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im gay edit: 
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Jul 1, 2015 18:39
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Hybrid children watch the sea Pray for Father, roaming free
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regulargonzalez posted:Lol. Is this a lovely post like that, or a parody of those lovely posts? I'm getting Poe's Law'd so hard here.
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Jul 2, 2015 04:03
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Loving Life Partner posted:Is this a lovely post like that, or a parody of those lovely posts? I'm getting Poe's Law'd so hard here. It's a fair representation of how Malazan reads. There's nothing wrong with that really, some people like that kind of story, but, even with full recognition of GRRM's shortcomings, to claim it's better than ASoIaF is laughable.
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Jul 2, 2015 04:09
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Seems like a good recommendation to me, he asked for things similar to a bad fantasy series and got recommended another bad fantasy series.
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Jul 2, 2015 06:19
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Transistor Rhythm posted:Did we completely not mention Raymond Carver, god-king of this, because we thought it was too obvious? Most of his stories are a little longer than that, I'd say five pages at least. Amy Hempel already got recommended, I'd also throw out a rec for Lydia Davis, and aren't a lot of Kafka's stories pretty short too?
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Jul 2, 2015 15:26
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Ornamented Death posted:It's a fair representation of how Malazan reads. There's nothing wrong with that really, some people like that kind of story, but, even with full recognition of GRRM's shortcomings, to claim it's better than ASoIaF is laughable. I think Malazan is significantly better than ASoIaF for a million reasons. Sanderson's series was the weak one for me - it reads like bad YA with dialog that's too contemporary and literally has lines like "he charged up his stormblade to +7 and hit the enemy for extra damage points" and stuff.
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Jul 2, 2015 15:35
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Transistor Rhythm posted:I think Malazan is significantly better than ASoIaF for a million reasons. Sanderson's series was the weak one for me - it reads like bad YA with dialog that's too contemporary and literally has lines like "he charged up his stormblade to +7 and hit the enemy for extra damage points" and stuff. What? No it doesn't. Please cite a page number. Malazan on the other hand is absurd. The series gets so ridiculous with dudes who kill gods, ancient gods, mysterious characters who kill gods, dudes who can destroy the world, every other chapter has some new character who has +9000000 power. and everyone who dies COMES BACK TO LIFE stronger than they were before. Major characters die in that series and I'm like.... "whatever... they will be alive in in the next book" Malazan makes me imagine an ant that gets stepped on by a mouse that gets eaten by a cat that's then chased by a dog and then an elephant shits on them both and then god's foot comes out of the sky monty python style and crushes them and then a giant comet destroys the earth. E: I will say, though, that it had a cool character. You know, that guy who was an ultimate badass with a heart of gold. Wait, that's 90% of the characters. regulargonzalez fucked around with this message at 18:10 on Jul 2, 2015 |
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Jul 2, 2015 18:06
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edit:Nevermind, let's not turn this thread into Fantasy Series Wars. We get it, you don't like magic in your fantasy, nothing for it.
anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 18:40 on Jul 2, 2015 |
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Jul 2, 2015 18:34
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regulargonzalez posted:Malazan makes me imagine an ant that gets stepped on by a mouse that gets eaten by a cat that's then chased by a dog and then an elephant shits on them both and then god's foot comes out of the sky monty python style and crushes them and then a giant comet destroys the earth. That's basically a perfect summary of what I love about it! 
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Jul 2, 2015 19:22
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anilEhilated posted:edit:Nevermind, let's not turn this thread into Fantasy Series Wars. We get it, you don't like magic in your fantasy, nothing for it. More accurately, I like books with characterization beyond "He was grim, dour, and took no poo poo. Possibly the greatest warrior of all time. And deep down, a real softie."
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Jul 2, 2015 20:36
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anilEhilated posted:edit:Nevermind, let's not turn this thread into Fantasy Series Wars. We get it, you don't like magic in your fantasy, nothing for it. Let's be honest: most fantasy series are pretty terrible once you're an adult.
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Jul 2, 2015 20:39
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Zesty Mordant posted:Most of his stories are a little longer than that, I'd say five pages at least. Amy Hempel already got recommended, I'd also throw out a rec for Lydia Davis, and aren't a lot of Kafka's stories pretty short too? A lot of Kafka's are like a page long but most of the really good ones are longer. He needs a little while to build up the crippling sense of existential dread.
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Jul 2, 2015 22:04
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Captain_Indigo posted:Looking for something set in Aztec/Incan times or with an Aztec/Incan influence. I will also accept fantasy inspired by Mesoamerica as opposed to the traditional medieval European. You really need to begin with Aztec. One of my favorite books.
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Jul 3, 2015 12:48
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So I finally have something resembling free time, and I've been on a bit of a cyberpunk kick, I recently finished Neuromancer and Altered Carbon, I'm looking for more along those lines.
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Jul 5, 2015 00:46
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Have you read Snow Crash?
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Jul 5, 2015 08:42
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GMarshal posted:So I finally have something resembling free time, and I've been on a bit of a cyberpunk kick, I recently finished Neuromancer and Altered Carbon, I'm looking for more along those lines. George Alec Effinger's Marid Audrian books (When Gravity Fails et al) may be what you're looking for.
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Jul 5, 2015 20:44
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Looking for a novel or biography about a struggling writer/novelist, which details their journey from beginning writing to success.
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Jul 6, 2015 03:44
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blue squares posted:Looking for a novel or biography about a struggling writer/novelist, which details their journey from beginning writing to success. I liked Herman Wouk's Youngblood Hawke, although I have to admit that it's been many years since I read it last. It was published in 1962, though, so it may be older than you're looking for.
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Jul 6, 2015 05:16
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I'm looking for an accessible yet detailed (e)book on geography. Work has me doing a lot of jobs in and around state parks in California, and I'd like to get more appreciation of the mountains and such. I also plan to go to the Grand Canyon sometime soon and would like to know just what im looking at, and how it got there, for full appreciation.
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Jul 6, 2015 07:43
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I've just left all of my college friends and am relatively lonely and its a bit rough. What's a good book that would resonate with that?
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Jul 6, 2015 13:09
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It's a pretty wild shot asking for it here given the specialization, but I'd like to get my hands on something recent dealing with cryptozoology or obscure animals. Latest I've read so far is from the nineties or early 2000s; there's gotta be some advance in looking for non-impossible wildlife since then. Alternately, I'd love a credible/serious (if not completely scientific) book on giant squids, same time period; everything I find repeats the same (mostly 19th century) stories with very little new information added. edit: To clariy, I'm looking for something written for general public that includes new info. I just finished Monsters of the Sea by Richard Ellis and it frustrated me to no end that I could just tell what the rest of a paragraph will contain after reading the first sentence half the time. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 15:05 on Jul 6, 2015 |
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Jul 6, 2015 14:40
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blue squares posted:Looking for a novel or biography about a struggling writer/novelist, which details their journey from beginning writing to success. King's "On Writing" is really fantastic, and talks a lot about his early struggles, and struggles he had once he did have success. I read it kinda off-handedly, and I'm surprised how many little snippets I recall when appropriate.
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Jul 6, 2015 17:09
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So having read and enjoyed (despite some faults) both DisneyWar and The Men Who Would Be King, are there any other books anyone can recommend along those lines? Keep in mind I didn't read either because of a preexisting interest or knowledge of Disney or Dreamworks, almost the reverse actually. I'm not sure if it's "corporate history" (but that's just often the section full of self-aggrandizing) or "entertainment history" (but that sounds inconsequential, I don't want E! poo poo or biographies of Tom Cruise).
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Jul 6, 2015 18:04
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Quandary posted:I've just left all of my college friends and am relatively lonely and its a bit rough. What's a good book that would resonate with that? Maybe try Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me by Richard Farina. The prose is poetic (and trippy) and it's a great portrait of Cornell University in the turbulent 60's. Gnossos, the narrator (author stand-in), returns to college from being on the road and gets reacquainted with his college buds. He meets beautiful girls, goes to parties, tries to start a movement, but the real journey is him realizing that he is mortal, and that all these moments are passing, and that he is on the cusp of the "real" world. The book is beautiful and hilarious, and it's made all the more tragic when Farina died three days after it was published, before he was even 30. It's my favorite book. You may also like The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon, though a lot of it deals with the narrator exploring his sexuality, which can be a turn off. Less Than Zero by Brett Easton Ellis would echo feelings of isolation, and it's a quick read, but it's also very dark and cynical, with a semi-upbeat ending. If you haven't read Jack Kerouac yet, maybe read On The Road or The Dharma Bums. For sentimental, read A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Narrator is best friends with a dwarf who thinks he was put on the earth to fulfill a mission by God. It follows them from childhood to college and after. Beautiful and moving story about faith and friendship. Stephen King's recent Joyland was very good. It has a supernatural mystery, but that really has nothing to do with anything. The majority of the book is about a 21 year old guy who takes time away from college to live on his own and figure things out while working at an amusement park in North Carolina. I threw a few at you, but they all have different moods, from sad to sentimental to cynical to nostalgia.
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Jul 6, 2015 20:21
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Quandary posted:I've just left all of my college friends and am relatively lonely and its a bit rough. What's a good book that would resonate with that?
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Jul 6, 2015 20:41
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Appreciated for all the choices - I'll check them out and probably read a few of them.
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Jul 6, 2015 23:31
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Can someone recommend a book about the history and formation of Israel as a state?
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Jul 7, 2015 18:14
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Requesting coming of age stories set in the seventies or eighties - think "Freaks and Geeks," or the sensibility of "The Wonder Years" but moved up a decade or two. I have read and loved "Black Swan Green," "Crossing California," "Green Grass Grace," "Please don't come back from the moon," and I want more!
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Jul 7, 2015 19:04
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Transistor Rhythm posted:Requesting coming of age stories set in the seventies or eighties - think "Freaks and Geeks," or the sensibility of "The Wonder Years" but moved up a decade or two. JudyBloom.txt
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Jul 7, 2015 20:23
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GMarshal posted:So I finally have something resembling free time, and I've been on a bit of a cyberpunk kick, I recently finished Neuromancer and Altered Carbon, I'm looking for more along those lines. Bruce Sterling's Schismatrix.
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Jul 7, 2015 20:28
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regulargonzalez posted:JudyBloom.txt I'd throw The Chocolate War and The Outsiders in there as well. Selachian fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Jul 7, 2015 |
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Jul 7, 2015 20:30
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Transistor Rhythm posted:Requesting coming of age stories set in the seventies or eighties - think "Freaks and Geeks," or the sensibility of "The Wonder Years" but moved up a decade or two. Lost in Place and Iron and Silk by Mark Salzmann spring to mind.
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Jul 8, 2015 01:52
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Transistor Rhythm posted:Requesting coming of age stories set in the seventies or eighties - think "Freaks and Geeks," or the sensibility of "The Wonder Years" but moved up a decade or two. If short stories are ok, Bad Haircut by Tom Perrotta.
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Jul 8, 2015 09:29
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I'm looking for non-fiction about China, either historical or modern. I'm about to read Poorly Made in China, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon and China in Ten Words based on recommendations by people. I don't care whether it's critical, neutral or positive. I'd like it to be fairly realistic/authoritative though.
a7m2 fucked around with this message at 15:55 on Jul 8, 2015 |
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Jul 8, 2015 15:52
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a7m2 posted:I'm looking for non-fiction about China, either historical or modern. I'm about to read Poorly Made in China, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon and China in Ten Words based on recommendations by people. I don't care whether it's critical, neutral or positive. I'd like it to be fairly realistic/authoritative though. I'd love some suggestions on this as well. It isn't a book, but I really enjoyed this documentary on the rapid impact of modernity, Up the Yangtze.
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Jul 8, 2015 18:12
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a7m2 posted:I'm looking for non-fiction about China, either historical or modern. I'm about to read Poorly Made in China, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon and China in Ten Words based on recommendations by people. I don't care whether it's critical, neutral or positive. I'd like it to be fairly realistic/authoritative though. I found Jonathan Watts' When a Billion Chinese Jump (which is mostly about China's environmental situation) to be a pretty good read.
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Jul 8, 2015 18:42
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hope and vaseline posted:I'd love some suggestions on this as well. It isn't a book, but I really enjoyed this documentary on the rapid impact of modernity, Up the Yangtze. I've almost finished Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Dragon. It's really good and interesting, I definitely recommend it. Selachian posted:I found Jonathan Watts' When a Billion Chinese Jump (which is mostly about China's environmental situation) to be a pretty good read. I'll check it out, thanks! Still looking for more recommendations. Going on a very, very long traintrip (twice) through China next week so I figured I might as well read up on the country.
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Jul 10, 2015 17:54
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Is there a definitive biography of The Beatles? Bob Spitz's is the one I keep running across when searching but the reviews are a bit mixed. Is there something better?Avocados posted:I'm looking for an accessible yet detailed (e)book on geography. Work has me doing a lot of jobs in and around state parks in California, and I'd like to get more appreciation of the mountains and such. I also plan to go to the Grand Canyon sometime soon and would like to know just what im looking at, and how it got there, for full appreciation. The geology chapters in Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything seemed a pretty good overview to me but they're a relatively small part of a book that touches on a lot of different scientific disciplines.
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Jul 12, 2015 14:18
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Avocados posted:I'm looking for an accessible yet detailed (e)book on geography. Work has me doing a lot of jobs in and around state parks in California, and I'd like to get more appreciation of the mountains and such. I also plan to go to the Grand Canyon sometime soon and would like to know just what im looking at, and how it got there, for full appreciation. Here are a couple about the Sierras that I remember from a Sierra field class I took about 10 years ago. Sierra Nevada: The Naturalist's Companion, Revised edition by Verna R. Johnston Glaciers of California: Modern Glaciers, Ice Age Glaciers, the Origin of Yosemite Valley, and a Glacier Tour in the Sierra Nevada by Bill Guyton Exploring the Highest Sierra by James G. Moore They can all be bought on Amazon used for a couple bucks each. If I remember correctly, the first two are pretty straightforward introductions to the Sierras, explaining about the Sierras, how they formed, how the Pleistocene glaciation impacted the Sierras and such. The science behind everything is there, but in layman terms. The third, I can't remember much other than it is quite a bit more in depth and double the length of the other two but still readable with some previous knowledge of the processes helped form the Sierras.
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Jul 13, 2015 00:06
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I work a stressful job. One of the things that's helped me calm down is just books about every day life. Got any books about every day life? Sci fi, fantasy, whatever. Things I've enjoyed: Nathan Lowell's work - Quarter Share and Ravenwood series The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison And lately, The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. Not the best taste but I could use more poo poo like it. Also, if there's anything like The Cyberiad, I'd love more like it. G-Mawwwwwww fucked around with this message at 04:09 on Jul 14, 2015 |
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Jul 14, 2015 04:00
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