reading

A quick google search revealed a list of the top 100 best sci-fi books. I did this because I understand about how much reading is needed to write well. (After reading Charolette Younge and seeing character development last year, I know.) I don’t like reading. It takes so much time and it seriously distracts me.

Anyway, I glanced through the list and I’ll put my two cents in on it. Surprising, I’ve read some of these.

1-Ender’s Game [S1]–1985 I have read this book and though I found it very good up until the end, I never had the motivation to continue in the series.

2-Frank Herbert–Dune [S1]–1965 This one just scares me.

3–Isaac Asimov–Foundation [S1-3]–1951–No comments except that I read the first page and found it interesting.

4–Douglas Adams–Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy [S1]–I suppose I should read it, though I’ve always thought I disliked comedic books.

5–George Orwell, 1984–1949–Read it. Very sad.

6–Robert A Heinlein—Stranger in a Strange Land–1961

7–Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451–1954–Have been wanting to read this for a while actually. Never have gotten around to it.

8–Arthur C Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey–1968–Didn’t even know this was a book actually.

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12, Robert A Heinlein, Starship Troopers–1959–Again, have been wanting to read this one.

13–Larry Niven, Ringworld–1970–Something about this title triggers something in my memory, but I’m not sure what.

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15, Aldous Huxley, Brave New World–1932–Read it. Rather good in the beginning but bad at the end.

16, Dan Simmons–Hyperion [S1]—1989–Didn’t have any problem with this until I read that there is a sex scene it. I will not read a book with a sex scene in it.

17, H G Wells–The Time Machine–1895–No offense against H. G. Wells, but I’ve always thought of this book as boring.

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19, H G Wells, The War of the Worlds, 1898–Again, sounds boring. But the recording biases me.

20, Robert A Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, 1966–Read. Loved it.

21, Ray Bradbury, [C] The Martian Chronicles, 1950–My brother read it and it looked boring, but he said it wasn’t that bad, and that is good for him.

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24, Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash, 1992–I heard this was good actually.

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26, Ursula K Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, 1969–I’ve never liked her as an author. I’m not sure why.

27, Orson Scott Card, Speaker for the Dead [S2], 1986–Again, I didn’t have any interest in reading it.

28, Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park, 1990–No interest, although I didn’t know that it was that new of a book.

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34, Madeleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle In Time, 1962–We own this book I think, though I’ve never read it.

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36, Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, 1870–I’ve been curious about this book since there was a picture in my study room.

38, Carl Sagan, Contact, 1985–I’m bias, but I would not read anything by Carl Sagan.

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48, Kim Stanley Robinson, Red Mars [S1], 1992–I took it out of the library once, before I knew it was that good.

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51, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, 1818–I should read this, but again, I don’t want to.

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59, Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Shadow [S1], 1999–More or less read this one.

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62, Niven & Pournelle, Lucifer’s Hammer, 1977—It’s just me, but I probably won’t read this one either just because of Lucifer part. That just sounds evil. I’ll probably look into it. FAr Side of Evil was very good.

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75, C S Lewis, Out of the Silent Planet [S1], 1938–REad this when I was, oh, maybe 10. Bad idea. I should go read it again.

76, Alastair Reynolds, Revelation Space [S1], 2000–I’ve been wanting to read a book by him, actually.

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82, Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars [S1], 1912–I heard this one is very good.  There’s 10 in the series too.

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89, Edwin A Abbott, Flatland, 1884–I didn’t know this was that famous. I have an ipod app with this book. I just found something to do during school.

… And that’s them all. I guess I’ve read six of them. I almost thought I had more. If I didn’t have so much editing to do, I’d go to the library and get some of those out. Maybe I will anyway. (Actually, I want to upload all those books in public domain onto my touch, so I can read them.)

But, as C. S. Lewis said, read as much as you can and don’t read magazines.