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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Tucson Non-Star Wars Literature "What are you reading" or what books/authors do you like?

Discussion in 'SouthWest Region Discussion' started by Dark_Lady_Jada, Jan 17, 2006.

  1. cathiecat

    cathiecat Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2005
    what is cowboy bebop?

    I think I will keep my mouth shut on the politics issue.. I tend to insert my foot in my mouth whenever politics come up.
     
  2. timstephens4

    timstephens4 Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 2005
    Cowboy Bebop is one of the best animes ever made. They also made a movie based on the series. It is about a group of bounty hunters that travel the solar system in the future collection bounties. It was also one of the first series to premiere on Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. God, just thinking about it again makes me want to watch it. I would not recommend the series for little children because even Adult Swim had to censor some parts for language and violence. That's pretty much it, the entire series is 26 episodes long, and goes by fairly quickly.
     
  3. cathiecat

    cathiecat Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2005
    the way you describe it sounds much better than the name implies. I just always get an icky taste in my mouth when thinking cowboys.. being from arkansas.. I sadly associate cowboy with redneck.. I know that is not fair.. and I should work on how I view the word cowboy, and cowboys in general.. in any case.. would enjoy seeing this cowboy bebop some time.
     
  4. Lord_Malignus

    Lord_Malignus Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Feb 11, 2006
    I've been on a reading kick lately. I read DaVinci Code and Deception Point by Dan Brown. Deception Point was pretty good in my view. DaVinci Code was ok. I read The Broken Gun by Louis L'Amour; Resurrection by Steve Alten, and I'm working on Angels and Demons right now.
    Some of my favortie authors are: Alan Dean Foster, Piers Anthony, Orson Scott Card, Robert Heinlen, Jack McDevitt, Mercedes Lackey, Anne McCaffery, Stephen King (Richard Bachman), John Saul, Louis L'Amour, and Dennis L. McKiernan (who happens to live in Tucson)....just to name a few. LOL! I even got to trade e-mails with Mr. McKiernan while researching for a paper I did in college. That was pretty cool.
     
  5. timstephens4

    timstephens4 Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 2005
    I just finished two really good books in the past couple of weeks. Both of them are part of two different series by the same author, Tim LaHaye. The first was the third book in the Babylon Rising series, titled The Europa Conspiracy. This was a great book because it had a major character crossover from LaHaye's other series. The series is about a Biblical archaeologist that finds lost Bible relics, like Noah's Ark. This book actually had the discovery of God's Handwriting on the Wall. The culmination of this series is supposed to be the Rapture, where LaHaye's other series starts off. The other book I read is titled, The Rapture. It was the third book in the prequel trilogy to the Left Behind Series. This was another really good book. The Left Behind Series takes place during the tribulation of the Earth, which is basically the last seven years of life on Earth before Christ's return.
     
  6. Mandalore69

    Mandalore69 Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2006
    I have started ... stopped .... started .... stopped this book called:

    Zen and the Brain: Toward an Understanding of Meditation and Consciousness by James H. Austin

    kinda dry ... LOL

    Brian
     
  7. timstephens4

    timstephens4 Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 2005
    The other day I actually finished Wicked. This book is kinda so-so. I know it was turned into a major Broadway musical, but I can't really see how. I mean, I know there is a way, but I can't see it. The entire story was weird to read. Not weird in a bad way, just different. The book is about (as the subtitle says) "the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West." The main issue I had with the book was the fact that the author tries to paint the Witch as a good person, who was murdered in the end for her political beliefs. According to this book, the Wizard of Oz is an evil dictator, and the Witch is "Wicked" because she disagrees with the Wizard. The Wizard sends Dorothy to murder the Witch, and she is rightfully mad at this. What's even stranger is the fact that the Witch and Glinda were roommates in college. Overall, some of the things in this book work. The book explains the origins of the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. The book also explains the origins of the winged-monkeys, and the infamous shoes (sticking to the original silver). I will admit though, having never read any of the L. Frank Baum books, all of my impressions about Oz are from the movie, so I don't know if Wicked is closer to the original books or not. Overall, I would say that this book is good for people who lead busy lives and don't have much free time. The worst part about the book was that it was hard to read it for an extended period of time. The book was good, but you need to read it in small quantities. That's all for now, happy reading.

    P.S. - The book has been out since 1995, hence no black-outs.
     
  8. cathiecat

    cathiecat Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2005
    I had never heard of this book, very interesting, If I can ever get to reading full time again this one sounds like an off kilter one I might pick up, though many more will have to come first I suppose.
     
  9. timstephens4

    timstephens4 Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 2005
    I just finished a pretty good book (the first in a 25 book series) called "Vampire Hunter D". The book itself is a Japanese book (translated into English) that has been out since around 1980. The first book was made into an amazing anime movie of the same title. That movie has been out since around 1985. Dark Horse picked up the novel series last year, and is releasing them pretty slowly (only four volumes have come out since May 2005).

    Anyway, the book itself was as great, if not grater than, the movie. It is a horror book, so if you don't like that stuff, stay away. The book also has a lot of sexual innuendo, and cursing, so keep the kids away. The story takes place on Earth in the year 12,090 AD, where about ten thousand year ago, after a massive nuclear holocaust, vampires arose from their graves and took control of the world. About twenty years ago, there was a human revolt, and the vampires were driven from their seat of power, and are now hunted for preying on human lives. Hence arose the Vampire Hunters, one with the name D. D is a dhampir, a half-human, half-vampire beings that gets the benefits and consequences of both races. D is travelling in the Fronteir, where the vampires prey, when he is stopped by a local farmer who has been attacked. The book is about hunting down the girl's attacker, and destroying him so that the girl and the world are free of his terrible reign. I would recommend this book for those that have an interest in vampires and vampire lore. This was a fairly good read, and I just started the second book in the series.

    I also found a new manga to read. It has been out since 2004, but I just recently started reading it. The manga is "Knights of the Zodiac", a fighting manga a la Dragonball Z. This manga revolves around a young man named Seiya, who has just been initiated as a Knight of Athena. He fights to save the ones he loves, and the world. As of right now, there are 17 volumes of the manga in English, with a total list of around 25 in Japanese. The series was first published in Japan in the mid-80s, so the series is over in Japan. This is a good series to just like sit back and relax without thinking too much about it.

    That's about it for now, I have been reading many books at the same time, as well as playing my PS2. I would not recommend doing this because I got overwhelmed with all I was doing at a couple of times. Hope you guys enjoy whatever you do read.
     
  10. cathiecat

    cathiecat Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2005
    This one definitely sounds worth reading.. plus then I can gauge when my son will be old enough to read it.
     
  11. TuskenFan

    TuskenFan Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 5, 2005
    Has anyone read the His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman? There are three books, The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife & The Amber Spyglass. They are making the first book, The Golden Compass, into a movie that is due out next year. I have heard both good and bad about the books and I'm trying to get some more opinions about the books before I commit myself to reading them. Thanks...
     
  12. cathiecat

    cathiecat Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2005
    I have not read them.
     
  13. timstephens4

    timstephens4 Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 2005
    I finished reading the second Vampire Hunter D novel the other day. It was actually a pretty good read. In it, we learn more about the vampire culture and biology. I had no idea that the author would think about vampires this much. The author writes a very long and detailed description of vampire biology, and tries to explain why vampires can only walk during the night at the molecular level. As a science major I found it very interesting.

    This book is definately not for children. There is a lot of written nudity, and a rape scene. Cat, definately wait for Braiden to read this until he is well over 18. I am now about 50 pages into the new SW book, Bloodlines, and still cannot form a solid opinion about where the series is going. When I am done, I will post my review. The one thing I can say is that the book is written by the same person who wrote the Republic Commando books. This book does focus on Boba Fett, 70 years after his "birth", and what is going on with him.
     
  14. RebelMom

    RebelMom Jedi Knight star 6

    Registered:
    Apr 20, 2000
    I like historical fiction and spy novels. Actually, I read a lot of different books. I'm currently reading the Joanna Brady series by JA Jance. I had read all of the JP Beaumont Series years ago - it was cool reading books set in the Seattle area and I knew the places mentioned. Not as familiar with this area but I've caught a couple of the referrences. I tend to spend a lot of time at the library - it is a lot cheaper than buying books. If I really like a book, I'll buy a copy or if I'm tired of waiting for the library to get a copy. Let's see, authors I've read: Amy Tan, Robert Ludlum, Brock & Brodie Thoene, Dickens, Tolstoy, Baroness Orczy (I'm a big Scarlet Pimpernel fan), Edgar Rice Burroughs, Bronte and many more (I'm drawing a blank). Not much of a non fiction reader though I have read the Delaney Sisters.
     
  15. cathiecat

    cathiecat Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 24, 2005
    I have heard a lot of opinions on Bloodlines thus far. I have been told by most everyone that they thought Traviss should have been given a separate book for a story about Boba Fett so that she could have enjoyed the story of Boba Fett without taking away from the Skywalker Legacy , which is what the series is supposed to be about. I personally don't have an opinion yet since I have yet to read the book.
     
  16. JediObiKat

    JediObiKat Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2006
    I just bought Bloodlines on Sunday, though I have yet to start reading it since I checked out Survivor's Quest from the library. The first chapter of SQ was good!