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Hieronymous Alloy posted:"Best Loved Folktales from Around the World" edited by Joanna Cole is a really good collection of world wide folktales and includes things that are often hard to find, like Irish Fenian cycle, Native America and African folk tales, etc. It doesn't have analysis though. I don't mean necessarily analysis in terms of of phallic symbolism (although stuff like that is interesting) but like.. I'd like to know about the cultures a little, why certain things are significant to them etc and details like "the evil king in this story could be an allusion to King Shithead of York (1134-1156)" or "the flower in this story could be Fancius Flowerius which grows in X area, suggesting the story might have originated here. Obviously a different kind of book to the sweet picture kind. I've read Hero with a Thousand Faces and I love it, pro recommendation to anyone else out there. I'll czech out Best Love Folktales though, thanks.
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May 2, 2015 19:20
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Not exactly what you're describing, but try checking out The Golden Bough. It isn't really focused on stories but it is a great probe into folklore and has a lot of info.
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May 2, 2015 19:26
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anilEhilated posted:Not exactly what you're describing, but try checking out The Golden Bough. It isn't really focused on stories but it is a great probe into folklore and has a lot of info. Yikes. That's a really heavy recommendation. There are a lot of different editions and almost all of them are very badly abridged, mostly due to the general Victorian moral reaction to Frazier's reduction of all of Christianity to a bunch of gussied-up harvest rituals. It can still be very interesting but make sure you're reading a version that contains the sections on Christianity from the 1915 edition. Some modern editions have those portions but otherwise you'll need the full 12-volume set. Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 21:35 on May 2, 2015 |
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May 2, 2015 21:29
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Yeah, I suggested it mostly because it's really the go-to source for anything folklore-related. Not something you'd read from start to end but if there's a bit that particularly interests you, there's bound to be something about it in there. Probably should have made that clearer. I wasn't aware of the censorship issues, now I gotta look up what's missing from mine. Fairly sure what came out here has the sections on the translation of rituals to Christian holy days. On the other hand, it's just one, albeit massive, volume. Welp, here's something to do with free time. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 21:49 on May 2, 2015 |
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May 2, 2015 21:45
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anilEhilated posted:Yeah, I suggested it mostly because it's really the go-to source for anything folklore-related. Not something you'd read from start to end but if there's a bit that particularly interests you, there's bound to be something about it in there. Probably should have made that clearer. The section to look for (from what I remember) is the one where he specifically takes the pardoning of Barabbas and the dressing of Jesus up in the "King of the Jews" regalia and specifically connects it to all the other scapegoat / king is one with the land / sacrifice customs and rituals in the rest of the middle east, then tops it off by pointing out how sacrifice of the firstborn child was a common trope in other semitic religions (see: Carthage and Baal). I mean, he's not wrong, but it's easy to see why he cut it from later editions. And since almost nobody bothers to read the whole unedited version . . . . Interestingly, for the theologians among us, those portions of the Golden Bough were why C.S. Lewis was initially an atheist, before Tolkien converted him to Christianity; Lewis's rationale is that the reason Christianity seems like just an evolved version of primitive middle eastern harvest ritual myths is that all the other myths were just reflecting the central glory of Christ, etc. Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 22:04 on May 2, 2015 |
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May 2, 2015 22:02
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So I just recently finished the Old Kingdom Trilogy by Garth Nix, the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, and both Stormlight Archives. I really dig stories along these lines, which, to be honest, are just variations on "an ancient evil awakens" v v But I'm kind of at a loss for more stories along the same lines, but with unique worlds instead of the standard medieval fantasy. Any recommendations? I'm also more fond of female protags, but either is fine. I have tried to read The Wheel of Time but I couldn't get over the pacing, and I'm not buying 14 books.
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May 2, 2015 23:22
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Hyperion?
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May 2, 2015 23:25
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:The section to look for (from what I remember) is the one where he specifically takes the pardoning of Barabbas and the dressing of Jesus up in the "King of the Jews" regalia and specifically connects it to all the other scapegoat / king is one with the land / sacrifice customs and rituals in the rest of the middle east, then tops it off by pointing out how sacrifice of the firstborn child was a common trope in other semitic religions (see: Carthage and Baal). I mean, he's not wrong, but it's easy to see why he cut it from later editions. And since almost nobody bothers to read the whole unedited version . . . . This is a pro post, I bet you're fun to drink with. Any suggestions for background reading on the whole Lewis/Tolkein relationship? I remember loving Screwtape Letters when I was young but I've always considered Lewis to be pretty smarmy about his Christianity and didn't realize he'd started as an atheist. I'd be interested in learning more about how that all played out. Al Cu Ad Solte posted:I have tried to read The Wheel of Time but I couldn't get over the pacing, and I'm not buying 14 books. Wheel of Time is really what you're looking for. Yeah, it's overly long and poorly paced but there's a reason Sanderson was chosen to finish it when Jordan died. If you love Sanderson's stuff, you'll probably really enjoy WoT. The pacing improves quite a bit about a third of the way through the series. By book 6 or so, it really picks up (yeah, that's totally a backhanded compliment but WoT is what it is). If you really refuse to do WoT, maybe try Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles or Abercrombie's Blade Itself trilogy but really the scale of those may not be grand enough for you. Lawen fucked around with this message at 06:01 on May 3, 2015 |
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May 3, 2015 05:52
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Lawen posted:This is a pro post, I bet you're fun to drink with. Any suggestions for background reading on the whole Lewis/Tolkein relationship? I remember loving Screwtape Letters when I was young but I've always considered Lewis to be pretty smarmy about his Christianity and didn't realize he'd started as an atheist. I'd be interested in learning more about how that all played out. Hrm. The source for that bit was one of Lewis's books (I think Mere Christianity? Maybe Problem of Pain?). The published collection of Tolkien's letters has a fair bit of stuff as well. I think there's a book or two out there on the Inklings generally but I don't know titles/authors.
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May 3, 2015 06:06
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I have a quick question I find myself endlessly fascinated with reading up on Disney and Dreamworks animation history and have been devouring any book I can find. I'm about to read DisneyWar and The Men who Would be Kings but saw this and was curious if anyone had any opinions about it? It's old so it's kind of a shot in the dark and reviews are kind of all over.
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May 3, 2015 06:24
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Al Cu Ad Solte posted:So I just recently finished the Old Kingdom Trilogy by Garth Nix, the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, and both Stormlight Archives. I really dig stories along these lines, which, to be honest, are just variations on "an ancient evil awakens" v Anyway, thanks for the info on the Bough, now I'm really confused on what's actually sitting on my bookshelf. I'll have to re-read it over the holidays. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 08:48 on May 3, 2015 |
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May 3, 2015 08:46
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Al Cu Ad Solte posted:So I just recently finished the Old Kingdom Trilogy by Garth Nix, the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, and both Stormlight Archives. I really dig stories along these lines, which, to be honest, are just variations on "an ancient evil awakens" v I'm a fan of Malazan myself, but it's very much a "love it or hate it" series, and as everyone will probably tell you, the first book is the worst (it was written about 10 years before the others and oh my god does it show). If you're interested and aren't put off by the size of the series, try at least to stick it out until Deadhouse Gates, the second book. May I suggest Stephen R. Donaldson's "Mordant's Need" series (The Mirror of Her Dreams and A Man Rides Through)? It's probably Donaldson's most accessible stuff, and has a female protagonist, interesting characters, and an unusual mirror-based magic system.
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May 3, 2015 13:36
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Lawen posted:Wheel of Time is really what you're looking for. Yeah, it's overly long and poorly paced but there's a reason Sanderson was chosen to finish it when Jordan died. If you love Sanderson's stuff, you'll probably really enjoy WoT. The pacing improves quite a bit about a third of the way through the series. By book 6 or so, it really picks up (yeah, that's totally a backhanded compliment but WoT is what it is). Erugh, yeah reading about it tells me it is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for but....erugh. Maybe I'll give it another shot this year. I couldn't stand Kingkiller and Abercrombie was just too gritty for me, although I did enjoy about 3/4ths of Best Served Cold. Selachian posted:I'm a fan of Malazan myself... Never considered Malazan. Thanks for the rec. And Mordant's Need sounds cool. I really need to start reading some fantasy by female authors.
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May 4, 2015 04:12
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Hey Book goons. I wanna get my mom a nice book for mother's day since she is mostly reading romance novels at the moment. The more seriously stuff she likes are by Jackie Collins and Toni Morrison and I think she has all of those now. Anything recommendations is appreciated.
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May 4, 2015 07:37
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I'm looking for a good, comprehensive book on the design and history of Disneyland, or of Disney parks in general. I know there are tons of books on the subject, but is there a consensus on which ones are the best?
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May 5, 2015 06:21
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Al Cu Ad Solte posted:So I just recently finished the Old Kingdom Trilogy by Garth Nix, the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, and both Stormlight Archives. I really dig stories along these lines, which, to be honest, are just variations on "an ancient evil awakens" v You could try The Black Company series. It's hit and miss, but at its best it's very decent. Plus it ends up with an interesting female protagonist with dat backstory
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May 5, 2015 15:58
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Herr Tog posted:Hey Book goons. I wanna get my mom a nice book for mother's day since she is mostly reading romance novels at the moment. The more seriously stuff she likes are by Jackie Collins and Toni Morrison and I think she has all of those now. Anything recommendations is appreciated. What is she into? How old is she? (Are we talking 40s or 80s?)
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May 5, 2015 16:45
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frenchnewwave posted:What is she into? How old is she? (Are we talking 40s or 80s?) Herr Tog fucked around with this message at 18:44 on May 10, 2015 |
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May 5, 2015 19:08
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*Ignore me, found what I was searching for.
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May 6, 2015 04:58
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So I'm trying to read up on the gender debate. At the moment I have Men on Strike and The Myth of Male Power, and on the other side I am reading The Wife Drought and I have some academic text called Feminist Thought. Also, I have the Female Eunuch somewhere on my Kindle. Oh, and also The Two Income Trap, which will probably touch on this area. Does anyone have any must read books about male/female roles in society, and the movements around them. Note I don't give many shits about the 70s, after more contemporary stuff.
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May 7, 2015 03:14
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This might be a really obvious answer but have you tried bell hooks?
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May 7, 2015 16:08
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:20 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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May 7, 2015 20:46
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Bazinga! Cheers
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May 7, 2015 21:42
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I'm really enjoying The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, anyone know of other types of books and stories in a similar vein?
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May 7, 2015 23:34
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Levitate posted:I'm really enjoying The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, anyone know of other types of books and stories in a similar vein? Which vein would that be? If you like 'em because they're light, humorous fantasy with some depth to them, then try the Discworld books. I'm afraid I don't really know much in the way of good Chinese-based fantasy besides Hughart, though.
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May 8, 2015 01:17
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Offhand the only other Chinese-inspired fantasy I can think of is the Seven Brothers trilogy by Curt Benjamin. It's set in Not-Quite-China and -Tibet. It takes itself way more seriously than Bridge of Birds, but I enjoyed it.
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May 8, 2015 03:28
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wheatpuppy posted:Offhand the only other Chinese-inspired fantasy I can think of is the Seven Brothers trilogy by Curt Benjamin. It's set in Not-Quite-China and -Tibet. It takes itself way more seriously than Bridge of Birds, but I enjoyed it. There's the Kai Lung stories by Ernest Bramah but they aren't on the same level and are dated/orientalist by modern standards. There's also Under Heaven by Kay but it's not his best work -- not bad but not his best either. The worst thing about Bridge of Birds is that after you've read it there's no follow-up. Otherwise for light and funny while still having a core solid fantasy plot yeah the Discworld.
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May 8, 2015 03:48
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I think it was the kind of "exotic" stories in a mystery/adventure style that was entertaining Been a long time since I read any Discworld, I guess I could take another look at it
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May 8, 2015 13:41
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:The worst thing about Bridge of Birds is that after you've read it there's no follow-up. Not sure if you already know this and are using Bridge of Birds to refer to the whole trilogy, but there are two more books in the series: The Story of the Stone and Eight Skilled Gentlemen. They were both out of print and unavailable as ebooks for a long time -- like a decade (Bridge of Birds stayed in print afaik) until the hardcover The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox came out in '08 but even that was a small print run signed by Hughart (I paid $50 for it 5+ years ago, if Amazon's used prices are to be believed it goes for $150-250 now). It looks like both sequels as well as the collected volume are all now available on Kindle. Personally, I didn't love the sequels quite as much as BoB but they're absolutely worth reading if you liked BoB.
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May 8, 2015 14:05
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Yeah I was using poor shorthand but my post could have confused people a on thanks for the correction. What I meant was that even BoB's sequels just aren't quite in the same league.
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May 8, 2015 15:32
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Red Mundus posted:I have a quick question I find myself endlessly fascinated with reading up on Disney and Dreamworks animation history and have been devouring any book I can find. I'm about to read DisneyWar and The Men who Would be Kings but saw this and was curious if anyone had any opinions about it? It's old so it's kind of a shot in the dark and reviews are kind of all over. I tried to get through Disney War but got stalled out about halfway through. The parts about how weak the company was in the early 1980s, and how that led to the golden age of animation in the late 1980s and 1990s are fascinating, and the early start to Pixar was interesting. But then it gets bogged down for pages and pages exhaustively detailing corporate infighting between millionaires over ultra petty issues, like how someone was acting during a meeting or if a dinner party host let guests into the main house. I want more details about the animation departments and behind the scenes of Aladdin, not whether or not Michael Eisner had a good time jogging in the Vermont woods during his 1994 Thanksgiving holiday.
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May 8, 2015 16:03
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I wanted to request a good short story collection. I really enjoy Gardner Dozois' sci-fi collections each year, and I liked Gaiman's Fragile Things, King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes, and Turtledove's Departures. I liked sci-fi and present day settings a bit more than fantasy. Thanks!
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May 10, 2015 18:28
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Have you read Gaiman's first collection, Smoke and Mirrors? I think it's better. George R. (R. R.) R. Martin's short stories are surprisingly good, too. Way superior to his later stuff, in my opinion.
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May 10, 2015 19:56
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Mojo Threepwood posted:I wanted to request a good short story collection. I really enjoy Gardner Dozois' sci-fi collections each year, and I liked Gaiman's Fragile Things, King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes, and Turtledove's Departures. I liked sci-fi and present day settings a bit more than fantasy. Thanks! If you liked Nightmares and Dreamscapes, you would probably also like his Everything's Eventual and/or Just After Sunset. I've always thought that Stephen King was best in the short form, and his shorter works haven't gone downhill in quality like his longer works.
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May 10, 2015 21:23
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Mojo Threepwood posted:I wanted to request a good short story collection. I really enjoy Gardner Dozois' sci-fi collections each year, and I liked Gaiman's Fragile Things, King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes, and Turtledove's Departures. I liked sci-fi and present day settings a bit more than fantasy. Thanks! Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is absolutely amazing scifi short stories but it's more hard scifi with kind of a philosophical bent. I love pretty much everything he's ever written. Roald Dahl's adult short fiction doesn't meet your scifi/present day requirement but his short stories are dark and twisted and raunchy and really good. The Uncle Oswald stories are fun and funny but things like "Parson's Pleasure", "Switch Bitch", "Lamb to the Slaughter", "The Landlady", etc would probably be right up your alley.
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May 11, 2015 03:34
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Ok, this isn't necessarily a book rec, but bear with me. Does anyone know of a series (books, short stories) or someone writing on a blog/Wattpad/whatever that tells multiple stories within a universe? Somewhat like China Mievillve Bas-lag books, but more broken, different tagents, maybe visual or audio as well. I'm talking modern mythology, a writer not concerned with traditional narrative, writing long then short, character than action. Something that paints a picture with multiple stories.
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May 11, 2015 04:54
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thehomemaster posted:Ok, this isn't necessarily a book rec, but bear with me. The first thing that comes to mind is M. John Harrison's Viriconium stories, which have been collected in a single volume. Tanith Lee's "Tales from the Flat Earth" are pretty good for this too.
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May 11, 2015 05:05
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thehomemaster posted:Ok, this isn't necessarily a book rec, but bear with me. City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff Vandermeer - A collection of four novellas, lots of shorter pieces, and pages of ephemera all centered around a fantasy city. I haven't read this one but it's on my list as I've heard it's a lot like Bas-Lag. Hyperion by Dan Simmons - 6 hard-SF novellas with a framing story. They all build upon the world, uncovering more secrets as you go. They are, in order, 1) a horror tale, 2) an action story, 3) a comedy, 4) a tragedy, 5) a cyberpunk/noir detective story, and 6) kind of a romance with a SF twist I suppose. The book as a whole takes the structure of The Canterbury Tales. There's also a sequel but it's much more a straightforward novel.
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May 11, 2015 05:08
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Oh no you brought up Hyperion! Incoming poo poo storm regarding the sequels. But in all seriousness I had heard of these titles, but didn't know that's how they were constructed (Viriconium looks particularly cool). Very good to know, Book Barn delivers again, cheers. Reading up on Tanith Lee (awesome name) from her Wiki under 'Sales': Lee had “quietly phenomenal sales” at certain periods throughout her career.[13] When she tried changing her genre some of her works were liked by critics and published by small publishers, but today it makes no difference. The royalties were good before the publishers went bankrupt.[13] 
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May 11, 2015 05:49
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thehomemaster posted:Ok, this isn't necessarily a book rec, but bear with me. Hrm. Would all of Jack Vance's Gaean Reach stories count? Vance's SF is all individual novels set on individual planets, but they mostly share a universe, and each planet is very distinct. Not sure if that's broken up enough for you. Similarly, Ursula K. Leguin's Hainish Cycle might qualify?
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May 11, 2015 06:11
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