Does anybody read books here?

[jeannierides]

Anyone read any of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Killer's series? I've never been into vampire books, but found myself with one from the library and absolutely LOVED them! Her latest is Danse Macabre.

[LBTC]

Ah, Books!

These days I am reading Henry Millers' "Under the Roofs of Paris". woah. serious sex.
But much nicer than the Marquis de Sade's "Justine" Pretty creepy. Finished it just before this one.

Favourite books of all time: Tom Robbins - a toss up between Skinny Legs and All and Jitterbug Perfume.
Clive Barker - Imagica

And, amazingly, I really love Dean Koontz books. Despite all the depravity and violence, he has such a way of imbuing hope and a sense of the divine into his stories.

I've read and enjoyed all of the Anne Rice books, at least all that she originally published in her name. Belinda and Exit to Eden are both on my bookshelf and I will read them one day...

In high school I read a lot of Kurt Vonnegut and Frank Herbert. Later I realized that for me to find them funny I must have been pretty depressed. But I did.

I can just hear Tim Curry reading anything! Makes the snicket books seem very interesting!

And my all time favourite book to read while recovering from an illness or accident: The Good Time Gospel Boys by Billy Bittinger. Not necessarily easy to find, but a crazy funny story that had me laughing from the first sentence.

Happy reading, all!
Namaste,
~T~

[Kitsune06]

Vonnegut.... Didn't he write Naked Lunch? Maybe I'm confused. HS was spent reading Dune, Naked Lunch, On the Road, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Catcher in the Rye, etc...

interesting stuff.

[salsabike]

Naked Lunch is William Burroughs, I think. Vonnegut---maybe in HS, you got Slaughterhouse Five?

[Kitsune06]

Ah- you're right! I need to re-read so many books... I got through them, and loved them, then forgot what happened in them.

[Kano]

Tim Dorsey has a fun series of "murdering mayhem" -- more comedy than mystery, since we KNOW who's the bad guy all along. Carl Hiassen was mentioned on one of the covers, which got me started reading some of his work.

Piers Anthony did a fun pile of books too, fantasy fiction filled with puns. Most of 'em were pretty kid appropriate, and by the time some that weren't quite as kid appropriate came out, my daughter, who was totally hooked, was old enough to handle those too!

Stephen King did one under another name once, called Thinner. Scary book...

Harry Potter -- I just picked up the newest one of those (I think -- the one I hadn't read yet) the other day. Haven't read much of it yet, just a couple of pages while waiting for daughter at the surgical clinic the other day.

Karen in Boise

[Bruno28]

I'm an avid reader - read pretty much all kinds of stuff but I've never found any science fiction I really enjoy. I'll be trying some of the recommendations below.

I'm just back from Prague and want to re-read Kafka after seeing how the claustrophibic backstreets might have influenced his fiction.

And when I get over my pretentious period I'll go back to reading trashy women's crime novels. I've just discovered Karin Salughter - a right rivetting read - and have read all of Patricia Cornwall's books.

Another recent discovery is Anita Shreve - who writes well and has slightly out of the norm story lines. I recommend her 'Light on Snow' and 'All he ever wanted'

One of my favourite novels is Donna Tartt's 'The Secret History' - but her next novel was a big disappointment.

[Dogmama]

Ah- you're right! I need to re-read so many books... I got through them, and loved them, then forgot what happened in them.

Me too! I browse through Barnes & Noble & wonder, "Have I read this?" I'm starting to keep a list on my PDA of books I've read because I'm so forgetful lately. Problem is - I forget to bring my PDA to B & N!

WOW!!! So many good books to look at now! Thanks ladies!!!!!

Has anybody read the series --- here I go with the bad memory ---

The first book (big one) was about a nurse in 1945 who comes back from combat and somehow gets transported to the 1700's where she meets up with a man that she falls in love with?

It's a one word title. Argh!!!

[Kano]

Has anybody read the series --- here I go with the bad memory ---

The first book (big one) was about a nurse in 1945 who comes back from combat and somehow gets transported to the 1700's where she meets up with a man that she falls in love with?

It's a one word title. Argh!!!

I know the book you mean -- they eat oatmeal and wear kilts. Wasn't the transport something that happened at Stonehenge some magical night? Don't remember the name, but it's definitely not Argh!!!

Karen in Boise

[CyclChyk]

And, amazingly, I really love Dean Koontz books. Despite all the depravity and violence, he has such a way of imbuing hope and a sense of the divine into his stories.

Ahh = Dean Koontz. Whispers and Phantoms were my favorites from him.

As well, Ann Rice's son, Christopher Rice, is now an author. I read his first novel, A Density of Souls, and was veryyyy impressed. No vampires, just modern day mayhem. His second book was very good also.

[latelatebloomer]

Some of us even write books! My second kid's book, Oscar & the Mooncats, will be out next fall. And I'm TRYING to wrap up my first fantasy novel before the end of the year.

Since I'm working a day job and writing (and cycling and taking care of the world's smallest farm), my reading is not what it used to be. I've even been known to call out sick to finish a book (that honor goes to MamaDay by Gloria Naylor.) I love fantasy but am very picky about it - I also am devoted to Thomas Hardy and Willa Cather.

I read Dune many moons ago, snowbound in a farmhouse high on a Pennsylvania hill. My 2 housemates were also reading it, and we tore the paperback into individual chapers so we didn't fight over it. Much.

[Selkie]

Claire Messud is a wonderful writer. Her novel, "The Last Life," is one of my all time favorites.
You can't go wrong with anything by Alice McDermott, Louise Erdrich (sp?), Elizabeth George (British Mysteries), Barbara Vine/Ruth Rendell, Joyce Carol Oates, or Ann Beattie.
Jim Harrison's "Dalva" and the sequel, "The Road Home" are just wonderful books.

[mudmucker]

I love history and historical fiction. A couple of good reads recommended from a vietnam vet friend (in my personal attempt to understand and explore a few things), "The Long Gray Line" by Rick Atkinson follows five or so men from west point through the war. "Killer Angels" is about the 4 days at Gettysburg. "Kennedy Nixon" by Chris Matthews is an interesting read. I like Col. David Hackworth and have read his "Steel My Soldiers Heart". I've gone back to some classics, "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac (I work in Lowell and have lunch at his park), "Black Elk Speaks" by Neihardt, "Fools Crow" by Mails. I revisit Solzhenitsyn often (have many original books from the '70's). Robert Conquest is good for russian history. I'm going to read Ulysses next.

[Bad JuJu]

On the Road was enjoying a resurgence of popularity when I was in high school. My friends and I (remember the hippies?) were all quite taken with the Beats in general. I'd like to have time to revisit it one of these years.

Latelatebloomer--That's so exciting that you're writing. Be sure to let us know when your books hit the shelves.

Mudmucker--Enjoy reading Ulysses! It was a defining read of my life and changed me, in grad school, from an Americanist to a scholar of modernist Irish & English fiction.

[Lise]

I read Dune many moons ago, snowbound in a farmhouse high on a Pennsylvania hill. My 2 housemates were also reading it, and we tore the paperback into individual chapers so we didn't fight over it. Much.

Brilliant strategy. I read Dune during finals week, my last semester of college. It was my bribe. Every two hours I'd allow myself to go out on the lawn in front of Regenstein library at the University of Chicago and read Dune for 30 min. I was in a blind panic--what do you mean, I have to leave college?--Dune gave me relief. It's kind of a miracle I didn't just go to grad school, right? I started drinking heavily instead. Then got sober and went back to school!

LLB, I'm excited to check out your books! My mom's a children's librarian. Sadly for me, this means that she deluges my nephew and niece with books. I slip one in here and there, too.