The 2008 Books Read Thread!

[DragonHeart]

Based on the original thread started by Psiko. Unfortunately the turnout was lackluster, to say the least. In light of this, I'm altering the posting guidelines for this version.

• You may post more than once.
• New posts must have a minimum of two books listed.
• Your first post may contain just the list of books you've read, updated as often as you like. Subsequent posts must have some form of commentary about each book added to your list. The comments do not have to be added to the master list in your first post.
• You may comment on other members' lists, but I do encourage any in-depth discussion to be moved to independent threads.

Also, because it's so early in the year, feel free to add any books read in November-December as part of your 2008 list.

DragonHeart's Books Read in 2008:

Gardens of the Moon (Malazan I) - Steven Erikson, Epic Fantasy
Deadhouse Gates (Malazan II) - Steven Erikson, Epic Fantasy
Memories of Ice (Malazan III) - Steven Erikson, Epic Fantasy

As you can see, I'm working my way through one series at the moment. GotM and DG I read in December; MoI is what I'm currently reading.

~DragonHeart~

[Sinister]

Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Kind of dry, but informative, the way I likes it. She spent too much time on Greek mythology without addressing Norse mythology long enough. But that's because Odin is just plain cooler than Zeus.

Hercules: the complete myths of a legendary hero
He really was an idiot. I mean amongst the dimmest minds of ancient Greece; he probably couldn't work his way out of a paper bag.


Excavation by James Rollins
Okay. A little Michael Crichton for someone, who is, decidedly NOT Michael. Too much smoke and mirrors and really the plot was not strong enough to justify all of the pomp and circumstance of reading it. Now that I'm done trashing it. It was a fine attempt and I must admit was fun to read.



Haven't really decided what I'm going to start on yet either... Something playful...Probably some cheap whodunnit, like an Elizabeth George novel. I say that because my mother is shipping me about four Elizabeth George books because I liked the first. Good stuff.


-Sin

[pulse]

Read last December: 'Rant' by Chuck Palahniuk - This book was really good, it has the whole anti-materialism aspects to it that he often implements in his work and of course has lots of obscenities to it. In case most people don't know who this is, this is the author who wrote 'fight club'.

Reading Now: 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' by Hunter S. Thompson - Of course this is amazing, if you haven't seen the movie(with Johnny Depp in it) then I highly recommend it; very intense though, frightening even. I can really feel the fear and paranoia in this story when I read it, a very interesting read.

[Psiko]

Heh, I'm in but I'll not count the November or December readings. It has been a slow yar so far, but it has been a good one to read for me!

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. Wow, talk about motivational. Every writer needs to read this book. It was enough to get me writing again for the first time in over a year. That in itself should speak volumes about it.

[Rikkuffx]

December-A Stockingful of Joy-holiday romance,its a bunch of short stories mixed into one book. It was a really nice holiday read. I love reading holiday romance novels during the holiday time I actually have a couple ones I didnt read this year but theres next year.

I'm reading Tanis the Shadow Years right now,its a Dragonlance novel,I should have finished it by now but I havent felt like reading it,the dog also stole my bookmark out of it and I cant remember where I left off.

[Sinister]

Heh, I'm in but I'll not count the November or December readings. It has been a slow yar so far, but it has been a good one to read for me!

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. Wow, talk about motivational. Every writer needs to read this book. It was enough to get me writing again for the first time in over a year. That in itself should speak volumes about it.

I've actually read this. For a class, I've read this. It is a pretty good guide on composition and can help people out of tight spots. A good book.

[Joe]

I've been devouring the books lately, however, I haven't really picked up anything new.

Confessor - Terry Goodkind Amazing way to end the series. It had a lot of action, and the character's are really well done.

Faith of the Fallen - Terry Goodkind Only book six of the series, but by far my favorite. The opportunity to see how the Imperial Order's everyday lives worked was amazing. Also the Imagery was incredibly vivid.

Eldest - Christopher Paolini It's a great way to pass the hours by in high school when you're waiting on kids to finish a test that you finished in ten minutes. I love the story, and the use of the Ancient Language was fascinating. I'm now officially psyched for the third book - Brisingr (yes that's fire in Norse)

Dragons of Summer Flame - Margaret Weis Quite possibly my favorite Dragonlance book, and the only one to have an overly emotional effect on me at the end. Again, the characters were amazing, and the imagery was awesome.

I Am America (and so can you!) - Stephen Colbert One of those books that had me laughing from cover to cover. Colbert's satire gets me everytime. The writing style is almost like the book is a dictation, or I'm reading the script for "the word".

As you may or may not be able to tell, imagery is a big part of my fiction based reading.

[Isredel]

Pendragon, Book 7: The Quillian games - MacHale This is a book series that I've been reading since I was 13. I can't go into specifics about this book without giving out spoilers.

Sorry that I can't really give a second book but so far, I haven't had the chance (or thought) to go to a book store recently.

http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/...resized200.jpg

PS: Does img code not work on this thread? I wanted to post a picture of the book cover.

[Victoria]

No, it doesn't. And you did post a picture. It's just a link. No big deal.

[Jin]

I've been reading up on classics a lot recently. Roman to be specific. I just finished Tacitus' Annals and I'm currently reading Suetonius' Lives of the 12 Caesars. Also, I just ordered Polybius' works and a compilation of Plutarch's Lives. Just the Roman ones though, as of yet I haven't gotten into the Greek scene, although I wouldn't mind reading some of Homer's works.


Tacitus was amzing. My current username most likely shows my love of his style of writing. Coincidently (or not) as it is, Tacitus' cognomen comes from the latin word 'tacitus' or 'tacit' in English which basicly means one expresses opinions and ideas without actually...expressing them, if you catch my drift. Tacitus writes exactly in this manner and I loved reading his subtle attacks against those he disliked, while technically not actually saying anything against them. It's too bad that his account of Caligula's reign was lost, that would've been good.

Suetonius is halarious. I wouldn't call him a true historian (actually he's a biographer), for a lot of his facts are clearly more heresay than anything, but he gives a very entertaining account of Caesar and the emperors (Augustus to Domitian). Caesar's sexuality came into question with utterly halarious dialogues.

[Victoria]

I just bought Writing Down The Bones. Amazon had a sample few pages, and it was very interesting what she had to say. So I bought it for $4.99. That is, 1.00 + 3.99 shipping. Great deal if you ask me.

As for what I've read, I only have one thing:

Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor.

I'm currently working through Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind.

[Chez Daja]

I just got through Severed, by Simon Kernick.

It's a fairly good book... anybody into crime mysteries will like it. It wasn't totally my cup of tea, but I did enjoy it...

Before that, I read A Thousand Rooms of Dream and Fear (can't remember the author, forgive me). It was a story about Muslims and hardships that they faced. Pretty confusing, and it left me feeling as though the whole book was total pointless jargon, but it was a read nontheless.

Right now, I'm reading The Winter Knights by Paul Stewart. It's a part of the "Edge Chronicles" series, which I read when I was younger. I still enjoy the books now, I recommend them to anybody into fantasy. Very interesting little pieces. You do need to read them in order, though, or it can be confusing.

[Govinda]

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Ham and Rye by Charles Bukowski

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Conservation is Our Government Now: The Politics of Ecology in Papua New Guinea by Paige West


There's more, I can't remember. I think The Perks of Being A Wallflower was my favourite. Remember the first time you got whizzed out your mind, and sat there watching a world so still yet spinning, alone with the sky, while the rest were either sleeping or kissing? Remeber the way the stars looked, and how it felt with no music; remember how the first hangover felt, and how the music sounded?

It's a journey back to being 14 again. And a wonderful one at that, told through the letters of someone going through that time, a lovely kid called Charlie.

[Ghost]

Currently reading:

The Alphabet of Manliness Maddox.
It goes through the entire alphabet, associating each letter with a word that is considered 'manly', according to Maddox. He proceeds to make fun of everything from Emo Kids to Menstruation.

[Sean]

So far this year I finally finished reading Anthony Bourdain's first book, Kitchen Confidential that I was reading nonstop when I was in school last August and September to pass the time. Used to piss off my Math Teacher because I'd always pull it out during her "lectures" because I was so bored. Got so bad she actually told me to put it away or she'd throw me out of the class. =\ Not that I needed to pay attention.. I was taking the lowest level math class because my degree didn't necessitate anything higher.

Last week I finally got into The Soul of a Chef, but I haven't read it very much yet. I don't read often if I'm not in school, just never really bother, though I should probably do it. I've had about 10 kitchen or cooking related books sitting around my room for the longest time, most of which I've never opened.


So for 2008:

Kitchen Confidential
Soul of a Chef

Planned:
What Einstein Told His Cook 2
Becoming a Chef
Culinary Artistry


Kitchen Confidential was a really great book that is, more or less, an autobiography of Bourdain's life. He talks about his early days in cooking, his time in Culinary School at the Culinary Institute of America in New York (Top rated Culinary School in the country) the jobs he worked throughout his life, the types of foods he loved to eat and cook, and the highlights of his life working on the line and beyond.

The Soul of a Chef is the 2nd book written by Michael Ruhlman where he actually journeys through the steps of Chef-dom. In his first book, The Making of a Chef, he actually entered CIA and wrote about his time there and various things he did, though I've never read it. The Soul of a Chef also details the kitchen and background lives of Michael Symon of Lola (At the time he was up-and-coming, but now he's the new Iron Chef) as well as Thomas Keller, the Executive Chef of the French Laundry, one of the most amazing French restaurants in the country.

[Furysetzer]

Just finished Dragonlance: Dragons of the Dwarven Depths. I'm working through Dragonlance: Dragons of the Highlord Skies currently.

[guardian]

For me, The Last of the Renshai trilogy. These are The Last of the Renshai, The Western Wizard, and Child of Thunder, all of which I have read or am working on (Child of Thunder, obviously). However, I would recommend the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, who just passed away last year. (/starts sobbing relentlessly)

[Walter Sobchak]

I just finished Machiavelli's "Il Principe". I very much enjoyed it. I plan on reading Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" next, to keep up with the theme I currently have going. I may read some Heodotus next, who knows.

[Chez Daja]

I'm currently reading the novelization of The Texas Chainsaw Massace. Film wise, it's the newest remake. I thought the movie was pretty good, and the book is really detailed.
Novealized by Stephen Hand. He brings a lot of new and interesting angles to the story. Really enjoying it.

After this, I'll be reading through The Book of Loss by Julith Jedamus. I haven't completely grasped the concept yet since I haven't started it, but I'll post more about it later, probably.

[DragonHeart]

Bah, I've taken too many breaks this year, forgot about this thread. I don't think I can even remember everything I've read, so I'm adding my most recent books, or the ones I know I read.

House of Chains, Erikson (Malazan IV)
Midnight Tides, Erikson (M V)
The Bonehunters, Erikson (M VI)
Reaper's Gale, Erikson (M VII)

As you can see, I'm continuing with Malazan. The latest book is Toll the Hounds, which I have started but nowhere near finishing. There are also some novellas that are part of the series; I'd like to read them eventually but they haven't been released here yet. Very good, but very dark books.

Dragon Champion, E. E. Knight
Dragon Avenger, E. E. Knight

Picked these up on a whim, turned out to be quite good. Dragon Outcast is the third, I have it but haven't read it yet. There's also a fourth that isn't out. An interesting look at a dragon-hating world, from the perspective of dragons themselves. Following the lives of each of three dragons from hatchling to adulthood, it's a very good look at perspective and how experience influences worldview. For example, one dragon thinks nothing of eating a human or making them work for him, while another befriends both humans and elves and defends them from their enemies. Very cool.

The High King's Tomb by Kristin Britain, Green Rider 3

I really like this series, and am pleased that she got signed for extra books, originally it was going to be a trilogy. A very good story on good vs. evil, and mutually unrequited love. I am looking forward to the next book.

The Tower of Shadows by Drew Bowling

Eh, this was a fairly derivative debut, with bad writing to boot. It wasn't terrible enough for me to put it down, but I won't be picking up the next book in this series.

Fairyville by Emma Holly

I can't believe I'm putting this one down. Not for young eyes! Hah. Yes, it's erotica. Fantasy erotica, in fact. What, don't look at me like that. Read often, read widely is the writer's mantra. Or one of them, anyways. It wasn't bad but not really my thing. I prefer stories about relationships built on something other than physical passion/lust.

Victory of Eagles, Naomi Novik, Temeraire 5

Bought on release cause I really like the series. Empire of Ivory felt lacking, but things are picking up again with Eagles. I'm quite pleased that Temeraire is starting to act at least somewhat independently. I understand the whole bond thing, but Temeraire just relies way too much on Laurence.

Hmm...I can't seem to recall what else I've read. I really don't read as much as I should. My bookshelves are full, yet at least 1/3 sit unread. But then, I do tend to read more in the winter anyway.

~DragonHeart~

[Chez Daja]

I just got done reading Roots of Evil by Sarah Rayne.

It was a very interesting story with a load of different sub plots which came together nicely toward the end. A wide array of characters and two couples emerge from it as well as a temporery delving into the mind of a psychopath murder.

I would suggest it to anybody of 16/17+ who doesn't mind reading through upsetting details. It goes back and forth from stories of WW2 and present day.

[Halie]

I've read... five books so far this year.

The first was 'Roxy's Baby' by Cathrine MacPhail. I went to the library with a few friends, thought the book might keep me occupied. I thought it would be for a young girls audience, about early teens, but it's actually quite deep and mature. Her writing style is different, if I remember right. It seemed a little too far-fetched and unrealistic at parts, though.

Then I started reading The Demonata by Darren Shan. It's my favourite saga by far. Everything form the characters tot he plot kept made me want to read on and on and on. I wanna read the seventh book, but it's not at our library yet. >.<

[Clint]

I don't keep track of when I read books, but I do know what books I've read recently.

I remember reading Amber and Blood, the third and last book in the Dark Deciles trilogy by Margaret Weis. I won't really get into this one, because if you haven't read any of the other main storyline Dragonlance books, then you won't know what the hell I'm talking about.

I remember reading Thinner by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman, and seeming very disappointed. It's about a fat guy who hits the daughter of a pissed off 117 year old gypsy, who then puts a curse on him, and he begins to rapidly lose weight. I think it's from 247 lbs to 118 lbs, in a time span of a few months. Unlike most of King's books, it had a very little bit of thrills and surprises in it. Sure, there was an armored armadillo man, but that wasn't scary; it was just weird.

I read The Innocent Man by John Grisham. It's a true story about these two guys who are accused of a murder that they didn't commit, and are sentenced to life in prison (well, one receives the death penalty). It describes the corruption, bad tactics, and quite frankly, laziness of investigators. It makes me think twice about getting to know people who in the future could possibly be murdered.

I read a few autobiographies written by professional wrestlers, as well. The first of which was A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex, by Chris Jericho. It was almost like a real life "dream come true" story, with a lot of comedy, and of course, some drama thrown in the mix. Truth be told, it's become on of my favorite books. That probably has something to do with the fact that Jericho is my favorite wrestler, but then again, reviewers have given his book extremely good reviews.

I read Bret Hart's autobiography, Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. It was a good book; he's probably a better writer than Jericho, but it was just so depressing. I mean, first, his brother tragically dies in the middle of a wrestling event, and shortly thereafter, he received a concussion and was forced into retirement, and to make matters worse, shortly after that, he had a seizure, and became paralyzed on the right side of his body. It was a hard read, and quite frankly, far too detailed for my taste.

I recently finished reading The Killer Angles. It's one of the best novels that I've ever picked up. It's about the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War (which took place 145 years ago, mind you). It is, by far, the best war/historical novel I've ever read. I mean, it's written as if it's just occurring, unlike many other history novels, which tell the story from the viewpoint of today, where the battle is but a distant echo in the wind.

I read a book containing eyewitness accounts from Gettysburg about Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863. It contained accounts from generals and those in command under them, as well as soldiers and Pennsylvanians who lived at the time in the town of Gettysburg, explaining the mismanagement and disorder (and chaos) of the attack. See, here's what happened; General J.E.B. Stuart and his cavalry didn't report back to General Lee, so at Gettysburg, Lee figured that he wasn't facing General Hooker's entire army, because Stuart would have reported back if it was Hooker's entire army, so he took the offensive instead of the defensive, as Longstreet suggested. It was because of a lack of intelligence at the beginning of the battle, and a lack of subordination from General Longstreet, that Lee changed the plans on the third day to a charge across open ground to the Union's center flank (General Longstreet had a suspicion that it was Hooker's entire army, and that's why he was insubordinate).

I read A Case of Need by Michael Crichton, which is a very interesting medical/investigation novel. It's about this young girl who was killed due to a screwed up abortion, and a doctor that the main character believes to be innocent is said to be the one who did it. So he goes on this long investigation to find out what really happened. I'm not going to give anything away, because there's too much to tell, so read it for yourself.

I read Trojan Odyssey by the always fantastic Clive Cussler. Now this one was interesting. They talk about the Iliad and the Odyssey. As it turns out, the Greeks and the Trojans were not Greek or Turkish, but rather Celtic, and they weren't fighting over a woman, they were fighting over tin. The Celtics were the ones who discovered bronze, by mixing 90% copper with 10% tin. And it didn't take place in Turkey, because the descriptions of weather conditions and geographical structures don't match anywhere in that area, but a place was found to fit, in England. And the Odyssey didn't take place across the Mediterranean, but rather, across the Atlantic. Well, that's the gist of the plot.

I read The Princess Bride by William Goldman. I saw the movie about a dozen times, so I finally decided to read the book, since it was just sitting around collecting dust. The film was actually a pretty good adaptation, seeing as it was nearly exact to the book.

I read Sphere by Michael Crichton. It is one of the best books that I've ever read. It's about this group of civilians that go to an undersea habitat to observe an alien spacecraft that crash landed in the southern Pacific three hundred years before. Inside, they discover that the ship is American made, and they find a mysterious sphere of unknown origin. The sphere begins to create things outside that attack and kill many of them. It was actually turned into a movie in the late 1990s, which I actually found out after I read the book. I watched the film after I finished the book, and the book is much better.

I read The Ice Limit by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It's about a billionaire, who sends a group of people to the tip of South America, to retrieve the largest known asteroid ever discovered, before the Chileans know what they're giving up. But mysteriously, the meteor begins to kill them.

I know that I've read more books than this this year, but as I said earlier, I don't keep a record of when and what I read. I just read.

[Midnight Panda]

The fire within (book 1)
Ice Fire (book 2)
fire Star (book 3)
Deltora quest entire series, deltora shadow lands entire series, and deltora dragons entire series