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Book Recommendations
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Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:40:40
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In addition to being a life-time gamer and dedicated man-whore, I am ALSO an avid reader!

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(For example in the last two weeks, I have read)


The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle


(Don't Laugh!)


The Twilight Series: Twilight
The Twilight Series: New Moon
The Twilight Series: Eclipse


(...and...)


Anthony Rapp: Without You

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(Last Summer, I read)


Augusten Burroughs: Sellevision
Augusten Burroughs: Running with Scissors
Augusten Burroughs: Dry
Augusten Burroughs: Magical Thinking
Augusten Burroughs: Possible Side Effects
Augusten Burroughs: A Wolf at the Table


David Sedaris: Barrel Fever
David Sedaris: Naked
David Sedaris: Holidays on Ice
David Sedaris: Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
David Sedaris: When You are Engulfed in Flames


Michael Davidson: The Gargoyle


Joshua Ferris: Then We Came to the End


Alan Moore: The Watchmen

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(The Summer Before That)


J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows


William Gibson: Neuromancer


Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash

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I'm sure there were many more that I am forgetting, but those spring immediately to mind!

...as you could probably surmise, I like well-written series and Memoirs... with a touch of Sci-Fi thrown in for good measure!

I've already read Tolkien and Eddings, not at all interested in Video Game books, Star Wars or Star Trek books...

Had more than my fill of Comics and Graphic Novels!

Anyone have any recommendations for anything that's a particular good read or something notable?


Edited: Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:45:38
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Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:48:17
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Holy crap. I usually read only one book every two weeks (I read mostly political biographies).

When you read that much in a short time (where the content is of the same nature) do you recall much of the details and from what book they come from?

When I do read fiction, I burn through them much quicker than the normal subject matter (lke in a day or two), but if you were to ask me the lead character's name when I finished teh book 9 times out of 10 I'd not be able to tell you.

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Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:51:32
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Absolutely!

Just because I am a child of the Videogame Era and have a compulsive need to keep myself occupied and entertained every second of any given day, doesn't necessarily mean I have ADHD...!

I can read quickly --AND-- absorb details!

Nyaa
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Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:52:44
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For example, I can TOTALLY tell you the name of the lead character in each and every one of the Harry Potter books!

Nyaa

Edited: Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:53:13
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Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:33:58
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^So, seriously... how do you read so fast? Did you take a speed reading course?  And also, I assume you don't drink or in any other way kill off brain cells on a regular basis?

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Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:37:01
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Oh, I drink! Just not so often and not to the point where I lose the ability to control myself (unless I want to)...

I just find a table at my local Starbucks get a coffee or Refresh Tea and Go!

I lock eyes on the book and don't stop til I get a couple of hundred pages under my belt or my eyes get too tired, whatever comes first!
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Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:42:52
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Also Read:

Anne Rice: Interview with the Vampire
Anne Rice: The Vampire Lestat
Anne Rice: The Queen of the Damned
Anne Rice: The Tale of the Body Thief
Anne Rice: Memnoch the Devil
Anne Rice: The Vampire Armand
Anne Rice: Blood and Gold
Anne Rice: Blood Canticle
Anne Rice: Pandora
Anne Rice: Vittorio the Vampire
Anne Rice: The Witching Hour
Anne Rice: Lasher
Anne Rice: Taltos
Anne Rice: Merrick
Anne Rice: Blackwood Farms
Anne Rice: Cry to Heaven
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Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:01:04
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Also Read:

Orson Scott Card: Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card: Speaker for the Dead
Orson Scott Card: Xenocide
Orson Scott Card: Children of the Mind
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Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:09:16
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I also plan on trying to read all the Potters again before I see the next movie...

...that would be 4175 pages...

...by July 15th!

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That's probably not gonna happen thanks to my schedule --BUT-- before the last book came out I did read the first 6 in about a week...

(that was 3391 pages)

...hmmm... I wonder...???

Edited: Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:10:38
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Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:48:45
I am amidst the year I had planned to start reading more novels (or any).  See my earlier blog post on the subject.

But the short version is that highly recommended at the following:
  • The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
  • The Messenger, Markus Zusak
  • Beauty, Robin McKinley
  • The Island of Sheep, John Bucan
And the lead characters of the books are Liesel, Ed, Honor, and Dick Hannay respectively Nyaa

I'm currently reading another Zusak novel, Fighting Ruben Wolfe.  Quite good itself, thusfar.
Edited: Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:53:12

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Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:58:48

The Master and Margarita by Mikhael Bulgakov.

It has a talking cat who likes to play cards and make practical jokes with his good friend named Faggot. They're both part of the devil's entourage. What more do you need to know?

Fahrenheit 451

Probably the most powerful prose I've read. Enough said. Now I need to read Dandelion Wine which is meant to be even thicker and denser and delicious.

That might be perfect for Yarcofin. Nyaa

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Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:36:43

Can I reccomend Lord of the Rings or is that a given?

I have also read all the Harry potter books.

The books I would reccomend is the Nightwatch books. There are 4 now, I am reading the last one now:

Nightwatch

Daywatch

Duskwatch

The Last Watch

They are really cool fantasy books set in modern Moscow. They've sold over 3 million each and two of them have been made into movies. The premise is that there are modern day "Others" who have magical powers, either light or dark others who have to police each other to maintain the balance of good and evil. But each side is always screwing with the other.

Very good stuff.

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Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:39:18

One of the best books I have read is the Other Wind by Ursula Le Guin, an award winning fantasy writer. Honestly it's fantasy writing that is right up there with Lord of the Rings, which is huge praise.

Unfortunately it's a tale in the Earthsea series so really you have to read the Tales of Earthsea collection first, which is great too, but hard to get into initially.

It's set on Earthsea, a fictional earth covered in ocean where the only lands are islands. It has wizards and dragons and is really good. It's deep stuff though, not candy coated entertainment fantasy.

Tales of Earthsea was recentely made into a Studio Ghibli film.

http://www.talesfromearthseamovie.co.uk/

It sort of smushed together a few of the tales.

Edited: Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:43:58

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Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:10:46
Thanks for the recommendations so far, keep em coming!

If I pick any of them up I will let you all know!
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Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:43:32

Foolz said:

The Master and Margarita by Mikhael Bulgakov.

It has a talking cat who likes to play cards and make practical jokes with his good friend named Faggot. They're both part of the devil's entourage. What more do you need to know?


^ This is the book that gets my vote out of all the ones already recommended.  so amazing.

i recommend Joseph Heller's Catch 22 if there is anyone who hasn't yet read it.  So hilarious and so poignant.  there's really nothing like it.

___

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Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:50:20

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (Mary Roach) - I, at least, find the science behind death interesting.

The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer (Philip Carlo) - Richard Kuklinski was a pretty innovative serial killer / hitman in his day. If you wanted to know just about everything about him, this is the book for finding out.

Edited: Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:48:17
--------------------------------------------

Listen to Iced Earth and play Doom

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Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:59:42

Coopersville said:

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (Mary Roach) - I, at least, find the science behind death interesting.

The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer (Philip Carlo) - Richard Kuklinski was a pretty innovative serial killer / hitman in his day. If you wanted to know just everything about him, this is the book for finding out.

 Have you seen Anatomy for Beginners? Fascinating show, though it's not focused on death.

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Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:41:26
I'm currently reading the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.  I'm enjoying it, but it's not what it was hyped to be.   Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is another sci-fi classic worth reading.
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Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:32:22

phantom_leo said:
Also Read:

Orson Scott Card: Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card: Speaker for the Dead
Orson Scott Card: Xenocide
Orson Scott Card: Children of the Mind

travo said:
I'm currently reading the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.  I'm enjoying it, but it's not what it was hyped to be.   Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is another sci-fi classic worth reading.

I read Hitchhiker's Guide many, many years ago; up through 'So Long and Thanks for All the Fish' and read the above Ender's Game books. Did you read the others in the series or The Ender's Shadow series?

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Sat, 11 Jul 2009 15:16:48

phantom_leo said:

phantom_leo said:
Also Read:

Orson Scott Card: Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card: Speaker for the Dead
Orson Scott Card: Xenocide
Orson Scott Card: Children of the Mind

travo said:
I'm currently reading the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.  I'm enjoying it, but it's not what it was hyped to be.   Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is another sci-fi classic worth reading.

I read Hitchhiker's Guide many, many years ago; up through 'So Long and Thanks for All the Fish' and read the above Ender's Game books. Did you read the others in the series or The Ender's Shadow series?

I totally missed that part. Nyaa I read and enjoyed the first Ender's Shadow, but didn't feel like reading the others.  What about the Alvin series by Orson Scott Card?

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