# A Nice Read



## Quaidis (Jun 5, 2007)

There are many tv programs out there to vegitate over, movies and films to rent, and a mindlessly endless supply of CDs.  However who here has read a good book lately?  No, I'm not talking about comics or manga (though bringing up a title of one wont hurt this thread at all.)  I'm talking about full-blooded, paper-on-paper, all word novels.  

What genre of books do you enjoy?  Who are your favorite authors?  What are your favorite titles?  What do you look for in a good book, or do you just go by how cool the cover looks?  And on the other end, what novels did you find difficult to read, what authors did you find ultimate distaste in, and what do you think we should avoid altogether?

Me, myself, enjoy reading fantasy.  I have a mutual reading difficulty, so I try to stay around easier books like Timothy Zahn's 'DragonBack' series.  

Recently I've upped the anti and purchased a book called 'His Magesty's Dragon' by Naomi Novik under the notice of my friend, Yao.  While Naomi uses semi-colons like she's making up for every author who doesn't, her novels are absolutely fascinating to me.

(And noone start with me on how it somehow doesn't belong in this forum.  Books are a mode of entertainment.)


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## Rostam The Grey (Jun 5, 2007)

I read fantasy. Primarily with dragons and wizards.  Favorite authors are Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman when they colloborate. I also like CS Friedman, Lawrence Watt-Evans, and Stephen King. Good series are the Obsidian Chronicles, Death Gate Cycle, ColdFire Trilogy, Dragonlance Novels, and the Apprentice Adept Series (Piers Anthony, first 3 books).


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## Aden (Jun 5, 2007)

Just finished up Dan Brown's "Digital Fortress." Broke the code in the back, too (paperback version). 

/128-10-93-85-10-128-98-112-6-6-25-126-39-1-68-78


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## Bloodangel (Jun 5, 2007)

I just finished reading "The Swords of Night and Day" by David Gemmell. It was really good. So was "White Wolf", a preceding story containing most of the main characters of The Swords. You can read either first, but it's better to read "White Wolf" first.

I could write a list a mile long of the books I've read, but I'll just put those up. Get them if you can. It's the standard "Main protagonist has an internal battle with himself involving the man enemy type and getting help from random friends" in a fantasy style setting, but it's some damn fine writing.

With me, it's more the quality of the writing than the setting, but I'm a bitch for a good fight scene.


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## Samurai with Glasses (Jun 5, 2007)

I read just about anything that sounds interesting to me. Fantasy, spy novels, some non fiction, regular fiction, adventure novels and the like. My favorite group of books though would have to be The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques, god those books are awesome.


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## Leahtaur (Jun 5, 2007)

For those with a biological bent, "The Dragons of Eden" by Carl Sagan is a fascinating read. It deals with genetics and evolution in terms that are easy for just about anyone to understand. It's a good thirty years old now but I believe most of the information is still relevant. It's really interesting and even humourous in parts.

For lighter reading I love Hellboy.


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## Renton Whitetail (Jun 5, 2007)

I recently read "Fire Bringer" and "The Sight," both by David Clement-Davies.  I really liked reading both of them, and I highly recommend them.


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## Quaidis (Jun 5, 2007)

Rostam: Ah, I remember the DragonLance books.  I especially liked the first 6 in their entirety.  I tried reading others from the series, and did like one of the 'short story' books as well as one about the draconians trying to keep their species going, but some are just harder to keep my attention on than others.  


There were some great books I read while growing up.  RaptorRed was one, JurassicPark was another (that I especially enjoyed reading after first watching the movie.)  'A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeleine L'Engle was a book very different from others I've read before and I was able to get through it very quickly without loosing interest.  

If anyone on this forum has or is considering children, CatWings is a great youthful book that I've known countless young kids to enjoy.


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## brokenfox (Jun 6, 2007)

My time is so tight the last book I got to read was part of the Elric Saga (I say part because it was really three books and a few shorts put together, the Elric series is kind of confusing to follow correctly because he wrote them out of order and over his entire life). However I do HIGHLY recommend these books if you like smart dark fantasy stuff. Currently I just stared "If Chins Could Kill" but unless you are a Bruce Campbell fan I doubt you will be into that...


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## crabby_the_frog (Jun 6, 2007)

I recently finished "Reaper of Souls: A Tale of Malus Darkblade", the third book of one of the Warhammer themed series.

Published by the Black Library, written by Dan Abnett, it's quite good.

ISBN: 1-84416-196-5


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## Kris_Reizer (Jun 6, 2007)

Ah, wehre to begin...
*cracks knuckles*
Artemis Fowl
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (VERY dry and witty, not what you'd expect from the title)
Harry Potter 1-3, maybe 4 are decently fantasy and not just Harry being an emo bastard,
Dragon's Pawn/Dragon's  Knight  (Bit of a dry read, but a nice story)
Wicked (technically fantasy... expect to read it deeply or else you won't get much out of it)
Which Witch?  (A light, jovial read.  Funny story about a warlock who needs a wife)
His Dark Materials (Golden Compass, Subtle Knife, Amber Spyglass.  Some may call it sci-fi.  I dn't care.  You need to read them.)
The Young Wizards Series (Amazing books, beyond description.  Diane Duane is one of my heathen gods.  Als, she wrote an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, so.... yeah.)


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## Kris_Reizer (Jun 6, 2007)

Oh!  Absolutely ANYTHING by Terry Pratchett is amazing.  You will laugh, you will cry, and you will be surprised and delighted.


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## Rostam The Grey (Jun 6, 2007)

Kris_Reizer said:
			
		

> ...The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (VERY dry and witty, not what you'd expect from the title)...



No matter how hard I try I can only ever get through the first book  I loose interest during the second one.


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## The Ancient Mariner (Jun 7, 2007)

Right now I'm reading Robert Sullivan's "Cross Country", which is a history book about travel in America jammed into a non-fiction frame story about Sullivan's family driving from Portland to Long Island on the way home from a summer vacation. It drags a little in parts, but is otherwise pretty good reading-- I never knew that the construction of the U.S. interstate system was so interesting, fraught as it was with peril, drama, and countless mistakes.


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## Unbrokenkarma (Jun 7, 2007)

First for the confession - I pretty much HATE fantasy *ducks as hundreds of fantasy books are thrown at her*

At the risk of sounding like a pretentious literature snob, I love the classics  Pretty much anything by Steinbeck just eats me up, I love it. His style is so engaging, I think I've read the grapes of wrath maybe four times, East of Eden twice, I love the Red Pony - eveytime I read it I come away with something more. I just started Cannery Row today  (Although I stil lhaven't read Of Mice and Men)

War and Peace I'm proud to just have gotten to the end of  It drags in parts, and it's a tough slog to be honest, but since it is pretty much a concise history of about 45 characters over the span of, what is it, 8 years? You get pretty attached to the people in this book. Prince Andrew I heart thee  Gotta love anything regarding the Napoleonic wars too, so it gets an extra tick for me.

The Great Gatsby = ownage. The way that simple thing goes from light hearted romantic tale with wit, to the destruction of the facade of values and the lives of good and bad people, and the ugliness of the human character. Hazzar!

I should probably stop rambling like this, as if I ctually know something, which of course I don't 

(Non-Aussies: Read the 'Tomorrow When the War Began' series by John Marsden. It's for teenagers, but it is a must read for anyone and everyone)


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## Rostam The Grey (Jun 7, 2007)

Unbrokenkarma said:
			
		

> First for the confession - I pretty much HATE fantasy *ducks as hundreds of fantasy books are thrown at her*
> 
> At the risk of sounding like a pretentious literature snob, I love the classics  Pretty much anything by Steinbeck just eats me up, I love it. His style is so engaging, I think I've read the grapes of wrath maybe four times, East of Eden twice, I love the Red Pony - eveytime I read it I come away with something more. I just started Cannery Row today  (Although I stil lhaven't read Of Mice and Men)
> 
> ...



Steinbeck is great, but I haven't read anything by him in a while. He's a one read author. I read him once and am happy. I hated the Great Gatsby...


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## Rilvor (Jun 7, 2007)

*burns a copy of The Great Gatsby while glaring* :twisted: 

I can't believe no one has said these yet, but Eragon ( not the shitty movie) and Eldest are really good reads. I like a lot of the Stephen King books as well, especially his The Dark Tower series. The Warcraft novels are pretty good too, if you like the violent neck severing brain splattering reads. I remember an old book called "Wolf of Shadows" that was really good too. Whitefang and Kavik the Wolfdog were good too.


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## Quaidis (Jun 7, 2007)

>> I was going to mention Eragon.  I was amazed that I read the entire book and was proud of myself for achieving it.  But the last time I put it in one of my FA journals with the other books I like, a few people jumped in and bashed the living shit out of me.  Like I was made of evil for liking the Eragon book, and that the writer is a scammist retard or.. something.  It was an aweful experience.

Is a good book, though =]


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## Rilvor (Jun 7, 2007)

*sighs* thats why I hate fanboys. " OMGZZZGGZ HTEY TOTALLY RIPPPED THAT OFFA LORD FOF THE RINGS!!!"

A good story is a good story, some people need to shut up and enjoy it.


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## Quaidis (Jun 7, 2007)

I know.  That's why I was so surprised when people jumped on the 'kill Quai for liking a book' bandwagon.  A good book is a good book and noone should ever be tied to a stake for enjoying something they read.  And who cares about if something between two books is similar?  Every author learns from every other author - like every artist learns from other artists.  That's just how it works.


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## Starburst (Jun 7, 2007)

I have recently read Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Great read, if nothing else.  I think I even liked it better than the musical.


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## themocaw (Jun 7, 2007)

Eragon kinda struck me as a Mary Sue fanfiction that found a publisher.

Redwall I loved as a kid, going back and reading it now, I'm kinda disturbed by the implied racism in it. . . certain species are good, certain others are evil, and those that are good are wonderfully good, and those that are evil are irredeemably evil.  That kinda bothers me now.

Just finished reading "The Rule of Four," am now moving on to Stephen King's "Cell."  Terry Pratchett is, of course, wonderful, and so is Lois McMaster Bujold.

Also been reading the Crest of the Stars books by Morioka Hiroyuki.


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## Starburst (Jun 7, 2007)

themocaw said:
			
		

> Eragon kinda struck me as a Mary Sue fanfiction that found a publisher.
> 
> Redwall I loved as a kid, going back and reading it now, I'm kinda disturbed by the implied racism in it. . . certain species are good, certain others are evil, and those that are good are wonderfully good, and those that are evil are irredeemably evil.  That kinda bothers me now.
> 
> ...



I've read the Crest of the Stars in manga format.  I also saw a little bit of the anime.  Are the books any good?


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## themocaw (Jun 8, 2007)

Starburst said:
			
		

> I've read the Crest of the Stars in manga format.Â Â I also saw a little bit of the anime.Â Â Are the books any good?


They're. . . mmmmm. . . put it this way.  The translation is slightly stilted at points: it feels like they could have used a professional writer to punch up some of the dialogue instead of going for a more direct translation.  The books are GREAT, though: it goes into a lot more depth in the background than either tha manga or anime can: for example, we get to see just how hilarious the carjacking scene actually was (imagine two people who have no idea how to commit crime trying to do that).  Jinto seems a bit more sarcastic and sharp-tongued in the novels as well.  The amount of Baronh (Abh vocabulary) in the novel is a bit annoying, but the glossary is handy, and after a while, you get used to it.


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## Starburst (Jun 8, 2007)

I would love to have an Abh dictionary.  And I don't think the carjacking scene went into much detail at all in the manga o.o


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## Quaidis (Jun 8, 2007)

Book series to be aware of before reading it: 

Robert Jordan's 'The Wheel of Time' series.  He's an ok author and has done many books, but he takes something like 5 books before he learns how to write 

Another book I had trouble reading was 'The Theif's Gamble' by Juliet E. McKenna.  Don't get me wrong, she's a good author.  Her choice style of writing for the book is fascinating.  But her reading is so tightly packed and fluxuating with so much detail that I have alot of trouble keeping my eyes on the page.  She takes a while to pick up the story as well.

The WhiteWolf books, 'Werewolf, The Apocalypse', as well as the Mage series and Vampire series' are all good books as well.  I had fun reading the first few books of the Vampire Masq. series way back in my schooling years.  However I need to warn that all of the books are rediculously violent and gory.  Not like Anne Rice, it has more taste than that.  But still very graphic.




Two more book series I enjoyed were Jane Lindskold's wolf books (starting with 'Through Wolf's Eyes'), and Tad Williams' cat books (staring with 'Tailchaser's Song').  Fact, I like everything Tad Williams does.  Some of his books, like the 'Otherland' series, are very long.  But it's all worth it.


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## Starburst (Jun 8, 2007)

oh, btw, currently reading 1984 by George Orwell.  So far, so good.

>>  big brother is watching you


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## Quaidis (Jun 8, 2007)

=] I liked 1984.  The message in it is very good.


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## Starburst (Jun 8, 2007)

It's one of few older books I can stand to read


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