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This is great, I'm really interested in looking into these. On an alternate note though, I'm interested in looking into the Norse Volsung cycle. The only version I have read is the Penguin Classics version of "The Saga of the Volsungs," and I'm definitely going to read Tolkien's translation of "The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun." I kind of understand that their elaborated on in Wagner's Ring cycle, like the operas, but is their any other prose or poetic versions of the stories that you all have heard of? Or, is there any other myths that you all view as just as epic? The Volsung saga is easily my favorite mythological story and I'm really looking forward to reading something comparable.
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Sep 17, 2011 06:50
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Sep 17, 2011 07:08
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Lurk Ness Monster posted:This is great, I'm really interested in looking into these. On an alternate note though, I'm interested in looking into the Norse Volsung cycle. The only version I have read is the Penguin Classics version of "The Saga of the Volsungs," and I'm definitely going to read Tolkien's translation of "The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun." I kind of understand that their elaborated on in Wagner's Ring cycle, like the operas, but is their any other prose or poetic versions of the stories that you all have heard of? Or, is there any other myths that you all view as just as epic? The Volsung saga is easily my favorite mythological story and I'm really looking forward to reading something comparable. You could try William Morris' versions.
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Sep 17, 2011 16:18
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Generic Superhero posted:This may be a tall order, cause frankly I have no idea if anything like this exists. I'm looking for detective/crime fiction (noir/hardboiled, or more modern) but with a scifi/fantasy twist.
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Sep 17, 2011 16:51
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I've just found out that an offshoot of my wife's mum's family moved to Virginia before the war of independence. So what? Well it turns out that there is a good chance that one of them married into a family called Lee and would eventually have a grandson called Robert E Lee. Yes, that one! I know my mother in law is now looking for biographies on Robert E Lee, can anyone recommend any decent ones? Specifically, knowing my mother in law, ones that focus on the person and not the battles. edit: sigh! Any good books on General Lee's distant relative - Admiral Willis Lee (Guadalcanal) while you are at it. My side of the family is pretty much potato farmers all the way down, any good books on potatoes? (joking!). Mr Darcy fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Sep 19, 2011 |
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Sep 18, 2011 17:02
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Generic Superhero posted:This may be a tall order, cause frankly I have no idea if anything like this exists. I'm looking for detective/crime fiction (noir/hardboiled, or more modern) but with a scifi/fantasy twist. Try Gun, With Occasional Music, by Jonathan Lethem. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun,_with_Occasional_Music
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Sep 19, 2011 18:29
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Generic Superhero posted:This may be a tall order, cause frankly I have no idea if anything like this exists. I'm looking for detective/crime fiction (noir/hardboiled, or more modern) but with a scifi/fantasy twist. Well, if you're willing to go with the fantasy option, let me suggest Glen Cook's Garret, P.I. series (read the older ones first and the most recent ones possibly never): http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Silver-Blues-Garrett-P-I/dp/0451450701/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316528184&sr=1-1 or Alex Bledsoe's Eddie LaCrosse series: http://www.amazon.com/Sword-Edged-Blonde-Eddie-LaCrosse-Novels/dp/0765362031/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316528222&sr=1-1
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Sep 20, 2011 15:17
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Currently reading catch 22 any other good books with the absurdism and snark of heller?
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Sep 20, 2011 22:00
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blakout posted:Currently reading catch 22 any other good books with the absurdism and snark of heller? I think it came up recently, but if you want more bug-gently caress bureaucratic insanity, Lem's Memoirs Found in a Bathtub is a good bet. I feel like there should be a bunch of Vonnegut and Philip K Dick that fit the bill, also, but am too tired to think of anything specific.
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Sep 21, 2011 01:50
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Lurk Ness Monster posted:Also, I'm looking for a collection of stories based in Arthurian Legend. The most interesting I've seen so far are, "The Idylls of the King," but can anybody recommend any others? My class dealing with Orlando Furioso is really getting me interested in reading more about Arthurian Legend. "The Idylls of the King" are great for what they are, but what they are is Tennyson rewriting Arthuriana for a Victorian audience that was heavily into prettified romanticised medievalism. There's nothing wrong with reading them, but don't think you'll come away from it with an understanding of what was really going on in the old stories. As other people have said, Arthurian stuff covers a wide range of time & space, so it really depends on what you're looking for. You can go all the way back to old Welsh stories, you can do French romances and German tales, etc etc etc. If you want a sort of summation of the old stuff, read Malory's _Le Morte d'Arthur_, which is a 15th century English telling of a lot of the extant stories, with the parts Malory thought most interesting (and most relevant to Arthur-as-English) highlighted of course.
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Sep 21, 2011 03:51
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Old Janx Spirit posted:Try Gun, With Occasional Music, by Jonathan Lethem. Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan would fit the bill as well.
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Sep 21, 2011 14:58
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blakout posted:Currently reading catch 22 any other good books with the absurdism and snark of heller? Have you read "God Knows" (the story of David), also by Heller? http://www.amazon.com/God-Knows-Joseph-Heller/dp/0684841258/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316625026&sr=8-1
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Sep 21, 2011 18:10
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I really enjoyed Dan Simmons' The Terror - what other works by him or other authors is similar to the book? I am familiar with Poe and Lovecraft, but I do need some other horror recommendations. The Terror was one of the few pieces of literature that actually managed to creep me out, so...
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Sep 22, 2011 02:41
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Archer2338 posted:I really enjoyed Dan Simmons' The Terror - what other works by him or other authors is similar to the book? I am familiar with Poe and Lovecraft, but I do need some other horror recommendations. The Terror was one of the few pieces of literature that actually managed to creep me out, so... My standard response for horror recommendations is to pick up random volumes of Stephen Jones' Mammoth Book of New Horror anthologies and/or Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the Year anthologies (though there are only three of these so far). If you like Lovecraft, pick up Night Shade's new anthology The Book of Cthulhu, it's pretty awesome. And Laird Barron. Read Laird Barron, he is amazing.
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Sep 22, 2011 03:23
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Archer2338 posted:I really enjoyed Dan Simmons' The Terror - what other works by him or other authors is similar to the book? I am familiar with Poe and Lovecraft, but I do need some other horror recommendations. The Terror was one of the few pieces of literature that actually managed to creep me out, so... Drood (also by Simmons) was pretty good if a bit overlong like The Terror. I particularly liked the scarab - body horror is always intensely unsettling for me personally. Simmons is a frustrating writer for me - I like the ideas he comes up with but his endings just kind of wander off into  mode sometimes. He is a pretty versatile writer though - he's done sci-fi, horror, crime and historical stuff.Edit: His debut Song of Kali was pretty creepy as well. I dunno - I seem to have the same problem with not reading a lot of stuff that was particularly creepy, though the alzabo scene from Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe is one of the most skin-crawling things I've ever read in a non-horror work. Encryptic fucked around with this message at 14:49 on Sep 22, 2011 |
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Sep 22, 2011 14:40
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Alright, I'll check those out. Thanks for the help!
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Sep 23, 2011 15:04
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Archer2338 posted:I really enjoyed Dan Simmons' The Terror - what other works by him or other authors is similar to the book? I am familiar with Poe and Lovecraft, but I do need some other horror recommendations. The Terror was one of the few pieces of literature that actually managed to creep me out, so... You should check out the early work by Simmons and what I consider his big 3 horror novels (sorted in order of awesomeness): Summer of Night which is somewhat similar to Stephen King's It (IE kids fighting supernatural evil in small town America), but IMO better executed, more concise and generally more enjoyable. The novel describes the familiar and nostalgic feeling of preadolescent summer to a tee. BTW the creep out factor surpasses 'The Terror' tenfold. Carrion Comfort features the global struggle for world domination by a secret cabal of psychopathic telepaths. Included is the attempts of a group of their former victims to stop their sinister plots. This novel is very ambitious, very long and features a lot of interesting POV characters, but Simmons manages to pull it off in a page turning, fun and exiting way without any repetitive overlong parts (unlike some of his later works!) Children of the Night is Simmons' take on vampire fiction, where he manages to put a somewhat plausible and unique scientific spin on the whole vampire genre, which totally excludes all classic vampire elements such as garlic, bats, etc. The novel takes place very well described and bleak Romania, just after the fall of the Iron Curtain and Ceausescu. Speaking of Dan Simmons has anybody read A Winter Haunting? (loosely related sequel to 'Summer of Night'), and what is their opinion on it? The general consensus, as far as I can tell, is thats it's a is very lackluster compared to 'Summer of Night', but it is worth reading anyway? And as Encryptic mentioned Dan Simmons is a frustrating writer who is both capable of greatness and outright bad and very disappointing novels. What I have gathered is that he might have gone crazy and let his newfound post 9/11 Tea-party viewpoints and hate of Muslims severely permeate his newest novel 'Flashback'.
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Sep 23, 2011 19:37
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Could anyone recommend some good books by Stephen Leather? I finished reading Nightfall not too long ago and I loved it. I know the book has a sequel, which I plan on reading. But I also see that he has a poo poo ton of other series/novels. Any worth checking out?
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Sep 24, 2011 05:48
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Hey, Everyone. I just finished Reading the Entire and The Rose which was recommended here. It was fantastic. I was hoping someone could recommend me something similar? I also Enjoy a lot of Tad Williams works (Specifically Otherland). I'd prefer something in the sci-fi genre, but I am okay with Fantasy as well. Thanks.
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Sep 24, 2011 05:51
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Can anyone recommend me some good novels/series with strong gay protagonists? Preferably fantasy/sci-fi/urban fiction ish, but I'm not too picky in that regard. I've heard great things about some of Clive Barker's works (Imajica comes to mind) but I am not too sure what to choose.
Captain Mog fucked around with this message at 20:18 on Sep 25, 2011 |
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Sep 25, 2011 20:13
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SlenderWhore posted:Can anyone recommend me some good novels/series with strong gay protagonists? Preferably fantasy/sci-fi/urban fiction ish, but I'm not too picky in that regard. I've heard great things about some of Clive Barker's works (Imajica comes to mind) but I am not too sure what to choose. I've seen a lot of recommendations for The Steel Remains. I haven't read it yet, but it's on my Kindle waiting for me.
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Sep 25, 2011 22:01
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SlenderWhore posted:Can anyone recommend me some good novels/series with strong gay protagonists? Preferably fantasy/sci-fi/urban fiction ish, but I'm not too picky in that regard. I've heard great things about some of Clive Barker's works (Imajica comes to mind) but I am not too sure what to choose. There's an entire thread of recommendations for spec fic with gay protagonists right here: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3295425
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Sep 25, 2011 22:55
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Just got a job teaching sophomore and senior English, and I'm planning a short story unit for the seniors. I was thinking of using Kafka's quote about books needing to be the axe that breaks the ice within us as a sort of theme. So I want stories that are written to shock us, make us uncomfortable, or make us question our perceptions. I know that is pretty broad, but I want stories that are going to get a reaction out of the kids. My ideas so far: The Lottery - Shirley Jackson A Good Man is Hard to Find - Flannery O'Conner The Metamorphosis (not really a short story, I know) In the Penal Colony - Kafka They don't necessarily have to be stories that feature a brutal death, but these are the ones coming to mind so far.
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Sep 26, 2011 01:12
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Maybe The Night Face Up by Julio Cortazar? I remember being taught this one back in high school. Still enjoy reading it too. Raymond Carver wrote some stuff that I think might work, too. Cathedral and A Small, Good Thing come to mind right away.
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Sep 26, 2011 01:35
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Malaleb posted:Just got a job teaching sophomore and senior English, and I'm planning a short story unit for the seniors. I was thinking of using Kafka's quote about books needing to be the axe that breaks the ice within us as a sort of theme. So I want stories that are written to shock us, make us uncomfortable, or make us question our perceptions. I know that is pretty broad, but I want stories that are going to get a reaction out of the kids. My ideas so far:
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Sep 26, 2011 03:28
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Of Mice and Men isn't a short story, but the book is pretty short. Ray Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains.
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Sep 26, 2011 03:30
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Malaleb posted:Just got a job teaching sophomore and senior English, and I'm planning a short story unit for the seniors. I was thinking of using Kafka's quote about books needing to be the axe that breaks the ice within us as a sort of theme. So I want stories that are written to shock us, make us uncomfortable, or make us question our perceptions. I know that is pretty broad, but I want stories that are going to get a reaction out of the kids. My ideas so far: Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron and Bradbury's The Veldt are stories I read in high school that left a real impression on me. Both, I think, would give the kids plenty to talk about. edit - RC, that story gets at some of the same stuff as the one I mentioned.
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Sep 26, 2011 03:49
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barkingclam posted:Raymond Carver wrote some stuff that I think might work, too. Cathedral and A Small, Good Thing come to mind right away. Personally, I'd go with "Tell the Women We're Going" if he's going for a reaction.
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Sep 26, 2011 06:08
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Edit: After taking a second pass, I saw that there was a Sci-Fi/Fantasy thread, so I'm moving this post over.. TShields fucked around with this message at 21:14 on Sep 27, 2011 |
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Sep 27, 2011 21:11
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Looking for a sweeping historical fiction novel set in the U.S. or Europe preferably. Something like Gone with the Wind or The Thornbirds.
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Sep 27, 2011 21:46
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jcschick posted:Looking for a sweeping historical fiction novel set in the U.S. or Europe preferably. Not sure if it's quite what your're looking for, since I'm not familiar with either of those, but "The Caine Mutiny" is pretty loving awesome. Everyone was bummed when we had to read such a gigantic tome for a history class, but I fell in love with it. And it's literally the reason Michael Caine isn't named Michael Caine and not "Maurice Joseph Micklewhite". Look it up.
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Sep 27, 2011 23:49
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jcschick posted:Looking for a sweeping historical fiction novel set in the U.S. or Europe preferably. You might start off with some of the novels of James Michener, Leon Uris, Herman Wouk, or Robert Graves, who did a lot of this sort of thing. Sweeping historical fiction is a very large field, and there is a lot to sort through and enjoy.
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Sep 28, 2011 01:03
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Any suggestions for non-fiction works that blur the line between fiction and non-fiction? Good examples include Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. A bad example would be James Frey. I'm interested in non-fiction that is partially (or largely) false, but manages to tell a greater truth. I can't think of other good examples now, but I imagine a non-fiction version of Kafka's metamorphoses, if you get what I mean. It could be journalism (most Hunter Thompson comes to mind) or Memoir (Augustin Burroughs?). Any ideas?
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Sep 28, 2011 02:23
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Old Janx Spirit posted:Any suggestions for non-fiction works that blur the line between fiction and non-fiction? Good examples include Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. A bad example would be James Frey. Any ideas? Have you checked out Tom Wolfe's work? I'd recommend The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, but if you can find a copy of The Purple Decades, that's a good place to start too. If you can find a copy of this, even better. You might also enjoy the collected works of Jayson Blair and Stephen Glass, too; they're pretty well known for blurring fact and fiction.
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Sep 28, 2011 03:29
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Old Janx Spirit posted:Any suggestions for non-fiction works that blur the line between fiction and non-fiction? Good examples include Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. A bad example would be James Frey. Not exactly what you're asking for, as it's more impressionistic and hazy than truth-blurring, but Michael Herr's Dispatches is fantastic.
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Sep 28, 2011 03:57
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barkingclam posted:
Yeah, I've read most of Wolfe's stuff. Also read a book about Blair and some of Glass' work (plus I love the movie Shattered Glass). They would both be bad examples of what I'm talking about, i.e. just plain lying. funkybottoms posted:Not exactly what you're asking for, as it's more impressionistic and hazy than truth-blurring, but Michael Herr's Dispatches is fantastic. Read Herr as well. I'm pretty well versed in the New Journalists work. I know this is a bit vague, but that's the problem, I'm trying to explore an idea that is not very well defined. Those are all great suggestions though, thanks. Definitely on the right wave length.
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Sep 28, 2011 04:27
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Old Janx Spirit posted:Any suggestions for non-fiction works that blur the line between fiction and non-fiction? Good examples include Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. A bad example would be James Frey. Hrm. Maybe Daniel Defoe's Journal of the Plague Year? I'm currently reading it on Kindle, and it was originally billed as non-fiction. It's interesting as the source / inspiration for Camus' The Plague if nothing else. jcschick posted:Looking for a sweeping historical fiction novel set in the U.S. or Europe preferably. Maybe Edward Rutherford's work -- Sarum, etc. Also going to second the Michener recommendation. Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Sep 28, 2011 |
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Sep 28, 2011 14:24
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Hrm. Maybe Daniel Defoe's Journal of the Plague Year? I'm currently reading it on Kindle, and it was originally billed as non-fiction. It's interesting as the source / inspiration for Camus' The Plague if nothing else. Sounds very interesting, thanks.
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Sep 28, 2011 16:27
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Am looking to bolster my collection of American History books: Can anyone recommend an easy-to-read and engrossing non-fiction book about the Vietnam War, along the same lines as Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin and Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson? Obviously looking for accounts of America's involvement, contexts, histories, etc. Thanks in advance 
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Sep 28, 2011 16:49
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Any suggestions for non-fiction books about gangs (as in street gangs like Bloods or MS-13 and similar)? Thanks in advance.
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Sep 30, 2011 07:41
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