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Prof_Beatnuts posted:Hi there, just got finished with a couple of books: Jude the obscure, Blood Meridian and American Psycho and now I want to read a truly depressing book, something that makes you feel like poo poo. I've been searching around on Google for a list of depressing books but I either find very feminine stuff, or stuff for children. - Charles Conrad: Almayer's Folly - Charles Dickens: Bleak House - Ford Madox Ford: The Good Soldier - George Orwell: Coming Up For Air - Philip Roth: When She Was Good - Evelyn Waugh: A Handful Of Dust
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Aug 26, 2010 13:11
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Prof_Beatnuts posted:Hi there, just got finished with a couple of books: Jude the obscure, Blood Meridian and American Psycho and now I want to read a truly depressing book, something that makes you feel like poo poo. I've been searching around on Google for a list of depressing books but I either find very feminine stuff, or stuff for children. Yes, On The Beach was very good and depressing. The Road is, to date, the most depressing book I have ever read.
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Aug 26, 2010 13:14
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7 y.o. bitch posted:Just finish what you started with Hardy and read the rest of him. im trying to decide whether to read some Lawrence or Hardy (I've already read Sons and Lovers and Jude), which one/which book should I go with?
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Aug 26, 2010 16:44
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Red Haired Menace posted:im trying to decide whether to read some Lawrence or Hardy (I've already read Sons and Lovers and Jude), which one/which book should I go with? Since you've already read Hardy's best one, I figure you might want to read Lawrence's best, Lady Chatterley's Lover. And really, those are the only two "essential" D. H. Lawrence books (unless you consider Rainbow and Women in Love essential), while Hardy has at least four. Lawrence's short stories are really good as well. You should also check out both their poetry, particularly Hardy, whose poetry is very different in tone from his novels. But I mean, in a way you're asking, "Who's the better read, Shakespeare or Milton?" and the answer is always, "Just read both."
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Aug 26, 2010 17:10
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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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Red Haired Menace posted:im trying to decide whether to read some Lawrence or Hardy (I've already read Sons and Lovers and Jude), which one/which book should I go with? If you like poetry: there's a nice Penguin edition (1993) of Hardy's Selected Poems. The Plumed Serpent is interesting for the change it marks in Lawrence's writing; possibly caused by his declining health and the resulting dependence on his companion (says the blurb in my copy). It's not Lady C., but you see a certain theme emerging, and it's quite a good story.
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Aug 27, 2010 01:28
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I am in need of some more Epic Fantasy books to read. I have read all of: Terry Goodkind (bleh) Terry Brooks George R.R. Martin Robert Jordan Robin Hobb Weis and Hickman Stephen Erikson The Dark Tower Robert E. Howard Brandon Sanderson Tolkien Edit: Also, Donaldson Eddings And I wasn't really a fan of Modesitt. There are probably others as well that I can't think of off of the top of my head. Are there any other great epic fantasy out there that I have missed? marie_eh fucked around with this message at 04:54 on Aug 27, 2010 |
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Aug 27, 2010 04:49
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Tad Williams is right up your alley if you haven't read him.
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Aug 27, 2010 05:02
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I haven't ever heard of him, strangely enough. What do you recommend I start with? edit: Thanks for your help. I'll see if I can find a copy of War of the Flowers. marie_eh fucked around with this message at 05:22 on Aug 27, 2010 |
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Aug 27, 2010 05:06
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There really isn't a bad place to start with Tad Williams. Memory, Sorrow & Thorn is a very good fantasy trilogy, Otherland is probably the best story based on virtual reality I've read, and Shadowmarch (which is almost finished) has been great so far. His two single-book stories, Tailchaser's Song and War of the Flowers, are also both very good. edit: War of the Flowers is a very good book of his to read because it'll give you an idea of how he writes and how he approaches his stories without committing you to a 2000 page read. If you like that one you'll probably like everything else he's written. The Ninth Layer fucked around with this message at 05:13 on Aug 27, 2010 |
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Aug 27, 2010 05:11
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Prof_Beatnuts posted:Hi there, just got finished with a couple of books: Jude the obscure, Blood Meridian and American Psycho and now I want to read a truly depressing book, something that makes you feel like poo poo. I've been searching around on Google for a list of depressing books but I either find very feminine stuff, or stuff for children. Look at you, all wanting something from an author. Are you sure you don't want to read a Michael Crichton novel
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Aug 27, 2010 05:26
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what's a good book if i wanted to learn about the history of modern music?
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Aug 27, 2010 10:29
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Can anyone reccommend me some good non fiction crime books? I read "Homicide:Life on the Killing streets" by David Simon, and would be interested in reading some more. Particularly on organised crime or bank robbers.
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Aug 27, 2010 14:45
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bobgeldofsunderwear posted:Can anyone reccommend me some good non fiction crime books? Cohen, Rich (1999). Tough Jews: Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams, London: Vintage
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Aug 27, 2010 16:31
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ASYMMETRICALTITS posted:what's a good book if i wanted to learn about the history of modern music? Modern music is a really broad statement. Did you mean something general like a history of jazz or rock or a more specific genre?
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Aug 27, 2010 16:35
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I'm looking to get into the Absurdist stuff like Camus and Kafka where's the best place to start?
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Aug 28, 2010 01:45
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oiseaux morts 1994 posted:Look at you, all wanting something from an author. Are you sure you don't want to read a Michael Crichton novel I don't know if you're serious or being funny.
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Aug 28, 2010 04:07
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^^^^^^^ He's being a dick. But Crichton's early works are really interesting and not soaked in his malformed political opinions and worth a read. Huge fan of historical fiction, mostly anything set in post Roman pre-Renaissance Europe or precolonial Asia/Africa/Americas. Just finished Shogun in 2 days and have read Bernard Cornwell extensively, but am looking for other authors/titles to pick up. I prefer writing with extensive historical accuracy and attention to detail. drkhrs2020 fucked around with this message at 05:42 on Aug 28, 2010 |
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Aug 28, 2010 05:39
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Mason & Dixon.
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Aug 28, 2010 16:25
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Syle187 posted:I am in need of some more Epic Fantasy books to read. Have you read any Joe Abercrombie?
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Aug 28, 2010 20:45
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I am just finishing up "Let The Right One In". Are there other Vampire books of this caliber? I have tried reading the Anne Rice stuff but found it quite lame. Goes without saying but I will stab you if you suggest twilight. 
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Aug 29, 2010 02:32
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keyframe posted:I am just finishing up "Let The Right One In". Are there other Vampire books of this caliber? I have tried reading the Anne Rice stuff but found it quite lame. Goes without saying but I will stab you if you suggest twilight. I realize I'm not answering your question but until you get your hands on more neckbiter literature, you voila consider the other work of the author behind Let The Right One In. It's not vampire but still supposed to be great reads.
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Aug 29, 2010 09:41
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rasser posted:Cohen, Rich (1999). Tough Jews: Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams, London: Vintage Hey, this was a fabulous suggestion. Read it, now. You may thank me when you're done. It's also a great read for those interested in the history of New York - Jewish gangs ruled Lower East Side for a long period and are an essential part of American mob history. Plus it's a great read, exciting and well written and with a longing for glory in your background which is really funny to read about.
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Aug 29, 2010 09:48
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rasser posted:I realize I'm not answering your question but until you get your hands on more neckbiter literature, you voila consider the other work of the author behind Let The Right One In. It's not vampire but still supposed to be great reads. He only has one other book no? Kindle store lists "memory of the dead" getting released next month. Thats the only other book on amazon for that author.
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Aug 29, 2010 18:22
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keyframe posted:He only has one other book no? I should check my sources before I post. Turns out I was right, though: Handling of Undead is translated into English but he's written four more that are out in Swedish, his native language. They should hit the shelves soon, although I haven't any sources to check here. edit: I promise I'll check my iphone's changing what I write into Danish without warning. Fixed. rasser fucked around with this message at 14:03 on Aug 30, 2010 |
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Aug 29, 2010 19:06
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Nimrod posted:I'm looking for some books on Permaculture, sustainable living and counter-culture. Right now i'm reading Permaculture : principles & pathways beyond sustainability by David Holmgren and it's been interesting. Never got an answer on the last page. No harm in trying again!
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Aug 29, 2010 23:14
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I'm into intelligent sci-fi and fantasy along the lines of Gene Wolfe and Jack Vance. What else should I read?
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Aug 30, 2010 01:37
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starless posted:I'm into intelligent sci-fi and fantasy along the lines of Gene Wolfe and Jack Vance. What else should I read? Dune, if you haven't already.
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Aug 30, 2010 03:14
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starless posted:I'm into intelligent sci-fi and fantasy along the lines of Gene Wolfe and Jack Vance. What else should I read? Stanislaw Lem.
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Aug 30, 2010 04:51
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drkhrs2020 posted:Huge fan of historical fiction, mostly anything set in post Roman pre-Renaissance Europe or precolonial Asia/Africa/Americas. Just finished Shogun in 2 days and have read Bernard Cornwell extensively, but am looking for other authors/titles to pick up. I prefer writing with extensive historical accuracy and attention to detail. Just about anything by Gary Jennings is excellent. He did a shitload of research for his novels including extensive travel through the areas he wrote about, although he does take some liberties here and there for storytelling purposes. Aztec is told from the perspective of an elderly Aztec telling his life story to a group of Spanish scribes and covers about 50+ years prior to the invasion of Mexico. Jennings spent 10 years in Mexico to write the book and it's got a shitload of excellent historical detail about the period. Aztec Autumn is tangentially connected to Aztec and fictionalizes a little-known native rebellion against the Spanish about 20 years after the conquest of Mexico. Good, but not as good as Aztec. Don't bother with any other "Aztec" books with Jennings' name on them aside from those two though - Jennings' estate just slapped his name on them posthumously and brought in another writer to write them "based on his notes" (see: Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson taking a gigantic poo poo on the Dune legacy) I'd also recommend The Journeyer by Jennings - it's a fictionalized account of Marco Polo's first journey to Asia. Raptor by Jennings is also really good - it's told from the perspective of an Ostrogoth who travels through Europe during the time of the Byzantine Empire. May be hard to find as it's out of print, though I had no problem getting it from the library when I first read it. starless posted:I'm into intelligent sci-fi and fantasy along the lines of Gene Wolfe and Jack Vance. What else should I read? Viriconium by M. John Harrison immediately comes to mind.
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Aug 30, 2010 05:02
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Yeah Aztec is really good, a fantastic story all the way through and a great look at the Aztec civilization (as well as other areas of Central/South America).Mr. Fahrenheit posted:I'm looking to get into the Absurdist stuff like Camus and Kafka where's the best place to start? I really liked Kafka's The Trial.
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Aug 30, 2010 06:52
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keyframe posted:I am just finishing up "Let The Right One In". Are there other Vampire books of this caliber? I have tried reading the Anne Rice stuff but found it quite lame. Goes without saying but I will stab you if you suggest twilight. Honestly I'd love to find other good ones, but they don't exist as far as I can tell. Robin McKinley's Sunshine starts very, very strong but then dissolves into awful Mary Sue wish fulfillment for the worst protagonist ever. Also vampires are so magic in that book it's bizarre. Like, they can travel through n-space and heal a human by magic blood kisses and all sorts. So yeah, I know I'm not really selling it but it's well worth reading the first section then ignoring the rest and telling yourself a story about what could have happened. starless posted:I'm into intelligent sci-fi and fantasy along the lines of Gene Wolfe and Jack Vance. What else should I read?
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Aug 30, 2010 15:29
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I have a lot of down time at my new job, so I've been reading more lately. The problem is that I've gone through everything by my favorite authors and I'm not sure where to turn now. I generally like books that are dark and rather weird. I enjoy horror, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Authors I like: Stephen King Peter Straub P.K. Dick Ray Bradbury Kurt Vonnegut Lev Grossman Gillian Flynn Douglas Coupland Lovecraft Orwell Carl Hiassen (I know, doesn't really fit with the others) Stuff I'm not that into: I've read some Clive Barker, and I thought it was just ok. Same with Palahniuk and Neal Stephenson. I really wanted to like House of Leaves, but I just couldn't get through it for some reason. So, anyone have a recommendation for me?
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Aug 30, 2010 21:34
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HappilyDeranged posted:So, anyone have a recommendation for me? Off the top of my head I would guess you'll probably like Thomas Ligotti, Simon Strantzas, Laird Barron, Richard Gavin, Matt Cardin, Caitlin Kiernan, Glen Hirshberg, and some Ramsey Campbell and Brian Lumley (specifically, their short fiction). The downside for a lot of these guys is that their books are printed by smaller publishers and you run into all the fun involved with that (small print runs and high prices, mostly). Your best bet would be to pick up either Ellen Datlow's The Best Horror of the Year anthologies (there are two volumes so far) or Stephen Jones Mammoth Book of Best New Horror anthologies (volume 21 comes out in November), or both since they're fairly inexpensive.
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Aug 30, 2010 21:48
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HappilyDeranged posted:Carl Hiassen (I know, doesn't really fit with the others) I don't know about the others, but if you dig Hiaasen you'll probably love Elmore Leonard. Stick, Killshot, Rum Punch, you can't really go wrong with any of his books.
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Aug 30, 2010 21:59
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Ornamented Death posted:Off the top of my head I would guess you'll probably like Thomas Ligotti, Simon Strantzas, Laird Barron, Richard Gavin, Matt Cardin, Caitlin Kiernan, Glen Hirshberg, and some Ramsey Campbell and Brian Lumley (specifically, their short fiction). The downside for a lot of these guys is that their books are printed by smaller publishers and you run into all the fun involved with that (small print runs and high prices, mostly). Thanks, too bad the local library is lame doesn't have a single one of those. I'll try a few of those authors out when I have some money to burn. The library does have Elmore Leonard, however, so I'll try one of his first. Thanks, dokmo.
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Aug 30, 2010 22:54
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Absolutely check out China Mieville's short collection: Looking for Jake. If you like that, his Bas Lag series has a lot of decent creepiness and general heebie geebies in it, starting with Perdido Street Station. I'm not the biggest fan of PSS, but a couple of the stories in LFJ (The Familiar, The Ball Room and the eponymous story) really got under my skin.
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Aug 30, 2010 23:34
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Evfedu posted:Absolutely check out China Mieville's short collection: Looking for Jake. If you like that, his Bas Lag series has a lot of decent creepiness and general heebie geebies in it, starting with Perdido Street Station. I have a massive boner for China Miéville (I'm meeting him tonight, yay!  ). Looking For Jake is a great collection. "The Ball Room", as mentioned, is a modern twist on the classic ghost/haunting story, and it's quite creepy. The collection is worth picking up for the novella "The Tain" alone though, which is a fantastic cross between deserted-city horror like 28 Days Later, and traditional vampire horror. It's also unique for telling the story from the point of view of both the humans and the monsters. I wish Miéville had expanded this idea into a full novel, because it's fantastic but too short at only 80-something pages.
Hedrigall fucked around with this message at 04:12 on Aug 31, 2010 |
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Aug 31, 2010 04:10
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Evfedu posted:Absolutely check out China Mieville's short collection: Looking for Jake. If you like that, his Bas Lag series has a lot of decent creepiness and general heebie geebies in it, starting with Perdido Street Station. I looked those up on Amazon, and they sound like they'd be right up my alley. Thanks!
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Aug 31, 2010 04:21
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I want biographies or behind-the-scenes books about directors and their blockbuster movies. I read Peter Jackson: A Film-Maker's Journey and absolutely loved it because I'm a movie nerd. What interests me is special effects, physical effects, creatures, big movie stuff like that, so I'm interested in reading about the Peter Jacksons and Guillermo Del Toros of the world of film. For instance, I was thinking of picking up The Futurist, a biography of James Cameron. Here's some films and directors I love, any book recommendations? Lord of the Rings Lawrence of Arabia Star Wars Pirates of the Caribbean District 9 Children of Men Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz Alien/s Master and Commander Jurassic Park Indiana Jones Peter Jackson James Cameron Steven Spielberg Guillermo Del Toro David Fincher Ridley Scott Christopher Nolan Terry Gilliam
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Aug 31, 2010 16:39
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I just read Murder City: Ciudad Juarez and the Global Economy's New Killing Fields by Charles Bowden. Anyone have any suggestions on books that go into the Mexican drug trade and it's correlation to tourism there?
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Aug 31, 2010 19:29
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