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Facial Fracture posted:I really like historical biographies/autobiographies and eyewitness accounts of history either about or written by obnoxious liars, loudmouth windbags, failures, and other people whose lives are invariably more interesting than successful, kindly old dears. Anything that's simultaneously edifying and gossipy, preferably with an author whose bias is evident all over the place. Maybe Hunted Through Central Asia by Paul Nazaroff? (Nazaroff was a White Russian who made you think that maybe the Reds had the right idea)
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Nov 14, 2009 02:37
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fritz posted:Maybe Hunted Through Central Asia by Paul Nazaroff? (Nazaroff was a White Russian who made you think that maybe the Reds had the right idea) Thanks. That's not my usual fare but it looks interesting. On another note, does anyone know of a book about the history of the Catholic Church that's not written for staunch Catholics or by an opinionated Atheist/lapsed Catholic who doesn't so much offer history as moan about the evils of religious intolerance/money-hoarding/abuse of power? Also I'd prefer something for general interest idiots like me rather than a book for those with an academic interest.
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Nov 14, 2009 04:21
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Sanford posted:Can anyone help me with a book about Java (the island) or Jakarta (the city)? My girlfriend is from there orginally and I really want to get her something nice in time for Christmas. Every search I do returns a few really dry research style texts, some tourist guides and thousands of books about the bloody programming language. Reposting this because I was at the bottom of the page. Hope that's okay.
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Nov 14, 2009 13:16
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I rarely read a book that isn't a guide to surviving zombies or something, but maybe there's something out there I'd be interested in... Looking for a relatively easy to read book about a dystopia. I just watched Soylent green, and I'd like something similar to that kinda story (not the book it was made from). Also, I'm in love with New York City. Something to do with NYC (maybe even a non-fiction) would be cool, I know that's pretty vague, but throwing it out here anyway.
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Nov 15, 2009 04:36
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For NYC + zombies, try Monster Island by David Wellington. It's in print, but I read it back when it was a free online serial novel (which it still is), and it's great. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham is a dystopia set in post-apocalyptic Canada, and it's a very easy read.
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Nov 15, 2009 07:02
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Dr. Pwn posted:Hello, I would like to read books about serial killing and home invasion, preferably from the POV of the serial killer or home invader, that are not part of the Dexter series. Along with the other recommendations, I'll throw The Minus Man by Lew McCreary out there. The main character/narrator is a guy who serially poisons people. He moves into a small town and starts poisoning people and that sets off a whole string of events. The guy knows he could stop it all if he could only stop poisoning people, but he can't. It was made into a lovely movie, but the book is actually good.
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Nov 15, 2009 20:19
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I like scifi, primarily. I'm not a fan of Dune or space odyssey, or similar books where it feels like ages to get through. I've been known to read Star Trek books instead since I love the show so much but the books feel rather youth oriented. Something with spaceships, futuristic? Strife or drama? Also I have a question, I saw this book where the guy in old clothes, like victorian perhaps? standing next to this lady, and he had a face like cthulhu or Davey Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean? It looks interesting...
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Nov 17, 2009 19:16
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Hung Yuri posted:I like scifi, primarily. I'm not a fan of Dune or space odyssey, or similar books where it feels like ages to get through. I've been known to read Star Trek books instead since I love the show so much but the books feel rather youth oriented. I was sleeping over at a friend's house a few years ago and asked to be lent a book. I specified that it must not be set in the future, must not take place in space, must not contain any descriptions of anti-discombobulation-hyper-drive devices and that it must not be some kind of Star Trek nonsense. Being a master of subtle comedy, my friend lent me a book that contained all those things in the first 5 pages. It was called Midshipman's Hope, and on googling it just now, I found that it was the first in a series. It may be up your alley: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafort_Saga Btw, the book you saw the cover of is Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, a sort of sequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I think they're both the worst kind of nerd pandering and totally without merit, but people seem to like them. Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Sense-Sensibility-Monsters-Jane-Austen/dp/1594744424
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Nov 17, 2009 23:55
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Hung Yuri posted:I like scifi, primarily. I'm not a fan of Dune or space odyssey, or similar books where it feels like ages to get through. I've been known to read Star Trek books instead since I love the show so much but the books feel rather youth oriented. Culture series by Iain M Banks. Particularly recommend Player of Games and Use of Weapons.
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Nov 17, 2009 23:56
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I'm looking for some books about World War I. I'd like a basic and readable (as opposed to scholarly) overview of the entire war and anything that focuses on the air war.
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Nov 18, 2009 02:25
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I'm interested in nonfiction about the late-Victorian trend toward spiritualism. I've read bits and pieces about Crowley and Blavatsky et al, but now I'm looking for two things, which I suspect I will not find in the same book. I'd like something with details on some of the major "mediums" of the day, and I'd also like something that gives a scholarly overview of why talking to the dead became so popular.
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Nov 18, 2009 09:03
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Does anyone have recommendations for: 1. books about startups, startup culture - similar to "founders at work," which comes highly recommended and I'll be starting soon. 2. biographies/nonfiction of successful business people/companies - similar to "Nuts!" (southwest airlines), "The Sam Walton Story," (walmart), or "Dave's Way" (wendy's) 3. good biographies in general
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Nov 19, 2009 21:27
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I'm trying to find a good historical atlas of China, but I'm having trouble finding anything *at all*, which is surprising. Any recommendations? Could be in French or German if that's what it takes. I'm also interested in books about the history the Holy Roman Empire before the Thirty Years War.
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Nov 19, 2009 23:08
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Malloreon posted:Does anyone have recommendations for: Hard Drive by James Wallace and Jim Erickson is a great look at the early years of Bill Gates and Microsoft (from the beginnings in the 70s to the early 90s, when it was published). It's fairly well-balanced between portraying both the good and bad aspects of Gates/Microsoft and you get a pretty good sense of how they got where they are today, years after the book was originally published.
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Nov 20, 2009 14:20
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semicolonsrock posted: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. I'd probably say Laughter in the Dark. Pale Fire is better but it isn't very much like anything else he ever did. The Real Life of Sebastian Knight is a better example of his style than either, but it's also not as good.
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Nov 21, 2009 02:35
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What's a good book on introductory music theory? Assume that I have no previous knowledge of it whatsoever. EDIT: For purposes of evaluating and appreciating music, not composing. If that makes any signficant difference.
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Nov 21, 2009 04:04
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isoprenaline posted:Where would be a good place to start for a beginner to the works of H.P. Lovecraft? Preferably something fairly easily available? Anyone?
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Nov 21, 2009 12:05
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isoprenaline posted:Anyone? Anywhere, but probably the short story "Call of Cthulhu."
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Nov 21, 2009 16:16
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isoprenaline posted:Anyone? I think there are actually more HPL anthologies than there are HPL stories, you really can just pick one at random, but I always thought this one was pretty decent for starters: http://www.amazon.com/Best-H-P-Lovecraft-Bloodcurdling/dp/0345350804/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258830734&sr=8-4
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Nov 21, 2009 20:15
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I just saw Frost/Nixon recently and I realized I don't know that much about Nixon aside from Watergate. Any good books? I'm planning on reading All The President's Men.isoprenaline posted:Anyone? Check Project Gutenberg - they have the complete works of Lovecraft. The Cthulhu mythos are a given, but "The Color from Out of Space" is a great one as well.
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Nov 22, 2009 04:59
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Encryptic posted:I just saw Frost/Nixon recently and I realized I don't know that much about Nixon aside from Watergate. Any good books? I'm planning on reading All The President's Men. Been awhile since I read that, but remember it being excellent. Rick Perlstein's Nixonland was released last year, to mostly great acclaim. Does a great job of broadening the context of Nixon's political innovations (as opposed to merely being a straight bio), tracing his influence to today. I learned a lot about the other, non-Woodstock 1960s from the book.
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Nov 22, 2009 05:05
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That sounds like what I'm looking for and the library has a copy. Thanks! 
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Nov 22, 2009 05:24
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Encryptic posted:I just saw Frost/Nixon recently and I realized I don't know that much about Nixon aside from Watergate. Any good books? I'm planning on reading All The President's Men. Their other Nixon book, The Final Days is pretty good too, since it covers the aftermath of Watergate and the downfall of Nixon.
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Nov 22, 2009 21:33
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I am looking to get the complete In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. There are a number of English translations in print, and I was hoping someone would be able to recommend a translation for me. I would take accuracy to the original text over end notes and annotations, but if they are all fairly comparable I'd appreciate an edition with contextual annotations and criticism if possible.
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Nov 24, 2009 00:02
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Penguin had a new translation done with 7 different translators semi-recently. It starts with this book http://www.amazon.com/Swanns-Way-Search-Penguin-Classics/dp/0142437964/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259018217&sr=8-2 and continues on with similar covers and titling style. I have only read Swann's in both but it is significantly better in the new translation than Moncrieff.
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Nov 24, 2009 00:18
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Sanford posted:Culture series by Iain M Banks. Particularly recommend Player of Games and Use of Weapons. Is the Culture series better than the Algebraist? I'm looking for some new sci-fi, but that book turned me off Iain M Banks.
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Nov 24, 2009 20:22
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So I guess Michael Chrictons new book Pirate Latitudes is now out. I did not know this. Has anyone read it?
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Nov 24, 2009 21:00
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Loofa08 posted:So I guess Michael Chrictons new book Pirate Latitudes is now out. I did not know this. Has anyone read it?
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Nov 24, 2009 21:24
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Casimir Radon posted:Mine's set to deliver tommorow, I imagine it'll be a quick read. I just haven't been very interested in his last two books. I never heard anything good either. However, I loved Prey.
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Nov 24, 2009 21:37
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Loofa08 posted:I just haven't been very interested in his last two books. I never heard anything good either. However, I loved Prey.
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Nov 24, 2009 22:06
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dr gumby posted:Is the Culture series better than the Algebraist? I'm looking for some new sci-fi, but that book turned me off Iain M Banks. Haven't read Algebraist, but I'm aware his stuff is very up and down. The two I posted will give you a good idea of if you want to try more Culture stuff, but both stand up very well on their own too. Player of Games is more overtly sci-fi than Use of Weapons, although Use of Weapons is probably the better book. Look to Windward is a fantastic book too, but I would recommend working towards that to get a better feel of the Culture rather than starting there.
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Nov 25, 2009 22:58
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So I recently got curious about Carl Sagan and started watching the Cosmos series. I'm almost finished with the series, and I don't think anything I've ever seen or read has utterly blown my mind as much as this has. Anyway, now I feel like splurging on physics/astronomy stuff. Can anyone recommend me a good book of Sagan's, or some other book that's similar to the Cosmos series, but perhaps with more updated material? I usually read fiction, so preferably something that you don't need a Master's in Physics to comprehend, and isn't grotesquely long (holy poo poo).
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Nov 29, 2009 04:53
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I just recently read this article: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html which basically talks about the dark underside of Dubai. I find the city very interesting, but most of the books out there are just a circle jerk about how great it is. Anyone know of any books along the same lines as the article?
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Nov 30, 2009 05:38
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Okay now guys, I need some help. Y'see, my personal library is essentially made up of one genre: fantasy. A good 98% of it is made up of stories about elves and dwarves and made up places and evil that needs to be vanquished, blah blah blah... Now, Fantasy isn't necessarily a bad genre. In fact, I dare say I have some pretty darn good books on my shelves. But I want to read something besides Fantasy - to expand my literary horizons, so to speak. So, my fellow goons, do you have any suggestions?
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Dec 1, 2009 00:13
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Doublehex posted:Okay now guys, I need some help. Y'see, my personal library is essentially made up of one genre: fantasy. A good 98% of it is made up of stories about elves and dwarves and made up places and evil that needs to be vanquished, blah blah blah... Like I said read some of the other pages in this thread and find some books that look interesting and then read them. "Not fantasy" doesn't really give us anything to work with.
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Dec 1, 2009 00:45
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Guys I am looking for fiction\real books on: -Viruses/germ warfare -Post Apocalyptic books -Zombies Any suggestions? I have read World war z, the road, zombie survival guide. Thanks in advance.
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Dec 1, 2009 01:14
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keyframe posted:Guys I am looking for fiction\real books on: It needs a little more suspension of disbelief than Zombie Survival Guide, but Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler is a great post-apocalyptic story, with an interesting twist of having the main character have empathic abilities. Also, I hear that Day by Day Armageddon by J. L. Bourne is decent, although I haven't gotten to reading it yet myself. For zombies, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan has some creepy imagery, although there's more romance than I'd like in my zombie novels. Breathers: A Zombie's Lament by S. G. Browne is a zombie humor/fiction, along the lines of the movie Fido, is fantastic and the ending is so zombie-perfect its worth the read even if you like more serious zombie fiction. I'm looking for sci-fi/fantasy books of any reading level that feature or are from the perspective of a species other than human. Some great examples I've loved include the Yilane from the West of Eden trilogy by Harry Harrison; the Oankali from Lilith's Brood by Octavia Butler; the aliens from A Door Into Ocean, Left Hand of Darkness, and A Woman of the Iron People; werewolves from The Silver Wolf by Alice Borchart; and, heck, even the unicorns from the Firebringer trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce (the plot sucks but she write great non-human characters/culture). Please, nothing angsty, and nothing where humans completely change alien culture to human culture overnight with no repercussions.
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Dec 1, 2009 01:38
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Doublehex posted:Okay now guys, I need some help. Y'see, my personal library is essentially made up of one genre: fantasy. A good 98% of it is made up of stories about elves and dwarves and made up places and evil that needs to be vanquished, blah blah blah... Are we talking straight medieval western Tolkien fantasy or did you try Urban Fantasy and stuff like that? You know, Neil Gaiman, The Dresden Files, that book Martin wrote about vampires? Baby steps, I suppose.
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Dec 1, 2009 02:50
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keyframe posted:Guys I am looking for fiction\real books on: David Brin's The Postman is one of my favorite post-apocalyptic books. The movie does not exist. Do not mention it. You could also check out the other contestants for last month's Book of the Month, but I haven't gotten to any of those other than the Road and the Postman.
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Dec 1, 2009 03:35
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I've been playing Assassin's Creed 2, and it's gotten me in the mood for something similar to the whole "massive ancient conspiracy" thing like the assassins/templars in the game. Bonus points for any wacky alternate-history stuff Henry Ford helped Hitler start WWII?! Any recommendations? No Dan Brown, please.
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