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dokmo posted:There are several well-written popular books on evolution that are literary equivalents of Cosmos. May I recommend Richard Dawkins's The Selfish Gene and Stephen Jay Gould's early collections of essays (particularly Ever Since Darwin)? If you're going to read a popular book on evolution, I would suggest Jerry Coyne's Why Evolution is True. Not only is it more up to date, but both Dawkins and Gould give somewhat biased and non conventional (or depending on what book you're reading, considered to be outright wrong) accounts. Not that this is a bad thing, but it's not what you want to be reading if you don't know anything about evolution.
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Sep 8, 2010 17:35
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screaden posted:So basically, any recommendations for tales of addiction are what I'm looking for, preferably musicians, but open to other suggestions as well If you don't mind oral biographies, I'd suggest both Robert Greenfield's Dark Star and Crystal Zevon's I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. The former is about Jerry Garcia whose addictions (especially to heroin) ended up killing him, while the latter is about Warren Zevon who overcame a serious drinking problem. It sounds a little like you're looking for stuff that just shows all the dirt, which these don't exactly limit themselves to, but they both address their subject's addictions head on.
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Sep 8, 2010 18:21
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CheerGrrl92 posted:1) This is really general. I just want to read something nonfiction that can give me knowledge or appreciation for a subject. For example, I read Cosmos and now I have a deep appreciation for why we know what we know about space and how we know it, along with tons of things ordinary people don't know. I could read about anything nonfiction, be it history, a biography, anything, as long as I come out knowing something I didn't know before. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain will probably give you quite a bit of appreciation for cooking. Some stuff is outdated and some stuff is exaggerated but it's well written and was a big part of everyone coming out with similar but less interesting memoirs about their lives as chefs. screaden posted:So basically, any recommendations for tales of addiction are what I'm looking for, preferably musicians, but open to other suggestions as well You can always read UnSweetined by Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin, the one that grew tits) from Full House. Meth, alcohol, coke, X, failed marriages, all the good stuff. It's not really a very good book but I watched the poo poo out of Full House as a kid (I'm one of the people she mentions a lot who would gather every friday night) and of course that made me willing to read it.
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Sep 8, 2010 21:26
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Facial Fracture posted:When I was a teenager my best friend's boyfriend lent her this book. I remember it still because we spent a night taking turns reading it aloud to each other. Please read more than the first 3 pages of a book before forming and sharing an opinion. This is all in the prologue, which is very different from the remainder of the story. And he has "acne in his soul." "Acne of the soul" is from Hairspray. 
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Sep 9, 2010 01:34
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Velvet Elvis posted:Please read more than the first 3 pages of a book before forming and sharing an opinion. This is all in the prologue, which is very different from the remainder of the story. Ahahahaha, there's a paragraph composed entirely of the word, "Lover," on the second page.  Guys, don't judge a book by the quality of its prose, but by the content of its vampire fellatio scenes!
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Sep 9, 2010 02:03
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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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I just finished all 6 books in the Temeraire series and I can't recommend it higher. I'm actually pissed there isn't a Temeraire thread on BB. Then again, it would likely degenerate into creepy furry/slash fiction and fan art.
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Sep 9, 2010 03:42
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bengraven posted:I just finished all 6 books in the Temeraire series and I can't recommend it higher. This thread needs to happen 
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Sep 9, 2010 04:43
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Looking for some good nonfiction books on 9/11. It's hard to separate the good ones from the crap. I have a couple of novels lined up (Delillo's The Falling Man and one other I can't remember), so I guess fiction as well.
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Sep 9, 2010 05:52
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I've read The Masters of Doom, the story about John Romero and John Carmack. I've read Game Over!, about how Nintendo conquered the video game market. I've also read Stephen Kent's The Ultimate History of Video Games. I want to read more like this. I don't have to be about games, just books describing how someone struggled with something, until they suddenly got it. I think there is some book about Silicon Valley?
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Sep 10, 2010 13:47
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Yeah, make that Tremaire thread, the only thing I know about them are they are by the lady who wrote "His Majesty's Dragon". I'm looking for something to read after I finish Ubik (in about 10 minutes) and House of Leaves (in about a month. Christ that's a big-rear end book).
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Sep 10, 2010 20:44
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LuckySevens posted:I just finished reading Casanova's memoirs and I'm looking for similar books about love/passion. I'm open to any direction, non-fiction, autobiography, whatever, not so much romance but more of a focus on the human emotion/connection and its place in the world, anyone have any good ideas?
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Sep 11, 2010 00:38
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Eh, maybe I should make the Temeraire thread. That said, I'm just debating whether or not to put a "No Furry" warning in the OP or not...selecting "not" may be more entertaining.
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Sep 11, 2010 03:03
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Books on evolution in general were just brought up, but any recommendations for books on human evolution in particular?
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Sep 11, 2010 22:58
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Iacen posted:I want to read more like this. I don't have to be about games, just books describing how someone struggled with something, until they suddenly got it. I think there is some book about Silicon Valley? There was a docudrama called Pirates of Silicon Valley, it's about the rise of Microsoft and Apple. I don't know if there's a book version but that's probably what you're thinking of, and it's a good watch.
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Sep 11, 2010 23:16
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I am looking for some books on mythology. Right now my thoughts are rather scattered but I want a book(s) that possibly cover ancient civilizations folklore and mythology on gods, life/death, the cosmos, constellations, etc.
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Sep 12, 2010 03:09
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grumpy posted:I am looking for some books on mythology. Right now my thoughts are rather scattered but I want a book(s) that possibly cover ancient civilizations folklore and mythology on gods, life/death, the cosmos, constellations, etc. Maybe Ovid's Metamorphoses? I've only read a couple excerpts from it, but it's an ancient Roman look at the origins of life up until the rise of Julius Casear, if I remember right.
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Sep 12, 2010 03:28
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grumpy posted:I am looking for some books on mythology. Right now my thoughts are rather scattered but I want a book(s) that possibly cover ancient civilizations folklore and mythology on gods, life/death, the cosmos, constellations, etc. You might want to check out Joseph Campbell's The Masks of God, which I think is along the lines you're looking for, as long as you're interested in analysis, not just reading the actual mythology. It is made up of four different volumes: Primitive Mythology Oriental Mythology Occidental Mythology Creative Mythology Alternately you might also want to try his Hero With A Thousand Faces, or The Power of Myth, if you haven't already. Lord Hydronium posted:Books on evolution in general were just brought up, but any recommendations for books on human evolution in particular? I'm not too big on human evolution, but I can recommend Daniel Fairbanks Relics of Eden, especially if you're interested in the genetic/molecular side of the picture. Another good book that involves human evolution is Neil Shubin's Your Inner Fish. It doesn't deal with the specifics of the evolution of humans over the past 7 million years, but rather with the ancient evolutionary framework that underlies how the entire human body is put together. Finally, another book that I haven't read personally, but have heard a lot of good things about, is Jonathon Kingdon's Lowly Origin: Where, When, and Why Our Ancestors First Stood Up. Thalamus fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Sep 12, 2010 |
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Sep 12, 2010 03:30
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Evfedu posted:Yeah, make that Tremaire thread, the only thing I know about them are they are by the lady who wrote "His Majesty's Dragon". I'm looking for something to read after I finish Ubik (in about 10 minutes) and House of Leaves (in about a month. Christ that's a big-rear end book). Temeraire is His Majesty's Dragon.
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Sep 12, 2010 09:13
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Ckwiesr posted:I'm looking for some good Atheist reading. I've heard about the God deliusion, and checked the reviews on Amazon, doesn't really seem like my style. If anyone can suggest where to start on this subject I'd really appreciate it. If you're still looking for something then you might want George Smith's 'atheism: the case against god', which is a much more rigorous, well argued version of Dawkin's book.
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Sep 12, 2010 12:03
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Thalamus posted:You might want to check out Joseph Campbell's The Masks of God, which I think is along the lines you're looking for, as long as you're interested in analysis, not just reading the actual mythology. It is made up of four different volumes: Awesome! Those look perfect, thanks.
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Sep 12, 2010 13:44
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grumpy posted:I am looking for some books on mythology. Right now my thoughts are rather scattered but I want a book(s) that possibly cover ancient civilizations folklore and mythology on gods, life/death, the cosmos, constellations, etc. Otherwise, Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces is rather more approachable, and no doubt more what you are looking for, though a bit too Jungian for my taste now that I'm in my dotage. archaeo fucked around with this message at 20:47 on Sep 12, 2010 |
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Sep 12, 2010 19:37
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I'm looking for either retold fairy tales/myths/folk stories (along the lines of Till We Have Faces or Deerskin) or, failing that, novels with that sort of mythical feel to their setting (like Bridge of Birds). I'm particularly interested in Finnish and Russian folklore, but the quality of the retelling is more important to me than the origin story.
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Sep 13, 2010 03:41
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I posted this on the last page but am desperate for recommendations, I just read the Godspeaker Trilogy by Karen Miller, and its been termed "dark and gritty" fantasy because it doesnt have elves, and fairies and the like so I am looking for more fantasy like that.
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Sep 13, 2010 04:03
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grumpy posted:Awesome! Those look perfect, thanks. If you're going to read Campbell, you should start with the Masks of the Gods books and not Hero with A Thousand Faces. Like someone else said, a lot of the stuff in it comes from Jung (whose own stuff I think is better to read), and further, a lot of the ideas in it have become sort of "basic concepts" or "things Star Wars fans bring up to intellectually justify nerdy discussions," so unless you're reading it for a specific purpose, I don't think you need to. Also, Jaan Puhvel's Comparative Mythology is quite good. It's part survey, part analysis, and it contains lots of suggestions for further reading in a non-Campbell vein. So if a specific area sparks your interest, you'll immediately have a reading list to pursue. edit: LuckySevens posted:I just finished reading Casanova's memoirs and I'm looking for similar books about love/passion. I'm open to any direction, non-fiction, autobiography, whatever, not so much romance but more of a focus on the human emotion/connection and its place in the world, anyone have any good ideas? I read Benvenuto Cellini's Vita last year; it might fit if you're still in the mood for Italians. He was passionate mostly about himself, but also sculpting, and he had lots of fights and sex. Lots of human emotion. Facial Fracture fucked around with this message at 04:44 on Sep 13, 2010 |
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Sep 13, 2010 04:37
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I recently read Soccernomics and am in the process of reading Moneyball, can you recommend any similar books on football and basketball (or any other sport for that matter)? I mean books that go over the history of a sport with analysis of various intricacies of the sport.
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Sep 13, 2010 05:40
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Rawrlie posted:I recently read Soccernomics and am in the process of reading Moneyball, can you recommend any similar books on football and basketball (or any other sport for that matter)? I mean books that go over the history of a sport with analysis of various intricacies of the sport. I would recommend Lewis's The Blind Side, which is kind of similar to Moneyball in that it focuses on stories and people and adds analysis on the side (less so in TBS than MB). Plus Lewis is simply a terrific writer. Andrew Zimbalist's Baseball And Billions is the closest thing to Soccernomics, in that it focuses on the economics of the sport in a broad societal context. Your best bet for history and analysis in baseball is Bill James -- I suggest The Politics of Glory and Historical Baseball Abstract. These kinds of books don't really exist for basketball -- the closest, I guess, is Elliott Kalb's Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball?: Mr Stats Sets the Record Straight on the Top 50 NBA Players of All Time, which is terrible. I don't know much about football. This is a long shot since you didn't mention it, but if your interest is the statistical analysis aspect of those books, I recommend Wayne Winston's Mathletics, which is a primer to advanced stats for the major North American sports.
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Sep 13, 2010 06:47
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A little confused; did you mean to say "Elliott Kalb's Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball?: Mr Stats Sets the Record Straight on the Top 50 NBA Players of All Time" (your recommendation) is terrible?
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Sep 13, 2010 09:12
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Rawrlie posted:A little confused; did you mean to say "Elliott Kalb's Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball?: Mr Stats Sets the Record Straight on the Top 50 NBA Players of All Time" (your recommendation) is terrible? dokmo said that the above book is the best option available for basketball, but that's not saying much because it's terrible. The implication is that all other similar books about basketball are even more terrible.
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Sep 13, 2010 10:14
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Flaggy posted:I posted this on the last page but am desperate for recommendations, I just read the Godspeaker Trilogy by Karen Miller, and its been termed "dark and gritty" fantasy because it doesnt have elves, and fairies and the like so I am looking for more fantasy like that. The Black Company books by Glen Cook and The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie are the best places to start. Edit: Though it should be noted these are classified as dark fantasy because the stories are actually pretty dark and not simply due to a lack of elves and whatnot. Ornamented Death fucked around with this message at 16:12 on Sep 13, 2010 |
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Sep 13, 2010 13:49
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Any good non-fiction books on Oxford scholars that also describe their academic life in Oxford town? I would like to know what kind of place it was 400 years ago, give or take a hundred. A very good fiction would also be considered, but it would have to be great.
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Sep 13, 2010 14:48
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Can I get some recommendations for engaging non-fiction books about how archaeology meets ancient history? I'd love to know about how stuff got discovered and how it informs us about the past. Pompeii, the Rosetta Stone, the ancient wonders, these would be awesome subjects. Or surprise me with something else!
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Sep 13, 2010 15:41
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Hedrigall posted:Can I get some recommendations for engaging non-fiction books about how archaeology meets ancient history? I'd love to know about how stuff got discovered and how it informs us about the past. Pompeii, the Rosetta Stone, the ancient wonders, these would be awesome subjects. Or surprise me with something else! It's not about archaeology per se but The Discoverers: A History of Man's Search To Know His World and Himself by Daniel J. Boorstin is a fantastic read. Covers a lot of ground including the invention of timekeeping devices, medical theories, etc.
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Sep 15, 2010 05:07
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Someone recommended me a series called the Black Dagger Brotherhood. It's about vampires. Has anyone read any of these books? Is it Twilight with sex? The reviews I've read about them seem to say they're a bit cheesy, but have really good stories. Any opinions?
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Sep 15, 2010 21:41
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Need some recommendations on non-fiction books regarding the IRA, personal interest.
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Sep 16, 2010 17:50
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What else should I read if I really liked Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow?
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Sep 16, 2010 18:11
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If you liked Gravity's Ranbow you should read Gaddis' The Recognitions as soon as possible. It came out in 1955 and if it wasn't a direct inspiration to Pynchon it definitely shares some sensibilities down even to the character names -- the main 'bad guy' is named Recktall Brown. Its also something like 1000 pages, and is a good place to go if you want another big, postmodern novel. Its a little more 'realistic' in that it doesn't feature as much slapstick or anything like Slothrop's breakdown in the last part, but its definitely something to look into if you dug Pynchon.
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Sep 16, 2010 18:52
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ZeeBoi posted:Need some recommendations on non-fiction books regarding the IRA, personal interest. A friend warns that there are thousands of lovely books on this topic, but recommends Richard English's Armed Struggle: a history of the IRA and Tim Pat Coogan's The IRA. Both are long and really detailed (particularly the latter) and are not particularly easy casual reads, but are about as evenhanded as can be expected.
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Sep 16, 2010 18:59
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The Ninth Layer posted:What else should I read if I really liked Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow? Infinite Jest seems like an obvious next book
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Sep 16, 2010 23:56
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I'm looking for books similar to Matt Taibbi's The Great Derangement, Spanking the Donkey, or Smells Like Dead Elephants.
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Sep 17, 2010 01:01
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What would be nice if this forum had a general recommendation OP for every genre instead of weaving through pages of poo poo.
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Sep 17, 2010 04:23
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