What books do you like? (if you like to read)

[alaskagirl]

What are your favorite books to read? I myself really like the Harry Potter series. Actually, I LOVE the Harry Potter series! I'm sad that Mrs. Rowling ended them, but it wouldn't be as fun if they never ended. It would just get plain boring and... overwhelming. Still, sad.

[Shiroi Tora]

My favorite book of all time. It is the most famous version of Musashi (Japanese author Eiji Yoshikawa) - a book and story on a grand scale. A piece of fiction based on the real life Miyamoto Musashi (not enough was known about the real Musashi to account for all the details used in the book to illustrate his life - but many of the battles were).

I first read this book 30 years ago. Every page held me entranced. Many a night I vowed to read but one section, only to find myself hours behind my normal sleep time still hungry for more.

It is the story of a man's journey to maturity and mastery over himself through his sword. After many setbacks and sidetracks he embarks on a difficult mission of complete mastery of swordfighting by traveling, and challenging the best weapons fighters, throughout Japan. Musashi becomes the greatest swordsman of his era while a close friend falls behind by giving in to a hedonistic lifestyle. Of course, no great book is complete without a great love being central to the story. A young woman who grows to love Musashi after seeing him mature, ends up following him no matter how far he travels -for her this is her mission. Her love for him stands as an example of true love and loyalty.

The story ends with a final battle between Musashi and his nemisis - another Samurai on a similar mission. An epic tale - one of the most famous in all of Japan.

[MM]

I used to read up on history and various other non fiction things and read weird stuff like alien abductions and crap like that.  But now adays I dont do that much reading probably should

[zenemu]

I read pretty much anything I can get my hands on. I love reading

[alaskagirl]

To Shiroi Tora: That sounds like the kind of books that my dad is NUTS about! He has two samurai swords, countless books about Japan/Samurais, and even inspired me to theme my room on Japan.

To MM: You don't know what you're missing!

To zenemu: That pretty much sounds like me. I  books! Oh, and thanks for applauding me!

[Shiroi Tora]

To Shiroi Tora: That sounds like the kind of books that my dad is NUTS about! He has two samurai swords, countless books about Japan/Samurais, and even inspired me to theme my room on Japan.

To MM: You don't know what you're missing!

To zenemu: That pretty much sounds like me. I   books! Oh, and thanks for applauding me!

You have a very smart father  

The Japanese swords...as later refined...became the epitome of swords and sword making.  The secret lay in the multiple folds (over 1 million layers - sword heated and folded and quenched over 30 times...sequential doubling...start out with a penny....double the total each day...in a month you are a millionaire)  which...besides giving inherent strength in layering...it actually changes the crystalline structure of the metal...with the addition of rice straw to add carbon and quick cooling it becomes Martensite...the hardest metal of its time...they overcame brittleness by adding a clay mixture back of the cutting edge to slow the heating / cooling and so resulting in the softer metal absorbing the shock of impact so as to not shatter the sword while allowing it to cut without dulling.  They also made a hybrid sword by folding in a softer core of metal in the center of the sword.  

I was raised in Japanese culture.  I spent the ages 3-6 yrs. old in Japan and I worked there just before I became a Correctional Officer.  My mother is Japanese (from Japan)...my father had met her shortly after WWII.  My wife is Japanese...I met her while working in Japan.  That makes my son 3/4 Japanese.

I love Japan and so many of its cultural aspects.  Most of my adult influences were Japanese.

[Dwighk Sr.]

[dhpmathmusic]

It takes me forever to read, even though I do enjoy reading.  I seem to go for the classics.  My favorite book so far is Dante's Inferno; however, I love Poe.  I am now trying to tackle Paradise Lost; and so far, the book is winning.

[Felgen]

My favourite is The Time Macine. Allthough it's short, it was impossible to put down. I read the whole book the very day it arrived in the mail.  

[Remission]

The Complete Works of Sigmund Freud (my ultimate reading pleasure), followed by Shakespeare, the King James Bible, War and Peace, classical history, world history, sexoloy, psychology, IT certification study guides, and so on.

[MM]

I love japanese martial arts especially jujitsu and I used to love reading up on them.  I do jujitsu these days and I enjoy many of the aspects of japanese martial training although it is watered down in the west.  The japanese samuari swords or katana as it was known is probably the sharpest sword ever made.  I dont think even the best armour at the time which was european plate armour could stand up to those swords.  I just dont know

[dhpmathmusic]

Oh, man! The only book for which I couldn't put down - The Time Machine!  I read that when I was 14 in two days...even reading that book through every class including Geometry! 128 pages of incredible material!

[zenemu]

Oh, man! The only book for which I couldn't put down - The Time Machine!  I read that when I was 14 in two days...even reading that book through every class including Geometry! 128 pages of incredible material!

I love HG Wells. The Time Machine is my favourite book of his too. He wrote some incredible stuff. War of the worlds was a fascinating idea, and way ahead of its time, although probably a little tame by todays standards - fighting alien tripods with cannon balls, but still an interesting read

[alaskagirl]

Wow. The Time Machine must be pretty good! I'll have to see if I can get my book-loving hands on it!

[ukenkerl]

Gee, one guy apparently had the idea of bringing books to the masses.  He died over 400 years ago, but somone remembered him and brought it to the 21st century!

SO here is H.G. Wells THE TIME MACHINE, FOR FREE, in SEVERAL formats!

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/35