Okay, little request here, Its starting to dawn on me I've read almost every book that might interest me. My favorites so far being Of Mice and Men, the Kite Runner, Catcher and the Rye, Abarat Series and a Walk in the Woods. Can someone suggest a really really great book that may be similar to those? If its Horror or Sci-Fi (some of my least favorite genres), please stray away from bullshit writers like H.P. Lovecraft. I really need a great read, I just can't find any books. I've spent hours at the bookstores looking for a book I haven't read that is good.
What are you currently reading? (no graphic novels)
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Watership Down is a book I still remember fondly.
If you're interested in fantasy with a twist I recommend Joe Abercrombie. He's not your usual author, more interested in writing darker-themed stories with "heroes" that aren't particularly heroic or anything.
Personally I'm reading through the Discworld series for the umpteenth time.
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right now im reading twilight, im almost done im on pg.400
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Okay, little request here, Its starting to dawn on me I've read almost every book that might interest me. My favorites so far being Of Mice and Men, the Kite Runner, Catcher and the Rye, Abarat Series and a Walk in the Woods. Can someone suggest a really really great book that may be similar to those? If its Horror or Sci-Fi (some of my least favorite genres), please stray away from bullshit writers like H.P. Lovecraft. I really need a great read, I just can't find any books. I've spent hours at the bookstores looking for a book I haven't read that is good.
I know how you feel, I feel exactly the same way. :wassat:
Oh and right now, I'm reading Of Mice and Men, pg 5-something, pretty darn good, for a normal book. -
Moria-why do you call him "bullshit writer"? That spot is reserved for Stephen Kings ideas.Dont consider anything after it, STAY THE FUCK AWAY from Derleth's "colaborations" (except two,maybe) and read it,give it a chance and dont just follow a "fad" when its "cool" to say "this guys bullshit".
Its much more diferent to horror and strange fictiona alltogether and fully worthy of praise.
What you probably dislike is a misconception,based on what Derleth did to make it suitable with his catholicism and dumbing it down to levels where it was widely sell-able for comercial purposes.The fool made up story elements on the spot,just cause he needed something to hang in a window.
Basicly,its the ORIGINAL which is worth consideration and enjoyment separately of any "sequels"-the only possible things from diferent writers that are similar are those of the period done by,say Robert E. Howard.Now,"The Black Stone" is the only such thing ive ever read of his so far, but it is fairly good.
Then thers Clark Ashton Smith-"The city of the singing flame" or,if youre in for a tale with a bit,a litle bit of lampooning of human arogane,try "The seelding of mars".Basicly,he is to be read piece per piece,because of his style,but hes styl ultimately good.A wonderfull,evocative short piece is "The Abominations of Yondo"-if youd wanna try him out, shortest good one I can imagine.
YOu can find his fiction online on eldritchdark-only,sometimes it has his "for money" SF and his atempts at "humour",avoid those at all costs.
Basicly,forget all this "Mythos" mumbo crap,and focus on what the man himself wrote,not what others re-organised,re- ordered and dumbed down to make money.COnsider that as a SEQUEL to a good original.Like Mulan to Mulan II.See the diference?Enjoy the tales separately, not as adjoining to some huge crapy "mythologia"-yes,there are good works done by contemporaries that were done with references to things in other stories to make up a beter "suspension of disbelief",but modern writers just dont do it-they FOLLOW what he wrote meticulously and fail.
Much like with Robert W. Chambers. Read his "The King in Yellow"-whatever you think it is,just read it,its something diferent.The first five stories,plus the prose poem colection is all youd need to,but if you REALY wanna get a feel, then just try
"The repairer of reputations".If you wanna be convinced,say so,ill post a quote-not more,because the power lies in the suspence.
Now,if youre for a diferent read,you could also like :
"Widdershins" by Oliver Onions.If you have an idea of what you imagine is a "ghost story",then reading this will have you dumbfolded."The Beckoning Fair One" was praised by so many people its beter to recomend another tale-"Phantas","Rooum" and "Benlial" form a perfect trio of weird,non-traditional tales that youll be dumbfolded about, quite fairly.
And if youre more into cruelty,theres always W.C.Morrow's "The ape,the idiot and other people".I did a review of the stories on Vault of Evil,but its again much beter to read this,whole and as a series.Yes,the first tale lags a bit-but its stil there and from then on,it gets up higher-the feeling just rises a feeling of impending doom,of sheer horrible NASTINESS,where you just KNOW something NASTY is gonna happen-REALY nasty.
I can send you a link via PM to gutenberg files and the like,if youd like.
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Well besides the fact I'm not crazy about the Sci-Fi genre. He really is a generic, average, and quite mediocre writer. His writing is ridiculously sub-par, and I find it ridiculously odd that people actually think he's a good story-teller. Sure, some of the ideas are interesting, but when reading his stuff, it almost makes me laugh at how poorly worded it is.
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I know people who study the field for 30 years and are far beter to explain why that statement is not at all good,but-do you realy want a qualified answer?If so,ill just say this-
His writing is altogether diferent.He also focuses on humanity as very very useless ,in general and realy unimportant-and to tell you the truth, its kinda true,if you think about it.
Well,if you want a longer answer,consider my own will never be as good for anyone here and its two AM,im gonna post what you said to the person and am gonna PM you his response,how does that sound?Hes much beter at expo's then me and has less typos.
Also-poorly worded-id say its the exact oposite.I mean,I wouldnt know alot of words,hadnt I read him.You need to feel it-and if you cant by reading for some reason,then by hearing it read.
And also,he wasnt realy an SF writer,he wrote one SF story with some other guy and it wasnt even realy SF,it was about a maze.
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Okay, little request here, Its starting to dawn on me I've read almost every book that might interest me. My favorites so far being Of Mice and Men, the Kite Runner, Catcher and the Rye, Abarat Series and a Walk in the Woods. Can someone suggest a really really great book that may be similar to those? If its Horror or Sci-Fi (some of my least favorite genres), please stray away from bullshit writers like H.P. Lovecraft. I really need a great read, I just can't find any books. I've spent hours at the bookstores looking for a book I haven't read that is good.
my fiance would reccomend: grapes of wrath, animal farm, 1984
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my fiance would reccomend: grapes of wrath, animal farm, 1984
Already read them all.
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well i'm out of ideas for ya, you could read the dark tower series which I personally find to be mr.king's best work since it was him writing outside his comfort zone.
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Right now I'm reading "The Great Gatsby", I've read "Enduring Love" a while ago, and found it to be the….most pathetic excuse of a book since HP.
The writer manages to make a story containing Erotomanic, violent, homosexual themes become as dull and tiresome as watching trains pass your platform for four hours in a cold night. -
I'm going through the self-flagellation that is Shinto in History for a second time. It's one of those texts where if you aren't holding a pen and highlighter in your free hand, you might as well be twiddling your thumbs.
I'm finding though that my notes from my first run through are helping me proceed a lot faster than my original crawling pace.
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Well I'm currently stuck in the middle of "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. I don't think I'll ever finish that brick.
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I just started reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle today. I've only read the prolouge, but I heard about the story, and it sounds alot like a modern version of Hamlet.
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Gepetto are you still planning on burning Twilight?
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Just got finished with Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Really, really good book, need to get my hands on Breakfast of Champions and Cat's Cradle now.
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Gepetto are you still planning on burning Twilight?
I want to but my fiance highly advises me not to since it's literature (even though she hates it as well ironically) besides I didn't get a book ontime to burn it on opening nite of the movie which was my initial plan. I'm thinking of getting the d.v.d and breaking it but that would have no impact.
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Well, I just finished the book I mentioned before. It was such a great story, but the ending really rubbed me the wrong way because not much was resolved, and was on such a depressing note, too. It wasn't a bad ending, but it seemed like the author just threw it out of nowhere just to see how we'd react.
Tonight, I'm gonna start The Shelters of Stone in the Earth's Children Series. All that's left to do after that, is wait for Auel to complete the next installment, whenever that may be.
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I'm currently reading three books that I just picked up:
1. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Drawing Manga (Self-explanitory)
2. The Everything Guide to Writing Graphic Novels (Self-Explanitory)
3. MangaMatrix (Details a very complex process of creating unique characters using what is called the "Japanese Matrix System". It's really cool.)So yeah… I'm trying to write my own Manga, so sue me.
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I don't like those "how to draw" books since there basically teaching the reader one particular style as if everything from japan looks the same. All the generic crap looks the same yes but the more popular and cult stuff has a entirely differn't look to it. I learned that in order to get ahead you have to have and original style and story. Your second book however is a must have, my friend had it and I learned ALOT from that book. If I could make a recommendation, I'd say pick up stan lee's how to draw marvel, it's helpfull for the anatomy portion of it.
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Okay, little request here, Its starting to dawn on me I've read almost every book that might interest me. My favorites so far being Of Mice and Men, the Kite Runner, Catcher and the Rye, Abarat Series and a Walk in the Woods. Can someone suggest a really really great book that may be similar to those? If its Horror or Sci-Fi (some of my least favorite genres), please stray away from bullshit writers like H.P. Lovecraft. I really need a great read, I just can't find any books. I've spent hours at the bookstores looking for a book I haven't read that is good.
I'm currently reading One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Check it out if you havn't already (though you probably have). Judging by your taste it would be a good read.
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I don't like those "how to draw" books since there basically teaching the reader one particular style as if everything from japan looks the same. All the generic crap looks the same yes but the more popular and cult stuff has a entirely differn't look to it. I learned that in order to get ahead you have to have and original style and story. Your second book however is a must have, my friend had it and I learned ALOT from that book. If I could make a recommendation, I'd say pick up stan lee's how to draw marvel, it's helpfull for the anatomy portion of it.
Good to know. Also, I suggest that, if you haven't already, that you should take a look at MangaMatrix.
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TvTropes Tearjerker Music Section
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@Hakuro:
Good to know. Also, I suggest that, if you haven't already, that you should take a look at MangaMatrix.
I'll give that a look.
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I am The Hero. Really good book.
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@Hakuro:
So yeah… I'm trying to write my own Manga, so sue me.
Personally I would just go with a more generic drawing book. Dunno, something like Keys of Drawing by Bert Dodson. Of those which I have on my shelf that's my favourite one. If I was planning of becoming a comic artist - which I'm not - I would probably try to learn about how to write good stories too. Writing itself is an aspect many aspiring comic artists seems to ignore for some reason :ermm:.
And, oh yeah, I just finished Gears of War: Aspho Fields by Karen Travis. Perhaps the best video game novelization I have ever laid my hands on.
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The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell.
i used to hate american history before Sarah Vowell. -
Terry Pratchett - Going Postal
what can I say… great - as always Terry
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"The Law of Peoples" by John Rawls. Somebody please shoot me!
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pulls out a .45 magnum and aims it at Ivotas just say "when"
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What the…? You still waiting? I'm still reading that darn thing. You should have shot me the second you realized what misery I'm in. Is that your revenge for playing a joke you didn't understand? :(
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Wilbur Smith - Blue Horizon
I just finished Monsoon by Wilbur Smith and it was a fantastic novel, had me always wondering what was gonna happen next.
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Just finished All The Rage of the Repairman Jack series i'm now moving onto Haunted Air of Repairman Jack series. Repairman Jack by F. Paul Wilson.
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What the…? You still waiting? I'm still reading that darn thing. You should have shot me the second you realized what misery I'm in. Is that your revenge for playing a joke you didn't understand? :(
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ pop oh sorry forgot you were there, points the gun back at ivotas head ** good day, good evening, good nite ** pulls trigger
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Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures Volume One
It's my second reading of it. The series centers on Skeeve, an apprentice magician from Klah who sees his mentor get assasinated, becomes an apprentice to the demon his old mentor was summoning at the time he was killed, helps his new mentor beat a master magician who hired the assasin, lands a job as court magician of an entire kingdom, stops the largest army the land has ever seen while on a 5 gold coin budget, and all with a number of spells that you could count on your fingers (levitate, disguise, protective wards, fire, and some other spell that allows him to get through protective wards), and that's just the first two of the six books in the volume. How does he accomplish this? Ingenuity, friends, and sometimes a little luck.
Ingenuity? He has mastered the disquise spell like Light Yagami mastered the Death Note.
Friends? There's Ahz, a demon from the dimension Perv (that makes him a Pervect, not a Pervert) who has lost his ability to use magic (due to a practical joke by Skeeve's old mentor durring the summoning) and had decided to mentor Skeeve, all while providing cynical comments that often mentions things that Skeeve has no knowledge of due to them not existing on Klah (things like cows and bullets). There's also Gleep, a juvinile dragon that Skeeve accidentally bought, won't reach adulthood until well after Skeeve dies of old age, and possesses a one-word vocabulary. And finally, there's Tananda, who is an ex-assasin from Trollia (the males from there are trolls while the females are trollops), knows a few spells, and tends to have an easy time getting a guy's attention.
Luck? OK, so luck doesn't really come up that often.The series includes dimensional travel (with nonnatives in any dimension being refered to as "demons"), and many of the dimensions are given names that are meant for puns (like all inhabitants of Klah being Klahds).
I also really like the writing style. I'll even give you a sample from the beginning of the second chapter of the first book.
ONCE, IN THE woods, I found myself face to face with a snake-cat. On another occasion, I encountered a spider-bear. Now, faced with a demon, I decided to pattern my behavior after that which had saved me in the aforementioned situations. I froze. At least, in hindsight, I like to think it was a deliberate, calculated act.
The demon culed its lips back, revealing a double row of needle-sharp teeth.
I considered changing my chosen course of action; I considered fainting.The Myth Adventure series is a rather good read. It is a shame that Robert Asprin is dead now though.
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Anthony Bourdain No Reservations Around the World on an Empty Stomach - Anthony Bourdain
I love food, I love travelling, I love Tony.
Next up is Dreams of my father - Barack Obama, anyone read it?
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Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox!!!
God, I love Eoin.
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
:D Yeah I'm behind xD
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robin hobb , farseer trilogy, first book –> simply superb
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Mika Waltari's The Adventurer. A christmas present. I had forgot how much I enjoy Waltari's prose and historical fictions.
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I started reading The Pillars of Earth by Ken Follet last night. From what I've heard, it's a very overrated book, up there with The Da Vinci Code and Twilight. I just hope that it lives up to it's hype.
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Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis. His and his bands biography.
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I am half way through stephen kings: Dark tower: wizard and glass and Cell ( I am a slow reader when it's not manga)
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I just finished
Star Wars: Legacy of the Force 1 - "Betrayal"
(Aaron Allston)Anyone here who enjoys the Star Wars novels as much as me?
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@Senshi:
I started reading The Pillars of Earth by Ken Follet last night. From what I've heard, it's a very overrated book, up there with The Da Vinci Code and Twilight. I just hope that it lives up to it's hype.
Really, are you really saying this?? Da vinci overrated?? that is THE understatement of the year. That book sir, was a supermarketnovel, a catastrophe, I still can't understand I read more then 12 pages of that crap.
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^Heh, Dan Brown's Angels and Demons is on a table next to my bed waiting to be read. Among few other books. But I'm still reading The Adventurer. A big novel but I'm almost done. I haven't heard about this The Pillar of Earth before. Sounds something I might read at some point.
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when I get done with cell I plan on reading 1984
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I actually liked Angels and Demons better than The Da Vinci Code.
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Just out of curiosity, for those who always read, what is the book or books that you are currently reading? Except One piece, of course & which kind of book genre you rather read on?
Right now I'm just re-read "The Last Legion" by Valerio Massimo Manfredi
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Going to read "1984" by George Orwell