Unofficial Tex Murphy

Since I don't have a cheeseburger goulash recipe, I thought I'd throw out a question to the crowd, see what happens.

I wondered if there was a certain book or two that each one of us read that just made you go WOW!
Not necessarily your favorite book, but one that just kind of shook you up? And maybe the reason why.
As I've brought it up, here goes. (Not in any particular order)

1) Perfume by Patrick Suskind. That book knocked me on my fanny. The premise and shift from a visual/tactile world to an olfactory one just amazed me. Haven't picked it up in many years, but I heard that they might make a movie out of it, which of course will butcher it. But it might revive the story. It deserves one.

2) Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Read in 5th grade, the first book I remember making my heart pound. After I finished it, I was actually out of breath. Literature stuffy? Not this one.

3) One hundred years of solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Not so much that the story was riveting (as I found it hard to follow) but the imagery and mysticism was something I'd never encountered in a book before. A culture so different from anything I'd ever thought existed.

4) Harlan Ellison- I have no mouth I must scream. That was my introduction to one of the most amazing writers I've ever come across. He defies catagorization, and writes in a manner that just knocks the wind out of my sails. It hard, brutally honest, and intelligent. He's got a gift with dialogue and a biting wit. From stories about Kitty Genovese to petty thieves, teenage hoods and madmen in the future, he was way ahead of his time in his heyday, and still is.

Look forward to others responses.

Jen

I've brought it up once or twice before in passing, I think, but when I was a lonely, confused Freshman in college, I read Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Most people view that novel (and Douglas' other works) as nothing more than clever satire, but the Hitchhiker's series will forever have a high, honored place in my mind, as it opened me up to the idea that if I thought things were crazy and non-sensical here, the rest of Life, the Universe, and Everything was infinitely more bizarre and confusing. I thought the recent movie version was a great interpretation, very much in the spirit of Douglas' work.

I also remember reading Michael Chrichton's "Jurassic Park" for the first time in middle school. I ordered it out of the periodic Scholastic BookFair catalogs we used to get, which were loose-leaf, cheaply-printed, newsprint flyers full of books and other items we could buy, which would then be delivered to the school a few weeks later. (Does anyone else remember these things? They were a big deal when I was in school! ) The story was so amazing, I didn't even realize I was being taught higher mathematical science (specifically chaos theory) at the same time! To this day, Crichton is one of my favorites ("Timeline" was equally awesome, even if the subsequent movie wasn't).

Hmm...books that will forever have meaning to me? Here's two!

A Scanner Darkly by Phillip K. Dick. A drug story about a undercover narcotics agent named Bob Arcter who is reffered to by his superiors as Fred. Fred is assigned to watch the drug dealer named Bob Arcter. Very cool stuff.

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. A World War II novel all about character development, from Yossarian the Assyrian, to Major Major Major. Jumps around in time more often then a Quinten Tarentino flick. Awesome stuff.

James, Jurassic Park, that was amazing. I was working at Crown Books when it came out, shoving the book at anyone who made eye contact with me. Most people thought I was whacked. I agree, what a story!

Jen
Ps looking forward to relaunch! Thanks for the newsbreak!

In high school, i found "To Kill a Mockingbird" to be quite an amazing read.

Lately though, i dunno. I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, and while the books are enjoyable, none of them have what i would call a lasting effect.

I did enjoy "Angels and Demons". Thought it was a lot better than "The Davinci Code".

I think i just don't branch out my reading enough :/

Definitely the last Harry Potter, after much thinking over, really surprised at me at the direction it took, despite the fact we knew it had to go there. I was really impressed with a lot of the misdirection Rowling used to keep some answers from the obvious, which they ultimately ended up being.

~Keck

I have a problem with Dan Brown. While the research he puts into his books is rather interesting (I've only read Angels and Davinci), the actual storylines were both very lacking, casual conversation between characters is dry and poorly written, flashback scenes to classroom encounters and talks with relatives seem extremely forced...and well, the list goes on.

My biggest problem with Dan Brown is how he sometimes ends chapters with things like this:

He watched her carefully open the envelope with the ornate letter opener. He had no idea he would use the blade to kill later that night.

Cut to next chapter! Buah hah hah hah hah!

1. The Bible is one of the most fascinating reads in my life and not for the usual "pius" reasons. It is a remarkable book.

2. LOTR trilogy - just finished it for the fourth time in two years. What more is there to say?

3. The Other Side of Midnight by Sydney Sheldon. Incredible story line, fast paced, shocking ending. He's one of my favorite writers.

4. Airframe by Michael Crichton. Unbelievable story! He's at the top of my list of fav writers.

5. The Da Vinci Code - truly a code breaking, earth-shattering, mind blowing experience.

6. Sexus, Nexus and Plexus by Henry Miller. Read them many years ago and have NO desire to read them again (wouldn't have them in my house!). However, stories of his life amidst his sexual fantasies proved to be most illuminating at the time. Careful with these three! Rated X for good reason.

Youm ean you can read books that AREN'T online?



Anyway, I am not much of a reader, but you will only be able to pry a good book out my my cold dead hands. The titles that have been responsible for keeping my busy and entertained are anything by Edgar Allan Poe... The UAKM and Pandora novels (what more is there to say), the LOTR trilogy (which I am currently doing ATM, albeit, starting with 'The Hobbit'), and a few others.

-Cub. =o)

This is a tough one........


Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy has to be very very high for me


Vortex and Red Phoenix by Larry Bond


The bible is also a very deep work with so many levels in it that its hard to grasp.

It took me three tries to finish Fellowship of the Ring. The first time I got up to the Counsel, and stopped. The second time, well, I don't remember much of the second time. The third time met with success.

Why three times? Because I was so damned bored! I definitely thank Peter Jackson for cutting Tom Bombadil from the storyline.

Tom Bombadill is my favorite LOTR charachter. However, Jackson was right in keeping him and a LOT of other stuff out of the movies.

Of course, as Jim pointed out, there's always the Bible. But not counting that, one of the most amazing books I have read is The Histories, by Herodotus. It spans the history from Ancient Egypt, through the Persian Wars, the rise of Alexander, and an incredible glimpse into the bizzare cultures and civilizations of long ago.

Another really amazing book is A Midsummer Tempest by Poul Anderson. This is a story about alternate worlds and one particular world in which every word written by Shakespeare is literally true. Also, where Prince Rupert of the Rhine could fight for Charles I and escape the Puritans on a railroad 200 years before its time. It's a clever mixture of real history, Shakespearean fantasy, and science fiction all tied together in a neat and consistent package.

Jen -
You mentioned Harlan Ellison. Several of his short stories have been made into TwilightZone of TwilightZone-like episodes on TV. But one of my favorites was made into a movie around 20 years ago called A Boy and His Dog. It starred a very young Don Johnson. It's kind of kinky, but really amazing. Available on DVD. Check it out.

Sexus, Nexus and Plexus by Henry Miller

Hmm... I've got some searching to do!
Actually I've got a pile of Carl Hiassen to read. My Mom loves him (figuratively of course), met him and had drinks and long conversation with him (many years ago). Finally going to go for it.

jen