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The Book Thread


HessStation

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I just finished When Will Jesus Bring The Porkchops? by George Carlin.

Light reading, some very funny stuff.

I love George Carlin. His other two comedy books are great as well (Braindroppings and Napalm and Silly Putty).

A memoir of his was recently released, but I haven't gotten my hands on it yet.

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Will do. It will be here Tuesday and I will jump it to the top of my to read list.

Just saw the thread and have to add Hess is right. Lamb may be one of the funniest things I've ever read if not the funniest. Definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a laugh...as long as you are not easily offended

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Visit one of the coolest and quirkiest places on earth: http://www.themorgan.org/home.asp

If ya love books, ya can't go wrong. I used to twirl around in there as a kid. My Daddy worked in the garment district, and I would run over there when I was bored. It hasn't lost its' appeal. Books. I love me some books.

+1. I was there not too long ago for the things on Austen and ...****! I forgot the guy's name. He did engravings along with some poetry. I'll remember it.

EDIT: William Blake! Eureka!

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Last book I read was about serial killer Johann "Jack" Unterweger . I've really lost interest in reading as I've come to realize that every book/magazine/newpaper article is written by somebody who's going to put their own spin on it and try to seem "objective" but you're really only getting what the writer wants you to get out of a story. Too much political influence on everything that's written nowadays regardless of political affiliation. It's all BS.

Loved Angela's Ashes though. My all time favorite.

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^^ You read Lamb? I've read it like 4 times...That book is epic.

Moore's a good writer...I'd suggest any of his books.

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Got this copy of it a while back. Really one of my favorites. Its a shame actually I've never read any of his other books. Any in particular that you'd recommend?

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Recently finished up "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk which was pretty good. A little out there but I really enjoy his writing style.

Currently reading the first book in George RR Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series, name of the book is "A Game of Thrones". Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys fantasy books. He does a good job of crafting his characters and is descriptive enough for you to really imagine this other world but doesn't go SO into detail the story gets lost in it.

Just picked up "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy this weekend as my next book.

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Just a couple of books that I've read the last year or so that have really stood out and stuck with me.

The Terror by Dan Simmons- It is really long and at times you have to stuggle along with the main characters. I would only read this book in the dead of winter when it is freezing cold. But even in your warm house this book will make you feel freezing cold. If you can get through it the ending is probably the most rewarding ending of any book I've ever read. The book is mystical (and fiction) but based on factual events of a ship lost and stuck in the ice caps of the North Pole.

Neverwhere by Neil Gailman- Another world underneath England. I love this book. I hope they never try to make it into a movie unless someone like Peter Jackson is the director. There's a metaphor going on here throughout the book. Like the homeless and unwanted the other England is right there but nobody can see it, or I should say cares to see it.

The Descent by Jeff Long- Does Satan really exist and is he 'literally' living right below us.

Kiss Me Judas by Christopher Baer- I'm a big Chuck Palahniuk fan. Similar style I guess but, for me, this book is the closest thing to the movie, Momento. Not the same plot or anything but I kept thinking about that movie while reading this.

Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss- A really good fantasy story that's really more character driven than all the magical bells and whistles. This is Book 1 of a soon to be series.

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I quite like reading books by successful musicians, especially those that I consider to be very bright people.

Bill Bruford's autiobiography is one.

The drummer for Yes, King Crimson, UK, Earthworks and a number of other projects.

Great musical insight and funny if you appreciate Bruford's style of humour.

Don't let anybody tell you great drummers are not musicians.

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Recently finished up "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk which was pretty good. A little out there but I really enjoy his writing style.

Currently reading the first book in George RR Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series, name of the book is "A Game of Thrones". Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys fantasy books. He does a good job of crafting his characters and is descriptive enough for you to really imagine this other world but doesn't go SO into detail the story gets lost in it.

Just picked up "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy this weekend as my next book.

Vicious, I've read all of Chuck's books to date except the last one with the pygmies. Just waiting for it in paperback. I loved Survivor. Love ALL of his books. If I was to rate Chuck's books it would probably go something like this...

1) Choke

2) Survivor

3) Lullaby

4) Fight Club

5) Invisible Monsters

6) Rant

7) Diary

8) Haunted

9) Snuff

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Vicious, I've read all of Chuck's books to date except the last one with the pygmies. Just waiting for it in paperback. I loved Survivor. Love ALL of his books. If I was to rate Chuck's books it would probably go something like this...

1) Choke

2) Survivor

3) Lullaby

4) Fight Club

5) Invisible Monsters

6) Rant

7) Diary

8) Haunted

9) Snuff

I've read lots of his stuff, still have to read Rant, Haunted, Snuff and Pygmy. I'd have to say I agree with your rankings. Although IMO Lullaby, Fight Club and Invisible Monsters can all be interchanged because I feel they are so good. Survivor and Choke are definitely my top two. I feel like I got stuck on just his stuff so I'm trying to broaden my horizons a bit and will come back to finish up his stuff.

On another note, does anyone here use an e-reader?

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Currently reading the first book in George RR Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series, name of the book is "A Game of Thrones". Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys fantasy books. He does a good job of crafting his characters and is descriptive enough for you to really imagine this other world but doesn't go SO into detail the story gets lost in it.

Great series, V89!

My husband and I are both reading it. He's a little farther along in Feast of Crows. It is fascinating story of the different families and factions. Easy to read but good descriptions. Having such varied terrain (ice and the Wall up north to warm climates down south) just adds to the interest. I've heard it called "Sopranos with swords."

If you haven't, check out the "tower of the hand" website http://www.towerofthehand.com/. It has all kinds of maps and other stuff there.

HBO is making a series out of the books. One season is approved so far, and we've read that one season will be one book. http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/03/hbo-greenlights-game-of-thrones-.html

Now I have to go check out some of the other book recommendations on here. Great ideas, guys!

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I bought a Kindle as a gift for somebody that reads a lot. She absolutely loves it.

Anybody else got one of these?

Pretty cool. You can download books, magazines, newspapers almost anywhere. Course you have to pay for the d/l but there's no contract like a phone.

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+1. I was there not too long ago for the things on Austen and ...****! I forgot the guy's name. He did engravings along with some poetry. I'll remember it.

EDIT: William Blake! Eureka!

Haha, how can you forget Blake? I'm glad you've been there. The greatest thing about it above all else are the oddities. They rotate them out. The daily life of authors, written in ink or graphite. Hemingway: Do the laundry. Buy eggs. Wash curtains. The place is a national treasure.

I'm gonna stick in Roald Dahl's 'SwitchBitch'. Plus, the fact that he was spy in WWII always garners points.

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Great series, V89!

My husband and I are both reading it. He's a little farther along in Feast of Crows. It is fascinating story of the different families and factions. Easy to read but good descriptions. Having such varied terrain (ice and the Wall up north to warm climates down south) just adds to the interest. I've heard it called "Sopranos with swords."

If you haven't, check out the "tower of the hand" website http://www.towerofthehand.com/. It has all kinds of maps and other stuff there.

HBO is making a series out of the books. One season is approved so far, and we've read that one season will be one book. http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/03/hbo-greenlights-game-of-thrones-.html

Now I have to go check out some of the other book recommendations on here. Great ideas, guys!

Nice to hear a good review. Yea you should check out the casting for the series. I think the NAILED Eddard Stark and having Sean Bean play him. That website is very informative, I think I'll wait to fully dig into it once I'm done with book 1 to get a better idea.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/

I also can see Lena Headey being a very good Cersei. Some people turn their nose up at this book/series because it's fantasy but as you said, for me it's much more about the characters, the drama and the betrayal between the families, and I'm not even halfway through the first book! I'm enjoying it and hope the tv show does it justice.

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I bought a Kindle as a gift for somebody that reads a lot. She absolutely loves it.

Anybody else got one of these?

Pretty cool. You can download books, magazines, newspapers almost anywhere. Course you have to pay for the d/l but there's no contract like a phone.

I'm toying with getting the idea of getting one. Then again I'm a Mac whore and the iPad looks incredible with it's e-reader.

Ha8w6Hf6htM

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I just read for the 6th time, kurt vonneguts masterpiece, "Sirens of titan"

first time I read it, I thought it was about sci-fi

second time I read it, I thought it was about religion

third time I read it, I thought it was about luck/fate

fourth time I read it I thought it was about love

now I just enjoy the ride

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I haven't posted in this thread, but Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell was a really neat book.

Lots of insight on America's very successful, and the subtle 'help' many of them had along the way.

I picked up "Blink" a few months ago after reading him in Bill Simmons' colum. It was a very good read. I am going to pick-up Outliers soon. I have read some of the excerpts on his website.

Unfortunately, I have a SQL Server book to read. Yuck.

I just got done reading Jim Frederick's Black Hearts: One Platoon's Descent into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death.

A book near to my heart as it is based on a platoon in my BN's 2005-2006 deployment. I was actually surprised that just about all of the key people involved were interviewed for the book. Frederick's does a good job of outlining the events that led upto the rape/murder of an Iraq family and how leadership failed them along the way.

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My funniest book is Lamb by Christopher Moore. I've recommended that book to like 3-4 other people and they all actually agreed. At least the first half actually makes you burst out loud with laughter. It's probably my favorite book of all time or close to it.

Just started Lamb. I'll let you know.

Two recommendations:

Just finished City of Thieves, very good read set in WWII Leningrad. Short, quick read but I liked it a LOT.

Also read The Given Day by Dennis Lehane (Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River). Also a good fictional history read about Boston circa 1918, end of WWI, the Police Strike, the flu pandeminc, Babe Ruth, racism, anarchists and bombings.

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