I have to agree with most of Galactic's stuff, but Maze Runner was boring as shit. I don't think it really added much of anything to the dystopian book landscape, and was in deep danger of falling into incredibly overwrought tropes of special boy hero and beautiful girl prize.

Ready Player One was pretty good.

His Dark Materials is required atheist reading. It's also the reason I'm reading Paradise Lost.

Into this wilde Abyss,
The Womb of nature and perhaps her Grave,
Of neither Sea, nor Shore, nor Air, nor Fire,
But all these in their pregnant causes mixt
Confus'dly, and which thus must ever fight,
Unless th' Almighty Maker them ordain
His dark materials to create more Worlds,
Into this wilde Abyss the warie fiend
Stood on the brink of Hell and look'd a while,
Pondering his Voyage; for no narrow frith
He had to cross.

I'm also currently reading (I have reading ADHD) The Better Angels of Our Nature

For anyone who wants to talk about guns or violence and American society in the international community at large, this is a must read.

(June 20, 2014 at 8:31 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: I have to agree with most of Galactic's stuff, but Maze Runner was boring as shit. I don't think it really added much of anything to the dystopian book landscape, and was in deep danger of falling into incredibly overwrought tropes of special boy hero and beautiful girl prize.

I won't argue for two reasons. First, there's some truth to what you say about the books. Second, taste is highly subjective. There's just no accounting for it.

I enjoyed them despite their flaws and that's all I want from a book (besides, Mr. Dashner's a home state author).

--------------

A couple of exceptionally good reads that I forgot to mention earlier:

"The Pillars of the Earth" and "World Without End" by Ken Follett. While usually writing political thrillers based in WWII Germany, Ken Follett breaks from his normal genre for a couple epic stories set in medieval England. They are stories of intrigue, political games, deception, greed, love won and love lost, evils committed, good deeds done and a guy who builds a cathedral (Pillars) and a guy who repairs and improves it a couple hundred years later (World).

These two books, despite being a far cry from my normal genres, are two of the greatest books I've ever read.

Oh, btw - if you want epic fantasy with an awesome female lead that's filled with international intrigue, alternative history, the wrath of angels (this isn't Christianity) haute couture in the middle ages, daring sword fights, BDSM, star-crossed love, high romance and decade spanning friendships, you really, really, really need to read Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel books, starting with Kushiel's Dart.

I can't recommend those books enough.

The Heart Speaks: A Cardiologist Reveals the Secret Language of Healing

A great book on a really fascinating subject.

I recently re-read Heinlein's 'Stranger In A Strange Land', and I'd forgotten how good it is.

Prolly the last thing he wrote before his conservatism got the best of him and infected everything he wrote.

Boru

(June 19, 2014 at 11:28 pm)GalacticBusDriver Wrote: Jim Butcher: "The Dresden Files" series (urban fantasy). Wizard at large with a spirit guide named Bob, who lives in a skull and has a libido roughly the size of Alaska. Hugely entertaining.

Max Brooks: "World War Z" (historical documentary of the zombie apocalypse). Awesome book. Hollywood bought the rights just to get the title and ignored the content.

Philip Pullman: "His Dark Materials" (fantasy series).

Wow. What a list. I will 100% be trying to get some of your list in my upcoming books list, can't wait. So many sound good. I'm primarily a Sci-Fi guy but I can appreciate the great fantasy.

Although I cannot comment on most of your list (which I deleted in the quote) I can vouch for these 3.

Dresden Files is a great series. There is nothing really groundbreaking in the series but if you like wit, humour and some decent drama it's a decent series. I mean it's kinda average in terms of writing (still above 85% of movies though) but very entertaining. It's the book equivalent of a escapist story, yet it is soooooooooooo much better than a say Transformer movie.

World War Z is just such an interesting take on the zombie genre. Love the way so many completely different stories manage to pull together a story. It's really too bad the author sold out the name for that beyond awful Brad Pitt film, it ruins the novel. Loved it when I read it before movie came out, movie was one of the biggest disappointments I can remember.

I read Pullman's Dark Materials when I was just a kid. Although I was only like 12-15 (hell I can't remember when; I read 150+ novels in that time haha) I for sure remember these. Great novels that had some very great situations. They were a first a look for me at the corruption and prejudiced of the church and opened my mind. Compared to the idiotic Witch and Wardrobe novels of which they were a direct response they absolutely put them to shame. Loved these books as a child and would to this day say they were a huge strengthening of my rejection of hypocrisy of religion as a young adult. Every 10-15 year old should read these and adults can learn plenty from it as well. And this is not to say they are "atheist" books in reality they are very well written from any vantage point. Come to think of it I might just check these out from my local library this week haha.

(June 21, 2014 at 7:22 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: Oh, btw - if you want epic fantasy with an awesome female lead that's filled with international intrigue, alternative history, the wrath of angels (this isn't Christianity) haute couture in the middle ages, daring sword fights, BDSM, star-crossed love, high romance and decade spanning friendships, you really, really, really need to read Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel books, starting with Kushiel's Dart.

I can't recommend those books enough.

You had me at BDSM...

I'm an avid reader, though probably quite a slow reader compared to many others. I read maybe 100 pages a day. So a decent sized book can take me the better part of a week to read. However my eyes are not great so I read slow, also to help me comprehend what I'm reading better.

I'm a big believer in reading all of the classics if you truly want to get into reading...

Great Expectations
The Great Gatsby
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Old Man and the Sea
On the Road
The Count of Monte Cristo
Pride and Prejudice
War and Peace
The Catcher in the Rye
..........

On and on.... Of course other people may have a different definition of what 'the classics' are. Regardless, I think it's a great idea to get into these classic books before you delve into other stuff. It gives you a great idea of what truly good writing is, whether or not you enjoy them is another story entirely. An enjoyable story and good writing can be mutually exclusive, although it's not very often the case.

Of course this is just how I did it when I started reading and I feel like I got a lot out of it so this is how I would recommend others do it too. Then again maybe it is better for some to pick up some unknown author and start reading. You never know you might discover your favorite book.