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Books covering the fall of the Soviet Union? Preferably from the perspective of the Soviets? Fiction or non-fiction.
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Aug 3, 2020 03:36
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Carl Killer Miller posted:May I have a suggestion for books in the 'deep dive into something niche and ordinary' genre? I've read through most of Mark Kurlansky's stuff and enjoyed most of it. 'The Letter Writer' by Dan Fesperman is based on historical events (murder mystery in WWII New York) but if you prefer your crime to be happening in Paris in the 1600s then 'City of Light, City of Poison" by Holly Tucker should fill the bill. I liked them both a lot. As for 'deep into the ordinary', 'And Soon I Heard A Roaring Wind' by Bill Streever is all about... wind and weather.
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Aug 3, 2020 04:31
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Carl Killer Miller posted:I want to ask for true crime/mystery recommendations, but I still have to finish The Name of The Rose. I've been looking for a good whodunit type mystery that's not necessarily in the 'cozy mystery' genre, but I haven't found one. Reread The Westing Game, though. Holds up. Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth was amazing, it's not true crime but close enough: quote:The method for acquiring a false identity and UK passport detailed in the book is often referred to as the "Day of the Jackal fraud" and remained a well known security loophole in the UK[28] until 2007
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Aug 3, 2020 04:55
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Kart Barfunkel posted:Books covering the fall of the Soviet Union? Preferably from the perspective of the Soviets? Fiction or non-fiction. Svetlana Alexievich’s Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets is really good
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Aug 3, 2020 06:49
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can anyone recommend me a book or an article on philosophy of political and social revolutions? Something that covers various thoughts on the matter would be preferable.
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Aug 3, 2020 07:12
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Any recommendations for comedic books? I prefer kinda dry humor, really big fan of the John Dies at the End series
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Aug 3, 2020 10:30
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Iambic Pentameter posted:Any recommendations for comedic books? I prefer kinda dry humor, really big fan of the John Dies at the End series A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz.
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Aug 3, 2020 11:03
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Iambic Pentameter posted:Any recommendations for comedic books? I prefer kinda dry humor, really big fan of the John Dies at the End series It's victorian, but Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome is the funniest book.
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Aug 3, 2020 12:10
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Kart Barfunkel posted:Books covering the fall of the Soviet Union? Preferably from the perspective of the Soviets? Fiction or non-fiction. Declare.
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Aug 3, 2020 21:27
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Pick posted:Do we have a more general nonfiction thread I'm not seeing, outside the History Book thread? I suppose all nonfiction is history, sort of, but just curious. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3612442 I had to go a ways back but there it is. I miss that thread.
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Aug 4, 2020 02:20
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Flaggy posted:https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3612442 Make a new one!
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Aug 4, 2020 03:42
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Make a new one! Not a bad idea, on it.
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Aug 4, 2020 03:46
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Hi all, would I enjoy any of China Mieville's other novels if I hated The City and the City?
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Aug 6, 2020 18:07
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TommyGun85 posted:Hi all, would I enjoy any of China Mieville's other novels if I hated The City and the City?
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Aug 6, 2020 18:35
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TommyGun85 posted:Hi all, would I enjoy any of China Mieville's other novels if I hated The City and the City? Maybe try 'Three Moments of An Explosion', it's a collection of his short stories, I enjoyed them but (because) they're very strange and dark
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Aug 7, 2020 20:43
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TommyGun85 posted:Hi all, would I enjoy any of China Mieville's other novels if I hated The City and the City? FWIW I bounced off of The City and the City (I wouldn't say I hated it, though) and I still loved The Scar and Embassytown. I was kind of lukewarm on Perdido Street Station, though.
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Aug 7, 2020 20:47
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TommyGun85 posted:Hi all, would I enjoy any of China Mieville's other novels if I hated The City and the City? They're all very different from each other but I personally prefer Embassytown. I also really liked This Census-Taker, which is very short and easy to read vs The City and the City.
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Aug 7, 2020 21:15
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Thanks everyone. I'll give them a shot.
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Aug 8, 2020 00:42
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tuyop posted:They're all very different from each other but I personally prefer Embassytown. I also really liked This Census-Taker, which is very short and easy to read vs The City and the City. I also really liked This Census-Taker, and was generally happy with Perdido Street Station. I also really enjoyed the Kraken but Last Days in New Paris just pissed me off so much. He's really uneven in my opinion. Have not read City^2
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Aug 8, 2020 06:42
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Kart Barfunkel posted:Books covering the fall of the Soviet Union? Preferably from the perspective of the Soviets? Fiction or non-fiction. Alexei Yurchak's Everything was Forever, Until It Was No More looks very good although I've only read sections.
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Aug 8, 2020 11:49
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Flaggy posted:Not a bad idea, on it. Once you do, I'll be there. Lots of good nonfiction to recommend.
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Aug 9, 2020 16:59
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I read a good bit, and so does my girlfriend. But so far our tastes have only overlapped in "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Other than that she reads almost exclusively books by female authors, and I read mostly typical male stuff. I really enjoy Kurt Vonnegut, Neal Stephenson, Neil Gaiman, Iain Banks, Cormac McCarthy, GRR Martin, Tolkein and then in nonfiction mostly I read WW2 histories, with some early north American histories. I'm looking for something that we both could read together and enjoy, be it nonfiction or fiction. She leans more towards nonfiction stuff and I lean more towards fiction. I suggested Good Omens to her and she really enjoyed that, but I'm doubtful some of my other picks would go so well for her. Looking for something lighthearted, and definitely no dark stuff, violence is also a no go. Any recommendations would be much appreciated
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Aug 15, 2020 10:56
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How about Girl, Woman, Other.. It won the Man Booker prize last year and is by a female author. It’s fiction, and is divided up into 15 different sections, each with its own viewpoint character (like GRRM). All the characters are interrelated and there are some great reveals and twists as you get to understand what’s going on and the history between all the different viewpoints. It’s such a warm and detailed look into the lives of its characters, and it’s an absolute page turner. I think if you have the patience to read genre fantasy and the inclination to read McCarthy you would get a lot out of it, and there would be a lot for you both to discuss.
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Aug 15, 2020 13:31
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If she liked Good Omens, HHGTTG might be an option.
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Aug 16, 2020 18:55
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Can anyone recommend what I would loosely call 'settler fiction'? I'm mostly hoping for historical fiction about the Viking settlement of Iceland, Greenland, the Hebrides, Vinland etc. or even fantasy equivalents. I'm not really looking for combat action although a bit of that is probably inevitable (I did really enjoy Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Tales series). Mostly I want books about what it was like for a group of people to establish themselves somewhere new. I've read some of the Icelandic sagas but a more accessible modern narrative novel for a dummy like me would be great. Norse stuff is preferred but I've struggled to find much through Google, so recommendations from other settings are welcome too - other parts of history like new world colonies, or scifi/fantasy. On the scifi front I did really like Kim Stanley Robinson's books for example. Fantasy suggestions might look something like a dwarf fortress novelization maybe as ridiculous as that sounds? I hope that makes some kind of sense and that there's other people who want to read and write about that sort of thing.
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Aug 18, 2020 19:08
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Just let her recommend you stuff, you sound like a Nazi.
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Aug 18, 2020 21:45
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Trauts posted:I read a good bit, and so does my girlfriend. But so far our tastes have only overlapped in "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Other than that she reads almost exclusively books by female authors, and I read mostly typical male stuff. I really enjoy Kurt Vonnegut, Neal Stephenson, Neil Gaiman, Iain Banks, Cormac McCarthy, GRR Martin, Tolkein and then in nonfiction mostly I read WW2 histories, with some early north American histories. I kind of agree that maybe you should read more of what she's into? You're asking for a book that both of you would like, but you're only telling us your preferences. From your post, I only know that she leans towards non-fiction and likes female authors, she liked Good Omens (one of the most popular books ever) and nothing dark or violent. But, like, I'd say the darker and more violent books that I've read were all from female authors, so that doesn't really help out with picking a suggestion for both of you. And a random goon's ideas of what's lighthearted might not work out. So what are some specific books she actually likes? What are books that she's suggested you read that you've actually read and enjoyed? It sounds like you're being the picky one. If you have more specifics, I'll happily try and give more recommendations, but if you aren't willing to read a book she suggests, then maybe you two should agree on a collection of short stories to read together. Flannery O'Conner, Carson McCullers, Raymond Carver, George Saunders, Doris Lessing, Lauren Groff's Florida. (And, again, some of these might be too dark!) And there's always goon favorite Bridge of Birds. Maybe do Something Wicked This Way Comes for Autumn.
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Aug 18, 2020 21:59
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Captain Mediocre posted:Can anyone recommend what I would loosely call 'settler fiction'? I'm mostly hoping for historical fiction about the Viking settlement of Iceland, Greenland, the Hebrides, Vinland etc. or even fantasy equivalents. I'm not really looking for combat action although a bit of that is probably inevitable (I did really enjoy Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Tales series). Mostly I want books about what it was like for a group of people to establish themselves somewhere new. I've read some of the Icelandic sagas but a more accessible modern narrative novel for a dummy like me would be great. A few good ones taking off on your interest in Norse/Scandinavian settlements:
Edit: Also, if you've never read them, Laura Ingalls Wilder's series is fantastic. They are focused towards children at a narrative level, but they're very well written, and I've enjoyed re-reading them as an adult with my child. They're not strictly Norse or Scandinavian, but Laura's family is really living on the edge of European-American settlement, particularly in the chronlogically earlier books. Lewd Mangabey fucked around with this message at 23:14 on Aug 18, 2020 |
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Aug 18, 2020 23:09
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Lewd Mangabey posted:A few good ones taking off on your interest in Norse/Scandinavian settlements: The Wilder books were an important part of my childhood but I would not recommend them unless the person is already aware of what they represent and the false narrative pushed by her daughter.
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Aug 19, 2020 03:35
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I just finished All The Birds In The Sky and I really liked the kinda goofy sci-fi/fantasy mashup. I haven't really read much fantasy since I was a kid, but I got a kindle for my birthday and now I'm pretty much reading nonstop. So, anybody know what else I might like in that vein?
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Aug 19, 2020 19:52
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Pick posted:Once you do, I'll be there. Lots of good nonfiction to recommend. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3937275 Also, new Non-Fiction Thread ya'll
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Aug 20, 2020 18:53
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Farten Barfen posted:I just finished All The Birds In The Sky and I really liked the kinda goofy sci-fi/fantasy mashup. I haven't really read much fantasy since I was a kid, but I got a kindle for my birthday and now I'm pretty much reading nonstop.
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Aug 20, 2020 20:17
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Farten Barfen posted:I just finished All The Birds In The Sky and I really liked the kinda goofy sci-fi/fantasy mashup. I haven't really read much fantasy since I was a kid, but I got a kindle for my birthday and now I'm pretty much reading nonstop. Yeah I think Naomi Novik’s Uprooted is a lot like that! You might also enjoy Borne by VanderMeer and American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett.
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Aug 21, 2020 03:03
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Farten Barfen posted:I just finished All The Birds In The Sky and I really liked the kinda goofy sci-fi/fantasy mashup. I haven't really read much fantasy since I was a kid, but I got a kindle for my birthday and now I'm pretty much reading nonstop. I also really enjoyed this book.
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Aug 21, 2020 04:38
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Are their any good historical fiction books about Rasputin? Kind of like what Wolf Hall did with Beckett.
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Aug 22, 2020 00:28
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Cromwell, right?
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Aug 22, 2020 00:41
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Lex Neville posted:Cromwell, right? oops Thomas Cromwell, not Beckett. I just finished Pillars of the Earth and Beckett was on my mind.
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Aug 22, 2020 00:51
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TommyGun85 posted:Are their any good historical fiction books about Rasputin? Kind of like what Wolf Hall did with Cromwell.
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Aug 22, 2020 00:53
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The last two books that I read were 11/22/63 and The Plot Against America, and I couldn’t put either of them down. Any recommendations for other books along those lines? What really hooked me was the somewhat recent alternate history angle.
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Aug 26, 2020 01:56
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The Public Burning, by Robert Coover.
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Aug 26, 2020 03:01
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