Best books you have read in the last 12 months?

[Fuzz]

the dune film was so truly appalling that it put me off trying the books. assume they are better?

Yes, the books are far better than the movie and mini-series.

Dude. Nice choices

I haven't read any Dragonlance books in ages!

I assume you've read the rest of the neuromancer books, but if not READ THEM! I only really got into cyberpunk after playing the Shadowrun RPG a bit, still a D&D guy too though.

I recently went on a bit of a nostalgia trip and reread all of David Eddings, still worth it. The newest fantasy I've read and would recommend would be the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson (guy who finished the Wheel of Time after Jordan passed away) still kinda troped but does take a cool new angle at a magic system.

Yep, definitely read the rest of the series.

Cyberpunk and Shadowrun were great RPGs. Played a far bit of Shadowrun in the 90's, got about a dozen plus of the sourcebooks (1st and 2nd editions).

Damn, now I want to go read my old Shadowrun novels and sourcebooks. Maybe roll up a new character... where are all my D6s?

[Pedro2486]

Yes, the books are far better than the movie and mini-series.

Yep, definitely read the rest of the series.

Cyberpunk and Shadowrun were great RPGs. Played a far bit of Shadowrun in the 90's, got about a dozen plus of the sourcebooks (1st and 2nd editions).

Damn, now I want to go read my old Shadowrun novels and sourcebooks. Maybe roll up a new character... where are all my D6s?

LOL. I've been reading all through 4th edition recently. There's a couple of good podcasts out there that have piqued my interest again. Hidden Grid has an excellent GM and is a good listen if you're into that sort of thing.

"It looks like you're trying to roll 37d6. You must be playing Shadowrun"

[imangelo]

"You Can't Lie To Me" by Janine Driver...great non-fiction is you want to become a human lie detector

[joeypots]

the dune film was so truly appalling that it put me off trying the books. assume they are better?

Dune is fantastic and well worth reading even if you are not interested in science fiction.

I couldn't get into any of the rest of the series. Some people love them, just not me.

11/22/63 is a fine summer read. I'm not much of a Steven King fan any more but this one was recommended and I devoured it on vacation last year.

The Left Overs by Tom Perotta

The Smiley trilogy by John Le Carre,

The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 Christopher Clark

[hulklogan]

11/22/63 is a fine summer read. I'm not much of a Steven King fan any more but this one was recommended and I devoured it on vacation last year.

A decent book, save for the fact that King uses the word "obdurate" approx. 50 million times...

[rtrimbath]

Other than cigar smoking, reading is my other dedicated hobby. I absolutely love getting ahold of a new book. Here are two of my current favorites.

1Q84 - I know a few have already mentioned it, but it is one of my top Ten of all-time. Amazing story and impossible to put down. It controlled my life for several weeks.

Cloud Atlas - It feels like you've read six different books by the time you've finished it. It's definitely worth a look.

[dvickery]

perhaps the most gratuitously violent book i have ever read ... a long(ish) book that kept me riveted for a week ...

the heros ... joe abercrombie

be prewarned ... not a happy (american) ending .

derrek

[Maplepie]

Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse 5

next on the chopping block:

God Bless you, Mr. Rosewater.

And after that:

Breakfast of Champions

Chris, PM me and i can send you the PDF ro the former. It's part of the 'Rosewater' trilogy and was meant to be read in that sequence. But we know literature should frequently be devoid of authorial intent

[cigcars]

"Bad at the Bijou" by William Horner. It's about the small character actor baddies of American cinema; Strother Martin, L.Q. Jones, Jack Elam, Lee Van Cleef, Andrew Robinson, and others who are familiar faces but whom we know not so much about. VERY informative and interesting. I had no idea Jack Elam lost the sight in his eye as a lad in the Boy Scouts. He'd had a pencil accidently run through his eye but had to stand at attention for two hours before they got any medical aid to him...so that he could be a "good scout"! 'magin!

[jkdooley]

I just finished "Dr Sleep" by Stephen King. It is the sequel to "The Shining". A great book!

[Hugomarink]

READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline - Such a great book -- probably helps if you have an appreciation for '80s pop culture (video games, movies, music, tv, etc.) but still a wonderfully smart book featuring a briliiant portrayal of a future society where most people spend their lives immersed in a virtual reality environment, not the real world. A fun and thrilling read!

DUMA KEY by Stephen King - I'm just loving King's more "literary" books from the latter half of his career. I am still reading this one (about 3/4 of the way through) so hopefully it doesn't end poorly, but King's writing is at such a high level here that it is simply mesmerizing and tough to put down.

MONEY SHOT by Christa Faust - Pulpy tale of a former porn star now running a "talent agency" serving the porn industry who is shot and left for dead, but she survives and tracks down the scumbags responsible. Actually quite well-written and gives an interesting look into the workings of the porn biz. And a good mystery as well.

[El Guero]

Farther Than Any Man by Martin Dugard. Great bio of Cook and his exploration of the Pacific.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Blood and Thunder; The epic tale of Kit Carson and the conquest of the American West by Hampton Sides

I love explorers and history books. In between those, constant Vonnegut re-reads.

[Philski]

I get through a lot of books, so it's hard sometimes to remember everything - but The Goldfinch and Cloud Atlas were mentioned earlier, and both are excellent. Not sure I would necessarily choose them as holiday reads, but anyway.

I'm near the end of My Wicked, Wicked Ways - Errol Flynn's autobiography. If you can smuggle it past Di, it's a belter. They still make men like him, but those days are long gone.

[smokeDAWG]

The selected works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen. Quirky brillance.

[Ken Gargett]

Other than cigar smoking, reading is my other dedicated hobby. I absolutely love getting ahold of a new book. Here are two of my current favorites.

1Q84 - I know a few have already mentioned it, but it is one of my top Ten of all-time. Amazing story and impossible to put down. It controlled my life for several weeks.

Cloud Atlas - It feels like you've read six different books by the time you've finished it. It's definitely worth a look.

so pleased to see another vote for 1Q84. just an extraordinary book. the only negative for it being a holiday read is that you don't ant to do anything but read the thing.

will have a look for cloud atlas.

[Dozerhead]

Awesome book, soon to be film. I believe the character in this book held the record for the longest survival in a raft. Just completely amazing story of human resilience in the face of extreme hardship. Puts life in perspective really well.

"Unbroken" by Laura Hildebrand

http://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World-Survival-Resilience-Redemption/dp/1400064163

I just started reading that same book last night!

[Laxman]

So far this year not much I have read stands out. A few sales books for work were decent, one of Jack Welch's books that was very interesting, best book was a re-read of Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell which was an amazing story.

[ogus]

Elements of Dispensational Truth Vol 3.

[Ken Gargett]

Farther Than Any Man by Martin Dugard. Great bio of Cook and his exploration of the Pacific.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Blood and Thunder; The epic tale of Kit Carson and the conquest of the American West by Hampton Sides

I love explorers and history books. In between those, constant Vonnegut re-reads.

ordered the bio of cook recently and has now arrived. keen to read it. he is a distant rellie (clearly sea sickness is not a hereditary trait).

love 'heart of darkness'. first time i read it was on a boat going down the congo river. that was a bit special.

[Newkarian]

If your into fantasy and have an open mind the His Dark Materials trilogy is awesome. The first book is Golden Compass which was a cunematic flop. Great read

[Fuzz]

next on the chopping block:

God Bless you, Mr. Rosewater.

And after that:

Breakfast of Champions

Chris, PM me and i can send you the PDF ro the former. It's part of the 'Rosewater' trilogy and was meant to be read in that sequence. But we know literature should frequently be devoid of authorial intent

I've read both of those. To be honest, didn't enjoy Vonnegut's other books as much as Slaughterhouse 5.

[canadianbeaver]

Spy among Friends - Ben Macintyre

An Officer and a Spy - Robert Harris

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

The first two are great poolside material

Reading The Goldfinch right now... Excellent! About 80% through.

Check out Emancipation Day by Wayne Grady. Fantastic and made the top 5 in the CBC's "Canada Reads" for 2014.

[shlomo]

perhaps the most gratuitously violent book i have ever read ... a long(ish) book that kept me riveted for a week ...

the heros ... joe abercrombie

be prewarned ... not a happy (american) ending .

derrek

Started it this morning with a Monte GE hanging in my mouth. Only about 50 pages in, but enjoying it so far!

[Nedule]

FOH forum & women's fitness magazine while I poop at work

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[StumpyJoe]

Forever War, by Joe Haldeman. Written during the Vietnam war as a critique of the policies and government of the time, it makes for a great sci-fi novel. The only book I have cared to revisit

Wow!!! I read that one about twenty years ago and it left a lasting impression. Not often do you come across a SciFi story that is so original and compelling that it almost seems possible. I'm afraid I'm going to have to track down a copy soon.

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