Watch the Footage

Speaker for the Dead is a bit draggy at bits, but it has some interesting philosophy, a fantastic idea for an alien race, and a (to me) plausible first contact scenario. Xenocide is just a slog, and Children is... yeah, I don't wanna talk about it.

Goldude wrote: The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove.

Lust Lizard is hilarious. Amend that. Christopher Moore is hilarious, and that, being one of his books, is perforce hilarious. It has no choice. I highly recommend Coyote Blue.

"Why are you humping my couch?"
"Great heroes have great horniness."

This is a BAD thread for me...
I like a lot of authors, and I never finish books I don't enjoy.
I really enjoy the grey wolf throne books by cinda williams chima.
I also absolutely adore the gone series by grant, and I really really like the inheritance cycle by paolini

...
I could probably keep going for pages, so.... I'll just edit this post continually

I mostly read specific series, actually- Star Wars, Blizzard Entertainment EU stuff, and more recently Transformers and Halo (all licensed! -.-). Should probably change that, settle on the authors I actually like. Tim Zahn, for example. (Matt Stover and, based on all of two books, Jeff Grubb are also awesome. Paolini isn't, but I'll get a softcover Inheritance just for the sake of maybe one day starting a sporking of the series just like Kippur.)

I don't read many books due to lack of interest, my fast skimming style of reading and other factors (such as length) but when I do read the books tend to be good.

By loose definition the Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O'Malley can count since they are just plain awesome with swords and video games.

On the other side of things The Perks Of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a lovely, smart and often emotional story that simply spoke out to me because of it's characters and how much I relate to them on some level. I am a wallflower off the Internet mind you...

JRPictures wrote:I don't read many books due to lack of interest, my fast skimming style of reading and other factors (such as length) but when I do read the books tend to be good.

By loose definition the Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O'Malley can count since they are just plain awesome with swords and video games.

On the other side of things The Perks Of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a lovely, smart and often emotional story that simply spoke out to me because of it's characters and how much I relate to them on some level. I am a wallflower off the Internet mind you...

Do you agree Scott Pilgrim is a badass sometimes? And if he is, should he be added in comic books or film in the Badass folders?

Endless Sea wrote:I mostly read specific series, actually- Star Wars, Blizzard Entertainment EU stuff, and more recently Transformers and Halo (all licensed! -.-). Should probably change that, settle on the authors I actually like. Tim Zahn, for example. (Matt Stover and, based on all of two books, Jeff Grubb are also awesome. Paolini isn't, but I'll get a softcover Inheritance just for the sake of maybe one day starting a sporking of the series just like Kippur.)

If you like Timothy Zahn's Star Wars books, you really ought to check out his Conqueror's series. The man really has fun when he's not playing in someone else's sandbox. Also, I highly recommend the Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold.

BlackWolfe wrote:

Endless Sea wrote:I mostly read specific series, actually- Star Wars, Blizzard Entertainment EU stuff, and more recently Transformers and Halo (all licensed! -.-). Should probably change that, settle on the authors I actually like. Tim Zahn, for example. (Matt Stover and, based on all of two books, Jeff Grubb are also awesome. Paolini isn't, but I'll get a softcover Inheritance just for the sake of maybe one day starting a sporking of the series just like Kippur.)

If you like Timothy Zahn's Star Wars books, you really ought to check out his Conqueror's series. The man really has fun when he's not playing in someone else's sandbox. Also, I highly recommend the Vorkosigan saga by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Never heard of the second guy you mentioned, but as for Tim Zahn's stuff, I actually have read some of his original stuff- for example, the first three books of the Quadrail series. I'm thinking about going after Angelmass next time I see it.

Endless Sea wrote:Never heard of the second guy you mentioned, but as for Tim Zahn's stuff, I actually have read some of his original stuff- for example, the first three books of the Quadrail series. I'm thinking about going after Angelmass next time I see it.

Lois is a girl's name. And the Vorkosigan saga is something else entirely. Miles is a great character, and the stories are very well plotted out and written.

The Wild West Pyro wrote:

JRPictures wrote:I don't read many books due to lack of interest, my fast skimming style of reading and other factors (such as length) but when I do read the books tend to be good.

By loose definition the Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O'Malley can count since they are just plain awesome with swords and video games.

On the other side of things The Perks Of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a lovely, smart and often emotional story that simply spoke out to me because of it's characters and how much I relate to them on some level. I am a wallflower off the Internet mind you...

Do you agree Scott Pilgrim is a badass sometimes? And if he is, should he be added in comic books or film in the Badass folders?

That's not relevant to this thread, ARG or forum Pyro.

(Rerails thread)

OK, back on topic.

I really do like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

It's really, really, funny and hilarious.

The Wild West Pyro wrote:I really do like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Douglas Adams is one of my two major comic influences. The other is Terry Pratchett.

They're both from the UK. What gives with that?

BlackWolfe wrote:

The Wild West Pyro wrote:I really do like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Douglas Adams is one of my two major comic influences. The other is Terry Pratchett.

They're both from the UK. What gives with that?

Obviously, we just have awesome writers on my side of the pond

Scarab wrote:

BlackWolfe wrote:

The Wild West Pyro wrote:I really do like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Douglas Adams is one of my two major comic influences. The other is Terry Pratchett.

They're both from the UK. What gives with that?

Obviously, we just have awesome writers on my side of the pond

And George Orwell, Charles Dickens, Enid Blyton and Shakespeare.

2ND FAVOURITE BOOK NAOW:


UPDATE: NO. 1 FAVOURITE BOOK.

Doctor Who is having their 50th Anniversary this year, so they rereleased 10 original novels and one adaptation.
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/01/beauti ... nniversary
I've read Festival of Death and The Silent Stars Go By, and they are wonderful.
Festival of Death is full of ham, and The Silent Stars Go By is full of awesome.

I'll be getting Remembrance of the Daleks next.

My favourite book is a book entitled 'The Gathering' by Isobel Carmody (there's a British author who has a book the same name, but that's not the one I'm talking about.) It's about these four kids who get drawn into some seeming good versus evil quest to heal the darkness that has been crushing their hometown.

It sounds like standard when I put it like that, but when you actually read it, it's fascinatingly done. The whole 'magic good and evil' thing isn't really obvious, it's more to do with the psychology of the kids, and the situation they're stuck in, and brings up both the advantages of teamwork and friendship, and the extreme threat that can be posed by violent, hive mind like attitudes where nobody thinks for themselves.

I would hugely recommend it.

Scarab wrote:My favourite book is a book entitled 'The Gathering' by Isobel Carmody (there's a British author who has a book the same name, but that's not the one I'm talking about.) It's about these four kids who get drawn into some seeming good versus evil quest to heal the darkness that has been crushing their hometown.

It sounds like standard when I put it like that, but when you actually read it, it's fascinatingly done. The whole 'magic good and evil' thing isn't really obvious, it's more to do with the psychology of the kids, and the situation they're stuck in, and brings up both the advantages of teamwork and friendship, and the extreme threat that can be posed by violent, hive mind like attitudes where nobody thinks for themselves.

I would hugely recommend it.

A lot of kids could use that, if they are feeling down, and I believe quite a lot of kids could emphasize with the situations.

The Wild West Pyro wrote:
A lot of kids could use that, if they are feeling down, and I believe quite a lot of kids could emphasize with the situations.

Somebody in the Australian council clearly agrees.

I like the balance the book suggests: you need to be able to work together and bond with others, but individuality is still extremely important.

The Wild West Pyro wrote:

Scarab wrote:My favourite book is a book entitled 'The Gathering' by Isobel Carmody (there's a British author who has a book the same name, but that's not the one I'm talking about.) It's about these four kids who get drawn into some seeming good versus evil quest to heal the darkness that has been crushing their hometown.

It sounds like standard when I put it like that, but when you actually read it, it's fascinatingly done. The whole 'magic good and evil' thing isn't really obvious, it's more to do with the psychology of the kids, and the situation they're stuck in, and brings up both the advantages of teamwork and friendship, and the extreme threat that can be posed by violent, hive mind like attitudes where nobody thinks for themselves.

I would hugely recommend it. :D

A lot of kids could use that, if they are feeling down, and I believe quite a lot of kids could emphasize with the situations.

Eh, I don't buy it. Doesn't really sound like an inspirational sort of book, so much as just plain fiction.

Endless Sea wrote:

The Wild West Pyro wrote:

Scarab wrote:My favourite book is a book entitled 'The Gathering' by Isobel Carmody (there's a British author who has a book the same name, but that's not the one I'm talking about.) It's about these four kids who get drawn into some seeming good versus evil quest to heal the darkness that has been crushing their hometown.

It sounds like standard when I put it like that, but when you actually read it, it's fascinatingly done. The whole 'magic good and evil' thing isn't really obvious, it's more to do with the psychology of the kids, and the situation they're stuck in, and brings up both the advantages of teamwork and friendship, and the extreme threat that can be posed by violent, hive mind like attitudes where nobody thinks for themselves.

I would hugely recommend it.

A lot of kids could use that, if they are feeling down, and I believe quite a lot of kids could emphasize with the situations.

Eh, I don't buy it. Doesn't really sound like an inspirational sort of book, so much as just plain fiction.

And I really dislike inspirational movies and books (especially the ones that are all "based on a true story"), so...eh. Fiction and inspirational story aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, though.

Endless Sea wrote:

Scarab wrote:

It sounds like standard when I put it like that, but when you actually read it, it's fascinatingly done.

Eh, I don't buy it. Doesn't really sound like an inspirational sort of book, so much as just plain fiction.

Um......

Endless Sea wrote:Eh, I don't buy it. Doesn't really sound like an inspirational sort of book, so much as just plain fiction.

You say that like it's impossible for a fiction book to inspire people...

Endless Sea wrote:Eh, I don't buy it. Doesn't really sound like an inspirational sort of book, so much as just plain fiction.

You ever heard of not judging something BEFORE you've actually read it, Endless?

My favorite book is actually a little embarassing to say, but what the heck.

Alex Rider

A story about a teenager who is drafted into the British secret service and has to go on missions to stop James Bond level villains with his smarts and a few gadgets (which always manage to get taken so he has to rely on himself). Imagine James Bond, as a teenager, and without the heart of ice that allows him to gun down mooks and you have Alex Rider. I think what I might love most about this series is that it really shows the evolution of the main character and how this missions really effect him both physically and mentally. If you have never given it a read then I highly recommend it the next time you are at your local library or book store.

By the by just to show how balls to the walls this series is allow me to copy pasta this little bit from tvtropes

Major Yu's plan to dispose of Alex: Slowly have his organs removed and sold on the black market, starting with his corneas and eventually reducing him to a husk on life support.

By the by this books normal place in the library? Middle School section.