the ending being a bit weak, as though as he'd had huge fun writing it, but just couldn't sort out how to finish it well.

[miffy495]

I've got a weird trifecta of books sitting next to my bed right now.

I just finished the graphic novel Asterios Polyp, which was excellent. Really clever the way they worked stuff together, and the idea of narration by the main character's stillborn twin brother made me really happy for reasons I can't quite qualify. Still, if you're into weird graphic novels and haven't read that one, give it a shot.

The second book is Karl Popper's The Logic Of Scientific Discovery, which I'm reading purely for it's entertainment value to me. I'm only about 50 pages in yet, but it's genuinely thrilling to me to be reading a book that so obviously was a huge influence on everything philosophy-of-science that came after. It also makes me really relieved that I'm enrolled in classes again starting in September after taking a year off. When I start reading 500 page logic books for fun, I think I'm ready to head back to class.

The third is purely for times when my brain refuses to think. My girlfriend got me hooked on Dragon Ball, so after reading all of the original books, I'm now about halfway through Z. They're stupid, they're childish, but they can be really funny and sweet too. I think the other books I'm reading are enough to make me feel like I can read adult things, and I'm having a bunch of fun with Dragon Ball, so fuck the haters.

I'm very amused to look next to my bed and see an artsy graphic novel with a Dragon Ball book and a dense logic text sitting on top of it. Diverse reading, yeah!