Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Writer's Block: More Island Time

You're packing your bag for that other desert island—the one with no electricity—what 5 books do you take with you?
Live Journals Writer's Block

If trillogies count as 3 books:

0. My copy of the Bible (it's an NIV)
1. The Thrawn Trilogy: Dark Force Rising
2. The Thrawn Trilogy: Heir to the Empire
3. The Thrawn Trilogy: The Last Command
4. Lord of the Rings (it is one insanely huge book!) or Dune.

If trillogies count as 1 book:


0. My copy of the Bible (it's an NIV)
1. The Thrawn Trilogy
2. Dune
3. Lord of the Rings
4. My old U.S. Army survival field manual


Wouldn't be much of a list without a copy of the Bible on it, now would it? When I started in Fusion (one of two youth groups at the church), my pastor was polite enough to equip me with a copy free of charge. Haha, I still remember the first time I read it... friends had to teach me the whole chapter _and_ verse notation (yeah, that was an awkard moment lol). One day everyone in the group was asked to read a passage picked at random, I ended up in the book of Acts. Later on my D-Group had a week long pledge to read the bible every night, being me I of course had to inhale all of Genesis. I rarely get to read the bible these days, but it's still a book I would take. The perfect chance to the entire thing cover to cover.


Timothy Zahns first tale about the imperial grand admerial Thrawn is one of my favorites, including the first appearance of my all time favorite Star Wars charactor: Mara Jade. I remember the first time I read it, I couldn't help but wonder where Luke and Mara might end up in the future. The Hand of Thrawn duology solved that question lol (the skywalker curse aside, which she seems to be the only women to ever survive reasonably well). For some good reason, all the best Star Wars novels seem to come in trilogies and average at least 950pg or better xD. I've always loved Star Wars, especially the expanded universe. Largely gave up reading them after Vector Prime though, but If I had the cash; from things that I've heard more recently, I think I would pick up where I left off from and catch up with the years. Out of all the SW books I've read, the original Thrawn stories are my top fav, hence a must on the list :-)

Dune, a movie I loved and a novel I really loved once I got to read it. Dune is just my kind of story, big, long, so much depth and imersion - like an RPG taken to an extreme. I also love Sci-Fi and stories that give one room to think a bit. Anyone who likes science fiction or fantasy must read Dune eventuall!!!!

I'm not a huge LoTR fan, but the Lord of the Rings is a very big, long, and in depth book - just right up my ally (like Dune). That reminds me, one of these days I need to puchase the remaining volumes and inhale them haha. J.R.R. Tolkien and Frank Herbert seem to have a great nack for creating their own little (eh, big) world, and finding a way to suck you into it.... you'll either have to learn all the history of it, or be bored out of your mind before the end of the book (in which case, you probably wouldn't like such books anyway)


Some years ago, well many now I guess lol. My brother picked up a few old field manuals from a military antique and surplus store. I have the manual to an M1 .30-06 rifle (the Grand), fm on booby trapping (where most of my minor-knowledge of explosives comes from), and Survival; which covers survival issues on land and sea, both tropical/desert and arctic environments (even for the avator that has fallen from the sky). After ~40 years, I'm sure it is woefully out of date or been replaced at least once or twice by the army, but hey... I wouldn't dare plan a camping trip without it, let along being stuck on a desert island!




I love to read, although honestly these days any reading time I actually get to myself... usually ends up on something techy. There is just nothing like a good book.... born a couch potato, but books are better then watching the TV. Unlike television, where they have to pick and choose what to show you, a book lets you choose what you see. To explore that authors vision, and gaze upon it with your own eyes; dive into an eventure or visit a strange new world that only exists there in. Plus there is a lot more content then TV can offer lol.


And yes, Star Wars dominates my book shelfs better segments xD.

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