Books?

Well summer is here and I'm going to have a lot of time on my hands. I was wondering if anybody has any good book recommendations. I am leaning to the political genre or factual books. Almost everything I have read until now has been fiction so I'm looking to broaden the horizon and get into a different genre.

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culture warrior would be an interesting read

One of my favorites is [ib982cc7b0b]The Onion Field[/ib982cc7b0b] by Joseph Wambaugh. It's True Crime, about 2 robbers and 2 cops and an execution. It changed many facets of Police Roles and Regulations. They even made it in a movie with James Woods, haven't seen it though.

Don't really read books but try The Lord Of The Flies! 8)

[quote71ab38fe78="gmario"]Don't really read books but try The Lord Of The Flies! 8)[/quote71ab38fe78]
Lord of the Flies is good, but I believe it is fiction.
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville ?
It got a great review on Amazon...
-Samad

Noam Chomsky's "Secrets, Lies and Democracy" if you like political science. Battle Royale if you get back into fiction.

It's fiction, but read A Confederacy of Dunces, hilarious.

Deception Point, by Dan Brown. It's fiction, but all the technologies and agencies in the book are real....it's a GREAT book, and really tough to put down ;)

Jostein Gaarder's The Solitaire Mystery... very fun book to read

just gonna throw random books out there
lord of the flies is one of the best ever written imho
dark tower series by steven king
wheel of time series by robert jordan (fantasy)
almanac of the dead by leslie marmon silko (accounts from the native american side of things)
hitchikers guide to the galaxy by douglas adams
collection of short stories by robert lewis stevenson (esp lodging for the night)

so many others...

anything by Bill Bryson

Hey, Dupe, I really enjoyed [u4fc0d04739]In Cold Blood [/u4fc0d04739]by Capote. It reads like a novel, but is a true story. And I agree with guelah75...Bryson's [u4fc0d04739]A Short History of Nearly Everything[/u4fc0d04739] was awesome.

Gun, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. It won the pulitzer prize and will change how you understand history.

Also The Clash of Civilizations by Samuel Huntington - Easily the single most important book written about geopolitics in the last 15 years.

[u23b44fe57b]Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas[/u23b44fe57b] is great (just finished it), although just barely qualifying as Gonzo journalism (even though, ironically, it more or less invented the sub-genre), is a great, entertaining book.

I'm reading [u23b44fe57b]Zero[/u23b44fe57b] at the moment, which follows the history of the number zero and its relevance as "the void" (and, hence, also infinity). It's interesting to see how it affected religion and philosophy; not something one would think about otherwise.

I'm also reading [u23b44fe57b]The 33 Laws of War[/u23b44fe57b], which, even only up to its third chapter, has invaluable information on life-applicable strategy.

if you can get past the author's retarded tendency to include irrelevant personal details, [u4f41f127c1]confessions of an economic hit man[/u4f41f127c1] by john perkins is an enlightening and disturbing look at modern globalization politics

[quote2a4b738c86="ilanbg"][u2a4b738c86][b2a4b738c86]Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas[/b2a4b738c86][/u2a4b738c86] is great (just finished it), although just barely qualifying as Gonzo journalism (even though, ironically, it more or less invented the sub-genre), is a great, entertaining book.

I'm reading [u2a4b738c86]Zero[/u2a4b738c86] at the moment, which follows the history of the number zero and its relevance as "the void" (and, hence, also infinity). It's interesting to see how it affected religion and philosophy; not something one would think about otherwise.

I'm also reading [u2a4b738c86]The 33 Laws of War[/u2a4b738c86], which, even only up to its third chapter, has invaluable information on life-applicable strategy.[/quote2a4b738c86]

Speaking of Hunter S. Thompson, Kingdom of Fear is a good one too. Also Lincoln's Virtues by William Lee Miller.

Ooo, I also really liked [uf7c059215e]Freakonomics[/uf7c059215e] by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner...parts of it had me lol!

[quotea96e5148d0="maksmom"]Ooo, I also really liked [ua96e5148d0]Freakonomics[/ua96e5148d0] by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner...parts of it had me lol![/quotea96e5148d0]seconded

I REALLY enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns, written by the author of Kite Runner. Just recently came out.

Anything by Robert A. Heinlein )

I mostly read modern fiction (all genres), "classics" or historical biographies, but Freakonomics WAS a really great read...the crime rate/abortion theory still has me floored!

PostSecret is pretty good as well...it's more a coffee table book, but worth a flip-thru.

LOL, I was just going to say Guns, Germs and Steel. That's what I am currently reading.

Avoid Dan Brown like the plague, he can't write. It's all crap.

[quoted97bad887c="JennyWren"]Avoid Dan Brown like the plague, he can't write. It's all crap.[/quoted97bad887c]

Obviously tons of people agree with you since he has had three amazing selling books.

[quotefad7c9b2e3="Gigante"][quotefad7c9b2e3="JennyWren"]Avoid Dan Brown like the plague, he can't write. It's all crap.[/quotefad7c9b2e3]

Obviously tons of people agree with you since he has had three amazing selling books.[/quotefad7c9b2e3]

I've read some of him...plots are good, but the language is dry. All depends on what you're looking for. I read some authors for language alone, others for beloved characters and some for the twisted plotlines. Few authors can boast excellence in all areas.

I like Dan Brown. He's not perfect, and his books are somewhat repetitive (Angels & Demons and DaVinci Code are similar in many ways), but I like his style.

Dean Koontz, another of my favorite fiction authors, has a really quirky sense of humor that saturates even his darker stories. He's quite witty, but sometimes he beats you over the head with humor and it gets on your nerves. Some just hate him for it, even though his stories are generally awesome.

Of course Stephen King is my all time favorite fiction author. However I don't care for his fantasy (Dark Tower) stuff, I prefer his classic horror/thriller fiction.

Another example of who I consider a technially poor writer but still sells millions (well, he's dead now, but the books and movies still sell) is Robert Ludlam. I love the Jason Bourne series for the plotlines and characters, but Ludlam's writing style just really annoys the crap outta me.

Tom Clancy is also in my top 5 authors, both for his fiction and non-fiction. Military/War history is probably my favorite non-fiction genre. Into the Storm, the account of Desert Storm that he wrote with Gen. Fred Franks, my 7th Corps commander when I was in Gulf War I, is particularly dear to my heart since it details several of the actions of my unit. ;)

there is a series written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child that I LOVE...

the first in the series is RELIC

http//www.prestonchild.com/books/relic/index.html

and they are ALL wonderful!!!

Ahhhh...Dmorris -a kindred soul )
Have you noticed that Koontz' last few characters seem to be Odd Thomas remakes? That annoys me more than the (sometimes) forced humor, but I adore Odd so much that I end up enjoying the book regardless.
Stephen King has never erred, IMO. He has written from the viewpoint of a 12 yr old boy, a 14 yr old girl, a 50 yr old woman and a 70 yr old man and still manages to create empathy in readers of all ages/genders. Not to mention that suspension of disbelief is effortless with him.

if you get a chance, read "The Lovely Bones"

I read it in one sitting it was so good

Oh, yeah, that was an awesome book! Also [u8a0cd5cddd]Lucky[/u8a0cd5cddd] which Sebold wrote before [u8a0cd5cddd]Lovely Bones[/u8a0cd5cddd]. A bit disturbing, but still, I couldn't put it down!

I bought Lovely Bones at a library sale after my sister read it in a college elective course. I haven't read it yet, but it's on my backlog )

Glad to hear it'll be worth it

They are making a movie too. I just hope they can capture the sprit of the book. I have a feeling it will turn out very Twin Peaks-ish

Although it isn't a novel (I'm guessing that's what you're looking for?), I suggest [u1b0a699af2]Zero[/u1b0a699af2], which follows the history of the number zero and its historical, religious, and political implications. The bits of actual math get a bit dry, especially if you don't understand it (I got lost when it started getting used in calculus), but most of the book talks about its effects on world knowledge, philosophy, and the likes.

It's one of the few books I've read that gives philosophies some historical and mathematical merit; it gives the reader a much greater understanding of things like Aristotlism and Christianity, etc.

Dupebag, I don't know if you've gotten any good suggestions here, but I have! lol

Im picking up 2 books for an AP Language class i have to read during the summer.....i think i may pick up [u0dcae09dcb]Freakonomics[/u0dcae09dcb] while im at it )

[ue1362524c6]The Game[/ue1362524c6]

it's about pick up artists and their underground community.

Gulliver's Travels.

oh and get ready for Harry Potter. that's a must read summer book(if you've read the other ones)

[quotebd49e36390="Iloveipods2"][ubd49e36390]The Game[/ubd49e36390]

it's about pick up artists and their underground community.

Gulliver's Travels.

oh and get ready for Harry Potter. that's a must read summer book(if you've read the other ones)[/quotebd49e36390]

Yah im leaving for england on the 23rd of july ....so ill probably pick it up to read on the plane

I have a Freakonomics book I'll sell to you.

read China The Emerging Threat. excellent book. reading it now, i'm about 3/4 in.

the way the US buys hundreds of billions of dollars in chinese crap every year makes me sick, considering we'll be fighting them in a few years with their ever-richer military...

[quotefd4731b206="booklover1104"]PostSecret is pretty good as well...it's more a coffee table book, but worth a flip-thru.[/quotefd4731b206]
Talk about a eye-popping book shock

The things people confess too made me cringe...

One of them was..."I have tasted my own menstral blood..." ?

Really cool idea by the author though, would you write your darkest secret to someone anoymous to get it off your chest?

Sorry, fiction, but you can't go wrong with Neil Gaiman. [i654345a270]American Gods[/i654345a270], [i654345a270]Neverwhere[/i654345a270], [i654345a270]Anansi Boys[/i654345a270]... good stuff.

[quote362d9c1445="MyungChunHa"][quote362d9c1445="booklover1104"]PostSecret is pretty good as well...it's more a coffee table book, but worth a flip-thru.[/quote362d9c1445]
Talk about a eye-popping book shock

The things people confess too made me cringe...

One of them was..."I have tasted my own menstral blood..." ?

Really cool idea by the author though, would you write your darkest secret to someone anoymous to get it off your chest?[/quote362d9c1445]

A real emotional roller-coaster...plenty of the "make-ya-wanna-vomit" variety like you said, then you turn the page and something soooo sad is next...then there's a "laugh out loud" funny one, then something really pathetic.

I wish I had a secret...I really can't think of ANYTHING that at least 1 other person doesn't know.

[quote19e4ab77fd="MyungChunHa"][quote19e4ab77fd="booklover1104"]PostSecret is pretty good as well...it's more a coffee table book, but worth a flip-thru.[/quote19e4ab77fd]
Talk about a eye-popping book shock

The things people confess too made me cringe...

One of them was...[b19e4ab77fd]"I have tasted my own menstral blood..."[/b19e4ab77fd] ?

Really cool idea by the author though, would you write your darkest secret to someone anoymous to get it off your chest?[/quote19e4ab77fd]


How do you get into a situation like that? shock Gee, I wonder what a used tampon tastes like? roll

Eew! I hope that's a question that's never answered!

a good series in sci-fi/adventure space opera with great politacal insights is the HOnor Harrington series by David Weber.