Grade the last book you read.

[mixed]

I'd like to read that one, I like the idea of King doing short stories. Have you read everythings eventual, another King short story book which I'd love to read at some stage, the stories sound very cool and it is generally considered as Kings best collection of short stories.

[criterionmaster]

Of Mice and Men - 10/10

The best book I have ever read (I don't read to many though). I just loved everything about it especially the relationship between Lennie and George. The end was so sad.

Are either of the films based on this any good?

[PTAhole]

I've only seen the one with Malkovich in it, but that was nearly ten years ago. So, I couldn't tell you. Great book, though. Read Grapes of Wrath NOW!!!

[agentknight]

I'd like to read that one, I like the idea of King doing short stories. Have you read everythings eventual, another King short story book which I'd love to read at some stage, the stories sound very cool and it is generally considered as Kings best collection of short stories.

No, I have only read The Dead Zone (excellent), The Shining (also brilliant), The Stand (unbearably long) and Night Shift. I am currently reading Firestarter, and I'm not really digging it to be honest.

[kiddo]

I finished Sult (translated into english: starvation) a couple of weeks ago. Fantastic stuff! I really recommend it to all of you. The book deals with the main characters thoughts and feelings, told by himself, as a poor man in Oslo (At the time the book was written, called Kristiania. To this day the capital city of Norway) It isn`t much of a story really`, it`s more of a journey into the psych of a man - if mood is very changing. I think it is my favorite novel now. Read this!

[dontdigonswine]

Fahrenheit 451... Pretty much amazing... Is the movie as good, though? I know it's directed by Truffaut...

[criterionmaster]

His worst I have seen. But I saw it so long ago. His worst is still a 7 though, it's worth checking out.

[PTAhole]

Yeah, definately a rental. But nowhere close to the brilliance of the book.

[PTAhole]

I forgot to post this last week:

Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
Yes, I read Star Wars books. Anyway, this is good if you like Star Wars, Has some great moments with Vader. I dig it a lot. I rip through these things.

[agentknight]

Desperation - Stephen King

An epic, apocalyptic novel set in a small desert town called "Desperation" that has a riveting first half but a dissapointing and rather dull conclusion. What was a great, tense thriller suddenly became a shitty, muddled ancient-magic-creates-unstoppable-monster that loses track of the characters. Towards the end I just wished it would end, and if they sloppy writing is any indication, so did King.

6/10

[captainofbeef]

agentknight said:

Desperation - Stephen King

An epic, apocalyptic novel set in a small desert town called "Desperation" that has a riveting first half but a dissapointing and rather dull conclusion. What was a great, tense thriller suddenly became a shitty, muddled ancient-magic-creates-unstoppable-monster that loses track of the characters. Towards the end I just wished it would end, and if they sloppy writing is any indication, so did King.

6/10

The Regulators was ten times better than Desperation. If you know any of the backround, he wrote two books, Desperation as King and the Regulators as alter ego Richard Bachman, using the same characters and same villain. But in different situations. The Regulators is about 300 pages shorter and much more interesting. I highly recommend it.

[misterbalco]

andruini said:

Wow you guys are flying through those King books.
I can't say I'm a fan myself, though...
It's like the show of ultimate truth once showed. We saw King with his publisher, and the publisher asked "Okay for your 314th book, what's your idea." King thinks for a while, sees the lamp on the desk and picks it up and says "A lamp monster attacks a little town! Ooooooooooohhhh." The publisher stays expresionless. "You're not even trying anymore, are you?" King continues doing his monster noises and the publisher gives up and asks when he can have it.
He just needs to stop churning out bad books and concentrate on writing solid masterpieces. Cause I think he could.

GREAT REFFERENCE! I agree tho, Stephen King makes too many books.

[agentknight]

I'll check for the regulators next time I'm at the library.

It was also funny when Stewie accidentally ran over a guy and asked him if he's Stephen King. He responds: "no, I'm Dean Koontz," then Stewie immediately reverses back over him

[captainofbeef]

Needful Things
9.5/10
Finally! It took me about 5 months but I finally got it done. I am not that slow of a reader don't worry. I just didn't seem to be able to find the time to read. Well, now with football nearly done, I am finding myself bored. So, I picked up the book and began to read again. I chomped the last 300 pages in just two days like I usually do with books. The development and ending are both superb. And while the book may have taken a little to long to get going, it all worked out in the end. Not one of King's best. But most definitly worth it.

[mixed]

captainofbeef said:

Needful Things
9.5/10
Finally! It took me about 5 months but I finally got it done. I am not that slow of a reader don't worry. I just didn't seem to be able to find the time to read. Well, now with football nearly done, I am finding myself bored. So, I picked up the book and began to read again. I chomped the last 300 pages in just two days like I usually do with books. The development and ending are both superb. And while the book may have taken a little to long to get going, it all worked out in the end. Not one of King's best. But most definitly worth it.

Dude! You say its not one of Kings best but still give it 9.5/10

Do you think the stand is his best?

But yeah, needfullt hings is excellent, I loved the characters and the level of violence and stuff.

[captainofbeef]

mixed said:

Dude! You say its not one of Kings best but still give it 9.5/10

Do you think the stand is his best?

But yeah, needfullt hings is excellent, I loved the characters and the level of violence and stuff.

The best King books are 10 out of 10's.

[mixed]

Fair enough

[PTAhole]

Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the '90's by Jim Derogatis- 8/10
This dude's a good writer, but I disagree with him on a few bands (Rage, U2, early Pumpkins) Really entertaining stuff, though.

[PTAhole]

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
10/10
I will probably be writing a review of this on my blog, so I'll keep my thoughts brief: Possibly the best science fiction book I've ever read.

[ie]

Ender's Game is even better a science fiction novel than Pulp Fiction? ...the novel?


I finished Sandman: The Dream Hunters about two weeks after realizing how easy it would be to pick up. I finished most of it in one day, and I must say that I really enjoyed it. I'm not too well versed in the comic book/graphic novel realm, and I haven't really been doing a lot of reading myself, but I was quite impressed.

Yoshitaka Amano's amazing artwork aside, even. Neil Gaiman is shaping out to be a pretty damn good writer.

So, I'll give it a 10/10. I mean, right after I finished it, I bought it, so that's saying something. Even if I haven't touched it since it arrived in the mail.

[mixed]

A killing night - Jonothan King
This guy has great narrative versatility and the characters he creates are very endearing and have a good depth to them. Its a very easy read and I liken the style to James Patterson with better structure yet similar form. The sidestory didn't matter and maybe the story was a little slow and unoriginal but still the talent King clearly has as an author made this hard to dismiss.
7/10

[agentknight]

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk - 6/10

The guy is undeniably talented and this is a very readable, sometimes clever, often endearing and often funny little novel, but it lacks depth. Palahniuk seems too concerned with creating his own little amusingly bleak world that satirises the things he doesn't like in such an unsubtle fashion that he stop caring about the characters and what there is of the narrative, making the book seem very shallow and lacking. I think Palahniuk has the ability to write amazing things, and if this book is any indication he is unsure of how to use this ability in a bigger, novel-sized context.

NEXT: Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh (which, judging from what I've read thus far, will be a 10/10)

[The Anti-Snob]

"Abbra Kadabra, you evil fuck!" -Needful Things

[mixed]

Breakfast at Tiffanies. Wonderful, very funny and touching, Capote fits a huge wealth of depth and story into just 100 pages.
9/10

[wkw]

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. 10/10
100 tales of love, lust, and wit told in this black comedy.
Sure it's dirty book, but it's a very entertaining dirty book.
I need to check out the Pier Paolo Pasolini's movie adaption.

[sacrilegend]

The Famished Road by Ben Okri.

Amazing. Ungradable.

"There are some riddles even the dead can't answer..."

[criterionmaster]

wkw said:

I need to check out the Pier Paolo Pasolini's movie adaption.

As do I, then I will read the book after since you liked it so much. I have been wanting to see the film for a long time now, I love Pasolini. Also have been wanting to read the book Salo is based on. Have you seen any Pasolini films?

[wkw]

no I haven't, any recommendations?

[criterionmaster]

Definitely Gospel According to Saint Matthew first, although it may be hard to find. It is his best film and one of my favorites ever made. Then I would say go with Mamma Roma since that would seem to be his most accessible film. Then go with Salo, which hopefully will fuck with you and blow you away at the same time. Lastly, Teorema, while it was good it wasn't up to Pasolini standards, and it is basically a poem and very hard to decipher what it happening so I wouldn't recommend that be your first Pasolini. I still have a bunch of films I need to see from him, maybe I will watch Accattone today...

Also, if you want, go to the Criterion section of the forum and under the first 100 spines go to Salo's thread. There I posted a link to a bunch of books and poems either by Pasolini or somehow having to do with his films.

[Nomansvally]

Laterna Magica by Ingmar Bergman - a 10/10. Honest, rich in stories and details about film making and living a life. Incredible book in much of the same style as Luis Buñuel's My Last Sigh which I think is better.