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I have not read any de Lint. Is there a certain book I should start with? The memoir looks good too. I'm headed to the library tomorrow so I'll see what they've got. Also did I really spell female wrong in my request post? Haha just noticed.
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Mar 16, 2013 23:48
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frenchnewwave posted:I have not read any de Lint. Is there a certain book I should start with? I really liked his first collection: Dreams Underfoot, been a long time since I read it too, maybe I should track down a copy myself. e: apparently not his first, the first one I read anyway.  Looks like there's a compilaton of three of the Newford collections.The Newford Stories (1999) (compiles Dreams Underfoot, The Ivory and the Horn, and Moonlight and Vines) Overall I like his short stories way more than I like his novels. a kitten fucked around with this message at 03:32 on Mar 17, 2013 |
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Mar 17, 2013 00:20
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frenchnewwave posted:I'm looking for something in the realm of urban fantasy, where supernatural creatures exist beside humans in either this world, or a parallel reality, etc. Bonus points if the lead character is femaile. But something well written with an interesting plot and not just focused on sexy time with a vampire. I've read a few of the True Blood novels, they were cheesy fun but repetitive. I've read some of The Hollows series by Kim Harrison but that's also veering toward a cheesy romance story. I remember really enjoying Sunshine by Robin McKinley, and of course anything by Neil Gaiman. You could fit Harry Potter into this mix as well, I guess, but I've read all those. I've been enjoying the Greywalker series so far. Second the Charles de Lint rec--he's very good.
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Mar 17, 2013 06:34
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I want to start getting into some science-fiction. More specifically, I'd like a really good book or two that focuses on terraforming and habitation, preferably of planets outside our solar system. I have in mind something like a centuries-long chronicle of human settlement, starting at early colonization. A backdrop in which the colonists lose contact with their home planet, à la Dragonriders of Pern, would be pretty neat too.
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Mar 17, 2013 13:23
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Rollofthedice posted:I want to start getting into some science-fiction. More specifically, I'd like a really good book or two that focuses on terraforming and habitation, preferably of planets outside our solar system. I have in mind something like a centuries-long chronicle of human settlement, starting at early colonization. A backdrop in which the colonists lose contact with their home planet, à la Dragonriders of Pern, would be pretty neat too. Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles.
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Mar 18, 2013 03:00
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I haven't read for fun since getting to college, and that's a darn shame. I'd like to fix this situation. I read through a bunch of the thread and saw a few possibilities, but I'm not sure I really saw what I was looking for. Sorry if I do repeat a request. I'd like a novel that focuses on likeable characters and their interaction, but without character 'drama' being the main point (ie, not too soap opera-ish). I have Sci-fi in mind, but I'd be happy with fantasy too. Other genres would probably be fine, if the story fits the rest of my request. I have in mind a ragtag band of likeable misfits (though they don't have to be ragtag or misfits) on some quest/mission/job but for their interaction to be what you really keep reading for, no matter what the 'quest' actually is. All that said, I'm not looking for something too shallow or cheesy. I don't necessarily need something dark and edgy, or even particularly original, but I would like quality writing and an interesting story, even if the characters are more important than that story. Some (mostly TV) examples of the kind of thing I am looking for: Firefly, NCIS, Leverage, or for a book example (heaven forbid) The Aubrey-Maturin novels Samolety fucked around with this message at 07:11 on Mar 18, 2013 |
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Mar 18, 2013 06:51
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I really love novels set in oppressive dystopias where the main character, just an average citizen, sticks it to the man. Whether he lives and succeeds or dies horribly and fails, I can't get enough. Many bonus points for fantastic technologies or space (big sci-fi/cyberpunk guy) I really liked Little Brother, Fahrenheit 451 & 1984, I know there's more in the same vein I'm just a bit bad at google-fu when it comes to books, apparently. Help me out, please?
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Mar 18, 2013 09:26
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Epileptic Nazi posted:I really love novels set in oppressive dystopias where the main character, just an average citizen, sticks it to the man. Whether he lives and succeeds or dies horribly and fails, I can't get enough. Many bonus points for fantastic technologies or space (big sci-fi/cyberpunk guy) Sounds like a good portion of what Philip K Dick wrote- maybe start with The Man in the High Castle.
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Mar 18, 2013 12:12
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We by Yevgeny Zamyatin is one of the first dystopian novels that I know of, and it definitely fits your request. Not the easiest read, but it's fun to see what inspired 1984.
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Mar 18, 2013 12:13
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Epileptic Nazi posted:I really love novels set in oppressive dystopias where the main character, just an average citizen, sticks it to the man. Whether he lives and succeeds or dies horribly and fails, I can't get enough. Many bonus points for fantastic technologies or space (big sci-fi/cyberpunk guy) Have you read Margaret Atwood? Oryx and Crake might be up your alley, as well as The Handmaids Tale. Also, maybe Ready Player One.
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Mar 18, 2013 13:42
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Epileptic Nazi posted:I really love novels set in oppressive dystopias where the main character, just an average citizen, sticks it to the man. Whether he lives and succeeds or dies horribly and fails, I can't get enough. Many bonus points for fantastic technologies or space (big sci-fi/cyberpunk guy) This thread should help: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3524363 Walh Hara fucked around with this message at 15:45 on Mar 18, 2013 |
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Mar 18, 2013 15:32
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Mar 18, 2013 19:39
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frenchnewwave posted:I'm looking for something in the realm of urban fantasy, where supernatural creatures exist beside humans in either this world, or a parallel reality, etc. Bonus points if the lead character is femaile. But something well written with an interesting plot and not just focused on sexy time with a vampire. I've read a few of the True Blood novels, they were cheesy fun but repetitive. I've read some of The Hollows series by Kim Harrison but that's also veering toward a cheesy romance story. I remember really enjoying Sunshine by Robin McKinley, and of course anything by Neil Gaiman. You could fit Harry Potter into this mix as well, I guess, but I've read all those. I second the Charles de Lint recommendation. Spirit in the Wires, Someplace to be Flying, and Widdershins are marvelous. Although I have to be in the right frame of mind for his books; sometimes they trigger a deep sense of melancholy in me when I read them. In the same vein as Charles de Lint, there is a series of fantasy anthologies that started in the mid-80s, which spawned at least 4 novels (by various authors): the Borderland series, edited by Terri Windling. I love the anthologies and the novels (Elsewhere, Never Never, Finder, and The Last Hot Time). In addition, the author of Finder, Emma Bull, also wrote War for the Oaks, which stands alone from Borderland but shares the same kind of sensibility as Charles de Lint (who contributed at least one story to the Borderland anthologies, if I recall). And Terri Windling wrote The Wood Wife, which, again, stands alone but fits in with de Lint's contemporary fantasy world. A word of warning: War for the Oaks was written in the late 80s, and has a lot of "totally 80s" music references that you'll either love or find annoying. I love them. In a completely different direction... I really like the Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs, for their mix of mundane day-to-day life (the lead character is a mechanic) and the supernatural. There's some romance, but what I like about these books is that the heroine is fully able to take care of herself and save the day. Mark Del Franco's Unshapely Things and its sequels are somewhat in the same vein, only a little more supernatural and less mundane. The lead's a male, but there are strong female characters throughout. C.E. Murphy's Walker Papers series is another good "urban/contemporary fantasy" series. It reminds me a bit of the Mercy Thompson books. My current absolute favorite series in this vein (the Mercy Thompson books come in a close second) is the Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman. Much darker than the others I've mentioned, but still has the same combination of paranormal/supernatural and everyday life (apparently, NYC is the place to be if you are a "thing that goes bump in the night"). As with the Briggs, Murphy, and Del Franco books, the story is narrated in 1st person, mostly by Cal. Cal's voice--inner and outer--is so dark and sarcastic it kind of swings all the way around to charming again, in its way. And the central relationship between Cal and his brother is wonderful. Thurman writes realistic emotions in the midst of completely crazy situations. Also, the third "main" character (after Cal and his brother) is just so great I can't even give anything away about him (I don't want to spoil the experience of meeting him for the first time). As an aside, I follow Rob Thurman on Twitter, and I have come to the conclusion that Cal's voice is her voice. It's like I'm following Cal on Twitter.
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Mar 19, 2013 00:33
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I'm on the lookout for books with pirates, or really any book taking place on the high seas with some degree of recklessness and ambiguous (or just downright wrong) legality. General maritime reccomendations are welcome as well. If it takes place in the ocean in a time before the 1900's, we're good. I just love the scope and scale of books like Moby Dick and Treasure Island, and pirates are just cool, man. Speaking of Moby Dick, I'm always fond of writers with dense prose such as Melville or an author like Cormac McCarthy, so that would be a bonus as well.
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Mar 19, 2013 03:09
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Low Desert Punk posted:I'm on the lookout for books with pirates, or really any book taking place on the high seas with some degree of recklessness and ambiguous (or just downright wrong) legality. General maritime reccomendations are welcome as well. If it takes place in the ocean in a time before the 1900's, we're good. I just love the scope and scale of books like Moby Dick and Treasure Island, and pirates are just cool, man. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote other books, you know. You should definitely read Kidnapped if you liked Treasure Island. Also, I would recommend Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Also, if you want dense, you could man up and read some James Joyce or William Faulkner. I recommend A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by Joyce and The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner. Edit: Hermann Hesse is also good. Read Der Steppenwolf. Everyone should. Edit dos: Read The Pirates! by Gideon Defoe. They're all really good and hilarious in a Monty Python way. Smoking Crow fucked around with this message at 21:58 on Mar 20, 2013 |
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Mar 19, 2013 07:23
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Low Desert Punk posted:I'm on the lookout for books with pirates, or really any book taking place on the high seas with some degree of recklessness and ambiguous (or just downright wrong) legality. General maritime reccomendations are welcome as well. If it takes place in the ocean in a time before the 1900's, we're good. I just love the scope and scale of books like Moby Dick and Treasure Island, and pirates are just cool, man. Have you or have you not read Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series yet? If not, that should last you a little while. It's not exactly pirates but questionable shenanigans are not in short supply. So much Napoleonic-era naval action, he required 1813 to last for at least five years.
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Mar 19, 2013 08:17
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pkticker posted:...lots of good stuff This is a great list, thank you. I wasn't able to make it to the library this past weekend so I'll be heading there on Saturday with list in hand. I'll see what I can score...
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Mar 19, 2013 14:56
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I'm looking for more non-traditional narrative fiction or stuff that plays around with traditional storytelling techniques or orders, as I eat that stuff up. Currently reading Cloud Atlas and that's scratching my itch for weird books pretty nicely, but I'm going to finish it soon and I need more. Favorites from the past include: House of Leaves, The Time Traveller's Wife, Everything is Illuminated, The Sound and the Fury. I'm also a fan of Murakami and he does this, somewhat. Any suggestions you could offer would be grand!
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Mar 19, 2013 21:00
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Quidnose posted:I'm looking for more non-traditional narrative fiction or stuff that plays around with traditional storytelling techniques or orders, as I eat that stuff up. Currently reading Cloud Atlas and that's scratching my itch for weird books pretty nicely, but I'm going to finish it soon and I need more. I recommend A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. I wrote the following in my review: Egan infuses the book with stylistic choices that, from a lesser author, would seem like pretentious gimmicks. Chapters switch between first-, third-, and even second-person narratives, often not revealing characters’ identities for pages. Some stories are presented in non-traditional formats like the footnote-addled magazine article “Forty Minute Lunch: Kitty Jackson Opens Up About Love, Fame, and Nixon!” and the much ballyhooed chapter written in PowerPoint format. These aren’t just pranks, however, and some of the more unorthodox chapters are the most powerfully introspective. Full review here if you are so inclined: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/133814684
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Mar 19, 2013 21:07
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Quidnose posted:I'm looking for more non-traditional narrative fiction or stuff that plays around with traditional storytelling techniques or orders, as I eat that stuff up. Currently reading Cloud Atlas and that's scratching my itch for weird books pretty nicely, but I'm going to finish it soon and I need more. I have made this exact recommendation before, but If on a winter's night a traveler. If you like the wikipedia page you will like the book.
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Mar 19, 2013 22:31
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Lately I've been enjoying reading shorter books. Last year the smallest book I read was something like 500 pages (drat you Wheel of Time re-read) and it just sorta burned me out on reading all together. Last week I grabbed a few smaller books and started reading again. I read both of Brandon Sanderson's smaller books/short stories (especially the Emperor's Soul) and read Of Mice and Men yesterday. Basically, does anyone have any suggestions for good short books (do they even count as books when they're that short?). Under 150 pages is ideally what I'm looking for.
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Mar 20, 2013 05:31
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I'm writing a piece on the 13th Warrior/Eaters of the Dead, and in order to write credibly I need to get an education on Beowulf. Can anyone recommend one particular way to go about this over any other? I'd especially like to read good translations of the legend or even books about the legend. Anything with extant Kindle editions—including Project Gutenberg—would be a plus, since the bookstores and libraries around here have pretty slim pickings. EDIT: Also, I'm cheap, so there is that.
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Mar 20, 2013 06:30
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CloseFriend posted:I'm writing a piece on the 13th Warrior/Eaters of the Dead, and in order to write credibly I need to get an education on Beowulf. Can anyone recommend one particular way to go about this over any other? I'd especially like to read good translations of the legend or even books about the legend. Anything with extant Kindle editions—including Project Gutenberg—would be a plus, since the bookstores and libraries around here have pretty slim pickings. Are you specifically looking at avoiding reading the legend itself due to time constraints? I'm fairly certain this was the version of the tale I read in middle school, and I'm sure it'd be a quick read to get the basics now: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19181.Beowulf?auto_login_attempted=true Six dollars on Kindle via Amazon. I can't help with good translations if you want the full text, though, so maybe someone else can chime in.
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Mar 20, 2013 07:00
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This is the translation I've always seen recommended: http://www.amazon.com/Beowulf-Verse...f+seamus+heaney
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Mar 20, 2013 08:14
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cryptoclastic posted:Lately I've been enjoying reading shorter books. Last Night at the Lobster is for sure under 150 and The Lathe of Heaven, Tinkers and Fahrenheit 451 are short of 200. A lot of PKD and Lem tops out around 200 pages, as do a number of John Le Carre's Smiley books.
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Mar 20, 2013 11:18
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CloseFriend posted:I'm writing a piece on the 13th Warrior/Eaters of the Dead, and in order to write credibly I need to get an education on Beowulf. Can anyone recommend one particular way to go about this over any other? I'd especially like to read good translations of the legend or even books about the legend. Anything with extant Kindle editions—including Project Gutenberg—would be a plus, since the bookstores and libraries around here have pretty slim pickings. The seminal critical essay about Beowulf is actually by J.R.R. Tolkien and it is here: Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics He was famous for this in academic circles long before he wrote LOTR. Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 13:18 on Mar 20, 2013 |
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Mar 20, 2013 13:11
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cryptoclastic posted:Lately I've been enjoying reading shorter books. Last year the smallest book I read was something like 500 pages (drat you Wheel of Time re-read) and it just sorta burned me out on reading all together. Last week I grabbed a few smaller books and started reading again. I read both of Brandon Sanderson's smaller books/short stories (especially the Emperor's Soul) and read Of Mice and Men yesterday. Basically, does anyone have any suggestions for good short books (do they even count as books when they're that short?). Under 150 pages is ideally what I'm looking for. Paul Auster's In The Country of Last Things is a short, intense post-apocalyptic/urban decay read that clocks in at 187 or so, but it's probably much shorter than that--the book's dimensions are kinda smallish, making it seem longer than it is. Bleak, but oh so good.
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Mar 20, 2013 14:42
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cryptoclastic posted:Lately I've been enjoying reading shorter books. Last year the smallest book I read was something like 500 pages (drat you Wheel of Time re-read) and it just sorta burned me out on reading all together. Last week I grabbed a few smaller books and started reading again. I read both of Brandon Sanderson's smaller books/short stories (especially the Emperor's Soul) and read Of Mice and Men yesterday. Basically, does anyone have any suggestions for good short books (do they even count as books when they're that short?). Under 150 pages is ideally what I'm looking for. I've been enjoying Thomas Bernhard, an Austrian writer who writes savage streams of consciousness that top out at 150 pages, and just finished Joseph Roth's Rebellion which was rather beautiful. Also, scan any School English syllabus for anything you've missed, examples being Animal Farm and Brave New World. They're always short and rather fun when you're not being dragged through them. As for Beowulf, I've always seen the Seamus Heaney translation held out as the one to read. There are editions with the original text running alongside too.
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Mar 20, 2013 14:56
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Guys, I sort of have a reverse question than the ones this thread is for. Namely - who would you recommend Kerouac's "On The Road" to? The reason I'm asking is I always had this idea it was sort of like "Fear and Loathing..." but ten years earlier, and sort of disregarded it as one of those pretentious hippy garbage. But then I read somewhere that's what most people expect it to be and they're surprised to have read it and discover it's actually different than that, they said it's more existential and philosophical. So what exactly is "On The Road" about and who would you recommend it to?
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Mar 20, 2013 16:09
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Almost finished reading Cloud Atlas. I'm at the last chapter. Although I haven't finished it yet, I have enjoyed every minute of it. Bought myself Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Blood Meridian and The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories. What should I read first?
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Mar 20, 2013 16:23
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Red Garland posted:Guys, I sort of have a reverse question than the ones this thread is for. Namely - who would you recommend Kerouac's "On The Road" to? The reason I'm asking is I always had this idea it was sort of like "Fear and Loathing..." but ten years earlier, and sort of disregarded it as one of those pretentious hippy garbage. But then I read somewhere that's what most people expect it to be and they're surprised to have read it and discover it's actually different than that, they said it's more existential and philosophical. So what exactly is "On The Road" about and who would you recommend it to? Males aged 14 to 24 (or thereabouts). Its impulsive hedonism and disregard for authority is built on immaturity, rather than anything more lasting. It's a literary touchstone and you shouldn't disregard it (nor should you Fear and Loathing), and it predates the hippy movement but yeah, males aged 14 to 24. Or perhaps they're the only ones who shouldn't read it, as they might be more prone to take it too seriously.
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Mar 20, 2013 16:26
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Mr. Squishy posted:Also, scan any School English syllabus for anything you've missed, examples being Animal Farm and Brave New World. They're always short and rather fun when you're not being dragged through them. This is a good point. Tangentially, Kevin Smokler has written a book about this called Practical Classics, which I'm planning to read in the near future.
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Mar 20, 2013 16:42
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funkybottoms posted:Tangentially, Kevin Smokler has written a book about this called Practical Classics, which I'm planning to read in the near future. Definitely adding this to my reading list. Thanks.
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Mar 20, 2013 16:46
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eravulgaris posted:Almost finished reading Cloud Atlas. Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories
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Mar 20, 2013 16:52
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Flaggy posted:Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories It seems to me that there's nothing I can do to change your mind. I'll start reading right away, sir.
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Mar 20, 2013 17:28
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Mar 20, 2013 18:29
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Low Desert Punk posted:I'm on the lookout for books with pirates, [...] Arr mate, don't ye look further than The Pyrates by yon Scotsman George MacDonald Fraser, of Flashman fame. It has everything you might want tae read about pirates, an' ye may lay to that, by thunder. Seriously, it has the shining hero, sniggering coward, beastly villain, two damsels in varying degrees of dist- and undress, six pirate captains, Spanish dungeons, Indian ruins, lost treasure. Read it. Random quote:The dismal wailing of the lash-scarred slaves toiling at the oars of Akbar the Damned's infernal galley drifted down the night breeze, broken only by the crack of the overseers' whips and the occasional gasping cry of 'Well rowed, Balliol!' and 'Roll on the outboard motor!' from the parched throats of the rowers.
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Mar 20, 2013 20:01
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Any good books on Medicare/Medicaid and how they affected the healthcare industry, specifically prices? I was talking to a doctor about rising rates and how it relates to practices, Medicare/Medicaid, and insurance companies and the whole conversation was really interesting. I know there are a lot of opinions about the whole thing so something as non-partisan as possible would be great.
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Mar 20, 2013 20:20
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eravulgaris posted:It seems to me that there's nothing I can do to change your mind. I'll start reading right away, sir. Some of them are hit and miss but overall its quite good.
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Mar 21, 2013 14:07
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Can anyone recommend me a well-done vampire novel or series of novels? Any well-written vampire novel would be great, but I'd prefer one with a wide, epic scope that really embraces the whole 'immortality' aspect of the vampire mythos. I've previously read the following: I am Legend-probably the best vampire-centric novel I've ever read, even if they aren't 'classic' vampires. Loved it. Interview with the Vampire-didn't much care for the writing style nor Rice's overly repetitive fawning over how ~*pretty and sensual*~ everyone is, but I liked the characters and absolutely loved the sprawling 200+ year spread of the novel Dracula-I found this surprisingly underwhelming. The characters and plot all seemed stiff and awkward to me. I can see how it would've blown away late-1800's audiences but now, meh. Twilight-yes, I was desperate. Only made it about 30 pages in before Meyer's questionable writing quality made me give up Salem's Lot-currently reading this one, on about page 40 or so but it's felt like kind of a slog so far. I know 40 pages is too quick to draw a verdict, but King's other (good) stuff usually has me interested earlier on than that.
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Mar 22, 2013 01:12
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