Read Any Good Books Lately?

[arollo]

So, you read any good books lately?

I'm in the middle of two - "In Search of Schrodiner's Cat" by John Gribbin, and "The Possibility of an Island" by michel houellebecq.

The Gribbin book is really good, sort of a primer on quantum physics for people who are stupid. It's like reading a bad sci-fi novel, except it's all true, and nothing is actually real it turns out.

The Houellebecq book is awesome. He's like a French Chuck Palahniuk (except he doesn't suck). All of his books are about how much he hates people and suicide and sex cults, and are generally very funny.

[Esoteric]

Reading the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. Classic sci-fi.

[arollo]

Reading the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. Classic sci-fi.

I've never even heard of it. What's it about?

[Yazarc]

Reading a book called Until I Find You by John Irving.

I also have the complete Hemingway short stories collection for bed time. Those are particularly close to me because Hemingway spent his summers about 25 minutes from where I grew up. A lot of them are based on the small towns I lived by in Northern Michigan.

[Esoteric]

Reading the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. Classic sci-fi.

I've never even heard of it. What's it about?

Alot of things. It's a very epic span of future earth timeline. It's really hard to explain... it's sort of a frame story about the future world expansion and eventual collapse of the human race. Its well respected in the sci-fi community, and I LOVE IT. So if you are into sci-fi future, I highly recommend it.

[arollo]

Reading the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. Classic sci-fi.

I've never even heard of it. What's it about?

Alot of things. It's a very epic span of future earth timeline. It's really hard to explain... it's sort of a frame story about the future world expansion and eventual collapse of the human race. Its well respected in the sci-fi community, and I LOVE IT. So if you are into sci-fi future, I highly recommend it.

I've got a boner for future histories. I'll add that to my library list.

I can't believe that I, as a sci-fi nerd, missed out on this one. Thanks for the tip, though. I can't wait to read it.

[Esoteric]

Excellent! You should know that it's actually 4 books, in this order:

Hyperion
The Fall of Hyperion
Endymion
The Rise of Endymion

It's probably the most intelligent sci-fi I have ever read. Simmons is a BRILLIANT writer. He also writes great horror too. Another of his series is Illium and it's sequel Olympos, which are also FANTASTIC books that place the Illiad and the Odyssey in a science fiction span.

[Mouchette]

Reading the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. Classic sci-fi.

wow, that's actually one of my favourite novels. The Bladed Shrike! ...that exclamation is sadly just about all i currently remember about that rather fat book, as i read it sometime back around the original publication date.. back in the '80s or whenever. aha! i also remember some priest being crucified by fire for several millennia or so... and a few Manowar songs being dedicated to the tale. it's all coming back to me now... wait, nope, gone again.

[raum215]

this thread sucks.

Zombie Haiku.

[DamnedToBeFree]

Have any of you read Mass Effect: Revelation? It's a prequel to the game, and from what I've heard it's pretty good.

[arollo]

Have any of you read Mass Effect: Revelation? It's a prequel to the game, and from what I've heard it's pretty good.

Someone gave me some Doom novels, and that was the first and last time I will ever read books that have anything to do with video games. Oh, it hurt so much.

(Also, your icon makes me happy. I've been listening to "Growing Up In Public" non-stop lately.)

[DamnedToBeFree]

What would you expect though? It's Doom.


(Also, your icon makes me happy. I've been listening to "Growing Up In Public" non-stop lately.)

Is that album any good? It's one of the few I'm reluctant to pick up.

[arollo]

Is that album any good? It's one of the few I'm reluctant to pick up.

I like it. I don't think it's one that everyone hates, but it isn't regarded as one of his best. But I really like it, it's got a lot of solid songs. "My Old Man" and "Standing on Ceremony" are fantastic.

[DamnedToBeFree]

Is that album any good? It's one of the few I'm reluctant to pick up.

I like it. I don't think it's one that everyone hates, but it isn't regarded as one of his best. But I really like it, it's got a lot of solid songs. "My Old Man" and "Standing on Ceremony" are fantastic.

Yea I dunno. I might pick it up when I have a bit more money.


Anyways, back to books. If you like the story in Mass Effect, you might enjoy the novel.

[zippedpinhead]

I second the Dan Simmons nod. His Books Summer of Night, Children of the Night, and A Winter Haunting are all well executed loosely connected horror novels that have managed to grip me since I was but a young lad. (Read Summer of Night first)


I guess I will recommend Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash should be required reading for anyone at all interested in online gaming.

Depending on your likes and dislikes. More fantasy go with A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin, if you like more by the number modern thrillers go with anything by Vince Flynn (but be warned his stories have interconnecting characters, they don't always play into each other but sometime he has continuing plot lines from other novels)

[arollo]

I second the Dan Simmons nod. His Books Summer of Night, Children of the Night, and A Winter Haunting are all well executed loosely connected horror novels that have managed to grip me since I was but a young lad. (Read Summer of Night first)


I guess I will recommend Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash should be required reading for anyone at all interested in online gaming.

Depending on your likes and dislikes. More fantasy go with A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin, if you like more by the number modern thrillers go with anything by Vince Flynn (but be warned his stories have interconnecting characters, they don't always play into each other but sometime he has continuing plot lines from other novels)

I need to read some Martin. I hear he's good.

But Neal Stephenson gives me a headache. I tried to read "Snow Crash", and I thought it read like something a 14 year old boy would write for a creative writing class assignment. But that's just me.

As for fantasy, I was actually turned on to fantasy by this series called "The Witches of Eileanan" by Kate Forsyth. It's got a really great story. Just skip book 5. I'm serious. Has anyone here read that one? I don't know how obscure it is. Probably not terribly obscure....

[Gen Eric Gui]

Just finished "More Twisted" by Jeffery Deaver. #### was amazing, if not quite Hitchcock or Serling, but then again nothing really is. Not a bad set of mind #### short stories.

[Kakizaki]

http://atlus.com/new_forum/viewtopic.php?t=541&highlight=books

[arollo]

http://atlus.com/new_forum/viewtopic.php?t=541&highlight=books

The last post in that thread was 4 months ago.

[Kakizaki]

There is also a newer one. I was too lazy to post that as well.

As this isn't exactly a hyper busy forum, there isn't much harm in digging up older threads in the off topic area and it reduces redundant topics.

[arollo]

Noted for future reference.

[Futomimi]

Food & Mood: The Complete Guide to Eating and Feeling Your Best

Recommended to my by my nutritionist. Also especially ironic because I had 2 burgers for lunch today... (my weekly 'cheat' meal, and I also woke up too late to pack a lunch for work)

[DamageCity]

I wish I had time to start reading again. At the begining of August I start summer vacation so I might pick up a book or two then, but I should really study and maybe get some travelling in.

[Kakizaki]

^How long is your vacation? Like 2 weeks?

[DamageCity]

Yup, I might go to the John Lennon museum in Saitama, but it's pretty much the only thing in Saitama so I'm not sure if it's worth the trip even though Saitama is close.

[Sayckeone]

^You should go explore the Tokyo underworld.

[Raidou11]

Forget the museum! Go to Yakushima!

[arollo]

I wish I had time to start reading again. At the begining of August I start summer vacation so I might pick up a book or two then, but I should really study and maybe get some travelling in.

School makes everyone quit reading. It's weird.

Even all of my friends who just graduated with degrees in literature, and who are famous for reading a novel a day, just don't care about reading anymore.

[Sayckeone]

^Err, he's not in school in the way that I think you're thinking. He teaches English in Japan.

[Zephyr]

I wish I had time to start reading again. At the begining of August I start summer vacation so I might pick up a book or two then, but I should really study and maybe get some travelling in.

School makes everyone quit reading. It's weird.

Even all of my friends who just graduated with degrees in literature, and who are famous for reading a novel a day, just don't care about reading anymore.

Probably because reading and writing becomes part of a job. I used to read a lot more because it was both relaxing and stimulating, but after doing it all day for assignments I'm not much in the mood to do it more in my freetime, either. I'd much rather veg out with a video game.

I am reading some over the summer, though. Right now I'm reading "The Silent Blade" by R.A. Salvatore. I've been exploring the Forgotten Realms series for the first time, to see what all the fuss is about.

[arollo]

^Err, he's not in school in the way that I think you're thinking. He teaches English in Japan.

I stand corrected.

(Man, everyone teaches English in Japan. Are there any Japanese people left in Japan?)

[DamageCity]

^You should go explore the Tokyo underworld.

I have and believe me, it's not as cool as movies or games would lead you to believe.

Forget the museum! Go to Yakushima!

Aside from standing in forest, why should I?

School makes everyone quit reading. It's weird.

I just don't have the time, right now I am scarfing down food and printing of articles for classes then I shower and dress and off I go.

(Man, everyone teaches English in Japan. Are there any Japanese people left in Japan?)

HA! One of the only jobs a foreigner can get in Japan is teaching. As for population, well in my city out of 200,000 people less than 1% are non-Japanese. Japanese are still by far and wide the majority in this country. Unless you go to Tokyo or Narita which have larger foreign comunities. Of course this is all just Kanto area, I can't really speak for other areas allthough I imagine Okinawa has a large foreign population due to the amount of military bases there but I would think it's not as multi-cultural as Kanto.

[Sayckeone]

^You should go explore the Tokyo underworld.

I have and believe me, it's not as cool as movies or games would lead you to believe.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/Sayckeone/panda.jpg

[DamageCity]

The House on the Borderland - William Hope Hodgson

http://www.penguin.ca/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780141038742,00.html

[Esoteric]

I started reading the Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. I know they are pop-fiction, and whatever, but I am enjoying them.

[Camanche]

I started reading the Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. I know they are pop-fiction, and whatever, but I am enjoying them.

I read the entire series when I picked it up off of a ferry when I was traveling between France and England quite a few years back. Certainly not my favourite, but not terrible at all. Keeps you interested. They didn't even do that bad of a job on the movie.

You guys are right about the school thing. I used to read like a fiend, go to the book store and just pick up something random all the time. Now, I haven't read in a good 3 months.

[Luna]

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

I'm not even going to try to explain it. It's a truly truly unique book.

[slayn]

The House on the Borderland - William Hope Hodgson

http://www.penguin.ca/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780141038742,00.html

You should check out The Night Land. Just...work past the awful dialect in the first quarter of the book, I promise it gets tolerable and the story is pretty awesome.

[ShadowRaskolnik]

I'm currently reading The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky and Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle by Vladimir Nabokov.

[Tivor]

Started reading Howl's Moving Castle last night.

Hated the anime movie (worst thing Miyazaki's ever directed), and I heard people say that Miyazaki totally butchered the original story. So with my curiosity piqued, I decided to get the book.

I'm three chapters in, and I'm liking it so far.

[Camanche]

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

I'm not even going to try to explain it. It's a truly truly unique book.

I've had that book for a long, long time, yet I've never finished it. I got pretty far, and over the years I pull it out and start reading random parts. Works sometimes.

[Azriel Crusnik]

The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx.
This book is interesting, I have enjoyed reading it so far.