WZ Book Club

[Bernkastel]

I really don't have a favorite book, but I will say that my favorite author is Steve Alten. His Megalodon series got me hooked, and with the additions of Domain, Goliath, Sorceress, and The Loch it solidified him as my favorite author.

Other books that come to mind are

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Raptor Red by Robert Bakker
The Last Battle by CS Lewis
In the Presence of mine Enemies by Harry Turtledove
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Julus Verne
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

One book that did get my attention was The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carrol. Both phenomenal pieces of literature. The themes of immanent death, fate, maturity and the loss of innocence, fear, manipulation, identification, and our purpose in the world the two books are relatable to anyone. I'd highly recommend these two books to anyone looking for some new reading material.

 

[hArdyPUNKmArk]

If you can get your hands on them I know a few aussie ones that are great:

- Tomorrow When The War Began (series of 7 books) written by John Marsden
- He Died With A Felafel In His Hand written by John Birmingham
- Tasmanian Babes Fiasco also written by John Birmingham
- Cloudstreet written by Tim Winton
- Dirt Music also written by Tim Winton

Actually anything by Winton is amazing. I would say he is Australia's best writter. Really well done books and the stories are great. I fully reccomend anything by him for a good read, great writer.

Also if you have never read it Lord of the Rings is an amazing read. I'm half way through it for the first time (finally) and am loving it. It's such an amazing read, Tolkein really creates another world and brings you into really well.

Others I would reccomend:

- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas written by Hunter S. Thompson
- The Power of One written by Bryce Courtenay

 

[TSG]

I've always enjoyed the entire Left Behind series. Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye really outdid themselves in this series. I've read the series once and am in the middle of re-reading it. The plots are awesome. They feature many dramatic twists and turns, and you usually don't know whats coming next, When I'm reading these books, I don't want to put them down because they are so good. it also features alot of action scenes and drama. The characters are interesting. Plus it really opens you up to the religion of Christianity. The series is what first truly introduced me to the religion, and if your interested in the Christianity, this is a good door to it.

So, my favorite book would have to be a tie between every book in the Left Behind series.

I also enjoy most of Christopher Pike's books. If you want to try them I suggest Master of Murder and Die Softly.

Master of Murder portrays a great story, one of unrequitted love, sex, depression, suicide, murder, broken homes, and backstabbing. The plot is very interesting and you really don't want to put the book down.

Die Softly is also a story of backstabbing, murder, sex, unrequitted love, and also drugs. It is a great story, and you can really get into it. It was the first book by Pike I read and it is what got me hooked on Pike.

 

[RendarSelin]

As a huge fantasy fan, I would have to recommend my personal favorite series starting with Book 1: The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. The Shannara series is a must read for any fantasy fan. Throughout the series, you follow the Ohmsford clan throughout multiple generations who must save the world using relics from the past: The Sword of Shannara, the magical Elfstones, the mysterious Wishsong.

In college, I also have had to read many interesting books:
All Quiet on the Western Front: story of a German soldier in World War I. Very interesting narrative of the horrors of war.

The Hiding Place (Corrie Ten Boom): The story of a Polish woman who risks everything to hide Jews in World War II.

Of course there is my personal favorite:
To Kill a Mockingbird: one of the greatest books of the 20th Century (also a great movie with Gregory Peck and a young Robert Duvall)

 

[Kashagi]

Im going to back up All Quiet On The Western Front, probably my favourite book, written by a poet who was in the trenches himself. Its horrific with one of the best endings ive ever read in a book.

 

[Mr. Steve]

I always thought that Voldemort should have killed Harry and that would have been it, but that's just me. The last book didn't meet my expectations but it had some good moments. I like Ron and Hermione getting married and how Harry's opinion of Snape changed.

I used to think about the series ending the same way (voldemort killing harry). Anyways, Book I can recommend is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It's his magnus opus, and it's pretty fucking sick! *In a good way.*

Just felt like recommending that one for you.

 

[HBK-aholic]

Personally, I love him, and can't wait for Lost Symbol to be released. Dan Brown is one of the best authors I've seen for creating twists and shocks, as well as creating suspense in a novel. And he does so while integrating facts and myths into the story.

My favourite book is Angels and Demons. I love the storyline, and the twist at the end left me with my jaw dropping. I don't really understand the hype of the Da Vinci Code in comparison to this. And that's not to say I dislike the Da Vinci Code, simply that Angels and Demons is a lot better, and I'm surprised people prefer the other.

However, I know many people dislike him due to the controversy surrounding his work. I mean, writing a novel about how a woman was supposed to be head of the Church and that there's a bloodline of Christ today was never going to go down well with many people.

But anyway, do you like him as an author? Which is your favourite book? Or do you dislike him because he's surrounded by controversy?

 

[X]

Dan Brown can be enjoyable. But he's not a great writer, he's a trashy one. He writes beach-reading fodder. That can be very enjoyable sometimes though, so he has his place. I enjoyed Angels and Demons when I read it a few years back, much more so than I did the Da Vinci Code, which I've always felt wasn't nearly as good as Angels & Demons.

His new book....can't say I'm going to read it. I already have a stack of dozens of books that I'd like to read first, serious stuff. I don't have time to mess with beach books like his. Maybe if it's as good as Angels & Demons I'll get around to reading it in a few years from now.

I'm looking forward to Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero sequel far, FAR more.

 

[LigerBomb]

Personally, ...I've never met him. But I'll assume he's a nice guy. I got half way through The DaVinci Code then gave up. Not because I wasn't enjoying it mind you, but rather, because I was also in the middle of a similar book about the Freemasons and the Knights Templar which better held my attention. Then I saw the movie -and after getting over Tom Hank's "hair"- which I found to be only marginally enjoyable but not all that great so I never returned to the book. Though I did get on Wiki and other book review sites to get the gist of what I missed.
Skipped A&D, but after seeing the movie -which by the way was much improved over the first one- will probably read the novel by the end of this summer. He's rather adept at pop-fiction, and I very much enjoy his approach to "symbology", though having actually studied art history with a focus especially on Renaissance and Neo-Renaissance time periods I find some of his "history" ludicrous, though highly imaginative and entertaining.

 

[jokeboy624]

I enjoy both Angels and Demons and Da Vinci Code. I like Dan Brown because he has formula and it works for me. Sometimes I like to pick up a book and have it feel familiar upon the first reading, and I mean familiar like your favorite pair of jeans. So I do look forward to The Lost Symbol.

The controversy had little to do with my enjoyment of The Da Vinci Code, but I believe it had a lot to do with my reading the books. I had to know what all this controversy was about.

Just a question to further my theory, did you read Angels and Demons or Da Vinci Code first? I've found that for people that have read both, they usually like the book they read first more. This is the case for myself as I read Angels and Demons first and enjoyed it most of the two.

 

[HBK-aholic]

I enjoy both Angels and Demons and Da Vinci Code. I like Dan Brown because he has formula and it works for me. Sometimes I like to pick up a book and have it feel familiar upon the first reading, and I mean familiar like your favorite pair of jeans. So I do look forward to The Lost Symbol.

The controversy had little to do with my enjoyment of The Da Vinci Code, but I believe it had a lot to do with my reading the books. I had to know what all this controversy was about.

Just a question to further my theory, did you read Angels and Demons or Da Vinci Code first? I've found that for people that have read both, they usually like the book they read first more. This is the case for myself as I read Angels and Demons first and enjoyed it most of the two.

I read Angels and Demons first, so your theory seems good so far. I actually saw the film before reading, as before then I thought they were some boring religious stuff. I was clearly wrong. Religion is a part of his novels but it's in no way boring. When you read certain parts of his books it's like you actually hear what some people must think of him in regards to the topic.

 

[klunderbunker]

I like him. Digital Fortress was very solid but I think he gets more praise than he deserves. His books are certainly good, but he's considered one of the best ever and that's just not fair yet. His books make me think, but at times make me shake my head. He's very hit or miss, but when he hits, he hits hard.

 

[Bernkastel]

I haven't read much by Dan Brown, although I did read Deception Point a few years ago which I thoroughly enjoyed. I had previously no idea that he was the author of the Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons and I almost kicked myself when I realized it was the same guy. Maybe I just never paid attention. Maybe I just had him pegged for being a science fiction thriller writer. Anyways... I'm not sure about picking up any of his other books at this point. I'm still trying to get through Sorceress by Steve Alten, then I'm probably going to read Deep Storm by Lincoln Child... once I'm done with those two then I'll consider Dan Brown

 

[Raw Power]

The better writers tend to be those who create some kind for controversy/do something new anyway. Not really my cup of tea but I can respect him for writing a book that deals with (entirely fictional) issues regarding the Catholic Church etc. And I love how people complained about it even though the Bible probably offends far more people

 

[FromTheSouth]

His writing is pretty much the "summer movie" or writing. I love them.

I think Deception Point was his best work.

He's not looking for deeper meaning. He presents a premise, shows where it came from, how people can believe it, and puts some action behind it. He's no worse than Michael Crichton or John Grisham or Tom Clancy. These men have written books which capture the mass populace. It is escapism at it's finest. Plus, the chapters are short, so you feel smarter reading.

Anything that gets people to read is a good things, and with tens of millions of books sold, I think he should be praised.

I have pre-ordered the new book, and I anxiously await it's arrival. I think I am going to get a book on nihilism to read until it gets here. Any suggestions X?

 

[Tastycles]

I literally read the first page of the DaVinci code, and realised by about sentence two that I was never going to get into it, and then put the book down. There are two reasons why I didn't like him. Firstly, there is nothing left to the imagination, every mundane detail is explained and you are essentially reading a screen play. Secondly, there is no imagination in the language, it's straight up prose that anybody over the age of 11 could have written.

Nothing sums up this more than that oft cited snippet of the DaVinci Code...

The famous man looked at the red cup

 

[HereComesThePain101]

I literally read the first page of the DaVinci code, and realised by about sentence two that I was never going to get into it, and then put the book down. There are two reasons why I didn't like him. Firstly, there is nothing left to the imagination, every mundane detail is explained and you are essentially reading a screen play. Secondly, there is no imagination in the language, it's straight up prose that anybody over the age of 11 could have written.

really man. i mean you are entitled to your opinion but i have to disagree. its not supposed to wow you with the great language. it is supposes to tell you the story and i think he does that well. sure he explains everything in to much detail well would you be happy if there was to little. i mean its a novel he has to explain everything to put the picture in your head. i think that Dan Brown is a really good writer and maybe you should have read a little more as it really gets good later on. but on to the topic i think that the Da Vinci Code was the best one so far. i enjoyed angels and demons but i like the da Vinci code better for some reason

 

[X]

really man. i mean you are entitled to your opinion but i have to disagree. i think that Dan Brown is a really good writer and maybe you should have read a little more as it really gets good later on. but on to the topic i think that the Da Vinci Code was the best one so far. i enjoyed angels and demons but i like the da Vinci code better for some reason

Yeah, no. Dan Brown is a good storyteller, I'll give you that, but good writer? No. He doesn't come up with any particularly unique or intriguing ways to tell his story, a Dan Brown book reads just like thousands of other trashy summer novels.

The sentence Tasty quoted proves just how unimaginative of a writer Brown is. Decent storyteller, great writer? No. I could name a hundred writers off the top of my head right now who make him look foolish.

 

[HereComesThePain101]

Yeah, no. Dan Brown is a good storyteller, I'll give you that, but good writer? No. He doesn't come up with any particularly unique or intriguing ways to tell his story, a Dan Brown book reads just like thousands of other trashy summer novels.

The sentence Tasty quoted proves just how unimaginative of a writer Brown is. Decent storyteller, great writer? No. I could name a hundred writers off the top of my head right now who make him look foolish.

Probably. my favorite author of all time is Stephen king and he is a great writer. i guess i wasn't clear to well on what i said but i think that it is a suspense novel. he is supposed to keep you into the book and want to find out all the twists and turns and he does this well in my opinion. But like i said you are completely entitled to your opinion and just for me i think he is a great storyteller. Also i just want to get what is going on. just regular English is good enough for me.

oh yeah and the detail part does it really matter if he puts to much detail. if you know what is happening and aren't getting confused by the random stuff then all it does is help you put the picture in your head what is happening.

 

[FromTheSouth]

As you can probably tell, this thread has been moved and stickied. This will now be WZ's book club. It started with Dan Brown, but feel free to discuss all of your favorite authors and books.

Let's try to keep it all in here, and hopefully we can come up with some thoughtful discussion.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Here some of my favorite authors and books:

John Grisham: I remember reading The Client when I was in 9th grade and was completely mesmerized by his storytelling. I believe he captured life in Mississippi very well. A Painted House is my favorite book of all time and I loved the plot about the 1950s and the cotton industry. Some of his books can be long-winded like The Pelican Brief, anti-climatic like The Appeal, or was simply out of place like Skipping Christmas.

Mary Higgins Clark: I haven't read one of her books that was without drama or anticipation. A Cry In The Night is my favorite book of hers dealing with motherly obsession and captured the main character very well. Other favorite books of her include Two Little Girls In Blue, Just Take My Heart, and Pretend You Don't See Her

James Patterson: When I was in 11th grade, my journalism teacher gave me a book of his to read called "Lakehouse" and it was absolutely great. I didn't think much of the short chapters at first but over time I grown accustomed to it. I loved his Alex Cross series with books like Double Cross and The Cradle Will Fall. Also, he created a series of books based on The Women's Murder Club which I loved that didn't translate well when it was created into a TV show but I'll live with it.

Fannie Flagg: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe was the best book I read while in high school and still is. I decided to read some more of her work like Welcome to the World, Baby Girl and Can't Wait to Get to Heaven. They were a great read and I plan to find some more of her books to read them.

Robert Parker: I don't remember why I picked up one of his books but I'm glad I did. Spenser and Hawk were great characters and my love for detective novels growed from reading his books. He showed that he can write Western books such as Appaloosa and Resolution. I started reading his books last summer and have read around 50 of his books since then.

 

[HBK-aholic]

Dan Brown - Deception Point
(Possible spoilers)

This is an interesting read, based loosely on the successes and (moreso) failures of the NASA program. It's far-fetched, but that's what makes this so interesting. It takes a concept which many have their scepticisms about (That of life on other planets) and twists it so much you're not sure what to believe by the end of it. On one hand, the scientists give you what you see as irrevocable facts which promote the possibility. However, as you read on you see that everything is explainable, and what you believed as hard fact is nothing but a good cover-up.

I liked this book, although not as much as others by Brown. I think my irrational love for all things Robert Langdon make me slightly biased in that conclusion, however. The ending, as always, was shocking and not something you'd expect. When you find out who is behind the murders and deception, you really do think back, wondering how that happened.

I love the character of Senator Sexton, I really do. A hypocritical, egotistical character; one who would much rather see his daughter die than lose an election. One who formulated in his mind that his daughters death would give him even more of a sympathy vote, while she was in danger. The disappointment obvious when she's alive and safe, oxymoronic to his earlier claim that "family comes first". You have to laugh when he organises his own downfall almost, admitting legitimacy of items he shouldn't in any way.

What would a Dan Brown book be without a blossoming romance between the 2 lead characters? I wasn't as impressed with the way he portrayed their 'love' as in others (the best being between Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra in Angels and Demons), it seemed to be out of the blue, almost.

Overall, this is a book where you can just sit down and enjoy it if you want to, but that you can look deeper into if needs be. It may invoke a passion to find out more about NASA as a company. Or, you can just read and enjoy, which is what I did with this. It's not 'unputdownable' until quite close to the end, but there comes a point where you want to miss out all the finer details to just race ahead and find out what happens.
​

 

[FromTheSouth]

I just started reading this book for the third time. This is my favorite of Dan Brown's first four books.

I like the political intrigue which pits intelligence versus the executive branch. I enjoy the science involved as well.

The theme of this books deals with the importance of science versus the importance of industry. Brown's next book, Angels and Demons deals with the importance of science versus the importance of religion. In both books, Browns seeks to find balance between the lab and the outside world. He treats scientists as heroes, and finds the villains hidden amongst the good people on the other side. Brown's championing of the scientific community is no more evident than it is as the discovery of "the truth" unfolds. Scientists from many different branches go head to head with government officials from different branches, pitting intelligence versus ruthlessness in an attempt to forge a new path for America.

This is a great read, and I think a great starting point for Dan Brown readers.

 

[Harthan]

I'm currently in the middle of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, which I realize is hardly the peak of fantasy literature (the setting is straight ripped off from Tolkien and the plot is about 75 % Star Wars) but this was one of the first series I read when I was younger. I picked up the recently released third novel fairly recently and decided to reread the series for some good nostalgia. About to finish the reread of the second novel and get into the third one, which hopefully is pretty good. I'm hoping that as the plot comes into its own, it sheds off the Star Wars influence, although the Tolkien inspired setting can't be changed, but hopefully the story gets a little more original now.

After this I'm thinking of finish off a book I really should have finished but let get lost, which is The Thousandfold Thought (R. Scott Bakker), the cap off to another fantasy trilogy which is far and away more original than the Inheritance Cycle could ever hope to be. It's a multi-layered story focusing on a Holy War between the two major faiths of a fictional world, the Inrithi (vaguely comparable to Christianity or Judaism, but only very very loosely) and Fanim (which is more easily comparable to Islam) and told through the lens of some of the best fantasy characters to be drummed up in a long time, including a warrior/monk/prophet/general (literally), who's the focus of the story. Anyway, brilliant epic fantasy, some of the best in recent times.

Headed back towards The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruis Zafon) when those are done, which I'm hoping lives up to expectation. It's been praises as the best Spanish novel since Don Quixote, so I'm expecting a lot. The basic premise is a young boy, Daniel, who is the son of a rare and first edition bookseller in post WWII Barcelona, who is taken by his father to a huge repository of lost books, where he selects one book to take care of personally, which is The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. Carax novels, however, are for some reason incredibly hard to find, and Daniel goes on a search to uncover more of them and why they're so very rare. The novel has attracted tons of praise, so I'm looking forward to it. Interesting fact - it was translated into English by the daughter of Robert Graves.

Also recently finished World War Z (Max Brooks) which is officially one of my favorite all time books. It's an "oral history of the Zombie War", and while it seems like it might only appeal to the sci fi/fantasy niche, it's really stunning in its scope and power. Every character is intensely believable and real, even though some are only present for 5 or 6 pages, and while it is a damn good sci fi/zombie story, it's also a rather powerful exploration into humans, how we think, and how we would, in fact, react to a global crisis that threatened to wipe us all out, both on a personal and political level. It's a damn fine read and I highly recommend it.

Probably going to get into my summer reading for school afterwards, which is The Picture of Dorian Gray and Dr. Faustus. Never been a big fan of what the world at large calls "classics", but I'll suffer through them.

 

[HBK-aholic]

Dan Brown - Digital Fortress
​

What an exciting book. Dan Brown is one of those writers who have a knack for making your heart rate increase by using suspense to great effect, and this book was definitely the epitome of that.

An interesting book based on the existence of a machine called TRANSLTR - a machine which can break any code in the world in an average of 6-10 minutes. However, the National Security Agency is thrown into turmoil when a code that cannot be broken emerges and threatens to cripple US intelligence gathering.

This book has the usual Dan Brown recipe, which always involves a shock or 10. As usual, I was completely fooled by this and in shock when the motives and those responsible were revealed. I recommend this book to everyone. Again, not a book boring literature freaks will like, but for people who like to sit down with a good book, I suggest this.