The BOOK Thread

Butch

Butch

poseur
Staff member
I totally screwed up a merge mod move so i am gonna fix it here with editing.

This started with Beau's post three down:

I'm an avid reader (Beau's words here) and would love some suggestions on books people would recommend and I figure there are probably other BARFers who feel the same.

With that said I have read all of Neal Stephenson's work and would advise anyone who likes stories about the future... and motorcycles in the future, to read SNOW CRASH; and historical fiction doesn’t get much better than Jeanette Winterson's The Passion.

What you got?

this is mine...
I prolly posted something about "the Omnivor's Delimna" and "Fast Food Nation" earlier. I just finished "The Heart of the Word" by Ian Baker. It is about the Tspango River in the Himalaya, the deepest gorge on earth, the last place on earth that the whitey white man has not gone to until now. 1998 actually. Totally wild, steep, crazy terrian that the natives live at peace within. Ah, and a sacred place to Buddhism.

The river drops like 10k feet in 300 miles. The Chinese plan to build a dam. Right after they finish the Three Gorges. And that is a whole nother rant altogether...

Your World kids. Unrestrained capitalism is gonna fuck it up.

Anyhow, great book. Kinda heavy, but humbling.
 
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Bzwrthy

Bzwrthy

FNORD
I will never look at corn the same way again. :(

Looks like another interesting read to add to the library. :thumbup

Butch said:
I prolly posted something about "the Omnivor's Delimna" and "Fast Food Nation" earlier. I just finished "The Heart of the Word" by Ian Baker. It is about the Tspango River in the Himalaya, the deepest gorge on earth, the last place on earth that the whitey white man has not gone to until now. 1998 actually. Totally wild, steep, crazy terrian that the natives live at peace within. Ah, and a sacred place to Buddhism.

The river drops like 10k feet in 300 miles. The Chinese plan to build a dam. Right after they finish the Three Gorges. And that is a whole nother rant altogether...

Your World kids. Unrestrained capitalism is gonna fuck it up.

Anyhow, great book. Kinda heavy, but humbling.
Click to expand...
 
Butch

Butch

poseur
Staff member
kay, so, this was my original post about "The Omnivore's Delimna", to some other fourm, befor i was a totally dedicated barfer:

I think I am becoming kind've food freak...

I have been a longtime light eater of meats, after my sophmore year in college living with a mostly vegatarian. (Though I love steak in high school)

It has bugged me for a long time that farmers were poor, farm workers were poorer, and food is so cheap and plentiful. I always thought someone other than the farmer is in control of the market.

Food is the most important product produced, no? Food producers should be... wealthy? Not just the marketers? Or the processors, or the distributors?

So I just read this book, the Omnivor's Delimina (Michael Pollen). It kinda makes it all make sense.

Where does food come from? Wrapped in packages at the supermarket, of course. Not bloody likely. Is it all based on corn, controlled by Cargil and ADM? Should we really make fuel from corn? Not bloody likely. Industry, capitalism. It is ruthless.

If you care what you are eating, corporate abuse of the government, the public being used, and big business... Read the book. It might make a difference. I realize it is difficult for young families amoung us to implement these hassles, and expensive hassles, but it might be worth it. For my friend with kids, it might be important. For us DINKS, it's not that hard.

Now I go out in search of local grass fed beef, and chicken. I try to buy locally produced vegtables. I do not buy fish from New Zealand, even at Whole Foods.

There is a really great place, the Harley Goat Dairy, in Pescadero, where they make fresh cheese, every day, from the goats they milk twice a day. The Budbandit ride passes it sometimes. And Swanton Berry farm. south end of Swanton and one. Support those guys...
 
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Beauregard

Beauregard

Aut Agere Aut Mori
The BOOK thread....

I'm an avid reader and would love some suggestions on books people would recommend and I figure there are probably other BARFers who feel the same.

With that said I have read all of Neal Stephenson's work and would advise anyone who likes stories about the future... and motorcycles in the future, to read SNOW CRASH; and historical fiction doesn’t get much better than Jeanette Winterson's The Passion.

What you got?
 
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MtnRacer

MtnRacer

Veterinarian
George RR Martin, The Song of Fire and Ice series. Excellent prose, very well written and terribly fun to read. His characters are wickedly imperfect and you end up loving the worst of them. I never really read fantasy outside of the LOTR trilogy, but these books are top notch!

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Steve
 
W

wreckedrex

Well-known member
MtnRacer said:
George RR Martin, The Song of Fire and Ice series. Excellent prose, very well written and terribly fun to read. His characters are wickedly imperfect and you end up loving the worst of them. I never really read fantasy outside of the LOTR trilogy, but these books are top notch!

Steve
Click to expand...

I'll second that, very entertaining.

Isaac Asimov's Robot or Foundation books are good, and not total brain junk food. I really dig Douglas Adams too, if you haven't read the Hitchhikers Guide you really aught to. David Webber and Terry Pratchet are also entertaining but kind of, I don't know, cheesy? Damn, I swear I'm not a huge sci-fi fantasy :nerd I guess that's just what I tend to read... Hmm, something not sci fi... Oh, Chuck Yeager did an autobiography, I can't remember the title for sure, but it's something really creative, like Yeager. I read it *ages* ago and still remember some of the crazy ass stories. Very cool book, right up there with the Hitchhikers Guide in my personal top few.
 
T

TylerW

Agitator
Snow Crash is great, but I think it got maybe a tad lost in the whole bit about Sumerian mythology. Either that or it just lost me there - always been meaning to give it a second read to see what I think about that.

While we're on the subject, I think this is about hte best book I've ever read:

0380788624.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg


Also, I can never speak highly enough of this book. I think it's Douglas Adams' best piece of writing ever, and if reading through the story you don't at some point laugh out loud or get a lump in your throat, I'm pretty convinced that you have no soul. I've bought it a number of times, mostly because every time I've loaned it out, it never comes back.

lastchancecover.jpg
 
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Squidly McSmearstain

Squidly McSmearstain

Well-known member
Orson Scott Card is probably my favorite author. I'm a HUGE fan of Ender's Game. That book is relatively popular, and many folks have heard of it.

I liked this book as much as Ender's Game, and highly recommend it (for those who can't read the full title, it's "Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus":

515YF8XYQ1L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg
 
planegray

planegray

Redwood Original
Staff member
I wish I could read science fiction...just can't stick with it

currently checking out "On War" by Carl von Clausewitz ....

wow......makes one think
 
Aluisious

Aluisious

Well-known member
Reading Clausewitz is like chewing particle board.

I keep meaning to read 1984, despite the knowledge that Orwell wasn't a particularly good novelist.
 
Z

zombi

Well-known member
OS Card and GRR Martin both have some good Horror stuff too.

Lately I have been reading all the Richard Laymon books I can find. Awesome B movie Horror schlocker stuff. Largely unpublished in the US (censored?) until after Laymon's death in 2001.
 
Cyclesuzy

Cyclesuzy

Proud Pissant Squid
One of my favorites that I haven't read in a long time is called "Geek Love" by Katherine Dunn. It provides a unique look at family relationships.

Some of my other favorites are Nabokov's Lolita and Dan Simmons' Hyperion and Endymion books.

Unfortunately, I'm still trying to find time to get through the last Harry Potter. :laughing
 
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