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!

----------

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"

 

[kaht]

by Larry Niven

Who was the inspiration for the super popular Magic: The Gathering card - Nevinyrral's Disk


I'll suggest the Assassin's Apprentice (1st book of a trilogy). It's one of those fantasy/medieval type stories that doesn't go too far out on a limb with the fantasy side of the story. I'm from the midwest, grew up in the country and have a lot of hillbilly blood in my family tree (not the inbred kind ) - so I wouldn't consider myself to be an overly "sensitive" guy. However, when I finished the 3rd book I broke down into tears because the book had me so far drawn in. That was the first (and only) time I've ever had that happen from a book.

-kaht

[small]How spicy would you like your chang sauce? Oh man... I have no idea what's goin' on right now...[/small]

 

[gbaughma]

Well, I'm a Sci-Fi/Fantasy nut... here's some of my favorites....

The "Myth" series by Robert Asprin
Fantasy, about a young sorcerer's apprentice, who's master conjurs up a demon as a demonstration, then immediately gets assassinated, leaving an apprentice with no powers with a demon.
The first one is "Another Fine Myth". *GREAT* stuff.

The "Incarnations of Immortality" series by Piers Anthony
Fantasy... what if Death, Nature, Fate, Time, War, Good and Evil were actual positions, held by people? Great reads... the first one is "On a Pale Horse", and is about the incarnation of Death.

The "mode" series by Piers Anthony. Starts with "Virtual Mode"... Fantasy, about a borderline-suicidal girl who embarks on a journey across dimensions.

"Starfinder" by Robert F. Young. Science Fiction, about a troubled man who embarks on a journey in a time-travelling spacewhale.

"The Kruton Interface" by John Dechancie. Science Fiction. Just plain silly.

"The Demolished Man" by Alfred Bester (name sound familiar? Bester in Babylon 5 was named after this author, and the Psi-corps were modeled after this book!) Great Science Fiction.

"The Road to Mars" by Eric Idle (of Monty Python fame) - Science Fiction, and written by one of the pythons. You *know* it's going to be funny.

Any of the "Berserker" series by Fred Saberhagen. The first one to write about "machines got smart and decided humans were a waste of resources" genre.

(p.s. I just googled Berserker, and found

http://www.berserker.com

... who knew 40 years later that Fred Saberhagen is STILL AROUND, and STILL WRITING! WOOHOO!)



Just my 2¢

"In order to start solving a problem, one must first identify its owner." --Me
--Greg

 

[sbudzynski]

A book by Eric Idle I have to check that out.. lol

We got a lot of sci fi fans here!

Kaht I can't believe you cried you big ole baby! (haha) im just kidding, that sounds like a really good book I'll check that one out too!

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"

 

[MadMichael]

The _MARCUS DIDIUS FALCO_ series by Lindsey Davis, first in the series is 'Silver Pigs'.

An informer (private eye) in first-century Rome works for the Emperor and marries a Senator's daughter.

****


Cryptonomicon

by Neal Stephenson

amazon.com says: "Cryptonomicon is vintage Stephenson from start to finish: short on plot, but long on detail so precise it's exhausting. Every page has a math problem, a quotable in-joke, an amazing idea, or a bit of sharp prose. Cryptonomicon is also packed with truly weird characters, funky tech, and crypto--all the crypto you'll ever need, in fact, not to mention all the computer jargon of the moment."

and

The Baroque Cycle Trilogy
--Quicksilver
--The Confusion
--The System of the World

by Neal Stephenson

amazon.com says: "...readers will be both entertained and richly rewarded with a practicum in Baroque science, cypher, culture, and politics."

 

[Remou]

Jorge Luis Borges, Labyrinths
James Stephens, The Crock of Gold (free on line)
Kyril Bonfiglioli, Mortdecai Trilogy
Flann O'Brien, The Third Policeman
Henry Fielding, Tom Jones
Because of the wonderful writing.

 

[jebenson]

Other Neal Stephenson:

The Diamond Age

Snow Crash - my personal favorite of his.


As long as we're in the "Cyberpunk" sub-genre of sci-fi:

Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling

Neuromancer by William Gibson - his first novel (I believe) and the seminal work of the Cyberpunk sub-genre of sci-fi. This was also the first novel ever to win the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award and the Philip K. Dick award.

(Speaking of Philip K. Dick, try "A Scanner Darkly". The movie version is coming out soon. Other PKD novels/stories that have been turned into movies are "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" (Movie: Bladerunner), "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" (Movie: Total Recall), "The Minority Report", "Paycheck", "Second Variety" (Movie: Screamers), "Impostor".)

Virtual Light by William Gibson

...well, anything by William Gibson

The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling
This one's a great read. It's a twist on the cyberpunk genre, set in 1885 Britain. In the novel Charles Babbage's Difference Engine (Wikipedia article), a mechanical digital calculator, is not dismissed and forgotten (as in real life), but instead is in wide use and is driving an Industrial Age computer revolution.

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

 

[SF0751]

Books I've read over and over:

Sci-Fi/Fantasy:
Lois McMaster Bujold: "The Curse of Chalion" and "Paladin of Souls"
Audrey Neffenegger: "The Time Traveler's Wife"
Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, and Kate Elliott: "The Golden Key"
Orson Scott Card: "Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus"

Westerns:
Louis L'Amour: anything.
Don Coldsmith: anything.

Mysteries:
Tony Hillerman: anything.

Fiction:
Jeffrey Archer: "As The Crow Flies"
Lucia St.Clair Robson: "Ride the Wind"

Biography:
George Burns: "Gracie: A Love Story"


Susan
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls, and looks like work."
- Thomas A. Edison

 

[AnotherHiggins]

I read a lot of non-fiction.

I really like the writing style of Jon Krakauer. His books follow:
[ul][li]Into Thin Air : A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster[/li]
[ul][li]Jon Krakauer was climbing Everest in May of 1996 - the deadliest year in the mountain's history. This is gripping first-hand account of what went wrong.[/li][/ul]

[li]Eiger Dreams : Ventures Among Men and Mountains [/li]
[ul][li]Our man climbs another deadly mountain. If you've ever seen Clint Eastwood in The Eiger Sanction, that's the mountain. [/li][/ul]

[li]Into the Wild[/li]
[ul][li] Krakauer investigates on and weaves a moving narrative about the final years of Christopher McCandless. After graduating from Emory University in Atlanta in 1992, McCandless gave up his worldly possessions, including a $24,000 savings account. He literally buried his identification in the desert to recreate himself. He hitchhiked across the country, eventually ending up in Alaska where he intended to "live off the land for a few months". He headed into the backcountry with a 10 lb. Bag of rice and a .22 rifle. His body was found four months later. What pushed such a promising young man to reject society?

An aside: definitely read this if you are thinking about heading out into the woods to live on your own.[/li][/ul]

[li]Under the Banner of Heaven : A Story of Violent Faith[/li]
[ul][li]A look into the dangers inherent in religious fanaticism of any sort. At the heart of the story are the Lafferty brothers, Mormon Fundamentalists. In 1984, Ron and Dan Lafferty murdered the wife (Brenda) and baby daughter (Erica) of their brother (Allen) after Ron received a "revelation from God" that they were to do so. Ron Lafferty, who is still awaiting execution, has never expressed remorse and still holds that his deed was virtuous.[/li][/ul]
[/ul]



But on to happier things.

I love David Sedaris' writing. I've read all of his books. He is a humorist from my own home town of Raleigh. He is also the only author whose work I actually prefer listening to rather than reading. To the best of my knowledge, he reads all of his own books on the audio CDs, and his delivery really brings something to the stories. I recommend anything by him.

The travel writer Bill Bryson is hilarious. The first book of his I read was A Walk in the Woods. I picked it up because I enjoy hiking and it is about his attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail. I enjoyed it so much that I am working my way through all of his books.

Along with a couple of other books, I'm currently working my way through Guns , Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, which jebenson mentioned. It is basically a look at why different continents developed at such different rates. I also look forward to Jared Diamond's follow-up, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.

Another book I'm currently reading is Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell. I'm only about half way through, and it is the first book of hers that I've read, but I really like it so far. Sarah tours the locations central to the assassinations of Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley. To steal a bit of the publisher's comments,

"From Buffalo to Alaska, Washington to the Dry Tortugas, Vowell visits locations immortalized and influenced by the spilling of politically important blood, reporting as she goes with her trademark blend of wisecracking humor, remarkable honesty, and thought-provoking criticism. We learn about the jinx that was Robert Todd Lincoln [Abraham Lincoln's son] (present at the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley) and witness the politicking that went into the making of the Lincoln Memorial. The resulting narrative is much more than an entertaining and informative travelogue — it is the disturbing and fascinating story of how American death has been manipulated by popular culture, including literature, architecture, sculpture, and — the author's favorite — historical tourism. Though the themes of loss and violence are explored and we make detours to see how the Republican Party became the Republican Party, there are all kinds of lighter diversions along the way into the lives of the three presidents and their assassins, including mummies, show tunes, mean-spirited totem poles, and a nineteenth-century biblical sex cult."
I recently read Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. It was a really quick read, but a lot of fun.

I'll try to think of some others later. Maybe some lighter fare.

[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
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[johnwm]

For fantasy, The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. The first ten in the series have been published over the last 16 years, and there is still more to come. For humour, with a SF bent, try Terry Pratchett

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[addy]

jebenson

I have read Eternity - another great book.

Also Forge of God and Anvil of stars.

Another of his books I like is Slant.

 

[tsdragon]

For SF humor:
The "Stainless Steel Rat" books by Harry Harrison
The "Bill, The Galactic Hero" books by Harry Harrison
The "Phule's Company" books by Robert Aspirin
The "Myth Adventures" books by Robert Aspirin

For SF military stories, anything by David Drake. Warning: they are VERY graphically violent. Extremely well written military fiction. The "Hammer's Slammers" series is particularly good.

A SF book I enjoyed very much: Manta's Gift, by Timothy Zahn. A human is "transferred" into an alien life form to help humans understand them.

The "Dorsai" books by Gordon R. Dickson are also very good.


Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[SilentAiche]

Whatever you do, don't read "The Firm" without suscreen for more then 30 minutes (at least not in Cancun).

I peeled skin (my own) for weeks.

Tim (the reddest non-commie ever)

[blue]________________________________________________________
"To be rather than to seem" - Official Motto of the State of North Carolina[/blue]

 

[LFCfan]

Steve,
As you're at university at the moment, I would like to recommend an all-time favourite of mine: I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe

It's fiction, a satire of university life. I found it hilarious, Wolfe's observatonal commentary about the generation who went to college in the '00s is so spot on it's scary! There are all the stereotypes - the small town girl who's there for some serious studying. The student athlete whose gradees are plummeting. The arrogant frat boy. And the weedy guy who considers himself the last bastion of intellectual endeavour on the sex-crazed, jock-obsessed campus.

It's a very fun read, I promise you.

[sub]Not all those who wander are lost[/sub]

 

[strongm]

>anything by:
>dan brown

I'm not sure I'd agree with that ...

 

[sbudzynski]

Thanks to everyone for these great suggestions!

LFCfan that book does seem interesting plus I can relate, I am going to check that one out!

John - I have read the 2 Krakauer books and absolutely loved them. I suggest everyone atleast reads Into Thin Air. I could not put it down.

I've decided to go to the library and try and find as many of these as I can. I read through each of them a bit and then pick out one of them. I also found Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy so I'll bring that one too.

Thanks so much to all of you! I'm excited to just relax with a good book on the ride down (when im not driving of course!)

----------

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,
Once you get to Florida you CAN drive while reading..most other folks on the road there drive like they are, so it must be OK.



Enjoy your trip...





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

 

[sbudzynski]

As long as I can drive and talk on my cellphone because when I drive I MUST talk on my phone

Thank you Turkbear

----------

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"

 

[AnotherHiggins]

Steve,

I'm not sure where you're driving from, but I just discovered the joy's of books on tape (or CDs in my case) as a road trip companion fairly recently. Listening to a good book can really make the hours fly by.

[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

Help us help you. Please read FAQ181-2886 before posting.

 

[sbudzynski]

I am driving from Baltimore, MD to Marathon, Florida and back so books on tape would be a great idea. Put I don't have a tape player, Books on CD maybe!

I actually just bought a new cd player with an ipod cord so I could put many books onto my ipod and just play those!

I love technology!

----------

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

I'm not sure I'd agree with that ...

anything in particular you didn't like? i think he has written only 4 books.

per ardua ad astra