Books

[Farmersfan]

I read guite a bit(or at least listen to audiobooks) and could use some recommendations. I normally read SciFi/Fantasy but read others as well. some of my all time favorites are:

Stephen Donaldson=The chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
Terry Brooks= Shannara series.
Stephen King= The Stand (and others)
Barbra Hanby=Darwath Trilogy.
Weis and Hickman= The Darksword Tilogy(and many others)
J.R.R. Tolkien=The Hobbit and LOTR...of course.

Any others????

[PPHSfan]

If you like Stephen King you should enjoy Dean Koontz.

If you like cool modern day hero stuff you should give Lee Child a try.

[Farmersfan]

Originally posted by PPHSfan
If you like Stephen King you should enjoy Dean Koontz.

If you like cool modern day hero stuff you should give Lee Child a try.


I have heard some good things about Lee Child. I will give it a try. I have enough audiobooks downloaded to last 10 years but wanted something new and refreshing. And I use to like Dean Koontz quite a bit but I don't think he has done anything significant since the 80's. The last good one he wrote was Watchers in the mid 80's sometime. I tried reading Odd Thomas and found it very lacking. I will try a Lee Child novel. Thanks.

[carter08]

I'm reading Middlemarch by George Eliot right now for my British Lit class.

800 pages about 19th century British culture.

Yay!
x________x

[PPHSfan]

Originally posted by carter08
I'm reading Middlemarch by George Eliot right now for my British Lit class.

800 pages about 19th century British culture.

Yay!
x________x

Did you know that George Elliot was a woman?

[Looking4number8]

You can't beat John Grisham.

[bullfrog_alumni_02]

i enjoyed the books by Dan Brown. they add to a lot of shrouded mystery around the history of Religion, science, history, art and a lot of other interesting ties. the books are angels and demons; and the da vinci code. they are really fast reads and i thought they told a great story. however fictitious or factual they may or may not have been.

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by Farmersfan
I read guite a bit(or at least listen to audiobooks) and could use some recommendations. I normally read SciFi/Fantasy but read others as well. some of my all time favorites are:

Stephen Donaldson=The chronicles of Thomas Covenant.
Terry Brooks= Shannara series.
Stephen King= The Stand (and others)
Barbra Hanby=Darwath Trilogy.
Weis and Hickman= The Darksword Tilogy(and many others)
J.R.R. Tolkien=The Hobbit and LOTR...of course.

Any others????
.
lol
I have started(or contributed on) threads like this but never saw any traction before. Thanks for bringing this up again. :)
.
Stephen R Donaldson- A master of the English Language. I wish movies would be made of the "Leper" but that won't happen anytime soon. The first six books are masterpieces... the new series is ok imho.
Terry Brooks- Wonderful modern-day writer in his whole fantasy series...
Weis and Hickman- Gotta love Tasslehoff Burrfoot, 1st!!! :D
Tolkein... nuf said.:)
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If you like Donaldson, Brooks and Tolkein fantasy then please read:
The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind.
The first book is "Wizards First Rule"... I listened to the unabridged copy on tape many years ago and loved it's take on dark adult contemperary fantasy. I read the rest of the series after that and still love the gist and theme today.
I would love to know if you have read these books...:nerd: :)

[SintonFan]

Sorry, the smartest guy I know just reminded me to read "The Fionavar Tapestry". I will order it off Amazon.com...
I'll let you know how it reads.:)

[Farmersfan]

Originally posted by SintonFan
.
lol
I have started(or contributed on) threads like this but never saw any traction before. Thanks for bringing this up again. :)
.
Stephen R Donaldson- A master of the English Language. I wish movies would be made of the "Leper" but that won't happen anytime soon. The first six books are masterpieces... the new series is ok imho.
Terry Brooks- Wonderful modern-day writer in his whole fantasy series...
Weis and Hickman- Gotta love Tasslehoff Burrfoot, 1st!!! :D
Tolkein... nuf said.:)
.
If you like Donaldson, Brooks and Tolkein fantasy then please read:
The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind.
The first book is "Wizards First Rule"... I listened to the unabridged copy on tape many years ago and loved it's take on dark adult contemperary fantasy. I read the rest of the series after that and still love the gist and theme today.
I would love to know if you have read these books...:nerd: :)


Donaldson's Thomas Covenant is probably my favorite. the first 2 trilogies were fantastic but I think he lost a little steam later on.
I am currently listening to Wizards First Rule on Audio book. I am moving back and forth between that and The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.
Here are some others that seem to draw me back every couple of years that I would be interested in hearing your opinion on:

Battlefield Earth(please disregard the movie when thinking about this great book)
Any of the Anne Rice vampire novels.
The Darksword Trilogy by Weiss and Hickman.
Any of the Peirs Anthony novels? A bit too extreme fantasy for most people. I read one called Mute about 30 years ago and was just thinking about trying to find it again.

Are you familar with any of these.

[carter08]

Originally posted by PPHSfan
Did you know that George Elliot was a woman?

Yes.

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by Farmersfan
Donaldson's Thomas Covenant is probably my favorite. the first 2 trilogies were fantastic but I think he lost a little steam later on.
I am currently listening to Wizards First Rule on Audio book. I am moving back and forth between that and The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.
Here are some others that seem to draw me back every couple of years that I would be interested in hearing your opinion on:

Battlefield Earth(please disregard the movie when thinking about this great book)
Any of the Anne Rice vampire novels.
The Darksword Trilogy by Weiss and Hickman.
Any of the Peirs Anthony novels? A bit too extreme fantasy for most people. I read one called Mute about 30 years ago and was just thinking about trying to find it again.

Are you familar with any of these.
.
I hope you didn't decide to listen to Wizard's First Rule because of the awful series now on TV known as "The Seeker". The whole Sword of Truth series rekindles the concept of the nobility of the human spirit... there's nothing noble about the TV series from what I have seen. It looks like it is produced by the folks who brought us Hercules and Zena... and it is. lol
.
I have never been a fan of L Ron Hubbard... I read Dianetics as a teenager and it kinda messed with me a couple of years.:D
Never read Anne Rice but my wife and mom(both good fantasy fans) wants me too.
I'm not sure if I read The Darksword Trilogy but I did read The Dragonlance series, hence the "Tasslehoff Burfoot" reference.
I have read alot of Peirs Anthony. I like the Xanth and Adept series and a couple of other books he wrote(who's names' escape me now). He is a fun writer.
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I agree with you about Donaldson. Something is amiss on the new Thomas Covenant series(I think there is supposed to be four new books). I am still trying to convince my wife to start the whole "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" but she is now reading some soft fantasy with girly overtones.:D
.
Please concentrate on one series now lol, you'll get more out of The Sword of Truth series if you understand what is actually happening. BTW, there are 12 books and all are quick reads.:cool:
.
I'm still waiting for the The Fionavar Tapestry to come in... grrr.
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Lots and lots of great sci/fi out there. Greg Bear, Jack L Chalker, Ben Bova are all great just to name a few I have read. I also have read unpublished works from a old professor of mine I that was pretty sweet.

[PPHSfan]

Originally posted by SintonFan
Sorry, the smartest guy I know just reminded me to read "The Fionavar Tapestry". I will order it off Amazon.com...
I'll let you know how it reads.:)

No, I told you to read Lee Child

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by PPHSfan
No, I told you to read Lee Child
.
lol
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/3030/reelingsmiley.gif (http://imageshack.us)

[Farmersfan]

Originally posted by SintonFan
.
I hope you didn't decide to listen to Wizard's First Rule because of the awful series now on TV known as "The Seeker". The whole Sword of Truth series rekindles the concept of the nobility of the human spirit... there's nothing noble about the TV series from what I have seen. It looks like it is produced by the folks who brought us Hercules and Zena... and it is. lol
.
I have never been a fan of L Ron Hubbard... I read Dianetics as a teenager and it kinda messed with me a couple of years.:D
Never read Anne Rice but my wife and mom(both good fantasy fans) wants me too.
I'm not sure if I read The Darksword Trilogy but I did read The Dragonlance series, hence the "Tasslehoff Burfoot" reference.
I have read alot of Peirs Anthony. I like the Xanth and Adept series and a couple of other books he wrote(who's names' escape me now). He is a fun writer.
.
I agree with you about Donaldson. Something is amiss on the new Thomas Covenant series(I think there is supposed to be four new books). I am still trying to convince my wife to start the whole "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" but she is now reading some soft fantasy with girly overtones.:D
.
Please concentrate on one series now lol, you'll get more out of The Sword of Truth series if you understand what is actually happening. BTW, there are 12 books and all are quick reads.:cool:
.
I'm still waiting for the The Fionavar Tapestry to come in... grrr.
.
Lots and lots of great sci/fi out there. Greg Bear, Jack L Chalker, Ben Bova are all great just to name a few I have read. I also have read unpublished works from a old professor of mine I that was pretty sweet.


What Greg Bear novels would you recommend? I read Eon many, many years ago and thought it was pretty good. If you consider yourself a Sci Fi fan then you must read Battlefield Earth and the trials of Johnny Goodboy Taylor. Great Book! Don't judge Hubbard by Dianetics or Scientology. He is right in there with Ray Bradbury, Robert A. Heinlein and Kurt Vonnegut when it comes to sci fi.
I really enjoy the older works of writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan and Land that time forgot) ,Sir Arthur Conon Dolye (Sherlock Holms) and H.G. Wells (the time machine & War of the Worlds).

[SintonFan]

I remember that The Forge of God and it's sequel Anvil of Stars were both good.

[STAggie]

If you like those books you will love George R R Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice Series. The first book is titled A Game of Thrones and these are some of the best books I have read in a long time. Think LOTR but not so wordy and very adult.

[Farmersfan]

Originally posted by STAggie
If you like those books you will love George R R Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice Series. The first book is titled A Game of Thrones and these are some of the best books I have read in a long time. Think LOTR but not so wordy and very adult.


Thanks. I will check them out....

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by PPHSfan
No, I told you to read Lee Child
.
Ok, I'll give it a try.
In return, will you consider The Sword of Truth series? I have a feeling you of all people here would really enjoy these great books, especially the first.

[carter08]

Picked up some books by Rousseau and Nietzsche today.

[BullsFan]

If you like sci fi, you really should read the Dune series by (I think) Frank Herbert. The earlier books are the best of the lot, but they're all pretty good.

And if you're looking for something a little different but equally fascinating, you should try Manhunt: The 12-Day Hunt for Lincoln's Killer. I bought it on slpybear's recommendation, and I've not been sorry. It actually reads a lot like many of Stephen King's books in that you start with a lot of tiny threads, and slowly but surely all those threads (and people) end up interwoven.

[SintonFan]

PPHSfan, I couldn't find the first book of the Reacher series at Half Price books. If I can't find the first locally, which book in the series is it ok to read on it's own.

[Emerson1]

I am reading "Day of Infamy" by Walter Lord right now.

First book I have read all the way through in 5 years when I read Jurassic Park...

[carter08]

Originally posted by Ernest T Bass
Eche Homo, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, and The Geneology of Morals are great books.
I'd also recomend The End of Faith by Sam Harris, and Are We Rome by Cullen Murphy.

I picked up Portable Nietzsche. It's selections from most of his work, plus complete texts of Twilight of the Idols, The Antichrist, Nietzsche Contra Wagner, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

I'm planning on taking a course on him next year, so I thought I would start reading his work early.

xD

[PPHSfan]

Originally posted by SintonFan
PPHSfan, I couldn't find the first book of the Reacher series at Half Price books. If I can't find the first locally, which book in the series is it ok to read on it's own.

The first in the series I believe was "The Killing Floor". However I didn't read them in order, and I don't think it ruined anything for me. "Running Blind" was the first one that I read that got me hooked. "The Hard Way" was my favorite. They are all excellent in their own way. You could read any one of them first and enjoy a good read.

[Farmersfan]

Anyone read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins? I'm curious as to your opinion of it.

[carter08]

Originally posted by Farmersfan
Anyone read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins? I'm curious as to your opinion of it.

My roommate keeps saying he wants to pick it up, but he never does.

[carter08]

Originally posted by Ernest T Bass
Ok, well, here he is on a bumper sticker:
There is no god. Morals and values were invented to protect the weak from the strong, and religion was invented to make sense of human suffering. There is no such thing as truth, just one's perception of truth.

Mmmhmmm.

I can't wait for that class.

Dual English/ Philosophy major for the win.

[duckhunter]

read- "Blue Like Jazz"


it well change your life

[Farmersfan]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SintonFan
[B].
IPlease concentrate on one series now lol, you'll get more out of The Sword of Truth series if you understand what is actually happening. BTW, there are 12 books and all are quick reads.:cool:



Sintonfan:

I was just introduced to the character Samuel (the companion) in the Wizards First Rule. I almost immediately recognized very similar characteristics to Gollum in the LOTR Trilogy. Did you have the impression that the Author barrowed from Tolkien for this character????? And it is getting a little annoying for all the characters in this story to be so noble and well meaning yet they hide very important information from each other for basically no good reason. I understand the writter is trying to weave a web of intrigue and will eventually tie everything together but it's a bit hard to understand the logic of it at this point. Hopefully you will tell me that this will all come out in the end and all this hiding of the truth will make sense in the end. Or am I wasting my time?

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by Farmersfan
[QUOTE]Originally posted by SintonFan
[B].
IPlease concentrate on one series now lol, you'll get more out of The Sword of Truth series if you understand what is actually happening. BTW, there are 12 books and all are quick reads.:cool:



Sintonfan:

I was just introduced to the character Samuel (the companion) in the Wizards First Rule. I almost immediately recognized very similar characteristics to Gollum in the LOTR Trilogy. Did you have the impression that the Author barrowed from Tolkien for this character????? And it is getting a little annoying for all the characters in this story to be so noble and well meaning yet they hide very important information from each other for basically no good reason. I understand the writter is trying to weave a web of intrigue and will eventually tie everything together but it's a bit hard to understand the logic of it at this point. Hopefully you will tell me that this will all come out in the end and all this hiding of the truth will make sense in the end. Or am I wasting my time?
.
I'm sure there are parallels but gollum had a much larger role in LoTR. Sometimes you just gotta enjoy the ride and the intent written.:D

[Farmersfan]

Originally posted by SintonFan
.
I'm sure there are parallels but gollum had a much larger role in LoTR. Sometimes you just gotta enjoy the ride and the intent written.:D


I hear ya! Unfortunately I am too stubborn. Just like movies, if the actions don't match the story then i have a problem with it.

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by Farmersfan
I hear ya! Unfortunately I am too stubborn. Just like movies, if the actions don't match the story then i have a problem with it.
.
Is the death of the "spirit of nobility" a given or can you read the book?

[Farmersfan]

Originally posted by SintonFan
.
Is the death of the "spirit of nobility" a given or can you read the book?


I'm not sure I get the true meaning of your question?
I was made aware of the author's effort to give the hero a true "Nobility of Spirit". So far it seems that Goodkind has failed to establish any kind of CENTER for his characters. They are all over the place....... Sometimes their decisions are right on target and at other times they make no sense at all. The steady, unwaverling convictions of Thomas Covenant is why Donaldson's anti-hero was so successful. So far I don't see it in this story. Of course I have only finished the first book.

[SintonFan]

Originally posted by Farmersfan
I'm not sure I get the true meaning of your question?
I was made aware of the author's effort to give the hero a true "Nobility of Spirit". So far it seems that Goodkind has failed to establish any kind of CENTER for his characters. They are all over the place....... Sometimes their decisions are right on target and at other times they make no sense at all. The steady, unwaverling convictions of Thomas Covenant is why Donaldson's anti-hero was so successful. So far I don't see it in this story. Of course I have only finished the first book.
.
Jeez, give it a little time.:D

[shankbear]

Try some thriller/spy/political stuff by David Baldacci. He has written a series dealing with his Camel Club. All a good read.