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Errant Gin Monks posted:In light of Gabriel Garcia Marquez passing away today we should all reread a Marquez book, or if you never have, read One Hundred Years of Solitude for the first time. Thanks for the reminder. I rode my bike to the store right after I read this post and picked it up. I wrote on the first blank page: Purchased 4-17-14 R.I.P. G.G.M.
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Apr 17, 2014 23:59
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I'm pretty sure I'll just read 100 Years a fourth time.
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Apr 18, 2014 00:24
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Errant Gin Monks posted:In light of Gabriel Garcia Marquez passing away today we should all reread a Marquez book, or if you never have, read One Hundred Years of Solitude for the first time. I wish I could read 100 Years for the first time again. It was one of the few books I can remember wanting to immediately start over once I finished. It also includes probably my favorite line in any book ever: quote:"The world must be all hosed up," he said then, "when men travel first class and literature goes as freight." Since it's been a few years though, this seems like a perfect, if not poignant moment to pull it off the bookshelf again.
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Apr 18, 2014 01:47
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kuddles posted:As someone who stopped reading fiction for a long while, the last two books I read that I found incredibly enjoyable were Cloud Atlas and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Does anyone have a recommendation of books in a similar vein? (In other words, modern text meant to mimic another time period, and/or Fantasy/Sci-fi written as if it were non-fiction.) There's a book of short stories by Susannah Clarke set in the same world as Johnathan Strange. You could also try Lord Dunsany's fantasy, maybe Neil Gaiman's Stardust; Dunsany was writing in a deliberately archaic style and Stardust is Gaiman writing in the style of Dunsany. One of Dunsany's best short stories is here : http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/dun/swld/swld09.htm so check that out and see if you like the style. Lots of his stuff is out of copyright, so that's a plus too. Past that. . hrm. Maybe Howard Pyle's Merry Adventures of Robin Hood? It's not "fantasy" as such and was written in the early 1900's, but in a very deliberately archaic pseudo-elizabethan style. There's also Jo Walton's Tooth and Claw, which is basically a Jane Austen or Trollope novel where all the characters are dragons. Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Apr 18, 2014 |
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Apr 18, 2014 04:33
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kuddles posted:As someone who stopped reading fiction for a long while, the last two books I read that I found incredibly enjoyable were Cloud Atlas and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. Does anyone have a recommendation of books in a similar vein? (In other words, modern text meant to mimic another time period, and/or Fantasy/Sci-fi written as if it were non-fiction.)
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Apr 18, 2014 11:32
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So ever since I finished The Kingkiller Chronicles and am waiting for the next book are there any books similar to them that I could pick up. I loved how in depth the world was and how it actually felt like I was going through Kvothes life with him. Not to mention all the little clues along the way.
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Apr 18, 2014 18:17
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Moral posted:So ever since I finished The Kingkiller Chronicles and am waiting for the next book are there any books similar to them that I could pick up. I loved how in depth the world was and how it actually felt like I was going through Kvothes life with him. Not to mention all the little clues along the way. I guess Wheel of Time would be a pretty good fit, although it follows the pov of more characters. But for world building and a sense of exploring and discovering the world with the main character(s), it'd be tough to do better. And there are lots of "little clue" type things but they tend to be a bit more subtle than in Kingkiller Chronicles and, given the scope of the Wheel of Time series, often don't have a payoff for several books.
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Apr 18, 2014 18:38
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Moral posted:So ever since I finished The Kingkiller Chronicles and am waiting for the next book are there any books similar to them that I could pick up. I loved how in depth the world was and how it actually felt like I was going through Kvothes life with him. Not to mention all the little clues along the way. I enjoyed The Name of the Wind (haven't read the sequel yet), and my favorite author is Carol Berg. They hit some similar notes for me, character-driven with interesting worlds, and if you like clues, Berg's tend to be fantasy mysteries. I'd suggest her Lighthouse Duet first. (Her writing and characters also lack the weird gooniness that a lot of people complain about with Kingkiller.) Another duology I just read that I want to recommend to everyone who likes fantasy, and even people who don't: The Orphan's Tales by Catherynne M. Valente. Fascinating narrative structure, intricate worldbuilding, very unique and creative ideas for a setting that seems like it should feel like an unconnected mess but isn't and just goes to show how boring, narrow and samey most fantasy worlds really are. Relevant to you, since it's definitely a lot of picking up on details to get the full story, but everyone check it out.
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Apr 19, 2014 20:31
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I'd like to request a recommendation for a nonfiction book. I look through a bunch of the pages in the thread and did not see anyone addressing my specific inquiry. I just finished doing a lot of reading about Rome, and I'm now curious about the Early Medieval Period (Dark Ages) in general, primarily from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 until the crowning of Charlemagne. Could anyone recommend a good book for me to read on this subject? I'd like a book that takes a more moderate approach toward the Dark Ages. To clarify, I don't want a book the inaccurately portrays the time period as entirely worthless with the absence of Roman power, but I also do not want a book that is just trying to prove to me that everything was honky dory and probably better than things are now. I want an accurate portrayal somewhere in the middle!
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Apr 21, 2014 15:08
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I'm trying to make a hitlist of books on demonology. I'd prefer books in English with illustrations, but antiquated books of any language are welcome. So far I've checked out: Dictionnaire Infernal The Lesser Key of Solomon De praestigiis daemonum Pseudomonarchia Daemonum Malleus Maleficarum Compendium Maleficarum
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Apr 22, 2014 01:11
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I am looking for what I will call 'weird decadent/hedonistic horror'. I'm not looking for porn or Twilight, but something like Clive Barker who loves to mix sexuality in his horror.
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Apr 22, 2014 18:34
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nate fisher posted:I am looking for what I will call 'weird decadent/hedonistic horror'. I'm not looking for porn or Twilight, but something like Clive Barker who loves to mix sexuality in his horror. Hell House by Richard Matheson is pretty freaky.
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Apr 22, 2014 20:19
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I'm curious about bad meganovels. Huge, sprawling, erudite, ambitious, and bad. I ask because I've searched my memory and I can't come up with any. But they must be out there. There've got to be some monumental failures out there. Is it OK if I ask about this here, even if I'm not going to read what people come up with? It's still about finding books that match someone's description.  I just want to read a little synopsis about what the book is/how it was critically received.
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Apr 23, 2014 15:57
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Sir John Feelgood posted:I'm curious about bad meganovels. Huge, sprawling, erudite, ambitious, and bad. I'd got with The Passage, but a lot of people would disagree.
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Apr 23, 2014 17:00
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As much as I didn't enjoy the writing (or the reading) of Master and Commander, I really enjoyed the friendship that built up between Aubrey and Maturin. Now I'm looking for the exact fuckin' opposite. Any recommendations of books where two characters start as friends, and wind up essentially becoming each other's antagonists?
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Apr 23, 2014 17:00
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Whalley posted:As much as I didn't enjoy the writing (or the reading) of Master and Commander, I really enjoyed the friendship that built up between Aubrey and Maturin. Now I'm looking for the exact fuckin' opposite. The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay. Though in a way they're friends the entire time, just on opposite sides of a cultural divide that forces them apart and that they always know will force them apart. Also, there are more than just two central characters, so it's not a pure parallel.
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Apr 23, 2014 17:02
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Sir John Feelgood posted:I'm curious about bad meganovels. Huge, sprawling, erudite, ambitious, and bad. Maybe some of Michener's lesser known works? Depends on how bad is bad and how erudite you want it. I mean, something like Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth seems to fit: quote:The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel by Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in the town of Kingsbridge, England. It is set in the middle of the 12th century, primarily during the Anarchy, between the time of the sinking of the White Ship and the murder of Thomas Becket. The book traces the development of Gothic architecture out of the preceding Romanesque architecture, and the fortunes of the Kingsbridge priory and village against the backdrop of historical events of the time.[citation needed] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pillars_of_the_Earth The drat thing is unreadable because it's got so much gratuitous rape in it. If you're female in a Ken Follett novel, you better get yourself a steel reinforced chastity belt.
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Apr 23, 2014 17:05
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Hi guys, Been reading a lot about evil in Ancient Rome, Nero etc and enjoyed the Caligula comic book series, a horror story set in the time. Are there any books similar? Violent, degenerate etc?
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Apr 23, 2014 17:13
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silvercroc posted:Hi guys, Lots. Robert Grave's I, Claudius or Colleen McCullough's The First Man in Rome might be good places to start.
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Apr 23, 2014 17:16
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Lots. Robert Grave's I, Claudius or Colleen McCullough's The First Man in Rome might be good places to start. Fantastic, if you have any more I'd appreciate a list! Cheers mate!
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Apr 23, 2014 17:17
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silvercroc posted:Fantastic, if you have any more I'd appreciate a list! Cheers mate! Both of those have sequels but they're different authors with different takes; McCullough's book has like five or six sequels total. You could also try going back to the source material and reading something like Suetonius's Lives of the Twelve Caesars.
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Apr 23, 2014 17:20
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Both of those have sequels but they're different authors with different takes; McCullough's book has like five or six sequels total. You could also try going back to the source material and reading something like Suetonius's Lives of the Twelve Caesars. Thank you very much!
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Apr 23, 2014 17:21
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Maybe some of Michener's lesser known works? Depends on how bad is bad and how erudite you want it. Hah, I liked that book! I don't remember much raping going on but maybe I skimmed over those bits, it's been a long time since I read it. There was probably one scene for sure but the rapist gets his comeuppance so it's all good! I agree it easily fits under the "bad meganovels. Huge, sprawling, erudite, ambitious, and bad" description. It has all the stereotypical villains and idiots and isn't very well written. And it's REALLY LONG. But it's not completely bad. The thing that stays with me is the life of a village around a little church run by a fairly decent and enterprising monk, in the early 1000s, and the people who come and go during the long drawn out building of a cathedral. How all the religious higher ups were naturally corrupt evildoers. How the plebs drink beer all day because the water was undrinkable. How you could make a few dollars selling wool. How you can make giant arches in stone. How nobody knew anything about anything. How beautiful churches were funded & built. How if you were an evil son of rich landowners you become fat and disgusting and can act even more evil and get away with it because you bought favours with the king of the day... until the plot finally decides your time is up because it's getting near the end. It's really quite bad and fits everything that was requested. But it's pretty entertaining and was fun getting stuck in the old days for 5000 pages, filthy and rapey as it was. So yeah if someone has an actual good book from that time period please share (c. 1000 ad)
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Apr 23, 2014 18:36
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silvercroc posted:Hi guys, If you want to get it from the horse's mouth, Tacitus and Suetonius are great reads. If you want a more contemporary novel, I'm seconding I, Claudius and McCullough. Steven Saylor's written a couple of large novels and several mysteries set in Rome, they might be of interest, too.
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Apr 23, 2014 19:39
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art of spoonbending posted:
I remember really liking Sarum but it's been twenty five years at least since I read it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarum_(novel)
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Apr 23, 2014 19:45
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silvercroc posted:Hi guys, Mika Waltari's The Roman is told from the POV of a lifelong friend of Nero's who gets caught up in a lot of Nero's drama. I'm hazy on all the details 'cuz I read it a long time ago but I do remember really liking it. Caesar by Allan Massie is told from the POV of one of Caeser's assassin's and it does a good job of showing the different Roman mindset and the decadence and corruption that would lead to rulers like Caligula and Nero. Massie wrote three sequels to this too, covering Augustus, Tiberius and Caligula. I haven't had the chance to read them yet, but now that I'm reminded of them, I'm going to have to soon because Casar was a great book and seeing as I know less about the other three I'll probably enjoy them even more.
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Apr 23, 2014 20:34
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:I remember really liking Sarum but it's been twenty five years at least since I read it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarum_(novel) Thanks for this actually. My ancestors got kicked out of Salisbury for being too poor or on the wrong side of the civil war or whatever in the early 17th century and I've always been really captivated by the deep history that place has. Going to give this one a read. e. that interest drove me to read Cunliffe's Becoming Britain which I recommend to anyone interested in a history from the end of the ice age to the Battle of Stamford Bridge, roughly. I learned quite a bit and its a very engaging read. Bilirubin fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Apr 24, 2014 |
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Apr 24, 2014 20:36
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I think I might be ready to end my embargo on fantasy/sci fi I'm looking for fantasy that doesn't take place in or resemble medieval Europe or modern times. So no Harry Potter, no Game of Thrones. I'm particularly interested with something like WWI or WWII with a fantasy twist. E: To clarify, it doesn't have to be the WWI or WWII, just a similar setting or idea. bowser fucked around with this message at 04:31 on Apr 25, 2014 |
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Apr 25, 2014 01:43
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bowser posted:I think I might be ready to end my embargo on fantasy/sci fi I'm looking for fantasy that doesn't take place in or resemble medieval Europe or modern times. So no Harry Potter, no Game of Thrones. Ian Tregillis's Bitter Seeds is an alternate history type book where the Nazis experimented on orphans to give them superpowers and send them on covert missions. The English counteract this by recruiting Golden Dawn/Alasteir Crowley-like wizards that can tap into dark, evil forces. It was pretty good and not nearly as cheesy as my description would make it seem. The Shadows of the Apt series by Adrian Tchaikovsky is fantasy in a setting that has a bunch of different bug types of peoples who're experiencing a sort of industrial revolution and world war at the same time with the wasp Nazi analogues trying to conquer everyone.
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Apr 25, 2014 04:24
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Ok, I feel like if I read another genre lit book I won't be able to pick up my kindle again for at least a year. So save me from the hole of sci-fi/fantasy i have gotten myself into. The last fiction I read was Infinite Jest and I loved it, but I felt that it would be too hard to get into another tome of that type for a while. A while has passed so now I'm looking for some good fiction to get my mind off of the last 10 bad books I've read. I'm thinking of reading Gravity's Rainbow and I know its highly recommended, are there any other books I should read before this since it will take up at least a month's worth of reading? I've already read all of Vonnegut, Catch-22, and a lot of Keasey. So basically barring a recommendation I'm going to pull the trigger on a Pynchon book and say goodbye to the next month of productivity.
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Apr 25, 2014 19:16
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Maybe some of Michener's lesser known works? Depends on how bad is bad and how erudite you want it. This is funny because I just starting reading this book recently and got to the first rape scene this morning. People who complain about George R. R. Martin should try getting through the 2 page graphic rape of a woman in front of her brother. I skipped it.
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Apr 25, 2014 19:22
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Locker Room Zubaz posted:Ok, I feel like if I read another genre lit book I won't be able to pick up my kindle again for at least a year. So save me from the hole of sci-fi/fantasy i have gotten myself into. The last fiction I read was Infinite Jest and I loved it, but I felt that it would be too hard to get into another tome of that type for a while. A while has passed so now I'm looking for some good fiction to get my mind off of the last 10 bad books I've read. I'm thinking of reading Gravity's Rainbow and I know its highly recommended, are there any other books I should read before this since it will take up at least a month's worth of reading? I've already read all of Vonnegut, Catch-22, and a lot of Keasey. So basically barring a recommendation I'm going to pull the trigger on a Pynchon book and say goodbye to the next month of productivity. My go-to recommendations for someone looking for "something good" to read are The Magus by John Fowles (not fantasy, despite the name) and The Idiot by Dostoevsky. I can thoroughly recommend the Project Gutenberg version, the translation is excellent, just the right flavor. Both of these books had me enthralled, though The Magus is just a bit slow to start (but by the time the plot kicks in, you will not be able to put the book down).
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Apr 25, 2014 23:07
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Locker Room Zubaz posted:Ok, I feel like if I read another genre lit book I won't be able to pick up my kindle again for at least a year. So save me from the hole of sci-fi/fantasy i have gotten myself into. The last fiction I read was Infinite Jest and I loved it, but I felt that it would be too hard to get into another tome of that type for a while. A while has passed so now I'm looking for some good fiction to get my mind off of the last 10 bad books I've read. I'm thinking of reading Gravity's Rainbow and I know its highly recommended, are there any other books I should read before this since it will take up at least a month's worth of reading? I've already read all of Vonnegut, Catch-22, and a lot of Keasey. So basically barring a recommendation I'm going to pull the trigger on a Pynchon book and say goodbye to the next month of productivity. Just read Pynchon, there is no reason to put it off.
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Apr 26, 2014 00:07
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Locker Room Zubaz posted:Ok, I feel like if I read another genre lit book I won't be able to pick up my kindle again for at least a year. So save me from the hole of sci-fi/fantasy i have gotten myself into. The last fiction I read was Infinite Jest and I loved it, but I felt that it would be too hard to get into another tome of that type for a while. A while has passed so now I'm looking for some good fiction to get my mind off of the last 10 bad books I've read. I'm thinking of reading Gravity's Rainbow and I know its highly recommended, are there any other books I should read before this since it will take up at least a month's worth of reading? I've already read all of Vonnegut, Catch-22, and a lot of Keasey. So basically barring a recommendation I'm going to pull the trigger on a Pynchon book and say goodbye to the next month of productivity. Read the good book!!!!
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Apr 26, 2014 00:47
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bowser posted:I think I might be ready to end my embargo on fantasy/sci fi I'm looking for fantasy that doesn't take place in or resemble medieval Europe or modern times. So no Harry Potter, no Game of Thrones. Michael Moorcocks The Warlord of the Air and The Land Leviathan should fit your request almost perfectly.
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Apr 26, 2014 03:30
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CestMoi posted:Read the good book!!!! the greatest story ever told!!
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Apr 26, 2014 04:17
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Locker Room Zubaz posted:Ok, I feel like if I read another genre lit book I won't be able to pick up my kindle again for at least a year. So save me from the hole of sci-fi/fantasy i have gotten myself into. The last fiction I read was Infinite Jest and I loved it, but I felt that it would be too hard to get into another tome of that type for a while. A while has passed so now I'm looking for some good fiction to get my mind off of the last 10 bad books I've read. I'm thinking of reading Gravity's Rainbow and I know its highly recommended, are there any other books I should read before this since it will take up at least a month's worth of reading? I've already read all of Vonnegut, Catch-22, and a lot of Keasey. So basically barring a recommendation I'm going to pull the trigger on a Pynchon book and say goodbye to the next month of productivity. Pynchon rules, but don't overlook Mason & Dixon, which I thought was a lot easier to follow than Gravity's Rainbow.
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Apr 26, 2014 20:42
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bowser posted:I think I might be ready to end my embargo on fantasy/sci fi I'm looking for fantasy that doesn't take place in or resemble medieval Europe or modern times. So no Harry Potter, no Game of Thrones. Not much about WW I or WW II, although there are some books, but either I haven't read them or they are too much YA to fit the bill (Scott Westerfeld's series). However, Fantasy books that aren't Urban Fantasy or faux-Medieval Europe: It's not an easy book to get into, but Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke might fit the bill - it's Regency Britain with some magic. Monarchies of God (book 1, book 2) - basically a Fantasy world at around the 15th-16th century. All the books by Guy Gavriel Kay (sans Fionavar Tapestry), which is a Fantasy version of our world's history with some very, very slight magic thrown in. Tim Power's Declare, which is basically Cold War with Djinns as weapons (and some flashbacks to WW II).
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Apr 28, 2014 08:22
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I'd like some recommendations please: Can I find something with the lighthearted wit and funny one liners of Wodehouse, but without the consistent casual racism? That'd be great. Also, I really like sci-fi with a crime twist - detectives in the future type stuff. I recently read a short story by Ron Goulart called "Into the Shop" that is exactly the sort of thing I mean, if anyone's familiar with it.
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Apr 28, 2014 12:22
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Pulling Teeth posted:I'd like some recommendations please: 1. Saki's Clovis stories are hilarious in a similar way to Wodehouse's Jeeves stories. Incredibly witty and so, so British. e: For an exceptional yet representative sample, download Beasts and Super-beasts from Project Gutenberg and read "Clovis on Parental Responsibilities". This should let you know straight away if it's what you're looking for. 2. Haven't read the one you mention but have you read The Demolished Man? Also, a lot of Philip K. Dick's works apply. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly regulargonzalez fucked around with this message at 18:40 on Apr 28, 2014 |
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Apr 28, 2014 15:57
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