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Anamnesis posted:I'm looking to read up on some classics and understand American politics (early or otherwise). People get overly emotional when this topic comes up. As a result, Amazon reviews or other websites like that are not very helpful. For starters Zinn isnt "america bashing" unless you consider facts about what actually happened to be America bashing. People's History of the United States is probably the best book to fix a lovely high school history and government education and the sources he cites are never taken out of context and almost always primary. Check out this thread that Im running in LF for basic history government economics politics etc education. Theres books covering specific subjects in American history as well as broader books like Zinns. Def. don't discount Zinn because of the critics though, because anyone who tells you he is "america bashing" is being intellectually dishonest about what America really is or how it came to be what it is today.
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Apr 14, 2010 04:43
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Soft Money 1M posted:For starters Zinn isnt "america bashing" unless you consider facts about what actually happened to be America bashing. People's History of the United States is probably the best book to fix a lovely high school history and government education and the sources he cites are never taken out of context and almost always primary. I really didn't want to start a debate over Zinn; scratch that line about America bashing. I own that book by Zinn that you refer to in your thread. I don't know what all the critics are saying, but I was looking for a kind of general history of America. What I read was a history of all the people hurt in the making of America (a legitimate point of view, definitely, but not necessarily what I was looking for).
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Apr 14, 2010 05:27
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Anamnesis posted:I really didn't want to start a debate over Zinn; scratch that line about America bashing. Unfortunately, you're not really going to find the kind of thing you're looking for outside of a well-written college textbook. Maybe you could get an old version of Unfinished Nation. It was one of the better texts I read as an undergrad, although Brinkley is a liberal. He doesn't go into the same kind of politicized history that Zinn has been accused of writing (truth irrespective, there) and you can get the concise edition used for under ten bucks on amazon or wherever. Don't be concerned about a leftist bent in history books, you won't get any further from factual than you would in that new "Patriot's History" which is essentially a collection of folktales. In popular book format, you'd be best served by narrowing your interests to a more specific period and then looking at the best books on that. USA: The Book is much harder to find than something on the founding fathers or Vietnam.
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Apr 14, 2010 06:04
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I've just finished all the Flashman books and I loved them. Anyhing else like it out there? I've read one of the Shape books but I like the conciet of the Flashman coward/hero character and would enjoy something similar. Someone recomended a Warhammer book with a similar protaganist but I'm not sure about sci-fi. Any recomendations apreciated.
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Apr 14, 2010 16:56
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Edged Hymn posted:So I just finished American Psycho and found it to be an awesome, unsettling book. Can anyone recommend me other books that meander in and out of utter insanity so casually? I especially loved poo poo like Bateman hallucinating the devil at the Bono concert or the eerie snowy owl stare-off in the zoo scene. Wouldn't hurt if there was a lot of commentary on the human condition, as well. Soft Money's recommendation is solid, and I'd also recommend Glamorama by Brett Easton Ellis, same guy that wrote American Psycho. The first time I read that, I felt like I was on acid. Personally, I'm looking for a good base level book on game theory. Something that goes beyond the Prisoner's Dilemma, as I'm already quite familiar with that concept, but that doesn't go too deep into the math and keeps it more at a conceptual level. Thanks.
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Apr 14, 2010 22:07
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Shooting Blanks posted:Soft Money's recommendation is solid, and I'd also recommend Glamorama by Brett Easton Ellis, same guy that wrote American Psycho. The first time I read that, I felt like I was on acid. The Art of Strategy by Dixit & Nalebuff is a light primer on modern game theory that is almost purely conceptual.
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Apr 15, 2010 04:20
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Anamnesis posted:I'm looking to read up on some classics and understand American politics (early or otherwise). People get overly emotional when this topic comes up. As a result, Amazon reviews or other websites like that are not very helpful. I enjoyed Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis. It might not be exactly what you're looking for but it's a pretty good book (it won the Pulitzer Prize for history). I am reading Zinn right now and I both like it and dislike it at the same time. I can see why some people would have a problem with it, Zinn paints a rather bleak picture.
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Apr 15, 2010 05:47
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Well, since it looks like I'm going to have to reapply for medical school this year I have a lot more time on my hands to read books for fun. I just finished The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester. I thought it was fantastic, but enjoyed it a bit less than The Stars My Destination. I went to the library to check out On the Road by Jack Kerouac, but they didn't have it!! Now I'm not sure what to read. I've been interested in reading On the Road for quite some time, but it looks like I'll have to hold off on it for a while. Any suggestions?
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Apr 15, 2010 15:12
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brenz.dude posted:Now I'm not sure what to read. I've been interested in reading On the Road for quite some time, but it looks like I'll have to hold off on it for a while. Any suggestions? If you're really interested, talk to a librarian. My library can lend you a book from another library, although it takes a little while. I'd imagine other ones do this, too. If they don't have On the Road, they probably don't have The Dharma Bums, but that's a good read too.
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Apr 15, 2010 19:27
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I've finished The lies of Locke lamora and Red seas under Red skies, LOVED them both, thanks guys!
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Apr 15, 2010 22:15
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Panorama posted:I've just finished all the Flashman books and I loved them. Anyhing else like it out there? I've read one of the Shape books but I like the conciet of the Flashman coward/hero character and would enjoy something similar. Someone recomended a Warhammer book with a similar protaganist but I'm not sure about sci-fi. Any recomendations apreciated. Jack Shaftoe in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle might have some similarities. While not a coward at all, he's big on self-interest/self-preservation. The books are very different though and there's a lot of other stuff going on between spurts of swashbuckly action. On a vaguely similar topic (historical action, not type of character) I'm thinking of giving Arturo Pérez-Reverte's Captain Alatriste's books a look as I like his other stuff and like the setting. Has anyone read them? Any good? Gravy Jones fucked around with this message at 11:15 on Apr 16, 2010 |
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Apr 16, 2010 11:07
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I am looking for some books on how to understand people and the motives behind what they do. Reading body language and facial expressions, discerning lies from truth based off visual or voice clues, and basically being to look deeply into another person are the kinds of things I want to read about. I will be returning to grad school for Marriage and Family Therapy this fall (which I have completed a year's worth of, so far), but our training consists more of techniques than deep personal understanding. I want to be able to look at people and KNOW them so that I can help them with problems, let them know that I understand them, and even just be a better friend.
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Apr 16, 2010 14:54
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Sailor Jim posted:I am looking for some books on how to understand people and the motives behind what they do. Reading body language and facial expressions, discerning lies from truth based off visual or voice clues, and basically being to look deeply into another person are the kinds of things I want to read about. http://www.amazon.com/So-You-Want-Be-Psychic/dp/1906787964/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271438015&sr=1-2-spell
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Apr 16, 2010 18:14
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I'm writing a final paper for a science fiction class I'm taking at school, and I was hoping to be able to do my report on nanosplatter (nanopunk stories where people die violently). So far, though, I've only been able to get my hands on one such short story, "Blood Music" by Greg Bear. Can anyone possibly point me in the direction of some other splattery nanotech stories? Failing that, what are the "best" nanotech stories? I'm planning to focus my paper on dissociation of the human form and body horror associated with new technologies, so anything that might include that sort of element would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Apr 18, 2010 04:06
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Strontosaurus posted:I'm writing a final paper for a science fiction class I'm taking at school, and I was hoping to be able to do my report on nanosplatter (nanopunk stories where people die violently). So far, though, I've only been able to get my hands on one such short story, "Blood Music" by Greg Bear. Can anyone possibly point me in the direction of some other splattery nanotech stories? Failing that, what are the "best" nanotech stories? I'm planning to focus my paper on dissociation of the human form and body horror associated with new technologies, so anything that might include that sort of element would be appreciated. Would JG Ballard count for this?
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Apr 18, 2010 05:24
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ONE TWO THREE TIMES TWO TO THE SIX/JONESING FOR YOUR FIX OF THAT LIMP BIZKIT MIX
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7 y.o. bitch posted:Would JG Ballard count for this? Yeah, definitely. I thought I actually ordered one of his short story collections on Amazon for this project, but apparently not. Which collection do you think would have what I'm looking for?
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Apr 18, 2010 06:14
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Strontosaurus posted:Yeah, definitely. I thought I actually ordered one of his short story collections on Amazon for this project, but apparently not. Which collection do you think would have what I'm looking for? I would think The Atrocity Exhibition would be perfect, although it's less about "new technologies" as about restructuring the recent American past. But I think that makes it much better from a literary standpoint, instead of being "Cool Ways to Kill People: The Novel." But maybe not what you're thinking exactly. 7 y.o. bitch fucked around with this message at 06:38 on Apr 18, 2010 |
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Apr 18, 2010 06:32
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Nah, I'm pretty much looking for "people eaten by nanites." Otherwise I'll just have to write about regular, boring, nonviolent nanotech sci-fi.
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Apr 18, 2010 07:12
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Can anyone recommend some fiction with doleful or melancholy characters? Preferably something written in the past 50 years or so. I'm a little down and looking to wallow in my own misery at the moment, any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Apr 19, 2010 00:19
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Strontosaurus posted:Nah, I'm pretty much looking for "people eaten by nanites." Otherwise I'll just have to write about regular, boring, nonviolent nanotech sci-fi. Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds and sequels feature a nanotech plague. It's more background than the focus of the novels, but there are some graphic descriptions The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson has at least one guy executed by being loaded with nano-things which then explode, if I recall
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Apr 19, 2010 00:41
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I could use some recommendations for good books on mythology. Stuff like Welsh, Norse, Irish/Celtic, African, Chinese, anything. I've had a pretty difficult time finding good ones in the past.
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Apr 19, 2010 19:18
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Hey, I work in a nerd store with comics, books, warhams, roleplaying systems, etc. I'm looking for some Fantasyrecommendations. When I make a book recommendation to customers (for someone who's read the 'classics' like Steven Erikson, George Martin, etc) I usually go with new fantasy in the vein of Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Robert v.s Redick, Patrick Rothfuss and Peter V Brett (and Richard Morgan's fantasy book), and if they like one of these authors, I feed them books from the other mentioned names, since these authors usually compliment eachother well. If you recognize these names and enjoy their books, what are some authors or books you'd recommend? Also, if anyone knows what's the new hotness in the sci-fi genre I'm all ears. Bohemian Nights fucked around with this message at 10:50 on Apr 20, 2010 |
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Apr 20, 2010 10:35
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Bohemian Nights posted:Hey, I work in a nerd store with comics, books, warhams, roleplaying systems, etc. I'm looking for some Fantasyrecommendations. When I make a book recommendation to customers (for someone who's read the 'classics' like Steven Erikson, George Martin, etc) I usually go with new fantasy in the vein of Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Robert v.s Redick, Patrick Rothfuss and Peter V Brett (and Richard Morgan's fantasy book), and if they like one of these authors, I feed them books from the other mentioned names, since these authors usually compliment eachother well. If you recognize these names and enjoy their books, what are some authors or books you'd recommend? Brandon Sanderson writes fresh fantasy that focuses heavily on the mechanics of magic systems (Mistborn trilogy, Warbreaker). Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files is a fun series that lacks complex themes, but is turning out to have quite a lot of depth to its story. For a more serious read check out Lev Grossman's The Magicians, which is an excellent self-aware anti-fantasy. It only partially fits your newness criteria, but I would also recommend Stephen King's The Dark Tower, which is fantasy mixed with western steeped in tradition spanning seven books and 25 years of the author's life. I am not a prolific sci-fi reader, but I recommend Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon and Thirteen for something hard boiled, or Charles Stross's Accelerando for a speculative read. There's a new sort of near-future sci-fi that I have been enjoying quite a lot - check out William Gibson's Pattern Recognition and Spook Country for engrossing and polished examples by an established author, or Charles Stross's Halting State for something less polished from an author with a bright future and an obsession with realistic science.
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Apr 20, 2010 15:49
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Nimrod posted:I could use some recommendations for good books on mythology. Stuff like Welsh, Norse, Irish/Celtic, African, Chinese, anything. I've had a pretty difficult time finding good ones in the past. Bullfinch's, I guess. Also, Joseph Campbell's Masks of God things. The Poetic Edda. Get the liner notes for recordings of Wagner's Ring Cycle. Do you have some gripe against Greek/Roman stuff? 'Cause if not, you know, read at least Iliad, Odyssey, Theogony, Aeneid, Metamorphosis.
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Apr 21, 2010 17:15
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Facial Fracture posted:Bullfinch's, I guess. Also, Joseph Campbell's Masks of God things. The Poetic Edda. Get the liner notes for recordings of Wagner's Ring Cycle. Do you have some gripe against Greek/Roman stuff? 'Cause if not, you know, read at least Iliad, Odyssey, Theogony, Aeneid, Metamorphosis.
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Apr 21, 2010 18:16
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Nimrod posted:I could use some recommendations for good books on mythology. Stuff like Welsh, Norse, Irish/Celtic, African, Chinese, anything. I've had a pretty difficult time finding good ones in the past. Just looking at my shelves here, but for Welsh, I have "The Mabinogion," described as "Celtic mythology, Arthurian romance, and an intriguing interpretation of British history." For Ireland, I have "Tales of the Elders of Ireland," the "largest literary text surviving from twelfth-century Ireland," and "The Tain," "the longest and most important tale of the Ulster Cycle ... the great epic of Irish folk literature [featuring] the heroic, monstrous Cu Chulainn, one of the most mercurial, engaging characters in any literature." Penguin also makes a good collection of African origin myths, and Amos Tutuola is the most engaging (and funniest) writer of Yoruba myths.
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Apr 21, 2010 19:37
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Strontosaurus posted:I'm writing a final paper for a science fiction class I'm taking at school, and I was hoping to be able to do my report on nanosplatter (nanopunk stories where people die violently). So far, though, I've only been able to get my hands on one such short story, "Blood Music" by Greg Bear. Can anyone possibly point me in the direction of some other splattery nanotech stories? Failing that, what are the "best" nanotech stories? I'm planning to focus my paper on dissociation of the human form and body horror associated with new technologies, so anything that might include that sort of element would be appreciated. It's a bit of a long read, so read the synopsis before you start, but Prey by Michael Crichton deals with nanorobots that kill people, emulate people, etc. I can't remember offhand just how splattery the deaths are in particular as it's been years since I read it, but it might be worth at least a quick look. Edit: Nanosplatter is officially my favorite word of the day, thanks!
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Apr 21, 2010 23:15
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I'm heading to Egypt this summer and I'm looking for something to get me in the mood. The only books people seem to immediately think of are Ramses: The Son of Light by Christian Jacq or The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George (the same lady who wrote The Autobiography of Henry VIII). Any other ideas or an idea of which to go for? I probably only have time to read one. Edit: Keeping an open mind but probably leaning towards some sort of historical fiction. AreYouStillThere fucked around with this message at 05:19 on Apr 23, 2010 |
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Apr 23, 2010 00:39
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My friend was reading a book called Taxi by Khaled al-Khamissi a few weeks ago. It looked good and he seemed to really like it. It's a series of stories about Egyptian cab drivers. Maybe an interesting thing to read if you anticipate taking cabs while there?
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Apr 23, 2010 03:46
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alright, this may sound strange, but with finals approaching I definitely want some reading to take my mind off the heavier books I have to read. As far as Recommendations go, one of two things I'd say would be what I'm looking for. First: light reading (want to stress light and easy), as long as it's enjoyable and good. From high adventure and fantasy, to sci-fi, to more serious fiction. I would like it to be fiction though, preferably ~300 pages as a cap. so like 350 is fine, but yeah, ~300 pages. Second: and a bit contrary to the first, I've just recently re-read siddhartha and behold the man, would be interested in more books like those.
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Apr 23, 2010 05:40
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AreYouStillThere posted:I'm heading to Egypt this summer and I'm looking for something to get me in the mood. The only books people seem to immediately think of are Ramses: The Son of Light by Christian Jacq or The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George (the same lady who wrote The Autobiography of Henry VIII). Any other ideas or an idea of which to go for? I probably only have time to read one. Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz is non-fiction that pretty much reads like historical fiction. Mertz writes a ton of Egypt-based historical fiction as well under the pseudonym Elizabeth Peters. This was the only book I read (aside from Lonely Planet) before going to Egypt late last year, and it really made the history much more interesting and understandable.
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Apr 23, 2010 06:40
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AreYouStillThere posted:I'm heading to Egypt this summer and I'm looking for something to get me in the mood. The only books people seem to immediately think of are Ramses: The Son of Light by Christian Jacq or The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George (the same lady who wrote The Autobiography of Henry VIII). Any other ideas or an idea of which to go for? I probably only have time to read one. Naguib Mafouz. He's a Nobel prize winner and wrote a trilogy set in ancient Egypt and many (better) books set in more modern times. Fantastic stuff.
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Apr 23, 2010 07:54
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Quantumfate posted:... take my mind off the heavier books... I don't know how heavy your heavy reading is, and how light you want to go. I also have not read anything in your second set of conditions. I can still offer the following: A Wrinkle In Time by Madeliene L'Engle (~240 pages). Fun and easy.
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Apr 23, 2010 09:06
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That's exactly what I'm looking for, but I've already read it. as far as how heavy my reading is, it's pretty heady academic stuff. But yeah, that would be perfect if I hadn't already read it.
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Apr 23, 2010 19:49
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You could try part 2 of the series: A Wind in the Door. There's also The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart. It's a story about Merlin. It's also a bit longer than 250 pages.
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Apr 23, 2010 23:47
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Quantumfate posted:First: light reading (want to stress light and easy), as long as it's enjoyable and good. From high adventure and fantasy, to sci-fi, to more serious fiction. I would like it to be fiction though, preferably ~300 pages as a cap. so like 350 is fine, but yeah, ~300 pages.
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Apr 24, 2010 09:10
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Quantumfate posted:First: light reading (want to stress light and easy), as long as it's enjoyable and good. From high adventure and fantasy, to sci-fi, to more serious fiction. I would like it to be fiction though, preferably ~300 pages as a cap. so like 350 is fine, but yeah, ~300 pages. For light reading, you can't go wrong with Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. For something that fits both of your requests, try Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. It's sort of like Siddhartha... IN SPACE.
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Apr 24, 2010 12:04
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Quantumfate, life of pi would probably be a good choice, its very light and easy and entertaining, but also kind of reminded of Hesse a little. very popular book club type read, but excellent.
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Apr 24, 2010 16:24
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I asked this months ago and got no answer. I'm reading a thing with popes in it now so I'll try again: Does anyone know of a good book about the history of the Catholic Church? And I mean a history, not anti- or pro-Catholic polemic with some names and dates thrown in. Ideally, I'd like to find a half-decent "Lives of the Popes"* thing so I can tell more than 3 of them apart, and also a broader history of the Church to read along with it. *I know that multi-volume papal histories exist, but I won't be starting with them and I'd like a single-volume "concise" history to begin with.
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Apr 25, 2010 17:14
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Bohemian Nights posted:Hey, I work in a nerd store with comics, books, warhams, roleplaying systems, etc. I'm looking for some Fantasyrecommendations. When I make a book recommendation to customers (for someone who's read the 'classics' like Steven Erikson, George Martin, etc) I usually go with new fantasy in the vein of Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Robert v.s Redick, Patrick Rothfuss and Peter V Brett (and Richard Morgan's fantasy book), and if they like one of these authors, I feed them books from the other mentioned names, since these authors usually compliment eachother well. If you recognize these names and enjoy their books, what are some authors or books you'd recommend? R. Scott Bakker's "The Prince of Nothing" trilogy might fit well: interesting mythology, gritty realpolitik war, magic that's powerful and interestingly rare, moral ambiguity. It got a little intricate in its relationships at times, but kept my attention pretty well. Bakker also has a near-future speculative thriller "Neuropath" that is mostly about putative interaction between free will and neurological advances. I enjoyed it, but I'm quite into that particular speculative space (see below). I haven't seen TA Pratt's Marla Mason series mentioned in the thread, but I quite liked it. It's not as gritty as most of the stuff above (hello Morgan and Abercrombie), more the weight of the Vlad Taltos series from Brust, but I liked it enough that I donated to support the serialization of the 5th book. quote:Also, if anyone knows what's the new hotness in the sci-fi genre I'm all ears. Not very new, but Peter Watts' Blindsight is a hard sci-fi mystery/thriller/mindfuck that I liked a lot. I either found it from Neuropath or vice versa, but I found Blindsight to be a little less overt about the author's agenda WRT morality and free will. Available for free from his web site, too. There's an extended set of endnotes for the book there, and Watts' scientific background is both obvious and enjoyable in his survey of the literature on which he based the science of the book. As an aside, skimming through this thread has already combined with my poor impulse control and Amazon's 1-click-to-the-Kindle deviance to cost me about 200 bucks in the last few hours. I hate you all a little, but just a little.
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Apr 25, 2010 17:52
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