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Interview with Brandon

Alright folks - here is one of my newer favorite authors. He writes the Dresden Books which is now a mediocre Sci-Fi series - but the books are GREAT. Start with the first book - Storm Front - it is a great book and then follow the series. I was sucked into these VERY fast. Then, when you are ready for a little fantasy, switch to his Codex Alera series. This is possibly one of the best fantasy series I have ever read - absolutely engaging and entertaining from start to finish.

Alright - I said it - Female Authors haha. Yes, I have been on a kick lately of reading good female authors with strong female leads. These mostly center around occult/fantasy/horror books. Kim Harrison - The Deathly Hallow series - I love this series and cannot wait for another book to come out this Spring. Kelley Armstrong - These are great - make sure to start at the beginning with Stolen - they are sets of two but the characters pop in and out of future books and make it very entertaining. I have several more but will see if the topic goes anywhere.

Any sci-fi fans out there you should read this book. It's by a German author, Frank Schätzing, and it's a really good read. While it has a lot of the sci-fi themes, it also includes a lot of factual information. In short it's about the sea revolting for what mankind has done, whales attacking ships, tiny eyeless crabs poisoning Long Island's water supply, etc. While there is a lot of controversy over the author using a few sources with documenting them, I really think it's a great read if you love sci-fi. Also there's going to be a movie made for it apparently.

Not a big deal but if you are going to discuss something specific that would ruin a book or series for someone else try and let folks know so they do not read it.

It was a quick read, less than a day. Recommend reading the previous ones if you haven't already. Pretty dark, this one. GO GET IT! :smillie_smilling:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conan_the_Barbarian What did you think about them?

Me, I love to read. I've read alot of books in the last year and more. I read, the sword of truth series by Terry Goodkind, I just got caught up on the Magician series by Raymond E. Fiest, and now im on Wheel of time, by Robert Jordan. I really like all of these authors. I recommend them all.

If you liked the Da Vinci Code and enjoy your religious themed thrillers I highly recommend "The Last Templar" by Raymond Khoury. His writing style is very film like, basically keeping you on the edge of your seat the entire book. It's also much better, in my opinion, than the Da Vinci Code as it deals a lot more with the history of the Templars and the dark side of the Vatican. I'm still undecided whether it's non-fiction or not...

Anyone else read any of his books? He's a really good alternative history author, writing series about the civil war, where the south won, etc.

It is very good. I am half way through it in less then 24 hours. If you have no idea what this book is about, start with "Odd Thomas." You will not be dissapointed. Anyone else out there reading this book?

has anyone else read this? im half way thru and lovin it "Vietnam was full of strange stories, some improbable, some well beyond that, but the stories that will last forever are those that swirl back and forth across the border between trivial and bedlam." First published in 1979, Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried is an unparalleled Vietnam testament, a classic study of men at war that brilliantly -- and painfully --illuminates the capacity, and the limits, of the human heart and soul. Focusing on the members of a single platoon (one of whom happens to be a 21-year-old grunt named Tim O'Brien) the 22 interconnected stories of this collection catalogue not only the things they carried into battle -- M-16s, grenade launchers, candy, Kool-Aid, and cigarettes -- but more importantly, the things they carried inside, and the nightmares they carried home.

I really look forward to buying every book this author has written. No joke. Gone For Good is a very quick read with many twists. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wish it lasted twice as long. Taken from the back: As a boy, Will Klein had a hero: his older brother, Ken. Then, on a warm surburban night in the Kleins' affluent New Jersey neighborhood, a young woman--a girl Will had once loved--was found brutally murdered in her family's basement. The prime suspect: Ken Klein. With the evidence against him overwhelming, Ken simply vanished. And when his shattered family never heard from Ken again they were sure he was gone for good. Now eleven years have passed. Will has found proof that Ken is alive. And this is just the first in a series of stunning revelations as Will is forced to confront startling truths about his brother, and even himself. As a vioent mystery unwinds around him, Will knows he must press his search all the way to the end. Because the most powerful surprises are yet to come. Harlan Coben

Just wanted to let you guys know. I started reading this one this morning. Should be finished with it by tonight. Or at the latest tomorrow evening. Up to chapter 20 already. Pretty good read.

http://www.mikeleejohnson.com/FreeEbooks.html

“The German and the Jammed Rifleâ€? The bullet whizzed past Ryan’s head, creating a tiny explosion of dirt close to his right eye. He quickly ducked behind the corner in front of him so that he was less exposed. That’s when something odd happened. There was a German soldier crouched low against the half destroyed wall doing something with his rifle. After only a split second, it became apparent that his rifle was jammed. Following the completion of the full second, the German soldier became aware of Ryan and the German’s hands went up; his rifle clattering to the ground. Ryan didn’t know what to say, so something odd came out of his mouth. “Rifle jammed?â€? “Yes,â€? came the heavily accented reply. “I hate that,â€? said a certain American soldier who was astonished with himself. “Are you going to kill me?â€? The German did not seem happy with this prospect, and surprisingly enough to Ryan, he did not either. “You know what? Why should I? What are you doing here so far away from the rest of your company?â€? Ryan kept the open end of his barrel leveled at the Germans left nostril just in case, but at this moment, had no intention of pulling the trigger. “I’m just trying to get away. I’m tired of this, I do not know why I am here, and I want to go home.â€? It took Ryan a few moments to decipher the broken English coming from the German’s lips, but when he did understand, a tear ran down his left cheek. “Kick your rifle over here.â€? Ryan bent and picked up the German’s rifle when it slid to his boots. He pulled back hard on the slide, and used his combat knife to pry out a jammed bullet from the chamber. After loading the weapon properly, Ryan tossed it back to the German. “This is probably one of the dumbest things I’ve done in my life, but take it and get out of here. If I catch you goin’ in any direction but away from the fighting, I’ll make you die slow.â€? Ryan winked as the look of shock affixed itself to the German’s face. “Thank you. I do not understand.â€? “What’s there to understand, I see you tore your swastika off, and now I see you trying to run away, so do it. Get out of here. Go to your family, and live a life that doesn’t involve this damn war.â€? Ryan helped the German up. “I do not know how to thank you properly, butâ€â€Ã¢â‚¬Å“The German, in a sudden fit of aggression, pushed Ryan to the ground, and put a boot on his chest. Ryan could see the bullet exiting the rifle that he had just fixed and entering his forehead, but that’s not what happened. The German fired three times at something behind Ryan. When he cranked his neck to see, Ryan could see another German soldier, this one wearing his swastika, dead with three growing crimson stains on his chest. The German was helping Ryan up this time. “Well, I think you’ve just thanked me properly.â€? Ryan, once completely to his feet with rifle in hand, bid goodbye to the German, “Godspeed, friend." Don’t let me ever see your face again.â€? The German simply clapped Ryan on the shoulder and started walking away from the fight. Ryan turned in the opposite direction and never looked back, thankful of not receiving a bullet in his back. (the idea was to keep a very short story to only a page including a mini-plot. I wrote it a while back in college...not the best writing I've ever done, but I didn't want to post up my novel work.) Oh, and it was supposed to be mostly dialogue as well.

I don't know if it's everywhere, but I just got Ronald Reagan In His Own Hand for $4. I like Reagan, and it's interesting to see his draft thougths on things.

Excellent author, I would suggest that you start with "Flight of the Old Dog" and work your way to all his books, its a pretty darn good series.

Anyone got any autographed books? I got a hardcover "The Bear and the Dragon," "The Hunt for Red October," "Rainbow Six," and "The Sum of All Fears" signed by Tom Clancy. My cousin in New Jersey got them for me, she said it was hard to get. I wouldn't know, never got something autographed before.

Any fans of the Xanth series out there?

Here's a book I read by author Brad Metzler. It was an interesting read. I myself enjoyed it. THE ZERO GAME Matthew Mercer and Harris Sandler are playing a mysterious game. It's a game almost no one knows aboutâ€â€not their friends, not their co-workers, and certainly not their bosses, who are some of the most powerful Senators and Congressmen on Capitol Hill. It's a game that has everything: risk, reward, mystery, and the thrill of knowing thatâ€â€just by being invited to playâ€â€you’ve confirmed your status as a true power broker in Washington. But as Matthew and Harris quickly discover, the Zero Game is hiding a secret so explosive, it will shake Washington to its core. And when one player turns up dead, a dedicated young staffer will find himself relying on a tough, idealistic seventeen-year-old Senate page to help keep him alive...as he plays the Zero Game to its heart-pounding end.

Here's another guy I recommend. I've only read 2 of his books(Lions of Lucerne and State of the Union). I need to go out and pick up the rest of his. Here's his website Check it out. See what you guys think.

Many of his books have been made into movies Jackie Brown, Get shorty, Be Cool, Big Bounce, and Out of Sight. He is one of the few writers that can make me laugh aloud.

I just checked out a book by Vince Flynn called, 'Memorial Day' I was wondering if any of you guys read it before to get some feedback..

As the title says, author is Vince Flynn. He wrote the following books(which I've read all of them). Memorial Day Executive Power Seperation of Power The Third Option Transfer of Power Term Limits Consent to Kill They're all based around the same person "Mitch Rapp". Here are some excerpts from a few of his books: MEMORIAL DAY CIA intelligence has pointed to a major terrorist attack on the United States, just as the nation's capital prepares for a grand Memorial Day tribute to the veterans of World War II. Racing to Afghanistan, Mitch Rapp leads a commando raid on an al Queda stronghold in a remote border village  and defuses plans for a nuclear strike on Washington. The crisis averted, the special ops work is done. But Rapp knows, in the face of a new kind of enemy, nothing is as it seems  and it's up to him alone to avert a disaster of unimaginable proportions. Consent to Kill For years, Mitch Rapp's bold actions have saved the lives of countless Americans. He has killed with impunity, tortured to avert disaster, and shown he will do whatever it takes to prevent terrorists from fulfilling their bloody wishes. His battles for peace and freedom have made him a hero to many, and an enemy to countless more. In the tangled, duplicitous world of espionage, there are those, even among America's allies, who want to see Mitch Rapp eliminated. They have decided the time has come. Now, the powerful father of a dead terrorist demands vengeance in its simplest form  an eye for an eye, and Rapp instantly becomes the target of an international conspiracy. This time, he must use all of his vigilance and determination to save himself before he can turn his fury on those who have dared to betray him. The Third Option Fresh from retaking a battle-scarred White House after a vicious terrorist attack on the president, Mitch Rapp, the CIA's top counterterrorism operative, is sent on his final mission. His target: a well-known German industrialist who has been selling highly sensitive equipment to one of the world's most notorious sponsors of terrorism. As Rapp meticulously prepares to take the man out, he has no idea that there are forces within his own government that are plotting to use him. Thomas Stansfield, the aged director of the CIA, is dying of cancerâ€â€and he and the president have chosen as his successor Dr. Irene Kennedy, the director of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center. There are others in Washington, however, who could not imagine a more unwelcome choice, and they are willing to resort to extreme measures to prevent Kennedy from taking the reins of the world's most powerful intelligence agency. The conspirators have devised a bold plan that will damage the president and ruin Kennedy's career, allowing them to put someone they can control at the helm of the CIA. Unfortunately for them, they have made one horrible miscalculation: they have chosen Mitch Rapp as their pawn. Their worst nightmare is about to be realized. They have enraged one of the most lethal and efficient killers the CIA has ever producedâ€â€and he will stop at nothing until he finds out who set him up. From these, you get a pretty good idea of the types books these are. I've enjoyed reading them. And thought some of you guys would too.