Read any good (real) books lately?

[Guest Flyboy]

I'm currently reading Dean Kootz's "From The Corner Of His Eye".. almost done with it.

 

I'm liking it... that's a VERY interesting/weird book. Probably my second favorite Kootz book.

 

I know it doesn't count as real, though.

[Guest starvenger]

>incidentally, does anyone on this board read joyce?

 

I read something by Joyce in high school, but nothing since then...

[Guest Vyce]

I'm currently reading Dean Kootz's "From The Corner Of His Eye".. almost done with it.

 

I've read several Koontz books, and I have to say, Dean can't finish a book. Really. The man is just NOT good with endings. The first 2/3rds may be killer, the final third never seems to disappoint me.

[Guest gthureson]

Sounds alot like Neil Gaiman that way.

 

A series that I was really disappointed in the way it ended was Tad Williams 'Memory, Sorrow and Thorn'. He had a really neat fantasy concept cooking, he had me hooked through three books (I had to buy the last book in two paperbacks), and then I got to the last third of the last book, and thought....that's it?

 

All that build up for a rather weak ending.

 

Maybe I'll have to read them again and see if its any more satisfying the second time around.

[Guest The Vanilla Midget]

gthureson: i just finished reading that the other day. and yeah, the ending was kinda flat, but it was so obvious what was coming since about half way through the first book. there was only one thing which fooled me, and that was to do with the heritage of josua. but really, he wrote himself into a corner through the earlier books, and nothing short of a nonsensical swerve would have done anything to change the ending.

 

M,S&T is a solid series, but its no "A Song of Ice and Fire" or "Lord of the Rings."

 

im about to read the "Otherland" series by williams now, but we'll see how that one goes.

[Guest red_file]

Williams' Otherland series is really good, but, like his other long series, it ends in a way that is not entirely satisfying. I'd certainly recommend the series.

 

A book I finished a while back that completely blew me away was David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. It's a huge book (somewhere in the 900s), has an enormous cast, and sometimes strays into the more esoteric regions of "literary fiction," but is truly an awesome book if you can handle it. Wallace's other work (The Broom of the System and Girl With Curious Hair) is worth checking out, but Infinite Jest is certainly his best. In its own way it's like Faulkner's Absalom! Absalom; brilliant but difficult.

 

Has anyone read Peter Hamilton's Night's Dawn series? I'm half of the way through the six books, but I'm not sure if I should keep reading. I mean, thus far it's been a good series, but I keep hearing that the last few books arn't that good and that it ends rather disappointingly. Anyone have an opinion.

[Guest The Vanilla Midget]

once is start a series i always finish it. ater all, what other people say is only their opinion, you might really like an ending. and really, if a series is really good, the ending generally is a letdown, cos the author has nowhere to go, and cant really leave it open like they can earlier, well not if they want resolution anyway.

 

havent read the books, though i might check em out if you give a positive review.

[Guest red_file]

once is start a series i always finish it. ater all, what other people say is only their opinion, you might really like an ending. and really, if a series is really good, the ending generally is a letdown, cos the author has nowhere to go, and cant really leave it open like they can earlier, well not if they want resolution anyway.

Generally I feel the same way; if I start a series I usually read it to the end. The only time I really have put my foot down not to read any more of a series were the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. Both of the series had entertaining books and the writing was very good, but both were open ended series. I can't stand the fact that neither author is ever going to finish their respective series and therefore I shouldn't bother reading and desiring a resolution.

[Guest massivHEDtrauma]

I've been really obsessed with Chuck Palahniuk lately, he who wrote Fight Club. As good as Fight Club is, I sincerely like all of his other stuff more. He has about the weirdest writing style I've ever seen, and his satire is just dead-on and hilarious. I highly recommend anything by him, especially Survivor.

[Guest areacode212]

Which authors do you guys like, as far as espionage/thriller-type books go? I liked Frederick Forsyth's older thrillers (The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File), but he started to lose it towards the end..

[Guest Vyce]

I've been really obsessed with Chuck Palahniuk lately, he who wrote Fight Club. As good as Fight Club is, I sincerely like all of his other stuff more. He has about the weirdest writing style I've ever seen, and his satire is just dead-on and hilarious. I highly recommend anything by him, especially Survivor.

Ah, a fellow fan! Chuck's my go-to guy.

 

I love everything he's written, but Fight Club is still my sentimental favorite. It's actually one of my favorite books. I LOVE his style.

[Guest red_file]

Though I think Chuck's a great writer, after reading a few of his books I kept getting the feeling that he was merely treading water. Thematically Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, and Survivor are essentially the same: we live in a consumer driven society that is obessesed with appearance over substance and is slowly destroying the individual in favor of the masses. It's a great and timely theme, one that will certainly keep most of his fans happy if he continues with it, but after finishing the third book I was wondering if the man had anything else to say about our society or humanity in general.

 

I haven't read Choke and the description of Lullaby seems to indicate that Chuck might be forging into new territory. So, consider me a slight fan.

[Guest red_file]

Which authors do you guys like, as far as espionage/thriller-type books go? I liked Frederick Forsyth's older thrillers (The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File), but he started to lose it towards the end..

One of my favorite espionage books was Shibumi by Trevanian. He's written some other books that were decent, but Shibumi is really his best work. Worth picking up if you like espionage in the '70s and if you can stand the continual attacks on American culture.

[Guest DawnBTVS]

I've read "A Separate Peace"-John Knowles(sp?) and I'm now currently reading "The Tutor"-Peter Abrahams. Both are solid books and I liked A Separate Peace more than TCITR.

[Guest The Vanilla Midget]

bump (we should really get this thread pinned)

[Guest shlidgn90]

i just read elmore leonard's book pagan babies. it's a very funny movie that has an great background.

[Guest starvenger]

Currently rereading Terry Brooks' "Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Isle Witch". A good read, and he tries to make it accessible to new readers, but you really need to read at least Sword of Shannara in order to make some sense of the storyline...