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tabris posted:Le Père Goriot, Lost Illusions, and Eugénie Grandet are good picks, I think. They're his most famous works for a reason. Thanks. What about translations for Père Goriot? So far on Amazon I see Olivia McCannon, A.J. Krailsheimer and Burton Raffel.
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Feb 5, 2012 02:26
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Conduit for Sale! posted:Thanks. What about translations for Père Goriot? So far on Amazon I see Olivia McCannon, A.J. Krailsheimer and Burton Raffel. i can't speak to his balzac, but raffel usually does good translations: i enjoyed his beowulf and pantagruel
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Feb 5, 2012 02:39
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After reading Blindsight by Peter Watts I took an interest in the neurological phenomena described in the book. I have started reading The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat but it feels a little dated. I know about Metzinger's Being no One, but apparently it wasn't written with the layman in mind. Are there any good Pop-Sci non-fiction books with a similar theme?
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Feb 5, 2012 20:18
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Conduit for Sale! posted:Thanks. What about translations for Père Goriot? So far on Amazon I see Olivia McCannon, A.J. Krailsheimer and Burton Raffel. Do you have a Nook or Kindle? You can get this collection of his complete works all in english, with an epub version of the same available via B&N. The translations may be public domain but they're all top notch.
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Feb 5, 2012 22:44
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Conduit for Sale! posted:Thanks. What about translations for Père Goriot? So far on Amazon I see Olivia McCannon, A.J. Krailsheimer and Burton Raffel. The Girl With The Golden Eyes is pretty good too though not one of his famous works, still worth a read.
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Feb 6, 2012 04:20
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Any recommendations for turn-of-the-century fiction? I read the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and really enjoyed it; right now I'm looking into Ragtime and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
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Feb 6, 2012 20:44
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Pancakes by Mail posted:Any recommendations for turn-of-the-century fiction? I read the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and really enjoyed it; right now I'm looking into Ragtime and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Carter Beats the Devil and Sunnyside by Glen David Gold are both set in the early 20th century, and Gold's style is similar to Chabon's. The former is a mystery about stage magicians and the Secret Service. The latter is about WW1 and the formation of United Artists.
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Feb 8, 2012 00:46
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Pancakes by Mail posted:Any recommendations for turn-of-the-century fiction? I read the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and really enjoyed it; right now I'm looking into Ragtime and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the best book, seriously. A book along similar lines (growing up in New York in roughly the same time period) is City Boy, by Herman Wouk. For a novel about rural life, My Antonia by Willa Cather is very good.
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Feb 8, 2012 06:56
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Any recs for books about coffeeshops, restaurants, etc? I'm interested in books about running the business specifically but books set in these locations are fine too. Basically, anything about food. (though I already read Kitchen Confidential) Fiction is cool too.
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Feb 8, 2012 15:05
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Uncommon Grounds: The History Of Coffee And How It Transformed Our World my friend is a coffee shop owner and he loves this book. I know its not about running the business but it makes for a great conversation starter when people come into his shop. The Art and Craft of Coffee: An Enthusiast's Guide to Selecting, Roasting, and Brewing Exquisite Coffee this is another book he has at his shop. He swears its the bible for when he roasts. How to Make Maximum Money with Your Coffee Shop - Skyrocket Profits, Increase Customers, and Work Less! I saw this book while I was looking for the other two books, seems like the reviews are ok, but I would be wary, the only reason I am recommending this one is its free with a Prime Membership if you have a Kindle. Free never hurts, never know what you might find. Heat: An Amateur Cook in a Professional Kitchen I did enjoy this book alot. Its about a guy who was working in Mario Batali's kitchen. Sort of akin to Kitchen Confidential. The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef by Marco Pierre White. I have read this book and its amazing. This is the guy Bourdain looks up too. Flaggy fucked around with this message at 15:35 on Feb 8, 2012 |
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Feb 8, 2012 15:31
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Akarshi posted:Any recs for books about coffeeshops, restaurants, etc? I'm interested in books about running the business specifically but books set in these locations are fine too. Basically, anything about food. (though I already read Kitchen Confidential) Fiction is cool too. Haven't read any of these, but my bookstore colleagues (who work/worked in restaurants) have liked Waiter Rant, Marco White's Devil in the Kitchen, and Bill Buford's Heat.
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Feb 8, 2012 15:44
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I am open for recommendations for a book that talks about social dynamics, and or how to sell better. I recently have fallen into a slight sales position and I would love to learn more about social interaction and how body language plays a part of it.
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Feb 9, 2012 06:20
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I've just finished Lolita and really enjoyed it. Anything similar? I really dig that kind of introspective navel gazing kind of prose, where the narrator takes himself apart in minute detail for the reader to see, as long as it's punctuated at a decent interval with some relevant action. It reminded me a bit of the way Crime and Punishment flowed, all long and intense cataloguing of whatever was tormenting the narrator's mind at the time.
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Feb 9, 2012 08:17
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Rd Rash 1000cc posted:I am open for recommendations for a book that talks about social dynamics, and or how to sell better. I recently have fallen into a slight sales position and I would love to learn more about social interaction and how body language plays a part of it. Yes! and Influence by Robert B. Cialdini are essential.
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Feb 9, 2012 21:26
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The only book I've read in one sitting is How Fiction Works by James Wood. I'm looking for something similar, but for poetry instead. Does that makes sense? I want to read a book that will help me appreciate poetry.
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Feb 10, 2012 09:54
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Does that take you through the structure of a plot and explain it with examples? I'm looking for something that does that, basically. What a pinch two is, where it goes and why you put it there. That kind of stuff.
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Feb 10, 2012 22:13
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No, as far as I can remember there's nothing of that sort. The meat of the book is where James Wood looks at excerpts from the works of Nabokov, Flaubert, Checkhov, etc. and explains why the prose is beautiful. It made me enthustiastic about reading more fiction.
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Feb 11, 2012 00:39
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I have found that the books I truly enjoyed the most, were ones where I did not even know what they were about. No peeking at the cover. No back side description. Nada. I ask friends for recommendations and off I go. I've gotten serious turds this way, but I also think I've enjoyed some books much more knowing NOTHING of the story in advance. I encourage others to try this! I am running out of the country in less than a day unexpectedly and I need a lot of stuff to read, I may be idle for nearly two weeks. WITHOUT telling me ANYTHING about the book, give me some recommendations! My favorite authors include: Terry Pratchett Neil Gaiman Douglas Adams(Why do the brilliant die so young? *cries a little*) Isaaac Assimov Robin Hobb(Assassins Apprentice / Farseer books) George RR Martin(A tale of ice and fire, god no, NOT wildcards!) Steven Pressfield Robert Heinlein. Everything he has ever written. Even the freaky stuff. Which is, come to think of it, everything he has ever written. He was a strange, strange man, but his books are great if you stop 1-2 chapters before the end! Larry Niven I've read almost everything written by the authors above, so anything from them is great, but i've likely already read it. Also, I am a fan of Ann Rice(The Vampire novels, though she got more and more sexual in the later books and I stopped reading her work) I like scifi of all sorts and most "low" fantasy, I did not like the Lord of the Rings, yes... don't kill me, they are not bad books, I just could not get into them, I find I don't really like any "high fantasy" of any sort. I also like historical fiction/alternative history. I don't like contemporary fiction very much. I do not like "contemporary" thrillers, I never read them. I am not a christian, but I also have a soft spot for theological fiction which is not actually meant to be a religious text, so I guess you could say, Christian mythology? For some reason I really like them. Think, Memnoch the Devil or Servant of the Bones by Ann Rice, or Infernoland by Larry Niven, which is a Dantes-inferno-esque story of a science fiction writer dying and his journey through hell. I also love post-apocalyptic books of every strand. So goons, can you help me out? I will read any books recommended, till I have enough and post a thread when I get back, telling you how I liked them! I need a lot of books, so fill me up! Diogines fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Feb 11, 2012 |
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Feb 11, 2012 01:20
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Diogines posted:So goons, can you help me out? Would strongly recommend A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.; it's an excellent fit, so much so that I read through your post a few times in disbelief that you hadn't mentioned reading it.
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Feb 11, 2012 01:49
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I got a blind recommendation for that before but never got around to it. I will go get it for sure.
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Feb 11, 2012 01:59
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Diogines posted:Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart The Postman by David Brin Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
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Feb 11, 2012 02:26
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I left David Brin off the list. Read everything he has written, even the bad stuff, though little of it is bad! I'll get the other 2.
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Feb 11, 2012 02:38
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Diogines posted:So goons, can you help me out? I will read any books recommended, till I have enough and post a thread when I get back, telling you how I liked them! I need a lot of books, so fill me up! Getting to Know You, David Marusek Earth Abides, George Martin
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Feb 11, 2012 03:43
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Diogines posted:So goons, can you help me out? I will read any books recommended, till I have enough and post a thread when I get back, telling you how I liked them! I need a lot of books, so fill me up! You may have read one or all of these since they're quite obvious, but: The Road by Cormac McCarthy The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
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Feb 11, 2012 04:41
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Are there any good biographies of Napoleon out there? An overview of the Napoleonic Wars would be good, too, if anyone knows any of those. If anyone knows any good books--ideally history but historical fiction would be cool too--about samurai, preferably focusing on battles and duels and all the other good old-fashioned ultraviolence, that would be appreciated as well.
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Feb 11, 2012 07:09
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I'd like to check out some literary journals/magazines but I don't really know of any besides The New Yorker, and I'm not pro enough for that yet. Anybody have some recommendations?
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Feb 11, 2012 18:58
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Conduit for Sale! posted:I'd like to check out some literary journals/magazines but I don't really know of any besides The New Yorker, and I'm not pro enough for that yet. Anybody have some recommendations?
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Feb 11, 2012 19:20
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The New York Review of Books has good stuff once in a while that isn't too intimidating. So do the Los Angeles Review of Books and Toronto Review. The New York Times has a good weekend books section, too. You didn't really ask, but a few good blogs are The Millions, Isak and I've Been Reading Lately.
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Feb 11, 2012 19:26
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Conduit for Sale! posted:I'd like to check out some literary journals/magazines but I don't really know of any besides The New Yorker, and I'm not pro enough for that yet. Anybody have some recommendations? The Believer
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Feb 11, 2012 22:00
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Conduit for Sale! posted:I'd like to check out some literary journals/magazines but I don't really know of any besides The New Yorker, and I'm not pro enough for that yet. Anybody have some recommendations? Electric Literature is an amazing quarterly short story journal. They're also available on kindle for decent prices, which is nice.
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Feb 11, 2012 23:13
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Hey BB, I was wondering if there were some soul-crushingly depressing, though not too cynically toned novels out there in celebration of valentines day. I'm a big sci-fi reader, fantasy is ok, just keep it fiction.
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Feb 12, 2012 00:30
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Does anyone have suggestions for awesome whodunit-style mysteries that were published relatively recently? I don't care when the story is set, would just prefer a writer who hasn't been dead for decades and is maybe still writing. I want something where you keep guessing and forming elaborate theories the whole way through. It doesn't have to be a "traditional" whodunit, just be the same kind of reading experience as one. I'm having no luck whatsoever in finding something like this myself. Help please?
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Feb 12, 2012 09:04
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The Duke of Avon posted:Does anyone have suggestions for awesome whodunit-style mysteries that were published relatively recently? Not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for, but the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series might be right up your alley. A larger-than-life botswanan woman opens a detective agency and solves mysteries in a charming small-town African setting. As far as mystery novels go I rank these as some of the best.
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Feb 12, 2012 09:27
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The Duke of Avon posted:Does anyone have suggestions for awesome whodunit-style mysteries that were published relatively recently? A bit older, but The Name of the Rose is excellent and Umberto Eco is (thankfully) still alive. You just gotta brace yourself for the first 100 pages of "go away, casual readers" before the plot kicks into action.
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Feb 12, 2012 16:01
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I just finished Crome Yellow and I really like it. What else like it is out there and good? So I guess I'm looking for books about rich people hanging out and talking about semi-philisophical stuff?
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Feb 12, 2012 22:54
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Well, there's The Pickwick Papers, which has a lot of rich people hanging out, being semi-philosophical and mostly-drunk. Also it has Sam Weller, a really cool dude.
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Feb 12, 2012 23:42
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MrGreenShirt posted:Not sure if it's exactly what you're looking for, but the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series might be right up your alley. A larger-than-life botswanan woman opens a detective agency and solves mysteries in a charming small-town African setting. As far as mystery novels go I rank these as some of the best. SgtSanity posted:A bit older, but The Name of the Rose is excellent and Umberto Eco is (thankfully) still alive. You just gotta brace yourself for the first 100 pages of "go away, casual readers" before the plot kicks into action.
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Feb 13, 2012 09:21
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I've always loved reading, but I've never really read the 'classics' or 'staples' until recently. So far I've read Lolita, The Great Gatsby, Life of Pi and To Kill a Mockingbird, plus a couple others. I was just wondering if there's a list or even just some recommendations? Preferably the short ones first, so I can re-read it and analyse all the themes/motifs and symbols.
4 Day Weekend fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Feb 13, 2012 |
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Feb 13, 2012 18:01
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SgtSanity posted:A bit older, but The Name of the Rose is excellent and Umberto Eco is (thankfully) still alive. You just gotta brace yourself for the first 100 pages of "go away, casual readers" before the plot kicks into action. Yeah, this one's awesome but definitely be aware that he literally and deliberately put a massive wall of text in the front of the book explicitly to scare away readers who wouldn't be able to hack it. As long as you have the fortitude to hack through that or the willingness to BLEEP over it the rest of the book's great.
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Feb 13, 2012 18:27
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4 Day Weekend posted:I've always loved reading, but I've never really read the 'classics' or 'staples' until recently. So far I've read Lolita, The Great Gatsby, Life of Pi and To Kill a Mockingbird, plus a couple others. I was just wondering if there's a list or even just some recommendations? Preferably the short ones first, so I can re-read it and analyse all the themes/motifs and symbols. Some short ones: The Stranger by Albert Camus, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, most of Kafka and so on.
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Feb 13, 2012 19:18
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