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Akarshi posted:If someone could recommend me a good horror novel/short story collection, it'd be much appreciated. I've never really read horror before and I figured I might as well get into it, since I'm in the mood to be scared. Simon Strantzas, Richard Gavin, and Ian Rogers are very good horror writers. Here's a sampling of each. Mark Samuels is probably the best weird fiction writer active today. His first collection is available from the publisher and his latest is available at Amazon. Laird Barron is great if you like short stories that completely gently caress with your mind. If you're looking to get a sampling of the best in the genre, you can't go wrong with Ellen Datlow and Stephen Jones' annual anthologies (Best Horror of the Year and Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, respectively). If you liked Horns, you can check out Joe Hill's short story collection, 20th Century Ghosts. Personally, I think he takes after his father and is a much stronger short fiction writer than novelist. Caitlin Kiernan write exceptional atmospheric horror. If you liked Lovecraft, you should check out the works of several of his contemporaries and predecessors: Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, Robert Chambers, Arthur Machen, Ambrose Bierce, and so on.
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Apr 24, 2011 05:21
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Going to try this one more time - Anyone have any recommendations for something along the same vein as The Devil's teeth or The Wave by Susan Casey?
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Apr 25, 2011 19:18
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I've had a really unusual (for me) reading experience lately, and I'm wondering if there are any other authors out there I could read who pull the same trick. Normally I read a lot of sci/fi and fantasy, just like everyone else on this forum, but I'd been branching out and a reading various noir-themed mystery novels, and that's when I ran into the phenomenon I'm asking about. It first hit with the Nero Wolfe books -- there are about forty of them, written over a span of forty-odd years from the 30's to the 70's, and they're all set in the New York city of [year published]. So reading them is a really interesting historical experience -- you start out reading something that's very definitely set in 30's New York, and then you progress through the middle part of the American Century as you progress through the series. I thought it was sort of a one-off effect but I ran into it again over the past couple weeks as I've been reading John D. McDonald's old Travis McGee series. The titular McGee is a "salvage expert" who lives on a houseboat in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (when someone steals your poo poo but the law can't get it back for you, you go to him, he salvages what he can, for a cut). They're, similarly, set in and around Florida in [year of publication], which ends up being the 60's and 70's and early 80's, and again, reading them, there's a very strong sense of place and time, of reading fiction set in a particular era. And since it's now fifty-odd years on from 1960's Florida, reading them has the feel of reading historical fiction. Does anyone else have any other recommendations for fiction like that? Stuff that was written with a strongly detailed, contemporary setting, that's become "historical fiction" simpy due to the passage of time? It's a really interesting thing to come across, at least for me as a reader, and I'd like more of it if there's anything else out there that does it.
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Apr 25, 2011 19:39
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I'm looking for books that tell a story via a series of related short stories, like Dan Simmons' Hyperion. Genre isn't that important. I'm also looking for horror/suspense novels dealing with areas of extreme isolation (something set in Antarctica would be great).
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Apr 25, 2011 22:39
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:I've had a really unusual (for me) reading experience lately, and I'm wondering if there are any other authors out there I could read who pull the same trick. It might be an obvious choice, but have you tried the Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot novels and stories? Along the same line, though more recent, are the Andrew Vachhs 'Burke' novels, which have a pretty strong 80s flavor (when the series begins) and continues through the 90s and into the present day.
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Apr 25, 2011 22:43
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My mom's going on vacation in a few weeks, could anyone recommend her a good beach book? She mostly reads Mary Higgens Clark, Danielle Steele, etc but I think she's getting bored of them.
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Apr 25, 2011 23:14
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Traxis posted:I'm looking for books that tell a story via a series of related short stories, like Dan Simmons' Hyperion. Genre isn't that important. I'm also looking for horror/suspense novels dealing with areas of extreme isolation (something set in Antarctica would be great). For the first request, I'll go with the low-hanging (but incredibly tasty) fruit- Ray Bradbury. The Martian Chronicles, Dandelion Wine, and, to a lesser extent, The Illustrated Man are all of that format. For the second request, and I think this came up fairly recently, Dan Simmons' The Terror, which is based on a true story of Arctic exploration gone wrong. The only other thing that springs to mind is 30 Days of Night, which is a graphic novel, although I'm sure there are tons of apocalyptic-type stories that deal with the theme, too. Toebone posted:My mom's going on vacation in a few weeks, could anyone recommend her a good beach book? She mostly reads Mary Higgens Clark, Danielle Steele, etc but I think she's getting bored of them. Maybe some Deanna Raybourn- Victorian mysteries with some nice historical detail and romance, but not the terribly frothy kind that the covers suggest. She's pretty funny, too. Alexander McCall Smith also seems to be popular with the same customers that go for Mary Higgins Clark. funkybottoms fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Apr 25, 2011 |
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Apr 25, 2011 23:18
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Traxis posted:I'm looking for books that tell a story via a series of related short stories, like Dan Simmons' Hyperion. Genre isn't that important. I'm also looking for horror/suspense novels dealing with areas of extreme isolation (something set in Antarctica would be great). An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears is a murder mystery set in 16th-century England and examines the central murder from the viewpoints of 4 or so main characters telling their stories in succession, leaving the reader to piece together the truth from their ultimately unreliable viewpoints. The Terror by Dan Simmons would definitely fit the bill for your second request (fictionalized account of the failed Franklin Expedition to map the Northwest Passage in the 1800s with a fair bit of horror thrown in). Not the best thing Simmons has ever done but a decent read if you can stick with it.
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Apr 25, 2011 23:21
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I'm interested in military non-fiction, specifically dealing with unconventional warfare and special forces groups. Really any small, highly trained military group (like Green Berets, snipers, etc.) that can affect a combat situation in an unconventional way is of interest to me. I'm also looking for good books on military strategy, both large-scale (tactics of the most successful military leaders) and small-scale. Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm looking to put together a nice big reading list so feel free to suggest anything that's good even if it's only slightly related.
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Apr 26, 2011 00:39
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DrGonzo90 posted:I'm interested in military non-fiction, specifically dealing with unconventional warfare and special forces groups. Really any small, highly trained military group (like Green Berets, snipers, etc.) that can affect a combat situation in an unconventional way is of interest to me. I'm also looking for good books on military strategy, both large-scale (tactics of the most successful military leaders) and small-scale. Rogue Warrior by Richard Marcinko. There's a whole series of books under the "Rogue Warrior" name that are fictional but the original book simply titled Rogue Warrior is Marcinko's autobiography that focuses mainly on his career with the Navy SEALs in Vietnam and afterwards.
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Apr 26, 2011 02:30
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DrGonzo90 posted:I'm interested in military non-fiction, specifically dealing with unconventional warfare and special forces groups. Really any small, highly trained military group (like Green Berets, snipers, etc.) that can affect a combat situation in an unconventional way is of interest to me. I'm also looking for good books on military strategy, both large-scale (tactics of the most successful military leaders) and small-scale.
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Apr 26, 2011 03:52
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Ornamented Death posted:Simon Strantzas, Richard Gavin, and Ian Rogers are very good horror writers. Here's a sampling of each.
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Apr 26, 2011 16:04
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:11 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Apr 26, 2011 19:50
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I just recently finished Jasper Fforde's Shades of Grey, and I've been looking at his Thursday series but I'd like something similar to SoG - a post-apocalyptic world that's been post-apocalyptic for a pretty long time now. Not remotely similar, but I also really liked Michel Houellebecq's Elementary Particles, and something similar to that would be nice. Even more distantly related, but something near in concept to the Percy Jackson books would be radical. I really enjoy growing-up-with-the-character books (like Harry Potter) but I'd like to avoid school settings if at all possible.
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Apr 30, 2011 05:10
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I'm in the mood for a story in which people are put into strange life-or-death survival situations, primarily pitted against each other in a remote or unfamiliar location, possibly for the amusement of a third party. I have of course read The Most Dangerous Game and absolutely loved it. I also read Battle Royale and thought it was a squandered opportunity, but maybe I read a bad translation. Thanks in advance!
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May 1, 2011 00:42
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Mung Dynasty posted:I'm in the mood for a story in which people are put into strange life-or-death survival situations, primarily pitted against each other in a remote or unfamiliar location, possibly for the amusement of a third party.
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May 1, 2011 01:06
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I would like to read an interesting memoir that isn't ghost-written or co-written. Any ideas?
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May 1, 2011 01:23
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WeaponGradeSadness posted:They're pretty popular so I'm almost hesitant to ask, but have you read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins yet? It's a lot like Battle Royale, though I honestly prefer the Games. I don't read as much as I should, so no, I haven't heard of it. Sounds great, though! Ordering it from the library now. Thanks!
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May 1, 2011 02:42
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Mung Dynasty posted:I'm in the mood for a story in which people are put into strange life-or-death survival situations, primarily pitted against each other in a remote or unfamiliar location, possibly for the amusement of a third party. You might want to take a look at Eye in the Sky by Philip K. Dick. And, actually, a number of his novels might be of interest, but I think Eye is probably the one that most directly meets your criteria.
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May 1, 2011 05:06
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who cares posted:I would like to read an interesting memoir that isn't ghost-written or co-written. Any ideas? Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! Edit: Actually, wait, nevermind, that one was co-written, though Feynman's voice is very clear -- Feynman spoke into tapes which the writer basically just set down. Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes. Also, All Creatures Great and Small, although that's lightly fictionalized (in the sense that you might fictionalize a story you were telling in a pub). Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 05:25 on May 1, 2011 |
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May 1, 2011 05:19
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Mung Dynasty posted:I don't read as much as I should, so no, I haven't heard of it. Sounds great, though! Ordering it from the library now. Thanks! who cares posted:I would like to read an interesting memoir that isn't ghost-written or co-written. Any ideas?
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May 1, 2011 05:33
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who cares posted:I would like to read an interesting memoir that isn't ghost-written or co-written. Any ideas? Brent Runyon's The Burn Journals- I actually worked with him one summer in high school (he's a super nice dude) and wondered how he was burned so badly. Years later this book was published and it turns out he tried to kill himself by soaking his bathrobe in gasoline and setting it on fire. Well-written and sometimes uncomfortably honest, but certainly very interesting. This might pair nicely with Jay Varner's Nothing Left to Burn, which describes his growing up in a small town with a terrible, pyromaniac grandfather and firefighting-obsessed dad.
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May 1, 2011 12:44
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who cares posted:I would like to read an interesting memoir that isn't ghost-written or co-written. Any ideas? If you want to try something a little different, I'd recommend Dave Eggers' A Heartbreaking work of staggering genius. It's funny and sad (it's mostly about him taking care of his younger brother after his parents die) and it's an engaging read, even if it's a little quirky at times.
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May 1, 2011 16:07
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who cares posted:I would like to read an interesting memoir that isn't ghost-written or co-written. Any ideas? I highly recommend Down and out in Paris and London by George Orwell. It takes place during Orwell's piss-poor youth when he has to accept any lovely job he can get (in Paris this is mostly restaurant scullery-type work) and details the day to day hustle of he and his Russian roommate in simply getting enough pennies to get something to eat. It also was famous for exposing the nasty, filthy conditions of the kitchens of Europe's most famous restaurants and hotels. A great read and one of my faves.
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May 1, 2011 18:28
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When I was in elementary through high school, I really hated reading. I read tons on my own spare time, but I hated reading for assignments because it seemed like the books that were assigned were the most boring books ever and I just wasn't interested. I really don't think I even finished reading a single book in my AP English class senior year but managed to ace the class through a combination of skimming through the books, reading Sparknotes, and having friends explain everything to me. The essays we had to write were pretty open ended for interpretation so based on what I knew I just picked something and wrote my heart out and it was good enough for the teacher. This is kind of general, but what would you say were the must read books that you had to read in school? I'm older now and not a rebellious poo poo so I'd like to catch up with the things I missed, especially since now I have a Kindle so I'm assuming most of these books are on Gutenberg. They're free so I have no reason not to get them. To give you an idea, I never even read To Kill a Mockingbird or Tom Sawyer. I have no idea how I didn't read Mockingbird because it seems like we read it every single year starting in 6th grade, but yep, I somehow got through high school without ever reading it. These two books seem like a great place to start. Ziir fucked around with this message at 20:21 on May 2, 2011 |
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May 2, 2011 19:18
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Huck Finn is a deeper book that Tom Sawyer, but yeah, it won't hurt anything to read Tom Sawyer first. I think you're right that To Kill a Mockingbird is a perfect place to start. There are, unfortunately, some books you just missed -- if you don't read Catcher in the Rye when you're an angsty teenager it sucks, because it does such a good job of portraying an angsty teenager that, goddam, you hate it if you aren't an angsty teen (if you are, it's life changing!!!111!!). Catch-22? Faulkner's Go Down, Moses collection? Tom Stoppard's Arcadia? Camus' The Plague? Read Dickens. Specifically, read David Copperfield. Also, Chaucer. Get an annotated edition with a pronunciation guide and read the Miller's Tale in the original. James Joyce's Dubliners. Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five.
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May 2, 2011 19:33
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I would like some sci-fi either written by women, or with female protagonists. Also I am soon going to be reading books to old people at a nursing home and I'd like recommendations for good stuff there. If it's an all-female group I'm going with Victoria Holt, but I don't know how well that would be received by the men. I'm thinking maybe Westerns but I don't really know the genre.
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May 2, 2011 19:42
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:books Thanks for the suggestions. I had no idea Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer were two different books (looking it up it appears the one everybody reads in school is Huck Finn?) and fortunately I am not an angsty teen that nobody understands anymore but I'll give Catcher in the Rye a chance. Now that you mention Chaucer though, I remember reading some of his stories in that AP English class. It's probably the only thing I ever read and I think it was because the English was just so weird and old (I have a thing for languages).
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May 2, 2011 20:24
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StealthStealth posted:I would like some sci-fi either written by women, or with female protagonists. For sci-fi by women look up Ursula K. LeGuin. For westerns, classics are The Virginian and Shane.
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May 2, 2011 20:31
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StealthStealth posted:I would like some sci-fi either written by women, or with female protagonists. Look for the series about Miles Vorkosigan by Lois McMaster Bujold.
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May 2, 2011 22:53
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Ziir posted:Thanks for the suggestions. I had no idea Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer were two different books (looking it up it appears the one everybody reads in school is Huck Finn?) and fortunately I am not an angsty teen that nobody understands anymore but I'll give Catcher in the Rye a chance. 1984, Lord of the Flies and Farenheit 451 are all books I skipped the first time around and loved upon revisiting later.
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May 3, 2011 02:24
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StealthStealth posted:I would like some sci-fi either written by women, or with female protagonists. Ursula Le Guin, Octavia Butler, Anne McCaffrey, Madeleine L'Engle
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May 3, 2011 04:46
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This is a long shot, but does anyone have any suggestions about where to start with the books of Iris Murdoch? Preferably not a book whose main plot is focused on a love triangle or more? I've already tried and given up on The Unicorn, so not that. 
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May 3, 2011 17:53
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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May 3, 2011 18:56
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My favorites from high school were: The Count of Monte Cristo (we read the abridged version, though, I'd imagine the unabridged would be better for someone not reading for class) Dante's Inferno The Iliad (The Odyssey was good, too, but I preferred Iliad) And for more modern stuff: All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, which I read in the same position as you: didn't read it when we were assigned it (I was put off by his unconventional style), came back to it later, loved it. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. Those were good ones that I think you might like now. edited for legibility edit2: VVVV Yeah, that was another good one. I had the option to read that or another book that turned out lovely and I made the wrong choice but read Life of Pi on my own later and it was good. VVVV Punished Chuck fucked around with this message at 04:51 on May 4, 2011 |
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May 3, 2011 19:24
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drat, you guys read a lot more than I did in high school. I only remember being assigned Shakespeare, Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies (and there, we just watched the movie). Being assigned it is probably a Canadian high school thing, but Yann Martel's Life of Pi was one I really enjoyed.
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May 3, 2011 20:42
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StealthStealth posted:I would like some sci-fi either written by women, or with female protagonists. Connie Willis writes some sci-fi and futuristic fiction (I especially liked Passage, though she's more known for The Doomsday Book). Also Pat Cadigan, though I've only read Tea From an Empty Cup from her. For female protagonists, I can think of Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, Pattern Recognition by William Gibson, and Starfish by Peter Watts, off the top of my head. All good, strong wimmens.  If you need more titles, let me know. I'm sure I've got more...As for the old folks, the gents may like spy novels, particularly from people like John le Carre (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) or Louis L'Amour (Last of the Breed). As for the ladies, maybe some Victorian mysteries from Anne Perry. I'm thinking along the lines of her Charlotte & Thomas Pitt novels.
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May 4, 2011 08:12
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who cares posted:I would like to read an interesting memoir that isn't ghost-written or co-written. Any ideas? Night of the Gun by David Carr. Here's a NYT review: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/books/review/Handy-t.html If you have no interest in drugs maybe it's not for you, but it is the most interesting memoir I have ever read. It's a memoir written in the age of James Frey. Carr is a journalist and what he does is approach his life as if he was writing a story about someone else. He researches his own life, interviews the people involved, and constantly questions his own memory. It is in a sense a memoir that explores the act of writing a memoir. Plus there's drugs. Edit: I can't leave this one alone as I read a lot of non-fiction. I'll second Down and Out by Orwell and Heartbreaking Work. Both classics. In the same vein as If Chins Could Kill, I would recommend Born Standing Up by Steve Martin. One other memoir that I love is Confessions of a Dangerous Mind by Chuck Barris. Not everyone loves it I know, but again, in an age where memoirs are plagued by accusations of falsehood, this one is probably false and thats sort of the point. It destroys the line between fact and fiction in the same way that Hunter Thompson did. Last (for now) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby. It's amazing. Old Janx Spirit fucked around with this message at 16:17 on May 4, 2011 |
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May 4, 2011 15:51
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StealthStealth posted:I would like some sci-fi either written by women, or with female protagonists. Check out Jack McDevitt's stuff, like Devil'ls Eye, Cauldron, A Talent For War. All the stuff that stars Alex seems to spend more time talking about his female employee Chase Kolpath, who is the more interesting characte. It's kind of like scifi Indiana Jones, but more mystery and less action. Now for my request. I read The Man Eaters of Kumoan, and it was awesome because its real, but its crazier than most fiction books. So I'm asking for books about crazy real poo poo, but not adventure or mountaineering stuff.
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May 5, 2011 05:01
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A while back I read "The Stranger", by Albert Camus. Can anybody recommend a book with similar themes (i.e existentialism; absurdism; realism/starkness), would like it if it wasn't all depressive story-telling. Short books (<200pg's), and with a clear and concise writing style. Nothing too flashy or wordy. I need to get back in the swing of reading books, but I'm just so put off by tomes of sci-fi or fantasy. I just want a good flowing book that tugs at my emotions. It would be even better if it could be based in reality or with a historical backdrop- in fact, that's exactly what I would like.
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May 5, 2011 05:12
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