Up until about two weeks ago I had never considered reading a book to fill time or for something to do, it took the prospect of a 9 hour flight and no batteries in my mp3 player to make me consider buying a book.

so while I was at the brisbane airport for 4 hours pondering my options (new batteries or a book), I was perusing the bookstore with my girlfriend (avid reader) and I came across 'The Davinci Code' by Dan brown. I'd heard people talking about the book and I guess I wanted to know what all the fuss was about..

so anyway mid-flight it occured to me that I actually liked reading this book and as the week in phuket went on it became more apparent that I was reading it whenever there was nothing to do.

I'd finished it before the flight from bangkok -> brisbane so I wanted to get another book, Dan brown currently has 3 books in the top 10 list so naturally I just picked one of the others, called 'Digital Fortress'.

Digital fortress rocked as much as The Davinci Code, I finished it yesterday on the train and luckily yesterday at lunch time I made a quick stop off to dymocks on queen street and picked up the other one of the three books, called 'Deception Point', of which I'm already 1/4 the way through.


anyway, long story short - Dan browns a rockin' author.

http://www.danbrown.com/

I'm reading the Da Vinci code at the moment, I bought it ages ago and to me it just seems a bit long winded.. yanno, he talks too much about the same things without giving an explination until it's been obscurely mentioned. Plus the 'puzzles' dissapoint me.. I can get them too quickly.

That said, I'm about to go on a school camp for 3 days and I'm going to pick up Angels & Demons (which is another Langdon book) before i leave.

I bought The Davinci Code two weeks ago but I have another book to finish first. Looking forward to getting stuck into it, everyone tells me its a ripper.

The real question is; Who doesn't read books.

Teq, sell me The Davinci Code! :p

i'm reading The Life of Pi atm...

i read a book every few days

life of pi rox.

teq dont get stuck on 1 author, otherwise you wont be able to read anything from other authors, same goes for genre, i got stuck on sci fi and then william gibson for ages.

try tom robbins - village incognito.

also it usually takes 1 book that you fkn love to spark you off on reading for the rest of your life, congratulations, welcome aboard!

the deli lama says that its wrong to masturbate, its wrong to have sex with some of the same sex (m->m or f->f), its wrong to have sex during the day, its wrong to have anal (even between husbaned & wife), its wrong to have oral (even between a husband and wife)

edit: also its wrong to use ur reproductive orgains for Anything BUT reproduction (trying to turn us into f***ing animals?)

Not the pope.

thats from a book

a guy was reading

on tv

last edited by Jerry at 09:23:48 28/Sep/04

yes jerry... its wrong of you to try and f*** your dog...

That llama is wrong

Just finished reading The Racist Mind. Good book and gives you a nice look into the white racist movement and what drives a lot of members to join, not to mention what drives a lot of the leaders to lead their various movements.

what are some really good, top notch books that you guys would recommend for reading? Im just finishing a 4 book series and i want to go out and but a few good books.

reading is good. i just avoid fiction books. i have no reason to immerse myself into someone's elses world and life.

any books written by noam chomsky are great. favourite author.

i just avoid fiction books. i have no reason to immerse myself into someone's elses world and life.

err, don't you mean "biographies"?

Now if only people would apply that concept to reality television shows...

no. i mean fiction.

i didnt want to immerse myself in some sci/fi land where monsters and aliens reign with the world under threat yadda yadda yadda. its lame...waste of time.

if you want a good book for light reading then try Drenden Dubois - Betrayed i read this the other day... this auther is someone to watch... just starting out but i would place him above Tom Clancy in his writing ability... (especially since TC has waned in his latter years)

Well, I think Da Vinci Code sucks, and I hope blahnana will be along any minute now to talk about how crap Digital Fortress is.

Get some good books up you - if you thought Digital Fortress was good (I haven't read it and never will unless someone duct-tapes me to my chair and puts it on autoscroll in my browser with one of those eye things in Clockwork Orange keeping my eyes glued to the screen and some guy dropping eyedrops in so my eyes don't dry out, and even then I'll be trying to kill myself by holding my breath) you'll no doubt dig anything by Neal Stephenson - in particular Cryptonomicon, and probably Snow Crash.

I don't read for leisure, it just puts me to sleep :(. Perhaps I haven't found a good book to read yet but generally I can't stand the thought of it. The most I ever read was Stephen King's Pet Cemetery - even then I only read it half way and cheated and skipped to the end hehe ;)

For some strange reason I can stand reading technical manuals better than _normal_ books. My girlfriend who is an super avid reader said that the reason may be I'm reading the books "too" slowly i.e. which is why I get bored and distracted too easy - which is probably true, I tend to read each sentences slowly I guess that's probably why technical manuals are ok for me as they are designed to be read very throughly.

Anyway.

last edited by Opec at 11:42:21 28/Sep/04

last edited by Opec at 11:42:35 28/Sep/04

I thought The Da Vinci code was ok. It wasn't the best book I ever read, but it didn't offend me as much as it appeared to offend Trog. :)

I believe the only reason that it has recieved so much attention is that fact he brings up lots "controversial" issues in it. I know my mum took great offence to the notion that Jesus was married to Mary and actually had babies!

By the way, I don't know or care whether Jesus had babies, but the suggestion that it might be true is interesting.

I'm currently reading Deception Point, and it's not too bad so far.

Also, Snow Crash is an awesome book as is most stuff from Neal Stephenson.

If you like fantasy type stuff, David Gemmels early stuff is are favourites of mine (Legend, Waylander, The King Beyond The Gate). No brainer hero type books, but they can be good.

Also, Terry Pratchett.. read it.

I know my mum took great offence to the notion that Jesus was married to Mary and actually had babies!

Jesus hit that like he was a jungle bunny

Da vinci code is s***

Anyone that hasn't found that books are better then a movie is well a redneck.

Games/movies/dvds are ok entertainment, but they are the fast food of entertainment. A good book is like a banquet.

I know my mum took great offence to the notion that Jesus was married to Mary and actually had babies!

Jesus hit that like he was a jungle bunnybunny

Didn't know Mantra mum knew Mary. Mantra is even older than we thought, could this be possible?

Not much of a book person. Only thing I will read is the Australian and the Couriermail (love teh newspapers). Book reading time is music time for me.

I just re-reading the Tasmanian Babes Fiasco by John Birmingham

i read a book 14 years ago that that gave a proposel on how jesus married mary and how it was possible and how the romans played along...and the story and be told from the bible ITSELF!!!

i havnt read the davinci code yet... cause i heard it was sucky... but would be interesting if he stole the ideas from another book...

the book was called secrets of the rose or something like that... and basicaly said the holy grail was the true blood linnage of jesus which is held in secret by the Knights Templar... an orginasition which still exists in secret TODAY!!!!!!!!!!


MY GOOD WHAT A MEMORY I HAVE!!!!!!

remember i read that prob 90-91

see i find that my biggest problem with reading is i haven't read in ages. Cause i haven't read since school i don't know any good books/authors. So i don't read :s

edited to make sense :P

last edited by Fizzer at 14:11:07 28/Sep/04

Try "Zombie Bums from Uranus"

Its pure arse :p

I read a fair bit.. just something to pass the time when hiding in crawlspaces and the like

in my opinion the da vinci code wasn't bad but I wasn't going to sit around raving about it for weeks on end (even if I am a humanities student :( )

Most recent thing I read and really enjoyed was Lian Hearn's Tales of the Otori trilogy

fun!

Superforms - those notions exsist not only through fiction but also though those atheist historians, a few books have been written on the subject and I have found many of them myself when I chose to debate religion and bring up recearched 'facts'. :)

the book i read wasnt fiction...

it was based on the interpretations of stories in the bible and real life ppl who r or were part of this secret sect

it was very interesting... considering most of whats taught at church are interpretations as well...

I read a fair bit.. just something to pass the time when hiding in crawlspaces and the like

hahaha! What the f***?!?!

people that dont read books are usually not bright people (theres an exception at work, he wont read fiction, hates it, but is smart as a whip)

I just re-reading the Tasmanian Babes Fiasco by John Birmingham

i found tasmanian babes to be fully s***

felafal(sp) was much better and almost believable

tasmanian babes, just stunk of "the first book is a success, do another one"

im currently reading (dont laugh) "girl most likely" by another brissy author (rebecca sparrow)

its quite funny and reading about places in brissy (such as the RE) is a nice touch

i hate fantasy books, they are but one step away from getting out the dice and giving up on ever interacting with a sexy person of the opposite sex

people that dont read books are usually not bright people (theres an exception at work, he wont read fiction, hates it, but is smart as a whip)

...

i found tasmanian babes to be fully s***
felafal(sp) was much better and almost believable

And Spook is a living example that reading will not always improve your literary skillz.

good books I've read:

Early Tom Clancy i.e. Hunt for Red October, Red Storm Rising.

Dale Brown: Flight of the old Dog

Richard Marchinko: Auto Biography (unbelievable read for those who don't know he was the creater and original CO of seal team 6).

Adam Douglas: hitchikers guide the galaxy, dirk digglers holistic detective agency

Oh Crap forgot!!!

LOTR and The Hobbit = win!

If you've seen the movies and enjoyed them Teq, try the books.

but would be interesting if he stole the ideas from another book...

Stole the idea's?? HELLO?! These are actual / real / recognized theories and have been around many many years, as the book itself states, and Dan Brown himself states on his website.

I thought it was a great book, I've read many and i thought it was up there with my favourites, them being all of Matthew Reilly's books (Contest, Temple, Ice Station, Area 7, Scarecrow). I recommend those to any who want an absolute non stop action packed book - your garanteed to be satisfied :)

Also the best fantasy book i have ever read goes to young Chrisopher Paolini with his book Eragon. Very interesting and entertaining book, with 2 sequels to come. And yes, it has dragons =)

last edited by Andrewus at 19:49:31 28/Sep/04

Also, Terry Pratchett.. read it.

Indeed Pratchett rocks. As do the Red Dwarf series of books. Tolkien is a master. Robin Hobb isnt too bad either. I myself prefer the Forgotten Realms type books (after all it is where I stole the nickname Manshoon from).

i hate fantasy books, they are but one step away from getting out the dice and giving up on ever interacting with a sexy person of the opposite sex

Really Spook......I have friend who play D&D regularly and at least one of them picks up hot chicks on a regular basis.....the bastard (true a couple of them are complete freaks but that does happen).

Anyone who watches and likes a movie based on a book should read the book....they are so much better than the movie in every case Ive seen so far.

I thought it was a great book, I've read many and i thought it was up there with my favourites, them being all of Matthew Reilly's books (Contest, Temple, Ice Station, Area 7, Scarecrow)

:'(

Well i have always been a book afficionado.
I will read a book before i think about watching TV

/agree with Fade2Black. Most of the authors he mentions are pretty good and have provided much enjoyment over teh years.

The stand out of course is Tolkien, and the books are FAR FAR FAR better than the movie (which i also enjoyed btw :)


As for authors like tom clancy, david eddings, dale brown, and some others of that ilk, it is interesting and dissappointing how much they SUCK after some time.

Their first books or first few books were all great. But then they all went down hill badly.

Its as if their publisher was standing over them with a fat cheque going, "write faster, write while u are famous, cash in on it" etc... needless to say their later stuff is crap, especially teh collaboration crap.

A few other authors i have really enjoyed u might like to try:

Colin Wilson - very knowledgeable and profligate author, and published in a variety of genres. Very thought provoking, but hard to get.

Steven Donaldson!


@superform - mate i think i have that book...very interesting read.
I checked some of his sources and lets just say that enough of them were spurious to make me not believe the rest of them :)


btw i have something like 2000 books on my bookshelves and in boxes :)

Why the Sad face, sacred?

I get religious crap slammed into me every day at school, so reading the da vinci code was just something new and i thought it was relatively action packed.

And Matthew Reilly's books rock, i dont think anyone could argue that =/

Steve Coonts and Clive Cussler are also good and of that Genre.

To do with Da Vinci code plagiarism:
news.com.au

matthew reilly is rather ass kicking.

I'd have to say Ian Irvine is my favourite author. His first series, "the view from the mirror", ruined me for other books. It was too good, other books seem crap in comparison. The last book (chimaera) in the follow up series (the well of echoes) comes out on friday. Can't wait!!!

Irvine is good if you hate/dislike the fantasy genre. I don't like eddings. The good thing about Irvine's novels is that the story isn't set in a medieval europe stereotype. The book isn't the same old good vs old lame wad invinscible hero crap. It's about real people, with real character and real motivations.

Also, magic is really hard to do. none of that "magically spews fire out of hands then single handedly fights of 5 dudes" crap.

I read a fair bit of fiction. Hell I spent 2 weeks in Bali recently and was averaging a book a day :)
I bought the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown mostly due to seeing it as the bestsellers in bookstores and being curious. I enjoyed both books (though I think I preferred Da Vinci Code as it seemed slightly less over the top). They were both an easy read and didn't take me more than a 6 to 8 hours each...perfect for reading while lying beside a pool and getting massages :)

My general genres of choice are hard science fiction, fantasy with minimal levels of elves, dwarves and obvious use of a d20. I also enjoy the odd techno-thriller and action book for a laugh.

Currently in terms of hard sci-fi I've really enjoyed reading the books of Alastair Reynolds, and Stephen Baxter (even if his books are depressing) and the slightly less hard sci-fi of Peter F. Hamilton. I've just started reading some Greg Egan books which are apparently about as hard as you get when it comes to sci-fi.
I can't bring myself to read any pulp sci-fi anymore. If the authors aren't at least trying to establish a believable universe with believable physics, dealing with thought provoking concepts and of course with a decent writing style I'm not interested.

I read the Magician series by Feist but could barely stand it. Along with the old Dragonlance books I used to read when I was a teenager it reminded me of nothing more than someone recording a D&D session and passing it off as a book. I was mixed over LotR. JRRT literary style was interesting as you would expect from a literary academic however it didn't really grab me.
My favourite fantasy authors are George R. R. Martin and, even though the quality of his work has gone downhill in the last 4 or 5 books, Robert Jordan. I also enjoy reading David Gemmel because while every single book is practically the same with (sometimes) different character names it's just good hack and slash fun.

I used to be a big Tom Clancy fan back in the days of Red Storm Rising (still my favourite of his books), Clear and Present Danger and Without Remorse. His last Ryan universe book (the one with his son) was complete and utter trash and his books since and including Debt of Honour have only been slightly better. I think his extreme (to my mind) political views as expressed so obviously in his later books have really dampened my enthusiam for them.

As for Matthew Reilly....I enjoy reading his books for the laugh factor. They're so stupidly over the top I enjoy them for the same reason I sometimes hire out DVDs I know are going to be definition of a Z grade movie (almost anything with Dolph Ludgren fits into his category).

iain banks writes some goof weird books as does sherri tepper

To do with Da Vinci code plagiarism:
news.com.au

holy crap that was the book i was talking about!!!!!

r_bazz_t: yeah I don't mind Banks. Consider Phlebas (sp?) wasn't too bad. Against A Dark Background I was mixed about...alas I haven't read any of his other books though some people say that his best was Use of Weapons. I'll have to try to find some more of his books at some point.

I'm currently readin the diceman, it seems ok but moves pretty slow.

a book I highly reccomend is called 'three men in a raft' its f***in great. its about an aussie a sth african and a canadian who navigate the amazon from source to sea in a blowup raft, seriously awesome book.

hey rukh, try and read "excession" and "look to windward" by banks. They are f***in great

Digital Fortress by Dan Brown makes me cringe everytime he tries to tell me something about computers. He's wrong on just about everything he tries to say about them. Unfortunately, the whole book is about computers. It's a rubbish book.

As for Clive Cussler being a good author? I read a book of his a week ago. The major character was lost at sea, in his words in an unrescuable position. Next thing you know, this "old guy" comes sailing in on a spectactular yacht, and rescues them. The name of the old guy, who's just sailing around in this fabulous yacht by himself? Clive Cussler. What an egotistical mofo. He rescues the main character by writing himself into the story. What trash!

I won't stand here and listen to you trash talk Cussler or Dirk Pitt!@#!

I won't stand here and listen to you trash talk Cussler or Dirk Pitt!@#!

I mean really.. "Dirk Pitt"?! Could he be anymore trite? He should have called him "Biff Pow" and be done with it.

blahnana: I haven't read Cussler, but I read The Seventh Scroll by Wilbur Smith a couple of months ago...That book is a sort of sequel to another of his books called River God which is set in ancient Egypt and (according to the fiction) based off scrolls uncovered in some cave somewhere. The Seventh Scroll was set in modern times and detailed the exploits of one of the finders of those supposed scrolls and she remarks in the story about how she felt that the person they got to publish the story in the scrolls, who just so happens to be *Wilbur Smith* made a bad job of it. Sure, he didn't make himself into a major character but his name certainly got mentioned enough times by the characters ;)

As for Dan Brown...I enjoyed Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code as light entertainment but yeah it wouldn't suprise me that he couldn't write a book focusing on computers. I imagine it's hard to write with any sort of accuracy about a technical field that you know almost nothing about :) For evidence I submit to you: politicians writing laws regarding the Internet, journalists, and Hollywood :)

I like Isac Asimov(spelling?) books, they are really good, usually a whole bunch of short stories, allthough there are some full length ones.
I also like to read non-fiction books too.

I was reading a 1960's book called "You can trust the communist" the other day, I think it was by Dr Fred Schwarz or something similar. It was amusing and interesting.

Dirk Digglers Holistic Detective Agency? LOL! Dirk Gently you mean :)

For the people who talk about not immersing themselves is a fiction (particularly fantasy) book - what the heck are you doing in a gaming website? What do you play Soccer Manager 2000? What can you call Doom, Half-Life or Warcraft but a fantasy setting and you don't get any more immersed than playing in them...

As for Matthew Reilly. I've read all his books and they are a fun read. But they are by no means "good books". They're like a Van Damme or Seagal movie put on paper :P Clive Cussler's books kinda fall into the same category - fun and action packed but not terribly brain teasing.

I won't go into what books I like (cos there are soooo many) just what I'm reading at the moment. Jack Ketchum's "Off Season" and John Donnelly's "Crybbe". Both horror novels. Off Season is in your face, offensive and just plain sick, while Crybbe is more of a traditional slow building supernatural thriller.

sKryBe: I don't think that even a cyborg made up of parts of Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Vin Deisel, and 20 other action stars could do half the stuff that the Scarecrow supposedly does in Reilly's books ;) As you said, they're a fun read but by no means great writing :)

LOL! Yeah you're probably right.

Don't want to give away any important plot points either, but some of the people who survive/die... argh! Mother for example is even more resilient than Scarecrow!

Now onto even more important literary works... who still reads comics? :)

I'm averaging about $40 a week on them, not hard when a typical 30 pager (Like superman) is about $6. Still loving the Authority and Planetary. And the new Dark Horse Conan comic is brilliant. It captures the feel of the original Howard stories pretty well and the artwork is stunning. Of course the Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse comics are the same as ever - except they cost more than a typical kid could afford :/

obligatory orson scott card's ender saga mention

finished my rebecca sparrow (girl most likely) yesterday, was excellent, definatley worth a read (despite the girlyness, still very funny)

gonna give another john birmingham book a try (despite how bad tasmanian babes was)

some book about all the stoners around australia

last edited by Spook at 07:06:48 01/Oct/04

hehe spook.

make sure you read "He died with a felafel in his hand"

its a seriously f***ing awesome book and you would love it, in fact you may even feature in it, he just doesn't reveal names ;)

He died with a felafel in his hand

i lived in the street 1 street away from this guy and was smack bang in the area he was talking about in his book...

red hill rocks

yar, ive read felaffel

enjoyed it muchly

just though tasmanian babes was a shonky cash in;