Book Recommendations

[Absolutely Virtue]

Please read The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. It should be required reading for all dorks the world over. It's achingly good. From the NYTimes review:

"The hero of Junot Díaz’s first novel is an overweight Dominican-American man named Oscar, a “ghetto nerd” from Paterson, N.J., and a devotee of what he somewhat grandly calls “the more speculative genres.” He means comic books, sword-and-sorcery novels, science fiction, role-playing games — the pop-literary storehouse of myths and fantasies that sexually frustrated, socially maladjusted guys like him are widely believed to inhabit. "

It won the Pulitzer in 2008, and it is (despite the horrible cliche) the definition of an instant classic. If you like books, you need to read this one.

[Brill Weave]

I'm actually going to have to run across the street to Borders after I'm done here at work. I'm not quite sure how I missed out on that one Virtue. But you don't exactly strike me as the type that gushes praise towards something. I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip.

[Absolutely Virtue]

I gush all sorts of stuff for you Brill. You know that, honey.

But I can't recommend the book enough.

[Davricle]

I went to Amazon to buy that book AV. Should be to my house in a few days

[Halion]

If you want something science fiction adventure specifically then seek Neil Stephenson; Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, and Cryptonomicon (this one is less science fiction and more history though, alternating settings of WWII and present day..it's still scifi nerdy level stuff though, talking about technology and mathematics) are all great reads, and have some length to them so you aren't burning through 3 books at once on the flight.

I was so coming to say this!

[Askari0]

Battle Royale.

Amazon.com: Battle Royale: Koushun Takami: Books

This.

I've always loved just about anything from Kurt Vonnegut

[Rhinox]

Day by Day Armageddon: A Zombie Novel

Here is a Sample Chapter. Its hella easy to read since its more of a journal then a actual Novel.

http://tacticalunderground.us/dbda/a...bDAexcerpt.pdf

[ZarakiKujata]

I have recently finished reading Replay by Ken Grimwood (it's sort of scifi, about a man who keeps dying at age 44 and waking up at 18 remembering everything that happens to him and the world in teh years between) highly recommend it

Also, its very far from scifi but I just finished reading Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, which I would also recommend. It's the memoirs of the Dutch Member of Parliament who wrote the script for the movie that got Theo Van Gogh got killed. Paints a very vivid picture of why Somalia is so fucked up, her views on Islam/Somalia etc. I read both books within a period of about what your flight will be because I could not put them down, just be forewarned if you do choose Infidel some of the stuff on female genital mutilation and the general happenings of her life are extremely depressing so you might want to have something else to read if you need to put it aside for a bit.

[Cephius]

Just got back from B&N, they didn't have like half these books

I did get Snow Crash and Consider Phlebas, so all is not lost!

[Telamond]

I prefer short stories and essays during the summer.
That's why I'd like to recommend David Sedaris books (they're self-biographic but excellent).
I'm also a big fan of Tobias Wolff
Alan Bennett - An uncommon reader
The Bible Salesman (forgot the author)
Miranda July - Noone belongs here more than you

[ZarakiKujata]

Angela's Ashes, 'Tis, and Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. Great books, I know I'll be rereading them again now

[Trajan]

EAST
OF
EDEN


not Sci-fi fantasy or anything, just a real real good book.

Second