Purdue129 Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 Spinoff of the CD recommendation... I don't think there is a thread like this, forgive me if I missed it in my search. I need a break from my law books here and there and need some good stuff to read for fun. Anyone have any good recommendations? I'll start: Empire Falls by Richard Russo - I picked this up a year or so ago based on my dad's recommendation. They're actually making a mini-series out of this on HBO that comes out later this fall, but I recommend reading the book first. Great story about a man who runs the diner in town and his relationship with a diverse cast of characters in small town Maine. Very well written, especially the description of the town, Russo makes it very easy to picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3E8 Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 America (The Book) Everyone needs to buy this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
False Alarm Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 hmmm, dunno, peeps' tastes'll vary widely on this subject. i ain't read russo, but the sense i get from reading about him is that he's kind of a traditional lit fiction type of writer. michael chabon might be a good choice if that's your bag. the amazing adventures of kavalier & clay is his book i read. it's about the golden age of comic books and WWII and the holocaust and escapism. another book i enjoyed and recommend, especially for video-game addicts like me, is lucky wander boy by DB weiss. it's about old-school gaming and neuroses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowerCaseRepublican Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Rum Diary...hell, anything by Hunter S. Thompson. Also, Larry Flynt's "Sex Lies and Politics" is quite awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASHWOUND Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 This book I enjoyed, got it last week..pretty good and funny http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyw Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 For anyone who's a Sox Fan, I highly recommend "The Easy Hour" by Leslie Stella - steeped in south side references.... More good south side stuff - "Chicago Stories" which is James Farrell's collection of short stories. You may recognize the name as the author of the "Studs Lonigan" trilogy... I finished up "The Adventures of Augie March" by Saul Bellow earlier this year and its one of my all time favorites. Bellow can be a bit difficult to read, but this was one of his first novels, and is pretty accessable. Also, "Confederacy of Dunces" is good, though not for everyone. The dialogue is great, but the main character is thoroghly unlikeable. For some great non-fiction, try "Michaeangelo and the Pope's Ceiling" about the Sistine Chapel. Last year I read Paul Theroux travelogue of his recent trip to East Africa - "Dark Star Safari" and it was also really good. I think a lot of people probably read "Devil in the White City", but that was also good, though there was a lot more about Chicago architects than HH Holmes. Curently reading "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens, which is good, but more of a high school level book... Speaking of which, I re-read "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" this summer and thought it was great. I had forgotten how good it is... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyw Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 Oh s*** and the new George Halas biography, "Papa Bear" by Jeff Davis... Just fanastic... Also, "In the Castle of the Flynns" is a great Chicago novel as well.... But kinda sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GASHWOUND Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 For anyone who's a Sox Fan, I highly recommend "The Easy Hour" by Leslie Stella - steeped in south side references.... More good south side stuff - "Chicago Stories" which is James Farrell's collection of short stories. You may recognize the name as the author of the "Studs Lonigan" trilogy... I finished up "The Adventures of Augie March" by Saul Bellow earlier this year and its one of my all time favorites. Bellow can be a bit difficult to read, but this was one of his first novels, and is pretty accessable. Also, "Confederacy of Dunces" is good, though not for everyone. The dialogue is great, but the main character is thoroghly unlikeable. For some great non-fiction, try "Michaeangelo and the Pope's Ceiling" about the Sistine Chapel. Last year I read Paul Theroux travelogue of his recent trip to East Africa - "Dark Star Safari" and it was also really good. I think a lot of people probably read "Devil in the White City", but that was also good, though there was a lot more about Chicago architects than HH Holmes. Curently reading "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens, which is good, but more of a high school level book... Speaking of which, I re-read "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" this summer and thought it was great. I had forgotten how good it is... Uhh, any them books a pop up book??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hi8is Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 ive always been a fan of philosphical stuff like thich nhat hanh or drugy stuff like flashbacks by timothy leary ... mystical stuff like the teachings of don jaun by carlos castanada... things of that sort, but lately ive been on this psycological thriller kick.... read, and this is a bad ass must read book.... read, RED DRAGON by thomas harris yes, its the hanibal series, the first one in the series... etc.... but this book is leaps and bounds beyond all the others, and is a thousand times better then the movie read that s*** YO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 I enjoy biographies and have recently read the biography or autobiography of: Johnny Cash - a little too preachy religious for me, but I sort of expected it so it didn't ruin the book for me Vince McMahon - I particularly enjoyed this one, lots of behind-the-scenes dirt on the WWF ( WWE, whatever....f***in' panda-huggers....) Sting ( the aging former rock star, not the aging former wrestler ) Hulk Hogan ( the aging former wrestler ) Hank Aaron - another very good book that really makes you understand the hate he endured Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyw Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 Hank Aaron..I bet that one is good... The guy is a hero. A couple other great baseball bios, both by Charles Alexander, are "Ty Cobb" (maybe the best bio I've ever read), and "John McGraw." He also wrote on on Rogers Hornsby, but I haven't read that one... Earlier this summer, I finished the new Woody Guthrie bio - "Ramblin Man" - it was pretty good. I'm looking for a good bio or auto bio on Miles Davis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xero Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 I need a good Non-fiction book for a book report that is 100 pages or more. Any one have any good books you could recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 Wow.. I can barely make it through an issue of Maxim... uhhh... I mean Cosmo much less entire books like that. I read Moneyball when it came out, and again this summer by the pool. That's the last "big book" I read. I am going to pick up the book Henry Hill's kids just put out about their life though. That sounds good.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 I need a good Non-fiction book for a book report that is 100 pages or more. Any one have any good books you could recommend? Absolutely American -- Reads like fiction, but is a true story... it's kinda like a documentary in book form... follows a group of cadets through 4 years at West Point... Sept 11 is a couple of weeks into thier senior year and they all face going to war as soon as they graduate... Great read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wise Master Buehrle Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xero Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 Absolutely American -- Reads like fiction, but is a true story... it's kinda like a documentary in book form... follows a group of cadets through 4 years at West Point... Sept 11 is a couple of weeks into thier senior year and they all face going to war as soon as they graduate... Great read. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
da_bears86 Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 angels and demons- dan brown best book i have ever read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Tizzle Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 Last week the American Library Association hosted a exhibit on "banned books" at UIC. Browsing through the list I was surprised to find a personal favorite, The Chocolate War (by Robert Cormier). The story follows a 'renegade' student whom refuses to follow school custom and sell chocolates within the community. It's by no stretch a literally classic, but it's very engaging and likely relatable to anyone who fought peer pressure to follow their beliefs. I believe a movie was created based on the book, but I have yet to view it so I couldn't guess how closely it follows the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
easyw Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 Wasn't "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" banned for a long time as well. That's on my winter reading list... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 Hank Aaron..I bet that one is good... The guy is a hero. Yeah, it's really good - it's called I Had A Hammer, and I recommend it highly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwerty Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 I am not a big fan of stephen king but the Gunslinger series is excellent. The last book of the series just came out and it is insane from what i have read so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 Wasn't "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" banned for a long time as well. That's on my winter reading list... I had to read that my junior year of US History in HS. It's an interesting read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobDylan Posted October 16, 2004 Share Posted October 16, 2004 Slaughter House-Five by Kurt Vonnegut and The Metamorphisis by Franz Kafka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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