Book Swap! (Now you can be a bookworm too!)

[xDarkPisces]

Here's the idea:

I'm a huge bookworm. I read as much as possible, which turns out to be a considerable amount given my current insomnia-ridden state. My theory is that if I'm an avid reader, the people I get along with most must be readers as well.

So I propose we have a book swap.

It’d work a little something like this:

1. Read. Anything. Books, magazines, poetry, prose, essays, lectures, rants, newspaper articles, comics. There’s plenty out there.

2. If you find anything you feel like sharing, come back to this little thread and do so. Please include a title (if applicable), a brief description (don’t spoil it for us!), where you found it (i.e. bookstore, local newspaper, Wal-mart, etc.), and, of course, what type of literature you’ve procured. If you wish, you can even include a picture of the cover.

3. If you don’t have anything specific to share (yet), feel free to come on in and talk about bits that others have posted.

It’s that simple. Now, I have a few book recommendations of my own. I’m an action/fantasy reader. I like to stick to books that have some element of action included, and the most bizarre forms of fiction are the best. That said…

I found this series of books by an Australian author named Matthew Reilly. He’s become rather well known now, so you’ve probably heard of his books. Nevertheless, his writing style fits the bill all the way for me. A few of his more popular titles are Ice Station, Temple, Contest, and Seven Deadly Wonders. Ice Station is one of a mini-series that Reilly did featuring a hardcore Recon Marine named Shane “Scarecrow” Schofield. He and his team travel to Antarctica to investigate a research facility there, but what they find is more shocking (and deadly) than they could ever have imagined.

The others books mentioned don’t feature Schofield, but each has its own respective hero-type character. I actually found Ice Station at a book swap a year ago. I liked it enough to search for more by the author and found the others. I’ve read all that he’s released in the United States so far. 3nodding

Besides that, I’ve been stuck on George Carlin’s three-book collection called An Orgy of George. xd Carlin is always a delightfully cynical read for the bored mind. I picked this up at Barnes & Noble down the street. I can hardly walk in that place without buying at least a coffee and a magazine. sweatdrop

Those are my examples. If you choose, you can organize the information into an easier-to-decipher clump. Enjoy yourselves and let the books start flying! whee  

[Elcia]

I suppose this would be why I classified you under people "I like and get along with" when we first talked DP.

I've been off and on reading the follow up book to Watership Down by Richard Adams. School related things have been taking over my reading time though. Watership down is the tale of a group of rabbits who leave their warren all because a tiny rabbit has a powerful vision and his brother (I believe they are brothers, they don't give much thought to such things) makes the bold decision to leave despite the chief rabbit's assurance that there was nothing to fear. They have a number of adventures that not only make them grow closer together but teach them all a few things. And finally they find a new place to build a new warren where their next problem is finding females.
The second book is made up of tales of their legendary rabbit hero and a few things that happen at the newly established warren.

I'm loving the two books, maybe because my zodiac is a rabbit and because it suits me so well ><. But the story is great, there is plenty of suspense, mystery, bravery, friendship, adventure, harrowing escapes, and even a very very vicious bunny rabbit XD  

[Agent_of_Misfortune]

hmmm.... if your looking for a good read.... id have to suggest the Noble Dead Saga by Barb & J.C. Hendee

apparently "Noble Dead" dosent turn up in a search... so just look up "Dhampir".
but i could never put those books down.... i usually read them in 2 nights (and they are pretty thick).

i also highly recommend the Circ Du Freak series...  

[Roland Karloseth]

Alright, book recomendations. here are mine.

The Dark Tower Series (Stephen King) You had to see this one coming. One of my favorite book series ever, this is where I got my username. The best way I can describe it is it's like a western, except written by Stephen King. Long story short, Roland Deschain, the last remaining gunslinger in the world, is on an epic quest to save the world. These seven books detail what happens between.

The Odd Thomas Series (Dean Koontz) Odd Thomas (his real name) can see the lingering dead. He uses this "gift" to help solve somewhat interesting mysteries, and often ends up in odd situations where he has to defend himself with whatever happens to be at hand, whether it be a crowbar or an angry cat.

The Christopher Snow Series (Dean Koontz) Christopher Snow was born with "exoderma pigmentosum" a disease in which his skin cells do not heal from light damage, causing him to hide in shadows wherever he goes. He lives near a top secret abandoned military base, where his now deceased mother used to work. When interesting things start to happen in the town, he feels he must find out exactly what his mother was working on. Perhaps he would have been better off not knowing... (This series can be harder to identify, as it doesn't say on any cover I've seen that it is part of the series. The book titles are "Fear Nothing" and "Seize the Night")  

[xDarkPisces]

@Elcia: Great minds think alike, though fools seldom differ. X3 I loved Watership Down, though from what I hear it has been the target of many a negative criticism. I've seen the movie as well, though it turned out to be a very watered down ( xd Pisces made a funny) version of the book. It's definitely a reread, though.

@Agent: I've heard of Circ Du Freak. What's it about?

@Rol: ^w^ I saw it coming, trust me. I -still- haven't given myself a chance to read any of the Dark Tower series. I'll make you a vow to pick one up the very next time I go to B&N, which promises to be soon. I need coffee. gonk As for your other two recommendations, I like Dean Koontz though I've never heard of Odd Thomas or Christopher Snow. I must not be as well-read as I thought. I'll look into them. 3nodding  

[Taeryyn]

Cirque Du Freak. Ugh. I'll refrain from providing a synopsis since it would be pretty biased, but I hope you enjoy it more than I did, if you ever read it. Angsty kindergoth drivel. And that's saying a lot coming from someone who enjoys Anne Rice and Poppy Z Brite.

Someone gave me a copy of Wicked by Gregory Maguire, but I'm not sure I particularly want to read it. Have any of you read it?  

[wakusei]

Taeryyn

Someone gave me a copy of Wicked by Gregory Maguire, but I'm not sure I particularly want to read it. Have any of you read it?

One of my favorite books... 3nodding
The first part is kind of...bizarre. But it really does get very interesting. A lot of discussion about the gray area between good and evil.

I've read all of Gregory Maguire's adult fiction. Lost and Mirror Mirror I can sort of take or leave, but I enjoyed all the Wicked Years books and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, which like Wicked is to discussing good and evil, Confessions discusses beauty.

 

[Roland Karloseth]

I'm currently hosting a contest in the ATG clan...

Well, you don't need to if you don't want to. I wouldn't want to force anyone to read something they don't want to, it's just my favorite series.

As far as Dean Koontz goes, heer are some other books of his I've read and liked:

Winter Moon
By the Light of the Moon
The Face
Intensity
Cold Fire
The Good Guy
The Husband

I got my mom hooked on his books, and she likes:

Velocity
Twilight Eyes
Phanthoms
Dragons Tears
One Door Away from Heaven
Mr. Murder
House of Thunder
Hideaway
Strange Highways
Watchers

...The prize is 5k. Why not swing by and check it out?

 

[Thaliat Everwood]

Hm...I might recommend On the Beach by Nevil Shute. I really enjoyed this book, even if it's a little less than recent. My Sister's Keeper was also pretty good...that was written by Jodi Picoult. And if you like that, you might try The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks.

I'm a huge Stephen King fan, so I might mention Eyes of the Dragon and The Talisman if you intend to read the Dark Tower series, though I can't recall if both were written under his pen name. But I really love his collections of short stories.

As for nonfiction, there is little I can recommend as I tend to read very little of that for pleasure, although if you like to write, Stephen King's On Writing was enjoyable.

After that my reading list consists more of "junk" reading...nothing to cerebral, but still fun to read. For example, I'm a fan of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle books, various web comics, mangas, and new age books.

And if you want to read something obscure, try getting your hands on a book by E. Christopher Clark. Those Little Bastads (not a typo) is a collection of short stories.  

[Roland Karloseth]

I'm currently hosting a contest in the ATG clan...

Stephen King's "Insomnia" is also an excellent book, and it is RIDDLED with Dark Tower references.

...The prize is 5k. Why not swing by and check it out?

 

[S Raina]

Well, I like a lot of books and keep reading more. I'm got a list of books to read on Goodreads. I read a wide range of fiction.

One series I always recommend is Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar books. Anne McCaffrey is another of my favorite authors, I just love her Pern novels.

There's so many it's hard just to pick a few out. So some other books that I consider good is Beastmaster by Andre Norton, it's an interesting sci-fi novel; The Swords of Night and Day by David Gemmell; Through Wolf's Eyes by Jane Lindskold, a girl is raised by intelligent wolves is reintroduced to humanity; Irish Gold by Andrew M. Greeley; it's a mystery and takes place in Ireland, it's also the first of the Nuala Anne McGrail novels and the other ones I've read so far are good as well; and The Summoning series by Robin D. Owens which is about women who are summoned from our world to a parallel world to help save it.  

[YukiOfTheMightnightHour]

Currently all my books are still packed away in boxes crying , since we are still in the middle of moving, but I will have them back soon!!! Once I have my books back I will post every single on, since I thought they were all that great! mrgreen  

[Elcia]

x-Dark-Pisces-x

@Elcia: Great minds think alike, though fools seldom differ. X3 I loved Watership Down, though from what I hear it has been the target of many a negative criticism. I've seen the movie as well, though it turned out to be a very watered down ( xd Pisces made a funny) version of the book. It's definitely a reread, though.

I've not heard about criticism but I don't care what "they" think I loved the book and would reread again right now. What do they have to complain about?

As for the movie I peeked at it on youtube. I won't finish it, like your little pun there states... but the main reason though is I didn't picture the rabbits like that (especially Fiver I figured he'd be a darker brown) I pictured live rabbits with all their quaint little gestures hopping about. ^^  

[BlaqkWinter76]

0-0Roland Deschain0-0

Alright, book recomendations. here are mine.

The Dark Tower Series (Stephen King) You had to see this one coming. One of my favorite book series ever, this is where I got my username. The best way I can describe it is it's like a western, except written by Stephen King. Long story short, Roland Deschain, the last remaining gunslinger in the world, is on an epic quest to save the world. These seven books detail what happens between.

The Odd Thomas Series (Dean Koontz) Odd Thomas (his real name) can see the lingering dead. He uses this "gift" to help solve somewhat interesting mysteries, and often ends up in odd situations where he has to defend himself with whatever happens to be at hand, whether it be a crowbar or an angry cat.

The Christopher Snow Series (Dean Koontz) Christopher Snow was born with "exoderma pigmentosum" a disease in which his skin cells do not heal from light damage, causing him to hide in shadows wherever he goes. He lives near a top secret abandoned military base, where his now deceased mother used to work. When interesting things start to happen in the town, he feels he must find out exactly what his mother was working on. Perhaps he would have been better off not knowing... (This series can be harder to identify, as it doesn't say on any cover I've seen that it is part of the series. The book titles are "Fear Nothing" and "Seize the Night")

My dad is an avid King and Koontz fan just like yourself :]

as for books I'd recommend:
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor (sp) is a good one. Its an easy read, and its like a twisted version of Alice In Wonderland...wait, thats exactly what it is..no 'like' about it.

Stephen King novels, especially Lisey's Story. Now THAT was a good one.
Anyone read Duma Key yet?

Oh, and one more. For those who like sappy romances. The Promise by Danielle Steel. My mom made me read this, and basically it proves that love knows no limits.

Happy reading!  

[xDarkPisces]

@Elcia: I will say that the visuals used in some of the more intense part of the story (i.e. Fiver's vision) were quite creepy and quite interesting.

@Yuki: Looking forward to it. 3nodding

@Blaqk: xd Isn't Through the Looking Glass twisted enough as it is? Does it really need more twisting? I'll have to look for that one.

@Thaliat: I've heard Christopher Clark's name somewhere before... I just can't recall where...