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Furious Lobster posted:C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters comes to mind. I read this and thought it was great. Lewis does a great job presenting the concept of sin and temptation from the other side, almost giving you the feeling that the conversations between the demons Screwtape and Wormwood could actually be occuring inside your head as well. It definitely forced me further out of my comfort zone than any other philosophical/religious book has before. Definitely a recommended read! DreadNite fucked around with this message at 03:58 on Feb 25, 2014 |
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Feb 25, 2014 03:03
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I like big retrospective anthologies of genre short fiction, such as Modern Classics of Science Fiction and Modern Classics of Fantasy, both edited by Gardner Dozois. I just ordered a copy of The Science Fiction Century and my library has all sorts of interesting sci-fi anthologies like Beyond Afrofuturism, which I'm totally gonna check out, but I want more fantasy. Is there another huge fantasy collection like the Modern Classics book? Not the annual anthologies of current stories, which are everywhere, but collections that go several decades deep, or maybe something like a hypothetical "best fantasy of the 1970s/1980s/1990s/2000s" sort of thing. (I'm already aware of F&SF's various anniversary collections, too, just to make this harder for everybody.) Any suggestions?
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Feb 26, 2014 16:37
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Time Cowboy posted:I like big retrospective anthologies of genre short fiction, such as Modern Classics of Science Fiction and Modern Classics of Fantasy, both edited by Gardner Dozois. I just ordered a copy of The Science Fiction Century and my library has all sorts of interesting sci-fi anthologies like Beyond Afrofuturism, which I'm totally gonna check out, but I want more fantasy. Is there another huge fantasy collection like the Modern Classics book? Not the annual anthologies of current stories, which are everywhere, but collections that go several decades deep, or maybe something like a hypothetical "best fantasy of the 1970s/1980s/1990s/2000s" sort of thing. (I'm already aware of F&SF's various anniversary collections, too, just to make this harder for everybody.) Any suggestions? The long-term collections I recommend to people you've probably already gotten -- The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vols 1, 2a, and 2b, edited by Robert Silverberg. They cover SF before the Hugo Awards. Tor.com also has a (free?) anthology of the past five year's worth of stories published on the tor.com website, but I'm not sure if it's still available ( here maybe? http://www.tor.com/five-years-of-tordotcom-stories/register ).
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Feb 26, 2014 16:48
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:The long-term collections I recommend to people you've probably already gotten -- The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vols 1, 2a, and 2b, edited by Robert Silverberg. They cover SF before the Hugo Awards. I haven't actually gotten to those yet. Thanks! They sound outstanding, and I'll add them to my to-read list, but I was hoping for more fantasy.
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Feb 26, 2014 17:13
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Time Cowboy posted:I haven't actually gotten to those yet. Thanks! They sound outstanding, and I'll add them to my to-read list, but I was hoping for more fantasy. Hrm, how about this? http://www.amazon.com/Bakers-Dozen-Short-Fantasy-Novels/dp/051744500X Again, older stuff. I read a lot of anthologies when I was younger but I haven't kept up-to-date on the short stuff.
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Feb 26, 2014 17:20
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Hrm, how about this? Not exactly what I'm looking for, but it could be interesting. Thanks!
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Feb 27, 2014 21:20
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I've done extensive googling before asking this because I didn't want to ask a question I could answer myself, but search engine algorithms can only do so much. Anyways, I'm writing a novel (my first) about a mildly dysfunctional family on a family vacation in Florida. I really want to read some other books about family vacations, but I'm having a hard time finding anything that's supposed to be decent. Preferably something where all the kids are 18 and under. If it's a debut, that's even better. Anybody know of anything that comes close to this? I'm reading DeLillo's White Noise, which is somewhat related and one of the best books I've ever read.
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Feb 27, 2014 23:25
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blue squares posted:I've done extensive googling before asking this because I didn't want to ask a question I could answer myself, but search engine algorithms can only do so much. Anyways,
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Feb 28, 2014 03:30
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DirtyRobot posted:Have you read The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen? It's definitely in the ballpark of what you're looking for. Yeah, I should have mentioned I've read both of Franzen's last two novels.
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Feb 28, 2014 06:54
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Books about cults, preferably well-written?
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Feb 28, 2014 09:06
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Evelyn Nesbit posted:Books about cults, preferably well-written? Lawrence Wright's Going Clear. It's recent, tremendously well researched and interesting. It deals with Scientology as a cult, its relation with Hollywood as well as Hubbard's personal life.
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Feb 28, 2014 18:24
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mcustic posted:Lawrence Wright's Going Clear. It's recent, tremendously well researched and interesting. It deals with Scientology as a cult, its relation with Hollywood as well as Hubbard's personal life. I guess I probably ought to have mentioned which ones I've already read, huh? I'm looking for things along the line of Going Clear or Under the Banner of Heaven, which is about the FLDS church. I read Jenna Miscavige Hill's memoir as well, but memoirs are not so much what I'm looking for, at least in terms of quality.
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Feb 28, 2014 18:47
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Looking for books that examine murder and/or crime in small towns or rural areas. Preferably with some aspect of mystery. I'm specifically thinking of something like the tv show Broachurch.
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Mar 3, 2014 03:55
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bowser posted:Looking for books that examine murder and/or crime in small towns or rural areas. Preferably with some aspect of mystery. I'm specifically thinking of something like the tv show Broachurch. Tana French has a few set in various Irish towns where the community ties matter a bunch. Recommend reading them in publication order, because the characters sort of progress.
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Mar 3, 2014 05:06
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Don't forget John Grisham. That's kind of his thing. He isn't a super-skilled writer but he is a very gifted storyteller and he keeps the pages turning.
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Mar 3, 2014 05:22
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Can anyone recommend me a non-fiction book about the Nazi interest and practice of the occult? I've always heard that Hitler was interested in the supernatural as a military weapon, so any books that explore that would be awesome. I don't care if it's a dense, fully-researched textbook-style, or if it's a light read, as long as it's something that goes into the why they looked into the dark arts, and how.
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Mar 6, 2014 15:29
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Franchescanado posted:Can anyone recommend me a non-fiction book about the Nazi interest and practice of the occult? I've always heard that Hitler was interested in the supernatural as a military weapon, so any books that explore that would be awesome. I don't care if it's a dense, fully-researched textbook-style, or if it's a light read, as long as it's something that goes into the why they looked into the dark arts, and how. It was Himmler, not Hitler, who was most heavily into occult stuff. The go-to book is The Occult Roots of Nazism: Secret Aryan Cults and Their Influence on Nazi Ideology: The Ariosophists of Austria and Germany, 1890-1935 by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke. It's fairly dry and academic however—I liked this aspect of the book, since the topic is so tawdry and attractive to lunatics. I was going to suggest some other, less serious book, but they are all unreliable.
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Mar 6, 2014 15:41
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I'm a huge fan of the Matthew Scudder series by Lawrence Block. I've read all of the "drunk" Scudder books and the better "sober" ones. I love the narrative and the incredibly dark criminals that he deals with. I'm looking for something, Noir or otherwise, similar to this. I've also loved everything that I've read of Jim Thompson so any recommendations along his lines, or both, would be appreciated.
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Mar 8, 2014 04:38
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SylvainMustach posted:I'm a huge fan of the Matthew Scudder series by Lawrence Block. I've read all of the "drunk" Scudder books and the better "sober" ones. I love the narrative and the incredibly dark criminals that he deals with. I'm looking for something, Noir or otherwise, similar to this. Block would probably tell you to start with Ed McBain's 87th Precinct series, a huge influence—these are more police procedural than the Scudder books, but capture a lot of the same New York noir feeling. Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch books are also procedurals, but most of them have the same brooding as the drunk Scudder books. Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor also spends more time fighting inner demons than bad guys—very well written, set in Ireland for added exoticism.
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Mar 8, 2014 04:58
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Recommend me THE post apocalyptic novel to read. From the top of my head, I have read: The Road Fahrenheit 451 Atlas Shrugged Cell (Stephen King)
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Mar 9, 2014 08:47
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Can of Cloud posted:Recommend me THE post apocalyptic novel to read. Blindness or Cat's Cradle (although this book has at least two glaring sciencey errors that come close to ruining it for me)
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Mar 9, 2014 08:56
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Can of Cloud posted:Recommend me THE post apocalyptic novel to read. A Canticle for Leibowitz On the Beach
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Mar 9, 2014 09:03
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regulargonzalez posted:Cat's Cradle (although this book has at least two glaring sciencey errors that come close to ruining it for me) I'm actually curious now, could you elaborate on the errors? Besides none of the 15 phases of ice acting like ice-9 (which is still more plausible than most science fiction invented stuff) I can't recall any sciencey inaccuracies, but I haven't read the book in a long time. Either way, I would recommend Nineteen Eighty-Four because it is easily the most influential post apocalyptic novel around and an absolute classic. It's also extremely good and aged well.
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Mar 9, 2014 11:30
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Walh Hara posted:Either way, I would recommend Nineteen Eighty-Four because it is easily the most influential post apocalyptic novel around and an absolute classic. It's also extremely good and aged well. 1984 is dystopian, not post-apocalyptic.
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Mar 9, 2014 11:41
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Can of Cloud posted:Recommend me THE post apocalyptic novel to read. Earth Abides is my number one pick. Alas, Babylon, World War Z, The Penultimate Truth, and Wool are good ones that haven't been mentioned.
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Mar 9, 2014 13:13
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Walh Hara posted:I'm actually curious now, could you elaborate on the errors? Besides none of the 15 phases of ice acting like ice-9 (which is still more plausible than most science fiction invented stuff) I can't recall any sciencey inaccuracies, but I haven't read the book in a long time. Ants using their massed "body heat" to melt Ice 9 People can touch Ice 9 with their fingers safely because apparently skin has no moisture in it
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Mar 9, 2014 13:49
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regulargonzalez posted:Ants using their massed "body heat" to melt Ice 9 The first one works fine, ants still give off heat even if they aren't warm blooded. The second one isn't scientifically accurate but who cares, the book is well written and funny and good!
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Mar 9, 2014 14:33
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Can of Cloud posted:Recommend me THE post apocalyptic novel to read. There's a whole thread on Post-Apocalyptic novels, which might be useful. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3524363 I'm currently reading Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky which is an interesting take on it. (I didn't realise that it was a video game until later, same with Roadside Picnic/STALKER)
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Mar 9, 2014 14:52
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CestMoi posted:The first one works fine, ants still give off heat even if they aren't warm blooded. The second one isn't scientifically accurate but who cares, the book is well written and funny and good!
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Mar 9, 2014 15:03
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Can of Cloud posted:Recommend me THE post apocalyptic novel to read. The Stand by Stephen King (uncut is good, but you can enjoy the original, which some prefer) .
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Mar 9, 2014 15:04
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The Stand is one of my favorite books ever. On The Beach was so disappointing.
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Mar 9, 2014 15:20
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quote:1984 is dystopian, not post-apocalyptic. You're right, my mistake. regulargonzalez posted:Ants using their massed "body heat" to melt Ice 9 Oh, yeah ice-9 works in a bit irregular ways. It apparantly can't go through membranes like the skin and doesn't cause humans to explode despite ice expanding, yet still makes humans freeze (maybe it just freezes the bloodstream?). It's a bit weird to me that this almost spoiled the book to you, since it's in my opinion still a tolerate amount of scientific liberty Vonnegut took. It's nowhere as "oh my god, this makes no sence scientifically" as FTL travel or time travel. I'd have to reread the book since I don't recall the ant behavior. Regardless, it's indeed a very good book.
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Mar 9, 2014 15:24
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I just recently read The Dark Tower series and The Expansion series by James SA Corey. I was hoping you guys could recommend something with similar feel, a sci fi or fantasy that feels adventurey.
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Mar 9, 2014 18:46
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Can anyone suggest a good light-hearted grand adventure type story? Something along the lines of The Princess Bride, I'd think. Or something you might envision Errol Flynn starring in.
Wendell fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Mar 9, 2014 |
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Mar 9, 2014 18:49
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Wendell posted:Can anyone suggest a good light-hearted grand adventure type story? Something along the lines of The Princess Bride, I'd think. Or something you might envision Errol Flynn starring in. I don't know if it's quite lighthearted enough, but you might try The Scarlet Pimpernel (available free from Project Gutenberg). Anyone reading it can't help but imagine Errol Flynn as the Pimpernel imo
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Mar 9, 2014 19:21
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Wendell posted:Can anyone suggest a good light-hearted grand adventure type story? Something along the lines of The Princess Bride, I'd think. Or something you might envision Errol Flynn starring in. Why not try the books that Errol Flynn's movies were based on? I'd suggest starting with The Curse of Capistrano, which you might know better by its alternate title, The Mark of Zorro; it's the first Zorro book and my guess is it's exactly what you're looking for. If you want something a little longer, maybe try Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (look for a version with Pyle's illustrations).
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Mar 9, 2014 20:02
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Wendell posted:Can anyone suggest a good light-hearted grand adventure type story? Something along the lines of The Princess Bride, I'd think. Or something you might envision Errol Flynn starring in. Try Captain Blood (Rafael Sabatini). Pirates! Arrrr. Free on Project Gutenberg
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Mar 9, 2014 20:19
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Thank you all! Gotta love the price on all these suggestions so I'm grabbing them all for sure, and I've now started The Curse of Capistrano (free on Goodreads!) since I used to watch the 1990 Zorro series as a kid.
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Mar 9, 2014 22:13
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I'm looking for some stuff that would be good for a 11 year old boy who enjoys fantasy stuff. It would be something I read out loud to him, so difficulty isn't an issue. I just don't want anything overly dark/violent or sex stuff. His mom reads LOTR to him, so I guess that would be a good baseline.
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Mar 10, 2014 05:13
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Yay Pudding! posted:I'm looking for some stuff that would be good for a 11 year old boy who enjoys fantasy stuff. It would be something I read out loud to him, so difficulty isn't an issue. I just don't want anything overly dark/violent or sex stuff. His mom reads LOTR to him, so I guess that would be a good baseline. Tried the Princess Bride? It was a book before it was a movie!
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Mar 10, 2014 05:37
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