Author Topic: Book Talk (Yeah I'm a Dork, What's it to ya)? (Read 7304 times)

The Blue Toad · « **on:** April 28, 2005, 07:47:35 PM »

Some people might think this idea is stupid, but I love to read, and I thought I'd make this topic for people who also do. Here you can talk about books, debate on what's good or not, and make suggestions. (i just know someone is gonna say this topic sucks, but heck! I'm postin' it anyways!)

If Toad is a mushroom and a mushroom is a fungus and a fungus is a decomposer, can we say that Toad is a decomposer?

Luigison · « **Reply #1 on:** April 28, 2005, 07:51:57 PM »

I also like to read and made a thread about the books I like. I do not think this thread inhales with vigor, but you shouldn't say that a thread could be viewed poorly by some people before you actually state the threads purpose. What you did is like going into a job interview and the first thing you say is, "Most people will probably say that I suck, but here's my resume."

Edited by - Luigison on 4/28/2005 6:55:49 PM

The Blue Toad · « **Reply #2 on:** April 28, 2005, 07:54:41 PM »

lol. true. i don't think i would get that job. Any ways, has anyone read Eragon? (Hopefully yes!)

If Toad is a mushroom and a mushroom is a fungus and a fungus is a decomposer, can we say that Toad is a decomposer?

Edited by - The Blue Toad on 4/28/2005 6:56:26 PM

TEM · « **Reply #3 on:** April 28, 2005, 09:08:20 PM »

ATTN: LIST MODIFIED

"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (Comedic Science Fiction) series by Douglas Adams

"Ender's Game" (Science Fiction) by Orson Scott Card

"Jurassic Park" (Genetic-thriller)
"State of Fear" (Enviro-Politcal Action?) both by Michael Critchton

"Lord of the Rings" (Fantasy) by J.R.R. Tolkien

"Red Dragon" (Detective Novel ?) by Thomas Harris

"Strange Attractors" (Science Fiction) by William Sleator

"It" (Horror)
"The Stand" (Horror-ish If I delve into all the themes it has I'll spoilerize)
"The Eyes of the Dragon" (Fantasy)
"The Dark Tower" (Epic Fantasy) * all by Stephen King

I, Robot (Science Fiction)
Caves of Steel (Science Fiction Whodunit) **
Naked Sun (Science Fiction Whodunit) **
The Robots of Dawn (Science Fiction Whodunit) ** all by Isaac Asimov

* This is one large book split into 7 (I'm waiting to buy it when they combine them all into one big book); they are to be read as listed in this order:

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Wastelands
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower

** These 3 books are part of the Elijah Baley novels and shall be read in the listed order or I will kill you.

ATTN: LIST MODIFIED

Watoad · « **Reply #4 on:** April 28, 2005, 11:07:23 PM »

I wish I were much more of a bookworm than I am. It's hard to find people who read slower than I do, and I don't manage my time with 100% efficiency, so I accomplish less reading than I would like.

Interestingly, The Blue Toad, I'm reading Eragon right now. I'm not very far yet, though, so please don't spoil anything for me! ^^;

The other books that I'm currently either reading or going through at an off-and-on pace,* aside from school books, are Learning to Bow, The Message, and Renovation of the Heart.

*Just so you know, "off-and-on pace" suggests a significant lack of reading; don't go thinking that I'm reading a lot just because I listed four titles. The amount I actually read each day is small.

EDIT: WARNING: MARKIO'S POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. I don't know for sure because I averted my eyes once I suspected as such, and I don't want to take the risk of finding out for certain. But I'm warning you all just in case.

"He is not a fool who gives up what he cannot keep for the sake of what he can never lose."

Edited by - WaToaD on 4/28/2005 11:37:46 PM

Markio · « **Reply #5 on:** April 28, 2005, 11:31:19 PM »

I read Eragon, but after I finished, I looked back and realized I didn't like many of the characters. I suppose I liked Murtagh, because he has a "noticeable back indentation" like me, and I can relate to his sufferings(although he probably doesn't feel pain from it).

Saphira I didn't like. I'll admit they said dragons mature faster than humans, but when she starts acting more authoritive than Eragon and everyone else, it got annoying, plus she used her size and strength to get her way all the time. That wouldn't be so bad if she wasn't a girl dragon. Not to sound sexist or anything, but girls are romantic, clever, puzzle-solvers with the looks and usually are more mature, and boys just hit each other. When girls take over the "hitting" department, what do we have left? I want to see a male dragon soon, because it seems girl dragons are everywhere, from Eragon to Shrek to Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher(didn't read that last one). I hope they don't make the "She-Ninja Turtles".

â€œYou never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.â€ -Atticus Finch

Vidgmchtr · « **Reply #6 on:** April 29, 2005, 12:20:10 AM »

The "book" I am currently reading in English is "The Illiad" by Homer.

...I hate it. No one in the story refers to characters as their names, but as "son of so-and-so", or "daughter of so-and-so". That, and when they refer to one of the gods or goddesses, they don't just go by their Roman names, but by their Greek names as well (I know them better by their Greek names). You seriously have to know the names of everyone if you want to understand the story.

Thankfully, we're only reading 4 of the many books of The Illiad.

The Old Man and the Sea was the previous story we read. I hated that too, but it was NOTHING compared to this.

But there are stories I have read in school that I do enjoy.

The Cay by Theodore Taylor

"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

Boy by Roald Dahl

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Nine Stories by JD Salinger

To name a few. There are tons more.

Edited by - Vidgmchtr on 4/28/2005 11:29:09 PM

Pirate · « **Reply #7 on:** April 29, 2005, 04:19:33 AM »

I like reading becuase it develops a more broad vocabulary.. maybe.. or just becuase books are interesting..

I am reading "The Sphere" by Michael Crighton, I haven't seen the film so I don't know what happens, but it's builing up well.

- - - -
Arg, matey

Luigison · « **Reply #8 on:** April 29, 2005, 07:11:02 PM »

My favs are:

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - I've read all five books in this trilogy at least twice. I've read the first three several times.
Gateway by Fredrik Pohl - I've read the first five books in this "trilogy" at least twice and am know reading the new sixth (and final?) book.
The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter - I've read this 500+ page sequal to The Time Machine" twice. There's only one book, so it's no more a trilogy than the others.
About Time - My favorite Paul Davies nonfiction.
"Calvin and Hobbes"
"The Far Side"

I've read a lot of other books and sometimes read several at a time. I re-read so many short stories that I probably could not list them all. So I'll just give the first one that comes to mind. "Ripples in the Dirac Sea"

42.) There are exactly 41 interesting facts about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. No more, no less. - HowStuffWorks.com

Edited by - Luigison on 4/29/2005 6:40:36 PM

The Blue Toad · « **Reply #9 on:** April 29, 2005, 10:50:30 PM »

Yeah. There are many books I love, but one series that stands out is definantly Harry Potter. I got involved in Harry Potter in 4th grade, and have loved it ever since. It seems like a lot of my friends are breaking off from HP though, and don't like it. I think I'll always read it though. My fav. HP book is definantly the 4th (5th was good, but I just found the 4th one better).

If Toad is a mushroom and a mushroom is a fungus and a fungus is a decomposer, can we say that Toad is a decomposer?

Luigison · « **Reply #10 on:** April 29, 2005, 11:20:00 PM »

I came back to check the Fungi Forums and for some reason thought of the short story, "None So Blind". It's one of my favorites.

I also like the novel, On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony. His personification of death was both intersting and entertaining.

Edit: Upon actually reading everyones posts in the this thread I noticed that several people are have read or are reading books with dragons in them. I made a few rules for myself in the late 80's.

1. Do not buy a book with dragons on the cover. I read a friends Doorways in the Sand, which was okay, but the few I had bought were not for me.

2. Don't rent, buy, or otherwize watch a movie with more than one gun on the cover/poster. I've broken this rule a couple of times, but always with regret. I've since modified this rule to include most movie with just one hand gun on its cover/poster.

3. If I borrow or checkout a book that I end up very much enjoying, I must buy a copy of it to support the author/publisher.

I am considering adding the following rule:

4. Start bookcrossing for my favorite books.

Edited by - Luigison on 4/29/2005 10:50:06 PM

Sqrt2 · « **Reply #11 on:** April 30, 2005, 05:12:46 AM »

I've just finished reading Dracula by Bram Stoker and I think it is superior to all the screen versions that I've seen.

Vote Labour.
Bringing Britain backwards, not forwards.

Edited by - Sqrt2 on 4/30/2005 4:13:26 AM

Screech · « **Reply #12 on:** April 30, 2005, 12:34:09 PM »

I like books with lots of pictures. Really. I like graphic novels.

Fantasy novels are a mixed bag, so I don't read them unless a friend says something good about one.

I'm on my second read-through of the Hitchhiker's Trilogy, and I'm supposed to watch the movie sometime today.

Even though they're intended for children, I really like the "Series of Unfortunate events" books.

"At Dukar, we place our emphasis on serving you, supporting
you, and helping you be as successful as possible."

Luigison · « **Reply #13 on:** April 30, 2005, 02:23:56 PM »

I don't like vampire books or movies because I can't suspend my disbelieve.

Red Paratroopa · « **Reply #14 on:** April 30, 2005, 04:12:34 PM »

Books I Like:
- The Wayside School Books by Louis Sachar (They're intended for younger children, but I loved them when I was younger and I still do)
- Holes by Louis Sachar (I read it once a year)
- His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, the only book that made me cry)
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Great, classic story)
- To Kill a Mockingbird (I read it for school over spring break even though it wasn't required and I loved it)
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (I need to finish the "trilogy")
- The Harry Potter stories (I'm hooked)
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll (My two all-time favorites)
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (I've just started it for school, but I know I'll like it (it's similar to Hitchhiker's))

Comics in Book Form I Like:
- Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson (because if you don't like them, there is something seriously wrong with you)
- Liberty Meadows by Frank Cho (Great storyline + great jokes + great drawings = win)
- Bone by Jeff Smith (The only comic book that I ever wanted to read, superheros don't appeal to me)

"It''s impossible this way!"