|
I was listening to a podcast that mentioned a book titled Cain's Jawbone. The unique aspect of the book is that the pages were out of order with the pages with perforated holes that was meant for the reader to take out pages as needed. The summary about the book is that there are six murders and the reader is meant to figure out who killed who. Are there other books that require such effort and engagement from the reader?
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2022 19:38
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 11:49 |
|
|
A lot of meta fiction has similar "gimmicks". Ship of Theseus has at least 3 (or 4? It's been awhile) stories running concurrently and the initial challenge for the reader is to decide whether to try and read them all at once or one at a time. It also has artifacts placed in the book (physical notes and maps that aren't bound within the book itself but placed between pages) House of Leaves is a better book and does the same thing but with two texts (but still 3 storylines, kinda) regulargonzalez fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Apr 4, 2022 |
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2022 20:04
|
|
|
There was a fad for puzzle books in the 80s, usually with cash prizes involved -- Kit Williams's Masquerade is probably the best-known, and Who Killed the Robins Family? was a bestseller too -- but none as intricate as Cain's Jawbone. My favorite puzzle book, even though it doesn't involve any prizes, is Nick Bantock's The Egyptian Jukebox. Steve Jackson's The Tasks of Tantalon is fun too. Selachian fucked around with this message at 20:48 on Apr 4, 2022 |
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2022 20:45
|
|
|
Should I spring for the physical or would I be okay with a digital copy?
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2022 23:18
|
|
|
If I’m only reading one Le Guin sci fi novel, should it be The Left Hand of Darkness? That’s not to say that I won’t necessarily read others, just that I’m committing to one and will evaluate my next read after.
|
|
#
?
Apr 5, 2022 06:55
|
|
|
PRADA SLUT posted:If I’m only reading one Le Guin sci fi novel, should it be The Left Hand of Darkness? People seem 50/50 split on Left Hand vs. Disposessed. I’d say go left hand if you’re more interested in social issues and dispossessed if you’re more intrigued by economic systems?
|
|
#
?
Apr 5, 2022 08:36
|
|
|
Sandwolf posted:People seem 50/50 split on Left Hand vs. Disposessed. I’d say go left hand if you’re more interested in social issues and dispossessed if you’re more intrigued by economic systems? that's a good answer
|
|
#
?
Apr 5, 2022 08:45
|
|
|
i read that one about the corn people, it was alright.
|
|
#
?
Apr 5, 2022 14:13
|
|
|
does anyone have any suggestions for contemporary novels? i mean written and set within the last 20 years but preferably even just the last 10. i've been having a bad run of starting books and dropping them halfway through because i'm just not interested lately. a lot of it is i think that i seem to keep picking up things with a lot of cynicism in the writing and i just don't buy it half the time. cynicism has to be earned by wisdom for me now, otherwise it comes off as a bunch of bloviating bullshit.
|
|
#
?
Apr 6, 2022 13:03
|
|
|
I thought Girl Woman Other by Bernardino Evaristo was terrific. Interesting look at a group of British immigrant women, well written and a page turner. Every time I prepared for some cynicism it swerved on me.
|
|
#
?
Apr 6, 2022 14:05
|
|
|
roomtone posted:does anyone have any suggestions for contemporary novels? i mean written and set within the last 20 years but preferably even just the last 10. Temporary by Hilary Leichter's great and pretty weird and it draws its well of cynicism from a very relatable source: working for temp agencies. The Vegetarian by Han Kang may be my favorite novel of all time, and Human Acts is stretching your requirements a bit (events in the story are spread from 1980 to the day she wrote the novel) and also incredibly good. Every Last One by Anna Quindlan was a great book for bonding with my mother. If you do plan to read it I recommend not reading even a one sentence summary of it, I went in with no idea what it was about and I think that made it a lot more effective.
|
|
#
?
Apr 6, 2022 14:32
|
|
|
roomtone posted:does anyone have any suggestions for contemporary novels? i mean written and set within the last 20 years but preferably even just the last 10. I just finished Before the Fall and it was great, I didn't even know Hawley wrote any novels. Definitely has some cynicism but it's pretty balanced too
|
|
#
?
Apr 6, 2022 15:30
|
|
|
roomtone posted:does anyone have any suggestions for contemporary novels? i mean written and set within the last 20 years but preferably even just the last 10. I recommend Crapalachia by Scott McClanahan. It's bizarrely uplifting and extremely sincere, and also hilarious. It's also pretty short. I feel like I also need to say that as someone who lives in West Virginia, it is not a 'punching down' book, and is good.
|
|
#
?
Apr 6, 2022 19:21
|
|
|
So, I don’t know if it was here or in the fantasy thread, but there was a brief list of recommendations for ‘homey’ fantasies, and I can’t find the thread again but something small-scale and reliant more on character interaction with a fantasy bent instead of uber powerful artifacts/world saving quests sounds really nice right about now.
|
|
#
?
Apr 8, 2022 00:09
|
|
|
roomtone posted:does anyone have any suggestions for contemporary novels? i mean written and set within the last 20 years but preferably even just the last 10. American Kingpin by Nick Bolton and Educated by Tara Westover
|
|
#
?
Apr 8, 2022 00:55
|
|
|
DreamingofRoses posted:So, I don’t know if it was here or in the fantasy thread, but there was a brief list of recommendations for ‘homey’ fantasies, and I can’t find the thread again but something small-scale and reliant more on character interaction with a fantasy bent instead of uber powerful artifacts/world saving quests sounds really nice right about now. Have you read any Novak? Spinning Silver and Uprooted both gave me the kind of vibe it sounds like you’re going for.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 16:11
|
|
|
DreamingofRoses posted:So, I don’t know if it was here or in the fantasy thread, but there was a brief list of recommendations for ‘homey’ fantasies, and I can’t find the thread again but something small-scale and reliant more on character interaction with a fantasy bent instead of uber powerful artifacts/world saving quests sounds really nice right about now. Due to the derth of responses, I'm going to make two suggestions, both serials since that's what I've mostly been reading. Threadbare is the charming tale of a teddy bear golem trying to protect the little girl who owns him. It's delightful, charming, and completed. Unfortunately, it's also a LitRPG with a lot of numbers, which you may not find enjoyable, and while it's very wholesome, it's more focused on (small-scale) adventures than character interactions. This Used to Be About Dungeons is entirely character focused and ongoing.
|
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2022 23:18
|
|
|
DreamingofRoses posted:So, I don’t know if it was here or in the fantasy thread, but there was a brief list of recommendations for ‘homey’ fantasies, and I can’t find the thread again but something small-scale and reliant more on character interaction with a fantasy bent instead of uber powerful artifacts/world saving quests sounds really nice right about now. If you're willing to read manga, there's a goddamn bonanza of that poo poo. Three I can personally recommend Delicious in Dungeon - a group of adventurers don't have enough money to outfit an expedition into the dungeon, so they decide to skimp on food and instead learn how to cook the monsters they defeat in the dungeon. Heterogenia Linguistico - a linguist goes on a study trip into the part of the world inhabited by monster races, with the goal of learning more about their languages and cultures Dragon Goes House Hunting - a small, weak, cowardly dragon seeks a home where he can live in peace. Unfortunately due to shenanigans he develops a reputation as the Flame Dragon King, and trouble seems to find him! Luckily the Dark Lord of Real Estate won't rest until his client is completely satisfied.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2022 03:41
|
|
|
tuyop posted:Have you read any Novak? Spinning Silver and Uprooted both gave me the kind of vibe it sounds like you’re going for. Yes, and I absolutely loved them! I’m also enjoying her Scholomance series. LLSix posted:Due to the derth of responses, I'm going to make two suggestions, both serials since that's what I've mostly been reading. These sound delightful! Gripweed posted:If you're willing to read manga, there's a goddamn bonanza of that poo poo. Three I can personally recommend And so do these! I’ll be sure to check them out, although I haven’t read manga in a while. Is there a Kindle/Comixology for manga? I’ve been getting into The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent (technically anime, but same feeling), it’s just honestly harder for me to sit still for TV than a book.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2022 06:10
|
|
|
DreamingofRoses posted:So, I don’t know if it was here or in the fantasy thread, but there was a brief list of recommendations for ‘homey’ fantasies, and I can’t find the thread again but something small-scale and reliant more on character interaction with a fantasy bent instead of uber powerful artifacts/world saving quests sounds really nice right about now. I’d also recommend Sunshine by Robin McKinley. It’s relatively small stakes. There are some scary/gory parts, and some people really don’t like McKinley’s tendency to ramble on about baking, but I loved the characters and the small world she created. It’s a big book, but the scale stays small-town focused throughout.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2022 13:52
|
|
|
DreamingofRoses posted:So, I don’t know if it was here or in the fantasy thread, but there was a brief list of recommendations for ‘homey’ fantasies, and I can’t find the thread again but something small-scale and reliant more on character interaction with a fantasy bent instead of uber powerful artifacts/world saving quests sounds really nice right about now. I’m gonna take the opportunity to recommend my second favorite fantasy novel, The Interior Life: A Quest by “Katherine Blake” aka Dorothy Heydt. It switches back and forth between the POV of a modern stay-at-home mom and the fantasy characters she’s daydreaming about, and as she spins out this elaborate story in her mind, she finds herself interested in enriching her actual day-to-day life. Getting her kids’ school a computer lab, avoiding her husband’s boss’s sexual advances, joining the SCA, and planting a garden all become every bit as important and compelling as the fantasy people saving a country from a centuries-long invasion of creeping darkness. I love it. It’s also free on the author’s website: http://www.kithrup.com/~djheydt/ Non Krampus Mentis fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Apr 11, 2022 |
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2022 18:02
|
|
|
DreamingofRoses posted:And so do these! I’ll be sure to check them out, although I haven’t read manga in a while. Is there a Kindle/Comixology for manga? Yes, usually it's just called "Kindle/Comixology", in fact! There are a few others but most stuff is there, for better or for worse.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2022 18:07
|
|
|
Can anyone recommend a WWII book from the basic German soldiers perspective? One that isn't holocaust or SS focused, but tells the story of someone like an infantry grunt. Fiction or non-fiction is fine, but bonus if it's on the Russian front.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2022 00:55
|
|
|
The Grey posted:Can anyone recommend a WWII book from the basic German soldiers perspective? One that isn't holocaust or SS focused, but tells the story of someone like an infantry grunt. The first thing I think of is Sven Hassel, but quote:In March 2010 Berlingske Tidende gave a detailed account of Hassel's exposure as a fraud and his post-war prison sentence. In 1963 the radio journalist George Kringelbach participated in a reception Hassel gave to celebrate his ten years as a vastly successful writer. The reception saw participation by numerous dignitaries including ambassadors and envoys of six foreign countries. Until then the public was under the impression that Hassel was a real person and that his books were autobiographical. When during his late night radio programme Kringelbach subsequently revealed that Sven Hassel was a fictitious person and that the author was a convicted traitor a major scandal ensued.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2022 01:29
|
|
|
Tigers in the mud e: Asked my roommate https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Soldier-Guy-Sajer/dp/1574882864 This is SS, but it's a Swedish SS volunteer, so I'll leave it here anyway https://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Gods-Volunteers-Experiences-SS-Panzergrenadier/dp/1874622167/ Azhais fucked around with this message at 04:44 on Apr 12, 2022 |
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2022 01:36
|
|
|
The Grey posted:Can anyone recommend a WWII book from the basic German soldiers perspective? One that isn't holocaust or SS focused, but tells the story of someone like an infantry grunt. All The Light We Cannot See
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2022 05:33
|
|
|
The Grey posted:Can anyone recommend a WWII book from the basic German soldiers perspective? One that isn't holocaust or SS focused, but tells the story of someone like an infantry grunt.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2022 06:55
|
|
|
Looking for non-fiction about cultural assimilation. I guess both forced assimilation but also just the natural process of people adopting the traits of a culture they live in/amongst. Basically anything covered in this Wikipedia table:
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2022 14:00
|
|
|
The Grey posted:Can anyone recommend a WWII book from the basic German soldiers perspective? One that isn't holocaust or SS focused, but tells the story of someone like an infantry grunt. The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer is a memoir of an infantry grunt on the Eastern Front. He makes it sound pretty unpleasant
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2022 14:31
|
|
|
Best book about Genghis Khan?
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2022 14:50
|
|
|
bowser posted:Looking for non-fiction about cultural assimilation. I guess both forced assimilation but also just the natural process of people adopting the traits of a culture they live in/amongst. Basically anything covered in this Wikipedia table: Represented Communities by John Kelly.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2022 14:57
|
|
|
Gripweed posted:The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer is a memoir of an infantry grunt on the Eastern Front. He makes it sound pretty unpleasant Thanks for the recommendations. This sounds like what I am looking for and I am going to order it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 14, 2022 23:22
|
|
|
I just watched the film Miss Sloane, which is about a lobbyist who fights for gun control in Washington DC. It's political and fast paced. Nothing awful happens, like a murder of a main character, to shake up the story. It stays focused on lobbying. Are there any good books I should read along similar lines? Well-written political manoeuvring? Bonus points for suggestions other than John Grisham, which I've read plenty of but will go back to if there aren't any other well-written books around about the same topic.
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2022 19:18
|
|
|
Sorry wrong thread... If anyone has a good mystery, less Agatha Christie more zodiac, I'll take it sephiRoth IRA fucked around with this message at 06:09 on Apr 16, 2022 |
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2022 06:06
|
|
|
sephiRoth IRA posted:Sorry wrong thread... lol The Tokyo Zodiac Murders
|
|
#
?
Apr 16, 2022 11:06
|
|
|
Theme request: Books about trying to fight encroaching bitterness/numbness? I read "Memory Police" by Yoko Ogawa last year and it sort of wrecked me. Then last week I saw the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once and I think it hit me in a similar place. Both coincidentally have sci-fi elements but it doesn't need to have that.
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2022 04:33
|
|
|
pizzapocketparty posted:Theme request: Books about trying to fight encroaching bitterness/numbness? I got big vibes like that from Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam. A family at an AirBnB is stuck during some sort of disaster event. No communication with the outside. Just creeping inevitability.
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2022 20:58
|
|
|
Oryx & Crake is my favorite book for that tone. The emptiness past despair. E: but there's not much "fighting against" that happens so maybe it's a bad rec.
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2022 21:51
|
|
|
Any hard sci-fi books that heavily focus on the technical details as much as The Martian and Project Hail Mary? Preferably from this century. Closest I've read are Aurora and Blindsight. Seveneves was pretty good until the focus started to shift towards politics past the half way mark.
Senjuro fucked around with this message at 13:28 on Apr 26, 2022 |
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2022 13:03
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 11:49 |
|
|
Maybe Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin or Accelerando by Charles Stross? They both have concepts that are way more fantastical than Weir’s stuff but they both seem eager to root themselves in real, grounded issues.
|
|
#
?
Apr 26, 2022 17:48
|
|