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drat a double “gently caress off” for the crime of insulting the Pratchman maybe instead calm the gently caress down in the book recommendation thread lol
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Feb 17, 2020 03:54
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Sham bam bamina! posted:Isn't Bridge of Birds specifically a pastiche of classical Chinese novels like Journey to the West? Yes, but it's very lighthearted and whimsical and uplifting in a way that's hard to point towards a specific antecedent. It's not the form of the vessel people generally want more of when they're finished, it's the spirit within.
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Feb 17, 2020 04:25
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Re: pratchchat It’s not like it will take you long to discover if you can stand Terry Pratchett or not so you might as well try! I, personally, can’t stand any of it. 
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Feb 17, 2020 07:59
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Oof - sorry. I probably should have anticipated Pratchett recommendations, and it would have helped you out a hell of a lot by specifying that I have read (and enjoyed) all of Discworld already. Hieronymous Alloy posted:Maybe A Night in the Lonesome October, maybe the book version of Princess Bride. Asprin's Another Fine Myth. Thanks! A Night in the Lonesome October is available in my library, so that will be next up on the to-read list. I will also go take the plunge on Pynchon.
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Feb 17, 2020 13:36
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If I wanted something light, funny, and clever along the lines of Pratchett or Douglas Adams but that were grounded in a real historical era, where would I start? I've enjoyed replaying the Monkey Island series lately and have been watching a few shows along those lines as well, but when it comes to prose fiction I'm fairly ignorant of what's out there. Ideally something in the 17th or 18th century—early America, colonial Europe, pirates, that sort of thing—but pretty open.
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Feb 17, 2020 13:57
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feedmyleg posted:If I wanted something light, funny, and clever along the lines of Pratchett or Douglas Adams but that were grounded in a real historical era, where would I start? I've enjoyed replaying the Monkey Island series lately and have been watching a few shows along those lines as well, but when it comes to prose fiction I'm fairly ignorant of what's out there. Ideally something in the 17th or 18th century—early America, colonial Europe, pirates, that sort of thing—but pretty open. No joke, first thing that comes to mind is one of Pynchon's lighter novels. You've got V., Mason & Dixon and Against The Day. Have you ever read a Jane Austen novel? I feel like her comedy is undersold because she's Classic Literature, but I think she's funny. For pirates, have you read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson? Not necessarily funny, but it's a classic for a reason.
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Feb 17, 2020 14:16
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feedmyleg posted:If I wanted something light, funny, and clever along the lines of Pratchett or Douglas Adams but that were grounded in a real historical era, where would I start? I've enjoyed replaying the Monkey Island series lately and have been watching a few shows along those lines as well, but when it comes to prose fiction I'm fairly ignorant of what's out there. Ideally something in the 17th or 18th century—early America, colonial Europe, pirates, that sort of thing—but pretty open. It's on my mind because it's just mentioned, but A Night in the Lonesome October is light, funny pastiche fantasy set in the victorian (edwardian?) era. Tim Power's On Stranger Tides was one of the direct inspirations for Secret of Monkey Island. (They bought the rights to the name for the Pirates of the Caribbean film but didn't really use much of the story). It's more historical fiction than light/funny but it's very good. Past that I'd advise checking out the Aubrey/Maturin thread https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3393240&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1 If you read Austen she's great but I'd advise getting an annotated edition as her jokes are difficult to get if you don't have a lot of background already on her society.
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Feb 17, 2020 14:58
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Thanks for the suggestions so far! I'll take a look at Lonesome October, and Mason & Dixon looks potentially interesting. I'd been thinking about Austen but was worried that it's so dry that I won't connect with it, but that may be unfounded. I was definitely hoping for suggestions of more comedy-forward material, though.
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Feb 17, 2020 15:12
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feedmyleg posted:Thanks for the suggestions so far! I'll take a look at Lonesome October, and Mason & Dixon looks potentially interesting. I'd been thinking about Austen but was worried that it's so dry that I won't connect with it, but that may be unfounded. I was definitely hoping for suggestions of more comedy-forward material, though. Pynchon is pretty comedic, just so you know. V. has an art heist where the plan is to steal The Birth of Venus by rolling it up and hiding it in a fake tree that they're going to carry around with them. Mason & Dixon get high with George Washington, and an earlier chapter has their fortunes told by a talking dog. Even his darker novels, like Gravity's Rainbow, are very funny; they're just less specific to this request. (Half of V's chapters take place at specific points of history at different parts of the world, including Venice, South Africa, Egypt, and more.) The only other book that comes to mind--Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut--doesn't really fit well with what you're asking. While it's a dark comedy that deals with a soldier's experience in WW2, time travel and aliens are a big part of the story, and it's less comedic than other Vonnegut novels. Vonnegut was a huge influence on Douglas Adams, though. And it's such a commonly read book that it always feels redundant to recommend it.
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Feb 17, 2020 15:27
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feedmyleg posted:Thanks for the suggestions so far! I'll take a look at Lonesome October, and Mason & Dixon looks potentially interesting. I'd been thinking about Austen but was worried that it's so dry that I won't connect with it, but that may be unfounded. I was definitely hoping for suggestions of more comedy-forward material, though. Thing is, austen is screamingly funny *if* you already know, e.g., the difference between a dog cart and a larouche. If you don't, it's just dry gibberish. Context is everything and she doesn't 3explain because her audience already knew. I did a partial let's read of austen a while back, good place to get started: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3662001&pagenumber=1&perpage=40
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Feb 17, 2020 15:36
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feedmyleg posted:If I wanted something light, funny, and clever along the lines of Pratchett or Douglas Adams but that were grounded in a real historical era, where would I start? I've enjoyed replaying the Monkey Island series lately and have been watching a few shows along those lines as well, but when it comes to prose fiction I'm fairly ignorant of what's out there. Ideally something in the 17th or 18th century—early America, colonial Europe, pirates, that sort of thing—but pretty open. Sham bam bamina! fucked around with this message at 16:02 on Feb 17, 2020 |
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Feb 17, 2020 15:59
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feedmyleg posted:If I wanted something light, funny, and clever along the lines of Pratchett or Douglas Adams but that were grounded in a real historical era, where would I start? I've enjoyed replaying the Monkey Island series lately and have been watching a few shows along those lines as well, but when it comes to prose fiction I'm fairly ignorant of what's out there. Ideally something in the 17th or 18th century—early America, colonial Europe, pirates, that sort of thing—but pretty open. I believe Gideon Defoe's "Pirates" series fits perfectly. They are extremely cartoonish, but all based in history—the pirates meet Darwin, Marx, Napoleon, Shelley & Byron...
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Feb 17, 2020 16:46
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Thing is, austen is screamingly funny *if* you already know, e.g., the difference between a dog cart and a larouche. If you don't, it's just dry gibberish. Context is everything and she doesn't 3explain because her audience already knew. Anyone know if there are annotated Austen for people who don't know the difference between a dog cart and a larouche, or something?
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Feb 17, 2020 17:46
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Black Griffon posted:Anyone know if there are annotated Austen for people who don't know the difference between a dog cart and a larouche, or something? I highly recommend the companion non-fiction reference book What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool, which is also kinda lighthearted and fun in its own way. But yes, an Everyman's copy or Norton edition or Oxford edition of classics are always pretty good.
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Feb 17, 2020 17:55
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I think Hieronymous Alloy vastly overstates the need to understand the subtleties of Austen's vocabulary in order to read her novels. English is my third language and I've no idea what a dog cart or a larouche is, but I've really enjoyed Austen's work, and i know people whose English is considerably worse than mine liking the poo poo out of her. Nobody's examining you, and you don't have to understand each reference or wordplay to get Austen at all. If anything, trying to get everything will lessen your enjoyment of what ultimately are very well written light hearted novels of a keen observer of her society. Burning Rain fucked around with this message at 18:14 on Feb 17, 2020 |
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Feb 17, 2020 18:05
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Sham bam bamina! posted:It's nonfiction, but Roughing It is one of the funniest books I've ever read and is set in a similar milieu, and it reads like a novel. Be sure to get your hands on an edition with all the original illustrations – the Hippocrene edition from the '80s is the one that I have. Innocents Abroad is also exceptionally funny, with the caveat that it is very ethnocentric in parts.
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Feb 17, 2020 18:07
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Awesome. Can't believe Twain didn't occur to me, and the Pirates series sounds ideal. Thanks, all! That'll definitely get me started. I also read a lot of old pulp books which have pretty gross content, so I can push my way past a decent amount of ethnocentric nonsense. I'll keep Austen in the back pocket, too.
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Feb 17, 2020 18:33
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Selachian posted:gently caress off. pratchett and bridge of birds are nothing like each other also pratchett is twee garbage for nerds who fear novelty and place great value on feeling cleverer than other people sorry e: Burning Rain posted:I think Hieronymous Alloy vastly overstates the need to understand the subtleties of Austen's vocabulary in order to read her novels. English is my third language and I've no idea what a dog cart or a larouche is, but I've really enjoyed Austen's work, and i know people whose English is considerably worse than mine liking the poo poo out of her. also this. austen is hugely enjoyable and funny and there's no need to get an annotated edition in order to understand every minute reference. just read the books chernobyl kinsman fucked around with this message at 18:51 on Feb 17, 2020 |
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Feb 17, 2020 18:48
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chernobyl kinsman posted:also, pratchett is twee garbage for nerds who fear novelty and place great value on feeling cleverer than other people Seems like a perfect fit for TBB recs
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Feb 17, 2020 18:49
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chernobyl kinsman posted:also pratchett is twee garbage for nerds who fear novelty and place great value on feeling cleverer than other people sorry You could have just have said "teenagers."
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Feb 17, 2020 19:18
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No  big enough.
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Feb 17, 2020 19:20
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I don't know what you're talking about, I love novelty
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Feb 17, 2020 20:25
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Mrenda posted:You could have just have said "teenagers." You shouldn't conflate the noble teen with people who read terry pratchett in my opinion.
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Feb 18, 2020 00:22
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Kinda hate to agree, but Austen rules and Pratchett is terribly unfunny garbage.
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Feb 18, 2020 01:25
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CineD's Movie of the Month is Wong Kar-Wai's In The Mood For Love, one of my favorite movies, and it's made me realize that I really don't know the stand-out literary classics that are about unrequited love and/or affairs. So I have two requests for recommendations. What are some of the best literary classics about unrequited love or people having an affair? Or, what's a book that is similar to In The Mood For Love? I'm open to novels, plays, or even a long-form poem.
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Feb 18, 2020 14:56
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Franchescanado posted:CineD's Movie of the Month is Wong Kar-Wai's In The Mood For Love, one of my favorite movies, and it's made me realize that I really don't know the stand-out literary classics that are about unrequited love and/or affairs. So I have two requests for recommendations. Maugham's The Painted Veil? E: I'd also throw in Greene's A Burnt-Out Case but any number of people might not agree. 3D Megadoodoo fucked around with this message at 15:25 on Feb 18, 2020 |
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Feb 18, 2020 15:07
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The Book Barn's Horror Thread/Ligotti
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Feb 18, 2020 15:13
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Love in the Time of Cholera Spring Snow Snow La Vita Nouva Great Expectations Great Gatsby Off the top of my head as I walk to work Edit: Thousand Cranes Snow Country Mel Mudkiper fucked around with this message at 15:23 on Feb 18, 2020 |
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Feb 18, 2020 15:18
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Mel Mudkiper posted:Love in the Time of Cholera I've read Gatsby at least. Kinda funny rec, since you hate that book. Seems like I have Pamuk's Snow, Marquez's Cholera and Spring Snow on my shelf already, too. Do you have a preferred edition/translation of La Vita Nouva? Jerry Cotton posted:Maugham's The Painted Veil? This also looks good. Good rec. Is this a good introduction to Maugham's works? (I've been putting off Of Human Bondage for years.) Will look into the Greene book as well.
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Feb 18, 2020 15:26
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Every single classic is about people having affairs. All of them, from start to finish. It's like asking for books in which sad people have a bad time
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Feb 18, 2020 15:29
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Ras Het posted:Every single classic is about people having affairs. All of them, from start to finish. It's like asking for books in which sad people have a bad time Murder is not an affair though 
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Feb 18, 2020 15:30
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Franchescanado posted:CineD's Movie of the Month is Wong Kar-Wai's In The Mood For Love, one of my favorite movies, and it's made me realize that I really don't know the stand-out literary classics that are about unrequited love and/or affairs. So I have two requests for recommendations. The Sun Also Rises for the combination of both into a single relationship?
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Feb 18, 2020 15:35
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Franchescanado posted:CineD's Movie of the Month is Wong Kar-Wai's In The Mood For Love, one of my favorite movies, and it's made me realize that I really don't know the stand-out literary classics that are about unrequited love and/or affairs. So I have two requests for recommendations. Wuthering Heights? StrixNebulosa posted:The Book Barn's Horror Thread/Ligotti lol
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Feb 18, 2020 16:49
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Can anyone recomend good english translations of historical epics. Im looking for the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin or the germanic / norse epics, etc. No greek or roman stuff please.
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Feb 18, 2020 16:54
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TommyGun85 posted:Can anyone recomend good english translations of historical epics. Im looking for the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin or the germanic / norse epics, etc. Royall Tyler's Tale of the Heike is very good
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Feb 18, 2020 17:09
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TommyGun85 posted:Can anyone recomend good english translations of historical epics. Im looking for the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin or the germanic / norse epics, etc. The Shahnameh aka The Persian Book of Kings has a very good translation by Dick Davis. It's the longest poem written by a single author and chronicles all of Persian history from the dawn of time to the Arab conquests
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Feb 18, 2020 17:17
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Until the Day of Judgement my sword shall not see its scabbard; my horse beneath me will be my throne, my feet nowhere but in the stirrups, and my crown will be my helmet. I shall not sleep or rest until I have taken my revenge; the rivers flow with less water than my eyes flow with tears. May the king's soul be resplendent among his glorious peers, and may you comfort yourselves with the knowledge of God's justice, so that your hearts find peace. We are all born for death; we belong to death, and we have given our heads into its keeping.
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Feb 18, 2020 17:18
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TommyGun85 posted:Can anyone recomend good english translations of historical epics. Im looking for the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin or the germanic / norse epics, etc. the norse texts arent really epics; theyre written in prose and more limited in scope than something like three kingdoms. any of jesse l byock's norse translations are stellar tho
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Feb 18, 2020 17:40
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Franchescanado posted:I've read Gatsby at least. Kinda funny rec, since you hate that book. Seems like I have Pamuk's Snow, Marquez's Cholera and Spring Snow on my shelf already, too. Of Human Bondage is great and relevant to your request. Also makes a great companion read to Dostoevsky - The Idiot. I really like the translation that is available on PG.
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Feb 18, 2020 17:49
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TommyGun85 posted:Can anyone recomend good english translations of historical epics. Im looking for the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin or the germanic / norse epics, etc.
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Feb 18, 2020 17:54
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