Vacation Book Reading: What did you read?

[Bkeela]

I recently finished Ender's Game - largely because of recommendations here. I thought it was brilliant.

At the moment I'm reading Wilbur Smith's Triumph of the Sun. Sadly, all Wilbur Smith's characters are cardboard cutouts: the tough hero, the sexy heroine, the loyal servant, the dastardly villian, the seductive vixen, etc. If you change the names of the characters, they are identical to previous novels. You don't read Wilbur Smith for great literature though. It is the equivalent of a good popcorn movie. I just wish he would try to write a more important work. Even Stephen King has written a few gems that transcend the pulp fiction style he employs.

[Richelieu]

Originally posted by Bkeela
At the moment I'm reading Wilbur Smith's Triumph of the Sun. ... I just wish he would try to write a more important work.

Have you read The Sunbird? It's old stuff but it's still my favorite Wilbur Smith book. The Diamond hunters isn't that bad also.
But don't go looking for more character development in these either...

[OzzyKP]

This summer I read:

'poly 4/10

[Bkeela]

Originally posted by Richelieu


Have you read The Sunbird? It's old stuff but it's still my favorite Wilbur Smith book. The Diamond hunters isn't that bad also.
But don't go looking for more character development in these either...

Yes. I've read everything except Warlock and Blue Horizon.

[Sava]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


Okie doke!

yeah, I've read that Molly Ivins book... great

[MarkG]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
You gave Digital Fortress a 6/10? I'd give it a 4/10. Mildly entertaining.

well i keep telling myself that it wasnt that bad

[chequita guevara]

My aunt really liked it, then questioned me as to it's possible reality. When the security was about to come crashing down I kept thinking to myself, why don't they just turn it off? If push comes to shove, you can always pull the power cord.

[MarkG]

Originally posted by General Ludd
Making marks - discovering the ceramic surface by Robin Hopper, which was invaluable. 10/10

a book about pottery?!?

[chequita guevara]

He's learning to become a potter, a hairy potter.

[MarkG]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
My aunt really liked it, then questioned me as to it's possible reality. When the security was about to come crashing down I kept thinking to myself, why don't they just turn it off? If push comes to shove, you can always pull the power cord.

brown explained that by saying that the entire daily operation of all goverment and army running the world was depending on that database and the US cant stop controlling the world not for even a single minute

most idiotic hi-tech feature mentioned in the book: screenlock

With a few quick keystrokes, she pulled up a program called ScreenLock. It was a privacy utility. Every terminal in Node 3 was equipped with it. Because the terminals stayed on around the clock, ScreenLock enabled cryptographers to leave their stations and know that nobody would tamper with their files. Susan entered her five-character privacy code, and her screen went black. It would remain that way until she returned and typed the proper sequence.

deep inside me i knew it was risky to get a computer-related novel but i was out of books, and the local shop at the village i was staying didnt have much. lesson of the day: always carry an extra book (or two) on your vacation

[MarkG]

Originally posted by Flubber
Somewhat true-- I have not been away from work for more than 3 days in about 15 months. But then again, 15 months ago I had a month long break but I hardly count unemployment as restful

find yourself a better country

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by MarkG
brown explained that by saying that the entire daily operation of all goverment and army running the world was depending on that database and the US cant stop controlling the world not for even a single minute

Yeah, that's crap. A security breach of that magnitude would require a shut down.

[ixnay]

I'm midway through my early birthday present:

Harry Turtledove - Settling Accounts: Drive to the East

[Jon Miller]

I have started reading A Fable by faulkner

it is tougher going then I Remember faulker being, probably because I haven't read aynthing that hard in a while

JM

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
I have started reading A Fable by faulkner

it is tougher going then I Remember faulker being, probably because I haven't read aynthing that hard in a while

JM

What's interesting about Faulkner is how much the difficulty of his own writing varies. The Sound and The Fury and Absalom Absalom can be real slogs (though they are in fact two of my favorite books by any author), whereas Sanctuary and Intruder in the Dust are just ordinarily literary, and The Unvanquished is a positively breezy read, as is The Reivers. The guy could really mix it up.