• Welcome to BellGab.com Archive.
 

Reading Minds: The CoastGab Book Club

Started by PhantasticSanShiSan, October 23, 2008, 12:06:30 AM

Quote from: zeebo on April 30, 2014, 11:18:17 PM
Hey guys I haven't read much horror, but lately I'm in the mood for something spooky and suspenseful.  Any suggestions?

Try The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, zeebo.  It has horror aplenty and something for just about any C2C taste: time travel, ancient Egyptian sorcery, gruesome genetic experiments, a supernatural political conspiracy and a secret society that opposes it, and a really nasty clown on stilts.  I don't have to tell you what Count Floyd would say about that. 

BTW, in my overbearing opinion, Powers is an exceptional story teller, with a keen eye for detail and a sly sense of humor.  I've enjoyed just about all of his books.



zeebo

Quote from: bigchucka on May 16, 2014, 07:09:16 PM
... I went back a couple pages.... tried George RR Martin but stalled out.... try The Eye Of The World by Robert Jordan.  The Wheel Of Time.....

Haha, busted, yeah.  I got frustrated midway through the 3rd book when the author introduced a whole new house of characters when I just wanted to see what happened with Tyrion and Arya and Daenerys.  But some well-respected members inspired me to start it up again so giving it a go.  But at least it's only 5 (supposedly 7 max) books  As opposed to WOT which is like what, 15?  Sounds like a challenge.  :)

Quote from: zeebo on May 16, 2014, 10:07:05 PM
Old Man's War is on my to-read stack.  :)

If you like it, try Android's Dream.  It was my introduction to Scalzi, and it hooked me for life.  Or maybe you should read it first, because if you enjoy Old Man's War half as much as I did, you'll want to read all the the other books that continue what's shaping up to be an epic tale of earthly and intergalactic intrigue.  I'm looking forward to the next one, because the last one ended with a lot of unresolved issues.  Enjoy!

zeebo

Quote from: Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost on May 16, 2014, 09:38:44 PM
Try The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers, zeebo.  It has horror aplenty and something for just about any C2C taste: time travel, ancient Egyptian sorcery, gruesome genetic experiments, a supernatural political conspiracy and a secret society that opposes it, and a really nasty clown on stilts.  I don't have to tell you what Count Floyd would say about that. 

That .... sounds .... awesome.   :o

Cynnie

All things Neil Gaiman ..I'm on a spreeeee!! I especially loved Neverwhere

bigchucka

Quote from: zeebo on May 16, 2014, 10:10:50 PM
Haha, busted, yeah.  I got frustrated midway through the 3rd book when the author introduced a whole new house of characters when I just wanted to see what happened with Tyrion and Arya and Daenerys.  But some well-respected members inspired me to start it up again so giving it a go.  But at least it's only 5 (supposedly 7 max) books  As opposed to WOT which is like what, 15?  Sounds like a challenge.  :)

Forgot about the prequel New Spring... so yeah 15 if you include that.  I started with The Eye Of The World, even though I did read the prequel when it came out.

It's long.... it's big.... it starts a little slow (I'm talking first couple chapters... not books).... but when the shit starts going down, you're hooked.  You'll finish the first one and be instantly ready for the second book.  It's a complex, well told story.  Don't let the size of some of the books scare you.  You'll burn through them.  That's how good Robert Jordan was.  Sucks I've yet to find a downloadable video someone did about his life.

http://www.dragonmount.com/index.php  That's where the fans meet online.

zeebo

Quote from: bigchucka on May 17, 2014, 12:45:30 PM
...That's how good Robert Jordan was.  ...

I am intrigued to read some more of his stuff.  When I was a kid, after devouring all the early classic Conan books, I moved on to several of the later ones by Jordan which were cool too. 

Note to anyone rolling their eyes about Conan - the books were cool (albeit a bit dated now) and much different from the dorky movies! 

onan

Jordan had a great world with lots of interesting people... but every book felt the same after three

bigchucka

Quote from: zeebo on May 17, 2014, 04:17:55 PM
I am intrigued to read some more of his stuff.  When I was a kid, after devouring all the early classic Conan books, I moved on to several of the later ones by Jordan which were cool too. 

Note to anyone rolling their eyes about Conan - the books were cool (albeit a bit dated now) and much different from the dorky movies!

That's what got his foot in the door.  Originally wanted Tor Books to give him a three book deal for his new idea for a fantasy series.  The guy at Tor made it six books because he knew Jordan could be "a bit wordy".... What also made his books so great was his editor/proofreader.  She did so well of a job that he married her.

I never read any of the Conan novels that he wrote.  Also, Robert Jordan had a background as a military historian.

Quote from: onan on May 17, 2014, 04:33:36 PM
Jordan had a great world with lots of interesting people... but every book felt the same after three

If they exist in the same world, shouldn't they?  Since you brought it up, have you read them all?  There's many "Easter eggs" and plot twists throughout the story...  What I like was there was one that happened around books 4-6 that Jordan taunted the fans with because NOBODY caught it... at least it was never mentioned online as a spoiler until the book came out and readers realized it...

Since we're on the topic, I might as well bring up Tolkien.  I enjoyed reading his books as well, as he also did an excellent job in creating his own world.  However, one of the main issues some people have with his books is the fact that there's no main female characters in Middle Earth.  I'm thinking that in the book David Eddings wrote about fantasy fiction writing he described it as "Tolkien thought everybody was the same from the waist down.  I don't, and I chose to explore that."  That's what made me laugh my ass off when I seen that Time Magazine called George R.R. Martin "The American Tolkien", since I'd say there's an argument to made that "cunt" is GRRM's favorite word.

Quote from: zeebo on May 17, 2014, 04:17:55 PM
Note to anyone rolling their eyes about Conan - the books were cool (albeit a bit dated now) and much different from the dorky movies!

Completely agree, zeebo!  It's easy to dismiss them as pulp because of where they were originally published, but Howard was a helluva writer.  I recently read a collection of his historical and horror stories and they're every bit as good and occasionally better than the Conans.  It's also really impressive how much he was able to churn out in such a short period of time.

And God, those movies were terrible.  For starters, Conan was sort of proto-Irish, not German, and it all went downhill from there.  I have to admit, though, that the scene where he answers the question about what is the best thing in life,  "To crrrrush yourrr enemies.  See dem drrrriven before you.  And hear da lamentation of da vimmen" never fails to crack me up.

hehe still fun, its been a while

I've got all the Roy Thomas Savage Sword of Conans as well. I actually like Roy Thomas better than Howard.


I'm going to have to take a picture of my VHS copy of UHF for bc now.

bigchucka

When I found that...YouTube also had a SNL version.  I though fuck that, I want Weird Al cause that's what I remembered it from...

zeebo

Quote from: Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost on May 19, 2014, 09:57:28 AM
Completely agree, zeebo!  It's easy to dismiss them as pulp because of where they were originally published, but Howard was a helluva writer.  I recently read a collection of his historical and horror stories and they're every bit as good and occasionally better than the Conans.  It's also really impressive how much he was able to churn out in such a short period of time....

Yes the Howard (and Howard-inspred) stuff was great reading, and had a gritty sense of danger and suspense and adventure, also there was a creepy horror/occult element to them.  And I always thought it was funny how Conan had a total dislike of the supernatural and would rather have an honest swordfight, but he'd get pulled into these situations with dark wizards and scheming sorceresses.

Quote from: Mind Flayer Monk on May 19, 2014, 12:05:22 PM
...I've got all the Roy Thomas Savage Sword of Conans as well. I actually like Roy Thomas better than Howard.

Nice stack Monk!  I traded away all mine except what I consider the classic 12-volume Ace set from the 70's.  You've got some there on your stack.  I just can't part with those.  Even if I don't read them much anymore I still look at the cool cover art sometimes.     

zeebo

Just finished The Ruins by Scott Smith.  It was on some list of the top 50 scariest books so I gave it a go.  He's a pretty good writer when it comes to characters, but honestly I found that the story, although definitely gross in parts, was pretty silly and not scary at all.  I just kept thinking it should be one of those cheesy monster flicks on SyFy channel.  Gonna pick another one off the list and try again.


Jackstar

Look, look. I know I post too much. I get that. I'm insensitive, crass, boorish, and completely intolerant whenever it suits my inscrutable purpose.

Still. I gotta post, just to say, "OMG, LOL!!1111"

Jackstar

Quote from: Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost on June 04, 2014, 10:04:26 AM
[attachimg=1]

Hell's bells, I'm gonna quote it, too. Wrongly, I expect. So there.

albrecht

Done with "The Hidden Child" by Camilla Läckberg. Pretty good if your into the Scandinavian murder stuff (Mankell, Nesbo, Larrson, etc.) that seems to be so popular now. Less procedural than some (good or bad is your opinion) but enjoyable, though somewhat predictable, but good psychological and historical themes to make it worthwhile. As well as the modernity and conflicts of the society and country today. Having said that I'm really waiting on the author of "The Exception", Christian Jungersen's, new novel. That one I highly recommend. "The Exception" was, to modern readers like me, maybe a little slow, at first, but also a fascinating look at, during the course of the story, of how businesses etc are run there and the psychology of the society and people. Highly, highly recommend. Especially having worked in those countries it was sort of interesting how it goes now. And the plot, characters, etc were great.

Beasts (2001) by Joyce Carol Oates. A short and twisted novella.

Tibetan Peach Pie (2014) by Tom Robbins. A memoir.

Quote from: Camazotz Automat on June 18, 2014, 11:55:49 PM
Beasts by Joyce Carol Oates. A short and twisted novella.

Tibetan Peach Pie by Tom Robbins. A memoir.
e

Would you say it's a life worth examining and adding to the summer reading list?  I'm sure it was a wild ride full of adventures most of us can only envy, but if it turns out he's not a nice persons, I'd rather not know. Just wondering, because I read Another Roadside Attraction at an impressionable age, and it had a profound, positive, and lasting influence on aspects of my early spiritual development, for which I'm still grateful. After that, I was an avid, rabid fan for a long time, but then one of us changed, and his last few books just didn't seem to have the same mojo workin'.  So please let me know if I'll like him if I read his memoir.  Thanks!

Quote from: Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost on June 19, 2014, 12:52:51 AM

Would you say it's a life worth examining and adding to the summer reading list?  I'm sure it was a wild ride full of adventures most of us can only envy, but if it turns out he's not a nice person, I'd rather not know. Just wondering, because I read Another Roadside Attraction at an impressionable age, and it had a profound, positive, and lasting influence on aspects of my early spiritual development, for which I'm still grateful. After that, I was an avid, rabid fan for a long time, but then one of us changed, and his last few books just didn't seem to have the same mojo workin'.  So please let me know if I'll like him if I read his memoir.  Thanks!

I do believe I understand your comments.  Similarly, the eye of my spiritual spiral/vortex was Still Life With Woodpecker. Lots of fun.

I recently finished Oates' Beasts and only just started on Tibetan.... I will get back to you, sir.

Quote from: Camazotz Automat on June 19, 2014, 01:26:25 AM
I do believe I understand your comments.  Similarly, the eye of my spiritual spiral/vortex was Still Life With Woodpecker. Lots of fun.

I recently finished Oates' Beasts and only just started on Tibetan.... I will get back to you, sir.

Thanks!

albrecht

"Fourth of July Creek" by Smith Henderson. Not finished but pretty good thus far. Don't want to give away plots but it has some strong themes and some that suit modern C2C (fiat money, end times, and going "off-grid" etc) but as the crazy part of the book juxtaposed about the normal America (of much abuse). Also lots of drinking, rape, child abuse, alcoholism, drug abuse, even bestiality and incest (so you know the book will get rave reviews these days.) My only criticism is the changing of persons (which I know is likely taught to English majors) in the writing and that the author gets some time-lines wrong in various conspiracies theories and people who promoted them (I think. I would hate to be the editor tracking them down for accuracy.)  And it does make much of America look pretty bad but descriptions of Austin at the time (in the hippie area is pretty good.) Granted, I guess, it is places but the wallowing in the worst child abuse etc and, thus far, there is no normal family or people in the novel. No wonder the author won some Philip Roth prize.

BobGrau

Reading Ozzy Osbourne's autobiography. A lol on every page, no exaggeration.

Best quote, although it's not a funny one, is: 'To be able to lose yourself in a book is fucking phenomenal'

coaster

I'm reading Savage Harvest by Carl Hoffman. Its about Michael Rockefeller's trip to New Guinea in search for tribal art and his presumed murder by a group of cannibals. Good read if you into history and non-fiction adventure stories.

Quote from: Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost on June 25, 2014, 02:25:47 PM
I haven't read any McDonald, but I will check him out, because I've pretty much blown through my early summer reading list.  Speaking of which, I'm still waiting for you to get back to me about the Tim Robbins memoir.  Have you finished it yet?

Regarding MacDonald, (I dropped the "a" previously), there's a really simple formula:  Read the Travis McGee series, preferably in order... 

Hunting the books down alone will turn into an excellent time waster.

I have not read the Robbins memoir yet. It may take longer to finish than I thought. I haven't had a Robbins fix since B is for Beer, so I'm savoring each sentence during downtime.  And also, life is getting in the way the way it does.

But as Frank would say... "That's ---------

(and bellgab has been eating into the clock ... I am posting too often... which in and of itself is not a bad thing, but it leads to reading all the other posts and it's easy to lose track of time... but sweet vacation is looming and the electronic plug will be - if not completely pulled - significantly throttled down.)

((these are all just excuses for being a challenged reader... Why Camazotz Automat Can't Read - The True Story of a Vertigo Stricken Cyclops))

Powered by SMFPacks Menu Editor Mod