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Echo Cian posted:Much like how the Bible requires a bit of tolerance for the idea that some people believe God exists. I am filled with rage every time I read something in the bible that I know someone out there believes to be true
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Mar 18, 2016 00:16
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Looking to read a novel or something shorter that focuses on a lone traveler wandering through the Old West during Manifest Destiny. Already read Blood Meridian, and not necessarily looking for something like it.
Carly Gay Dead Son fucked around with this message at 01:27 on Mar 18, 2016 |
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Mar 18, 2016 01:25
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Hold up, gonna make my already specific request ridiculously more specific: It should deal directly with gender/race politics of the time. Thanks fam.
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Mar 18, 2016 03:42
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Beyond sane knolls posted:Looking to read a novel or something shorter that focuses on a lone traveler wandering through the Old West during Manifest Destiny. Already read Blood Meridian, and not necessarily looking for something like it. Thar encompasses a large chunk of the western genre itself. So Wild A Dream by Win Blevins is good if you want something that isn't like Blood Meridian.
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Mar 18, 2016 03:43
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Beyond sane knolls posted:Hold up, gonna make my already specific request ridiculously more specific: It should deal directly with gender/race politics of the time. Thanks fam. Ned Christie's War by Robert J Conley
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Mar 18, 2016 04:05
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Borneo Jimmy posted:Thar encompasses a large chunk of the western genre itself. So Wild A Dream by Win Blevins is good if you want something that isn't like Blood Meridian. Borneo Jimmy posted:Thar encompasses a large chunk of the western genre itself. So Wild A Dream by Win Blevins is good if you want something that isn't like Blood Meridian. I'll check both of these out if I can find them, cheers!
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Mar 18, 2016 19:13
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What's the best book people have read to give a good background and understanding of the Vietnam war? Particularly interested in how it impacted the vietnamese people, so if it was from that perspective it would be even better.
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Mar 20, 2016 16:56
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Quandary posted:What's the best book people have read to give a good background and understanding of the Vietnam war? Particularly interested in how it impacted the vietnamese people, so if it was from that perspective it would be even better. To your first sentence: if you want to know the why/how of the US finding itself in Indo-China, A Grand Delusion is the best book out there, hands down. Nothing touches it in describing the politics surrounding the conflict. It doesnt get into the military operations/tactics a whole lot, but it is the best researched and most comprehensive book outlining a political history that had its start in WW2. As for your second sentence, you're probably going to want something written from the Vietnamese perspective and I'm not sure what to recommend off hand -- maybe someone can chime in with suggestions, because I'd be interested as well. I do have Brother Enemy, but it's more a perspective/history of Vietnam immediately after the US left. I just got it, so I'm not sure if it deals at all with the period during the war. AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 04:25 on Mar 21, 2016 |
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Mar 20, 2016 17:27
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I've always loved the combination of sci fi (and fantasy) and a good mystery. Can someone recommend a good one - I've already read all of Niven, Bujold and McDevitt, and I'm a little sick of the urban fantasy. Any recommendations? I'm thinking something like Icarus Hunt by Zahn, but I would also like something with a more xeno-archeological bent (like, what happened to all of these dead aliens???) Thanks!
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Mar 21, 2016 04:12
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Bozart posted:I've always loved the combination of sci fi (and fantasy) and a good mystery. Can someone recommend a good one - I've already read all of Niven, Bujold and McDevitt, and I'm a little sick of the urban fantasy. Any recommendations? I'm thinking something like Icarus Hunt by Zahn, but I would also like something with a more xeno-archeological bent (like, what happened to all of these dead aliens???) Maybe Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds? It's hard sci-fi though, not fantasy. Xeno-archeology is its primary focus. AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 04:31 on Mar 21, 2016 |
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Mar 21, 2016 04:28
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Quandary posted:What's the best book people have read to give a good background and understanding of the Vietnam war? Particularly interested in how it impacted the vietnamese people, so if it was from that perspective it would be even better. There's not a lot in it from the vietnamese perspective but I found Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War by Michael Mclear to be really good.
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Mar 21, 2016 04:40
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Appreciate both your answers. I'll check it out, and will probably read Grand Delusion at the very least!
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Mar 21, 2016 07:30
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Bozart posted:I've always loved the combination of sci fi (and fantasy) and a good mystery. Can someone recommend a good one - I've already read all of Niven, Bujold and McDevitt, and I'm a little sick of the urban fantasy. Any recommendations? I'm thinking something like Icarus Hunt by Zahn, but I would also like something with a more xeno-archeological bent (like, what happened to all of these dead aliens???) Pretty broad, but Blindsight by Peter Watts Inverted World by Christopher Priest The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North And echoing Alastair Reynolds, I'd also recommend one of his short story collections like Galactic North.
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Mar 21, 2016 08:41
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How is the Expanse series? I watched the show and liked it. I was thinking of reading the second and third books in the Ancillary Justice series but I'm a bit worried it's going to be lame political drama with no space battle cool poo poo to hook it all together. I love the idea of melded AI and mind stuff. Any thoughts?
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Mar 21, 2016 18:04
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Blind Rasputin posted:How is the Expanse series? I watched the show and liked it. I was thinking of reading the second and third books in the Ancillary Justice series but I'm a bit worried it's going to be lame political drama with no space battle cool poo poo to hook it all together. I love the idea of melded AI and mind stuff. Any thoughts? Justice does have a cool space fight or two in the second two books, but it's not the center of the story. Second two a very good books though, better written than the first and easier to follow. Expanse is loving fantastic. Lots of action, great characters. The show is an acceptable adaptation, but it definitely hasn't matched the books yet.
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Mar 21, 2016 18:16
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Quandary posted:What's the best book people have read to give a good background and understanding of the Vietnam war? Particularly interested in how it impacted the vietnamese people, so if it was from that perspective it would be even better. While it doesn't really go into great historical detail about the war itself, and is mostly set in Louisiana, A Good Scent From A Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler is a collection of short stories entirely from the Vietnamese perspective. It's one of my favorite books.
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Mar 21, 2016 22:50
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I'm reading The Road to Oxiana and I love it. Can anyone recommend a good travelogue for another part of the world?
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Mar 22, 2016 16:31
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regularizer posted:I'm reading The Road to Oxiana and I love it. Can anyone recommend a good travelogue for another part of the world? I'm a big fan of Bill Bryson's travel stuff, especially In A Sunburned Country where he covers Australia. In my opinion, travel writing is a lot like food writing in that it can get full of itself and unreadable very easily, so I like the stuff that's got a fair bit of humor in it
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Mar 22, 2016 19:47
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Epic High Five posted:I'm a big fan of Bill Bryson's travel stuff, especially In A Sunburned Country where he covers Australia. In my opinion, travel writing is a lot like food writing in that it can get full of itself and unreadable very easily, so I like the stuff that's got a fair bit of humor in it I'm reading and enjoying Bryson's A Walk In The Woods right now. I'll read a bit of it every
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Mar 22, 2016 23:45
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timp posted:I'm reading and enjoying Bryson's A Walk In The Woods right now. I'll read a bit of it every I loved that one, though it made me depressed at my relatively impoverished circumstances because I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to take 6+ months off to go hike the AT but, like climbing Everest or big game hunting, it's largely only in the realm of the wealthy and crazy people with no roots anywhere like Reinhold Messner. Oh speaking of The Crystal Horizon is a fun read though my favorite all time book on mountaineering is Into Thin Air
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Mar 22, 2016 23:52
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I just finished The Dead Mountaineer's Inn and loved it. If I've already read Roadside picnic, what should I do next?
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Mar 23, 2016 03:31
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Th_ posted:I just finished The Dead Mountaineer's Inn and loved it. If I've already read Roadside picnic, what should I do next? I really enjoyed "Monday Begins on Saturday" but it's very different from other Strugatsky books (Fantasy-ish satire rather than science fiction). Also, a lot of it is based on Russian folklore and wordplay so you'll have to make sure that the translation is really good.
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Mar 23, 2016 03:59
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superstepa posted:I really enjoyed "Monday Begins on Saturday" but it's very different from other Strugatsky books (Fantasy-ish satire rather than science fiction). Also, a lot of it is based on Russian folklore and wordplay so you'll have to make sure that the translation is really good. I'll check it out. Thanks!
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Mar 23, 2016 04:16
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Why have I JUST discovered the amazing works of Cesar Aira?!
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Mar 23, 2016 18:20
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Recommend me books to do with witchcraft in a fantasy setting, or anything interesting to do with witchcraft. Please gentle-goons.
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Mar 24, 2016 05:24
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Tsyni posted:Recommend me books to do with witchcraft in a fantasy setting, or anything interesting to do with witchcraft. Please gentle-goons. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett Or possibly Lords and Ladies by the same
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Mar 24, 2016 05:46
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Tsyni posted:Recommend me books to do with witchcraft in a fantasy setting, or anything interesting to do with witchcraft. Please gentle-goons. Uprooted by Naomi Novik.
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Mar 24, 2016 05:52
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Tsyni posted:Recommend me books to do with witchcraft in a fantasy setting, or anything interesting to do with witchcraft. Please gentle-goons. Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is the top one to come to mind for me
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Mar 24, 2016 16:09
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That book was legit.
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Mar 24, 2016 16:25
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Why would you dismiss English Magic as "witchcraft"?
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Mar 25, 2016 00:23
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BravestOfTheLamps posted:Why would you dismiss English Magic as "witchcraft"? Cuz I'm not a stuck up Norrellist, Strange all day for me brother Blind Rasputin posted:That book was legit. I wish Suzanna Clarke wrote more.
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Mar 25, 2016 01:31
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Why is the majority of the beginning of Ancillary Sword about tucking tea sets? God drat.
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Mar 25, 2016 13:13
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Can of Cloud posted:Why have I JUST discovered the amazing works of Cesar Aira?! because you don't read the child loving book thread.
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Mar 25, 2016 15:02
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Can anyone recommend me the literary equivalent of Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Dazed and Confused? Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up a To Me by Fariņa, On The Road by Kerouac and even Joyland by Stephen King are good examples of what I'm looking for. Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 17:27 on Mar 25, 2016 |
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Mar 25, 2016 17:25
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I'm looking for some good living-in-the-woods novels, something like Robinson Crusoe , or grown up versions of My Side of the Mountain , Hatchet, or Swiss Family Robinson. Hell, even The Martian would scratch that itch, but I would prefer novels that are set in a terrestrial environment.
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Mar 25, 2016 23:31
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Dude, you should read Suttree. I'm not sure your exact itch but if you want a deep emotional story about a man living alone in the woods. This is really good. It isn't the woods exactly, more of a houseboat on a river, but metaphorically he's definitely living in the wilderness of mankind. It's a beautiful story.
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Mar 26, 2016 00:51
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I've recently re-read Soulsville U.S.A. by Rob Bowman, which is all about the story of Stax Records. I'm looking to find a copy of Sweet Soul Music by Peter Guralnick. Are there any other books about American soul music which are especially essential? I have also been recommended the book DisneyWar recently, which is about Michael Eisner tenure as head of Disney and his eventual ousting. I am interested in behind-the-scenes stories from the entertainment industry (music, films - usually stuff about companies, record labels, studios taken as a whole and so on, where individual characters are players in a narrative rather than its central focus). Is this a good book to read? What similar books are outstanding in this (I acknowledge, very, very large) category?
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Mar 27, 2016 02:19
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Wheat Loaf posted:I've recently re-read Soulsville U.S.A. by Rob Bowman, which is all about the story of Stax Records. I'm looking to find a copy of Sweet Soul Music by Peter Guralnick. Are there any other books about American soul music which are especially essential? Regarding behind-the-scenes Hollywood stuff, I can recommend The Devil's Candy (about the making, and failure of, the movie adaptation of The Bonfire of the Vanities) and William Goldman's Adventures in the Screen Trade.
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Mar 27, 2016 22:21
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Anyone have some recommendations for books about or involving dinosaurs? The person I'm looking for is an adult who really enjoys things like books about science and National Geographics, but something silly like a Dinosaur murder mystery would go over just as well.
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Mar 28, 2016 02:27
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Malt posted:Anyone have some recommendations for books about or involving dinosaurs? The person I'm looking for is an adult who really enjoys things like books about science and National Geographics, but something silly like a Dinosaur murder mystery would go over just as well. Raptor Red maybe, if you're looking for a real thing from the point of view of a dinosaur. It's been so long since I read it that I can't remember if it has much literary merit, but I definitely enjoyed it. Otherwise, I also liked The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt, which is a dryer sort of book that chronicles simultaneously the loss of and attempted rediscovering of the Spinosaurus and it just all full of really interesting stuff Also, of course, Jurassic Park
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Mar 28, 2016 02:30
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