The Wrestlezone Book Club

[HBK-aholic]

Very true. Hands down though, the saddest book I've ever read is The Book Thief. I think you'd like it.

Flames Out
Dragon

I've never read it, but I think I might try and get my hands on a copy lol. Whats it about?

 

[X]

National History Day. My 10 minute dramatic monologue as Alice Paul won at States so I got to go to Nationals to compete there. My friend got #1 in the country for her paper on FDR which was pretty amazing to see.

Flames Out
Dragon

Screw FDR. The guy gathered up all people of Japanese descent into PRISON CAMPS. Why do people love this guy?

As for good books...

Anything by Bret Easton Ellis. He's fucking genius. You might recognize some of his novels: American Psycho, The Rules of Attraction, Less than Zero (all of which have been made into movies). His books are so entertaining and vivid and full of poetry disguised as prose, they're fantastic to read.

I'd recommend Less than Zero. So great. By the time you come to the dark conclusion, you'll be astounded at how far he's dragged you into his world.

Check it out.

[EDIT: When did this thread become Oprah's Book Club?!]

 

[Bernkastel]

One of my all time favorite books

Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror, by Steve Alten

If you are a fan of Michael Crichton's books you will devour this book and the rest of it's series

 

[Eternal Dragon]

Screw FDR. The guy gathered up all people of Japanese descent into PRISON CAMPS. Why do people love this guy?

I don't think her paper was necessarily praising him- National History Day does not allow bias or unbalanced research. I think her bibliography was something like 20+ pages (which for NHD isn't that much) and her thesis had something to do with his radio broadcasts. And people praise him for getting America through the Great Depression, the war, yadayada. Not that I agree with those Japanese Internment Camps.

Anyways, about what The Book Thief is about here's a review of it from The Washington Post:

Death, it turns out, is not proud.
The narrator of The Book Thief is many things -- sardonic, wry, darkly humorous, compassionate -- but not especially proud. As author Marcus Zusak channels him, Death -- who doesn't carry a scythe but gets a kick out of the idea -- is as afraid of humans as humans are of him.

Knopf is blitz-marketing this 550-page book set in Nazi Germany as a young-adult novel, though it was published in the author's native Australia for grown-ups. (Zusak, 30, has written several books for kids, including the award-winning I Am the Messenger.) The book's length, subject matter and approach might give early teen readers pause, but those who can get beyond the rather confusing first pages will find an absorbing and searing narrative.

Death meets the book thief, a 9-year-old girl named Liesel Meminger, when he comes to take her little brother, and she becomes an enduring force in his life, despite his efforts to resist her. "I traveled the globe . . . handing souls to the conveyor belt of eternity," Death writes. "I warned myself that I should keep a good distance from the burial of Liesel Meminger's brother. I did not heed my advice." As Death lingers at the burial, he watches the girl, who can't yet read, steal a gravedigger's instruction manual. Thus Liesel is touched first by Death, then by words, as if she knows she'll need their comfort during the hardships ahead.

And there are plenty to come. Liesel's father has already been carted off for being a communist and soon her mother disappears, too, leaving her in the care of foster parents: the accordion-playing, silver-eyed Hans Hubermann and his wife, Rosa, who has a face like "creased-up cardboard." Liesel's new family lives on the unfortunately named Himmel (Heaven) Street, in a small town on the outskirts of Munich populated by vivid characters: from the blond-haired boy who relates to Jesse Owens to the mayor's wife who hides from despair in her library. They are, for the most part, foul-spoken but good-hearted folks, some of whom have the strength to stand up to the Nazis in small but telling ways.

Stolen books form the spine of the story. Though Liesel's foster father realizes the subject matter isn't ideal, he uses "The Grave Digger's Handbook" to teach her to read. "If I die anytime soon, you make sure they bury me right," he tells her, and she solemnly agrees. Reading opens new worlds to her; soon she is looking for other material for distraction. She rescues a book from a pile being burned by the Nazis, then begins stealing more books from the mayor's wife. After a Jewish fist-fighter hides behind a copy of Mein Kampf as he makes his way to the relative safety of the Hubermanns' basement, he then literally whitewashes the pages to create his own book for Liesel, which sustains her through her darkest times. Other books come in handy as diversions during bombing raids or hedges against grief. And it is the book she is writing herself that, ultimately, will save Liesel's life.

Death recounts all this mostly dispassionately -- you can tell he almost hates to be involved. His language is spare but evocative, and he's fond of emphasizing points with bold type and centered pronouncements, just to make sure you get them (how almost endearing that is, that Death feels a need to emphasize anything). "A NICE THOUGHT," Death will suddenly announce, or "A KEY WORD." He's also full of deft descriptions: "Pimples were gathered in peer groups on his face."

Death, like Liesel, has a way with words. And he recognizes them not only for the good they can do, but for the evil as well. What would Hitler have been, after all, without words? As this book reminds us, what would any of us be?

Flames Out
Dragon

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Ech, WHAT THE FUCK??? That book looks like its fuckign badASS LOL. Big sharks AND dinosaurs??

The ONLY books ive read front to back...

The autobigraphy of DMX
Mick Foleys first book
Conroversey creates cash, by Bischoff
The first autobiography of Johnny Cash
The Bible.
Jurassic Park
The Lost world.
FACT.

 

[Lil Wes]

I've read alot of war books, everything else. Meh.

 

[Shocky]

Screw FDR. The guy gathered up all people of Japanese descent into PRISON CAMPS. Why do people love this guy?

]

It was the best thing to do at the time by far. remember, not exactly the most PC of times back in the 1940's. There would have been dead people of Asian decent all over the Western United States during the War. Rather be alive in a camp then having a brick smashed over the back of their head. It happened, and it was the right call for the times.

 

[Eternal Dragon]

It was the best thing to do at the time by far. remember, not exactly the most PC of times back in the 1940's. There would have been dead people of Asian decent all over the Western United States during the War. Rather be alive in a camp then having a brick smashed over the back of their head. It happened, and it was the right call for the times.

Historical context!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Flames Out
Dragon

 

[Shocky]

Historical context!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Flames Out
Dragon

That Ma'am is correct.

 

[X]

It was the best thing to do at the time by far. remember, not exactly the most PC of times back in the 1940's. There would have been dead people of Asian decent all over the Western United States during the War. Rather be alive in a camp then having a brick smashed over the back of their head. It happened, and it was the right call for the times.

Aw Shocky come on man, I hate arguing with you, you're so damn good at it. But I feel I must here.

What you're saying is that basically it was for their own good? So that Americans wouldn't kill them in the streets for revenge? Come on Shocky, that's absolutely ludicrous. If that were the case, why weren't German's rounded up? I don't remember German massacres. Nor do I remember the need to lock up people of Asian descent during the Korean War. Or the Vietnam War.

It was not the right call at the time; it was a decision made out of fear (how ironic coming from FDR) and it was one of the largest human rights travesty's in our country's history.

I don't hate FDR; the man did do several very good things obviously economically and during the War. But the Japanase camps were a mistake, and a very large mistake at that.

 

[Shocky]

Simple, it was easier to round up people that looked Japanese then it was to round up people that looked like they were German. It comes down to a simple matter of race, period. We all know our countries history, as much as we like to champion ourselves as a melting pot, that melting pot was fine, if you had pale skin and a European background.

America is much better, but we still do have our fair share of race problems, it's a shit load better, but in the 40's, not so much. Like I said, and you realize it too, easier to round up people that look Asian then anyone that was white. Germans looked like us, so they weren't as evil.

Was it a human right travesty, you bet. Was it the best thing to do, yes. You know the Civil Rights movement, hell, today 40 years ago Martin Luther King was shot by a bigot for wanting to have equal rights for all. It was for their own good in the end, because it could have been much, much worse.

 

[Bernkastel]

Here is the first sequel to Meg: a novel of deep terror, called The Trench by Steve Alten

 

[Slyfox696]

Simply put, if "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell" by Tucker Max is the male Bible, "Alphabet of Manliness" by Maddox is the 10 Commandments. Only, in this case, there's 26, one for each letter of the alphabet.

The book is absolutely hilarious, and while there are some things on his website that is infinitely funnier than the book, the book is 100% original material.

Great read, and should be picked up by everyone.

 

[Total Impact]

Malcolm X as Told by Alex Haley

Great book to learn the life of won the great speakers in American History. You learn that the man wasn't a racist, but and idealist. Someone who I would love to be a leader of a generation looking for change not in government's hands but their own hands.

Barbary Wars

Tells you the history of American and Middle Eastern wars and the firstmajor war the US had after the war of independence.

Adult Education:The Open Door

History of education in the adult life as people struggle to gain education after their traditional years of education.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

It's a medical fact that this is the best book over. So good I've read it one and a half times.

 

[Shadowmancer]

Ive read so many good books that it would be hard.

anyway here is one of them.

If you haven't read this where have you been it has been out that long. It is nice and quick to read and is worth the price. I don't usually read westerns but I had heard that this is a good read I picked it up and read it and it showed me a good story. It contains elements of Westerns, detective stories and Sci Fi and Fantasy. It is probably part of the best epic series in the last 30-40 years.

 

[X]

Here's another recommendation, from my personal book collection, one of my all time favorite books ever written. EVER.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

Simply put, utterly unresistable. Some of you are probably already familiar with the book or author from either his 30+ years writing for Rolling Stone, or the film that came out in 1998 starring Johnny Depp & Benicio Del Toro as the main characters.

Did you like the movie? Well this book is 100 times better.

It's like a maddening acid trip that you can't stop, nor do you want to because you want to see where this ride is going to take you, and what these madmen will do next in Las Vegas.

I still remember reading the first couple lines on the back of the book and thinking "Well, I need to read this right now"

"We had two bags of grass, 75 pellets of mescaline, 5 sheets of high powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine, a whole galaxy of multi colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... and also a quart of tequilla, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether, and 2 dozen amyls."

How can you not be intrigued by that beginning?

Trust me, if you're a fan of 60s literature, beat literature, or just any sort of counter-culture journalism/storytelling, buy this ASAP. I say journalism because it is actually a factual account of Hunter S. Thompson's trip to Las Vegas to cover the Mint 400 desert dune-buggy race.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Great book. Hells Angels is awesome too.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Great Book! Kept me on the edge of my seat.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

Here's another recommendation, from my personal book collection, one of my all time favorite books ever written. EVER.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

Simply put, utterly unresistable. Some of you are probably already familiar with the book or author from either his 30+ years writing for Rolling Stone, or the film that came out in 1998 starring Johnny Depp & Benicio Del Toro as the main characters.

Did you like the movie? Well this book is 100 times better.

It's like a maddening acid trip that you can't stop, nor do you want to because you want to see where this ride is going to take you, and what these madmen will do next in Las Vegas.

I still remember reading the first couple lines on the back of the book and thinking "Well, I need to read this right now"

"We had two bags of grass, 75 pellets of mescaline, 5 sheets of high powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine, a whole galaxy of multi colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... and also a quart of tequilla, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether, and 2 dozen amyls."

How can you not be intrigued by that beginning?

Trust me, if you're a fan of 60s literature, beat literature, or just any sort of counter-culture journalism/storytelling, buy this ASAP. I say journalism because it is actually a factual account of Hunter S. Thompson's trip to Las Vegas to cover the Mint 400 desert dune-buggy race.

A underground rap group I promote with did a song on this book. I actually havent read the book yet but ive been putting it off lmfao.


OK heres my books just 2 for right now but more to come , I read alot.

The Cirque du freak series

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i319/pbnj1275/CirqueduFreakseries-1.jpg

Basically theres 12 books in the series. Ive read all 12 over and over, There all great books. I'm not going to spoil the books but there about a boy who becomes a vampire. Now it might sound stuipid but there's alot of action and different types of Action and shit wrapped into the 12 books, deffinatly a must read.

Band of brothers

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MG/195949~Band-of-Brothers-Posters.jpg

It's a great find for all war books lovers, It written with accounts from the easy company survivors. It goes throughout there training to d day, And many more adventures of eazy company. Many men die in this book trust me its war thats what happens. At the end of the book most of the survivors have a small part in it and it tell what they've done since the war, And tells who's died and what not. The interviews were taken in 1991 so most of them are probibaly dead by now. But the book was turned into a mini series by hbo Great shit to thats a must see to.