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This might be a strange one. I'm looking for a good book about mercenaries in Italy in the Renaissance. I guess Europe in general is fine, but from what little I know, it seems that Italy is where the really fun stuff happened. To specify, I'm looking for more of a history book sort of book, not period fiction or anything like that. Bonus points for readability too, I just finished reading a book on the Silk Road which was, to put it politely, very academically written. Thanks!
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Jun 22, 2010 23:21
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You could try Hawkwood: Diabolical Englishman which is a pop history look at one of the major mercenary captains. After he died Ucello was commissioned to paint a fresco of him in the Duomo, alongside those of other popular figures like Jesus, God, the Virgin Mary and Dante, so you know he was legit. The amazon link has more information on it, but if you go to bookdepository.co.uk it's still available with free shipping.
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Jun 23, 2010 09:31
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inktvis posted:You could try Hawkwood: Diabolical Englishman which is a pop history look at one of the major mercenary captains. After he died Ucello was commissioned to paint a fresco of him in the Duomo, alongside those of other popular figures like Jesus, God, the Virgin Mary and Dante, so you know he was legit. This looks like exactly what I was looking for, thank you!
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Jun 23, 2010 17:50
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I'm about to finish a British Literature class and the text book has books 1,2,9, and 12 of Paradise Lost. I'd like to read the whole thing but what I liked about the text book was all the footnotes at the bottom of every page explaining references to the bible and such. Anyone know of a copy of Paradise Lost like this? I'd also like to get a bible with footnotes as well if there is one. Despite being raised a Catholic (now agnostic, not that it matters) I know hardly anything about the bible.
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Jun 23, 2010 17:54
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Mustang posted:I'd also like to get a bible with footnotes as well if there is one. Despite being raised a Catholic (now agnostic, not that it matters) I know hardly anything about the bible. I've been told that the Oxford University Press has a really good one, but I haven't read it. You should check the bible thread out too: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3307609
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Jun 23, 2010 18:30
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Mustang posted:I'm about to finish a British Literature class and the text book has books 1,2,9, and 12 of Paradise Lost. I'd like to read the whole thing but what I liked about the text book was all the footnotes at the bottom of every page explaining references to the bible and such. Anyone know of a copy of Paradise Lost like this? For Paradise lost, the version you'll want is the Norton Critical Edition, which has extensive footnotes, and then in the back it also comes with "contextual" writings, like selections from the Bible, contemporary theology, and other writings by Milton; and a number of critical essays. And the New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha is very, very good, and cheap as hell for what it is. As far as I know, it's pretty much the authoritative scholarly work for folks who perhaps don't know Greek and Hebrew.
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Jun 23, 2010 18:57
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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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Awesome! Thanks for the recommendations guys, buying those asap.
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Jun 24, 2010 03:14
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What should I read regarding ancient Native American culture and mythology?
Honest Thief fucked around with this message at 18:08 on Jun 24, 2010 |
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Jun 24, 2010 17:12
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I read this: http://www.amazon.com/Jesuit-Relations-Natives-Missionaries-Seventeenth-Century/dp/0312167075/ref=pd_sim_b_4 I read it while reading about the church in New France but I still recommend it for your purposes. It's like a greatest hits drawn from the tons of Jesuit relations. It's got nasty Jesuits' views of Native culture and mythology, so it's clearly biased, but it's pretty interesting and maybe a good starting point.
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Jun 24, 2010 19:28
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I sort of have 2 requests if that's okay. I've just finished watching Oliver Stone's The Doors and I loved his portrayal of Jim Morrison (whether it was accurate or not I didn't care). I thought it would be rad if there were any books with characters like Oliver Stone's Jim Morrison as the protagonist by which I mean a a cocky hedonist, erratic and occasionally violent alcoholic, self-destructive, pretentious in the sense of "I'm an artist, I'm a poet, a performer and I go on and on about it". A tremendous rear end in a top hat in short. Of course characters are more complex than just that, the more complex the better! Also, I really enjoyed the whole "vision quest" native Americans, deserts, caves and lizards imagery so if you can recommend me a book that combines the two that would be awesome but not prerequisite. For my second request. Crime novels set in Asia. Hardboiled crime-fiction, who-dunnits, police dramas, whatever as long as it's set in places like India, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, China or anywhere in that area. Thanks in advance.
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Jun 26, 2010 03:35
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Stoicinema posted:For my second request. Crime novels set in Asia. Hardboiled crime-fiction, who-dunnits, police dramas, whatever as long as it's set in places like India, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, China or anywhere in that area. Thanks in advance. I wasn't sure if you were interested in contemporary or otherwise, but one series that I enjoy are the Sano Ichiro books by Laura Joh Rowland. My reason? It's about a hard-boiled samurai solving crime in 17th Century Edo. The first book in the series is The Pillow Book of Lady Wisteria, although I got introduced to the series very late and didn't really need a huge amount of backtracking to know what was going on.
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Jun 26, 2010 05:44
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Stoicinema posted:For my second request. Crime novels set in Asia. Hardboiled crime-fiction, who-dunnits, police dramas, whatever as long as it's set in places like India, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, China or anywhere in that area. Thanks in advance. I've not read either one of these but I plan to: Bangkok 8 by John Burdett (and I think there are subsequent books in the series as well) Rock Paper Tiger by Lisa Brackman (just released)
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Jun 26, 2010 16:15
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Stoicinema posted:For my second request. Crime novels set in Asia. Hardboiled crime-fiction, who-dunnits, police dramas, whatever as long as it's set in places like India, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, China or anywhere in that area. Thanks in advance. There are a bunch of these now. Poster above mentioned John Burdett's Bangkok series, which are really good. Also see Christopher G. Moore's Calvino series, also set in Bangkok. James Church's Inspector O series is set in North Korea, and are great. Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen series are set in Shanghai. Bookcloseouts.com has a bunch of these books super cheap. http://www.bookcloseouts.com/
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Jun 26, 2010 16:45
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I'm looking for Epic scifi or fantasy series that creates a detailed in depth world around itself. For example, Wheel of time comes off as a realistic world with a map, boundaries, different cultures etc. just like LOTRs middle earth. Even though more of a satire, the discworld series still has it's world the each story revolves around. In sci-fi the Dune series does a great job of creating the story around the planet and cultures within. Please recommend epic series like these that have quality prose with a realistic setting that characters evolve around. Anything like wheel of time would be great. http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/topscifi/features_series.html and http://home.austarnet.com.au/petersykes/fantasy100/lists_series.html have great lists, but there are just so many that I cannot tell which are quality or not.
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Jun 26, 2010 20:47
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Lascivious Sloth posted:I'm looking for Epic scifi or fantasy series that creates a detailed in depth world around itself. For example, Wheel of time comes off as a realistic world with a map, boundaries, different cultures etc. just like LOTRs middle earth. Even though more of a satire, the discworld series still has it's world the each story revolves around. In sci-fi the Dune series does a great job of creating the story around the planet and cultures within. I know it's exactly what you're asking for, but have you considering A Game of Thrones?
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Jun 26, 2010 21:34
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Lascivious Sloth posted:I'm looking for Epic scifi or fantasy series that creates a detailed in depth world around itself. For example, Wheel of time comes off as a realistic world with a map, boundaries, different cultures etc. just like LOTRs middle earth. Even though more of a satire, the discworld series still has it's world the each story revolves around. In sci-fi the Dune series does a great job of creating the story around the planet and cultures within. Edit: Scott Lynche's "The Lies of Locke Lamorra" spends at least the first 200 pages establishing it's world before putting a match to it and letting the streets run red, too. Yeah that world is basically "renaissance Venice with a smidge of magic" but none-the-less it's well built. Evfedu fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Jun 27, 2010 |
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Jun 27, 2010 01:27
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I find it exhilarating to read about tournaments/competitions in books. (particularly with some play by play) Most of my experience so far is sci-fi/fantasy type stuff - Piers Anthony Adept series - Piers Anthony Battle Circle series - Ender's battles but I'd be open to any genre I suppose. Anybody know some books like this?
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Jun 27, 2010 02:55
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Thanks! I intended to check out Malazan so I'm glad it was suggested. I did read a part of the first AGOT book and I wasn't too impressed. Does it get better after the part where that lady meets her sister in some aerie?
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Jun 27, 2010 09:59
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Can anyone recommend some books about people stranded/living on deserted islands? Fiction, or non-fiction, Thanks!
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Jun 27, 2010 21:25
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Lemons posted:Can anyone recommend some books about people stranded/living on deserted islands? Fiction, or non-fiction, Thanks! Survivor Type by Stephen King is pretty good.
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Jun 27, 2010 21:33
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Lemons posted:Can anyone recommend some books about people stranded/living on deserted islands? Fiction, or non-fiction, Thanks! Sounds like you need Tom Neale's An Island to Oneself in your life. quote:This is the story of the years which I spent alone, in two spells on an uninhabited coral atoll half a mile long and three hundred yards wide in the South Pacific. It was two hundred miles from the nearest inhabited island, and I first arrived there on October 7, 1952 and remained alone (with only two yachts calling) until June 24, 1954, when I was taken off ill after a dramatic rescue. http://www.janesoceania.com/suvarov_tom_neale/ http://www.janesoceania.com/suvarov_tom_neale/index1.htm http://www.janesoceania.com/suvarov_tom_neale/index2.htm
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Jun 27, 2010 21:50
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So, nobody has any good suggestions for a good cave story?
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Jun 27, 2010 22:01
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Are there any vampire books out there that aren't, well, complete poo poo? I'm really interested in an Old World of Darkness style look at their society, and how they get poo poo to function when it's so difficult to control/constrain the ones that get really powerful. I mean, Anita Blake stopped me at page 5, and I couldn't get past page 1 of Twilight, most of the WoD books feel a lot like published fanfic, too. Just wondering if there's anything worthwhile and fun out there?
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Jun 28, 2010 00:06
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Evfedu posted:Are there any vampire books out there that aren't, well, complete poo poo? Fevre Dream was a pretty good vampire book as I recall. I don't think it went really in depth into vampire society or anything like that, but it was pretty cool and had a pretty heavy Heart of Darkness vibe what with the riverboats and all.
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Jun 28, 2010 00:54
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jmaze posted:So, nobody has any good suggestions for a good cave story? well there's Subterranean by James Rollins. I read it in middle school or high school and I remember it at least being decent. quote:Beneath the ice at the bottom of the Earth is a magnificent subterranean labyrinth, a place of breathtaking wonders—and terrors beyond imagining. A team of specialists led by archaeologist Ashley Carter has been hand-picked to explore this secret place and to uncover the riches it holds. But they are not the first to venture here—and those they follow did not return. There are mysteries here older than time, and revelations that could change the world. But there are also things that should not be disturbed—and a devastating truth that could doom Ashley and the expedition: they are not alone. http://www.amazon.com/Subterranean-James-Rollins/dp/0061965804/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277697097&sr=1-1
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Jun 28, 2010 04:53
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Evfedu posted:Are there any vampire books out there that aren't, well, complete poo poo? It's a stand-alone novel, but I so wish that she would turn it into a series. It has a great balance of the attractiveness/repulsiveness of the undead, complete with the heroine briefly ruminating why vampires as a concept are so atractive to teenage girls.
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Jun 28, 2010 07:50
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Mustang posted:well there's Subterranean by James Rollins. I read it in middle school or high school and I remember it at least being decent. Thanks!
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Jun 28, 2010 13:57
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Sup nigs. I'm looking for a good book on the Holy Roman Empire. Preferably an overview of the entire history, I can narrow it down in a later book.
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Jun 29, 2010 04:27
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Grand Fromage posted:Sup nigs. I'm looking for a good book on the Holy Roman Empire. Preferably an overview of the entire history, I can narrow it down in a later book. I know two: The Holy Roman Empire, by Robert Bryce. Written in 1864 and still in print. I am a fan of Victorian-era history. You can page through it online to see if you are, too. Also The Holy Roman Empire by Friedrich Heer. I've never read it. Read a review here.
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Jun 29, 2010 08:13
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Basic Beater posted:I've got a friend who hardly ever reads books, but I have a problem with her. Going to quote this again, as I have a simliliar request. My girlfriend loves the Twilights series and is totally wrapped-up in the romantic side of the storyline. Could anyone recommend a book(s) that is actually written decently that might appeal to someone like this? Sci-fi or Vampire themes are a bonus, but not required. I tell her that Twilight is such a poorly written book and there are so many other great romantic novels out there that are also written well, except I couldn't come up with any.
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Jul 1, 2010 01:57
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sc0tty posted:Going to quote this again, as I have a simliliar request. My girlfriend loves the Twilights series and is totally wrapped-up in the romantic side of the storyline. Could anyone recommend a book(s) that is actually written decently that might appeal to someone like this? Sci-fi or Vampire themes are a bonus, but not required. I know gently caress all about Twilight or it's chastity-peddling poo poo, but if she loves that, Meyers just steals every plot she's ever done from an endless number of domestic and gothic novels from the beginning of the 19th-century. If your gf hasn't read much Jane Austen, just have her read those. But Twilight's sentiment and dialogue are so cloying and poor that it's better if you just say, "I don't know," so that she doesn't have anywhere to look. As for vampire sex, the best one is gonna be Sheridan Le Fanu's "Carmilla," it's lesbian vampire horror erotica. Vernon Lee does great supernatural erotica as well (see her "Hauntings"), as does Elizabeth Bowen in "Demon Lover." None of these are really modern because everything produced nowadays is complete trash by 19th-century chaste vampire erotica standards. (Ahahaha that's a sentence I never thought I'd write.)
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Jul 1, 2010 06:18
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sc0tty posted:Going to quote this again, as I have a simliliar request. My girlfriend loves the Twilights series and is totally wrapped-up in the romantic side of the storyline. Could anyone recommend a book(s) that is actually written decently that might appeal to someone like this? Sci-fi or Vampire themes are a bonus, but not required. One suggestion I can make is Susan Sizemore's Laws of the Blood series; they're pulpy, short and not what I would call brilliant, but Susan's a romance writer primarily (so she can at least write a decent romance plot) and her vampires are pretty cool. The first book, The Hunt, is something I would actually recommend to any fan of vampire fiction, although the rest of the books become much more romance heavy. Another thing your girlfriend might like that leans more to the comedy side of things in Christopher Moore's vampire love trilogy, Bloodsucking Fiends, You Suck and Bite Me. They're goofy, sexy and not filled with characters you want to kill simply because they're too stupid to live. Again these aren't just romance books so I suggest everybody reads them, but if you're looking for a methadone to Twilights heroin, this could be a good choice.
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Jul 1, 2010 06:20
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sc0tty posted:I tell her that Twilight is such a poorly written book and there are so many other great romantic novels out there that are also written well, except I couldn't come up with any. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater should work--it's like Twilight in the forbidden paranormal love story sense, but with werewolves, and written a billion times better. None of the chastity bullshit either. And there's a sequel coming out at the end of July.
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Jul 1, 2010 11:07
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I've been reading a lot of Issac Asimov lately and am interested in seeing what Arthur C. Clarke is like. Any recommendations for which of Clarke's works to start with besides 2001: A Space Odyssey?
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Jul 1, 2010 20:49
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Blue Moon posted:I've been reading a lot of Issac Asimov lately and am interested in seeing what Arthur C. Clarke is like. Any recommendations for which of Clarke's works to start with besides 2001: A Space Odyssey? Childhood's End
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Jul 1, 2010 21:56
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inktvis posted:You could try Hawkwood: Diabolical Englishman which is a pop history look at one of the major mercenary captains. After he died Ucello was commissioned to paint a fresco of him in the Duomo, alongside those of other popular figures like Jesus, God, the Virgin Mary and Dante, so you know he was legit. So I wound up ordering this and have only read through about the first chapter so far, and this has to be one of the most fascinating historical non-fiction books I've ever read. I wanted a book to give me some background for something I am writing, and this really has blown my expectations out of the water. Thanks a ton for recommending this, it's perfect.
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Jul 2, 2010 00:23
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So I'm reading Hitch-22 (Christopher Hitchens' memoir) and very much enjoying it. This is really the first memoir I've ever read, and I'm wondering if I've been missing out; does anyone have any particularly interesting memoirs to recommend? They don't have to have been written by people like Hitchens, anybody with an interesting life would do.
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Jul 2, 2010 02:05
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As the designated car for my friends, I've been bringing the book-lovers to Barnes&Nobles near our college often and we always end up in the Fantasy book isle. I'd love to get back into reading, as I used to be a heavy reader, and seeing all that books all I can wonder is "How do I know it's it's going to be good when there's so many?" So I'm looking for suggestions for good fantasy books. Preferably nothing too heavy and also something that's universe is rather common or easily explained (When I need to know who hero X from the past is, the habitat and biology of Monster Y and where and why city Z is important, etc, I tend to find the book dull.) High-fantasy would be good, but magical realism is also a genre I enjoy when the book isn't aimed at younger readers. quote:Are there any vampire books out there that aren't, well, complete poo poo? I really enjoyed the Historian. It's pretty bulky and has some dry parts, but I found it entertaining. It's not really World of Darkness style world, but there is a sense the characters are being watched. If nothing else, it's a vampire book that's not Twilight and there's no way it is worse. http://www.amazon.com/Historian-Elizabeth-Kostova/dp/0316011770 Mystrich fucked around with this message at 03:48 on Jul 2, 2010 |
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Jul 2, 2010 02:29
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Ornamented Death posted:Childhood's End Definitely this. I read a ton of his books when I was younger, but Childhood's End is probably my favorite. I also really liked Rendezvous with Rama.
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Jul 2, 2010 04:17
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ru5tyb1ke5 posted:So I'm reading Hitch-22 (Christopher Hitchens' memoir) and very much enjoying it. This is really the first memoir I've ever read, and I'm wondering if I've been missing out; does anyone have any particularly interesting memoirs to recommend? They don't have to have been written by people like Hitchens, anybody with an interesting life would do. Although I've personally yet to read it, I have only heard good things from my friends and critics about Agusten Burrough's Running With Scissors.
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Jul 2, 2010 04:45
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