I have read a lot of King's books. The last book i read was The Martian by Andy Weir (The movie by Ridley Scott) and it was superb!
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| MacGyver Online Forums > Macs Loft > What book are you reading? |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 16 May 2017 - 02:36 AM |
| So we have a movies and games topic but not a book topic. Though I'm not much of a reader, it does happen once in a while, I take a book and read. I mostly have books based on movies or tv-shows. I have like the entire book collection of Indiana Jones, five Young Indiana Jones books, two books of Xena Warrior Princess, one book of 24, three books of Lost, Spartacus and John Jakes' North and South trilogy. Besides that I have a couple of Stephen King's books: Carrie, The Green Mile (as well as in English and the 6 part translated version), The Langoliers, Secret Window, The Shining and Dr. Sleep. I also have a couple of Michael Crichton books like Prey, Jurassic Park and The Lost World. Further more books of movies: Rocky, Rocky 2 & 3, Independence Day, Godzilla, Mr. and Mrs. Smith (all with photos inside), The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Sahara and Schindler's List. And a few non-movie related books: Utopia and Meg. And some more war books. One is called the Lost Life of Eva Braun, Testimonies of the concentration camps, and two books about World War I and World War II on how it strategically happened. That's pretty much it. These are the last three I've read in the past year or so: The Shining (very good), Carrie (unfinished), Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi (not great) and yesterday I started in a book called 12 in '40. These are like testimonies about people who were approximately 12 years old at the time the war began and how they experienced it on that age. So what are you reading? |
| Posted by: uniquelyjas 16 May 2017 - 05:00 AM |
| Great topic! I am currently reading The Testament by John Grisham. I read it back in 2000. I found the first half to be quite dull this time around. It just got good now that I'm at the end! I used to read a lot of his books until I got bored with the plotlines repeating themselves. My favorite book by him (which is totally NOT what he usually writes about) is Playing for Pizza. If you like American football and/or Italy it's great!! I've read it at least twice and would love to own it. |
| Posted by: denizen 16 May 2017 - 05:35 AM |
| I have a copy of IT by Stephen King which has been sitting on my table for a week now. Ben meaning to read it but just don't have the time. I have read a lot of King's books. The last book i read was The Martian by Andy Weir (The movie by Ridley Scott) and it was superb! |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 16 May 2017 - 06:01 AM |
| Knowing I'm not much of a book reader, I doubt if I can ever finish reading a book that is as 1000 pages thick as IT. The Shining was about 500 pages and I was hooked. Thickest book I ever read was North and South, about 800 pages and 71 chapters. But I don't know about these monsters King amongst others wrote, near or more than 1000 pages. Interesting I haven't finished Carrie yet which is about 240 pages. |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 16 May 2017 - 11:11 AM |
| Awesome idea! I'm doing some light reading at the moment, just starting the 39 Clues series and following my son's lead as he works his way thru. I'm a huge history and space race fan, and spend a lot of time in that area. |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 16 May 2017 - 01:57 PM |
| I used to read A LOT, often several books at the same time. Recently, I don't achieve anything because I have to read so much at work, somehow it doesn't really appeal that much to me anymore. I have several books lying around unfinished for months now  One of the books I should continue is Ben Fountain's "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk". I haven't seen the movie (directed by Ang Lee) yet and I don't understand all of it (since I'm reading it in English and I'm not that familiar with the US Military Lingo), but I like it so far. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 17 May 2017 - 05:10 AM |
| I don't get how people can read several books at the same time. Isn't that like a sign that one of those books will never be finished at all? |
| Posted by: uniquelyjas 17 May 2017 - 08:45 AM | ||
I was thinking back to my college days as an English major. I'm pretty sure I often read more than one book at a time as different classes required them, but I have no idea how I did it!! |
| Posted by: Jediferret 17 May 2017 - 09:15 AM |
| I was never a big book reader... that was my sister. She'll read anything she could get her hands on. I tend to write more than I read. Mostly because when I do read, my imagination goes off and does its own thing. So I never end up finishing any books. When I do read, it's usually Dean Koontz. He has a strange obsession with sodium vapor lamps. I believe Odd Thomas was the last book I read. |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 17 May 2017 - 01:42 PM | ||
That was me as a kid  Yes, reading several books at the same time started in College for me and continued at University. Between studying and working, there wasn't much time to read stuff that wasn't for classes, though. After all these hours reading books in another language (a lot of my psychology books weren't available in German, so I had to read them in English) and studying for my exams, I was a bit "fed up". After graduating, for the longest time I only read "light" literature; mainly FanFiction. Since most of the FFs were works in progress, I started reading other stories while waiting for updates and somehow I kept reading in parallels when I started reading "real" books again. I don't mix the genres, though; e.g. I don't read 3 crime books at the same time. At the moment, there are stories about war (Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk), a psychology book about intuition (The Invisible Gorilla), a Stargate Novel, a book by Sophie Kinsella in German and so on... I used to read a lot when I still travelled home every weekend (4 hours by train) or about 20 minutes every evening before falling asleep. But since I permanently moved out from my dad and I fall asleep after two minutes I'm lying flat in my bed, there isn't much reading going on lately... That doesn't keep me from buying more books, though  |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 17 May 2017 - 02:05 PM | ||||
For class, I get that. But doing it as hobby... that won't work for me. I just read if I can get to read and I think I better stick to one chapter a day. Two chapters or more can happen but I think the best way is one chapter a day. |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 18 May 2017 - 01:34 AM | ||
The same way people watch several TV shows in an evening or day I would think. I personally hate reading books and can't think of anything more damn boring to do but I would imagine it's kind of the same mentality as watching TV shows. You pick up where you last left off. |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 18 May 2017 - 03:26 AM |
| I don't like doing it, but given my lack of ability to focus on one subject at a time I usually have several going. I would love to finish one at a time!! |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 18 May 2017 - 03:49 AM | ||||
Probably but tv shows are more fun. I think it just all depends on the book and whether or not you want to get through like 300 pages. I think 300 pages are doable but not more. |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 18 May 2017 - 06:12 AM |
| I agree. 300 is a stretch as far as being able to keep focused. I'm one of the original ADHD kids so focus for me is a goal! |
| Posted by: MacGyver85 18 May 2017 - 08:08 PM |
| They don't have to be that long... you could go short and interesting. |
| Posted by: DashboardOnFire 19 May 2017 - 04:31 AM |
| That's one of the reasons why I read a lot of FanFiction for a while after graduating. If it's canon, you already know the characters. There are a lot of shorter stories, so you don't need to think that much while reading. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 19 May 2017 - 05:49 AM |
| Fanfiction seems like a thing of the past now. After I finally got out of high school I sort of lost track with it, just as with my writing. I just hope I can get back into it. |
| Posted by: MacGyver85 19 May 2017 - 07:23 PM |
I really like to read mystery books too. Some of them are about 150 pages but sometimes I get so into them I finish them in less than 24 hours.  |
| Posted by: Jediferret 20 May 2017 - 08:16 AM | ||
I've been wanting to get back into writing myself. I'm just too busy being an adult and dealing with real life stuff to really have much inspiration. I used to write a lot, but I lost my fanfic buddy and any inspiration to write kinda went with her. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 20 May 2017 - 02:03 PM | ||||
I have that too. When I was in school all I did was brainstorming on Mac fanfics. Than I went to work and pretty much never wrote a single word again. That has to change! |
| Posted by: Jediferret 20 May 2017 - 05:33 PM |
| I have ideas, but getting them down on paper is the hard part. I always get distracted. Heck, I get distracted when I try to post on here to! XD My writer's block is so well known that a friend of mine sent me a book called 642 Things to Write About to help me get inspired. I still haven't read it...  |
| Posted by: denizen 21 May 2017 - 08:13 PM |
 That's funny. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 30 May 2017 - 11:47 AM |
| Yesterday, I finished the book 12 in 40. It showed great insight in the lives of teenagers in World War II. The daily life, the hunger, the cold... on how all that affected their young lives and how their lives became after the war. |
| Posted by: MiracleMac 30 May 2017 - 01:00 PM |
| The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide This gives very helpful, easy to understand tips for documentary filmmaking and shows that you are able to make your project with any budget, any camera and any time. One of my favorite filmmaking book. I also read from the same series the other book called "Freelance Video Guide" which taught video shooting stuffs and sound recordings. This book is helpful also for those who are just shooting home video  |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 30 May 2017 - 11:37 PM |
| Trying to work my way thru Rocket Men, the story of the Apollo 11 landing. Great book but too many activities going on |
| Posted by: denizen 31 May 2017 - 08:11 PM |
Back in the day they used to release a number of Dungeons and Dragons novels and one that passed my way but neglected to read was Pool of Radiance by James Ward & Jane Cooper Hong. I have just recently ordered a copy and look forward to reading the book version of the famous game. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 1 June 2017 - 03:28 AM |
| Started to finish Carrie. I'm practically at the end. Still a lot to read, she has just left the prom. But I'm going towards the ending. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 4 June 2017 - 09:09 AM |
| And finished Carrie. |
| Posted by: Mr Duct Tape 5 June 2017 - 03:46 AM |
| The English Spy - Daniel Silva |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 5 June 2017 - 05:11 AM |
| Just started Sherlock Holmes the Hound of the Baskervilles |
| Posted by: ebonaskavi 18 October 2017 - 09:47 PM |
| Nearly finished David Gemmell's White Wolf. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 19 October 2017 - 01:56 AM |
| Cool. I've been thinking about reading a book again. Just don't know which one yet. |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 19 October 2017 - 06:42 PM |
| I've never read any Hemingway, so I picked up A Farewell to Arms. I try to read at least 2-3 books a month. |
| Posted by: denizen 8 November 2017 - 08:09 PM |
| I recently picked up the Assassins Creed Origins - Desert Oath novel and started reading. Written by Oliver Bowden, this tells the story about an assassin trying to kill members of a secret pact. It is actually a prequel to the Origins game (Which i am playing). Author is famed for doing many other Assassins Creed novels and he gets right into it! At this rate, i will consider getting some of the other novels too! \So far, makes for some good reading. Difficult to rate as he isn't exactly Shakespeare. But I'd give it 3 & a Half Stars.  |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 8 November 2017 - 09:42 PM |
| That book looks really interesting Denizen! |
| Posted by: denizen 9 November 2017 - 04:11 AM |
It really is!  |
| Posted by: beth 11 November 2017 - 06:58 PM |
| Call me crazy (many have) but I am rereading "Don Quijote". When I was in high school and a book was assigned for a report,I had a hard time getting into the story. I was assigned to read this book for Spanish 4 in my senior year. 35 years later and I am challenging myself to reread it in the original Spanish. SOY LOCA!! |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 12 November 2017 - 02:36 AM |
 |
| Posted by: tvero 12 November 2017 - 04:02 AM | ||
Muy bien ! Y no creo que estas loca, Beth ! |
| Posted by: Rocket 12 November 2017 - 11:26 AM |
| I'm reading 'The Promise' by Robert Crais. Love me a butt-kicking, wisecracking hero with a psycho sidekick. Oh yes |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 12 November 2017 - 06:02 PM |
| Right on Rocket!! |
| Posted by: Dragondog 7 January 2018 - 06:56 PM |
| Just got this in the mail yesterday. It's a classic. One of my favorite books. And normally, I hate classics. |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 8 January 2018 - 01:05 PM |
| It looks like a good read! I might have to check it out myself |
| Posted by: denizen 8 January 2018 - 07:59 PM |
Not really a book. More a graphic novel i have started reading James Bond: Black Box This is a pretty good rendition of Bond told in a comic book form will art to suit the genre and a fitting story for any Bond adventure. |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 11 January 2018 - 05:44 AM |
| That looks interesting and fun Denizen! It's been some time since I read any Bond |
| Posted by: denizen 11 January 2018 - 08:12 PM |
| Indeed it is Barry! |
| Posted by: Dragondog 13 January 2018 - 02:58 PM |
| Just finished reading The Abandoned the other night. It's the second time I've read this, but I didn't realize how deep the book really was until the other night. The title in the U.K. is Jennie. Both titles have far deeper meanings than I realized. |
| Posted by: Dragondog 23 January 2018 - 02:40 PM |
| Currently reading the Grk series by Josh Lacey, under the pseudonym Joshua Doder. The series mixes extremely tense action with some hilarious incidents. It always reminds me of a Jack Dalton episode. (Especially "The Odd Triple"). The second book actually had a character named Zito (which I'm assuming was a coincidence, since the only thing he had in common with Mac's Zito is the name). |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 23 January 2018 - 02:54 PM |
| Haven't touched a book in months. I'm currently not up for any reading actually. |
| Posted by: Dragondog 10 February 2018 - 06:06 PM |
| Just got this today. I know what I'll be doing tonight. |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 11 February 2018 - 02:30 PM |
| Still reading Tom Hanks book about various people and snapshots of their lives called Uncommon Type. |
| Posted by: denizen 11 February 2018 - 08:33 PM |
| That sounds interesting Barry. |
| Posted by: MacsMinx 27 February 2018 - 08:17 PM |
| I just found the coolest book. I think MacGyver might approve. It's called The Big Book of Makerspace Projects by Colleen Graves and Aaron Graves. The book contains more than 50 how-to write-ups for all kinds of maker-type projects: building a small balloon hovercraft, building small robots, learning to program....there's even a plush (like a stuffed animal) electric guitar that you can make and program to play a song! (You can reprogram the last one if you get tired of the song. ) One of the best teaching methods in the book is that it encourages you, the maker, to rifle through your garbage and recycling bins. The things the authors tell you to find there you then use as components for fun projects like the hovercraft and even a smartphone hologram. |
| Posted by: Dragondog 28 February 2018 - 11:02 AM | ||
Sounds awesome! Mac would definitely approve! |
| Posted by: denizen 28 February 2018 - 08:20 PM |
| That does sound interesting. Speaking of books i decided to order another game related title. This one based on the Metal Gear Solid series and the first book which naturally takes place during the rebooted first title. I haven't received it yet but i know precisely what its about. So in short, special forces agent, Solid Snake is sent into the cold regions of Alaska to infiltrate a hostile unit known as FOXHOUND who are holding the planet ransom unless they receive $1 Billion and the remains of their fallen comrade, BIG BOSS. Thing is, the island they have taken over is a weapons disposal facility with enough nukes to do just that. And to make matters worse, they only have 24 hours before they set off the nukes. But as the story progresses, Snake soon realizes that this is no ordinary mission as there is more at stake than he is informed of. This was truly a magnificent story with enough shockers to make any thriller seem amateurish compared to its caliber. This story dropped my jaw and its sequel ultimately dropped me on the floor. This is one of the many reasons this series has been such a global phenomena. It has enough emotion, thrill and surprises to keep you coming back for more. And judging from the reviews, this book is just as faithful and exciting. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 22 March 2018 - 05:53 AM |
| Started in Stephen King's book Needful Things. Only read the introduction so far. 616 pages, thicker then The Shining. I'm curious how long this will take. |
| Posted by: denizen 22 March 2018 - 08:51 PM |
| Ive read that. Good book! |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 12 April 2018 - 08:04 AM |
| Almost three weeks far in Needful Things and about 245 pages. It's going great but I'm not halfway yet. I'm trying to read every night and if I don't have to get up in the morning. King has a great writing style that keeps you hooked and he seems to be on a roll with this one. Nice references to The Dark Half as well. |
| Posted by: denizen 12 April 2018 - 08:28 PM |
| If you haven;t done so yet, try to read his short stories too. Such as his Night Shift novel. Lots of his stories are great. Children of the Corn was a particular creepy one if I recall. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 13 April 2018 - 05:31 AM |
| I'll finish this one first. I still have The Green Mile, The Langoliers/Secret Window and Dr. Sleep to read and probably I will read It in between. But I also had like other books in mind like Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park and The Lost World and Schindler's List. I might read Meg too but probably after I've seen the movie. Children of the Corn, I might need to look out for and Pet Semetary probably too. |
| Posted by: denizen 15 April 2018 - 08:36 PM |
| Crichton's Jurassic books are very good. First in particular. Yes Pet Cemetery is a good one too. Enjoy! |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 12 June 2018 - 06:25 AM |
| Finished Needful Things a couple of weeks ago and now I'm nearing the end of Independence Day by Stephen Molstadt. It's just the novelization of the book with photos from the movie inside, fun and nice quick read. It's also like 278 pages long, way shorter then Needful Things with it's 616 pages. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 13 June 2018 - 03:24 AM |
| And finished it. Next: Jurassic Park. |
| Posted by: Jediferret 13 June 2018 - 11:11 AM |
| Jurassic Park is actually one of the few books I ever read. Fantastic book! If you like scary books, Phantoms by Dean Koontz is pretty good. It scared my Dad. lol |
| Posted by: denizen 13 June 2018 - 08:26 PM |
| On the subject of Stephen King, I managed to finally find me a copy of 11.22.63. Only just started reading but so far so very good! This is apparently one of his good ones which tells the story of time travel and the consequences thereof. |
| Posted by: Jediferret 14 June 2018 - 04:31 PM |
| I really need to read his Dark Tower series. According to my sister, they explain a lot of the lore in his books. I really should read more often, but I often end up daydreaming for some odd reason. It takes forever for me to finish a book because I'm always letting my mind wander. |
| Posted by: Dragondog 14 June 2018 - 06:11 PM | ||
Speaking of Time Travel, I recently read Time Traveling with a Hamster by Ross Welford. It tells the story of twelve-year-old Al Chaudhury, who receives a letter from his late father, instructing him to use his dad's secret time machine to travel back and prevent his dad's death. The problem? Al's family has moved since then, and the time machine is at their old house. So to accessing it requires sneaking out of the house, breaking into his old house's garage, and more. Add that to the fact that Al has no clue how best to prevent his dad's death without screwing everything else up... It was an okay book, but I doubt I'll be reading it again. Without giving too much away, the ending was... Not what I was expecting. And I think the thing that bothered me most was some of the inappropriate dialogue throughout the story. Some cursing, and some sexual references were in what is supposed to be a children's story. Personally, the fact that it's for children is the reason this bothers me so much. But to be fair, it was published in the U.K., which, I believe, has different censorship laws than the U.S. The story was pretty good other than these two complaints. I guess I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars? (Which for me means, "okay, but not great"). |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 2 July 2018 - 05:55 AM |
| Jurassic Park turns out to be a real page-turner. Lots of research done by Crichton and a lot of scientific explanations without making it too difficult to understand. I think MacGyver would read Crichton's books. Every now and than the books shows calculations, actual computer prints and graphics to explain stuff. Of course the book is extended on a whole lot more matters than the movie. Wu has a larger role for example, the ages of the kids are different, more animals on the island, Gennaro also has a larger role and Ed Regis is one of several characters who does not appear in the film. But like I said, it reads like a train. I'm past the 200 pages now and T-Rex has attacked the kids in the car. Also a little different in the movie, but it's worth a read. |
| Posted by: denizen 2 July 2018 - 08:05 PM |
| I read Jurassic Park back in the day. In fact i read it back to back with Congo. Congo was also good. The Lost World was not as good but also different to its movie parallel. Another great Crichton novel is Timeline. That was fantastic and FAR superior to the film. |
| Posted by: Jediferret 3 July 2018 - 08:01 AM |
| I remember Mom and Dad used to read a lot of Michael Crichton back in the day... Andromeda Strain is a good one too. They liked John Grisham as well. I remember The Client being a bit deal, especially when the movie came out. I miss the 1990's... there was some excellent books back then. |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 3 July 2018 - 06:42 PM |
| Me too Jedi |
| Posted by: denizen 3 July 2018 - 08:05 PM |
| I suspect it has a lot to do with the lack of ideas people seem to carry forth. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 4 July 2018 - 09:22 AM |
| John Grisham is more about court-stuff. A Time To Kill is a nice example of that. The movie at least. I don't think it's a lack of ideas but at this point different writers are in order. JK Rowling, the writers of Twilight and Hunger Games, The Maze Runner... young adult stuff is now more popular then before. Also Nicholas Sparks and Nora Roberts are popular. Back in the 90's it were writers like Crichton, Grisham, Tom Clancy and Stephen King. Both Crichton and Clancy have passed away. Out of these four writers King is the most popular one and the most active. Though Grisham keeps writing but I don't think anyone would be interested in adapting them into a movie. |
| Posted by: Jediferret 4 July 2018 - 09:33 AM |
| You can see it in everything today... movies, tv, music... etc. etc. People stick to formulas that work, but people, like myself, get tired of the same thing over and over again. I can respect new ideas, even if they don't do so well. As a writer myself, trying to be original and make it good is always difficult. It takes a level of balance I simply don't have. I have had the same book idea for about... 25 years. I've attempted to write it over and over and over again. Anytime I think I'm getting somewhere, I'm always told it was done already, so I have to scrap and start over. It's very frustrating to try and be original, and still make it interesting. It takes a balance I haven't really learned yet. Eventually I'll get there. My sister and I have often thought about going into writer together, but our ideas don't really mesh anymore. For instance, my book is a SciFi/horror/dark comedy. She wanted me to write some western travel story about her experiences with her mother in law. So frustrating... lol |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 4 July 2018 - 12:32 PM |
| Jedi, never let yourself be influenced of opinions by others. Simply write your book and try. If it doesn't work convert it into a Mac-fic. Just try it or else it'll tear you up. There was a time I considered myself a great fanfiction-writer, writing these big action/adventures with MacGyver as the hero. I don't care if it wasn't original or good. I simply wrote it as I saw fit. That's what mattered. Write a story, write action sequences, even find music to fit the story. In the end I only wrote 2 maybe 3 stories I considered original. The first one Family in Agony, was really thought up from scratch. Suddenly I saw the whole story and wrote it down. MacGyver gets married to Maria Romburg, she gets kidnapped and he has to rescue her in Brazil from Murdoc, Zito and Deborah. Lost Gold In The Ocean was about a freighter that blew up at the coast of Miami while MacGyver is on holiday with Sam and myself and with Mike and Marcus from Bad Boys we would go look for it to keep it away from the Von Leer Brothers who wanted to sell it at the black market. It was a MacGyver/Bad Boys crossover. A True Prisoner of Conscience was a Family In Agony rewrite with the adding of Axminster and Piedra and taking the story into space even with too many movies references. When The World Changes was set in World War II. MacGyver is out to save the world from the Nazis but writing big battles sequences is pretty difficult. And lastly Friendship Broken Apart, a bit on the short side. MacGyver loses Pete in a battle with Murdoc and Nikki sort of helps him through his grief. Now I'm trying to reconnect with my writings by continuing Children of the United Nations, the one story I actually intended after my first one and loosley based on an old video game because I simply want to write again. My timeline helped in that I guess. To again feel what it was like to write, to see an entire story from beginning to end and to go through it when writing it. I actually feel like rewriting them and to write a whole new story. And I don't care what others think, I don't intend to have them read it. I write for the fans of the show and because I want too. That's what matters. Everybody is a critic but that shouldn't hold you down into trying to write a book or fanfics. Give it go, Jedi. Write your scifi/horror/dark comedy. Try to get it published and then see. Otherwise just pop up it up the internet or like I said convert it into a Mac-fic. |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 4 July 2018 - 05:10 PM |
| Jedi, you got this! I know you can write a wonderful story. Remember the hardest step is the first one, especially if you are blazing your own trail. Now, you're in a great bunch of people here, so show us what you got! |
| Posted by: denizen 4 July 2018 - 08:19 PM |
| Back in the day when i had the time to do creative stuff like write, i used to hit many dead ends but used that as a challenge to do something fun. Upon reading what i had, although outrageous at times, it just worked which is what makes you, not the story, original. That in turn makes your idea unique. And no. Nothing is quite original these days. But one thing that makes a good story or a film etc are the surprises that keep you glued to your seat. And the emotions that are expressed. I recently saw the film the Greatest Showman starring Hugh Jackman and the first 5 minutes of that film had me stuck to my seat. Its these little surprises that can excite your audiences regardless of whatever medium you choose to express it. |
| Posted by: Jediferret 5 July 2018 - 05:38 AM |
| Thanks for the support guys. I appreciate it. To kinda go with what you said MacGod, my OC's are actually test characters. I have big plans for Corinne and Charlotte. Eventually they will be removed out of fanfics and become something more original. I just wanted to see how well they were received by writing them the way I wanted to write them. And believe me, I don't really listen to people a lot. The people I do listen to are close friends. They like the idea, but it's the details I'm trying to hammer out. Like origin story and things like that. I always pass it with them to make sure it makes sense or doesn't seem like a direct copy of something else. My friends want to see me succeed. But Corinne and Charlotte are so much more than just fanfic OC's. They're a life long dream that has evolved over the years, inspired by the things I love. So, hopefully, one day, they'll have their own story. My one friend is an aspiring director and has already claimed the movie rights. XD So, be prepared for more Corinne and Charlotte in upcoming Mac fanfics.  |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 22 July 2018 - 04:23 AM |
| Finished Jurassic Park couple of days ago and immediately started on The Lost World. |
| Posted by: ebonaskavi 22 July 2018 - 06:29 PM |
| Just finished First Frontier by Diane Carey and James I Kirkland. It's a Star Trek (Original series) novel with dinosaurs . One of my favorites. |
| Posted by: denizen 22 July 2018 - 09:26 PM |
| Sounds good and welcome back ebonaskavi! |
| Posted by: Dragondog 23 July 2018 - 08:37 AM | ||
The James I Kirkland name kinda gave that away XD |
| Posted by: Dragondog 28 July 2018 - 03:20 PM |
| I've been rereading The Last Dogs series by Christopher Holt. The series follow Max the lab, Rocky the dachshund, and Gizmo the yorkie as they travel to find their missing owners, who have disappeared. Strangely enough, all the humans in the world have been evacuated, and the three dogs are determined to find out what made them all leave, and to find their missing humans. But the road is long and dangerous, and it will take all their efforts to survive and reunite with their families. Technically, this is considered a children's series, but it's not exactly a fluffy, cute bunch of books. It's got plenty of content for older readers, and touches on a lot of themes that would not be suitable for a sensitive, younger child. Boy, what I could say about the "doggie communism" touched on in the first book... But it isn't a constantly dark, hopeless, sad read either. It shows plenty of good themes, like perseverance and loyalty. And Gizmo reminds me a lot of Penny Parker sometimes. At least when she gets excited. And there is a wolf villain who is like Murdoc. Like, uncannily similar. Even though I read this series before, I still get emotional reading them again. Speaking of content for older readers, my mom actually got more attached to this series than I did, at first. She said she'd buy and read the second book with or without me Sorry for rambling, I couldn't help it. And I have yet to find another fan of these books to freak out with, so I'm lonely. Really lonely.  |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 29 July 2018 - 02:58 AM |
| The Lost World is way different then the movie. If differs a lot more of the movie than Jurassic Park did. I'm over 100 pages far and nothing of that was seen in the movie. Also a lot of characters weren't in the movie that are in the book like Richard Levine and Jack Thorne. Currently only Malcolm, Sarah Harding, Kelly and Eddie Carr are the only ones that were seen in the movie. Sarah Harding has short black hair while in the movie it was long and red (Julianne Moore). Kelly isn't black like she was in the movie but she did have a black friend in the book and Eddie Carr is in his early twenties instead of being in his early forties. The closest that came to the movie was maybe the preparations of the trailers they take with them to the island. It's also a little less of page turner. The pace seems slower while Jurassic Park was really flipping pages. I wonder how it'll turn out, the characters are now on their way to Isla Sorna, so I'll see how things turn out there. |
| Posted by: Dragondog 30 July 2018 - 05:23 PM |
| So, after several weeks of rereading (though only two days after I posted that I started), I finished The Last Dogs. And yeah, I got all choked up again, reading the last bit. I'm such a sap, |
| Posted by: MacGyver85 30 July 2018 - 06:09 PM |
I looked to see if the library I go to has that series. They don't.  I was gonna see if I liked them |
| Posted by: Dragondog 31 July 2018 - 09:31 AM | ||
That's too bad The libraries near me have all of them. |
| Posted by: denizen 31 July 2018 - 08:49 PM |
| Can't really recall the last time i stepped into a library. It's been ages. Though the world changed with all these digital subscriptions they now offer on Amazon etc... |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 1 August 2018 - 02:17 AM |
| But isn't renting a book the same as renting a movie? Like totally out of fashion in this day and age. |
| Posted by: MacGyver85 2 August 2018 - 06:32 PM | ||
Whoa  I love the library!!!! I don't have to buy the books( ) and I can read as many as I want as many times as I want. Also, I started reading the Sons of Angels series a few days ago. And I love it! I've already read 3 out of 4, lol. ...I actually finished book 1 today and read all of book 3 today too... |
| Posted by: denizen 2 August 2018 - 07:59 PM |
| Time is my greatest enemy. |
| Posted by: Dragondog 3 August 2018 - 06:43 AM | ||||
Exactly what I love about the library. Especially when I'm broke |
| Posted by: MacGyver85 3 August 2018 - 07:49 PM | ||||||
Yes Dragondog! You get what I'm saying! *high five* I think you would like the series. The first one is called Spirit Fighter if you're interested. It's by Jerel Law. I think that's how you spell it... And I read all of book 4 today!  Yeah, denizen, I sat down and read some today, but I usually read while I walk and do things around the house. It's amazing how much you can read as you walk from room to room. |
| Posted by: Dragondog 4 August 2018 - 08:53 AM |
| Okay, Mac85, I'll check it out |
| Posted by: Dragondog 4 August 2018 - 05:29 PM |
| Googled it, and it definitely sounds cool! I'll let you know what I think after I manage to get ahold of a copy of the first one. |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 5 August 2018 - 03:31 AM |
| I just started Rocketmen, the book about the Apollo 8 mission. I'm a big space race fan, and especially the Apollo program. |
| Posted by: MacGyver85 5 August 2018 - 07:26 PM | ||
Alrighty!!! |
| Posted by: Dragondog 8 August 2018 - 12:04 PM |
| Last night I finished rereading Unnaturals: The Battle Begins. The story follows Castor, a german shepherd mutt who lives as a stray in the abandoned alleyways of a city named Lion's Head. The whole outside is toxic to humans, but fine for animals, so Castor and the other members of his pack have never even seen a human up close... until a couple of humans capture Castor and bring him to their underground laboratories, where they inject animals with DNA-altering serums. Castor himself is turned into a mutant, as the serum they inject him with gives him eagle wings and talons, and before he knows it, he and a bunch of other mutants are thrust into an arena and expecting to fight each other for big prize money. Castor struggles to stay true to his moral values while still keeping up enough of a "vicious" charade to keep the humans happy. But the real threat is the scorpion-tiger known as "The Invincible" who is as unfeeling as he is vicious- and so far, no one has ever beaten him. The story also follows Marcus, an eleven year old who used to believe that the unnaturals were virtual models, and was a huge fan of the fights. But when he finds out they're real animals forced to battle against their will, he immediately becomes an animal advocate who will do anything to free the Unnaturals. And to add to those two viewpoints, there's also Leesa, a twelve year old girl who lost her chihuahua, Pookie, to the Unnaturals matches when she was eight. Pookie was the only one who ever came close to beating the Invincible, and survived, but has since disappeared. All Leesa wants is to get him back, no matter the cost. The story itself is divided into three parts, with the first part introducing the characters, the second part focusing more on developing the story itself, and the third part as the climax. The author is amazing at conveying the emotional impact of the events, especially in the third part, which is probably why this is my favorite book series at this time. Honestly, I've read this more times than I can count, but I discover something new almost every time. Obviously, the author was showcasing the evils of animal abuse, but at the same time, was showing us what could happen if we keep letting virtual reality and careless apathy drive us apart. Sort of like what would happen if Ready Player One and Wall-E wrote a book together But it also shows some other truths as well. Like Castor struggling to stay true to himself despite what the humans want, or Marcus aiming to help the mutants escape, despite the fact that his stepdad is in charge of the team that's altering them in the first place. I'm not sure why the recommended age range for this book is 8-12. I don't know all eight year olds out there, but I doubt I could have made it through a book like this at that age. As powerful as I find the series, it's pretty gruesome at times. I mean, if the whole "animals forced to fight each other" thing didn't give that away. Watching various characters getting severely hurt, or reading about them being tortured by electric collars and beatings is pretty tough to take, even at the age I am now. But the series is still worth it, and I'm glad I stuck through it. I'm now starting the second book, which is also the last book. (Come on, you could have at least made it a trilogy!) But I'll discuss the second book in a different post. Sorry, I didn't mean to ramble like that. Apparently graduating school doesn't automatically make you forget how to write book reports |
| Posted by: Barry Rowland 8 August 2018 - 05:50 PM |
| I love the cover! |
| Posted by: Dragondog 9 August 2018 - 05:41 PM | ||
The cover art is fantastic, that's for sure! Here's the cover for the second book: |
| Posted by: Dragondog 9 August 2018 - 05:44 PM |
| Though I think this fan-made image sums up the series fairly well: |
| Posted by: denizen 14 August 2018 - 02:14 AM |
| So after all the talk about libraries, i decided to visit my local library on Saturday. Couldn't find what i was looking for but i managed to take out 3 books for my son which are great. He's read them twice already! |
| Posted by: MacGyver85 14 August 2018 - 07:45 PM |
| Yay! |
| Posted by: Dragondog 18 August 2018 - 05:53 PM |
| I managed to finish the second Unnaturals book. Like the last one, Castor is one of the main characters, though now the story follows him after he and most of his team members escape from the fighting arena. Being free isn't as easy as it seemed, as Castor and the others are advertised as dangerous fugitives on every available billboard, and it isn't long before some of them are back in the hands of the humans they were running from. Marcus and Leesa are dealing with new issues as well, since they are known to have been responsible for the jailbreak. Leesa had been living in an underground community, where all the poor citizens of Lion's Head try to make due with the synthetic food and poor living conditions. But the major money loss caused by the jailbreak has been added to Leesa's family debt. Add that on top of the fact that her former best friend has betrayed her, and it's safe to say she has way more struggles than before. Marcus's stepdad, being in charge of the team that created the Unnaturals, is constantly being pulled away to the labs, and is acting like more of a jerk than before. Also, Marcus's older brother has been framed and arrested, then moved, and no one knows where the heck he is. But things are way more complicated than Marcus realizes... Both Marcus and Leesa are investigating as to why the Unnaturals were created, and what the mayor actually plans to do with the research that was done when they were created. And there's a new character, a fox-bat named Kozmo. She spent her whole life in the lab where she was created in a test -tube, hiding in nooks and crannies away from any human view. But she is eventually forced to escape with some other animals, and finally sees what the rest of the world outside the room holds. But what no one knows is that she might be the key to solving everyone's problems... Like before, Devon Hughes, the author, managed to do an amazing job at building this world, and keeping the story both emotional, action-packed, and a bit gruesome at times. But I'm not just biased when I say there should be one more book. This one was meant to wrap up the series, but still leave some questions unanswered. We really could use more details, Mrs. Hughes And, like I said with The Last Dogs, I'm alone in this fandom |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 19 August 2018 - 03:22 AM |
| The Lost World is really not that good as Jurassic Park. I'm about 60%, nearly 70% in the book but it's not as exciting as the first book. The movie really only seemed to take out some details from the book surrounded with complete new characters. The first big thing that was both in the movie and the book besides the trailers and some weaponry was the surgery on the infant Rex. Only in the book it was Malcolm and Harding doing the surgery. |
| Posted by: Dragondog 21 August 2018 - 01:20 PM |
| I decided to go and reread Julie Salamon's two middle grade novels. As far as I know, she's more of an adult writer, but she has a poetic writing style that keeps her younger novels appealing to all generations. Cat in the City was her first middle grade novel that I know of. Based on a true story, it follows a white stray cat who winds up stuck in Washington Square in New York, right smack in the dog run. Thinking he is soon to die, he gives in to his fate, only for the opposite to happen. One of the dogs, Maggie, takes pity, and another, Roxie, invites him to hang out with them, and eventually helps him find a home next to her own. The cat, who winds up with the name Pretty Boy soon finds himself feeling quite at home with his new friends, and hangs out at the dog park almost daily. But life doesn't play fair, or even take pity on the poor cat, and just when he thinks life couldn't get any better, his whole world is turned upside down. I have fickle feelings about this one. It's certainly not bad, but I've read better. The plot itself is mediocre, but the author's poetic style keeps it interesting and she managed to capture my emotions. It's actually rather bittersweet, what with Pretty Boy constantly finding a place, getting his world shaken, and winding up lost all over again. Reading through all those shake-ups and goodbyes is actually a bit rattling. But it drags at times too. The story seems to be a love letter to New York, which I've never been to, and a good chunk of the story focuses on Eli, Maggie's boy, who is trying to learn to play a cello, as well as find his own happiness in this new place his parents moved him to. Personally, having never been to New York, or having interest in cellos, I got kinda bored in those parts. But, to an extent, I could relate to Pretty Boy, since I'm more of an introvert. I get what he means about finding friends for the first time, and having to learn how to act. So altogether, I guess 4 stars out of 5 is a fair rating. Then I reread Mutt's Promise, her other middle grade novel. I like this one much better. So this one kinda jumps a bit, first focusing on Mutt, a wandering dog who ends up saving a farm cat from a weasel, and earns a place on the cat's owner's farm in return. She befriends Gilbert, the son of one of the farm workers. It's soon discovered that she's expecting puppies. After the puppies are born, Gilbert names them, and becomes as close to them as he is to their mother. But summer ends, and Gilbert and his parents leave the farm for the school year, with Gilbert promising to reunite with them next summer. Unfortunately, Gilbert's father opens a restaurant in New York, and declines the offer to return to the farm. With the farm hand not coming back, the farm's owner decides to re-home the puppies. He manages to find a good home for two of the puppies, but becomes impatient, and let's the last two go with a man named Raymond. Unfortunately, Raymond owns a puppy mill, and has no compassion for the puppies entrusted to him. By now the story focuses on Luna, the youngest and most timid puppy, and a little on Chief, the oldest puppy, as they get stuck with Raymond, befriend Charlie, another puppy from the puppy mill, and escape from Raymond's place, hoping to return to the farm where they were born. But more than trying to find home, Luna, Chief, and Charlie are trying to find their place in the world. Mutt once told her puppies that they would one day find their talents, and when they did, everything would fall into place. But is she right? Unlike Cat in the City, this story is big on both plot and emotion, keeping it much more interesting to me. Of course, I might be a bit biased, because I can really relate to Luna, as far as her anxiety goes, and her uncertainty that she'll ever find out where she truly belongs. Her character development as she grows up and learns to let go of her fear and trust people again is believable, and, like I said, relatable. Not that I've ever had to travel miles and miles after being abducted, but still, I get where she's coming from I'd give it 5 stars.And both books were illustrated by Jill Weber. She really has a talent. Her illustrations are a work of art.  |
| Posted by: Dragondog 21 August 2018 - 01:22 PM |
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| Posted by: Dragondog 21 August 2018 - 01:24 PM |
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| Posted by: Dragondog 21 August 2018 - 01:25 PM |
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| Posted by: Dragondog 21 August 2018 - 01:27 PM |
| Okay, one more, and then I'll finally shut up. Sorry, guess I got a bit carried away |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 27 August 2018 - 08:50 AM |
| Finished The Lost World. The last 100 or so pages things became interesting but only after like 300 pages. No, this is not, the page-flipping book Jurassic Park was. Shame really, the book had the level of so many flawed sequels in movies. Though I think however if the movie stuck closer to the last 100 pages the movie could've been better. But who knows maybe they didn't like the book either and decided to go with the San Diego incident instead. Dodgson's story was finished well and mirrored the ending of Peter Ludlow in the movie. The movie did take a lot of creative freedom, like the entire InGen group with new characters instead of bringing Dodgson back who just had that one scene in the movie. Ever since I took up reading again this was the least interesting book so far. |
| Posted by: denizen 27 August 2018 - 07:56 PM |
| If you enjoyed Jurassic Park, Try reading Congo. It is better than the Lost World IMO. I have decided to start reading Pet Sematary. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 28 August 2018 - 01:45 AM |
| Don't have Congo but I've seen the movie. I started immediately with Meg. Only the introduction and two chapters so far and the book is already more interesting than the movie. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 18 September 2018 - 01:37 AM |
| I finished Meg. It was a good read and it would've made a good B-movie. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 16 November 2018 - 06:18 AM |
| Have started to read Stephen King's The Green Mile. The original six episode books. As usual it reads like train. |
| Posted by: AmigaDeVenezuela 4 January 2019 - 04:55 PM |
| Strange Gifts by Robert Silverberg. I was watching Macgyver The Prodigal and this was one of the books that fell off the bookcase, that was being used to barricade the door, while the bad guys were trying to shoot their way in. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 16 January 2019 - 03:48 AM |
| Currently reading some Indiana Jones books. Still going chronologically. While I totally disliked The Oracle of Delphi, I just read Dance of the Giants and am currently reading The Seven Veils. All by the same author. It's getting better and the books seem to follow each other up. The stone that Indy found in Delphi makes a return in Dance of the Giants where he meets Deirdre Campbell who also appears in the Seven Veils as his love interest. I just finished reading a chapter where they are travelling to Brazil on the Mauretania. The ship mentioned by Kate Winslet in Titanic. This is one of the first more interesting references of real life history. The book is currently set in 1926 and actually can't wait to get to the late 30's and 40's to see what other historical references will be used. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 26 February 2019 - 03:31 AM |
| Getting to the final chapter of The Langoliers. Another great King story that reads smooth as silk. |
| Posted by: MacGyver85 21 June 2019 - 08:56 PM |
| I started reading a book called Get Coding! Learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and build a website, app, and game today. It's pretty snazzy so far. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 22 June 2019 - 01:08 AM |
| Been reading a couple of Indiana Jones books and now I'm into Xena. I only have two of them and they're hard to find. The Huntress and The Sphinx was a slow read. Now I'm reading The Empty Throne. Pity to say that the first one was not great, mostly following Gabrielle and hardly any action in it. A Xena episode contains at least two or three fights. I think I just keep them because they're the only books I ever found. |
| Posted by: Dragondog 22 June 2019 - 07:49 PM | ||
I think a couple of my other online friends read that XD |
| Posted by: MacGyver85 23 June 2019 - 08:06 PM | ||||
XD that's cool! Have you read it? I really like it so far. It lays stuff out simply and in an orderly fashion with pics so you can check what you've done. |
| Posted by: Dragondog 24 June 2019 - 11:09 AM | ||||||
No, not yet. Maybe some day |
| Posted by: MacGyverOnline 17 August 2019 - 06:10 AM |
| Yes, but you can't pirate a book. ...although you can pirate and audiobook...  |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 13 January 2020 - 07:34 AM |
| Read a couple of slow books again. The Xena books were crap to be honest and decided to get rid of them. Utopia: a book based on the concept of Die Hard set in a theme park was another disappointment. Stephen King's Pet Sematary was in fact and to my surprise also a disappointment. As I always say: movies are better then books. But this one was really a let down while it's considered to be his scariest book ever. Yet it took me at least three months to get through, way too long for a page-turner writer like King. Then I read two more Indiana Jones books. The Sky Pirates and The White Witch. Two novels that could've been good books. The Sky Pirates could've been a great movie since Indy and his team were following a band of rogues who had access to never seen before technology in 1930. They even briefly thought it was alien technology. Maybe they could've used this novel to loosely adapt it into a film. Though the pace wasn't great and more action was needed, but if it was written like an actual Indy movie it could've been good. The White Witch is sort of a sequel to it with Indiana Jones and Gale Parker returning from the previous book. Starting off better then the former book, Gale's people had been slaughtered and her soul sister seeks revenge on the killers and tries to rebuild her home by looking for gold that got lost during the civil war and using the magic of Merlin the Magician. And started nice but again pacing issues bothered the reading experience, thought there was a little more action in it. With exception of The Unicorn's Legacy and The Interior World, none of the Indiana Jones books are actually good. The Young Indiana Jones books were a little more interesting. Next one on the list would be The Feathered Snake. I read that one a couple of years ago. It's written by a German writer: Wolfgang Hohlbein and I heard his books should be better. They're thicker, maybe not better but thicker and more set near and during the war. Anyway, it's next on the Indy-list but not of my reading list. I've just started reading North and South by John Jakes. The book the mini-series in the 80's was based on starring Patrick Swayze. It's a whole chunk to read with 70 chapters and about 870 pages. As a kid I read it once and it still is the biggest book I've read to this day. I also have Love and War and Heaven and Hell but never read them. Love and War is even thicker with over a 1000 pages and 149 chapters and the third one is about as thick as the first book with 73 chapters in it. The mini-series is one of those shows I grew up with as a kid and watched it at least once a year. I remember with the series there was a lot of switching where Orry meets Madeline before he goes to West Point while in the book he meets her after he has leave. Also George meets his wife Constance before he goes to Mexico but in the series he meets her after the war. Also their sworn enemy Elkanah Bent is different in the book then in the series. He practically switches places with Salem Jones the overseer of the Mains plantation. In the book Bent is an obese person and in the series he's a smaller and thinner man while Salem Jones is a thin man in the book but more an obese person in the series. Also interesting to read is to know where the Mains and the Hazards came from originally and how they ended in America. The Hazards originates from England where the last male Hazard was a single and childless man who took care of a boy who was beaten by his stepfather. The boy Joseph kills his stepfather and finds shelter for him and his dying mother with Giles Hazard, the man who taught him to read. Knowing the boy is wanted for murder he arranges an ID so the boy can escape to America, after his mother died, under the name of Hazard. The Mains on the other hand are descendants of a line of dukes from France. Charles de Main and his wife Jeanne also have to flee the country to the United States where he tries to rebuild his fortune but he is also stuck in a childless marriage. While attempting to begin a rice plantation with the help of slaves, Native American slaves first, he manages to conceive a child with one of the slave girls to have an heir to the family. So the Main are part Native American and part French. Then we fastforward about 150 years to the year 1842 where we meet Orry Main on his way to West Point and getting into a touch of trouble and is getting helped by George Hazard and his family, meeting them all immediately instead of during his leave. And that is about as far as I got so far. The prologue and the first chapter are done, onward to chapter 2. |
| Posted by: MacGyverGod 26 January 2020 - 06:25 AM |
| Been reading North and South for about two weeks now. It's a real page turner. I'm at chapter 17 now and I try to read every morning and evening before getting up or going to bed. It's definitely different but yet so appealing and accessible. So of course there are changes, there are always changes and while the mini-series is so good, I'm certain that a reboot or remake might work just fine. It's weird to say it really but there is so much material left out or changed in the mini-series that there is still plenty left to make an entire new series that's even more fateful to the novels. Very curious to the rest of it. |
| Posted by: Big Mac-gyver 12 February 2021 - 05:38 PM |
| Macgyver Meltdown...need I say more? |