TBB Book Recommendation Superstation !!

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > TBB Book Recommendation Superstation !!

Ras Het: May 23, 2007; when I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child - but now I am a man.

punch drunk posted:

Looking to branch out into what I'm gathering is considered magical realism. The Master and Margarita is one of my favorite books of all time and I enjoyed 100 Years of Solitude as well although not nearly as much.

Idk if Jos� Saramago's Baltasar and Blimunda should technically be considered part of the magic realist tradition, but it's got some thematic similarities with M&M and is absolutely flipping brilliant all the way through

# ? Sep 25, 2016 12:38

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# ? Jun 6, 2024 17:17

Devorum: Jul 30, 2005

Not really a "book" recommendation request, but are there any recommendations for Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror short fiction magazines in the states? I got hooked on Interzone and Black Static when I was stationed in Europe, and I'm really looking for something similar now that I'm back in America.

# ? Sep 25, 2016 17:11

Time Cowboy: Nov 4, 2007; But Tarzan... The strangest thing has happened! I'm as bare... as the day I was born!

Devorum posted:

Not really a "book" recommendation request, but are there any recommendations for Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror short fiction magazines in the states? I got hooked on Interzone and Black Static when I was stationed in Europe, and I'm really looking for something similar now that I'm back in America.

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (F&SF) is pretty much the best, stateside. Asimov's can be good too. A lot of the more hip zines are online only these days, like Lightspeed, which has the advantage of being free to read.

# ? Sep 25, 2016 17:32

Solitair: Feb 18, 2014; TODAY'S GONNA BE A GOOD MOTHERFUCKIN' DAY!!!

I would like some stories about suicidal depression, please.

# ? Sep 27, 2016 05:40

Time Cowboy: Nov 4, 2007; But Tarzan... The strangest thing has happened! I'm as bare... as the day I was born!

Solitair posted:

I would like some stories about suicidal depression, please.

Check back on November 9.

# ? Sep 27, 2016 06:11

GorfZaplen: Jan 20, 2012

Solitair posted:

I would like some stories about suicidal depression, please.

VALIS, The Sorrows of Young Werther

# ? Sep 27, 2016 06:18

Franchescanado: Feb 23, 2013; If it wasn't for disappointment
I wouldn't have any appointment; Grimey Drawer

Solitair posted:

I would like some stories about suicidal depression, please.

The Toy Collector by James Gunn
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle

These were recommended to me in the Lit. thread by Mel Mudkiper:

The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud
A Reunion of Ghosts by Judith Claire Mitchell

For short stories/novellas, try Kneller's Happy Campers by Etgar Keret, which is about an afterlife just for people who committed suicide. It's in the collection The Bus Driver Who Wanted To Be God & Other Stories, but it can be found on it's own, I'm sure.

# ? Sep 27, 2016 14:58

Mr. Squishy: Mar 22, 2010; A country where you can always get richer.

I'm not sure if it's technically depression but anything by Thomas Bernhard is chock-full of intrusive suicidal ideation.

# ? Sep 27, 2016 16:44

ulvir: Jan 2, 2005

no longer human, plus some of Thomas Mann's short stories

# ? Sep 27, 2016 20:21

Grifter: Jul 24, 2003; I do this technique called a suplex. You probably haven't heard of it, it's pretty obscure.

omg chael crash posted:

Can someone give me a recommendation on a book about the Manhattan Projects/atomic bombs/history behind dropping them in WW2?

Maybe that sounds a little too broad. I've been pretty interested lately in the development of the program and decision to actually utilize them, and I'd be really interested in learning more about it.

cocks out for lockout posted:

richard rhodes, the making of the atomic bomb is excellent and comprehensive

Based on your description, this is the right answer. It really delves deep. The book starts with a lot of fundamental physics discoveries made around the turn of the century and works its way forward from there. Expect examinations of the history of the key science figures and some of the military and government figures as well as an examination of all the key experiments that lead to the start of the development, through the development process itself. There's also some strategic information about the war but don't expect an emphasis on that, only things that directly affected the Manhattan Project (e.g. non-nuclear strategic bombing working to end the war without nuclear intervention). There is some discussion on the decision to use the bomb (they delve a bit into the long term strategic implications - do it to scare Russia!) but not a ton - mostly because at a certain point it seems largely inevitable. Expect many pages on the horrors that the bomb inflicted on Japan as well. I read this book recently and really recommend it to everyone. It can get a bit dense but it will really inform you on things that are still important today such as why Iranian centrifuges are important to their nuclear program.

# ? Sep 28, 2016 21:50

Man with Hat: Dec 26, 2007; Open up your Dethday present
It's a box of fucking nothing; Exciting Lemon

Hey Book Goons.

I'm almost finished with reading the Wheel of Time series and am looking for something new in the same ballpark. Any tips on (preferebly long) fantasy series in the same style as Wheel of Time and ASOIAF? That is to say, long, many characters, a big world and all that jazz.

# ? Sep 29, 2016 09:54

Khizan: Jul 30, 2013

Man with Hat posted:

Hey Book Goons.

I'm almost finished with reading the Wheel of Time series and am looking for something new in the same ballpark. Any tips on (preferebly long) fantasy series in the same style as Wheel of Time and ASOIAF? That is to say, long, many characters, a big world and all that jazz.

You are looking for the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson.

# ? Sep 29, 2016 10:09

Man with Hat: Dec 26, 2007; Open up your Dethday present
It's a box of fucking nothing; Exciting Lemon

Khizan posted:

You are looking for the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson.

From the first paragraph in that thread, this is exactly what I'm looking for. Thank you, friend.

# ? Sep 29, 2016 12:49

Loving Life Partner: Apr 17, 2003

Oh gosh, I'm so jealous you get to read it for the first time :allears:

Make sure to post book impressions as you finish, we feast on them in the MBOTF thread.

# ? Sep 29, 2016 13:10

Sakurazuka: Jan 24, 2004; NANI?

Word of warning, Malazan is loving grim, when it comes to rape, violence, wholesale slaughter and horrible things happening to people ASoIaF has nothing on it.

# ? Sep 29, 2016 13:25

Man with Hat: Dec 26, 2007; Open up your Dethday present
It's a box of fucking nothing; Exciting Lemon

Loving Life Partner posted:

Oh gosh, I'm so jealous you get to read it for the first time

Make sure to post book impressions as you finish, we feast on them in the MBOTF thread.

I still have the last three books of Wheel of Time to read but as soon as I finish that I'll be sure to put my first impressions in there

# ? Sep 29, 2016 13:34

Selachian: Oct 9, 2012

Sakurazuka posted:

Word of warning, Malazan is loving grim, when it comes to rape, violence, wholesale slaughter and horrible things happening to people ASoIaF has nothing on it.

Other word of warning: Erikson doesn't do exposition. He tends to throw you into the middle of complicated situations with absolutely no explanation about what's going on or who these people are. Try to hang on, it'll get clearer as you get deeper.

Third word of warning: Gardens of the Moon is easily the weakest book in the series. It improves greatly after that.

# ? Sep 29, 2016 15:45

Blind Rasputin: Nov 25, 2002; Farewell, good Hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world.

I'm looking for a new book to read that's like as good or better than The Goldfinch by Donna Tart. I've read Middlesex which was good, and her other books. I think I liked the personal intensity of the story. The Goldfinch is just hard to replace and it makes me yearn for that same level of awesome story and character development and emotion. Any thoughts?

# ? Sep 29, 2016 15:47

Franchescanado: Feb 23, 2013; If it wasn't for disappointment
I wouldn't have any appointment; Grimey Drawer

Blind Rasputin posted:

I'm looking for a new book to read that's like as good or better than The Goldfinch by Donna Tart. I've read Middlesex which was good, and her other books. I think I liked the personal intensity of the story. The Goldfinch is just hard to replace and it makes me yearn for that same level of awesome story and character development and emotion. Any thoughts?

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Maybe a John Irving book, like The World According to Garp or Owen Meany.

If you don't mind a PoMo challenge, maybe try V. by Thomas Pynchon

# ? Sep 29, 2016 16:00

Mel Mudkiper: Jan 19, 2012; At this point, Mudman abruptly ends the conversation. He usually insists on the last word.

Blind Rasputin posted:

I'm looking for a new book to read that's like as good or better than The Goldfinch by Donna Tart. I've read Middlesex which was good, and her other books. I think I liked the personal intensity of the story. The Goldfinch is just hard to replace and it makes me yearn for that same level of awesome story and character development and emotion. Any thoughts?

He's something of a self-parody at this point, by early Franzen is good

If you liked Goldfinch and Middlesex try

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
I Am Radar by Reif Larsen
A Reunion of Ghosts by Judith Claire Mitchell
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

# ? Sep 29, 2016 17:03

apophenium: Apr 14, 2009; Cry 'Mayhem!' and let slip the dogs of Wardlow.

I got a strong urge the other day to read something beautiful. That's incredibly vague and subjective, though, so I'll try to qualify that.

I'm thinking a classic. Something that's just beautifully written, regardless of subject matter. I read The Idiot not too long ago and thought it was beautiful. Tragic, comic, human, whatever. It was good. I think David Foster Wallace has some beautiful writing, too. Oh, yeah, I thought Pale Fire had some beautiful parts, even though Kinbote was a jerk.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I don't feel like I'm doing a good job of explaining it. But something beautiful and nice. Thanks!

# ? Sep 30, 2016 00:02

Echo Cian: Jun 16, 2011

apophenium posted:

I got a strong urge the other day to read something beautiful. That's incredibly vague and subjective, though, so I'll try to qualify that.

I'm thinking a classic. Something that's just beautifully written, regardless of subject matter. I read The Idiot not too long ago and thought it was beautiful. Tragic, comic, human, whatever. It was good. I think David Foster Wallace has some beautiful writing, too. Oh, yeah, I thought Pale Fire had some beautiful parts, even though Kinbote was a jerk.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I don't feel like I'm doing a good job of explaining it. But something beautiful and nice. Thanks!

I haven't read any of those so I don't know if it's much of a comparison to what you're after, but In the Night Garden and In The Cities of Coin and Spice by Catherynne Valente have some of the most beautiful prose I've seen.

# ? Sep 30, 2016 00:53

Bandiet: Dec 31, 2015

apophenium posted:

I got a strong urge the other day to read something beautiful. That's incredibly vague and subjective, though, so I'll try to qualify that.

I'm thinking a classic. Something that's just beautifully written, regardless of subject matter. I read The Idiot not too long ago and thought it was beautiful. Tragic, comic, human, whatever. It was good. I think David Foster Wallace has some beautiful writing, too. Oh, yeah, I thought Pale Fire had some beautiful parts, even though Kinbote was a jerk.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I don't feel like I'm doing a good job of explaining it. But something beautiful and nice. Thanks!

You'd probably like more of the 19th century. George Eliot, the Bront�s. Tolstoy (Death of Ivan Illych) and Flaubert (Madame Bovary) are both good starting points for beautiful realism.

# ? Sep 30, 2016 01:30

BravestOfTheLamps: Oct 12, 2012; by FactsAreUseless; Lipstick Apathy

The old Book of the Month Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees if you missed that. I found it beautiful and satisfying on an existential level.

# ? Sep 30, 2016 01:32

Solitair: Feb 18, 2014; TODAY'S GONNA BE A GOOD MOTHERFUCKIN' DAY!!!

apophenium posted:

I got a strong urge the other day to read something beautiful. That's incredibly vague and subjective, though, so I'll try to qualify that.

I'm thinking a classic. Something that's just beautifully written, regardless of subject matter. I read The Idiot not too long ago and thought it was beautiful. Tragic, comic, human, whatever. It was good. I think David Foster Wallace has some beautiful writing, too. Oh, yeah, I thought Pale Fire had some beautiful parts, even though Kinbote was a jerk.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I don't feel like I'm doing a good job of explaining it. But something beautiful and nice. Thanks!

You already named all of the examples that come to my mind. The only other thing I can think of is Titus Groan and Gormenghast, but though the prose in those books is ornate and I love it, I can't guarantee you'll find it beautiful.

# ? Sep 30, 2016 03:36

Rush Limbo: Sep 5, 2005; its with a full house

Kurt Vonnegut wrote some beautiful stuff but his prose isn't very ornate. He is quite terse at times and manages to get to the point fairly quickly, but the point he gets to is quite beautiful.

Cat's Cradle is probably his most 'beautiful' book, which is quite a feat considering the subject matter. The concept of Bokonism is something that I wish was real.

# ? Sep 30, 2016 10:43

Ras Het: May 23, 2007; when I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child - but now I am a man.

apophenium posted:

I got a strong urge the other day to read something beautiful. That's incredibly vague and subjective, though, so I'll try to qualify that.

I'm thinking a classic. Something that's just beautifully written, regardless of subject matter. I read The Idiot not too long ago and thought it was beautiful. Tragic, comic, human, whatever. It was good. I think David Foster Wallace has some beautiful writing, too. Oh, yeah, I thought Pale Fire had some beautiful parts, even though Kinbote was a jerk.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I don't feel like I'm doing a good job of explaining it. But something beautiful and nice. Thanks!

Invisible Cities

# ? Sep 30, 2016 10:51

Burning Rain: Jul 17, 2006; What's happening?!?!

Bruno Schulz's short stories are great for this, even if I've heard that the English translation takes some liberties with text.

Also, Oscar Wilde wrote a beautiful essay De Profundis.

Of course there's also a little thing called In the Search of Lost Time

# ? Sep 30, 2016 11:04

A human heart: Oct 10, 2012

apophenium posted:

I got a strong urge the other day to read something beautiful. That's incredibly vague and subjective, though, so I'll try to qualify that.

I'm thinking a classic. Something that's just beautifully written, regardless of subject matter. I read The Idiot not too long ago and thought it was beautiful. Tragic, comic, human, whatever. It was good. I think David Foster Wallace has some beautiful writing, too. Oh, yeah, I thought Pale Fire had some beautiful parts, even though Kinbote was a jerk.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I don't feel like I'm doing a good job of explaining it. But something beautiful and nice. Thanks!

Miracle of the Rose, by Jean Genet.

# ? Sep 30, 2016 13:05

Transistor Rhythm: Feb 16, 2011; If setting the Sustain Level in the ENV to around 7, you can obtain a howling sound.

apophenium posted:

I got a strong urge the other day to read something beautiful. That's incredibly vague and subjective, though, so I'll try to qualify that.

I'm thinking a classic. Something that's just beautifully written, regardless of subject matter. I read The Idiot not too long ago and thought it was beautiful. Tragic, comic, human, whatever. It was good. I think David Foster Wallace has some beautiful writing, too. Oh, yeah, I thought Pale Fire had some beautiful parts, even though Kinbote was a jerk.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I don't feel like I'm doing a good job of explaining it. But something beautiful and nice. Thanks!

"Little Big" by John Crowley is one of the most ornately beautiful things I've ever read. Also "Ada, Or Ardor" by Nabokov.

# ? Sep 30, 2016 17:43

apophenium: Apr 14, 2009; Cry 'Mayhem!' and let slip the dogs of Wardlow.

Thank you all, so much. I was worried I'd get scoffed out of the thread. Glad to see so many fresh recommendations! My to read list appreciates each and every recommendation.

Is it worth getting the newer translations of In Search of Lost Time?

# ? Oct 1, 2016 03:46

chernobyl kinsman: Mar 18, 2007; a friend of the friendly atom; Soiled Meat

in search of lost time is seven volumes long so if you're committing to it i hope you've got a free schedule for the next year

# ? Oct 1, 2016 04:09

Epic High Five: Jun 5, 2004

Just finished House of Blades on what I'm pretty sure was a recommendation here that I picked up. Thanks whoever you were, because it was fantastic. Good story with just enough genre subversion and humor to be a theme but not what the book is really "about"

In a week and a half my next audible credit is going toward the next one. Highly recommended to anybody who has read generic terrible high fantasy and still ended up deeply suspicious of the golden-haired hero or the nobility of elves

# ? Oct 1, 2016 04:39

A human heart: Oct 10, 2012

apophenium posted:

Is it worth getting the newer translations of In Search of Lost Time?

Some people like them better and some prefer the older ones, just go with what you like or can find imo

chernobyl kinsman posted:

in search of lost time is seven volumes long so if you're committing to it i hope you've got a free schedule for the next year

It's not that hard to read

A human heart fucked around with this message at 05:39 on Oct 1, 2016

# ? Oct 1, 2016 05:36

Solitair: Feb 18, 2014; TODAY'S GONNA BE A GOOD MOTHERFUCKIN' DAY!!!

chernobyl kinsman posted:

in search of lost time is seven volumes long so if you're committing to it i hope you've got a free schedule for the next year

How easy is it to stop after one volume, then pick up the next one after some time has passed?

# ? Oct 1, 2016 06:04

chernobyl kinsman: Mar 18, 2007; a friend of the friendly atom; Soiled Meat

A human heart posted:

It's not that hard to read

im mostly kidding. it isn't, but you do need to be committed to make it through all 4K or so pages. i haven't.

Solitair posted:

How easy is it to stop after one volume, then pick up the next one after some time has passed?

in theory it's not that hard; in practice you will give up after or in the middle of volume three. you will keep meaning to come back to it, but you will not do so. eventually you will lie about having read it all while flirting with another english lit grad student; if she is impressed, she will not show it.

chernobyl kinsman fucked around with this message at 06:50 on Oct 1, 2016

# ? Oct 1, 2016 06:34

Solitair: Feb 18, 2014; TODAY'S GONNA BE A GOOD MOTHERFUCKIN' DAY!!!

chernobyl kinsman posted:

in theory it's not that hard; in practice you will give up after or in the middle of volume three. you will keep meaning to come back to it, but you will not do so. eventually you will lie about having read it all while flirting with another english lit grad student; if she is impressed, she will not show it.

So all that time I spent reading the first volume or two will be... lost? And it's not worth... searching for it?

# ? Oct 1, 2016 17:26

elbow: Jun 7, 2006

Waaahmbulance Chaser posted:

I'm looking for a new book to read that's like as good or better than The Goldfinch by Donna Tart. I've read Middlesex which was good, and her other books. I think I liked the personal intensity of the story. The Goldfinch is just hard to replace and it makes me yearn for that same level of awesome story and character development and emotion. Any thoughts?

Seconding the John Irving and Franzen suggestions, and I'd also add David Mitchell.

# ? Oct 2, 2016 07:53

Selachian: Oct 9, 2012

elbow posted:

Seconding the John Irving and Franzen suggestions, and I'd also add David Mitchell.

I'd agree on Mitchell. I'd also suggest Salman Rushdie, although his earlier stuff, particularly The Satanic Verses, is better.

# ? Oct 2, 2016 13:46

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# ? Jun 6, 2024 17:17

Blind Rasputin: Nov 25, 2002; Farewell, good Hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world.

Thanks for all your recommendations! Right now I'm trying to decide between Black Swan Green or A Favor for Owen Meany. Any of you read those? The former is pretty good so far.

# ? Oct 3, 2016 17:03

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