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Hedrigall posted:I'd love to read about modern day life in Antarctica, especially books that focus on the scientific research that goes on there. I also just really want to read about what day to day life is like on the bases there. I'd really prefer books from the last decade or so. I thought Big Dead Place by Nicholas Johnson was pretty funny. Not about science at all though, more about how weird living there is. The author just killed himself a couple months back so uh yeah, it's dark. This blog is probably the best day in the life imagery you're going to find: http://jeffreydonenfeld.com/blog/tag/antarctica/
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Apr 9, 2013 21:08
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This might be a weird question but I'm looking for something that's Lovecraftian without actually being Lovecraft. I like the idea of his horror but I can't really stand his writing.
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Apr 12, 2013 02:26
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Len posted:This might be a weird question but I'm looking for something that's Lovecraftian without actually being Lovecraft. I like the idea of his horror but I can't really stand his writing. It's a short story but "The Horla" by Guy de Maupassant sounds like it could be right in your wheelhouse.
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Apr 12, 2013 02:46
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Len posted:This might be a weird question but I'm looking for something that's Lovecraftian without actually being Lovecraft. I like the idea of his horror but I can't really stand his writing. I really enjoyed Laird Barron's first collection, The Imago Sequence. A bunch of really creepy & nasty short stories involving Lovecraftian terrors beyond human comprehension, with quite lyrical writing, and enough variety between stories to keep it all very fresh. There's a whole thread here in the book barn, I believe it's called the Cosmic Horror thread or something similar. They'll have tons of recommendations. edit: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3461819 <- this thread Hedrigall fucked around with this message at 03:37 on Apr 12, 2013 |
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Apr 12, 2013 03:30
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Hedrigall posted:I really enjoyed Laird Barron's first collection, The Imago Sequence. This is a great recommendation. But as a heads up, if you're interested in the book, I strongly suggest you buy it ASAP because the publisher is in the process of closing up shop and who knows what's going to happen. It's possible everything by Night Shade will soon be OOP.
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Apr 12, 2013 05:32
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I just finished Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan and liked it a lot, even if it got a bit clunky at times and the 'villain' was pretty one-dimensional. It was a refreshing take on an "adult fairytale" by tackling genuinely adult but mundane themes in a fantastical way, and not just throwing in a bunch of sex and labeling it for grown-ups like the popular approach seems to be. Does anyone know of any other decent, modern takes on the whole magical realism thing?
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Apr 12, 2013 05:34
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Len posted:This might be a weird question but I'm looking for something that's Lovecraftian without actually being Lovecraft. I like the idea of his horror but I can't really stand his writing. Black Wings is a good collection of short stories by people that aren't Lovecraft.
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Apr 12, 2013 07:50
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Len posted:This might be a weird question but I'm looking for something that's Lovecraftian without actually being Lovecraft. I like the idea of his horror but I can't really stand his writing. If you're okay with something a bit more sci-fi, Blindsight is probably my favourite Lovecrafty novel. It has some pretty unconventional ideas in it (i.e. vampires), but if you can get behind them it's a great read.
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Apr 12, 2013 09:49
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I'm looking for a book about the history of communism. I can't say that I know too much about it. I'd also like something about what living in a modern communist country is like, as well as something about living in Stalin's Soviet Union.
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Apr 12, 2013 18:03
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Puttblug posted:I'm looking for a book about the history of communism. I can't say that I know too much about it. I'd also like something about what living in a modern communist country is like, as well as something about living in Stalin's Soviet Union. I know there's debate over whether the DPRK is officially a communist nation, but I've heard very good things about the book Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea.
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Apr 12, 2013 20:12
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Puttblug posted:I'm looking for a book about the history of communism. I can't say that I know too much about it. I'd also like something about what living in a modern communist country is like, as well as something about living in Stalin's Soviet Union. For Stalin's Soviet Union, you might want to look into Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's The Gulag Archipelago. There's some good reads about Chinese communism out there, too: Jung Chang's Mao: The Unknown Story and Philip Pan's Out of Mao's Shadow both of which I liked. There's also Richard McGregor's The Party, which I haven't read but have heard good things about.
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Apr 12, 2013 23:24
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Carbon Thief posted:I know there's debate over whether the DPRK is officially a communist nation, but I've heard very good things about the book Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea. This is a fantastic book, and Guy Delisle's Pyongyang graphic novel is a nice companion piece.
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Apr 13, 2013 00:14
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I'm heading to Puerto Rico for vacation and would like a good tropical-setting fiction book to read. Ideally something piratey. Is there anybody that has written about swiss family robinson style stuff but is more along the lines of Stephenson or GRRM? I wouldn't rule out a good historical fiction based on some historical naval battle or something like that. Really I'm just looking for something fun that will remind me of my trip when I get back home.
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Apr 13, 2013 01:01
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Pirate Freedom by Gene Wolfe.
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Apr 14, 2013 05:13
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I'm looking for something to read about the history of science, particularly the fields of medicine and chemistry, but any experimental science works, from about the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. I'm not so much interested in the science itself as the scientists. A biography of a scientist might fit the bill, or a book about a particular time period, covering many scientists and their rivalries, partnerships, etc. Most of all I'm looking for something enjoyable to read, so even if it doesn't fit the specifics I mentioned, that's fine. Any ideas?
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Apr 15, 2013 16:58
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dik-dik posted:I'm looking for something to read about the history of science, particularly the fields of medicine and chemistry, but any experimental science works, from about the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. I'm not so much interested in the science itself as the scientists. A biography of a scientist might fit the bill, or a book about a particular time period, covering many scientists and their rivalries, partnerships, etc. Most of all I'm looking for something enjoyable to read, so even if it doesn't fit the specifics I mentioned, that's fine. A brief history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson is an anecdote based history of science that focuses on the weird people that made science what it is today. Not academic by any stretch, but it's a fun read.
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Apr 15, 2013 22:06
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dik-dik posted:I'm looking for something to read about the history of science, particularly the fields of medicine and chemistry, but any experimental science works, from about the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. I'm not so much interested in the science itself as the scientists. A biography of a scientist might fit the bill, or a book about a particular time period, covering many scientists and their rivalries, partnerships, etc. Most of all I'm looking for something enjoyable to read, so even if it doesn't fit the specifics I mentioned, that's fine. http://www.amazon.com/Disappearing-Spoon-Madness-Periodic-Elements/dp/0316051632
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Apr 15, 2013 23:47
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In light of recent events, I'm looking for a good account of Hugo Chavez's political life. If not that in particular, than something that covers the last few decades of Venezuelan politics.
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Apr 16, 2013 04:43
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Two authors I've been interested in reading for a while now are Foucault and Derrida. Which of their books would you recommend, and in what order?
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Apr 16, 2013 18:25
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dik-dik posted:I'm looking for something to read about the history of science, particularly the fields of medicine and chemistry, but any experimental science works, from about the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries. I'm not so much interested in the science itself as the scientists. A biography of a scientist might fit the bill, or a book about a particular time period, covering many scientists and their rivalries, partnerships, etc. Most of all I'm looking for something enjoyable to read, so even if it doesn't fit the specifics I mentioned, that's fine. Try The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes. It is about a few enlightenment era scientists and their notable innovations and discoveries. It's not stuffy, his writing is quite accessible and there are great, colorful anecdotes about the scientists.
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Apr 17, 2013 02:12
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Any recommendations on fiction books set in the turn of the 18/19th century and the rise of (or life during) the anarchist attacks in Europe? I was just reading through The Proud Tower, a wonderful book on where the world stood before WWI, and I can't wrap my head around what it must have been like to live during those times.
LEFTENANT RIGHTIE fucked around with this message at 15:11 on Apr 17, 2013 |
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Apr 17, 2013 15:09
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LEFTENANT RIGHTIE posted:Any recommendations on fiction books set in the turn of the 18/19th century and the rise of (or life during) the anarchist attacks in Europe? I was just reading through The Proud Tower, a wonderful book on where the world stood before WWI, and I can't wrap my head around what it must have been like to live during those times. Ooooh, then I simply have to recommend The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad.
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Apr 17, 2013 15:39
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Groke posted:Ooooh, then I simply have to recommend The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. I'll second that. Just the perfect book on that subject.
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Apr 17, 2013 15:43
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Urdnot Fire posted:I'm looking for a book that covers the Boxer Rebellion, fiction or non works fine. Contrasting perspectives would be nice, but that's not a necessary requirement. Quoting this from a few pages back as I'm looking for the same thing, any ideas?
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Apr 17, 2013 22:28
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This Is Life by Dan Rhodes. The cover makes it look like lovely chick lit but if his books are anything to go by he's a cool guy you'd like to have a drink with. Also you will laugh and cry with this book unless you are dead inside.
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Apr 17, 2013 23:03
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Sort of a recommendation question: I've tried reading Carl Sagan's "Demon Haunted World," but never make it more than halfway through as I get a preaching-to-the-choir feeling. Would Richard Dawkins "The God Delusion" be more of the same?
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Apr 18, 2013 00:00
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Yes. It's basically a dozen different ways of saying the same thing, with a chapter devoted to each. Edit: It's well done, but it's Dawkins - the opposite of subtle. The entire book is a sledgehammer. Bhodi fucked around with this message at 01:47 on Apr 18, 2013 |
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Apr 18, 2013 01:44
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Groke posted:Ooooh, then I simply have to recommend The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. And for a more comic/metaphysical take on the subject, try The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton. Some representative quotes: "You’ve got that eternal idiotic idea that if anarchy came it would come from the poor. Why should it? The poor have been rebels, but they have never been anarchists; they have more interest than anyone else in there being some decent government. The poor man really has a stake in the country. The rich man hasn’t; he can go away to New Guinea in a yacht. The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all." "We all lament the sad decease of the heroic worker who occupied the post until last week. As you know, his services to the cause were considerable. He organised the great dynamite coup of Brighton which, under happier circumstances, ought to have killed everybody on the pier. As you also know, his death was as self-denying as his life, for he died through his faith in a hygienic mixture of chalk and water as a substitute for milk, which beverage he regarded as barbaric, and as involving cruelty to the cow. Cruelty, or anything approaching to cruelty, revolted him always." “Are you the new recruit?” said the invisible chief, who seemed to have heard all about it. “All right. You are engaged." Syme, quite swept off his feet, made a feeble fight against this irrevocable phrase. “I really have no experience,” he began. “No one has any experience,” said the other, “of the Battle of Armageddon.” “But I am really unfit——” “You are willing, that is enough,” said the unknown. “Well, really,” said Syme, “I don’t know any profession of which mere willingness is the final test.” “I do,” said the other—“martyrs. I am condemning you to death. Good day.”
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Apr 18, 2013 16:13
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Adib posted:Two authors I've been interested in reading for a while now are Foucault and Derrida. Which of their books would you recommend, and in what order? With Derrida I'd say start with Of Grammatology, but beyond that he's so varied in his topics that it kind of depends on what specifically about deconstruction interests you. Foucault lends himself a little better to a more structured reading, and personally I'd say start with the trio of Madness and Civilization, The Birth of The Clinic, and Discipline and Punish, then jump to The Order of Things and Archaeology of Knowledge before moving on to the three volumes of The History of Sexuality. After that, read whatever more minor works, lectures, or essay collections interest you.
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Apr 18, 2013 22:43
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Grabbing a birthday gift. I'd like a sci-fi/fantasy book that's as  as possible without sacrificing too much by way of writing quality or 'holy crap this author is seriously skeevy'-factor. For reference, this guy has already read just about everything by the Black Library, and has probably also given Joe Abercrombie's stuff a chance as well.Thanks!
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Apr 19, 2013 11:23
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Has birthday boy read KJ Parker?
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Apr 19, 2013 12:18
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Groke posted:Has birthday boy read KJ Parker? Don't think so. Could certainly give it a shot. Much obliged.
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Apr 19, 2013 12:35
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John McCain posted:Pirate Freedom by Gene Wolfe. Is this book actually any good?
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Apr 20, 2013 14:35
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Any recommendations on some good books surrounding Portuguese history and it's colonies? Possibly about that rear end in a top hat Salazar as well? I also love books about the other sides of history in general. Like "Lies my teacher told me." Things that we're led to believe or how things get watered down, the losers side, etc Also Rome and Greece and everything around it. Don't care about a particular person or era. I just love reading little factoids about them.
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Apr 20, 2013 19:33
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Christoff posted:
How deep do you want to go? Adam Tooze's The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy demolishes most of the myths about German economy during the thirties and the forties. It does get a little bit scholarly and you do need a decent grasp of basic economic theory to get through, but it's worth it.
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Apr 20, 2013 19:45
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Can someone recommend some fantasy somewhat similar to A Song of Ice and Fire? Not really sure how to explain what I'm looking for. I just know I really enjoyed that series, and it seems like the feel of the series is hard to find. I basically enjoyed the POV chapters, the fact magic wasn't simply everywhere and anyone could us it, I enjoyed whatever you'd call the system/politics of the houses and lords. I also liked how the series had a generally darker tone. I've read some forgotten realms stuff which I sometimes enjoy but is mostly the opposite of all that. I also have tried Malazan, and while it's pretty complicated and hard to get into I'm not in the mood for that now though I'm eventually going to try it again. Also, I've already read Abercrombie. Since Game of Thrones has been on again lately, it's really making me miss reading ASoIaF. I'm afraid there's nothing to replace the void, because I generally keep up with this forum and I figure if there was anything similar and just as interesting I'd have heard of it by now.
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Apr 21, 2013 01:31
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Read K J Parker. I suggest starting with the folding knife. Little magic in almost all of their series, generally dark tone, etc.
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Apr 21, 2013 01:53
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Alright, I'll look into it. Also for what it's worth, I tried the Black Company, I didn't immediately dislike it, but it generally lost my interest. First person really bothers me for some reason.
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Apr 21, 2013 04:31
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You could try The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker. It's the first part of the Prince Of Nothing trilogy. Very grim, very realistic depiction of a medieval society. It was recommended to me as being similar to Joe Abercrombie, and I quite enjoyed it. The setting is endlessly interesting to me.
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Apr 21, 2013 06:43
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I was once in a similar situation, and decided that maybe I just didn't like fantasy that much, that I just liked a "Song of Ice and Fire" because it was a good story, the magic was pretty minimal, and I guess I kind of like the idea that things just don't always work out, in fact they rarely do. Anyway, I just started "The name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss and it's not really similar to ASoIaF, but the writing style is similar, and the pages turn just as easy. It's a good story, so far. Also, it has the same type of politics and setting which helps. Edit: also, there are two books in the series, and a third on the way, however I am really early on in the first book. Rusty fucked around with this message at 07:56 on Apr 21, 2013 |
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Apr 21, 2013 07:51
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