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Finished That Old Cape Magic and on to The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

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I found Disclosure in a pile of books in the attic. Always liked that movie with Michael Douglass and Demi Moore (actually, it's an excellent movie by average standards because it's "different"), but I'm wondering is the book pretty much more complex of a plot? What always struck me as cool about the movie was techwise (aside from the VR program) pretty grounded in reality plotwise, for that era. Not like those movies where they have unrealistic software "dummied down" for the audience, or like movies where people are looking at a security camera footage and say "clear that up" and some techie turns a compressed video feed into crystal clear 1080p, lol. "Yeah, you can see his reflection in the wine glass, that's the murderer!"

Oh, and there's a book I highly recommend: The Hot Zone by Richard Preston. It was the rough inspiration for the movie Outbreak. It's a pretty damn scary book. Even Stephen King agrees.
 
[quote name='crunchb3rry']I found Disclosure in a pile of books in the attic. Always liked that movie with Michael Douglass and Demi Moore (actually, it's an excellent movie by average standards because it's "different"), but I'm wondering is the book pretty much more complex of a plot? [/QUOTE]


Never saw the movie so I can't say for sure. But it is fun reading the stuff about CD-ROM being the technology of the future and the way he describes this outdated VR system of moving down hallways in a database and what not. Oh and also, how some people are curious about the main characters cell phone. :lol:

It really is a good book though. Easy to read and always leaves you wanting to know what's going to happen next. I'm guessing in the movie Demi's character is the 'villian'?
 
Damn, Mak, you power through books. Wish I could read as consistently you do. I get sidetracked into buying new books before I've finished all of my current ones way too easily.

I finished the first volume of Transmetropolitan (trade paperbacks are so short). It was great, though. The totally degraded city is a great setting, and Spider Jersualem is a hell of a character. Awesome idea to make a gonzo journalist your main character. Starting some more sci-fi now:

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I'm a bit nervous about this one. Bought it on a whim after reading the plot description. I rarely buy books I don't actively look into. Looks cool, though.
 
I think I read that (or something other) by Richard Morgan. Really enjoyed it. Always keep looking for more by him each time I go to the used book store but keep coming up empty.
 
[quote name='Pavel6969']Just finished The Strain. Good book with no ending, guess it is that way since there are two more books on the way.[/QUOTE]

Yes, I'm pumped for the next 2. Any idea when the next one is coming out?
 
Was meaning to read the Strain, but hearing that I'll wait until the next 2 books are out as I hate reading series before all the books are out. My memory for fiction isn't great so I tend to forget a ton of the story by the time the next book comes out.
 
I finally succumbed to the temptation and picked up The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I watched about... half of the film and realised that I was definitely going to read this, so I turned the film off. (I'll watch the rest once I complete the novel)
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Finished Return of the King (including the first few appendices--read all but the ones on calendar and language). So finally done with my Tolkien re-read.

Started up Mass Effect-Retribution. Also been reading Blink by Malcolm Gladwell on the crapper.
 
Recently finished Mass Effect: Retribution. For a Video Game novel it is rather decent, but nowhere near as good as the previous too Mass Effect novels. Much better Sci-Fi books out there.

I also finished Beyond the Shadows, the last part of the Night Angel trilogy by Brent weeks, and it was phenomenal. A must read for fans of violent fantasy books.

Next I will be moving onto Brent Week's latest book (which came out this past week), The Black Prism.
 
I'm currently reading "Abraham Lincolm: Vampire Hunter" by Seth Grahame-Smith. And also "X-Rated Bloodsuckers" by Mario Acevedo. The "Felix Gomez" series that Mario Acevedo has written are actually really good. Since I'm Mexican, it's nice to have a Mexican vampire as the protagonist (plus he's a detective so that's a bonus for me.)
 
[quote name='GhostShark']Recently finished Mass Effect: Retribution. For a Video Game novel it is rather decent, but nowhere near as good as the previous too Mass Effect novels. Much better Sci-Fi books out there.
[/QUOTE]

Not happy to hear that as I wasn't a big fan of the first two, and had heard this one was better....
 
I recently read George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones (which I know a lot of CAGs have read), and thought it was a very good fantasy read (hadn't read a book in the genre in years). Just started reading the sequel, A Clash of Kings, two days ago, and should be finished with that by Wednesday.

Also read Malcom Gladwell's Outliers which is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. A very compelling look at how genius really works, what separates the exceptional from the average, and the luck/opportunities involved for those geniuses who have struck it rich.
 
Finished Mass Effect Retribution. Will disagree with GhostShark and say I found it the best of the three ME novels.

Still not a "good" book by any means, but at least a bit better than the first two at least in the sense of being a bit more tied to the game events/characters with learning a bit more about the Illusive Man etc.

Started up Girl with the Dragon Tatoo.
 
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[quote name='MattJ1991']
I finally succumbed to the temptation and picked up The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I watched about... half of the film and realised that I was definitely going to read this, so I turned the film off. (I'll watch the rest once I complete the novel)
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[/QUOTE]

Is this the first book in a trilogy, or do the other books have nothing to do with this one? I should try and get his other books, because I absolutely loved the movie of this book.

A couple other recommendations (I'm currently listening to the audio books): Bloodsucking Fiends and You Suck (Bite Me is the last in the trilogy) Christopher Moore. Also by him, A Dirty Job.
 
Has anybody here read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet? If so, is it any good? I've watched the first three episodes of the Starz miniseries and it's blowing me away.
 
[quote name='shieryda']Is this the first book in a trilogy, or do the other books have nothing to do with this one? I should try and get his other books, because I absolutely loved the movie of this book.
[/QUOTE]

It's a trilogy.

[quote name='GhostShark']Has anybody here read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet? If so, is it any good? I've watched the first three episodes of the Starz miniseries and it's blowing me away.[/QUOTE]

I loved the mini-series as well (have watched all of it). I'll definitely read the book, it gets pretty rave reviews from what I've seen. And it's sold a shit ton of copies over the years.
 
Yeah i really enjoyed the first book in the strain series. Right now im reading Farenhiet 451, then finishing Ragtime.
 
Darkly Dreaming Dexter (kinda eh, but I enjoyed how much the tv show diverted from the book such that it had a number of surprises in it)

Catcher in the Rye (20 years later than I should have read it, as I was - and perhaps remain - very much a Holden Caufield in how I perceive the world)

The Big Short (man, what a book; it's funny how many bankers claim that they saw the 2007 subprime collapse coming a mile away. strangely enough, the book inspires me to follow investments more than before)

Currently reading: The Wire: Truth Be Told. Series of essays on the greatest tv show of all time.
 
Finished Dutch detectives book on to this

until we go visit the library to pick up newer things I have on hold. I hate how the library website doesnt always distinguish whether you're placing the hardcover or paperback on hold.
 
Just Dolores C by S King. Not much to say, it was ok but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Just starting on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. About a hundred pages in so far, hoping it picks up. I have high expectations due to all the hype people have been giving it.
 
Just finished The Hunger Games. I really enjoyed it. Not deep or thought provoking but it was entertaining. Think the awesome Ray Liotta movie No Escape but with teenagers. :lol:

And now I'm on to The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart

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Has anyone ever read Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson? I keep it seeing it pop up when looking for quality cyber punk/sci-fi books. It doesn't seem very cyber punk, but the story sounds interesting.

I'm seeing a lot of good reviews on it, but I'm also seeing people saying that it becomes way too convoluted and is a struggle to get through, so I'm a bit torn.
 
Just finished reading Stephen King's Under the Dome.

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I must admit it was far better than his recent "I got hit by a car a while back and am still bitter as fuck about it" writing. I flew through the 1100 page book in 3 days. It was extremely suspenseful even to the last few pages. Highly recommended for fans of old-school King.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Does Under the Dome have a decent ending?

My main gripe with King's books is the endings tend to be non-existent or just crappy.[/QUOTE]

I thought it ended pretty well for King. A lot of the characters have satisfying conclusions, although plenty die that you'll wish hadn't.

It's a page-turner. I haven't been that griped by anything of his since Cell. Read some of his books lately, like The Talisman, Duma Key, and Black House, and I think Under the Dome feels like good, suspenseful, old-school King.

Ending still leaves plenty of questions, but I think it wraps up okay.
 
[quote name='Fjordson']Has anyone ever read Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson? I keep it seeing it pop up when looking for quality cyber punk/sci-fi books. It doesn't seem very cyber punk, but the story sounds interesting.

I'm seeing a lot of good reviews on it, but I'm also seeing people saying that it becomes way too convoluted and is a struggle to get through, so I'm a bit torn.[/QUOTE]

I liked it, but I can definitely see the struggle some have with it. It's a heavy book, primarily because it's 3 books intertwined - WW2 geek, WW2 black-ops, 90s tech. It starts blending together towards the end, but I'd say the first half is all over the place. Stephenson is a bit loquacious when it comes to statistics and calc in the book, too.
 
This Sad Tale of Brothers Grossbart is one of the craziest, twisted books I've ever read. It's like a sick Grimms fairy tale mixed with The Odyssey. Unless something changes near the end to suddenly make me change my mind, I'd highly recommend it. Especially if you're looking for something out of the ordinary.

[quote name='gbpackers94']Can anyone recommend any good fiction based on ww2? All I know about is city of thieves but I haven't read it yet.[/QUOTE]


I really enjoyed Company of Strangers by Robert Wilson. It's about a girl who agrees to be a spy for Britain, is sent to be a maid for a rich family in Lisbon, and while there meets an ex Nazi and they both start to fall in love while wrapped up in all sorts of intrigue.
 
[quote name='gbpackers94']Can anyone recommend any good fiction based on ww2? All I know about is city of thieves but I haven't read it yet.[/QUOTE]

- The spy who came in from the cold (greatest espionage/spy book ever written)
- Catch-22 (the funniest book I've read)
- The naked and the dead (one of the best war books ever written)
- Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut at his best)
- The thin red line (war through many different perspectives)
 
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[quote name='Fjordson']Has anyone ever read Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson? I keep it seeing it pop up when looking for quality cyber punk/sci-fi books. It doesn't seem very cyber punk, but the story sounds interesting.

I'm seeing a lot of good reviews on it, but I'm also seeing people saying that it becomes way too convoluted and is a struggle to get through, so I'm a bit torn.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Kilraven']I liked it, but I can definitely see the struggle some have with it. It's a heavy book, primarily because it's 3 books intertwined - WW2 geek, WW2 black-ops, 90s tech. It starts blending together towards the end, but I'd say the first half is all over the place. Stephenson is a bit loquacious when it comes to statistics and calc in the book, too.[/QUOTE]

While I can't comment on Cryptonomicon since I havent' read it yet (although it is on my to read list) I'm just about to finish off his first "real" book Zodiac. While I still have a chapter or two to read , I've enjoyed it thus far and makes me more interested in reading his other books , especially Snow Crash which I've had for a while but haven't gotten around to reading.

While on the topic of Stephen King books , specifically the Dark Tower series , I was kinda curious. Since I know that the Dark Tower series is supposed to use tie ins and references to many of his other books , I was wondering if it would be necessary or recommended to read any of the stories that do link in to the Dark Tower , beyond the fact that many of them are good books worth reading anyway.
 
[quote name='StarKnightX']While on the topic of Stephen King books , specifically the Dark Tower series , I was kinda curious. Since I know that the Dark Tower series is supposed to use tie ins and references to many of his other books , I was wondering if it would be necessary or recommended to read any of the stories that do link in to the Dark Tower , beyond the fact that many of them are good books worth reading anyway.[/QUOTE]

Many of Stephen King's books reference The Dark Tower. You'll find a few words in probably half of his books have something to do with the Tower. In King's books, the Tower is the crux of all worlds.

That said, in no way do I feel you have to read any other books before The Tower series. I would ask that you keep in mind that the books were written over great gaps of time. The final three books were only written after King got hit by that car, and personally, I find them inferior. King suffers a great personal vanity in the series that I find unforgivable in the craft, however, the ending of the series is quite good.
 
I read the Dark Tower series without reading any of the other books that are "tied in" beforehand and didn't find it affected anything. Possibly Salem's Lot, only too give you a more solid back-story on Father Callahan, but it is in no way necessary. I have heard people say The Stand, but I read that as well and didn't see really any tie in, at least nothing that was must know.
 
[quote name='Pavel6969']I read the Dark Tower series without reading any of the other books that are "tied in" beforehand and didn't find it affected anything. Possibly Salem's Lot, only too give you a more solid back-story on Father Callahan, but it is in no way necessary. I have heard people say The Stand, but I read that as well and didn't see really any tie in, at least nothing that was must know.[/QUOTE]

Randall Flagg is in both books is why
 
Yeah, no need to read other King stuff before the Dark Tower (or after).

It's just little references, some characters from past books showing up etc. But none of it is remotely central to the DT series plot. Really just fan service for people who've read all his books.
 
Finished The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo. Very good, starts a bit slow but picks up around half way through or more.

Started up The Girl Who Plays With Fire.
 
I won't read any of those millenium trilology books. (girl with dragon tattoo, etc). I figure something that is massively popular with everyone else won't appeal to me. Sounds kinda snobbish.
 
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