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Post by optronix on Jan 5, 2011 7:22:05 GMT -5
I just finished "Sleepwalk With Me and Other Painfully True Stories," by Mike Birbiglia. About two months ago I caught an episode of Carson Daly's late night show, and Mike Birbiglia was on. He is a standup comedian and I need to sit down and watch his specials and listen to his CD's. Anyway I was watching him talk about this new book. The basic story he gives is about when he was staying at a hotel in Washington state, he falls asleep and wakes up to a room full of military personnel he turns to the general and asks,
"What's going on!"
The general responds, that a missile is locked onto him and he actually jumps out of his second story hotel room and runs down the lawn.
Anyway I really liked this book. It's both funny and relatable. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys comedians and who enjoys real life stories. The best comparison I can make for you guys is the writing very much reminds me of Holeman's style. Very clever and self effacing and just all around enjoyable. Pick up this book, you will enjoy it.
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Jan 6, 2011 18:25:46 GMT -5
I'm in the middle of World War Z.
It's really cool finally seeing somebody break down just how zombies could become so widespread in the modern world. I've always wanted to see a zombie movie or book like this, where you actually see the epidemic spreading and not just come in after the fact.
The only problem is that the whole book is written in segments that are accounts given by different people around the world. Since there's no main character (not really counting Max Brooks, the author/transcriber of events, because he doesn't do much), and no central plot to follow, I sometimes find my attention waning. Like right now for example. I haven't read it in a week because I've kinda lost interest in what happens next. I'm picking it back up again tonight though.
I also read "The Greys" by Whitley Streiber a couple months ago. 7/10
It's a thriller about the conspiracy about extraterrestrials and our government. It's actually really fun, especially if you were ever into that stuff and have more than a passing knowledge about abductions and close encounters. Whitley Streiber pulls a bunch of theories and sightings together to create a cool world where everything you've read about aliens comes together in a way that makes sense. With that as a set up, he also adds a pretty interesting and engaging plot with believable characters.
I knocked it down a few points because the ending kinda loses steam and is a little cheesy. However, I flew through the book pretty fast up until the last four or five chapters. So it's worth it if you love alien stories that are like the X-Files.
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Post by Darth Twitty on Jan 11, 2011 12:09:59 GMT -5
I just finished Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick.
I thought it was a fascinating listen. It tells the story of people who were living in North Korea and defected. It makes you think how good you have it here.
I also finished listening to Patient Zero by Jonathan Mayberry.
It was a fun zombie novel where the zombie virus is created as a weapon by terrorists.
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Jan 11, 2011 16:30:07 GMT -5
Patient Zero is next on my list!
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magneto1138
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Post by magneto1138 on Jan 11, 2011 18:46:48 GMT -5
Beat the Reaper. Read it. Love it.
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Post by frinspar on Jan 11, 2011 19:47:37 GMT -5
I just finished Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick. I thought it was a fascinating listen. It tells the story of people who were living in North Korea and defected. It makes you think how good you have it here. I recall seeing a news show a while back where they met up with a couple of N. Koreans who would sneak across into S. Korea for various other citizens to either contact people, deliver messages or smuggle things back. Scary as hell to see people risking their lives for simple things we can easily get at a store.
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Post by clinkenbeard on Jan 12, 2011 1:31:52 GMT -5
I'll tell you what, they get paid a hefty price for some shit like that. After watching a few documentaries and such on N.Korea, fuckers had to cross under electric fences and pass through minefields to get where they were going.
Not to mention the trip back.
It's really fascinating though to watch documentaries and other films produced about North Korea in general though, because of the way they stage everything the outside world gets to see. Risking lives, and succumbing to the will of gov't officials in, what seems like, an extremely effective form of dictatorship.
In the end it really does make you feel fantastic about the freedoms we here enjoy, and how most don't even realize or give a fuck what goes on outside of our borders. Fully agree there, twit-ster.
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Post by clinkenbeard on Jan 20, 2011 2:45:46 GMT -5
"Rampaging Fuckers of Everything on the Crazy Shitting Planet of the Vomit Atmosphere: Three Novels" - Holy shit this book is funny. 10/10 Read it, kindle style. Definitely a book in it's own world, and yes, very entertaining. I won't lie though, I am pretty sure I need to read it again. It was so bat-shit nuts all the way through.
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Jan 29, 2011 0:59:04 GMT -5
Has anyone read John Dies At The End? I love that book!
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Feb 9, 2011 18:03:31 GMT -5
Ilium - 9/10 Gotta love Dan Simmons. Basically a "what if the Iliad had happened THIS way instead of that way"? Also, it takes place in the future and features androids that quote Shakespeare, dinosaurs tearing people to shreds, black holes threatening the existence of the universe, and treks across a post-apocalyptic Earth.
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Post by optronix on Feb 9, 2011 23:57:56 GMT -5
Ilium - 9/10 Gotta love Dan Simmons. Basically a "what if the Iliad had happened THIS way instead of that way"? Also, it takes place in the future and features androids that quote Shakespeare, dinosaurs tearing people to shreds, black holes threatening the existence of the universe, and treks across a post-apocalyptic Earth. I'm going to buy this, if I hate it I'm coming to Cali and finding you and making you eat both your copy and mine.
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Post by optronix on Feb 10, 2011 13:38:02 GMT -5
I picked it up today, both 'Ilium' and Olympos as well. Hope to get to read them soon. They were nice and cheap too, so perhaps you won't be force fed them if they suck.
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Feb 10, 2011 21:02:22 GMT -5
You won't regret it. Dan Simmons is awesome. I can't wait to read Olympos. Have you read Hyperion? That's a good one from him, too, in case you really love Ilium.
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Post by optronix on Feb 10, 2011 21:10:07 GMT -5
No but I've heard of it.
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Feb 11, 2011 3:20:37 GMT -5
World War Z - 7/10 It was alright. I really like how he explains in great detail just how the world would get so fucked by zombies, but at times it kinda drags. I found myself losing patience because of the lack of a central plot and characters to follow.
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NOTtehFACE
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Post by NOTtehFACE on Feb 11, 2011 13:26:06 GMT -5
The Downed female pilot story is extraordinary. Diane Lane would be perfect!
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Feb 11, 2011 18:56:10 GMT -5
I would love to see a tv series based on the book. I love the opening scene as well. The one with the Chinese doctor.
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Feb 24, 2011 4:01:07 GMT -5
^ lol, what was the one point for?
Lost Boy Lost Girl - 7/10, The best book by Peter Straub that I've read so far. I think it's safe to say that I'm not a huge fan of his work. He's a good writer, but his stories tend towards the so-optimistic-that-it's-cheesy side (sort of the reverse of Stephen King, actually). Even though the book wasn't very fast-paced, I was pulled in enough to not be bored, but at the same time, it wasn't interesting enough to make me want to read any of the sequels.
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Feb 27, 2011 17:25:22 GMT -5
You Come When I Call You by Douglass Clegg - 4/10 Meh...
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Mar 14, 2011 2:18:43 GMT -5
^ I read that. I don't understand how such a scattershot, zero narrative, poorly assembled book became so popular. That shit was a chore to read. It really was.
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Mar 14, 2011 2:19:56 GMT -5
"Sucker Punch: The Art Of The Movie" - This is the best movie art book I've seen in fucking forever. It's entirely comprehensive, about three times longer than your usual movie art books and has made me fucking stupid to see this movie. Zack Snyder has really outdone himself with this one. Even if it sucks ass, it's going to be the most visually interesting film of the year. 10/10 Can't fucking wait. I'll probably check this out. I usually don't dig those types of books, but The Matrix one was pretty good and from what you say about this one, it sounds like it has some pretty neat things.
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Mar 14, 2011 2:26:00 GMT -5
Ghost Road Blues by Jonathan Maberry 9/10 - This book made me an instant Jonathan Maberry fan! With a Halloween theme and set in a Halloween-oriented small town, it was right up my alley. It's got great character development, great pacing, great action, great plot, and several different antagonists, all written in (in or with? What's the correct word usage here?) great prose. I can't wait to read the next two novels in the trilogy.
It reminded me a lot of the movie Trick 'R Treat, which I loved. So if you liked Trick 'R Treat, or if you love Halloween, you should check it out, it's very fun!
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Post by NVT on Apr 13, 2011 2:37:07 GMT -5
"The War for Late Night" by Bill Carter - 9/10
Excellent book which was initially just supposed to be about the current state of late night TV along with the future of the format but when all the shit hit the fan early last year, it pretty much turned into a detailed recollection of everything that happened leading up to and since Conan signed the agreement to take over "The Tonight Show" in 2004 to his departure in 2010.
The combination of Carter's sources and his writing style make you feel like you were a fly on the wall in every meeting or had the phones bugged when an important conversation was taking place. I also enjoyed how he tried to present as balanced an account as possible without vilifying anybody.
I'm sure most of you aren't as passionate about the whole situation over 15 months later but it's still a great read and might make you think a bit differently about it than you did at the time.
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Post by optronix on Apr 13, 2011 2:39:45 GMT -5
I may have to check that out.
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NecroDragon
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Post by NecroDragon on Apr 19, 2011 13:44:45 GMT -5
The Loch by Steve Alten - 7/10 If you were ever into The Loch Ness Monster you should check this book out. It's a work of fiction that's similar to movies like Anaconda and Lake Placid, but much better. It actually got me interested in The Loch Ness Monster again after I had written it off as imaginary. It's got some great scary scenes in it, and it's backed by painstaking research and a great understanding of marine science. After the climax, it kind of peters off towards a second climax which isn't as fun, but its necessary to tie up the plotline of the characters. The last three chapters I kinda had to push through because I had lost interest after the monster's story was resolved. The plot revolves around a Scottish marine biologist who has daddy issues and who is trying to find the monster to clear his father's name of a murder charge.
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CelticPredator
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Post by CelticPredator on Apr 24, 2011 17:26:45 GMT -5
Can't fucking wait. I'll probably check this out. I usually don't dig those types of books, but The Matrix one was pretty good and from what you say about this one, it sounds like it has some pretty neat things. You know, I still love this book despite hating the movie completely. I got the one with the slipcover and signed by Zack Snyder. The production design on that flick was amazing. It was. That book is awesome.
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Post by razkazz on Jun 20, 2011 2:15:23 GMT -5
'Terminator Salvation: Trial By Fire' (SPOILERS, but I'm assuming no one cares) - I was really excited to read this when I heard it was a direct sequel to the movie and saw that it'd gotten really good reviews on Amazon. So I was disappointed to find that it was really more of a little epilogue than a sequel and the writing was much weaker than I'm accustomed to (tons of repeated descriptive phrases, the most editing errors I've ever seen in one book, and almost a southern twanginess to the writing style that felt out of place in the Terminator universe). I really disliked the premise at first as I felt it undermined the movie's ending with the old --"oh wait, that base we destroyed, we didn't actually completely destroy it." plot.
I expected the story to move on to Skynet's next base but it's all set around the remnants of the San Francisco base from the movie. What's more distressing is it takes place mostly in a lush forest divided by a large river. First of all WTF, I did not get the impression that full forests existed in the post-judgement day world, especially mere miles from Skynet's flame-spouting HQ. Second, (I'm sure The Sarah Connor Chronicles will prove this wrong after I've watched a couple more episodes, but) the last Terminator confrontation I want to see is one involving mountain men in a river. And that's where most of this story's battles take place.
My last major complaint was that the story took the hybrid idea to an entirely new cheesy level. I assumed that whole thing would end with Marcus, and it should have. On the plus side, it does lead to the decent revelation that Skynet lured John Connor to the base in the movie with the goal of turning him into a hybrid so he could destroy the resistance from the inside (the T-800 fight contradicts this but I like the idea.). And by the end of the book they say the hybrid stuff is done for good.
But I didn't hate this book. It focuses on Blair (Moon Bloodgood) and Barnes (Common) being partnered up and having to work out their differences (she made him look like a fool, he tried to blow her up with a rocket launcher), while trying to find the source of Skynet's remaining power in the area. I really like these characters and the dynamic worked great. Getting almost equal story time in his own separate plot is Kyle Reese, who mostly just gets stuck in a tunnel (it kind of dragged). The action scenes pretty much save the book, they're elaborate, fun, & easy to picture, probably why this author got the gig...
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Post by razkazz on Jun 20, 2011 2:59:31 GMT -5
... 2 posts due to PS3 browser issues. :I
Despite being a cheesy concept at its core, being not that well witten, and featuring things that seemed to contradict the Terminator mythology, the ending really wrapped things up nicely. I felt like such a mark, but the obvious character growth you knew was coming brought a huge smile to my face when it happened suddenly and stereotypically right at the end, and all the things I had problems with were pretty much killed by the end. It was a really satisfying conclusion that made me feel less like the story had wronged the movie's ending as John Connor reassured that Skynet is always full of surprises. I wanted to see more of the characters I liked, and the book totally delivered in that respect. And there were some truly memorable action scenes like Barnes jumping out of a helicopter and taking out an HK with a T-600's minigun. 6.5/10
*Oh yeah, also I like Barnes' character in the book because I can make Common a good actor in my imagination. Or just make him Terry Crews. I alternated between the two, oddly, but it ruled.
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Post by razkazz on Jun 27, 2011 2:08:07 GMT -5
^Thanks for the recommendation, Trial By Fire wasn't great but it was such a fun fast read (I think the first novel where I didn't once flip ahead to see when a chapter would end) that I want to pick up more Terminator novels asap. I've got my heart set on a couple more Salvation books, and possibly this T3 book that's all about the war in 2029, but after that I'll have to check out the Stirling ones too.
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Post by razkazz on Jun 27, 2011 2:13:31 GMT -5
Oh yeah, anyone else excited for the first Bioshock novel? Comes out July 19th!
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