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3D Megadoodoo posted:Did someone recommend Erle Stanley Gardner yet? Maybe not "everything" goes right but the stories are basically about running circles around the opposition, and if it fails, running with it failing and still winning. (Not the ones originally published under the name A.A. Fair; Donald Lam gets slapped around a lot before setting things right.) Thanks for these. On Erle Stanley Gardner, you mentioned his character Donald Lam, but are you recommending any of his books/series? And is there an easy way to find out which books were published under the early pseudonym? He's written a lot of books so I'm having trouble figuring out where to start.
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Jun 20, 2021 08:12
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I'm looking for some new sci-fi recommendations (or weird fiction/sci-fi adjacent literature), anything I might like given that I particularly like the following books? - The Iain M Banks culture series (especially player of games, look to windward, feersum endjinn) - The bone clocks - Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world - The glass bead game - The tartar steppe - Blindsight - Cat's cradle - Three body problem I've read most classic sci-fi, Gene Wolfe, Neal Stephenson, Atwood, Le Guin - so something off the radar would be great!
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Jun 20, 2021 10:05
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Zekky posted:I'm looking for some new sci-fi recommendations (or weird fiction/sci-fi adjacent literature), anything I might like given that I particularly like the following books? not off the radar, but it sounds like kim stanley robinson would be right up your alley
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Jun 20, 2021 10:24
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Zekky posted:I'm looking for some new sci-fi recommendations (or weird fiction/sci-fi adjacent literature), anything I might like given that I particularly like the following books? Greg Egan (does conceptual, "hard" sf, especially his short stories) Michael Swanwick's *Stations of the Tide* Something less sci-fi: Italo Calvino's Cosmicomics or Invisible Cities And not sci-fi at all: Gerald Murnane's The Plains
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Jun 20, 2021 12:53
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The Quantum Thief The Windup Girl
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Jun 20, 2021 14:14
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ahobday posted:Thanks for these. On Erle Stanley Gardner, you mentioned his character Donald Lam, but are you recommending any of his books/series? And is there an easy way to find out which books were published under the early pseudonym? He's written a lot of books so I'm having trouble figuring out where to start. I rarely recommend Wikipedia but: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erle_Stanley_Gardner_bibliography?wprov=sfla1 Perry Mason is the super-competent one. The Bertha Cool & Donald Lam books were all published under A.A. Fair.
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Jun 20, 2021 15:29
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Cannon_Fodder posted:I picked up A Boy and His Dog At The End Of The World. Welcome goon sir. Looks like an interesting book, I'll grab a copy of it should I see it when out and about (on the internet, pandemic permitting, etc)
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Jun 20, 2021 15:44
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Bilirubin posted:Welcome goon sir. Danke! I'm somewhere between annoyed and amused by the clever move that allows for a constant nod to the audience in this book. I hope it doesn't get under my skin, as the setting is well with the margins I was seeking thematically...
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Jun 20, 2021 20:54
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Thanks! Some solid recs, a few I've heard of before like KSR - and have put off reading, but now I think I'll finally pick his works up proper - but most are new to me and look worthwhile
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Jun 20, 2021 21:47
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Recommend me some works of funny, harsh literary criticism along the lines of A Reader's Manifesto by B. R. Myers. Or compilations like Roger Ebert's I Hated Hated HATED This Movie, but for books rather than films. Amusing negative reviews that really rip apart the books at hand.
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Jun 21, 2021 02:18
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Zekky posted:I'm looking for some new sci-fi recommendations (or weird fiction/sci-fi adjacent literature), anything I might like given that I particularly like the following books? R A Lafferty, Svetislav Basara, Kobo Abe, Victor Pelevin, Anna Kavan
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Jun 21, 2021 05:54
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ScienceSeagull posted:Recommend me some works of funny, harsh literary criticism along the lines of A Reader's Manifesto by B. R. Myers. Or compilations like Roger Ebert's I Hated Hated HATED This Movie, but for books rather than films. Amusing negative reviews that really rip apart the books at hand. Like "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses"?
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Jun 21, 2021 14:48
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ScienceSeagull posted:Recommend me some works of funny, harsh literary criticism along the lines of A Reader's Manifesto by B. R. Myers. Or compilations like Roger Ebert's I Hated Hated HATED This Movie, but for books rather than films. Amusing negative reviews that really rip apart the books at hand. Strong Opinions and Lectures on Literature by Vladimir Nabokov is great for this. Here's a sample of his opinions.
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Jun 21, 2021 14:59
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The funny thing about Nabokov is, he comes in for his own excoriation re: his translation of Eugene Onegin, from Douglas Hofstadter in Hofstadter's book Le Ton Beau de Maria. I didn't recommend this as that's not what the book as a whole is about, and the literary criticism isn't humorous at all, but that section of the book is an important companion piece to the Nabokov book.
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Jun 21, 2021 15:04
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Thanks all! I should reread Le Ton Beau at some point; I recently reread Godel, Escher, Bach for the first time in years. Oh gosh, I'd forgotten about that one! Another thing worth revisiting.
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Jun 21, 2021 22:26
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Zekky posted:I'm looking for some new sci-fi recommendations (or weird fiction/sci-fi adjacent literature), anything I might like given that I particularly like the following books? Have you tried the Grand Admiral Thrawn Quadrilogy by Timothy Zahn? Also, if you could tell me what time it is I would greatly appreciate it.
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Jun 23, 2021 04:15
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https://twitter.com/alloy_dr/status/1409155797486030850?s=20
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Jun 27, 2021 15:26
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Can anyone recommend a progression novel? Ideally the kind with stats and levelups? I admit that the vast majority of the genre is utter garbage, but there's a few real gems in there that I've read and have left me hungry for more. One of the best examples is Threadbare, the heartwarming story of a teddy bear trying to protect his girl.
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Jun 28, 2021 01:06
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LLSix posted:Can anyone recommend a progression novel? Ideally the kind with stats and levelups? Oh boy have you heard about The Legend of the 10 Elemental Masters it's a book about the 10 elemental masters?
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Jun 28, 2021 05:10
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A while ago I finished reading all of the Frederick Forysth books. This is what I like about them: They're thoroughly researched and technically very detailed They move along quickly They're well written They're generally about tense or exciting situations Anyone got a recommendation for similar books? Preferably about reality rather than science-fiction or fantasy. I tried Tom Clancy but I gave up on The Hunt for Red October because his character spent pages pages and pages thinking about his backstory and deeper motivations.
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Jun 28, 2021 18:10
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John le Carré, maybe?
Sham bam bamina! fucked around with this message at 19:11 on Jun 28, 2021 |
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Jun 28, 2021 18:14
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ahobday posted:A while ago I finished reading all of the Frederick Forysth books. This is what I like about them: For more recent happenings I can recommend “red platoon” and “the outpost”
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Jun 28, 2021 18:37
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Yeah I've only read Day of the Jackal but if I was looking for more like that, Le Carre seems like a natural next step. Jackal reminded me a lot of The Spy Who Came In from the Cold in terms of tension and pacing.
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Jun 28, 2021 18:58
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ahobday posted:A while ago I finished reading all of the Frederick Forysth books. This is what I like about them: Sham and MockingQuantum are 100% on the money, I would definitely try John Le Carré next. The Spy Who Came In From the Cold is an early book with a good reputation and I think the first one of his that hit it big. I think A Perfect Spy might have had the best reviews, but I've only seen people say that, I haven't seen the reviews themselves. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was the one I started with and is still my favorite. Some I found to be hit-or-miss ( I doubt I'll re-read Our Kind of Traitor or A Murder of Quality) but I also really enjoyed The Little Drummer Girl and The Night Manager.
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Jun 28, 2021 21:09
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This thread recommended An Unquiet Mind, which helped me understand and improve my interactions with friends who have bipolar disorder. Is there a book or books in the same vein that I can read to learn about ADHD?
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Jun 30, 2021 01:40
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Peteyfoot posted:This thread recommended An Unquiet Mind, which helped me understand and improve my interactions with friends who have bipolar disorder. Is there a book or books in the same vein that I can read to learn about ADHD? Gabor Mate's Scattered Minds
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Jul 1, 2021 13:30
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I poked my head in here to ask for a super-indulgent rec: I want to read about hyper-competent characters being competent and possibly being lauded for it. I don't care what the genre is, fiction or non-fiction, I want to see someone being REALLY GOOD at something and showing off. Winning at competitive knitting, disarming bombs, any subject, I just want to read about it.
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Jul 1, 2021 13:31
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StrixNebulosa posted:I poked my head in here to ask for a super-indulgent rec: I want to read about hyper-competent characters being competent and possibly being lauded for it. I don't care what the genre is, fiction or non-fiction, I want to see someone being REALLY GOOD at something and showing off. Winning at competitive knitting, disarming bombs, any subject, I just want to read about it. Stefan Fatsis's Word Freak (about high-level competition Scrabble players) is a pretty fun read.
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Jul 1, 2021 14:55
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StrixNebulosa posted:I poked my head in here to ask for a super-indulgent rec: I want to read about hyper-competent characters being competent and possibly being lauded for it. I don't care what the genre is, fiction or non-fiction, I want to see someone being REALLY GOOD at something and showing off. Winning at competitive knitting, disarming bombs, any subject, I just want to read about it. Nonfiction: https://www.amazon.com/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remembering-Everything/dp/0143120530 A journalist covered the International Memory Tournament one year, spent a year training, came back the next year and won it.
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Jul 1, 2021 15:06
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StrixNebulosa posted:I poked my head in here to ask for a super-indulgent rec: I want to read about hyper-competent characters being competent and possibly being lauded for it. I don't care what the genre is, fiction or non-fiction, I want to see someone being REALLY GOOD at something and showing off. Winning at competitive knitting, disarming bombs, any subject, I just want to read about it. read anything by Deleuze & Guattari or Derrida, they know they’re 100 miles ahead of the reader and won’t pull any punches
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Jul 1, 2021 16:14
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Nonfiction: Will second this. It’ll also teach you a thing or two in the process. Great book.
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Jul 1, 2021 19:23
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StrixNebulosa posted:I poked my head in here to ask for a super-indulgent rec: I want to read about hyper-competent characters being competent and possibly being lauded for it. I don't care what the genre is, fiction or non-fiction, I want to see someone being REALLY GOOD at something and showing off. Winning at competitive knitting, disarming bombs, any subject, I just want to read about it. Moneyball fits Any of Douglas Hofstadter's non-fiction will leave you feeling that this guy is not only super interesting, he's amazing at like everything. Godel, Escher, Bach is his most famous book, Le Ton Beau de Marot is probably my favorite, and Metamagical Themas and I Am a Strange Loop are his most accessible. If I could have any 5 or so people in the world over for a dinner party, Hofstadter would be #1 on my list. The Count of Monte Cristo is basically, a guy gets completely screwed over and spends the next 500 pages hyper-competently getting revenge on everyone
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Jul 1, 2021 22:14
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StrixNebulosa posted:Gabor Mate's Scattered Minds Thank you!
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Jul 2, 2021 00:19
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Is there an English biography of King Albert 1?
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Jul 2, 2021 01:49
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StrixNebulosa posted:I poked my head in here to ask for a super-indulgent rec: I want to read about hyper-competent characters being competent and possibly being lauded for it. I don't care what the genre is, fiction or non-fiction, I want to see someone being REALLY GOOD at something and showing off. Winning at competitive knitting, disarming bombs, any subject, I just want to read about it. Martha Wells' Murderbot is competence porn of the highest order. Andy Weir's The Martian. K.J. Parker's 16 Ways to Defend a Walled City. Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora.
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Jul 3, 2021 02:10
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Nonfiction: Thanks, I'm really enjoying this book. I read the chapter where he does the technique on the grocery list yesterday morning, let's see Pickled Garlic, Cottage Cheese, Peat Smoked Salmon, 6 bottles of white wine, 3 pairs of socks, 3 hoola hoops, a snorkel dry ice e-mail Sophia skin-tone cat suit paul newman elk sausage megaphone/directors chair harness a barometer i am curious how long this dumb rear end list will stick in my head
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Jul 4, 2021 00:07
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These are all good recs, thank you!
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Jul 4, 2021 02:33
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I bounce around between scifi or horror books and popular history stuff, but I am running out of the latter. Things I enjoyed recently; Mao's Great Famine Carthage Must Be Destroyed King Leopold's Ghost The Black Count A World Undone Shattered Sword Dead Mountain Batavia's Graveyard
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Jul 5, 2021 15:26
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tuyop posted:
Finished A Boy and His Dog At the End of the World. Thank you for the recommendation, I truly enjoyed it.
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Jul 5, 2021 16:52
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