[Books] Good Books Megathread!

[Renagade Raven]

I read Starship troopers over the holidays and would definitely recommend it.
Heinlein was very good, looking forward to his other stuff.

If you have seen the movie it is not much like the books. Both are good, but there are many differences, for example the military. In the books the Mobile Infantry are mechanised suits with pilots, not your generic space marines.

[obdigore]

So I just beat Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and I've always been a fan of the idea of transhumanism. Anyone got any good on novels on the topic?

You want the Takeshi Kovacs novels by Richard Morgan.

[Mezzolith]

@Shienarathla and obdigore, thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely check 'em out.


I just finished The Warded Man (referred to as The Painted Man outside the states), and really enjoyed it. Then I picked up The Desert Spear. A little more than halfway through and I have to say I'm absolutely disappointed at the way the author ruined Leesha. I'm not even sure I can finish it without raging out. Anyone else feel this way about it?

[Signe]

Completed reading ( again ) Fasting Girls: The History of Anorexia Nervosa by Joan Jacobs Brumberg, which is excellent non-fiction with additional insights to how crazy doctors ( and Victorians ) were

Also recently finished Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue - It was on my reading list and I was bit worried cause it seemed so Oprah's bookclub but it really turned out to be great, its the story of a woman and her son who have been basically held hostage in a 11x11 foot room for 7 years and the mom realizes it's time to get out or they may just end up dying there. Having the narrator be a 5 yr old boy with awesome 5 yr old views and having it not devolve into some weird Oprah incest/rape fest made it to be just as awesome as I thought it would be.

Looking forward to next:
IQ84 by Haruki Murakami - A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark...

2nd book in Game of Thrones

and Paleo Blueprint ( mmm meat )

P.S. To Starship Troopers person - Heinlen rocks, they are all quiet entertaining.

[Cakka]

Finished The Greatest Show On Earth yesterday, its pretty good on its subject though Dawkins does go rant about things at time that are not really relevant. As someone doing biology minor(or however you US people call it) there was still lot interesting details in the book, but at the same time he also takes time to explain the more complicated scientifc terms to those who might be too familiar with them. Overall I think it gives pretty decent overall picture as to how evolution works and why it is the basis of modern biology, and not "just a theory".

[obdigore]

@Shienarathla and obdigore, thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely check 'em out.


I just finished The Warded Man (referred to as The Painted Man outside the states), and really enjoyed it. Then I picked up The Desert Spear. A little more than halfway through and I have to say I'm absolutely disappointed at the way the author ruined Leesha. I'm not even sure I can finish it without raging out. Anyone else feel this way about it?

Yes. Especially the reactions of her family/mother after that incident. I finished the book but have not and most likely will not look for more stuff from Peter Brett.

[Willeonge]

Fatherland by Robert Harris

Its an alternate history in which Nazi Germany wins WW2, but the War in the Pacific is won by the United States. The US and Germany enter into a Cold War against one another. It is told from the perspective of a police investigator who is investigating a murder and stumbles upon something much bigger, a secret the SS wants to remain buried.

[Tychoblu]

Read George R R Martins series starting with "A game of Thrones "
Possibly the best written fantasy ever penned.

I've read them, good stuff. Also read wheel of time series. All of L E Modessitt. All of Jim Butcher. Most of Asimov, and the classic fantasy books.

I reciently gave up drinking and need a few good books to get me through the holidays. Any sugestions. Prolly has to be newish, (last couple of years) seeing as how I've either read or don't like what my local library scifi-fantasy sections has to offer. tyia

[Deleted]

The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter.

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

For those who like something a bit gory and weird, Exquisite Corpse by Poppy.Z.Brite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisi...se_%28novel%29

[Gallahadd]

Looking forward to next:
IQ84 by Haruki Murakami - A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 —“Q is for ‘question mark...

<3 Murakami , not read that one though, Windup Bird Chronicle is one of my favourite books of ALL time, may have to give it a looksie, after I've finished Dance with Dragons...

[Tychoblu]

The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter.

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

For those who like something a bit gory and weird, Exquisite Corpse by Poppy.Z.Brite.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisi...se_%28novel%29

After recomending The Passion of New Eve, I'm afraid when you call another book weird.

[ChildeRoland]

The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Light reading, but still immensely entertaining and imaginative.

Bartimaeus Trilogy is insane, and extremely emotional. One of the series I promoted in my blog as well. The fourth book, ain't that good however, though that book has nothing to do with the rest of the series.

Fatherland by Robert Harris

Its an alternate history in which Nazi Germany wins WW2, but the War in the Pacific is won by the United States. The US and Germany enter into a Cold War against one another. It is told from the perspective of a police investigator who is investigating a murder and stumbles upon something much bigger, a secret the SS wants to remain buried.

I do not think you are the first to promote the Fatherland I assume it is a good book then

I've read them, good stuff. Also read wheel of time series. All of L E Modessitt. All of Jim Butcher. Most of Asimov, and the classic fantasy books.

I reciently gave up drinking and need a few good books to get me through the holidays. Any sugestions. Prolly has to be newish, (last couple of years) seeing as how I've either read or don't like what my local library scifi-fantasy sections has to offer. tyia

If you are looking for a big project, Wheel of Time is something for you. If not however, His Dark Materials is extremelt emotional and entertaining material, or else there is quite an amount of books recommended in this thread you can probably check out

[Deleted]

Since I read loads, I can't really write down everything, but books that caught my attention:

Definitely Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings (duh, that's classics for every fantasy reader )
- The Inheritance by Christopher Paolini: The story was pretty amazing, but the ending was way too predictable for me to feel comfortable with it.
- Game of Thrones: Interesting one, I'm reading the 3rd book now. I like how the books are not purely black-white, you have more sides and you can't really see who's good and who's bad.
- The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: You can notice that she put a lot of work into her book, and the story is just amazing. She blends old romanian vampire tales into a story, but you don't exactly notice it until the name Dracula is involved.