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Vomik posted:Thanks much both of you. I picked up Money, Everything Matters!, and Breakfast of Champions. That plus these other authors should keep me busy. I also found a novel Infinite Jest (a link to David Foster Wallace from Don DeLillo's wiki actually) and think I might read that at some point too. The goons are crazy for Infinite Jest all of a sudden. I can't even count how many people have read it so far this year (and it's 1000+ pages and only the beginning of February!). I've heard nothing but great things about it and fully intend to read it myself soon as well.  Let me know what you think about Money - it isn't my favourite of his books, but it's what I would most recommend based on your likes.The people in front of me in class are discussing book recommendations right now. At my uni there are various literature genre appreciation classes, but they're full as soon as class enrollment starts (I was on waitlist for two of them months and did not get in). drat bastards! I just heard one of them say they didn't really like Neuromancer! Pearls before swine, I say. Pearls before swine.
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Feb 2, 2011 00:42
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I searched his name back to page 53 and didn't see anything-- anybody wanna drop me a suggestion of where to start with Ernest Hemingway? Haven't read a thing by him, I don't think. \/\/Thanks!\/\/ Soul Glo fucked around with this message at 07:52 on Feb 3, 2011 |
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Feb 2, 2011 07:44
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Soul Glo posted:I searched his name back to page 53 and didn't see anything-- anybody wanna drop me a suggestion of where to start with Ernest Hemingway? Haven't read a thing by him, I don't think. The short stories or Sun Also Rises. Think both are available in wildly overpriced kindle editions, thanks Simon And Schuster!
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Feb 2, 2011 17:24
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e: Oops wrong thread.
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Feb 3, 2011 18:06
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I'm looking for a good version of Miltons Paradise Lost for my kindle. I would like one with footnotes. I clicked on a bunch of versions on amazon.com but the reviews for the kindle versions were all pretty negative, saying they lacked any footnotes. Any help is appreciated, thanks!
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Feb 4, 2011 04:43
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Dopilsya posted:For my own request, does anyone have any particularly good histories on Canada and Australia. I'm mostly looking for something general and my interest basically runs from colonisation up to WWII. Thanks for anyone's help. I can offer two generally related things on Australia. 'The Great Shame: The Triumph of the Irish in the English Speaking World' by Thomas Keanealy has a lot of information about the founding of Australia, and 'The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding' by Robert Hughes is the standard popular account of the early history of the colony. I don't specifically know of any general histories, but I bet there is an 'Oxford History of Australia' or something similar.
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Feb 4, 2011 06:36
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Shnooks posted:I know someone asked before about books on the French Revolution, but I'm going to ask again. I was looking for books more about the events leading up to it, but nothing too textbook-y. Ok, well, one of the massive general histories is called 'Citizens: a Chronicle of the French Revolution' by Simon Schama. It's...big, kinda dense, but it was a really cool read and was full of awesome cultural details and other cool stuff. The only negative is that it's heavily tilted to the early stuff, and kinda moves faster and faster the farther you go along. (side note: it was published in 1989, 200 years after). 'The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction' by William Doyle was pretty good, but like all of the books in that series, it's short, to the point and has little detail, but a good overview. It's also got a good bibliography in the end for further reading. Doyle's 'The Oxford History of the French Revolution' is also a really good overview, continent wide, rather than just so narrowly focused on France. Hope that helps!
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Feb 4, 2011 06:43
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Soul Glo posted:where to start with Ernest Hemingway? It might seem an obvious choice, but 'The Old Man and The Sea' is absolutely fantastic. It's pithy and direct, and you could hardly find one stray or superflous word in the whole book.
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Feb 4, 2011 16:31
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I've always loved reading but my strong areas in school were math and science not English. I recently finished this book and it opened a new appreciation for literature that I previously lacked. I would love any recommendations for books on literary theory or criticism that will increase my understanding and enjoyment of reading.
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Feb 5, 2011 16:33
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I've worked my way through most of the (now obsolete?) Book Barn Hall of Fame and was just wondering if anyone could either recommend any other lists of 'must reads' or just recommend some books that I really should read? Vague question I know but I'm really up for anything that's highly regarded.
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Feb 6, 2011 12:41
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Weatherproof posted:I've worked my way through most of the (now obsolete?) Book Barn Hall of Fame and was just wondering if anyone could either recommend any other lists of 'must reads' or just recommend some books that I really should read? Vague question I know but I'm really up for anything that's highly regarded. http://artofmanliness.com/2008/05/14/100-must-read-books-the-essential-mans-library/ I found this list which has alot of classics/must reads, the three I would recommend first would be the Vonnegut ones and the Kerouac novels in the list. But alot of those books are considered "must reads" pretty universally.
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Feb 6, 2011 16:02
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Weatherproof posted:I've worked my way through most of the (now obsolete?) Book Barn Hall of Fame and was just wondering if anyone could either recommend any other lists of 'must reads' or just recommend some books that I really should read? Vague question I know but I'm really up for anything that's highly regarded. I have no idea what to make of a list that includes multiple biographies of Theodore Roosevelt, A Separate Peace, and whatever The Dangerous Book for Boys is.
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Feb 6, 2011 21:33
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Do good steampunk books exist?
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Feb 6, 2011 23:57
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gmq posted:Do good steampunk books exist? Yes, but they're rare, and are usually written by China Mieville. Try Mieville's Perdido Street Station, or for a runner-up, The Iron Dragon's Daughter by Michael Swanwick.
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Feb 7, 2011 00:34
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Jean-Christophe Valtat's Aurorarama is set in a pretty steampunky fictional city in the Arctic Circle and it's amazing.
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Feb 7, 2011 06:37
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Turns out the Sandman Slim series doesn't have another book out like I thought it did so I need something to read. In addition to that series, I liked the Dresden Files and Codex Alera, Ender's Game series, Sherlock Holmes, and The Hunger Games Trilogy. I liked the aSoIAF series too I guess. Basically I'm interested in quick, easy books since I mostly read at work. Any suggestions? I tried starting Infinite Jest and The Magicians but I didn't care for either one,
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Feb 8, 2011 05:50
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Have you checked out Jhereg by Steven Brust? It's the first book in a fairly light but well-written series following a sorcerer-assassin named Vlad Taltos that works for his world's Mafia. It's my favorite book series and if you like Butcher's writing style you'll almost certainly like Brust's.
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Feb 8, 2011 06:06
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Quid posted:Turns out the Sandman Slim series doesn't have another book out like I thought it did so I need something to read. In addition to that series, I liked the Dresden Files and Codex Alera, Ender's Game series, Sherlock Holmes, and The Hunger Games Trilogy. I liked the aSoIAF series too I guess. you wanted something quick and easy, so you picked up.... Infinite Jest? well, at the risk of repeating myself, if you like the Dresden Files and Sandman Slim you might want to check out Mike Carey's Felix Castor series, which is now at five books, or possibly Jeff Vandermeer's Finch, which can be read alone or as part of his larger Ambergris world.
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Feb 8, 2011 14:48
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Haven't posted in this thread before; hope I'm doing it right... I just finished the surprisingly excellent Avatar: The Last Airbender TV series, and I'm jonesing for some books with a similar flavor, by which I mean epic mystical kung fu quest-type stuff. Anybody have any good ideas?
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Feb 8, 2011 19:42
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BusError posted:Haven't posted in this thread before; hope I'm doing it right...
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Feb 8, 2011 22:53
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funkybottoms posted:you wanted something quick and easy, so you picked up.... Infinite Jest? I'll check out Felix Castor and Jhereg soon, thanks for the suggestions. While I'm waiting for them to ship I borrowed the Mistborn series from a friend on his suggestion and the first book is pretty good so far. Just putting it out there in case anyone else is in the same boat as I am.
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Feb 8, 2011 22:59
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The Ninth Layer posted:Have you checked out Jhereg by Steven Brust? It's the first book in a fairly light but well-written series following a sorcerer-assassin named Vlad Taltos that works for his world's Mafia. It's my favorite book series and if you like Butcher's writing style you'll almost certainly like Brust's. You know I've heard nothing but great things about this book and this series, and it really drives me nuts that Barnes and Noble only have a few of the books (not even the first one) for the nook. Not that I couldn't go pick it up at a bookstore or anything, but I really enjoy my nook. Anyways, I just finished Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential in about 3 days and thoroughly enjoyed it. Does anyone have any other reccomendations for books that give you an insider's look to the 'gritty' underworld of professions that are similar to this?
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Feb 9, 2011 17:05
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Ckwiesr posted:Anyways, I just finished Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential in about 3 days and thoroughly enjoyed it. Does anyone have any other reccomendations for books that give you an insider's look to the 'gritty' underworld of professions that are similar to this? "gritty underworld"? try Tom Jonkinen's Curtains: Adventures of an Undertaker-in-Training. as for something related to Bourdain's book, one of my fellow booksellers really liked Marco White's The Devil in the Kitchen. Mary Roach's books are a great mixture of information and humor, but they might not meet your grit requirement.
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Feb 9, 2011 17:17
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funkybottoms posted:"gritty underworld"? try Tom Jonkinen's Curtains: Adventures of an Undertaker-in-Training. as for something related to Bourdain's book, one of my fellow booksellers really liked Marco White's The Devil in the Kitchen. Mary Roach's books are a great mixture of information and humor, but they might not meet your grit requirement. Hmm maybe I should have phrased that better. By 'gritty underworld' I was moreso talking about (and to quote Bourdain) the 'underbelly of the culinary world' type stuff.
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Feb 9, 2011 19:50
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Alright I just have finished a 3 month stretch of reading where I have only read non-fiction and Heart of Darkness however I am in dire want of something like a Steve Berry or Dan Brown book which I can finish in a short time. Anybody have any kind of recommendation?
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Feb 10, 2011 02:36
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:The Iron Dragon's Daughter by Michael Swanwick. Was it just me? 
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Feb 10, 2011 03:06
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Ticonderoguy posted:Alright I just have finished a 3 month stretch of reading where I have only read non-fiction and Heart of Darkness however I am in dire want of something like a Steve Berry or Dan Brown book which I can finish in a short time. Anybody have any kind of recommendation?
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Feb 10, 2011 03:22
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gmq posted:Do good steampunk books exist? I like all the books by Cherie Priest, starting with Boneshaker. They're set in a steampunk Civil War time period. They're not super duper highbrow literature or anything, but they're fun and have some interesting and original concepts.
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Feb 10, 2011 20:00
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hello clarice posted:I like all the books by Cherie Priest, starting with Boneshaker. They're set in a steampunk Civil War time period. They're not super duper highbrow literature or anything, but they're fun and have some interesting and original concepts. seconding that. Priest is also highly-intelligent and well-educated on the time period, so most of her writing is historically accurate, obvious technological liberties aside.
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Feb 11, 2011 03:48
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My brain needed a rest after Joyce, and I'm working my way through (again) Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars, The Gods of Mars, and The Warlord of Mars. I'm looking for some recommendations for other good, pulp-style sci-fi (not by Mieville) once I'm done. Any ideas?
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Feb 12, 2011 00:01
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Roark posted:My brain needed a rest after Joyce, and I'm working my way through (again) Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars, The Gods of Mars, and The Warlord of Mars. I'm looking for some recommendations for other good, pulp-style sci-fi (not by Mieville) once I'm done. Any ideas? The Demon Princes series by Jack Vance
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Feb 12, 2011 03:09
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I'd like something FUNNY. Any genre will do, fiction or non-fiction. Heck, it doesn't even have to have a plot/subject, though that'd be a bonus. Double-bonus if I can get it on Kindle. edit: Something like "Catch-22" or "Deep Thoughts" Professor Moriarty fucked around with this message at 08:49 on Feb 12, 2011 |
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Feb 12, 2011 08:15
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Professor Moriarty posted:I'd like something FUNNY. Any genre will do, fiction or non-fiction. Heck, it doesn't even have to have a plot/subject, though that'd be a bonus. Double-bonus if I can get it on Kindle. I just finished Patton Oswalt's new book, Zombie, Spaceship, Wasteland. It's about half-off on Kindle. Or was yesterday.
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Feb 12, 2011 08:51
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Professor Moriarty posted:I'd like something FUNNY. Any genre will do, fiction or non-fiction. Heck, it doesn't even have to have a plot/subject, though that'd be a bonus. Double-bonus if I can get it on Kindle. Without having much of any idea what you've already read, here are some recommendations for funny books: Almost anything by David Sedaris. My favorite story is called "Six to Eight Black Men," which is in Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (and you can google it to read it and get a sense of Sedaris' style), but all of his books are pretty funny. If you like British humor I'd recommend Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Good Omens is usually the first book I think of when a friend is looking for something funny. HHGTTG is just a classic and everyone should read it. You could also check out A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, Ignatius Reilly is one of the best characters ever, provided you don't mind your protagonist to be a little bit frustrating. Won the Pulitzer for fiction in 1981 - the story behind this book's publication is also really interesting. I thought Candide by Voltaire was quite funny, but I might be alone on that one. Hope this helps.
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Feb 12, 2011 10:22
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I'd like some recommendations please for the following; • Good general history non-fiction about the building of railroads during frontier expansion and their effect on the shrinking of trade routes, eg: the Transcontinental Railroad in the US, Cecil Rhodes' African railroad, etc. • Fiction relating to the above • Good colonial-period fiction, I'm especially interested in trade routes/ports such as Hong Kong, San Francisco, etc
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Feb 13, 2011 12:13
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Can anyone recommend me a book explaining the European scenario of World War II, if it can be found on the Kindle store the better. Is a Short History of World War II by James Stokesbury any good?
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Feb 13, 2011 18:36
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I'm looking to gift a book to my teenage brother who has never read a book more complex than something like Goosebumps. He was recently sentenced to jail time and has asked me to find him something he could get interested in considering how much time he has on his hands now. I am sort of lost here, my best ideas for novels were Holes and The Catcher in the Rye (probably a bad idea), but I'm honestly not so sure that a novel is the best idea. Maybe something easier to digest like short stories? I'm looking for anything that is optimistic and thought provoking for a teenager who has serious trouble reading.
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Feb 14, 2011 00:23
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Pete Zah posted:I'm looking to gift a book to my teenage brother who has never read a book more complex than something like Goosebumps. He was recently sentenced to jail time and has asked me to find him something he could get interested in considering how much time he has on his hands now. Also, Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger.
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Feb 14, 2011 01:00
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Pete Zah posted:I'm looking to gift a book to my teenage brother who has never read a book more complex than something like Goosebumps. He was recently sentenced to jail time and has asked me to find him something he could get interested in considering how much time he has on his hands now. I always liked Ray Bradbury's short story collections, try one of those.
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Feb 14, 2011 01:03
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Any book of short stories would probably do the trick - they're usually not too complex or hard to read. Here's some collections I liked that range between different writers, styles and lengths.
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Feb 14, 2011 03:43
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