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Have you read Deborah Blum's The Poisoner's Handbook? It sounds like it might be right up your alley.
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Jan 7, 2019 02:55
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Lester Shy posted:I've got two audible credits and I find it hard to retain information when listening to novels, so I'm looking for nonfiction recommendations. I'm mainly interested in true crime and history, especially medical history. Something like The Royal Art of Poison is right up my alley. "Westcork" from audible was amazing for a true-crime series. If you missed "Dirty John" (not the TV adaption, that is hot garbage) stop everything and listen to that right now, best true crime in years  EDIT: both are podcasts but whatever, same same.
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Jan 7, 2019 16:30
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I'm about to wrap up Jose Saramago's Death with Interruptions, and was wondering if anyone had any recs for books that aren't necessarily similar, but just generally explore a world with a batshit premise. Maybe something along the lines of Nick Harkaway's The Gone-Away World or Tom Perrotta's The Leftovers?
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Jan 7, 2019 17:12
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eighty-four merc posted:I'm about to wrap up Jose Saramago's Death with Interruptions, and was wondering if anyone had any recs for books that aren't necessarily similar, but just generally explore a world with a batshit premise. The Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier The Age of Miracles by Karen Walker
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Jan 7, 2019 17:19
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Hit me with a wildcard for the booklord challenge. Must be available on Kindle
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Jan 7, 2019 18:14
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Finnegans Wake
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Jan 7, 2019 18:40
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Take the plunge! Okay! posted:Hit me with a wildcard for the booklord challenge. Must be available on Kindle I’m going to go really wild for you. the king in the north: the life and times of oswald of northumbria by Max Adams. Nothing to do with game of thrones but clearly an academic was inspired by his rage at GRRM to write this. Bonus it’s currently on kindle unlimited if you haven’t had the trial.
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Jan 7, 2019 18:50
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Okay the Major Major Major Major backstory chapter was a Major step up in terms of enjoyment for me, that sure was spectacular. It felt very much more focused than previous chapters. I'm going to keep going.
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Jan 7, 2019 20:03
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Mel Mudkiper posted:The Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier These look fantastic, thank you.
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Jan 7, 2019 23:04
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eighty-four merc posted:I'm about to wrap up Jose Saramago's Death with Interruptions, and was wondering if anyone had any recs for books that aren't necessarily similar, but just generally explore a world with a batshit premise. I think the interesting thing about that book is not so much the setting but the way it discusses death, considering Saramago was 82 when he wrote it. I can't think of another book where death is as lucid yet not so unmorbid
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Jan 7, 2019 23:16
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eighty-four merc posted:I'm about to wrap up Jose Saramago's Death with Interruptions, and was wondering if anyone had any recs for books that aren't necessarily similar, but just generally explore a world with a batshit premise. i would highly recommend this month's book of the month: roadside picnic by arkady and boris strugatsky
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Jan 8, 2019 03:50
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Good Will Hrunting posted:Okay the Major Major Major Major backstory chapter was a Major step up in terms of enjoyment for me, that sure was spectacular. It felt very much more focused than previous chapters. I'm going to keep going. I believe in you!
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Jan 8, 2019 04:00
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Burning Rain posted:Finnegans Wake drat, that looks demanding. I'll try and see how it works out learnincurve posted:I’m going to go really wild for you. The other poster was faster, but this looks very interesting and I will get it anyway. Thanks!
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Jan 8, 2019 16:37
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Subjunctive posted:I believe in you! I have no idea what snapped but I feel like a switch flipped and I'm totally adjusted to the writing style and not expecting something the book isn't. It's a long read but I'm feeling pretty comfortable that I'll be able to finish it.
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Jan 8, 2019 16:42
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I'm looking for good/fun books on cryptozoology. I don't really care if the writer is a true believer or not (I am definitely not), I just find the subject matter fascinating regardless of how silly it is. Encyclopedia or textbook style is okay, but I'd love something that's a little more... travelogue-y, if that makes sense? I remember reading Mothman Prophecies in high school and loving it, and I'm sure it was probably actually terrible, but something along those lines would be neat. Also if somebody could tell me whether Mothman Prophecies was, in fact, terrible, that'd be great. If it's okay, I might give it another read.
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Jan 8, 2019 20:42
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Take the plunge! Okay! posted:drat, that looks demanding. I'll try and see how it works out You chose well, godspeed!
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Jan 8, 2019 20:51
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Burning Rain posted:You chose well, godspeed! evil
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Jan 9, 2019 07:15
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Burning Rain posted:Finnegans Wake why would you do this to someone
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Jan 9, 2019 07:46
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Is Finnegan's Wake like the Finnish classic (which literally no-one has actually read despite claiming otherwise) Alastalon salissa? I quote from Wikipedia (translation my own):quote:Alastalon salissa is a story of six hours, during which a group of villagers from Kustavi discuss investing in Herman Mattsson of Alastalo's bark. The most famous episode in the detailing of the meeting, altogether comprising about nine hundred pages, is the choosing of the pipe, wherein the master of Härkäniemi walks to the pipe rack at the back of the hall and chooses the pipe most suiting of his needs. This contemplation and thought processes both related and unrelated to it take about seventy pages worth of text (3. chapter).
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Jan 9, 2019 08:44
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Jerry Cotton posted:Is Finnegan's Wake like the Finnish classic (which literally no-one has actually read despite claiming otherwise) Alastalon salissa? I quote from Wikipedia (translation my own): It is a pretty evil recommendation.
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Jan 9, 2019 09:35
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Yeah, I read a couple of pages last night, I think there might’ve been a scene in which someone attempted to wash their hair in a bathtub, but the waters parted biblical style, which might’ve been funny. IDK, I’ll decide whether there is anything to be gained by this sometime later.
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Jan 9, 2019 10:05
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Jerry Cotton posted:Is Finnegan's Wake like the Finnish classic (which literally no-one has actually read despite claiming otherwise) Alastalon salissa? I quote from Wikipedia (translation my own): quote:The entire book is written in a largely idiosyncratic language, which blends standard English lexical items and neologistic multilingual puns and portmanteau words to unique effect. Many critics believe the technique was Joyce's attempt to recreate the experience of sleep and dreams.[3] Owing to the work's linguistic experiments, stream of consciousness writing style, literary allusions, free dream associations, and abandonment of narrative conventions, Finnegans Wake remains largely unread by the general public It's the equivalent of recommending a book written in a foreign language and not available in translation.
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Jan 9, 2019 10:11
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:It's the equivalent of recommending a book written in a foreign language and not available in translation. No it isn't, that's silly.
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Jan 9, 2019 11:27
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:It's the equivalent of recommending a book written in a foreign language and not available in translation. As an example, here's the first few paragraphs: quote:riverrun, past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs. If you're really serious about reading it, there are plenty of reading guides and even support groups available.
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Jan 9, 2019 13:00
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Well I’ll need a support group for sure
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Jan 9, 2019 14:52
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I’ve seen Cloud Atlas so read that in Tom Hanks voice and got it.
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Jan 9, 2019 15:34
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Just picked up Bellefleur, which I'd been vaguely intrigued by for years but never checked out. Any recommendations for more Oates, aside from no-brainers like the other gothic novels and the Wonderland books?
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Jan 13, 2019 06:50
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Sorry for asking, I guess.
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Jan 24, 2019 05:43
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Sham bam bamina! posted:Sorry for asking, I guess. Try steel cut. e: misread, my apologies
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Jan 24, 2019 07:27
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Can someone recommend me something with a focus on behind-the-scenes factional struggles/political machinations? Both fiction and non-fiction accessible to a layman will do.
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Jan 24, 2019 21:07
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Can anyone recommend me some horror books? I've read some Stephen King stuff over the years and never got the "can't sleep after reading" thing people say they from his books. I wanna be unsettled and freaked the gently caress out. Any type of book is cool.
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Jan 24, 2019 21:10
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40-Degree Day posted:Can anyone recommend me some horror books? I've read some Stephen King stuff over the years and never got the "can't sleep after reading" thing people say they from his books. I wanna be unsettled and freaked the gently caress out. Any type of book is cool. Might be too unsettling but https://www.amazon.com/Fifth-Risk-Michael-Lewis/dp/1324002646
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Jan 24, 2019 21:16
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40-Degree Day posted:Can anyone recommend me some horror books? I've read some Stephen King stuff over the years and never got the "can't sleep after reading" thing people say they from his books. I wanna be unsettled and freaked the gently caress out. Any type of book is cool. Read The Sixth Extinction.
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Jan 24, 2019 21:24
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40-Degree Day posted:Can anyone recommend me some horror books? I've read some Stephen King stuff over the years and never got the "can't sleep after reading" thing people say they from his books. I wanna be unsettled and freaked the gently caress out. Any type of book is cool. The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell
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Jan 24, 2019 21:31
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Alright, looking for nonfiction manned flight/space-race type books that lean more technical than biographical. Dad was an aero engineer, I'm electrical so I'm fine with charts, graphs, dry stuff, the more technical the better. I like technical details about design, performance, margins, planning, chains of decisions (either in design and planning or in an emergency), critical thinking and risk management. I'm really intrigued about how things work, are supposed to work, don't work when things don't go right, etc. I like being able to read, in as much depth as possible, the root causes of issues (in aviation or space travel there's often a chain of events leading up to a problem that's outside the normal planning process). Even the science planning stuff is interesting, the specific experiments and instrumentation etc. Also doesn't have to be american, I've read some books on the Soviet side and those are interesting as well. Really anything from the early 50's type stuff through current. I'd be fine reading about the transfer of scientists and engineers after WW2 and the current design and planning stuff for things like the ISS and future lunar/mars plans, but I suspect the largest selection is going to be the X-15 through Apollo years, then the orbiter years and the two losses there. As background, here are some I've read and my quick hot take if that helps determine my preferences. Failure Is Not An Option - Generally liked it, good broad overview of a lot of missions and how mission control works. Read a long time ago, don't remember much. Carrying The Fire - Liked it a lot, less interested in the biographical aspects but at the same time they did inform a lot of the parts that were more interesting like the decisions made under pressure or with imperfect information. Thirteen - Liked it a lot, just read it recently. Very short but has a lot of focus on design, tech (not very deep but still there), and problem solving that went on. Learned a bunch of new stuff I hadn't known before and I've lost more days on Wikipedia or random websites than I care to count looking into stuff like the Apollo 13 mission. We saw First Man last night and that's what got me fired back up about this. I see Armstrong's biography First Man and will likely read it so no need to recommend it here. I just bought Rocket Men (Kurson) and Apollo 8 (Kluger), will see how those shake out. Has anyone read the Outward Odyssey series? Seems like a good bet but maybe someone's read it and can comment. Lastly feel free to recommend websites, I'm sure there are like forums or sites devoted to these things. I know I've been on a few but nothing I remember clearly. I assume NASA has a lot of this stuff archived and available (like the comms transcriptions and photography), haven't really looked too deeply into other public-domain type resources. I have also dragged my feet on getting some of the technical manual type books as they're hardcover, and I primarily read on my phone (huge bonus if there's a kindle edition with audible companion add-on). I realize charts and graphs and poo poo don't make good audiobooks. That being said those workshop manuals look right up my alley, I'll probably grab one to see how I like them. Thanks in advance.
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Jan 24, 2019 21:42
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Joyce carol oates has written about two good stories ever and one of them is in a horror anthology called “999” alongside stories about telepathic little girls who will tentacle monsters into being
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Jan 25, 2019 02:19
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Will keep in mind, thanks.
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Jan 25, 2019 03:10
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she also blocked me on Twitter
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Jan 25, 2019 03:42
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Goondolences.
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Jan 25, 2019 04:36
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uwaeve posted:Alright, looking for nonfiction manned flight/space-race type books that lean more technical than biographical. Personal recommendations: Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed, by Ben Rich (second director of the Skunk Works project at Lockheed and successor to the founder thereof). A mix of technical details (especially on stealth technology. Did you know the scientific breakthrough that led to stealth was actually made by a Russian professor?), incredible anecdotes, war stories... and effective project management (really. At its core, it's a book about management, and a pretty good one). The chapter about the F-117 is pretty amusing in hindsight, because on a careful read it reveals every single weakness that was exploited by Serbians to shoot down the "invisible plane", three years after the publication of the book Sled Driver: Flying the World's Fastest Jet, by Brian Shul (a unique combination of SR-71 pilot and aerial photographer - the book is illustrated with some of his photos, that capture the incredible sights you could get from the canopy of the Blackbird). A pilot-centric view of the legendary Skunk Works supersonic spy plane. Non-technical, but plenty of (cold) war stories, plus the aforementioned photos. Probably not exactly what you're looking for but a good companion for Skunk Works Ignition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants, by John D. Clark (chief chemist at a military research center on liquid rocket propellants). Rocket science is damned hard, and incredibly dangerous too. John D. Clark gives a brief history of the development of liquid rocket propellants, 40s-70s, mostly for military applications, with many amusing anecdotes, some black humor on the daily realities of working with absolutely deadly forces, and some pretty dense technical information on the chemistry involved that mostly flew over my head. Hard to find in print, but there's a free PDF floating around (not a good scan, but decently readable)
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Jan 25, 2019 22:59
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