The Book thread

[EXWRX]

Here we go! Any books that catch your interest or you'd like to recomend, discuss or ask for reccomendations on, go here! :cool:

[Norg]

I have been reading The Road lately, very nice story. My girlfriend picked it up for me after we saw the movie The Road in theaters recently good book.

[manxman]

Thanks Norg,

I haven't seen the movie yet, but will look for the book. The clips that I've seen for the movie make it look like a story custom-made for Viggo Mortensen to star in.

Speaking of books that became great movies, my Mom sent me a copy of "Dances With Wolves" four years before Kevin Costner did such a great job with the movie. That was a long, frustrating wait for a movie that more than did justice to a great book!

[Norg]

Man you most definitely have to watch the movie it was extremely good.:cool:

[manxman]

It will show up on DishNetwork in a few months. If it's really good, I will buy the Blu-Ray DVD when it becomes available. Viggo Mortensen is one of my favorite actors, and this type of near-future disaster/adeventure/survival story is one of my favorite genres.

Mortensen has made a couple of really good movies with his friend/fellow actor Ed Harris- here's a couple of highly recommended recent movies:
"Appaloosa"- a great Western
"A History of Violence"- wonderful crime story.

See what I mean, EXWRX? In this particular forum, you can't help but blend the boundaries of the subject matters under discussion. I don't feel that it is necessary to start a "Movies (only)" thread, but you can if you want.

[EXWRX]

Heck no! I just wanted for new people in the forum not to have to look for their book reccomendations in a thread titled Caprica. :p Thread drift happens. Books and movies about the book totally belong together!

[manxman]

Yeah, "Dances With Wolves" doesn't mesh very well with "Caprica".:)

[manxman]

Heck no! I just wanted for new people in the forum not to have to look for their book reccomendations in a thread titled Caprica. :p Thread drift happens. Books and movies about the book totally belong together!
GREAT! People who post about their wonderful new intake system on the "Headers and Exhaust" thread should be subject to SEVERE verbal excoriation, and forcible movement of their ill-chosen new thread to the appropriate forum, etc. But as a forum moderator, I won't jump on anybody who mixes up movies/books/TV series in the Entertainment forum.

See? All of my fancy verbiage comes from a READER. You learn to use the English language as the tool that it is by reading. Last comment aimed at the "TOOLs" of the world, not EXWRX.

[EXWRX]

NOW you're getting it! :p Books, movies, videogames, breakfast cereals, orangutangs, fruitbats. . . In this thread, but mess with our car stuff and it's time to set them on fire!!! :mad: or maybe not. ;)

[manxman]

Whut? Orangutans? Fruitbats (wish that I had one as a pet)?

[claymore]

Good to see this thread I read all the time. All the authors mentioned by everybody are GREAT and I have read most of them. Just started on the new hero Texas ranger/attorney in James Lee Burke and I like him better that the new orleans Cop for some reason. Still like the new orleans one but this new guy is better. Hard to say who I like best everytime somebody mentions a new name it's like O yea he's very good.

I actually spent a little time with and read a few of Richard Marcinko's books and they are ok. But he is a FREAK completely wacko and a convicted felon for stealing equipment/money while he was with devgroup. I actually was there to see the local new london NCIS and squids get massacred by the red team on a base insertion drill at the sub pens in New London.

The real NCIS is NOTHING like the TV show.... O NO now we need a TV show thread.

[manxman]

Good to see this thread I read all the time. All the authors mentioned by everybody are GREAT and I have read most of them. Just started on the new hero Texas ranger/attorney in James Lee Burke and I like him better that the new orleans Cop for some reason. Still like the new orleans one but this new guy is better. Hard to say who I like best everytime somebody mentions a new name it's like O yea he's very good.

I actually spent a little time with and read a few of Richard Marcinko's books and they are ok. But he is a FREAK completely wacko and a convicted felon for stealing equipment/money while he was with devgroup. I actually was there to see the local new london NCIS and squids get massacred by the red team on a base insertion drill at the sub pens in New London.

The real NCIS is NOTHING like the TV show.... O NO now we need a TV show thread.
OK John, NOW you've done it. I like the original Mark Harmon NCIS, but the new one with the L.A. location bores me. But to discuss TV shows, then we have to separate weekly series from the premium channel limited series, like:

Deadwood- All Old West fans should have this three season disc collection.
Carnivale- All "creepy story" fans should have this three season disc colletion- the most unusual and unusually GOOD weird good vs. evil set in the '30s dustbowl plains- a haunted traveling carnival.
Rome- GREAT historical fiction- Rome in the time of Julius Ceasar.
The Tudors- three seasons in the can, another on the way.
True Blood- two seasons have run, another coming a a few months.

And yeah, Marcinko does not seem like someone you would want as your neighbor, but was probably damned effective in his work while in the military.

[Norg]

TV shows, I can't wait to see Archer tonight on FX :D

[claymore]

Another good author is Brian Haig the son of former chief of staff "I'm in charge here" Al Haig. there are maybe 4-5 books about a military lawyer who is really a black team type operator and gets sent in on Hard Cases. If you like the other authors with a military format you would like his stuff.

Another great series is the Ricker series by Lee Child. former military police major now a civilian that takes on peoples cases. a smatass kind of guy but good action stuff

[EXWRX]

James Cobb did a couple books that I've read, on a stealth destroyer. It was a fun read. Sadly the reviews from the military on the actual product were nothing like the book played out.
I enjoy all of the Jack Ryan Clancy novels, but my absolute favorite is Without Remorse, the back story of John Clark. It focuses on one character almost totally, unlike the rest of his novels.
Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series is an interesting, and well developed world that I enjoy visiting. Strange mind powers, a interesting not very technological society, that has developed a very different culture than Earth did.
Larry Niven's Known Space books are also very interesting. Ringworld, Man-Kzin Wars, and a bunch of his short story collections make it a well developed universe with lots of great characters, interesting alien races, and thoughts on possible future developments.
As far as TV shows go, I mostly watch shows from Britain. Top Gear is a favorite. 3 guys, all crazy in their own way, that all love cars. If you haven't seen it, search youtube for their test of the Ford Fiesta, or Ariel Atom. I also am really enjoying the new run of Doctor Who.
I really enjoyed Battlestar Galactica's new run, and Firefly is my all time favorite series, but I don't watch anything else on American TV. I got out of the habit when I was working retail and had an irregular schedule. I discovered that I didn't really miss sitting in front of the idiot box for hours each week.

[manxman]

Did you happen to see any of the "Torchwood" (BBC) 3-season run? The lead character, Capt. Jack Harkness, is an occasional character on Dr. Who. The series was shot in, and featured, urban locales in Wales, and concerned a secret British government watch-dog agency that worked to protect Earth from alien invaders who have been here for centuries.

And see, Jeff? You can't help but mix mediums in your posts between threads on this forum.

[EXWRX]

I never got into Torchwood, though Captain Jack Harkness is a great character. Mostly because 3 shows are all I really allow myself to get into. and at the time, I had BSG, Dr. Who and Top Gear.
I agree about the mixed mediums. I just didn't feel that a title that talked about 1 TV show was the right place to totally go off on books. :P

[claymore]

I agree on the Mr. Clark story was the most interesting all are good but that was the best and the book is even better. BTW some of the people here if they are in the know call me Mr. Clark instead of claymore ....can't imagine why :rolleyes:

[manxman]

For years I have always suspected that you were a "Mr. Clark" type. I never asked because it's none of my business, and if true, you aren't likely to say: "Why yes, I am a semi-retired, ex-spook, but still lend a hand whenever I am asked for help. I live in one of the "hot spots" and keep an eye on things". One of the best movie "Mr. Clarks" was played by Willem Dafoe.

[manxman]

I never got into Torchwood, though Captain Jack Harkness is a great character. Mostly because 3 shows are all I really allow myself to get into. and at the time, I had BSG, Dr. Who and Top Gear.
I agree about the mixed mediums. I just didn't feel that a title that talked about 1 TV show was the right place to totally go off on books. :P
I admire your ability to ignore TV. I don't have that ability. TV has become so good with the advent of premium channels, delivered by cable and satellite, that I almost never go to theaters to see movies anymore. Within a month of a new release leaving theaters, it is on various "Pay Per View" channels, and weeks later it is now free on HBO, Stars, Cinemax, etc.

After getting irate at the rip-off rates of our local cable supplier eight years ago, I had a Dish Network system installed, with two DVR boxes that can hold 120 hours of recorded programs each. I just log in all of the movies and shows that I want to see, and if I am busy with "real life" tasks, I spend the weekend catching up on dozens of movies and shows that recorded automatically, fast forwarding through every, single, commercial.

After growing up with only black & white small screen TV's, and maybe 5 network channels in the L.A. basin acquired from a roof-top antenna, TV now has a wealth of absolutely great quality entertainment. I still get everything done that I need to do, and yet eventually have time to see every one of the programs that I listed in the previous post.

If you ever see a boxed set of the "Torchwood" series, and can afford whatever it costs, I suggest that you buy it- it's right up your alley. If you buy it and hate it, I will buy it from you (that is, unless I find it and buy it first- then I'll lend it to you).

EDIT- Wow! I just looked up the prices on Amazon. Neither one of us will have that much cash to spare for a while. They don't even show all 3 seasons in a boxed set. Wait a year or so. Season 1- $60.00 now- will be half that or less..

[EXWRX]

Basically, I stopped watching when I was working retail and my schedule was very irregular. This was before Tivo/DVR, and programming the VCR each week was more trouble than I was willing to go through to get my TV fix. I discovered that I didn't miss it all that much, although my coworkers think I'm a bit wierd for not being able to talk with them about whatever happened on whatever reality show (*gag*) they're watching.

[manxman]

Agreed on reality shows. GAGG!

[claymore]

Jeeze I can't imagine life without TV. But I normally watch the discovery channel, animal planet, and news programming but I do have to admit a fondness for survivor.

But it balances out because at night I'm usually reading a book at the same time.

While I was a cop I had to develop the skill of doing two things at once like listening to the cop radio and the music radio at the same time. First timers in the cop car always said something like "how can you stand it with two different radios". But after awhile you learn to just filter out the cop radio until the message is important or directed at you and your mind automatically tunes in.

[claymore]

Reading one of James Lee Burkes books "last car to elysian fields" it's another in the series of Dave Robicheaux adventures and he is talking about his wife being burned up in a fire at their house. Anyone know which book the fire episode was in??

[manxman]

I have read most of the Dave Robicheaux stories, and some of my later books make reference to the death of "Bootsie", but I have not found the book with the actual event yet. Burke comes up with some very interesting names, like the Detective's adopted daughter "Alafair", and "Tripod", her three legged raccoon.

[manxman]

Don't miss "In The Electric Mist With Confederate Dead", or "The Tin Roof Blow-Down" (post-Katrina New Orleans), and for sure, don't miss any of his Montana-located stories where the main character is an ex-Texas Ranger who accidentally shot his partner to death, quit the force, got a law degree, and now solves crimes in Montana (where Burke now actually lives). One of these is "Heartwood".

James Lee Burke is my favorite crime story author.

[manxman]

If you like fantasy-genre books where the author creates an entirely new and different world with great characters, this is for you. For more story details, see "The TV Show Thread". The first book of this series "A Game Of Thrones", will be a new series on HBO coming this spring, and should be absolutely fantastic.

I found a boxed set of the whole series, new condition, on Ebay and bought the set today. I will give my copy of the first book to a friend. If you try to buy the individual books on-line, they run in the range of $10.00 to $14.00 each if new paperback. A first edition hard bound copy of "A Game Of Thrones" sells on Ebay for $300.00. The four-book set that I just bought on Ebay ran $33.99 with free shipping.

If you are a dedicated reader and want to get sucked into a book, get this series. You must read them in order- they are too complex to skip around.:eek:

[EXWRX]

I really enjoyed the Song of Fire and Ice, but the characters that I really enjoyed didn't do nearly as well as I was rooting for them to do. It is a beautifully written series with fairly complex characters and an interesting mythology.

[manxman]

I really enjoyed the Song of Fire and Ice, but the characters that I really enjoyed didn't do nearly as well as I was rooting for them to do. It is a beautifully written series with fairly complex characters and an interesting mythology.
I'm not surprised that you have read this Jeff. I hope that we can attract others to these books. Maybe after the HBO TV series comes on, others will be interested to see what the show doesn't have time to tell.

[claymore]

Well Dave thinks we have been slacking off on book reviews so here we go. I read every day for about 2 hours a night so I go through A LOT of books. So many books I am a platinum member of our local second hand book store. I usually go once a month and turn in and pick up about 14 books so the owner always has a giant smile when I come in.

I thought if I posted a lot of books it would be too much but I will give it a shot to see how it goes.

The latest good book that I am reading now is the first book of this author I have read and for sure I will be looking for more by ROBERT CRAIS. Looks like he writes a lot of crime type stories and the one I am reading now and really like is "The two minute rule".

It's about a guy that goes to jail for robbing a bank and gets out to find his long lost son was a LAPD police officer who has just been shot and killed. He goes looking for the killer with the help ,get this, of the lady FBI agent that arrested him at the bank robbery.

As weird as it sounds the author really makes it sound believable.

[hogwylde]

One of the best books I have read is called Under and Alone. It's a true story about a DEA agent who was sent to infiltrate the Mongols (Motorcycle Club) to gather intel on where their money, etc is coming from. He spent about three years away from his family in order to do it.

It's an incredible read and I finished it in about 2-3 days.

[claymore]

Yea I read some reviews of that one and it sounds pretty good. Seems like he ended up like a lot of undercovers getting bent out of shape while under and coming to identify with the bad guys.

[hogwylde]

Yea I read some reviews of that one and it sounds pretty good. Seems like he ended up like a lot of undercovers getting bent out of shape while under and coming to identify with the bad guys.

I saw a documentary on him a couple of months ago and it's actually pretty sad. He ended up losing his family and kids, lives in the witness protection program now and is afraid to travel the roads. He is a licensed pilot and said he now flies to where he wants to go because if word gets out to where he's at, he can be long gone before they get to him.

[claymore]

Been on a W.E.B. Griffin jag AGAIN. Every once in awhile I get a hankering to read the whole brotherhood or war series from the lieutenants to the generals one after the other. then go through the police series from the first to the last and I'm still waiting for the series finish book it's been years of waiting.

I must have read the Army series 3 or 4 times over the years.