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I Need Help

by ramirez415 on Jan 17, 2008 11:24 AM PST Comment 35 comments

Sorry guys, board with all the talk of all the moves our idiot Gm is not making.

But I need some help here. I love to read , but have ran out of material to read. My two favorite authors are Micheal Crichton and Stephen King. The following books are some of my favorites from them.

Crichton: Jurrasic Park, Sate of Fear, Timeline, The Lost World, The Andromedia Strain, Prey, Airframe.

King: It , The Stand, Dark Tower Series 1-7

My all time favorite story is The Dark Tower by Stephen King. Its a long read, 7 books but is well worth it. Sort of Fantasy, not what you would expect out of King.

I enjoy Crichton becasue he is great at suspense, and as I read I feel as I am also learning something new(nano tecnology, DNA Cloning, Global Warming theorey, Airplane enginering)in every book.

I am also sort of a Star Wars geek , I have read a lot of the Timothy Zahn books, etc. And growing up my favorite books where Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and The Oddssey by Homer.

So basically I wanted to give you guys a example of what I enjoy reading. So I ask, does anybody have any good novels, stories, authors they can recomend to me?

This FanPost is reader-generated, and it does not necessarily reflect the views of McCovey Chronicles. If the author uses filler to achieve the minimum word requirement, a moderator may edit the FanPost for his or her own amusement.

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try...

song of fire and ice (1st book is titled The game of thrones).

IMO SoFaI represents the best fantasy series out there at the moment.

HBO recently licensed it for a series.

Flossing a dead horse

by kenshin1 on Jan 17, 2008 11:27 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: try...

Thanks I will look into it. It sounds like the kind of story Im looking for. IMO though, The Drak Tower is the best fantasy story ever. It is just awesome and covers so much.

Your 2010 NL rookie of the year,... Andy D'alessio

by ramirez415 on Jan 17, 2008 11:40 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

I'll give some of the same recommendations I gave last book thread, but with a couple more in line with your preferences:

*Killing Yourself to Live - Chuck Klosterman. Great read by a great author. Sex, Drugs, & Cocoa Puffs is another good one by him.
*Love is a Mix Tape - Rob Sheffield. Auto-biography of a writer for Rolling Stone.
*Long Way Down - Nick Hornby. Not as good as his others, but still worth a look.
*The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester. Based on your list, you may really like this one. It's a classic sci-fi story that really helped define the genre.
*Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson. Modern day sci-fi classic.
*Neuromancer - William Gibson. Another famous book that very nearly started cyberpunk.

by MidKnight on Jan 17, 2008 11:48 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

I'm a huge Stephen King fan myself. "It" is one of my all-time favorites. I'll recommend "The Shining," "Pet Sematary," "Dream Catcher," "Cell," and "Salem's Lot," if you haven't read any of those yet.

If you're into thriller, I'd recommend Thomas Harris' series with Hannibal Lecter- "Red Dragon," "Silence of the Lambs," and "Hannibal." I guess for good measure you could read "Hannibal Rising," but I thought it was a bit bland compared to his other works.

A Crichton book I really liked was "Eaters of the Dead," which they made into "The 13th Warrior" with Antonio Banderas.

I've mentioned these books a lot around here lately (they were that good, IMO) in Cormac McCarthy's "No Country for Old Men" (apparently "The Road" is fantastic, I need to get my hands on a copy of that) and Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend." Basically anything by Matheson is golden, especially if you're a Twilight Zone fan.

Brian Anderson: I can has spot in Fresno 'pen?

by Anticon23 on Jan 17, 2008 11:53 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

Cell and Salem's Lot where also good. But I have seen the movies of all of those. So are the books worth reading?

I think I remeber you talking about "I am Legend" , I saw the movie, thought it was great. But I think I rememebr you where dissapointed in the movie(which always happens when you have read the book). I almost picked up the book the other day. Do you think its worth reading? Even after already seeing the movie? Is the book that much diffrent then the movie?

Your 2010 NL rookie of the year,... Andy D'alessio

by ramirez415 on Jan 17, 2008 12:22 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

"I Am Legend" the movie is horse poopy in comparison to the book. The book is about vampires, is incredibly psychological, and inspired a LOT of work, including "Salem's Lot."

The book is WAYYYYYYY better than the movie. So if you liked the movie, you'll probably cream your pants reading the book. The nice thing about it too, is that it's not that long of a book either, and there's a bunch of excellent short stories following it.

Brian Anderson: I can has spot in Fresno 'pen?

by Anticon23 on Jan 17, 2008 7:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

I think the best way to watch the movie is as something loosely inspired by the book, that happens to have the same title and character name. It actually is a pretty good movie. Better than I had expected it to be. It might not be a good I am Legend movie, but it is a pretty good movie movie. So I won't deny that it's a betrayal to the source material, but if you can look at it as something else altogether you might enjoy it a lot more.

He is Vengeance. He is the Knight. He is Dave Righetti. PRAY TO HIM! / Also, my blog. For writers.

by howtheyscored on Jan 17, 2008 8:02 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

Had they given it another name, I would have been pleased with their rendition of Matheson's story. But now there's this widespread misconception about what it's about. I told a few friends of mine who had seen the movie (but don't have the time to read the book) the actual ending and they were angry Hollywood changed it. And that's without actually reading the ending, just hearing my simple explanation of it.

But you're right, as a movie it was pretty good. It just could have been SO much better.

Speaking of movies, I loved "Walk Hard." I love movies with dumb comedy.

Brian Anderson: I can has spot in Fresno 'pen?

by Anticon23 on Jan 18, 2008 12:24 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

The thing with movies as opposed to books is that the audience is a much broader range. In addition, movies and books are different mediums with different presentations, so there will always be something lost in translation when adapting a book to film. Inevitably, there will always be some discrepancies between the source material and resulting movie. Sooo, I've learned to accept movies for what they are and enjoy them separately from the books on which they are based. Except for Elektra.

Nattowear | comics | Durham? I hardly know 'im!

by Natto on Jan 18, 2008 1:24 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

Your favorite books growing up were Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and The Odyssey?

What the hell kind of little kid were you?

He is Vengeance. He is the Knight. He is Dave Righetti. PRAY TO HIM! / Also, my blog. For writers.

by howtheyscored on Jan 17, 2008 12:31 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

One that sailed on a raft with an African-American cyclops. Like most of us, I'd wager.

by Grant on Jan 17, 2008 12:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

LMAO, But only after I tricked the Lotus eaters into whitewashing the picket fence.

Your 2010 NL rookie of the year,... Andy D'alessio

by ramirez415 on Jan 17, 2008 12:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

I know this book doesn't follow your description above but i just got done reading a great baseball operations book by ex-GM John Schuerholz of the Braves amazing run called "Built To Win". It has great inside stories into baseball operations, and how he made that remarkable stretch of division wins.

ex. Barry Bonds was traded to the Braves for Alejandro Pena, Keith
Mitchell and a PTBN for 15 hours the year before we got him, when Jim Leyland (the manager of the pirates at the time) found out he "went absolutely haywire" and pulled it off the table.
No Jim Leyland in Pitt, No Barry for us

great read i highly recommend it

Kevin Correia & Mike Krukow & Ozzie "The Wizard" Smith- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Alumni

by CPGiant756 on Jan 17, 2008 12:33 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

I'll have to check that book out, myself. Off-topic, but I was wondering anyway - are you a Poly alum or current student?

by MidKnight on Jan 17, 2008 12:42 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

He's Poly alumarous

Barack Obama: 1-1

by Goofus on Jan 17, 2008 12:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

currently here at Cal Poly working on my bachelors of sports management

Kevin Correia & Mike Krukow & Ozzie "The Wizard" Smith- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Alumni

by CPGiant756 on Jan 17, 2008 2:41 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

No kidding! I guess I should have checked your profile, that might have helped. I had no idea that we offered that...if I had known a couple years back, that might have changed where I am today (though I quite enjoy GrC).

Anyway, it seems like there's a fair deal of McCoven in SLO, it would be nice to organize a meet at some point.

by MidKnight on Jan 17, 2008 10:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

How would that trade prevent us from signing him as a free agent?

by rotorueter on Jan 17, 2008 12:47 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

I think cuz the Braves would have had the cash to re-sign him. The Pirates had no chance. but ultimately Barry would have probably still came home .

Your 2010 NL rookie of the year,... Andy D'alessio

by ramirez415 on Jan 17, 2008 12:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

the braves would have signed him, if you read the chapter on the whole situation, the braves could have not been more set on trading for him and signing him, it was a very high priority, he would have been a brave

another random Giants fact from the book:
Merkin Valdez is not the real name of "Merkin Valdez", my friend has my book so i dont have his real name but he used a fake name for immigration purposes, you could probably google it and find his real name

Kevin Correia & Mike Krukow & Ozzie "The Wizard" Smith- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Alumni

by CPGiant756 on Jan 17, 2008 2:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Non-fiction entry:

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

Of course, I recommend this, but it really is a good book. He has a great writing style that seemlessly blends American/world history, his own life experiences and the issues our country faces today. It's not a stump speech, but rather how he looks at the world.

Reading this book is what got me very interested in Obama and his brain as a presidential material.

Barack Obama: 1-1

by Goofus on Jan 17, 2008 12:38 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: Non-fiction entry:

I might pick that up too. Even though right now Im a little brunt out on Political books. But I have enjoyed some. "Our endagered values" by Jimmy Carter was good, and my two favorites are by Al Farnken , "Lies and the Liars who tell them" and "Truth" are just funny books. I love Franken, he is just a funny guy.

Your 2010 NL rookie of the year,... Andy D'alessio

by ramirez415 on Jan 17, 2008 1:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

Have you read King's Talisman or Black House? The Talisman is my favorite King book. It also ties in with the Dark Tower series.

Try Neil Gaiman too. Neverwhere, American Gods, Stardust and Anansi Boys, are all books by him that you'd probably like.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is an awesome read as well.

Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try. - Homer Simpson

by attinger on Jan 17, 2008 1:04 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

I haven't read The Talisman, just read the sypnosis, sounds real good. Think it will be my next book.

Thats whats so great about the Dark Tower, it has so much of Stephen's other work tied into it, The Stand, Salem's lot, etc.

Your 2010 NL rookie of the year,... Andy D'alessio

by ramirez415 on Jan 17, 2008 1:16 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

im just going to throw the ones that i would suggest to any adult..

"the mist" stephen king- greatest short story/ novella ever...shitty movie
"the running man" stephen king- second best short story ever
"the doomfarers of coramonde"- brian daley- great obscure fantasy novel that has all the elements of high adventure
"the star followers of coramonde"- its sequel
"the things they carried" tim obrien- great semi autobiographical novel about vietnam
anything by p.j. o'rourke if you like dry wit

or, start writing your own novel and become a big shot so we can all say we knew ya when

thank god the patriots dont have the giants' first round pick too

by son of riles on Jan 17, 2008 1:28 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

To keep things on topic, can't we call that first book "The Mischst"?

Barack Obama: 1-1

by Goofus on Jan 17, 2008 3:05 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

True (*) fact: "The Running Man" was inspired by Dave Roberts.

(*) Not actually true.

2008: The year the Giants begin to stop sucking.

by EliminateMe on Jan 17, 2008 3:17 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

"Pimp: The Story of My Life, by Iceberg Slim
The book that changed my life.

by seyheystretch on Jan 17, 2008 1:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

I actually read an Iceberg Slim book in college, for class. No joke. Trick Baby.

He is Vengeance. He is the Knight. He is Dave Righetti. PRAY TO HIM! / Also, my blog. For writers.

by howtheyscored on Jan 17, 2008 3:48 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

You might like Richard Matheson. He wrote "I Am Legend" among may other books that have been made into movies; e.g. "Duel", "The Incredible Shrinking Man", "Somewhere in Time". I am not inclined to sci-fi or fantasy in general, but Matheson is an excellent writer.

Also, I haven't read it, but there is a book out now called "Blasphemy" by Douglas Preston. Apparently it is similar to a Michael Crichton style book; suspenseful story amid controversial scientific debate. This one has something to do with an enormous super-collider to find out about the Big Bang.

by marklar on Jan 17, 2008 2:30 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

If you really enjoy learning as you read

..then by all means read Neal Stephenson. "Snow Crash" was good. "Cryptonomicon" was amazingly detailed and still a good story. "The Baroque Cycle" trilogy was quite a bit to slog through, but utterly fascinating and jaw-droppingly researched. As an author, he knows all the tricks and uses them well.

The SF Giants: we're not much, but you should check out our team in Augusta!

by Lyle on Jan 17, 2008 3:41 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

Don't know if you are into history books, but there are a couple I read recently that read more like novels, both by Richard Zacks:

"The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, The First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805"

"The Pirate Hunter : The True Story of Captain Kidd"

by otis29 on Jan 17, 2008 3:46 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

I haven't read him myself yet, but I've heard VERY good things about Gene Wolfe. For some reason it feels like the kind of thing you're looking for to me, but I don't have an explanation of why.

I'm sure somebody here has read Gene and can give a bit better than I have any chance to.

He is Vengeance. He is the Knight. He is Dave Righetti. PRAY TO HIM! / Also, my blog. For writers.

by howtheyscored on Jan 17, 2008 3:50 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

I'm a Gene Wolfe nut (or at least I used to be; his recent novels are tiresome). The Book of the New Sun is the best fantasy/sf epic ever, bar none. There's nothing Stephen Kingish about him, though; he's more like a postmodern SF version of Charles Dickens. If you like your fantasy & sf full of crafty structure and tricky narrators, he's the writer for you.

by Evan on Jan 18, 2008 11:28 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Re: I Need Help

Alright I've never been in to fantasy much, but i got a couple reccomendations.

Parasites Like Us by Adam Johnson. Post-apocalyptic meets a bruce springsteen song. It's awesome.

Atonement by Ian McEwan. not fantasy or anything per se but it's a great book about writing and about people that was turned into a movie that completely missed the point. just utterly and completely.

Ant Farm by Simon Rich. Good, short and ridiculously funny. It reads like a group of short, unconnected scenes kind of. It's odd, but you'll be crying from laughter at the end.

If you're into the short story thing, Anton Chekov has written some absolutely excellent ones. Barnes and Noble has a good, cheap collection in one book.

Pedro Feliz: Marginally better this year.

by SloIsLonelyForTheOrange on Jan 17, 2008 4:43 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

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