I've been handed 2 forums. Books & Fiction. Which is cool because I love to read. I'll pick up a book faster than I do the TV remote.
The first book that I read with out being told I had to was Helter Skelter. Next came Jaws.
Than I started reading the Bicentenial series by John Jakes about the Kent family ( no Clark was not one of them ).
My sisters were readers & now we had something in common other than sharing clothes, but that they didn't know about. Yet.
I have read hundreds of books since. Mostly fiction. I read close to a book a week. Sometimes I slack off for awhile but I allways get back to it.
But I haven't read more than 3 books about trannys & I don't read romance, there just sex stories I think.
So lets start talking about books. Not just tranny books. Maybe get a list started & start a book club of sorts.
PLEASE if you have some ideas on how we can get this rolling talk to me.

Karen - I discovered Scifi back in ....anyway a long time ago.
My recent discovery is author Terry Prachert. He's British and a bit off the edge. He has written something like 30 books- all fiction and they're classified as Scifi. His writing is close to Tom Robins but more connected - Tom Robins is somewhat disjointed but he pulls it all together. Terry Prachert is more of a story teller - weird and funny.
Just thought I'd pass it on.
hugs
Gracie

PS I've got the USA forum - hint, hint

Karen, a book club sounds fun. I don't have a lot of time to read outside of classwork but sometimes news articles or magazines I read. Oh yeah, and I love sex stories, they are fun and even make me laugh sometimes.

Ooh, it will be nice to read something for pleasure again and not just for studying!!

My first 'real' book I read was H G Wells, 'The War of the Worlds'. I was nine and off sick from school and was absolutely gripped. Wells was such a visionary in many of his works. I am an avid reader when not studying and am looking forward to getting some new books.

I tend not to like the classics as such, I prefer sci-fi and military (Alistair Maclean for example), I guess I like to escape from the real world for a short time.

Nikki

I always loved the classics. Dickens, Melville, Hawthorne. More contemporary works I've enjoyed have been from Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Vonnegut.

Since the game "Bioshock" was released, I have been compelled to possibly tackle Ayn Rand again. The game is supposed to be based on "Atlas Shrugged," but I had such a hard time plowing through "The Fountainhead" that I'm not sure I want to attempt another of Rand's works.

My first si-fi fanticy book was The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. It had been on our book shelf at home for awhile & I thought it was a knights tale thing like knights of the round table or something. But it was about wizards nombs elves, you know. Anyway I was hooked. Than I found David Eddings, The Belgariad, which are my favorites. Also The Wheel of Time sreies, The Sword of Truth series, & many others.
Ive also read everything by John Grisham, Tom Clancy. A lot of Dean Koontz, Stephen King, but I gave up on King a while ago.

Anyway the point is I love to read.

Amongst the books I've enjoyed reading this year:

The Gum Thief - by Douglas Coupland... Really good read, inventive style, cleverly written and about as good a novel as can be written about a friendship between a 40 something depressed man and a 20 something depressed goth girl who both work at Staples and commincate with each other only in letters

Nature Girl - By Carl Hiaasen... a comedy crime thriller set in the florida everglades (as most of Hiaasen's books are)

Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks - Christopher Brookmyre... the unsinkable rubber ducks is a phrase James randi uses to describe how believers in spiritualism etc can always work around evidence and still bounce back and believe in this stuff. THis book is a crime novel set against this world and within the plot goes into great descriptions of how the scams are worked and how they exploit people, especially recently bereaved people with their so called harmless meetings. but behind this is a very funny novel, written by the scottish author

Robert Harris - Imperium... a historical novel set around the rise to power of Cicero in ancient rome, seems to be very historically accurate and also well plotted at the same time.

Century Rain - Alastair Reynolds... a sci fi book set in the far future, or an alternate universe version of 1950s Paris - works really well as both a sci book and a Noir style detective novel - some very big and very clever ideas but held together with an engaging human story, with well formed central characters

Currently I'm reading the new Discworld Book (Making Money by Terry Pratchett) which I'm really enjoying. I honestly think his books are getting better


phew! anyway that should be some good ideas for people as it's leading up to christmas

I've never been one for reading aything too " Heavy" i'e Shakespeare & the like, much rather preferring Fiction/Sci-Fi. The one's i've read most are the various star-trek ones:TNG,DS9 & VGR( The next generation, Deep Space nine & Voyager)....& i still aint finished em yet mainly cos there's 100's of em.


The ones i get most pleasure out reading, are the books by Bernard Cornwell. He Wrote the books on which the series " Sharpe", Starring Sean Bean. Now THEM i've read 100's of times and never got bored with them.


Lol xxxxxxx
Anna-Marie

A couple of months ago I picked up Dean Koontz, Frankinstien. I was suprised & how well these were written. I read the first 2 only to find out there is no release date for the 3rd book.

We realy do need to get a read list started. Maybe when I get some time we can start one if you girls will help.

If you're short on time or have trouble reading due to an eye condition, may I suggest audio books - since my wife has macular we've gotten into both tapes and CDs.
Harry Potter has been mentioned a few times - you should hear them on CD....very enjoyable.
Most of John Greshim's novels are also available in audio.
hugs
Gracie