Writing Good Reads

[Shinmaru]

So, in a desperate attempt to remember every book I've read in my life (which isn't going so well, sadly), I stumbled upon [url=http://www.goodreads.com][b]Good Reads[/b][/url], which helps people document the books they've read, compile favorite quotes, look at what their friends are reading, and so on (if anyone here has the iRead application on Facebook, then you'll see it's pretty much the same thing). Hopefully if any of you wants to remember every book you've read, you'll do better than I have so far (I'd say at least half of my list is made up of manga, [i]Goosebumps[/i], and Dr. Seuss - clearly I am an intellectual reader).

Anyone else here a member of the site? [url=http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/652953][b]Here's my profile.[/b][/url] Just so this doesn't degenerate into a thread of link-posing and friend-making (not that there's anything wrong with that), we can also discuss whatever new books we're reading, any books that interest us from another person's profile, and any nostalgia trips that come as a result of seeing a long lost book on someone else's page.

Anyway, to get the ball rolling a bit, I'm reading [b]No Country for Old Men[/b] by Cormac McCarthy. The Coen Brothers' movie adaptation looks great, but I can't see it yet, so I opted to read the novel instead. I'm liking it just fine so far. McCarthy's style is a bit weird at first. It didn't take me long to get used to it, however, and I'm pretty sure I'm at the point in the novel where the story is [i]really[/i] going to pick up, so I'm excited about that.

Just as a brief synopsis: The novel is about a man named Moss who finds a drug deal gone wrong in southwest Texas and takes a briefcase from the scene which contains $2.4 million. The other stories in the book include Sheriff Bell, who is trying to solve the crime and protect Moss, and Anton Chigurh, a violent criminal who is hired to get the money back.

Not the best synopsis in the world, but I'm not too far into it at this point, so whatever. I want to read about what everyone else is reading. :p

[Claire]

[FONT="Arial"]Oohh! This sounds good to me.

[U][URL="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/677041"]Here's my profile[/URL][/U]. Unfortunately I don't read a whole lot because I'm so picky, and whenever I'm in a library or bookstore nothing ever really jumps out at me. Except the library I go to has a really crappy stock and I usually don't want to spend money on a book I've never read before because I could end up disliking it.

Vampires are my FAVORITE thing to read about, but I haven't found a lot of books that portray them to my liking. I'd like to find something other than a dumb vampire novel to read, but I have to be specific when it comes to that and I just don't know what else I want to read about. I'd like a book that's well-written, interesting, and unique, but nothing bombastic or ridiculously long like Anne Rice (I cannot pay attention to her books!) or a lot of books written in the 1800s and earlier.

I don't like fantasy books anymore, either. Nowadays I just feel silly reading such, and I don't really know why.

Right now I'm rereading [B]A Clockwork Orange[/B] for my AP Language class. Previously I had to read [B]Catcher in the Rye[/B] and [B]Cat's Cradle[/B] by Kurt Vonnegut, and soon I'll have to pick up [B]1984[/B] by George Orwell.

I like how GoodReads lets you upload your own work, though. I might have to do that sometime.[/FONT]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson][url=http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/677131]Mine[/url].

I am currently wrapping up the last H.P. Lovecraft story collection I have to read. I am loathe to say [u]At the Mountains of Madness[/u] is not included in either work, so I am going to acquire that novella soon.

Lovecraft is terribly hit and miss. I am not criticizing him to sound cool as he is utterly fabulous in his descriptions of terrifying monstrosities from stars and dark recesses unknown, and his writing is very well paced and constructed. He has some stories that are much more fabulous than the others.

My favorite out of this collection are [u]Cool Air[/u], [u]The Rats in the Walls[/u], [u]The Statement of Randolph Carter[/u], and [u]Call of Cthuhlu[/u].[/color]

[Shinmaru]

Clurr: How'd you like [b]Cat's Cradle[/b]? I read it about a month-and-a-half ago, and I thought it was pretty good. Wasn't as interested in the overall story as I'd liked to have been, but there was some hilarious stuff and some interesting ideas (ice-nine, Bokononism, etc.). If you liked this and haven't read [b]Slaughterhouse-Five[/b], then you should get on that right away.

Ken: Yeah, I'd agree that Lovecraft is hit and miss. Some of his stories can get a bit boring, but when he hits, he really fucking hits. "The Rats in the Walls," "The Colour Out of Space," and "Call of Cthuhlu" were the favorites of what I read. I also kind of liked "In the Vault" and "Pickman's Model." I don't think I got the chance to finish the collection I read, though... I should request it again from the library.

[Claire]

[quote name='Shinmaru']Clurr: How'd you like [b]Cat's Cradle[/b]? I read it about a month-and-a-half ago, and I thought it was pretty good. Wasn't as interested in the overall story as I'd liked to have been, but there was some hilarious stuff and some interesting ideas (ice-nine, Bokononism, etc.). If you liked this and haven't read [b]Slaughterhouse-Five[/b], then you should get on that right away.[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Arial"]It was nice, but the ending left me a little sad. (Isn't it weird how people can complain about movies/books/tv shows always having a happy ending, and when they don't they just get depressed? D: ) I'll borrow Slaughterhouse Five from my friend as soon as I can, but at the moment it just seems like Vonnegut's books are something good to read that I can do so for my AP language class, but I don't know how well I'd like them for pleasure.[/FONT]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson][u]Slaughter-House Five[/u] is a fantastic book. It opened up a wide world to me a couple of years ago. I started researching into incendiary bombing practices during World War 2. The Bombing of Dresden is only a portion of the broader work, but it was the first mention of something oddly omitted from American public school.

As for [u]Cat's Cradle[/u], my girlfriend's parents bought it for me last Christmas and I thought it was a good, if not strange, book. Granted, his writings are always a bit strange - but, that is in a good way. The entire climax at the end was very well written, but depressing considering how realistic he describes what is going on[/color]

[Heaven's Cloud]

[quote name='Clurr'][FONT="Arial"]
Vampires are my FAVORITE thing to read about, but I haven't found a lot of books that portray them to my liking. I'd like to find something other than a dumb vampire novel to read, but I have to be specific when it comes to that and I just don't know what else I want to read about. I'd like a book that's well-written, interesting, and unique, but nothing bombastic or ridiculously long like Anne Rice (I cannot pay attention to her books!) or a lot of books written in the 1800s and earlier.
[/FONT][/QUOTE]

One of the better vampire related books I have read is Vamped by David Sosnowski. It is a humorus novel about a world populated almost entirely by vampires. It is more a chaacter driven story and less a traditional horror story, but it makes for a wonderful light and quick read.

[Claire]

[quote name='Heaven's Cloud']One of the better vampire related books I have read is Vamped by David Sosnowski. It is a humorus novel about a world populated almost entirely by vampires. It is more a chaacter driven story and less a traditional horror story, but it makes for a wonderful light and quick read.[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Arial"]I'll have to find that sometime, it sort of sounds like what I've been writing; at least with the light-hearted humorous thing.

EDIT: I just read its summary on GoodReads and I already love it. It feels good to be excited over a book. :D Thanks for the recommendation![/FONT]

[Vicky]

[SIZE=1]It's not really my thing, but I've been reading [B]A Short History of Nearly Everything[/B] by [B]Bill Bryson[/B], which has so far kept my interest by not being a scientific, factual book that's made it clear the author doesn't believe in God, while at the same time trying to keep away from religion (at least in the parts I'm up to). It's refreshing and definitely not boring since it's got so much stuff packed into it.

Another one I've been reading is [B]George's Secret Key to the Universe[/B], though I'm not all the way through it yet. It's a children's book, but the physics in it is simple to understand and interesting - what do you expect from Stephen Hawkings? For a kids book, it's funny and enjoyable - not exactly ground breaking in story or theory - and that's what it needs. No one cares for science papers, children's books can teach old men physics XD

A book I have finished and would recommend is [B]Goat[/B], by a strange guy called [B]Brad Land[/b]. It's a vivid account of how he grows up in University, following his brother around and being attacked. It doesn't sound like a brilliantly unique storyline, but the style of writing is definitely something I haven't seen before. It's been one of my favourite books for years.

I think I need to start reading again, so I might take on some of the books suggested in this thread =)[/SIZE]

[Bio]

[font=georgia]Unfortunately I've been bogged down with English reading, so I haven't had much time to read for pleasure. So if I have to recommend something I read [I]recently[/I], it'd be [B]The Scarlet Letter[/B], which was [I]extraordinarily[/I] dry until the climax. So I guess that isn't really a recommendation at all, is it? Let's go back in time, then.

What sticks out in my mind is [B]Needful Things[/B], by Stephen King. I'm not one of his raving fans, and I'm aware that not everything he writes is of the best quality--but he's one of my favorite authors nevertheless, and I devour his books. I cannot possibly recommend just one of them; I'd have to recommend seven: the volumes of [B]The Dark Tower[/B] series, which seem to be hit or miss depending on who's reading. I personally loved every minute of them, but some people can't seem to get past the first twenty pages.

I'd also highly recommend [B]The Book Thief[/B] by Markus Zusak, which--like so many books--takes place during World War II. Unlike so many books, however, it's about a German who has little to worry about in the way of persecution. The book is more about the power of words than the actual events of the war, and the author is very unique in the way he goes about describing things--perhaps because the story is narrated by Death. Can't get any cooler than that.[/font] :p

[Claire]

[quote name='Heaven's Cloud']One of the better vampire related books I have read is Vamped by David Sosnowski. It is a humorus novel about a world populated almost entirely by vampires. It is more a chaacter driven story and less a traditional horror story, but it makes for a wonderful light and quick read.[/QUOTE]
[FONT="Arial"]
It's been a while sense I read this book, but I ADORED it. In all caps.

There were times when I didn't really like the idea of the [spoiler]entire world being made up of vampires instead of humans[/spoiler], but overall I loved the originality of the story and all the characters. It was very refreshing to read, and now I'm rereading it for lack of anything new to check out.

It was a very very sweet book, in my opinion, that made my heart smile again and again. <3[/FONT]

[Nomurah!]

[SIZE="1"][COLOR="HotPink"]Uh...

Well, as it would turn out... my favorite book isn't so poetic or anything. Actually, it's about a demon that has to have hosts to survive, so he puts his mark on someone, it being a black tattoo... It isn't as similiar to Naruto as it sounds. But over all, [B]The Black Tattoo[/B] by [B]Sam Enthoven[/B] is a very interesting and creative book, and didn't take me any time at all to read and re-read the fivehundred something pages. Look it up, children. It's good.

The Dark Tower Series is also very good, though I havn't finished them all yet, but I have read the prequel comic book, which provides alot of good backstory for the novels. I suggest it for fans of the series, and others that havn't read any of them... unless you have some strange hate for graphic novels. [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Revelation]

[size=1][color=#8B008B]I signed up recently and so [URL=http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/933144][B]here's my profile[/B][/URL].

I'm currently reading, or will read when I have the time, [B]Grass For His Pillow[/B] by Lian Hearn. It is the second book of the [B]Tales of the Otori[/B] series. I was introduced to it by a friend and it's quite the interesting book. I'm also reading [B]Vampire Knight[/B] and [B]Kill Me, Kiss Me[/B].

Before that I read all of the [B]Twilight[/B] series by Stephenie Meyer. She rekindled my love for vampires.

I've yet to read [B]The Dark Tower[/B] series. I've been hearing a lot of good things about it and yet I still haven't picked it up. I should make a mental note to get it.[/size][/color]

[Kenso]

I'm going to set up a profile later on. I'm at work right now, and this connection sucks, so I don't think I can be patient enough to do it right now (but I have cable at home, so no such problem later on).

EDIT: [URL=http://www.goodreads.com/profile/moyaku_keramushe]Here's my profile.[/URL]

Right now, sadly, I'm not actually reading anything (unless you count the Bleach manga I'm reading online). I need to pick up a library card so I can start reading again. I'm honestly not sure if my most recent read was [U]A Rush of Wings[/U] by Adrian Phoenix or [U]Fatal Revenant[/U] by Stephen R. Donaldson (part of the Thomas Covenant series, which I HIGHLY recommend).

[U]A Rush of Wings[/U] wasn't a bad book by any means, and it did keep my attention (at least long enough to read it in two sessions at Waldenbooks while my gf was at work), but it's not anything spectacular either. I'm horrible for doing summaries, so I'd adivse finding a separate one yourselves.

[U]Fatal Revenant[/U], like the rest of the Thomas Covenant series, is an excellent book. Unfortunately, you need to read the seven books beforehand to understand it. Don't get me wrong, I would advise doing so, but it's just a significant investment of time. For those interested, here's the list:
The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: [U]Lord Foul's Bane[/U], [U]The Illearth War[/U], and [U]The Power That Preserves[/U].
The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: [U]The Wounded Land[/U], [U]The One Tree[/U], and [U]White Gold Wielder[/U].
The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: [U]Runes of the Earth[/U], [U]Fatal Revenant[/U], [U]Against All Things Ending[/U] (not yet released), and [U]The Last Dark[/U] (also not yet released).

The last two books also present an odd sort of dilemna for those who end up interested. They won't be released until 2010 and 2013, respectively. That's a long time to wait for a finish.


I'm planning on looking into the Left Behind series (found the first four books intriguing, but haven't read the rest), the Dark Tower series (have heard to many good things about it), and the Wheel of Time series. It's a lot of reading, but I need to start reading more again anyway.

[eleanor]

[font=trebuchet ms][b][URL="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1003441"]Here's mine.[/URL][/b]

This thing was driving me crazy because now I'm trying to remember all the books I've ever read... I'm still thinking of random books that I go back to search for. -_-

But it's an awesome site, I've always wanted to keep track of all the books I've read/will read/are reading. For example, I'm really excited to read [b]The Road[/b] by Cormac McCarthy, but I still four books to finish. lol

But I've just recently finished [b]A Streetcar named Desire[/b] by Tennessee Williams, and I have to say I loved it. It's the best play I've ever read, and it made me really want to watch the movie. I generally don't even like plays, but this and [b]Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead[/b] are up there on my favorite books list.

A book I don't recommend is [b]Valis[/b] by Philip K. Dick. It's like I jumped into the Philip K. Dick lake too early and I have no idea what the hell is going on. My friend warned me that I should read some of his other stuff before [b]Valis[/b], but I just started [b]Valis[/b] instead and it is hands down the weirdest fucking book I've ever read. lol[/font]

[Claire]

[FONT="Arial"]Right now I'm reading Dracula, and I'm loving it so so so so much. I already adored vampires, so the original story was bound to become a favorite of mine.

It's probably just the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen portrayal of her that's giving me this opinion (in fact, I know it is, haha) but whenever Mina Harker is mentioned I'm like "you're such a badass!" <33[/FONT]

[Malkav]

So I'm going to be riding a plane soon and want some good novels to read while in-flight. I was thinking Starship Troopers and World War Z as my choices. I'm open to anything, but I prefer science fiction. Any suggestions?

[Allamorph]

[FONT=Arial]Check out Orson Scott Card's [U]Wyrms[/U]. Good standalone book, with an intelligent and intellectual female lead. (Gasp!)

Also interesting was [U]Dragon's Egg[/U], by Robert Forward, about the evolution of life on a neutron star, with a subplot involving humans, who end up witnessing over thirty thousand years of progression in a matter of hours. Not very action-y, but rather stimulating anyway. :D[/FONT]