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Vei posted:Looking for a thriller or mystery recommendation that has as heavy of an emphasis on realistic finance/accounting/banking/etc. as possible, if anyone has any! Don't hate me, but I'm a sci-fi/fantasy reader on SA, so I'm forced to recommend our own General Batuta's The traitor Baru Cormorant. A victim of colonization enters the public service of the empire, to try and destroy it with the power of accounting. Just to be clear, this isn't a self published book or anything like that. The first one has a heavy focus on economics.
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Apr 14, 2021 14:41
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Mr. Nemo posted:Don't hate me, but I'm a sci-fi/fantasy reader on SA, so I'm forced to recommend our own General Batuta's The traitor Baru Cormorant. A victim of colonization enters the public service of the empire, to try and destroy it with the power of accounting. Just to be clear, this isn't a self published book or anything like that. Seconding this rec. It's good, though it is definitely a (non-magical/fantastical) fantasy world.
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Apr 14, 2021 17:28
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Vei posted:Looking for a thriller or mystery recommendation that has as heavy of an emphasis on realistic finance/accounting/banking/etc. as possible, if anyone has any! http://amazon.com/dp/1519016158/
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Apr 14, 2021 17:33
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Any recommendations for a history of the American national parks/national trails, especially if it's available as an audiobook?
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Apr 15, 2021 02:53
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I'm all about ancient Egypt at the moment. Are there any good historical fiction novels set there?
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Apr 16, 2021 01:03
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Chas McGill posted:I'm all about ancient Egypt at the moment. Are there any good historical fiction novels set there? Sham bam bamina! fucked around with this message at 06:08 on Apr 16, 2021 |
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Apr 16, 2021 06:05
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Sham bam bamina! posted:This is a real sore spot for me, because Mika Waltari's The Egyptian is considered a Finnish masterpiece, but the only English version is a horrific hatchet job, both a secondhand translation (from Swedish) and heavily abridged (dropping a third of the text). I can't believe that something hasn't been done about this in the 72 years since. But if you know Finnish, I recommend this book. Eh, just watch the movie  
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Apr 16, 2021 07:37
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So, in some other thread, the subject of racecars (specifically NASCAR and F1) came up, and specifically, discussion of all the crazy bullshit engineers get up to trying to either (a) do stuff that is not technically against the letter of the rules, but is definitely against the spirit, or (b) do stuff that is completely against the rules but not get caught. Examples included the extra-long helical fuel hose, the inflatable fuel tank insert that made the tank seem smaller when it was being tested, and the turbocharger that measured as within spec off the track but changed shape slightly under load to admit more air. Is there a good book about this stuff, or about cool poo poo in racecar engineering more generally? Basically I'm looking for the automotive equivalent of Ignition: An Informal History of Liquid Fuel Rocket Propellants. You can't throw a cat without hitting a youtube video about it, but I'd rather read.
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Apr 16, 2021 23:29
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You should probably read Adrian Newey’s autibiography, How to Build a Car. He goes into a lot of detail how he and other F1 designers bent all kinds of rules and exploited different loopholes. Top of my head, his cars won 10+ WDCs and might win one this year, so he knows his stuff. There is also the John Barnard autobiography, but I haven’t read that one.
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Apr 17, 2021 00:54
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I've just finished the Demon Princes series by Jack Vance and I'm after more of the same, in this sense: 1. Science fiction 2. Very competent protagonist who can do anything and never really gets into trouble 3. Adventure/solving problems Any suggestions?
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Apr 17, 2021 07:43
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ahobday posted:I've just finished the Demon Princes series by Jack Vance and I'm after more of the same, in this sense: Miles Vorkosigan and Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat are the first names that leap to mind. Also, Keith Laumer's Retief books, but those haven't aged very well. If you like problem-solving stories, you might also enjoy James White's Sector General books (medical drama in space!).
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Apr 17, 2021 08:07
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ahobday posted:I've just finished the Demon Princes series by Jack Vance and I'm after more of the same, in this sense: The Voyage of the Space Beagle for sure
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Apr 17, 2021 16:06
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ahobday posted:I've just finished the Demon Princes series by Jack Vance and I'm after more of the same, in this sense: You know, I'm half tempted to recommend Mission Earth because it technically fits all your requirements but then I remembered that my New Year's resolution was to not be an rear end in a top hat.
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Apr 17, 2021 16:17
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History of canon (as in "what books are included in the Old and New Testament)? The more in-depth the better.
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Apr 18, 2021 20:37
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W.B. Tatum's Jesus: a brief history does a good job for christianity specifically. though it's centred around Jesus, it goes into detail about the canonisation of the texts in the new testament, as well as the history of representation of jesus and the development of the christian church up to today and, obviously, includes a heap of references you can check out for stuff you'd want to read more about
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Apr 19, 2021 17:43
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Thanks for the Finance Fiction recs everyone! I ended up discovering Stephen Frey http://www.stephenwfrey.com/ and decided to try him out. -- The other day I finished Marshlands by Andre Gide. I did NOT expect 100-year old French literature to be so funny, readable, and thought-provoking. Does anyone here have any French books they are very fond of and would recommend? Vei fucked around with this message at 19:14 on Apr 21, 2021 |
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Apr 21, 2021 19:11
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Vei posted:Thanks for the Finance Fiction recs everyone! I ended up discovering Stephen Frey http://www.stephenwfrey.com/ and decided to try him out. Louis-Ferdinand Celine’s Journey to the End of the Night is rambling, bizarre, hilarious, cynical and amazingly fun at the same time, one of my all time favorites. George Perec’s Life: A User’s Manual is great, a heap of seemingly unconnected material about the lives of the inhabitants of a Parisian apartment building. Stories that would qualify as romances, adventure stories, epistolary novels, all interconnected and relating to each other. It’s an amazing work. Forums favorite Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert - what a fantasy novel should be. Weird and mystical, vivid in its descriptions of battles, religious rites and general mayhem in Punic Wars era Carthage, it’s really good.
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Apr 21, 2021 19:20
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Is there a good biography of Ralph Nader?
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Apr 22, 2021 00:32
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Looking for some Big Sprawling Mysteries. I'm talking the type of books that creatively paint an immense picture with tons of interconnecting details to chew on. Satisfying payoffs. Stuff that rewards deep analysis. The type of books that are like if the TV show Lost was actually good and not a bunch of writers trying desperately to keep their heads above water week after week by making up bullshit mysteries they have no intention of actually answering. Here are some of my favorite books that fall into this category: Infinite Jest House of Leaves Worm (the web serial) ASOIAF Holes by Louis Sachar Snow Crash (this maybe only loosely qualifies, but my favorite part of this book is all the crazy Babel history stuff related to the virus) Here are some books which technically fall into this category, but which I utterly despise (included to give a more complete picture of the type of thing I'm looking for). The payoffs and resolutions in these books, contrasted with the first list, are shallow/anti-creative/don't leave me with anything interesting to think about/chew on/analyze: I'm Thinking of Ending Things The Da Vinci Code The Giver
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Apr 22, 2021 01:21
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Vei posted:The other day I finished Marshlands by Andre Gide. I did NOT expect 100-year old French literature to be so funny, readable, and thought-provoking. Does anyone here have any French books they are very fond of and would recommend? This just as an aside but we really teach books terribly if people associate "literature" with things other than "funny, readable, and thought provoking". I mean, some books are hard granted but not everything is Finnegan's Wake.
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Apr 22, 2021 01:37
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Izzhov posted:if the TV show Lost was actually good The Leftovers is the show Lost, but good, and based on the novel of the same name. I liked the book alot but I gather a lot of people didn't.
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Apr 22, 2021 02:46
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Izzhov posted:Looking for some Big Sprawling Mysteries. I'm talking the type of books that creatively paint an immense picture with tons of interconnecting details to chew on. Satisfying payoffs. Stuff that rewards deep analysis. The type of books that are like if the TV show Lost was actually good and not a bunch of writers trying desperately to keep their heads above water week after week by making up bullshit mysteries they have no intention of actually answering. Here are some of my favorite books that fall into this category: Foucault's Pendulum is a nigh perfect fit. The Name of the Rose is too (The above two are DENSE but amazing) The Magus Sputnik Sweetheart All The Names Last three aren't quite ideal fits -- lighter on the million interconnected details -- but they're pretty good matches and are great books E: Ship of Theseus Ummm, maybe The Illuminatus! Trilogy and Picture This. Chock-a-block full of interconnected thingies regulargonzalez fucked around with this message at 04:48 on Apr 22, 2021 |
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Apr 22, 2021 04:42
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I feel like Inherent Vice might fit the bill too based off that list
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Apr 22, 2021 04:51
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Izzhov posted:Looking for some Big Sprawling Mysteries. I'm talking the type of books that creatively paint an immense picture with tons of interconnecting details to chew on. Satisfying payoffs. Stuff that rewards deep analysis. The type of books that are like if the TV show Lost was actually good and not a bunch of writers trying desperately to keep their heads above water week after week by making up bullshit mysteries they have no intention of actually answering. Here are some of my favorite books that fall into this category: The Raw Shark Texts
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Apr 22, 2021 11:41
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I mean, it's not what I would think of, but if song of ice and fire fits, wheel of time does moreso More seriously though I'd just recommend all of Eco.
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Apr 22, 2021 12:33
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I was going to recommend Illuminatus! too ... as long as you're willing to accept that half of the mysteries are just elaborate in-jokes and/or the writers loving with you. Also, perhaps forums favorite Dictionary of the Khazars. You might also want to give the current BOTM a look, or other Flann O'Brien books -- The Dalkey Archive maybe?
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Apr 22, 2021 14:29
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You should never not read The Dictionary of the Khazars. It’s a book full of wonders. There is a dude who is rumored to have a golden skeleton so he has to fend off assassins all the time, and that is just remarked in passing along with a hundred weirder and more wonderful details of his life.
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Apr 22, 2021 15:31
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Izzhov posted:Looking for some Big Sprawling Mysteries. I'm talking the type of books that creatively paint an immense picture with tons of interconnecting details to chew on. Satisfying payoffs. Stuff that rewards deep analysis. The type of books that are like if the TV show Lost was actually good and not a bunch of writers trying desperately to keep their heads above water week after week by making up bullshit mysteries they have no intention of actually answering. Here are some of my favorite books that fall into this category: Interesting that House of Leaves falls into this category -- I never got far into it, because I was a scaredy-cat. HMM... - @Take the plunge! Okay! Thanks for the recs! These all sound like what I was looking for more of, I will def be getting at least one of them. Vei fucked around with this message at 17:48 on Apr 22, 2021 |
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Apr 22, 2021 17:23
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Bilirubin posted:This just as an aside but we really teach books terribly if people associate "literature" with things other than "funny, readable, and thought provoking". I mean, some books are hard granted but not everything is Finnegan's Wake. I will never forget the indignation I felt when I put a lot of effort into an essay analyzing The Catcher in The Rye, and my senior English teacher marked me down, saying that my interpretation was straight up wrong and that X was a metaphor for Y, not Z. And I was like, okay, so "this class / literature" is all about parroting the accepted interpretation back to the teacher and blah blah blah... Looking back, I can see both sides... On one hand, I am certain that I'm capable of misinterpreting anything. And I'm sure that plenty of authors indeed set out to make a few discrete points. On the other hand, I know I am very sensitive towards taking the "art" of out of creative works by trying to reduce them to clear, discrete arguments, metaphors, and even genres... Luckily, now that I've been out of school for a while, none of this really matters, and I just read whatever and have a good time!
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Apr 22, 2021 17:38
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Just watching “The Dig” and looking for recommendations for first-hand accounts from early- to mid- 20th century archaeologists. Like the people who were digging in Egypt and such. All the “best of” lists seem to be recent works.
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Apr 22, 2021 23:36
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Vei posted:Yeah it probably comes down to quality of teachers... I definitely had a chip on my shoulder from my high school experiences. No some teachers just suck, or the school/district sucks and has standardized lessons or something lovely. In the sucky teacher column my English teacher in 10th grade said Jay Gatsby is the main character in The Great Gatsby which is just lol to me all these years later.
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Apr 23, 2021 20:59
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Vei posted:Thanks for the Finance Fiction recs everyone! I ended up discovering Stephen Frey http://www.stephenwfrey.com/ and decided to try him out. I heartily recommend Proust - at least give Swann's Way a chance, I found it pretty compelling.
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Apr 24, 2021 01:30
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Looking for a serial killer detective mystery/thriller. I can't name any reference books other than The Outsider and Mr Mercedes by Stephen King, and I'd prefer non supernatural. I'd love something like the korean detective movies Memoir of a Murderer, Memories Of Murder, etc
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Apr 25, 2021 22:57
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Aardvark! posted:Looking for a serial killer detective mystery/thriller. I can't name any reference books other than The Outsider and Mr Mercedes by Stephen King, and I'd prefer non supernatural. I'd love something like the korean detective movies Memoir of a Murderer, Memories Of Murder, etc In Cold Blood will give you Memories of Murder vibes, but it does follow the killers at a point.
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Apr 25, 2021 23:57
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Aardvark! posted:Looking for a serial killer detective mystery/thriller. I can't name any reference books other than The Outsider and Mr Mercedes by Stephen King, and I'd prefer non supernatural. I'd love something like the korean detective movies Memoir of a Murderer, Memories Of Murder, etc Assuming you have read Red Dragon but if not it was p good
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Apr 26, 2021 01:23
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You might also like The Alienist. And if you want something from the killer's point of view, maybe The Talented Mr. Ripley.
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Apr 26, 2021 02:18
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Vei posted:Does anyone here have any French books they are very fond of and would recommend? Sham bam bamina! fucked around with this message at 18:00 on Apr 26, 2021 |
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Apr 26, 2021 17:53
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I want to read In Search of Lost Time. What's the best translation in English?
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Apr 26, 2021 18:03
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I read the Kilmartin and Enright revision of Moncreiff and I enjoyed it, but Lydia Davis has a newer translation of Swann's Way that's supposed to be great. The later volumes are by different translators, though. I don't think you can really go wrong. Here's a good article comparing the translations, I don't think its paywalled: https://lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v27/n01/michael-wood/the-thing PatMarshall fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Apr 26, 2021 |
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Apr 26, 2021 23:55
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I just finished A World Undone, which I enjoyed thoroughly, and I'm hungry for some more WWI history. I've seen Guns of August recommended several times--what are some other highly recommended books in the same vein?
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Apr 27, 2021 05:24
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