Book Recommendations

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Frank Herbert - Dune

Heh, I see you didn't list anything beyond the first book. I think the Dune series is worth reading up to Children of Dune; the rest just go off into the deep end, with Chapterhouse: Dune being just straight up bad.

Some personal favorites of mine are:
The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien
All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque (translation by Arthur Wesley Wheen)
Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, by LGen Roméo Dallaire
Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension, by Michio Kaku (a bit dated, but still damn mind blowing; perhaps subbing in one of Kaku's newer books would be better)
The Dark Tower series, by Stephen King

[LHS]

The Dark Tower series, by Stephen King

I'm torn on this. I think Wizard and Glass was one of King's best novels ever, but the series is all over the place. Book 3 was just boring, and 5 6 and 7 felt rushed. I absolutely hated the ending (the portion after King warns the reader not to continue). I still think Roland is a compelling character, but King needs to get back on the sauce to write him well.

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I'm torn on this. I think Wizard and Glass was one of King's best novels ever, but the series is all over the place. Book 3 was just boring, and 5 6 and 7 felt rushed. I absolutely hated the ending (the portion after King warns the reader not to continue). I still think Roland is a compelling character, but King needs to get back on the sauce to write him well.

Well, IMO, King's always had a knack for making his ending to be extremely... unfulfilled, to say the least. Really sad how often he relies on a deus ex machina to end a story, considering how good a storyteller he is on all other points. As for the books being boring/rushed, can't say I agree, but meh, de gustibus non est disputandum. Either way, I find the series as a whole a very interesting attempt at universe creation, particularly how he ties in the rest of his books. Which reminds me, I need to get a hold of The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole.

[LHS]

Well, IMO, King's always had a knack for making his ending to be extremely... unfulfilled, to say the least. Really sad how often he relies on a deus ex machina to end a story, considering how good a storyteller he is on all other points. As for the books being boring/rushed, can't say I agree, but meh, de gustibus non est disputandum. Either way, I find the series as a whole a very interesting attempt at universe creation, particularly how he ties in the rest of his books. Which reminds me, I need to get a hold of The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole.

I really enjoyed the endings of IT, Salem's Lot, and a few others, but he does have a tendency to have quirky endings.

[Sheep Have Wool]

I really enjoyed the endings of IT, Salem's Lot, and a few others, but he does have a tendency to have quirky endings.

If you read his book, On Writing , I think it's pretty clear this is a function of his method. Some authors plan things out, he just writes. I actually liked the very end of the Dark Tower series, but agree the last book felt rushed.

[Nik the Greek]

Heh, I see you didn't list anything beyond the first book.

Ayep. I think it works well on its own.

So, as an interesting footnote, I read Cooper's principles of self defense, and I kept thinking to myself "This is all incredibly familiar." The same philosophies and principles he espouses directly drove my Krav Maga training. Right down the line.

I thought that was pretty cool. Gonna check out To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth next.

[NETim]

Ayep. I think it works well on its own.

So, as an interesting footnote, I read Cooper's principles of self defense, and I kept thinking to myself "This is all incredibly familiar." The same philosophies and principles he espouses directly drove my Krav Maga training. Right down the line.

I thought that was pretty cool. Gonna check out To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth next.

All three volumes of "Gargantuan Gunsite Gossip" are a good read too.

And yes, I'm a fan of the Colonel. Yeah, he certainly had his shortcomings (as do we all) but damn if the man wasn't right about a great many things.

[LittleLebowski]

The sequel to Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is out!

Wolf Hall is in my top 5 and I'm tearing through Bring Up the Bodies with pleasure.

[Odin Bravo One]

The Red Circle - Brandon Webb

I have it from a reliable source that many of the events in this work did not happen the way it is told/represented, essentially classifying it as "fact based fiction" to a degree. Lots of taking credit for other people's work.

[EMC]

I have it from a reliable source that many of the events in this work did not happen the way it is told/represented, essentially classifying it as "fact based fiction" to a degree. Lots of taking credit for other people's work.

Bummer, seemed like a stand up guy when he was editor of kitup and now sofrep.