well ive just completed S.M.Stirling's T2 (3 books on the terminator series) i cant recommened these books enough ,Infiltrator Rising storm and Futurewar they answer alot of questions i had after watching the terminator series as ive finnished these im looking for something well written, a mate just gave me matthew Reillys Scarecrow (sydney writter) what are you reading ???

Patricia Cornwell - Predetor

The Silmarillion by Tolkien

This thread.

zing

Actually I'm slowly picking through:

The Camel Club - David Baldacci
A short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
The Chaser - Annual 2005

last edited by mission at 20:03:08 16/Feb/06

Scarecrow - Matthew Reilly

But I'm not enjoying it that much. It's supposed to be hardcore special forces action and espionage, but it's so over the top it reads like a tall tale.

Once it's out of the road I intend to read:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

It's an interesting novel written by an autistic fellow.

John Gray - Mars and Venus in the Workplace

apparently men and women have different personalities

seriously though it is an interesting read if a little patronising at times

da vinci code

i'm still getting through the mountain of valentines cards i got from beautiful ladies.

Terry Goodkind - Chainfire
David Gemmell - Troy, Lord of the Silver Bow

last edited by Tanaka Khan at 20:22:57 16/Feb/06

I read the Courier mail back to front everyday, that's about all the reading I do...i'm well informed though ;P

ahahahaha, the Courier Mail and well-informed. OK.

Try something that isn't the newspaper equivalent of Today Tonight :P

George R.R. Martin: A Feast For Crows (Book 4 of "A Song Of Ice And Fire")

Most kickass heroic fantasy series I have ever read

John Gray - Mars and Venus in the Workplace

Hmmm...I'm not normally into a lot of the psychology books around (prefer to read up on psychology type stuff from uni textbooks and apply those principles into social situations myself) but John Gray is a pretty awesome writer. I may have to check that one out!

A short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

I've been thinking about reading that one - is it good/a worthwhile read??

Also, I haven't read anything in a while (about a month or so), but last thing I read was "Four Fires" by Bryce Courtenay...was really good but somewhat longwinded at times. Before that it was "Jessica" (same author - also an awesome book), so I think it's time for a change... :)

Try something that isn't the newspaper equivalent of Today Tonight :P

are you dissing my favourite show? :P

I read the Courier mail back to front everyday, that's about all the reading I do...i'm well informed though ;P

lol, I hope ur joking!! :P

The only thing the Courier Mail is good for is school projects analysing bias in the media, and the Garfield cartoon strip.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

It's an interesting novel written by an autistic fellow.

Great book, really funny. The authour isn't autistic though, he just writes the story in first person from the perspective of an autistic kid.

Atm, i'm reading Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie about the history of India in the 20th Century. Quie heavy, but a really amazing book.

quote from the book:

From "Midnight's Children":
Reality is a question of perspective; the further you get from the past, the more concrete and plausible it seems - but as you approach the present, it inevitably seems more and more incredible. Suppose yourself in a large cinema, sitting at first in the back row, and gradually moving up, row by row, until your nose is almost pressed against the screen. Gradually the stars' faces dissolve into dancing grain; tiny details assume grotesque proportions; the illusion dissolves - or rather, it becomes clear that the illusion itself is reality.

Shutup you courier mail hating c***s, it provides me with all the sporting news and random s*** that I need to fulfill my terribly boring work days.

Just finished Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz. Excellent book I thought, really different from his usual style.

What do you expect of a newspaper that couriermail doesn't provide?

da vinci code

reading this too. is it supposed to be really obvious how to solve the codes (except in the hardcore codex riddles) to the reader?

fpot, In the past I've read alot of Dean Koontz and enjoyed them, but found they usually followed the same sort of style, almost as if they are printed on some kind of assembly line. Care to elaborate on it a bit more?

hey, same as mission!...

A short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

wicked book :D



just finished reading Affluenza by Clive Hamilton - fantastic book that really refreshes your perspective on aussie society

^
Hmmm...two votes for Bill Bryson's latest. Might have to check it out!! :)

Robinson Crusoe

I've only just started it.

Pretty interesting so far.

Crazy little protons.

Currently reading thru the March issues of PC Powerplay and Hyper magazines.

Finished "Consider Phlebas" by Iain M. Banks this morning, started "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat" by Oliver Sacks this afternoon.

"The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat" by Oliver Sacks this afternoon.

Haven't read this one yet but it's supposed to be really good.

Trojan Odyssey - Clive Cussler.

Interesting book. Apparently he read some archilogical papers theorising that The Trojan war was actually fought between Celtic tribes of Britain and Europe over the Tin deposits in Britain.

They were of immense importance at the start of the Bronze age since they were smelted with copper to form bronze, but was at the time a rare metal (tin).

Ice Station.

yay for Dune:Messiah (sequel to the fabled Dune)

Hmmm...I'm not normally into a lot of the psychology books around (prefer to read up on psychology type stuff from uni textbooks and apply those principles into social situations myself) but John Gray is a pretty awesome writer. I may have to check that one out!

It may interest you to know that John Gray isn't well received in the Psychology fraternity; I do recall either Rod Ashton or Geoff MacDonald spending a good 10 minutes ripping into him for being a fraud and receiving his PhD from a "Mail-in university".

Prince of fire by Daniel Silva.

short history of nearly everything (as well).

pretty awesome read.

It may interest you to know that John Gray isn't well received in the Psychology fraternity; I do recall either Rod Ashton or Geoff MacDonald spending a good 10 minutes ripping into him for being a fraud and receiving his PhD from a "Mail-in university".

No, I hadn't heard about that, but I'm not surprised. His most well known work, "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" always seems to sell pretty well, so it's inevitable that it would've come under criticism at some point (if something is going to be generally well known and accepted as fact, it's going to be quite thoroughly analysed and investigated by others). That being said, I have to say that I have read most of the above book and I found it to be pretty informative...not that I'm an expert or anything but simply going on what I already know and logic, most of what he says seems plausible. Meh. Anyways.

Also, I don't think one *needs* to go to university to understand psychology. It's human nature to enquire into and understand the ways of the human mind. So although he may not have actually received a PhD or whatever, it doesn't necessarily mean that what he says is phony or incorrect. Just a thought.

well, John Gray does put "John Gray, Ph.D" on his books, he's banking on those credentials, so obviously, if he got his doctorate from the University of Barbados or whatever then those people with real PhDs will probably take umbrage, and this is understandable

The prestige of an author's education is certainly not the be all and end all of critical thought (ie. judging whether a certain author is authoritative) but it is certainly one factor that people use

In this case I think anyone who can think for himself can still appreciate Gray's books without necessarily taking it as gospel.

Drug Lords

It documents the history of the Cali Cartel.

The Fruits of War by Michael White
Basically looks at how war greatly accelerates technological advancement. Interesting stuff

I just read Scar Tissue, Anthony Kiedis' autobiography. Very enlightening read.
Going through some Star Wars ebooks atm.

ahha

I was given A Short History Of Nearly Everything like a year or two ago but haven't got around to reading it

might check it out

history of australian crime, that ipicked up at the airport in cairns

so painful to read

how could someone make crime boring

Jack Welch and the 4 E's of Leadership - Jeffrey Krame

It may interest you to know that John Gray isn't well received in the Psychology fraternity; I do recall either Rod Ashton or Geoff MacDonald spending a good 10 minutes ripping into him for being a fraud and receiving his PhD from a "Mail-in university".

next you're going to tell me Dr Phil is a fraud too...

last edited by infi at 07:27:14 17/Feb/06

^
hahahaha. some of what dr phil says is alright - he's not *all* that bad. probably doesn't help that he got his "big" start out on the oprah show though.

well, John Gray does put "John Gray, Ph.D" on his books, he's banking on those credentials, so obviously, if he got his doctorate from the University of Barbados or whatever then those people with real PhDs will probably take umbrage, and this is understandable
The prestige of an author's education is certainly not the be all and end all of critical thought (ie. judging whether a certain author is authoritative) but it is certainly one factor that people use
In this case I think anyone who can think for himself can still appreciate Gray's books without necessarily taking it as gospel.

well, yah, i suppose he is "banking" on those credentials, but any educated person would know that a phd doesn't *necessarily* mean that that particular person is giving brilliant advice...*rather* that they are speaking "to the best of their knowledge". meh. anyways. at least we can agree that it is necessary that ppl need to think for themselves and not just take what is said by others as 100% factually, undeniably correct. that goes for pretty much all fields of study though, not just psychology. /end

To Reign in Hell: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh - Greg Cox

Awesome trilogy based on on of Star Trek's most popular villains. Cox is a writer who posts regularly on the trekbbs and has incorporated a lot of the Trek backstory and minor characters into the plot, like Gary Seven. Has an easy to read style as well.

How to win friends and influence people - Dale Carniege.

I was advised to read this book many years ago by an ex-Manager who over the space of his 20s and 30s has turned into quite a successful person. I finally got around to purchasing it yesterday and started to read it on the train and the first chapter blew me away. Can't wait until I've finished it because even though I'm only 2 1/2 chapters in I can see the benefit it will be to me.

Just finished Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz. Excellent book I thought, really different from his usual style.

Yeah it's a great book, I really enjoyed it.

Recent books I've finished reading have been Da Vinci Code and Digital Fortress both by Dan Brown. I liked Da Vinci Code, and Digital Fortress was going along well too until the end - I just didn't like it for some reason. He'd built up characters throughout the book with small snippets here and there and in the end they all just came together willy nilly and it just didn't seem to flow well for me.

At the moment I'm reading State of Fear by Michael Crichton. It was a little hard to get into at first because at the start there's just random chapters that don't relate at all, but they help tell different parts of the story and what's going on at a later point. I'm liking it so far.

i read da vinci code and angels and demons one after the other, both awesome books. digital fortress i didnt like as much.

currently reading (50 pages from finishing) second chance by peter hamilton. i read the book misspent youth first, which gave a good underlying feel to the universe he created (btoh different and similar to the nights dawn trilogy). but now i have to buy judas unchained, or whatever the 2nd book is called, cept its in MEGA HEUGE format and costs 33 bucks :(

trade-a-boat

TK: I won't spoil it for you, just go read it :P

The Silmarillion by Tolkien

good god, that book is f***ing incomprehensible, it's like reading the f***ing bible, I gave up about halfway through

I got through it, barely, its a tough read.

Apparently Applor's read it heaps of times - try somethng else for a change Applor.

I just finished reading Terry Prachchets Sorcerer and now reading The Celestine Prophecies, so far it has started off a bit slow however it seems to be getting better.

TK: I won't spoil it for you, just go read it :P

Ok then, off to the bookshop I go...

just finished sluggin my way through 'the quantum world' by polkingholme... gawd so boring :( but now that i see from tanaka's post that

David Gemmell - Troy, Lord of the Silver Bow

is out... i'll be reading it soon :D
as for the silmarillion by tolkien... it's just a bunch of short stories written with some old school prose... nothing difficult about it imo.

I just read Scar Tissue, Anthony Kiedis' autobiography. Very enlightening read.

How was that? Some people are saying he basically recounts getting high then getting laid. Repeat 50 odd times. And that's the book?

Does it expand on his lyric/music writing style? And his relationship with John Frusciante? (f***en mad c***!!!)

That description is more suited to his adult life than the book itself. His realitionship with drugs and women are an important part of the story, but there is all sorts of crazy s*** in there that he goes in to detail about. Not to mention the band.
He talks at length about the people he has known and who they really are, especially the members of the RHCP like John. It's written in a very objective way, with a lot of deeper meaning that is left up to the reader to have their own take on.

But mainly it is a story about what it was like for a very outgoing young man growing up in the music scene in L.A. with a Dad who dealed drugs to the Hollywood elite, and how those events shaped his life.

I e-read www.news.com.au - no curling of pages, no nothing... flat and simple. Although whoever spell checks/goes over the news pages on that website is a retard cause they do a poor poor job... I lol.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson is an awesome read. It's not your usual classroom facts, everything he mentions is presented in a way that is comical and interesting to a broad reader base.

I enjoyed The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown but his other books disappointed me.

I've had Life Expentancy by Dean Koontz sitting here for several weeks now. Someone said it was good so think I'll get stuck into it soon ;)

Steve Waughs Autobiography: Out of my comfort zone.

very good.

Dude don't your arms get sore holding that mofo up while reading it? Talk about writing a lifestory, christ.

I've been churning through the books written by Robin Hobb in the past months, a co-worker got me onto them.

Read The Farseer trilogy, The Tawny Man trilogy, and now onto the third book of the Liveship Traders trilogy - All set in the same world. The Farseer trilogy and Tawny Man trilogy follow on the same characters, Tawny Man series being set 15 years into the future.

Honestly. If you even remotely like Fantasy, I would urge you to at least read The Farseer trilogy. Because I'm not really good at putting feelings to words, I can't really describe it much. They're just the best 6 books I have ever read, hands-down. Liveship Trader trilogy is dragging a little bit, but it's still wonderful. It takes place in the same world, but in a different area, with a different bunch of characters (and it's not written in First-Person like the other 6).

Whats the Farseer trilogy like? I read the earlier ones about the kid when he was a child growing up. The ending of the trilogy was a dissapointment to me.

how can anyone like Angels and Demons? It infuriated me that the fall from the helicopter was never explained properly....

Nabel; I found Steve Waughs autobiography dissapointing

oh wait.. maybe the ones I've read are the farseer trilogy..

Apparently the books are more enjoyable the second time around

The Palmistry Workbook - Laeticia Valverde
Deadman's Folly - Agatha Christe
Wheel of Time - Book 9

I'll finish reading wheel of time in like 6 months when i have the energy to pick it up. I swear to god books 7-9 are just tiresome to read. The story doesnt really go anywhere and it becomes a chore to read.

Agatha Christie is great though. Really well written crime novels.

Yeah, I liked that book too. Nice to see another Agatha Christie fan! Her books are always a worthwhile read.

Fade: It's amazing. Then if you go straight from the Farseer Trilogy to the Tawny Man trilogy, it's sort of a continuation. A lot of things from the first trilogy that isn't wrapped up are all explained, it's excellent.

I am reading ASP.NET Unleashed

Gets me to sleep every night

i read it while im lying down :P

good god, that book is f***ing incomprehensible, it's like reading the f***ing bible, I gave up about halfway through

For the simple minded, maybe...

Ticman: Yeah I've read that too, its a pretty good book, worth reading.

Read The Farseer trilogy, The Tawny Man trilogy, and now onto the third book of the Liveship Traders trilogy - All set in the same world. The Farseer trilogy and Tawny Man trilogy follow on the same characters, Tawny Man series being set 15 years into the future.

Honestly. If you even remotely like Fantasy, I would urge you to at least read The Farseer trilogy. Because I'm not really good at putting feelings to words, I can't really describe it much. They're just the best 6 books I have ever read, hands-down. Liveship Trader trilogy is dragging a little bit, but it's still wonderful. It takes place in the same world, but in a different area, with a different bunch of characters (and it's not written in First-Person like the other 6).

Agreed, I've read all those book thrice :) But her newest book (first of a new trilogy) was pretty blah IMHO. Different universe altogether, didn't care for it at all.

Also, what do you mean The Liveship Traders books are not in first person? They move from one individual to the next but the tence and perspective are always first person.

Also again, there are character cross-overs between The Liveship Traders and the Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies.