OT: Book Thread

[IndyAndy]

That's the good thing about Card's Ender series: They pretty much work as 'stand alone' books just as well. He also wrote a few (2 or 3; I can't remember now) around the 'Bean' character from Ender's Game that were 1st rate too.

 

[Comeds]

I just bout one of DeMille's John Cory books and a Jo Nesbo, whom I have not read yet. I will get back to you.

My wife loves Jo Nesbo. A few weeks ago I watched a Danish movie version of one of his books. The only person I knew was someone from Game Of Thrones (Jaimie Lannister). It was fun.

I like private eye, noirish stuff.
I loved Dennis Lehanes first 5 books about a pair of private eyes. "Gone Baby Gone" was made into a movie and and was good but his earlier stuff is less convoluted and better. A lot of people love "Mystic River" and I really do like it, but its his worst book. "A Drink Before The War" is both a great title and a good book.
An author named Michael Harvey has a good series featuring a private eye in Chicago named Michael Kelly. The first three are really good IMO, the last one is techy and out of place.
Michael Koryta is someone I just started reading and I really like his stuff. His first few books about private eye / disgraced cop Lincoln Perry in Cleveland are fantastic. Then oddly he decides to moves into horror and they are good too. I just miss Lincoln Perry.

 

[SLY]

Has anyone read anything by Brian Aldiss?

I really wanted to get into 11/22/63 by King and/or Cloud Atlas, but I am really intrigued by Barefoot In The Head and Report On Probability A by Aldiss. They seem very strange, which is something I am in the mood for.

Just fetching some input.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

I might give "Journeyman" a read ... story of Sean Prongers (brother of Chris) life in pro hockey ... one chapter talks about him being in the dogpile on top of Steve Moore

 

[puckhead]

I might give "Journeyman" a read ... story of Sean Prongers (brother of Chris) life in pro hockey ... one chapter talks about him being in the dogpile on top of Steve Moore

damn that Steve Konowalchuk.


I've been thrilled to discover the 'Overdrive' ap for my Playbook (yes, I am one of the four people on the planet who have a Blackberry Plaubook), which lets me borrow e-books from the library. No need to worry about bedbugs or cooties in the books

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Has anyone read anything by Brian Aldiss?

I really wanted to get into 11/22/63 by King and/or Cloud Atlas, but I am really intrigued by Barefoot In The Head and Report On Probability A by Aldiss. They seem very strange, which is something I am in the mood for.

Just fetching some input.

My uncle raves about this book. He's a big King fan so I'd imagine if you are as well you'll enjoy it. He also said generally he hates time travel/sci fi type of stuff but this book got him.

I highly recommend Kevin Pollak's book:

How I Slept My Way to the Middle: Secrets and Stories from Stage, Screen, and Interwebs: Kevin Pollak, Alan Goldsher: 9780762780556: Amazon.com: Books

I knew he was a comedian and impressionist but didn't realize how funny he was. He's got a ton of great stories, especially regarding A Few Good Men. Keep in mind that movie included Nicholson, Tom Cruise (while married to Nicole Kidman), Demi Moore (while married to Bruce Willis), and Kevin Bacon so there is some good stuff for sure.

 

[Comeds]

damn that Steve Konowalchuk.


I've been thrilled to discover the 'Overdrive' ap for my Playbook (yes, I am one of the four people on the planet who have a Blackberry Plaubook), which lets me borrow e-books from the library. No need to worry about bedbugs or cooties in the books

My local library system lets me check out books on my Kindle, its pretty neat.

If you actually wonder about bedbugs and other pleasant things from library books you may be amused and or horrified by this: One night about 5 or so years ago I was reading a library book in bed and was just about to go to sleep. I flipped a page and there was a big yellowed piece of what I guessed was toe skin in the book. Horrified, and suddenly awake I got up emptied that page over the garbage and wiped down the book with rubbing alcohol and made an effort to continue. A few pages later there was a another piece. Knowing I couldn't continue I was still curious and flipped through the book and there was probably a dozen pages that had strips of skin between them. My wife was working at the library at that time, shrugged and said that stiff happens. Not a lot, but it happens.

 

[Comeds]

My uncle raves about this book. He's a big King fan so I'd imagine if you are as well you'll enjoy it. He also said generally he hates time travel/sci fi type of stuff but this book got him.

I highly recommend Kevin Pollak's book:

How I Slept My Way to the Middle: Secrets and Stories from Stage, Screen, and Interwebs: Kevin Pollak, Alan Goldsher: 9780762780556: Amazon.com: Books

I knew he was a comedian and impressionist but didn't realize how funny he was. He's got a ton of great stories, especially regarding A Few Good Men. Keep in mind that movie included Nicholson, Tom Cruise (while married to Nicole Kidman), Demi Moore (while married to Bruce Willis), and Kevin Bacon so there is some good stuff for sure.

That sounds good, I'll put that on hold.

I just finished character actor Stephen Tobolowsky's book "The Danger Animals Club" which is little snippets and stories from his life. It was amusing and at times had me laughing out loud.

I want to read "Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality" even though I may read things that might bother me next time I go to a hotel. Its described as the "Kitchen Confidential" of hotels.

 

[dash]

I just finished character actor Stephen Tobolowsky's book "The Danger Animals Club" which is little snippets and stories from his life. It was amusing and at times had me laughing out loud.

He was Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, right? Funny guy.

/got the shingles real bad senior year, almost didn't graduate

 

[Nasty_Magician]

That sounds good, I'll put that on hold.

I just finished character actor Stephen Tobolowsky's book "The Danger Animals Club" which is little snippets and stories from his life. It was amusing and at times had me laughing out loud.

I want to read "Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality" even though I may read things that might bother me next time I go to a hotel. Its described as the "Kitchen Confidential" of hotels.

That one is sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read. I agree, I'm afraid of what I might find out.

 

[Comeds]

He was Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, right? Funny guy.

/got the shingles real bad senior year, almost didn't graduate

Yeah, he was Ned. Hes been in a ton of stuff so much that I forget a lot of it. He had a small but good part in Memento.

 

[Comeds]

If anyone read and enjoyed Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" I just read a book similar to it, maybe better. Its called "The Dog Stars" by Peter Heller. It takes place 9 years after flu pandemic wiped out 99% of the worlds population and is about a pilot who lives in an abandoned rural airport trying to survive. And how after a while just surviving might not be enough.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I just watched an episode of Fringe that stole the entire plot of Still Life with Crows!

WTF!

 

[Slimpikins]

i feel obligated to throw my 2 cents in about my favorite series....Orson Scott Card's Ender series. it's a sci-fi futuristic series which i usually dislike, but it is very well done. the first book reads like a harry potter book, but the rest are very deep. start with Ender's Game (the Harry Potter one).

The Enders game series was good. I really enjoyed it. The first book is targeted at a younger audience then the rest. Books two and three were great.

I may have to revisit those soon.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Heads In Beds was a very fun read, I would recommend it. I'm halfway through Coaching Confidential, it's pretty good but I feel like I already know a lot of the stories he's talking about and the writer isn't the greatest.

 

[dash]

I read the Lee Child 'Jack Reacher' book and I see the movie starring Tom Cruise is hitting theaters soon. In the book, Reacher is 6'5" and 240 - 250 lbs, not sure if Cruise measures up if you know what I mean.

 

[Comeds]

I highly recommend Kevin Pollak's book:

How I Slept My Way to the Middle: Secrets and Stories from Stage, Screen, and Interwebs: Kevin Pollak, Alan Goldsher: 9780762780556: Amazon.com: Books

I knew he was a comedian and impressionist but didn't realize how funny he was. He's got a ton of great stories, especially regarding A Few Good Men. Keep in mind that movie included Nicholson, Tom Cruise (while married to Nicole Kidman), Demi Moore (while married to Bruce Willis), and Kevin Bacon so there is some good stuff for sure.

Thank you, I enjoyed that very much.

 

[dash]

I pretty much enjoy anything that Kevin Pollak is in, funny guy and good actor.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Figure I'd bump this thread.

America the Edible: A Hungry History, from Sea to Dining Sea: Adam Richman: Amazon.com: Books

I'm a big Man vs Food fan and I love to travel so I really enjoyed Adam Richman's book.

What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures: Malcolm Gladwell: 9780316076203: Amazon.com: Books

This one is a collection of essays, some were great others were meh, but worth a read if you're looking for something different that makes you think.

Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of An Empire: Simon Baker: 9781846072840: Amazon.com: Books

I'm a history buff so I was pretty glued to this one.

Hidden Cities: Travels to the Secret Corners of the World's Great Metropolises; A Memoir of Urban Exploration: Moses Gates: 9781585429349: Amazon.com: Books

Urban exploration fascinates me and this guy was actually a pretty good writer/storyteller.

Amazon.com: My Custom Van: And 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays that Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face (9781439153536): Michael Ian Black: Books

This one was pretty meh, Completely hit or miss.

Amazon.com: Six Months in 1945: FDR, Stalin, Churchill, and Truman--from World War to Cold War (9780307271655): Michael Dobbs: Books

Currently reading this one, WW2 (although really terrible), is really fucking awesome. So far it is very good.

Whitey's Payback: and Other True Stories: Gangsterism, Murder, Corruption, and Revenge: T. J. English: 9781480411753: Amazon.com: Books

And I just got this one today. If you are a fan of organized crime, even remotely, I highly recommend anything written by TJ English. The guy knows his shit, I've loved every one of his books.

 

[Comeds]

Hidden Cities: Travels to the Secret Corners of the World's Great Metropolises; A Memoir of Urban Exploration: Moses Gates: 9781585429349: Amazon.com: Books

Urban exploration fascinates me and this guy was actually a pretty good writer/storyteller.

Good recommendation. I enjoyed this. I killed some time at work perusing a site he mentions in the book called sleepycity | adventure, urban exploration and underground photography