I normally wouldn't feel right posting something like this because I never want to clutter up the boards. That's probably why I never really start threads. I've secretly always wanted to start a bunch of threads but never have. And no, not awful boring ones like this. But the boards have been so dry empty I guess I don't mind.

I'm doing a lot of traveling this second half of the summer. I'm all done with my summer sessions of classes (yay). I need some good book recommendations. I'm not a huge reader nor do I have a genre preference. I'm looking for any good book you can recommend.(thriller, adventure, mystery, politics, anything) It doesn't have to be recent, it can be a book you loved. So you can put your favorite book ever. If you don't mind, in a brief sentence tell me what the book is about or why you loved it so much (i.e. changed your life, just loved it, etc.)

awwwwwwwwwthankeeeeeeeeeeeee

james pattersons 'alex cross' novels are great to just sit down an be entertained by, nothing thought provoking but really fun thrilers. same with stuart woods 'stone barrington' novels. my favorite by patterson is london bridges. id equate them to summer blockbusters of literature.


one of my favorite books ever is post office by charles bukowski, its fucking hillarious and perfect, i couldnt describe it and do it justice, just read it

on the road is awesome, it wil make you want to hit the road more than a zeppelin post

blood meridan is another perfect book , but if you just dabble in reading you'll hate it

The Beach by Alex Garland

A book that I think about quite often is Tuesday's With Morrie. It's a true story about a college professor (Morrie Schwartz) who is stricken with ALS late in his life. With the help of former student Mitch Albom (the author), Morrie reflects upon his life experiences and essentially shares with Mitch his ideas of having a fulfilling life.

The book is well-written and easy to read. It's also pretty short, so you should be able to knock it out in just a few days.

As far as fiction goes, one of my favorites has to be A Confederacy of Dunces. It's easily the funniest novel I've ever read, and it also has the most well-crafted fictional character in any book I've read (the protagonist Ignatius). The writing and storytelling is simply genius.

Hope this helps, and safe travels.

 

james pattersons 'alex cross' novels are great to just sit down an be entertained by, nothing thought provoking but really fun thrilers. same with stuart woods 'stone barrington' novels. my favorite by patterson is london bridges. id equate them to summer blockbusters of literature.

I've read a few of the Alex Cross books. I enjoyed them, but I'm looking for something that is more moving than that.

And amg, is that a Sandler siting? You in Vegas? I fly out Friday.

i nvr read the book but everyone who has raves about jim norton's "i hate ur guts" i listen to him on the radio every day. his stories are always brutality honest and hilarious..

Nice one Dyz, I'll add Siddhartha by Hemran Hesse.

Siddhartha, Choke, and A Confederacy of Dunces are all great reads.

I just finished Doors of Perception but haven't read Heaven and Hell yet. Aldous Huxley is such a talented writer, one of my favorites. Speaking of which so is Orwell, really enjoyed Burmese Days.

Currently reading Walden, will read Civil Disobedience after (in same book). Also great

Was reading All Quiet on the Western Front which was off to a solid start but I forgot it in a poker room. Consequence for not bringing my backpack with me

World War Z (Brooks), Survivor > Choke (Pahlaniuk), Jitterbug Perfume or Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates (Robbins). all good summertime reads

Classics I always grab off the shelf are Catcher in the Rye (Salinger) and The winter of our Discontent (Steinbeck)

Best book ever: "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" By Ken Kesey. He also wrote "one flew over the cuckoo's nest". It's the story of the Merry Pranksters led by Kesey who basically were the first to experiment with acid. They Rig up a bus and go cross-country to "freak" people out. Throw parties in warehouses and spike the punch with acid without telling anyone. Probably read this one 7-8 times in the last 12 or so years.

"Germs, Guns and Steel" by Jared Diamond. Real long book but fucking fantastic. Basically answers the question: why did early europeans conquer north america and not the other way around. Great great read. Won the Pulitzer.

"Assholes Finish First" by Tucker Max. The guy is a legend. It's the stories of his drunkest craziest nights fucking the most women possible and telling it all in a hillarious style. I have leant this one out to about 5 people and they all LOVED IT. He also has another titled: "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell"

Any book written by Robert Ludlum or Eric Van Lustbader. They wrote all the jason Bourne novels and countless others. There are about 8-9 (at least) and all are amazing. Pure spy-thriller type shit written in the best available style.

Moneyball written by.....I can't remember, is very good. Movie trailer looks awesome too.

Read Diana Gabaldon's "The Outlander". It is a series. She is a very gifted writer, and the books are very good.

The Outlander
Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Drums of Autumn
Fiery Cross
Breath of Snow and Ashes
Echo in the Bone

One more is due out in 2012. It will be the last book. The series is very well researched. It is a time travel book, with some fantasy/fiction, but the author puts the characters into real historic battles and includes political and royal figures from those time periods into the storyline. There is a romance theme as well, but it's used to build the characters as the books go forward.

The best part about the books for me is the historic figures the author includes, and the time periods. Since I'm interested in Celtic history (battles between Scottland and the English are the highlight of the first couple of books), and early American history (Revolutionary War is a big theme in a couple of the books), it's a great series. I can't wait for the last one to come out next year.

 

Originally Posted by EyeKnows

^^^ great read, answers a lotta questions, anyone without a background in biology/anthropology should read this (this means almost everyone in OT).

"Collapse" by Jared Diamond was what I came in to recommend.

agreed/same. these should be required HS reading, IMO.

EDIT - if you want lighter reading, I would reccomend Ender's Game. I fucking hate sci-fi more than anyone on earth, but my brothers convinced me to read it . . . goes quick and is pretty solid.

I actually bookmarked this thread a few months back to use as a reference (3 pages long):

http://www.pocketfives.com/f13/have-...r-life-599952/

The Game of Thrones series ( George Martin)

The Lincoln Lawyer ( Michael Connelly )

World War Z ( Max Brooks)

The Ultimate hitchhikers guide to the galaxy ( Douglas adams )

My recommendations for anyone are:

The Road, Count of Monte Christo, Prince of Tides, All The Kings Men, and Lonesome Dove. I often recommend the Alchemist and Think and Grow Rich.

If you like historical fiction then Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlanes is an absolute must, as is All Quiet on the Western Front. My favorite author is actually Bernard Cornwell, and he does all historical fiction.

If you are into fantasy then you really can't go wrong with Neil Gaiman.