• Welcome to BookAndReader!

    We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!

    Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.

What's your personal summer reading list?

S

Samurai Chicken

New Member
Mine is:

The Gunslinger by Stephen King
The Scar by China Miéville
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
Requiem for a Dream by Hurbert Selby Jr.
Number9Dream by David Mitchell
Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien
Dune by Frank Herbert
Neuromancer by William Gibson
All the Names by José Saramago
A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
 
reading list

Well, right now I've been itching to read horror novels but a few books have been added to the list not horror related:

Salem's Lot by Stephen King (finished)
IT by Stephen King (1/2 way through)
The Red Church by Scott Nicholson (finished)
Hell House by Richard Matheson (finished)
I am Legend by Richard Matheson (finished)
Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (finished)
A familar dragon trilogy by Daniel Hood (currently reading)
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
Eden-459 by Martin J. Stab
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordon (read the 1st 4 books need to finish up)
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The diary of Ellen Rimbauer by Stephen King
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

That's what I have so far
 
Samurai,
I noticed that you listed
Snow Crash as a favorite, and that you have yet to read The Diamond Age. I would be interested to know your reaction. I thought that Diamond Age was wonderful, but different. (Also, if you've never read Pynchon or Selby before, they're quite difficult, though for different reasons.)
My "summer" list, which may change the next time I go book shopping, is:
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
Against the Brotherhood by Quinn Fawcett
Tuxedo Park by Jennet Conant
The 13th Element by John Emsley
plus the new Harry Potter and something by Lawrence Block
 
Samurai Chicken,

I think once you read The Gunslinger you're liable to want to read all of the DarK Tower series and throw your entire reading schedule off! :D

My sci-fi, fantasy reads for this summer:

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Vitals by Greg Bear

And if I have time between my other reads, Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

Ell
 
funes,
I've heard mixed opinions on The Diamond Age, but I'm pretty confident I will enjoy it. I read Zodiac as well, recently, so I've gotten used to Stephenson's writing style.
But, I heard from many people as well that Cryptonomicon was VERY different, and written like a whole new person. Both books seem really interesting, and I can't wait to pick them up!
 
Like I said, I thought Diamond Age was wonderful (with the exception of what I remember being a very confusing sub-plot). But, there is something about the book. Certainly, the writing is more three-dimensional and emotionally resonant.
 
Here's what I have for this month. :D

1. Four & Twenty Blackbirds by Mercedes Lackey

2. The Runelords by David Farland

3. St. Patrick's Gargoyle by Katherine Kurtz

4. Dragonshadow by Barbara Hambly

5. Dragonstar by Barbara Hambly

Next month will be spent reading all the HP books.
 
I just bought a amazing hardcover edition of 'Cryptonomicon' at a second-hand bookshop for only 20 euros. This will be my introducton into Stephenson, and I'm very curious indeed.

(By the way, is 'Cryptonomicon' a good one to start with, in your opinion(s)?)

Other books I'm going to devour this summer:
- Different Seasons; Stephen king,
- Deadkidsongs; Toby Litt,
- American Psycho; Brett Easton Ellis,
- Bagombo Snuff Box; Kurt Vonnegut,
- Everything is Illuminated; Jonathan Safran Foer

And I've been dying to reread The Lord of the Rings again. Ah well, winter's coming, right?

Cheers, Martin :D
 
Originally posted by Martin
I just bought a amazing hardcover edition of 'Cryptonomicon' at a second-hand bookshop for only 20 euros. This will be my introducton into Stephenson, and I'm very curious indeed.

(By the way, is 'Cryptonomicon' a good one to start with, in your opinion(s)?)
Click to expand...

No, I wouldn't say it's a good intro to Stephenson. It's very different from his other works, and much slower and more difficult to read. I would say Snow Crash is his best novel to start with.
 
Thank you, Samurai Chicken,

I recently read a review about 'Cryptonomicon' (after I bought the book), and to tell you the truth, I was a bit put off, because it was described as being a very difficult and complex book, with all kinds of subplots and plottwists.

Now, I'm not someone to be put off a novel easily, but I think I will follow your advice, Samurai Chicken, and start my Stephenson-experience with 'Snow Crash'. Thank you for that tip.

By the way, does anybody know the novel "The Illuminati Trilogy'? I think that book has the same feeling as 'Cryptonomicon' (the feeling of something huge, something immense), but I enjoyed it very much nontheless. Am I right in making this comparison?

Proceed....

Cheers, Martin :D
 
The Illuminatus Trilogy is on my list, actually! Can't wait to read it!
Well, I'm still trudging through Cryptonomicon (and when I say trudging, I mean it in a good way, 'cause this book is awesome). It's not as complex as you would think, but still, if you're not used to Stephenson's writing, it may be a bit too difficult.
So far, there have been three point of views/different stories, and a fourth has been recently added in. Three of them deal with men in WWII, whereas one deals with high tech finance and treasure hunting. It's an intimidating book, but it is spectacular.

Snow Crash is much more accessible and is downright amazing. I would say it's better than Cryptonomicon, but in a different way. I'm happy you chose to read that one first ;-)

Enjoy!
 
Ooh man, you're making me very curious indeed. But, my policy has always been 'Never read two or more books at a time (stuff for College not included)', so I'm gonna have to finish 'The Rules Of Attraction' by Brett Easton Ellis first, before I can start on Stephenson.

And regarding the fact that I have shiploads of books that I still want to read, there's a considerable chance that Stephenson will have to wait.

Ooh, goody, so many good books to look forward to...!! Let us all take a minute to rejoice in the fact that, of all the hobbies we could pick, we picked reading! Ain't life grand?! If I listen carefully, I think I can hear Louis Armstrong singing 'It's a Wonderful World' somewhere among the mists of time...

Sorry for that, that was uncalled for.

Ooh, and by the way, do read 'The Illuminatus Trilogy', it's an exciting story encapsulating... well, virtually everything. It is so detailed and the sheer immensity of it all will knock you off your chair. A great, great read.

Cheers, Martin :D
 
Yep, The Illuminatus is working it's way up my list quickly. I have way too many books I want to read, and more are being added daily! It's slowly growing and growing...GAH!
Look at it now!

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
The Scar by China Miéville
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
Requiem for a Dream by Hurbert Selby Jr.
Dune by Frank Herbert
Neuromancer by William Gibson
All the Names by José Saramago
Blindness by José Saramago
A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Imajica by Clive Barker
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Shea, Robert Anton Wilson
 
I am reading Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy, which I hear are very good, before starting down the list of BBC's top100 big read, which means Terry Pratchett, Tolstoy et al will have to be conquered, any suggestions
 
Hee, I am also reading through the Big Read top 100. Although not in order (I just bought Gone with the Wind and it's a massive 1011 pages, so may leave that one a while.)

How many of them have you read so far, I am up to 3 of them. The most anyone in our reading group has read is 66.

Mxx
 
I suprised myself - looked through the Big Read list and ive read 23 of them :) Just finished with Magician by Raymond E. Feist and really enjoyed it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top