|
Hedrigall posted: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). Inferno is what you're looking for, Tunga.
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2011 01:42
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 7, 2024 03:22 |
|
|
Cumshot in the Dark posted: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. This is from way earlier in the thread, but I hope its still applicable: PatMarshall posted:I really enjoyed Simon Schama's Citizens. It did a great job of revealing the Revolution's roots in and effect on written and visual culture, while also giving a very readable account of the events and personalities. Link:http://www.amazon.com/Citizens-Chro...a/dp/0679726101. If your in the mood to read an apocolyptic, almost poetic rant on the Revolution from a famous Victorian, then check out Thomas Carlyle's The French Revolution. While this is not a even handed account, it is pretty entertaining.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2011 04:49
|
|
|
I'm reading Human Smoke right now, and it's a very interesting look at WW2 and it's causes. It's written as just a series of events without much author interpretation and is very eye-opening about the causes of the war for someone who, like me, isn't a history buff. He makes a strong case for peace without making direct arguments. He invites the reader to come to their own conclusions. It's making me much more anti-war, since WW2 was one of the only wars I had thought to be justified. I would highly recommend it, and am very interested to hear opinions about it from somee of you history buffs.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2011 18:59
|
|
|
This is a broad question, but I haven't read fiction in years, is there a list of must-read fiction of the last 5-10 years? I'm especially interested in works dealing with themes of the post-college/ quarter life crisis phase. And I'm sure this has been asked but I checked out the last 15 pages and didn't see anything, so can someone recommend something in the vein of Game of Thrones, specifically book 1, dealing more with the political machinations/ characterization rather than action.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2011 21:41
|
|
|
CoffeeIsForClosers posted:This is a broad question, but I haven't read fiction in years, is there a list of must-read fiction of the last 5-10 years? I wouldn't know if I'd call any of these must-reads, but I enjoyed each of these books: - The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (Freedom is pretty good, too) - White Teeth, Zadie Smith - Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon - The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell - The Road, Cormac McCarthy You could always check out the winners of awards like the Man Booker, Pulitzer and etc., to get some ideas, too.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2011 22:32
|
|
|
AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Jan 22, 2016 |
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2011 00:26
|
|
|
CoffeeIsForClosers posted:This is a broad question, but I haven't read fiction in years, is there a list of must-read fiction of the last 5-10 years? I'm especially interested in works dealing with themes of the post-college/ quarter life crisis phase. Stewart O'Nan's Last Night at the Lobster sorta fits the bill; even if it doesn't, it's still a fantastic book.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2011 02:24
|
|
|
I'm looking for some fiction to read, because I'm generally a non-fiction reader, and I'm looking to branch out. I just finished Little Children by Tom Perotta, which was fantastic, and I'll probably seek out The Abstinence Teacher and Election in the near future, but I'm looking for more books like that, or like the fiction that Chuck Klosterman has written so far. I bought Ready Player One, and I like that sort of book, but I'm not looking for a serial or a big long epic, more a kind of dark comedy or satire, and if it happens to be sci-fi, that's fine, but probably not fantasy, unless it's really, really good. I'd also prefer something modern, though I don't know exactly what that means, probably last 30 or so years, maybe even last 10.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2011 05:30
|
|
|
CoffeeIsForClosers posted:This is a broad question, but I haven't read fiction in years, is there a list of must-read fiction of the last 5-10 years? I'm especially interested in works dealing with themes of the post-college/ quarter life crisis phase. I would add Generation X by Douglas Coupland, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers (not fiction), and Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. e: I have missed the 10 year mark with two of those. Sorry.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2011 14:45
|
|
|
Where should I start with Kierkegaard? Specifically his literary criticism? I keep hearing his name crop up and I'm interested in expanding my literary critical views.
|
|
#
?
Nov 5, 2011 22:41
|
|
|
Mr. Banana Grabber posted:Where should I start with Kierkegaard? Specifically his literary criticism? I keep hearing his name crop up and I'm interested in expanding my literary critical views. As far as his relation to literary criticism, I can't say. As a lover of Kierkegaard, I would suggest his Postscript (Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments) if you're interested in tackling some of his core philosophical ideas. As a writer (which I appreciate him most for), perhaps his Journals. You can often find nice anthological works which include important bits from both and his more religious works. Kierkegaard is an interesting figure in the philosophical tradition and he's quite a beautiful writer at times. Also, Either/Or begins in the best possible way: "I begin with the principle that all men are bores. Surely no one will prove himself so great a bore as to contradict me in this." Definitely important Kierky reading as well.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2011 10:59
|
|
|
And yet, I will always think of kierkegaard as a goony hunchback who needs to sever and move on. What's some good throwaway fantasy I can get on my nook color? Not quite looking for a setries, but looking for something alright with some continuity, something I can pick up and go "Lets see what adventure these guys are going on today."
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2011 01:16
|
|
|
I've got a real hankering for something along the lines of two books I read semi-recently and enjoyed - John Dies At The End by David Wong and Wolf Hunt by Jeff Strand. They're both nominally horror but what they really have that 99% of other horror doesn't is the human response to the horror. The people in the books react to unexpected terror in the way actual people would: "poo poo, that was unexpectedly terrifying." "Do we have to deal with it?" "Yes?" "Balls." "How do we go about it then?" Also they both have really solid central buddy-relationships (John/Dave & George/Lou respectively) and are just generally great fun. I tried A. Lee Martinez' Monster because I heard that had similar characteristics, but it was terrible. Is there anything out there with this real Evil Dead offbeat sensibility to it? Or am I stuck ploughing through the Vorkosigan saga to try and make my 52 by years end?
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2011 01:27
|
|
|
Evfedu posted:I've got a real hankering for something along the lines of two books I read semi-recently and enjoyed - John Dies At The End by David Wong and Wolf Hunt by Jeff Strand. Might be worth checking out Joe Lansdale's Hap and Leonard stories- not horror, but they feature an awesome/ridiculous buddy dynamic similar to that of JDATE (he's written a bunch of "real" horror, as well).
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2011 02:42
|
|
|
funkybottoms posted:Inferno is what you're looking for, Tunga.  .Also looking for recommendations for something readable about quantum mechanics. I did an introductory course at uni (I did CS but in first year we had to take a module of our choice from a different department) and loved how complete batshit it all was. I'd like to get a little deeper into it but I don't have the general physics/chemistry knowledge to dive into a uni level textbook.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2011 12:41
|
|
|
Tunga posted:Added that one (the UK version thereof) to the Amazon Christmas wishlist, thanks for the recommendation
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2011 15:04
|
|
|
Any recommendations for good books on Muhammad Ali? I've read King of the World by David Remnick and loved it. I'm looking for something in that vein. I'm considering checking out Sting Like a Bee by Jose Torres or Free to be Muhammad Ali by Robert Lipsyte if anyone can comment on those. Ideally I'd like something written by a literary journalist type like Plimpton or Mailer.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2011 16:06
|
|
|
Old Janx Spirit posted:Sting Like a Bee by Jose Torres is very good. Thomas Hauser's Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times is the authorized bio, it's okay but it does cover everything up to the 90s in great detail. Wilfrid Sheed's Muhammad Ali: A portrait in words and photographs contains unbelievable photos and some great essays pondering the impact of Ali. Mike Marqusee's Redemption Song: Muhammad Ali and the Spirit of the Sixties puts Ali into the context of the radical politics of the 60s -- I haven't read it for a long time, but I remember it being very good.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2011 17:29
|
|
man
|
dokmo posted:is very good. Thomas Hauser's Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times is the authorized bio, it's okay but it does cover everything up to the 90s in great detail. Wilfrid Sheed's Muhammad Ali: A portrait in words and photographs contains unbelievable photos and some great essays pondering the impact of Ali. Mike Marqusee's Redemption Song: Muhammad Ali and the Spirit of the Sixties puts Ali into the context of the radical politics of the 60s -- I haven't read it for a long time, but I remember it being very good. Excellent, thanks. Have you read Remnick's book? If so, how does it stack up?
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2011 17:42
|
|
|
Old Janx Spirit posted:Any recommendations for good books on Muhammad Ali? I've read King of the World by David Remnick and loved it. I'm looking for something in that vein. I'm considering checking out Sting Like a Bee by Jose Torres or Free to be Muhammad Ali by Robert Lipsyte if anyone can comment on those. I'm also going to recommend Hauser's book, it's great. Some other good ones are the Gerald Early-edited Muhammad Ali Reader, which has great pieces by Mailer, Plimpton, Gay Talese, Hunter Thompson, Mark Kram and even AJ Liebling. Stephen Brunt's Facing Ali is another good one. It's a series of profiles on 15 fighters who fought Ali, from famous boxers like Ken Norton, George Foreman and Joe Frazier to lesser remembered people like Jurgen Blin or Brian London. It's out of print, I think, but it's worth hunting down.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2011 18:04
|
|
|
^^^ forgot about the Ali Reader, which has some very good stuff.Old Janx Spirit posted:Excellent, thanks. Have you read Remnick's book? If so, how does it stack up? I read it so long ago, I don't remember it clearly. But my notes say that it was a decent enough bio with good prose, more political context than the Hauser bio, with too many intrusions by the author. Not sure what that last thing meant. There are dozens of good books about Ali. He was one of those people that good writers wanted to write about.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2011 18:11
|
|
|
dokmo posted:He was one of those people that good writers wanted to write about. This, pretty much. Even the huge anthology of sportswriting David Halberstam and Glenn Stout put together a few years ago had to allow for a devoted section for stuff on Ali. There's probably more good stuff written about him than any other athlete, let alone boxer.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2011 18:14
|
|
|
Jigsaw posted:I'd recommend How to Teach Physics to Your Dog (it just says Physics, but it really just deals with Quantum Mechanics/Physics). I forget who wrote it ATM, but it's a good intro and it avoids falling into pseudo-science BS as so many are apt to do.
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2011 00:04
|
|
|
Tunga posted:How can I refuse to buy a book with a title like that? Thanks! Chad Orzel wrote "How to Teach Physics to Your Dog." His blog is here: http://scienceblogs.com/principles/ He teaches at Union College in New York.
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2011 01:44
|
|
|
I have two big requests... I'm not much of a reader, I'm more of a film buff. Lately I've been finding myself reading some books I happen to come across, but don't know where to to look for others I'd like. That said, I've read: - The Spy who came in from the Cold (which I loved) by John Le Carre, and his Karla Trilogy. I'm drawn to Cold War-era espionage. Haven't liked any Graham Greene I've read. - Now Wait For Last Year by Philip K. Dick. I like the way he writes but wasn't too impressed with the story. I'm not interested in Valis. - The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein, and it started off well enough, but the injection of politics is really starting to turn me off. Also the fact that the entire book is written in that dialect kind of hurts my head after awhile. - The April Witch, a short story by Ray Bradbury, which is what I've enjoyed the most. I really like that lyrical style of writing, and I'd like to find more things like it. So by using the above as a springboard, can anyone recommend me some books? I'm just...really picky and don't know where to start. My second request is for a Christmas present for a friend of mine. Does anyone know any books that deal with extraterrestrial beings that have elaborate and complicated backstories? It helps if they're at war with another race and it's ok if the Earth is involved. He's into this concept pretty heavily, but I don't know any books offhand that deal with it. Sorry for the request. Jack Does Jihad fucked around with this message at 21:48 on Nov 13, 2011 |
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2011 21:36
|
|
|
Jack Does Jihad posted:- The April Witch, a short story by Ray Bradbury, which is what I've enjoyed the most. I really like that lyrical style of writing, and I'd like to find more things like it. If you like Bradbury's style, he's written a ton of stuff. I've personally read his short story collections A Medicine For Melancholy and The Illustrated Man which both have some pretty stand-out stuff. His other well-known novel-length stuff like Something Wicked This Way Comes, Dandelion Wine and The Martian Chronicles is also excellent.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2011 14:48
|
|
|
Jack Does Jihad posted:- Now Wait For Last Year by Philip K. Dick. I like the way he writes but wasn't too impressed with the story. I'm not interested in Valis. Seconding Encryptic- nobody really does it like Bradbury, in my opinion. The Illustrated Man and Something Wicked... are the two I recommend most frequently, although The Martian Chronicles and Dandelion Wine are my personal favorites. Really, though, there's not much you can go wrong with, and he has a number of short story collections if that's more your speed. For PKD, you might be the only person who prefers his writing to his ideas, but to be fair I didn't think that was one of his better works. For those who aren't too science-fiction-inclined, I try to start them on A Scanner Darkly; otherwise Do Androids Dream... or Ubik, both of which are good introductions to the Crazy World of Philip K Dick. Again, there are a number of good PKD short story compilations if that's preferable, not to mention more recommendations/discussion in this forum's PKD thread.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2011 15:10
|
|
|
funkybottoms posted:Seconding Encryptic- nobody really does it like Bradbury, in my opinion. The Illustrated Man and Something Wicked... are the two I recommend most frequently, although The Martian Chronicles and Dandelion Wine are my personal favorites. Really, though, there's not much you can go wrong with, and he has a number of short story collections if that's more your speed. Plus Fahrenheit 451. The only short story collection of his I've read and didn't like was Long After Midnight, but even it has the "The Miracles of Jamie" and "The October Game."
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2011 21:39
|
|
|
Jack Does Jihad posted:- The Spy who came in from the Cold (which I loved) by John Le Carre, and his Karla Trilogy. I'm drawn to Cold War-era espionage. Haven't liked any Graham Greene I've read. What did you like about the Le Carre and what didn't you like about Graham Greene? I ask because Graham Greene is the first recommendation I would have. Was it the spy aspect you liked about this? Or the dark, cynical story? I have some ideas, but I am a little uncertain as to what you are looking for.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2011 23:04
|
|
|
Old Janx Spirit posted:What did you like about the Le Carre and what didn't you like about Graham Greene? I ask because Graham Greene is the first recommendation I would have. I think the thing I didn't like about the Greene was how it was written, I guess. I'm having trouble remembering, but I found it too journalistic (is that the right word?), and it didn't pull me in very much. All I've tried though is The Quiet American, so if he has other stuff I should try then let me know. As for the Carre books, I just really enjoyed them. I enjoy that whole atmosphere, the cold war and the seemingly realistic spy elements. I don't know if it was the dark, cynical story, but I'm open to suggestions. I thought it fit The Spy... as an appropriate tone.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2011 00:29
|
|
|
Are there any good fantasy novels set in the Renaissance or a Renaissance like setting with 16-17th century technology. I'm thinking pikes and matchlocks, clockpunk and alchemy type of stuff.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2011 19:50
|
|
|
Jack, I think you'd love Day of the Jackel
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2011 19:51
|
|
|
Old Janx Spirit posted:Any recommendations for good books on Muhammad Ali? I've read King of the World by David Remnick and loved it. I'm looking for something in that vein. I'm considering checking out Sting Like a Bee by Jose Torres or Free to be Muhammad Ali by Robert Lipsyte if anyone can comment on those. It's not at all a serious journalism book or whatever but Ali Rap is a fun collection of many of Ali's poems, raps, and witticisms. I got it for my friend last Christmas and he still quotes me things from it all the time.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2011 23:53
|
|
|
Charlz Guybon posted:Are there any good fantasy novels set in the Renaissance or a Renaissance like setting with 16-17th century technology. I'm thinking pikes and matchlocks, clockpunk and alchemy type of stuff. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, which I'm halfway through and loving, is set in a Renaissance-esque city which is pretty much the fantasy version of Venice, with canals and everything. There's lots of alchemy and, IIRC, clockwork type machinery. There's also cool futuristic glass structures all over the city, because it was built thousands of years previously by aliens(?), who mysteriously abandoned the world. But the human civilisation now inhabiting it is definitely analogous to Renaissance-era Venice. The main plot is about con-men and the criminal underworld, with a dash of magic thrown in. It's funny and awesome.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 04:07
|
|
|
Hedrigall posted:The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, which I'm halfway through and loving, is set in a Renaissance-esque city which is pretty much the fantasy version of Venice, with canals and everything. There's lots of alchemy and, IIRC, clockwork type machinery. There's also cool futuristic glass structures all over the city, because it was built thousands of years previously by aliens(?), who mysteriously abandoned the world. But the human civilisation now inhabiting it is definitely analogous to Renaissance-era Venice.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 04:19
|
|
|
Any recommendations for spy thrillers equivalent to James Bond, but in WW2 rather than the Cold War? I'm checking out John Le Carre... (edit: okay I don't think he's written any WW2-set books) I basically just want to read some good old fashioned Nazi-rear end-kicking action! Hedrigall fucked around with this message at 14:55 on Nov 16, 2011 |
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 14:37
|
|
|
Hedrigall posted:Any recommendations for spy thrillers equivalent to James Bond, but in WW2 rather than the Cold War? I'm checking out John Le Carre... (edit: okay I don't think he's written any WW2-set books) I don't know, but a similar question was asked in the Amazon discussion boards, you can check out those recommendations.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2011 19:58
|
|
|
Hedrigall posted:Any recommendations for spy thrillers equivalent to James Bond, but in WW2 rather than the Cold War? I'm checking out John Le Carre... (edit: okay I don't think he's written any WW2-set books) There are plenty of great WWII spy novels, but they don't have much to do with kicking rear end or James Bond (at least the ones I've read). I would recommend the works of Alan Furst and Eric Ambler, particularly Ambler's A Coffin for Dimitrios.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2011 03:56
|
|
|
Hedrigall posted:Any recommendations for spy thrillers equivalent to James Bond, but in WW2 rather than the Cold War? I'm checking out John Le Carre... (edit: okay I don't think he's written any WW2-set books) Ken Follett's Eye of the Needle. I read it years ago and recall it being pretty good but the caveat is "read it years ago".
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2011 06:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 7, 2024 03:22 |
|
|
Hedrigall posted:Any recommendations for spy thrillers equivalent to James Bond, but in WW2 rather than the Cold War? I'm checking out John Le Carre... (edit: okay I don't think he's written any WW2-set books)
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2011 13:02
|
|
