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Koburn posted:Can anyone recommend some comedy audiobooks? I recently listened to and enjoyed Bossypants by Tina Fey and I, Partridge by Alan Partridge. George Carlin's autobiography, Last Words: A Memoir is a terrific book, although not straight comedy. The audiobook is read by Patrick Carlin, George's older brother, who sounds exactly like a angrier, Irisher, rantier George Carlin. It's great.
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Jan 26, 2012 21:55
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Pulling Teeth posted:I'm looking for a book on the history of witchcraft, preferably written by a genuine historian who has done genuine research, not someones fat mum who thinks she is a Wiccan. I'm interested in the practices themselves, community responses and religious responses to said practices. Bonus points if it is available on the kindle! Ronald Hutton's Triumph of the Moon is the most academically sound book of the history that I know of.
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Jan 27, 2012 02:22
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I posted this in Science, Academics and Languages too but I figure I could get a good response here too. I need to write more interestingly. I struggle at narrative prose and am going to fail royally in my writing of college application essays. I've head about Elements of Style but could use a few more suggestions. What should I read?
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Jan 27, 2012 17:48
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Vegetable posted:I posted this in Science, Academics and Languages too but I figure I could get a good response here too. I need to write more interestingly. I struggle at narrative prose and am going to fail royally in my writing of college application essays. I've head about Elements of Style but could use a few more suggestions. What should I read? Read Elements of Style twice. Then try John Gardner's The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers.
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Jan 27, 2012 19:33
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Vegetable posted:I posted this in Science, Academics and Languages too but I figure I could get a good response here too. I need to write more interestingly. I struggle at narrative prose and am going to fail royally in my writing of college application essays. I've head about Elements of Style but could use a few more suggestions. What should I read? Seconding the Strunk and White, then Gardner advice. Those two books will really help. If you still need help, check if your library has any composition textbooks, those are sometimes helpful.
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Jan 27, 2012 22:09
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Vegetable posted:I posted this in Science, Academics and Languages too but I figure I could get a good response here too. I need to write more interestingly. I struggle at narrative prose and am going to fail royally in my writing of college application essays. I've head about Elements of Style but could use a few more suggestions. What should I read? I like Stanley Fish's new How to Write a Sentence. Say what you will about Stanley Fish, the guy knows his way around a sentence. His blog posts at the New York Times, when they focus on writing, are also quite good (and free). If you have access to JSTOR through a library, read everything Donald Murray has written about writing or how he teaches writing. More especially: - "Teach Writing as a Process Not Product" (Google this one--it's pretty important in pedagogy and composition studies) - "The Maker's Eye: Revising Your Own Manuscripts" (again, Google) - "Write Before Writing" in College Composition and Communication - "The Interior View: One Writer's Philosophy of Composition" again in College Composition and Communication ...there are more on JSTOR that are more focused on the teaching of writing.
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Jan 27, 2012 22:50
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Vegetable posted:I posted this in Science, Academics and Languages too but I figure I could get a good response here too. I need to write more interestingly. I struggle at narrative prose and am going to fail royally in my writing of college application essays. I've head about Elements of Style but could use a few more suggestions. What should I read? Pretend you are talking to someone about something. Talk about something you care about, but don't worry about any rules when you first put pen to paper. Get the ideas down, then just clean them up. I think the block isn't your writing, it's forgetting that the point of writing is to tell somebody something. You don't try to write more interestingly, you write about something you think is interesting that you want to tell someone about, if that makes any sense. Elements of Style is excellent, plus it's interesting to read. Strunk and White CARE about language and find the use of it interesting, and when they're talking about it, the end result is that they don't have to worry about writing more interestingly. 
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Jan 28, 2012 05:44
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Zola posted:You don't try to write more interestingly, you write about something you think is interesting that you want to tell someone about, if that makes any sense. This is especially good advice for college app essays. You really want your essay to stand out- just think of how many essays the readers will be going through. Now think about how many of those are going to be about someone's grandma's death or how their trip to South America changed them as a person. An interesting, memorable topic (but not too out there, and I've always heard to avoid religious topics, just in case) is probably your most important goal.
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Jan 28, 2012 06:51
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Does anyone know the name of a short story about a book translator who alters this foreign authors books to include characters the translator has created? He gets really annoyed when one of the books is formatted in such a way that it can't be altered in translation. My friend was telling me about it, apparently it's from a book of European Short stories. Thanks!
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Jan 29, 2012 00:48
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Looking for a book to give to my dad for his birthday. He is a computer science professor, so some book that puts a human touch on the field would be good (though not the biography of Steve Jobs). Past favorites of his have been books by Bill Bryson, Roald Dahl, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Stateside-written books we've given him have been Moonwalking with Einstein and Bloody Confused! (about trying to follow soccer overseas). Basically, he is your typical gentle, intelligent English giant. I don't think there is much he wouldn't like except stuff crappily or lazily written. Thanks!
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Jan 29, 2012 01:19
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Cup of Hemlock posted:Looking for a book to give to my dad for his birthday. He is a computer science professor, so some book that puts a human touch on the field would be good (though not the biography of Steve Jobs). Past favorites of his have been books by Bill Bryson, Roald Dahl, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Stateside-written books we've given him have been Moonwalking with Einstein and Bloody Confused! (about trying to follow soccer overseas). My favorite dad books of recent years: John Vaillant's The Tiger, Simon Winchester's Atlantic, David White's Great Big Book of Horrible Things (Atrocitology in the UK), and Holly Tucker's Blood Work.
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Jan 29, 2012 04:54
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What's a good book on the collapse of the Soviet Union? I'm looking for something good to start on, I suddenly want to learn everything I can about it.
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Jan 29, 2012 06:16
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funkybottoms posted:My favorite dad books of recent years: John Vaillant's The Tiger, Simon Winchester's Atlantic, David White's Great Big Book of Horrible Things (Atrocitology in the UK), and Holly Tucker's Blood Work. Hey, thanks! I'll probably grab one of those for him, just not sure which one yet.
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Jan 29, 2012 19:09
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Koburn posted:Can anyone recommend some comedy audiobooks? I recently listened to and enjoyed Bossypants by Tina Fey and I, Partridge by Alan Partridge. The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman is pretty great if you like your humor dry.
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Jan 29, 2012 19:22
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I loved the section of Patton Oswalt's Zombie Spaceship Wasteland where he was working in the movie theater. I found myself a bit disappointed when that section was over because it was so good, and I was left wanting more of the same. Is there anything out there that has that same feel? I loved everything about it: the setting, the time period, the tone, the pacing, etc.
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Jan 29, 2012 22:22
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Cup of Hemlock posted:Hey, thanks! I'll probably grab one of those for him, just not sure which one yet.
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Jan 30, 2012 05:44
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Alot of websites have been advertising a book called the Trilisk Ruins as a dirt-cheap but good book. Is it worth the time, though?
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Feb 1, 2012 04:18
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I'm looking for a decent book about the Tunguska event. I don't really care for speculations but would like to read about the facts and testimonies relating to the event. Is there a book of that kind out there?
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Feb 1, 2012 15:03
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feedmyleg posted:I loved the section of Patton Oswalt's Zombie Spaceship Wasteland where he was working in the movie theater. I found myself a bit disappointed when that section was over because it was so good, and I was left wanting more of the same. Is there anything out there that has that same feel? I loved everything about it: the setting, the time period, the tone, the pacing, etc. Though they are fiction, that section reminded me a bit of Adam Langer's 1970's/80's coming-of-age novels Crossing California and Washington Story.
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Feb 1, 2012 16:32
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I need some light reading. For some reason I'm really in the mood for a horror or dark fantasy (emphasis on the dark rather than fantasy) novel set in a small town. Something more Alan Wake than Stephen King. I'd love for it to be as well-written as such a thing could possibly be.
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Feb 2, 2012 01:34
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I’m looking for war novels, my original thought was WWII, but it doesn’t have to be. The Naked and The Dead and Thin Red Line are two that I’ve read and enjoyed. I am NOT looking for CATCH-22 style comedy, patriotic propaganda or pure action. It’s been a long time, and perhaps it’s time for a revisit but I’m not much of Hemingway fan.
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Feb 2, 2012 18:09
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Dukket posted:I’m looking for war novels, my original thought was WWII, but it doesn’t have to be. The Naked and The Dead and Thin Red Line are two that I’ve read and enjoyed. Karl Marlantes' Matterhorn. To quote myself, It's The Naked and the Dead without the unrelenting misogyny and with likable characters. edit- Yeah, if you haven't read All Quiet..., that should be your next purchase. Beautiful, amazing book. funkybottoms fucked around with this message at 21:33 on Feb 2, 2012 |
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Feb 2, 2012 18:32
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Dukket posted:I’m looking for war novels, my original thought was WWII, but it doesn’t have to be. The Naked and The Dead and Thin Red Line are two that I’ve read and enjoyed. its about world war one, but the good solider svejk by jaroslav hasek is a great read
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Feb 2, 2012 20:52
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barkingclam posted:its about world war one, but the good solider svejk by jaroslav hasek is a great read Dukket posted:I am NOT looking for CATCH-22 style comedy
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Feb 2, 2012 21:21
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Dukket posted:I’m looking for war novels, my original thought was WWII, but it doesn’t have to be. The Naked and The Dead and Thin Red Line are two that I’ve read and enjoyed. If you're up for some non-fiction, try Helmet for My Pillow, With the Old Breed, or A Rumor of War. The first two are the basis for HBO's The Pacific, the latter is Philip Caputo's memoir of his time in Vietnam. For fiction, if you haven't already read All Quiet, read that now. The only other thing I can recommend off the top of my head is The Things They Carried, probably the best novel about Vietnam.
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Feb 2, 2012 21:30
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inktvis posted:It's a good book, but... Yeah, not what I'm looking for atm, but I'll file it away for when I'm in the mood for satire. funkybottoms - Matterhorn looks interesting, thanks. I've been watching both Band of Brothers and Pacific lately, which is where the interest comes from, but like I said the particular war is less important. Other suggestions are welcome  EDIT Interesting, thanks VVVVV Dukket fucked around with this message at 21:54 on Feb 2, 2012 |
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Feb 2, 2012 21:33
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Dukket posted:Yeah, not what I'm looking for atm, but I'll file it away for when I'm in the mood for satire.
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Feb 2, 2012 21:40
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Could someone recommend a good Jefferson biography? I'm nearly finished with Ron Chernow's Washington bio, and I've already read McCullough's Adams book and Walter Isaacson's book on Franklin. I'd like to continue reading up on the founding fathers.
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Feb 3, 2012 06:40
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Ornamented Death posted:Here is an unsolicited recommendation: Bought this, only on Jack's story and I love it. Any other recommendations for books like this is appreciated.
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Feb 3, 2012 17:01
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TL posted:Could someone recommend a good Jefferson biography? I'm nearly finished with Ron Chernow's Washington bio, and I've already read McCullough's Adams book and Walter Isaacson's book on Franklin. I'd like to continue reading up on the founding fathers. R. B. Bernstein wrote a very basic biography (titled Thomas Jefferson) which will cover the major facts. American Sphinx by Joseph Ellis is a very detailed look at his life, although it's more psychological and speculative than political. There is an enormous six-volume biography somewhere, but I can't vouch for that. It did win a Pulitzer, though. Of course, you could read his own Writings - he has a very readable style, and one could learn a lot from those. There are multiple good readers out there, and the Library of America put out a good set just recently.
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Feb 3, 2012 17:43
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Where's a good place to start with Balzac?
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Feb 4, 2012 12:59
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I feel so guilty because I have all this popular genre fiction in my backlog. I created a "now reading" collection for my Kindle and it's seven pages long. A lot of probably over-rated, but much beloved modern writers and a mix of classic writers. For example, I'm reading Boneshaker, A Monster Calls, and Mrs. Peregrine's right now. I'm half finished with Count of Monte Cristo, Nothing to Envy, and Omnivore's Dilemma. And yet, something dawned on me today: after a decade "off", I'm kind of in the mood for Stephen King again. Things are so stressful around the house, I was thinking to myself: "what's my comfort reading?" And that used to be Stephen King. so: TL:DR version: Which 70s/80s Stephen King novel should I read? Already read: Salem's Lot The Stand Cycle of the Werewolf The Talisman The Dark Tower Eyes of the Dragon Misery Tommyknockers Needful Things and now we're getting into the 90s. I'll also be re-reading/reading ALL of his short story collections because I'm really really in the mood for those. Also, I'm pretty sure everyone will suggest IT and maybe I just answered my own question.
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Feb 4, 2012 16:48
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bengraven posted:Also, I'm pretty sure everyone will suggest IT and maybe I just answered my own question. Yeah, that was going to be my suggestion. Or The Dark Half. Or The Running Man.
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Feb 4, 2012 17:21
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bengraven posted:Which 70s/80s Stephen King novel should I read? I'd go with The Shining.
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Feb 4, 2012 17:29
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funkybottoms posted:I'd go with The Shining. I completely agree.
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Feb 4, 2012 17:33
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The entire Dark Tower series, naturally.
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Feb 4, 2012 18:01
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Okay, so might as well read those classics that, not only did I never read, but I never watched the classic film based on it. So IT and the Shining. Also, the Dark Half was actually my first SK book, but I remember couldn't getting through the first part. Then again, I was 12. That was exactly 20 years ago. MrGreenShirt posted:The entire Dark Tower series, naturally. Yeah, I'm going to re-read the series at some point. Probably after an "unrelated" novel or two.
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Feb 4, 2012 19:35
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bengraven posted:Okay, so might as well read those classics that, not only did I never read, but I never watched the classic film based on it. So IT and the Shining. I think it's one of his best novels. The movie is good- the visuals are particularly awesome- but it's not the greatest adaption of the book (hence the SK-lead remake a few years back).
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Feb 4, 2012 19:51
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funkybottoms posted:I think it's one of his best novels. The movie is good- the visuals are particularly awesome- but it's not the greatest adaption of the book (hence the SK-lead remake a few years back). Are you talking about the one with Stephen Weber of Wings fame? I need to watch that one again.
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Feb 4, 2012 19:54
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Conduit for Sale! posted:Where's a good place to start with Balzac? Le Père Goriot, Lost Illusions, and Eugénie Grandet are good picks, I think. They're his most famous works for a reason.
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Feb 4, 2012 21:39
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