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So I'm looking for some fiction that heavily features Christian mythology. Either fictionalised retellings of biblical events or original stories. I've read and enjoyed, Ben Hur, the sections that deal with Pontius Pilot in Master and Margarita, His Dark Materials, C.S Lewis's stuff and the film Dogma. I've heard Towing Jehovah mentioned on here. Is it any good? Any other decent books? Vain fucked around with this message at 21:17 on Jun 5, 2011 |
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Jun 5, 2011 21:15
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I've just finished reading Ken Follet's 'Pillars of the Earth' and 'World without End' for the second time each. I never thought i'd get into historical fiction but I loved them. Can anyone suggest some similar authors/books for me? Edit: Also, I *LOVE* Jasper Fforde, anyone got any suggestions for something in the same vein?
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Jun 5, 2011 21:39
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Vain posted:So I'm looking for some fiction that heavily features Christian mythology. Either fictionalised retellings of biblical events or original stories. I've read and enjoyed, Ben Hur, the sections that deal with Pontius Pilot in Master and Margarita, His Dark Materials, C.S Lewis's stuff and the film Dogma. Have you tried Lamb by Christopher Moore? It's a comedic retelling of Jesus' life through the eyes of his best friend Biff. Since you liked Dogma, you'll probably also like Lamb.
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Jun 5, 2011 23:50
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Haha sounds excellent. And it's on kindle. Thanks, I'll give this a try.
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Jun 5, 2011 23:55
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Miranda posted:I've just finished reading Ken Follet's 'Pillars of the Earth' and 'World without End' for the second time each. I never thought i'd get into historical fiction but I loved them. Can anyone suggest some similar authors/books for me?
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Jun 6, 2011 00:00
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Vain posted:Haha sounds excellent. And it's on kindle. Thanks, I'll give this a try. I'm an idiot and forgot to include this in my first post, but you also try Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Basic plot is an angel and a demon trying to avert the apocalypse from being brought on by the 9-year-old Antichrist. It's also hilarious. Pullman's also got a new book out called the Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ that retells Jesus' life by hypothesizing that Jesus and Christ were two different people. I didn't think it was all that great, but you might want to check it out. I really like these sorts of books as well, so of course as soon as I made my first post I thought of a whole bunch more.
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Jun 6, 2011 00:09
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Quantify! posted:Learning that Ken Follett basically writes nothing but thrillers was a real disappointment to me after reading those books, and I wouldn't mind recommendations either. Are his thrillers any good? Its ok if they are mindless reading, I'm not studying for summer and need brain function good.
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Jun 6, 2011 01:02
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Miranda posted:Are his thrillers any good? Its ok if they are mindless reading, I'm not studying for summer and need brain function good. I read a shitload of Ken Follett back in the day and honestly I couldn't recommend him that highly but if you're not looking for deep reads, knock yourself out. Eye of the Needle is a classic World War II spy novel and pretty good, nonetheless.
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Jun 6, 2011 02:54
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OK, two topics I'm looking for suggestions on. First one being anything like post-apocalyptic stuff in the vein of Fallout but not specifically so. The second being Cold War era fiction/non-fiction. Thanks, all.
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Jun 6, 2011 04:53
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Jun 6, 2011 06:42
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Do Not Resuscitate posted:For a discussion of Politics and War, I can't speak highly enough about Robert Mann's A Grand Delusion which is a dense, in-depth analysis of America's involvement in Vietnam from a political angle. It traces the roots of the conflict back to WWII and presents an amazing step-by-step picture of America slowly becoming involved in Indo-China and its subsequent inability to extricate itself from a Vietnam commitment. I've never read a treatment of Vietnam that contained this dept of analysis and that linked the military actions in Vietnam to corresponding political minutia of strongarming, backroom deals and partisan bickering. The book is about America's involvement in Vietnam, but it's also about political campaigns, presidential personalities, political parties, grandstanding, Democratic vs. Republican ideals... the whole 9-yards. How is it written? Does it read like a novel, or like a text book?
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Jun 6, 2011 14:15
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HeyEng posted:Cold War era fiction/non-fiction. Thanks, all. The first thing that came to my mind was The Russia House by John Le Carre. It was made into a good movie as well with Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer. Its a very slow-burning, spy thriller involving the british, Americans, and Russians set during the end of the cold war in the 80s. No action, per se, but still very gripping and well written.
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Jun 6, 2011 14:19
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I really dig stories set in the modern world, but with magic and other fantasy elements. I guess that's what people call urban fantasy, right? Sadly, I'm having trouble finding something in that genre that isn't a lovely romance or YA novel. It really sucks that crazy ladies like the same kind of stories I do. Also, is there a good authoritative book on global climate change? I want to know more about it and learn what I can do about it, but there's a lot of conflicting information out there.
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Jun 6, 2011 19:29
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Fame Throwa posted:I really dig stories set in the modern world, but with magic and other fantasy elements. I guess that's what people call urban fantasy, right? Sadly, I'm having trouble finding something in that genre that isn't a lovely romance or YA novel. It really sucks that crazy ladies like the same kind of stories I do. The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher would be the obvious choice.
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Jun 6, 2011 21:35
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I read a book called In Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki and really enjoyed it. Are there any other books/essays/long rants by old men dealing with pure aesthetics that I could read? Particularly ones that have stood the test of time? I'm having trouble finding much. I'm in an opinionated-essay mood now and I don't know where to start.
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Jun 6, 2011 22:16
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Jun 6, 2011 23:33
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wrong thread
dokmo fucked around with this message at 04:48 on Jun 7, 2011 |
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Jun 7, 2011 00:03
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Fame Throwa posted:I really dig stories set in the modern world, but with magic and other fantasy elements. I guess that's what people call urban fantasy, right? Sadly, I'm having trouble finding something in that genre that isn't a lovely romance or YA novel. It really sucks that crazy ladies like the same kind of stories I do. Look through the last few pages of the sci-fi/fantasy series recommendation thread, as this is a fairly common question over there.
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Jun 7, 2011 15:31
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Fame Throwa posted:I really dig stories set in the modern world, but with magic and other fantasy elements. I guess that's what people call urban fantasy, right? Sadly, I'm having trouble finding something in that genre that isn't a lovely romance or YA novel. It really sucks that crazy ladies like the same kind of stories I do.
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Jun 7, 2011 18:12
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Jun 7, 2011 19:19
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xcheopis posted:Mr. Charles de Lint has written quite a few such books. Was going to suggest this. I'd also recommend a great short story collection called In the Forest of Forgetting by Theodora Goss. A good number of the stories are set in the "real" world with some fantastic elements.
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Jun 7, 2011 22:52
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Fame Throwa posted:I really dig stories set in the modern world, but with magic and other fantasy elements. I guess that's what people call urban fantasy, right? Sadly, I'm having trouble finding something in that genre that isn't a lovely romance or YA novel. It really sucks that crazy ladies like the same kind of stories I do. On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony. The Grim Reaper is a modern guy and drives a car. It part of a longer series that mixes magic with modern technology.
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Jun 8, 2011 13:04
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Hey guys. I've been on a David Foster Wallace kick for like a year now. I've read a bunch of his stuff, and it really hit me and was great. I'm in the middle of reading Freedom, and I'm liking it, too. The problem is that it's depending as poo poo. It all hits really close to home and resonates with me, and just keeps bringing me back to the pointlessness of everything. Can anyone recommend something beautiful and uplifting from an atheistic worldview? I need something inspiring, but I don't want any of that spiritual poo poo. Thanks for the help.
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Jun 8, 2011 21:37
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Day Man posted:Can anyone recommend something beautiful and uplifting from an atheistic worldview? I need something inspiring, but I don't want any of that spiritual poo poo. Thanks for the help. EDIT: there is, actually, a lot of "spiritual poo poo," I guess, but it's really a deconstruction of it. Barnes is an atheist. DirtyRobot fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Jun 8, 2011 |
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Jun 8, 2011 21:56
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DirtyRobot posted:A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes I just meant something that wasn't saying like "God is on your side!" as inspiration. I don't mind themes or stories involving religion, just nothing promoting it. If you go looking for inspirational books, that's all you find. I'll check that out. Thanks! Edit: I guess what I'm looking for is something with the insight into the human condition that DFW has that points out what makes life beautiful instead of pointing out the things that make life poo poo. The style doesn't have to be the same, but I'm hoping for the level of insight that he has. The book you recommended sounds great, and comes out on the kindle next week, so I'll pick it up then. Any other suggestions? Day Man fucked around with this message at 22:58 on Jun 8, 2011 |
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Jun 8, 2011 22:40
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Day Man posted:Edit: I guess what I'm looking for is something with the insight into the human condition that DFW has that points out what makes life beautiful instead of pointing out the things that make life poo poo. The style doesn't have to be the same, but I'm hoping for the level of insight that he has. The book you recommended sounds great, and comes out on the kindle next week, so I'll pick it up then. Maybe you should check out The Book of Awesome, a book about Awesome Things In Life.
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Jun 8, 2011 23:06
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Any good books about the Chinese space program? Past or present.
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Jun 10, 2011 02:54
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Private Snowball posted:Any good books about the Chinese space program? Past or present. Weird that you'd ask that, because I actually came in here looking for a good book about the Space Race that goes into detail on both the American and Soviet sides.
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Jun 10, 2011 16:57
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My wife is looking for summer reading. She has said she wants some historical fiction that is women centered. Any ideas? VVVV Those are great recs thank you very much. euphronius fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Jun 11, 2011 |
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Jun 10, 2011 21:45
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euphronius posted:My wife is looking for summer reading. She has said she wants some historical fiction that is women centered. Any ideas? As for me, I've got something to ask: can anyone recommend a sci-fi novel about space combat? I'd really prefer 'soft' sci-fi, you know, PEW PEW lasers and explosions/sounds in space and no explanation how anything works--not being a big sci-fi reader I don't really care about the technical details, I just want huge fleets of spaceships pounding the poo poo out of each other. Think more Star Wars than anything else. I'd also prefer if it was about fleets of battleships as a whole or at least a big battleship, rather than an individual fighter pilot, and if there weren't a whole lot of non-human aliens. I'd also prefer if it was an original work and not like Star Wars/Star Trek EU or anything like that. I guess picture Sins of a Solar Empire: The Book. I'd ask in one of the specific threads about this kind of thing, but I don't know if it should go in the Space Opera or just general sci-fi thread or even what the difference between those two are--like I said, I'm a sci-fi newbie when it comes to books  . Also, I realize I've got a lot of criteria, so I think I should make it clear that I none of them are necessary--that's an idea of what I want but I won't turn my nose up at a good, fun, space battle book because it has aliens or whatever. Just whatever's good that kinda sorta matches up with this. Thanks  edit: also, should I buy The Golden Compass? I hope asking about a specific book isn't against a rule, I'm still asking whether you'd recommend it to me.  The thing is, I liked The Chronicles of Narnia as fun adventure stories and have heard TGC compared to those multiple times as an atheist alternative. The thing is, I'm a little worried because all the praise I've read about it have just been people gushing over how cool it is to have atheist fantasy and I don't really give a poo poo about that--while I am atheist, I don't really see a point in reading things to reaffirm that. So what I'm asking is, does it stand on its own merits as a fantasy adventure story and not just an atheist circlejerk?
Punished Chuck fucked around with this message at 00:42 on Jun 11, 2011 |
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Jun 10, 2011 22:36
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Jun 11, 2011 00:41
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Do Not Resuscitate posted:I bet you'd enjoy the Honor Harrington series by David Weber.
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Jun 11, 2011 00:44
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WeaponGradeSadness posted:edit: also, should I buy The Golden Compass? I hope asking about a specific book isn't against a rule, I'm still asking whether you'd recommend it to me...I liked The Chronicles of Narnia as fun adventure stories and have heard TGC compared to those multiple times as an atheist alternative...So what I'm asking is, does it stand on its own merits as a fantasy adventure story and not just an atheist circlejerk? A million times yes. Pullman is a storyteller first and foremost and while I think it's worthwhile to consider His Dark Materials as an answer to The Chronicles, doing so exclusively trivializes the considerable elegance with which PP crafts his vision. They're great adventure stories. I don't think you'll be disappointed, he doesn't underestimate his reader. dream owl fucked around with this message at 01:25 on Jun 11, 2011 |
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Jun 11, 2011 01:20
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dream owl posted:A million times yes. Pullman is a storyteller first and foremost and while I think it's worthwhile to consider His Dark Materials as an answer to The Chronicles, doing so exclusively trivializes the considerable elegance with which PP crafts his vision. They're great adventure stories. I don't think you'll be disappointed, he doesn't underestimate his reader.
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Jun 11, 2011 01:29
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I'm looking for conspiracy theory books that don't waft the odor of "crackpot". I'm not into the 9/11 truth movement-- I've heard all of their arguments. I started Jessie Ventura's American Conspiracies, and learning about the conspiracy of the Wall Street coup of FDR was fascinating. Things like Northwood, and MK Ultra fascinate me. Anything regarding the military and the men in black as well. Given these parameters, does anyone have some recommendations? Help a goon out! Lots of books - horror, nonfiction, classics and more for sale.
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Jun 12, 2011 01:01
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escape artist posted:I'm looking for conspiracy theory books that don't waft the odor of "crackpot". Anything by Richard Belzer
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Jun 12, 2011 01:05
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bobkatt013 posted:Anything by Richard Belzer I can only find one conspiracy theory book of his, the rest are novels, but thanks for the recommendation! Help a goon out! Lots of books - horror, nonfiction, classics and more for sale.
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Jun 12, 2011 01:10
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Something well-cited on the Abdication and/or George VI, if any such thing exists. The books I've seen around here aren't well-cited, not that there are many books in this part of America about British history. I have read Philip Zeigler's Edward VIII biography and he did a pretty good job with sources.
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Jun 12, 2011 03:10
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escape artist posted:I'm looking for conspiracy theory books that don't waft the odor of "crackpot". All these recommendations are going to be fictional, but you might enjoy: * American Tabloid and two sequels by James Ellroy, which explore the seamy underbelly of America from roughly 1958 through 1972. * Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco, which explores conspiratorial thinking and sort of eats itself in the process. (Have not read this one yet, but it's held in high esteem by most and came up regularly as a much better antecedent to Dan Brown's pablum.) * From Hell by Alan Moore, which ostensibly is about a conspiracy surrounding the Jack the Ripper murders but actually wants to tell a panoramic, The Wire-like story about larger London! * Speaking of which, The Wire is a TV show that chronicles Baltimore and shows how all the pieces are connected and cooperate to keep things bad. But unlike a conspiracy, these connections are all organic and self-serving and more intricate and perverse than you can imagine. Not a book, but the closest thing to a Great American Novel we've achieved this century.
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Jun 12, 2011 03:21
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SgtSanity posted:
I am pretty sure based on his avatar he knows about The Wire
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Jun 12, 2011 03:26
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