Good Books??

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Medically oriented books? Or others?

For others, try anything Michael Palmer. "The Fifth Vial" just came out.
 
I'm particular fond of Jane Austen.

Is that what you're looking for 😉?
 
Hey, I have a bunch of textbooks I have to read over the next few weeks for the classes I'm teaching next semester. Pick one or three.
 
It would be helpful if you mentioned what kind of books you were looking for. Fiction/non, medically oriented or not.

Read the hitchiker's guide trilogy either way. Douglas Adams is genius.
 
George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. Novel loosely based on England's Roses conflict (Plantagenet, York, Lancaster, etc.) that also manages to incorporate the undead, magic/mysticism, and dragons. Plenty of beheadings, political assassinations, violence, gore, sex, and even some incest thrown into the mix. Obviously falls into the fantasy genre, but Martin shuns the archetypal (Frodo/Sauron) characters that have nearly suffocated it.

Soon to be turned into an HBO series. I bring this up every time I've been asked in interviews and always receive overwhelmingly positive responses (I emphasize the Roses part and neglect to mention the incest, fwiw). I'm also kind of a hick in many other respects and I think my taste in books surprises many.

Warning: If you enjoy the SF/F genres, this series will probably spoil everything else for you. Also, if you become attached to main characters, know that their life spans are inversely proportional to their tendency to "do the right thing." The characters you love from page 1 have by far the messiest deaths.
 
I'm currently reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Very hard to put it down to study for finals. 😳
 
East of Eden- Steinbeck
A Moveable Feast- Hemingway
Nichomachean Ethics- Aristotle (I had to read it for Ethics class and loved it!)
Better- Atul Gawande
Rum Diary- Hunter S. Thompson

All good books! Diverse list but each book is worth reading
 
Dodo23 said:
Aah! I knew you were a kindred spirit. Which is your favourite?
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Kindred Spirit, eh? Are you also a fan of Anne of Green Gables?

I can never decide between P+P and S+S, I also really like Persuasion. You?
 
DulyNoted said:
George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. Novel loosely based on England's Roses conflict (Plantagenet, York, Lancaster, etc.) that also manages to incorporate the undead, magic/mysticism, and dragons. Plenty of beheadings, political assassinations, violence, gore, sex, and even some incest thrown into the mix. Obviously falls into the fantasy genre, but Martin shuns the archetypal (Frodo/Sauron) characters that have nearly suffocated it.

Soon to be turned into an HBO series. I bring this up every time I've been asked in interviews and always receive overwhelmingly positive responses (I emphasize the Roses part and neglect to mention the incest, fwiw). I'm also kind of a hick in many other respects and I think my taste in books surprises many.

Warning: If you enjoy the SF/F genres, this series will probably spoil everything else for you. Also, if you become attached to main characters, know that their life spans are inversely proportional to their tendency to "do the right thing." The characters you love from page 1 have by far the messiest deaths.
Click to expand...
I should also say: don't start these books if you're in the middle of finals. Incredibly difficult to put down. They are extremely popular with Amazon customers.

Amazon.com: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1): Books: George R.R. Martin
Amazon.com: A Clash of Kings: Books: George R. R. Martin,John Howe
Amazon.com: A Storm of Swords (Martin, George R. R. Song of Ice and Fire, Bk. 3.): Kindle Store: George R.R. Martin
Amazon.com: A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire): Books: George R.R. Martin

This series is by far the best suggestion you're going to get from this thread. No bias, no exaggeration, no nothing. For time-killing entertainment, nothing compares. You could wait for the HBO series, but why?
 
nonesuchgirl said:
the killer angels
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I actually just read Killer Angels a few weeks ago for a class. It is a good book.

Sorry that I didn't specify it the original post. I am interested any and all books (if they are good) but I would prefer to read something medically oriented.
 
Black House or any of the gunslinger books by Stephen King
Theif of Always by Clive Barker
Timeline by Michael Crichton (believe me...the movie didn't give it justice)
 
Picklesali said:
Kindred Spirit, eh? Are you also a fan of Anne of Green Gables?

I can never decide between P+P and S+S, I also really like Persuasion. You?
Click to expand...
Yep, caught me out there. 🙂 AoGG was one of my childhood fav's.

P&P and S&S were both childhood and teenage fav's as well, but more recently they've been superseded by Persuasion, which is now my favourite. (That letter!)

Northanger Abbey has also been growing on me since I realized just how awesome Henry Tilney is. Unlike many of the more popular (brooding, tormented, misunderstood, etc.) romantic Austen heroes, he's got a terrific sense of humour and reminds me of nice, friendly guys I actually know and get along well with in real life.
 
Dodo23 said:
Yep, caught me out there. 🙂 AoGG was one of my childhood fav's.

P&P and S&S were both childhood and teenage fav's as well, but more recently they've been superseded by Persuasion, which is now my favourite. (That letter!)

Northanger Abbey has also been growing on me since I realized just how awesome Henry Tilney is. Unlike many of the more popular (brooding, tormented, misunderstood, etc.) romantic Austen heroes, he's got a terrific sense of humour and reminds me of nice, friendly guys I actually know and get along well with in real life.
Click to expand...

I've read them all, and I think after each one I thought "Ah, now this is my favorite"
I am a big fan of Henry Tilney as well!
 
Pickles, I've read them all too, most of them multiple times. I sense a true fellow Janeite. 🙂 And Henry Tilney is Da Man!
 
I read "Complications" by Atul Gawande that book is excellent and I highly recommend it and right now i'm reading "Hot Lights, cold stell, Life & Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years" by Micheal Collins its also very good thus far.
 
It's not exactly fiction, but I'm looking forward to reading [SIZE=-1]The Art of Cheating: A Nasty Little Book for Tricky Little Schemers and Their Hapless Victims By Jessica Dorfman Jones
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Cheating-Schemers-Hapless-Victims/dp/1416549137

Seems appropriate for both gunners and those who wish to protect themselves against the gunners in life.
[/SIZE]
 
The husband by dean koontz. AWESOME book although i did a stupid thing by buying it before finals. It was addicting.
Anohter great book by koontz is intensity. Read these books now! literally that good.
 
East of Eden - Steinbeck
Mother Night, Slaughterhouse Five, or Cat's Cradle - Vonnegut
Norwegian Wood - Murakami
All Quiet on the Western Front - Remarque
 
Three of my favorites:
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
We - Y. Zamyatin
 
Oh, and the Golden Compass books are good too, if you like fantasy. No idea how they compare to the movie though - haven't seen it yet.
 
-War and Peace
-East of Eden
-Zorba the Greek
-Last temptation of Christ
-Don Quixote

...i could go on. Right now im reading gray's anatomy and while it isn't engaging as war and peace was its well written and full of useful information...im only up to the maxillary bones though. I sound like such a gunner but im curious...wanna fight about it? 😛

Anyway...I haven't seen anyone recommend it yet but if you're into comic books or fantasy give manga a try. I read bleach and D. Gray Man and they're very well written and drawn. New chapters come out every week and are translated into english so its a good way to spend a few minutes. Check out Mangashare.com if youre interested.
 
Last book I read was Harry Potter 7!!! So read HP 7 if you have not read it yet. It's really good.
Right now I am trying to read Darwin's ghost (midway through)
 
There's Brian Greene's more recent book, The Fabric of The Cosmos - Space. Time. And the Texture of Reality.

The Cosmic Landscape by Leonard Susskind

The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil

Collapse by Jared Diamond

The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth, or anything else by E.O. Wilson

Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Life in Science by James Watson
 
I'm completely serious when I say this:

I tried reading. It just isn't for me. I can read for class, but I just can't read for pleasure. I find watching movies, anime, video games, etc. to be much more stimulating (they offer visual, auditory and sometimes even interactive stimulation). With my laptop and Archos media player, I can take the experience anywhere. In my world, reading for pleasure is simply obsolete. Does anyone else feel this way?

OH, and I know what you're going to say...that I'm letting my imagination and mind rot by having everything spoon-fed to me. You might be right, but I think the reading, studying and mental gymnastics I do for my classes is enough to keep my mind healthy while the movies, anime and video games help keep me relaxed and sane. Thoughts?
 
Virgil said:
I'm completely serious when I say this:

I tried reading. It just isn't for me. I can read for class, but I just can't read for pleasure. I find watching movies, anime, video games, etc. to be much more stimulating (they offer visual, auditory and sometimes even interactive stimulation). With my laptop and Archos media player, I can take the experience anywhere. In my world, reading for pleasure is simply obsolete. Does anyone else feel this way?

OH, and I know what you're going to say...that I'm letting my imagination and mind rot by having everything spoon-fed to me. You might be right, but I think the reading, studying and mental gymnastics I do for my classes is enough to keep my mind healthy while the movies, anime and video games help keep me relaxed and sane. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I am the exact same way. Your imagination won't rot.
 
Virgil said:
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
First thing that comes to mind: why visit (and share a paragraph of your thoughts in) a thread about books? 😕

Surely there's a great videogames or great movies thread that would provide more "stimulation?"
 
Be
DulyNoted said:
First thing that comes to mind: why visit (and share a paragraph of your thoughts in) a thread about books? 😕

Surely there's a great videogames or great movies thread that would provide more "stimulation?"
Click to expand...

Because most of us tend to chime in on active threads even if we don't have much to contribute.
 
Virgil, have you ever tried graphic novels? They have the visual aspect to them, as well as a solid story. Check out the Watchmen if you're interested. Probably the best graphic novel ever written.

I loved Ender's Game years ago when I read it (was 13 or 14, I think). But I tried rereading it recently and it was just a tad too childish. Same with the Shadow series.

Spin, how is We? I've been meaning to pick it up.


Oh yeah, to the OP, how did I forget to mention 1984? Go read that.
 
Iamnumber24 said:
I read "Complications" by Atul Gawande that book is excellent and I highly recommend it and right now i'm reading "Hot Lights, cold stell, Life & Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years" by Micheal Collins its also very good thus far.
Click to expand...

"Better", also by Dr. Gawande is even better. I've also read How Doctors Think By Jerome Groupman and The Soul of a Doctor which is a collection of stories and writings by Harvard Med Students. Both were very good, if you like medical Narratives.

Otherwise, I would recommend the Lord of the Rings if you have some time on your hands and you like that sort of thing.
 
DulyNoted said:
First thing that comes to mind: why visit (and share a paragraph of your thoughts in) a thread about books? 😕

Surely there's a great videogames or great movies thread that would provide more "stimulation?"
Click to expand...
I'm actually in search of a book that will change my mind about books, and thought I might pick one up over the Winter break. Why are you being so hostile?

Edit: If it makes you feel any better, I read Complications and Better by Atul Gawande (albeit for educational purposes rather than pleasure) and I would recommend them to anyone interested in a career in medicine (especially surgery). 🙂
 
Begaster said:
Virgil, have you ever tried graphic novels? They have the visual aspect to them, as well as a solid story. Check out the Watchmen if you're interested. Probably the best graphic novel ever written.

I loved Ender's Game years ago when I read it (was 13 or 14, I think). But I tried rereading it recently and it was just a tad too childish. Same with the Shadow series.

Spin, how is We? I've been meaning to pick it up.


Oh yeah, to the OP, how did I forget to mention 1984? Go read that.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. I've read a couple of mangas (if you know what those are) but I'll look out for The Watchmen.
 
Iamnumber24 said:
I read "Complications" by Atul Gawande that book is excellent and I highly recommend it and right now i'm reading "Hot Lights, cold stell, Life & Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years" by Micheal Collins its also very good thus far.
Click to expand...


I'm going to start "Complications" on Thursday after finals. I've heard so many positive reviews about it. It's sitting on the arm of my couch just waiting for me.
 
If you want med books... Complications and Better, both by Atul Gawande.
 
I'll agree with the votes for complications.
Another good medically-related one that most people haven't heard of cuz it's fairly obscure: My One Night Stand With Cancer, by Tania Katan
She is a great writer, and her sense of humor gets her through telling her story of two bouts with breast cancer ten years apart (one breast when she was 21, the other when she was 30). It sounds like it would be depressing, but she's so funny and strong that it's an amazing read

Non-medical: The hitchiker's guide series- Douglas Adams
a clockwork orange- Anthony Burgess
Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov
The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky
I know this much is True- Wally Lamb
She's Come Undone- Wally Lamb
Jazz- Toni Morrison
Warriors Don't Cry- Melba Patillo-Beals? I think?
Bombingham--no idea, loaned out my copy years ago and never got it back.
 
I've said it many times, but here i go anyways . . .

The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

It's not an intellectual, think hard book, but it has a good message, is funny, and you won't want to put it down.

It also happens to be my favorite book. 👍
 
theunremarkable said:
I'm currently reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Very hard to put it down to study for finals. 😳
Click to expand...

I'm gonna have to second this. Powerful, powerful book, man.
 
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