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awesome, thanks guys! I have added all of those to my list. I heard that Goncharov's Oblamov was pretty interesting so I'll give that a go. The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogal looks absolutely wonderful. I am definitely looking forward to this.
Sgt. Pepper09 fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Nov 27, 2010 |
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Nov 27, 2010 18:50
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Sgt. Pepper09 posted:I want to get into some good Russian literature. I know there is a thread around here somewhere but I can't seem to locate it. Any recommendations? 7 Y.O.'s list is great, but I'd throw Solzhenitsyn in there too. Ivan Denisovich is a good (and short) read about life in a Stalinist prison camp.
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Nov 27, 2010 20:19
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barkingclam posted:Ivan Denisovich is a good (and short) read about life in a Stalinist prison camp. This one gets pushed very hard as an interesting and accessible book in a lot of Soviet studies courses.
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Nov 27, 2010 21:35
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Does anyone have recommendations for hard sci fi? The more "hard" the better. My favourite author by far is Stephen Baxter, and some of his writings are borderline science textbooks. I've also enjoyed the more traditional sci-fi novels such as that of Asimov and Clark, but unfortunately the underlying science behind those are rather outdated. I'm pretty much a sucker for topics like the deep future, posthumanism, and the Fermi paradox, especially if they're explained with realistic, high detailed scientific accuracy. Nonfictions are cool too if they can be read by someone with limited formal education in sciences. I suspect I'm the only person in my industry who gives a poo poo about science, but it probably just underpins my unconscious regret of going with the money route instead of following my passion (physics). 
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Nov 28, 2010 20:07
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Let's see what I have in the back of my mind that I crave for... So, can anyone recommend me some some self improvement books? More on lifestyle design than business or procrastination (is there a good general fashion book out there?) Also, I loved Michael Crichton's Pirate Latitudes. Anything similar to it out there?
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Nov 28, 2010 22:23
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V for Vegas posted:Looking for something along the lines of Bukowski. I've been reading Raymond Carver as well lately and am up for some suggestions on other writers in this style. Celine. Journey to the End of the Night.
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Nov 29, 2010 01:48
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Savantegarde posted:I'm looking for books that are compilations of interesting scientific studies. Like "Quirkology", "Elephants on Acid", or "Supersense". Oliver Sacks is a neurologist and he has quite a few books about interesting patients and cases hes seen in 40+ years of practice. Musicophilia obviously deals with music and has four or five really stunning patients he has dealt with in addition to being really well written and funny. I have a pretty decent pile of books to burn through but it's lacking in non-fiction. I'd love something along the lines of The hero with a thousand faces by Joseph Campbell, not exactly philosophy but I'd be open to peoples favorite titles in that vein too. I'm also really intrigued by Italo Calvino or other early postmodern writers. Should I just go ahead and read If on a winter's night... or can someone recommend something they like more?
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Nov 29, 2010 03:44
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meanolmrcloud posted:Oliver Sacks is a neurologist and he has quite a few books about interesting patients and cases hes seen in 40+ years of practice. Musicophilia obviously deals with music and has four or five really stunning patients he has dealt with in addition to being really well written and funny. If you haven't read Invisible Cities by Calvino, then get that ASAP. I just finished The Baron in the Trees and thought it was okay, but nothing will compare to Invisible Cities. It is such a beautiful piece of writing. If on a winter's night a traveler is next on my Calvino list. Sgt. Pepper09 fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Nov 29, 2010 |
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Nov 29, 2010 03:52
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Simbyotic posted:Let's see what I have in the back of my mind that I crave for... I posted this a few pages back for someone else regarding a 'guy's nautical fiction' request. The works of Raphael Sabatini: Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk, The Black Swan, etc. Great, no Pirates of the Caribbean magic or supernatural stuff, great characterizations that incorporate real historical events and sweet ideas on nautical battle strategy and out-thinking the enemy. If you're looking for a more modern take on the 'classic pirate' story, try The Island by Peter Benchley (yeah, the author of Jaws) it was made into a great Michael Caine movie during the 80s and I've been having a hell of a time finding a dvd copy for rent but you can find the book on amazon.
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Nov 29, 2010 07:35
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Can anybody recommend any good books detailing the history of alcohol? I'm specifically looking for the history of beer brewing, but history on liquor distillation and wine making would be gravy. I'd prefer something a little lighter that doesn't seem like a textbook if possible, but most of all I'd like it to be fairly comprehensive. If I could find a book that starts with cavemen brewing mead and goes at least to prohibition, I'd be thrilled. I'd settle for pretty much any good read on the subject though. 
Alvie fucked around with this message at 17:53 on Nov 29, 2010 |
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Nov 29, 2010 17:18
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Sgt. Pepper09 posted:If you haven't read Invisible Cities by Calvino, then get that ASAP. I just finished The Baron in the Trees and thought it was okay, but nothing will compare to Invisible Cities. It is such a beautiful piece of writing. If on a winter's night a traveler is next on my Calvino list. Just finished reading Invisible Cities a week ago. It is pretty amazing. I couldn't help but feel that if I could hold all of its little messages in my head at the same time I might learn something. Alas, am just as dumb as before, thanks for trying Marco. benjaminrhoades fucked around with this message at 05:55 on Nov 30, 2010 |
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Nov 30, 2010 05:51
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Sgt. Pepper09 posted:I want to get into some good Russian literature. I know there is a thread around here somewhere but I can't seem to locate it. Any recommendations? In addition to those already mentioned Mikhail Bulgakov is also really good. Specifically The Master and Margarita.
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Nov 30, 2010 05:59
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benjaminrhoades posted:In addition to those already mentioned Mikhail Bulgakov is also really good. Specifically The Master and Margarita. Oh yeah, this guy looks great.  Thanks! As far as Calvino, try The Baron in the Trees. I know I said I thought it was just okay, but that was comparing it to Invisible Cities. It really captures wonderful imagery and is quite an intriguing read. The protagonist (Cosimo) makes a fur cap out of a cat! Oh and he lives in the trees... Sgt. Pepper09 fucked around with this message at 07:24 on Nov 30, 2010 |
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Nov 30, 2010 07:13
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Oh, I am also looking for something along the lines of Kierkegaard and all that existentialism mumbo jumbo 
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Nov 30, 2010 07:28
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I'm looking for some horror books. I've been entertained greatly by zombie books, like World War Z, Feed, Dead Sea and others. Do you guys know of some really good zombie books, about some poor people struggling with surviving in a zombie filled world. (I didn't particularily like the trilogy of Monster Island, Monster Nation and Monster Planet). Another thing: Giant monsters, or just monsters, loving poo poo up. Like Steve Alten's The Loch and MEG, Brian Keene's The Conqueror Worms, Peter Benchley's The Beast and perhaps even Warren Fahy's Fragment. Something with some ancient, powerful or just plain weird thing crashing about, killing people and spreading terror. I like those. Any suggestions?
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Nov 30, 2010 14:51
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meanolmrcloud posted:Oliver Sacks is a neurologist and he has quite a few books about interesting patients and cases hes seen in 40+ years of practice. Musicophilia obviously deals with music and has four or five really stunning patients he has dealt with in addition to being really well written and funny. Awesome I totally forgot about him, thanks!
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Nov 30, 2010 15:56
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I'm currently reading "Pirate Latitudes" by Crichton. I find it incredibly interesting. I'm wondering if any of you cats can recommend some good pirate fiction?
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Nov 30, 2010 17:40
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I'm looking for non-fiction books in a memoir style where the author has interesting real-life stories to tell. Some examples: Too Fat to Fish by Artie Lange Don Cherry's Hockey Stories and Stuff by Don Cherry Tough Guy by Bob Probert
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Nov 30, 2010 21:07
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Iacen posted:I'm looking for some horror books. The Dead That Walk, edited by Stephen Jones, is a very solid collection of zombie short stories. Night Shade's The Living Dead and, presumably, The Living Dead 2, are less solid - way too many stories in the first book concern zombie sex - but there are some real gems, and I don't recall a great deal of crossover with the Jones anthology.
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Nov 30, 2010 21:45
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Secx posted:I'm looking for non-fiction books in a memoir style where the author has interesting real-life stories to tell. David Lee Roth's Crazy From the Heat. I know, I know, but it was really good. Naples '44 by Norman Lewis. Lewis was an intelligence officer in Italy and saw all kinds of crazy poo poo and met weird people, and kept this diary. If you liked Atie Lange's book, you should probably check out George Carlin's autobiography Last Words, which doesn't have as many crazy stories but has more trenchant observations. Also, Mike Birbiglia's Sleepwalk With Me.
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Nov 30, 2010 22:14
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I'm looking for books about people who are/were addicted to hard drugs, like heroin, LSD etc. I'm really interested in what they have to say about it.
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Dec 1, 2010 03:27
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Ornamented Death posted:The Dead That Walk, edited by Stephen Jones, is a very solid collection of zombie short stories. Night Shade's The Living Dead and, presumably, The Living Dead 2, are less solid - way too many stories in the first book concern zombie sex - but there are some real gems, and I don't recall a great deal of crossover with the Jones anthology. Zombie sex?? what the gently caress? haha
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Dec 1, 2010 03:38
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Wall of text incoming! hatersg2haet - I recommend taking your friend The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. It's a neat little mystery with a 11 year old protagonist who is obsessed with poisons. Charming, light hearted, but interesting. There is a sequel which I've not read called The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag that's getting even better reviews than the first book. JoeWindetc - The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall is "experimental" fiction like House of Leaves so you might enjoy it as well. The premise is super cool: An amnesiac is being hunted by a conceptual shark which feeds on metaphor, text, and memory. It wasn't the best book I ever read, but it's very creative. V for Vegas - My only thought is perhaps Martin Amis for you. He's a good writer, and pretty efficient with his words, as well as somewhat grim, like the authors you have listed. However, he tends to have some humour and irony in his books which I'm not sure would appeal to you. My favourite of his books is Night Train, but I'm not a big Carver fan so maybe that means you won't like it! (I love Bukowski though). Flyboy925 - Does it have to be in Alaska? If the atmosphere you're going for is cold, dark, and lonely, you could try Henning Mankell's books, which frequently are in northern Sweden. Faceless Killers is the first in a series about a somewhat fed-up police detective named Kurt Wallander, and most of the book is set in northern Sweden. Very snowy and cold. You could PRETEND it's Alaska if you like. Mankell's books are a bit slow and internal though... a lot of detail. I would compare him more to Agatha Christie than most of the popular stuff today (that're a lot more whiz-bang).Evfedu - It sounds like she'd like Urban Fantasy novels. A little more literary than Twilight, but still not very taxing. The best of the lot that I've found are the Kate Daniels novels by Ilona Andrews, the first being Magic Bites. There are four in that series now, so you could get her more than one if you like. The setting is near-future Atlanta, and magic has come back into the world, slowly rendering technology useless. Kate Daniels is a mercenary that gets caught up in various events partially due to her Mysterious Past (dun dun dun). It has a very "will they-won't they" romance, much like Twilight (but no one involved sparkles, glitters, or even wears sequins). Hedrigall - You didn't ask, but I advise the same book I recommended for Evfedu for you 22 year old sister, and for the 15 year old, perhaps the Mortal Instruments Trilogy by Cassandra Clare. The first book is City of Bones. It's a little bit younger than 15 in characters, but I think she'll dig it. At the very least, it's again a step up from Twilight! And there's some good angsty love going on. And some sly Star Wars references for extra points. Socialism - I would recommend Blindsight by Peter Watts. The sci-fi isn't diamond-hard, but it's pretty solid. The author is a biologist, and he studies a lot of varying types of science, keeps up on the news and such. This novel reminded me a lot of 2001 in feel, though not in content... it's a first contact story, basically. A pretty hardcore one. Personally my favourite book by Watts is Starfish which is about an underwater station and the biologically altered people who take care of it. That's a bad summary, but this book was really great. The underwater world seemed extremely realistic but just as foreign as space. Not sure if you'll like it as much if you want spaceships and such, but it is set in the future with high tech and head cheeses and all. Iacen - Have you read Clive Barker? Specifically his Books of Blood? Secx - This is kind of a bad recommendation because this book is out of print, and I can't even find it on Amazon.com. It's on Amazon.ca though! Anyway, Slackjaw by Jim Knipfel is about his experience going blind. He's pretty pissed about it! But it was a really interesting and compelling story. I found it totally fascinating. You can find it used on Amazon.ca if you're interested. I highly recommend it. Theomanic fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Dec 1, 2010 |
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Dec 1, 2010 20:34
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Sgt. Pepper09 posted:Zombie sex?? what the gently caress? haha Yeah, just stick with the Jones anthology.
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Dec 1, 2010 22:15
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I'm looking to get a friend a book for a Christmas present. She really enjoys reading novels that explore the Jewish identity, for example she loves anything by Micheal Chabon. I know she also likes crime novels, but I have no idea what authors she prefers making that an impossibly broad category to cover.
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Dec 1, 2010 22:47
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Anyone recommend something similar to Fallout series, but book form? Some sort of holocaust (nuclear war, plague, whatever), humanity in danger, a hero rises from the ashes, triumphs over adversary, etc. etc. edit: I just sort of gave up on The Stand by Stephen King, because it got a little too wacky with the religious stuff, if that helps.
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Dec 3, 2010 12:32
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KiddieGrinder posted:Anyone recommend something similar to Fallout series, but book form? Post-apocalyptic fiction is one of my favorite genres, and while I can't think of anything that is a solid parallel to Fallout here's a couple good ones. My personal fave is The Postman by David Brin, don't let the movie fool you, this is actually a very interesting book about the power of ideas and figureheads. For something on the wackier side, Go Go Girls of the Apocalypse by Victor Gischler is a good one that plays up the insanity that can occur when trying to rebuild society. For a darker tone, I suggest the Afterblight chronicles. They're a collaborative series, so I can't give a single author but I suggest the St. Mark's School for Boys trilogy by Scott Andrews. Check out amazon for more details. And for classic mindlessness, Deathlands by James Axler. A word of warning: These books are REALLY bad, but for some reason every year I drop about 20 bucks at my local drug store so I can get my fix.
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Dec 3, 2010 12:49
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Renaissance Spam posted:Hey thanks, I'll check them out!
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Dec 3, 2010 14:10
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KiddieGrinder posted:Anyone recommend something similar to Fallout series, but book form? Wastelands, edited by John Joseph Adams, is an excellent collection of post-apocalyptic stories. Edit: I'm always looking for more horror anthologies/collections to add to my book shelf. More importantly, I'm interested in mass-market stuff - I'm doing a lot of field work right now, and the very thought of bringing one of my limited editions out of my house makes me cry (  ). As an example, I was recently given a copy of Nocturnes by John Connolly - I'd never heard of him before, but it's a pretty good collection of short stories, and it's a trade paperback so I don't mind taking it out into the elements. So something along those lines (not Stephen King).
Ornamented Death fucked around with this message at 03:24 on Dec 4, 2010 |
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Dec 3, 2010 22:52
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Sgt. Pepper09 posted:Zombie sex?? what the gently caress? haha This idea has also been explored extensively in the world of video arts.
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Dec 4, 2010 19:09
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Can someone recommend me a book similar to 'Bed of Procrustes'? By which I mean made up of quick little maxims (and also good).
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Dec 4, 2010 23:47
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Ornamented Death posted:Wastelands, edited by John Joseph Adams, is an excellent collection of post-apocalyptic stories. second Wastelands. The Apocalypse Reader is an equally good collection.
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Dec 5, 2010 01:21
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I've been watching a lot of conversational film's lately, such as My Dinner with Andre, Before Sunrise/Before Sunset, My Night at Maud's, etc. Can anyone recommend a book that is mostly conversation, or a series of conversations?
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Dec 5, 2010 12:43
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Medium Cool posted:I've been watching a lot of conversational film's lately, such as My Dinner with Andre, Before Sunrise/Before Sunset, My Night at Maud's, etc. Can anyone recommend a book that is mostly conversation, or a series of conversations? Have you read Nicholson Baker's Vox, which consists entirely of a long phone-sex conversation? Depending on your political leanings and interests you might also enjoy Baker's Checkpoint, which consists of a conversation between two friends in a DC hotel room ostensibly over whether one of them will shoot the President, and what went wrong with his mind to get to that point.
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Dec 5, 2010 17:32
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Medium Cool posted:I've been watching a lot of conversational film's lately, such as My Dinner with Andre, Before Sunrise/Before Sunset, My Night at Maud's, etc. Can anyone recommend a book that is mostly conversation, or a series of conversations? Hemingway's short stories include tonnes of barely-interrupted conversation which serve as the focus of the story. E.g., Hills Like White Elephants and A Clean Well-Lighted Place off the top of my head. Also, you might consider reading some drama.
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Dec 5, 2010 20:20
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Alvie posted:Can anybody recommend any good books detailing the history of alcohol? I'm specifically looking for the history of beer brewing, but history on liquor distillation and wine making would be gravy. I'd prefer something a little lighter that doesn't seem like a textbook if possible, but most of all I'd like it to be fairly comprehensive. If I could find a book that starts with cavemen brewing mead and goes at least to prohibition, I'd be thrilled. A History of the World In 6 Glasses is pretty entertaining. It reads a bit like Salt: A World History, but for drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Ginger Beer Belly fucked around with this message at 04:08 on Dec 6, 2010 |
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Dec 6, 2010 04:05
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I'm looking for a nonfiction book that is lighthearted and full of facts, but geared towards college age males- kind of like if Bill Bryson was part of a fraternity. I'd like to avoid anything too ponderous and to keep it on the "pop" side of things- Mental Floss is a perfect example of what I'm looking for in terms of tone, but I don't know if it is quite "guyish" enough. If they had a history of MMA I'd be set, but as is I'm asking you guys for help in choosing a book for my impossible to shop for brother.
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Dec 6, 2010 05:38
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Thank you for the reccomendations everyone. Going to be picking up a few new books next pay day now.
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Dec 6, 2010 05:53
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ChirpChirpCheep posted:I'm looking for a nonfiction book that is lighthearted and full of facts, but geared towards college age males- kind of like if Bill Bryson was part of a fraternity. I'd like to avoid anything too ponderous and to keep it on the "pop" side of things- Mental Floss is a perfect example of what I'm looking for in terms of tone, but I don't know if it is quite "guyish" enough. If they had a history of MMA I'd be set, but as is I'm asking you guys for help in choosing a book for my impossible to shop for brother. If your brother is a typical frat boy i'm sure he'll love this lovely book: http://www.amazon.com/Bro-Code-Barney-Stinson/dp/143911000X
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Dec 6, 2010 06:01
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Thanks for the recommendations, they all sound very interesting. I'll definitely check them out when I hit up the library tomorrow.
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Dec 6, 2010 10:53
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