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-   -   Read any good books lately? (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=16718)

  • Dec 29, 2005, 10:28 AM
    mrs.pennell
    Read any good books lately?
    I'm always looking for something new and interesting to read! Does anyone have any suggestions?
  • Dec 29, 2005, 10:38 AM
    RickJ
    I am re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia right now.

    If you haven't read them thinking it's just for kids, that is incorrect. C.S. Lewis, in my opinion, wrote way over the heads of most of the kids that have enjoyed them over the years.
  • Dec 29, 2005, 10:48 AM
    orange
    I just finished reading "Death on the Nile" by Agatha Christie for the third time. I really like her and some of my other favorites by her are Peril at End House, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and Murder on the Orient Express.

    If you like scary stuff, Stephen King's short story collections (NOT his long-winded novels) are really great. My favorites are the older collections such as "Skeleton Crew" and "Night Shift". Isaac Asimov is also good at writing short stories, and he has PILES of them. I am a big fan of short stories in general, as I believe they are harder to write effectively than novels.

    Have you ever read Torey Hayden? She used to be a special education teacher, and has written several novels based on her experiences with emotionally disturbed children. My favorites are "Murphy's Boy", "Ghost Girl" and "One Child".

    Of course the Harry Potter books are great, as are the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I read somewhere that J.K. Rowling is a big fan of Narnia and the Potter books were largely inspired by C.S. Lewis.

    Anyway LOL as you can tell I love to read! Nothing I suggested is new per se, but hopefully you can find something there that you haven't read yet.
  • Dec 29, 2005, 10:50 AM
    orange
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by rickj
    I am re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia right now.

    If you haven't read them thinking it's just for kids, that is incorrect. C.S. Lewis, in my opinion, wrote way over the heads of most of the kids that have enjoyed them over the years.

    Yay! The Chronicles of Narnia rule!! I tried to give you an agreement rating Rick, but it said I need to spread some more reputation around before giving it to you. So I'm posting my agreement instead. :p
  • Dec 29, 2005, 10:55 AM
    mrs.pennell
    Thanks for the suggestions, guys! I have Chronicles of Narnia, I'm going to start it after them after the holiday season. And I have read everything Stephen King has ever published but I've never heard of Torey Hayden before. I will definitely check her out. :D
  • Dec 29, 2005, 11:05 AM
    orange
    Yes check out Torey Hayden definitely. She is really great and VERY addictive. Here's her website too actually:

    http://www.torey-hayden.com/
  • Dec 29, 2005, 01:13 PM
    Kevkest
    I just finished The World is Flat by Thomas L Friedman. It's lengthy but a good read.
  • Jan 7, 2006, 03:23 PM
    orange
    I have another recommendation for you. I am about halfway through "The End of the World News" by Anthony Burgess. He's the author who wrote "A Clockwork Orange". Anyway it's very different and interesting!
  • Jan 7, 2006, 03:55 PM
    Curlyben
    A load of books well worth reading are the Discworld Series by Terry Prachett.
    Extremely funny and intelligent.
  • Jan 7, 2006, 06:36 PM
    mrs.pennell
    Thanks guys! I'm reading The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst right now. It's very very interesting. It won the Booker prize for fiction in 2004!
  • Jan 10, 2006, 09:06 PM
    qwertyman
    I just finished Tom Clancy's SPLINTER CELL-Operation Baracuda.
    Pretty good if you like high-tech wars
  • Jan 10, 2006, 09:25 PM
    rudi_in
    The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind

    Excellent!


    I also read Nature's Building Blocks - An A to Z Guide to the Elements by John Emsley.

    Quite fascinating.

    I suppose it does kind of make me a geek though. :)
  • Feb 16, 2006, 12:49 AM
    Hypatia
    My most recent read was The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot. A mind opening book to say the least.

    Hypatia
  • Feb 16, 2006, 04:35 AM
    educatedhorse_2005
    The eagle series
    By william w johnston
  • Feb 16, 2006, 05:26 AM
    LeeAnnMemphis
    I just read Devil in the White city, it is about the 1896 worlds fair, and also a man that can be our nations first serial killer that was active in chicago at that time.
    Ghost Soldiers, about the March of Batan in WWII. It is non-fiction. About how our government left 100,000 troops in the Philippines to die, the president at the time said something along the lines like, "well, we can't save everyone". It was the largest P.O.W. imprisionment of American soldiers in our history, a few hundred lived. It is amazing, I have re-read it several times. General McArthur did finally go back after having left those poor souls in Japanese hands about 3 years later and rescue the few hundred that were still alive. All profits from the book go to support the March of Batan museum.
    And for comedy- David Sedaris. He writes books that are collections of short stories about his life that are freaking hilarious! Naked, Me talk pretty, are two really good ones, but they are all so funny some have made me cry. He is a gay man that grew up in the South with like 4 or 5 siblings, and he knew from like age 5 he was gay, a lot of the stories are about his childhood.
  • Feb 25, 2006, 03:29 AM
    czerno
    Im kind of a horror junkie so that has been my choice lately, alongside discworld novels. Two that I just read were by Stephen King "Desperation" and "the Regulators". A bit gory and they are kind of "sister" novels... same character names, different situations in each book. Great stories though.
  • Feb 28, 2006, 04:58 PM
    UltraViolet~E
    Well I am currently reading an excellent historical romance.... it's called The Wedding; by Julie Garwood.

    If you have a soft spot or just like to swoon, this book is a must.:rolleyes:

    I also suggest Johanna Lindsey's Warrior Woman, it's grade-A futuristic romance...trust me:o

    AND my favourite, The Pride Of Lions by; Marsha Canham, it's one of my favourite scottish oriented historical romances, followed by it's brother, The Blood Of Roses, it's sequel.

    Try them out, they will surely NOT disappoint anyone who has a romantic and lusty imagination.Or in general just loves the cheese.:p

    AND these are basically quick reads, so if you don't have time for complex novels, these are right up your ally.;)
  • Feb 28, 2006, 07:18 PM
    mrs.pennell
    Sometimes quick cheesy romance is just what the doctor ordered! I have read The Wedding and really enjoyed it! Have you read The Smoke Jumper by Nicholas Evans? Also a good easy read romance! I'll go looking for the other ones you suggested, UltraViolet!
  • Mar 1, 2006, 03:37 AM
    RickJ
    Just finished Before The Flood, by Ian Wilson.

    ... a thorough going over of the archaeological evidence of the of peoples of the Black Sea region, 6th Century BC.

    In a word; Awesome.
  • Mar 1, 2006, 04:00 PM
    JoeCanada76
    Life after death.
    Tom Harpuar?
    Investigations about near death experiances and other things.

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