TBB Book Recommendation Superstation !!

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PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Sir Thats Gross posted:

I recently finished "The Master & Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov. I'm interested in reading more on the subject of Russian literature. A friend of mine recommended Dostoevsky's "Crime & Punishment" to read next. I enjoyed the style of Bulgakov and his ability to tell a story and keep the reader focused and involved in the story. Could anyone suggest other Russian literature novels to read or any works similar to Bulgakov?

Like the Triumphant, I think Dead Souls would be right up your alley.

Gunter Grass is not a Russian, but his novel, The Tin Drum, exhibits a similar dark sense of humor and mix of bleak reality with disturbing fantasy.

# ¿ Sep 4, 2011 17:48

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 16:05

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Rage Nage posted:

I really, really love the science-fiction books of Michael Marshall Smith (Only Forward, Spares, One Of Us) - I just can't get enough of the way he writes. Having read everything SF he has to offer, I'm looking for some more dystopian surrealist fiction, and would really appreciate any recommendations...

Someone else already mentioned PKD, so I'll take the opportunity to recommend Stanislaw Lem. He wrote excellent absurd, satirical, dystopian science ficiton.

# ¿ Sep 5, 2011 09:02

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Rage Nage posted:

Great, I haven't heard of him. Any book in particular you'd recommend?

Memoirs Found in a Bathtub is probably his best.

# ¿ Sep 5, 2011 17:56

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Doghouse posted:

I know this is going to be very general, but it's worth a try. I want a book that has the following qualities:

1) Easy to read and get into. I don't want something that is overly complicated, takes a while to get into, is overly descriptive, etc etc. I want something straightforward. Also, not pretentious. I feel like most books I try to read these days are very, very pretentious.

2) No agenda. I don't want to feel like the author is conveying his opinions and beliefs on me. I want it to feel objective.

3) Well written. This may seem like a no-brainer, but many books that have #1 are not well written.

4) Somewhat clean, meaning no graphic sex scenes.

Are there many books like this? Chekhov short stories are like this. Also The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a bit like this. It can be about anything, in any time period or setting, and so on.

Mike Chabon and Glen David Gold come to mind. Sadly, the best Chabon novel, The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, features some graphic sex, but you could probably gloss it, and you shouldn't let that stop you from reading a beautiful and approachable novel. I don't think Gold has any sex scenes, but he's not as good as Chabon. Still, his novel, Carter Beats The Devil is a fantastic book about stage magicians, love, and the assassination of a president.

# ¿ Sep 11, 2011 23:51

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.

# ¿ Oct 21, 2011 00:11

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Umbriago posted:

I've been greatly enjoying John Steinbeck's novels. So far I've read The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, Cannery Row and I've just finished East of Eden. Which of his novels should I read next?

In Dubious Battle is another tragedy about migrant workers (focusing on union organizers). Tortilla Flats is similar to Cannery Row, a drunken parable, this one based on the legends of Arthur. The Winter of Our Discontent is another study in ethics and morals like EoE, but without the biblical paratext. The Red Pony is another tragic bildungsroman set in the Salinas Valley.

Or if you're looking for something completely different, you could try The Moon is Down which is the anti-fascist piece he wrote during World War 2, or one of his journals, like Travels With Charlie or The Log from the Sea of Cortez.

Really, when you read Steinbeck, you can basically pick a book at random and you'll be satisfied. Eden and Wrath are his best works, but everything in his catalog is at least very good.

# ¿ Nov 26, 2011 06:06

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Private Snowball posted:

Where would one start with Michael Moorcock? I'm more interested in his science fiction work as I believe that is why some of my favourite writers(Grant Morrison) cite him as an influence.

I don't know about his science fiction work, but he's best know for the Elric series, which is very solid sword & sorcery fiction. Chabon (my favorite author) cites it as the source of his love of fantasy.

# ¿ Dec 1, 2011 21:03

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

The Grey posted:

The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind
Fantasy, but not sure what makes it unique.

It's an Objectivist screed written by the douchiest looking writer in all of fantasy.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2011 07:33

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Hughmoris posted:

Can someone recommend me a book that is happy and fun? After some depressing events in real life and watching too many depressing TV shows, I need some feel-good, motivational poo poo. The genre doesn't matter to me. I'm thinking something like Parks and Recreation in book form. Vague request, I know, but hopefully someone can help me out. Thanks!

Garrison Keillor's novels are full of heartwarming humor and neurotic Mid-Westerners.

# ¿ Dec 16, 2011 04:37

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Jack the Lad posted:

Can anyone recommend some good books featuring characters with unusual abilities that take a realistic/scientific/intelligent approach to it?

Check out Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination. It's sort of an ur-cyberpunk novel with hard scifi teleportation, telepathy and super speed.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2012 05:53

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Junkenstein posted:

Where's the best place to start with Elmore Leonard?

Cuba Libre is a good place to start. It's one of his capers, but it also shows off his historical chops. And it's a riot from beginning to end.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2012 22:39

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Dukket posted:

I�m looking for war novels, my original thought was WWII, but it doesn�t have to be. The Naked and The Dead and Thin Red Line are two that I�ve read and enjoyed.

I am NOT looking for CATCH-22 style comedy, patriotic propaganda or pure action. It�s been a long time, and perhaps it�s time for a revisit but I�m not much of Hemingway fan.

If you're up for some non-fiction, try Helmet for My Pillow, With the Old Breed, or A Rumor of War. The first two are the basis for HBO's The Pacific, the latter is Philip Caputo's memoir of his time in Vietnam.

For fiction, if you haven't already read All Quiet, read that now. The only other thing I can recommend off the top of my head is The Things They Carried, probably the best novel about Vietnam.

# ¿ Feb 2, 2012 21:30

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Pancakes by Mail posted:

Any recommendations for turn-of-the-century fiction? I read the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and really enjoyed it; right now I'm looking into Ragtime and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Carter Beats the Devil and Sunnyside by Glen David Gold are both set in the early 20th century, and Gold's style is similar to Chabon's. The former is a mystery about stage magicians and the Secret Service. The latter is about WW1 and the formation of United Artists.

# ¿ Feb 8, 2012 00:46

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Chabon's first novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is another good choice.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2012 04:36

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

sheri posted:

I am looking for a good, interesting book about World War 1. Any suggestions?

I found the creatively titled World War I by S.L.A. Marshall to be a solid survey of the entire war. Europe's Last Summer covers the events and thinking that led up to the war and shares the blame around fairly evenly.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2012 06:32

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

bpower posted:

Thats the second time I heard Cavalier and Klay referred to as a Gay novel. Theres passages focusing on Klay's (? I forget which one) homosexuality but wasnt he a character who just happened to be gay? It wasn't explored or central to his character in anyway as far as I remember.

Homosexuality and the social stigma attached to it are what Sam Clay spends most of the book trying to "escape" from.

quote:

I am looking for a relatively recent (last 20 years) gay novel that isn't Cavalier and Klay or smut, any suggestions?

Gay characters are central to a lot of Chabon's novels. I would suggest The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, which is about the son of a Jewish mob boss discovering his sexuality.

# ¿ May 19, 2012 19:21

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Pron on VHS posted:

I'm looking for a nonfiction book on the Civil War, something that looks at the conflict from a different or interesting angle, and is well written and easy to read with lots of engaging facts and stories.

If you're in for the long haul, try Bruce Catton's three volume history: The Coming Fury, Terrible Swift Sword, and Never Call Retreat. Catton begins with the Democratic and Republican conventions of 1860 and from there covers every facet of the secession and war. His prose is easy to read and he does a good job interweaving little personal stories into the grand arc.

# ¿ May 23, 2012 23:16

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Krataar posted:

I'm looking for books on the history of the British Empire, French Empire, or anything really on imperialism and colonialism.

You may find Eric Hobsbawm's The Age of Empire interesting. It's focused more on the domestic than colonial side of Imperialism, but it's otherwise very comprehensive.

# ¿ May 30, 2012 23:39

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

In regards to Austen, my favorite is Emma, but I think starting with her Juvenilia or Lady Susan is the best way to prepare one's self for all the layers of irony and manipulation of narrative voice and proximity.

# ¿ Jun 5, 2012 18:43

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

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.

# ¿ Jun 8, 2012 23:19

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Goky posted:

Does anyone have any recommendations for novels that are told through short letters, interviews, or diary entries? I find that they're really convenient at the moment because I'm only able to read in bursts due to Real World Obligations.

Books that I've read that fit this description are Mother Night, World War Z and The Screwtape Letters. I've enjoyed them all.

These are called epistolary novels, by the way. Gary Schteyngart's Super Sad True Love Story is a good recent one. It's a satirical love story set in the near future.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2012 23:28

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Gravy Jones posted:

Apparently I enjoy near geeky near-future technothrillers with organised crime, money laundering and Internets. Preferably with a dash of self-awareness. I've read Neal Stephenson and Charles Stross and was wondering if there was anything similar.

I guess it doesn't have to be near future. Just geeky capers in general.

Check out William Gibson's last trilogy: Pattern Recognition, Spook Country, and Zero History. They're pretty much exactly what you describe.

# ¿ Jun 22, 2012 23:02

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Bummey posted:

I'm looking for some real loving bummers. Books that will shatter my hope for the future and leave me a ruined husk of a human being, like The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I have no hope for the future and am terminally depressed so it's not like I have to worry about picking up the pieces of my life after I read the last page. Onward!

I haven't actually read The Road yet (I've heard Things), but it's next on the list after I finish my current book. Got any suggestions?

COnrad's The Secret Agent is a funny bummer, a sort of comedy of errors centered around a secret agent working in London.

Jerzy Kosinski's The Painted Bird is an epic beatdown about a little boy wandering around war-torn Eastern Europe.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2012 22:33

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

StarkRavingMad posted:

I'm looking for some horror that is NOT: comedy, zombies, sci-fi, King, Lovecraft, Straub, or Barker (nothing against them, I've just read most of their stuff already).

I know that still leaves a pretty broad category but I'd like to hear some favorites, especially recent ones. It's just hard to sift through all the trash in this genre to find something interesting.

Have you read any Matheson? If not, he's a classic you should definitely check out. He's best known for the twice-adapted I Am Legend, but he wrote many other excellent works.

# ¿ Jun 27, 2012 06:11

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

StarkRavingMad posted:

Also a good one, but I have read it. I guess maybe I should have asked for more recent works since I've probably read well-known older stuff in this genre. But thanks for the suggestions.

You did request recent stuff, so it's really our fault for recommending classics.

# ¿ Jun 27, 2012 19:33

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Ballin Stalin posted:

Hey guys, I love historical fiction, particularly novels centered around WWII.

The genre/time period are probably widely written about, so maybe some of you guys have some suggestions for me right off the bat?

I really, really enjoyed David Benioff's City of Thieves. Again, I love the time period, it doesn't have to be centric on the war in an All Quiet sort of way. Any ideas?

edit: Already read Slaughterhouse Five of course! Enjoyed it immensely as well.

Empire of the Sun is J.G. Ballard's semi-autobiographical novel about living in an internment camp outside of Shanghai during the Japanese occupation. Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead is a visceral novel about island fighting in the Pacific. If you want to go back a little further in time, Richard McKenna's The Sand Pebbles is a sprawling epic about a USN riverboat in China on the eve of the nationalist revolution. On the European side, Gunter Grass's The Tin Drum is an absurd picaresque about the exploits of a boy who decides to stop growing on the eve of the war. And The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinski is the story of a young Jewish boy's wanderings along the Eastern Front.

I'll also second the recommendations for Catch 22 and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. The latter is one of my favorite novels by my favorite novelist, Michael Chabon. His The Final Solution is also set during the war.

# ¿ Jul 27, 2012 07:09

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

A Study in Scarlet is less a detective story and more a long polemic against Mormons. It's really a rather shaky start to the whole Holmes series.

# ¿ Aug 2, 2012 03:19

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

How does he square the chickent-that-is-not-a-chicken with A=A?

# ¿ Aug 3, 2012 20:17

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Raneman posted:

I'm a really bad reader when it comes to authors beating me to death with their thesaurus, so can anyone recommend me a book where they do exactly that, extremely poorly, so I can practice figuring out what the hell is going on?

Lovecraft loved his thesaurus. So did Jack Vance. Their stylistic flaws are very obvious, but their stories are still enjoyable, so your project won't be a total chore.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2012 07:39

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Honestly, if she hasn't already done so, she should read a couple Austen novels. Elizabeth Bennet and Emma Woodhouse are basically the archetypes upon which all YA and urban fantasy heroines are based.

# ¿ Aug 21, 2012 05:32

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

toanoradian posted:

After several attempts I have determined that I'm poo poo at writing action scenes. In order to fix this, I think I need to read some books.

Can someone recommend me books with brilliant action scenes? Not just good, not just great, but magnificent? Any style of action scenes would be good. Fistfights, magic battles, sniper duels, robot bash, cock slap, anything.

Thanks.

You should check out R. A. Salvatore. His novels are genre trash (his most popular stuff is the Drizzt books, which are licensed D&D genre trash), but he has a knack for writing action, especially sword fights and wizard duels.

# ¿ Sep 12, 2012 14:41

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Micomicona posted:

I just finished The Master and Margarita and thought it was the funniest book ever. Like, literally laughing out loud at parts, which is something I've never experienced with a book before. Are there any other books with that same comic/satiric sensibility? I don't usually go for comedic novels--that it also had serious and beautiful parts was also much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass has the same mix of absurd subversive humor and magic realism. Dead Souls by Gogol exhibits the same sort of bleak Russian humor, but sadly doesn't include an evil magic cat.

# ¿ Sep 15, 2012 19:48

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

I don't know Trek books, but if you love Kirk and ship battles, you owe it to yourself to read the Hornblower novels.

# ¿ Sep 26, 2012 01:57

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Verne and Wells aren't really steampunk either. They're set in the 19th century because they were written in the 19th century, not because their authors fell in love with the aesthetic from Arcanum.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2012 04:40

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

tonytheshoes posted:

On the heels of the re-release of the James Bond series with nifty new covers, where should I start? Leaning Casino Royale because, well, it's the first...

You should start with Casino Royale and read them in order. Though they are largely self-contained adventures, there is a continuity between them.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2012 22:40

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Chamberk posted:

His new one, Telegraph Avenue, isn't quite up to the standards set by Kavalier and Clay (which I unfairly measure all of his work against) but it was a good read. Plus there was a 10-page sentence. That's always cool.

Perhaps not, but it comes drat close. I think even more so than K&C, Telegraph Avenue demonstrates his ability to write great literature using nerdy topics. All the allusions to science fiction and fantasy and comics and cartoons and films are so perfectly integrated, used to define and develop characters and scenes, and not just as name-drops like the way he'd use the Baxter Building in his early works. And Gwen and Aviva are his two best realized women. The only part that gave me pause was the scene with Obama. I couldn't help but think, "too soon, maybe?"

Since that's not a real recommendation, I'll just say what I've said before: read everything by Michael Chabon, including his short story and essay collections. He's the best thing since Saul Bellow.

# ¿ Oct 13, 2012 02:42

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

I've always been a big fan of Hawthorne's short stories. He covers a lot more ground than just Colonial Puritans, though those stories are drat fine.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2012 18:51

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

barkingclam posted:

I swear by Stunk and White's Elements of Style. I learned more about writing from that book than I did in J-School.

I second this. The Office of Assertion is good if you're writing term papers, specifically humanities papers.

# ¿ Dec 31, 2012 00:01

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

noirstronaut posted:

I just finished Ready Player One and I LOVED it. Everything about the science fiction, steampunk-esque world meeting some sort of virtual world is enticing. Then it's matched with all sorts of great characters and emotions and growth. Seriously loved it.

What's steampunk-esque about the world of RP1?

Radio! posted:

I'd also say skip the very first books- "not really Discworld yet" is a great way to describe them. Everyone I know says to start with Guards, Guards, since it's late enough to be "really Discworld" and is also the introduction to the best set of characters in the whole series.

That being said, I started with Small Gods and that was also fine. Small Gods is mostly standalone, so I guess it's up to you which type you'd want to start with.

Yeah, the first two are sort of proto-Discworld. Small Gods is a nice standalone start, but I'm with the crowd that says the Nightwatch books are the best.

# ¿ Jan 31, 2013 21:16

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 16:05

PeterWeller: Apr 21, 2003; I told you that story so I could tell you this one.

Geek U.S.A. posted:

Can someone help me get started with Cyberpunk? I love Cyberpunk but I've only ever experienced it through movies, cartoons, etc.

In addition to Neuromancer and Snowcrash, read The Stars My Destination by Bester.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2013 04:10

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > TBB Book Recommendation Superstation !!