Well in my opinion, the best book I have ever read would have to be Douglas Prestons and Licoln Childs Books about the special agent Pendergast. There funny, full of action and a little gory. I was wondering what you guys favorite books are or if you read the one I just mentioned.

I couldn't pick one book if you held a gun to my head. I read like a fiend. I've not, however, read the one you mentioned.

However, I could list some favourite authors, if that helps.

Stephen King
Jimmy Buffett
Dean Koontz
Richard Bach
James Michener
Charles Dickens
Kinky Friedman
Christopher Moore
William Shakespeare
Ernest Hemingway
Carl Hiassen
Robert Ludlum
James Patterson
Tom Clancy
John Grisham
Iris Johansen
Tami Hoag
Diana Gabaldon

That's all the leap to mind, as authors I collect everything they write and re-read them multiple times.

First off, Tom Clancy games are better...
Secondly I think the best book, was Audy Murphy's: To hell and Back
true story, yet sounds like a fiction writer wrote it...movie wasn't bad either, yet the book gives better detail

I am a big fan of Piers Anthony, especially the Incarnations of Immortality series.

Aw yea Have any of you read any Tom Clancy books?, i read one i don't remember which one though, it wasn't bad at all. Stephen king and Dean Koontz are also very good writers, and we mustn't forget J.R.R Tolkien.

Yea allot of the time, I enjoy the books more then the movie, same goes for games --> HINT HINT Doom

I would strongly suggest if you like a mix of fact and theory you read this , it will make you wonder and worry for days.

``The HAB Theory''
© 1976 by Allan W. Eckert

excerpt

Periodically, throughout the history of the earth - at intervals ranging from 3,000 to 7000 years but averaging around 5,500 years apart - great global cataclysms occur which effectively destroy virtually all of whatever life forms or civilizations have developed on the earth to that point. The cataclysm occurs when the earth is badly thrown off balance due to a massive accumulation of ice at the polar regions. As this polar ice grows and creates and imbalance with it's enormous weight, a wobble begins to develop in the rotation of the earth on it's axes. Year by year, as the ice caps grow, the eccentricity of rotation increases until finally a critical point is reached. At that point the tilt of the earth reaches a point where it no longer can overcome the centrifugal force of the spinning earth. With devastating suddenness, the polar masses are thrown toward the point of greatest spin, which is the equator. Quite abruptly, the areas which were polar now have become equatorial, and vice versa. The resultant cataclysm is, of course monumental across the entire face of the earth except at the two points which become pivotal when the capsizing effect occurs. In an effort to paint a better verbal picture for the interviewer, Boardman made and analogy.

Picture the earth he said, "as a round ball spinning in place on a glass tabletop, it's speed of spin very fast and constat. Imagine then, that on the uppermost part of this spinning ball, you drop a tiny glob of molten metal, just slightly off center. the ball immediately begins to wobble... Add more metal, more weight and that wobble becomes more pronounced. Add still more and the eccentricity becomes so great the centrifugal force of the spinning ball grips the weight and turns the entire ball so that the heavily weighted portion is thrown to the outermost rim of the spin - the imaginary line encircling the ball where the speed is greatest - which is coincident with the imaginary line on earth known to us as the equator. That is precisely what happens periodically to the earth. The buildup of ice at the poles increases such proportions and eccentricity that its weight is thrown some ninety degrees from pole to equator.

If you read the book tou will find great fact in the theory

believe it or not...teh Warren Report was a pretty good book. Even though I didn't live through it's event it goes into good detail on what every possiblity is and how it was accomplished..

Sounds very good pappy, is it available in most bookstores today?

amazon has it. it will realy open your eyes!

*snort*

Yeah, if the only books of his you've read are the perfectly awful Op-Center or Splinter Cell series (neither of which are actually BY him, by the way). Read a real novel once and then talk to me.

hey hey hey....I've read my share of books. infact I'm in the mist of reading the Da Vinci Code, and I haven't seen the movie either...

I read that one and Dan Browns other one Angels and demons, ow yea don't bother watching the movie, it's nothing compared to the book, as usual.

Of course, I was talking about a real Tom Clancy novel, not any other random author...

Da Vinci Code is a Dan Brown Masterpeice...extremely well done...

Yes, I know. But since your post about games was specifically Tom Clancy, I responded that you should read a real Tom Clancy novel. But since you didn't seem to get that as I'd left out his name specifically, I explained.

Now you've not understood even further, so this is getting not only redundant but frustratingly stupid to continue.

Hi SurGen,
Did read the book, Da Vinci Code, consider it so/so stuff-not Brown's best! In terms of the movie, save your bucks-even for a rental. Some of Brown's early stuff is interesting...still, some of Brown's critics claim he was into using material already in print with out the benefit of footnotes! This claim went to court, and did not fly. Below is some neat stuff about a review of Brown's work.

Was interested in the Direct inspiration section-where books like Picknett and Price's ... The Templar Revelation, along with Starbird's ... Holy Grail, and so on can be found for added reference on this subject. Good reading if your into this type of work.
Also, check out the Indirect inspiration (notation) just below this.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Da_Vinci_Code

Does Red Storm Rising qualify?

Felix...if u already haven't noticed...I'm not the sharpest tool in the cookie jar...
U can ask Ace, Bull, UntoldPain, or anyone else I talk too online, that I lack some seroius common sense, have trouble thinking before I do or say...and don't get things as soon as they are said or done
I am tryin to work on these.
When I said Tom Clancy games are better, I was making a joke...if u didn't find that funny...that's perfectly OK. The fact that you are tryin to make me look more stupid then wat I am already is just plain rude. I resent the fact that I said TC games are better, for I have never read one of his books, yet when you consider the fact that his legacy lives on under the coolest military games known to man, (Mandark can back me up) Makes his books, and games seem even better then what they are.

BTW. The Da Vinci Code is a masterpeice, I knw this for I HAVE READ the book, and have yet to see the movie...

If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time I've ever knowingly had an interaction with you on this site, so my apologies for not knowing you as well as you think I do.

Anyway, I did sort of laugh (thus the "snort" and smilie in my first post after yours), it wasn't until you obviously didn't get it that I tried to explain further. What I don't get is why you resent that you said something. I can see if you resent that I said something, but resenting yourself for saying something is kinda silly, isn't it? Perhaps that's part of the not getting it thing? I'm honestly confused. I also don't get what Dan Brown has to do with a Tom Clancy discussion, but I'll let that go in the interest of not hijacking a thread further for something that makes no sense to argue about. (I get that Dan Brown is a good author, and his books are good...I've read them as well, and I also have not seen the movie.)

At any rate, I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers. Obviously this is important to you. My apologies again for not knowing your intelligence level...I seriously have no earthly idea who you are, other than that your name has "staff" under it.

That it does, since it's actually a novel written by Tom Clancy, and not just under his brand name.

I may be taking this the wrong way but,
are you implying that the, Admin team made a bad choice making someone of my intellagence a staff member? Why is that? You said urself you don't even know who I am or what I do? also I take offense to that on be-half of that Staff Members, we help this site, and we do a dang good job. Ofcourse it's the Peeps that make it all possible, and the Admin and Moder team for keeping the site from going hay-wire with a few bad apples who post nothing but Spam which I thanks the Admins and Moders for this.
Why are you saying that staff members of 4peeps have low intellangce? which is by-far wrong
look at Queeny and that unending source of a newsposter Terabyte...I have no clue who they are, where they live, but I knw for a fact they're are in no-way shape or form as ignorant as me...(just about impossible to do that)
Just because we don't read novels doesn't make us ignorent of any sort...

and yes, I resent the fact that I resented what I said about Tom Clancy books/games.

I don't give a rip WHO the admin team makes a moderator here, nor do I care how smart or dumb those people are. You're being WAY the hell too sensitive about this, and you're reading entirely too much into what I said.

All I said was basically that you could be a genius or a simpleton, and I wouldn't know the difference. I equally don't care if you or anyone else reads (although being an avid reader myself, I prefer that everyone reads) novels or anything else.

Good lord...had I any idea this would've turned into such an incredibly long and drawn-out conversation, I'd have suggested we go to private message a couple of days ago.

Let me try this: I don't know you. You don't know me. You could be anyone. I could be anyone. I've not seen your IQ test. You've not seen my IQ test. More importantly, until you said something about your intelligence, I knew nothing and cared less what it might be.

I give up.

first off, I can bet my life that the mod team is not made up of just "anyone"
I'm not reading entirely too much into what you said, I'm just reading.
Secondly...why are u giving up? What is there to give up about? nothing.
We're having a friendly conversation about Tom Clancy novels....I just thre Dan Brown in there because I like his work
I don't understand why you're getting so hostile about this whole thing...
it's like you're out for blood..."jeez"

One last try, but then my forehead will be bloody from beating it against this wall...

I'm not out to get you. I honestly don't care who you are. I'm giving up because YOU won't let it go. In fact, if you weren't a moderator here, I would assume you were a troll. I'm still not convinced. You're the one blowing this way too far out of proportion, accusing me of calling you stupid, accusing me of attacking you, accusing me of any number of things I'm not doing, nor was I ever doing.

Just give it up already! This has no place in a thread about our favourite books, for pity's sake! If you want to continue, please sent me a PM. I'm done here.

Gen, Felix is just ribbing you. Now you know what kind of sense of humor she has. If she's really serious, believe me, you will know.

Back to the Tom Clancy novels ... fortunately, have almost a double collection of Clancy's stuff-that is, in paper back and hard cover. All of the hard backs are first editions, which were picked up at garage sales for under a buck-usually $.50 a shot. Felt one day it would have been neat to start a small business, and just like books!

Dune, by Frank Herbert is a nice read. Perhaps, more classic in style (science fiction) when compared to some of the newer authors. Yet, the movies that have been generated from the first book, go back to the late 1960 ties, and were accepted well by the public. Then, there was a Dune series-now on DVD, and a few remakes, that are also on DVD. Have checked out the DVD that has 3 different versions of Dune. One version is not supported by the original movie producer because it contains all the clips that were (he) removed. In fact, found all three versions to be excellent. Science fiction is a great way to relax, laugh and think about what can be ... better good than bad!

BTW, SurGen ... you are doing excellent with your posting, quite diversified, and enriching many new areas onboard ... Keep up the good work!

Yes! I had forgotten the Dune novels, I have all three here, they are very good science fiction book, some of the best in my opinion.

is it just me or is this thread starting to tunr itself into a novel?
maybe by Tom Clancy...or some random author...

Noticed that the film Perfume, was listed in an above notation at the top of the page. This together with both Clancy's six 3 and Dean Koootz-(excellent stuff). Perfume was an incredible book by a German author, that writes about a serial killer, literally following his nose to each victim! Very stoic and gruesome, but worth the read and quite informative about noses too.

lol...sounds like somin I'd read...lol
no but really I'll check it out

nothing like a real good heated discussion , just play nice.

Ok,

Yes novel discussions tend to get a little heated as pappy said. Nothing wrong with that though.
Another good novel I read was Still life with crows by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston. It's about Special Agent Pedergast that goes to a southern town to investigate gruesome killings and mutilations. Ending is VERY surprising. Sorry if i spoil anything about the book mind you.

I can't tell you how excited but also truly frightened I was to find that it was, in fact, the same book I read in high school. I really want to see it, but yet I'm afraid they won't do it justice. The eternal "really good book made into a movie" dilemma.

...

Think my fav. book would be Spellfire, a dungeons and dragons book written by someone whom i forgot, and im too laazy to go over and check.

I can tell u a good book I read...their' by Ian Livingstone, Trial Of Champions is my favorite
Their games books...u deide how it's going to end by making decisions in the book...I remember reading prolly aobut 10-15 back in the day

Mite i suggest A QUESTION OF HONOR
by LYNNE OLSON and STANLEY CLOUD

it is history , about Poland and the bad things we and the rest of the world did to it.

Hey pappy-era quite an adventure, e.g.,
Publishers Weekly:
Following up the acclaimed The Murrow Boys: Pioneers on the Frontlines of Broadcast Journalism, the authors offer a solid addition to WWII aviation history. The first all-Polish squadron in the Royal Air Force, the Kosciuszko Squadron was formed from experienced Polish Air Force pilots who had fled their fallen country by way of Romania and France to England. Its members, according to the authors, needed little instruction in combat flying but some in the English language. When they took to the air, the squadron's pilots, along with Poles serving elsewhere in Fighter Command, made a large (possibly indispensable) contribution to victory in the Battle of Britain. That battle is the dramatic high point of the book, which from 1941 on shifts its focus to the sorry fate meted out to Poland as a nation and Poles in particular, especially in the infamous Katyn Massacre and the Warsaw Uprising. The authors document how this mistreatment took place with the acquiescence of the Western Allies, grossly misjudging Stalin's ambitions in Eastern Europe. Despite the same extraordinarily fluent writing and thorough research found in The Murrow Boys, readers might still be left wanting to know more about the fate of some of the Polish aviators after the Battle of Britain. Even so, the political balance they bring to telling the political story is noteworthy.

Another exceptionally good book series, is the Odd series by Dean Koontz, they're about a man, Odd Thomas, that is visited by the dead, he's a sort of detective, but his real work is chef. The series is full of action, entertainment, and many other things. I incite any reader to view, and enjoy this work.

There's 3 books in the series, Odd Thomas, Forever Odd and finally, Brother Odd.

Most emphatically second! I find myself laughing out loud, but also crying, while reading them.

I didn't know the third one was out already...I've gotten a bit behind on my books. But hey...I've got gift cards to two book stores burning a hole in my pocket, must be a sign.

endersgame is one of the best books ever, so is the whole Drizzt series!

It would be "Principios Basicos de la Filosofia" (Basic Principles of Philosophy). This book has very interesting points of view about everything & makes you understand a little more about hard-to-answer questions. A must have. Downside it's in spanish.

endersgame was indeed a good book when i was young.

Anything by Robert Crais, James D. Doss, Tony Hillerman and of course Carl Hiaasen.

A good classic : Ernest Hemingway's ... A Farewell to Arms. Deals with WWI in Italy.

Yur, I read all that "classic literature" quite a while ago. Joined a "book" club as a teenager and got a four author set. Ernie, F. Scott and two other geezers I disremember. Somerset Maughm <Sp?> Eh, well. It was 30+ years ago.

About the same time period for reading classics t_b. Currently, more nostalgia than not-nice learning styles for writers involved with writing themselves. Interesting lives many of these writers lived, considering the social changes, and class issues of that era. Obviously, stories in themselves, e.g., both Hemingway and Scott wrote about some of their rich experiences taken from their everyday lives-what incredible remembrances!

I should write about falling out of the middle class. :P

Talk about a class free fall .... Hemingway took a quater, and gave it to his wife in Key West, and told her to take it because thats all he had left! That is, after she ordered the construction of a swimming pool in their back yard of the compond. The pool had to be hand dug, and was for the most part coral-very difficult to dig out. The quarter now sets embedded in a bird bath's cement rim. Nice place if you ever have a chance to visit there. BTW, there are many neat cats wondering about the grounds with a few extra toes. Hemingway liked cats.