Be afraid, be very afraid.  I'll let these stand alone, because there are no words that can convey just how terrible these are.

Even the girl in this video is outraged at it.

The girls in this video are wondering where their life went wrong and whether it wouldn't have been better to just prostitute themselves for the money they received for doing this.  It's like you can really see them thinking, "So, this is what my education at Julliard got me."

1.  Darwin's Blade by Dan Simmons

http://www.amazon.com/White-Star-James-Thayer/dp/0671528173/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252474793&sr=1-3

It is actually quite frequently witty and humorous.  It is about an accident investigator who is very good at his job.  After checking out a particularly gruesome accident, he finds himself the target of hitmen and no one knows why.  He was a former sniper, and there's a character in the book called Dick Weed.  Really.

2.  White Star by James Thayer

http://www.amazon.com/White-Star-James-Thayer/dp/0671528173/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252474793&sr=1-3

You actually learn quite a few interesting bits of trivia in this book.  A former sniper turned legal prosecutor finds himself drawn back to his past against his will in order to save lives.

3.  Five Past Midnight by James Thayer

This is essentially fictionalized history (sort of like Operation Valkyrie) of a military assassin who is sent to try to kill Hitler towards the end of WW2.  It's not the best book on here by a long shot (it's entertaining, but not great), but it's interesting to think about.

4.  The Alex Hawke Series by Ted Bell

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_0_8?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=alex+hawke+series&x=0&y=0&sprefix=alex+haw

These are entertaining.  I think there are four of them.  They're all about Alex Hawke who is a wealthy Englishman who sort of works for both the U.S. government and the British government as needed.  He comes from pirate blood, and he essentially pirates his services for good.  I like to think of it sort of as Lara Croft meets James Bond. 

5.  The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_1_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+dresden+files+series&x=0&y=0&sprefix=the+dresd

There are a crapload of books in this series, and if I'm being honest, I've only read the first.  I liked it enough, but not exactly enough to continue on, because nothing really happens in the first book.  However, I have it on good authority that if you can make it to the second and third, you'll be happy you did, because it gets a lot better.  Most people seem to love the series, and only the literary nerds have thrown me a bone and told me that they understand my disinclination to not continue.  However, I do plan on doing so when I have time.  It's basically about a modern wizard who sells his services, but he dispels all the myths and ideas around wizardry and shows it to be different than how most humans have come to think of it. 

A list of reasons why Tillyho! is awesome, though this list is in no way comprehensive.

1.  He is Australian.

2.  He downloads awful books for me.

3.  He likes my silly poems.

4.  He sends me fun music.

5.  He married Anne.

6.  He is a fantastic research monkey.

7.  He has a similar sense of humor.

8.  He finds my awful jokes funny even if he won't admit it.

9.  He has lots of bunnies.

10.  He is an awesome friend.

11.  He plays LORD.

12.  He introduced me to Twitter.

13.  He is a good partner in crime.