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I'm also looking for a dad book! He's tasked me with finding him a new fantasy novel or series for Christmas. His favorites include Jane Austen, Patrick O'Brien, Le Guin, Tolkien, Mary Renault, David Mitchell, Dune, and lots more I'm forgetting. He didn't like the Joe Abercrombie book I got him last year, loves ASOIAF, thought Wheel of Time got really boring, doesn't care for Stephen King, thinks Marion Zimmer Bradley is decent, and has all the Guy Gavariel Kay books. I don't think he'd like Name of the Wind. He doesn't want an extra-long series. Generally he likes things with a sense of history, if that makes any sense, witty-but-not-irritating dialogue and political machinations with strong characters. Basically, a book he can really sink his teeth into but that doesn't get mired down in typical fantasy-isms. Doesn't necessarily have to be sword and sorcery fantasy, either. Any ideas?
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Dec 18, 2013 02:29
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Look into the Malazan Book of the Fallen series; it's the most epic thing I've read(in both good and bad ways), and was written by an archaeologist, so it has a pretty good sense of history.
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Dec 18, 2013 02:44
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The Schwa posted:I'm looking for really heartbreaking or emotionally affecting fiction, to do with human relationships and/or humanity despite struggle. Ron Currie, Jr. or Stewart O'Nan (especially Songs For the Missing), All Quiet on the Western Front funkybottoms fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Dec 18, 2013 |
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Dec 18, 2013 02:47
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mrs. nicholas sarkozy posted:I'm also looking for a dad book! Oh he's a man after my own tastes. Problem is he's read most of the stuff I would recommend. How about Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke? Or Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton?
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Dec 18, 2013 02:53
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Barbobot posted:Dad: He's really into the arctic exploration books. I think he owns the most recommended in this area of knowledge already. Last year I got him Arctic Labyrinth: The Quest for the Northwest Passage and High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed. I really liked Into the Silence about the first expeditions to Everest after WWI. if he's interested in the first man to the south pole there's a new biography of Roald Amundsen The Last Viking (which I haven't read yet) or The Last Place on Earth which I thoroughly enjoyed.
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Dec 18, 2013 03:30
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Hello friends, first time posting in this forum, let me know if this is the right place. I'm looking for a book to give to the girl I'm dating for Christmas. She's traveling to Asia in January, and I know she likes to read books on the plane, so I think it'll be a good present. I verrrry subtly asked her what types of books she likes, and she replied with: "Historical epics! Books about the world (really liked collapse and the end of food), sci fi." Recommendations HIGHLY appreciated, preferably something I might be able to go to a local bookstore and pick up in person. Thank you so much.
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Dec 18, 2013 03:31
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Elyv posted:Look into the Malazan Book of the Fallen series; it's the most epic thing I've read(in both good and bad ways), and was written by an archaeologist, so it has a pretty good sense of history. Those are bunch of really long books for someone who doesn't want an extra-long series. Another good idea for Barbobot's brother though, especially since he seems to like big fantasy series. The Schwa posted:I'm looking for really heartbreaking or emotionally affecting fiction, to do with human relationships and/or humanity despite struggle. Recent examples I've enjoyed: I've just finished Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It's amazing and emotionally affecting as hell with the whole human relationships despite struggle thing.
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Dec 18, 2013 03:34
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I've got that one at home, but thanks! I really like her writing. Thanks for the other suggestions too, guys 
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Dec 18, 2013 03:55
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Hyperdermic Needle posted:Hello friends, first time posting in this forum, let me know if this is the right place. Bridge of Birds is absolutely awesome and goon favourite. It is an extremely well written and hilarious story set in an ancient China that could have been with many references to Chinese culture. Only problem with it is that it's obscure, but if you can get it do so because it's very good. Otherwise, if China, Empress Orchid could work. If Japan, the thousand autumns of jacob de zoet. If Vietnam, the windup girl. The first is more based on true events, the second is more magical realism and drama, the third is dystopian sci-fi. Edit: I somehow assumed the book had to be about or set in Asia. Walh Hara fucked around with this message at 04:15 on Dec 18, 2013 |
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Dec 18, 2013 04:12
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Hyperdermic Needle posted:Hello friends, first time posting in this forum, let me know if this is the right place. Has she read any of Jared Diamond's other books? She might like Guns, Germs and Steel if she like Collapse. Any particular time period of history? Sci fi is really broad without knowing anything she might have read and liked already.
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Dec 18, 2013 04:12
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Walh Hara posted:Bridge of Birds is absolutely awesome and goon favourite. It is an extremely well written and hilarious story set in an ancient China that could have been with many references to Chinese culture. Only problem with it is that it's obscure, but if you can get it do so because it's very good. Vietnam. Oh gently caress, the windup girl is perfect. I loving love you.
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Dec 18, 2013 04:15
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Enfys posted:Has she read any of Jared Diamond's other books? She might like Guns, Germs and Steel if she like Collapse. Any particular time period of history? Sci fi is really broad without knowing anything she might have read and liked already. I will check those out too, thanks!
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Dec 18, 2013 04:17
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Enfys posted:Sci fi is really broad without knowing anything she might have read and liked already. I haven't read it (it's in my to read list), but people here and critics in general have called The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester, "Possibly the best Sci-fi book ever written". This book in particular has intrigued me because I've heard of most of the classics, but never knew anything about this one until I asked for recommendations here in the Sci-fi thread.
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Dec 18, 2013 04:22
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Walh Hara posted:Bridge of Birds is absolutely awesome and goon favourite. It is an extremely well written and hilarious story set in an ancient China that could have been with many references to Chinese culture. Only problem with it is that it's obscure, but if you can get it do so because it's very good. It doesn't have to be set in Asia at all. Question though - Windup Girl is Thailand, not Vietnam, right? Any similar book for Vietnam? Would be cool to have it themed to her trip.
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Dec 18, 2013 05:33
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The Schwa posted:I'm looking for really heartbreaking or emotionally affecting fiction, to do with human relationships and/or humanity despite struggle. Recent examples I've enjoyed: Zeitoun by Dave Eggers is about a Muslim man from New Orleans who is incarcerated after Katrina. Non-fiction and definitely emotionally affecting!
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Dec 18, 2013 05:42
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If anyone's looking into a fun, comedic, science-fiction detective novel, Douglas Adams's classic Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is on sale for the kindle on amazon.com for $1.99. It's very worth it, and the deal is for today only.
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Dec 18, 2013 16:19
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Everyone who likes fantasy fiction should read The Red Knight by Miles Cameron. I read it 8 months ago and I'm still thinking about it.
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Dec 18, 2013 16:51
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I was reading about Hindu Cosmology on Wikipedia, and I found out that it's currently the closest to how the universe probably works. I was wondering if I could read more about it (or other really cool cosmologies) or perhaps on Hinduism in general. I'd like something not dry. For example, I read Huston Smith's The World's Religions and found that rather dry if that helps. I have a copy of the Bhagavad Gita (translation Eknath Easwaran) I haven't read; wasn't sure if I should start with that or not.
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Dec 18, 2013 18:33
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The Schwa posted:I'm looking for really heartbreaking or emotionally affecting fiction, to do with human relationships and/or humanity despite struggle. Recent examples I've enjoyed: Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor
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Dec 18, 2013 19:14
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The Schwa posted:I'm looking for really heartbreaking or emotionally affecting fiction, to do with human relationships and/or humanity despite struggle. The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat deals with a group of fictional refugees fleeing the very real Parsley Massacre.
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Dec 19, 2013 02:05
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Couldn't find a dedicated Poetry recommendation thread, or just poetry discussion thread. I haven't read a lot of poetry but I've always been a fan of Czeslaw Milosz. Are there any good collections you guys could recommend?
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Dec 20, 2013 02:43
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Looking for a good book with a variety of great speeches, and a good book on speech writing. Any recommendations?
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Dec 20, 2013 07:49
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Can anyone suggest anything even remotely close to the same ballpark as the Bigend Trilogy by William Gibson? The constant mainline into the undercurrent "cool" of culture in such a compelling an accurate way really does it for me but I wouldn't even know where to begin to find something like that outside of Gibson.
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Dec 20, 2013 10:38
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Could anyone recommend any blogs that review / rip into bad books? I've been a long-time fan of Fred Clark's take down of the Left Behind books (here) and have started reading through the reviews of the Goosebumps books at Blogger Beware, so anything along those lines would probably be appreciated. Caustic Chimera posted:I was reading about Hindu Cosmology on Wikipedia, and I found out that it's currently the closest to how the universe probably works. I was wondering if I could read more about it (or other really cool cosmologies) or perhaps on Hinduism in general. I'd like something not dry. For example, I read Huston Smith's The World's Religions and found that rather dry if that helps. I'm currently about two thirds of the way through Essential Hinduism by Steven Rosen and so far I'm finding it a pretty interesting and lively introduction to the Hindu traditions. There isn't a lot in there about cosmology if that's what you're specifically interested in, but I think it's explained in the text that this is because cosmology has traditionally been quite marginal to Hinduism as a lived religion. If you want to read the Hindu texts directly (and there are a lot of them, which cumulatively run into very long lengths) the Bhagavad Gita seems like it's probably the best place to start, as it's largely a synthesis of all the traditions which preceded it.
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Dec 20, 2013 11:10
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No Longer Flaky posted:Couldn't find a dedicated Poetry recommendation thread, or just poetry discussion thread. I haven't read a lot of poetry but I've always been a fan of Czeslaw Milosz. Are there any good collections you guys could recommend? The Voice That Is Great Within Us: American Poetry of the Twentieth Century Absolutely a must-have poetry collection with an awesome assortment, mini-biographies on each poet, a great mix of big names and small names, and it's very easy to find. (I've seen it at every Barnes & Nobles I've been in.) Edit: If you don't mind ordering a used copy online, Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle is another great collection with an interesting setup. It's intended to be an introduction to poetry for all ages, so each "chapter" gets increasingly complex. It's an anthology, and it's very fun. I took it on a road trip with me, and my friend, who never reads in general (let alone poetry), picked it up, read five poems in a row and liked it. Double Edit: Blurred posted:Could anyone recommend any blogs that review / rip into bad books? Erin at Forever Young Adult did a pretty good job at drunk reviews of Flowers In The Attic that I really enjoyed. It's pretty funny and makes me never ever want to read those books. Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 16:36 on Dec 20, 2013 |
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Dec 20, 2013 16:10
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Could anyone recommend a non-fiction book about going "green?" Being environmentally conscious and aware, reusing more things, and like how it relates to lifestyle changes and maybe some numbers and such thrown in there too?
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Dec 20, 2013 18:19
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No Longer Flaky posted:Couldn't find a dedicated Poetry recommendation thread, or just poetry discussion thread. I haven't read a lot of poetry but I've always been a fan of Czeslaw Milosz. Are there any good collections you guys could recommend? It's not as much a collection of poetry as an autobiography written by a poet that descends into poetry with frequency (not metaphorically, he literally sprinkles poems in his storytelling), but "I Was Born There, I Was Born Here" by Mourid Barghouti is one of the more compelling things I've read in a long time. I think the preview for the Kindle includes a poem about coffee told during a stretch where they're crossing the desert in a taxi and it's probably one of my favourite poems I've ever read.
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Dec 20, 2013 19:12
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Dukket posted:I'm looking for books on Italy's various campaigns during WWII. Bumping this from the previous page
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Dec 20, 2013 19:29
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Dukket posted:Bumping this from the previous page Try the Military History thread in A/T: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3585027&goto=lastpost
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Dec 20, 2013 19:34
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dokmo posted:Try the Military History thread in A/T: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3585027&goto=lastpost Thanks - I feel dumb for not thinking of that myself.
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Dec 20, 2013 20:43
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Blurred posted:Could anyone recommend any blogs that review / rip into bad books? I've been a long-time fan of Fred Clark's take down of the Left Behind books (here) and have started reading through the reviews of the Goosebumps books at Blogger Beware, so anything along those lines would probably be appreciated. I'd like more of these, too. The Left Behind rip is a favorite. There's also Jenny Reads 50 Shades, Conjugal Felicity has a bunch, and of course The Goodkind Parodies though I've only skimmed them. Thinky Whale is also doing the Wild Cards series on this forum, if you haven't seen that.
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Dec 20, 2013 21:19
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Boris Galerkin posted:Could anyone recommend a non-fiction book about going "green?" Being environmentally conscious and aware, reusing more things, and like how it relates to lifestyle changes and maybe some numbers and such thrown in there too? Cradle to Cradle and The Upcycle from McDonough and Braungart.
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Dec 20, 2013 22:11
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Blurred posted:I'm currently about two thirds of the way through Essential Hinduism by Steven Rosen and so far I'm finding it a pretty interesting and lively introduction to the Hindu traditions. There isn't a lot in there about cosmology if that's what you're specifically interested in, but I think it's explained in the text that this is because cosmology has traditionally been quite marginal to Hinduism as a lived religion. If you want to read the Hindu texts directly (and there are a lot of them, which cumulatively run into very long lengths) the Bhagavad Gita seems like it's probably the best place to start, as it's largely a synthesis of all the traditions which preceded it. Thanks, put that on my list! I may start with that Bhagavad Gita then. If I look into other texts, do you know if there's a recommended translation? I'm certainly not averse to footnotes.
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Dec 20, 2013 22:54
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funkybottoms posted:Cradle to Cradle and The Upcycle from McDonough and Braungart. They're both reviewed pretty great on Amazon too, thanks!
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Dec 21, 2013 02:56
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Well I've seen Terminator and The Matrix but neither of them really go into the details of the machines taking over. That's to be expected though as novels are where you go when you want to really get into the fascinating How of these kinds of things. All in all movies like that left me craving something more substantive or philosophical or detailed about our creations turning on us. So could anyone recommend me some interesting sci-fi where a machine or machines in general gain sapience and start to move against their creators?
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Dec 21, 2013 07:47
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NikkolasKing posted:Well I've seen Terminator and The Matrix but neither of them really go into the details of the machines taking over. That's to be expected though as novels are where you go when you want to really get into the fascinating How of these kinds of things. All in all movies like that left me craving something more substantive or philosophical or detailed about our creations turning on us. For an alternate form of this kind of story that doesn't feature an antagonistic AI but is, in some ways, more sinister in its benevolence, you might read some of Asimov's "multivac" stories. Specifically, The Life and Times of Multivac and maybe All the Troubles of the World. His story The Evitable Conflict, set in his "robot" universe, may be even more relevant. The Foundation series also touches on this in the fifth book but to explain why and how would be a major spoiler.
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Dec 21, 2013 10:21
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regulargonzalez posted:For an alternate form of this kind of story that doesn't feature an antagonistic AI but is, in some ways, more sinister in its benevolence, you might read some of Asimov's "multivac" stories. Specifically, The Life and Times of Multivac and maybe All the Troubles of the World. His story The Evitable Conflict, set in his "robot" universe, may be even more relevant. The Foundation series also touches on this in the fifth book but to explain why and how would be a major spoiler. If you read these you have to read "The Last Question" because it's the perfect sci fi story.
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Dec 21, 2013 15:30
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What's a good intro to George Bernard Shaw's works? I've liked a lot of his quotes and I'd like to read some of his work.
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Dec 22, 2013 21:04
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Krakkles posted:What's a good intro to George Bernard Shaw's works? I've liked a lot of his quotes and I'd like to read some of his work. Pygmalion is probably his best-known work. Start there. If you like it, I'd recommend Arms and the Man or The Apple-Cart next. N.B. when you read his plays, be sure to read the prefaces. They tend to be long but are (mostly) worth it. The preface to The Apple-Cart is particularly great.
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Dec 23, 2013 02:39
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WastedJoker posted:Everyone who likes fantasy fiction should read The Red Knight by Miles Cameron. I read it 8 months ago and I'm still thinking about it. Thanks for posting, I got it on your recommendation and it's been enjoyable so far. The next book in the series is out on 1/16.
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Dec 23, 2013 19:43
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