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Best book(s) you read last year?


GeddyRulz
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In terms of contemporary fiction, prolly Sara Gruen's outstanding novel, Water for Elephants. I have a short blog on it at myspace.com/jrobertsapp. Also have a blog on the S&A tour, fyi.
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Some others I remember that were particularly outstanding are Papillon by Henri Charriere, Cool Hand Luke by Donn Pearce, The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk, and The Great Escape by Paul Brickhill. All great movies and equally great books.
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QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Jan 11 2008, 09:16 AM)
I read quite a lot in 2007, particularly in the last six months. What were your favorites in 2007?

For me, it was "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini and "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

I also really enjoyed the populist detective fiction of Dennis Lehane, especially "Mystic River." I read all seven of his books in '07.

I searched out this post - GR, you read Prayers for Rain, yes? You have any comment on his Andy Warhol/Rush statement?

 

new_thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif

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QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Jan 11 2008, 10:16 AM)
I read quite a lot in 2007, particularly in the last six months. What were your favorites in 2007?

For me, it was "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini and "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

I also really enjoyed the populist detective fiction of Dennis Lehane, especially "Mystic River." I read all seven of his books in '07.

I have Kite Runner sitting in my car and I haven't picked it up yet. I think I'll give it a read.

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QUOTE (Huck @ Jan 18 2008, 03:30 PM)
QUOTE (Turn Me On Dead Man @ Jan 12 2008, 12:11 AM)
Stephen King's Dreamcatcher.

Crap film, great book yes.gif

 

It's difficult to put into a movie what's going on in someone's head and that for me was the highlight of the book.

yes.gif yes.gif I agree. The film's ending was especially bad. It was completely different from the novel's ending.

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QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jan 6 2009, 03:59 PM)
QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Jan 11 2008, 09:16 AM)
I read quite a lot in 2007, particularly in the last six months.  What were your favorites in 2007?

For me, it was "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini and "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

I also really enjoyed the populist detective fiction of Dennis Lehane, especially "Mystic River."  I read all seven of his books in '07.

I searched out this post - GR, you read Prayers for Rain, yes? You have any comment on his Andy Warhol/Rush statement?

 

new_thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif

I totally know the quote, of course! Disappointed on the dissing of Rush, but I've come to expect that. The great film "Return of the Secaucus Seven" also dissed Rush.

 

I sent both pop culture references to Eric at Powerwindows for inclusion on his website.

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QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Jan 8 2009, 11:05 AM)
QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jan 6 2009, 03:59 PM)
QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Jan 11 2008, 09:16 AM)
I read quite a lot in 2007, particularly in the last six months.  What were your favorites in 2007?

For me, it was "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini and "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

I also really enjoyed the populist detective fiction of Dennis Lehane, especially "Mystic River."  I read all seven of his books in '07.

I searched out this post - GR, you read Prayers for Rain, yes? You have any comment on his Andy Warhol/Rush statement?

 

new_thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif

I totally know the quote, of course! Disappointed on the dissing of Rush, but I've come to expect that. The great film "Return of the Secaucus Seven" also dissed Rush.

 

I sent both pop culture references to Eric at Powerwindows for inclusion on his website.

Yeah...I just find it ridiculous for someone obviously intelligent to say that they SUCK. I mean, sure, if you don't like them, then whatever...but how can anyone really say that they SUCK?

 

Anyhoo. I'm still working on the book and enjoying it in spite of that little blip. smile.gif

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QUOTE (Huck @ Jan 18 2008, 03:27 PM)
QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Jan 13 2008, 05:49 PM)
QUOTE (Territorial_Game @ Jan 12 2008, 10:20 PM)
I also reread Catch-22, which I do frequently, and it still stays at the top.

Great recommendation. I always meant to read that. Maybe I'll make it my next read.

It's a classic, I read it about 20 years ago now ph34r.gif I should read it again sometime, all I can remember about it is that it was very funny. I liked the guy who thought he could prolong his lifespan through cultivating boredom laugh.gif

I think his name was Dunbar. The line was similar to: "Dunbar lying in his bed, staring at the wall with doll-like eyes, working hard at increasing his lifespan."

 

I'm sure I buthered it a bit but that's the jist of it laugh.gif

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QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jan 8 2009, 01:02 PM)
QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Jan 8 2009, 11:05 AM)
QUOTE (GhostGirl @ Jan 6 2009, 03:59 PM)
QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Jan 11 2008, 09:16 AM)
I read quite a lot in 2007, particularly in the last six months.  What were your favorites in 2007?

For me, it was "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini and "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

I also really enjoyed the populist detective fiction of Dennis Lehane, especially "Mystic River."  I read all seven of his books in '07.

I searched out this post - GR, you read Prayers for Rain, yes? You have any comment on his Andy Warhol/Rush statement?

 

new_thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif

I totally know the quote, of course! Disappointed on the dissing of Rush, but I've come to expect that. The great film "Return of the Secaucus Seven" also dissed Rush.

 

I sent both pop culture references to Eric at Powerwindows for inclusion on his website.

Yeah...I just find it ridiculous for someone obviously intelligent to say that they SUCK. I mean, sure, if you don't like them, then whatever...but how can anyone really say that they SUCK?

 

Anyhoo. I'm still working on the book and enjoying it in spite of that little blip. smile.gif

Well, his opinion. Luckily enough, that's the fifth and final book in the series; if he had dropped that bomb in the third book, I may not have read the last two! laugh.gif

 

Incidentally, here's what Eric posted on his site about it; I basically fed him the information:

 

QUOTE
Prayers for Rain, the novel by Dennis Lehane, June 2, 1999
At the bottom of page 61 of the hardcover edition, as the character Patrick Kenzie is narrating, he tells us, "I think Warhol is to art what Rush is to rock music, which is to say, I think he sucks." Not a glowing endorsement for the band, but a Rush reference all the same.
Edited by GeddyRulz
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Dr. Fegg's Encyclopedia of all world knowledge laugh.gif 1022.gif
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QUOTE (Storm Shadow @ Jan 13 2008, 04:20 PM)
QUOTE (GeddyRulz @ Jan 12 2008, 10:08 PM)
QUOTE (Storm Shadow @ Jan 12 2008, 02:01 PM)
Rant by Chuck Palahniuk. It might be my favorite book I've ever read. Kind of a bold statement, but it's really freaking good.

Chuck has quite the cult following. I had a co-worker who swears by his books, his favorite (at the time) being "Choke." (For the uninformed, this is the author who wrote "Fight Club" - from which the movie was made.)

 

Maybe I'll give Chuck a try. Supposedly dark and strange, though... don't know if I can handle that.

I wouldn't recommend every one of his books to people even though I like them all. Haunted, for example.....I loved it, but the first story in it almost made me sick. I had to picture it in my head with cheesy b-movie effects in mind just to get through it. I couldn't be the one to do that to someone else. laugh.gif

i read "choke" and bought rant. i got a big pile-up of books to read because b&n had a buy 2 get 3rd free special on their "classics" so i went overboard. anyways i was waiting at b&n for awhile and decided to sit down and read haunted. i read the story about the boy and the swimming pool drain and ended up running to the bathroom to puke. many people warned me about that story but im not usually the type to get squemish like that, but man that story is disgusting.

 

that said, everybody should read it. new_thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

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Either Salem's Lot...or Too Fat to Fish.
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To Kill A Mockingbird. I read it in 8th grade L. Arts, and my freshman class read it this year as well. Last year was the first time I read it, and it's my favorite book we've read at school.
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I did not read much last year, but the few that I did choose to thumb through were real winners.

 

The Loss of Leon Meed - Josh Emmons

Indecision - Benjamin Kunkel

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer

 

Now, I'm presently 2/3rds through 'White Tiger' by Aravind Adiga. Never read a novel with India as the setting before this one. I've noticed recently that I'm much more interested in 'character-driven' stories these days, as opposed to those Hollywood 'high concept' plotlines with very little substance. The video equivalent of this character-driven fare would correspond roughly to what one would see on IFC or Sundance channel. Intelligent, thought provoking stories with little, yet purposeful action. And, well-crafted great dialogue. Anyone else lean towards this type of book?

 

 

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