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Does anyone know of any good absurdist books in a similar vain to Catch-22 and White Noise? I have read basically all of Vonnegut and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but most other absurdist literature seems extremely dark. A good example would be allot of Kafka's and Camus's work. While I love those authors to death I would really like to recapture that sense of humor coupled with absurdism that is so prevalent with Catch-22.
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Feb 20, 2013 22:31
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Ulio posted:Been watching some Sergio Leone films, any good novels based in the Wild west? There are surprisingly few classic western novels; in some ways its more a film genre. Try Shane or The Virginian. The Virginian is literally the first Western ever, and it's a little rough but has some basic bones of the genre all laid out nicely. Shane is archetypal. I think you've also inspired me to check out Riders of the Purple Sage. It's free on Kindle! Similarly, if you count The Mark of Zorro as a western, you should be able to find that fairly cheaply for kindle also. Ingenium posted:Does anyone know of any good absurdist books in a similar vain to Catch-22 and White Noise? I have read basically all of Vonnegut and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but most other absurdist literature seems extremely dark. A good example would be allot of Kafka's and Camus's work. While I love those authors to death I would really like to recapture that sense of humor coupled with absurdism that is so prevalent with Catch-22. Try Tom Stoppard's plays maybe? Start with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and go on to Arcadia for something somewhat more upbeat. Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 22:58 on Feb 20, 2013 |
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Feb 20, 2013 22:39
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Ingenium posted:Does anyone know of any good absurdist books in a similar vain to Catch-22 and White Noise? I have read basically all of Vonnegut and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but most other absurdist literature seems extremely dark. A good example would be allot of Kafka's and Camus's work. While I love those authors to death I would really like to recapture that sense of humor coupled with absurdism that is so prevalent with Catch-22. Seconding Tom Stoppard. Maybe The Good Soldier Švejk? It's a little closer to Catch 22 than White Noise, but I think it's in the same ballpark. I don't know if I'd call Gargantua and Pantagruel absurdist, but you might wanna look into that, too.
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Feb 21, 2013 00:05
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Ulio posted:Been watching some Sergio Leone films, any good novels based in the Wild west? Charles Portis's True Grit isn't technically "West" (it's set mainly in Indian Territory in Oklahoma) but it's a really good one. Just about anything by Zane Grey or Louis L'Amour would work, too, they're both really prolific and really good authors.
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Feb 21, 2013 01:09
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Pendergast posted:I am looking for books like Lord of the Flies or Michael Grant's Gone, in which children are left to fend for themselves. Rather it be an end of the world setting or like Lord of the Flies where children are stranded on a island. Fantasy or realistic, it does not matter. Just a setting were the adults are gone for whatever reason and kids have to take charge. Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne. Apocalyptic series with kids trapped in a Walmart.
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Feb 21, 2013 02:49
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Great suggestions, thanks. Loved Zorro movies as a kid, didn't know about the book, didn't really like the recent True Grit movie but going to give the novel a shot. Also is Brokeback Mountain more about modern cowboys or the romance?
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Feb 21, 2013 04:15
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Feb 21, 2013 05:59
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Yes I had Close Range bookmarked, didn't know it was a part of the same collection. Border Trilogy looks good, hadn't heard of that one. Haven't read Blood Meridian, had it on the list for awhile definitely like the no name characters like spaghetti westerns. Lonesome Dove has an amazing, absolutely amazing mini series with freaking Robert Duval. Didn't know it was based on a novel, going to have to read it.
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Feb 21, 2013 06:14
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Ulio posted:Border Trilogy looks good, hadn't heard of that one. The Border Trilogy is men who love horses doing manly things and some hosed up poo poo happens; Blood Meridian is like The Wild Bunch meets Natural Born Killers.
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Feb 21, 2013 10:47
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Michael Swanwick (The Iron Dragon's Daughter) Yes; but remember to cut down and not across. Goddamn that's a depressing book.
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Feb 21, 2013 11:39
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Ulio posted:Yes I had Close Range bookmarked, didn't know it was a part of the same collection. I loved the Border Trilogy (you can't go wrong reading it), but I really didn't care for Blood Meridian. I can appreciate what McCarthy tried with Blood Meridian, but the labor it took to read each sentence killed any good feelings I had for the book. In the end it was one of my biggest disappoints ever reading a book. I can understand why people love it and given the subject matter I should of loved it (The Wild Bunch is one of my favorite movies for example) but no. To add something I would suggest Warlock by Oakley Hall. One of the best westerns I have read in recent years.
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Feb 21, 2013 14:29
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Feb 21, 2013 17:45
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Anyone got any recommendations in the verge of non-western/modern bounty hunters? Something SciFi or fantasy?
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Feb 21, 2013 18:18
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I recently finished "The Death of American Virtue", and really enjoyed it. Can anyone recommend a biography about Hilary Clinton that covers through her being the Secretary of State? Or just books about contemporary American foreign policy. yulia tymotebow fucked around with this message at 19:24 on Feb 21, 2013 |
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Feb 21, 2013 19:20
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funkybottoms posted:Blood Meridian is like The Wild Bunch meets Natural Born Killers. That would fit what I've heard of it, seems dark much like The Road. Also about the Road, is the movie straight out of the book?
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Feb 21, 2013 23:05
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I'm going to be riding in a bus for 8 hours tomorrow, so I need some kindle fodder. Anyone know any good books about the american civil war (Not historical fiction) or any scifi recommendations?
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Feb 21, 2013 23:31
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Ingenium posted:Does anyone know of any good absurdist books in a similar vain to Catch-22 and White Noise? I have read basically all of Vonnegut and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but most other absurdist literature seems extremely dark. A good example would be allot of Kafka's and Camus's work. While I love those authors to death I would really like to recapture that sense of humor coupled with absurdism that is so prevalent with Catch-22. Just throwing out some ideas: Tom Robbins David Foster Wallace, especially The Broom of the System Maybe some Pynchon Gary Shteyngart Mark Leyner
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Feb 22, 2013 00:56
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I'm looking for books about China's T'ang Dynasty that are on a par with those for Heian Japan. Books written about specific persons with cultural overview, e.g., Sugowara no Michizane and the Early Heian Court, extant diaries, or general overviews like The World of the Shining Prince. Even something similar to Records of the Grand Historian, maybe? Or like Mountain of Fame, but specifically covering the T'ang era. Finding books about the era isn't that hard but none of them have been particularly engaging or really all that informative concerning the people and culture of the time. xcheopis fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Feb 23, 2013 |
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Feb 23, 2013 19:53
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I'm interested in finding a book (or series) where a murder or mystery is investigated with unusual techniques, such as intuition, psychic abilities, dream logic, etc.. I'm looking for something similar to the TV series Twin Peaks or the movie The Gift (2000), directed by Sam Raimi. I'd prefer a small-town setting with eccentric characters, and an underlying supernatural element if possible, but whatever's fine. I enjoy horror, dark comedies, mysteries, thrillers, so anything in that vein would be appreciated. I'd also like it if it had some substance to it, nothing too cheesy. Thanks in advance to anyone who can throw me some ideas.
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Feb 25, 2013 15:49
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Franchescanado posted:I'm interested in finding a book (or series) where a murder or mystery is investigated with unusual techniques, such as intuition, psychic abilities, dream logic, etc.. I'm looking for something similar to the TV series Twin Peaks or the movie The Gift (2000), directed by Sam Raimi. I'd prefer a small-town setting with eccentric characters, and an underlying supernatural element if possible, but whatever's fine. I enjoy horror, dark comedies, mysteries, thrillers, so anything in that vein would be appreciated. I'd also like it if it had some substance to it, nothing too cheesy. You might try the Jeff Resnick Mysteries Bonus: If you have a Kindle, the first one is free right now
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Feb 25, 2013 16:32
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Franchescanado posted:I'm interested in finding a book (or series) where a murder or mystery is investigated with unusual techniques, such as intuition, psychic abilities, dream logic, etc.. I really enjoyed Mike Carey's Felix Castor series, which seems to get a fair number of recommendations here.
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Feb 25, 2013 16:39
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Thanks, guys! I'll look into both of them. I do have a Kindle, so I'll be trying the Jeff Resnick one first.
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Feb 25, 2013 17:13
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Franchescanado posted:I'm interested in finding a book (or series) where a murder or mystery is investigated with unusual techniques, such as intuition, psychic abilities, dream logic, etc.. I'm looking for something similar to the TV series Twin Peaks or the movie The Gift (2000), directed by Sam Raimi. I'd prefer a small-town setting with eccentric characters, and an underlying supernatural element if possible, but whatever's fine. I enjoy horror, dark comedies, mysteries, thrillers, so anything in that vein would be appreciated. I'd also like it if it had some substance to it, nothing too cheesy. They're not necessarily mysteries, but some of Murakami's books have struck me as very similar in feel to Twin Peaks -- Wild Sheep Chase in particular.
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Feb 25, 2013 17:50
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A lot of the stuff in Pynchon reminds me of Twin Peaks; Bombs are detected by the boners of a man conditioned to equate sex and death, or insurance investigators deducing the soul of godzilla from a giant footprint. He doesn't really pay much attention to it (but neither did David Lynch).
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Feb 25, 2013 18:00
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I have Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and it's been on my to-read shelf for a while. I have read Pynchon's Inherent Vice, and The Crying of Lot 49, both of which I love. I've read a quarter of V. but my copy was falling apart and losing pages, so I had to stop reading it. I'll check out Wild Sheep Chase as well. Do you think that Don DeLillo or Neil Stephenson might be close to what I'm looking for as well? I have them recommended to me, but I've never read them and really don't know where to start.
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Feb 25, 2013 18:38
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Franchescanado posted:I'm interested in finding a book (or series) where a murder or mystery is investigated with unusual techniques, such as intuition, psychic abilities, dream logic, etc.. I'm looking for something similar to the TV series Twin Peaks or the movie The Gift (2000), directed by Sam Raimi. I'd prefer a small-town setting with eccentric characters, and an underlying supernatural element if possible, but whatever's fine. I enjoy horror, dark comedies, mysteries, thrillers, so anything in that vein would be appreciated. I'd also like it if it had some substance to it, nothing too cheesy. While not exact here are couple that might work: Pines - Blake Crouch. It is a fast fun read that is influenced by Twin Peaks. description posted:Wayward Pines, Idaho, is quintessential small-town America ? or so it seems. Secret Service agent Ethan Burke arrives in search of two missing federal agents, yet soon is facing much more than he bargained for. After a violent accident lands him in the hospital, Ethan comes to with no ID and no cell phone. The medical staff seems friendly enough, but something feels?off. As the days pass, Ethan's investigation into his colleagues? disappearance turns up more questions than answers. Why can't he make contact with his family in the outside world? Why doesn't anyone believe he is who he says he is? And what's the purpose of the electrified fences encircling the town? Are they keeping the residents in? Or something else out? Each step toward the truth takes Ethan further from the world he knows, until he must face the horrifying possibility that he may never leave Wayward Pines alive Like you I really enjoy small-town stories with eccentric characters. Yesterday I just finished a book by one of Stephen King's favorite writers, Stephen Dobyns, called The Burn Palace, and loved it (small town paranoia and pagans). description posted:The sleepy community of Brewster, Rhode Island, is just like any other small American town. It’s a place where most of the population will likely die blocks from where they were born; where gossip spreads like wildfire, and the big entertainment on weekends is the inevitable fight at the local bar. But recently, something out of the ordinary—perhaps even supernatural—has been stirring in Brewster. While packs of coyotes gather on back roads and the news spreads that a baby has been stolen from Memorial Hospital (and replaced in its bassinet by a snake), a series of inexplicably violent acts begins to confound Detective Woody Potter and the local police—and inspire terror in the hearts and minds of the locals.
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Feb 25, 2013 21:52
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nate fisher posted:While not exact here are couple that might work: These sound like exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much.
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Feb 26, 2013 00:49
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Whoops, wrong thread. Sorry.
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Feb 26, 2013 01:42
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Franchescanado posted:I'm interested in finding a book (or series) where a murder or mystery is investigated with unusual techniques, such as intuition, psychic abilities, dream logic, etc.. I'm looking for something similar to the TV series Twin Peaks or the movie The Gift (2000), directed by Sam Raimi. I'd prefer a small-town setting with eccentric characters, and an underlying supernatural element if possible, but whatever's fine. I enjoy horror, dark comedies, mysteries, thrillers, so anything in that vein would be appreciated. I'd also like it if it had some substance to it, nothing too cheesy. I highly recommend Ben Aaronovitch's series about a rookie London cop who discovers that he can talk to dead people while investigating his first murder case. Not a small town, but it otherwise fits the bill: supernatural investigation, eccentric characters, horror elements, and tons of dark comedy. The first book is called "Rivers of London" or "Midnight Riot," depending on what country you buy it from. The author used to write for "Doctor Who."
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Feb 26, 2013 03:19
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The cardinal Keith O'Brien scandal is so fascinatingly, blindingly obvious its got me thinking about the whole repressed gay homophobe cliche. Are there any good books on the topic?
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Feb 26, 2013 14:34
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I'm looking for something to scratch a rather particular itch- Something science fiction with noteable construction and building within the world, shaping it to what people want. Like showing the expansion of shipyards, building of cities and worlds, creation of massive fleets and such. Or another way to say it- the rise of power and the process in which it was built. I highly doubt that there are any books on that alone, I was looking for something that explored that sort of concept as well as an external story line. Heck, I'd love some of that in fantasy as well, I find it fascinating for authors showing how their worlds were made. (Somewhat of an example- John Ringo's Troy series, which goes into the development of star systems, defenses and massive constructs.)
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Feb 28, 2013 16:18
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Kinetica posted:Or another way to say it- the rise of power and the process in which it was built. You could go with the Foundation Trilogy by Asimov. While it doesn't detail the construction of physical things, it details the political rise to power of an entity after the collapse of the galactic roman empire. It's a bit dry on action that isn't politics, but I found it good.
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Feb 28, 2013 17:23
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Kinetica posted:I'm looking for something to scratch a rather particular itch- Something science fiction with noteable construction and building within the world, shaping it to what people want. Like showing the expansion of shipyards, building of cities and worlds, creation of massive fleets and such. One of the story strands in Peter F. Hamilton's massive Commonwealth Saga is exactly what you're looking for.
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Feb 28, 2013 18:31
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So can anyone recommend anything like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell or the Temeraire series? For some reason I really like that english writing style (I have no idea what to call it) and the blend of the real world with a fantastic element. Splash in Napoleon and I find myself reading Strange & Norrell again and wondering what else is out there.
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Mar 1, 2013 01:09
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Tres Burritos posted:So can anyone recommend anything like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell or the Temeraire series? The Bartimaeus Trilogy might be up your alley. It takes place in a alt-history London where britain is the center of a magical empire and still retains control over the Americas well into the 1900s. Although most of the setting takes a backseat to the actions of the main characters. It's also a real young adult book, which you may not care for.
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Mar 1, 2013 01:28
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Kinetica posted:I'm looking for something to scratch a rather particular itch- Something science fiction with noteable construction and building within the world, shaping it to what people want. Like showing the expansion of shipyards, building of cities and worlds, creation of massive fleets and such. Hurm. The Destroyermen series might actually scratch that itch for you -- it's not star ships and planets, mind you, it's WW2-era technology at best. One (already obsolescent) US destroyer gets lost in a weird storm in 1942 and ends up in an alternate Earth populated by two different non-human species (roughly Bronze Age tech level) at war with each other. And dinosaurs all over the place. Sounds cheesy as hell but is actually pretty good and definitely covers the shipyards/fleets/cities angle. Shitload of naval battle scenes as well, of course.
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Mar 1, 2013 06:22
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So I have a common request with a few odd twists: I just finished re-reading the Wheel of Time series and what's completed of the A Song of Ice and Fire series for the umpteenth time and I'm looking for something in that same fantasy vein but I have a couple of wants/do not wants. Do not want: -Something set on Earth. -A story where romance/love is the central plot motivation (sex and love is fine, but I'm not interested in a story where it's the main motivation). -Anything where the main characters are vampires or werewolves or anything like that unless it is exceedingly well done. Do want: -If there is female lead characters (which would be nice but is not mandatory), I would like for their motivation have nothing to do with a man or children. I'm more than a little over female leads motivation being *one true love* or a pregnancy or a child. -Something available as a .epub for my eReader. A single book, trilogy, or long series is fine. I'd even be okay with something more in the sci-fi or survival horror realm if it's really well done.
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Mar 1, 2013 18:57
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Maybe try out Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie? - Not set on Earth. - There is sex and romance, but it's not the main thing in the book. - All of the central characters (bar maybe one exception) are normal people. - Main character is a female mercenary out for revenge. Okay, admittedly part of her revenge is for her murdered brother, but a lot of it's just for herself. - Appears to be available on epub. So it's about this mercenary general called Monza who gets betrayed by her employer by way of being flung off a building. She survives, her brother doesn't, so she puts together a crack team of murderers to scour It is strictly speaking part of The First Law setting and has a big ol' trilogy that comes before it, but you don't need to read that to grok the book. I'm afraid that the other books don't match up for your criteria: the First Law trilogy has like, three or four female characters with any screen-time, The Heroes has a mostly male ensemble cast, and while Shy South in Red Country is totally cool, she is trying to get back her kidnapped children. Joe mentioned in his re-read of the trilogy that he realised that it's kind of lovely with regards to female characters, so he's sort of been trying to fix that since with characters like Monza and Shy. Down With People fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Mar 2, 2013 |
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Mar 2, 2013 03:13
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Last four books read: -2001: Space Odyssey -Entire Hitchhiker's (again) -Childhood's End -I, Robot (and a number of other Asimov's) I need some good SciFi.
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Mar 2, 2013 06:40
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I'm looking for a book that can explain the history of poetry, because I'm looking to get into reading more poetry but I don't know where to start. What I want to know about is the different eras and styles, preferably with lots of examples. A good and extensive collection of poetry from different periods might also work, I guess, I just want to get a sense for what the different styles sound like.
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Mar 2, 2013 08:46
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