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Irisi posted:If you're in the UK you can buy this "Boys' Adventure" novel set from Penguin, which has what most folk would consider all the classics of the genre: http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/penguin_sets/classic_boysadventures.html That's fantastic. I am in the UK so that's ideal. Even though I've already read a couple of those, I think I'll order that set.
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Mar 17, 2010 22:09
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I just finished reading lunar park by bret easton ellis and am looking for something similar to his style of writing. Any suggestions?
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Mar 18, 2010 00:14
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KillRoy posted:I'd really like to get into another Fantasy series. I love ASOIF, I just finished all the "Blade Itself" books, the Night Angel Trilogy a few of the Malazon Books although I didn't really care for the series. Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. Its a 9 book series (that is sadly better in the beginning) that I think you'd enjoy.
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Mar 18, 2010 03:40
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 I'm not proud of this but I'd love to read some fiction involving voodoo/the supernatural preferably in New Orleans. Think Gabriel Knight or (if anybody has read the odd Doctor Who novel) The City of the Dead. There's a particular Lovecraft story I've in mind too but I can't think of the title just now. Dudes in a swamp coming across a Cthulhu (or related elder god) cult.
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Mar 18, 2010 06:02
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dokmo posted:Also recommended to me was William Shirer's classic The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Haven't read it but it seems to have maintained a high critical opinion despite being 50 years old. I've read this. It's a dry read, but if there's anything you want to know about the European front (and everything that led to Hitler's rise to power and war), it's essential. Shirer's other books (Berlin Diary, The Nightmare Years) are also good. They're memoirs of his years living and reporting from Berlin in the late 30's and into the first year or so of the war.
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Mar 19, 2010 03:28
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I've been getting into the Jack Reacher novels, and I'd love some recommendations for similar thrillers - unrealistically badass ex-military or ex-cop main characters getting caught up in things is good. If there's a decent sci-fi equivalent, I'd be interested in that as well, but someone recommended me Neal Asher's Ian Cormac books for that and I couldn't really get into Gridlinked at all.
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Mar 19, 2010 11:49
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Leovinus posted:I've been getting into the Jack Reacher novels, and I'd love some recommendations for similar thrillers - unrealistically badass ex-military or ex-cop main characters getting caught up in things is good. I've been looking for similar books as well. The trouble is, most thrillers are about vulnerable people unwittingly getting themselves in trouble, and the resolution is about them finding inner reserves of strength to extricate themselves from the predicament. Reacher is of course invincible, which removes a lot of the tension. The fun in the Reacher books, at least for me, is the solutions he comes up with, not so much the inevitable rear end-kickings he dishes out. I've never really found another book that balances the rear end-kicking with a McGyver-like problem solving aspect.
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Mar 19, 2010 14:32
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If someone could offer something similar to Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, in that it helps put life in perspective, I would appreciate it.
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Mar 19, 2010 18:46
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I've read a lot of really serious books lately and need something light and humorous. I've heard great things about P.G. Wodehouse but haven't read anything of his yet, any suggestions on where to start?
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Mar 20, 2010 16:23
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Daveski posted:I've read a lot of really serious books lately and need something light and humorous. I've heard great things about P.G. Wodehouse but haven't read anything of his yet, any suggestions on where to start? It really doesn't matter. The characters overlap between series and it's not strictly necessary to read them in any kind of order. I like the Blandings and Psmith books; I started with them. The Jeeves books are more famous and a good place to start. He wrote a lot of short stories so you can always start there.
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Mar 20, 2010 17:24
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Earlier today my sister asked me to help her recommend a book for one of her friends. He's 20, likes sports (especially baseball) and music ranging from Metallica to Modest Mouse, and has ADD (shocking, I know). He's never been a reader before, and asked her to help him find a starting point, but has no idea of what he would like. The only direction he provided is that he wants a book that's not too long (thinking a cap of 200 or so pages), not too-detail laden but still exciting, and with a good plot-twist/surprise ending. He read a bit of Poe in high school and enjoyed it, for what it's worth. As a general rule, I recommend 'American Gods' by Neil Gaiman to anyone who likes fairy tales and mythology, but since he doesn't have a reader's history I'm afraid he would miss many of the references that made the book so enjoyable to me. Help?
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Mar 21, 2010 01:17
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Hopes Fall posted:Earlier today my sister asked me to help her recommend a book for one of her friends. If he likes baseball, maybe Jim Bouton's Ball Four? It's a sarcastic, funny and brutally honest behind-the-scenes diary of a washed up pitcher on the fringes of pro baseball. It's a little long, but it's broken down into small pieces he can read at will. It's even got a few twists here and there, too.
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Mar 21, 2010 17:04
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Hopes Fall posted:Earlier today my sister asked me to help her recommend a book for one of her friends. Stephen King? He has some pretty awesome short story collections, and a few books ~200 pages.
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Mar 22, 2010 09:14
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barkingclam posted:If he likes baseball, maybe Jim Bouton's Ball Four? It's a sarcastic, funny and brutally honest behind-the-scenes diary of a washed up pitcher on the fringes of pro baseball. It's a little long, but it's broken down into small pieces he can read at will. It's even got a few twists here and there, too. So it's basically Eastbound & Down in book form? That sounds incredible.
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Mar 22, 2010 13:52
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Can anyone recommend some fantasy or sci-fi that's much more about cool worlds and technologies and stuff than realistic characters and petty interpersonal squabbles (or much interpersonal interaction at all)? I quite liked the Night's Dawn Trilogy.
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Mar 22, 2010 14:35
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DirtyRobot posted:Stephen King? He has some pretty awesome short story collections, and a few books ~200 pages. King is good, but his best stuff tends to be a little drawn out & slow to get going. If the kid is into music why not give his son, Joe Hills' Heart Shaped Box a shot? It's a fast-paced, nasty little horror story in which the protagonist is an ageing rocker. It's easy to get into & the plot has some neat twists.
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Mar 22, 2010 17:58
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Hopes Fall posted:Earlier today my sister asked me to help her recommend a book for one of her friends. I’m not a sports fan -- I'm sure that's a whole vein of literature in and of itself -- but I can speak from experience of the rest of your criteria. I know a lot of off-center personality types (OCD, ADD, ADHD) who prefer non-fiction to fiction, but I don’t read a ton of NF myself. Based on my experience, I’d recommend short story collections & anthologies. Ballsworthy has recommended some kick-rear end stuff in the past which turned me into a fan of the form for its own sake and which suited my...uh...twitchiness very very well. First off, if he can read/enjoy Poe, he might enjoy Sherlock Holmes. Doyle’s prose hasn’t aged hardly at all which is a big part of what makes him stand out from the crowd IMO. (I always want to enjoy Lovecraft more than I do but his writing is so intentionally arcane I find it less approachable than stuff written a generation or more before it). Specific Titles which have flipped my poo poo: Dark Delicacies, horror story anthology edited by by Del Howison and Jeff Gelb. There are two follow ups I haven’t read yet but this one is wonderful and lead to Criminal Macabre: The Complete Cal McDonald Stories by Steve Niles. Fast paced, visceral, hardboiled supernatural detective stories and novels not to be confused with the graphic novels/comics of the same name. (I like these prose stories better than the comic versions.) As a gauge of interest, Niles also wrote 30 Days of Night. The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye & Men and Cartoons by Jonathan Lethem. Lethem’s all over the place, sci-fi & straight lit fic, maybe he can generally be referred to as “speculative fiction”. It’s all really well written and profoundly engaging. Looking for Jake and Other Stories by China Mieville. I should think he’s a very well known quantity in these parts. Speculative fiction again – tending more toward supernatural than sci-fi. I haven’t yet been able to get into his novels but goddamn did I love these stories. Punktown by Jeffrey Thomas Maybe not quite as classy as all of the above (the Punktown novel I tried after this collection disappointed me enough to steal some of Thomas’s luster in my estimation) but really enjoyable nonetheless. This is urban sci-fi. Stories about life in a city founded by humans on another planet atop the remains of a prior, alien, civilization where humans and various alien races cohabitate with mixed results. Collectively, these titles got me so high and excited about short weird fiction that I crashed pretty hard when I couldn’t find more of the same. It was a while before I could go on reading “just whatever” again. Most recently, I’ve returned to my high school fascination with old-school hardboiled detective fiction with an anthology on loan called Hardboiled: An Anthology of American Crime Stories edited by Bill Pronzini & Jack Adrian. Not just a collection of great stories but a truly wonderful anthology with plenty of editorial information about the history the genre and the individual authors & stories. You’ll find some staples here, from Dashill Hammet to James Ellroy, but it’s the guys I’d never heard of who are doing the heavy lifting. So many good stories, a lot of them are only around 2000 words or so, but man they pack a lot of punch in a just a couple of pages. King Plum the Nth fucked around with this message at 22:39 on Mar 22, 2010 |
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Mar 22, 2010 18:58
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So I recently finished The Lone Samurai and its really got me interested in the genre. I was wondering if any of you could suggest some more books about awesome or interesting people and their lives? Thanks in advance
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Mar 22, 2010 22:14
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Hopes Fall posted:He's 20, likes sports (especially baseball) and music ranging from Metallica to Modest Mouse, and has ADD (shocking, I know). He's never been a reader before, and asked her to help him find a starting point, but has no idea of what he would like. Chuck Klosterman, probably. He writes in a way that a non-reader would be uniquely positioned to appreciate. And his attention span is probably shorter than your friend's. newtwork.guy posted:Can anyone recommend some fantasy or sci-fi that's much more about cool worlds and technologies and stuff than realistic characters and petty interpersonal squabbles (or much interpersonal interaction at all)? You could read a the repair manual for a very sophisticated dishwasher and imagine the dishwasher is on Mars?
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Mar 23, 2010 04:24
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Irisi posted:King is good, but his best stuff tends to be a little drawn out & slow to get going. If the kid is into music why not give his son, Joe Hills' Heart Shaped Box a shot? It's a fast-paced, nasty little horror story in which the protagonist is an ageing rocker. It's easy to get into & the plot has some neat twists. I think if someone has trouble getting into The Shining, Pet Sematary, or any of King's short stories, their best bet is probably Dick and Jane books or something. network.guy posted:Can anyone recommend some fantasy or sci-fi that's much more about cool worlds and technologies and stuff than realistic characters and petty interpersonal squabbles (or much interpersonal interaction at all)? Truly, Sci Fi and Fantasy have been plagued by excessive realism and character development. Honestly, if you find the realism in Sci Fi and Fantasy excessive, I would look into nonfiction. This isn't a joke. Consider checking out books about the technological singularity.
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Mar 23, 2010 15:30
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I apologize if this has been posted. I only checked the last 3-4 pages. It has recently come to my attention that I lack any real practical survival knowledge. If, god willing, there is some kind of apocalypse be it zombie-based or whatever, I would most likely starve/freeze to death. I am looking for a good book on survival knowledge that is also an interesting read. I have come across the Army's survival guide (the one for civilians). http://www.amazon.com/US-Army-Survival-Manual-21-76/dp/0967512395 It is too boring, watered down, and from the 1970's. I don't need info on how to grow a mustache and disco dance. I know I am being vague, but it would be cool to know how to forage, hunt, build/repair electronics and mechanics, cook humans, etc. I know that this can be found in several books, but it would be nice to read something informative and fun in one nice package. Does this exist? If not, give me the best you have read. EDIT: I know I mentioned zombies as a joke in the post, but I have already read Max Brooks' books.
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Mar 23, 2010 16:41
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Wiggles Von Huggins posted:I am looking for a good book on survival knowledge that is also an interesting read.
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Mar 23, 2010 17:00
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Wiggles Von Huggins posted:I know I am being vague, but it would be cool to know how to forage, hunt, build/repair electronics and mechanics, cook humans, etc. I know that this can be found in several books, but it would be nice to read something informative and fun in one nice package. Does this exist? If not, give me the best you have read. I think the best you're going to do is a book on homesteading. I had a couple from the library a while back, they were pretty old and I can't find exactly what I remember on Amazon, but I think this was one of them http://www.amazon.com/Self-Sufficient-Life-How-Live/dp/0756654505/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269361442&sr=8-24 If it is the one I remember, it has information about general carpentry, farming, animal husbandry, building solar systems, water filtration, chemical toilets, greenhouses, canning, food preservation, etc. When I was looking for it I ran across this http://www.amazon.com/How-Survive-End-World-Know/dp/0452295831/ref=sr_1_25?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269361442&sr=8-25 which I've never read. The reviews say it's not very detailed but it'd be a place to start. The author has a blog on survival and I'd check that out first, from what I read on Amazon the blog has much more useful information than the book. It seems to be more in line with what you're looking for perhaps.
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Mar 23, 2010 17:33
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Wiggles Von Huggins posted:survival knowledge that is also an interesting read. The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and its sequels.
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Mar 23, 2010 17:41
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Wiggles Von Huggins posted:I apologize if this has been posted. I only checked the last 3-4 pages. I bought The Green Beret Survival Manual and so far it's an alright read and has useful information. http://www.amazon.com/Mykel-Hawkes-Green-Survival-Manual/dp/0762433582
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Mar 23, 2010 18:47
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Thanks so much for the recommendations! I'm passing them along to my sister, and I'll report when and if he ever finishes a book.
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Mar 23, 2010 22:28
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Could someone point me to a well written book on the beliefs of Thomas Jefferson?
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Mar 24, 2010 20:33
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I stumbled across this website the other day. Some of you will love this.. http://www.powergloveaudio.com/ Does anyone have a book to recommend that documents a bit deeper than the main pop culture trends of the 80's?
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Mar 24, 2010 23:41
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foastwab posted:If someone could offer something similar to Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, in that it helps put life in perspective, I would appreciate it. I'm not quite sure what you mean by ["puts life in perspective" but if you haven't read it already you really should read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close if you enjoyed Everything is Illuminated at all. I like the writing much more in ELAIC and really really enjoy all of the main characters.
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Mar 25, 2010 01:18
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Nione posted:I think the best you're going to do is a book on homesteading. I had a couple from the library a while back, they were pretty old and I can't find exactly what I remember on Amazon, but I think this was one of them http://www.amazon.com/Self-Sufficient-Life-How-Live/dp/0756654505/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269361442&sr=8-24 Thank you for this. Maybe what I needed were better search criteria and homesteading seems to fit my what I want to read. Now, if only I could find a book that didn't make me look like I want to join the Montana Militia...
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Mar 25, 2010 04:01
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Daveski posted:I just finished The Lost City of Z and really enjoyed the parts about Victorian-era England, specifically some of the crazy inventors and other eccentric figures like Sir Francis Galton or Helena Blavatsky. Anyone have suggestions for further reading along those lines? Either biographies of specific people or more general books on Victorian life would be great. Seconding this! Right now, I'm reading Gold warriors: America's secret recovery of Yamashita's gold and would love more books on this subject as well. Thanks goons!
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Mar 25, 2010 19:46
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surf animal posted:"Either biographies of specific people or more general books on Victorian life would be great." It's not exclusively Victorian but Gods, Mongrels and Demons: 101 Brief but Essential Lives by Angus Calder is basically a book of brief biographies of eccentrics. It has a fair number of Victorians in it, some of whom don't seem to have proper biographies available, like Annie Besant. It's really good and permanently at my bedside. If Blavatsky interests you, you should read about Edgar Cayce. Also, maybe William Reich. I don't know about specific biographies, but they're equally strange and interesting people. I think Eminent Victorians was already suggested. Edith Sitwell's English Eccentrics is very vaguely similar, less "valuable" but more fun.
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Mar 26, 2010 05:06
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Hey everyone. I am a newbie when it comes to Philosophy and would like to hear some suggestions for an overview when it comes to this wonderful world. From what little I have read, I enjoy French Existentialism and think the ideas put forth in Plato's "The Republic" are neat but would like a broader overview than just those small sub-fields. I am also in the market for self-cultivation through philosophical study. Thanks in advance! 
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Mar 26, 2010 22:49
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If you want to learn philosophy you should just read everything by the more famous writers, but in chronological order. Everyone builds on the ideas of everyone before them, whether they disagree with them or otherwise.
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Mar 26, 2010 23:40
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OrangeGuy posted:Hey everyone. I am a newbie when it comes to Philosophy and would like to hear some suggestions for an overview when it comes to this wonderful world. From what little I have read, I enjoy French Existentialism and think the ideas put forth in Plato's "The Republic" are neat but would like a broader overview than just those small sub-fields. I am also in the market for self-cultivation through philosophical study. I read Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy, which I think is pretty standard. Some amazon.com reviewer says Antony Flew's Introduction to Western Philosophy is better, and I've got a friend with a philosophy degree who would agree. I found Russell's an interesting and easy read when I was a teenager; Flew might suit you better, I don't know. If you're looking for advice on "self-cultivation" read Candide, I guess? I don't understand "self-cultivation through philosophical study," I would hope that any sort of "self-cultivation" would be a by-product of the study, rather than the aim? Maybe read a Doctor Phil book translated into Ancient Greek?
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Mar 26, 2010 23:41
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OrangeGuy posted:I am also in the market for self-cultivation through philosophical study. This was the primary interest of the ancient philosophers before Aristotle, so there's lots of stuff from Plato, but particularly the dialogues telling the story of his death, and the Phaedrus. Moral philosophers like Epictetus, or the writings of Marcus Aurelius are fantastic (essentially moral aphorisms), Cicero is necessary for Roman writing, and Lucretia's "De Rerum Natura" will be a different take on "self-cultivation," from the Epicurean side. Boethius, Augustine, and Aquinas are the classic Christian writers, and Rousseau's "Confessions" is the most important modern update. Walter Benjamin's writings on the flaneur are interesting for their approach to the construction of the bourgeois self, as is de Certeau's "The Practice of Everyday Life," and of course Pierre Bourdieu's "Distinction," but each of these are going to be harder than you might be ready for, and they aren't "self-help guides" but rather critiques of the modern process of cultivation. They're also works of Continental Philosophy, so many analytical philosophers might reject them outright as being corrupted by their "interest" and socio-critical methodologies. Those are good places to start I think.
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Mar 27, 2010 04:43
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ONE TWO THREE TIMES TWO TO THE SIX/JONESING FOR YOUR FIX OF THAT LIMP BIZKIT MIX
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OrangeGuy posted:Hey everyone. I am a newbie when it comes to Philosophy and would like to hear some suggestions for an overview when it comes to this wonderful world. From what little I have read, I enjoy French Existentialism and think the ideas put forth in Plato's "The Republic" are neat but would like a broader overview than just those small sub-fields. I am also in the market for self-cultivation through philosophical study. The Great Philosophers: An Introduction to Western Philosophy by Bryan Magee is not a bad place to start.
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Mar 28, 2010 12:28
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I've just recently found that most of the books on my shelves have one thing in common and that's they in one way or another involve survival in harsh or uncharted lands, ether in a realistic, sci-fi, or fantasy setting (one classic example being Dune by Frank Herbert). I have no clue if there is even a classification for this type of book. Books I do have and would recommend if you like this sort of thing: Dune series - Harsh desert survival, military takeovers, tribal customs. All the things that make life sexy (all the books by Frank Herbert are great, some of his sons stuff is alright but I could defiantly feel a difference in the writing style) Tons of Zombie books  - Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z, Zombies for Zombies (not really survival stuff but what the hell), The Rising, Ghoul... yeah anything with zombies normally works if the author knows what he's doing.Freedoms Landing - Decent book, if you are an Anne McCaffrey fan you will probably love it. Me not so much into her other stuff but most of this book was great, slaves are dropped off on a planet to colonize it with nothing but a few blankets, knives, and rations. Much like the zombie books anything that deals with the World Wars  and Nam and focuses on the battles and not the politics (I do like political books but I love explosions and head shots just a bit more)Any recommendations would be great, I'm a house bitch (as my wife loves to call me) and take care of my son 24/7 so when he takes a nap I would like have some great reads to keep me entertained.
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Mar 29, 2010 04:34
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I read infinite jest around the new year. Its a stunning and whacky book that, unfortunately, I don't think has many contemporaries. Since reading it, i've read: The Brothers Karamazov (reread, definitely rivals IJ's greatness) Libra-delillo Gravitys Rainbow Dead Souls Anathem started The Idiot for the second time, couldn't get past pg.100 Currently ~50% done with 2666 Obviously, i like big books, and a few of the above are really great, but none of them have a spirit like IJ does. Can anyone help me? After 2666, for example, i have my eye on confessions of an economic hitman just for the non-fiction infodump but i'd really like to read something as bizarre and wonderful as infinite jest.
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Mar 29, 2010 06:05
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Legs posted:I've just recently found that most of the books on my shelves have one thing in common and that's they in one way or another involve survival in harsh or uncharted lands, ether in a realistic, sci-fi, or fantasy setting (one classic example being Dune by Frank Herbert). I have no clue if there is even a classification for this type of book. Here's a recommendation from left field: Memoirs of an Invisible Man by H F Saint. A freak nuclear accident turns a man invisible, and he spends the entire book learning how to survive. He is also being chased by some malignant government force, but the best parts are how he learns to how to get a place to live and an income, despite not being a person at all. I understand they made a lovely Chevy Chase movie from the book, but I've never seen it. The book is excellent.
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Mar 29, 2010 15:13
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