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Author Topic: To Be Well Read  (Read 1811 times)

Offline Sandman

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« Reply #30 on: May 30, 2007, 09:07:02 PM »
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Originally posted by Hornet33
OK those are fighting words. Tom Clancy is awsome. By far one of the best military/fiction/espionage writers in the last 20 years. Almost all of his books have been best sellers. He has a gift for mixing real world politics and technology into a fictional story with characters that are interesting and yet down to earth.

I can only surmise from your statement you've never actually read any of his work. You saw the movies though huh? Those sucked and didn't do the novels they were based on any justice at all.


I've read quite a bit of Clancy...

Hunt for Red October
Red Storm Rising
Patriot Games
Cardinal of the Kremlin
Clear and Present Danger
Sum of All Fears
Without Remorse
Debt of Honor
Executive Decisions

Clancy's books are plodding and tedious... and if the boredom wasn't enough to toss the books away, the endless pontification that seems to have infected everything he wrote after Cardinal of the Kremlin pushes them right over.

From the start, his juggling of four or more story arcs has been a source of irritation. With HFRO, I didn't notice so much because each story arc was interesting, but with each book, Clancy seems to fill more and more of his books with crap you have slog through while waiting for the "good" parts.

FWIW... I think HFRO and PG were the most enjoyable.

After COTK, it's all crap.


Anyway... back on topic... if it's jhookt's goal to become "well read," I think he should avoid Clancy like the plague. Same goes for Stephen King.
« Last Edit: May 30, 2007, 09:14:23 PM by Sandman »
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Offline VOR

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« Reply #31 on: May 30, 2007, 09:09:35 PM »
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Originally posted by Charon
I finally got around to reading "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Worth adding to the list.

Charon


I have never gotten around to reading that book. I think I'll visit the library tomorrow instead of sitting around on the sofa. :)
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Offline lasersailor184

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« Reply #32 on: May 30, 2007, 09:11:04 PM »
Stephen King does some great writing.  Except for the gunslinger series.

I'd say avoid them like the plague.  They'll make you question whether or not god actually exists.  But not because of ideals in the books.


The first 4 books were amazing.  Some of the best books I've ever read.  Book 5 started to get odd, and not in a storyline sort of way.  Book 6 was down right strange.  And I can't get myself to keep reading book 7 because of how bad it is.

If there truly is a just and loving god, he wouldn't have allowed the last 3 books to suck so bad.
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Offline VOR

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« Reply #33 on: May 30, 2007, 09:12:43 PM »
I also enjoyed the first 4 books of that series (book 4 most of all). I haven't read any further because I heard others say what you just said about them. It's a shame.
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Offline Sandman

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« Reply #34 on: May 30, 2007, 09:24:17 PM »
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Originally posted by lasersailor184
Stephen King does some great writing.  


I'll amend my earlier statement regarding his writing.

His short stories are excellent.


Here's my thing with King... and maybe it's just me... but I read the original "The Stand" and I thought it was okay. I liked the beginning and the middle, but the end just fell flat. Which... is generally my problem with King... his endings are often predictable. But I digress... Read the original "The Stand" and then read the later version that he released "uncut" with an additional 300 pages. Anyway... after reading the uncut version, I couldn't tell you the difference between the two books (other than the change in candy bar names). He added over 300 pages of literary white noise.
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Offline vorticon

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« Reply #35 on: May 30, 2007, 09:27:31 PM »
"but for good fun reading that is backed by "real" speculative science (newton's laws aren't broken) and military history, try some science fiction by Jerry Pournelle and/or Larry Niven."


most of the books i could recommend fall under something similar to this...good fun adventure type stories that just happen to be set in a futuristic or fantasy world. so i dont think i can help you...if you were simply after a few hours of better than TV enjoyment, that would be different.

however...

alistair maclean does good pseudo historical stories
terry pratchet is good, if a little bizarre and pointless at times.
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Offline lasersailor184

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« Reply #36 on: May 30, 2007, 09:41:13 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by Sandman
I'll amend my earlier statement regarding his writing.

His short stories are excellent.


Here's my thing with King... and maybe it's just me... but I read the original "The Stand" and I thought it was okay. I liked the beginning and the middle, but the end just fell flat. Which... is generally my problem with King... his endings are often predictable. But I digress... Read the original "The Stand" and then read the later version that he released "uncut" with an additional 300 pages. Anyway... after reading the uncut version, I couldn't tell you the difference between the two books (other than the change in candy bar names). He added over 300 pages of literary white noise.


I can't get through the stand myself.  But I've done his other books.

Pick up "The Running Man".  It's a much darker scarier story then that 80's tripe with Schwarzenegger.  He penned a lot of books under the name Richard Bachman.
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Offline Dux

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« Reply #37 on: May 30, 2007, 09:48:53 PM »
If you're looking to be "in" on hundreds of different quotes and pop culture references, look no further than Shakespeare... but, like Rand, for the casual reader it's hard to get through, and you'll either enjoy it or hate it immensely.

BTW, I enjoyed Clancy up until Ryan became a politician. On a pure shameless level, I enjoyed Marcinko's Rogue Warrior series. Chrichton has some great stories, too.
« Last Edit: May 30, 2007, 09:56:24 PM by Dux »
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Offline lasersailor184

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« Reply #38 on: May 30, 2007, 09:50:56 PM »
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Originally posted by Dux
If you're looking to be "in" on hundreds of different quotes and pop culture references, look no further than Shakespeare... but, like Rand, for the casual reader it's hard to get through, and you'll either enjoy it or hate it immensely.


Shakespeare was a joke.  I find it rather humorous that somewhere along the line someone got drunk, talked about what a genius he was and everyone has believed it since.
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Offline Dux

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« Reply #39 on: May 30, 2007, 09:57:31 PM »
hehe... case in point. Not much of a fan either, but it's fun to know where all those quotes come from and the context they were intended for.
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Offline lasersailor184

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« Reply #40 on: May 30, 2007, 10:03:23 PM »
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Originally posted by Dux
hehe... case in point. Not much of a fan either, but it's fun to know where all those quotes come from and the context they were intended for.


Not really case in point.  To truly analyze shakespeare, you have to understand how he did things, who the plays were for and what the writing actually was.

I myself didn't ever really care about him, either for or against.  But then I found out what a joke he is, and I laugh at everyone who loves him.
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Offline Dadano

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« Reply #41 on: May 30, 2007, 10:16:32 PM »
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Originally posted by lasersailor184
Shakespeare was a joke.  I find it rather humorous that somewhere along the line someone got drunk, talked about what a genius he was and everyone has believed it since.

You have to be kidding. Who's work do you find genius in?
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Offline Halo

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« Reply #42 on: May 30, 2007, 10:18:53 PM »
O the joy of reading!  These will flesh out your humanity:  

The Prince (Machiavelli)
Desiderata (Ehrmann)
The Dwarf (Lagerkvist)
Death of a Saleman (Miller)
Top of the World (Ruesch)
Barabbas (Lagerkvist)
The True Believer (Hoffer),
Night of the Hunter (Grubb)
Gift from the Sea (Lindbergh)
War Through the Ages (Montross)
The Painted Bird (Kosinski)
A Garden of Sand (Thompson)
Tell Me a Riddle (Olsen)
Working (Terkel)
Danse Macabre (King)
The Songlines (Chatwin)
Staring at the Sun (Barnes)
Education of a Wandering Man (L'Amour)
A Natural History of the Senses (Ackerman)
On Writing Well (Zinsser)
Anatomy of Love (Fisher)
Undaunted Courage (Ambrose)
Desert Queen (Wallach)
Warriors of God (Reston)
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Offline eagl

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« Reply #43 on: May 30, 2007, 10:25:58 PM »
Jack London, Call of the Wild
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Offline lasersailor184

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« Reply #44 on: May 30, 2007, 10:53:22 PM »
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Originally posted by Dadano
You have to be kidding. Who's work do you find genius in?


My own.  But that's another story (PUN FULLY INTENDED).  :rofl
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Punishr - N.D.M. Back in the air.
8.) Lasersailor 73 "Will lead the impending revolution from his keyboard"
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