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I want some books about psychopaths. People who have NO moral values and the destruction that causes. Oh, also some books about modern-day assassins. If the books combine these two things, even better!Epiphyte posted:I'm looking for a good historical overview of the Pacific Campaign in WW2. There are a lot of great memoirs that focus specigfically on battles like Iwo or Guadacanal, but I'd like a broader perspective of the entire Pacific theater. You would probably enjoy Flyboys, then.
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Sep 14, 2009 17:23
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Tumble posted:I want some books about psychopaths. People who have NO moral values and the destruction that causes. Jack Vance's Bad Ronald, about a nerd who loses himself in his own fantasy world and becomes a killer. The tv-movie adaptation dulcified the character somewhat, but in the novel he's way more creepy and violent. Here's a review comparing novel and movie.
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Sep 15, 2009 21:35
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The basic fable synopsis of Journey to the West interests me. Is there a relatively entertaining, affordable paperback version that is considered superior? Also may be known as Monkey to some of you...
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Sep 16, 2009 01:41
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Tumble posted:I want some books about psychopaths. People who have NO moral values and the destruction that causes. Oh, also some books about modern-day assassins. If the books combine these two things, even better! Have a look at Lermontov's A Hero of Our Time and Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho.
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Sep 16, 2009 07:21
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What would be the best Nabokov book to read which isn't Lolita? Both in terms of quality, and how well it represents Nabokov's style.
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Sep 16, 2009 22:11
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Im wondering if there are any fantasy novels out there that uses tropes and character archtypes usally seen in western novels. Basicaly a wild west fantasy novel.
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Sep 17, 2009 01:01
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BigRed0427 posted:Im wondering if there are any fantasy novels out there that uses tropes and character archtypes usally seen in western novels. Basicaly a wild west fantasy novel. The Flight of Michael McBride?
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Sep 17, 2009 01:14
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I liked the first two Dexter books and hated the third. How is the fourth one? Is it more of that "Lets toss out what made the first two good books, and make something incredibly lame!"
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Sep 17, 2009 01:52
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Tumble posted:I want some books about psychopaths. People who have NO moral values and the destruction that causes. Oh, also some books about modern-day assassins. If the books combine these two things, even better! This isn't quite no moral values, but the first Dexter book is actually OK.
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Sep 17, 2009 02:05
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Feenix posted:The basic fable synopsis of Journey to the West interests me. Is there a relatively entertaining, affordable paperback version that is considered superior? Arthur Waley's abridged version, called Monkey: Folk Novel of China is a really fun read, and might be a good starting point, but it's not the complete version of Journey to the West (according to the Wikipedia, Waley's book is only 30 of 100 total chapters in the full version). I haven't read the full version, although I'm tempted to, now that this post reminded me of Monkey, because Monkey is really great.
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Sep 17, 2009 02:28
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I'm looking for recommendations for intelligent, historical novels about the occult/secret societies/conspiracy theories. Basically "I love Umberto Eco, where do I go now?"
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Sep 17, 2009 10:45
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I'm looking for books taking place in the first half of the 20th Century in large cities - similar to The Great Gatsby, Atlas Shrugged, A Winters Tale, Of Human Bondage, Razor's Edge, Down and Out in Paris & London, and A Devil in the White City. They can be Fiction or Non, but need to capture the big city feel of that time period. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
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Sep 17, 2009 19:48
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Dudikoff posted:I'm looking for books taking place in the first half of the 20th Century in large cities - similar to The Great Gatsby, Atlas Shrugged, A Winters Tale, Of Human Bondage, Razor's Edge, Down and Out in Paris & London, and A Devil in the White City. They can be Fiction or Non, but need to capture the big city feel of that time period. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I highly recommend Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Pasos
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Sep 17, 2009 23:44
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Sweatpants Baby posted:I highly recommend Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Pasos Thanks, I just ordered it. Any thoughts on books set in Europe or the UK around that same time period? No Hemingway though, please.
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Sep 18, 2009 02:32
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On the fiction side you could go for Alfred Doblin's Berlin Alexanderplatz, Andrei Bely's Petersburg or Andre Breton's Nadja (set in Paris), or on the non-fiction side of things something like Frederic Morton's A Nervous Splendour(Vienna) or Joseph Roth's What I Saw(Berlin).
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Sep 18, 2009 07:13
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Shameless posted:I'm looking for recommendations for intelligent, historical novels about the occult/secret societies/conspiracy theories. Basically "I love Umberto Eco, where do I go now?" I asked for the same thing and was pointed in the direction of The Club Dumas by Perez-Reverte and An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears. I haven't read either of them yet, so I cannot comment as to their quality.
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Sep 18, 2009 08:30
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appropriatemetaphor posted:I asked for the same thing and was pointed in the direction of The Club Dumas by Perez-Reverte and An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears. I haven't read either of them yet, so I cannot comment as to their quality. I've read both of these already so can comment. They're both excellent.
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Sep 18, 2009 08:37
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Shameless posted:I've read both of these already so can comment. They're both excellent. Good, at least I've got someone backing me up here. 
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Sep 18, 2009 08:52
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Shameless posted:I'm looking for recommendations for intelligent, historical novels about the occult/secret societies/conspiracy theories. Basically "I love Umberto Eco, where do I go now?" John Crowley's AEgypto sequence. Also R. A. Lafferty's Fourth Mansions. This one is wackier but still literate (Actually, it's very loosely based on "The Interior Mansions" of St. Therese of Avila).
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Sep 18, 2009 21:12
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I would like a book similar to Charbon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union and Robert Harris's books (Fatherland/Pompeii/Imperium). I guess you call it historical fiction? Lay it on me Book Barn!
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Sep 19, 2009 11:03
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Ewar Woowar posted:I would like a book similar to Charbon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union and Robert Harris's books (Fatherland/Pompeii/Imperium). I guess you call it historical fiction? It's from a sub-genre of sci-fi called "Alternate History" IIRC. That's a bit vague - if you like alternate history in general the best novel, bar none is The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick. Harry Turtledove's Timeline-191 series is pretty good too, but Turtledove isn't really that creative and it shows (the books are just a reshuffling of history in the end, but fun popcorn stuff) they begin with How Few Remain.
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Sep 19, 2009 13:30
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criptozoid posted:John Crowley's AEgypto sequence. Both sound great, I'll definitely give them a try. Thanks
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Sep 19, 2009 17:22
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sewermancer posted:Harry Turtledove's Timeline-191 series is pretty good too, but Turtledove isn't really that creative and it shows (the books are just a reshuffling of history in the end, but fun popcorn stuff) they begin with How Few Remain. This series starts out ok but it gets really bad as it goes on.
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Sep 19, 2009 19:19
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inktvis posted:On the fiction side you could go for Alfred Doblin's Berlin Alexanderplatz, Andrei Bely's Petersburg or Andre Breton's Nadja (set in Paris), or on the non-fiction side of things something like Frederic Morton's A Nervous Splendour(Vienna) or Joseph Roth's What I Saw(Berlin). Thanks. What I Saw caught my interest and seems like a good place to start with your list.
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Sep 20, 2009 21:03
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Skutter posted:My hubby keeps recommending Raptor Red to me. Here's a quick Wiki quote: A bit late in replying, but your recommendation led me to The Dinosaur Heresies by the same author which I picked up for about $4 second hand and seems to be exactly what I was looking for. So thanks!
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Sep 21, 2009 17:29
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I really want to read a book about time travel that is told in chronological order. Do any decent ones exist?
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Sep 22, 2009 21:04
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BlueBayou posted:I really want to read a book about time travel that is told in chronological order. Do any decent ones exist? Heinlein's "By His Bootstraps," though it's a short story. Maybe.
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Sep 23, 2009 05:13
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Heinlein's "By His Bootstraps," though it's a short story. Maybe. I was thinking less "time travel paradox-a-thon" and more "wacky adventures of misfits and their malfunctioning time machine told in chronological order" Also: Is there a female equivalent to "I hope they serve beer in hell" or "I'm having more fun than you"? I've read Chelsea Handler's books, but its just not the same...
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Sep 23, 2009 21:45
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I'll just start by saying I know almost nothing about literature. (So don't hesitate to recommend me anything!) I'm looking for a book that contains philosophical meaning, symbolism, or otherwise has a deeper meaning than the plot itself. I've just finished 1984 by George Orwell, and I must admit it has struck in interest in me with books and literature which I haven't had for about 10 years. Some of the books I have looked at which I am thinking of picking up are Atlus Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Fear + Loathing in Las Vegas (Thompson), Brave New World by Huxley, and anything I can find by Krishnamurti. I also enjoy books about crazy adventures (hence the Fear and Loathing, which I will probably buy soon), and also about experiences with nature (I love Jack London's short stories).
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Sep 24, 2009 00:41
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BlueBayou posted:I really want to read a book about time travel that is told in chronological order. Do any decent ones exist? The Man Who Folded Himself by Gerrold (?)
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Sep 24, 2009 01:33
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fritz posted:The Man Who Folded Himself by Gerrold (?) I don't know if it's 'decent', especially as it's sometimes referred to as The Man Who hosed Himself but I'm going on your "wacky adventures of misfits and their malfunctioning time machine told in chronological order" clarification.
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Sep 24, 2009 01:34
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fritz posted:I don't know if it's 'decent', especially as it's sometimes referred to as The Man Who hosed Himself but I'm going on your "wacky adventures of misfits and their malfunctioning time machine told in chronological order" clarification. But its not a wacky bunch of misfits :[ I think what I want just might not exist, at least in more popular literature. If I were a write, id be inspired to fill the void. But since I'm not, all I can do is pout.
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Sep 24, 2009 21:18
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coolbian57 posted:I'll just start by saying I know almost nothing about literature. (So don't hesitate to recommend me anything!) Fear and Loathing doesn't really have a deeper meaning or philosophy or anything. It's pretty much all there on the surface. If you're interested in something a little deeper, try something by Mark Twain (Roughing It, for example - it's both got a bit of depth to it and is a book about crazy adventures through a yet-to-be-settled America).
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Sep 25, 2009 23:13
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Does anyone know of any scholarly books on the occult? I've been looking around but haven't found anything outside of the pseudo-scientific.
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Sep 26, 2009 07:57
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I'm looking for nonfiction dealing with conspiracy theories and pseudo-science. I've read The Demon Haunted World and Fads and Fallacies. I enjoyed both, but they both had agendas (agendas I more or less agree with, but agendas nonetheless). What I'm looking for now is a more dispassionate examination. This book (Cults, Conspiracies, & Secret Societies) looks kind of like what I'm interested in, but it doesn't seem to get very good reviews on Amazon or elsewhere, stemming in part from the fact that it's fairly opinionated. I really enjoyed the conspiracies RSF we had a while back, but I didn't save any links. I'm looking for more depth into things like the Denver airport, reptilian humanoids, and how they relate to the New World Order.
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Sep 27, 2009 22:53
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Casimir Radon posted:Does anyone know of any scholarly books on the occult? I've been looking around but haven't found anything outside of the pseudo-scientific. I don't know how scholarly they are, but you can probably read Montague Summers's stuff. The History of Witchcraft and Demonology, 1926 The Vampire: His Kith and Kin, 1928 The Vampire in Europe, 1929 The Werewolf, 1933 A Popular History of Witchcraft, 1937 Witchcraft and Black Magic, 1946 The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism, 1947. I've read Vampire in Europe and History of Witchcraft and Demonology and they were pretty interesting. Lots of folktales and legends and that kind of thing.
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Sep 28, 2009 03:11
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I read High Fidelity by Nick Hornby and absolutely adored it. I was in the bookstore the other day and I was checking out his books. If I loved High Fidelity, will I like his other books? Recommendations?
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Sep 28, 2009 03:49
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What are some other good books that tackle the same subject that Guns, Germs and Steel does? I remember reading on here that GG&S was pretty flawed and someone recommended a couple other books that they considered to be better-written and not logically unsound, but I didn't write them down and I can't remember for the life of me what they were called.
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Sep 28, 2009 04:35
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This is somewhat off-topic but I just finished "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss, which was recommended in this thread. Is there a thread for it in Book Barn? I checked the first 6 pages, but since search is still down I can't look for it that easily.
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Sep 29, 2009 00:16
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Irish Revenge posted:This is somewhat off-topic but I just finished "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss, which was recommended in this thread. Is there a thread for it in Book Barn? I checked the first 6 pages, but since search is still down I can't look for it that easily. Bam: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3108939
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Sep 29, 2009 01:02
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