as i continue to probe the mind of old and new aspiring DJs i would like to know if there are any readers out there…i read for fun, not self help or moral values…please recommend a book or a favorite author…
as usual i will start
Jon Krakauer - Into the Wild : I’ve read it again recently for the third time…everytime i gain new insights to the main character…fantastic book…and not very long…
Tom Clancy - Without Remorse : great revenge story…by a favorite author
Anthony Kiedis - Scar Tissue : sex drugs rock and roll…
I am not much of a book reader more of a visual dvd movie type. But my all time favorite reads would have to be the below series. I got a bit deep during my late teens early 20’s & these books where & are a big part of my life and beliefs. And on a lighter side, I could not put the below books down once I started. they are each like a movie inside my head, The action is insane  And moving on to my cheesy side I read the couple below after my 1st heartbreak (seems so long ago now that I am happily married . oooh the fun and shenanigans I had in between :eek
Im into U.S. History, just finished ‘George Washington’, almost done with ‘Americans In Paris’, next up is ‘Marquis de Lafayette’…prior to these, a whole bunch!
I know there are alot of you guys in here from the U.K. Im looking for a book about the Revolutionary War during 1776, but from an English point of view…any of you guys have access to anything like that and willing to ship stateside?
The Hitchhiker series is pretty awesome. It’s a sci-fi comedy, though it does start to really fall apart about 1/2 way through book 3. This may be reflecting the main character’s mental state by that point in the books. Also +1 to Terry Pratchett, great stuff. Again, it is sci-fi comedy and not as much for young people as you’d think. Some of the humour would go over the head of most young people.
I am somewhat partial to Frank Herbert. He wrote the original Dune books, sci-fi, overall pretty awesome and very, very deep. Haruki Murakami, Wind Up Bird Chronicle is awesome and Kafka On The Beach is on my to read list. Not sure how to categorize him other than as just general fiction, deep and strange stuff though. The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks is also pretty good. Fantasy I guess, basically about an assassin, middle ages-eque, magic, etc… usual players for that kind of thing. Very interesting and well written characters are what make the books shine. John Irving has some great books, my favourite would be A Prayer For Owen Meany. I also really enjoyed The World According To Garp. General fiction again and both of those books should be on a must read list for pretty much anyone (especially the first).
Currently working through the autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini. Interesting stuff, that guy got into all sorts of shit in Renaissance Italy.
That’s just a few things sitting on my shelf that aren’t academic books… though a lot of those are old Latin or Ancient Greek texts / authors & whatnot… even some Old English & Old Norse lol. I’ll probably post more when I get home for the weekend and can look at my actual bookshelves.
P.S. I forgot who wrote Watership Down but that is one crazy book. Also The Dream Of The Ridiculous Man by Franz Kafka is one of my favourites by Kafka (I found The Trial and much of Notes from the Underground to be quite a drag to read).
The early books are comedy riffs on the classic swords and sorcery books, but the later ones are far more satirical … very clever and laugh out loud funny. I’ve been a fan for about 20 years now
Cracking isn’t it - if you like that have you tried Tom Holt?
I am a bit of a bookworm - I read incessantly …
Currently I’m reading Lloyd Bradley / Bass Culture: When Reggae was King which is an excellent history of Jamaican music from the 50 onwards.
I’m currently working my way through this list of books from a site I used to be a regular contributer to - 52 down, quite a few more to go … favourites from it so far are Joseph Heller / Catch-22, Rudyard Kipling / Kim, Dan Simmons / Hyperion and Donna Tartt / The Secret History
Sherlock Ohms, I haven’t read Tom Holt, but will get something from him soon since you suggested it. Any books in particular you recommend from Mr Holt?
“On the road” by Jack Kerouack is a classic and a good read! And if you want to follow Neal Cassidy ( a real person and character from the book) read some Allen Ginsberg poetry, and “The Electric Koolaid Acid Test” by Tom Wolfe.
An excellent fantasy series is “The tales of Thomas Covenant” by Stephen R Donaldson.
I’m pathetic when it comes to reading. I only manage maybe a book a year, used to be more when I relied on public transportation. Last two books I’ve read were:
The Bolivian Diary of Ernesto Che Guevara
Sometimes passion gets in the way of reality. Living off of cans of lard in the jungles of Bolivia sounds shitty.
The AutoBiography of Malcom X:
Great story and interseting how he crossed paths with so many well know people before becoming well known himself. Like being a dishwasher with Red Fox before they were both famous.
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Beautiful Struggle:
Half way done with this but I’m finding it hard to finish.
I just realized that all I read are biography’s, maybe I should switch it up.
I mainly read fiction (the only factual books i read are to do with economics and financial services because its my job).
Authors i like: Dean Koontz, Mark Billingham, Stephen Leather, Dennis Lehane, Irvine Welsh and Stel Pavlou.
Generally a mix of British crime novels and international murder/mysteries.
Only problem i find is actually finding time to read. Ive even recently resorted to audio books. Currently listening to the new Stephen Leather novel in my car to and from work everyday. Enjoying it actually and it means i get to “read” my book without having to put time aside specifically to read!!
When I was on the road alot, I loved the audio books. You can just check them out from the library here. Had one narrated by Morgan Freeman. I could listen to him all day.
Zaniac - them Matthew Reilly books look right up my street. Never come across him before so thanks man. Have you read Dan Brown’s Deception point and Digital fortress?
1984 is one of them books that I want to read but never get round to. Same as animal farm.
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