Thread: Recommend a book.

  1. #1
    and the hat of int overfl Salem's Avatar
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    Recommend a book.

    I've got some book token type things to spend, and I'm looking for some good books to splash out on.

    Any topic you like - just so long as you've read it and thought that was a good read.
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  2. #2
    Lurking whiteflags's Avatar
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    On my own, I tend to read novelizations of movies or TV series, especially science fiction ones such as Independence Day and the Red Dwarf series. You might want to try something like that if you're bored: some show that you love cast in the written word.

    I've also read the biographies of Sammy Sosa and Mickey Mantle (he wrote his own), which were okay. Those kinds make nice light reads if you like sports at all. Since I got those books from my high school library though, I don't know how much success you would have finding books about them in particular.

    If you want to dabble in fantasy a little bit I can't recommend too much for an adult. Some time after I read the previous books, a friend exposed me to the Everworld series by K.A. Applegate. It was a neat series, but I stopped reading after book four because I couldn't find the rest. So far it's been all about these teenagers who travel to the time of the vikings and back, which turned out to be more awesome than I first thought. It's for young adults, but that probably doesn't matter 'cause I still enjoy reading it. [edit]Sorry, but I had remembered the 1987 reprint of Bridge to Terabithia, and I recommend it highly. There's probably other reprints but the cover isn't going to be as good.

    My friends tend to influence me a lot in literature now that I think about it; maybe you could ask some of yours as well. I really haven't done a whole lot of reading as of late.
    Last edited by whiteflags; 06-19-2007 at 07:20 AM.

  3. #3
    Woof, woof! zacs7's Avatar
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    Well the most 'advanced' book I read was: Advanced Compiler Design and Implementation by Steven Muchnick
    Not that I understood all of it, I read it so I could understand more about compilers...

    Have a browse around http://www.pdfchm.com/ if your looking for a book also

    As for 'normal books' goes I just finished reading Hamlet, interesting but mainly because I wanted something different, Dunno if your interested in shakespear

  4. #4
    Mayor of Awesometown Govtcheez's Avatar
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    I'm currently reading "Into Thin Air", which is about the disaster on Everest in '96. It's amazing to see what people go through to try and climb that.

  5. #5
    Fear the Reaper...
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    I'm currently reading "Into Thin Air", which is about the disaster on Everest in '96. It's amazing to see what people go through to try and climb that.
    No kidding ? I'm currently reading "the Climb" by Anatoli Boukreev which is about the same thing. Real good stuff.
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  6. #6
    Mayor of Awesometown Govtcheez's Avatar
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    I didn't realize he wrote a book, too. I might have to pick that up afterwards to get another perspective on it.

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    I can't really call it the best book ever written or anything, but "Soul of a New Machine" is a pretty well written, short read that's computer-pertinent.

    Then there's the more esoteric suggestions...
    • The Beak of the Finch - Journalist documenting the work of two evolutionary scientists. I had spent a lot of time flipping through the talk-origins FAQs in my free time, yet this book still gave me a real perspective on the subject.
    • Gödel, Escher, Bach, an Eternal Golden Braid - I feel bad recommending this actually, because it's a huge tome, but this book is simply remarkable.
    • Pretty much anything off the list of Pulitzer Prize winners for non-fiction - The ones I've posted above are the best I've read, but this list has never done me wrong.


    The fun reads...
    • Three Kingdoms - A classic. I've read a couple old Chinese novels before, and this one is simply the best. It's a fun and easy read, given its size. Don't expect to learn anything from it though, it's adventure novel.
    • The Children of Odin - This is a children's book. Children's stories is a format that lends itself very well to mythology though. If you are a fan of D&D, console RPGs, or Tolkien, this should give some interesting perspective.
    Last edited by QuestionC; 06-19-2007 at 09:10 AM.
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  8. #8
    Fear the Reaper...
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    You a climber, cheez ?
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  9. #9
    Mayor of Awesometown Govtcheez's Avatar
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    No, there isn't anything around here to climb at all. I'd love to, though.

    I picked that book up because last spring I read "Into the Wild", by the same author. It's about this guy

  10. #10
    Cat without Hat CornedBee's Avatar
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    If you're into Fantasy, read everything by Tad Williams. He writes everything from classic fantasy (the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series) through uncommon fantasy (Tailchaser's Song) and Amber-style parallel universes (War of the Flowers) to Fantasy/Sci-Fi mix (the Otherland series). Best plotter I know.
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  11. #11
    semi-colon generator ChaosEngine's Avatar
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    I've recently enjoyed the following, YMMV:

    sci-fi: the Culture novels by Iain M. Banks
    fantasy: anything by Neil Gaiman (although Neverwhere is definitely a favourite)
    crime: anything by James Ellroy (esp. American Tabloid)
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  12. #12
    Disrupting the universe Mad_guy's Avatar
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    I second Godel, Escher, Bach. The book is absolutely amazing.

    1984 is a must read if you have not already. Ditto with Catcher in the Rye.

    'The things they carry' is also a really, really good book.
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  13. #13
    Deathray Engineer MacGyver's Avatar
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    Without a Badge.... by Jerry Speziale.

    Autobiography of a NY Cop going undercover among the drug cartels, busting entire shipments of drugs at a time. Less grand view of undercover operations and espionage than you'd read in a fictional novel, but a true story.

  14. #14
    &TH of undefined behavior Fordy's Avatar
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    Books by Simon Singh are usually worth a read

  15. #15
    Registered User divineleft's Avatar
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    the dune series by frank herbert is very awesome science fiction / philosophy
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