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DirtyRobot
Dec 15, 2003

it was a normally happy sunny day... but Dirty Robot was dirty

lolwhat53 posted:

So I have been reading a lot of Political Thrillers lately ( Vince Flynn, Lee Childs, Robert Ludlum, David Baldacci) primarily because my Stepdad has a whole closet full of them and they are free. I can burn through them in just a few days in most cases.

However I am going on vacation soon and find myself wanting to pick up something with more substance...really something more challenging/enlightnening/emotion invoking ect. The last two books that really touched me and are kind of in the vein what what I am looking for were "Blood Meridian" and "The River Why".

Basically I want a challenging work of fiction with beutiful prose and environment description...honestly thinking of picking up another Cormac McCarthy but would like to try a new author. Any suggestions? Sorry I know that is kind of vague.
Both The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt and Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel create very rich environments with stunning prose. They both have a lot of substance.

Wolf Hall is probably better, but it may depend what floats your boat more: another perspective of Cromwell in the early modern period, or a neo-Victorian novel that changes into an Edwardian modernist story towards the end.

For what's it's worth I thought The Children's Book went a bit long, but based on your needs, that may not be too bad.

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Decebal
Jan 6, 2010
I've been reading a lot of Pearl S. Buck lately and just love her books about China before the rise of communism. I like how she writes about small customs and tradition and explains them for the western audience. (ex: " She knew better than to wake him suddenly, for in sleep the soul wanders over the earth, and if the body is waked too quickly, the soul is confused and cannot find its way again to its home.-Peony" Small details like that make the book so much better.

Are there any other books about China written in a similar style ?

Decebal fucked around with this message at 03:16 on Jun 11, 2010

hello clarice
Jun 8, 2010

For Your Health!

NewTennMom posted:

Laurell K. Hamilton - I just started reading her series that starts with A Kiss of Shadow, and it seems pretty good so far. I have heard some SCARY things about the Anita Blake books, so I am not all that keen on starting those.

I know I'm late to the party on this one but I want to note something about the Anita Blake books - the scary doesn't start until a few books in. There's a lot of crazy sex in the Anita Blake series, but for the first few books Anita is mostly celibate and a total bad rear end. If you don't want to deal with crazy sex stop reading right before or right after Narcissus in Chains. There are some differing opinions-I say Narcissus is where the crazy starts but my best friend (who introduced me to the series) says it's still within the bounds of acceptable reading.

For those not reading Laurell K Hamilton and thinking about starting, also keep in mind:

- Anita Blake series pre-Narcissus is actually good and has some interesting parts and is generally an entertaining series. Anita post-Narcissus is a giant death march of redundant and often forced (but not the good way) kinky sex with every male creature, human, vampire, or other, in the series. Often all at the same time. Some people just like this. ie, me.

- The Merry Gentry series, which begins with A Kiss of Shadows, has a lot of sex right off the bat cause it's basically a race to get the main character pregnant but there's not a lot of kink. I think the kinkiest it gets is sex with multiple guys at once.

So, in summary: If you like vampires and werewolves a lot of kinky sex with a million different people and some whiny angst, go with Anita. If you like mostly vanilla sex with feelings and "committed relationships"? and faeries everywhere, go with Merry.

The end.

IceNiner
Jun 11, 2008
I'm looking for dark, Gothic space horror. Anything reminiscent of the first Alien film or Outland. So, hopefully written within the last 25 years or so (not the older classics like Space Beagle, which I've already read). Stories not taking place on Earth are a plus.

Hedrigall
Mar 27, 2008

by vyelkin

IceNiner posted:

I'm looking for dark, Gothic space horror. Anything reminiscent of the first Alien film or Outland. So, hopefully written within the last 25 years or so (not the older classics like Space Beagle, which I've already read). Stories not taking place on Earth are a plus.

I have heard Blindsight by Peter Watts is a really good, intelligent space horror. I haven't read it yet but it's next on my to-read pile.

Chronic Reagan
Oct 13, 2000

pictures of plastic men
Fun Shoe

IceNiner posted:

I'm looking for dark, Gothic space horror. Anything reminiscent of the first Alien film or Outland. So, hopefully written within the last 25 years or so (not the older classics like Space Beagle, which I've already read). Stories not taking place on Earth are a plus.
The story 'Nightingale' in Alastair Reynolds' Galactic North collection definitely fits the bill, and the novel Revelation Space set in the same universe has a lot of gothic horror elements, particularly the parts set in the spaceship Nostalgia for Infinity.

TheOtherContraGuy
Jul 4, 2007

brave skeleton sacrifice
Does anyone have a good history book on 20th century music? That seems really general, but I'm looking for broad overview how punk became post-punk and where genres like dream pop started.

Did That on Television
Nov 8, 2004
lemonparties with wippersnapper
I'm looking for a book on the history of music as well, although I'm more interested currently in the development of recording technologies. I'd even be fine with academic journal articles that discuss this, as I've got access if you've got sources. It would need to be something relatively non-technical though as I am not an audio engineer nor am I someone who plays or reads music. I'm just an interested music-listener who likes cultural history!

edit: My library has A Century of Recorded Music: Listening to Musical History by Timothy Day (published 2000), which is described -- no doubt by copy -- as: "[. . .] the first thorough exploration of the impact of recording technology on the art of music. Timothy Day chronicles the developments in recording technology since its inception and describes the powerful effects it has had on artistic performance, audience participation, and listening habits. He offers a fascinating comparison of the characteristics of musical life a century ago with those of today."

Upon reading the three Amazon.ca reviews for the book, however, it appears that it is not primarily concerned with the evolution of recording technology and its effects on recorded music in general per se, but rather with its influence upon "Western art music" [that, I am told, is the truly generic term for 'classical music' which is itself a style thereof] in particular. Can anyone shed some light of this? If the latter is the case, it's not what I'm looking for... and I hope what I am looking for is clear, haha.

TheOtherContraGuy posted:

Does anyone have a good history book on 20th century music? That seems really general, but I'm looking for broad overview how punk became post-punk and where genres like dream pop started.

Depending on how superficial you want it, you could read some of the articles on allmusic's website that deal with punk rock and its various subsequent varieties. These ones seemed to be what you're looking for:

"American Punk Rock" by Richie Unterberger
"American Alternative Rock / Post-Punk" by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
"British Punk" by Richie Unterberger
"Post-Punk" by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
"Punk Music" by John Dougan
"Roots of Punk" by Richie Unterberger

The downside is that none of them have bibliographies or suggest further reading. I find that annoying but you may not mind if you're not looking for something terribly academic.

Did That on Television fucked around with this message at 03:48 on Jun 12, 2010

Subjunctive
Sep 12, 2006

✨sparkle and shine✨

TheOtherContraGuy posted:

Does anyone have a good history book on 20th century music? That seems really general, but I'm looking for broad overview how punk became post-punk and where genres like dream pop started.

Hmm, it sounds like you want a book version of "The Ongoing History of New Music", but I think the closest thing is probably the audio CD series "The Alan Cross Guide to Alternative Rock". I am sure that there's an episode of TOHNM about the punk -> post-punk era, and frequent dissections of microgenres, and I am sure that they are fantastic to listen to, but I am not sure that there is an actual book form of it. (I am sure that I have never seen it, because if I had I would own it -- we are not Music People, but my wife and I have routinely made ourselves late for brunch by sitting in the car, parked, to listen to the end of an episode of TONHM on the radio here in Toronto.)

barkingclam
Jun 20, 2007

TheOtherContraGuy posted:

Does anyone have a good history book on 20th century music? That seems really general, but I'm looking for broad overview how punk became post-punk and where genres like dream pop started.

I thought Simon Reynolds Rip It Up and Start Again was a pretty good book on the roots of postpunk. The stuff on Public Image Ltd was really good. I've heard the english version (which is unabridged but out of print) is the one to go for, but I didn't mind the American one.

Sagacity
May 2, 2003
Hopefully my epitaph will be funnier than my custom title.
What's the best Frank Sinatra / Rat Pack biography book? I'm looking for a book that is not just fact, not just 'dirt', but a nice combination of biography and a kind of 'you are there' approach similar to what Easy Riders, Raging Bulls did for '70s cinema.

barkingclam
Jun 20, 2007
I've been thinking a lot lately about ancient Greek lit (in particular Homer's The Odyssey and The Illiad). I've never read either, so I'm not sure which translation to go for: one that keep's it as a poem or one that's done more in the style of a novel.

On one hand, I figure it might be best to read it fairly close to the way it was written, but the idea of a 500-page poem is daunting at best.

7 y.o. bitch
Mar 24, 2009

:derp:

Name 7 yob
Age 55 years young
Posts OVER 9000 XD
Title BOOK BARN SUPERSTAR
Motto Might I quote the incomparable Frederick Douglas? To wit: :drum:ONE TWO THREE TIMES TWO TO THE SIX/JONESING FOR YOUR FIX OF THAT LIMP BIZKIT MIX:drum:XD

barkingclam posted:

On one hand, I figure it might be best to read it fairly close to the way it was written, but the idea of a 500-page poem is daunting at best.

Just so you know, the prose editions tend to be more accurate and are often "literal" translations, so that'll be the closest to the actual meaning. You should also remember that the poems were originally recited, and that the texts that we have of them probably date from around 400 years after Homer spoke them. The poetic editions, then, are attempting to replicate the cantatory and oratorical nature of the poems, and perhaps make it easier to catch specific references to lines from other works. Personally, I'd go with a heavily annotated poetic edition, but for the most part, the Greek versions are already at a huge remove from the originals, so any English translation will be twice removed and essentially a rewrite. You read the poems mostly for the sense of them rather than the specific language.

Also, you will be a much better reader if you begin reading long poems. They require much more effort and thought just to make sense of the words, but they also teach you to hear the "art" of writing - rhythm, alliteration, enjambment, etc. - a lot better, and thus you'll become a more discriminating reader on one hand, and on the other, able to appreciate good art more at the aesthetic level when you come across it. You're already reading some of the most difficult and important texts in history, might as well push yourself just a little bit more and take a little more time.

7 y.o. bitch fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Jun 15, 2010

Renaissance Spam
Jun 5, 2010

Can it wait a for a bit? I'm in the middle of some *gyrations*


Dstrukt posted:

I've been looking for anything that is supernatural/mystery/horror. Also, I've been really wanting a good epic series or at least a larger story arc. Books or comics will do. I've been reading Hellboy lately. Any other suggestions?

Clive Barker's "Book of the Art" series is always good if you like long supernatural stories. He can get a bit wordy but I find once you buy into his prose he's a blast.

Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels are fun, although if you've ever read Hellblazer you can have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Not surprising considering Carey wrote for that series.

On that note, if you haven't read Hellblazer, you must go do that now. The series can be very hit or miss depending on the writers, but if you can get any of the trades written by Garth Ennis or Warren Ellis you will be very entertained. That's not to say the rest of the series isn't worthwhile, but I have never heard a bad thing said about Ennis or Ellis' runs on HB, so they're a solid place to dip your feet in.

If you're looking for something with a bit more of a sense of humour, Simon R. Green's Nightside series is a fast, easy and fun read that for all of their self-mockery actually have decent supernatural elements.

Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden books are always a solid read for longterm supernatural mystery, in fact they even have their own thread. If you haven't already read it, check it out.

Hope that helps!

who cares
Jul 25, 2006

Doomsday Machine
I just finished college and now finally have time to read again!

I am looking for sci-fi books that have detailed descriptions of space travel and other planets/galaxies/whatever. I don't like books that focus on battles or military-type subjects. I tend to like the 50s/60s sci-fi aesthetic.

Books I've really enjoyed:
Arthur C. Clarke - Rendezvous with Rama, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Childhood's End.
Robert Heinlein: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Ray Bradbury: The Martian Chronicles

Thanks for any suggestions.

Facial Fracture
Aug 11, 2007

barkingclam posted:

I've been thinking a lot lately about ancient Greek lit (in particular Homer's The Odyssey and The Illiad). I've never read either, so I'm not sure which translation to go for: one that keep's it as a poem or one that's done more in the style of a novel.

On one hand, I figure it might be best to read it fairly close to the way it was written, but the idea of a 500-page poem is daunting at best.

7 y.o. bitch's advice is good. I'll mention a bit about specific translations; I'm not an expert but I've read a bunch of both and prefer the poetic translations on the whole. Don't be daunted by them. There's as much variation between poetic versions as there is between them and prose translations.

The "easiest" version of either that I've read has been W.H.D. Rouse's prose Odyssey. It reads like a kid's book; it's quick and breezy. The notes, which serve partly to justify the simplicity of the version, were interesting, particularly the section in which Alexander Pope's obscure "poeticized" lines are compared with very simple and direct translations considered by Rouse truer to the original. Pope's Odyssey is considered really lovely, and it probably is if you like Pope but I think it's a greater expression of his style than it is of the essence of the poem and is therefore not the ideal place to start. I likewise wouldn't suggest starting with Chapman unless you enjoy 17th Century English.

If Pope's Odyssey is the most daunting poetic translation, Robert Fagles's is the "easiest" of those. Fagles's translation is simple and the rhythms are natural to read. Fagles did Odyssey, Iliad, and Aeneid, and all are very readable and come with good general introductory notes as well as endnotes on the translations. Richmond Lattimore and Robert Fitzgerald are somewhere in the middle difficulty-wise, I guess. I think Fitzgerald's translation is horrible to read. Lattimore is my favourite. I have old editions of his translations which are unannotated; I don't know if there are newer editions of his stuff with more notes.

Fagles, Lattimore, and Fitzgerald all translated The Iliad as well. While I like Fagles's Odyssey pretty well, I much, much prefer Lattimore's Iliad. Samuel Butler's translation is decent but a bit starchy. Andrew Lang's is full of excitingly archaic syntax and is dead on the page and I wouldn't recommend it. It used to be the standard Penguin or Oxford translation, but I don't think it is anymore, thank God. Rouse's translation is as readable and easy as his Odyssey.

You will probably find that whatever version you first read will sound "right" to you forever. I read Lattimore first and he's probably my favourite mostly because his words are the most familiar to me. I read Fitzgerald second, so everything seemed "wrong." You can read the first lines of almost any translation, so I'd recommend doing so and getting the translation that appeals to you most.

Hieronymous Alloy
Jan 30, 2009


Why! Why!! Why must you refuse to accept that Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's Genetically Enhanced Cream Corn Is Superior to the Leading Brand on the Market!?!




Morbid Hound

who cares posted:

I just finished college and now finally have time to read again!

I am looking for sci-fi books that have detailed descriptions of space travel and other planets/galaxies/whatever. I don't like books that focus on battles or military-type subjects. I tend to like the 50s/60s sci-fi aesthetic.

Books I've really enjoyed:
Arthur C. Clarke - Rendezvous with Rama, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Childhood's End.
Robert Heinlein: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Ray Bradbury: The Martian Chronicles

Thanks for any suggestions.

I'd read Heinlein's citizen of the galaxy and almost anything by Jack Vance.

barkingclam
Jun 20, 2007

Facial Fracture posted:

7 y.o. bitch's advice is good. I'll mention a bit about specific translations; I'm not an expert but I've read a bunch of both and prefer the poetic translations on the whole. Don't be daunted by them. There's as much variation between poetic versions as there is between them and prose translations.

Thanks for the advice, 7 y.o. bitch and Facial Fracture. I'm going to go for Fagles' translation. Penguin uses it for both the Odyssey and the Iliad and they've been pretty good to me in the past.

AN ANGRY MOTHER
Jan 31, 2008
BLANK

Renaissance Spam posted:

Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels are fun, although if you've ever read Hellblazer you can have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Not surprising considering Carey wrote for that series.

Speaking of Mike Carey, ever since I read Lucifer I've been looking for a decent mythology book about all the old testament stuff with the different types of angels and circles of hell and all that cool stuff, but I have no clue what to search for. My searches so far have just yielded the same stuff and I don't really want the watered down version for Christians.

7 y.o. bitch
Mar 24, 2009

:derp:

Name 7 yob
Age 55 years young
Posts OVER 9000 XD
Title BOOK BARN SUPERSTAR
Motto Might I quote the incomparable Frederick Douglas? To wit: :drum:ONE TWO THREE TIMES TWO TO THE SIX/JONESING FOR YOUR FIX OF THAT LIMP BIZKIT MIX:drum:XD

barkingclam posted:

Thanks for the advice, 7 y.o. bitch and Facial Fracture. I'm going to go for Fagles' translation. Penguin uses it for both the Odyssey and the Iliad and they've been pretty good to me in the past.

Those are the ones I have, and I think they are perfectly serviceable (I like them), although I'm sure the heavy repetition sounds much better than it reads. Perhaps read aloud the first few pages to yourself to get the cadence into your head so that you remember that this is essentially song, and far from prose.

Renaissance Spam
Jun 5, 2010

Can it wait a for a bit? I'm in the middle of some *gyrations*


AN ANGRY MOTHER posted:

Speaking of Mike Carey, ever since I read Lucifer I've been looking for a decent mythology book about all the old testament stuff with the different types of angels and circles of hell and all that cool stuff, but I have no clue what to search for. My searches so far have just yielded the same stuff and I don't really want the watered down version for Christians.

Three suggestions off the top of my head:

To Reign in Hell by Stephen Brust. One caveat it has some very dense text. I would suggest you get it from the library, just so you don't drop money on something you're not going to like.

God's Demon by Wayne Douglas Barlowe. A much easier read, and great if you're a fan of Lucifer. It's not nearly as suave or stylish (the cover gives you a good idea of what kind of imagery you're dealing with), but the story is intriguing.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman was pretty much my introduction to angels and demons in the literary form, and while it isn't exactly mythology it's a great read and definitely touches on heaven/hell relations.

Zev
Apr 3, 2009
I'm looking for a book that applies skepticism to conventional wisdom. I read The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark recently and really enjoyed it, so I think something along those lines would be interesting.

Kukash
Apr 22, 2010
I've been playing a lot of Red Dead Redemption lately and now I'm in the mood for a book that is similar. Are there any good western novels that cover a large area (either real world or fictional)? I generally stick to fantasy books so even a western with some elements of that thrown in might be okay.

Facial Fracture
Aug 11, 2007

AN ANGRY MOTHER posted:

Speaking of Mike Carey, ever since I read Lucifer I've been looking for a decent mythology book about all the old testament stuff with the different types of angels and circles of hell and all that cool stuff, but I have no clue what to search for. My searches so far have just yielded the same stuff and I don't really want the watered down version for Christians.

Read Dante.

Hieronymous Alloy
Jan 30, 2009


Why! Why!! Why must you refuse to accept that Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's Genetically Enhanced Cream Corn Is Superior to the Leading Brand on the Market!?!




Morbid Hound

Facial Fracture posted:

Read Dante.

Specifically his Inferno. You could also try Milton's Paradise Lost. Most of the stuff you're referencing isn't from the Bible at all, but from Dante and Milton.

barkingclam
Jun 20, 2007

Kukash posted:

I've been playing a lot of Red Dead Redemption lately and now I'm in the mood for a book that is similar. Are there any good western novels that cover a large area (either real world or fictional)? I generally stick to fantasy books so even a western with some elements of that thrown in might be okay.

Everybody and their uncle's going to recommend Cormac McCarthy, and with good reason. Both All the Pretty Horses and Blood Meridian are very good.

If you really want to go old school western, track down some Zane Grey or Louis L'Amour. Pretty much any used bookstore will have a bunch of their stuff in paperback.

Subjunctive
Sep 12, 2006

✨sparkle and shine✨

Zev posted:

I'm looking for a book that applies skepticism to conventional wisdom. I read The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark recently and really enjoyed it, so I think something along those lines would be interesting.

I haven't read that, but Nurture Shock sounds like it might be the sort of thing you're looking (scoped to parenting and child development stuff). I guess Denialism might count too.

AN ANGRY MOTHER
Jan 31, 2008
BLANK

Hieronymous Alloy posted:

Specifically his Inferno. You could also try Milton's Paradise Lost. Most of the stuff you're referencing isn't from the Bible at all, but from Dante and Milton.

Well I'm definitely going to hunt down the suggestions I've gotten so far, but I should have been clearer in my post that I was looking for an encyclopedia type book. So far I've only found Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, but it's a bit out of my price range. Actually, I'm finding some cool stuff in the "people who bought this also bought" on amazon.

Hieronymous Alloy
Jan 30, 2009


Why! Why!! Why must you refuse to accept that Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's Genetically Enhanced Cream Corn Is Superior to the Leading Brand on the Market!?!




Morbid Hound

AN ANGRY MOTHER posted:

Well I'm definitely going to hunt down the suggestions I've gotten so far, but I should have been clearer in my post that I was looking for an encyclopedia type book. So far I've only found Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, but it's a bit out of my price range. Actually, I'm finding some cool stuff in the "people who bought this also bought" on amazon.

Ah, ok. The only thing I've seen like that would be some of the AD&D monster manuals / manual of the planes / Deities and Demigods - type stuff. If you do find a good reference work, let me know :P

Seriously, though, for a lot of what you're talking about, just going straight to the Inferno or Paradise Lost will be your best bet. A lot of what we consider "standard mythology" today -- like the circles of hell, or the war in heaven and Lucifer being a cast-out fallen angel, or Eve eating an apple -- actually come from one or the other of those two works, at least as far as anyone today is concerned (Milton, for example, drew on thousands of vaguely canonical, vaguely heretical medieval sources and synthesized them into an essentially brand-new whole).

Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 05:43 on Jun 18, 2010

Facial Fracture
Aug 11, 2007

Also, the Jewish/Christian apocrypha.

Any "Encyclopedia of Famous Demons" is going to be poo poo aimed at 14 year old aspiring Satanists who just look at the pictures and dream of future neck tattoos.

7 y.o. bitch
Mar 24, 2009

:derp:

Name 7 yob
Age 55 years young
Posts OVER 9000 XD
Title BOOK BARN SUPERSTAR
Motto Might I quote the incomparable Frederick Douglas? To wit: :drum:ONE TWO THREE TIMES TWO TO THE SIX/JONESING FOR YOUR FIX OF THAT LIMP BIZKIT MIX:drum:XD

AN ANGRY MOTHER posted:

Well I'm definitely going to hunt down the suggestions I've gotten so far, but I should have been clearer in my post that I was looking for an encyclopedia type book. So far I've only found Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, but it's a bit out of my price range. Actually, I'm finding some cool stuff in the "people who bought this also bought" on amazon.

We know, but an "encyclopedia type book" is going to be very, very boring, and you're not going to remember any of it. It's best to go to source material in this case since the sources are some of the greatest literature ever produced. Plus, I mean, the "circles of hell" thing, while not completely original to Dante, like, that's where all popular understanding of it comes from. The Old Testament doesn't say hardly anything specific about Hell, and says even less about "Lucifer." Dante literally made most of it up. "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso" will also show a lot of our traditional understandings of purgatory and heaven in it. You can also read "City of God" and "The Pilgrim's Progress" if you want. And in terms of "price range," there are free libraries most anywhere, and the majority of them do inter-library loans as well.

If you know what you're looking for, here are two well-known encyclopedias, available online:

Encyclopaedia Biblica: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Encyclopaedia_Biblica

Jewish Encyclopedia: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/

And here's the Lucifer page: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=612&letter=L

I mean, why are you looking for info on angels and demons in the Bible? Do you just think they're cool or something? That Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible looks like it's almost definitely going to be the best thing for you then. Here's a list of every library in America that has it: http://www.worldcat.org/title/dictionary-of-deities-and-demons-in-the-bible-ddd/oclc/39765350&referer=brief_results

edit: Also, I know I've pushed it a lot, but if you want some good literature that features demonology, J. K. Huysmans is great, specifically "La Bas" or "The Damned."

7 y.o. bitch fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Jun 18, 2010

Facial Fracture
Aug 11, 2007

Is there a particularly good translation of La Bas? I remember your mentioning it before and since I liked A Rebours I'd be interested to read it when I've got through my current pile of stuff.

If AN ANGRY MOTHER is interested, Project Gutenberg has it: http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?fk_files=112844&pageno=2

7 y.o. bitch
Mar 24, 2009

:derp:

Name 7 yob
Age 55 years young
Posts OVER 9000 XD
Title BOOK BARN SUPERSTAR
Motto Might I quote the incomparable Frederick Douglas? To wit: :drum:ONE TWO THREE TIMES TWO TO THE SIX/JONESING FOR YOUR FIX OF THAT LIMP BIZKIT MIX:drum:XD

Facial Fracture posted:

Is there a particularly good translation of La Bas? I remember your mentioning it before and since I liked A Rebours I'd be interested to read it when I've got through my current pile of stuff.

If AN ANGRY MOTHER is interested, Project Gutenberg has it: http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?fk_files=112844&pageno=2

There appear to be three translations available: the 1928 one by Keene Wallace, one by Brendan King, and the most recent by Terry Hale. The Wallace one apparently has some rather major errors in it, and between King and Hale, Hale has the better pedigree as a translation scholar, although King was working on a dissertation on Huysmans at the time of his translation. From the brief comparison I could do, Hale's (the Penguin Classics one) seems to have a more natural and concise rhythm, and it happens to be the one I read. But the two are pretty similar, for the most part. The Penguin one is also going to be cheaper.

While I was looking on Amazon, I noticed people saying how "difficult" the book was because of its "digressions" and vocabulary, but I was surprised at how easy the book was (especially compared to A Rebours), and how quickly it moved. It definitely has the feel of a thriller, and is almost pulpy, the kind of book Dan Brown wishes he could write. In translation, it reads a lot like The Picture of Dorian Gray in terms of style (which of course makes such obvious sense I feel dumb writing that statement), although much less psychologically concerned.

Facial Fracture
Aug 11, 2007

Thanks. I'll get Hale's. I didn't mind how dumb and uncultured A Rebours made me feel because I got to look up and learn about interesting things. All the same, I'm just as happy if La Bas is a "less challenging" sort of read. I'll try to get to it this summer.

Day Man
Jul 30, 2007

Champion of the Sun!

Master of karate and friendship...
for everyone!


So, I was just listening to NPR, and they were talking about deep cave exploration. That ignited the urge to read some cave-based horror fiction. I've read a short story posted from somewhere on the forums that's set up like a blog that was really cool. I tried to find it to link it here, but I don't remember what it was called.

The only other cave-type horror novel I've read was House of Leaves, which I also really liked, even though it wasn't really about a cave necessarily. I'm aware that the first page has discussion of recommendations based upon that novel, but they were just asking for general horror.

Thanks!

barkingclam
Jun 20, 2007

jmaze posted:

So, I was just listening to NPR, and they were talking about deep cave exploration. That ignited the urge to read some cave-based horror fiction. I've read a short story posted from somewhere on the forums that's set up like a blog that was really cool. I tried to find it to link it here, but I don't remember what it was called.

It was Ted the Caver.

Day Man
Jul 30, 2007

Champion of the Sun!

Master of karate and friendship...
for everyone!


barkingclam posted:

It was Ted the Caver.

That's the one! So, any stories kind of like Ted the Caver and/or House of Leaves are what I'm looking for.

KiddieGrinder
Nov 15, 2005

HELP ME
Anyone recommend a book that's similar in story to Martian Dreams PC game released years ago?

Basic gist of it is:

Protagonist and team time travel back to Victorian Times to rescue a martian expedition populated with the greatest thinkers of the day (like Mark Twain, Nikola Tesla, etc.. Martians are dying of some disease, and have possesed the humans as temporary hosts to continue to live. Your rescue party can use Martian technology (dream machines) to interact with the Martians inside the posessed humans, and convince them to basically leave. You save the day, etc.

So, anything like that? I had a glance at the Martian Chronicles and it didn't seem to quite fit. :(

PS: they don't have to be Martians of course, any aliens will do.

Umph
Apr 26, 2008

If you haven't read the Temeraire saga yet you've got too!

It reads like A Song of Ice and Fire (but with a much smaller cast, mainly following Laurence, the captain of Temeraire), only in the Napoleonic era, with dragons. It's the best historical fiction I've ever read, Naomi Novick is absolutely outstanding. I'm surprised there isn't a mega thread for it. I went through the entire series in a month, and I'm practically shaking for the next book. It starts out a little slow (still absolutely sublime), but she finds her pace in the second book and the intrigue, plot, and settings are breathtaking, with major plot points set up for later books as if shes got the entire story already in her head.

There's no magic or anything, it's just the world plus dragons, and you've GOT to check it out. The only problem with it is that I found myself hoping for England's downfall several times, as the politicians and gentry are maddeningly ignorant.

Peter Jackson is making a movie out of it, so you can bet it's about to become one of the most popular series in the world, so this is the time to get in the ground floor so you can be smug about it later.

Do you guys think there's enough of a following to warrant a mega thread? With the movie coming and all. I'd be stoked to write one up.

http://www.amazon.com/His-Majestys-Dragon-Temeraire-Book/dp/0345481283

Umph fucked around with this message at 04:04 on Jun 22, 2010

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Renaissance Spam
Jun 5, 2010

Can it wait a for a bit? I'm in the middle of some *gyrations*


AN ANGRY MOTHER posted:

Well I'm definitely going to hunt down the suggestions I've gotten so far, but I should have been clearer in my post that I was looking for an encyclopedia type book. So far I've only found Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, but it's a bit out of my price range. Actually, I'm finding some cool stuff in the "people who bought this also bought" on amazon.

If you're looking for a classic hermetical style demon/angel glossary the Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon are a solid resource. You can generally find a decent hard copy of both books at most New Age and occult bookstores, although you can also find a copy at The Sacred Texts Archive.

KiddieGrinder posted:

Anyone recommend a book that's similar in story to Martian Dreams PC game released years ago?

I can't really think of any books off the top of my head that have that steampunk in space feel, but there is a very entertaining audio drama series based on the Space: 1889 roleplaying game. You can find order information at Who North America, although they are currently missing part 1 in the 4 part series.

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