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Does she have a Kindle? It's a great tool for something like that cuz they got the built-in dictionaries that will display a word's definition without having to flip to another page or look in a separate book. As for book recommendations, what is she into? I think she doesn't read much from reading your post, but what types or movies or TV shows does she like? Something in the same vein would probably be the best for getting her into reading.
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Nov 14, 2014 19:31
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Centripetal Horse posted:I'd like some books to help a friend of mine build her vocabulary, and to help get her more interested in reading. This person is a little shy of fifty. She is not unintelligent by any stretch, but she's had a kind of lovely life with very little exposure to literature or culture beyond a high-school education. I think she will attempt to read almost anything if I promise to read it, too. I don't want anything seriously dense, but I want it to hold some challenge for a person like the one I described. P.G. Wodehouse, Robertson Davies, the essays of George Orwell...
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Nov 14, 2014 23:53
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I don't know if this is the best place to ask this, but what's the best translation of Gargantua and Pantagruel that's easily available? Opinion seems to waver between Screech and Cohen on Amazon.
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Nov 15, 2014 03:48
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Centripetal Horse posted:I'd like some books to help a friend of mine build her vocabulary, and to help get her more interested in reading. This person is a little shy of fifty. She is not unintelligent by any stretch, but she's had a kind of lovely life with very little exposure to literature or culture beyond a high-school education. I think she will attempt to read almost anything if I promise to read it, too. I don't want anything seriously dense, but I want it to hold some challenge for a person like the one I described. edit: Honestly, if you guys are friends, then you know her way better than we do, and there's probably no way you can transfer to us via a list of Interests that sense you have for what she's into. I know that my friends have never explicitly told me what sort of things they like, and yet by knowing them and their opinions and values and seeing how they react to various books/movies/shows I'm confident I can match a book to their taste. Furthermore, I get the sense you want to her read a "canonized work of literary culture," but I would stress that it's way more important that you recommend something she'll be genuinely interested in. This could be a glorious work of literature, or it could not. Just make sure you're thinking of who she is rather than who you would like her to be. Sir John Feelgood fucked around with this message at 23:35 on Nov 15, 2014 |
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Nov 15, 2014 23:18
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savinhill posted:Does she have a Kindle? It's a great tool for something like that cuz they got the built-in dictionaries that will display a word's definition without having to flip to another page or look in a separate book. She doesn't have any electronic devices for book reading. These'll have to be paper. She reads all kinds of magazines and such, but no books, really. She likes comedies, as do I. Something with a lot of humor would probably be a good start. Wodehouse, as someone suggested, may be a fit. I'll have to re-read some of it and see how it feels. Sir John Feelgood posted:edit: Honestly, if you guys are friends, then you know her way better than we do, and there's probably no way you can transfer to us via a list of Interests that sense you have for what she's into. I know that my friends have never explicitly told me what sort of things they like, and yet by knowing them and their opinions and values and seeing how they react to various books/movies/shows I'm confident I can match a book to their taste. Sure, I know her better than strangers on the internet do, but the collective literary knowledge of strangers on the internet far exceeds my own. The collective experience of strangers on the internet also far exceeds my own. It seems entirely possible that someone will read my post and say, "I knew someone in that situation, and here are some stories I introduced her to." Like I said, I think she will at least take a shot at reading anything I recommend. If she doesn't like it, I will be perfectly happy to move on to another work. Sir John Feelgood posted:Furthermore, I get the sense you want to her read a "canonized work of literary culture," but I would stress that it's way more important that you recommend something she'll be genuinely interested in. This could be a glorious work of literature, or it could not. Just make sure you're thinking of who she is rather than who you would like her to be. No, that is completely wrong. I have no interest, whatsoever, in forcing her to re-live high school English. I do not care if we read classics together, but I want something with more educational value than dime store romance novels or tabloid newspapers. I do not care to make her "well read," or to force her to deconstruct dense Russian tomes. I like her just exactly the way she is, and I do not want her to be anyone else. Her limited vocabulary and narrow areas of knowledge have not been good for her. There are a lot of lovely things in her life that I cannot do anything about, but this is something I feel I can help her with. I am not confident in my ability to judge what constitutes a moderate level of challenge while being accessible, so I am asking for advice.
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Nov 16, 2014 03:15
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The funniest book I've read in awhile was The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero, you should read that with her. It's also the type of book that hooks you right in from the beginning, so it'd be good for someone just getting back into reading.
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Nov 16, 2014 03:39
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Centripetal Horse posted:I like her just exactly the way she is, and I do not want her to be anyone else. Her limited vocabulary and narrow areas of knowledge have not been good for her. There are a lot of lovely things in her life that I cannot do anything about, but this is something I feel I can help her with. I am not confident in my ability to judge what constitutes a moderate level of challenge while being accessible, so I am asking for advice. Would she be down with some of the recent, popular YA stuff? They are generally plot-based and readable with no need to deconstruct deep themes in order to get enjoyment from the work. If she likes action/adventure, there's stuff like Graceling or The Hunger Games, John Green for drama, etc, etc. Lots of adults read this stuff, too, so she shouldn't be pissed or embarrassed with the suggestions.
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Nov 16, 2014 03:42
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OK, but it's still hard to recommend anything without knowing anything about her interests. Right now you're pretty much just asking for "a book an adult who's finished high school can read." Lots of books fit that description. That's why I suggested you're the best person to make the selection. You know her best. Maybe you guys should go to the book store and browse. It's hard to predict what sort of thing will entice a person. And if you're a reader, and if you guys are friends and you enjoy things together, why don't you just give her a favorite book of yours? People do make a habit of making lists of 'entry-level literature,' but I would recommend sampling the first few pages of books in a book store to see what interests you rather than taking the books prescribed on those lists, which as it happens do resemble high-school English syllabuses.
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Nov 16, 2014 03:43
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Sir John Feelgood posted:OK, but it's still hard to recommend anything without knowing anything about her interests. Right now you're pretty much just asking for "a book an adult who's finished high school can read." He gave you one of her interests: Centripetal Horse posted:She likes comedies, as do I. Something with a lot of humor would probably be a good start.
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Nov 16, 2014 04:41
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Centripetal Horse posted:She reads all kinds of magazines and such, but no books, really. She likes comedies, as do I. Something with a lot of humor would probably be a good start. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Funny, easy to read and get into, some new vocab from Britishisms and such.
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Nov 16, 2014 05:22
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Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? Three Men in a Boat? Any of Wodehouse's Jeeves books The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore (Christmas themed!) Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
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Nov 16, 2014 05:24
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I was gonna say Christopher Moore too. Terry Pratchett's another option.
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Nov 16, 2014 06:20
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My favorite comedy book is David Langford's The Leaky Establishment, but that may not be to everyone's tastes. It's rather... British.
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Nov 16, 2014 14:03
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Anyone have any non-fiction suggestions about The Order of the Golden Dawn? A history would be good, but I'm largely interested in the modern practices of the...cult?
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Nov 16, 2014 16:58
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So I just finished Ready Player One and I guess I liked it - most of it was enjoyable. Is there anything anyone can recommend in that sort of cyberpunk genre that would be a good fit? I liked the optimistic tone of the novel, and would prefer something with that bent, but perhaps a little less silly in parts. I hear I need to read Neuromancer to really get a grip on the cyberpunk genre though? IF anyone else can recommend anything that'd be great!
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Nov 17, 2014 01:34
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Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson. Got a great swagger about it amazing world building and really fun characters with humor that really clicks. My personal favorite cyberpunk novel and one that laid the foundation of the more "fun" cyberpunk
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Nov 17, 2014 02:17
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CelestialScribe posted:So I just finished Ready Player One and I guess I liked it - most of it was enjoyable. Matt Ruff's Sewer, Gas, and Electric perhaps. You might also enjoy Charles Stross's Accelerando, although that's less cyberpunk and more transhumanism.
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Nov 17, 2014 03:43
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Akarshi posted:Any books about finance/the economy I can read? I don't know anything about finance (like at all, what even is a 'long' or a 'short') so I'm interested in reading both introductory finance-y books and books about the history of Wall Street or recent financial problems and stuff like that. I'm currently reading Too Big To Fail by Sorkin, which I find interesting so far even though some of the stuff goes over my head (I suspect that I should have gone into the book with a little more knowledge about the 2008 financial crisis/Bear Stearns/Lehman Bros). Liars Poker for a story and some background, distressed debt analysis or the little book that still beats the market (which is also cheaper and more accessible, if a bit simplified) if you want to really see how financial analysis works. For serious introductory stuff, maybe try an online course?
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Nov 17, 2014 04:38
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CelestialScribe posted:So I just finished Ready Player One and I guess I liked it - most of it was enjoyable. Daemon by Suarez is a good fit here. Request: I'm about to wrap up Racing the Beam, and want to find more that's like it: interesting narrative with lots of technical detail. Soul of a New Machine was great in this vein too.
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Nov 17, 2014 04:41
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Can anyone recommend any fiction books that deal with political treachery, plots, trickery and the like? I'm a school teacher and I've just been teaching Machiavelli's The Prince and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and it has left me wanting more. I've read ASoIaF and am happy to read more fantasy or something very much set in the real world.
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Nov 17, 2014 06:42
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Akarshi posted:Any books about finance/the economy I can read? I don't know anything about finance (like at all, what even is a 'long' or a 'short') so I'm interested in reading both introductory finance-y books and books about the history of Wall Street or recent financial problems and stuff like that. I'm currently reading Too Big To Fail by Sorkin, which I find interesting so far even though some of the stuff goes over my head (I suspect that I should have gone into the book with a little more knowledge about the 2008 financial crisis/Bear Stearns/Lehman Bros). BFC has some book recommendations for business and finance in their Q/A thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2892928 (bottom of the OP)
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Nov 17, 2014 07:31
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LionYeti posted:Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson. Got a great swagger about it amazing world building and really fun characters with humor that really clicks. My personal favorite cyberpunk novel and one that laid the foundation of the more "fun" cyberpunk The Diamond Age as well, by the same author. Slightly more scifi with the technology involved, but IMO the best book he's written.
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Nov 17, 2014 14:14
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Invisible Ted posted:Anyone have any non-fiction suggestions about The Order of the Golden Dawn? A history would be good, but I'm largely interested in the modern practices of the...cult? Israel Regardie's book is sort of the standard text. If you are looking to get into the practices thereof, but want non-fiction...heh. Dion Fortune's works are pretty accessible but dated. More recent work of currently practicing occultists I recommend are by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki, Alan Richardson, and Gareth Knight. This book, the Forgotten Mage, has both histories and some insight into the philosophy of modern occultists. Centripetal Horse posted:She likes comedies, as do I. Something with a lot of humor would probably be a good start. Its been a number of years, but I remember pissing myself laughing over Donald Westlake's Dancing Aztecs. Its a story of a heist attempted by a bunch of incompetents. Bilirubin fucked around with this message at 19:16 on Nov 17, 2014 |
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Nov 17, 2014 19:12
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Looking for comedy fiction. Read some Terry pratchet, looking for something slightly less dry.
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Nov 17, 2014 23:24
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elgarbo posted:Can anyone recommend any fiction books that deal with political treachery, plots, trickery and the like? I'm a school teacher and I've just been teaching Machiavelli's The Prince and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and it has left me wanting more. I've read ASoIaF and am happy to read more fantasy or something very much set in the real world. James Ellroy's Underworld USA Trilogy are great books set in the real world with all that type of stuff. Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy and Frank Herbert's Dune are both science fiction that are good for this. Allan Massie's Emperors and Collen McCullough's Masters of Rome are two great options for Ancient Rome historical fiction series like this. Some fantasy I can think of that has what you're looking for: any of Guy Gavriel Kay's stand alone novels, Lois McMaster Bujold's Curse of Chalion, R Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing and Aspect Emperor, KJ Parker's Engineer trilogy, Daniel Abraham's Long Price series, Michelle West's Sun Sword series, Steven Erikson's Malazan series
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Nov 18, 2014 03:28
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elgarbo posted:Can anyone recommend any fiction books that deal with political treachery, plots, trickery and the like? I'm a school teacher and I've just been teaching Machiavelli's The Prince and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and it has left me wanting more. I've read ASoIaF and am happy to read more fantasy or something very much set in the real world. I assume you've read Animal Farm at some point. Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men would fit. It blurs the line between fiction and non-fiction, but Robert Graves' I, Claudius and Claudius the God.
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Nov 18, 2014 04:18
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I have 2 requests! 1: I'd like a recommendation for a good (audio book) memoir from a cool, interesting, funny person. I am almost finished with Yes, Please by Amy Poehler and I'm finding it very enjoyable. Listening to an audio book is easier for me to squeeze in during my commute and while I'm putting my toddler to bed (a long process these days). I also enjoy hearing people's stories in their own voices. I have read and enjoyed Bossypants by Tina Fey and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling and enjoyed both. I am not interested in reading Lena Dunham's book after hearing about the weird sexual assault of her little sister. And I've heard the Chelsea Handler books are mediocre. 2: I don't know what this says about me, but I recently marathoned through the first season of The 100 -- the TV show adapted from books by Kass Morgan. From what I understand, the books aren't worth reading and the TV show itself is problematic but I'm a sucker for sci-fi dystopians. Anything along these lines? Kind of a mash up of Battlestar Gallactica, Lost, The Hunger Games. I would probably also get this on Audible. Thanks in advance.
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Nov 19, 2014 02:46
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#2 - Left Behind
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Nov 19, 2014 03:13
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frenchnewwave posted:
Not so much a memoir, but I think David Sedaris does the funniest essays and stories about his own life. I haven't listened to his audiobooks but did see him live, and he is a fantastic storyteller. frenchnewwave posted:2: I don't know what this says about me, but I recently marathoned through the first season of The 100 -- the TV show adapted from books by Kass Morgan. From what I understand, the books aren't worth reading and the TV show itself is problematic but I'm a sucker for sci-fi dystopians. Anything along these lines? Kind of a mash up of Battlestar Gallactica, Lost, The Hunger Games. I would probably also get this on Audible. Wool - Hugh Howey Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K Dick Annihilation - Jeff VanderMeer
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Nov 19, 2014 04:18
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elbow posted:
elbow posted:Not so much a memoir, but I think David Sedaris does the funniest essays and stories about his own life. I haven't listened to his audiobooks but did see him live, and he is a fantastic storyteller. Thanks! I have read Wool and Electric Sheep but I'll check out Annihilation!
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Nov 19, 2014 13:15
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elbow posted:Not so much a memoir, but I think David Sedaris does the funniest essays and stories about his own life. I haven't listened to his audiobooks but did see him live, and he is a fantastic storyteller. I've read a few of the memoirs that frenchnewwave mentioned and I think David Sedaris is a perfect recommendation, especially his audio stuff (NPR pieces, recordings of live shows, etc)
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Nov 19, 2014 14:21
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Can anyone recommend anything in the vein of John Dies at the End and This Book is Full of Spiders? Yes I know I am a manchild with low tastes, but I am looking for something off the wall goofy and trashy to read on the subway every day. Preferably closer to John Dies which I liked better.
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Nov 20, 2014 19:54
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Jimferd posted:Can anyone recommend anything in the vein of John Dies at the End and This Book is Full of Spiders? Yes I know I am a manchild with low tastes, but I am looking for something off the wall goofy and trashy to read on the subway every day. Preferably closer to John Dies which I liked better. Pretty much any A. Lee Martinez or maybe Scott Sigler's Infected series (although the latter is much less goofy/humorous, it has some similarities).
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Nov 20, 2014 20:30
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frenchnewwave posted:I have 2 requests! The Chelsea Handler books do indeed suck, Lena Dunham's isn't bad but is in no way the same--it's much more a collection of stories in not much chronological order. The thing you mention isn't the way its been made to sound in the media. It's fictionalized, but Moon Unit Zappa's America the Beautiful was enjoyable in the same regard. You might want to check out You Made It Weird the podcast by Pete Holmes because it's basically a weekly interview with comedians about their experiences with a heavy portion of spiritual belief. I find it incredibly interesting to hear what different comedians beliefs are. Look through the archives and try a few of the guests you see and like--Kunail Nanjiani and TJ Miller have been on multiple times and have a great rapport, and the Ray Romano episode is required listening for anyone who is interested in stand up comedy in any way.
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Nov 20, 2014 21:40
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I'd love to read a good book about alternate dimensions/universes, basically like the TV show Sliders. Is there anything decent out there?
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Nov 20, 2014 22:39
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Looking to buy my Mom a couple books for Christmas. She doesn't read too often, but likes any stories dealing with tragedy, mostly domestic murder, or kidnapping, stuff like that. More specifically, I'd like something new or popular, so I could find it in a big bookstore and not have to buy it online. Basically Gone Girl would be perfect, but not that because she already has it. She doesn't have many more, so any other suggestions are welcome. Fiction or non-fiction.
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Nov 21, 2014 03:02
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nWoCHRISnWo posted:Looking to buy my Mom a couple books for Christmas. She doesn't read too often, but likes any stories dealing with tragedy, mostly domestic murder, or kidnapping, stuff like that. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo would be right up her alley for sure. Or JK Rowlings' recent murder mystery books (written as Robert Galbraith).
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Nov 21, 2014 03:13
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elbow posted:I'd love to read a good book about alternate dimensions/universes, basically like the TV show Sliders. Is there anything decent out there? Philip K. Dick wrote a bunch of stuff that plays around with reality in various ways. The Man in the High Castle might be the most Sliders-like one. Alternative history in which Germany and Japan won WWII. Or Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said.
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Nov 21, 2014 05:42
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Secret Agent X23 posted:Philip K. Dick wrote a bunch of stuff that plays around with reality in various ways. The Man in the High Castle might be the most Sliders-like one. Alternative history in which Germany and Japan won WWII. Or Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said. I've read both of those and while they're fantastic books, they're not exactly what I'm looking for. I'd like to read something about a protagonist (or group) that travels to various alternate universes, not just one.
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Nov 21, 2014 05:55
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elbow posted:I've read both of those and while they're fantastic books, they're not exactly what I'm looking for. I'd like to read something about a protagonist (or group) that travels to various alternate universes, not just one. Jack Chalker's Well World series is kind of along those lines.
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Nov 21, 2014 06:05
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