budo bums buying books

[ulvulv]

As a spinoff on the favourite music thread, who are your favourite writers?

Ill start by listing a few that i have pretty well covered in my shelves:
james lee burke
james crumley
andrew vachss
michael connelly
john connolly
carl hiaasen
andy mcnab

[Shimura]

Here's a few of my favs:

Yukio Mishima
Ernest Hemingway
Bassho
Tom Clancy
John Jakes
James Michener
Frank Herbert (Dune series)
Isaac Asimov (Foundation series)
Ray Bradbury (Martian Chronicles)
Jules Verne
HG Wells

Seems like alot, but I do alot of reading. It's one of my favorite pastimes besides budo.

[Dex]

My jaw dropped when I found out Asimov died of AIDS.

[joe yang]

I like Burke, Vacchs, and Hiassen. Elmore Leonard is good in that mix, and the first couple Janet Evanovich stories made me snort food up my nose, before she started recycling too much.

[Chrono]

Neil Gaiman's stuff really got me started reading. Anybody who can do that is definitely one of my favorite writers. The movie made start reading Lord of the Rings and now that I'm nearly done, I'd say that Tolkien was a pretty good writer. His use of the language is what really impresses me. The Chicken Soup for the Soul series are great. There's pretty much a book out there for everyone. Other than that I really just read stuff that interests me at the time, just refer to my Japanese Literature thread.

Jon

[Kolschey]

Originally posted by Dex
My jaw dropped when I found out Asimov died of AIDS.

This is news to me. I knew that he had died, but not the cause. Is there a specific link that mentions this?

[yoswi]

Terry Brooks
Frank Herbert
Tolkien
Takashi Matsuoka
Brian Herbert & Kevin J.Anderson
Marcus Wynne
Matthew Reilly
Andy McNab
Clive Barker
Clive Cussler

[yoswi]

Sumimasen, forgot my name

[TommyK]

Greetings,

In no particular order:

Harry Turtledove
Stephen King
Neil Gaiman
Robert W. Smith
Donn Draeger
S.M.M. Sterling
Marc Bloch
William Gibson
Ken Follet
W.E.B. Griffin
Joseph R. Svinth
J.R.R. Tolkien
Dean Koontz
Terry Brooks
Raymond E. Feist
Terry Goodkind
Harry Cook
Dickie Bowen

Doing a lot of reading in this cold, icy and windy city. All I do is go to work, train, read and spend time with the family, this winter.

Regards,
TommyK

[Tripitaka of AA]

Thomas Harris (after "Silence of the Lambs", I had to read all his others. Sadly, none of them come close to this excellent book).
John Steinbeck (there are only one or two that I haven't read yet. Probably my favourite author. "Of Mice and Men", "Grapes of Wrath", "East of Eden", in case you were trying to remember his most famous work).
Stephen King, quite simply a prolific writer who manages to find something new in almost every book. Not overly impressed by the writing style, the Movie versions are often equal or superior to the books.
Mario Puzo, the "Godfather" is a great read.
Jackie Chan, "My Life in Action", although a straightforward ghost-written autobiography, is still a fascinating read. The life of a struggling entertainer/stunt-man/movie-star is compelling. Starting from an impossibly young age, sold into a Peking Opera School at 5, through the stuntwork in Hong Kong, the creation of hs own cinematic style, Asian superstardom, then finally recognition by World markets.
Ben Elton, known in UK for his Stand Up routines, founder member of the "Comic Strip" alternative comedy of the 1980s. His recent conversion to successful novellist has added yet another string to his bow. He co-wrote TV sit-com classics like "The Young Ones", "Blackadder", "Thin Blue Line". The book "Popcorn" is essential reading for anyone who watched the movies "Pulp Fiction", "Resevoir Dogs" and particularly "Natural Born Killers".
Hunter Thompson, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", "The Hunting of Lono", "Hells Angels".
Ken Kesey, "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest".
J.D. Salinger, "Catcher in the Rye".
Jack Kerouac, "On the Road".
Harper Lee, "To Kill a Mocking Bird".
Checkov, Shakespeare, Dostoevski, Asimov.

[ulvulv]

Originally posted by joe yang
I like Burke, Vacchs, and Hiassen. Elmore Leonard is good in that mix, and the first couple Janet Evanovich stories made me snort food up my nose, before she started recycling too much.

Elmore leonard is of course unavoidable, but he has written such a bulk of literature. I enjoyed "pagan babies". Any reccomendations on his other books?

[ulvulv]

Originally posted by Tripitaka of AA

[b]Mario Puzo, [i]the "Godfather" is a great read

"fools die"
His best!

[Dex]

Originally posted by Kolschey
This is news to me. I knew that he had died, but not the cause. Is there a specific link that mentions this?

Anyplace on google, mate.


Authors:

Terry Pratchett
Chris Brookmyre (a must for all Scots)
Shakespeare

[larsen_huw]

David Harcastle;
David Vizzard;
Des Hammill.

Not exactly good bedtime reading stuff, but very infromative.

[Mike Williams]

Fave writers (defined as authors from whom I own more than one book, and whose books I keep):

William Kennedy
Henry Roth
Charles Bukowski
Cormac McCarthy
Gene Wolfe
Graham Greene
John Steinbeck
George Orwell
William Gibson
Sebastian Faulks
Peter Ackroyd
Hunter Thompson
Pauline Reage...

Cheers,

Mike

[glad2bhere]

Dear Dave:

If you liked Keseys' "One Flew Over the Cookoos' Nest" you need to try "Sometimes a Great Notion". I think it was also made into a movie with Paul Newman as the lead. Also: Tom Wolfes' "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" and "Mao-Mao-ing the Flak-Catcher" are don't-miss-s.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Tripitaka of AA]

My mate was reading "Sometimes a Great Notion", and he was going to lend it to me when he finished it. That was in 1981....

"Kool-Aid Acid Test" by Tom Wolfe is the book that connects up Kesey and Kerouac and Hunter Thompson. They link to William S. Burroughs too... it gets complicated ;). I read them all when I was an idealistic teenager willing to believe that drugs and alcohol could make you cool, talented and inspired.

Now I just hope for warm, fed and occasionally entertained.

[elder999]

Originally posted by Dex
My jaw dropped when I found out Asimov died of AIDS.

The biography of science fiction author Isaac Asimov - - written by his wife Janet -- reveals that Asimov died of AIDS. At the time of his death in 1992, the cause was given as heart and kidney failure.

Asimov apparently contracted the disease during open heart surgery in 1992. It is odd that Asimov and then his wife kept that fact secret for so long, especially given Asimov's humanist views. Certainly keeping his disease a secret was his right and his business, but it seems very incongruous with his other views.


Faves:

Stephen King
Elmore Leonard
Earl Thompson (Only four novels, but WOW-Try A Garden Of Sand )
Andrew Vacchs!
Lots more, but I hardly have time to read for pleasure anymore....

[william northcote]

Originally posted by elder999
The biography of science fiction author Isaac Asimov - - written by his wife Janet -- reveals that Asimov died of AIDS. At the time of his death in 1992, the cause was given as heart and kidney failure.

Asimov apparently contracted the disease during open heart surgery in 1992. It is odd that Asimov and then his wife kept that fact secret for so long, especially given Asimov's humanist views. Certainly keeping his disease a secret was his right and his business, but it seems very incongruous with his other views.


It is no wonder that he finished the foundation series before he died. Some of his short stories are a great read, One was to do with nuclear capability in the form of a galactic watchdog. 1 page of writing, but so true in context.

Mine are:

Stephen King, the early stories are great: Carrie, Salems Lot...
James Herbert, Read the book 48 and The ghosts of Sleath sa well as the Rats trilogy.
Robert Rankin, Strange humour, maybe liked or disliked.
H.G. Wells, need I say more: War of the Worlds is the best SF book ever.
Richard Laymon and Dean Koontz are also in there, but not widlely read.
Hiroaki Samura, not a novel writer, more of a Dark Horse/manga comic. Blade of the immortal is a good 18th century Samurai non dying hero.

Just some of my fave sit down and read for a while authors/writers.

[Shitoryu Dude]

Raymond Feist
David Drake
Larry Niven
Jerry Pournelle
Alan Dean Foster
Robert Heinlein
Clarke
Steven King

Far too many others to list really...

[Shimura]

Hiroaki Samura and his "Blade of the Immortal". I have the first of the series and really enjoyed it, though I have yet to read the others. You know the thing with Manga, instead of having one all encompassing graphic novel they go by that continuing running serial method. So many books in one series, how does one find time to read them all? Oh and I forgot to add in my last post the authors Yoshikawa, who wrote "Taiko" and "Musashi", and James Clavell. The book "Shogun" (like most books) was far better than the mini series.

[ulvulv]

there is one that nobody has mentioned, that i was sure was going to pop up. That is good, because I think he sucks big time. haha
Erik Lustbader
:karatekid

some other of my favourites

"catch 22" by J. Heller
"Filth" Irvine Welsh.
All the "Easy Rawlins" novels by Walter Mosley

The two books that has made the most lasting impression on me: "grapes of wrath" by Steinbeck(cheers mr noble)

and "heart of darkness" by joseph conrad

[william northcote]

Originally posted by Shimura
Hiroaki Samura and his "Blade of the Immortal". I have the first of the series and really enjoyed it, though I have yet to read the others. You know the thing with Manga, instead of having one all encompassing graphic novel they go by that continuing running serial method. So many books in one series, how does one find time to read them all? Oh and I forgot to add in my last post the authors Yoshikawa, who wrote "Taiko" and "Musashi", and James Clavell. The book "Shogun" (like most books) was far better than the mini series.

I had the first graphic comic of Samura's The full 40 pages. Then it was spring clean and it was given away to a charity shop. :cry:

[Joseph Svinth]

Some influences, at various times, in roughly chronological format.

* The editors of the Revised Standard Version. Ignore the theology, and read the Bible as literature.
* Homer. The Illiad and the Odyssey should be read by everyone, preferably sooner rather than later.
* Robert Service. A bunch of the boys were whooping it up at the Malamute Saloon.
* Earl Stanley Gardner, writing as A.A. Fair. E.g., Donald Lam and Bertha Cool, rather than Perry Mason.
* Ben Bova. Not as a writer, but as an anthology editor.
* Robert Heinlein. Especially the Lazarus Long books.
* Dashiell Hammett. The Continental Op, and of course the blonde Satan, Sam Spade.
* Louis L'Amour. Any of 'em -- they're all basically the same book.
* John D. MacDonald. Any of the Travis McGee books; as with L'Amour, they're all basically the same book.
* Glendon Swarthout. All of them -- none of these are ever the same book. The best known is probably The Shootist, which was filmed as John Wayne's last movie.
* Murphy and Sapir. Early Destroyer series -- these guys do some great one-paragraph character sketches. Think that's easy? If so, then why doesn't everybody do it?
* Christopher McKee. His biography of Commodore Edward Preble represents history the way it is supposed to be written.
* Snorri Sturluson. Especially Egil's Saga, as translated by Magnuson and Palsson.
* Rudyard Kipling. Any of the major texts.
* Guenther Grass. The Tin Drum -- "Es war einmal ein Trommler" begins one of the best passages in literature.
* Trevanian. Clint Eastwood was not a good Jonathan Hemlock.
* The editors of Marine Corps Gazette.
* Ralph Wiley. Serenity is the book Joyce Carol Oates would have written if she knew anything about boxing.
* Robert W. Smith. Work involved in the pre-production of Martial Musings.
* Bill Hosokawa. Especially his really, really early stuff, as in Japanese-American Courier -- this is community sportswriting at its best.

[Bod]

All of Milan Kundera
Most of Conrad, esp. Heart of Darkness. Not 'Victory'.
Gogol - Dead Souls
Tolstoy - War and Peace, I havent read Anna Karenina
Turgenev - Fathers and Sons
Marquez? - One Hundred Years of Solitude
Cervantes - Don Quixote

I read DBC Pierre's 'Vernon God Little' last week and it was excellent.

[captnigh]

Mark Twain
John Steinbeck
Kurt Vonnegut
T.C. Boyle

Any Boyle fans out there?

[william northcote]

Originally posted by captnigh

...Any Boyle fans out there?

Rather lance them myself

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[aemon_]

Robert Jordan
Tolkien
David Eddings
Robin Hobb

later

[don]

William Bodiford
Karl Friday
Peter Goldsbury
Ellis Amdur
Stanley Pranin

Friedrich Nietzsche
Lao Tzu

Stephen Jay Gould
James Gleick
Stanley Crouch
Peter Drucker
James Fallows
David Hackworth
Bill Maxwell
Maureen Dowd
PJ O'Rourke

Mark Twain
Kurt Vonnegut
Somerset Maugham
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
John D. McDonald

Dave Barry
Gary Trudeau
Berkeley Breathed
Gary Larsen

John Donne
Lord Byron
e.e. cummings


...I know I've left someone out...

[Budoka 34]

Just the short list:

Sci Fi:
Joe Haldeman
Robert Heinlein
Ray Bradbury
Philip K. Dick

MilTech:
Harry Coyle
Tom Clancy

Martial Arts:
Ellis Amdur
Harry Cook
George Anderson
Patrick McCarthy
Milorad Stricevic
David Lowry
Vince Morris
Mas Oyama
Robert Smith
William Dometrich
Nakayama
Troy Price
etc. etc.

Wow, I really need to read more.;)

:smilejapa