Interesting books to read.

[Bradley Walker]

I like learning about stuff I want to learn about.

I used to like Steven King, but he sucks now.

[black udder]

I like learning about stuff I want to learn about.

I used to like Steven King, but he sucks now.

Yeah, I'm with you about learning stuff. I just don't see how you can keep digging into what you did into and not need heavy anti-depression medication

Steven King was always too wordy for me. I liked Dean Koontz. He's been incredibly prolific. What other stuff do you (or have you) read to learn about besides the people stuff (economics, politics and such)?

[chiggins]

I really enjoyed The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

Heh, I found The Road to be perhaps the most exquisitely written books I've ever read, nevertheless, I'm not sure that I'd go so far as to say I "enjoyed" it. There's stretches that are just way, way too dark to think of as fun. But it's one of the best works of fiction I can remember.

I used to like John Fowles quite a bit, his stuff was always pretty compelling. I've found everything by George Pelecanos to be excellent, and more than one are mind-blowingly good.

Neal Stephenson's stuff is flat-out fun, and is the author most likely to keep me awake til 4 a.m. reading just one more chapter. Snow Crash was a great ride, Cryptonomicon is an amazing story, and The Baroque Cycle is 4000 pages of swashbuckling rock-em-sock-em enlightenment age war, espionage, science, piracy, and political intrigue. Lotta fun.

[black udder]

Neal Stephenson was a big too much tech for me, I went for the easier on the brain Shadowrun series of books. Takes what Neal does and adds some magic

[BLURR]

These are a few of my favorites I've read over the past few months:

Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson - The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
Bill Bryson - Walk in the Woods
Matt Hughes - Made in America
Simon Singh - The Code Book

[Jesse B 707]

These are a few of my favorites I've read over the past few months:

Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson - The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
Bill Bryson - Walk in the Woods
Matt Hughes - Made in America
Simon Singh - The Code Book

Bill Bryson is surely money but Matt Hughes????!!!!! is it all about reading the bible and working on the farm?

[BLURR]

The Matt Hughes book was a present from my wife...since I like MMA. It was an ok read. It basically walks you through his school years, college and present mma stuff. It didn't really have a heavy bible overtone to it. I was really surprised there wasn't more of that in there.

As for Bill Bryson...love his books. Always a good read.

[swan]

These are a few of my favorites I've read over the past few months:

Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson - The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
Bill Bryson - Walk in the Woods
Matt Hughes - Made in America
Simon Singh - The Code Book

Leave it to a DMer to pimp Bryson.
I've read every single one and they're all spectacular. Short History of Nearly Everything is mandatory reading for anyone who enjoys science and learning. I think I've read it four times.

[practically invincible]

Forst of all Craig S Jacked my list mostly, I'd add Cats's Cradle fro Vonnegut. It's probably his best IMHO.

Also read Last Exit to Brooklyn, Herbert Selby Jr. It will really mess with your mind. But it is a piece of art.

[BLURR]

Short History of Nearly Everything is mandatory reading for anyone who enjoys science and learning. I think I've read it four times.

This was an awesome read. I have lost my copy, but am tempted to go buy another one.

[ChUcK]

Smolin, I like you better with every post you put out there...

I'd recommend staying away from Palahniuk's more recent books- they have lots of shock value but little-to-no plot, so at the end you feel like ol' Chuck made a sucker out of you.

I'd like to give a shout-out to all the Discworld novels. They are damn funny and almost all of them can stand on their own, but they can be read as a series as well. My favorite is Night Watch.

The four Bukowski semi-autobiographical novels are also a hoot to read if you like easy-to-read books filled with sex, booze, and violence. In order they are: Ham on Rye, Factotum, Post Office, Women.

Hubert Selby Jr's Requiem for a Dream and Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho are a couple of good ones if you like books that make you throw up in your mouth...

[maks]

so i halfway done with reading "i hope they serve beer in hell". and i love it. i feel like i have to top everything this dude has done, but if i actually did id probably die.

so ima keep truckin...

[Working Stiff]

Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho are a couple of good ones if you like books that make you throw up in your mouth...

I've seen American Psycho noted in a few places recently. I guess it has developed a cult following. I'm kind-of confused by that. I was the right age for that book, it came out when I was in college. I actually liked Less Than Zero quite a bit. I thought American Psycho was boring, just an extended name drop of yuppie gotta-have brand names and Huey Lewis song titles set amongst brutal and senseless violence. Where Less Than Zero pointed out a callous and amoral attitude amongst a spoiled and privileged generation, American Psycho seemed to be nothing more than a cartoon depiction of a serial killer. While the content may be shocking, it has no depth. The shallow and narcissistic actions of the characters in Less Than Zero can be somewhat thought-provoking, at least it was for me when I was 17 or 18 and read it for the first time.

[domromer]

The Egg and
All My Friends are going to be strangers
The last picture show
Cannery Row
Sea of Cortez

[djalizwan]

Atlas Shrugged

Animal Farm