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Bad taste in books
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Underwaterbob



Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito

PostPosted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 3:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files are worth a plow through. Very easy to read. I read all 13 or whatever number books are out so far in about three weeks.
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bish



Joined: 09 Jun 2007

PostPosted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 4:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bukowski books are all good, easy reading.
Ralph Ellison - Invisible Man. Amazing.
Yukio Mishima - The Sea of Fertility
Tolstoy - Anna Karenina
Cormac McArthy - Blood Meridian
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Fox



Joined: 04 Mar 2009

PostPosted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 4:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Patrick Bateman wrote:
Catch 22 by Heller


Catch 22 is a great book, and quite famous. Less famous, but nearly as good, in my estimation, is his sequel to it: Closing Time.
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Underwaterbob



Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito

PostPosted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 5:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had trouble with Catch 22. It's one of two books I never finished. The other being Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, which was great, but just went on and on and on and on and on (I think I only had about 50 pages of 900 or so left when I just stopped reading because it didn't seem to be going anywhere anymore.) I don't remember why I never finished Catch 22.

I'm planning on reading Peter F. Hamilton's The Reality Dysfunction next. It's three books over a thousand pages each, but apparently reads nicely. I've just got to slog through the last hundred pages of The Mote in God's Eye that seem to all be post-climax and nearly pointless first. It was an engaging read up until this point.

This is my favorite review site on the net:

http://sfreviews.net/
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Illysook



Joined: 30 Jun 2008

PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 4:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

DrugstoreCowgirl wrote:
iselynjenniep wrote:

into thin air


I almost forgot about that book. It was SO GOOD! I couldn't put it down.


I love John Krakhauer. (not sure about spelling) His fast-paced and journalistic style could probably get me engrossed in a complete history of paint drying. Into the Wild, and Under the Banner of Heaven are also interesting and worthwhile. Perhaps this thread is mislabeled?
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rusty1983



Joined: 30 Jan 2007

PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 5:13 am    Post subject: Re: Bad taste in books Reply with quote

Bloopity Bloop wrote:
I started reading super early as a child. I read a LOT throughout elementary school. I remember reading almost the entire collection of these http://www.greatillustratedclassics.com/great-illustrated-classics-s/45.htm in like a summer.

In any case, I stopped reading almost altogether starting in middle school. I think I read Harry Potter but that's been the most of it. Call me low class, judge me, think of me what you will, whatever, I don't really care--my favorite movie is freakin' Rush Hour 2--yep, RUSH HOUR 2!!!!

Now that I'm in Korea, I've taken to reading again--don't know what it is about my life here; I've also started playing video games again (which I stopped doing in high school). These are the books I've read/been reading recently:

- City of Thieves (Benioff)
- Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (Murakami)
- Kafka on the Shore (Murakami)
- The Kite Runner (Hosseini)
- Good Omens (Gaiman & Pratchett) -- didn't really like this one...
- American Gods (Gaiman) -- REALLY like this one so far
- The Congo (Crichton)

Here's my queue:
- Pirate Latitudes (Crichton) -- I LOVE PIRATES
- Gentlemen of the Road (Chabon)
- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Chabon)

So for someone with my very pedestrian taste in books, can anyone recommend me easy reading fiction novels? I know a lot of you are avid readers.

Maybe I'll step it up to the big leagues of reading as I rekindle my interest in books, but for now, I'm in it for pure and simple entertainment.


If you liked Kafka on the Shore then I'd highly recommend The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles, it's brilliant.
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Koveras



Joined: 09 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 5:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gaimon said that his favourite author is Lord Dunsany. Check around for The Book of Wonder or Fifty-One Tales, both available online. They're prose-poetry but not 'literary' or difficult unless you want them to be. [/i]
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rumdiary



Joined: 05 Jun 2006

PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 11:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Underwaterbob wrote:
I had trouble with Catch 22. It's one of two books I never finished. The other being Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, which was great, but just went on and on and on and on and on (I think I only had about 50 pages of 900 or so left when I just stopped reading because it didn't seem to be going anywhere anymore.) I don't remember why I never finished Catch 22.

I'm planning on reading Peter F. Hamilton's The Reality Dysfunction next. It's three books over a thousand pages each, but apparently reads nicely. I've just got to slog through the last hundred pages of The Mote in God's Eye that seem to all be post-climax and nearly pointless first. It was an engaging read up until this point.

This is my favorite review site on the net:

http://sfreviews.net/
Stephenson's Snow Crash was really good.
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Senior



Joined: 31 Jan 2010

PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 1:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Koveras wrote:
Gaimon said that his favourite author is Lord Dunsany. Check around for The Book of Wonder or Fifty-One Tales, both available online. They're prose-poetry but not 'literary' or difficult unless you want them to be. [/i]


haha, thanks for that. I remember someone on here (maybe you) recommending this guy, maybe, a year ago. I read some of his shorts, really enjoyed them, then never went back to him. I couldn't remember his name or any of his books. Thanks, I'm going to have a peruse now.
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Koveras



Joined: 09 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 6:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That was me. There wasn't much of a response: you, and one other guy who didn't even understand the story I posted. The Guest. He thought that when the character dropped a "tabloid" into his coffee it meant he was soaking a magazine, and then he couldn't unravel the identity of the guest until I explained it to him. But he liked it anyway.
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Globutron



Joined: 13 Feb 2010
Location: England/Anyang

PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 6:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Koveras wrote:
That was me. There wasn't much of a response: you, and one other guy who didn't even understand the story I posted. The Guest. He thought that when the character dropped a "tabloid" into his coffee it meant he was soaking a magazine, and then he couldn't unravel the identity of the guest until I explained it to him. But he liked it anyway.


A link to the story?

I have one myself, written when I was 12, y'all might enjoy it.

http://insideofablobmonster.blogspot.com/
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Koveras



Joined: 09 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 6:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.fullbooks.com/Fifty-One-Tales.html
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Globutron



Joined: 13 Feb 2010
Location: England/Anyang

PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 6:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Koveras wrote:
http://www.fullbooks.com/Fifty-One-Tales.html


Great, I'll get back to you
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Underwaterbob



Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito

PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 3:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

rumdiary wrote:
Stephenson's Snow Crash was really good.


Agreed. I wish he'd stop writing tomes, and get back to the short, accessible stories.
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Bloopity Bloop



Joined: 26 Apr 2009
Location: Seoul yo

PostPosted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 4:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys! Looks like I have some books to pick up.

In any case, I started reading Gentlemen of the Road by Chabon and so far it is super good. Probably a 2-hour read, though... :/ I bought it for 11k won.
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