What is your favourite "random" book?

Swan Song by Robert McCammon. It's the only book I couldn't put down until I was finished reading it.

a reply to: Atsbhct

Well, if you see one with suspicious stains, don't touch it. Also, if it smells funny.

a reply to: Bone75

That is one awesome book. Sings the Nightbird is another.

The Conference of the Birds by Farid ad-Din Attar.

Someone I knew had lent it to me, I was never one for poetry, especially of the mystical kind. Although, as I had once 'randomly' decided to just read it, I was quite taken aback by it, and it has since become the book I usually read when I need to take a break from perusing the more exhaustingly complex books.

I normally read science or gardening non-fiction so my favourite random books would be the fiction that sticks in my memory... oddly all about Africa, despite the fact I've never had any interest in the continent (except Egypt)

When I was a child if found a book in the school library give-away box called The Last Pharaoh by John Latimer. Its a fabulous adventure into the heart of Africa where the characters find a lost Egyptian civilization and get taken as slaves. I couldn't wait til my kids were old enough for me to read it to them but to my shock there was lots of stuff I had to censor out, mostly racist. I love the writing style though.

Then I read A Bend In The River by VS Naipal. Its now my favourite novel but I don't know why. Its very dark, and pointless. Full of people with drive getting run over by life. Again beautifully written. Before writing this post I couldn't remember the author and went on wiki and, lo and behold, it gets listed as somewhat derivative of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness which was going to be my third "random" pick.

Oh and how could I forget, No Fixed Address by Aritha van Herk...this book was recommended to me by a creative writing prof as an example of then current ('86) Canadian writing and he said that if I really wanted to write I needed to match the calibre of this book. It changed my life as I realized I, at 18, had nothing to say about life so I partied til I failed, took out another student loan and went on a mission to live life to the fullest until I had a story.

Anyhow, an amazingly wonderful story that annoyed my ex so much that my copy disappeared! Was something about the sensual touch of old men's wool pants.

a reply to: igloo

Hahahaha! Old men are pretty sensual. So much experience. Their pants are only an extension.

If you like African settings, one very popular book I really enjoyed was The Poisonwood Bible. If you haven't read it, it's a story about a ministers family, all sisters, trying to find their place in their new African culture after being sent their on a mission. Religion isn't my thing, but this book was all about the sisters' journey.

originally posted by: greencmp
a reply to: Atsbhct

After reading Jim Butcher's Dresden Files I checked out another series he did called The Furies of Calderon which is actually very good. He isn't exactly a small time writer but, I can see why he is so popular.

I misread that as 'The Furries of Calderon' at first. Thought to myself "Well, then... ok. Wow."

I have nothing else to contribute to this thead.

a reply to: Aldakoopa

That would have been even more random!



It really is a good series, I am glad that I decided to give it a shot.

Most of the titles I see are here are awesome books. But like someone else mentioned, as an English degree person, I have pretty broad tastes.

I guess then it's my shame to have to bring the level of the thread down by admitting that my random book, more like random author, is Barbara Cartland. All her stupid, formulaic period romances. Why? I know where each one is going. I know the plot, and I can absolutely pick whichever one up and finish it about 3 or 4 hours, guaranteed.

So Barabara Cartland, when I absolutely, positively have to fill an afternoon with something light and frothy that won't make me think beyond the simple, basic enjoyment of reading the printed word.

a reply to: ketsuko


Hahaha. There's no pretence to this thread. Every book counts. I'll admit that I fell in love with one random romance novel that my aunt kept at her lake cottage called "The Ready Made Family". It was so ridiculous; the premise being that a man falls in love with a woman in a coma......then she falls in love with him and becomes his kids step mother. That's pretty much it. Regardless, it was one of those 2 hour reads, which is the exact amount of alone time one has during a weekend at the lake.

a reply to: Atsbhct

The Gismo from Outer Space

a reply to: Atsbhct

Harry Potter
I am a geek
oh and these book about horror /magic whatever real stuff
quick story:
a man cheats on a woman she jumps out of the window to kill herself
and lands on her husband coming back from work killing him saving herself

a reply to: Layaly

I almost listed Harry Potter as I had no intention of reading it, but I was working as a middle grades teacher when I read it. It was part of classroom library, and I read all the books in it so that I'd know when to call BS on anything my students wrote in their book reviews and reports. So it was work-related and not random ...

a reply to: Bone75

Usually I'm the guy lending books so when this came across my desk I said yeah, whatever, as I usually get loaned stinkers. All the years later and I still remember radioactive rat stew. That was a gnarly book.

A copy of Slaughterhouse Five was sitting around my house for a while and eventually picked it up. I immediately enjoyed the humor as well as its serious themes of the nature of war. I was pleasantly surprised.

I often like to browse the local library and pick up something random, unless I have a specific book I've heard about that I want to check out. As far as non-fiction goes, I found a random book called "How it Ends: From you to the universe" that really put things into perspective. Describes how life on Earth will eventually cease, and goes on further from the Earth to the Sun until the edge of what we know(or think we know) in the Universe. Very interesting and insightful read. Highly recommend it.

I love the Tripod Series by John Christopher. Young adult novels I first discovered in the school library back in the day. Inspired by War of the Worlds, but much better imho. They are more fleshed out. Three short novels and a prequel. There was also a BBC series but I can't recommend it. It sucks hardcore. Disney owns the rights to the IP now, apparently. They were supposedly working on a series, or movie a few years back. Obviously that never came to fruition.

So here's the gist...

An alien race, unable to take over Earth using the traditional methods of conquest set out to propagate love for "the Masters" via subliminal messages beamed into Earth broadcasting networks. It starts out in children's television and branches out from there. After a sufficient number of humans worldwide have been brainwashed to love the Masters, the Tripods reveal themselves and start landing in various places across the globe.

Of course, not everybody is on board with this. And a rift between those that love the Masters, and those that don't occurs. Those that know the Tripods and their mysterious occupants are no good, are outnumbered. Eventually man is conquered. Humanity is controlled by the Masters and set back to a feudal like society.

But by now, the youth coming of age, are "capped". Basically on their thirteenth birthday they are taken into a Tripod and a mind control device is implanted onto their head that beams stuff into their brain keeping them under control.

I won't go into any more. But the story follows a group of uncapped as they struggle to learn more about who the Masters are, what they want, and most importantly, how to defeat them!



Books in this series:

The White Mountains
The City of Gold and Lead
The Pool of Fire
When the Tripods Came (Prequel)

Enjoy!

Oh, and it doesn't matter if you read the prequel first or last.

Personally I think it goes well to start with it!

a reply to: WakeUpBeer

Tres Cool... the BBC series was abysmal, but now i'm probs gonna seek out the books to read with my lad, who is desperate for alien invasion stories!

Nice one

a reply to: WakeUpBeer

Maybe Disney has picked up on this idea and are responsible for the weird American advertisements that were "interrupted"?

Giving Tree.

If you don't know now you know.