Favorite Reads

[Clayton]

Im currently reading some Ray Bradbury short stories. Ill be a little more ambitious once baseball season ends.

 

[H2S]

Im currently reading some Ray Bradbury short stories. Ill be a little more ambitious once baseball season ends.

if all you have to offer is Bradbury? well...



s'like bringing an imperial of Dom to a kegger.

 

[HammerDown]

I prefer historical fiction. Currently about 2/3 done reading the 30+ works of Wilbur Smith (When the Lion Feeds is my all-time favorite work of fiction) simultaneous to reading the James Clavell Asian Saga (6,500 pages). Just finished Taipan on Monday.

 

[H2S]

I prefer historical fiction. Currently about 2/3 done reading the 30+ works of Wilbur Smith (When the Lion Feeds is my all-time favorite work of fiction) simultaneous to reading the James Clavell Asian Saga (6,500 pages). Just finished Taipan on Monday.

I picked up Assegai last year...couldn't put it down...read through it in three days. Will grab When Lion Feeds
asap. thank you.

Q: are you reading CLAVELL in narrative order? (ie: Shogun, Tai-Pan, Gai-Jin, etc.)

Clavell is pure pleasure in print...dig the shit out of all of his stuff...was not only pleasantly surprised reading Whirlwind (during the IRANIAN post-Shah chaos) but learned a ton about the contemporary IRAN we're dealing with today.

 

[occupant]

I haven't read anything since the HST biography a few years ago...

I like to read when I shit. Shampoo bottle, Reader's Digest, heck it don't matter.

 

[HammerDown]

I picked up Assegai last year...couldn't put it down...read through it in three days. Will grab When Lion Feeds
asap. thank you.

Q: are you reading CLAVELL in narrative order? (ie: Shogun, Tai-Pan, Gai-Jin, etc.)

Clavell is pure pleasure in print...dig the shit out of all of his stuff...was not only pleasantly surprised reading Whirlwind (during the IRANIAN post-Shah chaos) but learned a ton about the contemporary IRAN we're dealing with today.

I loved Assegai! I can't recommend his other books enough. I do suggest that you try to read them by family (Courtney or Ballantyne) and read them chronologically. If you are a reader and want to tackle these books, then I might suggest that you delay reading When the Lion Feeds. It's truly the best and almost all Smith fans agree. I liked Blue Horizon second. There were many nights when I started reading at 10 pm and the next thing I knew it was daylight. Truly outstanding books. And his modern ones are great too. My least favorite so far has been the last one I read; Cry Wolf. It almost felt like someone else wrote it and he made an amateurish attempt at humor throughout that had me struggling. It was one of his shorter books but took me 3x longer to read. I also hear that his latest two books have been extremely disappointing, but the man is in his 80's now.

I didn't bother reading Clavell in narrative order just because from what I understand the plots don't really intertwine. Taipan was my first and I bought all the books on Amazon. I forget what they're called; something like "mass market release" but they're really nice paperbacks and Shogun is a book 8-1/2" x 11" book. I have the Kindle but still prefer real books.

Have you read all the Clavell books? Which is the Asian Saga was your favorite?

Last night I started Wilbur Smith's The Angels Weep which is a Ballantyne family novel and is set in 1895 Rhodesia. I dread the day I finish all his books (well past half done now) but I'm staggering Smith with Clavell to stall it. When I'm all done, I'll start back over reading Wilbur Smith in chronological order. Also, I am saving his ancient Egyptian series for last as that holds little interest for me, though I recently talked to another fan of his stuff and he loved the ancient stuff. We'll see!

If you get serious about Wilbur Smith, and I can't recommend that you do enough, there is some great info on this forum: The Wilbur Smith Discussion Forums ? Index page

 

[DragonfromTO]

I've had this book sitting on my shelf for a long time and finally got around to reading it. So far, so good.

Whiskey Robber

 

[IndyAndy]

Childhood's End/1953...ARTHUR C. CLARKE. Things don't always end the way you wish them to.
...
The Dosadi Experiment/1977...FRANK HERBERT. Should be required reading in every Poli-Sci class.
...

Yep: I've read both of those.

I would also recommend The Lathe of Heaven/1971...Ursula K. LeGuin. There have been a couple attempts at made for TV movies of it: If you must, go for the 1979 version, not the 2002 one, which was horrible IMO.

 

[wlk3]

This is the only book of his I've read but this book was awesome... Read it...

 

[H2S]

I haven't read anything since the HST biography a few years ago...

I like to read when I shit. Shampoo bottle, Reader's Digest, heck it don't matter.

there is nothing more over-hyped as fucking, and nothing more under-appreciated as a good dump. that being said (of course, plagiarized) a good dump is made even better with something to read.

I read myself to sleep most nights - those I've not already passed out.

 

[H2S]

"I dread the day I finish all his books..."

^^^ s'what prompted me to start this thread...nearing final port (for the third time in nine years) of the 20-volume PATRICK O'BRIAN series...looking to find other voyaging suggestions from yall. I'm glad I did...v'got enough to occupy me for the next 10 years...s'fucking awesome.

I loved Assegai! I can't recommend his other books enough. I do suggest that you try to read them by family (Courtney or Ballantyne) and read them chronologically. If you are a reader and want to tackle these books, then I might suggest that you delay reading When the Lion Feeds. It's truly the best and almost all Smith fans agree.

Whenever somebody says: THIS IS THE BEST! it's hard to resist eating dessert before an otherwise delicious salad. sorry, but I'm going for the gold.

Have you read all the Clavell books? Which is the Asian Saga was your favorite?

Tai-Pan. By a sea mile. I'm not going to explain why I think so until you've read all of them too. imo...All of Clavell's novels are clippers in a sea of scows.

 

[H2S]

This is the only book of his I've read but this book was awesome... Read it...

'awesome' almost ='s 'best'...preciate it.

I've had this book sitting on my shelf for a long time and finally got around to reading it. So far, so good.

thanks Dragon...a quick check of Whisky Robber reminded me of Jerzy Kosiński's The Painted Bird/1965...absorbing, but ultimately, depressing stuff. Would really like to hear your final assessment of Robber.

I would also recommend The Lathe of Heaven/1971...Ursula K. LeGuin. There have been a couple attempts at made for TV movies of it: If you must, go for the 1979 version, not the 2002 one, which was horrible IMO.

good call Andy...the Lady spun some kickass yarns (Left Hand of Darkness; Dispossessed)...I'll check out Lathe.

 

[757Hokie83]

 

[GreenNickle]

Lee Child is an absolute bad ass

I was fiercely loyal to Tom Clancy's novels until a friend of mine had me read Tripwire by Lee Child

 

[powerchord86]

I just started reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. Only about 100 or so pages in and I'm hooked.

 

[GreenNickle]

I just started reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. Only about 100 or so pages in and I'm hooked.

Spoiler Alert

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx6f68Wd9dc]Warrant - Uncle Tom's Cabin - YouTube[/ame][YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

 

[H2S]

Lee Child is an absolute bad ass

I was fiercely loyal to Tom Clancy's novels until a friend of mine had me read Tripwire by Lee Child

interesting...we've been bouncing around here: If there is a brilliant, killer series, but, say #3 is the undisputed best, should you start there and work back? or work up to dessert with the first two courses?

will you be getting the first two 'Jack Reacher' novels?

 

[GreenNickle]

interesting...we've been bouncing around here: If there is a brilliant, killer series, but, say #3 is the undisputed best, should you start there and work back? or work up to dessert with the first two courses?

will you be getting the first two 'Jack Reacher' novels?

got em
Tripwire was just the book he gave me first

 

[Clayton]

I'm looking for something sci-fi, dystopian, cyber punk or military related. Any suggestions?

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

I'm looking for something sci-fi, dystopian, cyber punk or military related. Any suggestions?

A few by Phillip K. Dick, Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut jr. come to mind....

Slaughterhouse Five, The Sirens of Titan ---KV
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy...( along w/ the rest of the series) -- DA
Various titles by PKD