can we please start a thread for reading and books

[Wikidbchofthewst]

Stephen King's Dark Tower Series is the shit.

I'm listening to the Harry Potter books on audiobook at work. I'm on the 5th book. I've already read them all except the 7th.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Zafon.

Can't think of anything right now, cuz I'm not in my room where all my books are...

 

[berbonber]

Paul Mckenna's Change your life in seven days. This is a fantastic self help book that really can change your life if you take the time to do the excercises anyone with confidence or self image issues should really check it out

 

[Leilani Garden]

Stephen King's Dark Tower Series is the shit.

I'm listening to the Harry Potter books on audiobook at work. I'm on the 5th book. I've already read them all except the 7th.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Zafon.

Can't think of anything right now, cuz I'm not in my room where all my books are...

I know that people love King for that series, and for his sci fi in general. I just can't get into sci fi. But! The Dark Tower series, if what I have heard is right, has "trackers," right? The book HEARTS IN ATLANTIS features a tracker in the first part of the book. I didn't know what a tracker was, and I still don't know much at all, but the character in Hearts is rendered so as to make the reader really love and respect him. It's a great read, and I could not recommend it more highly to anyone who likes King. When I finished the book, I actually said out loud: "Wow! That was great!" . . . so sad, but so uplifting . . . just great storytelling. Should dovetail nicely with the Dark Tower enthusiasts, as well as anyone who is interested in the culture of the 60's.

 

[Bongulator]

I tried to use Shelfari (social network for bookworms) to catalog all the books I have ever read, but I hit around 400 books and that was such a tiny fraction of the total that I gave up, it was just too huge of a task. I can only estimate but I guess I've read somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 books in my life.

When I was a teenager, I was truly voracious. One night I read two books then started reading Zelazny's original Chronicles of Amber series, and ended up staying up all night finishing all five of them too. So, seven books in one night. That's my record and I doubt I will ever surpass that. (Granted, the Amber books are not exactly huge.)

My favorite genre is hard science fiction (Niven, Pournelle, Bear, Bova, and the like). My second favorite is horror. I've probably read thousands of books just from those two genres.

About ten years ago, I was jonesing for some books, and I dug around in a closet upstairs, and found like 200 romance novel paperbacks, apparently left behind by the previous owner of this house. I ended up reading all of them too, just because I was desperate. (Romance books are *extremely* formulaic, makes them kind of funny.)

Right now, the current stack of books I am working through includes:

'Event' by David Golemon
'Marker' by Robin Cook
'Red Lightning' by John Varley (he's great)
'Dark Tower VII' by Stephen King
'The Collected Short Fiction of CJ Cherryh' by (duh) CJ Cherryh
'The Runes of The Earth' by Stephen Donaldson

...and a pile of others whose titles I can't quite read from here.

I tend to buy books by the stack, around 20 at a time, preferably hardback. Barnes & Noble has a 'bargain bin' with some good deals. Unfortunately, i've really picked it over, not much left that interests me, and the library ran out of books that I haven't read that I want to read, so now it's back to full price paperbacks for me for the next stack.

 

[brendon420]

million little fibers by steven mc towelie is a good one too. really relates to the huma struggle

 

[Wikidbchofthewst]

I know that people love King for that series, and for his sci fi in general. I just can't get into sci fi. But! The Dark Tower series, if what I have heard is right, has "trackers," right? The book HEARTS IN ATLANTIS features a tracker in the first part of the book. I didn't know what a tracker was, and I still don't know much at all, but the character in Hearts is rendered so as to make the reader really love and respect him. It's a great read, and I could not recommend it more highly to anyone who likes King. When I finished the book, I actually said out loud: "Wow! That was great!" . . . so sad, but so uplifting . . . just great storytelling. Should dovetail nicely with the Dark Tower enthusiasts, as well as anyone who is interested in the culture of the 60's.

Hearts in Atlantis IS a good book, I totally agree. I read it after I read the Dark Tower series. Yep, the low men in yellow coats go after Ted Brautigan in the beginning of Hearts. In the Dark Tower series Ted is a "breaker". Psychics break the beams that support the Tower.

I loved the end of Hearts in Atlantis. Such a fucking good way to end that book.

Although the one character, the kid who stole Bobby's baseball glove, grows up and goes to the war and still has the glove....do you remember who I'm talking about? I think he's the one I mean....the guy who has like a complete double life as a blind panhandler.

I never quite got why he would go blind for periods of time...

 

[berbonber]

million little fibers by steven mc towelie is a good one too. really relates to the huma struggle

its heartwarming id say

 

[mjetta]

Paul Mckenna's Change your life in seven days. This is a fantastic self help book that really can change your life if you take the time to do the excercises anyone with confidence or self image issues should really check it out

Brian Tracy

 

[Leilani Garden]

Hearts in Atlantis IS a good book, I totally agree. I read it after I read the Dark Tower series. Yep, the low men in yellow coats go after Ted Brautigan in the beginning of Hearts. In the Dark Tower series Ted is a "breaker". Psychics break the beams that support the Tower.

I loved the end of Hearts in Atlantis. Such a fucking good way to end that book.

Although the one character, the kid who stole Bobby's baseball glove, grows up and goes to the war and still has the glove....do you remember who I'm talking about? I think he's the one I mean....the guy who has like a complete double life as a blind panhandler.

I never quite got why he would go blind for periods of time...

Hey there. I haven't kept up with this thread. Sorry.

I know what part of the book you are talking about: Blind Willy. The guy who helped beat up Carol in the first part of the book with Ted (a tracker, you said? I thought it was breaker. Heck, I'm not sure, 'cause I don't read the sci-fi stuff).

Anyway, I think what you are referring to, about why Blind Willie would go blind once in a while? Are you talking about when the guy is on the streets in NY and after a while, he can't see? I didn't quite get that either, and I just assumed it was because he was wearing the blind glasses and they messed up his vision after a while? Almost like when you're outside in direct sunlight and you come inside, you can't see properly for a few mins while your vision adjusts? I don't know--I think I'm wrong, though. I don't experience vision problems when I'm wearing sunglasses outside.

That's a really good question. Too bad Stephen King is now so busy that he doesn't answer questions anymore on his web site, because I'd kind of like to know what that was about now too. Knowing King, however, and having read his memoir, it was probably not something intentionally inserted to have symbolic meaning. He doesn't really do that. He did name James Coffey that in Green Mile for the initials (JC) and the symbolism, but overall, he doesn't really advocate reaching for symbolism.

Good question!

I really loved this book. All four parts of it. The Blind Willie part was the shortest, but gosh, it was good, wasn't it? "I am heartily sorry for hurting Carol. I am heartily sorry for hurting Carol." Man, that guy was so weird.

Great book. I absolutely loved it.

 

[Leilani Garden]

Hearts in Atlantis IS a good book, I totally agree. I read it after I read the Dark Tower series. Yep, the low men in yellow coats go after Ted Brautigan in the beginning of Hearts. In the Dark Tower series Ted is a "breaker". Psychics break the beams that support the Tower.

I loved the end of Hearts in Atlantis. Such a fucking good way to end that book.

Although the one character, the kid who stole Bobby's baseball glove, grows up and goes to the war and still has the glove....do you remember who I'm talking about? I think he's the one I mean....the guy who has like a complete double life as a blind panhandler.

I never quite got why he would go blind for periods of time...

Just wondering if you've read any of the short stories by King too? The one book Dreamscapes And Nightmares? I think it's the first story in that book, called Dobson's Cadillac, about the mobster who killed the narrator's wife and what he did to Dobson? Whoa! It is the stuff of dreams . . . for those who are really, really angry and want revenge. Fantastic story.

Ditto for Apt Pupil in Different Seasons. My gosh, what an enthralling read. "Serendipitous evil." I think that's how the agent described what was wrong with the kid in that story. That story haunted me for weeks after reading it.

King is such a great story teller. And to think that he is looked down upon by those in the Ivory Tower. Oh well, they look down on Mark Twain too.

 

[Wikidbchofthewst]

Ted was a breaker, you're right. That's what I called him in my post, someone else mentioned trackers, and I think they meant the low men in yellow coats who come to take Ted back.

I haven't read nearly as many of his short stories as I have his novels, lol. Never read Apt Pupil. I've know it's a movie too...

Did you read his short story The Jaunt? That one creeped me out. lol, a lot of his stuff gets me, that's why I read it.

 

[ph03nix]

Hello all. I'm a newbie and I've been looking around for a thread to stick my nose into. Since you guys are talking about Stephen King, this looks like a good place to start. He's a wonderful author, and I love the pictures that he paints in my head with his words.

I loved the Dark Tower series, and have only recently finished reading the final installment. It was great. I was, at first a bit disappointed in the way that the story ended, but only because I think I fell a little bit in love with Roland and wanted a 'better' ending for him. But in retrospect, I guess that was the only right ending. It is his life, after all... it's the only sensible conclusion.

Anyway, I have just finished reading Lisey's Story. It was a bit slow to pick up at the beginning, and lacks some of the suspense of his other works, but I did enjoy the read. Some of my other favourites are The Dark Half... It... I loved The Stand... and of course, I can't leave out Cujo. This was my first Stephen King novel, and the one that sucked me in. As my favourite author, I have read most of his stuff over the years... well, a fair bit anyway. I just checked out a list of his works, and it seems that I haven't read as much as I thought I did.

Oh well, back to the library.

 

[Wikidbchofthewst]

I love Roland too! I love Eddie...and Susannah....and Jake....and OY! I cried for them all. The way Oy stook with Roland even after Jake was gone...oh god, I can't think about it too much.

I liked how it ended, because he wasn't exactly the same, you know? This next time around he has the horn of eld....I took that to mean that his next go around would be better.

The whole thing with the twins in the Wolves of Calla was interesting. Freaky, but interesting.

 

[Robert520]

amamagwd i just posted about the dark tower 2 secs ago in a different thread i really didnt like the ending all those pages to end up where he started !??!! i was expecting something freaking crazy at the top of the tower

 

[Robert520]

This next time around he has the horn of eld....I took that to mean that his next go around would be better.

youd think so but it was all really a repeat of the past alain curthbert died in mejis and then eddie and jake died and the tet was rebroken again

 

[Wikidbchofthewst]

I know! I just read your other post JUST after posting here, lol, I thought the same thing, it's a trip. We've got a psychic connection going on....

lol, anyways, like I said here, and in the other thread, I liked the ending. But I was let down that there wasn't some big epic battle with the Crimson King. I mean, all this about the Crimson King, and then Patrick just erases him from existance? All except his eyes...kinda...anticlimactic if you ask me.

And speaking of Patrick Danville...I want to know HIS story. What the hell happened to him to get where he ended up? I mean, I read Insomnia, and he's in that...or one of his selves is....is it the same self who ends up in Roland's path? And if so, HOW?

 

[Robert520]

the thing i like about the dark tower is how king incorperated almost all of his storys into it , you hear about pat and the lowmen and about flagg and lots of other things just by reading his other books

 

[Wikidbchofthewst]

youd think so but it was all really a repeat of the past alain curthbert died in mejis and then eddie and jake died and the tet was rebroken again

It was broken with alain and cuthbert and that's when he lost the horn of eld. But starting back where we found him, after the Mejis and before the Drawing of Three, I think the horn of eld is signifigant enough to alter his path.

I mean, the problem with Roland was that he wasn't a hero. He was set on the Tower, and fuck anyone who got in his way. I think the fact that he has the horn is supposed to show that he's changed, even if he's starting over.

I'd love to meet Stephen King and just pick his brain....

 

[Robert520]

the tower was his insanity for sure the opening of the door at the top could symbolize something he has had from the begining and hasent relized it or refuses to , but then you have to think , if he hadent chased the tower and stopped the breakers the beams would have been broken and then discordia

 

[brendon420]

piers anthony is always a fun read. NIMBY rules