The thread all about good books

I've just always been hesitant to reading Stephen King. I tend to not like horror because it just doesn't interest me. I like to have a main character I can sympathize for, but at the same time I don't want to be reading a horror story.

Actually it's not REALLY a horror story. Yes, it has horror elements to it, it's freaking Stephen King, but an excellent book regardless.

A book I just finished last week:

The Princetta and the Captain by Anne-Laure Bondoux

 Spoiler

On the eve of her arranged marriage, 15-year-old Malva, Princetta of peaceful Galnicia, hides inside a wine barrel to be smuggled out of the palace. Malva yearns to choose her own future, and gleefully embraces shipboard life as she sails to freedom in another land. Treachery is afoot, however. Young Orpheus McBott sets out to rescue the Princetta, and the two join forces in an odyssey that carries them far beyond the Known World, into the mysterious Archipelago–the realm of the fearsome Catabea. Joined by an eccentric band of comrades, the two must survive a horrifying series of trials that test their courage and loyalty. Rich descriptive language enhances this swashbuckling fantasy, which is chock-full of action, as the Princetta and her followers encounter sharks, pirates, fierce gales, monsters, villains and temptation.

I know all this probably sounds cliche, but it's a really good book with many twists, and I enjoyed it more than I expected to. Definitely a good read.

I've just started reading Stardust by Neil Gaiman (I got interested in his books after seeing the movie Coraline), any comments on this book?

The Sigma Protocol - Robert Ludlum.

 Summary

Robert Ludlum's trademark skills of intricate plotting, breakneck pacing, and high-wire drama are all on display in this gripping thriller. After his twin brother dies in a plane crash, Ben Hartman reluctantly takes his place in the investment firm started by their father, a Holocaust survivor. But then an old college buddy tries to kill Ben on a crowded Zurich street, setting off a chain of events that ultimately leads Ben into the thick of a worldwide conspiracy. Behind it is Sigma, a multinational cartel built on the rubble of World War II by industrialists and financiers bent on exploiting wartime technology and protecting their wealth from the threat of communism.

Accompanied by a beautiful American justice department agent, Ben eludes the assassins on his trail and follows Sigma's tentacles across Europe, to Argentina*, Washington, and finally to a sanitarium known as the Clockworks in the Austrian Alps, where the horrifying agenda of a perverted new world order is revealed. Ludlum, who died between the writing and publishing of this book, was a master of the genre he helped popularize, and The Sigma Protocol shows him at the peak of his craft.

*F'ucking silly reviewer on Amazon said they've been to Brazil. lrn2readyourbooks

Like a lot of Robert Ludlum's books, this one is thrilling, fast-paced and mind-blowing. The book features various plots at the same time, making your head multi-task while reading in the same chapter what's going on in Paris, Brussels, London and New York simultaneously. Published after Ludlum's death, the book excels in every field Ludlum is used to. If you liked the Bourne trilogy (movies or books, the same), this book won't let you down.

Stephen Colbert's "I AM AMERICA (AND SO CAN YOU!)". Man, this is one of the best reads ever. He talks about politics, sex, etc., you name it. This is a very intelligent man with a great sense of humor, I suggest this book to people that also has a sense of humor and wants to enjoy a good read.

I'm sure you've all heard of Twilight, a series of vampire books written by Stephanie Meyer. Frankly, these books are just terrible, and there should only be two kinds of people reading them: 12-year-old girls, and people seeking to read something humorous. I say humorous because it is; the writing is so bad, it's comical. These books are seeking to destroy any glimmering hope that today's youth will emerge as a literate, intelligent generation. Being a part of that generation myself, that only depresses me.

I want people to understand how horrible these books are. Truly and honestly just plain bad. Stephanie Meyer just does not write well, and I guess her editors are third graders. Or giraffes. I don't know how these books could land on the shelves, but they have, and they are filled with a copious amount of glaring and awful mistakes.

Hey, Greg, this is funny and all, but I prefer GOOD BOOKS in this thread.

Hey, Greg, this is funny and all, but I prefer GOOD BOOKS in this thread.

I know man, and I'm sorry, but I haven't really read a GOOD book in a long time. Twilight just happened to be one of my first skims in a long time. I read through like half of Angels & Demons, but kept putting off finishing it, and now it's just sitting there on the same desk its been sitting on since last year. ;~;

Just give your opinion of a book, either good or bad

I know man, and I'm sorry, but I haven't really read a GOOD book in a long time. Twilight just happened to be one of my first skims in a long time. I read through like half of Angels & Demons, but kept putting off finishing it, and now it's just sitting there on the same desk its been sitting on since last year. ;~;

Oh, I didn't see what Matt posted anyway, sorry.

I can assure most of the books in this thread are good reads, trust me.

I can assure most of the books in this thread are good reads, trust me.

Iono man, I never finish my books, even if they seemed good from what I had read already. When I was in elementary school, we'd go to the library once a week, and I'd always get a different Goosebumps book and never read more than half of it. The only kinds of books that I barely enjoy reading are biographies/autobiographies. I read one on Slash (Guns n' Roses guitarist) two years ago and it was great. That was the last book I actually finished... baww...

Oh, I didn't see what Matt posted anyway, sorry.

I can assure most of the books in this thread are good reads, trust me.

Except what Greg posted.

Iono man, I never finish my books, even if they seemed good from what I had read already. When I was in elementary school, we'd go to the library once a week, and I'd always get a different Goosebumps book and never read more than half of it. The only kinds of books that I barely enjoy reading are biographies/autobiographies. I read one on Slash (Guns n' Roses guitarist) two years ago and it was great. That was the last book I actually finished... baww...

If you're into auto/biographies, I'd recommend the one about Andre Agassi, and every one you can find about Tricky/Red Hot Chili Peppers/The Beatles/Pink Floyd.

Awesome reads dude.

Except what Greg posted.

No need to get so technical :F3:

 Spoiler

Love this author! No formal uptight guy, but someone who provides humor and a non girly "diary entry". Begins with a man named A.J Jacobs who begins to follow the laws and rules of the Bible word for word. He also describes himself in the book without being that boring type of person that tells you what they did every single minute of the day, nor is he afraid to tell you his flaws. He also took on the challenge of reading the entire Britannica Encyclopedia in his other book. In closing: Amazing read.

So today I finished Flight and I almost cried. I was really moved. I really think you guys should read it, and don't worry, it is a fast read. I think it took me 4~5 days to finish.

I think my favorite part was how it was written. It was written in stream-of-consciousness.

stephen king books everyone should read.

The Dead Zone.

 Spoiler

Johnny Smith is injured in an accident and enters a coma for nearly five years. When he emerges, he can see horrifying secrets, but he cannot identify all the details because of an area of his brain being dead.

Needful Things

 Spoiler

Set in the small fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine, a new shop named "Needful Things" opens, to the curiosity of the townspeople. One by one, they start to come into the shop, drawn there by something they want more than anything else.

The Green Mile

 Spoiler

The Green Mile is Cold Mountain Penitentiary's Death Row. Paul Edgecomb has seen many men come and go through E Block, but none quite like John Coffey. The giant, sentenced to death for a horrifying crime, reveals a fascinating truth to Paul, shaking the very foundations of his world.

The Long Walk

 Spoiler

One hundred teenage boys (picked at random from a large pool of applicants) are chosen to participate in an annual walking contest called "The Long Walk". Each walker must maintain a constant speed of no less than four miles an hour or risk being shot by soldiers monitoring the event.

those are my favorites from all of his books i have read. of course the short stories in Skeleton Crew, Nightmares & Dreamscapes and Everything's Eventual are top quality too. i actually like his short stories more than most of his books.

I'm gonna get addicted to this thread. lol

Kafka By The Shore - Haruki Murakami

 Summary

Joining the rich literature of runaways, Kafka On The Shore follows the solitary, self-disciplined schoolboy Kafka Tamura as he hops a bus from Tokyo to the randomly chosen town of Takamatsu, reminding himself at each step that he has to be "the world¹s toughest fifteen-year-old." He finds a secluded private library in which to spend his days--continuing his impressive self-education--and is befriended by a clerk and the mysteriously remote head librarian, Miss Saeki, whom he fantasizes may be his long-lost mother. Meanwhile, in a second, wilder narrative spiral, an elderly Tokyo man named Nakata veers from his calm routine by murdering a stranger. An unforgettable character, beautifully delineated by Murakami, Nakata can speak with cats but cannot read or write, nor explain the forces drawing him toward Takamatsu and the other characters.

God, this book was awesome. After reading Norwegian Wood from Murakami, I wanted more. I found myself reading my own imagination. This book was like a long run-on sentence, as I finished its 730 pages in just a week. It was like a trip. The best part of this is that after finishing it, it's even better! I'm still asking myself what happened, why people got to relate to each other the way they did, how did that happen, etc.

Awesome read. I look forward to read more from this author.

I'm gonna get addicted to this thread. lol

Kafka By The Shore - Haruki Murakami

 Summary

Joining the rich literature of runaways, Kafka On The Shore follows the solitary, self-disciplined schoolboy Kafka Tamura as he hops a bus from Tokyo to the randomly chosen town of Takamatsu, reminding himself at each step that he has to be "the world¹s toughest fifteen-year-old." He finds a secluded private library in which to spend his days--continuing his impressive self-education--and is befriended by a clerk and the mysteriously remote head librarian, Miss Saeki, whom he fantasizes may be his long-lost mother. Meanwhile, in a second, wilder narrative spiral, an elderly Tokyo man named Nakata veers from his calm routine by murdering a stranger. An unforgettable character, beautifully delineated by Murakami, Nakata can speak with cats but cannot read or write, nor explain the forces drawing him toward Takamatsu and the other characters.

God, this book was awesome. After reading Norwegian Wood from Murakami, I wanted more. I found myself reading my own imagination. This book was like a long run-on sentence, as I finished its 730 pages in just a week. It was like a trip. The best part of this is that after finishing it, it's even better! I'm still asking myself what happened, why people got to relate to each other the way they did, how did that happen, etc.

Awesome read. I look forward to read more from this author.

You really like Japanese books, eh?

The Picture of Dorian Gray-Oscar Wilde

 Spoiler

The story's title character is an exceptionally handsome young man who, both in the eyes of the artist tasked to paint his portrait, Basil Hallward, and in those of their somewhat older friend Lord Henry Wotton, epitomizes perfect beauty and is coveted by both men for that very reason. Seduced by hedonistic Lord Henry into believing that beauty can literally justify anything, including any act of immorality, Dorian sells his soul for maintaining his beautiful appearance, letting his portrait age in his stead. (In that, his character resembles Goethe's and Marlowe's Faust.) He then quickly turns from an innocent youth into a cruel and calculating man whom society, in its shallow adherence to appearances, nonetheless never associates with any of the results of his cruelty, never looking beyond the surface of his handsome exterior and assuming that a man so beautiful must necessarily also be good.

God, this book was awesome. I recently finished this for a high school Western Literature class. Oscar Wilde's wit and sarcasm found in epigrams and some of Lord Henry Wotton's dialogue kept the book actually fresh and somewhat humorous at times for me. Lord Henry Wotton is definitely one of classic literature's more interesting characters. What I really liked about this was how excellent Wilde is at presenting Dorian's gradual changes in character and the impact of the painting on himself as it builds slowly towards the revelations at the ending. However, the one thing I dislike about this book is the large amount of ambling, directionless conversations that appear within the book; but the rest is pretty riveting and thrilling to me. Wilde himself said that he did not like for morals to mix with art due to the aestheticism movements going around in England during his time, so I'm not entirely sure of this, but I felt that the story moves in a direction where the reader is almost hoping for some sort of moral justice to satisfy them at the ending due to Dorian growing increasingly cruel.

 About the ending

I found myself wondering what gets him in the end: is it because he attempts to mix morals into the teachings of aestheticism and the morals he was indoctrinated by society are actually what caused him to die instead of just continuing living on life to the teachings of aestheticism, or is it that he realizes his character is corrupt and any attempts to be "good" are just facades thereby making his attempts for genuine redemption from the weight of his sins worthless and thereby killing himself just to free himself from the burden of his sins for some sort of triumph of morals?
As I mentioned before, the ending may feel satisfying as the moral retribution the reader has been longing for at the end. However, if we look at this from the perspective that perhaps Wilde himself would have viewed it, where Dorian's death serves as a reminder of why art/beauty and morals should never, this also feels conclusive: if we view all of Dorian's hedonistic actions as fulfilling and actually in a positive light despite them seeming "pimento-ish" to our own eyes as a reader, we see that he meets his demise because of morals clouding his judgment and giving him this self doubt and dislike of his soul instead of continuing to act on his desires for pleasure. Still good ending either way.

So, I'm thinking about trying that Kafka on the Shore novel someday. I'll definitely set time one day to get that book from Borders or rent it from the library and read through it at home or during a trip.

The Picture of Dorian Gray-Oscar Wilde

 Spoiler

The story's title character is an exceptionally handsome young man who, both in the eyes of the artist tasked to paint his portrait, Basil Hallward, and in those of their somewhat older friend Lord Henry Wotton, epitomizes perfect beauty and is coveted by both men for that very reason. Seduced by hedonistic Lord Henry into believing that beauty can literally justify anything, including any act of immorality, Dorian sells his soul for maintaining his beautiful appearance, letting his portrait age in his stead. (In that, his character resembles Goethe's and Marlowe's Faust.) He then quickly turns from an innocent youth into a cruel and calculating man whom society, in its shallow adherence to appearances, nonetheless never associates with any of the results of his cruelty, never looking beyond the surface of his handsome exterior and assuming that a man so beautiful must necessarily also be good.

God, this book was awesome. I recently finished this for a high school Western Literature class. Oscar Wilde's wit and sarcasm found in epigrams and some of Lord Henry Wotton's dialogue kept the book actually fresh and somewhat humorous at times for me. Lord Henry Wotton is definitely one of classic literature's more interesting characters. What I really liked about this was how excellent Wilde is at presenting Dorian's gradual changes in character and the impact of the painting on himself as it builds slowly towards the revelations at the ending. However, the one thing I dislike about this book is the large amount of ambling, directionless conversations that appear within the book; but the rest is pretty riveting and thrilling to me. Wilde himself said that he did not like for morals to mix with art due to the aestheticism movements going around in England during his time, so I'm not entirely sure of this, but I felt that the story moves in a direction where the reader is almost hoping for some sort of moral justice to satisfy them at the ending due to Dorian growing increasingly cruel.

I WAS GOING TO READ THAT! Too bad the library didn't have it then.

I'll have to check up on it soon because i was really looking forward to reading it.

You really like Japanese books, eh?

Actually, no. They're just some trend I'm following right now. Actually I read only about... 10~15 Japanese books?

Double posting because I read too many books.

The Matarese Countdown - Robert Ludlum

 Cover

 Summary

Like the legendary phoenix, the Materese are rising from the ashes and are regaining their former power. The new leader of the Matarese is an enigmatic figure named Jan van der Meer Matareisen, according to himself the only legitimate grandchild of Baron Guillaume de Matarese, the founder of the Matarese group. With the help of another shadowy figure known as Julian Guiderone a.k.a. "son of the shepherd boy," who seems to have survived the events recounted in "The Matarese Circle" nearly twenty years ago, they are hatching a new and diabolical plot to plunge the civilised world into total chaos.

Only one man, a CIA operative known as Brandon Scofield a.k.a. Beowulf Agate, can stop them, but he has been retired for nearly twenty years. Brandon Scofield is once again sent into the field together with a CIA case officer Cameron Pryce but this time the enemy is more dangerous.

Yet another book by Ludlum. As I said before, his stories always get me on the verge of a nervous collapse. I get into the books a lot, and I can't stop reading until I devour the last pages.