Exploring the Power of Storytelling: A Review of The Life of Pi

[FUNKER]

hey guys,
i know its a similar to tribdogs thread but i really want to start reading more
can anyone suggest good reads. Not sh*t like da vinci code but good books
they may be fact or fiction
much oblidged

 

[Mk]

Wa wA WAA THE DARK TOWER! BEST THING EVER! OMGWTFBBQHTML!

http://www.thedarktower.net/
http://stephenking.com/DarkTower/flash_index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Tower_(series )

1st book is terrible and rather uninteresting, I would suggest you read the second book, then the first book, then 3rd, 4th, and on through the series.

 

[Pengwuino]

read a textbook

 

[siddharth]

I suggest The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

 

[rocketboy]

Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It will keep you busy. There are 11 books to the series plus a prequel, and he has plans for I think another 2 (as the story hasn't finished yet). They are all approximately 600-800 pages, and the prequel is about 450ish. So they will certainly keep you busy for awhile, although you won't be able to put them down.

Oh yea, um, start with #1 and work your way up. The prequel isn't necessary to read but is still good.

 

[JasonRox]

I really enjoyed...

The Ice Master by Jennifer Nivel

It's about the Canadian Artic Expediction. One of the most amazing stories I've ever read.

I'm currently reading...

The Footsteps of Eve by Dr. Berger

It's about our ancestors, and that South Africa might be the place where the first modern humans came about. This isn't an easy thing to postulate.

I also read the following books lately by Isaac Asimov...

Is Anyone There?
The Beginning to the End

They are just essays, and articles lumped into a book. So, the topics always change, which make it very interesting to learn about a lot of neat stuff.

 

[Jelfish]

I recommend anything by Jack Kerouac, especially The Dharma Bums

 

[FUNKER]

just wanted to say thanks to all who suggested stuff, i have loads to read now :D
except for penwuino, rather unhelpful, friend.
but thanks. keep em coming

 

[scott1]

Harry potter!(j/k I don't think you would read that)War of the Worlds

 

[JasonRox]

just wanted to say thanks to all who suggested stuff, i have loads to read now :D
except for penwuino, rather unhelpful, friend.
but thanks. keep em coming

I read textbooks too, so it's not terrible advice.

 

[FUNKER]

I read textbooks too, so it's not terrible advice.

itwas not the suggestion but lack of specification of textbook,

 

[tribdog]

You can't go wrong with the Harry Potter books they really are the best out of what's been mentioned so far, in my opinion. I liked the Bartimaeus trilogy too, although it is aimed for someone just a little bit younger and I only read the first two. Another series in this genre would be the Artemis Fowl books.
For Physics if you are smart check out Brian Greene if you are not smart check out John Gribbin and no matter what IQ you have read Black Holes and Time Warps by Kip S. Thorne.
The Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series is really popular but I've only read the first two, I have all of them, but while I liked them while I was reading them I found it easy to be distracted by some other book when I finished each of them instead of jumping right to the next book in the series.
If you have a heart you should read James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small. It's no exaggeration to say I've read every book in that series 30 times. When I first got them I was probably in 7th or 8th grade and I read the 4 main books in the series then started at the beginning and reread all 4 then reread them again.
Before I read the Harry Potter books my favorite books were the Belgariad and Mallorean series by David Eddings, they are better in many ways than the Potter books, better written and there's a lot more to them they are also for an older audience I think, but I'm a Harry Potter nut and don't base preferences on facts.
I also agree with the Stephen King suggestion. The Dark tower is great, so is the Black Talisman series. I like most Stephen King books, but there was a period when he wrote some real crap you have to stay away from.

 

[tribdog]

Wa wA WAA THE DARK TOWER! BEST THING EVER! OMGWTFBBQHTML!
1st book is terrible and rather uninteresting, I would suggest you read the second book, then the first book, then 3rd, 4th, and on through the series.

you know what? I agree with your suggestion

 

[JasonRox]

You can't go wrong with the Harry Potter books they really are the best out of what's been mentioned so far, in my opinion.

But you haven't read all of the books mentionned, so how can your opinion be any good with regards to the other books?

 

[siddharth]

I liked the Bartimaeus trilogy too, although it is aimed for someone just a little bit younger and I only read the first two.

You missed the best book in the series then. The ending to the series was brilliant! If you have time, you should read the third one as well (after all, you did read the first two). It will surely be worth the time.

 

[DeadWolfe]

Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace

 

[tribdog]

But you haven't read all of the books mentionned, so how can your opinion be any good with regards to the other books?

the only ones mentioned that I haven't read are the ice master and the footsteps of Eve. and it wouldn't matter anyway. the Harry Potter books are good enough that they can be argued for no matter what is up against them.

 

[tribdog]

You missed the best book in the series then. The ending to the series was brilliant! If you have time, you should read the third one as well (after all, you did read the first two). It will surely be worth the time.

I don't think it had been written when I read the first two. I didn't even know it was available yet. I will check it out

 

[tribdog]

Another book I read that I really, really liked was "The Life of Pi" by Yan Martel. It is about a boy named Pi, not the number. I judged a book by its cover and was completely wrong. I thought I was getting a math book and it turned out to be about an Indian boy who's father sells their zoo and they are traveling with the animals to America when the boat sinks and the boy is trapped on a life boat with a tiger, a zebra, a hyena and an orangutan. The ending was so shocking I screamed out loud. You really have to enjoy reading to get through the first part it's really slow, but man, the ending makes you forget any slowness. Plus it is written extremely well almost poetically.