Book talk.

hecter · Post by **hecter** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 8:50 am

I liked this thread. Bump.

btownmeggy · Post by **btownmeggy** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 5:15 pm

Albert Camus - The Stranger

This is how I spent my afternoon today. It was wonderful. Oh please, read it now, I beg of you.

flashleg8 · Post by **flashleg8** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 6:04 pm

btownmeggy wrote:Albert Camus - The Stranger

This is how I spent my afternoon today. It was wonderful. Oh please, read it now, I beg of you.

I had a look at reviews and it looks like my kind of thing. (My fiancé’s French/Algerian).
It’s on my list now. I know who to blame if its crap

qeee1 · Post by **qeee1** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 6:09 pm

btownmeggy wrote:Albert Camus - The Stranger

This is how I spent my afternoon today. It was wonderful. Oh please, read it now, I beg of you.

I used to have that on my bookshelf but at some stage it disappeared without me knowing where it went? Perhaps it was fate I should never read this.

[size=0]...though camus certainly wouldn't agree[/size]

MeDeFe · Post by **MeDeFe** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 6:48 pm

Get a new copy?

btownmeggy · Post by **btownmeggy** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:10 pm

Yeah. My copy cost me 83 cents. It's a worthwhile investment.

Bertros Bertros · Post by **Bertros Bertros** » Mon Mar 12, 2007 8:10 pm

Considering the number of hobby philosophers who post here I'm surprised no one has mentioned John Fowles excellent first novel The Magus. This comes very highly recommended as you would expect for a novel which took 12 years to write. Amongst his other novels The Collector is also well worth the read but is not a patch on The Magus.

Even if you don't like fantasy fiction I would recommend reading "The Farseer Trilogy" (and the Liveships Traders and Tawny Man Trilogys) by Robin Hobb which are some of the best books I have ever read. Her writing far surpasses the genre and the fantastical element is totally outweighed by the depth of her characters. I've given these books to several non-fantasy reading friends and told them to give them a go and without exception all have loved them.

In a similar fashion Janny Wurts and Raymond E Feists "Empire" series will also charm even the most ardent anti-fantasy reader.

Just to be controversial I'll let you all know that I am one of the seemingly few people, especially amongst fantasy fans, who doesn't think much of Tolkein. I rate The Hobbit over LOTR and whilst I appreciate the amazing scope of his novels and the depth and quality of his stories, and have even read them numerous times, I just don't think his writing is really all that compelling.

MR. Nate · Post by **MR. Nate** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:45 am

I am intensely jealous of all you who are able to read what you want. In the last 19 months, I have been able to read 1 book for personal pleasure: The once and future King. I thought it was overrated. Everything else I've read is for school. That being said, the most enjoyable books I've read in that span are:

Naming the Elephant, by James Sire
The Theology of Paul the Apostle, by James Dunn
Integrative Theology, by Gorden Lewis and Bruce Demerest
A little exercise for young theologians, Helmut Theleickie

heavycola · Post by **heavycola** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:23 am

Bertros Bertros wrote:Considering the number of hobby philosophers who post here I'm surprised no one has mentioned John Fowles excellent first novel The Magus. This comes very highly recommended as you would expect for a novel which took 12 years to write. Amongst his other novels The Collector is also well worth the read but is not a patch on The Magus.

I LOVE John Fowles and The Magus fried my circuits. What a story... I am gearing up to have another read of it soon. The Collector is great, but my first JF novel was (quelle surprise) the French Lieutenant's Woman, which is prolly still in my all-time top-10 books, like, ever.

MR. Nate there seems to be a common thread linking your recommendations, although i can't quite put my finger on it...

qeee1 · Post by **qeee1** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:19 am

btownmeggy wrote:Yeah. My copy cost me 83 cents. It's a worthwhile investment.

sorry, that was more of a joke than anything else, well it's a true story, but I only said it because I wanted to make some comment about fate, given it flies in the face of camus' philosophy... or at least what I've heard of Camus' philosophy. Anyway I will probably read it at some stage.

I'm finally off college, so I can read for pleasure again. Think I'll go buy the Magus, seeing as you guys seem to love it so much.

MR. Nate · Post by **MR. Nate** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:12 am

heavycola wrote:MR. Nate there seems to be a common thread linking your recommendations, although i can't quite put my finger on it...

Except the elephant, you know you're curious about the elephant . . .

DoomsDay · Post by **DoomsDay** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 5:29 pm

i have lots of books to reconmend...but of what age are you?

hecter · Post by **hecter** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:25 pm

DoomsDay wrote:i have lots of books to reconmend...but of what age are you?

Age doesn't matter. There are plenty of people who look at this thread that are of varying ages.

dcowboys055 · Post by **dcowboys055** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:27 pm

Jeff Shaara books

hecter · Post by **hecter** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 6:52 pm

Wow… this was before I was the Spam king…

gethine · Post by **gethine** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 6:55 pm

robin hobb
terry pratchett
stephen e. ambrose

dwightschrute · Post by **dwightschrute** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 6:58 pm

catcher in the rye and other books by J.D Sallinger

Hitman079 · Post by **Hitman079** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 11:09 pm

i think the books commonly used in literature classes are the best.
ex. The Outsiders
Of Mice and Men
Catcher in the Rye
etc.

Skittles! · Post by **Skittles!** » Wed Apr 11, 2007 11:26 pm

Hecter, Hecter, what have you done?

qeee1 · Post by **qeee1** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 12:27 pm

qeee1 wrote:I'm finally off college, so I can read for pleasure again. Think I'll go buy the Magus, seeing as you guys seem to love it so much.

I ended up not getting it due to it not being in the bookshop.

Recent books read:

Bright Lights, Big City, by Jay McInerny- A novel written in the second person. Was worried it'd be a little gimmicky due to this, but in fact it's quite well written. It's about drugs and clubbing and paralysis in life. Sometimes I thought it was a little too obvious but not a major problem. Also pretty funny.

Great Gatsby (again)-This book is intense. I get to a stage reading it where I read a couple of lines, then put down the book so I can calm down, then pick it up read a couple more and repeat. Gets better every time I read it I think. READ IT if you haven't already done so.

My Place, by Sally Morgan-Autobiography of an Australian woman searching for her aboriginal heritage, also an exposition of the treatment of aboriginal people by the settlers in Australia. Wouldn't normally be my type of book, but quite sweet and endearing. I admit it, I was moved.

heavycola · Post by **heavycola** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 12:41 pm

MR. Nate wrote:
heavycola wrote:MR. Nate there seems to be a common thread linking your recommendations, although i can't quite put my finger on it...
Except the elephant, you know you're curious about the elephant . . .

Yes! What is it with the elephant?

I am reading The Wind-up Bird Chronicle at the moment and it is blowing me away every day. I cannot recommend it enough. It is by Haruki Murakami.

mandalorian2298 · Post by **mandalorian2298** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 1:23 pm

Fantasy: Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" (Books 1-6): Most amazing fantasy I ever read intelligent, suprising, great characters. If you like fantasy you MUST read "Wizard's first rule".

Unfortunatly, the books 7-9 have been MUCH worse then the first six, so, if you decide to read them be prepared for a mayor disapointment (I and all my friends were disapointed. Who knows, maybe you'll like these books, too.)

Fanfiction: Google Maya's "Draco Malfoy the Amazing, Bouncing Rat?" and Cassandra Clair's "LOTR secret diaries": The bouncing Rat is the funniest HP parody I ever saw (warnning: for maximum enjoyment, you should be either a kid or totally immature, like me

).
"The secret diaries" will answer all your supicions about why Aragorn left Liv Tyler to follow little, hairy-footed Frodo

Strategy&Philosophy Miyamoto Musashi's "The Book of Five Rings": IMO The best book ever about the way of the warrior.

wiggybowler · Post by **wiggybowler** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 1:28 pm

The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant---Stephen R. Donaldson

The Sword of Truth Series---Terry Goodkind book 7 and on are not as bad as he says

The Runelords--- David Farland

All great Fantasy series

mandalorian2298 · Post by **mandalorian2298** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 1:31 pm

You mean you liked "The Pillars of Creation"?

Lucky you!

wiggybowler · Post by **wiggybowler** » Thu Apr 12, 2007 1:54 pm

yes it was not as good as the rest of the previous books but I stioll enjoyed it