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Manager Hoyden posted:Thanks! It's been a few years since I read House of Leaves, but I remember the Johnny parts giving me a clear unreliable-narrator feeling; I thought it was obvious he was making stories up to make himself sound cooler. For instance, the stories of his sexual exploits are weirdly inconsistent with his shy, inarticulate behavior toward the girl he has a crush on at the tattoo parlor. And if you liked the Navidson Record parts, maybe check out Piranesi?
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Jul 23, 2022 02:12
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I'm trying to start reading more genre fiction to I don't think I'm looking for hard sci-fi but I'll take it. I like horror (especially body horror) but not grimdark or torture porn stuff. I'm not opposed to licensed works. The favorite things I've read recently are a few of the Aubrey and Maturin books, a bunch of nonfiction about 19th century European navies, and the Locked Tomb books. I have strange tastes.
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Jul 25, 2022 20:16
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Luigi Thirty posted:I'm trying to start reading more genre fiction to Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams is chock-ful of weird sci-fi ideas and it has swords! I'll quote my old review for it: "It opens with a lonely swordsman in a magical Middle Eastern-themed fantasy world and then explodes into a much larger scope of a post-singularity world where there are many utopias and pocket universes for humanity to live in, all ruled by benevolent AIs and many many humans. This is, first and foremost, an idea book. And that's part of what brings it down: while the author attempts character work and does a decent job at it, it's flat compared to how vibrant the ideas are." If you're looking for ttrpg inspiration I have to recommend it!
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Jul 25, 2022 22:11
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The two books off the top of my head for stealing inspiration from are Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino and Fine Structure by qntm. Haven't finished Fine Structure but it gets pretty wild, Invisible Cities is absolutely off the rails for RPG inspiration and probably has shown up in the "other media" section in a few rulebooks you've read already (I think it was the main one for LANCER?).
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Jul 25, 2022 22:34
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Awesome, thanks. I'll check them out. I think the Locked Tomb's tonal whiplash being like a tabletop game worked better for me than someone going in expecting all serious all the time.
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Jul 26, 2022 01:21
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Selachian posted:And if you liked the Navidson Record parts, maybe check out Piranesi? This is a good suggestion, I read this earlier in the year. Might be a left field suggestion but the exploration and part of the Navidson Record reminded me of Rendezvous with Rama, what with exploring a vast alien space. If the experimental layout stuff is your jam you could also check out the Raw Shark Texts
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Jul 26, 2022 02:03
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Luigi Thirty posted:I'm trying to start reading more genre fiction to The Scar by China Mieville is a nautical fantasy adventure with the coolest sword ever. My ask: Watching Better Call Saul made me realize that I don't know of any good fiction or nonfiction books with lawyers making cool clever maneuvers or arguments. I guess I could try some John Grisham,.
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Jul 26, 2022 03:55
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FPyat posted:The Scar by China Mieville is a nautical fantasy adventure with the coolest sword ever. I'm not a Grisham fan but I remember A Time To Kill being really good and worth reading
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Jul 26, 2022 04:03
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The first three or four Grisham's are good, or they were when I read them in my late teens / early 20s. I think The Rainmaker is the first one I was seriously underwhelmed with and stopped there, but The Runaway Jury was pretty silly in parts too.
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Jul 26, 2022 04:09
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Tulip posted:The two books off the top of my head for stealing inspiration from are Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino I guess I'll throw in Gorodischer's Kalpa Imperial, then.
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Jul 26, 2022 11:14
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FPyat posted:The Scar by China Mieville is a nautical fantasy adventure with the coolest sword ever. 1) Perry Mason 2) Perry Mason 3) Perry Mason
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Jul 26, 2022 11:15
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3D Megadoodoo posted:I guess I'll throw in Gorodischer's Kalpa Imperial, then. This is enough to get me to grab a copy from the library, thanks!
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Jul 26, 2022 12:58
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I'm looking for books about mythology, but not the bog standard Greek/Norse/Egyptian stuff. Or even the faerie stuff from the UK. More from Africa, all over Asia, Pacific Islands, and so on. Ideally books that go beyond the "main" gods of an area into the nitty gritty of all the overlooked stuff. Like how with Greek myths once you get past Zeus, Aphrodite, etc. you get things like the Erotes. I guess I could break it down that I'm looking for: Books about the gods from different areas. Books about the monsters and mythical creatures from all over. Books that actually tell the tales and myths from all over. Looking to expand my home library on those subjects. Thanks!
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Jul 26, 2022 19:02
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CaptainCrunch posted:I'm looking for books about mythology, but not the bog standard Greek/Norse/Egyptian stuff. Or even the faerie stuff from the UK. More from Africa, all over Asia, Pacific Islands, and so on. Not a book, but I enjoy the https://www.mythpodcast.com/. It's got a good spread of myths and it usually has a short description of some obscure critter at the end of most episodes.
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Jul 27, 2022 03:06
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LLSix posted:Not a book, but I enjoy the https://www.mythpodcast.com/. It's got a good spread of myths and it usually has a short description of some obscure critter at the end of most episodes. Holy moly that’s a good start! 375 episodes, thank you. (Don’t let this stop any other recommendations please)
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Jul 27, 2022 04:43
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StrixNebulosa posted:Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams is chock-ful of weird sci-fi ideas and it has swords! I'll quote my old review for it: "It opens with a lonely swordsman in a magical Middle Eastern-themed fantasy world and then explodes into a much larger scope of a post-singularity world where there are many utopias and pocket universes for humanity to live in, all ruled by benevolent AIs and many many humans. I’ve been reading Shards of Earth and it sounds like you’d enjoy it as well
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Jul 27, 2022 13:10
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Thanks for the recs! I’ve got plenty to inspire me.
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Jul 27, 2022 17:16
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I’m looking for a book/articles that describes the projected human impact of climate change— particularly in North America. I think it’s going to be the defining issue of my (zoomer) time. I’d like the info to be up-to-date and reflect the current scientific consensus. I do not have a scientific background, so nothing too technical.
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Jul 27, 2022 17:25
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Dysthymia posted:I’d like the info to be up-to-date and reflect the current scientific consensus. Science isn't an organization that summarily agrees on something. Scientists agree climate change is happening/an issue, but there's hundreds of different theories as to it's effects, impacts, how to change it, how to adapt, etc, so you're not going to find a scientific concensus other than ITS GONNA GET REAL FUCKIN HOT In my experience reading on climate change it's a lot like an Inconvienent Truth: Al Gore was right about climate change, it's urgency, and it's global threat. But New York City isn't underwater like he predicted it would be, and that alarmism probably made a lot of people ignore climate change completely. Kvlt! fucked around with this message at 18:18 on Jul 27, 2022 |
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Jul 27, 2022 18:15
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Kvlt! posted:Science isn't an organization that summarily agrees on something. Scientists agree climate change is happening/an issue, but there's hundreds of different theories as to it's effects, impacts, how to change it, how to adapt, etc, so you're not going to find a scientific concensus other than ITS GONNA GET REAL FUCKIN HOT I’m aware of the lack of an absolute consensus. However, I think experts can make reasoned projections based on evidence. The recent UN report is an example of this. I 100% agree about climate change alarmism, whether it’s borne out of incomplete information or political opportunism. The “there will be no planet Earth in 10 years!” takes just muddy the water. Still, I think climate change will have severe consequences in the coming decades. I guess I’m looking for something in the vein of Inconvenient Truth but more current.
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Jul 27, 2022 19:44
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Dysthymia posted:I’m looking for a book/articles that describes the projected human impact of climate change— particularly in North America. I think it’s going to be the defining issue of my (zoomer) time. The Uninhabitable Earth is great but out of date now. (Climate change effects are always worse and always happen faster than our conservative models predict) The End of Ice is mostly about climate grief but goes into the science a little and profiles some communities. Under a White Sky covers the state of geoengineering and other adaptation attempts. Overheated goes into the state of labour and green new deal stuff, but handles a lot of the science from that perspective. This Changes Everything: Capitalism Versus the Climate is another outdated and optimistic take on labour and class relations in climate change. Overheated is American in focus and This Changes Everything is more international. Our History is the Future situates the struggle for climate justice in the history of resistance to racial capitalism and colonialism. It - and This Changes Everything above - also helps settlers understand the key moral high ground and imperative that Indigenous climate justice leadership represents. The IPCC reports are all available online and the shared economic pathways are basically optimistic climate fiction but other than that are highly readable and they got me terrified enough to search for more literature and do some activism. Comedy options based on your conservative perspective (no offense, you’re here asking for recommendations after all!): Going Dark, In The Dust of This Planet, Capitalist Realism. tuyop fucked around with this message at 11:59 on Jul 28, 2022 |
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Jul 28, 2022 11:51
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I find the best books to read on climate and such is just straight fiction. we all, broadly speaking, know enough of the facts to be able to summarise what's going on with a few sentences, and good quality magazines and newspapers manage to disseminate both IPCC and any new research in an understandable way (the biggest problem as of now is most politicians not doing anything meaningful because they're all bound by the massive industries and wealthy people responsible for the mess we're in.) what we don't have yet is an idea of how it will be to live with a rapidly collapsing environment, and that's where fiction can come in
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Jul 28, 2022 12:06
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All of my recommendations, including the IPCC reports (but not the comedy options) share some vision of the future in the same way clifi stuff does, just attempting to base it in data and analysis instead of more speculation.
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Jul 28, 2022 12:11
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ulvir posted:what we don't have yet is an idea of how it will be to live with a rapidly collapsing environment, and that's where fiction can come in I kind of disagree with this. Large communities and even entire indigenous nations have already experienced this and have been practically wiped out by the climate collapse. Take a look at what's been happening in the Arctic and in the Sahel region of Africa in the past decade or so. If you mean "we" as in citizens of Europe/continental US and majority of posters in this forum, OK, fair enough. That being said, I enjoyed The Uninhabitable Earth a few years ago. And by enjoyed I mean to say read it in a single sitting after which I slid into depression.
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Jul 28, 2022 12:32
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Take the plunge! Okay! posted:I kind of disagree with this. Large communities and even entire indigenous nations have already experienced this and have been practically wiped out by the climate collapse. Take a look at what's been happening in the Arctic and in the Sahel region of Africa in the past decade or so. If you mean "we" as in citizens of Europe/continental US and majority of posters in this forum, OK, fair enough. The collapse has already begun even in "the West". It's just not rapid yet.
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Jul 28, 2022 12:36
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Take the plunge! Okay! posted:I kind of disagree with this. Large communities and even entire indigenous nations have already experienced this and have been practically wiped out by the climate collapse. Take a look at what's been happening in the Arctic and in the Sahel region of Africa in the past decade or so. If you mean "we" as in citizens of Europe/continental US and majority of posters in this forum, OK, fair enough. I live in the arctic region, and we’re beginning to notice the effects with more frequent heatwaves, very dry springs etc., and Im not going to pretend that things are not dire in africa and other places already. I might have phrased it a bit poorly, what I meant was how IPCC/climate research says life will be like 50 or 100 years from now when the collapse is way past what it is today edit: forgot to add a very important "not" ulvir fucked around with this message at 13:05 on Jul 28, 2022 |
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Jul 28, 2022 12:46
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and obviously, this summer has given large parts of europe a taste of what it’s gonna be like from now on
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Jul 28, 2022 12:52
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ulvir posted:and obviously, this summer has given large parts of europe a taste of what it’s gonna be like from now on It's the Winters that are more important (at this point in time), as more and more pests are able to overwinter in areas where they have never been able to before.
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Jul 28, 2022 12:58
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3D Megadoodoo posted:It's the Winters that are more important (at this point in time), as more and more pests are able to overwinter in areas where they have never been able to before. our country's whole electric infrastructure is also heavily reliant on hydropower, and warmer winters means less snow which means less water reserves for our dams come early spring, which .... yeah 
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Jul 28, 2022 13:01
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Hell go read Silent Spring. Nothing significant has changed since.
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Jul 28, 2022 13:02
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I think I’ll start with The Uninhabitable Earth and some write-ups on the IPCC report. I appreciate everyone’s feedback.
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Jul 28, 2022 14:27
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I found Bill McKibben's The Global Warming Reader fascinating, although at ten years old it's probably ancient history by now.
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Jul 28, 2022 20:11
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I find it very easy to recommend one of the older climate change novels, ICE by Anna Kavan, just in general as a piece of fiction.
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Jul 28, 2022 20:38
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regulargonzalez posted:Lovecraft in general Luigi Thirty posted:I'm trying to start reading more genre fiction to Have you already read the Expanse series and the various works of Brandon Sanderson?
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Jul 28, 2022 21:14
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tuyop posted:Hell go read Silent Spring. Nothing significant has changed since. On these lines toss in Global Warming: The Greenpeace Report from the late 80s for a little depressing look at the now laughably modest cuts we were advocating for back then. What could have been
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Jul 28, 2022 21:37
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I 'liked' for lack of a better word, "Learning to die in the Antropocene" The canonical answer that hasn't been mentioned yet is "The Sixth Extinction" and "No Immediate Danger"/"No Good Alternative"
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Jul 28, 2022 21:41
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Bilirubin posted:On these lines toss in Global Warming: The Greenpeace Report from the late 80s for a little depressing look at the now laughably modest cuts we were advocating for back then. What could have been Monbiot’s Heat (2009) is also adorable. I really like to break it out whenever some liberal tells me we need a “gradual transition” until the “technology is there”. He basically goes through UK society in 2008 and talks about various ways to continue the lifestyle while reducing emissions by 70-100%. Like, “a grocery store is an absurd building. We drive our individual air conditioned vehicles to this big air conditioned building full of freezers without doors, pick out our goods and top off our gas tanks on the way back home” and he proposed, iirc, turning grocery stores into warehouses with solar panels on top and distributing grocery orders (placed online or by telephone) via electric vans. Also the first book where I learned about gravity batteries.
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Jul 28, 2022 23:17
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Tulip posted:I find it very easy to recommend one of the older climate change novels, ICE by Anna Kavan, just in general as a piece of fiction. that book is very good but doesn't really have anything to do with the modern understanding of climate change and it's not really sci fi as such since it's not particularly interested in what a frozen earth would actually be like, the ice is mostly used to create dreamlike imagery.
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Jul 29, 2022 06:13
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Tulip posted:The two books off the top of my head for stealing inspiration from are Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino and Fine Structure by qntm. Haven't finished Fine Structure but it gets pretty wild, Invisible Cities is absolutely off the rails for RPG inspiration and probably has shown up in the "other media" section in a few rulebooks you've read already (I think it was the main one for LANCER?). also for absolutely off the wall sci-fi silly climate change poo poo, I love JG Ballard's The Drowned World. Written in 1962. quote:The novel depicts a post-apocalyptic future in which global warming caused by heightened solar radiation has rendered much of the Earth's surface uninhabitable. The story follows a team of scientists researching environmental developments in a flooded, abandoned London. Punkin Spunkin fucked around with this message at 03:32 on Jul 30, 2022 |
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Jul 30, 2022 03:28
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I'm looking for a good fantasy book that is about thieves. Does anyone have any recommendations?
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Aug 2, 2022 06:57
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