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Epée
Jun 17, 2003

The Black Goat
My favourite author is Ian McEwan. I enjoy his novels for their focus on the human element - the complex characters, the way their personalities are revealed by their actions rather than description, and the author's insights on human nature through them. It also helps he writes beautifully. Amsterdam and On Chesil Beach are books which I can read again and again.

Similarly, I also greatly appreciate his compatriot Kazuo Ishiguro, for their similar styles - novels which are first and foremost psychological. Unreliable narrators, and the changes that his characters go through due to events in the narrative, and their slow revelation of these to the reader. Ishiguro is also of course a master of the english language.

I'd seen some comparisons between Ian McEwan and Philip Roth, and proceeded to read American Pastoral. While I really enjoyed some of his insights, and he also writes well, I couldn't really get into it as Jewish culture and recent American history are somewhat alien to me, and had no part in my upbringing and little impact on my culture.

Any recommendations on other books by similar authors, or even something else by Roth that might have more of a personal appeal - that is, is focused more on the people and not so much about politics or their particular culture?

Epée fucked around with this message at 03:29 on Oct 19, 2011

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Old Janx Spirit
Jun 26, 2010

an ode to the artisans of
luxury, a willed madness,
a fabulous dinosaur...
Can anyone recommend a good bio on the Kennedys? I'm looking for something that is entertaining and well written above all, but with out sacrificing accuracy.

I realize that there are a poo poo ton of books on JFK etc out there, but I was wondering if one or two stood out. I'm looking for something detailed and thorough, but more fun than academic.

Basically I want to read about good looking rich people but feel smart while doing it.

Any ideas?

DirtyRobot
Dec 15, 2003

it was a normally happy sunny day... but Dirty Robot was dirty

Epée posted:

My favourite author is Ian McEwan.

...

Any recommendations on other books by similar authors, or even something else by Roth that might have more of a personal appeal - that is, is focused more on the people and not so much about politics or their particular culture?

I was recently reading The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides, and I thought to myself, "hm, this reminds me a bit of McEwan." So maybe that.

Transistor Rhythm
Feb 16, 2011

If setting the Sustain Level in the ENV to around 7, you can obtain a howling sound.

Tin-Horn Indian posted:

Hey, suggest me something like Asimov's Foundation series. I liked how big and expansive it was and then also the little interludes of galactic history and whatnot.

Cordwainer Smith's "The Instrumentality of Mankind" makes Asimov's Foundation stuff look like freaking Buck Rogers by comparison.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrumentality_of_Mankind

Hedrigall
Mar 27, 2008

by vyelkin
I'm looking for really interesting, medium-length (IE not 200 pages with no substance, but also not 1000+ page tomes) histories of 20th century wars (WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War etc) or the 20th century in general. I'd like it to be comprehensive but not utterly dense. I haven't read much history non-fiction, but anything similar to Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything in tone & readability would be great.

And, preferably aimed at a layman audience: I did ancient history in later high school, and science at university, to the detriment of my modern historical and geopolitical knowledge.

I already have a Geoffrey Blainey book in mind, but i was wondering if there's anything else good out there.

Punished Chuck
Dec 27, 2010

Hedrigall posted:

I'm looking for really interesting, medium-length (IE not 200 pages with no substance, but also not 1000+ page tomes) histories of 20th century wars (WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War etc) or the 20th century in general. I'd like it to be comprehensive but not utterly dense. I haven't read much history non-fiction, but anything similar to Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything in tone & readability would be great.

And, preferably aimed at a layman audience: I did ancient history in later high school, and science at university, to the detriment of my modern historical and geopolitical knowledge.

I already have a Geoffrey Blainey book in mind, but i was wondering if there's anything else good out there.
Ken Burn's The War: An Intimate History, 1941-1945 is an absolutely fantastic, comprehensive overview of WWII. Covers basically everything about the war that America was involved in, starting with the attack on Pearl Harbor, fairly readable (I read and enjoyed all 480 pages in 9th or 10th grade, so it's pretty layman-friendly), full of photographs and maps to help you really get a feel for what's happening.

http://www.amazon.com/War-Intimate-History-1941-1945/dp/B001M5UIWC/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318996328&sr=1-3

It's also apparently a companion to Ken Burns' documentary The War, but you don't need to have seen that; I never have seen it and I still enjoyed the book greatly. I've never read A Short History of Nearly Everything, though, so I can't compare the two.

Also, sorry if you're not American, but at least you're only missing out on the first two years :shobon:

Hedrigall
Mar 27, 2008

by vyelkin

WeaponGradeSadness posted:

Ken Burn's The War: An Intimate History, 1941-1945 is an absolutely fantastic, comprehensive overview of WWII. Covers basically everything about the war that America was involved in, starting with the attack on Pearl Harbor, fairly readable (I read and enjoyed all 480 pages in 9th or 10th grade, so it's pretty layman-friendly), full of photographs and maps to help you really get a feel for what's happening.

http://www.amazon.com/War-Intimate-History-1941-1945/dp/B001M5UIWC/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318996328&sr=1-3

It's also apparently a companion to Ken Burns' documentary The War, but you don't need to have seen that; I never have seen it and I still enjoyed the book greatly. I've never read A Short History of Nearly Everything, though, so I can't compare the two.

Also, sorry if you're not American, but at least you're only missing out on the first two years :shobon:

Thanks! I had a look at it at the bookstore today, it looks great despite the American focus. However it's quite a large format and pretty pricey. I might get it at some point but I decided to go with The Storm of War by Andrew Roberts, which covers all 7 years of the war, and will fit in my bag when I go to work! It has pretty good reviews all over the place too.

dokmo
Aug 27, 2006

:stat:man

Old Janx Spirit posted:

Can anyone recommend a good bio on the Kennedys? I'm looking for something that is entertaining and well written above all, but with out sacrificing accuracy.

I realize that there are a poo poo ton of books on JFK etc out there, but I was wondering if one or two stood out. I'm looking for something detailed and thorough, but more fun than academic.

Basically I want to read about good looking rich people but feel smart while doing it.

Any ideas?

I found Laurence Leamer's The Kennedy Men: 1901-1963 to be a decently written overview of the family.

Transistor Rhythm
Feb 16, 2011

If setting the Sustain Level in the ENV to around 7, you can obtain a howling sound.

I'm looking for an accessible, readable "history of civilization" that very specifically gives the 50,000 ft. view of what's going on, where, at any given time. In other words, I'd really like to generally have a good feel for what's happening in China while the middle ages are going on in Europe, and what's going on in South America while the French Revolution is going on, what Australia is up to while Feudal Japan is doing its thing, so to speak. Basically something that puts the entire damned thing in context and isn't just focused on a Western Perspective. The closest thing I've read to scratch this itch is http://www.amazon.com/Human-Story-History-Stone-Today/dp/0060516194 but that was almost too simplistic and really silo'ed different things into their own chapters in an unsatisfying way.

Hieronymous Alloy
Jan 30, 2009


Why! Why!! Why must you refuse to accept that Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's Genetically Enhanced Cream Corn Is Superior to the Leading Brand on the Market!?!




Morbid Hound

Transistor Rhythm posted:

I'm looking for an accessible, readable "history of civilization" that very specifically gives the 50,000 ft. view of what's going on, where, at any given time. In other words, I'd really like to generally have a good feel for what's happening in China while the middle ages are going on in Europe, and what's going on in South America while the French Revolution is going on, what Australia is up to while Feudal Japan is doing its thing, so to speak. Basically something that puts the entire damned thing in context and isn't just focused on a Western Perspective. The closest thing I've read to scratch this itch is http://www.amazon.com/Human-Story-History-Stone-Today/dp/0060516194 but that was almost too simplistic and really silo'ed different things into their own chapters in an unsatisfying way.

The Cartoon History of the Universe does a decent job of this.

http://www.amazon.com/Cartoon-History-Universe-Vol-Pt-1/dp/0385265204

It doesn't cross over too much between geographical areas, though, basically telling "story of ancient middle east" then "story of greece" then "story of china" and so forth.

WARnold
Oct 30, 2004

You Lack Discipline!
Can someone recommend a book about the Korean War? Open to non-fiction and fiction alike.

barkingclam
Jun 20, 2007

WARnold posted:

Can someone recommend a book about the Korean War? Open to non-fiction and fiction alike.

David Halberstam's The Coldest Winter was a good look at the war, I thought.

WARnold
Oct 30, 2004

You Lack Discipline!

barkingclam posted:

David Halberstam's The Coldest Winter was a good look at the war, I thought.

Looks good, I'll give it a shot. Thanks! :)

Old Janx Spirit
Jun 26, 2010

an ode to the artisans of
luxury, a willed madness,
a fabulous dinosaur...

dokmo posted:

I found Laurence Leamer's The Kennedy Men: 1901-1963 to be a decently written overview of the family.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Scrubber
Feb 23, 2001
I'm just arguing for leniency; all she did was kill her friend.
Looking for a fantasy recommendation. The kind of fantasy where technology doesn't exceed early-mid renaissance, unless it is left over from a vanished civilization. Unfortunately, I am mostly looking for stuff that is available on audiobook, to help with my commute.

Ideally something exactly like ASOIAF Books 1-3.

Recently read/listened to:
code:
Loved:                                         Wasn't too excited by:
The Worm Ouroboros (Librivox)                  Red Seas Under Red Skies
ASOIAF 1-3                                     The other Black Company Books
                                               The Desert Spear
Liked:                                         The Dying Earth
The First Law Series                           Fafrhd and the Gray Mouser
ASIOAF 4-5                                     
---Significant gap here----                    Trying next:      
The Lies of Locke Lamora                       Kingkiller Chronicles    
The Black Company Books w/ Croaker as analyst                              
The Warded Man   
ASOIAF 1-3 style political maneuvering is preferred. Large scale battles are a solid second place. Abercrombie style fight scenes are definitely acceptable. Too much focus on line by line descriptions of scimitars twirling is not what I'm looking for.

Characters dying and bad stuff happening without a lot of build up / telegraphing / making it special is definitely appreciated. Speaking of stuff happening, I generally prefer it when stuff happens. I'm not necessarily talking about tons of action, just a high ratio of important stuff happening to skirt smoothing, filler and world building.

As far as setting, lower magic is definitely preferred. If present at all, video game style magic really ought to be very rare and ideally not a power the protagonist has. Generally, a relatively grimdark setting is preferred, but it is nice to have some noble elements struggling against it (not too successfully). A final key aspect of the setting is creating an authentic pre-modern feel; much fantasy is a bit disappointing in this aspect, the character and cultures tend to feel a lot like modern people in their values and attitudes.

As far as dislikes, I definitely want to avoid books where the author is blatantly trying to make a real life political point. Also, I didn't really like the graphic sex scenes in ASOIAF, but that kind of thing isn't necessarily enough to make me skip a book unless it is really bad / common.

Ornamented Death
Jan 25, 2006

Pew pew!

Scrubber posted:

Looking for a fantasy recommendation. The kind of fantasy where technology doesn't exceed early-mid renaissance, unless it is left over from a vanished civilization. Unfortunately, I am mostly looking for stuff that is available on audiobook, to help with my commute.

You might want to give The Steel Remains by Richard K. Morgan a shot (the sequel, The Cold Commands, just came out, too).

I'll also recommend The Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence, though I'm not sure of it's audiobook status.

who cares
Jul 25, 2006

Doomsday Machine
I am looking for any good books on Cold War history with a focus on weapons and technology development. I would prefer something that is more of an academic text rather than a lay history. Any ideas?

Shnooks
Mar 24, 2007

I'M BEING BORN D:
Ok I have a list of things I'm looking for recommendations for:

  • Japanese internment in America
  • Communist China
  • Jewish History, not really interested in the Holocaust.

Thanks

Shnooks fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Oct 20, 2011

Rabbit Hill
Mar 11, 2009

God knows what lives in me in place of me.
Grimey Drawer
Scrubber, you could also check out Stephen R. Donaldson's Mordant's Need series (there are only two books -- The Mirror of Her Dreams and A Man Rides Through). Lots of political maneuvering and the magic is limited to mirrors that take you to different worlds.

PeterWeller
Apr 21, 2003

I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Shnooks posted:

Ok I have a list of things I'm looking for recommendations for:

  • Jewish History, not really interested in the Holocaust.

Thanks

It's a bit of a stretch, but I'll take any opportunity to recommend it-- Chabon's Gentlemen of the Road is a fictional story about a pair of Jewish adventurers and the historical Jewish kingdom of Khazaria that takes place in the late 900s.

Encryptic
May 3, 2007

Old Janx Spirit posted:

Can anyone recommend a good bio on the Kennedys? I'm looking for something that is entertaining and well written above all, but with out sacrificing accuracy.

I realize that there are a poo poo ton of books on JFK etc out there, but I was wondering if one or two stood out. I'm looking for something detailed and thorough, but more fun than academic.

Basically I want to read about good looking rich people but feel smart while doing it.

Any ideas?

Not exactly a bio, but a decent read if you want to know about JFK's womanizing and Joe Kennedy's dirty political dealings that put JFK in the White House, among other things - The Dark Side of Camelot by Seymour Hersh is pretty good. It's definitely more of a gossipy read and old gossip at that, but it confirms everything you've probably heard, based on interviews with tons of people connected to the Kennedys.

Radio!
Mar 15, 2008

Look at that post.

Shnooks posted:

[list]
[*] Jewish History, not really interested in the Holocaust.

What parts specifically? If you're interested in ancient Judaism, I recommend Early Judaism by Martin S. Jaffee. It's a basic overview of the development of what we know as Judaism now. The Judaism professor at my school uses this book to introduce the overall concepts/history of the religion, so there shouldn't be any major issues with it.

Shnooks
Mar 24, 2007

I'M BEING BORN D:

Radio! posted:

What parts specifically? If you're interested in ancient Judaism, I recommend Early Judaism by Martin S. Jaffee. It's a basic overview of the development of what we know as Judaism now. The Judaism professor at my school uses this book to introduce the overall concepts/history of the religion, so there shouldn't be any major issues with it.

That's pretty good! I guess I didn't think about how long Jewish history actually is...

Perhaps Pre-WWII and older? I'm really open to anything.

Hieronymous Alloy
Jan 30, 2009


Why! Why!! Why must you refuse to accept that Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's Genetically Enhanced Cream Corn Is Superior to the Leading Brand on the Market!?!




Morbid Hound

Shnooks posted:

That's pretty good! I guess I didn't think about how long Jewish history actually is...

Perhaps Pre-WWII and older? I'm really open to anything.

I haven't read them myself, but the obvious thing to read is the chronicles of Flavius Josephus.

Hieronymous Alloy
Jan 30, 2009


Why! Why!! Why must you refuse to accept that Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's Genetically Enhanced Cream Corn Is Superior to the Leading Brand on the Market!?!




Morbid Hound

Scrubber posted:

Looking for a fantasy recommendation.. . . A final key aspect of the setting is creating an authentic pre-modern feel; much fantasy is a bit disappointing in this aspect, the character and cultures tend to feel a lot like modern people in their values and attitudes.

I'd point you to the pseudo-historical fantasies of Guy Gavriel Kay. Tigana, A Song for Arbonne, The Lions of Al-Rassan. Stay away from the Fionavar books.They aren't as dark as Martin and he doesn't kill characters off quite as gratuitously, but authentic historical setting is basically what he does; in most of them, Kay's basically writing historical fiction with a thin fantasy veneer.

Also, if you honestly liked The Worm Ouroboros, go find yourself a copy of Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees. Also, anything by Lord Dunsany.

For dark fantasy, I'd recommend the Kane books by Karl Edward Wagner. They're very hard to find legitimate copies of though. Basically imagine if Conan acted like the villains in most Conan stories, and you've got the Kane stories.

Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 15:23 on Oct 21, 2011

barkingclam
Jun 20, 2007

Hieronymous Alloy posted:

I haven't read them myself, but the obvious thing to read is the chronicles of Flavius Josephus.

Yeah, Josephus' chronicles are a good choice. I've got a copy of GA Williamson's translation and while it's not a very long picture, it's of an interesting period in Jewish/Roman history. I think Tacitus covers it from a different perspective, too.

Circle Nine
Mar 1, 2009

But that’s how it is when you start wanting to have things. Now, I just look at them, and when I go away I carry them in my head. Then my hands are always free, because I don’t have to carry a suitcase.

Shnooks posted:

Ok I have a list of things I'm looking for recommendations for:

  • Jewish History, not really interested in the Holocaust.

Thanks

I did a paper on American Jewish history last year and ended up needing to read about twenty books for it. Of the ones I read I'd really recommend

Antler, Joyce. "The Journey Home: How Jewish Women Shaped Modern America"
Diner, Hasia R. "The Jews of the United States"
Dinnerstein, Leonard. "Antisemitism in America"
Rogow, Faith. "Gone to Another Meeting: The National Council of Jewish Women, 1893-1993"
Sarna, Jonathan D. "American Judaism"

There were some less good ones but were still okay, if you're looking for more than that.

Rockaway, Robert A. "Words of the Uprooted"
Sorin, Gerald. "A Time for Building: The Third Migration 1880-1920"
Soyer, Daniel. "Jewish Immigrant Associations and American Identity in New York, 1880-1939"

Really though, most things written about Jewish History by Antler, Diner, Dinnerstein, or Sarna will generally be good, if a bit dry at times because they're more scholarly than a lot of history books.

Also I can kind of recommend "Jews in Transition" by Rabbi Albert I Gordon. I don't think it's as great as the others but it was written in in the 1940s about the Jewish community largely in Minnesota and it's dated but sometimes dated things are nice.

Rurik
Mar 5, 2010

Thief
Warrior
Gladiator
Grand Prince
I'm interested in fantasy (or science fiction) dealing with alternative history. Something along the lines of "what if the Roman empire survived for longer than it did" or "some major event unfolded differently, like the Muslims overran Constantinople and France in the 700s". I've read The Years of Rice and Salt which was pretty ok, but I didn't like the century hopping that much. I'm more interested in some kind of adventure written in a style similar to Robert E. Howard or George R.R. Martin set into a medieval world. Or future/science fiction, as long as alternative history plays an interesting role.

WARnold
Oct 30, 2004

You Lack Discipline!

Rurik posted:

I'm interested in fantasy (or science fiction) dealing with alternative history. Something along the lines of "what if the Roman empire survived for longer than it did" or "some major event unfolded differently, like the Muslims overran Constantinople and France in the 700s". I've read The Years of Rice and Salt which was pretty ok, but I didn't like the century hopping that much. I'm more interested in some kind of adventure written in a style similar to Robert E. Howard or George R.R. Martin set into a medieval world. Or future/science fiction, as long as alternative history plays an interesting role.

Check out The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick.
It's set in an alternate universe where the axis won WW2 and divided the US up between Germany and Japan.

Idonie
Jun 5, 2011

Rurik posted:

I'm interested in fantasy (or science fiction) dealing with alternative history. Something along the lines of "what if the Roman empire survived for longer than it did" or "some major event unfolded differently, like the Muslims overran Constantinople and France in the 700s". I've read The Years of Rice and Salt which was pretty ok, but I didn't like the century hopping that much. I'm more interested in some kind of adventure written in a style similar to Robert E. Howard or George R.R. Martin set into a medieval world. Or future/science fiction, as long as alternative history plays an interesting role.

Melissa Scott's A Choice of Destinies is fantasy alt-history about Alexander the Great deciding to try to conquer Rome. I remember enjoying it, but not many of the details. She also did some Elizabethan 'what if magic was real' stuff with Lisa Barnett; the first of those is The Armor of Light.

Harry Turtledove has written approximately 8 trillion books like this; I have read none of them so I don't know if they're any good, but they must sell or there wouldn't be so many.

Steven Barnes wrote Lion's Blood which imagines a world in which there was significant divergence back in Ancient Greece, leading to an 1860s in which the Islamic nations are the great powers. Again, I haven't read it, but my understanding is that it's pretty interesting, and definitely not Islamophobe stuff in the way of many recent novels.

Space Monster
Mar 13, 2009

So I just read the Old Man's War series by John Scalzi and after reading I have frankly lost my taste for reading anything that isn't Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, or The Last Colony and it's killing my usual 'anything fantasy/sci fi that isn't badly written' buzz.

So, to get me at least started on something different again, can anyone recommend things that are similar? I.E. military science fiction about young humanity securing it's place in the stars.

(mostly thinking newer writing here, I've read all the relevant Heinlein, Card, Niven, Pohl, Halderman, and the other old farts (who I love) from decades ago.)


I know this is a bit of a specific request, kind of a long shot but figure I might as well, thanks in advance! I love you. (Welcome to Costco)

(something with most of these characteristics, but not all is fine.)

Space Monster fucked around with this message at 02:47 on Oct 25, 2011

Hieronymous Alloy
Jan 30, 2009


Why! Why!! Why must you refuse to accept that Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's Genetically Enhanced Cream Corn Is Superior to the Leading Brand on the Market!?!




Morbid Hound
Have you read Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation? What about [bThe Android's Dream?[/b]?

Space Monster
Mar 13, 2009

Hieronymous Alloy posted:

Have you read Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation? What about [bThe Android's Dream?[/b]?

Maybe I should just read everything by Scalzi. I feel like at the end of it I'll be in the same position though. (This buys me some time though, thanks man!)

(I'm apprehensive about retroactively ruining Old Man's War which is the book I've enjoyed the most in the last 7 or 8 years. That first few hundred pages...doozy.)

Space Monster fucked around with this message at 02:56 on Oct 25, 2011

Hieronymous Alloy
Jan 30, 2009


Why! Why!! Why must you refuse to accept that Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's Genetically Enhanced Cream Corn Is Superior to the Leading Brand on the Market!?!




Morbid Hound

Space Monster posted:

Maybe I should just read everything by Scalzi. I feel like at the end of it I'll be in the same position though. (This buys me some time though, thanks man!)

(I'm apprehensive about retroactively ruining Old Man's War which is the book I've enjoyed the most in the last 7 or 8 years. That first few hundred pages...doozy.)

AFter that, I'd suggest either H. Beam Piper's stuff (he's sort of a journeyman Heinlein, wrote a lot of stuff that's not half badly written but also about half-crazy in the way that only 1950's-era mildly racist libertarian SF can be) or the Vorkosigan saga by Bujold (modern female SF writer, very well written, but fairly quickly becomes space detective / space opera instead of more classic military/naval SF.)

[b]Android's Dream[/i] also has a heavy Vernor Vinge influence in it, so that may be a good jumping off point into that kinda thing.

AVOID DAVID WEBER AT ALL COSTS. His books are brain poison.

Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 15:16 on Oct 25, 2011

RaoulDuke
May 6, 2007

I was a victim of a series of accidents, as are we all.
Trying to find something about effects of internet and technology on the brain, how they shape culture etc. Books I looked into were The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr, and Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other by Sherry Turkle. From the descriptions both seem to learn towards the, computers are making us dumb and lonely, side of the spectrum, which, while I don't disagree with entirely don't really want to a read a whole book about. Leaning more towards the technology is here to stay and I'm curious what happens going forwards I am more interested in less opinionated works on the subject, but if anyone has read either of the two or something similar and thinks them worth reading let me know as well.

AlteredAtronach
Jul 13, 2009
Looking for horror books that are just really unsettling. the kind that keeps you up at night. something with a unique premise is cool too

barkingclam
Jun 20, 2007

AlteredAtronach posted:

Looking for horror books that are just really unsettling. the kind that keeps you up at night. something with a unique premise is cool too

I just read a glowing review of Arthur Machen's White People and other stories and it sounds like it might be up your alley. Here's the review if you wanna learn more about the book and author.

dream owl
Jul 19, 2010

RaoulDuke posted:

Trying to find something about effects of internet and technology on the brain, how they shape culture etc. Books I looked into were The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr, and Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other by Sherry Turkle. From the descriptions both seem to learn towards the, computers are making us dumb and lonely, side of the spectrum, which, while I don't disagree with entirely don't really want to a read a whole book about. Leaning more towards the technology is here to stay and I'm curious what happens going forwards I am more interested in less opinionated works on the subject, but if anyone has read either of the two or something similar and thinks them worth reading let me know as well.

While I don't think you're going to find "less opinionated" authors on this subject you can certainly seek out the more willingly exploratory. New York Times techie columnist Nick Bilton wrote a book last year called I Live in the Future & Here's How It Works: Why Your World, Work, and Brain Are Being Creatively Disrupted. Also Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age by Clay Shirky & just for interests sake I'll mention Oliver Sacks, although he's more on the "brain" side of things than the is the technologic.

RaoulDuke
May 6, 2007

I was a victim of a series of accidents, as are we all.

dream owl posted:

While I don't think you're going to find "less opinionated" authors on this subject you can certainly seek out the more willingly exploratory. New York Times techie columnist Nick Bilton wrote a book last year called I Live in the Future & Here's How It Works: Why Your World, Work, and Brain Are Being Creatively Disrupted. Also Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age by Clay Shirky & just for interests sake I'll mention Oliver Sacks, although he's more on the "brain" side of things than the is the technologic.

The Bilton book sounds awesome, thanks alot. Oliver Sacks is great.

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squeee
Apr 23, 2009

the thrill of the chase.
I am interested in anything that is set in England. Having just recently finished reading The Queen Mother by William Shawcross I feel like I need something to satisfy the anglophile in me. I am open to any writing genre/style except for criminal/mystery. Anything with England as it's backdrop would be greatly appreciated!

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