Anyone Read Any Good Books Lately?

[Ash]

I've never read The Catcher in the Rye.  What's it about?

[John]

>Different Seasons(novella)--(contains Apt Pupil, The Body

Just wanted to mention for those who don't know that The Body was the basis for Stand By Me.

>Diuturnity's Dawn by Alan Dean Foster, it's the third book in the Founding of the
>Commonwealth trilogy.

 How many Commonwealth books are there? I've only read Nor Crystal Tears, and I only picked that one up because I liked the idea of seeing first contact from an alien perspective.

>Alien and Aliens--Alan Dean Foster

Never read the second one, but I always wondered why he left out the whole Space Jockey scene.

>Anyone else have any good recommendations?

 I haven't read much the past couple of years. I seen to spend almost all my free time online. Besides Stephen King, I do like Robert McCammon, Claire NcNally, Clifford Simak and Gary Brandner. Brandner wrote The Howling & a couple of sequels. The first was quite different from the movie and the sequels had nothing in common.

>Splinter in the Mind's Eye

Splinter OF the Mind's Eye to be precise. After reading that and the 3 Han Solo books, I vowed to read every Star Wars novel that came out. Unfortunately, I didn't realize at the time that there would be dozens if not hundreds and I never did get any more.

[Mofo Rising]

CATCHER IN THE RYE is about a young man named Holden Caulfield who is disaffected and alienated from pretty much everybody and everything around him.  He wanders around his school and New York City while calling everybody "phonies" and wondering where ducks go in the winter.  That's about it.

It's really more of a description of a character type rather than an actual story.  Mostly the book is rediscovered by every generation of teenagers who find that Salinger is describing their thoughts and angst.

Well, teenagers and Manchurian candidates.

[jmc]

I don't read much fiction anymore, but have been reading THE CHURCH OF DEAD GIRLS [can't remember the author off hand, and am too lazy to go to the room where the book is located] and am liking it a lot.  

I just finished KILLING PABLO, which is by the guy who wrote BLACKHAWK DOWN.

[Mofo Rising]

jmc wrote:
>
> I don't read much fiction anymore, but have been reading THE
> CHURCH OF DEAD GIRLS [can't remember the author off hand, and
> am too lazy to go to the room where the book is located] and
> am liking it a lot.
>

Hey, I read that recently.  Pretty good.  I'd tell you more but I don't want to ruin anything.  I did read it all in one night.

That was a long night.

[Luke Bannon (too lazy to log)]

I also read this very satirical novel called "The Secret Diary of John Major aged 47 and 3/4.) Basically it is a parody of John Major's time as the Prime Minister of England. Very nasty but funny.

[J.R.]

<>

I mentioned that I read C.S. Lewis' (author of The Chronicals Of Narnia) The Screwtape Letters. It's fantastic. I suppose it's a classic, but I've just recently heard of it. It's not an actual story; it's a collection of letters, written by a demon named Screwtape, to his nephew Wormwood, detailing all the ways humanity can be tempted. It's very funny and and the same time telling and insightful.

[Luke Bannon (too lazy to log)]

Another one is Puckoon by Spike Milligan. Really funny, but with a point about the issues in Ireland (where I live) and other moral issues. Plus each of his characters is really well developed, even if they only appear in it for a few pages he gives us information about their entire background.

[Chadzilla]

John wrote:
>
> How many Commonwealth books are there? I've only read Nor
> Crystal Tears, and I only picked that one up because I liked
> the idea of seeing first contact from an alien perspective.
>
>

Good question, but I don't know the exact answer.  Foster's Pip and Flinx novels are, the Icerigger trilogy is, Cachalot and a few others.  I think most of his futurist novels are set in the Humanx Commonwealth.

[chopper]

Kill Aritst-by Henry Silva, currently the greatest espionage writer. The Mark of the Assasin is also real good by him.

Sleepers, by Lorenzo Carcaterra, i allready saw the film when i read this but it still managed to move me beyond words. revenge, bloodshed, love, loyalty, it's an ultimate urban tragedy.

Survivor, by Chuck Pahlanuik (i probably screwed his name up), chuck is just good with writing characters that live on the brink of society's mores, and use some kinda odd behavior to fetishize with, and give some meaning to their zany existence. in this one he gives live to a death cult surivor with his typical off-beat, dark sense of humor.

[Flangepart]

Terry Pratchett
....I've only read the Disc Wrold novels, but his style is like Douglas Adams, in how he describes things. Also, the characters are beautifuly detailed.
....Any man who can created characters like a Teetotaling Vampire, a Librarian Orangatang (used to be human, but being an ape makes it easier to reach the top shelves.), The fastest running Wizard (Rincewind the cowardly), and can, quite creditably, inform you that Death's horse is named "Binkey", is a writer who should read widely.
....Yes...it realy is Binkey

[Chadzilla]

Just started From A Buick 8, not that anyone care.  But I like this topic, so I'm keeping it alive dammit!