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Zaphiel posted:The husband is looking for a new fantasy book. He just finished The New Law Trilogy. He loves the Kingkiller trilogy, the Dresden files and the Lies of Locke Lamora books. Any suggestions? The Magicians maybe? Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series maybe? First one is Jhereg.
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Aug 10, 2015 00:36
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Zaphiel posted:The husband is looking for a new fantasy book. He just finished The New Law Trilogy. He loves the Kingkiller trilogy, the Dresden files and the Lies of Locke Lamora books. Any suggestions? The Magicians maybe? If he likes Kingkiller, I'd throw in Assasins Apprentice by Robin Hobbs. It's a similar first-person narrative of his past and very excellent. I even like it a little bitter (as it's actually finished  )All the Brandon Sanderson stuff is good too--maybe start him with Mistborn trilogy, then Stormlight Archive. First one is a fantasy trilogy where they ingest metals to give various powers and just keeps growing bigger and bigger in scope. It's quite good. Second is a bit more traditional, but not really, and just as good, if not better (or well on it's way to being so). A sort of Sanderson clone, but I would recommend Powder Mage trilogy by Brian McClellan. I finished that recently and enjoyed it quite a lot. It's sort of a mix of gunpowder + magic type fighting and starts off with the King being overthrown and goes on from there. Also I assume he's read all three of Joe Ambercrombies standalone works in the same universe--Best Served Cold, Heroes, Red Country? They're all excellent and even better than First Law trilogy in their own ways. Xaris fucked around with this message at 09:58 on Aug 10, 2015 |
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Aug 10, 2015 09:49
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Can anyone recommend me a no bullshit, no "just put your dog in the crate at all times," dog training book? I've got a 4 year old small mix and who's house/crate trained and knows how to sit, but think she would benefit from a bit more obedience / trick style training to engage her tiny dog brain. Thoughts?
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Aug 10, 2015 15:14
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xian posted:Can anyone recommend me a no bullshit, no "just put your dog in the crate at all times," dog training book? I've got a 4 year old small mix and who's house/crate trained and knows how to sit, but think she would benefit from a bit more obedience / trick style training to engage her tiny dog brain. Thoughts? Check out this post in the dog training thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3364451#post384348394 In terms of what I've actually read, the top two books listed there, by Pat Miller and Karen Pryor, are pretty great, along with Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson a bit further down the list. Any of the clicker training books there will also do a lot for engaging their brain. Edit: Also, the rest of that thread, along with the YouTube videos they post. (Assuming you haven't checked it out already)
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Aug 10, 2015 15:53
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A human heart posted:Check out The King of Elfland's Daughter. Any Dunsany! God, every sentence is like a layer cake!
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Aug 10, 2015 21:27
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xian posted:Can anyone recommend me a no bullshit, no "just put your dog in the crate at all times," dog training book? I've got a 4 year old small mix and who's house/crate trained and knows how to sit, but think she would benefit from a bit more obedience / trick style training to engage her tiny dog brain. Thoughts? Just check out Dog Training Revolution on Youtube, the dude (I think his name is Zac Elliot or something? Can't remember off the top of my head) is also writing a book but his instructions are THE BEST I've found anywhere. He has a video series that starts with the basics and moves right through to tricks and dealing with things like constant barking.
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Aug 11, 2015 01:08
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thehomemaster posted:Just check out Dog Training Revolution on Youtube, Thanks! Didn't know about this dude
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Aug 11, 2015 15:26
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Thanks for the Gaiman recommendations. I'll read American Gods and Smoke & Mirrors. If American Gods doesn't do it for me, I'll try Good Omen. I like(d) Pratchett.
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Aug 11, 2015 17:21
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Does anyone here have a recommendation for books about the dot-com bubble? They can be memoirs, general non-fiction or even fiction set during that time.
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Aug 20, 2015 21:06
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Radio Talmudist posted:Does anyone here have a recommendation for books about the dot-com bubble? They can be memoirs, general non-fiction or even fiction set during that time. Bleeding Edge by Thomas Pynchon
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Aug 20, 2015 21:38
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A Tin Of Beans posted:Read it, and it's ... okay, but a little - objectifying/fetishizing of the culture, almost? I don't know, the main character is a white dude who has a thing for a prostitute GMO robot girl who can't sweat or whatever and it's kind of. Ehhh. There were a ton of cool ideas and decent prose in it but the weird-rear end treatment of the female lead was frustrating. I haven't read it yet but I remember a reviewer talking about how it opens with a description of how exotic the dragonfruit it is... Anyway, you did mention writers just to look out for, so, I haven't read any of his fiction yet, but Vajra Chandrasekera is a Sri Lankan scifi writer who's made his way onto my TBR list from the strength of some of his essays and articles I've read, particularly this blog post about the drive for diversity and the term "people of colour" in the SFF world - http://vajra.me/2015/04/15/margin/
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Aug 21, 2015 16:55
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Any good non-historic fiction about pirates? Was at the beach yesterday and got a hankering for a good pirate story.
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Aug 22, 2015 12:49
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What do you guys got for recommendations in humor? It's been a while since I read a book that kept me coming back because it kept making me smile or laugh. Preferably something in the realm of non-fiction, along the lines of a book written by comedians, but to be honest, anything thats incredibly witty or plain funny would be wonderful.
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Aug 22, 2015 18:20
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The Biggest Jerk posted:What do you guys got for recommendations in humor? It's been a while since I read a book that kept me coming back because it kept making me smile or laugh. Preferably something in the realm of non-fiction, along the lines of a book written by comedians, but to be honest, anything thats incredibly witty or plain funny would be wonderful. I really enjoyed Attempting Normal by Marc Maron - the guy is brutally honest about his life and career and it's full of hilarious anecdotes.
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Aug 22, 2015 19:41
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The Biggest Jerk posted:What do you guys got for recommendations in humor? It's been a while since I read a book that kept me coming back because it kept making me smile or laugh. Preferably something in the realm of non-fiction, along the lines of a book written by comedians, but to be honest, anything thats incredibly witty or plain funny would be wonderful. A fair warning, it's *very* British.
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Aug 22, 2015 20:23
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Argali posted:Any good non-historic fiction about pirates? Was at the beach yesterday and got a hankering for a good pirate story. Dunno if you've read The Lies Of Locke Lamora, but book 2 takes place mostly on a pirate ship, and the battles/pirate life/ship sailing stuff is almost exhaustively portrayed. The first book is amazing master thief in alternate earth fantasy venice tale, second book is really really good pirate story. Third book..... well. Listen the first 2 books are great!
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Aug 22, 2015 21:49
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The Biggest Jerk posted:What do you guys got for recommendations in humor? It's been a while since I read a book that kept me coming back because it kept making me smile or laugh. Preferably something in the realm of non-fiction, along the lines of a book written by comedians, but to be honest, anything thats incredibly witty or plain funny would be wonderful. Why Not Me? by Al Franken
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Aug 22, 2015 22:02
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The Biggest Jerk posted:What do you guys got for recommendations in humor? It's been a while since I read a book that kept me coming back because it kept making me smile or laugh. Preferably something in the realm of non-fiction, along the lines of a book written by comedians, but to be honest, anything thats incredibly witty or plain funny would be wonderful. it's fiction, but good omens by neil gaiman and terry pratchett immediately popped into my head
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Aug 22, 2015 22:34
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The Biggest Jerk posted:What do you guys got for recommendations in humor? It's been a while since I read a book that kept me coming back because it kept making me smile or laugh. Preferably something in the realm of non-fiction, along the lines of a book written by comedians, but to be honest, anything thats incredibly witty or plain funny would be wonderful. I apologize if this is too obvious, but Bill Bryson writes hilarious non-fiction, mainly about travel, the people he meets and cultural differences. David Sedaris is also very funny, just avoid the squirrel book. PJ O'Rourke's Holidays in Hell is my all time favorite travel book. Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad inspired O'Rourke, so check out that one. Actually, Twain is never not funny, fiction or non-fiction.
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Aug 22, 2015 22:40
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For the person looking for a humor book, The Disaster Artist is one of the funniest books from recent times that I've read. It's about Tommy Wiseau and the making of the legendarily bad movie The Room. Argali posted:Any good non-historic fiction about pirates? Was at the beach yesterday and got a hankering for a good pirate story. Tim Powers' On Stranger Tides is probably the best bet
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Aug 22, 2015 23:03
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Thanks for all the recommendations! Gonna check them out and hopefully get a better a sense of humor through osmosis
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Aug 23, 2015 14:03
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The Biggest Jerk posted:What do you guys got for recommendations in humor? It's been a while since I read a book that kept me coming back because it kept making me smile or laugh. Preferably something in the realm of non-fiction, along the lines of a book written by comedians, but to be honest, anything thats incredibly witty or plain funny would be wonderful. I'd recommend David Sedaris - mainstay of NPR. Some people prefer hearing him read them and there's lots of stuff on youtube.
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Aug 23, 2015 14:13
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The straight up funniest book I've ever read is Mike Nelson's "Mind Over Matters" It's a bunch of humorous essays, and they're very bite sized.
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Aug 23, 2015 14:33
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Just read Zodiac, anything similar out there? I have the devil in the white city to get through as well so may just jump on that.
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Aug 23, 2015 18:47
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Anyone got recommendations for a history on early Christianity up through Nicaea? Something for a layman? I was reading a little book I got a long time ago about the Gospel of Judas and it's interesting but I recognize as I'm going through that I don't have the background knowledge and contextual tools to really tell how much this author has an axe to grind. I know to some extent this poo poo's unavoidable but the less it strays into apologetics or tryna blow the roof off Christianity just 'cause, the better.
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Aug 23, 2015 22:12
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Nehru the Damaja posted:Anyone got recommendations for a history on early Christianity up through Nicaea? Something for a layman? I was reading a little book I got a long time ago about the Gospel of Judas and it's interesting but I recognize as I'm going through that I don't have the background knowledge and contextual tools to really tell how much this author has an axe to grind. I know to some extent this poo poo's unavoidable but the less it strays into apologetics or tryna blow the roof off Christianity just 'cause, the better. It's very dry reading but Karen Armstrong's History of God might be worthwhile.
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Aug 24, 2015 05:04
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Argali posted:Any good non-historic fiction about pirates? Was at the beach yesterday and got a hankering for a good pirate story. Gene Wolfe did a pirate story. Pirate Freedom. I love Gene Wolfe more than just about any other author, and I liked this book. It's not straight pirates - but then you asked for non-historic, so I think it fits.
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Aug 24, 2015 06:30
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 Nerd alert for this question, but I'm enjoying the hell out of Wil Wheaton's RPG campaign show Titansgrave (if you like his other Youtube show, Tabletop, go watch this one!) and I especially dig the world they created for it, and I want to read novels set in worlds similar to it.It's SF/fantasy hybrid, leaning towards the more high-tech end of that spectrum, with fantasy races running around using arcane magic and technology such as laser pistols and computers, at the same time. I also like how the races aren't just your usual human/elf/dwarf set, but it includes saurians as well. The characters and creatures in general are what I'm loving about the setting. Also, it's kind of post-post-apocalyptic, with the story beginning in a peaceful, many-race-inhabited world that's built upon the ruins of an older, more advanced one. An obvious;y similar world I can think of is China Miéville's Bas-Lag (which I love), but I'd love something a little more techy than that. Closer to Star Wars crossed with D&D. But (for once, because I usually read space opera) not set in space. edit: I also liked the setting in Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds which also had the elements I've described above (at least one interesting race, a magic-meets-SF setting, post-apocalyptic elements). Also, is Dying Earth or Book of the New Sun along the lines of what I've described? Or is there relatively little technology? Hedrigall fucked around with this message at 09:30 on Aug 24, 2015 |
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Aug 24, 2015 09:01
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Book of the New Sun, yeah, but it's never explicit and if you're expecting action you'll end up disappointed. It's still a great read.
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Aug 24, 2015 11:36
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Hedrigall posted:Also, is Dying Earth or Book of the New Sun along the lines of what I've described? Or is there relatively little technology? My first thought was Book of the New Sun, but I would say that for long passages it reads like it takes place in a low-tech fantasy world rather than a high-tech SF one. Regardless, the setting is unique in my experience and I would still recommend it.
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Aug 24, 2015 11:37
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savinhill posted:
This looks cool but I wonder if I'll just imagine all the characters as Jack Sparrow, Kiera Knightly, etc. as I read.
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Aug 24, 2015 12:15
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Not really expecting a response on this since it's so specific, but any good books on the history of Zainichi Koreans in Japan? Any fictional books that feature Koreans living in Japan?
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Aug 24, 2015 21:08
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Yo what's a good book with a wizard that uses spells. Actively. Like to solve circumstantial difficulties all the time. Also good. They didn't use enough magic in the first 7 books of the Wheel of Time, for example.
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Aug 25, 2015 12:50
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Master of the Five Magics by Lyndon Hardy. I read it as a kid but I think it was good. At the very least it had some pretty interesting and in depth systems for the setting's magic, it was sorta like reading about a craftsman more than a magician.
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Aug 25, 2015 15:00
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METATERREN posted:Yo what's a good book with a wizard that uses spells. Actively. Like to solve circumstantial difficulties all the time. Also good. They didn't use enough magic in the first 7 books of the Wheel of Time, for example. Dresden Files is what you're looking for. There's 15 books. You can read them all in 3 months.
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Aug 26, 2015 00:32
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What do you guys know about James Dickey? I just read Deliverance and am a huge fan of the film, but Jesus Christ, the way this guy uses language and "big words" without seeming off putting or overly intellectual just for the sake of coming off smart really struck a chord with me. I understand he made his name writing poetry in the deep south. I've requested two of his other novels through my local library and can't wait to read them. Dickey has a way of using "big words" and descriptive language in ways that won't make you feel stupid for not knowing what the words mean or in ways that bog down the story. It's condensed (Deliverance is a very short book) but RICH and layered. Not a word feels wasted. Even having seen the film first, knowing how it goes and picturing the characters in my mind as Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight and Ned Beatty ahead of time didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story that Dickey was telling. Go read Deliverance, even if you've already seen the film.
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Aug 26, 2015 23:38
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I read James Dickey's To the White Sea a few months ago. If you loved Deliverance you'll probably love it. It's about a guy whose bomber gets shot down over Tokyo just before the big firebomb raids in 1945, and he has to make his way out of the city and to safety without attracting attention. The protagonist is resourceful and psychotic. It is a great read. Also you may like Charles Portis, another Southern writer whose deceptively lean prose is a joy to read, who also averaged one novel every ten years or so.
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Aug 27, 2015 15:35
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Mira posted:Not really expecting a response on this since it's so specific, but any good books on the history of Zainichi Koreans in Japan? Any fictional books that feature Koreans living in Japan? There are some marginal Zainichi Korean characters (or at least one, IIRC) in Number9dream by David Mitchell. Not a big part of the story though.
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Aug 27, 2015 16:30
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dokmo posted:I read James Dickey's To the White Sea a few months ago. If you loved Deliverance you'll probably love it. It's about a guy whose bomber gets shot down over Tokyo just before the big firebomb raids in 1945, and he has to make his way out of the city and to safety without attracting attention. The protagonist is resourceful and psychotic. It is a great read. Also you may like Charles Portis, another Southern writer whose deceptively lean prose is a joy to read, who also averaged one novel every ten years or so. Sounds cool. I'm pretty sure that's one of the two that I reserved. It almost has to be. Seems like the guy pnly wrote about 7 or 8 books and half of those are poems, which I have no interest in. I'll check out Portis. Thanks.
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Aug 27, 2015 20:19
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Hedrigall posted:edit: I also liked the setting in Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds which also had the elements I've described above (at least one interesting race, a magic-meets-SF setting, post-apocalyptic elements). Also, is Dying Earth or Book of the New Sun along the lines of what I've described? Or is there relatively little technology? Dying Earth is not really what you want. There are some vague references to technology (Iucounu uses creatures from "other stars," e.g.) but it's pretty much indistinguishable from magic. Perhaps Michael Moorcock's Dorian Hawkmoon books (The Jewel in the Skull et al) might be what you want, although they're more fantasy with some technological devices added on.
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Aug 29, 2015 00:49
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