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ultrachrist posted:My favorite part of The Satanic Verses are the chapters with Mohammed. I just read Master and Margarita and the Pontius Pilate parts were, again, the best. Edit: It's more of a novella than a novel proper, if that makes a difference.
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Jun 6, 2012 19:47
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nate fisher posted:Although not in the same backdrop you may like This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Trooper. It is about a dysfunctional family that comes together to sit for shiva (for 7 days) after the father dies. This book owns hard and everyone should read it. For ease of location, however: author's last name is Tropper, not Trooper.
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Jun 6, 2012 20:15
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Any books which critique and analyze Capitalism as a system? Preferably with its historical development and evolution over time as well as the benefits/weaknesses of capitalist systems. This doesn't necessarily mean just classical Marxist critique but more so analyzing the system on its own terms.
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Jun 6, 2012 23:46
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Transistor Rhythm posted:I'm craving Jewish-American suburban or urban family life stuff, bonus points for coming-of-age themes, and a 60's/70's/80's backdrop. Saul Bellow's stuff is great, especially Herzog and Augie Marsh. If you can look past the American part, I'd check out Mordecai Richler's stuff (his stuff was more or less set in Montreal). I think The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravtiz might be right up your alley.
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Jun 7, 2012 01:08
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Tots posted:Aside from that though, I'm not sure how to describe it, but I like reading about people. Especially like outcast type people, doing drugs, going to bars, loving off, whatever, and everything else that kind of life entails. This probably sounds retarded, whatever. Book recommendations? Irvine Welsh, Brett Easton Ellis, Junky, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
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Jun 7, 2012 01:49
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Yes Brett Easton Ellis is the first thing that comes to mind (Rules of Attraction might be a good starting point). One of my favorites is Donna Tratt's The Secret History that fits in the category. Also cannot forget to mention McInerney's Bright Light, Big City. Any other suggestions please? I also love books about decadence in a modern/urban sitting.
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Jun 7, 2012 03:00
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feedmyleg posted:Are there any good books that take place in ancient Rome/Greece but aren't about actual historical figures or kings or generals or whatnot? Ideally something non-military as well. I like the Medicus series by Ruth Downie, which takes place in Roman Britain. It's about an army doctor and has a lot to do with army life, though.
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Jun 7, 2012 04:45
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Nigel Tufnel posted:Bit of an obscure ask but I'm looking for fiction set in modern day Tokyo. Not too worried about the genre as long as it's not an overly romanticised drama. Gritty Tokyo is better. The Billy Chaka series by Isaac Adamson? I've only read the second book, but looking over the rest of the series, all except the last book take place in Tokyo.
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Jun 7, 2012 09:30
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Was thinking of trying some Haruki Murakami. Any you'd particularly recommend as a good starter?
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Jun 7, 2012 14:13
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nate fisher posted:Yes Brett Easton Ellis is the first thing that comes to mind (Rules of Attraction might be a good starting point). One of my favorites is Donna Tratt's The Secret History that fits in the category. Also cannot forget to mention McInerney's Bright Light, Big City. For something different (drugs and decadence in a different culture) You might want to try Ryu Murakami's Almost Transparent Blue. Similar beginnings as Bret Easton Ellis, he wrote the novel while he was still in university. Since you're rattling off a lot of the literati 'brat packers' of the 80's you might as well give Tama Janowitz a try as well, though her novels have a decidedly more female perspective. Hubert Selby Jr. (Requiem for a Dream, Last Exit to Brooklyn) of course. This is going more into desperation and not just partying though. There is also Jean Genet's Our Lady of the Flowers but that one is kind of a far left suggestion, look it up on Wiki first to see if it's your cup of tea.
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Jun 7, 2012 15:31
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guppy posted:This book owns hard and everyone should read it. For ease of location, however: author's last name is Tropper, not Trooper. Thanks guys - this basically looks like exactly what I'm after and I'm going to read all his books immediately!
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Jun 7, 2012 15:39
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Poutling posted:For something different (drugs and decadence in a different culture) You might want to try Ryu Murakami's Almost Transparent Blue. Similar beginnings as Bret Easton Ellis, he wrote the novel while he was still in university. I have been on Japanese kick lately (been reading some of the other Murakami) so I just ordered that. I think it is because I grew up in the 80's and some of the first books I read as a adult were by Brett Easton Ellis that I have this fascination. I think I might also check out Janowitz's Slaves of New York. Transistor Rhythm posted:Thanks guys - this basically looks like exactly what I'm after and I'm going to read all his books immediately! I am glad I could help. Sorry about misspelling the name, but I mostly post from my iPhone during the day (which causes me to make tons of errors).
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Jun 7, 2012 15:51
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Darth Walrus posted:Was thinking of trying some Haruki Murakami. Norwegian Wood is a love triangle book that has very little of his typical surrealism, but it's a good introduction to his style. If you want some surrealism, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is his magnum opus in most people's opinions, but my favorite is Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World, which has a teensy bit of cyberpunk tied in with a very mysterious plot about a town isolated from the rest of the world.
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Jun 7, 2012 19:47
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nate fisher posted:I have been on Japanese kick lately (been reading some of the other Murakami) so I just ordered that. If you like Almost Transparent Blue after you read it you should try his Coin Locker Babies, it's pretty weird and a fun read.
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Jun 8, 2012 00:07
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Chamberk posted:Norwegian Wood is a love triangle book that has very little of his typical surrealism, but it's a good introduction to his style. Cool, thanks for the heads-up. My Kindle awaits.
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Jun 8, 2012 09:24
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Does anyone have any recommendation on historical drama or fiction books with focus on political drama? I have this vague political drama idea in my head and I figure I need to dip in that pool before I can write anything.
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Jun 8, 2012 14:15
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toanoradian posted:Does anyone have any recommendation on ...fiction books with focus on political drama? I have this vague political drama idea in my head and I figure I need to dip in that pool before I can write anything. Joe Klein's Primary Colors and The Running Mate are both pretty good picks.
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Jun 8, 2012 15:39
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toanoradian posted:Does anyone have any recommendation on historical drama or fiction books with focus on political drama? I have this vague political drama idea in my head and I figure I need to dip in that pool before I can write anything. All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren: Loosely based in spots on Huey Long.
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Jun 8, 2012 20:17
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RC and Moon Pie posted:All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren: Loosely based in spots on Huey Long. I was going to recommend this as well, but it's really more focused on the personal drama than the political wrangling. It's a great novel and worth reading; I'm just not sure it's what he's looking for.
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Jun 8, 2012 23:19
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Yeah, I went into that book thinking it was about Huey Long and it is, but only to an extent. I'd still recommend it, though, it's a great novel.
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Jun 9, 2012 02:45
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So I've been reading Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series and in addition to being astonishingly brilliant historical fiction it's also very adept at building interest in 18th- and 19th-century naval warfare. What I'd like are some great non-fiction recommendations elaborating on this subject: on ships, officers, battles, the lives of men at sea, anything. About the British and French, primarily, but also Americans, Spanish, anyone. Her Majesty's Navy, privateers—hell, feel free even to throw in books on pirates of this period.
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Jun 10, 2012 05:16
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So, recently (well, for a given value of "recently") I've read John Dies at the End, and American Gods, and I love that combination of "funny, but also with a good plot" and I'm hoping to find more like it. I've already read Discworld, the Hitchhiker's Guide Trilogy, pretty much everything by Vonnegut, pretty much everything by Twain, and a Confederacy of Dunces, all of which were also more or less what I'm looking for. I loved the hell out of John Dies at the End, so any recommendations even remotely like it would be appreciated. Edit: Oh, and I recently started Dresden Files too, which I'm enjoying well enough. Doomsayer fucked around with this message at 07:27 on Jun 10, 2012 |
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Jun 10, 2012 07:18
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John Dies at The End is defo one of my favourite books, and there's not really anything else like it out there. But in a way Jeff Strand's Wolf Hunt scratches that itch. It's very likable idiots out of their depth against a monster, that's funny with a really good plot.
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Jun 10, 2012 11:09
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Doomsayer posted:I loved the hell out of John Dies at the End, so any recommendations even remotely like it would be appreciated. Blueprints of the Afterlife, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, and Everything Matters! have, to varying degrees, a mixture of humor, non-linear plot, and compelling story that is similar to John Dies (and, in the case of Blueprints, a healthy dose of "what the gently caress?"). PKD is also worth a look, as a lot of the ideas in John Dies are quite Dickian- maybe look into Eye in the Sky, Counter-Clock World, The Simulacra, The Crack in Space, Do Androids Dream...?, or Flow, My Tears....
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Jun 10, 2012 12:07
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Doomsayer posted:So, recently (well, for a given value of "recently") I've read John Dies at the End, and American Gods, and I love that combination of "funny, but also with a good plot" and I'm hoping to find more like it. I've already read Discworld, the Hitchhiker's Guide Trilogy, pretty much everything by Vonnegut, pretty much everything by Twain, and a Confederacy of Dunces, all of which were also more or less what I'm looking for. You might look at The Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway. I thought it was witty and a lot of fun, in addition to having an interesting setting. It was one of those books that let me figure out some of it's mysteries so I could feel smart and then still managed to blindside me with some other twists and turns. Goodreads has a pretty description of it.
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Jun 10, 2012 17:08
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Two things: I really enjoyed One Hundred Days of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, particularity his ability to really paint a sort of picture of a time and place, and sort of mythologise events. Likewise I am a big fan of Cormac McCarthy, such as All the Pretty Horses. Any suggestions for other authors and books to read? Also I am looking for books like Kraken by China Mieville and Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, sort of fantasy set in the cracks of modern society and cities. Bolocko posted:So I've been reading Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series and in addition to being astonishingly brilliant historical fiction it's also very adept at building interest in 18th- and 19th-century naval warfare. It's not quite what your after, being fiction, but maybe the Hornblower series by C. S. Forester? I've not read it, but quite enjoyed the TV miniseries.
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Jun 10, 2012 19:02
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I do have Hornblower (and a few other similarly-set series) in my queue and I'm open to fiction recommendations, but what I'm really looking for is non-fiction.
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Jun 10, 2012 22:42
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Just finished House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski and I really enjoyed it. It kinda reminded of Marble Hornets and the Blair Witch Project, and now I'm looking for a book that shares the same atmosphere, especially in the exploration parts. And since Google has failed to find anything I'm turning to the second best place to go on the internet.
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Jun 10, 2012 23:05
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Bolocko posted:So I've been reading Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series and in addition to being astonishingly brilliant historical fiction it's also very adept at building interest in 18th- and 19th-century naval warfare. I don't really know much about naval history, but I do have some mostly pirate-related material from the period, mostly from the English perspective. Here are a few books from my library: The Wooden World: An Anatomy of the Georgian Navy by NAM Rodger. A very dry, academic book about life on an English navy ship in the 1700s. The author is a fairly important historian who really knows what he's talking about, but the prose isn't exactly riveting. The Sack Of Panama: Captain Morgan and the Battle for the Caribbean by Peter Earle. Pirates on sea and on land attack and plunder an entire city, one of the most audacious pirate actions of them all. If A Pirate I Must Be: The True Story Of Bartholomew Roberts, King Of The Caribbean by Richard Sanders. A bio of Black Bart. Well written narrative. Scurvy : How a Surgeon, a Mariner, and a Gentleman Solved the Greatest Medical Miracle of the Age of Sail by Stephen R. Bown. Title says it all. Lots of details of the poo poo sailors had to deal with and the horrible state of medicine back then. Pirate Wars by Peter Earle. Earle writes pretty well. This is a book not so much about pirates, but about how they were finally shut down. Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates by David Cordingly. Title says it all.
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Jun 10, 2012 23:34
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Bolocko posted:So I've been reading Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series and in addition to being astonishingly brilliant historical fiction it's also very adept at building interest in 18th- and 19th-century naval warfare. Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe That Ended the Outlaws' Bloody Reign by Stephan Talty. The title explains it pretty well.
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Jun 11, 2012 01:07
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Any of these pirate books about the Outerbanks?
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Jun 11, 2012 01:16
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I'm asking for my sister, who I just bought a Kindle for. She loves Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare and any classic authors. I have all of those ready for her. What contemporary authors that I haven't heard of will she like?
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Jun 11, 2012 01:55
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Goatmask posted:Two things: I'm reading a book that might fit both of these - John Crowley's Little, Big. Amazon posted:Little, Big tells the epic story of Smoky Barnable -- an anonymous young man who meets and falls in love with Daily Alice Drinkwater, and goes to live with her in Edgewood, a place not found on any map. In an impossible mansion full of her relatives, who all seem to have ties to another world not far away, Smoky fathers a family and tries to learn what tale he has found himself in -- and how it is to end. It meanders a bit near the end, but it's a world worth living in for a little while. There's a family whose tree rivals the Buendias of 100 Years of Solitude, and a mythological New York. It takes place from the late 1800s to about the 1970s, and handles the idea of the world of Faerie and its inhabitants (with whom the Drinkwater clan are somewhat related) in a way that honors old traditions (such as references to Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" and several old Lewis Carroll poems) yet is pretty original. There's also Mark Helprin's Winter's Tale, which also features a mythical New York, often trapped in winter. I never feel like that one quite gels together at the end, though there are some terrific passages throughout.
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Jun 11, 2012 05:08
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Jun 11, 2012 07:38
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In the process of finishing up Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis, it's come to my attention that I might enjoy reading The Art of War and The Prince. Does anyone have recommendations on which publishers did the best job translating the two? I've read conflicting reviews as to which edition is the best.
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Jun 11, 2012 08:24
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Goatmask posted:Two things: I want to strongly, strongly second the Little, Big recommendation. It's one of my favorite books, and it kind of fulfills both halves of this. As Chamberk said, it's about the history of a single New York family, their long complicated story and the way in which they're intertwined with the fairy world. It's in a contemporary world but it's also distinctly fantastic and mythological - although frequently the fantastic elements are not quite visible, a little out of the way. I would also recommend another book by Crowley, Four Freedoms - it's the story of a bunch of people on the home front in World War II America, the way their lives change and America changes. It's not fantasy in the way Little, Big is (although it is not really harsh realism either) but it does, as you say, capture the time, while also mythologizing it. Really great book. I suspect other Crowley novels are probably equally good, but I haven't read any yet. You might also check out, for the second half of that request, some of Charles De Lint's novels - my favorite is Someplace To Be Flying - or A Fine And Private Place by Peter S Beagle, which is about ghosts in New York City. Both are pretty good.
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Jun 11, 2012 16:53
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oscarthewilde posted:Just finished House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski and I really enjoyed it. It kinda reminded of Marble Hornets and the Blair Witch Project, and now I'm looking for a book that shares the same atmosphere, especially in the exploration parts. And since Google has failed to find anything I'm turning to the second best place to go on the internet. I really liked Jeff Vandermeer's City of Saints and Madmen. It's a little less horror and a little more fantasy but it's a series of short stories based around a fictional town called Ambergris. There's a lot of exploration based on the history of the town and its previous inhabitants, I found it very interesting.
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Jun 11, 2012 19:27
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Poutling posted:I really liked Jeff Vandermeer's City of Saints and Madmen. It's a little less horror and a little more fantasy but it's a series of short stories based around a fictional town called Ambergris. There's a lot of exploration based on the history of the town and its previous inhabitants, I found it very interesting. Seconding this pretty hard. It's a good book.
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Jun 11, 2012 21:22
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SynthesizerKaiser posted:In the process of finishing up Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis, it's come to my attention that I might enjoy reading The Art of War and The Prince. Does anyone have recommendations on which publishers did the best job translating the two? I've read conflicting reviews as to which edition is the best. I have the George Bull translation of The Prince and it suits me fine, but Peter Bondanella's translation for the Oxford's World Classics should be good (and if you really feel digging in, there's a Norton Critical Edition, too). The main thing I'd worry about for both is cheaping out: I've seen many budget copies of these two books and they always use some public domain translation that's dated, stilted and a pain to read.
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Jun 12, 2012 03:38
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I'm looking for a well written murder/detective novel. Something with some great twists and interesting characters, like the movies "Se7en" or "Hannibal". I read "Victims" by Jonathan Kellermen and I really enjoyed that up until the end when it was just a huge let down. Besides that, I have almost no experience in this genre. So I turn to you Book Barn, help point me in the right direction!
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Jun 12, 2012 06:36
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