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LooseChanj
Feb 17, 2006

Logicaaaaaaaaal!
This is the general "recommend me a book" thread for The Book Barn, SA's own forum for books and book related activities. Like Reading Rainbow, but for Something Awful.

Have you heard of "book" ? Do you think "Book" might be for you? Have you at some point read a book and think others might want to share in your risque predilections?

If so, join in, throw down! Tell people about books you have liked and/or books you would like to know about or books you think other people might like to know about.

Specific guidelines for people looking for suggestions:
  • Try to be clear about what you're looking for.
  • If it's something specific, say so. If it's a vague direction, say so.
  • Sometimes it's helpful to mention an author or title that you already know you like (i.e., "I liked A Song of Ice and Fire, are there any other good books about tits and dragons?")

Specific guidelines for suggestions:
  • Explain why you think people might like the book -- don't just throw out a title and say "it's awesome", explain why ("I liked the parts with the tits, also the parts with the dragons")
  • Try to recommend something specific, whether it be an author or a book.
  • If you're responding to someone's request, and recommend something they didn't ask for, make sure you say why the person asking for romance might enjoy what appears to be a murder-mystery on the surface.
  • If your recommendation is lengthy, try to do a tl;dr sentence or two at the end.

Specific guidelines for everyone else:
  • If you aren't looking for a book suggestion or giving a book suggestion, why are you in this thread? Think Hard.

This post heavily edited by Hieronymous Alloy on 4/23/2016
Edited Again by Hieronymous Alloy on 9/11/2017

Somebody fucked around with this message at 15:18 on Sep 14, 2017

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Keanu Grieves
Dec 30, 2002

I need some more literary horror, along the lines of David Searcy's Ordinary Horror or House of Leaves, preferably less than ten years old. Contrary to that statement, I also need a non-mythos starting point for H.P. Lovecraft, unless The Call of Cthulhu really is his best work.

Also, for those of you looking for literary horror that strikes at something deeper than "OMG a serial killer/goblin/whatever!," I've recommended it before and I'll recommend it again: Ordinary Horror. The customer reviews on Amazon average out to **1/2 stars, but Amazon itself and Publishers Weekly gave it glowing reviews, and for good reason. It's out of print, which is actually good news; copies can be found for as cheap as a penny!

Keanu Grieves fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Jun 2, 2009

Millow
Apr 30, 2006

some say he's a rude dude with a crude 'tude
I really like Vonnegut and Murakami and have read most of their offerings. Any other authors (and specific books) I should check out?

Ballsworthy
Apr 30, 2008

yup

Millow posted:

I really like Vonnegut and Murakami and have read most of their offerings. Any other authors (and specific books) I should check out?

David Mitchell gets recommended a lot for Murakami fans, I haven't been able to get into him but some people really enjoy his stuff. I'd also suggest Jonathan Lethem, specifically Amnesia Moon and As She Crawled Across the Table.

...of SCIENCE!
Apr 26, 2008

by Fluffdaddy
I need a recommendation not for books but ways to keep track of books you've read and/or own. I've really enjoyed using Criticker for movies, both in terms of keeping track of movies I've seen and its recommendation system, and wanted to know if something like that exists for books.

Encryptic
May 3, 2007

Proffessor Rapeface posted:

I need a recommendation not for books but ways to keep track of books you've read and/or own. I've really enjoyed using Criticker for movies, both in terms of keeping track of movies I've seen and its recommendation system, and wanted to know if something like that exists for books.

I've been using GoodReads for a while to keep track of what I read. Free and very easy to use.

I've also seen LibraryThing recommended a lot, though I understand it's only free for a certain amount of books, then you pay like $20 for a lifetime membership or something. Haven't used it myself so I can't say how good it is.

...of SCIENCE!
Apr 26, 2008

by Fluffdaddy

Encryptic posted:

I've been using GoodReads for a while to keep track of what I read. Free and very easy to use.

I've also seen LibraryThing recommended a lot, though I understand it's only free for a certain amount of books, then you pay like $20 for a lifetime membership or something. Haven't used it myself so I can't say how good it is.

Thank you, that looks exactly like what I had in mind. A friend wanted me to join weRead but between the fact that they're owned by Lulu.com and the hamfisted social networking I wanted an alternative.

timeandtide
Nov 29, 2007

This space is reserved for future considerations.
I'm interested in non-fiction books about nuclear weapons in a few areas: 1) history, 2) the sociological/cultural effects on Japan post-war or the world at large, and 3) any sort of philosophical books about the topic. Also, any Internet sites, online articles, etc. are fine too if you have a good one to recommend.

Max Manus
Oct 25, 2004

Saboteur par excellence.
Nap Ghost

timeandtide posted:

I'm interested in non-fiction books about nuclear weapons in a few areas: 1) history, 2) the sociological/cultural effects on Japan post-war or the world at large, and 3) any sort of philosophical books about the topic. Also, any Internet sites, online articles, etc. are fine too if you have a good one to recommend.

One suggestion could be On Thermonuclear War by Herman Kahn.

Alec Eiffel
Sep 7, 2004

by Fluffdaddy

Millow posted:

I really like Vonnegut and Murakami and have read most of their offerings. Any other authors (and specific books) I should check out?

As a big Murakami fan I really enjoyed Banana Yoshimoto's Kitchen, a book containing two short stories about characters in Japan (they are not as intensely metaphysical as Murakami's work, but they do have a quality similar to his - especially in terms of interpersonal communication).

Rush Limbo
Sep 5, 2005

its with a full house
Well I just started reading a few Wodehouse books. I've always wanted to get into his work but I just never had the opportunity. Browsing the local library I managed to pick up Cocktail Time and Uncle Dynamite and loved both.

I want to read more of his work but he has a pretty extensive bibliography so it seems a bit daunting. Are there any absolute must-reads? I can see myself getting through most of his material but I'm really spoilt for choice and not sure where to really start.

Rush_shirt
Apr 24, 2007

Millow posted:

I really like Vonnegut and Murakami and have read most of their offerings. Any other authors (and specific books) I should check out?

Check out George Saunders if you're looking for someone comparable to Vonnegut. He's sort of satirical and sort of heart-warming (or heart-wrenching). He's a little more vocal about his politics than Vonnegut was, but I wouldn't say his politics get in the way of his storytelling.

He has three short story collections and a novella. Of those I've only read through CivilWarLand in Bad Decline and I liked it a lot. The Braindead Megaphone is his latest collection of essays -- I'm reading it right now and it's enjoyable.

Recursive
Jul 15, 2006

... but then again, who does?

timeandtide posted:

I'm interested in non-fiction books about nuclear weapons in a few areas: 1) history, 2) the sociological/cultural effects on Japan post-war or the world at large, and 3) any sort of philosophical books about the topic. Also, any Internet sites, online articles, etc. are fine too if you have a good one to recommend.

It can be more than a little esoteric, but I liked The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes, and the follow-up Dark Sun. TMotAB is all about the logistics behind gathering the epic team necessary for the Manhattan Project. It can be very math/physics heavy, but there is a ton on information for anyone interested in the subject.

When you think about it, there really hasn't been any time in history that saw such a gathering of utter masters of their fields. The gathering of Physicists, Chemists and Mathematicians is absolutely unprecedented in history.

Dark Sun is more about the situation the US faced post-Manhattan Project, and the Cold War accelerating and the development of the Hydrogen Bomb.

Like I said, I really liked The Making..., but Rhodes gets away from just showing the facts and gets into too much innuendo and hearsay in Dark Sun. It's still a really good book, but not as good as the first in my opinion.

Hope this helps.

ONITABAS
Jan 31, 2009

Straight.
Can any goons recommend me some books on the Arab-Israeli conflict and a modern history of Israel (British Mandate to now)? Preferably one that is free from bullshit.

G-Mawwwwwww
Jan 31, 2003

My LPth are Hot Garbage
Biscuit Hider
Still in love with fiction about how much the American dream sucks.

Looking for stuff like The Appointment in Samarra, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Theodore Dreiser, Revolutionary Road, or Generation X by Coupland. poo poo, if you gave me stuff like Generation X I'd love you.

Yiggy
Sep 12, 2004

"Imagination is not enough. You have to have knowledge too, and an experience of the oddity of life."

timeandtide posted:

I'm interested in non-fiction books about nuclear weapons in a few areas: 1) history, 2) the sociological/cultural effects on Japan post-war or the world at large, and 3) any sort of philosophical books about the topic. Also, any Internet sites, online articles, etc. are fine too if you have a good one to recommend.

Before the Fall-out by Diana Preston is a history of science account on the developments that lead up to the discovery of the science and ultimate creation of the atom bomb. On my shelf but I haven't gotten to it yet.

Publisher's Weekly posted:

Nuclear weapons have been an immutable aspect of the world for the past 60 years. The story of how they came to be, and the race between the Allied and Axis nations to be the first to harness the destructive power of the atom, is wonderfully told by British historian Preston (A First Rate Tragedy; Lusitania; etc.). She weaves together history, physics, politics and military strategies to convey both the monumental scientific achievement the bomb represented and, at the same time, the ethical and humanitarian implications of creating such a wild power.

The Manhatten Project edited by Michael Stoff is a collection of primary documents with short interludes connecting them together. I had Stoff as a history professor and it was assigned reading, but despite it being primary documents I found it thoroughly interesting. This is great if you want some of the raw historical perspective. It can be a pain to find, but that amazon link has some used copies for sale (most likely ex-student) for $0.01 and its worth the cost of shipping. I never sold back my copy (I rarely sell back books though :3:).

For another raw historical perspective you can also track down a copy of Atom Bombs: The Top Secret Inside Story of Fat Man and Little Boy by John Coster-Mullens. Its self published and for sale off of the guys amazon page, but its actually very thoroughly researched and put together. There was a really neat story about the whole journey to put it together last December in The New Yorker which is worth the read alone even if you don't feel driven to get a copy. The guy is essentially a mildly autistic trucker who drove around taking pictures of declassified documents, old parts of the bomb, interviewing old machinists etc. After reading about it I couldn't resist and ordered a copy and it took about a month to arrive. Parts of it are incredibly dry, but the first hand accounts from the pilots are really interesting, the painstaking recreation of the bomb specs is impressive, and the pictures are neat to look at. Even though Coster-Mullens is a truck driver by trade there are several professional historians singing his work's praises, so don't let the source fool you.

I love this topic and all of the huge historical issues surrounding it. I took a history of science course for an upper division writing credit back in college and got sucked into researching a lot of the cultural forces that lead up to this for the final paper, including anti-semitism and academic antagonism between experimentalists and theoretical scientists in the century leading up to WWII. Its really interesting, especially considering Germany was the pre-eminent scientific power and their socio-cultural-historical issues directly lead to their downfall (as opposed to solely a military defeat) and the subsequent rise of Big Science in the United States.

For something totally different but tangentially related you can also check out the play Copenhagen by Michael Frayn. Its about Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr's meeting in Copenhagen. The historical facts are sometimes wrong and some literary license is taken, but it deals with a lot of interesting issues and the clear human elements involved with development of the science behind the atomic bomb, which goes back to what I was just saying about that paper I wrote. Many of these scientists were colleagues and in a few cases friends, and a lot of America's scientific strength was a direct result of their theoretical physicists and mathematicians defecting to our side (in a lot of cases because they were jewish, which directly influenced their career choices and in many ways being forced into theoretical physics and mathematics, which were considered "jewish" occupations, another direct result of past antagonisms over funding between experimentalists and theorists), Einstein being the famous example.

...phew, sorry about that rambling

Yiggy fucked around with this message at 05:08 on Jun 4, 2009

Juanito
Jan 20, 2004

I wasn't paying attention
to what you just said.

Can you repeat yourself
in a more interesting way?
Hell Gem
I really like jail/prison nonfiction-- and I'd really like some recommendations. Two books I recently read were The Hot House: Life inside Leavenworth Prison, and Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing. Both were really interesting books, one was a journalist who interviewed guards/inmates. The other was a journalist who couldn't get access so he became a prison guard for a year. There is a lot of true crime pulp out there that doesn't really interest me, I prefer these books that are more of the 'big picture'.


EDIT- for people scrolling through, I still haven't gotten any recommendations. If you have any, please share! :)

Juanito fucked around with this message at 17:53 on Jun 10, 2009

Luna
May 31, 2001

A hand full of seeds and a mouthful of dirt


Frontalot posted:

I need some more literary horror, along the lines of David Searcy's Ordinary Horror or House of Leaves, preferably less than ten years old. Contrary to that statement, I also need a non-mythos starting point for H.P. Lovecraft, unless The Call of Cthulhu really is his best work.

Also, for those of you looking for literary horror that strikes at something deeper than "OMG a serial killer/goblin/whatever!," I've recommended it before and I'll recommend it again: Ordinary Horror. The customer reviews on Amazon average out to **1/2 stars, but Amazon itself and Publishers Weekly gave it glowing reviews, and for good reason. It's out of print, which is actually good news; copies can be found for as cheap as a penny!

I second this request. I would like things similar to House of Leaves, more spooky than full on horror.

Air Skwirl
May 13, 2007

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed shitposting.

CaptainScraps posted:

Still in love with fiction about how much the American dream sucks.

Looking for stuff like The Appointment in Samarra, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Theodore Dreiser, Revolutionary Road, or Generation X by Coupland. poo poo, if you gave me stuff like Generation X I'd love you.

Brett Easton Ellis sounds like he'd be right up your alley. American Psycho is his most famous work, but I think Rules of Attraction, Less Than Zero and Lunar Park are more in line with what your looking for. Though Lunar Park is full of call backs to his earlier work, so I would save that for if you read his other stuff and like it.

Henry Miller is probably also a good fit, Sexus and Tropic of Capricorn. Tropic of Cancer, his most famous work, takes place in Paris and is wonderful too.

All the books I've mentioned have incredibly explicit sex scenes, just as a heads up.

Keanu Grieves
Dec 30, 2002

Luna posted:

I second this request. I would like things similar to House of Leaves, more spooky than full on horror.

Skwirl posted:

Lunar Park
I should've mentioned that one in my OP. Excellent horror novel.

Luna
May 31, 2001

A hand full of seeds and a mouthful of dirt


Frontalot posted:

I should've mentioned that one in my OP. Excellent horror novel.

Really? I just read the synopsis and it didn't sound like a horror story. I haven't read it so I won't argue.

Bozart
Oct 28, 2006

Give me the finger.
Could I get a recommendation for an interesting fantasy or historical fiction like Rise of a Merchant Prince or Mistress of the Empire by Feist, or the Curse of Chalion (etc) by Lois McMaster Bujold, or The Saga of Recluse by L. E. Modesitt Jr.? Also scratch off JV Jones. Something with intrigue and fleshed out characters, but not ludicrously longwinded.

Honestly Recluse isn't even that hot.

Gravy Jones
Sep 13, 2003

I am not on your side

Bozart posted:

Could I get a recommendation for an interesting fantasy or historical fiction like Rise of a Merchant Prince or Mistress of the Empire by Feist, or the Curse of Chalion (etc) by Lois McMaster Bujold, or The Saga of Recluse by L. E. Modesitt Jr.? Also scratch off JV Jones. Something with intrigue and fleshed out characters, but not ludicrously longwinded.

Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard series. The first book is the The Lies of Locke Lamora. Loads of intrigue, fairly well fleshed out characters, and certainly not long-winded, it moves along at a fairly fast pace. I don't rate him as highly as some here do, but it is a fun read. Kind of a fantasy version of a Dumas novel starring Jason Statham.

Keanu Grieves
Dec 30, 2002

Luna posted:

Really? I just read the synopsis and it didn't sound like a horror story. I haven't read it so I won't argue.
It's a very different type of horror story, but it's still a horror story.

spixxor
Feb 4, 2009

Proffessor Rapeface posted:

I need a recommendation not for books but ways to keep track of books you've read and/or own. I've really enjoyed using Criticker for movies, both in terms of keeping track of movies I've seen and its recommendation system, and wanted to know if something like that exists for books.

Shelfari is quite good as well. Nice interface and very easy to use, there's also a pretty good community. Free and no limit on books you can add. They're affiliated with Amazon last I checked.

Luna
May 31, 2001

A hand full of seeds and a mouthful of dirt


Frontalot posted:

It's a very different type of horror story, but it's still a horror story.

Added it to my Amazon list, thanks for the recommendation.

Ballsworthy
Apr 30, 2008

yup

Bozart posted:

Could I get a recommendation for an interesting fantasy or historical fiction like Rise of a Merchant Prince or Mistress of the Empire by Feist, or the Curse of Chalion (etc) by Lois McMaster Bujold, or The Saga of Recluse by L. E. Modesitt Jr.? Also scratch off JV Jones. Something with intrigue and fleshed out characters, but not ludicrously longwinded.

Honestly Recluse isn't even that hot.

I'm in the middle of The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie after a recommendation from here and it is excellent. Both good intrigue and very well done characters, great violence and a tightly-written story, I could hardly be enjoying it more.

Tuxedo Catfish
Mar 17, 2007

You've got guts! Come to my village, I'll buy you lunch.

Frontalot posted:

Contrary to that statement, I also need a non-mythos starting point for H.P. Lovecraft, unless The Call of Cthulhu really is his best work.

Dream-Quest For Unknown Kadath. It's long, I personally think it's better than Call, and it sets you up for The Silver Key -> Through the Gates of the Silver Key.

You might also check out The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward (I wasn't that impressed with it but YMMV) or At The Mountains of Madness (technically a mythos story but written in a rather different fashion than most of them.)

reflir
Oct 29, 2004

So don't. Stay here with me.
Please recommend me a book that is like Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world by Haruki Murakami. What is so appealing about it to me is that it's part sci-fi that is clearly not written by a sci-fi author, part magical realism/fantasy. I've looked through the recent 'recommend me literary sci-fi' thread, but that's not exactly what I'm looking for either. It's like what Philip K Dick would write if he was Japanese instead of schizophrenic; a great story that just happens to have sci-fi elements to it.

Don't bother recommending anything else by Murakami, I've read it all and I definitely need that sci-fi angle that (sadly) only Hard-boiled wonderland has.

Keanu Grieves
Dec 30, 2002

Tuxedo Catfish posted:

Dream-Quest For Unknown Kadath. It's long, I personally think it's better than Call, and it sets you up for The Silver Key -> Through the Gates of the Silver Key.

You might also check out The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward (I wasn't that impressed with it but YMMV) or At The Mountains of Madness (technically a mythos story but written in a rather different fashion than most of them.)
Thank you. Finally, someone hears my cries of desperation when facing H.P. Lovecraft's intimidating body of short stories.

Cornholio107
Jun 28, 2008
I am looking for a book that deals with the theme of growing up. I'm talking about this awkward phase of the transition from the teenager self to becoming an adult. I've read The Catcher in the Rye(pretty good), The Perks of being a Wallflower(maybe I'm too old for this one)and On the Road (an amazing read) that all kind of deal with this theme. Anyone got any recommendations that helped them clear up some confusion in this weird stage of life?

talktapes
Apr 14, 2007

You ever hear of the neutron bomb?

Cornholio107 posted:

I am looking for a book that deals with the theme of growing up. I'm talking about this awkward phase of the transition from the teenager self to becoming an adult. I've read The Catcher in the Rye(pretty good), The Perks of being a Wallflower(maybe I'm too old for this one)and On the Road (an amazing read) that all kind of deal with this theme. Anyone got any recommendations that helped them clear up some confusion in this weird stage of life?

First thing that came to mind was Ham on Rye by Bukowski. I don't remember it very well and it's been years since I've read it, but I'm pretty sure it fits the bill. Much, much bleaker than the ones you've listed, so fair warning.

Thoogsby
Nov 18, 2006

Very strong. Everyone likes me.
Someone recommend me a book about the life of Benjamin Franklin. Something not too dry though.

How Wonderful!
Jul 18, 2006


I only have excellent ideas

Cornholio107 posted:

I am looking for a book that deals with the theme of growing up. I'm talking about this awkward phase of the transition from the teenager self to becoming an adult. I've read The Catcher in the Rye(pretty good), The Perks of being a Wallflower(maybe I'm too old for this one)and On the Road (an amazing read) that all kind of deal with this theme. Anyone got any recommendations that helped them clear up some confusion in this weird stage of life?

Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem comes to mind, some of Infinite Jest's more prominent strands also deal with that kind of issue (and what better time to read IJ?). Great Expectations is dead-on what you're looking for, too.

Iraff
Dec 29, 2008

Thoogsby posted:

Someone recommend me a book about the life of Benjamin Franklin. Something not too dry though.

I'm a big fan of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson. I know that the title sounds dry, but it really is impressively researched and smoothly written.

How Wonderful!
Jul 18, 2006


I only have excellent ideas
His own autobiography is a pretty good read as well-- perhaps not entirely true, but whatever, his charm as a bull-poo poo artist was part of who he was and one of the biggest appeals of the book.

Fodder Cannon
Jan 12, 2008

I love to watch Fox News and then go club some baby seals
Could someone recommend some books about French history? Any period is fine, but I'm especially interested in the post-revoltional stuff, like the Hundred Days, up until around de Gaulle's death in 1970.

Fodder Cannon fucked around with this message at 22:51 on Jun 7, 2009

Gravy Jones
Sep 13, 2003

I am not on your side

reflir posted:

Please recommend me a book that is like Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world by Haruki Murakami.

It might be worth checking out Jeff Noon. I haven't read any Murakami so I can't say for sure if their are any similarities but I've read some comments that compare the two and a couple of "If you like this you may also like...." connections.

I'm having trouble thinking how to describe Jeff Noon's stuff. It's definitely science fiction, more surreal than magic realism, reminds me of some of Dick's later stuff.

Furious Mittens
Oct 14, 2005

Lipstick Apathy
I'm re-reading John Perkins, "Confessions of an Economic Hitman". I've got to say that the writing style and the storytelling was amazing, especially considering I went into the book without any major expectations.

Anyone have any suggestions for books similar to this? Subject matter doesn't have to be the same necessarily.

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spixxor
Feb 4, 2009
What should I read when I finish up the Song of Fire and Ice series? I'm only halfway through the first book at the moment, but I read pretty quickly, so I'd like to have some good recommendations lined up for when I finish. Does anyone know of any other good fantasy series that's pretty close in quality and scope?

I've already read through as much of the Wheel of Time series as I can stand, so we can skip those. :)

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