Today i bought 2 new books (i've read like all the other ones i have, and i may just start reviewing them cause a lot of the time the C&C is a little slow)...

The books are:

RAiN STORM by Barry Eisler: John Rain (a samurai assassin, keep in mind this is like set in the 21st century) has fled to Brazil to clear his killing conscience. But his talents are still in demand. The assignment: take out an arms dealer in Southeast Asia. The upside: strictly financial. The downside: crossing the path of an Israeli spy equipped with her own unique talents--for seduction, betrayal, and life-and-death games more sinister than any other that Rain has encountered before.

It seems to the finale of a series (but it doesnt seem to matter if you havent read the other books)...
-Penguin Group (USA) gives this book the Great Read Guaranteed stamp
-Winner of the Mystery Ink Gumshoe Award for Best Thriller

Illium by Dan Simmons: The Trojan War ragesat the foot of Olympos Mons on Mars--observed and influenced from on high by Zeus and his immortal family--and twenty-first-century professor Thomas Hockenberry is there to play the role in the insidious private wars of vengeful gods and goddesses. On Earth, a small band of the few remaining humans pursues a lost past and devistating truth--as four sentient machines depart from Jovian space to investigate, perhaps terminate, the potentially catastrophic emissions emanating from a mountaintop miles above the terraformed surface of the Red Planet.

-Nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel of the Year

Lol, I have read alota what you people read. There are alota science fiction nerds here, aint there? Im not saying im excluded though, lol. Hell, I read like every Star Wars book Im so nerdy about books.

But just so yall know, there are alota good books that arent science fiction :p

At 7/8/05 12:16 AM, FAB0L0US wrote: But just so yall know, there are alota good books that arent science fiction :p

I dont read many sci-fi books, i just collect an old sci-fi series of books called Doc Savage... Anyone heard of the series?

Just a random question....but has anybody here actually read the entire text of War and Peace by Tolstoy?? I'm just wondering because it is a ridiculously long book, and it is supposed to be a classic so I tried reading it in 8th grade I think, got to page 120 and just stopped. I've tried a few other times but either I just got distracted/disinterested, or had to read a required book for school. If you have, then my hat goes off to you, you are truly a reader of the classic : )

At 7/8/05 12:16 AM, FAB0L0US wrote: Lol, I have read alota what you people read. There are alota science fiction nerds here, aint there? Im not saying im excluded though, lol. Hell, I read like every Star Wars book Im so nerdy about books.

I don't take kindly to being called a nerd. I enjoy Sci-Fi / Fantasy because of the excellent plotlines and the scientific detail. I used to be a student chemist, so I actually know what I'm talking about.

But just so yall know, there are alota good books that arent science fiction :p

I'm well aware of the large range of quality books available. I've read some, but I'd thank you to either say something nice and constructive, or leave the club and not return.

At 7/7/05 11:01 PM, FAB0L0US wrote:

And just finished Dune: Machine Crusade. Pretty good book.

Really? I've only read the Butlerian Jihad of that trilogy and it was absolute crap. That book made me lose all interest in the Legends of Dune trilogy. The original Dune novels are just way better than what Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson wrote.

And btw, Dune is best science fiction series ever. Nuff said.

Are you talking about the original books or the prologues?

At 7/8/05 05:08 AM, Coop83 wrote: I don't take kindly to being called a nerd. I enjoy Sci-Fi / Fantasy because of the excellent plotlines and the scientific detail. I used to be a student chemist, so I actually know what I'm talking about.
I'm well aware of the large range of quality books available. I've read some, but I'd thank you to either say something nice and constructive, or leave the club and not return.

Completely agreed especially about the "because of the excellent plotlines and the scientific detail....

Coop have you ever heard of Doc Savage?

I haven't read in four days. I'm sick, and I don't do much of anything when I'm sick... So I'm still reading "Breakfast of Champions."

I'll probably be done by next week though, because I feel better now.

At 7/8/05 09:34 PM, Evil_Marksmanship wrote: You guys have room for another member?

Welcome. Have any books you would like to suggest?

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson (total pages 204)

I can summarize this book in one word: Hilarious. If you are a fan of the film (featuring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro) then you will love this book. The film follows the book exceptionally well and is one of the best transfers from literature to the big screen that I have ever seen.

The back cover only provides a selection from the first chapter of the story. But that paragraph is enough: “We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine and a whole galaxy of multicolored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers…. Also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls…. But the only thing that worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible than a man in the depths of an ether binge…”

A side-splitting look into the life events of the late Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing took me less than two days to read and throughout I was laughing at comments made by the author along with the situations he was placed into.

A book that brings the ‘dope decade’ to live flesh and blood, this book follows the quote, placed at the beginning, by Dr. Johnson: “He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.” This book is a must read for people who love Ken Kesey or Tom Wolfe, and recommended for any avid reader.

At 7/8/05 09:43 PM, -Joel- wrote: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson (total pages 204)

I love that book. Hunter Thompson is straight up crazy though. SOO crazy. Another damn good book of his is book about Hells Angels. Craziness everywhere.

Probably one of my favorite books I would suggest you all to read is Electric Kool Aid Acid Test. Is basically a biography of the starter of the age of LSD and true hippiness, Ken Kesey. Opened up my mind a lot to the life they live and why they do it. They actually seem sorta like heroes the way they are portrayed in there.

Soon gonna read One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest by Ken Kesey. Heard its a damn good book.

At 7/8/05 05:08 AM, Coop83 wrote: I don't take kindly to being called a nerd. I enjoy Sci-Fi / Fantasy because of the excellent plotlines and the scientific detail.

Dude, sorry, if most of what ya read is science fiction (actually if ya read at all it seems now) your a nerd. I am in touch with my nerdines with books (and yes, a gigantic portion of what I read is sci-fi). If you aint, honestly I dont care.

At 7/8/05 07:35 AM, JackOfShadows wrote: Really? I've only read the Butlerian Jihad of that trilogy and it was absolute crap. That book made me lose all interest in the Legends of Dune trilogy. The original Dune novels are just way better than what Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson wrote.

I mean, it aint great. But it starts getting pretty tight because you find out about the beginnings of the Bene Gesserit and the Spacers Guild? (cant remember name, whoever pilot those big ass ships), Fremen, and other cool stuff like that. And its Dune. I gotta read it.

Are you talking about the original books or the prologues?

Originals. I mean, I still like the prologues cause their Dune. But nothing beats the old ones.

Anyone ever heard of Michael Hoeye?

At 7/8/05 10:20 PM, FAB0L0US wrote:

I mean, it aint great. But it starts getting pretty tight because you find out about the beginnings of the Bene Gesserit and the Spacers Guild? (cant remember name, whoever pilot those big ass ships)

It's the Spacing Guild.

Fremen, and other cool stuff like that. And its Dune. I gotta read it.

That's exactly why I wanted to read the books in the first place. At least, since the prologues are based on the notes of Frank Herbert it's pretty much the way he pictured all this stuff started.

Originals. I mean, I still like the prologues cause their Dune. But nothing beats the old ones.

My thoughts exactly. I just love the way Frank talked about all this metaphysical stuff without going overboard and just starting to throw sensless crap at the paper.

At 7/9/05 08:05 AM, JackOfShadows wrote: That's exactly why I wanted to read the books in the first place. At least, since the prologues are based on the notes of Frank Herbert it's pretty much the way he pictured all this stuff started.

Well, lol. You finally start getting all the info on the beginnings of all the organizations here. I must admit, it is pretty tight to read it. Lol, its kinda fun to guess who is the founder of what and stuff like that.

My thoughts exactly. I just love the way Frank talked about all this metaphysical stuff without going overboard and just starting to throw sensless crap at the paper.

Ya, I felt sorta that way when I read the Dark Tower books (not nearly as good, but still awesome). And I sorta got the feeling in the last Dune book (like as in the last of the originals) that there was supposed to be more books coming after. You get that feeling at all?

At 7/8/05 10:20 PM, FAB0L0US wrote: Probably one of my favorite books I would suggest you all to read is Electric Kool Aid Acid Test. Is basically a biography of the starter of the age of LSD and true hippiness, Ken Kesey. Opened up my mind a lot to the life they live and why they do it. They actually seem sorta like heroes the way they are portrayed in there.

I have heard that The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test is a great book. I haven't started reading it yet, but I have it on my shelf. I will eventually get to it.

Soon gonna read One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest by Ken Kesey. Heard its a damn good book.

I have heard that is an excelent book, but I have yet to read it. I look forward to what you have to say about it.

Animal Farm by George Orwell (total pages: 139)

Set on creating a perfect farm, the mistreated animals of Manor Farm rise up against their human captors for freedom. What occurs next is an evolution from tyranny to freedom back to tyranny, in one of the most important satiric parables of the modern era.

When Animal Farm was first printed, the target of Orwell’s work was obviously the ‘Stalinist Russia,’ but today it can be also attributed to modern politics. “Whenever freedom is attacked, under whatever banner, the cutting clarity and savage comedy of George Orwell’s masterpiece have a meaning and message still ferociously fresh.” This book has magnificent staying power, as it has remained exceedingly relevant for over half a century.

A classic that is a must-read, Animal Farm remains one of the most important art works of the Post-World War 2 era.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (Total Pages: 192)

(*Note: get the 21 chapter edition as it has a completely different ending than the movie. Also, don’t judge the book on the movie as I think the movie was a dreadful adaptation. While I liked the actors, I hated the screenplay and thought it could have been a lot better)

In this 1963 classic, Alex is a sadistic fifteen year old ‘droog’ who is part of the criminal night life. Anthony Burgess’s nightmare vision of our future’s destiny, A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and what makes up human freedom. The book asks the question, ‘what makes a person good?’ Is it the fact that the person does good works, or is it the fact that the person chooses to do those works? As the state undertakes a new program to redeem Alex, we uncover a new side to the struggle of good men to retain the right to be free.

Perhaps my favorite book of all time, Burgess creates a whole new different vocabulary for Alex and his friends, which takes a while to get used to. However, once you do the book comes out as a dark satire which is surprisingly funny. Also, the paradoxical nature of Alex is clearly shown through his taste in music (which is supposed to be civilized) as opposed to his workings at night.

From the first sentence, ‘What’s it going to be then, eh?’ the reader is sucked into a world filled with violence, betrayal, and the different ideas on good and evil.

I am going to recommend this book to everyone, as it is a wonderfully written classic. I could tell you to buy it and read it as soon as you can, but all that really matters is your answer to one question: ‘What’s it going to be then, eh?’

Man, Ive always meant to read those books. But Ive seen the movies to both. Still read?

Heres how I think of em as movies.

Animal Farm, classic. Love it.

Clockwork Orange, one of the most disturbing movies I have EVER seen. DISTURBING.

At 7/10/05 05:15 PM, FAB0L0US wrote:
Clockwork Orange, one of the most disturbing movies I have EVER seen. DISTURBING.

Read the book. It is awesome!! A thousand times better than the movie.

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (Total Pages: 220)

Professor David Lurie is fifty-two years old, divorced, and still full of the desires similar to teenage boys. He falls in love with a prostitute and when she leaves, he has an affair with a student that leaves him jobless, rejected by friends, and scoffed at by his ex-wife. He retreats to the only place he might be accepted, to his daughter Lucy’s small house. While David stays with Lucy he tries to mend the only remaining relationship he has left in the world. However, an incident of violence towards Lucy forces David to attempt to become something he never was: a loving father.

While I, personally, did not like this book I can easily see why the author won the Nobel Prize in literature. I guess the major reason I didn’t like the book is because of the female characters found in it; they are just too passive. For example, the student does not want to have sex with Mr. Lurie, but she does nothing to stop him and even helps to undress herself. She is apathetic to herself as are some of the other women in the book and I just found that to be irritating. Also, the act of violence is that Lucy (David’s daughter who happens to be a lesbian) is raped and impregnated by three men who break into her house. When Lucy finds out she was pregnant, she marries the one who raped her; which I found to be ridiculous.

All together the book was very well written, but for the reasons I explained I didn’t like it. Although, if you think that you might I like it after reading my review, then by all means pick it up.

Well, I just finished reading The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (required summer reading for history) and I must say it's pretty darn good. For anybody even slightly interested in the Civil War, I suggest this book. It's basically a recount of the Battle of Gettysburg itself, and the build-up to it. The story is told through the perspective of the many generals on both sides (from Lee, Longstreet, Fremantle, and Armistead for the Confederates, to Chamberlain and Buford for the Union). It's the story of one of the most historic battles in American history with a human touch to it, giving details such as personalities of the generals, mannerisms and such, and overall other things besides just the carnage of the battle itself and the cold, sheer numbers of the dead. I highly recommend this book.

Also, today I read "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka, which I had been meaning to do for a while. Not very long, only about 45 pages or so, but interesting to the last...although quite bizarre, which is how the term Kafkaesque was coined I guess. anyways, I'm pretty sure that I missed some of the underlying meaning behind some of the things in it, and if anybody has read it, I would appreciate their input on it (i.e. what they understood from the story and what ideas they thought Kafka was trying to manifest in it, by telling life through the eyes of a poor traveling salesmen who wakes up turned into a "monstrous vermin.'' Anything would be apreciated : )

Next I plan to read my last summer reading book, and then I will choose between "1984" or "War and Peace." I've always wanted to read both, but I only have so much time before school starts...

Everything bad is good for you

It explains why video games are imperative for mental growth.
Good for excuses or when you say "Just one more level"

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes (Total Pages: 279)

A story centered on the temperament and idea of innocence, Richard Hughes writes what is supposed to be one of the greatest books of the twentieth century. However, it fails to live up to any sort of expectations.

The novel begins in the late-nineteenth century Jamaica, and quickly moves on to the high seas, as a group of children are kidnapped by pirates (yes… pirates). Many other authors have said that this book is very important to the modern age because of how the children lose their innocence while on the pirate ship. However, a child would have better chance doing that at Disneyland on Pirates of the Caribbean than on this specific pirate ship.

First, one might think that these children would be scarred in some way, but the only major thing that happens is that one girl kills a captive (he moved and was pretty much already going to die anyway… just a slight tap on the head, and he was gone), another girl might have been sleeping with the first mate (however, this was her choice and you never really know if she was) and one little kid dies by falling off of stairs (although the pirates tried their best to save him). It is ridiculous to say that this book has any sort of inspiration on how innocence is portrayed because the children were treated much better by the pirates than they were by their own parents. For example, they got to play on the deck with animals and even the crew treated them with the utmost respect. The pirates don’t even have guns on board (cannons or otherwise).

Throughout, this book will surprise you at just how dull it is. The author’s humor is bland and restricted to things along the lines of, ‘the best way to escape an embarrassing situation is to do a series of cartwheels’ and that is about it. While that line might seem a little funny, Hughes sadly fails at any sort of humorous writing that he attempts.

I cannot recommend this book for anyone who does not like to severely torture themselves while reading. However, if you wish to pick it up to see if I am just being too hard on it, please do. And if you have read this book and had different thoughts on it I would actually love to hear them. I have met some people who have loved this book, yet they don’t know why. If you do know why, please tell me and also note if I missed anything that you thought was especially good in the book.

Di you know that hte real name of "War and Peace" is actualy "War and the World"? It's just that in Russian the same word stands for both "peace" and "world". Before the commies took over the country the two words could be told apart without any conext to help you, but since Lenin canceled a few things in Russian gramar no it's impossible. That's where the mistake comes from.

Really? I did not know that...guess you learn something every day : D I hope I actually have the patience to finish it this time...I think I attempted to read it at the wrong time (8th grade about), and now I think I'm a bit more diverse as far as what I'm able to read...so hopefully I can get through the 700 pages of goodness known as War and Peace (aka War and the World). Last time I tried I only got to about page 120 : (

At 7/8/05 07:48 AM, Rude_Buddha wrote: Coop have you ever heard of Doc Savage?

No, I haven't. Please tell me more.

At 7/8/05 09:34 PM, Evil_Marksmanship wrote: You guys have room for another member?

Welcome.

At 7/8/05 10:20 PM, FAB0L0US wrote:

At 7/8/05 05:08 AM, Coop83 wrote: I don't take kindly to being called a nerd. I enjoy Sci-Fi / Fantasy because of the excellent plotlines and the scientific detail.

Dude, sorry, if most of what ya read is science fiction (actually if ya read at all it seems now) your a nerd. I am in touch with my nerdines with books (and yes, a gigantic portion of what I read is sci-fi). If you aint, honestly I dont care.

Yeah, when people get this deep in a hole, they usually try to dig upwards or stop digging.

Hey guys i'm big into fantasy.

Anyone else here read David Gemmell book? I seriously think he is the best fantasy auther out. I think hes just a level above Eddings, Feist etc.

Just finished reading 'Legend' Great book. Druss is an amzing character!

Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk (Total Pages: 289)

Tender Branson is the last surviving member of the Creedish Death Cult. He is relating his life-story to the flight recorder of Flight number 2039, which is cruising on autopilot at 39,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean. As the pilot has recently parachuted after reaching the cruising altitude, Tender is the final member aboard the plane, which will crash into the Australian Outback. However, before it does, Tender will tell the tale of how he went from a religious, hard-working Creedish child to a steroid using ‘media messiah’ to a fugitive wanted for mass murder.

A hilarious satire on modern world living and pop culture, Chuck Palahniuk writes one of his best novels since Fight Club. A deep and introspective piece of writing that will make the reader question their life-style, Survivor is full humor and sudden twists that will keep the audience’s attention until the final page.

I can recommend this book for any reader, especially those who question the media and celebrity fame. This book has a very unique style, as it begins on page 289 and chapter 47, and ends on page 1, chapter 1. Instead of the book counting the pages read, it counts the pages left to read until the inevitable conclusion that will keep the audience guessing long after putting it down.

This book is excellent, and I think that alot of you would like it.

At 7/12/05 06:51 AM, VirginLungs wrote: Hey guys i'm big into fantasy.

As am i, and some others in this club.

Anyone else here read David Gemmell book? I seriously think he is the best fantasy auther out. I think hes just a level above Eddings, Feist etc.

Noooooooooo. Tolkien is the greatest Fantasy novel writer >:D But ive heard alot about his books. Theres a deal on his books on Play.com, 3 for a tenner i think, its worth checking out.

My book was delivered today :) Think i'll start reading it at the weekend, when i have time. Yes iam naked in the pic below :O

At 7/12/05 01:57 PM, Mick_the_champion wrote:

At 7/12/05 09:41 AM, -Joel- wrote: Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk

It's weird you mentioned that one, I'm going to buy it tommorow - after I absolutely fell in love with Fight Club I had to give more of Palahniuk's book a try. Have you read Diary?

I havent yet. I also have choke as my next novel.

my favorite book is... "Reading for Dummies"
lol just kidding

At 7/12/05 07:20 PM, CaribuDude wrote: my favorite book is... "Reading for Dummies"
lol just kidding

But I would read it cause it has my name in the title