reaper47 said:
Are those finnish translations?

I have no clue why you asked but I took this straight from this page.
I only omitted the books I had never read. The list is much longer than the one I posted.

Ahh... I understand.
I wondered because of the words next to the year date. So I searched for "Paratiisin suihkul?hteet" in google and it turned out lots of finnish sites.

i just finished The Screwtape Letters
very interesting satire by C.S.Lewis on human nature

Most things I read at the moment are academic books:

Russia: A Complete History

English Society in The Eighteenth Century

A Very Short Introduction to The French Revolution

Britain, Europe and The World 1871 - 1971

Europe: A History

The Partitions of Poland

The Prospect Before Her: A History of Women in Western Europe

Exciting stuff.

While I was away, I read a crap load of books though - can't remember authors sometimes though:

A Walk In The Woods (Bill Bryson) (i now want to walk the appallachian trail!)

Cuba and The Night (Iyer Pico)

Down Under (Bill Bryson)

Likely To Die (Linda Fairstein)

How To Be Idle (Tom Hodgkinson)

A Safe Area: Srebrenica - Europe's Worst Massacre Since the Holocaust (David Rohde)

The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)

The Terminal Man (Alfred Merhan)

Life Of Pi (Yann Martel)

Pretty wide scope, this is what you tend to find with hostel bookshelfs
:razz: Best to engage in swaps with fellow travellers. There was numerous
other novels I borrowed and ploughed through, but these ones stick out
in my mind and memories from my time overseas.

Those are finnish translations of the book names.

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''Everyone wades in s**t until they're competent enough to walk on it. Jesus style.''
Dystopia - Empires

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Orpheus</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>I also listened to Blowfly, by Patricia Cornwell. She is rapidly becoming my favorite author for audio books. If you get a chance, you need to read, or listen to this fantastic book.</DIV></DIV>

My mum likes to read Partricia Cornwell (aka Patricia Cornball), and I've given them a go, but to be honest I find them pretty sad. Half the stories are so unbelievable (read the one where she saves the world from a US crazy militia that tries to steal weapons grade plutonium, complete tripe) or poorly put together that by the end I wish I had been using my time more wisely. Her characters are like cardboard cutouts, so stereotyped and 2D that they are as boring as piss. Her earlier books were good, but they've been going down hill ever since. I'd recommend you read, or listen, to those Orph, you'll find them much better than the latest ones.

I've been reading some of Matthew Reily's books, and they are pretty good for an Australian action/adventure writer. I laugh every time I read them because you really get the feel he's fishing for a movie deal with some of the insane stunts and action in them. Even so they are a pretty easy and enjoyable read. I'd recommend Ice Station to get going.

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Ham and Jam Contributor
http://www.hamandjam.org

'Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!'

As I said before Mr. Smith. Listening to an audio book is different somehow. I am listening to things that I wouldn't read if I was paid to do so. I would like for you to suggest some of the "Older" books you mentioned. If I can locate them, I will give'm a looksee.

If you get the chance, listen/read Cornwells "Isle of the Dogs"

Not much cutout types in it. At least none that I would say are.

I do admit this much about Cornwell I detest. She write like one of those "Paid by the word" authors.

"The man entered the room. He had one shoe with a goat turd in the groove of the heal and the other with a blade of grass in it. He was the type to hunt down a goat herder just to hear him bleat for mercy before he died. His socks were of a mismatched pattern seen in the 60's acid trip days. One had the elastic worn and held up with a rubberband. His underwear..."

Get the picture?

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The best things in life, aren't things.

lol, BAM!

Nice one Orph. Actually if you pick up one of her books you also get
the impression she gets paid by the page. Everything looks double
spaced in a font suitable for the visually impaired :smile: .

Some of her earlier books include, in order:

Postmortem

Body of Evidence (good, from what I can remember)

All that Remains

Cruel and Unusual

The Body Farm

From Potter's Field (my mum reckons this one is the best)

There are some good ones in that list, Body of Evidence seemed to stand out to me as one of her best.

Actually what is an awesome book, and would make and awesome audio
book, is Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. That book is as thick as the Bible,
but a hell of a lot more interesting. Clancy is great at writing
believeable action, and this is him at his best, without a lot of the
usual political elements. Really it is a huge thriller/conspiracy, with
plot twists and turns worthy of Hitchc**k. I can't recommend it more
highly.

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Ham and Jam Contributor
http://www.hamandjam.org

'Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!'

Agent Smith said:
lol, BAM!

Nice one Orph. .

Although what I wrote was pure fiction on my part, it actually is pretty close to her style. I just re-read it and laughed so hard I nearly wet myself.

Actually, I think my words would make an interesting chapter.

Thanx for the suggestions. I'll look into them.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

I just finished reading "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth" by Chris Ware. It's an artistic graphic novel about a 36 year old man who one day gets a letter from his father who he never met before.

One of the most astonishing books I've ever seen. Ware is doing unbelievable things with the graphic novel medium. The drawings are beautiful, the color strong and atmospheric. Dreams and flashbacks aren't broken up with bubbles or cheap transition effects. You, as a reader, have to "wake up" from them, digging deeper and deeper into the psyche of the characters. Ultimately the story spans over 380 pages and 3 generations of the Corrigan family.

It's a pretty sad, almost sarcastic story though. Hard to swallow at times. But it's so excellent stylistically, I couldn't stop reading. Very recommendable.

Bought the unabridged audio book of "2001 a space odessey"... Can't wait to listen to it. :smile:

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Bought the unabridged audio book of "2001 a space odessey"... Can't wait to listen to it. :smile:

ahhh... the classics :smile:

reaper47 said:
<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quote:</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>Bought the unabridged audio book of "2001 a space odessey"... Can't wait to listen to it. :smile:

ahhh... the classics :smile: </div></div>

Yeah, I read it ages ago. I spotted it on the shelf and couldn't pass it up. At only $9.95, it was a deal.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Just finished up Sensational Spider-Man # 26. BADASS.

Kids getting shot, people ripping each other apart. Spidey in a new costume (given to him by Tony "Iron Man" Stark, thus the color scheme) and an introduction of some key characters (Madame Web).

With this issue, a new artistic team was brought on board: Clayton Crain, Scott Hanna, and Dan Kemp. The art is nothing short of fantastic (Crain, the pencil work, has done some other amazing stuff recently, such as the Ennis Ghost Rider miniseries and Venom vs Carnage. Look up either to check him out) Not sure if the color work is by the same people, but it looks like it.

If you have any interest in comics, at all, I'd suggest checking this series out (it was called Marvel Knights Spider-Man before issue 23 or so.) It's so incredibly dark and serious, which is a breath of fresh air for a Spider-Man title.

If you don't care or hate comics, or whatever, please, don't voice your opinion on how much you despise the characters. (If you've read it and have some counter argument, that is more than welcome!)

Case and point: This series is my favorite out of any Spider-Man series, period. (Any medium)

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Our local libary is building up its comic section. I'm reading Jean "Moebius" Giraud's "Blueberry" Comics. Classic Western comics with interesting twists and exceptionally detailed drawings.

I'm a kid that grew up almost without any western books/films (except for a few classics). I find it fun to re-live a hype of a previous generation.

Excellent!

Sadly, I seem to have neglected this thread of late.

My recently books read are:

The Sands Of Mars
A Fall Of Moondust
Cachalot

I am currently reading:

The Ghost From The Grand Banks.

I have recently listened to:

2001: A Space Odyssey
Body of Evidence
All That Remains
Cruel and Unusual
The Body Farm
Black Notice
Trace
Hornet's Nest

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The best things in life, aren't things.

French Toast said:
I started reading a book called God's Debris by Scott Adams (Dilbert) I haven't read much, but it sounds really cool and I'm supposed to recommend it to everyone I know (his orders).

Best part, it's free! Download it in pdf format here.

Thanks for that. I just read it and it was a very intereresting read, and it puts foward some interesting concepts regarding the state of the universe.

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Reckless disregard for childrens well being, women and nothing but utter contempt for other cultures.

Just finished reading Michael Gerber's Barry Trotter and the Shameless
Parody. Absotively hilarious! :biggrin:

And speaking of parodies, has anyone read Maddox's book yet?

It's not out yet.

3 days I think...

It's not out yet.

3 days I think...

Wow, there was so much internet hype about this, I could have sworn it's out already.

Well, it was available for preorder months before hand, and was the #1 bestseller on Amazon a month before it came out.

But yeah, 'tis not out yet. I've got ma copy on preorder :biggrin:

What did you think of Body of Evidence and the other earlier Scarpetta novels Orph? I found them to be much better than the latest ones.

Also currently reading Monsoon by Wilbur Smith, which is another excellent swashbuckling adventure tale from the all time king of adventure novels. If anyone here enjoys a great read then I would highly recommend old Wilbur.

Also finished another Matthew Reilly book, Temple, which was another action packed book. Also recommended.

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Ham and Jam Contributor
http://www.hamandjam.org

'Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!'

1st off Mr. Smith, I found the 1st 4 books to be the best of the lot. I dunno where you draw your line but they are my favorites. Most especially #1. It was superb in every conceivable way. The way she descibed the killings, was chilling. :eek:

The rest I listen to because I am now a big fan of Cornwell. I especially like Ramano... He is ME all in one big fat package. If she ever kills him off, I think I'll cry.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Read "The Eyre Affair" by Jasper Fforde. People recommended it to me for it's similar absurdness compared to books like "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". I wasn't that impressed, though. It takes place in a parallel-universe that at first isn't very different from ours but gets weirder and weirder as you read. Many ideas that in my opinion don't come together very well in the end.

Maddox's book will be available in exactly 31 minutess and 45 seconds.

It's coming in 6 days for me :sad:

I lied, it got here early. Best book EVAR.

Well, although I haven't got around to reading it yet (it's 1 AM) I picked up the original graphic novel of V for Vendetta. Looks sween, can't wait to start it tomorrow.

So I ended up reading about half the book last night, it's absolutely incredibly. It gave me a whole new respect for the graphic novel medium. I"m amazed how many important things they left out in the movie.

Definitely pick it up ifyou even slightly enjoyed the movie. It's so thorough.

I read Chuck Palaniuk's new book "Haunted" on the flight over here, and it was disappointing. I wouldn't recommend picking it up. It just wasn't as funny, or enjoyable as Fight Club, Survivor, or Choke.

I'm almost done with "Nine Stories" by J.D. Salinger, and it's great stuff. I didn't particularly like "Franny and Zooey" which I read a year or two ago, but I have really enjoyed these short stories. If you liked "Catcher in the Rye" (which, along with "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien, I love like a person) then you'll probably really enjoy at least a few of the nine stories. My two favorites right now are "The Laughing Man" and "For Esme -- With Love and Squalor"

Aaaaand, that's enough SP posting for one day!

Finished Evelyn Waugh's debut novel "Decline and Fall" and since thats the third book of his that I've read and enjoyed, I think it's time I started thinking of him as a favorite author.

Also, note to self: reread Catch-22, 1984, and read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

I'm about halfway through Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Absolutely incredible book. Honestly the best book i've ever read and i'm only halfway through. If you like sci-fi even a smidgen you will adore this book, it's so addictive. Honestly. Go rent this from a library.

Over the weekend I read An Unfinished Season by Ward Just.

Honestly, one of the best books I've read. I just put it on my list of favorites, and will probably reread it in a few years. In the meantime I'm tracking down some more novels by the same author.

It was so well written that I had to stop on occasion, just to think and to reflect and mull over what the author had written, and how it related to my own life.

I think the reason I liked it so much is because I felt like there were so many similarities between the story and my own life. But, I think it was probably written with that purpose in mind. Regardless, I got excited when locations, schools, and events were referenced that I knew about. It made me feel smart, and at the same time deeply involved in the novel.

If you've ever experienced young love, and the summer between college and highschool, you should read this book.

Recently discovered I liked the Pern books after all. I tried to read them a few times but the series failed to capture my attention. However, after recently listening to two of the books (out of chronological order) I discovered that they have an appeal after all.

I am now reading them.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Well, for some reason I've recently gotten very interested in religion. I was at the Worlds Biggest Book Store and picked up a book called 'Atheism', which is about atheism, what it really means to be atheist, and compiles many essays from famous atheists through history.

Then I picked up a copy of the Qur'an, the Muslim holy book, mostly for personal interest but I've also heard it's one of the most maginificently written pieces of literature the world has ever seen.

I'll get to work on those tonight...

My brother views religion much the same as I and he also has an insatiable desire to read as well as I.

He bought the bible and read it from cover to cover. He claims that if you remove all the supernatural connotations it is of excellent historical value.

I have often wondered how accurate his assessment was. I almost bought the bible audio book last week just to see for myself.

Myself, I cannot get much past reading genesis... after all the begot stuff, you have very little left but mongoloids and I cannot stomach inbreeding.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

I'm a big fan of David Sedaris, so I just finished re-reading Me Talk Pretty One Day, which I like better than his newer book Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.

Addicted to Morphine: I also read Nine Stories + Franny and Zooey a while ago. The Laughing Man is my favorite too. Oh, and I really liked Franny, but I think Zooey got a little too bookish in the middle with religious lecture. It reminds me of the part in 1984 where Winston reads the subversive book and goes on and on - I want narrative, damnit! :smile:

I can't remember, is Franny the story where he picks her up at the Train Station? If so, I liked it better than the second story, but it made me feel pretty depressed about relationships.

I just finished the Hand of Thrawn series by Timothy Zahn. It takes place in the Star Wars universe something like 15 years after Return of the Jedi. I've read 22 Star Wars books now, and this last two-part series is the finest piece of fiction I've ever read. It may be that I'm still excited about the ending that I say that, but oh well. It was really really good.

If you plan on reading Star Wars, I would suggest reading most of the books that come before these two in terms of the timeline. There are things that will make more sense if you do. Star Wars books, while usually laughed at, I have found to be very good. Definitely worth a look. Planet of Twilight(takes place a few years before Hand of Thrawn) is what first hooked me, and then the X-Wing series is what really pulled me in.

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___My Site___ | www.leveldesign.nl

Did Stackpole write the XWing series? Rogue squadron I think? I really enjoyed those.

I read a TON of Star Wars books back in the day, although I can't say I've read any recently.

I read a lot of the Young Jedi Knights books years ago, they were really hit or miss.

Zahn is the king of Star Wars books.
I thought the Dark Empire series took place 5 years after 'Jedi'?

Sadly, if Lucas does make episodes VII-IX, he said he wont be following any books and it'll be all him ... oh joy

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

He should be shot. I absolutely hate Lucas for what he's done with the new episodes.

George Lucas is a REALLY hit-and-miss writer.

Examples:

Star Wars:
Star Wars: A New Hope = Hit
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back = Hit
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi = Hit
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace = Miss
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones = Miss, less so than Episode 1, but still a miss
And I haven't seen Episode III, I watched Return of the Jedi instead.

Indiana Jones:
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom = Hit
Raiders of the Lost Ark = Hit
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade = Miss, maybe because I compare it to the other IJ movies

Misc. (that I've seen):
Labyrinth = I don't know, this movie was really wierd. It was fairly entertaining, so I'll be generous and say "Hit"
Herbie = Miss
THX 1138 = MISS MISS MISS this is a crappy student film with a much higher budget than it deserved.

I think George Lucas had his creative hayday in the late 70's and early 80's. Definitely in the past decade he's produced nothing but crap. Too bad he has millions of dollars, enough to make any movie he wants, and his status of super-famous creator of Star Wars means a lot of people will pay money to see it, giving him more money.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and I'm about a third of the way through Dune. I'll probably pick up more of the books in the Dune series after I'm done. Frank Herbert was a really good writer.

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o

Don't bother with episode 3. As if it weren't bad enough, you get Vader going

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

ANGER.

The X-Wing series of Star Wars books were excellent. Its all set around a few secondary characters (the primary one being Wedge Antilles) in the movies and a whole bunch of new ones. The main movie characters have cameo's every now and again. It's amazing how little credit these writers get because they are writing within the Star Wars universe, but in reality most of the novels are better written, have better characters, and are much more engaging than some of the number one sellers.

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Ham and Jam Contributor
http://www.hamandjam.org

'Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!'

I'm probably going to get skined for saying this, but I think A New Hope is the worst Star Wars movie overall.
Attack of the Clones and Phantom Menace are the next worse, then Revenge of the Sith. Empire Strikes Back is the best and Return of the Jedi was right there too ... until Lucas re-edited CGI dancing characters in Jaba's palace and added bird beaks to the sarlacc pit monster (I had to look that up)

The new movies have horrible wooden dialog, but other than that, there's a pretty coherant plot. And you should see Revenge of the Sith for Ian McDiarmid.

Oh and Samuel L. Jackson going "Pow, motha f**ka!"

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

gets out skinning knife threateningly We don't take kindly ta yer kind 'round these here parts... nahgoanangit!

:wink:

In all seriousness though, I can kind of see where you're coming from, it was the weakest movie from the original trilogy. The plot was a little incoherent, but to say it was worse than 10-year-old Darth Vader and Jar Jar Binks... that's going a little far. After watching Episode 1, I found myself scouring the credits for the word "Disney".

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o

I have blanked them out any time I see that movie. If you can get past that (the same way you got past whiny ass Mark Hamil) I'm sure you'd enjoy the movie more. Since Phantom Menace actually has a very strong plot and far better acting since Hayden Christensen isn't there and Natalie Portman is supposed to be flat and lifeless as the queen.

Also, don't forget all the awesome stuff in the movie. The same goes for Attack of the Clones. There are some really bad parts, but if you can ignore them or simply get past that, then there's a good time to be had. Also, they're on DVD and such now so just skip the s**tty parts. And yes, I think Jake Lloyd should tied up in a noose.

Also, if no one is quite aware of this yet, Lucas is re-cuting the prequels for the next DVD release. As if you didn't see a 6 movie package coming. I know one of the changes they are making is removing puppet yoda from Phantom Menace (:() and replacing him with the cgi character they used in the other two.

Something I personally hope they change, if they're doing effects, is to put some damned water vapor steaming off the light saber in Attack of the Clones while Kenobi is on Camino. Seriously, it's awesome and even the games did it.

However, there are many blaring bleeding flaws. And that's true in ALL of the SW Movies. If you don't like the prequels ... ignore them. Now, you can even buy the theatrical cuts of the original trilogy too, if you don't like the re-edits (most of them are good, except the ones I mentioned)

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

I goofed on the mention of "Labyrinth." George Lucas was only the executive producer on that one. -1 for Lucas. Jennifer Connelly is hot.

EDIT: Labyrinth was written and directed by Jim Henson, the muppet guy.

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o

it's funny that you should mention it smith i had come to this thread right now to mention them until i saw your post
yes the x-wing series is wonderful and i am in fact reading them for the 2nd time atm (and i mean it too i'm reading as i post this turns page)