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Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson. It's just about him traveling around England and making humorous observations.
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Oct 27, 2011 10:27
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squeee posted:I am interested in anything that is set in England. Having just recently finished reading The Queen Mother by William Shawcross I feel like I need something to satisfy the anglophile in me. I am open to any writing genre/style except for criminal/mystery. Anything with England as it's backdrop would be greatly appreciated! The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro is excellent and was made into an great movie with Anthony Hopkins as well. The Quincunx by Charles Palliser - This was recommended in TBB years ago. Rather good and incredibly detailed about the time period it takes place in (Victorian England). It does get a bit convoluted (the plot revolves around an inheritance connected to several different families) and I had trouble finishing it just because it gets pretty grim and depressing even for me - reading about Victorian-era poverty in the East End of London gets tough to take after a while. 
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Oct 27, 2011 13:54
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squeee posted:I am interested in anything that is set in England. Having just recently finished reading The Queen Mother by William Shawcross I feel like I need something to satisfy the anglophile in me. I am open to any writing genre/style except for criminal/mystery. Anything with England as it's backdrop would be greatly appreciated! You don't get more English than Jane Austen. For fantasy, try Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norell.
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Oct 27, 2011 17:09
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squeee posted:I am interested in anything that is set in England. Having just recently finished reading The Queen Mother by William Shawcross I feel like I need something to satisfy the anglophile in me. I am open to any writing genre/style except for criminal/mystery. Anything with England as it's backdrop would be greatly appreciated! Well, of course there are millions of books set in England, but the first one that came to my mind was Snobs by Julian Fellowes. Good story set in modern England. If you are interested in older periods, Howard's End by E. M. Forster is wonderful for turn of the century England. Evelyn Waugh is a must, covering the 20's, 30's and 40's (esp. Vile Bodies, Handful of Dust, Brideshead Revisited).
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Oct 27, 2011 17:22
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Can anyone recommend a good biography? I prefer historical figures or sports stars, and would like something written somewhat recently (last 10 years or so).
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Oct 28, 2011 04:32
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Captain Kickass posted:Can anyone recommend a good biography? I prefer historical figures or sports stars, and would like something written somewhat recently (last 10 years or so). Edmund Morris' Theodore Roosevelt trilogy, beginning with Theodore Rising.
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Oct 28, 2011 06:11
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Sports: - Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich (Mark Kriegel) - Maravich (Wayne Federman, Marshall Terrill and Jackie Maravich): not quite as good as the previous, but you can't go wrong with either - The Black Prince of Baseball: Hal Chase and the Mythology of the Game (Don Dewey) - The Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth (Leigh Montville) Non-sports: - Kingfish: The Reign of Huey P. Long (Richard White): skims the surface of things for the most part, but it's enough to get a good understanding of Long. - King Edward VIII: A Life (Philip Ziegler): a little earlier than what you're looking for, but if you're interested in books on royalty, this one is pretty in-depth.
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Oct 28, 2011 07:10
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RC and Moon Pie posted:Sports: I've actually read The Big Bam. Fantastic in-depth biography. But I'll have to check some of these out (as well as some in the post a little ways up). Thanks!
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Oct 28, 2011 14:41
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Space Monster posted:So I just read the Old Man's War series by John Scalzi and after reading I have frankly lost my taste for reading anything that isn't Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, or The Last Colony and it's killing my usual 'anything fantasy/sci fi that isn't badly written' buzz. You'll be happy to hear about Scalzi's new book then! http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/10/cover-reveal-for-john-scalzis-redshirts It sounds hilarious.
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Oct 28, 2011 15:25
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I'm looking for some Christmas themed books (it's never too early!). I don't want the usual sappy Christmas novels about love and joy and all that poo poo. I would rather read something darker, or humerous. I have already found: Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett Holidays on Ice, by David Sedaris What else have you got, BB?
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Oct 28, 2011 17:04
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The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore. Christmas Zombies!
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Oct 28, 2011 17:07
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore. Christmas Zombies! I didn't find the humour in the summary of that book funny at all, but I was not aware that it had Christmas Zombies! I will have to check it out now. Thanks.
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Oct 28, 2011 17:11
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Koth posted:I didn't find the humour in the summary of that book funny at all, but I was not aware that it had Christmas Zombies! I will have to check it out now. Thanks. Yeah, it's a weird sort of situational humor. MY WIFE can't read Christopher Moore's stuff without rolling on the floor, I find it vaguely amusing, I know other folks who don't think he's funny at all. So your personal mileage may vary.
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Oct 28, 2011 18:37
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Wasn't sure where else to post this question, but is anyone familiar with Paul Auster's work? Any particular novels that might be worth trying? I read about him in a critical essay I've been reading and he sounded kind of interesting but he doesn't seem well known enough to have a stand-out work to start with.
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Oct 30, 2011 02:49
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Koth posted:I'm looking for some Christmas themed books (it's never too early!). I don't want the usual sappy Christmas novels about love and joy and all that poo poo. I would rather read something darker, or humerous. If you haven't read it, you must read The Joyous Season by Patrick Dennis, one of the funniest books I've ever read. It's about a precocious 10 year old boy (Kerry) and his sister whose parents split up during Christmas. A lot of the humor comes from Kerry trying to interpret the conversations of his parents and other adults. At one point his mother's friend complains that she thinks her effeminate husband might be a "laden homo sapien" (Kerry's interpretation). The Amazon reviews are pretty overwhelmingly positive, too.
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Oct 30, 2011 04:15
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Yeah, I've got a similar situation to Hieronymous Alloy - my fiancee thinks Moore is the funniest author alive, and if I read one of his books I'll smirk every once in a while. Pratchett is better, I think, but Moore's not all that bad. Oh, and I hear the New York Trilogy is Auster's big work.
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Oct 30, 2011 04:17
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z0331 posted:Wasn't sure where else to post this question, but is anyone familiar with Paul Auster's work? Any particular novels that might be worth trying? I read about him in a critical essay I've been reading and he sounded kind of interesting but he doesn't seem well known enough to have a stand-out work to start with. The New York trilogy is fantastic. Every other (2 or 3) Auster I've tried has been horrible.
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Oct 31, 2011 03:47
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I'm feeling sort of lost and out of control as far my life/career is going, and I'm looking for a novel where the protagonist is in the same position. Can anyone recommend a novel (or even non-fiction) about finding some sort of vocation or finding your place in life?
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Nov 1, 2011 00:19
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Any recommendations for a primer on Buddhism? Primarily interested in India, not so much in China/Japan/Korea/other places. Looking for something that a dummy can understand.
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Nov 1, 2011 01:45
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ShutteredIn posted:The New York trilogy is fantastic. Every other (2 or 3) Auster I've tried has been horrible. This is my take on Auster, too. The New York trilogy (esp. Ghosts) made me fall in love with him as an author. Other older works of his (say, written in the 1980s) aren't as good but are still worth reading -- In the Country of Last Things in particular is pretty good. But all of his newer stuff is dreck, and worse, repetitive dreck. I keep reading him because he's like an abusive boyfriend I can't quit (a really tedious abusive boyfriend who has the same fights over and over again), but don't be like me. Stick to his older work. And anyone who wants to read a novel set in England should take a look at Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White.
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Nov 1, 2011 01:48
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Monocular posted:I'm feeling sort of lost and out of control as far my life/career is going, and I'm looking for a novel where the protagonist is in the same position. Can anyone recommend a novel (or even non-fiction) about finding some sort of vocation or finding your place in life? It's a bit of a stretch, but Murakami's Wind-Up Bird Chronicle kind of fits the bill.
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Nov 1, 2011 03:41
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ShutteredIn posted:The New York trilogy is fantastic. Every other (2 or 3) Auster I've tried has been horrible. Thanks. I'll probably try out the trilogy when I have a chance. barkingclam posted:It's a bit of a stretch, but Murakami's Wind-Up Bird Chronicle kind of fits the bill. Most of Murakami's work is about this feeling in one way or another. His oeuvre is basically representing how what we are as humans is thinning, and in the modern age we go about our lives with a vague sensation that something is lost/being lost, but we're not really sure what it is or what to do about it. Or maybe I'm not taking the original guy literally enough. If he's more looking for something where a person literally feels like he doesn't know where to go or what to do, then Murakami is a bit different I think.
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Nov 1, 2011 16:23
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I found a cheap copy of Brooklyn Follies - should I give that one up as a bad job?
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Nov 1, 2011 17:00
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I'm looking for some horror in the vein of Stephen King, Joe Hill, Lovecraft, etc. I really love horror books but I feel like so much of it is crappy Dean Koontz nonsense and I'm having a hard time finding new authors to look into. I really like psychological horror, ghosts, Silent Hill kind of stuff. Basically I just want to read Heart-Shaped Box over and over again. Any ideas?
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Nov 1, 2011 17:47
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z0331 posted:Thanks. I'll probably try out the trilogy when I have a chance. That's sort of what I'm feeling, so thanks! I'm definitely going to check out some of his stuff. Any suggestions beside the Wind Up Bird Chronicles? Edit: Norwegian Wood seems to be what I'm looking for. Thanks again guys! Monocular fucked around with this message at 20:43 on Nov 1, 2011 |
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Nov 1, 2011 18:05
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Does anyone have any recommendations for good books about Iran or Persia? I already have The Septembers of Shiraz, and I've been looking at The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani and Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji. Are those any good, and are there any others that I should look at? Non-fiction would be appreciated, too. Punished Chuck fucked around with this message at 19:06 on Nov 1, 2011 |
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Nov 1, 2011 18:59
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McPantserton posted:I'm looking for some horror in the vein of Stephen King, Joe Hill, Lovecraft, etc. I really love horror books but I feel like so much of it is crappy Dean Koontz nonsense and I'm having a hard time finding new authors to look into. I really like psychological horror, ghosts, Silent Hill kind of stuff. Basically I just want to read Heart-Shaped Box over and over again. Any ideas? Thomas Ligotti, Laird Barron, Simon Strantzas, Richard Matheson, Richard Gavin, Joe Pulver, Mark Samuels, Caitlin Kiernan, John Langan, W.H. Pugmire, Jeffrey Thomas... I could go on for a while, but that list should get you started.
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Nov 1, 2011 20:57
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Ornamented Death posted:Thomas Ligotti, Laird Barron, Simon Strantzas, Richard Matheson, Richard Gavin, Joe Pulver, Mark Samuels, Caitlin Kiernan, John Langan, W.H. Pugmire, Jeffrey Thomas... You're the poo poo. Thanks a bunch!
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Nov 2, 2011 02:58
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Here's a thing: Can anyone think of mystery fiction where the 'detective' character is a criminal? Anything from 19th century onwards would be fine. Given the list of detective 'quirks' (is Belgian, is lesbian, is alcoholic, wears lovely raincoat, is haunted by dead wife) I can't quite believe nobody's used 'is a criminal' yet but I can't think of anything. (I mean a proper criminal, not a corrupt serving police officer.) Thanks!
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Nov 2, 2011 14:40
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Shonagon posted:Here's a thing: Can anyone think of mystery fiction where the 'detective' character is a criminal? Anything from 19th century onwards would be fine. Given the list of detective 'quirks' (is Belgian, is lesbian, is alcoholic, wears lovely raincoat, is haunted by dead wife) I can't quite believe nobody's used 'is a criminal' yet but I can't think of anything. Fantomas series is the classic. Also the Arsene Lupin books. For some reason the criminal mastermind detective fiction genre seems to be mostly French. They also tend to have stories where Sherlock Holmes shows up and gets beaten by the Master Thief, which for some reason I can't put my finger on I find vaguely annoying.
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Nov 2, 2011 14:50
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Shonagon posted:Here's a thing: Can anyone think of mystery fiction where the 'detective' character is a criminal? Anything from 19th century onwards would be fine. Given the list of detective 'quirks' (is Belgian, is lesbian, is alcoholic, wears lovely raincoat, is haunted by dead wife) I can't quite believe nobody's used 'is a criminal' yet but I can't think of anything. Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr is a thief. quote:Bernie's burglary operations are usually well-planned and tidily executed, from the initial surveillance of the target site to the escape route afterwards. However, during the course of some of these burglaries Bernie encounters a dead body, usually just before the police arrive to investigate a called-in murder. Thus begins the plotline of a typical Bernie Rhodenbarr novel, in which Bernie undertakes to solve the murder in order to clear his name. His investigative techniques include not only interviewing the victim's associates, but visits (sometimes involving illegal entry) to their homes to identify (and occasionally plant) evidence.
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Nov 2, 2011 15:56
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dokmo posted:Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr is a thief. Oh for gently caress's sake, I own all of these. I was trying to think at work. Duuh. Thanks. I must dig out Lupin! edit: And have downloaded Fantomas. Shonagon fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Nov 2, 2011 |
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Nov 2, 2011 20:31
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I'm trying to fill in the blank spots in my knowledge of European history, and I'd like to find a good overview of German history. It may take multiple books to get what I want, but I'd like to learn about Germany from the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire up to Unification. A high-level overview would be fine, but I'm kind of a history nerd so don't be afraid to recommend some real doorstoppers either. Any books about the history of industrialization in Germany would be good, also. Especially if they could compare and contrast industrialization in Germany with industrialization in some other countries.
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Nov 2, 2011 20:39
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I am trying to find something containing monster-hunter or hunters in the fantasy Genre, something along the lines of the Witcher series was enjoyable and I'd appreciate any help.
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Nov 3, 2011 03:16
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I expect there have been some recommendations in this thread already but, understandably, I got a lot of search results for "war" and similar. I'm looking for a book that gives a complete run-through of World War 2. The causes, events, and fallout. It's not for a project, just personal interest, so the exact contents aren't too important. I just really enjoyed learning about that period back at school and want to know more about why it happened, what Germany were trying to do, how the balance of power shifted during the war, the major people involved one ach side, that sort of thing. It's probably too much information for one book but I'm open to any suggestions. I'm looking for something more European focused rather than US/Japan (but if that's in there too then great).
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Nov 3, 2011 12:35
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Tunga posted:I expect there have been some recommendations in this thread already but, understandably, I got a lot of search results for "war" and similar. Haha, funny you should ask. I asked for the same thing here a few days ago, but ended up finding a book by myself: The Storm of War by Andrew Roberts. It's really good so far. It's a completely comprehensive history of the entire war, from (so far anyway) a mostly European perspective. It delves into the personal decisions and motives of all the major players, on both sides. It describes the battles and manoeuvres, but also talks about how such things affected civilians. I wrote about it in this other thread too. (oh and one major theme of Roberts' book is the mistakes Hitler made that lost him the war; every chapter ties back into Hitler's decisions, and how the Allies basically scraped through to victory thanks to Hitler's blundering) I also spotted one in a bookstore the other day called All Hell Let Loose (retitled Inferno in the US) by Max Hastings which looks great, and also covers all of WW2. I'll probably get it next for another perspective. After that I'm going to look for books on smaller chunks of the war (D-Day, for instance). Hedrigall fucked around with this message at 13:15 on Nov 3, 2011 |
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Nov 3, 2011 13:13
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Hedrigall posted:Haha, funny you should ask. I asked for the same thing here a few days ago, but ended up finding a book by myself: The Storm of War by Andrew Roberts. It's really good so far. It's a completely comprehensive history of the entire war, from (so far anyway) a mostly European perspective. It delves into the personal decisions and motives of all the major players, on both sides. It describes the battles and manoeuvres, but also talks about how such things affected civilians. Would be great to hear what you think of the other one you mentioned if you pick that up too.
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Nov 3, 2011 16:23
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Can anyone recommend a good overview of the French Revolution? I've been on a long history kick and realized I know almost nothing about it, much to my embarrassment.
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Nov 3, 2011 22:47
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Any recommendations for books that are in the Kindle lending library? I just got prime and already had a Kindle. I haven't read in ages but I recall liking Stephen King and Michael Chrichton.
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Nov 4, 2011 00:36
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