Books! What are You Reading?

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[quote]tGunslinger wrote:
waylanderxx wrote:
tGunslinger wrote:
It’s been quite a while since I read any of the Sword of Truth books. I think Temple of the Winds was the last one I read and I’ve long forgotten most of the plot.

But it seemed to me that Goodkind continually wrote himself into a corner, and then clumsily employed some sort of deus ex machina to pull his ass out of the fire.

Richard, in some sort of hopeless trap: “Oh, the sword can do this too?! Awesome! That’s just what I needed!”

But again, my memory could be fuzzy since it’s been a few years since I read them.

I honestly loved how he tied things in. Something insignificant happens and then you find out later if it hadn’t happened it would be game over. Not explaining that well, but I thought he had everything played out well.

It’s probably time for me to read Wizard’s First Rule again, because I recall that one being real good, yet I don’t remember much about the plot.

I could be wrong about Goodkind’s stuff, but that’s just how I remember it.[/quote]

Wizard’s First Rule was one of the best in the series and I agree with the Gemmell comment, his books are good reads but they are alot alike. The main reason I started Jordans Wheel of Time series was everytime I mentioned I read the Sword of Truth novels, someone would always ask if I had read WOT.

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[quote]Headhunter wrote:
polo77j wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
Invictica wrote:
Hey,

I was wondering what books you guys are reading. Chris Shugart mentioned Fountainhead in his writing, and as result now I’m hooked on all things Ayn Rand. Currently I’m reading The Fountainhead, which will be followed by Atlas Shrugged. I also plan to read Pultarch’s Lives. So let’s hear it, what are you guys reading?

Well, who is John Galt? Okay, I’ll give it away — its anyone who chooses to live according to Reason. ;>

You do know that reading books like Rand’s, and by that I means really reading them and not glossing over them, will make you unhappy? Her philosophic tenets are greatly at odds with what most people believe; we’ve had 200 years of irrational Romanticism (Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Comte, Freud) and the vast majority of people are highly infected with such madness. To them, you will appear as a douchebag/asshole.

Ah well, unhappiness has its benefits!

Anthem didn’t make me unhappy, neither did Atlas Shrugged (only 2 Rand novels I’ve read thus far, maybe fountainhead will make me unhappy. I’ll keep you posted) … maybe you appear to “irrational Romantics” like a douchebag/asshole is because you ARE a douchebag/asshole. Just a for instance … not saying it’s necessarily so. nttawwt

Possible. But if the ethical standard accepted by most (self-sacrifice is noble, being kind to those who deserve no kindness is good, helping those who deserve no help is good) is the gauge of whether you are a douchebag/asshole, then an egoist must appear as an uncaring and selfish brute, aka a douchbag/asshole. What if I don’t accept those definitions?

See what I mean?

[/quote]

Fuckin logic … facepalm (i’m a douchebag)

63

Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels”

About to start Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”

64

I’m reading “Inferno” by Dante.

65

“First Blood” by David Morrell
“The Adonis Complex” by Harrison G Pope, Jr,…

And I recently finished “Choke” by Chuck Palahniuk, for like the 10th time, and “House of Leaves” by Mark Z Danielewski.

66

past 2 years:

The Dark Tower Series: Stephen King
(Awesome series but long, Knights with guns)

Illum and Olympos: Dan Simmons
(Illad and Odyssey on mars, cool)

Hyperion, Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, Rise of Endymon: Dan Simmons
(Distant Future, Like Cantenbury in future)

Choke: Chuck Phalahniuk

Atlas Shrugged: Ayn Rand
(Like the point, but long boring read)

Currently Reading:

The Terror: Dan Simmons
(Ship ice-locked, all died what might of happened)

The Broker: John Grisham

On Deck:

Survivor: Chuck Phalahniuk

Carrion Comfort: Dan Simmons

67

For those of you who like the Sword of Truth series, you might like the Fionavar trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay. The Summer Tree, the Wandering Fire, and the Darkest Road. They are set in a fictional type of Byzantine world.

But I am a huge Guy Gavriel Kay fan.

I am also waiting for the last book of the Fire and Ice series by George R. R. Martin

I am reading “Runner” by Thomas Perry. He has a series of books with this character.

I also like Robert Crais, Elvis Cole series.

My Dave Ramsay book was borrowed and never returned and I hadn’t even finished the damn thing.

68

Just finished Motley Crue’s “The Dirt” yesterday. Great book book if you were ever into the band, or partying hard.

69

[quote]Headhunter wrote:
Invictica wrote:
Hey,

I was wondering what books you guys are reading. Chris Shugart mentioned Fountainhead in his writing, and as result now I’m hooked on all things Ayn Rand. Currently I’m reading The Fountainhead, which will be followed by Atlas Shrugged. I also plan to read Pultarch’s Lives. So let’s hear it, what are you guys reading?

Well, who is John Galt? Okay, I’ll give it away — its anyone who chooses to live according to Reason. ;>

You do know that reading books like Rand’s, and by that I means really reading them and not glossing over them, will make you unhappy? Her philosophic tenets are greatly at odds with what most people believe; we’ve had 200 years of irrational Romanticism (Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Comte, Freud) and the vast majority of people are highly infected with such madness. To them, you will appear as a douchebag/asshole.

Ah well, unhappiness has its benefits!

[/quote]

I really like Rand’s objectivism. I’ve always thought similar things, but her stuff just puts my thoughts into words which is really cool. haha, but I do understand how it can make you unhappy, gimme a couple more years, I’ll report back when I’m out of college and in the real world. Howard Roark is a huge douchebag in the fountainhead, but he is also an awesome douchebag that I would want to emulate.

Just out of curiosity, how does Rand’s philosophy oppose Nietzche’s stuff? I’m only familiar with Nietzche’s Overman theory and that seems to parallel with Rand’s belief that selfishness is a virtue. Educate me! I have not read Thus Spoke Zarathustra but its on the list.

Man I just realized T-Nation reads alot of books.

70

I just finished Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield not too long ago. Its a ficitional account of the Battle of Thermopylae told from the point of view of an orphan whose parents were killed by Spartan enemies who willfully entered slavery to Sparta. He is the only one to survive the battle and tells the story of his life to a Persian scribe. Good book.

I’m on to Outliers which isn’t bad, but I’m going to start reading fiction before bed because I don’t remember very much of the stuff in books which have a lot of good information, like Outliers which has some interesting stuff in it.

71

[quote]malonetd wrote:
I’m usually reading a fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novel simultaneously to cover all my bases.

Current:
Native Son - Richard Wright
Paradoxes - RM Sainsbury
Y the Last Man

I don’t have my next non-fiction lined up yet, so I’m open to suggestions.[/quote]

I love Y The Last Man. I read all 50+ books over the course of like 1 week. I’m still new to comics, but I would say its my favorite series, even over Watchmen which I really like. I hope you like it as well.

72

I love reading Robert Heinlein.

73

The Fountainhead is one of my favourite books. I wanted to name my daughter Howard but it was a no go.

Currently I’m embarrassed to admit I’m reading some soft core porn/romance the title of which escapes me.

In high school I’d pick up books by Flaubert. Now it’s cereal boxes. Can you say ‘Flowers for Algernon’?

74

Most recently have read Candide by Voltaire, Billy Budd, Sailor by Melville, and am currently starting Notes from Underground by Dostoevsky.

75

I would also recommend James rollins.

Amazonia is one of the coolest books I’ve ever read…three times lol

He ties in science with his fiction which just makes it so much cooler and life like.

76

[quote]waylanderxx wrote:
The Sword of Truth Series

IMO Terry Goodkind is one of the greatest fantasy authors this world has ever known, amazing books.

they hold a special place in my heart. I started reading them at 12 and it took him until this year to finish the series, 9 books in all.

Took me 7 years to read them all, good times.

I’d also suggest if you are a fantasy reader anything by David Gemmell, awesome author.

My screenname on here, Waylanderxx, actually stems from one of his books, “waylander”. One of my all time favorites. I have read and re-read all of his books many times.[/quote]

I agree with this entire post. I have all of the SOT series and almost all of Gemmell’s books. Do you have a 2 bolted crossbow? haha.

77

[quote]Blaze_108 wrote:
I agree with this entire post. I have all of the SOT series and almost all of Gemmell’s books. Do you have a 2 bolted crossbow? haha.[/quote]

Lol I wish. Best part of the waylander book is when he gets in a fight with some guy and the dude pulls out his sword, says “Fight me like a man!”. And Waylander says… “No.” and shoots that mutha fucka with his crossbow! I was cracking up when I read that.

78

[quote]Invictica wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
Invictica wrote:
Hey,

I was wondering what books you guys are reading. Chris Shugart mentioned Fountainhead in his writing, and as result now I’m hooked on all things Ayn Rand. Currently I’m reading The Fountainhead, which will be followed by Atlas Shrugged. I also plan to read Pultarch’s Lives. So let’s hear it, what are you guys reading?

Well, who is John Galt? Okay, I’ll give it away — its anyone who chooses to live according to Reason. ;>

You do know that reading books like Rand’s, and by that I means really reading them and not glossing over them, will make you unhappy? Her philosophic tenets are greatly at odds with what most people believe; we’ve had 200 years of irrational Romanticism (Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Comte, Freud) and the vast majority of people are highly infected with such madness. To them, you will appear as a douchebag/asshole.

Ah well, unhappiness has its benefits!

I really like Rand’s objectivism. I’ve always thought similar things, but her stuff just puts my thoughts into words which is really cool. haha, but I do understand how it can make you unhappy, gimme a couple more years, I’ll report back when I’m out of college and in the real world. Howard Roark is a huge douchebag in the fountainhead, but he is also an awesome douchebag that I would want to emulate.

Just out of curiosity, how does Rand’s philosophy oppose Nietzche’s stuff? I’m only familiar with Nietzche’s Overman theory and that seems to parallel with Rand’s belief that selfishness is a virtue. Educate me! I have not read Thus Spoke Zarathustra but its on the list.

Man I just realized T-Nation reads alot of books.

[/quote]

Nietzsche (who is brilliant beyond brilliance) reacted to the irrationalist ethic of Kant and his followers (Hegel, Marx, Schopenhauer) by praising ‘instinct’ as a guide for life. He replaces Kant’s Categorical Imperative (which is unknowable) with more irrationality, a Dionysian worldview.

He is brilliant for realizing that imposing irrational moralities (unselfishness) on humans is stupid, but he drops the ball by substituting another irrational morality.

79

[quote]ouroboro_s wrote:
The Fountainhead is one of my favourite books. I wanted to name my daughter Howard but it was a no go.

Currently I’m embarrassed to admit I’m reading some soft core porn/romance the title of which escapes me.

In high school I’d pick up books by Flaubert. Now it’s cereal boxes. Can you say ‘Flowers for Algernon’?[/quote]

‘The Ominous Parallels’ by Leonard Piekoff (a Rand devotee) describes how cultures are prepared for the introduction of totalitarianism by philosophers, and contends that such a process is underway here and now.

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From earlier in the thread…

Neal Stephenson was the guy that wrote Snowcrash right?