1. SPS Accounts:
    Do you find yourself coming back time after time? Do you appreciate the ongoing hard work to keep this community focused and successful in its mission? Please consider supporting us by upgrading to an SPS Account. Besides the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from supporting a good cause, you'll also get a significant number of ever-expanding perks and benefits on the site and the forums. Click here to find out more.
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
You are currently viewing Boards o' Magick as a guest, but you can register an account here. Registration is fast, easy and free. Once registered you will have access to search the forums, create and respond to threads, PM other members, upload screenshots and access many other features unavailable to guests.

BoM cultivates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We have been aiming for quality over quantity with our forums from their inception, and believe that this distinction is truly tangible and valued by our members. We'd love to have you join us today!

(If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you've forgotten your username or password, click here.)

Anybody read good NON-fantasy books?

Discussion in 'Booktalk' started by Tiamat, Feb 8, 2003.

  1. Erebus Gems: 16/31
    Latest gem: Shandon


    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2002
    Messages:
    807
    Likes Received:
    1
    Sick Puppy by Carl Hiassen
    or
    Choke, by the same guy who wrote fight club.
     
  2. Jack Funk Gems: 24/31
    Latest gem: Water Opal


    Joined:
    Apr 24, 2001
    Messages:
    1,778
    Likes Received:
    25
    I read a great story by Conrad called "Youth". It was in a volume that contained "Heart of Darkness" and other stories.
    All of the stories were outstanding, and "Heart of Darkness" is well known, but I think that "Youth" is an overlooked classic.
     
  3. Kam Gems: 15/31
    Latest gem: Waterstar


    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2002
    Messages:
    763
    Likes Received:
    0
    I was reading some Harlan Ellison. He wrote some great short stories, especially Paingod, Bright Eyes, and I Must Scream and I Have No Mouth. (Or maybe it's the other way around, I can never remember ;) .) Either way, I'd highly recommend them to any one. :)
     
  4. Khazraj Gems: 20/31
    Latest gem: Garnet


    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2002
    Messages:
    1,257
    Likes Received:
    0
    Don't blame me for being an English teacher for grades 5 and 6, but anything by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith is good fun, especially the "Stinky Cheese Man" or "Squids will be Squids"...

    Andy Griffiths "Just" series is also very 12 years old "esqu"...

    Sorry... :rolleyes:
     
  5. Dragon's Jewel Gems: 14/31
    Latest gem: Chrysoberyl


    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2002
    Messages:
    634
    Likes Received:
    3
    I love almost anything by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as kooky as he ended up becoming in his later years, though his historical non-fiction is only interesting if you like, well, historical non-fiction. About the Boer War. Really enthralling stuff :rolleyes: . However, I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fan.
     
  6. Keraptisdm Gems: 6/31
    Latest gem: Jasper


    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2002
    Messages:
    158
    Likes Received:
    0
    I also like to read history books, especially on the U.S. Civil War.
     
  7. Elan Morin Tedronai Gems: 10/31
    Latest gem: Zircon


    Veteran

    Joined:
    Jan 27, 2003
    Messages:
    382
    Likes Received:
    0
    Heller has many other excellent works like Good as Gold (1979) and God Knows (1984)... I am currently reading Picture this (1990), which is also one excellent book!
     
  8. Keraptisdm Gems: 6/31
    Latest gem: Jasper


    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2002
    Messages:
    158
    Likes Received:
    0
    Hi ya Pac Man. Those sound like pretty good books. But tell the truth now: your favorite books are pop-up books. :D j/k

    Ever read any of Winston Churchill's books? Either WWI or WWII series. Not bad once you get past his praise of self parts.
     
  9. Woodwyrm Gems: 5/31
    Latest gem: Andar


    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2003
    Messages:
    100
    Likes Received:
    0
    Tom Clancy's...
     
  10. Sprite Gems: 15/31
    Latest gem: Waterstar


    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2001
    Messages:
    775
    Likes Received:
    0
    I almost never read fantasy, which is how I hardly ever have anything to say in this forum. I love hard SF and space opera - anything with a spaceship on the cover or the word "galactic" in the title is fine by me :p - as well as mystery novels and well-researched historical fiction such as the "biographies" by Margaret George. Recently I've been reading Stephen Fry and Nelson de Mille novels. One thing I don't read is "real" literature such as the kind that wins national prizes. I know I'm a philistine but I just don't like it. My husband loves it and can't believe I'd rather read Stephen King than Michael Ondaatje.
     
  11. Arabwel

    Arabwel Screaming towards Apotheosis Veteran

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2001
    Messages:
    7,965
    Media:
    2
    Likes Received:
    16
    Gender:
    Female
    If I might suggest Robert Ludlum, the man bbehind Bourne Identity and simply the best thriller writer there is. The best. His books can make you EXTRENELY scared of what may be happening behind the scenes (The Prometheus deception... I can FEEL it happening...) or make you laugh your butt off (The Road to Gandolfo and the Road to Omaha... I don't think anything has ever made me laugh so much in my life) or be just "plain" good thrillers (Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy, Bourne Ultimatum... the ever-great trilogy....)

    (Who, me, advertising?)
     
  12. Mystra's Chosen Gems: 22/31
    Latest gem: Sphene


    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2002
    Messages:
    1,451
    Likes Received:
    0
    Well, I read alot of political analysis journals, world conflict/current event books. I'm almost done The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (which is crazy long. 1600 pages of small print and pure, unadulterated information). I also read a book called 'Taken By Storm' by a couple of professors. It's about the Kyoto Protocol. I'm currently ensconced in 'The Bible Code II' which is almost the conspirators handbook :p
     
Sorcerer's Place is a project run entirely by fans and for fans. Maintaining Sorcerer's Place and a stable environment for all our hosted sites requires a substantial amount of our time and funds on a regular basis, so please consider supporting us to keep the site up & running smoothly. Thank you!

Sorcerers.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.