Good Book Suggestions

[sbudzynski]

I live in Baltimore and am going to the Florida Keys in July.

Could some of you suggest a really good book for me to take on my trip? I am looking forward to reading something, aside from college texts of course.

I guess just list the title, author, the genre, and why you love it (don't spoil it though)!

I'll give you all my current favorite.
Title - The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Author - Stephen Chbosky
Genre - Nonfiction Drama
Why I love it - Painful story of such a sweet character dealing with the pressures of depression and society.

It's good and not a long read don't take my word for it, read it yourself!


Thank you for all your suggestions!

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Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[eyeswideclosed]

It's such a personal thing, taste in books, but there is a book I read recently called "Einstein's Dreams" I found very interesting. Fiction, short stories, non-technical, alternate views of time in different universes.

 

[Thadeus]

Born in Blood : The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry by John J. Robinson
(easy reading)
Profers the hypothesis that the Knights Templar went into hiding and eventually became known as the Freemasons.

Fun historical book... not pure history because the author doesn't offer footnotes for all of his "facts". He does offer a bibliography, but you would have to know which facts come from which books. Because of this style though, it does not get dry in my opinion.

~Thadeus

 

[sbudzynski]

To make it more personal.. I enjoy surprise endings, and of course books that you cannot put down (because books that can be put down, will be put down!)

----------

Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[jebenson]

Title: The Postman
Author: David Brin
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis: Main character struggles to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Set in the American Northwest.

This is the book that was the basis for the horrible, truly abysmal Kevin Costner movie of the same name. Don't let that put you off - the book is really quite good. Costner took the basic story line, and left out the parts that made the book interesting.

This is one of only a few books that I started reading and did not put down until I had finished. I read the entire thing in one sitting. And there's a surprise ending!

I used to rock and roll every night and party every day. Then it was every other day. Now I'm lucky if I can find 30 minutes a week in which to get funky. - Homer Simpson

Arrrr, mateys! Ye needs ta be preparin' yerselves fer Talk Like a Pirate Day! Ye has a choice: talk like a pira

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
Any of the 5 books in the 'Hitchhiker's Guide' trilogy by Douglas Adams will make the time fly by ( and maybe hit you in the head in passing)..

To really exercise the brain ( not usually something to do on a vacation, but) try:

'The Origin of Conciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind' By Julian Jaynes

and/or

'Goedel, Escher and Bach, an Eternal Golden Braid' by
Douglas R. Hofstadter.





To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[Grenage]

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is an excellent read. If you find that it's for you, there are three equally excellent sequels in the series.

Sci-Fi fiction, but well grounded in reality. Has a decent ending, too!


Carlsberg don't run I.T departments, but if they did they'd probably be more fun.

 

[addy]

Eon by Greg Bear

Science Fiction

An Asteroid appears in Earth's orbit. Investigation finds it to be hollowed out with several chambers which contain cities etc. except it looks like they were abandoned by the inhabitants.

Does the mysterious 7th chamber hold the key..........?

Excellent book.

 

[BJCooperIT]

A classic worth reading again and my personal favorite: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

[sup]Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.[/sup][sup] ~George Bernard Shaw[/sup]
Consultant Developer/Analyst Oracle, Forms, Reports & PL/SQL (Windows)
My website: Emu Products Plus

 

[Grenage]

oooh, addy. Might have to pick that one up for my holiday next month!


Carlsberg don't run I.T departments, but if they did they'd probably be more fun.

 

[sbudzynski]

Anyone (not) read the Da Vinci Code? I might read that cause its free and I heard it was good. I dunno though.. I like some of these suggestions! Im gonna have to write them all down because my library isn't that well stocked.

Thanks again!

----------

Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[Trevoke]

The Da Vinci code : I don't see the hype. I went to see the movie, which is exactly like the book. You're bouncing from one place to another. And the story just doesn't end! Only advantage the book has over the movie is that you know there are more pages to read so you know it's not over yet.

"That time in Seattle... was a nightmare. I came out of it dead broke, without a house, without anything except a girlfriend and a knowledge of UNIX."
"Well, that's something," Avi says. "Normally those two are mutually exclusive."
-- Neal Stephenson, "Cryptonomicon"

 

[sbudzynski]

Yeah I was afraid that all the hype would just lead me to let down..

----------

Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[jebenson]

addy,

Yay! Another Greg Bear fan! Have you read the sequel to Eon, Eternity?

I just finished re-reading my two favorite Greg Bear works, The Forge of God and Anvil of Stars. These books - a series - are incredibly good. Premise (Forge of God): hunter-killer probes from some xenophobic species track our radio emissions and proceed to destroy the Earth. I'll say nothing about Anvil of Stars, as that could ruin Forge of God.

Some other good Sci-fi in the apocalyptic mode - if you're into that thing, which I seem to be lately

Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle - comet strikes the Earth.

Footfall also by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle - alien invasion!!!!

I used to rock and roll every night and party every day. Then it was every other day. Now I'm lucky if I can find 30 minutes a week in which to get funky. - Homer Simpson

Arrrr, mateys! Ye needs ta be preparin' yerselves fer Talk Like a Pirate Day! Ye has a choice: talk like a pira

 

[sbudzynski]

Thanks for all the good sci-fi selections!

Any others favorites from other genres? I'm not into romance books and stuff like that (the movies are better anyway)

----------

Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[j0ckser]

anything by:
dan brown
robert ludlum (but NOT rl and 'another writer')
tom clancy (but NOT tc with 'another writer')
fredrick forsyth

the hobbit followed by lord of the rings followed by the silmarillion.

2 series by stephen donaldson
1. the chroicles of thomas covenant (6 books)
2. the gap (5 books)

i heartily agree with 'ender's game' and sequels.


per ardua ad astra

 

[Trevoke]

My favorite three books are somewhat short, but very nice.

Title : The Little Prince
Author : Antoine de St-Exupery

Title : Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Author : Richard Bach

Title : The Alchemist
Author : Paulo Coelho

Genre : hrm.. initiatic journey, spiritual, self-discovery?
Why I love it : They are awesome stories, written very simply, which will make you take a step back and look at your life.

I will further recommend *anything* by St-Exupery and *anything* by Paulo Coelho.

"That time in Seattle... was a nightmare. I came out of it dead broke, without a house, without anything except a girlfriend and a knowledge of UNIX."
"Well, that's something," Avi says. "Normally those two are mutually exclusive."
-- Neal Stephenson, "Cryptonomicon"

 

[sbudzynski]

hmm ill check those out thanks!

----------

Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
Lets not forget that College favorite:
'The Prophet' by Kahlil Gibran -

It is even online now:

http://www.columbia.edu/~gm84/gibtable.html

To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[jebenson]

Other genres...hmmm.

1) History

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
by Jared Diamond

A thick read, but well worth the effort. It won the Pulitzer Prize.


The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
by H.W. Brands

The "First" in the title is used in the sense of "premeire" or "outstanding".


2) Sociology? Social trends???

The Tipping Point
by Malcolm Gladwell

Examines how "fads" can go from obscure to planetwide, seemingly overnight.


3) (Popular?) Science

A Brief History of Time
by Stephen Hawking


Cosmos
by Carl Sagan

I used to rock and roll every night and party every day. Then it was every other day. Now I'm lucky if I can find 30 minutes a week in which to get funky. - Homer Simpson

Arrrr, mateys! Ye needs ta be preparin' yerselves fer Talk Like a Pirate Day! Ye has a choice: talk like a pira